#I told them I'd draw them anything they wanted if they sat in the seats while I drew.

[anonymusbosch]

sometimes i feel like extending the kindness you can, when you can, is the only thing there is

[captainsophiestark]

A Perfect Match

Anthony Bridgerton x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: Bridgerton

Day 19 Prompt: "What if we're wrong?"

Summary: Anthony and Y/N have been dancing around each other for far too long. Benedict and Colin decide to do something about that.

Word Count: 1,726

Category: Fluff, minor angst

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

Benedict's POV

"Colin!" I hissed, poking my head into the study where my brother sat journaling about his travels. He looked up at me like he had no idea why I could be bothering him. "Lady Y/N is here."

"Oh!"

He shot out of his seat, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. We'd only been putting together our plan to get her and my brother together for a week. How he could've forgotten was beyond me.

"Alright, she's having tea with Eloise in the drawing room. I'm going to go get her and bring her to Anthony's study," I said as Colin and I walked through the halls. "You just be ready to come give me a reason to leave once we're in there."

Colin nodded, then paused.

"Benedict? What if we're wrong? About their feelings?"

I sighed. Anthony and Y/N truly did butt heads at every opportunity as if they hated each other. But it was hard to miss the longing looks and the way one of them got distracted just by the other walking into the room. I shrugged.

"Well, I suppose if we're wrong, they'll probably kill us."

Colin gave me a look, but I completely ignored it as I marched into the drawing room.

****************

Y/N's POV

"Y/N!"

I turned from my tea and the book spread between me and Eloise at the sound of Benedict's voice, giving him a friendly smile as he entered the room.

"Hello, Benedict. Lovely to see you."

"Likewise. Actually, I was wondering if you could spare a moment to accompany me upstairs? Anthony mentioned needing to see you for something, and I told him that since I was on my way down, I'd bring you back up."

"Anthony wanted to see me?" I asked, working very hard to keep my tone neutral. Benedict nodded.

"Yes, if you don't mind."

"Actually, we do mind," Eloise chimed in. "Tell Anthony he can get his own friend."

"Eloise, Mother wanted to see you as well," Benedict responded smoothly. "She's in the garden."

Eloise narrowed her eyes, and I watched the staring contest develop like a tennis match. Finally, after a few moments, Eloise gave in and stood with a sigh.

"Fine. I shall go find her. But if this is a ruse, Benedict-"

"For what purpose? You are entirely too suspiscious sister."

I hid a laugh behind my hand as Eloise glared at Benedict on her way out of the room. I truly loved the Bridgertons, and watching them interact was more entertaining than the most competitive horse race.

"Lady Y/N," said Benedict, offering his arm to me with a smile. I took it, my mind racing as Benedict and I made our way upstairs. Anthony and I had a rather unusual relationship, and although I'd never admit it, I had developed strong feelings for the Viscount over the course of knowing him. The curiosity over why he wanted to see me was eating me alive.

"Did Anthony mention what he wished to discuss?" I asked, trying to keep my tone casual.

"No, he only asked me to hurry," Benedict responded. We reached the door, and Benedict held it open for me. "After you."

I stepped inside, feeling a bit nervous. Anthony was hard at work, scribbling away at papers on his desk, but he looked up when he saw me.

"Lady Y/N! Hello, uh..." He cleared his throat and shuffled some of the papers into a neater pile absentmindedly.

"Here she is, brother, like you asked," said Benedict as he came to stand beside me. Anthony's brow furrowed like he was confused, but Colin poked his head into the study before Anthony could say anything.

"Benedict!" said Colin. "Mother sent me, she needs to see you immediately."

Now it was my turn to be a bit confused, especially as Benedict grimaced like Colin had some something wrong. Before I could say anything, however, Benedict was moving quickly towards the door.

"Right, well, then I'd better not keep her waiting."

With that, he and Colin ducked into the hall, closing the door behind them. A moment later I heard the door lock, and then a sound like something heavy being pushed against it from the other side.

"Did they just..."

I stared in shock at the door for a few moments, whirled around to look at Anthony, then turned back to the door again. Benedict and Colin had just locked me in here, with Anthony, who looked as surprised as I did.

After a long moment of inaction, Anthony pushed back from his desk and quickly crossed the room. I watched as he tried the door and it didn't budge, then tried it again. Finally, he shoved it a bit with his shoulder as if it were stuck, and still nothing worked.

"Benedict! Colin!" he shouted through the door. No response.

"Anthony?" He whirled around to face me, eyes a little wild. "Did you actually ask Benedict to bring me up here to talk about something?"

"What? No, I haven't seen Benedict all morning."

I crossed my arms and shook my head, turning away from Anthony.

"I can't believe those two. I can't believe them."

"What are you talking about?"

I huffed an irritated sigh, then answered without turning around.

"Benedict dragged me away from tea with Eloise, telling me you'd asked to see me, right away. I don't know what on earth he and Colin were thinking, but now I'm stuck in here with you-"

I stopped abruptly, not trusting myself to continue speaking. Anthony and I butted heads plenty, but there was no denying how much I enjoyed spending time with him. Sparring with him when we disagreed and never feeling angry, just excited. Laughing as he complained about having to participate in the season but feeling jealous when one of the other girls or Mamas got their hands on him... I loved him. But I wasn't sure I wanted to admit it.

"Is it really so awful?"

Anthony's voice was thick, more vulnerable than I'd really ever heard it before. I turned around to fix him with a questioning look, and he held my eyes, although he looked ready to run at a moment's notice. Unfortunately for him, we had nowhere to go.

"Is it really so awful to be stuck in here with me?" Anthony continued when I didn't answer him. "Do you really hate me so much?"

My heart shattered in my chest, especially at the tentative sadness in his voice. My answer didn't come right away, and after a second or two of silence, Anthony turned away.

"I'm sorry. Forget I said anything-"

"Anthony no I- I'm sorry." I started crossing the room to him, but stopped halfway, thinking better of it. "I have fun giving you a hard time and arguing over silly things with you. But if I've done that to the point that you feel I truly hate you... then I'm sorry, I should never have let it go that far."

Anthony turned to face me again, a guarded expression on his face.

"So you do not hate me?"

"No. Quite the opposite, actually."

I took a deep breath, steeling myself to say what I needed to say next. I trusted Benedict and Colin not to do this to me unless they had some idea that my feelings for Anthony were mutual. Hopefully, that trust wasn't misplaced, but even if it was, denying my feelings had only hurt Anthony and I both. It had to end.

"Anthony, I'm sure this will be considered entirely too forward for me to say as a lady, but... I rather think I love you. You challenge me in a way no other man ever has, and when we are aligned, our teamwork knows no equal. There may be other men who would treat me well, and there may even be other men who would respect me as a partner, but none of them would be you. You, Anthony... you are my perfect match. And if I've led you to believe I hated you, then I am truly sorry. I assure you I do not."

Anthony just stared back at me, not taking his eyes off me the entire time I spoke. He didn't respond right away after I finished, still just staring, his expression unreadable. I started to sweat and fidget, immediately regretting my words and wishing I could take them back.

"You know, Anthony, actually-"

Before I could finish the thought, Anthony rushed to close the rest of the distance between us, sweeping me off my feet and spinning me around in his arms. I yelped, but when he set me down, we both had massive smiles on our faces.

"I apologize. That was rather improper of me," he said, not sounding the least bit sorry. I smiled back and leaned into him a little more.

"No more improper than my confession, or your brothers locking us in this room together."

Anthony hummed, leaning into me and pulling me close to him again, one hand tangling in my hair as he murmured into my ear.

"I feel the same, you know. I have for some time. I just never imagined that you would care for me as much as I cared for you."

I smiled, wrapping my arms tight around Anthony and holding him close. After a few seconds, we pulled apart, and although I wanted to kiss him, badly, I held back. We'd already crossed quite a few scandalous lines, after all. And now that I knew he felt the same way as I did, I didn't think I'd have to wait long for our courtship to make quite a few more things I wanted to do 'acceptable'.

"I suppose we owe your brothers a thank you for getting us to confess our feelings to each other," I said with a sigh. Anthony scoffed.

"Absolutely not. They still tricked us and physically locked us in a room. No matter how happy I am with the results, they deserve some payback."

I grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Anthony led me back over to his desk where the two of us sat shoulder to shoulder, plotting and planning the downfall of his brothers. I had no idea how long they intended to leave us in this room, but every additional minute meant more time to plan revenge.

Happily, it also meant more time with Anthony. And with any luck, the rest of my life would be filled with more time with Anthony.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury

[alexandersimpleton]

Not quite so different

Frederick isn't really cursed like the rest of the CPC, but maybe he isn't so different from them.

Frederick woke up, exited for another meeting with Gwen that day. It wasn't for anything important, but Jack had been in a good mood when he scheduled it and thought a short visit would be nice, especially so he could beat Leland at chess again.

He got dressed in one of his many green plaid jackets, took his... pills... and headed down for breakfast, where nothing of note happened, fitting the (relatively, Blain saw a huge bear or something in the forest somewhere) uneventful carriage ride to the pastel palace.

"Jackie!" "Leeloo!"

The kings embraced in the center of the room, while the princes met with their eventual fiances

"Hey Lorena! I saw a huge bear on the way here!"

So Lance and Lorena got into a heated discussion about the big bear, and Blain and Maria talked about... whatever those two talk about, but Gwen was nowhere to be found.

"Uh, where's Gwen?"

"Oh, she had to go to her fancy princess school today." Maria said.

"Fancy princess school?"

And a chime in from Lorena "Yeah the Cos- Cosma- Cosmo-"

Before Blain but in with "the Cosmopolitan Princess Conservatory. Has no one told you this before?"

Cosmopolitan Princess Conservatory...

CPC

Cursed Princess Club!

She must have had something important there!

"Oh! Now I remember!" But just to be safe "They were the school from that dinner party that Gwen held, right?"

"Yeah, them"

I'll just... um... go outside and read a book! Yeah I probably packed a couple in the carriage."

Luckily, his bad lying was taken for having thought of the idea of the top of his head (which it was, but they didn't need to know that), so he was let out to "read a book".

He, instead, immediately booked it for the CPC. A bit to fast

And as he finally found the club, already winded, because of course he was, he looked though the trees and found at least most of the club (that Whitney ended up joining apparently) sitting at desks while a woman, Prez he thinks, gave a lecture about something or other. Frederick was suddenly glad he wasn't in this club, be a use he can not focus on lectures.

They seem kind of busy. Maybe he should just go-

"Hey kiddo! Get out here!" The Lady giving the lecture called.

"Yeah! If we aren't free from her lectures, neither are you!" The only non-whitney boy that Frederick couldn't get the name of called along with the Prez's.

"Ahh!" Frederick stumbled out of the forest and into the clearing. "Sorry, I didn't think- uh-"

"Frederick!?" The most beautiful girl in the seats exclaimed.

Frederick only let himself get flustered at her beauty for a few moments though before "Why are you here?!"

"Um... my family was visiting today, and your sisters said you were here, and I can leave if you want, but I just figured that I'd-"

"Oh, you're not leaving Frederick! You're stuck listening to us whether you like it or not!"

"U-um- ok..."

Frederick saw that all the desks were filled, and just sat criss cross next to the beautiful girl, which he did remember the name of. It was Gwen.

But as the lecture droned on, Frederick felt his nose getting rather itchy. Allergies! They shouldn't be a problem for him, but with his condition-

Suddenly, Frederick bursted out into a fit of coughs, and all of them sounded painful. "U-um- just- just allergies! Nature doesn't like me very *cough* very much..." Frederick just managed to get out before more coughs.

Nobody knew what to do, all being concerned but still clueless as to what was going on, except Whitney, who had spent a long time with nerses, and knew something was very wrong.

He got up from his seat in the back, and knelt next to Frederick, with a clear sense of urgency, and Frederick started leaning on his chest, and drawing his legs together, clearly in pain

"Frederick, do you have any meds on you?"

Frederick gave a very slight, but still noticable nod and tried to reach into his pant pocket, but got interrupted by more coughing. Whitney reached into the pocket, and took out what looked to be a small pill bottle, opening it and slowly helping Frederick swallow one.

Whitney helped Frederick into the CPC building and helped Frederick in the couch, as the coughing slowly tapered off, leaving Frederick breathing heavily, which slowly stopped as well.

After a little while if recovering, Frederick slowly made his way out of the building. He was royally screwed wasn't he?

Gwen ran up to him, before remembering something Whitney had told her earlier while Frederick was recovering about not rushing him, and stopped in front of him, before the rest of the club followed her. "Frederick, are you ok?!"

"Uh, yeah, I'm- I'm fine..." Frederick attempted to speed walk away from the situation and hope to never see the club again out of embarrassment. He failed

Prez grabbed his arm "Oh, you are not getting away just like that. Explain. Now."

Frederick never realized Prez was so scary.

"It's... Um...." Frederick mumbled something under his breathe, breaking eye contact. "You're gonna need to explain a little louder bud."

"..." After a bit of hesitation

"I HAVE SOME STUPID CHRONIC ILLNESS AND ITS REALLY EMBARRASSING SO PLEASE DON'T TELL ANYONE!" The boy yelled, and immediately clapped his hands over his mouth and shrank away from Prez. "I get it if you judge me for it though... Everyone else does..."

"Oh kid... We're not gonna judge you for something like that..."

Another CPC member, Abbi, speaks up "yeah Fredy. If you're not judging us for our cursed, than why should we judge you for yours."

"It isn't a curse, it's an actual illness. You just have a curse that makes you look older than you are, Jolie's just missing her eyes, and Saffron just has a weird hand, but this... I can't run to fast, I can't even try to fight anything without passing out, heck, I wasn't even allowed to leave my bed until middle school!" Frederick started to tear up "I'm broken..."

Stunned, most of the CPC just looked at the boy, before Prez hugged him like she'd never hugged anyone before, and brought them both to the ground, as Frederick started to cry into her shoulder. "You're not broken Frederick. Nobody is." Gwen than hugged Frederick to, clearly crying as well, followed by the rest of the club.

"Hey, let's skip the rest of the lecture today."

And so, they mainly just spent the rest of the day relaxing the CPC building, until it was time for Frederick to go home, thinking that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as broken as he thought.

[misty720]

True Love - Ch4: 

Another late night and Chara was already asleep with Kabel in their bed this time.   Papyrus entered to find a plate for him in the fridge, but he was so exhausted that he just wanted water and a shower.  On his way to the bathroom with a change of clothes and a towel he wondered why the hell Serif had a bathroom in his room but he didn't.  Then, he decided that would be their next project.  Speaking of the oldest, by the time Papyrus reached the bottom of the stairs, out walked a half asleep Serif.  "WHAT ARE YOU DOING AWAKE AT THIS HOUR, SON?" he asked with concern.

"I heard you come in and wanted to say goodnight..." Serif yawned.

"NYEH HEH!  GOODNIGHT, MY BOY.  I LOVE YOU, STINKER."  He wrapped his free arm around his oldest who was gaining height on him.

As Serif was sauntering back to his room, he turned back with a grimace that reminded Papyrus way too much of Chara and said, "Hey, Dad...  I don't... feel so great..."

"WELL, SON, YOUR ORDER WAS FOR THREE DOUBLE STACKED HAMBURGERS WITH TOPPINGS, A BASKET OF ONION RINGS, A SIDE OF BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP, AND A SLICE OF MUD PIE WITH EXTRA WHIPPED CREAM AND YOU UNDOUBTEDLY ATE ALL OF IT PLUS WHAT YOUR BROTHER AND SISTER LEFT BEHIND.  I'D SAY YOU-"

"Oh shit!" Serif shouted darting into the bathroom closest to him to throw up.

"I SWEAR IF ONE CATCHES IT THE OTHERS HAVE TO CATCH IT.  HOLD ON, SON.  I'LL BE RIGHT BACK..."  Papa Papyrus was on it with the thermometer, medicine, and a mint-ginger tea because Serif always preferred tea when sick thanks to his aunt Frisk which the other two didn't grow up living with.  "YEP, IT'S A FEVER.  YOU CAUGHT WHATEVER BUG IS GOING AROUND.  I'M SORRY, SON.  IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN GET YOU?"

"No, Dad, I think I'm gonna crawl back to my bathroom so you can shower..."

"HAHA!  YOU CAN STAY IN HERE.  I'LL JUST STEAL YOUR BATHROOM A MOMENT.  I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOU IN THE FLOOR THOUGH."

"Sorry about the language earlier..." Serif apologized through a thick voice one had when sick.

"I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT THAT.  I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU THREE KIDS," Papyrus sat in the side of the tub rubbing Serif's messy waved hair.  Suddenly he sat back up and hit the toilet again.

"Dad?..."

"YES, SON?" Papyrus answered ferfeiting his glass of water so his boy could wash the taste out along with his wash cloth to wipe his face.

"Thanks...  Dad, why couldn't we take after you?...  I hate being sick..."

"LUCK OF THE GENE DRAW, I SUPPOSE.  ARE YOU GOING TO BE ALRIGHT WHILE I WASH WORK OFF OF ME?"

"Yeah...  I'm not my siblings.  I have more wit than that to come knock if something's wrong."

"I'M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT YOU PASSING OUT AND NOT BEING ABLE TO COME GET ONE OF US."

"What is all the noise about down here??" Chara asked coming around the corner from the living room.  "Pap??  Is everything...  Oh no, not you now?!"

"HEY, HONEY.  YEAH, THE STINKY ONE IS NEXT.  CARE TO SIT HERE A MOMENT?  I NEED TO SHOWER," Papyrus greeted her.

"Have you already given him medicine and everything?"

"YES, I JUST DON'T WANT TO LEAVE HIM WHILE HE'S THROWING UP."  Chara felt Serif's forehead to find it was burning hot, sighed, and gave her husband a parting kiss before taking his seat.

"Mom, I'm really okay by myself if you want to go back to bed," Serif groaned.

"I know you are, love.  But, we don't want to leave you alone.  You're still my baby even if you look down at me now.  You'll always be my boy and we'll always want to take care of you.  There will be a time we won't be able to be there and you'll have to do this on your own.  Now is not that time, my love," Chara soothed him best she could handing him his tea to sip.  "Your dad forgot the crackers.  Though... as much as you ate, you might not need them..."

"Mom?... Can you make me broth instead?"

"Of course, love.  I'll be right back."  Once Serif was tucked back in with a bucket by his bed, Chara told him, "Don't try to climb the stairs.  Call my phone and I'll come to you, okay?  I know you're big and think you can do things on your own, and many things you can, but I don't like leaving you alone when you're sick.  Don't sleep on your back either."  Serif nodded and tried to lay down to sleep.  Papyrus kissed his temple after Chara and they headed back upstairs.  Passing the bathroom, Chara stalled.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT, DEAR?" her husband asked with concern for her this time.

"Actually... Pap... I haven't felt great today...  I don't- Oh shit!" she exclaimed in the same fashion as her son and hit the toilet.

"WELL," Papyrus scoffed, "THERE ARE LESS RUDE WAYS FOR YOU BOTH TO SAY YOU DIDN'T LIKE MY COOKING THAN TO TOSS IT."

"Shut... the hell up... Papyrus..." Chara struggled to joke back with her head in the porcelain.  "Paaap..." she whined tossing the rest of her stomach's contents.

