#This is a chapter that is basically setting up future events and tying up the arc for the major revealing magic/defeating Gunmar arc

[pinkytoothlesso11]

Challenging Destiny chapter 23

With Morando taken care of, Jim and the team reunite with lost members before heading back to earth.

Aja and Krel reunite with their parents, who are finally recovered, and have an easier time than expected explaining everything to them.

A risky plan is proposed to try and convert Area 49-B to their side, to prepare for revealing magic to the world.

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

I found out about Klaine ai cover of Night Shift thanks to your blog and now I'm craving for fics with a lot of angst and longing in them! (basically; fics including them breaking up and getting back together that really work well with the lyrics of the song) Thanks!

Here are some that might fit the song. ~Jen

Tying you to me by @hippohead

It’s been five years since Blaine kissed him goodbye at the airport, and he hasn’t seen him since.

Somewhere within those five years, though, Blaine became an international pop star. Which is... not exactly ideal; not when you’re trying to neatly pack away your feelings and the fact that you’re still desperately in love with him, and his face is on every billboard in Times Square.

~~~~~

The Journeying by @flowerfan2

Freshly graduated from music school, Blaine is thrilled when he is chosen to stay in the cast when the production of Into the Woods he was lucky enough to be part of in Boston moves to Broadway. He knows it’s going to be hard returning to New York City – the scene of his epic breakup with his fiancé and the emotional meltdown which cost him his place at NYADA. But he’s determined that this time, everything will be different. Little does Blaine know that out of thousands of potential castmates, his director has chosen none other than Kurt Hummel to play the part of Jack. Blaine has worked hard to recover from their breakup three years ago, and struggles to find a new way to relate to Kurt and simultaneously protect himself, especially when tragedy strikes.

This story looks at what would have happened if Kurt and Blaine had reacted differently to the break up in 6x01 than they did in canon; if events hadn’t brought them back together as soon, and if forgiveness hadn’t come so easily.

~~~~~

Long way home @pene

It can take a little time to find your way home. This is alternate canon, splitting off somewhere around Glease. It is a love story foremost, but some chapters are possibly a bit sad, particularly the first one.

~~~~~

With every broken bone @spaceorphan18

After finding that living together is proving to be too difficult, Kurt Hummel breaks off his engagement, and finds himself alone in the city that summer. As his life heads in a new direction, Kurt's forced to look back at the past, and re-examine his future, where he learns a little about himself, a lot about love, and that second chances are always a possibility.

Set at the end of season 5, a canon-compliant story that examines the question -- What was Kurt's journey between season 5 and season 6?

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Destiny

Ch 4- Get Busy Living, Or Get Busy Dying

Chapter Summary: We check back in with Steve and the Kids, before Katie is taken back to a time a few weeks post the Battle of New York, where she desperately tries to get through to a despondent Steve.

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words.

Chapter Pairings:  Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: So these chapters contain flashbacks of sorts- but they’re not flashbacks as Katie is watching the events unfold in front of her-a “Time heist” of sorts. However, to keep it clear and hopefully not confusing, the events she is watching are depicted in itallics instead of me trying to keep calling her 2010 v 2030 Katie…

This was originally finished and posted on the day that we all learned of Chadwick Bosman’s passing.  I sure can read the emotion I was feeling when I wrote it, and therefore I still dedicate this to him.

 Rest in power, King. Wakanda Forever.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Stark Spangled Destiny Masterlist // Main Masterlist

When Steve arrived home, Emmy’s car was already in the driveway. Rori gave a little squeal at the fact her sister was home and shot off to the front door of the house, bouncing on the step.

“Hurry up, Daddy!” she turned to look at him.

“Alright, alright.” He chuckled, reaching her with a few strides and pressing his palm to the access pad. The door clicked open and Rori shot inside, running down the hallway shouting Emmy’s name, Harry toddling behind her as fast as he could followed by Stark, his nails causing him to slip on the wooden floor as he ran, sliding ass first into the small table which thankfully didn’t fall over.

“Rori, hush!” Steve hastily tried to quiet her for fear Katie was asleep, but to no avail. With a sigh he pushed Flossie’s stroller in and then once Jamie had followed him inside he closed the door, the security system clicking back into place.

“Am I banished to my room now?” Jamie looked at him.

Steve took a deep breath, before he shook his head. “Not yet no, but you’re going up after dinner.”

“Okay.” Jamie nodded as he kicked off his sneakers and picked them up, placing them in the rack by the door. “I think I’m gonna go up anyway.”

Steve looked at him, and nodded, watching as he headed off to the stairs, his shoulders slumped a little. He hated it when any of his kids were upset but this was Jamie’s own doing. With a sigh he gently picked Flossie out of her stroller, bent to retrieve the flowers that they’d all chosen from the little meadow and headed into the kitchen where he could hear Rori gabbling on excitedly.

“Hey Dad.” Emmy looked up at him, a little sheepishly given their earlier exchanged and he smiled at her as she came towards him, arms outstretched. He passed Flossie over and then placed the flowers on the side before retrieving the empty vase from the windowsill, giving a small groan of frustration. This vase was never empty, he usually made sure of that by always bringing Katie some flowers home once a week or so, but as he filled it up with water for the flowers the kids had picked, Steve realised he’d been as guilty of neglecting her and taking her foregranted a little as anyone else in the house had been.

“I take it Mom’s still sleeping?” Emmy asked and Steve turned to look at her.

“Yeah, she must be.” He nodded. “I’ll go wake her in a little while once we’ve ordered dinner.”

“I really am sorry.” Emmy began and Steve held his hand up.

“I know, it’s done okay?” He shook his head. “We just need to make sure in future we help out a little more, an I include myself in that.”

“Daddy?” Rori tugged on his jeans and he looked down “Can you try and fix my doll now?”

“Yeah, sure.” He nodded, looking at the offended broken Barbie doll on the side. Whatever had happened between Jamie and Rori, Jamie had managed to snap the head off from the neck. He took it in his hands, had a quick look before he disappeared into the laundry room for the superglue. After a little careful application he’d managed to reattach it reasonably well.

“All fixed.” he walked back in, holding the damned doll upright as Rori gave an excited squeal “But you need to leave it to set for a while.”

“Daddy you’re the best!” She hugged him tight and he chuckled as he passed it to her.

“Be careful.”

Rori nodded as she looked at the doll and then her face fell. “But I can still see the break.” She whispered.

“I can’t do anything about that, Princess.” Steve sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“I can…” Emmy said suddenly. “Rori, go grab your craft kit.”

Rori looked at her, then to Steve who shrugged, before she thrust the doll back at him and disappeared into the den. Steve gave Emmy a questioning look and she simply winked as she placed Flossie down in the pack and play in the corner of the room, where the baby let out a loud shriek and wiggled her legs and arms excitedly at the activity station above her, grabbing at one of the rattles.

Rori came back in, carrying the little plastic box that she kept all of her stuff for colouring and sticking in the Crap Book, and set it down on the table as she scrambled into a seat. Emmy dropped next to her and opened the lid.

“Okay, so…” she began sifting through the stuff in the box and then pulled out 4 little squares of material that Rori had in there. “Which one is best?”

“Erm…” Rori looked at them before she pointed to a bright pink piece. “That one.” “Good choice.” Emmy nodded. She reached into the box once more and pulled out the crimping scissors that were in there because Rori liked the shape it left on the edge of things. Steve watched as his eldest carefully cut a thin sliver of the material off. “Dad, can you pass me headless Barbie?”

Steve smiled and headed the doll back over and Emmy wound the material round the doll’s neck, tying it in place at the front with a knot.

“There.” She said as Rori gave a huge gasp and a smile. “Line gone and Barbie now has an on point kerchief.”

“That’s awesome!” Rori grinned, giving her sister a hug. “Thank you, Emmy.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Now, Aurora,” Steve looked at her and she glanced at him, her face falling at the use of her full name, because she knew full well what it meant, “if I find out you’ve hit Jamie with it again, it’s going straight in the garbage, you understand me?” “Yes Daddy.” She said, her eyes falling down to the table.

“Good.” He nodded before he looked at Emmy. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I could use a beer.”

Emmy smiled “Sure. Sounds good.”

“Can I-“

“No.” Steve cut Rori off. “You can have a juice box. What flavour do you want?”

“Can I have apple please?”

“Sure.” He turned to Harry who was sat at the table, pushing a small car across the surface. “Hey Buddy, you want a juice box too?”

“Owange pwease.” He looked at Steve who nodded and moved to the fridge. He passed the kids each a drink, piercing Harry’s with the straw for him before he moved to the wine cooler and pulled two beers out of the beer section at the bottom. He flipped the lids on the opener set into the unit and slid one over to Emmy as Rori hopped down from the table and announced the was going to the Den.

“Any luck on the apartment hunting?” He asked and she wrinkled her nose.

“Not really.” She shrugged. “We can’t agree on anywhere. I like a place, Pete isn’t so keen, he likes somewhere, I’m not sure.” She looked at Steve “How did you and Mom agree on this place?”

“We just walked in and knew it was right.” He shrugged. “We were in a slightly different position though. We’d been living in our apartment and the compound for so long, I think this place just ticked everything we wanted. Plus, your Mom was pregnant with Jamie so we saw past the tiny little niggles we had and focussed on the good bits and there were far many more points we liked. We changed the bits we didn’t eventually.” He looked around the kitchen “And it’s nice. It’s home.”

“Pete’s not really comfortable with you and Mom saying you’d buy us somewhere.” Emmy said gently and Steve smiled, chuckling.

“I wasn’t comfortable with your Mom basically buying this place either.” He shrugged. “But, well as she pointed out, we were married by then, it was a moot point.” He took a pull from his bottle. “Did she ever tell you about the house we viewed before we got married?” Emmy grinned and nodded “Danni with an I, remember?” Steve snorted and then shrugged. “Yeah, so I had a hard time with that because I had nowhere near as much money as your Mom to put down but, it’s just money Em. Easy to say when you have it but if you and Pete are ready to settle down and be together then it shouldn’t be an issue. You want me to talk to him?” “No.” Emmy hastily spoke. “Absolutely not. You already scare the sh…” she stopped herself swearing and Steve arched a brow. “You scare the life out of him.”

“Good.” Steve grinned “I’m your Dad. That’s my job.”

Emmy rolled her eyes and Steve bit back a chuckle, checking his watch. It was almost seven. So much for an early night for the kids.

“Right, I’m going to order dinner. Fancy doing me a favour?”

“Sure.” Emmy shrugged

“Can you get Harry a bath and into his pyjamas? I’ll round the other two up once you’re done.”

“No bath from Emmy.” Harry mumbled “Momma gives me my bath.”

“Momma’s sleeping buddy, but she’ll come down in a little while for dinner ok?”

Harry looked at him and then grinned “Emmy…daddy got momma wet yesterday.”

Steve spluttered on his beer as Emmy looked at him, arching an eyebrow.

“He means at bath time.” Steve hastily explained “Harry was splashing and it ended up in a slight water fight…”

“Well of course, what else could he mean?” Emmy rolled her eyes before she groaned “God that’s a disgusting image…”

Steve blushed a little before he shook his head, pulling out his phone. “Pizza?”

Emmy nodded before she frowned “Actually, whilst I’m okay with whatever, surely mom would prefer her favourite if she’s feeling down?”

Steve pondered. “Good point. I can order from both. You want a burger or…”

Em nodded. “I’ll have the same as mom, double cheese with a side of chilli fries…oh, and can we get some mac and cheese to share?”

Steve shook his head. “I don’t share food, I’ll get two.”

Emmy smiled and then stood up grinning at her younger brother. “Okay Squirt, let’s go get you bathed.”

Harry looked at her, before he shook his head, “nope,” and in a flash he was off his chair, sprinting out of the room, cackling to himself. Emmy shook her head and with a snort took off after him. Steve watched them go, smiling to himself for a second before he set about ordering their dinner. ***** “Hey…” Katie looked at Steve as he emerged into her tower penthouse. “You okay?”

“Yeah, no, actually I dunno.” He sighed, “I’m sorry to barge in and bother you but…”

“It’s okay, I’m not busy.” She looked at him frowning, “what’s up, Soldier?”

“I had a meeting with Fury before.” Steve bit his lip, “he was going on about the academy and stuff he has planned for me and…” he trailed off

“Say what’s on your mind.” Katie encouraged, gently as she took him in. It had only been two weeks since the battle of New York, and Steve looked absolutely exhausted. She could tell he wasn’t sleeping. She’d seen him a handful of times over the past fortnight and he’d started to look more and more drawn with each visit.

“It’s overwhelming.” Steve replied eventually, shaking his head “Everything. God, it’s so noisy and…” he swallowed, “look, sorry, I’m just, I don’t know what I’m doing here, Katie. The world is so different. This isn’t me.” Katie pondered something for a minute, before she had a sudden wave of inspiration.

“Ever seen Niagara falls?”

“What?” Steve frowned, utterly perplexed at her change of subject. “No, but what’s…”

“I think you need a little head space.” She mused, before she spoke. “JARVIS?”

“Yes, Miss Stark.” The AI responded and Steve jumped a little. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to the voice belonging to a man that didn’t actually exist.

“Can you patch through and get one of the jets ready. Set a course for Niagara, I want to take a trip.”

“Of course Miss Stark.” Jarvis replied. “Give me a moment.”

“We can’t just fly to Niagara.” Steve looked at Katie horrified, “I mean…”

“The beauty of having a personal, private Jet is just that, Steve,” she grinned, “I can go where I want, when I want, with anyone I want. Well, most of the time anyway.”

“Isn’t that a little...”

“Self-indulgent? Eccentric? Arrogant?” She looked at him, arching an eyebrow and he sighed, shaking his head.

“I didn’t mean that. I wasn’t…”

“Well if you did mean that, you’d be correct, of course it is.” She shrugged. “But I don’t much care. It comes in handy, and as part and parcel of being friends with a Stark, you get the privilege too. Oh, and if you’re worried about the environment, don’t be. They run on self-sufficient energy sources, like this place.” She waved her hand around the apartment and Steve gave her a small smile.

“Sorry,” he looked at her a little sheepisly, “I didn’t mean to sound rude.”

Katie shrugged, “no offence taken, it’s okay.”

“Miss Stark?” JARVIS spoke again. “The Jet will be ready to leave in half an hour. Would you like me to organise a car?”

“No need, I’ll take mine. Can you have Happy sort the clearances for myself and Captain Rogers, and a car at the other side?”

“Of course”

“Thanks J.” She said, then she looked at Steve. “How about it Cap? A little spontaneous fun might be just what you need.”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh come on!” She pleaded. “You need to learn to let go, live in the moment. Not everything has to be so serious and daunting.”

Steve looked at her as she raised her eyebrows before he rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

She gave him a grin and nodded, “okay, wait here, gonna grab my jacket.”

“Do I need anything?” He asked “Like to fly or…”

“No, you’re good.” She tossed over her shoulder as she headed into her room. Shoving on a pair of sneakers and grabbing her leather jacket she walked back out to find Steve stood in exactly the same place he had been, his hands twisting together almost nervously. She took him in for a moment, he was wearing a pair of light grey slacks, a blue and white plaid with a white t-shirt just visible where the top three buttons where undone and a brown leather jacket. “What’s your schedule like next week?”

“I err, I don’t have a….what?” He frowned, utterly perplexed. .

“Never mind, I’ll sort it. We’re going clothes shopping.”

“No, absolutely not.” He shook his head.

“Steve, you can’t walk around dressed like that forever.” She scoffed “You want a quiet life? You’re gonna have to blend in a little.” As she watched his face fell and she cursed herself, hastily adding, “it’s not that you look bad. You don’t, at all. But trust me, the more you can embrace the changes in your life the happier you’re gonna feel.”

“Who says I want to embrace it?” He mumbled.

“Don’t you?” She challenged, looking at him. He gave a sigh and shrugged. “Well, that’s up to you. I can’t make your mind up for you.” “No? You’ve done a pretty good job of that today so far.” He quipped and she looked at him.

“If you really don’t want to go then we don’t have to.” She replied, not a shred of annoyance or anger in her voice. “I just thought it might be nice to get away from the noise. Both out there and in here…” She reached up and gently tapped his temple. There was a moment’s pause before Steve took a deep breath and smiled.

“No, I know. You’re right.” He nodded. “Lead the way.”

“God, I never realised how forceful I was.” Katie mused, watching as her past self and Steve headed into the elevator. She turned to Tony. “I was worse than you!”

“Hmmmm,” Tony rotated his hand in front of him on a so-so motion, “maybe not quite.”

“He needed it though.” Katie let out a breath from her nose. “God, he was so down for those few weeks after New York. I hated seeing him like that, so sad and lost.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Natasha muttered and Katie turned to her, frowning.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see.” Natasha said, airily as she too headed to the elevator “Come on.”

They made their way down through to the parking lot in time to see Katie unlocking the white range Rover that had ended up buried under the Triskellion. Steve hopped into the passenger side, and Katie said something to him. He turned, reached for his belt, clicked it in and then looked at her, arching his brows. She nodded and then pulled the car out of the spot.

“He hated seatbelts.” Katie smiled fondly before she imitated his deep baritone. “They didn’t have these in my day…”

“Seatbelts, toasters, microwaves, headless and faceless voices,” Tony ticked them off on his hands, “mobile phones, TVs…” “Flashy billionaires in red and gold metal suits.” Katie nudged him, and he turned to look at her, his trademark smirk on his face. She sighed “He didn’t take long to come round, all things considered.”

They hopped into Tony’s car and emerged into sunny Manhattan from the underground lot. Katie smiled, taking it all in fondly. It had changed, dramatically following the events of the Snap and was still a very different place to the one she had once loved and called home. And then sure enough, the scenery was changing once more and they were pulling into the parking lot at Nigara Falls State Park. They all climbed out, and Katie followed Tony and Natasha through the throng of sight seers, taking the route she could remember with Steve. She could recall this trip like it was yesterday. They’d spent a few hours walking around, down to the Cave of Winds…which seemed to be where they were heading now. And, sure enough, after a little time walking Tony stopped and nodded to where her past self and Steve were stood on the Hurricane Deck, both in bright yellow ponchos. Katie knew what was coming and her face split into a grin as she watched.

Suddenly a sheet of water blew right over them, drenching them both. Steve’s face arranged itself into utter shock and Katie burst into laughter as she glanced up at him, his hair flattened to his head, water dripping down his face.

“I told you to put the hood up!” She howled, tipping her head back as she laughed. He glanced at her, wiping his face, before another wave blew over them.

“What the hell!” He spluttered, before a grin split his face in two and he gave a chuckle as well, shaking his head. He turned to look at the waterfall, taking a huge breath, closing his eyes. After another few rounds of being drenched, Katie tapped his arm and jerked her head, the pair of them heading a little further down the trail. Steve reached up and brushed his soaking hair back from his face, looking at Katie who grinned back at him.

“Everyone who comes to Niagara has to feel the spray on their face.”

“That wasn’t spray!” Steve scoffed. “We might as well have jumped into the damned fall itself.”

“Now there’s an idea.” Katie mused “I reckon they’d let you if we asked.”

“Yeah, I mean I already did one plunge to my supposed death into icy water.” Steve looked at her “What’s another?”

“Ooh was that sarcasm?” Katie arched her eyebrow and Steve rolled his eyes.

“Maybe.” He shrugged and she laughed, shaking her head.

“Come on, we can head back up and grab a coffee. Take in the view where we’re safe and dry.”

Together they weaved their way back through the visitors, and Katie’s eyes were taken by a gang of people who were all pointing at Steve and nudging one another. “Don’t bother.” She said loudly, and they looked at her, frowning.“It’s not him. He just looks very similar. Makes a killing as tribute act.”

“What are you talking about?” Steve looked at her.

“Tell you in a bit.” She grabbed his elbow and steered him up a narrow, step-lined path towards a small outdoors coffee stall. “What’s your poison?”

“Erm. Just normal, I guess?”

“Can I get a large Latte and an Americano.” Katie turned back to the barista before she looked at Steve. “You want cream or…”

“Please.” He nodded. He’d drunk it black mostly when on tour in the army, but that was because there wasn’t much of an option for any other way. Katie nodded to the barista, thanked him and reached for her purse.

“Oh, I’ll get it.” Steve said quickly, fishing his wallet out and handing over a note. Katie looked at him, smiled and thanked him and they moved further down to wait for their coffee. “So who makes a killing as a tribute act?”

“You.” She shrugged. “Well, so I told them. They’d recognised you, I think.”

“Oh.” Steve looked around “Right.”

“It’s okay, I threw them off.” She smiled, taking her drink. She moved over to the table at the side, adding a sugar to hers and stirring. Steve did the same, another thing that had never been possible in the war and once they were sorted the two of them headed over to the little viewing area, which gave a safe look out over the expanse of the waterfalls.

“You’re right, it really is beautiful” Steve looked around, taking a sip of his coffee, his aviators placed on his face.

“Yeah, I like it.” She smiled.

“You come here often or…”

“Not been for years. In fact, the last time was just after my 21st. Me and Tony came for a day out, well, I say day, we actually stayed over. Made a weekend of it. It was fun.”

“Fun.” Steve repeated. “Yeah, I remember that.”

Katie sighed. “You know, I get that you’re pissed and confused, I would be as well, Steve but you’re being your own worst enemy now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, a little defensively. She turned to him, completely nonplussed by his tone and eyed him shrewdly.

“You know, there’s a quote from one of my favourite films that sums up you and your ‘situation’,” she framed the words with quotation marks using her fingers, “perfectly.” She looked at him. “’You can either get busy living, or get busy dying’.”

Steve took a deep breath, his face still trained on hers and she saw him swallowing a little.

“The world has changed Steve, there’s no escaping that,” Katie reached out to take his hand, giving it a little squeeze, “but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.”

She watched as he took a deep breath and turned away from her, his hand still linked in hers as he looked back over the waterfall. He didn’t reply.

Katie wiped at her eyes as Tony dropped an arm round her shoulder, totally swept up in the emotion. “Fuck,” she swallowed, “I…”

“I know.” Tony said gently as she leaned into him, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“He just looks so,” Katie glanced at Steve, “defeated. That’s exactly how he looked in Wakanda when…” She trailed off. “I hate seeing him like this.”

“I know but remember this didn’t last long.” Tony soothed her. “You got through to him.”

“Big time.” Natasha added, gently. “Nova, this was a pivotal moment in Steve’s life. He always told me that ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ was a personal favourite of his, and this is why.”

“Yeah, I know. He’s told me.” Katie sniffed. “In fact, he told me not long after we started dating that this moment was what made him kick himself up the ass, realise that he had to try and move forward. It’s why we came back here a few times. But it didn’t make it any easier for him you know? He still struggled.”

“No, but you did.” Natasha looked at her. “You made it a hell of a lot easier for him. You know this.”

Katie nodded. “Yeah, like I say, he’s told me plenty of times. Still, guess he had no option. Not like he could go back was it?”

“Well, he could have.” Tony shrugged. “When I cracked Time Travel.”

“I mean at the time.” Katie shot Tony a glare. “Stop being facetious.”

“Yeah, about that, that isn’t strictly true either. Well, maybe not the Time Travel thing but…” Natasha trailed off as Katie looked at her, frowning.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see.” Nat smiled. “Come on.”

Katie looked at Tony who simply shrugged before she tossed a glance back over to her past self who was now stood with Steve, both engaged in a conversation. She fondly recalled how it had taken a lighter turn, Katie telling Steve about her experiences in London, and he his, both of them sharing a laugh about how the two were very different. She made a mental note to tell him they needed to come back to Niagara soon, with the kids this time. With a final, fond look at the back of her soldier, she turned and followed her friend and brother towards the car.

*****

“Now this takes me back.” Katie smiled, fondly looking around the inside of Steve’s New York apartment that SHIELD had put him up in. It was clean and tidy, nothing out of place. Not unlike his home in DC had been, well, that is until she had descended upon it and caused chaos. She used to take great delight in moving things around and seeing how long it took him to notice and especially wearing odd socks which she would flash when she kicked off her sneakers and either dropped her feet onto the coffee table or up on the sofa besides him. He had hated that, so much so that for her birthday the first year he’d known her, he’d jokingly bought her a bumper pack of the items which were labelled with the days of the weeks on. More fool him though, as she’d simply mixed them all up and started wearing them on the wrong days. Rori now wore odd socks too, copying her, and Steve simply rolled his eyes every time he saw it, chuckling to himself.

Just another way he had come so far from the uptight man he had been all those years ago.

She wheeled round as she saw Steve walk into the apartment, in the same outfit as she had been in at Niagara. She glanced at the calendar on the wall and realised it was the same day, this must have been the night they had gotten home.

Curiously, she followed him into the kitchen where he pulled out a beer and popped the lid with his hand.

“Show off.” Tony mumbled and Katie snorted.

“He still does that you know, not all the time but, when he’s feeling like wants to be particularly macho.” Katie smiled fondly.

The three of them watched as Steve sat down at the small table, both his large hands cradling his drink as he sat still, his eyes fixated on a spot on the wall, his face deep in concentration. Katie felt her chest contract a little, he looked so damned lost.

He reached for his phone, pulling it out, looking at it. It was a Samsung, Katie had shown him how to use it, she remembered and she also remembered showing him how to take photos with it, which she knew he’d done at Niagara, testing it out.

This was strange for her to watch, as she hadn’t been here for this moment previously. So she couldn’t know for sure what he was thinking as he looked at his phone. She took a step towards him, peering over his shoulder as she glanced down at what he was looking at. It was a picture of the water fall he’d taken as they stood with a coffee, and then he swiped to the next one which was the first ‘selfie’ of the pair of them ever taken, one which still sat in a frame on the side in their hallway. Steve had crouched down to get into the frame, as Katie couldn’t quite reach far enough otherwise and he’d smiled, a little awkwardly, but it made for a good shot all things considered. She’d teased him relentlessly about being the Poster Boy of the damned War, but being so shit at actually taking a photo. So much so at one point he’d threatened to throw her over the railing. She’d laughed than and slapped his arm, drawing a chuckle from him in response.

Steve gave a little sigh as he looked at the photo, before he turned the screen off, drained his beer and pushed his chair back from the table. Picking up his jacket he left, locking the door behind him.

“What…” Katie looked at Natasha who nodded to the door.

Katie frowned, opened it and stepped through…and found herself in an office. Only this wasn’t at the Triskellion, it was at their base in New York. Steve was stood in front of Fury, who was lounging in a chair.

“I take it from the demand to see me immediately you’ve come to a decision?” Fury eyed Steve and the soldier took a deep breath.

“Yes, I have Sir.”

“And?”

“I don’t want to go back into stasis.” Steve spoke clearly. “I was tempted but, well, I’ve been given a second shot at my life. I owe it to those men, all my friends who didn’t, not to throw it away.”

Fury took a deep breath and nodded. “Good, I’m glad. Like I said a few months back, the world could still use a man like you, Cap.”

Steve nodded. “I’ll take the position in SHIELD it it’s still open. Just tell me where I need to be and when.”

Fury smiled. “Consider it done.”

“Thank you.” Steve said, before he nodded to the door. “I’ll see myself out.”

As he turned to go, Fury stopped him. “I’m curious, what changed your mind, other than owing it to the dead?”

Steve hesitated and turned to the Director, a small smile on his face. “Let’s just say I had my eyes opened. The world has changed, but it’s still a beautiful place.”

Katie’s breathing was deep as she watched Steve leave the office, “He…he was going…” the words caught in her throat as she looked at Natasha, completely in shock at the scene she had just watched.

Natasha nodded. “Fury offered him the chance to go into stasis, to be frozen again, and brought back out if we ever needed him. Just like HYDRA did with Barnes.”

“He never told me that.” Katie sniffed, her eyes stinging with tears. “He never mentioned any of this to me, I can’t…”

At that point she began to cry and she turned to Tony who wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed into his chest. The thought that Steve had felt so lost he had even considered this broke her damned heart and she couldn’t stop the tears as they continued to fall. And more so, she couldn’t understand why he had never told her.

“‘I’m only strong because you’re by my side.’ Remember those words?” Tony spoke gently.

“Of course I do.” Katie sniffed and wiped her eyes, stepping back a little to look at her brother. “It was in his wedding speech…”

“Exactly.” Tony smiled, reaching up to brush her tears away with his thumbs. “You gave him the strength to keep going when everything and everyone he knew was lost.”

“Without you being there, Rogers would have ended up as nothing more than a Soldier, wheeled out by SHIELD when they needed him.” Natasha sighed gently. “It’s twisted, I know, given Barnes’ history, but that’s the way it is. Captain America would have been SHIELD’s version of the Winter Soldier. But you showed him there was a life to live, and he made that decision to damned well live it.”

Katie took a deep, shaky breath. “I wanna go home.” She whispered, gently. “I wanna wake up, I’ve seen enough. I want my kids, I want Steve.”

“Just give us one more stop.” Tony soothed, softly “One more, please Kiddo, there’s something else I want you to see.”

Katie looked away as more tears brimmed in her eyes before she glanced back at her brother then to Natasha.

“I can’t.” “Do you trust me?” Tony looked at her and she sighed.

“Of course I do.”

“Then let me show you one last memory. And then, well, then we can say goodbye.”

“Jesus Christ, Tone.” Katie cried, her voice cracking. “Don’t say it like that.”

“Hey, look at me.” Her brother instructed, and she turned to face him, swallowing as tears poured down her face, her chest aching with raw emotion. “You know this was never permanent. We’re gonna have to go at some point.”

“I know, I just…” Katie shook her head. She glanced back over at Fury who was furiously talking into his phone, most likely to Coulson from the snippets she caught as he discussed Steve, and she took a deep breath, steeling herself and turning back to Tony.

“Okay, let’s get this over with.”

“That’s the spirit.” Tony smiled, dropping an arm round her shoulder.

As they headed into the corridor, Tony looked around, taking the surroundings in as they walked to the elevator.

“Do you remember my speech?” He asked as he hit the ground floor button. “At your wedding, I mean.”

