wolftails-funkin-arts

[peacefulharu]

i dunno if its just me, but jk fandom kinda have less crack fics than i expected.

like, yeah, i love fluff, and those intense angsty after-war fics. but damn, crack fics are food for my soul lol

[theglamorousferal]

Persephone's Binding Part 7

Hardcover/Anger Management ship Sacrificial Bride au

AO3 Prompt Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

As he slid into the booth Jason was glad he had taken Danny's advice on wearing "Mid 2000's American chic". Clad in dark wash jeans, a red Henley shirt and his leather jacket he waited for Danny to come back with their order of "Nasty Burgers". He wasn't particularly excited about the name, but after sparring for four hours he was starving.

"One Double Nasty Burger with Nasty Fries and a chocolate milkshake for you and the rest is for me!" Danny returned to the table with his arms stretched longer than should be possible with four trays of food. He placed one in front of Jason and kept the others for himself. Jason raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"You sure you can eat all that?"

Danny smirked, grabbed a fist full of fries and declared "Watch me," and shoved his whole hand into his mouth in an almost cartoon logic sort of way.

Jason gaped for a moment before he chuckled to himself and picked up his burger. It looked like a regular burger, so he took a bite and - dammit it's delicious! He finished his bite and reached for the fries - eh, pretty mid.

"You were right about the burgers, this is delicious. However, once we figure out if or when we can contact my home dimension I am taking you to Batburger and your are gonna try the Jokerized fries." Jason finished his statement gesticulating with a fry before he popped it into his mouth.

"As long as your paying." Danny said, himself gesticulating with a fry. "I mean, flying around and doing ghostly shit is pretty taxing, so I'm always down for food, especially of the high calorie kind."

"Fair enough." They lapsed into a comfortable quiet for a while. Danny quickly worked his way through four Double Nasties, three large fries and two milkshakes.

Jason remembered something he had seen at the training grounds. "So I know we can't use projectiles on each other, but I noticed targets at the grounds. Any chance we can spend the afternoon practicing our aim?" Danny raised an eyebrow at him and Jason rolled his eyes. "Fine. Do you want to spend the afternoon trying to one-up each other?"

"Sounds like a plan, dude." Danny took a long slurp of one of his milkshakes. "So, what do you think of my sister?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Jason startled at the shift in topic and blinked. Am I about to get a shovel talk? I should probably be serious then. "I think she is very kind and genuine in her care of things. I think she's acting as Atlas and I think it's been that way for longer than she's been Regent. I think she probably should take one if not multiple days off." He brushed the salt from his fingers onto his jeans and licked his lips before speaking again. "I haven't really been able to have a real conversation with her yet. Mostly we've kinda just given each other a summary of our lives and a brief discussion about books after our discussion in the library last night. I've interacted with you more than I have her, but from what I've seen of both of you so far, I'm impressed."

Danny looked at him, his green eyes intense, as if scrutinizing his very soul. He very well might be doing that actually. Jason did not flinch at the inspection, everything he had said was genuine.

"Hmm." Danny took a loud slurp, finishing off that milkshake. He set it aside and grabbed the other. "Do you find her attractive?"

Jason did not waver as he responded. "Just because I do doesn't mean anything without her approval." Danny narrowed his eyes further and took a sip so long Jason wondered if he had to breathe.

Jason sighed. "Fine, I may try and make myself a bit more aesthetically pleasing to her to try and catch her attention besides that I am a person in need and would gladly take pointers if you aren't completely against me attempting to woo her."

Danny smirked. "I knew it! Ha, take that Johnny!" He whipped out a clunky looking device and sent off a message in a group chat. He then leveled Jason with a look. "K, so, I may be new to the whole 'reading souls' thing, but when I took a look as you were talking nothing looked off and I've enjoyed hanging out with you so far today so I'm going to help you." As Jason perked up, Danny held out a hand. "I'm just gonna say this right now; I am not a miracle worker. I'm going off of evidence from past crushes and boyfriends here and it's been years since her last one. She's been a bit too busy for romance with all the training and then everything that happened.

"Anyway, you're on the right track with the biker aesthetic if this is more like your every day clothes. If you had a bike to go with it then we can likely get your foot in the door. I mean, you've already got a leg up on her last boyfriend with talking to her about books." Danny paused in eating his fries. "You know what? Let's rain check on the target practice, I'm gonna take you someplace we can get you a ride. We'll kill three birds with one stone, you get more of the biker aesthetic, maybe you can get Jazz to go on a ride with you, and you can move around the Zone without needing one of us to guide you!" Danny shot off another message to his group chat and then promptly finished off the last of his fries. "Come on, let's head over!"

Jason gathered all the trash and dumped it away as he followed Danny out of the restaurant. Danny grabbed Jason by the shoulders and flew off from Amity and towards a segment of floating land that looked like a winding road.

"It's gonna take a bit to get there at normal person speeds. Mind if I speed this up a bit?" Danny looked down at Jason.

"Go for it, I'm used to flying with the Supers and they can move at light speed."

Danny looked at him shocked for a moment. "Man, your dimension sounds so cool!" At the last word Danny's entire being seemed to flicker brighter and the freckles on his face spun around and were shaped like stars. He cleared his throat, embarrassed for a moment. "I can't go nearly that fast, but my top speed should get us there in five instead of thirty minutes." With that he took off.

Soon enough, Jason saw quickly approaching what appeared to be a brownstone not unlike those from any major US city with an apartment above two businesses. A garage and a stylist's from the look of it. Standing in front of the place was a couple, a blonde and very pale man in a mechanic's jumpsuit covered in various stains, and a very pale woman with green hair and bright red leather jacket and skirt.

"Hey Phantom, so this is the poor schmuck?" The blonde asked after Danny placed Jason back on his feet.

"Hey Johnny, yeah, this is Jason. Poor guy got sacrificed to Jazz of all people." Danny replied with all the air of a younger sibling. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure he left his bike in his home dimension, mind hooking him up with a ride? I don't want to have to carry him everywhere and I doubt a ghostly horse is gonna do it for him." He stuck his thumb out, pointing at Jason behind him.

Johnny seemed to be sizing him up, his arms crossed before he eventually nodded. "Fine, but it's going on your bill." He turned to head into his shop. "See ya later Kitty, I got a big project apparently." He kissed the woman before he walked into the garage.

Jason made to follow, but Kitty stopped him. "If you ever need some styling you come to me okay kid? And if you make the Queen cry, I can make men vanish with a kiss." She patted him on the shoulder before sauntering back into her shop.

"Yeah, Kitty got close with Jazz after a fight she had with Johnny one time. It's kind of weird because when Jazz was dating Johnny, he was trying to get it so Kitty could possess her to exist in the Living Realm. It was a whole thing, but it's behind us at this point." Jason blinked at Danny's back as he floated his way into the garage. Okay then, just casually drop horrifying lore why don't you? Jason followed him inside.

Danny was floating over Johnny's shoulder as the man was drawing up basic schematics.

"Standard Court specs?" Johnny asked the floating High Prince.

"For liminal humans for now yeah. We haven't had the chance to bring him to get a full scan done to find his classification yet."

"Hmm. Okay, hey Sacrifice, get over here, do you like low riding or tight riding?" Jason joined them at the table and they spent the next few hours planning out Jason's ecto-bike. "Looks good, it's gonna take me a bit, but I can get it to you in a week, two tops if I can't get one of the parts. I'll hold off on the engine until we know what your classification is, if you produce your own ecto then we'll need a sample for it." At Jason's hesitation he continued. "It just means that it'll be more self-sustaining and you can summon it to your will. It'll lock-on to your ecto-signature."

"Cool, do you think it'd work in my home dimension? Or will I have to leave this beauty here if or when I leave?"

"Possibly? I mean, at the very least you are death-touched and that kinda manifests ectoplasm in universes. It depends on how much ambient ecto there is around. It doesn't run on gas, it runs on ectoplasm." Danny butted in. "Either way, it'll be good to have here, and who knows, if you have to leave it, maybe you can still come visit?"

"Yeah kid, I'd like that." Jason replied.

Danny smiled. "Cool, well, we gotta head back for dinner. Lunch Lady is making baked Mac and Cheese tonight and I am not missing getting the corner servings."

"See ya around Johnny! Thanks for this by the way."

Johnny waved him off. "Eh it's no big deal, I make all the rides of the Royal Family. You being sacrificed means you're probably bound to this craziness for eternity." Johnny looked at him seriously for a moment. "Do better for her than I did, K? I know that won't take much, but she's been through Hell and back and she deserves someone to take care of her for once."

Jason nodded back, determination set on his face. "If she lets me, I will."

[mister-fisch]

I need a Bob's burgers episode where Felix and Gayle are together.Like they met at some vet or some shit(Felix tried to pass Lulu off as a regular dog).Like they'd start dating and Felix decides they should get married for some reason(he is unaware that Gayle is Linda's sister.And that Gayle made out with Calvin),Gayle excitedly agrees(which Felix is slightly put off by).Gayle starts talking about how she's gonna finally get married and that she's so happy,but she hasn't once said who she's getting married to yet.At the same time,Mr.Fischoeder and Felix walk into the restaurant,Calvin says that Felix is getting married and they need someone to cater(Calvin in the man of honour and he's forcing Felix to get Bob to cater).Cut back to Gayle,she's freaking out because she doesn't have anyone to be her maid of honor or her bridemaids,and because of this Gayle might stop the wedding,but Linda reassures her that everything will be ok,and that she can be her maid of honour and that she can get Gayle brides maids.Gayle responds with "Y-you'd really do that for me?..",sniffling.And Linda is obviously like yes!you're my sister,and whatnot.If you're asking what the kids are doing throughout this whole episode,they're trying to figure out who Gayle's marrying so they can make sure she's not marrying a weirdo.They start putting together the peices together than Gayle is gonna marry Felix,since they both take place at the same and the same time,and that the really vague way Gayle describes Felix ,that it matches up with him.And that when Mr.Fischoeder and occasionally came into the restaurant to discuss with Bob about the details of the catering of the wedding,when Bob asks him who Felix is marrying,he responds with something like "I don't know some brunnette" or some shit,with a little hand movement.There's probably some other details that lead to the conclusion that Gayle and Felix are marrying each other.But when the kids realize that that's what's happening,they rush to Linda(they don't go to Bob since he's probably out with the Fischoeders or something),trying to get her to listen to them,but she's probably on the phone with Ginger or Gretchen.She tells them to go away cause she's on the phone.The Bob plot is basically Calvin,Felix,and Bob driving around town getting stuff that Felix wants for the wedding,both non food related things.Felix has a long list of foods that Bob wants to have at the wedding,fancier stuff than bob usually makes(Gayle just wants shrimp and stuff for shrimp),so bob has to cook A LOT.There'd be a lot of scenes where Calvin and Bob would be left alone together,but not entirely sure what would happen in those interactions yet.Calvin probably thinks he's not going to go through with the marriage like how Felix doesn't go through with all other things,but he thinks it be funny to see him try with this.Bob thinks its sweet that Felix is really excited about getting married to his partner even though he doesn't know who that is,and he thinks Calvin should just let him be with the Felix not going through with anything thing.Calvin decides to humor Bob with that.When the wedding comes its pretty fancy but pretty eclectic,it emenates both Gayle and Felix's chaos.It's at Calvin's estate or somewhere fancy and unique.Gayle would be wearing like a version of that shrimp dress,but its fancier and bejewelled,he hair is done in that one fashion she has it in in Tina's story in the Gayle Tales.Felix would have a shiny suit that's the same color on with a bejewelled broach of Gayle's cat Jean Paw'd Van Damme.Gayle's nervous,the part where'd she walk down the isle was soon and she was nervous,Linda reassures her and whatnot,and convinces Gayle everything is going to go great.The wedding would start a little before sunset,and when Gayle and Felix would say their vows and shit.To Calvin's surprise Felix actually goes through with this. And then there's a final scene in the episode.

"Im...surprised.." Linda says as she looks from far away at Gayle and Felix.

"mmm..." Bob is standing next to linda

"Cant say I am!Only thing I'm surprised is that he actually had the BALLS to do it!" Calvin stood next to Bob,a arm slung around Bob as he frequently did,in the other hand he was holding a glass of wine or a cocktail of some sort.

"Just surprised it was Felix,you know?"

"I suppose that's fair afterall,lady burger."

"Mom,we literally tried to tell you earlier!" "Yeah!And you didn't listen."

"At least they're happy together.And they make a cute couple."

"GAH!Tina! I don't want Felix as a uncle!He's weird!"

"They probably wont last long together.Felix can never stick to something for too long.So don't fret,child of bob.I doubt we'll be family for too long."

"Does this mean we don't have to pay rent?"

"No.No.You still will."

"Mmm..."

"Oh don't be so annoyed Bob."

If you cant tell I didnt really know what to write for Bob.

Gayle and Felix make each other worse.They have a really odd relationship,because just look at them of course they would.

Anyway I hope you likey.

[sumeru-academy]

Bride to be.

synopsis: you catch the bouquet at a wedding.

character(s): jean, eula, mona (seperate).

warning(s): mentions of marriage.

note(s): female reader, reader wears a dress and heels, second POV.

p.s: jean is wearing a suit but I could not write that description in so please use your imagination :(

—mod angel 🎐

JEAN GUNNHILDR

“Are you okay? Do your feet hurt?” 

With Jean’s arms wrapped protectively around yours, the two of you swayed to the romantic, slow-dance waltz together as couples just like you danced in the background of your vision. Sure, your feet ached, your dress was scratching up your thighs, and the people around you were starting to give you a headache but you’ve never felt more alive. Jean’s firm yet warm touch upon your body never ceased to make your heart flutter, and with the close proximity between you too, your heart was practically close to flying off.

“In all honesty, I’m in agony with these heels,” you chuckled, resting your head beneath your lover’s neck. “But, I do like being able to dance with you at eye level. So, I can bear the pain a little while longer.” 

Jean casted a worried look with her eyes and stopped dancing to hold your shoulders. “That’s not good. You might get blisters if you overextend your comfort. Would you like to go home now? I can carry you if you’d like.” She kneeled down on the floor in a princely manner and reached to remove your shoes. “May I? I brought spare flats in case you got tired.”

Of course she did. Jean was never one to be unprepared.

“Hah, you always seem prepared for everything, Jean.” You grinned, moving to go sit down at your designated table. “I’m the luckiest girl in the world to have you.”

The tips of the Gunnhildr’s ears glowed bright pink as she moved to kneel down in front of you. Carefully removing your heels like they were Cinderella’s glass slippers and placing a kiss just above your knee. “Any pain? Do you feel sore anywhere?”

“Are you gonna give me a massage if I do?” You joked. 

“If you want, I can.” Her face looked dead serious. 

“Ah…Jean, I’m joking.” You pressed the back of your hand to your mouth to stifle your laughter. You couldn’t help it, Jean was so cute when she was serious! “I’m fine, but those flats you brought do sound quite nice. Maybe at the next wedding I’ll plan to wear something more convenient next time.”

Jean smiled and slipped on the pair of flats she brought along delicately on your feet. Almost reenacting a whole Cinderella scene with you as she was so gentle and cautious with sliding the piece of footwear on. “Perhaps. But if you ever forget again, I’ll always have an extra pair just in case.”

She looked up at you with those adoring, blue eyes before her attention was taken away from the various cheers and squeals of women. All surrounding the bride of the wedding like some sort of weird formal rave. The bride was positioned at the top of the stage with her back turned to the crowd of cheering women, all eager with their hands in the air as they waited for her to throw the objects in her hands. 

A bouquet. 

“Oh! They’re doing the bouquet toss!” You fawned. “Jean, do you think I…?”

She smiled warmly at your indication and nodded. “Of course, you still qualify for a bachelorette after all.” Though that word left a bitter taste in her mouth. “Go on. I’ll be waiting right here for you.”

You beamed at this response and quickly kissed her cheek before running off, much faster now that you were no longer wearing heels. Jean couldn’t help but smile brightly at how excited you were to partake in such a funny little wedding tradition. I mean, catching a bouquet to indicate who’s next in marriage? It was a silly idea, yet Jean couldn’t help but let her mind take off with the concept in mind.

You married to her.

Jean would be lying if she said she never thought of the idea of marriage. The two of you had been together through thick and thin, dealing with any and every obstacle together as if you shared a single body. She always thought she was destined to lead the nation of Mondstadt alone, but when you came along, she finally realized just how important –and fun– it would be to have someone who loved her in her life. Someone who wanted to share the rest of their life with her. 

And she wanted to spend the rest of hers with them too. 

An erupt of screams snapped her out of her thoughts. The swarm of bachelorettes clearing to make way for the lucky woman in the middle. ‘I can’t see her.’ Jean thought worriedly. ‘Was she trampled by the others? Y/N–!’

Standing up from her seat, Jean froze when she heard your shout. 

“Jean!” You shouted from the crowd, your voice far from distress as it sounded more like happiness. 

“Y/N?” The crowd parted like the Red Sea to show you standing in the middle. The lights from the wedding cascading a heavenly glow in your smile when you turned around. Bouquet of roses in hand. 

“I caught it!” You shouted, a broad smile on your face as your fellow bachelorettes cheered for your win. “I caught it, Jean!”

Indeed you did, but Jean didn’t have it in her to respond. Simply staring at you with the deepest blush ever, as all she could think about was you in a wedding dress, getting married to her and smiling through a thin veil that masked your everlasting beauty. Jean couldn’t talk. She couldn’t fathom. And yet when she sees you jumping around excitedly with the bouquet in hand, a burst of serotonin tells her ‘yes, you can marry this girl. She caught the bouquet to marry you.’ And Jean realizes that she can marry the girl of her dreams, and she will.

‘Even in a dress that isn’t white, you look more like a bride to me than any woman in this room…’

EULA LAWRENCE

Eula never really liked weddings. From all the weddings she was forced to partake in as a child, they were always the same, stuffy, boring weddings that bored her to death and made her loathe such events whenever she were invited to one. Weddings to her were just an excuse for the Lawrence clan to gather up as one big group, and act like assholes once more until Eula couldn’t stand it. It’s come to the point where every time a wedding is even mentioned, Eula would flinch and think back to all the bratty adults she had to listen to while stuck at a table with barely edible food.

Though, this time the wedding she was invited to wasn’t as sufferable as she thought. For one, her clan wouldn’t be related to the event at all, and two, you were there; her loving and doting girlfriend that begged her to go as your date. And how could she not? After all, she did look quite attractive in formal wear. 

But you…you. You were another story. When you came out for Eula to pick you up she was beyond smitten. Barely able to get her words across as you laced your arms with hers and made your way to the carriage so that you could be taken to the wedding venue. Even then, Eula could not get a word out!

But she could now.

“The bride is honestly so beautiful. I think her dress was imported from Fontaine.” You pushed around one of the fancy looking dishes that you were served and turned to Eula for her opinion. “Do you think I could order a dress as good as that? Ah, but the shipping…I’d need to save more mora…”

“You do not need a dress to enhance your beauty.” Eula crossed her arms, almost appearing mad as she furrowed her brows. “Just being with me has always been a treasure.”

A beat of silence passes by and Eula quickly unfolds her arms. “H-However, if you want a dress from Fontaine I will gladly order it for you if you wish.” The higher pitch in her voice gave away her frenzied panic, and you couldn’t help but giggle in response.

“You’re always so sweet to me, Eula. So charming even when you’re being silly.”

“I am not being silly.”

She all but huffed that response like a steam engine about to explode, causing you to burst out into a fit of giggles and prod a tiny smirk onto the bluenette’s face. “Oh Eula, this is why I love you so.”

‘And I love you too.’

A bunch of screaming women cut your moment short as you both turned to see the ravenous swarm of desperate singles reaching to try and catch the bride’s bouquet, as she was standing far off to the side ready to launch the flowers in the air. Who would’ve thought that so many women were desperate to get married in Mondstadt? Apparently here was your answer.

‘Such a foolish tradition.’ Eula thought, frowning at the sight. ‘Letting a mere bouquet of flowers decide when you get married? How odd.’

“Ah, the bouquet toss!” You exclaimed joyfully, “I’ll be back my love, I want to join in on the festivities too!”

You ran off to join the crowd of desperate women and Eula couldn’t help but be surprised by your actions. Were you really going to engage in such an activity? Eula couldn’t help but be curious. 

You stood yourself in the far back and put your hands up adorably as you weren’t as ravenous as the other singles in the crowd. The other women fighting for their spot to shine, while you bounced on your heels for some extra height in order to strengthen your chances. Ouch, that was cute. Eula glanced at the wall to hide the overbearing smile stretching over her face. Too much for the knight to take. 

“It’s mine!” Several women called out. The bouquet bouncing along aggressive hands before making its way to the back and landing right into your hands. Holy Barbatos you did not expect that.  

“Woah—!” You stumbled with the bouquet for a second before holding it firmly in your arms. “I…I caught it! Eula, look! It landed!”

She turned to the sounds of your cheering and audibly gasped when she saw you running over with the bouquet in hand. Leaving a trail of sad, single women to disperse as you came home as the lucky champion of the evening. “It just crowd-surfed and landed in my hands! Isn’t that interesting? It’s almost like it’s fate!” 

Fate.

Eula stared at how excited you were to win such a tradition and watched as you plucked a flower from the bunch and held it out to her. “For my lady,” you joked in an over dramatic voice, bowing like a dame and presenting the rose as a gesture of romance. 

“All that for a flower,” Eula scoffed, though she took the flower from your hands and twirled it, a small smile reaching her lips. “Thank you, I will treasure it.” 

“Of course, it’s extra special since it’s from a bouquet I caught. Maybe it’s destined for us to get married next, hm?”

Although a playful little jab at the bluenette, Eula couldn’t help but wonder if the destiny was real. The way the bouquet bounced off the other hands and just landed in your arms was a bit odd in her eyes. Maybe it was just the fate of destiny that brought the bouquet to you. Who knows, perhaps Barbatos had blessed the winds to carry the bouquet towards you, gifting you with the reward of changing fate tonight. 

Eula’s cheeks flushed. But what would mean you and Eula would be getting married next! Marriage! As in wife and wife, officially together in legal documents and last names!

She turned to you and saw you playing idly with the roses plucked straight from the bouquet. Twirling the thorn-stripped stem in your hand before pinning the ornament behind your ear. ‘Beautiful.’ Eula thought. And for a second she forgot all her worries and wondered if a dress could enhance your beauty even more. A wedding dress.

‘Perhaps weddings aren’t too bad. As long as it’s a wedding between you and I.’

MONA MEGISTUS

Let’s be honest, Mona really only agreed to attend the wedding simply because she got to eat free fancy food. That, and it was also an excuse to have a free fancy dinner date with you, something she unfortunately bashes herself over as she’s not able to treat you to the fanciest places all the time. 

As snootish as Mona can be, she really beats herself up over not being the perfect girlfriend for you all the time. Sitting here with you at an expensive wedding with couples in their fancy clothes made her realize just how pathetic she really was when in comparison to the bride and groom. The fact that they could afford all of this, all the food, the decorations, the people, and look so content with themselves just made Mona feel as if she could never live up to those standards. I mean, how could you even love her when she couldn’t even afford basic roses? She couldn’t even treat you right, let alone love you properly.

Why do you even stay with her?

“Is something on your mind, my love?” You murmured out of concern.

“Hm? Oh, I was just marveling at the taste of this salad. The dressing is nothing like I’ve ever tasted.” You chuckled over her enthusiasm for salad. Mona always seemed to be some sort of salad connoisseur whenever you’d go out to eat, and her love for such a simple palette made her all the more cuter. “Is it really that good? I thought I made a pretty good salad at home.”

Mona rolled her eyes playfully and stabbed a piece of tomato. “Your salad is…on par. That is a compliment considering this was made by a professional chef.”

You feigned a look of hurt before giggling and going back to your meal. The loud sounds of songs and people dancing drowning out as all Mona could listen to was the sound of you enjoying yourself. You seemed so content, so at ease, and all Mona could think about was how to afford all of this if she wished to spend her future with you. 

And she really, really did.

“You keep staring at me with those wide, unblinking eyes.” You scrunched up your shoulders at the sight. “It’s creepy.”

“What? Am I not allowed to stare at my own girlfriend?” Mona scoffed dramatically. “I really thought loving you meant I could admire you for as much as I pleased. Can I not?”

“It’s just weird, you’ve never been so laser-focused on my face before.” You bashfully laughed. “Are you really okay? You seem so out of it this evening.”

“Of course I’m okay. I just like watching you.”

“That’s so creepy taken out of context.”

“I’m not creepy!”

Mona swatted at your arm and you couldn’t help but stifle your laughter as she tried so hard to defend her honor. Her cheeks mirroring that of a hamster’s as they puffed up like tiny balloons out of frustration. “Honestly, what did I even see in you back then? The stars are truly strange for pairing me up with you as my soulmate.”

“Sure, blame the stars for falling head over heels for me. Klee told me about how you’d pray to the stars every night that I was single.”

“I– buh– KLEE–!”

“Hah…Don’t be too hard on the girl, Mona. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have had the courage to confess to you.” You took note of the pink starting to glow on the astrologist’s ears. For someone so “high and mighty” as she so often claimed, she really couldn’t hide her own embarrassment well. “Come on, let’s lighten up a bit, Mona. We’re at a wedding, let’s go enjoy ourselves.” 

“...I suppose you’re right, darling.” Mona huffed. “Now, I believe I owe you a slow dance for–”

Suddenly a bouquet slammed itself into your head and landed right on top of your lap. The both of you shrieking like little girls as you had no idea what just happened until you fully registered what you were hit with.

“AAAAAAA wait wait–! Mona, stop screaming! It’s just the bride’s bouquet! Mona I’m okay don’t scream–!”

You lifted the bouquet of pink up to your face to show Mona and smiled charmingly with a facefull of flowers. “It’s just the bouquet Mona! Somehow I managed to catch it!” Mona was still shell-shocked to fully register that you were okay. “I caught it! I caught the bouquet with my face and I didn’t even try!”

Ignoring the depressed wails of the unlucky women who weren’t as lucky as you, you got out of your chair and went over to hug Mona, who was now finally starting to wake up from her daze. 

“Mona, do you know what this means?!”

“Huh? What–?”

“We can get married next!”

MARRIED?!

You squeezed Mona so hard she swears she saw the stars on the ceiling. Yet despite the bone-crushing hug you gave her all she could think about was that you caught the bouquet, and in Mondstadt traditions that meant that you were next in line to get married next. You while you were dating her.

‘Married? Y/N wants to get married next? With me? Why?!’ If Mona’s eyes could spin they would. Too overloaded with information to comprehend the thought. 

“How wonderful this is, it seems like we were blessed with fate huh?” You joked. Though, when it came to fate, Mona never joked around. “I can’t wait to potentially spend the rest of my life with you…”

The astrologist tensed up at your words before softening in your hold. You quickly kiss her forehead before running off to show your lucky surprise to your friends, leaving your girlfriend standing by your table in both shock and dumbstruck love for you. ‘She really wants to spend the rest of her life with me…’ Mona pondered, heart beating against her ribcage as she grasped the edge of the table for stability. “Hah, I was worried for nothing…”

She looked over at you flaunting your accidental bouquet catch to various guests and smiled as you seemed so happy with the implications of having such a lucky catch. The astrologist sitting back at your table and watching you quietly from afar just as she did back when she pined for you all those years ago.

‘I suppose I don’t need an expensive wedding to make you happy. Just us being there makes it worth a whole fortune.’

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

Little Rain Cloud 🖤

Summary; Yn arrives at Hawkins high and captures the eye of Eddie. Sarcastic and blunt she makes her way into Eddie's heart and he slowly makes his way into hers

Warnings; None really, swears.

Also includes this request by an anon

Hi! I just got an idea where Eddie and reader go to prom and she does the dance from the show Wednesday she has Wednesday’s personality too and Eddie is totally into it. Idk how to explain

Likes or reblogs are always appreciated and reblogs especially are extremely helpful💖 I don't give anyone permission to copy my work.

On a stormy morning in early October, a new girl called yn arrived in Hawkins and to Hawkins high.

The new girl was dressed all in black, ignoring the stares and whispers of the students as she walked down the hall and to her assigned locker.

English with Mrs. O'Donnell is first and as she enters the classroom one of the boys laughs.

"Check out Dracula's bride. Hey, new girl. Gonna bite me?" the neanderthals next to him chuckle along with him.

Her stone cold glare silences them.

"No thanks, I have taste you know" that silences them and she takes the empty seat next to a perky brunette who's called Robin.

"Hi, I'm Robin, it's so nice to meet you, you're the new girl yn? The last new people here were Max and her brother Billy but less said about him the better... Because he's totally a jackass but he kinda redeemed himself and... She stops herself, sorry I'm babbling aren't I?"

"I had an uncle who did that once, wouldn't stop talking" she replies to Robin who raises her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry had?" Robin inquires.

"His wife cut out his tongue and fed it to her pet pig" Robin's eyes widen.

"Sorry about your uncle" yn shrugs.

"I was more upset for the pig" Robin bursts out laughing and yn smiles, hmm this girl seemed okay, a little chatty for her tastes but nice enough.

"Mr Munson, so nice of you to join us," Ms. O'Donnell says to a boy who's just arrived. He looks a little bit older than the kids in class but not by much. A year or two?

He has shaggy dark hair, big brown eyes and is dressed in jeans, a leather jacket, a denim vest, and Reebok trainers, a sheepish smile adorns his features, he has dimples when he smiles.

His eyes briefly connect with hers and he stares at her looking stunned for a second.

She can't seem to take her eyes off those dimples. Unnerved by this she concentrates on the work that is being handed out.

🖤

It isn't until lunch a few days later that Eddie is introduced to her. The new girl who he first saw in Ms O'Donnells class.

Normally he wouldn't believe in love or first sight or that shit but he knew without a doubt he was captivated by her.

She's coming into the cafeteria with Robin, dressed in a black pleated skirt, and a band t-shirt his heart skips a beat when he notices it's Iron Maiden, she's wearing black boots with a heel that looks like they could cause some damage if used.

He can't stop staring at her, at those pretty eyes and gorgeous hair. She's close to his table and he thanks his lucky stars when Robin stops to say hey.

"Hey, uh who's your friend?"

"Yn and you are?"

"Eddie, Eddie Munson, hey it's cool that you like Iron Maiden. I'm a big fan as well"

"I prefer Metallica but they are a close second" that's it. He's pretty fucking sure he is making love heart eyes now.

"They are my favourite too, can play a few of their songs on my guitar off by heart now" she sits down.

"Fascinating. Would you teach me to play? I'm a fast learner"

"I'd love to" he stammers out and Gareth kicks him under the table.

She sits for a full ten minutes discussing songs with him until Robin tells her they need to go and get lunch.

He watches her go and his heart is racing in his chest, he can't wait to talk to her again.

🖤

Eddie is her new partner for Bio. Thank God, the last one was an imbecile who spent more time trying to stare at her chest than do some work.

The staring only stopped when she threatened to nailgun his testicles, he thought she was joking and laughed.

"In a pinch, a sharp pen will do" she then told him with a smirk and then he requested a transfer to sit with some girl who was fawning over him.

So yes, Eddie was much more acceptable and he had impeccable taste in bands so that was also a win.

It would be easier to concentrate on her work though if the girl called Ali who was sitting beside Jason wasn't talking so loud that she couldn't hear her own thoughts.

"My Little brother took my Barbie, he just took it. Fair enough it was old and stuffed in the attic but still. The little shit always ruins my stuff"

Jason turns to her and there's a cocky grin on his face when he realises she was listening.

"Do you like Barbie dolls too gorgeous?"

"When I was five I took the heads off Barbies and flushed them down the toilet," she tells the girl matter of factly who is sitting beside Jason and she notices Eddie trying not to laugh.

"Oh my God, the poor Barbies" Ali gasps in horror and she shrugs.

"I feel more sorry for the toilet" at that point Eddie can't hide his laughter anymore and yn turns to him, that intense stare draws him in even more.

"Do you find my childhood reminiscing funny in some way?" she asks him and he smiles.

Jason snorts.

"Munson no one asked you for your opinion freak" Yn frowns and adresses Jason.

"I think I can decide who to talk to for myself thanks" Jason's cheeks grow pink.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. Probably wants you to join his Hellfire cult and summon the devil"

Eddie is about to snap back at the asshole when yn speaks up.

"That sounds delightful" Ali and Jason gape at her and Eddie finds himself increasingly smitten with this new girl.

"You can join in the campaign next week if you like?" he hopes she says yes and silently pumps his fist under the desk when she does.

Jason still seethes that she didn't listen and the childish glare on his face annoys her.

Eddie nudges her.

"Don't think many girls say no to him" she rolls her eyes.

"I don't need anyone to watch out for me, I can take care of myself" he nods to her shoes.

"Shit I bet they could do some damage" a smile graces her features.

"Perfectly sharp and lethal, enough to take out an eyeball or testicle of some creep" this vanishes the smirk from Jason's face but amused Eddie to no end.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side"

🖤

"This is a fantasy game, not worshipping. I was gravely misinformed" she tells Eddie unamused as she stares at the dice and figures.

"I did think you were joking. You never brought it up again all week so I thought you wouldn't come, you never mentioned when we were speaking earlier"

Frowning she sits on one of the seats closest to Eddie's.

"We could make you up a cool character and you could try one campaign. See if it's your thing. I like spending time with you" he admits and his admission makes him smile shyly which creates a peculiar feeling in her stomach.

What was this?

Maybe she could ask Robin? Didn't she work at Family Video? She would go there tomorrow to talk to her.

"Maybe like an Elven princess or something like that" she blanches.

"Do I look like a princess type to you?" he grins those damn dimples showing again.

"Maybe a dark sorceress then?" that sounded more like it.

"Yes. Trained in combat with a penchant for knives and archery" she adds on.

Eddie nods along with her and wants to ask if that's based on her but the guys are all eager to play and he is anxious to see how she does.

One hour later she has created her character and entered the D&D universe. Already Dustin has joined her side due to her fierce magic and she's battled with Demogorgons.

Eddie watches her impressed as she rolls the dice once again earning a hit on the monster she's battling.

"You're a natural at this" he beams and his praise has her heart skipping a beat.

All these funny feelings around Eddie were disconcerting. It would be easier if she found him repulsive like Jason. Granted he wasn't unfortunate looking but his personality was subpar.

That was enough for her to decree Carver an idiot, she also didn't like the way he bullied the Hellfire Club, if she was part of this club he would rule the day he made fun of her.

In Eddie's case, she found him interesting in every way, the way he talks, how passionate he is, his love for fantasy and heavy metal.

His absolute insistence that he performed by no one's rules or expectations.

She liked it more than she thought possible.

🖤

The next day is a no go to head to Family Video but she ends up going on Sunday instead.

Robin beams when she sees her and her co-worker a guy with exceptionally perfect hair and hazel eyes looks her up and down and a smile works it's way on his face.

"I got this one, Robin" Robin rolls her eyes and pats Steve's shoulder.

"Not this one bud, a friend is currently smitten" Steve looks confused but heeds what Robin says.

"Judging by your facial expressions something terrible has happened? Are you okay?" Robin asks concerned.

It's only when she tells Robin that her friend stops panicking and teases her.

"Yes I knew it, tell me more. I'll help!"

Robin listens to her patiently as she tells her of her feelings, those funny reactions she gets when she sees Eddie.

"This is some magic Robin, some strange spell" Robin bites back a smile.

"No... it's butterflies, a feeling you get when you're around someone you like. A kinda fluttering in your stomach"

Butterflies?

"I'd prefer bats but go on...

"You like Eddie, like oh he's cute I'd like to kiss him like" hearing Robin spell it out makes her flustered.

She's never had a crush before not really. Robin senses this and smiles.

"Eddie's your first crush huh?" she nods and feels those butterflies again.

"This is absurd. He dazzled me with those eyes and dimples" Robin laughed at this.

"If it helps he's just as smitten as you are. It's pretty obvious when he's making moon eyes at you... Speak of the devil" Robin nods as Eddie comes in the store.

He chats to Steve and meets her gaze walking over to her.

"Hey, sweetheart. Was about to browse the horror section. Wanna join me?" she nods feeling nervous, she doesn't usually feel nervous and that was unsettling.

Those brown eyes weaved magic that was for sure.

"You could join me if you like. I was thinking of watching The Thing or Halloween, something like that?"

Like she ever needed an excuse to watch a horror movie.

"Throw in some popcorn and we have a deal" he agrees.

"Popcorn and Ice cream await if that sweetens the deal?" she nods.

From that moment on they were pretty much inseparable.

🖤

"So uh, I don't know if you realised but the Winter dance is coming up soon. The snow ball" Eddie brings up during their latest movie night where they are watching Nosferatu.

"A ball?" he nods looking nervous.

"Yeah, normally all that conforming bullshit of school dances and shit makes me sick but if you wanted to go... Would be nice"

He was asking her to the Snow Ball the notion sends those dratted butterflies fluttering around her belly.

"If it will stop you looking at me with those for eyes of yours then fine, she softens. I'd love to go with you"

Sheer delight etches on his features and conversation resumes to non dance related subjects.

They both have smiles on their faces all through the movie.

🖤

Robin takes her dress shopping with Nancy both are grinning at her reactions to some of the dresses.

"I feel nauseated. It's like a rainbow and a unicorn puked out this hellscape" she informs them as they begin to set out for dresses.

All hope isn't lost as she finds a gorgeous little black dress with lace trim around the bottom, the neckline is a tad plunging but the dress is gorgeous.

Robin and Nancy each find dresses too and she begins to feel a small frissonn of excitement about this dance.

Not that she would tell anyone that of course.

🖤

Eddie can't believe that he is at the Winter dance with yn, she's so beautiful and looks stunning in her dress.

"Do you want to dance sweetheart?" he asks her feeling a little nervous and she nods. An up-tempo song is playing. Girls on film by Duran Duran.

He would prefer Black Sabbath or Metallica but this will have to do. Plus when yn begins to dance throwing her head back, and doing some very intricate and unusual moves he's more captivated by her than by the music.

