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deliciousangelfestival · 3 years

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Loving You Is Too Difficult - Don’t Let Me Go - Chapter 7

Don’t Let Me Go

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Character: Steve Rogers x Female Reader

Words: 4,797

Theme: Angst.

Author Note: Fiuh, finally it’s completed. It’s pretty challenging to edit this one. Thank you for joining the ride. I hope you enjoy reading the last chapter. I will post the epilogue tomorrow.

In this chapter, there will be a mixed point of view between the reader and Steve.

Divide from @firefly-graphics

Song prompt that inspired me for this chapter is Cigarettes After Sex - Don’t Let Me Go.

(Y/N) P.O.V

Four days before they met.

“Are we there yet?” Oliver asked.

After a long flight for 18 hours, you finally could answer, “Yes dear, the pilot said the plane would land shortly.”

“Brother, wake up.” Ollie patted Harley’s chest. From the day you introduce both of them, they become close like real siblings. Oliver likes having a big brother.

You chuckled, seeing the way Oliver woke Harley from his sleep. It made Harley mumble, ‘Five more minutes’. After he successfully annoys his big brother, Oliver jumps down from the seat and sits on your lap. “I can’t wait to meet sister Morgan, aunty Pepper, uncle Rhodey, Happy, Grandpa Ross…-”

His excitement affects you too; you kiss his forehead, “We will see them tomorrow.”

“Miss (Y/N).” One flight attendant approaches you.

“Yes?”

“We just got a message from the air control. Someone is waiting for you.”

“Who?”

“Mr. Pym and Mr. Lang.”

You were surprised. It’s been three years since you met Hank. You wonder what happened exactly that made him want to meet you.

When the plane landed safely on the runway, you saw two people standing inside the hangar. You waited until the airstair put down completely.

The moment you saw Hank and Scott, you could notice something wasn’t right.

“Hank, what’s wrong?”

“(Y/N). I’m sorry.”

“I have breached our deal.” Hank hit Scott’s shoulder. “Scott fixed the time-heist machine secretly.”

Your heart thumped when Hank mentioned the time-heist machine.

“Uhm… Something happened?”

Hank didn’t look directly in the eye and said “He came back.”

####

Three days before they met.

You don’t remember how you got back after knowing Steve didn't stay in his old time. You were silent for the whole day. Ross, who came by to the Stark Mansion also to see Oliver noticed you look lost. “My assistant told me someone hacked our system. Guess what they’re looking for?”

You never doubt how Ross' intelligence works. You sighed and answered, “Me.”

“So the rumor is true. Steve Rogers is back.” Ross’s fingers tap the table “... and he’s looking for you.”

You slowly nodded.

“I guess he will be there tomorrow. Do you want me to cancel the event?”

You surely don’t want the event canceled because of you. “Don’t do that, Ross. You haven’t celebrated your birthday for a long time, it is also a reunion party, to meet your old friend. Also, this will be the first time for Ollie to perform in front of the public.”

“That boy.” Ross shook his head while smiling. “He must be practicing diligently.” He looks through the window watching Oliver and Harley play catch together.

“Oliver wants to make his grandpa proud.”

###

Two days before they met.

You’re not supposed to feel nervous, even with the experience of performing a hundred times, but you did.

Because you knew he would be here. You wonder if he would show up and end up making a ruckus.

Ross told you, “If he tries to approach both of you, my men will be ready. Should I prepare a sniper?”

You chuckled at his crazy idea; you don’t know if he’s joking or serious. "Do you want to make Oliver scarred for life?”

Both of you perform without any mistakes. You can feel Oliver’s fingers shaken for a moment, but since you were beside him, he’s not scared anymore.

Oliver lifted his head and smiled when he saw his family giving him a standing applause.

After the performance, all of you sit at the dinner table. Rhodey, who sits beside you, whispers to your ear, “There’s an uninvited guest, but it seems like he doesn’t want to join. He prefers to stay away and watch both of you.” He shows you a photo of Steve in his disguise. Your first thought was, ‘He is still bad at wearing a disguise.’

You notice Oliver seems bored, so you let him walk around. You knew Steve was still watching over him. You don’t understand why you are using this chance for both of them to meet.

Harley told you he found Ollie talking with someone near the fish pond. “This is the first time I saw Ollie not scared with a stranger.”

‘Of course, because that man is his father.’

You didn’t tell Harley about Steve's homecoming since it looks like he doesn’t want to show his face.

If he wants to be a shadow, so be it.

When the guest starts to leave, one guest gets too familiar and gives a peck on your cheeks. You meet people like him once in a while; they try to flirt and impress you. But none of them can make your heart flutter, even for a bit.

Because part of you died after Tony died, and after Steve left, you have no desire to open up your heart with someone else because you are afraid of another heartbreak.

Your goal right now is to be a good mother for Oliver, a good aunt for Morgan, and a mentor for Harley.

####

One day before they met.

Right now, all of you are standing in front of the Stark Tower. You want to show Oliver the building that you built together with Tony. The last megaproject that you ever had with him. It seems like yesterday Tony told you about clean energy.

Happy welcome you and showed three of you around the tower. When you arrive at the top floor, suddenly the building is filled with the sound of an alarm. The loud sound made Oliver jump to your arms.

“Friday, tell me what happened.” It turned Rhodey and Ross, who told Friday to give a warning if Steve is near.

Friday, turn on the screen inside the room. Your eyes widen when you see Steve battle with Rhodey.

“It’s daddy.”

You looked down at Oliver, who recognizes Steve. You didn’t hide the truth about Steve when Oliver asked about his father. He knew his father used to be Captain America, and he’s proud of it. He’s entirely focused on watching the screen. He screamed when he saw Rhodey successfully land his fist on Steve.

It’s not suitable for children to watch violence like this; you turn off the screen that made Oliver sulking.

You bring Happy towards the private elevator. “Tell them to stop. And tell Steve to meet tomorrow at Stark Mansion.”

Happy thought he misheard you, but you look dead serious. “But why?” You didn’t answer him. He followed your gaze, watching Oliver, who was in Harley’s arm. Crying.

Happy went down to the ground floor, he didn’t want to see Steve, but he did it for Oliver.

####

The day they met.

‘THUMP.’

That’s the loud sound from Steve’s heart. Right now, he stands in front of the entrance door. He arrived at 8 a.m. He could’ve knocked but he is nervous as heck. When the clock showed 10.55, he braced himself to knock on the door.

‘Ring!’

It seems like only yesterday he came to this house to see Howard. Before, if it’s not human Jarvis who opens the door, it would be Maria. But in this era, it was Friday the A. I who welcome him.

“She’s waiting in the music room,” said Friday.

Steve feels he’s not ready to meet you. But it’s now or never. When he got closer to where you are, he could hear the music and giggle.

There you are, sitting in front of the grand piano with Oliver. You look beautiful, like the first time he met you. Under the sunlight that came through from the French window, both of you look like an angel.

You sense his presence. When you turned around, you saw him again for the first time after three years. You can feel he’s nervous.

While Steve was dumbfounded when you finally acknowledge him, you are not shocked at all. You seemed calm.

You tried your best to keep calm, then you whispered to Oliver, who was still busy playing with piano tuts, “Olie….”

“Yes, mommy?”

“Look behind you.”

Oliver turns his body; when he sees Steve standing behind him.

“Daddy!!!” He immediately rushes towards Steve and opens his arms.

When Steve heard his son call him daddy for the first time, his first thought was,‘He knew me?’

Oliver opens his arms as a sign to be picked up.

Steve's mind was blank, but his body moved by itself. His son is in his arms right now.

He holds Ollie at the party, but today is different. Because that night, both of them were strangers, but now they are father and son.

In that brief moment, they bonded.

You saw Steve and Oliver have their moment.

It is such a beautiful scene. You notice Steve rests his head on Oliver’s shoulder and puts his head down.

Steve is crying.

Physically he looks strong, but emotionally, he's not.

His heart is painful right now; it felt like someone poured acid into his broken heart. He can't help but cry because he felt like a failure. He failed as your lover and as a father.

There was an awkward moment for sure, a short ‘Hi’ and ‘Hello,’ but it’s gone because both of you have a silent agreement to have a peaceful afternoon for Oliver.

“I want to sit next to Daddy!”

Three of them sat down for lunch; the scene looks like a happy family.

When the three of you sat at the same table, Steve asked you if you would leave. He knew that you never stay in one place for an extended period.

"You're not leaving the State?"

"No, I have to attend Stark’s annual shareholder’s meeting in New York." Steve silently nodded; he wished not to be parted from both of you again.

Time flies by, Steve doesn't realize it’s already late, and he has to leave. "Daddy, are you leaving again?" Oliver snuggled in Steve’s arms and refused to let go. "Can you stay?"

Steve looked at you when he saw you nodded.

Perhaps Steve was hoping that he could stay the night. That’s why he brings changing clothes.

His son wished to sleep with both of his parents. There’s no way he would deny that request.

Three of you ended up on the same bed. Ollie moves closer towards Steve; he finally could snuggle with his father. “It’s so warm.” He never thought his dream could come true to have his mother and his father right now.

Steve looked at the beautiful features you slept. His heart is aching a lot for you.

You must have been through a lot by yourself raising a son.

Steve hated himself a lot.

Steve was caught up with the fear that you might leave him.

But in the end, he’s the one whole left you.

Steve felt the bed shaken a bit. He doesn’t want to wake up because he’s afraid this is just a dream of having you and him sleeping together.

But Steve realized that this is not a dream. The reason why he’s awake now is that he wants to talk to you.

He walks around the big house, wandering where you are until he hears a kettle sound from the kitchen.

There you are, standing beside the counter making drinks.

Without taking a glance at him, you know he’s in the same room. “I just made some tea. Do you want some?”

“Thank you,” Steve replied with a shaky voice.

When you put down the cup, it made him remember that both of you used to spend time together, if he weren’t drawing you and another thing he would read some book while you make a piece of new music.

He felt something odd and lost; the way you welcome him is just unusual. Somehow he believed that you wouldn’t even give him a chance.

The silence between both of you makes him nervous.

Steve has prepared what he wants to say to you, but now he has become speechless. It’s you who started the conversation by asking him, “Have you found what you’re looking for?”