“Of course I do.” Katie smiled “I remember yours, Steve’s Sam’s…Steve nearly died at Sam’s comment about being friends with Captain America doubling your chances of getting laid”

“Yeah, it was pretty funny, but mine was better.” Tony shrugged flippantly, and Katie rolled her eyes, snorting a little as the elevator doors closed.

 **Original Posting**

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Stark Spangled Destiny

Ch 4- Get Busy Living, Or Get Busy Dying

Chapter Summary: We check back in with Steve and the Kids, before Katie is taken back to a time a few weeks post the Battle of New York, where she desperately tries to get through to a despondent Steve.

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words.

Chapter Pairings:  Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: So these chapters contain flashbacks of sorts- but they’re not flashbacks as Katie is watching the events unfold in front of her-a “Time heist” of sorts. However, to keep it clear and hopefully not confusing, the events she is watching are depicted in itallics instead of me trying to keep calling her 2010 v 2030 Katie…

Huge thanks to @icanfeelastormbrewing​ and @southerngracela​ for beta reading this before. You girls are awesome.

I thought long and hard about posting this today, but it was finished this morning and I sure can read the emotion I was feeling when I wrote it, and I wanted to share it. This was my outlay.

Rest in power, King. Wakanda Forever.

When Steve arrived home, Emmy’s car was already in the driveway. Rori gave a little squeal at the fact her sister was home and shot off to the front door of the house, bouncing on the step.

“Hurry Daddy!” she turned to look at him.

“Alright, alright…” he chuckled, reaching her with a few strides and pressing his palm to the access pad. The door clicked open and Rori shot inside, running down the hallway shouting Emmy’s name, Harry toddling behind her as fast as he could followed by Stark, his nails causing him to slip on the wooden floor as he ran, sliding ass first into the small table which thankfully didn’t fall over.

“Rori, hush!” Steve hastily tried to quiet her for fear Katie was asleep, but to no avail. With a sigh he pushed Flossie’s stroller in and then once Jamie had followed him inside he closed the door, the security system clicking back into place.

“Am I banished to my room now?” Jamie looked at him.

Steve took a deep breath, before he shook his head. “Not yet no, but you’re going up after dinner.”

“Okay.” Jamie nodded as he kicked off his sneakers and picked them up, placing them in the rack by the door. “I think I’m gonna go up anyway.”

Steve looked at him, and nodded, watching as he headed off to the stairs, his shoulders slumped a little. He hated it when any of his kids were upset but this was Jamie’s own doing. With a sigh he gently picked Flossie out of her stroller, bent to retrieve the flowers that they’d all chosen from the little meadow and headed into the kitchen where he could hear Rori gabbling on excitedly.

“Hey Dad.” Emmy looked up at him, a little sheepishly given their earlier exchanged and he smiled at her as she came towards him, arms outstretched. He passed Flossie over and then placed the flowers on the side before retrieving an empty vase from the windowsill. He let out a little sigh, this vase was never empty, he usually made sure of that by always bringing Katie some flowers home once a week or so, but as he filled it up with water he realised he’d been as guilty of neglecting her and taking her foregranted a little as anyone else in the house had been.

“I take it Mom’s still sleeping?” Emmy asked and Steve turned to look at her.

“Yeah, she must be.” He nodded “I’ll go wake her in a little while once we’ve ordered dinner.”

“I really am sorry.” Emmy began and Steve held his hand up.

“I know, it’s done ok.” He shook his head “We just need to make sure in future we help out a little more.”

“Daddy…” Rori tugged on his jeans and he looked down “Can you try and fix my doll now?”

“Yeah, sure.” He nodded, looking at the offended broken Barbie doll on the side. Whatever had happened between Jamie and Rori, Jamie had managed to snap the head off from the neck. He took it in his hands, had a quick look before he disappeared into the laundry room for the superglue. After a little careful application he’d managed to reattach it reasonably well.

“All fixed.” he walked back in, holding the damned doll upright as Rori gave an excited squeal “But you need to leave it to set ok?”

“Daddy you’re the best!” she hugged him tight and he chuckled as he passed it to her.

“Be careful.”

Rori nodded as she looked at the doll and then her face fell. “But I can still see the break.” She whispered.

“I can’t do anything about that princess.” Steve sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“I can…” Emmy said suddenly “Rori, go grab your craft kit.”

Rori looked at her, then to Steve who shrugged, before she thrust the doll back at him and disappeared into the den. Steve gave Emmy a questioning look and she simply winked as she placed Flossie down on the play-mat in the corner of the room, where the baby let out a loud shriek and wiggled her legs and arms excitedly at the activity station above her, grabbing at one of the rattles.

Rori came back in, carrying the little plastic box that she kept all of her stuff for colouring and sticking in the Crap Book, and set it down on the table as she scrambled into a seat. Emmy dropped next to her and opened the lid.

“Ok, so…” she began sifting through the stuff in the box and then pulled out 4 little squares of material that Rori had in there. “Which one is best?”

“Erm…” Rori looked at them before she pointed to a bright pink piece “That one.” “Good choice.” Emmy nodded. She reached into the box once more and pulled out the crimping scissors that were in there because Rori liked the shape it left on the edge of things. Steve watched as his eldest carefully cut a thin sliver of the material off. “Dad, can you pass me headless Barbie?”

Steve smiled and headed the doll back over and Emmy wound the material round the doll’s neck, tying it in place at the front with a knot.

“There.” She said as Rori gave a huge gasp and a smile “Line gone and Barbie now has a kerchief.”

“That’s awesome!” Rori grinned, giving her sister a hug “Thank you Emmy.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Now, Aurora…” Steve looked at her and she glanced at him, her face falling at the use of her full name, because she knew full well what it meant “If I find out you’ve hit Jamie with it again, it’s going straight in the garbage, you understand me?” “Yes Daddy.” She said, her eyes falling down to the table.

“Ok.” He nodded before he looked at Emmy “I don’t know about you, but I could use a beer.”

Emmy smiled “Sure. Sounds good.”

“Can I-“

“No.” Steve cut Rori off “You can have a juice box. What flavour do you want?”

“Can I have apple please?”

“Sure.” He turned to Harry who was sat at the table, pushing a small car across the surface “Hey Buddy, you want a juice box too?”

“Owange pwease.” He looked at Steve who nodded and moved to the fridge. He passed the kids each a drink, piercing Harry’s with the straw for him before he moved to the wine cooler and pulled two beers out of the beer section at the bottom. He flipped the lids on the opener set into the unit and slid one over to Emmy as Rori hopped down from the table and announced the was going to the Den.

“Any luck on the apartment hunting?” he asked and she wrinkled her nose.

“Not really.” She shrugged. “We can’t agree on anywhere. I like a place, Pete isn’t so keen…he likes somewhere, I’m not sure.” She looked at Steve “How did you and mom agree on this place?”

“We just walked in and knew it was right.” He shrugged “We were in a slightly different position though. We’d been living in our apartment and the compound for so long, I think this place just ticked everything we wanted. Plus, your mom was pregnant with Jamie so…we saw past the tiny little niggles we had and focussed on the good bits and there were far many more points we liked. We changed the bits we didn’t eventually.” He looked around the kitchen “And it’s nice. It’s home.”

“Pete’s not really comfortable with you and mom saying you’d buy us somewhere.” Emmy said gently and Steve smiled, chuckling.

“I wasn’t comfortable with your mom basically buying this place either.” He shrugged “But, well as she pointed out we were married by then, it was a moot point.” He took a pull from his bottle “Did she ever tell you about the house we viewed before we got married?” Emmy grinned and nodded “Danni with an I, remember?” Steve snorted and then shrugged “Yeah, so I had a hard time with that because I had nowhere near as much money as your mom to put down but, it’s just money Em. Easy to say when you have it but if you and Pete are ready to settle down and be together then it shouldn’t be an issue. You want me to talk to him?” “No.” Emmy said quickly “Absolutely not. You already scare the sh…” she stopped herself swearing and Steve arched a brow “You scare the life out of him.”

“Good.” Steve grinned “I’m your dad. That’s my job.”

Emmy rolled her eyes and Steve bit back a chuckle, checking his watch. It was almost 7pm. So much for an early night for this lot.

“Right, I’m going to order dinner.” He said, “Fancy doing me a favour?”

“Sure.” Emmy shrugged

“Can you get Harry a bath and into his pyjamas? I’ll round the other two up once you’re done.”

“No bath from Emmy.” Harry mumbled “Momma gives me my bath.”

“Momma’s sleeping buddy, but she’ll come down in a little while for dinner ok?”

Harry looked at him and then grinned “Emmy…daddy got momma wet yesterday.”

Steve spluttered on his beer as Emmy looked at him, arching an eyebrow.

“He means at bath time.” Steve hastily explained “Harry was splashing and it ended up in a slight water fight…”

“Well of course, what else could he mean?” Emmy rolled her eyes before she groaned “God that’s a disgusting image…”

Steve blushed a little before he shook his head, pulling out his phone. “Pizza?”

Emmy nodded before she frowned “Actually, whilst I’m ok with whatever, surely mom would prefer her favourite if she’s feeling down?”

Steve pondered “Good point. I can order from both. You want a burger or…”

Em nodded “I’ll have the same as mom, double cheese with a side of chilli fries…oh, and can we get some mac and cheese to share?”

Steve nodded “Consider it done.”

Emmy smiled and then stood up. “Ok Harry, let’s go get you bathed.”

Harry looked at her, before he grinned “Nope.” And in a flash he was off his chair, sprinting out of the room, cackling to himself. Emmy shook her head and with a snort took off after him. Steve watched them go, smiling to himself for a second before he set about ordering their dinner. ***** “Hey…” Katie looked at Steve as he emerged into her tower penthouse “You ok?”

“Yeah, no…I dunno.” He sighed, “I’m sorry to barge in and bother you but…”

“It’s ok, I’m not busy.” She looked at him frowning, “What’s up Steve?”

“I had a meeting with Fury before.” He said, “He was going on about the academy and stuff he has planned and…” he trailed off

“Say what’s on your mind.” Katie said gently, taking him in. It had only been 2 weeks since the battle of New York, and Steve looked absolutely exhausted. She could tell he wasn’t sleeping. She’d seen him a handful of times over the past fortnight and he’d started to look more and more drawn with each visit.

“It’s overwhelming” Steve said, shaking his head “Everything…it’s so noisy and…” he swallowed “Look, sorry, I’m just…I don’t know what I’m doing here. The world is so different. This isn’t me.” Katie pondered something for a minute, before she had a sudden wave of inspiration.

“Ever seen Niagara falls?”

“What?” Steve frowned, utterly perplexed at her change of subject “No, but what’s…”

“I think you need a little head space.” She mused, before she spoke “JARVIS?”

“Yes Miss Stark.” The AI responded and Steve jumped a little. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to the voice belonging to a man that didn’t actually exist.

“Can you patch through and get one of the jets ready. Set a course for Niagara, I want to take a trip.”

“Of course Miss Stark.” Jarvis said “Give me a moment.”

“We can’t just fly to Niagara.” Steve looked at Katie horrified “I mean…”

“The beauty of having a personal, private Jet is just that Steve.” She grinned “I can go where I want, when I want most of the time anyway.”

“Isn’t that a little...”

“Self-indulgent? Eccentric? Arrogant?” she looked at him, arching an eyebrow and he sighed, shaking his head.

“I didn’t mean that…I wasn’t…”

“Well if you did you’d be correct, of course it is.” She shrugged “But it comes in handy, and part and parcel of being friends with a Stark is you get the privilege too. And if you’re worried about the environment, don’t be. They run on self-sufficient energy sources, like this place.”

“Sorry.” Steve sighed, “I didn’t mean to sound rude.”

Katie shrugged, “It’s ok.”

“Miss Stark?” JARVIS spoke again “The Jet will be ready to leave in half an hour. Would you like me to organise a car?”

“No need, I’ll take mine. Can you have Happy sort the clearances for myself and Captain Rogers, and a car at the other side?”

“Of course”

“Thanks J.” she said, then she looked at Steve “How about it Cap? A little spontaneous fun might be just what you need?”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh come on!” She pleaded “You need to learn to let go, live in the moment. Not everything has to be so serious Steve.”

Steve looked at her as she raised her eyebrows before he rolled his eyes “Fine.”

She gave him a grin and nodded “Ok, wait here, gonna grab my jacket.”

“Do I need anything?” he asked “Like to fly or…”

“No, you’re good.” She tossed over her shoulder as she headed into her room. Shoving on a pair of sneakers and grabbing her leather jacket she walked back out to find Steve stood in exactly the same place he had been, his hands twisting together almost nervously. She took him in for a moment, he was wearing a pair of light grey slacks, a blue and white plaid with a white t-shirt just visible where the top 3 buttons where undone and a brown leather jacket. “Ok, so what’s your schedule like next week?”

“I err, I don’t have a….what?” he looked at her, frowning.

“Never mind, I’ll sort it. We’re going clothes shopping.”

“No, absolutely not.” He shook his head.

“Steve you can’t walk around dressed like that forever.” She scoffed “You want a quiet life? You’re gonna have to blend in a little.”

As she watched his face fell and she cursed herself. “It’s not that you look bad. You don’t, at all. But trust me, the more you can embrace the changes in your life the happier you’re gonna feel.”

“Who says I want to embrace it?” He mumbled.

“Don’t you?” she challenged, looking at him. He gave a sigh and shrugged. “Well, that’s up to you. I can’t make your mind up for you.” “No? You’ve done a pretty good job of that today so far.” He quipped and she looked at him.

“If you really don’t want to go then we don’t have to.” She replied, not a shred of annoyance or anger in her voice “I just thought it might be nice to get away from the noise. Both out there and in here…” she reached up and gently tapped his temple. There was a moment’s pause before Steve took a deep breath and smiled.

“No, I know. You’re right.” He nodded “Lead the way.”

“God I never realised how forceful I was.” Katie mused, watching as her past self and Steve headed into the elevator. She turned to Tony “I was worse than you!”

“Hmmmm” Tony rotated his hand in front of him on a so-so motion “Not quite…”

“He needed it though.” Katie mused “God he was so down for those few weeks after New York. I hated seeing him like that, so sad and lost.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Natasha said and Katie turned to her, frowning.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see.” Natasha said, airily as she too headed to the elevator “Come on.”

They made their way down through to the parking lot in time to see Katie unlocking the white range Rover that had ended up buried under the Triskellion. Steve hopped into the passenger side, and Katie said something to him. He turned, reached for his belt, clicked it in and then looked at her, arching his brows. She nodded and then pulled the car out of the spot.

“He hated seatbelts.” Katie said fondly before she imitated his deep baritone “They didn’t have these in my day…”

“Seatbelts, toasters, microwaves, headless and faceless voices…” Tony said, ticking them off on his hands “Mobile phones, TVs…” “Flashy billionaires in red and gold metal suits.” Katie nudged him, and he turned to look at her, his trademark smirk on his face. She sighed “He didn’t take long to come round, all things considered.”

They hopped into Tony’s car and emerged into sunny Manhattan from the underground lot. Katie smiled, taking it all in fondly. It had changed, dramatically following the events of the Snap and was still a very different place to the one she had once loved and called home. And then sure enough, the scenery was changing once more and they were pulling into the parking lot at Nigara Falls State Park. They all climbed out, and Katie followed Tony and Natasha through the throng of sight seers, taking the route she could remember with Steve. She could recall this trip like it was yesterday. They’d spent a few hours walking around, down to the Cave of Winds…which seemed to be where they were heading now. And, sure enough, after a little time walking Tony stopped and nodded to where her past self and Steve were stood on the Hurricane Deck, both in bright yellow ponchos. Katie knew what was coming and her face split into a grin…

Suddenly a sheet of water blew right over them, drenching them both. Steve’s face arranged itself into utter shock and Katie burst into laughter as she glanced up at him, his hair flattened to his head, water dripping down his face.

“I told you to put the hood up!” she howled, tipping her head back as she laughed. He glanced at her, wiping his face, before another wave blew over them.

“What, the hell!” he spluttered, before a grin split his face in two and he gave a chuckle as well, shaking his head. He turned to look at the waterfall, taking a huge breath, closing his eyes. After another few rounds of being drenched, Katie tapped his arm and jerked her head, the pair of them heading a little further down the trail. Steve reached up and brushed his soaking hair back from his face, looking at Katie who grinned back at him.

“Everyone who comes to Niagara has to feel the spray on their face.” She said.

“That wasn’t spray!” he spluttered “We might as well have jumped into the damned fall itself.”

“Now there’s an idea.” Katie mused “I reckon they’d let you if we asked.”

“Yeah, I mean I already did one plunge to my supposed death into icy water.” Steve looked at her “What’s another?”

“Ooh was that sarcasm?” Katie looked at him and he rolled his eyes.

“Maybe.” He shrugged and she laughed, shaking her head.

“Come on, we can head back up and grab a coffee. Take in the view where we’re safe and dry.”

Together they weaved their way back through the visitors, and Katie’s eyes were taken by a gang of people who were all pointing at Steve and nudging one another. “Don’t bother.” She said loudly, and they looked at her, frowning “It’s not him. He just looks very similar. Makes a killing as tribute act.”

“What are you talking about?” Steve looked at her.

“Tell you in a bit.” She said, grabbing his elbow and steering him up a small path towards a small outdoors coffee stall. “What’s your poison?”

“Erm..” he frowned “Just normal…I…”

“Can I get a large Latte and an Americano.” Katie turned back to the barista “You want cream or…”

“Please.” He nodded. He’d drunk it black mostly when on tour in the army, but that was because there wasn’t much of an option for any other way. She nodded to the barista, thanked him and reached for her purse.

“Oh, I’ll get it.” Steve said quickly, fishing his wallet out and handing over a note. Katie looked at him, smiled and thanked him and they moved further down to wait for their coffee. “So who makes a killing as a tribute act?”

“You.” She shrugged “Well, so I told them. They’d recognised you, I think.”

“Oh.” Steve looked around “Right…”

“It’s ok, I threw them off.” She said, smiling and taking the drink. She moved over to the table at the side, adding a sugar to hers and stirring. Steve did the same, another thing that had never been possible in the war and once they were sorted the two of them headed over to the little viewing area, which gave a safe look out over the expanse of the waterfalls.

“You’re right, it really is beautiful” Steve said, taking a sip of his coffee, his aviators placed on his face.

“Yeah, I like it.” Katie smiled.

“You come here often or…”

“Not been for years. “ She said “In fact, the last time was just after my 21st. Me and Tony came for a day out…well, I say day, we actually stayed over. Made a weekend of it. It was fun.”

“Fun.” Steve repeated. “Yeah, I remember that…”

Katie sighed “You know, I get that you’re pissed and confused, I would be as well Steve but you’re being your own worst enemy now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, a little defensively. She turned to him, completely nonplussed by his tone and eyed him shrewdly

“You know, there’s a quote from one of my favourite films that sums up you and your ‘situation’” she framed the words with quotation marks using her fingers “…perfectly.” She looked at him, “You can either get busy living, or get busy dying.”

Steve took a deep breath, his face still trained on hers and she saw him swallowing a little.

“The world has changed Steve, there’s no escaping that.” She said gently, reaching out to take his hand, giving it a little squeeze “But that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.”

She watched as he took a deep breath and turned away from her, his hand still linked in hers as he looked back over the waterfall. He didn’t reply.

Katie wiped at her eyes as Tony dropped an arm round her shoulder, totally swept up in the emotion. “Fuck…” she swallowed, “I…”

“I know.” Tony said gently as she leaned into him, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“He just looks so…” Katie glanced at Steve “Defeated. That’s exactly how he looked in Wakanda when…” She trailed off “I hate seeing him like this.”

“I know but remember this didn’t last long.” Tony said gently “You got through to him.”

“Big time.” Natasha said, gently “This was a pivotal moment. He always told me that The Shawshank Redemption was a personal favourite of his, and this is why.”

“Yeah, I know. He’s told me.” Katie sniffed “In fact, he told me not long after we started dating that this moment was what made him kick himself up the ass, realise that he had to try and move forward. It’s why we came back here a few times….but it didn’t make it any easier for him you know? He still struggled…”

“No, but you did.” Natasha looked at her “You made it a hell of a lot easier for him. You know this.”

Katie nodded “Yeah, like I say, he’s told me plenty of times. Still, guess he had no option. Not like he could go back was it?”

“Well, he could have.” Tony shrugged “When I cracked Time Travel…”

“No I mean at the time.” Katie shot Tony a glare. “Stop being facetious…”

“Yeah, about that…that isn’t strictly true either. Well, maybe not the Time Travel thing but…” Natasha trailed off as Katie looked at her, frowning.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see.” Nat smiled “Come on.”

Katie looked at Tony who simply shrugged before she tossed a glance back over to her past self who was now stood with Steve, both engaged in a conversation. She fondly recalled how it had taken a lighter turn, Katie telling Steve about her experiences in London, and he his, both of them sharing a laugh about how the two were very different. She made a mental note to tell him they needed to come back to Niagara soon, with the kids this time. Jamie, Rori and Harry would love it. With a final, fond look at the back of her soldier, she turned and followed her friend and brother towards the car.

*****

“Now this takes me back.” Katie smiled, fondly looking around the inside of Steve’s New York apartment that SHIELD had put him up in. It was clean and tidy, nothing out of place. Not unlike his home in DC had been, well, that is until she had descended upon it and caused chaos. She used to take great delight in moving things around and seeing how long it took him to notice and especially wearing odd socks which she would flash when she kicked off her sneakers and either dropped her feet onto the coffee table or up on the sofa besides him. He had hated that, so much so that for her birthday the first year he’d known her, he’d jokingly bought her a bumper pack of the items which were labelled with the days of the weeks on. More fool him though, as she’d simply mixed them all up and started wearing them on the wrong days. Rori now wore odd socks too, copying her, and Steve simply rolled his eyes every time he saw it, chuckling to himself. Just another way he had come so far from the uptight man he had been all those years ago.

She wheeled round as she saw Steve walk into the apartment, in the same outfit as she had been in at Niagara. She glanced at the calendar on the wall and realised it was the same day, this must have been the night they had gotten home.

Curiously, she followed him into the kitchen where he pulled out a beer and popped the lid with his hand.

“Show off.” Tony mumbled and Katie snorted.

“He still does that you know, not all the time but…when he’s feeling like wants to be particularly macho…” Katie smiled fondly.

The three of them watched as Steve sat down at the small table, both his large hands cradling his drink as he sat still, his eyes fixated on a spot on the wall, his face deep in concentration. Katie felt her chest contract a little, he looked so damned lost.

He reached for his phone, pulling it out, looking at it. It was a Samsung, Katie had shown him how to use it, she remembered and she also remembered showing him how to take photos with it, which she knew he’d done at Niagara, testing it out.

This was strange for her to watch, as she hadn’t been here for this moment previously. So she couldn’t know for sure what he was thinking as he looked at his phone. She took a step towards him, peering over his shoulder as she peered down at what he was looking at. It was a picture of the water fall he’d taken as they stood with a coffee, and then he swiped to the next one which was the first ‘selfie’ of the pair of them ever taken, one which still sat in a frame on the side in their hallway. Steve had crouched down to get into the frame, as Katie couldn’t quite reach far enough otherwise and he’d smiled, a little awkwardly, but it made for a good shot all things considered. She’d teased him relentlessly about being the Poster Boy of the damned War, but being so shit at actually taking a photo. So much so at one point he’d threatened to throw her over the railing. She’d laughed than and slapped his arm, drawing a chuckle from him in response.

Steve gave a little sigh as he looked at the photo, before he turned the screen off, drained his beer and pushed his chair back from the table. Picking up his jacket he left, locking the door behind him.

“What…” Katie looked at Natasha who nodded to the door.

Katie frowned, opened it and stepped through…and found herself in an office. Only this wasn’t at the Triskellion, it was at their base in New York. Steve was stood in front of Fury, who was lounging in a chair.

“I take it from the demand to see me immediately you’ve come to a decision?” Fury eyed Steve and the soldier took a deep breath.

“Yes, I have Sir.”

“And?”

“I don’t want to go back into stasis.” Steve spoke clearly “I was tempted but, well, I’ve been given a second shot at my life. I owe it to those men who didn’t not to throw it away.”

Fury took a deep breath and nodded “Good, I’m glad. Like I said a few months back, the world could still use a man like you Captain Rogers.”

Steve nodded “I’ll take the position in SHIELD it it’s still open. Just tell me where I need to be and when.”

Fury smiled “Consider it done.”

“Thank you.” Steve said, before he nodded to the door “I’ll see myself out.”

As he turned to go, Fury stopped him “I’m curious…what changed your mind, other than owing it to the dead?”

Steve hesitated and turned to the Director, a small smile on his face “Let’s just say I had my eyes opened. The world has changed, but it’s still a beautiful place.”

Katie’s breathing was deep as she watched Steve leave the office, “He…he was going…” the words caught in her throat as she looked at Natasha, completely in shock at the scene she had just watched.

Natasha nodded “Fury offered him the chance to go into stasis, to be frozen again, and brought back out if we ever needed him.”

“Like Hydra did with Barnes.” Tony said gently.

“He never told me that.” Katie sniffed, her eyes stinging with tears “He never mentioned any of this to me, I can’t…”

At that point she began to cry and she turned to Tony who wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed into his chest. The thought that he had felt so lost he had even considered this broke her damned heart and she couldn’t stop the tears as they continued to fall. And more so, she couldn’t understand why he had never told her.

“ ‘I’m only strong because you’re by my side’…remember those words?” Tony said gently.

“Of course I do.” Katie sniffed and wiped her eyes “It was in his wedding speech…”

“Exactly.” Tony smiled, reaching up to brush her tears away with his thumbs. “You gave him the strength to keep going when everything he knew, everyone he knew was lost.”

“Without you being there Steve would have ended up as nothing more than a Soldier, wheeled out by SHIELD when they needed him.” Natasha said gently “It’s twisted, I know, given Barnes’ history but that’s the way it is. Captain America would have been SHIELD’s version of the Winter Soldier. By showing him there was a life to live, he made that decision to damned well live it.”

Katie took a deep, shaky breath “I wanna go home.” She said gently “I wanna wake up, I’ve seen enough. I want my kids, I want Steve…”

“Just give us one more stop.” Tony said, softly “One more…please Kiddo, there’s something else I want you to see.”

Katie looked away as more tears brimmed in her eyes before she glanced back at her brother then to Natasha.

“I can’t…” “Do you trust me?” Tony looked at her and she sighed.

“Of course I do.”

“Then let me show you one last memory. And then…well, then we can say goodbye.”

“Jesus Christ Tony.” Katie cried, her voice cracking “Don’t say it like that.”

“Hey, look at me.” Her brother instructed, and she turned to face him, swallowing as tears poured down her face, her chest aching with raw emotion “You know this was never permanent. We’re gonna have to go at some point.”

“I know…I just…” Katie shook her head, stepping back a bit and wiping her eyes. She glanced back over at Fury who was furiously talking into his phone, most likely to Coulson from the snippets she caught as he discussed Steve and she took a deep breath, steeling herself and turning to Tony.

“Ok, let’s get this over with.”

“That’s the spirit.” Tony smiled, dropping an arm round her shoulder.

As they headed into the corridor, Tony looked around, taking the surroundings in as they walked to the elevator.

“Do you remember my speech?” he asked as he hit the ground floor button. “At your wedding, I mean.”

“Of course I do.” Katie said “I remember yours, Steve’s Sam’s…Steve nearly died at Sam’s comment about being friends with Captain America doubling your chances of getting laid”

“Yeah, it was pretty funny, but mine was better.” Tony said flippantly, and Katie rolled her eyes, snorting a little as the elevator doors closed.

[georgemackayhey]

Worth Fighting For (Part: 3)

summary: You're entirely certain George is the one. So he hasn't got to put up much of a fight... but in a way, that's all he knows to do.

a/n: I've been so busy!? But like I said, I'm commited to this story so here's part three! Gotta build up that drama..... Some true blue (probably poorly written) boxing content is about to be unleashed. So I've got a question.... would yall mind if the next chapter was written from Georg's point of view? Please let me know!

w/c: 3k

Part 2

───※ ·❆· ※───

The end of another weekend like the one before was shifted by the excitement of a party. The kids had completed their run of the Peter Pan musical, and you made it out to see the last show. All the dances you'd thought up for the musical were made better by the kids who nailed each move, young and old. And when it was over you invited the lot to come to the studio to celebrate all their hard work. You bought sweets and streamers and played music and danced all night long.

And when the kids had packed up and headed home, little Louis was still lingering near the door, standing on his tiptoes to peer out of the glass. You stalled in the middle of your clean up to meet him.

"Your mom isn't here yet, huh?" You knelt to meet him. His big brown eyes looked up into yours as his bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

"Danny is supposed to come get me. He forgot." Louis whimpered, fighting tears. You commiserated and pulled the kid into a hug, assuring that his big brother couldn't have forgotten and was likely just running late. After a quick call to the kids mother, who assured she'd track Danny down and send for Louis, you kept the music playing and offered him an extra slice of left over cake. You even danced around a little more, and taught Louis a watered down fouette that he nailed in the first couple of tries.

But when you glanced up at the clock another hour had passed and the worry in your gut that you'd been trying to suppress was sprouting. As you thought of who to call, there was a knock on the door as it creaked open.

It was Geogre, who you were just as surprised to see as Louis.

"Figured you might want help cleaning up." George grinned, easing into the room. Since the night you spent with him, you stayed two more days in George's flat. When your power finally came back on, you didn't have an excuse to stay any longer, and Geogre let you leave without begging otherwise. The last thing he said to you was that he'd pop round the studio this weekend, to help clean up the party you were planning.

But you didn't take his word for it. You figured he was just offering a polite farewell. You figured you wouldn't hear from him for the rest of the week, and you hadn't. You knew George wasn't like the other people you'd been with. But you didn't expect him to be as good as your imagination made him out to be, either. Nothing ever was. So how, despite your other predictions coming true, did George keep surprising you?

