#and gets welcomed with a mixture of open arms and clear suspicion and he's got no idea what the heck is happening anymore

[true-blue-sonic]

Supposedly there's an interview that states that Shadow remembers Sonic 06(though I can't find it), Blaze might remember depending on how you take Generations and Elise had the same deja vu as Sonic at the end of the game so she might remember to the same degree he does now.

Although apparently a writer has said that no one remembers that game and Sonic referencing it in TSR is an inconsistency? So either Silver's closest friends in the past know and he doesn't or everyone only has deja vu feelings of 06's events. It's a mess and my research only leaves me more confused.

I think at this point we might need to accept that '06's plot is inherently unclear and messy and its paradoxes and ambiguities all but hang together with duct tape and prayers. Not even stuff that has to do with the ending of the game when the events get erased where they still don't know what the actual consequences are; also things like Elise having the blue Chaos Emerald for 10 years of her life despite the fact it got used in prior games no issue, or Blaze being introduced in Sonic Rush yet no-one recognising or interacting with her to the point it's a common fan theory she's a fragment of Silver's imagination. It also doesn't help that I figure the theories, interviews, and references from official channels are written by different people who have different views and knowledges, and thus what they say could directly contradict what someone else said earlier. It's an all-together chaos, and I think we'll never be able to get a definite answer, because any answer they could come up with other than "we might have completely fucked up here timeline- and canonicity-wise" is probably just going to open up more gaps and confusions.

How I myself see it is that Sonic vaguely remembers and Elise does too (perhaps because they were closest to the flame of Solaris when it got blown out or something, I don't now), and no-one else recalls things other than the occasional sense of deja vu like in Colours DS with Silver and Blaze. Maybe Blaze remembered in Generations because White Space already had interesting timey-wimey stuff going on, since Crisis City should never have been brought there in the first place since it never got created. Or perhaps the fact Crisis City is there means that there is a universe where The End Of The World by Mephiles never happened, which would allow for ESP Silver to exist too. But for me, the mobile games are not really canon to the mainline games; they often have a lot of oddities going on with characters that should not exist or who are dead being brought in (I believe Runners once had Erazor Djinn show up... dude is trapped in a lamp at the bottom of a pool of lava. And Mephiles is in both Runners and Speed Battle as well, despite the fact he probably never existed in the first place now), which is because they can. People like seeing these characters, so of course the mobile games are going to cash on that! But for me, such contradictions and inconsistencies makes their overall bearing on what is actually canon to the mainline games rather low. But I do love taking details from and writing stories about stuff the non-canon games introduce!

[beyondspaceandstars]

One shot | Bucky | Fluffy: 1 , 9 | Angst: 5 , 6 | w/ a happy ending

I kinda wanted to make it a challenge, and I thought these prompts were the most interesting! If you do choose to do it, I hope you have fun! Have a great day ❤️

Pizza With a Side of Confessions

Relationship: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: N/A, bit fluff, bit angst

Word Count: 1.8k

A/N: thank you so so much for requesting! this also include in the second ask you sent i did see it and make note of it! you certainly did give me a challenge here this one took some real mapping out to complete but i think i got it i hope i checked off all the boxes :)

Masterlist

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

You had sworn the knock on your door was going to be from your date. The sleazy, creepy date you had just rejected on the stoop of your apartment building.

He had ended up being the complete opposite of what he appeared to be online. Through text messages, he seemed caring and kind. Interested in you. But then when you two met… He hands kept groping. Wandering. Caressing. You had begged him to stop in the restaurant which he eventually did after he walked you home, something you only agreed to to keep the peace, he began working on you again and you had to put your foot down, forbidding the night from going further.

He didn’t look too happy about your attitude which made you assume when that knock landed on your door, it was him and he was coming back for revenge. You had grabbed the first knife you could find and quickly pulled the door open, ready to hopelessly defend yourself…

But as you blinked back the tears cascading down your face, welling in your eyes, you saw a familiar pair of blue eyes along with a familiar frown.

"Bucky?" You sniffled, still pointing the knife at your best friend’s chest.

"Hey, doll," Bucky said, cautiously. He was standing as still as he could while also balancing a pizza box in his arms. "Do you… Do you maybe want to drop the knife, like, right now?"

You shook yourself out of your daze, quickly pulling the knife away from him. He visibly relaxed but his expression was cold, serious, as it took in your upset form. You brought the back of your hand to your face trying to get rid of the tears but they just wouldn’t stop.

"I-I’m sorry," you mumbled as you stepped away from the doorway, letting Bucky into the apartment. He immediately abandoned the pizza on your kitchen counter and turned to you, brows furrowing in waves of worry.

"What happened?" He asked — well, more like growled. If a man could growl. He truly sounded beyond angry which made you jump a bit. Bucky must’ve noticed because he immediately took a step back and tried recomposing himself. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you it’s just — seeing you cry — I need to know, whose ass am I kicking now."

You let out a light laugh at that, seeing his such protective side. You and Bucky had formed quite an interesting friendship over time. When you two first met, he loved bickering with you, teasing you here and there about anything and everything. You’d be the bud of the joke with him and while you tried not to let it bother you, admittedly, it had very quickly gotten quite annoying. Eventually, he seemed to just abandon the act and while you were cautious, you welcomed the newfound friendship — Lord knows those were hard to come across in adulthood.

Bucky has been an amazing friend to you ever since. Maybe even a little too amazing because over time you couldn’t deny some feelings had begun to form. But in your eyes, there could be no way such a handsome, funny man was going to be as interested in you. You tried to suppress it and instead just taught yourself to enjoy his little acts of kindness.

"I-I went on another date tonight," you sighed, setting the knife back in its holder. You leaned against the counter, opposite of Bucky. His arms were folded, waiting. "I and this guy had been texting for a while and… and I really thought he was great, I truly did, but then when we met he just made me so uncomfortable. All touchy, feely… Just making my skin crawl, even now." You sighed, dropping your gaze to the kitchen floor. "I told him I wasn’t interested after he walked me home and he didn’t seem very happy about it so… When you knocked, I thought it was him trying to get into my apartment."

You felt like such a fool explaining the situation. Despite this being Bucky and knowing, at some capacity, he wasn’t going to hold it over you, it was still embarrassing. You seemed to be constantly going on these dates trying to find a partner and time after time you came up disappointed. And Bucky would always be there to pick up the pieces.

When you looked back up at your friend, you found he was studying you closely. He was sure taking a while to respond but, then again, what more could he say? You felt he probably had grown exhausted trying to comfort you after these failed dates.

And it seemed your suspicions had been confirmed — but not in a way you could have ever seen coming.

Bucky cleared his throat as if he was preparing. You took a deep breath, ready for whatever blow he was about to serve. Would he yell at you? Would he give some speech on his disappointed he is? Beg you to delete the apps? Would he—

"Maybe you just shouldn’t be going on those dates anymore."

"Huh?" You frowned.

Bucky sighed. "You can’t keep putting yourself through this."

"But how else will I find someone to date? I’m not getting any younger here, Buck."

He turned away suddenly. You heard him let out a deep sigh. Your heart was pounding loudly in your ears.

"You could maybe start by looking at the man in front of you."

Your jaw just about hit the floor. "B-Bucky—"

But there was no stopping him as he went in for the declaration. "Remember when we first met and I used to tease you relentlessly? At the time, did it ever cross your mind that maybe, just maybe, I didn’t hate you? That I wasn’t doing it out of spite? I was doing it because I was nervous. Here waltzes in this amazing, beautiful woman, and I-I didn’t know what to do. I was falling for you and I couldn’t stop it. Hell, I’m still falling for you. Every day, darling. Every goddamn day." He paused, shaking his head. "I know this probably isn’t what you want to hear tonight but I can’t sit here any longer watching you get taken advantage of by the men in this city. I’m sorry it’s coming out like this but I think you needed to hear it. I apologize for that but I won’t apologize for loving you."

You didn’t know what to do. All you could focus on was Bucky’s pleading eyes and the tears forming in your own. But they were coming on for a good reason this time. They weren’t wasted tears over an uncomfortable date. They were tears of relief.

"Do-Do you really mean all that?" You finally asked.

Bucky nodded. "Every word."

In a spontaneous move, you pushed yourself away from the counter and took determined strides towards Bucky. You threw your arms around his waist, burying your face in his shirt. It took Bucky a second to react but you eventually felt his arms snake around you.

"I love you, too, Buck," you mumbled into his chest. You felt his body shake as he chuckled.

"You sure, doll?"

You nodded. "I’ve loved you for a while, too. I just never thought you’d ever…"

"Stop," Bucky said. "Don’t say anymore. Whatever you thought, it’s not true. I have always loved you."

You pulled away from his chest, putting some distance between you two but keeping your arms locked around him. He was looking down at you with a great mixture of relief and adornment on his face. You couldn’t help but smile. You felt the same.

"I can’t believe this," you giggled. "So are we… Are we like…"

Bucky laughed. "I think we need a date first."

You gasped, happily. "A date?"

He nodded then untangled himself from you. You watched as Bucky walked over to the forgotten pizza. "How about pizza and a movie?"

You looked between Bucky and the pizza box. "Bucky, do you want to explain why you were at my door with a pizza?"

Realization flashed across Bucky’s face. "I-I didn’t come here expecting a date or anything, I swear. I stopped by because… well, I didn’t know you had your date and thought at the very least we could hang out. I even got your favorite."

You smiled, stalking over to the pizza. "Pepperoni and jalapeños?"

Bucky scoffed. "I did say I got your favorite, didn’t I?"

You let out a cheerful squeal as you hugged Bucky again, throwing your arms around his neck. He leaned into you and it all felt natural, like the stars in the sky had finally aligned.

You broke away and said, "You take the pizza and find a movie. I’ll grab some plates."

Bucky agreed and you two broke into your separate tasks, eventually coming back together to sit on your living room couch. At first, though, you two just kind of stood there, the smell of pizza wafting between you two. You weren’t just sitting on the couch to watch a movie — you were sitting down, on a date, to watch a movie.

But you were tired of being so hesitant and running into wrongs after wrongs. You were taking this opportunity. You sat on the couch and patted the spot right next to you. Once Bucky sat down, you got a bit bolder and threw his arm over you, allowing you to cuddle into him. He was a bit tense at first but soon eased up, welcoming you to invade his space.

Bucky had decided on some action movie but you didn’t particularly care about it. All you could focus on was the fact you were cuddling with Bucky while eating pizza. It was a date. A real date where the touching felt natural and you weren’t scared of saying the wrong thing. Had you really been so blind?"

The emotions and questions within you were building quickly. You needed a way to break it, to distract yourself. You landed on your sad, silly humor to save the day.

"Hey, Buck," you mumbled as the car on screen blew up or something. You didn’t know, you just shifted closer into Bucky — if that was even possible. His hold on you got tighter.

"Yeah, doll?"

"Remember when I pulled a knife on you? That’s crazy. Who would’ve guessed a little civilian like myself could hold a knife to the Winter Soldier and live to tell the tale." You were well aware that you were rambling now, the roller coaster of a night catching up to you, but Bucky didn’t seem to mind.

The laughter that escaped him was like music to your ears. His body shook beneath you as he comically laughed at your ridiculous comment.

“You drive me up the wall sometimes, darling," Bucky mumbled back once he had calmed down.

You giggled, "Better get used to it."

"Yeah," he sighed, "I guess I better."

[myherowritings]

All That Ass

— One night at the gym, you see a handsome guy with so much ass, you take a picture on the sly and send it to your number neighbor, Bakugou, to freak out over. But what you don’t expect is for him to reply with a picture of you from the same gym.

pairing: bakugou katsuki x f!reader word count: 1,876 genre: number neighbor au!!, fluff

a/n: this is a bonus “what if” scenario based on these asks i received about baku and y/n meeting at the gym while he’s doing leg/butt day LOLOL,, just to be clear, this isn’t a canon part of the nn-verse! it’s just a hypothetical oneshot answering the question “what if they had met this way” AND I THINK IT’S SUPER CUTE!! i hope you enjoy and pls lmk what you think !! xx

“So… Does anyone want to go to the gym with me?” you asked cheerfully, sending a pointed look Shinsou’s way.

You knew Midoriya had already gone this morning (though, if you asked, there was no doubt in your mind he would go again), and Todoroki had just come back from swimming laps at the pool, so your roommate, Shinsou, was your best bet.

Too bad said roommate would rather stay home and play outdated games than workout with you. 

When he didn’t reply for a solid five minutes, you poked him on the bicep-- How he actually had muscles considering how lazy he was would undoubtedly remain the world’s biggest mystery. 

“Hello? Earth to Shinsou?”

He slowly tore his gaze away from the television, looking up at you from his seat on the couch. “Did you say something?”

Giving him your best smile while fluttering your lashes, you sang, “Does the best roomie in the world want to go to the gym with me?”

“No.” Shinsou hardly blinked. 

Your mouth formed a small ‘o’. “Wha--? That’s it? You’re not even going to give an excuse?”

“Nope. Just go by yourself,” he dismissed. “You always talk about how you’re a ‘strong, independent woman’, correct?” 

You scratched the back of your neck-- A habit you picked up from him over the years. “Well, yes…”

“And strong, independent women should be able to go to the gym by themselves, right? 

The only way you could respond was with an incredulous nod. 

“Glad we could agree,” said Shinsou with a wry smile. “Have fun at the gym, then!”

“I… Thank you…?”

And with a slightly confused expression you grabbed your keys and duffle bag and walked out of the door to the recreation center near your apartment, vaguely hearing Shinsou chuckling in the background.

It wasn't until you felt the chilling breeze of the outdoors that you snapped out of your trance. 

“Dammit,” you muttered under your breath. How was he always so persuasive? Sure, at times you could be the slightest bit gullible, but regardless, his skills were almost inhuman.

You huffed, shaking your head as you entered the reception area of the gym. After showing the workers your membership and brushing your hair out of your face, you headed upstairs to do some cardio. 

“Excuse me, are you done with the StairMaster?” you asked the blond-haired guy wiping down the only open machine. 

A bead of sweat trailed down the side of his face to his neck and you had to avert your gaze before he could catch you gawking. 

“Just finished,” he said, his voice a gruff timbre that was surprisingly pleasant to the ear. He finished wiping down the handles and nodded your way. “Go for it.” 

You beamed, setting your water bottle and phone on the machine to get situated. “Thank you so much!” 

He huffed. “Yeah, whatever.” 

That wasn’t exactly a warm ‘you’re welcome’, but you shrugged it off with a small smile, stepping on the stairs and starting a light warmup. 

You placed your earphones in and played some music to set the mood, ready to work up a sweat. Cardio was a pain, but it was worth it if it meant having a nice butt. (As well as making your heart stronger and increasing your lung capacity, you supposed, but those were mere seconds to the booty gains.) 

As you upped the speed and got into the swing of things, you felt your eyes wandering around the room to your favorite part of the gym-- The squat and deadlift area. You noticed a handful of people were littered among the equipment and after your short inspection, you hummed to yourself.

Yup, things were definitely looking good there.

Absentmindedly, you saw your screen light up out of the corner of your eye and you unlocked your phone, briefly checking your messages. Or rather, checking for a certain message from a certain someone.

Still no reply? you sighed, placing your phone back on the StairMaster and trying to distract yourself by looking back at the students doing some leg exercises.

Almost instantaneously, your eyes were drawn to the blond who was using the cardio stairs just before you came. 

StairMaster plus squatting what was easily 75 kilograms within ten minutes? You had to stop yourself from practically swooning on the spot. That was some serious gluteal strength he must’ve had.

He was finishing up his current rep of back squats, cheeks flushed pink and hair sticking to the sides of his face with sweat. Not only did he look unfairly handsome, but he had a hot body as well. 

His arms were toned with a nice amount of muscles on his biceps and triceps--oh, goodness, his triceps were really something else--and he had impeccable posture as he squatted. (Not that his posture was the first thing you noticed about his squat, of course.)

You were staring so intently at this beautiful specimen of a man that he himself noticed, pausing briefly to try to find the source of the laser beams he felt on his behind. Before he could catch you gawking, however, you tore your gaze away and grabbed your phone, trying to pretend you were on it this whole time. 

When he looked away, you sighed in relief, opening your camera app and peering at him through the screen.

You weren’t sure why, but you had a gut feeling your number neighbor, Bakugou, would’ve loved to share this beautiful sight with you. He seemed to be having a bad day and you figured a nice booty would be just the thing to cheer him up. So, really, you only wanted to take a picture of the hot gym guy out of the kindness of your own heart. 

After snapping the photo, you sent a quick series of texts freaking out to your ‘bakubestie’ along with an attachment of the image of the blond guy’s backside.

Y/N: *Attachment: 1 Image*

Y/N: HDJSJDJD IK I’M LIKE QUADRUPLE TEXTING RN AND I’M SORRY (but rly what’s new)

Y/N: BUT I THOUGHT YOU WOULD APPRECIATE THIS PIC IDK WHY DON’T QUESTION MY IMPULSES OK

Y/N: i’m at the gym and this hot (albeit a lil bit of a grumpy grump :/) guy is here and woW

Y/N: like i’m just trying to work out in peace but his ass is all “hi there (       )(       ) how are you (       )(       )” AND I FEEL SO ATTACKED,, how is one person allowed to have all that ass? save some for the rest of us pls bro

After getting a good percentage of your thoughts and thirst out, you let out a sigh of liberation, upping the intensity of the StairMaster to further get your jitters out.

As you continued scrolling through your phone to check for texts from your roommates, you heard a bark of incredulous laughter from the other side of the room. You distractedly looked up, but after seeing nothing out of the ordinary other than the hot guy grinning at his phone, you shrugged and placed your cell down to get back to your workout.

The intense climbing only lasted for about three minutes before you got a text message from Bakugou (which you knew only because his text tone was ‘It’s so fluffy!’ from Despicable Me while everyone else’s was the default chime). A bright smile made its way to your face as you lowered the speed once again, taking a drink from your water bottle to cool down before eagerly glancing at your screen. 

bakubestie: *Attachment: 1 Image*

Curiously, you took a look at the picture Bakugou sent. It was one of someone in the gym that looked quite similar to the one you were in, wearing the same workout clothes you were currently wearing… In fact, it looked like the photo was taken just now from inside the room, right next to the squatting area… 

bakubestie: Too much ass, huh? I could say the same about you

You blinked, taking a few moments to process just what exactly was happening before you yelped in surprise. “What the--?!” 

Your face fumed, head snapping up from your phone so fast you lost your balance and tripped on the incoming stair of the machine. Losing footing, you barely had time to let out a brief, “Oh, shit!” before falling down the StairMaster and onto your butt on the hard floor. 

“Ouchie…” 

There was a moment of silence before a booming laughter was heard from the opposite side of the room, and a mixture of dread and excitement filled your stomach.

Dread because if your suspicions were correct, the guy from the gym you were thirsting over to your number neighbor was your number neighbor. And excitement because--hello--you were finally going to meet your number neighbor! (That was, of course, if he didn’t run out of the gym at the very moment.) You were so excited that you couldn’t even dwell on the utter embarrassment any normal person would probably be feeling.

The scuffling of footsteps moved closer as you rubbed the side of your hip that landed on the ground. 

“Tch,” you heard from above you. You looked up to see an amused expression on the blond gym guy’s face as he extended a hand out to you and checked for any injuries. “You really are a dumbass.” 

Your heart skipped a beat at his all too familiar tone, and you winked cheekily at him while accepting his hand and standing upright. “And you really have a nice ass.” 

Bakugou rolled his eyes as he fought off the blush on his face, your compliment catching him off guard. “Okay, well-- Now I know for sure it is you.”

With an excited grin, you jumped up and down on the balls of your feet. You were filled with nerves and butterflies and you wanted nothing more than to tackle your number neighbor into the biggest hug you could muster.

“You are okay though, right?” he asked, the smallest hint of worry in his features. 

The little crinkle between his brows was so adorable that you just couldn’t help yourself. Your grin widened even more and your face began to hurt from smiling so much. You were certain you looked like a fool, but you didn’t care. 

Before you could second guess yourself, you stood on your tiptoes and threw your arms around his neck to tackle him into a proper bear hug. Bakugou was still a bit sweaty and warm from working out--and you most definitely you weren’t looking any better yourself--but that didn’t change the fact that he felt cozy and safe and smelled faintly like your favorite caramel treat at the candy store. 

“Yes. I’m better than okay,” you murmured into his shoulder. “It’s nice to meet you, bestie.” 

Bakugou froze in shock before letting out a breathy chuckle, slowly wrapping his arms around your waist as you shifted so your head rested against his chest. His hand lingered on the small of your back as he peer down at you with what looked like a smile of his own and you wished you could capture that moment in a frame and relive it forever.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Y/N.” 

[calif0rnia-lovers]

falling for boys.

A/N: Ahhhhhh the good old “fake dating trope.” Some say it’s played out, and should be laid to rest, but I say with Ez Reyes that’s not even a possibility.

Pairing: Ez Reyes x Reader

Request: Fake dating one of the boys to throw off an ex.

Words: 1.8K 

"Fuck."

Turning on your heels, you quickly divert your path from the bar. Suddenly replenishing your nearly empty margarita glass didn't seem important.

It didn't matter how packed the bar is, you could recognize that laugh anywhere. You had listened to it for three years after all.

You lift your glass to your lips and take a sip as you turn back towards the bar for a second glance.

Sure enough, resting against the bar pressed against a girl who barely looks old enough to order is your ex: Alex. 

The only problem is, this isn't his local watering hole.

It's yours.

He lives nearly thirty minutes outside of Santo Padre. He'd randomly reached out to you a few days ago. Some text about being in town over the weekend. A text you didn't even bother responding to. You watch him smile at the young girl, as her fingers trail down his chest. His focus shifts from her, his eyes scanning the crowded bar.

The moment they lock with yours its like a knee jerk reaction.

One second you're shoving your empty glass into the hands of a passing Angel, the next you're grabbing onto the kutte of Ezekiel.

Both men stop in their tracks.

"You want another one?" Angel asks lifting your empty glass. "Or do you want me to bring you something else?"

Letting your eyes meet his, you take in his arched brow. Angel's eyes leave yours long enough to drift down to your left hand which is still gripping Ez's kutte.

"Another one, please," you smile. "Thank you."

Angel nods, his eyes passing between you and a very confused Ez before heading towards the bar.

You steal a second glance towards the bar to find that your ex is no longer in sight. Either he's slipped into the bathroom with Miss. Barely Legal, or he's on the move. Dragging Ez back towards the table he and Angel just left, you smile triumphantly realizing you're as far away from the bar as possible.

Releasing your grip on Ez's kutte, you awkwardly readjust the fabric before lightly patting his chest.

"Hey, there handsome." You wince at the awkward delivery and the fact that for some reason you're still touching him. Propping your hands on your hips, you smile as Ez's eyes take in your stance before moving back to your face. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

The corners of Ez's lips turn up into a smile, his eyebrows furrowing as you peek over his shoulder.

"Depends?" He chuckles, his response pulling your eyes back to him. "What do you need?"

Your mouth falls open in mock shock, your hand finding your chest.

"What makes you assume that I need something?" You try your best to ignore the smile sliding across his lips. "Maybe, I just wanted some decent company."

"If I'm who you landed with you must be having a shitty night," Ez chuckles, his suspicions not yet satisfied.

"I kinda need someone I trust," you emphasize the trust in hopes he'll agree to what you're going to ask next. "To help me out by doing me a quick favor."

"The last time someone said that to me, there was a dead body involved."

"I promise it's perfectly legal," you interlace your fingers tugging him towards the abandoned dartboard.

"What does this favor entail?" Ez's brow arches as you hand him a dart.

Concentrating, he lines up for his first shot.

"You kissing me," you reply casually. "Or sucking on my neck for a bit. Whichever one you prefer."

Ez's shot flies wider than he anticipated, the dart landing on the edge of the board.

Tilting your head, you wince as you observe his work. You line up your shot, a triumphant smile flashing across your features as your dart lands in the center of the board.

"I remember you being way better at this."

You turn to find Ez watching you in a mixture of confusion and disbelief. His brown eyes are widened, his mouth opening for a second before snapping shut.

"Wait-what?"

"What would piss you off more?" You ask as your eyes briefly scan the room before returning to Ez's confused expression. "Seeing me kissing some random guy, or the hickey he left on my neck?"

Ez shakes his head for a second in an attempt to clear it, but he still comes up more confused as he takes in your very serious expression.

He opens his mouth to respond, but then his eyes drift from yours down to your lips. They remain there for a brief second before moving to the curve of your neck.

Snapping your fingers, you fight back the smile spreading across your lips as Ez's eyes meet yours.

"Focus, Ezekiel," you giggle as his eyes flick back down to your lips. "I need us on the same page-"

"Yeah," he breathes his lingering gaze lifting to meet yours. "Whatever page you're on...I'm not there."