He smiles as she rolls her shoulders to the music, moving her body to the beat.

The song ends and a slower one takes its place. She looks at him and a trace of shyness crosses her features but it's gone quickly.

"We can go sit if you like?" he assures her and she shakes her head after a few second.

"No, it's okay" she moves closer to him and he wraps his arms around her as she rests her head on his chest.

They sway to the music and yn can feel her heartbeat speed up. Whenever she is with Eddie her guard drops more and more.

He rests his head on top of hers and she burrows closer into him.

Tilting her head up she looks deep into his big brown eyes and strokes along his cheek.

He kisses her, his lips moving against hers gently then turning more passionate as she deepens the kiss.

When they part he looks spellbound exactly how she feels and she longs to kiss him again moving closer to do just that.

🖤

[thesugarclubs-blog]

Hooked On You - AU Bucky Barnes x OC

warnings: strangers to lovers, jilted bride, smut, 18+

word count: 11.2k

WP: https://www.wattpad.com/1308288465-hooked-on-you-sawyer

Masterlist

Seagulls quarreled above her rental vehicle. The windows were cracked halfway, letting the smell of seawater fill the inside of the car. Sawyer gripped the steering wheel as she stared at the fishing vessel moored at the creaking dock. The names Paul & Marlene adorned the side of the boat in faded red letters. Something that made her heart sink further into her gut. 

When she booked this trip she never imagined she’d be doing it alone. Brock was supposed to be with her, showing her how lively ocean fishing can be. 

Instead, he was on a beach somewhere with her best—ex best friend, doing god knows what. 

“We just don’t know each other anymore.” He told her. In front of all their friends and family as he linked hands with her maid of honor before bolting down the aisle. 

Sawyer was mortified and humiliated. Her mother sobbed and then somehow made it Sawyers' fault. It had been a long forty-eight hours before she decided that she needed a break. 

Her planned honeymoon turned now a single female trip, had been rocky. The hotel staff kept pitying her with extra perks and free meals. Even the guy who gave her a massage she squirmed through gave her a discount. 

“Not even the best masseuse could rid you of these knots.” 

She spent two days in bed after that. 

Until today. She had convinced herself that this fishing trip was going to be good for her. To be able to try something new and secretly hope it would make her feel a lot stronger than she felt. 

So here she sat, staring at the boat built by some couples' everlasting love trying to unglue her fingers grips from the steering wheel and just hoping to have a decent day. 

“Okay. This is gonna be fun…” she tried to convince herself, “cathartic maybe.” 

At least the weather was on her side, bright sunshine glistening off the water, not a cloud in sight. 

Sawyer had just killed the engine and twisted herself to reach into the back seat for her bag when a knock on the window sent her jumping, head snapping around to see a man peering in with a smile that could only be described as a pained grimace. 

“You here to fish?” He rumbled, rolling his eyes when she nodded. He beckoned her from the car with a tilt of his head and muttered under his breath, the half-assed smile on his lips suddenly a frown. 

Great, just— yep, this is gonna be great.

"Park your car on the grass pattern over there and then come to the docs. I'll wait," he said before turning around and heading toward the boat she had seen before.

Sawyer watched the man with curiosity. 

He was wearing blue jeans and two layers of clothing. A long-sleeved navy blue Henley was on top but she could also see the hem of a dark grey shirt protrude underneath it. The shirt was ridiculously tight and she could see his muscular back almost pop out of it while he was walking away from her. This man was undeniably well-built.

The woman shook her head to bring herself back to reality, parked the car on the grass area, and stepped outside of it. The sun was blinding her so she grabbed the sunglasses out of her bag and placed them on her nose.

"We don't have all day!" came a loud shout across the creaks and groans of the dock.

Sawyer took a deep breath, willing herself to keep moving toward what was sure to be a nightmare instead of crawling back into her car and heading home. 

A home she was supposed to be sharing with her new husband. 

Tears prickled her eyes as Sawyer reached the edge of the pier, a long ramp leading up to the boat. The subject of her current frustration stood with his hand outstretched, ready to help her aboard, and she couldn't help but notice how pretty his eyes looked in the afternoon sun.

Despite her intrusive thoughts, Sawyer was hesitant, eyeing both the boat and the gloved hand in front of her. The brooding man noticed her reluctance and sighed, pressing his lips together as he took a step forward. 

"I'll never hear the end of it if I let you drown," he muttered. "And we need to get going.”

One more step and he grabbed her hand with his and wrapped his other arm around her waist, hoisting her up and over the wooden bulwark. Sawyer squealed in surprise.

“Put me down!” She snapped angrily, swatting at his sizable biceps.

"Alright Princess, relax." He said, plopping her on the deck on her own unsteady feet.

"Didn't want you ruining your pretty clothes now," he said, with a sharpness, as if Sawyer was nothing but a burden on him.

She scoffed at him, adjusting her sunglasses on her face from where his manhandling had sent them. Sawyer had felt she had dressed more than practical for a day out on the water although admittedly her sunglasses and bag were far from fishing attire.

"Princess?" She snapped, her voice sharp. She couldn't hold back the irritation. "Is this how you treat all paying customers?"

"It's how I talk to everyone," he growled and looked around, almost grimacing. His nose scrunched up and his eyes crinkled around the edges as he drew in a breath. "And I'm not the one gettin' paid-- Where's the other guy? Uh... Bob or something."

He looked far less than enthused to be there. Sawyer's cheeks flamed with embarrassment and she cleared her throat, pulling her shoulders back. She wasn't going to let this asshole, or the asshole she was trying to get over ruining her day. 

"It was Brock, and he's not coming."

An awkward silence nestled between them and the man sighed, rubbing his face with a black and gold metal hand.

"Stuck with you, huh?" He murmured under his breath. "Okay."

"Sorry to ruin your afternoon," she muttered.

"It doesn't look like it's my afternoon that's ruined," he muttered lowly under his breath but it was still loud enough for Sawyer to hear as he turned away from her while she glowered under the heat coming from the sun and her growing irritation at the broad-shouldered, tall man checking their fishing gear.

Sawyer looked around the boat it looked well-loved. She turned to the man again and sighed. 

“So… uh are you going to introduce yourself or something?” She asked.

He walked away from her and knelt down, digging in a bucket that was against the back of the ship. Carefully she followed, keeping one hand against the railing as she moved over the old floorboards. Her lip curled up in disgust, as he ripped the leather glove off his hand and rooted around in a large white bucket full of worms. The sun reflected off the sliver  He dumped a hand full into a smaller container and raised it without looking until it sat awkwardly on the long metal casting. 

"I'm not going to spend all day fishing with some nameless grouch," Sawyer said with as much confidence as she could muster. 

He turned to look up at her, the sun reflecting in the muddled blues of his eyes. "It's Bucky," he held out the hand that had been wrist deep in gunk to her. She looked down at it and realized that it was a welcome, but rather a challenge.  "You wanted a proper introduction, didn't you?"

She grimaced at him, taking a step back. “You know what? I think we can skip that part.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes at her as he stood up. He grabbed a towel that was hung over the railing and cleaned off his hand. Sawyer watched him patiently. She felt awkward being alone with him on this boat, especially since she didn’t have a clue about fishing at all.

He stood in front of her for a moment, hands on his hips tilting his head like she was some new creature he was trying to study. "So, you don't like the name princess... what should I call you, darlin?" 

Sawyer could hear the sarcasm dripping from the way he emphasized the name and it was starting to slither its way under her skin like growing vines. 

She crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at him "Sawyer is fine." 

"It's that a man's name?" He asked haphazardly before moving around her to the ropes that secured the boat to the dock. 

"Isn't Bucky a pet name?" She bit back. 

She turned to see him glancing up at her with a quirked brow, "it's short for Buchanan." He stood up, coiling the rope around his hand and elbow forcing her gaze down to the corded muscle straining against the navy blue of his shirt, "my middle name."

Bucky finished unmooring the boat and disappeared inside to the controls. Sawyer followed, for lack of anything else to do, and propped herself up in the small doorway. 

“You don’t seem like the fishing type.” 

Bucky glanced over his shoulder. 

“And what’s the fishing type, sweetheart?” 

“Big, burly. I was expecting a beard and a cable knit sweater.” 

“In Louisiana?” He laughed. And even if he was laughing at her, it didn’t stop Sawyer from noticing the way his nose scrunched and how gorgeous his smile was. “I’m doin’ a friend a favor. He’s away and I know the boat and these waters like the back of my hand so, here we are.”

Bucky started the engine and the small boat rumbled underneath her feet. Sawyer clenched the doorframe in a desperate search for stability, while her eyes widened in shock and a small squeak left her throat. 

He turned his head towards her and she could see the sun mirror in his ocean blue eyes. 

"Ready to catch some fish?" he smirked at her, obviously amused about her being so out of place.

"Yes, I guess," she answered. "Hope I can trust you and you won't kidnap me, tie me to a brick of concrete and drown me in the ocean."

Bucky furrowed his brows in confusion about her statement but turned around to watch the sea while he was maneuvering the boat out of the harbor.

"You're having trust issues?" he asked without looking at her.

Sawyer blew out a breath, moving a strand of hair out of her face. 

"Something like that," she murmured before looking back at the man driving. Holding onto the doorway and then the nearby railing, Sawyer leaned over to watch the water lap at the edges of the boat as they drifted further from shore. 

"If you're so scared, why did you even come out here today?" 

There was a hint of curiosity underneath the obvious irritation. She glanced over her shoulder at Bucky, who was no longer looking at the water ahead but staring at her intently.

“Maybe I just needed to do something a little different?” She replied, cocking her head to the side and returning his stare.

“And fishing in Louisiana is every city girl’s dream vacation, right?” Bucky said with a skeptical cough. “There’s a fair drive to the nearest nail salon.”

"You know, I paid to fish, not to receive snark from a grumpy sea princess. So how 'bout it Champ, going to show a city gal like me how to do it right? Or should I just ask you to turn back now and take my business elsewhere?" She snapped at him.

He scoffed as he continued to steer the boat. The irritation emanating from him was so palpable that she could almost taste it. A grin spread across her face. Got him. He turned his head to the side just a little and she saw his jaw twitch and clench.

"You're pretty goddamn mouthy for a city girl," he replied curtly. "No wonder Bob didn't want to come along."

Sawyer swallowed the anger that felt like fire gathering in the back of her throat.

"So, do you have friends, or is it just the fish that put up with your bullshit?" She snapped. 

He was quiet for a moment, that jaw tick coming back with a vengeance before he grinned and shook his head, turning his attention back to steering the boat.

"Man, it's gonna be a long day with you, huh?"

She snorted and cocked her head to the side.

"Hope you're up for it, Skipper."

She saw him purse his lips so thinly they disappeared the second her snarky comment left her mouth. She could've sworn steam was about to shoot out of his ears like a cartoon character with how his face turned red and his silent glare burned through her.

Sawyer tried to hold the stare down that she found herself caught in with the burly man standing mere feet away from her and not be intimidated by him even as she felt a little shiver run down her spine.

He shook his head after a few silent, fuming seconds and turned away from her, and heaved a sigh.

"Look," he started softly while staring ahead of him out onto the water, "I can take us back if you want to or we can try to enjoy the day on this lovely boat and maybe catch a fish or two."

His ocean-blue eyes fixed back on her, having lost their sharp edge. He shrugged indifferently.

"Your choice."

Sawyer took a deep breath and shook her head. She had paid for this and there was no way she was going to back out of it now. 

“Sail away then, it’s time to catch some fish,” she said.

You sound convinced," he laughed, taking the boat out further.

"Sorry, I left my pom poms in the trunk of my car, maybe when we get back I can spell it out for you enthusiastically, do a few cartwheels..." she rolled her eyes, tapping her fingers against the guard rail as she made her way to the front of the boat. The clinking of her engagement ring over the sound of the engine was a harsh reminder that she was here alone. She lifted her hand, letting the light catch the diamond, and wiggled it off her finger. 

She was bone tired of being sad, she could feel herself getting numb with every passing day. She looked through the dingy glass of the wheelhouse feeling his eyes on her as she twisted the ring between her fingers before holding it in front of her in her upturned hand. 

She closed her eyes, the diamond digging into her palm as she wrapped her fingers into a tight fist. She let the motion of the boat rock her side to side before she just started to scream, at the top of her lungs she let out every bad feeling she had. She didn't cry or say a word she just screamed before hurling the diamond ring into the ocean. 

The engine died to a soft roar and then silenced completely. Bucky rounded the helm with his hands wrapped around two fishing rods, "quite the outburst, maybe that's why Bill left," he laughed, coming to stand before her and handing her a rod. 

"It's Brock," Sawyer growled. 

"Right, I forgot we're being respectful," Buck motioned to her empty ring finger before grabbing the container of worms and slamming them on the flat steel railing before them.

"You don't know anything about me." She snapped. 

Bucky laughed incredulously at her as he pointed to the rod holder attached to the rail, "stick that in there would ya?" he asked, completely ignoring her. 

Frustration began to bubble in her chest like a screaming tea kettle. He had no clue why she was here and instead was laughing at her. Still, she followed his instruction and slid the butt of the rod into the holder making sure it didn't fall before she turned back to him. 

"You're really rude, you know that?" 

He grabbed the canister of worms and slid next to her, undoing the hook on her rod from one of the eyelets, "I've been called worse," he muttered making her huff. His eyes cast towards her, little flickers of dark green speckled in the blue as they studied her, "enlighten me then," he started as he slid the hook into the body of an unlucky worm, "what's a city girl like you doing alone in the middle of Louisiana on a fishing charter that she clearly would rather not be on?" 

Sawyer narrowed her gaze at him, annoyed that his eyes seemed to match the color of the water they floated on. 

"C'mon Sawyer, tell me so we can finally get some goddamn fishing done without you screaming at the air."

“I wouldn’t know where to start,” she mumbled. Her right hand moved to her left without thinking, jarring when her fingertips met the pale band of bare skin. 

Bucky sighed beside her, baiting his own line before securing it beside hers. 

“Maybe start with that?” He gestured to her hand, “what’d he do that made you come all this way just to spite him, huh?” 

“It’s—“ she paused, looking to Bucky and expecting to see a scowl, maybe a raised eyebrow but instead he was peering at her with genuine curiosity. 

“No one throws a pretty ring like that away for nothin’, darlin’.”

"That ring should have been the symbol of everlasting love and the connection between two people that decided that living a life together was much better than being alone. But my fiancé... well, ex-fiancé decided to leave me standing in front of the altar." Sawyer said with teary eyes while her gaze was locked with the water that was slightly crashing against the keel.

"Wow. That sucks." Bucky answered and Sawyer could hear some honesty in his voice. 

"Yeah. Big time. But it's even worse. Brock decided to hook up with my maid of honor instead. So I did not only lose one important person in my life but two."

"I am sorry to hear that." He stared at her with his ocean-blue eyes said and carefully placed his right hand on her shoulder in an attempt to assure her. Sawyer could feel her skin warm underneath the fabric of her shirt - right where his fingers were slightly wrapped around her joint.

“Yeah, sucks to be me eh?” She huffed. “I’ve lost so much I’ll be damned if I’m losing the money on the fucking honeymoon too!”

They both stood there in silence for a moment, neither really knowing what to say. With a gentle squeeze to her shoulder, he gently took her hands in his and wrapped them around the fishing pole, and helped her slot it into the holder.

“Better make sure you get your money’s worth then,” he said with a soft smile.

Sawyer stood there in silence, not sure what she was supposed to do next, just letting the burly man guide her. 

She watched him carefully, taking in the rules of the boat as he dished them out along with explaining quickly the basics of not drowning.

"You can sit, you know," Bucky told her, pulling out a folding chair for her after noticing how stiffly she was standing while holding tightly to the rod as if was all the emotional baggage she had brought on board with her.

"I'm fine," Sawyer said, aiming to prove herself to be the strong independent person she knew she was capable of being but obviously not knowing what to do.

"Sweetheart, you need to let go of some of the shit you're holding on to, otherwise we're going to need a bigger boat," Bucky said, worried she was going to somehow hurt herself.

She flashed him a dismissive scowl and snorted.

"You say that like you know me."

He shrugged and turned to her, his eyes soft and glittering in the sunlight. They were a pretty ocean blue color made even more vibrant by his Henley.

"You can only play defensive for so long," Bucky replied. "Believe me, I know. It gets old. Fast."

She shrugged and looked out at the water, watching it ripple gently. The wind blew some of her hair into her face and she bit her lip.

"Well, this just happened, so can you give me some time to brood?"

He checked his watch.

"Ten minutes sound good to you?" He asked. She laughed, not meaning to. He was really laying it on thick. Bucky winked at her. "Gotcha, sugar."

She couldn’t help but smile at his response turned to face him and saw that he was watching her before he turned his attention back to the water. She turned her face back to the water and took in a deep breath. She looked out over the water at how the sun reflected off the water creating an array of different colors. It was peaceful out here. 

“10 minutes… then what happens?” She asked.

"I don't know, no one has ever out brooded me," Bucky shrugged. 

"Out brooded?" Sawyer stifled a giggle causing his lip to curl at the corner slightly as he kept his gaze trained on the horizon.

"Cap says it's my superpower," he grumbled, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Some superpower," he chuckled looking over at her, "only seems to work when the world gets quiet."

"What you've never out brooded a bad guy," she asked the mention of Cap, the boat, the arm, the rumors. It had taken her a moment to connect the dots but he was The Winter Solider. 

Bucky didn't respond, his jaw tensing she watched as his whole back went rigid, "I didn't..." she scrambled to fix her mistake, "I have the tendency to say stupid things when I'm nervous..."

“If you’re uncomfortable we can go back,” Bucky said gruffly, his back still turned, but his face partially towards her, his jaw tight, shoulders hunched. 

“That’s not- I meant, I’m nervous because I don’t know a thing about fishing, and I don’t know what I’m going to do when I have to go home. I’m not uncomfortable around you, Bucky,” Sawyer said softly, and she watched as he exhaled, his back slowly loosening.

She watched as his jaw ticked once before it relaxed with a nod. He picked up his rod, not saying another word as he pulled it back behind his head, flicking the reel to let the line loose and casting it over it his shoulder. 

Sawyer watched as the line flew through the air, the ball of bait rolling in the wind before it splashed against the water. Her eyes flicked to him, watching as he waited for a moment. His gaze focused on the line still sinking into the depths. Before long, he flicked the reel back and locked the line in place. 

With a satisfied sigh, he set the rod back into the holder and picked her ups, handing it to her. "Ready?" 

Sawyer raised a brow, "you want me to do that?" 

"What's the problem?" He asked with a scowl. 

"Bucky, you just threw that bait a football field's length away. There's no way--" 

He shook his head, pushing the rod into her hands before moving behind her hesitant at first, but as the boat rocked them his metal hand found her waist holding them in place together. 

She sucked in a breath at the way the metal felt on the tiny bit of skin that was exposed from her shirt bunched against his palm. 

"You've got this." He said, voice low and gravelly, "and you've got me to help" 

Her skin prickled at the feel of his breath fanning against her cheek, "you're just going to hold on right here, " his hand eclipsed her own gently moving it just behind where the reel sat, "good--okay now you're going to flip the bail to release the line and pinch it with your fingers," 

"Like this?" She asked, doing her best to follow his lead while becoming acutely aware of how his body was pressed against her own. Her heart thudded in her chest as he let out a soft laugh. 

"Just like that," he praised, "now we're going to lift it back over your shoulder and as soon as you're ready, fling the rod forward and let the line go." 

Sawyer took a deep breath, steadying the nerves bouncing around within her like bees in a nest. His hand fell from where hers rested against the reel, planting it on the rail in front of them to help keep her steady as his metal fingers gently dug into her hip. When she felt ready she pulled the rod back, pausing before letting it fly forward and letting the line go with it. She gasped, watching as it flew through the air, not as far as his went, but far enough that she felt him squeeze her hip once more and mutter a soft, 

"Atta girl."

He didn’t move immediately and part of her didn’t want him to. Bucky felt solid behind her, a force of warmth and strength against her back. She wondered if he could feel the way her body prickled with heat under his touch or the way her heart was racing from the gentle praise. 

“Thank you, Bucky.” She murmured, unsure if it was for his guidance or for listening. 

“S’nothin’, you’re a natural.”

He stepped back then, fingers lingering on her hip before slowly slipping away. 

“Hardly,” she giggled as Bucky pulled a cooler from under the bench. He plucked two beers out, flipping the cap off with his metal thumb and handing one off to her. 

“Might as well settle in, sweetheart. Who knows how long it’ll take for somethin’ to bite.”

"How long does it normally take for a fish to bite?" she asked curiously before taking a small sip out of the bottle. The cold and bitter liquid crawled down her throat. 

"Depends. Minutes. Hours. Days."

"Days?" she asked shocked - turning her head in his direction. He was collapsing back into his folding chair with the biggest smirk on his face. 

"Yeah. You're stuck with me for a while, sweetheart."

"Could have had it worse. Could’ve been still stuck with that asshole Brock," she mumbled while her lips curled into a shy smile.

"Cheers to that!" he locked his ocean blue eyes with hers when he leaned forward to bump her bottle with his again. 

Sawyer couldn't help herself and feel a heat appear in her stomach.

For a few moments they sat in comfortable silence sipping their beers, the sound of seagulls faint in the distance. She picks at the label of the beer bottle as the warmth deep within fails to disappear over time. 

Sure, it was a nice gesture, but she doubted that a man like Bucky would want anything do with her. Why even entertain the idea? She was with Brock for years and he didn't even hesitate to leave. 

"Unbelievable," Bucky muttered as Sawyer's wide blue eyes flitted up to look at him. 

"What?"

He shook his head, taking a long pull of the bottle. Sawyer watched the way the muscles of his jaw and throat moved with the motion and was half tempted to turn and jump into the water for relief. 

"Nothin'," He said with a shake of his head before choosing to continue. "I mean, it's just unbelievable...a girl like you..." 

Bucky doesn't finish his thought, instead choosing to get up and check on their lines. She watched as he fiddled with the equipment before the deep rumble of his voice made its way across the deck, making her face flare up. 

"Brock is a fuckin' idiot."

Sawyer shook her head slightly, unseen by Bucky as he bent over, making sure the lines were still set. She was in turmoil she told herself. It was the only plausible explanation for the butterfly colony that seemed to have made its home in her abdomen. 

“Brock is fucking my best friend, so I guess that makes me the idiot,” she said bitterly and he turned at her words, his expression almost angry.

“Don’t…no,” he shook his head vehemently. “Don’t you dare put this on yourself”

That was easier said than done. All Sawyer had done the last few days was try to figure out where things had gone wrong, try to pinpoint the exact moment Brock had lost interest in her, and yet she hadn't found any answers.

"Maybe my mother was right, maybe I am too headstrong. She always said I could drive men off like the plague and well! Apparently, I don't just drive them off but I actually drive them right into other women's beds, and do you know how much flowers cost? There are no refunds on flowers!" Sawyer spewed without meaning to.

Bucky just gave her a tight-lipped frown. As if he was unsure of how to respond and completely unable to think of a way to make her feel a little better.

"There are plenty of other fish in the sea." He tried to joke, holding a hand out to the water and Sawyer just stared at him for a long time before bursting out into raucous laughter, wiping a few stray tears from her eyes as she did

"That was lame, Bucky," she chuckled.

"Got you to laugh, though, huh?" He grinned as she smacked him in the arm gently. "Hey! Go easy on me, I'm an old man!"

She snorted and shook her head. She could hear the water lapping at the side of the boat, the waves jostling them ever so slightly. She looked up at him and smiled. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. A bit of a grump, but who wouldn't be? He should be off saving the world, not stuck on some boat with her. An awkwardness settled between them and he took a deep breath as he stared out at the water. Sawyer watched him for a moment before speaking again.

"I lied, it was a good joke. Thanks for making me laugh."

Bucky turned to her and smiled. It was gorgeous. Bright and beaming. She practically melted looking at it, but told herself to keep her shit together. 

"Any time, darlin'. I hate to see a pretty girl get all bent out of shape about some jerk."

Pretty? She stifled a sigh and furrowed her brow in doubt. Brock had been many things, funny, sturdy and from a good family. But he was cold, he showed his affection with gifts. It was an odd feeling having a man as handsome as Bucky, look at her and think she was pretty. Sawyer felt her cheeks warm and she angled herself away from him to hide the flush of embarrassment but he leaned in, catching her eye. 

"You act like no man has ever called you pretty," he noted and when her expression didn't shift, he hooked a finger gently under her chin and with his eyes demanded she look at him. "Never once?" he asked. 

"It wasn't his thing," she all but whispered in shame, his touch sending warm sparks through her body. 

"Idiot seems too gentle of a term now and I have about ten other names for him that aren't appropriate to say in front of a beautiful woman," his hushed, angry tone made her believe his every world.

Sawyer inhaled deeply, biting her lip and Bucky’s eyes flicked down to it. She let out a shaky exhale as she took a wobbly step backwards, his hand dropping from her chin to her waist, stabilizing her. 

“Careful sweetheart, don’t want you goin’ overboard,” Bucky murmured and before Sawyer could respond, her gaze caught on her fishing line, twitching in the water. 

“Bucky! It’s moving! What do I do?” she shrieked, stepping away from him hastily.

His laugh echoed across the water, reaching out for her just as her foot tangled in a pile of netting almost knocking her over. Bucky's hand grasped her elbow as she reached for him, keeping her upright as he steadied them. 

"Whoa there," he laughed before pulling her to the rod, "you gotta real him up, so same as before grasp it where I showed you and reel." 

Sawyer gnawed on her bottom lip as she picked up the rod. This was it, the moment she had been waiting for and suddenly her nerves felt on fire again. He stood behind her once more, the familiarity of his body heat returning to ignite the embers in her belly. 

Suddenly the rod jerked from her hand and knocked against the rail, "Bucky!!" She gasped as they both fell into the rail, the hard muscle of his body practically crushing her. 

He laughed again, the sound melodious in her ear, "hey, hey, hey, take a breath darlin," Bucky righted them again his voice calm in her ear, "we can take our time there's no need to rush this." 

She glanced back at him as he flashed her a reassuring smirk before handing the rod back to her, "Here, start reeling. I'm right here," he smiled, "I won't let you fall in."

Sawyer nodded, struggled to take her eyes of the softness of his face as she stared at him fondly. It must have shown because Bucky nudged her softly, “go on, sweetheart.” 

She started reeling the line in, genuine excitement fizzing through her as it jerked and pulled in the water. Bucky stepped into help a little towards the end, hands firm over hers until the small fish fell into the bucket at their feet. 

“Oh my God, I just caught a fish!” Sawyer beamed and before she could stop herself she was turning on her heel and throwing her arms around Bucky, planting a kiss on his cheek. 

Bucky froze and Sawyer immediately turned bright red, releasing her arms from around his neck and taking several steps back only to bump into the rail. She just stared at him with wide eyes as he held the rod in one hand and the hooked fish in the other.

She felt heat spreading through her, both from the feeling of his chest pressed to hers and the embarrassment. Bucky looked like he was trying to think of something clever to say that would break the awkward tension that had descended upon them but before he could Sawyer turned away.

She stared out at the ocean, confusion washing over her like a tidal wave and at that moment, she decided she was done. Sawyer leaned over the side of the boat and threw her leg up, trying to climb out.

"What are you doing?" Bucky asked very clearly confused.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to drown myself now," Sawyer said, making a poor attempt at hauling herself into the ocean.

"Come on now," he laughed nervously as he grasped her gently by the arm. "Don't do that."

"I want to!" She yelped.

"You wanna catch a cold? Because that's what's gonna happen if you try to jump in that water, sweets." He grinned at her, his cheeks a little flushed. Hers were too, and he flicked his head. "Come on."

"I'm embarrassed," she murmured as she let him pull her backward. 

Her body bumped up against his, the tips of her sneakers touching his boots. Her hand was pressed against his chest and she was too humiliated to move it. He still had his hand on her shoulder as he stared into her eyes. Sawyer had to resist the urge to rip herself from his grip and try to jump again, but she had a feeling he was stubborn enough to leap in after her.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because..." Her brain felt like TV static, and she couldn't think of a good answer. He dragged his tongue across his bottom lip. Her breath hitched. "It's... I--"

"I'd be a bad... what did you call me? Skipper?" He said with a smirk, his eyes lighting up. "If I let you jump off this boat now, wouldn't I?"

His voice was soft and sweet, it made her stomach knot. And the second his metal fingers reached up to gently brush away a strand of her hair, she knew she was fucked.

Bucky leaned in closer, their lips hovering mere inches from each other as she fought to control her panicked heartbeat beneath his touch. And for a split second Sawyer thought all the butterflies in her stomach might erupt from her mouth if she parted her lips to meet his. 

"Sawyer," he swallowed tightly, his jaw ticking tensely before his mouth dropped open to say more the fish at their feet flapped wildly in the bucket splashing water against her leg and arm.

Sawyer erupted in laughter and Bucky followed brushing the salt spray from his neck and cheek, "I hate fish," he grumbled through his teeth, tearing his gaze from hers to the snapper in the bucket. 

"At least we have dinner," She cooed, "that is if..." she shrugged, realizing inviting him to dinner might be weird considering he'd have to cook it. 

"First you need to clean it," he laughed, unlinking himself from her.

Sawyer wrinkled her nose. “Gross. Might need that bucket for another reason,” she grimaced and Bucky laughed. 

“Nah, you’ll be alright darlin’, I’ll help ya through it. S’nothin’ just gotta gut it and-“ he broke off laughing again as Sawyer made throwing-up motions. 

“Doing it will be bad enough, don’t make me hear about it too,” she groaned.

Bucky laughed loudly, a full-bodied response that sent his head back and showed the soft lines around his eyes and mouth. 

"C'mon, doll," he encouraged. 

"Nope, not gonna happen," Sawyer shook her head before squealing as Bucky picked it up and waved it in her direction.

Sawyer gagged, her breakfast wanting to pay her a visit, "Bucky I'm not slicing a fish." 

"It's the rules darlin!" He called, making his way around the cabin. She groaned watching as he smirked back at her. Something that she was beginning to want to see more often than now. 

She reluctantly followed as he made his way over to a cleaning station. It was covered in rust stained splotches and the smell wafted around her like a cloud of putrid smelling smoke. Sawyer gripped the railing as a wave of nausea rolled through her, rocking along with the boat. 

He glanced over, a soft smile forming on perfectly plush lips, "You're lookin' a little green behind the gills there." 

Sawyer breathed a laugh, rolling her eyes at him. "You think you're so funny don't you?" 

He pulled open the small latched drawer and wielded himself a long filet knife. Expertly flipping it in his hand before grinning at her, "I don't think, sweetheart."

Sawyer hesitantly got closer to him, feeling more than a little queasy as the fish flapped around on the table where he placed it. She nearly keeled over when he took the knife and quickly drove it through the top of the poor thing's head, ending its frantic flapping.

"Oh, wow, was that necessary?" She asked, gagging a little.

"It is if you don't want it getting away from ya." He told her, nudging his head as a sign for her to get closer.

"I don't want to," Sawyer said, shaking her head.

"You're a big girl, you can do it." He assured her, making space for her at the cleaning station. 

Sawyer couldn't tell if the anxiety in her chest was coming from the reality that she'd be ripping open a fish or from the warmth of Bucky's chest pressing against her back as he stood behind her and drew himself into her.

He placed the filet knife in her hands, guiding the other one to hold the fish in a specific manner.

"It's looking at me." Sawyer huffed, suddenly feeling very hot.

"No, it's not." He laughed.

"I don't want my food staring at me." She insisted.

"That's why we're taking the head off sweetheart," Bucky told her.

Sawyer groaned as he guided her in scaling the snapper followed by sliding the knife into the underside of its belly and then lopping off the head with another quick cut. She felt her knees give out and she fell into Bucky who caught her and held her firmly between his chest and the counter.

"Almost done." He assured her, setting the knife aside and guiding her hands into the belly of the fish to yank out its slimy warm guts.

She gagged and turned her head as Bucky chuckled softly.

"Here, I got it," he whispered as he removed her hands, able to read the fact that she was about to be sick all over the ship if she had to touch any more fish guts. She watched him remove the rest of them and fling them over the side of the boat. 

"Doesn't that gross you out?"

He smirked.

"Not much does." She grimaced and looked down at her hands that were covered in fish guts. Bucky chuckled softly. "Come on, we can wash up."

He grabbed the fish and tossed it into a bucket, carrying it into the cabin of the boat. Inside, he plunked the bucket down and headed for a small sink, turning the taps on with his elbows. Without even thinking, she squeezed some soap out of the dispenser and lathered up her hands getting in between her fingers and underneath her fingernails. Bucky did the same, both of them completely focused on the task at hand while the tension between them got thicker. She bit her lip when she went to reach for the water, her knuckles bumped up against his. Sawyer chuckled.

"Sorry."

Bucky shook his head, his eyes soft and a little darker shade of blue than they were outside.

"No, it's okay. Ladies first."

She blushed and began to rinse off her hands quickly, making room for Bucky. He wiggled his metal fingers under the water and she couldn't stop staring at his hand, and the way it felt when he brushed her cheek.

"You got a little," he gently tugged a piece of leftover scales from her wrist, his touch igniting her skin. "You know, most of the other tourists love that, the full experience," he said backing away and leaning on a small table across from her as she turned to lean on the sink. 

He cleaned the knife with a small rag and flipped it back and forth between his palm and fingers, catching the blade between his fingers without thought. It was methodical and hypnotizing, second nature to him and she watched in awe like she was witnessing something private. "How many of those tourists are women?" She asked, looking up from the blade to his eyes. 

Bucky chuckled, "oh angel, if you wanna compliment me for my looks I am not above a small ego boost," he shoved the knife behind him on the table and grabbed a large gray blanket that hung over the back of a small, ratty looking fold out couch. He nodded to the stairs, wiggling his metal fingers at her to take them, and led her back onto the deck. 

She wrapped her arms around herself as the sun started to set in the sky and tried to keep her warmth as Bucky laid out the large blanket on the back deck. She watched as he smoothed everything out, leaving only to return with two more beers and inviting her to join him. 

"Are you cold?" He asked, and without an answer hooked his hands into the hem of his overshirt and pulled it up over his head with ease. The dark shirt beneath pulled up with the sweater, exploring the hardened tanned muscles of his abdomen flexing with the swift movement.

Sawyer swallowed thickly, reaching out to take the sweater with lightly trembling fingers, from nerves or cold she couldn’t tell. 

“Thanks,” she whispered, dropping her eyes as Bucky tugged his shirt back down and she slipped the sweater over her head, snuggling down into it. She breathed in deeply, clean, spicy scent filling her nose. “You’re not gonna get cold now?”

Bucky shook his head, his arms exposed to the chilly air, metal glinting dimly in the setting sun. 

“Don’t really feel it anymore,” he said softly, eyes far away. Sawyer hesitated, then reached out, placing her hand on his, loosely holding a beer bottle.

She could feel his hand tense under her own before it relaxed and moved to settle within her own. His thumb trailed along her skin in tiny barely motioned circles. Setting tiny little fires ablaze throughout her. 

He took a sip of his beer, pointing out at the sunset with the neck. "Do you know why sunsets are beautiful?" Bucky asked, his eyes still straight ahead, the soft corners of his mouth turning ever so slightly upwards as he paused. 

Sawyer shrugged, glancing at him, taking in the sharpness of his jaw and the perfect slope of his cheekbones, "because of the colors?" She answered, unsure and realizing how childish that may sound. 

He shook his head, "because sunsets are a reset" he said softly, "they steal away the light that shines on our darkness, the things that we have to face during the day but when they go we just..." Bucky's voice trailed off. 

"get to start over," she said softly, not meaning to answer him but knowing what she said had felt right. 

This time he fully smiled rolling his head to the side to look at her, "Let today be your sunset. Reset, start over...do what you want to do to be happy. I think you've earned yourself

She could feel his hand tense under her own before it relaxed and moved to settle within her own. His thumb trailed along her skin in tiny barely motioned circles. Setting tiny little fires ablaze throughout her. 

"How about you? Are you doing what makes you happy?" 

Sawyer kept her eyes on his hands, still making patterns absent-mindedly on hers. The metal of his left arm should have been cool against her skin, but it felt warm to the touch. She hadn't even realized that he'd been using it. It surprised her that something that she knew was so powerful had such a gentle touch. 

"Considering a few months ago, I'd never have thought I'd be holding hands with a pretty girl watching the sunset," Bucky replied softly, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I'd say I'm doing just fine." 

"Well, good," Sawyer's voice was barely above a whisper. "Because you've earned that too." 

Little frissons of electricity went through her as his eyes grew a little darker and she realized he was now staring at her lips instead of where their fingers met. 

"Sawyer?" 

Almost on reflex, she shifted a little closer. There was a comforting heat radiating off Bucky's broad body and the overwhelming desire to be wrapped in it struck from nowhere. 

"Yeah?" 

Bucky released her fingers and traced her bottom lip gently, the rough pads of his fingers giving her goosebumps as she let out a soft sigh. 

"Can I kiss you this time?"

Sawyer snorted, earning her another dazzling grin as Bucky wrapped his hand around the back of her neck. His fingers teased the baby hairs there and her body became flush with his as his grip grew a little tighter, his other hand coming to her waist. 

"I was thinking you'd never ask....skipper." 

A giggle escaped both their lips as Bucky leaned in, his breath warm on her skin.

His lips pressed gently against hers and she was surprised by how soft they were. Suddenly, she forgot all about Brock, the wedding, and being humiliated on that altar. The only thing that mattered was Bucky and the warmth that was blooming in her chest. This felt like a reset, and she began to embrace it. He gently kissed her top lip first. It was tentative and sweet, almost like it was the first time he had ever done this. But at the same time, she sensed a confidence that made her stomach flutter.

It took her a few seconds to get her bearings, but when she kissed back, she felt sparks between them. Fireworks exploded on her skin as his hands drifted up her waist, over the gentle curve of her breasts, and came to rest on her face. She groaned and let him push his tongue against hers, her heart pounding so hard against her ribs that she felt like they might crack open. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she kissed him back harder. Bucky pulled her a little closer to him. She could smell salt water, motor oil, and a hint of cologne on him. It drove her crazy. Sawyer felt like she was drowning and all she could do was embrace it. 