But before you could smile back at the guy you hadn't stopped thinking of since you broke your bloody hand, a question flashed urgently to mind.

"Hey, do you have Danny's number?" You asked, when George's big blue eyes landed curiously on Louis, who stood clutching your bright yellow sweatpants despite having met the brooding blonde once before.

George pulled his phone from his pocket in a flash, after shooting you a sure look. The way you could read his eyes then sent a chill down your spine. You hadn't seen him since he'd made you feel at home in his very own bed. You weren't sure how to act, now.

But before George could raise his phone to his ear, Danny strolled in the door.

"Louis, I'm sorry." He seemed to pant, resting his hands on his knees as you felt the kid relax at your side.

"Nice of you to make it." You frowned, unable to greet him happily. Danny was a nice guy, but this wasn't like him. It cracked your heart to see little Louis so worried, even though he smiled as he ate his extra bit of cake.

"I lost track of time on my run. Cross my heart it won't happen again." Danny nodded to you, seemingly truly apologetic. The dark headed fellow ushered his kid brother to grab his shoes so they could hit the road. And after a polite farewell, Danny and Louis were gone. You and George were left alone.

"Danny started his run before I left the gym, today." George noted, turning his curious gaze from the empty doorway to you.

You didn't want to worry. But something wasn't right. You knew Danny well enough to know that. But not enough to gossip. So you nodded past your furrowed brow and moved to start cleaning up. George followed your lead.

"You didn't have to come and help. But it's nice you did." You noted. There wasn't much to do. Tear down the dozen streamers, toss the rubbish and turn the lights out. No sooner than you'd had the trash in the bin, George had yanked down the streamers, and left them to rest on a shelf in the far back corner.

"Well I left my bag in the gym, so I did have to come back round here anyway." He explained, walking toward you as you turned to listen, "And I did tell you I'd be by to help." George didn't quite smile, but you noticed the turn of his lip and recognized the way his bright blue eyes lit up. As he stalled a step away, you glanced down for a beat to hide your blush.

"Both excuses just to see you again, of course." Geogre's voice softened as his piercing blue eyes locked on yours. You bit your lip to stall from bursting into nervous laughter.

"Oh yeah?" You asked, a small chuckle escaping. George rose a brow, reached over to switch the lights out and nudged your toward the gym to collect his things. You shuffled along, perhaps too quickly, with your shoes in hand, and sat on the bench along the wall to slide them on.

You let out a sigh mentally cursing yourself for putting off buying cheap slide on sneakers, because tying these was a hassle in your current one handed state. George heard you grumbling, crouched without question, and reached for the laces of your shoes.

"Two more weeks in this thing, then I won't need you anymore." You chuckled, resting your nonfunctional hand in your lap. You got to take the brace off whenever you pleased, but your doctor recommended another 14 day's worth of support. That meant another 14 days of feeling terribly embarrassed for how long it took you to do most basic things single-handedly.

As he pulled your laces into a bow George said, "But I'll still be around, so you better get used to it." The sweet smile he gave you settled your soul and sent your heart into a frenzy all the same. Where did the two of you stand? Just then, the entry door jostled open.

"What are you two still doing here?" Barney asked, with a hand on his chest, startled to find folks in the gym at such odd hours, relieved it was only you two all the same. The older man let the door shut as he shuffled in for a chat, you presumed.

It was a treat to see him, as you hardly seemed to these days. It was like none had passed since your last chat with the owner of this place, your safe haven, as his crooked smile shone your way. Sure he was a little older and his beard was peppered with white patches, but he was still the brilliant supportive fellow who'd talked more than most of the gym and studio patrons to stick around and be their best selves.

"Just another late night." George shrugged, standing from his spot on the floor at your feet. You started reaching for your jacket as George grabbed the bag he'd forgotten.

Barney explained he'd stopped by to do some paperwork in his office. Apparently, some big annual event was coming up, where all kinds of fighters from nearby states worked toward winning the top title and a pretty penny. You listened to the old man's rambles and watched his eyes glisten as he spoke of the excitement of it all. You wondered what kind of boyhood dream he might have had of the event he spoke of so fondly.

George listened too, offering Barney small grins as he collected his things.

"I know you're weary these days... but don't you miss it?" Barney asked George in a cautious yet obviously hopeful tone.

"I've got nothing to fight for, mate." George let out a small laugh, sliding his bag over his shoulder.

"S'that so?" Barney asked. The room fell silent for a beat as you stood to leave, catching Barney's curious gaze set on you. But before you could leave, the old gym owner had more to say.

"I'm looking for someone to sponsor, George." Barney shifted in his place, glancing at the guy at your side.

"I'm a trainer. Why shouldn't I sponsor someone?" George countered. You stood watching the unexpected standoff, biting your tongue.

"Because you could win this whole thing. You nearly did before throwing in the towel." Barney grew passionate, the sparkle in his eye shining brighter. "Even after all this time, you're better than half the meatheads who've been working for this."

George nodded, but not in agreeance, only in understanding. In a flash, you recalled all the things he'd told you about boxing, so far. Why he loved it. Why he hated it. What it all meant to him. You had no idea what might have been running through his mind now, though.

"It would be a shame for all your talent to go to waste in your prime." Barney challenged. "And winning... it's a lot of money. You could by your future and call this whole scene off for good; leave this moldy gym behind and paint all day, or press your own books or whatever hobby retirees pretend to like."

Barney started to back away as his speech came to an end, reaching for the door to the hall. George reached for your hand, all the same. The only one he could hold. He'd never done that, before.

"Just think about it, yeah?" Barney finished, opening the door, raising his brow and locking eyes with George before shuffling away. "And turn the lights out, you hooligans."

You let a small laugh escape your lips as you were left alone in the gym once more. You bit your lip and glanced up to George who was stood, already looking to you.

"What are you thinking?" You asked in a hush, curling your fingers around his a little tighter.

"I think it's time we head home," George spoke with a shy grin. He stepped toward the door that hadn't shut all the way, and turned the lights out. You floated along in a love-struck haze, glancing at the glowing light from the end of the hall where lied Barney's office, and wondered what the morning would bring.

///

You stayed with George that night, and spent it like the ones before. You woke up and weren't afraid to scurry about the kitchen and make some morning meal. Sadie wove between your feet, meowing in response to some of your questions about where on earth the salt and pepper might be hiding. George awoke to the sound of the kettle whistling and padded in to find you'd set out an impressive spread of things Geogre hadn't even realized he'd had the stock to create with.

He poured your tea, saying something about how he wanted to feel like he was helping, and the two of you ate in a comfortable quiet. He asked about your week ahead, and you asked about his, and then you decided to see yourself out. Because you wanted nothing more than to stay right where you were, but you couldn't overstay your welcome.

George let you go without much more than a pleasant goodbye, and you wondered what the hell was going on. He obviously liked you enough to bring you home, more than once. And your own feelings were seriously sickening.

You tried not to worry much. In fact as you went about your usual routine, you felt glad that you'd gotten the chance to know George as well as you had. If nothing more came of your knowing him, you could only feel elated that you had, in some very lucky ways.

You tidied up your home, called your landlord to send for an electrician, and headed out to the studio. You taught kids to dance, and went to the local college to help the newly established cheerleading squad stick to a certain rhythm. You were talked into thinking up a program for the local nursing home, by one of the mothers who stuck around to watch you teach her child one on one. All the while, you tried not to worry when Louis wasn't showing up as often, and took his mother's word that his schooling was becoming more intense. And then you went home at the end of every day to something falling apart, much like usual. You'd come to treasure the bus ride to your place; the calm before the storm of stepping foot into the dingy old flat.

When the weekend came and ended, George was at the end of the hall, waiting for you. A routine you'd grown fond, and a little tired of. Would you be stuck in this loop with him, forever? You accepted his offer to DeAngelos with a grin, and felt bad that you couldn't invite him over to your place, in turn. Not if he enjoyed staying warm and didn't mind the sound of melting snow dripping from at least one place in every room.

"It's the holidays. What do you normally do for them?" George asked on another drive to your beloved weekend restaurant, at the end of another mundane week. Only this time, the town square was setting up fairy lights and plastic snowmen as Geogre drove by.

"Not much, these days." You shrugged, already dreading the coming week your landlord would be an ocean away, with his family, leaving you quite literally, in the dark.

"Good." George said. It made you laugh. He invited you to come and stay on Christmas eve. You tried to pretend it wasn't a big deal, but agreed in a hurried manner, in case too much silence set in and changed his mind to take back the offer.

So you stayed with him that night.

And then the next.

And the next.

And one morning you woke up and realized a whole week had passed, and you'd been totally unaware of anything besides George. Besides the way he'd taken to holding you close as you fell asleep. The way he'd wake earlier than you to make breakfast, even when you tried to beat him to it. Even the way he kept to himself, as you watched films or sat in the quiet of the same rooms. He'd shoot you a look with those crystal blue eyes and you'd feel dangerously right at home.

So one night, when the threat of another average work week was one sleep away, you got the guts to say something.

"I could tell you that my shower stopped working. And my ceiling is leaking. Or, I could just tell you I really like staying with you, anyway." You grinned, lingering in the kitchen doorway. George looked up from whatever he was so concentrated on making and said,

"Good."

It made you giggle.

"I wouldn't like to see you go." He added, before waving you over to try the recipe he'd been working on.

So you stayed with him that month. And you shared his bed. But nothing else had much changed. You went about your separate jobs and duties. You met up for dinner, and chatted over things you always used too. And then you'd go to sleep.

It perplexed you, but you knew better than to question what was going on between the two of you. And you were too scared of ruining a good thing by pushing to make it better so you didn't curl into his side unless he pulled you in first. And you didn't ask any of the millions of questions you had unless he'd approach the topic himself, and those times were more rare than anything.

And in between it all, there was the hell hole of a place you called your own apartment. On trips over to collect a new set of nightclothes or switch out the buckets that caught the numerous leaks, you didn't know what to do. This place was only worth it, because it's all you could afford. You still needed to save up for another year to even dream of moving. Even though it was a mess, it was all you had.

As you sat going through bills and junk mail, a knock came on your door. You rushed over to answer it, ready to give your landlord an earful. But your slimey, frail landlord wasn't looming in the doorway. Instead, you found George with a worried expression on his pretty sculpted face.

"I've been trying to call you for ages." He spoke, batting the hood of his jacket away and stepping past you, inside. He'd been around a couple times, but only to help you shut the broken window, and another to bring you back to his place. You hated to let him in, though you kept the place clean and in order, it felt as if you were living in a damp cardboard box.

"My phone died," You sniffled, wrapping your sweater a little tighter around your frame to beat the cold. You could have charged it, but sure enough as you plugged something into an outlet your power would have gone out. So you didn't.

You followed George's lead toward the kitchen where you'd only just come from. He took in a seat in the chair you'd been sat in sorting through the mail, and before you could pull out the other seat, George latched onto you. He pulled you to his lap without a word, and ran his strong hands along your arms in an effort to stop you from freezing. You dared not question it. You only settled against his chest and lost yourself in the feeling of George's embrace.

"What did you need?" You wondered after a while, keeping your head tucked against his shoulder. George kept his hands traveling against your arms, slower than before, but still. You could feel the rumble of his gentle response when he spoke.

"I wanted to ask you something."

You meekly encouraged George to go on, and stayed glued to his side. He stilled his movements to loosely wrap his arm around your middle.

"I've been thinking of what Bareny said." George spoke softly. You rose a brow and waited. After a beat of silence George asked,

"If I do it... if I say yes," George chose his words with great care, and you felt his fingers curl around the fabric of your sweater. "Would you be there?"

You had to peel yourself from him now. You had to see his piercing blue eyes lock onto yours.

"Of course I'd be there." You said, searching his face and the barely unchanged furrow of his brow.

"Why would you ask that?" You wondered through a small grin. Hadn't you made it obvious you were well attached to George by now? That you'd go any place he so much as nodded you toward following along?

He searched your face now too, keeping one of his fists balled around the fabric of your top, and the other of his hands wrapped around you.

"No one ever used to come." George shrugged. "Well, my dad just the once." You thought back to the photo framed in the hall of George's home, as he spoke to the tune of the drip of your ceiling. "But then he passed and... well there was no one. And that's why I stopped."

George explained that coming home to an empty house night after night seemed to make his aches and pains from all the fights seem even harder to handle. He said it wasn't worth it, hurting all the time. He said he wasn't sure if it was worth even thinking about now, but that he couldn't get Bareny's offer off his mind.

When he'd finished saying the most at once than he ever really had, you placed both hands, even the bandaged one, on either side of his face and felt George's arm tighten around your middle.

"Whatever you decide, I'll support you. I'll be there if you go. And I'll be here if you stay."

You watched George watch you with those brilliant eyes of his, and felt his calloused hands pull you ever closer toward him. You could tell, somehow, that George had already made up his mind. And you realized that even though you couldn't tell what was running through his head, that you'd managed to learn how to read him, and a wave of some kind of contentment washed over you.

And after stamping an assured kiss to his lips, George moved to stand, nudging you to do the same. Then he said,

"Get your things. Let's go home."

───※ ·❆· ※───

taglist: @haileymorelikestupid​​  @maria-josefin​​​ @imaginesandyeah​​​ @queen-bunnyears​ @okaymackay​

[bottleofspilledink]

God's Watching, Put on a Show || Chapter III

"All students please gather at the gymnasium for some announcements." Mary's voice rang over the speakers.

As student council president, most of her mornings were spent in the nun's office, going over papers for school events, speaking through the announcement system, and snooping through files to get dirt on people she saw as beneath her.

How did Eve know about all this? Mary herself would tell her and Elizabeth while they did each other's hair, shedding her holier-than-thou exterior whenever they were safely tucked away in her room.

"Let's go?" Elizabeth said, getting up from the bench. The gym was far from the courtyard and if they wanted to make it there in time, they'd have to go now.

"Mmhm." Eve packed her books and they left the courtyard, listening to her friend blab on about the boy she was meeting in secret.

Boyfriends were against the rules. Having one would lead to dire consequences, that included, but we're not limited to: a conference with your parents, a lecture on chastity, a lecture on God's plan for man and woman, a lecture on marriage, and a forced separation of the student that was caught and the boy.

Girlfriends were also against the rules. Though the consequences of having one were much worse than the other. Punishment for that might include, but isn't limited to: a lecture on God's plan for man and woman, a lecture on marriage, becoming a social pariah, being sent to conversion therapy, being disowned by your parents, or death, either by their hand or yours.

"You know, if you're not careful, you could end up pregnant."

The girl only scoffed at the notion. "As if! He always pulls out before finishing, so we'll be fine."

They turned a corner and were nearly separated as others entered alongside them.

"Besides," Elizabeth before she went off to find her section's line, "if he gets me pregnant, then he can't leave!"

Eve found her place in line and wondered if a child would compel him to stay with her or make him hate her for tying him down.

After all, she often heard her mother and her friends complain about the unfaithful husbands they were forced to stay with, complaining about how men hated settling down.

They would warn her not to trust boys, not to date them, while still silently knowing that one day, she would end up just like them, obligated with children they never wanted and unhappily married with men they could never leave lest they anger their God.

But of course, it sounded terrible when you said it like that.

Eve was certain it was better experienced than she thought it to be.

At least, she liked to hope it was.

They would get their just rewards in heaven, or so the women thought, sipping at their wine and laughing at the picture of their husbands and their mistresses burning in hell fire.

Eve knew however, from hushed sobs she would hear, late, late into the nights her father wasn't home that they were all insecure, sad, angry, and so, so, unfulfilled.

They didn't have the youth or beauty of their husband's mistresses.

They wept at the love letters they used to get with promises of eternal love.

They were angry for being treated like they were disposable.

But most of all they felt cheated, robbed of the futures they should have had.

Eve's mother was going to be a realtor agent before she decided to be a housewife instead.

Her friend, Nancy, was supposed to be an English teacher before she got married to her brother's friend.

And her friend, Amy, a nineteen year old fresh out of high school, was supposed to take a degree in arts before she got pregnant near the end of her senior year.

It was all Eve could think about while the set up for what seemed like an abrupt student assembly happened around her.

This was her future.

And she was going to have to grin and bear it if she wanted to keep her precious God's love.

She was usually able to forget about what awaited her after graduation. With years of practice, finding something else to put her mind to wasn't so hard.

But Elizabeth chattering on about her new boyfriend had made the topic unavoidable. And while Eve was able to tune a good deal of it out, her friend had simply teased her, saying she was so distracted because she had a boyfriend of her own to think about.

In reality, she was thinking about Lilith.

What she had heard of her from Mary, from the other gossiping girls, and what she thought she was like from her own experience.

(And, just maybe, her mind still lingered on the sliver of skin that had revealed itself when she stretched. But that stays between us.)

The speeches and announcements went through one ear and exited the next as Eve had yet to pull her head from the clouds, hearing all that was said but not registering a word.

When the people around her stood, she rose a second later, not fully out of her daze. Though the moment they left the gym, she could tell something important had happened.

"I can't believe they're really doing this to us," a girl she passed by lamented, "it's like they think we're first graders or something."

The grumbling came from everyone in the halls but Eve had yet to hear enough to understand it all.

"There you are!" Mary said, pushing through a small crowd to get to her.

"What did you think of the announcement?" She panted, cheeks bright pink and devoid of their usual cover-up. The morning announcements must have given her no time to do her make up.

"I didn't hear it, the girls next to me were too noisy." That was partially true, Eve reasoned to herself, she really hadn't heard anything but not because of the noise.

"Just tell me what I need to know."

"Alright," Mary sighed, though she wasn't sure if it was one of frustration or if she was just out of breath. If the courtyard was far from the gym, more so the nun's office.

"Basically, the nuns have created a sort of buddy system where two girls would be paired together, given the same schedule, and are tasked with watching over each other and reporting any offences they commit." She explained as they strolled leisurely through the cloisters.

"They say it's to keep us from temptation and build a sense of community..." She leaned in closer to whisper. "But between you and me, it's so that they can find out who started the fire."

"What's gonna happen to them?"

"Hmm?"

"The people who started the fire, I mean."

"Going by word of mouth, they're going to be expelled and maybe even sued." Eve could hardly believe the excitement in Mary's voice. A court case would only lead to more papers to peek at for her and endless suffering to the girl who it was for.

"But that's not what I came here to talk about," she said, crowd around them thinning.

"I just wanted to warn you."

"What?"

"You got paired with Lilith Damien, you know, the troublemaker?" She put in her locker combination and yanked her bag out. "She's one of the suspects and even if she wasn't, she's still a bit of a problem student."

"Okay, but why'd you need to warn me? I don't think she's going to hurt me, that would get her suspended."

Mary raised a no longer so perfect eyebrow at her, green eyes narrowing. The look she sent her made Eve feel like was nothing more than a daft cow or a brain dead five year old.

"You don't know that! Look, I'm warning you become she's... well, you know." Mary's tone softened in implication.

"She's what?"

"That she's, you know," She nudged Eve with her elbow, hard bone pressing into her soft sides rather painfully.

"No, Mary, I don't know. Just tell me."

"Alright, alright. The thing is, Lilith's a," she cupped a hand to Eve's ear and leaned in close, her breath hot as her small bust pressed against her friend's arm, "lesbian."

The word was uttered like it was a curse, despicable and dirty. No better than a disease that plagued the weak-willed and the depraved.

And to Mary, it was just that.

Eve visibly paled at the word, going completely stiff as nerves took over her body.

"I know, I'm just as disgusted out as you are."

"H-How did you even know?" Her palms grew damp and her fingers reached for her hair instinctively, twiddling with the ends and wrapping it around her finger so strongly that the tip turned a vivid red.

"Margaret said she saw her and the exchange student making out in the library last year."

"Ah..." Eve didn't know the validity of Margaret's claims, but if she was basing it off of past experience, it wasn't much more than the gum on her shoe.

"So be careful, okay? I don't want you being taken advantage of..."

As mean as Mary could be sometimes, Eve knew she had her best interests at heart and nodded, if only for show.

They may have only met, but she trusted Lilith enough to know that she wouldn't intentionally harm her.

"Good. I'm gonna go, can you head to class on your own?"

"I'll be fine," Eve said, Mary promptly leaving after.

She had arrived just in time for Sister Eunice entered the moment she sat down.

The next few hours were spent in a constant state of questioning, paying little to no mind to what was being taught.

Was she now scared of Lilith because she was rumored to be a.... that? (Not even in the privacy of her mind could she say that word. It was as if evem thinking it would be an admission of some sort. Though one does not need an admission to be a that.) She didn't think herself to be. After all, it was fine to have homosexual thoughts, as long as you didn't act on them.

Though apparently, Lilith had already acted on the thoughts... this didn't quite faze Eve either.

Was that going to pose a problem?

"Probably not," she reasoned to herself.

Mary told Eve to be careful, not scared.

Did that say anything about Eve? For her own sake, she hoped not.

Even in her most absurd thoughts did she think that Lilith could be a that.

She looked nothing like the ones they were taught about. She didn't have short hair, or tattoos, or piercings. She wasn't ugly to the point that she would repulse men. Far from it.

Eve thought she looked gorgeous. Who wouldn't? With her sharp, alluring features mixed with soft skin and fiery, red hair that shone beautifully in the sun, the girl could have anyone.

In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if she found out that Lilith already had a boyfriend.

Just disappointed.

Though, of course, she would never admit this.

Not even to herself.

Similar things flitted in and out of her mind until the lunch bell forced her back to reality.

"Class dismissed, girls." The nun packed her papers and left, other's quickly following suit.

Since it was Wednesday, Eve didn't share her lunch block with Mary or Elizabeth.

For her, this meant either awkwardly asking someone if she could sit at their table, or skipping the humiliation altogether and sneaking her food into the library.

Today, she opted for the second option. She got in line, grabbed two sandwiches and left, all the while stuffing them into her messenger bag.

"Good afternoon, Sister Deborah."

"Welcome back, Eve." The elderly nun by the front desk said to her softly, quite used to her presence here.

The nun's would never let it on, but it was an unspoken truth between them that Eve was a favourite of theirs. All who taught her knew she was an absolute delight. She was smart, well-mannered, pious, and all around a good girl.

The blonde made her way to her usual seat, waving at Sister Anne on the way. She was one of the few nuns here to have taken a vow of silence, thus the usual greetings wouldn't do.

Eve got to her spot, only to find that it had been taken up by what had occupied her mind all day.

"Lilith."

"Something you need, Eve?" She was smirking, leaning deeper into the plush armchair, positioning herself in such a way could almost be considered lounging, a show of relaxation she should covet.

Now, in most situations, Eve could be considered a pacifist. She was rarely assertive, never wanting to cause a fuss. It was considered rude, improper, and it just wasn't what a good Christian would do, disturb others.

There were very few things in the world she would stand up for.

This was one of them.

"That's my spot."

Lilith's eyes widened at that, then a short bark of laughter that echoed through the silent space came from her and she rose.

"And so it is."

She then sank into the armchair beside it, the scratchy one, if Eve remembered correctly, and melted into it, seemingly unaffected by the patchy fabric.

"Thank you." Eve sat down in her rightful place only after smoothing her skirt over, bag plopped onto her lap.

She was about to pull out the food when she was suddenly reminded of Lilith's presence by the all too familiar sound of shifting cloth.

As good an actor she was, the itch would get her soon enough.

"You know, you don't need to sit in an armchair. Just bring a stool over or try a different one." Eve said, trying to be helpful by stating the obvious.

"I could do that, yeah," Lilith shrugged, "but that would mean that of all the things to lose to, I lose to a chair, so I'd rather not."

"Who said everything had to be a competition?"

"Who said that everything wasn't a competition?" Lilith tapped her temple, a smirk once again etching itself onto her features.

Eve decided to play along, crossing her arms in pretend dominance. "I said so."

"And why should I listen to you?"

"Who else would you listen to?" She quipped, sharp but friendly.

The two giggled this and continued their back and forth banter, unaware of the time til Eve's eyes had strayed from Lilith's to the clock on the desk.

"Ah, the sandwiches!" Eve said in a panic, removing her arms that were pressed against her bag, surely squishing the bread.

Too worried about the mayonnaise getting all over her notebooks, she yanked them out of her bag, not bothering to think as to why she had hid them there in the first place.

"My, oh my, someone has brought food into the library," Lilith whispered, a look of mock scandal adorning her face.

"What? N-No, I was just-" Eve glanced around frantically, as if an alibi would appear on the painting of Saint Joan of Arc strung up on the wall.

"Think of something. Say something, you idiot!" Her eyes bounced from wall to wall and she found herself reaching for her hair once more.

At the genuine fear on her face, Lilith's smile dropped. "Hey, it's fine, don't worry about it. I'm kidding, Eve, really."

"I'm sorry. I don't do this often, I swear, it's just embarrassing to eat lunch alone so I thought-"

"Really, it's fine. I'm not gonna tell anybody." Lilith said, voice soft and soothing as she could make it. "Hell, I've done way worse than sneak some sandwiches in. You've got nothing to worry about here."

"Like what?"

Lilith held out her pinky. "Promise not to tell anyone?"

"I promise." Eve nodded, her own pinky reaching for Lilith's.

It sounded horrible, but hearing about how others had done worse would always make her feel better, superior. It would serve as a small reassurance that she'd yet to hit rock bottom.

Though she wasn't exactly certain she hadn't hit it already for the feeling of Lilith's finger intertwined with her was enough to send her spiralling.

"Okay, then." She leaned in close, bright hair brushing Eve's shoulders as the girl's warm fingers rested on her flushed cheek, cupping the small space between her ear and her mouth, hot breath nearly wracking Eve's body with uncontrollable and unexplainable shivers.

It felt so different from when Mary would whisper to her, though if asked to put it into words how, all you'd get was a few false starts and heavy, thought-filled silence.

The overwhelming sensation of it all nearly blocked out Lilith's words, though when they finally settled in, an explosion wouldn't have been able to block it out.

"Oh. That's... worse." It was all she could muster.

How could she possibly reply to that?

The girl laughed, an uneasy and regret filled noise that seemed so strange coming from her.

"I won't tell anyone, as promised." Eve rubbed at her pinky finger. If she wasn't mistaken, Lilith had either applied hand sanitizer just before she showed up or her hands were just so naturally soft.

"We've got about five minutes of lunch left, so if you wanna gobble those up real fast, I can be blind for a good three minutes."

She let out a breathless laugh, unwrapping the bread and offering the other to Lilith.

"What's in it?"

"Just some eggs and mayo."

"Sweet." She sat back down in her chair and they ate in silence, Eve still a bit too shaken to go back to their previous banter.

After, they shoved the mayo stained tinfoil wrapper into their pockets, crinkling with every step, their own inside joke.

The air hung heavy with unvoiced tension, as if the whispered words were a haunting presence just behind them as they walked to class.

At some point, their hips bumped together and much to their surprise, Eve burst into hysterical laughter at the noise that was crushed tinfoil.

With that, the awkwardness dissolved.  They were closer now. Bonded by secrets and sandwiches and itchy armchairs.

Eve would rather have a hundred late detentions than have this moment taken from her.

And, as she would later come to know, so would Lilith.

[seyaryminamoto]

In your opinion, what do you think is the predominant love language of Sokka and Azula? And how would they express it to each other? :)

I really don’t know much about this whole classification of love languages, if you want me to be honest xD a quick wikipedia search says it’s basically a way to break down and categorize different displays of love? And there’s five of them, apparently? I have to say frankly that, as I write them, Sokka and Azula basically do everything in that list of five languages:

Words of affirmation: one of my main must-haves in virtually any Sokkla setting, where Azula is either not redeemed or halfway there, is Sokka telling Azula she’s not a monster. As you may have noticed, that particular thing bugs Azula fans a lot, and we really wish someone would tell her she isn’t one :’D thus, one of Gladiator’s most emotional scenes in Part 1 is Azula’s mild breakdown in Ember Island where Sokka reasons with Azula’s belief of being a monster and tells her that she’s about as human as can be, and the darkness inside her isn’t anything that makes her fundamentally worse than anyone else. There’s so many scenes I could point to that feature words of affirmation they say to each other, or that they say to other people about each other *cough* look forward to chapter 187 *cough*, some of my favorites from Azula to Sokka was her reasoning for wanting to celebrate his birthday (” I've wanted to celebrate your birthday because I'm quite grateful that you were born”), as well as her later affirmation that she loves him for who he is: (”I can say, truthfully… that I love that you're a non-bender. I know it might seem strange, but… I wouldn't change anything about you"). This is without going into the ten thousand times they’ve said they love each other :’D virtually all their conversations in Part 2 end up featuring words of affirmation of one sort or another, from either of them, no matter how often they may tease each other. So... this one is pretty predominant, I suppose? 

Quality time: and see, this one happens to be Gladiator Part 2 in a nutshell. Whenever they have any time to spare (well, when Azula does, in particular), their immediate idea is to spend that free time together, in whatever capacity is possible. Outside of free time, they also work together as sponsor and gladiator, so they have their training sessions, Sokka’s fights, the events in the League... Sokka also helps her out with anything she may need (for instance, he took up a job as swordmanship teacher for the Enforcers to give Azula a hand, which still means they get to spend a bit of time together, even if she’s really busy with her new undertakings), so in the end, they spend most their time together, and they’d spend even more of it if they could. They only separate whenever they have no official justification for spending time together, such as when Sokka was still recovering from the Jeong Jeong incident, and even then they were desperate to return to each other ASAP. So... yeah, I think it’s safe to say, Gladiator-wise, they dedicate all the time they can to each other. And, as far as I’m concerned, other stories and settings could even have them spending more time together than they do in Gladiator, since there’s no Ozai breathing down their necks and threatening to kill Sokka if he finds out he’s his daughter’s secret lover. Therefore... quality time is also guaranteed.

