#but as someone who was raised thanking everyone for everything especially my parents no matter what it really stood out bc even little stuff

[ablednt]

Granted I have the overall geographical and cultural knowledge of a 4th grader but from what I can tell the nuclear family model really does seem to be a white colonial invention

Different cultures have different approaches but I mainly hear about either large family units where multiple generations support each other and raise their children and grandchildren together or an "it takes a village" approach where children are raised somewhat communally

And I can't really speak on it much or claim that these families were free of abuse or that children aren't often an oppressed group basically everywhere I know of but the way ownership of your children is so engrained into white society is so bizarre

Like once you notice it you can't unnotice it even the most loving well meaning parents don't know what to do about it because everyone is so isolated from their own families and their own communities so you wind up with 1-2 parents who have full legal ownership of their child and are raised in a culture where you don't have personhood until you're 18 and all attempts at self actualization before them are seen as clueless rebellion. Like our culture is so divorced from the concept that a parent is someone who is helping mentor and care for their child so they can thrive as a fellow human being and it's actually so alarming

And ik this problem isn't unique to white and colonized people but it's honestly really soothing to hear about how other cultures approach and view parenting and community as a whole and to internalize it doesn't have to be this way

[berryhobii]

Hey there :)

I came across you content some days ago and I fell in love with how you write. I have literally read everything you have posted and let me tell you, you don´t disappoint. Thank you for portraying us black girls in the fandom world and allowing us to feel involved in a world where it sometimes feels like we don´t have a voice, it really means the world and reading your work has genuinely made my weekend.

My favourite couple are Y/N and Jungkook from the Late for Work story, and if it´s not too much of a request, could you please write a drabble about them? I don´t have a specific subject in mind, I just like how you write about their dynamic and their personalities.

By the way, sorry if my english is not great, it isn´t my first language. Anyways, thank you so much and keep doing you, you are amazing <33333.

🤧🤧wow thank you so much for your incredibly kind words. And your English is amazing. Don’t ever apologize for that. You could have written it in your native language and I’d find a way to understand it and the words would still be just as special to me❤️I’m so glad you like my work and I’ll continue to do my best for you and every other underrepresented black/brown/dark skinned person out there!

Here’s the Drabble. It’s a Jealous!JK with some suggestive content and loads of compliments about reader/OC! Hope you enjoy!💜

~

Jungkook wasn’t a jealous person by heart.

He was always grateful for what he had so he never found reason to be envious of what others had. His parents raised him well and taught him the importance of humility and compassion. He never felt the need to be jealous.

Even when he met you. You were already spunky and free, expressing yourself how you saw fit. You didn’t let anyone tell what to do or how to feel and especially how to dress.

Jungkook loved your sense of style; you could be girly and colorful, posh and elegant, alternative and dark, and so many more. You weren’t limited to one thing. You tried different styles and if you liked it, you wore it and that was that.

Everyone stopped to stare at you whenever you walked, your natural charisma and glow too powerful for people to just pass you.

And Jungkook felt so much pride being able to hold your hand. You were all his and he was yours, the sparkling diamond on your hand speaking volumes.

So why the hell wasn’t it speaking to this store attendant who kept staring at your breasts as you tried to pick out a bracelet for your best friend’s baby shower. You had already purchased gifts for the baby but you also wanted to choose something special for your friend.

You were focused on staring at the choices in front of you, trying to decide which one would match her skin tone the best. Jungkook was only halfway listening, his eyes staring daggers at the attendant who was assisting you. Jungkook didn’t notice the guy ogling you at first, all of his attention on you and trying to help the best he could.

It wasn’t until he just so happened to look up and realize the man seemed a little unfocused that he noticed. Following the man’s eyesight, Jungkook found him to be staring at your cleavage that was pushing against your arm as you leaned over on the display case. Knowing you, you probably didn’t even realize you were doing it, too deep in thought over which one she’d like.

You could be a bit unaware at times, especially when you were with Jungkook. He always made you feel safe so you never felt the need to be too aware. He would protect you no matter what and you settled into that.

And you were so in love and obsessed with him that you never even noticed when someone else was flirting with you or ogling you. Jungkook was the only pair of eyes you felt and/or cared about. You were also used to people staring at you so you’ve learned to drown out the stares. It was easy enough to do.

Good thing you had Jungkook.

“I think pink gold is cute but white gold is more classy. What do you think, baby?” You glanced over to your husband who seemed to be staring off into space. He did that sometimes. You called it his Jungkookie sense like Spider-Man. You thought it was adorable.

He hummed, blinking before looking down at you and smiling. “I think white gold is perfect, princess.” He directed his focus to the attendant whose eyes were still admiring your bosom.

Ugh.

You smiled brightly at your husband before nodding and turning back to the attendant. “I’d like to see this one in white gold, please.”

“Of course, miss.” He smiled politely and moved to retrieve the bracelet from a cabinet away from both of you.

Jungkook relaxed for a moment. He hated that gross feeling that was building in his stomach. He was very secure in your relationship; never worrying about you cheating or flirting with other people. Not when you’d come home and suck his cock just because you missed him. You were obsessed with him and you made sure he knew it.

He did. He truly did. He just hated how this guy was staring at you when it was obvious you were taken. It just felt disrespectful. Couldn’t he try to be more subtle or just not look at taken women like you were some piece of meat?

He couldn’t relax long since the man came back with the jewelry.

“I love it! Don’t you think it’s so wonderful, baby?” You bounced on your toes, clapping cutely. The motion caused your breasts to bounce, Jungkook’s eyes cutting to the man who was smiling sleazily at you.

Jungkook could feel his anger bubbling up but he swallowed it down. He didn’t want to make a scene even though he really wanted to punch this guy in the face.

He gritted a smile. “I do. It’s beautiful. Your friend will love it.” He directed his attention back to the guy, reaching into his pocket to take out his card. “We’ll take it.” He ordered, slapping his black card on the counter. The man flinched, finally locking eyes with Jungkook’s menacing ones. He gulped, sweat slicking up his palms.

You made a noise of surprise. “Baby, what?“

“Do you want something too, princess? I’ll get you whatever you want.” He never broke eye contact with the man who was starting to turn pink under the heat of Jungkook’s gaze.

You blinked a few times before a knowing look formed on your face. You hid a smile behind your hand. Adorable.

Leaning over the display case again, you pointed at a ring. “That one. It’ll compliment my wedding ring nicely, don’t you think?”

“I do. Could you wrap them please? With a nice bow?” The devilish smile he sent towards the man was enough to send a shiver down his spine. While the smile looked polite on the outside, the attendant could feel the intensity that radiated off of the hunk of man.

The attendant ducked his head, meekly whimpering out a, “right away” before scampering off to retrieve the boxes and wrapping.

After paying, Jungkook led you out of the store, making sure to deliver a slap to your ass that he’s sure the attendant saw.

“You’re cute when you’re jealous, baby.” You teased once you two had gotten back in the car. Jungkook started the engine, pulling off with one hand on the wheel and the other on your thigh.

He scoffed. “I wasn’t jealous. I just don’t like when people stare at you too hard.” His grip tightened on your thigh making you bite your lip. Gosh, your husband was so sexy. And him jealous took his sexy meter from a 10,000 to a 10 Million.

“They can look all they want. You’re the only one who can touch.” Grasping his hand on your thigh, you moved it between your legs, his fingers coming in contact with a wet spot on your panties.

He almost swerved the car, groaning as he tried to stay focused on the road. “How long have you been wet?”

“Since you slammed that card down on the counter.” You unbuckled your seatbelt, leaning over the console to come closer to him. Your tongue darted out to lick a broad stripe up the side of his neck, teeth biting at a fading hickey. “Now why don’t you pull over so you can take what’s yours?”

A wolffish grin spread across his face. Reaching a hand down, he rubbed over the bulge in his pants.

“I’ll start with your mouth. Get over here and show me.”

And you did. The entire ride home.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

No no no, YOU'RE good, I love how intricate your ideas get!

BRO YOUR BRAIN POWER, Everything would only be more heartbreaking (how did you even do that) if reader was the extant child/relative of one the yans, my brain explored the idea with the professor or magneto, someone who wouldn't have suspected reader was their child, what would be worse for reader is if nobody knew and it was found out AFTER they're back. I'm evil :)

I could Imagine the reader, being the sweet selfless thing that they are, and being the only one who can't use their powers to escape like the others can, they might resort to begging the three to run and leave them behind, it's the very last thing any of them want, OH MAN it'd tear them up inside, but especially if reader were the oldest, the kids could be swayed to listen, even if they really really don't want to.

🐑 Anon

🥺🥰☺ Thank you, 🐑 Anon!!! I'm enjoying these small asks posts, as it's helping me discover how I want to write the first main story post! It's helping me think over how each character would act, possible relationships, and exactly how far I want it to go... So thank you, and for everyone else, who keeps asking about this au, and sharing your thoughts and ideas for it😊

And yes, it would involve more angst if they found out Reader was their child after they're back, but I raise you this: What happens if they found out when Reader and the others initially died? (Isn't that a fine wine of angst?) They never suspected and never knew Reader was a relative of theirs, and the pain and guilt over only ever knowing after Reader had already died. It would be worse if, when sorting through some of Reader's stuff after that dark day, they find a few papers in their handwriting, mentioning they know that one of their mentors or guardians is actually their parent/sibling/relative, but that they aren't going to tell them, because they don't want to ruin their relationship... Or if Reader had a DNA test or birth certificate or something else, detailing the fact they're related... The absolute misery the adult/s would be in, knowing they would never be able to right it, that they'd never be able to let Reader know they would have accepted them, no matter what... It breaks them all over again...

If Reader begged the others to go, to leave them, the three would be torn. If Reader is younger than them, they are staying no matter what. Only being forced to leave them would keep them from being by their side, sticking together til the end. If Reader is older, they would reluctantly leave, but only after Reader forces them into a position where that's the choice they're left with. And the three would be doing everything they can to get back to them, to try and rescue them from the strangers wearing the faces and powers of their teams, the people they call family...

I think I've finally decided on how old Reader is, and I say they are the youngest. Not by a lot, granted, but that doesn't stop them from being seen as someone to protect, no matter how powerful or awesome their powers are. They could be able to turn into a beast-like creature, or transform into any animal they want, or have fangs and claws, and they'd still be getting defended. It doesn't mean Reader themself isn't protective. Reader has lashed out before, during the few weeks they'd all been held captive, all to protect their captured friends or to defend the other platonic yans... Reader did suffer for it, though, terribly... It's why their death was a little different than the others. Where the others deaths were rather quick, Reader's was dragged out, made as painful for as long as it took to pass on...

It's really no wonder the adult and older teen platonic yans snapped and took their time destroying the people who'd done it. Who didn't even give them a chance to reach them before it was too late. And what a bloody, long drawn-out mess it is... And when it's finally done, well... There's a new world order on the verge of forming, and when it is brought to fruition... a lot of their enemies realize what a dangerous mistake they made...

[nemo-of-house-hamartia]

For the questions: Dorothea and Mathias

I. PRE-RELATIONSHIP

What would their lives be like if they had never met?

II. GENERAL

Which one thinks they aren't good enough for the other, if at all?

Who whispers inappropriate things in the other's ear in public?

III. LOVE

What are their favorite things to do together?

What reminds them of each other?

What do they like best about each other?

IV. DOMESTIC LIFE

What is the wedding like? Who attends?

How do they celebrate holidays?

Do they have any "couple traditions", or family traditions?

Hello Nonnie! welcome welcome!

AND OMG YOU BROUGHT ME QUESTIONS ABOUT MY DARLINGS BEBES. THE TWO THAT ARE 24/7 ON MY MIND. I SO RARELY RECEIVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THEM, SO THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU FOR MAKING ME SO HAPPY 💓😭💓 Lemme answer them all! <3 (and buckle up, it's going to be a long one <3 *happy squee*)

I. PRE-RELATIONSHIP

5) What would their lives be like if they had never met? I'd say that, had they never met, their lives would have been rather different, and dare I say, rather tragic. Considering how their whole story is based on the fact that Dorothea found herself out of her own time by absolute accident (or was it Fate, mayhaps, bringing her to where she belonged?), had she never met Mathias, she would have followed through with her parents' plan for her. She would have married Mr. Christopher Sterling, an affluent American Templar Master who had taken an interest in her in 1868, bringing forth their children, as was expected of her, and she would have joined the Templars, eventually becoming Grand Master of London and bringing absolute terror to the Assassins until her death by assassination in 1888. Mathias, on the other end, would have continued his life as he had ever since Emmanuelle destroyed his heart: vowing himself completely to the cause of the French Brotherhood, growing more and more disillusioned by everything around him, and eventually finding his demise in 1794 during the Reign of Terror, causing Antoine to go on an absolute rampage and turning even more to the dark side than she was before.

II. GENERAL

13) Which one thinks they aren't good enough for the other, if at all? Both. Both, for different reasons, believe that they are not good enough for the other. Mathias, due to his disastrous marriage with Emmanuelle, was left with more than just physical scars, and being the introspective man that he was, he didn't want to run the risk of "infecting" Dorothea with the sufference and sadness that he constantly felt; also, his physical disfigurement hindered him from actively pursuing her, terrified as he was that if he were to see the extent of his burn scars on his body, she would be absolutely repulsed and would reject him right away. Dorothea, on her side, thought that she was an absolute inept at romantic matters and not morally good enough for Mathias, especially after spending quite sometimes with him and Antoine and Colette. With them, the flaming passion they had to fight for a better world for everyone, she realized how blind and guillible she had been her whole life, shaped as it was by the Templar's beliefs her father and mother had raised her into. She felt she had been a complete fool that couldn't recognize alone that what her father did was not only wrong but also morally unjust, and that therefore, she as well was absolutely irrecoverable. Once that realization hit her and despite her utmost willingness to critically review her ways, alongside her feelings for Mathias literally roaring within her chest, she reined everyhing in, thinking he would be better off with someone that was never tainted from such ideology. She felt too ashamed to even dare to entertain the idea that he might want her. Thank goodness Colette was there to show them how they were so wrong about it all, and instead how, despite all the tragedies and sadness in their life, they were so similar to one another that they truly were two halves of the same soul, and renouncing this chance at happiness would be their greatest mistake.

11) Who whispers inappropriate things in the other's ear in public? DOROTHEA. She was EXTREMELY good at playing coy and being a little tease with her husband, and you can bet that Dorothea was the one that more often than not approached Mathias with the excuse of wanting a hug and a kiss, and ended up whispering all sort of suggestive things to his ears and against his neck, just for the satisfaction of seeing Mathias' face turn all red and rendering him a mumbling mess. However, she knew that, come nighttime, Mathias would be the one to render HER a whole mumbling mess under his most intimate caresses.

III. LOVE

6) What are their favorite things to do together? Playing music together is definitely one of their favourite activities together. Mathias was an excellent pianist and had an incredible voice, warm and soothing, and he adores sitting down and duet with Dorothea in the evening, singing together or playing the piano while Dorothea accompanies him, either with her voice or her violin. Alternatively, since Mathias had good training in dancing when he was a child, under his adoptive mother's tutelage, he would never say no to a round of waltz, knowing how much she adored dancing around with him. Another favourite things they enjoyed together was riding around the countryside. Mathias was a skilled equestrian, always more at ease around horses than humans, and during their courtship, he taught her how to ride, an activity that she enjoyed immensely, given that her parents never allowed her to do so for fear that she might hurt herself in the process. Dorothea was forever grateful to Mathias for teaching her because whenever she rode around with her horse, she felt truly and properly free, one with the wind.

9) What reminds them of each other? Dorothea was reminded of Mathias whenever her fingers flew over the keyboard of a pianoforte, tickling the ivories in the melodies that were him. She was reminded of him in the tranquillity of a bubbling brooke close to the meadow of their house; in the light of the full moon that lit up the dirt road that lead to the their house in the countryside, in the roaring of the voice of the waves that crashed against the white shore of Normandy, that reminded her so much of Dover; she was always reminded of him in the laughter of their children, that resembled him in so many aspects. Mathias was reminded of Dorothea in the soft, pale light of the sky at dawn, when the sun is not far away from the horizon, ready to break the night and bring forth another cheerful day; the stars that dotted the sky in the middle of the night, so similar to the way her freckles kissed her cheeks; He was reminded of her during the soft falling of the snow, and quiet silence that encompassed the land during winter time; Whenever he saw a flowery meadow in spring, he would think of her, and the time they spent together reading to one another among the wild flowers. He saw her resilience and kind determination in all their children, sweet Léonie in particular.

10) What do they like best about each other? Physically speaking, Dorothea *absolutely* adored Mathias' eyes. They were the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen in all her life, not only for the dark colour and upward shape, but also for the way they were able to convey all Mathias' love for her without him uttering a single word. There was a whole world enclosed behind them, a lot that he left unspoken, and at the beginning of their courtship, she would find herself staring at them without even realizing she was doing so, trying as she could to decypher the mystery behind those long dark lashes. Mathias, instead, loved her smile, so genuine and sweet and welcoming, and loved the way Dorothea's face would light up when smiling for him. There was something so incredibly endearing when she smiled, he would oftentimes resort to silly jokes just for the chance to see that smile and hear her laughter. It brought him absolute comfort and delight in being the reason that she smiled and laughed. Now, in regards to their personality, Dorothea adored Mathias' sensitivity and kindess and generosity, the fact that, despite all the pain and misery he had gone through, he never EVER allowed himself to become a callous man, never allowed himself to give in to anger and contempt and selfishness, remaining instead a caring, honourable and gentle human being. He was his best friend Mathias, instead, was absolutely enthralled by Dorothea's kindness and loving heart, her sharp intellect, and her unwillingness to deceive, even when that would cost her greatly. During their courtship, he found these traits of her personality incredibly endearing and the ones that would prompt him to ask her to be his wife.

IV. DOMESTIC LIFE

3) What is the wedding like? Who attends?

Their wedding was as simple as it could be, in one of the niches in Notre Dame, attended by a Priest after Dorothea converted to Catholicism. The only people presents during their celebration were Antoine and Claude, Colette and Arno and Mathias' best friend Xavier, who had been the one that actually created the occasion for Mathias to declare himself to Dorothea and ask her to marry him. Dorothea, due to the fact that all her family was technically not born, had no one to invite to celebrate with her, but she knew that, in spirit, Byron was always there to support her and her happiness, so for that reason, she kept the compass he had given her inside one of the pockets of her wedding dress (a simple old robe that had belonged to Mathias' adoptive mother).

Unbeknownst to all of them (with the exception of Xavier), their ceremony was also attended by Rodrigo Reyes Moreno, Mathias and Antoine's uncle from their mother side. Xavier informed him that Mathias was to be wedded soon to his ladylove, and quick as his horse allowed, reached them in France, bringing with him a family heirloom that had belonged to his sister Ximena: a ring that was passed down the women from generation to generation in the Reyes Moreno, that was to be worn once married with the promise of a life rich in love and happiness. He entrusted the gift to Xavier, so that he could deliver him to Mathias, knowing that even if Ximena could not wear it for her own wedding (since there was none), at least her son's wife would.

9) How do they celebrate holidays?

In the peace and quietness of their cozy abode, for sure! 😂You see, with Colette and Antoine always looking after their brother and his wife and loving to spend the holidays all together, sometimes Mathias and Dorothea had an hard time to be completely alone during the holidays, even more so after their children were born. So, before becoming parents, they would sometimes try to run away in the countryside to just enjoy each other's presence, since it was the one they loved the most.

13) Do they have any "couple traditions", or family traditions?

Considering how both of them were two absolute nightowls, sometimes, when the moon was full and the weather serene, Dorothea loved to surprise Mathias with a midnight picnic, just for the two of them. She would spread a blanket in the garden that Mathias had planted for Dorothea, and with lit lanterns around them, they would enjoy some of the dishes that Dorothea had cooked for him (thanks to Colette being the best teacher ever <3). The quiet of the night around them, with only the moon kissing them, the stars twinkling for them, the crickets chirping softly, fireflies flying around them as the wind gently blow and danced through the tree branches....it made them feel secure, protected in the bubble that was their love, as if they were the only two people in the entire world.

