#he is explained. he is excused. he is forgiven and let off the hook and laughed off as just being Buck | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

briamichellewrites · 1 year

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Bria was in a coma. The doctor explained what that meant. She could hear everything going on around her, she just couldn’t respond. Would she wake up? Usually, comas didn’t last longer than a few weeks. Though, some patients never woke up. All they could do was monitor her. She was going to be transferred to the intensive care unit, where she would be able to get the care she needed. Mike thanked the doctor before he left. Scared didn’t even begin to describe what they were feeling.

Joe couldn’t make a joke because it felt inappropriate. The last thing she said to him was how fucking cool he was. Joe is under my protection! He was on cloud nine when he heard that! Thank you, Bria! It was insane to think that was only a few hours ago. She was full of energy and life, as she joked around with them. They were amused by her being high on caffeine and sugar.

They joked about not letting her have more Mountain Dew because she was way too hyper. That was the girl they had in their minds. She was not the girl that was lying on a hospital bed unconscious and hooked up to machines. But, she was. They never should have allowed her to go over to Brad’s. He had fucked up too many times. This was the last straw. If or when she woke up, they would keep him away from her forever. Even if it meant triggering her fear of abandonment.

What if the next time he killed her? He sexually assaulted her, used her to cheat on his girlfriend, and now, gave her alcohol poisoning. It was a miracle they didn’t have him arrested for the assault. They left that decision to her because it wasn’t theirs to make. So didn’t want it to affect his career. If he killed her, they would be looking at suing him for her death.

He showed he was negligent by not giving her proper care when she became drunk and letting her sleep. Sleeping while drunk was incredibly dangerous because they could suffocate or stop breathing. They learned that while in college. He should have stayed with her and kept her awake. Instead, he left her to sleep. What if he hadn’t checked on her when he did? She would have died from a lack of oxygen to the brain. They would have never forgiven him for that.

He knew better. They were also angry about him letting her get that drunk. He should have cut her off. They learned he had given her whiskey, which was a very strong drink. She wasn’t used to drinking, so she would have become drunk very quickly. Her body was also very different than his, so she absorbed alcohol quickly. He gave her a glass of water, which may have saved her life.

It was more than a stupid mistake. It was negligence. That was the only word they could come up with. Mike excused himself to call Anna. She needed to pick Otis up from school and have him stay with her, so he could be at the hospital.

When she heard the situation, she asked if she was okay. They didn’t know because she was in a coma and couldn’t wake up. She told him to stay at the hospital and that she would pick Otis up. Did he want her to feed the animals? Yeah, thanks. He couldn’t picture where the food was because his mind was stressed out. Don’t worry about it. They would find it. He thanked her.

“Anna is going to pick up Otis and feed the animals.”

“What are the names of the animals”, Brad asked.

“Misty, that’s my dog. Cookies and Bon Jovi are Bria’s cats. They’re her emotional support animals. She loves them and treats them like they’re her children.”

“I knew she had one cat. I didn’t know she adopted another.”

Yeah. She wanted a kitten to keep Bon Jovi company during the day. They were great for her mental health because they gave her unconditional love and a purpose. She was always picking them up and telling them she loved them. Why was the second cat named Cookies? That was the name she came with. She had a sister named Cream, who was adopted separately.

She thought it was a cute name, so she decided not to change it. Cookies was her baby. As a kitten, she got the most attention because she was always meowing or getting herself into trouble by being too curious. He was always impressed by the care she gave to her cats. She kept up with their vet appointments and always cleaned their litter box. Part of him assumed she would become bored of them, but no. He had to admit he was wrong.

His son also enjoyed playing with the cats. He loved showing them his toys. How old was he? He was four and in preschool. They were used to him being around every other week. They always kept an eye on him to make sure he wasn’t playing too rough with them. Brad went to see his girlfriend, while everyone else continued talking. He had to see her.

She was hooked up to machines and had a mask over her face to help her breathe. It was very hard to see. He went over to her and took her hand. A nurse came in and they said hello to each other. He introduced himself as her boyfriend, Brad. It was nice to meet him. He was encouraged to talk to her like he normally would. Even though she couldn’t respond, she could still hear him. He nodded. After she took her vitals, she left to give them privacy.

Bria, it’s me. Brad. It felt awkward at first but he talked to her about whatever he could think of. He wanted her to wake up so she could continue making music. She had so many songs in her head. That was what she was always telling them. She had to get them out. There was so much he loved about her. He loved how beautiful she was inside and out.

He loved when she put him in his place, the smile she gave when he kissed her, her laugh, her energy, the way she didn’t take herself too seriously, how she threatened to kick their ass, her songwriting, being with her in bed, how she loved her cats, how she made sure they were fed and how she loved the people around her. Being with her was the best part of his day because he got to forget about his stress. I love you. That was the first time he said it to her.

It was real. He was in love with her. Despite her mental health issues, she was the perfect girlfriend. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. That meant introducing her to his family. He had a younger brother named, Greg who was also a musician. His parents were both photographers. He thought they would love her as much as he did.

Beep. Beep. Beep. He heard the sound of the heart monitor. The waves meant she was still alive. There was a soft knock on the door, so he got up. It was Joe. He wanted to ask if he wanted them to bring him back some coffee. Oh, yeah. Thanks. He could use some coffee. Mike came over to see how he was doing. It wasn’t easy. He nodded before telling him that Phoenix was on his way. Did he want to take a break? No, thanks. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

“Don’t forget about yourself. She will understand if you need to sleep.”

“I … yeah. My brain is… I will let you know.”

Okay. I’ll check on you when we get back. Thanks. With that, he turned around and went back to Bria. Joe patted Mike on his shoulder. It was best to give him some privacy. He nodded and followed him back to everyone.

@zoeykaytesmom @feelingsofaithless @alina-dixon @fiickle-nia @boricuacherry-blog

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the-last-kenobi · 3 years

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Most of your fics absolutely destroyed me emotionally so, on my own risk, may I request #13 “You shouldn’t be this easy to carry" with Qui-Gon and padawan Obi-Wan? Thank you!

Ohhh I’m happy to write this one! Thank you! (Always pleased to hear I’ve emotionally wrecked innocent people lol)

From this various prompts list.

Qui-Gon descended the ramp of his ship with something less than his usual grace, his expression was rather sour. Other than that, he looked his usual self, untidy but comfortable and serene.

He waved to the attendant heading towards the ship, and bowed to a small mechanic droid that squeaked with excitement, ran in circles around him, and then darted off after the attendant.

Qui-Gon chuckled. He paused to take a deep breath, tasting the metallic scent of Coruscant on the air, but also the warm and familiar notes of the Temple, of home. It was good to be back. Tedious diplomatic assignments that ran well overtime were nothing worth dwelling on, especially when it was done alone.

“Master Jinn!” a warm voice called.

He turned his head and saw Shaak Ti walking towards him, a smile on her lovely face with its striking colors.

“Knight Ti,” he greeted her. “How are you?”

“I’m well,” she answered. “I’m just about to depart to Alderaan; it’s a royal wedding and I’m the token Jedi invitee,” she informed him, but there was no offense in her voice. Alderaan was well known to be genuinely welcoming, and had been more than courteous in their dealings with the Order for centuries on end.

“Enjoy it,” Qui-Gon advised her. “Weddings are rarely something you’d like to miss.”

“I will,” she promised. “Oh, is your Padawan around? I was hoping to catch him when he returned, he forgot to sign off on his departure notice and was scheduled for three shifts in the crèche, which he obviously missed.”

Qui-Gon’s head tilted to one side, and he frowned.

It was obvious that Shaak Ti believed that Obi-Wan had accompanied him on his mission, which had in fact been a solo assignment. The twenty-one-year-old Padawan had remained behind for class rotations.

And Obi-Wan had never missed... well, anything. He was notoriously early for everything, beyond punctual. It was almost annoying.

Perhaps he’d finally slipped into a belated teenage fit of laziness, or he’d fallen so behind on class work that he’d forgotten about the crèche. Both would be extremely out of character, but one instance of this in nearly nine years of training could perhaps be excused.

Shaak Ti was waiting for an answer.

“I’ll talk to him,” he promised, revealing nothing. “Thank you for letting me know. I had no idea.”

She waved it off. “These things happen. You have a good student on your hands; he’s easily forgiven.”

Qui-Gon smiled.

The door to their quarters opened for him with a casual wave of the hand. Jedi did not lock their doors often; privacy was an understood thing, something not casually breached. No Jedi would enter another’s rooms without first asking permission.

He wasn’t sure what he expected.

Obi-Wan in the common area, reading.

Or Obi-Wan out and about, somewhere off with some of his more trouble making friends. (Quinlan Vos.)

He was not expecting to find Obi-Wan huddled in the corner of their kitchenette, half-hidden in his cloak, knees drawn up under his chin, crying.

Obi-Wan saw him enter and flinched away, shuddering.

Qui-Gon stared.

The entire scene was so unexpected, so wrong, that for a full five seconds he simply stood there, unable to process it. Obi-Wan had buried his face in his knees and was attempting to stifle his tears, seemingly by holding his breath, which was only making him shake harder.

Qui-Gon jolted out of his paralysis and stepped nearer, dropping onto one knee, sensing that looming over his Padawan was not going to help.

“Padawan?” he asked cautiously.

Obi-Wan looked up reluctantly. His face was a sickly grey; his cheeks were bright red and his blue eyes were feverish. They darted around, seeming to fix on nothing.

“Obi-Wan,” the Master tried again, warily reaching out a hand and resting it on top of one of Obi-Wan’s, clenched around his knee.

Obi-Wan took a rattling breath, more tears spilling down his cheeks. “...What... day is it...?” he gasped.

Qui-Gon’s chest tightened with something close to terror. What in all the galaxy was going on here?

“It’s the 29th,” he said gently. “Taungsday. I returned a day late from my solo mission. Do you remember that?”

Obi-Wan’s tears had increased throughout the brief speech. “Y-yes.”

“All right,” said Qui-Gon, struggling to remain as calm and patient as possible. “All right. Can you tell me what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, his expression crumbling. Suddenly he very much resembled the boy Qui-Gon had met on Bandomeer, uncertain and frightened, although even then he had not cried. This was different.

“Are you sure?” Qui-Gon pressed.

Obi-Wan nodded, strangling a loud sob by clapping one hand over his mouth. He said something, but of course it was impossible to understand behind his clamped fingers.

“What?” asked his Master.

“...so...stupid,” Obi-Wan burst out angrily through his tears. “I just... don’t feel well.”

“Don’t feel well?” Qui-Gon stared at his apprentice in confusion. “You’re sick? Obi-Wan, why didn’t you just go to the Halls?”

Obi-Wan shuddered. More tears slid down over his flushed cheeks. “I...I...I fell,” he said, sounding deeply uncertain. “I was working, and it was late, and I fell. I think I fell. I can’t walk. I can barely move. I don’t know how long it’s been—”

Qui-Gon was already moving, alarm ringing in his head like sirens. In two seconds he had Obi-Wan in his arms, cradled like a child, his head resting under Qui-Gon’s chin.

“You shouldn’t be this easy to carry,” he said tensely. “You haven’t had anything to eat or drink since you fell?”

“Some... some water,” Obi-Wan murmured. His skin was blazing hot against Qui-Gon’s, a sick and feverish heat. He had stopped crying — his tears seemed to have stemmed from a combination of confusion and shame, not pain — but he seemed on the verge of passing out. “I... I got some water... don’t remember when...”

“Stay awake,” Qui-Gon ordered. He was striding down the hallways, ignoring the few bystanders who watched them pass with bewilderment and concern. He did send a grateful nod to one young woman who raised her comm in her hand at him, asking a silent question, and at his gesture raised it to her lips and murmured ‘Tell the Healers that Master Jinn is bringing in his Padawan. Have someone ready.’

Obi-Wan murmured something vague.

“Stay awake,” insisted Qui-Gon. “Don’t fall asleep.”

Obi-Wan moaned but nodded, forcing his eyes to stay open. “I...I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize.” The words came out harsh and insincere in Qui-Gon’s urgency, and he realized it, because he dropped a swift kiss to the top of the fevered head in apology. Obi-Wan relaxed ever so slightly.

They arrived in the Halls of Healing and were immediately received by a Healer and his apprentice, who had Obi-Wan safely tucked in a bed and monitored in less than two minutes. Obi-Wan had closed his eyes against the bright light and seemed in danger of falling asleep again.

“Stay awake just a little longer, Padawan Kenobi,” the Healer instructed kindly. “I’m fairly sure of your diagnosis but I have to be more certain before I can administer treatment. Then you can sleep.”

“Yes, Healer,” rasped the young man.

Qui-Gon watched from the wall, his hands tucked deep in his sleeves to hide how they trembled. The shock of the last quarter hour was setting in, and he scrambled to keep his wits about him, worried about what this diagnosis might be. He still remembered Obi-Wan’s confusion about the day, his bewildered tears, and that memory was not going to be going away anytime soon.

He had been far too light in his arms.

Just how long had Obi-Wan been trapped in their rooms, unable to call for help and too confused to figure out a way around that? How long had he gone without eating and sleeping?

He found out.

An hour later, Obi-Wan was fast asleep, hooked up to an IV and blissfully pain-free due to a dose of pills he had managed to swallow. The Healer turned to Qui-Gon with a weary smile.

“You’re all right?” he asked.

“I’m fine. I’ve just returned from a mission, but I wasn’t hurt.”

“That’s good to know. I was asking about shock, however,” the Healer said gently. “I know this can’t have been a pleasant homecoming.”

Qui-Gon’s throat tightened, but he said nothing.

The Healer seemed to understand. “Obi-Wan has contracted a strain of the flu,” he explained, moving past the brief surge of emotion. “As you know, most strains of the flu are easily combated these days and many species have evolved or inoculated to the point where it’s hardly a concern. But sometimes the flu is stronger. In this case, it’s clear that it’s job was made easy. I don’t think Padawan Kenobi was eating or sleeping properly before the sickness began to set in. It would explain the severity of his malnutrition, and his confusion.”

Qui-Gon’s eyes flickered to the bed where Obi-Wan was sleeping, the fever still burning in his cheeks.

“...How long?” he asked.

“A few days at most,” the Healer said. “But I suspect it’s a habit that’s related to stress and overwork. Does Obi-Wan struggle with stress or insomnia?”

The Master hesitated a moment, opening his mouth to deny it, and then stopping to think better of it.

“...Maybe,” he admitted. The hesitation stung. Shouldn’t he know? “He’s very private with his habits when we’re in Temple. He prefers to study alone in his room, and we usually only manage to share one meal a day during his busier semesters, if that.”

The Healer nodded. He didn’t look or sound at all accusatory when he said, “That’s understandable. I’m going to suggest keeping a closer eye on that. Don’t force him out of his comfort zone, at least not right away, but make sure he understands that three square meals — or better yet, a light meal or snack every two or three hours — is expected of him. As is sleep.”

Qui-Gon nodded, his throat tightening again to the point of pain.

“Rest easy, Master Jinn,” said the Healer, briefly laying a supportive hand on the taller Jedi’s shoulder. “He’ll pull through this. The illness, and everything else. I believe it’s nothing more than a bad habit formed from good intentions. There are crueler demons out there.”

“Yes, I know,” said Qui-Gon. And he did know. One didn’t reach Jedi Mastery without learning the galaxy for what it was.

But he didn’t think he would ever quite move past the shock of today, of carrying his adult apprentice in his arms, sick to the point of tears and helplessness, and then discovering that he could possibly have prevented this if he had paid a little more attention to Obi-Wan’s work habits.

Well. They would, as the Healer said, overcome this.

Qui-Gon drew up a chair to the side of the bed, resolving to wait until Obi-Wan woke, and slowly reached out and set his hand next to his Padawan’s. After a moment, Obi-Wan stirred, and even in his sleep he gave a contented sigh and shifted his hand, his fingers searching blindly for his Master’s hand. Qui-Gon took it and held it tightly.

They had overcome so many things in nearly a decade together.

They could handle this.

And besides, Qui-Gon told himself, even after Obi-Wan was Knighted, he would always be here to watch his back.

He would never abandon Obi-Wan.

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peachsayshi · 3 years

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Chapter 11 - Friends

Tags: Friends with Benefits, Angst, Fluff

Summary: You convince Gojo to make up with your best friend and memories from the past come up.

A/N: A wild ex-boyfriend appears! I am finally introducing the character and getting into some backstory. I got some smutty chapters coming up, which I am excited to share because I do love writing sexy Gojo X comments are always appreciated!

- - -

( Three Years Ago)

You cleared the plates in front of you as you made your way back to your kitchen. You packed the meal that you had taken the time to meticulously prepare, including the expensive steaks you bought this morning and the vegetables that you hand picked at the farmer’s market. As you opened the fridge to put away the items, you saw the row of vanilla cupcakes placed neatly on a pan, your shaky handwriting spread across each one that read “ Five Years ” with red hearts decorated on the extras. Suddenly, it all seemed silly how you took the time to prepare a surprise anniversary dinner for your boyfriend. You’ve both been together for so long but you still insisted on making every occasion special.

After you tidied up your dining table, you picked up the wine glass you have been nursing for the last hour and made your way over to your bedroom, where you sat on the chair next to your vanity. You removed the earrings that your boyfriend had bought you for your birthday, your favorite pair because they matched beautifully against your skin, and safely tucked them away in your jewelry box. You were disappointed that you made such a big deal out of tonight, feeling like a sentimental fool as you took a sip of your drink. Haru has been so preoccupied with work lately and the pressure of being in a highly competitive field was getting to him. Of course with the way things have been he wouldn’t remember that tonight was your anniversary dinner. You were trying to be mature about it but you couldn’t ignore that you were hurt. You glanced at your phone, reading 10:45 on the clock before finally giving up on the hope that he would show up.

You removed the dress you were wearing, a bold shade of orange that accentuated your body in all the right places - a dress that he bought you while you both went on a summer trip to Okinawa a few years ago. You changed into something a little more comfortable, throwing on a tank top and some loose lounge pants instead.

You heard your phone ping, a message popping up on the screen from Gojo.

Gojo : How did the dinner go?

You sighed to yourself, before plopping down onto your mattress. You tapped away at the keyboard, erasing each message a few times as you were unsure whether you wanted to vent or give him a brief explanation.

You : It didn’t…I think he’s still at work :(

Gojo : That sucks :\ Well, if you have any leftover cupcakes, I will gladly take them off your hands.

You: Nice try, idiot.

Gojo: I didn’t hear you say I couldn’t have any :)

When you didn’t respond to his message, Gojo followed up with another text that read:

Gojo: You okay?

You: I’m fine, I was just looking forward to tonight. I’ll get over myself. Tell me about your night, you can keep me preoccupied from my disappointment lol

Gojo merely responded with some eye emojis, a cheeky indication as to what he has been up to this evening.

You: At least one of us got some action...what’s her name?

Gojo: No idea, I was too distracted by her legs to care.

You merely rolled your eyes at his comment.

You: It doesn’t take much to get you going, does it?

Gojo: I’m a simple guy, really…

You: …

Gojo: …

You: In WHAT universe?!

Gojo : Pshh, so mean to me all the time :(

You: With reason :)

You smiled when you sent that last text, grateful that Gojo came in at the right time with a distraction. You tried your best not to dwell on the dismal way your evening ended and instead continued to list off the many reasons why the word “simple” and “Gojo Satoru” did not go hand and hand with each other. Your conversation made time fly but that was usually the case whenever you spoke with your friend.

You were so lost in the playfully heated debate you were having, you barely heard the knock coming from your front door.

You abandoned your conversation to see who it was, surprised to find a massive bouquet of flowers greeting you on the other side.

“What…”

Haru peaked from behind the flowers, his sweet smile spreading as he looked at you with sad eyes.

“Happy anniversary!” he chirped, but you could hear the anxiousness in his tone. “ I know I’m late, I know I missed dinner…”

A deep sigh escaped him, as he slightly slumped his shoulders, extending both his hands out to you to pass the bouquet.

“I know this is a meaningless gift in comparison to whatever amazing thing you prepared, I know my efforts don’t even come close to yours, you always put so much care into everything you do. By the time I knew I was late, I was running around the city like a mad man hoping that someone, anyone, would be kind enough to open their shop for me so I would at least not come back empty handed…”

“Haru, take a breath…” you replied, hearing how quickly he was blurting out his words, something he usually did when he was nervous.

You took the bouquet from his hands, admiring the selected assortment of your favorite florals, all picked out by your boyfriend. You traced your fingers along each petal, some a little bruised and you could tell that these flowers were from the leftovers of the day.

Haru approached you, cupping your face in his hands as he leaned down and planted a kiss on your lips.

“I’m so sorry . None of my excuses justify missing dinner tonight. I swear I am going to make it up to you…”

You tried to calm him down, running your fingers through his light brown hair and taking in every word he said as you remained focused on his hazel eyes. Your heart flutters thinking of him galavanting around the city in his disheveled work suit trying to knock on every florists’ door, a funny anecdote you will surely use against him in the future.