Giving gifts: This one might be the less obvious one with Sokka and Azula, because Azula’s initial generosity (in Gladiator) answered some very specific needs: she ensured he was well fed, clothed, trained, bought him a house, found a maid for him... basically, she gave him a thousand things, but it wasn’t because she was showing she loves him, it was because she knew such things would be necessary for Sokka to offer a decent performance as a gladiator. Now then, after their initial hurdles are out of the way and their relationship has progressed, Sokka gives Azula occasional gifts but constantly struggles to come up with something she’ll genuinely cherish. He made Xin Long’s armor, he brought her flowers, he tried to cook for her, he gave her a tiny hot-air balloon, and crafted a betrothal necklace for her... he also wrote poetry, and he’ll try his hand at another artistic venture with Azula very soon. But this stuff is pretty sparse, even if Azula appreciates it a lot whenever it happens. As for Azula, she will give Sokka some pretty nice gifts very soon, just as she continues to provide for all his needs. In recent times, the gifts she’s been willing to give Sokka have been mostly non-physical ones, such as the thumbs-up she gives his crowd in his stead, once they’re leaving the Royal Dome on the day he wins against the Mad Alchemist, or ordering her Barge back into Whaletail Island’s port so Sokka could meet Katara... it’s stuff that means a lot to him, more than any physical gifts might (this, paired with the fact that Azula had offered to bring him home whenever he wished to go, without forcing him to stick to their original deal). So, maybe the gift-giving isn’t quite the classic sense of it, but it still happens in its own way. In general, I think it’s difficult for Sokka to give gifts to a Princess who basically can have it all... so that’s why he generally tries the DIY route with gifts, and so far it has paid off wonderfully because she genuinely loves everything he crafts for her. I think in most settings it’d have to be this way, and depending on Azula’s situation, she can either give him anything he wishes for or maybe resort to small but heartfelt gifts and gestures that mean a lot to the two of them.

Acts of service: this one may even tie slightly with the previous one, but frankly, as far as acts of service are concerned, these two take it the extra mile. Sokka didn’t always fight as her gladiator out of his own convictions, he started off doing it because of their deal... but as time goes by, he genuinely cherishes his role in her life and he would fight anyone for Azula’s sake, if need be. It’s, of course, a mutual thing because Azula will protect Sokka against anything, even her own father, no matter the cost. Hence, their relationship dynamics and battle couple behavior can be interpreted as acts of service for each other. Sokka, like I said before, has tried to cook for Azula too, which is a more classic act of service, as far as I can tell, and she appreciates his efforts even if not his results just yet xD in future chapters Sokka goes out of his way (in two different instances) to get lychee wine for Azula because he knows that’s the only licquor she likes, and every time he does that her heart grows twenty sizes. He also cared for her while she was sick, and she often does the same when he’s wounded, such as how she cared for him in Jeong Jeong’s arc. Sokka also tries to help her have good relations with people such as Captain Zhen, by agreeing to teach swordsmanship to his son because he hoped that would help Azula. Everything Azula did in the current Whaletail Island arc counts as well as an act of service: she’s privileging Sokka’s needs and his bond with his family well above her own needs, to the point of preparing herself to face that he might choose to stay with Katara - and she’s determined to respect his decision, if he were to make it. So, I’d say this one ranks really high, perhaps more than everything else?

Physical touch: ... but this one’s obviously a big deal too considering how damn difficult it is for them to keep their hands off each other at any given moment xD from something as innocent as walking through the Capital’s tunnels holding hands, hence, fulfilling Sokka’s wish for them to “walk through the city while holding hands”, to their very frequent intimate encounters, once these two are together they’re as good as magnets, constantly seeking contact with each other. Sokka has always struck me as a highly affectionate person once he’s with someone he genuinely loves, and so he pours that affection on Azula constantly, to the point where, in the early days of their relationship, she could barely keep up with it all. Physical touch doesn’t come quite as easily to Azula as it does to him, as she has never been someone who receives a lot of physical affection, but her attraction to Sokka has made it so she craves for him physically and on every possible level she can... therefore, despite she’s been awkward when other people show her any physical affection (often pushes Ty Lee off when Ty Lee hugs her, or remains unresponsive, barely responds to Toph’s hugs and stood limp and awkwardly the first time she did it, nearly flipped out when Ozai reached for her hand in the temple that one time, and most recently was left drawing blanks when Zuko hugged her....), she’s at ease when it’s with Sokka, so much that she welcomes his touch and everything about physical contact with him, altogether.

In short... I seriously think they do it all? You could, perhaps, rank the languages depending on which one is more predominant, to a fault xD but there’s genuinely no love language they outright don’t do, at least in Gladiator (and honestly, I doubt they don’t use all love languages in my other stories). But I guess, if you really want me to rank them...

Acts of service

Physical touch - Words of affirmation

Quality time

Gift-giving

Sorry, I really think Physical touch and Words of affirmation are virtually tied together in the story, both things tend to happen at the same time, and I really can’t bring myself to rank either thing higher, so it’s a draw. Quality time falls to #3 because they can sacrifice being together sometimes, as much as they hate doing it, but they can survive while being apart (despite Sokka would likely argue with me and say he absolutely can’t, but you know, ignore him (?)). Gift-giving, while very heartfelt and cute when it happens, is sparse, like I said... so it can stay in the last place, despite it’s still part of what they do for each other.

Is this comprehensive enough? :’D I sure hope so...

(if anyone needs me to hide this under a read more, let me know... got longer than I thought it would, woops)

[7-wonders]

A Hard Day’s Night

Summary: No matter how much you’ve wished that the ground would open up and swallow you, Friday arrives and brings along your first weekend with Michael. 

Word Count: 3584

A/N: Hello! Thanks for putting up with me and my weird schedule. I wrote way more than last chapter as a way to make up for this being so late. This is the fourth part in my ‘Mad Love’ series, which I’ll have linked down below. Thanks for reading, feedback is always appreciated and requests are always open!

Read Mad Love (part one) HERE | Read Totally F***ed (part two) HERE | Read The Isle of Flightless Birds (part three) HERE

Weekends used to be something you looked forward to. There’s probably not a person in the world who doesn’t like weekends, honestly. You can sleep in, there’s no school or work, and it’s two whole days to do whatever you want. Now, though, as you drive to the address that Michael provided you, you can’t help but feel a sense of dread. Every weekend from now to the foreseeable future, you’re going to be forced to spend with the man who kidnapped you and forced you to marry him.

While the weeks are supposed to be yours, you live under the constant fear that Michael or his goons are watching you. After what happened yesterday, you don’t doubt that he’s somehow able to watch every aspect of your life. You suppose it could be worse, though; you could have to spend every single day with him. For now, you’ll take just having to be his from Friday night to Sunday afternoon.

The long, winding driveway up to the modern-looking manor catches you by surprise; you had expected to be going to Ms. Mead’s comfy little house that she had told you about whenever you saw her at the supermarket, not this mansion. When you pull up in front of the door, you wrinkle your nose in disgust at seeing Michael’s wide smile. He’s dressed like he’s going to some fancy event, a velvet jacket completing his look. His long hair is disheveled, and you briefly wonder if he’d consider tying it up before shoving that thought out of your mind. It’s funny how excited he gets whenever you’re around, you think as he walks to open your door for you. Who would have thought that the Antichrist could have a crush.

“(Y/N), welcome.” He extends a hand, which you begrudgingly take and allow him to help you out of your car.

“Hey, Michael.” You’re not nearly as excited as he is, but you figure it’s best to play nice for now.

“I see you found the place alright?”

“The Cooperative owns this?” You ask, gesturing to the large house in front of you.

“The Cooperative bought it, but since my father owns the Cooperative, I own this.” He smirks, leading you towards the house. “Any bags?”

“Funny.” You roll your eyes. Michael, having deemed your clothes too ‘plain’ for the wife of the Antichrist, stocked a wardrobe for you at his house instead of letting you bring a bag of your own clothes. In the week that you and Michael had been married, you were quickly learning how to pick your battles. “So what’s on the agenda this weekend?”

“I figured I would give you a couple of hours to get settled in. I, uh, gave you a separate bedroom, so you can be more comfortable.” He runs a hand through his hair, and you realize that he’s nervous.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Of course.” His nerves are a moment of weakness, a chink in his seemingly impenetrable armor, and he quickly adjusts back to his collected persona. “When you’re ready tonight, we can talk more about what being my wife entails over dinner. I expect you to be dressed in the attire that we have provided for you.”

The staff all bows their heads in respect as you and Michael pass by, the man leading you up a grand staircase and towards the direction of what you’re guessing are the bedrooms.

“No Cooperative meetings this weekend though, right?” After all of the shit you’ve been through lately, it’s funny that you’re still scared of the idea of having to stand in front of a room full of people that you don’t know. Michael can sense your unease at the idea and smirks.

“None this weekend. We decided to ease you into everything.” You hate to admit it, but you’re thankful that he seems to have some sort of a heart. “Here’s your room.”

The door swings open, and it’s exactly what you’re expecting. Modern, red and black decor with the pentagram prominently displayed on the wall. It looks just like the room you first woke up in when this nightmare began, and if it wasn’t for the fact that you had driven away from the Satanic church you would think this was the same room.

“Does every room look like this?” An unspoken question dangles in the air: does your room look like this? Michael grins widely, but it’s devoid of any of the emotions that a regular smile would accompany. It’s the smile of the devil.

“Guess you’ll have to find out for yourself, won’t you?” He chuckles at the withering glare you give him, loping back towards the door and resting a hand on the silver handle. “I will come and get you in two hours, alright?”

“That’s fine.” You say without looking at him, wrapping your arms around yourself. Thankfully, Michael leaves without another word, shutting the door behind him.

Your first hour and a half at Michael Langdon’s mansion is spent sitting on the bed, staring into space. He had let you keep your phone, knowing you wouldn’t tell anyone, but you can’t bring yourself to even look at it. How can you be expected to mindlessly scroll through Twitter when you have an upcoming ‘date’ with the fucking son of Satan? Things that were once an integral part of your daily life, such as social media and books, are now trivial in your eyes. There’s a whole other, darker world out there that nobody knows about, and it feels like the wool has now been pulled back from your eyes.

You only get dressed in Michael-approved clothes when you realize that you’re literally running out of time. You’re relieved to find that, for all of the evil things Michael is, he is not a pervert. The clothes are perfectly sensible, albeit all black and red, and they’re styles that you would wear on a regular day. You slip into a pair of black leather pants that, although uncomfortable, are actually very flattering on your figure. A red flowy top slides easily over your torso, and you shove some Louboutins on your feet right as Michael knocks on the door.

“I’m impressed, you look very nice.” You frown, crossing your arms in front of your chest.

“Uh, thanks, I think?” Michael looks confused for a moment before realizing his backhanded insult.

“I didn’t mean it like that! I just-you always look nice, but I was expecting you to refuse to wear these clothes or something like that.” He rubs his hands against the legs of his pants, flustered.

“Can we go eat now, or are you going to keep stuttering out mean things?” You know it’s petty, but you can afford to act petty in this situation.

He extends an arm, his attempt at chivalry, but you push past him and walk down the stairs towards what you’re assuming is the dining room. Unfortunately, he catches up to you easily, grabbing your arm and not-so-gently pulling you towards him. The dining room is spacious, windows making up three of the four walls and providing ample lighting. A large table with at least 20 chairs sits proudly in the center of the room, and staff line the walls while they wait to serve their savior.

“I don’t get to meet papa Satan tonight?” You tease, sliding onto the chair that Michael pulls out for you.

“He’s not exactly a person, (Y/N), so it would be impossible for him to physically be here.”

“Humor’s not your strong suit, I see.” He stares at you for a moment before forcing a chuckle, but he still looks extremely confused as he walks to his own seat across from you.

The servers descend the second Michael pulls his chair in towards the table, all carrying covered dishes that they gracefully set on the table. One-by-one they unveil the food that lies beneath, a variety of soups, salads and meats. Michael eagerly starts piling food on his plate, but stops when he notices your hesitation.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just...all this food, just for the two of us? Isn’t that a little wasteful?” You question, glancing down at the napkin you’re fiddling with in your lap.

“Satan preaches giving into your wants. Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins, is it not?”

“I guess.” You shrug, still not looking up at Michael.

“Eat up, then.” He urges, digging into his own food.

You slowly start to put some food on your plate, but not nearly as much as Michael had. You’re almost angry at how good the food is, the forkful of potatoes basically melting in your mouth. Michael watches you, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

“Good?” He asks, the satisfaction clear on his face when you nod.

“It’s better than what I would normally be eating on a Friday.”

“What do you normally eat on a Friday?”

“Usually ramen.” His silence finally has you looking up, and you only flinch slightly when you meet his chilling blue eyes. “What?”

“What’s ramen?” You bark out a disbelieving laugh, Michael’s eyes lighting up at the sound.

“You’re serious?” He nods. “It’s instant noodles, you microwave them and they come with flavor packets you mix in them.”

“Are they any good?”

“I mean, they’re microwave noodles. It’s kind of self-explanatory.” You watch as Michael nods thoughtfully before going back to his food. “You never had ramen noodles after school or anything?”

Michael’s body tenses, and his knuckles whiten around the fork that he’s gripping.

“I didn’t go to a normal school growing up.” You shoot him a questioning look.

“What, is there some sort of Catholic school for Satanists?”

His fist slams against the surface of the table, making you jump. Your knee smacks against the underside of the hardwood, and you wince slightly. Michael’s shoulders rise as he breathes deeply, and you can almost see him counting to ten in his head as he attempts to calm down.

“(Y/N). Drop it.” He says sharply, still glaring daggers at his plate.

Michael’s voice somehow sounds deeper than it was seconds ago, taking on an almost growl-like tone. You stare at him, waiting for some sort of continuance, but he refuses to look up. He’s turned the tables on you with the lack of eye contact, and now you can see how annoying it really is. Doesn’t mean you’re going to stop doing it, but you see why he gets so peeved whenever you won’t look at him.

“Alright then, I’ll drop it. Can we talk about our marriage, then?” You mentally pat yourself on the back for not having to force back vomit when you say the word ‘marriage.’

“We certainly can.”

Michael only has to look towards the door for a different staff member to come through the main doors, a stack of paper in her hands. Apparently, the non-perverted wardrobe only extends to you, since this woman is wearing a little black dress that is the epitome of ‘little.’ It barely covers her ass, and her boobs are practically spilling out of the top. You watch her in bewilderment as she sets the paper next to Michael and waltzes back out the way she came, your eyes nearly bugging out of your head. Michael stifles a chuckle, bringing his hand up to his mouth to presumably hide his cheeky smile.

“The uniforms were not my idea, I assure you.”

“Who decided that those were professional?” You ask, still staring in disbelief towards the door.

“The world’s greatest CEOs, business tycoons and politicians.” Michael says simply, and you scoff.

“Straight white men.” You’re not at all shocked at this, even when Michael nods in confirmation.

“Here, this is your copy.” He slides what looks like a contract across the table to you, and you pick it up so you can properly read it.

It’s not really a contract, since you unwillingly signed your name on a marriage contract overseen by the Devil a week ago. Instead, it’s an agreement, a way for Michael to let you know just what’s expected of you, and you’re going to make sure that some things are expected of him as well.

“Can I have a pen?” You ask, holding your hand out expectantly.

“Why would you need a pen?”

“Because I’m almost certain that there’s going to be some items that we’ll have to renegotiate.” You give Michael a saccharine smile, wiggling your fingers tauntingly.

“There’s nothing to negotiate. This is merely an extension of my generosity, (Y/N). I’m allowing you to see what will be expected of you.”

“Michael.” You take a sip of your water, trying to restrain yourself from reaching across the table and strangling him. “How unfair is it that I’m going to have a bunch of rules and expectations, and you’re not?”

“It’s not unfair at all. You’re my wife.”

“Yeah, and you’re my husband.” Yep, nevermind about being able to stop yourself from vomiting in your mouth. “How about this? We can negotiate, and if you find my suggestions too crazy or outlandish then you can veto them. You just have to hear me out, though.”

Michael studies you, pursing his lips as he thinks over what you just said. He finally nods slowly, pulling a pen from one of the inner pockets of his fancy jacket. You happily take it from him, clicking it a few times for maximum annoyance.

“Thank you.” You start reading through, and almost immediately cross something out.

“Already? What’s the issue?”

“I am not dropping out of school for you!” Michael scowls, pulling out a pen for himself.

“The world’s going to end, I don’t see why you need a degree.”

“Until you actually do bring about the apocalypse, I’m staying in school. I didn’t pay thousands of dollars just to drop out when I’ve gotten this far.” Michael grits his teeth, but crosses out the line anyways.

“Fine.”

You continue to read through the contract, not seeing anything too outlandish. Attend Cooperative meetings, spend the weekends with Michael, not tell anyone that you’re forcibly married to the Antichrist; the usual.

“You’re not getting a key to my apartment.” Michael raises an eyebrow towards you.

“Would you prefer that I break in, instead?” Damn, he’s got you there.

“Alright then, but in return, I want you to stop watching my family and friends.”

“I never said that I was watching them in the first place.”

“Michael, you described in perfect detail to me the exact amount of time it took for my mother to drive from her office to a coffee shop, her order, and how much it cost. Then, you told me about how my best friend went to renew his driver’s license at the DMV but had to turn around because he forgot his proof of address, when he hadn’t even told me that himself. I know you’ve got eyes on everyone in my life, but I want you to stop. I think I’ve proven that I’m not going to snitch, therefore you don’t need to use my loved ones as collateral damage.”

You plead your case, hiding your shock when Michael actually thinks over what you just said. He’s silent for a while, causing the nerves in the pit of your stomach to grow. In an attempt to not verbally freak out on him, you start chugging your water.

“That’s fair. I’ll remove all surveillance from your family and friends. From now on, you are the only one that will be watched by the Cooperative.”

You watch Michael to make sure that he writes down exactly what he promised before writing it on your own contract. The reading continues without too much fuss, only minor notes that change certain dates and times that conflict with events already in your schedule. Reaching the back page, you almost collapse in shock.

“‘Provide you an heir within two years?’ Fuck, no!” Michael can’t hold back his eye roll, displeased that you’re fighting over this.

“I told you the night that we were married that my father expects me to produce an heir sooner rather than later.”

“Do I look like I care? I already gave you my life, Michael. It’s my body, I get to decide when, or if, children come into the picture.” You stare Michael down, silently daring him to try and fight you on this. He returns your glare, but you smirk at him once he sighs.

“Within five years?” He attempts to negotiate.

“Seven.” You don’t want this to be a part of the contract at all, but hopefully (dear God, please) you’ll be long out of this marriage seven years from now.

“Six.” You lean back in your chair, nodding.

“We have a deal.” You cross out the word ‘two’ and replace it with ‘six.’

“Anything else, (Y/N)?” He asks, surprisingly not too mad.

“A couple of little things. One, you don’t invade my privacy while I’m here. I won’t stay locked up in my room the entire weekend, but you need to respect when I want to be alone.” He nods almost immediately, since there’s not really anything to fight about with that. “Two, you only get to call me twice a week.”

“Why only twice?”

“Because I don’t see why you need to call me every single day, sometimes multiple times a day.” You had nearly smashed your phone when the dreaded ‘unknown’ number popped up for the fourth time in a day on Wednesday.

“Maybe I just enjoy talking to my wife and seeing how her day went?”

“Then I guess you’ll just have to learn to savor the two calls you get.” You cross your arms over your chest, making it clear that there’s no wiggle room in this.

“That’s everything?” He asks.

“For now.”

“Very well.” He raises a hand nonchalantly, and the servers descend on the table to pick up the remnants of dinner. “I want you to know that I really do care about you and your feelings. As a way to show you this, I’ve decided that we can end our weekend tomorrow morning.”

Your eyes light up at this as you grin, Michael smiling slightly at the sight.

“Really?”

“Yes. Obviously, this won’t happen every weekend-”

“Yeah, I get that. Thank you so much!”

“The rest of the evening is yours to do with what you please, and after you join me for breakfast tomorrow, you’re free to leave.”

You’ve never been so thankful in your entire life. When Michael makes his way over to your side of the table to slide your chair back out for you, you decide to wrap your arms around him.

“Thank you, Michael. Really.” He’s frozen as you hug him, arms hanging limply at his sides. “You’re supposed to hug me back.”

Very slowly, he returns your embrace. It’s uncharacteristic how gentle he is, almost like he’s worried about crushing you if he hugs you too tightly. Chuckling, you smirk when he finally relaxes into the hug.

“This is...nice.” He decides, and you pull back to look at him.

“What, you’ve never had a hug before?” You’re joking with him, but stop smiling when he shrugs.

“Not since I was very young.” You pull him back towards you, giving him a tight squeeze before finally releasing him.

“Well, now you can look forward to that every weekend.” He smiles softly, and you only flinch slightly when he gives you the trademark kiss on the corner of your mouth.

“Enjoy the rest of your evening, (Y/N).”

That night, you lay in the large bed that is now yours on the weekend, staring at the ceiling. You can’t fall asleep, your earlier conversation with Michael replaying in your head. He really hasn’t been hugged in years? It sounds a little ridiculous, and you almost wouldn’t believe it were it not for his mannerisms around people. Michael, even with the tough persona he puts on, really doesn’t know how to act around people. His social skills are lacking, to put it nicely, and it kind of makes sense when you think about how awkward he can be.

You don’t want to feel sympathy for Michael, the man who is convinced that Satan created you to be his bride. You should hate him with every fiber of your being, not just the 90% that it feels like right now. When it comes down to it, though, you realize that he’s kind of in the same boat as you are. He didn’t ask to be the Antichrist, at least you don’t think he did. The Satanic church is the one who orchestrated the wedding and your kidnapping in the first place. Satan is the true dick in this situation, using you and Michael as puppets to accomplish his goals.

But, you remind yourself, Michael had a choice in all of this. He could have commanded his followers not to kidnap you, he could have stopped the wedding and set you free, he could have decided that the ‘marriage’ was all a sham. Instead, he threatens you and your loved ones, forces you to spend weekends with him, argues about a marriage contract with you, and is the driving force behind the scheme to end the world. It’s conflicting and it gives you a headache that persists into your dreams, which are filled with hellfire and a pair of piercing blue eyes.

Tag List: @sammythankyou @let-me-try-mom @ultragibbycentralworld @sebastianshoe @nana15774 @queencocoakimmie @lichellaw @grim-adventures58 @dandycandy75 @trimbooohgodplsnoooo @alexcornerblog @everything-is-awesomesauce @ccodyfern @jimmlangdon @dolceandchalamet @omgsuperstarg @queenie435 @dextergirl12345 @americanhorrorstudies @sloppy-little-witch-bitch26 @coloursunlimited @punkysouls @kahhlo @storminmytwistedmind @1-800-bitchcraft @langdonsdemon @langdonslove @carousallie 

[makeste]

oh shit you guys I finally caught up

I feel simultaneously accomplished and noooooo-why-did-I-do-that-now-I-gotta-wait-a-week-for-each-new-one-like-a-damn-sucker lol.

here are some rambling thoughts and impressions, since I’m not gonna be able to just refrain from commenting on all this for the next 4-5 weeks or however much longer it takes for me to get the recaps all caught up.

I’m so fucking glad this (221) is the chapter I caught up on. it just worked out really nicely. I didn’t have to end my 7-month (!!) journey through this series on a chapter as momentous as this one. but things just so happened to line up in such a way that my slow burn binge ended on a chapter that felt (to me) like a goddamn event. it was just very satisfying.

we are like four chapters into the Detnerat arc and already this is like a top 3 arc for me. not exaggerating. we’ve got worldbuilding for days, character development I’ve been waiting for like 100 chapters (provisional licenses! KACCHAN JOINING THE ONE FOR ALL SCOOBY SQUAD), League of Villain character development, fucking Dad for One all over the damn place, and to top it all off, insanely ominous plot developments that are hinting at huge things to come. I don’t even know where things are going to go from here but honestly this arc would have to drive itself straight off a fucking cliff from here out to not still end up as one of my favorites. there’s so much hype it’s ridiculous.

having seen a glimpse of what’s in store for our heroes in the near future (11 more Hi-C Noumus! that could potentially be unleashed all at once! when merely one of these things -- and it’s safe to assume it was the weakest one at that, since it was a test run -- nearly took out both the #1 and #2 heroes at the same time! literally the two strongest good guy characters we currently have on retainer! all this, plus All for One’s personal bodyguard who fucked up Naomasa and Gran Torino and damn near killed the entire Shigaraki Squad! oh, and I almost forgot, potential mass production of Overhaul’s completed/perfected Quirk-Be-Gone bullets. all this plus AFO’s inevitable jailbreak! more at 11!), I would now like to weigh in once more on the "is Deku overpowered” debate: no. no he is not. if anything this poor sonnovabitch is grossly underpowered. can we maybe get him like a dozen more quirks, just to be safe. jesus christ.

continuing with this train of thought, I’d actually argue that at this point, Katsuki and Shouto might be more prepared to take on the new Noumus than Izuku currently is. the reason being that both of them possess attacks that might actually stand a chance of incinerating these things, which is the only way we currently know of defeating them. Izuku probably has a quirk locked away somewhere within his OFA Spirit Vault that would do the trick, but the kid doesn’t even have a handle on Blackwhip yet. and not Blackwhip nor Air Force nor even 20 or even 30% Full Cowl is gonna cut it against these things. the past Avatars are literally trying to save his fucking life here. Let Deku Power Up 2K19. I fully trust Horikoshi to avoid the boring and suspenseless tropes that everyone is so wary of. looking at how painstakingly he’s set all this up, I think he’s earned the benefit of the doubt.

it’s probably too early to say, but it’s looking like this will end up being our first League of Villains-centric arc. just, so far there doesn’t seem to be much tying Deku and the other U.A. kids to all this Detnerat stuff. on the other hand, there has been a ton of set-up to have this CEO guy be someone that Tomura ends up taking out instead. so right now I’m anticipating that we’ll continue to focus more or less on the LoV, and only occasionally cutting back to the U.A. kids to see how their December is going. there’s a lot of potential there for the kids to have little character development moments and to explore Deku unlocking more of OFA, while Tomura temporarily takes on the role of main protagonist just for the duration of this arc, much like Endeavor briefly did. which should be very, very interesting.

lastly, a quick rundown of some theories and their current likelihoods as estimated by me with no scientific or mathematical basis whatsoever:

AFO’s doctor is Izuku’s childhood quirk doctor/Kacchan’s friend’s grandpa = 100% CON-FUCKIN-FIRMED, FUCK ME. MY JAW DROPPED YOU GUYS.

Dabi is Todoroki Touya = 99%. just waiting for that canon confirmation. but I feel like at this point this is basically fact.

Dad for One = solid 50%. there has been some heavy foreshadowing lately. Izuku staring at his fucking hand and thinking “All for One’s power...” while his face is half in light and half in shadow give me a fucking break Horikoshi. we’ve reached the point where this is being deliberately hinted at, and if it doesn’t pan out, it’s at the very least intentional misdirection on Horikoshi’s part.

“Kacchan” is Kacchan’s hero name = 30%. I was so fucking sure of this one, and then he went and got his fucking provisional license off-screen. (which, by the way, congrats there kiddo. and you too Shouto.) and this is the kind of thing which I feel requires at least a little emotional build-up first (because Horikoshi is always good about making his character development feel like a logical progression, even when it’s sudden), and so that means that either they’re still going to hold off on the hero name reveal somehow, or we’re gonna get some really quick build-up/context for it, or else it’s going to be a different name. and I mean, I’ll get over it if it is. but damn it I hoped.

weird as-yet-unrevealed silhouettes in background of Deku’s OFA Avatar State dream are Kacchan and Kirishima = not sure. tbh when I first heard this I was like “lol what” and it sounded like crazy talk, but the more I think on it and look back on the panels, the more I wonder. well I don’t think the one is Kiri though, but the other being Kacchan is like a solid Could Be, Who Knows, I Sure As Hell Don’t. but I’ll go more into depth on this one in its own post pretty soon.

and that’s all the theories I can think of right now. aside from the traitor stuff, but we haven’t gotten anything new on that in a while. (but it’s Hagakure though. one day the shit is going to hit the fan and it’s going to be devastating, but I’m pretty sure we’ve got a while to go yet before that becomes a thing.)

anyway so I think that’s more or less everything I wanted to weigh in on for now. recap posts will hopefully resume on Sunday, it’s looking like? this week hasn’t quite gone how I hoped thus far but it could be worse. at least there aren’t 11 Noumus floating around in tanks waiting to wake up and unleash the fucking apocalypse on me or whatever sob.

[softjeon]

Cinnamon and fairy dust | Pt. 6

• Pairing: elf!Jungkook x Taehyung • Genre: Fluff (with a little bit of angst) | elf!AU ( → Gifset Trailer) • Words: 16k | Co-Writer: Cat @cassiavioletblue​ • Disclaimer: mentioning of violence / smut

↳  There are no things such as fairy tales, magical reindeers that could fly, fairies and Christmas elves - at least Taehyung believed so. But everything was about to change, when Jungkook offered him shelter from a snowstorm and a sweet, hot cocoa, wondering about the boy who hated Christmas so much. Nothing that a bit of fairy dust couldn’t fix, right?

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When Jungkook awoke it was way past lunchtime and the sun was high in the sky. From where he lied on the floor it looked like a creamy milk glass pane hanging somewhere surrounded by frosty whites. The rays were almost too bright, but they made the snow glitter whenever the two of them met. Jungkook felt light headed and wobbly for a second, then his mind re-centered again and he was fully there. 

The elf turned to look at Tae to see if he was still sleeping. What he saw almost made him coo. There were fairies lying all over him, resting in edge nook and corner, the dip of his back, the edge of his shoulder blade… and in the curve of his elbow, pretty close to his face, there was Yoongi, curled up like a squirrel in its nest.

Taehyung was feeling the lack of warmth next to him immediately, blinking his eyes open sleepily. He yawned, pulling his arm in and therefore Yoongi even further towards is face. The fairy stirred awake and just then both opened their eyes.

A loud scream echoed through the room and Yoongi soared up and over to Jungkook, waking all the fairies in the process. He mumbled something about falling asleep on Jungkook and how that wasn’t possible to himself, sitting down on the elf’s shoulder. Taehyung chuckled low and got up on his elbows to look at Jungkook. “Hey,” He murmured quietly, leaning over to kiss Jungkook’s collar bone that was exposed a little, “How are you feeling?”