"I need you to be my boyfriend, now." You reach forward, your fingers finding the front of his jeans as you spot your ex. It seems Alex has finally found you again. Tugging him forward, you bump into the nearby table as Ez's hips press against yours. His hands find your waist as he attempts to maintain his balance. Realizing time is winding down, you speak quickly praying that quick mind of his will allow Ez to keep up. "My ex is here, so I need an answer to that question from earlier-"

Ez's body goes rigid, his grip tightening against your hips.

"Wait, the asshole from San Diego? Didn't he cheat on you?"

Even though he's never personally met your ex. The stories he's heard you share about him with Letti are enough to make Ez's skin crawl.

You note the scowl on Ez's face as he turns his head to glance in the direction your gaze was a few seconds before. Catching his chin, you give him a reassuring smile as he meets his gaze.

"Relax, Ez. I don't need you to kick his ass."

His brow arches. "You sure?"

You can't help but smile at the suggestive wag of his brows.

"Positive, it wouldn't be much of a fight for you," you giggle as his shoulders relax. "Just make him a little jealous."

The corner of his lips turn up, Ez's eyes searching yours as his left-hand finds the curve of your neck. His thumb gently brushes against the soft skin before drifting to the back of your neck pulling your lips towards his.

His lips are soft against yours, the initial kiss lasting as quickly as it had come. His smile brushes against yours before he's applying more pressure, your body melting against his as you welcome the warmth of his lips.

Suddenly you can't even remember why you requested this, but somewhere in your swirling mind, you log a note to thank yourself later. The steady and deepening kiss isn't enough to distract you from the warm and wandering hands. His left presses into the curve of your hip, steading you as your weight shifts to your toes in an attempt to make the kiss last. His right drifts from the small of your back down to your ass, the cheeky squeeze causing your mouth to fall open with a gasp of shock.

He steals this chance to bring his lips back to yours. The warmth of his tongue brushing against yours as his arm secures around the small of your back pressing your hips flush with his. Your lips press a final kiss against his, a smile finding your lips at the cheeky grin he sends your way.

"Handsy are we?" You giggle as his lips press against your temple.

Ez's thumb rubs teasing circles against the warmth of your back, the action coaxing out the butterflies in your stomach.

"We gotta sell it, sweetheart." He chuckles as your eyes roll.

It seems that your kiss has not gone unnoticed.

As Ez drapes his arm over your shoulder, your body resting against his, you look up to find two men staring at you. Both wearing a similar expression.

Angel has finally returned, his steps halting after watching his younger brother kiss the girl he swore would never pay him the light of day each time he suggested Ez grow some balls and ask you out. Holding your fresh margarita, and two beers, Angel lets his eyes pass over the two of a grin breaking out across his face.

Alex is a few steps ahead of Angel. But unlike the oldest Reyes brother, his shocked expression hasn't quite surpassed...the shocked phase.

You don't need to see Ez's face to know that he's got the cocky grin on his face.

"Hey, Alex," you smile breaking silence.

"Hey, Y/N." Alex clears his throat, his eyes passing over you and Ez's interlaced fingers. Alex's grip tightens around his beer bottle as Ez's lips press against the curve of your ear before he releases your hand. "I thought that was you I saw...I wanted to say hey-it's been a while."

"Not long enough," Ez speaks up, his left arm wrapping around your waist. The smile on his face grows as your hand slips into his back pocket, but the look in his eyes tense Alex's shoulders.

"Oh, that was nice of you," you smile, trying your best not to laugh as Ez's sizing up of Alex causes him to offer you a weak smile.

"Yeah, man. Thanks for stopping by." Reaching forward, Ez offers Alex his free hand. "Ez."

Alex hesitantly accepts Ez's hand, his eyes lingering on his kutte passing over the patches on his chest.

"Alex-"

"Yeah, I know who the fuck you are." Ez nods as his grip tightens around Alex's hand. Even though you're satisfied at the wince that flashes across Alex's face, you lightly pat Ez's chest in the form of a warning. "I suggest that you keep walking...now that you've said “hi."

Despite his words of advice, Ez's grip doesn't loosen.

He allows his glare to pass over Alex's face one more time before his easy smile returns.

The second he's released, Alex doesn't waste a second to get out of Ez's sight. This is a much more difficult task than imagined because Ez's eyes follow him until he's swallowed up by the crowd.

Ez's body relaxes against yours as Angel steps forward. Softly shaking his head, Angel passes over the drinks.

"What?" Ez steals a glance in his brother's direction, his brow furrowing at the grin he gets in return.

Angel lifts his beer to his lips, failing miserably at suppressing his grin.

"Nothing," he chuckles gathering the remaining darts from the table. "You ready to go again?"

You wait until Angel moves to remove the previously thrown darts from the board to slip your arm inside Ez's kutte.

Wrapping your arm around his waist, you gently squeeze.

"Thanks, Ez."

Ez lets his eyes pass over the crowd one last time before meeting your gaze.

The grin you know and love returns as he squeezes you in return.

"It's nothing." He chuckles. "But let him try and talk to you again and I'm kicking his ass."

"That's fair," you giggle as his lips press against your temple. 

[munchcorner]

Golden Binds (DabiHawks or TouKei)

Touya stood in front of the altar, wearing his dark blue tuxedo and black oxford. He had his hands tucked in his pockets as he waits for his soon-to-be husband to enter the double doors of the church.

"Touya," He hears his sister whisper loudly from the first pew. He turns towards her with his eyebrows raised and asked, "What?"

"Button your polo," Fuyumi scolds, making him roll his eyes, "it's embarrassing to the priest."

"He's just here to marry us. Besides, we paid for the church to marry us. It's not like he's here to check out my collar bones," Touya says and faces front again. He checks his watch and taps his foot as he stares at the double door.

"He prides himself as the fastest but can't even get here quick enough," He says to himself and sighs, "I'll pluck those wings of his if he's late, I swear,"

"Patience, nii-chan," Shoto says when he hears his brother's murmurs. Touya turns to him and gives him a small smirk, "how much did Hawks pay you to take his side? I'm your brother, not him,"

"He'll be my brother-in-law," Shoto answers, making Touya click his tongue, "he's going to be part of the family after this, nii-chan,"

"Since when did you learn to talk like that?" Touya asks with his eyes squinted in suspicion. Shoto smiles, and that's enough for him to understand, "stop smiling like that. That bird is influencing you too much,"

Natsuo wraps his arms around Shoto's shoulder and winks at Touya after saying, "Keigo's a good influence though,"

Touya rolls his eyes and shakes his head, "good influence, my ass," he says and turns towards the door when their song starts to play.

"C'mon now, boys, the wedding's about to start, let your brother be," Rei says and gives Touya a reassuring smile.

Touya's eyes were locked on the double door as he listens to the song play. He could feel his heart racing in his chest. He never thought of marriage, not until he met Keigo, so there he is, savoring the mixture of joy and anxiety flooding his system that made him feel like he could combust any minute from now.

The song stops, and Touya buries his hands in his pockets as he waits for Keigo to enter. He can feel his palms sweating, so he decides to hide them in his pocket. He takes a sharp inhale and suppresses a smile that's threatening to show.

Touya kept his eyes on Keigo as he walks down the aisle with Enji. Keigo looked breathtaking with his white tuxedo and red inner polo that matched his wings. Touya made sure to take a mental image of the way Keigo walked down the aisle with his lips curved into the brightest smile he's ever seen. The way the corner of his eyes crinkled and the way his eyes sparkled as he approaches the altar will forever be etched in Touya's memories.

"Took you long enough," Touya whispers when Keigo and Enji finally arrived. Enji gave Keigo's hand to Touya and said, "Be happy,"

Touya rolls his eyes at him and scoffs, "I sure will. I'll make sure my marriage won't end up like yours," he says with spite, making Enji respond with nothing but a nod.

Touya took Keigo's hand in his, and Enji walks to sit beside his family. The couple faces the altar with smiles on their face, and the priest starts with the first part of the wedding. Their hands were interlaced the entire time, and even though neither of them spoke, they both knew how happy they are together.

The ceremony proceeded without a hitch, not until they reached the wedding vows. Hawks had tears slowly welling in his eyes as he takes Touya's hands in his. He gulps in hopes that it'll make the lump in his throat go away, but it didn't.

Hawks take a sharp inhale and wipes his sweaty palms on his slacks, and moves to wipe his tears before taking Touya's hands in his a second time.

Touya rolls his eyes and takes back one hand to wipe Keigo's tears away, "stop being so dramatic," he says with a chuckle.

"It's a once in a lifetime thing, so fuck off," Keigo says and presses his cheek on Touya's hand.

The priest clears his throat, making Keigo and Touya turn their heads towards him. The priest had his eyes squinted at Keigo as he says, "we're in a church, no cussing," the priest reprimands.

Touya laughs while Keigo apologizes before clearing his throat and starting his vow, "Touya,"

"That's me," Touya interrupts just to annoy Keigo. The latter's brow visibly twitches, making the former smirk in victory.

"We know," Keigo says and clears his throat before continuing, "Touya, I don't know why I fell in love with you of all people,"

"You know it's easy to walk out of this church, and I'm not afraid of doing that," Touya interrupts a second time with his brow raised and arms crossed. Keigo chuckles and shakes his head as he says, "let me finish,"

"Careful with your words, birdie, we might just walk out of this church without a spouse," Touya threatens, but Keigo just rolls his eyes, unthreatened.

"If you just know how to shut your mouth and stop interrupting me, then you'd know what comes after that statement," Keigo says and releases a sigh before asking, "is your insufferable ass willing to listen now?"

Touya squints his eyes at Keigo before saying, "You're the insufferable one, but go on,"

"Thank you," Keigo says sarcastically before proceeding with his third attempt at saying his vows, "Like I said, I don't know why I fell in love with you, but I'm glad I did,"

Touya scoffs, "how cheesy," he says with a disappointed eye roll before adding, "I expected something more original,"

Keigo takes a sharp inhale and smacks Touya's shoulder, making the guests' eyes grow wide. The priest clears his throat, and Keigo apologizes while Touya sticks his tongue out at him.

"Just shut up for a while, will you?" Keigo asks, his voice laced with genuine annoyance that made Touya straighten his back and nod.

"Every day I spend with you always makes me want to stop time, so I can savor it. When we first started dating, I didn't know if you were serious or if you were just fucking with me," Keigo admits and avoids Touya's azure eyes in embarrassment, "I was scared that maybe you'll choose to leave me one day, but years have passed, and here we are, standing in front of the altar to promise that we'll spend the rest of our life together,"

Keigo's eyes wells with tears and he reaches for his handkerchief in his pocket, but before he could even do so, he can already feel Touya's palms cupping his face, "go on," Touya whispers in the softest tone he could, making Keigo smile.

"You kept interrupting me earlier, now you want to listen to me," Keigo says and leans into Touya's palms before continuing, "I can't wait to spend every waking hour with you, Touya. You don't know how happy I was when you got one knee and offered to give me a family by replacing my last name with yours. I'm grateful, I really am. Even if your family's dysfunctional, I'll gladly take your last name. Thank you for making me a Todoroki, Touya,"

Once Keigo finally finished saying his vow, he takes Touya's hands in his and slides a simple golden ring on Touya's ring finger.

Touya wipes the tears that escape Keigo's eyes before pulling him and pressing a kiss on his forehead, "you're welcome, crybaby," he whispers with Keigo still wrapped in his arms.

Keigo slaps Touya's chest, making the latter chuckle, "it's time for your vows, Todoroki-kun," the priest reminds.

The couple steps away from each other to let Touya say his vows. Touya clears his throat and pulls on the lapel of his suit before grinning at Keigo, "listen carefully pretty bird," he whispers.

Keigo rolls his eyes and makes a side comment, "cocky as ever," before motioning to zip his mouth.

"Here I go," Touya says, making Keigo and the rest of the guests' ears perk as they prepare to listen to Touya's vows.

"Welcome to the hellish Todoroki family, Keigo. Congratulations for getting in," Touya says and chuckles as he slides the golden ring on Keigo's ring finger.

Keigo's jaw drops, "that's it?" he asks in utter disbelief.

Touya nods, "that's it, birdie," he says, each word rolling out the tip of his tongue in a slow manner to get on Keigo's nerves.

"You can't be serious," Keigo says, but Touya just shows him a dismissive shrug before saying, "that's all you'll ever get from me, birdie,"

Keigo takes a sharp inhale to calm himself, "Fine, I'll take what I can get," he whispers and turns to the priest to say, "please tie me to him now before I leave him,"

Touya laughs, "you can't do that to me, birdie, you love me too much," he says, full of confidence.

"Right," the priest says, looking both confused and done with both of them, "I now pronounce you husbands. You may now kiss your groom,"

Touya takes a step towards Keigo and leans in to give the guests a show by making out with his husband. But instead of feeling a pair of soft lips on his, Touya feels his lips touch Keigo's palm.

"Your vow sucks, no kisses for you," Keigo says and moves himself to plant a quick kiss on Touya's cheek. The latter frowns and steps back before rolling his eyes, "it's time for the reception, I guess," he announces without hiding his disappointment.

Keigo puffs his cheeks, his lips were pouting, and he turns away when Touya looks at him, a sign that his husband is genuinely upset. Touya sighs and takes Keigo's hand to place a kiss on it. He keeps his eyes locked with Keigo's as he kisses his hand, "you'll understand why I did that later," he whispers and fills the spaces between Keigo's fingers.

Keigo stares at him with confusion before nodding. They turned to the guests with genuine smiles on their faces before walking out of the church. Everyone cheers, and they could hear the camera shutters as they walk towards their car.

Touya opens the door for Keigo, and the latter gets in while Touya walks to the other side of the car to get in the passenger.

They arrive at the reception, followed by their guests, stories were shared, and toasts were made until the sun was replaced by the moon and the stars. Keigo was having fun getting drunk with Rumi, Bubaigawara, Fuyumi, and Natsuo when Touya walked up to him and grabbed his arm as he leans in to whisper in Keigo's ear, "I need to talk to you in private,"

Keigo immediately sobers up from the tone of Touya's words. He was so profound that it made Keigo wonder if something was wrong. Keigo nods and says his goodbye before trailing behind Touya, who walked out of the resort.

Touya stops in front of the pool before turning towards Keigo with a serious expression on his face, "Keigo," he starts and takes a deep breath.

"What? You're making me anxious, Touya. If you have something to say, then just spit it out," Keigo says and rubs his hands together to calm himself.

Keigo stares at Touya with worry in his eyes as his brain spirals down, thinking that maybe Touya's regretting the marriage, maybe he wants to back out, but all of those thoughts were washed away when Touya cups his face and kisses the tip of his nose, "stop panicking,"

"Then stop making me panic," Keigo says and unconsciously pulls his wings closer to him.

"I asked you out here because I wanted to say my vow to you," Touya says, making Keigo furrow his brows and stare at him with questioning eyes.

"You already said it earlier," Keigo says in confusion.

Touya shakes his head and runs his thumb over Keigo's cheek, "That isn't my vow,"

"What?" Keigo asks and raises a brow, "then what is?"

"My vow is only meant for you to hear, Keigo. That's why I asked you to come here tonight. There's a side of me that only you get to witness, and I want it to stay that way. I want you to be the only person who hears me say something sappy. You're the only one who can see me vulnerable. That's why I never told my vows to you inside the church. All my sappiness is only reserved for you to hear and not for everyone else," Touya explains and takes something out of his pocket.

"Listen to me, Keigo," Touya starts and takes Keigo's hand in his, "I love you and your cocksure attitude, your self-sacrificial ass, your pretty ass, your sassy mouth, god, Keigo, I love everything about you, and I don't think I'll ever love anyone as much,"

"Touya," Keigo whispers, eyes glistening under the moonlight as the tears in his eyes well up.

"Let me talk," Touya says. Keigo nods and presses his lips into a thin line to stop the sob that's threatening to escape his lips.

"If I gave you a family, you gave something no one else, not even myself, could find on my own, which is the will to live. Keigo, I never knew what happiness and contentment were until I met you. That's why I'm so thankful that you're such a persistent piece of shit who didn't give up on me even though I pushed you away too many times," Touya says and wipes the blood that drips from his eyes, "I love you, Keigo, and I'm willing to burn the entire world just for you,"

Keigo sobs and raises one hand to wipe away Touya's tears before cupping his cheek, "you really had to insult me while saying those words, huh?"

"It was needed," Touya says and chuckles before slipping a different golden ring into Keigo's ring finger, right above the first ring.

"What's with the second ring?" Keigo asks and looks down at it, eyes scanning it.

"My promise to you is engraved inside that ring," Touya says and lifts Keigo's hand to kiss it, "make sure not to lose it, or I'll burn your wings,"

Keigo chuckles and wraps his arms around Touya's neck, "I love you, Touya," he whispers against Touya's lips.

"I love you too, Keigo," Touya whispers back, his hands finding their way to wrap themselves around Keigo's waist to pull him closer.

They both smile at each other, eyes both holding the intensity of their love for each other. Touya leans in, his lips capturing Keigo's in a soft and slow kiss.

That night, they both shared a kiss under the moonlight with golden binds wrapped around their ring fingers.

--*--

I also have this posted on AO3,  Wattpad, and Instagram.

[ofstoriesandstardust]

what’s left of us

a/n: welcome to the first chapter of ‘the choices we make’. I've been teasing this for so long that I'm so excited to finally have something to show for it. I really hope someone reads it. 

main masterlist | the choices we make masterlist | story description | discovery

summary: The Hargreeves have slowly been putting the pieces of their lives back together after coming back from the 60’s. Upon clearing out Reginald’s old office, the siblings find a box containing the files of their birth families. What happens when Luther makes the choice to open his?

warnings: swearing, canon childhood abuse and trauma, canon death/murders

word count: 1,566

The siblings stood in the doorway, no one daring to go in. Diego awkwardly cleared his throat. “So... who first?” Luther glanced down at him as Klaus shoved past. “Oh, you big bunch of babies. He’s dead.” Klaus waved his arm about as he moved further into the office, the bottle of brandy in his hand. 

“Are you seriously drinking right now?” Diego asked incredulously. 

“Well, the bastard might be dead but”, he shuddered, “I still don’t like thinking about dear old dad.” 

“Well, the study won’t clean itself.” Five said, following Klaus into the room. “Everyone take a box. Like the rest of the house, if you think it’s important, bring it up, otherwise trash it. We don’t need more of the old man’s stuff than necessary.” The siblings moved apart, some grumbling, others sighing. The clocked ticked as they worked, and Luther thought back to how they got here. After getting back to 2019, after saving the world, the family had planned to settle in and enjoy being together. Unfortunately, the consequences of what came before were bound to catch up with them sooner rather than later. Diego and Vanya had both been arrested almost immediately following their arrival. While Klaus got shitfaced and Allison called every lawyer friend she had, Ben and Luther sat and sat, wondering where to go from there. But yet again, Five seemed to have a plan, and had somehow managed to get Hazel and Cha-Cha’s guns to the police without suspicion of family involvement. Diego had been released pretty quickly afterwards, and so had Vanya, on account of Leonard’s murder being self-defense. Diego suspected his death had probably done the police department a favor, given Leonard’s history and the fact that he had killed at least 2 other people that they knew of. Ben rejoining the living after the doomsday incident in Texas had been a welcome relief to all of them, and the family had never felt more cohesive. The town had mostly left them alone, but the siblings were trying pretty hard to stay out of the public’s way. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys, I think I found something.” Allison’s voice broke through Luther’s thoughts and he looked over to where Allison was lifting a big box onto the desk. The siblings turned and gathered around the desk. Five grabbed the box from Allison, and his eyes widened. 

“What? What is it?” Diego asked, standing next to Luther. 

“It’s our files.” Five said quietly. 

“Our what?” Luther asked, eyebrows raising. 

“Our files. All the information about our biological families, it’s in here.” Five responded. An uncomfortable tension settled over the siblings as they looked at the box. 

“So... who wants to go first?” Klaus asked tentatively. Five shook his head. 

“Forget about it, I’m not interested.” Five said, moving away from the box. Allison let go of it and moved back from the table and Diego turned back to his project. Klaus and Ben moved back over to the fireplace, where they were definitely not cleaning. Vanya and Luther looked at each other. Vanya eventually shrugged, and moved back to her earlier spot. Luther swallowed. Why was he so curious?

-

Luther couldn’t stop thinking about the file and the information it might contain. He was content sure, happy even, but he couldn’t stop wondering. Did he have a biological sister? A biological brother, maybe? What about his parents? Why had they given him up? Did they regret it? Luther’s thoughts consumed him so much that he missed the uneasy looks his siblings shared over breakfast the next morning. “Whatcha thinking about?” Klaus singsonged, sitting down next to him. Luther startled, and looked up at him. He sighed and sat back in his chair. 

“Are you guys really not going to look at your file?” Luther asked. The siblings all looked at him, worry etched onto their faces. 

“What, this family not good enough for you or something buddy?” Diego half-joked. 

“I just... how are you not curious?” 

Allison shrugged. “I’ve got you guys. Isn’t that enough?” Luther sighed. 

“Luther, opening those files is opening a can of worms you can’t close again. Once you know, you know. And you may not like what you find.” Five said solemnly. 

“Yeah, whose to say any of our biological parents were any better than dear old Dad?” Klaus said. 

“I mean, they did give us up. For money.” Vanya said, sitting down next to him. Luther looked at her. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” That seemed to be the end of the conversation, and the family resumed their normal breakfast chatter. And yet... Luther continued to wonder. 

-

The Academy was dark and quiet, the only semblance of peace this place seemed to get. It was 3:32 am and Luther was trying desperately not to wake anyone as he snuck into Dad’s study. He needed to know, can of worms be damned. This was driving him crazy, and he just... he needed to know. He pulled the box out from where it had been set in the corner, and pulled the lid off. His file was the first one, labeled NUMBER ONE. Luther sighed, and closed his eyes. Was he really going to do this? Luther opened his eyes and flipped the folder open. His eyes flicked over the page, looking for the information he cared about. 

Mother: Taunya Roberts

In a relationship with Richard Gray. Might prove to have complications later on.

Paid: $7 million

Location: San Diego, California

Luther’s eyes focused on the name of his biological mother. Taunya. Huh. Not exactly what he had been expecting, but it would do. The page mentioned nothing about already existing siblings, but he was curious about the “complications” his father mentioned. 

Which is how he wound up at the police station the next morning asking Diego’s cop buddy that had helped him escape if he could track down his mother for him. He had agreed and promised to give Luther a call when he found something. It hadn’t taken long and he met him back at the police station a few hours later, almost anxious to finally get an answer. Luther sat down at the man’s desk and he sighed. “Well, you’re in luck. Found the family. From San Diego like you mentioned. Here, take a look for yourself.” He turned the computer towards Luther and he leaned in, eyes scanning the document. 

Taunya had married Richard in 1990. Richard and Taunya divorced in 2006.

Had four kids. Elena, Steve, Madison, Addison.  Elena, born in 1993. Steve, born in 1996. Madison, born in 2000. Addison, born in 2001. 

Luther’s eyes continued to skim the document. All still living in San Diego until- there. 

Elena Gray current place of employment: Manhattan District Attorney’s Office

Elena Gray current location of residence: Manhattan, New York

Luther sat back in his chair. Not only did he have 4 biological siblings, but he had a chance to talk, meet, see one of them? Manhattan wasn’t too far, only a few hours drive. He sighed, thanking the man. Luther mulled this thought over in his head. Was he really going to do this?

-

Apparently, he was. Luther took a deep breath and shook out his nerves as he stood in front of the prestigious looking building. 1 Hogan Place. That’s what the information Diego’s police buddy had given him. There were no guarantees she’d be here, or that she’d even want to see him, so he’d written a letter, just in case. He walked in, and the front desk lady directed him to the office he presumed was hers. There was girl sitting at a desk in front of the office and Luther’s heart skipped a beat, wondering if this was her. The girl looked up at him and gave him a smile. “How may I help you?” She asked politely. 

“Hi, um, I’m looking for Elena Gray?” Luther asked, hoping the girl-Lucy, the name plaque said, he noted- didn’t notice how much his voice was shaking. His nerves were vastly vanishing and he was wondering why he hadn’t listened to Five when he’d had the chance. 

“Oh, she’s not here at the moment. She in court.” Lucy offered, still smiling. “Can I pass along a message for you when she gets back?” 

“Actually, uhm yeah. Could you give her this letter?” Luther said, extending the arm grasping the paper. 

“Of course. Who should I say it’s from?” Lucy said, taking it from him and placing a sticky note upon it. 

“Uh, Luther. Luther Hargreeves.” Luther said nervously and Lucy’s eyebrow quirked. “What?”