“How do you plan on making it up to me?” You teased, noticing the way his brow raised at your question.

He pulled you closer into him, planting kisses along your neck before he brushed his lips against your ear to say, “I’m taking the weekend off, how does a nice trip to Hakone sound?”

“ Mmm, ideal… ” you replied, clutching the bouquet of flowers as he hugged you, “but if you keep holding me close, you’re going to ruin this lovely gift you bought me…”

“Then I’ll buy you another, and another, and another ...until I’ve given you enough flowers so that you can plant an entire garden,” he kissed you again, his fingers stroking the back of your neck as he pressed his forehead against yours.

“I’m so sorry, baby…” he repeated, his voice wavering slightly from his second apology.

“It’s okay, work comes first. I know you have been busy and probably should have planned our evening with you instead of surprising you. But you’re here now and that's what matters.”

He nodded his head, finally untangling himself from your arms, relieved that you seemed to have forgiven him.

“ I love you so much.”

“ I love you too, Haru .”

You gave him a small smile, tilting your head towards the direction of your kitchen, “It might be too late for dinner but I baked you some cupcakes if you’re up for a little snack…”

Haru removed his blazer, carefully hanging it over his elbow before undoing the first few buttons of his shirt. He held your hand, following your footsteps as you led him into the direction of your kitchen.

“ I can’t wait to try them. ”

( Present)

“ You brought me here under false pretences …” Gojo grumbled, holding himself back as you tugged on his jacket.

It’s been four months since the two of you started hooking up and weeks since he and Rina have even spoken to one another.

After Gojo confessed that she knew about your relationship, you managed to find the time to sit down with your best friend for a heart to heart. The two of you had a ritual which included locking yourselves up in a room with snacks and drinks until you came to resolve whatever conflict you were dealing with.

“I just don’t understand why you kept this from me,” Rina explained, before taking a sip of the mixed cocktail you both made.

“ You’ve been so overprotective ever since Haru and I broke up…it’s hard for me to talk to you because you start analyzing every little thing I do. Like when I told you I wanted to stop dating for a while, you kept insisting that I was making a mistake because I was running scared…”

“I also know you’re a hopeless romantic, and a few bad dates weren’t fitting this idealised version you have of love…” Rina pressed, “You got lucky with Haru, but diving back into the game takes time and work…”

“I know I was lucky. I know it’s not usual for the first guy you meet to be so… good ,” you replied, that word tasting bitter in your mouth, “But you keep pressuring me into something I am not ready for…”

“That’s not true!”

“Rina, you would take me out on “surprise” double dates when the two of us were just supposed to just be hanging out together. Whenever I talk about Haru, you shut down and change the subject immediately. I can’t even have a night out together without you herding every single eligible male and asking me my opinion…”

Rina sighed, “it sounds way worse when you say it out loud...”

“It’s like you can’t stand that I’m just… a little broken . I let Haru become a part of who I am for five years and losing him feels like I lost a part of me, and I am struggling trying to get that person back. You want me to be okay so badly it’s stopping me from opening up to you…”

Rina inched her way closer as the two of you sat side by side. A sigh escaped her before she spoke, “I’m not good at this…I’m sorry for making you feel that way. I just can’t stand seeing you so hurt. I know that he took a piece of your happiness and I am so angry that he did. I hate that he betrayed your trust, but more so that you haven’t been able to be yourself without him…”

She squeezed your shoulder before giving you a gentle reminder, “but he never defined you. You’re attaching yourself to the love you had for him. And you will find somebody else, somebody better …”

“Maybe but I can’t see myself falling in love again…at least not anytime soon…”

Rina rested her head on your elbow, “I don’t want you to ever think you can’t speak to me…we’ve lasted way longer than all the exes that have walked in and out of our lives…”

You were happy to mend this small fracture, one of the many that has tried to hinder your friendship.

You eventually explained your little arrangement with Gojo, watching Rina’s reaction closely and trying to pull the truth of what she exactly said to him.

“I may have thought you were dating, like seriously dating, and told him he wasn’t good enough for you. I am glad to know that you are not. We don’t need to trade one man whore for another…”

You laughed, “Gojo has always made it clear that he has no desire to commit to anyone. I’m not worried. Besides, we can stop our arrangement anytime we are over it.”

“Sooo, when might that be?”

You shrugged your shoulders, “right now, I’m having fun and I think he is too…”

Rina hummed, you could tell she was thinking about something but whatever ran through her mind in that moment she chose to keep to herself.

Even though you and Rina smoothed things over, you realised that neither she or Gojo tried to make an effort to speak to one another. He was avoiding her at all costs while she chose to ignore the subject entirely. You still had no idea what was said that set those two off but you were over this cold game they were playing.

“Between your inability to handle any confrontation and her stubborn attitude, you two are going to drag this on for way longer than it needs to be…” you lectured.

You paused when you arrived at her store, staring up at Gojo with pleading eyes. “I don’t like being the reason why you two aren’t speaking… please just talk to her…”

Gojo whined, “throw it on my conscience instead, that way you have no reason to feel guilty…”

You furrowed your brows before letting go of him, but a thought passed your mind which gave you an idea, “Remember that thing you brought up the other night? Your little roleplaying idea…”

Gojo arched his brows from underneath his blindfold, surprised that you were even bringing this up. “ Yes… ”

You smirked, stepping closer to him without actually touching him at all. “If you do this for me then I'll happily return the favor…”

His eyes widened, his heart racing slightly as a wave of excitement rushed through him.

You could see he was contemplating your offer, finally scoffing in defeat. “You know saying no to you was a lot easier when you weren’t bribing me with sex…” he grumbled, as he begrudgingly walked passed you.

“You did tell me once that you were a man of simple taste…”

“And I vividly remember you disagreeing with me.”

“Thank you!” You called out watching him reach the handle of the entrance door.

“Just know I am expecting you to hold up your end of the deal,” he replied before making his way inside.

***

Gojo sat at the counter, the awkward silence hung heavy in the air as Rina waited for him to break the tension. When that didn’t happen, she sighed to herself before storming to the backroom of her shop.

Gojo waited for her return, his eyes widening when she finally reappeared with something in her hands.

“ I’m sorry for how I spoke to you,” she said, bowing in his direction and handing him some treats.

“Aww, Rina-chan, how did you know kikufuku was my favorite?” Gojo questioned, his tone softening his sweet words as he held the packet between his fingers.

“I heard it through the grapevine…”

Gojo couldn’t hide his pleasured grin.

You were always so considerate of everyone, going above and beyond to make them happy and paying close attention to the things they liked the most. You must have already spoken to Rina before he came here, playing the role of matchmaker between friends.

Rina definitely noticed his response.

“Thank you,” he replied as he opened up the packet, “I know your anger was coming from a protective place. I don’t fault you for it. Besides, you and I can happily agree on one thing…”

“What’s that?”

Gojo smirked, “she’s too good for me…”

Rina swallowed hard, mainly because of how sincere that statement actually sounded.

“I care about her…”

Gojo hummed to himself, taking a bite of the sweet snack. “And you think I don’t?”

“Can I be honest?”

“ Please. ”

“I am not questioning your care for her, I am questioning what your intentions are. I won’t apologize for not trusting you. You promised me after she broke up with Haru that you wouldn’t make a move on her but here we are now…”

“I kept my promise.”

“You found a loophole…”

“It’s been three years…she’s allowed to move on.”

“Yes she is…”

“You know, I was surprised by how angry you got at her for keeping us a secret, especially since we both know that there are plenty of things you’re hiding from her right now. Then I started thinking that it wasn’t the secret that was bothering you, you just don’t want her moving on with me…”

Rina averted her gaze, completely surprised by how easily Gojo read her.

“Like I said, I don’t trust you…”

He leaned forward to rest his elbows on the counter, “What did Haru tell you exactly?”

“Why are you asking?”

“I just want to know if you’re still adamant on convincing yourself that I am the bad guy or if you would like to know what actually happened between us…”

***

CHAPTER 12 - MUSE

#Gojo Satoru #Gojo Satoru x reader #Gojo x reader #jjk x reader #jjk x you #Gojo Satoru x ofc #Gojo x ofc #Gojo Satoru x you #Gojo x you #gojo fanfic #jjk fan fiction #Gojo angst #Gojo fluff #Gojo smut

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hopelesshawks · 3 years

Text

Love and Admiration Part 19- Goodnight Princess

18+ Bakugo x fem!pro hero reader

Summary: (Y/n) has known Bakugo since middle school, admired him since high school, and had a crush on him since the first time they met. Even now, a top pro hero in her own right, she can’t shake her school girl crush. Too bad Bakugo literally has no idea she exists. Well that’s not entirely true… He does know pro hero Mercury exists, but (y/l/n) (y/n)? Never heard of her.

Warnings for brief depiction of sexual harassment (not from Bakugo), unprotected sex, fingering, oral (female receiving), degradation, praise kink, dacryphilia (crying kink), overstimulation, and dirty talk

Masterlist Help Lulu <3

As you walk up to the AHA building you spot Aizawa talking to a man with his back to you in a black bomber jacket, a white hood pulled over the back, with a black baseball cap on. Curiosity drives your feet forward a little faster until you get close enough that recognition finally hits and causes you to slow down again. Even with his back to you you’d recognize Bakugo Katsuki anywhere. Part of you wants to turn around and run home, message Aizawa some half hearted excuse about getting tied up in a villain attack and no longer being able to help out. Before you can though Aizawa notices your arrival and waves you over. “Here’s who you’ll be working with,” you hear your former teacher tell Bakugo and just as it sinks in that Bakugo was also clueless as to who he’d been working with, he turns around to see and your heart skips a beat. Yes he looks unfairly attractive the way he always does but what really caught your attention is his outfit. Right there in the center of his white hoodie is a black Mercury symbol, the same symbol stamped somewhere on almost all your merch and the same one you’ve been using as your profile picture on social media since your debut. Bakugo follows your gaze down to the incriminating symbol, his cheeks going bright red. He mutters out an excuse about tossing bags in the car so he can turn away although you’re a little surprised when he extends his hand out to you expectantly. You consider the man in front of you who still won’t meet your gaze. Hurt still burns unpleasantly in your chest but you hand over your duffel bag and with little more than a sheepish glance and nod as acknowledgment, Bakugo moves to the trunk of the car to load it up. “You and Bakugo can handle this right? I saw the news call you a dynamic duo so,” Aizawa asks and you nod immediately. “Yea, we’ve got this. You got nothing to worry about,” you assure the older man. “Good. Get into town, get some rest, one of the local heroes will fill you in on the situation in the morning,” he explains. You nod your understanding and then go to join Bakugo in the car. Once you’re settled in, Bakugo starts up the engine and pulls off into the night.

The silence is awkward. You stare out the window as the cityscape slowly starts to thin out. Once Bakugo pulls the car out onto the highway it doesn’t take long before you’re leaving the city lights behind entirely. When the silence becomes too oppressive you pop open the glove box and root around until you find a USB port. You use your phone charger to plug in your phone, scroll through to one of your chiller playlists, and press play. Music floats through the speakers and you feel yourself relaxing although a quick glance at Bakugo reveals he doesn’t feel the same. He’d discarded his jacket in the backseat once he’d gotten in the car and, as usual, had pushed the long sleeves of the hoodie up to his elbows. As a result it’s easy to see the tense line of his shoulders and the popping veins in his forearms. His grip on the steering wheel is so tight his knuckles are almost white. You’ll be genuinely surprised if there aren’t permanent indentations of his fingers in the steering wheel by the time you two reach your destination. You’re tempted to just let him stew in whatever emotions he’s feeling at seeing you again for the first time since you’d hooked up, but then your eyes fall on where your hero name is written on the sleeve of his hoodie and you decide you’re feeling just generous enough to break the silence.

“You’re wearing the hoodie I got you.”

“Yea.”

“Why?”

Bakugo’s hands somehow tighten even more on the steering wheel before he bites out “Because I like it,” defensively. You roll your eyes and return your gaze to the window. No one can say you didn’t try. You’re about to give up and lament your fate to the groupchat when you hear Bakugo sigh next to you. “That’s not it. I mean I do like it but I didn’t think your dumb ass was gonna be here and it’s not the only reason,” Bakugo confesses. “Insulting me is not a strong start but what’s the other reason?” you ask. The pause is long before Bakugo speaks up again to admit, “I’ve missed you.” The incredulous look you give him almost makes him wince. “You’re the one who stopped messaging me you asshole!” “I know that!” “Then you don’t get to miss me!” “Well I don’t know what the fuck to tell you cause I do!” “Then why’d you ghost me?” “I panicked!”

Both of you go silent after that particular admission. This time it’s Bakugo who speaks up to break it. “Look I don’t date,” he sighs. “Who the fuck said I wanted to date you?” you ask defensively, your cheeks heating up the slightest bit. “Will you shut the fuck up? I’m trying to apologize.” “Apologize better.” “If you shut the fuck up I will.” “I don’t think apologies are supposed to include telling the other person to shut the fuck up.” “I’m trying here (y/l/n),” Bakugo growls and the almost desperate edge to his voice is enough to make you swallow your next retort, instead motioning for him to continue. “I don’t date and I don’t usually fuck people I enjoy having around. I already fucked up with you enough so I didn’t want to do it again. I panicked and that only made shit worse until I didn’t know how to fix it, ok? People care about me and I’m shit to them, that’s just how it goes. I’m sorry you got caught up in it,” he finally admits.

You weren’t expecting that level of honesty from him, nor were you expecting his answer to be so vulnerable. You turn to face him as much as you can within the confines of the seat of the car and take in his body language. Had he always been this insecure about his relationships with the people around him? Maybe if you hadn’t spent years cataloging his every move and expression from afar you would’ve missed it, but looking at him now he looks cracked open. You get the distinct impression that as small as his list of people he likes is, the list of people he’s allowed to see him like this is even smaller. “That’s not true,” you offer but that only makes Bakugo scoff. “It’s not!” you insist. “I don’t need your fucking pity,” he grumbles. “Jesus Christ you really are an idiot. Midoriya, Kirishima, and Denki all have plenty of other friends asshole. If what you said were true they would’ve dumped you a long time ago so cut the pity party bullshit and give me a real fucking apology so I can forgive you already,” you insist, and it reminds you a little of how he’d encouraged you during the reunion. The glance he shoots you is calculating, as if trying to assess how much you mean those words. “You’re going to forgive me?” he asks skeptically. “With an actual apology? Yea. I swear to god you’re the only one who still sees you as the same person you were when we first got to UA,” you reply with a roll of your eyes. “I’m sorry for ghosting you,” he grumbles out, cheeks slightly flushed as he does so. “Good. You’re forgiven. Now what songs should I play the rest of the drive?”

The ride gets a lot easier after that. You’ve missed Bakugo and it’s nice slipping back into the groove the two of you seem to have with each other. He talks shit about your song choices but you still catch him humming along or tapping the steering wheel to the beat a few times. He reveals he got around to finishing your favorite movie and so you guys spend a long time talking about that and your recommendations for other movies going forward. It’s comfortable and before you know it Bakugo is driving past the welcome sign for the tiny town the two of you will be working in. There’s only one hotel. It’s small and could probably use some updating but it’ll do just fine for the short duration of your trip. As the two of you grab your bags and start to head inside Bakugo asks “What are the odds the old man sprung for us to get our own rooms?” “Doubtful, you know the association is cheap as fuck. It has to be. You’re stuck with me,” you tease. “Guess that ain’t so bad,” Bakugo shrugs, which causes your heart to pound a little harder in your chest. “I’ll check us in if you wanna grab some shit from the vending machine,” Bakugo offers and you easily agree, the two of you heading in opposite directions to complete your tasks.

As you make your way over to the vending machine you catch the attention of a middle aged man, likely another guest, who follows you over that direction. “Well hello beautiful, what’s a pretty little thing like you doing around here?” he calls as he makes his way over. You roll your eyes but otherwise ignore him as you instead focus on selecting something from the machine in front of you. “C’mon hot stuff, don’t ignore me. I can tell you’re a big city chick, probably been around the block right? What’s one more?” he insists, sliding his body in front of you. “Do you mind? I’m trying to grab something,” you reply as levelly as possible. It’s moments like this where you hate the spotlight of heroism. You would love nothing more than to make the man blocking your way move but that would be unbecoming of a role model for future generations. “Aww don’t be like that doll, lighten up,” the man grins before having the audacity to move away from the vending machine just enough to smack your ass. You are livid, your hand immediately grasping hold of his wrist to stop him from touching you again. You whirl on him to tell him off but before you can he’s being wrenched out of your grip and violently tossed to the floor. Before you can even fully process what’s happened Bakugo stands like a wall between you, all fury and fire and brimstone. You haven’t seen him this angry in a very long time and even if the man who’d been hitting on you doesn’t know who Bakugo is, the glare and overall body language is still enough to have him cowering at Bakugo’s feet. “If you ever fucking touch her again, if you so much as fucking look at her, I will make you wish you were never fucking born,” Bakugo growls out and god maybe you do have a murder boner like Nejire said because you should not find any of this hot but you definitely do. The older man scrambles to his feet with a nod and runs off with barely a glimpse behind him and certainly not one in your direction, allowing you and Bakugo to heave a sigh of relief. “I know you had that handled but dude pissed me off,” Bakugo explains. His voice is still rough and anger-laden and you try to ignore the way it sends shivers down your spine. “Thanks Bakugo,” you reply, grateful both for his defense of you and his acknowledgment that you don’t need defending. “Katsuki,” he corrects you immediately. “What?” “You’re not mad at me anymore right?” “No?” “Then call me Katsuki,” he insists gruffly. You can only nod in response, afraid that if you open your mouth something embarrassing will come out of it like how incredibly fucking hot it was watching him defend you or how saying his first name right now is bringing back a few too many memories of when he’d first demanded you use his first name in the alley.

Bakugo leads you to your room as you try in vain to rein in your rampant thoughts. Even as you finally arrive all you can think about is the feeling of his lips on yours, the feeling of him filling you up, and what it was like to, for a moment, be the sole owner of his attention. He tosses his stuff on his bed and sits down as you move towards your own but your mind insists on picturing him fucking you relentlessly into it. “What’s up with your face dumbass?” Bakugo suddenly asks and the question makes you jump about a foot in the air, warmth filling your cheeks as you realize you’ve been caught mid-fantasy. “Nothing is up with my face!” you defend and you hope it’s the truth because you can feel how much wetness has pooled in your panties already. Bakugo rises up and stalks towards you and you can’t help but feel like prey, stepping backwards away from him until he’s got you crowded up against the wall. The similarity to that day in the alley is not lost on you and it only makes things worse. “What’s running through that head of yours princess?” he asks and the nickname is too much, a breathless curse slipping past your lips unbidden. You don’t have much time to be embarrassed by how obviously flustered you’re getting because one of Katsuki’s hands finds your waistband as if on instinct at the sound of you breathless. “If you don’t stop I won’t be able to hold back,” he admits and you can tell by the flush in his cheeks that he means it. “I thought you don’t sleep with people you like,” you reply with bated breath. “You’re the exception,” he growls out, pressing closer before seeming to think better of it and closing his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose as if trying desperately to control himself, before adding “if you want to be.” “God yes,” you reply and no sooner have the words left your mouth is he pressing a bruising kiss to your lips as if he’s been quietly suffocating and you’re the last bit of oxygen left.

Katsuki tugs you away from the wall and you go easily, allowing him to push you towards your mattress until you’re lying down on it and he can comfortably hover over you, his lips barely leaving yours the entire time. It doesn’t take long to get you both down to your underwear, the entire process a blur. “You’re such a fucking mess for me princess,” Bakugo practically purrs as he runs his fingers along the damp fabric of your panties. Your hips buck up into the attention eagerly as you nod your agreement at the statement. “Yea, it’s only for you,” you tell him breathlessly and it might’ve been embarrassing if not for the way it draws a deep, satisfied growl from Katsuki’s chest his mouth dropping to your neck and then your chest and working further and further down. “Think you deserve a better apology then I gave you in the car,” he says suddenly looking up the length of your body to find your eyes. “What do you mean?” you ask with what little breath you have in your lungs. “I’ve always been better at doing shit than talking. You thought that apology before was good just wait,” he grins up at you cockily and it already has your stomach doing somersaults even before his teeth find the waistband of your panties and start tugging them down your legs. The moan you release at the sight is completely unfettered as your already dripping wet pussy clenches desperately around nothing. Katsuki is nothing if not a tease so even once he’s done with your panties he doesn’t immediately head to the main course. He lavishes attention on your inner thighs, leaving countless hickeys in his wake but no matter how much you whine and squirm he shows no signs of moving his mouth to where you really want it. “Katsuki,” you finally whine desperately. “What is it princess?” he asks and you can feel him smirking against you, the bastard. “I don’t think apologies are supposed to be teasing like this,” you pant. “Oh really now? You got something to say about my apology princess?” Bakugo asks, the smirk sliding away. “I think you’re not much better at this kind of apology than spoken ones.”