“Better. Way better. A bit guilty though for not opening the bakery because the customers can't possibly know what happened and maybe they needed something for a really important event and...” He sighed and slowed down his thoughts when Yoongi pinched him. “Alright, alright, I’ll focus back on myself. I’m fine. Or as fine as one can be after yesterday. But I’ll be up and about in no time. And you? How's your nose? It looks pretty discolored.” He compassionately turned his mouth into a frown.

“Don’t worry about me and you have enough time to open the bakery. It’s the day before Christmas and no one can be mad about a bit of stress and that you needed to take care of things.” Taehyung reassured Jungkook, reaching out for his cheek, “You still have enough from yesterday and the fairies can help you bake a little. They can do a bit of cookies…and since they don’t have much fairy dust, it won’t be too much in the dough if it comes off their skin, right?” Taehyung smiled and nodded confidently. “You take care of the bakery and I’ll take care of the rest, okay?” Getting up from the bed, he reached out for Jungkook’s hand to pull the younger up, “As long as you’re free tonight…because I got something for you!” When Jungkook looked at him with a confused expression, Tae only laughed, “It’s Christmas after all…right?”

Jungkook laughed. “Oh, that’s a bad idea! You know that fairies have a thing for sweet smelling flowers? They actually love everything sweet. Fruits, chocolate, sugar… so asking them to help bake is like telling a magpie to guard shiny things. They’d steal it right away. But yeah, we can try. They must be full eventually and maybe then they could make some cookies. They have a talent for delicate crafting after all,” He answered thoughtfully. 

“Hey, flutter bees...”, It was kind of a pet name for them that he used every once in a while. “Do you want to help in the kitchen - or sleep a while longer while Tae and I will be working?” Some of the fairies were fluttering excitedly towards Jungkook, nodding their little heads, while some were just waving the elf off, falling asleep again. Even Yoongi was trying to slowly walk off Jungkook’s shoulder, but he knew it was a game he would lose the second the elf would notice. He was the only fairy, who knew all the recipes. So, he had to stay and help.

Jungkook just held Yoongi back with casually gripping the hem of his pants, neither saying anything nor really looking at him, knowing that Yoongi would give in the second he realized he had lost. Which he did.

When all the fairies that wanted to help, got an instruction from Jungkook, Tae and Yoongi were preparing the ingredients they needed, as well as the shop for Jungkook to open. There were customers already waiting outside.

Just to be sure Jungkook prepared enough so that the fairies could snack on everything and there would be still something left. For creatures that, tiny they could be incredibly hungry. Or... not ‘hungry’ but rather indulge themselves in sweet stuff for fun.

Back in the storage room, Tae kissed Jungkook on top of his head who was just tying the apron tight around his waist. The younger had put on some makeup on his cheek, hiding the bruise that was forming there.

“You got this! Just one more day,” Taehyung whispered against Jungkook’s lips, kissing him deeply. Wrapping his arms around the younger, he just couldn’t stop, deepening the kiss a little more. “’m so proud…’f you,” He mumbled in-between kisses, “The bravest elf…I know.” An annoyed sigh and a little pull from Yoongi at Tae’s ear later, he finally let go of Jungkook. A few of the fairies that had refused to bake, flew up to Tae and settled in the pockets of his jacket.

To be honest Jungkook dreaded the day after Christmas a little. He loved Christmas time, the atmosphere, the joy, the fairy lights all around and the peoples heightened acceptance of magic. His sales would definitely go down after this time as would his ability to bring the humans happiness and contentment through his baked goods. He hoped that he could still go along with what the future would bring for him.

When Jungkook had vanished to the front of the shop, being busy with customers, Tae grabbed the toolbox and headed out of the door. He hadn’t told the elf, what he was about to do. He had the idea last night on his way to the bakery, and since he didn’t want Jungkook to worry much more (which he probably already was), Tae decided that he needed to find a new place for the fairies. Something safer, that wasn’t as visible as a clearing and still close enough for Jungkook to reach. “Okay, boys,” He said and corrected himself quickly, when a little squeaky voice was reminding him that there was also a little fairy-girl hiding in his pocket, “Sorry and girls…let’s find you a wonderful new hide-out…”

Jungkook was immediately wrapped up in his work, there were so many people, asking for his special cupcakes and chocolate cranberry buns and the Christmas cookies apparently only he was able to make just right. But they also asked where he had been, most of them actually concerned and caring and it warmed his heart that strangers took it upon them to look after him. He handed out free cinnamon sugar cookies to make up for it, telling them he’s had a family issue (which wasn’t even a lie, the fairies basically were his family) and just being his usually kind and smiley and busy-but-still-friendly self.

It took Taehyung all day to prepare a new home for the fairies. First, they were searching a long time, until they found an old tree which was big enough to shield them perfectly and which was located deep in the forest. Taehyung had started working on a few new things for their homes quick, the little fairies helping him. He even had to walk back to the store a few times to get more stuff, giving Jungkook kisses in between, before he headed back into the forest. Biting his lip, Tae was just preparing Yoongi’s new home, placing the teapot he had found unused in his mom’s storage and hiding it under a root that stood up a little, making it the perfect hideout for Yoongi. The fairies let moss grew over it with their magic, perfectly fitting it in to the scenery.

As it was getting darker, Taehyung said goodbye to the fairies, who were already busy with settling into their new home. The smile on Taehyung’s face was big and only turned bigger, when he saw that Jungkook was hanging his apron on the little hook. Walking over to him, he wrapped his arm around his waist, lifting him and swirling the younger one around.

Jungkook laughed happily, completely carefree, the tension of the day seeping out of his shoulders. “What have you been up to all day? Did you think I wouldn’t notice how you and the fairies have been putting your heads together, whispering? What were you planning, hu? You trying to kidnap me or something?” He joked, curiosity shining in his big bright doe eyes.

When Tae set him down Jungkook leaned in naturally, kissing him softly without really thinking, blushing a bit when he realized that this time he had been the one to initiate it. Although he loved their intimacy he still got a little shy sometimes.

Taehyung kissed the top of Jungkook’s nose sweetly and shook his head. “No, I just was out, looking for a new home for the little ones,” Tae shrugged his shoulders, “I told Yoongi where it is, so he’s on his way with the others now and settling in to their new home. I can’t let them go back to the clearing. It was way too much in the open, though it definitely was beautiful there…but I need them to be safe, so you don’t have to worry anymore.” His hands caressed over Jungkook’s back and settled on the other’s waist.

“Oh! We have to visit them right away tomorrow! I want to see what you made,” He placed a thankful kiss on Taehyung's cheek. “Thank you so much. They must have been really happy and excited to move in there when they left without telling me where they would go.” He leaned into Tae’s caress, their bodies fitting together so easily and naturally.

“But I’m not done, yet,” Taehyung said and pulled Jungkook off him a little to grab his hand. “I see, then they probably will only allow me to see their new homes when they’re all perfectly decorated,” He chuckled as he imagined the fairies swarming around busy like bees, carrying dried berries and mistletoes and pine cones for decoration.

Taehyung was biting his lip to keep from smiling as he sat down on Jungkook’s mattress, pulling the other down and in between his legs. Only when Jungkook settled into his embrace, Taehyung kissed his cheek sweetly and whispered, “Do you trust me? I need you to close your eyes for me, please.”

“Hu? What will you do?” He asked innocently, missing the point that he wouldn't have to close his eyes if Tae would just tell him and spoil the surprise. “Of course, I trust you.” Obediently he closed his eyes, shuffling back a little so his back was completely pressed to Tae’s front, simply taking in the others body heat.

When Jungkook had his eyes closed, Taehyung reached behind him quick, getting something out of his bag. “Don’t peak,” He said again, even though he couldn’t hide his own nervousness. “The fairies got their presents today already…and you know…I don’t like this, but I thought it’s not really Christmas, yet so it doesn’t count as such…,” Taehyung sounded a little bit out of breath, when he opened a little box. Very carefully, he reached around Jungkook to place a necklace around him, leaning back a little so he could close the lock.

“I…I hope you like it,” He whispered, biting his lip anxiously, waiting for Jungkook’s response. Tae had never gotten any presents for his ex-lovers or boyfriends. This was special to him.

Jungkook could feel something cool settling into the dip between his collarbones and his breath quickened a bit when his instinct told him to rip away the metal around his throat (as all fae he had a natural fear of iron as it could render his magic useless and effectively cage him in if there was enough of it) but his trust in Tae was stronger than his fear so he safely kept his eyes shut. Only his hand come up, fingers feeling around until they wrapped around a delicate pendant hanging from an even more fragile necklace made from a metal that definitely wasn’t iron. “A... a gift?” He never would have thought that Tae would give him a present. “Can I open my eyes now?”

Taehyung leaned in to kiss Jungkook’s ear, before he answered, “Yes you can…and please, if you don’t like it…then just tell me. I can…I can still give it back or something.” Tae was getting nervous. He was hoping Jungkook would like it and not find it too cliché or anything…and then there was the second gift that he had, still in his hand, but he was too scared to show it to Jungkook. The elf shivered slightly when Tae’s lips met his ears as his still closed eyes heightened his other senses and made him immensely sensitive. “I…I mean…you really don’t have to keep it if you don’t like it…or we can go and look for something else… I just wanted you to have something from me…it’s not like a real Christmas present.”

When he opened his eyes, a quiet gasp fell from his lips. The silver pendant was absolutely stunning, carefully twisted antlers imitated that of a little deer’s, but the metal was shiny and silver. “Oh Tae, it’s beautiful! Thank you so much!” He turned as much as their constant position allowed to wrap his arms around the older and kiss him sweetly, full on the lips. Tae smiled against Jungkook’s lips, holding him tight against his own body. He didn’t want to let go of the younger, but there was just a little bit more Tae wanted to give Jungkook. So, he pulled off him and let Jungkook settle back against him. While the younger was busy, looking at his necklace, Tae wrapped his arms around him, a little box in his hands.

“There’s more…It’s just…a few of the drawings I made, and I thought…you would like them,” He handed the little box over to Jungkook, his shaking hands giving away about how nervous he was. The older had never shown his art to anyone else, even though he worked with artists every day, curating their work and making sure their piece looked perfect in the museum. It was his dream job and he loved it, but sometimes he wished that he could hang one of his own art pieces up there. Maybe one day. But one thing he was sure of: he loved drawing Jungkook, especially when the younger was so immersed in collecting fairy dust or playing with the little magical creatures.

“What?” Jungkook looked at him offended “You never told me that you liked to draw!” He pouted but couldn’t stay mad for long, too curious as to what kind of moments Tae would have deemed worthy to preserve on paper forever. He opened the box and stared at what was within with awe. The drawing came in all kinds of sizes and shapes, different papers and colors splayed out all over Jungkooks legs when he carefully took each and every one of them out of the little box. They were good, but it wasn’t really the technical aspect that took Jungkook’s breath away, it was the emotion that was weaved into the pictures and scenes. And the portraits. Mainly of him.

He only realized that he had been tearing up when the first droplet fell, right on one of the papers (luckily just hitting the edge were no color could blur from it). With utmost care Jungkook placed all of them securely back into the box, putting it aside and then turning until he was facing Tae, taking the humans face in his hand. “You are an amazing being, Tae, did I ever tell you that? Despite you having the same genetic components than all of these other people out there you are so utterly, utterly caring and full of emotions and softness and... I love you for all of it. You are my very special human. And I never want to let you go.” The last words were breathed quietly against Tae’s soft, plush lip before Jungkook closed the distance again. He couldn’t get enough of him. Without thinking he climbed on Tae’s lap, shuffling close until there was absolutely no space left between them, soaking up the warmth, the closeness, the sheer intimacy of it and getting drunk on its sweetness.

“Don’t expose me like this and never say that to my mother or my friends, please,” Taehyung was blushing lightly, but he didn’t need to worry for Jungkook to see, when his lips met his already. He was wrapping his arms around Jungkook’s waist, pulling him even closer. Jungkook tasted like the sweetest sin to Taehyung each time. He let his hands caress over the younger’s thigh, letting it wander up towards the hem of his shirt and under it, tracing the sweet, soft skin underneath. Tae pulled Jungkook’s shirt up a little more, kissing down the youngers neck. His eyes fell onto the necklace and Taehyung couldn’t hide the smile, looking up at Jungkook, “I’m glad you like it…I was worried.” He bit his lip cheekily, his hand caressing Jungkook’s soft skin and along his back, before he held the younger tight to him and with one swift movement, he pushed him, hovering over Jungkook. “But don’t think…that I like Christmas now…I still hate it…I just love you and what you mean to me…not that stupid Christmas fest,” He was kissing Jungkook’s lips, then his nose and cheeks, mumbling the words in between each kiss.

“Why n..” He broke off with a surprised little sound when the world tilted on its axis, giggling when he realized that Tae had tipped them over, placing his hands under Jungkook's back to make sure he didn’t hit the floor to hard. Tae’s hand under his shirt was making his skin feel hot and cold at the same time and he writhed a little, intrigued by all these new feelings. “Tae, what are you doing?” He giggled again when the other hovered over him, looking at him as if he wanted to devour him. Jungkook wasn’t scared at all. It was like an exciting game that he never played before and he threw himself into it completely, wrapping his legs around Tae’s waist to keep him from going too far and reaching up to reclaim Tae’s mouth and kiss his sweet lips again and again.

“I want to kiss you forever,” Taehyung said, kissing Jungkook eagerly and passionately, giving him no time to take a deep breath. He was moving down further, kissing Jungkook’s collarbones, then the necklace as he let his hand wander over his chest until he could gaze up at the younger. It was almost as far as they had gone before. Jungkook had let him pull his shirt up before but not like this. Tae was ever so lightly, tracing Jungkook’s abs with his fingers, before leaning in to kiss him on his soft skin. Jungkook’s shirt was up to his chest, while Tae was careful to look out for any signs of the younger’s discomfort, but Tae loved kissing Jungkook’s abs way too much, feeling the younger twitch with every delicate touch of his underneath. It made him go crazy with want and need. His hands ran up and down Jungkook’s body, moving from kissing up his stomach to his lips and neck again. One hand underneath Jungkook’s shirt, while the other was cupping his cheek softly. He was kissing him hard, desperate to know the feel of the elf’s skin against his own. Tae was possessing his mouth with his, tasting, touching with his tongue, leaving a wet trail along Jungkook’s jawline towards his ear, nibbling on it sweetly.

Tae made his skin tingle all over and Jungkook just got lost in the feeling. He was completely inexperienced and therefore had no idea what he was doing to Tae - or rather what the other was doing to him exactly. However, he was way too open to new things to fear what he was feeling, enjoying the new sensations freely and arching his body into Tae without holding back.

Jungkook was moving underneath him, pulling Taehyung in with his legs and onto Jungkook’s waist, which made Taehyung moan unabashed from the sudden friction that send a jolt of pleasure through him. He froze right away, his whole body shaking from the sudden desire that was rippling through him. Tae was propping himself up on his elbows, as he hid in Jungkook’s neck. “Fuck,” He breathed out, feeling the heat spread all over his chest, face and in his crotch, “I…’m sorry…didn’t…I…just….”

“Hu?” Tae’s sudden moan made him stop and then the older behaved as if something was wrong. He didn’t quite understand because he thought that when he was feeling this good then Tae was feeling similarly. He gentle carded his fingers through Tae’s hair, brushing it back, feeling how sweaty the other was. It must be from working so hard on the fairies new homes.

He smiled fondly, holding Tae closer to him and making their bodies collide again. “Are you okay? I’m sorry I don’t have a present for you in return. If I had known that you wanted to exchange presents then I would have got you something, really. I just never did it with the fairies as... you know, everything you own is just a burden if you have to move around a lot especially when you are so small like them so instead we just got together for music and light and joy for celebration. But I can get you something if you tell me what you want?” He smiled at Tae, thinking that maybe that’s what was nagging the human.

Taehyung chuckled low, hesitating a bit to let Jungkook pull him in. “No…no, ah,” Tae was trying to keep his crotch area from touching Jungkook, feeling a tad awkward while doing so, but the heat wasn’t slowing down, instead he could feel the desire pulsating right where he didn’t need it right now. He groaned in desperation, leaning his head onto the elf’s shoulder, before explaining, “No…I don’t want no present, babe. It’s fine.” Gazing up at Jungkook, he smiled, feeling the other’s sweet caresses on his body. They were meant to soothe him, but Taehyung’s mind and body wasn’t on his soft side right now.

Jungkook was a little confused, instead of helping to calm Tae down his little kisses and touches only seemed to make him more tense. He wasn't really sure what he did wrong, so he was looking at Tae more carefully, observing the older’s body language. Tae looked almost... ashamed. But for what?

“Listen…you…just turn me on so much and when…you just pulled me down like that…I,” He stuttered, “I…ehm…I know you have no experience in this and it’s fine. I don’t care but fuck, you just turn me on so much. I can’t help myself. My body just reacts whenever you move just right against me and I’m sorry.” He moved a bit away from Jungkook, as he pulled his jeans a little, as it felt a tad too tight right now.

Jungkook cocked his head, following Tae up instinctively because it had just felt so nice to be so close to him, their bodies moving together.

“Turn you on? You mean...sexually? As in you want to sleep with me?” He asked, completely honest and oblivious. To his defense Yoongi hadn’t really done that much of a sex ed in which all the nuances of your feelings were involved, he had just presented all the facts and expressions to the younger when he deemed it right, explained their meaning and told Jungkook about the biology but the fairy had hoped that they would run into another elf someday by accident, that Jungkook would fall in love with one of his kind and that all of the emotional part would be explained to him by someone of his own race who knew best. Because Yoongi knew that elves were different from humans or even fairies regarding sex and he had warned Jungkook about it, had even tried to do research and get a book but it wasn’t as if there were sex ed books for elves specifically.

“I eh…yeah, of course…I mean, look at you…you’re so damn hot and…I…want you,” Taehyung was stuttering the words, still way too close to Jungkook that he was scared that the other could feel how hard he was by now but moving away from him further was also not the best idea without running into the bathroom right away and leaving a scared Jungkook behind who probably thinks he did something wrong.

“I know you never slept with someone, so I wouldn’t take advantage of you of course, so I would…only…if you tell me…if you would want it too,” He was blushing hard, looking everywhere but Jungkook, “But if you don’t then that’s fine, too….but then…you just have to live with me getting turned on by you and I need to…maybe get to the bathroom sometimes…to you know…”

“I know what?” Jungkook looked at him with big doe eyes, trying to make sense of Taehyung’s stutters. Sometimes it was difficult to decipher what the human was telling him even when he was speaking properly, just stemming from the fact that their lives had been completely different and that Jungkook only knew those things about humans that he had picked up on the way, not living in between them all the time. But right now, he could only guess what Tae was up to. “But if you do want to sleep with me but won’t do it because of me not...having done it before then why can’t we just continue to do what we just did? I like it. The making out and touching and the way you kiss my skin. It makes me all…tingly. And … I like your lips a lot. Can’t we just do that please?”

“Of course,…we can, that’s all I want to do…but,” Taehyung groaned desperately, not sure how to explain it to someone who had absolutely no idea of how this all works.

“Okay, listen,” Tae rolled off Jungkook, propping himself up on one elbow while still staying close to the younger. He took Jungkook’s wrist and simply placed his hand onto his crotch. Just like that. “There…you feel that? That’s what you do! You make me hard…and that just doesn’t go away,” He brought Jungkook’s hand back, kissing the palm sweetly before he explained further, “If a man gets turned on like that…he goes hard and there’s most likely only one way to resolve the problem. Either way you have sex, or you jerk yourself of. That’s what I meant with taking care of it in the bathroom. So…I…ehm…just let me do that real quick…because you were moving around a lot…and then I promise, just kissing!”

“I know that, I’m not stupid!” The elf answered with a pout and then added a little more quietly, “I just didn’t know about the jerking off thing. Is this what you do if you don’t…,” He broke off, biting his lip. He almost gave away too much. He remembered his talk with Yoongi when he had been really young and had been asking about love and relationships for the first time. And he also remembered the more recent talk with the fairy, blushing a little when he thought about what Yoongi would say if he knew what he was doing right now. He knew he shouldn’t push Tae further, but he was just so curious, and he never had the opportunity to get to know intimate details before so he really would have liked to touch Tae again. But that would probably make it even more difficult for Tae, he had gotten that much at least. “Then I’ll just stay here while you jerk yourself off? Or can I help?” He blinked a little when Tae almost choked at his question. Maybe it was considered impolite to offer help with that, who knew.

Tae coughed, shaking his head, “I…I don’t think you want this right now…you can help me out next time, okay?” He chuckled a little too nervous, leaning in to kiss Jungkook on top of his head, before he got up. In the bathroom, Tae leaned against the cold tile wall, his eyes closed, heart beating heavy.

Jungkook sat up into a more comfortable position, wondering what Tae was doing right now. He was excited that Tae had said he could help him next time - but then he remembered something. Maybe helping to jerk someone off was considered sex too. And he wasn't supposed to do that. Unless he was fine with the consequences of course. Hopefully Tae wouldn't be too disappointed if he changed his mind. But the human seemed to be very keen on making sure that he was absolutely comfortable, so he would probably understand. Hopefully he didn't ask for an explanation though or else he didn't really know what to say. Because the truth was off limits…

It took him a little while to get back to Jungkook, not because it took him long to come, but he needed a bit of time to calm down again. He had splashed a bit of water into his face, freshen himself up, before Taehyung walked back.

Jungkook smiled at Tae when the older came back, happy to continue where they had left off. But Tae looked quite tired all of a sudden. Maybe it was energy consuming what he had done. So, he got up, reaching for Tae’s hand. “You look tired. Do you want to go to sleep? I don’t mind if we just cuddle. We’ve got all the time in the world to do everything else we want to do after Christmas when there won’t be so much work to do.”

Taehyung nodded, raking through Jungkook’s hair softly, “Yeah…let’s cuddle, okay?” Tae got out of his shirt quickly, still feeling way too hot from everything and got out of his jeans to cuddle back into Jungkook’s bed. The younger had quickly gotten into his cute little pajama that he loved to wear, making Tae smile sweetly, before pulling him in and on him.

He was tracing little lines along Jungkook’s arm, while the elf was resting his head on Taehyung’s chest, closing his eyes. But before he would doze off, Tae hooked a finger under Jungkook’s chin, kissing him on his lips softly. “Just…so you know, I wouldn’t care if I had to get myself off for the rest of my life if it meant I could stay with you,” Kissing Jungkook’s forehead, he closed his eyes. He didn’t need a response, he only wanted him to know this. It was true. Never in his life had Tae, felt so deeply for someone. It was scary but so exciting at the same time.

“Thank you,” Jungkook whispered back, not sure of Tae had heard him or if he had dozed off already. He wasn’t moving much. But that also made him the perfect ‘plushy’. Jungkook maneuvered himself as close to Tae as possible, burying his face into Tae’s neck and slotting his knee in between Tae’s thighs so there wouldn’t be too much unnecessary space between them. He loved to feel Tae’s arms all around him. It felt a little like sleeping in a nest just warmer and even more perfect. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep as well.

Unfortunately for Taehyung, what Jungkook did to him tonight, was still haunting (or pleasuring) him in his sleep. He wasn’t dreaming often, but when he did, Tae’s dream were so vivid and lively that he sometimes wasn’t sure if they were real or not. His body acting on his, moving around and pulling Jungkook closer to him. His lips parted, Jungkook’s name coming from his lips in a whisper, before he moaned low, arching his back in his sleep. Jungkook only registered Tae’s moans halfway but he enjoyed the tight grip on his waist, pressing back because of warmth and comfort. Before he finally fell asleep he thought of that time when he had come into the kitchen to find Yoongi sitting on top of his whisker, arms crossed, and wings spread out in a kind of ‘notice me’ posture;

His frown was obvious when Jungkook looked at him. The elf bit his lip, not sure what could have soured the fairies mood like that. “What's wrong? He finally asked after Yoongi didn‘t start on his own. The fairy looked at him with reproachfully and simply stated, “I saw you and Tae kissing.“

„Oh,“ Jungkook blushed a little, now wishing he hadn’t asked. But Yoongi wasn’t finished yet. “I hope you know what you are doing? Because humans… he’s going to want more than that. Like... your body. All of it. And I really, really hope that you’re not stupid enough to actually consider giving it to him.“ Jungkook shook his head violently.

„Good,“ The fairy smiled at him again, relief visible when he reached out to pat Jungkook's head. „I‘m just worried about you, Kook. You know that, right?“ Jungkook nodded, avoiding Yoongi’s gaze.

The thing was, there was a tiny little difference between humans and elves. If an elf crossed that final line with someone they loved and let them take their innocence, then their heart would be bound to that person forever. He would never be able to fall in love with someone else again. Of course, there were all kinds of love, friendship and trust and the love that didn‘t include physical desire. Those kinds of love wouldn‘t be fazed by it. But he would never want someone else, the combination of romantic love and physical desire would forever be limited to the first person they had sex with alone. And Taehyung had no idea about what it could mean to him. Of course, it meant a lot for him as well, but he wouldn’t be bound to Jungkook in a magical way. It would only be the other way around and that alone was a very scary thought. If Taehyung ever decided to walk away from him, then Jungkook would still be bound to him forever. It was a decision, that the elf wasn’t sure if he wanted to make it.

The sun was rising on the horizon, when Taehyung was still tossing and turning in his sleep, pulling Jungkook closer and holding him tight. Just when he was out of his deep sleep phase, the dreams began again and Jungkook was over him, kissing him so deeply, moving just right against his own body that Taehyung moaned louder. His chest was heaving heavily and even in his dream, he tried to keep from going further. “We…can’t,” He mumbled, arching his back and moving his hips just a little to get a bit of tension out of his body. “Jungkook, please,” Taehyung moaned, his voice barely a whisper, when he pushed the elf closer on his own body in his sleep.

It woke up the elf and he blinked sleepily, rubbing over his eyes to wake up fully. “What did you say?” He licked his dry lips, trying to stretch when he realized how tightly Tae had wrapped himself around him. Like a cuddly version of an octopus. He laughed, quietly, because he didn’t want to wake the other up. Apparently talking in his sleep was a thing for Tae. He lied still, listening closely to maybe get what Tae was dreaming about, when he noticed something uncomfortably on his ass. He reached behind him and felt around until…

“Oh,” He blushed when he realized that Tae was hard again. It was easy to feel through the thin cloth that was Tae’s boxer (as the human never wore much to sleep). And that this must mean that he was dreaming of something that turned him on. Hopefully it was him and not something else. He wondered what Tae’s unconscious made him do to make Tae feel like that. he was dying to know! 

Taehyung was moving restlessly, unconsciously trying to get a bit of friction to get rid of the tension in his body. “Jun-jungkook,” He whispered, his breath fanning hot against the elf’s neck. Taehyung was placing open mouth kisses on Jungkook’s skin mindlessly, before it all got too much. He was feeling so hot, so Tae moved and, turned on his back, turning his face away from Jungkook. His breathing got a bit steadier again, but in his haste to get away from the heat, Tae had pushed the blanket off his body.

Jungkook pouted when Tae had let go of him, so he turned around. Tae was lying on his back, covers pushed aside and boxer shorts tented by his hard on. He still didn’t know if helping someone jerk off was considered sex and therefore would trigger the binding... actually he had no idea how it would be. Or what it really entailed. All he knew was that he did love Tae and that he wanted to experience this and...Tae already owned his heart. Completely. Not loving Tae felt like it was impossible already so what bad would it do to go all the way and give his heart over to him for real?

He trusted Tae. He was sure the human would take care of him. With nothing holding him back he reached out for Tae. And as he had no real knowledge about this he also didn’t have a concept of what he was doing and that he should have asked before touching Tae in his sleep. For him Tae’s comment about how he was allowed to help next time was exactly what this was right now: Him helping.

Taehyung couldn’t decipher what was dream or reality, just feeling the pleasure rippling through him, when something or someone touched him right where he needed it the most. “Hmmm, Jungkookie,” He moaned sweetly, moving his hips, so he could get more friction, because solely Jungkook’s hand palming him wouldn’t get him off – even if he didn’t notice it was him. He was still gone and deeply in his dream, letting his Dream Jungkook kiss all over his body and making him feel so good.

It was nice to experiment like this, to feel how hard Tae’s cock was. All because of him if Tae’s velvety, low moans of his name were any indication. He just explored, getting a good feel of it, wondering if his own body would react like this too if Tae would touch him like that. Elves didn't really go through puberty the same way humans did so there were many experiences that Jungkook did not have and he didn't know his body as well as Tae did. He liked to elicit those breathy moans from Tae or make his body shudder because he knew that it made the older feel good. And he liked making the person he loved feel good, details be damned.

Taehyung could feel the pressure heighten, could feel something feel him up and looking up at his dream Jungkook only made him realize that he couldn’t be it, because he was hovering over him, his two hands feeling up his chest…and if Jungkook didn’t grow a third hand in his dream…He let his own hand wander down his own body, when his fingers wrapped around someone’s delicate wrist. Taehyung snapped his eyes open, a gasp fell from his lips when he quickly realized the situation he was in. Tae jerked away a little, still holding on tightly to Jungkook’s hand. “Wha-what are you…doing…why am…oh, god, I am so sorry,” He stammered the words.

Jungkook flinched when Taehyung moved so suddenly, the grip on his wrist keeping him from jerking his hand away completely. The older was stammering again, just like last time and just like then Jungkook could make absolutely no sense of it.

“Hu, I was just helping. You said I could help next time it would happen.” He took in Tae’s horrified stare and his flushed cheeks, wondering what he was missing. “I did something wrong, right? But... why are you apologizing then if it was my fault? Is this something that I should know? Where you supposed to tell me something first? I just went with what made you moan. I thought this would be what you liked. I’m sorry if I hurt you or if... there’s something else... that is wrong?” He really was out of his depth here.

Taehyung was blinking his eyes fast, trying to get a hold of what just happened, when he notices Jungkook’s nervousness. He quickly let go of his wrist and intertwined his hand with his instead. “Oh no, babe, please…you didn’t hurt me…and yes, I said you could but…ehm, I didn’t think it would happen like this,” He yawned a little in between words, raking his hands through his messy hair while sitting up, “You didn’t hurt me…you made me feel good, I guess…I was dreaming about you. I didn’t know you…were doing this to me now…I just don’t want you to do anything that you don’t want to.” Ignoring his hard on the best he could, Tae leaned in to kiss Jungkook.