Because, for once, it felt so goddamn good to be kissed by someone who meant it.

Bucky’s hands were big but gentle on Sawyer’s face, metal holding her delicately as his other hand slid around to the back of her neck. He tilted her head back, his tongue sliding wetly against hers, and Sawyer stopped a whimper, eyes shut, tears gone but an overwhelming feeling growing inside her. 

Bucky pulled away with a soft smacking noise, his eyes dark when she met them, her own gaze half lidded. 

“Don’t hold back Sawyer, please sweetheart. Wanna hear you,” Bucky murmured, his voice soft but still pleading. Her tongue rolled over her bottom lip as she searched his eyes, "You don't have to hide yourself from me," he said.

A soft whine fell from her lips as her fingers tangled into his shirt, catching on a chain that hid under his clothes before she pulled herself to him, pressing her lips against his again. She never wanted to hide but it became habit with Brock. 

Bucky pulled back for a moment brushing back the hair that had fallen into her eyes and tucking it behind her ear, "are you sure about this?" he asked softly, "We don't have to do anything you aren't--" 

"Please," she whispered softly before giving him a quick peck, "just kiss me again."

Bucky groaned, gripping her hips tightly as he captured her mouth once more. This kiss was much less sweet, filled with the pent up desire that flowed through them both. Sawyer felt the edges of Bucky's teeth against her tongue and whimpered, searching for the hem of his shirt to reach the hard muscle underneath.

Bucky gasped when her fingernails brushed against his taut abs and a primal groan filled her ears. She couldn't help herself and started to laugh against his soft lips while Bucky continued to devour her like an animal. He broke the kiss and his lips began to trail up and down her neck.

"You're eager." His voice was a low gravelly rumble that made her shiver. She felt his warm breath on the shell of her ear. "I like that."

Sawyer tugged desperately at his shirt and he chuckled.

"You want this off, you've gotta ask."

"Fuck," she laughed. "Sorry."

He pulled back, his eyes sparkling. 

"S'okay." He paused and gave them both room to breathe, but not enough time to come down. His metal thumb ghosted across her bottom lip. Her other hand reached up, raking down his massive shoulders and chiseled biceps. Bucky was taking his time. "Tell me what you need, darlin'."

"You." 

"Are you sure?" He asked. "Because I've been thinking about this since you tried to jump off the damn boat."

She nodded eagerly, tugging at his shirt. 

"Never been more sure in my life."

“Then let’s get this off,” Bucky said, hands joining hers in pulling at his shirt until it was over his head and he could drop it to the floor of the boat. He moved suddenly, hands gripping her waist, and hauling her up and over him, so she was straddling his lap. “Still okay?” he asked when Sawyer gasped. 

She grasped the chain, a pair of dog tags around his neck, and pulled him closer, lips an inch from his. 

“Never better,” she whispered as she ground down, a groan tearing out of Bucky’s throat. 

Their lips crashed together, both of them surging forwards, teeth nearly clacking as tongues pressed into each other, lips bruising. Bucky’s hands were tight around her hips underneath his sweater and her shirt, making Sawyer feel like she was burning up.

Her hips rolled against his own while her heart thumped in her chest. Kissing him felt like the calm after a storm while the air between them crackled like lightning. Excitement flooded her veins while lust covered her in goosebumps as his hands roamed her skin. 

Sawyer's skin burned and the clothes she had on felt suffocating. 

"Off," she breathed against his lips, her hands finding his as she led them to the hem of the sweater and her shirt, "help me?" 

Her voice was soft, making him groan as his own hips met hers. In one swift movement, he tugged his sweater and her shirt over her head before pulling her into the warmth of his chest.

Her head fell back as Bucky left warm, wet kisses along her jaw and down her throat. Every few touches came with a bite as he sucked and pulled at her sensitive skin. Sawyer wriggled in his lap as her thighs started to grow sticky with her arousal, soaking her underwear. 

When Bucky's attention came to the swell of her breasts, he leaned back. His hand held her waist tightly as he snapped the clasp of her bra.

"Holy shit," Bucky whispered breathlessly as his eyes flitted quickly over the pale skin exposed to the evening air. 

Sawyer felt the burning in her core flood into her face, embarrassed at his gaze. She brought her arms up to cover herself, but Bucky's hands came up quickly to catch her wrists. He held her hands between them, watching her with an intense stare before letting go. 

"Don't you fuckin' dare," he growled and Sawyer felt tears prickle her eyes as his head descended to take one peaked nipple into his mouth.

She moaned as he flicked her nipple and tugged on it gently with his teeth. Fire rushed down her spine, ripping through her and scorching her skin. Suddenly, the cool air that drifted up from the water wasn't doing enough to soothe her. Sawyer whimpered and began to roll her hips in desperation. She needed something, some kind of friction or she was going to fall apart. Bucky released her nipple with a soft pop, his eyes piercing hers. He cupped her face in his hands.

"You're the most beautiful goddamn thing I've seen in years." Her face burned and she tried to look away but Bucky held her gaze. "Whoever told you otherwise is a fuckin' idiot."

"I need you," she breathed.

He nuzzled against her throat, his stubble scratching her skin and forcing a moan to spill from her lips. It was almost as though Bucky could sense her desperation and nipped at her earlobe as she continued to soak through her underwear. He gripped her by the waist and repositioned her so that she was straddling one thick, muscular thigh. Instantly, her hips began to roll and the pressure on her clit was enough to make her moan. He smiled.

"Atta girl," he breathed as he placed gentle bites along her collarbone. "Take what you need, sweet thing."

Sawyer whimpered, her hands lifting and wrapping around the back of his neck, gripping the short hair. 

“Bucky…kiss me,” she begged, hands sliding further into his hair as he lifted his head, bringing their lips together. Sawyer kept moving her hips, Bucky helping her when her pace began to falter as whines leaked from their joined lips. 

Bucky pulled away, Sawyer gasping as her orgasm started to build. She was sliding through her slick underwear as she rolled her hips faster. 

“C’mon pretty girl, you can do it, let go for me,” Bucky whispered, their eyes locked.

She could feel his fingers dig into the soft skin around her waist, letting her take control but a heated reminder of the way his skin felt against her own. 

Her toes began to tingle as she tugged on his hair, dipping her head and burying her face into the crook of his head. Her breath panting against his skin as she whimpered and writhed. 

"I've got you, Sawyer," he groaned. 

"Bucky!" she moaned, falling over the edge of the euphoria building within her. Their bodies swayed with the rocking of the boat as she came down from her high. A quick squeal left her lips as he flipped them over, laying her onto the blanket before settling between her thighs. 

He leaned into her, nipping at her jawline before dragging his tongue down the column of her throat and through the middle of her breasts to her stomach making every nerve in her body light up like Christmas lights.

When the coarse hair of his jawline rubbed her stomach, Sawyer couldn't help but jump with a yelp. 

"Sorry," she laughed. "Ticklish." 

Bucky just grinned before rubbing his cheek against her, soothing the tingle with his tongue. 

"I'll remember that for next time."

He grabbed the waistband of her jeans, snapping the button before pulling the denim off. Her hips rose up as he moved and he leaned down for another nip at her side. 

"Next time?" Sawyer breathed, trying not to sound too hopeful. 

Bucky's eyes sparkled as he pulled her panties down, the soaked fabric clinging to her skin. He groaned and swiped a finger through her cunt, collecting the slick gathered there.

"You're insane if you think I'm not fucking you again," he laughed. 

"Asshole," she growled before letting out a deep moan when his tongue replaced his finger, drinking her down. Her eyes fluttered open as he sucked on her clit and for a second it was like the Louisiana stars were on fire.

"Oh God!" She whimpered. "Fuck, I take it all back!"

He chuckled, groaning into her cunt as he lapped at her. Her hands wove in his dark, messy hair. She loved the way his stubble felt against her inner thighs, and her hips began to roll like waves crashing against the shore. She could barely breathe, but she didn't care. All she could do was stare up at the sky and watch the stars linger above them, quickly replacing the sunset. The moon hung low in the sky, bathing them and the water in a beautiful golden glow. She whined and wiggled against him, but Bucky always seemed to find the perfect spot. He looked up at her as her cheeks blazed and smiled. 

"You want my fingers?" He asked.

She could only let out a soft whine. He smirked and licked her slick from the fingers of his right hand. 

"Use your words, pretty girl. Regular, or metal? Dealer's choice."

"Metal," she practically sobbed. "Please, God, metal."

Slowly, he pushed his fingers inside of her as he smiled and her high-pitched moan echoed through the night sky. Bucky was still smiling as he dipped his head to bury himself in her cunt one more time.

"As you wish."

Sawyer cried out as he spread his fingers and licked deep into her cunt before pulling back and fucking his fingers into her. They slid along her walls, rubbing her spot and Bucky pressed his lips to her clit in a filthy kiss, sucking on it and flicking it with his tongue. 

“Oh god, Bucky…please, I want you in me,” Sawyer begged, and she could feel him grin against her. 

“But I am in you doll, can’t ya feel me?” he asked, thrusting harder and making her keen. 

“Yes! Fuck, Bucky, I want- I want your cock,” she moaned, Bucky responding with a growl. 

“Gimme one more pretty girl, then you can have it,” he grunted, crooking his fingers and moving them faster.

Her back arched off of the blanket as she let out a noise that she'd never heard herself make before. The intensity of her orgasm hitting her like a freight train as he worked her through it. "Oh my god!" she all but screamed. 

"That's my girl" he groaned, licking every ounce of her up and slowing his fingers. Moving them in succession with the gentle roll of her hips. Bucky dragged his lips along the insides of her thighs, causing her to squirm under him. 

Her chest heaved as she looked down at him, his shoulders pinned and beautiful as dark eyes gazed up at her, the blue she'd fallen into now just a small ring around the lust that had filled them. 

He pulled his fingers from her, licking them clean before kneeling between her thighs. "So fuckin' gorgeous," Bucky growled as she sat up to reach for him, her fingers making quick work of the top button on his jeans. 

"I need you," she urged tugging at the denim.

Bucky yanked the tight fabric from his thighs, along with his boxers. As he rose up to meet her waiting lips, Sawyer gripped his cock firmly in her hand. He groaned as she stroked the smooth skin, his eyes fluttering closed. This giant of a man falling apart was the prettiest thing she'd ever seen. 

"Sawyer," he groaned as her thumb ran over the tip of him and he twitched in her palm. "I'm not gonna last if you keep it up, sweetheart. Wanna take my time with you."

Each word came out as a soft pant as she increased her motions, kissing him softly. 

"Next time," she said with a smile. 

He groaned, letting her continue before pulling her hand away abruptly. His hips rocked into hers and the tip of his cock pushed against her core, making her moan.

"Fuck," he groaned. "You've gotta be kidding me, sugar. You're soaked."

She chuckled and pushed him a little deeper inside of her, feeling that familiar sting that made her sing his name like a hymn to the empty sky. Bucky grunted softly, dipping his head to bite down gently on the soft, sensitive skin on her throat as he pushed deeper and deeper.

"Fuck, you're big," she laughed.

"Thanks," he chuckled.

She couldn't help but laugh with him as he dragged his lips along her jawline and then kissed the tip of her nose, pressing his forehead to hers. It was so easy between them, nothing like the tension from earlier in the afternoon. Sawyer didn't know what happened or when it changed, but if this was the real Bucky, she wanted to see him again. When he bottomed out, she gasped and he kissed her forehead.

"You're okay," he whispered. "Wrap your legs around my waist-- fuck, that's it."

His hips began to rock a little faster and she dragged her fingernails down his back. Bucky whimpered and fucked her a little deeper, hitting that spot that she didn't think a man had touched since college.

Sawyer inhaled sharply as he hit that spot again, and she clung to him. Her face was buried in Bucky’s neck, her nails digging into his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her back, forcing her into an arch. 

More whines slipped from her clenched teeth as Sawyer tightened on Bucky’s dick, his hips tripping forwards and grinding deeper, stretching her to her limits. 

Sawyer felt full like never before, and she gasped as Bucky pulled back, exhaling a moan as he thrust back in, pace steady and powerful, her orgasm rising inside her quickly.

“Holy shit," she laughed against his shoulder as the tingling began to spread through her once more. 

"Come for me, Sawyer lemme hear you. Let go." 

His hips pounded into hers, her heels digging into his back as she came harder than she could ever remember. She was pretty sure nothing would ever top this. 

Her nails left red marks on Bucky's tanned skin and her cry echoed across the water. Groaning, Bucky grabbed her hips as his pace became less steady, more erratic. 

"Bucky," Sawyer whined softly, raking her nails through his short hair and making him whimper. "Please."

The pleading tone in her voice seemed to be the final straw as Bucky filled her up, his hips rocking steadily until the throbbing subsided for them both.

His head dropped, buried in the crook of her neck. All she could hear was the sound of their own raspy breathing as he pulsed inside of her, his body continuing to tremble and jump long after she thought his climax had subsided.

"Are you still..."

He nodded and began to laugh.

"It's been a while." He kissed her neck, dull teeth gently scraped against her skin. "And you're so damn pretty."

She held him close. There was a kind of intimacy between the two of them that Sawyer hadn't felt in a long time. The water lapped against the boat and she felt peace nestle into the space in her chest that was once occupied by betrayal and anger. She smiled, remembering the sunset as Bucky's lips traced along her jaw and she listened to his gentle, rumbling voice. A reset. That was what this was. 

"Can I see you again?" He asked as he pulled back. "I'm not a one night stand kinda guy."

"After that? I think you might be stuck with me, Skipper."

He giggled, kissed her softly, and pulled out of her. Bucky grabbed their clothes, helping her dress before he pulled his undershirt over his head. Sawyer went to give him back his Henley and he shook his head. She smiled and wrapped them both in the blanket as the two of them stared out at the water. He grabbed her hand and gently kissed the tips of her fingers. There was something in his eyes, a question that Sawyer wanted to pry out of him. She just hoped it was the same question she had lingering on the tip of her tongue. Finally, Bucky spoke.

"Sam's got this, uh, cookout thing that he's doing this weekend. I was thinking maybe we could spend some more time together... walk along the water. Just you and me?"

"That sounds great," Sawyer beamed as her cheeks flushed. "Sounds like a date, actually."

He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, a big grin on his face.

"Well, I wasn't gonna say it, but if that's what you want--"

"It is." She nodded. "It definitely is."

Bucky beamed.

"That's what I was hoping you'd say."

[abovethemists]

To Have and to Hold - Final Chapter

Summary: After five years of marriage, Belle and Gold have hit a rough patch. However, their plans to separate are put on hold due to a shotgun wedding and three weeks of utter chaos.

A/N: I finished something! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

(Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3) (Chapter 4) (Chapter 5)

Read it on AO3

*

By mid morning, they had started to panic.

In the ten minutes it took Alasdair to get dressed and go after Neal, he had seemingly vanished from Storybrooke. He wasn’t answering any of their calls and after thinking to check, Belle realized his phone was still plugged in on his bedside table.

“Great,” she said as she stepped back into the hall where Emma was looking anxious. “He could be anywhere.”

Emma shook her head.

“He’s probably with August or Will or one of his other friends. He wouldn’t just bail on me. I know it.”

Belle nodded, trying to be supportive. But she knew how badly Alasdair and Milah’s divorce had affected Neal. Couple that with pre wedding jitters and…well, she hated to think about it.

“What do you want to do?” she asked Emma.

“Go to my mom’s,” Emma said with a decisive nod. “We’ve got enough going on without provoking the beast.”

Belle quickly got dressed and gave Emma a ride back to the Nolan’s. On the drive they decided not to tell Mary Margaret about any of the morning’s events. She was likely to be stressed enough as it was. But upon entering the farmhouse, Belle found a mimosa shoved into her hand and a large group of women assembled, talking and laughing to a soundtrack of pop music as if it was a bachelorette party.

“There she is!” Mary Margaret exclaimed, swanning into the living room. “My baby girl, the bride! Oh, look at you. You’re so beautiful.”  

Emma looked down at her jeans and tank top, then glanced aside at Belle who shrugged.

“How many of those have you had?” Emma asked, nodding her head at Mary Margaret’s own champagne glass.

“Just enough to take the edge off,” Mary Margaret said brightly. “I made you a virgin mimosa.”

“Oh, so orange juice,” Emma deadpanned.

Mary Margaret ignored her, turning to Belle. “How did last night go?” she asked in a sing-song voice.

Belle glanced around at the crowd of women, most of whom she didn’t know well.

“Um,” she said, taking a sip of mimosa to buy some time.

Mary Margaret winked at her. “I saw the way Mr. Gold was eyeing you all night. My advice did the trick, didn’t it?”

Emma was looking between the two of them with disgust on her face.

“I need coffee,” she said, walking off toward the kitchen.

“Decaf only, young lady!” Mary Margaret yelled after her before moving further into the living room, dancing along to the music and sloshing champagne and orange juice on the hardwood floors.

Belle just watched her, wondering if the morning could go any more off script. Mary Margaret hadn’t said a word about them being over an hour late. A few of the bridesmaids were having their hair and makeup done in the downstairs bathroom and Belle was informed it would be her turn next. She smiled tightly. The last thing she was concerned about was her hair.

A few minutes later, Emma came back to the living room, blowing on her cup of coffee.

“I have no idea what happened to momzilla. Who is this calm, loopy, lady?”

“I gave her a valium,” said Lily, Emma’s maid of honor, stepping out of the bathroom with her hair freshly curled.

Emma and Belle swung around to look at her.

“What!?” Emma exclaimed. “You drugged my mother!”

“What’s the big deal? It’ll just calm her down a little. You should have seen her first thing this morning when you weren’t here. I thought she was gonna have a panic attack.”

“And she’s drinking on top of that? Is she going to be able to stand up by wedding time?”

Lily just shrugged, not a care in the world. “I’ll carry her to her seat if I need to. Enjoy your day, Emma.”

She gave her a wink before continuing on and Emma looked at Belle with a worried expression.

“I guess she won’t panic about Neal?” she said, the end of her sentence going up into a question.

“Yeah,” Belle said. “Speaking of, I’m gonna go check in on Alasdair.”

She excused herself to the front porch, setting her mimosa down on the railing and calling her husband.

“Any sign of him?” she asked, as soon as he picked up.

“No,” Gold growled out. “I checked Granny’s, the shop, the high school, even the Rabbit Hole. He’s nowhere to be found.”

“Well he couldn’t have gone far,” she reassured him. “His car is still at the house.”

“Perhaps he caught a bus out of town?”

“In his pajamas,” Belle said flatly.

“Well, I don’t know. You saw the mood he was in this morning. He probably doesn’t want to be found.”

Belle nodded.

“I’ll call Will,” she said, and she heard Alasdair grunt on the other end of the line. “Oh come on,” she said with an eye roll. “After last night you can’t possibly still be jealous.”

“I don’t like the way he looks at you.”

“Well your son is probably with him.”

“Fine,” Alasdair said shortly.

“Hey,” she said, feeling slightly nervous. “We haven’t been able to talk this morning. Are we…”

“We’re okay,” he returned, his voice softening.

“Okay,” Belle repeated. What exactly did that mean?

“Call Will,” Alasdair said. “I’ve got a few other places to check.”

A quick call to a very sleepy and obviously hungover Will yielded no results. He hadn’t seen Neal since the night before. Neal’s other groomsmen proved just as helpful.

Belle checked her watch. It was already noon. Then Ruby poked her head out on the porch to tell Belle it was her turn for hair and makeup.

Thirty minutes later her hair had been twisted up into an elegant knot, and her makeup was ready for the runway. Belle didn’t think she’d ever worn so much in her life, not even for her own wedding. It wasn’t her style, but it also didn’t matter.

She found Emma, who was being oohed and ahhed over by the assorted women as they all passed around her wedding dress on a satin hanger and pulled her aside.

“Did you find Neal?” she asked under her breath, her eyes looking strained.

Belle shook her head. “Not yet, but we will. I’m going to go help Alasdair look, alright?”

Emma nodded, still looking worried, and Belle excused herself from the festivities.

“Aw, Belle,” Mary Margaret called after her. “You have to stay! We’re going to play a game!” She shook a box with neon pink writing that claimed to be an adult themed party game.

“I’m sorry,” she said with a shake of her head. “Gotta help the groom. Don’t have too much fun without me!”

"Buzz kill!" Mary Margaret shouted after her.

*

Belle felt like she was constantly checking the time and wishing to God it would slow down. The wedding was in six hours. Now five. Neal was going to stand Emma up and ruin his life and relationship and it was all her fault. If they’d just told Neal the truth all those weeks ago, when he’d first come home to tell them about the engagement, they could have avoided all of this. But she hadn’t wanted to admit their marital issues aloud. If only she could go back in time even further, to last July and the blow up fight she’d had with Alasdair. If only she could keep herself from saying such hurtful things. If only Alasdair had told her how badly she’d wounded him.

But there was no use wishing for things that would never be.

After combing the streets in her Volvo with no sight of Neal, Belle met Gold back at the house, getting out of her car just as he pulled up in the Cadillac.

“He’s not at the cabin,” Gold said with a grimace, getting his cane beneath him as he stepped out of the car. “Not that I expected him to be, but it was the last place I could think to look.”

Belle let out a sigh.

“It’s a small town, Alasdair, there’s only so many places he could be.”

“I’m all ears if you have suggestions.”

“Did you check in with Milah?” Belle asked.

Gold leveled her with a look.

Belle let out a sigh of frustration.

“Look, she’s his mother. He may have gone to see her.”

“The very person responsible for the trauma he’s dealing with right now?”

“One of the people,” she said sweetly.

Alasdair’s mouth had flattened into a very grim line, and Belle shook her head.

“Let’s not act like we’re not all a little responsible for this,” she said. “Maybe I was wrong. Maybe we should have told Neal about our split from the beginning instead of keeping it a secret. Maybe he could have talked some sense into us before we made ourselves miserable for months.”

Alasdair’s face softened and he shook his head. “No,” he said. “You’re not to blame, Belle. You only wanted to protect Neal, to make sure his wedding day was a happy one. I’m the one he’s angry with.”

Belle reached out a hand to take Alasdair’s free one, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“It’ll be alright,” she said. “As long as we find him before 6:00, that is.”

“Right,” Alasdair said with a nod. “I suppose I’m off to speak to Milah then.”

Belle gave him an encouraging smile.

“I’ll keep looking around town in the meantime.”

She turned to head back to her car, but Alasdair caught her hand in his own.

“Thank you,” he said, pulling her back around to him.

“For what?” she asked, confused.

“For loving my son,” he said with a little nod. “You didn’t…you didn’t have to be a mother to him, but you have been. From the very first. I know we couldn’t have a child of our own, and it’s a pity Belle. Because you’re the best mother I can imagine.”

Belle blinked, not wanting to let the tears fall and ruin Ruby’s hard work on her makeup.

“Of course,” she said. Because what else could she do?

His thumb rubbed against her palm and Belle stepped closer. Everything between them was still so uncertain. She needed confirmation, something that would show her they were on the right track. Gold’s eyes were tracing over her face, from her coiffed hair to her red lips.

“You look very pretty,” he said, and Belle couldn’t help but blush. She’d become unaccustomed to compliments.

“I feel like a Sephora exploded on my face.”

Gold looked confused.

“It’s just a lot of makeup,” she explained.

“Ah, well, you certainly don’t need it. But you look lovely all the same.”

He bent his head, kissing her cheek lightly, making sure not to disturb her makeup and then pulled away with a wink.

“I’d better find Neal, because I certainly plan on dancing with you tonight.”

Belle let out a startled laugh. “I look forward to it.”

With one last kiss pressed to her knuckles, Gold went back to the Cadillac, turning it in the direction of Granny’s B&B.

Belle stared up at the pink Victorian. With any luck, she’d be moving her stuff back in soon enough. Well, what little she’d managed to move out. Their separation that had caused so much pain and heartache all seemed so arbitrary in hindsight. She’d never even managed to move the bulk of the things in her closet.

With that in mind, she darted inside to get her dress for the wedding, just in case they found Neal at the last possible second and she had to get dressed on the fly. It was simple, a dark blue a-line dress with delicate cap sleeves. She had a pair of peep toe shoes that went perfectly with it and she scrounged the shoe rack at the back of the closet for them. With a groan, she realized she’d forgotten them back at her apartment, another inconvenience of her short separation.

Belle checked the time again. It was 2:00. The wedding party was supposed to all be at the Magus Mansion by 4:30 for photos before the ceremony. At this rate, she wouldn’t have time to change.

Well, she could do so at her apartment. She’d take the dress over, grab her shoes, get fully ready for the wedding, and with any luck Neal would have come to his senses by then and turned up none the worse for the wear.

The library was closed for the day, a concession to the wedding festivities. The caretaker's apartment was located at the back of the library, a heavy metal door guarding the concrete stairwell that had maimed her suitcase. Belle hadn't been by the apartment in the past few days, and she was surprised to find the stairwell door unlocked and propped open slightly. On edge, she crept up the stairs, wondering if perhaps she should call the sheriff. It wasn't as though anyone had been squatting there while it laid empty for five years. She had found the dusty little apartment exactly as she'd left it. The apartment door was similarly unlocked, and it swung open with the barest push as she stood in the doorway, holding her breath.  But the sight that met her inside made her sigh in relief.

Neal was sitting on her squashy little sofa, a lone shadow in the dark apartment. His v-neck t-shirt and plaid pajama pants were a far cry from the way he should be dressed at this hour and the expression on his face was anything but that of an excited groom. She flicked the overhead light on and Neal winced at the sudden brightness.

“Everyone’s looking for you,” she said, trying to sound lighthearted. “Something about a wedding and a runaway groom.”

Neal looked up at her with his big brown eyes, so similar to his father’s, but said nothing.  

“What are you doing here?” she asked, motioning around at the apartment. “How did you even get in?”

“Hide A Key is in the same place,” Neal said flatly, holding up a small silver key.

Belle cocked her head to the side. “I didn’t know there was a hide a key,” she said, reaching over and snatching it out of Neal’s hand. She turned it over on her palm, wondering where it had been all these years.

“Emma and I used to come hang out here…” he trailed off. “Back in high school. When we wanted some alone time .”

“Oh,” Belle said, her eyebrows raised. “ Oh . Not sure how I feel about that, to be honest.”

Neal just shrugged. “Not like we need it anymore. But something made me come here today. Thinking of simpler times, I guess.”  

Belle sat down beside her stepson, the old loveseat sagging toward the middle with the addition of her slight weight.

“Looks different now,” Neal mused. “The furniture was all covered up and there was nothing really here back in high school. But I guess you’ve moved back in, huh?”

“I…” Belle puzzled over her answer. “Sort of, I guess. Not that I’ve spent much time here lately.”

“Because you’ve been pretending you and Dad are still together, pretending to be happy, lying to me.”

He didn’t sound angry anymore, just resigned. There was a hollowness to his voice that hurt Belle more than any amount of rage could have.

“Neal, we never wanted to lie to you,” she said, chancing a hand against his arm. He didn’t shrug her off which she took as a good sign. “We just didn’t want to ruin the happiest time of your life with our own silly drama.”

Neal let out a humorless snort. “Is that what a divorce is? Silly drama? Not in my experience.”

Belle sighed, rubbing her hand against Neal’s arm. “No, I suppose that’s understating things isn’t it?”

He was silent for a long moment, before looking aside at Belle.

“What happened between you two?”

“Life,” Belle said. “Stress. Mostly we stopped seeing each other, stopped saying what we really wanted. We’re trying to change that.”

“So are you getting a divorce?” he asked.

“No,” Belle said assuredly, shaking her head. “Because I love your dad more than I’ve ever loved anything. He’s frustrating and annoying and so, so stupid, but I love him. And when you find someone you love that much, you never give up on them.”

“But how do you know?” he asked. “How do you know that Papa is right for you? How can you be sure it’s not going to fall apart again a month from now or a year?”

“Do you think that’s what’s going to happen with you and Emma?” she asked, deflecting his question with one of her own.

Neal shook his head.

“Before this morning, I would have said no. I would have said I was completely certain that we’d be together forever. But if something can shake you and Pop, what makes Emma and I any different?”

“Well, none of us can predict the future,” Belle said. “I can’t tell you you’re not going to have tough times. Even the happiest marriages do. Life isn’t perfect and neither is marriage, but the difference between a happy marriage and an unhappy one is your investment. Eventually something will go wrong, but if you stand together, you and Emma can face anything.”

She gave his arm a comforting squeeze and Neal finally shook her off, raking his hands through his hair and over his face.

“I don’t think I can do this,” he said, his monotone voice muffled by his hands.

“Hogwash,” Belle said, swatting him lightly on the shoulder. “You and Emma love each other. You’re having a baby. What’s a little party with a white dress in comparison to that commitment?”

“I��m just…” Neal paused, looking beside himself as his hands dropped to his lap. “I’m worried I’m making the exact same mistakes my parents did. I mean, Belle, you think they’re bad now, you should have seen them when they were married. That divorce was the best thing that ever happened to any of us and it still wrecked them for years afterward. Every childhood memory I have is tainted with whatever fight they were having at the time. I can’t do that to my kid.”

“But that’s not you and Emma,” Belle said empathetically.

“Not now,” he countered. “But Mom and Pop got married, they had me. They must have been in love at some point. And it still turned out how it did.”

“No we weren’t,” came a voice from the doorway. Belle jumped, looking up to see Alasdair standing there. He’d somehow dressed for the wedding, cutting an impressive figure in his tux with a boutonniere of fresh greenery and baby's breath pinned to his buttonhole. “No love is needed to make a child, and sometimes you have all the love in the world and it still doesn’t happen.”

“Alasdair,” Belle breathed.

“Your mother and I weren’t in love, Neal, never,” he continued, coming to sit on the other side of Neal, the small sofa sinking even further toward the floor. “We had been seeing each other, not exclusively as I came to find out, for about a month when you were conceived. Liverpool beat Man U in the FA Cup Final, spirits were high, the lager was flowing and we were careless. Your mother and I didn’t love each other. We barely knew each other. And within six months of being married she resented me for trapping her with a baby, no matter that was never my intent. We were never happy, son. Don’t let our failures color your relationship with Emma. The two couldn’t be more different.”

Neal looked up at his father with disgust.

“So I’m the product of a drunken one night stand brought on by football euphoria?” he asked with a snort. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

Alasdair shrugged, his lips curving up in a smile. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

Neal shook his head with a laugh, dragging his hands over his face again. Belle considered it a win.

“Neal, I might think you and Emma are too young for all this, but the fact of the matter is you’ll be bound to each other regardless. That baby is going to be the most extraordinary thing to ever happen to either of you. It will change your life, for the better, I promise. Of all the mistakes I’ve made in this life, you were never one of them. Being your dad is my greatest joy. And whatever the two of you choose, Belle and I will support it and support you.”

Belle’s heart gave a little leap, hearing Alasdair speak of them as a unit.

“We’ve got you, Neal,” she said with a little smile.

Neal heaved a deep breath. “Where’s Emma?” he asked, looking up at Belle.

“She’s with her mother, getting ready.”

Neal nodded. “I should probably put on real pants,” he said, looking down at his flannel pajama bottoms. “And then we need to talk.”

By the time they reached the Magus Mansion, Belle and Gold fully dressed for the wedding and Neal in the backseat in jeans, it was after 4:00. Belle sincerely hoped Mary Margaret’s valium was still in effect or she was sure the other woman was having some sort of conniption fit.

The photographer was already setting up in the gardens and the manager told Belle that Emma was getting some last minute touch ups in the bridal dressing room upstairs. They rushed inside, Neal taking the stairs two at a time until they reached the solid oak door labeled “Bridal Suite”.

Neal knocked on the door tentatively.

“Come in,” came Emma’s voice from inside, and Neal cracked open the door.

“Neal!” Emma exclaimed in a relieved voice at the sight of his reflection in her mirror. Emma was sitting in front of an antique vanity as her mother wove little white flowers into her hair. Belle had a glimpse of the white lace of Emma’s long dress before Mary Margaret gasped, spinning around and moving her body in front of Emma, trying to block her from view.

“What are you doing? You can’t see the bride before the wedding!” she hissed at Neal. “It’s bad luck!”

“Mom,” Emma said exasperatedly from behind Mary Margaret’s back. “It’s okay.”

“What are you wearing?” Mary Margaret continued, looking Neal up and down. “It’s time for photos. You and the groomsmen are first. Where is your tux?”

“Mary Margaret,” Belle interrupted, coming to take her friend’s hand. “It’s their wedding day. Let’s give them a minute?”

“We don’t have a minute,” Mary Margaret hissed out. “We are on a very tight schedule that no one seems concerned with but me.”

“Please, Mom,” Emma said, standing and gazing at Neal with a wary look on her face.

Mary Margaret looked torn, looking back and forth between Emma and Neal.

“Fine,” she said, throwing her hands up. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

She stomped out of the room, her heels clacking angrily against the hardwood floors. Belle supposed the champagne and drug laced euphoria of the morning had definitely worn off. She gave Neal an encouraging smile before closing the door on the engaged couple, giving them their privacy.

There was a striped upholstered bench on the stretch of wall across from the dressing room and Gold settled himself upon it, his cane balanced between his knees. He looked as calm as could be, a marked difference from the frantic mother of the bride.

“What are they talking about in there?” Mary Margaret whispered, pressing her ear to the door. “The wedding is in less than two hours and Neal isn’t even dressed yet!”

“Give them some space, Mrs. Nolan,” Alasdair said, and Mary Margaret wheeled around.

“We are on a schedule!” she exclaimed. She seemed to realize almost immediately that she had yelled at Mr. Gold. No one yelled at Mr. Gold. “I’m sorry,” she continued. “I’m a little on edge. Today has to be perfect.”

“Why?” Alasdair asked with a shrug. “It’s a wedding. They’ll say their vows, they’ll dance, they’ll eat cake. Everyone will remember the lovely time they had at the open bar and little else.”

Mary Margaret stared at him as though he had three heads.

“Emma trips walking down the aisle because she didn’t get enough practice in her wedding shoes,” she rattled off, holding up a finger. “Neal’s tux pants are too short because he didn’t bother trying them on until five minutes before the wedding,” another finger. “The officiant imbibes too much at the cocktail hour and face plants during the ceremony,” a third finger.

Gold snorted.

“Crises, all,” he said sarcastically.

Mary Margaret crossed her arms against her chest.

“Fine,” she said, haughtily. “Emma and Neal decide to elope to Bali and I lose all my deposits and don’t have one single picture or memory of my only daughter’s wedding day.”

Gold just gave a little nod.

“I can see why that would upset you. But I don’t think we need to worry about it quite yet.”

Mary Margaret threw her hands up, pacing off down the hall and Belle sat down next to Alasdair.

“You can have all the love in the world, hmm?”

He glanced up at her with a puzzled look on his face.

“What you said to Neal,” she said, thumbing over her shoulder. “Back at the apartment. About love not being a necessary requirement to having a child.”

“Ah,” Alasdair said with a nod. “If it were, we’d have a house full.”

“Yeah,” Belle agreed, entwining her hand with Gold’s. He squeezed it reassuringly.

After fifteen minutes of relative silence coming from Emma’s dressing room, Belle worried Mary Margaret was going to wear a hole into the carpet with her pacing. A moment later, the door cracked open and Neal and Emma exited, holding hands and smiling. It was an odd juxtaposition; Emma looking ethereally lovely in her wedding gown which, Belle was pleased to note, was just as timeless as Mary Margaret had indicated, and Neal in his jeans and flannel button down.

“Oh, finally!” Mary Margaret exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “We’re going to be late!”

“Mom,” Emma interrupted her with a raised hand. “We have something to tell you all.”

Emma and Neal shared a loaded glance before she turned back to her mother and would be in-laws. “We’re not getting married. At least not today. Not yet.”

“What!?” Mary Margaret screeched, the pitch of her voice making Belle wince. “You had better be joking, young lady. There are 120 guests waiting in that garden to watch a wedding. I can’t just tell them to all go home.”

“You’re right,” Emma continued, coolly. “They came for a wedding and we’ll give them one.”

Mary Margaret let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God,” she said, “Neal, get your tux on.”

Neal cocked his head to the side, looking Mary Margaret over. “I actually think you’re a little underdressed.”

Mary Margaret glanced down at her conservative pink and black Mother of the Bride dress.

“What?” she said, looking confused and slightly panicked.

“This isn’t my wedding, Mom,” Emma said with a smile. “It never was. It’s yours. The dress, the flowers, the guest list. It’s the wedding you and dad deserve, but never got to have.”

“What are you suggesting?” Mary Margaret demanded. “I already got married twenty years ago.”

“You got married, yes,” Emma agreed. “But you didn’t get a wedding. Now’s your big chance.”

Mary Margaret’s mouth fell open as she shook her head slightly. “No,” she insisted. “This is your wedding.”

“I know you brought Grandma’s veil,” Emma cut across her.  

Mary Margaret looked sheepish. “I was hoping you might change your mind about the veil. But Emma, I can’t fit in the dress. I’ve had two children. I don’t have your figure.”

“I’ve put on a few pounds with the pregnancy and you’ve lost a few with the stress this wedding has put on you. We’re practically the same size.”

Mary Margaret was still gaping at her daughter like a fish out of water. Belle glanced aside at Alasdair to see that he was grinning, enjoying the spectacle before them. She couldn’t help it, she let out a laugh.

Mary Margaret spun around to look at the Gold’s as if she’d forgotten they were there.

“I think that’s a great idea, Emma,” Belle said, standing up and going to them. “You and Neal should get married when you’re ready to, on no one’s timeline but your own. And Mary Margaret, Emma is right. This is your wedding.”

Mary Margaret shook her head, still looking unconvinced. “But your father would never go for it.”

“I already texted him,” Emma said, holding her phone up in her hand.

“Mary Margaret?” They all turned to see David at the end of the hall. He walked toward them, stopping before Mary Margaret and dropping to one knee.

