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superhero--imagines · 3 years

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A/N: Sorry, but this has been living in my brain rent free too, my commission info is here

* Honey if you’re tall with a big butt-

* You’ve got his heart the second he lays eyes on you

* Like everything he is and everything he will be -

* Baby you can have it all if you’ll agree to be his

* If you’re not tall with a big butt, well don’t worry Yuuji’s still going to adore you it just takes a little time

* It’s not so much because he doesn’t think your smoking hot or anything-

* It’s just, well, Yuji’s kinda dumb

* So anyone outside of his immediate go-to type, it just doesn’t register in his brain

* You can bet your ass he’ll say dumb crap like-

* “Friends can hold hands right?”

* Or

* “Friends kiss sometimes, no big deal!”

* But don’t worry babe, it might take a little while, but eventually he’ll notice all these feelings he’s been categorizing as “friendly” feelings and “positive” feelings are actually Romantic feelings

* Once he finally figures it out, you won’t have to wait long-

* “Oi, (Y/N/N), want to be my lover?”

* Like seriously, not even a second after he has this ‘monumental’ realization

* After that things are pretty easy between you two

* It’s not like much has changed, he’s still your friend, and he doesn’t act any different-

* You guys were holding hands and, apparently, kissing before you were officially dating

* It’s not even that he’s greedy with the way he touches you or anything-

* I think the only thing that does change is that Yuji makes an effort to spend more time with you

* “Oi, wanna go to Shibuya this weekend? There’s a Taiyaki store I’m dying to go too”

* He makes an effort to spend time with you even when he’s not around, like sending you texts and voicemails when he’s away

* Part of the reason he’s so insistent on spending as much time with you as possible is probably because he’s not sure how much time he has left

* I think, Yuji is a really simple guy who sees the good in everyone, so he’s also kind of attracted to anyone given the right circumstances

* But I think, he especially wants someone compassionate

* Someone who will hold him during depressive episodes where he’ll wonder- what if I hadn’t joined the occult club? What if he had played track like everyone wanted? What if he had just minded his own business

* What if Megumi hadn’t followed him to the hospital that day, how different would his life be right now

* And it’s the same regret and remorse that fuels his cursed energy, but for some reason it feels like it’s magnified right now

* It feels like he might drown in this despair

* During those days you just hold him, whispering good things about the world.

* Soft things that’ll help him right now-

* Something to give him hope

* “Hot tea on a cold day” you whisper

* “The feeling of basking in sunlight after a cloudy day”

* There’s a moment of silence as you think of something else to say

* “The smell of rain, and fresh cut grass” he’ll mumble back, and you grin

* “Getting Taiyaki in Shibuya with someone you love” you reply with a grin

* “With ice cream filling and boba?”

* You laugh, what a weird combination

* “Anything you want”

* Yuji’s not the one that’s hard to get along with tbh, the one you have trouble with is Sukuna

* “You know you’ll never save him, I don’t know why you’re trying so hard”

* You would hit Sukuna if it didn’t mean slapping Yuji’s cheek too

* “Shut up what do you know”

* Honestly Yuuji’s a little surprised at the hatred Sukuna shows you

* “Shouldn’t you be happy they’re around?”

* For one because you’re around there’s been more *clears throat* romantic incidents, which of course always leave Yuji in a pretty vulnerable state

* He’s only an orgasm away from having Sukuna take over tbh

* And besides-

* You’re his weakness

* They say the sun is 92 million miles away, but he swears his sun is walking in front of him on the in Shibuya, his hand held firmly in yours

* If anything ever happened to you-

* He wouldn’t be able to live with himself, he wouldn’t be able to go on anymore.

* And that’s when the curse that lives inside him wins

* So he really doesn’t get why Sukuna’s acting like this is the worst thing to ever happen to him

* Sukuna opens an eye on Yuji’s cheek

* “I hate their kind most of all, even more than Jujutsu Sorcerers” he grumbles

* He really does hate you-

* He hates that you’re kind

* He saw your type all the time at his harem, some lowly thing relatives had sold off for money and honor-

* Or a prize from a nation he conquered

* Some dumb creature that thought you would get a reward for sacrificing yourself

* Truly idiotic

* The worst part is he’s starting to like those little fantasy’s you spin for Yuji

* He can feel the sunlight warning his skin after a cold day

* He can taste the heavy condensation of the steam that wafts off of his cup of tea, brushing against his face. The heat in direct contrast to the cold winter air

* And it hurts him to know he probably won’t feel like that again, not for a long time

* Not with you helping Yuji work through his negative feelings like you do

* So he hates you

* He hides his contempt in general, it only leaks out through an occasional insult

* “Where’s your kindness now?” He’ll jeer when you’re having a bad day

* Only for Yuuji to smack his cheek to get him to shut up

* “Ah, don’t pay any attention to him. He’s just grumpy”

* For the most part it’s nothing you can’t handle

* Really you kind of forget he’s there most of the time, until one day you see Sukuna pop out and take a bite of your Taiyaki as you hold it out to Yuji who said he wanted to taste the flavor

* “Oi that was mine!” Yuji screeches, slapping his own face while Sukuna smiles from his hand

* “You just like torturing me don’t you?” He weeps, and you offer him sympathetic pats on the back, giving him another bit of your Taiyaki

* He continues on about how Sukuna just loves to torment him, and honestly why can’t they get along when they share a body

* But your mind is elsewhere

* The next time Sikuna see’s you is when Yuji’s sleeping, the damn brat snores so loud he’s considering throttling him just to get some peace and quiet

* That’s when he hears the door creak, seeing you curling inside around it, a plastic bag in hand

* Great, the perfect end to the perfect day

* “The brats sleeping” Sukuna grumbles from Yuji’s hand-

* He would have spoken from his face but the only thing more annoying than having to deal with Yuji’s snores is having to hear the lovey-dovey crap tumble from his lips when he talks to you

* He figures you’ll leave, or maybe curl up against Yuji on the bed but instead you kneel down, your hand dipping into the plastic bag

* “I’m not here for him,” you start pulling out a Taiyaki.

* “You wanted one right?” That’s why he took a bite, because he wanted to try it too

* Though, annoying Yuji was probably an added bonus

* You hold up the Taiyaki to Sukuna’s ‘mouth’

* And he’s overcome with emotion

* It’s not like he hasn’t had concubines from his harem feed him a great number of things before -

* Like he hasn’t ever felt the tender act from one of his many lovers -

* So he hates that you’re the one that’s bringing out all these emotions in him

* And as he takes a bite from the Taiyaki he finally admits it-

* If you were in his harem, a moronic kind fool like you were one of his lovers

* You would be his favorite

* And that’s why he hates you so much

* Because just like Yuji, you’re his weakness

* “It’s not the same flavor” he mumbles

* “Sorry I couldn’t get the ice cream, it would have melted on the way here-“

* Sukuna wouldn’t have minded one bit licking the cream from your fingers, maybe he would even catch that embarrassed face you always make with the damn brat

* “So I got you a custard one, and a chocolate one, and on the off chance you weren’t in the mood for something sweet I got you a curry filled one too”

* You stumble, hand flying into the bag to pull out the other two, holding them up to him

* And despite himself, Sukuna finds the sight quite...cute

* “Well, I suppose these offerings will do for now wench” And his words are harsh, but you smile like the kindhearted fool you are.

* And that’s how Yuji starts getting pestered for “just five minutes alone with their baby”

* “Scared I’ll show them a better time than you can?” Sukuna grins

* Of course he is! Sukuna had a literal harem of lovers. Who knows what kinds of techniques he knows

* But Yuji’s pride won’t let him admit it

* Yuji scoffs

* “I’d rather die again then let you come anywhere near them”

* It’s kind like you’ve got two boyfriends

* One pink haired one that’s the literal personification of sunshine

* And another, more dark and sadistic one

* And it’s sort of a funky little relationship

* But it’s yours

* “I wouldn’t trade you for anything in the world” you whisper.

* Your lips brushing against his

* Yuji wouldn’t trade you for anything either

* He loves you ❤️

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angelic-jeonghan1004 · 3 years

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Accidently confessing to them in conversation || ONEWE

My inactivity has been strong I'm sorry y'all :(( just gotta respect the Hussle that is having jobs. I'm trying to write more though! Got a lot of ideas that living rent free just gotta put them into a post and not leave them doing laps in my brain. I also already wrote an entire accidental confession fic for cya you can check my master list its Give Me The Honor!

Pairing: ONEWE x reader

Genre: fluff

Warnings: minor swearing, very cheesey, not proof read

Gif credits to rightful owners ✨

Yonghoon

So everything was going great

Hanging out at the studio

Initially he invited you over to see if you could help him out on how he should sing their upcoming cover

Kanghyun was out so he couldn't run through it with him

So he asked you

Listening to his voice it's so easy to get lost in it

A love song that made your heart skip a beat when he'd look at you

Your heart was turning into putty

"So how did you like it? Anything I should change? Should I sing lower? Higher?"

"You don't have to change anything really,, your voice is always so romantic. So romantic it has me ready to confess to the boy I like"

You said which quickly regretted as you saw both panic and curiousity in Yonghoon eyes

"You like someone?" Your eyes went wide

He hadn't picked up the courage yet to confess to you so here's his make or break moment

If you didn't like him he'd have his feelings fade away but he just wanted to know if you're friendship could turn into more like he'd hope

With confirmation he's the one you like

You'll never see that man smile more in his life I guarantee you.

Harin

Never have you wished for him to be asleep more in your life

You swear your heart dropped when you found out he heard you

He was laying peacefully at the dorm getting ready to take a nap

He had almost fallen asleep

But then you came in the room and he didn't see who was walking in but he heard your voice

You had come over to drop off food for the members after finding out they hadn't had dinner yet due to being so busy

You saw Harin laying there peacefully getting ready to wake up the tall boy

But he looked so peaceful you didn't know if you should to tell him foods ready

You quietly said to yourself walking up to him

"You're lucky I have a crush on you or else I would be waking you up right now to eat food"

You said with a chuckle ruffling his hair lightly

Your jaw dropped as you saw Harins grin with closed eyes

"I like you too, thank you for being so considerate of my attempt at sleeping. can I still have some food?"

Kanghyun

You and Kanghyun were trying to work on lyrics for a song

Trying to think of cure lyrics for a love song

You decided to mess around and look at pickup lines telling them to Kanghyun for lyric inspo

"If I could rearrange the alphabet to put u and i together I would" you said nudging his shoulder

"Gosh these pick up lines are so bad at this point you're telling me them just to flirt with me"

"Well how else am I gonna win you over?" You didn't realize how flirty that sounded until you saw the redness on his face, ears burning

"Did you just confess? Or are we joking around?" He said with a undetectable tone

"Whichever way you'd like to take it" No going back now

"Well I'll go with the first option and ask you on a date?"

"Sounds like a plan"

Intertwining hands you both felt warm inside

Dongmyeong

Hanging out your outfits matched eachother without even planning

"We look like a couple!" He said with a giggle

You giggled omg and tried your best to say "Hopefully we can be to" under your breath as quiet as possible

But he still heard

"Wait for real? Please don't joke with me on this" he said with a small whine

Really turned into Casper (the friendly ghost) there realizing he heard you

All you could do was nod

He couldn't help but laugh

"if you like me so much you should pay for my coffee"

You couldn't even be mad or say no

Because his smile was just so bright

Cya

Self promo for my other fic!!

Same situation basically <3

Go to my master list and go to onewe and read Give Me The Honor!

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ifuckinglovestvincent · 3 years

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NY TIMES: St. Vincent Is Trying to Understand People

As she releases her sixth album, “Daddy’s Home,” the musician expounds on the lengthy documentaries, Janet Jackson bust and Joni Mitchell album that feed her creativity.

By Olivia Horn

May 4, 2021, 10:00 a.m. ET

Despite the hardships of the past year, Annie Clark’s sixth studio album came together with remarkable ease. “Maybe I earned a fun one,” Clark, who records under the name St. Vincent, mused. “Usually there’s some kind of ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ moment. And there just wasn’t.”

Clark, 38, spent much of 2020 shuttling between her home in Los Angeles and her family’s in Texas. But the record (“Daddy’s Home,” due May 14) was born at Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan, where she and her repeat collaborator Jack Antonoff landed on 1970s New York as their lodestar. The resulting songs ease away from the angular art-pop of “Masseduction” from 2017, opting for gentler, slouchier rock. The relative softness corresponds to Clark’s effort to treat the troubled, complicated characters that populate her record with care. Among them are the broke and lovelorn protagonist of the lead single “Pay Your Way in Pain,” Nina Simone, Marilyn Monroe and her own father, whose release from prison in 2019 inspired the title track.

Clark confessed that she did not meet her quarantine goals of learning conversational Italian or writing a tour bus cookbook, but she did read some books about the gulag. Calling from her “utilitarian” Los Angeles studio, she detailed 10 of her favorite things to watch, read and hear — many of her picks reflecting a fascination with history and an eagerness to unpack social and aesthetic violence. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

1. William Scott Sculptures

I discovered William Scott’s work through David Byrne, at his place in New York. And when we were on tour with “Love This Giant,” we went to Creative Growth in Oakland [a nonprofit that supports artists with disabilities]. I had my eye on this bust of Janet Jackson. And then when I was back, I went and bought a bust of CeCe Winans. So I have these busts in my library.

A lot of the artists whose work I collect are people who are marginalized from society in one way or another. What I like about it is that the expression feels very pure. These are people who might not have all of the tools at their disposal or the education, or any of that, but they are compelled to make work. That kind of irrepressible urge in people — that I just find so inspiring and heartening and cool. And it’s completely divorced from any of the status of the quote, unquote, “art world.”

2. Adam Curtis’s Documentary Series “Century of the Self”

The way his work has been described is as emotional history or impressionistic history. The lines that he draws between events and trends are not exactly “A plus B equals C,” but the general thesis is like, “the collective consciousness is saying this.” As a writer, I’m always trying to understand systems and understand people.

3. Ric Burns’s “New York: A Documentary Film”

I used to live in a rent-controlled place in the East Village. But it was shady how I lived there, so I was never able to get utilities in my name. I lived there for 10 years and I didn’t have the internet, so I had DVDs. I used to go to Kim’s Video all the time and buy DVDs so when I would wake up hung over and be like, “Oh, just can’t quite make it out of bed today,” I would have something to put on. If I wanted to watch something it wasn’t like “Netflix and chill.” I associate that Ric Burns documentary with being either hung over or tired or both, and watching it in my bed.

4. Joni Mitchell’s “Hejira”

This is one of those Joni Mitchell records that I didn’t hear until I was in my early 20s. Everybody knows “Blue” and “Ladies of the Canyon,” but this is when I became a Joni Mitchell fan, with a capital F. This record’s just so deep. Her lyrics are … Cubist. I’m thinking of the one where she’s like, “In the mirrors of a modern bank/From the window of a hotel room.” And it’s all wiggles, you know? It’s like water, that record. And I don’t mean to make it about me, but I feel like I can understand some of the things that Joni talks about, like the refuge of the road, or watching the world from an airplane or being in a hotel room.

5. Maggie Nelson’s “The Art of Cruelty”

This is one of those books that I picked up six times and would get through a few pages and be like, “This is really brilliant,” but it felt impenetrable at first. Then I had this one weekend where the clouds parted, and I just could see it and plowed through it. It talks about the ethics of being an artist in a way that is so brilliant, and so not orthodox or finger wagging. I think it’s one of those books you can revisit at various points of your life.

6. Her Own STV Signature Series Guitar

Part of it was inspired by Klaus Nomi’s tuxedo. And I wanted it to hit my sternum in a particular way. I am cis female, so the way that it hits the sternum and then has a little bit of a cutaway, it makes room for my breast. But just one of them. There’s only room for one! I love it. It’s the only electric that I play, with very rare exception.

I saw people’s pictures of it from the Met [in the exhibition “Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll”], because I never got a chance to go and see it in real life. Most of the time, I just kind of like quietly put my head down and work — and then every once in a while, I look up and see something that I’ve made, and it’s mysterious that it’s in the world.

7. Wim Wenders’s “Pina”

I love Pina Bausch’s work. I was really inspired by “The Rite of Spring,” where the virgin dances herself to death. There’s this one particular movement that was like, drawing your hand above your head, and then when you pull it down, your elbow goes into your stomach — sort of like you’re open and then you’re impaling yourself. It just moved me to tears. So when I worked with my friend Annie-B Parson to choreograph the Digital Witness Tour, I was like, “Can we please incorporate this?” Another big thing: I was obsessed with falling. That was another big part of the Bausch work. How do you fall and make it look violent but not hurt yourself? I’d get a rehearsal room with Annie-B and just practice falling.

8. Vintage RCA 77-D Microphone

It’s an old ribbon mic, and it just sounds so good and warm. I know these are words that might not mean that much — when people describe sound as warm, it’s reductive. But it makes things sound and feel true. I don’t mean that it has perfect fidelity. What I mean is that when you sing into this microphone, what comes back at you feels honest. My friend Cian Riordan, who mixed “Daddy’s Home,” hipped me to this mic.

9. “Hidden Brain” Podcast

There was one recently about the idea of honor culture. You know, if someone is insulting someone’s masculinity and masculinity is tied up with honor, you have to avenge that insult. A lot of these “honor societies” end up with more violence because you have to save face and there’s less ways to assimilate conflict. The premise of so much of “Hidden Brain” is that we live by the stories we tell ourselves. And as a storyteller, that idea is very liberating to me, because if we live by the stories we tell ourselves, it means that when we get new information, we can assimilate that information and tell ourselves new stories.

10. Piazza della Signoria in Florence

The first time I was there was with my mom and sisters. I remember just walking through this piazza and having a wonderful time and wonderful conversation, and really being awe-struck by the architecture and the history, and just that life was beautiful. Another time, a number of years later, I was on tour with David Byrne and we had our last show in Florence, and I remember walking through with band members and then having the best dinner of my life after. It’s one of those places where, at very pivotal points of my life, I’ve been there and only beautiful things have happened to me.

#st vincent #annie clark #interviews #i like when interviews/articles contain lil nugs no one has heard about before #such as this one with the shady living situaish in the rent controlled apt #and KIM’S VIDEO #WHICH I ALSO WENT TO WHEN I LIVED IN NY #I feel like we’d always go there to get weird obscure hard to find movies #also:#re:re: ‘warm’ think the term she is looking for is ‘like butter on tiddies’#’WELL ITS WARM’#are those m&ms ive done those #nice brain btw #🦦

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draken-rotzi · 3 years

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Bug Man x Reader Part One*

Read on AO3

SO, wanted to write something of this topic bc we all need some more Musical!BJ in our lives, it’s a nice comfort ngl, I enjoyed writing it and hope you do too c:

(Got carried away so here's the first half while I edit the second one in the meantime, it takes a bit to get to the main part we all want to read forgive mE it's better in th next one believeme)

I'd love some feedback since I haven't written anything since 2019 ;v; some wordings might seem odd since my brain speaks spanish first english second

Summary; Old boring university life and a broken but hopeful heart meet the supernatural and whacky demon/ghost with the most, reader-chan needs to get out from a toxic relationship and what's a better help than a magic dead man? Cutting ties might seem easier when someone else arrives and flips your world upside down with no warning.

Mostly fluff, bits of angst l8r

Female reader, but tried to not give any other specifics to the character themselves, OCs appear

It was a fresh autumn afternoon, birds still chirped before migrating to warmer areas for the winter, the wind was cold but nice, not yet freezing but enough for people to wear light coats. You sit on a school desk, a class about taxes and fees, you drift off a bit looking at the window while half-listening.

You lived in a medium but popular city, it was a great place, with nice, kind people for the most part, huge malls, restaurants and lots of places to go out with friends or alone.

...

"Miss ___? Care to answer this equation here for the class?" The teacher asks, a tall, slender woman that radiated authority, it made some students shiver in times like this with a direct question.

"Oh? Yeah- sure miss Adams" You replied, while trying not to look confused since you just missed the topic, hopefully you remembered from the last lesson by the time you walked up to the blackboard and took the marker to write.

...

After class, you were walking with your friends to the cafeteria next to the main exit to wait for an uber to arrive; your side job as a freelance wasn't good enough yet to afford a car, but it helped pay the bills and to have enough for a bit more more than the basic needs.

Your two best friends at college were Itai and Rob. Itai was a funny dude, with a darker tone on his skin, not so tall and full of charisma. Rob was a bit more collected, but still a lot of fun to be around, being the voice of reason for you three most of the time, emphasis in most, because sometimes he got carried away too.

"Man I hate that class, I don't understand a thing! Why do we even need math?" Itai tells the group, sounding annoyed as usual, he was a simple guy, but simple guys need a degree too, to secure a better job.

"Well if you paid attention instead of eating that cold baguette in class you won't be that confused my man" Rob replies, laughing a bit at the end

"At least you weren't asked to do math in front of the class" You sigh, putting down your backpack and sitting on a table next to the building's exit, looking at your phone to know how much time was left for the driver to arrive, around 10 minutes.

"Yeah everyone felt so bad for you, but hey, if you’ll be daydreaming at least look at the front instead of the window next time, it might help you" Rob said while opening a bottle of apple juice, his favorite, he wouldn't drink any other thing, he was probably 60% apple juice after years of drinking it that often.

A few minutes passed by, the three friends chatting about the day's events, their plans for the weekend, and how to get the next assignment done. A figure appeared behind you putting a hand on your shoulders.

"Well hello ladies!" A man chirped, you turned around laughing softly

"Hey yourself!" you replied "Already off?"

"Yeah I've got the last hour free so I'm gonna head out to Kris' place, we'll play some games and work on that big project I told you the other day"

"Great, have fun! You say hi to Kris from me yeah?"

"Sure thing, see you later!" He says with a squeeze of his hand on your shoulder, then a quick pat on the head, turning around to leave.

"Bye, take care Nick!" you say as the man walks out of the cafeteria's door waving a hand.

Silence lingers for a bit until Itai breaks it

"Hey so, you're still going out with him?" He says with a crooked smile and a nervous look, Rob has a similar expression

"Yeeeah... it's been okay for some time now, you know? Hah" You look down for a second, pondering "Maybe this time is the good run?" Uncertainty fills the question, but you still smile to your friends.

Nikolas wasn't the model boyfriend, at least not for your friends; he was full of sweet words, hugs and kisses, only in private places though. When it came to the campus he treated you just like any other friend.

There was a small reason, according to him, he wanted to wait a bit more to make it public, get to know each other better, just to be certain from both sides.

That was the excuse a year ago.

It wasn't like he was out and flirting with other people, not at all, but one could expect to be treated like a love partner after so much time and moments together, you’ve gone to the movies, to dinner, to each other's houses, hell your families knew you two were dating, it just wasn't more than the bare minimum from him, seemed more like a thing someone does if they have free time, not make time for that thing, the thing being the relationship.

It seemed to be only a problem of neglect and apathy, probably, though you were so dumbly in love with him at first, you have been hoping and asking for a change since the relationship escalated to more than just holding hands and light kisses.

"I don't think anything's gonna change, he's been stalling for a whole year now" Itai mumbled, looking at Rob, he nodded in agreement

"Yeah, just dump him already, you deserve way better, you give him everything you got and he just throws the leftovers at you."

"I guess, but we're going out this weekend! You know he doesn't like going out often"

"With you" Rob adds

You hesitate a reply, it was true, most of the times you asked him to go out for a change, he was either too busy or decided to change the event the same day, turning it into a make out session in his house every time. Even though you saw each other 2 days every week, you have seen him go out with his friends more often, on actual enrichment outside activities.

"I know..." you sigh " I'll think about it, I'll try to talk with him about it next time”

Both of your friends let out a small groan of annoyance, they knew you weren't gonna do it, or that he'll just brush it off as always, between the lines of 'oh you're overreacting'

"Ah my ride's here!" You got up from the table and grabbed your backpack, tossing it over one shoulder.

"See he can't even give you a lift to your place!" Itai teased, they knew how you felt about the whole situation, but joking around sometimes made it a bit less bitter.

"Ha-ha, you know we live in opposite ends of the city! Besides none of you give me a ride either" you said while sticking a tongue out on your way outside the cafeteria

"Yeah because you live at the ends of the earth for some weird reason!" Rob joked back

Everyone said their quick goodbyes, and after a calm ride back home you remembered something just as you were locking the door, tossing your backpack into the living room’s couch you walked over to your room.

You flopped onto the bed, looking at your phone you opened some pending messages on the family group chat, apparently a distant relative of yours had died, and the family was gonna hold a small funeral tomorrow morning on the local cemetery, you didn’t enjoy those kind of events since you’d get really emotional, but since it was something really small, no more than 20 people, it was private and most likely no strangers would see you cry over someone you barely knew.

Tomorrow was saturday so it was okay to spend one free morning humoring your family.

After some mindless browsing on your phone, it was already 12:30am, you haven’t even got off your sneakers since you got home, you did a quick self-cleanup in the bathroom, tossing today’s clothes to the side to change into an oversized shirt with no pants as a makeup pijamas, it got a bit warmer in the afternoon so you wanted to enjoy wearing something light before winter fully arrived, getting under the sheets and you were out fast, maybe from all the overthinking of what’d tomorrow might bring, you’ve forgotten what are funerals like.

But there was certainly no way you’d know what would happen at all the next day

...

The event was simple, thankfully there was not much crying, seemed like everyone accepted already what had happened, some kind of illness you heard, at least they weren’t suffering anymore and they’ve come to terms with everyone close to them, that was nice you thought, it sure felt a bit heavy in there, as usual for funerals. After the ceremony, the family offered a barbeque in the departed’s honor to bright up the mood a bit; right at the cementery, maybe it was cheaper than renting a place for it.

Free tasty food was something only an idiot would decline, so you spent some time doing small talk with the relatives you knew best, but still you mostly just listened and ate in silence.

You saw a glimpse of color and movement out of the corner of your eye, since everyone was wearing dark tones it stood out, turning your head there was just an empty plastic table with some half-full plates and glasses, still, you felt a shiver up your spine, it was probably the weather.

When you looked back at your phone's clock it was already 6 pm, guess dad jokes and food made time fly, you said your goodbyes and condolences to everyone and headed out, you were still at the cemetery, so you had to call a ride back home, the driver dropped you near a convenience store just around the corner of your apartment, since you needed to buy a snack for dinner, on sundays you usually had takeout, so no need to worry much about it right now.

_______________________________________________________

“I know I didn’t imagine anything, that breather saw me at the cemetery! we even locked eyes for a second! It may work this time, just gotta get closer while they're alone”

_______________________________________________________

…

Walking down the street, humming a bit to some music and a bag of snacks in hand, dusk started to set, some stars could be seen and the sky was a beautiful fuchsia tone with oranges and purples mixed in the clouds. On instinct, you took your phone out of your jeans pocket to take a picture of the cute sky.

Just as you took a couple of pictures, to make sure at least one was good to share, something caught your attention out of the corner of your eye again

You felt a shiver like a cold wind out of nowhere, similar as to when a car drives a bit too close to someone on winter, but there was not even one driving car on the street.

"Oof, should get back now, it's getting colder" picking up the peace to get home faster-

A piece of paper slapped you in the face

“EW- wind trash” you muttered while grabbing what seemed to be a flyer, and it flew indeed.

You naturally took a closer look at it when you took it into your hands and out of your face, it was a very faded print, with an image of an… insect? man? holding a hammer over a small house and people, you chuckled, it was a funny irony cartoon, a bug crushing people.

Half of the flyer was unreadable because of some liquid or dirt, already dry but you couldn’t read what was supposed to be, written under the drawing was the end of an ad;

“Ghostly services one name away!

RESIDENTIAL - INDUSTRIAL - COMMERCIAL

Call BETELGEUSE

BETELGEUSE

BETELGEUSE!”

“Betelgeuse? ...Like that one star?” There was that shiver again, Halloween was a week ago, so this kind of paper seemed normal to be hanging around with the wind.

As you walked down the street, some lights started flickering, the cold wind seemed stronger and the sky was a deep dark purple now, strange, it was supposed to be clear dark blue by now, fall nights came quickly this time of the year, still it didn't feel like the usual night. You were just around the corner of your street when the closest light bulb exploded and zapped with a loud 'CRASH', making you stop for a second cowering from the shards

"What the-!? No one told me we'd be getting winter thunderstorms sooner what the eff" muttering swears you made a run to your apartment, scurrying for the door keys in the process, lights kept flashing and the wind made windows sing a high 'oooo' noise, you have seen this kind of weather before but no one would like to be outside when it happened, nervously and quickly you finally fit the key in the lock and opened the door, hurrying inside and closing it behind, a loud bang thundered through the silent room, the unexpected storm slamming against the walls and windows, you left the lights on before going out.

After a minute it seemed to calm down, wind turning into a breeze and the sky now it's usual black, no stars in the sky.

You let out a sigh and walked to the counter to drop your keys, the phone and your purse, you had to make sure all the windows were closed for the night, luckily it was Saturday, so no need to go out tomorrow on that crazy weather.

Windows secured, you changed into your winter pajamas, a gray pair of pants with a pattern of a cat on toast and eggs, with a pastel blue loose shirt. Making your way to the kitchen you decided a light snack would be enough for tonight, after that run and emotion on the way back home you had no energy to cook a proper dinner, not even microwave, it was also too late for it anyways you thought.

You put the snack bowl and a cup of water on the kitchen counter, looking to grab your phone. You noticed you still had the dirty flyer, forgot to drop it between the commotion maybe?

Placing it aside and unlocking your phone screen, you opened the ‘best friend's’ chat group

You. 'Hey guys, did you get any of that weird winter storm action today after school?'

Rob. 'Nah, it was a clear sky for me'

Itai. 'Same, also I was asleep all afternoon'

You. 'Strange, I got caught on this whirlwind on my way back home from the store, just my luck I guess >:('

Both of the boys. 'Lol yea'

Putting the phone down and chomping on some of the snacks, you thought about the events, it was indeed a clear sky earlier, only a couple of common clouds you took pictures of before it. You grabbed the phone again, quickly to see if any of the photos looked good.

"Pleasepleaseplease" you muttered in excitement, it was a very cute view, hopefully one picture captured it nicely.

And they did, a couple looked stunning, you smiled, thinking at least it was worth getting your hair all messed up by the wind, you were about to delete one picture it since it was blurry when you noticed a different kind of blur, it was gray with splashes of green in the corner, similar to what you saw at the funeral.

"There was nothing green on the other pictures, was it?" you looked through the other photos and they were pretty normal, full of pink, purple and blue from the sunset.

You looked back at the flyer

"Betelgeuse, betelgeuse, betelgeuse huh" You said in a playful tone, grabbing the torn paper from the counter, you felt a shiver, a strong one this time, well that was the opposite of a calming experience, but still the word felt strange when you said it, it wasn't like you hadn't said before, Orion was a popular constellation, and the Betelgeuse star was on it; but this time the air inside had a tense feeling.

All the lights went off after a second "Now a blackout? What's with today ugh" picking up your phone to use as a flashlight, after a couple of seconds before you could turn it on, all the lights came back again, but you almost had a heart attack when you saw someone standing in the center of the living room, enveloped in a green mist.

"FUCK wh- WHO THE FUCK-" you stuttered before turning around and grabbing the closest thing to use as a weapon, a wooden spoon used for beating eggs this morning "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHO ARE YOU? GET OUT!"

The figure was a man, taller than you, dressed in a striped black and white suit, dark hair with green tints at the end, a wicked smile plastered on his face, he took a look around, then back to you, endless chills went down your spine when you met his eyes, you could feel the tense aura from before growing stronger, anticipating, colder.

"Well who might I be? You should know, you called my name baby! Glad to make some business with you tonight!" He said as he extended a hand and walked, floated? quickly towards a paralized you, frozen in place, you only managed to put the spoon up in self defense from whomever this man could be, the lights were out for just a few seconds, was he inside the apartment all this time?

"S-stop right there you!" tried to threaten the man with the wooden tool, he didn't seem to notice nor care, wrapping an arm around your shoulders, then placing a sloppy kiss in your face, petrified, you shivered and gripped the spoon harder, he felt oddly cold.

...Did he just kiss you? Who does he think he is??

"No no, no stopping now! We just got started cakes, and now that you said my name three times, I can finally interact with you and everything here in the world of the living! Gotta say thanks it's been real boring being invisible for so long lemme tell ya-"

*WHACK*

You hit the man in the head with the wooden spoon as hard as you could.

...the spoon broke.

The man's smile grew wider

#hope it's o k a y #I'll reblob this tomorrow with tags it's 2am help me #fanfic #fanfiction #beetlejuice #betelgeuse #beetlejuice x reader #beetlejuice x you #musical beetlejuice #draft #female reader #could be both Blum or Alex I love them both sm #or any other that u seem fit #I need a name for this jhfdsdfj #is 'whack' the correct sound?#sorry for the cliff #might edit later

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chelsfic · 4 years

Text

Leftovers - Part Two - Nandor the Relentless x Reader - WWDITS Fanfic

Part One: MASTERLIST

Summary: Nandor decides you keep you around...for feeding purposes. You bond a little with Nadja. Guillermo is kind of freaking you out.

Warnings: Female, short, roller derby playing reader, Vampiric blood drinking!, pet humans?, power dynamic, vampire/human relationship

A/N: Thank you sooo much to those who have commented on this fic! It really brightens my day!

---

“Awake, mortal!” Nandor stands by the open coffin waving a shopping bag in one hand. “I’ve brought you Lunch-bulls.”

---

“No, I do not usually keep humans around for feeding purposes but…” Nandor strolls down a grocery aisle with the camera crew trailing behind. He stops in front of a refrigerated display of Lunchables, “this one is quite tasty. And I’ve learned a thing or two about caring for mortals thanks to Guillermo. For example, I now understand that you have to feed them.”

---

You wake to find Nandor standing over you with a wide grin on his stupid, handsome face. It takes a long moment for your brain to catch up with your surroundings. And when you do you’re too exhausted and sick to worry about the fact that you’re in a vampire’s lair and you’ve just spent the night sleeping inside a coffin. You try to sit up and the room immediately starts spinning.

“Oh, fucking--,” Nandor curses as you collapse back into the coffin. He looks up and eyes the camera, “I may have been a little over-enthusiastic with the feedings. In my defense I was planning on killing her, so…”

He puts his arm behind your back and helps you sit up against the edge of the coffin. You watch as he rummages inside the reusable shopping tote. What, exactly, does he plan on doing to you? After coming to terms with the fact that you’ve been abducted by an actual vampire you kind of expected to be dead by now. Not that you’re complaining, but…

“Ah-ha! Here, mortal. This colorful sports beverage will replenish your...electrolytes,” Nandor says, reading off the label as he hands you a bottle of Gatorade.

You grab it, frantically twisting the cap with trembling hands, but you feel like every ounce of strength has been sapped from your body. You growl in frustration, tapping the bottle on the rim of the coffin and trying again.

Finally, you sigh and give it back to the vampire, “Can you open it for me?”

Nandor glances to the camera with an arched brow and easily pops the cap off before handing it back to you. You down the entire bottle and eat two Lunchables while Nandor watches with a nauseated expression.

“Better?” he asks when you’ve finished. He reaches out to tuck your hair behind your ear and you flinch away from the touch. His eyes are focused on the crook of your neck and the bite mark that still throbs with pain.

“Uh, yeah...thanks,” you murmur, cautiously sitting back a bit to put more space between you. “What are you--um--what’re you planning to do with me, Nandor?”

He looks thoughtful for a moment but before he can answer there’s a sudden bellowing from downstairs.

“House meeting! House meeting, I say! In the library!”

Nandor’s brows draw together in consternation and he hisses, “What the fuck! He can’t call a house meeting. I call the house meetings!”

---

“Now, I’ve called you all here tonight to gloat,” Laszlo explains, standing between the two couches and addressing the room. “As some of us are aware, Mr. Hygiene himself has taken to storing half-drunk virgins in his crypt. It’s totally unacceptable and furthermore, Nandor, hurtful that you wouldn’t invite us to partake.”

You’re seated beside Nandor, holding yourself perfectly still as you eye the unfamiliar vampires in the room. Guillermo stands silently by the door. The woman, Nadja, is staring at you with her mouth open in a leer, practically salivating.

“Yes, Nandor, let me try a bite of your scrumptious mortal,” she says, reaching out to you with her hands clawed in longing.

You scoot closer to Nandor, shrinking into his side and clinging to the fabric of his cape. The devil you know… He gives you a pat on the head and smiles reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, human. No one but me will be drinking your blood,” he raises his voice for the others, “Is that clear? This is my human. You’re to leave her alone. Including you, Colin Robinson.”

The Dilbert-looking guy speaks up, “Keeping humans as familiars is a time-honored tradition. But this situation seems to be without precedent. Sure, in the medieval period there was the practice of keeping human thralls but is that really--”

“SHUT UP!” the other vampires shout at him.

Guillermo steps forward with a half bow and his voice is thready as he asks, “Master? Are you unhappy with my service? I can do better, I can--”

“No, Guillermo. You’re a perfect--” Nandor curls his lip and tilts his head from side to side as he considers his wording, “--ly adequate familiar. I’m keeping this human for food. She has a distinct flavor and I don’t want to eat her all up right away…”

You draw away from Nandor with a horrified look on your face. The events of the last two days come crashing down on you all at once, wrenching a sob from your throat and mortifying tears from your eyes.

“Now, look what you’ve done, all of you!” Nandor scolds, putting his arm around your shoulders in an approximation of comfort. “You’ve made my human sad!”

“I’m not food!” you cry, squirming away with an accusing glare.

Laszlo points his manicured finger in Nandor’s face, “You see, I could have warned you about this, Nandor. They get very weepy when you keep them around too long.”

“There, there,” Nandor says, haltingly. He frowns in discomfort and looks around the room for support.

Nadja steps in, taking a seat on your other side and patting your knee.

“Don’t cry, little human. You may be food but you’re very good food. Nandor doesn’t want to kill you,” she looks up to find Nandor looking at her with his brows raised in a “well, maybe…” expression. Nadja rolls her eyes. “He just wants to keep you for a nice little snack every now and then. It’s not all bad, little one. You’ll get to live here with us. Vampires can be very useful benefactors. Just ask Gizmo…”

“The rent is $1,200 a month,” Guillermo pipes in sullenly.

“Pssk,” Nandor shushes his Familiar and turns back to you. “You won’t have to pay rent, my human. And you can still play your rollerskate battles…”

“Battles?” Nadja perks up. “Is she a warrior like my poor Gregor?”

“Hey!” Laszlo bursts out. “I’ve heard enough about that damn--”

“I play roller derby...it’s a sport,” you explain, perking up for the first time since you found yourself in this strange situation. “I’m in an all-girl intramural league. It’s just for fun…”

Nandor, sensing the change in your mood, jumps in, “Do not be so modest, mortal. I saw you brawling on your roller skates during your practice. You are a fearsome thing to behold! Why else would I choose you?”

Guillermo is quietly fuming in the corner as his master showers praise on the newcomer, but you don’t know what to think. Why are you even considering this? Maybe it’s because deep down you know there’s really no choice. Why not make the best of things?

“Well...fine. But you have to promise you’re not going to end up killing me!” you insist, catching Nandor’s eyes with an intense look of your own. “And you can’t keep feeding off me every day. I won’t have enough strength to live let alone play roller derby. Once a week, tops.”

Laszlo chuckles, “She’s got spirit! I’ll give her that.”

Nandor’s lips twitch and you’re not altogether sure you can trust him but he agrees, “Very well, my tasty mortal. Once per week. Killing is...off the table. For now. We’ll see--don’t pull your luck!”

“Push your luck,” Guillermo mutters darkly and the narrow-eyed look he’s casting your way is actually the most alarming thing in this room full of apex predators.

The meeting wraps up as dawn approaches. Nadja draws your hand into the crook of her elbow and walks you out of the library.

“Tell me more about these roller battles,” she says. “What manner of weaponry do you use?”

---

Not knowing what else to do with yourself you follow Guillermo and Nandor into the crypt. The Familiar helps his master into the coffin and goes about the room, snuffing candles and checking that the curtains are secure against the approaching sun.

“Come, my mortal,” Nandor says, opening his arms and beckoning you into the coffin. From across the room you hear Guillermo’s squeak of outrage.

“You...want me to sleep in the coffin? With you?” you ask somewhat stupidly. But how are you supposed to respond?

“Unless you would prefer the cell…” Nandor remarks sarcastically. “We have just the one bed that Guillermo uses…”

You glance apologetically at Guillermo but he turns away with a huff. What does he possibly get from this arrangement, you wonder?

“Fine,” you sigh. “But...I’ll need a bedroom of my own, Nandor.”

“Yes, yes, very well. Now come. I’m tired.”

You climb awkwardly up into the coffin, stepping carefully around the vampire’s long legs and settling down beside him. It is surprisingly roomy. Custom-made, you assume.

Nandor wraps an arm around you, tucking you firmly into his side. You feel yourself heat with embarrassment at the casual intimacy. Snuggling with a vampire inside his coffin. Nandor sniffs and...purrs? He leans forward to bury his nose into your hair.

“Delightful human,” he murmurs. “I’m very glad I decided not to kill you right away. What a waste that would have been.”

“Goodnight, master,” Guillermo’s soft voice interrupts and you look up to see him standing--menacingly?--over the coffin with a hand on the lid. “Sweet dreams.”

“Yes, night-night, Guillermo,” Nandor replies and the lid drops closed.

Thank god you’re not claustrophobic. You’re nervous enough as it is. In a dark, enclosed space with a murderous creature of the night. Nandor shifts beside you and hugs you closer, almost like a teddy bear.

“Goodnight my delicious mortal,” he whispers and you feel cool, soft lips press a kiss onto your forehead. A shiver runs through you at the touch and your stomach stirs with the faintest of butterflies. You bury your face into his chest and breathe. How can a dead man smell so nice?

“Night, Nandor,” you yawn and somehow, unfathomably, you fall into a soft, gentle sleep in the arms of a killer.

---

A/N: What is my brain?

Also:

Tags:

@festering-queen

Hi, I’m taking a liberty here but let me know if you don’t actually want to be tagged: @glitterportrait @imaginethesons

#nandor the relentless #nandor x reader #nandor the relentless x reader #nandor the relentless imagine #nandor imagine #wwdits #wwdits fanfic #what we do in the shadows #kayvan novak #vampire x human #chelsfic

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abovethesmokestacks · 4 years

Text

Distant Connection (7/7)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Word count: 1100

Rating: All audiences

Warnings: None. Or... a little awkwardness?

| Distant Connection masterlist |

We’re finally here, chapter seven. I’ve loved posting this series and seeing how you guys have taken to it. If this has at all in any way made days of self-quarantining and shelter in place a little easier, than it’s been my honour posting this and I hope you will enjoy the last chapter. I think someone asked at some point if we’d get something from Bucky’s POV, and well... who am I to deny you? Please stay safe, my darlings.

Chapter 7: Social Dumbassing

“I feel bad for making you watch all this sappy crap. Why don’t you pick a movie tonight?”

Bucky wants to say he doesn’t mind sappy. That he spends most movies sneaking glances at the way your face lights up, and sometimes he couldn’t tell you what the movie had been about altogether. That he enjoys sappy movies because, well, you enjoy them.

“Wow, it’s been… almost four months.”

He has learned to live with a lot of things. Like the fact that it’s okay to wake up and have to check his phone to be sure of the date and weekday. How much he really enjoys curries even though his own attempt at making one ended in disaster and how it’s a safer bet to order it from the nice Indian restaurant a couple of blocks away. But four months. Absurd. Time is weird, and he is not sure if time has moved slow or fast, but it has moved, swirled around and tossed him into a vortex with you at the center.

“It’s weird, right?

Nod.

“I’m not sure I’m entirely ready to let go of this, but I mean… We’ve done our part? Do you wanna do the honors of sending it over to May?”

What he wants to do is accidentally delete the entire project. Start over. Have life be Casual Quarted Thursdays and Netflix and kind for just a while longer.

“Bucky?”

Right. Project. Finished.

“Um, yeah. Sure. I can… I can send it. I’ll send it. To May.”

It’s stupid. This is not optimal. But you smile and he smiles and he melts and why is the world the way it is? Then again, this was coming. Sooner or later the two of you would finish this. It’s fine. Bucky sends off the project, takes his lunch break alone, really alone, and feels like a dumbass.

>>I swear I’m not hoarding, but they were on sale.

image_036.jpg

>>Normally I go for Vermont’s finest, but damn, Bluebell knows what’s up

>>Hope you’re doing okay over there

“Yeah,” he wants to say, “Dandy. Missing the hell out of you even though we haven’t met in person, but oh yeah, dandy.”

>>I’m good. Junior’s back, so quiet nights are over. Think we’ll actually be out of this in a month like they’re saying?

It’s a little more than that. As soon as it’s confirmed, Bucky dives into the spin cycle that is supposedly normal life and tries to make it work. HR contacts him about reinitiating his transfer. He hunts for apartments, video chats with eleven dubious landlords and/or roommates before he accepts a room in a shared apartment in Brooklyn Heights. Steve seems like a good guy, reasonable on the rent and can take him in stat. Well. Two weeks.

“Hi, sorry I haven’t, y’know, it’s just- things are crazy. Again. But different. God, okay. Just… wanted to say hi, hope you’re okay. Maybe we could watch a movie this weekend?”

“Hi, it’s okay, things are weird here, too. Uh… I don’t think I can do a movie this weekend, kinda… have a big thing happening. I’ll be mostly offline, but I’ll text you Sunday?”

“Oh? Big thing? That sounds… big. Sorry. I promised you to lay off the innuendos. But this was accidental. Have fun. Or be safe. Whatever you’re doing. Be fun, have safe?”

Bucky packs himself up, takes Friday off and spends his last official day working for the Indianapolis-office in his bare room with his laptop on the little side table they usually keep by the door, and a rickety chair. The drive is murder and parking in NYC is a nightmare, but he’s in and mostly unpacked by Sunday.

>>Welp, going back to the office tomorrow. Is this what work appropriate looks like? I need to look presentable for society

image_139.jpg

>>Aw, shucks, and here I thought this was what passed as work appropriate

Image_493.jpg

>>I’ll pay you money for you to film your reaction going into the office tomorrow in the llama pajama

On the one hand… tempting.

On the other hand… He does not want to get on HR’s shit list his first day in the new office.

>>Goodnight

He hovers. Wants to type sweetheart. Writes it out, deletes it.

>>Goodnight. Have a good day at the office.

It is a good day. Hill from HR meets him in the lobby, shows him his office, takes him around. Does he look for you? Maybe. But Hill doesn’t need to know that. Fury dips into his office after lunch, giving him the finger wiggle that says “walk and talk”. He can’t be in trouble already, right?

“May sent me feedback on your project, it was good work, Barnes, both of you. She did however have a few concerns that she wanted to discuss...”

Bucky hears concerns and the rest is drowned out as he mentally goes over every point in the project and where things could have fucked up. Fury’s still talking. Shit.

“... so I thought the two of you could meet with May and look over it together.”

“What?

“Bucky?”

“What?”

It’s a good day. Fury looks between you, then backs away like he can’t nope out fast enough. You’re- It’s-

“Hi.”

He can’t stop looking, can’t make himself talk. There’s the smile and the voice and the outfit and he’s not in the llama pajama. His fingers twitch.

“Bucky?” you ask, tilting your head.

“Sorry, I’m- Hi. I... really wanna touch you, is that- Shit. Not like that. Shake hands, I mean. Like civilized people. Is that a thing we do again?”

Hold out your hand, Barnes. Don’t be a dumbass.

“You’re in New York?” comes the question, you’re still rooted to your spot.

“It was… my big thing this weekend? I wanted to tell you, but… busy.”

One step closer, a nod. “Moving does that.”

He knows that tone so well by now. Knows it, basks in it, because yes, you’re here, but all of the other stuff is also here. Bucky looks down, tries to find a way to say it that doesn’t make him sound like a schmuck and he swears he can feel his brain shut down.

“Can I..?”

You’re standing there, reaching for him, and he falls into your embrace and it’s right and good and the world shifting on its axis and hot sauce and ice cream. Maybe talking can happen later. There’s a meeting. May. She’s-

“I’m really glad I have you, Bucky,” you whisper against his neck.

And God. It’s good. It’s perfect.

“Yeah. Me, too.”

#Distant Connection #Bucky Barnes x reader #Bucky x reader #quarantine fic #social distancing video calling coworkers to friends to lovers

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theycallmebeccawrites · 4 years

Text

Chris & Ellie Series: Episode 21

Greetings all! I hope you guys are having a good day and if not, I hope it gets better for you. Today is a bittersweet day for me. I gave Ellie July 17th as her birthday in honor of my grandma, who passed away in 2016, a couple days after I started writing the Chris and Ellie series. My grandma would have been 92 today. ❤

My grandma always encouraged me to do what I love and I love to write, so I do. And I love sharing what I’ve written with you guys. So thank you for allowing me to share this little world I have created with all of you guys. And thank you all for reading.

xo Becca xo

Pairing: Chris Evans x Ellie Spencer (OFC)

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: language

Episode Summary: The lead up to Ellie's birthday and the surprise that Scott has planned for her.

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

This episode can also be read on AO3.

The Chris and Ellie series is primarily chronological. It begins with a flash forward to 2016 and has a few other scenes in the future. However, the majority of their story is told in chronological order starting in 2013 and going through 2017. Each episode starts with a date to help you place it within the story.

The Chris & Ellie Series Masterlist | Chris & Ellie Masterlist

Episode 20.5

Episode 21: Birthday Confessions

July 2014

Music flowed through the speakers as Ellie merged off the freeway and onto the exit for LAX.

"I don't have to go, you know," Scott said as he looked over at her.

"Yes, you do," Ellie replied, glancing at him. "You're in a wedding and your family has been looking forward to seeing you."

"I just don't like the idea of you all alone," Scott admitted. He knew she had come a long way in the weeks since she'd started opening up about what had happened between her and Chris, but he hated leaving her there alone.

"I'll be fine," Ellie assured him with more confidence than she actually felt. She hadn't been by herself in the house since December and that felt like a lifetime ago. If she was being honest with herself, she'd never really liked being in the big house when it was empty, but now it was filled with memories she didn't want to revisit.

"Thanks for driving me," Scott said as Ellie navigated the departures drop off area.

"It was the only way for me to ensure you'd get on the plane," Ellie replied in a joking manner as she pulled over in front of the designated area for the airline he was flying.

Scott gave a mumbled 'ha' before he leaned over and gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek. Then he got out of the car and went back to the trunk to get his suitcase. He gave her another wave before he disappeared into the steady stream of people going into the airport.

Not ready to go home yet, Ellie ran a few errands before she made her way back to Chris's house. She parked her car in the garage and then made her way inside.

With no desire to hang out in the big house, she quickly made her way through the kitchen and out the backdoor. Using the patio off the kitchen and the steps down to the pool deck took longer than going out the door through the basement, but she didn't like going down to that room if she didn't have to.

Once inside the guesthouse, Ellie let Daisy out of her kennel and then sat down on her bed to check her email. She'd finished editing a book a couple weeks ago for a new author and was waiting for her next assignment. Instead of finding a new manuscript to read, she found an email saying that one of her main authors would have one ready for her soon, so they were keeping her schedule open.

After replying to the email, Ellie closed her laptop and leaned back against the pillows on her bed with a sigh. She had been hoping to distract herself with a new manuscript while Scott was gone, but now that wasn't an option. She'd already picked up a few extra shifts at the bookstore, helping people who wanted to take days off, but picking up seemed better than staying at Chris's more than necessary.

Picking up her phone, she sent a couple texts, seeing if anyone wanted to hang out that night. Unfortunately, no one was available, but she was able to make plans for other nights during the week when she wasn't working. Including accepting a couple invitations for the Fourth of July.

Thus, the first week Scott was gone went by in a breeze. She worked on the second and went to a movie with some friends after work on the third. Then she spent the morning of the fourth with her cousin and the late afternoon and evening with Pierre and some of his friends. She picked up another shift on Saturday and then spent Sunday with her cousin's family, not wanting to spend the whole day alone at Chris's house.

"You've had a busy week," Pierre reflected after she'd told him all about it during dinner at his condo during the second week. In fact, he'd already known how busy she was keeping herself, thanks to a group chat he'd found himself part of with her sisters, cousin and Scott. He wasn't convinced it was a good idea to have such a chat, but it made the others feel better.

"It feels good to be busy," Ellie said with a shrug before muttering, "Better than staying alone in the house, anyway."

Whether or not she wanted him to hear the last part, he had, and he realized her sisters were right to raise concern over her sudden shift in personality. Ellie, they had explained to him, was a homebody by nature. A trait she'd shared with Chris, Scott had told him privately.

"What's wrong with staying at home?" he asked, cautiously.

Ellie sighed and shoved her food around on her plate before looking up. "Other than that it's Chris's house and I'm just a house guest?" she asked.

She sounded snarky, but he sensed that she was trying to mask her true feelings. Instead of prying, he waited her out. They'd been friends for nearly two months and he'd learned quickly that she liked to process her thoughts before she could speak them aloud.

"It's the memories," she finally admitted. "There's nowhere in the house that I can go that doesn't have a million memories flooding back to my brain of happier times. Not even the guesthouse is memory free, but there, with my things, I can push him out. That isn't possible in the rest of the house though. He's fucking everywhere."

Pierre nodded consolingly. He'd been through many a breakup, but only one that had left him in a house full of memories. Of course, he'd had to suffer through the rest of his lease before he'd been able to move. But moving to this condo had been a fresh start.

"And I'm crying again," she said in an exasperated tone as she brushed away the tears. "I told myself that I'd cried enough over this whole situation."

Pierre stood up and grabbed a box of tissues off the kitchen counter and brought them back to the table. Instead of sitting back down across from her, he took the seat next to her. He handed her a tissue and she gave him a weak smile before blotting the tears.

"Obviously, I don't know your financial situation or what your agreement is with Scott's mom regarding room and board, but have you thought about moving out?" he asked Ellie.

Ellie shook her head. "I hadn't gotten that far yet," she admitted. "Chris is gone for another few months and technically, living there when he isn't there is what I'm paid to do."

"Think about it," Pierre encouraged her. "It might be the next step you have to take."

The idea of finding her own place stayed at the forefront of Ellie's mind in the days that followed, but it wasn't until a night where she had nothing to do but sit in the guesthouse that she did anything about it. She went back to the links she'd found in her early days of living in the Los Angeles area and looked for availabilities within her price range. There were a few of them, but none in areas that she'd feel comfortable living by herself in.

Unlike the last time she'd been hunting for an apartment, she wasn't tied down to a specific part of town because of a job. Nor was she as strapped for cash as she had been. Thanks to the added income of editing manuscripts and not having to pay rent, she had managed to pay down a lot of her debt with the money that Chris's mom had paid her.

Despite having a wider area to search for a place to live, Ellie found herself struggling to find anything less than $1,000 a month that allowed dogs. Frustrated, she closed her laptop and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. Which only served to remind her that in addition to finding a place to live, she'd have to buy furniture as well as she didn't have any.

"We'll find a place, Daisy," she said, scratching her dog's head. "I don't know where yet, but we'll find a place."

By the time Scott returned from the east coast, a few days later, she'd sent off applications for a couple of apartments an hour or so away, but both had come back saying she'd been added to a waiting list for an apartment. She considered telling Scott that she was thinking about moving out but decided against it. She knew he was still worried about her with everything that had happened and she didn't want to worry him more than she had to.

"You're a doll for picking me up," Scott said once he was in the car and she had merged into the traffic leaving LAX.

"Gave me an excuse to get out of the house," Ellie replied before mentally kicking herself. "Daisy and I spent yesterday lounging by the pool."

Scott lowered his sunglasses and raised his eyebrows. "Under an umbrella?" he asked, seeing that her skin, while glowing, was still barely tan.

"And wearing lots of SPF," she replied with a laugh. "How was Massachusetts and the wedding?"

"The wedding was beautiful," Scott stated before going into a full rundown of the wedding. Followed by an elaborate explanation of his family's Fourth of July party and what he had done with his family while he'd been home.

"Sounds like you had a blast," Ellie said with a smile.

"Oh, I did, but it's nice to come home to some quiet," he replied and then smiled. "But don't worry. It won't be too quiet, after all, we both know what's happening on Thursday."

"I know my birthday is on Thursday," Ellie said, cautiously as she glanced at him. He wore a big smile on his face. "Scott Evans, what have you done?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," he replied, then mimed zipping his lips closed, locking them and throwing away the key.

He remained annoyingly tight lipped over the next few days, which put her slightly on edge because she had no idea what he had up his sleeve. She knew the two of them had two very different types of fun; she liked to stay home and play games while he liked to go out and dance.

Thursday morning, Ellie came up to the big house to find a cinnamon roll in a pastry box for her on the kitchen counter along with a note from Scott.

Izzy told me that you guys always had cinnamon rolls for breakfast whenever someone in the family had a birthday when you were growing up. I didn't make it (that would have been a disaster) but enjoy!

She cut the large cinnamon roll in half and ate half of it, then took the other half back to the guesthouse with her, to take to work. Once Daisy was settled in her kennel, Ellie grabbed her stuff and left for work.

The sense of relief that came over her as she drove away from the house was only more confirmation that it was time for her to move out.

Later, during her lunch break, she looked for apartments again and, after failing to find much in the Los Angeles area, decided to try looking in Oregon. She hated the idea of leaving LA and her friends, but the truth was she could live anywhere and still do her editing.

—————

“She’s coming!” Scott called as he ran down the stairs. "Everyone get away from the window!"

He heard her sisters scrambling into spots that couldn't be seen from the window as he made his way to the main floor. Hearing the garage door opening, he made his way down the hall to the kitchen and was waiting there when Ellie came into the house.

"Hey there, birthday girl!" he greeted her with a big grin. "I noticed you didn't leave me a piece of the cinnamon roll."

"You're damn right I didn't," Ellie replied with a tired smile.

"Before you go to your room, can you come look at something in the living room for me?" he asked.

"I have a call with my sisters in like ten minutes," she told him, glancing at the clock on the stove.

"It'll be fast, promise," Scott insisted. "Like a minute tops."

Sighing, Ellie put her stuff down on the counter and then followed him down the hall to the living room. "So what am I -" she started to ask, but shut her mouth when she saw her sisters sitting casually in the room.

She stared in disbelief as tears began to well up in her eyes. She felt Scott nudge her from behind, encouraging her to go to her sisters.

"Happy Birthday, El," Izzy said, reaching her first. She wrapped her around Ellie and hugged her tight.

"I'm happy you guys are here," Ellie said, through her tears. "But what are you doing here?"

"You didn't think we were going to make you celebrate all by yourself, did you?" her youngest sister, Riley, asked with a grin as she gave Ellie a hug. "We were here last year, too. This year we just brought Sydney with us."

"I'm here to make sure those two don't get too wild," Sydney said, jokingly as she gave Ellie a hug. "And to make sure we do things you like to do for your birthday weekend."

"Birthday weekend?" Ellie repeated. Then she saw Scott lingering in the doorway. "This is what you've been planning all week, isn't it?"

"Part of it anyway," Scott replied with a grin. "I'll let them tell you the rest."

"You're the best," Ellie told him. She reached her hand out to him and he took it, squeezing it. "What is the rest?"

"Our gift to you is a weekend getaway at a beach house about an hour from here," Sydney told her. "The five of us and Pierre, but he'll be coming tomorrow after work."

"When are we going?" Ellie asked.

"As soon as you can pack a bag," Izzy told her.

"What about Daisy?" Ellie asked, only then spotting her dog curled up in her favorite chair in the corner.

"She's coming with us," Scott replied. "I've already packed her stuff."

"Thanks," Ellie said, smiling at him. "What do I need to bring?"

"I'll h-" Izzy and Riley started, but Sydney stepped forward and took Ellie's hand before saying, "I'll help you pack."

"Thank you," Ellie muttered under her breath as she and Sydney made their way to the guest house.

Twenty minutes later, she and Sydney came back into the main house, locking doors as they passed them. They followed the voices out to the garage and found Scott and Izzy loading things into his car while Riley played with Daisy.

"Isn't someone driving with Scott?" Ellie asked as Izzy took her bag and put it in the backseat.

"Daisy is going to be my copilot," Scott told her

"Are you sure?" Ellie asked him. "I can ride with you."

"Nah, you ride with your sisters, Daisy and I will be fine," Scott assured her. "Besides, she doesn't try to change the music like some people I know." He gave her a pointed look.

"I would be offended except you do the same thing to me when I'm driving you," Ellie retorted before maturely sticking her tongue out at him.

"Very mature for a 29-year-old," Scott commented.

"Let's get on the road, shall we?" Sydney interrupted in a mom tone.

"You guys head out, I'll do a quick check around the house to lock it up and then Daisy and I will follow," Scott offered.

"Shotgun!" Riley shouted out.

"It's Ellie's birthday, Riles," Izzy said, shaking her head. "The birthday person always gets the front seat."

"Fine," Riley sighed. "Let's go."

Thanks to traffic, the drive took longer than an hour, but Ellie didn't mind. It had been a long time since she'd gone anywhere with just her sisters and it was just like old times. Telling stories, laughing, and talking over each other as Sydney drove.

The beach house was down the street from the beach, rather than oceanfront, but they could see the ocean from the balcony off the largest of the three bedrooms. The house had a Mediterranean feel to it in its design and decor. The first floor had the smaller of the three bedrooms rooms, a half bath and an open concept living, dining and kitchen. The second floor had a full bathroom and two bedrooms, the largest of the two having two queen sized beds in it. The best part of the house, though, was the backyard that looked like it belonged in Italy instead of Southern California.

By the time Scott got to the house with Daisy, the sisters had unloaded the few things that had been in the trunk of Ellie's car and had ordered takeout from a nearby restaurant. They helped him unload his car, putting their luggage in the bedroom with the two queen sized beds, leaving the other two rooms for Scott and Pierre.

Then they all headed outside to relax on the back porch while they waited for their dinner to be delivered. Sydney poured everyone drinks, except for herself, a fact that her sisters quickly noticed.

"Are you pregnant?!" Riley demanded.

The corner of Sydney's mouth twitched, but she nodded. "I didn't want to say anything tonight, because it's Ellie's birthday, but -"

"Shut up," Ellie said laughing as she gave her sister a hug. "It's the best birthday present you could give me!"

Hearing the doorbell ring, Scott went to answer it, leaving the sisters to celebrate. Knowing the sisters had already paid for the meal, he gave the delivery person a cash tip, thanked them and closed the door.

As he carried the food back to the girls, he paused when he heard Ellie say: "I have some news myself."

Given what her sister had just announced, he froze, his mind instantly going to the idea that she might be pregnant with Chris's baby.

"Relax, I'm not pregnant," Ellie said with a nervous laugh.

"Fucking hell, Ellie," Izzy said in a relieved tone that matched how Scott was feeling. "Don't scare us like that."

"What's your news, Ellie?" Sydney asked, drawing everyone's attention back to Ellie.

"I'm going to move out of Chris's house," Ellie announced. "I don't feel comfortable there anymore. In fact, I hate being there by myself."

Scott could tell that she was holding something back and so could her sisters, because Riley called her out on it.

"What aren't you telling us?" Riley asked.

"I'm having a hard time finding a place here that I can afford," Ellie replied, her voice trailing off. "So I might be moving home. Want a roommate, Riles?"

Scott felt his stomach drop. He didn't want Ellie to go back to Oregon.

"I thought you were saving money," Sydney said, snapping into the protective older sister/mothering older sister mode.

Scott smirked. Her sisters had this.

"I paid off a lot of things," Ellie replied. "And I have some savings, but…"

Scott heard her sigh.

"After everything with Chris went downhill, I haven't felt right accepting the money that Lisa has been paying me," she confessed to her sisters. "I've been donating my paychecks to a non-profit organization that provides books to underprivileged kids in the LA area. It seemed fitting since she and I met at the bookstore."

"Oh Ellie," Sydney said, the tone not one of scolding but of compassion.

Backing up, Scott decided to put dinner on the dining room table and get dishes out so they could serve themselves in the house. Allowing the sisters and himself time to process Ellie's confession. All of them.

He hated the idea of her moving period, but especially the idea of her moving to another state. The paycheck donation was a whole different situation, one that he wasn't fully capable of processing just yet. Obviously, there was guilt on Ellie's part, but for what? Taking advantage of his mom's trust by boinking Chris? His mom liked Ellie and she would have loved holding the fact that she'd picked Chris's wife over his head.

Scott shook his head and sighed. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Riley in the doorway. "I was just going to call you guys in," he told her, gesturing to the food that he'd laid out.

"Awesome, I'll get the others," Riley replied before disappearing outside again.

One thing he knew for sure was that if his mom ever found out that Ellie had donated her paychecks because Chris was a dumbass, Scott would pay top dollar to witness that confrontation.

He was still smirking to himself when the sisters filed in. He let them go first and then dished himself a plate of food.

No one said a word about Ellie's possible move until they were all seated at the table outside.

"For the record, I think you moving back to Oregon is a bad idea," Riley stated, looking at her older sister. "I've never seen you run away from your problems in my entire life. Never mind the fact that everyone will wonder why you left California. And you know how our family talks, it will be all over town within five days of you stepping foot on mom and dad's farm. We won't talk, but you know how they are, they'll figure it out. They always do."

Scott picked up his drink and took a sip, hiding his smile. Ellie was stubborn, but her sisters wouldn't let her do anything stupid. And neither would he. He was going to do everything in his power to get her to stay in LA.

Episode 21.5

Want to find me off tumblr? I'm @beccatheycallme on twitter. I also post my stories on AO3.

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queenofheaven82 · 3 years

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PART I -- Small Beginnings

This is dedicated to everyone who put their back into creating The Mighty Ducks franchise. From the first time I watched it as a ten-year-old girl, I was captivated. Thank you for whipping up the magic. I'm honored to be a part of spreading it by way of this fanfiction.

This is also for every young girl who struggles to do life every day. You are seen and loved.

***

A/N: I'm choosing, for this story, to slightly alter the timeline to more closely reflect the actors' ages than what was presented in the films. It never seemed accurate to me that they were ten, twelve and fourteen respectively when most of them were obviously at least sixteen by D3. I realize this would skew the fact that in D3 they were still JV, but just work with me here and pretend it all worked out somehow. :)

Winter 1992

Twelve-year-old Lacey bit off a sliver of thumbnail and pushed back a stray lock of frizzy brown hair. The boys on skates, unrecognizable in all the padding and helmets, were filing out onto the ice, sailing hockey pucks back and forth to warm up before the game. The air was electric.

This was hockey, after all. The sport Minnesotians lived for, much to Lacey's chagrin. Hockey, to her, was just... hockey. Nothing special. Kids with sticks and pucks, hurting each other just to shoot something in a net. But her almost-stepbrother Davy played left wing for the illustrious Hawks, and that meant she could count on spending most Friday evenings at the rink.

It was going to be a long couple of hours, so she pulled out the Babysitter's Club book she'd stashed in her backpack, ignoring how her fingers throbbed from having bitten her nails too short again.

"Alright then!" Lanky Stuart plunked into the seat beside her, a stray piece of popcorn falling onto the page of her book and leaving a trail of grease as she shook it off. "Who ordered Milk Duds?" his cheerful, Scottish brogue boomed in her ears above the murmurs of the crowd. "Mum, was that you?" he reached across Lacey and her Mom snatched the Milk Duds quickly from her boyfriend.

"Thank God. And tell me you didn't forget the gummy bears."

Stuart handed them over with a flourish. "Not so. And I believe someone ordered peanut M&M's! Who could that be? Do you know, Lacey?"

Lacey looked up and gave Stuart a quick smile. "Thanks," she mumbled. She had ordered no such thing, but it was like Stuart to remember her favorite candy. She set the bag in her lap and continued to read.

"Come sit down!" she heard Hurricane Mom shout to the twins for the millionth time in a half hour. "Halen, don't make me come over there. Ariel, do you want gummies or not? Lacey, what are you doing?!" her mom turned to her, swatting her hand away from her mouth. "You'll start bleeding again!"

Lacey sighed and slipped her hand underneath her thigh to keep herself from biting more.

Her mom had been fun and easygoing once. She hadn't yelled, hadn't always had that line between her brows from worrying so much, and was always the first to join in when Stuart announced spontaneous dance parties in the living room, blaring his British pop cassettes.

But that was before everything had happened. The past two years had been very different.

The rink gave off a chill Lacey couldn't get warm against until Stuart placed his jacket across her shoulders. "Oh, are we back to Mary Anne now?" he reached over to look at her book cover. "She your favorite lass of them all?"

Lacey shook her head. "Dawn is."

"Dawn? The one from New York who eats junk food?"

Lacey cracked a smile. "You're mixing like three of them up."

"I could have sworn Dawn was the New Yorker. Oh, OH!" Stuart leapt to his feet suddenly, along with almost everyone around them. The hockey game was now well underway, and all around Lacey came shouts of "BANKS! BANKS! BANKS!"

She should have prepared herself for this outburst of cheering for the Hawks' star player, but Lacey was taken offguard and clapped her hands over her ears, heart racing. Clamping her eyes shut, she tried to do what Dr. Heffner had told her to do and imagine a meadow. With a creek, and fireflies circling her head. No, fairies. Better. They were each wearing pastel-colored dresses. And they were singing--

"BANKS! BANKS! BANKS!"

How she wished Adam Banks would just score already and people would stop shouting. What if she couldn't make it past this one?

The fairies suddenly morphed into angry bees that swarmed madly in her brain.

Lacey bent over to hold her head between her knees as she rocked gently, waiting for it to stop.

Just when she'd formed fistfuls of hair and prepared to jerk hard, a final cheer erupted, and the noise subsided.

"Uh oh. You okay, Baby?" she felt her mom's hands pulling her hair off her neck.

This was the mom she needed so desperately.

"Breathe. Breathe." her mom began to breathe with her as Lacey tried to fill her lungs deeply, keeping her eyes closed for a minute.

"Lacey? Gee, I'm...I'm sorry," she heard Stuart's voice.

"These games aren't good for her, I told you. Next time you can come watch Davy by yourself," her mom snapped.

"Sometimes she does loud noises just fine! How was I supposed to know?" he stood quickly. "You go ahead and take her home. I'll keep the twins and we'll finish watching Davy play."

"No I'm okay," Lacey finally managed to squeak. "It's fine now, I promise."

The panic was abating, but ever so slowly. Lacy tried to force it out by sheer will, but it was like trying to bail water out of a sinking ship with an eyedropper.

"Don't think about it," her mother cut in quickly. "For one thing, Dr. Heffner says be present in the moment. We're at Davy's hockey game, and you're reading a book. You get lost reading and then things startle you. Here." Lacey felt the book being pulled from her hands. "Did you pull any hair out this time?"

Her mom examined her hair, looking for the tell-tale signs.

"No, I didn't pull," Lacey answered, flushing in deep embarrassment. "Can we please just watch the game? I'm fine."

For the next hour, Lacey tried to focus her attention on Stuart's son, Davy, who played hockey for a league of rich kids called the Hawks. His mother, Stuart's ex-wife, lived in the right part of town to allow for it. But Davy mostly just "rode the bench" during games, a fact Stuart continually pointed out with annoyance.

"He almost made that last shot! Riley ought to give him another chance! He always takes him out early and replaces him with that McGill kid."

But time was almost up before they knew it, and Davy had secured only a precious few minutes on the ice.

Lacey wasn't sure what the point was in these weekly games. Davy never played, and the ending was always predictable -- the Hawks creamed the Cardinals 10-2.

The Hawks always won.

"Och, nearly made it! So close!" Stuart gave Davy's shoulder a fond squeeze on the way to the car. "Even closer than last time!"

"Almost doesn't count, though, Dad," Davy huffed. "Coach says one more game like I played today and I'll be on the bench for good.

"Well." Stuart noticeably forced a pleasant tone. "We'll just have to see about that. I'm not above tal--"

"Darlene Primmer?"

Lacey looked over and saw their landlord -- Mr. Philip Banks -- fast approaching, his son Adam, the big shiny Hawks superstar, on his heels. Her stomach sank. This meant her mom would stay in a sour mood for the rest of the night.

She looked up to catch her mom rolling her eyes. "Go on to the car, Stuart. Take the girls," her mom slowed her pace.

Stuart hesitated, taking a deep breath before gently tugging Davy's arm. "Ari... Halen, let's go. Lacey?"

But Lacey moved in closer to her mom to give Stuart the clue she wasn't leaving. Something must be wrong.

Mr. Banks caught up with them. "Hi. Hey there," he flashed a smooth smile toward her after greeting her mom. "I noticed I didn't receive anything in the mail this past week. We talked about this, Ms. Primmer, didn't we?" he reached up to tug at his collar. "I'm sorry to have to say this, but time's up. You're behind by two months."

Her mom let out a noisy breath. "Phil, I still need more time. Lacey's had some doctor bills and the twins needed school clothes. How am I supposed to do all this by myself? You told me you'd cut me a break when I needed it, and well, I need it now. Working in a warehouse makes me pennies, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Lacey forced herself to look over at Adam, embarrassed that her mom had mentioned the doctor bills. But Adam's eyes were averted, almost like she wasn't even worth looking at it.

Rich boy...

Mr. Banks crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "I've given you plenty of breaks already, Ms. Primmer. I need the rent this week, or I'll be forced to take this to court."

Lacey watched as her mom bit her lip but recovered quickly. "Then you'll have it. Whatever, just don't harass me and my kid out here in public, alright?"

"Whoa whoa, no one's harassing anyone here," Mr. Banks lifted his hands. "This doesn't need to go any further if you'll come through this week as I've asked you. You might consider asking... Stuart, is it?... isn't he your younger girls' father? Couldn't he help you out in a pinch?"

"That's none of your damn business, Phil," Lacey's mother's back stiffened. "But if you must know, I make my own way and pay for my own stuff. Stuart doesn't take care of me. I do it myself. So give me this week and I'll get it straightened out, yeah?"

Before Lacey realized it, her hand went back to her mouth. What would happen if her mother didn't make rent this week? They wouldn't have anywhere to go. They could go to Stuart's, but he only lived in a two-bedroom apartment. And anyway, why wouldn't her mom let Stuart help them? He'd offered so many times. He'd even proposed more than once since Halen and Ariel had been born, but her mom was so stubborn in her refusal. Would she have to stop seeing Dr. Heffner? And what if it still didn't make any difference and her mom couldn't afford to live in their cheerful little townhouse any more? Would they be homeless and have to go eat at the soup kitchen around all those other people?

She wasn't sure how long Adam Banks had been staring at her, but when she realized it, she was immediately uncomfortable and wanted to run to the car.

"Do you know you're bleeding?"

Mr. Banks turned quickly around. "Son, I'm having a conversation. Go wait in the--"

"She's bleeding," Adam repeated to his father.

Lacey felt sick. She was doing it again.

She brought her hand down and saw that the last three fingernails of her right hand had been bitten down to the quick, and were indeed blooming blood. She suddenly noticed the coppery taste of it in her mouth.

Lacey panicked and tried to shove her hand quickly into her jeans pocket, but Adam was pulling the burgundy scarf from around his neck and pushing it toward her. "Here. You can use this."

She blinked, frozen to the spot and unable to reach for the scarf before her mother got there to it first.

"No thank you," her mom snapped, pushing Adam's hand with the scarf back toward him. She turned back to Mr. Banks. "My kid has problems handling stress, alright? Thanks a billion for setting her off."

Lacey limply allowed her mom to pull her hand up and away from her, presumably to keep the blood off her clothes. "I'll have your money this week." She took a step past a bewildered Mr. Banks. "Now leave us alone."

With that, she pulled Lacey back toward the building and the women's restroom to wash her hand off.

Lacey tried to look back toward Adam, feeling sorry she'd not been able to tell him thank you, but his dad was turning him away and they had begun the walk toward their car.

"M-Mom, it was nice of him to try to give me his scarf. You didn't have to be mean."

"I wasn't mean," her mother clipped. "I just wanted them to know we don't need their help. Lacey, people like that..." she could feel her mother trembling slightly with anger. "... They think they're God's gift to the world. And the rest of us low-lives should be grateful they let us breathe the same air. I mean, the man brought Stuart into this for God's sake! As if Stuart and my situation is any of his concern. I'm telling you, if--"

But Lacey was tuning her mother out.

She'd unwittingly bitten her nails down too low before in school, embarrassing herself royally when the blood began to pour down her fingers..

Fruit loops... Vampire... Flesh eater... Loosey Lacey...

Not once had anyone even offered her a Kleenex other than a teacher. So how could Adam be so bad if he'd tried to do something so nice for her?

Lacey thought about it all while her mother washed off her fingertips and wrapped them up in paper towels, never once pausing her tirade against the Bankses.

Finally, her heart dared to smile.

Stuart was one of the only people who was kind to her for no good reason, but he was a grownup. Now, someone her own age had been, too.

She didn't have to be so afraid all the time, did she?

#adam banks #mighty ducks #trichotillomania #young adult

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iamtrebleclefstories · 4 years

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I’m Happy Right Here with You

Hi guys!! This story was born out of some prompts that were sent my through comments on my story Didn’t Think on AO3 as well as here on tumblr. So, be sure to check out my prompt list if you want some more stories :)

Great big thanks to @doc-pickles for being my beta!!

What is so special about this fic is that it is a birthday gift for Nat!! Happy Birthday Nat! I hope you enjoy this fun and rather long, jolex fic!

89 - “Oh God, please don’t tell me we had sex.”

33 - “Put me down. You know I can walk, right?”

92 - “Don’t freak out, but I think I’m pregnant.”

Season 10 AU where Jo and Alex do not get together in 9x24, but she moves into the frat house with him and Cristina

“You know what you need? Some picture frames. And throw pillows. Ooh! And some comfy blankets that you put on the couch. Coasters too! We leave beers lying around everywhere and all of the new furniture are starting to get water rings on them.”

“You know, when I asked you to come to Target with me it wasn’t so you could criticize the house,” Alex rolled his eyes.

“I’m not criticizing the house,” Jo looked at Alex pointedly. “I’m just saying that we could really use some things to make the place more homey. It’s not like you don’t have the money for it, the rent check I give you every month is proof of that.”

“The house is homey,” Alex scoffed.

“No it’s not. It’s like a frat house,” Jo laughed.

“Exactly,” Alex grinned. “That’s all part of its charm.”

“Oh whatever,” Jo shook her head. “You just don’t want to admit that you’re too damn cheap to do anything about it. That and if the house looks barren and creepy, the women you hook up with are less likely to want to come back.”

“Woah... just hold on a minute there. The women always want to come back,” Alex smirked. “And it’s never because of the house.”

“You disgust me,” Jo choked on the water she had been drinking.

“That’s because you’ve never slept with me.”

“Yeah, and I’m never going to.”

“You say that now princess,” Alex teased. “But I promise you that if you did, you’d be coming back for more.”

“Shut up,” Jo slapped his shoulder playfully as they continued to browse around for items.

Jo would be lying if she said she’d never thought about it. In the past year that she’d known Alex, she’d acquired a new best friend. At first, she tried to convince herself that she wasn’t attracted to him. He was an ass and a douche at times, but funny and sweet if you took the time to pay attention and get to know him. Eventually, the good things about Alex started to outweigh the bad and Jo found herself growing impossibly closer to this man.

So when Jo started having feelings for Alex, it wasn’t something unexpected. There were so many moments that she had just wanted to grab his face and kiss him, but she had never wanted to mess it up. Alex was the most important person in her life. She never felt like she had anything to lose before she met him. So she kept her mouth shut and continued like nothing was different, even after Jason and the tree and the storm.

Besides, it’s not like he reciprocated her feelings. Alex was all for hookups and one night stands, and had the emotional maturity of a sixteen year old. Relationships weren’t his thing, and Jo didn’t think she could handle being another notch on his belt, not when her feelings were involved. She didn’t want to make a fool out of herself, especially after seeing the types of girls Alex brought home. He had a type; they were all tall, skinny, blonde, with model-esque features. She on the other hand, was average height, brunette, and a little thicker than his usual parade of women.

Unbeknownst to Jo, Alex had been thinking about how much he wished he had the balls that night in the NICU to tell her how he felt. Honestly he hated when she brought up his sexual escapades, it reminded him of how much he didn’t deserve her. Jo was special. He was in love with her. He’d even confessed it to Cristina months ago. But he was screwed up. He didn’t want her to end up like every other girl he’d ever been with—all messed up because they got involved with him. So he kept his mouth shut, hoping the feeling would go away.

That all flew out the window when Jo moved into the house, her bedroom right next to his. Her presence and importance in his life was that much more tangible knowing that all that separated them was a wall. That knowledge led to him escorting a new girl up to his room every other week in hopes of distracting himself from the overwhelming desire to knock on her door.

Alex looked over at her and noticed she seemed to be deep in thought, “Earth to Jo. You okay there? You seem a little weird.”

“Huh,” Jo turned her head in his direction. “Yeah I’m fine. Just thinking about what I want for dinner tonight. I was thinking of ordering from that taco place down the street from the house. Do you want some?”

“I’d love some, but we can’t order tonight. It’s Mer’s 35th birthday and we’re having the party at the house remember? She thinks she’s just coming over to drink tequila with me and Cristina, but Shepherd planned the whole fiasco. He’s over there setting up and I was told to buy some stuff to make the house look a little nicer.”

“Crap that’s tonight?” Jo asked. “I don’t really have to go to that right? I mean—I don’t know how I feel about partying with my bosses.”

“Of course you have to go,” Alex furrowed his brows. “Do you know how weird it’s gonna look if you’re not there? You live there, they can’t kick you out of your own house. You’re going and you’re going to get drunk and sing karaoke and dance on the table in your underwear.”

“No way,” she protested. “I do not plan on getting drunk off my ass at a party with my bosses.”

“Why not?” Alex questioned. “We’re all gonna be drunk off our asses. No one will even remember. Besides, you get drunk off your ass with me all the time. And half the time Cristina is there to witness it.”

“That’s different,” Jo defended. “You are my best friend and I live with you. It’d be weird if you never saw me drunk off my ass. Well that, and I respect my other bosses. And Yang... well... Yang doesn’t scare me as much as Grey does. Plus half the time she’s not even home. More often than not she’s in the woods with the Chief doing it in his trailer.”

Alex snickered, “True. But did you just say you’re more scared of Meredith than Cristina?”

“You know we call her Medusa right?”

“Yeah it’s a good one,” Alex laughed. “You know they used to call me Evil Spawn.”

“Hate to break it to you, but they still do.”

“Shut up. At least I’m getting some on a relatively normal basis,” Alex glared at her playfully. “When was the last time you got laid? You’re super uptight.”

“I am not uptight!” she exclaimed. “And it has not been that long since I got laid. The last time I had sex was... shit.”

“What?”

“I can’t remember the last time I got laid. It’s been that long.”

Alex snorted, “Wow. Well, like I said, if you get really desperate... and I mean really desperate... I’m right next door if you ever need anything.”

“Go to hell,” Jo stuck her tongue out at Alex like a child. He laughed and told her to hurry up and go find what she wanted to buy for the house before he changed his mind.

The rest of their Target trip was uneventful and they made their way back to the house to finish whatever Shepherd was planning. By the time 8pm rolled around, all the decorations were in place, the guests were in their hiding places, and the liquor was ready for consumption. When Meredith finally walked in, they all yelled surprise and the party got started.

It was quite the party, too. It reminded Alex of the party that Izzie threw in this very house during their intern year. People underestimated doctors’ abilities to party and consume alcohol. And with Meredith being the guest of honor, there was no shortage of the hard stuff. He had to say, Derek really outdid himself with this party. He planned something that screamed crazy, dysfunctional Meredith Grey and it was quite refreshing. So refreshing, that even Jo decided to loosen up and have a few drinks, since she saw her superiors let loose.

A few beers and way too many tequila shots in, they were both pretty wasted, as was the majority of the party. People slowly began to leave and Alex took that as his cue to go upstairs.

Leaving the hosting duties to Cristina, Alex trudged up the stairs with a heavily inebriated Jo trailing behind him, giggling about something. They reached the top of the stairs and were about to go their separate ways when something shifted. It could’ve been the alcohol or just the pent up desire bubbling up under the surface, but one minute he was standing at the top of the steps and the next he was kissing Jo and pushing her into her bedroom.

*****

Jo woke up with a pounding headache. She hadn’t even opened her eyes yet, but she could tell she was going to have one hell of a hangover. She attempted to open her eyes only to close them again due to the stark brightness. She wasn’t exactly sure what time it was, but it was definitely late morning. As Jo laid there, she realized something. She wasn’t alone. There was an arm wrapped around her midsection.

Alarm bells started going off in her head as she racked her brain for any memory of what happened last night. Just as she was going to open her eyes again to see who she had ended up in bed with, she heard an unmistakable groan. She knew that groan. She knew those arms.

The hand that had been on her waist brushed her breast before freezing, “What the hell?”

She took a deep breath and spoke, “Don’t freak out.”

The hand on her breast pulled back instantly, as if it had been burned. The man attached to it sat up quickly, “Oh God, please don’t tell me we had sex.”

Jo lifted the blankets to look at her naked body that was now littered with love marks. She cringed, “We had sex.”

Jo looked up and finally locked eyes with none other than Alex Karev. He looked wrecked and Jo was sure that she probably did, too. They stared at each other with a mixture of disbelief and horror on their faces.

“Ah shit,” Alex rubbed a hand over his face. “Jo, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Jo shook her head. “It takes two to tango. Plus, I must’ve enjoyed it because you have a hickey on your neck.”

Alex placed his hand on the spot before finally turning to look at her, face turning up in a smirk, “So do you.”

They looked at each other, cheeks flushed before bursting out into laughter. “Ow, be quiet.” “No, you be quiet.”

“I can’t believe we had sex,” Jo remarked in disbelief. “And I don’t even remember most of it.”

“Me neither,” Alex admitted. They slipped into another fit of giggles, the leftover alcohol in their systems seemed to still be affecting them. By the time their mirth died down, the reality of what happened sunk in. It was ironic, just yesterday they had been talking about how they’d never sleep with each other.

Jo moaned as she stretched to get out of bed. Alex furrowed his brows, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Jo replied as she brought the blankets up to cover her chest. “Just a little sore.”

“Oh, God. Don’t tell me I hurt you,” a concerned look crossed Alex’s face.

Jo chuckled awkwardly, “No you didn’t hurt me. It’s... it’s a good sore.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Well... um... I’m gonna—um... I’m gonna go get ready,” Alex stuttered.

“Hmm... yeah me too,” Jo bit her lip and nodded as Alex stood up and searched for his pants. For the first time, she actually took a moment to look at him, watching as she saw as the muscles in his back and arms contracted as he pulled his pants over his legs and ass.

Almost as if he could sense her stares, Alex turned around, “What?”

“Nothing,” she cleared her throat. “It’s just... um... you have scratch marks on your back.”

He titled his head to look at his back and sure enough, found a few red scratch marks. He began to laugh again, “Oh wow. That’s just... Sorry, I’m just gonna leave.”

Just as he was going to walk out the door, Alex stopped at the threshold and looked at Jo, “Um, Jo... You might want to wear a turtleneck today.”

*****

It had been a week since Jo and Alex had woken up together after their drunken night. In that week, the memories of what happened had returned. Knowing and remembering that night was so much worse than having no memory of it.

For Jo, it was as though her body would forever be imprinted with the reminder of that night. Too often that week, she had found herself daydreaming about that night. She could almost feel Alex pressed against her. She could almost hear the moans he let out as he made her feel like the most precious thing in the world. She could almost taste his lips and feel the ghost of them against her own. Now she understood. She understood why women always got hung up on Alex Karev, because he was incredible. And not just in bed. He was incredible in every way and she wanted more.

For Alex, remembering that night was torture. Every nerve in his body cried out for Jo. The very little self-control he had left was threatening to fall apart. Before it was easier. He didn’t know what it was like to have her; to be with her. Now that he had, it was taking everything within him to not knock on her door night after night. The mere thought of another woman no longer excited him, he was ruined. Jo had completely ruined him for anyone else. He wanted her and not just her body. He wanted all of her. He wanted everything with her.

Which is why, for the entire week, he’d been avoiding her. He made sure she wasn’t on his service. He was careful to ensure they were on opposite schedules so that he didn’t have to see her at home. Opposite schedules also meant that he’d have less of a chance of slipping up and doing something stupid like telling her he was in love with her. Any time they just so happened to be in the same room, he’d avoid making eye contact and walk the other way.

By some unfortunate miracle, that morning, all three of the frat house residents were on the same schedule. It was a rare occurrence for all three of them to be leaving the house at the same time. As he walked into the kitchen, Alex was careful not to brush against Jo while trying to get to the cereal in the pantry. He kept his eyes fixed on the box of cereal and remained silent as he readied his bowl. Jo’s eyes flicked up at him before burying her face in the piece of toast she was eating and decided against bringing up what would be an extremely uncomfortable conversation.

What the two of them hadn’t counted on was Cristina’s overly observant eyes watching the scene unfold before her.

“You too are acting weird. Hairball is always chatty in the morning and Evil Spawn, you always come up with a way to be a pain in Wilson’s ass before 7am,” Cristina took another bite into her apple before speaking. “Did you guys fight? Is that what this is? Does someone have hurt feelings?”

“Everything’s fine,” Jo answered.

“It’s none of your business Cristina,” Alex snapped.

She stared at them for a while longer when she let out a gasp of disbelief, “Oh my God. You two had sex! That’s why you’re acting so weird lately! Finally! We’ve all been waiting for it and you guys just won me some money.”

The two of them stared at her like deer in headlights. Neither said anything, causing Cristina to laugh hysterically, “Oh God. You guys haven’t talked about it. You’ve been avoiding each other. Now tell me, was it horrible? Did someone cry? Did you have trouble... you know? Ooh! Does Wilson have a secret penis?”

“What? No!” both Jo and Alex exclaimed.

That when Cristina, finally understanding what happened, gasped, “You guys liked it! You loved it and you want more.”

Jo’s face was red and hot, “Yang, please stop.”

“You know, I was having a bad morning but I knew you’d make me feel better,” Cristina snickered. “Well, I’m going to work. Have fun carpooling together.”

“Dr. Yang! Wait!” Jo called out. “I’m ready. I’m coming with you!”

As they hopped in the car, Cristina eyed Jo, “You know, you should just tell him.”

“Tell him what?”

“That you’re in love with him,” Cristina stated. “It’d be easier then whatever the hell you’re doing. Just get it all out there. No fear, no shame. And who knows, maybe you’ll be surprised and find out he feels the same way.”

“He does not feel the same way,” Jo sighed.

Cristina, who knew for a fact he did, scrunched her face in confusion, “How do you know for sure?”

“Because I’m not his type,” Jo pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “He’s got a type. Tall, skinny, blonde, perky, bubbly. I am none of those things. I’m average height, I actually have some meat on my bones, brunette, and I’m sarcastic, jaded, and all kinds of complicated.”

Cristina rolled her eyes, “The only reason Alex chooses the same type of girl to hook up with is because he knows that no one with substance would be up for what he’s looking for. You have a personality. Use it.”

Jo stared at her incredulously, “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“I am a nice person,” Cristina glanced at her before putting her eyes back on the road. “And I don’t think I can live with the two of you pining over each other. Just be with him already. Then I won’t have to feel the sexual tension while I’m trying to eat breakfast or watch a movie.”

*****

A few more weeks passed, and although they weren’t back to how they were before the incident, Jo and Alex had decided to put that night behind them and try to be in the same room together again. After about a month, Alex finally felt comfortable enough around her not to jump her bones and decided to request her on his service. He had an interesting case coming in today and was sure that she wouldn’t want to miss it.

Alex walked up to the residents’ lounge and popped his head in, “Wilson! Let’s go. You’re on my service today.”

Jo looked up at him with a surprised expression on her face, “Really?”

“Yup,” Alex nodded. “Let’s go. We got a super cool case today.”

She smiled widely and turned around to the other residents, “So long suckers.”

Stephanie rolled her eyes, “Oh please. You’re just excited you get to hang out with Karev today.”

“I think it’s unfair that she gets on a cool case just because he’s into her,” Leah pursed her lips.

“He’s not into me,” Jo said, pulling the scrub shirt over her head. She grabbed her lab coat and walked out to the hall where Alex was waiting. “Hey! So, what do we got?”

“Take a look for yourself,” he handed her the tablet.

She scrolled through the chart and read the kid’s information, “No way! He’s got Hirschsprung’s disease? There are like less that 200,000 cases of that per year around the world.”

“I know,” Alex grinned. “When I saw it I got excited and thought, why not share the excitement with my favorite resident?”

“You really shouldn’t pick favorites you know. People might start to suspect something is going on.”

“Oh please,” Alex scoffed. “Everyone’s got a favorite resident. Ross is Yang’s, Edwards has been working with Bailey a lot, Warren is tight with Webber, and I basically had to fight Torres for you. So, choosing favorites is normal. It means we see potential in you for our speciality. Which, by the way, since when do you love ortho so much? I thought you were considering peds.”

Jo smiled, “Well, I haven’t really been on your service for the past month so I had to find somewhere to shine. Torres says my aggressive tendencies are just what you need in ortho. It’s quite the rush. But, I must say, you might just turn me back onto peds if you keep putting me on cool cases like this one.”

“Haha, okay.”

They did their rounds and went to prep four year old Oliver Maxwell for his Hirschsprung’s bowel resection. As they walked into the room Alex shook hands with the parents and gave the kid a fist bump, “Hey Ollie, how are you feeling?”

“Eh,” Ollie shrugged. “I’m weady to feel betta. You can help me feel betta Dr. Awex?”

“I sure can, kiddo,” Alex grinned. “Dr. Wilson and I are going to go into your belly and take out all the bad stuff and make you feel so much better.”

“Good,” Ollie smiled.

Alex looked up to Ollie’s parents, “Okay. So, we are going to perform Ollie’s bowel resection in about an hour and a half. I’m going to send in an intern and a couple nurses in thirty minutes to make sure everything is ready for him to go up to the OR. We’re very hopeful that once the bowel resection is complete, he will no longer have any issues. However, since Hirschsprung’s is so rare, I would personally like to do a follow up every 3 months for the next year to see how he’s doing.”

Mrs. Maxwell nodded, “Alright. And the surgery is a simple one right?”

“Yes, a bowel resection is a very routine procedure that we do everyday. However since he’s got Hirschsprung’s, the technique we use will be altered in order to fit his condition. But, if all goes well, he should be just fine.” Jo assured.

“I’m sorry,” the woman apologized. “I’m just worried. You know how it is. To have your kid in the hospital. Do either of you have children?”

Alex shook his head, “No, neither of us have kids. But I do have a niece and nephew and a few months ago I had to give my niece, Zola, some stitches on her forehead. Her mom, who’s also a surgeon, was so worried and it wasn’t even anything serious. There are no rules when it comes to sick, hurt kids. If a surgeon is worried about their kid’s cut, it is completely normal for you to worry about your kid’s surgery.”

Jo smiled proudly. Alex had a long history of being great with kids, but not so much with the parents. It made her happy to see that he had developed himself and grown in the time she had been off his service. As they said goodbye to the parents, she gave him a cheeky look.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“Whatever... go eat a snack, take a power nap, use the bathroom and meet me in OR 2 in an hour,” he instructed.

Their surgery went extremely well. Ollie did fantastic in surgery and would make a wonderful recovery. They updated the parents and continued on with the rest of their cases.

“Nothing like a bowel resection on a Hirschsprung’s kid to start out your day,” Jo sighed.

“Ahh you see, there it is,” Alex motioned at her. “There’s that peds glow. I may be able to steal you back from Torres after all.”

“Shut up,” Jo shoved him playfully. “What’s next?”

*****

Another two weeks passed and Jo and Alex were back to normal, teasing each other, hanging out, and working together. It was nice being on peds again, she got to spend time with cute little kids, watch and assist on awesome surgeries, and hang out with her best friend. Today, they had done 2 appendectomies, 1 bowel resection, removed a neuroblastoma, and assisted on a peds trauma that came in. She hadn’t been feeling all that well today, and it could be the fact that she was around sick, germ-infested children all day. Her head was hurting and it was progressively getting worse as the day went on. To top it all off, her stomach had started hurting about an hour ago, but she pushed through the last couple hours of her shift.

As she got in the car later that evening, Jo was sure she was going to throw up. She must’ve looked green, because Alex looked at her from his spot in the driver’s seat, “Dude are you okay?”

“I think I’m gonna hurl,” she pressed a hand up to her mouth.

Alex searched around the back seat and produced a trash bag and handed it to her, “Here. If you’re gonna vomit, aim for the bag.”

She glared at him, “Why do you even have trash bags in your car?”

“I like to be prepared,” he replied. “And I don’t like a messy car.”

Jo closed her eyes and tried to take deep breaths to distract her from the moving vehicle, in hopes of making it home. She must’ve dozed off, because the next thing she remembered is being lifted out of the car, and into the house. She opened her eyes and saw Alex cradling her closely, “Put me down.”

“Huh?”

“Put me down,” she mumbled. “You know I can walk right?”

“I don’t mind,” one side of Alex’s mouth turned up in a small, sweet half smile. “Just relax.”

Jo closed her eyes again, she could tell that this time, she would fall asleep for real. Something about those arms made her feel so safe and warm. It was the closest they had been since the night they spent together and she couldn’t help but lean into him. Eventually, he reached top of the stairs and laid her down in her bed, pulling the covers up around her. Thinking she was asleep, he leant down and pressed a small kiss on her forehead, “Goodnight Jo. I hope you feel better.”

“Alex,” she called out. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

*****

The next morning Alex was awoken by the sound of his bedroom door being slammed open. Startling out of sleep he looked to see who was at the door, “Jesus! Cristina. What the hell? It’s early.”

“Sorry Evil Spawn,” Cristina walked in and made her way into the bathroom. “But Hairball is all over my bathroom puking her guts out and I need to get to work. I’ve got a very important surgery scheduled and I need to prepare.”

“How long has she been throwing up?” Alex asked.

“I don’t know. The past hour, maybe?” she shrugged. “Did you guys drink too much last night?”

“No,” he shook his head. “She was feeling sick at work yesterday and almost threw up in my car on our way home. By the time we got here, she had fallen asleep and I had to carry her up to bed.”

“Well she’s definitely sick,” Cristina surmised. “Don’t know what it is, but I do know that I cannot catch whatever she has because I have very important patients that need me to save their lives.”

“I’ve got the day off. I’m gonna go check on her,” he got out of the bed and put on a pair of sweatpants before walking through the hallway to the bathroom. He stopped outside the door and knocked, “Jo you okay?”

She groaned, “No.”

Alex pushed the door open and found Jo sitting on the floor with her head against the wall, “You know I’ve got to say... this isn’t your best look.”

She glared at him, “Shut up. I feel like crap.”

“You look like crap,” he crouched down to the ground and wrapped an arm around her. “Hey. Look at me. You want me to tell Hunt that you’re not going to work today?”

She nodded, “Yes please.”

“Okay. I’m going to call him right now.”

She hummed in response and crawled over to the bathroom cabinet where she kept the medicine. As she was searching through the cabinet, her eyes fell on a box of tampons. In that instant, Jo could’ve sworn that her heart stopped. She picked it up and traced her brain, trying to remember the last time she had used one. It had been at least two months. How the hell did she not notice?

“Hey I called Hunt,” Alex came in, startling her. “You okay? Oh... do you need me to go buy you some more tampons?”

Jo shook her head, “No. No... I don’t need them.”

Alex looked at her strangely, “Okay...”

She took a steadying breath, “I’m gonna say something, but you have to promise me you’ll stay calm.”