Jungkook sighed relieved when Tae told him that he hadn’t messed up as much as he thought. “Don’t worry about that, I want to do it, really. Or else I wouldn’t have done it. You’re nice to me, Tae. You are always kind and you protected the fairies. You saved my family. I know that I’m safe with you. And... and I love you so - if you want to then... then I don’t mind you showing me the things that I don’t know yet. All the... physical things.”

Taehyung didn’t get what Jungkook was saying at first, staring at the younger in awe. “Wait…what?” He asked dumbfoundedly, “You…you want me…and you…you want to sleep with me?” He coughed awkwardly, as he could feel his dick twitching with excitement (hoping that Jungkook hadn’t notice). “All…of it? Are you sure, Jungkookie?” Taehyung said and reached out for him, to pull him closer towards him (but not on his lap, he got enough problems there). “You don’t have to do this for me…If you think that’s…something you have to do!” Taehyung reassured him, “I love you, too. No matter if you sleep with me or not. It won’t change anything. So, please. I don’t want to pressure you. Only if you really want this.”

Hearing Tae say that he loved him flushed his mind with pure joy. And it only made him more determined to give himself to Tae despite the risks for him.

“Yes, I want this.” Jungkook barely knew about what happened during sex, he could only rely on what Yoongi told him long ago. The fairy had explained that in the elf world sex with someone that you hadn’t been with forever was kind of out of question. And couples were only one half consisted of a magical creature rarely existed at all. It was deemed too taboo and risky to bind yourself to someone who didn’t have the same way of loving eternally. However, there were a few stories of elves who fell in love with someone non-magical, mostly human, who bound themselves to them and then suffered from a broken heart and eternal longing and loneliness because they were left after a little while or weren’t loved back at all. You could die from that kind of broken heart. And it was a slow, painful, cruel way to die.

Jungkook knew all that, and of course he didn’t take that lightly but Tae... Tae was different. He cared for him, he loved him despite him not being human and he was always so gentle with him. Tae wouldn’t hurt him. Jungkook was sure of that. He just needed to make sure that Tae wouldn’t find out about what them having sex would mean for him - then it would be fine. He didn’t want Tae to shy back from sleeping with him. He wanted... he wanted to feel how it would be to be entirely Tae’s. To be his alone. Forever. But he didn’t want to burden Tae or have him stay afterwards because he thought he owed him. He wanted Tae to stay with him because he loved him. And if it turned out that Tae didn’t love him the same way that Jungkook loved him – then so be it. At least he had tried to be with the person he loved completely.

“Oh-kay,” Taehyung breathed out, his heart beating fast. He wasn’t sure how to approach this, if he needed to teach Jungkook or rather show him, but he decided on the latter for now. Step by step.

With a smile, he leaned into Jungkook kissing the elf on his lips sweetly. “Whenever there is something that doesn’t feel good, or you want me to stop, just say so and we stop!” Taehyung said, hooking a finger under Jungkook’s chin to make the younger listen. When he was sure he had understood, he leaned in again, placing his lips softly onto his, deepening the kiss. This was something Jungkook was familiar with. Their kisses. Taehyung was so nervous, his hands shaking whenever he touched the younger and caressed over his arms, holding him against him.

“Hmmm, okay.” The younger was humming contently against Tae’s lips. “As long as we do what we did yesterday before you had to go to the bathroom then it’ll be fine. Because that felt really nice. Like... your kisses on my skin and your body on me and ... the way you moved...” He was blushing a little now that he knew that all of this was turning Tae on. It was strange that he had just gone with it naturally and shamelessly before when he hadn’t known what it meant. Now however as he knew that it would lead to Tae having him he was getting a little bit shy about it.

“Oh really?” Taehyung chuckled, wrapping his arm around Jungkook’s waist, before he threw him around again, making sure to stay over him. “Then we’ll do what feels good for you,” He said with a low voice, kissing Jungkook passionately, while his hands were exploring Jungkook’s body, slipping underneath his shirt right away. Tae was kissing down the younger’s neck and collarbone, biting him there lightly to suck in a little blooming love bite. “Hmm, I love your taste,” He hummed in satisfaction, not really sure how he had gotten from a dreamy state to this in the matter of minutes. But that’s what Jungkook did to him.

Jungkook simply closed his eyes and melted into the touches, letting Tae do as he pleased.

Hovering over the elf, Tae kissed the tip of his nose, before he pulled Jungkook’s pajama shirt over his head. Then he just froze, looking at the younger beneath him, who was looking so beautiful already. A sculpted chest, abs and a narrow waist.

The little break made him blink his eyes open again but when he looked at Tae he could only see wonder and admiration in his eyes. He batted his lashes shyly when he realized how vulnerable he would be if the older undressed him. He had never been naked in front of anyone else before (excluding the fairies and him taking moon shine baths in the lake) and he felt as if Tae’s stares were almost as intense as his fingertips on his skin. He had been so quick to say yes to this but the more he got into it the more he could feel the nerves starting to show.

Taehyung groaned desperately, before he let himself get pulled into kissing Jungkook more, his hands exploring all of Jungkook’s skin (but the lower region of course – he didn’t want to overwhelm the younger, yet).

“Jungkook,” He breathed out his name softly, propping himself up on one elbow, while he cupped Jungkook’s cheek with the other, “Do you want me to let you feel what I feel each time you move just right? Want to feel the desire?” Leaning in, he placed a soft kiss on his mouth, letting his hand wander down Jungkook’s stomach, following it with his mouth. “We will take this slow, okay?” Taehyung reassured him again, “Let me just show you…a little bit and you decide if you want more.”

With a smile on his face, Taehyung cupped Jungkook’s cheek and devoured the younger’s mouth completely. He was pouring in all the love he felt for the other, his tongue exploring his mouth, not even letting the elf catch a break. Tae was sure, Jungkook could feel everything through the thin layer of clothes and he stopped kissing the younger, a smile forming on his lips.

The younger nodded eagerly, his skin prickling already from where Tae had been touching him. He was so focused his senses felt even sharper than normal and he couldn’t wait for Tae to show him what he had been missing till now. He let Tae maneuver his body into the right position and was about to ask what he meant with his promises when Tae grinded his hips into him and Jungkook was left gasping. Or he would have if Tae didn’t kiss it right out of his mouth. It felt amazing and the minute Tae drew back he wanted to pull the other back on him again. So, he wrapped his legs around Tae’s waist, remembering what it had done to Tae last time and then arched his back into Tae’s body.

Taehyung chuckled into Jungkook’s kiss, loving how eager he got right away and moved against him once more, making the younger gasp and himself moan. Kissing him and moving so sensually against Jungkook was too good, but Taehyung knew that he wouldn’t hold it for too long. He had been hard for quite some time now and Tae wasn’t sure if Jungkook would even let him fuck him this morning already, so…he just asked the other bluntly.

“Do…do you want to try and…jerk me off first?” Taehyung said, biting his lip anxiously in between words, “To…maybe get a feel for it? I don’t want to overwhelm you with everything right away…but I don’t think I can last long if I keep grinding up against you like this…” He reached in between their bodies, palming Jungkook through the thin clothing and caressing him softly. “This feels good right?” He said cheekily, whispering against Jungkook’s lips, “Let me show you…everything.”

Jungkook started writhing under Tae’s touch, unable to keep from moving because every time Tae touched him again there was tension rippling through him together with sweet, sweet pleasure. He was almost a little relieved when Tae gave him a bit of time to catch his breath because although it was definitely pleasant it was also a little... overwhelming.

So, he was thankful for the chance of learning more while also getting a little time out to get his thoughts sorted, “Okay. You just have to show me how.” When Tae began pulling his boxers down Jungkook started tracing the soft skin below his hip bone right away. He followed the little trail of hair downwards, enjoying how it made Tae’s breath hitch in his throat.

Every time he wasn’t sure if he was doing it right he looked up at Tae, searching in his eyes for assurance. He was careful - too careful, because after a while of exploring and touching with just his fingertips Tae put his hand around Jungkook’s and made him grip his length more tightly. Jungkook could feel the muscles in the other’s thighs tightening the second he started moving his hand. It was a little awkward at first, jerky and unstable but he let Tae’s hand guide him willingly, picking up on how to cover the hardened flesh with his palm and how to flick his wrist easily.

“Hm, yes, like this,” Taehyung moaned softly, closing his eyes a little when he let go of Jungkook, trusting him to do this on his own. He moved his hips with each jerk of Jungkook’s hand, loving the friction even if it was still unexperienced. “You…you can grab a little tighter,” He breathed out, reaching out for Jungkook and raking his hand into Jungkook’s curly hair. With the other, he guided the elf, helping him to change his grip. “So good, you’re doing so good, babe,” He said softly, panting into the crook of Jungkook’s neck as he placed a few chaste kisses there. It wasn’t getting easier to hold himself up over Jungkook, so he simply let himself fall onto his back, while still staying close to the younger. This way Jungkook could see what he was doing way better, and Taehyung could lean his head back, while still having his love in his embrace.

Jungkook pouted a little when Tae laid down beside him. He liked the warmth and the closeness when Tae had him beneath him. But it was actually easier to complete his task as he could move his hands more freely. While he continued to hold on tightly and move his hand the way it made Tae jerk up his hips he used his other hand to trace little circles into Tae’s soft skin. Sadly, he had to stop after a while though because he could only concentrate on one thing really. “So, this will make you come?” He asked, not very convinced that this was all it would take to finish Tae off, “Or is there something else I’ll have to do?”

“Well…there’s a lot you can do,” Taehyung breathed out, words mixing with moans, “Hm…you can, aahh variate speed, how tight you grab someone and what else…well.” Tae paused, a moan escaping, and he arched his back beautifully. Whatever Jungkook just did, had made the pleasure ripple through him fast. “There’s something else…but you don’t ah, have to…,” He gulped, looking at Jungkook, before explaining further, “You can also use your mouth…and suck, give someone a blow-job, you know?”

“Oh?” Jungkook chuckled at how chopped off Tae’s sentences were, how much the other had to fight to keep himself conscious enough to answer him. He also loved the way Taehyung moaned, low and sensual, making shivers run down his spine just from hearing it. “What does it taste like to do that?” Tae’s rhythm faltered at that and Jungkook looked at him more closely, “Do you want me to try it?”

Taehyung’s eyes widened, and he held onto Jungkook’s wrist to steady himself. “You…you can try it…but I am not sure if I can … if you lick…ah,” Tae leaned his head back, his chest rising heavily. He grabbed Jungkook’s chin, pulling him down towards him to kiss him once.

It was a little strange to lean down right over Tae’s crotch but if it was something that humans did and if Tae would like it then Jungkook wanted to try. He gave it an experimental lick at first, just a tiny little lap of his tongue. The way Tae was shuddering made up for the slightly bitter taste by far. So, he remembered what Tae had said, that he had to suck on it (although he wondered where the term blowjob came from if he wasn’t blowing on anything) and took Taehyung cock into his mouth.

It was a little bigger than he had expected, the flesh hot and heavy on his tongue. He couldn’t take everything in, but he tried, pushing all the way down until the tip of it hit his throat. He didn’t have much of a gag reflex, so it didn’t bother him much but having something that big in his mouth triggered the urge to swallow. As he feared that it might get uncomfortably for Tae if he did that he tried to ignore it, but he couldn’t do that for long, so he tried to pull off while accidentally swallowing harshly around it, his wet, hot mouth closing Tae’s dick in.

At first Tae had watched the younger in awe at how eager he was to try out all of this. The lick against his length was enough to make him shudder beneath the younger’s touch and when Jungkook had closed his mouth around him, he lost his mind completely. Him swallowing around him, was the last thing Taehyung had needed to stumble over the edge. His muscles were locking up tight and he was just about to warn Jungkook, his hand grabbing the younger’s shoulder, when he jerked up, coming right into his mouth with a loud moan. But he couldn’t help it anymore. Jungkook had unintentionally done all the things that made him go crazy from the pleasure. His whole body shaking, breathy little moans escaping Taehyung's lips.

Jungkook was absolutely oblivious to the signs so when Tae came in his mouth it took him completely by surprise. He swallowed on instinct again, only tightening more around Tae who came hard and shuddering and intense. The elf choked on it getting off and away from Tae’s dick, coughing miserably and gasping out shaky breaths while falling back on his ass.

When he finally caught his breath he wiped his mouth, looking a bit sheepishly at Tae who looked dazed and satisfied, post orgasmic glow making his eyes soft and shiny. “Did I do it right?” His voice was a little hoarse and Jungkook coughed again to get it to function normally which didn’t work as well as he had hoped.

“Oh god, so right,” Taehyung said, trying to catch his breath, “Fuck…if I knew…why did you go for it like this. I didn’t…know, when you swallowed, that’s like my breaking point each time.” He got up on his elbows, getting a water bottle from the nightstand close by and handed it over to Jungkook. Then he cleaned himself up quickly with some tissues, before pulling the younger against his chest and holding him tight. “You did too good,” Taehyung kissed the tip of Jungkook’s nose, “But…are you, alright? I didn’t hurt you right?”

Jungkook leaned his head against Tae’s chest, cuddling into his side and listening to the others heartbeat that slowly turned back to normal. “No, you didn’t hurt me. I just got surprised when you came, and I didn’t really like the taste because I just don’t like bitter stuff. But I guess it’s just like with coffee and you’ll get used to it, right?” He looked up at Tae a sweet smile on his lips. He was happy that he had done it right and determined to learn so that he could be even better for Tae. Then he remembered something and so he asked, “Tae, is this considered sex already?”

Taehyung kissed the top of Jungkook’s hair with a sweet smile. “It depends, I guess…it’s a sexual act for sure, but I guess most people consider sex way more than this,” He said and looked down at the younger, turning a little so he could kiss him again. “Do you want more? Or are you satisfied for today?” Tae asked, biting Jungkook’s lip lightly, while he let his hand travel down his neck and to his nipples. Kissing down, he followed the trail with his mouth, pushing Jungkook over and licking over the sensitive nub, while the other hand was moving down to his thigh. He wasn’t giving Jungkook any friction yet, too far away for that, but close enough to make sure he could feel something. “What do you think, hm?”

That would explain why he didn’t really feel any different so it either needed something else for the bonding to happen - or he had already been so completely in love with Tae before that it didn’t make any difference. “I don’t know, what else is there to show me?” He yelped indignantly when Tae pushed him over like a doll, protesting in between biting kisses - until his back arched of its own accord. His eyes widened when Tae teased his nipples and his stomach tensed as something hot ran down his insides, settling low in his gut. “That’s... that's different.” He blinked, trying to make sense of what he was feeling.

“Hm,” Taehyung hummed in response, sucking on it a little bit more before he looked at Jungkook and blew over it lightly to send a chill down Jungkook’s spine. “You’re sensitive here, baby,” He said with a smile, before playing Jungkook like an instrument, twisting and flicking his hardened nipples with his fingers. He was kissing down Jungkook’s lower stomach, loving how fidgety the younger got under his touch.

“Think I could make you come, just from touching you here?” Taehyung asked, but not really expected an answer from the elf, instead he kissed further down Jungkook’s little happy trail, licking along the hem of Jungkook’s pants. “It’s just like...when I kiss your ears, right?” He said a little out of breath, “My sensitive little baby boy…does it feel good when I touch you here?” Hovering over him, Taehyung kissed Jungkook’s ears softly, before nibbling on them, before asking him again, “Hm...what about here?” Then he kissed his nipples again, playing with him easily.

“Oh! Tae…Taehyung!” He was losing his breath so easily from the older’s teasing, shuddering whenever the rubbed against the perky nubs, sending shockwaves of pleasure through his whole body. He stole the words from his mouth with kisses that were so hot Jungkook was wondering why they didn’t burn on his lips. It was overwhelming - and still, the more Tae gave him the more desperate he got for more. There was a hunger that he had never felt before threading through his mind and soul, something instinctual and so very demanding that he pulled the other down harshly, plundering his mouth because he was suddenly just so... needy.

Feeling Tae’s lips so close to his hips made his stomach do funny little flips as if he was riding a rollercoaster “I.. I don’t know,” He answered honestly, he had no idea what would made him come as he had never done it before but if the tension in his body and the slight tremble in his limbs was any sign to tell, then Tae was doing an amazing job in getting him there. His fingers tightened in the others hair when the older nipped on his ears, eliciting a soft, breathy moan from him. He almost choked on his own sound, surprised by himself, but he could feel every nip and every lick throughout his whole body, like a flame licking on his nerves and filling him with heat.

Taehyung was working Jungkook up easily. It was not hard to find out what the other liked or didn’t like, with the way he beautifully arched his back and moaned with each delicate touch. Teasing him like this, was so rewarding and Taehyung could feel the heat radiating from Jungkook underneath.

The elf felt like he was burning up his hair starting to get sweaty. He completely lost track of time and his surroundings, what Tae did to him made him feel like he was flying, disconnected from reality and lost in pleasure.

Tae sat up in between Jungkook’s legs, letting the younger catch his breath a little, while he traced lines along the elf’s stomach and thighs. “Hm, I think it’s a bit unfair…I’m the only one naked here, don’t you think?” Playing with the hem of Jungkook’s pants, he smiled at him cheekily since Jungkook was giving in to everything he did so easily. Tae simply hooked a finger under it, and pulled it down slowly, revealing Jungkook’s hard on and moving back until he could throw the pants and boxers somewhere into the room.

In Jungkook’s opinion there was something else that was unfair, which was the way Taehyung could play him so easily and casually while Jungkook could only imitate what Tae had shown him. It felt really intimate when Tae was undressing him, slow and without breaking eye contact with him. It was so intense that Jungkook had to look away from being flustered. His cheeks dusted pink as he was finally lying on his back in front of Tae, completely bare and unable to hide anything from his hungry eyes.

Taehyung hummed in satisfaction, kissing up Jungkook’s thighs up until he could kiss the younger’s waist, feeling him twitch underneath. “You’re beautiful like this,” He whispered into Jungkook’s skin and got back over him, moving a little so Jungkook could feel the friction and skin on skin contact. Tae was rutting up against him a few times, breathy low moans escaping his lips, kissing Jungkook sloppily in between. “Babe…, do you,” Tae stopped to let them both catch their breaths, “Do you know what’s going to happen now? Because I need to prepare you and I want you to feel good, so I need you to relax and trust me.”

Feeling Tae’s heated, naked skin on his own felt amazing, and Jungkook wished he could stay like this forever, just feeling, breathing in Tae’s familiar scent, listening to his heartbeat and letting the sweet, sweet kisses calm his mind into a state of absolute bliss. He gasped in surprise when Tae moved his body against him, rolling his hips right in between his legs and making him shudder with the overwhelming sensation of lust that was pooling low in his gut, making him twitch and writhe and whimper with desire. He swallowed harshly when his mind caught up with Tae’s words because trying to answer was turning out to be way more difficult than expected. So, he simply nodded, expression serious before he finally managed to say, “You are going to push your dick inside me.”

Taehyung coughed a little awkwardly, when Jungkook was talking so bluntly about what he would do to him.

“I mean…yeah, but not right away,” He said a little out of breath, hovering over the other. Letting his hand caress over Jungkook’s cheek softly, before explaining, “Before I can do that…I need to prepare you. Stretch you out…” Tae let one hand wander up Jungkook’s thigh and cupped his bottom, squeezing it lightly. “You probably don’t know what I’m talking about at all, right?” He bit his lip in thought, before Tae simply said, “Do you trust me? Because then…just let me show you. It will maybe feel a little strange at first…and I need you to relax, because it can feel so good…and trust me, that I will make sure to prepare you so good, that you can take me and if it still gets too much we can stop anytime you say so.”

Jungkook nodded, feeling a little stupid that he had no idea about the details. Maybe he should have gotten himself a sexual education book for humans. But it hadn’t exactly been on his to do list before to get fucked so this was a bit of a surprise how things had turned serious so quickly. Therefore, he just tried to be as obedient as possible, listening to everything Tae said with wide eyes and determination to follow his words as best as he could.

“Good,” Taehyung kissed Jungkook on his lips, letting the younger take from him what he needed, before he moved along his jawline, leaving a wet trail down Jungkook’s chest. He shifted a little, licking his way over his chest and tasted his nipple, his breath blowing over it before moving down further. Looking up at Jungkook, Tae smiled reassuringly, one hand searching for Jungkook’s, so he could intertwine their hands. The other hand, stroke along Jungkook’s thigh, while Tae was leaving kisses on his hip bone here and there but not quite where the elf needed it the most.

Not knowing where Tae would touch him next was making him twitchy with anticipation and nerves. He was pliant under the older, opening his thighs willingly when Tae nudged them apart. He was so concentrated that he started nibbling on his bottom lip, abusing the flesh until it was plush and red from worrying it too much with his teeth. He wondered what Tae was thinking if he was as excited as Jungkook or if it wasn’t that special anymore if you had done it more often. “Tae?” He sounded young, a little vulnerable. “Did you sleep with lots of other humans?”

Taehyung grabbed a hold of Jungkook’s cock and licked along it right away, feeling the younger shudder beneath him, when he suddenly stopped because of the elf’s question. “Huh?” He looked up at Jungkook, his tongue still pressed tightly on the other’s dick, before he regained his posture a little. Every thought it his head got lost the second Tae’s tongue licked along his cock. The pleasant shock rendered him mute and so it was a bit hard to follow Tae’s words. Only when Tae came up to answer him properly did the haze clear. “No…not really,” Tae came up, to meet Jungkook with a kiss on his lips, “I had boyfriends before, yeah…but it’s been a while. No one made me go crazy like this, though. I don’t think I’ve ever loved someone as much as I love you…” Shocked by his own confession, he averted his gaze a little, biting his lip anxiously, “I just…really want to love you.”

Hearing Tae talk about him like this and knowing that he was as special to Tae as the human was to him made him giddy with joy. He hid his smile behind his hand because he just couldn’t stop, so happy to do anything else but smile stupidly at the other. He was sensitive enough already with all these new impressions so adding this emotional confession to the mix made his eyes shiny with oncoming tears. Tears of joy but Jungkook got flustered nonetheless.

“You’re my baby boy,” Taehyung said and kissed the tip of Jungkook’s nose, “My sweet elf.” With a smile, Tae moved down again, going back to where he had started. He could feel his own lust building and so Taehyung licked along his long shaft back towards his balls. Slowly but sensually, Taehyung was showing Jungkook how the pleasure of a blow-job could feel like, so he took his balls into one hand, gently massaging them, before he took as much as he could of his cock into his mouth. The other hand wrapped around its base, he slid it back and forth, matching the rhythm of his mouth. Taehyung could feel himself getting harder again, while he was pumping Jungkook’s cock a few times, using his tongue and mouth expertly and causing Jungkook to groan with pleasure, which only made himself harder.

The elf was completely helpless under Tae’s skilled mouth. The only thing he could do was shudder and pant and tighten his hold onto the covers until his knuckles turned white. Still he couldn’t get rid of the tension that made his abs clench and teased lustful gasp and trembling moans out of his chest. It felt like nothing he had ever experienced before, as if Tae had found a way to get under his skin and set his nerves ablaze.

Taehyung smiled at the younger, letting him take a breath, using the little break to make Jungkook spread his legs a little further. Where they had their hands intertwined, Taehyung was stroking softly with his thumb over his skin. Then he pressed the tip of his tongue against the space between his balls and hole, flicking it hard multiple times. He wrapped one arm around Jungkook’s thigh to keep it in place, before Tae licked around the curving of Jungkook’s ass cheeks sweetly, letting him feel how close he was, before Tae pressed his mouth right against his hole, letting his tongue slip smoothly around his tight hole, kissing and sucking him.

Jungkook’s eyes snapped open when he realized where exactly Tae was pushing his tongue and he tensed, trying to get up. “What... what are you doing?” His cheeks burned from shame and he felt way too wet down there, afraid that he might be not clean enough or that Tae would find that something wasn’t as it should be on a human’s body.

Wiping over his mouth, Taehyung came up and onto his knees, caressing soothingly over Jungkook’s thigh. “Hey, relax, baby boy…I’m preparing you,” Tae said in a soft, reassuring voice, “Where else do you think my dick fits, baby?” He was squeezing his thigh, leaning down to kiss the elf on his stomach, before gazing up at him, “Didn’t it feel good?”

He was still flushed but Tae’s reaction managed to calm him a little. “Right. I... I’m sorry, I just... didn’t expect this.” He laid back down, closing his eyes but the tension in his body gave away that he was still nervous. He hadn’t really concentrated if it felt good, too shocked by where Tae had put his tongue. Although he absolutely trusted Tae’s intentions he started to worry a little. He had seen Tae’s cock and it... wasn’t small. He wondered if humans might be built a bit differently, afraid that maybe his body wasn‘t meant for this.

“Don’t be sorry, baby,” Taehyung got over him again, gripping Jungkook’s chin to make the younger look at him, “I love you, okay? Just try and relax and trust me…you’re perfect.” This time Taehyung kissed the other heatedly, letting the younger take all of him that he needed to reassure himself, before he pulled away again with a smile. With a teasing wink, Tae was slicking his fingers with his own spit, before he was rubbing sweetly over Jungkook’s hole. Just making the other feel the sensation there a little, without pushing too far, yet. He needed some lube for it to work smoothly, but Taehyung was sure that Jungkook wouldn’t have this lying around, so he had to think quick. He was looking around the storage room, biting his lip in thought.

“I need…something…like…ah,” Tae kissed Jungkook’s knee quick, telling him he would be back in a second, before walking over to one of the many shelfs. Taking out the tin of coconut oil*.

Tae smiled and came back to Jungkook. “I will use this as lube,” He explained, kissing the elf again, “So, I can prepare you perfectly for me.”

“O…okay,” It sounded a little like a question but Jungkook really tried his best to adapt to this and be as good for Tae as the other needed him to be. He wanted this. He just had no idea how to act or what to do to make it work. He felt cold immediately as soon as Tae got up and he only realized that he had held his breath when it rushed out of him in relief when Tae kneeled back down in between his legs, stroking his sides gently and smiling at him in a way that calmed his heart just right.

Taehyung opened it, pouring some of the natural lube onto his fingers, before going back to rub down Jungkook’s hole and preparing him with it. He got back over Jungkook, making sure the younger could reach for him any second if he needed him. With his knees, he pushed Jungkook’s legs open a bit more. “Hold on to me if you need it,” Tae said, his finger moving in a circle around the other’s hole, “Just relax into it.” Placing a soft kiss on the elf’s neck, Taehyung pushed one finger into Jungkook slowly, feeling how the lube was making his finger glide easily.

Jungkook nodded quietly, swallowing harshly against the lump in his throat. The coconut oil warmed easily and so it didn’t really feel that strange - until Tae pushed inside. His grip tightened, fingers digging into Tae’s shoulder as he tensed instinctively before willing himself to relax again. His eyes were wide, heart beating so quickly and heavily that he could feel it all throughout his body.

“You’re doing so good, baby boy,” He soothed the younger, kissing him sweetly, “Relax into it.” He pushed a little more, working his finger in and out slowly so the younger could get a feel for it. “Let me in, baby,” Tae whispered against Jungkook’s ear, nibbling on it.

The teasing of his ears, especially the tips made his muscles go lax in Tae’s embrace. The touch inside of his body barely became a footnote as he was way too occupied to feel the desire and the rush of that that Tae’s gentle caresses evoked. His moans had become downright sinful by now and Jungkook had long forgotten how to be ashamed of his sounds as they spilled out of him so naturally whenever Tae awake the pleasure in his body anew. Taehyung pumped his finger a little faster, feeling Jungkook shiver and his muscles work with the steady press of him pushing in. He kissed the elf on his lip, letting his tongue glide along his bottom lip, swallowing down every breathy moan of him and capturing it with another heated kiss.

“You’re so tight, baby boy,” He breathed out, rutting himself up against Jungkook, desperate for some friction himself. Tae was moving his finger in a circle, lining around Jungkook’s tight hole for a bit, before he kept pushing back in, stretching him out. “Going to make you feel so good,” Tae murmured moving down to play with Jungkook’s nipples again, loving how sensitive the other was there. He was pumping his finger faster, making Jungkook gasp and hum in response and Tae pushed down a little more. “Do you want more, baby?”

Whenever the stretch came close to being uncomfortable or burning Taehyung made sure to distract Jungkook with pure pleasure, blowing his mind with how easily he could make him get lost in this. Before he even noticed Taehyung was three fingers deep inside of him and Jungkook had gotten so used to this that he barely paid it any attention - as long as Tae kept teasing his nipples and rubbing over the sensitive part of his thighs. “Good boy, that’s it,” Taehyung could feel how Jungkook was relaxing, letting him in even more and he patiently pushed his fingers into him and pulled it back out, moving slowly. While he worked him open, he kissed Jungkook again, the younger’s body tensing, when Taehyung pushed more, stretching him out even further. Taehyung held there, adding just a little bit more pressure but not wanting to force it in, until the elf’s body relaxed, and his fingers sank in further, his muscles closing around it.

“Hm..mh?” He blinked his eyes open when his mind registered that Tae was talking to him, possibly expecting an answer. He had no idea what ‘more’ entailed but he knew what he wanted in the end, so he just told Tae, innocently and sweet, in all his elfish honesty, “I want you to take me. Make me yours, please.”

“You’re so good for me, my perfect baby boy,” He whispered and kissed Jungkook with a smile. “I will make you mine now,” Taehyung murmured, not knowing what this sweet promise meant for Jungkook’s life.

He got up a little, taking a bit more of the coconut oil to prepare himself. Tae grunted low, humming in satisfaction, when he pumped himself a few times. He stared down at Jungkook, the muscles playing along his chest and arms, when he played with himself. Laying down next to the elf, he pulled Jungkook into his embrace. His back against his chest. Reaching out for his thigh, he hooked it up and over his leg, placing himself right along Jungkook’s hole. But before he would push in, Tae gazed up at the younger. He was holding him right against his own body and Taehyung was sure that Jungkook could feel his heart beating wildly against his chest. Gripping his chin, he turned the younger to look at him, kissing him a little sloppily, as he lined himself up against the younger’s hole. And then he pushed in, carefully and slow, feeling the resistance and how Jungkook locked up tight, so he kissed him on his shoulder, below his pulse point and on his ear, whispering sweet promises.