Another couple tradition they had was connected to reading. They both were two ENORMOUS bookworms, with an impressive collection of books that they had collected throughout the years. But what's special about those books were the old, worn-out bookmarks that they had glued to various pages. Each bookmark had a memory attached - a quote they loved, a tear-stained page due to one of their fights, a shared laughed caused by a sentence. It was a tradition started by Dorothea: she was so terrified that something might happen and bring her back to the XIX Century that she wanted to have those memories collected by those bookmarks, so that everything she had with Mathias was "set in stone" and nothing could ever erase it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you so much for this ask <3 it took me a little to write it all down, but I had so much fun <3

Truly, it put such a big smile on my face and such happiness to my heart, Nonnie, you have no idea <3

Thank you <3

[eywamygoddesswrites]

— ｐｉｌｏｔ １ —

synopsis: dreamscapes are known by the na'vi since the beginning of everything, especially the tsahiks and tsakerams. they come to this plane of existence to learn more about what happens to someone who falls asleep and what happens when another wakes up. do they pause when the na'vi is awake? or do they resume their lives as if it was normal? what happens when that character in your head begins to have their own consciousness?

pairing: avatar by james cameron x fem!platonic!reader

word count: 3.2k

want to join the taglist? send an ask here or leave a comment!

ao’nung knocked on the side of the mauri pod that the sully’s currently reside in while holding a singular utumauti as he shouted ‘delivery’. tuteo moved the leaf-like curtain that serves as the door of their home when ao’nung, out of the blue, chucked the utumauti at the omatikaya. neteyam quickly caught it but was irritated that it was the wrong thing the metkayina had brought. “yo, i asked for teylu!”

“your order has been replaced due to the shortage in requested—” ao’nung mumbled the rest before turning around and walking away. tuteo ran after the tutan his age, shouting his attention. “wait, aren’t you the olo’eyktan’s son? like, the metkayina olo’eyktan’s son?”

ao’nung didn’t know if tuteo was joking or just getting a rise out of him, but he was just confused why he had to ask. “yes?” he replied hesitantly. tuteo smiled and greeted him. “what’s up, my bro?” now ao’nung felt lost. “hey…” he says as he raised his hand to wave.

“ao’nung, right?” the metkayina nodded. “you went to awa’atlu middle school, correct?” how the fuck did this omatikaya know this kind of information?? “were you great at training on how to ride and bond with an ilu?” not to toot his own horn, but, he was one of the best students when learning how to become one with his clan.

“i mean, i was okay—” “c’mon, everyone was still getting the hang of it, but my bro was ready to pass his passage of rites then and there!” ao’nung felt his ego swoll for a moment. “i mean, my sa’nuk did say i was one of the best students.” his shoulders raised slightly, remembering when his teacher mentioned to his parents that he and a few of his classmates were the best in the class.

“and you wanted to become the next olo’eyktan?” tuteo continued on with his questions. “i mean, yeah, but—” “but then you started acting like an asshole and earning the reputation of having no traits of becoming an olo’eyktan” okay, ouch. tuteo didn’t need to hit that deep. fucking asswipe. “yeah, i heard your mom is disappointed.”

“look, if you’re going to just insult me, can’t you just leave me alone?” ao’nung had enough of this stranger pushing him down, and also, how the hell does this na’vi know so much about him? “look ao’nung, i know you’re trying your best now to make amends to the people you tormented for a while and you’re doing great! just remember that actions matter and people will forgive you in no time.”

ao’nung didn’t know if he should feel thankful or just straight-up punch tuteo in the jaw. “how in eywa’s name do you know so much about me??” he finally asked the pain-staking question.

“oh, we all worship you.” tuteo nonchalantly says, ao’nung’s eyes wide and may just pop out of their sockets. “yeah, we heard from your classmate about it and now we just straight up worship you.”

can… can na’vi’s worship other na’vi’s? is this even allowed? “we also sacrifice animals in your name.” “is that even alright to eywa?!!?” how can this… this forest na’vi say things like this?!? life comes from eywa, not ao’nung! he’s a creation of eywa just like the rest. so what… why??

“it’s almost time for us to worship you. you wanna join?” tuteo asked as if it was something so normal. ao’nung doesn’t know if not accepting the offer would cause him to be harmed so he just accepted it. tuteo motions him to come into the mauri pod and inside, tuteo began introducing him to the na’vi’s present.

“everyone, i have a surprise! we have a prestigious guest and it’s the one and only, ao’nung!”

ao’nung does the ‘i see you’ gesture to the na’vi’s before tuteo started to introduce them. “ao’nung, this is rotxo, ao’nung (2), ao’nung (3), ao’nung (4), lo’ak, ao’nung (5), and i’m ao’nung supreme.” tuteo, or ao’nung supreme, points to everyone respectively before pointing at himself being ao’nung supreme, or maybe just supreme for short?

everyone returns the gesture to ao’nung and each saying ‘oel ngati kameie’ to him. supreme leans closer to ao’nung saying that rotxo and lo’ak were new members before turning to the rest of the cult members.

“it’s sad to say that our ao’nung didn’t have any teylu for us to use as a sacrifice. but that’s okay.” supreme took the chopping board with the utumauti on top of it. he began sharpening the cutting knives. he turns to ao’nung, saying that the offering he was going to prepare was for him, making ao’nung smile slightly.

as supreme stabbed the fruit in front of him, the cult simultaneously says ‘tiyawn, ve’ki, tì’ipu. olo’eyktan,’ as their final action was holding up their palms and looking at ao’nung. the metkayina didn’t even know what to say so he just said a meek ‘thank you’.

supreme nods in contentment before telling the members that everyone did good. music began to play in the background as soft songs flew in the air. ao’nung was going to explain why he doesn’t deliver teylu when ao’nung supreme instructs ao’nung to wash his hands for 30 seconds specifically before they eat when ao’nung (2) interrupts the two by shouting that he already washed his hands.

the ao’nungs laughed while supreme tells ao’nung (2) that he wasn’t referring to him. while the rest laughed, ao’nung mumbled to himself that everything is just getting repetitive and supreme reminded him to wash for 30 seconds.

ao’nung goes to wash his hands and after he did, he hears knives being scraped and sharpened. he peeks to where the rest of the cult were and realized, ‘oh fuck…’ he actually fucked up.

while he was in the bathroom, the rest of the ao’nungs, more specifically lo’ak, was complaining that he was taking too long. lo’ak was dangling on the make-shift hammock and says to rotxo, “all the ao’nungs have probably finished setting up.” rotxo told lo’ak to calm down when lo’ak suggested that they should check on ao’nung.

“no.” rotxo says immediately, only for lo’ak to look up in disappointment. “why not?” he asked. “he’s probably pooping. that’s why he’s taking a long time.” rotxo rolls his eyes before continuing to sharpen the knives in his hands.

lo’ak’s face scrunched in annoyance and he thought ‘no one takes 20 minutes to shit—’ when rotxo says, “ao’nung fact number 436, ao’nung is a shy pooper. even if he’s alone at home, he takes him at least 20 minutes to poop peacefully.” lo’ak looks at rotxo, “you actually memorized those??”

rotxo replies with a ‘naaah, i just found some interesting.’ before he continues stating out facts. “ao’nung fact number 2427, he puts out a facade to hide his hurt.” ao’nung scoffs and mumbles to himself, ‘no i don’t’ when realizing that, yeah, maybe he does.

“ao’nung fact number 1426, he’s afraid of windows.” rotxo says as ao’nung was leaving out the window. ‘how the fuck would he know this?!’ he internally panicked before continuing to leave. lo’ak was getting impatient and wanted to get ao’nung out the bathroom while rotxo tells him to give ao’nung a minute to freshen up.

lo’ak insisted that they go in and fetch him while rotxo tells him no until lo’ak just swings the door open to reveal that ao’nung had already left.

ao’nung successfully left the pod, only to have met supreme on the way, who was going back to the mauri pod. it was awkward. like… really reeaallly awkward. it wasn’t until supreme hits ao’nung in the head hard that he blacked out.

ao’nung woke up in a cave with candles lit and surprisingly not tied up. he woke up abruptly to a projector lighting up and a movie playing until supreme turned it off. weird, supreme was dressed up as ao’nung.

“what’s happening?” supreme asked in fear. why was this… doppelganger dressed up as him? what will this double do to him? why was there a lot of him to begin with? “i’ll go straight to the point. i’m here to replace you.” ao’nung looked at supreme weirdly. “ao’nung supreme?” “yeah.” “oh my eywa.”

ao’nung rubbed his head in disappointment. “really, dude?” he looked at supreme with his lips thinned. “i know, i know, i’m sorry! but hey, i made you this as my apology.” supreme pulls out an armband he had made beforehand and gave it to ao’nung. “this is nice, thanks, but why are you doing this??” ao’nung took the armband and kept it instead of putting it on for now.

“i’m… actually trying to learn how to love myself. i mean, i already love you, so maybe if i become you, i can learn to love myself too.” supreme explains before adding, “i mean, there’s no one else i’d rather be than you.”

“you’re cool, for the most part, but you made the most of everything in your life. you may not be perfect, but you always do your best and i admire that. and no amount of perfection can top that.” supreme explains, causing ao’nung to think and realize, yeah, maybe it’s not a bad thing for someone to maybe at least give him a chance to love himself, even if it means taking his identity. “what happens now?” ao’nung asked.

“well,” supreme stands up and takes his accessories and tosses them to ao’nung. “dinner tonight is still in your honor.” ao’nung tilts his head in confusion. “and this is the part where things get complicated.”

‘supreme’ (ao’nung) and ‘ao’nung’ (supreme) went back to the pod where all the other ao’nungs waited for the pair. they both respectively went to their seats while everyone else settle in. ‘ao’nung’ lowkey motioned ‘supreme’ to give out a speech before dinner starts.

“rotxo, lo’ak, ao’nungs, and ‘ao’nung’, we worship you, albeit a little weird because you’re just a regular na’vi like us,” his wavering voice almost gave him away as the rest of the ao’nungs looked at him weirdly. “but everything about you is cool. the way you hunt, the way you ride the ilus, how you sign underwater, and how you learn to become the next olo’eyktan.”

“ao’nung fact number 194, despite ao’nung having to be the next olo’eyktan by default, he really wanted to be an olo’eyktan because his father was the olo’eyktan of the metkayina clan.” ao’nung (3), or AN for short, says while ‘supreme’ agrees with him. “yeah, and how you wanted to protect, not only your clan but also because you wanted to protect your mom and wanted her to be happy.” at this point, everyone became a little sentimental.

happy is not easy. happy may stay for a while but most of the time, it’s hard, impossible even because happiness was not normal. but still, ‘ao’nung’ was able to achieve it and he didn’t need any worshippers to show him that he helped someone.

“and that’s why, i’m so proud of you, ‘ao’nung’.” ‘supreme’ says as they both smiled at each other. just when ‘ao’nung’ was going to say something, rotxo stood up and mentioned that he has the knives ready.

lo’ak raised a knife at ‘supreme’ while saying that they knew that he was there to kidnap ‘ao’nung’ as rotxo says that they were all there to protect ‘ao’nung’.

‘ao’nung’ began to panic as he began to remove the accessories he had. “you have 3 seconds to leave this cult and never return.” lo’ak says, not dropping the knife any time soon. ao’nung (4) rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath, ‘a little dramatic of these two.’ a countdown started and supreme told ao’nung to run but it was too late.

rotxo and lo’ak realized the two had swapped so they went for plan b: have them faint and go to another dreamscape. lo’ak holds up a cloth and made ao’nung faint and the next thing everyone knows, they were in someone else’s dreamscape

it was calming. they were on a cliff that ao’nung was familiar with. he would go to this place to gather his thoughts and calm himself down especially when he feels like everything was too much. everything was going well, good memories passed by his eyes until everything started to distort. ao’nung looks down to see a yovo fruit in his hand until looks up and another scene was placed before him.

supreme stood beside him as their wrists were tied behind their backs. they seemed to be standing in the forest at the edge of a cliff but instead of water that was beneath, it was the hard ground instead. “it appears we’re at a disagreement.” lo’ak says as the rest of the ao’nungs stood by. “one of you is jasper,” he points the knife at what appears to be ‘ao’nung’, “the other is that duplicitous, intemperate, covetous, rebarbative, callous leader, ao’nung supreme.” then points the knife to who appears to be ‘supreme’.

“one of you will be spared, the other will not.” rotxo added, an accent to what appears to be back in the olden days. ao’nung turns around, does rotxo really speak like that? “i dunno, man. lo’ak says it’s gonna be cool if we spoke like that.” that earned rotxo to get jabbed on the side with lo’ak’s elbow.

supreme immediately confesses that he’s ao’nung supreme while the jasper that stood beside him was the real jasper. rotxo was immediately convinced by it but lo’ak held him back. “prove it.” he simply said.

supreme simply nodded his head at each of the ao’nungs as he started to mention their names. “you’re rotxo te mayue ovuoka'itan, you’re lo’ak te suli tsyeyk’itan, his name is ro’at te etopx hosloek'itan, and his name is–” he was cut off by lo’ak. “okay, okay, jeez. we get it, you’re ao’nung prime. rotxo,” he turns to the metkayina, “throw him off the cliff.” just as rotxo was closing in at supreme, ao’nung shouts at them to stop.

“no? ao’nung, do you even know this na’vi? do you know why he even made you into a cult?” lo’ak starts as he gets closer to ao’nung. “do you even know anything about him? ao’nung, bro, we’re just protecting you.”

this may or may not be the most confused ao’nung has ever been since gaining consciousness in this dreamscape. “what are you even talking about?!” he shouts at the two. “rotxo and i are your step-brothers, ao’nung!” lo’ak shouts at the metkayina in front of him. how…? how can this happen? step-brothers? when did he even get stepbrothers?

“your father, he left remember? he left to learn sky people technology and made the most successful and only tech company here in pandora.” rotxo explains to the confused na’vi in front of him. “you… you never knew? your dad is one of the wealthiest people here in pandora’s history.” lo’ak adds. “we even found out about the plan to kidnap and replace you to inherit your dad’s estate.” lo’ak motions at supreme, who could only stare at the ground in shame.

apparently, supreme, or whoever this may even be at this point, created the ao’nung cult just to reel ao’nung in, and when it was done, he ordered from the fruit store he knew that ao’nung had been working for to earn a bit of money so that he can act out his elaborate plan on replacing ao’nung. none of what ao’nung knew of was real. everything, supreme never cared and why would he? ao’nung was just normal. nothing out of the ordinary nor special or whatever. just. normal.

supreme looked at ao’nung, his eyes telling him that what these ‘stepbrothers’ of his weren’t real as his voice softly called out to him. “it’s to come home, ao’nu–” before lo’ak could even finish, he was hit in the head with a heavy, thick woven basket by an ao’nung, shocking the rest of the ao’nungs present.

“it was real to me.” ao’nung (5) says in a deeper voice than the rest. that’s when ao’nung had a plan. he immediately tells ao’nung (5) to protect supreme. everyone knew a fight was coming. they all shouted ‘tiyawn, ve’ki, tì’ipu. olo’eyktan,’ as if it was a war cry and everything went in slow motion. they all ran at each other to attack as supreme began to run away from the commotion.

ao’nung saw this and began to run after supreme, leaving the rest of the ao’nungs to fight. supreme was no where in sight which gave ao’nung the time to get back to where the mauri pod was and got his makeshift bag. he’s going to leave this hellhole and never return.

just as he opened the front of the mauri in revealed supreme, regret plastered on his face as he stood there motionless as if he doesn’t know what to do or say. he greets ao’nung and ao’nung returns the gesture.

it was silence for a moment before ao’nung finally spoke. “you created a cult… just to replace me… why? why go through all this effort?” anger was evident in his voice. supreme bobbed his mouth like a fish until he finds his voice. “i just… i just wanted to be someone else.” “yeah i get that.” ao’nung cuts him off.

“but! but, that’s because i never knew my parents.” supreme continued. “i never had a home and i’ve made a lot of mistakes.” ao’nung grew uncomfortable. did supreme need to go through all this trouble because of family issues? eywa… people needs help.

“i found out about you and your dad and… and it made me want what you had.” supreme finally finished. ao’nung asked, “you had the chance but you didn’t take it. why?” supreme’s hands grew restless as they kept twitching. “that’s because i met you! i found out that you’re someone worth believing in.” 

ao’nung stared at supreme for a moment. maybe… maybe this time, he will give the benefit of the doubt. one last chance. “what’s your real name?” ao’nung asked.

supreme took a big breath in before telling his real name. “neteyam te suli tsyeyk’itan. no relations to lo’ak te suli tsyeyk’itan.” he gives a small smile at ao’nung, who returned it. “you’ve made my day terrible, neteyam.” they both laughed softly at themselves as ao’nung reintroduced himself to neteyam.

“can i have my armband back?” ao’nung asked, who then neteyam realized that they still had some of their accessories still on the other. neteyam apologized and they began exchanging the accessories back.

while they fixed their accessories back, ao’nung asked if neteyam wanted to meet his mom. “really?” ao’nung nodded. “yeah.” he assures the na’vi in front of him.

they both left the mauri pod to go to where ao’nung’s mom resided in. “we have so many stories to tell mom.” ao’nung says in excitement. neteyam agreed. “maybe we could use that projector you had? you know, what the sky people use to show those images?” ao’nung asked. “yeah! i have some movies that i really like. you might like ‘em too.” neteyam says as they walked further.

from another dreamscape, ro’at looked in the distance as he asks no one in particular, “you ready?” before taking a bite of the yovo fruit he has in his hand.

a/n: hey guys! sorry, this took so long to complete. i had to finish the fic specials and i got busy with class. i hope you all enjoy it!

taglist: @nyotamalfoy @hanhanartz @iwaslikeblah @tejas-kris @sophiexoxo-lol @neteyamforlife

want to join the taglist? send an ask here or leave a comment!

— 𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 — , — 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽 — , — 𝓷𝓮𝔁𝓽 —

[abnerkrill]

one line, any fic

rules: pick any 10 of your fics, scroll somewhere to the mid point, pick a line, and share it! Then tag 10 people.

tagged by @firstelevens thank you! <3

tagging @aadmelioraa @wildwren @brynnmclean @elrondsscribe @misterghost @murraybaeman

crushed by the wheel and reshaped by the gear (elrond x adar)

Rare it was for Elves to come this way in these days, but much had fallen on this land that did not normally occur, and Elrond supposed they must already knew he had come here for the Southlanders.

surrendered at the start of the game (elendil x míriel x valandil)

She turns as he approaches, something glittering in her eyes, and he bows, relying entirely on instincts to keep him afloat. “Your majesty,” he murmurs, and keeps his head bowed even as he straightens back up.

where nature unmakes the boundary (elrond x durin)

“Oh, enough with the fancy words,” Durin scoffs, and Elrond’s heart lightens; things cannot be too terrible if Durin is still getting prickly in response to attempts at Elven diplomatic address. “For once in your life just say something simple, Elrond, simple and honest.”

take my hand, wreck my plans (eddie x steve x reader)

“Jesus, sweetheart,” he says after a long moment. “You are putting way too much blame on yourself.”

“Who else,” you say, words grating like nails on a chalkboard—you hate saying it out loud, especially to him, when you wanted so very badly to impress him. “Who else can I blame.”

He sits back, raises his eyebrows, and holds up his hand to count off. “Your shitty parents. Your shitty teachers. Your shitty friends. Your shitty boss and your shitty coworkers. And, yes, the fucking rest of the world. You said it yourself you never had any examples of a different kind of life. So everyone around you failed you because you should’ve had that.”

love should make you feel good (abner x reader)

For now you rest your head against his and tell yourself to breathe it all in and commit to memory how good it is. How lucky and happy you are. How every inhale and exhale is easy and gentle and good, and how you ask for nothing more than this—the space to exist quietly, you and your love, while a storm rages far away.

where does such tenderness come from (murdoc x reader)

So you try to brush it off and only occasionally indulge in snatches of daydream scenarios where he comes back to you, your name sweet on his lips, and tells you some great secret of his—something that could unravel his life like the secret of your name could unravel yours, equally sharp knives held at each other’s throats. Trust or blackmail—does it really matter which it is as long as the result is the same? You handed each other the knives willingly. Mutually assured destruction. 

for all your suffering by night, you are not separate from me (druig x makkari x ikaris)

Makkari took a second before signing, You once left us too. Druig started to interrupt, but Makkari shushed him with a wave of her hand. I know it wasn’t the same situation. You had good reason. But do you remember how alone you felt at first? How terrible? Ikaris is lost. He will stay lost forever unless someone finds him.

let the sign given lead (elendil x original female character)

He cannot bear to look at the brand as it nears; instead he looks down at her. Her veil is translucent, but in the dark he cannot make out her features. The poker reaches close enough to burn the hair on his chest; he feels the heat on his skin, and clenches his teeth so he will not cry out.