He knew what your question meant. He clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palms. This kind of pain is nothing compared with how he abandoned you. With a low voice, Steve answered, “No.”

“(Y/N), I…” Steve tried to explain.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Steve.” You took a sip, then continued, “The reason why I let you in is because of Oliver. If you want to make amends, all I ask is for you to become a good father for him. Don’t disappoint him.” ‘-Like the way you disappoint me.’

Your words hurt; he felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. You didn’t want to give Steve a chance to explain; you got up from your seat. “If you want to stay, there’s a guest room on the second floor.”

Steve felt like he’s losing you. Since that night, you keep walking away when he gets close to you. And he’s afraid if you have someone else that is able to replace him. Steve could feel the invincible wall that you had built around yourself.

You are too calm and low-key; you still answer him but never being the one who asked him. You don’t reject him, but neither do you warm up to him.

Steve felt like a visitor.

You never once showed your anger. It made Steve feel most frightened!

It was as if he was no longer necessary to you.

Steve keep telling himself that even if you hate him, he will become a good father towards Oliver. Like right now, Steve has quality time with his son.

Oliver talks to Steve about his day “-and then….”

Steve knew Ollie’s talking ability was still progressing; he kind of stumbled in his words, but he’s trying his best because he wants to tell his story to his father. Steve caresses Oliver’s chubby cheeks. “It’s okay, take your time,”

Oliver’s eyelids start to get heavy, and he lets out a small yawn. “Daddy’s hands are warm and gentle. It makes me feel happy and sleepy.”

Steve almost let tears slip away. He kisses Ollie’s chubby cheeks, “I’ll protect you for the rest of my life.”

One day there’s only Oliver and Steve inside the house. Steve couldn’t be more happier when Ollie show his drawing. His son share the same hobby. Both of them was sitting on the floor together when Ollie said “Mommy is sad.”

Steve frowned his eyebrows “Why did you say that, Ollie?”

“She doesn’t smile like she used to. But now mommy doesn’t drink medicine to help her sleep.”

You had insomnia after the post-tantrum. Without sleeping pills, you wouldn’t be able to sleep. You hide from Ollie when you drink the medicine, but somehow, he still knows.

Steve felt a pang in his heart; what kind of torment had you been through?

Steve is gently patting Ollie’s hair. “It’s because of daddy’s fault.”

Ollie gasped and pouted, looking at his father. “Daddy has to apologize.” He clapped his tiny hands. “Ah, Ollie knew how to cheer up mommy.”

“Daddy will need Ollie’s help then.” Steve hugs Ollie tightly.

Every day he needed to capture your heart. He tried by giving you flowers, jewelry. Even the florist became well aware because Steve always came to his store. The minute Steve walks in to buy another flower, “Another one for (Y/N)?”

You never rejected his gift, but it seems like you receive a birthday gift the way you received it. But one day, you had enough and decided to ask him.

“Steve, are you planning to use this tactic to soften my heart?”

Steve was silent at the moment until he nodded. “If I can gain your forgiveness, then you are correct.”

Your face remained cold, “So you are finally able to move on from your first love, huh?”

Steve solemnly gazes at you “(Y/N); I was an idiot. It was too late for me when I realized that you’re the one for me, and my life is yours.”

“I find it hard to believe because of the reality... you left me.” You laughed sarcastically.

“(Y/N), when I went back there’s nothing happened with and Peggy-”

“Steve, I don’t think you’re a kind man.” You couldn’t help to interrupt him. You didn’t want to give Steve a chance to explain because every time he mentioned Peggy, every word he said pricked your heart.

“Because you saw her go through a time heist and saw her holding your old photo gave you enough reason to come back for her? Honestly, I find that hard to accept.”

“I don’t have lingering feelings anymore towards Peggy.”

“I dare you to say that name again!!!”

From the beginning, you knew this relationship still has a living thorn because Steve has Peggy in his heart.

“I gave you a chance. You’re the one who wastes it!”

You were fine for Steve to stay for Oliver, but asking you back it’s too much.

“You’re right (Y/N); I’m a selfish man.”

He walked closer to you and asked with a gentle voice, “(Y/N)... I want you to tell me honestly. Do you still love me?”

You felt your eyes start to sting. “Loved….Used to….”

Steve felt as if he had been struck by lightning; he clenched his teeth. If you ultimately moved on… He will never accept it.

Steve gathered his courage to say these words “ (Y/N) I’ll give up on you if I could no longer love you.”

You start to recount the events every time he left you. “After you left, because of the accord, I was waiting for you. You left a phone number, but at least I want you to be the first to call me. I always left my phone on. Hoping you would call. But no, none of it.”

“When left again to return the stone, you didn’t say anything to me. You fucking abandoned me.”

“I’m a bad mother…." "Sometimes…” You closed your eyes and choked up; you couldn’t hold back your tears anymore. “I wish Oliver didn’t have your eyes. It hurts seeing him reminded me of you.”

Steve reached to grab your fingers “I’m sorry (Y/N)...”

“I’m not done, Steve….” You opened your bloodshot eyes and turned to look at Steve.

“At two years old, Oliver is a smart kid. He asked where his father was. I don’t want to hide anything from him, so I show him the video of you. Oliver looks so happy, but at the same time, he feels sad because he has no father.”

“Oliver is proud to have a superhero father. He kept asking me about your achievement, and I have to answer it. Every time I have to tell him about the good things about you, I feel a knife twisted in my heart because he doesn't know that his father left for another woman."

Steve froze. He imagines little Ollie asking for him and wishing his father beside him.

“Let me ask you, why must we be together? You… who cares more about his best friend and his first love than me?” You finally said what you’d been keeping inside your heart.

Steve’s throat hurt so much that he couldn’t say a word.

“This time, we should be co-parents for Olliver. Steve, you have to let me go.”

“I can’t.” Steve’s hand still clutched yours tightly.

“From today on, I’ll stay by your side and not go anywhere else.”

Steve looks at you with reddened eyes “(Y/N). Back in 2016, I was ashamed and felt guilty because I didn’t tell you about your parents.”

“When I left, because… I’m not good enough for you. When your life starts to get entangled with me, you lose too many friends and brothers. I love you so much, but I felt guilty towards you. If I didn’t stop Fury and Tony’s invention, we could stop Thanos, and Tony wouldn't die. I thought after I left, you could have a simple life without me.”

Steve placed your hand over his heart. “I’m a petty and jealous man. I couldn’t imagine seeing you being happy with someone else.” That’s why he chooses to stay in a different era, but look what happened? He hurt many people because of his selfishness.

You were surprised to hear this. You finally understood now. It turns out Steve was unable to forgive himself. He couldn’t allow himself to be happy.

“I know I’m so far from a second chance. But from today on… I only want to love you earnestly! Let me show you my sincerity, show you how much I want to be with you forever.”

You are angry with Steve. “You can’t just come back here and expect me to welcome you with open arms.”

“I know I don’t deserve your love and trust (Y/N). I know I sound like a jerk, selfish bastard for this. But please let me stay beside you.”

You calmly stayed in Steve’s embrace and listened as Steve choked and cried, “You can use me or even break me. I don’t care. Please don’t cast me away.”

“I’m begging you.”

He refused to let go.

“I’m sorry for everything (Y/N).”

Steve said whatever came to his mind because his goal is none other than to keep you by his side.

He knew it’s not going to be easy.

He knew it’s going to be difficult to make you love him again.

After that night, Steve decided to give you some space. He’s afraid if he stays close, you would hate him more.

Steve still goes out and saves the world. He told you if you ask him to quit, he will do it. But you will never do that because saving the world is his job. You only say, "I won't ask much. Just tell me when you leave and come back from the mission."

He told you everything about his schedule and mission. He didn’t hide anything from you.

You told Oliver that Steve wouldn’t visit for a while because he has to go on a mission. He was sad at first, but he’s proud because ‘his daddy is a superhero.’

You thought nothing could go wrong until you received terrifying news.

Steve got hurt because of the mission, and he almost made it.

You felt your legs weaken. You didn’t remember how you arrived at the hospital.

Right now, you’re in the patient room, looking at the person who seems weak because of the painkiller.

“Worried about me?” With pale lips, Steve revealed a weak smile at you. He was amused when he woke up; there’s you sitting beside him.

When you saw him wake up, your first thought ‘This man, how can he still smiling when he is almost on the verge of death?’

“Of course, I’m worried and what would happen if Oliver sees you like this.” You get up from your seat after pressing the button to inform the doctor. When you left the room, you felt at ease seeing him wake up.

You and the doctors ordered him to stay at the hospital, but he insisted on going home. Nothing could stop him. Even if he’s dying, all he wants right now is to be with you and Oliver.

When both of you arrived at home, you planned to let Steve rest first. Then he could see Oliver tomorrow morning. But it turned out Oliver didn’t sleep at all. He ran to you with tears on his face since he saw Steve look hurt from hand casts and bruises. “Mommy, daddy got hurt.”

You try to calm him down. “It’s okay, baby. Daddy is a super-soldier. He will be alright.” You looked at Steve.

Steve felt stabbed seeing his son cry because of him. “That’s right, buddy. I’ll be okay tomorrow morning.”

“Really?” Oliver lifted his head and looked at Steve.

Steve chuckled, seeing the snot on Ollie’s nose. He wiped the tears and nodded. “Because both of you are here, I’ll be alright.”

That night, Ollie refuses to separate from Steve. Seeing Oliver fall asleep on Steve’s chest made your heart soften.

You couldn’t possibly ignore the father and son relationship.

Your tears start to slip.

If Steve never left, he would become a great father, and Ollie would never cry at night wishing to have a father.

Steve wakes up from his sleep because he could hear a sound. He saw you crying.

He promised himself not to make you cry again, but now you’re crying because of him. With care, he removes Oliver from his chest and makes sure he doesn’t wake up.

Steve quickly got up and chased you. When he got closer and touched your shoulder, he got a surprise attack from you like nine years ago.

‘SLAP.’

You slap his right cheek, the next he does is give you the left cheek. This time he won’t run away. You're not even holding back to slap him again, forming another handprint on his face.

