#america sweetie sorry they did that to you

[sergeantbarnessdoll]

Milk and Cookies » Steve Rogers/Captain America

December 5th

Pairings: Husband/Dad!Steve Rogers x Wife/Mom!Reader with son James

Summary: Steve’s and Y/N’s 4 year old son can’t sleep so Steve lets him snack on milk and cookies.

Warnings: Fluff, language, nothing but cuteness, hugs and kisses, cuddling, nicknames for son (buddy, sweetie), pet names for Y/N (sweetheart)

Written on my phone so sorry if there’s any mistakes or typos.

GIF IS NOT MINE! Credit goes to the creators.

❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️

“Daddy!” Steve hears a little voice.

“Daddy!” He hears again with a small hand tapping his arm.

Steve’s eyes open to see his and your 4 year old son James standing on his side of the bed. He checked the time on his phone which displayed 1:32am.

“What’s wrong, buddy? Why aren’t you in bed?” Steve asks, rubbing his eyes.

“Can’t sleep.” James says with a pout.

“You can’t sleep?” He says.

“No.” James nodded his head.

“I have an idea.” Steve says, getting out of bed.

Steve picked up James and quietly went downstairs so him and James didn’t wake you up. Steve sat James on the counter and rummaged through the cabinets causing James to furrow his eyebrows in confusion.

“What you doing, daddy?” James asks.

“Looking for the cookies.” He says.

“Cookies?” James asks, tilting his head slightly.

“Yes. Cookies.” Steve says.

When Steve found the cookies, he put them on the counter next to James and grabbed two cups and the milk from the fridge.

“Your grandma did this when I was your age when I couldn’t sleep.” Steve says as he poured milk in the cups.

“Your mommy did let you eat milk and cookies past your bedtime?” James asks.

“Sometimes.” He says with a smile.

Steve grabbed a couple of cookies, giving one to James. James took it from his daddy and dipped it in the milk and took a bite of it.

“Daddy, who was I named after?” James asks curiously.

“You were named after uncle Bucky. Daddy’s best friend.” Steve tells him.

“I thought his name was Bucky?” He asks confused.

“It is. His middle name is Buchanan, but he goes by Bucky.” Steve explains.

“Oh ok.” James eats the rest of his cookie. “Can I watch cartoons?” He asks.

“Normally I would say no, but yes you can. Don’t tell mommy.” He says.

“No tell mommy.” James says.

Steve cleaned up the little mess of cookie crumbs on the counter and put the cookies away. He picked James up off the counter and walked to the living room and sat down on the couch with him in his arms.

“What do you want to watch?” Steve asks, turning on the TV.

“SpongeBob!” James says excitedly, clapping his hands.

“Why SpongeBob?” He asks.

“Uncle Peter lets me watch it at his house and he’s funny!” He tells his daddy.

Steve chuckled at his son’s cuteness and put SpongeBob on. It didn’t take long for James to fall asleep. Steve noticed and grabbed a blanket from the other side of the couch. He carefully laid down with James on his chest and covered the both of them up. He wrapped his arms around him protectively and kissed the top of his head. Steve fell asleep soon after.

When morning came, you rolled over to wrap your arm around your husband only to find out that he wasn’t in bed. You got out of bed and went to James’s bedroom, thinking Steve was in there, but he wasn’t. You began to panic. You quickly went downstairs, but heard the sound of the TV coming from the living room. You went to the living room to see James playing with some of his toys on the floor and Steve sleeping on the couch which made you feel relieved. James looked up and smiled.

“Good morning, mommy!” James smiles.

“Good morning, sweetie!” You bent down to kiss his forehead.

“Daddy sleeping.” He says in almost a whisper.

“I see that.” You say.

You sat down on the couch and leaned down to give Steve a kiss on his cheek making him smile. He opened his eyes to see you sitting next to him. Steve sat up and gave you a sweet kiss on your lips.

“Do you want to explain why you were in bed when I woke up?” You asked your husband.

“James couldn’t sleep last night.” Steve says.

“Daddy let me eat milk and cookies and let me watch cartoons, but you’re not supposed to know!” James chimes in.

“Oh really?” You say, looking at your husband.

“I thought it would help him sleep.” He says.

“I did go back to sleeps!” James says.

“Well that’s good. What do you want for breakfast?” You asked.

“Pancakes!” James says with excitement.

“Alright. You two stay here and I’ll make breakfast.” You say, standing up and went to the kitchen.

“Thank you!” James and Steve say at the same time.

“You’re welcome!” You say back.

❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️

-Bucky’s Doll

[leviathanspain]

fucked my way up to the top

roman roy x reader

synopsis: the recent shroud of attention towards the roys lands a spotlight on you, causing you to question your marriage

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

the public didn’t favor you as a roy wife. you were labeled a gold digger, virtually nobody, a poison, a cancer. it didn’t matter that your own family was rich and prosperous. not as public as the roy family was, but respected in their industry.

you had grown up with roman, for a few brief summers at least. neighboring his summer home with your grandfather’s, you’d find yourself sneaking away at odd hours to visit the sullen boy.

after losing touch, you had reconnected with the youngest roy son at a business conference that you had accompanied your father to. he was impossible to shake off after, and soon you found yourself walking down the aisle.

but your relationship behind closed doors was extremely unconventional. in the year you’ve been married to roman, you never had sex. you came close once, on your wedding night, but nothing else since. you understood him the most, and his issues with intimacy. you’d wait around for him as long as he needed, because you loved him.

you loved him more than anyone else in his life, and he didn’t know why.

roman was still roman, in the best way he knew how to be. he’ll make inappropriate comments at you in professional settings, defending it with “she’s my wife!”, or sticking his hands down your pants whenever he got cold. you never really understood his methods, but it was affection nonetheless.

although you had a history with corporate america, you wouldn’t deny that your marriage to roman had sped up your career. only because roman has insisted that you work alongside him. it was either that or not work at all.

so the media, in the raging shit storm that kendall had started, had picked you and your marriage as the weakest link, attacking you in many headlines. twitter had been worse, causing you a mild headache for weeks.

roman had assured you’d that it would all blow over, that as long as you both knew the truth, that nothing else mattered.

but it did. everything mattered.

“hey ro-“ he had answered your call before the second ring. he sounded breathless, but you could hear the bustling office environment over the phone. there was the sound of leather, assuming he moved to sit.

you looked at yourself in the mirror, giving yourself one last look before walking over to the door, “i just wanted to call and remind you that i’m going out.”

roman made a noise over the phone, “ughhhh- that’s tonight?” he looked at his watch, checking the time, “right. that’s fine, yeah.”

“ro?” you asked, a smile on your face as you heard him hum in response. “i wasn’t asking if it was fine. remember what we talked about?”

roman sighed, rolling his eyes slightly as he leaned back in his chair, “that you’re my wife, not my property…”

you laughed, “when you put it like that it sounds awful. whatever roy, i’ll see you later.” he could hear the clicking of the apartment lock, you were already leaving.

“okay, bye bye now sweetie!” he mocked an elderly lady with his tone before hanging up quickly.

on nights you’d go out with friends, roman wouldn’t go home. he would eventually find his way home around two or three am, but only because you’d call to let him know you were going home. there was no point of being home if you weren’t there.

he had done it once, but there had been a pit in his stomach the entire time. as if he was doing something wrong.

he had heard the apartment door click, and his head turned from the random late night news channel to the door. you were standing there, wavering slightly as you stepped forward.

“baby-“ you slurred, and immediately roman stood up. he walked towards you, and a sheet of concern washed over his face. “i’m sorry baby, i know how much you hate it when i drink.” you grabbed onto roman’s shoulder, hand clutching him as you tried to steady yourself.

roman scoffed, “when did i say that?” his tone turned defensive, but mainly confused.

you shrugged, “i know you do.” you let go of him and stepped towards the couch, “you get in that mood.” you had meant to sit down, but you found yourself on your back instead. you closed your eyes, swallowing thickly, “you pull away.” roman scoffed again, “y/n, im right here.” his hand grazed your face as he leaned over you. he rested on the couch’s edge, but you couldn’t keep your eyes on him.

“no- it’s not like that. everytime i want to,” you faltered, and roman inhaled sharply, “it’s like you shut down. and we’ve danced around it for almost a year and-“ your words slurred slightly but roman had understood you perfectly.

“what do you want me to say? hmm? that i don’t want to fuck you?” he got off the couch and stood up, “do you want a divorce? is that it? since we didn’t fuck you can probably get a good deal out of that, you should go fucking try it!” roman didn’t know where this anger was coming from, but he felt it come out like word vomit. and he couldn’t stop.

tears escaped your eyes and you sniffled, feeling your face heat up with embarrassment. “no- i don’t want a divorce, roman.” you shook your head as you cried, wishing the couch could swallow you up.

roman continued to spit more words at you, but you cried harder. “i just want my husband to touch me! i want to be desired- to be loved!” you shouted, words overtaking his.

“i want you every minute of every day. i wake up with you on my mind, even when you’re asleep next to me i want you. i fucking want you, so bad.” his voice dropped and he stared down at you.

you shifted your eyes over to him, and tried to stand up. roman noticed what you were doing and took your hand, pulling you up.

“have me, roman. have me and never let me go.” your arms draped around his neck, pulling him into you. you leaned into him, and kissed him roughly. roman felt himself hitch a breath before pulling away.

“i cant.” your hands dropped from his collar and you stared, speechless. “i want to, y/n. but i-“

you pushed past him, not letting him finish as you tried to stumble towards the door. “you’re a fucking coward.” you slurred, tears muddling your vision. you fumbled for the door handle, “i never want to see you again! you hear me! i hate you!” you stomped a foot as you struggled more for the door. “fuck!” you cried out, feeling defeat and heartbreak wash over you in an instant.

this feeling was crippling. closing your eyes as you slid down in defeat. you couldn’t fight anymore, you didn’t have it in you. your husband didn’t stay to linger, slipping away quietly.

the separation was taking its toll. it was starting to get noticeable to those around you. you had wished for space from roman, who had hesitated but obliged. his only request was that his family doesn’t know, and so far, they hadn’t.

but little things, questions regarding the other had raised a few flags. kendall had asked about you once, bringing up the question to roman on your whereabouts. roman had lied and said he had just seen you in your office, but kendall knew you weren’t even in the building. or when shiv had texted you to ask if you’d be joining the family to scotland, but you had to play off your absence with a separate work trip. when in reality you had no idea that roman would even leave the country.

shiv knew something was off. she was finding roman more intolerable by the day. he was more disheveled, prone to outbursts, constantly on the defensive, and it definitely had to do with you. you were his happy little pill.

as much as you wanted to keep the secret, roman made it difficult. he rarely ever saw you anymore, and he would often exclude you from meetings regarding family or work. you didn’t mind at first, until it started affecting your work. you’d have to talk to him about it, eventually.

logan had called for a meeting in his office. usually big meetings with all of the roys and close workers meant bad things. typically you’d stay out of these things and find out from roman. but you had no roman to come home to anymore, and you’d have to learn how to fight for yourself sooner rather than later.

you were the third one to arrive. kendall was already perched beside his father. you admired kendall for his ability to resurrect himself and crawl back under his father’s thumb. you respected him, but not lately. greg and tom were also in the room. their little duo was dangerous, you’ve warned roman to watch out for them.

“y/n!” tom stood up from his seat, awkwardly hugging you. you stiffened in his arms and pulled back with an awkward smile, “tom. didn’t know we did that!” your eyes slid to logan and kendall, who seemed as equally as surprised by your presence.

“sir.” you looked at your father-in-law, who’s eyes shone at you, “y/n. what a delightful surprise.” he kept his tone even, but you still smiled nonetheless.

kendall had his wits about him, for once. “what changed?” he squinted his eyes at you and you laughed slightly, “it’s nice to see you too, ken.”

just as you turned, you heard a whistle at the door, “where is everyone? you said at 11:30 right?” roman looked down at his watch before looking up, eyes settling on your face.

you hadn’t expected to see him so face to face, for the first time in weeks. he looked away slightly, cracking another irrelevant joke before walking over to a chair.

he didn’t even greet you, and that didn’t go unnoticed by everyone else. more and more flooded in, and you couldn’t stop the pounding feeling in your head even as the conversation began.

“roman!”

logan’s shout had broken you out of your daze. you blinked, eyes narrowing on the clock as you realized thirty minutes had passed. you had missed most of the meeting, and seemingly caught the end. but this wasn’t just any end, this was logan handing your husband his own ass.

you listened to roman get chewed out. you weren’t in the loop to roman’s work, and you felt lost.

logan’s insults turned into abuse. you felt your mouth go dry as you stood up, words spilling out of your mouth in roman’s defense.

you didn’t know what you had done until it was done. you were locked in a stare with logan, who was in disbelief at your outburst. you felt you face heat up and you inhaled sharply. logan didn’t say anything, but kendall had waved his hands, “alright. let’s just- end it here.” he shifted his gaze over to you but you didn’t meet his eyes.

roman stared at you, from across the room in his chair. you blinked, words faltering as you stared at him.

you didn’t bother apologizing as you excused yourself, practically running down the hall to shut yourself away.

there was a soft knock at your door. roman. it had to be roman. you felt your chest heavy with pressure as you stood up, walking over to your door. you unlocked it, but hesitated as you pulled it open.

“yes?” you peeked out, beads of sweat lining your forehead. your eyes met his and roman stared at you, “let me in.” he nodded to the door and you hitched a breath, opening the door as you stepped back.

“ro-“ without another word you threw yourself into his arms. he grabbed you tightly, reciprocating your need for affection.

“i’m so sorry.” you choked out, “i’m so fucking sorry.” you knew logan had a difficult relationship with his son, and this didn’t help any of it. logan must hate you now.

roman shook his head, “fuck that. fuck that old ass guy. it’s okay, you-“ he pulled back and you felt his lips on your cheek, “you know i would’ve done that for you.”

you hugged him tightly, and hoped this warmth would last.

[captain039]

PART 2 Predator grounds (Cooper Howard)

Alpha!Cooper Howard (pre-war)x omega!reader

Warnings: AOB dynamics, vault tech things, forced heats/ruts, eventual smut, age gap, angst? Experiments, needles, drugs, talks of pregnancy, first times, anxiety attacks, anxiety, forced claiming

Previous part <-

Has it even been a day down here? You remember falling in and out of sleep on the edge of the bed, almost falling off at one point. You know the lights went dim twice so far and the music stopped when it did. You wish you could put those damn speakers up the vaults overseers ass if he was even around. Hell the only person you saw was the man bringing the food everyday. His overly cheery voice making you want to reach through the food slot and choke him. You think you’ve used too much water considering you’ve had five showers now, well you weren’t really washing yourself more like sitting on the floor in despair trying to relieve yourself quietly so the alpha outside didn’t hear. He hasn’t said a word, he’s been quietly brooding in the corner for the last few days. You’re worried about him, he always looks tense, you swear he never sleeps and he’s always twitching at every sound he hears. You feel sorry for him, feel sorry that he isn’t with the one person he married even if they did seperate he deserves that familiarity. He wouldn’t be in this harsh rut too, someone to take the ease off. God you’ve imagined too many times about how he could take you in every single inch of this vault room. He’s moved the couch to the corner, pushed the TV out of the way, he moved it while you were in the shower the second time.

You haven’t drawn the curtains back so you can’t see out into the hall way, hell you don’t want to, that couple across from you probably still going at it. You sit on the floor on pillows and a towel reading a crappy book they supplied on the book shelf. You haven’t explored all the shelves and cupboard, hell you probably wouldn’t mind watching a movie but it’s on his side of the room. You’ve never seen Mr Howard like this, so tense and caught up in his head, he’s usually a care free, kind, charcmismic man. Guess being frozen for 200 years will do that to a man. You glance at him hesitantly and gulp a little.

“Mr Howard?” You finally speak and he hums looking to you. His stare makes you falter and you nervously glance at the wall behind him before focusing back on his eyes.

“Are you- are you doing ok? Do you want a book? I think the Video tapes are on the bottom shelf too” you gesture to the light brown shelf filled with books and tape holders.

“I’m ok, sweetheart” he says his lips twitching slightly and you just nod a little saddened. You say against the wall head leaning on the mattress cursing the ache in your lower stomach.

“Room 236” a woman’s voice calls over and you frown.

“You’re not completing your functions!” She says cheerily and you raise an eyebrow.

“Yeah? Go fuck yourself and do it yourself asshole” Cooper yells and you flinch a bit at the tone but smile to yourself.

“If this continues we will seperate you to more appropriate partners! We want to save the America and you can help!” Coopers statement goes ignored and her words make your whole body tense and into a panic. You can’t go to someone else, you can’t be with someone else you’ve never done this, what the hell? They can’t just move you to get impregnated. You don’t want kids, the thought of a baby terrifies you.

“Sweetie look at me” you can hear Coopers voice briefly but your heart is pounding in your ears. He yells your name and you flinch and look at him.

“You’re alright, they’re not gonna take you from this room ok, I promise” he says so sincerely but he can’t control them, can’t control if they do take you, they’re in control here.

The lights dim signalling night time and you’re curled up hiding under the covers like it’d save you. The speakers words scare you to death, this whole situation seems to be dawning on you. Tears roll down your face silently and you suck in a small breath. You don’t hear the footsteps till you feel the bed dip and your heart rate rockets into panic.

“It’s me” Cooper mutters and you let out the breath in a shudder that you were holding.

“I keep my promises you know this” he speaks softly in the darkness and you nod your head despite him not being able to see.

“I know” you croak cursing yourself silently. He always did, he was that kind of man.

“Get some sleep” he mutters after some silence and walks back to his side of the room.

Morning comes, the lights turning on brightly making you wince. You didn’t sleep well at all last night, tossing and turning, fleeting nightmares. Alarms blare and you’re suddenly wide awake and standing up by the bed on wobbly feet. Your door is opening, Cooper is up quickly as well. You see two men in hazard suits and two people behind them with guns. You tense realising they were here to take you away. You see a scared woman being held behind the four people, she’s cuffed and held by two others in hazard suits.

“You aren’t fulfilling your duties in room 236, we are to remove the omega and replace her” his words sound automated and suddenly you’re wrapped up in strong arms.