That was the wrong thing to say.

“I didn’t realize my princess was such a whore. You want my mouth that bad? You want to cum that bad?” Katsuki asks and there’s an edge to his voice you’re pretty sure means trouble for you but you nod anyway. “Please Katsuki.” “Well if my princess wants to be a greedy fucking slut then so be it,” he agrees in that same lethal tone before diving in to devour you with an intense voracity you’re unprepared for. You moan loudly, hands grasping hard onto the blankets as he licks a hard swipe all the way from your twitching hole to your sensitive clit before pulling the nub into his mouth and sucking hard. He continues to lave attention on your sensitive clit even as he shoves two fingers into your dripping cunt and starts setting a brutal pace. Eventually he brings his free hand to take over for his mouth and stimulate your clit while he moves his tongue to join his fingers, stuffing you absolutely full. The attention is almost overwhelming and it isn’t long until you’re seeing stars, crying out Katsuki’s name. As you come down from your high you realize Katsuki is still pumping his fingers slowly in and out of you. “Katsu- ah!” you cut yourself off with a shout as he resumes massaging your swollen clit. “S-slow down,” you moan but if anything it only makes him move his fingers more aggressively. You grit your teeth, grasping the blankets even more tightly. “What’s wrong? Thought you wanted this,” he taunts as he pushes you into your second orgasm of the night.

Your entire body is tingling now, thoughts filled only with Katsuki, but he still hasn’t stopped and you’ve never been so overstimulated in your life. “Kas’ki ‘s too much,” you moan, eyes watering as he continues to relentlessly massage your almost painfully sensitive clit. “Don’t tell me my greedy little slut is done already. I still haven’t filled you up yet,” he teases you as he finally removes his finger only to line his dick up with your entrance instead. “Come on baby, I think you’ve got one more in you. Don’t you want to be good for me?” he asks and every inch of your body is saying that you should tap out but instead you find yourself nodding. “Use your words baby.” “Wanna be good for you,” you pant and the devilish grin you get in response has your heart practically in your throat. Slowly but surely Bakugo starts pushing into you. It’s so much, too much, stimulation but even as tears start to run down your cheeks you can’t bring yourself to tell him to stop. He curses under his breath as he finally bottoms out inside you, taking a moment to collect himself so it won’t be over too soon. As he starts moving he lavishes you with praise while all you can do is whine and whimper, alternating between barely intelligible expressions of how fucking good it all feels and broken cries of his name. “God you look so fucking beautiful like this. You know that? Fucking gorgeous,” he groans as his hips move faster and faster. You can tell when he’s close, his rhythm starting to get sloppier. “You ready to give me that third one baby? Can you do that for me?” he asks and you nod frantically, coasting along that razor thin edge between pleasure and pain. He leans down to kiss you then, swallowing each broken sound you make, as he rocks into you harder and harder until you’re both too strung out to do much more than pant and breathe into each other’s mouths. You topple over the ledge first but Katsuki isn’t far behind, your walls fluttering and clenching around him. You sob out his name one final time as praises pour from his lips about how perfect you were for him. “Knew you could do it for me princess. So good for me,” he sighs as he continues to paint your insides white.

When Bakugo is finally spent, he rolls over and practically collapses next to you. You both have to take a minute to recover, chests heaving as you try to catch your breath. Unsurprisingly, Bakugo recovers first so he carefully pulls back the covers before bringing them back up to drape over the two of you. “You good?” he asks, eyes scanning over your body as if trying to catalogue any damage he might’ve done. “More than good,” you sigh contentedly. “Good. C’mere,” he commands and you’re more than happy to oblige, allowing him to pull you against his chest. He carefully wipes the tears away from your cheeks before wrapping you more fully into his arms. “I take back what I said,” you mumble into his chest, exhaustion creeping in as the steady beat of his heart starts to lull you to sleep. “What are you on about now?” he asks, but the fondness in his tone belies the harshness of his words. “You’re fucking amazing at apologies,” you mumble. “Shut up and go to sleep dumbass,” he replies but you can practically hear the pleased smirk in his voice.

“Goodnight Katsuki.”

“Goodnight Princess.”

A/N: Apologies are difficult for Bakugo. He’s a very actions speak louder than words kinda guy. Also as funny a trope as the whole “forced to share one bed at a hotel/motel cause there are no other rooms” trope is, it’s more meaningful to me if there are two beds and they still choose to share.

Taglist: @pixelwisp @oliviasslut @larkspyrr @heroacadema @kozukatsuki @captaincyberqueen @undead-nyx @ineedtofocusfr @i-heart-fictional-boys

#hopelessla #bakugo smau #bakugo x fem!reader #bakugo x y/n #bakugo katsuki #hopeless.thirst

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maeve-writes · 3 years

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The Significance of Fair Food

Pairings: Human!Castiel x Reader

Rating: General

Warnings: Fluff, bad decisions.

Summary: You talk the boys into making a stop during your travels and you show Castiel the joys of being human.

a/n: This was written for a SPN challenge years ago.

My three categories were: Fair, snow cone, getting sunburnt.

This is unbeta'd, please forgive any mistakes. This is also my first time writing Castiel, so forgive me if it’s a little... off.

Formally posted on the account @plaided-ani

When you asked the boy to make a pit stop, the last thing they expected was to end up pulling into a fairgrounds parking lot. The world was ending, again, you had demons and angels and everything in between after the four of you, but damned if it didn’t seem like a good idea. “Dude,” Dean reasoned with his brother, slapping him on his arm, “fair food.”

“Yes,” you chirped, popping your head between them from the backseat. You wrapped your hands around Sam’s shoulders, fingers digging into the tense muscle and you shook him like a maraca. “Yes!”

“What’s the significance of fair food,” Castiel inquired beside you, curious eyes watching Sam’s head snap to and fro from your jarring.

You rounded on him immediately, releasing Sam before you slid into the former angel’s personal space, slinging your arm around his shoulders. “Castiel,” your voice was quiet, intimate, “fair food is the most delicious nourishment that humans have to offer.” You reached up and ran a hand down his cheek and forced him to look you in the eye, “And all of it’s fried.”

He stared at you unblinkingly, puffy lips slightly parted in confusion. You were a hair’s length apart, close enough to be sharing the same lungs, and he nodded once causing his nose brush against yours.

“If you two are done making out,” Dean cleared his throat, arm perched over the back of his seat to glare at you. “I want a corndog.”

You immediately released Cas and then turned to scramble out of the car. You joined up with Dean, hooking your arm around his and the pair of you charged the fair’s main gate, Sam and Castiel trailing behind you.

The sun was out in full force and what little clouds floating in the sky provided no comfort from it’s heated rays. You turned your head up, eyes closed to bask in the warm as you four waited in line for the first vendor that Dean deemed acceptable.

“Fried butter,” Castiel droned behind you, “that doesn’t sound very healthy.”

“It doesn’t have to be healthy, Cas,” Dean replied, pulling you forward as the queue moved, “it’s fair food.”

Sam huffed in annoyance and shook his head, “That’s not an excuse to clog your arteries.”

“Yes, it is,” you and Dean replied simultaneously.

You righted your head and turned to glare up at the youngest Winchester, but you caught sight of Castiel clutching at his chest, his fingers clenching around the soft white shirt that Dean leant him. “Your heart’s gonna be fine, Cas,” you assure him, stumbling along as Dean pulled you forward yet again. “It takes years of eating bad crap to clog you up. If anyone is gonna die of a heart attack, it’s Dean!”

“And I would have no regrets,” came the proud sniff beside you.

“You two are idiots,” Sam sighed.

You opened your mouth to retort, but Dean yanked you one final time and you spun to order the biggest funnel cake they allotted, double sugar and strawberries on top. Dean, of course, got his three corndogs, Sam opted for cup-o-salad, but Cas was at a loss. “He’ll have a corn dog and fries,” you decided.

Dean stayed back to wait for the order and Sam lead the way to find a semi-clean table nearby. “I’ll admit, Y/N,” Cas confided in you, eyes darting to Sam’s back cautiously, “that this fair food does smell delicious.”

“Oh, Cas,” you cooed, once again slinging your arm around his arm and placed your head on his shoulder, “you’re in for a treat.” You take one side with Castiel, Sam opting to sit across from you. The sounds of the crowd washed over you as you baked in the afternoon sun, the shrills from fast rides and rigged games were the soundtrack of your best idea yet.

“Alright, heart attacks on a plate,” Dean cackled gleefully as he sat the tray down in the middle. He passed Castiel his basket and you snatched up your funnel cake with a loud smack of your lips. “You’re gonna give me some of that, Y/N, right?”

Your face twisted in aggression, your body curling around your plate as you claimed your territory. “Absolutely not,” you snarled. Cas shifted uneasily beside you which snapped you out of your daze, “But you can have some, Castiel.” Blue eyes met yours and his brow pinched with uncertainty.

“Oh, so you’ll give some to Cas and not me,” Dean growled, corndog shoved in his mouth and mustard dribbled down his chin.

“Yes,” you answered simply, cutting of a nice, big piece coated with the most sugar and biggest strawberry and held it up for Castiel to eat. The former angel frowned at you and looked to Dean before opening his mouth wide to let you choo-choo it in.

He chewed it slowly, considering its taste. Sugar outlined his mouth and a drip of syrup rested in the very center of his bottom lip. Without thinking, you swiped you thumb across it, shoving it into your mouth to lick off the excess. His eyes went wide, watching the finger disappear between your own sugared lips. “This is very good,” he said hoarsely when he finally managed to swallow.

You wiggled your eyebrows in victory and pointed to his meal, “Clog those arteries, Cas.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent queuing in lines, you and Dean hogging the cotton candy. You did share a bit with Castiel for educational purposes, but most of it was shoved shamelessly into your mouth.

“You two are going to throw up,” Sam grimaced as you headed closer to the Tilt-a-Whirl.

“That’s the fun of fairs,” you replied cheerfully, nudging Cas to make a mental note of it. “You stuff yourself full of bad food and then you get on all the rides so you can throw it up later!”

Cas shook his head, “That doesn’t sound like fun at all.”

“It is,” Dean winked, “you’ll love it.” Sam contradicted his brother with a silent shake of his head, but you were all ushered into your seats before the older brother could argue. And when the ride was over, you were hugging your stomach, looking a little paler and Dean shuffled slowly beside you.

“I told y-” Sam started but heated glares from the both of you had him holding his hands up and laughing.

Despite your aching stomachs, you and Dean drag the other two on the Teacups, the Falling Tower, even in the Haunted House. It was the Tunnel of Love that caught your eye, though, and not because you had anything romantic in mind, but it was a slow, easy ride that hid you from the harsh afternoon sun.

The boys fought over who would actually sit with you because it was the Tunnel of Love, after all, and you can’t go in with your brother without people raising eyebrows and they sure as hell didn’t want to ‘fall in love with Cas’. “You’re all idiots,” you exclaimed and pulled Cas into the small swan shaped boat.

“This ride doesn’t actually make humans fall in love, does it,” he asked you hesitantly.

You leaned back against the hard wooden frame, head tilted back as the tunnel’s cool air breezed over your sun kissed skin, “No, Cas. It’s an excuse for teenagers to make out in, though. Or older people to make out like teenagers.” There’s a deep rumble of thoughtfulness next you and you can feel Cas’s eyes on you. “You wanna make out with me,” you asked with one eye cracked open.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “That means kissing, right?”

“Yes,” you snorted.

His brow wrinkled and he nodded, “Yes.”

“Yes,” you repeated, surprised. You sat up and tilted your head, a smile split your face in two.

“Yes,” Cas said for the second time, “I’ve thought about kissing you before. I’ve watched you with the men that you’ve taken home from bars and…”

You held up a hand and blinked, “What do you mean you’ve watched me?”

“I was afraid that they might hurt you, so I kept watch,” Castiel explained, noting your sudden discomfort of the conversation. “I stopped watching when you… you know.”

“I am so glad you’re human now,” you groaned, bringing up your legs in the open bench seat and hid your face away. You felt a hand atop your knee and a gentle squeeze in timid comfort. “If you ever get your grace back, dude, please don’t ever watch me again,” you pleaded once you lifted your head.

Cas nodded, those deep blue eyes full of regret and understanding, “I promise.”

The ride finished without a makeout session, but you had forgiven Cas by the time you caught up with Sam and Dean. The sun was getting low and the fair’s lights slowly started to flicker on, the Ferris Wheel drawing everyone’s attention. “Last ride,” Sam warned you, so you tugged them along, waiting in the longest queue of the day.

“Snow Cones,” Dean whispered, pushing at your shoulder. “Wait here,” he instructed his brother and friend before dragging you over to the stand. While the ice did sound like a good idea in the warm summer evening, more sugar was going to make your veins explode.

“I dunno, Dean,” you patted your belly, “I don’t know if I can fit anymore.”

“Don’t be a wuss,” he egged you on and shoved you up to the counter. You order a small one, rainbow all the way and kicked Dean in the shin when you got your purchase and ran off to the safety of your friends.

“More sugar,” you told Cas, holding up the shaved ice settled in a paper cup. “Sweets for a sweetie,” you offer it to him, “just bite.” He looked from you to the colored ball of frost and scraped his teeth along to gather some with an approving hum. Dean soon joined you, tagging you on the back of your head when he returned and nearly had you spilling your treat. “Watch it!”

Cas frowned in disapproval at Dean, but the oldest Winchester smirked smugly and bite down hard on his snow. “For as much sugar as you consume, Dean, you can be sour,” he reprimanded, patting your shoulder and taking yet another bite of your snow cone.

“Are you really white knighting, Y/N, right now,” Dean snorted, the tip of his nose dyed blue from his flavoring.

“If that means I’m defending her, then yes,” Cas replied, his eyes, like yours and Sam’s, trained on the small spot of blue. “Dean,” he started, but you wrap a hand around his wrist and squeeze. How the three of you are holding a straight face, you’ll never know.

“What,” came the gruff reply accompanied by a frown.

“Nothing,” Cas replied casually, tearing his eyes away from his friend and back to you and the Snow Cone. You return the stare, both of you leaning in to take a bite and you tried not to choke on the flavored ice.

“What,” Dean asked pressingly.

“Line’s moved up,” Sam answered, pulling his brother along.

Dean eyed you all suspiciously, but he moved along with everyone else, digging back into his ice and coming out with an even bigger spot of blue. Sam’s jaw is clenched so hard you could hear his teeth starting to crack and you’re sure you’ve snorted some of your ice in an attempt to stop your laughter. But Castiel? He was standing there, smiling at the three of you, suddenly understanding what the significance of fair food was.

“Dammit,” Dean groaned the next day, waddling in from the bathroom, “Y/N!” Castiel looked up from the newspaper and tilted his head, his eyes shifting from Dean to you splayed out of the bed in nothing more than a thin cami and cotton shorts, looking just as uncomfortable as Dean with your cherry red skin.

“Shut up,” you spat, not able to move from your bed. It wasn’t fair, not really. All four of you were out in the sun all day and only you and Dean managed to get burned, even through all of your layers. “Your voice makes my skin hurt.”

“Your face makes my skin hurt,” Dan shot back, slowly climbing onto the bed next to you. The pair of you weakly slapped at each other from your prone positions and you felt the bed dip behind you.

“Sam said this might happen,” Castiel stated as he flipped open a cap of aloe. “He said I would need to rub this into your skin.”

Dean jerked his head up and immediately winced from the pain, “You’re not rubbing anything on me.”

“Shut up and enjoy it, jerk,” you hissed and twisted your head as much as you could to look at Castiel. “Rub it all over me, Cas, as deep as you can.”

The former angel flushed as bright as the pair of you, but set to work.

#castiel x reader #castiel x you #castiel x y/n #human!castiel #formally posted on @plaided-ani

47 notes · View notes

astralaffairs · 4 years

Text

on fear under stark, dying lighting || thomas jefferson, fotp-verse

title: on fear under stark, dying lighting

pairing: thomas jefferson x reader, an fotp-verse oneshot

words: 5k

request: how would thom react if lets say maybe his neo-nazi supporters get too passionate abt their anger towards mc’s articles and um try to shoot/mug/harm her to stop her from writing anything else against thom?

notes: ok so first off lemme preface this w the fact that thom is a self respecting black man who has another self respecting black man as his running mate so tbr the neo-nazi white supremacists r not exactly his demographic of supporters. that said i fucking loved this prompt; set in the universe of freedom of the press, but not canon w/ the storyline

tags: @stargazelaurens @ivory-haired-queens @exoticxchicken8@assbuttstyles777 @distinguishedpotsticker @fukaaaaaaaa@hereforthepsyche-assessment @ivetoldamillionlies@fangirl570 @thealaddinkid @lasciviouspeach@snazzydoesthings @shy-and-awkward-daveed@rachelhermionerose @soft-weeb-s @gryffinclxw @anamrnk@daveeddiggsit @ayayayayana @marinovakovich@cryinghazelnutt @thefandomgirl03 @a-hopeless-fan @cloudynblw @tinywhim @lolidunnoaboutnow @siriusorionblackiii @fanfic-addict-98 @checkurwindow @nyxie75 @i-know-i-can @yxseminx @yavin4andor @sugacita @sstrawberry-fanta @youtxbemusic @queenwilty — hope i didnt miss anyone; lmk if you want to be added!!

Beep.

Y/N scrunched up her nose as her eyes fluttered open, the gritty, incessant sound of the machine grating on her nerves — while she was no stranger to the sound of her own heartbeat, she'd never heard it like that. When she finally tried to look around the room, she winced. The sterile-white LED lights lining the ceiling made her eyes burn; as she adjusted to it, slowly waking up, she began to notice the steady click of an IV drip not far from where her head rested.

She didn't move at first, blinking hard as the ceiling was her entire range of vision, but when she tried to sit up, a sharp pain shot through her shoulder, and she cried out, her hand flying up to the spot.

"Hey, hey, hey, sweetheart, lay down, okay? Relax, please. You're gonna hurt yourself."

The beep of the heart rate monitor accelerated in a fleeting moment, and steady, familiar hands came to rest gently on her good shoulder and her upper back, easing her into the crinkly mattress beneath her. She turned with wide eyes to find the last person she expected at her bedside as he propped her head up onto a pillow.

"Thomas?" she asked breathlessly. "Shit, I... What are you doing here? Did you bring me here? I don't..." Her brow furrowed as she eyed his worried expression, the small, scared frown he wore. As she tried to shift in her bed, turn to look at him, she gasped at the throbbing in her upper arm — with that, it didn't take long for her to recall exactly what she was doing there, though the details were hazy. She didn't know what to make of her current circumstance, though.

"Here, d'you want me to raise the back of the bed so you don't needa hold yourself up?" Though she'd screwed her eyes shut, her jaw clenched as she tried to bear the pain, as his hand ghosted down to her forearm, as he brushed his thumb across her skin, he could hear her pulse beginning to settle. She nodded, laying onto her back with a grimace.

A moment passed in silence while she tried to collect her thoughts. She let out a soft hum when the reclined top of the bed began to fold upward, letting her shift into a sitting position, she withdrew her right arm from Thomas's grasp, pulling it back to instead lace her fingers into his. "Better?"

"Mhm." When she again opened her eyes, he'd pulled his chair closer. She frowned. "How are you here? You... We're in public, Thomas; you can't..." She trailed off, but when the concern in his gaze didn't subside in the least, she said, "Did I die? Am I... Is this even real? I don't understand."

Despite everything, at her words, a teasing grin split his grim expression, and he squeezed her hand lightly. "Well, first of all, 'm flattered that you think wakin' up here next to me might actually be heaven—" She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help her soft, endeared smile. "—but no, you're alright, just in the hospital. You're gonna be fine."

"I guess that's a relief," she sighed, pursing her lips. She eyed him with concerned hesitance. "But what are you doing here?"

"What d'you mean, 'what am I doing here?'" he asked incredulously, his voice soft. "Three of my supporters just tried to fucking kill you 'cause they were tryin' to defend my image. Did you think I wasn't gonna come see you? Make sure you're okay? I've been worried sick, Y/N."

"I..." She swallowed the lump building in her throat as she remembered everything that happened, how quickly it'd all gone down. With the way they'd cornered her, she was lucky to have escaped with a bullet in her shoulder. She was lucky to have even made it out alive. "I'm really, really glad you're here," she said with a weak smile, "but we aren't exactly holed up in your penthouse, right now. How do you plan to explain that you came to visit me in the hospital?"