Kneeling down, he felt her forehead to find she was also feverish.  "WOWIE!  YOU'RE HOT, AND NOT IN THE USUAL WAY I MEAN IT.  I'M GOING TO SKIP WORK TOMORROW AND TAKE CARE OF YOU BOTH."

"No... don't... don't worry 'bout me...  I'm fine, I can take care of myself and Serif..."

"NO YOU CANNOT.  LOVE, I KNOW YOU'RE STRONG BUT YOU HAVE ALSO COME DOWN WITH THIS BUG.  BESIDES," he leaned in rubbing her back, "YOU'RE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT."

"What about work though?...  They need you..."

"ELODIE CAN HANDLE A DAY BY HERSELF.  THE KITCHEN WILL BE FINE ONE DAY.  I LOVE YOU MORE THAN WORK.  I WOULDN'T HAVE HESITATED TO STAY HOME WITH SYLF OR KABEL EITHER, BUT I KNOW I CAN RELY ON YOU TO TAKE THAT RESPONSIBILITY SO I CAN FOCUS ON MAKING MONEY.  YOU NEED HELP NOW AND THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE FOR.  WE'RE A TEAM HERE AT HOME FIRST, THEN WORK.  REMEMBER?" Payrus assured his wife.

"It's been so long since I've actually needed takin' care of...  I forgot what it was like..."

"EXCUSE YOU.  I TAKE CARE OF YOU ALL THE TIME!"

"I know, Pap.  I was just teasing...  I don't feel well and was trying to take my mind off it."

"OH, I'M SORRY, DEAR.  YOU HANG TIGHT AND I'LL GET YOU MEDICINE, A TOWEL, A WET CLOTH, AND A GINGER-ALE."

"Thank you - I love you..."

"I LOVE YOU, MY DEAR, WITH ALL MY SOUL.  JUST REMEMBER THAT WHEN THINGS ARE ROCKY WITH THE BUSINESS AND WE'RE NOT TOGETHER AS MUCH."  He returned shortly with the promised items and pulled her shoulder length auburn hair out of her face.

"Papa?..." a small voice called from the doorway.  Sylfae had woken up hearing the commotion.

"YES, MINION?" he replied scooping her up to put her back to bed except he decided to put her with Kabel so he wasn't alone if he awoke.  He stepped into the bedroom to see his child had managed to stretch himself across half of the king sized bed.  "WONDERFUL..." he sighed.  "AT LEAST HE'S ASLEEP..."

"Is Momma okay?  Is her tummy bad too?"

"YES, PUMPKIN, MOMMA ISN'T FEELING WELL AND PAPA IS GOING TO TAKE CARE OF HER AND BUBBY.  THEY'RE BOTH ILL TONIGHT WITH THE BUG."

"Is-Is it my fault Momma and bubby are sick?" Sylfae asked tearing up while Papyrus covered her with her blankets.

"SHH... NO, PUMPKIN, NOT AT ALL.  EVERYONE JUST GETS SICK SOMETIMES, EVEN MOMMA," he reassured her.

"You're never sick..."

"MONSTERS DON'T CATCH HUMAN AILMENTS.  WE CAN HAVE DAYS WE DON'T FEEL WELL BUT HUMAN GERMS AND BACTERIA DON'T AFFECT US.  YOU KIDS AREN'T LUCKY IN THAT TO WHICH I AM SORRY.  NOW, LIE DOWN AND SLEEP.  YOU'RE GOING TO SCHOOL TOMORROW WHETHER YOU'RE TIRED OR NOT.  TWO DAYS IS PLENTY TO RECOVER."

"Yes, Papa.  I love you..."

"I LOVE YOU TOO, PUMPKIN.  GOODNIGHT."

"I love you more..."

"I LOVE YOU MORE, AND WE BOTH KNOW I CAN COUNT HIGHER.  SO, CLOSE THOSE PRETTY AMBER-RED EYES AND SLEEP."  Papyrus kissed her cheek and received one in turn before she rolled over and snuggled her favorite stuffed dinosaur that used to be Serif's.  After tucking both little ones in and feeling Kabel's forehead, he then ran back downstairs to check on Serif who was still battling the nausea while cradling the bucket.

"Dad?" Serif cried pitifully from the can.  "Dad, I don't feel good, I feel like crap, I want it to stop," he sobbed like small child as if he were his siblings' age again.  Hearing the distress in his son's voice broke Papyrus's heart.

"I KNOW, SON.  I'M SORRY.  I'M GOING TO BE HERE TONIGHT AND TOMORROW, ALRIGHT?  IT'S JUST A TWENTY-FOUR HOUR BUG.  IT WILL PASS, I PROMISE," he comforted the boy wrapping his boned arms gently around his shoulders and petting his crown.  Taking the bucket from him to set aside, Papyrus held his oldest while he cried a moment from just feeling awful.  "HEY, IT'S ALRIGHT.  I DON'T MIND YOU CRYING ON ME IN THE LEAST, BUT IT'S JUST GOING TO UPSET YOUR STOMACH EVEN MORE.  I'M SURE YOU FEEL BAD ENOUGH, SO TRY TO CALM DOWN, OKAY?  CAN YOU DO THAT FOR ME?"  Serif nodded and wiped his eyes on his sleeve but returned to hugging his dad.

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to being sick..."

"I KNOW.  YOU WERE THE HEALTHY ONE OF THE THREE.  BUT, DON'T BE SORRY AT ALL.  EVERYONE IS SICK SOMETIMES; IT'S A PART OF LIFE.  AND, I'M RIGHT HERE, HOWEVER, I DO NEED TO MAKE SURE MOMMA ISN'T DROWING IN THE TOILET."  Serif let him go in exchange for a clean trash can.  Papyrus returned to the bathroom to find Chara curled up on the floor like the children do when they're sick, too afraid to stray from the best receptacle for purging.  No one wanted to deal with the mess of being sick and flushing it away was the easiest clean up.  "WHAT CAN I DO, LOVE?" he asked sitting on the tub wall to pat her.

"Kill me...  please..." Chara groaned.

"NOPE, TRY AGAIN."

"Use some magic to rub my back...  That always feels nice..."

"THAT I CAN DO."  Tentative husband Papyrus lowered himself to the floor and gently massaged her back with a touch of his healing magic.  Had the magic been the kind that would help a virus, he would have cured all of his household.  Unfortunately, his healing was only good for physical damage such as broken bones and cuts or burns.  He did use this trick on all of them to calm them down or bring some kind of comfort.

"How is Serif?"

"DOING ABOUT AS WELL AS YOU, DEAR.  I JUST CHECKED ON HIM AND KABEL AFTER PUTTING MINION BACK TO BED."

"Thank you, Pap...  I can always count on you...  No matter what, even if things aren't going the best... even if I'm feeling like we're drifting apart, you always come back to remind me how much you truly love me and the kids...  I'm sorry I expect so much sometimes..." she started crying too.

"I'M SORRY THINGS HAVEN'T BEEN AS ROMANTIC OR EXCITING AS THEY USED TO BE...  I KNOW I HAVE BEEN SLACKING-"

"No!  No, you are wonderful, Pap.  I'm just still childish when it comes to your attention.  I know you're just trying to provide while also being happy with how you do it.  I understand... I just... miss you sometimes... when it's ten at night and your side of the bed is cold...  I know I can't have you here and working to make a living for us...  I wouldn't mind working to share the burden..."

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO WORK!  YOU TAKE A LOT OF BURDEN OFF BY BEING HERE FOR THE KIDS!  PLUS, THE FIRST TIME ANYONE WAS CROSS WITH YOU OR TALKED TO YOU THEY WAY THEY DO YOUR SISTER, I WOULD GO TO PRISON.  HONEY, I DON'T THINK YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH I MISS YOU AND THE KIDS.  I WOULD LOVE NOTHING MORE THAN TO BE HOME EVERY NIGHT BY EIGHT, BUT IT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING AND NOT PROPERLY MANAGE THE RESTAURANT.  I'M TRAINING ELODIE, BUT SHE'S NOT READY YET TO BE ON HER OWN MORE THAN A COUPLE OF DAYS AT A TIME.  IT WILL BE BETTER SOON, I PROMISE.  YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOU FOR STICKING BY ME EVEN WHEN YOU FEEL LEFT OUT.  IT'S NEVER MY INTENT TO MAKE YOU FEEL THAT WAY EITHER.  YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD WOMAN AND A GREAT PARTNER, AND I'M SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE YOU IN MY CORNER.  I'M TRYING, I SWEAR.  I LOVE YOU DEEPLY, CHARA.  YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND, MY BETTER HALF, AND MY TRUE LOVE."

"Paaap... I lo-ugh... I love-"  Before she could finish her sentence, Chara hit the bowl with another bout of nausea.

"WELL, I'M SORRY MY DECLARATION OF TRUE LOVE MADE YOUR STOMACH TURN."

"Now is not... ugh... a good time for your smartass remarks..."

"SORRY, DEAR.  JUST TRYING TO BE LIGHTHEARTED TO HELP YOU FEEL BETTER.  BABY, I'M GOING TO MAKE MY BED ON THE COUCH SO I CAN HEAR YOU AND STINKER IF EITHER OF YOU NEED ME."

"Thank you... I love you... my best friend, my rock, my husband..."

"I LOVE YOU TOO.  TRY TO REST, LOVE."  It wasn't a lie.  Papyrus really did miss his family while working so much and would rather be home wrestling with his brood.  He truly preferred his lovely wife stay home and be comfortable while taking care of the other responsibilities.  But, he would also rather bust his proverbial ass at his own business, as his own boss, while doing what he loved than go back to working a mundane desk job sorting paperwork for someone else.  He loved working with his sister in law, but the politics he could do without.  He was much happier even if it meant sacrificing a little time now for more in the future because he didn't plan on going like this forever and looked forward to retiring earlier than he could if he were still with the Embassy.  His business had brought in more than enough to sustain them and provide luxuries, but only because he was so meticulously involved with it day in and day out for the six days it was open.  Papyrus had a plan for the long run and would eventually only be checking in a couple days a week or if they were short on occasion.  His passion was cooking, true.  And, he loved it, yes.  However, his true love was his family and being a husband and a father more than anything.

@papara-week

[casspurrjoybell-29]

Forgotten Ties - Chapter 7 - Part 3

*Warning Adult Content*

Nim had settled in with his homework at a picnic table in front of the school with the expectation that he'd have a long wait ahead of him, but he'd barely gotten started on his work when Skye came strolling out of the front doors.

"What happened?" Nim asked as Skye approached.

Skye tangled a hand in his long, brown hair.

He looked tired.

"The woman said I could go."

"It's been ten minutes."

"A lot can happen in ten minutes, Nim."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about."

Skye yawned, exposing his pointy little teeth.

"The boy tried to hit me again. He missed and hurt his hand. The woman wanted to get me in trouble with the police but the boy said no. Then the woman said I could go and that's the end."

Nim let out a long breath.

"Yeah, that tracks. Evil fuckers."

"Hmm," Skye said. "Can we go home now?"

"Yeah. Hopefully there's a bus soon."

Skye was more subdued than usual on the walk to the bus stop,and as soon as they got there, he lay down on the bench and shut his eyes.

Nim sat down next to Skye's feet on the bench and took a deep breath in as he let his head hang.

Things were becoming more and more unstable.

Teachers, people who were supposed to care about them, had used Skye being bullied as an opportunity to go after him even more.

Just running away into the woods was starting to sound real tempting or at least it had until Marigold had shared that article at lunch about what happens if you try that.

Marigold's friend had been a panther shifter, too.

They were stronger than wolves but against guns, what did any of it matter?

"How do you do it?" Nim asked Skye. "How do you keep that spark in you when everything sucks?"

Skye yawned and stretched out.

"Sausages, I think."

"Sausages?"

"The doctor told Joanne to feed me cat food so I'd be able to eat more meat but she's been buying lots of sausages instead," Skye explained.

"That's something that makes me happy because I like sausages."

Nim looked down at Skye and heaved out a sigh.

"Come on, Skye. You're not that simple minded. Be real."

"Well, fuck you, then," Skye said, drawing his knees up.

Nim found himself physically leaning back in surprise.

That was the last thing he'd expected from Skye.

"Sorry?"

"Don't be rude to me."

"I'm sorry, Skye. Really. Maybe I didn't understand."

"Hmm."

Skye stretched his legs back out again, his shoes nudging Nim's leg.

"The sausages make me happy. Kissing your fluffy head when you're a wolf makes me happy. Having friends makes me happy. I know there are serious things going on, but I can't do anything about that, so I think about sausages instead."

Nim let out a breath of laughter.

"You know, that's fair. I'm sorry I was rude. I really like that you can still find happiness in things, because most of the time I can't. When I see you enjoy something, I get a bit of that feeling too."

"I can be very serious if you need me to be, Nim."

Skye yawned and wriggled around until he was laying on his back.

"Serious and down to earth and practical. I can understand about bigotry and guns and war. Does that make sense? I'm not stupid. I'm not even pretending to be stupid. I'm just different."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

Skye pressed his shoes against Nim's leg.

"Good."

"Ah, bus," Nim said as he saw the bus round the corner at the end of the street.

Skye stretched his lithe body out, yawned again and reluctantly allowed Nim to pull him to his feet.

The bus was nearly empty, so Nim sat them down in some of the sideways seats that faced the centre of the bus.

They were for the elderly and disabled but being as tall as Nim was basically a disability.

The normal seats didn't have enough leg room.

Skye rested his head against Nim's shoulder and seemed to be settling in for a nap.

If Skye had asked if he could use Nim as a pillow, Nim probably would have said no but well.

He hadn't asked.

Nim didn't even really know why he'd say no, anyway.

The honest truth was that he didn't hate the feeling of Skye's head resting against his shoulder.

It made him feel all warm inside.

Scared, too.

He'd been isolating himself because he didn't want to care about people who he knew he would likely see suffer and Skye should have been no exception to that.

The whole thing was kind of falling apart, though.

It seemed like Marigold had decided he was the person she should vent to and he hadn't exactly pushed back on that, so that was a thing now.

An old lady got on at the next stop and sat in one of the seats across from them.

Nim flicked a glance at her to see if she was going to be mad about them sitting in the old people seats even though there were plenty to go around and she caught his eye and gave him a smile like she thought he and Skye were the cutest thing in the world.

She definitely thought they were a couple but whatever.

People had thought worse things about Nim before.

Skye stirred and Nim knew the second his eyes blinked open because the old lady's eyes widened and she quickly looked away.

Skye looked fairly human for the most part but his teeth and those bright green eyes of his gave him away.

Nim felt more tired than mad.

He couldn't even muster the energy to hate this stupid old woman.

She was scared of them because the news had taught her to be.

"Nim," Skye murmured.

"Hmm?" Nim said.

"When we get home, I'm taking a bite out of the block of cheese in the fridge."

"I can cut a piece for you if you want?"

Skye yawned.

"Thanks. You're a good friend."

Nim took a deep breath in and slowly let it out.

"Go back to sleep. I'll let you know when we're home."

[helloalycia]

my patient’s neighbour [four] // wanda maximoff

summary: taking Wanda to meet your parents wasn't the best decision in hindsight...

warning/s: none i don't think?

author's note: i’m not sure what to say other than sorry in advance oops

part one | part two | part three | part five | part six | part seven | masterlist | wattpad

The restaurant my parents chose wasn't too flashy but rather comforting and homely, with an Italian theme and matching cuisine. It was bustling with people, but it didn't take long for Wanda and I to find my parents sat at the back waiting for us.

"You gonna be okay?" I asked, glancing at her with a comforting squeeze of the hand.

"I've got you, haven't I?" she asked playfully, her accent thicker than usual as she spoke. And though she was joking, I knew there was truth to her words which sent the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy.

"You're cute," I said with adoration, appreciating how lovely her eyes looked in the dimly-lit restaurant. "Come on."

Hand in hand, we approached my parents' table and I had hopes that tonight would go well. My parents weren't exactly intimidating – at least anyone I'd ever known hadn't got that impression – but I still worried for Wanda. Unlike her, I couldn't read minds, so I couldn't tell if she was actually looking forward to tonight or if she was just doing it for me.

"Y/N, you're here!" my mum exclaimed with a grin when she spotted me.

"I am," I said with a nervous smile, before motioning to Wanda. "And so is Wanda, my girlfriend."

"Yes, Y/N mentioned you would be coming," my mum said with a friendly smile, looking to Wanda, before motioning to the table. "Please, sit, sit."

I squeezed Wanda's hand gently before pulling out a chair for her. She smiled at me appreciatively before I took a seat beside her, facing my parents.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Wanda," my dad said with a nod. "Y/N mentioned you plenty of times when we'd call to catch up with her."

"You, too," Wanda spoke politely. "Both of you. Y/N told me that you're travelling the world, is that right?"

I leaned on my hand and glanced at Wanda, who shot me a mischievous smile. Quirking a brow, I mentally applauded her. Getting my parents to talk about their travels was an easy way of bonding with them – they would tell every server and customer in this restaurant about their travelling if they could. She'd cracked them instantly.

I'm just that good, milashka (cutie).

Trying not to laugh as her words echoed in my mind because of her powers, I leaned back into my seat and listened in as my parents went into a ramble about their ongoing adventures. This was pretty much how the rest of the evening went, as the four of us dined on expensive wine and delicious pizza. They seemed to be getting along well, with Wanda asking all the right questions and giving them her picture-perfect smile that impressed all the elders. Heck, she was even impressing me.

Naively, I appreciated how well the evening was going until my parents decided to talk to Wanda about her career.

"So, Y/N mentioned you're one of those Revengers," my mum remembered as we ate.

"Avengers," I corrected her, mildly embarrassed.

Wanda chuckled, glancing at me, before nodding. "Yes, I am. For over a year now, I've been working with them."

"Them being Iron Man, Captain America, the Black Widow...?" my dad asked, looking up as if trying to remember the rest, further embarrassing me.

"Those are the ones," Wanda quipped with a nod.

My mum hummed in response as my dad nodded before leaning back in his seat and eyeing Wanda curiously.

"I can't imagine your job is the safest," he began. "You protect people from threats, right? Keep them safe."

Wanda seemed caught off guard, but recovered quickly. "It's got it's... dangers, yes. But I can handle myself. I've got powers and I know how to use them."

"You do," my dad agreed, before his eyes flickered to me briefly. "But Y/N doesn't. She's just a regular human."

I set my fork down on my plate and looked to him calmly. "Dad, what are you saying?"

"No, it's fine," Wanda said reassuringly, resting her hand on my leg under the table. I grabbed it and held it as she continued to speak to my father. "Y/N doesn't have powers, you are correct."

"And dating an Avenger, I can imagine, must put a huge target on her back," he said with concern, and my mum nodded in agreement. "How can we be certain that she is safe?"

"Dad!"

"Your father is right, Y/N," my mum said, giving me a look, before her expression softened as she looked to a startled Wanda. "We're not implying that you're incapable, Wanda. We can clearly see that you care about our daughter. And you're a lovely person. You're pretty much perfect."

Wanda swallowed hard. "But?"

My mother frowned. "But dating you is bound to put our Y/N in danger. She could get hurt just for being involved with you, with your friends. She doesn't have powers to protect herself. And I can't imagine you're around her all the time to keep her safe."

As angry as I was at my parents for saying this stuff – even if they were saying it out of love – memories of the incident flashed to mind. They were right, but it was a risk I'd accepted when dating Wanda. What good was it doing by bringing this up now?