At the very last moment before it makes contact she twists her wrist; only the straight edge meets his skin; he grunts but does not cry out, and she pulls back as he breathes heavily through his nose.

She drops the brand to the ground; it clatters on the stone. “It is a test,” she says softly, “and it is done. You have passed.”

you're all i taste [at night inside of my mouth] (kieren x simon)

Ever since coming back from the dead and everything that followed, ever since kissing Simon—not too far from right here, actually—the notion of candlelit dinners and starry-eyed promises is unappealing, not that they can eat real food anyway. Mostly he dreams of a simple, quiet life with someone he cares for. Doing no harm, only getting into the safest kinds of trouble. No grand gestures but the grand gesture of a small infinity together. No roses but the ones growing in a shared garden plot, maintained by the toil of two sets of hands.

look down on this city thinking (should i have loved you more) (abner x reader)

so where to begin? and how?

just that there is something like a miracle to it, and you know it deep in your gut and it burns you and it frees you: that there is a moment, there is a world, there is an infinity, where hell itself gives up its dead, where you stumble home across your own threshold after ten lost years, falling into the arms of the one you love who against all odds is still here, still here, still here.

[finduilasclln]

one line, any fic

Rules: Pick any 10 of your fics, scroll somewhere to the midpoint, pick a line, and share it! Then tag 10 people

I was tagged by @jacksadventuresinwriting and @littlespoonevan. Thank you!

But if he did, I'd feel the same | Buddie

“But your heart is big, Chris, it’s so big and I know that you can love Buck as much as you possibly can and there’s still always going to be enough room for me and Mom, right?” Eddie says, hoping that he’s explaining this right. The last thing that he would ever want is for his kid to feel guilty about loving someone.

pieces of me (are pieces of you) | Buddie

“Just go already!” Eddie says, giving Buck’s arm another push, “Just fucking go!” 

“No,” Buck growls stubbornly, and he actually has the audacity to shove back against Eddie. Eddie would be proud if he wasn’t so desperate to get Buck out of there. 

I found love where it wasn’t supposed to be (Right in front of me) | Buddie

“We are definitely doing that again, because seeing and especially hearing you come apart like this is ridiculously hot,” Eddie says, his knuckles brushing over Buck’s skin lightly. 

Five times Buck is Eddie’s co-parent + One time he is Eddie’s everything | Buddie

“Buck,” Eddie says, his hand reaching out to cover Buck’s. He waits until Buck’s eyes meet his own before continuing, “Not only are you enough, you are the one I choose. I am talking about raising my kid, the most precious person in the world to me, my everything. With Shannon gone - ” He swallows hard. Of course there was Shannon. Despite everything that happened, Shannon was his mother and she loved Christopher more than anything in the world, was good for Christopher, and of course Eddie wishes that she could have been there for Christopher for so many more years. “For me, for Christopher…” Eddie goes on, “There’s only you and me.” 

You Hold In You What I Had Lost | Stony

Steve wakes up before Tony’s lips find his. He doesn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. He groans in frustration as he gets up out of bed and goes through his morning routine. He hopes maybe a cup of coffee will help him shake things off, but of course he stumbles onto Tony, Clint, and Natasha in the communal kitchen.

I'll be home at last | SamBucky

Another shrug. “I know that…” Bucky tries to steady his voice as he stares down at his arm. It’s not even the arm that bothers him the most but it’s the only thing that’s visible, like a giant advertisement to show to the world all the things that have happened to him. All the ways he’s not entirely like everyone else. “With everything they did, I know I’m not exactly… normal. But - ” 

How To Save A Life | Stony

“Steve?” Tony asks, “I need you to stay awake for me, okay? Can you do that?” 

(Hold me) Until I no longer am who I once was | Hardison/Eliot

“Love works in mysterious ways,” Sophie remarks. 

“That ain’t love,” Hardison says almost automatically, signaling to the bartender to bring him another one of whatever it was that Sophie felt he needed. 

“ That isn’t, no,” Sophie says, an almost amused edge to her voice and it takes Hardison by surprise enough to tear his eyes away from where Eliot is sucking on a pale, smooth neck to look at her. 

Embrace The Fall | WinterIron

“Come on,” Tony says, standing up in front of Bucky. He’s wearing sweats that appear too big and a t-shirt that has holes in it, his hair is rumpled and his feet are bare on Bucky’s bedroom floor and this is a glimpse of what Tony looks like when he’s sleeping and it hurts Bucky almost as much as his arm. He isn’t meant to see this, no matter how much he wants to. “I need my tools,” Tony says, and because Bucky clearly hasn’t moved in an acceptable amount of time, Tony adds, “Can you walk?” 

Perfect Paradise (Staring back at me) | Stony

“Well, I didn’t suspect you’d go as far as an assasination plan or anything,” Tony says, finding his trademark quip again, as he takes a few steps towards his closet to grab something to cover up. Being shirtless around Captain America makes one feel a little bit self-conscious… Though if Tony is understanding this correctly, he might have to get over that? “But I definitely got the feeling that my charming personality was… How shall I put it delicately? Annoying the fuck out of you.” 

Since I'm late in doing this, I'm guessing everyone and their cat have already been tagged for this? If you haven't yet and would like to do it, consider yourself tagged by me!

[parcequecestnotreprojeeeet]

Hi. It’s me, Fanfic Anon #2. I’m so glad everyone has enjoyed the series so far. I’ve been really nervous about it (as I’m sure you could tell by some of my comments). So reading everyone’s lovely comments has meant the world. On a personal note, writing these fics has been such a joyful outlet for me (this has been a very stressful period of my life, not to get too personal, ha ha) and so I’m so glad that something that has meant a lot to me has brought some of that same joy to some of you. I feel like I am repeating myself too, but thank you EMT for all your support and everything you do for this little community you’ve created. ❤️

Couple of quick things. First, in response to the Anon who asked about Laurence’s separation, I have no clue what caused it. That’s why I gave the disclaimer that I wasn’t implying he was the bad guy (sometimes no matter how hard both people try it just doesn’t work out), but rather, I feel like Brigitte and Emmanuel would immediately side with their kids against anyone, no matter what. Hence him threatening to send the armed forces after him. Ha ha.

Second, since there seems to be some popular demand for more (especially from you EMT), I have come up with one final installment with all three of them and Emmanuel. (That will have to wait a bit though, since I have something inspired by the upcoming State Visit I’ll be submitting first). I will include the kids more in pieces as I go (like I said, I have a Christmas story coming up, and it features them) but I probably won’t write anymore focused on them one-on-one like this. Although never say never. If someone has a specific story idea they’d want to see, I’d be happy to try and write it.

So this is Tiphaine. Tiphaine’s is based on a quote attributed to Brigitte about the fact that she and Emmanuel were both in the delivery room when her daughters had their babies. (Again. Don’t know if it’s true, but it’s what inspired this). Hope everyone enjoys this next one.

III. Tiphaine

While his wife and his son-in-law stepped out after the nurse to follow the sweet, innocent newborn as she underwent her first tests, he stayed behind with the exhausted new mother, slowly walking over to gently press a kiss to her forehead.

“You did great. I’m so proud of you,” he told her, his eyes still shining from the tears he isn’t afraid to admit he shed only a few minutes ago when he first set eyes on his beautiful new granddaughter for the first time.

“Thank you, but shouldn’t you be with everyone else? Don’t you want to see them get her footprint, or whatever it is they do?”

“Someone needs to stay with you.”

“I’d be fine,” she protested slightly, the strength of her argument under cut by her yawn.

Raising his eyebrow a little at that he replied, “Sure you would. You’re very good at taking care of yourself. But it doesn’t mean that there aren’t those of us who want to take care of you too.”

“How do you say no to that?” She asked, smiling up at him, fighting the need for sleep until she could see her daughter again.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like I was just hit by a train. But happy. Blissfully happy, I don’t think I have the words to describe it.”

“You want to try?”

“I don’t know. It’s like suddenly there’s this whole extra chamber of my heart that I never knew existed. I never knew I could love someone so much -“

“Being a parent is the most amazing thing,” he replied, a little wistfulness in his voice.

“Do you ever regret it?” She asked, finally putting into words a question that had often lingered at the back of her mind.

“Regret what?”

“Not having children.”

“I do have children,” he answered seriously.

“I meant biological children,” the eye roll almost audible.

“No.” He answered firmly, quickly.

“Really?”

“Do I sometimes think about what it would be to have had a little girl running around that was a perfect mix between your mother and me or a little boy with her smile and my nose? Sure. But as I’ve always said, there’s more than one kind of family. And just because ours isn’t traditional doesn’t mean there is any less love in it. In fact, I would be willing to bet there’s more love in this family than there is in a lot of traditional families. In fact, I can name a few off the top of my head who certainly meet that criteria.

“I have children. Children by love, not by blood, sure, but I know that love is what makes a family. The way that you’re feeling right now? That feeling you’re describing of your heart physically growing two sizes? That’s exactly what I felt the first time you hugged me. In every single way that matters you are my daughter, just like your sister, and just like your brother is my son.”

“You’re going to make me cry.”

“That would be the hormones.”

She let out a soft, wet chuckle at that. “They don’t help, but no, it’s you.” She reached out to grab his hand in hers, squeezing lightly, aware it might be hurting from her iron grip less than an hour earlier, “for what it’s worth, you are my second father.”

“It’s worth an awful lot.”

Neither of them noticed through the little moment they were sharing that their missing partners had now returned, carrying a happy, sleeping bundle with them.

“Someone’s back to see her maman,” Brigitte said softly to pop the bubble, drawing the attention towards them, and gently depositing the little one safely into Tiphaine’s arms. Letting her daughter have a moment with her newborn and her partner, she walked over to Emmanuel, whispering, “are you ok? Things looked pretty intense when we walked in.”

“I’m more than ok, chérie,” he consoled her, pressing a kiss to her cheek and slipping his hand into hers.

“Our baby girl is all grown up,” Brigitte sighed.

“You raised a remarkable woman.”

“We raised,” she corrected softly, squeezing the hand she was holding in emphasis.

He just smiled.

Hellooooo fanfic anon #2! ❤️

You really have nothing to worry about. This series with the kids were simply amazing and I cannot thank you enough ❤️

I feel you. Not the easiest of times for me either but while reading and talking to you guys, it distracts my mind and warms my heart ❤️

Oh thank you! Thank you, for giving us one last piece with Emmanuel and the kids! I will wait the time that it takes and I have no doubts that it will be worth it! 😍

Just how sweet of Emmanuel to stay behind with Tiphaine and waiting to take care of her 🥺🥰

The all conversation about Emmanuel not having his own biological kids, fitted so well in here. It gave me a mixed of feelings (because in reality it makes me feel like that too) but absolutely loved the words you wrote about it. Yes. I think that’s exactly how he feels. He loves them as his own family and they love him back as part of their own family too 🤧🥰😍

Thank you so much! ❤️❤️❤️

[boglarkarebay]

I have a Hollow Knight AU titled ‘Afterlife’. I don’t have as many artworks for it as I would like, but regardless I thought: what if the Deltarune characters were in it? It wouldn’t make sense for them to exist alongside the main characters, because one of them - >clears throat< Asriel to be exact - has an incredibly OP power that could mess up ALL the power dinamics of this universe, so, instead, they will be friends of a character who lives decades after the main story, sorta like a spinoff. So here they are. I’m sure Susie and Noelle are important characters too, but I don’t know about Berdly, since the bully’s role’s already taken.

Main character: Kris Dreemurr. The rules of this world are kinda complicated, but demons are the same species as angels and their physical traits depend on magical interactions caused by their genes but even more by their environment. So Kris having horns is normal since they were born in Hell, and no matter how much angel medicine is trying to supress their magic, hormones be hormones and do their thing. Kris’ deepest secret however is that sometimes… they feel like some things happen repeatedly. Not like dejavu, stronger. But there isn’t anyone who seems to notice this, so they just keep it to themselves, thinking it’s just their imagination or something.

Here he is. The reason I had to put this set of characters to live in the future. His save and load abilities grant endless opportunities for the King to kill and abuse the main characters of the earlier storyline, so there would be no reason for him not to use them there, so Asriel would be simply not in the picture to prevent this. He gets discovered at the age of 7 or 8, around the same time the King kidnaps Rin, the kid he will later claim to be his son. Rin was a demon originally, a spiderdemon even, but has been getting magic replacement therapy since he was a toddler, so unlike Kris he has wings and a haloo, making him believe he’s actually an angel, and his parents are the two biggest assholes in the world.

Quick note: Asriel’s been trying to hide his duties and relationship with the King from his family, especially from Kris. He hasn’t met them in a long time because of this, but ‘been sending them lots of letters. He just don’t want Kris to get involved in any of this, or to see what a monster he has become thanks all the horrible things he was forced to do, and getting disconnected from people’s emotions, yada-yada.

There’s Dess too. She’s a very cool character alright. She was kidnapped as a child and had to live on her own, while gaining her own traumas of course. Ever since she and Asriel met again, she feels a very deep connection to him, like they understand each other more than anyone else could. Asriel is kind of his usual sociopath though, saying things like ‘What if I killed you several times before, and you just cannot remember?’ and ‘One day you’ll going to become boring too. A stat on a screen. Just like everyone else.’ Dess isn’t someone who can be scared off by these statements, nada. She believes that what matters is the current timeline, it’s the only one she can remember anyways. So if none of the terrible things happened this time, it woul surely mean it was the best course of action to not do them, right…?

And finally, Karla, my beloved Hornet x Quirrel fankid. Even though her childhood was scattered with all kinds of horrible experiences, she still loves her parents and everything they gave her… even if they’re gone now. Rin is her younger brother who was taken away by angels and was raised to be the King’s son. She feels guilty since, because she believes it was supposed to be her responsibility to protect him. Regardless, she is SO ready for revenge and to kill that disgusting Monarch. She can also detect loads, so with the King and Kris she is the third person to be capable of this. She is very close with Dess, dismissive of Asriel, friendly with Kris, and there is… someone else she made friends with, watching them from the shadows…

[dilucids]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤCelebrity crush, Genshin boys idol! au

admitting you're their celebrity crush and their reaction to your reaction

includes: kaeya, diluc, zhongli and xiao

( can't stop thinking about idol! au genshin. any type of celebrity but it's hinted that you're a singer in xiao's. )

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 KAEYA ALBERICH ━━ FROSTWIND SWORDSMAN 〕

━━ this man is sooooo fucking slick with it.

━━ he'll slyly bring it up in an interview or a live with a smirk on his face and then act as if it never happened when someone questions him.

━━ his members just stares at him when he brings you up, knowing, that beneath that sly persona and nonchalant act, there was millions pounds worth of fan merchandise in his room.

━━ he would evade the subject and if it's an interview, the host would have to pry answers from his members instead as he sits there proudly with a smile on his face as his members tell his fan behaviour instead of him.

━━ in a live, he would somehow convince his fans they were hallucinating but someone would post the clip and everyone would just go ballistic, it'd be one of those "top ten things i can't believe kaeya managed to get away with: gaslighting his fans into believing they were crazy."

"Who's your favourite celebrity?" Kaeya reads out from the comments passing quickly through his Instagram live, he pretends to think. A smile forms on his face when he 'decides' on an answer, "probably [Name]."

He watches the comments speed through even quicker before changing the subject, dropping the matter as if it never happened. His fans are all freaking out though, wanting to get more details on his crush on the celebrity but Kaeya ignores all comments about the subject. They never die down though, only ending when Kaeya himself ends the live.

━━ you may have ended on the same show some time after him and the host brings it up ( 100% planned for views ).

━━ it makes you smile because you've already been informed about this topic by your fans and kaeya's.

━━ you'd end up thanking kaeya for the support and say that you've also been lowkey a fan of his group but you've never openly stated that to anyone.

━━ his fans and your fans immediately get to work and start tagging kaeya's insta/twitter, group and personal, under the clip of you shyly admitting you're a fan of his also and he goes mental.

━━ probably sits there watching the entire interview with a huge smile on his face, and it doesn't leave, not even after he finishes the interview ( bonus: diluc is very disturbed ).

━━ HUGE ego boost for the rest of the day. kaeya's normally very confident but he's extra confident, like starts strutting around like he's the shit and even had the balls to nod his head at diluc as if to say "what's up" with the largest shit eating grin on his face.

━━ diluc definitely thought he was picking a fight.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 DILUC RAGNVINDR ━━ DARKNIGHT HERO 〕

━━ more likely to come from one of his members than him.

━━ or he'd be very smooth with it, and brings it up rather subtly. it'd be a small "oh, i ingest their content and enjoy it" and he'd just continue about his day

━━ and his fans will still go insane because diluc actually enjoying something seems weird, especially another celebrity's work

━━ this would obviously reach you, who was an open fan of his group, and you'd freak out when you see it but wouldn't bring it up because he only said he enjoyed your work, not he was a fan.

━━ would definitely get questioned if he was being interviewed on a talk show, he wouldn't evade the question.

━━ he doesn't really see a point in lying, so he simply shrugs and tells the host that he is a fan and owns some merchandise.

"Diluc, a few fans are curious about your statement the other day," the host redirects the questions to Diluc, who raises an eyebrow. "Is it true that you're a fan of [Name]?"

The question makes his heart pick up a little, he leans back on his chair and clears his throat, composing himself before nodding. "I am a fan," the host seems happy by his response. The conversation continues to steer in this direction, asking Diluc if he had attended any fan meetings or merchandise, how he would feel if you two collaborated for a project and then finally ending once the host asks other members if they were fans of anyone.

━━ he thinks nothing of it, continuing with his day as usual but when he gets mentioned by your twitter? the man loses his shit.

━━ he sits there staring at his screen like he was hallucinating and literally tunes everything else out, staring at your little: "i'd love to work with you too!" message with a small smiley face at the end.

━━ he checks the account multiple times just in case it was one of his fans trolling him but clicking on the @ takes him back to your account so he gives in at some point

━━ he types out a normal, professional "thank you, i hope a time comes when we can collaborate" and "i look forward to more of your works" but he's still losing his shit.

━━ stays in his mind for at least a week.

━━ fans always bring up the fact that y'all never did end up collaborating.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 ZHONGLI ━━ VAGO MUNDO 〕

━━ the public is very aware.

━━ he's never made an attempt to hide how he is a fan, not even the massive poster in his room or the little keychain that he hangs on his bag nor the red eyeliner belonging to a makeup brand that you became a brand embassador for, also now one of his favourite brands.

━━ so no one is really surprised when he talks about you or your upcoming work, what is kinda surprising is when he straight up says that he says you're his ideal type.

━━ not because it's shocking that you'd be anyone's ideal type but because they didn't expect the out of the blue question from host and it's even more mind boggling when the man doesn't even stutter nor even think before just saying your name.

━━ members are sat beside him literally losing their shit in both negative ( scandals and shit ) and positive ( it's fucking hilarious ) ways as he just blinks.

━━ he doesn't even look the slightest bit worried as he stares dead straight through the host's head.

━━ obviously scandals emerge, there are positive and negative reactions. some people suddenly realise how good you two would look together and others are mad you "stole" their man because we have delulus in all fandoms.

"So Zhongli," the host starts before clearing his throat, obviously a tad uncomfortable under the eldest member's sudden gaze, "who is your ideal type?" The members also seem curious, as they stop their interactions, staring over at their unusually emotionless member.

One member laughs, waving the question off as a joke and as a way to avoid any possible scandals, knowing that Zhongli wouldn't filter his words due to his lacking understanding of social cues. "C'mon, there's no way that he has an id━━"

"If I had to say, then [Name] suits my preferences." The member who tried to wave it off blinks, staring at Zhongli like he just murdered someone and other members laugh. The host seems pleasantly surprised, peering at the camera with a raised eyebrow and a certain look on his face. The entire studio never gets over it.

━━ it's brought to your attention on twitter because twitter is usually where shit goes down.