“Nothing... it’s just that your family is a bit uh.. notorious around these parts.” He nodded, not sure how to respond. “And would you like to leave a phone number so she can get back into contact with you?” 

“Uh, it’s in there.” He said, nodded to the letter. Lucy nodded, and looked back up at him. 

“Perfect. I’ll give that to her once she gets back. Anything else I can do for you?” Luther shook his head and realized his feet needed to start moving for fear of embarrassing himself any further. 

“Thanks for your help.” Luther offered the girl a smile and headed out of the building to his car. As he walked he began to feel a painful mixture of regret and elation. What did he just do?

[sdvvillagers]

Can I get please get some of that good Pierre reacting to his sweet daughter hanging out in her room playing video games and having fun with the kind, smol, and gentle farmer? Thank you 💕

Okay, so this ask has been in my inbox for an EMBARRASSINGLY long amount of time.  I’m talking months.  To the original asker, if you’re still even here, I’m really sorry for how long this one took.  I experienced a heck of a motivation loss when it comes to writing and I’m only barely starting to get over it.  Thank you for your patience.  Enjoy!

The arrival of the farmer had breathed new life into the otherwise stagnant day to day life in Pelican Town. The old farm that had been abandoned for Yoba knows how long was finally up and running again and everyone in town seemed to benefit from the town’s newest resident.  The business owners in town were all pleasantly surprised to see a noticeable increase in profit as the farm expanded and even Pierre couldn’t deny that his sales had never been better.  His working relationship with the new farmer was advantageous, however outside of their business together, Pierre was a bit uneasy.  Everyone in town loved the new farmer, and why wouldn’t they.  The new farmer was kind, thoughtful, compassionate… they seemed to make friends with anyone they met.

The issue, however, was the friendship that the farmer had with his daughter Abigail.  Of course the farmer was well-liked around Pelican Town, but they seemed especially well-liked by Abigail who was spending far more time in the shop these days than normal.  Ordinarily this wouldn’t be reason to complain, Pierre was thrilled to see Abigail taking an interest in his business, but in his gut Pierre suspected that her sudden interest had nothing to do with running the shop and everything to do with how often the farmer arrived to purchase new seeds to plant.  In the beginning, Pierre shrugged it off as a fascination with meeting someone new.  In a place like Pelican Town, something like this scarcely occurred and Abigail was no doubt excited and curious about a new face in town.  After almost two seasons of this, however, Pierre knew that there was something else going on.

What had once been occasional trips by the farmer into the store for necessities had become almost daily visits.  Pierre was shocked one afternoon when the farmer arrived, not to make a purchase, but to spend time with Abigail.  Abigail had just received a new video game and had apparently invited the farmer over to play.  Of course his daughter was a grown woman and could certainly make her own choices, but Pierre couldn’t deny the feeling of unease he felt as he watched the farmer disappear into the back door of the shop toward Abigail’s room.

Seconds passed… minutes passed… hours passed.  Pierre was leaning against the counter, rooted to the spot as his fingers nervously drummed against the side of the cash register.  It seemed ridiculous that he was so nervous and paranoid about Abigail inviting a friend over, with how many times Sebastian and Sam were over for video games it was unbelievable to Pierre that he was this nervous.  And yet with the farmer, it was different.  Abigail didn’t look at Sebastian and Sam the way she looked at the farmer.  There was interest in her eyes.  There was intrigue in her expression.

By the time the shop had closed for the afternoon, Pierre couldn’t take it any longer.  He flipped the sign in the window from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’ and paced the room for a moment in an attempt to burn off nervous energy.  It wasn’t working.  His eyes kept darting to the back door of the shop that led to his family’s living area, unable to stop wondering what Abigail and the farmer were up to.  After this amount of time, Pierre couldn’t believe any longer that video games were involved.  With a long, shaky sigh, Pierre crossed the shop floor and exited the back room into the hallway.  His gut twisted suddenly at the sight of Abigail’s bedroom door closed.  Pierre wasn’t entirely sure what he had expected, surely Abigail wouldn’t leave her door propped open, but it was still a jarring sight for Pierre and practically confirmed his suspicions.

At this point, Pierre had a choice to make.  On the one hand, his daughter was a grown adult and fully capable of making her own choices.  On the other, she was still living under his roof and was expected to adhere to certain boundaries.  One such boundary that was made clear to her by Pierre and Caroline was, put delicately, no romantic encounters under their roof.  Pierre knew in the deepest recesses of his mind that what he was considering was an incredible breach of privacy for Abigail, but he kept trying to convince himself that he was just checking in on them.  After all, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume that after many hours in Abigail’s room, he might want to make sure they’re okay.  That was all, this would be nothing more than paternal concern.  Pierre placed his hand upon the doorknob to Abigail’s room and hesitated.  The bad feeling in the pit of his stomach became worse when he heard Abigail giggle on the other side of the door.  Without dwelling on it any further, Pierre threw open the door, hoping that he wasn’t going to find exactly what he was dreading.

Pierre’s jaw dropped slightly at the sight before him.  Abigail was lying atop her bed on her stomach, nearly leaning over the foot of the bed as she held a video game controller in her hands while she stared intently at the television screen.  Sitting on the floor on a pillow, also holding a controller while looking incredibly focused, was the farmer.  They were both so focused, in fact, that neither of them had heard Abigail’s door open at all or even noticed Pierre standing in the doorway.

“On your left, on your left!” Abigail shrieked, sounding almost panicked.

“Got it!” the farmer replied victoriously.

“Thanks,” Abigail sighed, though she never once lost her focus on the screen.

“I don’t think I can make it to that power-up in time, you can have it,” the farmer remarked.

“Awesome, I’ve got a hoard headed my way, just watch me work some magic here,” Abigail said smugly.

A moment of silence passed and all that could be heard was furious clicking of the buttons on the controllers and all Pierre could see on the screen was a flurry of activity.  He wasn’t entirely sure if they were winning or not until Abigail threw her controller onto her bed and cheered loudly in celebration.

“YES!  We finally beat it!” Abigail cheered.  She looked ecstatic.

“That was awesome, you rocked it with that last power-up!” the farmer replied excitedly.

The farmer raised a hand in the air for a high five and Abigail turned and smacked the farmer’s hand as hard as she could, making them wince in response.  It was only now, as Abigail had turned to face the farmer that she finally spotted Pierre in the doorway.

“Dad!” Abigail called out in surprise.  “What are you doing in my room?!”

“Sorry, just wanted to check in on you two and make sure you’re alright since you’ve been in here for awhile,” Pierre replied as casually as he could.

“Yeah right, more like you wanted to spy on us,” Abigail replied, folding her arms as she raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“N-no, no, that’s not at all… I mean,” Pierre stammered, though he knew that she saw right through him.

“It’s alright, we have been in here for quite awhile,” the farmer reasoned.  “We just got so wrapped up in the game, I think we lost track of time.  I’m sorry, Pierre, next time we’ll be more mindful of the time.”

“Oh, it’s… it’s not that,” Pierre said kindly.  “I don’t mind how long you stay over, it looks like you two had a lot of fun together.”

Abigail rolled her eyes, knowing full well that Pierre was more relieved than anything else to find them actually playing video games.  The farmer, it seemed, was just happy to be here and seemed oblivious to Pierre’s suspicion.  And yet that suspicion melted away instantly when Pierre saw the look that the two of them exchanged.  Abigail smiled; a giddy, delighted smile that he hadn’t seen from her in quite some time.  Even the farmer, who was generally cheerful anyway, looked far more content than Pierre had ever seen them.  His gut twisted with guilt as he thought about how little he trusted his daughter or respected her privacy, fueled only by unfounded concern and a bit of parental authority.  Now, seeing how happy these two were just to be playing a game together, Pierre felt nothing but relief.

“I should probably get going,” the farmer said, setting the controller down on the floor.

“You don’t have to,” Pierre answered immediately.  Abigail whipped her head toward Pierre in disbelief.

“Dad, are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Abigail asked uncertainly.

“You’re welcome to stay for dinner,” Pierre clarified.

“That would be wonderful, thanks!” the farmer replied happily.

Abigail exchanged another look with the farmer just as Pierre turned his back to leave and he knew that they were both experiencing a mixture of excitement and disbelief.  As Pierre continued down the hall toward the kitchen to help Caroline start dinner, he couldn’t help smiling to himself.  It suddenly seemed so ridiculous to believe, even for a moment, that the sweet, kind farmer whom everyone in town loved would be anything less than perfect company for his little girl.

[leahxx129]

No Promises (purgatory!Dean Winchester x Reader)

Okay, so I’m an incredibly lazy person - if I don’t get something done in a short span of time, I will literally never do it. This idea popped up in my mind last night, so I had to write a fic about it today before it was too late.

Summary: When Dean Winchester ended up in purgatory and Cas abandoned him, he was completely alone in a land of vicious monsters thirsting for his blood - up until he met you. You managed to escape the place together, but now Dean’s brother is stuck there. There’s only one way to save him, but it requires a great sacrifice. Will Dean be able to make it?

Warnings: angst, character death

Word count: 1.280-ish

He’s clearly hesitating, changing his grip on the blade every second.

“C’mon Winchester, do it before I change my mind!” you say with a sad smile, your eyes watering in the process.

This area of the secluded alley is dimly lit, but you can still see his do, too.

“Promise you’ll come back with Sam?” his voice is hoarse, tinted with emotion.

“You know I can’t make any promises, sugar.” you close your eyes and let a couple of tears run free.

Frankly, you are not afraid to die. The only thing you’re afraid of is that you might forget his face over time and the way he looked at you, like you were the only person in the entire universe.

Dean raises the weapon to swing it, but halts. His brain knows there’s no other way, but his heart is having a hard time accepting it.

The blast from killing Dick Roman with the bone of a righteous mortal washed in the three bloods of fallen was enormous. Dean felt like as if it were devouring him – and it turns out that in a way it was. It devoured him and Cas and spat them out in a land full of mist and darkness, where everything lurking in the shadows wanted to shred them to pieces. They were in purgatory, a place where the souls of monsters preyed upon each other for the rest of eternity and Cas abandoned him.  He was on his own - until he met you.

He was being ambushed by three vampires and they visibly had the upper hand, having ridden him from his weapon. That was until you came in, of course. Dean was sure he’d never forget the way your braided hair flew in the air and how your eyes shone as you fought them.

“I mean, you’re welcome.” you said to him, picking up your blade and looking at the three headless corpses spread out on the ground.

Everything happened so fast, he could barely comprehend it.

“Who are you? And why did you save me?” he asked, panting, trying to steady himself against a gnarled tree. A mixture of blood and sweat was trickling down his forehead.

You raised an eyebrow.

“Judging by your recent performance, right now, I’m your best chance at survival, jackass.” he kept quiet, so you continued “The name’s Y/N. And as for why… There’s a rumor that a human with a pretty face made it through here somehow and based on descriptions, it’s gotta be you… I wanted to be the first one to make an offer.”

He gave you a quick once-over.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not into monster chicks, no matter how hot they are.” he said, totally misinterpreting the whole situation. You let out an exasperated sigh and rolled your eyes at him.

“God, no… I didn’t mean like that, perv.”

“Oh, okay… then, like what?”

“Like, I may or may not know about the existence of a way out of here.”

His face automatically hardened with suspicion.

“If what you’re saying is true, and it’s a big IF… what’s in it for you?”

Your lips curled into a sly smile.

“Well, supposedly, this portal is for humans exclusively… so if we find it, I’d like to hitch a ride back to life, pretty face.”

At first, Dean was conflicted – he wanted nothing more than to escape, but was the cost really worth it? Bringing a monster back to life? But, as time went by, he was forced to realize you were not like the other creatures that go bump in the night. In fact, he kind of grew a liking to you and the way you would sass him.

One night the air was particularly cold, but you were in an especially dangerous zone – lighting a fire would have been like an open invitation for monsters to come bite you in the ass. You found a hollow tree and decided to sleep there. You made yourselves comfortable, but after a while he cleared his throat nervously.

“It’s freezing tonight, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess it is. But don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” you replied nonchalantly, making him press the matter more.

“Probably I will. But I was thinking... you know… in the movies when it’s cold, the characters usually survive by snuggling close to each other, keeping the other warm with their body heat…”

It took every ounce of your willpower not to laugh out loud.

“Uhm, Dean, you do realize that as a vampire, I don’t really have much of a body heat, right?”

“Oh, sure, I know.” he replied, while mentally slapping himself for getting embarrassed in front of you.

“But if you wanna cuddle, I get it. This is a grim place and feeling close to someone could be nice I guess.” you said suddenly and nestled in between his thighs, leaning your back against his chest. Couple of seconds later you felt a pair of strong arms wrap around you.

“When we get back and you resurrect me, I wanna go to a concert. AC/DC, maybe.” you spoke up.

“And after that?”

“After that, I’m gonna get back to hunting monsters.”

You could feel his breath hitch in his throat.

“You were a hunter before… before you... got here?” the careful way how he was choosing his words made you smile.

“Yeah, I was. Then seven years ago a hunt went sideways, and I got turned into the very thing I hated the most.”

A heavy silence ensued.

“I never killed anybody, if that’s what you’re wondering.” you added “I got my shit together and continued hunting all the while living off of hospital blood bags. But some of my former hunter friends had doubts about me and voilá – I ended up here in the armpit of existence.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, me, too… And what about you? What are you gonna do once you get back on the tracks?”

“I honestly have no idea.”

You couldn’t remember the end of your conversation as you fell asleep first. What you could remember, however, was that you had a dream for the first time since you became a resident in purgatory.

A few days later you collected Cas and carried on with your mission of finding the portal. Weeks went by with fighting beasts and torturing them to gain information regarding its exact location, but it all paid out in the end - you finally found it. You were beyond excited. When Dean opened his arms, you jumped into his embrace without thinking – and he kissed you without thinking. It was undeniably the best kiss of your life.

Dean kept his promise and brought you both back to life, but Cas stayed behind, which shattered him into a million pieces inside. You knew it, even though he never actually told you this. You could see in his mannerism and on the bad days, you could hear him utter Cas’ name while he was having a nightmare. You were absolutely clueless about how to alleviate his pain and felt utterly useless because of this. So, when Sam got stuck in purgatory on his way back from hell with Bobby Singer’s soul, you knew what your next offer to Dean would be. You’d let him behead you and you’d help Sam and Bobby find the portal just as you helped him. If you couldn’t heal his heart broken by his best friend, then the least you could do was preventing it from breaking even more because of losing his brother. Seeing that no other options were available, he reluctantly accepted your offer.

His hand is still in the air, shaking. If he does it, he’ll  lose the girl he loves to the lifestyle he’s leading once again. But if he does not do it, he’ll lose his brother.

“Just do it already, Dean!” you scream, opening your eyes.

The last two things you sense before it all goes dark are the flash of a blade and Dean’s sob.

[temilyrights]

the case of us (chapter eight)

Jack Sloane x Reader

Word Count: 4658

A/N: I just kept adding more to this chapter and couldn’t seem to stop so it’s a long one (again!) 2 more chapters after this i believe and then this story will be coming to a close.  Anyway, as always, feedback is welcome and very much appreciated :)

Read on AO3

Chapter Seven  Chapter Nine

Ducking under the police tape you make your way onto the crime scene. Police officers were dotted around, and members of the public were beginning to surround the tape to see if they could spot what was happening, but you pay them no mind as you head towards the body. Jimmy’s already there when you arrive. “What we got?”

“Woman, early 20’s. Death is more than likely because of the knife sticking out of her neck.” You move round to get a better view of the victim as Jimmy talks. Stopping dead in your tracks, your whole body freezing up when you see Sam lying on the floor staring up at you. Apart from it’s the Sam you knew in college, hair dark with bright pink ends now turning red as they stick to the blood dripping down her neck. Her eyes are wide and frozen in fear and your heart hammers in your chest as her eyes bore into yours and blood begins to seep out of them and down her cheeks. The bright red standing out against her ghostly skin. 

“Y/N...” Sam breathes. You can’t do anything but watch, paralysed in fear as tears begin to stream down your face. “You did this to me. I’m dead because you were too late!” Sam’s voice is cold, matching the glare in her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” You croak. “I’m so sorry Sam. I’m so sorry.” Your eyes squeeze tightly shut, arms wrapping around yourself as you fall to the floor and deep sobs wrack through you. 

“Y/N.” 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

“Y/N!” Your eyes snap open, your body shaking as you take deep laboured breaths looking around the room manically as you take in your surroundings. You’re in your living room, on the couch. “Hey, you’re safe. It was just a nightmare.” You focus on the words, on Jack’s soothing presence as she holds you close, a hand wiping the sweat-soaked hair from your face. Your whole body is trembling and you reach for Jack’s free hand, your sweaty palm grips hers tightly as you try to calm yourself down focusing on her stream of soothing words. 

“I’m...Sorry.” You say between deep breaths, voice hoarse as your body begins to relax, your heartbeat returning to a normal rhythm. You can’t look at Jack as embarrassment floods through you. You’d both been watching a movie together and you must have drifted off. Jack turns your head to face her with a finger to your chin, a kind smile on her face despite the concern in her eyes. 

“Are you ok?” You nod, unable to find the words. Jack starts to detangle herself from you, your whole body goes to protest but she only reaches for the glass of water on the table, handing it to you and easing back into the couch. You take small sips from the glass, allowing it to soothe your throat. “Did you want to talk about it?” 

You shake your head as images of Sam’s dead body flash through your mind. You both sit together for a while, Jack distracting you with light conversation, hands still tightly gripped together as your head rests on her shoulder. She only stops when there’s a ping from her phone. You can feel the hesitation in her body as she decides between staying with you or looking at her phone. It could be work so you make the decision for her, moving your head from her shoulder and letting go of her hand. Jack smiles at you before moving to the other side of the couch to her phone. 

“Work?” You croak, voice dry from not being used.

Jack chuckles as she reads the text, shooting a quick response before dropping the phone back on the couch and returning to her seat next to you. “Nope, just Gibbs.”

“If you need to go-” 

“I’d much rather be here.” Your face spreads into a wide smile, stomach fluttering with butterflies at the conviction in her tone and the soft smile she sends you. You pull yourself from the couch, desperate to get out of your clothes which now stink of dry sweat. Jack’s own shirt is stained with a mixture of your tears and sweat and your embarrassment from earlier returns.

“I’m going to go jump in the shower quickly. Feel free to grab one of my shirts that isn’t covered in my slobber.” You duck your head as Jack looks down to her shirt, surprise covering her face. 

“I hadn’t even noticed. Thank you.” You disappear to the bathroom while Jack heads in the direction of your bedroom.

When you return 20 minutes later, in a pair of comfy pyjamas, Jack’s sitting on your couch now sporting your old college t-shirt. Your heart flutters at the sight, probably enjoying seeing Jack in your clothes a little too much.

“Feeling better?” Jack asks when she notices you entering the room. Her feet are tucked underneath her and she’s drinking, what you assume to be, coffee. You take your seat and Jack hands you a mug.

“Thank you and yep, much better.” You take a sip, your suspicions confirmed, and you wonder how Jack always manages to make the best coffee. “It was about Sam, the nightmare.” Jack reaches out squeezing your hand before releasing it again. Jack was always a touchy person but tonight was a whole other level and you were basking in it, butterflies exploding through your stomach each time. “I get them occasionally, but they’ve been happening a lot more the last couple of weeks.” 

“That’s going to happen with the 6-month anniversary being tomorrow.” Jack smiles sadly. “I know I’ve already said this but seriously, if you want something, anything, tomorrow I’m just a phone call away, ok?” 

You chew your lip, the idea you’d been tossing around your head the last couple of days coming to the front of your mind. “I’m going to Great Falls in the morning, it’s the place I feel most connected to her, it brings back a lot of good memories. Do you think you’d want to join? It’d be nice to have the company. I mean if you aren’t busy or if you don’t want to that’s-”

“I’d love to.” Jack cuts you off with a soft smile. 

“Ok. Cool.” Your face lights up into a wide grin. Your head signals to the tv where the movie is sitting paused. “Do you want to continue the movie?” 

“Sure.” You press play and the both of you sink into the couch next to one another, coffee mugs in hand and despite the space on the couch, sides pressed together. 

----

“Hi, Y/N.” Robert sighs, patting your shoulder as he slowly lowers himself down onto the grass next to you despite his knee’s protests.

“Hey, Robert.” You offer the man a sad smile. “I can’t believe it’s been 6 months.” Your eyes tear up and Robert pulls you into a side hug, placing a kiss to your head.

“Me either.” You’re both quiet for a while after that. Just sitting in your own thoughts as you think about Sam. The bouquet of red, yellow and white flowers stand out against the granite headstone, you’d made sure to buy them fresh this morning and they bring a small smile to your face as you think back to the apartment you’d shared with Sam and how’d she’d always made sure to have at least one vase of fresh flowers at all times. 

“I should be going, I told Jack I’d be at hers by 9.30.” You sigh, your bottom had long since gone numb as you’d been sitting on the grass for about an hour. You pull your head up from where it was resting on Robert’s shoulder and push yourself up into a standing position, wiping the loose grass from your trousers in the process. 

“I’ll walk you to your car.” You hold your arm out and Robert uses it for support as he stands. You look back at Sam’s grave as you both walk slowly to the car, smiling sadly before turning back to Robert.

“How’s work been?” 

“Busy.” You laugh. “It’s been one case after another, which isn’t unusual, but doesn’t make it any less exhausting.” 

Robert smiles knowingly, his eyes lighting up with old memories from his time as a lawyer. He hums. “Yes, I remember that feeling...And are you seeing anyone? Jack maybe?” 

Your eyes widen in shock, steps momentarily faltering as you clear your throat. “No. Jack and I are just friends.” 

“You talk about her a lot for someone who’s just friends with her,” Robert smirks. You’d spoken about her a lot at your lunch a couple of weeks before but that’s because he’d asked about your healing lip and that meant a brief overrun of the case (and you definitely did not mention the kiss! It hadn’t been mentioned between you and Jack at all since it happened, despite it constantly playing on a loop in your head).  

“I speak about her a normal amount!” You try to protest but Robert’s smirk just widens, and you roll your eyes deflating. “Fine. I may have some feelings, but she’s my co-worker and it would be too messy if it didn’t last.” You shrug. You’d said the same thing to yourself constantly the past couple of weeks because it would be messy and you didn’t even know if Jack was interested in you in that way anyway and you weren’t about to make a fool of yourself or jeopardise your friendship. 

Robert suddenly stops, turning you around to face him with a hand to your arm and a serious expression, sadness shining in his eyes. “You light up when you talk about her, and from what you’ve said she seems like someone who’d be worth the risk. Don’t you think?” 

“Of course, but-” 

“Yes, there’s the possibility of awkwardness for a while if she doesn’t feel the same way, but Y/N… if she does…” You squeeze your eyes shut as your heart flutters with possibility. “I just want you to be happy.” 

“I know, and I am happy.” Robert sighs as you both continue walking again. Your eyes dart to Robert and then away again as you bite your lip. “How’s Felicity?” 

“She’s okay, the 6-month anniversary has hit her hard but she’s gaining control of her anger and she’s working full time again.” 

“That’s good.” You both stop when you reach your car. “I’ll see you next week.” You pull Robert into a hug and he squeezes you tight.

“Love you kid.”

“Love you too.” You pull away and with one last small smile get into your car and head to Jack’s. 

----

You’d texted Jack to let her know you were on your way and when you arrive she’s just locking up her house. Your eyes can’t help but trail over her toned legs as she makes her way towards the car with a smile. She’s wearing khaki green shorts that fall to mid-thigh, dark brown hiking boots and a simple white t-shirt. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail and covered by a black baseball cap. She looks glorious and as she slides into the car, dumping her backpack by her feet, your chest flutters. “Morning.” 

“Morning. Sleep well?” You ask, putting the car into drive. 

“Out like a light.” Jack grins. “You?” 

“Eh, alright…” You shrug. You hadn’t gotten more than 4 hours sleep but you hadn’t expected any more not when you couldn’t stop thinking about Sam. Jack had left last night after the movie had ended and you’d been up for hours afterwards using your restlessness as an opportunity to finish the housework you’d been neglecting and distracting yourself with an old cold case file. Jack’s hand reaches out to your knee, a sad smile on her face.

You sniff, feeling your emotions well up and try to play them off with a laugh. “Ugh. I promise I’m not going to be a blubbery mess today.” 

“I wouldn’t mind if you were. I’m here for you today Y/N, whatever you want.” You’d usually tease her with a suggestive comment about ‘whatever you want’ but today you just offer the blonde a smile and then turn your attention back to the road. Jack removes her hand and you try not to miss the comfort of her touch. 

It’s an hour’s drive to the park so you end up putting the radio on when your conversation dulls. You listen, fascinated, as Jack sings along quietly. Her voice is so soft, and you could easily spend hours listening to her. “I didn’t know you could sing.” 