It was like you were venting out all your resentment, placing all your strength in your fists to express the rage and unspeakable grievances you have experienced! "Why? Why are you still able to make me worried? Why do I still care about you? I hate you! You jerk! Why are you treating me like this?" You rage at Steve until your voice is hoarse, then start to push him away.

Even though his super serum helps him, Steve doesn’t move, but the part of his body that you hit can. It hurt him. He is still standing firmly in place as he locks his deep gaze towards you.

You had every right to be angry! In the past three years, you have gone through so much.

His gentle expression almost drives you mad.

"Don't stare at me like that! Stop! Just don't!" As tears well up in your eyes, you try to endure, preventing them from falling. As though crying would be like admitting something.

You have always been resisting, always refused to admit. Your feelings towards Steve are not as much as in the past, but you are still affected when you see his reddened eyes and how weak he was on the hospital bed.

It’s embarrassing to admit it, but deep down, you miss him.

Steve remains silent throughout this exchange. Listening to your rapid breath as though you were holding back your tears. He brings you into his arms.

God knew how many times he yearned to reach out to touch you. Gently, like he used to, caressing your face.

Finally, after waiting for ten years, he could have you again.

"Shh, don't be afraid. I'm here. I'm here for you." His voice is so soft and so tender, like a feather gently enveloping her. "I won't leave. I won't abandon you. I'm right here beside you."

You open your eyes, lashes lightly fluttering. After a while, a tear accidentally flows down, one drop followed by another, dripping onto Steve’s shoulder, causing his heart to tense.

Three years ago, he left you alone crying. But this time, he would never let you cry alone again. Steve hugged you tightly. His big hand gently stroked your back.

“You’re an idiot.”

Steve agreed with that. “I know.”

You bit your lips, trying hard to hold back the tears. “One last time.”

Steve thought he heard it wrong when he lifted his head; you were already looking at him. “I’m not promising that I will open up my heart towards you again. But I won’t push you away.”

“Thank you (Y/N).” Steve hugged you tightly. This time, he won’t let the last chance go in vain.

A few days later

Steve is giving a brief for Bucky and Sam before they leave. After both of them went., he got a surprise guest. Ross and Rhodey are inside his office.

“You’re a sly man Rogers,” Ross said with a cold tone.

“What do you mean?” Steve gave them a questioned look.

“That mission was meant for Wilson. Since he could fly.”

Both of them checked the mission details, and it turned out Steve volunteered himself. Steve is an expert in planning. Why did he make a stupid mistake?

It turned out Steve had other plans.

He crossed his arms, then scoffed. What they just said is correct; if he got hurt was the only way to get your attention. He will do it over and over again, “So, are you going to tell (Y/N)?”

Rhodey shook his head. “We will let it go this time. Not because of you. But it’s for (Y/N) and Oliver. I could see your sincerity begging for her forgiveness.”

“And then Oliver, I want him to be happy,” Ross added.

Years ago, he would be mad toward Ross, but Steve owed him. Because Oliver could have a grandfather, and Ross genuinely cares for his son.

“Thank you, gentleman. I’m in debt towards you both.” Steve felt relieved since he got the blessing from Ross and Rhodey.

Now Steve's last mission is to guard you and Oliver with his life.

#Steve Rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers x you #steve rogers angst #Steve Rogers x Female Reader #steve rogers x y/n #marvel #loving you is too difficult

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sophieakatz · 3 years

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Thursday Thoughts: Marvel What If’s Women Problem

Welcome back to the feminist rant!

I really didn’t intend to spend three weeks in a row writing about the Marvel animated series What If…? But I wanted to see this through.

Last week we talked about this show’s abundant use of the “fridged woman” trope. However, a show doesn’t need to kill its female characters in order to fail them.

Remember that time I made up a feminist movie test? I call it the “Want Test.” You can read the full explanation here, but here’s the summary:

This test requires that a film (or, in this case, an episode of a TV show) has at least one named female character. After watching the show, ask, “Does what the named female character want matter to the plot?” Then, score the movie based on the answer to this question.

If the answer is “Yes, what the named female character wants matters to the plot,” then give the movie a checkmark!”

If the answer is “Yes, AND this is true of multiple named female characters,” then the movie gets a check-plus. If these characters help each other get what they want, the movie gets a check-double-plus!

If the answer is “Yes, BUT her wants are an obstacle to a male character’s goal,” then the movie gets a check-minus. The woman may matter to the plot, but her importance is centered on her relationship to a male character and how much he matters to the plot. Often movies with a check-minus involve a male protagonist actively trying to stop a female character from getting what she wants; while she has an impact on the world around her, the movie isn’t rooting for the woman.

If the answer is “No, what she wants doesn’t matter,” then the movie fails the test. Give it a minus.

Okay, now let’s talk about Marvel What If. Once again, there are spoilers for the first seven episodes of this show below the cut, and some discussion of the plot points in the movies these episodes are based on.

When I compare the first seven episodes of What If to the Want Test, they each barely scrape their way to a check-minus (though after my rant last week, I’m tempted to edit my test so that a show that fridges a female character automatically fails). In summary, it does not matter what most of the named female characters want. Each episode has a single woman whose wants do affect the plot, but what she wants is always some kind of obstacle to a male character’s goal. Even when the women of What If survive the episode, the male characters’ feelings are the primary engine of the show.

As I neared the end of Episode Six, “What If… Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?” I said to myself, “Well, at least Pepper and Shuri aren’t dead.” But then, in the last minute of the episode, Shuri and Pepper meet and state their intent to take down Killmonger. And I said to myself, “Okay, so why didn’t we get THAT episode?”

Sure, it’s cool to see two smart girls teaming up, but they don’t get to do anything! This episode repeatedly puts Pepper and Shuri down. Every time they express suspicion of Killmonger, someone contradicts them. What they want does not matter. They are obstacles to the men, and they are easily pushed aside, and so all they can do is stand in the background and watch while the boys run around and play war games.

If your named female characters only matter in the last scene of the show, then they don’t really matter. This episode wasn’t about the women at all. It was about the men killing each other and making each other sad.

I really don’t want to say much about the seventh episode, “What If… Thor Were an Only Child?”

What I will say is, “Why, why, WHY is Dr. Jane Foster more concerned about hurting the hot guy’s feelings than she is about how the hot guy is about to cause the end of the world?”

And I will also say, “Why does Captain Marvel need to be nice to Thor at the end of the episode after he spent the entire episode being a jackass to her?”

And I will end this section of the blog post by saying, “Frigga deserves so much better than any man in her family has ever given her.”

The second episode of this show, “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” might be my favorite episode. Mainly because it’s the only one I genuinely liked while I was watching it. It was fun, and I was happy to hear Chadwick Boseman’s voice one more time. Overall, it’s a lovely tribute to both the actor and his character.

But, for me, liking this episode required ignoring a big problem: Nebula and Thanos’s relationship.

We don’t know exactly when in this timeline T’Challa met Thanos and convinced him to give up on the “murder half the universe” plan. But we do know that even before Thanos collected the Infinity Stones, he was roaming the universe slaughtering millions. We know he committed genocide against Gamora’s people the day he “adopted” her, and it’s safe to assume he did the same to Nebula’s. We know that he raised Gamora and Nebula to fight each other, and every time Nebula lost a fight, he replaced a part of her body with cybernetics, constantly torturing her.

What If never tells us that that Thanos did not abuse his daughters. It never tells us that he did not slaughter millions, including his daughters’ birth families. But it does tell us that Thanos is Nebula’s father. And he wouldn’t be her father if he hadn’t been roaming the universe killing people.

In this episode, we see an adult Nebula who seems to think her dad is annoying, but any feelings she might have about how genuinely terrible he is – feelings she was freely willing to admit in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies – go completely unmentioned.

Thanos and Nebula’s relationship is played for laughs, like they just need to get over their past and hug it out. That bothers me a lot. It’s like the show is saying that Nebula’s pain doesn’t matter. What matters is that Thanos is sad she doesn’t want to hang out with him.

I should also point out that in Avengers: Infinity War, Gamora gets fridged. Her feelings are unimportant to the plot; her stated desire to die before she can be used as a part of Thanos’s plot is mocked and discarded. When she is murdered, the moment of her death is all about how it would hurt Thanos to kill her. Gamora’s death also serves as motivation for Peter Quill to sabotage the other heroes’ efforts to stop Thanos.

Gamora is nowhere to be seen in this episode of What If. The women that Thanos abused really don’t matter here at all.

I’ve been putting off talking about this show’s pilot episode, “What If… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?” This episode was… You know, it was fun, in a very similar way to how the Star Lord T’Challa episode was fun. I can’t lie and say I didn’t like seeing super buff Peggy Carter beat the crap out of Nazis. That was a lot of fun.

But the thing I couldn’t stop thinking while watching was, “This isn’t Peggy’s story. It’s Steve’s!”

Peggy Carter may have gotten the super serum in this reality, but Steve Rogers is still the main driving force of the plot. Peggy goes to Germany to save Steve’s best friend. She works with Steve’s allies, the Howling Commandoes, instead of finding her own. Steve’s issues and emotions are central to everything Peggy does; she may say in dialogue that she wants to end the war, but what we see is that Steve is her motivation. In fact, he’s everyone’s motivation – in the scene where Peggy, Bucky, Howard, and the Howling Commandoes decide to go take down Red Skull, they all go around the table and say that they’re doing it “for Steve.” Not because ending the war is the right thing to do, not because they care about the millions of people murdered and tortured by the Nazis – but because they care about Steve.

When I first heard about this show, I thought that Steve was going to die, and that would be why Captain Carter would exist. The interesting/ironic thing here is that the episode pokes at the idea of fridging Steve, but it doesn’t quite have the guts to go through with it. Everyone thinks that Steve died on the train, but then they find him in Red Skull’s castle, and he’s totally fine! Killing off Captain America would have been an interesting, powerful new direction to take the story. But this episode doesn’t seem interested in taking new directions. It seems more interested in showing how things would stay the same even if Steve didn’t get the serum, even if Peggy switched careers from secret agent to superhero, even if Bucky never became the Winter Soldier, even if Red Skull decided to open a portal to tentacle hell. Things just stay the same.