"Well, officially, 'm here to offer my deepest apologies on behalf of myself 'n my campaign and to let you know that I entirely denounce what happened," he said, and as his gaze fell, as he couldn't bear to meet her eyes, she could see the remorse in her demeanor. "Everyone's just gonna think it's damage control, and I get why. Some of that was just an excuse for me comin' to see you. But really... I can't tell you how sorry I am that this happened. 'M so, so sorry that people came out 'n tracked you down, tried to murder you in my name. You can't... I can't begin to tell you how much I wish I could go back and do somethin' different to stop this from happenin'. That I didn't spend so much time messin' with you on Twitter. That I woulda—"

"Stop it," Y/N said, her voice hardly more than a whisper. She could see Thomas's eyes welling up, his stare glassy; she could hear his voice beginning to waver. "Stop. You know this wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could've done to prevent it. You're a good person, okay? I know you. Please, please don't blame yourself."

She squeezed his hand, and he shut his eyes tightly. "Fuck, I don't—" He sniffled loudly, reaching up to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "Don't know why you're comforting me right now. 'M not supposed to be the one who needs it; I don't wanna make this about me. 'M sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You aren't responsible for this, and I don't blame you for it in the least." At her gentle tone, he let out a ragged huff, still not meeting her eyes. She frowned. "Hey, look at me. You didn't do anything to incite this."

"You're too forgivin'," he finally said, lifting his head to meet her gaze. "I don't deserve it."

She scoffed at the words, breaking his gaze to shake her head in exasperation. "Thomas, if you don't deserve to be forgiven, that's because there's nothing to forgive. Please, this isn't your burden."

There was a skip, silence aside from the IV drip and the staticky beep of the heart rate monitor. "That's enough talkin' about me," he finally said. Y/N sighed. His deflecting was overt, but he didn't seem to care. "How are you? I don't just mean your shoulder, either. No one would judge you for bein' rattled after everything that happened."

She shrugged, and he could see the pain in her eyes. "I'm not great, if I'm honest. I was just so scared." She drew in a shaky breath. He took her hand in both of his, pulling his chair closer to her side. "How'd you even find out about this, anyway? Lafayette?"

"Now, why d'you think Lafayette woulda heard about you bein' in the hospital before I did?" He could only feign offense, but the eyebrow he raised was playful. She couldn't stifle her amused smile. "That hurts, sweetheart, really. He matters that much more to you than I do?"

"Shut up; you know that none of my other friends would tell you about this," she groaned, but any exhaustion in her voice was contrived. "Alex and his sister-in-law are my emergency contacts. Which one of them would've ever called you?"

"Alright, alright." Thomas huffed, trying to purse his lips to hide his grin. "James called me. Dolley saw it on the news."

"Oh my god, it's on the news?" Her eyes widened, and Thomas was struck with a pang of guilt as he heard her pulse begin to spike — there wasn't much she could hide when hooked up to a heart rate monitor. "Shit, I– I need to call Mira and Orlando; they've gotta be terrified. And Angelica, holy shit, I'm sure she's heard. What time is it? How long has it been since the story broke?"

"Hey, calm down, okay? They're outside. They know you're gonna be alright," he murmured, rubbing the back of her hand comfortingly, and he sighed as he heard her heartbeat slow. "Everyone's out there. James 'n Dolley came, Lafayette came... Hamilton brought his whole family. I met Angelica, just now."

Her eyebrows shot up, but a laugh was etched into her surprised smile. "Oh, no, tell me you're lying. I can't imagine that went well."

He hummed in agreement, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he watched her enthusiasm begin to grow. "Nah, not so much. Think she woulda throttled me out in the lobby if Mira hadn't stopped her."

Y/N groaned. "Of course Mira's out there defending you. Some priorities."

"Oh, would you rather your friends killed me with their bare hands?" He raised an expectant eyebrow, and when Y/N only shrugged, he scowled.

"Listen, all I'm saying is that if someone shot you in my name and James tried to throttle me for it, I'd understand."

Thomas gave a reluctant hum. "Forgot how much you liked havin' people's hands around your throat. Guess you'd probably enjoy it, huh?"

Her eyes widened as her breath caught, blood rushing to her cheeks. She could feel her skin burning, and somewhere in the background, she was vaguely aware of the rush of her heart rate monitor. "Thomas. Shut up, I swear to god."

He laughed when she tried to shove his hands away, yank her right arm out of his grasp, but when he just squeezed her forearm teasingly, she turned her head. She couldn't meet his gaze with the scowl she wore. "Aw, what's the problem? You only into that when I'm the one doin' it?"

"Thomas." She whipped her head back around to him with a wearing look, appearingly taken aback, but her teeth were sinking hard into her bottom lip. When she saw the mocking pout he wore, a chill ran down her back; her stomach turned.

"Y'know, I'm kinda havin' fun with bein' able to hear your heart rate." When he winked, the corners of his lips turning up into a knowing smile, the heat in the back of her neck flared.

"You're exhausting," she grumbled. He shrugged.

"Mmh, I can see that." When she turned to him with an eyebrow raised, he grinned. "Nothin' to be ashamed of, sweetheart. I know I—"

He was cut off by the click of the door being thrown open, and a nurse rushed into the room, closely followed by the small army of people there to see Y/N. They both pulled abruptly back from one another. Y/N's heart was pounding.

"Y/N! Are you okay? Did something happen?" Eliza asked pushing through to see you with wide, worried eyes. Y/N opened her mouth to respond, but when she just gaped at everyone for a moment, Alex immediately cut in.

"Jefferson, I swear to god, if you laid a finger on her, I'll end you. I knew it was a bad idea to let him in here," Alex scowled, glaring at Thomas as he strode toward them, but Y/N's brows shot up.

"Hey, woah, stop it," she said holding up her right hand, a silent request for him to come to a halt. Reluctantly, he did, still eyeing Thomas skeptically. "Nothing happened. I'm okay. Why'd you all come in here like this?"

"Your heart rate was rising, dear. We thought you could've been having a seizure, or a heart attack, or... or something," Dolley said, and Alex glared when she pushed her way in front of him. "How are you? I saw the video online, and oh, Y/N, it was awful. I couldn't bear to see such a thing happening to you."

"Dolley, hey." Y/N wore a soft smile as Dolley came to her bedside, resting a hand on her calf. "I'm okay. Not the best I've ever felt, but it isn't anything I won't be able to sleep off. That, and some painkillers, of course."

Dolley gave her a wry smile. "Let me know if there's anything I can do. I have a neglected bottle of rosé sitting in our pantry and two pints of ice cream in the freezer, so go ahead and pick your poison."

Y/N laughed. "I'll have to see what flavors of ice cream you've got stashed away, but either option is dangerously tempting."

Dolley was about to reply, but when Angelica emerged to her left, she jumped back, startled. "Anyway, why was your heart rate so high? You don't look like you're going into a coma, so what'd he do?" Angelica nodded toward Thomas, the look in her eyes all business and her brow furrowed. Thomas raised an affronted brow.

"Oh, please, Thomas wouldn't hurt a fly." As everyone began to disperse themselves around her bedside, the group who'd come to see her made Y/N's heart warm. She resisted rolling her eyes at the doting smile Mira gave Thomas alongside her words, which he returned gratefully. (Suck up.) However, Mira also turned to Y/N with a hesitant look. "Right, mija?"

Y/N pursed her lips, glancing between Mira and Thomas dubiously, but Thomas looked smug. "Yeah, yeah, he's in the clear," she agreed reluctantly. "My heart rate spiked because I stupidly tried to use both my arms to shift where I was sitting. It didn't feel so great for, y'know, my bullet wound." When she gave a weak smile, there were sighs of relief scattered throughout the group (Thomas's was the most adamant; he hadn't expected her to bail him out quite that easily).

"Well, we are glad to see zat you are alright." Lafayette offered her a soft smile, and when she found him standing directly beside Thomas, she reached out to squeeze the hand he had resting on the rail of her bed. A flicker of dejection passed through Thomas's expression, gone almost the moment it came.

"I'm glad to see all of you here. It was really sweet of you to come," Y/N said, looking around the group. Her eyes lit up when she caught sight of James standing just behind Dolley, a small smile resting on his lips. "Aw, James, even you showed up?"

"Of course, Y/N. We on Thomas's campaign have been incredibly concerned."

She rolled her eyes at his formal tone. "Yeah, yeah, talk all you want about your political agenda, but we both know Dolley dragged you along to visit."

"I truly can't help but take offense at that," James said, his brow furrowed, and he shook his head. Regardless, he wore an amused smile. "As though I'm unable to cross partisan lines for an injured acquaintance?"

"Aw, aren't we friends by now?" Y/N asked, plastering on a pout, and James laughed.

"I suppose so." He squeezed Dolley's shoulder, an eyebrow raised, and she shuffled aside, inadvertently crowding into Angelica's space. When James took a step forward, Y/N's eyebrows shot up at the bouquet of flowers he held, the envelope attached to them. "These are for you, on behalf of our entire campaign."

She had to shift in her seat to turn and take them from him in her right hand, but as she did so, she grimaced at the dull pain in her shoulder when she moved it. Thomas's hand shot out to support her before he realized where he was, and he stopped himself short, pulling his hands back into his lap with a wince.

"Thanks so much, James, these are beautiful," Y/N said, inhaling deeply as she held the flowers up to her nose. "Who picked them out?"

"I did." The sound of Thomas's voice among the group surprised her. Her eyebrows were raised when she turned to him, and she struggled to stop her small smile from widening at his words.

"Well then, thank you, Secretary Jefferson. I appreciate the gesture."

"It's the least I could do, Ms. L/N." She pressed her lips together; it was all she could do not to laugh at the formality in his tone. He gave her a sympathetic smile, but as she met his gaze, it was doting. "I'm terribly sorry that this happened. Please, don't hesitate to reach out if there's anything further we can do to support you."

She cocked a brow. "Care to pay my medical bills?"

"Gladly."

"Wait, seriously?" Her eyes widened. "I was joking, but I'm holding you to that."

"As you should," Thomas said reasonably, giving a shrug. "I understand how difficult this has gotta be for you, and for your family, too. We'd like to support you in any way we can."

While his gentle tone made her smile, holding his stare, but Alex scoffed loudly.

"Oh my god, don't fall for that, Y/N," he interjected. Y/N raised a brow. "He's just trying to avoid a lawsuit. Or convince you not to start bitching online about how he almost killed you."

"He didn't almost kill me," she huffed. She glanced back hesitantly at Thomas, and he was watching her with guilt heavy in his expression. "One of his supporters did. It's not the same thing."

"Yeah, they tried to kill you in his name. Why are you giving him a pass?"

"If you shot him in my name, would it be my fault?" She pinned Alex with an expectant stare, and he huffed. "You know it wouldn't, and this is no different. If you're gonna spend the next few minutes attacking him, go wait in the hall until he and James leave. My head already hurts, so I refuse to listen to you picking a fight."

Alex folded his arms. "Why aren't you kicking him out?"

"Because you're the one getting worked up, right now," Y/N said matter-of-factly, but Thomas sighed.

"I understand that you all want me gone. I won't impose," he said, and when he began to push his chair out, Y/N and Mira wore identical, dismayed expressions.

"No, no, you aren't imposing!" Mira insisted. "Please, stay."

"'S alright, Mira. I know when I'm not wanted. I should be goin'," he said, giving her a reassuring smile, but his nervous gaze flickered back to Y/N. "Unless, of course, you've got any more grievances you wanna air? I'd be happy to listen, but I don't wanna overstay my welcome."

"Actually," Y/N started, pursing her lips. Thomas's tense demeanor softened as she went on, "I have a few more things I'd like to say before you go. You aren't off the hook just yet." Though her expression was hard, Thomas was struggling not to grin at her not sending him away. Y/N looked back around to her friends and family. "If you'd all give me another minute? I need to get some things off my chest."

While everyone obliged her easily, turning to give her space as they started toward the exit, Dolley and Lafayette shared a knowing look. Y/N's nurse smiled. "I'm glad to see you awake and feeling better. I'll be on call if you need me."

"Thanks so much," Y/N said quietly, and Lafayette caught her eye with a grin.

"We will be back in a few minutes, chérie. Do not do anything rash."

Y/N's eyebrows shot up when he shot Thomas a wink before following everyone else out, and they sat another moment in silence until the door finally fell shut. Thomas breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, now that everyone's outta here, you gonna rip me a new one?" he asked playfully, and Y/N rolled her eyes, finally letting herself grin as she turned to him, leaning fully back against her bed.

"Don't tempt me," she warned, and he laughed lightly. "But I just wanted another minute with you. If you want to go or have somewhere to be, I'll understand."

"I'm gonna stay as long as you're lookin' to let me," he replied, and when he rested his hand on the bed's rail, she took it in hers.

"I don't know how long I can believably pretend to be yelling at you, but I don't want you to leave just yet. I'm really glad you're here." She swallowed hard, glancing down at where their hands were linked. "I've just... been so distant recently. Is it silly to say I was afraid I was going to die without seeing you first?"

He let out a light, breathy laugh; the look in his eyes was akin to relief. "Jesus, I hope not, 'cause I've been up all night worryin' about the same thing."

Her eyebrows shot up, and he gave her a sheepish smile. "You've been up all night?"

"How was I supposed to sleep?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. He shook his head in disbelief. "You have no idea how scared I was, sweetheart."

"I can imagine," she said with a sigh. "Thank you for coming. I'm sure it wasn't easy to get in here with my friends all ready to bite your head off."

"Mmh, not exactly," he agreed, tone dry, and when she caught sight of his irked expression, she raised an eyebrow. "I didn't get too warm of a welcome."

"How'd you convince them to let you stay here until I woke up, anyway?" she asked, and a lopsided grin split his expression. He shrugged. "Don't tell me you just waltzed in here, and they let you into my room. I know them better than that."

"Lafayette vouched for me."

"Seriously?" Y/N furrowed her brow. "And said what?"

"That it'd be best for you to be able to get everything off your chest before everyone came in to see you." He shrugged, and though Y/N rolled her eyes, his smile was smug. "Guess I'm lucky you're takin' pity on me, huh?"

"Really, Jefferson. I should consider being a little harsher next time. Really making you pay for being thoughtful enough to show up here and comfort me when I'm terribly injured." She bit her lip, eyeing him tentatively. "Hey, can anybody see us right now? Are there any windows or security cameras I'm missing?"

He shook his head, brow furrowed. "Uh-uh. Relax. It's just you and me, alright?"

"Then will you come sit with me?"

His eyebrows shot up when she looked at him hopefully, shifting over on her bed, but it wasn't until a moment later that he answered, his words hesitant. "I dunno, sweetheart. I know you're in a lotta pain, and I don't wanna accidentally hurt you. You should just rest."

"Please?" The look in her eyes was hopeful, and she ran her thumb across his knuckles. "I just... wanna be held. I know you've gotta go soon, but..."

She couldn't finish her sentence, instead just trailing off, watching him with pleading eyes, and he sighed. "God, I hate not bein' able to say no to you. Move over."

Y/N grinned when he stood, delicately propping himself up onto the edge of her bed and swinging his legs up beside hers. His left arm brushed against her right shoulder, and she winced, trying to prop herself up onto the side of his torso. His hands found her waist. "This okay?" he asked softly, shifting her to lay against his chest, and her smile went soft.

"Yeah. This is good." She hummed contentedly when he absentmindedly began tracing patterns into her hip through her hospital gown. "Thanks for being here. Not many people would be willing to fight through my friends just to see me for a few minutes."

"Well, I did have some help," he murmured, his lips just above her ear. "I mean, since you gave Mira the power of attorney and all, she got the final say on who was allowed to come in and see you. You know she's got a soft spot for me."

Y/N giggled. "I guess your whole 'golden boy' act does come in handy once in a while."

When Thomas huffed, she could feel his warm breath tickle the side of her neck. She shivered. "Y'know what, I'm gonna let that one go, but only 'cause you're injured."

"Or because you know I'm right," she teased, craning her neck back to look at him with a wide smile, and he raised an amused eyebrow.

"Mhm, 'cause I'm secretly a terrible person, huh?"

"Good thing we agree." She pushed herself up to lightly kiss the underside of his jaw. "I just wish you could stay longer. I know you probably have a million things to get done, but I hate that you have to use some bullshit excuse just to come see me."

"So do I," he sighed.

"I just wish we could do... whatever this is in the light of day."

"What if we could?"

"Thomas," Y/N groaned lightly. "It's a nice thought, but you know it isn't possible. You aren't going to drop out of the race for president, and I'm not going to stop covering the campaign. I like my job too much. I don't want to give that up."

"And I'd never ask you to," he assured her, "'S just a nice thought."

"Yeah," she agreed reluctantly, her gaze downcast. A beat passed in silence; they were both too caught up in their own heads to pay attention to the steady click of the IV drip within a foot of them, the buzz of the dying LED lights overhead. Finally, Y/N said, "Is there any chance you can come up with some excuse to come back and visit me tomorrow? I'll have my phone on me, so I can text you when the coast is clear."

"I'd love that," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. He hadn't realized it, but she'd begun to doze off, her eyes fluttering shut as she laid her head against the warmth of his body, the steady feeling of his heartbeat in his chest lulling her to sleep.

"Thank you," she murmured, covering his hand with hers. "I love..." She trailed off when she could feel him inhale sharply, his chest rising against her back, and despite her fatigue, she knew enough to hold her tongue. "Love that you could make it here. Thanks again."

"'S been my pleasure."

She didn't respond, content to just rest in his arms, and his smile was soft as he looked down at her. Several minutes ticked by, and the pair was at peace in the sterile environment, relaxed despite the bullet wound in her shoulder, the danger she'd been in hours before, despite the tension that always hung heavy in their dynamic, unavoidable with the risk they were taking being together.

"Thanks for keeping me around, sweetheart," he whispered, and his words were met only with the heavy sound of her breathing, leveling out as she drifted further and further from consciousness. He swallowed hard. "I love you."

She was too far gone to hear him.

A few more minutes later, the room's door clicked open, and Thomas's eyes widened, realizing the position he was about to be found in. His eyes widened.

"Y/N, is it alright if everyone else—?" Lafayette emerged from the doorway alone, cutting himself with a soft smile when he caught sight of Y/N laid against Thomas's body, perfectly at peace in his embrace. "Ah, Thomas. I am glad to see zat she is being well taken care of," he said softly, a teasing lilt to his voice. Thomas couldn't take it too personally. "Is she... asleep?"

He nodded. "Has been for a few minutes. Think she's been needin' some real rest," he replied, warm gaze drifting down to Y/N's calm, absent face. "Y'know, the kind that doesn't come from faintin' in pain and some anesthetics."

Lafayette chuckled lightly, folding his arms. "I think zat it is for ze best," he said. "But I was sent in 'ere to see whether or not Y/N was done, ah... lecturing you for ze 'arms done. I am not sure I 'ave any way to tell everyone zat she is still busy in 'ere."

"Sounds like it's time for me to head out, then, huh?" Lafayette nodded, and Thomas looked down with a reluctant smile. "Alright, gimme a minute. Send everyone in when I get out of here, yeah?"

"Of course." Lafayette departed without another word, appearing to be rather pleased with the scene before him. Thomas sighed, trying to shift Y/N off of himself without rattling her, and when he gently laid her shoulders back down onto the mattress, her head resting to one side on the pillow, he leaned down to kiss her forehead softly.

"I'll be back for you tomorrow, okay?" he whispered, disregarding entirely the fact that she didn't hear a word of it. He finally lifted himself off of the side of the bed. "Goodnight, Y/N."

His footsteps stalled another moment as he stood beside her; his tender gaze swept down the entirety of her stature, but it was clouded with remorse when he once again glanced to the bloodied bandage wrapped around her shoulder. He swallowed the lump of guilt in his throat.

He turned off the lights on his way out.

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slowlydrowningme · 4 years

Text

But My Makeup’s Ruined Pt 2

Anon asked: Do you think you could do an angst that’s dick grayson x fem reader where he cheats on the reader with kori? I love your sm au so much ❤️❤️❤️ I typically like longer stuff but write as much as you want if you even wanna write it. No pressure 🥰🥰

Anon 2 asked: 3:31am and I just read your 'But My Makeup...' fanfic and IT's JUST. It aches. Somehow, when I'm writing DickxReader, which I love, I'm still kind hshsj I can't he'd be like this 4 Kory. So, this fic was really great to me. I was thinking if you could make a part 2? Like Kory goes to talk to the reader because she didn't wanna hurt anyone. Then maybe *timeskip* reader gets to be friends w Dick again. My dad cheated on my mom and they're not together, but still friends. So could be "happy" ending

Rating: T (mild swearing)

Word Count: 4531

Warnings: Mentions of cheating but that’s about it

Pairing: Dick x Fem!reader (though they have separated)

Notes: Here is the second part that another anon had asked me for. This has a confrontation with Kori and the a time jump where the reader and Dick have their first conversation since the morning after that night.

Tags: @this-is-what-makes-us-fandoms

Part One

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You expect the numb feeling that overtakes you the days following the night you found Dick and Kori together. It wasn’t a surprise that you just sort of shut off your emotions in order to preserve your sanity as much as possible. There was too much to get through and you just needed to steel yourself and get through it.

The day after your stay at Jason’s safehouse, you found yourself at Dick’s apartment packing up the things that had accumulated there over the time you two had been together. Clothes, bathroom items, and just other knickknacks. You made sure to leave each and every picture of the two of you but took all the ones of you without him in them. Photos with his brothers and your common friends that you knew you would be upset about not having down the road.

The last item you placed in the box, despite knowing Dick would probably want it, was a painting that Damian had given the pair of you last Christmas. It wasn’t of anything in particular, an abstract swirl of colors and emotions that had spoken to you the instant you had unwrapped the plain brown paper tied with the gold bow.

Dick could go fuck himself if he thought you would leave that behind.

With one last glance around the room, you had pushed down the overwhelming sadness and dropped your key onto the counter top before walking out of a place you had considered home for so long.

The following day you had called Jason to come grab the box of things you had gathered so he could bring them over to Dick for you and he had done so without a single complaint. You had thanked him by promising to meet him for lunch later in the week, because it would have just been too much right then and there.

So that was how you found yourself opening the door to reveal what you had thought was Jason, but instead was someone you had absolute no desire to see. Ever.

“Kori,” you said flatly, clenching your teeth to keep the bubbling anger and hurt from exploding out of you in the form of word vomit.

“I know I am one of the last people you ever want to see, but I was hoping we might be able to talk?”

“You know I’d love to, but I have plans and you’re dangerously close to ruining my good mood.” The words have a bite to them, but Kori still smiles a small smile.

“I ran into Jason downstairs and he said to call him when you want him to come back.” Of course he did. That bastard.

Taking a moment to think about whether or not you want her in your home, you consider your options. Having this talk at home means you’re well hidden from prying eyes seeing your possible breakdown. But having it outside means that you’re forced to be civil because you know that there’s always someone lurking who knows your face from your relationship with Dick or your job.

With the options weighed, you step aside and let her come into you home and close the door behind her. Remaining near the door, you don’t know what the social protocol is for having the woman your ex cheated on you with in your home.

“Can I get you something to drink?” You ask, mostly to fill the silence. You’re surprised to hear her soft laughter.

“You’re just as kind as they all made you out to be.”

“Who?”

“Everyone. Even Dick.” You wince at his name on her lips and move past her to go to the kitchen to get yourself a drink, mostly just to have something to do with your hands.

“Got me far, didn’t it?” Your voice is bitter as you pour the water into the kettle and set it on the stove to boil. “Tea?”

“Sure.”

“Look Kori, I’m not sure what your goal was in coming here. I don’t really have anything to say to you and I definitely have nothing to say to him.”

“I actually have something to say, if you’d be willing to hear it.” Looking at her with narrowed eyes, you find yourself considering your options yet again.

“Fine.” You know you don’t owe her anything but you also know she didn’t know about you when Dick first kissed her. And you have a creeping suspicion she didn’t know two of the other three times they had hooked up. The term made you want to roll your eyes because it sounds so casual and you know it was anything but for both of them.

Leaning against the counter near the stove, you watch Kori purse her lips and look down at the counter of the island that separates you two. You know she’s trying to figure out where to start, probably didn’t think you would actually listen to what she had to say. But she had been right, you were too kind for your own good most days.

“I know Dick,” you flinch at his name again and she sends an apologetic look your way. “I know he told you that I didn’t know about you when he first kissed me.” You nod your agreement with her statement and she nods back. “But I don’t think he realized I didn’t know about you until the night you found us.”

“How did you find out?” Morbid curiosity and all that.

“Roy, actually.” Well that made sense. You knew she, Roy, and Jason had formed their own team for a while and had gotten fairly close. And you had met Roy through Jason because the red-headed archer hadn’t been too fond of Dick in those days. “I think he thought I had known all along when he had mentioned you, trying to make me feel guilty. But when I just ended up confused, he explained.”

“He’s a good man.”

“He would have many examples of why you are very wrong,” she laughed and you can’t help but give a small smile in return. “But you are correct. He is a good man. And he is quite fond of you. As they all are.”

You’re not sure what to say to that but you’re saved the need to say anything when the pot whistles on the stovetop and you’re given a distraction. You quickly prepare the tea and don’t bother asking Kori what she prefers because this is your home and she unknowingly destroyed a two and a half year relationship. Setting a cup in front of her on the counter, you lean back against the counter behind you again and hold your own in both hands.

“Y/N…I never would have done anything with him if I had known. And the night you saw us, I had told him that. I had told him mere moments before you came in that what he was doing was wrong and I couldn’t be part of it.”

“But you still kissed him again.”

“I did.”

Taking a sip of the mint tea that had been a gift from Alfred a few months prior, you wish you knew what to say to that. You wished your apparent kindness came with a manual for moments like these. You had been manipulated in the past and it had caused you to develop a thicker skin, but this wasn’t one of those moments. This was uncharted territory.

“Dick,” you forced out, clenching your jaw at his name and trying hard to keep the anger and hurt at bay as best you can, “called you his drug.”

“He is mine as well.”

“I only know second hand what happened between you when you broke up, but I know that there are just certain people in our lives that are just supposed to be ours.” Kori hummed in agreement as she took a sip of her own tea. “He is yours. He was never mine. I realize that. I can’t be angry with that fact.”

“But you’re hurt, and you should be. I’m not here to excuse your emotions or my actions that led you to this point. I just wanted you to know that my part in this was never intentionally against you.”

“We could have been good friends, I think.”

“Maybe one day we still can be. If your kindness is what everyone says it is, I’m sure there is hope for us. And, perhaps, for you and him.”

“Maybe. But not any time soon.” Setting your cup down next to you on the counter, you cross your arms and shrug a shoulder. “What he did was wrong and I am angry that he couldn’t at least respect me enough to be honest with me before he was forced to be.”

“Secrets are a way of life.”

“Not with me. It shouldn’t have been that way between us.”

“That’s true, but hindsight and all that,” she waved a hand in the air and your eyes rolled, knowing she had a point. “Look, that’s all I wanted to say. I’m going to leave now and hope that one day you’ll forgive my part in this. I also hope that you’ll forgive him one day too.”

Looking away from Kori to the windows to your left, you hear the clink of her cup being set on the counter and soon enough the sound of the door shutting behind her. You probably should have told her you had already forgiven the both of them because you had learned long ago that holding onto that kind of anger was disastrous to your own mental health, but it was too late for that.

You weren’t sure how long you stood there, thinking about the conversation that you had just had, before your phone sounded from it’s place inside your pocket. Tugging it out, you glanced at Jason’s name lighting up your screen before thumbing open the message.

You good? Kori said she left a while ago. Need to reschedule? The thoughtfulness made you smile as you typed out your reply and hit send.

No, I could use a good burger and maybe a beer to two to wash it down. Meet me there in 10?

I’m downstairs waiting for you already.

You’re the best. I’m coming down now.

And the moment you stepped out of your building into the muggy Gotham air, you felt something like peace rushing over you. You weren’t okay by a long shot, but for the first time since the infamous night you felt like you would be.

(Three Years Later)

“Thank you, Jefferson,” you say softly as you slide out of the black car with the driver’s help. You look up at the familiar Manor with trepidation, smoothing down the front of your black gown.

“Shall I remain close, ma’am?”

“Hmm?” You looked over at him, his words registering slowly at first. Smiling in thanks for the man who had worked for you for the last two years, you squeezed his upper arm and moved to head up the steps that would take you up to the door. “Go have dinner with your family. Plan the usual time.” You heard him chuckle as you ascended the stairs.

Before you could reach the door to ring the bell, you saw it opening and revealing a familiar stern, but warm face. Using the hand that was not holding the hem of your gown up so you wouldn’t trip, you reached forward and took Alfred’s hand in your own in greeting.

“Miss Y/N, it has been too long.” And it had. Ever since your split with Dick, you couldn’t bring yourself to come by the Manor. If any of the family had wanted to see you, they knew they had to meet you elsewhere. It had just been too hard to handle those memories.

“It’s so wonderful to see you, Alfred. Thank you for your care packages. You always send the best teas,” you say softly with a squeeze of his hand as you step into the house. The decorations for the evenings event were just tasteful as always and you felt a swell of pride for the reason behind the gathering.

“Y/N! You made it!” Was all the warning you got before you were being lifted in the air by a pair of surprisingly strong arms.

“Of course I did, Tim,” you chuckled. You returned the hug as he set you back down on your feet before leaning back to look him over. “You look good. How are things?” You felt a slight pang of guilt of not having kept as close of contact with him as you had with Jason, but even the communication with Jason had mostly been you responding instead of initiating. He had just refused to let you slip away from their world and you had allowed the last link to remain.

Today, you was glad for it.

“Good. Things are good. It’s so good to see you. Damian is going to be thrilled. Jay wouldn’t say whether or not you would actually make it so I didn’t tell him I saw you had gotten on a flight.” Giving him an unimpressed look, he at least tried to look guilty for keeping tabs on you electronically. It wasn’t like you hadn’t figured they all would.

“Speaking of Jason, is he in his room?”

“Yeah, should be fighting with his bowtie right about now,” he chuckled, turning to walk with you up to the next level and down the hall where the bedrooms were located. “It’s good that you came. We all understood why you went away, but we’ve definitely missed you. He’s missed you.” You know Tim is talking about Dick and not Jason in that moment, but you only give him a smile.

“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.” His responding smile was almost blinding, and you find yourself strangely emotional at the sight of it. Reaching forward, you give him another hug before grabbing the door knob of Jason’s room he used when staying at the Manor.

“Don’t you fuckers know when to knock?” You could hear him call out before you could see him and it made you laugh.

“I thought your door was always open to me?” You see the moment he freezes in surprise, hands struggling with the bowtie just as Tim said he would be.

“Y/N,” he says your name in a rush as he moves forward to wrap you up in a hug. “What time did you get in? Are you staying in a hotel? Have you seen anyone else yet?”

“Slow down cowboy,” you chuckle, pulling back and immediately get to work on the bowtie. “I got in a few hours ago and yes, I’m booked close by. Jefferson and I both are, but he’s over seeing his family. Alfred greeted me at the door as always and Tim walked me up here.”

“Demon is going to be excited. I bet Replacement is teasing him about a secret as we speak.”

“I hope not. He managed to keep it quiet that he knew I was coming, I’m sure he can be nice a little bit longer.”

“Tim knew?”

“He saw I booked a flight.” Jason chuckled.

“Of course he did.” Finishing up the tie, you smoothed your hands down the lapels of his black jacket and smiled up at him. “You good?”

You hum in response and take a step back, sucking in a deep breath to let out slowly.

“I’m good.” He watches you for a moment before giving a nod of satisfaction and holding out his arm for you.

“Guess we should go see about finding the man of the hour.”

“I can’t believe he’s a man. He used to be so little.”

“Wait until you see how tall he’s gotten. Poor Dick and Tim.” You know he’s watching your response to the use of Dick’s name, but you only laugh in response as the two of you exit his room and head back down to the main ballroom.

A handful of people have gathered, more could be heard in the other room where the main bar was located, and your eyes scanned the room for familiar faces. You could see a few friends but not the one in particular you’re looking for.

“Jason.” You glance over your shoulder and find Bruce Wayne standing there with a champagne glass in hand, a surprised look filtering over his features when he sees it’s you who is on Jason’s arm. “Y/N, what a pleasant surprise.” It’s warm and the smile he gives you sets something at ease inside of you. The two of you had had plenty of contact over the years since your split with Dick, but this was the first time you had seen him as Bruce Wayne since before the breakup.

“Bruce, it’s good to see you,” you tell him honestly. He gives you a nod, as much as an acknowledgement of his agreement as you’re going to get.

“Damian will be down shortly, he will be happy to see you.”

“So I keep getting told,” you laugh softly. The way everyone made it sound you had an incredibly close relationship with the newly 18-year old. But truth was, you weren’t any closer to him than with Tim or even Cass. Jason was really the only one of the Wayne family that you had remained particularly close with.

“The family has missed your presence. It was an…adjustment.” You’re not sure what to say to that, so you just smile in response. You knew he understood why you had stayed away. There had been more than one moment of truth between the two of you in those late night visits or calls when you had helped Batman and his crew.

“Master Wayne, the mayor has arrived,” Alfred’s voice interrupted their conversation, drawing Bruce’s attention from you. You looked up at Jason but found his gaze directed at something past Bruce’s shoulder and it causes you to frown because of his serious expression.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I’ll be sure to find you later. There was something…else I had been wanting to discuss with you,” Bruce’s voice drew back your attention and you gave him a frown, but accepting nod.

Not just a vacation visit like you had planned it to be, apparently.

“We’ll speak later then.”

You watched him follow Alfred and then it became abundantly clear what had caught Jason’s attention. Dick stood about thirty feet away, glass in hand and laughing at something someone was saying. You could see his profile as he stood there in conversation with a man who looked vaguely familiar but you couldn’t be completely certain who it was. Not that it mattered because you only had eyes for Dick. The man who had crushed you. The man who you hadn’t seen since the morning after that fateful night.

“Y/N!”

The sound of an excited exclamation of your name pulled your attention from Dick just as it brought Dick’s attention to you. But before you could react, Damian was in your field of vision and you found yourself floored at the sight of him. Pictures from Jason only did so much, but the sight of him was a surprise. You couldn’t believe how tall he had gotten.

“Damian,” you smile brightly, reaching up to wrap your arms around his shoulders. He easily returns the embrace and you can’t help but smile at the thought of how he used to scoff at physical affection from other people. Even from Dick, and his oldest brother was undoubtedly his favorite person.

“I am so happy you’re here!” He squeezes you a moment before placing his hands on your upper arms and stepping back, gaze sweeping over you before landing back on your face.

“I would never miss a day like today.” His smile grows even brighter and you can see the happiness basically rippling off him in waves. “I can’t believe you’re a high school graduate now. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you.” His reply is simple, but you know he is more pleased than he lets on. “How have you been? Jason gives us updates at random and never with much detail. How do you find New York City?”

“It is different and yet very similar to Gotham.” He nods his agreement and drops one of his hands from your arm, keeping the other there as if he’s worried you’ll vanish before his eyes. “But I do have some news that not even Jason is aware of yet.” Damian raises his brows and you look over to Jason to find him standing there with a single eyebrow raised, almost annoyed he didn’t already know something.

“Well?”

“I have accepted a position back here in Gotham. I will return to New York in two days as planned, but I will be back in a week.”

“For good?” Jason’s words are oddly hopeful.

“For good.”

“You’re returning to Gotham?” Both Jason and Damian tense and you snap your eyes to the source of the all too familiar voice. Dick is standing just a few steps away, looking surprised and somewhat contrite for having gotten himself caught eavesdropping.

“I am.”

“Dickhead…” Jason said in an almost growl-like voice and immediately Damian has released the hold on your arm to stand in front of you, effectively blocking your from Dick. Dick holds up the hand that isn’t holding his glass and takes a step back.

“Guys, stop. Jesus.” You refrain from facepalming right then and there in embarrassment at their actions. Like Dick would attack her at his little brother’s graduation party. It was utterly ridiculous. The two men looked at her in question and you sigh.

“I just wanted to say hello.” Glancing back to Dick, you give him a small smile.

“Could you two give us a minute?” Both Jason and Damian opened their mouths to protest, but the single raised brow from you shut them both up.

“I should mingle anyway. Do not leave without saying goodbye, Y/N.” You send Damian a wide smile and nod. Jason simply squeezes your hand before heading toward the bar. A moment of silence passes before Dick moves a little closer and gestures to the doors leading out to the path that would take you both to the gardens. You follow without a single word and snag a glass of champagne from a passing waiter before you two step outside.

“How are you?” You break the silence between the two of you, genuinely curious at his current state. You watch as he considers his answer carefully, hoping he doesn’t give you some fake answer that he prepared for the masses.

“It varies from day to day, I guess,” he answers, and you feel something loosen in your chest at the honest response. “You?”

“Better in the recent months. I have…missed home,” you admit. If he was willing to be honest then you can return the sentiment. He hummed in response and took a sip of his champagne and let the silence fall between you two again. It’s not until you’ve entered the paths of flowers that he stops to look at you.

“Kori and I were married last year.”

“I know.” You’re response pulls a questioning look over his face and you can’t help but chuckle. “Jason.”

“Of course. I forgot that you and he have…remained friends?” He says it like a question and you can’t help but roll your eyes.

“Yes. Friends.”

“Sorry, I don’t want to assume anything in regards to you. Or him.”

“I understand. But Jason has been a very good friend to me since well before our split.” He nodded and you watch him closely. “I didn’t see Kori in there tonight?”

“No, she is…at work.” And she knows he means she’s off on some kind of mission. “Are you happy, Y/N?” You look away from him and consider your answer. You know you could tell him how you cried and almost gave into the homesickness a week after you had left Gotham for New York City. Or you could tell him about the idiot you dated just months ago who thought he could manipulate you into being his little housewife and not the independent woman you are. Or you could tell him how hard it had been to be in a city you knew no one in and find your place in that world.

“I am. I hope you are as well. I was glad to hear you and Kori finally got married.” You won’t say that you had drank enough to blackout the night of their wedding, but that had definitely been a thing.

“Were you?” You look at him and nod, letting him see the honesty in your gaze. He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head in what looked like amazement. “You are too good for this world, Y/N.”

“That’s debatable.”

“Not even a little bit.”

“Listen, Dick…” You look back toward the Manor where you can hear the sounds of the party in full swing before looking back at him and facing him fully. “I want to be around your family again. Jason has helped a lot and the meetings with…” You let him fill in the blanks, knowing he was well aware of Batman’s appearances in your life. “But I miss what had been part of my life for so long before things went south between us.”

“I don’t want to get in the way of that. I never wanted that. My mistakes were not meant to take you from their lives too. I’m sorry they did.”

“What’s done is done. But I just wanted you to know that I forgave you a long time ago and if you hear that I’m around or see me with one of them, you don’t have to stay away.” You’re not surprised by the surprise on his face. But you’re amused as it definitely takes him a few moments to get it together enough to respond.

“We can be…friends then?”

“We can start trying to be.”

“I’d really like that. Kori had mentioned the possibility after that talk you two had had.”

“Yes, well,” you shrug a shoulder and give him a smile.

“Hey you two! We’re about to do speeches and we all know you, Dickhead, have something sappy planned.” You both turn to see Jason standing further down the path, not at all hiding the fact that he’s curious about your conversation.

“Thanks, Y/N. We’ll chat more later?”

“Yeah, later.” You watch him head back inside, exchanging a look with Jason as he passed him.

“You good?” Turning your eyes to look at Jason, you don’t bother to stop the wide smile from filtering over your features.

“Better than. Now come on, I want to see just how embarrassing you all are going to be to that poor boy.” Jason lets out an amused laugh before wrapping an arm around your shoulders and leading you back inside.

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kittinoir · 3 years

Text

Phantoms Ch. 8

Read on Ao3

It had been hours since the fight at the Louvre and Marinette’s hands refused to stop trembling. Not from the fight, or the adrenaline, but because of him. She could swear she could still feel the phantom touch of his thumb, gliding over her wrist bone, the echo of his voice in her chest, the press of his shoulder against her cheek.

It was torture, these glimpses of things she could never have.

But she was stronger now. Strong enough, to tell him the truth she’d seen. Strong enough to keep him at arms length. Strong enough to say goodbye.

So why wouldn’t her hands stop shaking?

“You ok, girl?”

Marinette glanced up to see Alya looking at her fingers, her brow furrowed.

“Not really,” Marinette said, pushing down the urge to lie and brush it off as nothing. Honesty had become their new policy that first night Alya had stayed over and the truth had come pouring out - every insane detail, every excuse, every action explained. Every thing she could remember. And at the end of it, she’d sworn to never lie to her best friend again. “But I’m not really ready to talk about it.”

Not yet. Not until Adrien knew first.

Even if he didn’t feel that way about her - not now that he knew ‘his Lady’ was just his friend.

For the best, she told herself. It was for the best.

But it didn’t make her feel any better.

“I’m here for you,” Alya said, gently squeezing Marinette’s fingers. “We all are,” she added quietly.

Marinette glanced behind them at the group of girls that had arrive for their biweekly sleepover. Rose was braiding Juleka’s hair, away from her face for once, while Alix painted a new pair of roller skates. Kagami and Mylene had yet to arrive, and Chloe and Sabrina were running late. No surprise there.

“I know,” Marinette whispered. “Amazingly.”

“There’s not a single one of us who wouldn’t have done the same thing,” Alya said, waving the words away. “Besides, it’s not like you didn’t try to warn me. And how many times did you do me favours as LB when you didn’t have to? Those interviews, the shout outs? You were always my best friend, Marinette, I just didn’t always know it. If anything, I’m the one who didn’t - ”

“Hey.” Marinette put a hand on Alya’s shoulder, stopping her. “Let’s agree to stop apologizing, ok? We’ve both done things we’re not proud of, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love each other…right?”

“Of course,” Alya said, pulling her friend into a hug. “Deal.”

“Ugh. If this is what I’m in for, I’m going home.”

Marinette pulled away to see Chloe coming up through the trap door as Sabrina pulled her up.

“We’ll spare you,” Alya said drily.

“Glad you could make it,” Marinette added with genuine warmth.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Sabrina said, “Especially now that…” She traced the clip in her hair with a finger and Ziggy popped out of her purse to grin.

“Speaking of,” Alix said, “Is it safe for them to…?”

“Sure,” Marinette said. “They know how to be careful.”

As if on cue, Tikki, Pollen, Trixx, Ziggy, Fluff, Daizzi, and Roaar burst out of their hiding places and swirled up to Marinette’s bed as they cheered.

“Remember…” Marinette called after them, unable to stop herself.

“If your parents knock, play hide and seek,” Daizzi chirped.

“Hide and seek?” Juleka asked with a smirk.

Marinette shrugged, a small blush warming her cheeks. “It seemed to be the only way to get them to actually hide.”

“Here.” Chloe handed Marinette what looked like a bag of cookies from her own bakery as Alya and Sabrina drifted over to the others. “A hostess gift.”

“Uh, you didn’t have to,” Marinette said with a short laugh. “But thanks.”

“I did, actually,” Chloe said with a sniff. “It’s rude not to. I thought about getting something else, but this is the best bakery in Paris. Seemed like a waste to go anywhere else.”

Marinette blinked, but took the compliment in stride. She’d learned the hard way that acknowledging those comments was a great way to make sure they stopped coming.

“Can I get you anything?” Marinette offered. She didn’t know how to act around this girl, how to be friends with her. Chloe had turned her nose up at her so often in the past, but she wasn’t doing that now.

“I’m fine,” Chloe said, but she leaned in. “Did you you talk to him?”

For a second, Marinette’s heart stopped beating. “Wh…what?”

“Luke,” Chloe huffed, rolling her eyes. “Please tell me you didn’t throw away that opportunity after I practically gift wrapped it for you.”

“Oh.” Marinette grit her teeth, desperately trying to convince herself that strangling Chloe for the heart attack would not improve their relationship. “It’s Luka. And yes. Yes, I did, thanks.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“What did he say?” Chloe demanded. “Was it as awful as you thought it would be?”

Yes. It had been. Every bit as awful as she’d thought it would be, and worse. Hearing her future out loud had been so much worse.

But it was real now, and she could deal with it. She would deal with it.

“He was really nice,” Marinette said instead. “Very understanding.”

“That made it worse, didn’t it?” Chloe said with a sigh. “I get it.”

She would get it, Marinette suddenly realized. Probably more than anyone else. The girl who lashed out at everyone, who pushed everyone away - how much of that was to see who would finally snap, finally yell back, finally treat her like a person instead of a doll? Was that why Chloe had treated her so badly for so long? Because she felt like she was finally getting what she deserved when Marinette pushed back?

“I took advantage of him,” Marinette admitted. “I don’t feel like I deserve to just be let off the hook.”

“I can’t even believe I’m doing this,” Chloe said, “But you didn’t ‘take advantage of him’; you tried to move on and be happy with someone else. It’s not the same thing.”

“But I knew I didn’t feel the same way.

“So you’re not even allowed to try?” Chloe demanded. “He wasn’t a distraction, he wasn’t some toy you threw away when you got bored, was he?”

“Of course not,” Marinette said with a frown.

“Well, then?” Chloe said. “What were you supposed to do, be miserable and alone? Wallow?”

Marinette couldn’t believe she was about to say this to Chloe of all people, but even with her new honesty policy with Alya, there was no one else to say it to. “No one’s mad at me. Not even Adrien.”

“Didn’t you literally just tell Alya no more apologies?”

Marinette flushed. “How long were you standing there anyway?”

“Long enough,” Chloe said with a smirk. “Now come on, no more moping. Did you ever think that maybe there’s nothing you need to be forgiven for?”

“The apologies thing was more for her than me,” Marinette protested, but Chloe threw a look over her shoulder that brooked no arguments as she pulled Marinette over to the other girls.

And the longer Marinette sat with them, the more she thought Chloe might be right, a thought she didn’t think she’d ever have. It wasn’t that their friendships seemed unchanged; it was that they seemed stronger, brighter with the truth out in the open, happy to share the secret and the burden.

Even Chloe seemed to strike up and tentative conversation with Rose and Mylene, who had come in with Kagami just a few minutes after Chloe and Sabrina had arrived.

Warmth bloomed in Marinette’s chest and her cheeks hurt from smiling. She recognized love when she felt it, but it was nice, for once, to feel it unencumbered by the weight of keeping it to herself.

“I’m glad this happened,” Kagami said suddenly over the group.

Individual conversations trailed off, hands stilled, as everyone turned to look at her, but Kagami didn’t even blink as she surveyed the group.

“Not the akumas,” she clarified without flinching under the weight of a dozen eyes on her. “This. You. All of you. I’ve never really had people I’ve wanted to...share things with.”

“I’ve…always been afraid,” Mylene chimed in. She blushed. “Of…pretty much everything. I thought I’d be too afraid to ever use a Miraculous, but being able to do something, having some control…having you guys around me. For the first time in my life, I’m not afraid any more.”

“I’ve never been a part of anything,” Chloe said suddenly, and then all eyes were on her. “My own family wanted nothing to do with me. As long as I’m happy or content, they consider their job done, and so I’ve always pushed everyone away. Before they could leave.”

“You treated all of us horribly,” Kagami said, her eyes narrowing. “Even your own supposed ‘bff’.”

Chloe flushed. “I didn’t say I was proud of it.”

“You kind of acted that way,” Alya said, the harsh words just barely softened by an apologetic shrug.

“At the time… I was…” Chloe admitted. The words came haltingly, as though dragged from some dark, horrible, lonely place inside her. “I thought I was better than everyone, and I needed to make sure everyone knew it. I needed to make sure my parents knew it. I needed them to know that I was…worth it.”

“And now?” Rose asked, a small smile on her lips, as though she knew Chloe’s future was brighter than her past had been.

Chloe looked up at the group of them, but her eyes stayed clear. “I’m embarrassed. I behaved…horribly. It’s not an excuse. I’m not saying I deserve to have it all forgiven or forgotten, but… I don’t want that to be my life anymore. It was too lonely. Even when I won, I felt empty. I know that some of you…most of you…probably don’t want to be my friend. All I’m asking for is to be allowed a place here…with all of you. To help fix what I broke so many times.”

Marinette didn’t blink as she felt all the eyes swivel to her. She tried not to see them. It wasn’t her choice to make any more, and she suspected Chloe needed more than just her say-so.

“Everyone gets a say,” Marinette said, finally meeting her friends eyes. “A vote. Right here, right now.”

“Not privately?” Sabrina said, glancing up at Chloe as she bit down on her thumb nail.

“If you can’t say it to Chloe’s face, you shouldn’t get a vote,” Marinette said. “But we’re a team. We need to be able to trust and rely on each other.”

“Then I vote yes,” Rose chirped, bouncing a little on her heels. “Chloe’s done amazing so far, and she’s an awesome spokesperson for the team!”

“Sure,” Juleka mumbled. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”

“Well, it’s a no from me,” Alix said without missing a beat. “We all have issues, but you’re the only one who took them out on everyone else.”

“Fair enough,” Chloe said, meeting Alix head on. Marinette flinched, but she didn’t miss Alix’s appreciative smirk as Chloe took the criticism in stride.

“I say yes,” Alya said. For the first time, Chloe actually looked surprised. “For what you did for Marinette.” Chloe frowned, but Mylene chimed in before she could ask any questions.

“I say no.” Mylene fisted her hands on top of her knees, ducking her face. “It’s not that I don’t want Chloe to have a Miraculous, it’s just what Marinette said - I don’t think I can trust her. I want to, but…”

“It’s fine,” Chloe said, saving Mylene from her rambling. “I get it.”

“I also vote no,” Kagami said. Marinette couldn’t say she was entirely surprised. Kagami didn’t elaborate, and Marinette supposed she didn’t have to. What else was there to say that she hadn’t already said?

“I vote yes,” Sabrina said as she regarded her best friend. “Chloe is…a lot of things. Some of you think she treated me badly, but it’s my friendship, too. I could have changed it at any time. I was her friend because I wanted to be, not because she made me. Still am.”

For the first time, Chloe actually looked a little misty, but it cleared quickly.

“Then it’s decided,” Marinette said.

“Not yet,” Kagami interrupted, her voice a blade. “You have to vote. It could cause a tie.”

“I made my choice a long time ago,” Marinette said. “Chloe stays as long as she wants to. Now that that’s been decided, if anyone has a problem with that, they’re welcome to leave - after they returned their Miraculous.”

Kagami glared but remained silent. Alix simply shrugged, and Mylene wouldn’t look up, but no one left.

“Who wants to see the submissions I’ve gotten on the Ladyblog for identity guesses!” Alya said, whipping out her phone. “Someone got one riii-iiight!”

Marinette could have kissed her friend for changing the subject as the girls nearly fell over themselves to peek at Alya’s phone screen.

“I thought ‘no more apologies’ was the theme of the night?” Marinette said as she switched seats with Sabrina to sit beside Chloe.

“It wasn’t supposed to be an apology,” Chloe muttered. “It just kind of happened. I just meant to…participate. I’ve never really had friends before. I’m not really sure how this all…works.”

And for a moment, Marinette was no longer in her room, but standing outside her school, her flat so close but so far away as the rain poured down and a boy in white said the exact same thing.

“You’ll figure it out,” Marinette said softly.

“I’ve never had to figure anything out by myself before,” Chloe groaned, dropping her chin into her upturned palm. “Couldn’t I figure out something easier first, like Hawk Moth’s identity or something?”

For once, Marinette actually laughed. “If you do, let me know. Adrien and I have been trying to do that for years.”

“Seriously?” Chloe said, frowning. “You have zero clues? Not even one? A suspect, even?”

“I mean I’ve looked over the submissions to the Ladyblog from time to time,” Marinette said, referencing the submission box Alya had made for Hawk Moth’s identity after she’d been akumatized a second time. “None of them have ever panned out. Although…”

Marinette felt the blush work its way across her cheeks as a dim memory resurfaced.

“Although what?” Chloe demanded, sitting up.

“At one point I thought it was Gabriel Agreste.”

Chloe’s eyes widened. “Adrien’s dad?” she demanded, just barely managing to keep her voice down. “What on earth made you suspect him?”

Marinette shrugged. “He had the book. The guardian’s manual. Master Fu said the peacock and butterfly Miraculous were lost at the same time, and that whoever had one probably had the other.”

Chloe blinked. “Um, ok. Pretty solid evidence. So…why’d you change your mind?”

“Gabriel was akumatized shortly after we began to suspect him.” Marinette flinched as her eyebrows shot up. “That’s why Chat Noir was so upset that day. I’d just told him his dad might be…uuuuuuuuuuuuggggghhhhh.”

Marinette buried her face in her hands but the images wouldn’t stop playing against her closed eye lids.

“You told Adrien you thought his dad was a supervillain?” Chloe laugh, and for once, Marinette found herself giggling along with her. “I can’t believe you’re still friends.”

“Well, like I said,” Marinette said, lifting her face, “He got akumatized by Hawk Moth shortly after. Hawk Moth has to be transformed to control the akuma. And if two kwamis were living in the same house, I think they’d notice. Besides, I’ve seen them in two places at once. So it’s back to square one, with no leads and no answers.”

Chloe nodded and didn’t object when Marinette was dragged into the conversation with the other girls. Ladybug and Chat Noir might have ruled out Gabriel as a suspect, but as she watched the other girls squawk over the Ladyblog, one thought would not leave Chloe alone:

Hawk Moth and Gabriel Agreste were not the only ones who’d been seen in two places at once.

#phantoms #phantoms ch 8

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galvanizedfriend · 4 years

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This may be a very biased question, however, who did Klaus truly love- Caroline or Cami? I absolutely adore Klaroline, but would they even had anything more if it wasn't for when Caroline visited NOLA in S5? I seems like Caroline was only brought to TO for fan service. Did Klaus love Cami more? I've been trying to understand, and the more I think about it, the more I get sad because #klaroline4ever. I need someone elses' thoughts!

Well, this may be a very biased answer (lol), but I never bought Klamille as a thing, so, obviously...

This isn't going to be very nice on Cami, in case anyone out there might find it offensive or whatever. I don't necessarily blame the character, though, I blame the writing. Klaus having a new romantic interest was never a bad thing in itself, it was the way they did it that never sailed.

To be fair, I think it's perfectly acceptable to believe that Klaus loved Cami. But that relationship was so wrong, for so many reasons, that I could never get past the awkwardness. Cami was a prop for male tears and exposition from almost the moment she came onto the show until her literal last breath (and the few times she made an appearance after that). She was the result of a very wrong attempt to try to reproduce the KC chemistry in TO to maybe get the fans to embrace this new ship, but it was so, so, so wrong... Joseph Morgan went from having chemistry with the walls and trees in TVD to not having a slight spark with the person who was supposed to be his romantic interest (whom he was pushing towards another guy all through season 1, awww... so romantic). Klaus would've been better off with Stefan.

Cami's supposed to be this moral compass on the show, the ~~kind-hearted, good, full of light~~ person (remind you of anyone? lol) who'll drag Klaus back into the path of redemption, but all she does is literally excuse him for his terrible behavior, starting with how he treats her. Klaus is awful to her, terribly abusive. He compelled her to go out with someone against her will, even after she saw Marcel being aggressive to Thierry and was like 'nope, not for me, I'm outta here', to <i>spy</i> for him. And this gets shoved under the rug in a second. Klaus kills Elijah's girlfriend right before his eyes, then he curses Hayley into her wolf form, and Cami is literally there telling people that they have to understand that he did all that because he had a plan and he had to make it look convincing. She attempts to be mad at him because he bit her (not because he killed Gia, or cursed Hayley; because he bit her) and when he says he was just pretending, she smiles and that's it. Let it go. And then I'm supposed to believe that this is the person who's going to bring the best out of Klaus? Klaus goes on being the same unapologetic jackass he always was.

And then season 3 happens and it's just... It's painful. I abandoned TO on S3 for many reasons, I couldn't watch it anymore, but what they do to Klamille there is like... Is this seriously supposed to be the climax of this pairing? When she turns into a vampire and becomes this total crazy bitch (WHY? isn't vampirism supposed to enhance what you are? WHY oh WHY would good pure cinnamon roll Cami become 500 years old Katherine?), Klaus is having doubts over her. Hayley has to tell him that he's gonna have to accept that the person he knew is gone and she's someone else now. I think it was supposed to make us realize that Cami had ~~darkness~~ in her, but... Honestly, if that was the case, there are some fic writers in the fandom who could've done a better job than the people getting paid to write those scripts.

Camille was a character that was treated so, so badly by the writers it's hard to even defend her. She had inconsistent writing, no agency within the plot whatsoever, never got her own story lines, never developed into something more substantial, and all she was there for was to explain to us, viewers, how terribly misunderstood Klaus was (and also to babysit, which is what she does all through season 2). She spends three seasons chasing after him when he repeatedly shoves her away, so when she was finally killed off, I felt genuinely sad for her. Not even her death was about her. She was meant to be a strong female character, instead she got absolutely nothing, died as a minor sidekick who got no reward out of her involvement with Klaus, and was using her last breaths to tell him "he's good". Honey, were you not watching your own show?

Caroline, on the other hand, never lets Klaus get away with being awful. She holds him accountable for the crap he does, she points fingers, she doesn't just take his bullshit excuses and 'oh, I'm so damaged' crap. At the same time she's obviously attracted to him, tempted by these little snippets of hidden depths she gets to see, she doesn't just excuse his wrongdoings. She pushes Klaus out of his comfort zone, forces him to reassess his behavior, to consider right vs convenient, and even if it's just for her sake, he actually does change. He lets Tyler off the hook (more than once), he risks getting caught to save her from those vampire hunters, he drops everything to help Stefan with Rayna Cruz, he forsakes his revenge party against Katherine. He's killing his way through France, being a crappy father to his 15yo, then Caroline shows up, stuns him with some truths, and he instantly reconsiders. It's things that meant something to Klaus, people who had personally wronged him, situation that might put him and his family in danger, not like that extra whoever cop he "helps" in S3 who made absolutely no difference in his life whether he lived or died. He even showed a degree of regret over killing Carol when he asked Damon how he got away being forgiven for the crap he did.

In turn, Klaus was always the one person who saw the best of Caroline and completely acknowledged it. She wasn't ashamed of her vampirism, she enjoyed all the perks, and while everyone else was being broody over it, sorry for themselves, she was out there kicking ass. Klaus knew her better than her best friends, understood how she longed for more, how curious she was, how restless she would grow by being stuck forever as a sidekick in Mystic Falls. Everything he said to her was like a revelation. He was the only romantic interest in Caroline's life to truly put her first. And I want to say that they never got together in TVD because she wasn't ready to leave her mortal life behind and fully embrace immortality but the truth is they never got together because some idiot decided to make The Originals happen. lol We all know that 'I should've turned my back on you ages ago' thing would've ended up in hot hybrid-vampire sex if TO hadn't been picked up by the network.

This is not to say that there weren't problems there, of course there were, but the two of them genuinely did get the best out of each other. Klaus allowed Caroline to be accepted and appreciated for who she truly was, while she got Klaus to show true selflessness.

So I personally never bought Klamille. It fell completely flat for me. But I don't think believing Klaus loved Cami diminishes how he felt for Caroline. The guy is immortal. To think he would never have feelings for anyone other than Caroline is naive. The brief little moments Caroline gets mentioned in TO are very telling of how Klaus still felt about her even years and years later. That phone call. How he never denies loving her to Stefan, how he tells Stefan they'll be seeing each other again if he doesn't do right by her. On the letter he sent her when she opens the school, he repeats the 'however long it takes', which is a reaffirmation of the promise he made her. How he says he didn't want to know if she would let him die or not. That look he gives her when she says she'd been to New Orleans after him and he wasn't there.

Caroline was his endgame, and he was hers. The two of them could've had different loves, met different people over the course of their lives, but they were always, always meant to find each other again in the end. So, to answer your question (lol), no I don't think Klaus' endgame would've ever been Camille, and yes, I do think Caroline would've ended up in New Orleans at some point, or he would've ended up with her, wherever she was. If there had been even an inch of consistency in TO S5 and if JP hadn't been on a crusade to punish the actors who were apparently unhappy with her and unwilling to ever come back for Legacies, that's how the story would've ended. It's hard to make any real interpretation of the show when we know how those scripts got written, how little thought went into staying true to characters and their journeys, but that's what I believe.

THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK, ANON! lol

#yokan answers #anon #anti-klamille #KLAROLINE FOREVER ANON #ALWAYS

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pollylynn · 4 years

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Title: Set Theory WC: 1400

She’s not not okay. But she’s not okay, either. He’s a long way from set theory and high school algebra, but he’s pretty sure there’s no equation to chart that out, but here they are. She smiles sweetly when he asks. She goes the extra mile to give him a reassuring touch on the arm, even though they’re just ducking under the crime scene tape, and that’s what seals it for him—the fact that she doesn’t automatically drop into work mode means she’s not quite okay.

He gets distracted by Lance Delorca. He gets lost in a perfectly legitimate excuse to watch clips of their vic’s movies and give everyone the low down on who’s who. He gets so swept up in it that she shuts him out of the Kat Kingsley interview—literally. She pulls the interview door closed and snaps the blinds in his face, and it’s mostly all in good fun. It’s mostly that she’s judging his adolescent tastes and maybe even playing up the as if jealousy a little bit. But she’s also kind of punishing him for real, hr thinks. She’s playing the way the two of them do on any given day, but she’s also being a little short fused and that’s another data point.

More and more of those rat-a-tat-tat into place on the movie set. She rolls her eyes at the hokey green screen instead of soaking in the action vibe on the monitors where there are people bringing the scene to life in real time. She gets in a couple of jabs about Brock and his kimono, and . . . well, that’s a fair enough cop. A little Brock Harmon goes a long way.

But amidst the jabs, she engages. She comes over all nostalgic, and talks about the action stars she goes for, so it’s not like she’s withdrawn. It’s not like she’s full-on not okay, and yet she’s a little rough with him in the wake of the soul-crushing goat herder revelation. She’s merciless in keeping him from interrogation for her second dance with Kat Kingsley, and she didn’t have to tease him about the poster. Teasing about the poster was 100% optional, and she did it anyway.