“What are you doing?” Mary Margaret asked.

David looked up at her, his face shining with love.

“I fell in love with you when I was sixteen, and I have fallen more in love with you every day since. We wake up every day and choose each other, no matter what life throws at us. So here I am choosing you again. Will you marry me? Tonight?”

“David,” she gasped out, her eyes wet with tears. “How could I ever say no?”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes!” Mary Margaret cried, breathlessly.

*

Mary Margaret Blanchard Nolan and David Nolan renewed their vows in the garden of the Magus mansion at 6:30 in the evening. After a bit of shuffling and a few announcements, the wedding transitioned to a vow renewal. The bulk of the guests were there for Mary Margaret and David anyway, Emma and Neal’s friends were happy enough to stay for the open bar, and Milah and Killian slipped away as soon as they realized they no longer had to be there. All in all, Belle thought it was as seamless as a canceled wedding could possibly be.

She and Alasdair found seats near the back of the ceremony, no longer required to be front and center as parents of the groom.

Emma was right, the dress did fit Mary Margaret beautifully as she walked down the aisle to a string quartet, a beaming smile on her face. Emma looked less at ease in Mary Margaret’s staid dress, but she was smiling just as broadly as she stood in as Maid of Honor. Little Leo cut a dashing figure in his tiny tux, promoted from ring bearer to Best Man.

“Do you, Mary Margaret, take this man to be your husband…again?” Archie asked. There was a titter of laughter throughout the congregants and Mary Margaret shook her head with tears in her eyes.

“I absolutely do,” she said.

Beside Belle, she felt Alasdair reach for her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. She glanced at him, but he was watching the Nolans exchange vows. His hand tightened around hers.

Belle leaned in against him, and Alasdair wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“I love you,” he whispered against her ear.

She smiled at him, squeezing his knee with her hand.

“I love you, too.”

They would be okay, she realized. Because just like Mary Margaret and David, they chose to be.

*

The garden was alight with candles and fairy lights, illuminating the flowers and greenery in the failing early summer sunlight. The evening sounds of crickets and the lapping of the water in the bay against the cliffs below the mansion were all but drowned out by the music from August’s turntable, driving people on to the dance floor in droves. Belle and Gold were content to sit out the more frenzied music, sipping champagne at a cocktail table on the sidelines.

“Well, I’d say that was a successful wedding,” she said, clinking her glass against Gold’s. “Considering Neal didn’t actually get married.”

“I agree,” he said. “And best of all, I didn’t pay for any of this.”

Belle rolled her eyes fondly at him.

“What’s Neal’s plan now?” she asked, watching as the man in question twirled Emma around on the dance floor.

“They’re going to find an apartment together, get settled into their jobs, all the things they would have done without this silly ritual.”

“Silly ritual?” Belle asked. “If that’s what you think of marriage, why did you ever propose to me?”

“Because when a man is lucky enough to catch the attention of a woman like you, they lock it down as soon as they can,” he said with a wink.

“Mhmm,” Belle said, unconvinced by his flattery. “That’s why you’ve spent the better part of the past year trying to drive me away.”

A flash of pain crossed Alasdair’s face and Belle set her champagne glass down, reaching for his hand on the table instead.

“I’m joking,” she assured him. “Well, sort of. Just don’t do anything that pigheaded again.”

“I promise,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I realize I’ve probably got some feelings of inadequacy I’ve never really dealt with. Perhaps I should seek out a session with Dr. Hopper.”

“I think that’s a fantastic idea,” Belle encouraged him.

Her eyes drifted off across the reception before she caught sight of someone she hadn’t expected to see, a striking blonde in a red dress.

“Anastasia,” she called the blonde over to them. “You’re here. Will indicated you weren’t going to make it.”

“I didn’t think I could,” she said, glancing around the small garden fervently. “Have you seen Will?”

Belle nodded in the direction of the dance floor where Will and Neal were attempting to hoist David onto their shoulders and failing horribly. Ana’s big eyes filled with worry.

“There he is,” she said breathlessly, pressing a hand to her stomach. “Oh my God, how do I look?”

She turned back to Belle quickly. Ana was stunning as usual in her form fitting dress, her blonde hair falling loose over her shoulders.

“Beautiful,” Belle said with a smile.

Ana bit her lip, still looking worried.

“I think I really hurt him,” she said. “I don’t know if he’ll want me to be here.”

“He does,” Belle assured her. “I promise you he does.”

Ana just nodded before scurrying off to Will.

“What was that about?” Alasdair asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

“That,” Belle said, turning to face her husband. “Is why you have absolutely no reason to think Will Scarlet is interested in me.”

“He’d be a fool not to be,” Gold shot back. “You’re gorgeous.”

“Did you miss the 22-year-old blonde glamazon?”

Gold shrugged, wrapping his arm about her waist.

“I prefer brunettes,” he said with a smirk.

The music changed from the pounding dance music to something softer and Alasdair dropped his arm from her waist, reaching instead for her hand.

“Care to dance, Mrs. Gold?”

“I would love to,” she said with a smile.

Alasdair led her out onto the dance floor, wrapping his arms around her as they swayed together to the music.

“We could do this, you know,” he said. “Renew our vows.”

Belle looked up at him. “Another silly ritual?”

“Our wedding was small,” he continued. “You deserve something lavish.”

“You said the same thing when we got married,” she pointed out. “I was perfectly happy with our wedding. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

It was at that moment that a cacophony went off, huge blooms of fireworks lighting up the darkening night sky. The assembled crowd gasped, which turned to oohs and aahs at the spectacle.

“That’ll be Leroy,” Alasdair said, unfazed.

“I beg your pardon?” Belle asked, looking up at him, the purple, red, and pink light reflected on his upturned face.

“I paid Leroy an obscene amount of money to shoot fireworks off his boat in the bay when Emma and Neal were pronounced man and wife. I suppose his timing was a little off.”

Belle stared up at her husband, the man she loved more than anything.

“You did that for them? Even though you were so grumpy about the wedding?”

Alasdair glanced down at her.

“Of course,” he said. “I know I’m not always the best at showing it, but I’m full of love, Belle. For you, for Neal, for Emma, for our future grandchild. I–”

Belle didn’t let him finish. She reached up on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him, hard. Alasdair melted into her, his arms tightening about her waist. Neither of them had ever been much for PDA, but at the moment it didn’t matter. There was a wolf whistle from somewhere beside them, but Belle couldn’t be bothered to see who it was. She kissed her husband on the dance floor beneath a symphony of fireworks and couldn’t have wished for a single thing. She was complete.

One Month Later Belle drummed her fingers restlessly against her knees, trying, and failing, to keep the hope from blooming in her chest. She looked down at her wristwatch. How had it only been one minute?

She let out a sigh, staring at the marble tile wall of the shower across from her spot perched on the closed lid of the toilet. It was 6:00 in the evening. Alasdair was downstairs in the kitchen, whipping up a feast and none the wiser to her predicament.

She’d been here before, so many times in this exact position. During their years long fertility journey she’d taken dozens of pregnancy tests. Each time she’d tried to tamp down on that bubble of excitement. She knew all too well how difficult the disappointment was when you let yourself have the slightest bit of hope.

Belle chewed her lip, checking her watch again.

Three minutes.

She glanced over at the test, hanging precariously over the edge of the bathroom sink. She wouldn’t look early. The results weren’t accurate until after the full ten minutes.

“Oh this is stupid,” she sighed, burying her face in her hands. She and Alasdair had tried for ages to get pregnant, naturally at first and then with the help of science, IUI, IVF, none of it had worked. What were the odds they’d get pregnant when they weren’t trying at all?

But she was ten days late.

Belle’s unpredictable period had burned her before. She’d been a week late before and certain, so certain, that the miracle she’d waited for had finally happened. She’d been wrong then, and she was probably wrong now.

It’s why she hadn’t shared her suspicion with Alasdair. There was no need to. It would be all for naught, and bringing up what had been such a sensitive subject in their marriage again so close upon the heels of their reconciliation, was not something she was willing to do.

Six minutes .

But she’d never been ten days late. She’d stewed over it at the library all day, whether to stop by the pharmacy or not. In the end, her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She had to know. Even if it was a resounding negative, at least her mind would be put at ease, no more wondering.

She picked at her thumbnail, flaking off the pink paint still there from the wedding last month. Was it too soon? She and Alasdair had just started on their path back to each other, one filled with honesty and regular therapy sessions. A child, no matter how wanted, would throw their lives into upheaval. Could they handle the added stress? The inability to have a child had driven them apart, would a baby do the same?

Belle shook her head. She couldn’t think like that. And besides, she and Alasdair had turned over a new leaf. He would never try to shut her out for her own good again. They would communicate.

Although, not telling him about the pregnancy test wasn’t exactly a great start. She just didn’t want him to get his hopes up for nothing. It was probably nothing.

Eight minutes.

Would she have morning sickness? Would her feet swell? Would she curse the day she ever wished for pregnancy?

No. The test would be negative. They were always negative. She would wad the test up in toilet paper, bury it at the bottom of the wastebasket, try to push down the sorrow, and go downstairs and have a glass of red wine. She’d eat a delicious meal, have a relaxing night, and end it all with a mind blowing orgasm, courtesy of her insanely attractive husband who loved her and who was exactly enough. She didn’t need anything more.

She didn’t need a baby.

Belle breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t need anything more. She was perfectly happy. She had a wonderful life. She would probably always want a baby, but she didn’t need one to fulfill her. She was enough, just as she was.

The timer on her watch beeped out and Belle startled, rattling the toilet seat she was sitting on.

That was ten minutes then.

She almost didn’t want to check, to go ahead and chuck it away. This was just a backslide into her old ways. She’d bring it up with Dr. Hopper at their next session.

She took a deep breath, standing up and crossing the bathroom to the sink. The white plastic test stared up at her, an innocuous thing. She picked it up to read the result and did a double take. Where she was so used to seeing one solitary line, there were two. Two pink lines as bright as day.

Belle grabbed the box for the test, reading over the instructions on the back to make sure they hadn’t changed drastically in the last several months. But no. Two lines meant…

Her hand shook, a sob forming in her throat. It had happened. It had finally happened.

“ALASDAIR!” she screamed, throwing open the door and setting off at a run.

[farfromstrange]

Foreigner's God | m.m

Matt Murdock x avenger!OFC

Chapter twenty-four: The Avengers (Pt. 2)

Read previous part XXIII here ° masterlist

Summary: Team Cap comes to the rescue. Truths are revealed and in the wake of them, Eliza finds herself standing in the ruins of what had once been her life.

Warnings: ANGST

Other Characters: Team Cap, Foggy

a/n: I’m so incredibly sorry. That’s probably not how you expected this to go. You’re gonna be a bit angry at Eliza but you’re also gonna feel with her, hopefully. Stay strong, soldiers!

The sun was starting to rise in the far east, breaking through the dirty windows of the closed gym. “Okay, so, you know Hydra’s after me,” Eliza declared. “What else do you know?” She turned to her friend. “How did you even know where to look for me?”

Clint dropped his bow on the table. His eyebrows shot up. She wasn’t intentionally trying to sound hostile, she just did. 

“This isn’t gonna work if you’re not ready to talk to me.”

“I’ve been retracing your steps ever since I left,” he stated. “I’ve been following your every move, so when I heard about what happened with Robert Pfeiffer and then after that, the Stark Party, I… I connected the dots. It wasn’t hard once I figured out who Pfeiffer really was.”

“So that’s it? You just knew?” She threw her hands up. “How is everyone suddenly better at this than I am?”

“I didn’t solve it, you did. You left the breadcrumbs, I picked them up.”

“But why?”

“'cause, we’re family. We always will be, even when we’re not on speaking terms.”

Eliza let out a prolonged sigh. Her hands searched for leverage on her hips. “What now?” she asked quietly. “What do we do now?”

“I don’t know, you tell me,” he said. 

“Would I ask if I knew?”

“No, but your gut knows.”

“For the first time, it doesn’t. I’m at a loss here. I’m standing at the crossroads and I don’t know where to go.” She whimpered, “I need help, Clint. I really need your help. It’s not even funny at this point.”

“I think what you need are eight hours of sleep and a proper meal. You look like the corpse’s bride.”

“Very helpful, thank you.” 

“I’m serious. When’s the last time you slept?”

She groaned. “Would you stop doing that!” 

“Doing what?”

“All of you, criticizing my life choices. My life choices. It’s my life, my choices.” 

“You make poor life choices,” Clint retorted. 

“Oh, respectfully, fuck you, Clint!” 

“Just because you added respectfully to that sentence doesn’t make it okay.”

“Yeah, well, you deserved it.”

“Can we calm down for a second?” 

“I don’t want to calm down.”

“Maybe you should,” he said. “I’ve got something for you.”

“If it’s not Hydra on a stake, I don’t want your charity,” she said.

“Trust me, you’re gonna like this one.” 

Matt jumped up at the slightest sound of footsteps. Three pairs of steel boots. One of the three intruders was smaller than the rest. They walked with determination. His fists shot up, towering over Eliza to protect her. Clint didn’t seem bothered. 

“Someone’s here,” he told them.

Eliza reached for her gun. “Marvelous! You suck at giving gifts, Clint.”

“That’s true,” said the female voice from beyond the shadows. “Our first Christmas together, he gave me a pair of socks. In the wrong size.” 

The weapon clanked against the table. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she cursed under her breath. 

“You know, as fond as I am of going to the gym, this is a pathetic excuse for a safe house.”

“You know all about safe houses, don’t you?” 

“Well, I haven’t come this far from Budapest for nothing.”

Moonlight fell on the redhead’s face. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief. She wore jeans and a leather jacket, though the piece of clothing was covered by a green vest. She had changed from the last time she saw her. 

Eliza bit her cheek. “So this is real? I’m not dreaming or having hallucinations?”

“Nope,” the woman shook her head. “This is all real.”

Her fists clenched at her sides. 

“Clint gave me a Hello Kitty keychain once,” another voice piped up in the distance. The suit with the star in the middle of his chest fit him like a glove. It was darker, much dirtier than the one he had worn last. Disheveled and in hiding. “Up to that point, I didn’t even know what Hello Kitty was.”

The third man scoffed. “You guys getting gifts from this guy?”

“Yeah, you don’t?”

“The only thing I’m getting is a headache.”

“He gives me those too,” said the woman. 

Clint chuckled drily. “Very funny, guys,” he said, “but maybe you should say hello first before you start insulting me. Eliza is the one you haven’t seen in months, she deserves an explanation.”

She raised her eyebrows. He was onto something. Seeing those faces again threw her back several months. She remembered the day they stood face-to-face at the Berlin airport vividly. She remembered what it felt like to be so helpless, to see her family fall apart before her eyes. She remembered considering changing her mind, and she had for a moment. She considered going with them, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this bad if she had. But all of this was over. She had no choice but to surrender to reality. 

Eliza fell into Natasha’s arms almost instantly. Steve yelped in surprise when her bruising arms caught him too, squeezing his broad frame against her body. Sam was next, although she went a little easier on him.

Natasha met her eyes. “You look like hell,” she said.

“And you’re blonde,” Eliza retorted. 

“I see you’ve still got your wits about you.”

“If the need arises.”

“Of course.”

“Where did you go, Natasha?”

She stepped forward. “Here and there. Lately though, Budapesht.” 

“No, I mean, where did you go?” she emphasized the last word as if it would make more sense. 

She frowned before slowly realizing, “A lot has happened over the past couple of weeks that has changed my view on the world. I see a lot of things clearer now.“

“How bad?”

“Little girls getting turned into assassins kind of bad.”

“Damn,” Eliza scoffed, “when it rains it pours, right?”

“Right.”

“Is that why you went blonde? Nervous breakdown?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

She nodded. “That’s valid, I suppose.”

Her eyes traveled to the tall man next to her friend. “What about you?” she asked. “Where did the great Captain America go?” 

“Wakanda then Portugal,” Steve said. “And then back to Wakanda.”

“You know how he is?”

“Still frozen.”

“So why’d you go?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t want him to be alone.”

Eliza smiled softly back at him. “He’s in good hands,” she said.

“I know.” Even Steve couldn’t help the small smile that spread across his face. “I’m glad you’re okay, kid,” he said.

“I’m glad you’re okay, too.”

She turned to the third of the pack. “Sam,” she said. 

“‘Sup,” the Falcon replied. 

“What are you doing here? Out of all the people you could help, why me? I wasn’t exactly kind to you back in the day.”

“We met under exceptional circumstances. I heard a friend was in trouble, so I lunged out of that hotel room as fast as I could.”

“And where have you been the last couple of months?”

“Definitely not five-star hotels,” he joked. She tilted her head to the side. “But I’m fine,” he said. “Everything’s fine. My sister and nephews are fine. Nothing to worry about.”

“Okay, great. Five fugitives in a room. Five Avengers whose faces everyone knows and currently hates. That’s just awesome. Fucking fantastic!”

“We’re here to help,” Natasha said. 

“So you know too? About Hydra?”

“When it comes to Hydra, I’m usually the first to know,” said Steve. “And I’m also the first to jump at a chance to ruin them. You know that, Liz. We would never let you down with something this serious.”

“I just want to know, did you plan this?” Eliza eyed them. “Did you plan to jump in and play the heroes again?” 

Natasha shook her head. “We didn’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” She chose to believe her. She heaved a heavy breath. “Natasha, Steve, Sam, I want you to meet Matthew.” Eliza pointed at the man next to her. “He’s uh…”

“Blind,” Natasha finished. 

He scoffed. “Daredevil,” he surprised himself with how easily he admitted that. 

The three didn’t move a muscle. 

“You helping her?” Something resembling resentment displayed in her eyes.

“I’m a friend.”

“I’m her closest friend.”

Eliza’s head snapped around. “Nat!”

“It’s nice meeting you, Matthew,” her voice dripped with venom.

Matt retracted his hand. She wasn’t going to shake it. 

“Nice to meet you, too.”

The other two men took his hand. It seemed to be a Natasha problem that she didn’t like him, not a universal issue.

“This is Foggy,” he pointed to his friend sitting at the table. 

“The other lawyer,” Steve said. “I’ve read a lot about you guys. Impressive work.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m from Brooklyn, so I know what it’s like to live among the underprivileged citizens of New York, and then try to fix as much injustice as you possibly can. That takes a lot of courage. Your hearts are set right. I’m Steve Rogers, by the way,” he introduced himself to the blond half of the twisted lawyer duo. 

Eliza poked Foggy’s shoulder when he didn’t move. “Foggy?” she asked. His eyes stayed wide open, staring at the strangers in front of him. She poked him again. “Foggy, can you hear me? Foggy!” She even checked his pulse, but he was pretty much alive. “Earth to Foggy? Fog- hello?”

Clint cocked an eyebrow. “I think you broke him,” he said.

“I think he went into full system failure.”

“He’s glitching. You see that?” He pointed to his eyes.

“Huh,” she agreed. “Foggy?” Eliza tried again with the poking. “Fooooggyyyyy? Jesus. Has he been like this before?” she asked, the question directed to Matt who was confused and overwhelmed as well, but he managed to keep his feelings down. For her sake. 

Clint waved his hand in front of his face. “Maybe it’s permanent brain damage from the fall,” he suggested. 

“This is worse than the time he found out I’m Daredevil,” Matt told her.

“Oh, great. Maybe it is permanent brain damage after all,” she said. 

“It’s not. His heartbeat and blood pressure are normal. His eyes are moving. He’s breathing. Everything’s fine.”

“He’s in shock, Matt.” She returned to stabbing Foggy with her finger. “He’s not even moving.”

“But physically, he’s healthy.”

Eliza deadpanned. “Can you smell brain damage, too?”

He glared back at her. “No, that exceeds my abilities,” he said.

Natasha stepped forward. “What exactly are your abilities?” she questioned. 

“I have heightened senses,” Matt explained. “Hearing, smell, taste, and feeling. I can hear his heartbeat.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I can hear yours too. Right now, it’s beating pretty fast. I can tell that you don’t particularly like me,” he chuckled softly at the hitch of her breath, “But you’re trying to, for her sake.”

She snapped back at him, only loud enough for him to hear, “I’ve seen her get hurt by a lot of people, and I’ve almost lost her several times because of it. Hurt her,” she said, “and I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

Matt’s heart dropped into his stomach. “I… okay?” he swallowed the hard lump that had built up in his throat. Her threat was loud and clear and judging by her steady heartbeat, she wasn’t lying to him. 

“I mean it. I don’t care if you’re blind. If you hurt her, I’m gonna make you wish that you were never born. Are we clear on that, Matthew?”

“Crystal,” he said. 

“Good.”

Eliza was still trying to get Foggy to show any signs of life. “Foggy, can you hear me?” she asked, waving her hand in front of his face. “Can we reboot him? Is that a thing in humans?”

Clint simply reached out and slapped him across the face. He blinked out of his trance. “That’s Captain America,” he whispered, pointing at Steve. “And that’s the Falcon and Black Widow. They’re just… they’re here.”

“That’s why you spaced out?” she glared at him. “I thought you were having a nervous breakdown, Foggy!”

“They’re real,” he repeated. “It’s Captain America, Liz! I can’t stay calm when Steve freaking Rogers is standing in front of me.”

“Ugh, I hate you so much. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“So,” Clint decided to change the subject entirely, “Are we gonna stay here or find someplace else to stay?”

“Fogwell’s is the safest bet for now,” Matt stated. “If they managed to find us at Josie’s, they won’t hesitate to find my apartment. I, uh, I’m gonna head there and see if anyone knows about where Eliza is staying, get my suit, and once I made sure it’s safe to come back, I’ll come and get you. You guys good here?”

“I’m coming with you,” Clint decided. 

“I’ll stay with her,” said Natasha. 

“We’ll tag along,” Steve and Sam agreed on that. 

“Great.”

“What? No, that’s a stupid plan,” Eliza argued. “Stop it! No one’s leaving.”

Matt sighed, propping his hands on his hips. “For once, Eliza, please do as you’re told.”

“No.” She stood stern, keeping him from leaving. 

“I’m not gonna beg this time. Stay here.“

“You’re not in charge of me.”

“The only reason you’re still alive right now is that I threw myself on you to protect you from that grenade.”

“Can we not do this in front of everyone, please?” she said through gritted teeth. “You’re embarrassing me.”

He scoffed. Instead of acting on her plea, he turned on his heels and stormed out of one of the doors. She had no idea where it led, she simply followed him. They landed in the back alley of the gym, the sky tinted red due to the looming sunrise. 

“Matt!” she called out. “Matt, hold on! Don’t walk away from me. Matthew, stop!” Finally, he stopped. “Talk to me, please.“

“Let me do this,” he said, back still turned to her. “Let me make sure you’re safe on my own and then we can talk.” He turned around. “I need you alive. You promised. You promised you won’t die on me.”

“And I intend to keep that promise, but I can’t just sit here and wait while you’re risking your life for me.”

“It’s not as deep as you think. I’m just making sure you’re safe. Nothing is gonna happen to me. You, on the other hand, are in danger every time you as much as step a foot outside. You’ve seen it happen at your apartment, you’ve seen it happen again tonight. This is gonna keep happening, you said it yourself, and one of these days I might not be able to protect you.”

Matt took a deep breath, wiping his exhausted face. “If you stay here, where no one can find you, I can make sure that you’re safe and taken care of. Right here is where you need to be while I make sure that nothing happens to you once we go out there,” he said. He waved his hands around, motioning to the whole wide world behind them. “I just want you to be okay, Eliza. That’s all I want.”

“I’m not your responsibility, I told you!” Eliza raised her voice. She did it because he did. They both bordered on desperate yelling, not sure where this fight was leading, and it took a heavy toll on them. “Not everyone is,” she said. “There is a fine line between protecting me and controlling me. You are about to completely miss the mark.”

“Well, you need someone to control you every once in a while.”

“Oh, come on!” She threw her head back. “This again?”

“It’s always gonna be this again because that’s just who you are. You’re reckless and don’t care about yourself, so I have to make these important decisions for you.”

“You are out of line here,” she ground her teeth.

Matt sighed. He rubbed his temples, smoothing out the wrinkles on his forehead only for them to return seconds later. “Your friends who are national fugitives came back here, risking their lives, just to help you. Why can’t you see that this is serious?” he said.

“I know that this is serious!” she bit back.

“Do you?”

“We’ve had the exact same fight before, remember?”

“The last time we did, I thought you finally listened to me. The only reason we’re having this fight again is because you didn’t listen again.”

“Oh, shut up! You think you know me, Matthew? Well, you don’t. At least not like this. And you don’t know my friends either. They came back because they’re my family and we’d risk everything for each other,” she said. “I would do the same for them in a heartbeat. In fact, I have. I have on multiple occasions. That’s what family does! They know Hydra better than anyone, that’s why they came back. They came back because we were outnumbered, not just to keep me safe. You’re not like them, Matt. You are so much different. Which is precisely my fucking point! You’re not made for this.”

“Why, because I’m not an Avenger like you?” Matt challenged.

“As a matter of fact, yes. You don’t have the training. You don’t know what it’s like to be part of a team like this. You’ve never fought the wars we have.“

“So I’m worth less than them, is that it? ‘Cause I don’t fight aliens or robots? ‘Cause I focus on Hell’s Kitchen and not the whole goddamn world? Is that what you’re trying to say?”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“If Natasha were to do what I suggested to do, you wouldn’t act this way. Or Clint, or- or Steve. All of them. They said they’d come with me and you didn’t even say a word about their decision. With me though you’re suddenly so convinced something bad might happen and I won’t make it. For what? ‘Cause you think I’m not as good as them?”

“No,” she said.

“I don’t believe you.” He pouted. “This is the first time I can’t tell if you’re lying or not so I don’t believe you, Eliza. I can’t. Not when you’re like this.”

“The reason you are different isn’t because you’re weak. You’re not indestructible, Matt,” she insisted, “why don’t you get that? If you go home and Hydra is waiting for you at your doorstep, they don’t care if it’s me or you, they will hurt you to get to me. It’s not that I trust Nat or the others more than you. I know they can survive the impossible, I’ve seen them do it. You’re just a man in a mask. You could die. And if you die, I won’t be able to live with myself.”

“Everyone of the people inside this gym could die,” he said. 

“And while that would hurt, we knew what we signed up for when we did. You didn’t sign up for this.” She reached out to touch his hand, but he shied away. 

Matt shook his head. “I made a vow to protect this city. In front of God, in front of myself, in front of you… I won’t just stop now because you think I am ill-equipped for this; just because you think I’m not as good as your so-called family. The same people who left you, remember?”

His eyes resembled an impossible storm, one that couldn’t be tamed. “They left and you were a broken mess because of it. I was there, I still am. I’ve been with you through this whole ordeal. I’ve never once left your side. We leaned onto each other when we needed it most, and we decided to fight this battle together because we work. We just work, Eliza. We’re a team. You know I can handle myself. The way you’re treating me right now, it’s not fair. You’re being unreasonable for no fucking reason.”

If he would have had a flat surface around, he would have slapped it. The red hot anger radiated off of him, engulfing her in thick smoke, and she drove straight into a wall.

“I’m not saying you’re not as good,” Eliza cried out, “I’m saying you are far more vulnerable than those soldiers in there. You know that Matt, c’mon.” She inched closer, stroking his arms and shoulders gently. “The Avengers are a family. They left, yes, but not without reason. We fought, we had a fall-out, and that fall-out ended them up as fugitives. That wasn’t just their fault, it was mine too because I played along. They’re not to blame. From the beginning, we vowed that we’d take care of each other. We’d sacrifice everything for this family, and would sacrifice ourselves for each other any day, no questions asked.”

“I would sacrifice everything for you, too!” he said.

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t. You’re playing with your life, a life that was semi-normal only a week ago. You didn’t grow up the way we did. You should value your life more because you have one outside of your night job. You’re a lawyer by day and vigilante by night. You have a rhythm, we don’t. This is our life. We don’t have anything to go back to. So when I say don’t put your life on the line just for me, I mean it. You have too much to lose.”

“Oh, so you just want me to stop caring? Be cold, emotionless, like none of this runs deeper than we’d like to believe?”

“Yes!”

“I can’t. That’s the only reason I’m even doing this in the first place. You. It’s always gonna be you.”

“That’s not true, Matt. Please tell me you don’t actually believe that.”

“You still don’t get it, do you?” The distance he put between them was brutal. “You acknowledge that your family would sacrifice everything for you because you’ve fought in wars together or some other pretentious bullshit,” he said, “but as soon as it is me or- or any other person that isn’t an Avenger, someone you haven’t signed a contract for, you feel like they can’t even find it in themselves to care about you. ‘Cause they’re not bound to you. You think that you don’t deserve people outside of this tight-knit circle you’ve built for yourself caring for you. You believe you’re broken beyond repair, and you won’t listen when someone tries to convince you otherwise. You, Eliza, think that you don’t matter and that’s why no one can ever fucking love you.”

“That’s because they can’t!”

“But I do! I love you!” 

Her breathing came to a sudden halt. Eyelashes fluttering, her vision started to go hazy. She was conscious, though her heart beat out of her chest. It raced an impossible marathon against the needed blood supply to keep her alive. All the blood shot to her cheeks, leaving the rest of her body high and dry. Have I mentioned her lungs? They were malfunctioning. She couldn’t process the oxygen she breathed, so her body denied itself the much-needed air to breathe. 

“People can love you,” he breathed. “They can love you because I do.”

She picked up her jaw off the floor. “What did you just say?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper. 

“I…” Matt cursed himself. He wanted to cry. She wasn’t supposed to find out this way. He said it out loud and suddenly, everything became way too real. His heartbeat was too loud in his ear, he couldn’t pick up on anything else. “Forget I said anything,” he breathed. “It’s not… I didn’t mean it.”

“You don’t love me?”

“No! I do, I just…” and he said it again. His mouth was faster than his brain could even comprehend what he spewed. “No, you’re right, I don’t. I don’t love you.”

Eliza swallowed. “What is it? You do or you don’t? You can’t have both.”

“What do you care?!” he snapped. “Why can’t you just tell me I got my hopes up for nothing so I can move on?”

“No, Matt, I…” she chewed on her bottom lip. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. “I… goddammit!”

This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

His sightless eyes were empty, not a single expression to be seen on his beautiful face. It appeared as if he found closure. “I got my hopes up, didn’t I?” he said. 

“Matt, I can’t…”

“Can’t what? Say it back? Love me back? What, Eliza, tell me! It can’t get any worse than this.”

She did the one thing she promised herself she wouldn’t do. “I can’t say it back because I don’t love you back,” she said. Even though the tears were threatening to fall, she stayed emotionless, for him, for herself, for preventing any more pain. 

Matt nodded slowly, processing the words. He didn’t even attempt to listen to her heartbeat, too caught up in the sharp agony shooting through the left side of his chest, piercing his soul, to tell apart a lie from the truth. 

“This always happens,” he murmured. “This always fucking happens. I fall for someone and as soon as I admit it to myself, everything just falls apart. You know, I thought you were different,” he scoffed, broken and teary-eyed. “What happened, what did I do wrong?”

“Nothing. You didn’t do anything. I just can’t… I can’t love you. Physically and emotionally, I can’t. The feelings I have don’t have anything to do with you. It’s me, it’s always me. Matt, I’m so sorry. This wasn’t supposed to happen.” 

“Don’t,” he waved her off. 

“Please, listen to me. Just because I don’t love you doesn’t mean we have to-“

“I said don’t!” 

She flinched. 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he said. “You warned me and I didn’t listen. That was my mistake. I would have appreciated it though if you had at least told me that you were just in it for the sex before I completely embarrassed myself in front of you.”

“Don’t do this,” she whispered. Her throat tightened. He heard the pain in her voice, yet he purposely ignored it. “I’m not like this, I would never use you just for sex. I mean, it was great sex, mind-blowing even, the best I ever had, but I would never lead you on just to keep that.”

“Isn’t that what you do with everyone you meet? You have sex with them and you drop them like they meant nothing to you. You fuck just to get the edge of. I mean, you’re an addict after all.”

She sneered. “I do not! And that’s not fair.”

“Am I wrong? You know what, I thought I’d be different for you. I thought I didn’t fit on that roster, but I guess I expected too much from you.”

“No! You are different, Matt! You’re not just some random guy I picked up to make the pain of existence go away. Please, you know that.”

“Am I different? Am I, really?”

“Of course, you are. You opened yourself up to me, so I opened myself up to you. You trusted me with your body and soul, and I trusted you because I knew from the beginning your insufferable ass was going to be the death of me. I still do. This is an emotional affair, it’s not just sex.”

“But you don’t have feelings for me.” He chuckled. “Yeah, that doesn’t make me feel better.”

She sighed, “I know, I’m sorry.”

“I should have known you were gonna screw with my head. It was my mistake I didn’t stop when I started developing feelings, but I think you knew I did, and yet you kept going. That’s fucked up. More fucked up than me pining for you ever since you first kissed me.”

“I didn’t know.”

“That’s a lie. I can tell ‘cause your heartbeat never changes when you’re talking to me, but it just did right now.”

“Matt, please-“

“Don’t tell me you’re sorry.”

Her breath shuddered. “I never wanted to hurt you. That’s the last thing I wanted.”

“You know what? Don’t bother,” he said. “I’m gonna check the apartment, see if it’s safe for you to come back. We solve this, we stop Hydra. We can work together, surely we can manage that. I’m gonna sleep on the couch for the time being, you can have the bed. Just as long as this takes. Once this is over, you’ll find a new apartment, I’ll go back to work and you can continue being you somewhere I won’t bother you. We won’t have to see each other again. No hard feelings.”

“Matt, no. Don’t do this.”

He turned around, not ready to face her reaction to the words he was about to utter. She stood there, trying her hardest to keep her heart from breaking, but the second he spoke, he shattered it into pieces. 

“We’re done.”

As soon as he was around the corner, she toppled over with a gut-wrenching sob. He probably heard it, though once he was out of her sight, he didn’t turn back. He disappeared, taking her heart with him. 

And it was all her fault. 

She wiped her tears. This was neither the place nor the time to mourn a non-existent relationship. It was a situationship, at best. Friends with benefits, a sexual arrangement brought on by heavy trauma that connected them. It wasn’t real. Their feelings weren’t real. Except for the fact that they were real, at least to him. He loved her. The one thing she had ignored, his love for her, exploded in its bright colors before her eyes, surrounding his soul like a safety net. And she tore it apart, just like that, as if their time together had meant nothing but physical pleasure to her. She used him, that was how he felt, and he had every right to because she felt like she had, too. 

Straightening her shoulders, she opened the back door and stepped back into the gym. Natasha, Steve, Clint, Sam, and Foggy conversed in the main room, their voices bouncing off the high walls. Her mind had long stopped functioning rationally. She functioned like a robot, denying herself to feeling the full extent of what had just happened. She had a job to do, and the people around her could help her achieve her deepest desire - destroy Hydra once and for all. 

She entered the room. Foggy had his Captain America cards laid out on the table, letting him sign them with a pen he had in his jacket. “Oh, this one too. Can you make it out to Edward?” he asked. “He’s my dad and your biggest fan. Bigger than me.”

Steve chuckled. “Sure,” and he signed the card.

Her footsteps rang out. “You’re signing baseball cards?” All eyes turned on her. “Hydra just blew up half a block and you’re signing baseball cards?”

“Eliza, what happened?” Foggy asked almost immediately.

“I thought you took this seriously,” she said. “I thought… well, doesn’t matter what I thought. It never does.” She sucked up the snot that was threatening to run out of her nose.

“Where’s Matt?”

“He left.”

“He left? Where did he go?”

“I don’t know. I’m not the boss of him.”Eliza straightened her shoulders. The tension stiffened every last muscle traveling up her spine. “How did you know?” she asked then.

“Know what?” Clint asked. 

“About Hydra, about this… I don’t believe that you followed my breadcrumbs ‘cause I didn’t leave any, and news footage isn’t enough to figure out something complex as this. So, I want to know how you knew and why you came back.”

The bad feeling she had before while Clint and Matt were talking, the one that grew stronger once the other three appeared, slowly made sense. Her fears possessed her. The bad feeling ate her alive, tearing hole after hole through her stomach, heart, and soul. She needed to know. She needed to understand what that looming dark cloud in the air meant.

Foggy blinked a few times, just to take a closer look at her distraught figure. “What happened out there?” he asked. “What did Matt say to you?”

“He said he was gonna check out the apartment and come back once it’s safe. But that wasn’t the question.” She turned to her friends. “I want an explanation. Before I tell you anything about tonight and the days before that, I need to know that you didn’t already know.”

The four exchanged a look. “Eliza,” Natasha began. “We didn’t know this was going to happen.”

“Then how did you know where to find me, hm? Was that just convenient? All four of you, fugitives from the law, suddenly here in Hell’s Kitchen the same night a grenade almost kills me.“

“I told you, I followed you,” Clint said. 

“Yeah, but on what grounds?”

“Your safety.”

“You’re lying to me. I might not have super hearing, but my life is currently one of the biggest shitshows in existence and I���m so tired of having everybody lie to me to spare my feelings. I can tell something is up. I can feel it. So stop lying to me and please, just tell me the truth.”

Another look was shared. “Sit down, kid,” Steve eventually caved. He pulled out a chair for her.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Matt?” Foggy asked. 

“I don’t think we’ll be seeing him anytime soon,” Eliza answered. Her voice ran cold. 

He stared at her in absolute disbelief. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means he won’t be back anytime soon. Matt isn’t the issue here, your lies are.” She leaned forward on the table, shifting her weight to her forearms. Her eyes bore into Natasha, who seated herself in front of her. “Now tell me, why do I have such a bad feeling about this? What do you know?”

“What do you want to know?” Natasha challenged. 

“Let’s start with how you knew I was in trouble, then maybe tell me how you got here.”

She and Clint exchanged a look. The latter nodded. “Tony called us,” she said. “He told us you were in trouble, so we came.”

The thin ice she had been on broke clear through at the single mention of the man’s name.

Eliza bit her lip. “Tony?” she questioned. “He called you?”