“You won’t take her�� Coopers voice is low, his breathing is coming out almost in a harsh snarl, he’s got one arm across your upper chest the other over your stomach.

“Sir, let the omega go” the people in the hazard suits are unbothered by the smells and tone he’s using.

“You. Won’t. Take. Her” he breathes harshly between each word and you swear he’s a man possessed.

“I’m so sorry” he whispers softly in your ear and suddenly there’s like an electric shock of pleasure going through your body as blunt teeth clamp on your shoulder. You let out a strangled noise as a mating bond clicks into place, you’re flooded by him and feelings making you stagger but not fall in his embrace.

“You won’t take my mate away” he challenges after he stops biting and you’re in a daze. They halt there advances, a mate bond is strong, he won’t touch another omega now. They step back hands up and the door slides shut. You breathe deeply, having held your breath majority of that time as you finally process everything that happened. You place a hand on your neck feeling where he bit and stutter. You hear him apologising feel him move in front of you but you’re in overload right now. You don’t look at him, you turn, grab a chair and head to the bathroom. You force the chair against the door and collapse to the floor in a heap. What just happened?

Next part ->

NOTES:

To continue Wasteland heat I gotta watch the episodes again I think I got like episode five? While writing and then had this idea xD but I’ll continue Wasteland heat after xD

[multi-fics]

Hi! I want to request a Thomas Thorne x ghost! reader with the reader being a ghost from the 1960s! They're from America and was visiting the Button House when they died (or murdered if you want to include that). The reader is pretty oblivious to advances Thomas makes, as they believe it's just a sort of thing he does as a poet (like a persona in a way). Reader is as down bad for Thomas as he is for them, though lol. Reader can manipulate any radios nearby to play a certain station or sound.

Sorry if this is a lot! You can leave out what you wish to. Have a good day/night! Thank you :]

HAUNTED BROADCAST

A/N: Thanks so much for requesting! This is literally such a good idea woah, I hope you like it :) Also I haven’t watched ghosts in a while so I’m sorry if Thomas is OOC, btw this is my first post so it’s bound to have bad writing D:

Pairing: Thomas Thorne x GN!ghost!reader

Warnings: talks of how reader died (also Thomas being a simp for reader)

Thomas walked through the halls of Button House nervously, he had just composed a new poem and had to tell someone before he forgot. The first person he absolutely needed to tell, was of course you.

You were his muse for his newest poem, not that he would admit it, he was scared that if he actually admitted his feelings for you, he would be rejected, like how his advances with Alison would often turn out.

The others would constantly tease his giddy nature around you, but Thomas always made an excuse to them, that the reason you were always the first to hear his poems was because you could broadcast his performance on the radio that Alison would conveniently leave in the sitting room, which is where you were the moment he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh thank goodness, you're here! I need you-", Thomas was cut off by you letting out a giggle as you proceeded for him, knowing exactly what he was going to say, "Hey sweetie you need the radio?"

Thomas grinned bashfully, trying his hardest to hide his lovestruck blush by your nickname for him, well you actually called everyone 'sweetie', but the delusional romantic that Thomas was, made him convince himself that it made him particularly special.

"Yes, how did you know? Oh my, you must be able to read minds on top of controlling that contraption!"

You smile and playfully roll your eyes at his signature dramatics, "No silly, you ask for the radio almost everyday.”

Trying your hardest to distract yourself from his charm, you prepared yourself to focus hard, “Right sweetie you can start in 3, 2, 1.", you flexed your fingers and placed your index finger on the tip of the radio antenna, focusing all your strength on sending a broadcast through the radio stations just like you had done over the decades of knowing Thomas.

Thomas then started to recite his poem from the top of his head, he spoke confidently as he always did, but unfortunately as was the way, most of the time you could not listen to his work. Focusing on the radio was your job and having to multitask was not an option, so with a guilty heart you had to pretend you heard every word and applaud him once he had finished.

Thomas smiled proudly, “Did you like it?”

“Yeah, it was beautiful sugar, probably your best work to date.”, your proud smile strained on your face as guilt ran through your body, you deeply cared for Thomas but at this moment you wished he would leave so you could stop feeling bad for him.

“What are you two up to? Another poem Thomas?”, Alison asked walking into the room alone.

You looked at Alison gratefully, now Thomas’ attention would be elsewhere and you wouldn’t have to lie. “Hey Thomas I think The Captain is looking for you.”

You and Thomas frowned, confused as to why The Captain of all people would be looking for him. “He just wants to talk to you, now go before he gets cross!”, Alison shooed an utterly confused Thomas up the stairs; she returned to the sitting room and took her place next to you.

You raised a brow suspiciously at Alison, “What was that all about?”, you couldn’t decipher why Alison looked almost giddy at you.

“Didn’t you hear the poem that Thomas was performing just now?!”, Alison couldn’t wipe off the now cheeky smile off her face.

“I’m sorry sugar but I really don’t know what you mean. The thing is I don’t listen to his poems, I’m so focused on broadcasting them that it takes up my attention. I know it’s horrible that I lie to him afterwards, but he just looks so happy it would crush me to tell him the truth.”

“That’s probably the best since none of his poems are that great.”, Alison had slipped out, not realising she was thinking out loud. As she slapped her hand over her mouth, you looked offended at her and she proceeded to raise her hands in surrender, eventhough she secretly thought she was right. “That’s not nice, I’m sure you’re wrong Alison.”

“Hey, I never actually asked, how can you control the radio?”, Alison looked at you curiously. “Well it’s because I died in the 1960s, radios were the rage back then.”, you replied as if it were obvious, considering you were still wearing very stereotypical 60s clothing too.

“Right so how did you die?”, you raised a brow at Alison, “well aren’t you full of questions today”, you sighed and got comfortable on the sofa.

“It all started back in my hometown in the US. I was married to my partner who was very wealthy back in the day and they had friends here in England.”, Alison had opened her mouth to ask a question but you continued to talk, wanting this explanation over with as quickly as possible.

“I didn’t much care for flying, I got airsick a lot but my partner had forced me to go with them for the sake of being polite.”, you paused for a moment getting lost in thought when Alison tapped the sofa closest to you to proceed, “Anyways, we had made our way to Button House, where my partner’s friends lived and we stayed here for a couple days, we partied and traveled around town, it was fun, no doubt about it, but I was always left out. I wasn’t friends with anyone else at the house and my partner was so wrapped up in the fun they forgot about me.”, Alison kept her gaze on you apologetically.

“It was the last night of our vacation, everyone was drunk excluding me, I didn’t mind a drink here and there but I wanted to make sure at least one of us could wake up on time to catch our flight the next morning. I was making my way upstairs to the guest room.”, you both turned towards the sound of Pat and Robin bickering on the top of the stairs, you turned back to face Alison, this time with an uncharacteristically serious expression.

“It was very late at night, I was tired, it was dark, so I wasn’t watching where I was going and I slipped at the top step, it caused me to fall all the way to the bottom and that’s how I died.”, you refrained from getting too detailed with the process of your death since it was too much for you to explain.

“It was so strange when I became a ghost, frightening, to see yourself watching over your own body just lying there. That was nowhere near as scary as when I first met the others though, it was all so overwhelming, but of course the only exception to the group was that Pat and Julian weren’t dead yet. They became my new family very quickly, they didn’t make me feel left out and were all so caring, especially Thomas, he was the one who made me eventually discover my talent with the radio.”, you smiled fondly thinking back on those days of newly being a ghost, “So that’s how I died, anything else you wanna know sweetie?”, your signature smile returning to your face.

“Woah that’s so sad, I’m so sorry I just get really interested in how you all died, I never think about how it must feel to retell it. I wish I could give you a hug.”

“That’s alright sweetie and please don’t hug me. I’m sure you’re a great hugger, but you know, it feels super freaky.”

“Oh you know you should really talk to Thomas, tell him the truth that you didn’t hear his poem. He’s so smitten I don’t even think he’s capable of being mad at you. The truth is, I was eavesdropping and I heard some of the poem, you need to hear it.”, she said fighting a smile on her face which you were oblivious to, you could only imagine what Thomas’ poem could be about.

Without another word you sat up and mindlessly walked through the sitting room and up the stairs, making sure to check the top step as was your routine. “Have you seen Thomas?”, you asked Pat who was still bickering with Robin.

Pat noticed you wringing your hands nervously through your clothes and smiled warmly at you, “I think he’s in his room dear, he’s been in a right state you know.”, he said and picked up where he left off in his argument with Robin. You nodded and carried yourself through the hallway leading to Thomas’ room.

The door was shut so you stomped your foot gently on the wooden floor and Thomas spoke quietly from inside his room, “The door is open.”, you sucked in a breath and walked through the closed door. “Thomas we have to talk.”, he furrowed his brows and nodded, he knew you must be serious since you didn’t use your usual nickname for him, “Speak my dear, tell me what worries you.”

You sighed and sat next to him on his bed, “I must confess that I haven’t been listening to your poems whilst broadcasting them. Before you say anything, I’m so so sorry sweetie, I really wish I could but broadcasting takes up all of my focus.”, Thomas just blinks at you.

“Well?”

“Is that all?”

“Yes … that’s it. I’m so sorry.”

“I thought it would be worse, I thought you would say you didn’t like me.”

“I would never say that Thomas, of course I like you, I always will.”

“Could you recite your poem for me again, I want to hear it.”, you asked now feeling much better after confessing your guilt to Thomas.

“Um of course.”, Thomas cleared his throat and stood up in front of you. He couldn’t take his eyes off you; the feeling was mutual and the tension between the two of you grew stronger.

“I feel so unsure,

As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor,

As the music dies, something in your eyes,

Calls to mind a silver screen,

And all its sad good-byes—”

“I'm never gonna dance again

Guilty feet have got no rhythm

Though it's easy to pretend

I know you're not a foollll”, Pat had been walking past Thomas’ room, cutting him off since he recognised the lyrics, he was very off beat but regardless he caught the two off guard and completely ruined the moment.

“Patrick! How on earth did you know the lines to my poem?!”, Thomas asked completely shocked at Pat’s sudden appearance.

“It’s a song from my time mate, it’s a classic!”, he smiled oblivious of what he had ruined and danced down the hall, singing the rest of ‘careless whisper’.

Thomas pouted, he was upset that he couldn’t complete his poem. “Um Thomas as beautiful as that was, I think Pat is right. I do recall hearing that song on the radio, it’s called ‘careless whisper’ by George Michael.”

“Um who is George Michael, is this man a poet?”

“I guess you could say that, yeah.”

He gasped loudly, “Oh my goodness I must send my apologies to Sir George Michael at once! How could I plagiarise such a talented individual!”

“Oh sweetie that’s not necessary, he’s dead too, unfortunately.”

“Oh, what a shame his poem was beautiful. It made me think of you my dear.”

“You know that song is about love right?”

“Yes, I gathered from the words.”

“…is there any particular reason you chose that song to recite to me specifically?”

Thomas sucked in a breath and blushed, “Yes there is a reason. I think you know that for a very long time, like since you came to Button House, even when you were alive, I fell in love with you.”

“Y-you have loved me for that long?!”, standing up to face him properly, in shock, had you really been so painfully oblivious?

“You didn’t know? I thought I made it obvious. All of my poems were for you, you have been in my dreams almost every night, surely you must have known.”

“I’m sorry Thomas I didn’t know, but I have loved you for a long time too, I just didn’t think you shared my feelings. Telling you could have ruined our friendship which is something I treasure.”

“Don’t worry my love.” Thomas smiled bashfully and took your hands in his. “May I kiss you?”

You smiled leaning your forehead against his, “You may sweetie.”

He pressed his lips to yours gently and you returned his kiss as ‘careless whisper’ started playing on the radio downstairs.

[aanoia]

Ok ok so reader is a pureblood and you and Sirius are to get married, so your family gets invited to dinner at the Black’s to celebrate but then the reader sees Walburga treat Sirius badly and decides to prank her (up to you if she gets caught afterwards)

okay I LOVED this idea so much so I hope i did it justice. Thank you for requesting! Keep em coming bae, keep em coming. I also realized that youu might have wanted it to be consensual marriage like they're in love and stuff and it's not an arranged marriage so I'm sorry if that's what you meant. If you want it that way just request again and I'll rewrite it for you!

Horribly Right

Sirius Black x reader Summary; after seeing Sirius being slapped by his mother, you decide to pull a prank that's outcome goes horribly... right? Words; 2,000+ Warnings: abuse, getting disowned If you or someone you know are expiriencing domestic abuse please do not stay silent. Contact someone you trust, the local police, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800-799-7233, for America, I'm unsure about other countries). If anyone is expiriencing trauma from abuse or anything else my DMs are ALWAYS open, I care about you guys a lot and dont want you to suffer in silence. You deserve to feel okay. On a more serious note PLEASE REQUEST THINGS I LOVE BRINGING YOUR IDEAS TO LIFEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! also im on vacation so it might take a bit but pls I'll do them and not proofread bc i have too many sunburns (thats a logical excuse)

“And you will behave. Do you understand?” My dad finished his lecture and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“I understand.” I mumbled.

He roughly grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him, “What was that?”

“I understand, sir.”

He let go and straightened out his jacket with a deep breath, before lifting his hand and knocking on the door of the Black manor. The door opened and I looked down and smiled slightly at the sight of a house elf. He glared at us and opened the door farther so we could walk in.

“Thank you.” I said quietly as I passed by and he looked taken aback, but he shook his head and ignored me.

“Kreacher! You ugly thing, who is it? Who’s at the door?” Mr. Black asked as he walked into the hallway. “Ah, the L/n’s.” He motioned for us to follow him down the hallway and we did. I looked over as we passed a room, muffled voices spoke quickly.

“Do not mind that. My wife is simply making sure our son is ready for your daughter.” As if on cue the door opened and out walked Walburga and her son, Sirius Black.

“Ah, m/n, how lovely to see you.” Walburga said with a fake smile, my mother nodded, holding back a grimace at the woman she hates so dearly.

“Walburga. Pleasure.” She said shortly. “Sirius, you’re a handsome young man. Perfect for my daughter.” Sirius nodded, not looking up from the ground. Walburga sneakily hit his hand, hoping my family wouldn’t notice. I did.

He looked up with a forced smile, “Thank you, ma’am.” He glanced at me. “Y/n, you look lovely tonight.” Walburga smiled smugly at her son.

I smiled at him, “Thank you, Sirius. You look rather fine, yourself.” 

“Shall we sit down to eat?” Mr. Black asked and we all nodded.

“Regulus, sweetie, it’s dinner time!” Walburga called up and almost instantly quick footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. 

Regulus smiled at me once he saw me and I gave him a nod, returning his smile. We were always friends at Hogwarts, both being in Slytherin. Sirius and I, however, weren’t. If you asked anyone else, we hated each other. If you asked one of us… we still hated each other. 

We sat at the table, my parents on either side of me and Sirius directly across from me. I flashed him a smile and he gave a small one back. Neither of us wanted this and it was obvious.

“So, I was thinking they should be married right after school ends. Until then, they should be courting each other.” Mr. Black said. 

“Courting each other? Wha-”

“Sirius.” Walburga cut him off, sending him a glare and he looked down at his plate angrily. The adults continued talking about the marriage and what it would be like until then and the kids stayed silent. Only nodding and agreeing when asked a question. 

I cleared my throat and took the napkin off my lap, gently placing it on the table and standing up. Everyone looked at me and I put on a pleasant smile, “I apologize, but may I use the restroom?” 

“Of course.” Walburga said. “It’s just down that hall and to the left.” I nodded with a smile and walked to the bathroom. 

Once the door closed my smile dropped and I sighed, looking in the mirror. I turned on the sink and splashed some water on my face, trying to pause the pressure that was building behind my eyes. This can’t be my life. I can’t be forced into a marriage with someone I don’t love. I dried off my face and smiled at myself in the mirror, before flushing the toilet, despite it not being used, and turning the water back on, pretending to wash my hands. 

I stepped out of the restroom quietly, and began walking back to the table before once again hearing muffled voices, or rather this time, just one. Walburga. I looked back to where the dining room was, silently contemplating whether or not to follow Walburga’s voice or go sit down. It was when she said Sirius’ name and a loud smack sounded out that I decided to find them.

I walked down the hallway slowly, careful not to make any noise. I peaked my head around a corner and immediately retracted it. 

“I told you to behave, Sirius, why can’t you listen?” I looked back in time to see her slap him again. “You are a disgrace. Let this dinner go well. I demand it, Sirius.” He looked down at the ground and nodded.

 I quickly walked back to the table and smiled as I sat down at my seat. Walburga and Sirius came after me and sat down. I didn’t fail to notice the glassy look in Sirius’ eyes, and the red handprint forming on his cheek, obviously being covered up by a spell that wasn’t performed correctly.

“I believe it’s time for desert, yes?” Walburga asked, picking up her and her husbands plate.

“Yes, let  me help you, Mrs. Black.” I offered with a smile and she nodded. We picked up the plates as I passed Sirius I placed a small kiss on his cheek. Partly for our parents, but mostly so he knew I was there for him. And of course so I could silently perform a good healing spell, and the red mark slowly turning into a bruise disappeared off his face. Judging by the way he looked at me, he knew what I just did and looked at me thankfully.

I followed Walburga and placed the dishes in the sink. There was an apple pie and a cake sitting on the table. 

“I believe everyone wants cake. I’d like the pie. You?” Walburga asked.

“I’d like some pie as well. I’ll cut us two pieces and you ready the cake.” She nodded and quickly cut the cake as I took my time cutting the pie. 

When she left the kitchen to deliver the first rounds of cake, I quickly took out my wand. I muttered a spell onto her pie and tucked my wand away again, putting a smile back on my face and bringing out the pie. I set her piece in front of her seat and sat down with mine just as she brought out the last two pieces of cake.

“It looks amazing, mum.” Regulus said and she smiled at her youngest son. 

We all began eating at I glanced at Walburga frequently as she ate her pie. My eyes met Sirius’ as he looked at me in question, noticing my glances. I smiled and winked at him. He returned it with a suspicious smile, his eyes squinting at me. 

“Oh my, Walburga!” My mother said, her hand going to her heart. I refrained from laughing as I looked at Walburga whos skin was now green and full of warts.

She gasped as she saw her hand and turned around at the small mirror that sat on the wall. Tears filled her eyes as she turned around horrified.