And yet she’s sweet with him in half a dozen other ways. She doesn’t make fun when he geeks out over Lance Delorca demolishing a gang of thugs. She, in fact, pins Ryan and Esposito to the bullpen fencing with a glare when it looks like they might make fun. And she absolutely looks the other way to avoid catching him as he replays the footage on her computer. She teases him about going out for drinks, then throws her arms around him and says she’d never get between him and his boyhood dream.

She asks no questions at all about where his shirtsleeves went, although she’s only human, so he does get an arched eyebrow as she asks if his bare arms itch beneath his sport coat. She’s high and mighty about the recording. She wears the headphones like a sign of office and informs him in imperious tones that she is not rewarding him for his “semi-illegal” behavior.

But she has him in with the interview for Trey. It’s the two of them when they have their killer and it’s time for a movie set take-down, so all seems to be forgiven. She seems to have moved back into fully okay territory. She even—sweetly again—suggests they watch Hard Kill, and he doesn’t know how he got so lucky.

He thinks it’s okay as he makes his way home to set up their movie night. He still wonders what the not not okay was about, but it dawns on him with frisson of pleasure that they’re married now, and this might just be one of those everyday things. They’re so used to upheaval and drama and life-and-death, and whatever it is or was is just a bit of a blip that he should let go, rather than talking it to death as usual.

That’s where he’s landed by the time he’s home. That’s where he’s landed when he sees the cheap, battered, scratched-to-high-heaven little skillet sitting out on the stove top. She hasn’t used it. He knows that, so that’s not why it’s out.

It’s out because it doesn’t have a home yet. There are built-in racks for every piece of All-Clad. They pull out and stack neatly and keep everything organized just so. And that means there’s no place—there’s literally no place—for her sad little, sentimental value pan.

He wonders what to do about that. He thinks about the Kat Kingsley poster he dug easily out of storage—everything of his in storage has its own particular place. He thinks about the three or four or six different versions of Hard Kill he has to choose from and where each of them sits on his media shelves.

He makes his way into his office and turns to the boxes of journals he doesn’t keep as regularly as he should. He has to close his eyes and think a moment. He pictures her hair, long enough to reach the collar of her jacket and a less aggressive shade than when he first met her. He remembers a park bench and two hot dogs and teasing her that he’d never get Rina to eat street food with him.

They’d fallen into conversation. He’d lured her into conversation in those early days when they were finding their feet with one another after their first rupture. They’d worked their way backwards through movies that existed before Rina was born—before any of the models they’d encountered were born. He finds what he’s looking for, an incredulous notation with an exclamation point after it.

It’s good news. He knows where he can get his hands on the exact thing he needs. He knows where in the boxes they’ve stashed for the moment in the spare bedroom he’ll find the item he wants. He does have to run out. He has to explain in small words to a kid for whom the entire conversation is theoretical that, yes, he does want to hook a VCR up to a flatscreen TV made in this century.

But he’s set up by the time she gets home.

“What—?” She sees that he’s at the stove and the skillet before him is sizzling. She’s not sure what to make of it. “Castle, what’s all this?”

“Breakfast for dinner,” he says. He steps aside so she can get a peek at the fluffy yellow eggs. “Not your Nonna’s, I’m sure. You’ll have to school me.”

“That’s sweet.” She steps behind him and presses a kiss to his shoulder blade.

“Not that sweet.” He gestures with the spatula to the beverage choices lined up on the breakfast bar. “I’m putting you to work. You’re in charge of deciding whether beer or wine goes better with breakfast for dinner, or if I’m squeezing OJ for mimosas.”

“Wine.” She’s firm about it. It’s the voice of experience. “Wine pairs perfectly with afterthought scrambled eggs.”

“Wine it is, then.” He peers under the edge of the eggs. “These are just about done. Can you decant?”

“I can decant,” she laughs, picking up on the music of it.

She does decant, while he plates the eggs, the bacon from the warming oven, the buttered rye toast that she likes best with eggs of every variety. They make their way into the office, juggling plates and glasses, silverware and napkins.

She doesn’t register the odd AV set up until he has the clunky remote in hand. “What’s this?”

“The year”—he crosses one leg over the other and takes up a Rod Serling pose—“is 1984. Young Richard Rodgers has watched Hard Kill a minimum of seventy-four times. Even younger Katie Beckett, is so into Mary Poppins that she has all but worn out her illegally dubbed VHS tape . . .”

He trails off dramatically as his finger comes down on the play button. The flat screen wobbles and labors. Big Ben appears and the titles begin. There’s the two-second splice of a game show from when her childish little fingers hit the wrong buttons. She smiles wide at him, at the screen, at her scrambled eggs. She’s okay.

A/N: Not sure how this got so long or where the heck Mary Poppins came from. I do know I want scrambled eggs right now. Poor little skillet. Hmm.

images via homeofthenutty

#Castle #Caskett #Castle: Season 7 #Castle: The Last Action Hero #Kate Beckett #Richard Castle #Javier Esposito #Kevin Ryan #Fic #Fanfic #Fan Fic #Fanfiction #Fan Fiction #Writiing #Hmm

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antique-teacups · 5 years

Text

Look Beyond the Lens, pt. 2

Hey kids, I finally wrote part two. I actually worked on it off and on for the past couple of weeks. I struggled with where I wanted it to go. Hope you enjoy it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the weeks that followed, Y/N iced David out. It was more than just ignoring his phone calls. It was skipping out on group hangouts, leaving as soon as he arrived, removing herself from his social media presence. Practically scrubbing him out of her orbit. It was the whole nine yards. If the video didn’t exist, no one would have connected the two. Suddenly the tundra of the Arctic Circle seemed more welcoming than being in the presence of the two.

The tension between the two seeped into the group, especially Matt. Y/N didn’t give Matt an ultimatum, but knew if he chose David, that was answer enough. Matt understood where she was coming from but also stood at odds with it in a sense. Some of the group sided with David, while others choose Y/N’s side. The group faced a great divide, one that she felt guilty and responsible for. Was it her place to divide people who stood for one another before she came into the picture?

“Matt, he’s trying to buy my forgiveness, which I refuse to give. I am not sure David even understands the magnitude of what he did. He brushed it off like he could fix with a signature on some extravagant gift.”

“I know that, I see everything he’s doing. But you must give the guy a chance to make up for it. You aren’t even giving him room to speak. I guess I just don’t understand that part.” Matt explained, a sorry look in his eye. “I am not saying that you two need to go frolicking in some field holding hands, I am just saying this is effecting everyone. I understand you’re hurt and angry about losing your job, but what about my relationship with all these people? My relationship with you?”

“I never meant to make you feel like you had to play mediator between us. I never meant for it to become this battle either. I know these people are your friends, some of them are mine too. I guess I just…I don’t know what I expected honestly.” You explain, looking Matt in the eyes. Trying to make him understand was difficult. You wanted to blame the entire thing on David, paint him the bad guy.

He was misguided in his choice to put that clip up, that much you knew. David showed loyalty to those he loved. He was someone to put his neck out there, no matter what it might cost him. Matt displayed the same quality. Matt was warm and loving. Seemingly reading your mind without much effort.

“Can I talk to him? Friend to friend. I want to fix this if I can. I know that your job was really important to you. But I also know David is sorry. Trust me, between me and Natalie, he has gotten an ear full. Sometimes people do things without thinking about what might happen, which is exactly what he did. Heath and Zane, you’ve forgiven them. I mean, Heath did bribe you, which you accepted. Why can’t you let David?” Matt questioned. He was really trying to unite the entire group again.

You didn’t know how hard this was for him, to be stuck between everyone. He felt that either way he leaned he was making a mistake. All of these people were his family, you especially. He didn’t want to push you to forgive David but he also wasn’t sure if he could survive being stuck in the middle.

“I can’t have you fighting my battle, Matt. I’ll talk to him myself. This is between David and I, right? It should have never of seeped into dividing the group. It also wasn’t my place to put you between us, which I am sorry for.” You said, feeling a bit ashamed.

“I know that was never your intention. I know you would never make me choose, but I am worried that if this goes on much longer, it will be expected of me.” Matt relented.

“Matt, I’ll meet him for coffee or something and talk about everything, I promise. I owe it you. I owe it to myself. I love you and I’m sorry for not seeing what kind of situation I was putting you in.”

Matt eyed you up, “Do you want me to go with?”

“I think I can handle this one along, bub.” You cheeked, tossing a wink in Matt’s direction. Nervousness settled in your chest. David was hard to understand sometimes, his motivate was muddy and his reaction was malicious, but you owed it to Matt. The two of you agreed to meet at a small café on the north side of LA. It was small and quiet, a place with a bit more privacy than a bustling Starbucks.

The entire drive, you tried to think of what you might possibly say, of what David might say. Your nervousness grew and quelled like the ocean. You never meant for this to snowball, the entire thing felt rather naïve. The amount of hurt and shame you felt from losing your job was exponential, but in time diminished. Yet, you couldn’t forgive David. He was trying to win you back over with gifts and didn’t feel bad. Forgiveness rested just beyond his reach if he were willing to admit he was in the wrong.

Whipping your car into a vacant spot, you scoure the parking lot for David’s Tesla. Not seeing it, you figure he’s just running a bit behind schedule. Hoping out of your car, you head inside to grab a table and wait. Surprisingly enough, David’s waiting in line to order. He wears his emotions on his face, his mind clearly dominated by nerves.

“Hey, I didn’t see your car.” You mention.

“I had Natalie drop me off. I figured if this goes horribly, my punishment is walking home.” David jokes, his eyes settling anywhere but your face.

You chuckle, “So optimistic Dobrik. Decide on something to get yet?” You wanted to keep the conversation light till you sat down. There were far to many people in ear shot for you to risk saying to much. Once the conversation started you figured they would all be listening in for bits.

David looks at you with confusion written on his face, “I really only drink Starbucks and that’s pretty rare.”

“If it’s cool, I’ll wing man you and order for both of us.” You wanted to try and smooth this over so if it meant swallowing your pride, so be it.

“Only if you let me pay.”

“I think you owe me.”

“Right for the throat.” David chuckles, a sheepish look on his face. You didn’t mean to let it slip but it just came out. While you two waited for drinks you tried to keep the conversation light and banter to a minimum. You didn’t want him to think he was totally off the hook. You weren’t yet extending an olive branch.

David led you a table near the back of the shop by the windows. The sun shone through the window brightly, glaring off the shiny table to your eyes. Your side facing the window was warmed instantly, yet you could feel the chill of anxiety run through you. The two of you sat in silence for a moment, before you started.

“I guess I need to know why. Why you were so naive and blatantly ignored my request. That’s the part I cannot wrap my head around. You ruined one of the best things I had going for me.” You said, a mixture of anger and hurt painting your features.

Guilt swarmed in David’s eyes and for a moment you wanted to console him. Then you remembered who put you in this situation.

“Honestly, I am not sure why. I knew you were worried about what might happen, but I thought maybe it you were blowing it out of proportion. It couldn’t possible end with you jobless and me the biggest asshole around.”

“We both know that’s one weak excuse. David, do you still not see the capacity of what you’ve done? Because of us, the group sits at odds like some middle school playground fight. My relationship with Matt is strained. I lost my job. Do I need keep going? You really weren’t thinking. You have people to fall back on, brand deals, people want you. I’ve got nothing but my writing. I do not exist in the same public eye you do, I knew what might happen. I choose to intervene because no one else was. I did the right thing and got fucked over.” You sternly state, looking him right in the eyes. You wanted him to see all things you couldn’t say, like how you cried because of him, for him.

“Y/N, do you write because you enjoy it or because it gives you purpose?” David inquires.

Visibly you are taken back, “I write because there are parts of me that never feel real expect when I’m writing. I can fabricate something to transport people. I am the words at the same I’m not. What does this have to do with anything?” David has an expression that’s unreadable. Settling somewhere between contemplation and sadness, his brows deepen, and his smile lessens.

“When I started YouTube, it was purely because I loved creating videos. That was entire motivation behind it, that was my purpose. I recognize that I should be endlessly thankful for the life I have, the opportunities I’ve gotten. Yet, at the same time, I almost wish I could revert back to that old version of me.”

“I’m confused what this…”

“I am only important when I can offer something to people, when my personality fix whatever algorithm their trying to use. My identity is my YouTube videos. Yet, I see myself as more. Most people see me as a dollar sign. I read a lot of your writing was entranced. I couldn’t believe that I knew this incredible writer who could turn a simple scene into wonderland. This jealousy sparked in my chest.

“I felt wronged by the industry. I could never be on that level. I think the primal part of my brain took over when the clip saved to my memory card. My jealous burned bright and I posted it for an entirely wrong reason. I wanted to see if you could survive like me. If I could survive like you.”

“You cannot actually think that David,” you glossed right over the rest of it. “People love you because of your heart, your humor, your persistence. No one in the group sees you as a dollar sign. I do not see you as a dollar sign.”

David practically rolls his eyes, “I ruin your career and you end up consoling me.”

“And?”

“Shouldn’t you be screaming, telling me how terrible I am?”

“What would that fix? I just want this over with. I love Matt and this is straining our relationship. I had an entire speech about how much of an asshole you are, were, but it seems fabricated. Mostly, I want you to know that what you did really hurt me. I knew we weren’t close but I didn’t expect you stab me right in the back like that. If you thought I was such a good writer, why did you ruin a chance I had at making it.”

“I know, what did was seriously fucked up. But if you would’ve answered my calls, you would have known. I had a chat with the directors, greased some palms, and you have your spot back. Granted, they said it’s on a probationary basis, but they should be lucky to have you back. I want to spend however long it takes making it up to you. I was blinded by jealously because I want what you have. I want my art to speak for me but still be my own person. Which, is why I would like to ask for your help.”

You couldn’t help but feel elated, “It was never a bribe, it was my job back. Is the bribe me helping you?”

“No, you helping me is on the premise that you’ll help me publish local youth. You seem like the kind of person will follow, I seem like the kind of person see dollar signs from.”

“David, I never saw a dollar sign from you. I saw David and I saw my friend. I see my friend here today. This is the guy who world needs to see. I know I still need to work on getting over this, but we are heading in the right direction.”

“Thank you, Y/N.”

“And thank you David, for proving both of us wrong. You’re a great guy, one I would love to help.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

taglist:

@winchestergirl907

#david dobrik x reader #david dobrik imagine #davids vlogs #david dobrik #david x reader #angst #bros now #vlog squad

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starker-fluff · 5 years

Note

Redeemed steve rogers finds out about being Tony happily married to 19 years old peter parker and he doesn't approve of this. other redeemed avengers and bucky are fined with it

(you don’t understand how much I love this request. I hope I did ok)

Bitch Ass Boomer

Warnings: Homophobia, light swearing, mentions of honeymoon fend frolicking to be had

Not everything can be forgiven, but at least this was a set in the right direction. The so called “rogues” are moving back into compound officially. Bucky, Natasha and a few others had came and milled around for a few days already. During those day, those few found out about Peter and Tony’s marriage and threw a makeshift party as a late celebration to make up for them not attending the wedding.

“Bucky!!” Came Peter’s excited screech as the boy came barreling down the expansive hall to bear hug the man to had basically become his brother over the short weeks they had spent together. Bucky had been away for a few days to go meet up with Steve and convince the man to come move into the compound. Bucky smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair as the previously mentioned blonde walked into the room, the mood of the room changed. It was an odd feeling and had the boy shuffling on his feet.

“Parker right? You’re the spider kid, Peter Parker right?” Steve finally broke the silence. Peter nodded, glancing up to Bucky who padded the boy’s head before walking outside to grab some boxes.

“Yeah. Um.. It’s actually Peter Stark now.. Tony m-“ Peter tried to explain about Mr Stark and his marriage but Steve interjected.

“Tony finally adopt you did he? Oh that’s great. I was starting to think he wasn’t gonna do it.” Steve had chuckled but stopped when he saw the discomfort of the boy’s face. “What kid?”

“He.. He didn’t adopt me. He married me.” Peter spoke shyly, eyes dropping to the ground as Steve started... started laughing at him.

“Aww kid. That’s funny. You marrying Tony. Tony being in a relationship with a kid, let alone a boy. That’s funny kid.” Steve ruffled the kids head, stopping when he head the boy whimper under his hand.

“Wait? You seriously believe that? God, does Stark know about this delusion? I’m sure we can get you some kind of help and get you a nice girl your age to marry.” Steve’s words cut deep, the boy had tears rolling down his cheeks when Bucky came back in. Seeing Steve’s hand on the boy and said boy sobbing.

“STEVE!! What the fuck did you do?!” He dropped the box and pushed the super solider away from his little brother.

“Bucky, he thinks he’s married to Tony? We have to fix him, like we fixed you.” Bucky’s concerned expression turned to one of down right anger.

“YOU DID NOT FIX ME!! Being bisexual is nothing bad!! Nor is being gay bad! Peter is married to Tony, no one in this world gives to shit apart from people like you. So Steve, Shut the fuck up.” Bucky hugged the sobbing boy close and guided him into the safety of the compound. Peter was hurt and confused as Steve was meant to be Captain America, he’s suppose to be kind and just... Not.. Not like this.

“Get your own fucking shit.” Bucky snapped back to the stunned and frustrated Steve.

———————————————

Later That Night

———————————————

The main gang, minus Thor, sat around in the living room enjoying a round of drinks after a stuffing dinner. Chatting and laughing, ignoring the awful tension hangin in the air. Tony was trying his best to get closer to Peter but every time he went to hold his husband’s hand the boy would move his hand away. After a long hour of Peter’s odd behaviour Steve decided to bring up the little conversation he and the boy had had earlier in the hall, thinking that everyone would back him up now.

“Hey, Tony. You know you’re kid there thinks you and he are married. He’s got Bucky convinced. You wouldn’t marry a nineteen year old, let alone a boy. I think you gotta send the boy to a camp or something. I’m sure they got those around still.” Everyone went dead silent at Steve’s words, watching Tony’s cigs slowly turn and figure out what had been going on all day.

“Excuse m-“ Tony went to question when Peter jumped to his feet and quickly rushed out of the room. Tony went to run after him but Bucky put a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Nat and I have Peter.” Bucky said as the two Russians quickly made their way after the boy whilst Tony’s attentioned turned to Steve. The man was seeing red. Walking over to the super solider he landed a right hook straight into his jaw.

“Don’t ever talk to my husband like that ever again. There is nothing wrong with him! Sure he is young but he’s old enough. We didn’t want to wait and as for him being a boy! So what if he has a penis! If Peter was a girl I would still marry them. I love him so if you ever hurt him again... I’ll do more then hurt you.” Tony was seething, fire in his eyes and his fingers clenched in anger. Turning on his heel he marched out of the room, all the other tailing sending Steve looks of disappointment and disgust.

“Tony.” Peter’s soft voice squeaked from the arms of Natasha who was doing her best to calm the crying boy. Tony made quick work of bundling the boy up in his arms.

“I got you, Bambi. Don’t listen to anything that man says. He’s stuck in the past. You are perfect and I love you.” Tony continued to whisper sweet nothings to his distraught husband. Picking the boy up in his arm the older man smiled thankfully to those around him before taking his sweet doe eyed boy up to their bedroom.

“I’m sorry.. I didn’t mean to cause all that.” Peter’s voice cracked, trilling with emotion as he was placed down on the bed. Tonight was suppose to be a fun night before the two would go off on their honeymoon, which they had put off for months now in order to try and get everyone back.

“Hey now, now of that was your fault. I didn’t know Steve was that kind of guy. I just assumed he was going to be like Bucky not... not like he was.” Tony slowly undressed, chucking his T-shirt beside the boy before pulling on some fresh underwear. Peter followed suit and changed out of his clothes, putting on fresh underwear as well as Tony’s discarded tshirt. It was a routine by now. If the shirt was dirty or sweaty it went in the hamper and Peter slept in his own shirt but if Tony’s shirt was clean and decent then it’s Peter’s. It started as a cute comfort thing and now it was just one of those things they did. The couple climbed into bed, Tony pulling his emotionally exhausted spider tight to his chest. Peter finally melted into his husband and let himself relax, the whole day had been full of Peter jumping away and turning away Stark’s affectionate advances which cut deeper then anything Steve could say but as the two listened to eat other’s heart beats every was fine and the cuts slowly healed. Well until Peter rolled over and sat in “Mr Stark’s” lap and started moving in a way that should be illegal. Guess the boy felt like he had to stake his claim, not that Tony was complaining.

———————————————

The Next Day

———————————————

The loved up couple woke the next morning to the sounds of birds chirping, a lovely alarm clock that Tony made for them because it was Christmas and even the evil guys don’t fuck with Christmas. Peter woke up with a giddy smile and wiggle of his sore bum and Tony woke up with a groan as he bitch slapped he alarm clock.

“Few more minutes..” Tony mumbled as Peter nudged at him. Ever since the two began to sleep in the same bed Tony’s been sleeping like the sleeping beauty, something about have his world in his arms just calmed him and out his anxieties to rest enough for the poor man to sleep. Now Tony was just like every other human once they discover the true power of sleep.

