#but yeah. this one is a recommendation for sure.

[starlightandsouls]

Yours To Have, Yours to Break

Summary: What if instead of Nesta, Cassian found out about Azriel and his secret lover. What will happen when the hearty general, in his anger of being left out, causes his brother's happiness to fall apart? How will he atone for his mistake?

A/N: Of course I had to make my comeback with the angstiest angst to ever angst. And that too by turning my fluffiest fic into pure pain. I guess you can say that this this is a spin off of Yours to Keep and Cherish. Also... I know I dropped off the face of the earth but life happens guys. I'm sorta back and here's a fic to make up for it.

Disclaimer: If you're an Elain fan, I would recommend you not read this. I would hate to ruin your day. I do not hate Elain. This is just an idea I got from all the soap dramas I've been seeing recently. Don't kill me please.

Also this shit and not edited. But I was so desperate to post something that I honestly don't care. Hope y'all like it. And yes there will be a part 2

Cassian POV:

As the General of the Night Court’s armies, Cassian had many duties: training soldiers, commandeering battalions at the borders, coming up with war strategies, buying romance novels for his mate and her friends. He wasn’t sure when the last one made its way on his list of responsibilities, or who put it there, but there it was. And who was Cassian to deny his mate?

So that’s how the Lord of Bloodshed found himself standing aimlessly in the middle of the Rainbow, scratching his head, with a list in his hand. Nesta had sent him off to find the newest edition of a Sellyn Drake novel but he hadn’t the slightest idea where to find it. His mate had instructed him to visit a particular bookshop named “The Quill”, being sure that they would have the newest book. Unfortunately, because luck had named him its nemesis at birth, the bookshop was closed for the day. He had asked around and apparently the owner had just left an hour prior to his arrival. Of course, they had.

That is why he had been wandering around the Rainbow, walking into one bookshop after the other, but somehow not one of them had the book Nes wanted. What are the odds of that? How is it possible that only one bookshop in the entire city had this specific book? And why did it have to be closed today? Cassian knew returning empty handed would not only incur the wrath of his beloved mate, but also her Valkyrie sisters. And given the fact that he himself had been teaching them some new disarming techniques, he had no desire to become their training dummy.

While he did not intend on stopping his hunt, he was quite parched. As the summer season approached, afternoons in Velaris became increasingly sweltering. A chilled glass of wine would do just the trick to cool him down, and also relax his nerves. Just as he was deciding on which bar to stop at, he remembered a conversation he had had with Mor the other day. She had told him about a café she had discovered that served the best margaritas during lunch time. Honestly, she hadn’t stopped raving about it for almost a week. What the hell. He was already out in town, might as well try a new place. If it turned out to be good, he could bring Nesta to placate her in case he couldn’t find her book.

Mind made up, he took off to the air, the subtle breeze as he did so, instantly making him feel better. Gliding through the clouds, the twists and turns with wind, were always a guaranteed way of cooling down.

Said café was perched on a hill overlooking the Sidra. He took in the view and the lush gardens outside the café as he landed, and started to walk in. The interior was just as beautiful as the exterior; the décor a blend of elegance and coziness. Oh yeah, he was definitely bringing Nesta here for a date.

He had just given his order to a waitress who looked way too giddy writing it down. Thank the Mother Nesta wasn’t here. Or someone might as well have lost a hand.

Although this is one of the reasons why he didn’t like coming to restaurants and bars alone. Not having company meant he didn’t have anyone to share his stories and jokes with. So, as he waited for his order to arrive, he sat back and took in the people around him; a habit that looked casual enough but was one instilled in him during his years training in the Illyrian camps.

He had been admiring the view from the balcony in the corner when his order arrived. Smiling a thank you, he took a sip from his margarita and damn was it good as Mor had said. He made a silent note to himself to thank her for the recommendation. He was in the middle of another deliciously cold sip, when something caught his eye in the corner of the room, causing him to choke.

What. The. Fuck.

Cassian was sure he looked like a blubbering fish with how his jaw dropped open and his eyes bulged out their sockets. He had to be dreaming or hallucinating from the heat. Yes, that must have been it, the heat had surely gotten to his head. For Cassian could think of no other explanation for the sight in front of him.

His brother, the Shadowsinger of the Night Court, torture extraordinaire, was sitting hand in hand with a beautiful young woman, smiling like a love-sick fool and… eating macarons? Since when did Azriel like deserts? Or the more pressing question: who the hell was he sitting with? Cassian knew his brother liked to keep his lovers secret, but deep down his gut told him this was no mere fling, or one-night stand. For starters, Azriel was smiling like a puppy drunk on love, while bringing the lady’s hand up to his lips to kiss. Cauldron. Just as Cassian had somewhat stopped gawking like a fish out of water, he saw the lady lean over and whisper something across the table, causing Azriel to throw his head back and let out a hearty laugh.

Although he couldn’t explain why, but at that moment Cassian felt a sharp hurt go through him. For he could not remember the last time Azriel had laughed like that with them. Damn it, he couldn’t even remember the last time he had seen Azriel nearly as much as was doing now at any family function.

Before he could even begin to process what had unfolded before him, he saw Azriel pay the bill for their food and the couple walked out hand in hand. Immediately Cassian was on his feet, ready to follow them. If someone had asked him why he did what he did at a later moment, he would not have been able to explain himself. At that moment, Cassian was driven only by curiosity and a minor note of hurt too-why had his brother hid this from them?

Rushing out after paying the bill, Cassian saw the happy couple walk down the cobblestone path, once again arm in arm, with the woman leaning against Azriel. Another thing that shocked Cassian: how the hell had Azriel not noticed him by now? Those pesky little shadows normally informed his brother of every detail of his surroundings; Azriel’s own heightened senses and observational skills were what made him the Spymaster of this court. So, for him to not notice Cassian so obviously trailing behind them at a distance, was a testament to how captivated his brother was by the woman on his arm.

At one-point Cassian thought that his brother would winnow with his partner and he would lose them, but the couple continued their stroll without a care in the world. He continued to trail behind them while also maintaining somewhat of a distance. Azriel may not be as hyper vigilant as always, but he wasn’t blind by any means- and Cassian was no small man either.

“Breakfast was delightful, darling. We should plan another afternoon here, what do you think?” he heard the woman comment.

“Of course, but I am oh so very tired. I think I need a few days alone at home with my nightingale to recharge,” Azriel replied with a smirk.

Cassian balked on the inside: okay Mr. I Don’t Need To Resort To Poetry.

“We could always have breakfast here again on Saturday. It is our two-year anniversary, and I intend on spending the day however my nightingale wishes. I think the café can be a brilliant start to our day,” Azriel offered, laughing as the woman swatted his arm at the previous comment.

Reaching the end of the path, Azriel grabbed the woman in his arms and winnowed away, leaving behind a thoroughly perplexed Cassian.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Cassian was convinced he must have stood there for another half an hour before coming to his senses. He then took off to the House of Wind, ready to face his mate and the Valkyries’ collective wrath. And his assumption had been right; the three women had blown up when they saw him return empty handed and had proceeded to go on twenty-minute-long rant. For the life of him, Cassian could not have repeated a single word they had said. Because he had not listened to a single word, at least not while paying attention. As their rage had quelled, Cassian had simple gotten up and walked to his room, ignoring the questioning looks from his mate.

While Nesta was still in the library with the girls, Cassian had retreated to bed. And that is where he was now: sitting in bed, staring at a wall, completely at a loss for words. He could not even begin to process what he had seen, let alone understand what he was feeling. For some reason he could not get over how openly Azriel had laughed with that woman, how alight his eyes had seemed. It was as if the Shadowsinger was glowing with happiness, as paradoxical as that sounds.

And it’s not like Cassian wasn’t happy for his brother-quite the contrary. He was just hurt that Azriel had chosen to hide something like this from him for two years. Two years. The words clanged around his head like the sharp tolling of a bell. Azriel had this from them for two goddamn years. And he had a sinking feeling that if he had not discovered the two of them today, he would not have found out for quite some more time.

But why? Keeping casual flings a secret was no big deal. They all had had ventures they didn’t tell anyone, he was sure of it. But if the couple were celebrating their two-year anniversary, then it must be serious. Cassian could tell his brother was committed just by how he had been looking at the woman. And if Azriel truly was serious about this woman, why would he hide it from them? His family?

That is the part that pierced his heart. Up until this day, Cassian had thought the two of them to be rather close. Sure, Rhys and Az clashed from time to time because of their own attitudes, but he liked to think that Azriel and him had always been close. Azriel was his best friend for Cauldron sake. Whenever he had had issues with Nesta at the beginning of their relationship-and he had plenty- Azriel had been his confidante, the one he went to for advice. His brother had been there for him at the highs and lows of his journey with Nesta.

So why hadn’t he let Cassian do that for him? Why had his brother chosen secrecy when he could have confided in Cassian? It’s not like he wouldn’t have supported them. He knew his brother was secretive and shy, but it was one thing to hide things about his work and another to choose to hide such a major part of his life from his brothers.

They were brothers, they were supposed to support each other, to stand by one another, not keep secrets and tell lies. All of a sudden Cassian saw the past two years in a different light. He recalled all the times Azriel had shown up to breakfast with an unusually cheery mood, all the times he had been rushing to leave family dinner, all the times he had skipped their get togethers with the strangest excuses. How long had this been going on? And for how long had they been so painfully oblivious?

Did Azriel not trust them? No, that can’t be it. Did Azriel think he could not open up to them? Each explanation he came up with seemed less plausible than the last. As he continued to spiral, Cassian began to question whether the two were as close as he thought them to be.

Why. Why. Why.

“You know if you stare at the wall any longer, you’re going to burn a hole into it.”

Nesta. He hadn’t even noticed when she had come into the room, and judging by her amused look, Cassian assumed she had been there for some time. Pushing off the wall she had been leaning against, Nesta walked over and sat by him on their bed.

“I’ve been calling your name for the past five minutes, where’s your mind at?” Nesta asked while pushing some stray strands of hair behind his ear.

Shit. What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t just tell Nesta something he himself wasn’t supposed to know. If he hadn’t walked into that café by chance, Cassian would have been none the wiser about this whole situation. For whatever reason Azriel was keeping his relationship secret, he didn’t think it his place to reveal it.

“It’s nothing, Nes. Just thinking about Wind Haven. I’m supposed to head up there next week and I already know Devlon’s going to be a pain in the ass,” Cassian tried to divert.

“Since when have you started getting so worked up over Devlon? He’s going to whine and throw a fit, but ultimately he is going to have to do what you say. You’re worried about something else. What is it?” his ingenious mate inquired. How her intuition was so good he’d never know, honestly sometimes he thought of handing over the mantle of General to her, with how good she was.

“C’mon. You know you can tell me whatever is bothering you,” Nesta pushed while grabbing his hand in her own and damn did he melt at that.

“Alright. If I tell you, you cannot tell anyone else.”

Nesta sat up straighter at that, ears perked with curiosity, eyes wide open and eager.

“I won’t tell anyone,” Nesta answered while nodding.

“I’m serious about this Nes. You can’t tell anyone, not even Emerie or Gwyn. No one,” Cassian reiterated, trying to get his mate to understand how serious it was.

“Alright, alright. I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

Cassian sighed before revealing what was very much not his secret to reveal,

“Azriel has a girlfriend.”

“Wait-what?”

“Az has a girlfriend,” Cassian repeated.

“No, I heard you the first time. But…how…when??? Why hasn’t he told anyone?”

“I have no idea, Nes,” Cassian replied while falling back against the headboard. He once again took to staring at the wall; confusion and hurt running rampant through him again, echoing the same question again and again.

Why had Azriel kept this a secret from them? From him?

“When did he tell you?” his mate inquired.

“He didn’t,” Cassian chuckled, “I stopped at that new café by the Sidra to get some drinks to cool down while I was out for your books. I saw them together there.”

A beat of silence passed between them before Nesta barged on with her questions,

“You seem…upset about all this?”

“I am. Not at the fact that he has a girlfriend, Cauldron no. It’s about time the idiot found someone. It’s just…why didn’t he tell us? Why keep it a secret?”

“Maybe…it’s new? You know Az. Maybe he just wants some time to figure things out himself before he tells you all,” Nesta reasoned.

Cassian let out a bitter laugh before spitting out,

“It is very much not new. The two were planning their two year anniversary at the same restaurant this weekend. Two goddamn years, Nes. He’s been lying to us for that long.”

He wrenched his hand from hers at that. Cassian knew he was being unfair and unreasonable, but he was angry. Maybe he had no right to be but one does not think clearly when in the clutches of fury.

As his previous confusion and hurt settled, they left behind only anger in their wake. That is what he felt right now. Anger. At Azriel, for lying to them all this time, for hiding something so significant. Did he not consider them brothers?

Before he could succumb to the ravages of anger, his darling mate was there to pull him back, as she always did.

“I can feel all that you know. Don’t let your anger override what you know to be true. This relationship of Azriel…it has nothing to do with us. We’re not entitled to anything regarding it just because we’re his family.”