“What did you put in the pie?” Mr. Black asked, utterly disgusted at his wife's state.

“Nothing I- I didn’t do anything different! I don’t kno-” She locked eyes with me, noticing my perfectly normal state, despite eating the same pie as her. She pointed a green finger at me. “You.” She ran around the table and everyone stood as I sped to the other side. A hand grabbed mine and pulled me down the hallway and out the front door. Walburga and my father followed behind us. Sirius and I ran out into the street, laughing our asses off as our hands stayed intertwined.

“Sirius Black! Get back here!” His mother screamed.

I looked behind us to see my father seething and holding up his fist. My step faltered. Zero strikes left. My mind went back to when the striked were first introduced.

My father roughly grabbed my wrist.

“Ow, stop it, you’re hurting me!” Twelve year old me said, trying to pull my wrist free. 

He turned around angrily and kneeled down to meet my eyes, “I do no care, you fucking idiot. I don’t understand why you can’t just behave. So, here’s what we're gonna do, you have three strikes left. Everytime you fuck up you lose a strike and once you hit zero you’re done. You’re out of my house and you can fend for yourself. Do you understand?”'

Tears dripped down my cheeks as I nodded, my wrist burning from the pressure. “Y-yes sir.”

I ignored it. I’ll deal with it later. After we were off the street of his family's house we slowed down, breathless.

“You are brilliant.” Sirius said as we walked quietly. I had no clue where but Sirius had somewhere in mind. 

I shrugged with an uneasy smile, “What can I say? I’m talented.”

He looked at me, his smile slowly falling, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

I sighed, “Nothing. I’m fine.”

He snorted, “No you aren’t. What? Scared you’re gonna get disowned.” I winced and he paused. “Wait, Y/n, are you actually scared they’re gonna disown you?”

“I don’t have to be scared because they already have.”

“What?”

I explained the strikes to him and he looked at me in sadness.

“I’m so sorry, Y/n. You shouldn’t have pranked her, I was okay.”

We started walking again as I spoke, “No, it’s okay. She deserved it. She shouldn’t have treated you like that.”

“I feel bad.”

I nudged his arm with a smile, “Don’t be. My parents sucked anyway. Now, where are we going?”

He stopped and turned to a large house, “Here.”

“And what is this place?” I asked as we walked to the door.

He smirked at me and opened the door, “You’ll see.” 

I walked in hesitantly and was immediately met with warmth and a sweet smell. It was the exact opposite of Sirius’ house. Little footsteps paddered down the stairs and a little girl came into view, smiling wide despite her two front teeth being missing.

“Siri!” She ran to him and jumped into his arms. He spun her around in a hug before she pulled her head aay, still sitting in his arms. “Look! I lost my other toof!” She pulled her lip up and Sirius smiled.

“I can see that. How much did the tooth fairy give you?”

“I got a whole galleon this time!”

Sirius’ eyes widened, “Woah, girl, you’re rich now!”

She nodded and looked to me as more footsteps came down the stairs.

“Hello, what’s your name? I’m Ella!”

I waved at her, “Hi Ella, I’m-”

“Y/n?” A new voice asked and I looked up from the little girl. 

My eyes widened, “James, why am I not surprised this is where Sirius brings me.”

“Ah, James, where are your parents? I need to talk to them.”

“In the living room, I think. Why-”

Sirius handed James Ella, “Perfect. I’ll be back.” He placed a kiss on my cheek, returning the one I gave him earlier and walked off. 

“What is going on?” James asked me and I shrugged.

“I was at dinner with his family, pranked his mom-”

“You pranked Walburga? And survived?”

“If you would let me finish. Yes, I did survive, and then we ran off.”

He nodded in approval, “I support.”

“Thank you.” I smiled at him.

“You’re very pretty.” Ella said to me with a smile, her eyes twinkling.

“Why thank you, Ella. You are as well. In fact, I think you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. Don’t you agree James?” He nodded and looked at his little sister with a grin.

“The prettiest.” He agreed and tickled her stomach. She laughed and buried her head in the crook of his neck and Sirius came back, James’ parents following behind him.

His mom smiled at me and grabbed my hand, “Hello sweetie, my name is Euphemia. Sirius told us what happened.”

I looked at Sirius as James’ dad began to speak, “You’ll stay with us, no arguing.” He said warmly.

“What?” James and I asked at the same time.

“What happened? Why is she staying with us?” James asked.

“James.” His mother scolded.

“No I-I don’t care, but just why? She has her own family.”

“I was disowned, James.” He looked at me with sadness.

“I’m sorry.”

I waved him off, “Don’t be. But I can’t stay here.”

“I said no arguing. We have an extra room upstairs.” His dad said.

“Are you gonna be my new sister?” Ella asked and I looked to James’ parents. They nodded and I sighed, smiling at the little girl as James set her down.

“Yeah, I guess I kinda will be your new sister.””

“Yay!” She grabbed my hand. “Come on, let me show you my room and you can meet my dolls!” She looked up to Sirius. “Dolly wants to see you again, Siri. You can come too, James.”

The four of us walked up the stairs and I flashed a final smile at James’ parents before we got to the top.

“Hey, El, you takes James in and get your dolls ready, I need to speak to Y/n for a moment. Alright?” Sirius asked, grabbing my hand.

She nodded, “Alright, come on Jamesie.” She tugged him into her room and I turned to Sirius.

“Thank you.” I said.

He shrugged, “It’s nothing. I figured this was the best place for you to be. James’ family is amazing.”

I nodded, “They are. 

Sirius sighed, “Y/n?”

“Yes?”

“I like you. I have for a while. I just thought you should know.”

I smiled, “Like, like or like like?”

He laughed through his nose, a small pink tint littering his cheeks, “Like, like like.”

“I like like you as well, Sirius.”

“Would you maybe-” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Would you let me take you out on a date sometime?”

I giggled and kissed his cheek, letting my lips linger for a second, “Of course.”

Baby tag list (if you want to be in the tag list just comment!): @1lellykins

[jackiequick]

7 times they were better parents to Tony than Howard was | Agent Carter Fanfic

~ In other words, Elizabeth Stark and Jason Underwood being an married couple for 5 minutes straight

Pairing: Jason Underwood & Elizabeth Stark

Character mentioned/included: Tony Stark, Howard Stark, Maria Stark, Edwin Jarvis & Ana Jarvis, Hank Pym, The Avengers & Young Avengers, Peggy Carter, Nick Fury, Alexander Pierce, Justin Hammer and etc

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe -> Agent Carter, Iron Man 1-3, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers Age Of Ultron

Summary: Sometimes the best things in life happen when you least expect, such as becoming loving parental figures to a billionaire genius with a cheeky grin.

Note: Jason’s nickname is JJ and Elizabeth’s nickname is Liz

Ship Name: JALIZZY

Slight Warning: A bit of angst but mostly fluff

Click here for the latest fic featuring this family

Click here to see where our leading man fits in the Marvel Universe timeline

—————

Both were asleep in bed, when little 7 year old Tony walked into the bedroom and climbing into their bed.

Jason woke up first rubbing his eyes and sighed, "Bubba what you doing? We built you a new big boy bed last week.."

"Bad dream.." Said little Tony balling up his fist and getting under the covers, "..and Daddy is out."

"Oh right Momma visiting Aunt Peg for the week.."

"I'm sorry..c-can I stay?"

That moment Elizabeth woke up ruffling her nephew's bed head and yawned, "Sure, Bambino. But you wanna talk about the bad dream first?"

Tony looked down holding his teddy bear and mumbled, "I was in a dark and scary cave with a dragon..and I could not fight him, I was running but there no way to go.."

"Aww sweetie, look it's okay not every dream is gonna be a good one but you're okay. Everything is okay, you hear me?"

" I know..it's okay, b-but I was lost and scared..I did not save the princess..I fail.."

"Oh no sweetie, you didn't fail anyone. It was just a bad dream, there are no dragons here to hurt you."

"But the princess?"

"Maybe you will save her in the next dream."

Jason added with a tired smile, "Or maybe the princess already saved herself? Like auntie Lizzie or auntie Peg. And she's now waiting for you in the dream."

"Really?" Tony asked with a small smile.

"Yeah, sometimes it's the little prince that needs to go on journey to find the princess waiting for him in the end."

"Okay, I am ready to sleep now..and meet the princess."

"Out of curiosity, who was the princess?"

"Her name was Molly."

"Ohh nice name."

Elizabeth cut in with a chuckle, "Yeah very nice! Now we can please go to sleep and save the kingdom tonight in this dream?"

The boys nodded with a smile, cuddling up in bed with the lady of the house.

------

Elizabeth blowing raspberries on Tony's tummy as his giggles filled up the house with laughter. Jason was building up rocking chair in the living room and walked into the kitchen.

Jarvis was making lunch for them.

"Hey babe." He said with a smile, kissing her forehead then gave his nephew one on the cheek.

"Hi dear." She replied with a smile bouncing their nephew in her lap who giggled brightly.

It was a running gag but a sweet one calling each other pet names since the day they met. It went beyond, just them calling each other nicknames Jason called Jarvis's wife, Ana, honey and doll all the time as a term of endearment.

"JJ!" Tony yelled in glee with a toothy grin, as both adults looked their eyes at his silliness.

Something that would carry on once Tony is older is that silly toothy grin of his, no matter what the situation is. Especially his giggles.

Jarvis set the table for them, as Jason rushed over to help him and cutting Elizabeth's food into smaller sizes. Ana joined them soon enough watching all of this in curiosity. However, it confused the British man, once they all sat down to eat.

"Why does Jason need to cut your food, Miss Stark?" Jarvis asked them as he ate.

"Just watch, dear." Ana added, curious knowing she will get an answer.

With Tony's booster seat resting between them. Ana grabs a glass of wine and sits next to her husband. Looking at the kid who are begin to eat but what caught Jarvis's eye was Tony’s other hand gripping Elizabeth’s left hand in a tight grip.

"Aww how adorable." Ana said with a smile eating her chicken.

"It is indeed but what exactly is happening? I might need an explanation." Jarvis questioned with a smile.

"Tony had this new habit where he only can eat if he holds Elizabeth or Maria’s hand. It started a few days ago." Jason explained chuckling as he ate.

"I don't mind it. It keeps him relaxed and allows me to make sure he's doing alright while eating." Elizabeth replied eating with her other hand.

"What happens if you remove your hand?" Ana asked, in love with the way Tony's happily eating.

Elizabeth lets go of Tony's hand and all of them looking at the youngest Stark who started fusing while chewing a piece of meat, one hand starts waving asking for his auntie’s hand.

Elizabeth just let Tony wrap his fingers with her own in the meantime as Ana chuckled and Jarvis snorted with a smile.

"Howard tried it yesterday, removing Tony's hand away from Maria and he just cried. Not pretty." Jason added chuckling.

"It was hilarious!" Elizabeth told them as she snickered, "My brother promised to let him sleep with their room last night, if he stopped. Howard was third wheeling."

------

“Will you please go to sleep now? You're a growing boy, come on please do it Uncle JJ.” Jason sighed and rubbed his own face with his palm.

“No way.” Tony runs “I wan Liz…”

“I give up.” Jason buried his face in the kid’s bed

Jason finally gets up and walks to the living room where his best girl is reading something from her notebook. Watching Tony just dive to her lap startling the woman.

“What the-?” Elizabeth jumped out of reflex “I-shouldn’t you be in bed and counting sheep?”

“I’m not sleepy.” Tony shakes his head.

“Well, I am.” Jason sighed and sat next to Elizabeth looking into her eyes hoping she understood the silent help signal, "No more kids, one is enough.."

That was when Hank Pym called as Elizabeth put him on the speaker and started talking with him as she tried to put her kid to sleep.

"Lizzie is this a bad time?" Hank asked while on the phone, hearing Tony mumbling in the background and Jason's voice muttering something.

"No, Hankie it's fine. Someone's allergic to sleep just like his father, I'll pay you 500 bucks if you can get him to sleep." Elizabeth replied jokingly.

"I'll see what I can do. Do you remember the equation use for invention you and Howard were making?"

"Actually, yeah I do. The one for that android prototype? Yeah I do."

"Good because I thinking we can use for this new formula I was creating."

Both scientists go to work, talking with the equipment and possible new investments they would make that month to present to the others. Laughing and gushing about their week as well.

Jason was napping when he was accidentally smack on the shoulder due to Elizabeth's excitement how on they can improve the formula for the shrink ray.

"Ow!" He shouted softly, being woken up.

"Oh, sorry JJ. I was just, you know." She replied trying to explain with a chuckle.

"I know let me take this little guy off your hands."

"Alright."

Both expected to find Tony still awake on his auntie's lap but he nodding off as they spoke. They chuckled quietly thanking Hank's believing their science talk tired him out or something.

He picked him up as Tony's head rested on his shoulder, his eyes were trying to stay open as he mumbled, "I'm not tired...no sleepy.."

"Oh yes you are, Bubba. Very sleepy." Jason said with a soft chuckle with sighed, "Say night night."

Elizabeth stood up cupping his little face mumbling sweet nothing into his ears as Tony hummed a soft, "..night night."

"Night, my little star." She replied with a soft smile, deciding to help tuck him in.

They tucked in their little boy, turning on the recording on Maria Stark's gentle singing voice as background noise for Tony.

Moments like that, they both wished Howard and Maria were not busy sometimes but they're more than happy to raise the little guy instead.

----

As much as he is their little boy, he is Howard's son and that being said he was a little rebellious at time. Especially in his early teens and his years as an adult..

"Anthony Edward Stark, where the hell you think your going?" Elizabeth asked with her arms crossed and tapped her foot with a glare.

"Out!" Repiled Tony, who was 12 years old at this point with a classic smirk.

"It's Monday afternoon on a school night!"

"So?"

"So you're not heading out to whatever your heading off to! I don't care what it is, Friday it's another thing, I allow it. But Monday, hell no!"

"You're not dad, auntie Liz!"

"And thank god I ain't. Be lucky it ain't Peggy either, why do you want to head out anyway? To act cool with your friends?"

Tony sighed in defeat dramatically dropping the smirk and crossed his arms, "Well no shit. All my friends are doing it."

Jason stepped in after returning home from an getting supplies hearing his nephew, "Please tell you didn't just curse in front of your aunt."

"I just said 'shit'! Relax.." Tony replied with a sigh thinking of something knowing who's the softer parent, "And aunt Liz won't let me go out."

"First off no cursing at your aunt. And second, out where?"

"An party..all my friends will be there!"

"Is it on Friday?"

"Yup! It's on Friday, it's a small party."

Elizabeth scoffed, "No! It's tonight, an silly little stupid party with his friends doing god knows what. God knows if the parents will be there!"

"She's lying! She doesn't want me to have fun this week and stay stuck in this house, only invite to Rhodey or something." Tony shouted.

"Enough!" Jason yelled raising his voice, "I know she ain't lying and that you're the one who is actually lying. You know the rules Tony, no parties or anything on school night like Monday. And something tells me those kids parents don't know they're going to that party."

"B-but that's not fair! I should be allow to go." Tony yelled.

"No you shouldn't and it is fair, she’s saving you for tomorrow. She knows that something off is going on if it's on a Monday, simple as that. Doesn't that sound a little weird to you?"

"...yeah..it does."

"We will talk about this later."

A few more words were said before Tony left to the living room. Liz was pissed off and so was Jason.

He sighed and told her, "You were doing the right thing."

"I know.." She sighed, "I know. I'm just trying to protect him. Something tells me this won't be the last argument."

"Cause it won't. But we just try to lead him down the right path.."

"You got that right. Protecting him and all that.."

----

Road trips with the three of them tend to be something else. Tony always making himself known with questions, annoying them on purpose and snickering afterwards.

"Where we going?" Tony asked in the backseat, playing with his jacket zipper.

"To meet Peggy and your parents in San Diego." Elizabeth replied like it was obvious with a smile.

"And why are you driving?"

"Because your uncle JJ has a bad history with driving."

Jason perked up, "I'm right here, you know?!

Tony snorted, "Okay what time we get there?"

"Midnight." Elizabeth said with sigh.

"What happens at midnight?"

"You're bedtime."

"Can I drive?"

Both shouted at the same time, "No!"

That resulted in Tony laughing at their response as both parents chuckled at his ridiculous way to make times like that a joke or two.

---

Sometimes Elizabeth tends to become a mama bear, as if she isn't already. Like when Tony started dating, Howard rolled his eyes chuckling at his sister and Maria gushed hoping her boy enjoys the dating scene.

Elizabeth on the other hand, she was so excited and sat beside Jason one afternoon while he was reading. He was reading a classic children's' book from the shelfs, 'The Giving Tree' when Elizabeth came with a grin.

"Yes my darling?" He asked looking up from the book with a laugh.

"Tony got a date!" She repiled with a smile.

"With who? I mean I'm not surprise our kid has been a cheeky little guy since the age of 3."

"You know that day Howard took Tony down to that event in Chicago? Well there was this nice girl there with her mother, Tony sneaked off to see her and now they met again due to her mother bringing her here for an clothing event. And according to Ana, he has a date."

"That's my boy. If he's not a gentleman, I'll ground him for life. Where to?"

"Ana said that caravel downtown this weekend. She was eavesdropping and I love her for it."

"Not bad for a first actually date with a girl he seems to like."

Elizabeth sigh assuming something, Jason knew that look on her face and ask her what's going on.

"I don't want to sound cheesy but he's growing up so fast, JJ! I mean where did the time go? It felt like I was helping him add 2 + 2 yesterday! Now a date? Damn..he's my baby." Elizabeth admitted with a sigh.

Jason opened his arms pulling her into an tight embrace as she was nuzzling comfortably against his neck. She pouted, it was a rare moment but she did. He chuckled rubbing her shoulder.

"Aw, Lizzie, darling. He's growing up, I don't like it. Hell I would rather stop time and let him stay the way he is now. But we can't. Before we know it, he's buying his own house or deciding to buy this one off his father." Jason joked with a smile.

Elizabeth chuckled, "He might as well do that. I'm not ready for him to keep growing up, what if he doesn't want hugs from his auntie anymore? What if he grows up hating the idea of living with us? I mean it's a packed a house, i don’t blame him."