━━ you've always been aware that zhongli has been a fan but you've never been able to speak up about it due to your management.

━━ luckily for you, your contract with your previous strict company had ended just a while ago and under your new management, you were more free to do whatever you wanted.

━━ so obviously, you quote tweet the video, tag his account and say in a jokingly way that he should take you out on a date first.

━━ he doesn't publicly reply to your tweet because he already got in trouble with his management for answering such a risky question anyways and your tweet is a little too suggestive.

━━ but he also wants you to know he has seen the tweet. so his solution? to slip into your dms.

━━ and all of a sudden, the next time you're both seen together, you're besties? so people started connecting dots and shit, were they good at connecting them. moral of the story: never underestimate zhongli fans because collectively, they may be able to beat zhongli in an iq test.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 XIAO ━━ CONQUEROR OF DEMONS 〕

━━ best believe this man got death threated or held at gunpoint into admitting you're his celebrity crush.

━━ or he didn't do it at all and his members confessed for him just to tease him.

━━ happens on a group live, members are just vibing.

━━ xiao is sat in the back somewhere, scrolling through his phone with his earphones in so he doesn't notice his members shifting the camera to him or jumps onto him whilst holding the camera.

━━ when he does notice though, he takes out his earbud and your song just blARES through his earphone and it's fucking loud.

━━ he immediately turns it down but his fellow member already has this shit eating grin on his face and jumps onto xiao, successfully grabbing his phone and showing the live of 100k+ people.

━━ his homescreen is one of those "boyfriend/girlfriend/partner material" lockscreens of you and it shows that your song had been playing.

━━ xiao literally attacks his members and grabs his phone back, walking off to escape the embarrassment but can hear the echoing laughter as he walks down the hallway and slams his door closed.

Xiao lets out a sudden 'oompf' when his members glomps right ontop of him, grinning widely as they held up a camera to show off themselves and Xiao. Glancing at the camera, Xiao takes off an earbud, freezing when a loud upbeat tune echoes throughout the open area. Xiao ignores the feeling of his face heating up and turns down the song, ignoring the obvious gleeful stare of his member.

Almost on instinct, he moves his phone away but curse his parents for their genes because all it takes is a little stretching for his member to have his greasy fingers all over his phone, ripping it out of his hands and immediately running away to shield themselves from the wrath of all 5" and a bit of Xiao. When they deem it safe, they click on the home button of the screen, grinning amused at the homescreen.

"Look at fanboy Xiao!" And just like that, Xiao's cold demeanour had been shatteres infront of a plethora of people.

━━ you find it one of the most endearing things ever.

━━ literally how could you not? you find pride in yourself to have such a popular member of an idol group enjoy your work and it helps gain a little more confidence in yourself.

━━ it's brought up on a talk show kinda casually where the host is one of your friends so they are slightly teasing you for it all the whilst remaining on the professional side.

━━ and it's obvious to say that you're embarrassed by the way you chuckle and mess with your fingers and hair, but you hold yourself together anyways and manage a sweet "thank you for the support" to xiao when the host asks if you wanted to say something in case he was watching.

━━ and the very next day, on xiao's official instagram, he has a signed album and poster of yours, tagged and everything.

[spockandawe]

mmm, thinking about the guanyin temple scene, and the things jin guangyao finally says once people corner him.

Wei Wuxian laughed from anger, staring at Su She. “Have I ever done anything to you? I didn’t see you as an enemy— I didn’t even know you!”

Jin Guangyao said, “Wei-gongzi, shouldn’t you be the one who knows this best? Would you be safe just because you didn’t see him as an enemy? How could that be? In this world, everyone begins without enemies. Yet someone eventually moves to strike that first blow.”

and we only see a sliver of his childhood, but like, in just that TINY moment, first

The woman said, “Oh, why would I lie to you about something like this? Her son is running errands for us right now. There, that’s him.” The woman twisted her waist, waving at a boy holding a tray. “Xiao-Meng! Come here!”

The boy did as he was told and walked over. “Anxin-jie, what is it?”

All at once, Wei Wuxian understood everything.

The clients studied Meng Yao with judgmental eyes. Meng Yao asked again, “Am I needed for something?”

Anxin grinned. “Xiao-Meng, are you still learning all those things lately?”

Meng Yao paused. “Which things?”

Anxin said, “The things your mother wants you to learn, like calligraphy, etiquette, swordsmanship, meditation… How are those things going?”

Before she even finished, the clients began to chuckle as if they thought something was funny. Anxin turned around. “Don’t laugh, I’m telling the truth. His mom’s raising him like a young master of a wealthy family. She taught him to read and write, bought him all sorts of swordsmanship pamphlets, and even wants to send him to school.”

A client exclaimed, “Send him to school? Did I hear wrong?”

“No! Xiao-Meng, tell these gongzis. You’ve gone to the library before, haven’t you?”

The client asked, “Is he still going?”

Anxin said, “Nah, he came back just a few days later. He refused to go back, no matter what. Xiao-Meng, did you not like studying, or did you not like the place?”

Meng Yao didn’t say anything. Anxin giggled, poking a red-painted finger at his forehead, “Little one, are you angry?”

She pressed quite hard. A light, red mark appeared in the center of Meng Yao’s forehead, almost like a shadow of a vermillion mark. He touched his forehead. “No…”

an adult woman makes a point of calling him over just so she and her clients can laugh at his expense. and then moments later

Suddenly, someone screamed. The sound of cups and saucers shattering came from the second floor as a guqin crashed down, smashing to pieces as it hit landed in the hall. It scared the wits out of the people enjoying themselves at the nearby tables. Anxin stood, almost tripping, yelling, “What happened?!”

Meng Yao cried, “A-Niang!”

Anxin looked up. A burly man dragged a woman out of a room by her hair. Anxin tugged the sleeve of the client next to her. It was unclear whether she was nervous or excited. “She’s at it again!”

Meng Yao rushed upstairs. The woman covered her head, trying her hardest to pull her clothes up her shoulders. As she saw Meng Yao run over, she hurriedly cried, “I told you not to come upstairs! Go down! Go down this instant!”

As Meng Yao tried to peel away the client’s hands from his mother, he was kicked in the stomach and rolled down the stairs, causing a wave of exclamations.

This was the third time Wei Wuxian had seen him kicked down a flight of stairs.

The woman screamed as the client grabbed her by the hair again, dragging her all the way downstairs, where he stripped her and threw her onto the street. He spat on her naked body, cursing, “Hags do nothing but haggle— This old whore thinks she’s fresh meat!”

he watches his mother get physically attacked and thrown naked into the streets, just because she tried to get decent payment for her work. and he’s kicked down the stairs for trying to help her

After the kick, Meng Yao hadn’t been able to get up, and was still lying on the ground. The lady grabbed one person with each hand and dragged away both the mother and son.

that’s so much unnecessary cruelty! in such a small time! and it’s not like everything is magically fixed once he enters the cultivation world, he still has to deal with all the pointing and laughing, getting kicked down the stairs of jinlintai when he just tried to present himself to his father, the gossip without regard for whether he can hear it, people wiping their hands after they accept a cup from him, madam jin beating him, hearing his father drunkenly talk about how his mother was such a huge pain in the ass, and he didn’t want to support her because it would have been annoying. there was so much suffering that he never ““asked”” for in any sense.

and given the ways that wei wuxian and jin guangyao are parallels for each other, especially in terms of the hardships they endure, i definitely think it’s both interesting and important that the story repeatedly emphasizes 1) wei wuxian’s terrible memory, and 2) jin guangyao’s perfect memory.

Wei Wuxian knew that ‘for once’ referred to how his memory had been good, for once. He couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t always be so angry about it. It was my fault before, alright? Besides, my terrible memory is thanks to my mother.”

Wei Wuxian propped his arm on Lil’ Apple’s head, spinning Chenqing in his hand. “She said you have to remember the things others do for you, not the things you do for others. Only when people don’t hold so much in their hearts will they finally feel free.”

This was one of the only things he remembered about his parents.

vs

Jin Guangyao could remember the name, title, age, and appearance of any person after just one encounter. Even years later, he’d be able to greet them without any fault, and carry out a solicitous conversations as well. If he’d seen someone more than twice, he would remember all of their likes and dislikes, and would therefore be able to cater to their needs.

there’s a lot at play in the different ways that the two of them react to the suffering they lived through, but that line about ‘someone always moves to strike that first blow’ really stuck with me. preemptive hostility doesn’t feel like wei wuxian’s style in general (post-burial-mounds ptsd excluded), but the difference in how they react to being singled out and mistreated is really striking. madam yu hits wei wuxian for being shirtless in the summer heat, even though everyone else was too, and when there’s a quiet moment he’s kind of :(( over ‘why is it always ME’, but he gets distracted in like two seconds, and pushes it all away. jin guangyao can compartmentalize like a motherfucker, and even as a child, he’s good at keeping a smile on his face no matter what, but he isn’t able to forget. 

i don’t have a clean-cut conclusion to come to, only that i’m a picky binch when it comes to how people characterize jin guangyao’s actions. this is a story where i personally struggle a lot with how badly these characters hurt each other, and how sympathetic i am to all of their motivations. i find the story agonizing, in a lot of very good ways, and i’m constantly overflowing with thoughts about how jin guangyao specifically parallels the people around him, and how his actions compare and contrast to the decisions those other people make. rereading the flashback sequences was one of the most painful parts of this whole reread process, and then the guanyin temple scene in general hurt way much more than i was expecting. for the most part, i have too many feelings screaming for attention right now to do justice to any of them, but this particular character note jumped out at me, and i felt compelled to share.

[leascorner]

j.b.b. | Marley

Summary: Eventually, Bucky gave his deepest secrets away and you let him know yours. Her name was Marley.

Pairing:  Bucky Barnes x single mom!reader

Warnings: Mention of past and present relationships, parenting, mention of food

Word Count: 3.7k

a/n: This is my first story posted on here. I’ve been writting for +12 years now but for the last couple of years, I couldn't finish a single story. Turns out Bucky Barnes was all I needed to get over my massive writer’s block. Feedback is greatly appreciated. (Also, english is not my native language so if you spot any grammar mistake, please let me know!)

Masterlist

It all began with his friend, Sam.

On a night they were out for drinks, he had made it his mission to find someone for Bucky. Someone or anyone for the matter. He talked to everyone in the bar that night, while Bucky drank his beer, sitting at the counter. When it was clear enough that nobody there that night would keep grumpy Bucky company, Sam turned his attention on the dating app his friend had downloaded on his phone some weeks ago. He probably went through a dozen of profiles, sometimes showing the phone screen to Bucky, to what he would just respond by rolling his eyes and drinking some more beer.

That was until Sam showed him your profile. Bucky stared a second longer to the picture displayed on his phone screen than for the others. He couldn't tell what that was: the smile on your lips, the wrinkles at the side of your eyes or simply your eyes; but he couldn't get his eyes off it. Sam immediately started typing a message for you to what Bucky obviously protested. He did not need company because he was just fine on his own.

Despite his super-soldier abilities, he wasn't quick enough to take the phone from his friend's hands. The smile that appeared on Sam’s face annoyed Bucky even more. "What are you afraid of, though guy?" Sam had asked and Bucky eventually backed off, letting him do whatever he was planning on doing. There was no point in stopping Sam. He knew you wouldn't be interested anyway... To be honest, who would be? Bucky got his phone back along with a smirk from his friend. There was no answer after that, and Sam eventually found another topic to annoy the heck out of Bucky.

When he woke up the next morning, your reply notification was patiently waiting for him. For a second, he thought of deleting it, without having a look first. What did he have to lose? Gathering his courage, he opened it. Your words were as genuine as your smile and it made him grin like an idiot, though he made a mental note to later murder Sam for his poor choice of pick-up line. It took him the whole morning to be able to type an answer and another afternoon to press the ‘send’ button. It was the first text of many. Eventually, a lot of texts turned into calls; that turned into meeting up in your favorite French bakery; that turned into movies and restaurant dates.

    This was nearly one year and a half ago.

Your relationship with Bucky was cautious and steady. He liked how you would give him his space, but still being right there for him. He liked that you let him stare at you in total awe or that you always had small kind thoughts for him like when you made his eggs the way he preferred in the morning and that everything was so simple - obvious even - by your side. Eventually, Bucky gave his deepest secrets away and you let him know yours.

Her name was Marley.

If Bucky was being honest, finding out you had a two and a half years-old daughter was quite the shock. Not that he couldn't have seen that coming; you would always make plans, your handbag was always full of snacks and hand wipes and for some reason, you would never be available between five and eight p.m. That was also what he liked about you. The stability.

The idea of being involved in a relationship with somebody that already had a child did scare him off. If he decided to continue the relationship, it would not only be a matter of breaking your heart in the process – and well, maybe his too - but breaking a child's heart too. And that more than anything, he was refusing to assume the responsibility, but he owed you that much. You knew his deepest secrets and still, you didn't run away from him. Worse, you trusted him to be around your child.

You both had a lot of discussions about him meeting Marley - Bucky even seek advice to Sam. And as for the rest of your relationship, you took it slow. It started with Bucky showing up to your Sunday walk in Central Park, feeding up the ducks and sharing snacks. You also spent some time at the carnival where he would watch you two on the carousel – sometimes joining the ride too - and he would help Marley win at pick a duck or buy her popcorn. Eventually, he would spend more time with the two of you. It started with spending at least one evening per week at your place, making dinner while watching you playing with Marley in the living room. One evening turned into two, three, five evenings per week. He still could step out if he needed. You still could spend time with your daughter where he wasn't there. You still spent time just the two of you, when Marley was asleep at night or he would take you on date nights. The routine you three put in place was nice, but Bucky wasn't planning on taking Marley’s dad place. God, he would never see himself as a dad and Marley already had one - though in Bucky's opinion, he would not be awarded father-of-the-year.

    Today, Bucky was picking Marley up from daycare.

He had done it a million times already, but this time was a little bit different. He was doing it on his own. The babysitter stood you up and you were stuck in an endless one-day meeting. You had called in utter panic, asking him to pick Marley up from daycare and taking care of her until you would be home. He had assured you he would do it and it would be fine. Now that he was standing in front of the building, he was doubting himself. He didn't know if he could do it on his own.

Another shaky sigh and Bucky entered the building. The childcare workers greeted him when he showed up at Marley's room. She was sat at one of these tiny tables making some kind of collage crafts. He planned on waiting for her to finish, just staring like he always did, before announcing himself, but Marley spotted him the second his figure appeared at the door.

"Bucky!" Marley cried out, leaving everything behind and running towards him.

"Hey Mar-Mar," he smiled. She always seemed happy to see him and Bucky wondered if she would eventually grow tired of him being always around.

After they hugged each other, Marley was called to put away her crafts and Bucky encouraged her to go do it. In the meantime, he collected her stuff - her panda backpack, shoes, and coat - so he could get her ready to leave. And he did just that when she got back to him.

"We are taking the train home. I'mna carrying you, is that okay?"

She wrapped her little arms around his neck in response and he lifted her up from the floor. After sharing goodbye to the childcare workers, they were heading home.

    On their way to the station, Marley explained in every detail what she had done at daycare that day; Bucky was listening carefully, sometimes asking questions - Carol, she is the one with the curly hair, right? Was Mark mean to you again? - but mostly he was just nodding along. They made it to the station just in time to take the 5:17 p.m. train. It was rush hour and Bucky mindfully chose to hop on one of the cars at the end of the train - the ones he knew would be the less busy at this time of the day. He had only seven stops, so he didn't sit and stood against one of the train windows. By that time, Marley had finished reporting on her day, and she was just watching around, smiling at anyone she would make eye contact with.

After the second stop, her eyes caught the sight of the dog tag around Bucky's neck. She fiddled it through his T-shirt, probably wondering what that was, before taken it out to have a closer look. In her tiny hands, the metal tag seemed to be huge. She looked up at Bucky, with bright eyes and he swore, he would do anything for these eyes.

"What is that?"

"Uh- " Bucky wasn't sure how to explain it in a way a three-years old would understand. "-Every soldier has one. It uh- has my name on it and some other information."

"Is it if you get lost?" she asked, her little eyebrows raised high on her forehead. She did understand a lot of the world around her for her age. "Mommy put a card with her name and her phone number in my bag."

"Yeah, it's something like that."

Marley smiled at him and returned her attention on the letters’ reliefs on the metal. By the fourth stop, she was resting her head on his shoulder while he was still firmly (but not too much) holding her with his left arm. She kept holding his dog tag in her tiny fist and was patiently waiting.

"She is very sweet," the old lady sat on the seat in front of them said to him before leaving the train.

He nodded shyly and looked back at the little girl in his arms. Marley looked so much like you. Her face had still some baby features, she just turned three after all, but she had the same nose and her eyes had the same color as yours. They were the same piercing eyes that when they’d look at him, he felt like they could read his soul. And she did not just look like you. She had also some of your habits and personality traits. She would always be smiling to people she didn’t know. She was always saying ‘thank you’ or ‘sorry’. She was obsessed with any kind of animal; the Sundays walks would last forever if she could pet all the dogs she encountered.

The rest of the ride was quiet, and Bucky got off the train on the seventh stop as planned. At the station, people turned on them as they passed. Maybe this was an odd sight: a man in combat boots, dark jeans, and a black leather jacket, carrying a small child in his arms. Especially knowing the kid in question was wearing white leggings, a red fluffy coat, and a stuffed panda backpack. Bucky didn't mind and continued his way to your place.

    Marley stayed quiet for the five minutes’ walk to your place, but once Bucky had turned on your street, she wriggled to be freed of his hold. Once her feet touched the ground, she directly ran towards a car parked not far away. She squatted down and started clicking her tongue. A ginger cat immediately came out from underneath the car.

"Careful," Bucky called out. He knew it was not recommended interacting with stray cat as they could be sick with all sorts of disease. And to be fair, it got him a little worried the cat was getting this close to Marley. He could already see her getting bitten by the cat, getting rabies, and losing her arm, or worse: dying.

"That's Gus, he lives at number 7," she said pointing at the building they stopped in front. It had the number written on it.

Gus started rubbing itself against Marley's shins and she gently petted his back. The cat then went to rub on Bucky's combat boots, also greeting him even though they never encountered before. And it continued his way to the building's porch, where it lazily lay down.

"Mommy said we could have a cat when we get a house."

"I've got a cat," Bucky stated and Marley cried out in excitement. She asked him about a hundred questions. What was its name? What was it looking like? Was it friendly? Was it sleeping in his bed with him at night? Bucky never failed to answer one of her questions and they talked about that until they made it in front of your apartment door.

    Marley was already on her way to her room when Bucky turned around after locking the door. She had removed her shoes and coat on her own and left them behind without putting them away like you would always request it.

"Uh-uh, we go wash your hands first, okay?"

After that was done, she ran to her room for good this time. Bucky went back to the living room and focused on what he could do to help you. He knew you would get home exhausted from your day at work and he did not want to have you do all the chores you usually did. It was the least he could do.

Somehow, your place was always tidier than his, and he lived on his own. In the kitchen, he found breakfast dishes in the sink and the dishwasher full of the dishes that had been cleaned the night before. That was where he would get started. He put away the dishes easily; he had been around your kitchen a lot those last months and he knew exactly where everything was. He even knew where you were hiding away the chocolate and candies; somewhere Marley didn't have access to.

"Hey Bucky, can I have snacks?"

A look at the watch sitting on his right wrist, she had still a good hour and a half before dinner and he replied positively. He wiped his hands on the dish towel resting on his shoulder and took one of these bamboo sectioned plates he just washed. He was reaching out to the first cupboards in front of him when it suddenly appeared to him, he had no idea what he could give her.

"What does your mom usually give you?" He asked Marley, turning back to her.

Marley shrugged. "Carrots and hummus." And Bucky swore this kid was eating healthier that he ever had.

He started by the fridge, looking for anything he could give to Marley. Thankfully, she wasn't a picky eater so it would be easy for him. Tonight's dinner was in it, along with some vegetables and fruits. He chose grapes because it was the only food, he could see himself eating at that time of the day.

"Grapes and uh-" he looked at the cupboards right next to the fridge "- crackers?"

Marley nodded. Bucky prepared it all on her plate, making sure there was just enough for her to be full but not too much so she would still eat dinner, and handed it to her. She carried it carefully to the living room, Bucky following behind. She had laid out all her crayons on the coffee table next to her Paw Patrol coloring book. He knew about this cartoon because it was the only one Marley ever wanted to watch, she was literally obsessed with it, and she did make him watch some episodes with her. He knew that, when she was playing alone in her room, she would usually pretend she was saving the world with them.

Bucky sat on the carpet, next to Marley, stealing one grape from her plate. She threw him a death glance but offered him some more if he would help with the coloring. He happily complied.

    Before dinner was normally bath time. Thankfully, you had said over the phone you would deal with that in the morning. For some reason, Marley did not like baths. A little bit of water in her eyes or ears was too much for her to handle and he wasn't sure he could deal with her being so upset on his own.

He still got her changed in her pajamas - she obviously chose the one with the dalmatian puppy from Paw Patrol you had agreed on buying a few weeks ago; washed her face with a cotton pad and some cleansing lotion, brushed her hair and tried the best he could to tie them in a low ponytail. You would normally braid them for the night, but this was not something Bucky mastered at all - he made a mental note to watch some tutorials on YouTube to learn though.

"Will you and mommy get married?" Marley asked out of nowhere while Bucky was carrying her back to the kitchen to have dinner.

"I don't know," he said, confused. "Why do you ask?"

"I prefer you over my real daddy," Marley admitted. And it broke his heart. Bucky knew how her dad forgot about her third birthday and missed most of his custody days lately. He didn't really understand how somebody could have a child and knowingly decide not take care of them anymore.

The child in his arm was so precious. It amazed him every day how much she could comprehend of the world around her. She was smart, creative, kind. She knew what she wanted, would be very stubborn about it and would do anything to get it – you always said you didn’t understand where she got her fierce mind and Bucky laughed every time because he knew exactly from whom she had gotten it: you. You did such a good job raising her on your own. He also knew you would always choose her over him, and he had to admit, it made him fall in love even more with you.

"Even if I'd marry your mom, I still wouldn't be your daddy officially."

"To me, you would," Marley concluded as if it was as simple as that.

Living with you two permanently. Marrying you. Bucky never thought of it. He liked how this relationship was working: the kindness, the trust, the love. He loved the movie dates with you, the Sundays walks, and the evening just the three of you. He loved how simple it all was and how it made him just happy. Happiest he had been in a long time. And he wondered if he wanted more. The way his heart was fluttering in his chest made him realized, he did. He didn't know if he was ready though.

    Back to the kitchen, he put her down on her seat before getting the casserole of potato gratin out of the oven. He put a small portion in her plate, next to some chopped carrots and apple sauce he already prepared. He put it down in front of her and sat next to her.

"Will you eat with mommy?"

"Yeah, is that alright?"

She nodded, rubbing her eyes. They had stayed coloring her books a little too long and it was nearly her bedtime. Smiling softly, he encouraged her to eat. She did while asking some more questions on his cat in between each mouthful. How old is it? Why did you name it Alpine? Has mummy already met it? Do you think she'll like me? Turned out this little one never run out of question.

After dinner, Bucky gave her a small portion of chocolate from the special cupboard and they agreed it would be their little secret. Then, he carried her to the bathroom to brush her tiny teeth. It was started to be late for her and she was clearly fighting against sleep, the lack of it upsetting her.

"I want to see mommy," she cried, lips trembling and eyes full of tears.

"I know Mar-Mar, she'll get there soon," Bucky tried to comfort her. You hadn't text yet, meaning you weren't on your way still. He knew Marley would be asleep before you got home. "We can read a book in your bed while we wait for her, yeah?"

Marley nodded and let Bucky carry her to her bed. She had her head rested on his right shoulder the whole time. She crawled under the covers the moment her body was dropped off on the bed. She let Bucky choose the bedtime story and he chose the one he knew she liked so much.

He laid beside her gently and she immediately reached out closer to him. He wrapped his right arm around her, and her hands somehow found his dog tag again. A small kiss on her forehead and Bucky started reading the book in his left hand. Marley was listening carefully, helping him by turning the page.

At the end of the story, she was fast asleep against him, his dog tag still in her tiny fist. Bucky did not dare moving, afraid he would wake her up if he did. He observed the small child against him and listened to her soft breathes. She looked so peaceful and it made him thought of the way she had welcomed him into her life. Just like you, she had taken him as a whole; with his trauma, his insecurities, his quietness, and his staring habits. And now, she had him wrapped around his little finger. He knew deep in his guts he wouldn't let anything happen to you or your daughter. He realized that now. That made him think some more: maybe he was ready after all. And this time, he would not let happiness slip away from him.

  Bucky stayed like that until twenty minutes later, when you showed up on your daughter’s room doorstep. You looked exhausted yet still radiant. A smile had formed on your lips at the sight in front of you. It made you melt right on the spot.

"Hey," Bucky greeted you softly.

You came closer, walking on your tiptoes, careful of not waking up your daughter. You laid besides them, kissing your daughter little fist, and tucked yet another strand of hair behind her ear. You looked back at Bucky, who was intensely staring at you. His left arm was already wrapped around your shoulders, bringing you close. You kissed his jaw, making him smile gently. "Thank you for taking care of her. Did it go okay?"

"More than okay." He kissed your forehead while you snuggled closer to him. His heart could burst of the feeling of having you two near him forever.

He wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

[ptergwen]

smoke and mirrors

⇢ richkid!tom x richkid!reader ⇠

w/c: 4.1k

warnings: swearing, drinking, light angst, and implied smut

summary: because of your mother’s insistence on a pristine family image and tom’s messy one, you deny your true feelings for him

a/n: ok ok ok the pics of tom in monaco really made me think and i had to get everything out of my system so here we are! thank you and enjoy x

-

your living room is engulfed by a hushed chatter that comes from far too many guests. half the people, you hardly know. it’s overcrowded, superficial, and the last place you want to be. it’s one of your mother’s get-togethers, as she likes to call them. these things are always far from the casual affairs they sound like.

weeks go into planning, caterers and decorators making themselves at home in yours. the family’s image is everything to your mom, so being a good hostess is her top priority. ironically, she’s more concerned with throwing her gatherings than raising you. so much for family, huh?

the only reason you agreed to make an appearance tonight is that tom might do the same. he’s a really good friend, someone you’ve been able to count on through all the mess that is your lives. you met in high school, when he moved from london to the states. his dad was offered a job promotion he couldn’t pass up. plus, tom and his brothers would be receiving a stellar private education here in america.

it was a win for everyone, especially you. the freckle faced boy who got lost on his way to english class became your closest confidant. tom’s company is such a sweet escape. he’s not interested in opera or the stock market like most people you meet are. he sneaks you out to go on walks at dawn and does shots with you until you can’t stand straight.

as you two continue to grow together, revelations about yourselves have come to light. what you want beyond your inheritances, who you want beyond friendship. you figured out the second part on a faithful night recently. tom showed up to your place with a bottle of tequila. after you drank it down through lots of lime chasers and giggles, he kissed you. you didn’t kiss back.

your heart said to go for it, but your mind pulled you back in. you were so shocked and overcome with new feelings, you froze up. that, and you’d infuriate your mother. although she cares about tom a great deal, she loathes his public figure. he’s always getting papped in places and with people he shouldn’t be. the two of you together would just destroy her.

you still want to please your mom at the end of the day, no matter how deep under your skin she gets.

tom immediately apologized and tried play it off as him being drunk. you grew up with him, became part of each other’s families, which means you know him well enough to know he was lying. he meant every second his lips were on yours.

what you need to do now is something you’ve meant to for a while. the only problem is that you’re stuck at your mother’s party, and tom hasn’t shown up yet.

“y/n, darling,” your mom calls for your attention. she’s dragged you into a conversation with some bloggers, but you haven’t spoken a word. “why don’t you tell us about your trip to spain last summer?” she plasters on her award winning grin and squeezes your shoulder. it’s time to play along.

“oh, it was beautiful,” you halfheartedly reply, more to the bloggers than her. they nod in clear interest. one jots down notes. “we went for a few weeks and visited a bunch of different cities. i’d love to go back sometime.” the typical press formatted answer earns your mom’s approval. you’re off the hook. your eyes start to wander around the room, hoping to set on tom.

“we?” the woman taking notes asks. must everyone pry? “my friend and i,” you shortly reply. you’re standing up on your tiptoes to see over the crowd. you’d think six inch heels would do the trick. “i’m actually looking for him right now, so if you’ll excuse me,” you offer a polite smile and silently pray they won’t ask who. unfortunately, your wishes don’t come true.

the other blogger, a short and stubborn man, speaks up. “just a friend you say? come on, tell us. who’s the lucky fella?” he inquires. your mother raises a firm eyebrow, signaling for you not to.

tom has a reputation for his reckless behavior. it’s your mom’s worst nightmare when the media associates your names under most circumstances. you’re representing her, so she does whatever she can to control how you’re seen. you’re constantly in the papers, being a young socialite and all. it sucks.

“he’d like to stay out of the tabloids, sorry,” you cover for tom, on your mom’s behalf. “i should really go. it was nice meeting you.” the bloggers don’t bother to hide their disappointment as you shake their hands. your mother rubs your back in approval. “thank you for doing that. we’ll talk later,” she speaks lowly. “bye, mom!” you practically make a run for it. 

weaving through the sea of people, you end up by the main entrance. it’s hard not to get lost even though it’s your house. the place is packed with girls just a couple years older than you, wearing pearls around their necks. men’s strong colognes flow through the air. you’re in a form fitting red slip dress and louboutins yourself.

smoke and mirrors is what they call it. you show the pretty parts to distract from your ugly ones.

harrison suddenly comes waltzing in with a lady on either of his arms. you’d expect nothing less. he’s tom’s best friend besides you, considering the failed kiss attempt didn’t change that. their parents worked at the london branch of the same company. they each came to the states and met you. you happily introduced them to your world, helping to make it theirs as well.

“haz!” you meet him at the front door. he’s smirking while he leads the women inside. “fancy seeing you here, isn’t it?” he jokes. “very funny. i died laughing,” you deadpan, curiously eyeing harrison’s plus two. they merely giggle. “listen, have you seen tom anywhere? if he’s coming.” you’re fighting back a frown. “why wouldn’t he be?” harrison questions in a more serious tone this time.

“long story. you have guests to entertain, so i won’t get into it now,” you decide and manage a small smile instead. he perks up. “right. i’ll let you know if i see him?” nodding, you give him a wave goodbye. “enjoy yourself.” “you too, love. cheers!” the girls lean into him, harrison wiggling his eyebrows at you. he’s ridiculous.

hours pass by without word of tom. it isn’t like him to miss an event, especially if you’re in attendance. you despise these exhausting nights, and he’s supposed to be your rock during them. he should have his arm draped around your shoulders, whispering silly remarks to you while you hide out somewhere. you miss him more than you thought possible.

you’re just about to give up when you spot nikki ushering her husband inside. behind them follows tom, clad in a grey checkered suit with his locks perfectly tousled. he’s here. you waited the whole night, and he finally came.

tom kisses his mom on the cheek before strutting over to the drink table, not without a few reporters hassling him. they’re probably looking for another holland scandal to break. he declines their requests for comments on this and opinions on that, instead pulling up a chair next to harrison. the two exchange hugs and fix themselves glasses of champagne, you watching their encounter.

harrison fills tom in on the drama he’s missed tonight while they sip their drinks. tom keeps forcing smiles that don’t reach his eyes. he’s fiddling with his fingers, leg bouncing up and down steadily. those are the telltale signs he needs saving. however awkward it may be, you’re going to have to break your silence. it was bound to happen eventually.

“mate, i’m telling you. she fit her entire first right up her-“ “boys,” you cut into harrison’s story, greeting him and tom. his face tints deep pink upon your arrival. “don’t let me stop you. finish your charming anecdote,” you encourage him and subtly glance over at tom. he’s biting back a grin as he sets his elbows on the table.

“not with a lady present. let’s just… pretend you didn’t hear that,” harrison chuckles nervously and hops to his feet. “i’m gonna leave you two to chat.” humming, you move to take his chair. tom sucks in a breath. “what happened to the girls you brought?” you wonder. “they left. said they got bored,” harrison admits, tom stifling laughter. he elbows his friend for that.

“oh, fuck off. i’ll see you later,” he mopes, flicking your arm for good measure. tom salutes him and grabs his nearly empty champagne. “so long, bruv.”

it’s just you and tom now, seated side by side, silently so. he has no intentions of speaking first. he’s too embarrassed, and you don’t blame him. this is on you. you clear your throat before starting the conversation.

“can i top you off?” you tap the bottom of his glass with a tiny smile. tom shakes his head. “i’m alright, thanks.” he finishes the last sip and sets it down, turning to face you. your smile has vanished. “wasn’t sure you were gonna make it. i’m glad you did,” you change the subject. as if he’s considering the sincerity behind your words, tom furrows his eyebrows.

“mum wanted us to. she dragged me and dad straight off the golf course,” he explains and clasps his hands in his lap. his fingers interlock with each other. you fight off the urge to replace them with yours. “we would’ve been here sooner, but the paps are camped outside.” the hint of a smile forms on his lips, at last. “guess it’s not often you get the town’s finest under one roof.”

“you think i’m one of the town’s finest?” you tease, resting your chin in your palm. something flashes behind tom’s eyes. he looks right into yours, scooting closer. “absolutely. you’re the most eligible bachelorette in this whole building.” you allow a toothy grin to spread across your face. “tommy, stop it. you’re too nice to me.”

the nickname is music to his ears. tom looks you up and down, licking his lips simultaneously. “no, seriously. you look gorgeous,” he muses, you pushing at his chest. he exhales a breathy laugh, and you giggle yourself. “red’s definitely your color.” “reverse card. you wear it way better than i do,” you insist. your fingers tug at the collar of his suit. “too bad you didn’t match me.”

you’re relieved you two can talk like you usually do, light flirting and good vibes. it might not be so hard to put the kiss behind you. well, you can’t go on pretending it didn’t happen. you have to at least discuss the fiasco. tom should know why you didn’t reciprocate, then you can take it from there. whether he still has feelings for you, assuming he ever did, will depend on how that turns out.

“not to ruin the fun, but we still have to talk,” you murmur, tom’s body stiffening across from yours. he’s not sure he’s ready to discuss that. “can it wait? we’re at a party,” tom reminds you, running a hand through his styled locks. “yeah, my mother’s. don’t tell me you’re having a good time,” you playfully chastise him. he simply shrugs. “hardly. you’re the best part.”

you ignore the butterflies roaming about your body.

“you won’t mind a quick convo, then. it is with me,” you attempt to persuade him and place a hand on his knee. tom coughs a bit too loudly, the contact surprising him. “you know what? i think i’ll take you up on that drink first,” he decides with a mustered up smile. “coming right up.” you pat his leg before taking his glass. he chews on his lower lip while you poor the bubbling liquid. that was certainly… odd.

you slide tom his champagne back with an exaggerated wink. tom scoffs at this. “mm, thanks. care to join me?” he brings the alcohol to his lips, eyes never leaving yours. your mother specifically said no drinking tonight, since the press would be here. screw your mother, though. “please. could you hand me a glass?” you eagerly grab the champagne bottle. tom searches for an empty cup next to him.

you two are unspoken drinking buddies at this point.

“here you are, darling,” tom drawls, holding out the glass for you. every time he calls you that, you completely melt. “thanks, tommy,” you purr in response. you’re finally pouring your own drink when someone taps you on the shoulder, and hard. you look behind you to find your mother standing with her hands on her hips, less than thrilled. speak of the devil.

“hello, mother. can i help you?” you make sure to ask rudely. she responds with a smile that’s obviously fake. if tom weren’t here, you’d be getting scolded. “yes, my darling. those bloggers from earlier were hoping you’d finish your interview.” your mom shakes your shoulder in a motherly way. you squint up at her. “didn’t they leave hours ago-“ “they’re back,” she sharply informs you.

she’s lying, and you have a hunch as to why.

frowning, you hold tom’s hand in both of yours. “sorry, this won’t take long. why don’t you go find tuwaine?” you suggest instead. “he’s around here somewhere.” tom gives you an understanding nod and laces your fingers together, even if it’s only for a moment. “must be chatting up some producers or whatnot. i’ll see if i can help.” he’s such an incredible friend to everyone. he deserves the same from you.

“thomas, so lovely to see you,” your mom interrupts. tom stands up, kissing both her cheeks out of courtesy. “you, too. what a wonderful party. thank you for having us.” despite what the rest of the world believes, his manners are impeccable. “of course. give nikki my best, will you?” your mom puts her hands on his shoulders. he grins at her. “definitely. take care, mrs. y/l/n.” “always a pleasure,” she states, nudging you to come along with her.

you shoot tom one last apologetic look as your mother pulls you along and towards the crowd.

tom is no idiot. he’s well aware how she really feels about him.

when a swarm of guests is surrounding you, your mom lets go. you scowl, crossing your arms over your chest. “why would you do that? i haven’t seen tom in days.” she sighs without a care. “isn’t it time you branch out? expand your social circle?” her manicured fingers ruffle your hair. you push away her touch. “i’m social enough. we were in the middle of something really important.”

you begin to walk away, but your mother takes your arm. “whatever you’re about to do, it’s a mistake. he’ll make a fool of you,” she practically spits. yanking your arm from her grasp, you laugh bitterly. “of me, or of the family name? look around, mom.” you gesture to the spot beside her where your dad should be. “as far as i’m concerned, i have no family except tom. i’m gonna go check on him.”

you’re gone before your mom can stop you. she simply stands there, utterly mortified by what you said.

you run around the house to find tom, stumbling in your heels and not giving a fuck. you’d truly meant the part about him being your family. all the holland’s, honestly. they’re the most genuine and caring souls, and you don’t want to lose the one you’re closest to because of your mother’s delusions. 

tom is in a circle with harrison and tuwaine, the three of them chuckling amongst themselves. you’d hate to bug him, but this can’t wait anymore.

“uh, tom?” you mumble his name, appearing behind him. he steps away with another quiet laugh. “hey, y/n/n. that was quick, hm?” your face gives away your distress. his whole demeanor shifting, tom reaches for your hands. “what is it, love? is something the matter?” “just… come with me,” you croak out.

you manage to smile at harrison and tuwaine, dropping one of tom’s hands so you can lead him upstairs. they each return the smile and share curious looks.

following behind you, tom keeps your hand tight in his own. he’d thought you were going to grill him about the kiss that barely happened. it seems like this is a much more pressing matter. his outburst of emotions can be discussed another time. now, it’s time to deal with yours.

you drag tom into the first room on the second floor, which is your dad’s study. he’s away on business this weekend, so he luckily couldn’t make the party. tom sits down in the office chair. you sit up on the desk, in front of him. your lip quivers the second his worried features come into view.

“y/n/n, what’s going on? why are we in here?” tom wonders, his tone soft. your heart clenches. “i- i wanted us to have some privacy when i told you this,” you sniffle out and blink back the tears forming. you’re sort of shaken from the conversation with your mother, and mostly because you have no idea how tom will react to your confession.

his hands come to stay on your thighs, right below your dress. they feel warm against your bare skin.

“tell me what? i’m listening, yeah?” tom gazes up at you with so much love. “lay it all out for me.” god, he’s fucking amazing. if only you knew where to start. “do you, um…” you trail off, letting your tears subside and words settle. “do you remember when your family made your big debut in town?”

a grin replaces tom’s frown, painting his beautiful face. “how could i forget? you made it quite memorable.” he traces circles on your thigh and elicits a giggle from you. “i spilled a whole thing of soda on your white fucking button down,” you recount with a lighthearted sigh. “right before your dad was supposed to introduce you to everyone, too.”

tom presses his tongue into his cheek to hold back another grin. “took ages to get it out. dad went mad when i didn’t show.” he cocks his head to the side, you leaning back on your hands. “you held me hostage in the laundry room so you could do that bloody stain stick.” your mouth drops open in mock offense. “i had to clean up my mess! i wasn’t gonna let the world meet you covered in pepsi.”

that was one of your earliest memories together. the holland’s threw a party and invited everyone who was willing to attend. they had been hoping to properly introduce themselves to the town, and this was their way of doing so. although yours and tom’s friendship was fairly new, you spent all night together because you had experience with such events.

tom’s dad was making a speech to thank the guests for coming. you and him listened from the snack table, until his name was called. he rushed to go up there while you were pouring yourself a drink. he’d bumped into you, and the bottle ended up all over him. you snuck tom right off to his laundry room.

you’d felt terrible as he stood there shirtless and blushing, you aggressively swiping his button down with a stain stick.

“why do you bring that up?” tom questions and continues circling your skin. you purse your lips. “i dunno. it was the last party i actually enjoyed,” you admit, putting your hand over his that rests on your thigh. “like to reminisce when i’m suffering through one of my mother’s.” his eyes shift to where your hands are laced. “i see,” he affirms. “so, is that… all you wanted to talk about?” “not even close,” you laugh out.

a burst of courage coursing through your body, you say it. “when you kissed me the other night-“ “i won’t do it again,” tom cuts in, trying to avoid the rejection he thinks you’ll give him. “it was a mistake, and i’m so sorry. our friendship is more important than my feelings.” you seem excited to hear that, though it’s not for the reason tom expects. “you do have feelings for me?”

he’d forgotten about his i was drunk excuse.

“um, yeah. i do,” he admits, cheeks rosy and lip caught in his teeth. “but, i’ll learn to put them aside, if that’s what’s best.” “no, no. it isn’t,” you dismiss him and put your free hand on his chest. “i love you, tom. that’s what i was really trying to tell you.” your words bring an instant grin to his face. he chuckles in disbelief, standing from the chair.

“fuck, thank god. that’s all i’ve ever wanted to hear.” he’s between your legs now, his hands moving up to your hips. you’re beaming at him as your arms snake around his neck. a burning question comes to tom’s mind. “hang on. why didn’t you kiss me back, then?” he almost whispers, thumb brushing over your hipbone. “this is gonna sound weird, but… my mom,” you reluctantly let out.

“you’re gonna have to elaborate,” tom prompts you and raises an eyebrow. you can’t hold back your eye roll. “she’s never been a fan of the person you are in the media.” his lips form a line. “i gathered.” your fingers tangle in his curls at the nape of his neck reassuringly. “i was subconsciously scared i would be letting her down in some way, if we were together.”

tom allows your hands to work their way up to his scalp. he exhales contentedly as you play with his ever so soft hair. “i understand, she’s intimidating. what’s changed that brilliant mind of yours about coming clean?” your nose scrunches up when he pokes one of your temples. “oh, yeah. i yelled at her earlier ‘cuz she stole me away from you.” his face lights up. “sexy.” “shut up,” you groan. “someone had to tell her off.”

“good thing it got to be you,” tom agrees with a squeeze at your hip. “‘m proud of you, y/n/n. it’s not easy, standing up to mummy dearest.” you tug on his hair. “like you’d know. nikki is a saint.” “that’s what she’ll have you believe,” he says under his breath, you gasping. his lips turn up in a smirk. “on that note… i love you, too.”

“would’ve been embarrassing if you didn’t say it back,” you acknowledge with a cheesy smile. tom dips his head down to rest his forehead against yours. “yeah, yeah. save the attitude for your mum.” your legs easily wrap around his waist, tom’s breath hot as it hits your face. “let’s give that kiss another go,” you mewl. he doesn’t hesitate to reply. “with pleasure.”

tom’s lips land on yours, you kissing back right away. he smiles into it as your lips gently move together. “about fucking time,” he grumbles, your hands situating in his chocolate curls once again. he’s savoring every second you touch him, kiss him, love him. the taste of your mouth is one he’s craved for longer than you could imagine.

it doesn’t take long for things to heat up, you messing with tom’s hair and tom rubbing your hips. you lay back on the desk as his tongue enters your mouth. holding you by your waist, tom hovers over you. his tongue tangles with yours in a deep kiss. between that and his fingers beginning to massage your thigh, you’re done for. you’re ready to take this a step further by the time he’s kissing down your neck.

“tommy?” you grab onto his shoulders, your head back. his lips detach from your skin with a grin. “yeah, love? ‘s everything okay?” he coos, pressing a final kiss to your collarbone. “more than.” you tilt his chin up to peck his lips. “you wouldn’t happen to have a condom, would you? just thinking ahead.” he laughs breathlessly, reaching into his suit pocket.

“conveniently enough, i do. not sure your dad would like me fucking you on his desk, though.” tom sets his hand on your leg that’s still hooked around his waist. “my room’s always available. carry me?” you make grabby hands and bat your lashes. he hoists you up by your waist, not lifting you just yet. “that would break the news of us, no? your mum’s gonna go apeshit.” he keeps his arms around you, chuckling.

“let her. besides, i know a couple of bloggers that would love to announce our status update.” you peck tom’s lips, grinning as you do. you’re suddenly in the air and being picked up by tom. the surprise of it makes you squeal, clutching onto his broad shoulders instinctively. he gives you the look of adoration that’s reserved for you only.

“we’ll go pop a few bottles with everyone, then we’re celebrating on our own.”

[fanficshiddles]

My Sweet Rose, Chapter 1

From the imagine on imagine-Loki here.

Summary: Rosie got a job working at The Avengers tower with her cousin, Pepper. She’s only been there a week when Loki comes live there, to make up for his past deeds in New York. But this brings a lot of problems for Rosie.

Loki was her Daddy Dom. Who vanished one day without a word, leaving her completely broken and lost.

Note: Daddy/little dynamic & Flashbacks will be in Bold. I’m not sure how long this story will be, I’m thinking no more than 5 chapters though. But I saw the imagine and omg I love it, had to do something with it. Haven’t written anymore of it yet but just HAD to share the first chapter so far, oops! lol. 

-

Rosie had been working and living in the Avengers tower for a week now, it was going really well. And it was helping to keep her mind occupied, getting her back on her feet after such a rough year.

She was a PA for Stark, and the other Avengers if they needed anything too. It was helping her cousin, Pepper out a lot. As Stark was very demanding nowadays and the others were becoming that way too.

It was also good for Rosie. She’d had a really tough year. She met someone a few years ago in a BDSM club, it had been her first time there after spending months building up the courage to go. She was a little, and had been wanting to find someone that she could feel safe with to explore that side of her.

She met a man, who was charming and handsome. Kind, funny. They fell in love, or so she thought anyway. He was the perfect Daddy Dom for her, teaching her everything and looking after her. She adored and loved him so much. Which is why when one day he just vanished, it was all the harder for her.

He just never returned after saying he had to go home to visit his family, who lived in Iceland apparently. But he did that regularly and always returned to her. But not that time. To say she was heartbroken when there was not even a call or a text from him explaining why was an understatement.

His name was Loki. And it became clear what happened a few months later after his disappearance, she saw him on the news. Loki, the God Of Mischief, was trying to take over the world. She couldn’t believe it and thought she was dreaming when she realised it had was her Loki. He looked different in the heavy armour, he looked scary.

But she thought no wonder he left her, he was a God and a Prince after all. What would he have wanted with her in the first place anyway?

She had tried a couple of times to date someone else, but never made it past the first date. As they just… weren’t him. No matter how often she tried to just forget about him. It was difficult.

She’d fallen into a downward spiral, not even able to go to work. So she had lost her job and was on benefits for a while. She became really anxious and nervous.

But here, in the tower, she was trying to turn herself around again. It had been one man, even if he had been her first true love, in her heart anyway. She knew she would heal, in time. Even if it had been over a year.

Rosie had been so engrossed in sorting out some paperwork for Tony that she never noticed the newcomer coming into the kitchen. She barely even registered Thor introducing her to him. ‘This is Rosie, our PA, she’s new here.’

Not until she heard an all too familiar voice responding that sent shivers down her spine and sent her heart racing.

‘Rosie… My sweet Rose?’

There was only one person who had ever called her that.

Slowly she looked up, eyes widening, standing before her was Loki.

‘Oh my sweet Rose, you’ve done Daddy so proud.’ Loki purred gently as he cradled her in his lap.

She felt so safe and secure, curled up against him as he wrapped a blanket around her naked body. Knowing how cold she always got after they’d played together quite so intensely.

Loki rocked her back and fore softly as he ran his fingers through her hair, soothing her. She was trembling a bit after her orgasms, Loki had pushed her almost past her limit, but he knew. He always knew when to stop at the right time.

He was an intense Daddy, and could be really strict at times. But he was fair and ever so kind. He had his goofy moments and was extremely playful too, which she loved. He was never angry with her, always calm and collected. Even when she misbehaved, not that that happened often.

She clung to his shirt so tightly, never wanting to let go. Loki had to carefully remove her hand from his shirt just so he could change them into a different position, getting them both under the blanket so he could have her snuggled up next to him. He knew she would fall asleep soon.

‘Daddy.’ She whispered quietly, sounding so vulnerable.

‘Yes, my little one?’ Loki asked, engulfing her small hand in his large one.

‘Can you sing to me?’

Loki smiled. ‘Of course, my sweetling.’

He began singing to her in Asgardian, but he had told her before it was Icelandic. She had no reason not to believe him, especially since he told her he’d grown up there with his parents.

But he had a beautiful voice, she always loved to hear him sing.

She felt so loved as he she drifted off to sleep to the sound of his voice. She faintly remembered a gentle kiss on her forehead just before she fell asleep.

Thor was confused at their interaction, especially as Rosie said nothing at first. Just stared at Loki in utter disbelief.

‘No…’ She shook her head and took a step backwards. ‘You… You don’t get to call me that anymore.’ She said quietly, her voice trembling as tears came to her eyes.

‘Rosie? What’s wrong, did he hurt you?’ Clint asked upon seeing the reaction.

Rosie grabbed the pile of paperwork off the table beside her and she ran off out of the kitchen, with tears falling down her face.

Clint turned to Loki. ‘You’ve got some explaining to do.’ He snapped at him.

‘I have nothing to explain to you, Hawk.’ Loki snarled.

Natasha and Pepper saw Rosie running out of the kitchen in floods of tears, they ran after her into her room. Natasha managed to grab the door before it closed on them.

‘Rosie? Rosie, what’s wrong?’ They both asked as they rushed in to her.

Rosie threw the papers on her bed and she started pacing back and fore, shaking and crying with her arms wrapped around herself. Pepper grabbed her and pulled her down to sit on the bed.

‘Rosie, please speak to us.’ She pleaded with her cousin as Natasha sat at the other side of her.

‘It… It’s him…’ She sobbed.

‘Who? Loki? Did he scare you? I told him not to be an asshole to anyone.’ Natasha said angrily.

‘He… He’s the one. Who I dated before.’ She blurted out, making Pepper and Natasha go silent in shock.

‘But… how?’ Pepper asked.

‘I met him one night in a club. And we dated for eleven months. I was in love with him, utterly and completely. I thought he was with me too. But then he just vanished and never came back one day. Then a few months later, I saw him on the TV… I didn’t tell anyone it was him, because I thought no one would believe me anyway. And what did it matter? It wouldn’t change anything.’ Rosie blurted out between crying.

‘Oh, Rosie. I wish you had told me.’ Pepper pulled her into a hug and cradled her head against her. ‘It’s ok, shhh, shhh. It’s going to be ok.’

Natasha rubbed her back softly. ‘If we had known, we would have warned you he was coming here. I’m so sorry.’

Rosie shook her head and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. ‘No… It’s my fault, I should have told you. I just… it’s a shock to see him face to face.’

Natasha and Pepper nodded in understanding.

They stayed with her for a little while, then when she told them she was ok and was going to take a shower before bed, they left her to it.

But it ended up being the longest shower ever. She kept thinking about Loki and what they had together before.

Kept thinking of when they first met…

Rosie was super nervous when she walked into the BDSM club. But after months of talking herself into it, she finally had the courage to do it.

She didn’t dare tell any of her friends what she was into or what she was doing, perhaps foolish in a way as no one knew where she was. And she was on her own. But she was too embarrassed to tell anyone. Her friends wouldn’t understand.

She relaxed a tiny bit once she was there, noticing other people on their own as well. Getting a few drinks down her helped with her nerves too.

Some of the people she spoke to briefly were really nice. She met a lovely couple at the bar who asked if it was her first time there. They told her if she needed anything to feel free to ask them, not to be shy. That everyone there was really nice and friendly.

There were various demos on that she watched, there was a lot more to some scenes than met the eye. It really made her realise how on sites such as Fetlife and others, it was easy to get sucked into the wanna-be-Dom’s who likely had no idea what they were doing. Or how much safety came into it all.

‘Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother you but I was wondering if you’d like to join me for a drink?’ A beautiful voice came from beside her when one of the demos on aftercare just finished.

Rosie turned and her breath was taken from her as she gazed up at an incredibly tall and handsome man.

‘I… I… Yeah, I would like that, thank you.’ Rosie stammered out, nodding over enthusiastically.

He grinned, showing off his pearly white teeth as he put his hand out towards her. ‘My name is Loki.’ He introduced.

‘I’m Rosie.’ She smiled up at him and put her hand into his. That’s when she noticed his gorgeous hands, so big and he had such long fingers. She blushed hard when he raised her hand up and he kissed the back of it, making her skin tingle like crazy.

‘Pleasure to meet you, Rosie.’ He said charmingly.

Loki gave her his arm and led her over to a free table near the bar. She was really nervous, and Loki could tell. But he soon had her at ease, just chatting away to her calmly and making her laugh almost straight away. She slowly began to relax in his presence.

‘Is this your first time here?’ He asked after buying them both another drink.

‘Is it that obvious?’ She cringed, making him chuckle.

‘Kind of. You did look a bit like a deer in the headlights. But that’s normal for first timers.’ Loki winked at her.

‘So, I’m guessing that means you’ve been here before?’

‘It does.’ He nodded. ‘Not often, it’s probably my fourth visit. Mainly just trying to meet new people, meet anyone that may potentially be interested in a Daddy Dom.’

Rosie’s eyes widened and she suddenly fell shy again as she looked down at her glass and swallowed hard. Loki raised an eyebrow, instantly realising that she was a little. He suspected she was a sub, but hadn’t been sure about the little aspect or not.

Loki leaned forward over the table towards her a little more. ‘Let me take a quick stab in the dark here… But I am presuming that you are a little?’

Her mouth opened and closed again. Then she just opted for nodding in response instead of trusting her voice to actually work.

Loki smiled softly. ‘Nothing to be shy about, sweetheart. That’s why lots of people come to these clubs, to meet their person.’

‘I… I guess so.’ She agreed.

They continued to talk for over an hour, not much about BDSM which Rosie found quite pleasant. He didn’t seem to want to jump straight in so quickly, which in turn made her trust him more and relax.

At the end of the night, Loki handed over a small card with his number on it. ‘There’s absolutely no pressure at all. But I’ve really enjoyed my night with you, Rosie. I would love to take you out on a date, perhaps out for lunch Saturday? But there’s no pressure, I don’t need an answer right now. Just text or call me to let me know. But if I don’t hear from you, that’s ok too. I totally understand.’

Rosie’s heart was racing. Could he get any more considerate? He wasn’t pressuring her at all, not asking for her number. Not even expecting her to contact him if she didn’t want to go on a date with him. Not even needing an answer straight away, what a gentleman.

Loki walked her outside the club and hailed a taxi for her, he even paid in advance for her, not taking no for an answer.

‘I just want to make sure I know you’ll get home safely. And I can’t help it, it’s the protective Daddy in me.’ He shrugged and chuckled, making her giggle shyly.

‘Thank you, Loki.’ She smiled widely at him as she got into the taxi and he closed the door for her once she was in.

He waved her off and she couldn’t stop smiling the whole way home.

Of course, she did text him the following morning to say she would love nothing more than to go on a date with him on Saturday. If that was still what he wanted, too.

Loki replied within a minute, with a time and a place for their first date.

-

‘How DARE you!’ Pepper roared at Loki and launched for him, slapping him across the face. It barely made him flinch, but he clenched his jaw as he glared at her.

Everyone was surprised at Pepper’s outburst.

‘Woah, what did he do?’ Bruce asked.

‘HE is the one that broke my cousin’s heart. She was head over heels in love with you, asshole. Then you just disappeared on her, left her alone without even an explanation. No note, nothing.’ She snarled at him.

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. ‘Not that it’s any of your business, but I did what was right. To protect her. She was better off without me.’

‘You did NOT do what was right. You have no idea what you’ve put her through this past year, how heartbroken she was. Still is!’ Pepper screeched.

Loki faltered. ‘Still is? Did she not find another, she’s a beautiful, incredible woman. How could she not find ano’

‘You are such a fucking idiot!’ Pepper screeched angrily and so wanted to slap him again, but she knew it was pointless.

The guys around him all put their face into their hands.

‘What?’ Loki asked, looking around.

‘That’s a low blow, man. Not even leaving her a note.’ Said Tony.

‘I… I thought I was doing the right thing.’ Loki said, looking at Thor.

Thor nodded. ‘I did not realise that your Rose was this Rosie… But yes, Loki thought he was doing right by her. He was in love with her, adored her. Never shut up about her. But when he discovered his true heritage on a short visit home, he decided not to go back to her. In fear of hurting her.’ Thor explained.

Pepper ran her hands down her face.

‘Well, you failed on that. You probably hurt her more by not at least saying you were over. You have no idea what she’s been through this last year.’ Pepper shook her head in disgust at Loki.

The team all murmured between them and left the room, leaving Loki with Thor.

For the first time in a long time, Thor saw his real brother back. He saw true emotion on his face again, sorrow and guilt.

‘I… I did not mean to hurt her.’ Loki said, still a bit confused. ‘I loved her, Thor… I do love her. I never stopped thinking about her, never loved another.’ He whispered.

Thor sighed and walked over to him, patting his shoulder. ‘I know, brother. I know.’

Loki thought back to the first time she had called him Daddy. How much it made his heart happy that she trusted and wanted him so much…

Rosie and Loki were snuggling on the sofa together, watching some cartoons that she loved. Loki wasn’t overly fond of them, but it made her happy so he always obliged. He was just happy to have her on his lap, comfortable and relaxed in his arms. Where she belonged.

He was lightly stroking her back underneath her top, making her skin tingle. She was in utter heaven, and Loki couldn’t get enough of just simply touching her. He needed touch in some way, whether he was just holding her hand or had the tips of his fingers on her skin, he needed and craved the intimacy with her.

Loki’s fingers trailed a bit too far to her side and up a little, making her squirm and giggle.

‘Daddy, that tickles!’ She laughed and tried to grab his hand to stop him.

But he had already stopped, freezing at what she said. That was the first time she had called him that, even in little space.

The biggest smile spread across his face and he buried his face into her hair and squeezed her tightly to him.

‘Sorry, my sweet little one. I forgot how ticklish you are.’ He purred.

[mc-lukanette]

Now that Wishmaker is out, how would you rewrite that chaos? The Lukanette need is strong.

"Did anyone else see me?" Marinette asked, her hands shaking as she put on the mask she'd made with her newly-given knitting powers. They were sitting down in a shadowed alley, free from anyone's curious eyes.

"No," Viperion replied, his voice breathless from the revelations he was having rather than the fly to their hiding spot. "Just...just me." He glanced down at his wrist, noting the unticked snake bangle. "...I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Marinette's gaze darted over to him, then to his miraculous. A flicker of understanding passed over her expression as she whispered a small, "Oh."

Guilt tore up his stomach, even knowing deep down that it wasn't his fault - the akuma had surprised them, giving no time for him to use his power - but he'd been brought in to use Second Chance in the first place, and yet...

Marinette's hand fell upon his wrist, making him look up. She smiled at him, her eyes reassuring.

"It's okay," she said, though her voice wavered. "It was only you who saw my face, and even if you'd used Second Chance, you'd still know anyway."

He could tell that she was still processing, but let the subject go for now and smiled back. There were more important matters to attend to.

They must've been on the same wavelength too, as Marinette pulled away and sighed, thinking aloud, "I have to figure a way to be Ladybug again. The akuma could just be destroyed, but I need Miraculous Ladybug to turn everyone back to normal."

Viperion nodded, briefly giving her a once-over. Her power and wings were useful, but unfortunately didn't help them with the current situation.

It was also distractingly cute, and he couldn't fight that way.

"Wishmaker said that he wanted people to live out their childhood dream," he murmured in thought.

