#(Cassie is very mild with it like she’s THE girl to go too for that type of stuff cuz she knows a lot but doesn’t follow it like a religion

[skhardwarevers1]

spent two hours studying and I’m STILL thinking about Cassie

[infernalodie]

𝐋𝐨𝐰 (𝐩𝐭.𝟏) || 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐳

“𝘐'𝘮 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘐 𝘢𝘪𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳? 𝘐'𝘮 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥“

Inspo: SZA - Low

Pairing: Maddy Perez x Black!Fem!reader

Summary: She didn’t understand why you were the talk of the town...

Warnings: Sexual tension

Part Two

Words: 1076

Everything Maddy had known about you had been from someone else. Someone telling her all the little things others had told them about you. How you were heartless and had nearly shot Nate at a party for grabbing your ass. Or how you have fucked practically every girl in school and never stayed with one girl for too long. Now, the last one was clearly a lie because Maddy had never had an official encounter with you. Never talked to you once, but she had caught your gaze a few times during parties whilst you went up the stairs with a girl.

But Maddy had never witnessed or understood why everyone was so interested in you. Because truthfully, she just thought you to be a slut. And she meant that in the meanest way possible. You got every girl you wanted and never wanted anything more than just a one-night stand. She didn’t like it and it sent the wrong message to everyone else. Well, not the guys because they just thought it was hot. Of course, only thinking with their dicks.

She was severely out of the loop and she was fine with that. But watching you from the kitchen, a perfect window from above the sink looking outside gave her a view of you and Cassie. A party was going on around her and her friends were trying to gauge her attention, but she was transfixed on what seemed to be an argument. You’re tall frame towering over the blonde’s as you spat hushed words as Cassie talked back with just as much anger. Maddy wasn’t at all surprised to see her ex-friend get caught up with someone completely selfish, but she was as well sick of the attitude you had for your hookups. Most didn’t even know that there was nothing to be developed after you were done.

That’s at least what Maddy had heard.

“I’ll be right back.” Maddy moved away from the counter and around the crowded bodies of kids as she made her way to the door leading outside. Having to put some forceful pushes against some of the football players that were chatting up some random chicks.

Once outside, the mute argument had finally been given sound as the rest of the backyard was vacant besides you and Cassie. “Don’t fucking touch me, Cass! You know damn well there isn’t anything emotional between us.” Maddy rounded the edge of the house and found the two of you face to face.

“You haven’t even given me a chance,” Cassie exclaimed. “Why are you so disgusted by the idea of us being something?”

Before you were able to reply, Maddy made her presence known. “Is there a problem here?” Both girls turned their attention to her, acknowledging her before looking back at one another. You let your eyes linger on her for a moment, looking her up and down and taking in her rather suggestive outfit. A pair of tight leather pants with a shirt that had a single button hiding the million-dollar prizes. She just looked beautiful.

But in the split moment, Maddy understood why people would fall under your spell or curse. Your eyes were captivating under the very mild light of the moon–the lights doing you more service than you’d believe. Highlighting the sharp jawline, plump lips, and defined cheekbones that complimented the other beautiful features you had. Skin having a golden glow from the lights of the kitchen reaching out through the window. But your eyes were what Maddy was stuck on. How warm they felt even with the rest of your face curled and twisted viciously in anger. They felt like a satin blanket had been placed over her, but was just short of covering her shivering feet. Because that is how she saw you. Something warm, something kind, something sexy, but still had other intentions in mind besides being all cute.

“We’re kinda in the middle of something, Perez,” you announced, half-heartedly. “You can go back to fucking Nate since this bitch dropped him.” Understandably, Maddy was just as offended as Cassie by the comment. Everyone knew what Nate did to her, including you, so Maddy found it rather appalling you would say something like that. But she was more surprised, flabbergasted, by your sudden action of turning to her, grabbing her jaw, and slamming your lips against hers.

It was fast and hot. Maddy was frozen in her position, submitted to your addicting taste on her tongue and lips. But she was only to resist it for so long before she crumbled just like everyone else. Lips moving against yours like a brush against canvas. Creating something sinful in the minds of the knowledgeable of what is before them. Your lips became the drug that she was beginning to need more and more each second she got accustomed to them. She just wondered what they felt like all over her body. How you claim her as yours with feather-like touches up and down her body.

She was faded. Mind vacant of the many bad things this could result in. How she might fall apart when you denied her just like all the other girls. How you would play along with her, seeking nothing more than sex before ditching her and moving on to the next girl that piqued your interest.

But as loud as the red flags flapped and sounded the alarms in her mind, she couldn’t pull away. She could only give into her desires and the seed of curiosity you had unintentionally planted in her mind that had sprouted from the soil a long time ago.

And when you finally parted, Maddy chased your lips. Her eyes fluttered shut and sought more of the divine gift you had teased her with. When she opened her eyes, she found you staring down at her with a small smile. “Maybe next time, Perez,” you whispered. “I’m sure you can get my number from one of your friends.”

That’s all you left her with as you walked back into the house, Cassie hot on your heels with tears streaming down her cheeks as she cried your name. A broken record no one wanted to listen to. But Maddy was lost in her thoughts and pinpricks of excitement danced across her body. Lips tingling–missing yours just as much as your hands that had rested on her hips.

She now understood what was so special about you.

[totowlff]

chapter fourteen — even three, four, or five

➝ it's time to cassie and toto discover a little more about their 'little bean'

➝ word count: 3,9k

➝ warnings: mentions of medical procedures, christian horner

➝ author’s note: i know it took us too long, but cassie is finally back, and with news!

14 WEEKS Many moms-to-be begin to feel hungrier, more energetic and less nauseous as early pregnancy symptoms start to subside. Meanwhile, your baby's getting chubbier by the day, and may be starting to sprout some hair.

— Are you nervous? — Toto leaned over to ask Cassie, as they sat in adjoining chairs in the waiting room of the obstetrics clinic — Because I am.

— No, I wasn’t even thinking about it — Cassie said, dryly — I was trying to think of what to make for dinner later.

Toto’s expression turned to confusion as he turned his head to the left a bit to glance at the woman in the chair beside him.

— You can’t be serious…

Cassie sighed. 

— Of course I’m nervous, Toto. I’m trying not to be, but… I just keep thinking that something is wrong. I don’t know why. I hope I’m just being paranoid. Plus, I’m kind of hoping we… Find out the sex today.

Cassie put one of her hands on her belly. She was starting to show more clearly — it no longer looked like she had some bad gas or a big lunch. She had opted to start wearing leggings and long shirts to work, because her work trousers and jeans no longer fit. She hadn’t started shopping for maternity clothes, but was a bit hesitant about actually wearing them yet, at least until she disclosed the pregnancy. She hadn’t yet told her colleagues, resolving to do so after the 14th week scan that she and Toto were on their way to.

The pregnancy seemed to be arriving at the stages where Cassie felt undeniably pregnant, and not like she was experiencing a persistent mild flu. The morning sickness had stopped, but instead, Cassie felt ravenously hungry, and was experiencing a strange pain around her hips that her doctor said was apparently an expected symptom. She had started doing some gentle yoga to help relieve the pain, and had discovered the joy of a nightly warm bath.

They’d discussed the sex of their baby when the idea of pregnancy was just something theoretical — something they both wanted and were looking forward to, but not yet reality. 

Like most parents, their preference was for a healthy baby, and sex was a secondary matter. Still, it didn’t stop Cassie from daydreaming of a little girl. 

She’d never gotten along with boys, for the most part. She had always preferred to play with her sister over her brother, and until university, her brother was the only boy she’d spent a significant amount of time with. She’d gone to an all-girls school growing up and, even in the present day, she had a much better relationship with her sister than her brother. And, though it was anecdotal, she remembered her sister-in-law having a much easier time with her three girls than Helena had with Tommy. He was a sweet boy at age 4, but was somewhat of a terror when he was a baby. 

For Toto’s part, he was also hoping for a girl. His sister had three boys that Toto adored — and were very nice when Cassie had met them — but said he could more clearly envision a daughter than a son. Cassie also suspected that Toto was also probably a bit swayed by his mother remarking that she still wanted a granddaughter.

But, if it was their destiny to have a boy, so be it. Cassie just hoped the baby would get Toto’s dimples.

They had scheduled Cassie’s 14-week scan for an afternoon during a week with no races. Toto felt so horrible about being late for Cassie’s first ultrasound that he had his assistant block off his entire day after lunch, and they would be going to Cassie’s flat after the appointment to talk about their preparations for the baby while they had dinner together. 

Toto wanted to drive her, but Cassie insisted that they each take their own cars.

— What will people say if they see us leaving the factory together, in your car, and early?

— Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me — Toto said, shrugging. Seeing Cassie's incredulous expression, he continued — Really, it’s not anyone’s business.

But then, Cassie pointed out that driving separately would save them a trip back to the factory after their appointment to pick up her car

Toto left a few minutes ahead of Cassie, but waited for her in the clinic’s car park so that they could go in together. It felt nice, as did being back to an exam room as “Miss Aldersey and Mr. Wolff”. “If only it were Mr. and Mrs. Wolff”, Cassie’s mind supplied, unhelpfully. Cassie followed the now-familiar routine of lowering her pants and hiking up her shirt before her obstetrician, Dr. Reynolds, knocked on the door and walked in.

— Good afternoon, Miss Aldersey, Mr Wolff — she said, giving them each a handshake in greeting. As she washed her hands and prepared the ultrasound equipment, she asked Cassie about the progress of her pregnancy — Any excessive pain, or unusual bleeding?

— No — Cassie said, as the doctor turned off the lights. Cassie, then, felt Toto gently squeeze her hand. He was perched on a stool next to the exam table — Just the pain around my hips and belly that we talked about at my last appointment, but taking a warm bath helps when it gets really bad.

— Good — Dr. Reynolds said, as she started to smear Cassie’s belly with gel — All of those ligaments are starting to stretch and loosen as your body goes through so many changes. Some gentle stretching or yoga is also helpful. Now, let’s hope your baby is cooperative today so we can get some good images.

As the doctor was getting the transducer ready, Cassie caught sight of Toto out of the corner of her eye. His eyes were fixed directly on her belly, his expression inscrutable.

— Something wrong? — Cassie asked. 

— No, I just… I hadn’t realized how much you’re, um… Showing, until now — Toto said, quietly. He looked sheepish, and if the light in the room wasn’t so dim, Cassie would swear she could see him blushing — You’ve been wearing those bigger shirts and dresses lately at work, so this is the first time I’ve seen you like this. You look… Beautiful.

He brought the hand he was holding to his lips and gently kissed her fingers, and Cassie could feel herself blushing, but before she could say anything, the doctor had started the scan, and both of them turned their attention to the monitor. 

A grainy, pulsing, black-and-white image displayed on the screen as the doctor passed the transducer over Cassie’s belly.

— Okay, let’s see where we are…

The blurring resolved into a definite image, the profile of something that looked like the profile of a baby’s head appearing. Cassie’s breath caught in her throat for a moment, and she thought she felt Toto’s gentle hold on her hand tighten. The last scan she had was too early in her pregnancy for anything to show other than something small, peculiar, and alien-looking, but now…

— It’s our baby — Toto whispered. Cassie smiled and took her eyes off the screen to look up at Toto. He was transfixed, a smile on his face as he watched the baby’s movements. After a moment, his eyes started shining, reflecting the light of the ultrasound screen in the darkness.

Cassie squeezed his hand. 

— Are you okay? — she whispered. But even as she asked, she knew exactly what he was feeling, because she felt it, too; the surreal enormity, the hope, the fear, all of it at once. Toto squeezed her hand back, and he glanced back down at Cassie. He tried to hide a sniffle, but it was unsuccessful.

The doctor took some measurements, and explained that, at least at first glance, everything looked to be going as expected.

— Now, you can’t always see it at this point in gestational development, but do you want to know the sex, if we can see it?

Cassie briefly glanced at Toto, each of them seeming to ask the other’s permission. 

— Yes, I think we both wanted to find out today, if we can — Cassie said, and Toto nodded. 

The doctor moved the transducer to the other side of Cassie’s belly, squinting at the screen once more. Cassie watched, feeling like she should know exactly what she was looking at, but all she saw were more blurry, undulating lines. 

— Let’s see… Ah, there we go. Now, again, it’s not always the most accurate at this point, and we’ll confirm when you’re further along, but — Dr. Reynolds said, pointing at something on the console screen. Cassie squinted to see what the doctor was pointing at, apparently seeing something specific in the monochrome mass of pulsating shapes — You can see the two legs here, and if you look at this bit here, you see how it’s parallel to the spine? That means, more than likely, you’ll be having a little girl.

Cassie felt her entire body flood with warmth, and felt Toto squeezing her hand, but after that, things barely registered for a few moments. She hadn’t dared to get her hopes up that her intuition had been correct. She had done some cursory searches online to see how people thought they could tell, and every method described seemed like an old wives’ tale, and that she’d have to try and summon the patience to simply wait.

After a moment, she thought to look at Toto to see what he thought. He’d also mentioned that he would want a girl if he had a choice — but, like Cassie, would simply be content with a healthy, happy baby — and his joy was plain to see in the expression on his face. Many would call Toto a difficult man to read, but Cassie never thought so, particularly when he was happy or excited about something. When he was genuinely happy, it seemed like his smile spread to every part of his face. The subtle dimples in his cheeks would emerge, and his nose would scrunch in a way that Cassie always thought made him look even more handsome. 

By the look on Toto’s face as he looked at Cassie, he was overjoyed. 

— Toto — Cassie said, feeling her voice starting to waver and her eyes start to fill with tears — We’re having a girl!

Dr. Reynolds smiled as she continued taking the last of the images she needed.

— Congratulations, mum and dad. I am guessing that was what you were hoping for?

Cassie opened her mouth to respond, but Toto got to it sooner.

— Yes, we discussed it a while ago. Of course, we’d be happy with a healthy baby of either sex, but — Toto turned to look down at Cassie again, the expression on his face so tender and happy that it made Cassie’s insides feel like jelly — I think from the start, both of us imagined having a little girl. And I have three nephews, so… The whole family was hoping for a girl.

Whatever Toto was telling the doctor after that point, Cassie wasn’t sure. She felt like she was floating from then on, even as Dr. Reynolds finished up the remainder of the appointment, gave her some instructions, and sent her to schedule her next ultrasound. 

As she and Toto left the clinic and walked to where they’d each parked their cars in the parking lot, she felt a strange electric frisson between them, no doubt caused by the way he kept a hand tenderly around her lower back as they walked along the sidewalk outside of the clinic, but she knew that it was just him being nice, playing his role as the good partner-but-not. She felt an almost desperate urge to envelop him in a hug, to reach up and kiss him right there, regardless of who would see, but she shoved it down. 

— So, um… Your place, right? — Toto said, as they got to where they’d parked next to each other.

— What? — Cassie said, blinking in surprise.

— I thought we were going to have dinner, and discuss, uh, logistics — Toto said, letting his hand go from Cassie’s lower back as he fumbled in his black cordura briefcase for his car keys. 

— Right. Yes, that’s right — Cassie said, shaking her head in an attempt to regain her wits. 

— Well, then, I’ll follow you — Toto said, smiling as he unlocked the door to his car and climbed in.

The entire drive back her flat was a blur in Cassie’s mind as it raced between dinner plans and baby plans, and by the time she unlocked the door to her flat and let Toto inside, her mind was a swirling mass of pink onesies, plush bunnies, and what to have with the chicken breasts that she left to thaw in the refrigerator for dinner.

In the end, she found some sweet potatoes in her pantry, and had some asparagus and tomatoes that needed to be used. She implored Toto to relax while she prepared dinner, not being used to having to contend with another person in the kitchen while she cooked, but Toto insisted on helping, so he chopped the vegetables while she set to work seasoning and baking the chicken.

Dinner came together quickly, and as they started eating, Toto was the first to cut through the silence.

— So, a little girl. Have you been thinking of any names, or did you want to wait to decide?

Cassie thought for a moment while she took a drink of water. 

— I haven’t given it too much thought, beyond what I told you before, that I didn’t really want to give her a classical name, you know, like my family would want. But it would be nice to give her a name, you know. I’ve just been thinking of it — she hesitated, before correcting herself — Her, I guess, as “the baby”.

— Well — Toto said — I wouldn’t mind giving her a Nordic name, like my family does. That way it would be unique, but not so much that she’s likely to be made fun of in school, or anything.

Cassie giggled.

— You say that like you have experience with that.

Toto rolled his eyes.

— I don’t dislike my name, but Torger isn’t a name that a lot of kids in Vienna come across very regularly. Let’s just say that my nickname was, um… How do you call it… Invented pretty early on in my school days.

— Well, alright. So, what kinds of names does that give us — Cassie said, picking up her phone. She paged through one of the dozens of pastel-colored websites open in her browser tabs that she’d been visiting over the past few weeks, before finding a naming dictionary she had particularly liked looking through — There’s the obvious ones, like Freya, Sif, and Astrid… No, those might have the same problem that your name gave you.

Toto laughed, and Cassie continued. 

— Elsa… No, people will just think we named her after that Disney movie… Edda… That sounds kind of, I don’t know, old lady-ish. Erika? No, I went to school with an Erika, I didn’t care for her. Juni is… That’s cute, I guess…

Toto pulled his chair closer to Cassie’s to look at the list of names with her, and Cassie angled the screen so he could get a better look. 

— Birgit? — Toto said — That’s a nice name, and not uncommon in Austria.

— Isn’t that what Niki Lauda’s wife is named? — Cassie said, turning her head to look at Toto. 

— Yes… And I think it’s a nice name.

— I know, but giving your child the name of someone you know feels odd, don’t you think? Plus, most English people would probably pronounce it incorrectly most of the time. And that leaves out Brigitta and Brigette, too. Asta? That one is nice.

— No, that reminds me of that sparkling wine — Toto said, crinkling his nose a bit — There’s Kirsten, but that one feels almost a bit too ordinary.

— Yes — Cassie sighed — And plus, she’d probably get called Kristen more often than not.

— Oh, what about… Ingrid? — Toto said, pointing at the name on Cassie’s phone screen — That’s a nice name. It’s easy enough in English, it’s a common enough name in German…

Cassie thought for a moment. She had a feeling like something snapped into place, like she had solved a complicated maths problem, or like she’d remembered a word that was on the tip of her tongue.

Almost involuntarily, her hand moved to her belly, cradling the growing swell of her abdomen.

— Ingrid. I like it. Ingrid — she repeated the name, like she was testing it out. She couldn’t help but feel like it was a good fit, that it felt right. 

— Ingrid Aldersey-Wolff — Toto said, a distinct note of pride in his voice.

— No… Just Ingrid Wolff — Cassie said, looking down at her belly. Her voice went quiet — It sounds nice, doesn’t it? We’ll need to come up with a middle name, but…

— You really don’t want her to have your surname too? — Toto asked, delicately.

— No. It wouldn’t feel right giving her something that I don’t even want — Cassie said, giving Toto a serious look. 

Toto pressed his mouth into a thin line, and nodded slightly.

— Ingrid Wolff.

According to the obstetrician, it was a bit too early in the pregnancy for Cassie to start feeling the baby kicking, but she thought she felt a distinct flutter from her belly. It may have been just her imagination, or something akin to nervous butterflies, but it felt like a sign, like the universe had given her at least one of the answers she was looking for. 

— Our little Ingrid — she said, feeling the warmth she’d felt earlier spreading through her body once more.

She and Toto finished eating in a more companionable silence, and Toto cleaned up the dishes once they were finished, at his insistence. After the dishes were in the dishwasher, they sat close together on the couch, scrolling through more parenting websites, discussing whatever came to mind.

— Oh, I forgot to tell you this, but I started this… I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s sort of a visual scrapbook of things that you can save — she said, navigating to a website on her laptop. Toto peered over at the screen, his brow furrowing. She knew that Toto wasn’t tuned in to most social media websites, so she kept her explanation brief — But I made it mostly so we can gather ideas for how we want to decorate the nursery. I know it’s probably not, you know, a priority, but…

— No, I want to see. After all, it will be my daughter’s first bedroom.

Cassie almost couldn’t contain her joy at hearing Toto say the words “my daughter”, and given the smile that spread across Toto’s face near-immediately, it wasn’t easy for him, either.

For the next hour, they looked at pictures of nurseries online, saving the things that appealed to them. Both of them were in agreement about not wanting something stereotypically “girly” with everything in shades of pink.

— I like a minimalist look — Toto said — But…

— I know, I’ve seen your office — Cassie quipped. 