“No come on. It’s our honeymoon! Come one we gotta get going.” Tony show up and scooped Peter up in his arms.

“I was promised kinky sex and kinky sex I shall get.” Tony proclaimed as he marched the two of them to the bathroom to shower and get ready for their journey.

When Peter and Tony finally came out into the compound kitchen they were met by a lovely stack of waffles and assorted condiments as well as a large banner that hung across the roof saying “HAPPY HONEYMOON!” Peter beamed at those around him; Bruce, Nat, Clint, Vision, Wanda, Bucky, Sam, Rhodey and even T’Challa and Everett were waving from a little hologram on the table but best for last.. Tony was there with him. Everyone sat down and had a nice breakfast. Tony gloated about having such a flexible young husband that could “do the rounds” which lead to Nat covering her ears and telling Tony to never speak like that about her child again. This was family, this was all Peter ever wanted. During the whole chaos of screaming Vision handed Peter a little gift that was a necklace that was a small avengers logo made out of vibranium. There was a small little icon for each member of the team, Tony and Peter being in the centre. It was a gift to bridge the gap, from one side to the other.

“Come one guys. This is ridiculous. Has he got you all drugged or something? There is no way that Tony married this kid! It del-“ Peter shot up and with a flick of his wrist Steve’s mouth was webbed shit. The tiny boy marched his way over to Steve, looking him square in the eye as he kicked the solider full force in the nuts. Sure that stuff wouldn’t usually hurt but Peter was one of the strongest on the team so.. Steve was doubles over clutching his parts for dear life.

“I have a honeymoon to get to.” Peter huffed as he turned around, waltzing back to Tony where he grabbed hold of his husband’s tie and tugged him towards the exit. The cheering avengers wolf whistled and hollered as the followed the couple to the door, waving them a goodbye before everyone went about their day. Bucky returned to where Steve was now sitting on the ground but the freezor with a pack of peas over his nuts.

“I told you Steve, shut the fuck up.” Bucky smirked as he left with a plate full of waffles.

Tags:

@itfeelssogoodmrstark @stereksoulmates

@animefan1998-love

#starker moodboard #tony stark x peter parker #steve is a douche #bucky is ulitmate big bro #nat is momma spider #tony wants the kinky sex #starker #starker fluff #I wrote this at 12am at night #no one can stop the gay #also spidey kicks people in the dicks again #tony bitch slaps his clock

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oneshotstomyheart · 5 years

Text

Double the fight, Double the anger - Part 3/3

Stucky x reader

Warnings; major fluff ahead, some angst, comfort

“I’m coming home.” Y/N spoke into the phone, standing up from the couch only to immediately feel the ground shift beneath her. Y/N fell back on the couch, feeling a wave of nausea when pictures started falling off the walls and the sound of glass shattering surrounded her. Coming to the realization, Y/N faintly heard Bucky’s voice, “Y/N?!” before static erupted through the phone. Tightening her grip, she stood in shock before rushing to get out of the middle of the living room. Bringing the phone back up to her ear, Y/N heard Steve’s voice coming through the static questioning where she was. “Steve I’m at Natasha’s!” Receiving only a dial tone in response, and knowing it was no use trying to call back, she threw the phone to the side while standing in the door of the hallway. “Nat!”, she screamed again, wondering how crazy she would seem if she ran all the way to the other side of the apartment to Natasha’s room.

“Y/N! Are you alright?!”, she heard a voice yell from rooms away. Y/N felt her shoulders sag in relief, though it was short-lived by the building starting to crumble.

“The building is going down, we have to get out!” Y/N shouted, feeling fear creep up her neck like a snake, wrapping around her throat and shortening her breath.

Hearing a deep crack, Y/N slowly turned back to the living room. As if time was frozen, Y/N watched as the carpet started to open up. It was like the gates of hell were right at her feet. Suddenly, the room was at a tilt and Y/N was hanging for dear life from the doorway of the now split in half apartment. She felt the water from the drain pipes being sprayed onto her and looked down to see her shoe fall into the cracks of rubble down below.

“Y/N!” Nat screamed, being on the more upright side of the apartment. While still at a tilt, Nat held on as she scaled the walls.

Y/N felt her heart in her throat when her grip on the doorway starting to slip, a scream slipping through her lips. Digging her fingernails in the wood and scratching to hold on, blood started pouring down her hands. “NATASHA!”, tears of fear slipped down her face as she screamed. She could fight evil men, but not mother nature. And right now, mother nature was kicking her ass.

Natasha tried to move toward where she saw Y/N hanging but had nothing to hold onto or use to pull them back up. “I’ll be right back, just hold on!” Moving as fast as she could, she went toward the utility room. Only seeing an old rope, Natasha tied it around her waist to carry out.

“Y/N?! I’m here! I’m sending down this rope, okay? Grab it and I’ll pull you up!” Nat screamed, faintly hearing a form of agreement back before looking around to see what she could tie it to. Knowing tying it to herself was too risky for both of them, she tied it to the wooden pillar and tossed it down below. “Grab it!” she yelled out.

Seeing the rope fall just above her face, Y/N pried one of her bloody hands off the wood and made a grab at the rope. Missing the first couple of times, she finally got a good enough grip to pull herself up and grab it with her other hand. Finding solace at the moment, it was short-lived as she heard the worst sound possible. [SNAP]

Looking up in horror at Natasha, Y/N knew exactly what was about to happen. “NO!” Natasha roared, reaching out too late as the rope snapped in half, breaking off and sending the other agent down below.

+++++++

Dead.

She should be dead. She felt the wind in her hair and face as she fell, yet never the impact of the ground.

Opening her eyes, Y/N looked down to see the huge pile of mass destruction below her. Feeling the pressure on her wrist, Y/N looked up to see a face she never thought she’d see again.

“I got you, Honey,” Steve said, looking deep into her shocked eyes with his relief filled ones.

As she dangled in the air, she looked up past Steve to see Bucky holding onto a pipe while simultaneously keeping ahold of Steve’s other arm. It was like the barrel of monkeys game, each of them having a grip on the other while hanging. It would be amusing if it was any other situation.

Hearing someone shout her name from above, Y/N stretched her neck to see Natasha peering down from what’s left of her apartment. Apparently, she had fallen at least a few stories before they caught her. Seeing a rare smile grace her friend’s face, Natasha yelled, “Don’t move! I’ll be right down!”

“Like we have a choice!” Bucky yelled back, trying not to move and risk the loves of his life falling because of his grip on a weak pipe. Snorting out a laugh, Y/N spoke to her dark long-haired soldier, “Hey! Watch your tone, that’s my best friend!” After watching Bucky attempt a smile at her horribly ill-timed joke, Y/N turned her eyes to Steve.

Steve, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her since they saw her falling, decided this would be the best and worst time for his apology. However, it seemed Y/N had Wanda’s ability to read minds at the moment because she quickly snapped at him, “Steven Grant I know that look. And I swear to Thor that if you even think of using RIGHT NOW as a time to talk I will shove my foot SO far up your ass!”

“LANGUAGE!” Snapping his head away from Y/N, Steve glared at the redhead who decided to grace their presence with her jokes. Letting out a laugh at the look, Natasha quickly got to work tethering a hook to the wall and helping Bucky pull the pair up.

“Don’t think I’ve already forgotten that you’ve been hiding her here the whole time Romanoff!” Steve yelled back, causing the famous Natasha smirk in return.

++++ 1 WEEK LATER ++++

As it turns out, there was a ton of work cut out for the Avengers after the natural disaster. Enough that Steve, Bucky, and Y/N were all separated when assigned to their duties. Having learned enough from the last time, neither soldier said a word of protest when Y/N, still bloody and covered in debris, climbed on the jet to her stationed assignment in the city.

With everything happening so fast, not one of the trio could get a word in about making amends. Y/N simply hugged them both before taking off, and that seemed to be that.

Now a week later, they were all released to go home. And Y/N was conflicted. Not in the going home part, but in the totally forgiven because they saved her or not part. She was completely over feeling hurt and angry at them, but there was still the insecure part of her that felt betrayed. Something she knew they would have to talk about if they were going to move past it all.

Making her way into their apartment, already fixed thanks to Tony, Y/N immediately went for her hidden stash in the kitchen. Knowing she might actually kill one of them if her stash was empty, Y/N sighed in relief as she saw the package of newly bought unopened cookies.

Ripping them open, she never even got the chance to grab one before she was airborne. Grabbing onto the arms that were suddenly wrapped around her waist, she immediately recognized the embrace and relaxed into it. Hearing Bucky mumble words where his face was pressed into the back of her neck, she let out a small laugh, “Put me down you goof!” Slowly being put back onto her feet, Y/N spun around only to be engulfed again. This time she smiled while wrapping her arms around his neck, one hand going up to play with his hair.

Letting out a sigh, Bucky repeated his words. “I missed you so much.”, he spoke softly, holding her firmly to him as if she would evaporate into thin air.

Leaning as far back as she could, which wasn’t much considering she was practically molded to him, Y/N looked into his eyes, “I missed you, my love.” Softly kissing his lips, she smiled at him before stepping out of his hold. Bucky released his grip but quickly wrapped his arm around her waist, not wanting to give up her touch so soon.

As Bucky buried his face in her hair, Y/N noticed Steve standing across the kitchen, leaning against the door. With only a kitchen island separating them, Steve stood with his hands in his pockets and looked at her with a mix of guilt and hope in his eyes. ‘He really does look like a kicked puppy,’ she thought. Telling herself it’s better to get this over with now, she spoke firmly, “Let’s talk.”

Feeling Bucky tense up and tighten his arm around her, she led them to the living room couch.

“Sit down. I need to get a few things off my chest and I just need you to listen right now,” she started, standing in the middle of the room looking like she was about to speak at a wake.

Clasping her hands together in front of her, she stood as straight as she could before neutralizing her face, “This isn’t easy for me, and I know you both want to apologize and explain but I need to say this otherwise it will never be said. You two will NEVER do what you did to me again. I was my own person before I met both of you, and I will continue to be my own person for the rest of my life, regardless of if you the two of you are in it or not. I make my own decisions and life choices, neither of you have the right to do so. Saying it was only to protect me was very noble, but very stupid. I have been an agent long before Steve was even brought out of the ice. I know what I am doing and if either of you have a problem with that then I will leave. For good this time. You two mean everything to me,” Y/N broke off, voice cracking softly before she cleared her throat and started back strongly, “But my independence is something I hold very dear. As well as my trust. And both were broken by the two of you. I have been mistreated my whole life by men who thought they were better than me, I stopped taking that shit a long time ago. Don’t think for a second that my love for you excuses you to treat me the same way as all those men before.” Y/N finished, switching eye contact between the two men on the couch who both had their heads slightly bowed in shame.

“I want to thank both of you as well.” Y/N fought to contain a smile when they’re heads snapped up to look at her, eyes widening in confusion. “I realize it completely goes against everything I just said, but I am grateful the two of you were there to catch me last week. So thank you.” She smiled at them before narrowing her eyes, “However, don’t mistake that as a damsel in distress moment. I am perfectly capable of saving myself, that only proved that we work better as a team than working alone if anything.”

Letting her words sink in, Y/N relaxed her form. Feeling the anxiety lift off her chest, she took a seat on the coffee table in front of her soldiers. Bucky took the chance of the closer proximity to grab her left hand with both of his, rubbing the back of it softly. She squeezed it in reassurance before glancing at the one person who had yet to speak.

Knowing it was usually her and Steve who went head to head in previous arguments, Y/N mentally prepared herself for his stubborn nature to prove himself right. However, that never came. Instead, she watched as her strong blonde soldier knelt to the ground, burying his face in her lap while wrapping one arm around her waist.

Locking her shocked eyes on Bucky, she only saw understanding in his. Removing one of his hands from hers he placed it on Steve’s back, rubbing it in circles to comfort him.

Placing her free hand on Steve’s head, she started running her fingers through his hair. Hoping it would give him the comfort it usually does. After a few minutes of complete silence, Steve lifted his head and spoke softly, “You’re right. You trusted us and we took that trust and destroyed it. We betrayed you, and that’s something I'm going to have to live with for the rest of my life. But if you forgive us, I promise, no no I swear that I will spend the next 100 years making up for it. All I know is I never want to live without either one of you ever again. I’m so sorry baby.” Y/N let out a breath, looking into his genuine eyes. Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to his lips, signaling her forgiveness before looking expectantly, and somewhat jokingly, at Bucky. Tilting her head, she watched as he started fidgeting nervously under her stare.

Knowing he went through enough the past few weeks with his nightmares, she cut him off when he started to speak. “Doll, I’m so sorr-”

“I know.” she smiled at him. “I’ll take that offer on both of you making it up to me very soon, don’t worry.” She winked at him, watching a grin spread across his face. Grabbing her waist and pulling her from Steve’s grip, Bucky lightly threw her on the couch and curled up into her side. Steve threw a blanket over the three of them, then leaned down and gave Y/N a passionate kiss before placing a quick affectionate one on Bucky’s forehead and laying his head on Y/N’s shoulder.

“I missed this” Bucky muttered, reaching across Y/N’s stomach to hold Steve’s hand. Laying her head on top of Steve’s, Y/N started running her hand through Bucky’s hair. Frowning to herself, she interrupted the moment to sarcastically say,

“Completely off-topic, when was the last time either of you had a shower?”

+++++++

Ahhh!! I am SO sorry this part took so long! I started clinic and could barely find the time!! Anyways this is it! Please tell me what you think and feel free to request anything with anyone! I have my schedule sorted out now so I will have more free time on my hands!

Also so grateful for all the attention the last two parts received, I was so nervous I wasn’t going to be able to make this one live up to them! Hopefully, it does! Love you guys!

P.S. I just want to point out something I did not mention in the first two parts. Natasha does not live far from Steve, hence how they both got to her place so quick. I didn’t realize it until after I was done with the whole thing that I did not talk about that anywhere, so please don’t hate me for the error. :)

#stucky #stucky x reader #marvel #marvel one shot #one shot #imagine #steve rogers #bucky barnes #angst #comfort #marvel fanfiction #fanfic #stucky fanfic #series #fanfiction #steve rogers one shot #bucky barnes one shot #stucky one shot #accepting requests

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hxxgxx · 5 years

Text

Picking Up The Pieces - Chapter 26

Mingyu x Reader

Chapter 26

You stormed out of Pledis, fuming. How dare he try to control your life! You were tired of running away from your problems, yes it had brought you to Korea and meeting the boys, but no more. Enough was enough. You had to put the fear to the side and stand up for yourself for once. Jack had no power over you anymore. None and now it was time to prove it.

The fresh air was doing you good and you decided to walk a bit to help you calm down a bit faster. You hated that you had a fight with Mingyu, but he needed to realize that you were your own person and you could make your own choices, even if he thought they were stupid.

Slowly, the air began to take effect and you began to calm down as you wandered through the streets. While it was the middle of the day, the sky’s dark storm clouds made it feel like night. Even some of the street lights began to turn on. Zoning out you just kept on walking and walking, with no destination in mind.

Mingyu raced out of the building to find you and frantically looked up and down the street. Empty. You were nowhere to be seen.

“Shit,” he said, causing people on the street to look at him strangely. He quickly got his phone out and called Seungkwan. “Hey Kwan, she’s not out here.”

“Maybe she went for a walk?”

“I’m going to go look for her. Did you bring a coat today? The sky is freakishly dark and I know she didn’t have one on when we left her apartment this morning.”

“Ya, I’ll bring it down, just a minute,” Seungkwan replied hanging up the phone.

Mingyu sighed, waiting in the lobby. Why did he have to have such a bad temper when it came to you. All he wanted to do was keep you safe, but he lost all of his common sense. Of course you wanted to keep working. You loved your job. He felt like such an idiot for saying you’d cause the kids to get hurt.

“Here you go man,” Seungkwan said, interrupting his thoughts. “Don’t get stuck in your head. You like her and want her to be safe, we know that, but she doesn’t. Just explain it to her, tell her how you’re feeling and she’ll understand, okay? Just make sure she’s okay.”

Mingyu thanked him once again and started out to look for you. He kept calling, but your phone kept putting him straight to voicemail. “Serves me right, I’d do the same thing,” he thought to himself. However, when he checked all of your usual places around Pledis and you were nowhere to be found, he began to worry once again.

Eventually, Mingyu began to walk around, frantically calling your name and constantly calling to no avail. He racked his brain trying to think of where you could’ve gone, when suddenly it dawned on him.

You had found yourself at the Han River after what seemed like an eternity of wandering around. This river always calmed you and you found you were in the same spot where you had first met all the boys together. Sitting down you got lost in your thoughts staring out at the water. You didn’t know why Jack still cared about you after everything that he had done and you definitely didn’t know why he came all the way to Korea. What did he want with you? Why now You sighed and put your head in your hands, the tears beginning to flow. Not because of sadness, but because of the overload of emotions you were feeling: fear, anger, frustration and hurt.

Mingyu ran to the river, hoping with all his heart that you would be there. When he saw your crouched over figure sitting on the grass, he stopped trying to catch his breath, a sense of relief washing over him. However, when he noticed your shoulders shaking from crying, his heart broke in two. Carefully, he walked up and sat down beside you, not too close.

“Y/N,” he whispered. When you didn’t reply it crushed him. “Princess...I’m so sorry...please...”

You looked up at him, eyes red from crying, but dead from any emotion. “What?”

He winced, “I shouldn’t have said what I said...it was too far. I know that. I’m so sorry.”

“You’re right. You shouldn’t have.”

Mingyu gulped. You weren’t giving him anything. He knew you were mad and that in order for you to forgive him, he’d need to be honest. “I just want to protect you.”

“Mingyu, I’m not some fragile little doll that’s going to break. I have a life that I want to live, you know. You get to do all these amazing things, but have stalkers that follow you and the boys. Why do I have to give up everything and hide away? That’s not living anymore and if that’s what I have to do I might as well go back home cause that’s what life was like there.”

“Please...don’t go...”

“Let me breathe then! I can’t do this hiding thing anymore. I’m sick of it!” you exclaimed. Mingyu knew you were right.

“Okay.”

“Thank you! Also, you are not off the hook. How dare you yell at me like that! I’m not some thing you get to control Kim Mingyu. You don’t get to make my life decisions for me. I never thought you’d talk to me life that. I thought you were better than that.”

Again, Mingyu winced, your words cutting him sharply. “I just want to keep you safe.”

“Mingyu, it’s not your job to do that!”

He sighed, knowing he was about to spill everything to you. “Can’t it be?”

You froze. Did he just say what you thought he said. “What...?”

You watched Mingyu take a deep breath before he turned and met your eyes for the first time since he had sat down. “Y/N, I like you. Like, like like you. I want to be the person that you rely on, the person you call when you need to talk. The one that makes you smile and the one that keeps you safe. I know you probably don’t feel the same way, but I just can’t keep pretending to be just your friend anymore. I know it’s not an excuse for my actions and I am so sorry for the way I acted, but it did come from a place of love. It’s not okay for you to be treated that way and I promise I won’t ever talk to you like that again, but I like you Y/N. It breaks my heart to see you hurt and to see someone threatening you and I just wanted to protect you and keep you happy.”

You stared at him, shocked at what the boy in front of you had just said. Your heart was pounding so loud, you were sure he could hear it. You turned your wide gaze back to the river, trying to absorb what had just been said. Mingyu on the other hand stared at you, trying to gage your reaction.

After what seemed like an eternity you finally spoke. “You’re an idiot you know that?”

Mingyu snapped his eyes to meet yours, which glinted with humor.

“I like you too you big oaf,” you said with a laugh. Mingyu’s whole face lit up as he wrapped you in a big hug.

“Am I forgiven?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, but if you ever speak to me like that again we are going to have problems Kim Mingyu.”

“Yes ma’am,” he replied, tightening his hug causing you to laugh.

“Mingyu?” you questioned looking up at him.

“Yes my princess?”

“I’m freezing, can we go back home before it rains?”

Mingyu smiled, taking your hand as the two of you walked back to the company. The anger from before vanished and replaced by the giddiness of what had just occurred. Not much was said on the walk back, but the smile and shy looks at each other said it all.

“Gyu?” you asked quietly.

“Mhmm?”

“What do we tell the others?”

Mingyu just laughed. “They all knew how I felt about you and kept telling me you liked me too, but I was too stubborn and scared to listen to them.” He smiled, looking down at your hand in his. “I don’t think that they’ll be that surprised.”

You nodded as you held his hand tightly, going back up to the meeting room. Mingyu gingerly opened the door and poked his head into the room.

Vernon jumped up, “Please for the love of god tell me you found her!”

“Yeah, I did,” he smiled squeezing your hand as you stood behind him still.

“Good. We’ve got a problem,” the PR head stated.

You dropped his hand and pushed into the room, eyes wide. What now...

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