Marinette brought a hand to her face, pinching her cheek in contemplation. "Maybe...maybe if I live it out then, I'll change back?" She considered it a moment longer, then groaned and stood up, starting to pace around the small area they were in. "But we don't have that kind of time! Yeah, my earrings aren't here so Shadow Moth can't make a wish, and I could definitely make enough of a living with my new knitting powers, but that would take years, and—"

Suddenly, she stopped and looked over at him, catching Viperion briefly off-guard since he hadn't said anything. Her eyes scanned him up and down, mental gears turning in her head even if he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"...That's it!" she gasped, hurrying over to him. She knelt down, clasping his hand in both of hers as she rambled, "Maybe I just need to live out my dream to the fullest!"

He blinked in confusion, unsure of where she was going with this.

"Part of my dream was to eventually make a wedding dress and tuxedo for me and my future husband!" she exclaimed. "If I do that, I might turn back into Ladybug!"

"Ah—" He shut his mouth before anything else could come out. He couldn't deny that it was a solid plan, but he wanted to tread carefully given his feelings, not wanting to make her feel awkward. "That's a great idea." He tried to grin reassuringly, though it came off a little crooked. "Should I go find Adrien?"

"What?" She shook her head. "No, it has to be you!"

He gaped, his heart doing confused flips in his chest. "Why?"

"The guy I always dreamed of marrying when I was little," she began, eyes practically sparkling, "he was exactly like you!"

— — — — —

Marinette hadn't exactly caught onto what she'd said until it already left her mouth, but the way Viperion's face turned red had definitely given it away. Things had gone quiet after the fact, with him sitting a couple meters away while she knitted away at the tuxedo; the tuxedo for him.

She found herself blushing faintly at the thought and immediately forced it down, reminding herself that she didn't love Luka, but Adrien. They were made for each other, like everyone said, and she—

She closed her eyes and took in a steady breath, knowing that she was getting off track. Things were complicated enough with all her thoughts and fears about the future, especially now that Viperion knew her identity.

Though, strangely enough, she didn't feel as nervous about it as she thought she would've.

Her gaze darted over to Viperion, who was keeping lookout and patiently waiting for her to finish with her knitting. He thankfully didn't seem closed off from her at all, and it just served as a reminder as to how mature he was.

Without thinking, she found herself speaking up. "M...my parents..."

He looked over at her, his senses still apparently tuned for her despite his keeping watch. She averted her gaze to the knitting needles working their literal magic into the tuxedo.

"We saw a lot of movies where the girl gets the prince in the end, so they made sure to teach me that love wasn't about money or power or fame or anything like that." She bit her bottom lip, Adrien briefly flashing to mind. "So, I imagined me as the knitting fairy, and I'd make clothes for the whole world until I found him." She peeked up at him. "Someone who wouldn't laugh when I fell on my face. Someone who'd be there for me and think of me first. Someone who wouldn't scold me for everything I did or make me feel bad for it. Someone who'd see more than just clumsy, nervous Marinette."

As much as it hurt to admit, the description didn't fit Adrien. Unless they found each other by coincidence - something that actually happened today, oddly enough - he didn't go out of his way to spend time with her; it was her putting in the effort.

"And..." She trailed off momentarily, lost in her thoughts. "after we fell in love, I'd give up my powers and live happily ever after with him, because we didn't need powers to be happy and it wasn't my powers he fell in love with in the first place."

She'd finished the tuxedo at that point, courtesy of her knitting powers, but her hands dropped to her lap afterward, not making any further movements as her thoughts took over.

Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Viperion take a quick look outside the alley, then get up to move over to her. He sat next to her, picking up one of her hands and letting it rest in his palm.

"I think your dream is really beautiful," he told her gently.

She scoffed, blushing in embarrassment at what must've been fake praise. "Chat made fun of me wanting to be the knitting fairy."

"He was wrong," he retorted immediately. "Your dream might not be realistic, but that doesn't make it any less nice, and there's nothing wrong with dreaming of the perfect guy."

She met his gaze, the softness in them having not lessened even since their break-up, and found the strength to start working on the dress. Being with Luka - dating or otherwise - had always been so easy, excluding all the factors outside of just them being them. She could vaguely imagine her younger self clinging to Luka, claiming him as hers and insisting that he marry her when they grew up.

But things weren't that easy. Nothing was. Marinette had spent her whole life fighting for what she wanted, needing to prove herself to people in order to be accepted.

Fighting for years to smile against Chloe's bullying, because no one would do anything about it. Fighting to be acknowledged by her parents as someone who could do things and didn't need their protection. Fighting against herself to be the one who didn't make all the mistakes or have to be the one to apologize in the end.

After becoming Ladybug, her future became even cloudier and the fighting continued. Waking up in the morning was even harder thanks to late-night patrols, getting through tests seemed impossible due to having less time for studying, and even maintaining a romantic relationship carried the struggle of not being able to tell them her identity.

Marinette stared at the shimmering pink and white fabric beneath her fingertips, it shaping and forming to her will. The occasional sparkle or flash from a beam of sunlight that happened to shine through reminded her of the day at the TV station, where Luka had confessed and she could see only him for just a moment.

"I'm sorry."

Viperion hummed in confusion, raising a brow at her.

"I made everything complicated for you—us," she explained. "All the time, ever since we met. I even got you akumatized, twice."

"Twi—" He blinked rapidly, then leaned closer. His hand came in contact with her cheek as he directed her gaze back to him. "You mean Silencer? How was that your fault?"

"I challenged Bob Roth, and when he grabbed me, you got upset. It pushed you over to the edge."

"You were defending me and my music," he argued, a sternness in his tone that wasn't there before as he put his hand to his chest, "and my emotions are my own. I'm the one who gave into Hawk Moth, not you."

"But..." She sighed, conflicted. "Even later, I kept my identity from you when we were dating. I made us both miserable because of it. I was so upset that I ended up yelling at my friends and they all got akumatized, and then I went and gave my identity to Alya anyway."

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second, though he quickly schooled his expression for reasons she didn't know. His gaze strayed momentarily before he looked back at her, asking, "Would you be upset at me for feeling happy for a moment, knowing that you were just as miserable as I was?"

"W-what?" She shook her head; if anything, knowing that he'd also been miserable made her happy as well, probably in the same way as it was for him. It meant that they both cared about it. "No! Not at all!"

"Then I don't blame you for your emotions either."

She pouted at him, but he merely smiled in response. She knew this wasn't a matter he was going to budge on, but it was difficult for her to understand when she was so commonly blamed for things. That was Luka though, she supposed, always forgiving and able to see through her faults.

She remembered her dream husband again and tried to act like her full focus was on the dress so as to not give her thoughts away. She'd only drawn the unnamed man once or twice, and it was just occurring to her that he had black hair and blue eyes as well. Having not understood the concept of kids looking like their parents in their own way at the time, the child version of her had thought it'd be "fair," because then their children would look like both of them no matter what. It was strange, just how much the "simple" version of her love ideals lined up with the boy sitting in front of her now, even with his temporarily green eyes.

Friendship had become something very precious to her ever since the day she'd gotten her miraculous, maybe even more than love itself. Despite the complications and their brief time dating, she was friends with Luka above all else. No matter what happened in regards to the romantic aspects of their relationship, their friendship remained unchanged, like they really would be friends even if they had the worst break-up in the history of Paris. It was comfortable, to the point where she felt embarrassed for ever avoiding him in the first place.

She was reminded yet again of another stark contrast with Adrien. She hadn't been scared of starting anything with Luka, yet Adrien was a constant cloud of dread above her head, the fear of being rejected or being made fun of holding her back from doing what she wanted.

If her child self could see her now, she'd be confused. Marinette could hear her now, asking why her love - or at least, what she believed to be love - caused her so much stress. That was never what she'd wanted; in fact, it had been the exact opposite. Crushing on Adrien had done nothing but humiliate her, the little girl inside her covering her eyes from the sight. Her time with Luka, on the other hand...

"It looks beautiful."

Marinette jerked her head up to see Viperion's approving gaze, then looked down to the wedding dress in her lap. It was finished, pink with flashes of white and blacks; exactly the kind of dress she would've wanted when she was younger, though obviously with an older touch.

"Thank you," she hurried to say when she realized that she hadn't responded to him. He chuckled in reply, though it was good-natured.

He reached for the tuxedo she'd set aside, but stopped halfway as if realizing something. He looked to her, then the dress, then back to her, asking carefully, "Do you want me to keep watch while we put these on?"

It took her a moment to realize what he meant; that he - wearing a bodysuit - could easily slip on the clothes over it, but she didn't have that sort of luxury due to her dress. She managed to summon enough of her inner Ladybug to focus on the importance of the task over the potential embarrassment, giving him an appreciative nod.

She trusted him not to look.

As she went to the darkest parts of the alley to change, Viperion heading in the opposite direction, her mind drifted back to the past again. The little journey there, even if it'd been unwilling on her part courtesy of the akuma, had been a nice change from constantly worrying over her future. As important as it was to focus on what she wanted to do and plan accordingly, the past was equally as important. It shaped her into who she was now and offered insight on herself that she couldn't have gotten otherwise.

"...Lu—I mean, Viperion?" she called just as she finished putting on the wedding dress.

"Yeah?"

She turned to face him, then giggled when noticing that he still had his back turned to her. "You can look now."

He hesitated, then slowly shifted to face her. He was mostly dressed, but was in the process of buttoning up the tuxedo, his hands fumbling with one of the buttons as he took her in.

She approached, gently brushing his hands aside as she started taking care of the few remaining buttons. Not wanting to delay talking to him like before, she figured now was the best time as any to say what was on her mind.

"I still don't know what I want for my future. I feel like a lot of doors are opening and closing every day, and whenever I want to try one, there just ends up being more doors, or it's already closed when I get there. There are too many possibilities and I keep being afraid that I'll trip on the one I really want to go to." Her gaze left the button she was holding so she could meet his eyes. "I just know that I really want you to be there for all of it... i-if that's what you want." Wanting to make sure instead of presuming like she tended to do, she asked cautiously, "Do you?"

His face didn't show a visible reaction, but she heard the slight sound of him swallowing, synced up with a single blink. Afterward, he absolutely beamed at her, the smile more blinding than the light being cast against his back.

"I do," he replied,

In time with his words, the final button was slipped into place. Marinette felt a warm sensation run through her body, starting from her feet and then making her shudder as it moved its way up to her head. Her body was turning white, just as before when Wishmaker first shot her, though Viperion's tuxedo had joined as well.

There was a flash between them, and she found herself back as normal, wingless Marinette when it faded.

Viperion, now lacking what she'd made for him, still looked just as happy to see her.

"I-I did it!" she gasped, genuinely surprised that it worked. "We did it!"

She threw her hands up in the air in celebration, but snapped back to reality as she remembered that she still needed to turn back into Ladybug and take care of Wishmaker. She opened her purse, easing as she saw Tikki already munching away on a macaron.

"Marinette?"

She looked back up at Viperion, noticing that he still had something to say. "Yes?"

"I might not be able to make enough sense of your inner music to tell you what you'll want, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. I know that whatever you decide to do is going to be as extraordinary as you are."

She stifled a squeak, blushing at the sudden compliment and thankful that Tikki was still chewing the last bits of the macaron. "A-ah, thank you. You too—with the extraordinary thing, not your inner music, because I can't hear that even though I'm sure it's really amazing!"

Had it been anyone else, she might've prayed for a hole to swallow her, but it was impossible to feel weird when he smiled at her the way he did.

Once Tikki had gotten her fill, Marinette transformed and they began to leave the alley together, though Ladybug stopped partway as she remembered something; something she'd done many times before and felt it time to get back to doing.

Viperion raised a brow at her sudden stopping, then stiffened when she leaned towards him and kissed his cheek. She flashed him a smile, noting silently that she missed these little exchanges between them, then leaped away to head back to where Wishmaker was likely to be. Viperion followed suit, but a split second behind his usual speed.

She was sure he'd be smiling back if she looked, but she didn't have to; they were connected, maybe not by some sort of magic thread or cosmic force, but by them and the relationship she hoped that they would continue to build in the future.

And whenever they got back to the fight, just in time to see Chat Noir allow himself to be hit by Wishmaker's attack, a few more doors would close and her future would start to look a little different than what she'd considered that morning.

Not necessarily in a bad way either.

[duuhrayliegh]

Hello, darling! I was wondering if you could right some Bucky x reader, where the reader worked along Sharon during Civil War and she meets Bucky. Then she runs always with Sharon and meets Bucky again in Madripoor and continue their story. I hope that makes sense. Thank yooouuuu✨✨✨

hey babes!! yes i absolutely can! i kind of gave more background than i meant to making it way longer, but i hope you enjoy it anyway! i do want to continue this story and most definitely will be so be on the lookout for the other parts of it lovie <3. i hope you still enjoy it even though it isn’t quite what you asked for yet :)

A Friend of Yours

FATWS SPOILERS

warnings: not much, canon lvl violence, some suggestive stuff closer towards to end, language, i think that’s it

word count: 6140 i went a bit overboard, it’s fine i’m totally fine

a/n: i got this request and then didn’t stop writing all day. i didn’t get anything else done all day. i got home at like seven-ish? and i’ve been sitting on the floor of my bedroom just writing this fic (for context it is now 12:47 pm where i’m at)

check out A Friend of Yours - pt. 2 and A Friend of Yours - pt. 3

p.s.: this is the first fic that i’m writing with an actual ‘x reader’ i’m so proud

xoxo ray

ray’s m.list

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

You grew up with Sharon, the two of you were best friends from birth it seemed. Honestly, Peggy raised you more than your own parents did. When Aunt Peggy got Sharon her first thigh holster, she got you one too. You enlisted together, moved up the ranks together, everything. So, it was of no shock to anyone that after the fall of SHIELD, you both moved together into the CIA’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

You were inside the hotel with Sharon, Steve and Sam when the bombing on the UN took place. The look of unbridled fear that fell over Steve’s face as they announced Barnes as the primary suspect was heart wrenching. You weren’t able to watch it for long because your phone was already ringing off the hook.

“Look, you need to get me more information, and now.” You gritted into your phone speaker before quickly hanging up the phone and turning to a crestfallen Steve who was still watching the news casting. Sharon ended her phone call and turned to you.

“We have to go to work.” A few short hours on a jet later, you and Sharon were coordinating the operation. Close by, Steve and Sam were awaiting new information. Steve had this insane plan to find Barnes before the whole rest of the world did. Like that’s going to happen, it took the world 70 years to find Barnes. Of course, Steve and Sam are going to find him in about half that time.

You followed the blonde woman into a busy coffee shop and up to the counter. She slid a manila folder over to a well disguised Captain America. “Tips have been pouring in since that footage went public. Everyone thinks the Winter Soldier goes to their gym. Most of it’s just noise, except this.” Sharon was talking quietly, trying to not draw attention to the fact that she was committing a serious offense.

“We have to give the briefing, like now Shar, so we have to go.” The two of you pushed off the counter and you turned quickly to say one last thing. “And you better hurry. They’ve given the order to shoot on site.”

You left the shop quickly and made your way back to the white tent, passing the redheaded spy who was watching you like a hawk. A look of understanding crossed her features as you kept a calm facade. She fucking knows, how the hell could she read you that easily?

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

The next time you saw any of them, they were exiting the back of an armored prison van. It was no surprise that his eyes flitted over to his best friend from childhood. You glanced over at Barnes, who was strapped in all different ways, and your heart hurt for him. You tried not to pity him, you know you would’ve gotten a slap on the wrist from Aunt Peggy about it.

Bucky must’ve felt you looking at him because his steel blue eyes locked with your pair. This was the first time that you’ve ever actually seen the man in person. It was startling, in a good way. You grew up going to the Smithsonian and hearing Aunt Peggy’s stories about the great James Buchanan Barnes. You never thought that you’d get the chance to meet the man you did a history report on your freshman year of high school.

“Y/N?” Sharon’s voice cut through your thoughts, recalling you to reality and out of your past. “We have to go. We’ve been assigned to monitor Steve and Sam while they’re here.” Sharon was clearly not a fan of this, which made you laugh loudly.

“Oh, score! We get to babysit Captain America and the Falcon!” You spoke in an unnecessarily upbeat voice and then clapped your hands together. “Our dream job! Let’s go, Shar!” She stared at you for a millisecond before slapping a hand on your shoulder.

“Let’s go, you fucking dork.” You followed her through the office building into the control room where you observed Tony talking to Steve. Apparently, the conversation was not going well because both their faces held angry glares. Eventually, Tony left the room, leaving Steve alone with his thoughts and that can never be good.

“How you doing, Cap?” You asked as you less-than-gracefully plopped yourself into the chair across from him. He looked over at me and released a heavy sigh.

“Honestly, Y/N, not that great at the moment.” He looked at you with his iconic mom Steve stare. Wow, so that’s what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that. Sam walked in and sat next to you. You drowned out their conversation as your gaze focused on screens outside of the glass office.

The video feed of Barnes in his metal cage was displayed on a TV screen. How is this considered humane? Obviously you knew that the CIA had pushed boundaries in the past, but this was just insane. “Are those restraints really necessary?” Sam seemed to be just voicing his thoughts, not expecting a response back.

“Well, he is considered an international terrorist, so yeah, they’re kind of necessary.” You said quickly and then muttered under your breath, “No matter who thinks that it’s excessive.” Steve’s gaze met yours and he was about to speak when Sharon walked in and dropped a paper in front of Sam.

“The receipt for your gear.” A scoff sounded from Sam as he glared at Sharon.

“‘Bird costume’? Come on.” Always quick to defend your best friend.

“Hey, we didn’t write it up.” It came off snappier than you had meant it. Sharon shot you a look, signaling you to back off. You raised a brow at her as she leaned over the table to the intercom buttons.

The audio from Barnes’ evaluation echoed through the glass room. Everyone around you was unsuspecting the four of you listened in. The psychologist was talking to Barnes, who seemed incredibly closed off. Who could blame the guy though?

“I’m not here to judge you. I just want to ask a few questions. Do you know where you are, James?” The psychologist paused for a second, looking down and off to the side. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, James.” The caged man spoke for the first time.

“My name is Bucky.” His voice was rough from not being used. A look crossed Steve’s face and he turned to Sharon.

“Why would the Task Force release that photo to begin with?” Sharon’s body turned to face the man speaking to her. Her brows furrowed while she answered.

“Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?” Your head tilted, trying to follow Steve’s train of thought.

“Right. Good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.” Oh shit.

“You’re saying someone framed him?” You wanted to believe it with every fiber in your being.

“Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing.” Sam reminded in a calm tone.

“Yeah, you didn’t bomb the UN though. That turns quite a few heads. Especially if prominent people like King T’Chaka end up dead because of it.” You made a good point, but there were still pieces missing.

“That doesn’t guarantee that they would find him. It guaranteed that we would.” Sharon and Steve began examining the room around them. Your attention returned to the audio emitting from the intercom.

“You fear that,“ the doctor paused, “if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don’t worry.” He glanced down again and moved his hand to swipe something away.

“Guys?” You pointed to the screen as the doctor held up his pointer finger.

“We only have to talk about one.” All of the sudden, the screens went dark and the lights flickered off. Secretary Ross was yelling at technicians to get his video back. Tony was speaking to his AI, Friday, about locating the source of the outage. Steve and Sam tensed at the thought of what could be going on with Barnes.

“Sub-level five, east wing.” was all Sharon said as the pair ran off. You looked at her and threw your hands in the air.

“What the hell do we do now, Shar?” She glared at you as she started reasoning with you.

“They’re stronger than we are. If they can contain whatever the hell is happening down there then great. In the event that they can’t, we’ll be up here with Natasha and Tony to deal with it.” You nodded quickly as you both ran out of the room.

You quickly followed Natasha, Tony and Sharon to the main level of the building. Clearly Steve and Sam were unsuccessful in containing the situation because Barnes could be seen through the glass, fighting his way to his destination.

Tony stunned Barnes with a previously concealed Iron Man glove. Barnes started towards Tony and quickly attacked. After Barnes bested Tony, it wasn’t long before Natasha rushed the man alongside Sharon. It wasn’t hard for Barnes to throw Sharon across the room. Natasha took the opportunity to launch herself onto his shoulders, which caused Barnes to slam her into a table with his metal hand wrapped around her neck.

She mumbled something to him as you kicked his ribs, releasing his chokehold on her. He stumbled backwards, his hard gaze landed on yours as he approached. Your eyes locked on his as the two of you traded blows.