And I don’t get the point of presenting us with a show where there are “endless possibilities” if things are just going to stay the same. If Peggy Carter will still be a side character in Steve Roger’s story. If Hank Pym’s grief still matters more than Janet and Hope Van Dyne’s lives. If Thanos will still never be held accountable for abusing Gamora and Nebula. If Doctor Strange is still an arrogant jackass. If the only realities we see are ones where men get to act and feel, and women get to be plot devices.

The truth is that the Watcher just isn’t interested in showing us realities where women live and thrive in their own right. For all its emphasis on how different decisions can cause dramatic changes to reality, the creators of What If have no real investment in making different decisions in how they portray female characters. It’s just more of the same.

I’m done thinking about this show. Let’s talk about something else next week, okay?

Be good to yourself, be kind to each other, and you’ll hear from me again soon!

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tillthelandslide · 4 years

Text

Broken

Anon request: “hi love, hope you are doing well.. I want to request you something.. Can you please write a fic/series where Henry's Gf dies.. and he is absolutely devastated and a mess since then ..He remembers their fond memories, her immense love for him.. He is left to live the aftermath and misses her..(intense angst) I think with your writing this will be loved by all.. Please consider this request.. Love you <3″

A/N: This was honestly such a hard one to write, imagining Henry to be like this honestly broke my heart, I was literally a sobbing mess the whole way through. This was very different for me but I’m glad I expanded my horizons and wrote this. I would say I hope you enjoy it but I don’t think it's appropriate.

Also I know you asked for it to be Henry’s gf but I started writing it and it became wife so sorry. Also I usually write my stories as “you” but I’ve been wanting to switch it up a little so my stories don’t seem too repetitive.

Also I listened to Goner by Twenty One Pilots (one of my favourite bands) whilst writing this so if you wish to listen to that, to add to the mood, ’ve added it.

I love you all so much - L

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(if you would like to be added to my tag list, feel free to message me, if you are new to my blog then I post Henry Cavill fanfics and make Henry Cavill fake Instagram posts, my requests are open so feel free to request anything and I will try my best to make your vision come to life. Edit: requests are still open but there might be a delay as I am working my way through the current ones and all other stories I am writing)

youtube

Broken : Henry Cavill Fan Fiction

Warnings: mentions of death, severe angst, crying and sobbing Henry. Please do not read this if you think it will impact your mental health. Mental health matters and always comes first. Here for anyone who needs to talk

He had never believed in the idea of the human heart shattering into a million pieces... until he lost her. This dreadful event had been the downfall of his once perfect life.

Darkness. That’s all his life was now, the existence of her had changed his life, she was his saviour, his salvation, but the loss of his one true love, that destroyed his life. She was the brightness even in the darkest of times and places. Everything he had loved before, he despised now, everything reminded him of the woman he once held in his arms, the one he was lucky enough to call his wife. He was convinced he would never be the same again, he felt like his heart had been combined with hers and when she left him, his heart left him too. He hadn’t expected this, he had expected to grow old with her, have 4 or 5 children and several grandchildren to carry on the couples legacy. She had promised him that’s what would happen. She vowed to love him until their final days, and he had underestimated when that day would be.

Here he sat, in their garden, a cigarette between his fingers, bringing it up to his lips and taking a deep puff, the tar slipping down his throat and coating his lungs with filth, she’d scold him if she were here... but she wasn't. He knew it was bad for him, but he didn’t care anymore. He needed an escape, he didn’t want to feel anymore, he wanted all the agony and anguish to disappear, leave him like she had.

God knows why he blames himself but he does. She had her whole life left ahead of her and this cruel world stripped that from her, removed all opportunities for the both of them to live a full and happy life together.

“I miss you my love” he says, to the sky, the darkness perfectly resembling himself, the stars in the sky seemed to be dimmed, apart from one, which was glistening brightly. He had decided that was her, watching down from heaven. Heaven was another thing he hadn’t believed in until his world collided with hers. She was this angelic being and had to have fallen from heaven, there was no other explanation to her beauty, her perfect personality, one in which complimented that of his wonderfully. She was the kind of person that bettered those around her, made them whole, made them purer.

Tears emptied from his eyes and he sighed, his hand which was holding his cigarette thrusting into his deep curls, curls he hadn’t washed or brushed in weeks. He didn’t think he could cry anymore, but here he was, water running down his face like a flood, amplifying his red and bloodshot eyes, the deep and bruising bags underneath his eyes a reminder of his soul crushing pain. His hand moved back down, slipping the tip of the cigarette back in between his lips, sucking it.

“God I fucking miss you baby” he says, his voice completly broken, he sounded like a character in a show or film, a different person alltogether and he supposes he is now he’s without his wife. He hears a knock on the door and swears, picking up the ash tray and walking with it, inside his house, where he plods to the door, swinging it open and seeing her best friend.

“Fucking hell Henry” she says as she sees him, the lead in her hands attahced to the collar around his dogs neck, Kal looks up at him making him turn away, even Kal reminds him of her and he can’t deal with him at the moment, hence why her best friend was looking after him. She closes the door behind her, following his trail back outside, releasing Kal from his collar, letting him roam the house.

“Thought you’d want to see Kal” she says, sitting outside with him, it was freezing and dark but she bared it, picking up his pack of cigarettes and taking one for herself.

“You don't smoke” he grunts, flicking the ash at the end of the cigarette into the ashtray.

“Neither do you” she quips back, making him raise his eyebrows, putting out the cigarette as it reaches its end, pulling one from his packet and lighting it instantly, needing his lungs to be filled with the poison.

“If she saw us now” her friend says, making him sigh, more tears falling down his face.

“Fuck” he says, wiping them away, the last thing he needed was her friend seeing him completly destoryed, she would for sure tell his family and hers and that would damage him even more.

“Henry” she says, sympathy laced in her voice.

“I miss her so fucking much” he says, making her reach forward and take his hand.

“Me too” she says, not knowing what to say, but she squeezes his hand, making him tear it back not wanting the attention.

“You don't understand,” he says, making her scorn him.

“Of course I don’t. It’s not as if she was my best friend. For fuck sake Henry, I’m trying to be here for you, its what she wanted” she said, looking away, her eyes landing on that same twinkling star, taking a puff from the cigarette.

“Well she’s not fucking here so who the fuck cares” he spits.

“Amazing. She wouldn’t have wanted this” she says, standing up, taking one last puff of her half used cigarettes, stubbing it out before leaving him.

“Wait” he says, stopping her in her tracks, she looks back, her eyes falling over his face, tears now streaming down his face, she walks over to him and his hands reach out to her, they’ve never done this but she knows he needs it, so she wraps his arm around him, his tears sinking into her shirt as his head rests against her.

“I’m so sorry” she says, tears springing in her eyes too.

“I can’t live without her” he sobs, his voice cracking making her heart ache for him.

“Henry” she says as she hears Kal crying behind her. Henry pulls away and looks at the dog, his face falling, the dog's large eyes looking into his.

“Hey buddy” he utters half heartedly and the dog walks up to where he’s sat outside, Henry puts out his cigarette and his hands begin to pet the dog's head.

“He’s had his hair cut” he says, making the friend nod.

“Yeah, he needed it, I know she usually takes him on Monday’s so I thought I’d take him” she says making Henry frown.

“Shit, did you tell Caroline?” he says, talking about the groomer she usually takes Kal to.

“Yeah” her friend says, a frown on her face too.

“I forgot to tell her.” he says.

“It’s okay, it’s the last thing you needed to remember” she says, referring to the long list of people Henry had to notify.

“We need to sort out the funeral, I can plan it if you’d like?” she says, making Henry shake his head, still petting his dog.

“No that’s okay, I should do it” he says, his voice breaking as he sobs loudly again.

“Henry, she'd hate to see you like this” she says, her hand gesturing to the man whose features looked uncanningly like another person.

“Well she’s not fucking here is she?!!” he shouts making her friend flinch.

“Sorry” he utters, dropping his head into his hands.

“I just wanna be alone” he says.

“No you don’t” she says, dropping down to her knees, placing her hands on his knees so she’s level with his face.

“Talk to me, she asked me to be here for you and that’s what I tend to do” she says caringly.

“Well I don’t fucking want you here, I want her and she’s fucking dead” he shouts, knocking her back, her hands landing on one of Kal’s paws making him yelp.

“Shit, I’m sorry” he says, to her best friend and to Kal.

“I’ll just fuck off then” she says, giving up. The dog looks longingly at his dad as she storms inside, before she comes back with the lead clipping it onto the dogs collar, slamming the door as she leaves the house.

“Fuck” he shouts, standing up from his chair. He walks back inside, looking around his house. His hands land on a vase containing flowers from his mother and he throws it aggressively against the wall, the noise ringing out dramatically in the empty house. It smashes against a picture on the floor, the picture falling loudly to the floor, the glass from the vase and the frame smashingly loudly making him swear.

“Shit” he says, walking over the picture frame, picking it up, the shards cutting his hand, but he doesn’t flinch at the pain, no amount of pain could hurt more than that in his heart. His fingers push the remaining shards of glass off the picture, revealing a picture of him and his wife on their wedding day. A small smile appears on his face as he scans her face, she looks genuinely ecstatic, that's how he will always remember her. His lips are pressed against hers and he carries her down the aisle, a smile against her lips and he remembers the moment like it was yesterday. It was the best day of his life, their friends and family were there to celebrate the union of the couple, it was the day she promised to love him forever, promised to be his faithful and loving companion until death does she part.

“We didn’t know it would be so soon huh love?” he says, chuckling despite it being far from funny. He places the frame down, deciding to clean the glass up later, he no longer had the dog to worry about and he didn’t care if he got hurt by the sharp shards.

His eyes drift to the other pictures that frame the walls, the one he had taken of her at their honeymoon, her naked body completely covered by the beach water, the waves crashing against the shore perfectly, making for the perfect picture, she had that same smile on her face and Henry’s lips lift up momentarily at the sigh.

“So beautiful” he says, looking at the picture.

The next is a picture he had taken of Kal attacking the beauty with kisses.