Noticing Wanda's silence, I spoke up instead. "I appreciate your concern, guys, but I'm an adult. I understand the danger I may be put in by being with Wanda. But I love her and I know that she is here for me if anything were to ever happen."

"We know," my father said, giving me a small nod. "We just thought we'd share our opinion anyway. It's been weighing on us for a while is all."

I sighed quietly. I couldn't exactly fault them for that.

"Anyway, never mind that," my mum said, setting down her fork. "Now that we've got that out the way, let's order some dessert, yeah? Our treat."

Nodding, I let my parents get excited as they perused the dessert menus before them. Instead, I looked to the quiet brunette beside me and saw how lost in thought she was, eyes focused on the table and stuck in a daydream.

With the hand that was holding hers, I patted her hand with my thumb to earn her attention. She looked up suddenly, questioning gaze falling to me. I frowned and quirked a brow, wondering if she was okay. She forced a smile my way, squeezing my hand reassuringly, but I didn't believe her. I also couldn't question it right in front of my parents, so I decided to speak with her later.

Dessert went by quickly as Wanda, suddenly, wasn't very talkative. I didn't know if my parents noticed, but I sure did and I felt extremely guilty. If I had known of my parents' concerns, I never would have brought Wanda to meet them tonight.

After the evening came to a close and we all stepped out of the restaurant, I expected to be going home with my parents since we lived together, but they claimed they had more plans together tonight.

"Wow, you guys have more of a social life than we do," I joked when they told me to make my own way home.

Wanda barely smiled and I felt bad.

"We'll be back in a few hours," my mum promised, before pulling me in for a hug. "Tonight was fun. A great final night before we leave tomorrow."

I returned the hug and as I gave my dad one, I heard Wanda thanking my mum for the lovely evening halfheartedly. After saying our final goodbyes, Wanda led me to her car in silence, giving me time to try and put some jumbled thoughts together coherently.

As she had been for the past hour, Wanda was quiet on the drive back to my place. Whenever I would glance in her direction, she'd be chewing on her lip and focusing on driving, though the blank expression on her face made me think that maybe she was distracted. It didn't take a genius to know she was thinking about my parents' words and I suddenly felt guilty for putting that all on her.

"I'm sorry," I blurted halfway through the journey. "I'm sorry for what they said. It wasn't fair of them, I know that. They just... they meant well, Wanda, they really did." I tucked my hands under my thighs, wincing as their words echoed in my mind. "It doesn't change anything though, y'know? We're still us. We're still okay. I don't want you to feel like anything's changed because it hasn't."

I paused, swallowing hard, and glanced her way. She didn't even look my way, still in the same position as she was before I started to speak. Looking back to the road ahead, I let out a disappointed sigh, figuring she wasn't in a talking mood. I didn't blame her, but I hoped she would have understood what I meant.

The remainder of the drive was like this, Wanda deep in thought and me huddled under an imaginary blanket of guilt. When we finally reached my house, she turned the engine off and I waited for her to say something, literally anything. Her fingers drummed against the steering wheel mindlessly and I figured she was out of words for tonight.

"I'll ring you in the morning," I mumbled quietly, opening the car door. "If you want to speak, that is."

Leaving her there, I grabbed my bag and headed to the front door, but stopped when I heard her get out the car, too. Waiting, I turned around and watched as she approached me, eyebrows knitted in thought.

"Please say something," I said with pleading eyes.

She licked her lips, biting her lower lip so hard I'm surprised she didn't draw blood. Finally, she released it and looked to me with apologetic eyes.

"Your parents were right," she said.

I blinked with confusion. "What?"

She nodded, looking down at her shoes momentarily. "They were right, what they said. My life puts you in danger."

"Yeah, I know," I agreed, crossing my arms. "I knew that when I got with you, but that doesn't change anything."

She gave a disbelieving smile. "Seriously? Y/N, that changes everything."

"No, it doesn't," I told her sternly, growing frustrated. "This is the stuff you sacrifice when you love someone."

She sighed, shaking her head and looking away. "You shouldn't have to."

"But I chose to," I said, clenching my jaw.

"Don't you remember what happened last time?" she asked, stepping forward and holding my hand. "The incident?"

"We said we wouldn't talk about that," I reminded her with a low voice.

"But you remember, right? When they took you and I wasn't there? They could've hurt you!"

"Shut up!" I told her, raising my voice. Pulling my hand away from hers and taking a step back, I continued, "Why are you saying that? You came! You helped me!"

"But what if they did something to you before I got there?" she snapped. "What if I hadn't got to you on time?"

The memories came spilling into my mind, escaping the locked box I kept them in. Tears burned the corner of my eyes as I tried to think about anything else.

"You remember how scared you were?" Wanda asked, frowning at me with exasperated eyes. "You couldn't be by yourself for weeks!"

"Why are you doing this?!" I yelled, clenching my fists. "Why are you trying to frighten me?!"

"Because you should be frightened!" she retorted, stepping closer to me. Her dark green eyes were swirling storms of rage as she added, "It could happen again!"

I shoved her away from me, pinching the bridge of my nose with annoyance. Tears slipped from my eyes at the terrifying memory of what happened, what could have gone wrong, but I ignored them as I swallowed down the lump in my throat. Why the hell was she acting like this? Making me so angry at her for no reason?

"It's not even just that," she continued, jaw tensed. "How many times do I get hurt because of work and you get worried?"

"That's because I care about you," I muttered through stinging eyes.

"This will always be my life," she said, a hint of regret in her words as she looked to me. "I can't change it."

"I'm not asking you to!"

"Exactly! You're not! Which means you'll suck it up and stay with me and will live your life in constant concern for my well-being. It's not right."

I opened my mouth to respond because what she was saying was entirely stupid. But my emotions got the better of me and no words came out. Instead, my bottom lip quivered as I sucked up a breath.

"I need time to think," she suddenly said, anger disappearing from her voice and being replaced with an astute calmness.

My gaze snapped her way and through blurry vision, I watched her step back with her hands on her hips.

"So you can what – think about breaking up with me?" I said bitterly, and despite my anger, I didn't expect her to look at me with a softened expression, meaning my words were correct.

"Maybe it's better that way, Y/N," she said gently, eyes meeting mine.

I squeezed my hands together and tried to breathe through the pent-up anger that she'd caused, but the longer she stared at me, waiting for a response, the more I wanted to explode.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I muttered, scrunching my eyebrows together.

She pressed her lips together, looking away, and it only pissed me off more.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Wanda?!" I yelled. "You're quitting on our relationship because, what, you think I'm in danger? Well, news flash, honey, the worst already happened and I'm still here!"

She barely flinched as she avoided my eyes.

"You're a fucking coward!" I said, pointing at her. "If you needed an excuse to end things, you could have just said so!"

Breathing out, I wiped my tears away shakily. I expected her to argue back, to realise she'd made a mistake and regretted her words, but as I waited, I knew she was certain of her decision.

"Fine," I settled, brimming with rage. "Fuck off, Wanda."

Still, nothing.

Turning on my heel, I stormed to my front door and went through my keys with difficulty, hands shaking with anger. I heard Wanda's car door shut from behind me but didn't bother turning around. I clearly didn't need to as I heard the tyres screech against the road and knew she was gone.

Kicking my door with frustration, I found the key and opened up before heading inside and slamming the door behind me. How dare she break up with me because of something that I chose off my own back! She just gave up like we meant nothing to her, not even bothering to talk things out with me! And selfishly, she left me feeling pissed and resenting her more than I ever thought I would.

"What a bitch!" I shouted into the empty house, throwing my keys to the side harshly.

When they clinked against glass, I looked up and saw the vase of flowers Wanda had given me before dinner.

"The first and fucking last," I said dryly, before grabbing ahold of it and throwing it against the wall without thinking.

The glass shattered on impact, leaving a mess of water, flowers and small shards on the wooden floor. I looked at it, the brokenness resembling how my heart felt. As the adrenaline of my actions and previous angry words wore off, all that was left was hurt and pain and oh God, Wanda was gone. She'd left me. She'd given up.

I sank to the floor, pulling my legs up to my chest, and hugged them tightly. Stifling my cries, I dug myself into my knees and felt a pain in my heart. Why didn't she fight for us? Did she not love me enough? Was I not enough?

—

"You ignored the memes I sent you, I thought you died."

As Natasha pushed right past me and into my house, I blinked with disbelief.

"Sure, come right in," I mumbled sarcastically, closing the front door.

Following after Natasha, I found her making herself at home in the living room, plonking herself on the couch and pulling her feet up comfortably.

"You could have sent an emoji or something," she continued, giving me a knowing look. "They were some good memes."

"Well, forgive me if I wasn't in the mood," I said sourly, joining her on the couch.

Her playful smile faded as she picked up on my words. "How are you doing, sweetie?"

I ran a hand through my hair and leaned my elbow on the back of the couch, getting comfortable. It had been two weeks since Wanda broke up with me and in those two weeks, I hadn't been doing particularly well. I guess you could say I was still in a slump. A horrible, tiresome, angry, sadness-filled slump.

"I'm fine."

She pursed her lips, looking like she wanted to argue, but thankfully, she didn't. I was glad – the last thing I wanted was to prove that I was okay when, really, all I wanted to do was curl in a ball and suffocate under my duvet.

"I'm sorry," she said, resting her hand on mine. "If it's any consolation, I think Wanda made a huge mistake."

"Ah, so she told you," I said with a nod of realisation. I hadn't told Natasha the specifics of why we broke up, but clearly Wanda did. I guess it made sense – they were teammates. If anything, I was surprised Natasha still wanted to speak to me, instead expecting her to side with her friend.

"She did," Natasha answered. "And I think she's an idiot, but that's not my business. I just came here to make sure you were okay."

"Really? I thought you wanted to show me the memes," I said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood with a small smile.

She chuckled, slapping my hand gently. "That, too... but seriously."

My smile faded as I looked down, my finger playing with my trousers distractedly. "I'm not okay, but I'll get there." I began to glare at my trousers, my anger for the witch returning. "I have to be. Because she doesn't want me anymore... fuck her."

"I'd rather not," Natasha mumbled.

Though my anger was present, making me tense like it had been the last few weeks, I couldn't help but smile at Natasha's words. Then laughter bubbled from my lips and for the first time since Wanda left, I felt momentarily happy.

"I'm glad we can still be friends," Natasha said, making me look to her with a smile. "I know that you and Wanda are over now... but I still like hanging out with you."

"Me, too," I said in agreement. "Thanks for coming to check in. You didn't have to."

"Yeah, I did." She nodded before offering me a small, encouraging smile. "You're gonna be okay, y'know."

I wanted to believe her, but despite how pissed I was at Wanda, I still loved her. And I couldn't imagine stopping, though I knew I'd have to if I was to make it through this.

—

Getting over Wanda was a difficult process. Everything I felt was a mixture of resentment, exhaustion and misery because I missed her. I missed being able to call her when I saw somebody do something stupid in public; I missed kissing her when I hadn't seen her in a long time; I missed hearing her adorable accent first thing when I woke up after she spent the night; I missed her.

Two months followed the breakup and the only time I'd see her was when she'd dodge Anna's apartment upon knowing I was going to take care of her. I guess I was glad in that sense, as it meant I wouldn't have to deal with her awkwardly. But it also made me feel like shit because it meant she didn't care about me at all. Clearly our breakup wasn't affecting her like it did with me.

And it was definitely affecting me.

I was scrolling through Instagram one day when I saw a particular post on my feed from Natasha's account. Yeah, one of the Avengers had a private Instagram account. She gave me her username when she saw me on it one day and I remember being so confused to how she had it.

"I'm an Avenger, not a hermit," was her response, and from that day onwards, we followed each other.

So, I saw a post on her Instagram and it was some goofy photo of her, Tony, Bruce and Wanda. They were posing with exaggerated smiles as Natasha grinned up front; the caption said something about working long days, but I wasn't paying much attention as, naturally, my gaze fell to Wanda.

Just like everyone else, she had a playful, exaggerated smile on her lips like nothing kept her down, but what stood out was the sling around her arm and the cast underneath. It must have happened in a mission or something and it wasn't my business, but I couldn't help but worry. Was she okay? Was she looking after herself? I wanted to text Natasha and ask, but I stopped myself.

She'd broken up with me for this very reason. I wasn't agreeing with it, but for a second, I did see why she'd made her point. It still wasn't fair though. She didn't get to make that choice for me.

We weren't together anymore, I reminded myself. She broke up with me. It had been two months and I needed to let go. If she didn't care about me, why should I waste my time and energy caring about her?

Not letting it get to me anymore, I simply liked the post before continuing my scrolling. Though I knew that deep down, her face was imprinted in my mind and I still worried for her well-being.

—

The fourth month following our breakup was when I properly saw Wanda again, excluding the times she would duck out of Anna's apartment upon my arrival to care for her. It was also the first time since the breakup that Wanda made the effort to speak to me.

I was sat eating dinner on my day off when I got a call from the hospital nearby, interrupting my meal. The nurse was explaining how Anna had fallen over and hurt her back and was now in a hospital room. She was calling me because she thought I'd like to know since I was her registered nurse and carer. I was glad to get the call, immediately pulling my shoes and coat on and rushing over there to make sure she was okay. She didn't have anyone else apart from Wanda and I – it was no question I had to go.

Though, of course, I didn't really think about the fact that Wanda may be there until I saw her there. I also didn't consider the fact that I was wearing my pyjamas when I stepped in the lift and headed to Anna's floor. Too late now.

After asking the receptionist where Anna's room was, I found Wanda hanging around it outside the door. With only Anna on my mind, I approached her and tried to hide my panic. She spotted me instantly, stopping her pacing and looking to me with tired eyes and a frown on her face.

I didn't care that she looked worried, nor that she was holding up well since we last spoke in anger. I didn't care that she'd dyed her hair a reddish-brown colour, nor that she managed to pull off both that and the whole 'loungewear' look in a place surrounded by blinding white and blue. I didn't care that my heart ached when her green eyes found mine, nor that I missed seeing her so close and not in my dreams for once. I didn't care about any of it. Or, at least, I tried to tell myself that.

"What happened?" I cut straight to the point, stopping in front of her. "Is Anna okay?"

Wanda nodded instantly. "She's fine. She tripped over her dining room chair and hurt her back. The doctors just checked her out and said it's nothing too serious, but she won't be able to walk for a while."

I pressed my lips together, feeling the panic wear off at the sound of good news. Anna had always been more than just a patient to me and the last thing I wanted was to hear she'd hurt herself badly.

"Can I see her?" I asked Wanda, quirking a brow.

"Yeah, of course," Wanda said, before looking away awkwardly. "I was just waiting out here for you. The nurse said you were coming."

I chose to say nothing as I walked past her and into Anna's room, seeing the older woman laying on a hospital bed and staring at the ceiling. When she noticed my presence, she smiled at me and motioned for me to join her side.

"It's so good to see you, milaya (sweetie)," she said happily, as I stopped by her side, "but you didn't have to come! I'm not dying."

I heard Wanda enter the room behind me, but she took a seat on the chairs opposite the bed. Ignoring her, I smiled down at Anna and grabbed her hand.

"Don't say that," I told her gently. "Of course I'm here. You're my number one priority. I had to make sure you were okay!"

Anna waved her hand in typical Anna fashion. "I've suffered worse. I'm absolutely fine."

I knew it was best not to question her, so I didn't.

"I'm glad you're both here," she said, looking between Wanda and I, making me swallow awkwardly.

Since breaking up, I hadn't mentioned it to Anna, but she wasn't stupid and she'd clearly noticed that we weren't spending time together anymore. I didn't know if Wanda had told her, but if she had, Anna never mentioned anything. Like now, she simply looked between us both with a grateful smile, unaware of how awkward we felt.

Thankfully, the awkward silence was interrupted when a doctor walked in the room. After introducing herself, I asked if I could speak to her outside about Anna and she happily obliged. She told me about Anna's condition and how it would affect the way I cared for her, especially regarding her new medication, and I asked anything and everything to make sure she was truly okay. After being reassured that she was, I thanked the doctor and returned to Anna's room, only to find Wanda and Anna in a heated a argument.

I couldn't tell what had got them so fussy as they were bickering in Russian, sentences too fast for me to comprehend with my limited knowledge of the language. It got to a point where Anna began slapping Wanda on the arm, looking angrier than ever, so I stepped between them and pulled Wanda away.

"What the hell is going on here?" I interrupted, holding Anna's slapping hand down to the bed and raising a hand to keep Wanda at bay. I looked between them, seeing the frustration in both their expressions, and asked questioningly, "Well?"

Wanda said nothing, eyes avoiding mine as usual, so I looked down to Anna who was glancing between us before spouting off into another ramble in Russian, trying to grab Wanda so she could yell at her directly. To my annoyance, Wanda tried to push past me, yelling back, and I was unfortunately caught in the middle as I attempted to keep them from ripping each other's throats out.

Thankfully, their bickering came to a halt when an unknown voice called into the room: "What is going on in here?"

I looked to the door, following the mystery voice, and saw a young woman, maybe in her thirties, standing in the doorway and looking between the three of us with confusion. I had no idea who she was, though she seemed familiar. Judging from the confusion Wanda had, she didn't seem to know either.

"Sasha," Anna breathed out with surprise, and then I realised. That was Anna's granddaughter. "What are you doing here?"

[bumblesimagines]

Green Thumb

Request: Yes or No

Ppl seemed to like the Imagine and nobody really said anything about it being a fic but I like that (Y/N) sooo. For anyone confused about the root things, (Y/N) has root bracelets on each wrist that he can control. He can't make roots come out of his hands or anything. (Y/N) isn't gender neutral ik I use second person for a gender neutral reader but I'm starting to rlly like second person view lmao. If people like this enough, I might keep this fic going to Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame.

~

You placed your hands on the sides of the pot, watching the dead flower slowly regain its color. You could hear the faint sound of chatting and music from the party Tony was holding. Parties were never your thing. Parties meant crowds of nosy people with nothing else better to do. You heard your bedroom door open, turning around and looking at Clint.

"Hey, why don't you come downstairs? The party's ending." Clint offered a small smile, holding his side. You looked back at the flower, standing and gently placing it back with the other flowers on your desk. You approached Clint, feeling him gently wrap an arm around your shoulder.

"How's Laura?" You asked softly. Clint grinned, licking his lips as he glanced at you. You liked Clint. He was like the father or older brother you never had.

"She misses you. She mentioned wanting you to move in once training was complete." Clint revealed, looking at you. You blinked, brows raising as you stared at his face, wondering if he was joking.

"Think it over." Clint gave your shoulder a small squeeze as you joined the others, nodding to Maria. She gave a nod in return, a small tight smile on her face. You didn't blame them for not trusting you. You had attempted to kill them a few times out of fear. You took a seat on the couch, watching the Avengers laugh and chat. You stayed silent, fingers gently tracing the root bracelets.

"You thought of those yourself?" Maria asked softly, tilting her head. You looked at her, nodding.

"Having them on me makes me feel safer." You replied quietly, looking back at the roots. You continued to trace them, watching them shift slightly at your touch. Dr. Cho leaned over, humming in fascination.

"It's incredible how responsive they are to you." She whispered softly, meeting your gaze briefly for permission. You nodded, watching her reach out and touch them.

"How much can you feel? Or is it just a control thing?" She asked.