They weren’t the same eyes as before. Those eyes were soft and remorseful, these were hard and unattached. There was no emotion behind the pair staring at you. The fraction of a second that you were analyzing his eyes in your head was enough for him to catch you off guard. His metal fist landed in your rib cage. The opposite hand jabbed at your face, busting your lip and sending you flying backwards.

You hit your head on the concrete below, making your eyes roll back. The wind left your lungs and you gasped to get it back as Barnes and T’Challa fought in the background. It was a few minutes later that a concerned Sharon made her way over to you.

“Are you okay?” You looked her over as she did you, checking for any severe injuries. You offered a small nod, not wanting to shake your head too much in fear of a concussion. “Let’s go check in with Ross.”

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

“And how the hell did Rogers and Wilson even know where to find Barnes?” Ross’ voice boomed through the office. No one said anything, not wanting to incur the wrath of Secretary Ross. “I’ve already allowed Stark 36 hours to find them and bring them back here.” Ross turned to you and Sharon standing in the corner of the room. “If they contact any of you, report it immediately.” Rounds of ‘yes, sirs’ bounced around the room, then chaos ensued as everyone got back to trying to clean up this mess.

“Carter. Y/L/N. Elevator now.” He raised two fingers to point toward the elevators before walking into one. It was just the three of you in the enclosed space. He clicked the button for the ground floor. “I know you have some kind of connection to Rogers but do not let that cloud your judgement. The both of you are CIA agents first.”

“We understand, Secretary.” The elevator doors opened again and you went to step out when Ross stopped you again.

“I mean it, girls. This is your job on the line here.” You and Sharon shared a look before continuing walking. Did he just call us girls?

“Do you think that was supposed to be intimidating?” You laughed under your breath as you went out to the parking lot. Sharon sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

“Probably.” She looked at you over the top of her car. “You don’t have to come with me.”

“Where do we start?”

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

Getting that fucking shield and bird suit wasn’t easy. They had moved it from the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre to the US Embassy to await transport back to the States. It made it easier but still damn near impossible to get. Thankfully, you and Sharon are good liars. Skills of a misspent youth.

The two of you walked in the front door and displayed your badges. “We’re here to pick up Captain America and the Falcon’s effects.” The man behind the counter didn’t even question it. Man, they need better people at the Embassy.

“You’ll have to sign some paperwork saying you picked it up.” There it is. You both flicked a brow and Sharon held her hand out for the clipboard. Small scratches from the pen in her hand were echoing throughout the empty building.

She handed the clipboard back to the man behind the counter. “Okie dokie, just pull your car around to the side of the building and we’ll get you loaded up.” He shot them a small smile and turned around to file the papers.

“That was easy enough.” You whispered to Sharon as you left, not wanting your voice to carry. You walked to your car that was parked in front of the iron wrought gate. Pulling your car around to the side of the building, you popped the trunk. The gear clad Embassy soldier carelessly tossed Sam’s suit inside before gently placing the shield on top of it.

“Hey, if there’s a scratch on that suit, it’s coming out of your paycheck buddy.” You held your pointer finger up to the man’s unimpressed face.

“Y/N, let’s go. We’ve got to get these to the jet or Ross will have our heads. Remember it’s our job on the line here.” What Sharon said made you laugh big while hauling yourself back into the driver’s seat of the car. As you pulled out into the street, Sharon was typing away on her phone and pushing it to her ear.

“This is a secure line but I don’t know for how long, so don’t talk just listen.” She took a deep breath and then continued. “We want to help. Meet us under the bridge on Route 6. We’ll be there in two hours.” She ended the call quickly and threw the phone outside the car. Glancing over at you, she nodded and sighed again.

“We’ve gotten this far.” You had one question burning in your throat that you were afraid to ask.

“Where do we go after they’ve gone?” She looked at you and she was biting her lip, something she only did when she was incredibly stressed.

“I don’t know yet. Do you have any ideas?” You smiled and thought of the one place that you wouldn’t be followed.

“Yeah, I’ve got one, but it’s rough.”

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

The drive to the underpass wasn’t a hard one. You had beat the boys there so you and Sharon were sitting in the car. You had the radio playing softly in the background.

“Who the hell do you know in Madripoor?” You laughed and shrugged.

“I’m supposed to tell you all my secrets for free?” You shook your head and shifted in your seat to face her fully. “I was tasked with tracking some artwork down there. One of my assignments when we went through initiation for the Agency.” You picked at the holes in your jeans. “I thought it was just all fake stuff, but I researched it more and more. Turns out, the underground artwork dealing is really lucrative over there.”

Sharon stared at you in amazement. “What did you do, Y/N?” You smirked.

“I haven’t done anything.” You held her gaze, “Yet.” She released a small laugh and her mouth hung open a bit. “I may have a warehouse out there.” You squinted one of your eyes, and leaned forward. “And the apartment above it.” She was going to say something when an old ass blue Beetle pulled up behind you.

“Now how the fuck did they all fit in that tiny ass car?” You both laughed as you stepped out of the car with big smiles on your faces.

“Not sure you understand the concept of a getaway car.” Steve walked up to Sharon and they began talking as she popped the trunk, revealing their gear. Your attention was on the men in the car behind them. Barnes was stuck in the back away from cameras and Sam was lounging in the passenger seat. Your eyes met Barnes’ again, they were back to the remorseful pair you saw the first time.

“You know he kind of tried to kill us.” You waved your hand in gesture to the man in the car.

“Sorry, I’ll put it on the list too.” He glanced back down at Sharon, who had migrated closer to him. “They’re going to come looking for you.”

She nodded, “I know.” Then the most awkward kiss in all of kissing history took place. Your brows shot up then furrowed quickly, a small wince overtaking your face. They pulled apart and traded more words. Sharon began walking back to the passenger side of the car.

Steve turned around and you looked back at the two men in the car. Both of them were wearing proud, smug grins. Steve threw his head back as if he was berating them.

“About damn time, Cap! She’s been pining over you for God knows how long now.” The windows were down in the Beetle so the other two heard you shouting at their friend.

“Y/N!” Sharon was a bit embarrassed.

“What? It’s the truth, Shar!” The two of you began bickering like an old married couple as you started the car again. Steve got all he needed from the trunk and shut it quickly, slapping it twice. You began driving off with Sharon giving you directions to an airport on the opposite side of the country.

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

That was the last time you saw Steve. Last time you saw anyone for a while. You had been dusted in the Blip. Sharon had followed you to your apartment in Madripoor. The two of you were able to figure the city out pretty quickly. Learning the ins and outs of the island, where to go, who to sell to. One afternoon, you and Sharon had been surveying a Van Gogh piece for your gallery when you flew away. In the middle of a fucking deal, what perfect timing.

Five years later, you were reunited with an even more successful Sharon. “I kept your room the way you left it.” She said as she led you through your shared home. “I figured that you’d be back and you’d be pissed off if I fucked with anything.”

You smiled at the woman gratefully and hugged her. Neither of you let go for a while. When you did, she started filling you in on everything. She had continued to split all her profits and had been depositing the money into your account. “Even if you didn’t come back, I could’ve used it if I needed to bug out. Win-win.” She explained with a smile.

The two of you had about six months of getting back into the groove of things. It was quickly cut off by a ping of your phones one day. A look of confusion and anger crossed her face, “Are you fucking kidding me?” She locked eyes with you and told you to get your gear.

“Where are we going?” She threw her phone at you and you looked at the screen. As soon as you read the notification at the top of it you understood. Repeating your question from before, you tied the knots on your Converse. You followed Sharon to the Low Town side of the island.

“Now what the fuck are they doing here, do you think?” The two of you camped outside of the Brass Monkey nightclub, ready for whatever came your way. Deciding that you were too visible to everyone else, you moved to the building across from the club. Something is bound to go wrong and the first place they're going to get ran to is this dead end alley.

Sure enough, not even ten minutes later, Sam, Barnes, and Zemo got cornered in the alleyway. Sharon had decided to stay on the ground floor next to the door. You shot two of the assassins following the group of three and Sharon took out the final one.

You made your way back down to Sharon, who was still holding her gun up. “You cost me everything.” She focused her gun on Zemo.

“Sharon, wait. Someone recreated the super soldier serum and Zemo had a lead.” Sam remarked calmly, trying to diffuse the situation.

“Explains why you guys are here and Selby’s dead.” Your brows shot up at that, must of been new information that she got while you were upstairs.

“Why are you here, Sharon?” Sam questioned.

“She was one of the ones who stole Steve’s shield, remember?” You stepped forward, raising your gun to gesture to the men in front of you. “And the wings, so your ass,” you waved at Sam, “could save his ass,” at Barnes, “from his ass.” You lowered your gun and stepped in front of Zemo, staring the man down. Your fist balled and you launched it at Zemo, landing a solid hit to his cheekbone.

Barnes grabbed your hand, twisting your body to slot against his with your arm bent behind your back. He leaned close to your ear, breath making shivers trickle down your spine. “I only let you do that because I’ve wanted to for a while now, so don’t get any more ideas.” Your breath hitched because of the proximity of the man behind you.

“Alright, give me my Y/N back.” Sharon said, lowering her gun to holster it. Bucky held onto you for a few more seconds than necessary and then pushed you towards Sharon as he released you. You scoffed, then shoved your gun into the waistband of your jeans. Sam and Sharon had already started their own conversation by the time you calmed down enough to face Barnes.

Sharon bobbed her head to you, an unspoken language between the two of you. After bringing them into your home, Sam began admiring the artwork in the first floor gallery. “Looks like breaking the law is treating you two well.”

“Before even graduating into the Agency, I had a place over here. Never had any intention on using it, but here we are.” You started, “Then, after having to flee Berlin, for you,” You shot a look at Bucky, “we figured if we had to hustle, might as well enjoy the good life. Do you know how much we can get for a real Monet?”

“Deactivate your hustle mode. You sell fake Monet’s.” Sharon shot him a look, about to defend us when Zemo cut in.

“No. She means real. This gallery is specialized in stolen artwork. Monet. Van Gogh. All the classics.” Sam made a face of disbelief.

“It’s true. You know, half the artwork in museums like the Louvre is fake. Real stuff sits in places like this.” Bucky gestured to the gallery. Sam pulled his phone out of his suit pocket.

“Okay, guys, I see what you’re doing. You’re more worldly than good old Sam.” He was typing furiously as he spoke. Bucky passed him, soundlessly following you and Sharon to the upstairs apartment.

“Yeah. What’s Google say?” Once the five of you got upstairs, Sharon began walking them into her office, telling them that they needed to change because we were hosting clients. It didn’t take long for the men to switch outfits. It was refreshing to see Barnes in something other than combat gear or a torn Henley. Sharon followed you in the office, making a remark at Sam while he apologised.

“Look, you know the whole hero thing is a joke, right? The way you gave up that shield, deep down, you must know it’s all hypocrisy.” She said as you plopped yourself on one of the plush chairs across from the couch, holding a clear glass full of whiskey.

“He knows. And not so deep down.” Zemo added quietly, since when is Zemo informed? Sharon glazed over his comment, opting for asking about the new Cap while filling a glass for herself.

“Don’t get me started.” Barnes spoke for the first time since being downstairs. You narrowed your eyes at the man.

“Please. You buy into all that stars and stripes bullshit.” You swung your glass to Zemo, “Before you were his pet psychopath, you were Mr. America! Cap’s best friend.” His gaze darted over to you, nose wrinkling at your comment.

“Do you know who I am?” He tried to be intimidating but it was just funny to you. You were taking a drink to moisten your throat to fire back a witty comeback, when Sharon spoke for you.

“Oh trust me, she knows. She did a report on you freshman year of high school.” You started choking on your drink as Sharon smirked from the couch next to Barnes. His brows raised and a smug smile graced his face.

“She did now?” Clearly he was a different man from the last time you saw him. Meeting his eyes for the fourth time ever, you were surprised with what you saw. There was almost a hunger lingering behind his eyes.

“Most definitely. I don’t even know how many times she went to the Smithsonian to see the exhibit about you.” You glared at Sharon, who continued to talk, unbothered by you. She raised her own glass to her lips, speaking into her cup, muffling her words.  “Honestly, think she developed a little crush.” Barnes’ eyes never left your face, his mind racing.

“Wait, so the entire time you were helping me and Steve, you had a crush on Tin Man?” Sam interjected, wanting to be included in the conversation. You rolled your eyes and gave a subtle nod to Sam. The action wasn’t missed by Bucky.

“Which is why I think it must’ve been really hard for you to ask him of all people for help. They comin’ down real hard on you out there?” You asked Barnes with a smirk and a head tilt towards Zemo. “I know he fucked you up real good, triggering the Soldier, Barnes.”

Sam laughed beside him. “Dude, that’s basically what you told Walker.” Barnes threw a glare at Sam, who had clapped a hand on his metal shoulder. The conversation dissipated after your comment, guess you killed the vibe.

Sam turned to a relaxed Sharon, “We need your help.” Her body tensed, neither one of you was ready to throw yourself back into enemy territory. “I can get your name cleared.” He dangled a huge bargaining chip in front of her face. You knew Sharon was eager to get back to the States. She misses her dad. It was unfair of Sam to use that as a way to gain her favor.

“Haggling with someone’s life like that isn’t okay, Sam.” You said quietly, focusing your gaze on the glass in your hand.

“It’s not like that, Y/N.”

“Yes, it is, Sam.” You said firmly. “You can’t just say something like that. I know you’re an Avenger. That’s great shit, but you need to realize that if you can’t deliver on your word, we go to jail or worse. You know that.”

“I don’t trust charity, Sam.” Sharon said from beside Barnes.

“All right, a deal then. You help us out, and I get your names cleared.” Your nostrils flared and you shook your head. Sharon agreed, blinded by the possibility of seeing her family again. You don’t doubt that she thought through all the outcomes, it just wasn’t the route you would’ve taken.

“We sell to some pretty connected people. Lay low, blend in, and enjoy the party.” She got up, exiting the office.

“Try to stay outta trouble, boys.” You said placing your glass on Sharon’s desk as you left. “We’ll see what we can find.”

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

You were standing next to Sharon when the three men joined the party. Leaning over to Sharon, you told her you were going to get a drink from the bar. You pushed your way through the crowd, planting yourself on a stool in front of the countertop. Nodding your head at the bartender, they passed you a bottle of club soda.

“Not drinking tonight?” A raspy voice questioned over your shoulder. You turned to face the owner as you shrugged your shoulders.

“Already had my fill. And technically, I’m supposed to be working, Barnes.” Your eyes met with his again. You couldn’t tell if it was the light in the room or if it was just him, but they were a deeper shade of blue than before. He leaned his weight on his elbow that was resting on the bar top next to you. He was so close you could feel his body heat rolling off him in waves.

His eyes roamed your face, stopping on your lips as he spoke. “You know you can call me Bucky, right?” You made a face, bringing your bottle to your mouth. He watched intently as your lips wrapped around the opening.

“We’ve never had a single conversation before today. And the first time you actually met me, you twisted my arm behind my back because I punched the dickwad standing next to you.” You took another sip and his eyes drifted down to your throat. He watched as it bobbed when you swallowed.

“So, yeah. I’m going to call you Barnes.” You leaned closer, “I’ve never been given permission to call you anything else.” You could tell you struck something. Something that he didn’t even possibly know about. His face heated and he had to clear his throat before speaking.

“Um, okay. Well you can call me Bucky or if you want, James.” Your brow quirked and you pulled back to take him in fully.

“How many people have you let call you that since you got your free will back?” Your tone was serious, but your face held a smile.

“None, doll.” His eyes ran over your face again. “I just want to hear how it’ll sound coming from your mouth.” One of his metal fingers came up to rest on your bottom lip as your smile grew.

“James.” You whispered, just for him. What he was giving you was a privilege, one you were going to revel in. One corner of his mouth tugged upwards.

“Again.” He growled as his finger remained on your lip.

“James.”

“Again.”

“James.” The party around the two of you faded away. In your reality, it was just you and the man in front of you. A peaceful place, where nothing could change what was happening right at that moment.

Of course, reality is a bitch. And you never got what you wanted. Your jaw clenched as soon as your phone pinged. James dropped his hand from your face as he read the text with you.

Found Nagel. Meet us outside and if you find Bucky, tell him too.

You scrunched your nose and bit your lip. James’ hand was quick to pull your lip from your front teeth, before resting there for a second as he studied your face. He stepped back quickly, nodding his head for you to follow him.

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

You don’t know how the hell Sharon managed to find him, but she did. You were in a shipping yard for storage cars. “Madripoor could give New York a run for its money.” Sam said as the five of you weaved your way through the containers.

“With a bounty on your head, the longer you’re in Madripoor, the less likely you’re ever leaving.” She glanced down at her phone in her hand. Nodding toward a red container, “Alright, he’s in there. Container 4621.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out five earpieces.

“We’ll keep watch while you guys talk to Nagel. But hurry. We’re on borrowed time.” You said as you watched everyone situate their pieces. Sharon turned around and began walking down an aisle not far from the container Nagel was in. You stopped James before he could go anywhere.

“Hey, be careful.” His eyes met yours and they were back to the normal steel blue. “Don’t forget who you are, James.” Something flashed behind his eyes, but his face showed no change.

“You too, Y/N. Don’t make me come out here and save your ass.” His eyes flicked down quickly and a smile spread quickly. “I mean, not that I would mind.” You rolled your eyes and shoved his shoulder, turning and walking down the aisle Sharon did.

“So,” She was leaned against a rusted container with a smug smile. “You and Bucky, huh?” You groaned and stood next to her.

“I don’t know, Shar. Neither one of us should be in a relationship. Especially since we’re both Enemies of the State, well one of us is, the other one was.” You turned your head to look at her. “What do you think about all of this?” She opened her mouth to speak when you both heard something ricochet off a metal wall.

She raised a finger to her mouth and crouched down before pressing that same finger to her earpiece. “Guys, we have company.” She took off down one end of the aisle and you down the opposite, ready to attack from both sides. There were three men walking towards Nagel’s container, you shot a look down to Sharon and she nodded.

She came from the back with a baton, whacking the last guy once in the knees and once in the head, disarming him. When the front man turned to help his comrade, you did the same move to him with your own baton. You both continued trading blows with the men. You had effectively taken out the first man, using his thigh to latch yourself to the third man’s shoulders. Situating yourself to use your body weight to flip him over, definitely knocking him out.

“Every bounty hunter in the city is here. We gotta go now, boys!” You yelled to your earpiece as you watched Sharon fight off another opponent.

It wasn’t until the gunfire started that Sharon said something else into the piece. “Guys, we’re seriously outta time here.” You both split off, out of each other’s view, battling your own demons. You were currently dealing with two of those said demons, when a third approached from behind. Locking you in a chokehold as the other two continued punching your ribs.

One of the hunters was suddenly ripped away from you. Punches were landing and groans were echoing through the alleyways. You threw all your body weight forward, throwing your assailant over your shoulder. Two gunshots rang out and then a third one, which landed a bullet hole between your aggressors eyes. Your head whipped around to face James, whose arm dropped back to his side.

He walked towards you, putting a hand on your back leading you to where Sharon and Sam were standing. Zemo pulled up in a blue convertible car, “Supercharged.” was all he said. Sam pointed his finger at the man in the driver’s seat.

“You’re going back to jail.”

“Do you want to find Karli or not?” James sighed heavily, his shoulder sinking with the action.

“He’s right. We need him. And there’s two of us, and at least twenty of them.” James got in the front seat, leaving the door open for Sam.

“Fine. But if you try that shit again--”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Zemo raised his hands in surrender. Sam turned to Sharon.

“Well, that was one hell of a reunion.” You leaned over the open door to talk to James. He looked at you with a sad face.

“Why don’t you come back to the States with us?” He tilted his head. “We could clearly use your help, doll.” You smiled at that and licked your lips before responding.

“You know we can’t. Not yet anyway.” He placed his finger back on your bottom lip, maintaining eye contact. “This isn’t the last you’ll see of me, James. That I can promise you.” He smiled and dropped his hand back to his lap.

Sam climbed into the seat behind James. “You’re not going to move your seat up, are you?” James smirked before replying.

“No.” You watched as they drove off, desperately wanting to see James again already.

You turned back to Sharon and the two of you began walking back towards High Town. “I think you should go for it.”