Jack’s face goes scarlet as her words trail off. She clears her throat. “Oh, I can’t-”

“Yes, you can.” You cut her off, smirking. “I’m going to have to take you to karaoke night.”

“No! Absolutely not. Singing in the shower, yes.” (You try hard not to think of that image) “Singing when cooking, yes. Singing in public? I’d rather be shot.” 

You roll your eyes at her dramatics, laughing. “Alright.” It’s a few minutes later that warmth spreads through your chest when you realise what it means for Jack to sing in your company. You can’t help the smile that tugs at your lips. 

----

“Oh wow, this place is beautiful.” Jack’s eyes dance with wonder as you walk the path through the tree’s side by side. 

“Yeah, it is.” You breathe. Jack’s watching you curiously and you can see the questions in her eyes. You release a nervous chuckle. “Uh, sophomore year of college. We’d just finished our final day of exams. I had my psych one, which I’d been stressing about for weeks and was convinced I had failed afterwards.” 

Jack laughs. “And you ended up passing with flying marks?” 

“3rd highest in the class.” Your cheeks tinge pink as Jack smirks, bumping her shoulder against yours. “So, Sam said we needed a break, so I didn’t wallow in self-pity. She’d been here before a couple of times and thought it might be somewhere I would like. She was right. It became a frequent hangout spot. I stopped coming after the whole Sam and Felicity situation but since she died...It’s been the place I feel most connected to her.” You shrug.

“Well, I’m honoured you’re allowing me to intrude.” Jack smiles softly. 

“Not an intrusion Jack.” You smirk. Your fingers brush against hers causing you to cough as you try to dampen the blush spreading over your cheeks. You snatch your hand away, moving to twiddle your own fingers together in an attempt to play it off as nothing, Jack shoots a curious look in your direction, but you pretend not to notice as you avert your eyes.

You both fall into easy conversation as you hike through the trees. You tell her stories of you and Sam, and Jack listens with interest. She barely contains her laughter when you tell her the story of the time you’d almost gotten lost as you’d walked off the marked path and into the trees. She tells you stories about her time in San Diego, about how her relationship with Faith was developing. You were so happy she was getting the opportunity to get to know her daughter. Jack’s face lit up with pure joy and love every time she mentioned her. 

You eventually find your way to the bridge you’d said goodbye to Sam at 6 months ago. Jack’s words trail off as you make your way into the clearing. “Oh wow.” She breathes and you watch her closely as her face lights up. She looks absolutely stunning; her mouth opens in awe as you make your way onto the bridge. The water rushes loudly beneath you, the sun shining brightly down on you both as a slight breeze whistles through the trees.  Jack tilts her head up as she closes her eyes breathing in the smell of nature and savouring the feel of the rays of sun on her face. 

“I thought you might like it here.” You smile softly and Jack turns to look at you. She looks so content, a small smile on her face as her nose scrunches up and eyes squint as the sun shines in them. She looks adorable. Your eyes fall to her mouth, glued to the way her teeth tugs at her plump lip. She takes a step closer, causing your breath to catch. Your eyes go back to Jack’s and she holds your gaze, her brown eyes shining with something you don’t recognise.

“Really is beautiful.” Jack breathes. Your heart beats loudly in your chest at her words, you can’t help but wonder if she’s talking about you or the view. She smirks before stepping away and turning back to the view as if it were nothing. Clearing your throat, you turn around too, hoping your confusion wasn’t showing on your face.

“This is my favourite place. Fewer people because they all head to the proper viewing points so you aren’t distracted by the noise of them. You can just close your eyes and breathe.” You follow the actions as you talk, taking a deep breath as you savour the sounds around you. Jack’s arm brushes against yours bringing a smile to your face. You both stay like that for a while, enjoying the sounds with your arms pressed against one another, you don’t think you’d ever felt such peace. 

You make your way down closer to the river. Finding a space free of people, you sit on the large rocks and both eat the lunch you’d packed. Afterwards, you head back, deliberately taking the longer route to Jack’s place, not wanting the day to end, and if Jack notices she doesn’t say anything.  

Before you know it you’re back outside her house. Popping open the boot of your car, you follow Jack as she fishes out her bag, shutting the boot with a click as she slides her backpack on. “Thank you for today.” You say awkwardly. 

“I had a great morning, thank you for inviting me.” Jack leans back against the boot of your car and you have to make a conscious effort to not let your eyes trail down her body.

“I’ll see you Monday then.” 

Jack’s head tilts, brows furrowing as she pushes herself off your car. “Didn’t I tell you? I’m off to San Diego tomorrow.” 

Your smile falters “Oh, no you didn’t. How long for?” 

“They want help on a case, so it depends how long it lasts. Shouldn’t be more than the week though.” 

You really shouldn’t be upset at the prospect of not seeing Jack for one week. “Oh, well, I hope it goes well. Maybe you’ll even get the chance to go surfing again.” 

Jack hums, her face lighting up. “A girl can dream, but if I do get the chance, I’ll make sure to send photos.”

You clear your throat, face heating up as images of Jack surfing in a tight wetsuit fill your mind. Jack’s smirking as if she knows exactly what you’re thinking. Which totally isn’t a possibility...right? “Right...Then I’ll see you soon. Let me know when your flight lands.” 

“Will do.” Jack grins, waving goodbye as she makes the way up the path to her house and you get back into your car. 

----

Apart from a few texts on Sunday, which were just Jack confirming she’d gotten to San Diego safely, you hadn’t heard from her and it was now Wednesday. You hadn’t realised just how used you were to seeing Jack most days until now. You kept expecting her to appear in the bullpen or be waiting in the observation room when you arrived. Yesterday you’d automatically made your way to Jack’s office to drop off her morning coffee only to be reminded she wasn’t here when you couldn’t open her office door. You missed her, missed seeing her face. 

You could just text her, you should just text her but you were trying to hold out just to prove to yourself that your feelings for the blonde weren’t getting out of control. It wasn’t working and every minute the urge to text her was growing stronger, your eyes constantly going to your phone in the hopes she’d text first. 

“Are you even listening?” Your eyes snap away from your phone and to Ellie who’s sitting opposite you, brows raised. The rest of the team had gone home for the night but you and Ellie had gotten into this cold case and before you knew it, it was 2 hours later and you were sitting on the floor in the middle of the bullpen eating Chinese food and discussing theories. 

Your face heats up as you flash her a sheepish smile. “Sorry. What were you saying?” 

“Just text her.” Ellie rolls her eyes. 

“She’ll be back in a few days and I don’t want to bother her.”

“I think it’s literally impossible for you to bother her.” Ellie quips. “Anyway, she’d probably appreciate the distraction. Apparently, one of the Agents she’s working with is driving her up the wall.” 

“You’ve spoken to her?” Ellie’s brow shoots up in a way that says ‘seriously’. Your duck your head. “Right of course you have.” Because she isn’t avoiding Jack to prove a point to herself. “I’ll message her later.” 

Ellie rolls her eyes, smirking. “Sure, you will.” She looks to her watch, eyes widening in surprise. It prompts you to do the same and it shocks you when you see it’s already 10 pm. “Alright to call it a night?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” You both tidy up, throwing away the packaging from your food and cleaning up the files you had lying around before both making your way to your cars and home.

You type about 5 different messages before settling on Hey, how’s San Diego going? Simple. Casual. You knew you were overthinking this all way too much but you couldn’t seem to stop. Slipping your phone into your pocket you situate yourself in your living room with your freshly poured glass of wine. You put on the tv but you’re only half watching as your eyes constantly flick to your phone to see if Jack’s responded. You’ve nearly finished the glass when she finally does.

It’s alright. Tough case but the hotel I’m at has the best room service so I’m making do. How’s DC?

Do they do pancakes? Room service pancakes are somehow always amazing. DC’s pretty much the same as always. It’s been weird not seeing you around the office though. You hesitate adding the last bit but click send before you can think it through too much. Your eyes widen in surprise when instead of a response your phone lights up with Jack’s caller ID. 

“Hey.” 

“Hey. Is this ok? It’s easier than texting.” You smile. You didn’t think it was possible to miss someone’s voice.

“Yeah, of course.” Your voice is too giddy. “So, pancakes?” 

“The pancakes are glorious, I had them this morning.” Jack laughs. Rustling sounds through the phone as Jack moves, settling back into her bed. You empty the last bit of your wine in one gulp before filling the glass again. “Were you at the office late?” 

“Gibbs let us go at 8 but Ellie and I were there till 10, got too invested in a case file.”  

“Sounds about right. Of course, you were.” Jack chuckles affectionately.

You roll your eyes playfully. “I heard that there’s an agent that’s been a joy to work with.” 

“Talking about me, huh?” Your cheeks heat up, was Jack flirting? When you don’t respond Jack laughs. “But yes, Agent Pierce. He’s lead agent on the case and not exactly happy that I was asked to assist. Huge Ego.” You can practically hear Jack’s eye roll. 

“Sounds delightful. If he’s not letting you help, you’ll just have to come home early.” You bite your lip knowing your voice is too hopeful. 

“Missing me already?” Despite her teasing tone, you can tell she’s actually curious about the answer, maybe even a little hopeful. 

“Of course. I told you, it’s weird not seeing you around the office.” You’ve had too much wine, there is no way sober you would have let that thought pass your lips. You should be pushing this conversation back to safety. Not talking about missing Jack! She’s quiet, just her breathing sounding through the phone. You swallow roughly, gripping the phone tighter in your hand.

Jack’s voice is quiet when she talks “I miss you too.” Your cheeks heat up, a smile you can’t control blooming over your face. Jack clears her throat. “He’s finally beginning to realise I’m just here to help and not to undermine him or make his life difficult.” Jack yawns loudly, trying, and failing, to muffle the sound and you laugh. 

“You should get some sleep.” 

Jack hums. “Probably, but I’m enjoying this.”

“Me too, but you’re only going to regret this when you’re tired in the morning, I don’t want to get the blame for grumpy Jack.” 

“Hey! I don’t get grumpy!”

“Sure, you believe that.” Your voice softens. “Seriously, go and get some sleep. I probably should too. It's nearly midnight here.” Even as you say it you know it sounds weak; you’d speak to her all night if you could. 

Jack sighs. “You’re probably right. We should do something-” Jack cuts off, a loud knock sounding from assumingly, her hotel room door. “Sorry, one sec.” Jack removes the phone from her ear. It rustles as she makes her way across the room. Your heart is fluttering in your chest. ‘We should do something’? Does that mean a date? 

Your thoughts cut off as you hear voices through the phone. “Seriously Sloane. It’s not even 8.30 and you’re in your pyjamas.” 

You laugh. Images of Jack in pyjamas floating through your mind. Maybe she’s wearing the ones she wore when she stayed over. Or shorts, you could see her sleeping in shorts, especially considering the hot San Diego weather. Maybe the expensive silk ones you could get, probably in blue or red. Cute and sexy, like every goddamn thing about the women. You groan, frustrated at yourself for letting your thoughts wander.

“Hey, sorry. It’s Izzy. She's demanding we go down to the bar for drinks.” Jack sighs. 

“Oh, Izzy’s in San Diego?” You swallow roughly. Jack hanging out with her ex-girlfriend, totally normal and not something that should bother you.

“Yeah, apparently she’s here to visit some old friends-”

“I am! I didn’t even know you were in San Diego until Lewis mentioned it yesterday.” 

“-And ‘coincidentally’ ran into me today when I was getting coffee.”

“Ok, that was planned, but I knew you’d ignore my calls if I suggested we meet up. You’ve been surprisingly hard to contact the last couple of months.” Bitterness seeps into Izzy’s tone. 

“I’ll leave you to it. Have a good night, Jack.” 

“And you. Get some sleep. Breakfast at the Diner on Monday before work?” The hope radiating through Jack’s voice brings a smile to your face. 

“Sounds great,” Jack says one last bye before ending the call. You sigh, draining the remainder of your glass before switching your tv off and heading to bed. 

You try to ignore your swirling thoughts. Was Jack flirting with you tonight? Or was that just hopeful thinking and the effects of the wine. Izzy and Jack were barely friends and Jack had mentioned before that they were long over. That their relationship wasn’t much of a relationship anyway. You were surprised that they hadn’t been seeing each other though. Groaning you pushing your thoughts away. It was no use agonising over it all. Jack would be home in a few days and then everything would be back to normal. And normal was good. 

[paganinpurple]

Be Careful What You Wish For - Ch 7

Will Write For Coffee

Adrien and Nino find themselves in an alternate timeline where Hawkmoth never attacked and so the Miraculous heroes were never chosen. Discovering they have doubles in this universe, and that something strange is going on with the alternate Adrien has lead to an investigation. Things didn’t go to plan when Chat laid eyes on his long lost mother...

AO3

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6   Part 7

When she’d suddenly lost contact with Chat, the phone screen going black and the speaker frustrating silent, Marinette’s first instinct had been to get to him as quickly as she possibly could. The Agreste mansion was frustratingly far enough from her apartment that she couldn’t expect to get there safely on foot, and it’s not like there was any public transport running during the night, so she’d called a cab and grabbed for her bank card – dwindling money be damned. When they had arrived, the driver had asked three times if she wanted him to wait before finally departing, clearly not expecting the pyjama-clad young woman to be given entry to the famous family’s home at 4:32 on a Saturday morning. Given that she had no idea what sort of welcome she might be offered, or who might be the one to let her in (if she got in at all), she insisted he leave to avoid any more suspicious eyes catching sight of the heroes.

Steeling herself and preparing to scale the ominous-looking walls if she needed to, Marinette pressed the entry buzzer repeatedly, even jamming it down until she realised that it wasn’t designed to continue sounding that way and resorted to tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for some kind of response.

“Hello?” a tired and nervous sounding woman said from the intercom speaker.

“I want to see Chat,” Marinette demanded, hands wringing behind her back in an effort to release some of her nervous energy without giving away her fear to the camera pointed at her.

“Chat?” the voice asked before another voice sounded in the background, though not loud enough for her to discern words or even the gender of the speaker. “She is?” the woman quietly answered them before returning her attention to Marinette herself, “Please, come in. Quickly.”

There was a loud buzz as the gate in front of her swung inwards slightly, barely enough for a body to fit through, and it quickly swung back again the moment Marinette had slipped through the opening, causing her to jump. She quickly dashed to the front door, only jumping for a brief second when a hulking figure of a man opened it inward and gestured for her to come inside with a short jerk of his head.

She followed his silent instruction and found herself in the hallway of the most impressive home she had ever seen, her spike of panic simmering down to a mere discomfort when she spotted a transformed Master Fu gesturing to her from a nearby doorway.

Racing inside, she came across the most surreal scene she had ever set eyes on in her admittedly uninteresting life.

There was a strange sort of sitting area, descended into the floor of what she recognised as the atelier Chat Noir had been standing in when she had lost contact with him. And thereupon the pristine seating was Adrien, Carapace sitting beside him with a hand placed comfortingly on his shoulder as the man rested his face in his cupped palms, elbows leaning against his knees. Opposite him was Gabriel and Emilie Agreste, both looking nervous, but not frightened and both suddenly staring at her with shocked confusion.

Tearing her eyes from them, she looked at the dejected man lifting his face to see the new person who had entered. He was so utterly distraught that Marinette didn’t even need to think at all about whether or not it was really her place as she dashed down to meet him, both throwing their arms around one another tightly.

***

Adrien had no idea why she had been so willing to throw herself into potential danger to check on him, or why she was humouring his need for comfort now. Although, he was willing to admit the tight hug was welcome. More than welcome in fact, it was still a new step up from their recent level of closeness. He was confused but intensely thankful for her lack of issue with their newfound intimacy as he sobbed into the juncture between her neck and shoulder, his tears dripping down to drench her thin pyjama top.

As the worst of his sobs tapered off and awareness of the situation returned fully, he tensed a little. Marinette’s hand was still softly running through his hair, petting at the nape of his neck at times and the side of her face nuzzled into him ever so softly –but she was seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was doing this in front of everyone. The alternate versions of his parents were sitting opposite him and he was sure the two turtle-men and his alternate bodyguard were nearby. A suspicion quickly confirmed as he pulled back and looked around the room.

“Can someone get Marinette a robe or something, please?” he choked out, swiftly averting his eyes from her chest as the woman herself seemed to remember just how thin her sleepwear actually was and clamped her arms around herself in a mixture of embarrassment and the chill.

“Oh! Of course,” his alternate mother said in apparent horror at her sudden lack of hosting skills for such an insane situation, “Come with me, dear. I’ll get you one of mine.”

“Actually, I’d rather stay here with Adrien,” Marinette said with just a hint of awkwardness, “In case he needs me.”

Adrien felt his face warm with fierce adoration for the young woman who both was and wasn’t his wife. He eyed the lower lip she was chewing at awkwardly and fought down the desire to kiss her so that she wouldn’t be able to continue to mar the soft flesh. “Here,” he said suddenly, shrugging off the blue hoodie he was wearing and wrapping it around her shoulders, “you can wear this until mo- Mrs Agreste can find you something else.” He cleared his throat loudly in the hopes no one would notice his slip up.

“Thanks, but this’ll do – as long as you don’t mind.” He watched as she slipped her arms into the soft material, zipping up the front and sinking her shoulders down into the warmth he’d left behind. She smiled shyly at him and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear before tugging the hood over her head for extra heat.

“The gentlemen were just explaining the –frankly insane– situation to us before you arrived,” Gabriel interjected as if from nowhere, causing Marinette and Adrien to jump in surprise, “And as much as I would love to not believe them, I’ve seen some of their abilities now.”

“Not to mention, you’re the exact double of my son,” said Emilie.

“Of course, he is!” came a sudden shrill voice, “my dumb tomcat here may be many things, but he’s not a liar!”

“Hello, Plagg,” said Marinette sweetly, holding out a hand for him to land on.

Instead, he dropped himself onto her shoulder on the inside of the hoodie, his voice dropping low conspiratorially as he whispered in her ear, “Thank everything you’re here. I’m no good at this comforting bullshit. He’s an absolute mess and he needs you.”

“Be that as it may,” Gabriel continued, “it’s an incredibly difficult story to believe. I mean, superheroes? Villains?”

“Adrien actually getting to be his own person?”

“Plagg!” Adrien snapped.

“Okay, dudes! Maybe we should focus a bit?” Carapace said in an awkward attempt to keep the peace. Turning to the couple still dressed in nightclothes and robes he said, “So, we’ve told you our side. Don’t you think we ought to hear you tell us why your Adrien has a kwami flying round his head every night?”

The two looked at each other in some kind of silent discussion for a brief moment, Emilie’s eyebrows pulling together in a concerned manner, while Gabriel’s expression remained stern and unwavering. As several minutes passed, it was almost like she was trying to telepathically wear him down over something until finally, his face relaxed in defeat.

“Fine,” he said as his wife smiled warmly, “But first I need to make some calls. I have a feeling I’m not going to get any work done for the next few days now. And I need to find a task to distract Adrien from this – our Adrien, that is.”

“You could always, you know, tell him?” Adrien said with a frown. He felt as Marinette reached out and gripped his hand tightly, intertwining their fingers in a show of support. “He deserves to know about things going on in his own life as much as anyone else does.”

He was drastically unprepared for the look of victory that danced across his mother’s face as she glanced at his father. “Gabriel and I often have this exact argument,” she said.

“He wouldn’t understand,” he said back to her.

“As Adrien himself, I feel I have to tell you that it’s a miserable fucking existence when your father keeps you in the dark on things,” he snapped.

“And if you don’t tell him we will!”

Adrien raised his eyes to look at the woman beside him, hand still gripped tightly in his as she stood, towering over his seated father as if she was the powerhouse in the room and not the world-famous fashion designer she was raising her voice at.

“What the fuck?!”

As one unit every face in the room turned to the doorway, light from the risen sun pouring in through from the hallway and casting a dark shadow on the floor before the sudden intruder.

A sleep-tousled Adrien Agreste stood in the doorway gaping at them all.

Will Write For Coffee

[holly-hep]

The Beauty of Being Numb | Klaus Hargreeves x Reader

Warning: Drug use, alcohol abuse, swearing

Index

Chapter one: We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals

When someone knocked on the door that morning, (Y/N) had already been waiting in her room for hours. She had thought the best way to introduce herself to the siblings was to welcome them individually as soon as they entered the house.

But when she peeks up the stairs and sees a giant man with a serious face and watery eyes, she immediately backs away. She runs back to her room trying not to make too much noise, and locks herself, heart pounding like a drum.

-Miss (Y/N), are you all right?- Pogo asks as the girl tries to control her hasty breathing.

-Yes, I just think I’ll wait for Klaus to arrive. Maybe it will be easier for all of us when he’s here.

-Okay, miss- Pogo walks to the stairs-. Although I doubt it.

(Y/N) looks in the mirror for the hundredth time that day and sits in front of it, on the edge of her chair, to analyze her hair. She wasn’t used to tying it; she didn’t even like it, but right now it seemed like a wonderful idea. She tries to pick up her thick mane in a ponytail, but to her chagrin, she looks more scruffy; so she tries to do some braids. But as she’ve never done it before, she fails miserably at the task.

(Y/N) tiptoes to her door and slowly opens it, looking for Grace so she can help her. She doesn’t see her in her usual place, so she probably was downstairs with Pogo. She hurries to close the door after hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, a tall girl with curls emerging from them.

She is breathless. With someone as dazzling and elegant as that woman, she couldn’t present herself with what appeared to be a nest for hair.

-Miss (Y/N)- Pogo’s voice sounds again as she combs her hair-, Mr. Klaus has arrived.

She freezes, the comb sliding down her fingers and landing gently on her lap. Her cheeks turn red and hot, and her eyes glow. 

-Ummm... have they all arrived yet?

She presses her ear against the door, whispering.

-No, Miss Vanya’s missing.

-Great!- she was just buying time.- I’ll wait until she arrives... And then gather them in the living room, so I can talk to everyone.

-Yes, Miss.

She keeps trying to straighten her hair, but the more she brushes it, the more it fluffed and tangled. It was a nightmare. She just wants to make a good first impression, especially in the circumstances the family is going through.

She thinks it have only been a few minutes when Pogo suddenly opens her door.

-Miss (Y/N), everyone’s waiting for you in the living room.

-So fast?- she turns pale.

-Let’s go.

And without waiting for an answer, Pogo starts walking down the stairs. On edge, the girl picks up a tie-dye scarf hanging from one of her plants and follows the ape, trying to tie it around her hair.

They reach the ground floor and walk to the living room, where she can hear voices and the clink of glass. She stops behind one bookshelf, trying to make up an excuse not to show up.

-Miss Voss- Pogo spoke-, there’ll never be a good time to do this, so go and talk to them.

-I knew I’d have to introduce myself eventually, but I would have preferred Mr. Hargreeves to do it. This isn’t the best time to meet us.

Pogo sees her with stern eyes and points to the room, motioning for her to move.

-I can’t,- she is out of breath, her hands are sweating and her face burns-. If I just go in there, the tallest guy will kill me.

-All right, let me do it for you...

-What...?

Before the girl can finish the sentence, the chimpanzee was already walking towards the siblings, who are sitting in awkward silence.

-Children, there’s someone you must meet- Pogo turns to where (Y/N) was hiding and waits. 

-Ich kann dies tun (I can do this)- she whispers to herself as she shyly emerges from her hiding place.

When she comes out from behind the bookcase and the sunlight illuminates her body, she can see the siblings stiffen and adopt a defensive position.

-Good evening- her accent was thicker than she’d expected.

Her eyes scan the room, searching for a familiar face, desperately trying to rely on him. She stops at the bar where her old friend was pouring some kind of mixture into a glass; he haven’t even noticed her yet.

-My name is (Y/N) Voss- she hopes to be speaking understandable English-. Your father took me under his wing three years ago, and I’ve been living with him ever since. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.

She looks back at the bar, but he hasn’t even turned to look.

-And it’s good to see you again... Klaus- she almost shouts his name so he can hear her.

Klaus raises his head at the mention of his name and almost drops the bottle he was holding when his eyes focused on the source of the voice.

-(Y/N)?- He sounds impressed, but happy at the same time-. The (Y/N) Voss?

-The one and only.

-Hey!

Klaus puts what he is holding on the counter and goes to hug his friend with a wide smile.

-What are you doing here?- he’s amazed, looking at the woman in front of him-. Look at you, you shine like a goddess!

-Thank you. I like your skirt- she laughs when he turns in circles to model.

-It looks better on me than Alisson. It’s a little dated, I know, but it’s very... breathey on the bits.

-Wait!- the previous mention gets up-. Klaus, do you know her?

-Of course, sis! This...- He puts an arm around (Y/N) shoulders-, is my great friend and rehab sister, (Y/N) Voss, the most bohemian bitch since Stevie Nicks.

-Rehabilitation?- Diego asks worried-. Great, we could barely stand one junkie in this house and now we have to deal with another.

-Oh no, I stopped drugs years ago, I’ve been clean for almost four years, my medical record can confirm it. Your father had Grace study me every month since I arrived. Although I can’t say the same for Klaus- she turnes to see him with worried eyes as she takes his wrist-. You just got out of rehab again.

-What can I say, love?- he turnes and goes back to the bar-. I’m a lost cause. By the way, how did you get here?

-I came looking for you three years ago. I got in some trouble- she admits embarrassed- and had nowhere to go. Then I remembered you gave me your address the day you left rehab.

-Which kind of trouble?- Luther asks, distrustful.

-Let’s just say some people have a special interest in my talents.

-Talents?- Diego is as irritated as Luther.

-Oh, you must see what this girl can do!- Klaus sits down beside Vanya with a cup and a bottle full of liquor-. Love, show them.

She turns to see Pogo for approval and the chimp nods. (Y/N) then closes her eyes and when she opens them again, her orbs have turned yellow. To the amazement of the siblings, they all hear a male voice coming from the stairs and seconds later, the reason they are all reunited there enters the room:

-Dad!?- Luther almost screamed. 

-What the fuck?- Diego stands up, impressed.

-Isn’t it amazing!- Klaus points at the man, still holding the bottle-. You can even touch it!

-What?- Alisson stares at her father with confused eyes.

-Miss (Y/N) can create illusions- Pogo walks to her-. Her illusions are so realistic, you can touch, hear, smell, and even taste them.

-She also controls emotions- Klaus takes a sip of his cup-. She can make you fall in love with her in a blink of an eye, literally.

-But I have to touch the person first- (Y/N)’s eyes are still shinning-. Besides, it’s more like an exchange: I give an emotion, and I absorb what the other person was feeling before.

-So you’re like us- the illusion disappears as Luther speaks.

-Of course she’s like us! Why would Dad take her in if not?- Diego is angry.

-I can’t believe he found another one- Vanya is upset but tries to dissimulate it.

-He didn’t found another- Alisson scuffed-. She just showed up at the door and he took the opportunity.

-And are you staying?- Vanya asks-. I mean, Dad’s no longer here.

-Mr. Hargreeves was very clear about letting Miss (Y/N) stay in the house even after his death. She was included in his will like you all.

-She can keep the entire house if she wants- Diego mentions-. I don’t think anyone here wants it... Except for One, maybe.

-I think we have a priority problem here- Luther stands in the middle of the room as (Y/N) sits down on the floor, between Klaus’s legs-. First, what are we doing with Dad?

Everyone looks at him confused.

-I mean... I figured we could have a sort of memorial service in the courtyard at sundown. Say a few words, just at Dad’s favourite spot.

-Dad had a favourite spot?

-Oh, yeah- answers (Y/N) with a smile-. Under the oak tree, we used to read there all the time. Sometimes we even had tea.

Luther looks at her irritated. He considered that a special spot for him and his father. Now this stranger was stealing it from him.

-Right.

-Will there be refreshments?- Klaus is braiding his friend’s hair, a cigarette between his lips. (Y/N) feels like in a dream. She have missed him so much that having him so closed felt surreal-. Tea? Scones? Cucumber sandwiches are always a winner.

-What? No- Luther is about to lose his patience-. And put that out. Dad didn’t allow smoking in here. Now listen up, there are some important things we need to discuss, all right?

-Like what?

-Like the way he died.

-And here we go- Diego starts playing with a knife.

-I don’t understand- (Y/N) thinks Vanya’s voice was like the one of a deer in the lights-. I thought they said it was a heart attack.

-Yeah, according to the coroner.

-Well, wouldn’t they know?

-Theoretically.

-Theoretically?- Allison asks in a mocking tone.

-I’m just saying, at the very least, something happened. The last time I talked to Dad, he sounded strange.

-Oh, quelle surprise!- (Y/N) laughs at the comment.

-Strange how?

-He sounded on edge. Told me I should be careful who to trust.

Luther looks at (Y/N) with suspicion, and the others follow. The girl is too distracted enjoying the feeling of Klaus’s fingers on her skin to notice, but her friend does.

-Hey, don’t you dare point a finger at (Y/N). She’s a ray of sunshine. Just look at her- he hugs her-. She won’t even kill a bug, she’s vegan.

-Your father was a very kind man to me, why would I even want to hurt him?

-Miss (Y/N) had a close relationship with Mr. Hargreeves, she was very affected by his death- Pogo defends her.

-Luther- Diego stands up, bored-. He was a paranoid, bitter old man who was starting to lose what was left of his marbles. Besides, if junkie no. 2 here had tried to harm him, don’t you think Mom would have stopped her?

-He must have known something was going to happen- Luther keeps insisting, then turns to Klaus-. Look, I know you don’t like to do it, but I need you to talk to Dad.

Klaus looks at him with a raised eyebrow while Alisson scoffs. 

-I can’t just call Dad in the afterlife and be like, “Dad, could you just... Stop playing tennis with Hitler for a moment and take a quick call?”

-Since when?- Luther is upset-. That’s your thing. Unless you are trying to protect someone.

-I didn’t kill Sir Reginald- (Y/N) is a bit hurt.

-No! It’s just that I’m not in the right... frame of mind!

-You’re high?- Alisson states. 

-Yeah!- he smiles at her-. Yeah! I mean, how are you not, listening to this nonsense?

-Well, sober up, this is important- Luther points at (Y/N)-. You, can’t you make him feel better so he can talk to our Dad?

-I could, but I’m not forcing Klaus to do something he hates.

-Thanks, love- he kisses her on the forehead and she can’t help but smile.

-Do you know at least where is Dad’s monocle?- Luther is getting more violent towards her.

-Who gives a shit about a stupid monocle?- Diego whispers. 

-Exactly- Luther’s still looking at (Y/N)-. It’s worthless. So whoever took it, I think it was personal. Someone close to him. Someone with a grudge or interest.

-Where are you going with this?- even though he tends to be happy while high, Klaus is getting mad at his brother.

-Oh, isn’t it obvious, Klaus?- Diego interrupts-. He thinks your girlfriend killed Dad... Or one of us, perhaps.

-I’m not his girlfriend- (Y/N) whispers with a red face-. And I didn’t kill Mr. Hargreeves.

-Wait, one of us?- Alisson glares at him.

-How could you think that?- Vanya is offended. 

-Great job, Luther. Way to lead- Diego mocks him before leaving the room.

-That’s not what I’m saying...

-You’re crazy, man. You’re crazy- Klaus stands up and takes (Y/N) hand and the bottle-. Crazy.

-I’ve not finished.

-Okay, sorry, We’re just gonna go murder Mom. We’ll be right back.

-That’s not what I was saying- Luther tries to apologize- I didn’t...

But Vanya, Klaus, and (Y/N) leave the room, leaving him alone with Alisson.

[missblissy]

Can you please write something where low honor Arthur, who doesn’t want any kids, ends up getting his s/o pregnant? Actually I don’t know if you take requests for low honor Arthur, feel free to ignore me if you don’t

((I would love to do this!! This is gonna be super angsty though, >:) I live to cause pain. Thank you for asking!! Enjoy the story!!))

Everything was cold. The air, your skin, the wall you were leaning on. Cold and unloving, unforgiving and unfair. Nothing in the world felt warm or kind. Not anymore at least. You could barely understand the situation, despite how simple it was. You let out a heavy sigh, looking up at the storm clouds forming overhead. Saint-Denis was busy as always, even with such a dark cloud growing above it.

It felt like that cloud was yours. It was there to thunder loudly and rain even more on your already awful day. Raindrops sprinkled down slowly, moving in the wind that picked up and tangled your hair. Dread grew like a wildfire inside your heart and mind, your thoughts blazed hot as you tried your best to not cry in public.

What were you going to do? Life was never very kind to you, to begin with. You grew up on the streets as an orphan. You became a criminal and was welcomed with open arms into a gang. You were still in that gang, Dutch Van der Linde’s wild world opened you up to an opportunity not many like you had. That was all very much about to change. You walked the sidewalks as the rain grew heavier and harder. It wasn’t long before you were soaked from head to toe. At least this way no one could see the few tears escaping from your hollow eyes.

There wasn’t much to explain. Simply put, you were pregnant. And so you were pregnant with a child you didn’t really want, nor did anyone really want. Especially the man responsible for this. You had no idea who to turn too. Honestly, you were pretty set in the idea that you’d run into the woods and starve to death. You were not fit to be anybody’s mother. You were an outlaw, a wanted criminal, and a bit of a reckless fool. That’s what got you here in the first place.

“(Y/N)!” You snapped out of your thought, looking around in the rain for who was calling out to you. It was Hosea, he had brought you Saint-Denis and you totally forgot he was waiting for you in a bar a few streets down from the doctor’s office. He was waving at you, trying to get you to walk over under the terrace and out of the rain.

You looked around, noticing the street was completely empty. You ran across the brick road and towards Hosea. He gave you a smile, completely unaware of the dire situation. 

“No good books?” He asked you. For a second you were confused, but then you remembered the lie you told him earlier. You said you wanted to get some books, and used that to cover up the fact you went to see a doctor to confirm your suspicions. 

“Oh-... No,” You took a free hand and swiped away the mixture of tears and rain, “Not today,” You sounded very defeated and somber, “Nothing good today,”

Hosea picked up on your poor mood, “They’ll be more books, (Y/N),” He put a hand on your shoulder as he guided you to walk with him, “No need to sound so disappointed. I’m sure Dutch has something you can read too.” His kindness was toxic. This made it very hard for your fragile mind to handle. He started to walk inside the little shabby saloon but you stopped. Something told you not to go inside, that you’d make it a much more awful day if you gave into the depression swelling in your heart.

When you didn’t follow him in, Hosea looked back at you with a question as he raised his brows, “Something wrong, (Y/N)?”

Thunder cascaded down like a sonic boom right above the city. You barely flinched as the lighting flicker in the sky. Biting your lip and staring hard at the ground, you just shook your head, “I can’t...”

Confused, Hosea step closer and asked, “You can’t?”

As your lip started to quiver and the shooting pain swelled in your through, you couldn’t stop the sob that rolled from your chest like you were dying, “I can’t go in there, I’ll be.. I’ll be an awful person... if I do,” You started to sob, each hiccup matching the rain behind you. It was like you were the sky itself, crying out in pain and fear.

Hosea rushed to pull you closer to the building and further away from the street and rain. He didn’t talk you inside the saloon but you stood in front of one of the windows, “(Y/N). Hey- hey now, what’s gotten into you, (Y/N)?”

There was no point keeping it a secret. You’d be found out no matter what in due time. You dug the palms of your hands into your eyes as you sobbed, “Hosea... Hosea, I’m pregnant. I’m pregnant- and.. an-and... and it’s Arthur’s. I know- I know... I know it’s his.” You were to busy rubbing your tears away to see the astonishment on Hosea’s face. He was always nice to you, ever since you were a kid. He was more of a father to you than Dutch. If there was anyone you could talk to, it was surely Hosea.

He understood where you were coming from. His face dropped and he said, “Oh, (Y/N),” He took a deep breath, “I’m... This truly is worth being disappointed over,” He looked around, the rain didn’t seem like letting up anytime soon. He lightly grabbed your arm, “Let’s go inside anyways, get you dry, alright?” You just nodded your head and followed him into the bar.

It was small and musty inside, with only a handful of people. There was a spot in the back were you and Hosea sat down. The bartender came over, asking if you wanted anything. Hosea kindly turned him away with a smile.

You tried your best not to cry, it was embarrassing. You felt so lost and weak, you truly felt like you were at the dead end of your life.

“You’ll be alright,” Hosea told you from across the small round table, “I’m sure we can find a way to work this out- You know Abigal can really hel-”

You cut Hosea off with a sharp and quick, “No,” You let out a small sob, and covered your mouth, as if the whisper you let out was from the devil himself, “I don’t want it. I don’t want this baby.” You really didn’t. You weren’t that young, you didn’t know how to be a mother. You were not fit to be a mother either. Arthur surely wasn’t going to help you, you knew that for a fact. When you started.... getting involved with him, you both made it very clear that your relationship was purely physical. Nothing more than that. 

It was definitely a lie at this point that you didn’t have feelings for him in some way shape or form. You definitely cared about him, but you wouldn’t say you loved him. He was, in fact, far worse than you. Over the course of the years, especially now, Arthur had become more and more of a... well... He wasn’t a good man. He was in the same boat as you. 

“What do I do?” You finally asked Hosea. You felt awful because here you were with a life growing inside you and you just wanted to get rid of it. Would you really though? You had no idea what to do.

Hosea nodded his head slowly, he was far more understanding about this than you thought he’d originally been, “Well... You can do everything in your power to kill the child before it’s born. It’s... not the most... It’s not the nicest way and a lot of people will tell you to go to hell, but that’s your decision at the end of the day.” He was right, this wasn’t the nicest option, but it was an option, “Or you... you can wait and wait until the day the child is born and leave them in an orphanage, also not very nice.” No, that's exactly what happened to you. There was no way in hell that you’d do that, you knew how awful it was to be an orphan left to basically die on the doorsteps of a home for children.

You took a deep breath, shaky and wheezy, “Or... I keep it,” You felt bad calling it an it but you didn’t have any other names at the moment.

“That is the last option,” Hosea nodded his head, “I’m sure the gang wouldn’t mind.”

You shook your head quickly while rubbing the snot out from under your nose, “I can’t stay in the gang- I can’t... I can’t be around Arthur.”

That what the other thing scaring you. You really didn’t want to get him involved. You knew how he felt about the topic already, it only felt right to keep him in the dark.

Thank God that Hosea understood your pain, he seemed to agree with you on that, “Arthur has already had this happen to him before, he didn’t want to be a father then, nothing will make him want to be a father now. I’m really sorry, (Y/N), but you chose the worst person to mess around with. The man is so broken, he’s... Arthur really isn’t worth your time, dear. You could do so much better than that empty-headed thug.”

You shrugged and shook your head, “I don’t love him, not really. I mean... I care about him. We grew up together, you and Dutch raised us to be the perfect outlaws,” The poor joke caused a brief chuckle between the two of you. You looked out the tiny window across the bar, seeing the rain had started to let up. You felt barely better, but you felt as though you had a clearer mind.

“Are you going to leave then?” Hosea finally asked the big question. At the moment, your answer was yes. But you knew when the time came to actually leave, you might not be able to do it. You stubbornly didn’t want to give up the only life you knew, but at the same time, you already made that to leave when you decided to fool around with Arthur. The risk was there, you knew it, but it’s hard to say no when temptation was so nice to say yes too.

Finally, after several minutes of mulling it all over, you nodded your head, “Yeah... Yes. I need too,”

“And that means keeping the child?”

You nodded your head, saying, “Yes... Maybe. I won’t... I won’t be so terrible and force a miscarriage. When it’s born... I’ll decide if I can leave them in an orphanage or not. It depends. If I can get away now and secure a better life, then maybe I’ll be a mother. But I will not raise this child in a gang, or living on the run, or in any other place that isn’t right to raise a kid.”

Hosea had a little smile twitch on his face, “You already sound like a mother,” He said lightly. It honestly made you feel... better, “But you have to know how hard it is to raise a child on our own. Even if it is Arthur’s wouldn’t you want the help of others?”

“Honestly,” You tangled your fingers together, holding your hands and ringing them nervously, “I just need money. A good amount of money and I think I’d be okay. Maybe a how-to book too.” It felt good to let the corner of your lips curl into the smallest smile as you and Hosea shared another light chuckle.

The rain had finally stopped and so you and Hosea left and headed back to Shady Belle. The rider there was silent, but in a comforting way, It gave you time to think about what to do next. You made up your mind to leave tonight. Hosea said he’d talk to Dutch and explain the situation as best he could, he even said he’d steal some camp funds for you to be on your way.

You had your own tent pitched behind the farmhouse of Shady Belle. You beelined to get there as quickly as you could while Hosea worked some magic. You started taking everything down, ignoring the stares and silent questions. You made sure to pack everything as neatly and tightly as you could.

Eventually, someone came over to ask you what was going on, and why you were packing your things up. That someone, was Arthur, of course, the most curious about you and your actions.

He’d also be lying if he said didn’t care about you. Though the feeling was mutual, he didn’t love you like a lover would, but he did love you for the simple fact that you’ve been in his life for so long. You could remember when Dutch and Hosea stole you away from the orphanage shortly after they stole Arthur away from the streets. It wasn’t long before the picked up John too. What a dysfunctional family this was.

While you folding up the last of your close, Arthur came over and stood there, watching you without saying a thing. This was the first time you’ve seen in three days. And the last time you spoke to him was almost a week ago. You had already started distancing yourself from him. At least he didn’t seem to mind, and he wasn’t being clingy about it. That was good.

“Can I help you?” You asked him without turning away from your work.

“I think I should be the one asking you that,” He retorted. He stood there with his arms crossed like he was your boss or something.

“No, I don’t need any help,” You put your last shirt into the small suitcase you had and slammed it closed and latched it shut.

“Where are you going?” Arthur asked the question everyone was wondering. It was obvious that you were packing your things up to leave, “How long will you be gone?” Like he honestly cared? No. You didn’t believe he did.

You had nearly packed everything. You wondered if you had enough room on your horse for everything. You didn’t have a lot, just a suitcase and two bags and a tent rolled up, “I don’t know,” You lied to him, “Not sure,” it wasn’t that much of a lie. You had a vague idea that you’d be heading north.

“So you don’t know where you’re going? You’re just... packing up and leaving? And you don’t know when you’ll be back?” He had some nerve to give you the attitude that was laced in his voice.

You finally stood up straight and snapped around to look at him, “What does it matter to you?” You felt a wild rage flare up inside you. This was just as much as his fault that you had to do this.

“It matters when I see someone packing up and leaving, especially when it’s someone whos been here twice as long as everyone else. So are you coming back or not?” It was very obvious that you were leaving and clearly, you didn’t have the intention coming back, so why was he asking.

“Arthur,” You started, “I’m leaving, and that’s it. I don’t need to explain myself to you,” You walked past him as you piled your last bag together with the others.

“I think you do,” He said, which irritated you, “I don’t think Dutch would take lightly to you leaving eith-”

You cut him off, snapping, “Dutch already knows! And he doesn’t care! So you should stop caring too!” You pointed a finger at him, glaring, and angrier than you should have been, “Go back to getting drunk and shooting people for fun!” 

For a second, it looked like you hurt him. He winced at your words ever so slightly. That was quickly replaced with a wave of anger all his own, “What the hell has gotten into you? Where is your sense of loyalty? You’re just running away, huh?”

God, why did he have to make this so hard, “Because. Arthur. I’m leaving, and I’m not coming back. Why do you even care? We aren’t married, we only fucked a few times and all of a sudden it’s like you own me! I’m my own person, I can come and go as I please, and I plan on going and going far away from here and you!” Everyone in camp was either watching your listening in at the point. Not every day did they get to see drama like this.

You grabbed onto your two bags, quickly walking away and to your horse. Arthur was just as quick to follow you. He could have been nice and grabbed the only bag you had left but, no. He was more concerned about himself, or about you but... in a selfish way.

“So this gang means nothing to you? Everything we’ve done and it’s just... nothing?”

Why couldn’t he leave you alone? Jesus! You rushed back to get your last bag and of course, Arthur followed you. This was embarrassing, you wished you could have just slipped away in the night. 

As you grabbed your last bag, Arthur tried taking it from you, “Go away!” You yelled at him, “Fuck off, Arthur! I’m nothing to you! You know I am. Everything is nothing to you!” You kept your bag out of his reach, “You’re just an awful man! How many times this month did we break you out of jail? How many corpses did you rob today? How many people did you steal from? You use to be so good, you used to have morals. Now you just don’t care. So fuck off! I don’t need you, I don’t need your help, I don’t owe you anything and I don’t need to tell you why I’m leaving. So just fuck off!!”

Finally it got through to him that you weren’t going to give into his demands. He stood there, stunned by the sheer venom dripping off each of your words. He didn’t say anything, he just glared at you for a second before turning away and stomping off like a child.

Once you saw his back, you let out a breath you didn’t relaize you were holding. You noticed Dutch and Hosea standing on the steps of the farmhouse. You looked around and everyone was staring at you. The urge to cry was strong, but you swallowed it down and went over to Hosea.

“(Y/N)-” Hosea started but Dutch cut him off.

“I’ll talk to him,” He said, “Be well, girl,” He put a hand on your shoulder as he passed you and he gave you this knowing look. He understood what was going on and gave you his blessing to leave and do what was right for you and your unborn child.

You turned to Hosea, he held out a stack of cash. There was a lot there, “This should be enough to help your for a month or two,” You took the cash and stuck it into your back pocket.

“Thank you... Thank you so much, Hosea,” You shared a brief hug with him, thanking him one more time.

As you mounted your horse, you tried not to look back. You most didn’t look back because you didn’t want anyone to see you crying, but at the same time you didn’t want to hold onto the people you were leaving behind. You thought that the sooner you got out of here and the sooner you started a new life, the more better off you’d be for you and your child. Maybe one day you could come back, far off in the future. You tied not thinking about it, setting your eyes on the horizon and a future you weren’t sure you’d survive. 