Alex sat down on the floor next to her and cradled her face in his hands, “Jo, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong.”

She looked at him nervously, “Don’t freak out, but I think I’m pregnant. I haven’t had a period since... before we...”

Jo wished someone would’ve been there to see the exchange, because the look that crossed Alex’s face was one that she would’ve wanted on film. He was doing his best not to freak out, but his eyes were wide as saucers and his jaw dropped. He took a deep breath and closed his mouth before nodding at her, “Okay... okay. That’s fine. It’s gonna be alright. We’ll go get the test right now. How about you get in the shower and I��ll go to the store.”

“Okay,” Jo agreed.

The drive to the drugstore was a heavy one. Alex was doing his best to keep it together, he couldn’t freak out. Not when Jo might be pregnant with his baby after one drunken night together. When he finally made it into the parking lot, he stopped and banged his head on the steering wheel.

He’d done it again. This is exactly why Alex didn’t want to pursue things with Jo, because every girl he got involved with came out of it worse than before. He thought they’d be okay. He thought that they could get past this and he’d eventually long for her a little less every day that passed. But instead, he might’ve just knocked up his best friend. He might’ve just screwed up the life of the woman he was desperately in love with.

He put her in an impossible position. She could choose to have an abortion, a choice that was difficult to make and go through with for any woman. Not to mention such a decision would put a strain on their friendship because they would always think about what could’ve been. There was adoption, but Alex didn’t think he’d be able to live knowing he had a kid out there and Jo had such horrible experiences in the foster care system that she would never be able to do that to her own kid.

That meant the other option was keeping the baby. How would that work? Would they be together? Would they co-parent? Would that be the best option for either of them? Jo was only a second year resident. Having a baby right now could affect her career. It could affect any decisions she made in the future about her life.

Taking a deep breath, Alex finally got out of the car and walked into the store, buying five pregnancy tests. Each one was a different brand, in hopes of getting the most accurate results. He took the boxes up to the register and locked eyes with a woman who seemed to be in her mid-60’s in line, in front of him. She looked down at his basket and smiled, “I don’t know what answer you’re hoping for, but good luck.”

He huffed a laugh, “Thanks.”

Back home, Jo was having a mini-meltdown. Jo was almost positive she was pregnant. She had all the same symptoms as the last time. That’s right. This wasn’t Jo’s first pregnancy. While Jo had been married to Paul, she got pregnant. Days after discovering her pregnancy, he beat her half to death. She knew then, that she could not have that baby. She couldn’t allow her child to come into a home full of abuse. She couldn’t allow for her child to be scared of their father. She couldn’t allow for herself to be tied to Paul forever. Because she knew that’s what would happen. If she ever tried to leave, if she ever tried to divorce him, they would fight over the kid. And there was no way she could fight his lawyers for custody. Her child would lose in every scenario.

So, she made the hardest decision she’d ever had to make in her life. Jo had an abortion and sobbed throughout the experience. She wasn’t ashamed of it. She didn’t regret it. But she promised herself that she’d never have to go through it again. She’d be more careful. She’d have a kid when she was ready, with a man who loved her and treated her with nothing but respect. She couldn’t go through an abortion again. The last time almost broke her, but it was the catalyst she’d needed to get herself out of that situation.

Jo knew she would keep this baby. There was no question that she’d be this baby’s mom. Everything else was up in the air. How would she fit a baby into her life? She was a second year surgical resident with a crazy schedule. She wanted to be a good mom, a present mom. But that would require her taking a step back in her career. Where would she and the baby live? Could they stay in Alex’s house? Would Alex even want to be in the baby’s life? Would he kick her out? Or would he co-parent with her? Did he want to be tied to her for the rest of his life?

All of those questions and fears had to be put on pause when she heard the front door open. From her spot on the couch, she saw Alex enter with a plastic bag in his hand. Holding it up, he gave her a small smile, “I bought five... all different brands and stuff.”

Jo reached out for the bag and took it with her into the bathroom. Despite this situation being almost as complicated as the last time she peed over a stick, the one emotion she realized wasn’t present was fear. Last time she had been terrified. This time she was nervous, sure, but she wasn’t afraid. It was Alex, and whether he decided to be this baby’s dad or not, he’d never hurt her over this.

She washed her hands and stepped out of the bathroom, setting a timer on her phone, “I took them all. Boxes said to wait about three minutes.”

Those three minutes were some of the longest minutes of her life. Her and Alex stared at each other silently, waiting for the timer to go off. When it finally did, Jo felt a wave of nausea come over her. She looked over at Alex who grabbed her hand and squeezed it, leading her back to the bathroom for the moment of truth.

Unsurprisingly, every single test came out positive. Jo couldn’t tell if it was the stress or the pregnancy itself, but soon, she was crouched above the toilet vomiting again. She felt a hand on her back rubbing circles as another one pulled her hair back. When she was finished, she rinsed her mouth and brushed her teeth before flopping onto the floor. She groaned, “Alex I’m fine. Just go. You don’t have to do this. I can do this on my own. Take the out. I’m giving you an out, take it. You can be fun Uncle Alex, no responsibilities.”

“No,” Alex said firmly, bringing her close. “I’m not taking the out Jo. I’m not leaving you alone in this. Above everything, you are my best friend and we’re gonna have a baby together. So, I’m gonna be here and I’m gonna be a great dad and you’re gonna be a great mom and we’re going to do this together.”

She rested her head on his shoulder, “Are you sure? You live your life a certain way and I don’t want to get in the way of that. A kid is really gonna put a damper on your sex life. And I know you didn’t mean for us to even have sex anyway. I’m not exactly your type and I don’t know if I could handle knowing that you didn’t want me for the rest of my life.”

Alex looked at Jo as if she’d grown three heads, “Are you kidding? Jo, what we did, wasn’t an accident. We both wanted it. We’ve wanted it for so long, but we were too scared and needed some liquid courage. Ever since that night, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head. I can’t even talk to a chick without every cell in my body protesting because it’s not you. Because it’s always been you, Jo. I love you. So, I’m staying right where I am, because I’m happy right here with you.”

Her face broke out into the brightest smile he’d ever seen. She leaned in and kissed him, “I love you too. I have for a long time, now.”

“Holy shit,” Alex exclaimed. “We’re having a baby.”

“Oh my God. Yeah. We’re having a baby,” Jo laughed. “Me and you. Together. Having a baby.”

They both cackled loudly until the point of tears. It was hilarious to think that two months ago, they would’ve never even dreamed of a moment like this. As their laughter died down, Alex gasped, “Crap.”

“What?”

“We’ve gotta tell people,” he shared. “Not right now, but eventually we gotta tell people.”

“Shit,” Jo responded. “Oh God! We’ve got to tell Yang. She’s never going to let us live it down.”

Alex’s eyes widened, “Dammit. I forgot about Cristina. Be prepared to get custom made onesies that say Evil Spawn’s Spawn on them.”

“Our kid is going to be so spoiled,” Jo grinned. “They’re going to have everything we didn’t as kids.”

He placed his hand on her still flat belly, “Yeah they are.”

#jolex #jolex fanfic #jolex au #jo wilson #alex karev #jo karev #jo x alex #greys anatomy #greys fanfic #grey's anatomy #greys au #grey's anatomy fanfiction #jolex babies #gift fic #sentence prompt #dialogue prompts #fanfic prompts

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wordynerdygurl · 4 years

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Echoes of You

Author’s Note: This is from a request sent in to my 500 Followers Challenge. I’ve included it below... I did have fun with it! As always, please feel free to re-blog, share, and comment! Also, I’m accepting tag list requests and story requests! *The GIF is perfect and I want to thank the original creator/ poster!* Pairing: Loki x Female Reader Summary/ Request: “Loki is badly hurt on a mission and the reader has to make some sort of deal with a dark magical entity to save him. The price she has to pay is that everyone she knows is going to forget she ever existed. She takes the deal and tries to build a new life away from the avengers, however she and Loki keep running into each other and he's very drawn to her. After a lot of pestering, she agrees to go on a date with him on the condition that he is going to leave her alone after that. Their date goes great and they're almost about to have sex, but she stops him because she thinks he would've never wanted her if he actually had his memories. Obviously he knows though, they both confess their feelings and it ends on passionate, rough smut. Hope that's not too much and you have fun with it :)” Warnings: Battle scenes of the MCU variety, talk of blood/ death, angst and SMUT

"LOKI!"

Time freezes in that screamed second.

You feel yourself running, feet sliding in the gritty sand beneath your boots, desperate. He is impossibly far away but you can make it. You have to.

Skidding into the gravel on your knees, you shout his name as you watch him crumple. He's gone pale, limp, boneless in your arms. There's blood, lots of it, too much to stop on your own. It flows freely, drenching you down to your skin, warm and sticky. There’s no way to stem the flood.

In your dreams you always catch him in time. Keeping him off the cold ground, hugging his lean body to yours, ignoring the others as they fight around you. His twinkling eyes flutter but they stay open, struggling to focus on you. You watch his soft lips part, they form words, sounds that never reach you in the vacuum of your panic.

"Hush… it's ok… I'm here. I got you." Gurgling platitudes gush from you but there's no way to know if he hears them. A smile, young and sweet spreads across his unbearably handsome face. Using his last measure of strength, Loki strokes your cheek as you press your hot lips to his too cool skin.

You wake up wailing, the pillow beneath you wet. Honestly, it's never dry, not anymore. Because every night you try to save Loki. Every night he speaks soundlessly to you. And every morning you wake up to reality.

Dawn's dark hides you and your pain. You let the loss of Loki roll over you. Pulling you under in a rip tide of shuddering sobs, drowning you with memories of what you had before and what you have now. Swallowing that hard knot of agony, bitter and jagged, your crying steadied then dried out after a few minutes.

This new existence, this new life, was lonely. Awake now, well before the sun, you pushed out of bed and geared up for a run without much enthusiasm. When you couldn't ease your mind you took it out on your body.

Stepping onto the dim sidewalk you stretched just a little. You wanted to punish your subconscious, your wayward brain, not tear a hamstring. Setting off with a sigh, your feet slapping the pavement in an even staccato, you tried to turn your mind off.

On the quiet streets of your new city, one you were struggling to make feel like home, you wanted to outrun the past. Eager to put distance between you and all that had come before, forcing your legs to go further, faster, you ran by yourself in the shadows. There was no one to disturb you, not at this ungodly hour. Not that anyone would. You used to be a SHIELD agent, one who looked mad at the world, which you were. So you ran on, giving no thought to direction or neighborhood, welcoming any and all risk if it meant peace of mind.

Most days the sweat and strain were enough to calm your demons. By running your body down, your mind would let go too. Not today. Today, your dream, like a well directed film, played on a loop in your head. Each scene was vivid, real, raw. And not true.

---

"You come here freely?"

Hitching your chin defiantly, "Yes."

The ethereal being before you seemed to float on a crimson cloud, too beautiful to be benevolent, the aura around her dusky skin crackling violet. Part sorceress, part dark queen, she was your last hope. A final step you might take to keep Loki alive.

Slinking snake like, she sidled to your side, "I know what brings you here, mortal. I know what you want."

"Then you know I need help. Your help." You weren't begging. At least not yet, anyway. But the smell of desperation curled around you, black and rotten, regardless.

"You are not the one in need. Odin's adopted boy… the prince. He is dying. Is it not so?"

Her voice was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Strong, soft and sweet, the witch's words echoed in the close quarters of her stony temple. Swirling around you in the rouge red ribbons of her eternal energy, she did not wait for your reply. "What is it to you, child? The death of a Jotun foundling can mean but little to a human. And yet, you come to me willingly. Why?"

Hot tears formed, threatening to splash, scalding your cheeks. Your breath left your body as a gutted groan tore the words from your deepest soul, "I love him."

"Love. Such a human emotion." You felt her then, the physicality of her form, as she brushed an errant tear from your face. The enchantress stilled, her beautiful dark skinned face emerging in front of you, scrutinizing your expression, reading your pain.

Questioning you quietly, "You say that you love the youngest of Odin's sons."

"I do."

"The magic you ask for, it carries a hefty price."

Hope at the thought of her assistance made you boisterous. "Anything! I will pay any price. Twice over, if it keeps Loki alive."

Glowing plum colored, her gaze took you in, measuring you and your resolve. "Your sacrifice will be great, make no mistake. It will test the love you claim to feel for this demi-god."

What did you care of sacrifices if it kept Loki alive? Was there a price too high for the life of your love? Anger flashed through you, frustrated and flustered, "I heard you the first time. Will you aid me or not?"

"So cross, so eager." Silver laughter filled the cavernous space but was short lived. "You do not know the full cost of your desires and yet... you are in a rush to see them come to fruition. Child, I can do what you ask. I will do it, if you agree. In return... no one will remember you. Only this will purchase Loki's life."

"What?"

The Sorceress took your hand, testing its weight, turning your palm up. "You heard me. If this is truly what you want… to keep Loki alive, then your life… your history will be erased."

Gulping hard, understanding hitting you like a freight train, "My life for his? Is that it?"

Violet eyes bore into yours, purple orbs that fill your vision, unblinking. "No… you will not die, little mortal. It is far worse than that. You will live, but you will live in isolation. You will be forgotten by Loki… by your family… by your friends. You will meet them as strangers. They will carry on without you."

"But Loki will live?" He had to, you had come too far to fail your God now.

"Yes. Will you be able to?"

"Me? I don't understand what you're asking me."

"Will you be able to have a life without the man you say you love?"

Could you? There had been no one like Loki in your life before. Smart and strong, sarcastic and cutting, tender and kind. Loki was all the things you needed in a partner and he made you better at the same time. Taming you, just a little, being loved by Loki had softened some of your rough edges. Would it be easy to know he was walking around, enjoying life, but not be a part of it? No. But how else could you honor the man who had given you so much?

With a straining voice, "Loving him, having been loved by him, will have to be enough to satisfy my soul. There is no other option for me."

Nodding solemnly, content at your knowledge of the bargain, the crimson conjurer drew a symbol on the pad of your hand. Watching her with widening eyes, she pulled a gossamer green thread from the center of your palm. A string of memories erasing you in order to allow Loki to survive.

"It is longer than I would've thought, deeper too." And you knew what she meant instinctively because your heart pinched as her hands gathered more and more of your time with Loki to her. Dragging him out of your life with a sharp throb. When it was over the witch had a skein of your history, emerald green and glossy, which she evaporated into a wisp of smoke.

You had a small six pointed star shaped scar in the center of your hand. It was your sole token of the life you and Loki had shared. That and the memories that you alone carried.

"It is done." There was finality in her words, a dismissive quality, and for the first time in her presence you were frightened. Not of her, but of the new world you were facing.

Solemnly, you bowed your head, "Thank you."

"We shall see, human. We shall see."

---

By the time you return home, soaked with sweat, you're tired but feeling more like yourself. It's a relief to feel the night's pain fade enough for you to shower and dress for work. It's not a career. But it is just enough to almost pay rent and buy food.

Working with people, although frustrating at times, really does keep the white light of your emptiness away. Besides, the store offered a discount on clothes, which helped, and there was always something physical to be done. Lifting boxes, moving racks, hauling trash. Anything to keep you thoughtlessly busy. Like you did everyday, you threw yourself into the job, mindlessly. It was a life raft of sorts, a buoy keeping you afloat, a thing to cling to while trying not to let the weight of your past drag you down.

Listening to the consumer safe playlist, getting into a rhythm, you bobbed your head as your folded t-shirts. Your co-workers hated restocking, rehanging, straightening the racks. So, naturally that's what you were doing, lost in your own little world.

"I really don't see why we have to be here, brother." Something about that voice made you pause. Haughty and high handed, you could swear that it was…

"Jane has a birthday, brother. I will not forget it."

"Then, for the love of Odin, bring her some lovely Asgardian silks. Jewelry in gold or silver. Or better yet, take her home, seduce her soundly. Do anything but buy that hideous sweater."

"It's not hideous. You know nothing of Midgardian fashion."

"Me? I know nothing? Dear brother, this suit is Armani. That is designer. That means something."

"It means you spent way too much coin, Loki."

Turning quickly you moved closer to the men, still listening, still in disbelief. Peeking at the mismatched pair through a clothing rack, pushing two furry sweaters apart, your heart was racing. Stunned, you recognized the strong back of the tall, broad blonde. When he moved toward another display of shits your jaw fell open. Loki was here! Not five feet away!

"Bah! I don't see her size." Thor sighed in frustration, the offending rack of clothes wobbling with the force of his displeasure.

Loki, picking lint from his sleeve, "Find a clerk… ask for the awful thing in Jane's size so we can get out of this place." Lifting his piercing blue eyes, he spied you, trying to slip away unnoticed, "You! Hello? Yes… can you help us?"