“We- no, I told him you would never listen if he told you to back down from this. This isn’t your nature. You always want all the answers, so backing down isn’t exactly your forte. Tony thought you’d leave it be. You didn’t. He called us the day you got caught in that butcher shop. From there on, we started talking regularly…”

Clint chimed in, “I followed you. I watched everything you did and evaluated how far you could get without us having to jump in,” he explained.

“When you teamed up with Daredevil,” Steve spoke up, “We thought you could handle this on your own. Even after the explosion at your apartment, you managed to get out of it unscathed. Clint said we still had time. Stark didn’t believe him. He said you’d get yourself killed just to solve this. Now, I’m the last person who would stop you from completely demolishing Hydra. When I heard they were back, I almost started a riot myself.”

“Barton here was just around the block when he heard the explosion. He texted us on your way here,” said Sam. 

“And we decided this was the best time to jump in,” Natasha concluded. She was the one person she would always trust. She was her confidant, her partner, and her sister. She would put her life in her hands anytime. 

The truth hurt though, and the betrayal made her skin go white. “What?” she choked out. 

“Tony didn’t do all of this just to spite you, he wanted to protect you. He still does. He knows, once Hydra gets you, he won’t get you back. You won’t survive.”

“You talked to him?”

“Yes. He left us no choice, but for you, we’d do anything. You know that. I care about you,” she reached across the table, but the girl leaned back, almost disgusted by the display of affection. “I care about, Eliza,” she said. “I would never do anything to hurt you. We just couldn’t tell you sooner.”

She gritted her teeth. “How much has he told you?” 

“We know,” Clint said. 

“You know what?”

“Tony told us everything.”

“What they’re trying to say is, we know about your file and we know what Hydra wants,” Steve told her. Her eyes flicked to him. “He had to tell us. We had to know.”

Eliza remained quiet. 

“Your father was the one who gave Stark the file two years ago. He told him to make sure you were okay, to hide the file, and make sure no one else would be able to find it. He told him to keep you safe from Hydra, which included you not knowing. Your father asked him to, he didn’t decide this all by himself.”

“You’re probably wondering when we found out,” it was Sam who stated, “He told us shortly before the Accords were put in place.”

Natasha once again tried to take her hand. “I’m sorry we kept this from you, Eliza,” she said. “We wanted to keep you safe.”

“Keep me safe,” her voice fell flat. “You wanted to keep me safe. Like my father wanted to keep me safe. Two years ago, not twenty. He started caring after he gave me away. Do you really think I would believe that my father came back to rat on the same organization he put me in when I was a kid, and give Tony my file?”

“Hydra got him,” she told her. “They got your father in search of you. He got out and brought the truth to Tony, knowing he’d always look after you.”

“So he is alive.”

“I’ve been keeping tabs on him. Hydra hasn’t found him yet, so he’s okay.”

“Okay,” she scoffed. “He is okay. That’s great. At least one of us is.”

“Eliza, please. Talk to us,” Clint pleaded. 

“You knew about me. You all did and you didn’t think to tell me.” She shook her head. “I should have known. I should have known this was going to happen. Fuck!”

“Eliza-”

“The best part of my life was fake and none of you told me!”

The words cut Natasha like a sharp knife. 

“I am fake,” she said. “My name, my identity, they’re all fake. The person I was born to be is in that file. A file that could have spared me so much pain…”

“And caused even more,” Steve argued. 

“What does it matter? I would have known who I was instead of searching for myself through drugs and sex. I could have… it was never real. Us, the Avengers, it was all just pretense. Wow.” She ruffled her hair. “This is even more fucked up than the terrible scenarios I have conjured up in my mind. Congratulations,” she said. “You really did it this time.”

What, she didn’t clarify.

The chair scraped against the floor. Her heart locked like a door with several deadbolts, and without saying anything further, she got up and stormed out. She didn’t quite storm, to be fair, she simply turned around and walked out. She didn’t cry or scream, she was too tired for that, but she also couldn’t stay. She couldn’t stay with the people who raised her because it hurt to even breathe around them. 

She found access to the building’s roof with ease. The cool summer night’s air hit her across the face. The city beneath her was loud again, streets burning with different lights, and for a moment, the world seemed ordinary and okay. Just for a moment, then everything came crashing back down on her. 

Eliza sat down on the ledge, legs dangling over the abyss. The burning in her chest threatened to kill her. It would have been kinder than whatever it was that she felt. She hoped Matt was okay and he didn’t do anything stupid. But it was Matt, he would always do stupid things when he was angry. He would always let his anger out in the way he knew best, with his fists. 

“We have a possible hostile threatening this mission and you want to engage her?” Nick Fury said as his team stood around the holographic round table. “Agent Romanoff, are you out of your goddamn mind?”

“I know what I’m getting myself into,” Natasha replied sternly. “That girl… she just needs help. She doesn’t know what she’s doing. She is me, Nick. I was like her once, lost and full of vengeance, but I got better thanks to Clint. He saved me, even though you told him to kill me if necessary. I’m glad he didn’t, so let me save that girl.”

“You’re forgetting something. She’s a powered individual. She could kill you with a flick of her wrist.”

“She won’t.”

“And how can you be so sure?”

“I just am.”

She sniffled. Natasha had faith in her from the beginning. Why did everything feel so useless all of the sudden? Like she didn’t deserve that faith anymore? She failed. She failed in more ways than once. A despicable human being, emotionally dull, someone just pretending to understand the human soul to divert attention from her battle with herself. 

“My name is Natasha Romanoff. I used to be like you,” she said to the terrified girl standing before her, ashes and ruins around her, as well as dead bodies and blood on the floor. Her eyes glowed a bright red, her fingers wrapped in smoke. The knife in her head stayed eerily still. She was bloodthirsty, fueled by something she could never quite understand.

“I used to be like you, terrified and alone with the order to kill,” she said. “But I got out. I found a friend who helped me out, who refused to give up on me and he pulled me out of this hole I was in. He helped me get rid of the voices in my head telling me what to do. Years of conditioning washed down the drain thanks to my friend. I stopped and so can you. I know it’s scary,” she inched closer, “And you want nothing more than to jab that knife into my neck right now. I know because I’ve been there. But there is a way out of this. You can survive this. I can help you get better, gain control over your powers, and train you how to be a hero instead of whatever they taught you to be. You can do it. Just put the knife down, put your hands above your head and I will get you out of here.”

She got out, but at what price?

Mrs. Darcy once told her, “The world likes to display superhumans as loveless monsters. Just because you’re not human, you are incapable of human emotion. That’s not true. We can all love, superhuman or not. Love is what ultimately drives us to who we truly are. You are not loveless, Eliza. No one is.”

And while her words made sense, she couldn’t find it within herself to believe them. Not when everything around her lay in shambles because she couldn’t let curiosity stay curiosity, and she just had to break the heart of someone she cared about. A person who knew how to love would never do such a thing. Only loveless monsters would do that to someone. 

She remembered the first time she picked up the syringe filled with liquid Oxy and set it to the crook of her elbow, sliding the needle into her vein and shooting the opioid into her blood system. The high she felt, the sudden numbness of her mind and body, the excitement of being totally free from everything - she had never been more happy or relaxed than the many times she had taken pills, shot up, or gotten high in any other capacity. 

“You’ve got demons in your head, darling, and you need to exorcise them.”

The demons in her head were so much worse. She couldn’t exorcise them. Exorcising them would mean killing herself. She could if she wanted to. The urge was there, but fighting Hydra was a need stronger than her desire for death. At the moment, at least.

After this, she had nothing left. Natasha, Clint, Steve, and Sam all lied to her. They would leave again as soon as everything was over, back into hiding, and Matt was gone too, thanks to her. He would run as soon as Hydra was taken care of. He had to. She would have done the same in his position. 

As Eliza drowned in her sorrows, Matt had his way of coping. His apartment was safe, Hydra was nowhere to be found, and the streets of Hell’s Kitchen were wiped clean due to the explosion at Josie’s. Except for the occasional perp trying his luck in robbing innocent people. That was when he struck. 

He punched the young man senselessly after he attempted to steal from an elderly woman. His fists kept hitting his face until his bones were cracked and his skin bloody and swollen. He kicked his ribs, broke his arm, and tore at his leg. Matt threw punch after punch until the man passed out and he was gasping for oxygen. The anger and bitterness remained, even after dropping his victim off in front of the police station. 

He could hear her soft cries from across the city. She was on the roof, not willing to jump, just thinking, and she was crying. The one sound he could make out of millions. Her crying broke his already fragile heart. He should be the one crying, instead, he felt for her, which caused the inevitable tears to clog his mind.

He stopped midway to Fogwell’s, pressing his back against the nearest wall and he sobbed. He sobbed without having her arms to hold him. He had gotten so used to her support, not having her around while he was in pain was the most terrible kind of torture. 

Eliza wondered what he was doing, who he had found to beat up. There was no doubt in her mind he went out in his suit for the first time in a while just to let out his frustrations. She couldn’t blame him. 

“Your friends are tearing each other to shreds,” Foggy said. She hadn’t even realized he had entered the door to the roof until he sat down next to her. “They’re blaming each other. Natasha and Clint fought about who was gonna check on you, but you know, the good friend I am, I told them they were behaving like idiots and that I was gonna make sure you won’t kill yourself.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m fine.”

“Is that why you’re crying?”

“Shut up.” She wiped her wet cheeks. 

He stared up at the sky, counting the stars. The silence was comforting, better than having her feelings burn her alive. With Foggy there, she didn’t have to think so hard about the world. Usually, she would have found Matt in his position, but he wasn’t there and he probably wouldn’t be there again, not anymore. 

Eliza looked up too, but only to stop the angry tears from flowing again. “Matt told me he loved me,” she admitted, and his name alone was enough to ignore her attempts and make her cry anyway. 

“Damn,” Foggy said. “That went from zero to hundred really fast.”

“I didn’t say it back.”

“Oh.”

“I told him I can’t say it back because… I don’t love him.”

“Oh.” He couldn’t help but think, “This is my fault.”

“What do you mean?”

“I told him he had to be honest with you. I just didn’t think… I’m sorry.”

“No, this has nothing to do with you. I don’t think he wanted to say it, the words just slipped.”

“You still feel guilty because you broke his heart.”

“He said it was over.” Her teary eyes met his. “He told me it’s over and now he’s gone and I’m so worried something might happen to him. Or even worse, he might push himself so far, he hurts himself. Oh, God.”

Foggy wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his chest. She cried into his pink shirt. “And now my friends - my family - told me they lied to me and I just… I don’t know who I am anymore, or what to do. My life is in ruins. I lost everyone. I lost everyone I care about ‘cause of stupid lies.” 

“You still have me,” he tried to cheer her up. 

“It’s not the same! I need him.” 

“I know, and I’m sorry.”

“God, I’m so stupid.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I don’t want to be angry anymore. I don’t want to feel like this. I just want my life back. I want Matt back.”

“Your friends, they love you,” Foggy stated. “And I know you’re angry at them, but they just wanted to help.”

“I know that, but…”

“You still feel betrayed.”

“I don’t think I can go back in there and work with them. I just can’t.”

“Okay, listen, I’m gonna give you some advice.”

Eliza sat up to look him in the eyes. “What’s that?”

“If Abba could come together after both of their divorces and make more music together, you can do this!” he said. 

She chuckled. “Well, after that passionate speech I guess I have no choice.”

“Come on,” he got up and took her hand, “let’s get this over with.”

She allowed him to pull her back to her wobbly feet.

As the pair reentered the gym, the front door opened and Matt came in, his lip cracked and knuckles bloody. They stopped for a moment. Eliza took in his appearance and he tilted his head to listen to her heartbeat. Neither of them spoke. 

She opened her mouth, “Are you-“

“I’m fine,” he cut her off.

She sighed. She really screwed this up.

“Eliza,” Natasha breathed a sigh of relief.

“Don’t,” she said. She stood in front of her friends, but all she saw were strangers. “I’m tired. I’m tired of holding grudges, so I forgive you, for what it’s worth. That doesn’t mean I’m gonna forget. But we’ve survived worse than this and we make a good team, for all I know. So, now that we’re all together again, we can work on finding Hydra.”

The four nodded. 

“What did I miss?” Matt asked.

Eliza wasn’t going to answer, so Foggy took over. “They knew about her file. Tony sent them to watch over her,” he told him. 

“What?” 

“Yeah. I dealt with it. She’s fine now. Though maybe you should talk to her about-“

“Thank you, Foggy.” 

He turned away. 

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” 

She placed her phone down in the middle of the table. “Does any of you still have a Stark phone at hand?” she asked.

Natasha was the most obvious choice. She pulled the device from her pocket. Eliza took it, transferring the blueprint to the other phone. She tipped it back. The blue lines printed the perfect outlay of the building on the blueprint; the hologram made it possible to move it around and make modifications as the model stood weightless in the air. 

Foggy’s eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets. “This is so awesome!” he breathed. 

She used one hand to spin the structure around. “I found this at one of Wilson Fisk’s shell companies. He works with Hydra.”

“Fisk?” Clint raised his eyebrows. 

“You know him?”

“We might have had one or two encounters in the past. Crazy dude. Not to be underestimated.”

“Yeah,” Matt chuckled darkly, “that about sums it up.”

Natasha inspected the blueprint closer, using the many functions of the hologram to create a precise 3D model. “The White Room?” she questioned to clarify. Eliza nodded. “Looks like they modified it. Fits with what we already know, which isn’t a lot, but we know Hydra is trying to create more soldiers like you, Bucky and Wanda. This place would give them the perfect advantage.” 

“Yeah, but I’m not sure if they’d use masking techniques to keep the facility invisible,” she said.

“Dreykov didn’t use it for the Red Room either. He chose to make it fly instead.”

“What?”

“Yeah, you asked where I’ve been. This is where.”

“I thought the Red Room was destroyed.”

“I thought so too, but I was wrong. It’s gone now though. I finished what I started.”

She hummed, spinning the architecture once again. She clicked on the first cube, a south entrance. “We need to figure out where this is,” she said. “No 3D model in the world can solve the mystery of its location. We have several laboratories in New York with the same building structure, but that’s not a reliable source.”

“Who’s to say it’s even in New York?” Clint added. 

“Exactly. It could be anywhere. From Russia to the deserts of Australia. I mean, laboratories and medical facilities almost always look the same, no matter where you are. The material it’s made out of just varies from country to country.”

“I might know someone,” Sam said. All eyes turned on him. “I have a friend at the mayor’s office. Old army buddy of mine. He might be able to tell us if he’s heard of any buildings like this being built in New York. You know, since it’s documented.” 

“You think so?” Eliza cocked an eyebrow. “We have limited shots, Sam. This needs to work.”

“It will. I know it will.”

“Fine, I’ll bite. What about our identities though? He knows what happened, he might snitch on you.”

“He owes me a favor. Trust me, Liz, this is gonna work.”

“You understand I can’t just take your word for it, right?”

Sam sighed. He looked at me. “You, Daredevil. Tell me, am I lying?”

“No,” Matt answered in a heartbeat. “He’s telling the truth.”

Eliza contemplated. The pros outweighed the cons. If there was even the slightest chance to get ahead of this, she had to take it. They were a team now, still outnumbered but way better equipped than in the beginning. It could work. Sam once was a soldier, he understood the importance of succeeding with missions better than anyone. And if he wasn’t lying, it had to be a good shot. 

She nodded, “Alright, I’m in.”

“Me too,” Steve said. 

“Me three,” said Clint.

“If everyone else is in, I don’t have a choice,” Natasha agreed only hesitantly. 

Foggy raised his hand. “I’m in too,” he said. 

“No,” the team said in unison. 

He put his hand back down. “Okay.”

“Matt,” Eliza looked at him. His lip twitched in something she could only describe as pain. “Are you in?” she asked. 

His tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip, then he bit down on it. She knew that look, the exasperated one, the one filled with anger and pure sadness. He was done. He drew the line under their relationship and it was over, just like that. Like they never even happened. Just because she couldn’t utter three single words, words she didn’t believe in and never had.

“I’m in,” he said eventually. 

Sam clapped his hands together, “Alright, so we’re doing this.”

“I guess we are,” she murmured. “But if we get caught, know that I won’t hesitate to maneuver your ass five ways to Sunday.”

“Duly noted.”

[o-kaythislooksbad]

ailesswhumptober day 26: electrocution / burning / "this is going to sting"

chapter 5 / 7 of i'm too close to breaking | rated t, chose not to warn

he can't feel the different fabrics of the shirts any more than he can feel the cool autumn breeze on his face, but that doesn't stop cliff from insisting on wearing a t-shirt and jeans to clara and mel's wedding. suits and dress shirts don't exactly come in his size, and going to a tailor is out of the question; they don't want to touch him any more than he wants to be touched by them. 

"okay, i'm sure between everyone in this house, someone's gotta know how to mend clothing."

"that's not the point, larry! button-down shirts are itchy." 

larry brings his hands to his head, like he's trying to tear out the hair that hasn't been there since the 60s. "cliff, your body doesn't have any sensory receptors."

"i know that, asshole. that doesn't mean that the clothes can't be itchy."

larry sighs, and the woman with jane's face and body who speaks in a way that is definitely not jane nods in agreement before larry can continue his tirade as captain obvious. the woman compliments his collection of t-shirts sprawled across the dining room table, and cliff doesn't need ears to register her tone as condescending, or eyes to notice that something's not right about her. 

"who the fuck are you?" 

"i'm miranda," the woman says, pasting a polite smile on her face. 

cliff nearly short-circuits. "didn't you drown ages ago? and where's jane?"

"i healed, and she's resting. we had a rough visit back to our childhood home and she's not handling it very well."

maybe it's the use of the word well from this persona, or the sudden use of collective pronouns, but cliff's bullshit radar is going nuts. he hadn't seen much of the underground, or miranda's station and memories, but he's 99% sure that the person standing in front of him is not miranda. 

if he wasn't so busy making decisions and planning a speech for clara's wedding, solving the 'who the hell is this poser?' puzzle would be at the top of his to-do list. 

"right. tell her 'hi' from me." he turns back to his shirts.

"everyone's gonna be looking at the brides, anyway," larry says. "i'm sure that whatever you choose will be fine."

for once, larry's said something helpful. cliff picks a shirt up at random, and if he had the ability to smile, he would. instead, he raises a fist in the air and shouts, "hell, yeah! look, lare-bear, it's perfect."

he holds the black t-shirt out so larry can read the text. "'hello, world'?"

"yeah! it's a nerd thing with computers or something, i think, and it lets people know that i can talk! hello, world! cliff steele is back and better than fucking ever!"

"that's a terrific choice, cliff. your daughter is going to be so happy to see you and get the chance to speak with you again," not-miranda says, her voice dripping with honey and something else, something bitter.

"i hope so," cliff mutters, suddenly nervous again. not-miranda talks to him like he's slow and stupid, just a brain in a clunky can, and it stings a bit.

at least with jane and hammerhead, their dislike and distrust is open. at least with silvertongue and lucy fugue and flaming katy, their violence towards him is warranted. not-miranda won't even give cliff a chance to prove himself as a friend, or at least as a decent housemate.

"on the bright side, clara knows you. it's not like you'll be surprising her by showing up as yourself."

"yeah, your kid sure was in for a shock. how's he doing, by the way?"

herschel falls through the ceiling, chattering about armageddon, but for real this time, at the fair that he and dorothy just got back from, and cliff's limited patience runs out as larry unexpectedly volunteers everyone for a rescue mission. 

"you coming or what?" vic asks. 

"no way, man. i want to see my daughter get married. it only happens once, you know, unless they get divorced, which isn't really the steele style but who knows."

"if it's the end of the world, there won't be any wedding," not-miranda says.

cliff wishes he could punch her until jane resurfaces. jane would understand. she'd hate him, but she'd understand. 

"if it's the end of the world, i deserve to be with my family!"

"then what the hell are we?" larry's voice breaks a bit at the end of his question, which so isn't fair. 

there's family and then there's family, and cliff finally has his daughter back in his life, and he's sure as shit not gonna fuck things up again and push her away. for all the bullshit everyone gives him about responsibility, he'd think they'd want him to own up to it. 

rita plays that card in her own way, saying that if he wants to be the man clara needs him to be, then he'll help dorothy out of trouble and not let the world burn at the candlemaker's hands. 

"fucking - that's not - fine!" cliff sputters. "okay, fuck it, let's go save the world."

his heart, if he still had in it his chest, would be jack-rabbiting in fear. his gut would be turning and his hands would be shaking and every last fiber of his being would scream at him to get to clara, to hold her safely in his arms, and at least let the world end with that consolation. it's selfish and stupid and everything cliff doesn't want to be, but it's hardwired into him and he can't claw it out.

not-miranda lets flit out for the brief second they need to teleport, then resumes her position as they enter the fairground. a thick layer of wax coats everything from the cotton candy machine to the ferris wheel to the people. several of the booths and tents are on fire, but cliff can't feel the heat or the need to clear the smoke from his eyes. 

cliff can't feel the half-melted wax beneath his boots, and the squelching sound can't cause him to cringe, so thank god for small mercies of large robot bodies. he doesn't want to feel jesus drop-kicking him into a flaming tent of funhouse mirrors or slamming him against the ground, and he doesn't, but that doesn't make it any less unpleasant. 

it's when jesus - imaginary fucking jesus - rips his arm off that cliff really loses his shit. 

"that's it!" he yells, headbutting jesus through a wall. "you're wasting my time! i need to find the candlemaker, get it the hell away from dorothy, and get to my daughter's wedding!"

jesus's eyes glow, and he laughs as he burns out of his flesh, leaving cliff as the only man-person-thing not currently on fire. "you have found me." the candlemaker rises from the ashes, ashes that cliff can suddenly taste, and wraps a skeletal hand around his throat. the fire passes from it to cliff's throat, scorching, melting heat that he shouldn't be able to feel. "but you cannot stop me from getting to what is rightfully mine."

the candlemaker tosses cliff aside as effortlessly as he would toss clara's plush giraffe, and cliff lands on the burning remains of go-kart, shattering his spine. the flames engulf his body, and his brain must be shutting down because all it can do is replay the images and sounds of him crashing and burning in the wreckage of what killed him ages ago. for the first time in this body, cliff can feel, and it's overwhelming as fuck. 

"it's not fair," he tries to say, but his voice box must have broken. he can feel every awful thing happening to him as the candlemaker drips its wax slowly down cliff's head. every imaginary nerve burns, every imaginary limb is locked in place as it roasts, but he can't even summon imaginary tears and screams to accompany them. 

he'll never know what makes larry's pancakes taste so good, or how awesome rita's singing voice actually is, or what all the different textures of the hangman's daughter's paint feels like, or how vic can possible like exercising to the point of feeling his muscles ache. he'll never get to know what it feels like to hold is grandson or hand him back to his moms when he starts to stink.

he's going to die again, this time without kate by his side, and it's only the thought of clara living again that lets cliff fade away. 

[coopercythedog]

I have a dream A song to sing To help me cope With anything If you see the wonder Of a fairy tale You can take the future Even if you fail. Sam Carmichael. Bill Anderson. Harry Bright. Gentlemen, I have to go. Thank you very much. Take care. Morning, Rodney. Taxi! JFK, please, as quick as you can. Oh, my God! Oh, my God! I missed you. Oh, no... We're... - We're... ALL: Sophie, Ali, Lisa! We're the greatest, bestest mates! I'm tough. - I'm tall. I'm tiny. - ALL: And we're gonna rock this place. Sophie, it's beautiful. - I want one. He did well, didn't he? I'm getting married tomorrow. I'm so glad you're here, because I have a secret and I can't tell anybody else. Sophie, you're knocked up? - No! No! No! I've invited my dad to my wedding. You are joking! You found him at last? - No! No, no, no, no, no, not exactly. Okay. You know what my mom always said when I asked about my father. It was a summer romance, and he'd gone long before she realised that she was expecting me. And I'd always kind of accepted that that's all I'd ever know. Well, I was ransacking some old trunks and I found this. It's the diary she kept the year she was pregnant with me.

Sophie! 'July 17th. What a night!' I don't know if I want to hear this! - I do! 'Sam rowed me over to the little island.' That's here. That's Kalokairi. 'We danced on the beach, and we kissed on the beach, 'and dot, dot, dot.' What? 'Dot, dot, dot.' That's what they did in the olden days. Stop it! 'Sam's the one. I know he is. 'I've never felt like this before.' Honey, honey How he thrills me Honey, honey Honey, honey Nearly kills me Honey, honey I've heard about him before I wanted to know some more And now I know what they mean He's a love machine Oh, he makes me dizzy Honey, honey Let me feel it Honey, honey Honey, honey Don't conceal it Honey, honey The way that you kiss good night The way that you kiss me good night The way that you hold me tight The way that you're holding me tight I feel like I wanna sing When you do your thing So this guy Sam's your father! - The plot thickens. 'All this time, Sam's been telling me he loves me, 'and now he's announced that he's engaged, 'so he's gone home to get married, 'and I'm never going to see him again.' Poor Donna. 'August 4th. What a night! 'Bill rented a motorboat, and I took him over to the little island.' Bill? Sophie, wait. - Hang on. 'Though I'm still obsessed with Sam, 'Bill's so wild. He's such a funny guy. 'One thing led to another, 'and dot, dot, dot.' 'August 11th. Harry turned up, out of the blue, 'so I said I'd show him the island. 'He's so sweet and understanding, I couldn't help it and 'dot, dot, dot!' - Dot, dot, dot! Oh, my God! - Here come the bridesmaids. Donna! Look at you! God! Stop growing! You sound like you're having fun already. - Oh, we are. I used to have fun. Oh, we know! Honey, honey Touch me, baby Honey, honey

I'd heard about you before I wanted to know some more And now I'm about to see What you mean to me I'm trying to get to Kalokairi. When's the next ferry? What? - Monday. Bollocks! - Yeah, my sentiments exactly. Bride or groom? Bride, although I've actually never met her. BILL: Ahoy, there. You guys need a ride to Kalokairi? Excuse me, coming through. I have a senior citizen with me. Thank you. My mother needs a perch. Mother? We're the same age. Yeah. Well, parts of us are. Sailor. No. TANYA: Oh, he has your book! Oh... Stavros, Stavros. Stavros. It's just a fish. You are so clever. We're going to look fabulous tomorrow. I want the perfect wedding, and I want my father to give me away. Better be a wide aisle. I will know my father as soon as I see him. Sky! Come here, gorgeous. SKY: Put me down. I'm getting married tomorrow. Please be careful. So? There are pins in the dresses. What do you think? Oh, yes! 'Oh, yes.' If you had your way, it'd be a three-minute wedding in jeans and T-shirts, washed down with a bottle of beer. You make me sound so unromantic! I just thought we should save our money for travelling. Well, we're not going anywhere yet. Anyway, please leave. We're very, very busy. I'm just getting some props for tonight. LISA AND ALI: Ooh! For his bachelor party. Why haven't you told him you've invited your dads? Because he would say that I'd have to tell my mom. Donna's absolutely gonna kill you when she finds out. By the time she finds out, it'll be too late. I feel like there's a part of me missing, and when I meet my dad, everything will fall into place.

BILL: More open! HARRY: I'm on it. I'm on it. That's good. That's it. Come on, Cleopatra. My shoe! Will you look at what the tide washed in? For one night. - And one night only. Donna and the Dynamos! - Donna and the Dynamos! Look at you! You baby! - Look at you! You look fantastic! You look like an old hippie! She looks fab. These are new, though. Where did you get these? Husband number three! Dynamos! Dynamite! - Dynamos! Dynamite! ALL: Sleep all day and... All night! TANYA: So, any men at this wedding? Gorgeous Greeks of independent means? Here we go! Husband number four! No! Not for me, for her! - He's coming! For her, now that her book is a bestseller, and she's got the whole world stuffing, what, mushrooms? Various vegetables? It's time to find Mr Right! Oh, please. Boring! Great couple of role models you two are for Sophie! A serial bride and a little hermit over here! That's me! I'm a lone wolf! So, when are the lovebirds flying the nest? Oh, God! Who knows? You know, I do not know what is going on in that child's head sometimes. She wants a big white wedding, and she and Sky are making all kinds of plans for the hotel. Sometimes I think they'll never leave. Yeah, but do you really want her to? Well, I want what's best for her. Of course not! Sky! Come meet my backup girls. Backup girls, my ass! TANYA: Backup girls, my ass! He's the leading man at tomorrow's shindig. SKY: The lucky man. - Hello. You must be Rosie. - I am. How are you? - Very well. And you must be Tanya. I've heard so much about you. - All bad, I hope. Yes. - And all true. Donna... Here, let me get them. I know who you are. You're Bill Anderson, aren't you? Bloke in a Boat in Botswana. - Yes, I am. You know, your books are a godsend on dull business trips. Now, I may look like I'm pondering my securities, but in reality, I'm trekking across some remote corner of the planet. You should try it for real sometime. No, certainly, I'll never be the spontaneous adventurer. You're a close friend of Donna's? No, I haven't heard from her for 20 years. SAM: Really? - And then this invite, out of the blue. You know, that's a coincidence, neither had I. Going about! - You got it! Right. Wait... I've got it. Fine. Fine. You should have brought the iron lung. Why did I wear stilettos?

Auntie Rosie! - Hey, hey! Look at Sophie. She's gotten so beautiful! - I know. Come here to me. Sophie Sheridan, you get more gorgeous every time I see you. You do. I bet you don't remember me. - Not with all that plastic surgery. Of course I do, Auntie Tanya. You haven't changed at all. I'm so happy for you. - Look at my baby, her whole life ahead of her. Oh, please, I'm getting married. I'm not joining a convent! She's feisty. I love that. - Yeah. She's a chip off the old block. If she were more like me, she wouldn't be getting married at 20. Or married at all. I meant to get the laundry down before you came. Tanya's going home! And you'd think with all this new technology, they would figure out a machine that would make the beds. And if they did, you'd be going along behind it, making them again. I know you, Mom. But I am good at modern... Tell them about the Internets. He's gonna put me on the line. - Online. SKY: I'm designing a website. I just think this place has so much potential, and no one knows we're here. So, if I market it really, really well, then, hopefully, people will come flooding in. We just want this to be the ultimate romantic destination. This was once supposed to be the site of Aphrodite's fountain, you know, the goddess of love. And if you drank the water, you were supposed to find true love and perfect happiness. I'll have a glass of that. - Yeah, I'll have a bucket. TANYA: Aphrodite's spa? Well, I thought you didn't want boatloads of tourists. Oh, no, not boatloads, no. But, you know, a few more would be nice. Okay, now, the thing about the toilet, if it doesn't flush right away, just go and come back in a while, and it should... Nothing works around here, except for me. I've been running this hotel for 15 years, and I have never had a day off. Oh, my God! Sorry. I work all night I work all day To pay the bills I have to pay

Do you feel it? The earth moved, darling. We're falling apart here. Don't think about it, come on. Let's go have fun. Tanya's packed for a world tour. Oh, Donna. Donna! Does she wear it or floss with it? TANYA: Floss you. Is it edible, Tanya? Listen to this. 'The world's most luxurious moisturiser 'contains flakes of 24-carat gold 'and extracts of donkey testicle.' You're just jealous. At a thousand dollars a dollop. Tell you, that's the price you have to pay if you wanna drink before 11:in the morning. And we do. - We do. Hi. May I help you? Sure, we're here for the wedding. I'm Bill Anderson. - Huh? I'm Bright, Harry Bright. Sam Carmichael. You are expecting us? Oh, my God. Yes! You're not Donna's daughter? I thought you looked familiar. Sofia. It's Sophie. - Well, Sofia is the Greek. Well, I'm named after a Sofia. I used to have a great-aunt living on the mainland named Sofia. Would you mind if we see our rooms before we see your mother? Sure. It's just that I'd quite like to freshen up... before the big reunion. No! No! I mean, yes, but come this way. Come on! Oh, my God! I got a crack in my courtyard. I gotta go fix it. Hey, listen, Donna? Donna. - I'm serious. Move. Sit down! She won't let me go! - I know... I know you're going to make a fortune with web's... 'With web's...' - With Sky's site. I know you're gonna make a fortune with Sky's website, but... - It's good. Are you gonna be okay until then? I think Tanya is offering to pawn her bling.

No, seriously, Donna... - Oh, my God. Do you need a loan? - No, sweet. Oh, God, I'm just whining, you know me. I don't need to be taken care of. Yeah, but are you being taken care of? What do you mean? - Are you getting any? Oh, you mean... Down, boy, down, boy. No, it takes too much energy. Yeah. Just more plumbing to be maintained, isn't it? Yeah. Oh, God, I'm so glad that whole part of my life is over. You know, seriously. I do not miss it at all. Then it's just right here. Good. Where's Donna? Hey! Okay. Up you go. Hmm. You know, I don't want to seem ungrateful for the scenic tour, but might I be shown my room now? Well, don't hold your breath, Harry, but I think this is your room. Can we see Donna now? I sent the invites. My mom doesn't know anything. Well, she's done so much for me, and she's always talking about you guys and the good old days, and I thought, what an amazing surprise for her that you are all gonna be at my wedding. Hang on, Sophie. I can't be here. The last time I saw your mother, she said she never wanted to see me again. That was years ago. Please, it would mean a lot to me. Listen, I can see that you've been to a great deal of trouble. Might I suggest that we all reconvene on your boat? Good idea. - Nope. Why? - It's an adventure, Harry. It's good for you. - Oh, I see. Okay, when I sent the invites, it was a long shot that you'd even reply. And now you've come all this way for a wedding. Surely there must have been some special reason for you to be here. Like some siren call, maybe? You're a little minx, you know that? You're just like your mother. I'm glad my boys haven't met you. They'd never recover. You have sons? - Yes, two. And someday, I'd like to bring them here.

no, no, no, no, no. Listen, listen, she can't know. I'm going to go. Please stay. Promise me that you'll not tell anybody that I invited you. Okay? Promise? You got it, baby. - It's a promise. I might regret it, but okay. - Okay. There wouldn't, by any chance, happen to be a trouser press on the island, would there? Harry? Bill? I was cheated by you And I think you know when So I made up my mind It must come to an end Look at me now Will I ever learn? I don't know how But I suddenly lose control There's a fire within my soul Just one look and I can hear a bell ring One more look and I forget everything Mamma mia Here I go again My, my How can I resist you? Mamma mia Does it show again? My, my Just how much I've missed you Yes, I've been broken-hearted Blue since the day we parted Why, why did I ever let you go? Mamma mia Now I really know My, my I should not have let you go

Thanks for the mamma Mia script

[hoperenae]

Good Choices (Akaashi Keiji x f!reader) — 18+ MDNI

A/N— This is my first time writing something like this! I wasn't entirely sure where it was going while I wrote it, but I like where it ended up. Let me know what you think! (also if anyone wants to message me and lmk if I need to add any tw to this, pls help me I am new) WORD COUNT — about 2.5k

He was staring at you again.

You had caught the man with dark hair and deep blue eyes glancing your way multiple times that night. 

You were at an arcade bar for your long-time friend’s bachelorette party. Everyone else had been throwing back shots all night, but you weren’t much of a drinker, so you only had enough to make you a little more than buzzed.

Every time you caught him staring at you, he quickly looked away, turning his attention back to the game he was watching his owl-haired friend play. You definitely weren’t looking for a relationship right now, but you couldn’t deny that he was very cute.

“Go talk to him, biiiitch,” your best friend and bride-to-be drunkenly slurred.

“What? No way,” you declared, waving a hand dismissively.

“I’m totally shitfaced and even I can tell you got the hots for him,” she giggled, slapping a hand on your shoulder. “You deserve some hot, meaningless sex with a total stranger.”

“Stop talking like that, people will hear you,” you shushed her, brushing her hand off of you.

“Oooo he’s looking this way! Hey!” she hollered at the man and waved him over, nearly knocking off her plastic tiara in the process. He looked completely flustered and you immediately felt bad for him. Your friend’s drunken antics often led to shenanigans like this. 

You pulled her hand down and nodded apologetically to the man, but at the same time, you noticed his friend was waving at the two of you. The owl-haired man grabbed his dark-haired friend’s arm and practically dragged him toward the bar you were leaning against.

“Hey hey hey!” bellowed the owl-haired man. 

“Hi! I’m getting married next weekend!” your friend blurted out. Before either of them could respond to that, she was summoned over to do another shot. 

“Make good choices!” you called out after her. Then, you slowly turned your attention back to the two men in front of you.

“I’m Bokuto and this is Akaashi,” the owl-haired man said energetically as he grabbed his friend’s shoulders and pushed him slightly toward you.

“Uh, hi,” you uttered. “I’m y/n, nice to meet you guys.”

“I’m gonna go hang out with your drunk friends! You two have fun.” The owl-haired man called Bokuto winked and strolled away before either of you could protest.

“Don’t worry, he’s harmless,” the man called Akaashi finally spoke. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. He was wearing a blue t-shirt with a grey collared jacket and semi-fitted dark blue jeans.

“Yeah, but she’s not,” you jested playfully. He smiled, a subtlely sweet action that made your heart beat just a little faster.

“Can I get you a drink?” Akaashi asked, waving down the bartender. Up close, you noticed how soft his hair looked and imagined running your fingers through it.

“Crown apple with cranberry,” you replied. He nodded and gave both your orders to the bartender who whipped them up quickly, passing your mixed drink to you and a beer to the man next to you. You both took a long sip.

“So, I take it you’re at a bachelorette party?” he asked, running his finger along the rim of his glass while clearly avoiding eye contact with you. 

“What gave it away, the fake diamond tiara or the pink glittery sash?” You took another sip of your drink and admired his sharp jawline.

“Actually, it was the squealing, drunk women calling for more jello shots.” You nearly did a spit take as you coughed up a laugh. So he was cute and funny.

“She’s been my best friend since we were kids, although we couldn’t be less alike.” You chuckled lightly, surprised at how easy he was to talk to. 

“What, you mean you don’t want sparkly props and jello shots at your bachelorette party?” The corner of his lips turned up in that sweet smile again.

“Ha! No way. If I ever get married, it’ll be very low-key.” You were already halfway done with your drink, and you felt warm and bubbly inside. You were a giggly and talkative drunk, so if you kept going, you’d be entering dangerous territory.