"Hahaha no, honey he won't. I think he rather have a packed house than a quieter one. And he will always need his auntie, he's your baby. Tony knows it, hell he might make you an godmother one day."

"Oh god no, don't think that far hahaha! I want him live in the moment now, before he's old and gray. I'm still gonna baby him no matter how old he is! You know that right?"

"Oh I know. And he's gonna be annoyed but love you for it. No matter what you do, you will be there to protect him and stand up for him."

"You too!"

"Oh hell yeah I will!"

---

And they are right about that. Yeah sure, Lizzie was gone under the ice for years due to a freak accident thinking she was goner. Having Jason and Tony feeling down in the dumps for some time.

But when that girl returned, her mama bird side came with her. And the man who was her right hand was more than happy about that.

"He's insane!" Liz yelled with a sigh, pointing at her nephew, "You're insane."

"Hello?! Have you met me?" Tony replied with a chuckle, "I think Pepper would love a big bunny for an anniversary slash Christmas present."

"Okay I dealt the whole 'I'm Iron Man, I can do whatever the hell I want' thing. But your Tony Stark! My Tony Stark, use that head of yours is a big bunny a good idea?"

"JJ gets you big jewelry and spoils you! I blame him for my actions, the bunny stays."

"Oh jeez. Did you at least get dinner ready?"

"Yeah it's pizza tonight. Why are you acting so uptight lately?"

Elizabeth sighed, "I've been asleep for years in ice and I come back to find you as Iron Man. A superhero. I know it's been an year now, but a part of me is still scared your gonna blow it!"

Tony chuckled pulling his auntie into a hug, "Oh Liz, it's me we're talking about. Hell, JJ is still terrified for my life. And honestly, I've already it blew it last year, in New York. I am stressed but I will be fine.."

"I know about your late night snacking and sleepless night, Tony. I'm worried about you. We all are."

"I know you are..but if anything happens, I will tell you. I promise."

~~~

Last forward to Christmas time, once the house blew up and JARVIS announces Tony's anxiety problems to everyone after arriving at the snowy side of the U.S. before shutting off.

Soon enough, they're dragging themselves across the snow to find a safe house. Rei's suit is being dragged across the snow, as he decide to start helping his godfather.

Liz snaps, "Anything you want to tell me?!"

"Okay in my defense I was gonna tell you soon." Tony winced.

"When?!"

"I was gonna make you an omelette and tell you about it!"

"Oh my god!"

Jason sighed dragging the Iron Man suit with them across with snow as the night fall onto of them.

"You two knew about this?! This whole time and didn't think of telling me?!" Jason yelled.

"I thought you knew about this! Or that he told you!" Liz yelled back.

"Great, now Ma and Pops are fighting." Rei added sarcastically, "Good job, Dad!"

Tony turned look at his son, “I’m sorry, how is this my fault?”

“Isn’t everything?”

“This is unbelievable.”

----

Other times, Jason and Elizabeth would be protecting themselves or their kids presence even when the guy isn't nearby.

Such as 2014, when they were called by SHIELD when it came to Alexander Pierce wanting their signature onto the new helicarriers.

Jason was tired as he asked, "Okay Pierce, what the hell is this?"

Elizabeth was standing next to him and pressed, "Mr. Secertary, what he meant is there a reason you've asked us to come here?"

"Signature, Mr. Underwood and Miss Stark." Said Pierce holding out pens, "As well, I was hoping you ask your nephew to stop by my niece's birthday party as a favor for Nick."

"He's our nephew, not a party entertainer." Elizabeth said with a raise eyebrow.

"Unless it's for his own children, and at the moment he's not dealing with your favors." Jason added, "What's the favor you're doing for Nick?"

"That's classified information, sir." Pierce replied.

"Of course it is..you know, it was a pretty long day and I don't want to be here. Matter a fact, none of us want to be to here! So good night Alexander." Elizabeth said standing up from her chair.

Jason stood up following her, opening the door for the girl as he gave Pierce an odd look before walking out. However that didn’t stop Elizabeth Stark to get information later on that day, returning to Alexander Pierce’s office after cooling down to get any information needed.

——

Sometimes due to Jason and Elizabeth being so close to Tony, along with their godchildren they get mistaken for the actual parents. Hell, even for being a couple more than once.

Such as in the early to late 2010s, Justin Hammer once asked, “Are theses your parents, Stark? I thought they were dead..”

Tony would give an sarcastic smile and reply, “Aw Hammer, you’re jealous? Too bad not everyone was given 3 sets of parents.”

“Three?”

“Oh yeah, didn’t you hear? Or were you too busy washing yourself in that horrible 80s cologne?”

Justin scoffed, “Damn. But seriously, are they giving out set of parents for free or what?”

“No. They’re mine, you can’t have them.” Tony added with a smirk.

~~~

Or when Fury called Tony and The Avengers out a few times, he will tend to bring JJ and Liz names into conversation, using the term parents. Such as in 2015, when they are all in Clint’s Barn. Also known as The Safe House.

Everyone was in the kitchen, including the teens and kids. Some were at the table such as Natasha, Bruce, Rick, Ava, Rei and Rochelle. Others were surrounding the area near the sink and fridge across from the kitchen island, such as Tony, Clint and Steve with Liane and Luna.

Clint’s wife Laura was listening in as the younger kids were wondering around.

Elizabeth was drying dishes as Jason washed them, meanwhile Fury was finishing placing some orange slices on a plate.

Nat spoke up, “You know boss, when I was hoping I saw ya, you would have more than that.”

Fury replied, “I do. I have you. Back in the day, I had eyes everything, ears everywhere else. You kids have all the things you can dream to use, Stark’s parents didn’t have much to work with beforehand but they made do. Now here we are, back on earth with nothing but our wit and our willingness to do good.”

Jason added, “Just like old times, huh? Rehashing a plan during dinner, then collaborating in the morning to figure out what can be done..”

“Ain’t that the truth. Nothing but our strength to save the world and make a difference for others.” Elizabeth commented with a grin.

Fury gave them a half smile and continued his speech, “Ultron says The Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And weather or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction. All this lay in the grave. So stand, out with the platinum bastard.”

Natasha winked at Rick and Rochelle before saying with a smirk, “Steve doesn’t like that kinda talk.”

Steve gave her a humorous mock glare, “You know what, Romanoff?”

The teens and young adults in the room snorted and chuckled. The group kept talking, figuring out what will they all do next, with the young members of the team chiming into the conversations.

Even Jason mentioned, “You can try Pentagon's firewall, are they open this time?”

“That could work, they are still roughly open this time and hour.” Elizabeth comments.

“Should i know why you know that?”

“I had to message the Pentagon years ago to reach an barrier of systemic risks, for SHIELD’s locating tactics. And Tony did something he wasn’t supposed to..”

“Oh god, what was it this time?”

Fury ate his orange slice answering, “You’re boy cracked into SHIELD systemic burns, but beforehand he cracked their firewall.”

“That’s something, I do think I remember he did!” He replied chuckling, “We got mysterious calls afterwards for weeks.”

Tony chimed in with a grin sounding proud and said, “I cracked the Pentagon’s firewall in high school on a dare and got a sweet deal afterwards.”

Elizabeth grinned brightly, “That’s my boy! Definitely a win in my books.”

“And me? I cracked into SHIELD firewall too multiple times.” Rei added with a sly smile, as you could hear his godfather holding back his laughter in the background.

“I love you too, kiddo!” She replied to her sarcastic godson, “Both of you are the reasons for the facility's cyber-security sub-bar.”

——

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[babyjakes]

forever and a day | 53. accident.

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summary | a story in which america’s favorite captain gives a new life and family to a five-year-old girl who has suffered well beyond her years at the hands of hydra.

characters | dad!steve rogers, girl/willa rogers (original character)

warnings | AU similar enough to OU to include spoilers to many Marvel movies (Age of Ultron and beyond). action and fight scenes with violence and killing. injuries/mild gore. mature themes related to and semi-graphic depictions of child abuse/neglect, past CSA and CSM, and their aftermath (emaciation, wounds, scarring, etc). medical abuse (including sterilization) and experimentation. ptsd/trauma symptoms in a child (developmental discrepancies, de-humanized behavior, detachment, extreme fears). medical treatment of CSM and other aftermath of abuse.trauma-informed therapeutic treatment of ECT. minor mentions of disordered eating. themes relating to abuse of power/authority and immoral interrogation tactics including SA (with brief depictions.) evil!Tony Stark.

[Bucky]

The sound of the doorbell ringing in the middle of the night rouses me from my usual restless slumber. Grunting as I twist from my side to my back on my mattress, I stare at the ceiling as my mind takes several moments to adjust to being awake again. Who the hell could that be? I think to myself, my heart beginning to pound lightly in my chest as anxiety builds in my throat. I don't know who would come knocking at an hour like this, but given my past, I'm heavily inclined to be skeptical.

Forcing myself up to a sitting position, I glance over at the red numbers of my alarm clock glowing faintly in the dark. 2:49am. What on earth?

Dragging myself out of bed, I switch on my bedside lamp, fumbling around on the ground to find an overshirt and throwing it on over my pajamas before walking slowly out of the room. I make my way up to the front of the apartment slowly, putting on as few lights as possible for myself in an attempt to minimize the amount that can be detected from outside. By the time I reach the front door, my whole body is shaking. Cursing the fact that I have no peephole or window to see out easily, I clear my throat, asking firmly through the thick wood, "Who's there?"

Almost too quiet to detect, a muffled voice responds, "Bucky? I-it's Willa. C-can I-... c-can you-... sorry, sorry for b-bothering you." Realizing who it is, my entire body relaxes as I let out a sigh of relief. I immediately undo the locks and open up the door to find the poor thing shivering out in nothing but her light blue teddy bear pajama shirt and undies, carrying a mess of bedsheets at her feet. Her cheeks are bright red and stained with tears, her big green eyes glancing up shamefully towards me.

"Willa- hi," I murmur, a bit stumped by her appearance. "Hi sweetheart, are you alright? What're you doing up so late, hmm?" I ask, ushering her in the door. Closing it behind her and kneeling down to her level, I look over her once more. Noticing that her underwear are soaked through, with her matching pajama pants balled up along with the mess of sheets, the dots start connecting in my head; she probably had an accident in her sleep. I still don't know, though, how or why she ended up at my door.

"'m sorry. D-did I wake you up? 'm so sorry," she mumbles, her head hanging lamely as she sniffles.

"It's okay, bunny. Don't worry about it," I tell her gently, unsure of what to do or say. "Are you okay, sweetie? What're you doing here? Does Steve know where you are?" At the man's name, the girl flinches slightly, shaking her head.

"'m sorry. Tried t-to do it by m'self but c-couldn't reach," she rambles as a few more tears make their way down her flushed cheeks. "Please don't tell D-Daddy. He'll be s-so mad."

"What do you mean, doll? Couldn't reach what?" I ask, leaning my face in a bit closer and raising my brow sympathetically at her.

Keeping her gaze on the floor, she whimpers, "Th-the machine, to wash m-my sheets. W-wet them... while I was s-sleeping. H-had a nigh'mare. Don't beat me, please. Please don't." More tears drip down her nose and onto the floor as she quivers, my heart breaking at her pleas.

"No sweetie, I won't beat you. You're alright, doll," I soothe warmly, reaching out to rub her back lightly. Jumping, she sniffles as she eyes my arm warily, clearly not trusting my gentle touch. "It's okay to have accidents, Willa. No one's gonna hurt you for it; I certainly won't. You need help cleaning up your sheets?" I ask. She nods defeatedly. "Okay. We can wash them in my machine, okay? Your pajama pants, too, and your undies. And we can get you cleaned up too, kiddo. How does that sound?" I offer.

"Y-yes please," she agrees quietly. Giving her a smile, I carefully take the contents of her hands from her.

"Alright missy, follow me," I tell her as I rise to my feet, walking back through the apartment to the washer and dryer, which are tucked in a closet by the bathroom. Willa trails behind me silently with her head still lowered, a stray tear still making its way down her face every once and a while.

Opening up the folding closet doors, I load what the child gave me into the top machine before crouching down again at her height, asking softly, "Could I get you a big t-shirt to wear while we wash your clothes? That way you can still keep covered up," I offer, not wanting to ask her to give up the underwear until she has something else to cover herself with. Receiving a nod, I stand again, going into one of the baskets of clean clothes I've yet to put away from my last cycle that sits in the closet beside the stacked machines.

"Here, how about this," I try, pulling out an old maroon shirt that seems like it'll fit her somewhat like a dress. She nods as I hand it to her, suggesting, "How about I cover my eyes and turn around while you get changed. Is that okay?" I ask carefully, not wanting to cross the little girl's boundaries. She nods warily as I give her a comforting smile, covering my eyes as promised with both of my hands and turning around.

I can hear quite shuffling as the child gets changed. After a few moments, she tells me, "'m done."

"Okay bug," I hum as I turn back around and uncover my eyes, taking her soiled clothes off the ground and loading them with the rest in the machine. Measuring out some detergent and popping it in the washer as well, I hit the button to start the cycle, the cheery chimes of the machine sounding as the water begins whirring inside. Turning back to the little girl, I crouch down again to her height, my heart aching as she winces slightly. "If you want, you can use my bathtub to get cleaned up. I don't have baby wipes, but I can give you a washcloth and some soap and you can use the tub's faucet. Does that sound alright?" She nods silently as her wide eyes gaze into mine, seeming relieved that she'll be allowed to do it on her own.

"Alright bunny, this way," I tell her as I rise back up to a standing position, guiding her over and into the bathroom. Switching the light on, I make my way over to the tub and get the water running, making sure it's a comfortable temperature for her before stepping back over to the cabinet under the sink and pulling her out a clean washcloth. Willa stands sheepishly in the doorway, watching my every move as I prepare the things for her, grabbing a big fluffy towel and setting it down right outside the tub. "Here's the soap I have; it's some really nice hand-made stuff I got at the market," I tell her as I place the bar down on the edge of the tub along with the cloth. "Okay sweetheart, how about I go back out into the living room and let you get cleaned up, and you can come join me when you're done," I propose.

"N-no beating?" she mumbles quietly, still frightened that she might be punished for her mistake.

"No babydoll, no beating," I promise her. "You did a good job, coming and asking for help," I add, remembering something Steve had told me about her therapy and exposure work. While it would've made a lot more sense for her to seek out Steve instead of me, the fact that she asked anyone at all is progress. "Willa, can I ask you a question?" I ask slowly, not wanting to overwhelm her or make her fears escalate. Her eyes widen slightly, but she nods. "Honey, why didn't-... why didn't you ask Steve?" I question softly. "If you're worried that I might beat you, too, then... what difference did it make?"

Her gaze falls to the floor as she trembles in the doorway, swallowing hard before revealing her answer. "D-don't... don't want Daddy to beat m-me," she whispers. "P-pounded that guy's face in... h-he could hurt me really b-bad." My heart breaks at her revelations, but they make sense, so I nod. She does have a point. While I was mutilated to be a super soldier like Steve, it's no secret that he's the stronger of the two of us. If Willa's train of thought was that either way she would be beaten, and she was just trying to avoid as much damage as possible, her choice makes sense.

"Little dove," I breathe sadly, not even sure where to begin. "Sweetie, Steve would never hurt you; he'd never beat you. He loves you so much, so, so much, and he'd never do something like that," I tell her, but I know that her worries are deeply engraved in her brain, and that it'll take a lot more time and experience than just simple words to put them at ease. "Everyone has accidents, honey. Everyone does when they're little, especially when they've gone through as many scary things as you have," I reason. "Steve knows that; he would never be angry with you for it. He'd do the same thing I'm doing, help you clean up and wash the sheets. That's all," I coo, wishing I could prove it to her. "Bunny, you're always welcome to come to me for help. I'll always do my best to help you. But Steve wants to help you too, Willa. That's what he's there for; that's what Daddy's are for."

Willa sniffles and I sigh, deciding that at this point it's probably wisest to just let the poor thing get clean before pursuing any further discussion on the matter. "Here, I'll let you wash up," I tell her as I step past her out into the hallway, closing the door over behind me before heading back out into the living room.

As I continue to listen to the water run faintly from the bathroom, I pull my phone out from my pocket, unlocking it and pulling up Steve's contact. As much as I hate going against Willa's wishes, I think the smartest thing to do would be to have him come down here and address the situation as soon as possible. Besides, I don't want him to wake up and find her missing; that would scare the shit out of him. Letting out a deep sigh, I hit his number, a call popping up and ringing only a few times before there's an answer.

"Buck?" Steve's sleepy voice calls.

"Hey pal," I greet lowly, taking a seat on the couch. "You're probably gonna wanna throw on some shoes and come down here."

[Steve]

"She what?" I exclaim as I throw on a sweatshirt, making my way quickly through the apartment to the front door to slip on my shoes.

"Yeah, she showed up in nothing but her pajama shirt and underwear, carrying all her sheets at her feet. Said she had a bad dream," he explains.

"Oh god," I breathe, brushing my hair back anxiously as I make my way out the front door, being sure to lock it behind me. "I'm so sorry, Buck. I had no idea she would do something like this. I should've guessed something might-"

"No, no, it's okay, Steve," he tells me quickly. "Really, it's no trouble. I'm glad she felt safe enough to come to me about it. It's good that she came to someone, anyone."

"You said she was begging not to be beaten?" I repeat what he had said, making my way across the porch to the stairs.

"Yeah. She's still pretty worried that she's going to be punished for stuff like this. I told her that neither of us would ever do that, of course, but it's just gonna take time," he replies.

"Yeah- we're working on it with her therapist, but I think you're right," I agree as I make my way down to Bucky's apartment. "I'm outside," I let him know.

The front door to the home opens up before me, and I switch my phone off, shoving it in my pocket as my friend lets me in. Closing the door behind me, he offers me a sad smile. "Hey, punk," he mutters, patting me lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey, thanks again for everything," I say sincerely, still feeling incredibly guilty for all the trouble he's gone through for the little girl.

"No problem, pal," he waves it off as I step into the apartment, hearing water running back from what I'm guessing is the bathroom. "She's getting herself cleaned off right now. I have her sheets and clothes in the washer, and she's got a big t-shirt of mine to wear in the meantime."

"Okay. Thanks Buck," I thank him again. "Does she know you called me?"