It takes you a second to register that Loki, your Loki, is addressing you. Stiffly, you straighten up, your eyes rising to his inquisitive azure ones. They snap with a vitality that was missing when you saw him last.

A cloud passes over his gaze. Shadows of recognition, maybe? Or is that just what you want to see?

"Um… sure. What… uh, what do you need, sir?" You sound like a robot. Cringing at the put on voice you're using, awkward and uncomfortable, you smile at Thor.

Loki steps closer, brushing past his brother, not quite in your space but close enough for you to smell his skin. A familiar combination of leather and vanilla, sugar and spice, reaches out to you. Your breath hitches at the nearness of him. Memories on the tip of your tongue.

He's holding a fuzzy sweater, one the color of spicy mustard, about to hand it to you when his head tilts. "Do… do I know you?"

Heat climbs your face. Yes. Yes, Loki. You know me. You know me in a way no one else could ever know me. You know the sound of my sobs and the sigh of my satisfaction. Why I love the smell of the snow and hate lima beans. You know me.

And I know you. I know the strength of your character. The depth of your love. Which thoughts haunt you, songs your mother sang over your crib, poems written for no one else to read. Oh yes, I know you.

But what you say is, "Me? No… nope. No. We've… I mean, no. You don't know me." Kicking yourself mentally, the verbal diarrhea couldn't be stopped, and now Loki's surveying you even more closely.

"Are you certain? It's just… I could swear that I know you." For the first time since meeting Loki you hear uncertainty in his voice. It's almost enough to weaken your resolve, tell him all of it, even if it's in the middle of The Loft.

"Have… have you been in the shop before? I uh, I work a lot." Looking anywhere but at the handsome man from your nightmares, you settle on the offending sweater, trying to seem like an eager employee not a stuttering mess.

"No." His smile widened, the natural flirt in him coming out to play, "We have never set foot in this place."

Your thoughts jumbled. Unprepared for facing Loki, unsure of how to handle seeing him again, you focused on the top Thor wanted to give Jane. "Oh… well, maybe I just look like someone you used to know? Um… what size did you say?"

Thor, watching the interaction between you and Loki, was just happy to get back into the conversation. "Yes. Size 2 please, my good woman."

Casting Loki a side eyed glance, chuckling at Thor, you made your way to the stockroom. Stay calm, you willed yourself. Keeping your back straight, your head level and your breathing even, you walked towards the back. Your heart? That jerk was pumping overtime. As soon as you are gone, Thor rounds on his younger brother, "She likes you, Loki! And, she is rather cute."

Rolling his eyes with a groan, "Cute? She is far more beautiful than that, brother."

Wagging his golden brows playfully, the God of Thunder teased, "You should take her on a date. To dinner. She might actually say yes!"

"It's creepy. No woman wants to be courted while they're at work. Although…" Looking longingly at the “Employees Only” sign on the door you had disappeared into, Loki sighed.

"Yes, brother?"

"Although, she does remind me of someone."

"I have never seen her before. And she is certainly Midgardian. There's no other-worldly influence in her." Thor was sliding through hangers, evaluating gift options for Jane, talking in what he thought was a whisper.

"Yes. Yes… it's just so strange. She is so familiar… too familiar." Loki left his sentence hanging in the air. You were striding his way, a soft, down turned expression on your face. The urge to kiss the corners of your mouth overwhelmed him.

"Hi again." Exhaling, you risked a full look at Loki. He was scrutinizing you, closer than before, needing to solve the mystery of your connection.

"Hello."

God, you missed his eyes. The serious way they took in every detail. How they lit up with Loki's laughing or glowed with mischief when he got up to no good.

Swallowing dryly, you remembered his eyes darkening with passion. Appraising you through dusky lashes, half closed in pleasure as you hugged his body snugly to your own. His heavy heat inside of you, both finding release, breathing hard, holding onto each other while the world around you faded away.

"I'm… I'm sorry?"

Loki, peering at you, smirked. "I said, thank you for the hideous sweater. My brother's fiancee will hate it but she will, inevitably, appreciate the oaf's effort."

Giggling, your body temperature rose a few degrees, unable to resist Loki. It was so easy to be around him. It always had been.

"My lady, thank you! Brother, I am off to find the cashier. I shall meet you outside…" Thor nodded your way, encouraging Loki, failing at being discreet.

Sharing a laugh with your former lover, Loki risked taking your hand. You didn't shrug him off. Instead, your breath caught, frozen in the familiar feeling of his fingers.

"Hmm… you say we are strangers but your body tells another story, little one. Do you know who I am?"

You could answer that honestly. Loki wasn't as popular as Thor or Captain America but his name was known publicly. His reputation was a bit tarnished, surely, but that had always been part of your attraction to him.

Finding your voice, "Yea… I do."

"Uh huh. Then you know I am not some mortal man, held to the rules and restrictions of this planet. You understand that I am a God. One who makes mischief." Dropping his voice into that silky predatory tone had made your insides go liquid.

He was too close now, his spearmint breath fanning your face, "Yes, I know where your… skills lie."

Watching your chest heave, your want apparent, Loki licked over his bottom lip, certain he could taste phantom strawberry bubblegum and grapefruit lip gloss. An odd, yet enticing, combination. One his mouth knew even if his memory couldn't recall why.

"Then you know I suss out falsehoods. It's part of the deal, dove. To lie you must spot lies. And you…", pressed into a wall mirror, hidden by a rack of wool pea coats, "aren't being truthful."

What could you say to that? “I… I am too. Like I said, You don’t know me.” Leaning into you, not touching your begging skin, but still so near, “Little liar. I think that there might be a way to solve our problem. Over dinner, tonight. My treat, assuming there’s a restaurant in this town that is not part of a chain.”

“A date? With you?” A date was not a good idea. Too much time to talk might lead to trouble. Either you’d say too much or, and this was possibly worse, do too much with Loki. Could you resist his charms? You weren’t able to the first time around. Now, knowing just how much you missed him, how lonely your nights were without him, would you be able to stop things from going too far? What if Loki learned the truth? That you had sacrificed your past together so that he might have a future, would he still want you then? Could he?

Loki, seeing all these thoughts pass over your face, “Yes. With me.” “No.” “No?” “Yes.” “So, yes then?” “No. Yes to the no.” “I don’t think you know what you want little mortal. Join me for dinner tonight and I won’t bother you ever again.” Always tricky, this could be another of Loki’s pranks, ready to backfire on you at the drop of a hat. If he kept his word, walked away after your night out, then it would be worth it. You could do one evening and not lose your head or your heart. “You won’t bother me ever again? You promise?” That sinister smile spread over Loki’s face, lifting his sharp cheekbones in triumph, “Oh, I promise. One date. Tonight.”

--- Years ago, when you and Loki enjoyed the first full flush of blossoming love, dating wasn’t always possible or convenient. With missions to go on, HYDRA cells to investigate, and near constant alien invasions of one kind or another, dinners and movies weren’t a priority. Staying alive was the rule of the day. In the moments when relaxation was possible, you and Loki found yourselves drawn to each other. Bonding over take out containers and warm beers in the early morning hours, sleep elusive, sitting on the counter tops. Sharing great music, digital from you, vinyl from Loki, led to dancing on the cool tile of the rooftop patio. Cherished books, personal poetry and moving works of art passed between you at a rate that alarmed the rest of the team.

You favorite times? Watching films and must see TV from the comfort of Tony’s leather couches. Snuggled under soft blankets, touching each other gently, testing and teasing. Letting the connection you shared grow naturally was what made it so special. Tonight though, this was different. Loki arrived at your door in full on romantic leading man mode. His suit was jet with a shirt and tie to match, making him look long and lethal, but undeniably sexy. There were flowers, an affectation that nonetheless made your heart swell. Holding your door, pulling out your chair, effortlessly making all the right moves was just Loki’s style. Why did it make your heart ache in equal measure? Because it was so different from your first time around. The love that led you here, to a place where no one knew you, had been so organic. Not forced or formulaic.

“I fear I’m boring you.” Loki’s bright eyes glittered as he swirled his fork through the rich sauce skillfully. Dabbing your mouth, “No, not at all. I just… I…” You were lost in remembering. Loki was telling a story that you had lived, but where you should have been was a hole. A gap, created when you had made your deal with the purple eyed sorceress, brought reality crashing into the conversation. It was a distracting detail. “Lost in your thoughts. You do that frequently, don’t you, dove.” Dove. Oh god, you hadn’t heard his endearments in ages. It made your stomach tense from need. Being Loki’s dove had meant something to you then. It meant more now. “My past is never far. It creeps up on me all the time. But I’m sure you know nothing about that.” Deliberately leading him to talk more about himself, you let the timbre of his voice take over, listening intently to the man who once was yours. The long night was over too soon. You had been on eggshells, carefully choosing your words, the entire time. As much as you wanted to keep him near, you knew that one night was already a calculated risk, and it couldn’t happen again. If Loki kept his promise, tomorrow you would be back to your routine, the missing him would still be there but so would running and the store. “Uh… thank you for the lovely dinner. I really enjoyed it.” “I believe you used to be a better liar.” Freezing, your key in the lock, you turned to face Loki. “What was that?” Panic rose in your throat tasting of bile and bucatini. Leaning his shoulder against your door frame, “You heard me perfectly well. Like I said, you were better at this once. At least, I think you were.”

“I don’t know what you think, but I’ve… we’ve…” “Never met? Yes, that line is familiar. But then again, so are you.” “Loki…” Pleading with him to drop it, to let it go, would never work. Besides, you hadn’t been able to.

And what would happen if you did come clean? Would the spell be reversed? You couldn’t risk that. Not after all that you’d already gone through to keep Loki alive. At the sound of his name on your lips, Loki stepped into your personal space. His long finger rested over your parted mouth, effectively silencing you, as he whispered in your ear, “No more lies. Not tonight.” Reaching around you, Loki turned your key, opening the door to your place. Clicking on your lamp, the circle of light small in the shadows of your apartment, you move towards the kitchen. “I need a drink. Do you want one?” Nodding, “I think I might need one.” Barking out a hard laugh, you lifted two glasses down from the rarely opened cabinet. Tossing in ice cubes, you quickly cover them with the amber liquid of bourbon, swirling the two ingredients together as you walk back to the man pacing in your living room. “Good stuff, right?” Ruefully chuckling at the harsh burn of the booze, you looked at your date motioning for him to take a seat on your beat up sofa next to you. Folding himself gracefully, Loki perched on the couch, his knee just barely grazing your own. The contact was electric, shorting out your speech center for a second, and you moaned softly. Moving your drink to the table, Loki’s digits circled your wrist, "Now tell me, why do I know these hands? Soft but strong, with a scar across the middle knuckle…"

Turning your palm down, brushing over that exact imperfection, Loki searched your eyes for answers. "Why am I drawn to you across space and time? You are a ghost that haunts me. The echo of a dream that is real and warm… and here."

"Loki…" Chin quivering, "There are things you don't know. Things about me… about us…"

Tilting his head, studying you, "Ah. Us. We, that is, you and I have history, do we not? I… I know that is true. Yet," Swallowing thickly, Loki struggled to control the swell of emotion bubbling through him, "Yet, I have no memory of you. Tell me why that is."

A wild sob ripped through you making your shoulders heave. "I don't think I can!"

Twining his arms around you, the smell of his skin surrounding you, comforting you, "Why is that?"

Eyes brimming with tears, you murmured, "Because… it might reverse everything. I… I don't know what would happen if I told you the truth. All of it."

"So, dark magic then. Strong… but perhaps not strong enough. Not nearly capable of keeping you and I apart." Petting your knee, savoring the nearness of Loki, you parted your thighs in anticipation of his touch. Loki, unable to resist any longer, pressed a kiss to the corner of your mouth. One of his palms skated under the hem of your dress while his other hand cupped your cheek. Tracing over your jawline with his thumb, Loki deepened the kiss, his tongue tasting you in tiny sips. Pulling away from you, “We… We were lovers.” His voice rose at the revelation no longer concealed by magic. “Yes, Loki.” Swallowing hard, the raw truth finally said out loud. “But you, you erased yourself from my mind… My life. Why did you do it? Why would you take our… happiness from me?” It was enough to break your heart all over again. Loki’s voice, trembling, unsure, and clearly hurting.

Whispering more for yourself than him, "I couldn’t let you go, Loki. I… I can't, even now. I watched you almost die. I won't do it again!" “And this? This is life? Dove. You know better than this.” “I saved your life!” Needing to defend yourself, you nearly bellowed in frustration, struggling to make Loki understand. Standing suddenly, Loki turned from you, “What kind of life have I had without you?” “I don’t know the answer to that…” Rising yourself, a hand to Loki’s chest, “But my life without you… you have no idea how hard it’s been. I dream of you every night, Loki. And in those dreams, I don’t rescue you. You die in my arms. Every night, Loki. I saved you once with the help of dark magic. But I’ve lost you every single day since.”

Crying in earnest now, you felt Loki wrap his iron arms around you, “Hush now. Hush, darling. Somehow, some way, I found you again. I’m not letting you go.” Sagging into his warmth, letting Loki comfort you, felt like home. Without realizing, you were swaying in each other's arms, dancing to the music in your souls. You curled your arms around Loki's waist, his solid figure reassuring, hugging him closer.

Loki's hands drifted down, cupping your bottom, squeezing your curves firmly. "I missed you, little minx."

Giggling at his pet name for you, one you never expected to hear again, you smiled up at your dark hued God. Standing on your toes you touched your lips to Loki's. Anticipating your move, Loki opened his mouth, capturing yours in a kiss.

Loki's grip, tugging you tightly to his firm form, became needy. His mouth plundered yours, taking your breath, absorbing your moan. A hand tangled in your hair, pulling your hungry lips from his own, giving Loki unchecked access to the column of your throat.

Closing your eyes, lost in intimate sensations that were both routine and refreshing, you lost yourself in Loki. Stepping out of his grasp, you pulled the hem of your dress up, shrugging it over your head and tossing it to the floor. "Loki, I love you. I never stopped loving you."

Watching your nearly nude form, Loki shared his sweet, secret smile with you. "I love you. And even wizardry could prevent us from finding each other."

"Please, help me remember. Let me forget." He knew what you were asking. Remember what you had shared, what you could have again. Forget this time apart, this lapse in love.

"With pleasure, little dove."

---

Your bed, usually so lonely, was suddenly too small. Loki's long body stretched across the mattress, reaching for you, impatient to relearn the things that made you melt. And you? You couldn't stop touching his satin skin.

First your fingers fluttered over his thighs, up his torso, over his chest. But that wasn't enough to satisfy. So you followed the same trail with your mouth. Licking lovingly over Loki's abdominals, nipping at his tiny nipples, sucking against his Adam's Apple.

Straddling Loki, his hands on your hips drag you against his rigid rod. Feeling his driving desire made your core quiver. When he caught your nipple in his mouth, sucking forcefully, you howled like a wild woman.

"Oh, Loki! Ah!" Your hands tangled in his hair, encouraging the exquisite agony of his teeth biting into your tender bud.

With a growl, Loki flipped you to your back, settling himself between your spread thighs. Removing your panties with a swift tug, Loki spread your lower lips, licking into your luscious folds. His tongue thrust into you, lapping at your liquid, drinking you down.

Convulsing when Loki's tactile tongue circled your clit, your core clenched in pleasure, your release is close. When you announce that to the man pleasuring you, Loki nips at your inner thigh, kissing his way over your mound. "Not yet. I'm not through with you or your bountiful body."

As his lips closed over your own, Loki shifted your hips higher, your cleft cuddling his steel length. Teasing your entrance with his wide tower, drawing a shivery moan from you, Loki slowly sunk into your yielding sheath. Inch by inch, Loki claimed more of you as you impatiently waited to be filled by his hard heat.

Stretched by his searing shaft, Loki bent your knees, bringing them closer to your chest. Rocking into you, his hips pressing your legs apart, Loki enjoyed the feeling of your velvet vice gripping his with each push. He was slow, methodically moving inside of you, taking his time.

Your body responded with slick skin, soft sighs, melting into a mewling mess. "Faster Loki! Please!"

"No. I never want to forget you again." Loki's words sparked your internal fire. Plunging into your pulsing pocket, picking up speed, Loki pursued your pleasure.

You couldn't keep your hands off of him. His neck, his shoulders, his firm bottom, the cut of his hip. Scratching your nails over his arms, along his back, across his chest, Loki grunted in delight.

"Cum with me, little dove." It wasn't a command or a request. It was a plea.

"Always, Loki!" Locking your arms behind his neck, Loki dug his fingers into the back of your thighs, your tongues tangling together. Panting through your pleasure together, clinging to each other, determined to hang onto the only other person who mattered, you pressed your forehead to Loki's.

That night you slept curled around Loki, deeply and uninterrupted. Tomorrow would bring a new dawn, a new day. And everything before today would be an echo, losing distinction over time, replaced by the new life you would build together. ---

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