“That was taken after the first time we shagged '' he says to himself, chuckling at the memory. Laughing loudly when he remembers all the times she cringed when he used the word shag. They had shut the dog out wanting to save him from the sight of the two of them making love. Henry had gotten up moments after the wonderful moment when he heard his dog crying at the door, he had opened the door and Kal had jumped up on the bed, kissing her face as soon as he saw her, Henry had picked up his phone almost immediately, he remembers framing the picture on the wall but she had taken it down to cut part out (because her breasts were in the picture).

He looks at the next picture and he thinks this might just be his favourite, it was a picture of her being carried by his brothers, they had played a game of rugby and Henry was worried she would get hurt but she beat his team and his brothers picked her up to celebrate her winning the final shot. They were all laughing and so was she.

“Oh how I loved your laugh baby” he says. He walks to the kitchen, grabbing the first aid kit from the cupboard and quickly cleaning and wrapping the wound, before picking up a notepad she kept there, finding a fluffy pen she used and he began writing.

“My love,

No words can truly express how much I miss you, no words can describe my pain. So I’m not going to speak about that. I’m going to talk about how amazing you were, how amazing you will always be. The moment you walked into my life, I knew I was done for. You turned my word upside down baby. I know you were the one the moment I met you, I knew when you said my name for the first time, I knew when we kissed for the first time and every time since, when it felt like fireworks. In films we constantly see these epic ideas of love and me being the pessimist that I am never believed in them. But then I met you. And oh baby did that change. Our love was epic, and it always will be. I remember the first time you met my family, you were so nervous, you bit your lip so much that it bled. But the moment they met you, they loved you, you became one of us, that was the moment I knew I wanted to be your husband. I remember being so excited to meet your parents, because I was so curious to meet the people who shaped you into the wonderful person you are… were. I remember asking you to marry me and I was so fucking happy when you said yes, the moment you became my life will always be the best thing that has ever happened to me. And part of me is convinced that it’s the best thing to happen to anyone, anywhere. I will forever be grateful for the time I had with you but boy do I wish we had more time. I will love you forever and a piece of me will always be absent. I ask you to look over me. Heaven is one lucky place because now they have you. I was and always be your husband, your Henry. This world has no idea how lucky it was to have you, you will forever be the love of my life and I will continue to count my lucky stars, everyday baby.

Forever yours,

Henry

#henry #henry cavill #henry cavil x reader #henry cavill au meme #henry cavill angst #henry cavill blurb #henry cavill drabble #henry cavill imagines #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill fics #henry cavill fandom #henry cavill headcanon #henry cavill imagine #henry cavill masterlist #henry cavill one shot #Henry cavill requests #henry cavill reader #henry cavill writing #henry cavill story

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rinharu-purple · 3 years

Note

Hi Rinharu~ just wanted to say I enjoy reading your analysis on MLQC (mainly the Gavin content). Just wondering what particular things you didn't like about his new birthday karma? Although I understand with the edit mistakes made :/ At least they were called out for it.

A happy Sunday to you lovely anon and a grandios thank you for your support! 🤗🤗🤗

To answer your question, I'd love to take you for a detour to my post here and show you what my expectations of this event were. As you can see, none of my wishes came true (bummer). But that's not my main problem.

What bothers me is the sudden change of gear from 7th to 2nd in a matter of seconds. For example, if you ever try to turn down your cars torque that fast, your engine chokes and you experience one nasty shock of drive flow disturbance (watching some sports car review videos while writing this but the association is accurate, trust me on this :D)

How is that you might ask, and that's a legitimate question. If we take a look at the momentum of Gavin dates in the last 12 months in CN server, the sudden drop can be observed better. But I need to use spoilers for that, I hope that’s ok for you.

I'll be using @cheri-translates input for the following, so please consider taking a look at her account and leave her a like or subscription if you feel like it ^_^

The timeline of Gavin dates after his birthday event '20 in CN server looks roughly like this:

Spoilers start below this line

- Late Autumn Date: MC is dedicating the rest of her life to Gavin and they share one really steamy make session. This was plus-minus around the same time as his birthday, so we should actually get it in the ENG server soon.

- Same Path Date: This date belongs to an AU for the Double Seventh festival. This date ends with Gavin saying “I helped your village resolve the flood. In return, I will take the most beautiful lady on the altar.”

- Return from Afar Date: Aside from being one of my favorite dates, Gavin takes MC to a venue which is used for fake weddings and brings a gem with him.

- Deep Longing Date: A wholesome fluffy date where Gavin and MC visit a Scandinavian country for Xmas.

- Obsession/ When the Galaxy Falls Dates: If you haven’t seen these yet, then I wouldn’t spoil these for you. One word describes these: Perfection

- Blessings Date: Another AU date with Gavin proposing to MC.

So as you can see, during last year, MC and Gavin’s relationship has gradually evolved into a firmly established, long-term relationship which is slowly entering the “future plans, engagement/marriage” phase. Taking that into consideration, the rational move for Gavin’s birthday would be something that fits into the pattern and scheme of the dates in the last 12 months. Papergames could’ve done so many other things or even just enrich the date with the elements suitable for current Gavin x MC dynamics.

- For example they could’ve switch the badge with the actual badge that Gavin had sent to his father, perhaps even going one step further and explaining how MC retrieved from his father, accompanied by a small dialogue between MC and Gavin’s father. Allowing us to have an insight on his father’s approach to things and maybe add a sparkle of humanity into him, thus presenting the fans a tiny bit of relief.

- The date mentions kids being around the playground, where MC and Gavin hang out. Wouldn’t that be a nice detail, if they’ve spent some with the kids. Picture this: one of the girls ask Gavin if he would play piggy back ride with her and Gavin offers her playing the pilot, him being the plane and MC watching him from afar. He would then fold a paperplane for her and give her a pep-talk.

- What about adding his younger brother into the mix? Yes, I know that PG has changed their mind about Shaw being the younger brother. However Gavin still has a younger brother in the canon story. Wouldn’t that be nice touch if his brother had given him a call or just sent him a small box with trivial things to show Gavin his feelings? Both the R&S and the date are lacking emotions and quite dull if you ask me.

- Since Gavin opened up about his memory with the competition, why not take MC to the gravestones of his grandparents and his mother? They are so intimate and far in their love and trust, they should visit places that mean more to their story. Not just an old airbase to which Gavin doesn’t have any personal bond.

- The matching outfits don’t have any specific back-story to it. That’s why neither Iridescent nor the edited Caelum mean anything for the players. Funny thing, for Gavin and MC we have so many alternative options! Loveland High uniforms, STF uniform, STF drill track suits, motorcycle outfits/ or helmets or hell matching jerseys from a team, because Gavin and MC help them for a fundraising event. So many options!

- Last but not least, the dialogue between Gavin and MC is not romantic enough for a couple spending the fourth birthday together. Gavin and MC are together since four years! Sure, the older a relationship gets, the every-dayish it becomes. But this is MLQC, we are in a fantasy world and me as a player want to read a neverending romance-story.

I’m not saying its a bad date, but the way its written, it would be more suitable for a regular SR karma. I was just expecting more depth and intimacy from Gavin’s birthday karma. What MC does is also a very nice gesture, but it doesn’t look like an action one would do on her boyfriend’s birthday. Papergames usually pays much attention to previous events and sew threads between them. However everything in this date feels random: The location, the dialogue, the cake, the gift, everything.

Plus they don’t even kiss, are you kidding me?! Who doesn’t kiss her bf on his birthday?!

You see, dearest anon, I was quite felt let down by this year’s Gavin birthday event in CN server because I had very high expectations :/

How did you find the date and the R&S? I would really love to know :) <3

#anon asks #birthday #Happy birthday #relationship development #mlqc #mlqc gavin #mlqc baiqi #mlqc haku #mr. love queen's choice #mr. love dream date #mlqc analysis #mlqc spoilers

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kikis-writing-world · 4 years

Note

#1 from Fluff with Poe? :) ❤️ thank you!

Thanks so much for the prompt! I definitely started writing this and went “No, stop. It’s supposed to be fluffy!” when I realized it was going kinda angsty... so I hope the change in direction is better. Hope you like

#1: “Is that my shirt?” “You mean our shirt?”

Pairing: Poe Dameron x GN!Reader (There is description that the reader is smaller than Poe, based on the shirt not fitting and there is one moment that the reader looks up at him, but other descriptions)

Warnings: None? I mean, be ready for some light thirtsting over Poe’s happy trail but otherwise... not proofread or edited as usual.

Something caressed your cheek, rousing you from your sleep. You grumbled, snuggling deeper into the pillow beneath your head. A deep chuckle beside you was accompanied by the same caress, lower on your face. Another on your jaw, and then down your neck. The tingle of stubble trailing along with the lips that were kissing you. Warm skin. Soft, damp curls. Clean smell of citrus scented soap with an underlying metallic tang that never washes out of the pores of your pilot.

“Poe…” You breathed, a smile growing on your face. You wanted to be annoyed you were no longer asleep but as far as wake-ups go, this was a pretty good one.

“Good morning,” he sang against your skin. His voice was far too clear, telling you he’d probably been awake for a while. Damn him being a morning person.

“Mmm, what time is it?” You asked, not wanting to open your eyes to check the chronometer yourself.

“Early.” His nose nuzzled the pulse point of your neck, making you sigh dreamily. “Wanted to say goodbye before I had to go.”

“Go?” Your smile dropped a fraction.

“Don’t worry, just a quick supply run. Remember?” You had forgotten, your brain not yet awake enough to remember yesterday’s conversation. Supply run to Naboo. X-wings accompanying the ship to avoid any pirates or trouble with The First Order. Poe was good at charming merchants down a few credits. Standard stuff.

“Are you taking my droid?” You asked, your sleepy smile morphing into a smug grin. You two bickered often over who was BB-8’s favorite, an ongoing running joke from before the two of you had even gotten together. You knew Poe and BB had a bond you couldn’t even touch, but the way Poe groused anytime you tried was hilarious.

“You mean my droid?” Poe scoffed, but you could feel his lips curving into a smile against your collarbone.

“Our droid.” You conceded.

“Yes, I’m taking our droid.” Poe sighed. He pulled away from your skin only for his lips to press to yours. You moaned softly in protest - he tasted like toothpaste and you were sure you had bantha breath - but he didn’t seem to mind.