"Uhh... no," he admits, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "She begged me not to tell you, but I figured it would be better for you to come and get the situation addressed." I nod, thankful for his decision. Hearing the water shutting off, Buck looks behind him before turning back to me, suggesting, "Maybe we should meet her at the bathroom, so she doesn't try to run back through the house or anything."

"Sounds good to me," I agree, doing my best to mentally prepare myself for whatever kind of reaction the little girl might have to my arrival.

"I'm gonna let her know you're here, and then I'll let you take over," he decides as he leads me back to the closed bathroom door. The light from inside peeks out from under the wood as faint shuffling can be heard from the other side. "I don't wanna overwhelm her with both of us in a small space like that, so I'll just let you handle it," he tells me, earning a nod.

Turning and knocking gently against the door, Bucky calls, "Hey Willa? You doin' okay in there?"

"A-a'most done," she calls back, the shakiness of her voice causing my heart to break. The whole situation in general is incredibly saddening. While I think Bucky is right in that it's an improvement for her to have sought out any help at all, it still makes me feel unbelievably guilty that she's so scared of me, apparently even more scared than she is of Buck. "O-okay," she says.

"Alright," Bucky says opening up the door slightly. From where I'm standing, I can't quite be seen yet by the child. "Sweetheart, while you were getting cleaned up, I had to call Steve and let him know what was going on," he tells her slowly. Though I can't see her, I can just picture her beginning to dissolve into a mess of anxiety. Soft whimpers can be heard from inside the room, making my heart tighten in my chest. "Shhh bunny. it's okay. He's not angry, not at all. He's just happy you're here and safe," he murmurs soothingly, stepping aside and motioning for me to join him.

Taking a deep breath, I shift over into the doorway; the sight before me breaks my heart. Willa stands trembling on the bath mat in one of Bucky's old t-shirts, her eyes overflowing with tears as a look of pure terror and betrayal makes its way onto her face. She flinches back at the sight of me, bumping up against the wall behind her and letting out a frightened sound as she realizes she's trapped. "I'll let you two have some time alone," Bucky sighs as he steps away, heading back into one of the rooms at the back of the apartment and closing the door.

"Willa-bug," I coo, keeping my voice as soft and low as possible. The poor child's knees begin to wobble underneath her as she stares at me, her bottom lip trembling in fear. Stepping a bit inside the bathroom, I bend my knees in hopes of coming off as unintimidating as I can, though my efforts seem to do little in helping the girl relax. "Hey sweetheart- it's okay, Willa. You're not in trouble. I'm not here to hurt you," I tell her softly.

The little girl's chest rises and falls erratically as tears continue pouring down her cheeks, a soft whimper rising in her throat before she opens her mouth, barely able to make any sound at all. "P-... p-p-..." she tries, her eyes widening in fear as she struggles to speak. "P-please," she finally manages, adding, "'m sorry, 'm so s-sorry. Didn't m-mean to. D-don't beat me, please don't beat me."

"Willa, Willa, shhh," I soothe, inching myself a tiny bit closer to her as she shakes feverishly against the wall. "Shhh, sweetheart- I'm not gonna beat you, doll. No beating," I tell her reassuringly as I bend down onto my knees before her, causing her to jump again. "I know you didn't mean to, sweetie. I know. It's okay, doll. You're not in trouble. Bucky said you had a nightmare?"

She nods, swallowing down her sobs as I soften my expression for her, murmuring, "Oh honey, that's alright. You couldn't help it that you had a scary dream." The look in her eyes tells me that she's skeptical of my words, but I continue, "It's okay, accidents happen. You're still little, sweetie. No one's mad at you. And you did a good job, you asked someone for help. That was really brave of you, darlin'. I'm so proud of you."

Willa's eyes widen at my words, and she asks, "P-p'oud of me?"

Despite her confusion, I just nod, explaining, "Yeah baby, you were really scared, but you came to Bucky for help anyway. You didn't do it all by yourself. That was good, Willa. You did such a good job." The child blinks, still appearing perplexed at my words. "Next time, it would be good if you could come to me," I add. "I know you were scared that you were going to be beaten, and that you would rather be hurt by Bucky than me. But no one's gonna beat you here, Willa. Never. I'll never hurt you or punish you, no matter what you do."

Willa's eyes gaze warily into mine and I open up my arms for her, earning a soft flinch. "Here sweetheart, you want a hug?" I offer, wanting nothing more than to wrap her up safely in my embrace. A pitiful look of longing forms on her face as she takes in my position, letting out a quiet whine of want. "It's okay doll, Daddy won't hurt you. Just wanna hold you."

And to my surprise, despite all the fear lingering in her big green eyes, Willa slowly steps forward, her face tucking itself away into my chest as I wrap her up softly and lift her off the floor. Carefully, I rise to a standing position, holding her safely against me as her tears begin to soak through my sweatshirt. "Hey- shhh," I soothe, rubbing her back tenderly as I sway her gently from side to side. "You're okay, Willa-bug. I've got you, it's okay."

"N-no beating, please no beating," she begs quietly.

"No beating," I repeat back to her, "no beating, baby. Just soft. Just safe." For several minutes, the little girl continues to cry silently into the damp fabric of my sweatshirt as I keep rocking her, offering quiet shushes every now and then in hopes of soothing her fears. Eventually, her breaths start to even out, and it occurs to me that she must be exhausted after all the night's events.

"You tired, sweetheart?" I ask, stroking down her hair gently as she shifts weakly against me, her head completely limp on my chest. She nods silently and I stroke her hair again, telling her, "That's okay, honey. It's pretty late, and you've had quite the night. I'm gonna thank Buck again and let him know we'll come get the sheets in the morning, but you can close your eyes if you want to, okay? I'll hold onto you," I soothe.

"H-have to sleep in th-the cold?" she whimpers, catching me slightly off guard.

"In the cold? What do you mean, baby?" I ask as I head out of the bathroom, shutting off the light behind me.

"N-no sheets, n-no blankies," she pouts.

"Oh," I say with a slight chuckle, now understanding. "No baby, of course not. You can sleep with me in my bed. How does that sound?"

"Daddy's bed," she hums lovingly, her thumb having made its way up into her little mouth. "Big. Lots'a blankies"

"That's right," I agree, "big bed, soo many blankies, baby. Plenty of room for both of us. And that way, if you have another scary dream, Daddy'll be right there to make it all better," I add.

"All better," she mumbles sleepily into her thumb, her eyelids fluttering as they fall shut.

"All better, sweetheart," I coo, rubbing her back lovingly as she falls asleep right in my arms.

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[thisbelongsto-nohbodys]

[Sasha and Marcy are relaxing on the couch and cuddling. Suddenly the front door opens and slams shut]

Anne: Lily, sweetie I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do that!

Teen Lily: I don’t want to talk about it, Anne!

[Lily rushes up to her room. Anne let’s put a heavy sigh as she is comforted by Sasha and Marcy]

Marcy: What was that all about, Annie?

Sasha: Did something happen during the field trip?

Anne: Well………

[Flashback. In the Amphibian section of the Aquarium, Anne is presenting a frog in front of Lily’s classmates during a field trip]

Anne: Now this lil guy may look familiar but actually it’s a different species from the other side of the world. Does anyone know what its name is? Anyone? C’mon, look at it. How about you, Lily-Pad?

Lily: *embarrassingly grumbles*

Anne: C’mon sweetie, it was one of your favorites when you were little.

Lily: *sigh* it’s a “Litoria chloris”, also known as a “Southern Orange-eyed Tree Frog”.

Anne: Very good! And what else?

Lily: *grumbles* it’s also known as a “Red-eyed Tree Frog” and often confused with the “Agalychnis callidryas” or “Red-eyed Tree Frog” from South America at a quick glance.

Anne: Perfect! I knew you could do it Lily-Pad!

[silence is broken as a kid in the crowd coughs while saying “frog girl” and is followed by laughs and Lily tries to hide her face in her hoodie as Anne realizes what she’s done]

[End Flashback]

Anne: What happened to the little girl that loved to come with me to the aquarium and ask me all kinds of questions about amphibians and then tell guests?

Sasha: She’s becoming a teenager. She knows you didn’t mean anything bad but she still has peer pressure to deal with. Give her some time, I’ll go talk to her in a bit but you’ll need to apologize. This is only the beginning I’m afraid.

Marcy: and if she’s anything like how you two were then we’re in for a wild ride.

Sashanne: Oh Frog… please no…

[bjfinn]

HARRY'S QUEST

Disclaimer: I don't have a Shuar dictionary or grammar, so I had to make up the language spoken by the tribespeople, but I have tried to make it similar to the small sample that I've seen on YouTube. Also, fair warning: since the story is set in Ecuador, there's quite a bit of Spanish dialogue, untranslated -- Harold doesn't know what's being said, so why should you? Lol

Tw: death, murder by execution

Beej did a double take when he got to the office and saw the new arrival. The guy was a good eight or ten inches taller than the demon, and he was wearing a safari jacket and pants with the cuffs tucked into a pair of black hiking boots -- and he was carrying a hunting rifle.

But it wasn't the guy's height, or clothing, or even the firearm that took Beej by surprise -- it was the guy's head. It was tiny -- about a quarter the size it should've been. The black hair had been pulled up into a severe topknot and tied with a red cord, and the guy's lips had been sewn shut.

"Holy crap! " Beej exclaimed. "What the fuck happened to you, pal?"

The guy looked at Beej with bulging eyes -- they were normal sized and therefore too large for their sockets -- and tried to speak, but all that came out was, "Mmm! M-mmm-mmmmmm-mm-mmmmmmmmm! "

"Sorry, buddy," Beej said, clapping him on the back. "I didn't quite get that. Anyway, whatever happened it looks like a pretty shitty way to die. Tough luck, pal. Well, I can't stick around -- I gotta get up to Florida for my next job. They just executed the guy who tried to assassinate Roosevelt -- name of Zangara. I'll see you around!"

*****

Harold J. Wilson III had been in Guayaquil a week before he managed to find someone who was willing to take him into the jungle.

He'd come to South America in search of a creature that would guarantee his name would live forever -- the mapinguari. Supposedly extinct for thousands of years, but there were rumours -- based on accounts by the local Indians -- that it was still alive in the deepest part of the Amazon. And he was determined to bag one and bring it back to the Smithsonian.

"Sí, señor," the guide, a short, stocky man in his fifties named Pedro Morales, said. "I know the jungle -- but it is not a safe place for un americano, especially a rich americano like yourself."

"I've been in plenty of dangerous places," Harold told him. "Congo, in search of the mokele-mbembe, for instance."

"Did you find it, this ... mokele-mbembe?"

Harold shook his head. "Unfortunately, no," he said. "But I'm sure I'll find the mapinguari. Now, will you guide me or not?"

Pedro looked at the American. He took a deep drag on his cigar, blew out the smoke and nodded. "One hundred American dollars."

Harold pretended to consider the amount for a moment, and then he smiled and held out his hand. "You have a deal."

Pedro grinned. "Muy bien," he said. "We should leave tomorrow, at dawn. Before the heat becomes unbearable, sí?"

*****

"Lawrence!"

Beej, startled, whirled around at the sound of Juno's voice. "Hi, Mom!" he said, panicked. He hurriedly tried to hide the files he was holding behind his back. "You, uh ... you got another pickup for me?"

"What are you doing with those files?" she asked, cigarette smoke billowing from the hole in her neck. She took another drag.

"Huh? Oh, you mean these files? I, uh ... I was just curious about the new guy ... how he died, that's all."

"Oh, but sweetie," Juno said, smiling, her voice gentle, "you don't know how to read very well." Then she looked at him contemptuously. "Hand them over!"

"Sorry, Mom," he replied, chastened, and gave her the files.

"Now get back to work, and no more screwing around! "

"Yes, Mom," Beej said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"I can't hear you! "

"Yes, Mom," he said again, louder this time.

Juno nodded. "That's better." She stuffed the files back in the drawer and limped away, the thump-slide, thump-slide of her footsteps loud in the sudden silence of the office.

Beej looked around. The others, who had no doubt been watching the exchange, quickly put their heads down to focus on their work.

Beej blinked back the tears and shuffled out of the Processing Department to his next assignment.

*****

The sun was just beginning to stretch its first rays over the rooftops when Harold was awakened by a knock on the door of his hotel room.

"Buenos dias, Señor Harold," Pedro said when the American opened the door. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Let's go," Harold replied with a nod. He grabbed his gear and followed the guide out to the waiting Jeep. He tossed his bags in the back and climbed into the passenger's seat as Pedro turned the ignition, and then they started off, down the dirt road towards the jungle.

"We will have to stop at San Ignacio and continue on foot from there," Pedro said. "No hay caminos en la selva."

Harold nodded -- he knew enough Spanish to understand what the other man had said. No roads in the jungle.

"This village -- San Ignacio -- how far is it?"

"Two hours, más o menos," came the reply. "We will stop for lunch, and then hike in."

"How will we know where to go?"

"A village elder, Tío Chako, says that he has seen the mapinguari when he was a young man," Pedro told him. "We will follow his directions." He looked at his passenger. "But that was many years ago, señor -- who can say if it will still be there?"

"I understand," Harold replied.

*****

In fact, the drive to the Otavalo village of San Ignacio took nearly three and a half hours, and by the time they reached the village the sun was already fiercely hot.

The guide stopped the Jeep in front of a small, single-storey house with whitewashed mud walls and a thatched roof. They got out of the vehicle, and Pedro knocked on the wooden door.

A moment later, it opened, and a wizened old man in a dingy tank top and baggy trousers looked out. "Hola," he said -- Harold saw that he was missing his lower front teeth. "¿Quién están ustedes?"

"Soy yo, Pedro. Y eso es Señor Harold, de los Estados Unidos."

"¿Un americano?" Tío Chako was incredulous. "¿Aquí?"

"Él quiere trover el mapinguari," Pedro explained.

Tío Chako shook his head. "¿El mapinguari? No, es demasiado peligroso -- los Jívaros ..."

"Lo sé, pero es un americano rico ... y tonto."

"Pedro, no es bueno -- irás al infierno por esto."

"¿Y él? Él quiere matar el espíritu de la selva por un trofeo." Pedro smiled. "El Santo Padre me perdonará, creo."

"What's going on?" Harold asked -- his Spanish wasn't good enough to follow the exchange between Pedro and Chako.

"We are just discussing the preliminaries, señor."

"Por favor, entran ustedes," the old man said.

"Gracias, tío," Pedro replied. To Harold he said, "Unfortunately, Tío Chako does not speak English -- I will interpret for you."

Harold looked around the abode. It appeared to have only two rooms -- the kitchen in which they were standing and another that was probably the bedroom. At the table, a woman who was almost as old as Chako sat peelig potatoes.

"Mi esposa, María," Chako said.

"¿Visitantes? ¿Por qué no me dijiste que teníamos compañía?" María asked.

"María, ¿te acuerdas de Pedro?" Chako said. "Y este es el señor Harold, un americano que está buscando al mapinguari."

María's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she caught herself and said, "Bienvenido, Pedro. Y bienvenido, Señor Harold. ¿Se quedarán a almorzar?"

"Gracias, tía," Pedro replied. "Tenemos un largo viaje por delante."

*****

After a lunch of seco -- goat stew served with rice and plantain -- Pedro and Chako looked over a map of the region, discussing the most likely places to find the elusive mapinguari.

"Yo lo ve aquí," Chako said, pointing to a spot where the Rio Negro looped around like a noose. "Pero no sé si eras allá esos días."

"Lo entiendo," Pedro replied. "¿Y los Jívaros? ¿Donde es su territorio?"

"Casi todo el este es el territorio de ellos." He looked at Pedro. "Rezaré a San Cristóbal para que todos regresen sanos y salvos."

*****

"You know," Beej said, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone else who had their head shrunk before -- how'd it happen?"

The guy looked at the demon with his bulging eyes and drew a thumb across his throat.

"Yeah," Beej said with a nod. "That makes sense -- I mean, it'd be kinda difficult to shrink just your head if it was still attached, right?" He elbowed the guy in the ribs. "But how come it's attached now? I've seen others who've lost their heads, and they're always carrying them, you know?"

"M-mmmm-mmmm," came the response.

"Yeah, of course you don't know. Anyway, I'm wondering how they did it -- shrunk your head, I mean. But I guess you don't know that, either -- you were already dead."

The guy nodded.

Just then the door to Juno's office opened. Beej leapt to his feet. "Well, nice talkin' to you, pal -- see you!" And he scurried away before his mother could see him.

*****

It was an thirteen day trek through the jungle to get to the area where Tío Chako said that he had seen the creature. Harold had long since run out of citronella oil, and he was covered in mosquito bites, but that wasn't the worst of it -- every night was spent pulling leeches, ticks and other bloodsuckers off his exposed skin. He would've liked to bathe more often in one of the rivers, but he didn't dare -- the waters were home to flesh-eating piranhas, as well as anacondas and caimans. And other, more fearsome things.

"Candiru," Pedro told him. "It is a tiny, tiny fish that smells the piss and swims up your ..." He motioned to his crotch. "¿Entiende?"

Harold nodded grimly.

*****

At long last, Pedro set down his pack and said, "Es el lugar."

Harold looked around. It seemed exactly the same as the rest of the jungle -- trees and plants growing in riotous profusion in the eternal twilight, the silence occasionally punctured by the squawk of a bird or the screech of a monkey, or the sound of something larger making its way through the undergrowth. It felt like he and Pedro were the only two people in the entire world -- Harold would have been unsettled if he weren't so drenched and weary.

They set up camp as they had every night for the past two weeks, and Pedro built a fire with sticks that he gathered, smearing them with pitch from a rubber tree -- the smell of broiling latex was terrible, but it allowed the damp wood to burn.

Sunset comes quickly in the depths of the jungle. They had just finished their supper -- boiled mote corn and ch'arqui made from llama meat -- when it arrived and they were plunged into darkness. As always, the jungle came alive then with the sounds of nocturnal wildlife.

"You should sleep, señor" Pedro said. "I will take first watch."

Harold nodded and gladly slipped into the tent. He lifted the mosquito netting strung over his hammock and settled in.

He'd just drifted off when Pedro shook him roughly. "Señor," the guide whispered urgently. "Señor, wake up! I think I hear the mapinguari!"