[selfship-uncharted]

The Fugitive part IV - Just for a moment

part I - part II - part III - part IV - part V - part VI - 

part VII - part VIII - part IX - part X -  part XI - part XII  - part XIII - part XIV

A/N: Thank you so much again for your support and feedback! I hope you will enjoy this chapter too! A/N2: English is not my first language. Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Reader Warnings: a little of violence, come on, it’s the wild west Words: 2,143 Tags: @asiramhera , @missdictatorme, @zoilalove213

"I wonder, what are you writing every night in that notebook of yours?" "None of yar business, kid" "I noticed you sketch a lot." You continue ignoring his rudeness. "I would love to see them." He didn't answer. "I actually sketch a lot too. When I was back home, of course. It helped me to get away from my father." "Ya could use it to get away from yar husband. And now shut up." He added with a lack of sensitivity. You shut up, not because he ordered you but because he made you remember your fate when you will get home. "Do... Do you mind if I walk?" You asked him troubled. You didn't wait for his answer that you jumped down from the horse, although it was still walking. You fell on your hands but you didn't care. Actually now, you didn't care about anything. You were near Saint-Denis, you knew that maybe tomorrow you would be there, at your father's house with that fiancé of yours. And who knows how long before you married him. A shiver ran down your spine just thinking of the wedding night. That greasy man naked over you, touching you with those big dirty hands, kissing you with that disgusting mouth... And to say he would be your first man makes you sick. You held yourself strongly trying to erase those pictures of you and him. "Hey, what's the matter?" Arthur asked worriedly. "Could you for once call me by my name? It's always 'hey' 'you' 'kid' 'girl', I have a name you know?" You protested frustrated. Arthur was taken aback. It was the first time you talk to him like that. "Did I say anything wrong... hum... Y/N?" He paused before saying your name like it was difficult for him to say it or something. No, it wasn't him that bothered you or maybe yes, since he was the one to take you back. It was all, how helpless you were in front of your future, being unable to change it. "I'm sorry, Y/N... I didn't mean to offend you..." He tried to apologize, he made the horse go slowly by your side. "Come on, get on the horse, ki... Y/N." "It's not you, ok?" You turned at him dismissing him. "I- I just need to think..." Arthur stopped the horse giving you some distance, but he followed you close with his hand near the lasso in case he needed it. "Did ya end thinkin'?" Asked you Arthur after a while of walking behind you. "We should continue our way, or we will never reach Saint-Denis." "As a matter of fact the only one of the two of us who wants to go to Saint-Denis it's you." You stated. "So, if you want to continue your journey alone you are welcome." "Ha, ha, very funny." He answered with an attempt of being sarcastic. "Now, mount." He spurred the horse to make it walk in front of you and stopped there looking you fiercely. "Did you heard that?" You asked him stopping suddenly. Arthur shook his head but kept staring at you with suspicion. "I heard someone... Calling for help." You added. In the distance someone was yelling from pain, you followed the voice into the forest. While you ran into the forest you heard two shots that startled you. "Y/N, wait!" Arthur shouted concerned about the gunfire. Arthur followed you with the horse until you found a man with his leg trapped in a steel-jaw holding a gun. "Oh, thank goodness you are here! The wolves came from nowhere and I got trapped while escaping from them!" Said the man when he saw you. "Please, help me?" You got close to him and look at his wound, it was bad, really bad. "Step aside, kid." Ordered you, Arthur. "I mean- Y/N..." Added clearing his throat. You chuckled. "You know, it's not like you have to overuse my name now." He looked at you confused. "I'm going to fetch the horse." You announced him. "Just take care of his leg." Arthur looked at the hunter while he took the steel-jaw. "Women..." He sighed opening the trap. When he did the hunter cried in pain but also of relief. He was grateful to be released. You were trying to get the hunter's horse but every time you went near it stepped away. "Seriously, will you stay still, please??" You begged the animal. A shadow moved on your right while you were concentrated with the horse. "Y/N!" Shouted Arthur warning you but it was too late you didn't have time to react a wolf appeared from nowhere jumped at you making you fall on the ground. You tried to get it out of you but it was too strong. You felt the breath of the animal on your face. You fought him as you could. Trying to protect your face and neck with your arms. You screamed of pain when you felt its claws piercing your skin. Arthur drew his gun and shot killing it, making it fell dead on you. Other wolves appeared attacking Arthur and the hunter but Arthur shot at them fast enough before it could happen anything. You removed that dead weight of you covered in a mixture of its blood and yours. "Ya alright?" Asked you Arthur concerned checking your face. "Yes... I think..." You were trembling, that sudden attack frightened you, those animals were ferocious, you never saw one that close. "Shit..." You looked at your right arm full of blood, your hand was trembling being unable to realize how bad you were injured. "Did it bite you?" Asked Arthur worried taking your arm examining the wound. "I don't know..." your voice trembled. Arthur whistled to his horse to make it come, he took the canteen from it and poured the water on your arm cleaning the wound to see how bad it was. You closed your eyes in pain feeling the stinging. "It ain't no good, kid. You might need some stitches." He took his scarf from his neck and bandaged your arm. "I'll take you to a doctor." You nodded with a worried look. "You will survive." Arthur calmed you. He helped you to get on your feet and carried you on his horse. "Wait, here." He ordered. Arthur went to look for the hunter's horse. He slowly got near the horse shushing him, saying nice words to him until he gained its trust to take the reins. Arthur went near the hunter and helped him to get on his horse. "Is it bad?" he asked concerned about your injury. "I dunno know..." answered Arthur. "I'll take her to a doctor to check it on." "I'm so sorry, it was all my fault." he apologized. "It's okay man." Arthur patted the hunter horse. "Anyway, thank you so much for saving me. I hope it won't be nothing." The hunter turned to look at you and raise your hand to say goodbye. You smiled at him and nodded. The hunter spurred his horse and went away. Arthur came back to you, you were holding your arm in pain a cold sweat running down your forehead. "Ya good?" He asked you sitting behind you. "It hurts a little..." you whispered. "And it keeps bleeding..." The scarf that Arthur used it was soaked red from your blood. Arthur spurred his horse and went to look for the nearest town. On the way you were tilting side to side being unable to stand for yourself, your wound kept bleeding and you started to feel dizzy. "Hey! Stay with me, kid!" Arthur shook your shoulder to wake you up. "It's all right, we are nearly there..." Afraid that you might fall from the horse he brought you to him to lean on his chest and secure you with circling his arm on your waist. "It's okay..." you weakly whispered. "it's nothing..." "That's right, Y/N. Talk to me." he insisted. "Ya always 've many things to say, tell me about all of them, don't fall asleep." "I don't want to talk now... I'm sleepy... in any way... you don't even care...." "No, don't, don't fall asleep! Y/N!" You slowly opened your eyes not being able to recognize the wooden ceiling over you. You gradually sat down on a bed you weren't familiar at all. When you moved, your arm ached. It was properly bandaged this time and no trace of blood but your hand was numb when you close it the wound ached. The sleeve from your shirt was completely ripped, you guessed it was made to heal your wound easily. But where were you? The strong snore made you turned your face and see Arthur sitting on a chair beside your bed sleeping deeply with his hat covering his face. The door opened and an old man entered the room, he looked surprised o see you. "So, you are awake." He said. "I'm Dr. Thomas Dawson." You timidly nodded to him presenting yourself. He took a stool and sat in front of you. "Let me take a look on your wound." You gave him your arm and he removed the bandage revealing three scratches with stitches in your arm. The view shocked you. "It looks okay." said the doctor. "In a week you will be able to remove the stitches. I will give you an ointment to avoid having any scar. It would be a pity in a young lady those horrible scars." You bent your head being called a lady troubled you. You turned to Arthur who was still sleeping. "He has spent the night looking for you." Explained de doctor. "He was quite worried. The poor fellow. He brings you here in his arms, you were unconscious, you lost a lot of blood. Thankfully the wound wasn't infected." He got up. "You better take a rest too." And left you the both of you alone in the room. Arthur was still sleeping deeply if it was true he spent the night looking for you he might be exhausted, so you let him sleep a little more. Your eyes roamed to him to his bag where his notebook slightly stuck out from the bag. Very tempting. You could just take a look or two, if he didn't know it he wouldn't care. Not making any sound you got near him ready to grab it, but Arthur started moving waking up so you sat down on your bed pretending nothing happened. He lifted his hat from his eyes and stretched his muscles. He scrubbed his eyes and then looked at you. "Ya awake?" he asked. "How ya doin'?" "I'm fine," you answered gulping. Arthur looked at your arm, you showed it to him. "I know a fella who got ones too," he said referring to your scratches. "But it was in his face, made him uglier." He smirked. He rested in silence for a second but not having any reaction from you he got up. "Was that a joke?" you tilt your head to look at him with a naughty smile. Arthur didn't answer, he put his hat corretly aparently embarrased and dismissing you he added: "Let's go find you a shirt and let's go from this town." Once you get your new shirt you went to the stables where Arthur was waiting for you to continue your journey. Arthur motioned you to get on the horse. "Arthur..." you started. He looked at you not really interested. "Hum... thank you." you let out. Now he looked at your curious. "I... the doctor said you took care of me all night." "It ain't nothing, ki... Y/N." he said looking at his horse holding its saddle, somehow he looked embarrassed. You took his hand from the saddle to make him look at you. "I really mean it." you insisted. "Also, I... I didn't want to yell at you the other day... it wasn't fair. I was angry but it wasn't your fault." Arthur stared at you and bring the hand you were holding to your cheek. "It's okay, girl." He appeased you. "Your hands are rough." you smiled. "Sorry." He apologized but he doesn't sound like he really meant it. "Yar skin is too delicate." You chuckled. "I actually like them." You smiled at him. "Ya'r weird, girl." He complained "Maybe..." You come close to him and rested your head on his chest. "What ya doin'?" Arthur asked even more confused. "Just... For a moment... Please..." You begged him closing your eyes. Arthur sighed, somehow he felt you were not okay, that you were worried. He guessed it was because he was bringing you back home and you didn't want. But he couldn't do anything about it, it was his job to take you back, nothing more. He couldn’t get involved with you in any way.

[beefybuffybucky]

The Reunion

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female!Reader - Avengers x female!Reader

Request: Hey Bae 😚 would you like to do an imagine where you were Buckys wife in the 40s and after he got taken by Hydra you went through the same fate. Now 70 years later they found you during a mission captured and take you to the compound. Bucky feels overly happy but fears you won't recognise him, but you do. So over the time you slowly get along with the new life and also your feelings for Buck didn't change, you just experience a more intense love life 😉 this would be great & some smut hehe -anon

Warnings: Smut/NSFW (18+) - fingering and oral (female receiving) - some language - a wee bit o’ angst

Word Count: 3.6K

A/N: College is really stressful and I’ve had such a bad mental week, it’s been great. Any ways, here’s some good ol’ smut! There’s plenty more where this came from, so I hope it’s what you were searchin’ for. Requests/asks are still open, so feel free to drop somethin’!

Bucky’s P.O.V.

Y/N. Her name was Y/N.

It’s missions that this that remind me of her. The flakes falling around us bitterly kiss my face as Steve and I trudge through endless mounds of snow, heading for the large, rusted metal door embedded in the rough stone of the mountain. This is where I was kept under HYDRA control - where my previous life has ended and this new one began.

Y/N was my comfort - she kept me grounded. We had first met during a night-out in the city. I had convinced Stevie to go to a club with me, and she was the first woman I saw when I stepped into the dim room. We spent the whole night drinking and chatting, and by the end of the night, I knew she was the one that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with - I just never knew our time together would be so short.

“Buck,” Steve’s stern voice shuts-down my thoughts. “Are you ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I sigh, gripping the machine gun in my hands tightly. Steve pulls out a small device from his pocket and attaches it to the lock on the door. A gradual beeping echoes through the frozen air and a quick, bright flash of light follows. I shield my face as bits of metal and other pieces of the lock shoot from the door. Steve grabs his shield off his back as he pulls open the door, nearly tearing it off the hinges.

“Let’s go,” Steve nods towards the entrance and disappears into the dark stairwell. The heavy smell of must and old, stale metallic air attacks my senses. Memories of the past begin to flood into my mind as we step into the elevator leading down to the lower level. The last time I was here, the Avengers had been falling apart, and I lost my arm...Again. After a while, the team was able to make-up, everything went back to normal, and I even got another arm from Tony. About a month ago, we got some word about possible HYDRA activity at the old base where I was held. Most of the team were gone on other missions, so Steve and I were assigned to the mission. The goal is to basically sweep the building and clear any suspicions about HYDRA whereabouts.

The elevator coming to a stop jolted me from my trance, and the door painstakingly creaks open, revealing a large room full of scrap metal and destroyed machinery. The only sound I could hear was a low, distant humming and our boots shufflings across the dusty cement floor. A soft, weak light being cast from across the room catches my attention and I tap Steve’s shoulder, pointing the gun towards it. His expression hardens as we cross the room and he prepares himself for what we may encounter.

Another smaller, ancient door blocks most of the light - all it takes it one quick hit from Steve’s shield to send the door flying off its hinges. The faint, yellow light radiates from a pod pushed against the wall at the other side of the room.

“Is that a…,” Steve lowers his defense as confusion softens his features.

“Another cryo-pod,” my chest tightens at my own words. I slowly walk passed Steve, my feet resistant to move at first. I sling the gun across my back as I near the pod. Thin wisps of icy air whirl from the bottom of it, and as I step up to the glass casing, I can make out the faint outline of a body. A small panel of controls is to my right, and I instinctively reach for it as my heart-rate begins to quicken.

“Bucky? What are you -”

Steve’s voice is cut off by a loud whirring sound as I hit one of the buttons on the panel, opening the containment pod. It slowly lifts, a thick stream of icy wisps cascading over the edge of the platform. The figure inside is completely still, but a faint, rhythmic heartbeat sounds out over the room. As the glass finally slides away completely, I manage to get a clear view of the figure lying dormant inside. Most of their face is covered by a mask, but it’s obviously a woman.

Stepping carefully onto the platform, I grab onto the edge of the pod for balance and cautiously reach for the mask. My hand stalls as something stings in my heart. The way her hair falls messily around her face and the softness of the skin around her closed eyes remind me of Y/N.

“Are you okay? What is it? Who is she?”

“Any more questions, Stevie?” I shoot over my shoulder. I turn my attention back to the woman and gently unclasp the mask from her face, letting it tumble to the floor. My heart stops as my chest floods with an odd mixture of fear and horror.

She looks exactly like Y/N. Everything about her features is the same.

“Y/N,” I breathe out through my teeth.

“Bucky? What’s wrong? What are you -” Steve’s voice hitches as he comes to a halt behind me. I don’t need to turn around to know that his face is twisted in confusion and fright. “It...It can’t be. She looks like -”

“Y/N,” I finish for him, my voice shaking with emotion. “It’s Y/N.”

“I still can’t believe it’s her,” Steve pants as we run down the hallway towards the elevator. About thirty seconds ago, we got word that Y/N was finally awake. After we found her, we called in for backup and Tony and Bruce met us with another jet with medical supplies to care for her. She’s been asleep for only a few days - which is better than not at all - and as soon as we got the call from Banner, I grabbed Steve and here we are, running for the nearest way down to the clinical level. My heart is bursting with excitement, but my mind is shrouded in uncertainty.

What if she doesn’t remember me?

My thought almost made me stumble over my own feet, but I managed to keep my balance as we slowed near the elevator. The ride down felt like an eternity, and when the doors finally opened again, I went running down the hall and into the lounge area in search of Banner, leaving Steve in my dust.

“Barnes,” Banner’s gentle voice calls out from behind me, I quickly whip around and jog over to where he was standing near a doorway that led into a small, dimly-lit room.

“Can I see her?” I puff, trying to peer behind him into the room, but he stands on his toes to block more of my view, resting his hands on my shoulders.

“I-I’m not too sure if that’s the -”

“Banner,” I whisper, nearly begging. “Please.”

His hands drop to his coat pockets as he chews the inside of his lip as he debates my request. His eyes dart over my shoulders, and I can only guess he’s looking at Steve in search for an answer.

“I’ll go with him,” Steve’s voice comes from behind me.

“Fine.” Banner sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I can’t promise anything,” his gaze drops to his shoes as he turns to walk away towards the main desk. Steve’s heavy hand gingerly clamps down onto my shoulder as he comes to stand next to me in front of the doorway.

“You sure you can do this?” His voice is quiet but caring. I nod in response and will myself to walk into the room. A small bedside lamp is the only source of light in the room, but it’s enough to illuminate her soft, breathtaking features. Y/N is sitting on the bed, her legs dangling over the edge. The tops of her toes barely brush over the shiny floor. Her Y/H/C hair was clean and neater than it was when we found her, and her brilliantly Y/E/C eyes shone through the darkness.

“Y/N?” I tenderly whisper. She blinks at me, brows furrowing.

“J-James,” she mumbles, tears beginning to gather in the corners of her eyes. Slowly, she pushes off the bed and pads over to me, stopping about a foot away. She carefully raises a hand and brushes the pads of her fingers down my cheek, lingering over my jaw. Her touch is warm and inviting, and I instantly crave more of it.

“It...It’s really you,” a silent tear slides down her cheek as she shakily whispers.

“Yeah, doll,” I croak, attempting to hold back my own tears. “It’s really me.”

Suddenly, she throws her arms around me, burying her face in my chest as a silent sob racked through her body. A deep, raging happiness blossoms in my chest as her form presses into mine, and at this point, I can’t hold back the tears any longer.

She’s actually back - she’s back in my arms, just like how it used to be, and I couldn’t be happier.

Reader’s P.O.V.

It’s been weird trying to adjust at the compound. It’s been nearly three weeks since you were brought here, and every day has been a new adventure. The rest of the team is overly nice and welcoming, which is helpful, but this way of life is so new to you; actually being able to work with a real team rather than doing solo assassinations and missions, in general, is a big improvement, and so are the living conditions.

But the best part about being rescued and brought to the Avengers was getting to be with Bucky again. Before this, you had nearly given-up all hope of ever seeing him again. You knew he was the Winter Soldier, and most of the time, the commanders and other HYDRA operatives would try to keep you as brainwashed as possible to avoid the possibility of you or Bucking knowing that the other was being forced to work for the same organization.

When you were reunited, it felt like you could truly be alive again - it was like a breath of fresh air after being stuck inside of dirty, old room all day. You were terrified of him not remembering you, but he was worried about the same exact thing, too.

He’s been almost hesitantly distant since that day, as if he’s still scared that you’ll just wake-up one day and not remember him - he’s definitively not the same cocky, confident man you had met back in the 40’s, but that doesn’t change the fact that you love him more than anything on Earth. His hair is also longer - a lot longer than before - and a dark beard spreads across his jawline, neck, and up into his cheeks a little bit. You wish he would open up to you more, but him keeping his distance is understandable. It’s probably not easy to adjust to this sort of thing.

A soft knock on the door stirs you from your deep thinking, and you slide off your bed to answer it. You quickly throw on a large shirt to cover your body since you had only put on a pair of panties after your shower before you lost yourself in thought.

You turn the handle and open the door a few inches to see who it was.

“Hey, Bucky,” You hum, a small smile tugging at your lips.

“Can I come in?” He smiles back, but it's almost forceful.

“Yeah, of course,” you chuckle lightly and step aside, opening the door for him to enter. He walks past you and you take a second to turn around before kicking the door shut behind you.

“Please,” you motion to the bed. “Sit down, make yourself comfortable.”

“Thanks,” he mutters, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, running his hands down his thighs in the process - one of his key nervous habits.

“So,” you sigh, sinking down onto the bed next to him. “What’s on your mind, pumpkin?”

“I haven’t heard that pet name in years,” Bucky chuckles, a genuine smile playing at his lips. “I just, uh…,” he clears his throat, dropping his gaze down to his folded hands. “I need to ask you something.”

“What is it?” You fold one leg under you and lean a little closer to him. After a few long seconds of having no answer, you put a soft hand on his thigh. “You can tell me anything, Buck.”

His slowly lifts his head and looks at you, his eyes soft with love and edged with worry.

“Do you love me?” His voice nearly cracks, prompting him to gently bite his lip.

“Oh, baby,” your brow furrows as pity begins to pull at your heart. You bring your hand to his face, lovingly cupping his cheek, the roughness of his beard scratching your palm. “Of course I do,” you intimately whisper.

“I...I j-just…,” a muscle in his jaw twitches as he struggles to spit out what he wants to say.

“James,” you rub your thumb across his cheek lightly. “I love you. I always have,” you reassure him. “I always will.”  You lean up and ghost your lips over his, giving him a soft, tender kiss. As you slowly pull back, you let your hand drop to his chest, his heartbeat quickly thumping beneath your touch.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so distant,” he whispers near your lips. “I’m just scared of losing you.”

“I promise,” you take his metal hand with your free one. “You will never lose me again.”

His eyes cast downwards again as his jaw tightens, another look of uncertainty settling into his features.

“I...I wanna show you somethin’,” you tell him, pushing off the bed and padding over to your dresser. Pulling open the top drawer, you grab a thin necklace with a ring on it and delicately hold it in your palm, then walk back over to sit next to Bucky.

“Here,” you offer him the chain. He looks at you for a second, his gaze flicking between your palm and your face, then hesitantly takes it from your hand. As he begins to examine it, his features soften, a basically-visible wave of realization hitting him.

“T-This...It’s…,” he chokes, his head quickly snapping up to look at you. “It’s your ring. Your wedding ring.”

“Yeah, they actually let me keep it for a while before storing it away with some of my other things I had when they took me,” you explain as you scoot closer to him. “Steve found it when they found my files.”

“I can’t believe you have it,” Bucky silently gasps as he turns to you. “After all this time.”

“I never stopped thinking about you,” you confess to him. “You’re the reason I kept going.”

“I love you,” he desperately breathes as he encaptures your lips in a searing, passionate kiss. His warm, rough hand slides to your neck to deepen the kiss, his fingers running through your hair. You tug on his shirt, gently pulling him closer to you as you lay back on the bed, letting him crawl over you as he quickly tucks the necklace into his pants pocket. He briefly breaks the kiss to pull his shirt off his body, tossing it somewhere behind him. Your hands roam his body as he quickly swipes at your lower lip with his tongue. You swipe back, letting his tongue fight you for dominance. After a few hot moments, you gently bite his bottom lip, earning a low groan from him. His hand slides under the thin fabric of your shirt and the tips of his fingers brush across the bottom of your breast, the sensation of the touch leaving goose-bumps in its wake. Using your hands, you gently push him away from you, both of you panting for air as you lean on your elbow to take off your shirt, letting it fall off the side of the bed.

“Oh, fuck, doll,” Bucky moans. “You’re so beautiful.”

His head dips to the crook of your neck as his metal hand ghosts over the skin of your outer thighs up to your hips. He makes his way down your chest, biting and sucking at the sensitive skin, then stops at your breasts as he takes one of your nipples into his warm mouth. A soft moan tumbles from your lips as he massages the neglected breast, your back arching off the bed. Your hand tangles through his soft, brown locks as heat pools between your legs. Bucky pulls away and the cool air of the room attacks your sensitive nub, making you silently whine in protest.

Bucky plants warm, wet kisses down your abdomen, stopping at the hem of your panties. He dips down further and lightly kisses your inner thigh, letting his lips hover above your panties.  

“God, doll,” Bucky lowly mutters. “You’re so wet.” He presses a kiss to your fold, prompting you to faintly buck your hips to his face. “Someone’s eager,” he chuckles against you, the scruff on his face pricking at your sensitive skin.

“J-James, please,” you beg, one hand grabbing at the sheet beneath you as the other slides up your chest to pinch and toy with one of your nipples.

“Whatever you want, darlin’,” a devilish smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth and he hooks a metal finger through your panties, ripping them off in one smooth, effortless tug. He wasted no time in teasing you. His warm tongue flattens against your wet fold as he licks from your hole to your clit. He makes tight, slow circles around your clit, your hand flying to his head as your back arches once again, your moans filling the room around you. The coil in your stomach quickly began to tighten as he inserted a finger, slowly pumping it in and out of you as he continues to toy with your sensitive bud.

“O-Oh, fuck, James,” you gasp. Your hold on his hair tightens, earning a low, vibrating hum from him that sent waves of pleasure racing through you. “I-I’m so close.”

“Come for me, baby girl,” Bucky encourages. He adds another finger, setting a faster pace. A few pumps were all you needed to come all over his fingers. You nearly scream his name as you hit your high, your sense becoming overwhelmed with desire and pleasure. As you come down from your high, your eyes flutter open to see Bucky shuffling out of his pants, his bearded chin slick with your juices. He crawls back up your body, planting feathery kisses along the way.

“Good job, darlin’,” he praises in your ear, sucking at the skin near your jawline again.

“I want you to fuck me, James,” you breathlessly pant. “Please, I-I need you.”

“Anything for you, doll,” Bucky chuckles against your skin. He positions himself in front of your entrance as he passionately kisses you. “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you, too, James,” you whisper back, cupping his face with both of your hands. He starts to push into you, his head dropping to the crook of your neck as he thrusts further into you. Both of your moans filled the air as he bottoms-out, your hands dropping to his shoulder as you adjust to his size.

“F-Fuck, doll,” Bucky groans lowly into your neck. “You’re s-so tight.”

He starts to pull back out before he thrusts back into you, his pace gradually becoming faster and faster. The coil in your stomach began to tighten again as you started to approach your second end, your walls fluttering around Bucky.

“Oh, sh-shit, darlin’,” Bucky moans a low, delectable moan. “I’m so close.” His thrusts become harder and faster as he chases his release, his thick cock twitching inside you. “I want you to come around me, doll,” he pants. His metal arm sneaks between you two and rubs at your clit, causing you to succumb to the desirable sensation once again.

The coil in your stomach snaps as your orgasm hits you like a train, Bucky’s name tumbling from your lips like a prayer. He quickly hits his own releases, his hot seed coating your walls as his delicious moans of pleasure rip through the air. After a few moments of trying to come down from your highs, Bucky pulls out and collapses next to you.

“That was -”

“Amazing,” you finish his sentence, a goofy smile playing at your lips. “Absolutely perfect.”

“Just like you,” Bucky adds, kissing your temple before rolling off the bed and walking into your bathroom. He returns with a warm washcloth and cleans you up, then hands you his shirt he was wearing earlier as he pulls on his boxers. Before climbing back into bed, he fishes something out of his pocket from his jeans on the floor. The bed dips under his weight as he climbs back into bed, pulling you close to him, your head nestled into his chest.

“I believe this belongs to you,” he murmurs, holding your ring between his fingers. You beam at him and hold up your hand, letting him slowly slide the ring onto your finger.

“A perfect fit,” you joke, tilting your head up to kiss him.

“I love you more than you could ever know,” Bucky whisper against your forehead as he pulls away from the kiss.

“I love you so much more, Bucky,” you hum, settling back into his chest.

The warmth of his body and the sense of protection that washed over you by being in his arms blanketed your mind, easing you into some of the most soundless sleep you’ve had in years. The last thought you remember is thinking about waking up in his arms, safe and sound - forever.

[splattershotsundae]

Better Eight Than Never --- Chapter 41: Oswald that ends well

That night, Leah was awoken by a loud shattering sound, coming from the other side of a wall. She lay there a moment before rolling over to check the time. 2:57 AM. After another moment it registered with her that, most likely, everyone in the house should be asleep. She quickly rolled over and shook her wife’s shoulder, quickly hushing her protests. “Tanya!” She hissed. “I think someone’s in the house!”

Tanya groaned, but then sat up and began to pull on her ink tank. “Oh no they didn’t...” She murmured.

Were it under different circumstances, Leah might have laughed. Instead however she got up and followed her wife’s lead in getting equipped. Once she got her tank strapped on, she edged to the door and listened carefully at it. She could hear some splashing sounds, and occasionally the crunch of someone stepping on glass. It sounded like she was correct in her suspicions. She took a deep breath, then opened the door, flinching a little as she was met with the bright lights of the hallway. Hachi’d advised them to keep the lights on overnight, since all lights where she came from were motion activated… From the sounds of things it hadn’t done much good. She pressed herself against the left wall and slowly walked down the hall, splattershot at the ready.