"Uhm, I know when they're dying or are in need of something but they don't feel pain so.. Hurting them doesn't hurt me." You explained. Dr. Cho nodded in understanding, leaning back.

"I'd love to ask you more questions later, if you don't mind." She gave a kind smile. You looked up upon hearing grunts, watching Clint attempt to pick up Mjollnir while Thor watched on in amusement. He gave up, chuckling. Tony went next, the smug look on his face disappearing when he couldn't lift it. You chuckled softly, watching James try to help Tony but the hammer didn't even budge.

"(Y/N), why don't you give it a try?" Clint asked after Bruce went. You licked your lips, glancing at the Avengers when their gazes went to you.

"Uhm-"

"Go on, give it a try." Thor encouraged with a a big smile. You stood up, walking up to the table where the hammer sat. You grabbed the handle, roots slithering down your hands and wrapping around the hammer. You pulled, suprised to find it was definitely harder than it looked.

"Don't pull a muscle, kid." Clint called, chuckling as you huffed, letting go of it and retracting the roots. You took a seat beside Clint, gently leaning against him as Steve went next. He went at it but wasn't able to lift it.

"It's rigged." Tony called with a shrug as Clint stood, a chuckle leaving him.

"You bet your ass."

"Steve, he said a bad language word." Maria pointed out in playful seriousness. You chuckled softly. Clint had told you all about Steve and the bad language joke. You stood up, about to call it a day before a ringing noise stopped you in your tracks. You looked up, noticing a half built robot limping into the room, mumbling stuff.

"Clint?" You called out, frowning. Clint looked at you before turning around, standing up as everyone's attention shifted to the robot. Clint slowly backed up until you were within arms reach. He knew you could protect yourself but he cared about you too much to let you get hurt.

"How could you be worthy? You're all killers." The robot said, motioning at them with its broken arm.

"Stark?" Steve's gaze stayed locked on the robot. The robot continued to speak, stumbling about. He replayed a clip of Stark saying something. Maria took out her gun, slowly standing up. Clint immediately grabbed you when the robots bursted into the room, pulling you along and hiding.

"Stay here." Clint whispered, standing up. You frowned, watching him go. Your looked over the room, noticing Dr. Cho attempting to hide behind the piano. You stood, quickly going over to her as a robot rose up. You raised your hand, making a root shoot out at it and wrap around its neck, throwing the robot to the side and watching it break.

"Thank you." Dr. Cho whispered as things began to calm down. You helped her stand, making eye contact with Clint as Thor threw his hammer at 'Ultron', breaking him into pieces.

"(Y/N), go to your room." Clint breathed out.

"No, he deserves to know what happened here." Steve said, giving you a nod.

~~~~~~~~~

You licked your lips, glancing at Clint when he silently drew an arrow. You unclenched your fists, watching the root bracelets around your wrists grow and wrap around your fingers. You were surprised you had even been asked to tag along considering you were still new and young. You watched the Maximoff twins, stare at Tony with pure hatred. Not long ago, you were also an enemy of the Avengers. Clint had taken you under his wing, practically adopting you after everything. You assumed you were only allowed to tag along because of your powers. You had gained better control of them over time.

"Stay alert and stay close." Clint told you, shooting the arrow once the fight began. You watched the robots, nodding. You leaned forward, slightly over the railing, fingers moving. The roots wrapped around them shot out, wrapping around one of the robots that had lunged for Steve. You moved your arms back and apart, watching the robot be ripped apart. Steve looked up towards you, giving a greatful nod. Clint grinned, drawing another arrow. You noticed a flash of blue and white running below, keeping an eye on it. Another root shot out, successfully making the male Maximoff trip and stumble. You retracted the root, shifting your attention onto the men with guns.

"What a shitshow." You muttered, sighing softly. Clint glanced at you in amusement.

"Language." He called playfully, chuckling when he heard Steve groan. You let a small smile slip, roots wrapping around the necks of two of the gunmen. You slowly clenched your fists, making the roots strangle them. You heard Thor mention something about the Maximoff girl trying to mind control him.

"Drop 'em." Clint said, giving you a pointed look. "Only make them pass out, don't kill them."

"Fine." You huffed, dropping the men with a small scowl. Clint shot an arrow that knocked out a whole floor, giving a satisfied hum. You heard soft footsteps, spinning around and grabbing the girl Maximoff by the throat, grip tightening with each passing second. Her eyes were wide, caught off guard. Fear flashed in them briefly. Clint quickly planted an electrical arrow on her forehead. You removed your hands, glancing at Clint.

"You seriously need some freshing up on those people skills." Clint said, shaking his head. You scoffed, head tilting slightly.

"She's the enemy!"

"No killing-" You were suddenly shoved forward, bumping into Clint and crashing into what seemed like a control room. You grunted as pain struck up your back, turning your head and watching Pietro pick up his sister bridal style. You shot out your hand but he dodged the roots, using his superspeed to run off.

"Yeah, you better run." You heard Clint breath out. You turned towards him, roots retracting completely.

"Are you okay?" You asked softly, feeling glass digging into your hands as you slowly stood up, grunting softly. There was definitely gonna be a big bruise on your back when you checked later. You helped Clint stand, watching him attempt to contact the others. You leaned over the railing, seeing Steve laying on some stairs. You raised your hand, having the roots grab onto something sturdy before jumping over the railing and heading down to the floor he was at. You approached him, crouching down, cupping his face and seeing his red eyes and dazed look.

"The girl got to Steve." You said, sighing softly.

"Natasha as well." Clint replied. "Seems like the whole team is out of commission."

"Wonder what they're seeing." You muttered, standing and having the roots gently wrap around Steve's arms and waist. They were thin so dragging him along was the only choice.

"Having fun on your first mission yet?"

"Oh, fuck off, Clint." You called with a huff, trying to drag America's sweetheart across a ship, avoiding bodies and trying to keep his head from bumping into stuff.

"Sorry, buddy." You winced, watching Steve's head bump against some steps. Once outside, you were able to drag him along with more ease, getting him inside the step as Clint went to get Thor. Natasha had slowly come out of her daze, groaning softly and holding her head. You looked at him, gently slapping him. Steve gasped, panting softly as his blue eyes met your (E/C) ones.

"Welcome back." You muttered, standing up.

"What happened?" Natasha asked, looking at you with furrowed brows. She looked around the ship, standing.

"Where's Banner?" She asked with a frown. You rubbed the back of your neck, stepping aside so Steve could get up.

"He.. He and Stark are in the city. He hulked out." You told her, concern appearing on her features. Natasha cursed under her breath, though her mind seemed to be somewhere else. You turned towards the entrance, seeing Tony with Bruce. Clint returned with Thor, silence filling the air as Clint got the aircraft in the air. Clint motioned for you to get closer, a smile appearing on his face.

"You did amazing today." The praise made you smile, nodding as you glanced down at the ground. It had been your first real fight.

"Does that mean-"

"Not yet, we still need to work on some things. Soon enough, you'll be officially part of the team." Clint assured. You nodded, taking a seat nearby and sighing. Clint steered the ship to his home, landing it. The Avengers seemed confused at the unknown location but you happily got out of the aircraft. Clint chuckled, watching you head up to the house and enter.

"Honey? We've got company!" Clint called. Laura appeared from one of the rooms, smile widening.

"Hey, sweetie." Laura cooed, arms extending and wrapping around you. Both of you chuckled when the baby kicked.

"Someone's happy to see you too." Laura smiled, placing a hand on her belly before greeting Clint with a kiss.

"Gentlemen, this is Laura." Clint introduced her to the team. You enjoyed Laura's company. Her warmness was welcoming and she had been more than happy to take you in. Footsteps echoed lightly, preparing Clint to greet his kids. You smiled, watching them greet him. Natasha had been the only other one who knew about Clint's family. Lila gasped softly upon seeing you, quickly running towards you. You bent down, picking her up and chuckling.

"Miss me?" You asked, giving her a gentle hug. Laura looked over, smiling softly.

"Of course she missed they missed their cool big brother." Laura said, giggling softly when Lila noticed Natasha and happily went over to hug her. Cooper took Lila's spot, giving you a big grin. Thor suddenly left the house, Steve following.

"What have you been up to?" You asked, watching Coppers eyes light up. He grabbed your hand, pulling you along to his room. Laura and Clint hadn't officially adopted you but they were more than happy to do it. Once you were done with training, they were gonna get the papers and make you a Barton.

[miss-smutty]

Forbidden

Chapter 3

A/N- Evey couple of chapters you will get Professor Hemsworth's POV and this is the first one 🥵 I really wanted to write his story and hear his thoughts too.

Summary- He can't get her out of his mind, the girl in the coffee shop. Will fate bring them together again?

Word count- 2.9K

Pairing- Prof!Hems X Reader

Warnings- Age gap (OC is 20) student/professor relationship, swearing, dirty talk

18+ Only!

Disclaimer: This is an entire work of fiction/AU and has no affiliation to real life what so ever! This is a fictional story about fictional characters who happen to share names and faces with some real people.

Posted: 5th Sept 2021

Taglist:- @innerpaperexpertcloud @pandaxnienke @chickensarentcheap @jjpogueprincess @longlostinanotherworld @mostly-marvel-musings @darklydeliciousdesires @monet-belle @help2700 @presidentpotts

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Chris Pov

My Apartment was silent as usual, empty like always when I arrived home from work, throwing my coat and bag on to the sofa and slumping down next to them.

I couldn't stand the silence, it taunted me and brought back memories I'd rather not remember. I'd thought about getting a roommate but still hadn't gotten around to posting out an ad, the idea made me nervous. Although I hated being alone, living with a stranger would be even worse. I turned on the TV to fill the expanse of the large empty room that I'd work so hard for but ultimately meant absolutely nothing to me.

My mind began to wander back to this morning and the chance meeting with the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on. She'd taken my breath away and made me so nervous that I'd used some cheesy chat up line. I'd known at the time it would come back to haunt me tonight, no wonder she ran out of there as soon as she could. Thats why I hesitated, my hand brushed against the small of her back when I was about to ask her for her number and it took away my sensibility. I leaned in like I was about to kiss her, thank god I stopped myself though, how ridiculous would that have been?

I'd spoke to her for no more than ten minutes but somehow felt like I'd known her all my life. Asking for her number wouldn't have been the most unusual thing but she was in such a rush and I didn't want to make her late. There's absolutely nothing more I hate than tardiness.

I still couldn't get her off of my mind, she was beautiful, long dark hair that flowed down her back and the most piercing green eyes I'd ever seen. I couldn't stop looking into them, framed by dark eyelashes that made the emerald green pop even more. It's been a long time since I'd met a woman that made me feel as nervous as she did. The only thing is, she was young, much younger than me and I'd be fooling myself to think I'd actually stand a chance with her. Even if by some miracle I did, she deserved more than what I could give her, I was a mess, even after all this time I was still living in the past.

**********

I woke up feeling like a teenage boy again, a tent of my erection in the cotton sheets sprawled across my middle. I'd dreamt about the girl all night and honestly nothing about it was innocent. I rubbed at my eyes and stretched my muscles before finally getting out of bed, I had my first Junior Comms class to teach today and of course, I couldn't be late.

To say I was dreading today would be an understatement, I'd made a deal with the Dean to teach the Comms class because none of the other professors were willing and I was desperate for a job. I was hoping that if I exceeded expectations during my first semester I would finally get to teach psychology like I'd planned in the first place. Of course that meant being on my best behaviour and a lot of arse kissing, which I would do, albeit reluctantly.

The air was crisp this morning as I set off walking towards the university, luckily for me I didn't live to far away from the campus and the walk would help distract my thoughts because God knows they needed distracting. They always did.

Before I knew it, I'd arrived at the halls, looking up at the architecture of the building and realising my idea to walk obviously hadn't worked. I'd barely paid attention the entire time and it was only muscle memory that had gotten me to my required destination.

I held onto the door handle of the lecture hall and took a deep breath before stepping in, the room erupting into wolf whistles was not what I expected but admittedly better than what I was thinking. I scanned the room and my students, rolling my eyes at the girls lining the front row, their eager faces taking me in. 

The class was full of typical students, the usual cliques you see at every educational institution. The jocks and cheerleaders, the nerds and oh fuck. The air was almost knocked from my lungs when I spotted her sat at the back of class. The girl I'd been talking to in the coffee shop yesterday, the girl that had been on my mind and in my dreams ever since. She was here, right in front of me which meant she was my student and younger than I'd actually thought. Fuck.

Even though she was now out of bounds I couldn't take my goddamn eyes off of her, the way her wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders. I could feel my cock tingling when my eyes fell to her low cut top and that unreal cleavage. I pulled my eyes away from her so as not to draw attention and focused on preparing for the lesson, leaving the students to whisper for a while longer while I recovered my composure.

Like a magnet, my eyes unwillingly kept finding their way back to her and she looked uncomfortable, squirming in her seat. I was making her uncomfortable and I still couldn't stop myself, I frowned as I subtly watched her cheeks blush and realised she's probably embarrassed because she'd been flirting with her Professor. Of course she'd be embarrassed, I was so much older than her but was it wrong that I didn't feel one ounce of awkwardness at the fact I had been flirting with a student?

All I could think about as I watched her tits bounce as she moved In her seat, was burying my face in her cleavage and I knew I had to look away before my dick reacted. The last thing I needed in a class full of students was to be walking around with a fucking erection.

I could stand there and watch her all day but certain students had stopped talking and they were waiting for me to speak and I'd almost forgotten why I was here In the first place. I really needed to get my head in the game, being infatuated with a student would definitely not get me the promotion I was looking for.

I pushed my hands in my tight pockets, hoping to stretch the fabric a little so my semi-hard dick wasn't so apparent, then my eyes were drawn to her again and she was talking to Jake. That pissed me off and I could feel my jaw tensing as I cleared my throat rather forcibly, hoping to get the attention of the whole class at the same time as distracting her from the rather friendly conversation she was having with another guy. A guy her age at that.

"Now I've got your attention, we're going to use our first session to get to know each other a little better. You'll be doing quite a lot of speeches so it's best if you feel comfortable with one another. I'll start by introducing myself." I looked at her again, gulping hard when I saw her with the end of her pen in her mouth and the way her lips wrapped around it. Fuck. "So, I'm Professor Hemsworth and I'm originally from Melbourne in Australia." I looked to her and she smiled, remembering what we spoke about yesterday.

A student started with the typical Australian stereotypes although I'm actually surprised no one told me to throw another shrimp on the Barbie. I laughed along anyway, I'd been expecting it, it's literally the first thing anyone who isn't Australian says when they first meet me. So when I told him it wasn't very original I meant it, I'd heard it a thousand times before and I'll hear it a thousand times again.

I told the class a little about myself before informing them they would do the same, it didn't go down well, the room filled with groans. I looked to her and she looked downright terrified, I sympathized for her, it wasn't easy speaking in front of a room full of people but was the best way to break the ice.

"Claire Abbott." I called, watching the blonde at the front stand, nervously. She giggled and twirled her hair around her finger as she smiled at me, I knew what she was doing. I quickly glanced at the girl from the coffee shop as she rolled her eyes at the blonde at the front, I smirked back at her, amused at her tolerance for predictable girls.

"I erm… I don't know what to say?" The blonde said, looking at me questioningly.

"Just anything about yourself that we might find interesting, the first thing that comes to mind."

"Well I own four horses and I'm the cheer captain." I had to stop myself from laughing when she rolled her eyes again but the smile soon disappeared when I saw Jake lean over to speak to her and the way she laughed at him made my blood boil. I was seething, not because they were speaking instead of listening but because she was speaking to him instead of me.

"You two at the back, we'll wait for you shall we?" I called them out, my voice more stern than I expected. I was pissed off that Jake would easily be able to get to know her and I couldn't. She stared at me, her eyes wide, she was surprised I'd called them out in front of everyone which made me even more pissed off because that probably blew my chances even more. What the hell am I thinking? What chances, I need to remember I'm her fucking Professor.

She sat silently through the rest of the class, I still couldn't keep my eyes off of her and thankfully neither could she. She looked flustered and I liked it, I liked that I could make her feel that way without even touching her. She was so goddamn hot I could hardly concentrate on what the other students were saying.

When I glanced down at the sheet of names in front of me and saw Jake's name my jaw clenched.

"Jake Hudson." I couldn't help narrowing my eyes as he stood up, I just knew he'd say something cocky and I was so fucking jealous of him right now. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath, I needed to keep my cool, especially in a room full of students and her. If she knew what I was really like she wouldn't look at me the way she did.

"Hi, I'm Jake." I bit onto the inside of my gum, that bit of pain keeping me grounded. "I'm also from Australia." He gave me that fucking cocky half arsed smile I'd been waiting for and the adrenaline shot through me. I was thankful no one noticed apart from maybe the one person in here I didn't want to notice. She was watching me carefully. I had to loosen my tie a little as he continued to speak, I was burning up with rage.

I'm glad class was almost over, I needed a stiff drink and I needed it now. I looked at my sheet of names again and there were only a couple left, I wondered which one was hers. I needed to know her name. Fuck. I needed to know everything about her.

"Jessica Watson." She stood up. Fuck, Jessica, it was a cute name and fit her perfectly. I was mesmerized with her and the way she spoke as she tucked her long hair behind her ears. "These last couple of days have been pretty eventful for me." She looked right at me, what was she going to say? "I'm living the life of a romance novels heroine and I'm excited to see what the next couple of days bring." Oh fuck. Was she talking about meeting me? Or Jake? I like to think by the way she studied me as she spoke, she was talking about me. This was wrong, so wrong but why did it feel so right? I forgot there was anybody else in the room, my cock twinging as I pictured myself fucking her on this desk. I needed to stop thinking like this, it's unprofessional and completely immoral. I shook my head and turned back to the class.

"I hope we all feel a bit more comfortable with each other now, some of you shared some pretty revealing things." I looked at Jessica. "Some of you, not so much." Then raised my eyebrows at a group of guys in the middle of class that had used thier time to inform everyone about the party at their frat house this weekend. "I'll have a schedule for you all next time I see you, anybody that has any questions can see me after class, everyone else is free to leave." I looked at her one last time, hoping she'd use this opportunity to come and speak to me.

I sighed when I sat back at my desk and a group of girls took their opportunity, I wasn't in the mood for it but answered their questions anyway. I didn't take my eyes from Jessica, especially when Jake started speaking to her again. The girls in front of me were taking up my time, trying to flirt with me instead of asking relevant questions and I was over it.

"Do you actually have any questions about the course ladies? I have other things to be getting on with if not." I was a little short with them without actually meaning to be. I just wanted them out of my goddamn way so I could see what was going on with Jessica and Jake.

The girls finally left, more like stormed off but I couldn't care less right now. She was still sat at her desk which means she waited until I was alone which has got to be a good sign. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, the silence driving me insane so I cleared my throat and she blinked like I'd woken her from a daydream. What was she thinking about?

She packed up her things into her bag slowly, I could tell she was buying herself time but I felt relaxed now we were alone, in fact I felt excited which was completely ridiculous. I felt like a damn teenager.

"Did you need to talk Miss Watson?" I was amused and I needed to break the ice before the silence got the better of me. I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms across my chest.

"I erm…" She walked towards me, down the stairs, looking at her feet. She was unsteady and looked nervous as hell, was she going to tell me to back off? "I wanted to apologise, I had no idea you were a Professor." She stood at the bottom of the stairs, I was glad she wasn't too close. I don't know if I'd be able to control myself around her and lord knows I had to. The atmosphere was tense, neither of us really knowing what to say or do, all I could think about was ripping off her clothes.

"There's no need to apologise Miss Watson, I also had no idea you were a student but I was hoping to bump into you again. Funny how things work out isn't it?" I cocked my eyebrow at her, testing her, seeing how she would react to my comment. Something changed and she didn't look quite so nervous anymore.

"I think fate can be rather cruel Professor Hemsworth." The way she called me Professor stirred something deep inside me, a hunger I didn't know I had and when she moved closer to me I began to feel nervous.

"Oh really? Why is that Miss Watson?" She was so close now, I could smell her sweet scent of coconut shampoo. I wanted to touch her badly, I didn't though. I didn't dare because I knew if I did I wouldn't be able to stop myself and I must restrain, she's my student after all. It's wrong. It's forbidden.

I still couldn't stop myself from flirting, like an uncontrollable impulse and as soon as I opened my mouth to try and be professional I would just go right ahead and flirt. She was so outrageously attractive but the kind of attractive where she didn't know it and didn't flaunt it, which I found even more endearing.

"I was hoping to bump into you again too, only now the thought of what could've happened will have to remain a fantasy." My restraint was really being tested now, she was teasing me, egging me on and the fact she'd also been fantasising about me made it extra difficult to resist. I had to loosen my tie again, I needed my fingers to be busy so I didn't touch her. I had an internal conflict going on inside my mind and it was like torture, if this was day one of class how the hell was I meant to survive the whole semester?

"I better get to my next class, we can't have anyone thinking I'm your favourite now can we?" Fuck sake. I ground my teeth together, I was glad she was leaving, I couldn't take the tension any longer but at the same time I knew, with distance the desire would only intensify. She turned to leave and I couldn't stop myself watching her hips sway as she walked, her ass was so round and bouncy, it hypnotised me and that's when I knew I was in deep trouble.

[kaiparker-avengerssmut]

Their Doll 4

Y/n Stark

B.Barnes x Reader, S.Rogers x Stark!Reader

series synopsis:  y/n Stark, all records of her non existent, and yet Hydra still find her. When she is kidnapped by a certain super-soldier and no one believes her, she finds herself searching for unexpected familiarity in her not-so-distant past.

Series Warnings: smut, violence, torture, swearing

Chapter Summary: the avengers find some stuff out about y/n

Warnings: swearing

A/n: The timeline in this has been altered, as there I things I wanted to include but I also wanted this fic to follow the storyline/timeline of Winter Soldier and Civil war.So for purposes of this fanfic, Peter Parker was discovered by Tony at a much younger age - when he was bitten - and has been an intern with him since, almost like a protégée.(For the purposes of this story Peter was bitten much younger too - more like when he was 9 or ten rather than 14/15)

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

"SO there's some weird HYDRA girl locked and sedated in my basement? Cool, don't want to know." Tony dismissed, not looking up from his white mug as he tipped a generous amping of sugar into his black coffee. He swirled the liquid in the mug and turned around, leaning against the counter as he raised the drink to lips lips and took a sip before sighing intently. Bruce frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Tony, I don't think you get it, I ran a DNA test and-"

"And she's probably some innocent girl that went missing years ago and was never found? I get it, I feel bad for her but at the end of the day she has nothing to do with me." Tony dismissed, pushing away from the counted to deposit his now-empty mug in the sink. He turned the tap on, rinsing out the cup before carelessly placing it on the drying rack.

"Just, please, come and see her. You won't regret it, and if you do - dinner's on me?" Bruce suggest, arms outstretched in welcome. Tony rolled his eyes, before scoffing.

"Yeah, no. I'm good. Catch you in the lab later though?" Tony was quick to deflect, exiting the room with so much as another glance. Bruce's hands feel to his side with a slap as his shoulders sagged in defeat.

...

Bruce nervously paced the lab, desperate to tell someone his horrifying discovery. The click of the door made his head snap up, a smile of relief spreading his on lips at the sight of Nat.

"Nat, finally." He sighed, walking towards the scowling girl.

"What did you need to tell me Bruce? You sounded pretty urgent when you called." She pressed, crossing her arms over her chest and raising a brow. His smile faulted, his gaze dropping to his hands where he fondled with a biro pen.

"I- uh. I made a... discovery about y/n." Bruce confessed, finally meeting Nat's eyes.

"Go on.." Nat prompted. Bruce took a deep breath, chewing on his bottom lip nervously. "Bruce-" she started.

"Y/n isn't entirely human-"

"Well we knew that much."

"It's what she is, that's shocking. Looking threw all her blood tests and whatnot - it's showing she has an ability to manipulate minds when she s-sings. It's like a certain note her voice forms that can control the minds of people around her."

"So what is she?"

"I don't know, there's not really a name-"

"A siren. She's a siren." A third voice joined the room, and both the avengers' heads snapped round to the direction it came from. In the door stood Steve, shoulder leant against the frame and ankles crossed.

"Who's watching y/n?" Nat asked.

"Clint. Anyway, my father - he used to read me a story when I was a kid. The Odyssey, I believe it was called. It was a Greek myth about a bewitching girl who lured saloons in with her voice so she could feed off them." Steve continued, pushing himself off the door frame and walking further into the room.

"There's no way that's real, though." Nat dismissed, frowning heavily at his words.

"No, no. He has a point - I mean, look at Steve. Look at me." Bruce said, gesturing to himself and Steve. "We shouldn't be possible, but science does some crazy things. Y/n was with HYDRA, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"Well, what if they did this to her. We know she was taken when she was young, so what if they did so to experiment on her?"

"I should go talk to her, you know - girl on girl. She seems to like me, maybe she knows what she is and she might open up to me, if I ask nicely." Nat suggests, walking out the room when she was met with no protests from the two men.

"There's something else I should mention." Bruce started fidgeting again, which man Steve's brown knit together.

"What is it, Bruce?" The super-soldier prompted. Bruce continued to fidget, not looking up from him hands as he spoke.

"Are you aware Tony used to have daughter?" Bruce asked sheepishly.

"Tony had a daughter?" Steve said, brows now raised with genuine shock. He knew of Tony's...escapades from before he was with Pepper, but he couldn't see Tony as the type to actually keep a child from just a one-night stand.

"She was adopted, some kid he found on the streets with no parents. So he took her in, raised her and then she just disappeared. Many people have forgotten she existed, and those that remember her are all under the impression that she is dead. I thought so too, until..." Bruce paused, flipping through some papers on his clipboard until he found what he was looking for. "Until this." He finished, handing the board over to Steve.

In Steve's hands was proof that matched y/n's DNA to that of Tony's adopted daughter.

"Well that explains the name, and her hesitation to tell us who she really is." Steve frowned, eyes scanning over the paper repeatedly. Bruce hummed in agreement, taking the clipboard back from Steve when he held it out for Bruce to take. "Do we tell Tony?" Steve asked after a moment.

"He doesn't want to know, I've tried telling him but he doesn't care." Bruce told Steve and Steve pressed his lips together as he thought. "I do think we should wake her up though. If she's Tony's daughter there can't be anything that's more dangerous about her than you expect her attitude." Bruce said and Steve nodded, suppressing a laugh.

"I'll tell Nat to wake her up." Steve said as he exited the lab.

...

The steam from the shower engulfed me, my hands running through my hair and brushing out the tangles lightly. As I scrubbed the shampoo from my scalp, I hummed a small tune - thankful to be somewhere noisy enough that I wouldn't risk affecting anyone with my powers. After waking me up Nat told me to clean up and get changed before handing me a pile of clothes and telling me that she would meet me at my room in half an hour to take me to meet the rest of the team.

Shutting the water off, I slid the glass door open and my feet padded onto the thin bath-mat. The towel wrapped around me as I patted my hair dry with another one, looking over my scarred figure in the large mirror opposite me.

A large scar spanned the width of my stomach, smaller remnants of cuts littering my thighs that were joined by one larger one from where I was once stabbed. Looking at myself over my shoulder, I observed the large scars that spanned over my back, the layers fading at different degrees from their varying ages. The memory of how I got them brought tears to my eyes, which I was quick to blink away and focus back onto what I was doing.

Pulling the large sweatshirt Steve had lent me over my head, I left the large bathroom clad in a pair of leggings and some socks I borrowed from Nat. I brushed my fingers through my wet locks, detangling them. I threw the towel onto the bed in the room I had been assigned and plopped down next to it, taking my time to survey the room I barely got a look of earlier.

The door to the en-suite bathroom I just exited sat on one side of the room, accompanied by a big closet and a dressing table. A chest of draws was propped next to the king sized bed the sat in and the free corner housed a small kitchen. It had a stove, fridge-freezer, sink and a few cabinets. On the side sat a kettle, toaster, blender and some chopping boards.

A sharp knock on the door bought me back to my senses, making me perk up a little at the sound of Nat's voice.

"You feeling okay?" I nodded. "Good, well Steve and Bruce want you to meet them in conference room 4. I'll take you." She quickly added the last part in seeing my scared face.

As we walked down the halls we chatted, talking about our pasts and finding out that we were fairly similar - we were both forced into the bad things we did, we both found a way to redeem ourselves, neither of us have ever had a boyfriend and we both love chicken noodle soup.

"Well, this is it." She announced, pointing at a door to our left. I nodded, going to open the door before pausing and turning around.

"Thank you. For taking me with you, for giving me this chance, for hiding me from HYDRA - thank you, really." I spoke softly, giving her the friendliest smile I could muster.

"No problem. I couldn't live with myself if I knew we could've helped you. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"I genuinely can't thank you enough - you saved me." I said, quickly swiping away the threatening tears with the heels of my hands.

"I was nice meeting you, y/n."

"You too." And with the last words said, I pushed the door open, walking into the room and being instantly greeted by Bruce and Steve.

"Hey, y/n, why don't you take a seat and we'll get the introductions out the way?" Bruce suggested and I nodded shyly. I took a seat next to Steve, who appeared to shuffle slightly away from me but I couldn't be sure.

"So, another midgardian?" a bulky man with shoulder length blonde hair and a red cape clipped to his shoulders broke the silence. He was clearly the God I'd been hearing about - I mean how much more of a costume does he need to look like Thor?

"Yes, we think so." Bruce confirmed. I frowned at this. Midgardian? What the hell was a midgardian?

"We think she's been tampered with, like me," Steve elaborated, "but as far as we know, she is of this earth." Steve spoke and Thor nodded. "We are keeping her safe from HYDRA." Steve said to break the silence as they all stared at me with funny looks. I kept my eyes cast down now, cheeks hot with embarrassment after feeling so many eyes on me at once.

"Does she-" I interjected the second I heard another voice. I stood abruptly, pushing me seat back and wincing at the screeching noise it made before resuming my angry face. I slammed my hand down the table as I stood, catching the attention of everyone sat at the table.

"If even one more of you refers to me as 'she' rather than just fucking talking directly to me I am going to end up sirening one of your asses!" I demanded, seething with anger. A grin broke out on Thor's face.

"Atta girl, I like this one already!" He laughed and I sat down again, smiling contented ay his compliment.

"She's got Tony's patience, all right." Another man remarked with a smirk. Steve simply rolled his eyes as common menus about my attitude were thrown around the room. Finally, someone addressed me. It was a woman with Blonde hair and kind eyes. She looked motherly.

"Hey, I'm pepper." She smiled kindly and I quickly reciprocated it. They went around the table - the man who had commented about my patience was called Clint, the blonde man was was indeed called Thor and obviously I'd already met Bruce and Steve.

"I'm y/n." I returned and she repeated my name in her beautiful voice, almost as if she was testing how I'd felt in her mouth.