Harold sat up, instantly awake, and rolled out of the hammock. "Where?" he asked. "Are you sure?"

"I can smell it -- can you not?"

Harold sniffed the air -- a rancid odour, like that of soured compost, filled his nostrils. "Let's go," he said, grabbing his rifle.

The two men exited the tent and headed in the direction of the odour, training their flashlights on the ground in front of them.

A few minutes later they heard a deep snuffling sound. They raised their flashlight beams ...

The mapinguari was scratching itself against an acacia. Harold gasped as it turned its head to look at them -- the beast had to be eight feet tall, with long, shaggy, reddish-brown fur. The three claws on each of its front paws were massive, easily capable of shredding a tree. The beast had tiny eyes and ears, and a flexible muzzle that reminded Harold of a tapir's. He caught a glimpse of the massive tail trailing on the ground behind it -- thickly muscled, like that of a kangaroo.

"I knew it!" Harold crowed. "It's a giant ground sloth!"

The creature made a low, rumbling noise that sounded for all the world like it was saying huuuhhhh?

"I've got you now!" Harold crowed as he raised his rifle and took aim. He pulled the trigger, and the sound of the weapon instantly caused a pandemonium of noise in the jungle as bird, bats, monkeys panicked and took flight. The mapinguari bellowed in pain as the bullet ripped into its flesh, and it turned toward the two men, its powerful forearms raised threateningly.

It lunged at them, roaring in confused fury. Pedro screamed and fled. Harold readied himself to take another shot, but the huge beast was too close. He dropped the rifle and ran, stumbling over tree roots, desperate to avoid those massive claws.

The beast was gaining on him -- he could practically feel its hot breath on the back of his neck. "Shit shit shit shit shit! " he wheezed.

He took a tumble then, rolling down a short embankment into the river. "SHIT! " he yelled, and scrambled back onto the bank before something in the water got him.

He trained the beam of his flashlight upwards, grateful that he'd managed to hold onto it.

The mapinguari was looming over him, looking down at Harold. Its tiny eyes looked ... almost sad. Harold felt a twinge of regret for having caused it pain.

"I-I'm sorry," he said softly. And bowed his head, ready to accept whatever punishment the beast -- this jungle god -- saw fit to mete out.

But then he heard voices -- human voices shouting in a language he didn't recognise. The mapinguari heard them, too, and it calmly settled back down on all fours, turned and ambled off into the jungle.

"Hey!" Harold called. "Hey! Over here!"

Within seconds he was surrounded by a dozen or so spear-carrying warriors, wearing feather headbands, beaded bandoliers and red face paint.

"Wiñámishi jṵna kimiijusiai!" one of the warriors shouted. "Jikanyi ústa kanimuistaiyi! Uukanta!"

"I'm .. I'm sorry," Harold said. "I don't understand --"

"Uukanta!" the warrior shouted again. "Uukanta!"

Three of their number hauled Harold to his feet, and they bound him, tying his hands together behind his back and fixing a noose around his neck.

"Iijintaiyi nan chanwaarka ujaantaiyi na! "

And they led him through the jungle.

*****

Beej couldn't get the shrunken-head guy out of his mind. Or more accurately, he couldn't get the question of how breathers could shrink somebody's head out of his mind. He could do it easily, of course -- but he was a demon.

He decided to go back in time to see for himself -- after all, the information could prove useful someday.

He looked around to make sure that no one was watching, and then he snapped his fingers.

Instantly he found himself in a village in the middle of the Amazon jungle. Fortunately, since he was invisible, his arrival went unnoticed by the inhabitants. But he didn't think they would've noticed him anyway -- there seemed to be some kind of celebration going on.

A crowd of people were circling a large bonfire, singing and shuffling to the beat of drums as the thin, high notes of a couple of flutes threaded through the air. He could smell roasting meat and vegetables, and his stomach grumbled.

"Looks like fun," he said to himself, and moved closer.

Off to the side he saw someone tied to a post -- he recognised him as his new buddy, the shrunken-head guy. Same clothes.

He continued to watch, glad that he'd arrived at the right place and time.

Beej didn't even think of intervening on the guy's behalf -- what the fuck did he care about saving a breather? Eventually every one of them died anyway.

At last the drumming and dancing ended -- just as the first rays of the sun began to paint the treetops with golden light.

The prisoner was cut down, and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

He was lifted up by several warriors and laid out spread eagle on a stone slab, his wrists and ankles tied to wooden posts. Then one of the warriors, strode up, a machete in his right hand. He raised the weapon high, and bellowed, "UKAIYIII!!!"

"AAAIYIIII!!!" the others shouted in response.

The warrior brought the wicked-looking blade down and severed the prisoner's head with one blow, and the women of the tribe began ululating in applause.

The executioner reached down and picked up the head by the hair, holding it aloft for all to see.

Beej was impressed -- it took some skill to sever a head with a single blow, even with a machete. Clearly this wasn't the warrior's first time.

The warrior gently handed the head to another man -- this guy was older, with grey hair. They exchanged a few words -- Beej heard them say muisak several times, and tsantsa. Two words he'd heard before. They meant "soul" and "shrunken head" in the Shuar language.

He nodded to himself.

Beej had heard of the Shuar, or Jívaro. Fearsome headhunters, they were famous for shrinking the heads of their enemies -- he didn't know if there were any other tribes that did that, though. Always wondered how they shrink the heads -- looks like today's the day I get to find out!

He followed the shaman into one of the thatched huts -- a large pot of water simmered over a fire in the middle of the room. The shaman picked up a knife with a blade of chipped flint, sat cross-legged on the floor beside the fire, and set to work, chanting as he did.

Beej squatted down beside him, still invisible, as he sliced into the back of the head, cutting the flesh from neck to crown, and carefully removed the flesh from the skull in a single piece. When he was done, he sewed the eyelids shut and forced three sharpened pegs through both lips.

The old man then took a baseball-sized sphere carved from wood and placed it inside the skin, and dropped it into the boiling water. He continued chanting, shaking a rattle made of shiny black seeds, as the de-boned head cooked.

This was going to take a while, Beej knew, so he headed outside to see what the tribe was going to do with the body. He was disappointed to see that they were burying it, rather than cooking and eating it. What a waste, he sighed. Ah, well -- can't have everything.

*****

A few hours later the shaman removed the head from the pot -- Beej was surprised to see that it had shrunk to about a third of its original size, and the skin was dark and rubbery.

The old man carefully turned the head inside out and began scraping the flesh and fat from the skin. Once it was completely clean he turned it rightside out again and sewed up the slit in the rear.

"Okaaay," Beej muttered.

With wooden tongs, the old man took several small rocks out of the fire and dropped them into the neck opening, followed by a few ladles of hot sand from the smaller pot.

"Why are you doing that?" Beej asked, knowing that the shaman couldn't hear him.

He watched, amazed, as the head shrank further, the skin contracting from the heat.

The shaman emptied the head and refilled it with more sand and rocks, holding more hot rocks against the outside to shape the features. This process was repeated several times, until at last the head was the size of a fist.

"Wow!" Beej exclaimed. "That's so fuckin' cool! "

Now that the head was fully shrunk, the shaman rubbed the skin all over with charcoal ash, and then he hung it over the fire to dry.

Finally, the shaman removed the pegs from the lips and sewed them shut with cotton string, making long, decorative tassels, and presented it to the warrior who'd made the kill.

Beej, grinning, took that as his cue to head back to the Netherworld.

*****

"I gotta tell you," he said to the shrunken-head guy, "it was fuckin' amazing! You shoulda been there! Uh, well ... I guess you kinda were, weren't you? Anyway, I'll tell you all about it sometime -- maybe we can grab lunch. Oh -- uh, right. Never mind."

"Lawrence! " Juno bellowed from her office. "Get in here right NOW! "

"Be right there, Mom!" he called back. "Anyway, I gotta go. See you soon, buddy!"

[useramor]

bia, sweetie, i had a really shitty day. wanna give me a sweet buddie hc of yours?

hi sweetheart!!!! i’m sorry about ur day i am sending u love and sweet happy things always. luv u

anyway:

buck and eddie don’t even realize that they had their first kiss until they pull away. they’ve been dancing around this moment for so long that when it finally happens it’s stupidly casual. it’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment. it’s an i’ve loved you all my life of course i’ll kiss you in hello moment. they laugh about it because it’s ridiculous and it’s eddie who leans in again because therapy eddie goes after what he wants and what he wants is buck’s lips on his!!!

the firefam don’t bet on them. it’s too big and too important and it took them a while to get here, you know? no money gets traded but buck and eddie don’t know that, so they keep their relationship a secret for the first few weeks. or they try to, at least, because they’re not incredibly successful. something something they’ve waited months for this, years for this, whole lifetimes for this. they fuck up when buck kisses eddie goodbye in the parking lot. everyone’s insanely happy for them.

i like to imagine they would have another kid. they’d adopt a little girl and she would drive them crazy. eddie was young with chris, buck was young with chris, and they’re a little older when the little girl comes around. enough that her endless energy exhausts them way faster than chris ever did. but they’re all in love with her (chris included, even if he’s a grumpy teenager about it). buck buys her too many little baby outfits despite the fact that she has all of jee-yun’s hand-me-downs. eddie kisses buck silly the first time he hears him call her mija.

they get engaged way too quick. buck moves in within the first two months, probably. why on earth would they wait? wouldn’t you rush to start the rest of your life if it suddenly looked like every dream you never let linger? wouldn’t you want to sink your hands into the head-rush feeling so it never goes away? they know their life is riskier than most and by god they have let fear and insecurities hold them back for far too long!!!! besides, isn’t marriage abour unconditional love? sickness health and all that shit? like they both haven’t seen each other at their absolute worst. like they don’t love each other more than anyone in the world. it’s an all encompassing sort of thing. and you can see it. it’s written all over their faces every time they look at each other. gay asses.

buck lets the will slip. i don’t quite know to who - probably maddie or hen considering the sperm donor thing. he wants to be a dad so bad, and he accidentally sort of kind of lets slip that he doesn’t want to be a back up dad. they raise an eyebrow. what does that mean? buck blushes and stutters and tries to dismiss it but they don’t let it go. he caves and admits that eddie put him in his will. that if something happens to him, christopher goes to buck. idk who it would be, but i do know they’d both call him an idiot.

also i personally headcanon buck speaks spanish. the man lived in south america. he at the very least understands it. eddie, however, does not know this, until buck is at his first diaz family reunion and everyone at the table is speaking spanish and buck…joins in. eddie’s face goes hot. sophia and adriana notice, because what are sisters for? they can’t even blame him, though. not when buck’s charming the pants off their aunts from mexico, laughing and blushing at all their compliments. eddie’s very thorough with him that night, kisses him the second he’s away from knowing, prying eyes. buck realizes he can kind of get away with anything so long as he says it in spanish.

that’s all i got i think. hope u feel better <33

[ali-annals]

Chaotic Coffee Zombies- One

Masterlist Chapter Two Chapter Three

Pairing: Timari

Rating: T

CW: Mentioned off-screen character death, Tim is slightly OOC

Taglist (open): @aquilavela @ghostdoodlen @jennifer-rose123 @questioning-blob-of-fog

A/N: Happy birthday to my first bae @aquilavela!! I hope you have a wonderful year<3

~~~~~

“Kaalki, voyage! Divide! Spots off!” Marinette stumbled through the portal into her room and froze.

Oops.

“Young lady, what do you think you’re doing?”

She squared her shoulders and faced her parents. “Surprise?”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” “I couldn’t because…magic. But since I’ve just taken Hawkmoth and Mayura’s Miraculous, I guess now I can? Maman, Papa, I’m Ladybug, hero of Paris.” And Grand Guardian, she added silently, crossing her fingers behind her back.

“That’s why you were- oh, sweetie, if we’d known…” Sabine’s arms wrapped around Marinette, Tom engulfing both of them from the side. “I’m so sorry, honey. But you said you have Hawkmoth’s Miraculous?”

“I’ve settled with him,” Mari said grimly. “I don’t need to be Ladybug anymore.”

“He’s…you didn’t…”

“No, no, he’s still alive. I did punch him several times before I fixed everything, though.”

“As you should’ve,” Sabine nodded proudly. “You know we would have understood if…” she trailed off again, the whole situation making her usually chatty mother at a loss for words. “I’m sorry.”

Tikki flew out from behind Marinette’s back. “It’s not your fault for not knowing, Mme. Cheng! The Miraculous magic does a good job of keeping its wielder’s identity hidden. You should be proud of the- your daughter! She is the best Ladybug I’ve ever worked with!”

Tom and Sabine stared at the kwami in shock.

“Maman, Papa, this is Tikki, my kwami. She’s the ladybug kwami of Order, Creation, and Good Luck.”

~~~

After supper, once some of the shock wore off, Tom and Sabine had a good long talk with Marinette about the past five years. Tears and laughter were freely expressed as they were finally able to be openly emotional.

Luckily, school had just ended three days ago, so Marinette didn’t have to get up early for school. Once Nadja Chamack and Ladybug reported that Hawkmoth and Mayura were finally defeated, most of Paris shut down for the week to vent. The weeks after would be soon enough for celebration.

Mari explained the whole situation with Lila, and how Chloe and Kagami were the only friends she had left.

Now that Hawkmoth was gone, she could freely leave Paris. She still loved the city, but it had taken too much from her, and she needed a change. Tom and Sabine agreed.

“We’ll move to America,” they decided. “Your uncle Jagged is from Gotham; he’ll know good universities for you to attend.”

~~~

Jagged was ecstatic to have Mari closer to his home, and eagerly loaded her up with links and places to check out. He offered to write her letters of recommendation for whatever she wanted, confident in her abilities to pursue her dreams in any field.

A realtor friend of his found a shop with living quarters above it, like their current house, in a good part of town and for a decent price. After some renovations, it would be a dream bakery.

She could attend Gotham Academy for her Grade 12 credits and graduate in December, thanks to the way her French requirements translated to American credits.

It didn’t take the Dupain-Chengs long to pack up, sell the bakery, and fly to Gotham, New Jersey. Not a word was said to her former classmates. Only Chloe knew where Mari was, and she’d never tell. After her apology and joining of Mari’s squad, she was mostly ignored by the others. Chloe and Kagami were saddened to see their best friend leave, but knew a new environment would be more conducive to her healing and growth.

At least they had video calls and texts to keep in contact.

~~~

While the renovations were being completed, the Dupain-Cheng family shacked up at Jagged and Penny’s Gotham mansion. It was nowhere near as large as some of Gotham’s Old Elite family’s mansions, such as Wayne Manor or Drake Manor, but it was definitely sufficient for the five of them (six, counting Fang).

Mari had a lot of fun working with Jagged and Penny on his new album, both on songs and styling. She was recording background vocals for Jagged on a bonus track when her parents stopped by the built-in studio.

“Mari, you sound amazing, sweetie! I can’t wait to hear the rest of your songs! We’re going to the bakery to check on the renovations, and then have a lunch date; we should be back around two. We can bake your birthday cake with you then, if you want?”

“Sure, that sounds great. Have fun!” Mari hugged her parents quickly. “Oh, did you get the lemons for the peel garnish?”

“Oh, no, we didn’t. We’ll pick them up on our way home. Love you!”

“I love you too!”

Months later, she was glad those were the last words they shared.

“Marinette, honey?” 

She glanced up at Penny’s approach, flipping through a catalogue for inspiration for Jagged’s new suit. Why was Penny crying?

“There was a bank robbery. Your parents were helping some kids hide when…I’m so sorry, sweetie.”

Marinette didn’t want to believe it, but some intuition in her gut told her that Penny was telling the truth. She collapsed into her arms, weeping.

~~~

The next morning, Mari emerged early from her room. Though she knew she didn’t have to, she explained anyway. “I’m wearing red, not black, because it was their favourite colour on me, especially after they found out I was Ladybug. Penny, do you think it’s possible for me to have died yesterday as well? And then can I become legally emancipated? I was researching last night…this morning, I guess, and I think I’ve got things figured out. I just want you to check them to make sure they’re sound and y-you approve.”

She would not break down, dammit. She had a life figured out and she needed to follow it now.

Jagged started to speak but Penny cut him off with a warning glare. She’s coping…she’s used to bottling up her feelings…she just needs some time.

Penny took the papers and flipped through them. “This looks legally sound; you’ve put time and effort into planning this. You’re a strong, smart, talented young woman; I don’t know why you shouldn’t be emancipated.

“You do know we’d love to adopt you though, right?” Penny asked carefully. “If you’re worried about being a burden, please don’t be.”

“Yes, I know. I appreciate it, but…not now. I can’t.”

“We understand.” Penny patted her shoulder comfortingly. 

Jagged snapped out of his shock. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want, Mari! Pen’s right, we’d love to have you as our daughter officially, but in our hearts it doesn’t matter. We’ll sign anything you want.”

“Thanks, Aunt Penny, Uncle Jagged. I do have a few more papers for you to sign.” A thick file, carefully organized and colour-coded, slid along the breakfast table. Penny figured that Mari hadn’t slept all night; not that she could blame her. “Name change, legal emancipation, property transfer…” she flipped through the tabs. “Most of these we can get filed pretty quickly. Jagged’s friends with a judge here so we can probably get some things moving a bit quicker, too.”

“Great. Thank you.” Mari poured a mug of coffee, gulped it down in four sips, and poured another before leaving the room. Penny shivered, but figured if there was ever a time for overlooking something, it was now.

~~~

Thomas Dupain, Sabine Cheng, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng died on July 8th. On July 9th, Mara Stone was born. 

She bought the partially-renovated bakery and had it finished as a studio/sewing shop, with the top level furnished as MDC’s headquarters.

Mara decided that since she had a new name, future, and school, she’d change everything. Chloe, Kagami, and Penny (and sometimes even Jagged) went on shopping trips, helping her furnish her new living and working quarters and replenish her much-picked-over closet.

For a girl’s date, Kagami and Chloe dragged Mara to a spa, where she was transformed.

Her waist-length blue-black hair was chopped down to a stylish bob, the white-tipped ends just brushing her chin. Her bangs had grown out over the past couple months and now simply added layers to frame her face.

Her closet was now more befitting of a fashion designer, departing from her white, pink, and grey, and containing reds, blacks, blues, and a multitude of colours.