Toto shot her a knowing glance.

— But all of these gray or beige rooms that are supposed to be neutral, they’re awfully depressing for children, no?

— I know, but that’s what it’s fashion these days, from what I gather. But we don’t have to decide anything right now, we still have — Cassie paused, trying to do the mental calculation from the estimated due date that Dr. Reynolds gave them earlier — About 26 weeks before we have to worry about it.

— I know — Toto said, standing up from Cassie’s sofa — 26 weeks until we meet our daughter. Ingrid. Anyway, I think I should head home. Early day tomorrow, as always. And you should get your rest.

Cassie set her laptop on the coffee table, and stood up with him, following after him as he walked to the front door.

— Yes. Ingrid Wolff. Ingrid… And, like you said, we’ll need to think of a middle name.

— We will. We have 26 weeks — Toto said, carefully slipping his shoes on. 

— It will go by quickly though, so I’ve heard — Cassie said, giving Toto a small smile once he stood back up straight.

There was a slight pause before Toto opened his arms, prompting Cassie to step forward into a hug. It was soft and gentle, making Cassie feel the fluttering from deep down in her belly again as Toto pressed a delicate kiss to her forehead before he stepped back slightly.

— Do you mind if I…? — he said, pointing to Cassie’s belly. 

— Go ahead — Cassie said, feeling her face flush — She is… Ingrid is… Is your daughter, after all.

It was surreal seeing Toto bend over slightly and mutter something in German with only the words tochter and Ingrid clear to Cassie as he put his hand on the bump, but not in an unpleasant way, quite the contrary. 

As Toto said goodbye to her again and Cassie went about her bedtime routine, she realized that it was what made the pregnancy finally feel real, and concrete like nothing before had. Not the initial test results, not telling her sister and mother, not the episodes of morning sickness, not even telling Toto when he got back from Barcelona, but the fact that their daughter had a name, like she was already a person and not a hypothetical, not a “little bean” or the other corny euphemisms that the parenting websites used to refer to a baby while it was still in utero. 

The thrill hadn’t dissipated the next morning, either, and with a quick message to Toto to get his — not his approval, but to see if he had any objections — she set out to do something she’d been waiting to do for what felt like ages.

A few hours later, in the marketing team meeting, Victoria, her boss, asked the group if there were any new agenda items to discuss, and Cassie raised her hand.

— I know this isn’t really related to the business, but I have some personal news — she said. She could feel a quaver coming to her voice as she spoke.

— Go ahead — Victoria said, giving her a nod.

— I found out a few weeks ago, but… I’m pregnant.

There was a momentary silence in the room, and Cassie noticed the momentary collective confusion on her colleagues’ faces, until one of her colleagues, Imogen, clapped her hands together and practically squealed with joy.

— Oh, that’s wonderful, Cassie! Congratulations!

What followed seemed to be an avalanche of well-wishes and questions in equal measure.

— When are you due? — one of her other coworkers asked. 

— Have you found out the sex yet?

— I didn’t even know you were trying, that’s amazing — another said.

Cassie thought her colleagues looked a bit skeptical, and perhaps it was just her imagination. She certainly didn’t want to reveal the whole truth about the baby and her parentage, not when nobody else on the team knew about it, and her mind automatically slotted onto the story that she’d given her mother and sister a few weeks ago.

— Well, I met this guy named, er, Christian. He works in finance, and we met a few years ago… A friend set us up, and we fell in love… And we’ve both always wanted children, so we decided to start trying for a baby. We just found out yesterday that we’re having a little girl. 

— That’s wonderful, Cassie — Victoria said, beaming at her.

— When you said Christian, I was afraid you were going to follow it with ‘Horner’ for a moment — Dan, one of the content writers, said, which prompted a ripple of chuckles around the room, and a scowl from Victoria. 

Cassie laughed nervously, knowing that he wasn’t categorically wrong about the father of her baby being a team principal. 

— God, could you imagine? — she said, trying to play off her nerves — That would be a nightmare.

[lepusrufus]

Double edged scalpel ch. 2

Ch. 1

Summary: Cassanda Awkward Asshole Dimitrescu

---

After a couple weeks of doing normal maid chores, Nicole was not expecting to see the dungeons again. Not after Cassandra’s little “failed experiment”. But all good things must come to an end eventually, don’t they? And to an end they came when a faint buzzing reached her ears mid-mopping the floor in one of the main halls.

 Two gloved hands were placed on her hips, pinning her in place, while Cassandra's chin came to rest on her shoulder. She inhaled deeply before finally speaking. 

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" 

Yes you very much are. 

"Of course not, my lady." 

"Good good. Sadly my study is quite a mess again and I was wondering…" one hand came to teasingly caress Nicole’s cheek. “You aren’t busy tomorrow, are you?”

She wasn’t. In fact, tomorrow was Nicole’s day off, something that she would bet on a lifetime supply of coffee that Cassandra was well aware of. It took every ounce of self control not to let a groan accompany her next words.

“I am not.” Asshole.

She felt herself being spun around, Cassandra’s face uncomfortably close to hers. “Be there by ten then.” And, with the sickle now under Nicole’s chin, “Don’t be late.”

And just as easily as she appeared, Cassandra dissipated into a cloud of flies and made her leave. A sigh of relief got caught in Nicole’s throat when she noticed the other two sisters standing in the doorframe opposite from the one Cassandra flew out of. They both gave her an amused look, seeing the faint blush on Nicle’s cheeks and, to her dread, they both approached her. Bela was the first to speak, thankfully keeping her distance.

“So what exactly is your deal? Immune to all the blood and gore, hm,” she hummed, eyes inquisitive .

“It’s been a while since Cassie was so dead set on scaring someone,” Daniela chirped in from behind and Nicole had to force herself not to snort at the nickname.

So that’s what this was about. Lil’ old Cassie was throwing a hissy fit because one person in this castle wasn’t cowering and bowing at her feet the moment they saw some blood splattered on her otherwise beautiful face. If she had to work in this hellhole of a village, then at the very least she could get some mild satisfaction out of annoying the family sadist. With the other sisters however, there was no point in hiding what her “deal” was. 

“I worked as a medical examiner.” At a raised blonde eyebrow she specified, “I used to examine dead bodies. Autopsies and all that.”

Bela’s face turned from mild shock to amusement, her eyes darting to the younger sister who straight up started laughing while the eldest, at least trying to keep her composure, chuckled. 

“Oh this is gonna be interesting,” the redhead said through giggles.

---

Nicole really had hoped that Cassandra meant 10 pm, with how the Dimitrescus were nowhere to be found during the early day, and she would still have the day to herself until night came. That idea went completely out the tinted windows when, at nine thirty, the head chambermaid came to remind her of the change in schedule. She quickly downed the remaining coffee from her cup while mentally cursing and bolted to her room to change into proper attire, then out the door she went. 

Where was she even supposed to meet the brunette? The doors to the dungeons were bolted shut and she doubted Cassandra would oh so graciously escort her this time. Then again, Lady Dimitrescu did say that she had to be supervised. She got her answer when the doors opened with a click and a drawn out groan from the heavy wood. Cassandra was standing there, eyes scrutinizing as ever while giving Nicole a once over. Then she pulled out a pocket watch that looked at least a century old.

“You’re…” eyes narrowed at the small silver object. “Seven minutes early. Oh you’re as annoying about being on time as Bela aren’t you?”

Well you did make it a point to tell me to be on time, you absolute hypocrite. Instead of voicing her opinions though, Nicole settled for following the other girl deep into the castle’s undergrounds, through damp and oddly warm corridors. The giddiness was back into Cassandra’s demeanor, golden eyes occasionally turning to the small redhead walking behind her with an expression of barely concealed glee. This was definitely not good news. 

It took about .5 seconds to notice what got the brunette so happy when they entered her study. The room was definitely cleaner than the first time, only a handful of devices were dirty and the floor needed some mopping. The tables however... One was covered in fresh blood and the other had a dead body sprawled on it, partially covered by a stained sheet. Oh the irony.

While Nicole was cleaning the unoccupied table, she was facing the brunette, somehow trusting her even less with a scalpel in hand than with a sickle. Not that watching her absolutely botch an autopsy was much better mind you. 

Has nobody taught you about the Y incision?!

That's too dee- congrats you’re making a mess.

That cut needs to go lower. What, are you afraid of some balls?

Oh my god are you trying to take the heart out before even taking care of the guts-

“What is it?” Cassandra’s voice came with a low growl, then a slight cock of the head. “You’re staring.”

“N-nothing,” Nicole stumbled over her reply, realizing too late that her hand had stilled on the rag she was using to clean the blood.

“One thing that I hate more than being disrespected is being lied to.” The warning was clear in her tone. “So I’ll ask again: what is it?”

Nicole was sure that being criticized was something she would hate even more, so she made the split second decision to go with a white lie.

“I just...find autopsies quite fascinating.” Well, in a way she did.

“...You do?” Golden eyes widened in what was probably the first truly genuine emotion Nicole has ever seen on Cassandra’s face: surprise, and a hint of curiosity. 

When Nicole reaffirmed her reply, the brunette’s eyes stayed on her for a few long seconds, trying to find the traces of a lie. When she found none, she just dismissed the other girl with an awkward cough and a “Those knives won’t clean themselves.” 

A tense silence fell on the room, only disturbed by the occasional clink of metal tools or the sloshing of organs being handled by the brunette. After the table was wiped to a reflective surface, Nicole moved on to mopping the blood trails on the floor. She was grateful for the chance to step away from Cassandra, if only for a bit. After the floor too was clean, it was time to wipe the few dirty blades, thankfully not as many as last time. She took a dagger from its holster on the wall and carefully ran a piece of cloth over the blade, washing away dried crimson clots. 

As much as it was probably a bad idea, she couldn't help throwing a subtle glance behind her at Cassandra. A few organs were placed on the table at the body’s feet, and she was taking notes in a leatherbound notebook that looked well used. The idea that she had any interest in the bodies beyond being food gave Nicole an oddly nostalgic feeling. It sent her right back in high school, when one of her friends who took art history classes was telling her all about how da Vinci used real dead bodies in order to study anatomy. Yeah, da Vinci but the more attractive versio- fuck.

She hissed and retracted her hand as she felt the sharp blade cut her wrist and almost dropped the dagger. The effort to conceal the pain was there, but useless as Cassandra was by her side in mere seconds. 

"Oh did you cut yourself?" She asked with feign concern, and grabbed her hand. "Here let me help you with that." 

"Oh no I'm okay really no nee-" 

Nicole's words died in her throat when Cassandra stuck out her tongue and dragged it, slowly, across the cut, collecting every last drop of blood. To top it off, she let out a low moan and gave the soft skin there a small nip, successfully making the redhead’s breath hitch. Now any normal and sane person would think I still have a knife in my hand, I should use it, but Nicole would be lying to everyone and then herself if she said she didn’t have a thing for danger. And it doesn’t get much more dangerous than this, now does it.

“Mm...you taste wonderful.” 

Was she supposed to thank her?

“You’re lucky you intrigue me, otherwise you would make for some fine wine.” She finished with her trademark cackle.

Oh she was definitely not getting a thanks now. Nicole rolled her eyes slightly, tugging her hand away. She was half expecting Cassandra not to release her, but instead she let go of her wrist and, with a giggle, she returned to her work without another word.

---

That night, Nicole made damn sure to wash the cut until her skin felt like it would have a permanent sensation of pins and needles. Once a bandage was securely wrapped around her wrist she sat down with a cup of tea, not quite ready to sleep yet. How ironic would it be if she died of an infection while living in a castle where people are literally turned into food and wine.

Although in all honesty, she was quite certain her death would be far more entertaining.

[anastasiabeaverhousen87]

Make Wise Choices Part 6: Soup and fever

Arriving at the Danvers’s apartment Alex parks the SUV, killed the engine and looks into the rear-view mirror to check on y/n. The youngest Danvers is completely passed out slightly snoring cuddle to the blonde doctor. The doctor in turn is looking down at the young woman in her arms mesmerized by the view of rosy cheeks and pouty lips.  Alex just smiles at the both of them, they do look cute together.

Kara: “Oh my God isn’t she the cutest, it just makes you want to grab her checks and squish them, so freaking adorable” – the blonde superhero says gushing about her sister.

Dr. Sharpe: “She is very beautiful indeed; she does look quite adorable while sleeping. But I am a bit concern about how rosy her cheeks are looking, and she feels too warm”

Alex opens the door for Cassandra so she can get out, but the sound of the door and the moving of the arms makes y/n a bit fussy.

The eldest Danvers touches y/n cheeks and forehead to check for a fever and hums – “she is a bit warm, but nothing too concerning. She tends to suffer from mild fevers due to stress or when overtired. But let’s get her up and I will check her temp in the apartment, I think it’s for the cold she is coming down with”

y/n moves and puts an arm around the doctor’s neck and hides her face, clearly not happy at the women disrupting her sleep.

Y/n: “ghnooo, comfy don’t move”. - you complain.

Kara: “Yes, she is quite the cuddler. Especially when tired or sick. Want me to help you with her? She is mainly dead weight by now. She won’t cooperate with you when she is like this”.

Dr. Sharpe: “that’s fine I don’t mind, and she is not really heavy. Quite the opposite. I can take her upstairs. And don’t take it this the wrong way, but I’m fairly certain I’m a bit sturdier than you”- she blonde doctor gives a chuckle.

Kara: “Okaaaay then. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though. And I bet you are, but I’m used to carry around this goober since she was like 5”

Alex: “yeah she is very clingy especially with Kara., but it’s true she is now mainly dead weight”

Lena- “She won’t drop her, that woman is pure muscle. She has like 5 black belts in all sorts of martial arts and I have the feeling she is a ninja, but I don’t have further evidence to prove that”- the green- eyed woman says and chuckles.

The blonde doctor laughs at this - “I do a lot of heavy lifting and truly I don’t mind. “- says while stepping out of the car with y/n in her arms like she weights nothing at all.  Then turn at her friend -“And hey then if you say all those nice things about me why you asked if I had her, you were worried I would drop her back at the office “ - the woman accuses her friend but with an amuse smile on her face

Lena: “I knew you had her; I was double checking. I’m just too fond of y/n and I worry, so sue me!”

Kara: “yeah right Lena, y/n has you wrapped around her finger sooo bad”

Alex: “please, you’re one to talk”-mocks her sister.  

The women entered the apartment and Cassandra went to the living room to place Y/n at the couch

Dr. Sharpe: “Should I lay her here or in her room?”

Alex: “The couch Is fine, I want to check her temp and wake her for a little bit, she hasn’t eaten anything if I want to give her something for the cold and she needs something to eat. I don’t want her glucose levels to drop”

Dr. Sharpe: “Is she a diabetic?”

Alex: “No, she’s not. but when she was younger, she struggled with nondiabetic hypoglycemia. It was due to the medication she was taken at the time. We kind of get used to always check she was under the normal levels and she gets cranky, dizzy and sometimes gets horrible headaches if she doesn’t eat and her blood sugar gets low. I don’t want her feeling worse, right now I think she had enough with the teeth surgery and now probably getting sick with a cold”

Dr. Sharpe: “Oh I see. We definitely don’t want that, poor baby”- the doctor looks down at you with a sweet smile”

Alex: “now, here comes the fun part. She doesn’t like being waken up when she is sick.”- the red head looks down sadly at y/n

Kara: “what’s even worse is that you are going to feed her something gross like broccoli. She hates veggies by the way…” the blonde Danvers mentions with a grimace at thinking of vegetables.

Lena: “there’s nothing wrong with broccoli. You two are just picky eaters who enjoy junk food way too much”.

Kara: “you should see when trying to feed her veggies. She is the worst there is. Is always a negotiation strategy. And Lena is the one that handles that , when Alex and y/n fight over veggies always ends with y/n in tears.”

Dr. Sharpe: “Wait… how about you let  me cook dinner . I make a really nice creamy chicken noodle soup with mushrooms that can be perfect for her to eat and for us too. Healthy and comforting. My nonna used to make it for me”

Lena: “ohhh yes, that sounds delicious “

Alex: “that actually sounds amazing. And Lena has all the healthy stuff in the fridge so I bet all ingredients you need you can find here”

Kara; “I would never say no to food, especially if made by an Italian woman”

Dr. Sharpe, “ok so I’m going to start on diner, while you check on y/n. When diner is done you can wake her up and feed her and she can take her meds”

 Y/n: “Lexie?” - You mumble asking for your big sis, you only call her Lexie when you feel unwell.

 Alex: “I’m here baby”.- running her fingers through your hair soothingly

Y/n; “Lexie am cold” - a tear runs down your rosy cheek.

Alex: “oh sweet girl; you’re not felling okay aren’t you? Ok, change of plans, Sharpe you go ahead and continue with the diner prep, Kara can you bring a set of lighter set of pajamas for y/n. I don’t want her overheated.  Now baby I’m going to check your temperature and give you some juice or Pedialyte while diner is ready”

Kara: “On it!”

Lena: “come one Cassie, I’ll help you with diner”- the blonde doctor and Lena walk to the kitchen.

Alex: “Here, let me take your temp baby”. - the red head puts the thermometer in your ear and waits for the beep “100.5, that’s a fever but not too bad, let get you into more comfortable jammies and I will bring a light sheet. I can’t bring the blanket baby; you will get too warm and would bring your temp up”

Y/n; “hold me please “- a couple tears run down your cheeks, tears of exhaustion.

Alex: “ok let me change you into fresh jammies and I will hold you before diner. Lena can you bring me a cold compress for y/n. Let see if that can bring the fever down a bit. I don’t want to medicate her just yet”

Alex and Kara work fast on changing your clothes while Lena returns with the cold compress. Alex sits down and Kara picks you up and settles you in Alex lap. While Lena presses the cold compress on your forehead and passes one of the bottles filled with cold grape Pedialyte.

Alex: “Ok sweetie, here drink some Pedialyte, diner should be ready soon”. – and starts to hum softly a tune.

Lena returns to the Kitchen where the blonde doctor is working on getting the soup cooked.

Dr Sharpe : “is she okay?”

Lena; “mild fever, but she seems like she settled down okay now that she is with Alex. She tends to be more clingy to Kara but when she really feels bad , when she is too exhausted or sick, she always wants Alex near her. She is her big sister after all”

Kara; “yeah, Alex has always been our rock since we were kids. Like pretty much raise us , I mean our mom Eliza is the best but she was always busy when we were younger and after Jeremahia took a job that kept him away most of the time,   Alex was always more like a parent figure to us, especially to y/n. I didn’t get sick often, but y/n unfortunately wasn’t as lucky. Her immune system wasn’t the best. Y/n would never calm down if Alex was not with her to rock her to sleep. Over the years she became more and more comfortable with me, but when I first moved into the Danvers home y/n would only let Alex hold her when she was very sick. Not even Eliza was able to calm her down.”

The three women look back the at couch where Alex was still humming softly a tune to y/n. still awake but clearly not very aware of much.

Dr. Sharpe: “ok diner should be ready in about 10 minutes.”

Kara works on setting up the table with Lena. While the blonde doctor starts plating the soup for everyone.

Once everything was settled, the blue-eyed doctor walks into the living room to let Alex knows diner is ready.

Dr. Sharpe: “Diner’s ready, you want me to bring her soup here or to the table?”

Alex: “I think the table. She will fall asleep if she is not sitting down or make a mess instead of eating anything. Come on sweetie, wake up for a little bit diner is ready”- she tries to coax you into a more conscious state.

Y/n: “No wanna. Not hungry”- and you try to settle more comfortably on your sister to fall asleep.

Alex: “None of that. come on, Cassandra made her special soup just for you and you need to eat something”

y/n: “She did? For me?” – tearing up a bit and cover a sneeze with the inside of your elbow- “Ok, I guess I can eat something” - you look to the blonde woman who is smiling kindly at you.

Alex: “why the tears baby? – Alex touches your forehead- “Oh baby you feel warmer. Come one lets get you food and then your meds”

Alex walks you to the table where Kara and Lena are waiting and began to eat. Alex begins to feed you the soup which is very tasty.

y/n: “this taste so good, Thank you Cassandra”

Kara: “Oh wow yes its amazing. So yummy”- while pretty much eaten her soup a long with a huge piece of garlic bread in her mouth.

Alex: “Kara maybe you should try to savor it first, you just inhale the whole thing”

Kara: “Ha Ha very funny Alex”

Lena: “Well it is quite delicious. Thank You Cassie.”