“Oh so what I’m just supposed to ignore the fact that he’s been lying to us about his whereabouts and plans for the past two years, when he could have just told us?”

“No I am asking you to trust Azriel. You know your brother, Cass, probably more than anyone else. You know that he has a reason for everything he does and you know that he would never do anything to hurt his family intentionally. If nothing else, trust in that.”

Cassian sighed a defeated sigh. His mate was right, as she always was. For whatever reason Azriel had decided to keep this relationship a secret, Cassian would have to trust in it. And when the time came, he hoped his brother would feel comfortable revealing the truth himself.

……………………………………..................................................

Little did Cassian know, that despite the fact that he had made Nesta swear not to tell Azriel’s secret, he had unintentionally revealed it to a third. For outside their bedroom clutching books she had meant to return, stood Elain. Elain, who had almost torn the books with how hard she was clutching them. Elain, who’s hands quivered with rage.

This is why Azriel had been ignoring her. All these months she had been trying to get his attention and he had always slipped away. Because of this?? Some common girlfriend?

No matter. Elain would get him back. How could he ignore her for some commoner? Who deserved his love more than her?

As she walked away, already planning her schemes, a wicked thought went through her mind, a precaution in case she couldn’t convince Azriel:

If I can’t have him, no one can.

...............................................................................................

Azriel POV:

The past few days had been the happiest he had ever been. Although Azriel wasn’t quite sure how fair that judgement was. Each hour he spent with his nightingale, he deemed his happiest. And it has been two years of such blissful happiness. Two years together at each other’s side that they were celebrating today.

He had already arrived at the same café they had breakfast a few days ago and was now anxiously awaiting his beloved girlfriend. Honestly, he would have preferred that the two arrive together, not wanting to spend a minute away from his nightingale. But alas, not everything had to be as he wished. As soon as she had woken up, his nightingale had slipped out from his arms (something he had still not forgiven) and had rushed to her book shop. According to her, she had some urgent delivery that she just had to be there for. Therefore she had promised him that she would meet him directly at the café.

That left him, sitting in their favorite spot in the café, with his head swiveling to the door every time it opened, hoping his nightingale had arrived. It wasn’t like she was late, it’s just that he too early, wanting what he hoped would be a great start to a celebration filled day.

“Oh, Azriel!”

He heard his name be called, but his heart instantly dropped, that voice did not belong to his nightingale. Turning around he saw…

“Elain? What are you doing here?”

“What a coincidence, Az! I was just out for some errands and thought I would get myself a drink. I’m absolutely parched! Thank the Cauldron for this lovely café!” Elain replied in an unusually high pitched voice.

“Yes, how lovely…” he trailed off, gaze flicking to the door. He knew his girlfriend would be arriving soon and he would much rather Elain not be here for that… for a plethora of reasons.

“Well, what are the chances of meeting you here Az? And look, you’re alone too! Why don’t we have lunch together, it feels like we haven’t caught up in forever.”

“Actually I’m meeting some…”

He never got to finish his sentence. If someone asked him later what happened, Azriel wasn’t sure he would be able to explain it. One second Elain was smiling at him, trying to grab his hand, the next her gaze turned cold, flicking to something behind him. The next thing he knew, within a matter of seconds, Elain had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and smashed her lips to his.

What. The. Fuck.

Azriel didn’t even process what had happened, didn’t even realize that she was kissing him. Elain. Was. Kissing. Him.

The last thought jolted him out of his state of shock and he pushed her away. Not caring for who saw or heard, he yelled,

“What the fuck Elain? You can’t just grab people like that! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Oh c’mon Az. It was barely a peck. I had barely begun to enjoy it,” Elain replied with a callous smirk.

All of a sudden he did not recognize her; he didn’t recognize the cruelty in her eyes, the indifference in her expression. Where was the kind hearted woman he considered a friend? And who was standing in front of him in her place? When he didn’t say anything, still riddled with shock, Elain continued,

“Well no matter. It may have been short but it achieved it’s purpose,” Elain replied slyly. She inched closer and grazed her hand up his arm and whispered, “if you want to continue, I would gladly indulge you, Azriel.”

He didn’t know what the fuck was wrong with her, why she was doing this, in a crowded café no less. But Azriel was way too uncomfortable to try to find out. He wrenched his arm away from her and was about to give her a piece of his mind when he saw it again: Elain’s gaze flickering to something behind him with a wicked smirk on her face. One of victory.

Hoping against hope it wasn’t what he feared it was, Azriel turned around. And it was like time itself had stopped. For there, at the entrance of the café, with tears streaming down her face, stood his girlfriend, his nightingale. A millennia could pass and Azriel would not forget the raw pain, the betrayal shining in her eyes amidst the tears.

No. No. No. No. No. This is not happening. This cannot be happening.

He took one step toward her, to explain, to make her understand he had no fault in what she had seen. But before he could, his nightingale turned around and left the café.

Not knowing what to do, Azriel followed after her to see her almost running away from him.

“Love! Please! Listen to me, its not what it looks like,” Azriel begged, anguish lacing every word.

“Oh please Azriel. Do you know how typical you sound right now?” He did, Cauldron he did. But she had to understand…

“Darling I would never hurt you like that. I don’t even know why she was there… or how… but you have to understand… she kissed me! I pulled away… I would never do that to you,” Azriel let out. He knew his fragmented thoughts probably didn’t make much sense. But panic and fear were making it difficult to come up with something cohesive.

“Really, Azriel? You don’t know what she was doing there?! For Cauldron sake, Azriel! I know you called her there. You know, if you wanted to break up with me, you should have done it yourself like a man. You didn’t have to use her for it!” his nightingale spat at him.

What? Break up with her? Break up with the one blessing the Mother had bestowed upon him? What the hell was she talking about?

“Love… I don’t…”

“You don’t what? Huh? Have any need for me anymore? Well you don’t have to worry about me getting in the way, please go enjoy your life with your darling Elain?” His girlfriend yelled, throwing out Elain’s name like it was poison.

Vaguely he sensed Elain coming up behind them. How did she catch up with them? His love spat out a wry laugh, before saying,

“Look, she’s here to get you Azriel. Go be with your love.”

Before he could refute it, Elain jumped in,

“Its okay, Azriel. I told her everything. She’s not in the way anymore. We can be together now!”

“Elain, have you lost your mind? What the hell are you doing? Why are you doing this? You-”

“Cut the act Azriel. Go. Enjoy your life.”

And with that his nightingale walked away for good, taking the shattered pieces of his heart and soul with her.

… … … … … … … … … … … …

Azriel stood in that spot like a blubbering fish for Cauldron knows how long. He was smarter than this. He was quicker than this. He knew that. But for some reason his mind felt addled, like it was submerged in some murky fog. He couldn’t think straight for some reason.

What the fuck had just happened? Did it truly happen? No, it had to be a nightmare. It had to be. He didn’t just lose the love of his life. He didn’t. He wouldn’t be able to bear it.

Azriel had almost convinced himself of his own delusion, when Elain’s rustling snapped him out of his daze. The woman had the gall to walk away after everything she just did. Not so fast. He grabbed her by the arm and yelled in her face, propriety and etiquette long forgotten,

“WHAT THE FUCK ELAIN? WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO?”

She wrenched her arm back and held her head up high when responding, as if she just had just committed some honorable deed,

“I did what I had to. You were never there Azriel. I always tried to talk to you… but you were never there. And to find out that it’s because of her! Some commoner! I couldn’t bear it. But she’s not here anymore, Azriel, we can be together!”

“What?! Are you hearing yourself Elain? I do no love you! Not like that, I never have-”

“BUT I LOVE YOU! WHY ISN’TTHAT ENOUGH!” Elain screamed back.

“You’re out of your mind. You… how did you even find out?”

“Cassian told me,” Elain replied calmly, her demeanor immediately changing. There was something seriously wrong with her.

But her words were what caused his world to stop spinning.

“What?”

“Cassian told me. He saw the two of you together the other day and told me that I would find you here today as well.”

His mind was reeling. Cassian knew too? How? He had been so careful with everything? How had it slipped past him so easily?

Elain patted his shoulder one last time before saying,

“We’re meant to be together, Azriel. I love you so much that I’ll ignore this commoner you were sullying yourself with. She might have left you. But I’m always here for you with open arms.”

And then Elain left, simply and quietly. As if she had not sentenced Azriel to a life without the one happiness he had salvaged for himself in this cruel world.

..........................................................................................

Cassian POV:

Cassian had been sharpening his blades in the training arena, waiting for the Valkyries to arrive, when he felt the wards shift. Someone had winnowed in. Before he could question who it was, he saw Azriel standing at the entrance.

Despite Nesta’s words, his immediate reaction at seeing his brother was one of annoyance. He doubted Azriel was here to confess so the continuing secrecy bothered him even now.

Any rant or anger that Cassian was planning on letting out, disappeared as he neared his brother. Azriel had tears streaming freely down his face, shoulders shaking from the sobs.

“How could you?”

Was all his brother let out. Cassian was at a complete loss for words. His brave stoic brother was falling apart before him and Cassian knew neither cause nor cure. His lion hearted brother who had bared five centuries of pain and trials and had never let out even a wince. And now… It seemed like something was tearing Azriel apart into shreds.

“Az, what’s wrong? I-

“How could you?” Azriel repeated, his sobs getting more and more violent. And each falling tear fell like acid on Cassian’s heart. All previous annoyance was replaced by an overwhelming urge to soothe and comfort.

“How could you? What did I ever do to you?” Azriel cried out again.

“Az… brother… I have no idea…”

“Oh don’t act stupid. Don’t act like you don’t know about my girlfriend!”

Oh. That is what this was about? Azriel knew that he knew? But why was he so upset about it? Cassian didn’t think him finding out warranted such a reaction-

“You knew and you send Elain there to ruin everything!”

What? Elain? What did she have anything to do with this?

“You ruined everything! My nightingale… she’s gone… she won’t even talk to me… She won’t look at me… And it’s all your fault!” Azriel let out in between hiccups of tears.

Cassian knew he had to intervene before Azriel spiraled into a full panic attack.

“Brother, calm down. Alright, yes I saw the two of you at the café, but I only told Nesta, I swear on it. I have no idea what you’re talking about, or what Elain has to do with anything.”

Azriel moved further away from him. The utter betrayal shining in his eyes made Cassian want to bury himself in the darkest corner of the world. He did not know what his fault was but he was ready to spend eternity atoning for it if it meant Azriel would no longer be in the pain he was so clearly in.

“DO NOT LIE TO ME!” Azriel roared, leaving Cassian stunned, “ You did this! You couldn’t bear it, could you? You couldn’t stand the fact that I was happy so you sent Elain to ruin everything. You always do this, you always have to take everything away from me!”

Before Cassian could ask for an explanation or beg for forgiveness for a crime he did not know, Azriel had winnowed away.

Alone, his mind was working on overdrive. What did Elain have to do with anything? Cassian was no fool. He had long been aware of the youngest Archeron sister’s affections for his brother. But he also knew his brother had never reciprocated those affections, had always seen Elain as nothing more than a friend.

How did she know about Azriel’s relationship? Nesta could not have told her. Despite how close the two sisters were, his mate had sworn to him and he knew Nesta enough to know that she did not go back on an oath. Had Elain somehow overheard them? And if she had, what could she possibly have done to cause Azriel so much pain?

So many questions were whirring through his head, not one of them had a coherent answer. But amidst the chaos, a singular thought rang the loudest, and it was one that pierced Cassian’s heart:

What have I done?

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

snowflakes dancing on the wind

the wistful wyvern, chapter one

a/n: this series is the second instalment i my eflorr trilogy. if you haven't already read fused with the foe, then i'd highly recommend reading that first so that you know what's going on.

summary: three years where you’d sworn off love entirely, tried to interpret it as a good thing, a gift really. You could be more productive, more focused. But now that you were home again, hearing the molasses tone of his voice and seeing the beads of sweat slowly rolling down the landscape of his body, over the ink that crawled up his left arm, you knew three years wasn’t enough to mend your heart. The rest of your life probably wasn’t long enough either. 

warnings: knight!bucky barnes x knight!reader, fantasy AU (monsters, but not much magic), original fantasy world, ex-friends to lovers, coworkers to lovers, former fuckboy!bucky, tattooed!bucky, slow burn, one-sided pinning, flashbacks, alcohol consumption, kissing, dragon attack, childbirth (with very ronja rövardotter timing), blood, weapons, violence, crying

word count: 4296

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TEN YEARS AGO, ON THE THIRTY-SEVENTH DAY OF WINTER 848 PR

A biting chill swirled through the echoing halls of Yoslor Penitentiary that noon when two gruff guards yanked you from your cell and dragged you to the far side wing of the prison. 

Passing countless doors, at last, they arrived at one with someone already on patrol on the outside. As a rusty key twisted in the lock with a reverberating click, the guard, still barely letting your feet skim the dirty floor, practically shoved you inside the chamber. 

As they threw you down into a cold chair and yanked at your chains to fasten them in a strong loop smelted into the stone floor by your feet, a voice suddenly caught your ears and caused your squinting eyes to flicker up. 

“Easy, boys! No need to drag her by the scruff of her neck as if she were a cat and not an eighteen-year-old girl,” you noticed the man already seated on the opposite side of the table, “would you please uncuff her?” he requested with an outstretched hand, a command, to your surprise, the guards obeyed, “thank you,” he leaned back in his seat as the manacles fell from your sore wrists. 

Rubbing the angry marks wrapped around your joints, a shiver ran through you as you saw the cloud of your exhale clear in the air. 

When the guards had settled on either side of the exit behind you, the blonde stranger opposing you tilted his head and asked, “do you know who I am?” 

“Should I know who you are?” your gaze lifted from your wrists and met his, “look man,” you sighed heavily, “if I at some point stole something from you, I don’t have it anymore. I don’t really have much of anything anymore in here,” a short and dry chuckle tied a bow on your statement. 

With his stare never straying, his chin then tilted slightly as he said, “I am Steven Grant Rogers, crown prince of Eflorr,” his title rolled off his tongue with such ease as if it didn’t have any merit at all, “and you’re Y/n Y/l/n, daughter of the famed One-eyed Ollie,” he rested his forearms against the table’s edge, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Blinking back at the royal, your brows furrowed softly at the mystery of why a man such as him would pay someone like you the time of day, “…alright, uh, sure.”

“We’ve kept an eye on you for a very long time, long before your father slipped away and made you take the fall for the break-in at the Sulmier estate,” your jaw couldn’t help but clench at the memory, “you’re very talented.”

“Yeah, can you just hurry up and tell me what you want?” you grunted as your knee tensely bounced beneath the table, “they’re serving soup today for supper and I’d rather not miss it.”

Huffing out what seemed like an amused breath, the prince glanced down a moment as he announced, “I have a proposition for you,” he met your gaze once more, “either you can pay for your father’s crimes here in prison or you can come work for me,” he offered slowly, “twenty years either way, but in here you will be treated as, well, essentially an animal,” his eyes briefly flicked around the cold chamber, “whereas with me you will be just as any other warden. You will have the same rights, the same opportunities, maybe even a home by the end of it.”

“…you wanna give me a job?” you squinted back at him. 

To which he simply nodded, “yes.” 

“Me?” your eyebrows only seemed to knit together tighter. 

“Like I said, you’re very talented. I could use someone of your skillset,” he then leaned back in his seat, “so, I’ll give you some time to decide,” he clasped his hands together in his lap, “if you don’t show up at Fort Borün before all the snow has melted, then let’s just say that you wouldn’t be able to get very far with the bounty there’ll be on your head.”

The heavy ivory pelts that made up your cloak billowed around your frame as the piercing wind whirled it around. You had to lean forward a bit to even make any headway in the howling blizzard that coursed around you. Icy snowflakes struck the upper part of your features that the tugged-up scarf didn’t cover. 

Squinting in the snowstorm as you crested the hill and walked under the archway, you glanced above and spotted icicles hanging from the drawn-up portcullis. 

As you glanced around the courtyard and the snow-dusted castle looming in the background, your feet soon carried you over towards a pair of bundled-up wardens posted outside a door. 

“Excuse me,” you interrupted the lewd joke one of them was halfway through telling, “could any of you–” 

But it wasn’t till the soldier to the right jumped and yelped, “ah, by Apa!” that it occurred to you just how camouflaged your frosty visage had been in the blizzard.

“Holy fuck!” the other one clutched his heart after nearly drawing the crossbow strapped to his back.

“Oh gods, sorry. Thought you were a snowman some fucking pixies had put a curse on,” the first knight, whose head was warmed by a thick knitted cap, steadied his breathing with a short laugh, “what do you need?”

Glancing between them, you asked, “could you point me in the direction of Master Tully’s office?”

“Ah,” the beanie-wearing warden nodded, “you’re a new recruit?”

Stifling a laugh, you tilted your head and huffed, “you could say that.” 

“I’ll show you,” the dark-haired one gestured, “come with me.”

“Thanks,” you offered him a small smile as he then held the door behind them open for you to enter first. 

The dining hall of the bustling barracks that you entered nearly gave you whiplash with the warm contrast it had to the freezing environment you’d just been trudging through for weeks. The fireplace down on the far wall warmed the interior and lit up the faces of the soldiers halfway through their meals. 

As you pulled back your snow-dusted hood and tugged your frosty scarf down to expose your nose and mouth, your palm attempted to brush some of the flakes off of you. 

“He’s right over there,” your guide pointed to the balding man sitting alone at a table in the corner of the chamber, before he disappeared from your side and joined some comrades on a long bench, sneakily stealing a chunk of bread from one of their bowls. 

Slowly stepping closer to the older man, hunched over some parchments as he dipped and softened a crusty piece of bread in his stew, you carefully croaked, “master Tully?”

“Aye?” he lifted his gaze to find you. 

“Hi, I was told to come talk to you,” you stepped closer and reached out your hand, “I’m Y/n, I don’t know if you–”

“Ah, yes, Y/n! Great to have you on board, lass,” his gruff hand swiftly gave yours a shake, “you must be tired after that long journey, so why don’t you grab a bowl,” he briefly pointed to the humble buffet off to the side, “have a wee rest, and then we’ll sit down and discuss everything after that, yeah?”

Offering him a light nod, you agreed, “sounds good, sir.” 

As you wandered over to fill up a bowl, Tully waved over the warden who’d shown you the way. 

“Barnes?” 

Swiftly, the soldier rose from his seat, “yes, sir?”

“Go show Y/n her quarters,” Tully returned his attention towards his stew. 

Barnes’ dark brows then knitted together, “who’s Y/n?” to which his commander simply pointed with the hand still clutching a chunk of bread, “oh…” the warden’s glance followed the trail, “right…” before raising his voice to catch your ears, “oi, snow!” you didn’t turn around even as he neared, “hey!”

Dragging the curve of a spoon from your lips when you finally noticed his stare, you finally perked up, “who, me?” and pointed to yourself. 

“Yeah you,” he didn’t slow down as he gestured for you to shadow him, “come.”

“Oh, uh,” with the bowl of stew still in your gasp, you tried not to spill as you scurried to keep up, “my name is actually Y/n,” you corrected him.

Halting his step momentarily, he turned and reached out an inked hand for you to shake, “Bucky,” a small smirk tugged at his lips as your eyes finally got the chance to wash over his visage now that his striking features weren’t veiled by a blizzard, “welcome aboard, snow.”

PRESENT DAY

You felt like somehow you should have predicted that this would be your welcome home greeting. That this striking heartbreak could have somehow been prevented if you’d only remembered when training was usually held. 

It was just rubbing salt into the wound you’d been trying so fiercely to mend. Yet, it was still there, open and festering, bleeding till you nearly passed out. You couldn’t start doing that again, purposely seeking out the salt just to feel something, just to for a single second feel good before reality settled in again. Perhaps your timing had been on purpose, perhaps your subconscious had just been so strong that it had forced you to return home right at the time that practice was held in the middle of the courtyard, and none other than Bucky stood in the centre, shirtless and glistening with sweat, as he ran the newcomers through a drill, sparring with each and every one of them till they yielded. 

You tried to get your feet to move again, you truly did, but you couldn’t keep walking past, couldn’t look away, could barely even breathe as he moved like water through the trainees.

But then suddenly, as your fiddling fingers had found the long, braided leather cord wrapped nearly a dozen times around your wrist to form a bracelet, the playful comment that left Bucky’s lips to egg the recruits on fell short, as his ocean eyes flickered up to find you, only worsening the bittersweet agony you were in.

THREE YEARS AGO, ON THE SEVENTY-SECOND DAY OF AUTUMN 855 PR

“Oh, wow,” Bucky swiftly lowered his goblet from his lips and exclaimed as his stare found you, right as you passed over the threshold and entered the bustling ballroom, “holy shit.”

Closing the short distance between you as he was standing off to the side, your skin prickled at his alarm, “what?”

“No, just–, you’re in a dress,” his gaze danced across the emerald silk draped around your form, the fabric’s shade made you stand out amidst all of the warm harvest fest decorations, “never thought I’d see the day…”

“Well, they aren’t really that practical in our line of work, so–” 

“Oh, I beg to differ…” he smirked, taking a sip of wine which by the looks of it was in no way his first cup, “I think you should always be dressed like this…” slowly stepping closer, his stare continued to lick you up in a way it never had before, “especially with a neckline as low cut as that,” as his eyes brashly dipped to your cleavage, your hand couldn’t help but shoot up to tug it up a bit more, a nervous instinct that only conjured a deep chuckle within his chest, “happy harvest fest to me.”

With cheeks burning hotter than the sun, you coughed out, “you–, uh, you look good as well.” 

“Oh, yeah?” he cheekily cocked a brow and leaned in a bit closer, causing your spine to press up against the wall behind you, “how good?” 

As your heart fluttered and nearly flew out of your chest, you heard yourself sputter, “oh, well, I mean, you always look good, you just–, uh…” your words then poofed away into nothing as he nonchalantly tugged a stray piece of hair behind your ear and let his touch linger on your heated cheek, “uhm…” 

“I just what, snow?” he purred, and you swore you saw his gaze flicker down to your lips. 

“You–… you–…” 

But before your wildest dreams could come true, an individual accidentally bumped into Bucky and lodged him far enough away from you to snuff out your hopes of the taste of his lips. 

“Wow,” the guy briefly clapped Bucky’s wide shoulder, “sorry, mate.”

“It’s alright,” he smiled as the fella went on his way. Raising up his goblet for another sip, he then turned his attention back to you, “so,” his grin was still bright on his features, “you gonna let me dance with you tonight?” 

“Dance?” your eyes grew wide, “oh, y-yeah,” you tried your best, though still failed to sound casual, “sure, if you want to.”

“Great,” he held your gaze a moment longer before saying, “I’m gonna go grab another drink, you want anything?” 

“No thanks, I’m good,” though there was now a decent enough distance betwixt you two, you still stood virtually plastered against the wall. 

“Alright,” he breathed as he began to back up, offering your gown one last glance before he disappeared, “that dress…” his head gently shook from side to side as a long exhale flowed from his lungs, “gods, you look way too hot tonight, it’s not fair.”

When his visage was no longer in sight, you slumped down a bit and took a generous breather, the grin on your face nearly making your cheeks ache. 

After your pulse had settled back from the nervous butterfly he had transformed it into, a fellow warden spotted you and shouted. 

“Hey, Y/n!” he waved for you to come over and join the little cluster he was on the edge of, “you’re still here! I thought you’d left already with lord fancy pants or whatever.”

“Lord Witherington, and yeah, it’s first in the morning that the ship leaves port,” you walked up to him. 

“Well, at least you get to enjoy one last harvest fest extravaganza before becoming a babysitter.”

“Hey, he is doing important research up in Efira, in areas that haven’t been explored since Rimesunder’s demise,” you raised a slightly defensive hand as you noted the historical significance, “it’s an honour to protect him.”

“Yeah, yeah, honour and all that crap,” he sighed light-heartedly as he raised his mug up to his lips, “but you still have time to get seriously fucked up tonight.”

“So that I can be both seasick and hungover tomorrow?”

“So that you can for once cut loose and have one last fun night before you leave!” 

Marinating on his point a moment, your thoughts couldn’t help but float away to Bucky. 

What if tonight was the night? What if you just finally took the leap and told him how you felt? 

Then, like a clock arm clicking into the new hour, you made your decision. 

“Give me that,” you grabbed the drink out of his hands before he could take another sip. 

“Wow, that’s what I’m talking about,” the soldier cheered as you swiftly downed the strong brew, “yeah!”

“Gods,” your face screwed up when you swallowed the last gulp, “that’s disgusting. What is that?”

“My uncle’s mead.”

“Urgh,” the sickly sweet taste burned on your tongue. 

“Yeah, he’s not that good at it,” he accepted the mug as you passed it back in his grasp, “but it’ll sure get you pissed in two sips or less.”

Hoping that the half tankard you’d downed would grant you the courage you sought, you glanced around the ballroom, “I gotta–, uh, did you see where Buck went?” and when he then pointed out towards the main hallway, you offered him a small smile, “thanks,” before disappearing down that way. 

You felt like you were gonna be sick as you walked through the crowds. But if it was from the nerves or the mead that was already making you dizzy, that you weren’t sure of. 

As you searched the castle, carefully poking your head into drawing rooms and narrow hallways, you found yourself anxiously muttering just beneath your breath. 

“…I just thought you should know that I like you–, no, not like that…” you shook your head at your tongue-tied attempt at figuring out how you’d profess to him, “James, I have been in love with you since the day I met yo­u–, no, that’s stupid, I never call him James, that would just be weird–” 

Your murmuring then hushed as you turned down a secluded hallway and spotted the very warden that you had combed the palace for, down towards the end of it. 

The only thing was, he wasn’t alone.

Sliding deeper into the shadows, you couldn’t spare yourself the heartache and not look. 

Bucky’s lips were attached to the long neck of some leggy blonde. Her quiet whimpers echoed against the fortress walls as he felt her up and surely littered her skin with heated lavender marks. 

Suddenly, they shifted, turning till Bucky’s back was pressed up against the walls and, to your surprise, now no longer obscured by his bulky physique, another lady, a redhead, appeared beside the hickey-adored one. 

“So,” the redhead bit her lip as she slid her palm down to pet the palpable tent in his pants, “are you gonna show us to your chambers or what?”

“Yes,” he breathlessly nodded, “yes I am,” before seizing their hands, “right this way,” they then stumbled further down the dark hallway till they disappeared from your sight, leaving you frozen in the engulfing shadows with tears silently streaming down your face. 

PRESENT DAY

“Snow?” his eyes grew as wide as his grin, “gods, it is you!” Bucky then all but forgot about the training session he was in the middle of teaching and crossed the courtyard, “it’s really you!” once his brisk stride reached you, he plucked you up into his brawny arms and spun you around, “you’re back!” 

As soon as your feet touched the ground again, you took a large step back, though hated how the distance gave you a better view of his naked torso.

“Hi, Bucky,” you uttered, readjusting the bag strung over your back. 

Why did his touch still have to make your heart flutter? 

“Three years,” he placed a wide palm on your shoulder, “three fucking years!”

Three years where you’d sworn off love entirely, tried to interpret it as a good thing, a gift really. You could be more productive, more focused. But now that you were home again, hearing the molasses tone of his voice and seeing the beads of sweat slowly rolling down the landscape of his body, over the ink that crawled up his left arm, you knew three years wasn’t enough to mend your heart. The rest of your life probably wasn’t long enough either. 

“Yeah, you–, uh,” you swallowed the thickness of emotions that peeked through in your tone, “you grew a beard.” 

“And you still look exactly the same…” his gaze washed over you as a soft sigh flowed from his lungs, “gods, I’ve missed you,” he then tilted his head and asked, “you missed me?”

“I–,” blinking back into the stormy sea of his eyes, you felt your frame begin to tremble at the feelings that were still as alive as ever, “uhm…” averting your gaze, you had to get away before everything burst, “I need to go report to the king,”

“Oh, yeah, right,” his electric touch slid from your shoulder, “last I saw, he and the queen were in the blue drawing room. You haven't met her yet! She’s kind, you’ll like her.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” you refused to look back at him as you turned towards the main entrance to the castle. 

And as you began to walk away, you heard his voice call after you, “really is good to have you back, snow!”

Nearly ripping the door off its hinges, a fleeting gasp escaped you as you saw the queen by the open window, shooting arrows after the beast that whirled outside. 

“Your majesty,” you exclaimed as your eyes briefly flickered to her pregnant belly, “there you are!” you then swiftly crossed the room to yank open the small servant’s door, “this way!” 

Reluctantly, the royal stepped back from the window, smoke and ash gushing into the castle from the opening, and followed you up the revealed stone spiral staircase. 

As you rushed up the tower, your glances didn’t just dart back to the queen, only a few paces behind you, but every time you passed one of the narrow windows, your vision couldn’t help but catch the chaos down below.

The stubborn dragon, that had plagued the town of Borün for two whole years now, had returned. 

With daggers still tight in your grasp, you tried not to think about the people you knew to be down there in the fray, wonder if they had all been burned to a crisp, but instead attempted to shake it off and focus on your mission at hand. The king had commanded you to flee the fight and protect his wife and unborn child. 

A glint of fire reflected in the queen’s eyes as you glanced back at her to find her pace halted and her palm clutched on her stomach as she stifled a groan. 

“My queen,” you dropped back down a step closer to her, “are you–”

“I’m fine,” she waved you off and drew in a shaky breath, “keep going, I’m right behind you.”

Soon at the top of the tower, you pushed the door open and held it for the noble to enter, your glance though darting out the window as she passed. 

But when a low groan seeped from her throat, your gaze darted back to her with worry, “alright, that really doesn’t sound that good,” the door slammed behind you as you sheathed your weapons and stepped closer to her, “did you get hurt?”

“No, I’m–, ah! I’m alright,” she uttered through gritted teeth, her eyes squeezed shut as one hand reached out for the wall while the other stayed on her belly, “fuck…” 

Glancing down towards her hand as it rubbed in slow, soothing circles, your eyes then widened, “are you–… your majesty, a-are you–”

“In labour?” her eyes barely opened as she met your tense gaze, “yeah. My waters broke a while ago.”

“Oh gods!” now you truly wished you’d just stayed down with the dragon, “now? Here? I–, I–, wha–, can’t you just turn it off?”

Letting both her quiver and bow slide off her frame and drop to the floor, she let out a strained exhale, “not really how it works.” 

“I–, I–, okay, I don’t know what to do–”

“That’s fine,” her arm then reached out for your support, “I do,” you carefully helped her further into the chamber before she sank down a wall till she was seated on the floor, her pale yellow gown bunching around her legs, “alright, I’m gonna need one of your knives when its time to cut the umbilical cord.”

“O-okay,” eyes still wide, you checked your belt just in case they’d mysteriously disappeared in your panic. 

Noticing the terrified expression on your face, the queen’s head tilted slightly as she said, “Y/l/n, please don’t pass out on me, I need you here with me.”

“No, no, I’m not gonna pass out,” you rushed to reply, though weren’t completely convinced yourself, “I just–, w-what do I do? Do I do anything?”

Raising up her fingers, she panted, “take my hand.”

“Alright, yes, of course,” you swiftly grabbed her palm. 

You had no idea how much time passed, if your hand would eventually fall off for how hard she was squeezing it, or even how many times the royal’s groans, which threatened to morph into screams, reverberated off the palace walls and mixed with the chaos rumbling from outside. 

Then suddenly, an echo shot through the castle, “dove!” and though she couldn’t find it in her to yell back, the familiar voice visibly thawed something within the queen. 

“Up here!” you yelled as loudly as you could. 

Swiftly, the door was kicked down, and in stormed a honey-haired man, whose bloodstained shield and stout axe promptly dropped to the floor with a loud clang. 

“Steve!” the queen cried out through the relieved smile that softened her pained expression, “you’re here!”

“Yeah,” he looked as if a feather could have knocked him over, “I’m here, I’m here,” the king then rushed to switch places with you, kneeling beside his wife and clutching her hand in both of his, “what fucking timing our daughter has,” a soft chuckle bubbled out of him as he bought the back of her palm up to his lips and planted a chased peck upon it, “not even born yet and she already wants to join the fray,” he uttered, conjuring a slight laugh to crack through her pain, “a real fighter, just like her mom.”

Gazing up at him, a sombreness suddenly washed over her features as she then murmured, “my love, if I don’t–”

“No,” he swiftly cut her off, “that’s not gonna happen, you hear me? History won’t repeat itself, you’ve done everything in your power to make that so. You can do this, dove. I know you can.” 

He held her hand through it all, took the sting as each one of her nails broke his skin and every ear-piercing curse she threw at him, till a new life was suddenly in the room, laying against the exposed skin on her mother’s chest and wailing about the sudden change in scenery.

© 2024 thyme-in-a-bubble 

[ladykailitha]

Icarus Part 12

I've decided that since I have a fair amount of backlog on the three I've been doing WIP Wednesday for, that I'd post some of them to give me time to work on the rom-com AU more.

I recommend going back and re-reading part 11 at least before reading this one to be on the safe side.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

The Fallen boys need a break and Robin and Chrissy meet up with Nancy.

****

Things were going really well in the studio now that they had Bob Newby as their producer and their studio was closer to home so they could live their normal lives and still be in the studio recording.

It was the happiest the band had been in awhile. Which was why Steve should have seen it coming. The dark cloud on the horizon.

Shane was late.

That wasn’t to say that it was out of the ordinary or whatever, but it was now two hours late and Spence was pissed.

“When I get my hands on his scrawny neck,” he hissed. “I’m going to kill him.”

Simon rolled his eyes. “You’re just upset because it’s means you’ll be late for your date or whatever with Nadia. He’ll be here.”

“That’s not true and you know it, Asmodeus,” Spence bit out. “This is the third time this week and yeah, so what if I have a life outside of this, but that’s not why.”

Just then Shane stumbled in. He looked like absolute shit. His clothes were disheveled, his hair was a mess, and he wore dark sunglasses. Clutched to his chest was a large coffee.

“Fuck...” he mumbled as he shambled over to the sofa. He lowered himself gently onto the thing with a stream of curses. “Sorry I’m late, but my hookup last night turned off my alarm.”

He took a long sip of his coffee and rubbed his temple. He had finished most of the coffee when he realized that no one had said a word since he arrived.

The door opened and Bob and Robin entered the room looking more than a little cross.

Shane flashed them a smile. “Uh oh, it looks like I upset both mom and dad. So I was a little late. It happens.”

“But it shouldn’t be happening,” Spence said with a scowl. “This isn’t the first time. Hell, it’s not even the first time this week.”

Shane frowned, setting his coffee on the floor between his feet. He rubbed his temples as he struggled to think back. “That can’t be right, it’s only Monday, right?”

Everyone shared concerned glances.

“Astraeus,” Steve said slowly, “it’s Thursday.”

Bob crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You were late on Sunday, Monday and today, Astraeus.”

Shane stared up at them in open shock and disbelief. “There’s no way!” He pulled out his phone and looked at the date.

“Shit.”

“What’s been going on, man?” Simon asked, concerned for the first time. He hadn’t realized how often it had been and was giving Spence shit for wanting to be with his girlfriend.

Shane shook his head. “I have money for the first time in my life. I mean proper money. My parents always had enough to make sure we got into the things we wanted; sports, drama, music, you name it, but there wasn’t a lot of money to go around after, you know? I had to pay for my college education myself and I just wanted to live a little. Spread the money around, even if I couldn’t tell them what I did for a living, they don’t really care.”

“I can see that,” Robin said. “I think we all breathing easier, regardless of our backgrounds because the money we’re getting has pretty much set us up for life if it all went to shit tomorrow, which I really wouldn’t recommend, by the way.”

Shane let out a huff of breath that wasn’t quite a laugh. “I really didn’t mean to go off like that, I’ll cut back to just the weekends. I promise.”

Robin and Bob shared a glance.

“That’s strike one, Astraeus,” Bob said, “I don’t take slackers lightly. You want me to continue to work for you guys, you’ve got to step it up.”

Shane nodded empathically. “Can we have a day off a week though? It doesn’t have to be on the weekend, but this seven days a week is really hard.”

Robin blinked at him a moment. “You guys have been coming every day?”

The band looked around at each and all gave a collective shrug.

She turned to Bob. “Is that your schedule?”

Bob’s jaw dropped and he shook his head. “I only do that if there’s a rush to get the album out, which I understood there wasn’t. I don’t how we got on working every day, but Astraeus is correct they need a day off.”

“What works best for everyone?”

The band worked out a better schedule that worked for everyone with it ending with Bob giving everyone the rest of the week off, giving them strict instructions to talk to him about those sort of things before it got to this point.

Robin clapped her hands once. “Right, now that we’ve got that settled, we’re still meeting up at Abbadon’s for dinner to discuss my meeting with Nancy. My meeting is at three and dinner is at six, so don’t be late.” She glared at Shane and he raised his hands in surrender.

“See you all then!”

****

Robin straightened her wig in her rearview mirror and added more lipstick. She wore special contacts that changed her bright blue eyes to a more common brown color. She was dressed in slim fitting white slacks with a bright pink silk blouse and a black leather aviator’s jacket. She hated wearing these clothes, they just weren’t her. At least she didn’t have to wear high heels to this thing. She would have broken an ankle for sure.

But she would sell her soul to the devil if it meant that Steve got to do what he loved. And it wasn’t as though she didn’t love her job either. But Eddie was right, she was on her last frayed nerve and that wouldn’t do her boys any good.

She slid out of her Maserati MC20 and walked up to the restaurant. The Corroded Coffin’s manager, Chrissy Cunningham was going to be there as a mediator.

Robin hadn’t told Steve this, but Chrissy knew who she was. Not the band, she didn’t know that, but she knew that Celeste Baptiste was Robin Buckley. It was just something Robin felt she needed to know before going in there with Nancy. That she personally had a stake in the game, even if it was just as Steve’s best friend.

Chrissy loved the idea of even their manager having an alter ego and it made Robin feel better about her choice to be someone else.

Robin and Chrissy kissed each other’s cheeks in greeting and Robin sat down.

“She’s not here yet?” she asked, looking at her matching watch.

Chrissy shook her head. “She’s running a little behind. One of her clients blew up the internet last night and she’s been having to play hard ball to keep it from destroying their career.”

Robin leaned in close. “Ooh, do you know who it was?”

“That’s for me to know,” Nancy said from above them, “and for you to never find out.”

Robin looked up at her and was struck on how good she looked. It was almost unfair how good she looked.

She was wearing a grey plaid blazer with the sleeves rolled up over a white button shirt and a black pencil skirt. She wore grey boots and matching sunglasses, glasses she took off with a shake of her dark curls.

Robin gulped. Nancy had been intimidating enough in high school, but now she could stare down a raging bull and come away unscathed.

“Hello, ladies,” Nancy said with a smile. “I’m sorry I was late, but I think I managed a god damn miracle and could eat an entire salad bar.”

Nancy sat down and put her phone in her purse.

“Oh are you vegan?” Chrissy asked as the waiter came up with a pitcher of water. Nancy waved him off and ordered a rosé.

“Just vegetarian,” she said with a shake of her head. “I love cheese too much. Plus, I knew a militant vegan and they scare me.”

Robin laughed. “Couldn’t be me, I went full vegan last year and haven’t looked back.”

Nancy and Chrissy both winced, but for different reasons, Nancy for her comment about militant vegans and Chrissy, well...

“I picked this place because it has the best rib eye steak on the planet,” she said with a grimace. “That’s not going to bother either of you if I order that, right?”

Nancy and Robin shared a glance and then shook their heads.

“My best friend loves steak,” Robin said, “It’s his choice to eat it, I just a have a problem with the ethical consumption of meat and other animal products.”

“Most of my clients eat meat,” Nancy agreed. “I’m not about to piss them off because I don’t like the taste.”

Chrissy relaxed and let out a long sigh. “Great!”

She picked up her menu to hide her embarrassment. A few minutes later, their waiter came back and they placed their orders.

Nancy had ordered a pasta with roasted sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms and Robin ordered a simple salad with a vinaigrette.

As they waited for their food, Nancy got down to business. “So as I understand it, the band The Fallen is looking for an agent to help with the legal and PR aspect of their brand, correct?”

Robin nodded, twisting her napkin nervously. Normally as Celeste, she was cooler under pressure but Nancy scared her. Not because of anything she could do to her specifically, but because what she could do to her boys.

Chrissy reached out and laid her hand over Robin’s fidgeting ones. Robin let out a shuddered breath.

“Normally bands like theirs have teams and teams of people doing all the work,” Robin said, “but with the secrecy surrounding their identities the more people that know the easier it is for a leak.”

Nancy nodded. “It’s certainly not the usual thing. But I’ve got a few clients that are strict about their identities and it wouldn’t be a problem, but as I told Chrissy, I would have know everything about them so that I can do my upmost to protect them.”

“Did you sign the NDA?” Robin asked, straightening her spine. This was something she was good at. Protecting her boys and she would do it with the fierceness of a mother bear and her cubs.

Nancy picked up her briefcase and opened it up. She took out a folder and handed it to Robin. Robin looked it over and then nodded.

She stuck it in her purse and pulled out a hard portfolio and slid it across to Nancy. Chrissy squeezed her hand as Nancy read through the documents. Their food arrived in the interim and she set it aside. She steepled her hands and planted her elbows on the table.

“How much of this do you know?” she asked Chrissy.

“Only what I needed to which is who Celeste is,” she replied, “and that both her and Abbadon have a history with you that could be trouble for a lot of people, not just the band.”

Nancy nodded and took a bite of her food before saying anything else. Chrissy and Robin exchanged glances but started eating as well. More for something to do in the intervening silence than because they were actually interested in food at that moment.

After a few moments Nancy blotted her lips with her napkin and set it next to her plate. “This is not what I was expecting when I heard that you had concerns about my professionalism and in all honesty, this is easier to understand then a manager thinking they don’t need the help of an agent when they really do.”

Chrissy and Robin shared a glance.

“Is that something that’s common?” Chrissy asked. Corroded Coffin had already had Nancy as their agent when she became their manager five years ago. They had outgrown their former manager Murray Bauman and was looking for someone younger to manage them so they hired her.

Nancy nodded. “It is.” She turned to Robin. “You’re his best friend, right? The quirky band chick who was always working with him?”

Robin was impressed with her way of asking the question without revealing anything significant about their identity. She brought her finger up to her contact and moved it aside to show the blue underneath before sliding it back into place.

“I’m assuming I’m the last resort?” Nancy asked after taking another bite of food.

Robin and Chrissy shared another glance.

“Not in the way you mean,” Chrissy explained. “I gave her a list of agents that might be able to have them on as clients and we’ve met with a couple of them but decided even before they got to what’s in the folder that they weren’t suitable for their needs.”

“The double lives aspect, I suspect.”

“Both of them wanted to push them into revealing themselves,” Robin said, nodding. “Which was completely off the table.”

Nancy licked her bottom lip and her eyes narrowed. “Is that off the table indefinitely or will we circle back to that sometime in the future?”

Robin rolled her eyes. “There’s no way to predict if they’re going to change their mind five-six years down the line.”

“I’m going to be frank,” she said, “I do not have a problem repping them. Not even Abbadon. But I understand there will be some awkwardness on both sides at first. I will even apologize in person. Because the fact of the matter is, I did hurt him. I strung him along until something better came along and then didn’t even have the decency to break up with him before moving on. I was young and stupid and even worse, I’m not even with that guy anymore. Like with me and Abbadon, we wanted different things.”

“Apologize first,” Chrissy said with a wicked gleam in her eye, “then we’ll see about hiring you for The Fallen.”

Nancy reached out to shake Robin’s hand. “Deal?”

Robin nodded curtly. “Deal.”

They moved onto the more tedious aspects of what they wanted out of Nancy as they finished their meals.

But as Robin was heading back to her car she had a small satisfied smile on her face. Yes, this really was the best option for the band.

****

Because of canon-Chrissy's unhealthy relationship with food, I wanted her to go hard into eating all things that her mom most likely forbade her from eating growing up. Hence the steak and the wine. Nancy I figured would be at least vegetarian with personality (just the vibes I get from her *shrug*) and Robin would absolutely be vegan. Just not a militant one.

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[try-set-me-on-fire]

Hiiii 💕💕💕

For the wip game (the highlighted ones)

-❤️🪐

Hello!! For you since you’ve been interested in it for awhile and i promised you a scene ages ago and only just now finished it: big heart, I wanna let it bleed, aka buck joins the team younger fic! Here’s a complete drabble about them running into Phillip on a call…

They’re not in an enclosed space but, somehow, the kid’s laughter is still echoing around them. Bobby tries to bite down on his smile as he calls a vaguely warning “Buck,” though he’s not too worried about professionalism seeing as the surfer — who’s trunks are truly mystifyingly tangled on his board — is cracking up even harder. He’s sort of… hung up there, board stuck nose down in the sand, man dangling up on the back end of it. They seem too far up the beach for a wave to have done this, but what does Bobby know, he’s from a landlocked state.

“Sorry, Cap,” Buck wheezes. “Do we, uh… need the ladder?”

Bobby takes a measured inhale as he hears some kind of frantically smothered squeak sound coming from — is that Chimney? One of the paramedics, anyway — and shakes his head. “I think we can just lower the board down, if you’ll give me a hand. That sound alright to you, sir?”

The surfer gets through a few more wheezing chuckles before he can say “Yeah dude, lower away.”

They manage it pretty smoothly, with him and Buck on either side and Hen and Chim ready to catch the weight of the surfer. Hen starts off the next small round of laughter as she tries to de-tangle the swim trunks to move their vic, but everybody manages to calm down as they get to the actual medical examination.

As Hen and Chimney poke and prod, Buck chatters. “I learned to surf a few years ago, over in the Carolinas.”

“No shit?” The surfer grins. “Like Charleston? I gotta cousin over there.”

“Yeah, Folly Beach sometimes, but mostly went up to the Banks.”

“Sick.” The surfer gestures to where Hen’s wrapping some gauze around his bloodied elbow. “What’s your worst wipeout?”

Buck laughs again, a little delighted sound, always happy to be included. “Oh man- My first time out on the water, like the second wave I ever caught, just tossed me right off completely.” He tugs up his shirt before Bobby dawn shake his head not to, and twists around to show a jagged old scar on his lower back. “Landed on some rocks, needed fourteen stitches.”

The surfer whistles as Hen shakes her head. “I don’t think you’ll need any stitches for this one, but there’s enough debris in there I’m gonna recommend we take you to the hospital so they can get it all out.”

“Sure thing,” the guy says, looking more relaxed than Buck taking a nap on the couch after second helpings of mac and cheese. “Thanks man.”

“No problem,” Bobby says, definitely no trace of a chuckle in his voice no matter the delighted glances his team sends him.

The surfer tries to twist towards Buck once they get him on the gurney, winces, and then just turns his head. “You ever surf out here?”

“Have a few times, but I don't have a board or anything.”

“Man, you should come out and join us! We got a group most weekday mornings, I'm sure somebody could get you set up.”

Buck looks happy as a dog with a bone, glancing at Bobby with a mile wide grin. It's a familiar kind of look, though it takes until they're almost at the ambulance — Buck chatting away all the while — for him to place it, and it nearly makes him stumble when he does. Robert would give him that look when he made a new friend on the playground and got invited to hang out. Please, Dad, can I go? He's sure Buck didn't mean anything by it. Bobby doesn't have that authority in his life, nicknames and Springsteen concerts nothing that adds up to a tangible connection. And the kid- well, he's not a kid. 25 years old, can arrange his own playdates perfectly well. Still, Bobby feels a little off kilter as they load the ambulance.

“Rad, man, see you around.” The surfer is grinning at Buck, two happy little suns shining at each other. “Ask for Stevey,” he says, loosely pointing at himself. Steven Barney, he'd given as his name to dispatch.

Buck smiles, waves goodbye. “I'm-”

“Evan?”

Buck turns like a man in a haunted house, startled at an impossible sound with all the color draining out of him. The apparition takes the appearance of a white man a little older than Bobby, wearing neat, pale clothes and a sort of constipated, caught expression. They see that look on calls sometimes, with men who are going through an emergency with women who are not their wives and who are still trying to pretend they've done nothing at all untoward.

“D-” Buck blinks, a few times, hard. “Dad?”

Bobby can't help joining in Hen and Chin's shared oh shit look. There's not an overly familiar resemblance between the two — perhaps a shared stake in forehead real estate — but the man doesn't refute it. “I'll let you get back to work,” he says, glancing towards the sea, the ambulance, eyes landing briefly on Bobby before jumping away again, startled.

“Wait, wh-” Buck steps forward, hand wandering out in front of him before dropping back to his side. “What are you doing in LA? Did you have- a-a work trip?”

Buck's father clears his throat. “It's Brian’s birthday.”

“Oh,” Buck says, blinking again, rapidly this time, a fish thrown in new water. “He- he lives in California now?”

“No, no,” the man says dismissively, like he doesn't know why anyone on earth would choose to live in California. “He’s retiring early, wanted to make a weekend of it.”

“So-” Buck scrambles, visibly, and it makes Bobby aware of the small audience of first responders (and surfer), so he closes the ambulance door despite Hen and Chim’s wide eyes and shaking heads, and thumps the back so they pull away. Buck doesn’t seem to notice either way. “You’re- you’re here for a few days? We should- we could go get lunch? I-I have to work until tomorrow morning but-”

“It’s a busy weekend,” the man grumbles, doing a motion with his hands almost like he's patting himself down to make sure he has his wallet, the movements of someone making sure they're good to leave. “I won't have the time.”

Buck stands there, looking more wounded than any of the times he's been banged up on calls. “I- haven't seen you in- in like four years-”

“And who's fault is that?” His father laughs dismissively. “If you want to run off and throw your life away you can't complain about it later.”

“I-I didn't, I like what I- I have a job, I- I found…” Buck frowns, and Bobby worries for a moment he's going to cry out here in front of his father and colleagues and the beach goers of Santa Monica. He holds it together, though. “I like it here, and I like my job, and I'd like to tell you about it-”

“I won't have the time, Evan.” He doesn't even consider for a moment backing out of his obvious lie. “You can call next week if you want. Your mother will be glad to know you're in one piece.”

“Okay,” Buck says, shoulders sinking down and turning in. He goes from a 6’3” wall of muscle to a lost child right before Bobby’s eyes, hell of a magic trick. “Sorry,” Buck says, as Bobby does some math, works backwards a little. Fourteen stitches, definitely more recent than four years ago. He thinks about the laws of physics, or at least traffic, he’d break if he knew Robert was bleeding in an ocean somewhere in the world. “Sorry,” Buck says again — why, why should he be apologizing — and nods a few times. “I’ll- I’ll make sure to call.”

His father nods back. “We still work, so-”

“Yeah, after five, I know.”

“And your mother has book club on Tuesdays.”

“Okay.” Smaller, and smaller. Bobby remembers reading Alice in Wonderland to Brook, wonders how big Buck’s pool of tears is to shrink him so much. “I’ll just-” Buck clenches his fists, just for a moment, and then hides them in his pockets. “I’ll just try. If you’re busy you don’t have to pick up.”

Oh, God, give an inch and they’ll take a mile. Buck’s father looks visibly relieved at the offer of plausible deniability. “Alright.” He doesn’t move to hug his son, doesn’t even reach out for a handshake, staying a careful several feet away. “I’m sure you need to get back to your job,” he says, raising eyebrows in Bobby’s direction. It makes him bristle, he doesn’t want to be a forced coconspirator in judging Buck for something he hasn’t even done wrong. Buck wilts even further beside him. His father gives one final nod. “Goodbye, Evan.”

He’s already walking away by the time Buck says “Bye, Dad.”

And then they’re all just standing there. Hen and Chimney went off to the hospital, sure, but there’s still a handful of firefighters lingering around, either trying to make a lot of eye contact or no eye contact at all. Buck stares firmly at the ground. Bobby clears his throat.

“Alright, let's pack it up.” If they were operating under any other circumstance Bobby might compliment his crew for how quickly and quietly they get loaded into the trucks.

The ride back to the station is quiet, too, usual engine chit chat locked in everyone’s throats. Bobby’s pretty sure he sees Nichols subtly and somewhat frantically typing on his phone. Mostly, though, he watches Buck in the rearview. The kid is staring resolutely out the window, but Bobby would bet he’s not seeing a thing. His leg bounces on the seat, and Rodriguez doesn't even do the polite cut-it-out cough. Bobby wonders how many of Buck's stories he's overheard, if he's also now watching them tilt, shift, rearrange in his head. Dumb little boy stuff, skateboard-bike-motorcycle stunts, climbing up trees to fall out of them, all told with class clown energy, wasn't I stupid but wasn't it fun, wasn't it funny? Bobby got up to some shit when he was a kid, trailing after Charlie and taking any ill-advised dare the older kids tossed out to him, but he got hurt and he went home, his mom kissed his scrapes, even his dad would ruffle his hair and grab the first aid kit on his good days. Bobby looks at Buck looking out at nothing and tries to count the broken bones scattered between the big grins and his audience’s corresponding groans, tries to imagine Buck — all his silliness, all his sunshine — going home hurt to parents whose care comes with office hours.

When they pull into the station everyone flees the engine like there’d been a chemical spill, leaving Buck standing alone silhouetted against shiny scarlet paint. Bobby hesitates, one foot still up on the truck bed. He doesn’t want to overstep, but- he can’t stop thinking about how far away Buck’s father stood. The kid deserves someone to come closer. He only wished there was someone better than himself around to do it.

“Hey, kid-”

“I never knew what I did wrong.” Buck is frowning into middle distance, shoulders still tucked in around him. “I- I know I was stupid in- in high school, and college, but-” he looks right at Bobby, eyes wide, and he looks- oh, kid, come home. You’re hurting, come home, you’ll be taken care of, I got a first aid kid at least and I’ll learn to do better than that. “It was always like this- I-” Buck shrugs and here, finally, come the tears. “What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing,” Bobby says, and it's only two steps over to him, and he’s never even casually side hugged this kid before but Buck sinks right into his arms.

“You can’t know that-”

“I can.” Buck’s so tall. Bobby’s not sure the last time he hugged somebody taller than him. He wonders how tall his dad was, looming so large in memory but an unknown in actual imperial measurement. He wonders how tall Robert would’ve gotten. “You were a kid. You were their kid. There’s nothing you could have done that was so bad they shouldn’t have loved you anyway.”

Buck shudders against him, and his shoulder is getting wet, and the ambulance will be back soon and there’s firefighters milling about and, always, work to do.

But they can take a little time here. Bobby’ll bend it around, if he has to. The laws of traffic, the laws of physics. It startles him, scares him a little, but- he’d break them for Buck, too.

[orion-tyche]

Comfort Zone

Summary: Omega hasn’t had a good day. Everything’s gone wrong, from early in the morning to now late afternoon. And she wants nothing more than time to herself, and time in comfort.

Word Count: 587

Prompt: Comfort Zone

Notes: mhm mhm guess who’s writing the whole prompt fics at the end of the week again!!! Finally got out of writer’s block let’s gooo!!! Also if you haven’t noticed basically all these sobb24 fics will be post-series/happy life on Pabu because they deserve it. Hope you enjoy!!

Banners/dividers by @summer-of-bad-batch

It had not been a good day. At all.

Omega was stomping through the pathways to her and her brother’s house, glaring at the ground. She’s gotten soaked at the docks—some kids her age walked by Omega and accidentally bumped into her, knocking her into the water. Omega would normally be fine with that, understanding the mistake. But earlier in the morning, she’d lost her favorite bracelet she’d gotten from Lyana. She was just taking a walk along the sand, and suddenly it wasn’t safe on her wrist. She’d looked everywhere, but it was nowhere to be found. And then, of course, to top it all off. Crosshair had woken her up extra early this morning to go watch the sunrise, but she’d fallen back asleep before she could get out of bed and missed it and made Crosshair mad for missing it. So, it really hadn’t been a good day. And then she’d gone and yelled at the kids for not being more aware of their surroundings, and felt terrible about it. She quickly apologized afterwards and then stormed off, and was now on the stone pathways up to the house. The skies were gray and it looked like a storm was coming. Just what she needed. Omega didn’t do well with thunder and rain since Tantiss. And that was really the last thing she wanted to think about right now.

Omega reached the house and walked inside, heading straight for her room. Hunter and Crosshair were in the living-room-joint-kitchen. Crosshair waved and took a sip of his coffee, seemingly cooled down from this morning. Hunter tried to greet her, but noticed her bad mood and before he could get a word in she was already in her room.

Omega changed into dry clothes and flopped down on her bed, groaning into the pillow. She wanted nothing more than comfort right now. She lifted her head to spot Lula on her desk. Omega rolled off the bed and grabbed Lula, then got back into bed and pulled the covers over herself. She held Lula close and felt the warmth surrounding her, feeling very nice after falling into cold water. She reached out from under the blankets up towards the windowsill just above her bed, where she left her earbuds and music device. It was a small little thing, not meant to do much besides download and play music. But that was all Omega needed. She put the earbuds in and pressed play on a random playlist. Cid may not have been the greatest person, but she did know some great music. Many of the songs Omega had on her device were ones Cid introduced to her, by either playing them on the jukebox or recommending them outright. In any case, Omega enjoyed the music (and tried to forget Cid introduced her to over half the songs). She laid there under the warms covers, Lula held close to her, listening to some calm music. It felt good. She could feel her mood improving by the second. Yes, she’d feel much better by tomorrow. She’d probably go give those kids a proper apology tomorrow, one where she didn’t run off as soon as she was done in anger. And maybe go look for her bracelet again, or just ask Lyana for a new one. Maybe learn to make one herself. Yeah, that sounded good. And she’d make sure to get up tomorrow, watch the sunrise with Crosshair and start the day well. Tomorrow would be much, much better.

[deathbyhertouch]

3 Musketeers

stripper!reader x boygenius

AN: Sorry this took so long, I wanted to really make it special. I hope you like it. I'm happy with it, maybe a bit too much lol

word count: 3.8k

warnings: smut (18+, mdni), group sex, stripper, pussy eating, face riding, fingering, bad descriptions of dancing, multiple orgasms, overstimulation ( if you squint), fluff at the end

here is the playlist for this fic

Your shift was running at a glacial pace. The money wasn’t coming in and there were little to no customers at this point. You were last to be cut for the night, internally kicking yourself for agreeing to pick up the shift. You would’ve much rather been cuddling up in your lonely apartment with a bottle of cheap wine and a blunt. Perhaps another night for that.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Please give it up for Poppy!”

You made your way to the stage, before grabbing some cleaner and a cloth. You shook your hips as you walked towards the pole. You made quite the spectacle of cleaning it thoroughly before walking the rag and cleaner back to the side stage. You wrapped a hand around the pole, shaking your ass, perhaps a bit too dramatic. You smiled widely, looking at the 2 people actually sitting at the stage. 2 older guys that probably didn’t want to be here, let alone to watch your routine. You flashed a wink at them anyway, as they each hesitantly threw a dollar bill at your foot. You turned to face the pole, wrapping your legs in unison with your hands. You twirled around, making sure to show off your scantily clad breasts. Your body flowed so smoothly, almost as though you were being puppeteered. 

As your song played to its end, you finished up your song before collecting the very small payload off the floor. You grabbed your small bag that you keep your earnings in. You waltzed off the stage, towards the DJ Booth to give him your next couple songs, instead of that happening tho, you felt a heavy hand tap your shoulders. You turned to see one of the bouncers, a large burly man with a greasy ponytail.

“Champagne Room, you’re booked for the next hour.” He grumbled at you. Your eyes widened, an hour? You flashed him a small smile, and turned on your heels. You were nervous, after all, you had never been booked for that long before, usually just a lap dance or two. You anxiously made your way to the gilded room, golden beaded curtains and a bright neon sign reading ‘champagne room’. You took a deep breath, stabling yourself before drawing back the curtain and heading inside. You looked along the plush, carpeted room, and saw three figures seated across the far end of the room. You made your way to the small bar cart, pouring four glasses of the strawberry champagne, provided by the club. You placed the glasses on a tray and strutted over to your audience. It felt like forever before you were in front of them, finally seeing their faces for the first time, it was three very attractive women, something familiar about them, but you couldn’t quite place it. 

“Welcome to the champagne room, ladies. My name is Poppy, please enjoy a drink with me.” You spoke, with a smile on your face as you handed each of them a glass of champagne. They looked at each other, seemingly sharing a telepathic conversation. You brushed it off, taking a swig of your own drink.

“I’m Lucy, this is Phoebe, and Julien.” The raven-haired woman spoke, pointing towards the other two as she said their names. You smiled and gave a wink to them. You nodded and set your drink down on a small table beside them. 

“Lovely to meet you, so rare to get booked in the champagne room, let alone by three of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen in my life.” You cooed at them. “Is this your first time here at the Lioness Lounge?” You were certain you would’ve remembered faces like theirs. Fuck, this must be a dream. Your eyes moved from each one, taking their sweet time memorizing each of them.

“Yeah, we are celebrating tonight. A friend of Lucy’s recommended this place, said something about the best dancers, hoping to have a great night, especially considering you are gorgeous.” The smallest one, Julien, told you. Her words making a blush creep up your neck, you hummed contently. 

“Thank you, doll. So, what are we celebrating tonight?” You asked, connecting your phone to the nearby speaker, putting on your dance playlist. You began to sway your hips, making your way to the small platform. 

“W-We are in a band, our new album releases tomorrow. We wanted to have a mini party of our own tonight before the release party.” Phoebe murmured, her eyes fixated on your body. Normally, you didn’t care for lingering stares, but this was your job, and you made bank so it was fine. Seeing how her eyes, as well as the other two, were fixated on you, made you feel warm and excited. 

“Ah, I see. Well, that does call for celebration. How does a show sound?” You purred at her, moving your body as seductively as you could, wanting to impress them. The thought of actually wanting to impress a customer, enough to get them to remember you, was a rarity, one that hasn’t happened in quite a while. You bent forward, tightening the straps of your heels, before standing up slowly. You made sure to push out your ass, running your hands sensually over your body as you fully stood up. You rubbed a hand over your pussy, rubbing a small circle over your clit, before you moved to grab your clothed breasts, pinching your already hard nipples between your forefingers and thumbs. You heard a small ‘fuck’, although you couldn’t figure out which one. 

You moved off the platform, moving onto your hands and knees before crawling towards them. You had your best ‘fuck me’ eyes on, making sure to push your tits between your arms, really wanting to accentuate them. As you grew closer, you could feel the nervous tension off each of them. As you were kneeled in front of them, you placed your left hand on Lucy’s knee, the right on Julien’s, and you placed a chaste kiss on each of Phoebe’s knees. You snaked your way up, dragging your breasts across her lap, before pushing against hers. You were inches apart and her eyes were wide, pupils blown. 

“Hi.” You whispered, before placing a small kiss on her nose. You were quick to notice her breath start to waver, a dark red crawling across her cheeks. You took that as your cue to continue, moving your head towards her neck. You made sure to drag your lips down her jawline, before pulling her earlobe into your mouth. You let out a loud moan, making sure the others heard. You swirled your tongue around the soft flesh before letting go. You pulled back enough to see her face. She was in bliss, mouth slightly agape, eyes quick to meet yours. You blew her a kiss and stood up to make your way around the back of the couch.

 In unison, all three heads followed your movements as if there were strings attached to them. You stood behind Julien, her head fully leaned back against the couch, so she could keep eye contact with you. You placed a kiss on her forehead, making her grin up at you. You matched her smile.

“May I?” You asked, placing your hands on her shoulders, giving them a slight rub. She nodded a bit too excited and you let out a small giggle, loving how adorable she looked under your touch. You lowered your head so it was next to hers, blowing on her ear. She shuddered a bit from the sensation, letting out a whimper. You moved your hands from her shoulders, down to her collarbones, just above where she wanted you to touch her. Your fingers inched across her skin, almost feather-light to the touch. 

“Tell me what you want, baby. I want to hear you use your words.” You breathed against her ear. “I-I want you to touch me. Please.” She whined, her eyes watching your hands closely. You giggled, obliged to give this sweet thing anything she desired. Your hands slipped under the button up shirt she wore, wrapping your fingers around her breasts. You kneaded the soft flesh achingly slow. She let out a breathy moan, melting under your skilled hands. You rolled her nipples under your fingers, pressing a kiss to her neck. You were incredibly turned on, wanting nothing more than to end your shift, and take these girls back to your place. You gave her breasts one more light squeeze, before removing your hands completely from her. If looks could kill, you would be 6 feet under. Her brows were furrowed at the abrupt stop. 

“Sorry baby, I want to keep all 3 of you happy.” You murmured, pressing another kiss to her forehead. She huffed, yet made no further protest. You moved from the back of the couch, rubbing a hand across all of their shoulders. You strutted to the front of the couch, stopping in front of Lucy. She swallowed harshly, her eyes on yours, waiting for your instruction. You smiled and held your hand out for her. She smiled and brought hers to yours, interlacing your fingers. You placed her hand on your breast, allowing her to touch you. She graciously accepted, squeezing your boob, as if she was going to break you. You let out a moan, pushing your chest into her hand, inviting her to touch you more. Your eyes closed, head falling back onto your shoulders. Her hand moved down, moving to your hip, the other joining the first on your other hip. She pulled you forward, moving you to straddle her lap. You opened your eyes, wanting to focus on her. Your hands moved up to her shoulders to support you. She had a large smile on her face, red lips calling out to you. You leaned in, pressing your forehead to hers.

“Can I kiss you, darling?” She whispered, leaning in halfway to yours. You didn’t answer, moving to capture her mouth with yours. Her lips were soft, forming against your own. You moaned into the kiss, and she took the opportunity to slip her tongue in your mouth. You were so enamored with Lucy, you barely noticed Phoebe moving behind you, running her fingers up your arms. She pressed her lips to your ear, letting out a low growl. 

“How soon can we get out of here, babe?” She asked, lips never leaving your ear. You broke your kiss with Lucy, looking up at her with big doe eyes.

“Whenever you want, love. I just need to cash out.” You murmured. She smiled down at you, looking over at Julien, who gave her a small nod. Lucy, not wanting to be forgotten, pulled your hips down, grinding your dripping core against the rough fabric of her pants. You moaned, and Phoebe’s lips moved down your neck. She sank her teeth into your neck, sucking a bruise into your flesh. You gasped, already feeling your orgasm drawing near. 

“JB, care to join?” Lucy posed the question to the third girl, who had been silent for the most part. She smiled before standing to join the three of you. She switched places with Phoebe, wrapping a hand across your chest, pulling your heaving tits out of the confines of the strappy lace bralette. Lucy groaned at the sight of you, Phoebe moving to sit closer to achieve a better look.

“Whaddya think, boys, shall we make her cum before we take her home?” Julien asked, her inked hands moving south towards your wet, aching cunt. You whined, nodding your head. “Please, let me cum. I’ll be so good for you.” You bargained, wanting to please the three of them. 

“I believe she’s earned it, JB. Pheebs?” Lucy quipped, looking to the blonde beside her for an answer. Phoebe smiled and hummed, nodding her head. You felt Julien’s other hand grab your jaw, pulling your face to look up at hers. She pulled you into a heavy kiss, teeth mashing and tongues wrestling. You gasped into her mouth as you felt her fingers finally run through your slick folds. Her middle and index fingers slipped inside your pussy and her thumb moved to rub sweet circles on your clit. You moaned into her mouth. You could feel a hand roughly grab your tit, and another gripping your hip tightly. Julien giggled into your mouth, pumping her fingers faster, her thumb applying more pressure to your swollen nub. You whined, feeling your orgasm drawing to a close. The girls, also noticing how close you were to your release, only doubled down on your assault. You broke off the kiss, leaning your head back against Julien’s chest. 

“You gonna cum for us, princess? Make a mess all over Lucy’s thighs for us. C��mon pretty girl.” Phoebe purred in your ear, massaging your nipples, egging you on further. Your body listened, attentive to their guiding words and touch. You felt your orgasm hit you hard, no doubt your arousal leaving a mark over Lucy’s pants. You cried out, as they rode you through the ecstasy that filled you to the brim. As you came down, you could feel your legs shaking. Julien pulled her fingers out of you and brought them to your mouth. You happily suckled on them, moaning at the taste of your release. She pulled them out of your mouth before leaning down to kiss your lips briefly. Phoebe stood up, quickly downing her near-forgotten glass of champagne. Julien backed up, allowing you to stand off of Lucy’s lap. As you moved to stand for yourself, Lucy grabbed your hips and pulled you back down, bringing your lips back to hers. She hummed sweetly into your mouth, pulling away as quickly as she pulled you in. You smiled, blushing harder than ever at the sweet gesture.

“C’mon sweet girl, go close out, and grab your purse. We’ll meet you outside.” Phoebe assured you, pressing a kiss to your cheek. You nodded, pulling your lingerie back in place. 

❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃❃

You had closed out, gotten your belongings, and were now seated on the very plush sofa in your apartment. You were currently naked, Phoebe on your left, Julien on the right. Lucy’s face was currently buried in your wet cunt. Your legs were over her shoulders, while the other two were alternating between sucking dark hickies into your neck and groping your boobs. You could die happily here, there wasn’t a doubt in your mind about it. 

“Fuck, Luce, I’m close. I can’t hold it much longer. Please fuck let me cum.” You moaned, your hips bucking hard into her face. She moaned against you, the vibrations threatening to push you over the edge. She pulled back, her chin dripping with your juices. Phoebe smiled at her and pulled her into a wet kiss, eager to taste you. You whined, turning to Julien, who had a shit eating grin on her face. She pulled you onto her lap, your knees on either side of her hips. 

“Does our pretty girl want to cum? Again?” She cooed at you, pulling your hips down so your wet cunt was grinding against her jeans. You gasped and nodded at her. She mockingly nodded back at you. “Guess you’ll have to be a good girl for us, huh?” She teased. You wanted nothing more than anything to please her.

“Let’s go to the bedroom, pet. We can really take our time with you.” Lucy spoke to you, enjoying how much of a puddle you were for them. You stood up, grabbing Phoebe’s hand, the other two following behind, leading them to your room. You turned on your small lamp, setting a subtle glow for ambience. 

You felt a pair of hands on your waist and a pair of lips on your bare shoulder. You turned your head to see Phoebe, already looking into yours. You smiled and drew her into a passionate kiss, humming at the taste of her tongue on yours. She turned you in her arms, tapping the back of your thighs to signal you to jump. You gladly did, wrapping your legs around her waist as she carried you to the bed, laying you down on your back before settling on top of you. She broke the kiss to move back down to your neck, biting into it, soothing the forming mark with her tongue. You looked over, seeing Julien and Lucy locking lips, undressing each other. It was cute, you weren’t sure what the dynamic was between the three of them, but you could tell there was a lot of passion and devotion, something you felt honored to be a part of, if only for the night.

“Eyes on me, beautiful.” Phoebe had pulled your face back to look at hers. She was hovering above you. “Hi.” You whispered, making her smile at you.

“You’re so fucking adorable. I love it.” She giggled. Lucy and Julien had now joined you both on the bed. Julien moved to switch spots with Phoebe, her lips ghosting down your chest and resting at your stomach. Your hands found their way into her hair, pulling it into a makeshift ponytail. She pressed a kiss to your pubic bone, eyes waiting for your permission to go further.

“Please, eat me. I need it.” You whined, waiting for her mouth where you had needed her most. That was all the sentiment she needed before diving into your wet cunt. You moaned, loudly, your grip on her hair tightening. She slipped a couple fingers back into your entrance, curling them inside of you. Your eyes peeled open and turned your head to look at the other two. Lucy was straddling Phoebe’s face, making the most tantalizing sounds. She looked down at you, running her hand over your hair, soothing you. Julien had pulled you back down to earth, suckling on your clit, her fingers were pumping in and out of you at a relentless pace.

“C’mon pretty girl, come for her, make a mess on her fingers. She needs to taste how heavenly you are. Julien, go faster. Get her there.” Lucy’s words worked magic on you, as you felt yet another orgasm begin to unfurl inside of you. You cried out, and Julien’s fingers begin to slow down, to help you ride out your orgasm. She pulled off your puffy pussy, to show you her beautiful face. 

“You weren’t kidding, that’s the sweetest little pussy. She’s practically gushing on my face.” Julien beamed up at the raven-haired woman. Lucy laughed and pulled her into a kiss, swapping spit and your release between their mouths. You slowed your breathing, slowly raising yourself up on your hands, before scooting over between Phoebe’s legs. You placed a small kiss on her clit. The small action was enough for Phoebe to let out a muffled moan, the vibrations in turn causing Lucy to gasp and grind her hips down onto the blonde’s jaw. 

You began to eat her out like you were a starved man, and this was a decadent feast laid in front of you. You wrapped your arms around her thighs, essentially imprisoning her against your body. You could tell she was growing close, so you sucked her clit into her mouth and began to suction hard on it, tongue flicking rapidly against it. She tried to match your pace, trying to get Lucy over the edge as well. Lucy moaned out, her buttery smooth voice sounded like an angel’s against your ear. Julien was rubbing circles on her own clit, wanting some relief of her own. Lucy’s orgasm was first, making her cry out against Phoebe’s mouth. 

“Pheebs, I want my turn with her. She can cum again, let me help her.” Poor Julien, feeling a bit left out, helped Lucy off of Phoebe’s face, and grabbed her hips, moving her onto her own face. Lucy was all fucked out but couldn’t resist the brunette’s sweet praises and encouragement. You were a bit busy, trying to get Phoebe to cum as well. You released one of your hands to reach up to tweak her own nipple. She cried out, and ran her hands through your hair. She gripped your hair tight, only encouraging you to keep going. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, I’m so close, princess. I want to cum f’you. Please let me, I want to cum so bad.” She pleaded, and who were you to deny such a request. You moaned against her dripping pussy and fucked into her hole with your tongue. She cried out against you, her arousal now gushing over your face. Your arms tightened back around her thighs and her hips were bucking incessantly against your face. She tapped your arm once you came down, and you released her. You brought your face up, inches in front of her, and you reached your hand up to brush a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She blushed and kissed your lips. 

“We should keep you around. You are quite a fun addition.” She mumbled against your lips. You smiled at the statement. “Whenever you want, sugar.” You quipped back at her. A gasp broke your concentration, you both looked over, seeing Lucy finish, her juices coating Julien’s face with a sheer layer. Her hands were fisting through your sheets, absolutely enjoying herself. You smirked and moved to take one of her nipples into your mouth. Phoebe moved behind Julien, placing her mouth on Julien’s aching cunt from behind. Lucy moved to sit up a bit, Julien laying her head in Lucy’s lap. You brushed her hair, helping her relax a bit as Phoebe worked her magic on the smaller girl. 

“She’s right, y’know. We like you, we’d love to do this again sometime.” Lucy breathed down at you. You bit her nipple, not enough to hurt, just enough to elicit another moan out of her. You pulled off of her tit, looking back up at her. 

“I wouldn’t want anything else. I want you, all of you, all the time. Not even sexually, but in general.” You spoke truthfully. You wanted this to turn to more, you couldn’t get enough of them. Julien moaned loudly, cumming against Phoebe. You felt her slump forward a bit, exhausted from the intense orgasm. She hummed, and kissed Lucy’s thighs, wrapping an arm around her thigh, the other rubbing soothing circles on your own thigh. 

“My real name is Y/N, by the way. I just realized I never gave it to you guys. My apologies.” You let out a laugh, the realization of your fucked out brain forgetting to relay the information to them. Phoebe snorted, sticking a hand out to you.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Y/N.” She quipped at you, wiggling her eyebrows at you. You smiled and snuggled back into Lucy’s side. Phoebe quickly moved to your backside, spooning you. You were overjoyed at tonight’s events. 

Love, A

[mtkay13]

hi! I have a question, i dont quite understand why zhou zishu is drawn to wen kexing, would you be able to help me? Esp in the earlier chapters, i just get the vibe that he's annoyed with him and doesn't want the guy's company. Do you know when he starts having feelings for wkx or how it progressed? I know zzs is very composed and in pain due to the seven nails so maybe i missed it while being focused on the plot, or maybe the translation is confusing me

Hello there!!! I'm sorry for the time I took to reply, I've been quite busy lately and I am currently taking sort of a break from this fandom (I'm not done or anything haha, just focusing on other things atm.) Anyway! Since you sent two asks, I'm going to quote the other one as well here and reply to both at once! :) Here's your second ask:

i think i answered my own question, i saw the ask where you recommended a certain translation, and the translation is completely different from the one i read. In one, zhou zishu comes off as annoyed w wen kexing and i had a hard time figuring out why tf he was even bothering to meddle. In the other, he comes off as an inquisitive person who suspects more to the situation and to wen kexing, and he's drawn in. Not to sound like an idiot but i understand why there's so many translations of greek classics now. The word choice make the interpretation completely different. I wish i could learn mandarin and learn what the original work says. Random but do you know if it'll ever get an official translation? It has a TV show and all, wouldn't it be marketable to western audiences? Question by the same Anyonymous person

As you put it yourself, yeah, the translation and tone does a lot to indicate what ZZS sees in WKX. I feel like there has been a widely shared sentiment that ZZS is pretty much fed up with him for the better part of the book's first half, and while I think it's a front that he puts up indeed, I feel like the original version and some of the translations do a good job of showing how ZZS finds WKX very intriguing, likely very strong and quite handsome (haha). I like to feel like he started developing a crush quite early on in the book, already seduced by WKX's deep and suave voice in chapter 2. From then on, more and more details about him catch ZZS' interest--WKX's appearance, mystery, his strength and martial arts expertise, and of course the way they seem to profoundly understand each other. It seems to me like there's a big shift during the campfire scene where ZZS recognises WKX's sword technique as being Wen Ruyu, the two of them thus discussing WKX's ancestry and, following that, what it means to be a good or bad person. The connection feels so strong during that conversation that it seems very likely to me that they both started falling in love from then on. Overall, where the translation may play a big role in perceiving ZZS' attraction is how "human and lively" he may seem in some versions. His quirks and "humanness" come out stronger in the ones I have recommended (IMO at least) and thus comes off as much warmer and fun. Through that characterisation, the nuance of him expressing one thing (annoyance) but feeling another (interest) is easier to understand. So yeah, indeed, translation sure is something! Haha, and there are many stories of disagreements and re-interpretations of classics even within professional translators (because for how much I can sometime criticise some versions of TYK, it's important to reiterate that these are all fan translations provided by people kindly dedicating their time and ressources to translate for free--most of the time (cough)--and share for free as well.) Well, I can only wish for you to get to read it in mandarin one day, because it's really, really great (and mandarin is just a fascinating language altogether!!) As for the official translation... I'm not very optimistic. It seems like getting publishing rights is rather complicated to begin with, and on top of that, TYK is currently locked on jjwxc (the website where it was initially published) due to censorship, which I feel makes it even more difficult. Priest has expressed in a rather recent socmed post that she didn't want to edit TYK (whether to censor it or for publication) because it was too old, so it's quite possible that she just isn't interested in putting in the work for TYK to be officially published and translated. That being said, it's just my opinion/analysis of the situation, and I may very well be wrong! Anyway, many thanks for coming to me and trusting my opinion, and I wish you a wonderful day!! 💗💗💗

[marymary-diva17]

Human sick day

sully family x reader

Being sick was no fun at all for anyone as, there are so many emotions that one person can feel when they are ill. It very not easy to be sick when you are on a whole different planet, and some of healing ways don’t work so well on humans that much.

Y/n “ …….” You had woken up feeling icky and having a headache as well, right away you discovered you are sick.

y/n “ umm no I hate being sick” you had started boiling some water for some tea, hoping that will make you feel better.

norm “ so you are sick as well”

y/n “ yes it good to know I’m not the only one who sick”

norm “ I sucks being sick and being here we need to find out, more ways to heal ourselves”

y/n “ good for us I’m going to have some tea and see where that goes” you had some breakfast and drank some tea, later on taking some medicine you were feeling better. There is the headache that was bothering you.

Y/n “ oh yes Jake and neytiri might get worried if I show up for breakfast, but I can’t transfer to avatar body it will not be a good idea” you had grabbed your ear price as you are getting ready to make a call.

Jake " hey honey when you will be getting here"

y/n " I'm sorry Jake but I will not be come into my avatar body I have a horrible headache and it will not be safe for me, to do that under my recommendation and max as well"

Jake " really what else is the matter"

y/n " well I was feeling horrible when I woke up and I think I fought that off for now"

neytiri " my take when will our y/n get here the kids will be up soon, and it will be good to have breakfast with her"

Jake " she will not be coming neytiri she is unwell, and it will not good for her to transfer to her avatar body"

neytiri " ma y/n are you okay"

y/n " I'm well my wife just a headache and sore throat it seems, I will be fun but it will be best I deal with it now verse waiting it out ... I don't wish to get anyone else sick as well"

neytiri " that horrible yawne we can come take care of you, it will be rude to leave our mate and wife alone"

y/n " thank you for the offer but I don't want anyone else getting sick, I will be fine and you two have important responsibilities to attend to"

Jake " we will take care of everything from here honey, and there no need to worry about the kids we will attend to them"

y/n " thank you and please tell them I will make up for the lost day, later on when I'm good and well"

neytiri " yes ma y/n but we will be checking up on you to see how you are doing"

y/n " I will make sure to keep on ear price on my good bye my loves take care"

Jake and neytiri " you as well" the call soon ended and you soon went back to eating, your breakfast hoping this headache will soon ended and everything can go back to normal.

hours later

y/n " ummm" you had taken and shower later on changing your clothes, and it seems like hot steam shower was able to help you feel better a bit.

y/n " I can use another cup of tea it will be good for me" you are boil more hot water when there, and that when you notice it was rain.

y/n " a storm is coming I should call home to tell Jake and neytiri, about the news of what going on" soon there was knocking on your window, that gained your attention.

y/n ' huh"

????? " hey mama" you soon saw tuk as you soon rush to the door to open it to, see your kids and mates standing there.

y/n " get inside all of you it raining badly" the group soon rushed into the room as you got them towels to dry off, from the rain that was soaking them.

Jake " we came to see you when the storm rolled in and it was to late, to tun back so we came all the way"

lo'ak " yeah we didn't want you to be here without family mama, as you always take care of us when we are sick"

y/n " thank you kids"

neytiri " we about some herb teas that will be good for you and everyone to have, mother says it will help cure the sore throats"

y/n " thank you"

Jake " we are never going to leave a family member on their own no matter, what is happening at the moment"

neteyam " we can even make some soup as it proper meal at the moment"

kiri " we all might need a god hot meal and drink after all that happened"

y/n " I will love that so much"

neytiri " good because no matter what you say or do you are stuck with us"

Jake “ now let’s us take care of you during this sick day”

y/n “ okay”

Tuk “ yeah mama come hangout with us”

y/n “ okay baby girl” you smile and laugh it good to have those with you when you are sick. Even as a human it seems like your family and clan had been, able to find a way to take care of you and others. A human sick day wasn’t that bad after all on the planet, of pandora.

[titanlord231]

One of my favorite tropes is Person A proposes to Person B and person B responds by proposing got Person A. So here is a BuckTommy one shot about that.

———————————————————————

Luckily for Buck, his and Tommy’s three year anniversary landed on a day they both had off this year, so to celebrate the 118 was throwing them a Barbecue at Bobby and Athena’s new place. The barbecue had actually been Buck’s idea, a few weeks ago he had found the perfect ring for Tommy and he wanted it to be the perfect moment to ask Tommy to marry him. So he told his idea to Bobby and Athena who were more than happy to go along with it and the entire 118 crew joined in.

It was about noon when Buck and Tommy arrived at the Grant-Nash’s new house. It was a brown two story home with a nice backyard that was perfect for hosting everyone for their 118 barbecues.

As Buck and Tommy walked inside everyone popped out and yelled “Happy Anniversary!” Followed by an roar of clapping as everyone congratulated them. Maddie, Chimney, Hen, Karen, Bobby, Athena, Eddie, Ravi, May, Henry, Chris, Denny, Mara, and Jee-Yun where all there for the barbecue, and ran up to hug Buck and Tommy.

The barbecue ended up being amazing. Bobby served everyone ribs, chicken, and hot dogs with every side imaginable. The kids ended up in a huge water gun fight that even got the adults involved, including Tommy sneaking up behind Buck to poor a giant bucket of water over his head, and only ended when a stray water balloon hit Athena.

Later in the day after the meal everyone was sitting around a fire pit in the backyard as the sun began to set, when Bobby chimed up “Hey Buck and Tommy, I know it’s your special day but would you both mind grabbing desert from the freezer?”. Buck felt a combination of fear and excitement, this was his cue the moment he had been waiting for.

“Sure thing Cap!” Buck said as he grabbed Tommy’s hand and walked into the house with him.

Right as Tommy and him stepped inside, Buck felt Tommy stop. “Hey Evan can I talk to you real quick” Tommy said as he dropped Evan’s hand.

Buck immediately became nervous, what did Tommy want to talk about? Would it be something that ruins the mood for his proposal? But as Buck turn around he gasped.

Tommy was down on one knee holding a beautiful silver ring in his hands. “Evan Buckley, would you make me the happiest man alive, and marry me?” Tommy said, so nervous he was shaking.

Buck immediately dropped down to his knees and pulled out his ring from the pocket it had been burning a hole into all day. “Only if you marry me first!” Buck said, voice totally not shaking.

The moment is interrupted by someone shouting “I would recommend you say yes” and Buck and Tommy both turn and see everyone from the party staring at them through the screen glass window.

Buck turns back to look at Tommy who is blushing bright red and this point and says “Yes Evan, I would be honored to marry you!”

Buck immediately tackles Tommy to the ground and kisses him while saying “Guess this means I’m marrying you too!”

———————————————————————

Later after everything has calmed down and everyone is sitting by the fire pit:

“So how long did all of you know about Tommy’s plan to propose?” Buck asks.

“A few weeks ago Tommy came over asking for my permission to propose to you.” Maddie said taking a sip of her wine.

“Yeah, and when you floated the idea of the this barbecue to us at the 118, I thought it would be a good idea to drop the idea that maybe this barbecue would be the perfect time for Tommy to pop the question” Chimney said which, prompted him and Maddie to clink glasses while everyone laughed.

[buddierecs]

kid fic/parent buck buddie fics

all of these are general audience, teen and up or not rated (no smut) make sure to kudos/comment on these amazing works :)

what a heart can do (highly highly highly recommend) by: bvckandeddie "in which buck becomes the guardian of the daughter he never knew he had. together, they discover what happiness truly means to them." word count: 128k rating: teen and up important tags: girldad!buck, slow burn, friends to co-parents to lovers, oblivious!evan buckley, therapy, light angst, emotional hurt/comfort,

another heart to love by: aroofstories "buck learns that he has a daughter and tries to deal with his past while trying to help his kid with his found family by his side." word count: 94k rating: teen and up important tags: girldad!buck, slow burn, sick child character, leukemia (no one dies), friends to lovers, family feels, hurt/comfort, angst, supportive!eddie diaz when you're lost in the universe, don't lose hope by: desert_moonchild "buck had never felt so alone in his life, in the weeks after he dropped the lawsuit, when he gets a call letting him know he was never going to be alone again." word count: 46k rating: teen and up important tags: girldad!buck, post lawsuit, pre-relationship, slowish burn, worried!eddie diaz, nightmares, panic attacks, family feels

my evergreen by: colonoscopys buck and eddie get together, move in together, and then adopt a child together. actually – scratch that. a child adopts buck and eddie, they move in together, and finally, finally they get it together. word count: 30k rating: teen and up important tags: co-parenting, getting together, domestic fluff face to my face by: etoilegarden "another dad!buck fic with eventual buddie" word count: 46k rating: teen and up important tags: girldad!buck, slow burn, found family, first kiss, getting together and here, too, am i by: daisies_and_briars "six months into their marriage, eddie is still struggling to decide whether or not he wants more kids, when he knows buck does. the universe may not scream, but it certainly talks." word count: 41k rating: teen and up important tags: married buddie, domestic fluff, parenthood i'd swim to your call on my phone by: heartbeatdiaz "buck's daughter keeps calling 9-1-1 for help with her homework, eddie is smitten and apparently 9-1-1 works better than tinder." word count: 8.5k rating: teen and up important tags: first meetings au, girldad!buck, dispatcher!eddie diaz, fluff, light angst, first dates, first kiss, getting together half awake in our fake empire by: hmslusitania "buck 1.0 fathered a child and buck 4.0 comes into custody." word count: 33k rating: teen and up important tags: girldad!buck, co-parenting, idiots in love, getting together, mutual pining, angst look how they align by: allyasavedtheday in which buck has a crush on the hot dad of the new kid in his daughter's class. the hot dad who also happens to be his new co-worker. yeah, this is fine." word count: 26k rating: teen and up important tags: different first meeting au, single parents, girldad!buck, friends to lovers, fluff, pining

keep my brittle heart warm (give me peace) by: extasiswings "a baby girl is left at the station in the middle of winter. And everything changes." word count: 6k rating: teen and up important tags: save haven baby, getting together, mutual pining, first kiss, fatherhood

safe haven by: tentitoo "a newborn is left at the 118 and buck takes care of them until they can take them to the hospital." word count: 11k rating: general audience important tags: save haven baby, fluff, buck centric fic buck's baby (by accident) by: jamespearce911 "buck's life is turned upside down when a newborn baby is placed on his doorstep, with allegations that it is his child. buck quickly steps into his new role of "dad", with the help from his family and friends." word count: 119k rating: general audience important tags: boydad!buck, fluff, slow burn, mutual pining, idiots in love, angst

[brushbugs]

shockingly good bl manga that I'd recommend!!

[the-meme-monarch]

happy birthday to my friends and i’s knight chara and strange someone frisk aus/theories :]

hi for undertale reasons i don’t like any combination of shipping chara frisk and asriel. if you ship them go away 👍

[sysig]

Ellen McLain’s commentary from my trivia playthrough

[draagu]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @dieselpvnk !!!!!!!

[b4kuch1n]

crumbs in your bed

transcript

[sherifftillman]

BRETT GOLDSTEIN as CASPER 'Last Place Hero' from Uncle (2014-2017) 2.03