Abruptly, Bato's door began to open and in her surprise she almost raised her gun, though she was glad she hadn’t, as she met her son’s gaze through the small crack. “Shhh!” She hissed, then continued in a whisper; “Stay here!”

“But Mom--”

Bato’s sentence was punctuated by the door getting shot with a charger’s fire, and he yelped and pulled back into the shadows.

“Not my son!” She exclaimed, turning the corner and hurling a burst bomb, hitting someone who appeared to be octoling square in the face. Two more popped up out of ink beside the first, and she opened fire, stooping a bit low so Tanya could easily fire over her shoulder and splat the intruders. “Honey, what’s your sub again?”

“Splash wall!” She replied, tossing one forward just in time to block another charger shot. “Twenty years later and chargers are still just as annoying as ever...”

“Now’s not a good time for a joke...” She murmured. The hallway and some of the living room looked absolutely covered in purple ink, who knew how many more octolings were hiding and waiting to ambush them.

Just then Hachi rushed out of Bato’s bedroom and pushed her aside, brandishing a non-stick skillet from their kitchen. “Let me handle this!” She exclaimed. “They can’t splat me!”

“Sweetie, they’re probably after you!” Leah said, carefully stepping in front of Hachi. “Stay back here with Bato!”

Hachi scowled and thrust the pan up, just in time to block some sort of metal shot which had been headed right for Tanya’s head. “You’re welcome!” She spat. “Trust me, you don’t want to get hit in the head by a bullet.”

She slowly nodded, flinching as the splash wall fell over. “It doesn’t block bullets...” She noted, then yelped as Bato ran past her, brush to the ground as he attempted to duck into the entryway.

Just before he could reach cover a soldier popped out of the ink and wrapped an arm around his neck, raising a sleek metal gun to his head.

“No!” Leah exclaimed, raising her splattershot as she stepped forward. “Let him go!”

“Hand over Olympiah!” The soldier said, oblivious to the fact that Bato was fumbling for his sub button.

“Just… Just give us a second to think!” Tanya said, raising her .52 Gal.

“She’s not going anywhere with you…!” Bato croaked, managing to hit the button and drop an inkmine onto the floor, which exploded almost as soon as it hit the ground, splatting his captor.

Leah ran forward, deftly walking in the few patches left without ink on them and pushed Bato into the entryway as a gunshot went off, which left a hole in the wall where they’d just been. “Be more careful!” She said, pulling him into a brief hug.

“I’ll try...” He said, ears drooping. “But there are still more out there.”

Tanya ducked into the entryway alongside them. “My wall might not block those shots, but could make them run out. How many should they have?”

“There’s six in each gun.” Hachi said, cramming herself into cover as well. “We might have a guess as to how many there are if we distract them.”

Tanya nodded, then threw a Splash Wall into the living room, and immediately three bullet holes appeared in the wall, and one in the tank of the splash wall, causing it to spray out the front rather rapidly.

“At least … three or four guns.” Hachi hissed. “That’s a lot of bullets left, I got an idea.” She pulled her arm back, then chucked the frying pan into the living room. “DUCK!”

A few more shots went off, leaving many more bullet holes in the wall. “Not looking forward to explaining this to the landlord...” Leah murmured as she hurled a burst bomb around the corner to buy time for Tanya to recover ink.

Much to her surprise, her wife popped out of the ink that the splash wall had left, and opened fire into the living room. The decoys they’d thrown before had left the octolings a little off-guard, but only enough so to buy Tanya a few seconds before a shot went off and pierced one of her large tentacles. She shrieked in pain and fired a few more times before slumping to the floor and looking in her direction. It was possible she was faking how hurt she was to make herself less of a target…

Either way though, Leah was pissed.

She ran forward, opening fire at an octoling before they could duck back behind the couch, causing them to splat in a way which she would later think was brutal. She tossed a burst bomb over the back of the couch, hearing it hit another octoling who’d taken cover.

Bato ran past her, brush to the floor, as he skirted around the couch to attack before they could recover.

Leah was about to ask Tanya if she was alright when she saw something swimming through the ink, headed for the dining room. Without a moment to waste she followed, opening fire as she turned the corner. She managed to land a hit, but they were fast, swimming through ink splatters and then hopping onto the windowsill in front of a broken window. “Stop right there!” She said as she took aim. “I’ll shoot!”

The octoling froze there in the window, then changed back into a humanoid form, stepping back down onto the carpet. He glanced at her over his shoulder, scope whirring as it focused on her. That was the octoling from the underpass… The one who’d been harassing her son all week. Oswald.

“Ya prolly should, missy.” He said, tossing his guns to the floor before putting his hands into the air. “Gotta wrap up them loose ends.”

"Get back against the wall." She said, gesturing at the wall with the barrel of her gun. She heard some splatting behind her, and hoped they were doing alright without her.

Oswald followed her directions without complaint however, stepping to the side and putting his back against the wall, keeping his hands and tentacles in clear sight. “I shoulda jumped out, eh? Then ya wouldn’t get ‘old a my mask. Serves me righ.”

“What are you planning?” She asked. “What are you here for?”

“Olympiah really.” He replied. “Lotta good I am, couldn’t even do tha. Can’t take ‘er out.”

Leah swallowed anxiously. “Well, you tried.”

“Wish I ‘adn’t, shoulda called it off.” He huffed. “Look be’ind ya. Ya wiped ‘em all clean out, ‘alf a dozen great soldiers an yah killed ‘em all squidlin.”

She gave a long pause. He had some pretty good points. “… But did you have a choice? Could you have even called it off?”

It was his turn to pause. “… Prolly not.”

“… I guess it’s just a bad situation all the way around.” She said, glancing over her shoulder to check on her family. Bato was already taking care of Tanya’s wound, thank goodness. She didn’t look too bad.

“Lass, wha ya waitin for?” Oz asked.

She looked back at him quickly. “What do you mean?”

“I’m too big a risk.” He said. “I can cause a lotta trouble for ya alive. Be done wit it. Lemme die before I’m made an example a wha not ta do.”

She heard a loud pounding on the front door, and once more glanced over her shoulder.

“It’s Toda!” Hachi called from around the corner.

“Let him in!” Bato replied.

“Missy, stop waitin!” Oswald pressed. “Shoot me already! I lost, fair an square.”

She looked back at him, and took a deep breath. She felt a weird mixture of emotions in her chest. He was so young, and yet he had accepted this. He had tried to kill her family. But... she squeezed her eyes shut... and dropped her splattershot.

The two stood in silence for what felt like an eternity, but finally it was Oswald who broke it.

“What are ya doin!?” He demanded.

“No.” She said, clenching her hands into fists to keep her fingers from shaking. “I won’t do this… I can’t.”

“Ya… Ya gotta!” He said, and in a sudden blur of movement, he shoved her back against the wall, pinning her there with an arm. “Ya know wha I am, YA KNOW WHO I AM! YA KNOW WHA A DANGEROUS THING I AM, WHY WON’T YA ACT!?”

“Mom!” Bato exclaimed, running toward her.

“Stop!” She said, holding up a hand. “Sweetie, don’t come any closer, I have this under control...”

“No, ya don’t!” Oz insisted. “Ya a FUCKING COWARD! Ya a HYPOCRITE! Who are ya ta decide tha I live, when tha rest a my splatoon dies!?”

"I've made my decision." She said, hardening her tone.

“YA CRUEL!” He exclaimed. “YA FUCKIN CRUEL, IS THIS SOME GAME TA YA!? THA YA WON’T KILL A THREAT LIKE ME!?”

She turned some words over in her head before taking a deep breath. “It… wouldn’t be right.”

“But wha makes me different!?” He asked leaning in close. “Wha makes me so different from tha rest a them!?”

“… Because you’re not fighting.” She said finally.

He sort of froze, face not more than a few inches from hers.

“You were told to do this, but you didn’t want to, right?… So you didn’t. For something like this… that says a lot.” She continued. “… You don’t have to fight anymore.”

He began to back away, baring his beak as his tentacles sort of… hid behind his head. “Ya crazy…. YA FUCKIN CRAZY!”

Leah heaved a sigh of relief when Oswald backed away from her, looking up as Hachi stepped forward.

“Oz, were you sent to kill me?” She asked, gripping the frying pan tightly.

“‘Limpy, I-- It ain’t my idea!” He said quickly.

“I heard you backstage!” She exclaimed. “Why didn’t you stop this from happening!? Why didn’t you stop me from being executed?!”

“I DIDN’T KNOW!” He shouted, reaching his hand into his pocket.

“Whoa whoa whoa.” Bato said quickly, stepping forward with his inkbrush raised. “Don’t try anything!”

“I ain’t, ya ‘idious squid!” He exclaimed, pulling out a small cloth pouch and tossing it at Hachi, who only just managed to catch it. “… Guess I risked everythin ta get tha back ta ya.”

She just sort of stood there blankly for a moment, then opened the pouch and gasped. “… Bato, Bato it’s in here, my marble!”

“Your marble?” Leah asked slowly.

“It’s an important cultural thing.” Bato said, still looking quite wary.

“Well, I guess I’ll ‘ave ta explain everythin’ back ‘ome some’ow. I’ll come see ya again if I live, eh?” Oz said, turning and beginning to walk away.

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Hachi exclaimed, shoving the pouch into her pocket. “You can’t leave!”

“Um, pretty sure I can, missy!” He said with a smirk.

“No, I mean we can’t let you leave!” She huffed. “Who knows what you’ll tell Orion, Ophelia, anybody!”

“Well it ain’t gonna be the truth, I can tell ya tha much!” He said, placing a hand on the windowsill.

“I’m… afraid Hachi’s right.” Leah said, stepping forward. “We can’t let you leave.”

With a flick, Oz’s tentacles moved, and he flung a knife at her, though it embedded in the wall not too far away, like he hadn’t intended to hit. Regardless she stumbled back in fright.

“Hey! Let’s not do that!” Toda called, running and jumping onto the dining table in his rush to find a clear path to Oz. She wasn’t sure which part was more startling, his actions, or him being there at all, she’d sort of forgotten he’d arrived.

“Toda! Please not the table!” She managed to exclaim as he jumped down and grabbed Oz’s arm in an attempt to, well, disarm him? But with a simple flick of the wrist, Oz was holding onto his arm instead. Bato had touched his brush to the ground and came around to Oswald’s other side, attempting to grab his other arm, which did nothing to stop him from sweeping his leg and sending Toda crashing to the ground. This was going to shit fairly quickly.

She scanned the floor and skirted the edge of the room, in the clearest spaces of carpet she could find to walk on, but it was difficult to say the least. She looked up again just in time to see her son get flipped onto the table, while Toda was trying to get up while evading broken glass from the window. She grimaced and sprang forward, managing to shove Oz to the floor. “We need to restrain him!” She shouted, then yelped as Oz stomped on her foot.

“Coming!” Tanya shouted as she used her weapon to clear a path through the ink.

Leah didn’t have time to wait for her to come however, making a diving leap in an attempt to pin Oz to the floor. While she managed to land on him, he was still in a patch of ink his own color, a fact he quickly took advantage of to squid-- er transform and slip out of her grasp. “Get back here!” She exclaimed. “There’s broken glass everywhere!”

She was powerless to stop his escape as she struggled to free her limbs from the thick hostile ink, watching as Hachi dove forward and hit the floor with her frying pan, which was now severely dented. “Oz! You have a lot of questions to answer!”

As if in reply he popped out of the ink and grabbed the frying pan, wrenching it from her grasp and tossing it into the living room.

“Leah, take my hand!”

She blinked and looked up at Tanya, who was standing over her, and managed to free her arm enough to grab her wife’s hand, letting her help her to her feet. “Thanks… I’ll take his legs, you grab his arms?”

“Sounds like a plan.” She replied, firing a few careful shots to block off Oz’s escape before moving in. Leah followed her close behind, through she was much slower as she still had to trudge through dark blue ink as well as purple. She made a mental note to be sure to change her own ink to match Tanya’s in the morning.

Oz and Hachi had begun to grapple by now, and seeing an opening, she dropped to the ground and tugged on one of his legs, bringing him off-balance and sending him crashing to the floor. “Hachi! Go find something to restrain him, please!”

She stared at her for a moment, then nodded and ran off.

Tanya tossed her gun to the side and hooked her arms around Oz’s, grunting as he struggled against her, his tentacles attempting to pry her off. “Leah, do you have him pinned?” She asked.

“Almost! I only have one set of arms!” She replied, then blinked as a second set of hands pinned down Oz’s other leg, and she found herself face to face with Anita. “A-Anita! I didn’t hear you come in!”

She looked a bit offended at that. “You think I would let Toda come down here alone when something like this was happening!? Scott! Come help!”

“Well not let exactly…!” She grunted. “Be careful! Last time he--” As she spoke, Oz’s leg vanished from her grasp and sent her faceplanting into the floor. He was clever, using his shapeshifting like that. She got back to her hands and knees, just in time for Oz to change form once more and kick her in the face. “Oz, please stop this!”

“Lemme go ya vile squids!” He exclaimed, headbutting Tanya and causing her to quickly cover her nose, like it was bleeding. However as she backed off, Scott dropped to his knees and took her place, grappling with one of his arms and desperately attempting to get him to stand still.

“Taaaaanya! Leeeeah!?” Hachi called. “Where do you keep your form stabilizer!?”

“Our what!?” Leah called back, trying once more to hang onto Oz’s leg.

“A form stabilizer! Something to stop him from transforming!”

“Sorry hon, we don’t have one!” She grunted, managing to change her grip as Oz transformed yet again, holding tightly to one of his writhing tentacles.

“How can you not have one!?” Hachi demanded. “They’re so useful when stuff like this happens!”

“Stuff like this usually happens to you?” Scott asked, trying to grab Oz’s tentacles at random.

“Well yeah!” Hachi scoffed. “I’ll think of something.”

“Please hurry!” Leah said, getting pushed back as Oz transformed yet again into his humanoid form.

“What is your deal!?” Toda asked, hopping over and grabbing onto two of Oz’s tentacles.

“Toda, are you alright!?” Anita asked. “You’re limping!”

“Mom, priorities!” He said, tugging on Oz’s tentacles absently and making him cry out.

“Don’t hurt him!” Leah blurted, something which surprised even herself.

Toda stared at her, then yelped as Oz’s tentacles wrapped around his wrists and tied them together.

Leah tried not to get distracted, gripping Oz’s leg as hard as she dared, while casting a brief glance around for anything that could be used to restrain him, when Hachi ran back into the room, an ink tank held high. She almost asked what it was for, when she remembered that back where she’d come from, they used tanks like that to hold inklings… and apparently octolings. They just had to get him to transform again. “Tanya, are you alright!?”

“Yes… yes I’m alright.” She replied, though she was sticking part of a tissue up her nose.

“Great, please hurry, we need someone to grab his other arm!” She said, lightly pulling on Oz’s leg. He was looking pretty tired out, but weren’t they all at this point? He swatted at Tanya as she came close, but that only left her with an opening to grab onto his wrist with both hands, leaving all of his limbs fully occupied. Leah then let her grip loosen just a bit, eyes narrowing.

Bingo.

As soon as she loosened her grasp, he transformed, slipping from everyone’s grasp, and letting go of Toda in the process.  Scott dove at him, but he slipped into a puddle of octoling ink and began to swim away, right toward Hachi.

Everything was a blur, one moment Oz was swimming and the tank was raised, the next the tank was down, and pressed uselessly down on Oz’s all-too humanoid chest. Regardless, Hachi stomped on one of his arms. “Someone get his mask.” She spat. “We’re gonna need it.”

“Wha do ya think ya doin’, ‘Limpy?” He grunted, attempting to tug his arm free.

“… You know, out of all the people in the domes, you were the one I expected to understand why I did what I did.” She said, ears pulling back. “Now someone take that mask!”

“I got it!” Toda said, stepping forward and wrenching the mask off of Oz’s face.

“’Limpy… Olympiah, ya changed.” Oz said, tentacles beginning to lay limp on the floor in defeat.

“… My name… is Hachi.” She replied.

There was a moment of silence, then Oz chuckled. “Tha… is a much betta name for ya.” He said, and then he transformed, slipping into the tank. Collectively, the room sighed in relief. It was finally over.

Leah staggered to her feet, ink underfoot still spitting and reacting violently, despite the calm that had befallen the room. Now that she wasn’t in a life-or-death panic, she realized that Bato still hadn’t gotten up from the table, and her breath caught. “Bato! Sweetie, are you alright!?” She asked, stepping over to him.

“Y… Yeah...” He groaned. “There’s… broken glass on the table, and I think it cut me, I didn’t want to make it worse...”

“Oh hon!” She exclaimed, taking his hand. “Tanya, can you get the first aid kit!?”

“Course.” She replied, already beginning to trudge forward.

“So um… Hachi...” Scott began. “Is that one of those mask things that’s so important?”

Hachi nodded, walking over to an open spot of the dining room table and setting the mask down. “Oz is an elite. He’s bound to have more information on here, which we can use to our advantage, Just give me while to hack it.”

“How long exactly?” Anita asked, pulling Toda close in that way she tended to do.

Hachi meanwhile paused. “… A… A few hours maybe? I might need to hack another mask first, and use that to get into Oz’s. His is higher security, and so hacking into it with nothing could… end badly.”

Tanya came back in then, setting the first aid kit down for a moment to help Bato sit up. “Is anyone else hurt?” She asked.

“I stepped on some glass.” Toda said, through a gritted beak. “Just treat Bato first.”

“Can do...” She replied.

“Goodness...” Leah murmured as she surveyed the house. There were broken photos, a hole ripped in the wall from Oz’s knife, the carpet was sure to stain from the ink that was soaking into it, not to mention the little holes left everywhere from those bullets, as well as the broken window. “Inspection isn’t going to like checking up in here...”

“I imagine not.” Tanya agreed as she treated Bato’s back. “Don’t worry about it now hon, we’ll work on it soon as we solve this… bigger mess.”

“I dunno, a tie-dye carpet doesn’t sound that bad.” Bato joked.

Toda snorted as he sat down. “The worrying part though is that Hachi was right, they were able to find us.”

“You think it’s worrying, I’m the one they wanted to kill!” Hachi exclaimed, bending down and then hefting Oz’s tank to put him onto the table. “Well everyone except this dummy.”

"So what do we do with him now that he's in there?" Leah asked, putting a hand on her chin.

"He can still hear us, most likely, keep him somewhere secure, and we check on him every once and a while.” She said, then after a short pause continued. "Don't want him to suffocate though, not after all the trouble we went though."

Leah nodded in agreement. “We’ll find somewhere.”

Hachi began to rub the bridge of her nose. "We're also going to need to feed him at least once a day and let him use the bathroom, likely /with/ supervision so he doesn't run away or try to do something stupid!" She slammed her first down on the table hard enough to make some shards of glass bounce.

“Hachi, it’ll be okay.” Bato said. Take a deep breath.

She glanced at him, then did as he said, closing her eyes and breathing slowly. “… How’s it going, are you okay?” She asked.

“Been better, but I’m getting there...” He said as Tanya placed another bandage on a cut on his back. "Did you get all the glass out?"

“Well, we better hope so.” Tanya replied. “Let me know immediately if you feel any sharp pain.”

“Alright.” Bato agreed.

“Also, I could have sworn we had more butterfly bandages.” She added.

“Bato used those on me.” Hachi said, then took another deep breath, holding up Oz’s mask."The sooner we get this done, the sooner we might be able to get some sleep again. Might. Can someone get me another mask?”

“Um, you mean one of the ones that was on the soldiers?” Leah asked.

“Yeah, one of those ones will work.” She said. “You’ll have to go digging in a splat mark to find them though.”

She grimaced. “That’ll take a while...We should probably start by getting the ink off the top... Tanya, do you still have that old blank Carbon Roller?"

"You mean the one our friend lent us but never took back?” She asked. “Should be in our room, try the closet?"

“Alright. Be back in a minute.” Leah said, turning and beginning to trudge through the soaked carpet once again. It was so deep, she was beginning to wonder if it was soaking through into their neighbor’s ceiling. Goodness, she hoped it wasn’t.

Eventually she made it back to her room, shaking off her now rainbow-patterned socks as she made her way to the closet, glancing toward the bed as she went. She wished she could just curl back up under the covers, she couldn’t even remember the last time she had to get up this early…

It was then that her attention was drawn to the bedside table, as Tanya’s phone began to ring. “Who’s calling at this hour?” She murmured, stepping over and picking it up. It was an unknown number, but still local. She was about to set it down, but then her eyes went wide, and she answered, hearts full of dread. “Hello!?” She asked, her voice seeming loud compared to the stillness of the room.

{“Tanya!? Tanya is that you!? We need help! We need-- Simon Watch ou-!”} The line went dead.

“… Shit!” She cursed. She grabbed the tankless roller from the closet and then slammed it to the ground as she ran out of the room, and then down the hall, using it like a mop to soak the ink in a path for her to run down. By the time she made it to the dining room, she was out of breath. “The twins are in trouble!”

Bato, Toda, Leah, Scott, Anita, and Tanya are Knitter’s characters

Simon, Jill, Hachi, and Oz are Shuckle’s characters.

Splatoon belongs to Nintendo.

Please consider liking or reblogging if you enjoyed, it’s nice to know we’re doing things right.

Shuckle has a patreon if you would like to provide additional support!

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[dust2dust34]

Pieces of Always: December 2021 (FICoN ‘verse)

Life continues after Forever is Composed of Nows.

by @so-caffeinated and @dust2dust34

Summary:  Oliver and Felicity have some exciting news for their daughters.

An ongoing non-linear collection of family moments for the Queens. (You do not need to have read FiCoN to enjoy this, but it will spoil the end. Please see the first installment for additional author notes. Thank you @jsevick​ and @alizziebyanyothername for the amazing beta!)

A/N: Please see the first chapter for an important Author’s Note, as well as under the cut for an additional one.

A/N: I am taking more of a beta role for right now. The effervescent @so-caffeinated is fully in the driver’s seat and she’s kicking all the ass, so please go send her your love!

(read on AO3)

December 2021 - Origin Story

It’s not like it will be a surprise to anyone in their lives when Oliver and Felicity tell them that she’s pregnant. The whole family is well aware that they expect to have a third child, as well as when he will be born and that he’ll be a boy and what his name will be.

Nate.

Their little boy. Felicity absolutely cannot wait for their son. She doesn’t know if the other her had longed for another baby, had planned it out and started taking prenatal vitamins a full month before she’d even conceived him, but she sure did. Oliver had done a double take when he’d found the bottle of oversized vitamins in their medicine cabinet.

“Not yet,” she’d told him before he’d even had a chance to voice his question. “But I’d really like to make another baby with you.”

He had enthusiastically agreed and their afternoon plans had changed on a dime. The timing had been wrong then - they hadn’t conceived him for several more weeks - but… hey, practice makes perfect, right?

And their little boy will be perfect. Felicity knows that with every fiber of her being.

This pregnancy, in some ways, is like a strange mixture of when she’d been expecting Jules and Ellie. With Jules, everything had been such an unknown. She’d been so very unexpected. At the time, Felicity had privately thought her first child might be Ellie, just born sooner. Time finds a way, after all. Right? But a head full of wispy dark hair when her oldest had been born was a dead giveaway that Jules was a very different person from Ellie, their someday child.

Coming to terms with that had been harder than she could have expected. In some ways, it had felt like losing Ellie all over again and it had taken a painfully long time to realize that the hollow sense of loss and inadequacy she felt was actually a rough case of postpartum depression, not any kind of failing on her part.

Her experience with Ellie had been entirely different, but her depression after the birth had not. It had brought all the same feelings of inexplicable hopelessness and exhaustion, the same certainty that she wasn’t good enough, that her children deserved a better mother than her. But she’d known what it was that time, at least. So had Oliver. They’d learned the hard way with Jules, and she knows full well that neither of them will ever forget the day he found her sobbing uncontrollably in the rocking chair in the nursery while Jules gurgled away happily in her crib. And when she’d started down that path again, they’d quickly gotten her the help she’d needed to work through it.

She expects the same thing will happen with Nate, but that doesn’t make her any less excited about her son right now.

Like with Ellie, she has a rough sense of what’s coming. She knows, if things hold true to the other universe, what his birthday will be, that he’ll be healthy. She doesn’t know him, not like she’d known Ellie before her birth, but she’s nowhere near as in the dark as she’d been with Jules and she feels like she has a sense of what’s coming.

The girls, however, do not.

In the last three months, she’s had a ‘stomach bug’ or ‘food poisoning’ almost constantly. Her mom and Moira have both been staring at her midsection more than her face and Thea had not-so-covertly started leaving baby boy clothes in the spare room that they long ago decided would be Nate’s. Her sister-in-law is a lot of things, but subtle is not one of them.