Dr. Sharpe: “Well you are all very welcome, I’m glad you liked it. I can always cook more dishes for you, I really love cooking”

Kara: “You will never hear me complaining about food, so by all means you can feed me anytime. This is sooooo good.”

Pleasant chatter among the women at the table continues while Alex works on feeding you the soup, but you only manage half the bowl as you grow too tire and you just want to sleep.

y/n: “I can’t eat anymore Alex, I’m so sleepy”- you look pleadingly to your sister.

Alex: “Ok Kiddo, you ate enough so I can give you the meds, lets get you to bed”

Kara: “Let me take her, you finish your soup. When you’re done you can come to check on her”

Dr. Sharpe: “Yes Alex, you haven’t eaten, I can give her the meds, I’m guessing the cold medicine with the fever reducer, right?”

Alex: “Yes, the ones in the coffee table. And thank you I’ll be right there”

Kara walks to where you’re sitting at the table and take you to your room.

Kara: “Come here sweetie”

You just let yourself be carried away to your room while the blonde doctor picks up her medical bag and the meds on the coffee table.

Kara sits you in your bed while she goes back to bring a glass of water.

Dr. Sharpe: “Hi sweetie, let me take your temp really quick, you are looking quite flush right now”

y/n: “Well I think is mainly your fault, just so you know” – you reply with a hint of flirt behind the words

Dr. Sharpe: “funny girl, may that be the case, just humor me. I don’t like take advantage of sick and delirious women while their inhibitions are low”

y/n: “You can totally take advantage of me”- you try to wink and wiggle your eyebrows, but you are feeling all groggy, so you look like dork with no sense of coordination.

Dr. Sharpe: “well that’s cute, you ‘cute. And all in due time pretty girl”- The blonde woman pokes your nose.  And you just pout at her.

Kara: “Ohhhh look at that, the pouting. What you did?”

Dr. Sharpe: “I just want to check her temp; her face looks a bit too flush”

Kara looks at you and nods. “Lay back kiddo and let the doc check your temp”- you comply resting your back into the pillows while the blonde doctor works on checking the surgical foam in your mouth and your temp.

Dr. Sharpe: “You do have a fever pretty girl. The foam for your teeth seems okay and you shouldn’t feel any pain”

Alex walks into the room at the moment the doctor speaks and frowns at the mention of the high temperature.

Alex: “Ok yes, that’s higher than before. Ok here baby, please drink this and lay down.”

Lena walks into the room carrying a bowl with cold water and a few rags. “Here Alex, I brought a few cold compresses to try and bring her temperature down a bit”

Alex handles you a tiny cup with cold medicine and fever reduced. You take it and lay yourself down. Lena and Kara say their goodbye and good night to you.

Dr. Sharpe: “Get well soon pretty girl, sleep tight and rest bella”

y/n: “Will you come to visit soon? I kinda like the idea of the date thing you mentioned before.”

The Danvers and Lena chuckle at that while the blond only looks a bit taken aback but still pleased that the littlest Danvers wants to see her again.

Dr. Sharpe: “You were listening huh? I can definitely arrange to that, however you need to get well first sweet thing” -The doctor places a gentle kiss to your forehead – “sweet dreams”

Y/n: “Thank you” – you yawn and began to close your eyes.

Dr. Sharpe: “Ok I’m leaving now, I’ll see myself out, talk to you later Alex and call me if you need anything”

Alex nods and says good night to the doctor while the blonde doctor walks back to the living room to say goodbye to Lena and the Kara.

Alex: “Okay sweet girl, I’m going to change and get my phone and I’ll stay with you tonight, okay?”

You just nod and close your eyes succumbing to sleep.

You wake up and the room is dark, you can feel a body next to you, but you feel too hot and remove your sheets from you. But the moment you do, you feel cold. You whimper because you feel miserable.

Alex senses you are moving around and turn on the lights to check on you. She looks down at you and notices your red cheeks and sweaty locks. Puts a hand on your cheeks and forehead.

Alex: “Oh sweet girl, you fever got worse let me check”- she quickly checks your temp, 103. “this is not good, come one we need to bring your temperature down”

Alex runs to the bathroom and fills the bathtub with barely lukewarm water and returns to your room to take you to the bathroom. You cling to her trying to get war again after you start to shiver from the cold from the temperature change. Alex removes your clothes and sits you in the bathtub.

You have a few tears down your face and whimper at the cold of the water.  In that moment Kara walks into the bathroom.

Kara: “Oh no, fever got worse?” and sits next to Alex while she pours water down your back, neck and front. After a while Alex notices that your temp is down, and Kara works on getting you up and bundle up in a soft towel and brings you back to your room. There they put in a loose shirt and clean underwear but leave you just on that to avoid overheating you. You feel cooler to the touch and Alex brings more medicine.

Alex: “Okay, open up kiddo” – you take the medicine and try to find a comfy spot.

Kara lays down next to you as well as Alex, who touches your arm no wanting to get your body heat up. But still for you to feel comforted by their presence. You can feel a cool rag on your forehead and the soothing voice of Kara signing softly a song and you drift off once again.

note: Sorry not my best and honestly not quite happy with this. not feeling it, i don't have that much inspiration. I’ll get it better for Part 7. 

[cursed-ice-spirits]

Tensions with the Selwyns

After an encounter with the disgraced Donovan Selwyn ( @thecursedvaultchild​ ), Rebecca rushes to inform Summer of this and is reminded how difficult pureblood politics can be. 

Someone was watching her.

You don't get to be trained as an assassin and not know if eyes were watching you specifically. 

Rebecca kept her shoulders tense as she walked through Diagon Alley, lips twisting into frowns as she looked through the windows of shops, making it seem like she's just walking through. No Summer. No Ethren. No Jason. No Lucia here. She was on her own.

A quiet sigh left her lips as she adjusted the strap of her bag. She can feel eyes burning into her back. She had no idea who but… it’s making her anxious. 

She shouldn’t have gone alone. It’s enough to have even more trouble at her back. Maybe she should have taken Luci-- no, she’s spending time with Cassie. Ethren? Jason? Summer? Lauren? Any of her friends - just someone by her side so she wouldn’t be alone. Her eyes searched carefully as she made her way down, passing by the entrance of Knockturn Alley.

A hand darted out from the darkness and dragged her towards it. Rebecca's mind snapped into action, hands lashing out, gripping onto their elbows like she was about to snap them in half, sharp eyes glaring into the eyes of her attacker, a pair of sharp green eyes and a face that held familiarity. That caused her to waver, hesitate, and with the lack of resistance, the man easily dragged her farther in, throwing his wand arm against her throat. 

“Don’t move,” a rough voice hissed. 

Her wand was at her wrist, in her wand holster. She tensed, not letting herself get fooled again. "Excuse me?" She said slowly, stiffly. "What the hell do you want?"

He chuckled. It was deep and rough and rumbling from inside his chest. "Use your head, Caldwell. It's not that hard. You're close to someone I know all too well. I want you to help me. Also foolish to be alone in these times." His grip remained tight and he pressed the wand closer against her throat.

Caldwell. Her shoulders drew together. Gears clicked together at once. Donovan Selwyn. Rodolfo's grandson and Summer's cousin.

Donovan Selwyn, who disappeared years ago.

Donovan Selwyn, who hurt Summer. 

And he wants her to do something for him.

She bared her teeth. Fat chance. 

"And why should I?"

Donovan’s lips curled up. "Because I could easily snap your neck in half. Or far worse..."

He briefly glanced around, pulling her farther into the shadows. She fought the urge to struggle. Play weak. Get more information. He’s underestimating her so far. Use it to your advantage. "You're close with my dear cousin now, aren't you?” Rebecca stiffened. “Don't deny it. I know you care for that vain and wicked girl but you're going to help me bring her down a few pegs."

She's definitely on her own. Her eyes darted around. Her mind is still spinning with questions on how he found out about her connection to Summer, but she can’t focus on that now. She needed to get away. Somehow.

He’s still underestimating her. He’s expecting her to be intimidated. He wants her to be intimidated. If this was anyone else in the Caldwell family, they would certainly be intimidated, but she’s a Lord, despite what the families may think. She's not bending down just yet, and especially not to entitled cousins who think they can use her to take her friend down. She’s got enough of those. 

She raised her eyebrow. "I'm afraid I can't. There's conflict in interests."

His eyes flickered for a moment. He’s caught off guard. Good. "What did you do?" He growled, bringing her closer to his face. "What oath did you make?"

Her lips turned up sharp at the edges. "I think the question is," she purred, eyes dark, "what oath I didn't make?"

His eyes narrowed and his knuckles went white. "There is no way you'd face death without an oath for some pomped up princess who views you as dirt. Whatever she paid for your loyalty, I can double it."

The insults about Summer made her blood boil, but she forced herself not to hex his face off.  He’s lashing out, angry he’s not getting his way. As far as he knows, Summer put her up to something for either money or under an oath, and he’s frustrated because he doesn’t see why she’s rebuffing him. Can’t see why. Not to mention… she’s a Caldwell, and Caldwells are supposed to follow orders of higher nobles. Well, too bad for him, she’s a Lord. A Lord has a backbone, and she has exactly that. 

 Rebecca laughed. Summer didn't buy her loyalty, but she wasn't going to tell him that. That could be something he could use against her. "I have enough money, thank you very much. And that would be a no."

At the last word, she slammed forward and smashed her forehead against his head. She heard a yelp of pain and felt him release his grip on her. Whether their height differences would mean she hit his nose or chin or forehead doesn't matter, because she's used to hard hits as a Quidditch player, and she didn't waste any time before slamming her foot against his stomach, flicking her wrist and finally receiving her wand from her wand holster. 

He had his hand to his head as he tried to regain his balance. Rebecca took this chance to run away. 

"Get back here!"

He recovered (unfortunately) just in time to slash his wand, firing a strange light to her direction. Strangle spell, popped into her mind immediately, before she jumped and kicked her heels up, her body twisting as she performed a backflip in midair, the spell hitting the ground where she was standing seconds before.

Her feet slamming back on the ground, she slashed her wand upwards, curses blasting into walls, barrels, etc… trying to land a hit on the slippery man. 

They were attracting a crowd. She didn’t care.

"Do me a favor," she spat as he ducked behind a wall to evade her curses. "Get fucked."

"You will pay for this, little girl." Donovan sneered, eyes darting back and forth. His grip on his wand tightened, before she was forced to duck to the side to avoid the curse flying at her throat. Preparing to cast another curse, she realized too late that it was a distraction, and looked up just in time to see him Disapparating away. 

Dammit. 

Scowling, she got herself back to her feet and brushed dust off her clothes, smoothing out her hair. Adrenaline still pumped through her veins. "Ran away like a coward," she murmured, slipping her wand into its holster. "Of course."

Checking to make sure she's not injured in any way, her shoulders straightened, sending the onlookers glares as she headed out of the alley. 

She should talk to Summer about this encounter.

After returning back to Hogwarts, Rebecca fiddled with her tie, then set off, a new mission in mind. Find Summer. It should be lunch right now. Class is not in session. She should have time to find Summer and talk about her damn cousin.

It was easy to spot Summer. She, as typical of her, was in the center of a group of friends at one of the dining tables in the great hall. They were all laughing at something one of them had said and just having a good time. The air around her seemed bright and sunny and her eyes twinkled. 

Rebecca faltered in her steps.

For a moment, she forgot how popular Summer is. 

Curse of being one of Summer’s close friends; you forget her other sides too. 

She held back a grimace, hands curling around her bag strap. Regardless, she shook it off, and marched over, ignoring the quiet whispers as she passed by. 

Summer seemed to be too caught up in the conversation (and the cute boy across the table) to notice her entrance into the packed Great Hall nor the way she pushed past the students. As Rebecca reached out and touched Summer’s shoulder, she noticed the way Summer’s eyebrows shot up in mild surprise once she turned around. She could guess why. All her friends know she hates crowds. But she’ll understand in a minute.

"Hey Sum? Mind if I pull you away for a second? I’d like to talk about the assignment Professor Flitwick handed out."

Her voice was quiet and straight to the point, the glint in her eyes telling her that it was more than a simple Charms assignment. Talk about something boring. She wasn’t going to announce out-loud to an entire hall of very nosy students that they needed to talk about pureblood politics. 

Something dark crossed Summer's gaze but it was gone a moment later. She nodded. "Sure! I'd love to do some Charmswork with you." Standing up, she gave a bright smile to her friends. "Catch you guys later. Make sure I get my bag in class." She winked at the cute boy and flounced out of the Great Hall, hair bouncing behind her. Rolling her eyes, Rebecca followed her.

The moment they were out of sight of the other students, Summer’s smile fell. The serious Selwyn was peeking through. "Is there an empty classroom nearby? Or the Artifact Room available?"

Rebecca tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “An empty classroom is far safer, and closer. There’s a chance Ben is there hiding away.” She threw her a look. “Come on,” she said, making her way to one of the empty classrooms.

"He is always hiding in there lately," she murmured behind her as they walked. 

They found an empty classroom with no one inside and quickly entered. Summer flicked her wrists. Two spells slammed into the door at once. One went to the doorknob, and one covered the door. An advanced locking charm and Muffliato. Upon seeing this, Rebecca relaxed, her cold exterior crumbling into a tired grimace. No one can overhear now. 

Summer turned to her with a frown. "What is the pureblood business that's so dire?"

Rebecca started fiddling with her sleeve, needing something to fidget with while discussing this. “I ran into your cousin while fetching some things from Diagon Alley. Dragged me into Knockturn Alley and held a wand to my throat. Was a rather interesting first meeting.”

All warmth vanished from Summer’s expression, being replaced by seriousness."What? Donovan?" She turned away, lips pursed. She stayed silent for a while, before speaking. "What did he want?" Summer’s voice was flat and calm, but Rebecca could tell she was struggling to keep some semblance of a mask up.

She pretended not to notice. God knows she won't appreciate it if someone pointed out her own mask is fading. Rebecca tugged at her sleeves. "He wanted me to help him bring you down a few pegs," she grimaced. "Threatened to snap my neck if I didn't obey too. I just told him there were conflicting interests so he'd think you bought my loyalty and got away. I didn't want to give him ammo." Her fingers twisted at the fabric. "He underestimated me too much. Pretty sure that's the only reason I managed to get the upper hand."

Summer grits her teeth, looking so strikingly like her cousin for a moment that it made Rebecca’s eyebrows shot up. "He's clever. But hardly observant. And his ego clouds his judgment." Her back straightens and she crosses her arms. "I'm so sorry he did that. This is not good. Not good at all." She starts pacing. "That worries me that he knows you're connected to me."

Rebecca said nothing about the flash between the two cousins, "I can see that,” she said dryly. "The look on his face when I headbutted him told me everything.” She lowered her gaze to her sleeves, rolling them up and back down her arm. "It’s fine. I handled myself just fine. And... that worried me too, I gotta admit. I had no idea where he heard that piece of information. I couldn’t let him see that though.” 

Her lips twisted into a frown. There was no way Rodolfo would tell him about her assignment, right? So how did he find out?

"Hmph. He hasn't reared his head up in years until this past summer and now he attacks one of my friends. Jerk. What does he want?" Summer’s hand reached up and started twisting the ring on her right hand. Rebecca recognized it as the Selwyn signet ring Summer always wears. "He's a jealous brat. Can't let anything be." Her knuckles go white. "I should've been there to deal with him. If he's got a problem, he should come directly to me. Ugh, this is going to worry Grandda. He's going to become more protective again if he finds out."

Better me than you. 

She shook off the morbid thought, her lips twisting into a frown even as her eyes flickered to Summer’s ring. Rodolfo already has her to keep on eye on Summer, but a part of her wonders if he thinks she’s enough. What would he do once he hears this?

Her eyes soften with sympathy. "At least it forces him to keep an eye out. Donovan mentioned paying me more than you if I do what he says. I don’t know what he meant but it’s probably from the Selwyn treasury. I don’t like this, Sum.”

"Sounds like he's crawling back to try and steal claim to being heir of Selwyn. He wants to rejoin noble society and knows he can't do that without money and a title and recognition. Therefore, I'm a threat to him." Summer sighs and rolls her shoulders back, her mask slipping firmly in place. "Thanks for letting me know. I am not looking forward to letting Grandda know. Unless he already knows. That man has such an extensive information system."

She looked tired, grudgingly accepting more weight and worry on her shoulders. It's what came with being a Selwyn. And the heir.

Rebecca pursed her lips, not liking what Summer said. Pureblood politics. So exhausting. "You’re welcome.” She gave her a tight smile. "He probably does. There were many eyes watching us in Knockturn when we were dueling, brief as it is. Surely, one of them is connected to him, and recognized Donovan.”

She didn’t mention one of those eyes was her.

"Hmph. I'll likely be getting a letter from him shortly. More warning to be careful. He better not get the idea to send the house-elves to watch me. I'm already under his thumb, Hogwarts is where I'm free from his eye." She looked back with a faint smile. "Sorry for rambling. This is just... frustrating. You're a good friend, Bex."

Ouch, the irony in Summer’s words. Even if she did come to care for Summer, the fact that she was hired to watch over Summer still applies. Good friend Bex indeed. Rebecca kept her guilty thoughts to herself and gave her a warm smile.

"It’s fine. I wouldn’t know what I’d do if I had a cousin like Donovan.” Velia does not count. She’s another matter entirely. "And not a problem. Anything for a friend." 

At least those words are true.

"All pureblood politics are messy. Donovan is just part of the package. Yours aren't any easier." She nodded. "Same to you."

Rebecca bit her lip. She’s not wrong. Dealing with the Caldwells is tiring. Including her uncle and Velia. Especially them. 

She chose not to say anything to that and checked the time. “Well we better get ready for our next class. I’ll see you later?" She might have some spare time to (ugh) write Rodolfo a letter.

"Yes, I'll see you later." Summer slips her mask back on, bright smile and all.

She gave her another smile, then took it as her turn to put on her own mask, and the lines on her face smooth over into a cold look. Carefully unlocking the door, she made her way out and headed to her next class. She can hear Summer doing the same. 

Pureblood politics... 

[naptoons]

Official Girl— Zion Kuwonu

Warnings: mild mature language.

Theme: Angst / Fluff ??? I guess I vauguely know the diff.

Summary: you and Zion have been together for almost half a year, but it didn’t feel like it cause when it came down to the public eye, he was single. And you were just his friend.

A/N: I did not proofread any of this so if there’s some spelling errors I apologize, and I hope it isn’t cringe! Enjoy🖤

You and Zion have been dating for almost a year and to your surprise no one even knew expect the PRETTYMUCH members along with their girlfriends. Neither of your family members knew either. You had a million thoughts going through your brain debating which thought was the placebo of why he would want to hide your relationship for almost a year. Don’t get it wrong, your relationship is great, he makes you happy. But hearing him tell the rest of his friends any beanz that ‘you’re aren’t his girl’ and ‘just a friend’ kinda made you think back on the days where you were stuck in the friend zone with him.

Sighing you slouch in your chair turning in your essay. You decided to go to los angles to study for your major. You wanted to get out of your hometown experience new places and people. You met Zion through one of your friends. You’ve never even heard of ‘PRETTYMUCH’ until she showed you a few of their music videos and interviews you started to hone in on them. Next thing you knew your friend bought you guys tickets and meet and greets in los angles.

Zion had his eyes on you on and off the entire time on stage. And boy was he thrilled to see you at meet and greet. And that’s the cliché way you meet Zion and became his “girlfriend” more like “girl-friend” groaning you hop out the bed going to grab a cup of water but your phones text tone vibration on the cherry wood table stops you. Moving towards your phone you see a text from the devil himself. Crazy how the universe works.

[ From: Babie 🤧🧡 ]

Hey mamas you wanna go to a birthday party with me? I promise I’ll stick by you the whole night ❤️

Moral of the story to the last sentence Zion typed was prettymuch had a album release party with a lot of their friends and Zion invited you. But twenty minutes into the party Zion left you and was faded and tipsy.So you ended up taking an uber back home and went to sleep. Zion didn’t get a wink of sleep that night worrying about you.

[ To: Babie 🤧🧡 ]

Hm. Fine I’ll go but you better keep your promise.

[ From: Babie 🤧🧡 ]

I promise babygirl. The party isn’t until late around 8pm so I’ll come pick you up. I love you can’t wait to see your fine ass🥵

Rolling your eyes at his flirty remarks. One thing you can’t knock him for is he always reminds you how beautiful you are. Sitting your phone down you go back to the previous task, grabbing the glass and sticking it on the dispenser filling it half empty half full. Sipping on the ice cold water you make your way back to room deciding how you would kill two hours worth of time.

Waking up an hour and a half later you decided to go ahead and take a shower. While waiting for the water to heat up you grab your phone turning on your Bluetooth speaker to blare music for your invisible fans. First song to come up on shuffle was official girl by Cassie. You place your fingers in the shower feeling the warm water slide down your fingertips. Stripping out of your clothes you jump in the shower.

“You gotta love me in the light and the dark” you sung out loud. As you were singing the lyrics it resonated with your feelings towards Zion.After your quick shower you got dressed and did your hair in a style you loved. Looking at the clock wondering would Zion be on his way yet,It’s 7:30pm and he hasn’t sent a single text or call. Going to your messages you decide to text him.

[ To: Babie 🤧🧡 ]

Zion what time are you coming to pick me up?

Setting your phone back down, you grab your platform boots slipping them on and tying them up. Grabbing your favorite perfume brand lathering your body up in it. fifteen minutes later and you still got nothing from Zion. You launch the Instagram app seeing Zion posted on his Instagram 3 minutes ago a screen of his monitor and fortnite asking for someone to join the lobby.

You roll your eyes wondering why you even texted him in the first place, him and fortnite have a better relationship than you and Zion. You decided to text one of the members.

[ To: Raisin Bran ⛓ ]

Hey Brandon is the party still going on tonight?

[ From: Raisin Bran ⛓ ]

. yeah , we’re actually here where are you and Zion?

[ To: Raisin Bran ⛓ ]

‘Zion’ is on fortnite rn, ill be coming in uber please give me the address🙄

[ From: Raisin Bran ⛓ ]

. I mean you don’t have to come if you don’t want too.

It’s better to have fun, then being cooped up in the house doing nothing, what could go wrong? You though you yourself. Pulling your leather skirt down a little you stand up and place an uber order Your uber arrived twenty minutes later,On the way to the party you have been listening to music with occasionally conversations with the driver. Your phone vibrates, and from the vibrations you know who it is. And you dread wether you should reply or not.but deep down you know you can’t ignore him.

[ From Babie 🤧🧡 ]

Yo Sorry mamas I didn’t see your text.

[ From Babie 🤧🧡 ]

I’m coming to get your fine ass now🥵

[ To: Babie 🤧🧡 ]

No worries Zion lol, I’m catching a ride to the party.

[ From: Babie 🤧🧡 ]

Who’s takin you?

Ignoring his question you decide to screenlock your phone and enjoy the soft ride. The ride was about an extra twenty minutes to get there but it was a pleasant ride nevertheless

Getting out of the car you thank the driver and prepare yourself for the house full of sweaty young adults, blaring loud music and the smell of different strains of weed. Pulling your skirt down a little you walk up to the door ignoring the few whistles and hollers from the drunk guys falling around and laughing on the grass. Knocking on the door you await for anyone to open the door it was starting to get a little chilly outside. “Y/N?” Someone speaks in a puzzled tone. Turning your head around your eyes are met with nick, nodding your head you step off the steps to be engulfed in a hug.

“How are you, what are you doing here by yourself?” Nick questions

“Well I’m not by myself now am I ?” You joke sarcastically, nick shows his cheeky smile while opening the door for you. Upon your sight is a house filled to the rim of people, red solo cups scattered all over the floor, multiple groups of people playing games and kissing.

“Where’s Zion?” Nick asks, while the both of you walk into the kitchen, the constant questions of “Zion” is starting to agitate you more and more. You wanted to have fun and not think about Zion. Because frankly Zion hasn’t been thinking about you. Before you could answer nick’s question soft delicate caramel tattooed arms wrapped around your shoulders with a sweet scent of strawberries and mint leaves.

“I’m here” his voice hones in on your ear lobes, his lips reaching your temple slightly and rapidly before any one could catch eyes on it “hey mamas” Zion’s voice vibrates across your skin.

“Hi” you answer softly not really wanting to talk to him you’d hoped to avoid, nick offers you and Zion a drink grabbing the shot you swallow it down like it was water. Passing the shot glass over to nick for another round.

“Woah mamas slow down okay?” Zion mumbles from behind you with his hands firmly placed on you lower back. Ignoring his comment you drink down another shot earning a “wooo” from nick as he fires you up for your last shot of the day with a slice of lime from the fridge.

“Thank you nick” you smile eating the lime in one hand and firmly grasping the cold water bottle in the other. You turn around to say something to Zion but he’s gone in the back talking to someone. you decide it’s really time to have fun since you’re “single” in the dark. Before you could head over to the dance floor a guy walks up to you with a sheepish grin. His teeth were pearly white and aligned with each other not missing a single space or gap, his skin screamed Melanin “hello how are you?” He asks very politely.

“I’m fine and you?”

“Good if you’re breathing, I was wondering would you like to have a dance? If you don’t mind” he hesitates,not even thinking of an answer you grab his hand reporting to the dance floor. (A/N i thought about the lyric from you by Lloyd ‘And uh, I want all my sexy ladies to report to the dance floor immediately’ lol sorry I may have made you cringe)

you get on the dance floor dancing to the song that’s blaring through the speakers. Taking sips from another shot you grabbed on your way to the dance floor why not? You did say you wanted to have fun. Softly the mysterious man lays his hand on your hips digging his fingertips into your waist. Even though you knew you were with Zion. You wasn’t just going to grind up on some guy even though your devil shoulder told you too.

Zion finishes his conversation with a friend he used to know in Canada, now he was on his way to look for you trying to keep his promise of never leaving tonight. Meeting nick back at the kitchen his thick eyebrows knitted in confusion. Nick not wanting to hear the anger bounce off on him, he decides to point in the direction of you and the mysterious guy. Fuming with vexation, he squeezed the bottle in his hands until his knuckles turned white. Heading over towards the problem he grab you by your arm softly but cautiously. The guy stands back smirking at the sight of a jealous Zion. while you were a bit staggering from the four shots of alcohol you took.

“Hey chill out we were dancing and having a good time!” The guy slurs his words. You started to sober up slightly at the sight of Zion’s muscles in his jawline clenching on and off his knuckles turning ghostly white as he holds in every excuse to lay this guy out with his fists. His face almost beat red.

“Have a good time with someone else not her” Zion excuses the both of you guys away from him and into a quieter location, closing the door behind him Zion let’s out a groan of frustration as his fingers roam through the tangles of his dreads. “What the fuck was that y/n?!” Zion yells but not too aggressive because even though he’s mad at you, you’re still his baby and he’ll never disrespect you.

“What ? I can’t have fun? I mean I’m not your official girl anyways” you slur your truth with hidden sarcasm. You were tipsy and when you’re tipsy the truth comes out. And in the back of your mind you knew once the truth came out things were going to change.

“Y/n what the fuck are you talking about? , of course you are my girl mamas” his tone of voice changes obviously struck by your words, not wanting to look into his eyes with your glassy eyes, you turn your head, not even batting an eye at him, you just couldn’t your heart shattered even thinking of telling him how you felt.

“No I’m not Zion” you choke at your first sentence “I’m your friend, you know the girl who hangs out with you occasionally and comes in your Instagram lives, I’m the girl you say ‘Nah she’s the homie’ I’m not your fucking girl Zion, and it’s been that way for half a goddamn year!” You bark at him, Zion tries to reach for your hands but falls short as you pull them away from his reach “ if you don’t wanna be with me tell me. If you’re embarrassed by me tell me. Fucking give me something I’m tired of being your unofficial girl” you wipe your tears heading straight for the door but Zion blocks it.

“Wait Mamas listen,” his words fall short trying to bite back the tears, his whole world crashing down in front of his eyes “i couldn’t be so fucking proud to have you as my girlfriend, you don’t understand how happy I am to hold you in my arms every fucking day, how proud I am to have you in the studio with me because that’s the only way I can work faster, babygirl you are everything and more I’ve ever needed”

“Zion this secrecy is making me feel like I’m not good enough” your voice cracks filling the room up with icy cold tension. You’re trying so hard to stop crying but you can’t, all the bottled up feelings are just slipping through the cracks. Zion rapidly walks over to you to hold you in his arms. Your brain wants to push him off,but your heart wants to be held until your cries muffled into the music in the background. His slender golden fingers hold the back of your head while the other tightly on your lower back.

“I deserve more Zion, but I don’t wanna pressure you dear, but I’m tired, I’m tired” you speak into his trashed denim jacket. You pull out of his embrace. Walking towards the door, leaving Zion in the room with his thoughts. Passing by nick and Brandon as you wiped your tears, hearing their cries of your names just makes you regret even coming to this party in the first place. The guy you danced with earlier snatches your wrist in a halt just as you were about to grab the door knob, this day just couldn’t get anymore hetic you thought.

“Babygirl.. did he make you cry?” His eyebrows knit up in a bunch, you stumble over the cups placed on the floor snatching your arms at of the young man’s grasp not before you feel an arm around your shoulder engulfing your body into his chest. “Don’t touch her got that? She doesn’t belong to you” he grits his teeth, spitting the poison out on him “oh but she belongs to you?” The guy questions trying to provoke a fight with Zion.

“She doesn’t belong to anyone she’s her own woman, but we are dating and I don’t appreciate anyone treating her less than what she is, so if you want all your bones to be intact and still have teeth to eat with tomorrow I suggest you back the fuck up” your eyes look up at the flushed pinked tint that was painted across his face the slight flinch of his muscles in his jawline.

“Can we leave please?” You plead to him and instantly he grabbed your hand taking you out the party. The ride home was slient. So many things were going on, bottled up emotions were spilled and you just thought to yourself how awkward this would be in the morning. Zion opens the door for you following right after you in the cold house. Taking off your boots you curl up on the bed shaking as the goosebumps multipled on your skin. Zion walks over to you throwing the covers over your body tucking you in like a parent to a kid.

“Can we talk about this?” Zion says breaking the ice, letting out a choked hoarse sigh

“I’m afraid too” you speak barely above a whisper hoping he didn’t catch it.

“Well then listen to me” Zion grabs your legs placing them on his thighs so his fingers hook under your calves “ I’ve never been this deep in love, everytime I get really deep into a relationship something always fucks it up, and I didn’t want anything or anyone to break us up hence why I’ve been hiding us. Specially from the media. It’s a dog eats dog world out there mamas” his fingers tapping on your now timid skin “and I don’t want you to be hurt because of my job, or those whom support and love me, their opinions won’t matter to me I don’t give a shit but I don’t want you hurt babygirl I love your smiles earlier in the morning,” Zion chokes up “ I wanna keep seeing the crinkle in your nose as you curse the sun for being bright, have you re-twisting my dreads, your sudden outbursts of Disney soundtracks”

“I cherish all that shit mamas” Zion finishes like a heavy weight was lifted off his shoulder.

Your eyes begin to soften at how raw Zion is being right now. Zion was never the type to show his cards on the table. Everyone knew this. But seeing him fold like a deck of cards really breaks your heart. “I love our date nights where we just watch movies or play board games, cause it’s just us and no one to interrupt us or tell us how to love each other, but it seems I’ve hurt you more this way instead of the other way I was trying to protect you from. I’m sorry mamas” his Cinderella glass slipper eyes lays upon yours, shattering you into pieces

You never thought how hard it’s been on him to hide all of this or his reasons. You lean over to him placing your head on his chest. Playing with his fingertips. “It’s okay Zion, I understand now, I’m sorry for blowing up on you” his lips pressed on your head while his fingers caressed your waist. Your eyes slowly getting heavier and heavier before you could even hear his response. You dozed off, all the tears and alcohol felt like a melatonin. Zion took this opportunity to sneak a picture of his view to post on Instagram for the world to see. Showing you off was something he always dreamed off and right now seemed like the perfect time. “No mamas I’m sorry, but I’ll show you better than I can say it”

The next morning you woke up to your phone constantly blowing up by notifications, frowning you grab your phone deciding to put it on do not disturb until you see prettymuch fan account names liking and commenting on your posts, taking you on stories, your twitter was blowing up. Opening up Instagram you see Zion has tagged you in a post, smiling at his efforts you like the picture.

130,468 likes

zionkuwonu: I'll never diss you and I'll kiss you on your little pearl.

Maybe the talk needed to happen to move onto bigger things, before you could repost it to your story, The door swings up with Zion smiling bigger than his heart holding a teddy bear in one hand and roses and a self care basket the other. Sitting up against the headboard you accept them feeling the water build up in your eyes. “You’re right mamas, you deserve more” he leans over laying soft pecks against your lips. “And I will always give you more” his lips connect to yours again.

“So face mask night and a movie?” You squeak caressing his jawline

“It’s whatever you want to do babygirl” he mumbles, before taking another picture of you with the gifts.

You were now his official girl.

[musical-shit-show]

Two Sides: Chapter 2

Previous Chapter: (1)

Characters: Musical!Beetlejuice, Female!OC, Lydia Deetz, Barbara Maitland, Adam Maitland

Warnings: swearing, anxiety/mild panic attack, supernatural stuff, strange dreams (?)

Word Count: 1432

Author’s Note: Okay I’m not sure if anyone is reading this, but sorry about the wait on Chapter 2! I have been swamped with work this past week and don’t have a lot of time to edit chapters without my roommate getting sus. Plus ya girl stares at a laptop from 9 to 5 every day (yay pandemic) so it takes a toll on my eyes. 

Anyways, this is basically another set up chapter, but it does get a little wild as the two girls show up to the Deetz/Maitland house. If you like this story so far, please like and/or reblog! Also if you have any words of wisdom for writing or just wanna chat, my ask box is open! I mentioned that I would be doing asks and putting up a prompt list, and I’ll hopefully get around to doing that this weekend, I’m just a procrastinator. 

Okay I’ll stop rambling. Here’s Chapter 2!

Chapter 2

Cassandra was awoken from her hazy slumber with a jolt of a car brake. “We’re here!” Lydia exclaimed gleefully, dropping her usual mellow persona.

Cassandra blinked purposefully, strange images from a dream flashing in her vision. Stripes, vibrant green, a snakelike creature…the pictures in her mind made her feel uneasy, but she brushed them aside as she unloaded her small duffle bag from the backseat of Lydia’s car.

The house looked normal enough. Large, white and Victorian-era, it sat atop a comically round hill, looking picturesque against the rural landscape. Lydia bolted in front of her roommate, the small black suitcase she had brought rattling against the gravel driveway. Cassandra giggled to herself. She hadn’t seen Lydia this excited in a long while. As the girls made their way up the steep hill, movement on the second floor caught Cassandra’s eye. No figure was visible, but the brown-haired girl did notice the flutter of the white drapes that framed the window as they inched closer to the house. Cassandra stared up for a few more seconds before shaking her head following Lydia up the rest of the driveway.

“I can’t wait for you to meet them!” she called, Cassandra several steps behind her. Lydia’s father, Charles, and stepmother, Delia, would not be keeping the girls’ company on this particular visit. Charles was a real-estate mogul, and Delia was a life coach giving motivational speeches across the country. The only people in the house this weekend were Lydia’s aunt and uncle, both of whom Cassandra knew nothing about.

Despite her unusual dream, Cassandra tried to match Lydia’s enthusiasm. “Yeah, from what you’ve told me about them, they sound awesome!” The girls reached the door, and for a brief moment, Lydia hesitated, her hand stiff on the doorknob. Cassandra furrowed her brow slightly.

Though Lydia had been excited about finally introducing Cassandra to her ‘aunt and uncle’, she had grown more uneasy the closer they got to the house. What if she had a total meltdown? Sure, Cassandra had a passive interest in the supernatural, but not to the level Lydia had when she was younger; her roommate was far more normal, which could lead to a bit of scene when she found out the truth.

“Cassie, there’s something I need to tell you before you meet Adam and Babs,” Lydia started, “They’re well…they’re different. But you need to promise that you won’t be mad at me or freak out.” Cassandra grew worried at Lydia’s words, her heartbeat increasing rapidly as a small panic set in. How could they possibly be weird by Lydia’s standards? Were they nudists? Swingers? Republicans?

“Lyds, don’t worry,” Cassandra replied, doing her best to ease herself and her best friend, “I’m sure whatever it is, I’ll be fine. They’re your family and I want to get to know them.” With a knowing shrug, Lydia opened the creaky front door. She had a feeling this wasn’t going to end well, but it was time to let the chips fall where they may.

Lydia wanted to tell Cassandra before this point, she really did. But how do you casually mention to your roommate that you used to live with two ghosts? Lydia wasn’t very trusting with people, especially when it came to Adam and Barbara. She had grown to love Cassandra like a sister, but the longer she waited, the more awkward it would’ve become to explain. By Lydia’s twisted logic, it was best to just show her best friend the craziness she was getting herself into.

“Babs! Adam!” Lydia called, straightening her suitcase to face upright, “I’m home!” Cassandra felt a chill wrack through her entire body, though there wasn’t a single gust of wind coming from outside of the house. Suddenly, two figures appeared out of thin air. Cassandra’s blood turned ice cold. ‘Did they just fucking materialize out of nowhere?’ she thought, feeling a bead of sweat forming on her brow, ‘Am I losing my goddamn mind?’

The couple that stood before them looked ordinary enough, apart from the fact that they clearly possessed some kind of supernatural powers. Barbara was blonde, doe-eyed and was grinning ear-to-ear. Her husband, Adam, only stood a few inches higher than her, and had square-framed glasses perched atop his light brown hair. They greeted Lydia with excited squeals, enveloping her in a warm, three-person hug. They looked like they’d fit perfectly on the cover of Country Living magazine or in line at a Trader Joe’s checkout. 

Cassandra was gripping the strap of her duffle bag tightly, a wave of nausea and confusion crashing over her. Her brain was firing rapidly as she attempted to sus out how these two seemingly normal people just magically appeared.

“Oh Lydia, we’re so glad to see you!” Adam said, the timbre of his voice warm and slightly nasally. He wrapped the smaller girl in a bear hug, lifting her a few inches off of the ground. Though Lydia was preoccupied trying to gauge Cassandra’s reaction, she embraced Adam, smiling slightly.

“It’s been way too long,” Barbara added as Adam deposited Lydia back onto the floor. Barbara turned to finally notice Cassandra, who was seconds away from a panic attack. The older woman, completely oblivious, beamed at the other girl, “Oh, and this must be your roommate!” She went in for a hug, but stopped in her tracks when she saw Cassandra’s strained expression.

“Lydia, what’s going on?” she said quietly, “Does your family typically….uh, teleport from one place to another?” Barbara and Adam looked at each other, confused expressions painted across their faces.

“I knew this would happen,” Lydia said under her breath, cursing herself for not telling her roommate sooner. She collected herself, running a hand through her short black bob, “Okay, Cassie…Barbara and Adam aren’t my aunt and uncle. They lived in this house before my dad and I moved in when I was in high school. They, well, they died here. They’re ghosts, technically speaking.”  Adam and Barbara shifted uncomfortably.

The supernatural was not a subject that was completely foreign to Cassandra. She had always had a slight interest in the macabre, she just had no idea that her best friend and roommate’s life was intertwined with ghosts. Actual ghosts.

“You didn’t tell her?!” Adam said, bewildered. He folded his arms across his chest, clearly disappointed in Lydia. Barbara touched his shoulder, trying to ease her husband’s frustration.

“She wouldn’t have believed me!” Lydia defended, “I had to show her for myself.” Lydia and Adam bickered back and forth before all three turned to Cassandra, who hadn’t spoken a word in a few minutes. Finally, she collected herself, the others waiting with baited breath at her response to all of the madness.

“I’m not angry,” she stated plainly, doing her best to steady her breathing, “This is actually, uh, really fucking cool.” Lydia’s eyes brightened at her roommate’s words. She knew if anyone would understand her and her family, it was Cassie. “But,” she continued, “I need time to process the whole ‘ghosts are real and are also best friends with my roommate’ thing. So, is it alright if I go upstairs and we can talk more about this later?”

“Of course,” Adam replied apologetically, “We’re sorry. Had Lydia told us—” he shot a glare at her, “—that you didn’t know we were, uh, dead, we would’ve tried to appear more…normal.”

“It’s, it’s fine,” Cassandra said, wiping the sweat from her hands nervously on her jeans, “Lydia’s right, I was gonna find out eventually. Why not rip the Band-Aid off, huh?” Barbara smiled. She and Adam were quickly taking a liking to Cassie. She was funny and understanding, especially considering the circumstances. Cassie climbed the steps, her suitcase bumping into the back of her legs.

Lydia smiled at the Maitlands as Cassandra disappeared to the second floor. “I’m sorry, I tried to think of a plan and I should’ve called and—” Barbara shushed the young woman, placing a hand lovingly on her shoulder.

“We understand,” Barbara said knowingly, “But, Lydia, did you tell her about…you know…? Lydia furrowed her brow and let out a frustrated sigh. She knew this conversation would be coming her way. She knew he would come up eventually.

“No, and I don’t intend to,” Lydia stated firmly, “He should be far away from this house, at least for this weekend. We just need to make it three days, and then I’ll tell Cass. I promise.”

‘Oh, Lyds’ Beetlejuice thought, grinning as he hid in a dark corner of the house, ‘I love it when you’re wrong.’

------

Ooooh it’s finally bug man time!!! Hope you enjoyed this chapter (if anyone is reading lol). Like and reblog if you can! Thanks :)

[warofroyalsrpg]

— ♔ In the past, people were born royal and for ROSAMIE AQUINO the TWENTY-SIX-year-old PRINCESS of THE PHILIPPINES, that is a tradition SHE intends to keep. To others, SHE looks an awful lot like CASSIE STEELE and has been painted as THE ONE WITH HER HEAD IN THE CLOUDS but behind closed doors, SHE is NAIVE and DRAMATIC but also OPTIMISTIC and CURIOUS. It has also been said they are BETROTHED to THOMAS ADLEY. (Kayla/30/CST/She/Her)

Welcome Princess Rosamie Aquino, we hope you enjoy your stay and represent your country of The Philippines well! The fc of Cassie Steele and the country of The Philippines are now taken! Please check out the checklist and send in your account within twenty-four hours.

What is your character’s gender?: Cis Female

Are you filling a wanted connection? If so, which one?: Thomas Adley’s betrothed, Jayme is cool with it.

Please provide three headcanons about your character:

Headcanon One: Ever since Rosamie was a little girl she’s been certain that fate and true love were very real. She lived off of true romance, the girl taking in as many of the epic love stories written throughout the years along with all the romantic comedies that came her way. She’s a sucker for love and she believes that everyone has their own stories to play out while on the path to their person. Soulmates, friends to lovers, hate to love, she adores it all and will most likely bug everyone about their own love lives to get her fix. Unfortunately for her, she hasn’t been so lucky in that department herself. This doesn’t do anything to quell her beliefs with each failure only fueling her more and more to find her epic romance, and she’s hoping that her and Thomas will be the beginning of her own novel.

Headcanon Two: She’s pretty loyal when it comes to her country and she’s insisted that she be a part of her older siblings’ training in case she may be needed to step in one day. Or in case she ended up marrying a crown. She’s someone who would never want to go into a situation involving her lineage without the knowledge she needs to help the monarchy along. Despite how naive she can be she never wants to be in a situation where she can’t hold her own and most people are surprised when Rosamie gets into political rants. Her sense of duty also outweighs her dream of finding romance. She goes where she’s told, does what she has to do, and has barely any complaints about doing so.

Headcanon Three: She doesn’t know her own privilege. There have been times when she didn’t understand why other people weren’t always able to do the same things that she’s been able to do in life, especially when she was younger. She doesn’t think about money the way she should and has also been known to put her foot in her mouth with the staff or less privileged people are around. She’s someone who will accidentally take advantage of the staff and their duties to her without realizing she might be running someone ragged and she complains when she has to do something for herself. Lazy might be a good word to describe her on occasion. She doesn’t do this to be cruel, she just doesn’t realize that she might not be treating them in the best way.

Bonus Headcanon: Rosamie has Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). She has a mild form that can cause a range of different symptoms including joint pain and fatigue to name a few. It’s never hindered her life too much and it had never gotten serious enough to cause any internal damage. Nobody outside of her family and her doctors (including the castle doctors) know about the disease. She tries to do things to keep up her physical strength, mostly swimming or horseback riding, but there are times when her disease does make it harder. This is when she’s mostly considered lazy and she lounges around most of the day.

Please provide two or more connection ideas for your character:

Connection One: Older brother who is the crown - I imagine they get along very well and have always been close. He’s probably a little protective over her with her idealistic ways.

Connection Two: Best friend/Friends to Enemies - Someone she could have grown up with and they could still be close or something could have happened to tear them apart.

Please answer the following questions IC:

What is one thing you are proud of/love about your country?

“I will always be in awe of my country’s beauty. Have you ever seen Bantayan Island. The white sandy beaches, the clear water, the friendly locals, it’s all amazing and thats just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my home and unexplored gems.”

What is the most important thing in your suitcase?

“I have a rare copy of Romeo and Juliet that my mother got me for my twelfth birthday. I probably shouldn’t have brought it but I did and…I will cry if it gets lost.”

Who and/or what will you miss most from home?

“Honestly? Aside from my family, the obvious answer, I would say the weather. I don’t know what to do with snow.”

[fic-ya-later]

Not Gonna Die: Chapter 1

Summary: Castiel is depressed, however he has to return to work even if he doesn’t want too. 

Warnings: Mentions of death and depression. 

A/N: Hey guys! I am so excited to post this here! If you like what you see send me a message; I’d love to hear your thoughts! My request and taglist are OPEN so let me know if you’d like to join it or like something written! I’m working on honing my writing process and style to work on an original piece I’ve had ideas for so if you are a fellow writer send me a message and we can chat about ideas and processes! I hope you enjoy this work!

Series Masterlist

Chapter One | Chapter Two 

Castiel couldn’t tell how many times he had played Clair de Lune, but it was more than the number of whiskey tumblers he had drained in the last two hours of playing. He couldn’t seem to find the end; cadence would lead to cadence and he’d find himself resolving back to the beginning of the piece each time. Each pass through the melody something was different, Castiel’s fingers hesitated on a note, or he dampered a run’s end to cause the chord to linger in his ears. No, Castiel did not like endings. In his small apartment the baby grand echoed with grace. The rain on the glass wall of his apartment created a soft backdrop for the otherwise barren expanse of the room. 

A pause in the music filled the air as Castiel reached for the fifth to refill his tumbler, only to find it, to his surprise, empty. What time was it? 11? 12? He couldn't tell any more. He set the bottle on the floor and looked up, running his hands down his face when he saw it. The only picture in the whole house sat on the small table in the corner. The soft hazel eyes smiled at him, and Castiel started another melody as tears swelled in his. This time the melancholy was more than a subtext to the music. He let his fingers linger on each note, the vibrations filling him as Gymnopedie No. 1 filled the room. He would’ve continued like this for hours just as he did the last night, and the night before last, and the one before that, but the vibrating of his phone across the room put an end to his thoughts. 

GABE CALLING

With a sigh Castiel silenced the phone. He didn’t need yet another worried sibling bothering him during his self-loathing sabbatical. Not that it mattered. Most of them didn’t care what he was doing, as long as he wasn’t tarnishing the family’s name. Novak. He cursed his father’s last name for the weight it carried. So many knew the Novak technology empire that when they found out Castiel was a part of the family there was a look people would give him which accompanied the customary “why didn’t you follow your dad’s footsteps”. Castiel hated that question. At first he tried explaining that humans are just so interesting, and he felt it was his mission to protect and save them. After he changed his last name people asked why he didn’t capitalise on the familial fortune; he grew tired of explaining that he had all he needed and then some. After he moved away from Boston they would ask what he was running from. Now he had no answer. The past? The future? His family? He didn’t know, but there was something about the beauty of Colorado that just drew him in. There is a real connection to the Earth here. Castiel knew it was where he needed to be the first time he flew out to interview for Boulder City General; if he hadn’t been welcomed to their surgical team, well, he would have flown out to this very house no matter what and become a hermit. 

GABE CALLING

Again his brother tried and failed to reach Castiel. The ringtone fell on deaf ears as Castiel was asleep on his sofa, completely dead to the world. 

Most of Castiel’s dreams held little power over him. There was the odd dream of his mother which gifted him with comfort and peace. The dreams of wings that left him feeling assured and powerful. Then there were the dreams of forests, forests filled with green which left him waking with the constant uneasy edge of something invisible being out of place. These were the only dreams he cared for; the rest of them he chalked them up to subconscious ramblings of an overworked surgeon. These were the dreams of before. Now mostly he dreamed of red and the whine of equipment. 

Blue eyes snapped open. Another of those dreams. With a groan Castiel rolled to his side. 4:12 flashed too brightly into his eyes. He blinked and refocused. May 12. With a sigh Castiel decided the best thing he could do would be to roll himself out of bed and clean up. He returned to work today and the scruff growing down his face and neck simply wouldn’t do. “What have I become?” Steam filled the room and doubt filled his head. “She was just a child.” “You did everything you could” “There had to be something you missed.” Thoughts spiralled through his head as he showered. 

Two weeks ago Castiel met a new patient. A girl of only 12 named Claire. One week ago she went into the OR for a routine valve transplant. One week ago Claire died as Castiel stood over her with his decades, it seemed like centuries actually, of knowledge failing him. The operation was supposed to be straightforward, Castiel had accomplished successful surgeries in far worse circumstances, but when she flatlined he was completely at a loss. Nothing in his past hurt worse that the look on her mother’s face as he walked solemnly into the waiting room. Castiel walked out of the hospital that day fully intending on never walking back in. A stranger was the one who convinced him to take a sabbatical rather than retire a whole career early. 

GABE CALLING

“Gabe.”

“Hello to you too Castiel.” The silence between the two stretched through the room. “You know what day it is today, right Cassy?” 

“Yes. The days don’t change each week Gabriel. I know when Monday is.”

“And we know what happens today. Right?”

“You don’t need to talk to me like I'm a child. I'm trying not to think about it.”

“You’re going to do amazing!”

“Will you bring me lunch?”

“Of course. The usual right?” Cas smiles and hums in response. “Thought so. Don’t stress too much Cassie, I’ll be right down stairs if you need anything.”

“You can do so much better than janitor Gabriel if you ju-”

“Don’t start with me. I’ll work on my life as soon as I can stop worrying about yours little brother. Now get dressed, give Chevy a kiss for me and get your perky ass to the hospital before I have to drag it there myself.” 

Gabe hung up before Cas could even retort by inquiring how his older brother knew the shape and lift of his rear, but he did leave a smile on the surgeon's face. As if on cue, knowing her being was mentioned, a meow cut through the empty apartment and the ashen coloured creature wrapped herself around Cas’s legs, her otherworldly eyes staring up at her human with mild disdain. Chevy was a rescue, Castiel took her in after she was dropped off at the clinic Gabe was working at at the time. They all assumed she was blind, her eyes wouldn’t open for weeks, and that she had been hit by a car. The gruff older man who dropped her off had said he would come back for her if she improved, a gift for a family member he said, but then he never came. So Chevy became Castiel’s. After weeks of nursing her wounds and staying up all night to ensure her health, she finally opened her eyes and looked at her new human with mild affection. Upon seeing her eyes Castiel knew she was meant for him, one stark, pure blue eye, and one warm, deep green eye had blinked at him and she decided that he’d do. 

“I see you little lady. Let’s get you some food before dad goes to work.” While Castiel was never fond of people in general, he had a soft spot for animals and especially for Chevy. She always was so intune with him, and he wanted the best for her. After her water was freshened and a delicate mix of chicken and cat food mix was placed in her dish up on the counter in the bathroom, Castiel continued to ready himself for work. He showered and shaved quickly, trying not to glance at the scars on his back or on his wrists before dressing in freshly pressed trousers and a white button up.

“You get a kiss from Uncle Gabe this morning.” He scratches the cat’s chin before looking in the mirror one last time, face solemn and firm. “You can do this.”

-------

The hospital was as busy as ever, it was like Castiel had never left, that is until director of surgery Zachariah Adler made himself known. The snivelling man was everything that Castiel considered himself not to be: slimy, greedy, an overall pushover if it meant keeping his image and status, and worst of all he had very little regard for others or the lives that fell into his care--just as long as his numbers look good at the end of the quarter. 

“Good to see you back Dr. Allen. I trust your week was...productive?” The director’s tone signalled to Castiel that he had to tread very carefully within the brief conversation.

“Yes Director, very productive. I spent much time focusing on updating my reading on surgical advancements made in the treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms. It proved quite provoking and has led me to belie…” 

“Yes, yes. Very good. I trust we won’t have any more issues then?”

“No sir.”

“Very good.” The director turned on his heel and left as swiftly as he came, and with not so much a nod in Castiel’s direction. 

“Good morning to you too.” Cas grumbled as he made his way to his office. Not much had changed, but there was a small layer of dust coating most surfaces he would have to wipe off on his lunch today. The tiny office was perfect for the surgeon’s needs. The north and east walls were adorned with meticulously organised and cared for bookshelves. The south wall held a bulletin board next to the door, and the west wall was nothing but glass. That overlooked Boulder City and the mountain range beyond. His desk was always kept neat, the only clutter taking the form of an organiser for his active case files and his in/out box, which had far more in it that he would’ve liked at this point, but that is the life of a surgeon. 

Just as he’d settled in there was a tap on the door.

“Come in.” Cas absentmindedly called out as he remained buried in a case file that required some attention. 

“Dr. Allen?”

“Mhhh.”

“Doctor Bradbury needs you for a consultation.” The voice was firm but cautious.

“Is it urgent or shall I schedule her in?” Castiel still had yet to look up from his case file, consultations were often needed when a surgery or procedure could potentially have adverse effects on a patient beyond the single issue.

“She already has requested you for a 10 am. If that’s amenable of course.”

“Mhhhm. That will do, please tell her I will be in my office Dr….” Blue eyes meet deep green.

“Nurse. Uh, Winchester.” 

“Yes, thank you Winchester. Have you worked for Dr. Bradbury long?” The tanned face was not among the carefully catalogued members of staff within Castiel’s brain. 

“First day. I will let her know you’re available. Thank you Dr. Allen.” As quickly as he came he was gone and Cas was left staring blankly at the empty doorway, wondering why those eyes captivated him so. There was a faint smell of leather lingering throughout the room that continued to mildly distract him for the remainder of his boring morning of answering emails and setting up appointments for referred clients. Just before he had his meeting with Dr. Bradbury, he was tempted to look up the new nurse in the directory, but stopped himself out of habit. New people often intrigued him, and he knew he could come on quite strong to the ‘uninitiated’ as Gabe called it. Perhaps he would be able to run into him at some point, it would seem those green eyes captivated Cas in a way he was unfamiliar with.

Another knock on the door. This one he was expecting, so he rose and greeted his friend and colleague warmly. 

“Cas!” Once the door was shut OBGYN and friend Charlie Bradbury has her arms wrapped snuggly around Cas’s shoulders, he could feel the grin through his lab coat.

“Hello Charlie, it’s good to see you.”

“You too! How are you doing? You cant just ignore me like this; I didn’t know where you were for a whole week! You even missed theme night at the Roadhouse!” The bubbling redhead would go on forever if he let her.

“Charlie.” She quiets. “I’m okay, and yes I will be going to the Roadhouse tonight, and yes I know it’s cowboy night” --- “and girl” --- “Cowperson night. And I wasn't ignoring you, I was taking a brief leave of absence to deal with personal matters. If you wish, we can arrange lunch this week and I can fill you in.” She eagerly nods. “What did you need to see me for?”

“There's the Dr. Castiel Novak I know.” The resulting glare from the blue eyes makes her shiver. “Sorry Castiel. It's a habit. I’ve known you too long.”

“I know, please just be careful. I do not wish for certain members of faculty to know my upbringing or history. I've been passing as human for this long; I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Of course,” She nods sympathetically. While most people were open and accepting to the supernatural since the fall of heaven and closing of hell, many people were still quite superstitious and prejudiced against any nonhumans. “Well, to business. I've got a case that's really troubling me. It’s quite delicate, as the case is slightly personal to one of my staff members. I have a patient. Jessica Moore. She just came in for her routine prenatal and I discovered a heart murmur. I think we might have a tricuspid atresia. To make matters worse Ms Moore is having a difficult pregnancy to say the least. Her attachment is weak and she’s beginning to show signs of preeclampsia.” 

“That is quite a combination.”

“Yes it seems that childbearing does not become her. She's the girlfriend of the brother of one of my nurses. I was hoping I could get you in for her next scan, she's due to have another ultrasound at 26 weeks. I’m worried we are going to end up having to either induce her or order a cesarean to maintain both of their healths.” Charlie’s face contorted with sadness at that. Castiel always admired the care she had for her patients. 

“When would this be?” He opened his diary.

“Two weeks, Monday.”

“Yes I can be there. Have someone drop by the details later in the week so I can ensure I am up to date on the case.”

“I’ll have Dean drop them off to you tomorrow them.” 

“Dean... that’s not a name you’ve used before.”

Charlie smiled at Cas cheekily. “Nothing gets by you Cas. Dean is a new midwife in my department. Came to me straight from the military believe it or not. He’s well over qualified for working with me, but I’m not complaining that I have the most capable, attractive, nerdiest midwife in the west at my fingertips.” She flashed a grin.

“How do those last two make him an effective nurse?” 

“They don’t but I wanted to see your reaction. You met him this morning right?”

“Ah so that was the mystery nurse.”

“Yes. Now you can’t go scaring him away. He's already been invited to join the Roadhouse gang. Garth asked him this morning. The two are becoming rather fast friends I’d like to think. I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yes Charlie, I’ll be there with spurs on.”

“Kinky…” She winks as she leaves the room, and leaves Castiel to his thoughts.

As the day drug on, Castiel became so busy he barely noticed when his lunch hour came up. Jumping out of his chair he swapped his lab coat for a cardigan and went to meet his brother for the lunch he was promised.

[ddproductionsw77]

Sweet Child O’ Mine

Fandom: IT (Muschietti Films)

Pairing(s): Reddie (Richie Tozier x Eddie Kaspbrak)

Characters: Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak and (OC) Cassie Tozier, (Mentioned) Bill Denbrough and Beverly Marsh

Rating: T (If language offends you, M but there is nothing sexual)

Description: Cassie wakes up in the middle of the night with a mild fever and Richie can’t just leave her alone in her nursery when she isn’t feeling good. (NextGen Baby Losers Fic)

Author’s Note: Kind of based off a request and kind of an idea I was already planning to do... it’s just been a long time since I’ve done any Baby Loser fics and there’s no reason for it! No more! Lyrics and title come from Guns ‘N’ Roses’ song, Sweet Child O’ Mine.

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Crying.

Eddie Kaspbrak woke up to the sound of crying. Groaning, he rolled over into his side and reaching out for the baby monitor on the bedside table. Turning the volume down, he reached over and shoved his boyfriend’s shoulder, barely managing to slur out, “Richie... Get the baby... She’s crying...”

He heard a groan, “Give her a minute...”

They laid together for a moment, listening to their baby daughter continue to cry. Soon, the pitch went even higher and the sound became even more desperate.

Eddie hit Richie again, “Go get her.”

“Fucking fine,” Richie complained, slipping out of bed.

Eddie rolled over on his stomach, hugging his pillow and muttering, “Don’t swear in front of her,” as he began to drift back off.

Richie rolled his eyes and made his way across the hall, running a hand down his face. His body was still adjusting to parenthood and late night wake up calls. He didn’t understand entirely why waking up two or three times a night was so much harder for his body than pulling an all nighter here and there back in college but fuck was it ever. His limbs felt like they were made of lead and his brain could barely remember how to get his body from his and Eddie’s bedroom to the nursery door.

Opening the door to his daughter’s room, the corners of his mouth twitch upon spotting his little 3-month-old waving her tiny balled fists through the air, blabbering nonsensically between cries.

Eddie had been the one to pick out everything for Cassidy’s nursery while Richie had been charged with putting it all together. They’d decided on painting the room a soft, baby blue that coincidentally nearly matched the exact shade of Cassie’s eyes. They had prepped the room before receiving the call from the adoption agency so it hadn’t been till a month ago that Eddie had finally gotten Bill over to paint ‘Cassidy’ in swirling gold over her crib.

Going over to her crib, Richie looked down at her with a mock stern look, “Cassidy Beverly Anne, it is way past your curfew!”

The baby stared up at him, lip wobbling before letting out another mournful squawk, her dark, fine hair sticking up in four different directions. She did not look all that amused.

“Okay, okay, Sweet Child O’ Mine,” Richie plucked her up in one fluid motion, cradling her in his arms as she shoved her fist in her mouth and continued to cry around it, “What’s wrong, huh? You have a nightmare? Papa has those, too.”

Whimpering, she kicked out one of her little legs and kept up her crying, grasping his t-shirt as tightly as she could with the hand not stuck in her mouth. Richie sighed and ran his hand lightly across the top of her head, pausing to rest his palm against her forehead.