You blinked your eyes open when he pulled away, finally seeing his handsome face. It was still dark in the room, only a small lamp shining from the corner. Freshly showered and bare chested next to you, the dim light sparkled off the chain hanging around his neck.

“Be safe.” You told him, reaching up to run a hand through his hair.

He leaned into your touch. “Always am, sweetheart.”

“Liar.” You teased.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back by tonight.” He promised, turning his head to kiss your palm. You figured he caught sight of the time as he turned, swearing under his breath and kissing your forehead before springing off of the bed. He must have stayed snuggled with you longer than he meant to, you realized happily. As much as you didn’t want him to be late, it was nice knowing you had that effect on him just as much as he had on you.

You watched through tired eyes as he finished getting dressed, his pants hung low on his hips before he fastened his belt. He grabbed a shirt, barely having it over his head before he was making his way to the door.

“Love you.” You called after him as the door slid open.

“Love you too.” He answered, already dashing through the hall.

You grabbed his pillow, hugging it to your chest to breathe in his familiar scent as you fell back asleep for a few more hours.

Poe was already out of the ship when you saw him, laughing as he walked alongside Snap towards the lockers. Despite having heard the run was successful you looked him over from afar, scrutinizing for any injuries. It wouldn’t be the first time Poe got into a scuffle that didn’t impact the mission - or that he’d been injured and no one wanted to be the one to tell you. No visible blood. He wasn’t limping. No marks on his face aside from the light marks where the helmet had pressed into his skin, already fading away as he carried his helmet under his arm.

“Did he give you any trouble, Snap?” You teased as you fell into step with the pilots.

“Not this time.” Snap laughed.

Poe transferred his helmet to his other arm, leaving the arm nearest you free to wrap around your shoulders. “Do I have to remind you that I’m the commander here? I don’t answer to him.”

“No, but you answer to me.” You smiled brightly up to him, “and Snap reports back on all the stupid things you do when I’m not around.”

“Traitor.” Poe hissed, no real anger in his tone.

“Keep me out of this.” Snap held his free hand up in surrender. The three of you laughed, Snap nodding at you both before splitting up to head towards his locker while you followed Poe to his.

He hung up his helmet while you started detaching all the pieces of his harness and flight vest. There was something intimate about helping him out of his gear. You didn’t get to help him into it often - he was either leaving too early or in a rush to head out - but you loved to help him out of his flight suit at the end of a mission.

He was silent, letting you take the lead disrobing him. You knew he loved it just as much as you did. It helped bring his head out of the sky and back to the ground. Helped disengage the part of his brain that thought as Commander Dameron: making split-second decisions, fight or flight, what was best for his squadron, best for The Resistance. For a few minutes, he got to forget all that and just be your man.

With his vest hung up, you unzipped his flight suit and pushed it off his shoulders. As it fell to his waist, you stopped.

The white fabric was pulled taught over his shoulders and chest. The shirt didn’t meet his pants, a strip of tanned skin showing. His soft, but firm tummy, his belly button, the dark trail of hair disappearing under the waistline of his pants.

“Is that my shirt?” You asked, trying to figure out why this shirt was so small on him.

“You mean our shirt?” He grinned triumphantly.

You stared up at him blankly for a moment in disbelief. “Please tell me you didn’t risk cutting off your circulation all day just so you could get back at me for my comment about BB-8 this morning.”

“No,” he laughed. “I grabbed it by accident and didn’t have time to change. The payback was just a perk.”

“Was it worth it.” You sighed, shaking your head at this dork. Your dork.

“My arms hurt.”

“Okay, let’s get you home.” You winced, hurrying to get him out of the flight suit.

#Poe Dameron x Reader #Poe Dameron x GN!Reader #Poe Dameron imagine #Poe Dameron fanfic #Poe Dameron fanfiction #Poe Dameron drabble #WookieTales #answered prompts

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imagine-that-100 · 4 years

Text

Holiday | Part 18 |

Description of Part 1: Alex Turner x Reader (Female) | You’ve been friends with Alex Turner and the other boys from Arctic Monkeys since you were 13. You never for a second thought that Alex would release a song about you though. From late night phone calls and almost constant texting and teasing, you’ve managed to stay close with him over the years. When a pact is established and a holiday is arranged, life seems to be treating you very well. But a month in LA will either make or break you.

Word Count: 13.2K

Warnings: Mentions of Coronavirus, and a shit load of FLUFF!!!

A/N: So this is it. I can’t believe it. 18 weeks you have all stood by this fic and I can’t thank you all enough. You all literally make my Friday’s so much brighter because I get to see your reactions to this silly little story I’ve created. Thank you so so so so much for sticking by it. And thank you to the people who have edited for me many a time. I love you lots. I really hope everyone enjoys the last part, but I promise it’s not the last you’ll see of Alex fics on this account.

Thank you all a million for reading x

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

| MASTERLIST IN BIO |

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~ January 2020 ~*~*~*~

“Y/N Y/N Y/N YN!” You hear Alex yelling from upstairs.

You were in the kitchen preparing dinner, but hearing him yelling your name, you abandoned what you were doing to see if everything was okay.

“What’s wrong?” You ask worriedly as you turn the corner into the lounge.

When you do though, you see Alex running down the stairs with a massive smile on his face. So then, and only then, when you see he’s okay, do you relax.

He is completely beaming when he sees you and he runs straight to you, picking you up in the process, and then spinning you around several times in his arms. You squeal and throw your arms around his shoulders, so you feel more stable and giggle.

Moments like these were more uncommon than you may think.

Alex was rarely so excited about something. Especially to the point where he would be so overwhelmed by emotion that he just embraced you and was practically jumping for joy.

“What’s happening?” You laugh as he slows his spinning down and returns you back to the ground.

“I’m freaking the fuck out” Alex laughs to himself before releasing you to run his hands though his now shorter hair.

He was still grinning at you as he looked at you dazed, as if something wasn’t real.

“Why? What?” You ask also with a smile.

You loved seeing him this happy. And it was obviously something really good for him to be this excited.

“Oh my god” Alex says more to himself in glee, his fingers trailing down to his jaw to give it a disbelieving scratch.

That was a habit he still hadn’t quite shifted since he’d shaved off his goatee. Something which still made you smile when he didn’t realise, he was doing it.

Alex begins to explain by asking you, “You know how you were excited for Catfish’s new album last year?”

“Yeah” You nod.

You were actually a psycho when they announced their new album last year. You booked every ticket you could to go and see them over here.

Since Y/B/F had moved over at the beginning of last year, you’d been doing everything together. And the fact that you both got to go and see one of your favourite bands together in California was amazing.

You both went to all 3 of their dates that they had over here. Two of the shows you were both in the pit for and one of them you got to watch from the side of the stage because Alex and Matt had gone with you.

Which both of the lads loved because they were both forced to listen to their music that often that they knew all the songs.

You were over the moon when Y/B/F came and moved over to LA. You knew she’d always wanted to do it. It was one of her things on her To Do list.

So, when things became serious between her and Matt, she decided to live her dream. And you loved it.

Breana was fine with their relationship and they both got on well with each other still. And both Y/B/F and Breana’s boyfriend really loved Amelia as well, so they ended up being a big happy family.

And you and Alex as godparents were happily there to support them when they needed it.

Alex then practically jumps in his spot saying, “Well picture that but ten times more intense”

You grin at him, loving his energy, “Why? Who’s releasing an album? You don’t like anyone that much who’s not on a hiatus”

“Unless it was one band in particular” Alex hints very heavily with his eyes as to who it might be.

“No” You gasp, a hand coming up to cover your mouth.

He nods his head frantically, “Yes”

“Oh my fucking god” You say now just as excited and jump into his arms.

You throw your arms around Alex’s neck and squeal. You couldn’t believe The Strokes were making a new album.

“I know” Alex said wrapping his arms around your back.

“Oh my god Alex, I’m so excited” You practically yell down his ear.

He laughs and squeeze you the tiniest bit tighter when you start practically jumping in his arms. He knew you’d be just as excited.

“This means new music and a tour” You say down his ear before releasing him so he can look at you and see the excitement on your face, “And oh my fucking god I’m so excited”

“How did you find out?” You ask, releasing him completely and feeling the need to sit on the settee.

Alex smiles as he watches you take a second to let the news sink in.

Then he begins to explain, “I just got off the phone with Julian. Was asking me something about Tranquility Base and then he told me they have just finished recording. He’s gunna send us a copy”

“You’re joking” You say not quite believing him.

He smiles and shakes his head at you.

“Alex, I’m going to cry” You say covering your mouth.

This news was unbelievable. You couldn’t wait, you were just too excited.

“You’re gunna cry Hun, this is my fucking dream” Alex said before joining you on the sofa and hugging you again.

You giggle when he does that and hug him back. He pushes you both down onto the settee, so you’re lay back on it trapped in a hug.

“We can both cry together when it comes” You giggle.

Alex brings his head up to look at you smiles down at you softly telling you, “Y/N/N I’m so so so fucking excited”

“Same” You grin back.

You would definitely never get tired looking into those chocolate eyes. You trace your fingertip along his jaw and get lost in his features for a moment.

His fluffy brown hair flops down over his forehead and tickles your forehead. Your eyes dance across his smooth skin and the way he smiles at you, those pink lips pulled into a grin.

Your eyes trailed back up to his and you got lost in those for another second, until his lips met yours.

~*~*~*~ March 2020 ~*~*~*~

“Hey Y/N?” Alex asks you, walking into the lounge from the kitchen.

“Yeah?” You ask looking away from the worrying TV screen that showed things getting worse with the pandemic.

Alex comes and sits down next to you as he says, “Question that I want to ask you”

“Ooo okay, go on” You ask him, seeing that he’s got his phone in his hand.

He runs a hand through his hair, something that was a tell of his for when he was stressed or worried.

He begins to tell you, “The whole world is about to shut down with this Corona shit, and so it should because the government need to keep people safe”

“Yeah I know, Trump is a fucking moron shutting people down who are asking about it” You shake your head looking towards the TV.

“Yeah” Alex agrees, “Which is the reason why I was wondering if you wanted to go back home?” He asks.

You weren’t quite expecting that, but you ask, “When?”