Still, they haven’t told anyone yet. She’d wanted to get through the first trimester before confirming the suspicions of virtually everyone they know - even Samantha had offered saltines and herbal tea when they’d picked up William last weekend. They’re fooling precisely no one.

Except their daughters.

But, that’s going to end today, because today marks the first day of her second trimester and she’s started having to use hair ties to fasten her jeans because she absolutely refuses to switch to maternity pants when she’s only three months pregnant. Honestly, she knows you show earlier if you’ve already had a pregnancy under your belt - so to speak - but come on. How big is this kid gonna be?

“You ready for this?” Oliver asks, coming up behind her and resting his chin on her shoulder as he wraps his arms around her and rests his hands against the barely-there swell of her belly. His inability to keep his hands off her midsection lately would probably be a dead giveaway to the adults in their lives, even if they hadn’t known about their inevitable third child.

“So ready,” she confirms, leaning back against him and running her hands down his forearms to lace her fingers with his over the curve of her stomach. “But do you think they are?”

“Ellie’s going to be thrilled,” he tells her immediately. That’s the easy part, though. Felicity already knew that. “And Jules…”

“She’s a wild card,” Felicity murmurs, because she knows what her husband is thinking. Sometimes their oldest is so hard to read.

“Yeah,” Oliver agrees. “She is. But she adores her big brother so maybe she’ll be excited about a little brother, too.” Felicity tilts her head to look back at him with a raised eyebrow. “Or not,” he acknowledges. “A newborn isn’t the same as a teenager who’s happy to take you to the park and play with you. But she’ll adjust.”

Felicity nods slowly at that, because it’s absolutely true. She’ll adjust. She’ll have to, but Felicity also can’t convince herself that’s going to be a quick or easy process. Jules is very protective of her family, but she’s even more protective of herself. She shares so little of what she’s thinking sometimes and Felicity would give almost anything for her daughter to be just a bit more open, just a little more revealing about what’s going on in her head.

“Well then… I guess she should get started on that,” Felicity ventures. “She’s only got another six months or so to prepare.” If she sounds a bit nervous, that’s because she is. Hormones are a crazy thing and she’s pretty sure she’ll bust out crying if Jules gets angry about having to welcome a baby brother into her home. “Unless you want to wait until next weekend when Will’s here?”

They’ve had this conversation more than once. Felicity still thinks Jules might handle it better if Will’s at her side, excited about yet another sibling. But Oliver’s barely managed to hold to her ‘wait-for-the-second-trimester rule’ as it is and there’s no way he’s putting it off another weekend.

Oliver turns sheepish. “I told Sam we wanted to swing by with pizza and treat them for dinner tonight,” he confesses. That surprises Felicity a little and it must show because he flushes a little and asks, “You don’t mind, do you?”

“No,” she answers right away. “It’d be nice to see Will and I’m sure he’ll be happy. I just didn’t expect that. Did you want to wait and tell the girls along with him?”

“I don’t think so,” Oliver says. “I think we should tell them now.”

Yeah, he doesn’t have a reason for that opinion and she knows it. He’s just bursting at the seams to tell the girls and even waiting a few hours isn’t something he’s willing to do. He kind of wants to tell the whole world, she thinks.

Felicity stares at him. “We have lunch plans with your mom and sister tomorrow, don’t we?” she asks as the idea dawns on her.

“No…” Oliver says, shifting and fidgeting slightly before clearing his throat. “It’s brunch.”

Felicity chuckles and shakes her head at him in disbelief. How is he so adorable about this? It’s sort of blowing her away and she wants to kiss him senseless, drag him to their room and fully illustrate her appreciation of him. But that’s the sudden lack of nausea and the flood of pregnancy hormones talking and right now they’ve got two little girls to clue in on the fact that they’re going to be big sisters.

“Okay, stud,” she grins, letting go of one of his hands to slide her fingers up the back of his neck as she twists a bit to kiss him. “You can shout it from the rooftops all you want… not literally, please. Like, that’s a thing that might be slightly awkward. Especially since usually when you’re on rooftops, you’re dressed all in green and all ‘grrrr you’ve failed this city’ and it would be really problematic to follow up with ‘and by the way I impregnated my wife again.’”

“That might be a big clue to my identity,” he agrees with a laugh as he steps back a bit and tugs her arm to turn her to face him. “But even as the Arrow I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep the grin off my face.” He presses his forehead to hers with a quiet, “Thank you for making me a dad again.”

Felicity smiles. “My pleasure,” she replies. “Like, literally. Super fun times. I enjoyed that process thoroughly.”

The laugh he lets out at that is full-throated and entirely joyful. She loves that sound, loves the abandon he can let go with these days. It’s such a far cry from when they met. She’s not fool enough to think the darkness that’s haunted his life is gone. It’s not. She knows that. But there’s balance now, a life that brings him fulfillment and reason beyond the narrow confines of a mission he inherited from his father. And that’s a beautiful thing to see, but it’s an even more beautiful thing to be a part of.

“Come on,” he says, kissing her softly against and squeezing her hand in his. “Girls in their rooms?”

“Jules is,” Felicity answers. “Ellie was watching tv in the family room.”

He nods and starts toward the stairs, her hand still tucked in his. And, sure enough, they find Ellie flopped in front of the television, lying on her belly with her feet kicked up in the air as she focuses entirely on Rascal the Racoon and his woodland friends.

“Hey kiddo,” Felicity greets. “How much longer is your show?”

“Dunno,” the three-year-old replies.

“Hit pause, Ellie-bug,” Oliver tells her. It takes a moment for the words to register with the toddler, she’s so zoned out on the television, but when they do she sighs and stops the program. It’s almost done, just a few minutes left, and Felicity can’t help but think the timing is just about perfect.

“Don’t start another one and don’t go anywhere, okay?” she requests.

“‘Kay,” Ellie replies. She’s already hit play again and Felicity would bet excellent money that she hadn’t even really heard the words. Her love of this show is absurd. But then Felicity knew it would be. There’d never been a doubt about that; some things in the universe are a constant, it seems, and Ellie’s love of Rascal the Raccoon appears to be one of those things.

This Ellie is not the same as the first one. Oh, they’re very similar and physically are absolutely identical - something that’s become painfully apparent as Ellie closes in on the age she’d been when the first Ellie had burst into their lives. But her life has been different from the start.

She has an older sister, both grandmothers, a chronically ill aunt, and she’ll never have to worry about villains like Zoom and Malcolm Merlyn. Of course she’s different. She’d have to be. And sometimes Felicity finds herself wondering about the other Ellie, the first one. Who she is, what she’s done with her life, if she’s okay… She owes that little girl a lot and she will always love her fiercely. But she’s a wholly different person from the Ellie lying on the floor in front of her, despite appearances.

A tug on her hand brings her mind back to the here and now as Oliver guides them toward Jules’ room. The door’s open and they find the almost-seven-year-old staring intensely at a piece of paper on her art desk as she dips a paintbrush in a murky jar of water to rinse it off. The intensity in her little girl’s eyes is astounding for a first-grader. She’s so very honed in on what she’s doing. But that’s Jules. She plans, she sorts things out, and then she acts. It’s no different with painting than it is with conversation. Everything she shows is precisely what she wants to show. But, unlike in conversation, her painting is so very expressive. That had been a surprise to find, but maybe it shouldn’t have been. She’s always given so much to her dancing, too.

“How’s the painting going?” Oliver asks, leaning against the doorway.

“Good,” Jules says without looking up. She bites her lower lip and Felicity makes a mental note to pick her up some chapstick. She does that far too often when she’s painting and this winter’s been a cold one so far. Jules is prone to chapped lips far more than her sister. “Sorta good,” she amends. “Fur is really hard. I wanted to paint a monkey for Will, ‘cause he’s goofy like a monkey, but it’s real hard.”

“I bet he’ll love it no matter what,” Oliver tells her with absolute certainty. It’s true. Will’s entirely enamored with his siblings and Felicity’s pretty sure they can do no wrong in his eyes. Jules in particular seems to need that. She’s happier when he’s around, more herself. As if Felicity needed yet another reason to wish her stepson were around more. “How about you take a break though?” Oliver continues. “Mom and I wanted to have a family meeting.”

Jules goes entirely still at that, save for the way her eyes dart between her parents with tremendous suspicion. “What’s wrong?” she asks after a moment.

“Nothing,” Oliver laughs. “It’s nothing bad, kiddo. Just leave the paints for a minute and come join us in the family room.”

“Wash your hands first, too, please,” Felicity adds, because she can see wet traces of primary colors on her daughter’s nails even from the doorway.

“Okay,” Jules says, dragging the word out with tremendous hesitation, closing up her paints. She’s so wary sometimes. People who don’t actually know her seem to find it cute, but it just makes Felicity worry. Parenting in general makes her worry. The kids are never far from her thoughts and there’s no shortage of things to bring out her concern.

“I’ll get the sink for you,” Felicity offers, taking a step away from her husband and nodding toward the restroom down the hall. “We don’t want the knobs to the faucet turning red from all that paint.”

“True,” Jules agrees, looking down at her hands as she follows after her mom. Oliver’s stepped away, heading back toward the family room and Ellie.

“Hang on, sweetheart,” Felicity says when she and Jules reach the bathroom. She flips on the light and bends over to push the stepstool Ellie needs away from the sink. Jules is tall enough that it’s more in the way than a help at this point.

“Thanks,” Jules tells her as Felicity stands back up and turns on the water.

“No problem,” Felicity replies as the little girl quietly washes her hands. She’s being so quiet, internalizing so much right now and Felicity knows that’s mostly worry about whatever the family meeting is about, but it’s also been more and more common with Jules. It’s such a gradual thing. Felicity can’t even pinpoint when that all started, but she knows it wasn’t always like that. At least, not to the extent it is now. Jules has always been more reserved than her sister or Will. It’s just part of who she is, it seems, but it also feels like she’s subtly, slowly closed herself off more and more over time. It’s confusing and worrying, but she has no idea what to do about it. She doesn’t even know if she should do anything about it beyond love and accept her little girl.

“All clean,” Felicity announces, handing her daughter a towel and turning off the water. Jules says thanks again, but it’s done absently, more of an automatic reaction than anything else. “We’re having dinner with Will and his mom tonight,” Felicity says. Predictably, Jules perks up immediately.

“Really?” she asks, looking up with a spark of excitement.

“Yup, really,” Felicity confirms, allowing herself to relax some because Jules is showing a sliver of happiness and she knows how to encourage that right now. “We’re bringing over pizza and spending the evening with them.”

“Cool,” Jules says, smiling at her toes through a curtain of dark hair. Felicity can’t help tucking some of it behind her ear.

“Come on, kiddo,” she says. “This shouldn’t take long and then you can get back to your painting. Maybe you can finish it in time for tonight.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Jules agrees as the two of them head out to the family room to join Ellie and Oliver.

“No, see, because Chester the Chipmunk took all the nuts and that wasn’t fair,” Ellie’s saying, her little voice drifting down the hall. “It’s a problem, Daddy. He needs to learn to share. Poor Rascal was so hungry!”

Felicity can’t help but smile as she hears Oliver softly reply with, “He does. I bet you could have taught him, Ellie-bug, and I know you would have shared.” Ellie’s huff and, “Daddy… they’re cartoons with cartoon nuts. I can’t be there. It doesn’t work like that,” is maybe the cutest thing she’s heard today. Her grin is blinding by the time she gets to the family room with Jules at her side.

“Hey, ladies,” Oliver greets them where he and Ellie sit on the floor. “Jules, why don’t you have a seat next to Ellie. Mom and I want to tell you something.”

“Are we going to Disney World?” Ellie asks immediately, sitting up straight, her eyes alight at the prospect.

“No, that’s… no,” Felicity says, wondering how her daughter came to this conclusion. Jules is shaking her head at Ellie as she sits next to her on the carpet. Oliver offers Felicity his hand as she moves to sit next to him with their backs to the base of the sofa. She’s barely showing, of course, but her balance is already a touch off-kilter and she almost falls as she tries to sit down.

“Is Mommy okay?” Jules asks, her voice painfully quiet and tremendously worried. Felicity’s eyes snap to her daughter’s immediately and she’s surprised at the honest concern reflected back at her.

“I’m fine, Jules,” she reassures the little girl. “Promise.”

“‘Cause…” Jules starts, swallowing hard and licking her lips. “‘Cause Ginger’s mom threw up lots and got dizzy, too, and she said she was fine but then her doctor said she wasn’t and she had to have the doctors cut her open and they thought she might even die and it got real bad.”

“Oh, Jules, baby… no,” Felicity says, reaching over to her daughter and tugging her close. Jules is tense as anything, but Felicity isn’t about to let up. Not now, not with this. Ellie looks a little panicked all the sudden too, but she gets up on her own and scrambles between her parents. “That’s not it at all. I already went to the doctor and I’m fine. In fact, I’m even better than fine.”

“Momma… throwing up is not better than fine,” Ellie says patiently, patting her thigh. “Throwing up is extra super gross, especially after you’ve just had rice cause then it gets stuck in-”

“Okay, yes, throwing up is gross,” Felicity interrupts because she really doesn’t need to hear the rest of Ellie’s detailed analysis on why rice is the worst. “But I don’t think I’ll be doing that anymore.”

“Did the doctor tell you not to cook?” Ellie asks in the most innocent little voice ever.

Oliver tries to hide his face as he laughs, but he’s way too amused for that to work and Felicity can barely work up a half-hearted scowl in his direction anyhow because he’s not exactly wrong.

“No,” Felicity says slowly, raising an eyebrow at her husband until his laughter dims to a light chuckle and a grin. Jules shifts nervously beside her though and she knows the little girl’s worries haven’t faded. “No, he told me that your daddy and I are going to have another baby.”

“Oh!” Ellie says as Oliver wraps an arm around her and hugs her to his side. She looks down to her mother’s midsection before looking back up. “There’s a baby in your tummy? It made you throw up? That’s not very nice of it.”

“There is,” Felicity agrees, bopping Ellie on the nose with her finger. “And you made me throw up when I was pregnant with you too, Ellie-bug. So did Jules. That’s pretty common. Your little brother doesn’t mean to make me feel sick.”

It hasn’t escaped her that Jules has yet to share a reaction and she wants to refocus on her older child, but Ellie jumps in with, “It’s a boy?” just as she’s turning toward Jules.

“Of course it’s a boy,” Jules says. “It’s Nate, dummy.”

“Hey,” Oliver says sharply. “We don’t use that word and it’s not true. Apologize, right now, Julianna.”

“Sorry,” Jules grumbles. Ellie still looks hurt and confused, though, and it’s a little heartbreaking. Jules doesn’t seem to have any clue how deeply she affects her sister. “It’s just… we knew this would happen, right?”

“We knew it could,” Felicity agrees slowly, because surely they could have changed things had they wanted to. But she’s looked forward to this baby boy for years. Maybe it’s that she’s got a few years as a mother under her belt, maybe it’s because she feels a little more prepared for all the challenges an infant brings with them this time, but she’s so very excited about her son that she might burst. It’s different than before. The hint of panic about her first pregnancy is nowhere to be found and the strange set of expectations that came with Ellie are absent this time, too. There’s just… a little boy she can’t wait to meet and welcome into the home and family that’s more than ready for him.

“How’d he get there?” Ellie asks suddenly, quirking her head to the side and leaning forward to stare at her mother’s belly up close.

“Uh…” Oliver starts, flushing and clearing his throat.

“He’s from the other universe, remember?” Jules asks her sister with a deep sigh.

Wait… What?

“He popped into mommy’s belly?” Ellie asks, eyes going wide. “No wonder she felt like falling down! How’d he do that?”

“Same way you did, I guess,” Jules tells her.

“That’s not…” Felicity starts, shaking her head and looking to Oliver who seems every bit as thrown as her. “Honey, that’s not what happened.”

“What do you mean?” Jules asks, lines of deep confusion working their way across her brow. “You were waiting for them from the other timeline, the one we’re not supposed to talk about with other people.”

“No, they aren’t the same, Jules,” Oliver tells her. “It’s like… it’s like… Felicity, help me out here.”

“It’s like cookies,” Felicity says. She’s hardpressed to decide who has the most confused face - her husband or her daughters - but she’s started with this metaphor and by God she’s gonna keep going with it. “Daddy and I were cookie batter but we hadn’t baked yet. And someone else had made cookies with the same sets of ingredients. So we could see that they had some cookies with chocolate chips and some with raisins. And we knew we could be those kinds of cookies too, but not with the same raisins or chocolate chips.”

“I don’t want to be a raisin,” Ellie says with great distress. “Raisins are yucky.”

“I don’t understand,” Jules admits.

“Neither do I and I know what she’s trying to describe,” Oliver tells her.

“How about you try then, Daddy,” Jules suggests. “Because right now I still think Nate popped into Mommy’s tummy from the other universe. It makes more sense.”

“Your mom and I had a very special chance to get a look at what our lives could be like,” Oliver tells her. “Like seeing ourselves on television, I guess. We got to meet the Ellie that another copy of us had. We learned about Nate, too. But we didn’t get to keep that Ellie or take that Nate. We made our own.”

“How’d ya’ do that?” Ellie asks.

“Uh…” Felicity chokes.

“My friend Tara says it’s from storks, but I think that’s silly,” Jules tells Ellie. “I’ve never even seen a stork and I’ve seen loads of babies.”

“Me too,” Ellie agrees. “So, how’d Nate get in there, Momma?”

“There is… a way,” Felicity replies slowly, her voice faltering. “A very special way. When mommies and daddies love each other enough and they want to have a baby then sometimes they… do?”

“Is that a question?” Jules asks, looking at her mother like she’s crazy. “You don’t sound very sure. Maybe you should ask your doctor.”

“I love loads of people and I like babies,” Ellie announces. “Does that mean there’s a baby in my belly, too?”

“No, it doesn’t work that way,” Oliver tells her. He looks a little shellshocked at the question.

“You sound sure, but I don’t think you really know,” Ellie decides aloud.

“This is my fourth child,” Oliver points out, sounding a little affronted. “I think I know how babies are made by now.”

“I think maybe we should ask grandma,” Jules decides, standing up. “She’d know for sure. Or Uncle Digg. He knows everything.”

“He’ll be pleased to hear that,” Felicity supplies with amusement as Oliver says, “Please don’t ask Uncle Digg where babies come from, Jules.”

“When’s he coming out?” Ellie asks, leaning her full weight on her forearms against her mother’s thigh and poking one finger at her belly. “How’s he gonna get out of you? There’s not a door. Does he come out your belly button?”

“June. And… that’s… an excellent question, about how he gets out,” Felicity says, laughing nervously. “How about we have another family meeting after I… look up how to talk to you about all this?”

“You don’t remember?” Ellie questions. “I guess it’s been a long time since I was born. Three and a half whole years.”

“Maybe the baby makes it hard to remember things, too,” Jules suggests. “But you’d think Daddy would remember how it works.”

“Maybe there’s a baby in him, too!” Ellie suggests.

“Don’t be silly, Ellie. That’s what mommies do, not daddies,” Jules tells her.

“But mommy and daddy both love each other so much so maybe they made two babies by mistake,” Ellie insists.

“There’s just the one,” Felicity tells her, trying not to envision the notion of twins and blinking that idea away. She’s utterly thrilled to be having Nate, but wow is she glad there’s just one of him. “The doctor said so. He even gave me a picture. Did you want to see it?”

“Yes!” Ellie declares excitedly. “Come on, Jules! We get to see the baby! We’re going to be very good big sisters, Momma. I promise.”

“I know you will, Ellie-bug,” Felicity tells her, smoothing her fingers through the little girl’s loose curls before reaching for the phone in her pocket. She pulls up the ultrasound photo right away and turns her phone so the girls can see it. Ellie practically has her nose pressed to the phone, but Jules is a few feet away watching on warily. “You will too, Jules. You’re already a great big sister. You will be again. Do you see here? That’s his head and that’s his middle. You can see one of his arms right here and that’s a foot.”

Ellie’s face quirks to the side and she gnaws on her lip as she watches the screen. “Momma… I think your doctor’s wrong. I don’t think that’s a baby. I think it’s a burrito.”

“A burrito?” Oliver laughs. It’s a full-bellied sound and so joyous, so pure that the happiness of it spreads right out over Felicity. He scoots closer to her and wraps an arm around her waist. Ellie’s still between them, but she’s down near Felicity’s knee and there’s enough room that Oliver can kiss Felicity’s shoulder as he laughs. She loves that.

“They can make you throw up, too, Momma,” Ellie says sagely. “You should ask the doctor to double-check.”

“Honey, I promise, it’s not a burrito. It’s a baby. It’s your brother Nate,” Felicity insists.

“I might start calling him burrito, though,” Oliver muses.

“Our son is not a burrito,” Felicity bristles.

“Not a burrito. Burrito,” Oliver corrects with a goofy grin. Pending fatherhood has put him in a tremendously joyous and silly mood. It has every time.

But still…

“No,” Felicity insists.

“Can I talk to him?” Ellie asks, cutting through the silliness.

Felicity’s heart positively skips a beat at that before speeding up to double-time. “What?” she asks.

“I know he can’t hear me yet, but maybe I could pretend?” Ellie suggests. She’s nervous and hopeful and it feels like deja-vu, makes Felicity’s head swim at the echo of a memory playing out in front of her. “I don’t have to,” Ellie says with a little shrug, misreading her mother’s shock as reluctance. “It’s okay.”

“You can,” Felicity tells her. It feels like playing out a script.

“Really?” Ellie asks delightedly.

“Really,” Felicity confirms.

Ellie’s little fingers grab the bottom of her mother’s shirt and push it up, exposing the flat plane of her stomach. She moves so that she’s cross-legged on Felicity’s lap and leans over, speaking directly to her mother’s belly button.

“Hi, baby!” Ellie says in what she seems to think is a whisper. Felicity feels Oliver’s fingers twitch against her side and hears him exhale an unsteady breath. He’s as lost in memories as she is and she knows it.

“It’s Ellie! Your big sister. I’ve never been a big sister before, but I promise I’m gonna be so good at it ‘cause Jules taught me how and I already love you loads.”

There is nothing in the whole world that could make Felicity tear her eyes away from Ellie in this moment. Just as there is nothing that could pull Oliver’s attention away from their younger daughter.

Ellie pats her mother’s stomach, scrunching her fingers against the gentle rounded plane like she’s done this a hundred times before, like she’d done when it wasn’t quite her. An unexpected pang of longing hits Felicity for that other little Ellie, for the first child she’d considered one of her own.

But what follows a moment later deviates from the script of before and it reminds her so very thoroughly that no matter how wonderful that little glimpse into their other life might have been - no matter how much they gained from that experience - the lives they’ve made for themselves are so, so much better.

“You too, Jules,” Ellie says, sitting up on her mother’s lap and reaching toward her sister.

For her part, Jules is a touch hesitant. She’s a little less thrilled about this baby thing than her little sister, but that’s okay. She’s got time to get used to it and this feels like the first step in the right direction. Felicity nods her head in invitation with a smile at her older daughter and Jules shuffles forward until Ellie grabs her by the wrist and pulls her down.

“Baby Nate,” Ellie says, talking into her mother’s belly button like it’s a microphone again. “I am Ellie and I am three-and-a-half years old, so I am big and I know lots. This is Jules and she is seven next month so she knows even more but not as much as Will who is fourteen and very old. They’re your sister and brother, too, just like me.” She pulls back and looks at her sister. “Say hi, Jules!”

Jules looks like she feels silly but everyone is watching her expectantly so she leans forward a little and says, “Hi, Nate.”

Ellie huffs at the lackluster greeting. “Not like that,” she corrects. “He can’t hear you from so far away.” She’s all of maybe a foot from Felicity’s stomach. “You gotta get close like this,” Ellie advises, her mouth brushing the skin of her mother’s tummy. “Hellooooo in there, baby brother!” She leans back and tugs Jules forward more. “Come on. Don’t be shy Jules. He’s gonna love you. You’ve gotta introduce yourself.”

Jules turns bright red at that and swallows hard, looking anxious and self-conscious, but she leans in. “Hi Nate,” she says. Her lips don’t touch her mother’s skin, but her hand does, ever so gently, stroking at the skin like she’s petting a dog. “I’m Jules. And I think it’s… kinda cool to meet you.”

It’s soft-spoken, shy, almost embarrassed that she cares, but it’s such a huge step for Jules, for their family, and it seems to Felicity that all the pieces of their lives are sliding right into place. And the picture it forms is beautiful, perfect - even with its flaws - and it’s not just the pregnancy hormones that make her gather her girls in her arms and kiss them both with tears in her eyes. It’s the realization that she’s living exactly the life she wants with exactly the people she wants in it.

And how amazing a thing is that?

*

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