“Let me take you, baby boy,” Wrapping his arm around Jungkook’s thigh, he pushed a little harder, “I love you.” Jungkook was practically trembling from the anticipation when Tae pulled him tight against his chest. He had trouble breathing properly because he was so focused on what was about to happen that he almost choked on air. So, he did the only thing he could; he held onto Tae for dear life and hoped that this wasn’t the biggest mistake that he had ever made. His worried melted away like heated wax when Tae turned his head to kiss him, soothing him so sweetly, making sure he felt safe and loved and cared for.

Jungkookie let go, giving himself over to Tae and closing his eyes. He trusted him. He really, really wanted this; wanted to know what it would be like to be one with Tae. When Tae pushed in his muscles still refused him, tightening around the foreign feeling of being entered. It was different from being fingered and for a second Jungkook was about to panic. As if he felt it Tae chose this moment to tell him that he loved him again, reassuring him as best as he could. There was nothing else that Jungkook could ask for. Taehyung loved him, he desired him. He was taking care of him. And Jungkook loved him back. There was nothing he needed to be afraid of.

With a final shuddering breath Jungkook spread his thighs wider for Tae and let him in. Taehyung was panting, as he could feel the tightness of Jungkook’s ass pulling him in and he moaned loud and unabashed, hiding his face in the crook of the younger’s neck when he bottomed out completely.

“Fuck…you’re so good,” Tae murmured, staying still for a moment, “Feel…feel so good around me, I want…to…fuck you.” Placing kisses everywhere, Taehyung pulled out, but only to push back into Jungkook. First carefully and slow, watching Jungkook’s reactions. The younger was gasping with every push and Taehyung slowly but steadily upped his tempo.

Knowing that was actually inside of his body was... intense and Jungkook tried to wrap his mind around it to no avail. Tae was as close to him as he could physically be and everything Jungkook wanted was to melt back and be united with Tae forever. It felt simply amazing. The pleasure wasn’t like before, not as scorching or sudden, rather a low, pleasant hum in his lower body but Tae seemed to enjoy it, so he was happy as well. If taking him would bring Tae pleasure that he would gladly let the other have him whenever he wanted.

Taehyung reached around and gripped Jungkook’s cock and with him pushing into the younger, making him move with every thrust, it was easy to give him even more friction. Tae was absolutely amazed with how good Jungkook was taking him, it almost felt like he was made for this. For him to love and protect. A little choked off sound escaped Jungkook when Tae gripped his cock, making him clench around him and try to close his thighs - which he couldn’t because they were held open by Tae’s own legs. He felt vulnerable and open - but in a good way. An exciting way that made him move against Tae’s tight hold to get more and more.

“You feel so good, baby, I need…I need more,” Without pulling out of him, Tae simply wrapped his arm around his narrow waist and pushed himself up and Jungkook on his knees. He leaned in and over Jungkook, kissing his ear, before he whispered, “This will be easier for you, too…you take me so good, baby boy.” Gripping his waist, Taehyung pushed back in almost forcefully, letting Jungkook feel how deep he was. He moved his hips in circles, his hand soothing up and down his back, before Tae gripped him tight again, thrusting himself into the younger.

He completely lost balance when Tae turned him around, thankfully to get a better grounding as soon as he was on his hands and knees. Before he could tell Taehyung that he was glad that Tae liked him that way the other pushed into him, more forcefully this time and so deeply that he whimpered helplessly. “T…Tae...,” the other’s name was like a plea on his lips, although he wasn’t really sure what he was pleading for.

“Yes, baby boy?” He thrusted into him again, loving the way it made Jungkook gasp and moan, “You like that?” Taehyung was so lost in his own pleasure, thrusting into him so deeply and hard, that he only realized that he had spanked the other when his hand met Jungkook’s bottom. He gripped the flesh tight, squeezing Jungkook’s bottom, before Tae wrapped his arm around the younger chest and pulled him up and against him. Jungkook yelped in surprise when Tae’s palm hit his backside, clenching around Tae and whimpering slightly at the feeling of being so full. He had as much knowledge about kinks as he had about space travel, so he was simply and utterly confused. But he didn’t have the breath to ask Taehyung what the slap had been for anyway - he was too busy panting.

Kissing the youngers, shoulder and neck, his hot breath was fanning against the elf. “’m sorry, you make…me go crazy…,” He moaned, “Tell me…when I do something…you don’t like ‘kay?” He kissed the elf on his ear, sucking at the top and nibbling on it. Pushing up into Jungkook was pure heaven and Tae moaned unabashed with every thrust. His voice low and sultry whenever he spoke. He soothed over Jungkook’s bottom, doing little circles with his waist, before Tae pushed back in hard.

Jungkook felt Tae’s strength which each and every trust, trying to keep himself stable but his body rocked from how hard Tae pushed into his body. He was so busy trying to cope with everything that he only realized that Tae was playing unfair and using his weakness against him when he felt a hot tongue on his ear tip. The high pitched moan that left his lips made his cheeks flush deeply.

„You feel so good, so…good,” Taehyung squeezed Jungkook’s bottom once more, thrusting into the other mercilessly. Reaching around the younger, he gripped his hard dick again, jerking him off with every thrust of his hips. His lips were leaving sloppy little kisses all over Jungkook’s neck, making him turn his head to look at Taehyung. A cheeky smile on his lips, Taehyung kissed him passionately, while holding him tight to his chest. “Baby boy…,” He hummed, breathy little moans escaping his lips when he slowed down his thrusts until his hips were only moving in sweet little circles. Tae’s hand moved from his length, down to his balls to massage him, rolling them in his palm, “How are you feeling, baby?”

Jungkook was shaking, his knees getting weak from what Tae did to him. He tried to keep himself upright, but his body failed him, making him fall on his elbows. Tae had complete control over him and it was a scary and thrilling thought at the same time. He could feel Tae’s cock move inside him, stroking his tight walls from the inside and he gasped, breathless, lost in the feeling of physical pleasure. “I... I’m fine...I’m...,” He broke off, voice trembling too much to really form coherent sentences.

“I got you, baby,” Taehyung soothed him, kissing him sweetly below his pulse point, before he wrapped his arm around his waist and pulled out of the younger. He reached out for Jungkook, helping him to turn around on his back. Meeting his lips with a kiss, Taehyung cupped his cheek to make the elf look up at him, “Do you want me to make you come?” Tae couldn’t deny it, but he was aching and trembling to get back inside of Jungkook. His muscles shaking with the way he tried not to push right back into him.

The elf just nodded, thankful that Tae had turned them around, so he had something to hold onto and could pull Tae close to him. He felt safer with his arms around Tae’s neck and his thighs around the older’s waist. He needed the closeness as much as he needed air right now. The human pushed back inside him easily and Jungkook was surprised at how easily he had already accustomed to the feeling of being taken, the stretch just a little uncomfortable before Tae’s presence washed away anything else but the longing and desire to be his.

Jungkook’s hold around his neck, made it impossible for Tae to sit up and since he didn’t want to take away his feel of safety, Tae used all of his strength to lift the younger up with his arm around his waist. This way he knew, he would hit the right spot.

“I love you,” A whispered promise against Jungkook’s lips, before he thrusted back into him. Harder, this time, assaulting that one spot over and over again. He was panting, holding on to the younger, while he moaned low and loud, not caring who could hear them. Jungkook held onto the other with all the strength he had left, thinking that Tae was just changing positions again before Tae thrusted harder, sliding right along Jungkook’s sweet spot. The elf screamed, completely overwhelmed by the pure hot pleasure that ran along his spine, making his thighs tremble and his muscles clench.

“T..Tae! What are you...” He was left screaming again when Tae fucked him harder, sliding into him just right again and again, not giving him any time to adjust or catch his breath. He whimpered helplessly when Tae made sure to fuck him senseless, his weak attempt at closing his legs futile as he was pinned down on his back for Tae like a doll, just begging to be taken apart. Which was exactly what Tae was doing right now.

“I’m…making you come…,” Tae was panting, biting into the juncture of Jungkook’s neck to release a bit of the tension and licking over the spot right after. He smiled against the elf’s skin, before he sat up a little more, so he could look at Jungkook. His arm wrapped tightly around his waist, his lips only a few inches away from Jungkook’s, Tae was gazing right into his eyes with a smile. “Fuck, you’re so tight…,” He moved a little slower, his thrusts getting only harder though, before he upped the tempo and took Jungkook apart. Biting down on the younger’s lip, he kissed him and licked into his mouth. “Come for me, baby boy…don’t fight it…,” Taehyung murmured breathlessly, “You’re mine now.”

Jungkook whined, the pleasure making him writhe but there was nowhere to go to get rid of what he was feeling so he could just lay there and take it, the already pent-up tension climbing higher and higher until his abdomen was locking up and his thighs tightening around Tae’s waist as his body went completely rigid and then he came. Hard and shuddery, panting, with Tae’s name on his lips like a prayer.

Jungkook tightening around his cock, was all Taehyung needed. He pushed into him hard, thrusting through the elf’s and his own orgasms that spilled hot and wet into Jungkook. But Taehyung didn’t stop until the last shudder from his own muscles ebbed down. He fucked them both through it, loving the beautiful view Jungkook was giving him, his own cum spread all over the elf’s stomach. Breathing heavily, Tae pulled out with a low growl, keeping Jungkook’s legs spread to see the mess that he had made. “Fuck,” He threw his head back, before his gaze met the younger’s, “You’re so beautiful.”

Tae didn’t mind the dirtiness, hovering back over Jungkook’s face to search for his lips in a sweet kiss. “I love you, baby, “ He whispered, “All mine…”

Jungkook was too far gone to notice how downright dirty this was and how much Taehyung reveled in it. He was still coming down from his high when he suddenly felt it; Jungkook had thought that the binding was just something that would happening on a psychological level, so he had never thought that he would actually feel it happening throughout his whole body. The elf gasped in shock when he started shaking violently again, clinging to Tae with trembling fingers as if he was lost the second he would let go. He felt as if he had fallen apart during his orgasm and now his body was trying to piece him back together, just that it was weaving Tae and everything he stood for right into him; the feeling of Tae’s skin on his own, the kisses that still lingered on his lips and neck, Tae’s voice as he had whispered into his ear, low and sultry, the way Tae’s smile made him feel or the spark in his eyes when he told him he cared, the taste of his kisses, his lips, so addictingly sweet... It sunk deep, deep into his cells – and especially into his heart. He had never tried to imagine how it would feel to be irrevocably in love with someone, how it might feel like to know that there wouldn’t be someone else in the whole wide world who could touch heart like Tae, as it was already claimed by him. Now he knew. When his breath came back, and his heart calmed down to normal it had become completely natural for him that his heart was only beating for Tae now, each and every stuttering beat against his ribs another tell that he was his.

Taehyung looked at Jungkook wide-eyed the second he began shaking like that. He panicked for a second, but Jungkook’s body already stilled again. “You…are you okay? Baby? Jungkookie?” Taehyung said, placing a kiss on his cheek, then another one, looking at the elf all worried, “What’s wrong? Was it too much? Was I…did I hurt you?” He almost cried out the words, way too scared that he had done something to the younger, that he didn’t like and not wanted him to do. He caressed over his skin, trying to shield him from whatever it was that made him shake like this and keep him warm. Jungkook was too emotional to talk, his throat closed up when he heard Tae talk like that, worried about him, caring for him so he just went with his instinct, burying his head at his neck, pressing his body against Tae’s still warm, sweaty and naked. He was kissing Tae’s pulse, just like Tae liked to do it, nibbling at the sensitive skin where he could feel Tae’s heartbeat against his lips. He felt…alive. As if he had woken up as someone else. And that someone was entirely Tae’s.

  * this is 100% organic, unrefined coconut oil we‘re talking about. And in case you‘re wondering; yes you can actually use that stuff as a natural lubricant if you‘re not allergic to coconuts (as a person that can get pregnant you should keep in mind that it may weaken latex, but that would go too far here as this is a fanfic and no sex ed) Just a general reminder: Do not under any circumstances use random stuff for sex if you‘re not absolutely sure what you are doing. Pls!

A/N: Isn’t innocent Jungkook the sweetest? I’m dying because of his cuteness. We hope you liked it and don’t forget to leave us a comment. ❤

Are you curious to know what kind of new stories will come soon? ;) Did you check out our new gifset trailers already? There will be a One-Shot coming on New-Years Eve and in January there will be two new stories! You can find the gifset trailers here (Vampire!Minjoon Story) and here (King!Namjoon x Jungkook) ! We are so excited to share new stuff with you guys soon!

[comicteaparty]

May 23rd, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on May 23rd, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Maiden of the Machine by Caitlin Like.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! Our final Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Maiden of the Machine by Caitlin Like~! (https://maidenmachine.com/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

i think my favorite scene so far is when elizabeth and victor decide to sleep together. part in for its serious drama. theres so many questions about victor created from just the visuals, and then theres the stakes at hand of elizabeth's reputation. but then, there is also a good balance of comic relief to a degree since victor told her to ask no questions and she asks the one question that he probably didnt see coming. all around it was a pretty satisfactor culmination of their relationship so far at a juncture that felt natural.

another scene i really enjoyed was the ball scene where victor and eric are having a chat about elizabeth and then elizabeth and victor have a passionate liason. im mostly a fan cause of the dramatic convo. cause theres a deep and terrible sense that both characters truly know what their risking, what the situation is, and how they still are into each other. plus, its all very tense cause it just takes one person being in the wrong place at the wrong time to blow their cover.

honestly i think itd be accurate to say all my favorite scenes are with elizabeth and victor. romance is one of those genres i can struggle with, because theres always something missing. but oh man do i love the romance in this comic. there is nothing more i want than to see then elizabeth and victor finding a way to be together in spite society trying to kick that down at every turn.

i will give a special shout out to the scene where eric, abhaya, milo, and the cousin are meeting to discuss the affairs of the estate. i just like it because it basically shows all the characters' worst sides. abhaya is brash and reckless, milo is just kind of there, and eric is a greedy mofo. and whats worse is literally none of them thought to bring elizabeth. they may have their excuses of protecting her...but part of me still thinks thats a super dick move and shows even abhaya just kind of views elizabeth more as a pawn than a person. but all in all, nothing like money and estates to show off everyone's worst traits. it is very true to life, and i can respect that.

another non-victor/elizabeth scene i respect is the scene where elizabeth is out dress shopping and eric is like here i got you these dresses. just cause i knew eric was kind of a creep, but ho boy, he dialed the creep up to number 11 on a 10 meter scale. but at the same time, i think that really helped to erase all sympathy i might have had for him. thus paving the way for me to not really feel guilty on elizabeth's behalf for her trespasses against him.

mathtans

Hello, I made it... unfortunately this is a rather bad week, I only made it through the first two chapters.

RebelVampire

i also like scenes with west in them. cause I like that between all the people around Victor, West seems the most honest in a scoundrel sort of way. Which that is basically what I like about him in every scene. He causes trouble and pushes the limits, but at the same time hes always at least pretty upfront about his intentions.

thats unfortunate cause its a great comic, but glad to see you anyway math!

mathtans

Which kind of sucks, I like the whole concept of the kick ass ladies. Even the pirates.

Maybe I'll find time to read more in the background.

The bit I liked most of what I read I think was back in the first chapter, when Elizabeth makes the callback to when she got out of the ropes at the very start of the story. It was a nice subtle detail which I found very clever.

I'm not at your bits yet but I can see how the Elizabeth/Victor thing is being set up. Also there seems to be some question of whether Abhaya likes him... or possibly other ladies? I may be reading my own interests into that.

RebelVampire

you may be reading your own interests but later on there is a female character i ship abhaya with atm

so there is that

i dont think youve met her yet tho

mathtans

Also, yeah, the whole estate thing creates an interesting dynamic. That was a clever way of using the period to generate conflicts.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. A large focus of the comic is on Elizabeth and Victor’s relationship. At the end of the day, do you think the two will find a way to be together? If so, how will they get over the scandal Elizabeth would face and the fact those around Victor want him to marry a titled woman? If you don’t believe they’ll find a way to stay together, what will stop them? Further, given the most recent events, how will Eric Wollstonecraft play a role in the future of their love story? How does the narration framing seen where Elizabeth is addressing her potential son affect your opinion? How do you think that future came about, and how soon will it come to pass? Last, what do you think of their relationship in terms of Elizabeth wanting to make her own choices in life?

mathtans

I ship Abhaya with everyone.

RebelVampire

yeah i have to say if theres one thing i appreciate its combination of progressive themes while at the same time acknowledging that the period was not the friendliest towards these things

especially in regards to how elizabeth is treated since her only purpose apparently to everyone is to get hitched to a titled guy

and i mean

thats depressing

yet also true to the period

even though we get to see elizabeth take a journey and reject those social conventions

in regards to the current question, i am choosing not to think about whether in the long term elizabeth and victor will get together for the rest of their lives. because if they dont i will cry but i could see this realistically being the case given the tone of the narration. cause that...does not sound like an elizabeth who lives in eternal happiness.

mathtans

Back, sorry. Yeah, I'm usually not much of one for period pieces, but I like the narrative viewpoint. Also, pretty neat airships.

There was the point where she talked about leaving Victor behind back in Chapter 1 (I don't recall the exact circumstances) but I wondered if it was because he causes her heartache, or just because it make their lives more complicated.

Incidentally, the first thing I thought of with the name "Lovelace" was Lady Ada Lovelace. The mathematician. Not sure if that was an intentional reference to another well regarded woman.

RebelVampire

i love period pieces but i think the steampunk aspects help twist it enough to make it a bit more unique.

mathtans

(I don't think the time frames synch up but I don't recall when the comic takes place...)

Oh, it's definitely unique. I like the gadget aspect too.

RebelVampire

i would not be surprised if the name choice was purposeful. if only because the comic has lots of strong ladies. i doubt well see any real historical figures though.

i appreciate that the comic actually kind of starts off with the airship escapade

cause it really showcases the ways in which their world differs

where you get airships

and sky pirates

mathtans

That's a good point. Helps with the world building before we get down into some of the classic period issues.

RebelVampire

yes. and i also kind of like it starts off more action-y. not that there isnt action bits later mind you. but more i think it helps set up the main conflict while tying in the romance. because it makes it so the romance isnt some forced subplot. rather its kind of integral and has as much to do with the whole highjacking as the rest of the story. since later on youll see that elizabeth's proximity to victor keeps bring that part of the story into the limelight

mathtans

That's a good point, in terms of tying things together. Also possibly sets up a key antagonist (or at least revenge plot) in that burned pirate lady.

RebelVampire

she does come back

i will spoil that much

mathtans

I figured she had to some time, whether it was by the present updates or not.

I've resumed reading a bit in the background. Seems like both the Watson ladies are doing their best to get arrested. ^.^

RebelVampire

well at least Abhaya is.

cause Abhaya is a risk taker who puts herself in many situations where people are gonna stop and stare

mathtans

Well, yes. But Elizabeth also seems to be taking risks where Victor is concerned. Or at least stepping out of her comfort zone.

Certain people have certain effects on us I guess.

RebelVampire

nah thats true. I just think Elizabeth just takes more social risks. Like not the kind that are gonna get her arrested, but more the kind that are gonna get her socially shunned.

whereas Abhaya is the punch one who is gonna get charged with assault

mathtans

That seems like a valid viewpoint. It fits with their personalities when we saw them in their youth.

The cutting back and forth between the two sisters in Chapter 3 is well done.

RebelVampire

yeah in general i like the PoV switching of the comic. because every scene is pretty well-chosen and advances the plot in some manner. and it lets us see others parts of the comic developing. cause later on you do get to see more of victor without elizabeth some and get to go "hmm" to all that hes up to.

mathtans

Ha! I like Chapter 3, page 31, where all the dialogue seems to fade out as Victor touches her. Cute.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. Besides romance, there is a larger plot posing real and deadly danger to the characters. Who do you think the Angel is? What are the Angel’s goals, and why is she excessively targeting Victor? Further, what do you think the source of her power is? Also, what does have kidnapping people like Ambrose have to do with her goals? Alternatively, is Ambrose there of his own free will (and if so, why)? Considering Abhaya is being sought by Amabel for help, what do you think Abhaya will do? Will Abhaya be able to uncover more of the truth, or is Abhaya just going to get herself into more trouble? How will Abhaya’s involvement affect Elizabeth and herself? Last, can Amabel be trusted, or is it possible she’ll abandon Abhaya when Abhaya might need her?

spoiler Amabel is who I ship Abhaya with

mathtans

Related to those questions, I do wonder a bit if Victor has a sordid past or something. Like maybe his empire wasn't entirely built on the up-and-up... with his knowledge or possibly without it. So there could be a reason there for him to be targeted.

I've looked on the character page and I approve this ship.

RebelVampire

oh yeah. Victor is 100% definitely a scoundrel. There is one scenes that really hints at this, but even before that i agree with you. Victor is not on the up and up entirely. I don't think he made his fortune without cracking a few skulls.

although idk if this is what makes him a target persay

or maybe it oes

but more in the way hes done the forbidden when it comes to tech

mathtans

Was he totally aware of the repercussions of whatever he did though? Because the people around him seem to like to keep him in the dark.

brb

RebelVampire

im sure he knew the repercussions. the people around him are more about keeping him in the dark about romantic matters. cause as was implied by one of the questions later on you find out the main thing ppl arent telling victor is that elizabeth is just there to open him up to the idea of marriage so he can marry a titled lady

cause everyone is all about those titles

In regards to the current question while you're away, I think Abhaya will help Amabel and get herself caught and get into a whole mess of trouble that for once, Elizabeth will have to break her out of. But I think it'll be a dual sword cause I do think Elizabeth's relationship to both Abhaya and Victor is gonna put her in the crosshairs. cause like, what an easy way to get Victor to show up. Get Elizabeth, tell Victor you'll never see her again if you don't show up.

as for the angel's goals, I feel shes on a path of vengence against the entire world, but particularly victor cause hes high up there in the industrialist chain

and knows something she doesnt and that she needs to bring her plans to fruition

mathtans

Back. Okay, that does make sense, darn titles.

Interesting, this Angel talk. I wonder if it's the same "angel" we see in the title card for Chapter 2?

Sounds like you think it's not personal, the Angel's path, merely that Victor is a convenient figurehead.

RebelVampire

i mean the angel is kind of the one from the title card. those are her wings for sure, though she doesnt look quite like that the one time you meet her

it could be personal, but i feel like the angel just has bigger fish to fry

from the impression i got from her

since shes kidnapping a ton of ppl

and you dont need to kidnap ppl to your cause if all youre doing is hunting down some industrialist

who almost got caught

if not for abhaya and elizabeth

mathtans

Ah, so she's the one behind the disappearances then.

(Still reading in the background.)

RebelVampire

yes. i mean its pretty implied but you get confirmation later that yes its her. though you can definitely speculate on the why

cause i have no clue

shes still enigmatic

mathtans

Looking for a husband? ^.^

RebelVampire

shes reading the wrong romance advice book

when elizabeth and her meet, elizabeth will point her in the right direction

and the angel is like "oh wait so youre not supposed to kidnap them? huh?"

mathtans

And then we ship Angel and Elizabeth.

RebelVampire

no. ill ship Abhaya and Angel

Elizabeth and Victor are the OTP

i said but then was like "nah id totally ship Elizabeth with West"

mathtans

Heh. That's fair, they are the main couple. Though West is an interesting guy, just needs to learn social cues.

RebelVampire

nah thats why west is amazing

he doesnt know social cues

and is awkward

yet helpful

and hes the only dude of victor's who seems to be in elizabeth's corner

mathtans

Right. I think it was said that he's not used to the lifestyle?

RebelVampire

yes that is what he said

which makes me want a side chapter just about what he did before he came to victor

cause i dont feel like victor would just hire some rando. he must of seen something in west

mathtans

Maybe he took pity on the guy, something about the scar.

RebelVampire

that could be cause victor understands the burden of scars

or something like that

whereas i just think west's scar gives him character

QUESTION 4. Mixed in with the present drama is a lot of unsolved past drama. Who do you think Victor really is? What do you think happened to Victor based on Milo’s story that he was telling Abhaya? How do you think Victor managed to overcome this to become the person he is today? Also, what do you make of the room Victor seemed to have sealed off in his house? Besides Victor, there is also a lot of drama between Jules, Abhaya, and Milo. What do you think happened between the three of them that managed to damage their relationship forever? Will spending more time together heal their wounds, or is it impossible at this point? Further, what was Jules up to the whole time he was away with Victor? Last, what do you think Jules’ goals were for introducing Elizabeth and Victor, and why does he seem immensely conflicted about her presence?

mathtans

Sorry, biab

RebelVampire

kay

I think Victor was some fellow servant kid who was Jules' only friend after Jules got sent away. And then Victor almost died. Although I'm changing my previous speculations. Maybe the Angel is more literal and she literally showed up, saved Victor with tech with the promise to return, and then left. So now shes back for her comeuppance. Meanwhile, Victor decided technology was great and he needed to bring it to the world cause it was what would keep him alive and save others.

as for the three, at this juncture it seems pretty heavily implied Milo and Jules were in a relationship and that Milo called off the wedding to Abhaya cause he didnt want to live a lie in regards to how he felt about Jules. Regardless of the what, while Milo i feel will legitimately forgive and forget, I dont feel Abhaya or Jules will. Abhaya cause she doesnt seem the type to ever forgive ever. And to just hold onto her hatred and seethe. Jules in the meantime I think wont forgive until he gets revenge in some way. Cause the two probably betrayed his trust big time and he kind of got the most screwed over by what happened

i think Jules wanted them to meet for the exact reason that the others implied: they want Victor to warm up to the idea of women so he can get married. However, I feel Jules now feels like a jerk who is taking out his anger at Abhaya on Elizabeth who had 0% to do with what happened between the three. and yet he knows hes in too deep to turn back now.

mathtans

Could be that Victor was initially poor... in fact maybe he married into the company somehow? Could the Angel be his wife? o.o

I wondered about Milo and Jules. My initial thought had been that Abhaya had called off the engagement though, so that's an interesting other look at things.

Jules and Elizabeth were close too, back in the day. One wonders if he's that good at seeing how things play out long term.

RebelVampire

nah its definitely his company. but victor was probably poor. if only cause everyone calls him new money. so it means he has no predecessor parent who made their fortune.

Jules strikes me more as the type who things hes great at planning but really, really, really isnt

and then tons of consequences come about that he has to accept and deal with

mathtans

That makes sense and could explain the sympathy for West too, maybe he knows West even though it doesn't necessarily go both ways.

Yeah, Jules seems to think he's got everything well in hand but he doesn't seem to account for the human factor.

Made it to the end of Chapter 4/Act 1 now. Apparently the Angel kidnaps people to literally graft wings onto her spine. Ouch.

Interesting callback to Victor's wounded leg though.

RebelVampire

i think even more than the human factor, Jules is just bad at making plan Bs for when things do go wrong. then panics and makes bad decisions

like not telling victor the factory is in danger

mathtans

Maybe that thing that Victor has in the factory is a time machine. Turns out he's actually from the future, he brought back all the technology and that's why the Angel is after him, she thinks it's stolen.

You're not wrong there, about Jules.

RebelVampire

ya know...i can support this time traveler theory. i mean it doesnt quite fit considering flashbacks

but id 100% buy victor built a time machine

cause why not

victor is amazing

mathtans

Maybe his company is corrupt because they're still trying to get the patents.

RebelVampire

i mean

its a company

so its probably corrupt to some degree regardless

mathtans

That's also a good point.

RebelVampire

i mean i can point out the fact they want victor to marry a titled lady to be a form of corruption. cause thats just marrying someone to advance your social standing for the business

mathtans

I guess we're near the end... haven't said anything about the art yet. I suppose I like the shading, and I thought the sound effect use was clever.

Need someone to star in the commercials.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my wife loves this new device I call a roomba."

RebelVampire

i really love the clothes. i mean theyre simple, and yet all seem to fit within the period that this comic is trying to go for

but if they get a roomba what are the house wives supposed to do

not sit at home cooking and cleaning all day?

also about the art, i really love the steampunk designs. you can definitely tell the steampunk inspiration in them, yet theyre really unique and not really like any steampunk ive seen before

and i can for sure appreciate uniqueness

mathtans

Yeah, that's true. And there was that neat detail of the corset being laced up the front, I wouldn't have thought of that.

Uniqueness is good. I wonder what the machine connection will end up being.

With the whole "maiden of the machine" thing there. (Won't be a roomba, after all.)

RebelVampire

ah thats a good point as well. i loved that detail about the maid being able to tell elizabeth didnt have a maid

mathtans

Maybe Elizabeth gets upgraded too.

RebelVampire

the comic was about the angel all along

and the angel's victory

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up our final Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Caitlin Like, as well, for making Maiden of the Machine. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Caitlin Like’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://maidenmachine.com/

Caitlin Like’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaitlinLike

Caitlin Like’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/caitlike

Caitlin Like’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/caitlike

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 20 August 2018

Quick Bits:

Aphrodite V #2 is pretty damn great. Jeff Spokes’ artwork is instantly compelling, drawing in the reader with darkness and interesting angles into this increasingly enthralling story of a machine cult from the future by him and Bryan Hill.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Avengers #6 concludes the first arc in widescreen fashion. Lots of action and big ideas from Jason Aaron with gorgeous art from Ed McGuinness, Paco Medina, Mark Morales, Juan Velasco, and David Curiel. Again I’m reminded of those early issue of JLA from Grant Morrison and Howard Porter. This has been fun so far and I’m intrigued by what else they have in store.

| Published by Marvel

Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs & Eldritch Men #1 is a very welcome return, even without Jill Thompson for this go around. The artwork from Benjamin Dewey is beautiful as he reminds us that he’s one of the best nature artists in comics, and possible beyond. His animals are just stunning. The story from him and Evan Dorkin is also interesting, suggesting some arcane traps luring in the paranormal. Great stuff for all ages.