“Ah, Cassie, please be messing with me,” Richie groaned and leaned down to brush his lips across her forehead. She was much warmer than usual, which was saying something since the baby was usually a fucking furnace, as was. She was even hotter then she got working herself up into a hysteria. Richie closed his eyes and threw his head back, “Fuuuuudge.”

No swearing.

It was the rule… Besides, he knew Eddie was probably listening in on the baby monitor.

“Okay, baby girl,” Richie muttered rocking her in his arms, going back toward the door, “Let’s go have Dada take a look at you, huh?”

She continued to fuss as Richie returned to his and Eddie’s bedroom and sat on Eddie’s side of the bed. His boyfriend rolled over and peered up at him, their squirming, crying baby cradled in his arms.

“Richie, you know she can’t sleep in here with us—“ Eddie started, rubbing at his eyes but Richie sighed and spoke over him.

“I think she has a fever,” He said and Eddie fell silent, continuing to peer up at him sleepily for another moment before sitting up in bed as Richie continued, “Can you take her? I’ll get the thermometer.”  

Eddie nodded, reaching out and taking Cassie. The baby cried louder being jostled around but Eddie hushed her softly, bouncing her in his arms as Richie left the room, and managed to somewhat soothe her. He felt himself go into autopilot, his training as a registered pediatric nurse taking over as he reached out and felt his daughter’s forehead, set his hand briefly on her chest to feel her breathing and took her pulse using her little ankle and his wristwatch.

He had to admit, she was warm. How warm, he couldn’t be sure of yet but at least her pulse was pretty much average for a crying, distressed infant. Without a stethoscope, he couldn’t tell if she was congested though she didn’t feel rattle-y.

Looking up, he saw Richie coming back in the room with the thermometer the two of them usually used and shook his head.

“Rich, you have to get the one in Cassie’s room. Second drawer in the changing table, it goes in her ear,” Eddie instructed, “And grab my bag for work in the living room, I want to check her respiration.”

Richie gave him a confused look but spun around and did as Eddie had instructed, coming back a minute later with the baby thermometer and Eddie’s stuff.

Eddie handed Cassie, crying and whining, back to his boyfriend and stood up, going through his bag. He glanced over his shoulder at Richie, who was sitting on the bed again and sighed, using an alcohol wipe to wipe off his stethoscope before putting it over the back of his neck.

“You’re not going to like this,” Eddie warned, turning the thermometer on, “We gotta keep her still and she’s not going to be happy about it.”

Richie looked at the thermometer and then back at Eddie, “It doesn’t hurt, right? Because Cassie’s too tough to get whine-y over a little thing in her ear.”

Eddie gave him a look before rolling his eyes and giving his attention back to their daughter in Richie’s arms. Gently cupping the infant’s head in one hand, Eddie held the thermometer up to her ear. Cassie tried to turn her head away and cried even louder and harder when her Daddy wouldn’t let her.

Richie grimaced and glanced away, running a finger up and down the soft skin of her arm.

After a second, Eddie took the thermometer back and looked at it with a sigh, “100.1. I mean, it’s low grade.”

“It’s still a fucking fever!” Richie argued as Eddie set the thermometer aside and got his stethoscope.

“Don’t swear,” He gave his boyfriend a look before putting the buds in his ears and gently resting the head of the stethoscope on Cassie’s chest. Listening carefully for a moment, trying to concentrate on the sounds that weren’t her crying, he stood back and shrugged, taking the earbuds out, “She sounds normal.”

“But she has a fever,” Richie argued again and Eddie ran his hand through his hair.

“Yeah, Trashmouth, babies get sick sometimes,” Eddie sighed and pinched his nose, watching Cassie blubber around her slobbery fist. He cocked his head to the side and hummed, “I wonder if she’s teething...”

“What the fu— fudge is teething?” Richie asked, following Eddie’s gaze to their daughter.

Eddie rolled his eyes, “What it sounds like, dummy. When a baby’s teeth start coming in. She’s a little young still but it can happen at three months... I could check her mouth but it’d just make her madder. Let me grab something.”

He left and Richie adjusted Cassie so she was laying with her back against his thighs. He ran his hand over the top of her head again and sighed, “Cassie Anne, can’t you hold off on getting sick for the first time for a few more months? I’m still breaking in this whole dad thing and taking care of a sick baby is out of my wheelhouse, Sweet Child O’ Mine...”

She whined, giving a little cough before starting up again with her crying. Sighing, Richie shook his head and tried to bounce her to soothe her. A beat later, Eddie was back, a wet washcloth in hand.

“I got it right out of the dryer so it’s clean,” He muttered, mostly to himself because Richie didn’t much care, and took Cassie gently from his boyfriend. He offered to cool washcloth to the baby, who squirmed and turned her head away a time or two before clutching it and sticking it in her mouth as well.

In a few seconds, she fell completely quiet for the first time since she’s woken herself up. Eddie sighed and nodded, looking over at his boyfriend, “Teething.”

“Well, cold washrag is a pretty easy fix,” Richie chuckled, watching the two of them.

Eddie shook his head, “It’s also pretty short lived. She’ll start up again when it’s not cold anymore. We need to get her a toy for teething... But you can go put her back down, she might sleep for a bit.”

Richie sighed, peering down at his daughter. She watched him with droopy eyes, looking as if she were on the very edge of sleep but refusing to let herself drop off. She was a stubborn little thing, Richie thought with a twitch of his lips. He blamed Eddie; that fucker was so stubborn it drove him up the damn wall. It made sense, too; Eddie had Cassie more than Richie ever did... it was just the way that their work schedules played out.

Eddie worked from 5 in the morning to 5 in the evening on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at Derry Home hospital but had the rest of his time to himself, which he usually spent at home with Cassidy. Richie, on the other hand, only really got to see his daughter from the time she woke up in the morning — usually around 9 or 10 — till he dropped her off at daycare to go to work at 2. On a good day he got 5 hours with her and he had weekends but that was it.

And God dammit, did he miss her when he was away, missed both of them.

Rocking Cassie back and forth, Richie managed to get her to close her eyes once again and sat back against the headboard of the bed. Setting a hand on his daughter’s tummy, Richie felt each breath she took as they evened out and slowed.

“Rich,”

He lifted his eyes back up to his boyfriend, who was watching him with a tired expression, “Hmm?”

Eddie stepped closer, going to his family and lightly brushing a soft tuft of dark hair from Cassie’s forehead, “Go lay her back down.”

Richie shook his head before looking down at his daughter again, “I don’t wanna. She doesn’t feel good, Eds.”

“She’s teething, Richie.” His boyfriend whispered and rolled his eyes, still playing with their baby girl’s hair, “All babies teeth and they’re always fine.”

Richie sighed, “I don’t want to fucking leave her in there, Eddie. She gets lonely.“

“Don’t swear in front of her,” Eddie reached out and flicked Richie’s ear, “And she does not get lonely, Richie. She’s a baby, she has no object permanence.”

Richie’s eyebrows came together as he looked at the baby, “She’s asleep, Spaghetti Man, ain’t gonna hear me. And what’s that?”

“Don’t call me that,” Eddie hissed half heartedly before reaching down and carefully lifting Cassie from Richie’s arms. The baby whimpered once and threw her arm out defiantly before going still again, sighing in her sleep. Eddie rocked her, heading back across the hallway towards her nursery, “Object permanence? Basically, if she can’t see something, she thinks it’s gone forever. She hasn’t learned that most objects around her are permanent, even if they’re not right in front of her.”

Richie jumped up and followed Eddie as he went to Cassie’s crib and lowered the baby down. She kicked out once again as Eddie draped her favorite blankie — one Beverly had stitched for her — over her. Clutching it, she settled back down, blanket in one hand and wash rag in the other.

“So, when we leave, she thinks we’re fuck — freaking gone forever?” Richie whined, “We can’t leave her in here all alone!”

Eddie sighed, hissing, “What are you going to do, Richie? Sleep in here?”

Richie seemed to be thinking for a moment before marching out of the room.

Eddie rolled his eyes and went to follow him only to nearly run into his boyfriend, carrying two pillows and a comforter. He sighed, angling his hand at his boyfriend and hissing, “Richard Tozier, what the actual fu—“ He stopped himself, “Fudge are you doing?”

“What does it look like, Eds, my love?” Richie whispered back, laying out the blanket on the floor right beside Cassie’s crib. “I’m having a sleepover with my baby girl. If she wakes up, her papa will be right here.”

Eddie stared for a moment before shaking his head, “Whatever. Be an idiot. Sprain your back. See if I care. Night.”

Turning on his heel, Eddie went back to bed.

Laying on the floor beside Cassie’s, Richie reached up and slipped his hands through the bars of her crib. He found her soft, warm hand and gently ran a single fingertip over her tiny knuckles.

His baby. His Cassidy Beverly Anne. Cassie. Sweet Child O’ Mine...

She’s got eyes of the bluest skies

As if they thought of rain

I’d hate to look into those eyes

And see an ounce of pain

Her hair reminds me of a warm, safe place

Where as a child I’d hide

And pray for the thunder

And the rain to quietly pass me by...

Richie was ninety-five percent sure he’d just barely fallen asleep when he felt someone curl up to his side. Peering his eyes open, he smirked, “I thought I was being an idiot.”

Eddie sighed, tucking his head into the crook on Richie’s neck, “You are... but it’s hard to sleep without you. Besides... If Cassie wakes up now we’ll both be here for her.”

“Eds?”

“Hmm?”

“I fucking love you. And I fucking love Cassidy.”

“Don’t swear in front of the baby,” A beat of silence and then, “Me too, Idiot, on both counts.”

“You really shouldn’t call me an idiot in front of the baby, Eds.”

Within a few breathes, they were both asleep, their breathing slowing to the pace of their baby daughter beside them.

[elisaphoenix13]

Winter Vacation (Ch.2 End)

When Tony woke the next morning, he found Stephen flush against the front of his body...and their bed was occupied by others as well. Specifically Natasha and Sam. Based on their locations on the bed, Nat came first. Sam followed. He was on the other side of the bed with Stephen and Natasha between him and Tony. The assassin was known to randomly crawl into bed with them whenever she had nightmares on trips like these, but Sam was a surprise. 

"If I look up, will there be kids at the foot of the bed?" Tony mumbles and Stephen huffs against his neck.

"I don't think so. This is why I have you reserve the room with the king sized bed."

"I get Nat, but what's Bird Boy doing in our bed?"

Sam pulls his hand out from under his pillow and raises it to flip off Tony. "These walls are thin man. Not only did I hear Spacecase and Tic-Tac going at it, but you stuck me with Rhodey and he snores. Loud. I'd rather listen to you snore."

Tony snorts. "Me and Mama Bear could have been playing slap and tickle too."

"I followed Nat. I know she doesn't care about most things, but you two in the middle of it is a line."

It was true. If he and Stephen were in the middle of sex, Nat would have never come in the room and instead would have stayed up the rest of the night. Probably sitting in the lounge reading lousy magazines. They weren't though, so instead of two people in their bed, there were four and possibly a kid or two. Tony sits up just enough to look at the end of the bed and confirms that there are no kids on the bed, but then wonders about the floor. He decided he didn't care at the moment and lays back down.

"What time is it?" Stephen asks and Sam grabs the sorcerer's phone off the nightstand.

"Time for your peace to be shattered any second now."

And Diana came in not even a second later. Tony and Stephen always left their door unlocked when they were on trips where the kids were in another bedroom theirs wasn't connected to, but Stephen always cast a protection spell on the door. Only the kids or team members would be able to pass safely. Anyone other than that? They were immediately sent to a not so pleasurable dimension. They always specifically asked for their room to be left alone so a maid wasn't accidentally tossed into the hell dimension.

Their daughter climbs onto the bed at the foot and crawls up to Stephen and Tony, making herself comfortable on the sorcerer's hip before sprawling across him. Natasha cracks a single eye open to lift her hand and brush the little girl's hair back, and then murmurs quietly to her in Russian before dropping her hand and using her other to push Sam out of the bed. The man complains loudly when he hits the floor with a thud and Nat smiles when Diana giggles.

"I need to get out of bed."

"Damn Nat. You could have asked."

"And pass up that opportunity?" Natasha replies dryly as she sits up and looks back to the couple. "Thanks Mama Bear."

Stephen nods in response as the assassin slips out of bed, and Sam gets up to follow her out of the bedroom. The two move aside when the rest of the kids barrel in, and Sam walks out with a laugh and something along the lines of 'heads up Mom'. Six more kids jump onto the bed and Tony rubs his face.

"At least four of you can bug your own parents."

Cassie makes a face. "I'm afraid to even touch their door."

Tony points at her. "Point taken." He looks at Clint's kids next. "What's your excuse?"

"Dad told us to come bug you." Lila admits.

"And you listened?"

Nathaniel pouts. "We're starving!"

Stephen chuckles and mimics Nat's earlier action by pushing Tony off the bed. "There's a breakfast buffet downstairs. Go eat and behave. We'll all be down soon."

The kids didn't need to be told twice. They all scampered off the bed, Diana having to roll off Stephen first, and they leave the room to Tony and Stephen. The sorcerer moves closer to the bed to look down at Tony, and smirks when he finds his husband staring up at the ceiling potentially pondering his life.

"Did you break something?" Stephen teases and earns a glare for it.

"Thank you for pointing out my age Stephanie, and no, I didn't break anything." Tony sits up and winces. "Bruised maybe."

"We better get dressed. They won't behave for long if Harley has anything to say about it."

"We have about ten minutes while he stuffs his face."

Tony and Stephen get up and get ready for another cold day, and when they exit the room, they pause in the hallway when they find Diana and Sam on either side of the doorway to Quill and Scott's room. Sam quietly opens the door, and both Tony and Stephen watch in mild amusement as their daughter levitates a small pile of snow into the room. They weren't the only ones watching either. Rhodey, Clint, and Natasha were too. Laura hopefully went downstairs to help supervise the kids.

A shout of surprise follows moments later, and Quill curses as he stomps over to the door and nearly yanks it off its hinges when he opens the door. Stephen readies a spell when the celestial opens the door with glowing hands and galaxy eyes, but Diana steps directly in front of him and smiles up at him. 

"Morning Uncle Quill!"

The powers were gone just like that. No more light in Quill's hands, the galaxy eyes were gone, and the god visibly deflated. He had been pissed but not berserk. When he was just angry and using his powers, anyone could approach him safely (unless they were the ones who pissed him off; in this case though, Quill would never hurt Diana). Sam then takes the chance to stand behind Diana and fold his arms to glare at the celestial.

"These walls are thin. Keep it for home or where no one can hear you."

"Our bad."

Sam looks down and ruffles Dia's hair. "Thanks kid. You can go eat breakfast now."

Diana smiles and skips down the hall, and her parents follow her down the stairs to the dining room. Laura was there with Wanda, both making sure the kids remained on their best behavior until the rest of the adults joined them, and breakfast went by with some excitement toward the new day. The adults were barely at the end of their own servings before the kids went back upstairs to dress warmly, and when everyone finally did go outside to have another day of fun, it started with a snowball smacking the back of Stephen's head. Both Bucky and Peter groan as the sorcerer turns to look for the culprit, and immediately zeroes in on Quill with a second snowball.

"Dude...there's a reason we don't pull Mom into our snowball fights." Peter says.

"I highly suggest you run." Bucky warns and Quill gives him a confused glance.

"What? Why?" The celestial turns to look back at Stephen, and his eyes widen when the sorcerer conjures a few more sets of arms, each armed with a snowball. "OH SHIT!"

Quill dashes away to take cover behind a tree just as Stephen throws multiple snowballs at him, and another hits the back of his head. The sorcerer whips his head around in surprise to find the second culprit and raises an eyebrow when Peter points at Steve. It was very clearly a lie, but he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to pull the captain into the shenanigans. If Stephen could let loose once in a while, so could Steve. So he pelts the soldier with a snowball who instantly looked astonished at being attacked...and then picked up some snow, formed a snowball, and threw it at Sam.

So started the second most extreme snowball fight in history. Everyone was attacking each other individually, but eventually teams were formed, Diana being not only a small target but also a disarming one. She actually got Clint to rethink throwing a snowball at her when she smiled up at him, but then she looked up a little higher and the archer follows her gaze to find a pile of snow floating above his head. He curses when it comes crashing onto his head and Diana giggles when she high fives Cassie and Bucky. Peter and Harley hid in a tree and hit unsuspecting victims, and everyone else actually made snow forts to hide behind. Stephen and Diana only used magic when other lodge visitors weren't around or looking, and they both were allowed because Diana was small and at a disadvantage, and Stephen had his hands. He was wearing gloves but tried not to hold the snow long enough for the cold to seep through. 

The other people visiting the lodge wisely stayed out of the Avengers snowball fight. They were content to record it instead, which was expected at some point during this trip. Stephen was the first to bow out of the fight since the cold did eventually get through to his hands, Peter was the next although it was a little unwillingly. His limbs stiffened enough that he actually fell out of the tree he and Harley were in, and his brother had to jump down and help him inside. The fight dwindled down after that. Some of the team either going inside for a break or moving on to other activities, Tony was one of the ones to go inside and found Stephen on one of the couches by the fireplace with Peter and Harley. The sorcerer was reading quietly while the boys were warming up with hot chocolate, Peter exclusively bundled up in Levi. The cloak actually threw a fit when they tried to leave without it so Stephen let it come disguised as a scarf. It obviously changed its form to a blanket to help warm Peter up.

"Done already?" Tony asks the teens and Harley holds up his mug.

"I'm going back out as soon as I finish this." He gulps down the rest of his hot chocolate, places the mug on the table, and vaults himself over the back of the couch.

"Jacket!" Stephen says as he lifts up Harley's coat. The teen runs back and snags his jacket from the sorcerer, runs back outside while putting it on, leaving Tony to take his recently vacated spot on the couch.

"What about you Underoos?"

"I haven't decided yet. I'm still warming up." Peter sniffles as he takes another sip of his hot chocolate and snuggles into Tony's side for the extra heat.

"Quill's probably a better choice for this."

Peter wrinkles his nose. "He's not my dad though...and Scott usually comes attached."

"Good point."

Peter eventually fell asleep against the engineer once he finished his drink, and Tony looks over at Stephen. He asks how their son got so cold with the spell and the sorcerer calmly explained that the snowballs were just a little too much for the spell he usually put on Peter. He would be fine. They quietly speculate who they might find in their bed the next morning as the others slowly trickle in for dinner when the sun starts to set, and Peter grunts in annoyance when Harley finds his way back to their couch and squishes himself between his brother and the arm of the couch.

Cassie came in without Diana, but before Tony or Stephen could question her, Steve came into view with Bucky and had the little girl riding piggyback on him. The captain sits on the couch, squishing her between his back and the cushions and Diana pouts.

"Uncle Steve!"

Steve smirks and looks over at Sam. "You hear something?"

"No. Must be hearing things Cap."

"Harley! Help me!" Diana reaches out for her older brother and he gets up to dig his sister out of her prison. Once free, he situates her against his side and steps over Scott who had sprawled out on the floor.

"It's too close to dinner for hot chocolate but I think Mom will let you have hot cider instead." Harley says as he walks to the dining room and Stephen looks over the couch at them.

"The smallest size!"

Harley replies with a 'yeah, yeah' and Stephen looks back at his book as Peter sits up. Everyone takes time to relax before dinner, either dozing or talking amongst themselves, and Harley and Diana come back not even three minutes later. The oldest sets his sister on the ground in front of Stephen's legs before squishing himself back onto the couch next to Peter who shoulders him playfully. Harley was a punk sometimes but today was proof that he cared about his siblings. He nearly carried Peter inside so he wouldn't freeze to death, and he took Diana to get something warm to drink after saving her from Steve. Stephen never said anything but it always brought a smile to his face to see Harley drop the facade every once in a while. He was sure if either Peter or Diana asked their brother for help, even if they were fighting, Harley would drop everything for them. He would risk everything for them.

"So can we talk about how Wanda completely fell through a soft patch of snow and disappeared?" Scott asks and Quill cackles.

"I literally blinked and she was gone." Laura laughs. "Scott was the only one who saw what happened and we were wondering why he was digging in the snow."

Wanda covers her face in embarrassment and Rhodey pats her back. "Then he had to ask Clint for help to pull her out."

"Not Quill?" Tony asks with obvious surprise.

"We didn't know where he disappeared to. So Clint and Scott are trying to pull Wanda out of the snow-"

"I'm still convinced it was vacuum sealed." Clint interrupts with a huff.

Rhodey ignores him and continues. "Whatever the reason, they couldn't get her out and her arms were at a weird angle so she couldn't use her magic."

Sam snickers. "Tic-tac literally said 'fuck this' and yelled for Spacecase like he was in trouble. Never saw a guy his size move that fast without knocking anything or anyone over."

"As soon as he realized Wanda was the one who needed help, he pulled her out like it was nothing." Clint finishes.

"It was nothing." Quill brags and Clint grabs a magazine to roll up and smack the celestial with.

"Mama Bear, the boys are being mean." Wanda complains humorously and Stephen flips a page in his book.

"Behave children." The sorcerer says dully and everyone laughs.

"We better feed them before they get grumpy." Tony jests. 

"Thank the Vishanti that I'm not cooking."

[rocket-remmy]

Intro To Queer||Morgan and Remmy

In which Morgan explains to Remmy what U-haul Lesbians are.

(Content warning: Mild homophobia mentions)

Morgan had shed two of her extra sweaters and done her hair to greet the InstaCart driver without getting weird looks. It was bad enough being perma-cold, still living at the Traveler’s Rest, and ordering jelly beans along with her tea and microwave soup. She could at least spruce up and look like the composed adult she wished she was. And now Remmy was coming over! With a thermal blanket! It was silly, certainly, but Remmy for some reason thought well of her without Morgan putting in too much effort. It as a nice, if not unfamiliar feeling, and Morgan didn’t want to disappoint by answering the door half-feral in her pajamas and hoodie. She made herself some coffee, courtesy of Cassie, and took her cup outside to watch the sky. She hadn’t seen the sun in three days, but the cloud cover was looking extra thin; maybe she’d get lucky. When she saw a lanky ragamuffin of a person start ambling uncertainly up the stairs, she leaned over the railing and called down. “Are you Remmy?”

Remmy had met a lot of people off the internet in the past few weeks. It was almost becoming a regular thing, now. But it was a community board! It was supposed to be for this kind of thing to happen safely! It was just a weird thing, for Remmy. Remmy, who had mostly been without internet and cell phone service and satellite TV for several years. They had an old bunny ears box back at base, but they were only allowed to turn it on every other night, and only for an hour or two, if the Lieutenant was feeling nice. They had radios, though. Lots of radios. The point in all that, Remmy reminded themself, was that the internet just wasn’t something they were used to. But hey hadn’t been led wrong yet. And Cece vouched for Morgan. So this was going to be okay. Remmy didn’t really know what to expect, or what else to bring, so they’d brought some tea Blanche had bought them, a beanie, some hand warmers, and, of course, the blanket. When someone called out to them, Remmy stopped and looked around. “Yeah! That’s me!” Squinted. “Are you Morgan?”

Now that they were closer, it was painfully, sweetly, obvious who this was. Remmy, who apparently hadn’t gotten around to buying a backpack or even one of those reusable plastic bags from the grocery store, had taken it upon themselves to wrangle her get-well presents and carry them all the way from Gallow’s End. It was just the kind of earnest thing someone who could call her a good person without meeting her would do. Morgan gave them a friendly wave and came to meet them at the top of the stairs. “It’s me!” She called. “Come on up, I’ve got snacks I don’t want to move to my new place! You know, you look pretty good for someone who lost an arm today.”

Remmy couldn’t see too well from far away. It was probably the missing eye, but it could’ve also been the pile of stuff in front of them that prevented them from fully seeing Morgan. Just a puff of curly hair and a sweater, right now. “Hey!” They called out, trying to give a wave, but realized they’d drop all the stuff if they did that, so they just gave a shrug. “Coming!” Padded quickly up the stairs until they reached almost reached the top, finally able to see the person waiting for them at the top, pausing in blindsighted surprise. Morgan was shorter than Remmy, but she had one of those cute, innocent faces framed all the more by her bustle of curls on her head. It wasn’t the sight Remmy had been expecting, and this would make the second time they’d almost stumbled into something when seeing a pretty girl for the first time. They tried to hand off the stuff, stuttering to say a proper hello and almost running straight into the pole at the top, a foot catching on one of the stairs. 

“Oh my god!” Morgan reached out to snag some of Remmy’s things and put a steadying hand on their arm. They were cold to the touch, about as frozen on the outside as she felt on the inside. Morgan made a careful note of this, in case it helped them figure out what they were, and helped them up the last step. They had lost their balance out of nowhere. “Careful, don’t want you to lose a foot too. Although, who knows, maybe it’s not that big a deal! But uh, you sure you didn’t get any other injuries on the beach?” She smiled at them coyly; there was a flustered look in their face, like they were embarrassed, the way teenagers sometimes got. Heck, the way even she’d sometimes gotten over a pretty face. “We don’t have to talk about it, though, let’s just get inside in one piece, yeah?” She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders as she spoke and propped open her rickety door for Remmy to come inside.

“Sorry!” Remmy called out, even as they stumbled and tried to catch themself on the railing. “Sorry! I’m just--” Clambered up the last step and onto stable ground, though that wasn’t saying too much for Remmy. Their dad always said they could probably trip over nothing. Standing up straight and holding out the blanket, Remmy gave as much of a grin back as they could, their eyes darting to try and stay focused on Morgan, but having a bit of a rough time with it. This usually happened with new people. “Umm-- yeah. I mean, no! Nothing else! I think. Just a lot of lobsters! Or um-- whatever they were. But yeah! Inside. Let’s do that.” Scooted through the door before turning around to look at Morgan, unsure of what to do now. “Uh-- I didn’t know if you needed anything else! So I brought like...a hat. And some tea! And those handwarmers. They’re great, you can even put them like in your gloves or socks and they make your whole hand or foot warm!” Stood with their hands held out, holding up the aforementioned gifts, a crooked smile on their face.

Morgan curled up at the foot of the bed, nicely cocooned in the thermal blanket for all the good it did and let Remmy talk themselves out. They were a nervous one, and she couldn’t suss out just from observation whether it was her, or the day, or just...Remmy. “Thank you,” she said. “This is really kind of you to do for someone you’ve just talked to a couple times. But listen, I was planning on having some jelly beans with my coffee and watching some old Grey’s Anatomy episodes if you hadn’t come,so you don’t have to stay if hanging out in a room like this with a stranger-like person makes you nervous. And, you know, we can try and unpack some of that stuff you mentioned too, if you did feel like staying around.” She took another sip of her coffee and smiled up at Remmy in a way that she hoped convey her lack of desire to murder them or whatever else they might be worried about. “You just seem tense, which is more than understandable, and I don’t want you stick around because you feel like you have to, okay? This right here is perfect.” She clasped the blanket a little tighter. “I’m good.”

“Oh, well-- you were like super nice when we talked and answered my questions and put up with me,” Remmy immediately said, “And plus I accidentally flaked on helping you pack that one time! But I-I promise it’s not you! Well, I mean, it’s kinda you-- but not in a bad way! In the like ‘you’re really pretty and I didn’t expect that and I sometimes just get really nervous around pretty people’ kind of way! So like… not bad.” They paced a minute, before deciding to force themself to sit down in the one little chair by the bed. “Not that I’m hitting on you or anything! I just think you’re very pretty! And like nice and sweet and you didn’t freak out on me when I told you my arm grew back.” A pause, where they were sure they should need to take a breath, but didn’t. “And I wanna stay! I do. I’m sorry-- the rambling probably doesn’t help. It’s uh-- my doctor said it’s a coping thing. Um, cause my mind races a lot? I guess that happens to vets um...a lot. When they come back. You sure you’re okay? Is the blanket helping? Can I get you more coffee or something?”

So it was just Remmy, poor thing. Morgan couldn’t help but smile wider, fluff her hair back and over the side the way she thought made her look even younger as they stumbled over themselves to explain. Like, very pretty? Who even talked that openly anymore? Did Remmy even know how to be any other way? Morgan was almost afraid to ask. This town had some dark shadows hiding in it, and even if most people she had met were nice, people like Remmy were usually the first ones kicked down and crushed when something went wrong. “Remmy, I would bottle you up and keep you on tap for dark days if I could. Figuratively speaking, of course. Not actually, even if that was a thing that I could do, which it isn’t.You are, as the kids say, too good for this world, Remmy. Grab one of the other blankets and come sit by me. I have all the coffee I need--nothing actually makes me warmer, so I’ve been going with distraction to help facilitate a nice placebo--and I promise not to bite, or hit on you either. Although you are very fine looking yourself and it’s always nice to get some queer attention with a face this girly.” She wriggled her free hand out of her blanket burrito and patted the floor. 

Remmy looked over at Morgan, then to the spot next to her. “Oh? I mean, you may not be able to bottle me, but you can definitely message me any time! I don’t sleep a lot or often anymore, cause of all the meds I’m on, although now I’m not sure it’s cause of those. Cause, like, if I’m not human, then, do human drugs work on me? You know?” Swallowed heavily. The word reverberated in Remmy’s head. Queer. Not that it was bad or sounded bad or was negative in anyway, but that ingrained, visceral reaction to hearing the word, the one that was drilled into Remmy’s head, made their fingers wring tightly together. “Is it that obvious?” they blurted without thinking, then stopped, biting their lip. “I mean-- sorry! It’s not that-- I’m not like-- I mean I am like that, it’s just-- new.” They stood up from the chair, sat back down. Looked at the spot next to Morgan and her welcoming face; the blanket burrito looked comfortable, too. Remmy bit the inside of their cheek, before standing up again and tentatively scooting over, sitting down next to Morgan, making sure to not touch her. Their eyes stared holes into the ground in front of them. “I’m not like-- ashamed or anything. I think. At least, not anymore. It’s just-- cause in the military-- with DADT-- and most of the higher ups didn’t approve. But like-- it’s obvious?” Finally, they looked up at Morgan, but only for a brief second, before their eyes fell back to the floor in front of them. They weren’t sure what they wanted the answer to be.

“Oh, Remmy,” Morgan whispered. Whatever she had expected them to say next, it hadn’t been...all of that. This was much more real shit than Grey’s Anatomy. “Wow. Okay….okay…” She breathed out slowly, knowing she should pick her words extra careful. Shit, of course Remmy would be fucked up after DADT. In her head, it was over when it was over, and as bad as things were for people like them, people didn’t talk about it getting back-walked like they did other things. She tried to think about what she would have wanted to hear when she was more scared of herself, or scared for different reasons. What she wished she’d heard after the news broadcasts and the protests blipped off the TV and she crept back to bed, unnoticed by her parents. She had no clue. “Well,” she said gently, watching the ripples in her coffee cup as it quivered, “Straight women don’t get so flustered like that around girls. And second, you’re a ‘they,’ right? I only know that from knowing you and your pronouns, but all the same…” It felt like she was breaking some bad news to Remmy, and she didn’t want to be. But how else did she talk about this when she remembered so vividly-- “Look, I was seven, when they were making jokes about gay plague in the white house press briefing room, and the president was pitying those poor gays, bringing it on themsleves, and my grandma said things like, ‘it’s adam and eve, not adam and steve!’ I didn’t know how I was then. No one did, because I liked my dolls and my dresses so much. But it was in my head when I started figuring it out.” Worse than that, it had convinced her she was the reason so many bad things happened to her family. If all the gays in New York City could bring down a plague, of course one girl could ruin her family. It had been happening since she was born, so why not? Even after her mother told her never, baby, never, this is so much bigger than you, this has nothing to with how special you were made, Morgan had found herself wondering anyway for a long time after. But she wasn’t ready to tell that part to Remmy, or to anyone. “I get how afraid someone can be about this. And you should keep saying...what your are, and that you’re not ashamed. As often as you can. Because it’s probably going to take awhile before you really get there.”

“I don’t know what I am,” Remmy said after a long silence. They were trying to let Morgan’s words settle in, but it felt as if there were trampolines inside their head and everything was just bouncing around with no stopping, no one thought to hold onto. “I mean...I know I’m not...what I was born as. And it’s weird, but that’s somehow easier to accept than being--” they stopped. Maybe they were still ashamed. They couldn’t say the word out loud without feeling their skin bristle and their hands shake and their senses sharpen. Just like when they were in the field, that impending sense of doom. That someone had spotted them, that someone knew, and they were going to hurt them. Because they could. Because they wanted to. Remmy swallowed. “They still said those things, even when I was born. When I was growing up, where I was from. It got you beaten at best, and killed at worst. I didn’t even know until I was older. I couldn’t even entertain the idea that I might be.” They hadn’t even noticed there were tears in their eyes. Remmy scrubbed one away with their sleeve. “Sorry...I know that’s not fair. You lived through a really rough time, too. And-and you very brave, to have been open about it. Sometimes I wish I had been, maybe this’d all be easier. Maybe I wouldn’t be pushing thirty and just now trying to figure out how to talk to pretty girls, you know?” Remmy gave a sniffle and a crooked smile. “But I am now. And I just gotta...think about that.” They scrubbed their face again. “You musta been so scared…” they said quietly.

Morgan stayed still and quiet. She hadn’t been open, was the thing. Sure, she came out to her mom, once in awhile she sat in the back at student meetings. She’d kept a flyer in her notebook about a bus trip to visit the AIDS quilt when it came to Austin once. But she let her sweaters and her makeup do most of the hiding for her, and if she ever stared too long at a girl, or brushed up too close, there was always some excuse and people always seemed ready to take it. She didn’t have her first real date until she was practically Remmy’s age. She still hadn’t had much in the way of a real relationship. How could she, with what happened to her dad? “Yeah, course I was,” she said quickly. “But it was never going to be easy, okay? No matter what disaster you were born in the middle of. I mean that in a nice way. You’re not...doomed or anything just because you’re on your own time. Temporality is different for queer children. Does that make sense?”

The hesitation should have given a Remmy a hint at something else, but they kept quiet. If Morgan didn’t want to bring it up, neither would they. Remmy looked back down at the carpet, playing with a snagged bit that had stuck up and begun to fray. “I don’t think I feel doomed. I just feel...cheated, I guess. Like...I missed so much time. Time that I can’t get back.” They glanced over at Morgan. There was a sort of relief to being able to dump all this on someone, finally, but Remmy still felt that pang of guilt. That saying these things, talking about this, was just dumping their problems on someone else. It was don’t ask, don’t tell for a reason in the military. It wasn’t just queer people that kept their mouths shut. It was everyone with something that showed any bit of weakness or non conformity. Their life had been order and strict and routine for so long they hadn’t realized that time was being stolen from them, bit by bit, as they fell in line and did as ordered. “The first, um-- the first time I kissed a girl was in high school and it scared me so much I pretty much ghosted her for the next two years. Which is kinda...hard to do in a school of only 300 students.” They were quiet again, and found that they really wanted to be closer to Morgan. Scooted slightly. She felt safe. It’d only been five minutes, but Morgan felt safe. “I wish it was easy.”

Morgan noticed Remmy scoot closer to her. She looked over her shoulder at them. She had imagined them as older, even with all the anxiety, they were so reserved, so haunted. But in this moment they just seemed lost. “Maybe one day it will be,” she said. “You’ll...take the leap enough times that you get used to it!” She brightened herself up with a big smile. It didn’t quite reach her eyes, but she hoped it made Remmy feel better all the same. “Not ghosting girls you kiss is probably a good start. I mean, unless that’s something you agree on doing together, in which case, that’s great.”

Remmy gave a little smile, still crooked and tired on their face. But they hoped Morgan got the point. They were grateful for her. “I just don’t want anyone to ever have to suffer like that, you know…” They stopped picking at the carpet. “Not even for myself, I just...don’t want anyone to go through that.” A tiredness settled over them, one they hadn’t felt in a long time. “Yeah, I think I can handle that. The um-- not ghosting anyone.” They scooted a little closer again, then leaned over and set their head on Morgan’s shoulder. She was still shivering slightly, but it didn’t bother Remmy. They just liked being close, to a physical body. “I’m still just figuring out how to navigate being...you know, um...liking girls? And now I might have to try and learn what it means to not be human…” a sigh. “How do you do it?” they asked. “Be so open with it all? The magic, the liking girls...Isn’t it scary?”

Morgan didn’t mind Remmy’s cold little head on her shoulder. As they settled in, she tugged on their arm through the blanket and tucked them around her in a way that felt more cozy to her. She leaned her head in theirs, trying to nest in like those nesting necklace halves, but not quite getting it right around ears and jawlines and tufts of hair. “The magic is actually kind of easy. Kind of. I mean, my shop is Beck’s Witchery, it would be stupid to talk out of both sides of my mouth about that. But when I say I’m a witch, nine times out of ten people assume I mean I burn incense in a pentagram stamped cauldron and like, doodle rhyming spells with the help of my tarot cards. It doesn’t mean anything. I only talk about the alchemy when I think it’s at least reasonably safe to. And if I’m wrong, then they just don’t believe me. They assume I’m delusional, or stupid, or both, and in that case, what’s the point anyway, right?” She sighed and tried to settle into Remmy again. She couldn’t tell if they really were as cold as they felt or if the chill inside her was just that bad. “As for making time with pretty girls, well, I hate to break it to you, but it really was just practice. I um, I was actually your age, basically, when I went on my first date-date.” She laughed. “Is that something people say? Date-date? But my first kiss was a little before then. Real kiss, unless we’re counting drunk truth or dare, which I don’t think we should. She just uh—kinda did it. We met at a bar, danced and drank, and she walked me to my car. ‘I’m gonna kiss you goodnight okay?’ And I was so relieved and excited I didn’t do anything. I just...melted and watched her walk away. Like, crap, people do that? It made me realize I could do it too. Make it into something easy. It’s not so different from magic in that way. You have to say what you want if you want to get anything at all. And then, well, all the practice.”

Remmy let Morgan tuck herself against them, staying still while she adjusted. They missed being close to people. Though their other teammates hadn’t been so openly intimate, Remmy could always count on crawling into a bunk next to Dario and falling asleep in his arms. Moose was a nice cuddle buddy, but it was hard to spoon a dog. “I guess, yeah,” they said, trying to take in exactly what Morgan was saying. It was hard, though, for Remmy to brush people off like that. “I don’t think I’m as um...easy going as you might be. About other people. Maybe that’s not the word, um…” They paused as Morgan shifted. “S-sorry, I can move if…” Cleared their throat. “Oh, uh-- I think people still say date-date. I guess there’s a difference between like, friend-date and date-date.” They reached out to pick at the carpet again. “I’m sorry…” they weren’t sure for what, exactly, but if felt like the only thing to say. “I’m glad you um-- got to experience that though. And learned how to be yourself. Guess we’re all kinda...running late on that dating thing, aren’t we?” They pulled their hands back into their lap, thinking for a moment. “A girl kissed me the other night. Um-- outside a bar. It was….really nice actually. And now she wants to come over and watch movies and I’m freaking out a little.”

“You’re fine, silly,” Morgan laughed. “And by easy-going do you mean demi, or like, just not into hook ups and friends with benefits? Or just like...confidence? These are all big distinctions, and I’m feeling curious.” She nudged Remmy in their side through her blanket, teasing. “And we’re not running late! Not...exactly! We operate under different temporal rules because or coming to understand ourselves has been so historically fucked and endangered! And delayed queer adolescence is a thing and---I’m turning into a lecturer now,” she laughed again. “So tell me more about this girl. And also don’t freak out. You’re a cute, scruffy little stud. You’ve got nothing to worry about.” Well, except getting their heart broken. Which, given this was a rando at a bar, seemed pretty likely. But that wasn’t exactly pep talk material. 

Remmy felt their cheeks get a little warm. “Um-- I don’t think I entirely understand what demi is, but um...I guess I’m not really into hook-ups. I like feeling a connection with someone. Never really...considered friends with benefits thing before. There wasn’t really room for um-- sexual experimentation in the army. And since I joined when I was seventeen, I didn’t really...leave myself that room to explore.” Morgan always seemed positive about things, and Remmy liked that. It was a sort of kindred experience. There were a lot of people here, and back at the VA that were nothing but bad vibes and pessimism. Not that Remmy really blamed them, everyone had their own shit going on-- but it was nice to meet another person who also tried to look more on the bright side of things. “It’s okay. To lecture. I don’t know a lot of this stuff. I feel so...outside of the um-- culture? I don’t know...how to explain it. I try my best, but it’s-- there’s a lot.” They couldn’t help but smile at the mention of it, though. “You think I’m cute?” More of a tease, but Morgan was the second person to tell them that. “Oh, um-- her name is Taylor. She’s a singer.”