Courtesy of Chloe, she could now walk in heels without tripping, which, when heels became a staple in her wardrobe, added several inches to Mara’s stature.

Jagged and Penny often spent weekends driving to the beach for Marinette to practice swimming and attempt to face her fears from Syren. She was soon swimming like a duck and gained a nice tan for the first time in a while, a light spray of freckles blossoming over her cheeks and shoulders.

For the entire summer, Mara stayed away from anything Ladybug-related, beyond feeding the kwami.

But once the school year was just around the corner, she pulled out the Miracle Box from the depths of her closet. 

She wanted to rotate the kwami, so they could each have turns being out of the box. If the Bats let her, she wanted to join them on their patrols sometimes. Maybe they would introduce her to Wonder Woman, who could introduce her to Hippolyta. 

How to get their attention was the question…

Ideas filled her head as she walked home, her arms full of fabric to work on Jagged’s upcoming tour outfits, as well as hers and Penny’s– plus the spiffing up she wanted to achieve for her Gotham Academy uniform.

“Gimme yer money, lady.” A gun was shoved in her face from the dark alley. 

“Sorry, I spent it all on fabric,” she replied cheerily, nodding at the bolts in her arms, preparing to kick the robber’s gun hand.

Robin swooped down, punching the man into incapacitation.

Plan D it is!

“Oh monsieur, merci beaucoup! Vous m'avez sauvé la vie!” Mara gushed, playing the part of helpless, frightened tourist to perfection. Hugging a shocked Robin and air-kissing his cheeks, she slipped a tracker on his utility belt, underneath a compartment, where she hoped it wouldn’t be immediately found. 

“Ma’am, you shouldn’t be out alone so late.”

“Oui, oui,” she nodded shakily. “I was shopping and ah– how to say– lost the time,” she laughed self-deprecatingly, shrugging her shoulders. “Merci beaucoup.”

With a wave, she headed back in the direction she came from, just in case he decided to follow her. Luckily, he seemed to be called somewhere and left after watching her turn the corner to the more populated Diamond District. 

Once she was sure there was no tail on her, she ducked through the streets and back lanes until she reached Miracle Designs, her shop. She didn’t want to be known as MDC here yet. After she graduated and had time to handle large orders, then she planned to announce her identity.

Mara stored her fabrics on their appropriate shelves, locked up, and portalled back to her room in Stone Manor. Why all the Gotham Elite’s houses were [surname] Manor, she wasn’t sure, but she thought they deserved more creativity if they were going to go to the trouble of naming their houses.

After supper, she helped wash the dishes, then told Jagged and Penny she was transforming and going out for a bit.

Pulling out the receiver for her tracker, she saw that its last signal originated from a house just down the road…Wayne Manor.

Ha! She was right! 

She’d suspected the Waynes were the Bats for a while now. They had excuses, alibis, even Bruce Wayne and Batman in the same place at the same time. The public were convinced there was no way the Bats were the Waynes, except for a handful of hard-core conspiracy theorists.

But as someone who had a secret identity and access to magic, she knew how easy it was to create excuses and body doubles. If the Bats were really as smart as they seemed to be, it would be a piece of cake for them to keep their two personas separate. Especially if they had access to alien tech via the Justice League and were filthy rich, with access to elite tech and disguises.

Martian Manhunter was a shapeshifter, was he not? It would be easy enough for him to impersonate either Bruce or Batman, especially since he worked with the Bats. Trixx had done an excellent job of illusioning Marinette and Ladybug talking to each other before- it wasn’t that hard.

“Kaalki, voyage!”

Mare portalled into the Batcave, internally fangirling just a tiny bit. It is real!!!

She stepped around the corner, hands up. “I wish to speak to Batman.”

“How did you get in here?” Gotham’s Dark Knight asked, hand on a Batarang.

“I made a portal. Have you heard about Paris?” “What about it?”

Mare explained the situation from the past five years, ending with her retirement as Ladybug. By then the entire Batclan had gathered and were listening in shock at what had transpired, things they had no idea about.

“We never heard a word about that.”

“So, which…Miraculous are you using, and what’s your vigilante name?”

“The horse. It creates portals. My name is Mare.” Mara had specifically chosen Mare as her name, since it sounded similar to her civilian name and she could brush off an accidental reply to the wrong name.

“Let’s spar and see how you do,” grunted the Bat. “I’m not putting someone in danger under my mantle.”

Violent coughing sounded from the cluster of Bats behind him, which he ignored.

“You pass,” nodded Batman approvingly. 

Yes! All her training paid off!

“You can join us when you wish, as long as you give us a heads up. Oracle will give you a comm so you can connect to our channels so no mishaps occur.”

“Was that you or your Miraculous?” asked Robin. 

“My Miraculous suits protect my body and give me power-ups and magical abilities, but I have to call upon them to use them. My fighting skills are all me, Bird Boy.”

Robin’s jaw dropped. “Bird Boy?!”

Mara wondered if maybe she shouldn’t possibly insult her new coworkers and boss’s son(?) before she’d even officially joined the team, but her worry was allayed a moment later.

“You even screech like one!” cackled Red Hood, pointing at Robin derisively. The Bats quickly descended into anarchy.

It made a little ache appear in Mara’s heart and she absently rubbed at her chest. She missed her old friends and team at times like these, even if they’d outgrown each other long ago. “Voyage.” In the chaos, she escaped to her room, where she cried into a pillow.

~~~

Miracle Designs was decorated in creams and neutrals, with pops of colour dotted around, creating a rainbow for Mara to live and work in. The kwami had had a hand in decorating and deciding what things would look like, and now everyone was happy with their new living situation.

Gotham Academy was a twelve-minute walk from MD; a nice stroll most days. Penny had completed the enrollment signings and picked up her uniforms the week previous; now the only thing that remained was actually attending the academy.

Occupied with creating the Stones’ tour outfits, revamping her own wardrobe and uniforms, and adapting to life on her own, Mara was far too busy to accommodate commissions at that time. MDC’s website asked for her clients’ patience while she settled in North America, much to one Tim Drake-Wayne’s sadness.

~~~

Mara woke bright and early, having had a good sleep for a change. Still, she needed her coffee. On her first week in Gotham, she discovered a lovely coffee shop that sold an amazing blend of energy– Goth Bean, it was called.

She threw on her uniform and headed down the street to Goth Bean. Luckily, it was on her way to the Academy. She requested her usual order, the barista growing ever more concerned that there were two coffee zombies in this city (or as she called them, combies).

Mara Stone strolled into school unnoticed and slid into an empty seat in her first class. Picking a boy to attempt to befriend–he looked like he needed her coffee more than her– she turned to the tired boy she sat beside. “Macaron? I have some gluten-free ones, if you prefer. I’m Mara Stone, by the way.”

She’d cried all the night before as she made the macarons, the first and last year she made them alone before her first day of school.

“Thanks. Tim Drake.” He took one, sniffing it cautiously. “These smell as good as Alfred’s!”

“Is that a compliment?” she asked teasingly, handing him her coffee.

He looked at it, then her, perplexed.

She shrugged. “I drank half, but you look like you need the remainder more. Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned or whatever. Neither are the cookies, by the way.”

“Thanks.” He still looked at her suspiciously, but chugged the coffee anyway. “And yes, that’s a compliment. Alfred makes the best cookies…I think you should have a bake off. I can judge.”

Marinette snickered, ducking her head when the teacher entered the classroom.

Maybe she could make some new friends after all.

She found herself in classes with Tim all day, except for one period. Compared to Europe’s curriculum, the classes were a breeze (though they would’ve been harder if she hadn’t studied English until she was fluent in it.)

She noticed Tim also whipped through the work, completing most of the homework in class; it turned into a friendly competition. Although, noting the glint in Tim’s eye, she second-guessed the friendly part of the competition.

Their teachers noticed, groaned inwardly, and wondered what they’d done to deserve having Tim Drake in their class, together with the new student, and apparently in academic rivalry.

However, the new girl did keep the Wayne kid from taking over the classes somewhat, so maybe this wasn’t all bad…

The first half of their classes were spent doing the work and quietly heckling each other, the second half mocking the curriculum and planning ways to better teach the school (their hypothetical students would hate them unless they were also certified geniuses).

The other students found Mara nice, especially when she distributed cookies; she was also found terrifying, especially since she got along too well with Tim Drake!

The third day of school found the two coffee addicts pairing up to work on a project. 

“I’d offer to go to my house, but my brothers are…extreme. Can we go to yours, or somewhere like a coffee shop, instead?”

“Sure, my place is fine. Leave now?”

“Sounds good.”

They walked to MD, Mari taking him in the back way so that her designs wouldn’t be seen or disturbed. “This is me!” she said brightly, changing from her kitten heels to her house slippers.

“Nice place,” agreed Tim, looking around. “Is that- do you have two Keurigs?”

“Yep, I need them a lot. Do you want some of my magical energy brew? You look a bit sleepy.”

“Sure; what’s in it?”

“Trade secret,” she winked. “Want to spead the work on the table over there while I make it?”

“Sure. What were you thinking for the format?”

“Wow, this is a magic energy boost! I love coffee,” sighed Tim.

“Thanks, I added a little extra just for you.” It’ll help keep you safer.

~~~

“Whatcha lookin’ at, Timmers?” Jason flopped over his chair, twisting unnaturally to see the screen.

“Move, Jason. You’re heavy. I’m looking up a classmate; she’s new and I need to confirm she isn’t a threat.”

“Boring.” Jason left to find Dick to bug.

[ Mara Stone

07/09/2006 (17)

AFAB

College Francois Dupont  Paris, France

GPA: 4.0

Class President (Raised $30,000 USD via various fundraisers and events)

Note: Parents recently deceased; legally emancipated ]

Hmm…interesting.

~~~

“Hey, Mara. You finished the project?” Tim slid into “his” seat beside her, sliding a to-go cup from Goth Bean across the desk.

“Yep, you?” She gulped the cup in twenty seconds, impressing and worrying Tim.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course! Why not? I was just up late working on some art.”

“Uh huh. Late being another definition of all night?”

“Like you’re one to talk,” she sniffed. “I do it all the time; I’m fine.”

“What type of art?” TIm ignored the truth Mara pointed out.

“An outfit for my uncle. I design clothes for him and my aunt sometimes.”

“Oh cool. So you’re into fashion?”

“Yep. I like to design and make clothes. My ex-friend was a model for his dad actually; it’s kind of funny. I guess birds of a feather flock together.”

Tim looked at her, then back at the board. “Who’s your favourite designer? Mine’s MDC– I dunno if you’ve heard of them– they’re still pretty niche, but they put so much attention to detail into their works. I’ve been trying to commission them forever but they haven’t been open in ages,” he moaned into the desk, missing Mara’s double take and choke on her coffee.

“I don’t have a favourite designer currently, but I do agree with you MDC has some nice work.”

“Nice work? I’m offended on behalf of MDC. They put so much work into all their designs!”

Mara sunk into her seat more and more as Tim defended her alter ego to her face.

Tim’s mental file on Mara gained several more notes.

[ Name: Mara Stone

Age: 17

Birthday: 07/09/2006

Birthplace: Paris, France

Notes: 

Caffeine addict (Insomniac)