If he took note of your big if, he didn’t bring it up, which you were grateful for. You didn’t feel like opening that can of worms (also known as your ex-fiancé) tonight, especially with a stranger.

“So what do you do?” Akaashi asked. He spun on the barstool a little to face you. His cheeks were tinted pink. Your knees brushed for a millisecond and you felt a chill up your spine.

“I’m a landscape architect at a small, local company,” you replied, forcing out the words through your increasingly foggy brain. You finished your drink, motioned for the bartender, and asked for a glass of water. You took two big gulps, then said, “What about you?”

“I’m a manga editor.” Your jaw dropped as he rattled off a few of the manga he had worked on. 

“I love those!” you gushed, reaching for his arm on the counter. You made eye contact with each other and you quickly removed your hand and placed it back in your lap. Your face was red hot, and not just because of the alcohol.

You chatted for a bit about work, hobbies, friends, etc. He played volleyball in high school, and his best friend (owl-haired Bokuto) now played professional volleyball for the MSBY Black Jackals. 

While he talked, you took note of the enthusiasm in his voice when he talked about things he was passionate about. The admiration in his eyes when you talked about your friends. How intoxicatingly soft his lips looked and how fiercely his dark blue eyes bore their way into the deepest part of your heart.

Your buzz was already wearing off, so you couldn’t even blame your thoughts on the alcohol. Why were you so taken by him?

“Y/n?” Akaashi’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts.

“Sorry, what’d you say?” Your cheeks flushed, embarrassed.

“I said it looks like your friends are leaving.” He pointed to the door.

Sure enough, you glanced over to see all the ladies gathering to leave. The bride-to-be stumbled her way over to you.

“Heeeey,” she drawled. “So we’re gonna go back to the hotel now.”

“Oh ok…umm,” you paused, feeling Akaashi’s gaze on you. “I think I’ll stay here for a bit if that’s ok with you. I can catch an Uber home.”

“Of course of course girl.” She winked and leaned in for a sloppy hug. With her face next to yours, she whispered, “You better get some of that tonight.” You blushed. With a wink and a wave, she sauntered back to the group and headed out the door.

You looked at your phone to check the time. “Shit, it’s dead. So much for the Uber.”

“I can give you a ride, if you want,” Akaashi offered, fidgeting with his empty glass on the bar top.

“Oh, that’s really nice of you to offer. But what about your friend? He doesn’t seem quite ready to leave just yet.” You laughed a little as you both saw Bokuto playing skee-ball with a cute, tall brown-haired girl. He was loud and energetic, and she seemed to match his energy well. They high-fived.

“We drove separately; he’ll be ok.” Akaashi’s dark eyes were bright and eager.

A few minutes later, he opened the passenger door of his car and closed it before running around to the driver’s side. You gave him directions to your apartment, and it didn’t take long before you were idled on the curb out front. You weren’t ready to leave him yet, so it was now or never.

“Wanna walk me up?” you asked. Judging by his offer to give you a ride, you felt like he was into you, but you were awful at reading people, so you could never be sure. 

“Oh, sure,” he stammered. Was his heart beating as fast as yours?

You made your way up the five flights of stairs (of course the elevator was out of service) to your apartment. Standing in front of your door, you nervously twisted your keys around your finger. The tension between you hung heavy in the air like a wet towel.

“Do you wanna see the place?” you offered. 

“Sounds good to me,” he said. You led him inside your modest one-bedroom apartment.

“Can I get you something to drink?” you asked, tossing your keys on the entry table and guiding him to the kitchen. 

“Water would be great,” he said, leaning his back against the counter. 

You handed him a glass of water and grabbed one for yourself, leaning against the counter opposite him. You watched as his eyes scanned the room.

“It’s not much,” you confessed sheepishly.

“No, I love it,” he said sincerely. “You have so many plants; I would never be able to keep them all alive.” You both laughed.

“Yeah, most of them have come from friends over the years. I studied landscape architecture in college. Plants are kind of my thing.”

“That’s really neat.” He looked like he was biting back what he really wanted to say. You kept your gaze on him and damn he was hot. His hair, his eyes, his insanely sharp jawline. Everything about him was just so…magnetic.

“So how long have you—” he cut himself off. Then, “Oh, fuck it. God, I really want to kiss you.”

“I really want you to kiss me.” You admitted breathlessly.

He set his glass down and in two strides was standing in front of you. Without wasting time, he put his hands on your face and you buried yours in his hair (it was just as soft as you’d imagined). When your lips met, you felt like you were floating in another universe. He was soft and firm, and the way he took charge sent a shiver from your head to your toes. His tongue found yours and he tasted like beer and spearmint gum.

Eventually, you broke apart. He blushed and said, “Sorry, I don’t normally do this kind of stuff.”

You tried to catch your breath, but your heart was beating too fast. 

“What do you mean? Go home with a random stranger and make out in her kitchen?”

He laughed. “Yeah, that. I’m a relationship guy, not a hook-up guy.”

“Who said anything about a hook-up?” You rested your arms around his neck. He looked puzzled.

“Oh, are we not going to…”

“Oh, we’re definitely going to. But who said it had to end there?” You grinned, and after a second, he caught on and smiled back, but it wasn’t his sweet smile anymore. This one was more…devious.

In one swift movement, he grabbed your legs and hoisted you onto the counter. He positioned himself between your legs, your dress hiked up to your waist, and pulled you close. The countertop was cold on your bare legs, but he was warm and you could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest. You wrapped your legs around his waist and brought your lips to his again.

This time it felt more urgent. Less perfectionistic and more desperate, but in a good way. In a way that made you feel wanted, needed. You explored each other’s mouths a bit and then his lips were on your neck and you let out a small groan when he hit the spot that always gave you goosebumps. He chuckled a little.

“Don’t laugh at me,” you whispered. He chuckled again but continued to kiss your neck, collarbone, shoulders, any part of exposed skin he could reach. Your hands were tangled up in his dark hair, head thrown back. He ran his hands under your dress around the small of your back, then slowly caressed upward. You suddenly remembered your earlier decision to not wear a bra with this dress. You got goosebumps.

His lips returned to yours, occasionally biting your lip playfully. He lifted your dress up and grabbed your ass, not aggressively, but with a sense of burning urgency, like he needed to touch you everywhere to know you. You ran your tongue along his teeth, this time making him softly groan in pleasure.

“Bedroom,” you managed to get out between kisses and moans. Not breaking your lips apart, he picked you up, his soft hands warm against your cold thighs as he carried you to your bedroom. He set you down on the edge of the bed and pulled his lips from yours. You laid down as he kneeled and slowly and methodically kissed his way down your body until he reached your thighs. He looked you in the eye for consent and you nodded, desperate for him to explore you.

He hiked your dress up to your waist and began kissing your legs, making his way to your inner thigh. Your legs trembled and you let out a small whimper. He reached up under your dress and found your breasts, taking one in his hand and lightly running his finger over your nipple. You moaned louder, unable to stop the wetness from forming between your legs.

Just as his tongue was hovering over your panties, his hot breath tickling your wet skin, his phone rang. 

“Shit,” he said, fumbling into his pocket for his phone. He pressed ignore. “Sorry, where were we?” You grinned as he lowered himself to you again and returned his tongue to its previous position. You whimpered softly and your legs continued to tremble.

Then, his phone rang again.

“Shit,” he repeated, this time looking at the caller before pressing ignore. “Sorry. Again.” You smiled, trying to remain in the heat of the moment and not let the interruption bother you.

But before he could even return to you, his phone rang a third time. You groaned, but not in pleasure this time.

He sighed, said, “So sorry, just give me one sec,” and swiped to answer it. Whoever was on the other end sounded like they were crying.

“Bokuto, just calm down, ok. It’s going to be fine. Where are you?” Akaashi said. Your mind flashed back to the image of owl-haired Bokuto at the arcade bar playing skee-ball with the pretty brunette. 

“Ok, I’ll be right there.” Akaashi sighed as he ended the call. “I’m so sorry, but my friend needs me.”

“Everything ok?” you asked as you sat up on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah, he gets this way sometimes.” Akaashi sat next to you on the bed and put his hand on your knee. ”I guess the girl he was with was only flirting with him for the free drinks, so he’s pretty distraught about it. I’m the only one who knows how to get him out of his funk.”

“It’s ok, I understand,” you said with a smile. He was sweet, but you wanted to do one last thing before he left. You got up and stood in front of him. Then, you straddled his lap and wrapped your arms around his neck. You kissed him slowly and sensually, slightly moving your hips as you did. His eyes widened, but he grabbed your hips and his body tensed. 

You gradually pulled your lips away from his. “Just a little something to remember me by,” you whispered in his ear.

“Oh trust me, I could never forget you.”

Tysm for reading!!! If you want to read more of my stuff, check out my ongoing Haikyuu fanfic, Turning Heads or my completed Haikyuu smau, Troublesome Trio. For all of my writing, see my masterlist.

[thiswasinevitableid]

Monster Ball (Indruck)

Prompt for the 25th was: Drag Ball. This fic is NSFW. It’s set in my Rockstar AU but can be read as a standalone

Every Halloween since he hit high school, Duck has spent the night at home giving out candy. It’s dorky, but it always makes him feel like a part of his neighborhood. He’s glad his apartment–his former apartment, since Indrid is already talking about moving him into his Atlanta house–was in a complex with lots of families so there was a steady stream of trick or treaters. He’d put on a scary movie marathon, light his jack o lantern, and spend the night doling out candy. All in all, very chill. 

That’s not the word he’d use to describe his morning so far.

They were supposed to get to the venu for the Halloween Drag Ball yesterday for a set up and dress rehearsal. Instead, there was a four car pile-up on I-5 and they didn’t make it  to L.A until midnight. They slept in the tour bus in front of the hall, the glow of Indrid’s name in huge letters peeking through the blinds.

When the alarm went off at 5:30, Indrid rolled over in bed, eyes still muddy with sleep, and smiled at him.

“Ah, the luxurious life of a rockstar”

That was the last thing he said to him all day. His boyfriend has been running cues, going through the set lists, and doing sound checks, while Duck has been helping the rest of the crew with equipment set-up and safety checks. The ball starts at eight pm, with Indrid going on at ten. At five, he blows Duck a kiss and heads back to begin getting his make-up on. 

As Duck is chatting with the venue staff about their costumes (all variations on “terrifying ghosts”) when his pocket buzzes. 

Sugar: My dressing room, 6.

Duck: I’ll be there.

“Duck, could you help me out a sec?” Aubrey pokes her head out from her dressing room.

“Sure thing, Lady Flame.” He steps in through the door and clamps a hand over his mouth.

“Yes, ha ha, I know it’s funny.” Aubrey waves her free arm at the sleeve of her white jacket, which has snagged on her up-do and trapped her other arm above her head, “I’m so used to dealing with my usual look, not this thing.”

“This thing” is her Bride of Frankenstein hair, combed and teased to mimic Elsa Lancaster’s iconic style. Duck discovers one the studs of her jack caught in a curl and carefully detaches it. Aubrey thanks him, slipping into the other side of the jacket just as little claws click across the floor. 

“Holy fuck, when did you dye Dr. Harris Bonkers orange?”

“This morning.” Aubrey scoops her giant rabbit into her arms, “don’t worry, I found some animal safe hare dye.”

Duck snickers and Aubrey shoots finger guns his way.

“What are you going as tonight?”

“Aw fuck, I was gonna run out and get somethin’ this morning but because of the whole delay there wasn’t time.”

“Jake could do your make-up. I’m pretty sure he’s painting whiskers on Leo just so he won’t look out of place.”

“Nah, I’m good. He’s gotta get everyone else ready to go, so I’ll think of something. You all good on set up and sound?” 

“Yep! Assuming no one eats my mic cable right before I go on.” She gives the rabbit a pointed look. He gives a blank one in return. 

“Okay, just holler if you need any more help.” Duck shows himself out, triple checks some equipment while he counts down the minutes until six. 

When he uses their secret knock, Indrid purrs, “Come in.”

His boyfriend is in his pink and yellow robe, not a trace of costume in sight.

“If you’re runnin behind I can come back-”

“I’m not behind in the slightest.” Indrid slips past him, locking the door, “I set aside more time to get ready than it technically takes. Partially because I knew I’d need a bit of quiet before the excitement. And” he picks up a large, black garment box, “because I wanted to give you this without being rushed.” 

He removes the lid and holds out the box. Carefully arranged on the red tissue paper is black, leather chest harness with matching fingerless gloves, cut off jean shorts with a wolf head at the buckle and-

“Are these ears?” Duck lifts the triangles of grey fluff from the box. 

“Indeed. I, ah, I made those to go with the rest. You see, we’ll have most of the classic monsters on stage with us. But we’re missing a wolfman. The instant I thought of you as him, I couldn’t get the image out of my head.”

Duck smiles, running his finger over the ears and wondering if this means there will be a werewolf song on Indrid’s next album. 

“It’s a bit self-serving, as it gives me a lovely view all evening. But I also want everyone to see you for the gorgeous man you are. Of course, if you already have a costume you don’t have to wear it. I mean, you don’t have to wear it at all for any reason.”

“It’s perfect sugar.” Duck takes the box and teases, “kinda surprised there ain’t collar.”

As he leans forward to grab the lid, Indrids arm braces across his chest and he whispers in his ear, “That comes after the show.” Teeth scrape on his throat, “it’s a sight reserved for me and me alone, pet.”

Duck turns his face and kisses him. For a moment, there’s no dressing room, no show, no rockstar. There’s just his boyfriend melting against him like they’re teenagers at prom. 

“You need me before then, you know where I’ll be.”

“Tempting as that is, if I am late for any part of this Joseph may never speak to me again.” Indrid smiles and walks him the few steps to the door, “I’ll see you in the wings, my love.”

—-----------------------------------------------------------

The theme for the ball is “Universal Monsters.” As Duck weaves through the crowd, he passes a half-dozen other wolfmen, a mummy in platform boots and winged eyeliner that could kill a man, and what he can only describe as a post-modern bride of frankenstein in a three foot high wig. But there are also costumes of nothing but googly-eyes and glitter, a bear dressed as a trampy Cthulhu, and someone with a sign reading “black hole” pointing at his crotch.

He can’t remember the last time he felt so at home. 

Aubrey is just finishing up her act, and as Duck wrangles Dr. Harris Bonkers into his enclosure. As the applause peters out, one of the hosts returns to the stage, her long nails casting shadows across the crowd. 

“And now, my uglies, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Presenting the god of the gruesome, the king of Halloween, our very special guest: Indrid Cold!”

Fog spills across the stage, Dani appearing as a punk-rock Frankenstein, blonde hair slicked back and abs painted on her chest-piece. Jake slinks behind the drumset in the tightest clothing Duck’s ever seen him wear; a black vampire dress with a slit down the front and a black wig spilling down his shoulders. The guest guitarist is in a white wrap dress and strappy gold heels, fake asp clipped to his shoulders. 

Another puff of smoke and the stage goes black so abruptly he hears the audience worrying that it was a blown fuse. Then a purple spotlight hits the dissipating mist, highlighting green, knee-high snakeskin boots, a black leather jacket, and silver hair. 

You better ask my mama how to make a monster.

The bass booms in and Indrid whirls around, revealing a chest painted in green scales and silver shorts that leave nothing to the imagination. It takes until the last repeat of the chorus for the crowd to stop screaming. 

“Good evening, my fellow monsters!” Indrid sets the mic into the stand at the front of the stage as a projector screen blares to life behind him, giant insects and swamp things silently stomping across it, “I’m so glad you all could join me on my favorite night of the year. With that in mind,” he grins, “let’s prowl.”

He leads with this song nearly every show. Duck will never be tired of it, of the way he purrs out the first few lines like he’s scratching at the window before smashing it open. 

Going to the drive-in

Catch a double feature

Gonna do some sinnin’

While you scream for your creature

Indrid is dripping sweat and glitter by the end of the first half, voice still strong as he promises the crowd they’ll be back.

As Duck is moving the fog machines to their second position, a horned shape in a long jacket strides up the stairs. 

“Uh, excuse me sir, but this is for performers only.”

The goatman smiles at him, “Do former ones count?”

“Holy fuck, you’re-”

“Vincent! I see you found Duck” Indrid appears beside him as Vincent shakes his hand, “I’d hug you but this will all smear right off. I’m so happy you made it!.”

“I couldn’t pass up the chance to see you. I was out scouting the last time you came through L.A. Thank you, by the way, for recommending the Hornets; they’ve really got something.”

“Vincent has a head for spotting the next big thing. Hence his being a Cryptid.” 

“That was more about having the good luck to know you and have parents who paid for years of guitar lessons.” Vincent blinks, “agh, these contacts, I swear I don’t know how my twenty-year old self managed them night after night.”

“There were several near misses with the edge of the stage.” Joseph appears, his sole concession to a costume an FBI badge clipped to his jacket, “Indrid, you’re at thirty seconds.”

“We do have a stage manager, you know.” Indrid teases. 

“And I didn’t get you this far by leaving timing to other people.”

Indrid pecks Duck on the cheek–and sneakily squeezes his ass- before moving towards the wings. 

“It really is good to see you again.” Joseph rests a hand on Vincent’s arm.

“And just when are you and Barclay coming for a visit? I finally goat-proofed the guest house on the ranch.”

“After this tour. I think. You know how Indrid usually is after being on the road.”

“A hermit?”

“Exactly. That usually leaves me with some free time to travel. Although” Joseph glances at Duck with a fond expression, “I’ll worry about him less this go-around. At the very least he’ll take more breaks.”

“His texts do suggest you’re a good influence, Duck.”

“I, uh, I try to be. I’m just glad he’s happy bein’ with me.”

“I think that’s an understatement.” Joseph settles to his left while Vincent leans against the wall on his right, the final notes of “Urban Legend” ring through the room. 

When the band plucks out a mid-tempo waltz, Joseph frowns, perplexed. 

Slow dance with you

I want to slow dance with you

In the radioactive air, 

in the rubble without care

There’s nothing I’d rather do

Than slow dance with you

Duck’s blushing so hard he swears he’s glowing pink in the dark. Indrid turns his body slightly, as if singing to the right most corner of the room. But he’s looking right at Duck, velvet-soft smile on his green-gold lips. 

Joseph and Vincent look at him at the same instant with a shared smile of understanding. 

“You didn’t tell me you’d finished.”

“Just this one song. I was playin around with a western waltz and ‘Drid got real into it. He said he was gonna test it out soon, but I wasn’t expecting this soon.”

“Neither was Joseph.” Vincent smirks, his yellow eyes making the expression devilish, “Sneaking a song into a set without running it by his manager? He likes you even more than he’s let on. Which, to be clear, was already a tremendous amount.”

“I’d like the record to show I’m letting this slide because I trust Duck and I trust Indrid’s creative judgment. Not because I’m getting sloppy.” The self-deprecating smile is clear in Joseph’s tone. 

Vincent pats his back with fraternal affection, “Noted. What’s this song called, Duck?”

“Slow Dance at the End of the World.”

“It suits him.”

Duck studies the way Indrid sways, the look of blissful daydreaming on his face. It’s the way Duck looked in his bedroom all those years ago, singing along with Indrid on the stereo. 

“Yeah, it really does.”

—-------------------------------------------------------

Energy drinks were not a big part of his diet until he started dating Indrid. When your boyfriend plays shows that routinely end past midnight and tends to be wired after a good set, you do what you can to keep up. 

When he finally makes it to the hotel room, he’s glad he had that final RedBull–gross as it was–before they left the venue. Rather than changing, Indrid is still in his stage outfit, sitting on the bed and watching Duck pull off his work boots with a widening grin. 

“How was the costume? It didn’t interfere with your duties, I hope.”

“It was real fun to wear and, if I’m bein’ honest, this is the least I’ve ever sweat working a gig. But that mighta just been the shorts.”

Indrid crooks his finger and Duck moves to the bed. His boyfriend pets along his belly, kissing the swell of it as he unbuttons the shorts. He pulls the denim down little by little, kissing each inch as it appears.

“Mmmmm” Indrid nips above his hipbone, “you make such a wonderful werewolf. It’s only due to my boundless professionalism that you didn’t lay waste to the entire show by distracting me.”

“Uh huh, and wanting to avoid another public indecency charge ain’t part of it?”

Indrid lifts his glasses, “Who told you about that?”

“Vincent.”

“Well, he’s not wrong. If I was carted off for performing lewd acts in front of an unsuspecting audience, there’d be no one left to deal with a certain werewolf.”

“No? Oh, ohfuck.” He grips Indrid’s shoulders as the singer teases his dick with his tongue. 

“No. Because only I know how to keep such a rampaging, lustful beast under control.”

The click is all the warning he gets before a vibrator buzzes to life against his folds.

“A silver bullet.” Indrid shoves the toy inside him with a satisfied grin.

“Fuck, yeah, yeah that’ll do it.” 

Indrid moves Duck’s hands from his shoulders, stands, and yanks Duck’s shorts back into place. Buttons them as he kisses him and whispers, “Don’t worry pet, I’ll be merciful before the night is through.”

The singer moves across the room, pulling things from his make-up bag, “Now, come help me get the rest of this off.”

“S-sure, be right there sugar.” The vibe is rotating between speeds, patterns, and strengths, rendering his attempts to ignore it useless. A particularly strong one catches him as he tries to move, and he leans against a nearby chair to steady himself. 

Indrid sighs dramatically, “It seems you need some extra help. Thank goodness I came prepared.” 

Duck closes his eyes, moaning as the toy picks up speed. His next moan is cut off by soft leather encircling his neck. He knows without even looking that it’s the collar with COLD spelled out in silver letters. What he’s not expecting is an unfamiliar, quiet click of metal. Opening his eyes, he looks down to find a black leather leash clipped to the O-ring.

Indrid tugs the leash, turning Duck to face him. His red glasses are on the dresser, so there’s nothing to disguise the affection in his eyes as he runs his fingers over Duck’s face and throat. 

“I was going to scold you for being so needy that you couldn’t make it across the room without needing to get off. But how can I, when you look at me like that?”

“‘Drid, please.”

“Hush, pet, I know. I’ve wanted this all evening too. Just wait a little longer and I’ll give you what you need.” He brushes their lips together, “In fact, how about you help me expedite things?”

“Do I really gotta say I’d do anything for you right now?”

Indrid laughs and kisses him once with possessive tenderness, “A fair point. Come along.”

He leads Duck back to the bed, make-up bag in hand, and reclines against the headboard. He tugs Duck to straddle his lap, then passes him a make-up remover pad. 

“Start with my face.”

Duck carefully runs the cotton over Indrid’s cheek. His hands pat and rub the skin reverently; Indrid never asks for help with his make-up, be that applying it or taking it off. Yet here he is, eyes closed and hands in his lap as Duck wipes away the monster on top of the man. 

Indrid’s sprung for the good stuff, so it only takes a few minutes before his face is clean and faintly peach scented. His chest is a different matter; the green is refusing to budge. Duck’s ability to remove it is further hamstrung by the fact he’s feeling Indrid up in the process, the singer gasping whenever he grazes his nipple piercings. And all the while the bullet vibe buzzes inside him, making him shift and squirm in search of relief. 

Hands grab his hips, “Careful, pet, or I may worry you’re not as tame as I thought.”

Duck growls playfully and Indrid tugs the leash. 

“Oh, does my sweet werewolf think I’m joking? You’re in my lap, let me lead you about on a tether, and come when I call.”

“Yeah, but if, if you don’t fuck me soon I’m gonna go fuckin’ feral.”

“Are you now? Well, we can’t have that.” Indrid rips his shorts open and shoves them to his knees. His own, silver shorts prove harder to escape, and after several moments of fumbling he snarls and rips them down the seam. 

The vibe slips free of him, only to press against his dick the instant Indrid pushes into him. 

“Fucking finally.” He gasps, working the toy in swift circles.

“No fuckin kiddin’” Duck grabs his face, kissing him hungrily as his body twists and bucks in search of orgasm. 

“God, I love how wet you get for me, sweet one. I love knowing you want me.”

“Always, fuck, Indrid please-”

“Don’t worry pet, I keep my promises. And I happen to know this tempo has a delicious effect.”

“Fuckfuck, yeah, fuckyes, sugar, yes, fucking fuck.” He gasps, digging his nails into Indrid’s arms. The singer kisses his neck, then lunges forward, knocking Duck onto his back.

“Let’s see if I can make you howl.” He gasps as Duck wraps himself around him, kisses him messily as he uses the leash to pull him into whatever position he pleases. Duck holds on tight, tangles his fingers in silver hair and moans at the obscene sound of Indrid driving into him

“Mine” Indrid tugs the leash and the chest harness at once, so hard Duck’s amazed they don’t snap, “mineminemine, all mine, always mine.”

“Yes, fuck yes.”

Indrid ceases his kisses long enough to raise up on his shoulders and purr, “Good.”

Duck doesn’t howl, but he comes pretty fucking close as Indrid bites just below the collar, snapping his hips until he cums with a moan. 

They lay entangled for an eternity, neither interested in letting go until Duck’s eyes begin drifting closed. 

“We should get to bed, sweetheart.”

“Uh huh.” He yawns as Indrid sits up; his wolf ears are on the other side of the bed, the top cover is strewn with fake fur and glitter, and the make-up from Indrid’s chest is now smeared across them both.

“Ah, perhaps a bath is in order first.”

“Yep.” Duck takes the offered hand, sighs happily as Indrid gently undoes the collar, “‘Drid? Thanks for playin’ our song tonight.”

Indrid cups his face, humming a slow dance as he does, “It was my pleasure.”

[lost-in-the-80s]

The Wedding

Pairing: Izzy Stradlin x fem!reader

Words: 2.321k

Summary: Your brother's wedding has arrived, without having a boyfriend, you invite Izzy, your best friend, to be your date. (smut)

A/N: When I started listening to gnr, it didn’t take much time before Izzy got a place in my heart, so this is for his birthday

Song rec for the fic: Woman by John Lennon

Sitting on an airplane for over an hour now, Izzy observed your asleep figure beside him, your head laying on his shoulder, like you had done so many times before, unaware of the warmth it caused on the brunette’s heart.

He questioned himself for a thousandth time that week. Why in the hell did I agree with this?

The idea didn’t sound like a big deal at first, accompanying you to your brother’s wedding wouldn’t cause any harm. But as the days started to go by, his mind traced every aspect of a wedding, the music, the romantic atmosphere, the dancing, and he soon started to regret having said yes so easily.

The truth is that Izzy has always loved you, ever since the day the two of you met. It all happened so naturally that he didn’t notice he was in love until you went on a date with another guy.

At first, he loved your voice, he’d call you just to hear you talking for hours about the most random things. Then it was your eyes, he found himself entranced by their color, the way they rolled when you got annoyed, and how they seemed to invade his deepest thoughts and memories every time you looked at his eyes.

The last thing was your attitude, your bluntness and forward behavior shocking him sometimes, and being his main entertainment in others. He found a true interest in watching you, it didn’t matter what you were doing, you would always be in his sight.

And even though years passed, that feeling seemed to just grow more and more, and every time he saw you going out with another guy, his heart broke into smaller and smaller pieces.

Little did he know the reason behind your maneater habits.

The truth is that, just like him, you had fallen for him since day one, you loved his nonchalant attitude and his style, the shape of his hands and fingers, and how dry his voice was after his third cigarette.

Just like him, you would secretly observe him, the two of you being too good on your game to ever get caught by each other.

But you didn’t want to risk your friendship over admitting your feelings, especially when you didn’t know if Izzy felt the same way. So you went on multiple dates, meeting guys with the most different appearances and personalities, all in hopes that one day, you’d meet someone capable of making you stop thinking about the guy from Indiana. That, obviously, never happened.

A little turbulence on the plane woke you up, you immediately looked up, meeting his brownish eyes.

“It’s just turbulence. Go back to sleep.”

You nodded slowly, before laying your head on his shoulder again, inhaling his scent of cigarettes and cologne and immediately feeling your body calm down.

---

You looked at yourself in the mirror of the hotel room, rolling your eyes at Niki's choice of color and design for the bridesmaids' dresses.

A soft knock on the door caught your attention and there stood him, a black blazer matching his black jeans.

He looked you up and down.

"You're gonna steal the bride's attention like that."

"It's grey, the most boring color ever! I wouldn't steal her attention, even if I wanted to."

He chuckled softly.

Well, you stole my attention. He thought to himself.

Picking up your purse and gift you exited the room, locking your arm with his for support, as you got on the elevator and then walked towards the hotel's saloon.

---

During the entire ceremony, Izzy found his attention caught by you, the way you stood out amongst the other bridesmaids and how impatient you seemed to grow with how long the ceremony was taking.

Your grey dress looked like pure silver, reflecting the lights. You looked so beautiful that he wished he had brought a camera to take a picture of you.

Your eyes caught his for once, and you blinked in his direction, smiling when you saw his lips turn into a small smile.

After what felt like forever the ceremony ended and he found himself sitting at a table with “Y/N and boyfriend” written down on a card.

“I think someone gave them the wrong info.” He showed you the card when you plopped down on the chair beside him.

You rolled your eyes. “Classic coming from my family.”

You lifted the tablecloth, making him look down to see what was happening.

“These heels are killing me.” You complained, removing your silver sandals and quickly massaging your feet.

“I bet they are.” He took two champagne glasses from a waiter passing by.

He knew you weren’t used to heels. Being almost his height, you never felt the need to wear them that often.

“Thanks.” You took your glass towards your nude lips.

“How much did you pay for that gift?” He pointed towards the biggest package on a pile, knowing it was yours.

“300 bucks.”

His eyes widened for a second.

You didn’t wait for him to say anything, knowing exactly what was crossing his mind.

“He’s my only brother. I might not like Niki that much, but he’s happy with her, and I’m happy for that.”

“Fair enough.” He drank from his champagne again. "Those ice statutes are quite tempting for a man who wants to take a piss,"

He chuckled to himself, but soon realized that your attention was focused on the main door.

“See that girl over there?” You pointed at the door.

“What’s with her?”

“That’s Braeden,” the name made him realize she was your sister. “She’s the only woman taller than me here….”

He looked back at you, and so you lowered your voice, keeping eye contact with him.

“When the bouquet time comes, you’re gonna block her.” You gestured aggressively with your hands, making a smile start to form on his lips.

“Why?”

“There’s no way my younger sister is gonna get married before me.”

He chuckled. “I didn’t know you aspired to marriage Y/N.”

Your eyes softened with his sentence and a small pain formed in your heart. If only he knew what crossed your mind when you looked at him during the ceremony.

---

The night seemed to go by faster than he expected and soon he found himself at the drinks table, observing as you talked to some relatives of yours on the other side of the saloon.

You sensed his eyes and looked towards him, giving him a look that said “Help me.”

He chuckled softly, but before he could do anything a woman’s voice caught his attention.

“You must be Izzy.”

He looked to his side, seeing a woman that looked just like Joey, your brother.

“Yes, and you are….” He extended his hand for her to shake.

“I’m Martha, Y/N’s mother.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”

“I didn’t know the two of you were dating.”

He choked on his drink.

“We aren’t, we’re just friends.” He looked down for a second.

She nodded slowly, before locking her eyes on your side.

“I know my daughter very well,"

Her voice made him look back at her.

“She has had many boyfriends in her life, but I’ve never seen her look at them in the way she looks at you.”

He opened his mouth, but your presence made him stop.

“Hey, mom!” You smiled, kissing her cheek.

“Hello, darling.” She touched your hair, adjusting some locks. “I promised I'd dance this one with your father.”

You nodded in understanding as she smiled before walking away.

“So… wanna dance with me?” You nudged him from the side, before taking a sip from his drink.

“With this song?” He asked, taking notice that Woman by John Lennon was playing.

“Why not?” You shrugged.

“Okay.” He placed his now empty glass on the table before taking your hand and guiding you towards the other people there dancing.

One of his hands held you delicately by your waist as you slowly swung to the song. Your eyes locked on each other as the other people around you seemed to disappear.

Your mother’s words mixed with the lyrics hitting his head like bells as he finally noticed the glow that formed in your eyes as you looked at him, making his heart race faster than ever.

You just realized another song was playing when someone bumped into you, making a disco song hit your ears.

You both looked so distracted and for a second you thought you’d sit down for the rest of the night, not being able to feel his cold fingers brush on your skin through your dress.

But those thoughts washed away when he let go of your waist just to grab both of your hands and guide you throughout the song, just like he did for the rest of the night.

That was the happiest night you have had in your life, and when your hotel room number became noticeable at the end of the corridor, you wished you could turn back time and do it all again.

“Happy with your bouquet?”

“More than happy.” You giggled, smelling the flowers one more time.

It was comic the way Izzy put himself in front of your sister, pretending not to be aware of what was happening.

“Thanks for that.”

“If that makes you happy, I can do that at the next weddings too.”

Next weddings. The thought made butterflies erupt in your stomach.

“So…” he started, stopping in front of your room as you opened the door.

“So…”

“Tonight was fun.”

“Yes, it really was!” You said looking down. “Thanks for coming with me, Iz.” You leaned towards him, kissing his cheek gently.

“Anytime.” He replied so lowly that you weren’t sure if he had actually said that.

You entered your room and closed the door, resting your forehead against it as you sighed.

Rushed knocks against the wood made you regain your posture and quickly open the door.

Izzy looked deep inside your eyes, his brown orbs saying everything his mouth wanted to.

Not a second after that and you wrapped your arms around his neck, your lips colliding against his.

No kiss ever had felt like that. It was warm like fire and exciting, you felt your heart start racing faster and your mind went numb.

He wrapped his arms around your waist, bringing you as close as he could while entering your room and kicking the door shut behind him.

Soon you found yourself in your bed, your legs wrapped around his hips as your tongues fought for dominance, making small moans and grunts leave your mouths. One of his hands started traveling underneath your dress's fabric, exploring every inch of your legs, making you shiver with his cold fingers.

Your lips found his neck, kissing and biting at his flesh with desire, delighted by his irregular breathing and the small moans he tried to hold.

A certain hardness was pressed against your core among what seemed like a thousand layers of clothing. The sensation making you wet as you bit harsher on his neck, loving the smirk that formed on his lips.

He pushed himself off of you, standing up and ripping his shirt open, the sound of buttons hitting the floor filling the room.

“I need your help with the dress.”

You sat on the bed, your back facing him as he found the zipper, opening it quickly while he applied wet kisses on the extension of your back, biting your flesh just like you had done with him, making a small moan leave your lips.

“So beautiful.” He whispered against your ear, making another shiver possess your body.

You stripped off of the dress as you watched him undo his pants and remove his underwear with it.

He made his way back to the bed, his calloused fingers removed your blue lace panties slowly and delicately. One of his fingers traveled in between your folds, his eyes closing for a second when he noticed your wetness for him.

Izzy cupped your face with one of his hands, kissing you tenderly before asking.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

You felt the tip of his member entering you, making you close your eyes, focusing on the sensation it caused. You felt him slowly expanding your walls until it was all the way in, making a soft and small moan leave your lips.

Izzy looked at you for confirmation and after seeing you nod, he started moving.

In the beginning, it was slow and passionate, he made it the most intimate he could, touching every inch of your skin, whispering sweet nothings on your ear, as you traced his back and arms with the tip of your fingers, allowing your nails to softly touch his skin.

After some minutes, sweat started to form on both your bodies, your moans coming out in unison filled the room as you felt your walls start to clench around him.

That’s when he sped up his pace, the tip of his member now hitting your g-spot with no mercy, he massaged one of your breasts with his hand, while the other rested on the bed for support.

“Izzy,” His name left your lips in a loud moan and you saw a proud expression consume his features.

“I know, princess, I know.”

You closed your eyes and moaned again, feeling as you and he both came at the same time. A groan leaving his throat matching your whimpers as you felt a wave of pure pleasure wash over your body. Your legs started to shake and you scratched his back, while he bit harsh enough to leave a mark on your neck.

Both sweating and trying to gain your breath again, you laid in bed, your head resting on his chest as he softly caressed your body.

“Izzy?”

“Hum?”

“This is not a one-time thing, right?”

“No, Y/N, it is not.”

Thanks for reading <3

Tag list: @born-to-lose @slashscowboyboots @ginny-rose-sixx @dynamitebabe @tuffduff @almosthonest @gamsbeans @stars-kiss-the-sky @gnrfandom-music3 @ladieswttda @teasid @littlemisscare-all @rumoured-whispers @1800endmeplease @izzys-nose-ring @motley-cruer @angxlxc @oihanasstuff @apovanity87 @julessworldd @anaavibes @mudkicker @dazeduchess @izzysjujuhounds @claire-xox @makemeyourwife-loveofmylife @pinkpatiencecreepers @polka-dot-duff @stradlin-cold-heartbreaker @nathaniel-hornblower @alcoholandarson @stevenizzynslashsbabe @gabyisaclassicrocker

add yourself to my tag list :)

[wayward-dreamer]

Life’s Lessons - The Wedding

Pairing: Mechanic!Dean x Female!Teacher!Reader

Word count: 14,000 (you were warned lol)

Summary: The big day has finally arrived for Dean and Y/N.

Warnings: Nothing but the fluffiest fluff that ever fluffed. Oh, and smut. Because it’s me lol. Swearing, Smut: Dirty talk, Oral sex (Female receiving), unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it people).

Music: Thank You by Led Zeppelin/instrumental cover by Vitamin String Quartet (wedding processional scene), Dance Me To The End Of Love by The Civil Wars (Dean and Y/N’s first dance scene).

Life’s Lessons Spotify Playlist

A/N: I really hope you all love this!!! As always, happy reading and enjoy! :)

Life’s Lessons Saga Masterlist

Divider by @firefly-graphics​​​.

Y/N blinked rapidly, her eyes adjusting to the light in the room as the late morning sun streamed in through the windows. Turning onto her back, she ran her hands over her face, willing herself to wake up. She turned her head to the side, sighing as she didn’t see her fiancé next to her. He was no doubt also waking up at that point, in his childhood home.

She smiled as she stared up at the ceiling, already anticipating what the rest of the day was going to be like for her and for him. She couldn’t wait to see him later, her heart already longing for him since the previous night after they separated.

Now, after months and months of planning, the big day had finally arrived.

Their wedding day.

Y/N threw the covers back, a kick in her step as she got up and walked into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and freshened up, and then left to go down to the kitchen, smelling the aromas of breakfast wafting up the stairs. She smiled as she walked in, seeing Charlie at the stove, scrambling eggs and frying bacon. The kitchen island had a spread of bagels, cream cheese, toast, jams, peanut butter and a box of Coco Puffs. As Charlie cooked, she looked up and smiled when she saw her come in.

“Morning, bride!” Her cheery exclaim made Y/N laugh as she walked over, hugging her.

Charlie, Meg, Jill and Y/N’s nieces had spent the night at the house, where they’d all be getting everything prepped before they went over to the venue. They were getting ready in the big ranch house, one room dedicated to them as another was for Dean and the groomsmen.

“Morning. This all looks amazing,” Y/N sighed, as her eyes glided over all the food.

“Figured you better eat a big breakfast because who knows when we’re going to eat next,” Charlie said, plating the eggs and bacon from the pans.

“This is true,” Y/N agreed as she sat on one of the stools at the island.

Meg and Jill came down, dressed in casual t-shirts and jeans, Mia in Jill’s arms as Evie took the stairs down carefully in front of her.

“Aunty Y/N!” she yelled as ran over, trying desperately to hop into Y/N’s lap. She reached down and pulled her up, a fake sluggish groan leaving her.

“You’re growing too fast, kiddo,” Y/N joked, kissing the top of Evie’s head.

Jill sat next to her and put Mia on her lap, putting some peanut butter on toast for her. Mia frowned; her eyes suddenly glowing as she looked at the box of Coco Puffs.

“Puffs,” she said, pointing to the box.

“Mia,” Jill warned, giving her a stern look. “You can’t eat only Coco Puffs for breakfast.”

“Can I have some mommy?” Evie asked, voice as sweet as honey, thinking she could wrap her mom around her finger.

Jill, unrelenting in her discipline, looked between her daughters. “No.”

They both pouted, and Jill feared they were both about to throw tantrums, but luckily, they were in the clear as they both sulked.

“Hey,” Y/N whispered in Evie’s ear. She reached into her own plate and took a small piece of bacon, offering it to the little girl. “Want some?”

Evie nodded enthusiastically, biting into the piece. She chewed it and smiled.

“Good, huh?” Y/N asked, smiling.

Evie kept nodding, smiling up at her aunt. “Do you like bacon, aunty Y/N?”

“I do, but you know who loves it even more?” Y/N said, lifting an eyebrow.

“Who?” Evie looked at her with big, curious eyes as she waited for an answer.

“Uncle Dean,” Y/N stated, smiling.

The little girl’s smile widened as she took a little more of the bacon, as everyone continued to eat around the island.

Y/N smiled as she continued eating, wondering what her beloved fiancé and soon to be husband was doing at that moment.

Dean lifted the coffee mug to his lips, taking a slow sip of the dark liquid. He breathed in, letting out a peaceful exhale as he sat down on the steps of the back porch at his childhood home. He smiled as he looked around the yard, remembering all the great times he and his family had there.

He let out a small huff as a smirk grew on his face, still not quite believing what day was upon him. He was getting married today. Him. If someone had told him years ago that he was going to meet the most incredible woman and get married, he would’ve laughed in their face. He was with someone else and marriage wasn’t on the cards. Then Y/N came and changed everything he thought to be true, showing him what was real. She was real.

Hearing footsteps behind him, he glanced up and smiled as his mom sat down next to him, a coffee mug of her own in hand.

“Doing okay?” she asked, smiling softly.

“So far, yeah,” he replied, with a small nod.

“Good,” she sighed, lifting her hand and rubbing his shoulder. “I know I don’t have to worry about this, but make sure you eat properly today, okay?”

“Yeah.” He smiled at her and turned his head to look back at the garden. “Mom?”

Mary took a sip of her coffee before she turned to him. “Yeah, sweetie?”

“Did you… did you ever think I’d get here?” he asked, a nervous smile tugging at his lips.

She smiled, knowing that was probably what his thought process had been all morning.

“Yeah, I did. I really did,” she replied, softly. “I knew it would take time… but I knew that when she got here, whoever she was, was going to knock you out.”

He laughed, nodding. “She really did.”

“I’m so glad you found her,” Mary said, quietly.

“I love her so damn much,” he whispered, his eyes closing as small doubts started to filter in. “I can’t screw this up.”

Mary shook her head, squeezing his shoulder to let him know she was there. “You won’t.”

Leaning over, she wrapped her arm around him and hugged him, tightly. He sighed, willing the doubts to leave his mind. He didn’t need them today.

“Thanks, mom,” he said, as they pulled away from each other.

“You’re welcome.” She moved in and kissed his cheek, quickly standing up from the steps. “Alright, we better eat and get this day rolling!”

He chuckled as he stood, wrapping his arm around her as they walked into the house.

He was more than ready to get on with the day and finally see Y/N.

Y/N’s fingers glided over the fabric; her smile radiant as she admired the wedding dress hanging up on the door in front of her. Pulling her silk robe tighter around her body, she stepped back to look at the full silhouette, a giddiness settling deep within her belly. She couldn’t believe that in just a couple short hours she was going to be marrying Dean, in front of all their friends and family.

She was so nervous she felt like she could throw up. She wasn’t having cold feet by any means, but her nerves came from the fact that something could go wrong, and she wouldn’t be able to stop it from happening. What if Dean changed his mind? She knew he loved her unconditionally and there was no rational thought behind what she was thinking, but she couldn’t help that her mind was an endless fount of doubt in that moment.

However, as she looked around the room she was about to get ready in, seeing her bridesmaids fixing some last-minute things, her mom looking after her nieces and all of the hair and make-up spread out on a table, the worries gave way to hope. Hope that everything was going to be fine.

“Y/N, we’re ready for you,” one of the make-up artists said, smiling at her.

Smiling back, she sat down in her chair in front of the mirror, letting out a deep breath as she looked at her reflection. She glanced to the side, seeing Charlie come up behind her as the woman doing her make-up started.

“How are you? Can I get you anything?” Charlie asked, taking Y/N’s hand in hers.

She shook her head, squeezing Charlie’s hand. “No, I’m good for now.”

“Okay,” Charlie said, kissing Y/N’s head.

Y/N smiled as she retreated, helping Jill tie the ribbons around the bridesmaids’ bouquets. Her eyes caught Meg coming into the room, shaking her head as she carried her dress bag and shoes, dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. She had gone back to her apartment because like an idiot she had forgotten her heels and had come to the venue with Cas.

“Hey, I’m so sorry I’m late! Cas drives so fu-” she started, rushing over to Y/N and kissed her cheek, biting her lip as she was about to swear. She glanced back at Evie and Mia in the room, sighing in relief that they were preoccupied with their grandmother. “So freaking slow.”

Y/N laughed, waving her off. “You’re fine, we’ve still got plenty of time.”

“Okay, good,” Meg sighed, walking into the little bathroom attached to the room. A few minutes later, she emerged in her light pink silk robe, the same as Jill, Eileen and Charlie’s.

The make-up artist dabbed foundation on Y/N’s face, as Meg walked over and handed her a glass of water.

“I saw the guys getting ready, too,” Meg said, sitting down in the chair next to Y/N, as the other hair and make-up artist started on her make-up too. “Dean said to tell you not to worry so much and have fun.”

Y/N couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she thought about her soon to be husband being worried about the fact that she must be unnecessarily nervous.

“Is he okay?” she asked, closing her eyes as the woman started on her eye make-up.

“He is,” Meg replied, sipping her own water. “More than okay, just can’t wait to see you. He’s not gonna know what hit him when he sees you in the dress.”

As they completed Y/N’s look, her hair in an intricate bun and a few locks framing her face, she stood up and faced her bridesmaids, smiling as they all hugged and stood in a circle. Jill picked up the bottle of champagne from the ice bucket on the table, popping it open. She poured some into six glasses, their mom getting up from the armchair and joining them. They each took a glass and faced Y/N, who smiled brightly as Jill wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“A toast to my baby sister on her wedding day… I’m keeping this short and saving most of it for my matron of honor speech, but I love you so much and I’m so happy for you, that you found the perfect person to share your life with,” Jill said, kissing her forehead.

“I love you,” Y/N said, hugging Jill tight.

“To Y/N!” they all said, clinking their glasses together. They all sipped the sparkling liquid, sitting back down to relax a little before they had to put their dresses on.

Y/N sighed as she sat down, humming as she felt her mom rubbing soothing circles on her back. “Just relax,” Meredith said, smiling.

“Thanks, mom,” Y/N whispered, looking up at her mother.

“Are you alright?” Meredith asked, softly.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Y/N replied, nodding. “I just can’t believe I’m finally here.” A smile tugged at her lips, butterflies erupting in her stomach as flashes of her life so far with Dean came to her.

“I still can’t ever forget you gushing about him when we went for drinks after work, only a few weeks into being in Lawrence,” Charlie chimed in, beaming as she took sips of her champagne.

“God, that somehow feels like it was forever ago and like it was yesterday at the same time,” Y/N stated, thinking back on that night. The one that solidified that there was something more between her and Dean than just friendship.

Evie came up to Y/N and climbed into her lap, wanting to sit with her aunt. She kissed the little girl’s head and stroked her soft hair, looking adorable in her little flower girl dress.

“Okay, what’s your favorite thing about Dean?” Meg asked, smirking.

Y/N glared at her playfully, shaking her head as she knew what her friend was thinking. She only thought about it for a second, knowing without a doubt what her favorite thing about Dean was.

“His heart,” she replied, simply. “His heart is so big, sometimes I think he doesn’t know what to do with all that love he’s got in there. He just cares about everyone close to him so much, and he’s always willing to help someone out. And… the way he cares about me, no one’s ever made me feel the way he does.”

“Oh my god, Y/N,” Charlie sighed, already getting teary. “I’m just so glad he has someone like you. I can’t even imagine where he’d be if you never came into his life.”

“Life definitely changed for the better, that’s for sure,” Y/N said, smiling.

“For all of us,” Meg added, clinking her glass with Charlie and Eileen’s.

“I’ll drink to that,” Eileen signed, winking at Y/N.

“Our oldest friend is marrying our best friend.” Charlie got up and walked over to Y/N, hugging her.

“Mommy, I’m hungry,” little Evie’s voice interrupted, as she looked at Jill from Y/N’s lap.

“Mom, can you take them to get something to eat?” Jill asked Meredith, as she was still in her robe.

“Of course,” Meredith replied, taking Evie’s hand as she hopped off Y/N. She picked up Mia who had been playing with her dolls and led them to the door.

“Meredith,” Eileen called out, getting the older woman’s attention. “Mary’s got Elliot with her in the dining hall, so you can join them there.”

“Perfect, thanks Eileen,” Meredith said, smiling at her before she took the girls out of the room.

Y/N stood up from the chair and walked across the room, looking out the window with her champagne glass in hand. The girls looked at her knowingly, giving her a little space before they had to start getting into the dresses. Taking out the folded paper from her bra, she opened it, her eyes scanning over the words she had written as vows to Dean. She smiled as she thought about how she would get to say them soon, about how he would say his and they would be united.

She couldn’t wait to see him and finally be his forever.

Dean’s hands shook as his fingers nimbly buttoned up his crisp white shirt. Letting out a large exhale, he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. His mind started becoming more and more clouded with worries as the time got closer to the ceremony, his self-deprecating thoughts circling around and causing him to doubt everything. He had told Meg when she left to join Y/N and the other bridesmaids to tell his soon-to-be wife not to worry about anything, and yet here he was, doing the exact same thing.

His groomsmen, Benny, Cas, Brian (who he had gotten to know really well and wanted him to be part of the ceremony to make things special for Y/N), and Sam who was his best man, were all dressed in their suits, laughing and chatting in the main room. He had told them to give him a minute, needing some time to himself as he got dressed. It was less than an hour now until he and Y/N finally became husband and wife. That thought made his heart soar but also made his stomach flip with nerves. What if he said or did something and he ruined everything? What if he got up to the altar and she didn’t walk down the aisle?

A knock on the door of the bathroom broke him from his negative thoughts. He tucked his shirt into his pants neatly, and gave a quick “yeah” as a signal for the person to come in.

“You decent?” he heard Sam ask, as the door opened slightly.

“Yeah,” he replied, gruffly as he fixed his shirt in the mirror.

Sam opened the door and came in, immediately sensing something was wrong with the expression on Dean’s face.

“You alright?” he asked, softly, not wanting anyone in the other room to hear them.

Dean scoffed, shaking his head. “Not really.”

“What’s going on?” Sam went into protective mode, ready to be there for Dean for whatever he wanted to say or needed at that moment.

“Nothing major, Sammy,” Dean sighed, shutting his eyes tightly. “Just can't get past the thoughts in my head.”

“Hey, look at me,” Sam said, turning Dean towards him and looking directly at him as he put his hands on shoulders. “Everything’s going to be fine. Whatever you’re thinking right now, none of it is going to happen. You’re going to be out there soon, and you’re going to marry Y/N and everything is going to work out the way it’s meant to.”

“Less than an hour,” Dean whispered. Shaking his head, he let out a small, bitter chuckle. “Still time for her to run.”

“She’s not going to run,” Sam told him, a confident smile on his face as he shook his head. “Just think about everything you’ve been through together and remember how much you love her. How much she loves you. Remember that and everything will be fine.”

Dean breathed in deep, and as he let it out, a smile came to his face knowing that Sam was right. He was letting those negative thoughts win again, and he was done letting them control him. It was his wedding day, a day he never thought he’d get to see, but couldn’t have been more excited to finally have. He couldn’t wait to see Y/N in her dress and to finally be hers forever.

“You’re right,” he said, nodding at his little brother. “Thanks, Sammy.”

“No problem,” Sam said, smiling. “So… shall we?” He gestured towards the other room, knowing time was ticking away and they needed to start moving.

“Yeah.” Dean gave him a confident nod, a wide grin gracing his face as he pushed away the self-deprecation and concentrated on Y/N and what was going to happen soon.

They walked into the other room that was occupied by his side of the wedding party, seeing them sitting around, empty tumbler glasses waiting on the table with a bottle of his favorite whiskey.

“There he is, man of the hour,” Benny said, his cheery Southern accent filling the room. He got up and picked up the bottle, cracking it open. Pouring a couple of fingers into each glass, he handed them over to each of the groomsmen and Dean.

“I’m going to save most of what I want to say in my speech later, but…” Sam started as he turned to his older brother. “I’m so happy for you, man, that you found the woman you’ve been waiting for.”

“To Dean!” They all cheered and clinked their tumblers together, drinking the amber liquid.

“Thanks, Sammy,” Dean said, tapping his little brother on the shoulder.

The door to the room opened, and Dean looked to his right, seeing his father and Y/N’s walk in. He gulped nervously as David walked over to him, a small smile on his face.

“How are you, sir?” Dean asked, offering his hand to shake.

“Good, but I think I should be asking you that,” David replied, shaking his hand with a small laugh.

“Better now.” Dean didn’t add anything else, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that he was having doubts just a few minutes before. Taking a sip of his whiskey, Dean looked up at David, a small, nervous smile on his face.

“Sir, I… I wanted to thank you. For trusting me with Y/N. I promise you that I’ll always take care of her,” he told David, his voice firm with conviction.

David smiled, nodding. “I’m glad to hear it.”

He walked forward, putting his arms around Dean into a hug, one that solidified the bond between their families. Pulling away, they smiled at each other before David stepped back, leaving Dean to finish getting ready.

“Hey,” Sam got his attention as he walked over. “I’m just going to quickly check in on Elliot and then see Eileen. Are you going to be okay?”

“Don’t worry about me, Sammy,” Dean stated, smirking. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” Sam nodded and retreated back, walking across the room and shutting the door behind him.

Dean looked at himself in the mirror by the window, trying to tie his bowtie properly. He gave it a few tries, growling in frustration as he couldn’t get it right, his hands started to shake again.

“Here, let me,” he heard his dad say, as he walked over and turned Dean towards him.

“Thanks, dad,” Dean sighed, lifting his head so John could see properly.

“No problem.” John smiled as he started tying the bowtie for Dean. “I remember doing this for you for prom.”

Dean huffed a small laugh, lifting an eyebrow. “Bet you never thought you’d be doing it for my wedding.”

John smiled, knowingly. “I did think I’d be doing it. I always knew you’d get here.”

He fixed the bowtie and then folded the collar back down. “All done.”

He picked up Dean’s suit jacket and held it up, pulling it up onto his shoulders once he put his arms through. Dean fixed it to fit properly on his shoulders, frowning a little as it felt weird to be wearing a suit.

“It’s just for a few hours,” John said, knowing what his son was thinking by the expression on his face.

“Yeah,” Dean agreed, as he pinned the small flowers to the lapel of his suit.

“Dean,” John said, getting his son’s attention. Taking out a small box from his pants pocket, he handed it over to his son, a proud smile on his face. “I have something for you.”

With a confused look on his face, Dean took the box from his dad. Opening it, his eyes widened as he saw a pair of old, silver cufflinks sitting in there, immediately recognizing them.

“Grandpa’s,” he whispered, breathing heavily as a wave of emotion came over him.

“He’d want you to have them,” John said, smiling as he took them from Dean, taking them out and putting the box back in his pocket. He lifted Dean’s left hand and attached them to the end of the sleeve, repeating the action on the other.

“Thanks, dad,” Dean said, smiling.

John shook his head, pulling Dean into a tight hug. “You don’t have to ever thank me, Dean. I’m so proud of you.”

The younger Winchester’s eyes closed, his smile growing as he hugged his father. All his life, he had looked up to his dad, wanting to be just like him. While things had happened in the past and he saw a different side to him, Dean knew his dad worked hard to give them a life they deserved, one filled with joy and laughter, all while overcoming obstacles along the way and becoming a stronger unit because of it. He knew that despite some troubles, he saw a good and loving marriage between his parents, and one he hoped he would have with Y/N.

Y/N stepped into her dress, standing up straight as Charlie and Jill pulled it up and slipped the straps over her arms. The sheer low cut back came down to a zip and button closure, which Jill did for her, smiling over her shoulder. Y/N fixed the front, making sure the low front was secure over her breasts, smoothing her hands down the front of the dress. She caught Mary’s eyes through the mirror as she stood behind her with Elliot, smiling at her through teary eyes. Meredith came over, the veil carefully cradled in her arms as she stood behind Y/N. She watched as her mom clipped the veil into her hair just above her bun, fluffing it to fall delicately over the silhouette of her dress. Her mom had a few tears fall down her face, and Y/N was trying desperately not to cry in that moment.

“You look so beautiful,” Meredith choked out, looking at her younger daughter.

“Thanks, mom,” Y/N said, her voice shaking.

“Okay, no crying yet, we can’t ruin our make-up,” Charlie added, wiping lightly under her eyes, avoiding her make-up.

Everyone laughed and tried to take breaths, making sure they didn’t have to re-do any of their make-up. Y/N smiled as she clipped on her grandmother’s silver bracelet to her wrist, and put on the diamond drop earrings, completing the look. She spied little Evie coming up next to her, looking at her with big, round eyes full of wonder.

“Aunty Y/N, you look like a princess,” she said, smiling up at her aunt.

Y/N laughed a little as she bent down slightly, kissing her head. “Thank you, honey. You look so beautiful.”

Evie blushed as she giggled, which melted Y/N’s heart even more. She and Mia had matching off-white flower girl dresses with pastel pink sashes around the waist tied into bows at the back, both complete with matching headbands and shoes. As Y/N adjusted the front of her dress, a knock at the door alerted everyone.

Eileen opened the door, smiling as Sam walked in and kissed her, quickly. “Everything okay with Elliot?”

“Yeah, he’s great,” she replied, looking up at him as she bounced their son lightly in her arms. A smile spread across her face as she nodded towards Y/N. “Turn around.”

Sam turned, suddenly in awe as he looked at his soon-to-be sister-in-law. “Y/N. Oh my god.”

Y/N laughed, twirling the dress slightly. “Think Dean will like it?”

“Like? He’s going to lose his mind,” Sam replied, shaking his head as he beamed at her.

“How is he?” she asked, a longing in the tone of her voice. She couldn’t wait to see him.

“He’s good,” Sam replied, a little too quickly. She knew something was wrong.

“He’s freaking out.” It wasn’t a question considering she knew how Dean’s mind worked.

“He was, but I talked him down. He’s good now, I swear,” Sam promised, firmly.

She nodded but she knew she needed to do something, somehow, to convince him that things were okay and to not freak out.

“Mom, can you hand me that note pad and a pen,” Y/N said, gesturing to the items she wanted on the table in the far corner.

Meredith brought them over, and Y/N immediately scribbled something on it, quickly. Tearing the page off, she folded it and handed it over to Sam.

“Give him that when you get to the altar, okay?” she asked, smiling.

“Sure thing,” he replied, holding it securely in his hand. “We’re going to head out there.”

“See you soon.” She couldn’t keep the smile off her face, more than ready to go out there and marry the man of her dreams.

“See you soon,” he repeated, winking at her.

He turned his mom and offered his arm to her, Mary taking it immediately with her own wink at Y/N. He took Elliot from Eileen and carried him in his other, all of them leaving the room and shutting the door, lightly.

Y/N smiled as she turned back to the mirror, taking in her full appearance. It was almost time and she couldn’t be happier.

John, Mary, Sam and Dean sat under the trees, in the front row of chairs all lined up and starting to be filled as the guests arrived. Elliot sat in Mary’s lap, looking around curiously at everything. They all looked out past the arch covered in flowers for Dean and Y/N to stand under, past the trees and saw the lake, the sun shining off the surface of the water on the most beautiful and perfect day they could’ve hoped for the wedding. As he sat with his family, Dean couldn’t help but think about all the memories the Winchesters had made there.

He stood up from the chair, watching as people arrived. He saw Jody and the girls arrive, smiling brightly at them. She blew him a kiss and he laughed, blowing one back. After them, he spotted Donna, her blonde locks blowing slightly in the breeze. She saw him, circled her finger in the air to gesture to the suit, and mouthed a “nice!”. He smirked as he winked at her, causing her to laugh before she sat down next to Jody. He looked next to him, seeing Sam looking down at his watch.

“Five minutes,” he said, looking up at Dean.

Dean let out a breath, nodding. “Guess we better stand.”

“Don’t worry, honey. Everything’s going to be great,” Mary said, quickly standing up and kissing his cheek. She held Elliot in her arms, making sure he was sitting in her lap properly as she took her seat again.

Dean stood up under the arch with the female officiant who was already there, Sam standing next to Dean as the groomsmen stood off to the side near the trees, waiting for the bridesmaids. Remembering what Y/N had given him, Sam reached into his pocket and took out the note, nudging Dean.

“I saw Y/N earlier, asked me to give you this,” he whispered, handing over the paper.

Taking it, Dean opened the paper. He had calmed down considerably since Sam spoke to him in the dressing room, but when he read the words on the paper in Y/N’s pretty handwriting, he felt the weight completely lift off his chest.

Don’t be scared.

I love you.

He felt tears prick his eyes, but he cleared his throat and folded the paper into his pants pocket, blinking rapidly to stop them from flowing. Seeing those words was exactly what he needed at that moment.

He was more ready than he ever was to get the show on the road.

Y/N, Jill, David and Meredith walked up the gravel path, the girls behind them as they held Y/N’s dress up off the ground as she walked. She was doing considerably well in her sparkly, pointed-toe heels, but she knew by the time the reception rolled around she would be taking them off. She didn’t care, however, as she was just more than ready to see her man.

“I haven’t told you yet, but-” David whispered, leaning into her. “You look so beautiful, honey.”

“Thanks, dad,” she whispered back, kissing his cheek.

They made it to the end of the path, hidden behind the trees so that no one would see them.

Meredith turned to Y/N, cupping her face in her hands, her eyes blurry with tears. “I love you, so much.”

“I love you, too, mom,” Y/N choked out, blinking to keep her tears at bay.

They kissed each other’s cheeks and hugged, Meredith quickly walking down to the clearing, down the aisle and taking her seat in the front row on Y/N’s side. She looked at Dean and smiled, getting a smile back from him as he waited.

Y/N watched as Cas, Benny and Brian walked over to them, as they stood next to their respective bridesmaid. Cas took Charlie’s arm, Benny took Meg’s and Brian took Eileen’s as they lined up in front of Jill, Evie and Mia. Each of the bridesmaids stood with their bouquet of Oriental Lilies, while her nieces had their little baskets filled with light pink rose petals, the only roses Y/N had for the wedding. She stood behind them, as David took his place on her right.

“Ready?” he asked, looking at her.

“So ready,” she replied, smiling wide. She laughed a little, shaking her head. “Just please, don’t let me fall.”

“Never,” he whispered, kissing her temple. Offering his arm, Y/N wrapped her right one around, holding her bouquet of Calla Lilies tight in her left hand.

Before she knew it, the music started from the speaker off to the side of the altar, and it was show time. Taking a deep breath in, she released it as she watched the bridal party walk out, ready for her turn down the aisle.

The soft violin started from the hidden speaker, the tune immediately recognizable to Dean as Thank You by Led Zeppelin, but instrumental.

He felt all his emotions beginning to rise to the surface, but he tried to keep himself calm as he watched the bridal party come down the aisle. Cas and Charlie were first, both sharing a smile with him. Cas took his place next to Sam, as Charlie couldn’t resist coming up and quickly hugging Dean, kissing his cheek. Benny and Meg walked in behind them, and he fist bumped his other best friend and work partner before he took his place next to Cas. Brian and Eileen followed and stood at their respective sides, waiting for the rest of the party.

Dean watched as Jill walked down, winking at him as she walked over to the left side, standing in front of Charlie. All the guests admired and ‘awed’ at Evie and Mia, as they dropped the petals from their little baskets onto the covered ground. They went and sat down with Meredith, after having done their duty as flower girls.

The music began to soar as Y/N held onto her father’s arm tightly, walking slowly with him towards the aisle. She looked at her father, giving him a little nod to let him know she was ready. She felt tears collect in her eyes as she started walking, seeing everyone standing and smiling at her. Everyone who was special to them was there, and she was so grateful.

Just as the tempo changed, Dean felt a catch in his throat as he finally saw Y/N, on the arm of her father. He didn’t think he could be as speechless as he was at that moment. Time completely stood still, as all he could see was her. He had seen Y/N dressed up several times, on so many occasions that were special to them, where she had looked absolutely beautiful. However, the vision of her gliding towards him like an angel, with the most radiant smile on her face, was an image that would stay with him until the day he took his last breath. He was overwhelmed, willing himself to keep composure, but he knew he was failing as a tear slipped down her face.

Y/N smiled, feeling the tears threatening to fall down her face as she saw Dean looking at her. At that moment, she saw no one else. He looked so incredibly handsome in his suit, but his face, with a smile of his own and his eyes glassy, was the most beautiful sight she could have seen. As she got closer, she saw a tear roll down his right cheek, and she felt one of her own escape, as overcome by this moment as he was.

Y/N stopped at the end of the aisle, as Dean stepped towards her. They looked into each other’s eyes, both of them smiling as their vision blurred behind unshed tears. She turned to her dad and kissed his cheek, his own smile speaking volumes as he took her hand and placed it in Dean’s, giving him a small nod that held the weight of the moment. They continued to look at each other as David sat down with Meredith, who was already a mess of emotions.

Dean and Y/N stepped closer to the officiant, turning to face each other as they held hands. He shook his head, his eyes gliding up her dress and looking into hers, a small smile on his face as he tried to let her know with a look how beautiful she was, as words were something he couldn’t manage in that moment. He had to save his voice for his vows, which were going to be even more nerve-wracking now. The music turned off and the officiant, Cindy, looked between them, ready to start the ceremony. The interpreter stood off to the side, closer to Eileen so that she could see properly. Cindy was a short woman with greying hair, thick black glasses and the sunniest personality they both had ever seen, smiling as she began the ceremony.

“Dearly beloved, we gathered here today to witness and celebrate the marriage of Y/N Y/L/N and Dean Winchester.”

Dean breathed deeply, his eyes never leaving Y/N’s as did the same. Cindy went on to see a few things she learnt about them as a couple as she got to know them before this day, both of them beaming at each other as she spoke.

“So, let’s get these two married, shall we?” she asked, laughing.

Everyone joined in, with cheers and claps all around, including the bridal party behind Dean and Y/N.

“Dean and Y/N have each prepared their own vows which they’ll share now, before I ask them a couple of questions. Y/N, why don’t you go first,” Cindy said, looking at her.

Y/N nodded, turning slightly and taking the piece of paper that Jill handed to her. She opened it and looked at Dean, smiling at him as he looked at her intently. She looked down at her words, tears threatening to fall.

“Dean.” She glanced at him again quickly, before concentrating on her words, not wanting to mess up. “For a long time, I wondered if I’d ever find someone who I could truly be myself with. Someone who would protect me and never hurt me, someone who would never let me fall. Someone who would challenge me. Someone who would love me unconditionally, without any selfish gain. For a moment, it felt as if I’d never find it. That I’d never get out of that dark place that I was in. Then, life prompted me to make the greatest decision of my life; to move to Lawrence, Kansas of all places. It may have seemed like a strange choice, but it was ultimately the right one, because that choice led me to finding you.”

She looked up at him, a tear now rolling down her face as she smiled through them. He was barely hanging on, and it warmed her heart to see all the love in his eyes.

“Dean, You got me out of that dark place. You’re my light, and I promise to always be yours too. I promise to always be your rock, to tell you just how much I respect you and appreciate you, to be your protector through any obstacle that comes our way, and to never doubt you or let you doubt yourself. I promise to love you forever, Dean Winchester.” As she finished, she looked up to see Dean subtly bend his head and wipe a tear away, turning back to her with a smile.

Cindy gave Y/N a wink before turning to Dean, a small nod letting him know it was his turn. He turned to Sam, who gave him his vows with a small smile, tapping his upper arm before Dean turned back to Y/N. He opened the folded paper, taking a deep breath as he hoped that his words would get his point across.

“It’s a good thing we gotta write these down, because I’m not good with words,” he said, looking up from the paper before he read it. “Even what I wrote might not be great, so-”

He stopped rambling as he felt Y/N’s hand slip into the one that wasn’t holding the paper, grasping it tightly. He looked at her and saw her smiling, her eyes holding all the promises she had just made. He smirked at her, knowing he could do this.

“I never thought of myself as the “get married” type of guy,” he started, looking intently at his vows. “Not for any other reason than I didn’t think it was on the cards for me. Then… right when I thought life was dealing me the short straw… I found you.” He looked up at Y/N, beaming at her as she did the same, her eyes watery.

“Y/N, you came into my life when I needed you most. You helped me understand what it meant to be supported, appreciated and respected. What it meant to be loved. You helped me get out of the cage I was in, and you helped me realize that I deserve better than what I had. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier that that “better” was you. You… you saved me,” he said, his voice hitching as he looked up at her, his eyes shining. He cleared his throat from the emotions he was feeling, looking down at his paper again. “Y/N, I promise you… I’ll always be there to tell you how much you mean to me, how much I appreciate you and respect you. I’ll always support you the way you have with me, and I’ll be your shield any time you feel that dark cloud coming in. I’ll never let anyone, or anything hurt you. I’m going to love you for the rest of this life and into the next, sweetheart.”

“Dean,” she gasped, shaking her head in wonder of her soon-to-be husband.

“Was that okay?” he asked, softly, nerves reflected on his features as he looked at her.

“It was beautiful,” she whispered.

“That was amazing, wasn’t it?” Cindy asked, receiving several cheers from the guests.

Dean and Y/N looked at their families, seeing both their mothers incredibly overwhelmed as they wiped away their tears.

“Alright, let’s do this,” Cindy said, smiling. “Can we have the rings?”

Jill and Sam both handed the rings to Y/N and Dean respectively, both of them smiling as Dean took her left hand. They couldn’t believe how close they were to being married.

“Dean,” Cindy started, turning to him. “Do you take Y/N Y/L/N to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, loving and honoring her all the days of your life, until death parts you?”

Dean smiled as images of Y/N when they first met on that fateful day and every incredible moment between them since then, flashed before his eyes. “I do,” he said, with more confidence than he had ever had in his life.

He slid the platinum wedding band onto her ring finger, sitting on top of her engagement ring. Y/N looked at him, her eyes never wanting to leave his as Cindy turned to her. She asked the same question of Y/N, who refused to look anywhere else than at the love of her life standing in front of her.

“I do,” Y/N stated, never breaking eye contact with the wonderful man looking back at her, as flashes of their life so far crossed her mind. She looked down briefly, sliding the matching platinum band onto his finger.

The anticipation crept up within them, more than ready to be declared husband and wife.

“Well, I guess it’s time then, isn’t it?” Cindy laughed, looking between both of them. “By the power invested by the state of Kansas, in front of your dear family and friends, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Dean,” Cindy declared, raising an eyebrow as she smiled at Dean.

Leaning forward, Dean’s arms wrapped around Y/N’s waist as he pulled her as close as he could. Her arms wrapped around his neck, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss. It was as if time stood still, as if every kiss until this one was only a teaser, their souls now connected forever. Everyone stood up and clapped, cheered and called out their congratulations, but the couple only heard them briefly.  After a moment, he pulled away and gave her the most beautiful smile she had ever seen on his face. They gave each other a few more short kisses, before they turned and smiled at everyone.

“Family and friends, I am delighted to present for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Dean Winchester!” Cindy yelled, clapping excitedly.

Dean took Y/N’s hand, both of them making their way down the aisle, waving at their families and promising to see them soon. They walked off behind the trees, a moment alone before the photographs started. Dean cupped her face, pulling her into another passionate kiss.

“I love you so much,” he whispered between kisses.

“I love you, too,” she whispered back, desperate to keep kissing him.

“You’re my wife,” he said, laughing happily as he bit his lip.

“You’re my husband,” she sighed, kissing him again.

Their lips locked in a passionate exchange, not wanting to let go of each other. They stayed in each other’s embrace for a few moments, eventually pulling away from each other, knowing they needed to get to the next part of the day.

“Shall we?” he asked, looking deep into her eyes.

“Absolutely,” she replied, kissing him once more.

He offered her his arm, ready to take her to the photographer and start the rest of their special day. Y/N smiled and hooked her arm around Dean’s, strolling down the path with him as they held each other close.

The photographs took a bit of time, getting everyone coordinated and organized. They took family photos, with the bridal party, in every combination they could manage, before their photographer took pictures of just Y/N and Dean. He took them at more natural points, and based on that, they were excited to see what they would look like.

Once they were finished, they walked down the path and over to the reception, small chandeliers hanging from the top of the tent, and beautiful flower arrangements at the tables. Everyone turned to look at them and cheered as they came in, Dean taking Y/N’s hand and twirling her around the empty space that would be used as a dance floor. They had decided to get their first dance in, not wanting to pause the reception later and be the centre of attention even more than they already were.

Dean smiled at Y/N as he held her hand, pulling her in close as his other one rested on her hip. They looked into each other’s eyes, the song they had chosen floating in through the speakers. Y/N had told him about it, and after listening to it, he was on board straight away. It may not have been classic rock, but it was a classic in its own right and the cover that they had chosen of it suited the feel of their wedding.

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin

Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in

Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove

And dance me to the end of love

Please dance me to the end of love

“You look so beautiful,” he stated, smiling down at her. “I couldn’t get that out when I saw you.”

“Well, now I can tell you how handsome you look, too,” she said, softly.

There may have been people around them watching as they danced, but their eyes were only on each other as they moved to the music. He leaned his forehead against hers, both of them wearing identical smiles as they swayed slowly. Tilting his head slightly, he kissed her nose softly, bringing her in closer.

“I can’t wait to spend forever with you,” she whispered, looking into his eyes.

“I can’t wait either, sweetheart,” he whispered back, leaning in and kissing her, passionately.

They pulled away after a moment, her head leaning against his shoulder as he rested his cheek against her head, both content as they closed their eyes.

Oh let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone

Oh let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon

Oh show me slowly what I only know the limits of

And dance me to the end of love

Please dance me to the end of love

Suddenly, he took her hand and spun her, a squeal leaving her as she started laughing. Pulling her in, he laughed as they held each other close.

Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on

And dance me very tenderly and dance me very long

We're both of us beneath our love, and both of us above

And dance me to the end of love

Won't you dance me to the end of love

The guests cheered and clapped as the song ended, Dean and Y/N smiling at everyone as they made their way to their table, as everyone found their respective ones as well. The food had started being served, and the couple had never been more thankful, having been dying to eat all day. The little snacks throughout the day had only served to make them hungrier. The food was incredible, and the drinks were amazing. As the sun had set, the fairy lights all around the tent shined as did the chandeliers, bathing the area in a soft glow. As waiters took away plates and glasses, others came around with glasses of champagne, ready for the speeches. Dean had his arm around Y/N as it rested on her chair, both of them smiling as they saw her father stand up.

“Evening everyone, I’m David. Y/N’s father,” he started, looking around the tent at the guests. “Well, I hope you know who I am, otherwise well done for sneaking into an expensive meal unnoticed.”

There were laughs around the area, as Y/N’s jaw dropped. She and her mother looked at each other, shaking their heads as Jill giggled, sitting on the other side of Y/N. Dean chuckled lightly, nodding as he sipped his water.

“I just want to welcome you all and thank you for being here for this incredible occasion, of my daughter’s wedding. Meredith and I want to thank John and Mary as well, for being so welcoming of us and our side from New York. I know that Y/N’s talked about how wonderful you both are, and we’ve definitely seen it, so thank you,” he continued, gesturing to Dean’s parents who sat next to David and Meredith.