“Like tomorrow?” He suggests.

Now that did shock you.

“Until when?” You ask slightly wide eyed.

“At the very least until this all passes over. I think we’ll be safer back home than we are over here” Alex says taking your hand in his.

You think about it for a second and nod.

That was probably a good idea, “Now you mention it, that actually sounds like a good idea”

“Yeah and I can’t help but think, if someone in our families gets it and we can’t get a flight over there because they have introduced lockdown, for the very least socially distanced support, it would be a mistake” Alex says giving your hand a squeeze.

“Yeah, you’re right” You nod with a little smile.

“Do you want me to book the flight?” You ask him.

Alex smiles at your offer but then tells you, “Well, that’s why I’m asking now really… Carl wants to take his plane back home and I know we both don’t agree with private flying but if it gets us home safely and with minimal contact I’ll do it one more time. Rather have someone on it than no one on it if it’s gunna fly anyway”

Carl was a pilot of a private jet, from the UK, that the Monkeys had been on many a time, until the boys decided that they didn’t want to use private travel anymore. They didn’t want aid into the destruction of the environment, so they made the decision to fly on normal planes again.

You think it over for a second before agreeing, “Okay. I won’t hold it against anyone this time”

“Right, I’ll ring him now then” Alex says standing up and looking down at his phone again.

You stand too and say, “I’ll go start to pack. Anything you particularly want to take with you?”

Alex shakes his head not really knowing what he wanted to take, “Just as much as we can because I think we’re gunna be there for a while”

You nod and smile, even more so when a thought pops into your head, “Can we start making the house a bit homier when we get back?”

After Y/B/F decided that she wanted to move to LA, she wanted to sell the flat back home. Which was perfectly fine by you, but it meant that all your stuff in there had to be moved somewhere.

And because you and Alex had talked about moving back there in the future, you’d both decided to get a house over there to eventually move into and make your own. It was a lovely house and you’d yet to stay there so you were really excited at the thought of going back.

“We could go to B&Q and get stuff to decorate before they put us all in lockdown?” You grin at him

“I love that idea” Alex says pulling you into his body, arms wrapped around you as you stood looking up at his pretty face.

He continues sarcastically, “But are you gunna help me paint or make me do it all?”

You giggle a little before saying, “I might help you… If you’re nice to me”

Alex just laughs and kisses your nose.

~*~*~*~

You both ended up flying back the second week into March, which was great because work had practically stopped anyway as you’d all been instructed to work from home.

And because you’d informed them that you were going back to the UK to ‘be with family’, they had given you the option to transfer onto a team for the same company over in the UK. That was if you wanted to anyway.

And seeing as you’d currently nearly finished your last one back in the US you thought it would be a good idea, considering you didn’t know how long you were going to be back for. You were just thankful it was a very lenient company and treated its staff well.

When you got back the first thing you did was go and see your families, making sure to be extra careful and considerate around each other and keeping your distance from them when you could.

Both you and Alex, weren’t stupid. You knew your parents were in the age brackets that meant that if they contracted the virus it could be dangerous to them.

So, you were both extremely careful.

You were also careful when you went around the shops to get colours so you could start decorating your house.

You’d both god a really lovely house in Sheffield. It was definitely a posh one for the area and was a bit out of the way, so you had the privacy you both desired.

But by god you loved it.

It was pretty much all open plan downstairs. A concept which you fell in love with since living in LA in the house over there.

The house was a detached one that from the outside looked a little dated but was completely modernised inside. It was like stepping into a time machine.

From the outside it looked like a country house with the old stone bricks, with bits of Ivy trailing up the side of the house, but when you entered you felt like you were completely up to date on all the modern technology. Something which mesmerised the both of you when you initially looked around it.

You just remembered wondering around it with a really good feeling in your stomach the whole time. Everything about it you loved.

Especially when you went outside into the back garden as when you turned to look at the house from the back you wouldn’t even guess it was the same place. The stone bricks still covered the place except for the wall of bi-folding windows at the back which overlooked Sheffield, so you still got to see the twinkling lights of the city.

The garden was huge too, which meant that Zoe could run around it all she wanted. And being the age of 9 you could imagine she’d want to do that a lot, especially with her new little brother Lucas also starting to find his feet now.

Inside the house, there were five bedrooms, which both of you knew you wouldn’t need so you planned on turning one into an office and one of them maybe a home gym. It also had a loft conversation too, so Alex had already claimed that as his music room, which you had no complaints about.

But you couldn’t wait to decorate when you got back, as the house had been painted boring plain colours to try and make it more appealing to buyers.

And it was lucky that you both went shopping for the paint when you did too, because two weeks later the National Lockdown was introduced and the whole country basically stopped. You were furloughed from work because there were less things needing to be done and Alex was furloughed too because it wasn’t like he could meet up with the other lads and create an album with them.

It was a weird time the first few months of Lockdown. It did get to you sometimes when you thought about it. You wanted more than anything to give your Mum and Dad a hug but unfortunately you couldn’t.

But you were thankful you had Alex to keep you sane throughout everything. He always had a distraction for you when you needed one, and he liked to keep you busy.

Especially when it came to the painting.

One of the days about a week into lockdown, you were unpacking stuff that you’d had shipped over from the US and as you did that you were listening to Tranquility Base. The reason being that you found it quite relaxing to listen to when you were doing stuff around the house.

That and you loved Alex’s voice with the entirety of your heart.

She Looks Like Fun was playing into your AirPods and Alex could hear you singing along from in the hall where you’d got him painting. He could never get tired of you singing his songs.

 He really liked that he had his biggest fan by his side through thick and thin.

He noticed that you stopped singing loudly when it came to the bridge of the song though. And then he heard you gasp.

Alex paid no attention too it though, just thinking that you’d found something you’d been looking for whilst unpacking. However, you’d found something a lot more interesting.

You walked out of the room you were in and Alex looked towards you as you ventured closer to him.

“Alex did you predict this fucking apocalypse?” You ask him with a smile.

He looks towards you and sees you in your baggy painting clothes, with your AirPods still in. You must have paused them because you heard him fine when he replied.

“What the fuck you on about now?” He chuckles.

“In She Looks Like Fun you literally sing, ‘No one’s on the streets, we moved it all online as of March’” You explain.

And it baffled you because that was exactly what had happened. Everyone was now getting their shopping online, a lot less people were out in the city and loads of people were staying at home, where the government had asked them to be.

“Shit. Maybe I did” Alex laughed recognising that his lyrics actually

“Why didn’t you warn us?” You chuckle before making him abandon his paint brush so he would hug you.

He looked so adorable. He had that fine paint splatter across his face and a little of it in his hair. Even when he wasn’t perfect, he still was. God you loved him.

“I did apparently… About two years ago” Alex cheekily grinned at you as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you against him.

 You pat his chest and smile back at the fluffy haired man.

“Congratulations, you’re a prophet” You quote Dr Strange in Infinity War and Alex picks up on it straight away.

He shakes his head at you before saying the next quote in a serious voice, “I’m a survivor”

You just giggle though at how nerdy you were both being, and sarcastically say, ruining it, “Yeah, you’re a survivor because we haven’t left the house in a week”

“And because we have a shit load of hand sanitiser” He grins at you and you laugh agreeing.

“Do you think Thanos snapped his fingers and that’s why we’re in this shit?” You wonder out loud.

“Maybe maybe” Alex ponders for a second before entertaining your theory, “Need the Avengers to come save us”

“I’ll have Chris Hemsworth come save me please” You say a little too fast, but Alex nods his head approvingly.

“As long as Chris Evans can save me. That man his built like a brick shit house” Alex says appreciating the Avengers physique in his mind.

“They both are” You laugh, and he nods down at you.

“But don’t think you’re doing so bad yourself” You say before bringing your hands up to the top of his arms and having a good squeeze.

Alex shakes his head at you, “My arms are nowhere near the size of theirs”

“Not saying they are, but you literally went from being pre-serum Steve Rogers to Captain America” You tell him.

It was true though, he used to be a lanky skinny boy, and now he’s got huge muscles and you really really liked looking at them.

Touching, kissing, biting and licking them too.

“Are you saying I’m Captain America?” Alex asked you with a cheeky smile and a raised eyebrow.

You giggle a little, “I’m saying I really like my own personal version of Captain America”

“I know you do” Alex grinned, and you couldn’t help yourself but to lean up and kiss him.

You tried to carry it on, but Alex was having none of it. He pulled away and said, “Come on. We can kiss and actually watch Captain America later on when we finish painting”

“Fine” You pout, and he leans down to kiss it away.

And you both continued to make your new house into a proper home.

You couldn’t wait to live with him properly back here in Sheffield. The time you’d spent with him in your flat with him was amazing.

So, with even more space, in your own house, you just knew it would be 10 times better. And so far, it was proving to be.

But in your heart, you knew that it didn’t matter where in the world you were with him. It didn’t matter if there was a danger out there that tried to pry you both apart.

And you’d be forever grateful that you gone on holiday and realised the most important thing.

That as long as you had him by your side, you’d feel wanted and safe, because you were home.

Alex was your home.

~*~*~*~ July 2020 ~*~*~*~

You start giggling to yourself for a solid minute before asking Alex, “Al, have you seen this meme?

You’d just sat down on the floor and stopped painting the skirting boards in the living room.

You’d both been painting for hours. Today you’d both painted the large walls in your lounge, and it was a pain because of the number of coats that you had to do on it.

Thankfully you’d finished the last coat of paint on the walls and you’d started the glossing. But it was killing your back, so you decided a break was necessary.

You were both so lazy when it came to the decorating too. You’d go through one room at a time, first painting it, then ordering the things to furnish it, and then set everything up before you moved onto the next room.

And then you would have about two weeks break in between the rooms because your job was now staggering the furlough, and the working from home. So that was the reason why you were both still decorating 4 months after moving in properly.

That, and because you weren’t horrible enough to leave Alex doing it himself. So, whilst you were working in your office that was freshly decorated, you sent him upstairs to make music.

Something which he was doing so effortlessly, and you adored everything he showed you.

“Which meme?” Alex asks you as he continues to paint. “You tweet a lot of them”

“The one that says, ‘There will be a minor baby boom in nine months, and then one day in 2033, we shall witness the rise of the Quarenteens’” You laugh to yourself.