Legally emancipated

Ex-friend is a model

Ex-friend’s family is into fashion

Has bad blood with exes

Is into fashion

Is indifferent to MDC! ]

~~~

[jenny1p-l0ve]

Long time,no see

pairing: lee know × gn!reader

summary: You didn't see your boyfriend for two years. Some cuddles and sweet words with him.

genre: fluff

w.c: 1.080k

an: It's my first fic I wrote. Sorry for the mistakes and let me know if you liked it or not. 💕

One year has passed since your boyfriend,Minho, went to another country for studies. You two were together for 2 years and you just couldn't live without him. It was very hard for you when he went to America,but you get along with it. You two have a small apartment in Seoul,but now you're lonely there.Every Day you went to university,do the stupid homework everyday and die because of the boring time. Also,your parents came once a week at your home to eat and talk with you,because they knew how hard it was for you. Even if every night you were calling your boyfriend and talking with him until morning,when you two falled asleep on the phone call,you just missed him. Very much. Sometimes you just wanted to cry in his arms and feel how he was hugging you and bringing you to his chest,because school was shit,but he..wasn't there anymore,so you just cried in your own arms. His three little cats,Soni,Dori and Dongi were also missing you. You waited for the day when you will meet Minho again.And that day finally came.

It was summer holiday and school was finally over. You were waiting in the airport with your cute pink skirt and a white top with sleeves. You were watching on your phone,or around the airport,too excited to meet your boyfriend,when you heard somebody calling you by your name.

"Y/Nnie '' A familiar voice greeted your ears. A sweet and lovely one,that only one person could have. When you turned around,you saw your boyfriend waving at you,more happy and excited than you,and his three cats. You didn't think anymore. You run in his direction like nothing else mattered,just to feel him in your arms. He smiles and opens his arms,expecting you to hug him. Instead,you kneel down in front of the three cats,and take them in your arms,hugging them.

"Y/N,seriously?" Minho sad amused but in a serious tone, looking down at you. "I'm jealous."

You get up,letting the cats on the ground and jump in Minho's arms. Your arms wrapped around his neck,his arms wrapped around your waist,and his face in the crock of your neck for a moment,before you backed up to look at him in his eyes.

"Don't be jealos.You're the only one I love so much. Don't you ever forget."

"Long time no see,sweetie. Did I miss you,love?"

"Of course you did. You don't know how hard it was without you." You said hitting his head slowly with one of your fingers,letting him know that this information needs to get stuck in his head.

"I love you." He said giving you a peck on your lips that you return it back. You just couldn't hold back your tears when you felt his lips on yours after a long time.

"Y/N,you know I don't like it when you cry. You will make me emotional. I hope they are tears of joy right?" He said cupping your face with his cold hands and pecking your nose. In return,you just nodded and hugged him again.

After,you two arrived at your house,you ate some noodles together,to warm yourselves.Then you helped him to unpack his clothes and when the night came,you two went to the balcony.

Minho was sitting on a chair,and you in his lap,the most comfortable place,with your head on his chest,listening to his heartbeats,drinking some hot chocolate while you watched the stars and the moon in the sky.

"So...how was it at university?" She asked curios turning to look at him while he speaks.

"Boring. Without you...." He said,for a moment looking at the sky then making eye contact with you,that made him smile. "Yours?"

"Boring as well. I missed those three cute cats. Now I will play with them all day." You giggled.

"Oh,so you love the cats much more than me. Okay,I understand." He said jealous with arms crossed above his chest,moving his head away from your direction.

"Oh c'mon..." You are sad and amused trying to make him look in your direction but he continues to move his head away from yours.

"Oh okay. I wanted to go to bed to cuddle with you,but since you're angry at me....I will look for someone else." You are sad,putting your forehead on his to see his expression. His eyes widened in surprise,looking at you with a dead and serious look,that made you laugh from how cute he was. He put his face in the crock of your neck,like a sad kid. You caressed his hair,feeling his smile on his lips that made you smile as well,then he started to "purr" in your neck,tickling your neck.

"You're not going to find anyone. You're mine and only mine. If you try to go with someone else I will break his neck. " He mumbled in your neck planting a soft kiss on it,after a bite that made you laugh.

"Okay okay,you know that I won't do that anyways. You're the best in the world so I don't need anybody else." You smile when he lifts his head to press a long sweet kiss on your lips,before he breaks it.

"I love you princess,so so much. You don't know how much I adore you. You are my little world." He said that and made you chuckle,a small blush revealing on your cheeks.

"I love you too babe."

And with that,he lifts you up in his strong arms and goes to the room to cuddle with you. She lays you down on the bed,starting to kiss you slowly on the lips. Without breaking the kiss,he sits on the bed next to you,slowly caressing your hair with one of his hand. You pat his shoulders,in sign for him to stop the kiss. He breaks the kiss,smiling at you as you breathe hard. In return,you smiled at him too.

"Minho,I'm tired,I want to sleep." You wispear,pouting a bit.

"Fine. Anything for my princess. Anyways,you look tired." He whispers back,laying down next to you.

He wraps his arms around your body,bringing you closer to him. You put your head on his chest,hearing his soft heartbeats. With one hand,he caresses your hair,making you close your eyes. Your feet touching his,your body on his,holding each other so tight,hearing each other's heartbeats. It was the perfect moment for them,after they didn't see each other for one year.

"Good night,princess!" He whispers,kissing your head and closing his eyes.

"Good night Minho!" You whispered back,already with your eyes closed. And with that,both of you falled asleep,dreaming of each other.

[confusedgoldenflower]

Ghost Doctor KDrama

Doctor Lee and Doctor Oh sat at a cafeteria table, happily chatting over the books he was lending her as a new cardiology resident.

Koh SeungTak leered at them from around a corner.

“Why can’t I ever get you for lunch?… Since when did he like anybody?” He mumbled to himself, looking like a wet dog in the rain despite being dry and also not a dog.

“Koh SeungTak!” Cha YoungMin annunciated suddenly behind the younger doctor.

Koh SeungTak startled and whirled around. Cha YoungMin suppressed a smile at the sight of those wide eyes.

“So this is what you’ve been doing instead of attending my surgery?”

Koh SeungTak whipped his head around to the maybe—better not be—couple then the dark windows and back, “ah… hahaha, I guess I lost track of time?” He treated the other doctor to his sunny smile of dimples. It must have been a very slow day if three of the cardiologists could slack off.

“100 squat reps.”

“What!? Noooo!”

Cha YoungMin began turning as the other whined, but it wasn’t the senior who had that upper hand.

“I lost track of time, so I didn’t eat lunch.” Cha YoungMin spun on his heel as Koh SeungTak continued with his trump card. “Yeah, and wow, it’s so dark out! I guess the cafeteria has been closed for a while….”

It was the beginning of winter so whilst it would have been a good point five months ago, there was no cut-off from food in the hospital, never mind the little cafés around inside or shops outside. But that escaped Cha YoungMin.

“What!?” He shouted and got the studying pair’s attention this time as he grabbed Koh SeungTak’s shoulder sleeve.

“Hehe-wah!”

Crystal watched as Cha YoungMin whisked Koh SeungTak away. She sighed at their antics and wondered, not for the first time, how Jang SeJin could have such a high tolerance for them—then again, she’d had a pretty bratty half-brother and had braved whatever America had to throw at her.

Doctor Lee leant in, “doesn’t it ever bother you?”

“Hah?” She turned back to her avid study-buddy.

“You know…” he gestured towards where the curious pair had disappeared to, “what’s going on between them. You know… I thought you and Koh SeungTak were… you know.”

She stared blankly at him because, frankly, she relished making others squirm. Doctor Lee didn’t disappoint.

“I-I’m sorry, I assumed… sorry. Just forget it. I’m sorry.”

She chuckled and leaned in herself, “maybe we are but I’m waiting for him to say something.” She let it settle in, his eyes widening and somehow seeming a bit proud. “But if you tell anyone, I’ll beat you up!”

He flinched when she raised her hand. At that, she turned back to their, mostly her, studies. If Doctor Oh the Senior was still around, he’d appear in the body of his favorite cleaning lady to give some advice about love that could actually go horribly wrong if one interpreted it incorrectly.

Eight floors up, in Jang SeJin’s ninth floor office, Cha YoungMin excitedly barged in on the neurosurgeon with a whining Koh SeungTak by all the layers of cloth the poor man had on his shoulder.

“Sweetie,” was all the other doctor said, in English and lyrically, as she turned the digital page of a new scientific article.

“Honey!” Cha YoungMin paused to return with the same energy before finally letting the poor resident go in order to drag somethings from the fridge.

“Whaaaa!” Koh SeungTak drawled at the two stacked lunch boxes were pulled out. “This is your cooking?”

A smile took Cha YoungMin by surprise at the eagerness of the other doctor despite how often the exchange had already happened. The soft moment lasted before he remembered himself. “Jang SeJin, I made tofu and omelette again for you. You haven’t had lunch either, have you?”

That made her put her tablet down, “neither did you, with surgery.”

“Yes, but, that’s surgery!”

I just want a poly for them🥹. If you know a fic, pls lemme know

[avengerslittleone]

Avengers react

Captain carter

Nat:ok this better be good the last thing freaked out my little one

Wanda:mama I fine I otay i otay

Steve:are you sure little witch

Wanda:Es dada

Peter:friend otay weave her

Pepper:*picks up peter carry’s him over to couch sits*

Piedro:*pushes In snack cart*

Peggy:I got blankets and pillows

Tony:everyone here good grand

Dr strange:ok American we have to be quiet ok

America:mama

Christine:shhh it’s ok baby look what I have *hands a baby puff to America *

Jennifer:come on Matt

Matt:ok sorry we’re late

Tony:it’s fine

Clint:Kate Barton you get back here now

Bucky:yelana you get back here that’s to much sugar

Tony:ok everyone is here *presses play*

Wanda:*hides under blanket mumbles to self bad girl no onw wove bad girl hits self*

Natasha:*grabs Wanda’s hands*we don’t hit our selfs

Steve:we love you no matter what

Sam:*see’s female version of Steve on screen *

Bucky:is that Peggy

Peggy:that is me if I got the serum

Bucky:if you did Steve would still be a small menace to society

Steve:shhhh movie

Tony:yes you two are definitely old men/seniors they talk way to loud in public and in movies

Wanda:*crys*i’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt auntie peg *hits self mumbles *bad girw bad girw no

Steve:ah sweet girl can daddy see you hands see your you mama and dada’s babygirl not a monster ok

Natasha:mama loves you your never the monster

Piedro:*runs over to Wanda hugs her*wanda your something but a monster is not one of them your my wittle sister your my family and so is mom and dad

Natasha:your the best thing that happened to me and your father I thought I would always see everyone grow around me and I felt sad to see everyone with children and you know I can’t have any

Steve:and then we found you two little rascals and our hole life’s have changed for the good

Natasha:you two are the best thing that has happened in my life

Bucky:dam I would date captain carter

Peggy:you already do sweetie

[moonlightchess]

I'm bored so do y'all want to hear the wildest, creepiest thing that ever happened to me?

I have a cousin named Wayne, who served as a career officer in the U.S. army before retiring a few years ago. He's a big sweetie, I don't know him super well but he's always been kind to me. One day when I was about 7 years old and he was still stationed in Germany (where he eventually met his wife and had his daughter), he was off duty for the day and just walking around Berlin. A little girl who looked to be around my age approached him and asked him in German (which he speaks fluently, so there was no chance that he'd misunderstood her), "Hey mister, do you have any spare change?"

Now, Wayne didn't really have any cash on him save for the collectible German coin that he'd traded another soldier for on the base a few weeks ago, just because he thought it looked cool. "I'm sorry, no," he told her, even though he later told us that the sight of her had made his throat close up and his heart pound hard and fast.

"No? What about the coin in your pocket?" she asked him, and then she giggled and ran away, disappearing into the foot traffic on the sidewalk. Immediately, Wayne made a wild beeline for the nearest pay phone and was charged an exorbitant amount to make a phone call to America a few minutes later, but he didn't care because he was calling my grandmother, back home in Louisiana.

"Paulette!" he said the second she picked up. "Where is Alex? Where is Alexis right now?!"

"She's out playing in the backyard," my grandmother told him, completely confused. "Why?"

"Go get her! Put her on the phone with me right now!"

So my grandmother did, and later she told us that she'd been a little anxious about the urgency in his tone. But she put me on the phone and told me that cousin Wayne wanted to say hi, so I took it and said "Hi Wayne! Is Germany fun?"

"What did you do today?" he demanded, instead of answering me. "Where have you been all day?"

"Home," I said. "It's Saturday, no school."

"Put your grandmother back on."

Now, Wayne is a soldier. He is not at ALL prone to pranks or nonsense of any kind, I have NEVER seen this man's haircut a millimeter longer than regulation standard. So we all believed him when he told me that the little German girl who had approached him just a few minutes ago, who had mysteriously known about the collector's coin in his pocket that literally no one else in the entire world could have known was there, had somehow also been my EXACT doppelganger. "Right down to the damn curly pigtails she always wears, the exact same face and voice and EVERYTHING! I swear to god she was wearing one of Alex's outfits, I swear I remember that little tan dress from a dozen cookouts."

I'm sure we're all waiting for the satisfying conclusion, but there isn't one. To this day, we have no idea what the fuck happened, and it's been 23 years and Wayne has never once changed his story. He swears it happened, and we have no reason not to believe him, but also? What the fuck.

[wellntruly]

M*A*S*H - Season 5, misc. notes

Public-facing episode guide here, live recording of nonsense backstage philosophizing: well that’s here. Odd way to phrase that (bodes well!)— this one’s mostly just the meta! We got into meta this time. 

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Did they slow down my theme song??

They slowed down my theme song and shoehorned in an extra riff—to fit in William Christopher <3

Ooookay it’s been four years coming that some decent salt-of-the-earth working class private is just like, Doctor Hawkeye, I cannot parse what you are saying. He deserves this and this was so funny.

In Sherm language we don’t say “be careful,” we say “remember, my wife is looking forward to meeting you,” and I think that’s adorable.

I’m becoming such a Klinger girlie. People like being able to sort other people into categories, straight people and queer people alike, and hahah you are just not gonna get that with Corporal Klinger! Bellísimo <3 gender expression is unpindownable. He's a man he's in a dress he's my best friend.

The tone they’re landing on for Margaret, Hawk, and BJ being all, I still think you’re ridiculous and will make fun of you but also I do enjoy palling around with you when you’re like this is just, ideally managed. Guess who directed this one!

Whew okay, pained shouting! We haven’t really done this!

There’s a way Hawkeye talks to BJ when he has his eyes covered and is in muted crisis, which has actually happened twice now, which is how I can say that there’s something in his voice that’s the same every time, and isn’t in his voice any other time, and each time I feel suddenly desperate to physically hide him with my arms for being too exposed. And other absolutely untrammeled sentences I never expected to write about M*A*S*H (1972-1983). (But it's only when he can't seeeee him!)

Klinger chiding “Don’t hit that” after blindfolded Hawkeye walks right into a stove has made me laugh three times, once initially, once on instant replay, and now just thinking about it

I phoned-in my friend the actual eye care professional, by the by, and keratitis of the cornea does indeed usually heal right back up, but would hurt like the dickens while it does. So while it’s not mentioned in the script, feel free, as I have done, to imagine Hawkeye’s on just, so much morphine. It’s actually maybe even less in his performance dopily talking about the rain, than in BJ’s performance watching him dopily talk about the rain, that I could very much see (sorry) to that being the case.

BJ: “Time for beddy-bye.” Hawkeye: “As us butch guys say at the front.” Briefly astral-shifted effect of this almost as powerful as the time my father and I were driving all the way across America one December to move me from New York to Portland, and like two days in he comments during a moment of navigation, that when he was in college, he and his fraternity brothers would always use the direction “go forward” because “no one wanted to be straight,” and that one second before I realized he meant straight in the early 1970s sense of “square” was like falling into another plane.

“Boy, you think the Army would try to fix it so guys that are married with each other could be in the same outfit.” Radar sweetie sometimes I think I might die for you and your jumbled grammar

This posture is so unnecessarily visually compelling

Then just, pardon me, reaching inside BJ’s knee to pull his wheelchair back up to him again… Are we making sure they teach this in schools

Meaninglessly Evocative Tableaus To Make With Your Body. 101. 

I did laugh at Colonel Flagg walking in in a deeply embellished and unhinged get-up and Radar just going oh hi Flagg

Klinger’s found another soldier who speaks Arabic—crew

Sidney recognizing that Father Mulcahy is just a fellow therapist—crew

Alan Alda as Sidney Freedman writing on BJ Hunnicutt: “He’s an enigma with size 13 shoes.” [choking slightly] Okay- "In the midst of the most terrific enterprise ever devised to separate a person’s brain from his buns, BJ goes calmly on. I envy his serenity. Although there must be a volcano under there somewhere." Okay !

Radar: “I thought that was p-sgetti.” help me

Hawkeye, drink in hand, watching Klinger spin a new narrative, and turning to Potter to remark in this exact tone, “I like this!” is the most represented I have ever felt in my entire life. Me Watching A Media!!

Just got a “Ja wohl, Herr Leutnant” from Klinger to BJ. I'm very into what these two have going on when they’re in the O.R., incidentally. The way BJ & Klinger flirt has always got this like, regalness to it, and only ever in the midst of surgery.

Have I mentioned how much I love Nurse Kellye? Fucking love Nurse Kellye. She’s been around what, three seasons by now? Hilariously they keep bringing back a few of the same actors as different nurses, but Nurse Kellye is just Nurse Kellye, steadfast. She’s got pigtails right now and is helping BJ on a bucket brigade.

Oh my god…it IS Friday the 13th, as I watch this! Spooky.

The thing about Alda as a director, is that he loves visual bits. Even if they didn’t put the names up front, I swear I’d know. In this scene he’s got a camera set-up arranged so that first he, then Father Mulcahy, have been successively revealed as Potter and Frank move through Potter’s office, right at opportune moments in their dialogue. ME:

Father Mulcahy: “Wondrous is man and mysterious the ways of God. And I would have no one shield my eyes from the glory of His works.” Frank: “What does that mean?” Father Mulcahy: “It means there’s more than one way to skin a spirit. :)” The. Best. Chaplain. Reaction. To. A shamanistic ritual to drive the evil spirits from the camp! And this delivery….William Christopher said Father Mulcahy is going to be a dang ass freak, in exactly his own way <3

How often is BJ tossing things off his cot and pulling a blanket over Hawkeye? [reprise] This is a show about sleeping.

Update: especially this particular episode, which is about Not sleeping!

Two years since he’s seen his dad. For your diaries. Huh, one year that he lived with Trapper…and by Potter’s reckoning all of S4 was only a few months…hang on, was Hawkeye already there as long as maybe eight months on his own before Trapper got there? Oh I love that idea. I realize actually trying to chart the timeline of this 11 season show stuffed into a 3-year war is just gonna go full Jeremy Bearimy, but I’m holding on to this one as one possible emotional truth of it because I like it very much.

Few things can make you more feel like another person is secretly a different species than learning how they fold their socks.

BJ baby you are an enigma in size 13 shoes but I sure do feel like I get a Lot from what I do get!! Honey I’m shouting. Let’s pretend that we’re fighting. :) I’ll grab your arm and pull you around. :) 

First time I’ve heard Hawkeye call him Hunnicutt and it does of course feel like he’s just going to be calling him honey, something he completely might do in any circumstance.

My god this is such a perfectly calibrated thing for Hawkeye to get hung up on though, because 100% had it not even occurred to BJ at this point that it would actually bother Hawkeye to be told he hates to lose, while for Hawkeye, who prides himself on his air of cool nonchalance, finding out that people know he *does* hate to lose and is in fact rather high-strung about it (about a lot of things really), is driving him bonkers. He’ll want to insist he doesn’t actually care, but of course, that’s very much caring! He’s stuck!

TIMELOOP KLAXON: Colonel Potter is still counting down the end of his tour as 16 months—we were already at about 16 months this time last season. In one year we have covered: 0 months. Terrific stuff.

Ooo, moving away from Frank means Margaret gets to be less bigoted now! She just “to each their own”ed!

PAUSE. Pause pause pause:

“My wife bottles things up, keeps everything inside. So I get in her way in the kitchen. I keep nudging her, until she gets sore enough to swing at me. Then out it comes. The anger, tears, the problem. Everything.” 

So you’re saying BJ is a very emotionally intelligent person, with an innate willingness to step up and trip the release valve for people he cares about who are just spinning in their own caught-up emotions. Wow you don’t say, really? Because that would MAKE ALL THE SENSE IN THE WORLD. GodDAMN that fits, goddamn but he has been doing this to Hawkeye already!!!! BJ, just like, I see the sparks racing along your edges; let me be your grounding wire. And not caring about the snap. Yell.

Hawkeye to BJ: “C’mon, pour your heart out. I’m a doctor, I can fix it.” Me, 1.5 drinks deep in this one: “Oh, Jesus Christ!”

I like when they’ve got their sterile hands held up while referring to a medical text someone is holding open for them.

Hmm. No you know what, I’m gonna do it, I'm gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. [Poster for M*A*S*H Season 5] Here's my review: not gay enough. What made this show so special in its first seasons, was that when characters were making homoerotic quips, those quips were never undercut at all. The joke was actually that every gay comment got a response that took it further. What was fun what was thrilling, what made you laugh and love them, was that they were daring to not back it down, to leave it out there, leave the possibility open to take him up on that, and it was all in keeping with the sort of existential nihilism of the war. Who cares; hold me. Positively counter-cultural.

I don’t want to sound overly alarmed, but we are losing this! They’re still making queer jokes, but now they are taking it back down, and I protest it. Let me give you some examples:

2x17 - You can watch this in gif form, and meanwhile I’ll tell you how this encapsulates exactly what I mean about the way early M*A*S*H was queer: it’s because Henry remarking in response to an ‘one hand washes the other’ comment from Hawkeye, “You fix that sweetheart, and I’ll give you a bath,” a) already feels something pretty special with that 'sweetheart', but b) would on any other show then OR now be followed (leveled out) by Hawkeye turning to Trapper and saying something like “I think he’s been here too long.” But NOT ON M*A*S*H, no here Hawkeye yes-and’s, he plays in the space, creates a whole space; he comes back with: “That part of our relationship is over, Henry.” You see how that’s so different? You see how that’s amazing? How I love that?

And we’re just not doing this so much anymore. Look at these now:

5x05 - Hawkeye: “If the war’s over, meet me under the clock at Grand Central in 10 years. We’ll go dancing.” BJ: “I lead.” Hawkeye: “Then you buy.”

You see how that kinda clips it off, kinda falls back? In earlier seasons that would fall forward, it wouldn’t have this slight check. We'd commit, we'd go one up, “Would you? And dip me?” Remember when Hawkeye used to actually come on to the other men of the 4077? When he would always keep tossing the next move back to their court, like the one time (actually in court) he and BJ did do this? The way he slightly tilts in. The dare. So notable for being the only time in the past two seasons, with anyone, set against any of his dozens of such come-ons to Trapper or, to torment him, Frank.

Another:

5x20 - Alda’s got the typewriter again and his very first line as BJ does push-ups is “Did I ever tell you you look cute with your shirt off?,” but the second line is “No,” and the third is “I think I know why.” No! BJ is supposed to throw back “That’s why I’m doing this,” and then Hawkeye still gets to groan in exasperation, “Sleeeep, I wanna sleep!” but now it's so much better. At the end of this same episode drunken BJ, flush with surgical success, clambers up and slings his arms around him going “Hawkeye Hawkeye Hawkeye!,” and Hawkeye, still checking for hepatitis, peers at him going “Show me your tongue,” so far so good, and BJ goes “My tongue! That’s small potatoes. I’ll show you my butt!” and Hawkeye’s response is: nothing. How! In Season 3 he’d be saying “My mother warned me about fast men,” or “Well it is your finest asset,” anything. Something!

It’s just, the reason why I feel like I can come up with all of these so easily, is that this used to be all the time. I know how I wish these flirty jokes would flow because they did flow that way. And I miss it. C'mon babes, remember who you are. Remember what made you great, what made you special. Lean in.

Potter: “I almost lost Hawkeye today.” Hawkeye: “In a poker game?” Potter: “I’d never throw you into the pot unless I had at least two pair.” Well a) lol, but b) can’t figure it, but this whole episode I’ve been finding the idea that someone could carry Dr. Pierce off for himself captivating and somehow, recognized? This is not like, a thing, I don’t think I’ve ever actually encountered a story with this before, but my mind is like oh yeah, just like in stories with post-apocalyptic doctor bartering, sort of kidnapped around. ?? Where is this coming from. Why am I like oh yeah I’m familiar with this emotional landscape? !? No you’re not! What is this!

I appreciate how much of My Darling Clementine we’re watching. We’re really just watching a movie together! You know I haven’t actually seen a John Ford film before? Horizon looks nice .. :)

Hawkeye taking up knitting has been really good for me. He’s currently using BJ to wind a skein of yarn.

GOD I love it when they let Loretta Swit play drunk. Best drunk actor on this show by 500 miles. And this show has a lot of drunk actors.

Oh so now this season has lasted 8 months, you think? It has Not…you all are stuck here <3

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Season Viewguides

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