“Y/N, Dean… congratulations to you both. Y/N, honey, your mother and I are so proud of you and the woman you’ve become. God knows you’ve been through a lot, but you came out of it more courageous, stronger, and more determined to keep fighting. Dean, the day we met you we got to see just how much you care for our daughter. We knew without a doubt that she was going to be safe and provided for. So… I know that as much as it kills me to let my daughter go… She’s going to be happy and well looked after. As long as you remember the cardinal rule of marriage: one person is always right, and the other person is you,” he said, making everyone laugh again.

“So, I know we’ve all been emotional today, I mean even the cake is in tiers,” David said, causing some cringing from his wife and daughters. Dean pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh as his wife shook her head at her dad.

“But once these speeches are done, let’s have some fun, okay?” David smiled, lifting his glass. “To Dean and Y/N, I know that your relationship is already a strong one, so may it continue to always be.”

Mary stood up, already a mess of tears as she tried to dap them away. She smiled over at the couple and took a deep breath as she prepared to talk to them.

“I want to start off quickly by thanking everyone for coming today as well. I look around now and see so many people who are so important to our family, and it just warms my heart to see you all here, and to see some other very important people who have now joined our family,” she started, looking from David and Meredith to Y/N. “I’m so happy for my son, who’s found someone who makes his world brighter. Y/N, thank you for seeing all of the good things in my son and for loving him for all of it and more. I’m so glad you came into his life, and therefore, ours. There’s not much I can say to you as advice because I already know how much you both care for each other, but as long as that remains constant, as long as you’re there for each other, support each other, love each other… I know you’re both going to be happy forever.” She blew a kiss to them as she sat down, smiling as John kissed her cheek.

Dean watched his parents and saw how much they still loved each other, even after all the things they had been through and all the years together. If he and Y/N were half as happy as they are, he knew they would be perfectly fine.

Jill stood up from her seat next to Y/N, as everyone at their table adjusted to face her. She smiled down at Y/N, who returned it, her eyes never leaving her older sister.

“Hey everybody, I’m Jill, Y/N’s sister. I’m going to ask that you all bear with me because I may cry as I talk about the greatest little sister a girl could ask for,” Jill stated, already getting choked up before even starting her speech. “While she may have had a mean streak when we were younger, like the time she shaved my eyebrow off while I was sleeping-”

There were audible gasps and laughs around the tent, as Y/N shook her head, ready to argue.

“That was because she spat toothpaste in my hair because I bent down at the sink before her!” she yelled, causing everyone to laugh.

“Which is tame compared to the eyebrow,” Jill countered, laughing. “Dean… you better watch out.”

Dean choked on his water, coughing slightly as he laughed. Y/N playfully glared at him, causing him to press his lips together to stop laughing.

“Anyway, while that may have happened… none of it changed how amazing a person she is. With everything she’s been through, everything she’s fought for, and everything she’s accomplished… I’m so constantly in awe of her and the incredible force that she is,” Jill added, looking down at her sister, tears in her eyes.

“When she told me about Dean and how she was starting to fall for him, I thought about how I’ve never heard her sound like this. She had been in love before, but never quite like this. More than anything, it was how she spoke about Dean that struck me. How much respect she had for him, how in awe she was of him, how crazy she was about him. From that, I knew that there was something there that was special. Meeting Dean only proved that further,” Jill said, looking over at her new brother-in-law. “I saw how much he reciprocated all of those things back to Y/N, and that was when I truly knew… that this guy, well he was the real deal.”

Dean smiled at her, a little nod between them to acknowledge that Jill had always approved and would always continue to do so.

“So, Dean… welcome to our family. Thank you for taking care of my sister the way you have so far… I know she’s in safe hands and you’ll always continue to do so,” Jill ended her speech, sitting back down and leaning over to Y/N, hugging her tightly.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” Y/N whispered back, kissing her cheek.

Sam stood up next to Dean, standing in such a way that Eileen could read his lips as he spoke. He had been signing for her so far, Eileen having refused an interpreter at the reception as they wouldn’t have needed him for very long, unlike the ceremony. Sam cleared his throat, looking around at everyone before he started.

“Hi everyone, I’m Sam, Dean’s younger brother and best man. So, I had thought a lot about what to say today, since Dean asked me to be his best man, actually. I thought about how I should say nice things about my big brother, but then everything I thought about didn’t feel like enough to tell you all how great he really is,” Sam said, looking around at the guests before he looked at Dean.

Dean looked at Sam, a small smile on his face as he wasn’t used to his little brother saying things about him.

“My entire life, Dean’s protected me. I didn’t always like it; in fact, sometimes I really wasn’t appreciative of everything he did for me. Then of course there were the stupid pranks he pulled on me. I’m sure most people know the Nair incident, but let’s not bring up old wounds… let’s just say, Dean got into a lot of trouble for that one,” Sam continued. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at his brother, as people laughed, shook their heads in disbelief as they remembered the incident, while others looked around wondering what happened.

“Still can’t believe you did that,” Y/N whispered, shaking her head at Dean.

“Well, clearly we’re made for each other, what with shaving off Jill’s eyebrow,” he whispered back, smirking.

She giggled and leaned in, kissing him softly.

“Then as I grew up, I realized that despite the pranks, despite the constant annoying comments about my hair, the bad singing in the car, the same five albums playing over and over every time we went somewhere, the way that he always had to have the last word… through all of that, the fact that he always there when I needed him… it was the one thing, in the whole world, that I could always count on. It’s the only thing I’ve ever known that was true,” Sam said, clearing his throat as he felt the emotion rising up from his chest.

Dean smiled softly, letting a low exhale, deeply touched by everything his little brother was saying.

“That’s why I know without even a shred of doubt, that Y/N…” Sam looked at her as he spoke his next words. “Dean’s going to be there for you through anything for as long as you’re both living on this planet.”

Y/N smiled, her heart skipping a beat at Sam’s beautiful words.

“And yeah, sure, he’s going to probably piss you off. You know who to vent to when that happens,” Sam laughed as he gestured to himself. Dean shook his head as he annoyedly glared at Sam, causing Y/N to chuckle, as others joined in.

“But he’s never going to let you down,” Sam continued, smiling. “And I have to thank you too, Y/N. I told you the first time I met you that you’re good for Dean, and I’ve never seen anything to tell me otherwise, for as long as you’ve been together. For a while there, he was lost, but you found him and brought him back to being the person that he is and always has been. I know I speak for everyone when I say we’ll be thanking you for that for years to come.”

A small tear rolled down Y/N’s face, causing her to dab it away with the tissue in her hand.

“So, without me going on and on, let’s raise our glasses to the bride and groom,” Sam announced, lifting up his glass of champagne, as all the guests did the same. “I hope you both have an amazing life together, counting on the things that are honest and true. To Dean and Y/N!”

“To Dean and Y/N!” everyone cheered, clapping and sipping champagne.

Dean and Y/N clinked their glasses together, kissing softly before they each took a sip of the sparkling liquid. They both got up from the table and thanked everyone, Y/N hugging her dad then Mary for their beautiful words. Dean went over to Sam, tapping him on the shoulder.

“That was some speech, little brother,” he said, smirking.

“Yeah, I tried to mix it up,” Sam stated, laughing slightly. “Tried not to make it too chick-flick for you.”

“Thanks for that.” Dean chuckled slightly, before he smiled at him. “What you said about Y/N though… it was great, man.”

“Well, she’s great,” Sam affirmed, looking between Dean and Y/N, who was talking with Mary.

“Yeah, she is,” Dean said, quietly as he smiled, watching her. He turned to Sam and gestured to come closer, both of them hugging as they clapped each other on the back.

“Thanks, Sammy.” Dean smirked as he pulled away from his brother, grasping his shoulder.

“Don’t mention it,” Sam said, smiling as he patted Dean’s arm.

They went their separate ways, as Dean and Y/N continued to make their way around and meet everyone. He hugged Mary when he got around to seeing his parents, not before receiving a quick kiss from Y/N as she walked past him to continue socializing with others.

“How do you feel?” John asked.

Dean grinned. “I feel… amazing.”

“Told you you’d get through it,” John said, softly as he smiled.

“Thanks, dad.” Dean smiled at his dad, hugging him.

“Dean!” he heard his groomsmen call out to him, making him pull away from his father.

“It’s okay, we’ll catch up later,” John said, a small chuckle leaving him.

Dean smiled and then walked over to his friends, seeing Y/N head over to them too. He leaned down and kissed her, passionately once they reached each other.

“Alright, let’s dance,” she said, taking his hand in hers.

“Dean dancing? This I gotta see,” Sam teased, smirking.

“Hey, I’ll have you know that my new sister-in-law taught me a few things,” Dean stated, tilting his head over at Jill.

Y/N’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? When?”

“Really, and a few days ago, when she got here,” Dean replied, smirking.

“Well, let’s go then!” she yelled, laughing as she dragged him onto the dance floor.

Most of the guests were dancing, drinking and having an amazing time, while others mingled, talked to people they hadn’t caught up with yet or hadn’t met ever. Everyone was having the time of their lives, none more so than Dean and Y/N. She laughed in surprise and excitement as he danced with her to a faster Elvis song, loving to see him so carefree. After a few songs, they stopped in the middle to cut the cake, everyone gorging on the delicious sweet. She ran her finger through some of it on the surface of the knife, offering it to him. She felt her cheeks heat up as he sucked on her finger, winking at her.

“Little preview for later?” she asked, smiling.

“Maybe,” he replied, smirking.

The night continued on, the women all dancing together when “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” came on. Dean was having a conversation with Bobby but kept getting distracted as he looked over at Y/N, dancing with Jill, Charlie and Meg. Evie and Mia bopped at their feet, being very careful not to step on aunty Y/N’s dress. Dean quickly finished talking to Bobby, promising to catch up with him in a few days time, before making his way to the dance floor.  He roared as he swooped in, picking up Mia and spinning her around. She laughed and squealed, holding him tightly as he joined everyone. The song changed over to “Dancing in the Dark”, as more people joined in. Jill and Brian danced together, as the girls danced with their aunt and uncle.

“Uncle Dean, guess what?” Evie yelled over the music.

“What’s up, kiddo?” Dean looked down at her, taking her hand and spinning her around, as he held Mia in his arm.

“I had bacon today and I liked it!” Evie told him, excitedly.

Dean put a hand over his heart, smiling at her. “Kid after my own heart.”

She latched onto him, making it difficult for him to move, but he leaned over and kissed Y/N, having gone too long since their previous one. Eventually, pretty much everyone was on the floor, dancing together as they continued to enjoy themselves.

The night began to wind down, as a few more guests thanked them for a wonderful night and they thanked them for being there, before they left. Y/N was chatting with Jody and the girls, when Dean came up behind her, putting his arms around her.

“Excuse me, ladies, but I gotta steal this one away,” he told them, slowly turning Y/N around.

“Go ahead,” Jody said, smiling.

“The girls want you to throw the bouquet and then we can head out,” Dean said, kissing her softly.

“Head out? We’re only going home, we can stay a bit longer,” she stated, frowning.

He smirked, shaking his head. “We’re not going home.”

“Oh really?” she asked, smiling. “What do you have up your sleeve this time, Dean Winchester?”

“Well, considering we’re not going on our honeymoon until next month because of the last few weeks of school, I pulled some strings with a customer who’s a manager at a hotel in town, and got us a room,” he replied, biting his lip as he smirked.

“You’re amazing,” she said, simply as she shrugged.

“So are you,” he said, leaning in and kissing her, lovingly.

Within a few minutes, Y/N got up on a chair as the women all gathered around to take part in a tradition she wasn’t too fond of, but Charlie had convinced her that it was a bit of fun. Y/N turned her back to them, launching the bouquet overhead, turning to see it glide through the air. Charlie stepped aside to let it end up in Meg’s vision, causing her to launch forward and grab the flowers. She looked at them with shock, not having been close enough to catch them and yet there she was. Holding the bouquet.

Cas looked on from where the guys were standing, suddenly feeling hot under the collar of his shirt. Sam looked at him, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

“You okay there, Cas?” he asked, smirking.

“Fine,” Cas replied, clearing his throat.

“Looks like you’re next,” Benny teased with a smirk of his own.

Dean laughed, tapping Cas on the back. “Relax, man. You look like you’re gonna barf.”

“I’m fine,” Cas repeated, his voice raspy and nervous.

The three of them looked at each other, chuckling quietly.

Within another hour, the reception came to a close, just a little after 12:30am. Their immediate family and friends stayed and left the tent with them, as they made their way back to the ranch house where they had gotten ready. The girls helped Y/N change out of her wedding dress, promising to take it back home for her. She got dressed into a white, A-line dress that came to just above her knees, changing into white shoes that had a shorter heel. She smiled as Charlie handed over an overnight bag she had packed for her, telling her that she was in on the surprise from Dean. Doing one last sweep of the room, the girls left and walked out to the parking lot.

She smiled as she saw Dean leaning against the Impala, his white dress shirt tight across his muscles as he crossed his arms, having ditched the suit jacket. The back of the car had a “Just Married” sign stuck to the trunk, and cans tied underneath. She knew he couldn’t have been happy about that, but he didn’t seemed he didn’t seem to care at that moment. They said their goodbyes to everyone, before Dean turned around and walked to the car, opening the passenger side door as he waited for Y/N.

She waved at everyone as she hurried over, quickly sitting inside as he shut the door. He waved at all the guests one last time as he ran around the front of the car, getting into the driver’s seat.

“Ready?” he asked, as he turned to Y/N. He had the most perfect smile on his face, which she reciprocated.

“Ready.” She leaned over, kissing him softly as he started the engine.

With one last look in the rear-view mirror, Dean’s foot pressed down on the accelerator. The Impala sped off, as he pressed the horn a few times and Y/N stuck her head out of the open window, waving as everyone cheered. They made it down the long drive, everyone disappearing from view, as Dean took a right turn and put them in the direction of Kansas City.

Once they arrived at the hotel, checked in and rode the elevator to their floor, they made their way to their room. Y/N stood back as Dean opened the door, took her bag from her and dropped both of them inside the door, holding it open with his foot. He took Y/N’s hand and bent down, wrapping an arm under her legs and around her back, picking her up.

“Really?” she asked, laughing as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Hey, we stuck to other traditions today, might as well stick to this one, too,” he replied, as he carried her across the threshold and into their hotel room, the door shutting behind them.

He walked over to the bed and carefully dropped her onto the covers, the rose petals scattering around. She laughed as he climbed on top of her, his legs on either side of her. The lights in the room were dimmed, giving everything a warm glow as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

“Hi, wife,” he breathed, grinning.

“Hi, husband,” she whispered, beaming.

He leaned in, kissing her passionately as he took her hands in his and placed them on either side of her head, their fingers curling between each other’s. The kiss became heated quickly, both of them wanting to be as close to the other as possible, after being apart since the night before.

“Dean,” she mumbled against his lips. She bit her lip as she wiggled her eyebrows. “I think I need to slip into something more comfortable.”

He hummed, kissing her again quickly. “I think you do, too.”

He rolled away from her, letting her sit up and stand up from the bed. She turned back to him and felt a heat spread through her body and settle in her as she looked at him, his legs crossed as he leaned up on his elbows, smirking at her. His white shirt had a couple of buttons open, exposing his neck and clavicle, making her shiver. She smiled at him and walked away to the bathroom, picking up her overnight bag along the way, and shutting the door.

Y/N looked at herself in the mirror, smiling as she let out a small squeal. She had never felt as happy as she did in her relationship with Dean, and she couldn’t wait to see how much deeper their love would grow now that they were married. Unzipping her dress on the side, she slipped it off and took off the simple bra and underwear she had put on. She unzipped her bag, smiling when she saw the white lingerie she had bought. Good thing she had told Charlie about it and her friend packed it for her. She slipped it on, clasping the bra and adjusting all the straps. She took out the soft lace robe and put it on. Looking at herself in the mirror again, she took out all the pins from her hair, flicking it back and forth to open it up. She stroked her hands through it and fluffed it, the strands now wavy from being in the bun all day.

With one last check in the mirror, Y/N opened the door and walked out. She smiled as Dean sat on the edge of the bed, taking his shoes off. She cleared her throat and he looked up, stopping what he was doing as his eyes raked over her. He looked up into her eyes, smiling as he dropped his shoes and leaned back on his hands, watching her walk over to him. She straddled him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he sat up, placing his hands on her hips.

“Like it?” she asked, as her hands combed through his hair at the back of his head.

He hummed as he leaned in, kissing her neck softly. “Definitely… but I think I’d like it better on the floor.”

His hands moved up to her shoulders, her arms moving back to let him push her robe down her arms, letting the delicate material slip to the floor. She shifted forward, her covered mound pressing against his crotch as she began to grind slowly. He pulled her closer, kissing her neck, nipping at the spot that always drove her crazy.

“God, I love you so damn much, sweetheart,” he whispered between kisses, making his way to her mouth, pressing a searing kiss to her lips.

“I love you, too,” she said, pulling away briefly. “So much.”

His hands slid around her back, slowly unclasping the bra and unhooking the bottom part of the lingerie. He pulled it off her and threw it on the floor, leaving her in the matching white lace thong.

Pulling her into him, Dean turned and laid Y/N down on the bed, her head resting against the pillows. She sat up, reaching for his shirt and unbuttoning it, kissing him feverishly as she pushed it off his shoulders and tossed it on the floor. He leaned over, laying her back against the bed, moving in to kiss her again. He trailed his lips down, kissing along her neck and collarbone, down the valley of her breasts, stopping to plant a kiss to each of them, making his way down her stomach.

“So beautiful,” he whispered against her skin, making her press her lips together, her cheeks hot from his admiration.

She looked down at him, watching as he pulled her thong down her legs and dropped it to the floor. Their eyes met as he moved between her legs, a small smirk on his face as he leaned in and placed a kiss to her sex. She bit her lip as they kept eye contact, a gasp leaving her as he licked a stripe over her folds. He moved his tongue from her entrance to her clit, tasting her as she started to get wet. He ran his tongue over her swollen nub in circles, causing a small moan to escape her lips. He started to alternate between sucking at her clit and slowly thrusting his tongue into her wet canal, as her hands moved into his short locks.

“Dean, oh my god,” she moaned, looking down at him as her hands gripped his hair tight.

“Taste so good, sweetheart,” he groaned.

He continued his ministrations, as a string of moans left her, his name falling from her lips as she felt her core tighten, knowing that she was close. No matter how many times Dean did this for her, every time was a euphoric experience, a feeling that could never be compared to anything else because it was just that amazing. Every single time.

“God, feels so good,” she whimpered, closing her eyes tightly.

“Come on, baby,” he whispered against her thigh, planting a kiss to her flesh. “Cum on my tongue, wanna feel it.” He dipped his head and continued to suck at the swollen nub and lick at her entrance, ready to bring her over the edge.

“Dean, fuck I-” she moaned, threw her head back. “Dean!”

The coil snapped as she came, her wetness slicking his tongue and lips. He lapped at everything she gave him, not moving until he was satisfied. Pressing a kiss to her inner thigh, he drifted up, holding himself above her as he smiled.

“You alright, sweetheart?” he asked, softly.

She reached up, cupping his face in her hands and bringing him closer, kissing his lips and tasting herself on them. She looked up at him, stroking her thumbs across his cheeks as she looked into his eyes. “I really am.”

His eyes flicked over every part of her face, taking in every feature. “You’re so beautiful.”

“So are you,” she whispered, gazing into his green orbs.

“Wanna be inside you, sweetheart,” he groaned, softly, as he reached for the belt on his pants.

“Want that too,” she sighed, reaching up to plant kisses along his jaw. “Need you inside me.”

Dean took off his belt and dropped it down the side of the bed, undoing his pants and slipping them off along with his boxers, throwing them to the floor. He was hard, his cock throbbing after he had brought her over the edge with his mouth. He took a hold of his shaft, pressing the tip to her entrance, as her legs spread a little more. Knowing she was more than ready for him, he sank into her, a soft moan leaving her lips as she felt her walls stretch and sheath his cock completely.

“Fuck, you feel so good inside me, Dean,” she whispered, kissing his cheek. “So good.”

“So perfect wrapped around me,” he whispered back.

He pulled back slightly, thrusting back into her as he set a slow, sensual rhythm. He leaned down on his forearms, his face closer to hers, kissing her passionately. She held onto his shoulders, her legs wrapping around him, her heels digging into the globes of his ass. Their bodies moved together in a slow dance, their lips moving against each other at the same pace.

“I love you,” she whispered against his lips, a soft and loving smile on her face.

Dean pulled back slightly, looking deep into her eyes. He couldn’t believe that he got to be her husband, feeling overwhelmed by the moment as he continued to move within her.

“I love you so much, Dean Winchester,” she sighed, her hands moving up to cup his face again. “I’m going to love you for the rest of my life.”

Dean reached up and took her hands in his, their fingers linked as he held them down on either side of her head. He leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers, their eyes boring into each other’s. For yet another time in their relationship, he wondered how luck finally came to him, how he finally found the woman of his dreams. He marvelled that he found a woman who truly cared for him, who loved him unconditionally and saw past his flaws. He couldn’t believe his luck to get the chance to spend his whole life with her.

Y/N breathed heavily as she gazed up at him, seeing his eyes begin to water. She couldn’t believe that this man above her had come into her life right when she needed him. That he had found everything about her incredible, to the point where he had committed to spending his whole life with her. He loved her and made her feel safe, and she constantly thanked the universe every day that they found each other.

A tear rolled down Dean’s right cheek, causing Y/N to reach up and softly brush it away. Another tear escaped his left eye, as he let out a mix between a gasp and a moan. His shoulders shook as a wave of emotions flooded him; his jaw clenched as he tried to keep the tears at bay.

“I love you so fucking much, sweetheart,” he rasped, a few more tears escaping.

She held his face in her hands, leaning up slightly to softly brush her lips against his cheeks, kissing his tears away. He continued to move within her, her walls clenching around his cock as his hips undulated slowly, hitting her g-spot repeatedly. Her hands joined with his again, their fingers tight around each other’s. Linked together. Forever.

She smiled through tears of her own, tilting her head to kiss his lips softly. “I love you, D.”

He thrusted into her a little faster, knowing that she was close from the way she contracted around him. He leaned up slightly, looking down at her as he moved deep with her, her hips meeting his. She felt the heat in her belly rise, her core tightening again, her second release fast approaching.

“Dean,” she moaned loudly, her hands grasping his tightly. “Baby, I’m so close.”

“Me too, gorgeous,” he grunted, clenching his jaw. “Cum with me.”

She looked deep into his eyes, as his hips snapped against hers a few more times, causing her to moan loudly. With their names on each other’s lips, they fell over the edge together, her wetness slicking his shaft, as his seed coated her inner walls, the euphoria washing over them like a calming ocean.

Dean breathed heavily as he dropped his head to her chest, his lower body slowly laying between her legs. She ran her hands through his sweat-soaked hair, holding his head in place, her chest rising and falling harshly as she caught her breath. He turned his head slightly, softly kissing the top of her breast and any other part of her skin that he could reach. He slowly pulled out of her, but she didn’t allow him to move away.

“That was incredible,” she said, softly, feeling a tear escape her eye and run down the side of her face.

He nodded against her chest, not trusting his voice at that moment.

They lay there in the same position for a few moments, until Dean rolled off her and shifted back against the pillows. Y/N moved into him, resting her head on his chest and wrapping her arm around him. Her fingers made random patterns on his chest, both of them basking in the afterglow of their wedding night love making. Soon, sleep was starting to creep in. He reached up and turned off the lights from the switch near the bed, the clock on the bedside table reading 2:15am.

“I love you, Dean Winchester,” she whispered, her eyes closing.

“I love you, too, Y/N Winchester,” he whispered back.

They fell into a deep slumber, their bodies moulded together perfectly, their minds replaying the beautiful memories of their special day and knowing that come sunrise would be the start of new ones being made.

It would be the start of their new chapter together as husband and wife.

-x-

Tags: @deanwanddamons​​ // @winchest09​​ // @downanddirtydean​​ // @jensengirl83​​ // @wonder-cole​​ // @that-one-gay-girl​​ // @whatareyousearchingfordean​​ // @flamencodiva​​ // @danneelsmain​​ // @ellewritesfix05​​ // @roonyxx​​ // @akshi8278​​ //@hobby27​​ // @michellethetvaddict​​ // @spngirl05​​ // @kyjey​​ // @440mxs-wife​​ // @stoneyggirl​​ // @stoneyggirl2​​​ // @deanswaywardgirl​​​ // @redbarn1995​​​ // @marianita195​ // @babypink224221​​​ // @deans-baby-momma​​​ // @parinarain​​​ // @thoughts-and-funnies​​​ // @mandalou29​​​ // @jerkbitchidjitassbutt​​​ // @supernatural-love14​​​ // @vicmc624​​​ // @prettyboyswow​​​ // @lunarmoon8​​​ // @irmcpar​​​ // @compresshischest09​​​ // @weepingwillowphoenix​​​ // @xlynnbbyx​​​ // @whiskey-infused-dreams​​​ // @perpetualabsurdity​​​ // @verytoadpapersoul​​​ // @pink-sparkly-witch​​​ //

[tennessoui]

If you're still doing POV I'd love to see Aayla's pov of bartender au because it goes from 'lol enjoy getting laid!' To 'oh okay, he's here...again. and you're leaving. Again. Cool.' To 'what do you mean you are ENGAGED???'

I bet Anakin suggests it would be romantic to have the reception at the bar and Obi-Wan gives a hard no because he cannot explain his life choices to the regulars who will insist on coming and they will still hit on his child bride and its all just too

4 Times Aayla Secura Interacts with Anakin and Then Forgets About Him and 1 Time She Realizes He's Gonna Be Here To Stay:

1.

Aayla laughs a little too hard at a customer's joke--it wasn't even funny to begin with--even as she's turning away to fill up their drink. They're slurring their words just enough she underpours their rum and coke and calls herself a good samaritan for her service. When she turns back, a kid has found his way from the door to the bar and taken a seat directly in the middle.

She passes off the drink to the regular and makes her way down the bar to the kid. He's got his ID placed out in front of him already, but he doesn't even register her approach, too busy looking around the place. It's not much to look at, Obi-Wan's bar. He'd inherited it already dingy, with unsavory guests unwilling to be shut out. Half the battle of changing anything about Kenobi's is fighting with the inherited regulars every inch, from what Aayla's heard Obi-Wan say.

He's added more light at least, and a few nicer booths in the back. But it's definitely not much to look at, and the boy seems to agree because he turns back to her with a frown and a pinched face.

"Someone's looking gloomy," she tells him, friendly-like as she peeks at his ID. Skywalker, 20 as of yesterday. "Happy late birthday, what do you want?"

"Obi-Wan," the kid states. "I mean--is he here? Tonight?"

Aayla raises an eyebrow--a trick she'd definitely learned from her boss--and leans both elbows on the bartop. "I don't think I'm legally allowed to tell you that, kid."

"I'm not a kid," the boy snaps back, like a kid. No: like a brat. "He said he'd buy me a drink if I came back after I turned twenty."

The boy's eyes are wide and earnest and he looks like he dressed up to come to this dingy little bar. No drink is worth all that extra effort.

No, it's definitely not the free drink this boy came in looking for tonight.

"He's outta town for the week," she finally tells him, feeling like a shitty fucking person when his face falls into tragic levels of heartbreak. "But I can get you that drink," she adds, not even knowing why.

"It's okay," he says, slipping his ID in the pocket of his jeans and moving to stand up. "I can buy my own drinks."

"But do you want to?" Someone asks, a guy Aayla hasn't seen around before, slipping into the seat next to the boy. "Cause if you don't...."

Aayla moves to cut in because there's no way this guy isn't pushing forty and the kid's so damn big-eyed, but then the boy cocks his head consideringly at the man, taking in his light brown hair, his blue eyes, his beard.....

"Okay," the kid agrees, sitting back down and moving into the man's space just slightly. "You can buy me a drink."

"The name's Scott," the man says, looking thrilled to be here.

"Sure," the kid says.

---

2.

"Hey y'all, what can I get you?" Aayla asks, spying a blond kid with a barely touched drink in front of him and a new guy next to him.

"Whatever he's having," the kid demures, ripping his eyes away from Obi-Wan down at the other end. This rings some sort of bell in Aayla's head, but she can't say what exactly when a lot of customers like to watch them make drinks, especially drunk.

And this kid looks like he's absolutely gone, just completely wasted. But he's already got a drink, which means Obi-Wan's ID'ed him.

"Mm, tanqueray gin martini," the guy says. "Two."

The kid ducks his head, eyes darting away from the conversation as if he can't help it.

She makes their drinks quickly, already spotting two girls a few feet away who are eyeing up someone else's screwdriver with the sort of ravenous hunger found only in the recently wealthy or the recently wasted.

"Here you go," she passes off the two martinis before she turns around to greet the girls.

A second after she leaves them to grab at a top shelf vodka--she knew they were rich kids--Obi-Wan is grabbing at her shoulder and speaking into her ear over the noise.

"I have to go home," he tells her.

"It's an hour and a half til last call," she responds, blinking back at him. Sure, she can do this all by herself. It's almost closing time anyway, and the rush has died down to a steady, manageable amount. But Obi-Wan loves Ladies' Night Out.

He probably makes enough money each month from Ladies' Night Out to buy himself a cheap car, just by showing off his biceps a little.

When he holds firm and mentions Bly, Aayla narrows her eyes. "I thought that was a no-strings-attached agreement," she says.

"A fair assumption, but now I have a string."

It's very, very easy to follow the turn of his head back to the kid at the bar, who's looking at both of them like he can't decide which one of them murdered his mother, but he's about to lose it.

"God," she snorts when the kid actually sneers at her. "Get outta here, boss. But only if that means I get a copy of the keys. Now and forever."

He hands them over surprisingly quickly, and within five minutes, he's out from behind the bar with one hand falling immediately to the kid's shoulder and hauling him up and away from the other guy. He doesn't actually have to do much hauling though, seeing as the kid goes willingly and easily, fitting himself beneath Obi-Wan's arm like he's daring anyone to tell him he doesn't belong there.

The martini guy stares after the pair of them looking both shocked and offended. Aayla lets him keep the second glass, mostly so she doesn't have to take it off his tab. She really hopes Obi-Wan enjoys the fuck. Heaven knows he needs a good lay.

----

3.

The kid's back. She remembers him now, seeing as how it's not often Obi-Wan leaves shift just to fuck someone--or, he never does that--so obviously she remembers.

"Kid," Aayla acknowledges as she swoops past to make a drink for another patron.

"I have a name," the kid says. "Is. Is um."

Obi-Wan's not working tonight, but he has been sitting at a booth in the back for the past two hours and frankly it's stressing her out. She's been wondering if he's going to start doing some shit like evaluations.

She pours the drink through the gaps in the lid, adds an icecube to top it off and passes it down the line before turning back to Obi-Wan's boy.

But Obi-Wan's apparently beat her to the punch, seeing as he's up and out of his seat with an arm wrapped around his waist.

It's disgusting is what it is, the way they pull into each other, even as they stay at her bar. She doesn't want to think about what her boss looks like when he's getting ready to fuck someone.

---

4.

After a strange week of not seeing Obi-Wan at all--his shifts filled in by Cody and a new hire, Ahsoka--he reappears one day in early May.

"Heard your boy toy went and got married," she tells him a few days later as they're moving in tandem to set up the bar before the rush of the 9 to 5ivers getting off work and needing something before going home.

A regular had told her just yesterday, and she'd spent longer than she'd like thinking about it. Poor Obi-Wan. The kid had gone and got married while he was sleeping with Obi-Wan.

"Ah," Obi-Wan freezes for a second and clears his throat. "Yes."

Obviously he doesn't want to talk about it. Obviously he's very heartbroken over the loss of the kid. Aayla lets the subject drop like any good employee would do and decides privately to herself that if the kid were ever to come around to Kenobi's again, she'd kick him out herself.

---

+ 1.

Aayla's taking out the trash to the alleyway out back when she hears moaning. She sighs. Technically the alley is public property, so they can't get in trouble as a business if people choose to fuck there. But if they fuck against the walls of the bar, the lines are a little less clear.

She puts down the trash and wishes Obi-Wan were back from his fifteen just so he could deal with this instead. She cracks the door open, ready to push it further and really disrupt the love birds when--

"Obi-Wan," the kid moans much louder and clearer than before.

Her boss, who must be on the other side of the door to not realize it's opened even a bit, hushes him. "Shh, baby. We can't--you know I gotta get back to work soon, darling."

The kid--because that had been the kid's voice, she'd heard it often enough when she'd had to gently let him know Obi-Wan was not working when he came in--moans again, louder in protest.

"Don't you have a duty to your husband?" The kid whines again and Aayla would have dropped the trash in surprise had she ever picked it back up again.

"Mm, I think my husband has a duty to me tot let me go make the money he uses to buy himself the pretty things he likes to wear to come distract me at work--"

"I also bought my textbooks, please. I'm a hard worker too."

"Well you're a hard something," Her boss says in a tone of voice she's never heard him use.

She thinks if he used that voice during Ladies' Nights, he'd probably make enough tips in one night to buy himself a moderately nice car.

Then she wants to delete that thought from her brain, because that's her boss. That's Obi-Wan.

That's, apparently, a married man.

Also a filthy liar. But.

"I'm glad you married me," the kid says after he laughs for a second. "I think if you'd never--if we'd never--I think I would have been really fucked up over you for the rest of my life if I couldn't call you mine."

Her boss doesn't say anything for a few seconds. But then, "Yes, I....feel the same," he admits.

And Aayla closes the door gently, leaving the trash right where it is.

After all, Obi-Wan's got four minutes left in his fifteen minute break. He can take the trash out when he gets back, seeing as he's the reason the alleyway is occupied.

And then, afterwards, he can tell her everything.

Oh, will he tell her everything.

[heather-ouo]

Taking over

SAGAU! Jean x Shapeshifter! Gender neutral! Reader

Warning!: taking over identity, usage of Chloroform, rude words, bad English writing?, workaholics, no proofread

The hidden god of Teyvat is Jean’s s/o? Only some few people and the mods know but you never know the creator would do all Jean’s work just for a normal date huh?

You the shapeshifter needs something that’s belong to the person you want to turn to, just like Jean’s ribbon where she ties her hair.

But shapeshifting to animals? No problem just need to remember how they looks like k?

Current people who knows

Lisa

Part 2, part 3, part 4

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

“ Jean is been like months you need to take a break for real this time! You are literally ruining your heath at this point! ”

You shouted at your girlfriend who has her head buried in her paper work. Years of dating Jean knowing she rarely goes on a “ normal ” break but was interrupted by a knight running towards her or that time she can’t stand of leaving her office knowing the workloads

“ (y/n) you know the Favonius would in a mess if I take a break, naps would fine.”

Jean answered while signing paper works, you let a sigh of defeat and walked towards her desk you place a cup of tea which you had “ special ” made for her.

The blonde nodded and take the cup in one hand without looking and drink all of it.

“ wait a min… why am I feeling dizzy out of the sudden?”

Jean looked up and meets your (e/c) eyes while smiling mischievously,

“ (y/n) you wo-wouldn’t ……”   

*thud*

. . .

“ Heh, looks like Lisa’s advice worked but it seems I put too much..”

The (h/c) mumble to them self as they remove the feather pen from jean’s right hand, carry Jean in bride style and closing the door behind them.

“ your gr- I mean (y/n) you finally get Jean out of her office huh?”

You looked towards where sound source come from, Lisa the Librarian one hell crazy woman if you forget to return books on time she will chase all the way down until she gets the book back.

“ Yea all thanks to your advice Lisa, do you mind give the whole schedule of Jean’s work? ” 

You ask as you pulled out your serenitea pot removing the cover, smoke slowly surrounding around you and Jean, the librarian give a hum in reply 

“ I’ll put it on her desk, but are you really gonna walk around and do her works as Jean? ”  

She gives you a worried look knowing the blonde girl has a very heavy workload.

“ I know but i might as well clear up her schedule tomorrow so we have a proper date instead of being interrupted over and over again.”

You answered as smoke started to be thicker and thicker giving a smile at the librarian before taking off to your house in the pot. Rushing went to the house literally kick the door open and put jean in bed of her specially made room from you.

Untie Jean’s ribbon from her hair then you tie the ribbon in your hair tie it up in horse tail, looking at your self in mirror that’s beside you seeing the hair and the eyes color start to change to Jean’s, you went out towards your room that’s across Jean’s room changing in Jean’s headmaster outfit.  ( you have her spare outfit don’t ask how )

Checking the mirror one last time before teleport to the headmaster office and start your day as jean, well lets say the moment you sit down a knight rush in slamming the door in the process.

“ Headmaster jean! We have an emergency at the gate! ”

“ Tell me about it while we are on the way. ”

You tell the knight while getting up from the seat, the knight nodded as the two of you head out of the headquarter.

“ Report from the knights at the gate it is said that some abyss mages managed lured in an Eye of the Storm at the bridge and a kid is hurt in the process as the other knights, the librarian Lisa and the dark night hero trying to defend it, we have retreated citizens that’s near the gate.”

Nodded in response you rush to the gate give out demand to shut the gate, rushing towards the enemy as Lisa and Dliuc start to perform their bust towards enemies around them, you quickly summon your sword and use gale blade to cause overload knocking out the abyss mages and make the storm enemy to crush into the ground, take this as a chance the trio deal it with last swing.

Seeing the enemy fade to dust as the claymore user stab his claymore on the ground looking at Favonius knight, Lisa and you, let a sigh.

“ You knights of Favonius are unless, needed the headmaster to help you out? can’t believe y-”

The shapeshifter cut him off and do a Monstatd style salute 

“ I thank you on behalf of the Favonius Darknight Hero but I have a lots of work load to do maybe next time.”

Darknight Hero look at you with an shock expression watching you walk back and tell the knights everything is clear, wait for the gate to open to rushing back to archon knows where.

Heading back to the headquarter office with Klee who was caught red-handed blasting fishes and using bombs for how long archon knows, the shapeshifter let out a sigh letting Klee to go to her grounded room, went back to the headmaster’s office you cringe at paperworks you saw on desk lets said you spend half of the day inside.

——————————————————————————————————

Part 2, part 3, part 4

Angst or fluff?