Morgan nudged Remmy again. “I think you’re very cute. If you ever figure out your stance on friends with benefits, you should definitely let me know.” She wasn’t exactly holding her breath. Remmy was fresh as a baby when it came to the whole intimacy and relationships. Morgan had heard more than one woman swear they never wanted a basket of rainbows and forever, but she didn’t buy it. Maybe it wasn’t what fit everybody, but she couldn’t imagine someone not hoping it might and trying to find it. “A singer? Like, rock and roll, or just a girl and her guitar, or, I guess they come with a ukulele more often now. Either way, not too shabby. But why are you freaking out? If she’s interested in you, what’s to worry about?”

Remmy’s cheeks got warmer. “Oh, um...o-okay.” They swallowed, and were suddenly thankful that Morgan couldn’t see their face right now because it was probably beet red and they were sure their eyes were wider than coins. Remmy had done friends with benefits with a couple of the guys before, but that was because dating was almost strictly forbidden in boot camp, and there wasn’t much time for anything else when they were deployed. “Yeah! A singer. Um-- I think more rock? She’s in a band. It’s called Knot Known. I guess they’re going on tour soon, that’s what she said. I walked her to her car and she gave me her card.” They smiled again, softer. “I-i don’t know why I’m worried. I just...get that really weird feeling in my stomach and like, I’m gonna say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing or not be good enough or funny enough or smart enough.” 

“Aaw, you like her!” Morgan cooed. “Oof, and after just one meeting. She is either crazy impressive, or you fall hard and fast, bless your heart.” Called it, she thought with a wry grin. “But that’s not always a bad thing. We need more hearts of gold in this cold, cold world. But, you can’t let all those butterflies get the better of you. You just have to be yourself, let yourself enjoy the moment. Like right now but different.”

“What!? No! I mean-- I like her, of course I do! She’s nice and pretty and--” Remmy paused mid-sentence and closed their mouth. Their whole face felt warm now. “I...okay, maybe I do like her, but like-- I don’t know if I’m ready for anything. Or if I want anything to happen? I just…” They crinkled their nose, felt that tightness in their chest again just like that night outside the bar. “It felt really nice. To be...liked by someone like that. N-not that no one’s ever liked me! It’s just always been...guys.”

“Bless your poor heart!” Morgan laughed. “Guys? No shame, or judgement. But guys will get into anything if they think there’s a piece of ass for them in it. That’s their thing. And you don’t really sound like someone who also likes guys, so she’s still your first. Your first serious crush!” She wanted to pinch their cheeks, they were getting as flustered as a child. “Of course it feels different! Just, okay, don’t go too hard, like bring flowers on the first date. Try and keep your cool for a little bit before you fall into big, deep, U-Haul love. And having a crush doesn’t have to mean doing anything about it. If you want to take it slow and steady, you should do that.” Morgan was thinking all of this out as she spoke, but it sounded right, like something a person with relationships would say, and it made enough sense for her to stand by it. 

“I mean, I dated guys for a long time,” Remmy said. They understood that dating guys before didn’t take away from who they were now, or even back then, but the idea of being an imposter among queer peers still plauged them when they thought too much about it. Not realizing you were gay until you were 28 didn’t seem like a very shared experience. “Oh, yeah-- o-okay. I mean...I’m not even sure it’s a date. It’s just movies and stuff. U-haul l-love?” They blinked, finally sat up, looked at Morgan confusedly. “I don’t know...what that means.” Furrowed their brow. “There should be like...a book for all this. Or like a youtube tutorial video.”

Morgan looked at Remmy with a fond kind of pity, so alone! So anxious! So much life ahead of them! “It’s just a thing people say, or said, maybe I’m dating myself. But it’s just this idea that, when it comes to women dating each other, they’ll get attached super quickly, and by the second date they’ll want to move in together. And, I have seen that sort of thing happen before so it’s not just a cliche about femmes having too many feelings, but that’s beside the point,” she explained. “Just find your way between having fun in the moment in being careful. That’s the most anyone can do, right? And the good news is that these days there probably are a lot more resources for you right now. Just just have to give yourself time to look for them! Ooh, you should see if the VA will pay for you to go to UMWC! You can get a minor in gay studies. But—besides the point! Just, do the thing I said before, and you’ll probably be fine.”

Remmy couldn’t quite place the look on Morgan’s face, but it was definitely one they’d seen before. Tilting their head, they listened intently to her talk. She sure could talk an ear off, that was for sure. It kinda made Remmy smile. “After only two dates!?” they said, exasperated. “Geez...I don’t think I could ever do that. As much as I like people…” a shrug, chin tucked into their shoulder in a shy gesture. “Oh, I-- I’m not smart enough for that. I barely graduated high school. It’s sorta why I went into the military, you know? I didn’t really have any other options… But, um-- thanks for the vote of confidence. It um...means a lot.”

“Okay, so, maybe a slight exaggeration,” Morgan confessed. “But you get the idea. Two girls who met in my masters program did go from zero to living together in a week, though. But, you should really think about college! Maybe take some online community classes. You can learn, Remmy. You’re worth taking a chance on at least, right?”

“Wow, that’s…” Remmy shook their head, “I can’t even fathom that. Maybe it’s just me, though. I try not to judge people though. If that’s what they wanna do…” They looked over at Morgan, smiling a little brighter now. The day had had a rough start, and even though they still had so many questions about what they were and how to deal with it, they felt okay. They knew they’d be okay if there were people like Morgan in their life. “I guess I could look into it...a sort of friend offered me a job at his garage if I could get the schooling. Not sure I wanna be a mechanic, though. Too close to following in my dad’s footsteps.” They made a decision, then, nodding. “Whatever does happen, I’m gonna figure this out for you, Morgan. You’ve helped me so much, it’s the least I could do.” 

“Oh, don’t,” Morgan said dryly. The words had slipped loose before she could think better. Maybe it was the cold was finally getting to her head. Maybe Remmy was making her melt around the edges, guilting her with all their sad young puppy eyes, their earnestness, their energy. For someone who’d seen a battle zone, Remmy was relentless, even optimistic, at least about the world; about other people. “Let’s just watch some Grey’s, we have time for that right?” she said, shrugging it off like she was only talking about their situation here and now, like she wasn’t afraid the universe would hear them and pull on just that one thread to fuck with her, unraveling what little she’d managed to scrounge together here.

Remmy’s face twisted a moment. That wasn’t the reply they’d been expecting. Sure, they didn’t know what they’d expected Morgan to say, but it wasn’t that. Still...Remmy couldn’t just leave her when she was sick like this, and all she wanted to do was watch some TV with a friend. Remmy could give her that. The chest wasn’t going anywhere, anyway. They could go check it out tomorrow, later at night, when everyone else was tucked in bed and they were lying awake staring at the grey ceiling of their apartment. “Yeah…” they said, sitting back down and settling back against Morgan, shoulder to shoulder. “We’ve got time for that.”

[okadaes]

Cassie Cage headcanons? I love my wife 🥺💖

( feel free to request headcannons, scenarios, etc for the girls ( D’vorah ❌)

— commander cage – cassie cage

— sarcastic queen coming throughhhh

– like, this girl is open about your relationship with her but she won’t brag about it. though, she is pretty damn proud for you to be hers.

– loves whispering sweets compliments in your ears often to just see you fluttered and damn, she has a amused glint in her eyes when she do.

– will beg you to try and help her pull pranks on her dad to get back at him for ruining multiple dates with you.

- absolutely loves to surprise tickle you from behind and playfully demands that you have to say I love you 20 times for her to let you go. The both of you usually end on the floor laughing like manics while Sonya is shaking her head in disapproval.

- says I love you a lot and is definitely not afraid to show it as mentioned before.

- Cassie does not like saying goodbye because she has the luxury of seeing you everyday.

- is quite protective over you after Sonya’s death so she will fuss and worry quite a bit about your safety.

- she adores your cheeky smile, she thinks it’s ‘ too beautiful that it puts any baby’s best smile to shame! ‘

- kicking ass out on the battlefield? she will cheer you and fight along with you saying ‘ babe, if you keep showing off, everyone think you will be able to easily kick my ass! ‘

- spoils you with gifts and always inserts a cheesy line with a mischievous smirk to make you giggle.

- if shefeels stressed out, watching movies on the couch, gossiping about the soldiers ( including Jacqui ) for the day is guaranteed.

- since you like to tackle her a lot, she is always prepared to gracefully switch on top of you, force you down and pepper your face with ‘ Cassie’s daily appreciation kisses! ‘

- loves you with all her heart and is ‘ totally whipped ‘ for you as Johnny describes it.

- if you hush her in by the waist, tease her with small short kisses on her lips, you won’t be going off so easily.

( MILD NSFW )

- prefers to give but does not mind to be pleasured.

- doesn’t exactly like quickies but can get carried away sometimes.

- if she ever wants intimacy, she will be very teasing and will husk sweet nothings in your ear, skillfully rolling her hips to gradually drive you crazy.

- loves to top because she gets to see you squirm under her.

[dwindledglow]

── ✰. ┊HEADCANONS.

01 › FAMILY & BACKGROUND

one. in spite of the picture perfect marriage and the pretty image of a loving family whose lives are based on unity and trust, estela’s family isn’t particularly close. in fact, her parents don’t even live together or reside in the same country. giorgina, commonly known as gio, resides in cassis in the french riviera - where she’s been for four years now - and continues to work as a fashion stylist and fashion critic for some highly regarded brands and magazines, while miguel resides in their family mansion in barcelona and continues to control and lead the family’s business. it’s been this way for as long as estela can remember ; summers spent in between sitges and saint tropez, doing half of her education in barcelona and the remaining in paris before becoming an adult and moving to new york, visiting mom on spring break and dad at some point in the summer, playing pretend at christmas parties and social events. yet, despite the mild estrangement, estela has never felt unloved, ignored or abandoned. she continues to play her role as the golden child and refrain from inquiring her parents about the lifestyle they lead — or why neither of them would request a divorce and would rather keep a failed marriage on going just for appearance.

two. estela comes from money. you can go down generations and generations down on the family tree and you’ll have a hard time finding someone who wasn’t filthy rich in there. her grandparents on her mother’s side are aristocrats, people in a position of power with whom estela has never bothered establishing a deeper connection. from the little she knows, it would be worthless to do so as their ideals and ethics differ massively from her own. miguel’s, her father’s side of the family, have always been more open-minded people who have always invested their time and great chunks of money into organizations and associations that helped a variety of causes — those are lessons and ethics estela has kept. she recognizes her privilege and the fact her bank account is, in many ways, what feels like an unending resource of money and she’s aware she wouldn’t ever have to move a finger for the rest of her life if she so pleased but instead of allowing herself to splurge and lead a luxurious, extra lifestyle, she pledged to continue to work to support herself and only ever spend more than necessary in something she will truly value in the future.

three. every year, on december 27th, as an in-between christmas and new years, her family throws a massive event for all the company’s employees & respective families, their closest (read over 500 people who her parents need to be reminded of their names) friends and family. it’s one of the most overwhelming days of the year for stela and, wasn’t for the fact it’s the only change she gets to see everyone in the family — seeing as a family brunch follows on the 28th — she would absolutely dread it and everything that comes with it.

four. her relationship with her mother isn't always as amazing as it looks from the outside. the girl loves her dearly, going as far as saying her mother is her favorite person, but the truth is, often times, if stela doesn’t make the effort to reach out, gio won’t either. growing up, gio only ever wanted estela to be perfect — look at what you eat so you don’t put on unnecessary weight, please go and change into something appropriate, watch out how you behave - this is a very important event, why didn’t you score the highest mark?, you should see the hairstylist to fix that lifeless hair. for giorgina, love and affection wasn’t the most important to give a child - discipline and a perfect image was. image all the woman has ever relayed and cared about, and quite possibly one of the reasons why she not only ruined her marriage, but has managed to make her own daughter grow more and more distant from her.

02 › SCHOOL & UNIVERSITY

five. as you would expect from the golden child, estela did exceptionally well in school despite the bumpy road moving schools and countries. she always excelled at most subjects despite not being particularly passionated about any specific field of study. she was the type of student you’ll see reaching for the material first, taking perfect notes and reviewing them right as they got home, while being very much hands on and striving to learn more and perfect what she was taught.

six. the move to france was brutal and a very rocky time for the girl, even if she has never showcased it or tried to make a big deal out of it. whenever miguel would call and ask if she was okay, she would answer with a perfect answer that relayed how she was doing amazingly, as per usual. whenever gio questioned her — and it wasn’t often — she made sure to display her good grades and panoply of friends to make her believe nothing was wrong and the move had been just fine. reality was different and she spent nights silently crying on her room, battling demons and an overwhelming anxiety, battling the voices that kept mocking her and reminding her that she wasn’t good enough in anything she did. 

seven. estela has only ever really dated two people, despite all the guys she’s been associated with. angel, the first one, she doesn’t even consider as dating since it was a child’s thing and they ended up separating after two months when the summer ended and school begun again. oliver, who she met while on high-school in france, was exactly the kind of guy her family would expect to see her with. well-educated, good mannered and charismatic, the brit had been the most pleasant breath of fresh air when stela met him. a sporty guy who was aiming for a scholarship in the states once high-school was done but still excelled at every other class, your typical prince-charming, at least, until he showed his true colors and ended up being the biggest disappointment of her life. turns out oliver really did wanted estela, but he also wanted marie and lily and sarah from back home and sade from the summer holiday... his motives to get on with stela consisted on the fact she would be good for his image and she was truly quite the catch, the full-package as he chose to put it — words that haunt her to this day — and when things didn’t exactly work as he pleased, oliver decided to dump stela in front of the whole school and make it the most humiliating experience by spreading rumors left and right about her and their past relationship.

eight. her choice of a degree has been majorly criticized by her mother’s family (and silently applauded by gio, herself). to begin with, they think it’s not acceptable such a bright young woman wouldn’t pick an ivy league school and then, she should’ve sought something more prestigious than a career in film and television. what are you going to do with that anyway? for her to not pursue a career in engineering or medicine or law is an insult for her family and for stela to pick something in the creative, art area — something so far from what the family’s business revolves around — is almost a disgrace to the vázquez name. likewise, the disapproval extends to her choreographer career and the fact she teaches dance classes. if she ever wanted to pursue something within the area, she should’ve naturally dedicated her whole life to being a prima ballerina and being featured in something worthy on broadway or a good ballet company — not contemporary dance or teaching at some unknown studio in new york. 

nine. family disapproval asides, estela is the happiest she’s ever been with her choice of majors and the opportunity to work in the dance industry, even if it’s not on a large scale. she couldn’t feel more thankful she gets to combine her passion for film and television with her passion for dance and teaching. often times, and courtesy of the way she was raised, she feels like an impostor and a fraud, like she doesn’t deserve her life or the opportunities she has, but when she looks at the bigger picture and can beat this feeling, she genuinely does think she’s the happiest and most free she’s ever been in her life.

03 › BITS & BOBS

ten. estela is a chameleon and a hurricane, all combined in one. she can make you believe she’s a saint and the next minute shake you up with her bold and blunt comments. that stems from years of being taught how to behave and how to mask her feelings and thoughts, her true self, just match the picture perfect image she exudes. she’s not afraid to say what she thinks — and boy, is that a lot sometimes — and she’ll check you right into your place if you try to step her down. on the same line of thought, she isn’t the pure soul her family likes to paint her as ( and they know it too ). she’s not afraid to voice what she wants and get what she wants, and whereas she’s always morally correct, she doesn’t mind turning tables when need calls for it.

eleven. she has two dogs and a cat. chai, a cream & white colored maltipoo, tofu, a cream & white shih tzu x poodle mix and shimi, a scottish straight cat. her life never allowed her to have pets before ( neither did her mother ) so estela took advantage of having moved to new york to get shimi, her first ever pet, and when she turned nineteen, her father gave her tofu as a birthday gift. she adopted chai in the beginning of the year.  

[a-simple-lee]

Summer Sledding

**************ENDGAME SPOILERS*************

Scott Lang, Peter Parker, Cassie Lang, Morgan Stark

Description: Peter, Morgan, and Pepper are over for the afternoon. Scott just so happens to be making up for some lost childhood time with Cassie via reconstructing an old classic.

A/N: requested by an anon. I had no idea what to do with this prompt since it's been sitting around for ages but then I sat down and this fluffy idea occurred to me so we're rolling with it

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Silence. Well, not quite. A summer's day in New York means music, thus the gentle thrum of daytime radio fills the golden air. Everything's honey-tinted, warm, rosy - peaceful. Each breath of air carries the scent of ice creams and joy and liveliness.

A scream. Then, a clatter. Several thumps follow, the screaming continuing. A cardboard box carrying two girls comes careening down a DIY helter-skelter. One young, wearing metal red and gold helmet - the other, a bit older. Though the light in their eyes is the same as they screech with joy, their worlds all a blur until: after a brief eternity, their cardboard track out of the 1st floor window comes to an end.

"Oh my gosh!" Cassie breathes, holding Morgan by the shoulders as they both giggle. Pepper shakes her head from her chair on the lawn, turning to say something about safety to Hope, but pausing and settling for an exasperated look instead.

"Again!" Morgan beams, pulling up her father's mask.

"Are you guys coming down? Morgan wants to go again!" Cassie yells. A hesitant voice yells back from the window.

"Uh- is it safe, Jellybean?"

"Nope!"

"Perfect!" A scuffle is heard from above, with a hushed pair of voices arguing back and forth. Cassie rolls her eyes and takes Morgan into the kitchen for a juice pop, telling her round two is postponed for five minutes.

Meanwhile, in the attic, Peter side-eyes his slightly larger cardboard cart with disdain.

"I-I dunno, it sounded cool when we were building it, but-"

"Dude! You're spiderman! If the girls can make it down, so can you!" Scott wants to laugh at the situation. He refrains for Pete's sake.

"It's high! And steep! And- you said you did this before under house arrest?"

"Yeah! And this is the improved version!"

"Uh- y'know, maybe I'll just stay up here, you can go down, and-" Peter seems hesitant, but not too scared. Scott decides maybe some creative persuasion wouldn't go amiss.

"Pete-" he interrupts, looking the teen in the eye. "I'm not going until you get in that sled. It's gonna be fine."

"I'm not sure I want to…" nonetheless, Peter gingerly steps into the rather oversized box, not at all pleased.

"Hey, Antoinette?" Scott turns away for a second, and scans the room for his ant friend. She's disappeared - they're alone. "Shit, she took my cart. We gotta go down together."

"Are you kidding? That-" Peter sits down, gestures wildly to the makeshift rollercoaster track outside, "-will not take both of us."

"Ouch," Scott remarks, though whether his engineering skills or his self esteem are under fire is unclear. He nudges the box to the edge, and clambers in behind Peter.

"No, no, we're not-" the sled rocks back and forwards previously, Peter quickly freezing up to stop them going down the ramp. "I'm not moving."

"You need to move, Pete. We can't move unless you do."

"Exactly!" He mutters, very happy with the fact that the cart's slightly too far back for Scott's shuffling to do anything.

"Alright," There's a sigh of resignation from behind Peter, and he wonders if he's won.

Scott's forced to place his arms around Peter's torso in the tight space, which earns a twitch on the teen's part.

"careful, that tickles!" Peter's too oblivious sometimes; a fact that many of his friends agree on. Scott considers this moment to be Exhibit A - because unbeknownst to him, Scott is grinning like the Cheshire cat in light of this new information.

"Thanks for mentioning that little detail." He locks his arms around Peter's midriff, immediately wriggling his fingers against the kid's t shirt.

"Hehey! Hehey, wahahait!" Peter starts squirming instantly, leaning backwards into Scott to get away.

"Well, that looks promising!" Scott immediately changes tact, skittering over his sides instead, and- bingo. His victim scrambles forwards, giggling wildly, and the cart tips.

Down, down, and down they go, Scott still tickling Pete for the sheer fun of it. Cassie's getting to the age where she's 'too old' for such shenanigans, but he's known Pete for a while now and is confident there won't be any hard feelings.

"Scohohott!" Peter's torn between mild panic and hysteria, trying to see past the whirling kaleidoscope of the garden when they suddenly skid to a halt at the bottom. Scott withdraws his hands, and smiles sweetly as Pete turns to glare at him. Morgan giggles from the stairs, juice pop in hand.

"Sorry, Morgan, Peter was scared to go down."

"He's not scared any more though, is he? it's fun!" Morgan states matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, it is." Peter grins, climbing out and sitting in between her and Cassie.

"Wanna go again later?"