"Y/n. A stunning name for a stunning lady." Thor commented, boyish grin still in place and I gave him a sheepish smile.

"Oh, cut it out big guy - you're like, a billion times her age." A voice came from the door and we all turned to find out who it was.

"Tony. I wasn't aware you'd be joining us." Steve said in a monotone voice and Tony gave him a tight smile.

"You don't get everything your way, Capsicle. Now, who's this?" Tony said, stuffing a mouthful of blueberries in his mouth before stuffing the bag of food in his back pocket and motioning to me with a nod.

"Tony, this is y/n," Bruce said moving out the way from where he was standing so Tony could see my face. The man's eyes widened instantly as the recognition sank in. "Y/n Stark."

[saidrolav]

Calcu-lust.

Highschool!Sam Wilson x gn!reader

Summary: You think you're done with relationships since your last ex but you fall harder than ever for a guy in your math class.

Warnings: none! pure fluff! 🧡

a/n: Hiii! Just felt like writing some Highschool AU for no reason, this has been inspired by the song stupid with love from the musical Mean Girls, hope you'll like it!

not my gif!

You were near your locker when Wanda talked to you for the first time of your day. Wanda was the first one that had introduced herself to you, she was the first friend you had made at your school and you were happy she did, she was the most wonderful bestfriend anyone could ask for. She was here for you at any time, the two of you were spending nights listening to music, dancing like crazy and watching movies together, she was the nicest. Not too long ago, she had decided that her mission was to find you a lover. Since you knew her, you have never been in a relationship because of your last ex that hurted you. Wanda loved talking about boys and girls at your school even if you, not so much, you weren't really attracted to anybody. This morning at 8am, at the start of the day, when you were already tired, she obviously had to talk to you about her mission of finding you a partner.

"Wanda!" You had cutted her in the middle of the list of people she found attractive and she looked at you with wide eyes. You checked quickly around you and found some of the students looks on you, you almost just shouted on the corridor and you lowered your voice quickly. "As i said, i'm over it. I used to crush easily in the past, but i'm done with that." She nodded furiously as you talked, drinking every word you were saying. "No more falling for people at the drop of a hat, i'm focusing on school and my future." She rolled her eyes while sighing. You putted your backpack on your shoulder and closed your locker while smiling at her disappointed face.

As you were about yo go for your first class, you heard a couple of whispers in the corridor. Wanda looked around, she seemed to have heard those too because she was investigating the crowd with her eyes to see what was happening, she loved gossiping. Even if you two were searching what was arriving, you both knew what was coming, or rather, who were coming.

It took no time before Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes were walking through the corridor, meeting you and Wanda's gazes, sending chills down your spine. The three guys were pretty popular at your school, each one for a different reason. Steve was popular for being pretty good in sports and good looking, tall, blonde, blue eyes, girls and boys were falling for him all around the school. He was a huge victim of gossips, there was always at least once a week a new gossip about him dating someone but the truth is, Steve was super sweet, caring and gentle with everyone but not a lot into dating.

Sam was just as known by everyone, he was also good in sports and extremely funny, the man always had to crack a joke when he could, making people laugh would bright up his day. He was less victim of gossip because he was talking to the whole school and was making sure everyone was feeling at ease around him.

Bucky was the less popular of the three of them, mostly because he was the most introverted of the three. He was really shy but harsh when he talked and he truly wasn't afraid of telling what he tought. The brunette was a truly different person when you were seeing him at lunch with Sam and Steve, letting out laughs from the heart. You only shared one class with James and he was always at the back of the class, drawing sketches furiously in his copybooks in silence.

The three of them passed by you and Wanda. Sam gave you a huge smile and a wave without stopping his tracks. You could only hear his voice echoing in your ears: "Sup, Wanda, Y/N,". Your blood was rushing to your cheeks, these blushing furiously. This man had so much confidence, it was intimidating. Your hands held tighter the strap of your backpack as you watched him walk away, biting your lower lip. You didn't even saw Steve giving you a polite smile and Buck giving a quick glance on your direction, they didn't stopped and followed Sam quickly as your mind was still racing of this insignificant gesture.

"So turned out, you were lying. You still fall for people with a drop of a hat." Your head snapped in Wanda's direction. She was already looking at you with a knowing look, a smirk and wiggling eyebrows. You chuckled before rolling your eyes and going to your first class of the day without waiting for her. "You won't get away with that so easily Y/N ! It's my mission!" You laughed once again and went in your science class.

Your day passed slowly and it made you even more tired as the hours were advancing. You slowly made your way to your last class, exhausted as ever. As you were about to enter the classroom you stood in the doorway, all of your tiredness going away as you saw Sam Wilson sitting at your desk. You stood there for a couple of milliseconds that felt like hours while staring at him, then you realized you might look like a creep so you went to sit just behind him without saying anything. He didn't realized you were staring at him, to your biggest satisfaction.

You knew Sam was in your class, it wasn't the surprise. The surprise was that he sat somewhere else than his usual seat, and at your own usual place. Actually, you never saw him much in your math class, mostly because he was always in the back. You only knew he had good grades because teachers would always congratulate him, but he always seemed like he wasn't listening in class. He was a nice and funny guy who could talk with anyone easily but in class he wasn't that much of a trouble maker. What were you thinking about ? He probably didn't even noticed he sitted at your desk.

You were wrong. Sam knew exactly where you sitted because he already saw you a couple of times in this class or at lunch and he thought you were mesmerizing, because, he was, in fact, mesmerized by you. Your laugh, your smile, the way your were talking. At first, he thought you didn't wanted of a guy like him. Loud, noisy, attracting everyone's attention, but when Steve told him this morning the way you were looking at him, boy, his heart beat faster, a huge smile took over his features and he felt like the happiest man on Earth. You were looking at him, the way he did. As soon as he heard what the blonde said to him, he thought about you all day and for him, the day passed really quickly. He was going to ask you out on a date at the end of this class, and he would do everything he could, starting as you walked by the door.

You putted on your desk your pencil case and everything you needed for your math class, he did the same. You were watching his every moves closely, a bit lost in your toughts. The class started and you tried to focus, you really did, but with such a beautiful man in front of you, you soon met your toughts again. That's why you were so surprised when he made eye contact with you.

"Do you have an eraser ?" He smiled angelically and you knew you were screwed.

"I would love to.." You answered mindlessly as you were putting, in his hand, your own eraser. He chuckled at your answer, that's when you realized how dumb sounded your response. As your hands touched you felt an electric shock running through your veins and your cheeks became crimson at the contact. He used your eraser briefly before putting it back on your table with a quick "thanks".

You didn't even liked your math class that much, but who were you to complain when such an astonishing man was sitting in front of you, math class was becoming slowly your favourite. Thanks maths for giving you the right to put your eyes on Sam Wilson.

You were studying the back of his head curiously, watching his dark hair, his skin, what he was wearing closely, you wouldn't miss a sight of him, you were so close his cologne was tickling your nose and, it smelt amazing.

You were listening as his soothing voice was talking with confidence answering the questions of the teacher, filling the room that was usually in the silence. The man was really smart, and it only made your heart swell even more. He looked like he was straight out of a romance TV show and you just couldn't keep your eyes off of him. Your eyes went lower and you saw his hands playing easily with his pen, his arms showing that work out had been done and before you could continue to observe him, the bell rang and he was leaving in seconds making you sigh as you packed up your things. You've been studying him instead of your maths the whole hour and now you were completely lost in the lesson. You putted your backpack on your shoulders and exited the classroom and your whole body stopped in the middle of the corridor because he didn't left.

He was here. Waiting for someone. When his eyes found yours a giant smile took over his lips and you bit yours. He was walking over someone else behind you right ? Not you right now, he was coming no time to think!

He took a big breath before talking, "Please don't interrupt me because i've been searching what i'm about to say the whole class," you both chuckled before he continued, "So, Hi? Okay so," he cleared his throat, "I think you're very cool and i wanted to know if we could go on a date sometime, maybe grab something to eat or watch a movie togerher, no pressure don't feel obligated to say yes, just... tell me what you think you know." He let out a shaky laugh as he fidgeted akwardly with his fingers before looking back at you. Damn, Sam Wilson was asking you on a date, that was a big deal because he was nervous and never he was, but how could you say no ? You've been admiring him from afar for way too long and he just admitted he was also doing so.

"Yeah, i'd love to go on a date with you sometime Sam." You smiled sweetly at him and you searched fastly in your backpack before taking out your marker. He was super excited and had a giant smile on his face, his heart was beating so fast he thought he might get out of his cage. "I don't have a paper it's okay if i write on the back of your hand ?" You cocked an eyebrow at him and he nodded eagerly. You wrote your number on the back of his hand as you said and as soon as your skin touched again, that electric wave going trough your body came back faster than ever, your smile growing even bigger. You definitly thought it was love at first sight, and that it was what soulmates were experiencing.

You looked at him when you finished writing, he looked more happy than ever and it made your cheeks blush. You putted your marker back in your bag and a couple of seconds passed just where Sam and you were staring at each other with a huge smile. Then he finally talked.

"I should probably go.. I'll tell you when we'll plan our date ?" He looked at you as you nodded in silence, you approached him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before doing a quick wave of the hand "See ya, Wilson." and disappearing in the corridor. Otherwise Sam stood there a couple of minutes caressing with his cheek where you kissed him with the tip of his fingers. He came back to him, realizing what happened and he jumped in the air like a kid, even doing a little dance of joy, running towards Steve and Bucky, ready to tell them everything.

You however you joined Wanda that gave you a knowing look. "I know, i said i'm over it but-" She cutted you with an excited squeak and took you in her arms. "I'm so happy for you! You don't even need me to find a boyfriend!" You laughed and she did so too.

You couldn't wait for your date, and you couldn't wait for your next math class.

[hawksugarbaby]

Bakudeku- tongue tied

Lime + Tattoo/piercer Au

A/N: TO BE CLEAR. I don't ship toxic bakugo who told Deku to kill himself with baby deku who can't stand up for himself. I ship emotionally mature, developed, redeemed bakugo who is helping deku become a hero (more evidence in the manga than anime right now) with a strong independent deku who can stand on his own feet now.

It was a slower day for the parlour today than typical but this early in the year less people were interested in getting tattoos or piercings since it was cold and people would be wearing fleecy layer over layer and covering every stretch of skin on their bones to keep warm. What was the point in permanently altering a part of you if most of you was covered up?

Of course the tattoo side of the department had it harder than the piercing side as the piercers had enough options on the face and ears to keep them going. And that was where the great Katsuki Bakugo came into play. Hovering around the parlour like a moth waiting for the lights to flicker on, the annoying buzz of his angry voice that never shut up infiltrating Izuku's ears without of a choice making him unwillingly blush whenever he said anything that caught the freckled boy off guard.

The blonde barged into the shop like he owned the place and tapped his foot at the front desk ringing the bell for service continuously until someone paid attention to him. Izuku looked at his colleagues who all turned around and pretended to work, drawing scribbles on their page for new designs which looked like toddlers artwork until it was refined and then, if they felt like it, coloured.

The green haired boy stood begrudgingly from his desk and sauntered over to the front desk to greet his most common customer. "Afternoon Kacchan" he faked a smile and ran his hand through his curly emerald locks grabbing a pen from the pot, flicking the cap off so forcefully it flew across the room like a rocket for someone else to deal with. "It's evening deku" he argued and leaned his bulging arms on the counter smiling irritatingly at izuku. "Sure whatever. What are you here for" he asked, chewing the end of his pencil and glancing from the blonde's face to his muscular arms without a second thought.

Bakugo stuck his tongue out laying it flat against his chin and stared seductively into Izuku's green eyes. His face lit up red and he closed his eyes ignoring the taller man's angry flirtations. "A t-tongue piercing then?" he stuttered, turning around to face the wall and scribble on the clipboard. "Date of birth" he asked, not looking back at the angry customer being ignored by the reason he was there in the first place. "20th of april 2037" "making you 22" Izuku muttered filling in the information on the sheet. He knew Bakugo's phone number and email by heart by now, in case the courage ever took over to message him.

"Sign here" izuku said, turning and handing the clipboard to bakugo who was cracking his fingers as if it was a time killer and pointed to the line for bakugo to sign his loopy name on. For such an aggressive personality his handwriting was saccharine, it felt ungenuine watching the way his wrist flicked so smoothly with each curve connecting every consonant and vowel. "Can I get a hole in my tongue now or?" he asked placing the board on the desk and leaving the question open ended.

"Is everyone else busy!?" izuku shouted to his coworkers who all shouted yes back not wanting to deal with bakugo's attitude when he wasn't being pierced or tattoo'd by izuku. Izuku didn't have a problem around Bakugo, the problem arose when he couldn't focus on the work because his customer was seemingly attempting to seduce the poor artist. His insistence to be with Izuku was also an issue because god forbid he be with another customer when he came in, the indistinguishable groan when he was told to wait was enough to make the customers waiting to book flee the establishment.

"I guess it'll have to be me then" he sighed and walked to the back of the shop expecting bakugo to just follow behind (which he did). Izuku spun a wide leather seat towards the blonde and slapped the seat making a loud thump and he rolled his neck cracking the bones like loud enough you'd assume they broke. "Y'know for someone who's done this too me a bunch of time's i thought i'd know you better" bakugo sighed slumping into the seat while Izuku stretched a pair of latex gloves over his thick fingers, pinging the band against his wrist then pulling the other one on fiddling with the blue rubber.

Izuku his his blooming cheeks unable to tell if bakugo meant for his words to have a double meaning or if Izuku's mind was just all the way in the gutter. "What could you possibly want to know?" he grumbled looking to bakugo from his peripherals. The red eyed male fiddled with his ash blond locks of hair trying to spike them back up but they were flopping down and plastering to his forehead. Izuku's mini studio was ludicrously warm for the beginning of the year when it's supposed to still be winter, but his box felt like a trip to hawaii! "I dunno, why'd you start tattooing and piercing and shit" he asked gulping nervously at the needles laying out on the metal counter.

Izuku turned with the clamp looped on his fingers, a sure way to shut him up and scooted his own chair forward. "Tongue out" he ordered and bakugo smirked leaning forward "very demanding of y-" Izuku rolled his eyes and caught bakugo's tongue while his mouth was open talking and pulled it out by the clamp. "Eenngg! he huuh?" ("heey! The fuck?") bakugo began to gripe incoherently and izuku pressed harder making bakugo gasp and wave his hand "eh ehh ohay ohay" ("eh ehh okay okay"). He stopped attempting to talk but rested his warm hand's just above izuku's knee's making the green haired boy burn pink.

He fiddled with the needle and held his hands in front of him until they stopped shaking and held the clamp firmly grasped on bakugo's tongue "I started tattooing because my mum was struggling with money and I wanted to help her so I found an apprenticeship. Piercing just came easy after tattooing" izuku explained thinking about his mothers partially impressed, mostly shocked when izuku came home with his first tattoo. But she never stopped him if it was what he enjoyed. "Then you became obsessed with me and now I can't leave" he chuckled.

Bakugo's eye's rounded at the sound of Izuku's sweet laugh he'd never heard before. He would have smiled if he could have but there was a needle encroaching slowly. The tip of the sharp metal balanced on his tongue and izuku checked the placement again and nodded to himself "okay i'm going to count to 3 and on three take a deep breath through your nose okay" he quirked an eyebrow and the blonde nodded hesitantly.

"Okay 1... 2... 3 deep breath" he instructed and katsuki inhaled sharply as the needle went through the pink flesh a tiny dribble of blood and izuku switched in the jewellry so quick bakugo hadn't even realised the needle went through. "And you're done. You can exhale now by the way," izuku said, keeping the clamp on his tongue for longer than he needed to just for the satisfaction of silence but of course he had to take it off sooner rather than later.

"Did' ethen hur. Fuck i hath a lithp" he rolled his eye's and wiped away the drool at the corner of his mouth. "Hard to be sexy with a lisp," Izuku threw him an icy bottle of water he barely caught before the words caught up to him. "You think i'm thexy?" "not right now I don't" he laughed and sat back in the chair leaning over the back and hanging his arms over the armrest. "In about 5 minutes when your not afraid of moving your tongue, probably" he glimpsed at the blushing blonde and sighed. "Not afraid" he mumbled "then why do you have a lisp?"

Silence.

"Exactly." izuku retorted quickly and pushed bakugo into the leather seat climbing onto it himself and sitting between bakugo's thighs and grabbing his face. "I hate you you know that" the green haired male pushed bakugo's hair out of his face giving him a clear view of his sparkling red eye's and leaned into him pressing his soft lips against bakugo's rough, cracked ones. Bakugo's hand's hovered around izuku but izuku's gloved hands pushed them down so they rested on his waist gently.

He kissed back softly trying to pull izuku back so neither were in danger of falling of the chair and nothing could be heard except the heavy breathing and their hearts hammering rapidly in their ears. Izuku pulled away resting his forehead against bakugo who was intoxicated by his lips. "I really hate you" the freckled boy muttered and put his hands on bakugo's chest separating them slightly. "Can I come back for a tattoo?" bakugo mumbled not sure what to say and Izuku snorted sliding off the chair and standing up putting his blue gloves in the bin. "Just a tattoo?" he flirted and bakugo, still trying to reboot his brain just blinked and nodded dumbfoundedly.

"Sure come back for a tattoo" izuku laughed and showed him to the door trying too brush his hair down so he wouldn't draw any attention from his coworkers. Bakugo finally formed coherent thoughts and at the door leaned next to izuku's ear "you know why I really got my tongue pierced?" izuku shook his head and bakugo dug his hand into his pocket pulling out a pill sized piece of metal and held it in front of izuku's eye's. Clicking a button on his phone it started to buzz lightly and izuku shoved him out the shop. "GO. NOW. HERE'S YOUR CARE PACKAGE" he shouted shoving a small poly-bag in his hands and slamming the door shut behind him, hard enough an earthquake line ran up the glass.

His brunette coworker bounced up to him, "SOOO" her sweet voice started and izuku shoved her away jokingly. "Get away!"

[paulsonstanxxx]

Upside-down

part 2

alice macray x reader

warnings: smut, (top) reader?!?! idk

It had been two weeks and there was still no word from her. You blamed yourself completely, you should have controlled yourself better. You had just gotten out of the shower, and settled down in your seat.

Your mother was out at some gathering with the eagles and your were thankful to have some time alone with your thoughts. However that time was soon shortened when you get a call that snaps you out of your thoughts. You wanted to complain, and you were about to until you heard the faint voice of the woman you had been stressing about for the weeks.

"Hello?" she said

"Alice! Hi" you answered nervously

"Could you come over? I think we need to talk"

Great. She's going to cut you off.

"Oh. Well, I'm going to be home alone for the majority of the day and I'm not really supposed to leave so could you come here?"

"Of course. I'll see you soon sweetheart"

You mentally scolded yourself for your reaction to the nickname. Sweetheart? Why did she call you sweetheart? You didn't bother to change out of your nightie- it's not like she would be staying long. She's just going to come over and break your heart, like she's been doing for years. Only this time it's intentional. When you heard a knock on the door, your only choice was to take a deep breath and hope she won't be too harsh.

You open up the door to see a nervous looking Alice. You gave her a small smile as you were once again blown away by her beauty.

"Do you want to sit down, or will this only be a minute?" you asked, maybe a little tool coldly.

"We can sit down" she said, and even though she's been here thousands of times before she waited for you to show her to the couch.

 She sat close. Too close for the current situation. Your thighs were touching even though you were both facing forward, eyes not meeting.

"I'd like to apologize" she started

"You don't have to Alice it's my fault and I understand if you no longer want to see me" you spilled out, because you didn't want her to think you were too immature to take it.

"What are you talking about?" she turned, and reached for your hand in your lap. "Let me finish, please"

She waited for you to nod before she started up again, her soft hand on yours and her thumb drawing anxious circles in your skin.

"It's was all very new to me. These feelings that I have. And I was scared, and confused and there was so much changing in such a short time I just panicked. It's not like I didn't want to I just didn't... Know. Does that make sense?" She paused a moment but before you could answer her she pulled away. "Oh God it probably doesn't I'm sorry I'm so stupid I shouldn't have-"

"Hey." You said softly, gently holding on to her face.

"You are not stupid. In any way. I understand completely you don't have to worry."

You watched as tears form in her eyes, as she looked at you with a face that you could only describe as a complete baby pout.

"Do..." she paused to take a few deep breaths. "...do you think i'm pretty?"

"Of course! You are the prettiest woman I have ever laid eyes on, inside and out. You're absolutely perfect Alice" Her forming tears now spilled out as she pulled you in to a hug, nuzzling her face into your neck.

"He never told me I was pretty"

You ran your fingers through her hair, as her cries eventually died down. You didn't know what to say and you didn't know what you could do.

"Is there anything I can do to help show you?" you cursed yourself for the the slight provocative tone. You knew that's not what she needed.

She sat up to face you.

"Anything?"

"In my power of course"

She leaned in closer and you could feel her hot breath on your lips, sending shivers down your spine. "I don't want you to feel like it's your responsibility to do this for me. I can leave" she whispered

"You wouldn't be pressuring me into anything"

She leaned in closer, her soft lips gently grazing your own, before pulling away and repeating her actions.

"Is this okay?" She asked, placing a kiss on the corner of your mouth as you let out a yes. Your lips met again and your hands found her hair, pulling her in closer. The kisses grew deeper until you both were left breathless.

"Can we go upstairs?" she asked

"Alice are you sure-"

"It's okay if you don't want to, i'm sorry"

"Of course I do. I just didn't know if it's what you wanted"

She pulled you in for another kiss.

"More than anything"

The walk upstairs was lengthened with you two occasionally stopping for a kiss, neither of you wanting to separate.

You reached the room and lightly traced her collar.

"Can I take this off of you?"

But she had already started unbuttoning it and removing her skirt until she was left in just her undergarments.

"I don't know what i'm doing" she whispered, and you placed two small kisses on her neck.

"shhh, let me take care of you" you said, almost as a question.

She nods and climbs onto the bed, laying down and giving you a chance to get on top. You by slowly kissing her neck, stopping to gently suck a mark and you feel her heartbeat quicken.

"You're so beautiful Alice"

Had you not been so close you would have missed the faint noise that left her mouth.

Your lips continued it's journey down to her collarbones, and reaching her bra.

"Can I take this off?" you asked, and for a moment she looked confused, but that was quickly replaced with her nodding.

"of course" she said, in a very small voice.

You could tell that she was still self conscious, so you placed kisses on the top of her chest.

"you're perfect" you trailed kisses around her upper half, spewing compliments and words of reassurance until she fully relaxed.

You gently cupped her right breast, running a finger around her nipple and watching it harden. You leaned in and took the other in your mouth. As soon as you started sucking her hands flew up into your hair.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, struggling to keep her hips down.

"So sensitive" you softly chuckled

"i'm sorry" she whined, still lost in the feeling

"don't apologise babydoll i like it"

You had meant to take your time, but with her whimpers urging you on you moved to remove her panties.

"Is this okay?" you were met with a head nod

"I need you to use your words" you said softly

"Yes" she lifted up her hips so you could slide them off.

You kissed her lips before moving down to settle between her thighs.

"What are you-"

She let out a gasp when she felt your tongue on her. Any hesitancy she had was overcome as her moans filled the room. You continued to lick, enjoying her reactions, before taking her clit into your mouth. When you started to suck she was lost in a string of whimpers and moans.

"Oh honey" she let out, biting harshly on her lip, trying to hold back the noises she was making.

"Don't hold back, I want to hear you" you said, and she let go of her lip.

“Are you doing okay?”

“so so good” she whined, practically grinding on your face. You moaned at her actions, words, and taste, which caused her thighs to tighten around your face. Not that you minded of course.

“Such a good girl” you praised, enjoying the whimpers she let out in response. You knew she was close so you focused in on her clit, moving your tongue and sucking in a rhythmic pattern

“You can let go gorgeous”

And with those words she reached her peak and you helped her ride out her orgasm, licking through her folds.

“I didn’t know it was supposed to feel like that” was the first thing that she said, and you crawled up next to her to give her a kiss. She moaned at the taste of herself on your lips, and pulled you in closer so that she was on top, nipping at your bottom lip. A smile formed on her face and she turned so she was on her back.

“Everything is upside-down. And yet everything is clearer now”

[softsebnbuckystan]

Soul ties - Part 11 (Bucky Barnes au)

"High hopes, when you let it go, go out and start again"

It took Bucky exactly eight minutes to meet you in the kitchen after you'd come back from taking your things at Darren's. He didn't say anything right away, placing a hot cup of fresh coffee in front of you.

"Black, no sugar," he told you.

You smiled softly at that small thing he'd managed to remember about you. Damn, your standards were low.

"How did it go?" he asked as he sat before you.

"Not as bad as I imagined," — you sighed – "even though he still found a way to be a dick."

"I'm sorry."

You shrugged as you held on tight to your cup. "It's not your fault, don't  be."

"I kinda feel responsible, though."

You took a sip of your warm drink before instinctively grabbing his hands on the table.

"The only thing you're responsible for is making me see how he already was. I should thank you for that."

"I just..."

Footsteps made you remove your hands and place them back around your cup as you looked down. Bucky cleared his throat, visibly uncomfortable as well.

"I didn't want to interrupt anything, sorry," Steve apologised. "Buck, Tony just confirmed we're going on a small mission tomorrow. You're still up, right?" He looked back and forth at you and his friend. "You can also stick around if you want. It's not gonna be difficult."

Bucky's eyes interrogated you for a second. Did he want to stick around to stay with you? You wish you knew. He tilted his head on the side, thinking.

"Nah, I already said I'd come."

"Cool. It's just gonna be Nat and the two of us. We should be fine."

As Steve laid a comforting hand on your shoulder, you felt his last sentence was more directed at you than it was at Bucky, who would actually be on the mission. He squeezed your shoulder before leaving the two of you alone again. The awkwardness that lingered  in the air was killing you : had you made him uncomfortable by kissing him? Had he changed his mind about you?

"This is weird," you finally said. "I made it weird, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"Hey, hey, calm down," he whispered. "You didn't make anything weird. I just don't want to you  to think I'm pushing you to anything so I..." — he  shook his head – "I though not saying anything about what happened  between us would make you more comfortable."

"Thank God," you breathed. "I thought you regretted it."

"How could I?" He stared at your eyes, his own checking out your lips for a second. "I'd do it again without any hesitation if you asked."

You felt a tickle in your stomach as he leaned towards you, his elbows resting on the table.

"What if I asked now?" you questioned, feeling your cheeks heating up.

The shadow of a smile appeared on his face as he grew closer to you, teasing you with his slow motion. You put your chin forward to make your intentions clear. Taking the hint, he  brushed his lips against yours, sending shivers down your spine. You allowed your hand to touch his neck to pull  him in and kiss him deeper. You soon felt him smile before he pressed a kiss on the corner of your mouth and sat back properly. You rested your head on your hand and shot him a bright smile before acknowledging your feelings and what you'd told Wanda.

"I'm scared, Buck," you confessed. "I don't want to impose my mess of a sentimental life on you."

"You mean that husband of yours?" Bucky scoffed. "It's not gonna be a problem,  doll."

You chuckled at the nickname before grabbing his hand again. "I'm talking to Tony tonight to see if he knows a decent lawyer. After that...I'll have divorce papers drafted," you explained.

Bucky gently squeezed your fingers. "Are you ready to do it now? You have the right to wait."

"I know," you said, distractingly drawing circles on his hand with your thumb. "I also know that the sooner I do this, the less time he'll be able to torment me, because... I'm convinced he won't let this settle in peace."

"I'll be there. All the way."

You couldn't help but smile as you looked at both your hands. It felt so natural that you couldn't even feel any guilt about your marriage.

"Alright lovebirds, I've waited long enough  for my tea," your sister joked as she walked in.

You let out a delicate laugh before getting up. "I'm gonna go work in the lab a little," you said. "I promised Bruce I would look into our tissue theory."

"Can I watch?" Bucky asked in an eager voice.

"Of course!  I'll even teach you a few science tricks if you're nice enough." You smiled once more. "See you,  Wanda!"

---

"Thanks for doing this with me," you said. "I could've gone alone, but..."

"Hey, it's alright," Sam told you. "That's what friends are for."

"Mrs y/l/n?" a young man asked you. "Mr. Reyes is ready to meet you."

You got up and breathed out before entering the attorney's office. As he invited you to take a seat in front of him, you quickly explained Sam was here to support you.

"Mr. Stark told me you might come with a friend," he told you as he grabbed a pile of paper and his pen. "Do  you know what you want out of this divorce? Money, the house?"

"Oh, hum..." You  fiddled with your fingers and Sam gave you a nod of encouragement. "All I want is to get out of this marriage. He can keep the place, I don't care. We don't even have joined bank accounts."

"Yeah, I noticed that. A smart move from you, lady." He took some notes before asking you for your postal address. : you gave him the compound's one. "You won't need elaborate papers for this, I believe. Regular ones will do it just fine, and I promise  you'll  be out of it in no time, provided your future ex-husband signs them soon enough."

"About that... What should I do if he doesn't?"

"Is it a strong possibility?"

You looked at Sam as you debated the question. You hadn't been married for long, but you believed Darren's ego and pride could possibly make this procedure trickier than it actually was.

"Yeah. He's not really happy with my decision."

"If he doesn't sign, then we'll settle this in court. Don't worry, though, we'll make sure we don't have to. Shall we go over the papers together?"

Once you were out of the office, Sam decided to stop at a bar to buy you a drink. "You deserve it," he said. Sitting there at the counter, a beer in your hand, you were anxious about Darren signing papers that hadn't even been sent yet.

"He'll sign them, y/n. And if he doesn't do it willingly, I trust Steve and myself to convince him."

He bumped your shoulder, making you chuckle.

"I hope you're right. I really don't want this do be dramatic. I know it's unfair to him, but..."

"Wait a second," he interrupted you. "Divorce isn't unfair given the way he's been treating you for years."

"I know that now. Both Wanda and Bucky have made it seem very clear to me. But he still deserves a real soulmate, one he will treat right. And I shouldn't have lied to him in the first place."

Sam took a sip of his beer and you took a minute to check out the beautiful small carvings on the edge of the counter. The whole bar had a dark, comfy vibe that you found yourself to enjoy a lot. The bartender had obviously recognised Sam, but he was chill about it.

"Maybe, but the same reasoning applies to you," your friend replied. "You deserve to be with your soulmate, and so does Bucky."

"You're probably right. Thank  you again for coming along. I would've asked Wanda, but..."

"You didn't want to bother her and Vision, didn't you?"

"Yeah, and Steve was on a mission, so... Plus, you're way more chill than he is," you said, laughing a little. "Don't tell him I said that."

"I won't."

"I'm glad we're friends, you know? You, Steve, and the others...you're family to me now."

Sam patted your shoulder.

"I know. We'll always be."

You nodded slowly, taking another sip before Sam's phone started buzzing.  He picked it up quick.

"Stark? What's up?"

You couldn't hear Tony's voice on the other end of the call, but Sam's furrowed brows had you worried. He looked down for a second.

"We'll be here in no time."

He hung up, probably making this one of the shortest calls in history.

"What's wrong?" you asked. "I know something's wrong. Tell me."

"They're back. We gotta go."

Sam grabbed his coat on his chair and dropped a bill on the counter to pay for the beers. He didn't even bother to wait for his change and you followed him outside.

"Okay but why the rush, Sam?"

"Bucky's hurt, and you're the only doc available right now."

--- And that's part 11! Part 13 will be the last one and it's making me emotional... :)

Tag list : @ginger-swag-rapunzel @joscelyn02 @writehistorynotthegrocerylist @bluemoon-icecream @lady-loki-ren @simplybombshell @lizajane3 @livingonkpop @kaitieskidmore1

[helloalycia]

The Wrong Lifetime – Five // Wanda Maximoff

chapter four | story masterlist | main masterlist | wattpad | chapter six

author’s note: dying of cramps but didn’t wanna leave y’all hanging, so enjoy! x

Taking Wanda to Blackpool was something I couldn't stop thinking about for the past three days.

I kept telling myself that I had to remain calm, not make her feel uncomfortable with my obvious attraction to her, and to give her the best day out considering she'd never been before. It wasn't anything more than a girl spending time with her soon-to-be sister-in-law, and I had to keep reminding myself that whenever I'd feel a stir of desire in my chest at the thought her pretty smile or intoxicating gaze.

My family were thrilled when they heard of my plans with Wanda. My parents were glad I was actually making an effort to get on with her, whilst my brother was excited I was becoming 'best friends', as he put it, with his fiancé. That one stung a little, the guilt pricking my insides, but I convinced myself that that was exactly what I was doing. It wasn't wrong if I didn't think of Wanda in any way but what she was. Right?

The weekend came around quickly enough, and on Saturday morning, I met with Wanda at the train station where she waiting for me with an enthusiastic smile.

"I brought my watercolours and sketchbook so I can paint what's there," she explained as we boarded the train. "I also bought a lot of pencils in case some snap. I'm gonna draw everything I see so I don't forget a single thing."

We slid into our seats and I smiled with admiration as she continued to ramble about all of the things she wanted to do today. She looked so lively when she spoke, her hands moving about frantically to express her excitement, and her lips permanently etched into a smile when she wittered on. I didn't mean to stare, but God, she looked beautiful.

"Thank you again for doing this," she finished, head turning to mine.

Now, I'd read and written many clichés of someone falling for someone else, particularly the moment they knew they were too far gone. It was hard to believe if they were true depictions of liking someone, but I liked reading and writing them.

It was now that I learnt that they were no exaggeration, for when she looked my way with a beaming smile and glowing green eyes, I knew it was too late. There was no going back for my attraction to Wanda.

"No need to thank me," I spoke slowly, surprised I could speak at all since she'd knocked the breath from my lungs. "I'm glad you're excited."

The journey was a few hours long and we made conversation the whole way. It was the longest I'd spent alone with her since meeting her and I was intrigued by everything she had to say, hanging onto every word with all of my attention. If that wasn't enough, her accent only made everything she said sound so much better. She was naturally soft-spoken, but syllables rolled off her tongue in a silky, raspy way with her accent entwined in her words. I loved it.

At one point, the topic of our families came up and I felt like my brother came up in almost every conversation I'd had with anyone who discussed family, so I took this as my opportunity to get to know hers instead.

"What's it like to have a twin?" I asked, leaning on my elbow as I watched her attentively.

She mirrored my action playfully, though answered my question. "It's just like having a normal sibling, except they're way more annoying."

I smiled, imaging just how annoying Pietro could be as a sibling.

"I love Pietro, but he's very frustrating at times," she spoke with a hint of endearment. "He constantly throws it in my face that's he's older than me by twelve minutes. As if that makes a difference."

A chuckle flew from my lips as she pouted at her own words.

"But he's also my best friend," she said with a sigh, like that fact was irritating in itself. "He knows me better than anyone and he's the easiest person for me to talk to. I don't have to hide anything from him." She paused, glancing upwards in thought. "Well, almost anything."

Pursing my lips, I wondered what she meant as she mumbled the last part, but didn't question it. Everyone was entitled to their secrets.

"So, you and your family moved to England when you were kids, right?" I tried to recall what my parents had told me of them. "From Sokovia."

"Yes, we were about..." She scrunched up her nose as she tried to remember. "Eight years old, I think?"

"Wow, that's young," I realised.

She hummed in agreement, smile fading as her eyes fell to her hands. "Yeah... I don't remember much, but there was a lot of unrest at the time. A war. It was dangerous for everyone and my parents were lucky to get us out when they did."

I frowned, knowing some of this already, but it was sadder to hear when it was coming from Wanda herself.

"Our extended family didn't make it out," she continued to explain, voice quieter. "I didn't know them much, my parents' siblings, so it's not that sad for me. Pietro, too. But it's strange to think, you know? Especially when all of your family are around with this wedding and–" She sighed, shaking her head and looking to me with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring the mood down."

I straightened up, reassuring her instantly. "Wanda, you don't need to apologise. It's okay. I... I didn't know any of that. I'm glad you told me."

She nodded, though the regret was still present in her gaze.

"I'm sorry all of that happened," I expressed honestly, not looking away. "But I'm glad you're here, if it makes a difference. You– your family are good people."

A small, appreciative smile graced her lips. "Thank you."

I shrugged, trying to brush it off so she wouldn't notice the heat rising up my neck. "It's nothing... so Sokovia. You speak Russian and English. That's pretty bloody cool."

She laughed wholeheartedly and any hint of sadness disappeared from her face, reassuring me completely. I didn't like to see her sad, especially when there was nothing I could do to make her feel better that I knew of.

"I promise to teach you some Russian today," she said with amusement. "A few words, just to diversify your vocabulary."

"Gee, thanks."

Another laugh escaped her and I chewed on my lip to contain my grin. I could get used to that sound.

—

When we reached Blackpool, Wanda was radiating with excitement. We couldn't make it two steps anywhere before she whipped out her sketchbook and began to sketch. She wasn't kidding when she said she was going to capture everything she saw.

I was patient, since the reason we came was for her, and watched as she worked. It was cute, seeing her concentrate and trying to stop dancing around with excitement every time I showed her something new.

We walked along the promenade and dipped in and out of the shops, looking at the gifts and clothes they sold. We bought a few things to commemorate the trip, but then Wanda was quick to drag me back outside so she could sketch the view of the beach from where we were stood. The grin on her face was convincing enough for me to let her drag me wherever she wanted. She looked so happy and I didn't care about anything else.

Eventually, around lunchtime, we headed to a café to have a break from all the excitement. Or rather, a break from running around. For Wanda, it was a better opportunity to sit still and sketch some more.

"So, you're drinking what, Y/N?" she asked, not looking up from her sketches as she worked.

I looked at my tea and lowered the cup. "Er, tea?"

"In Russian," she instructed.

"Oh." I cleared my throat, remembering what she taught me earlier. "Chay."

"And what's in the chay?" she asked, lifting her eyes to meet mine patiently. "The milk?"

"Moloko," I remembered, and the proud smile on her face reassured me I was correct. My shoulders relaxed as I returned her smile. "Thanks."

"You're a natural," she assured me, before looking back to her sketchbook. "I only taught you the words. You remembered it yourself. And before you know it, ty budesh' govorit' polnymi predlozheniyami na russkom."

My mouth opened with confusion, not knowing what she said. She seemed to realise as she chuckled at my expression.

"Never mind, milaya (darling)," she said with humoured eyes, before resuming her sketching.

I breathed out, taking another sip of my tea before grabbing a fork to dig into my pasta. As I chewed, I watched Wanda move her pencil effortlessly, creating lines that somehow resulted in a perfect drawing of the horizon.

"Do you only draw and paint landscapes?" I asked curiously.

"I can do portraits, too," she answered with a nod, glancing at me. "But they're never as good."

I gave her a knowing look. "I doubt that."

She merely smiled in response, eyes meeting mine for a moment, before shaking her head with amusement and looking back to her sketches. I chuckled, leaving her to it as I enjoyed my lunch and read the newspaper.

It was nice to just sit and enjoy each other's company as we did our own thing. I'd occasionally glance up to see Wanda focused on her drawing and smile, allowing myself to appreciate the sight, before looking back down to the paper and enjoying my pasta.

By the time I finished my food, as had Wanda, she straightened up and tore a page from her sketchbook. The noise pulled me from my reading and I looked up to see her holding the paper towards me.

I quirked a brow, but she simply shook the paper, signalling for me to take it. With confusion, I took it and became speechless when I saw what she'd drawn. It was me reading the paper, the exact view she must have had from being sat opposite me. It looked exactly like me, probably better since I knew I didn't look that good, and I was amazed at her talent all over again.

"You did this just now?" I asked with disbelief, looking up at her.

She shrugged and distracted herself with her pencil. "Yeah, it's not much. It's not my specialty."

I scoffed. "You're kidding. Wanda, this is amazing!"

Bashful smile on her lips, she glanced up at me. "Maybe it's the best portrait I've done. But I think that's down to my subject."

Even when she was embarrassed, she was still capable of turning the tables on me, leaving me a flustered mess. It was like her superpower. A very annoyingly cute superpower.

"That's what you look like y'know," she continued, nodding to the paper in my hand. "When you're focused on reading. You chew your lip with thought. And you get this little crease–" she pointed between her brows with a laugh, "–right here, and you seem to forget that anything else exists."

A sweet smile spread on her face as she tilted her head, watching me with intimidating eyes, very much aware of the effect her words had on me.

"You're very observant," I said, trying not to stutter, her gaze making me nervous. "Perfect skill for an artist."

She hummed in agreement, though didn't look away. "Mere artistic observation, right?"

My heart was hammering in her chest the longer she stared, especially when her words dawned on me. I'd said the exact same thing after she confronted me about picking her ring. I wondered if she could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

Just like the first time I saw her, I was at a loss for words and couldn't look away. She was compelling, beautiful and remarkable all at once.

—

"Nebo," I said, hoping it was the correct word for 'sky' in Russian, as Wanda had taught me.

She grinned. "Yes! And horizon?"

I pulled a face as I thought carefully. "Er...gorizont?"

"The student is soon to become the master," she said, and I rolled my eyes, knowing that was anything but the truth. I appreciated her encouragement though.

"Okay, before we head to the beach, we have to buy some rock," I told her, leading her to the stall on the promenade. "I got it last time and it's so good."

She furrowed her brows. "What's that?"

I smiled at her expression. "It's a sweet. Kind of like boiled sugar that's formed into a stick of, well, rock."

She didn't seem convinced. "If you say it's good, I trust you, I guess..."

I laughed, grabbing her hand and tugging her to the stall. "You'll love it."

After getting two sticks of rock for Wanda and I, we began to walk to the sand. I glanced at the brunette, wanting to see her reaction. She eyed the hard candy before attempting to bite it, a small piece breaking off at the top. Crunching on it, she scrunched her nose up.

"It's hard," she noted, swallowing the piece. "Tasty, though."

"It's better if you suck on it, love," I let her know with a hidden smile. "Tastes much better."

She did as I said, beginning to suck on the top, and seemed to enjoy it more. Giving me a thumbs up as she sucked it, I couldn't help but laugh again. She looked adorable, so I left her to it and did the same as we walked along the sand and towards the benches in the distance.

Like a child experiencing something for the first time, she began to point excitedly at Blackpool Tower and the ferris wheel in the distance and I just kept nodding along, letting her get excited because it made my heart skip a beat every time she flashed me a smile.

When we reached the benches, I was glad that today wasn't a busy day. It wasn't exactly tourist season, so the beach was scarce of anyone but residents of the town. And even then, our side of the beach was pretty empty, giving us first dibs on a bench that wasn't broken or uncomfortable.

Settling on it, Wanda pulled her legs up and sat cross-legged so she could lean on them and pull out her watercolours. I sat beside her and leaned back, inhaling the salty air and exhaling peacefully. I never had much reason to visit here apart from when my parents took my brother and I on the occasional trip, but it was nice to appreciate the sound of the ocean washing over the sand and the seagulls squawking in the sky. A big difference compared to back home.

Another silence formed between us as she painted the water ahead, and I couldn't help but glance her way, watching her pucker her lips with concentration. All she'd wanted was this and I was glad I could finally give it to her.

So she wouldn't notice, I looked away and stared out at the blue expanse of ocean before me. I should have been appreciating its beauty, but all I could think about was how it was no contest to the girl sat beside me.

"I'm really glad you brought me here today," she said out of the blue after a while, "but I wouldn't have said yes if I'd known you would be bored."

I looked to her and saw she was still preoccupied by her painting. "I'm not bored. We came here so you could see the water and find some new subjects to paint. And that's exactly what we're doing."

She sighed, looking up at me with a questioning glance.

Smiling reassuringly, I said, "I like the quiet. And I like watching you work. You look happy. It's good to see."

She tensed her jaw, stifling a smile, but her eyes said it all. She was grateful. Of course, her eyes were also very easy to get lost in, even if she didn't mean for me to. And right now, under the sun, I found myself drowning in pools of blue.

"What are you thinking?" she asked quietly, a hint of a smile on her face.

Stupidly, I felt compelled to tell her the truth. "I'm thinking about how you have really pretty eyes."

Attempting to make me flustered yet again, her favourite hobby by now I was guessing, she raised a brow teasingly. "Oh, really?"

It didn't bother me this time though, as I maintained eye contact and felt my heart swelling with adoration. "Yes. It's like you hold all the elements in a single gaze."

Her smile faded and that's when I realised what I'd said, my heart dropping to my stomach in an instant. Swallowing hard, I looked away and shook my head. An apology was waiting on the tip of my tongue when she spoke with realisation.

"It was you."

I glanced her way nervously. "What was?"

She was staring like her mind was working something out and I was the missing piece. "The letter that Y/B/N gave me last week. He wrote the exact same thing. What you just said."

My brows knitted together with confusion, then it hit me. The love letter Y/B/N wrote. The one he assured me was for his own eyes. He'd given it to her. And I'd just gone and said the exact thing he'd written on it, no doubt passing it off as is his own words.

"Th–that wasn't me," I got out, shaking my head slowly. "I didn't even know he gave you a letter, Wanda."

She continued to watch me, eyes squinting with scepticism. I swallowed hard under her gaze, trying to think of how I could come back from this. But apparently I didn't have to, because she suddenly leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine.

My mind was foggy when her fingers rested behind my neck, tugging me closer. I closed my eyes, melting at her touch, and began to kiss her back, moving my lips against hers. She was slow and gentle with me, her lips as soft as they looked and sending the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy. I could have kissed her forever and been content, but my brain finally caught up to my actions and I reluctantly pulled away, stunned.

Glancing around to make sure nobody saw us – there was literally nobody here – I caught my breath and looked back to Wanda. Her eyes were drawn to my lips before they flickered to meet mine, darkened with desire.

"Why did you do that?" was all I could think to ask, and I was acutely aware of her fingers still grasping my neck, the skin burning where her tips grazed.

She licked her swollen lips, expression softening. "I think I've been falling for the wrong Y/L/N."

My lips pressed together, missing the feeling of hers against them. Never in a million years did I expect her to say something like that. I thought she'd been teasing me this whole time, but now, maybe there was truth to her actions.

"Did you really mean what you said?" she asked apprehensively.

"What?"

She swallowed. "What you said about my eyes. Did you mean it?"

Well, she'd kissed me, so there was no going back now.

I nodded, noticing the hesitance in her eyes. "Yes... you're beautiful, Wanda."

She didn't say anything and the silence was deafening. I almost wanted to run back home and pretend this never happened, but that was the cowardly side of me. The other side, the disbelieving side, wanted to stay here with her and keep living in this little bubble we'd created.

"Can I kiss you again?" she finally spoke, eyes flickering between mine for confirmation.

Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded slowly, and she didn't waste another second as she leaned in once again. This time, I wasn't so surprised, so I kissed her back quickly, trying not to think about how wrong this was. How I'd been taught that this was wrong. Because I refused to believe this was wrong, that it was a sin, when it felt so damn right.

Wanda felt right.

—

When I got home later that afternoon, I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

Wanda was all that was on my mind. Everything about her was floating around up there – the contagiousness of her smile, the brightness of her eyes, the taste of her lips. When I left this morning, I wasn't expecting to return with– well, I wasn't sure what we were, but we'd decided to give whatever this was a go.

Of course, she was still engaged to my brother, but I tried not to think about that. She made me happy and maybe in a different lifetime we could have been together, but this was the wrong lifetime which meant I'd have to make some wrong decisions, this possibly being one of them.

The guilt was still present, but the adoration I had for Wanda overpowered it. The fact that she actually liked me back was too thrilling for me to even concern myself with the lack of future this relationship would have. I just wanted to enjoy what we had whilst we had it, even if it meant being together in secret.

"So, how did your trip go?" my mum asked me when I returned, looking up from her knitting.

I stifled my grin the best I could. "It was fun. Wanda loved the seaside."

My mother seemed pleased as she smiled my way. "Y/N, that's great. You know, I'm really proud of you for making an effort with her. It means a lot to everyone."

"Mhm."

"She's going to be your sister-in-law after all," she continued knowingly, "so it's good you're spending time with her. Maybe you could do it more."

I hummed in agreement, my heart fluttering at the possibility of spending more time with Wanda. "Yeah, that could be good."

"Go on upstairs, you must be tired from the travelling," she said after a moment, noticing my distant headspace. "I'm glad you had fun today."

Wanda's smile appeared in my mind again, her lips ghosting my own. I sighed contently.

"Me, too."

[bumblesimagines]

Green Thumb

Part 3

Request: Yes or No

~

You watched with slightly furrowed brows as Nick Fury walked into the kitchen, glancing at Lila when she pulled another crayon out of the box. You smiled softly at her butterfly drawing.

"That's great, Lila." You told her gently, earning a proud smile from the younger girl. She finished drawing, standing up and walking over to Natasha to show her. You picked up the crayons laying on the ground, sliding them back in the box. You looked over at Clint and his family as Fury talked about Ultron, a small sigh escaping you. You weren't expecting this to be so complicated. Then again, it was the Avengers. Everything was complicated with them.

"I contacted our friends at the Nexus about that." You blinked, zoning back in. Steve looked at Fury with a small frown.

"Nexus?"

"Every bit of data flows through there. It's located in Oslo." Bruce explained, pushing up his glasses with his index finger. Clint gently picked up a dart, inspecting it.

"So, what'd they say?" He asked, watching Tony collect the darts from the board. You looked at Lila when she sat beside you on the couch, pointing to her hair before facing away from you. You shifted towards her, beginning to gently braid her hair.

"He's fixated on the missiles but the codes are constantly being changed." Fury told them as he made himself a snack. Trying to stop a murderous robot with daddy issues from ending the world definitely hadn't been on your bucket list but then again, joining a family hadn't been on it either.

"By whom?" Tony asked, a dart flying by his face and hitting bullseye. You almost chuckled at the cheeky grin on Clint's face.

"We got an ally?"

"Ultrons got an enemy. That's not the same thing." Fury corrected Natasha, eating a small slice of cheese. You finished braiding Lila's hair, glancing at Laura.

"His mission.. Is mass destruction. Everything here will be laid in a grave." Fury looked between the Avengers. You frowned, making eye contact with Clint. His biggest fear was losing his family. The last thing you wanted was losing the Bartons.

"So, stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk." Natasha said softly, gaze locking onto the soldier. Steve's brows raised, an exasperated breath leaving him.

"You know what, Romanoff.." He trailed off as Natasha shot him a playful smile. Laura took a seat behind you, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder.

"You can stay here. You don't have to go with them to stop this.. Robot." Laura said quietly, giving your shoulder a squeeze. You ran your fingers over Lila's braid, shaking your head.

"It's fine, I promise. I'll make sure to come back in one piece." You assured her with a small smile.

"Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?" You looked forward at the mention of the scientists' name. You remembered her curiosity at your bracelets. A frown stretched across your face. She shouldn't have been left alone, especially when she had been there when Ultron first attacked.

"We need to get going." Steve called, glancing back at you. Everyone went off to change into their hero outfits.

"Hey, (Y/N), I got something for you." Clint said, motioning for you to follow him. You stood up, walking towards him and entering the room. Clint gave you a small grin, showing you the outfit. It was similar to his but with long sleeves. You smiled, running your fingers over it.

"I wouldn't want you getting shot so it's bulletproof and works in all types of weather. From now on, you are an Avenger."

"But.. I haven't finished-"

"You know what you need to work on and you'll continue to train." Clint smiled proudly, placing a hand on your shoulder. "I've always believed in you."

"Thank you.." You whispered. Clint nodded, leaving the room so you could change. It was comfortable and flexible so you'd be able to move without difficulty. You felt a rush of excitement shoot through you. You were officially an Avenger. Well, in Clint's eyes anyway. You'd have to check in with Tony and Steve to confirm it. You stepped out of the room, hearing Laura coo. She looked you over, smiling.

"Oh, if you were in high school, this is probably how it'd feel like during prom night." She breathed out, giggling softly.

"Now, you two better return in one piece, alright?" Laura shot you and Clint a look. You gave her a nod.

"Yes, ma'am." Clint responded, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Laura gave you both a tight, lingering hug before releasing you with watery eyes.

"We'll be back before you know it." Clint assured her, getting an unconvinced nod in return. You exited the house, heading towards the aircraft.

"Liking the new look, (L/N)." Natasha said, smiling widely as she walked beside you. You chuckled, glancing down at the outfit. You entered the aircraft, taking a seat.

"We'll drop Tony off in Oslo while we check on Dr. Cho. Stay alert and stay ready." Steve said, looking you over briefly. A small smile appeared on his face before he looked towards the front. Tony was dropped off at Nexus, the others heading off to Japan. You hoped you'd be able to stay longer than a few minutes next time. Norway seemed like a nice place to relax at. Steve was dropped off by the building while you remained with Natasha and Clint in the aircraft. You could hear everything Steve said and heard through the earpiece. You frowned upon hearing Dr. Cho's breathy voice.

"He's uploading himself into the body."

"Where?"

"The real power... Is inside the cradle. The gem.. It's power is uncontainable. You can just blow it up. You have to get the cradle to Stark."

"First I've got to find it. You guys copy that?" Steve asked. You stood beside Clint, looking over the busy city below. So many people unaware of the thing threatening them.

"We did."

"We've got a private jet taking off across town." Natasha said. "No manifest. That could be him." Your gaze darted from cars to people, anything moving that could be suspicious.

"There's a truck from the lab." Clint called. "Right above you, Cap. On the loop on the bridge."

"It's them." You swallowed, gripping the seat. You watched as Steve jumped onto the roof of the truck, reaching the back and being blown to the side. Clint drove through the city, catching the citizen's attention.

"Think you could help from up here?" Clint asked, glancing at you.

"I've never done this while moving." You reminded him, raising your hand. Cities provided little nature, apart from fake plants and small spots to make it pretty. You noticed some trees but they were by the sidewalk and the road. Clint lowered himself closer to the ground so Natasha could drop down on a motorcycle. Clint helped direct Natasha to the truck. You winced when Steve was thrown back onto a car, the cars beginning to topple over and crash.

"Who's gonna pay for their injuries?" You asked softly.

"Stark will handle anything their insurance doesn't cover." Clint replied, moving in front of the truck and shooting at Ultron. It had no impact on him, simply annoying him further. Three robots left the back of the truck, flying up. You felt your fingers tingle, raising your hand and causing a branch from a nearby tree to shoot out and go through the head of one if the robots, effectively stopping it.

"Take a seat and buckle in." Clint called. You quickly sat down, not in the mood to be thrown around the craft. You buckled in, sighing softly as your stomach did twists. You'd prefer land over air any time but it felt safer to be with Clint. You shut your eyes as the aircraft spun, probably shaking off the robots. Clint successfully got the robots off him so he turned, heading back towards the city.

"You okay?" Clint glanced back at you with a frown. You nodded, not trusting yourself not to vomit. Clint chuckled softly.

"You'll get used to it." Clint looked forward. You unbuckled your seat, getting up and walking back towards Clint. You rubbed your aching head, brows furrowing.

"Is that-"

"A flying truck? Yeah. Not the craziest thing you'll see."

"I can control plants, Clint. I'd say that's pretty tame." A laugh left Clint as he followed the truck.

"Got a clear shot. Want me to take it?"

"Negative, I'm still in the truck." Natasha replied. Clint blinked.

"The hell you doing in there?" He asked, following the truck from a safe distance.

"Just get ready to receive the package." Natasha told him. Clint turned the aircraft around, opening the back. You turned your head, noticing Natasha cutting the straps that kept the cradle in place and pushing it forward. She exited the truck as it exploded, the cradle getting inside but she was dragged out.

"Nat!"

"I can't see her and it's to high up for me to do anything." You said, looking at through the windows. Steve ordered Clint to go back to the tower but Clint would never leave his best friend behind.

"Clint, it's Nat. She'll be fine. If anything, she'll be the one rescuing us when we find her." You told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Clint swallowed, hesitating before following orders.

"She'll be okay." You assured softly. You looked back at the cradle, cautiously approaching it.

"Don't touch it-"

"Too late." You mumbled, fingers running over it. Your brows furrowed, looking over the body inside. It didn't look human. Not even close to one.

"What the hell is this?" You frowned, gaze drifting to the crystal. The one Dr. Cho said was uncontainable.

"I always thought I was magic." You said, looking up at Clint with a small smile. You hoped you could ease his mind or get him to become less anxious. You sighed, looking back down at the body before continuing.

"But then I found out I was everything but that."

[hanaridulsetcheese]

i found you

a song of achilles x red, white and royal blue crossover.

In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.

Years passed, actually centuries passed after the death of Achilles and his lover Patroclus. The souls of the lovers drifted aimlessly in an unknown void, so close yet so far away from each other. Fate never wanted them to be together, no matter how hard the two fought, it was just never enough.

Suddenly, at the dawn of a new eon, hope seemed to spark as the souls gravitated towards each other, a distant force seemed to have had mercy on them after the eons they spent unable to be together.

"Be reborn. " it spoke as the souls vanished, "Be happy. "

~~~

Henry and Alex stood hand in hand as they waved at the paparazzi from the steps of their plane. The two boys were on their way to Greece as representatives for both the British and American embassy. The paparazzi were still as crazy about the two boys now as they were at the beginning of their relationship, multiple cameras flashed as the boys waved one last time before finally entering the plane.

"Are we really that popular? " Alex plopped himself down on the fine leather seat of the plane, propping his feet up on Henry's lap who sat opposite to him.

"Everyone loves gays in power. " Henry replied.

The flight to Greece was smooth and quicker than the two had excepted it to be. It was already the peak of dusk as they got of the plane. The smell of the Aegean sea air immediately relaxed the boys as they looked forward to their week on the lush island of Delos.

"Greetings Mr. Diaz, Prince Henry. My name is Chiron and I will be taking care of you both during your visit here. " a tall, lean man met them as they got of the plane. His long and curly hair fluttered gracefully in the breeze of the late afternoon. The man extended a broad hand towards them and they took turns shaking his hand. "I trust that your flight here was smooth? "

"Indeed, it was. " Henry agreed.

"Splendid. You both must be famished after the flight so we will take you straight to your hotel when you can have dinner and an early night. " Chiron gestured for the two men behind him to take the luggage from the boys before leading them to an SUV.

During the ride to the hotel, Chiron listened as the two boys marvelled over the passing scenery. Despite the dark of the night the beauty of Greece still shone bright, captivating the boys as they looked around.

Alex was staring to his right hand side at the beach when there was a sudden force that drew towards the left. A row of white Greek columns lined the area, forming a barrier around something that Alex felt lured to.

"Chiron, what's inbetween those columns? " Alex kept his eyes glued to the columns until they drove past it. Henry glanced back to see what Alex was looking at before turning to Chiron to hear what he had to say.

"Those protect the graves and memorials of the soliders who fought during the Trojan War. Among them is the memorial site of the famous Greek hero, Achilles, himself. " Chiron glanced at Alex through the review mirror.

"The memorial site of Achilles? " Alex mumbled before looking back at the columns again, the last column no longer in his sight as they drove further away.

"You okay? " Henry placed a gentle arm over Alex's who just nodded his head and stared back at the beach, lost in his thoughts.

Henry decided that Alex might just be jet lagged and decided to leave him be, keeping his hand interlocked with Alex's for the rest of the car ride.

~~~

It's been three days since the couple arrived in Greece and it had been hectic. They were piled with work as soon as the work up the on the first day, they're schedule packed for almost every minute.

Since the two had to work at different embassies, they saw each other for breakfast and dinner, lunch was usually spent in their respective temporary work places.

As the days past by, Alex had forgotten about the grave of Achilles he'd seen the second they were handed their work. He'd only seen books during the past three days. There was absolutely no time to go out and visit the island of Delos they were on.

However, hard work and determination did prevail as Alex managed to finish his work ahead of schedule and was now free to roam the streets of Delos as he waited for Henry to complete his work.

Walking through a little market alleyway, Alex took in the sight of the locals as they went about their daily lives. They talked, laughed and just enjoyed each other's company, greeting each other enthusiastically as they passed and Alex found himself smiling to himself. He loved the social, carefree nature the Greeks had.

The place was small, innocent and friendly. It was something Alex grew to like during his days in Greece, it was definitely a huge contrast to his life back home.

"Young man, may I offer you a sample of figs? " a friendly old lady held out a platter with the ripest figs Alex had ever seen. He gratefully accepted the offer and poped a fig in his mouth, the fresh flavour exploded, filling his tastebuds with the grainy sweetness of it's juices.

Maybe he was overwhelmed with the sweetness of the fig or he was simply just exhausted from all the work he'd done the past couple of days but as he finished the fruit, he felt his hand reach out for more of the fruit. Each bite he took, a familiar yet foreign feeling took over him.

The old lady watched in delight as the First Son inhaled the fruits one after the other until the plate was cleared.

"You sure seem to like the figs, my boy. " she handed him a tissue to wipe the juice that he didn't even know had trailed down his arm.

"It seems so. I'd never ate anything quite like it before, yet it felt so familiar to me. " Alex looked at the crate of figs that sat on the stand behind her, "Could I please buy some? "

Alex made his way back to the hotel happily with his packet of figs bumping against his legs as he walked. He didn't expect Henry to be in the room as he walked in. The British boy eyed him sceptically as he shut the door behind him.

"What'd you bring? " Henry's voice was thick with exhaustion. He was laid back against the headboard with a book spread open on his lap. Alex jumped onto the bed and showered his tired boyfriend with little pecks all over his face, giggling as he did so.

"I brought you some figs. " Alex said once Henry finally got him to calm down. "It's the best thing you'll ever taste, I swear. " Alex handed the little fruit to Henry and watched eagerly as he bit into the fruit. The bliss that struck Henry's face as the sweetness burst in his mouth made Alex satisfied.

Together, they sat on their bed and devoured the fruit while talking about their day and their time in the beautiful land of Greece. Before they hd realised it, they had come down to the last fig in the packet.

"Catch." Henry tossed the last fig to Alex. Alex felt like he watched the fig in slow motion as it formed a perfect arc before landing into the cup of his palms, soft and slightly warm.

For some reason, Alex had felt like he'd just experienced deja vu. A blured image formed in his head. He found himself looking at a table full of boys however, Alex seemed to only foucs on a specific one.

They sat on opposite ends of the table, everyone's attention was on a boy who was devouring a bowl of figs in front of him. The aura around the boy seemed to draw Alex towards him, making him unable to remove his eyes from the boy.

Suddenly, the boy diverted his gaze from the fruit to Alex who wasn't quick enough to look away. Softly, with a quick flick of his wrist the boy tossed the fig towards Alex, "Catch. "

"Alex? " Henry called out to the dazed boy.

"Huh? What? " Alex focused on Henry who gave him a concerned gaze.

"Are you feeling okay? " Henry placed the back of his hand to Alex's forehead, "You've been acting strange ever since we arrived in Greece. "

"I-I really don't know. I keep getting this feeling like- I don't know, deja vu? " Alex rubbed his temples, "I keeping thinking about those columns we passed the other day. "

"Do you want to go and visit it? " Henry offered.

"I don't think we'd have the time for that. " Alex placed his hand over Henry's and gave him a smile, "It's alright though, I'd much rather spend my time with you. "

That night, as Alex slept soundly it was Henry's turn to think about those columns. Alex had talked about it a few times since they'd got there and Henry couldn't help but want to take him there. He'd do anything for Alex.

Sending a message to Chiron, Henry requested day off for the next day saying that he had something urgent to take care of before snaking his arms around Alex's sleeping body, slipping of to sleep.

The next morning Henry awoke earlier than Alex as usual and prepared himself for the day ahead before waking up his sleeping lover.

Alex peaked at Henry through the half opened lids of his eyes and gave him a toothy grin. He puckered his lips like a fish, demanding his daily morning kiss. "Not with your morning breath, mister. " Henry pulled Alex out of bed and told him to get dressed without any further information before leaving the room.

When Alex had met up with Henry at the lobby of the hotel, they were escorted out by a friendly local who drove them to their destination which Henry still refused to tell Alex about.

After what felt like hours, they finally pulled up to the place that had been on Alex's mind since the beginning on their trip.

"The memorial of Achilles? " Alex marveled at the tall Greek columns that towered over them, all arranged protectively around multiple, marble tombs.

They walked with interlocked hands along the path, acknowledging all the soldiers that fought during the Trojan War. Multiple flowers lined the banks of the tombs along with notes written by locals who were still grateful for the war they fought.

At the very center of the memorial stood the grandest marble tomb, it's surface gleamed in the sunlight as if heaven itself was acknowledging the memorial. Alex dropped Henry's hand and walked aimlessly towards the tomb.

"I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. " Alex ran his hands along the tomb of Achilles.

"I would know him in death, at the end of the world. " Alex's voice was now barely above a whisper.

"Alex, what are you saying? " Henry placed an arm on the boys shoulder.

Alex turned to him, tears glazed his eyes and threatened to spill as he stared back at Henry. The deep brown eyes of Alex stared longingly at Henry's as if he hadn't seen them before. It felt as if the person looking at Henry was not just Alex, but for some reason be still felt connected to that person.

"I have found you, my love. " Alex said. "Achilles, we can be happy now. "

Henry finally understood what was happening, it was as if all the mysteries in the world finally became clear. "Patroclus, we found each other. "