| Published by Dark Horse

Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #12 concludes the series with an epic battle between the forces of heaven and hell as it teaches us the true meaning of friendship. It’s funnier when you actually read it. This has been an entertaining series from John Carpenter, Anthony Burch, Jorge Corona, Gabriel Cassata, and Ed Dukeshire, with this final chapter also delivering a nice farewell to the movie as well.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Black Hammer: Age of Doom #4 has some very interesting revelations that ultimately only lead to more questions than answers. What’s going on isn’t nearly as cut and dried as we were led to believe last issue and the mystery has just deepened. Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, Dave Stewart, and Todd Klein have managed to elevate this story higher again.

| Published by Dark Horse

Black Panther #3 finally parcels out a tidbit of what might actually be going on with the series and the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, just in time for a surprise attack and more action. Thankfully, the art from Daniel Acuña is still overwhelmingly gorgeous.

| Published by Marvel

Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome #2 is even better than the first issue. The mystery deepens as Antonius and Achillia reach Egypt and find incongruities they don’t expect within this province of the Roman Empire. The artwork from Robert Gill (with colours from José Villarrubia) is probably among the best I’ve seen from him, really bringing some very strong work here with backgrounds, vehicles, and character designs that are particularly impressive.

| Published by Valiant

Cold Spots #1 is the start to another horror series from Cullen Bunn, this time accompanied by Mark Torres with the artwork, and as per many of Bunn’s previous tales, this is a great start. There’s a genuinely creepy atmosphere from Torres’ art and the plot of a missing daughter and her child, amidst the spooky maybe-ghosts, is a good one.

| Published by Image

Daredevil #607 gets into how there can possibly be a Mike Murdock running around New York and it’s an interesting and possibly hazardous diversion. Gorgeous art from Phil Noto.

| Published by Marvel

Die!Die!Die! #2 is more entertaining over-the-top humorous action that feels like it’s channelling Garth Ennis. Great art from Chris Burnham and Nathan Fairbairn.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Hunt for Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor #4 is probably the most succinct in sticking to its plot without real deviation of all of these minis. Basically sticking to the thread of these X-women tackling the Femme Fatales. It’s been a relatively decent story from Jim Zub, Thony Silas, and Felipe Sobreiro, even if the art’s been a little uneven. There’s a really nice sequence of Psylocke finding herself again in this issue, though, from Leonard Kirk and Andrew Crossley that has interesting implications going forward.

| Published by Marvel

Jughead: The Hunger #8 is a great jumping-on point for new readers, offering a bit of a history lesson and summary reinterpretation of the events of the overarching plot of the series to date. Great work from Frank Tieri, Pat & Tim Kennedy, Joe Eisma, Bob Smith, Ryan Jampole, Matt Herms, Andre Szymanowicz, and Jack Morelli.

| Published by Archie Comics / Archie’s Madhouse Presents

The Life of Captain Marvel #2 continues what is shaping up to be possibly one of the defining and quintessential Carol Danvers stories. I love what Margaret Stohl is doing in bringing out the backstory and interpersonal dynamics of Carol’s family. The art from Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Fonteriz, and Marcio Menyz in the present day and Marguerite Sauvage’s flashbacks is wonderful.

| Published by Marvel

Mr. & Mrs. X #2 continues this fun ride, tossing in Deadpool and more of the lesser used intergalactic X-characters. The dialogue from Kelly Thompson is hilarious and the art from Oscar Bazaldua and Frank D’Armata is great.

| Published by Marvel

Old Man Logan #46 begins another arc tying up loose ends before the endgame of Dead Man Logan kicks off. Wrapping reconnecting with Alpha Flight around a horror story evoking shades of The Thing and Slither results in a wonderful story perfectly fitting Damian Couciero’s artwork.

| Published by Marvel

The Punisher #1 is both a continuation of Matthew Rosenberg’s stories and ideas from the last volume of the series and a kind of back-to-basics approach to Frank Castle. Basically, he’s lost the War Machine suit, but he’s still taking on the world-spanning super-villains. It’s pretty epic and this is great jumping-on point. The dark humour is perfect, reminding me of Garth Ennis’ work with Castle, and seriously this is probably the best art that Szymon Kudranski has ever done. Along with Antonio Fabela’s colours, it’s like he was born to draw The Punisher.

| Published by Marvel

Royal City #14 is an introspective end of saying farewell to the past and accepting change to move forward. This has been an interesting series from Jeff Lemire, focusing on his most often used theme of family, and it’s been a good exploration of their different dynamics.

| Published by Image

The Sentry #3 is pretty dark, telling the flipside of the first two issues from Billy Turner’s perspective as he goes about stealing Sentry’s identity. This is almost at Kid Miracleman levels of demented. Jeff Lemire is playing with some interesting ideas here, beautifully brought to life by Kim Jacinto, Joshua Cassara, and Rain Beredo.

| Published by Marvel

Shadowman #6 has some truly beautiful artwork from Renato Guedes, as this arc of Jack falling through time visiting the different holders of the shadow loa takes an interesting turn in ancient history.

| Published by Valiant

Shanghai Red #3 is probably the best issue to date, as Molly reunites with Katie, recriminations are hashed out, and we get a bit of a tour of Portland. Christopher Sebela, Joshua Hixson, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou have tapped into something unique here, and this tale of revenge and some of the lesser told side of American history is incredibly compelling.

| Published by Image

TMNT #85 brings Leatherhead back into the fold, with very interesting and potentially dangerous ramifications following the war between the Utroms and Triceratons. Brahm Revel’s clothes-peg take on the Turtles is an interesting visual choice.

| Published by IDW

The Thrilling Adventure Hour #2 I find better than the first issue. The humour hits home a bit more for me and the leads of Sadie and Frank don’t seem nearly as insufferable as the first issue. The art, though, from MJ Erickson and Brittany Peer is just as good as the first. Entertaining stuff.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Venom #5 is another great issue. The mythology-building in this series is just incredible, growing Venom and his world into so much more. Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Frank Martin, and Clayton Cowles are creating magic.

| Published by Marvel

West Coast Avengers #1 is a great debut, filled with action and humour, as this highly dysfunctional team comes together. It’s nice to see Kelly Thompson doing more Hawkeye and Hawkguy, and the collection of characters coming together to make up the team are bizarre and fitting, carrying on a few of the themes and plot developments of the previous Hawkeye and America series. Though you needn’t have read any of that before you pick this up. Making it nigh unmissable is the gorgeous art from Stefano Caselli and Triona Farrell. This is fun.

| Published by Marvel

Witchblade #7 returns for its second arc, continuing the extremely high level of quality that Caitlin Kittredge, Roberta Ingranata, Bryan Valenza, and Troy Peteri set for themselves.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

X-Men Red #7 advances us a bit further as the X-Men attempt to uncover evidence of Cassandra Nova’s influence on the world and thwart her attack on Atlantis. Tom Taylor has definitely been taking a slow approach to unfurling this story, but it has allowed for the beautiful art from originally Mahmud Asrar and now Carmen Carnero & Rain Beredo time to breathe.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Amazing Spider-Man #4, Avengers: Wakanda Forever #1, Barbarella #9, Bedtime Games #3, Betty & Veronica: Vixens #9, Curse Words Summer Swimsuit Special #1, Days of Hate #7, DuckTales #11, Gasolina #11, Hack/Slash: Resurrection #10, Hit-Girl #7, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation #6, Lumberjanes #53, Mammon, Mickey Spillane’s Mike #3, Night’s Dominion - Season Three #2, Old Man Hawkeye #8, Quantum & Woody! #9, Red Sonja/Tarzan #4, Redneck #14, Stairway - Volume 1, Star Wars: Darth Vader #20, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #23, Sullivan’s Sluggers, TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Hit the Road #4, Wasted Space #4

Recommended Collections: Avengers: Back to Basics, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Cloak & Dagger: Predator & Pray, Deadly Class - Volume 7: Love Like Blood, Giant Days - Volume 8, Jimmy’s Bastards - Volume 2, Li’l Donnie - Volume 1: Executive Privilege, Lockjaw: Who’s a Good Boy, Postal - Volume 7, Sex Criminals - Volume 5: Five-fingered Discount

d. emerson eddy too wonders where all the cowboys have gone. Is it a nefarious plot from some shadowy organization? Or are they all just at the Calgary Stampede?

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Five Favorites Post

I was tagged by both @kmomof4 and @snowbellewells.  Thanks ladies!

Hello, you have been identified as An Awesome Writer™! Congrats, you rock! So that all of your readers can shower you with some extra love today, please tell us your favourite five (or as many as you want) stories of yours and why you like them and then send this to another five fic authors you think deserve this title! <3

Okay, so I found this task fun…but also daunting.  Looking through ff.net, I realized that I now have 41 published OUAT fics, and that doesn’t count my Fluffy Fridays anthology, which now sits at a ridiculous 119 chapters.  Trying to pick my favorites was like trying to pick my favorite child (if I, you know, had any children, lol).  Because of that, I cheated and picked my five favorite genes and put a few of my favorites under each heading.  There are 12 stories in all here.  Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Canon compliant/Canon divergent (stories that were spec fics at the time they were written, but have since been rendered AU by actual canon events):

Ø  A Wish Your Heart Makes This was my first big MC, so it will always have an important place in my heart.  Written during the hiatus between 3a and 3b, it was my spec for what the Wicked Witch arc would be like.  It also involves Camelot and a very twisted Morgana Le Fay.  This story spawned a fluffy sequel (Getting to I Do) about Emma and Killian planning their wedding in Storybrooke with EVERYONE putting in their two cents, and a more substantial sequel (Mysterious Fathoms Below) That featured Ursula and Blackbeard as the main villains—and Emma and Killian just trying to find ANY alone time for their honeymoon and more enjoyable activities.

Ø  The Honeymoon.  This story was written in the hiatus between seasons 6 and 7.  It’s basically my wish list for season 7 (a wish list I knew full well would never come to fruition, but what are you going to do?).  Emma and Killian go on a honeymoon and, in the process, end up tying up a lot of loose ends throughout the first six seasons.

Ø  Under the Apple Tree  My more realistic-ish spec fic for season 7.  This is my first (and only at the moment) almost exclusively Outlaw Queen story.

CS Future Fic

Ø The Girl That I Adore This story is near and dear to my heart because I love CS as parents’ fics.  This story starts out with Killian singing his newborn daughter to sleep, and finishes with him finding a creative way to put the fear of God into her prom date.

Real World AU

Ø  Caribbean Shores This was my first real world AU.  Based on an actual gala I attended for my church, which was pirate themed, Emma, a security guard at a school in Storybrooke, is forced to dress as a pirate for the annual school fundraising gala.  She ends up meeting another pirate…who her roommates and best friends just happen to be trying to set her up with.

Ø  Taking Back Neverland.  I had to include this story because it was just fun to write!  This is my take on the classic costars who hate each other trope. Emma and Killian are starring in a film version of the Neverland arc.  Sparks inevitably fly.

Ø  The Wedding Date CS fake!dating AU. Emma Swan is tired of her sister-in-law, Mary Margaret Nolan's constant matchmaking attempts. With Mary Margaret's sister, Regina's wedding coming up in a week, Emma resorts to desperate measures to hold Mary Margaret at bay: she decides to fake a boyfriend, mentioning the first name that comes to mind, Killian Jones. Only problem? She can't stand him.

Ø  The Music of the Heart Soulmate Finder My take on the classic soulmates au.  Mary Margaret convinces Emma to invest in the latest craze—the music of the heart soulmate finder.  Her device, obviously makes beautiful music with Killian’s…but will she be willing to pursue that TL connection?

Captain Duckling

Ø  The Princess and the Pirate Captain Duckling: When the Black Fairy finds a way back from the Dark Realm where she's been banished, Snow and Charming fear for their daughter Emma's life. They turn to the infamous Captain Hook to take their daughter to safety before the Black Fairy is able to start the "final battle" she'd threatened just after Emma's birth.

Lieutenant Duckling

Ø  The Swan Princess Lieutenant Duckling. When 4-year-old Emma Swan met 5-year-old Killian Jones for the first time, she punched him in the face. As Emma and Killian grow up, they become friends-and eventually more. Can their love survive an agonizing ultimatum by the Dark One?

 I’ll follow directions here and tag 5 (if you’ve already done this, or aren’t interested, feel free to disregard, of course.) @qqueenofhades  @spartanguard @flslp87 @ilovemesomekillianjones @laschatzi

[miraculouspaon]

Hello there! I'm just dying to know how much of the Generations series was planned in advance? And I actually mean the general plot and the characters. Plus if you don't mind revealing which points were a spur of the moment thing :) Another googol kudos for you

Thanks so much!

There were basically two giant bouts of advanced planning. When I first started writing last March, I had pretty much everything up through the current events of the TV show planned. Adele, Gabriel and Jonathan were all very clearly formed from the beginning, I had the reveal scenes in TBahB written in advance, and I had all the events of Just Before Losing Everything plotted out. Things that were more spur of the moment, if I’m remembering correctly, were the more episodic parts of TBahB like the Adele/Paon rescue, the ball stuff, that kind of thing. I also knew what would happen to Adele after her disappearance, but I only had really vague ideas for her rescue.

And then last August I was trying to make myself write the Gabriel/Jonathan fight in Just Before Losing Everything, and I knew exactly how it was going to go down but writing it was making me sad so my brain was putting it off by coming up with all these headcanons for Marinette and Adrien’s future kids, and before I knew it I had pretty much the whole basic outline of Heroes mapped out. I actually wrote the Adrienette subplot before I even published the first chapter, I think-it underwent heavy edits along the way, but the basic idea with the superhero prison and the amnesia and the kiss, that was all set in stone back in August. And I wanted to have a good idea of what had gone on in the thirty year gap so I brainstormed most of what wound up being YPiiaC and NHEA before getting too far into Heroes, too. At that point I wasn’t sure if I’d be writing those as their own stories or if there’d just be occasional flashbacks in Heroes, but I’m really pleased with the way it all eventually got written.

So because I write and plan wildly out of order, it’s a lot easier to set stuff up (and looks a lot more impressive if you don’t know what order I actually wrote everything in). Like, Dani being named after Marinette’s FBI partner was a total whim, I was a chapter away from needing a first name for Agent Miller and nothing sounded right, and then it occurred to me I still didn’t have an in-universe explanation for where Dani’s name had come from. Or Percy Ortoli-when I was planning Heroes I was going through the entire cast of characters wondering Where They Are Now for everyone at the start of the Occupation, and I remembered that Gabe and Adele had saved this politician’s kid back in TBahB, and maybe he could be doing something cool fifty years later. But I didn’t really want to make him a major character or anything, so I kind of had him on the backburner when I got to Dani needing her first Champion and it fit nicely. A lot of what I do is just tying two loose ends together like that.

And other times it’s just knowing what’s going to happen 20 chapters later and looking for opportunities to foreshadow it as I go. Like, one of the earlier ideas for Heroes I had was Emma getting trapped and Jonathan talking her through the escape, but I knew that moment needed to happen pretty late in the story so I just put it down in the outline. And then when I was in the middle of writing Ferd’s chapter I was like, “Oh hey, the perfect opportunity for foreshadowing that exactly no one will pick up on, perfect.” And of course, I knew about the big Adrienette twist before I wrote anything else at all, so I was on the lookout for opportunities to reference Dark Cupid ahead of time (which two people actually did pick up on, so that was fun). A lot of it just winds up working itself out without me actually putting that much effort into it, I guess.

There are probably more examples I’m not thinking of, but if there’s anything specific that you’re wondering how or when I came up with, let me know!

[markoutmania]

Progress Wrestling Thoughts

So I got a month subscription to Progress Wrestling and am attempting to watch all the 2019 shows so far. Here are some thoughts on the first 2 shows I watched for 2019. 

Chapter 83: Remove Child Before Ironing Show date: 20th January 2019

Ilja Dragunov vs Timothy Thatcher -What a HARD hitting STIFF match! These dudes beat the HECK out of each other! The match was quite sloppy at times but it was a lot of fun. STIFF BEATINGS in this match! 3 stars!

Nina Samuels vs Laura Di Matteo w/ Jinny -Much of this was sloppy and very formula, by the numbers match lay out wise. Meh. 1 star.

Eddie Dennis and Mark Haskins vs Do Not Resuscitate (Spike Trivet & Drew Parker) -Some of this was a LOT of fun, some of it was sloppy & flat. Haskins was the best worker in the entire match, weird seeing Dennis as a face since he is a heel in NXT UK. Wasn't awful, had some really fun moments but also had some not so good. A mixed bag but decent enough. 2 stars.

Angelico vs Jody Fleisch -That was good! There were a few awkward moments where Fleisch would take a while to set a spot up but otherwise this was a good aerial vs strikes & submissions battle. Angelico's llave game is on point and you know, him as a guy hitting strikes & tying opponents up in lucha submission holds is a version of Angelico I'd love to see in main events vs his current role of being the straightman to Jack & opponents. Loved the quickness & smoothness Angelico put on that llave to end the match. Good stuff! 3 stars!

Aussie Open vs Do Not Resuscitate -Decent match. Chuck Mambo & his partner (did not catch the bloke's name) were sloppy as heck and have some of the worst looks I've seen in wrestling. They have bodies/physiques & gear of total green amateurs and I got the impression that is not what they are. Aussie Open were better, cleaner execution of moves, cooler offense, better teamwork. This was a very formulaic match but decent enough. 2 stars.

Shigehiro Irie vs Chris Ridgeway -Good match! Hard hitting, some good back & forth, felt like a fight. I did not buy the finish at all cos Ridgeway does not lay his strikes in that solidly so I don't buy his flimsy PK being something that would put this big ass Japanese guy down but, finish aside, good action and this was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it! 3.25 stars!

Swords of Essex (c) vs CCK - Tag Team Titles -Oh Man! This was a really good match until Lykos' got injured and the whole mood of the match was kind of killed. Poor Lykos. But until that, this was a pretty good match! Good action, good sequences, some cool double teams & spots and it was building up really well until.. The injury and the energy just left the crowd & the match. Aside from the sad ending, twas a good match! 3.5 stars!

Overall Thoughts: Decent show, some fun matches and I really liked the ring announcer/host of the show, he was hilarious. Looking forward to more 2019 Progress! ***************************************************************************** Chapter 84: Eskeewd beef! Have anybody got any bokkle oran doove? Show date: 24th February 2019

Mark Haskins vs Do Not Resuscitate (Trivet and Mambo w/ Parker) -This was a lot of fun! Wasn't great wrestling, Mambo was again not impressive at all and I didn't think much of Trivet either but Haskins was good and this was fun. The Jimmy Havoc angle afterwards was actually pretty awesome! I MARKED for it and I'm not crazy for Havoc's work. But this was a lot of fun, set a good tone for the show. 2 stars.

Bea Priestley vs Millie McKenzie -This was ok, but not great. Bea was very sloppy here and a lot of what she does comes off as cosplay more than style. Millie was fine, I had no problems with her in this match and the way she soldiered on after Bea attempted rope jumping dropkick that turned into land on Millie's face & body as  hard as possible showed how tough she is. I'm being generous and saying it was ok, it really wasn't good at all but Millie did her best with what she was up against. 1.5 stars.

Eddie Dennis promo -Meh?

Jinny w/ Laura di Matteo vs Nina Samuels -Did not care for this. Nina Samuels has not been impressive in NXT UK or here. She is around mid to late 2000's era WWE Divas level. I've seen Jinny have some decent matches in NXT UK & in last year's MYC but she didn't seem that much better than Nina here. Not a fan of this match, was like a longer 2000's Divas match. Meh. 1 star.

Travis Banks vs Jordan Devlin -Oh man! This was a good match, developing into a really good match when the run-in DQ finish cut that momentum short. But good hard hitting action between these two who had those really good matches in NXT UK. In the end, Banks' New Zealand protoges ran in to save him and we get a DQ finish and then the 3 Kiwis destroying Devlin. Good match! 3 stars!

Swords of Essex (c) vs Aussie Open - Tag Team Titles -OMG!! This was FANTASTIC! The atmosphere was great, Ospreay & Robinson have such a hostile relationship w/ the crowd, great crowd heat for this. Great action, dramatic nearfalls, back & forth momentums.. This was just a ton of fun. Really enjoyed this! Cheap finish that works in setting up an even bigger rematch, a TLC match for the tag titles, and was great pro wrestling. Can't say enough, dug the heck out of this! 4 stars!

Trent Seven (c) vs Timothy Thatcher  - Atlas Title -WOW! This was really good! And sooooo STIFF! So many hard chops & European uppercuts! Hard hitting back & forth match! So much fun, this was really good! Simple story to it but it worked, good stuff! 3.5 stars!

WALTER (c) vs Chris Ridgeway - World Title -DANG! Another good match! Hard hitting, goes w/out saying of course, HARD STIFF shots aiding a simple in ring story for a fun match. It didn't go very epic or take things to a next leel but it was still pretty good! I love watching Walter destroy opponents, I must confess. Walter may not be everyone's cup of tea, and I personally think he goes in too hard on the chops, but I really like his basic moves turned lethal via his power style. Good match! 3.25 stars!

Postmatch Trent Seven-Walter angle: OMG!! Trent Seven challenges Walter to a title unification match at a future show and I WANNA SEE THIS MATCH SUPER BAD NOW!!! I'm legit MARKING OUT!

Overall: This rocked! Especially the final 3 matches, they really brought it in these last 3 matches. Super excited for the next chapter!!

[doctorwhonews]

The Second Doctor Volume 2

Latest Review: Writers: Julian Richards, Rob Nisbet, John Pritchard, Tony Jones Directors: Helen Goldwyn, Lisa Bowerman Featuring: Anneke Wills, Elliot Chapman, Frazer Hines, Daphne Ashbrook, Louise Jameson Released by Big Finish Productions - June 2018 Order from Amazon UK What with Big Finish’s ever-accelerating expansion into new realms of the Doctor Who universe, from boxsets chronicling the exploits of underserved New Series allies to their ambitious work reviving axed spin-offs like Torchwood, it’s often all too easy to forget that the studio’s roots lie in offering classic incarnations of the titular Time Lord a bold new lease of life. How better to remind us of this noble goal, then, than by transporting us back to the 1960s with the latest Companion Chronicles boxset, showcasing Patrick Troughton’s tenure at the helm of the TARDIS in all its monochromatic, bowtie-donning and frequently base-sieging splendour? Whereas those content to explore Troughton’s televised adventures alone can only – barring telesnaps or the painfully gradual drip-feed of animated reconstructions from BBC Studios – experience but a minute fraction of those serials in their entirety at present, our lives are different to anyone else’s: we’ve got The Second Doctor Volume 2. So without further ado, let’s dive straight into this nostalgia-laced new collection and discover whether there’s life in a bygone era yet or whether, much like the ancient Cyber Tombs of Mondas, some artefacts are better left buried… “The Curate’s Egg”: “I’ve walked on the moon. I’ve faced down the Confederates of Brilpoor. But there is nothing, nothing in the universe as exhilarating as riding a dinosaur!” Had soon-to-be showrunner Chris Chibnall’s 2012 Eleventh Doctor odyssey “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” aired in the Troughton era rather than the dying days of Matt Smith’s, then Julian Richards’ charming opening salvo offers perhaps the perfect approximation of how the story might’ve played out under such circumstances. Dropping the newly-regenerated Doctor, Ben and Polly within spitting distance of a castle populated by cybernetic dinosaurs, “Curate’s Egg” throws caution to the wind, embracing Doctor Who’s frequent flirtations with the fantasy genre through elements as unashamedly ridiculous as mind-swapping gizmos, talking T-Rexes as well as arguably the best canine-themed visual gag of the year so far. Will it all seem too far-fetched for some listeners? Quite possibly, although Anneke Wills and Elliot Chapman – working on double duties here, albeit with Ben only featuring in proceedings for 10-15 minutes at most – do a fine job of keeping events grounded with their heartfelt exchanges as Polly and underappreciated scientist Andrew Clarkson respectively, their joint irritation at society’s efforts to side-line them at every turn adding a welcome emotional core amidst all the prehistoric hi-jinks. Indeed, so brimming is “Egg” with potent concepts – not least the Doctor’s underlying efforts to regain his companions’ trust in the wake of his recent “renewal” – that this reviewer couldn’t help but wish at times that Richards had explored some of them in greater detail over the course of his jam-packed hour, for instance by saving one or two ideas for future scripts instead. Food for thought next time around, perhaps. “Dumb Waiter”: “Die, false Doctor!” Anyone well-versed in the increasingly popular art of the meme will doubtless recall one such trending gag which did the rounds on social media in April, come the release of Marvel Studios’ long-awaited cinematic superhero epic Avengers: Infinity War: Marvel: “Infinity War is the most ambitious crossover in history.” Me: “[Insert award-worthy viral response here.]” Apologies if the experience of reading the last 55 words felt akin to learning a foreign language for the first time, but put simply, Infinity War might’ve just met its match in the eyes of Doctor Who fans worldwide with Volume 2’s sophomore instalment. Just as we’ve seen multiple Doctors cross paths in anniversary specials from “The Three Doctors” to Big Finish’s own The Light at the End in 2013, so too does the audio behemoth’s wide-ranging Who license allow them to bring together companions from differing eras of the show at times, and in this case it’s the turn of James McCrimmon to shine alongside one Leela of the Sevateem. In other words: cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war. Thankfully – not that this should come as any surprise given the levels of acclaim which both stars continue to court with their audio portrayals – neither Frazer Hines nor Louise Jameson disappoint, their hallowed characters’ clash of primal wits so ferociously unpredictable and regularly hilarious that you’ll soon wonder how it’s taken so damn long for this heavenly pairing to occur. That’s for the best too, since the core plot of “Waiter” leaves something to be desired in comparison, its rapid barrage of reality-warping setpieces and convoluted technobabble rendering the TARDIS team’s trip to a deeply sinister garden party, even more, overwhelming for the audience than it is for the Doctor as his present and future collide before his eyes. Scribe Rob Nisbet has his character drama down to a tee, then, but he’ll still need to work on balancing this with comprehensible plotting in order to craft the next Big Finish masterpiece. “The Iron Maiden”: “I suppose that time makes legends of us all…” It’s worth noting from the outset that Volume 2’s penultimate chapter, John Pritchard’s “The Iron Maiden”, houses all the components of a great Doctor Who serial – intriguing temporal anachronisms by the dozen, an extremely sympathetic central supporting character with whose mind these anomalies predictably play havoc and quite possibly the finest companion of the Troughton years, Wendy Padbury’s Zoe Heriot, taking the initiative as our de facto protagonist this time around. Upon sitting through the credits one hour later, then, imagine this listener’s disbelief at only being left with the following inescapable question: just what went wrong here? Despite her touching struggle to endure the seemingly endless conflicts of 14th century France, all while realizing that the worst is yet to come thanks to the suspect arrival of First World War technology on the scene, Jo Woodcock’s fascinating prophet-of-sorts Marie is criminally underserved here, lacking much to do beyond trigger the plot with her mysterious visions and prompt Zoe’s occasional epiphanies as she gets to the bottom of the situation. Throw in the disappointing absence of any real suspense – in spite of the deadly weaponry in our heroes’ vicinity – as well as what should’ve been a hugely poignant denouement falling surprisingly flat due to our minimal emotional investment in the ensemble, and “Maiden” unfortunately ranks as the boxset’s weakest link by some distance. “The Tactics of Defeat”: “We’re on the clock, Zoe.” Volume 2, in stark contrast to prior Companion Chronicles collections, opts out of binding its four serials with any ongoing plot threads or recurring thematic beats, such that “Tactics of Defeat” isn’t nearly as burdened with tying up loose ends as The First Doctor Volume 2’s “The Plague of Dreams”, wherein Guy Adams faced the intimidating task of endowing the First Doctor with a more fitting send-off than his abrupt departure in “The Tenth Planet”. If the benefits of this procedural structural approach weren’t already obvious to Big Finish upon commissioning the set, then they’re downright unmissable here, with Tony Jones’ refreshingly understated quasi-season finale proving all the more satisfying as a result. Not dissimilar to “Curate’s Egg”, “Tactics” pairs Zoe with her supposed Foe from the Future – better known to us as UNIT captain Ruth Matheson. Why the change of moral allegiances on Ruth’s part? Is everything as it seems? Both fair questions, but you won’t find us spoiling the answers here; much of the piece’s appeal lies in the constant twists and turns which Ruth’s mission to recover plague-emitting extra-terrestrial technology from a decaying temple take, not least Zoe’s supposed oncoming demise at the vicious hands of unknown assailants. The latter plot element might appear unthinkable given our foreknowledge of events to come in “The War Games”, yet we’re also well aware by now that “time can be re-written”, and indeed future Doctor Who scribes should keep in mind Pritchard’s tense work here as a prime example of how to put gripping new spins on the well-worn paradox-driven story format. Come for Daphne Ashbrook’s still-endearing work as the constantly resourceful, inspiringly courageous Ruth; stay for one of the more innovative scripts that we’ve seen enter classic Who’s audio pantheon for quite some time. The Verdict: How much you’ll get out of Volume 2 depends largely on what you expect from Big Finish’s Second Doctor productions – if you’re looking for authentic reprisals of the Troughton era’s unashamedly outrageous jaunts into fantasy territory or surreal mind-trips into worlds hell bent on distorting their visitors’ perceptions, then the fifth Companion Chronicles boxset since the range ceased its monthly output will fall right up your alley. If, however, you’re hoping to see the scribes involved push narrative / creative boundaries given their lack of 1960s budgetary limitations, then barring the basic set-up of “Curate’s” and the brilliant “Tactics” in its entirety, the end product mightn’t offer quite as much bang for your buck. But while we can’t afford the collection with quite the same glowing recommendation as its Chronicles predecessors, rest assured that there’s still plenty of entertainment in store for any Second Doctor fans craving further sustenance after last year’s "The Power of the Daleks" animated rejuvenation. And who knows – if Matt Smith consulted Troughton’s work in “The Tomb of the Cybermen” as part of the inspiration for his portrayal of the Eleventh Doctor, perhaps future stars lucky enough to portray the Time Lord’s allies might follow suit by picking up Volume 2, thereby starting the cycle of legacy anew… http://reviews.doctorwhonews.net/2018/08/the_second_doctor_volume_2.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr