#I've been meaning to make a new banner for a hot minute

[crinkly-spinkly]

What did this fandom need?

A Thomas & Friends Human AU Reverse Harem x Fem!Reader Romcom?

Fuckin hell yeah it did 👉👉

The Housekeeper's Guide to Conductors and Courtship is an 18+ AU where you (yes you!) get hired as a live-in housekeeper to six wealthy, chaotic, and romantically starved steam engine conductors.

What kinds of hijinks will ensue? Find out for yourself if you haven't yet! Chapter 10 should be out fairly soon 🫰

Love y'all! Have fun!

💙Spinks

[smalife1234]

This is our Eighth weekly smiles! Please enjoy the read!

What made me smile this week?

Monday, 9/16/24 - today, I woke up around 6:00 Am and then went on the bus on the bus me and. Our friends we're laughing! And then in the first period, we had a substitute like we've been having since Friday! We worked on a tiny worksheet for a while! During the first period, I got our channel semi-remodeled! I made a new channel banner since I thought our channel was missing something! But I got it done and it looks fantastic! Then, in the second period, we got this large packet, but I completed it on the first day and just continued to do work on my laptop 💻! Then, at lunch, I got a salad, but also lunch was a bit hectic! Our friend Nichole started dying of laughter! Because I made a disgusted face towards the banana 🍌 and I didn't expect her to start Dying! But I got scared since I have emetophobia (fear of vomiting), and I just sat there in anticipation of silence as she coughed and practically gagged during the whole fiasco. I randomly gagged twice because of the fear and because of how sort of nasty it was! I swallow the gag, feeling down, and then say throw the milk away! She was laughing, but I kept insisting she throw the milk away. After the whole ordeal, we laughed about it, and thankfully, we're ok after! Again I did not mean to kill my friend. Sorry, so that made us smile and gag! Then, in the third period, we worked on some notes and a worksheet. Then I fourth we worked on several papers that day! Like three of them, then we got home and chilled and got to enjoy/Experience the new world tour that Subway Surfers came out with! It was pretty fun! Then, later on, we started a new catheter schedule for Luz because she had a UTI on the 2nd Day of September! So, it was not fun we set my alarms since she needed to catheterize herself every two hours! Which is a lot of catheters a day! That's like 12 on lucky days! Excluding her other bathroom trips! And if she has a bad day at least 15! Which is baffling to me! During the whole night, she kept waking up and doing two out of four, which is better than nothing! This whole day was hectic, busy, and funny, but it surely did make us smile!

Tuesday, 9/17/24 - today, we woke up at 7:00 Am, which is the latest time we've ever woke up! But we got dressed and discussed their catheters even more! Then we went on the bus where it was very rainy! And gloom out! In the first period, two people were working on the air conditioning in Mrs. Brady's, and it tends to get very hot! In her room, they were turning the air conditioner off and on again, and during that process, we had a lockdown drill. After the whole lockdown process, they dropped three tools from the ceiling, and it scared me! LOL, then I changed my wonderful keyboard to me, and I have to say I'm digging it! It looks nicer and I've already typed many things using this keyboard! Then, in the second period, Luz ate a strawberry pop tart and a honey gram cracker. I started on the rest of my notes and then we got another worksheet! But I do know that there is a half day tomorrow woo hoo! Yay Wednesday! And that's on my chemotherapy day so it's just asking to be a good day! Currently, I'm done working on my notes but working on another set, and we'll finish that worksheet Tonight or tomorrow! Then, in the third period, we worked on some notes and presented our papers and what we learned! Then, in the fourth period, we finished some papers and then did a walking around activity for the last 30 minutes of class. Then, on the bus, someone was apparently eating, so we stayed for a few minutes behind, and then Mrs. Roberts came on the bus and talked to all the students and discussed that if we ate on the bus, we would be taken off the bus! So that was a little bit scary! But we're enjoying the bus ride home talking about different things :)

Wednesday, 9/18/24 - today was a half day whoo hoo! So we only have 4 hours of college instead of 8! So that was fun. In the first period, we did a small review paper that the substitute gave us while Mrs cox was away! I gave him 1.2, but I think he lost it, and I had to do it again. I answered the reviews, and most of them weren’t difficult. I got that done and turned it in, and then I chilled for the rest of class and worked on the descriptions for YouTube second period. We had a worksheet, and I got that done and some notes, done, but for the most part, I just chilled! Then I learned some news from the substitute! That it's National Cheeseburger Day! I didn't know that so happy national cheeseburger 🍔 Day! In the third period, we worked on notes, but Mrs. Breseler was having a lifetime of a struggle getting technology to work. It eventually ended up working, and we just got some notes done and then folded a paper. I can't remember what it was called. But it made me laugh as I was confused lol. Then, in the fourth period, we tried some in-chair yoga. It was incredibly hilarious, and it made us smile and laugh. We did some papers and a web quest, which I almost completed! But it's ok! But we chilled, and at home, we finally found my ring 💍! Yay, don't worry. It got lost yesterday after we had done the dishes, but our mom found it and placed it somewhere safe! So hooray it's found! Then I exported and worked on my wedding video and got it uploaded and it's scheduled!! I cannot wait for y'all to see it! One edit: while they were during their bath, I watched, and it made me a tad bit emotional! So I don't know how that will affect me! On my wedding day, I will know that those tears will be happy tears 🥹! Love you Emmie ❤️! But I chilled most of that night and showed my friend Emmie some funny reels that made me die of laughter! Today was hectic but it made me smile!

Thursday, 9/19/24 - today is a normal day, sadly, but that's ok! Today during the first period, we did a Kahoot, and I got first place! I got some of them wrong but that's ok! Then we worked on any missing or uncompleted assignments! Then, in the second period, I got a second chance at breakfast and got a blueberry muffin and some honey gram crackers! Which we're actually very good! Then we worked on a Bohrn structure sheet for the different types of elements on the periodic table! I got the models done and got most of the notes done. I just need to cut them out and finish the sheet! Which I'm really close to doing! So I got a lot of work done! Then, at lunch, my awesome friend Nichole bought me a bag of sweet, spicy chili Doritos from the vending machine! I thank her for that! Plus, there are my favorite chips! Then in the third period, we did a website/ review sheet and folded another bindle paper used for small evidence. As I was laughing at how I couldn't fold it, another girl smiled at me, and it made me smile! Then, in fourth, we worked on the rest of the web quest, did some notes, and worked on brain games! Then on the bus, my friends told me how good the day was! And then, on the way home, we saw a floating leaf that kept spinning. It was enjoyable to watch, and it made me smile. Now we're currently chilling! Then we got a yummy salad from Mom, but for me, it had too much pepper, so I put it up for grabs! Don't wanna waste food! Then we chilled, did a workout, and I overheated, which sucks. I should've used the spray bottle or my fan, but it was my fault, lol! Then we went to bed! Today made me smile!

Friday, 9/20/24 - this morning, I was so tired and could barely keep my eyes open, so as they were getting dressed, I slept a little while longer! Then I got dressed, and we just did a workout, which woke me up pretty well. Then, on the way to our bus, we saw our cat Charlie being a big ol loaf. It was way too cute! We just had to take a picture! But at the bus stop, we saw the moon, which is something we saw over 9 months ago, which is weird/cool! I took several pictures at the bus stop and the bus! I had a thrill looking at all the pretty sights! In the first period, we have a test! Hopefully, I do well! Sadly, I did not do well and got a 53 on the test! But for right now, I just got to chill for the rest of the first period! Then in second period we worked on another worksheet! And thankfully I got it done! Just in time and then I worked on cutting out Bohr models! I got that completely finished! And then our friend Nichole gave us the news that she got her Job!! I am super proud of her! Then in third period we watched a YouTube documentary on Jon Benet Ramsey! A six-year-old tragically Murdered, and the case has never been solved for 2+ decades. It was bone-chilling to hear everything that had happened! Then, in the fourth period, we worked on some notes and kept laughing that day! Then we went home and enjoyed the rest of our day knowing it was the weekends!

Saturday, 9/21/24 - today, I woke up around six AM, and then we chilled most of the morning until our mom called us, and we had to work for an hour! But we soon got it all done! And her area looks a lot better! Then we chilled and hung out until 5 pm, that's when our friend called us and said that she was coming over! It was unexpected, but it was fine with our parents! So we hung out until 8:00 Pm! Maybe even 9! It was a fun crazy hangout! But it also resulted in injury! Our Nichole did a trust fall, not knowing he was not behind her. She fell and hit her hand! Causing her to need a bandaid! And she almost cried! Obviously, I did not film it, but I did comfort her, and my wife made her laugh! Then we listened to booming music at 42 volume!! It was crazy loud! We have that in our vlog! And Emmie's Quadriplegic celebration video reminds me it's my wife's 7-month celebration 🎊 🎉!! I am super proud of you baba ❤️! After that, we chill for a while! And I needed to use my spray bottle since I overheated that night but thankfully wasn't doing as bad as Luz and Donny! They felt nauseous and almost fainted! God forbid we go into a truck without having a rough night 😂! But thankfully, everyone is doing ok, and today made me smile!

Sunday, 9/22/24 - today I woke up pretty late from the long time we stayed up! Last night lol but I started my 46th round of chemotherapy at 10 am and should end my chemo session around 7 pm! To get to the main point of today we're going to our grandma's house! For a fun Sunday family dinner 🍽️! Before Grandma's, we watched videos, and I typed Saturday's entry! I ate a bowl of ramen, and that was it so far. Lol before I got to Grandma, we filmed some content and then headed out the door. Currently, we're driving and enjoying the beautiful sky! But sadly I overheated as my nose was running and I felt so hot! But don't worry I'm ok! I keep feeling waves of heat help. But I thankfully got over it! Then we listened to Grandfather talk about football 🏈 lol! Then we had a delicious dinner of chili and yummy salad 🥗! It was very good and I enjoyed it very much! Then me and Nancy talked for a while until we had yummy brownies with nuts and vanilla ice cream! It was very good, and we had a fun time currently. I've been done with chemotherapy for 14 minutes (it's 7:14 Pm). We eventually said goodbye after a wonderful stay, and then we drove home. On the drive home, I saw some more beautiful sunsets! I enjoy that so that certainly made me smile! Today was but a blur and fun! Sadly, we have to go back to school tomorrow, but we'll get through it! But today was great and it made me smile! Now for the most important question ⁉️

What made you smile this week?

Img desc #1: the beautiful sky is shown as the sun is setting. There are trees and houses very darkened mainly focusing on the pretty sky! The photo is not edited.

Img desc #2: doc is seen on a Cruise. She is seen smiling in her electric wheelchair as she has a red strap on her forehead. Doc is seen wearing a pink short-sleeved shirt and beige-colored sweatpants.

Img desc #3: Emmie is seen smiling in a dark room while wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and a black blazer she is seen with her hair combed.

Img desc #4: Emmie is seen in a bathroom mirror she is near a white sink wearing a white long sleeved buttoned up shirt and a black blazer over her white shirt she is wearing grey colored jeans paired with a black belt. Or the buckle of her electric wheelchair her wrist are resting on the arm rest of her electric wheelchair.

Img desc #5: doc is seen up very high! She is seen smiling while wearing a hat and a green short sleeved shirt and beige colored shorts her Atrophied hands are resting on her lap she is giving a wide smile to the camera.

Img desc #6: doc and Emmie are seen in a group photo doc seen on the left is seen smiling while wearing a hat and a green short sleeved shirt and beige colored shorts and white shoes she is seen in her electric wheelchair. Emmie seen right of the image is seen smiling while in her electric wheelchair while wearing a white short sleeved shirt and light colored shirt and white shoes Emmies arms are seen resting on a service dog and her arm rest. They are having a fun time!

Img desc #7: doc's and Emmie's grandma and grandfather are seen in a photo when they were younger. Grandma is seen resting on the chest of Grandfather. She is seen smiling while her hair is neatly combed and fixed. She is wearing a red shirt and a Dr coat as she was a nurse back then. They are near a bookshelf. Grandfather is seen with Grandma on his chest. He is seen smiling while wearing brown squared glasses. His hair is combed neatly, and he is wearing a white shirt. The picture is framed and put up on the wall.

Img desc #8: shows Doc's chili they had at grandma's house! With a salad nearby the chili is in a white bowl and on a table. The food was delicious!

Img desc #9: shows the moon in the sky that very morning at the bus stop! The moon is seen Looking very pretty!

Img desc #10: shows docs breakfast that morning with honey grams and blueberry muffin with milk on a grey table. The blueberry muffin was delicious!

[moririki]

⤷ AN EIGHT-LEGGED PROBLEM

OIKAWA TOORU & SAKUSA KIYOOMI & HAIBA LEV & MIYA ATSUMU X READER -> 1.8K
you save your boyfriend from a massive problem which is currently in the corner of your bathroom )

REQUEST -> n/a
CONTAINS -> spiders, bugs, you picking up said creepy crawlies, hq boys being no! help! at! all! (but that's ok bc we love them for it), fanon-ish sakusa cos i haven't read the manga and he had like 5 seconds of screen time so i'm just going off of what i've read + seen, clear favouritism despite the fact that i know basically nothing about sakusa, manga timeskip spoilers in sakusa's
MORI'S THOUGHTS -> haven't seen one where the reader is the one in the relationship who takes care of bugs so since i'm a #girlboss who throws spiders out of my room whenever i see them without breaking a sweat i'm writing that into a fun lil thing with the haikyuu boys that i strongly believe are scared of bugs. also besides the point but look at the pretty colour palette that their banners make fjfjfjdj will go back to writing the requests after this! inspiration just struck

❍ OIKAWA TOORU

-> omg this fucking guy

-> don't let his pride fool you this man HATES bugs with a burning passion

-> he'll never admit it though

-> between you and the aoba johsai team he would never hear the end of how the great king oikawa would cower at the sight of a moth doing laps around a lightbulb

-> so when you pretended not to hear the shriek that left your boyfriend when he saw something flying around the bathroom light and he declined your offer to get rid of the moth for him, this left oikawa in a pretty difficult situation

-> it was just him alone in the bathroom, trying to brush his teeth while eyeing the bug warily

-> you came in a few minutes later, getting ready to go to bed as well

-> "you know, babe, that moth's been there for quite a while," you teased him

-> oikawa hummed in response, his eyes never leaving it as it continued its circumnavigation of the light fixture

-> "oh, you know. who am i to kick someone out of their home? i'm no monster"

-> you almost snorted at how poor of an excuse that was, but ruffled your boyfriend's hair anyway

-> "i'll take care of it, ru, you just finish getting ready"

-> "but y/n-chan, that moth has feelings! don't be mean to it!"

-> you gave tooru a very blank stare at that

-> "so do you want me to leave you alone with your new friend?"

-> "......no"

-> "that's what i thought"

-> you went up to the moth, managing to trap it in your hands before releasing it from a window

-> oikawa shuddered as you came back to the sink, giving your hands a quick rinse before resuming with brushing your teeth like nothing had happened

-> "you're so brave, my love"

-> "anything for you, babe"

❍ SAKUSA KIYOOMI

-> bless this poor boy

-> so it's no secret that sakusa isn't the fondest of germs

-> and that extends to bugs and spiders too

-> besides a normal amount of disgust that he held for them, the thought of where the insects had been or placed one of their many feet on never failed to make his skin crawl

-> that's where you, his wonderful significant other, comes in

-> as much as he loves you, he just can't understand how you always stared at bugs with wonder in your eyes

-> you'd even pick them up, cooing at the way they crawled up your arm while sakusa just stared at you in disbelief with a can of bug spray in hand

-> tonight was one of those swelteringly hot summer nights

-> you know, the ones where the air seems to be still no matter how many windows you open and every insect in a mile radius is actively trying to enter your home

-> you were spending the night at your boyfriend's apartment, ready to have a relaxing night in with him since your schedules had finally synced up and allowed you both to enjoy a day off at the same time

-> it took months of trust before sakusa finally admitted to you how much he enjoyed doing skincare

-> so whenever you two spent the night together, you decided to start the evening with some face masks and idle binging of a tv show

-> against his half-hearted protests, you had insisted that sakusa wore a headband while this happened (one that had a very cute duck face printed on it)

-> just to keep the curls out of his face, of course

-> whenever he caught you sneaking a candid of him with facemask and duck headband on, he just shot you a halfhearted glare and threatened you to never send that to atsumu or the rest of the msby team

-> (you set it as your home screen instead)

-> anyways, i digress

-> so tonight you decided to cool down from the heat with a few facemasks and cuddling in your boyfriend's heavily air conditioned living room

-> but he kept all his skincare stuff in the bathroom, so you went to go get them as he set up a show to watch along with some snacks

-> you flicked on the light, going to his cabinet when something in the corner of the room caught your eye

-> there was a fairly large spider, desperately trying to crawl up the smooth tile wall

-> you decided to take pity on it and release it

-> but when you had it cupped safely in your hands, you decided to terrorise your poor boyfriend just a little

-> "hey, omi, look what i found!"

-> your boyfriend perked up at your signature nickname for him, though his eyes narrowed as he saw your clasped hands held in front of you

-> "no"

-> "but baby, you haven't even seen-"

-> "no"

-> you giggled at how defensive he had become

-> "come on, don't you want to name it? it's very cute"

-> "i want you to throw it out, y/n"

-> "alright, alright"

-> you took the spider to a window, releasing it back outside before heading back to the bathroom and grabbing a few masks for real this time

-> sakusa gave you the cold shoulder as you sat down next to him, humming as you gave him a face mask and putting it on without a word

-> "aww, baby, i'm sorry"

-> "..."

-> "i'll give you a head massage if you stop ignoring me?"

-> sakusa turned to you, his eyes narrowed in thought as he stared you down

-> the act soon broke, though, and he smiled against the sheet mask that was on his face

-> "it better be a good one," he huffed as he tugged the duck headband off, already sighing at the sensation of your fingers against his scalp

-> "omi, come on, what do you take me for?"

❍ HAIBA LEV

-> ngl lev gives off equal amounts of being terrified of like the tiniest spider or just finding bugs insanely cool vibes

-> it's funnier to imagine this 6-foot-something guy scramble away from a fucking crane fly in terror though so this is how it's going to play out

-> when you invited your giant of a boyfriend to your flat, you didn't anticipate just how small he made everything appear

-> he even towered in your doorway, having to stoop to step through into your hall

-> "woahh, i love your place!"

-> it was his first time staying over for the night, and lev was making sure to drink in every aspect of your interior design

-> you found it sweet of him, and watched as he stared in wide-eyed wonder at the little trinkets you had collected over the years to make your small apartment seem more like a home

-> you didn't expect him to scream at the top of his lungs and practically run back to you, though

-> you jumped at the sound, watching as he scrambled away from your lamp and pointed back at it with a shaking finger

-> you squinted at it, making out the very menacing form of a crane fly as it bumped into the lampshade and continued on its path

-> "lev, you big baby," you giggled, heading to the kitchen to grab a glass and trap it

-> "y/n, don't leave me alone with it!" he yelped, and you rolled your eyes at his antics

-> you came back, smoothly capturing the insect and throwing it out of a nearby window

-> lev was sat on your couch the whole time, hands covering his eyes as he curled in a ball

-> "is it gone?" he asked, and you you giggled at how childlike he was acting at the moment

-> "it's all good, baby" you smoothed his hair and lev gratefully leaned into your touch, a sigh of relief leaving him

-> "thank you, y/n"

-> "i'll get rid of all the bugs in the world for you, lev"

❍ MIYA ATSUMU

-> gives off the vibes that he used to eat bugs as a child i'm sorry but

-> have mercy on his soul lmao

-> so twins are supposed to be identical right?

-> anyone who spends more than a few minutes around the miya twins know that that's a complete fucking lie

-> and you've had the misfortune of being friends with them for a very long time

-> like your mums were friends and you were all born around the same time

-> you've been pulled into their shit before you could walk or talk

-> so you're well aware of just how different these mfs are

-> even though they were both absolute bastards, osamu always had a slightly more mellowed out approach which would always end up with atsumu getting the blame for what they got up to

-> especially as a child, osamu loved to terrorise his twin with the unwilling help of you

-> one of the ways was through osamu exploiting one of his twins' fears

-> that being bugs and spiders

-> he always cackled at the sight of atsumu screaming and trying to run away from him due to the spider he was holding

-> as they both grew up, this became less of a frequent thing for osamu to do

-> you also somehow started dating atsumu, but nobody could exactly pinpoint a moment that signified a beginning to your relationship

-> but since you're dating the world's biggest manchild in disguise, and osamu gets annoyed with atsumu quite easily, you would have to swoop in to rescue him from time to time

-> recently the twins had been getting a little snappy with each other, and it had yet to sort itself out

-> from what you had heard your boyfriend was in the wrong this time, but you still listened to him whine and rant about it

-> you were going to the inarizaki school gym to say hi to your boyfriend and best friend before practice started, only to see absolute chaos unfolding

-> with kita yet to arrive, the twins were effectively unleashed and that much was clear with the way atsumu was practically screaming his head off as he ran around the gym

-> your eyes took in the rest of the players- aran had his head in his hands, suna was snickering with his phone out to record the newest miya twin fight, and osamu's deranged laugh could be heard above everything else as he chased his brother, hand held out in front of him

-> only one thing was capable of making atsumu scream like that, so you already knew what was happening

-> atsumu quickly spotted you hovering in the doorway, and made a beeline to where you were

-> his eyes were panicked, and you were quick to wrap him in a hug as you shot osamu a nasty glare over his shoulder

-> literally this lmfao

-> "that's enough, 'samu"

-> your best friend paused, before a smile spread across his face as he dangled the centipede in front of him

-> "you know it was rubber, right?"

-> you felt your boyfriend tense in your arms and you bit your lip to stifle a small giggle

-> but at least they would be back to normal by the end of today

back to the menu - ,, 🕷 ·˚ ༘ ꒱

[tryingmybestpls]

Not A Team: Part 2- New World Order

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: The Reader gives a speech at the opening of Steve’s exhibit and has a talk with Sam following his speech.

Rating: T

Word Count: 4.1k

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER, talks of death, talks of mental illness, feelings of isolation

Read Part One here

Listen to the playlist inspired by the series here

Y/N felt like coming here today was a mistake.

Her stomach tossed and turned like a stormy sea, threatening to send her breakfast all over Rhodey's shiny shoes. She was second guessing everything. Was her dress nice enough? Rhodey had told her she looked great, but she hadn't worn a dress since Steve's funeral-Oh God, what if he was lying to her? No, he wouldn't lie to her-but what if he felt bad? Jesus, dd her shoes look stupid? Maybe she shouldn't have worn heels-but then she always wore heels with dresses and if she wore flats that would look childish. Did her speech sound coherent? Fuck, what if she messes up. Would they think she was doing it on purpose out of retribution for what Steve did? No, they didn't know what Steve did, what he had done to her. What if-

"Hey, hey. What's wrong? You look like you're going to blow chunks." Rhodey cuts through her thoughts like a hot knife through butter. He puts his hand on her back, "Breathe, Y/N."

"Maybe this a bad idea, Rhodey. I mean they have Sam. I think Sam can handle this." She stumbles over her words, trying to calm herself down. Her heart was racing a hundred miles a minute and she swore her hands were shaking,

"You're going to be okay, but you need to relax. I've read and reread your speech a dozen times. It's perfect." Rhodey tries to soothe her, his hand rubbing her back. Y/N squeezes her eyes shut, working on slowing her breathing. In through her nose and out through her mouth.

"Hey pretty lady, I was wondering where the exhibit is. I'm supposed to be giving a speech there today." A voice calls out, sending Y/N's eyes flying open. She turns on her heels, being greeted by the sight of Sam walking towards them, holding the leather case that carries the shield. Y/N can feel the tension melting out of her shoulders as a smile spreads across her nervous face.

"Rhodey, I think they might be letting anyone speak here today." Y/N teases, the anxiousness slipping away, releasing its hold on her. Rhodey chuckles, shaking his head at his friend's antics. She hadn't seen Sam since the days following Steve's funeral and right now, he's a welcome sight. Sam rests his hand over his heart, feigning hurt as he gets closer.

"You wound me, woman." Sam jokes, smiling right back at her. They embrace, her arms wrapping around his neck as his go around her waist, "I missed you, kid."

"I've missed you too, Sammy." She murmurs back, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. They pull away and Sam smiles at her, the skin around his eyes wrinkling. Rhodey clears his throat, gently touching Y/N's upper arm.

"Hey I need to go talk to some people, alright?" Rhodey announces, almost as if he is asking permission. Y/N just smiles and nods, the smile staying on her face until he walks away from the two.

"How are you feeling, Y/N?" Sam questions, to which Y/N sighs, looking down at her shoes.  She stays quiet for a moment, feeling his eyes on her.

"You want the truth or you want me to tell you what I tell Rhodey?" She replies, looking back at him. Y/N shifts from one foot to another, glad they were far from the crowd that was gathering. He gives her a look, giving her an answer without opening his mouth. She sighs again, twisting her wedding ring around her finger.

"I don't sleep, not really. I get maybe an hour a night if I am lucky. I-The house is filled with boxes that I can't unpack because-" Her voice cracks, her chest rising and falling quickly. She bites the inside of her cheek, forcing herself to not cry, "I thought that leaving the apartment would make him go away, but it didn't."

"Well Steve was always stubborn." Sam responds, making a laugh bubble out of her throat before she could stop it. There was an "I'm sorry" buried in the joke and Y/N knew it, but decided to only focus on the joke.

-

The stage looked daunting.

She forced herself up those steps, the person who had introduced her still had his hand outstretched towards her. Y/N wondered if she could make a run for it. Sure people will be mad at her, but she won't be forcing herself through this. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, the clapping nothing but a ringing in her ears. For a moment, her eyes landed on the giant banner of her husband, a lump forming in her throat. He was watching over her, his face emotionless as his eyes seemingly followed her every step. Cameras flashed as she stood on the stage, striding over to the podium. Once she stood in front of it, a hush fell over the crowd.

Y/N Rogers had saved thousands of lives. She was an Avenger and had faced countless foes. Hell, her wedding had more people in attendance than this event, but she still felt sick to her stomach. Y/N gave them all a smile as she forced herself to calm down, swallowing hard before speaking.

"To say that Steve Rogers was a special man is putting lightly. He was a hero that many of us, myself included, aspired to be one day. And while many of you only knew him as Captain America, I was among the lucky few that got to know him just as Steve Rogers. Now I could stand up here and tell you about every battle he won, how valiantly he fought-but everyone else is going to do that. Hell, you can read about it in the exhibit." Y/N chuckles, blinking away the tears in her eyes as the crowd laughs.

Y/N finds Rhodey and Sam in the crowd, both of them giving her smiles of encouragement. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see the diamond on her wedding ring sparkling in the light. It's the first time she's worn it in a while, but it felt almost right to wear it. Once again, she's pretending like Steve didn't leave her. No, Y/N is ignoring that completely, almost blissfully. These people only know Steve as Captain America, as a god-damned American hero. She isn't going to tarnish that, won't ruin his legacy. And regardless of what Steve did to her, she is still in love with him and she wants to talk about the man she fell in love with, not the one that hurt her. Y/N inhales and exhales shakily before continuing.

"Steve was so much more than just Captain America. He was my best friend and my husband. He was the type of man to pick up flowers for you just because. The type of man to tell you that you looked really pretty even though you were covered in dirt and ash. He would let me go on and on about things that didn't even matter, but with the way he paid attention you would think that I was telling him the secrets of the world. Steve loved staying in and having movie marathons-he-he had a list he'd carry with him to write down things he needed to learn about. Before we dated, he would text me randomly, asking me why Jar Jar Binks is hated so much or asking me to explain what emojis are. He never quite got the hang gof the latter." A laugh comes out of Y/N's mouth, the crowd following suit. There was a smile on her face, a warmth spreading in her chest.

"He's the man I'll be in love with until the day I die, but then I'll fall in love all over again because I'll be able to see him again. Steve was the sweetest, kindest man I've ever met and while I will always wish we had more time together, I was lucky to have him as long as I did. We were all lucky to have him." Y/N pauses again, her throat constricting with emotion, "Even though he's gone, Steve lived a long life-a life longer than some of us get and I am happy that so many different facets of his life is going to be explored and shared with so many people. I hope you all enjoy the exhibit. Thank you."

The applause that followed was almost thunderous. Y/N smiled as her heart slammed against her ribcage, cameras flashing as she made her way off the stage. She was glad it was finally over as she moved to stand next to Rhodey and Sam. Sam kissed her cheek before he climbed up the stairs to the stage. Rhodey rubbed her back, telling her quietly that she did great. She just nodded in response, her eyes on her friend, watching as Sam leaned the shield against the plexiglass podium.

"Thank you Y/N for making my job a lot harder." Sam teases, causing everyone to chuckle. Y/N smiles right back at him, shaking her head as her friend carries on, "Steve represented the best in all of us. Courageous, righteous, hopeful. And he mastered poising stoically. "

Sam's a natural at this, standing up there like its nothing. And while Y/N should be focused on the speech, her eyes keep drifting down to the shield at his feet.

"The world has been forever changed. A few months ago, billions of people reappeared after five years away, sending the world into turmoil. We need new heroes. Ones suited for the times we're in. Symbols...are nothing without the women and men that give them meaning. And this thing," Sam chuckles, picking up the shield, "I don't know if there's ever been a greater symbol. But it's more about the man who propped it up and he's gone. So, today we honor Steve's legacy, but also, we look to the future. So thank you, Captain America. But this belongs to you."

Y/N feels sick to her stomach as she watches Sam hand the shield off. Her chest feels tight and she-she can't be here. There's a ringing on her ears and she can't breathe. Y/N pushes through the crowd, not bothering with pleasantries as she does it. A dozen emotions rack her body, causing her hands to start to heat up. She forces it down, deep down as she walks into an empty bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Sam gave away the shield.

He gave it away.

Like it was nothing.

And she wants to scream, wants to cry, but it won't come out. Y/N won't let it, not now when she is still in public. She walks over to the sinks, her hands gripping the counter. Her eyes are rimmed with red, eyes all watery. Her red painted lips press into a thin line as she forces herself to not cry, practically glaring at her reflection. What did her therapist tell her to do? Ah yes, breath in and out. In and out.

This was all too much way too soon. She couldn't handle this. She was being bombarded with memories and emotions already and now Sam giving the shield away? She felt like she was going to lose it. A part of her felt like she was overreacting. overthinking this whole situation. And maybe she was. Y/N did that from time to time. Tony had told her she was an expert of making mountains out of molehills. Maybe Sam just didn't want to be Captain America, didn't want to shoulder that burden. That was understandable. It was a shitty, shitty job-one that Sam didn't ask for. He shouldn't be forced to take on the mantle of Captain America, not when the previous owner had tossed it away so carelessly.

Yet, the bigger part of her was incredibly upset. Angry at the fact that Sam handed off the shield to be shelved in a museum. Overwhelmed by the amount of Steve that was everywhere. Confused over the multitudes of feeling that were swarming her body.

And there was nothing she could do about any of them. She just had to grin and bear it, just like she's been doing since Steve decided he much rather spend an entire lifetime with a woman he knew for a few months. So Y/N collected herself, blinked away her tears, and left the bathroom. Her feet had a mind of their own, carrying her towards the one place she didn't want to be.

The exhibit.

Steve's image is plastered on every single surface, telling the details of every part of his life. Scrawny Steve, bootcamp Steve, darling icon of patriotism during the war Steve, frozen Steve, Battle of Manhattan Steve, cartoon Steve punching Hitler, Steve during Sokovia, Steve on the run. Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve. He covers every single square inch, which makes sense because this is his exhibit. And while Y/N knows she should just turn on her heel and not put herself through it, she throws caution to the wall. She's already incredibly upset, so she might as well pour gallons and gallons of salt and lemon juice into that open wound.  So she forces herself deeper into the exhibit, running straight into the very last man she wants to see at this moment.

"You know I wasn't expecting to find you here." Sam tells her as soon as her foot enters the next room. She keeps her mouth shut, so he adds "Rhodey is looking for you."

"You know on his right sleeve of his suits, right near his wrist, he had my initials stitched. He told me he wanted to carry a piece of me into every mission, into every fight." Y/N announces as she looks at a picture of Steve on a mission, most likely taken by Natasha. Sam sighs, walking over to her, wanting her to see his point of view.

"Look I know you're upset-" He starts, but is immediately cut off by a dry chuckle slipping out of Y/N's mouth as she walks around the room. She wants to lay in to him, wants to give him a piece of her mind.

"Oh I am far past the point of being "just upset", Wilson. It wasn't yours to give away. I-I don't care if you didn't want the mantle, but..." Her angry words trail off once she realizes what part of the exhibit she has reached, her face dropping.

Y/N stops in front of a part of the exhibit labeled 'Two Heroes United'. Her eyes roam over the pictures of her and Steve's wedding and the pictures taken throughout the duration of their relationship, so much more than what the file Rhodey had left detailed. So many smiles, so much happiness filling each and every picture. Her facade is cracking, chipping away as she forces herself to study every picture, studying their faces over and over, trying to see if there was something she had missed, if-if there was something she could have said or done to hold onto him a little longer. If there was something hidden behind his smile, behind his touches, they don't reveal themselves in the photographs.

She's just a footnote in his life, a blurb at the end of a long story. A tool to make him look like an all-American family man. Bucky and Sam had much larger parts of the exhibit dedicated to their roles in Steve's life and who they are outside of being Steve's friends. Y/N-well Y/N gets this, a paragraph saying that she was on the team and then married Steve. She is just haphazardly tacked onto the story of his life, a cute story to make people feel all warm inside. He got his happily ever after, they'll say-or they'll whisper to one another God she was so lucky to have him. They won't ask if she got her happily ever after or if she feels lucky now.

Sam got to hand off the shield, got to throw away the title of Captain America. He gets to keep on living his life after this, but Y/N-Y/N will always be Steve's wife. And it doesn't matter how many people she saved or what she did with her time on earth, she will only be know for being the wife of the man who abandoned her. Y/N's tied to him for eternity, stuck loving a man who decided to love someone else.

And then, just like that, something inside of her just snaps. Her facade fully crumbles, leaving her unable to mask what she's going through.  Y/N's eyes fill up with tears and she's unable to blink them away before they spill over the edge, sending tears rolling down her cheeks. And as she stood there, crying in the middle of the exhibit dedicated to Steven Grant Rogers, a depressing epiphany popped into her mind.

The shield was the last part of Steve that she had that wasn't tainted in some way, a piece of him that she could still bear to see. And Sam had just given it away, leaving her with nothing but memories that would haunt her.

-

"I watched your speech. You did really good, Y/N." Her therapist praises, giving her a soft smile. Y/N nods, twisting her wedding ring on her finger. She had decided to start wearing it again, even though her feelings about Steve were still conflicted. While a part of her thought that this meant she was healing, Y/N knew it was more likely tied to the fact that Sam had given up the shield.

"It-It felt good." Y/N replies, shifting in her seat. She had thought it was a subtle movement, but Dr. Raynor gave her a look. After a few months of court-ordered appointments, the therapist knew Y/N all too well and she sure as hell knew when Y/N wasn't telling the truth.

"Something is upsetting you. What happened?" The doctor questions, clicking her pen. Y/N dreaded the noise. It meant a longer session, more bandaids being ripped off in order to force the wounds into the light. It would mean she would return to her home a little colder, a little emptier.

"Nothing happened. It-I had a good day. A good week." Y/N tries to reassure her, even going as far as to give her what she thought was a honest smile. Dr. Raynor held up her pad of paper, making a show of slowly bring the pen down to the paper. Y/N's smile falls and she looks down at her hands, letting out a small sigh.

"He-Sam gave away the shield. He gave it away like it was nothing." The ex-hero announces, feeling like a scolded child. Raynor lowers her pen and paper, settling back into her seat.

"And you feel like he shouldn't have?"

"No. No, Steve-Steve chose him. Steve gave him the shield because he knew that Sam was good, that Sam could handle it. And-And Sam just gave it away." Y/N stammers, picking at a thread that was hanging off her shirt.

"You know, I think that is the first time you have said his name aloud." Raynor mentions, causing Y/N to stop her movements. The thread is caught between her fingers, pulled taut. The doctor continues, "You always refer to Steve as 'he' or 'him' or 'my husband'. You never say his name."

"I don't think I was ready to be around...Steve. Not that much." Y/N tries to shift the focus, shame filling her, her face feeling hot. She knows she has her reasons not to say his name, but she still felt terrible about not being able to say his name.

"But you still spoke at the opening of his exhibit. I'm sure everyone would more than understand why you couldn't. So why did you decide on speaking?" The therapist asks, taking down a couple notes of her pad of paper. Y/N stays silent for a moment, letting go of the thread to start twisting her ring again.

"I-I don't know. Rhodey asked me and I-I guess I thought I could do it. And the speech wasn't bad I just-I wasn't expecting Sam to give away the shield." Y/N responds, her voice soft. She feels so small, sitting here on this charcoal grey couch. Y/N almost felt...stupid for being so angry at Sam. It wasn't his fault at all and as Y/N said everything out loud, she felt like such an asshole.

"If you would've known that Sam wanted to give the shield away, would you have stopped him?" Dr. Raynor replies, leaning forward slightly as she takes a few notes. Y/N feels herself sinking into the couch.

"I don't know. I-I wish he would have just told me so that we could've talked about it." She answers, looking out of the window. Dark grey clouds filled the sky, blocking out a lot of the sunlight that wanted to shine down on the city. Y/N didn't know if she would have actually forced him to keep the shield. That wasn't on him to have hold on to hat chunk of vibranium. It was wrong for Steve to have thrown that all on Sam. What would be the alternative? For her to keep the shield? Y/N highly doubted that the United States government would allow that.

-

Y/N was watering her garden when her phone started to ring in her back pocket. She quickly moves to shut off the water hose before she slips the phone about her pocket. Sam's name and picture appears on her screen, making uneasiness fill her stomach. Y/N exhales through her noise loudly before answering it, holding the phone against her ears.

"Have you seen the news?" Sam asks, not even letting her get a single syllable out.

"No, I've been outside-What's going on, Sam?" Y/N questions, making her way to the house. Something was definitely wrong. Sam never called her unless it was for emergencies. if they did communicate, it was mainly through texting. Her heartbeat started to race, as did her thoughts. A million different scenarios filled her head, each one worse than the last.

"You need to turn on the news right now." Sam replies as she opens the back door, quickly crossing the kitchen and walking into the living room. Her hands are almost shaking as she picks up the remote, turning the television on. Luckily for her, the last thing she had been watching was the news. Unluckily for her, she was greeted with a man holding the shield-Steve's shield, dressed in what looked like an off-brand, shitty version of the Captain America suit.

Anger filled her body. It had been four days tops since Sam handled off the shield and already, they had found their 'new Captain America'. The man in question was smiling smugly in the ill-fitting suit, waving at the camera, holding onto his shield tightly. God, Y/N wanted to beat the shit of the man and every single person who had okayed this. She could only hear bits and pieces of the speech as the news replayed it, but even that bullshit was too much for her to handle. She muted the television, tossing the remote on the couch.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me?" Y/N exclaims, her hands getting warm. The Avenger was unable to get to anything articulate as rage filled her. She quickly put the phone on speaker, setting the device down just in case her hands caught flame.

"I know. I know. It's fucking bullshit." Sam replies, sighing. Y/N paced in front of the television, trying to calm herself down before she burned a hole through her rug. On the screen, the fake Cap was talking about something, a saccharine smile spread across his face. Y/N wanted to take that God damn shield and smash his teeth in.

"That asshole has my husband's fucking shield. They-He isn't supposed to be Captain America, okay? It's just not-It's not theirs to give away." Y/N's voice cracks towards the end, tears filling her eyes. While she wasn't Steve's number one fan, she hated that they had already chose someone to take up his title. If Sam wasn't going to be Captain America, then no one should be Captain America.

"I'm sorry, Y/N. I wouldn't have given away the shield if I would've known...I'm sorry." Sam murmurs over the phone. Y/N covers her face with her almost glowing hands as she tries to control her breathing, not able to respond to Sam’s apologies. Her sadness and anger quickly shifted into something else. 

Something inside of her switched on, something that she hadn't felt in a long time, not since she was a hero, back when she was an Avenger.

Y/N wanted to go to work.

------

Not A Team taglist (if you would like to be added to the taglist please let me know!)

@lady-elena-adeline​ @simonedk​ @hersilencedscreams​ @rqmanoff​

[in-superbloom]

did you ever hear about the girl who got frozen? (a.i.)

right where you left me: prologue

pairing: ashton irwin x olivia jones (oc)

warnings: uhh a kinda grieving theme i guess? but no deaths. it has a sad tone overall, but nothing major (in this chapter hehe). foul language because i can't help myself. the tiniest mention of alcohol, but as a memory. think i should probably warn you that this contains a very sad ash. also not much dialogues. this is mainly for explanation and introduction, but very important for the story. if you find anything else that might be triggering, please let me know so i can add it here !!

author's note: oof okay. so. this is the prologue of a series very very dear to my heart that i've been working on for what it feels like my whole life but really it's been just a few months. but i'm in love with the story (which rarely happens with my own writing) so i hope you can enjoy it too !! this is also my very first time posting a fic since 2013 so pls keep that in mind <3 no i am not shaking as type this ofc not also: although i have the full story ready in my head, this is the only chapter that's written. i wanted to wait until i had at least a few ready before posting this but i'm too anxious for that lmao just saying this bc it will take a good while until i have any more chapters, so <3 (p.s.: i went over this thing a million times since may so if you find any errors pls look away, i'm not fixing this thing anymore. thanks <3)

another note: anna from the future here to say that i completely forgot about the playlist i made for the story lmao here it is in case you're interested k thanks bye <3

credits: title is from taylor swift's song right where you left me. model in the picture: paola locatelli. banner by me.

i also wanted to take a minute to thank some really nice friends that i've made here over these past few months & that i'm extremely grateful for @wastelandcth @suchalonelysunflower @littledrummerangie i cannot thank you babes enough for inspiring me the way that you do & for letting me yell about this to you && for encouraging me so much 🥺 i'll never be able to explain just how much this means to me, so i'll have to settle for saying thank you at any change that i can get <3 i love you all 💜 also gem my baby, thank you for the inspo with the banner 💚

@bluesdelis look babe i did it 😌 you know how grateful i am for you & for you letting me have a breakdown every week about my writing for the past 8 years so let's not dive into that or else i will write something bigger than this prologue jsjsjdjd love you 🖤

i hope you all have a good reading and a nice day ♡

let me know what are your thoughts about the fic ! ♡

word count: 4.1k

☆☆☆

Cold. That was the first thing that Olivia’s brain processed.

Still with her eyes closed, she buried herself more into the duvet, while her arm blindly reached for the furnace in human form that she calls boyfriend. However, as soon as her arm was only met with cold sheets, her eyes shot open.

Blinking the sleep away, she sat up on the bed, searching for the infamous red clock resting on Ashton’s bedside table that was supposed to look like a vintage alarm clock. Olivia had ordered it online at an auction website a couple of years back, as a gift for his 23rd birthday, since it was something he had mentioned multiple times prior that he was looking for, but still hadn't found. But when it finally came in (two weeks after the due date), it looked nothing like the picture she saw on the website. Feeling beyond frustrated, she wanted to send it back immediately and ask for a refund and maybe leave a not so polite review on the seller's page. But Ashton stopped her right away, laughing like the situation was absolutely hilarious to him, while saying, 'I like it, it’s quirky'. So, the clock stayed and found a home right next to him in their room.

Some days, however, she would wake up at some ungodly hour because of the blaring noise of the only ringtone the clock had. But whatever annoyance she could feel towards the object, it always vanished as soon as she felt Ashton's lips gently touching her face in a good morning kiss before he would get up to start his day, leaving her to catch some more hours of well deserved sleep.

As the furthest from a morning person as a touring musician could possibly be, Olivia had always feared that living under the same roof as Ashton would turn her into an early bird like him, but she's thankful that it never happened (not that he needs to know about that).

When she sees the red clock, she smiles at the sudden but welcome memories of them flooding her foggy brain, but frowns slightly when she realizes it reads 12:13 pm. Ashton rarely lets her sleep past 10 am.

Gathering all her strength and will, she rises up from the bed, smoothly picking up a grey wool sweatshirt from the chair (way too baggy on her slim body, but it smells like him), pulling it over her head and relishing on the soft material warming up her body. Making her way to the door and calmly going down the stairs, she can’t help but stop for a minute to admire the picture frames on their walls, one in particular catches her attention – probably one of the most prized pictures and memories they had. It felt older than it actually is, but it was around 4 years ago, she's sure – a little while after the two of them met. The picture was of their group of friends that still remains the same: Ashton and his best friend, Luke; Olivia, her best friend, Calum and their old hometown friend, turned into Calum’s new friend at college, turned into everyone’s friend, Michael; and her then newly band members, Suki, Eli and Ravi. Together, their group was the life of the party through all their college years, and it showed by the big smiles and drinks in hands they all had in the picture. It was a very special night, the first time Olivia’s little band played for the public – for a small audience sure, but it was a wonderful night nonetheless. What a long road it had been since that night.

Her nostalgic thoughts were interrupted by a shiver that went through her whole body, and it made her realize how oddly cold the whole house was, not only their bedroom. Which, granted, it was November in New York and the weather was just getting colder, but that’s exactly why Ashton always made sure to keep the house warm enough. As much as she loved the chilly season, the warm weather always reminded him of his hometown, and who was she to deny him that?

The smell of fresh made coffee could be sensed even before she reached the kitchen. Arriving there, the curly haired woman still found no signs of her boyfriend, so she went straight after the coffee maker pot sitting on the far left corner of the cream marble counter. Smiling softly at the tons of memories of Ashton's sleepy figure making their favorite beverage, she reached for a coffee mug on the cupboard on top of the counter and poured the remainder of the hot liquid on it (it's her favorite mug, if she must choose – it was a gift from a fan, and it had printed on it a collage of the pictures of her and Ashton that were posted on social media through their first year of relationship).

Moving to the glass doors that lead to the mini garden they cultivate, she didn't have to open them to spot the 6-feet-tall man sitting on a bench outside, looking oddly small in his oversized clothes, coffee mug tightly held between strong hands. Something about his figure made Olivia frown, however: he was staring with an unwavering look at her small but eye-catching pot of yellow daffodils that were almost as much of a pet to them as Stitch at this point. Sensing that there’s something definitely off about his semblance, she made a mental note to talk to him and find out what’s wrong later. So she goes back to the kitchen, knowing that he might need this quiet and private moment for himself.

She lost count of the minutes that went by (couldn't have been more than five) before she hears the garden's door opening and closing, and then his bare feet are dragging his brawny body to her. Except, he goes over to the sink, walking right through her, not showing any sign that he even saw her hunched figure over the counter table in the middle of the room.

Alright, someone's in a mood.

Olivia tries to swallow the annoyance already bubbling inside her – he knows how much she hates to be ignored, no matter how mad he might be – by trying to think of what she can say that won't piss him off. This is always a hard feat to accomplish when Ashton gets in these moods, but there’s a reason for them to work so well together.

“I missed my favorite body heater when I woke up,” she says in her best sweet voice, knowing how quickly his resolve crumbles when he hears that voice.

Still, no reaction.

That settles a worry at the pit of her stomach, because Ashton is never like this. Even when he's not in the mood to talk, he always gives some kind of reaction to her words; it doesn't matter how small, just enough to make her feel acknowledged.

When he's finished washing his mug and the few scattered dishes across the sink – she noticed that he already had lunch, if the lone plate in the drying rack is anything to go by –, he dries his hand in a towel, turns around and throws it on top of the same counter Olivia was leaning up against. Once again, he walks away not even sparing her a look.

Indignant, she leaves the now empty coffee mug on top of the table and follows him as he walks up the stairs, any determination to not aggravate his mood now well gone.

“Hey! In case you didn't notice, I'm right here. Whatever got you in this sour mood, I'm certainly not to blame, so can you stop being a child now and talk to me?!”

Ashton just keeps walking – more like sluggishly dragging his body – until he reaches their bedroom and suddenly stops just merely two feet inside the room, looking around with vacant eyes; like he was expecting to see something that wasn't there.

“Okay, that's really mature of you. Are you planning on ignoring me all day then?” Olivia questions exasperated, staring angrily at the back of his neck, where the condor tattoo lives – her favorite of his, but that sight doesn't bring her any peace today like it usually does.

Her glare only breaks when she hears the familiar sound of dog tags swaying on her right side. Shifting her gaze to the direction of the sound, Olivia notices Stitch, their small, black & white French bulldog – who she thought was outside in the garden – slowly trudging his way from around the bed until he stops at Ashton's feet, looking up at one of his humans with sad eyes. That realization only makes the worry in her stomach grow uncomfortably.

“Hi buddy,” Ashton's voice cracks a bit from the lack of use, but he smiles softly at the sweet dog, and crouches down to pet him.

Olivia can't help but gasp as she notices three things all at once that leave her overwhelmed: first, how she didn't even notice Stitch was in the room when she woke up – which never ever happens, in fact, most days he wakes her up whenever he deems her bedtime as finished and can't ever contain his excitement when she finally gets up; second, how the windows blinds are closed, which, again, rarely occurs under their roof, not if Ashton can help it. And third, how sad and melancholic the whole scene in front of her is – how sad and melancholic Ashton is. Pointless to say by now – that's also a very rare occasion.

A chill creeps up Olivia's spine, putting her body into high alert and also serving as a reminder of how everything looks out of place today. Trying to keep her head from spiraling down way too soon, she wraps her arms around herself and crouches down beside her two favorite boys, trying once more.

“Ash? Can you hear me?” even with her throat closing, she softly asks, purposefully putting her face in Ashton's point of view. Her only answer is the low whispers he's letting out to Stitch, while cradling the tiny dog in his arms, spreading gentle kisses on his head.

“I know, bud, I know. I miss her too,” is the only whisper she could understand and immediately wishes she hadn't. The weak wail that comes from Stitch's throat seems to fit perfectly with how the three of them feel.

Ashton then looks up and for a couple of seconds, and Olivia can swear he’s staring right into her eyes. But when he shows no reaction, she knows he’s just staring ahead and not at her, with that look that says there’s too much going on inside his head. She feels the urge to embrace him and get him to talk about whatever is on his mind, so they can share that weight like they always do, but when Ashton gets up from the ground and settles on the bed with Stitch, Olivia can physically feel the crack in her heart caused by the feeling she’s left with.

While Ashton is pulling the duvet over him and the dog, with clearly no intentions of getting up anytime soon, Olivia stands up on her feet with a new-found determination – she needs to figure out what the hell is going on.

This nightmare had to be just that, right? Nothing but a very vivid dream – she's had those before. Scary sure, but they always go away, and soon enough she's back into Ashton's arms, with Stitch jumping on the bed ready to lick their faces off. She just needs to wake herself up from whatever fucked up dream this is – right?

She's running down the stairs this time, frantically in search of something, of what exactly, she doesn’t know – but she knows she needs an answer. The more she looks for something, the more desperate she gets, not knowing what to look for. Then suddenly, something catches her eyes.

The white and blue calendar that's held up by magnets on the side of the fridge. She knows their calendar is red and yellow. They got it from their favorite flower market. Slowly, as if scared of what it might be there – “It's just a calendar, for fucks sake” – she approaches the damn thing. Upon inspection, she deems it as a normal calendar – she really doesn't know what she was expecting – until.

She knows what's wrong with it now.

It's November. She knows it, because the Asian and last leg of her first world tour is about to begin November 21st, eleven days from today. Right after Mike's birthday, she knows this.

Then why does the calendar say today is January 14th?

☆ ☆ ☆

Ashton woke up with a jolt. He quickly sat up, frightening the little Frenchie that was asleep right next to him on the bed. Trying to make sense of his surroundings, he roughly rubbed his face to get some sleep off of it and soon reached for the dog that was staring at him with sleepy but sad eyes. Ashton is sure Stitch understands far more than a dog is supposed to understand about their current situation.

The room is covered in shadows, almost pitch black, but he can see the sunlight even through the thick dark grey blinds covering up the windows. Ashton knows he won't be able to sleep again at that moment, so he gets up from the bed – much slower than he used to. His heartbeat is still out of control because of the nightmare that woke him up, but he can't bother to pay attention to it when Stitch is softly wailing beside him. Ashton lets out a ghost of a smile when the dog rests his head on his right upper thigh, looking up at him with an expression Ashton knows all too well.

“C'mon you little ravenous creature, let's feed you,” the bulldog excitedly jumps to the ground, already running his way down the stairs, not even waiting for Ashton to get up.

That gets a real smile out of him, but it vanishes as soon as he glances at the alarm clock on his bedside table. It reads 5:13 am, nothing out of the ordinary for him. But that small and inoffensive clock, with its red paint peeling off, holds a lot of memories for him. Memories that two months ago would bring joy to his heart, but now he almost wants to throw the object across the room.

It was a stupid thing, really. He had been wanting a vintage alarm clock and Olivia got one for his birthday. But the product they received was definitely not the one she bought, and if he's being honest, he didn't like it as much as he made out to. But seeing her so excited in the weeks before it arrived, and how disappointed she was when it did, he couldn't help but try his best to make her smile that luminous smile again. It's part of his nature by now.

That's also the reason why he lets her think that he doesn't notice when she wakes up at some ungodly hour (her words, not his) along with him, because of the annoying and only sound the alarm clock is able to produce. He always leaves soft kisses in every inch of bare skin he can find on her sleeping figure, so she goes back to the dream land and doesn't wake up before 10 am. No one wants to deal with that kind of bad humor, not even him.

As much as he likes being a morning person and absolutely enjoys her company in the mornings, he knows she'll take any and every extra hour of sleep she can get before starting the day. And that's why he loves that she's so stubborn that his early bird tendencies never got to her – he knows she feared that this would happen when they moved in together, but he met her like this, fell for her like this. He wouldn't change a single thing about her.

Ashton drags himself out of the bed, wincing slightly at how cold the wooden floors are under his bare feet. He doesn't bother putting some socks on, or a sweater – the cold weather in the house is uncharacteristically comforting to him. Nothing feels warm without her anyway.

While descending the stairs, he mentally curses himself for not being strong enough to look past the picture frames on the wall. One in particular catches his eyes – a picture from the night of Olivia's first concert with her band. The memories of that night are still painfully vivid in his mind: the laughter among their group that eventually infected everyone at the pub, Suki and Luke's first kiss and the silly smile that didn't leave his best friend's face all night, the standing ovation Olivia got after her three-songs set, and her captivating and breathtaking smile that made him realize right then and there, while watching her sway to the music, that he was definitely falling in love with her and there was nothing he could do to stop it – not that he wanted to.

So many memories held up on that wall, in the relatively short time since they met, that he can't help but wonder if that's all they'll get in this lifetime.

Ashton is abruptly taken out of his thoughts by Stitch's barks coming from the bottom of the stairs. He quickly jogs down the few steps left and goes straight after the dog's food in the kitchen's cabinet. After Stitch starts to happily devour his breakfast, Ashton goes to make his coffee, doing enough for two people like he always does, since Calum drops by most days for a chat or to drop Duke before going to work. Although all three of them know he just can't bother to make food for himself in the morning, while Ashton is the group's elected chef. Ashton always says he just needs a boyfriend – Olivia says Calum already has one who makes him breakfast every day.

He grabs an apple from the fridge and makes his way outside to their garden. Even though a lot of their memories took place there, the garden is the only space in the house where he doesn't feel like suffocating all the time. At least here, he can breathe some fresh air and look at the sky when he's feeling overwhelmed – which is basically all he's been doing for about a month now.

Yet, a lot of the garden has Olivia's name written all over.

He remembers vividly the day she came home after spending two weeks in LA doing some pocket shows, with a pack of daffodil seeds and the largest smile. She excitedly told him that a friend gifted it to her when she mentioned the little garden they were planning to build together at their new house. The friend told Olivia that daffodils symbolize rebirth and new beginnings, so as the good lover of symbolism that she is, Olivia loved the idea of having those flowers to symbolize their new beginning.

Ashton, on the other hand, wasn't a fan of the flowers at first – he just didn't see the appeal to them. But nonetheless, he indulged her, letting Olivia plant the seeds near the bench they used to sit during the quiet and unrushed afternoons, so they could admire the sunset, and she could happily look at the daffodils.

Pointless to say – the damn flowers grew on him.

Now, however, looking at them without Olivia and her contagious joy next to him, they were back to be as dull as they were before, if not more so.

Still lost inside his head without any sense of how much time went by since he sat down, Ashton doesn't hear the front door closing, and doesn't notice that he's no longer the only person inside the house until someone sits next to him on the bench. Yet, he doesn't show any sign of acknowledgement to them.

A few minutes go by before either of them speaks up.

“Luke said you didn't go to see her yesterday,” Calum starts softly, not wanting to disturb the calmness of the morning.

Ashton takes a few seconds to respond, “No point in doing that.” The black haired man licks his lips while thinking carefully about his next words.

“You know staying inside this house all day by yourself won't help either,” Calum turns his head to his left and takes a good look at Ashton's uncharacteristically hunched over figure, and immediately thinks that anyone can tell this man is not himself anymore. His second thought is that Olivia would hate seeing him like this.

“And what exactly do you expect me to do? Move on with my life like nothing happened? Like I'm not slowly and painfully losing the love of my life? Just because it’s easy for you doesn't mean it's easy for me.”

Calum closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He knows Ashton doesn't mean it, it's the anger and frustration talking. He knows it. Doesn't make it sting any less.

“I'm not telling you to move on with your life, because that's far from what I'm doing, and I certainly don't expect you to do it. I'm just saying you need to occupy your mind or else–”

“I'll go insane? Think it's a bit too late for that,” Ashton interrupts with a bitter tone that doesn't belong to his usual chirpy voice.

“You know it's not,” Calum sighs and drinks the rest of his coffee, moving his body slightly, so he's facing the blonde man, “I got a job interview for you at that school you talked about so much last summer, the principal said you can go any day this week. I went ahead and sent her your resume as well as explained everything that she needs to know about Olivia, so you don't have to. You just gotta put on some decent clothes and show up.” he sees Ashton's face softening a little and takes it as a victory. A few beats go by and then, “Maybe take a shower too. That's gonna make you feel better.” Calum leans in closer to his friend's personal space and takes a sniff, causing Ashton to deflect from him slightly, but not to push him away – another small win.

“Definitely take a shower, you stink. When was the last time your hair saw shampoo?”

“Fuck off,” is Ashton's only reply to the younger man's inquest. But Calum can see a smile creeping up on the blonde's face, which brings out a smile of his own.

“I'll send you all the details later today,” he checks the hour on the watch on his wrist and gets up, “Just please, Ash, go. I can't lose you too.”

Calum gently lays a hand on Ashton's shoulder and squeezes a little. The man doesn't look up, but gives a curt nod to his friend, who's satisfied enough. Calum stops on the threshold of the garden glass doors to give some kisses to Stitch – who came to make Ashton company as soon as he finished his food –, and then he puts the coffee mug on the dishwater. And soon enough, he's on his way out of the door. But not before snatching a tangerine from the fridge.

Ashton is left by himself once again. As he hears the sound of the front door closing, he thinks that this might be his life from now on. Just him and Stitch, trying their hardest to make it through another miserable day without the love of their lives. While everyone else comes by just to make sure he's still breathing. Breathing, maybe, but alive?

Swallowing the tears, he looks up at the sky. It's a deep, beautiful mix of orange, pink and blue, but he knows that it won't last long and soon the rain will be pouring down. He thinks about how much Olivia loves the rain.

God, he needs to pull himself together. She would hate to see him like this. Maybe he should take Calum's offer after all, he really needs to occupy his mind.

Making a mental note to thank Calum later, and also to apologize for how rude he was to him this morning, Ashton slowly gets up from the bench to put his mug on the sink and makes his way to the living room, with the small dog loyally following his every step. He puts on some cartoon that for once doesn't remind him of her (she always lovingly made fun of him for still watching those) and cuddles with Stitch on the couch. He can take a shower later.

Not half an hour goes by, he falls asleep and has a good dream for a change. He dreams of the days he spent with Olivia in the Philippines last February, right before her first world tour started. Some of the most magical days of their lives – surrounded by delicious food, a whole new culture to learn about and the warmth of the sun. Infinite counted days full of love and passion, where they were the only people in the world.

Even his subconscious knows to hold on to that brief moment of happiness, because he might never live that again.

[xxkellsvixen19xx]

Spotlight: A Life Of A Troubled Celebrity Heartthrob Ch 8

Word Count: 3,940

"Y/N, I need you in your dressing room now," Michelle grabbed mt arm as soon as we stepped out of the limo, "we don't have much time." She hurried them along, security surrounding them at every turn.

"I'll see you in a bit sweets," Colson called out and blew her a kiss as they separated.

Y/N blew one back and he caught it, causing her to blush furiously.

"I see your husband has beefed up your shadows," Michelle said wryly.

"Yeah, yeah he has. I don't have a say in the matter unfortunately," Y/N shrugged.

"Can't blame him though. You and Colson have been the entertainment headline news ever since he announced your wedding on social media," Michelle opened the door of the dressing room and Y/N followed behind.

"Please remove your clothes and wear this gown," Michelle handed her a short black silk gown

"Really? We've been on the news?" Y/N furrowed her brows, wanting to continue the previous conversation.

"Sweetheart, which planet have you been living on? Anything to do with Colson Baker is news. Sit," Michelle commanded as she pulled out a chair.

"I kinda went of the grid after..you know?"

"I know," Michelle gave her a knowing look and laughed, "I can tell by the marks he left on your body sweetie."

"Oh," Y/N covered her face, embarrassed.

"No need to be ashamed," Michelle laughed, "if I wasn't already married to Byron I would gladly stand in line to jump Colson's bones," she joked, "so does he live up to his rep or nah?" she pried.

"What?" Y/N blushed again.

"Sorry. I don't mean to pry," she pursed her lips.

"No, no. It's okay. I'd like to think we're friends?" Y/N asked.

"Of course! I should be hurt that you'd even-" she held the make-up brush mid-air.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Y/N squeezed Michelle's hand, "but he was more than I ever thought or imagined!" she gushed.

"I knew it!" They giggled like a pair of giddy school girls. They were interrupted when someone knocked at the door.

"Michelle," Colson cleared his throat as he stood at the door, "can you excuse us for a minute?"

"Make it quick and don't even think of spoiling her hair and make-up," Michelle glared at him before leaving the room.

"Well.. you heard the lady Bambi.." Colson locked the door and discarded his t-shirt at the door. He flexed his muscles like he had just entered a boxing ring.

"Colson..noo," Y/N held out her hands in a futile attempt to stop him from getting to her.

"I prefer it when you scream out yes.." he lifted her off the chair and switched places with her. She straddled him as he trailed hot kisses on her neck, causing her to lose herself in him.

"Michelle.."

"Can wait.." he claimed her mouth possessively and all resistance crumbled..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Good Evening Brussels!! How's everyone doing toniiight???!" Colson bounced onto the stage like he owned the world and everything in it.

The crowd went ballistic and he reveled in their screams and shouts. "Colson! Colson! Colson!"

He smiled and made a turn round the stage, psyching himself up for his performance. He ran from one end of the stage to the other touching and high-fiving as many fans as possible. Some fangirls passed out as soon as he made contact with them and guys ran around in circles. The crowd was in a frenzy and Colson hadn't even started performing yet!

"COLSON BAKER WE LOVE YOU!" the fans chanted over and over again.

"I LOVE YOU ALL! I LOVE YOU BRUSSELS!" Colson shouted over the screams and shouts as he sprinted from one end to the other one last time. More screams, crying and fainting ensued. The paramedics would be busy tonight.

"Tonight we have a very special guest on the ones and twos-please give it up for my one and only doe-eyed beauty-my wife Y/N Baker!!" Colson swept his hand towards Y/N as she stood behind the sound engineers desk. She waved shyly and slipped on her headphones. She was going to be taking Slim's place as sound engineer and DJ for the night. Michelle had dressed her up in a short Saint Laurent sequin embellished cocktail dress, epitomizing the band's statement sex appeal. She looked daring and fearless and it was a head-turning number, She completed the look with studded leather boots and her hair was a 80s messy look .

"You're looking hooot baby!" He winked at her and walked back to the edge of the stage. "I just want to give a shout out to my wife for taking care of me when I was sick. I don't know many people that would wipe puke off my face -for free-but you did it babe. I'm so grateful for you. This first song is for you sweets," he winked at her and positioned himself on a high-stool, "The song is called "Hangover Cure ," Colson strummed his guitar and his angelic voice resounded all over the stadium.

The audience was undoubtedly entranced and mesmerized by Colson. He had a commanding stage presence that sucked everyone in and all they could do was be fixated on him and him alone. Girls in the crowd were openly crying like he was singing the song to them and when he hit his signature high notes they were in a state of delirium. Banners and placards went up everywhere with words expressing how much his fans loved him. And he was truly loved by all of them.

Colson continued the next several songs on a mellow vibe and the crowd was falling more and more in love with this side of him. At one point he removed his baseball jacket and gave it to an adoring fan; who ran around the stage like a headless chicken. Of course the paramedics had to be called in to remove her from the stage after she had passed out.

"So tonight we're going to switch things up a bit," Colson carefully laid his guitar down and stood up again, "I'm going to get a few fans from the crowd to come up here and we're going to sing some of your favorite songs together. Can we do that?" The fans roared in agreement.

"I hope you all still have your ticket stubs cos' I'm just going to randomly call out a ticket number and if it belongs to you then you get to do a duet with me. That okay?" Colson grinned and the fans went wild.

"For the purpose of time and logistics, I'll call them out all at once and I hope you can make it to the front..if not then we will have to pick out someone else okay? Ready? Here goes..Drum roll please!" Colson said dramatically.

"Ticket number 2005, 5721; uhh-3688; 1012, 4562 and last one-6000? Please make your way to the front and produce your ticket to protocol otherwise..you all know the drill," Colson drank some water and a crew member rushed forward to wipe down his body. He wasn't feeling well but he pushed himself, he had to. "Music please," he called out to his band before hurrying over to Y/N.

"Sweets, I don't feel one hundred. Can we please go backstage for a few minutes?" he whispered in her ear and she nodded.

"Bathroom-" he ran to the restroom, clutching his stomach and Y/N asked security to wait outside while she checked on him.

"Are you okay babe?" she tapped on the door lightly.

"Yeah..noo-" he grunted before she heard him spilling his guts into the lavatory again.

"I'm coming in," Y/N announced, his meds and a bottle of water in her hand. She found him seated on the floor, with his back against the wall. His face was pale and his forehead had beads of sweat. Y/N handed the pills and water to him; then started to wipe him down with his face towel.

"Sorry," Colson held her against him.

"It's okay," Y/N gave him a weak smile, "I need to rinse out your towel, I'll be right back okay?"

"Hey! Are you guys okay?" Jax called out from outside, "Can I come in?"

"Come inside Jax," Y/N swung the door open and walked back to Colson, Jax close on her heels.

"Hey, are you okay kid?" Jax crouched next to Colson's slouched frame.

"Yeah, please get Byron to get a supporting act to cover for me for a while. I'll go and lie down in my dressing room for a bit. Help me up?" Jax pulled him off the floor effortlessly.

"I've already told Byron to take care of it. You sure you want to continue?" Jax asked skeptically.

"I will have to manage somehow..can't let the fans down. Beside I just have fan-dues and then I'll be done," Colson said as he put his arm around Y/N for support.

"If you're sure.." Y/N looked at him with concern.

"I'll be okay sweets; stop stressing," Colson leaned forward and kissed her temple.

"Fine," Y/N muttered.

"Okay, I'll leave you two to rest then. Will half-an-hour be enough?" Jax asked as they stopped in front of the dressing room?

"Yeah," Colson nodded.

"Okay, I'll be here to escort you back on stage," Jax replied.

Y/N opened the door for him and helped him lie down on the soft couch.

"Stay with me?" He pleaded. Y/N lay down next to him and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Your body is so hot," Y/N said in alarm.

"Ooh, tell me more baby.." he drawled and buried his nose in her neck.

"Colson, I'm serious..you're burning up," she turned to face him.

"Shh..stop worrying," he kissed her forehead, "I've taken my medication so I'll be fine in a minute. Go to sleep baby."

"You go to sleep Baker," she replied, "I'll be right here," she said softly.

"Thank you baby," he said before he drifted off to sleep.

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

"Are we really going to the after party?" Y/N frowned at her husband.

"Yes WE are!" Colson laced his hands with hers. They were standing in the foyer at the hotel where the after party was already in full swing.

"But you're not well?" she raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, courtesy of Michelle.

"We won't stay for long. Promise," he kissed her chastely, "I have to make an appearance you know that right? Plus I really need to get you home so I can finish off what we started in the dressing room.." he nuzzled her neck

"Hmm..and no drinking tonight? Agreed," she looked at him with her pretty E/C eyes.

"Sweets, come on!" he whined, "can we just go and have fun please? I could really use it," he massaged his temple with one hand.

"Why are you avoiding my question?? I'm watching you Baker," she eyed him suspiciously.

"I don't mind baby," he hugged her and gave her a long kiss.

"That's blackmail," she said, breathless.

"Is it working?" His breath danced on her lips.

"Let's go," she pushed him away playfully, "I really need to get this over and done with so I can go home and rest. I'm overdue on sleep."

"Sorry, that's my fault, I know," he said sheepishly.

"Just remember that when partying the night away and I have to drag you home," she muttered under her breath.

"I heard that Mrs Baker," he laughed softly as he hugged her waist.

"Good," she replied.

"What's he doing here?" Colson froze and Y/N followed his gaze. It landed on Slim. Jax and Byron were arguing with him in a corner.

"Let Jax handle it okay?" Y/N put her hands against his chest and pushed him back gently, "Let it go. Please?"

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth and walked away.

"Hey Colson! Hi Colson! Great show Colson!" was all Y/N heard as Colson held her hand all night.

"I need the bathroom," Y/N whispered in Colson's ear.

"Let me come with you," he stood up with her.

"No. Stay with your friends," she said with a wave of her hand, "I just spotted Ash so I'll go with her," Y/N pointed over to where Ashleigh was standing.

"You're sure? Slim is lurking about so I'm a bit uneasy," he confessed.

"I'll be fine okay"" she kissed the side of his mouth and he smiled.

"If you're going to kiss me then you should make it count Bambi," he crushed his lips against hers and kissed her breathless.

"Hurry back before I start missing you," he said as a parting shot.

"Hey there stranger!" Ashleigh practically jumped on her.

"Hey! Careful," Y/N giggled.

"How have you been? How are you handling having your face and relationship splashed all over the tabloids?" Ashleigh asked.

"Colson prefers it if I don't see that," Y/N replied, "probably doesn't want me to get worked up I guess,"

"So you've already become the little submissive wife have you? You consummated the marriage yet?" she smiled and nudged Y/N with her elbow.

"Something like that.." She laughed.

"I want all the deets but let's go and get something to drink first," Ashleigh pulled her over to the bar.

"I really didn't want to drink today Ash.." Y/N said hesitantly.

"Just have one with me?? We haven't hung out for a while..please?" Ashleigh coaxed.

"Okay fine," Y/N sighed in defeat, "just one," she held up her index finger for emphasis. They went to the bar and Ashleigh ordered two cosmos.

"Can we go to the bathroom?" Y/N shifted around in agitation, "otherwise I will pee on myself," Ashleigh laughed as she handed Y/N her drink.

"Let's just go up and use the one in my room?" Ashleigh suggested and Y/N nodded, "I-uh-need to get my phone. Need to take pics you know. It's our last week on tour," she said as the stepped into the elevator.

"Sommer!" they cried out in shock. Sommer was curled up in a ball, whimpering in the corner of the elevator. Her face was badly bruised, her nose was bleeding and she was a mess. Usually she was well dressed, without a hair out of place but tonight she looked like a junkie.

"Who did this to you?" Y/N demanded as she crouched next to Sommer.

"Just leave me alone okay!?!" Sommer snapped, "you and your perfect little life! Just leave me alone! Go away!" she yelled.

"I want to help you!" Y/N said, forlorn, "please allow me to help you?"

"Let's take her to her room, Maybe she needs to clean up a bit and sleep it off," Ashleigh looked around, nervous.

"If you're sure..?" Y/N said hesitantly.

"Look, why don't you go use the bathroom in my room and I will take care of Sommer? I'm sure Slim must already be looking for her of something," Ashleigh babbled.

"No! No Slim!" Sommer backed away in fear, "don't call him. Please?" she grabbed my arm.

"Okay, I won't," Y/N assured her. Something strange was going on here but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Come on Sommer let's get you cleaned up. You'll need a change of clothes as well," Y/N steered her in towards her hotel room.

"Let me do it!" Ashleigh said too quickly, "well..since you needed the bathroom so badly-I can help Sommer. You go ahead-I got this," she said with a tight smile.

"Okay.." Ashleigh was acting very strange today, maybe she was high on something, Y/N thought. Y/N looked walked into Ashleigh's hotel room and got a sense of foreboding but she just shrugged it off. She went into the bathroom and relieved herself and as he was washing her hands she heard hotel room door open.

She thought it was Ashleigh so she hurried out of the bathroom to find Slim standing at the doorway with a smug expression on his face.

"Hello Bambi..so glad you could make it," he slammed the door shut and locked it.

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

Y/N stared at Slim as he stood at the door, lazily leaning against it. He looked at her the was a lion on Animal Planet would eye it's prey before it moved in for the kill.. This was like déjà vu to Y/N but this time she wasn't going down without a fight. She had to think quickly before he had his way with her and by the way he was undressing her with his eyes, he was going to pounce on her any minute from now. Her short cocktail dress would make it so much easy for him.

"I've waited for this day for a very long time and I'm going to savor every inch of that delectable body.." he licked his lips and continued to trail his eyes down her body.

She was saved by a loud pounding on the door that startled both her and Slim.

"Slim!" Sommer called out from behind the door, "I know what you and Ashleigh planned-don't do it! Please! I'm begging you!" she said her voice breaking.

Y/N took this opportunity and dashed back into the bathroom and locked the door. If Sommer kept up the racket long enough then help would arrive soon. Slim snarled and he pounded on the door; Y/N searched around frantically for an opening but found none.

"You can try and run from me but you're only prolonging the inevitable," he taunted as he tried to beat the door down, "I'm going to have you and you're going to enjoy it my precious."

Y/N was wringing her hands, trying to figure a way out when her eyes fell on her Apple Watch that Colson had got her just last week. She quickly scrolled to the phone app and dialed Colson's number and he answered on the second ring.

"Hey I've been looking all over-"

"Help me please! I'm stuck in the bathroom in Ashleigh's room and Slim is outside-he tried to-he wants to-" Y/N's voice broke-.

" I'll be on my way. Hang tight okay?" Colson rang off.

The room was silent and she couldn't hear Slim moving around so she began to panic. What was he up to? Suddenly the bathroom door swung open and Slim stood with a self-satisfied smirk.

"I know how to pick locks my precious," he held a paper clip between his fingers. He threw the pin on the floor and locked the bathroom door again from the inside. Y/N tried to back away but the room was constricted. She started to hyperventilate and pressed redial on her phone, wishing and hoping that Colson would get here quicker.

"Told you..you can run but.." he trailed his finger along her cheekbone and she spat in his face.

"You're going to regret that," Slim  gave her a dagger and pushed her against the tiled wall, "I'm sorry this is going to be quick and rough..I would have liked to take it slow but time is not on our side," he grabbed her roughly, lifted her up and placed her on top of the sink. Y/N began to scratch at his face and to kick and scream, but he grabbed her hands and tied them with his bandana.

"You're making this so hard for yourself precious..if you would just give in then we would enjoy the ride together but-I guess you like it rough," he tried to yank her dress further up her thighs but it was too tight and it was proving to be difficult. He pulled her off the sink and pushed her against the wall, "turn around," he said roughly. She faced the wall and started to cry.

"Save your tears for Colson. They're not going to work on me," he unbuckled his belt and she heard his pants fall to the floor.

"I'm not going to run like Scott. I'll just plead insanity due to drug addiction and they will let me go. I'm going to stick around so I can keep coming back for seconds," he pushed her face against the wall and whispered into her ear, "that's if you're good enough..hope I won't be disappointed Precious," he stuck his tongue in her ear and she cried out.

"Please don't!" she whimpered, her tears cascaded down her cheeks.

Suddenly, someone came crashing through the door and hurtled towards them. Slim had no time to register what was happening but a pair of hands grabbed his neck, threw him on the floor and started to strangle him. Y/N sank onto the floor and broke down. Sommer ran over to her and hugged her.

"I'm so sorry Y/N-I didn't know-" Sommer cried along with Y/N, "he and Ashleigh had planned it. I had nothing to do with it-I swear! Please believe me!"

"Colson!" Jax shouted, "You're going to kill him-let go!"

"Death is too good for this scum!" Colson screamed as Jax and the other body guards dragged him off Slim. His eyes fell on Y/N and he dashed over to her. She had passed out probably due to shock or relief or maybe both.

Slim took advantage of the distraction and made his escape, spluttering and fighting for breath. Jax eyed him warily and decided to let him go. He knew he would be back.

"It's okay sweets. I'm here now. You're safe. I got you baby." he lifted her limp form in his arms and carried her out of the room.

"Do you want me to go after him?" Jax walked beside them.

"No. I'll get him. One way or another, I'll get him," Colson narrowed his eyes, "I want you to get that spawn of Judas-Ashleigh. I want her to look me in the eye and explain why she did what she did to my wife," the elevator doors slid open and Jax held them back to allow Colson to step inside.

"She's already in a car and is on her way to the house," Jax reported, "I have a few things to say to her as well. I hope we're pressing charges? We can't let them walk-Y/N deserves justice," he said vehemently as he opened the car door.

"Oh we're going to make them pay..then we're going to hand them over to the police," Colson laid Y/N inside and jumped in beside her.

Colson clenched and unclenched his fist as he looked out the window. Ashleigh had messed with the wrong person. He was going to deal with her personally. Her career was officially over before it even began.

"Jax, can we make a quick stop at a hospital? I need to make sure she's okay," Colson caressed Y/N's face as she lay on his lap, "plus we need to gather evidence."

"Sure thing Boss," Jax nodded.

Colson hoped and prayed that he had got there on time but Slim's pants were down and Y/N's dress was-he shook his head and blinked his eyes rapidly. He couldn't-didn't want to even think about it. His heart bled a thousand times when he thought about what he saw when they crashed through the door. He shouldn't have allowed her to go with that snake-he should have listened to his gut; trusted his instinct.

Now Y/N was a wreck and it would take a while to piece her back together again.

[blushing-starker]

I did this instead of writing notes for science, have slightly angsty starker

"Mr Stark, Mr Stark, please, it's really fine. I can just stay here; May's apartment is just fifteen minutes away and Happy misses her anyway. It's a win-win!"

Tony snarls, clutches at his hand, keeps heading to the front desk with enough of a murderous aura people scramble to clear a path. His heart thrills, basically leaps with joy because this is for him, this is his partner outraged on Peter's behalf. And then the anxiety goes from its usual ten to a thirty because this is happening because of Peter.

A tug does absolutely nothing so he yanks, uses just a bit of super strength to haul Tony in a shadowed hallway where the overhead lights won't show how he clings like a koala to a heaving chest. Tony could be frothing at the mouth and out for blood, but the man would never hurt him, even accidentally.

Peter nuzzles a warm neck, tightens the grip around Tony until the billionaire relents and slowly returns the hug, body slumping around his smaller frame. It's ok, Peter can hold them both up. One breath, two breaths, fifteen breaths to calm a heart much more fragile than his own.

"I can wait here. The conference is for Tony Stark, not Spider-Man and definitely not me. You'll be late if you don't go now and Pepper's counting on us to see this through. It's my first week and, unlike a certain someone," he tickles right below the third rib, gets a startled chuckle in exchange, " Miss Potts can fire me if I don't 'produce results that benefit the company'. She cares for me, but I have to work hard to earn my place, make it harder for people to say I'm only in the company because I warm your bed. "

Tony jolts back, ready to discourage that line of thinking, assure him that's not, would never be the case and Peter can't fucking cry in an airport because Tony will be late for work. But Jesus, he's really grateful he fell for someone that loves him so much they'd always make sure he knew that.

Thing is, Peter doesn't have the secrets to the universe. Can't be certain, 100% certain of lots of things like whether or not there are multiple realities, if Ned really was serious about dating Betty and who the hell taped him dancing to Abba during a particularly odd fighting session with miss Natasha. Anyway.

The point is one of the few things he does know, will never doubt for as long as he lives, is that Tony Stark, the 'Man in a Can', the saviour of the world, loves him with all his heart. Metal parts and all. So he pins his boyfriend to the wall and doesn't let him speak.

"Tony, it's fine. A pilot refusing to let an intern board the VIP plane can be expected. He doesn't know who I am and that's ok because you promised me we'd tell the company six months in. It's been a week. If we had to wait til I turned eighteen for you to hug me longer than five seconds, we can wait till I've proven myself. Besides, going to the parks was a bonus, not the main thing."

It's not like he hasn't walked into an amusement park since he was twelve and his parents were still around.

Tony mumbles, starts to wheeze and shit yeah, Peter has to rein in the strength. His lover inhales deeply, waves off the concern and pulls him in again to disappear into fluffy, previously styled, hair.

"You're telling me you don't wanna ride the Hulk rollercoaster and take a selfie to send Banner while he's giving class? You're really telling me no to that?"

Well, at least he's back to normal.

"Tony, don't be mean. And I'm your intern. What would people say if they saw me rubbing your back while you puked over a bridge?" That earns him an indignant squawk from his ridiculous boyfriend and a peal of laughter from Happy. Crap, he forgot their security team could hear them through the earpieces.

"Excuse you, kid, but I was flying into the air at more than a hundred miles per hour while you were in kindergarten. "

"To be fair, I think he was in middle school."

"Shut it, Hogan, or I'll tell May you hate her walnut demons."

Peter gasps, turns to the now flustered Happy with mock surprise. "You don't like May's baking? Happy. She'll be so disappointed. Might even reconsider getting the Stark dating app." He ducks, grins when the stack of documents Happy always carries around smacks Tony right on the nose.

"Bullseye." Frank, the new security detail's leader, coughs into his shoulder, but the so called genius still glares at him before shoving the papers into Pete's hands.

"Fine. Be a good intern and hold these. I thought 'oh no, I can't let Pete's honor be questioned so I should get the pilot fired and my boyfriend a seat next to me. He's my partner and I can take him anywhere he wants in the world. Let's have a nice date after the conference, that could take his mind off of things'. But it's fine, Mr Intern. I'll just say you're my assistant. See how you like economy while I'm flying first class." Tony stomps away, angrily complains about ungrateful boyfriends , traitorous best friends and incompetent bodyguards.

While heading to the opposite gate.

Peter snickers as he turns back, manages to bite his lip when Tony seethes and warns them to not say a word about being old and unable to decipher directions. Frank absolutely loses his shit right there, has to grip his second in command's arm when Tony plucks Peter up like a kitten and drags him beside the philanthropist's hunched figure.

An arm wraps around his shoulder and refuses to move until they're on the plane, the pilot's sulking in the airport cafeteria and Peter's just a seat away from the world's most ridiculous, loveable, caring boyfriend. Tony tugs at him, says something about being cold and spiders running hot. But they both know he's just happy to have his lover, uh, intern close by. For matters of the company, yeah.

(Still. Peter shows exactly how happy he is to have such a considerate partner by winning every single plushie at the amusement park for Tony. If he later shows his appreciation privately in the CEO's office, well. Interns are expected to help the boss stay awake during working hours, after all.)

[khoicesbyk]

A/N: I'm officially obsessed with Wolf Bride and what does one do when she's obsessed with a certain book? She writes an AU about it! 😁 So, Talley Ho! *in my Sherlock Holmes voice*

Rated: Mature. | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual from me. 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: Roman (LI) and Naia Evans (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and certain original characters, created by me) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 3,680 words. (more or less. I stop counting after editing and re-editing. 🤷🏾‍♀️)

Missing a chapter or want to read a chapter again? I got you covered! Click ——> Here!

Song And Story Inspiration: In The Still Of The Nite-Boyz II Men | Give Me One Reason-Tracy Chapman | Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here-Deborah Cox

Tag List: @shewillreadyou @choiceslady @queenjilian @bebepac @txemrn @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @hopefulmoonobject @lucy-268 @pixie88 @otherworldlypresents  @choicesficwriterscreations

TW: kidnapping. Read at your own discretion.

Chapter 5.) In The Still Of The Night.

In the still of the night.

I held you.

Held you tight.

'Cause I love.

Love you so.

Promise I'll never.

Let you go.

In the still of the night.

As she slept peacefully in her new bed, Naia dreamed that she was running through the forest. She felt strong. She felt invincible. She could feel the wind on her face as she ran. It was exhilarating. She felt free. When she came out of the woods, she was a wolf. And when she looked up, she saw him. It was the wolf she had seen in her dreams before. It was him. When he howled she did the same.

That’s when she woke up. She sat up in bed, panting with her heart thundering in her chest. She looked around her room in order to get her bearings. That’s when something compelled her to look out her bedroom window. And when she looked out the window she saw a wolf staring up at her. When she shook her head, the wolf was gone. The image of the wolf was still in her head when she went back to sleep.

After waking up later that morning and taking a good hot shower, Naia couldn’t get Roman out of her head. She wanted to feel his arms wrapped her again. He was seductive and mysterious and she wanted more. She could still feel his warm breath on her neck and the closeness of his body to hers. She thought it was insane but never actually questioned why she thought that way.

When she went to the kitchen for breakfast, she noticed a note on the counter. It was from her uncle.

“Good morning. Gone fishing. Be back later. Help yourself to whatever is in the fridge. Uncle Z.”

When she opened the fridge, she grimaced because there wasn’t much in there to begin with. When her stomach rumbled she knew she had to change that.

“Okay well since a home cooked breakfast is out of the question. I think I’ll try the breakfast place I saw when I drove into town. Also I’ll do some grocery shopping while I’m at it. Because this right here ain’t hitting on nothing.” She thought to herself.

With keys and wallet in hand Naia set off for town. After shopping at Banner’s Family Market, she was just about starved and stopped by Tucker’s diner.

After getting a table she sat down and looked over the menu. As she looked over the menu, someone was watching her. Or so it looked that way.

I remember.

That night in May.

The stars were bright above.

I'll hope and I'll pray.

To keep.

Your precious love.

At another table, Trent was eating breakfast with a few members of his team when Naia walked in. He felt a pull towards where she was sitting.

“Yo T! What is it?” Jenkins, one of his team members asked.

“I don’t know. Something weird just happened. Like she just walked in.” He replies shaking his head.

“Man! Please tell me that you’re not talking about that so-called dream girl again!” Sergei said to him.

“If you must know, yes I am.”

His crew collectively groaned.

“Dude it’s been almost a whole 2 months! Let it go already!” Hugo told him.

“As I’ve told you idiots before: I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t? Which one is it T?” Jenkins asked him.

Trent never answered. He just sipped his coffee. Even though he’s blind he could feel her presence. After going over the menu for a solid 20 minutes, Naia decided on the Lobster Eggs Benedict and a sweet tea. Just as she was about to put her order in, Layla walked in.

“Layla! Over here!” She called out to her new friend.

Trent nearly dropped his cup of coffee. Hearing her voice in real time both scared and excited him.

“You almost dropped your cup. You okay man?” Jenkins asked him.

“Huh? Yeah! I’m…I’m good.” Trent replied, while trying to hide the crack in his voice. With his hearing being better than most, he tuned into her conversation

“Hey! What are you doing here?” Layla asked Naia as she sat down across from her.

“Since my uncle has gone fishing, I decided to do some grocery shopping and I was starving so here I am. What are you and the little one up to?” Naia replies.

“The same thing as you. Have you ordered yet?” Layla asks.

“Just about to. What about you?” Naia replies.

“Oh girl! They already know what I want. A pitcher each of cranberry juice and ice water, their triple berry cheesecake parfait, double blueberry pancakes and a ham, spinach and swiss omelette.” Layla replied.

Naia’s eyes went wide.

“You’re actually gonna eat all of that?!” She asked.

“I mean…I am eating for two, ya know?” Layla replied, rubbing her belly. The two shared a laugh as they continued their conversation.

Trent turned his attention back to his team just as the twins came strolling in. His boss Bernard Sayre is a blowhard who only cares about 3 things. Making money, being powerfully unstoppable and his twins Dylan and Tyler. The twin terrors as they’re known around town, just love getting their way no matter what they do or say. And although it annoyed Trent, he was powerless to stop them.

“Heyyyyy boys!” Dylan called out to Trent and his team. Her voice sounded like banshee screech.

“And here comes daddy’s two brats…” Jenkins groaned as the twins approached.

“So what are you guys up to?” Tyler asked.

“We’re eating. Why?” Trent asks.

“Because we were hoping that you’d join us at Buck’s for the Friday night sing a long and pool.” Tyler replies.

“You’d have to ask Layla if we’re allowed back in. Especially after what happened the last time.”

The twins groaned.

“Well she’s sitting at a table with some girl. So I guess it’s worth a shot.” Dylan said with a sigh.

Naia watched in amusement and shock, as she watched Layla polish off everything she ordered with ease.

“I can not believe that you ate EVERYTHING!”

“Told you!” Layla replied as she swiped her finger on the inside of her parfait cup.

“Uhhhhh Layla…”

“Huh?” She asked.

“It’s all gone! Put the cup down!” Naia replies.

The two laughed as the twins approached.

“Hiiiiiiiiiii Layla!” They say in unison causing Layla to groan.

“Ohhh and hi Layla’s friend!”

“What do you two want?” She asked the twins.

“Weeeeeellllllllllll…we were hoping you’d let us have Friday sing a long and pool.” Tyler said in a cloyingly sweet voice.

“After the shit you pulled the last time? NO!” Layla hissed at them.

“Come on Layla! Our dad paid for the damage!” Tyler whined.

“Yeah he did…after I threatened to sue his sorry ass!”

“Please!” The twins begged.

Layla rolled her eyes then replied, “fine! You can come tonight.”

“Thank you!” The twins squealed.

“Whatever. Go away!”

“You don’t have to be rude!” Dylan said.

“Which would you rather: me be rude or me ban you two from ever stepping foot into MY bar?” She asked them.

The twins stood stuck.

“I thought so. Now again: go away!”

The twins turned on their heels and stomped away. When they were far enough away for her pleasure, Layla turned her attention back to Naia.

“Sorry about that.”

“Who are they?” Naia asks.

“Tyler and Dylan Sayre. Their dad Bernard owns Sayre Energy and Power. They’re a public nuisance.” Layla replies.

“They look harmless to me.”

“That’s because you haven’t been around them when they’re drunk.”

“Touché.”

“I guess since they’re having Friday sing a long and pool, you should come too.”

“Me?” Naia asks.

“Yes you! It’ll be fun as long as those two aren’t drinking.” Layla replies.

“I don’t know about all of that.”

“Also there’s normally a $1,000.00 cash prize for first place.”

“Why didn't you lead with that?!” Naia asks.

“Because Dylan normally wins because no one wants to challenge her.” Layla replies.

“Well as someone who’s still paying off student loans: Count me in!”

So before the light.

Hold me again.

With all of your might.

In the still of the night.

So before the light.

Hold me again.

With all of your might.

In the still…of the night.

That night at Buck’s the party was in full swing. People were dancing, drinking, playing pool and mingling amongst themselves. Naia stuck close to the bar and Layla as they watched the crowd. And like clockwork, Dylan was drunk and ready to sing her heart out.

“Alright you party animals! Let’s get this sing a long on the road! Now all of you know the rules. First place gets $1,000.00! And since that first place is always me I have nothing to worry about! So hit the music!”

“Ohhh God…” Layla groaned.

“What?!” Naia asks.

“Little Miss Banshee is about to assault our ears and sing Deborah Cox Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here.” Layla replies.

“It can’t be THAT bad, Layla.”

“Wanna bet?” She asks just as Dylan grabbed a mic.

After clearing her throat, Dylan began to sing. Sorta.

How did you get here?

Nobody's supposed to be here.

I tried that love thing for the last time.

My heart says "No, no." Nobody's supposed to be here.

But you came along and changed my mind.

I've spent all my life on a search to find. The love who'll stay for eternity. The heaven sent to fulfill my needs. But when I turn around, again, love has knocked me down. My heart got broken, oh it hurts so bad. I'm sad to say love wins again.

So I placed my heart under lock and key. To take some time to take care of me. But I turn around and you're standing here.

How did you get here? Nobody's supposed to be here.

I tried that love thing for the last time.

My heart says "No, no." Nobody's supposed to be here.

But you came along and changed my mind.

This time I swear I'm through. But, if only you knew how many times I've said those words. Then fall again, when will I ever learn? Knowing these tears I cry, this lovely black butterfly. Must take a chance, and spread my wings. Love can make you do some crazy things.

So I placed my heart under lock and key. To take some time to take care of me. But I turn around and you're standing here.

Standing here…

When Dylan got to the bridge, Naia thought her ears would bleed out.

No, nobody, no, no, no, no, no, no, ooh!

No, no, nooooooooo...

How did you get here? Nobody's supposed to be here I tried that love thing for the last time.

My heart says "No, no." Nobody's supposed to be here.

But you came along and changed my mind.

How did you get here? Nobody's supposed to be here.

I tried that love thing for the last time.

My heart says "No, no." Nobody's supposed to be here.

But you came along and changed my mind.

When she was done, Naia was ready to run out the door screaming.

“Ohhhhhh myyyyyyyyy God! That was fucking horrible!”

“Told you.” Layla deadpanned.

“She has to be stopped! What other songs are on that karaoke machine?” Naia asks.

“Hundreds! So if you’re gonna sing, pick one and make it good! That way ears will stop ringing.” Layla replies.

Naia left her seat at the bar and walked over to where the karaoke machine was and went through the list of songs. Doing so, caught the ire of a very drunk Dylan.

“Ummmmmm what do you think you’re doing?!” She asks.

“Picking a song obviously.” She replies over her shoulder.

Dylan huffed.

“You actually think you can beat my melodious voice?” She asks.

“A dead horse can beat your voice. And just like that I found my song.” Naia replies.

“Good luck beating me!” Dylan sneered.

“Watch and learn young grasshopper.”

Naia took the mic and began to sing Give Me One Reason by Tracy Chapman.

Give me one reason to stay here. And I'll turn right back around. Give me one reason to stay here. And I'll turn right back around. Said I don't want to leave you lonely. You got to make me change my mind.

Baby I got your number. Oh and I know that you got mine. You know that I called you. I called you many times. You can call me baby. You can call me anytime, you got to call me.

Give me one reason to stay here. And I'll turn right back around. (You can see me turnin') Give me one reason to stay here. And I'll turn right back around. (You can see me turnin') Said I don't want to leave you lonely. You got to make me change my mind.

I don't want no one to squeeze me. They might take away my life. I don't want no one to squeeze me. They might take away my life. I just want someone to hold me. Oh and rock me through the night.

People started to gather around Naia as she sang. When she looked towards the bar, she winked at Layla. Layla mouthed the words “next drink is on the house.”

This youthful heart can love you. Yes and give you what you need. I said this youthful heart can love you. Oh and give you what you need. But I'm too old to go chasin' you around. Wastin' my precious energy.

Give me one reason to stay here. Yes and I'll turn right back around. (You can see me turnin') Give me one reason to stay here. Oh I'll turn right back around. (You can see me turnin') Said I don't want to leave you lonely. You got to make me change my mind.

Baby just give me one reason. Oh give me just one reason why. Baby just give me one reason. Oh give me just one reason why I should stay. Said I told you that I loved you. And there ain't no more to say.

When she finished the applause was thunderous. She had everyone on their feet. When she looked out on the crowd, she saw a visibly angry Dylan. Naia smirked and winked at her, which further infuriated her.

When Naia walked back to the bar, she got the feeling someone was watching her but she didn’t know who that someone was.

“Soooooo…how was that?” Naia asked Layla as she reached the bar.

“AMAZING! Now if you can beat her brother at pool, the bar is on the house.” Layla replied.

“Sold!”

“Well get to it girlie! Because you’ve been eyeing that bottle of tequila over my shoulder since you got here.”

Naia snickered then took off towards the crowd gathered around Tyler. As she went to WB w the crowd was she got the same feeling that she was being watched. And she was indeed being watched. Trent was tuned into her movements even through his blindness.

“Well this looks like fun!” Naia says as she reaches the pool table.

“Go away! Nobody wants you here!” Dylan hissed.

“What’s the matter princess? Scared I’ll beat your brother like I beat you?” Naia teased.

“You can’t beat me!” Tyler huffed.

“Wanna bet?” She asked him.

“Sure. How much are you willing to lose?”

“Since I beat your sister:  $1,000.00.” She replies. She didn’t think he’d take her seriously.

“You’re on! Best 2 out of 3?” He asks.

“Then you’ve got yourself a game.” She replies.

Once the balls were lined up and it was up to her to break. She got stripes while he got solid.

“Let’s go!” She tells him.

The two were evenly matched with the first game going to her and the second going to him. And it all came down to the last game. Naia had an impossible split. Or so that’s what Tyler and the crowd that was gathered around them thought.

“I’ll make you a deal new girl. If you bank this shot, I’ll up the bet from $1,000.00 to $3,000.00.” He said to her.

“Deal!” Naia replies.

Naia tucked a hair that out of place behind her ear, lined up her shot and sank both balls. Beating a very stunned Tyler.

“TAKE! THAT!” She squealed.

“But! But! I…we…” Tyler stammers as he goes pale.

“You lost just like your sister? Yeah I know. Now pay up!” She told him.

That’s when Dylan jumped into Naia’s face.

“You cheated!” She screeched.

“No, your brother ran his mouth and lost. And now he has to pay up. So give me my money!” Naia yelled back.

When Dylan reared back to slap Naia, Trent caught her hand.

“Hey! Let go T!” Dylan yelled.

“We’re not doing this again. Now Tyler pay the lady her money. You know you have it.” Trent said in a stern voice.

There was something about him that caught Naia’s eye.

“My dad will kill me if I pay her!” Tyler whined.

The twins looked at Trent with puppy dog eyes. But he didn’t budge.

“You’re no fun, T!” Tyler whined.

“Don’t care. Now pay her!”

Tyler groaned as he pulled money out of his pocket then handed it to Trent.

“Here!” Tyler pouted.

Trent took the money and handed it to Naia. When their hands touched, it set off a spark inside her. The same kind of spark she felt with Roman.

“Sorry about those two. They don’t know how to lose gracefully.” He said to her.

“Don’t worry about it. Thanks for getting my money.” She replied.

Trent turned to the twins then said, “beat it you two! We don’t need anymore trouble.”

The crowd dispersed after the twins huffed then walked out. And Naia found herself back at the bar gushing with Layla.

“Ohhhhhh myyyyyyyyy God! Look at this! I just won $3,000.00!”

“I can't believe you did that! No one has ever beaten the twins. Their dad will be so pissed that they lost that kind of money.”

“In the words of T.I. ‘it ain’t tricking if you got it!’”

They two laughed.

“Okay but in all seriousness, thank you! It’s about time that someone brought those two out of the clouds. So here’s your brand new shiny bottle of tequila!” Layla said as she gave Naia the bottle.

“Thank youuuuuu!” Naia squealed.

Just then Trent called out.

“Layla! Another round?”

Layla groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Who is that?” Naia asked.

“That’s Trent. He works for the twins dad.” Layla replied.

“Is he their bodyguard or something?” Naia asked.

“No but he’s always around when those two cause trouble. Let me go fill their orders.” Layla replies.

“Okay. I’ll be here with my brand new bottle.”

Layla shook her head and headed off towards Trent and his crew. Naia couldn’t help but look the same way. Her eyes instantly went to Trent. He was beautiful and there was something about him that stuck with her.

He enchanted her and what she didn’t know was she did the same for him. After the bar closed, Naia began walking back to her uncle’s house. She got halfway down the street when Trent caught up with her.

“Hey!” He said to her.

“Hi! How are you?” She replied.

“I’m good. You must be new in town. I’m Trent.”

“I know. Layla told me your name. I’m Naia.”

“It’s nice to meet you Naia.”

“Likewise. It’s nice to meet another friendly face outside of Layla and my uncle.“

“It’s dark out here. Mind if I walk you home?” He asked.

“Sure. Especially when I’m not sure which way to go.” She replied.

“Where does your uncle live?” He asked.

“Just outside of town. His house backs up to the woods.” She replied.

Even though it was nighttime, he flashed a smile at her that made her heart leap. As they walked they talked about what their lives were like growing up, what college life was like and past loves. She had just met him but she felt she knew him her whole life. When they got to her uncle’s front door, they weren’t ready to say goodbye.

“So this is me…”

“So it would seem. Thank you for letting me walk you home.”

“No thank you. Because I probably would’ve gotten lost and would’ve wandered around the woods for days.”

“I think you would’ve found your way home.”

There was a magnetic pull between them that neither could deny. Before either knew what they were doing, they kissed. It was a slow, sensual and deep  kiss. And when it ended both were desperate for more.

“Wow!”

“What you said.”

“I better get inside.”

“Will I see you again?” He asked.

“Of course. I’ll be here for a while.” She replies.

“Good. Have a good night Naia.”

“Goodnight Trent.”

When she went inside her heart was racing. And she wanted more. She wanted him. This was the exact same way she felt when she kissed Roman.

The next morning after showering, she was in the kitchen fixing herself breakfast. 

Her uncle still hadn’t returned from fishing. She had just sat down to eat her breakfast when the front door swung open. It was a man and a woman. They were two of the people she’d seen with Roman.

“Come! The ceremony awaits you!” He commanded.

“1.) no. 2.) WHAT THE HELL?!” Naia replies.

“We’re wasting time! Come now!” The woman demanded.

“What the hell? Get out!” Naia screamed.

When the woman went to grab Naia, she danced out the way. That’s when the man grabbed Naia and threw her over his shoulder. He dragged her out of the house, with her kicking and screaming.

“Let me go!” She screamed.

She struggled to get free but he was way too strong. She was thrown in the back of a van and a hood was placed over her head. Naia had no idea where they were taking her. And she was terrified of finding out.

[newtsies]

Great Outdoors || Ch. 1 {{ Kid Blink x Mayors Daughter OC}}

A/N: hiya! so here's somethings you might wanna know about the story!

1. it's a kid blink x oc story, the oc is the mayors daughter. based off of his line in King Of New York (92sies version) where he says 'a saturday night with the mayors daughter'

2. i included their accents, but not like too much? let me know if you think i should write it with less of an accent or more of an accent.

3. this is based off of the 1992 version but includes some characters from the Broadway version. any character in both versions are based off the 1992 version. for example: racetrack, david, jack, les, mush, ect. are all based off of the 1992 version

4. i won't be writing any of the songs, because it's harder to do that. if you think i should include songs, let me know!

5. i swear the other a/n after this will be way shorter-

word count: 4375

read on wattpad

--

Heat stuck to her skin as she slipped out the window of her room. In New York, the middle of summer scorched everyone who dare leave their fanned homes. It also scorched those who worked outdoors, or burned those who didn't have homes. But Juliet was willing to take the chances of getting sun burned, she needed to get out of her room.

She had been reading for hours, there was really nothing else to do. Reading for 6 hours tends to get boring, especially when all the books you can read are about wars. Most of the war books were historically incorrect anyways. She swore to one day rewrite every historical book she read, but make it accurate.

She ran down the fire escape and took in the scene of the hot Manhattan streets. She had no idea what to do, Juliet rarely left her house and when she did, it was with her father in a carriage. Without a map or guide to help her, she let her feet lead her through the streets.

"Hiya, ma'am," A boy said exhaustedly, tipping his cap at her, "Care ta hear todays news? The World seems ta want everyone ta know there was a baby born with two heads!"

"Hiya, ma'am," A boy said exhaustedly, tipping his cap at her, "Care ta hear todays news? The World seems ta want everyone ta know there was a baby born with two heads!"

"Oh, well, sure! Is a quarter alright?" Juliet asks, pulling out a quarter from her pocket.

"Ma'am, a pape is only 1 penny!" He smiled at her as he took his cap off and wiped his forehead, "Please, I really couldn't take any more than a penny from a sweet girl like you."

She flushed with embarrassment, "I'm so sorry, I've never been out in the city on my own before. I promise you, loosing a quarter sure doesn't affect me much."

"Thank ya, ma'am," The boy grinned, trading the paper for her coin, "Ya said ya'd neva been on da streets?" Juliet nodded, scratching her arm as the feeling of embarrassment bubbled inside her. "Care ta wander with me?"

"Well- I'm sure you're busy, right? I'd hate to intrude," She rambled.

"Ma'am! I'm free all day, honestly. I'd love ta show ya around, if you're up for it o' course!" He admitted with an honest smile, "Come carry da banner with me for a few more minutes and I'll show you good 'ol Manhattan!"

"Thank you-" She started, pausing to silently ask him for his name.

"Kid Blink," He smiled, "Wanna try sellin' a pape, ma'am?" He offered a newspaper to her, which she hesitantly took and turned to look at people walking by.

Juliet raised the paper and called out, "Daily news!"

A chuckle came from behind her, "All due respect, ma'am. You gotta yell out a headline or a story!" Her cheeks went red with embarrassment but she nodded, flipping through the paper quickly.

"Baby born with 2 heads! ... Medical anomaly!" She added, someone rushed towards her and handed her a penny for the paper. "I did it!"

"Great job, miss! Oh, keep the penny, ma'am!" Kid Blink stated sincerely as Juliet attempted to give him the penny, "Da quarter ya gave me has got me set for longer den a week!"

--

Juliet admired the boy, for he had great talent when it came to selling newspapers. When she had bumped into him, he had been carrying a whole stack of papers. A stack that looked plenty heavy. However, not once did he complain nor even look for a second as if he might drop them. He just kept carrying them and calling out headlines. Within 10 minutes of meeting him, his stack of papers were all sold.

"Honestly, ma'am, the streets of Manhattan ain't got much to see," Kid Blink explained earnestly, "Oh! I gotta place that's got some good wadda, want to go there?"

She grinned, "I'll admit, I'm a little hungry. I don't know any other restaurants, so if you say the place is good, all I can do is believe you! Lead the way, Kid Blink."

"Please, ma'am, call me Blink!" He stated, starting to walk away. She walked close behind him, nervous from stories her father had told her about the streets, "You alright, miss?"

"Peachy," She lied, "So, you, uh, do this everyday?"

Blink nodded, "Everyday! Carry the banner, eat if I'se got the money, sleep, den do it all again!"

"That's gotta be rough, how old are you?" Juliet asked.

"14, ma'am," Kid Blink replied before turning to her, "How old are you?"

"14," Juliet answered, "It's insane you're doing this everyday, living like this."

He smiled at her and tipped his cap, "Jus' life, ma'am!"

They stood together in front of a restaurant, the sign above it read Tibby's. Kid Blink turned to Juliet with a grin then moved to hold open the door for her. She nodded at him before cautiously stepping in, feeling the boy press against her as he closed the door behind him.

"Blink!" A boy called from a table, waving him over. Kid Blink looked at Juliet and nodded at the table full of boys then started walking over to them. She let her head fall down as she walked close behind him.

"Hiya, boys!" Blink grinned, sliding into the seats and shoving another boy into the wall so Juliet could sit down too, "This is, uh-"

"Juliet," she stated nervously, "Juliet Adams."

One boy joked, "Say, Adams is da mayors last name. You his daughter?"

"Yeah," She laughed, obviously very scared.

They all gaped at her. Kid Blink laughed and wiped the sweat off his forehead, "I woulda neva guessed. Anyways, Ms. Adams, this here is Racetrack, Elmer, Mush, and Skittery." The named boys grinned and waved at her as their names were called.

"Nice to meet you all," Juliet said, "Do you all work as newsies?"

Racetrack nodded, "Yes, ma'am. Now, I've gotta ask. What did 'ol Blink here say ta get ya ta come all da way over here wit 'im?" Blink rolled his eyes and ran his hand through his hair before placing his cap on his head again.

"Well, you see, I've never really left my house, not on my own at least. Kid Blink offered to show me around the city!" Juliet explained before looking at a menu above the register, "What do you boys usually get?"

"Wadda," Elmer states, then adds with a shrug, " 'Ts free."

She glanced around the table, assuming it was a joke, but was met with honest faces. She shook her head, "Why don't you all get some food. I'll pay, don't worry."

Kid Blink interfered, "Ms. Adams, we couldn't possibly let you pay for us-"

"Call me, Juliet, or Julie, all of you. Honestly, you've helped me a lot today, Kid Blink. It's the least I can do to make sure you all have full stomachs for at least a day. Let me pay, please," She pleaded. He looked at her and sighed and nodded before looking over the menu.

"She's a gift from the gods!" Elmer exclaimed, leaning over the table excitedly and giving her a hug. She laughed and pat the golden-retriever-like boy on the cheek.

Skittery nodded in agreement and Albert joked, "An angel me thinks. Think Big Man'll miss her if we keep her?"

"The mayor or God?" Racetrack asked before drinking his water.

Elmer looked at her with a look of fear, "Think he'll try to chop off our heads?" She laughed and shook her head.

"If anything, I'll be the headless one. He'll kill me once I get home. It's already getting dark," Juliet stressed, "I should be heading back after you all eat."

And so the boys and the girl, who had been isolated her whole life, joked and laughed together over plates of food. They begged and begged to help her and chip in for the bill, but she stubbornly refused. Eventually they were forced out of the building due to the 'dinner rush.'

Racetrack had joked, "By dinner rush, he means 5 customers who actually buy da food instead of drink all his wadda!'

They talked for a while longer before reaching the lodging house where 4 out of the 5 boys retreated into the building after waving goodbye to Juliet. Kid Blink lingered behind, hesitant to let her go alone through Manhattan at night. She insisted she would be fine, but Blink knew better than to not trust his gut instinct.

"I'm walking ya home, I cant let you walk alone during da night. 'Specially cuz ya don't know da streets all too well," He explained earnestly.

"I'm sure I'll be fine! Honestly, how dangerous can it be? Besides, won't it be dangerous for you to walk back alone?" She asked.

"Nah! I know dese streets like da back of my hand!" Blink reassured her as he lead her through the streets, "What's it like being da mayors daughter?"

Juliet sighed, "It's not horrible, but he never lets me leave the house. The only time I get to leave is to go with him in a car to some meeting he has. All I do is study. Don't get me wrong, I know I'm lucky. I have a consistent roof over my head, a consistent food source, and I'll never run out of money or new clothes. But what's the point if I don't ever get to talk to anyone?"

"I see," He nodded, "Hey, me an' da boys may not be rich or have any of dat food stuff often, but we sure as hell is a family! Life is worth the living as long as you got good friends to live it with. You ain't neva had no friends ever?"

She chuckled a little and shook her head, "Sure, I've had friends. They were all quite rude and stuck up, though. I sure hope I don't come off that way to you-"

"No, ma'am. You ain't stuck up, don't worry 'bout it!" Kid Blink told her, stopping at the house that towered over them. "Nice place ya got here."

"Thank you," She grinned, "Oh, and thanks for showing me around, Kid Blink."

He tipped his hat and nodded, "My pleasure, Ms. Adams."

"Juliet," She corrected.

"How 'bout Jules?"

"That works too, Blink."

She ran up the fire escape and waved at him from the top. He gave a short wave before turning back around to head back to the lodging house. Juliet tapped on the railing, deciding on what to say to the boy. She groaned and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Kid Blink!" She shouted, "Think I could help you sell some more papers tomorrow?"

"It would be an honor to spend another day with you! I'll be here tomorrow with some papes, all right?" Blink yelled back, a grin playing on his lips.

"All right! Thank you, Blink!" She waved again before smiling widely and running back into her room.

"Julie?" A voice boomed from downstairs, Juliet cringed.

"Coming Father!" She called, going through her door and down to his office.

He continued to work on the papers laid out in front of him as he talked to her, "I'm sorry about our argument today. Thank you for keeping quiet. I've decided that you can go outside tomorrow, on your own. I trust you, for the most part. Just stay away from those newsboys, got it?"

Her eyebrows furrowed and she tilted her head at him, "What's wrong with the newsboys?"

"Flirts! All of them," He explained angrily, "Dirty and aggressive too!"

"All right, Father. I'll steer clear of the newsboys," She sighed. As she walked back to her room, she laughed to herself. Of course she wouldn't stay away from the newsboys, not like she listened today, right? Kept quiet, She thought, more like wasn't here to make noise.

--

Juliet woke up the next morning, already feeling the heat from outside, and rushed to her window in hopes to see the newsboy from the day before. Much to her dismay, he was not there. She decided not to stress, maybe he slept in or sold all of his papers already.

"Morning, Father!" She called as she walked into the kitchen, she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I'm heading out now!"

"Stay safe, Juliet! And remember," He stated firmly, "Stay away from the newsboys!"

She rolled her eyes, "Yes, Father!" Then she was out the door, a wave of heat pushing against her. Juliet smiled before running off towards The World building.

Boys crowded around the town square, shouting and pushing into each other. She looked around and tried to push through the crowd, the kids all backing away from where she was. Juliet looked for familiar faces but couldn't see anyone.

"Ma'am! Ms. Adams! Juliet!" Elmer called out happily, pushing past everyone and bouncing over to her, "Watcha doing in these parts?"

She had to shout over the chaos to be heard, "Kid Blink said he would meet me at my house with papers, but he didn't! Did something happen? Do you know where he is?"

He grinned goofily at her, "Oh, boy, are you in fah a treat! We'se newsboys is on strike! Pulitzah raised the pape prices, so we'se don't sell till he puts it back! C'mon, Blink is over here!" Elmer grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd to the very front.

"- Gotta be ambastards and go tell the others that we're on strike!" A boy who stood in front the building shouted. Juliet was dragged by Elmer to stand next to Kid Blink, who turned to her and smiled.

"Say, Jack, we'll take Harlem!" Blink called out to the boy, Jack, and grabbed Juliet's arm.

"Good- Who's dat?" Jack asked the other newsies, Blink and Juliet were already gone.

"Da mayors daughter! Anyways, I got Midtown!" Race shouted before running off.

"Mayors daughter?" He shouted in confusion, but they ignored him and people continued to call out turfs they would go to.

--

"Sorry, Jules. Honest ta God, I'se was gonna go get ya! But, the price raise was ridiculous! Anyways, we'se goin' ta Harlem, tell dem about da strike! Dat alright with you?" Kid Blink asked after rambling.

She grinned, "Sure! Oh, guess what? My Father finally decided to let me go out freely, so I don't have to sneak away anymore."

"Nice! How'd ya manage ta convince 'im?" He questioned. They walked together through the streets, Kid Blink pulling his shirt to try and give himself some cool air.

"I don't know! Said he was happy that I didn't make any noise after the conversation yesterday! So, he's letting me out freely and he said..." She paused hesitantly.

Blink looked at her and tilted his head curiously, "What? What did he say?"

Juliet groaned and looked at him, "He told me to stay away from the newsboys. I won't, of course! But it's just- I don't get him. It's hard work, isn't it? I think you should all be admired, working this hard at such a young age with no one treating you fairly."

He laughed, "Thanks, miss! Sure is hard work, but we'se don't complain! Now, when we get ta Harlem, just ignore everything dey say. If dey make you uncomfortable, let me know, alright? I'll soak 'em! Or we can just leave. Whatever's easiest!"

"Thanks, Blink. Let's go," She said hesitantly, walking with him into the new borough.

A young boy ran towards them, "Hiya, Kid! And- pretty goil! Hi! Watcha here for?"

"Gotta talk ta Stitch," He explained, "He here, Scram?"

"Well, I reckon he's out by our circulation building! Trying ta calm down all da boys n' stuff! Hear bout the prices?" The boy, Scram, asked them.

" 'Course we did, Scram. That's what we're here to talk 'bout, 'Hattan newsies is on strike," He explained.

"Strike? Ya crazy! Ya know dat means makin' no money, right?" Scram questioned them, absolutely baffled by the idea of loosing a days pay.

"We know, Scram," Blink sighed, "But listen, if we don't work, they'se don't make money either. They need us! They gotta put the price back up soona o' later!"

Scram gave them a look, "I dunno, Blink! Think da World, Journal, and da Sun, and all of dem can go longer then we can without making money!"

"If we get all of da newsies togedda, they can't ignore us!" He explained, hoping to get through to Scram.

"Whateva ya say, Blink! C'mon, I'll take ya two ta Stitch. See what he gotta say 'bout it!" Scram nodded to the side before walking off. Juliet shrugged at Blink and they both started following him. There was havoc everywhere around the circulation building. People were shouting at each other and pushing each other into the floor. She walked close to Blink and Scram, trying to stay away from the fists people were throwing.

"Stitch!" Scram called out, tugging on the shirt of a boy about a foot taller than him. The boys shirt was tight on his arms and completely unbuttoned. His brown suspenders tugged at his shoulder, probably chaffing him. He had multiple scars all over his chest.

"What Scram? What?" Stitch groaned, shaking the boy off his arm.

"Kid Blink and a goil is here to talk to you about somethin'!" Scram explained.

The boy tipped his hat at Juliet, "Ma'am," Then spit in his hand and shook hands with Blink, "Kid Blink. What's up?"

"Well- We- 'Hattan-" Blink attempted to speak but couldn't talk over the yelling. Stitch looked to Scram and nodded at him.

Scram grinned widely and screeched, "Scram! Da bulls!" Everyone froze, stopped yelling and fighting, and bolted away. Scram waved to them, tipped his hat at Juliet, and ran off with everyone else.

"We'se on strike over in 'Hattan. We want you to join too!" Kid Blink explained.

Stitch hesitated, "Oh, I dunno, Blink! We won't make any money at all! We don't like da price either, but it's hard ta make no money at all. All dem newspaper big shots could go months without making money!"

"Yeah, but they can't ignore us if we get all da newsies in New York!" Blink tried to convince him.

"What's Brooklyn doin'? What'd they say?" Stitch asked.

Blink sighed, "I dunno yet."

"Look, when ya get the nod from Brooklyn, come back. Alright? Get the nod from Brooklyn and you can count on Harlem," Stitch promised. Kid Blink sighed again but nodded.

Juliet tilted her head, "So, Harlem is just a bunch of followers? Can't make your own decisions? Seems like Brooklyn is more the leader of Harlem than you are, Stitch." Both boys looked taken aback by her statement.

"No way, ma'am! It's just- We ain't gonna win dis thing if we ain't got Brooklyn!" Stitch explained.

"Oh! You guys aren't strong enough to help us, right?" She instigated.

"Yeah we are!" Stitch groaned, "Fine. Count us in, alright? The second you guys give up, or show any sign of giving up, Harlem is out. Got it?"

"Got it! Thanks, Stitch," Blink smiled, spitting in his hand and sticking it out for Stitch. He spit in his own hand and shook hands with Kid Blink.

"No problem, Blink. Now, as Scram would say, scram! I got to prepare me boys for a strike," He chuckled. Juliet started off, but Stitch grabbed Blinks arm and whispered to him, "Great gal, pretty too. If we get all da newsboys in one place with her, she's gonna be snatched up quick. Beat 'em to it, Blink. Or someone else will." Kid Blink rolled his eyes at Stitch and tugged his arm away, running to catch up with Juliet.

--

"Jack! What did Spot say?" Race asked as soon as he saw the leader.

"He was concerned 'bout us being serious, you believe that?" Jack scoffed.

The boys looked amongst themselves before Race spoke up, "I dunno Jack. None of da burrows will join us without the O.K. from Brooklyn."

"Wrong! None of da burrows except for Harlem. Harlem'll be here," Blink shouted as he ran over to them with Juliet.

"Awesome! Nice job, Blink," Jack praised.

He shook his head, "Not me. All thanks ta Juliet!"

"I knew she was an angel!" Elmer gushed, grabbing the girls hands and grinning at her.

One newsboy nudged another, "Looks like one too!" Blink shoved the boy who made the comment with his elbow.

"Shut up, Romeo."

The boy who had been nudged the first time laughed, "He told you!"

Said boy, Romeo, rolled his eyes, "Shut up, Henry."

"So what? We got Harlem, how does that help us? Gives us maybe 50 more kids? We should call it off, Jack. We need Brooklyn," A boy stated glumly. Jack looked at Davey, who Juliet had learned was the co-leader of the strike, with desperation evident in his eyes. David nodded and started to sing.

--

Juliet honestly didn't know how she ended up on the floor. Before, she was listening to the boys singing and watching them dance. At one point, Kid Blink pulled her up to dance with him and the others. She danced with them, but not for long due to the circulation bell ringing. The newsies charged and shouted at what they called 'scabs.'

Then, she was getting shoved all around. She was on the floor and looking to get out. Harlem came running in to help Manhattan, fighting scabs right along with them. Stitch noticed Juliet's struggles and grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet. He shoved her to Scram, who took her and lead her out of the crowd.

"Hey, Scram!" Julie said breathlessly, smiling down at the young boy as she caught her breath.

"Hiya, ma'am. Ya alright?" Scram asked her.

She nodded, "No need for the formality, Scram. Call me Juliet, or Ms. Adams if you really insist to be formal."

"Okay, Ms. Adams! We gotta run, da bulls is comin'!" He shouted at her, noticing the police running into the circulation building. Scram grabbed her arm and dragged her away.

--

"Ms. Adams, please take some wadda," Scram begged her, but she refused. She didn't want them to waste any water on her.

"I'm all right, Scram. I promise. Do you think Kid Blink and all the others are all right?" She asked him. He shrugged.

"I dunno, Ms. Adams, but I can check fa ya!" He grinned and bounced excitedly.

"No! It's fine! Relax, Scram, take a running break. I'll check in with them tomorrow," Juliet assured. Stitch walked up to them and sat down behind her on a crate.

"You alright.. Uh.. Wat's ya name?" He asked.

"Juliet Adams," She replied.

Stitch nodded, "Ya alright, Ms. Adams?"

"Yeah," She reassured, "What happened after the police came?"

"Dey only got one guy, 'Hattan guy. The gimp," Stitch reported, "Dey didn't back down though. Still won't quit. We'll be there 'gain tomorrow." Juliet nodded. "Stitch, introduce her to the boys. Have Charles walk her home, got it?"

"Yessir!" Scram called and walked over to a group of boys. "Hiya, guys! This here is Juliet Adams! Ms. Adams, this is Charles, John, Skippy-"  Juliet swore he kept talking for a hour. There was about 25 boys she was being introduced to, maybe one day she'd actually keep track of them all. She just nodded as he kept listing off names and pointing at boys.

Juliet just kept nodding, "It's very nice to meet you all. I really must be heading home now, though. Thank you for everything, Scram. Tell Stitch I said thanks too, okay?" Scram nodded excitedly and waved at her as she walked off.

"Wait up!" A boy called, running up next to her, "C'mon, I'll walk ya home. I'm Charles."

"Thanks, Charles. Hey, were you at the circulation building in Manhattan, today?" She asked him.

"Yes, ma'am," He nodded, "Wherever Stitch is, I'm there too."

"I see. Gotta follow the leader, right?" Juliet joked.

Charles blushed and adjusted his cap, "Something like dat. Think we can win?"

"The strike? From what I know, Brooklyn basically leads most of the burrows, right? After today, Spot Conlon, whoever that is, will know we won't back down," She started, "Hopefully, he'll join us after seeing what happened today. Then we'll have all the other turfs. We'll be unstoppable with all of them. We're bound to win."

"Well, I guess you're right. Unstoppable, huh? I like the sound a' dat," He grinned.

"Me too," She smiled, "This is my house. Thank you for walking me here, Charles. I really appreciate it. I'll see you at the circulation building tomorrow."

He tipped his hat at her before walking away, "Bye, miss!"

--

Juliet walked through the doors of her home, "I'm back, Father."

"Dear! How was your day?" He called back to her.

"Good. I really just walked around, I sat by the Brooklyn bridge and just looked over the scenery," She lied.

He huffed in acknowledgement, "Hear about the newsie strike? I think the streets are gonna be too dangerous. I want you to stay inside again-"

"Father!" Juliet sighed, "You can't do that! I've finally had a taste of freedom. Let me stay out, please? I promise you, I'll be extremely careful."

"Fine. Just," He paused, "Stay away from them, okay? They're already getting violent. Don't get hurt, if you do, you'll be stuck inside until you're an adult, got it?"

She rolled her eyes but nodded, "Yes, Father. I'm going to sleep now." She ran up the stairs to her room and groaned as she sat on her bed. She wouldn't stay away from the newsboys. Maybe she wanted to rebel, maybe she like their company. Her Father was right about one thing, they were already getting violent. And although she couldn't pull herself away, she was scared of getting sucked into the angry force of the newsboys union.

--

a/n: uhhh sorry if this sucked i havent written in a while but i hope you enjoyed!!

[justanotherfanfic]

Love on Me

summary: reader had an incident at steve’s birthday party and it takes an emotional toll on her for the night and the next day. the team notices and warns your dad. tony needs to do whatever it takes to make his daughter feel beautiful in her own body...

warnings: body shaming, anxiety, depression, slight eating problem

pairing: tony stark x plus size!teen!daughter!reader

word count: 3.8k+

a/n: this was requested! it’s currently 1am and i finally finished it! i’m so sorry i took so long, i just wanted to be sure that it would come out perfect! i was so excited to write this so i’m sorry if this is too long! as a 19-year-old plus size girl, i found this to be really personal. i have grown up with insecurities and self-doubt. this is a mini-lesson in itself that you need to love yourself. yes, you will have days where you hate your body and yourself, but if you truly think about it... everyone has different shapes and sizes, that’s what makes us all different and beautiful! please only positive words and feedback. i hope this is what you were hoping for!

requested by: @lilacprincessofrecovery - hi, i was wondering if you could make a dad!tony x teen chubby!daughter reader. ihavent seen anything like it and I would love to see how he would be able to help her like herself more

GROWING UP AS a Stark has its ups and downs. Not only are you one of the richest figures, but you are constantly surrounded by the pressure of the media. You were not like the other girls, the ones who can pass as supermodels. Your body was different than most girls and it caused the attention of the public. Magazine covers are always on the lookout for you and your body figure. Every little outfit was met with nasty remarks. Appearances were always met with backlash. No matter how hard you tried, the media always had something negative to say about you and your weight. It has taken an emotional toll on you the way you look at yourself.

You were always told by your father how ridiculous the media was. He would always explain their technique of mentally breaking top tier celebrities. He would tell you stories about how badly he was viewed by the public because of how the media portrayed him to be. Tony was either a playboy, dead man, idiot, criminal, or a reckless hero. It was always hard for you, you were the type who wanted to please everyone. It wasn't your fault that your body was different, you just had to deal with the overwhelming negativity from the public. Because of this, your dad and the team would constantly try to distract you from it.

You were currently flipping through the Chemistry textbook Peter let you borrow to work on the extra credit assignment given the day before. You sighed as you stared at all the formulas and equations that covered the pages. You munched on a few strawberries as your eyes wandered around the book while you took notes. You had FRIDAY play some music to help you concentrate on your study session. You hummed to the music when your dad came into the room with droopy eyes.

"Hey sweetcheeks," Your dad greeted in attempt to hide his tiredness.

"What time?" You responded as you copied an equation onto your notes. You knew by the way his eyes looked and how slow his movements were that he probably didn't sleep, and if he did, it was probably really late.

Tony sighed, "5am."

You looked up at him and gave him a look, "That's the third time this week, dad."

He shrugged, "It's growing on me."

"Daaaddddd...." You dragged on.

He chuckled as he walked up to you. He kissed your forehead before going to make some coffee, "For you, I'll go to sleep at 4am."

"8pm..." You countered as you took a bite of another strawberry.

"2am." He called back as he pressed a few buttons on the coffee machine.

You scoffed, "11pm!"

"12am."

"Deal!" You laughed as you rolled your eyes playfully.

"It's not my fault Banner discovered a new element!" Tony defended.

You groaned, "Great! Another element to study for this assignment."

Your dad laughed to himself as he grabbed a mug from the cupboard. He swiftly moved around the kitchen as he started to heat up some leftovers from the night before - Clint's famous spaghetti. It was silent for a moment, the only thing being heard was the music playing from FRIDAY's system. "We're having a party for Rogers tomorrow," Your dad spoke as he poured the hot liquid into his mug that plastered Best Iron Dad.

You nodded as you focused on your assignment. You were highlighting a few definitions before the book was closed shut by your dad. You looked up with an annoyed expression.

"That means you need to wear a nice dress... not some jeans and a nice shirt." He raised his eyebrow referring to how you often dress casually. "Do you want me to get Romanoff or Maximoff to take you shopping?"

You shook your head, "I'm sure I have something in my room already."

He simply nodded before walking off with his coffee on one hand and the spaghetti on the other.

"A dress!" He called again before completely disappearing from the room.

You sighed as you opened your textbook to continue with your assignment. Unfortunately, you couldn't concentrate. Your mind began rambling about Steve's party tomorrow. You groaned and slammed your textbook shut. You were never fond of wearing dresses, it was pretty much out of your comfort zone. You decided to cut your study session short and went to your room to find something to wear tomorrow night.

It was now Saturday night. You were on your residential floor getting ready as you felt the tower vibrating from the booming music only a few floors down. You found a beautiful burgundy dress that fit perfectly to your upper body and breasts. Spaghetti straps hugged your shoulders and exposed back, enough to leave it fitted comfortably. The dress loosely flowed down your legs where high slits were on each side of your legs that allowed your dress to flow beautifully around you. You danced along to the music in your room as you finished getting ready. You laughed to yourself knowing Tony would make fun on how ridiculous your dancing skills were.

"Miss Stark, your father is notifying you that the party has begun," FRIDAY's voice rings in the room. You smiled at her voice as you adjusted your dress. "Would you like me to notify him of an estimated time of arrival?"

"Yes," You confirmed. "I'll be down in about five minutes."

"Got it," FRIDAY responded as you cleaned the mess you made while getting ready.

Before you left your room you decided to take a look at yourself. You walked over to the body mirror that was hung on the door of your bedroom. You stopped what you were doing and stared in amazement. You felt your heart racing as you stared at the figure in front of you. Your face brightened, you felt beautiful. The dress complemented your body well and you felt your mood brighten up. You sprayed yourself with one of your fancier perfumes before you headed out your room and into the elevator.

Once the elevator brought you to the floor of the party, you felt the energy of many high-class guests. You thought that the party would have been more casual, but your dad insisted on giving Steve a formal party. You began walking deeper into the crowd of strangers, hoping to find an Avenger. After a while, you finally found your dad.

"You look gorgeous sweetheart," Your dad smiled before pulling you into a hug. You gave a small smile as you took in the smell of his more expensive colognes. He pulled away and took another look at you. "This is the exact reason why you need to be wearing dresses more often. You look beautiful."

You smiled and rubbed your arm, "I'm going to go get some lemonade. Want anything?"

Tony shook his head and gestured to the alcoholic beverage in his hand. You smiled at him before making your way to the bar. You sighed as you noticed everyone staring at you. You couldn't tell if it was judgmental or not. You finally made it to the bar and took a seat on the stool. Your eyes wandered around the list of beverages that were offered.

"Who let [Y/N] Stark come looking like a mess?" A voice whispered behind you. You felt your heart sting at the remark but decided to ignore it.

You smiled at the bartender, "Lemonade, please."

"Shocker," Another voice spoke behind you. "Try some water, it might help with your weight."

You didn't turn around. You knew if you did you would breakdown. Instead, your head fell down as you fidgeted with your fingers. You knew you should've never gone out of your comfort zone. You felt tears pooling around your eyes as your mind rambled on different ways to leave the party without anyone noticing. The bartender slid the glass over to you as you smiled weakly at them.

A hand was suddenly on your shoulder. You flinched before looking up at a smiling Peter Parker. His smile fell seeing your puffy, red eyes. "[Y/N] are you okay?" Peter questioned in concern.

You sniffed and quickly wiped your tears before putting a smile on your face, "As perfect as I can ever be. What's up, Parker?"

Peter observed you for a moment but decided not to comment. He plastered a smile on his face and took a sip from his cup. The music vibrated around the two of you as he explained his new invention for the suit and how excited he was to talk to your dad about it. You laughed while taking sips of your lemonade. You almost forgot about the remarks until you were shoved by someone behind you. You stumbled a bit before you regained your balance with the help of Peter. You looked behind you to see a slim, fit girl glaring at you, "Watch where you're standing fatass!"

You were taken back by the remark as you felt your smile drop. She scoffed before walking away to her group of friends. You felt Peter tense up and begin taking steps over to the group of friends before you stopped him.

You shook your head, "It's not worth it Pete."

He felt hurt at your words, "They can't be speaking to you that way. It's not right!"

You gave a humorless laugh, "Peter I've been called worse."

Peter frowned at you. You sighed and looked at the time on your phone, the bright light reflecting off of your facial features, "I- I'm going to head out. I don't feel so great." You lied; Peter knew this and it made him more upset than before. "I think it was the lemonade."

"[Y/N] please..." Peter pleaded as he held onto your hand. "C'mon, I think Thor is on his third magic alcohol now. Maybe we can get him to lend us his hammer for the night." Peter tried to change the topic in hopes to make you feel better.

You slowly pulled your hand away as you began walking away, "If my dad asks, tell him I felt sick."

You turned around and started walking out of the party as many people were staring at you with a judgmental look. You felt your breath shake with every step you took. You walked into the elevator and watch it close as Peter was looking at you from afar. You felt a tear fall down as you pressed the button that would take you to your residential floor.

Once you made it to your floor, you went straight to your room and threw yourself onto your bed and let all your bottled up emotions out. You felt like you were crying in your bed for hours. You were tired of all the backlash you were receiving. No matter how hard you tried, you were never going to win. You genuinely thought you looked beautiful, but apparently, you weren't. You continued crying until you drifted off to sleep.

It was the next day, you woke up and felt exhausted. You almost forgot about the night before until you felt yourself still in the dress from last night. You huffed and got undressed and washed your face. You got dressed in work out clothes and decided that today would be the day you changed your habits and lifestyle. You took a deep breath before heading down to the kitchen.

The team was all at the common room laughing up a storm as Wanda and Vision were finishing cooking the breakfast. You avoided everyone and silently went to the fridge and examined what there was. Wanda noticed your presence and smiled up at you, "Good morning [Y/N], will you be joining us for breakfast?"

You closed the fridge and looked at them, "I don't think so."

Vision looked up from the stove, "Are you sure? There's going to be pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast. It's your favorite."

You felt your stomach growl. Vision and Wanda smirking at you. You blushed but shook your head, "No I'm fine." You walked over to the fruit basket and grabbed a banana and a water bottle from the side. You gestured to the banana and walked out of the kitchen. Vision and Wanda gave each other a look before finishing the food.

When you walked out of the kitchen you noticed Peter was laughing with Bucky about a story he was recalling from the 40s. You both made eye contact for a second before you quickly tried to leave the room. You noticed he was getting off of the couch and tried making his way to you. You walked faster towards the elevator and hit the button that leads to the training level. You sighed to yourself and relaxed once the elevator doors closed.

You were finally brought to the training room. You walked over to the treadmill and felt intimidated. You hated running with a passion, so instead, you walked over to the punching bags and decided to take baby steps on your new workout routine. You put on the gloves that were next to the station. You put the banana and water bottle to the side and adjusted yourself before you started your workout.

Your first punch felt great. A sudden rush of adrenaline kicked inside of you. You continued punching rapidly, all your anger and anxiety releasing from you. You felt your body beginning to feel the amount of movement you were making. Sweat was beading around your body and face as your face was getting flushed. It was a little over an hour before footsteps were heard.

"What did the punching bag do to you?" A voice called out.

You jumped in surprise and noticed it was Steve. You didn't respond and continued to punch. Steve laughed to himself before walking over to the punching bag. He used both of his arms to hold it steady and help your training get better. You felt your body flushing from the lack of food and water but ignored it. You wanted to let all the energy you had to help you sweat as much as you could. You continued punching as Steve now noticed the look on your face, you looked angry and upset. You felt your body getting weaker but you didn't want to give into the weakness. As you were about to take another punch, your legs gave out. You felt yourself starting to fall but you were too weak to catch yourself.

"Woah!" Steve gasped and caught you before you could fall. "[Y/N] are you okay?!"

You felt your face brighten up in embarrassment. You shook your head in an attempt to gain consciousness, "I'm fine." You began getting up as Steve helped you up and observed you.

"You're not fine," He responded. "Have you eaten?"

You looked over at the unopened banana and water bottle. Steve looked over as well and shook his head in disapproval, "You need to eat. You're harming yourself."

"I said I was fine," You glared and grabbed your things and tried walking away.

Before you could take another step, Steve grabbed your arm. "[Y/N] what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" You shouted in anger as you pulled your arm away. "What, I can't work out? Never seen [Y/N] Stark work out? Is that what it is?!"

Steve was taken back by your outburst. You huffed and immediately left the room before you said something you'd regret. You felt your hands shaking from anger as a tear slipped down your cheek. Steve saw you wipe it before you completely left the training room.

It was later on during the day, you were now avoiding Peter and Steve. You decided that you would have to resort to the facts and experiments to help you fix your body. The best place to gain this information is from the lab. You had cleaned yourself up already and ended up eating the banana in your room while you cried. You walked into the lab to see Bruce working on writing all the information he could gather on the element he discovered a couple of days ago.

"Hey [Y/N]," Bruce greeted as you smiled and went to the back of the room. He noticed you went straight for the files which grew his curiosity. "What are you looking for?"

"Something for my extra credit assignment," You lied.

Bruce didn't question further as he continued on his work.

You decided that you wanted to study the human body and why each person's body is different. You were flickering through different files from Bruce's cabinets. You sighed in relief when you found the file on Dieting and Human Emotions.

"Well," Bruce called.  "I'll be upstairs with the team if you need me."

You didn't respond, too focused on the file in front of you. Bruce quirked his eyebrow but didn't comment on it. He then walked out of the lab, leaving you alone. You were reading each report, article, and experiments done for that file. You were frustrated that you could not find the answers you needed. You stared at the picture of a young girl who had the perfect body shape. You would never be as beautiful as all the other teens. Tears pooled around your eyes, tears beginning to fall on the image in your hand. You cried as you ripped the paper of the girl. The dream body you wanted.

"I am reading your heart rate spiking up," FRIDAYs voice echoing in the room. "Shall I call Mr. Stark?"

"No!" You called out in fear. "Don't call dad!"

You set the file down on the table next to you as you quickly started grabbing the bits of paper that were scattered on the floor. FRIDAY ignored your requests and immediately called your dad down. FRIDAY's voice boomed in his room making Tony jump in surprise. He then felt terrified thinking something wrong was happening to you so he ran towards the lab. Once he made it inside, he saw you crying on the floor picking up pieces of ripped paper off of the ground. He slowly walked over to you and saw a file on the table with articles, sticky notes, and pictures poking out from it.

Tony grabbed the file and read the title - Dieting and Human Emotion. Tony sighed as he felt his heart ache for his daughter. He now realized why Peter said you were crying last night, why Vision and Wanda said you were avoiding breakfast, why Steve questioned why you had an outburst in the training room, and why Bruce mentioned you were in the lab. He was looking for you throughout the day to talk to you but he had no luck. He was grateful for FRIDAY alerting where you were. You looked up after hearing Tony sigh. You felt vulnerable after being caught looking through Bruce's files and feeling insecure about it all.

"[Y/N]?" Your dad questioned and finally felt his overprotective father instincts kick in. "Is this what Peter was trying to tell me last night? Did someone say something to you? Is that why you skipped breakfast? Is this why you yelled at Steve? Who the hell is hurting you-"

"There's something wrong with me!" You finally cried out and interrupted your dad. Your dad was taken aback by your statement. Did you really hate your body and yourself? He couldn't believe it. His own daughter hated herself.

"Sweetheart there is nothing wrong with you!" Tony brought himself to the floor pulled you into his chest.

You cried into his chest as you shook your head, "Then why does everyone always have something to say about me and my body?"

Tony knew this was something out of his knowledge. Typically a mother should be the one to assure his teenage daughter about the beauty of womanhood, but Tony had no idea about it. Being a single father was always different for Tony, there were always new things to learn and overcome with his daughter. Today was just another part of it - helping his daughter love herself, just as he loved her.

Tony looked down at you. "Real beauty isn't about symmetry or weight or makeup; it's about looking life right in the face and seeing all its magnificence reflected in your own," Tony whispered as he used his thumb to wipe off your tears from your cheek.

You felt yourself smile before looking down to yourself. You examined yourself for the hundredth time that day. Your dad shook his head before slightly moving your head to look into his eyes.

"[Y/N]," Tony sighed. "You are whole already, perfect the way you are. Your whole being is so much more complex, so much more fragile, so much more subtle and intelligent than a few days of dieting or a page of notes can portray. Reducing your self-worth to your weight is ridiculous and lethal."

You felt your tears welling up, you started to get overwhelmed by your strong emotions of yourself and how unhappy you were with how you looked.

Tony grabbed your face with both of his hands. You leaned yourself into his touch, you felt your nerves going down a little. Tony continued, "I'm not trying to sound harsh, I'm trying to show you that you can love yourself without worrying about everything you eat. You are worth more than your weight. You have a heart, mind, and soul that can change the world. You are a Stark, nothing will ever change that. I love you 3000." He then leaned in and kissed your forehead, your left cheek, and right cheek.

You leaned into the touch, "Not 4000?"

"I was thinking 5000 but that might be a stretch."

You laughed and playfully hit his chest. Tony laughed with you then looked down at you. You smiled as Tony ran his fingers through your hair to help you relax and enjoy the moment.

"Now, let's go upstairs and join the team for some lunch?" You dad offered. You breathed out and nodded. "Great! It's my turn to cook and I could use the help."

You groaned, "Child labor!"

Tony shook his head as you both began walking towards the common room, "I'm not going to let my daughter be a freeloader. Gotta earn it!"

You laughed, "But you love me, 3000!"

"Yeah you're right," He responded and kissed your hair as you both went into the kitchen to start cooking.

Tony knew that he had to do whatever he needs to do in order to make his daughter feel loved. He knew this may be difficult but he will always be there to help you see how truly beautiful you were in his eyes and everyone else's. He smiled when he saw you laughing at a joke Natasha said at the table. Tony was ecstatic seeing your smile and never wants it to go away. He loved you more than anyone could ever comprehend.