“Amazing” Alex says with a smile, abandoning his paintbrush to come and sit down opposite you.

“I know it made me giggle” You say as you continue scrolling through your phone as Alex picks up his cup of tea that’s probably gone cold.

He doesn’t seem bothered by the temperature though and downs the rest of it in one before abandoning the mug.

He sits cross-legged in front of you, both of you sat on the sheet that you were using to keep paint from spilling onto your carpet. Something which was going well so far but you had to be careful where you sat in your scruffy clothes, because you didn’t want to get paint on your new settee’s either.

“I have a question for you” Alex announces, grabbing your attention again.

You look up from your phone and smile, “Okay”

“So, I’ve been thinking…” Alex begins but your interrupt.

“Oh no. That’s never good” You grin as you lock your phone and out it down beside you.

“Will you ever stop undermining me using that joke?” Alex shakes his head at you, trying to hide that he found you funny.

“Al, you know I’m joking“ You say feeling a little bad.

But only a little.

“Mhhh” He hums at you in sarcastic disbelief.

“Yeah I know” He mumbles before leaning towards you to kiss you.

“I love you” You say quickly before his mouth attached to yours.

You wanted to stay in his good books, despite knowing you were never out of them.

His lips catch yours as he mumbles against them, “I love you too”

Alex plants a good kiss onto your soft lips then and you smile up at him when he pulls away. He can’t quite get the smile off his face either.

You loved that you still had stupid banter with each other after 5 years together. It was one of the many things that kept your relationship alive and fun. You were just glad he still loved you whilst you looked like a tramp like you currently did.

You were wearing one of your very old baggy grey tops that had holes in it, along with some black leggings. Both were covered in various paint splatters of different colours and you were fairly certain your hair, that was in a messy bun, had some paint in it too.

Yet when you looked at Alex, who wore old joggers with holes in it and a plain black top that also had paint on it, you still thought he looked incredibly attractive. Even with the little bits of paint that were in his hair, he was still breath-taking.

Alex takes your paint splattered hands in his and you smile at each other for a good few seconds, before he asked you his question.

“Okay… So, you know how we talked about kids?” He asked you.

You nodded, “Yeah?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to maybe start trying?” Alex softly smiled at you, whilst rubbing the back of your hand with his thumb.

“You’re very on topic aren’t you” You can’t help but smile and shuffle closer to him.

Alex laughs a little at that. “Well you know, when the opportunity arises…” He trails off looking into your Y/E/C eyes.

“What’s brought this on?” You ask him curiously.

“Nothing” Alex shakes his head honestly, “I was just thinking… There’s no better time than a lockdown to start trying properly is there?”

“Well, you’re not wrong” You laugh.

You couldn’t lie, being stuck in the house together meant that you often found yourselves entangled with the other. You didn’t know whether it was the two of you just being constantly bored or horny.

Maybe it was both.

But he was right, now lockdown was less restrictive in the UK, trying to get pregnant didn’t feel as scary as it may have done a few months ago if it was brought up then.

Of course, you’d talked about it before now though. And you were both just waiting for the right moment to make the decision.

And you were happy it had just presented itself.

You needed to ask him though, “If we do get pregnant though, are you still okay with staying here permanently?”

When you’d talked about it before, you’d both come to the agreement that if and when you were planning to start a family, you would both move back home. But now you were already back here, you just wanted to double check that he was still alright with that.

Alex nods with a smile, “Of course… It’s time to stay home anyway. I think I’ve been away far too long”

“Yeah I think you have too” You giggle before kissing him.

He can’t quite get the grin off his face when he kisses you back. He was so happy you were on the same page as him.

Alex couldn’t wait to start a family with you.

“Thank you though” You smile brightly when you pull away, you keep your hands cupping his neck though to keep him close. “I just don’t think I could do it without my Mum and our families around to help”

“You’ll be a great Mum. You already look after me” Alex assures you which makes your heart swell.

“Yeah, to be honest, a baby would probably be easier to manage” You giggle as you twirl the hair at the nape of his neck.

He laughs at you then before leaning to kiss you once more. Something which in the 5 years with him still never got old.

“So maybe in like a few months, I’ll stop taking my pill then?” You suggest when you pull away.

You continue with, “Just because I don’t wanna get pregnant first go and then be stuck inside pregnant for months if they restrict lockdown again… I don’t think that would really be very clever or safe. For anyone. Especially a baby”

“Sounds good to me” Alex agrees “We’ll have this house ready and waiting for the housewarming by the time lockdowns over anyway”

“I still can’t believe you have two houses” You say looking around the stunning room you were in, and then out of the large windows that showed the sun setting over Sheffield.

Alex takes your attention again though, scorning you, “Y/N, it’s nearly been five years. We have two houses and this one is definitely yours”

Despite Alex suggesting that you were going to leave him to do the painting, you were actually the one who’d done most of it. You were also the one that had found most of the decor online and just asked Alex for his approval on them.

This house was truly yours. You thought something like the house in LA would be your dream, but no, something which both you and Alex created for yourselves was.

“You know what I mean” You smile before holding his hand again.

“I am so fucking lucky I married you in October… Or I think I’d have been so upset that it would have all been cancelled” Alex says giving your hand a squeeze, that adorned both your engagement and wedding ring.

“I told you Autumn weddings are cute” You grin at him.

And it was true. Your wedding was stunning.

You’d got married back over here Mid-October and you were both very lucky that the weather had been kind to you. Thankfully you could take your wedding pictures outside and you adored them all completely.

Although you think Alex adored them more, he started crying when the photographer sent them over and he had a picture of you in your dress as his Lockscreen and another one of just you as his Homescreen.

Never mind you being his biggest fan, he was definitely yours.

“You know I love the sun” He pouts at you.

“Alex we literally live, or I guess lived in LA. I’m sure coming back here for a few weeks didn’t hurt” You laugh a little at him sticking his bottom lip out.

He gives you that one.

“It was definitely lucky you convinced me to move it” He smiles.

You couldn’t think of anything worse than planning out a full wedding, only for it to be completely cancelled because of everything going on right now. You felt so sorry for the people going through it because you would have been devastated if your wedding had been cancelled.

“We’re definitely lucky” You smile, “That was one of the best days of my life”

You couldn’t help but smile at your memories of the day. You were just so thankful that Alex’s hair had grown back in time for the big day. Because you weren’t getting married to him with that bald head.

However nice he looked; you really wanted your man to have his lovely hair present for your wedding day.

“It was the best day of my life” Alex admits. “What’s top for you that our wedding doesn’t beat it?”

“2013 Glastonbury” You say without a second thought.

After a second though you realise what you’ve said and laugh at yourself. You were still the biggest fool.

“For fucks sake Y/N/N” Alex shakes his head at you chuckling a little.

“It’s not my fault it’s yours… I’ve just never felt happier in that moment where all I could hear was everyone singing along to Mardy Bum” You smile shyly.

It truly was such a magical experience for you. You would never get that moment again and it mean just as much.

Granted you didn’t think you would be getting married again but there was just something about that gig that held such a special place in your heart. And you’d rather not lie to your husband about what the best day of your life was.

“I was crying big time” You giggle a bit, trying to defend yourself.

“I know you were, and I’ve seen you cry at it since” Alex playfully teases you.

“Thought our wedding might have topped it though” He admits but you just grin shaking your head back at him.

You mumble against his lips before kissing him once more, “It’s a very close second, I promise”

He laughs before kissing you back. His soft hands, which you had a feeling had a little bit of paint on, came up and cupped your cheek making sure you couldn’t escape him.

Not that you were planning too.

Alex’s kisses still caused butterflies in your stomach, which after 5 years, you had no clue how. His kisses really were second nature now, but when caught up in such a meaningful moment, he still made you so nervous.

Yet you wouldn’t have it any other way.

You hoped the butterflies would still be there when you were both old and grey.

Alex then pulled away and as you looked back into those brown eyes, he asked you once more, “So, you’re definitely up for it then?”

“Definitely” You confirm.

And the grin that then makes its way onto Alex’s face was something you hoped you never forgot. You tried to take a mental picture of it.

After a second of admiring your husband you added, “We can just see what happens… There still no rush, so if it doesn’t happen straight away, that’s alright too. There definitely no harm in continuing to try for one”

Alex smirks at you when you say that.

“Of course not” He agrees.

“In fact…”

Alex trails off to lean towards you again to kiss you. Something which again makes you smile because of how cute the whole situation was. You kiss him back and your hand just automatically goes up into his soft hair.

You also can’t help but giggle when he pushes you back, so you’re forced to lie down on the floor whilst he still kisses you. He moves with you so he’s above you and he pulls away to hear your giggle continue.

You smile up at him as your giggle fades and you lean up to peck his lips.

“I love you Al”

You love the smile that breaks out on his face when you tell him that too.

But your smile grows twice the size when you hear him say back, “I love you too, Mrs Turner”

~*~*~*~ Christmas Eve ~ 2020 ~*~*~*~

“Oh my god I’ve missed you so much” Y/B/F throws her arms around you pulling you into a hug at your doorstep.

You giggle at her excitement and give he a squeeze as you say, “I’ve missed you too”

Oh my god we have so much to talk about” She grins as she releases you.

“We do” You laugh, and she goes to give Alex a hug.

“Matt I’ve missed you so much” You turn towards him and open your arms.

He leans in and wraps his arms around you and coos, “Oh I’ve missed you too”

“How’s my best buddie doing?” You smile up at him when he releases you.

“Excuse me” Both Alex and Y/B/F say at the same time.

Both you and Matt turn to look at them and see their hands on their hips, looking at you like you’d just said something horrendously offensive.

“I meant my best boy friend” You correct yourself.

That seemed to satisfy your best friend and she wondered into your house, that she’d yet to see decorated. However, Alex still wasn’t too impressed.

“Are you joking?” He asks you with raised eyebrows.

“Jesus Alex, I’m married to you” You roll your eyes before closing the front door.

“I was your best boy friend for over a decade before I was your actual boyfriend” Alex says.

You don’t know why he felt the need to clarify it though, it wasn’t as if you or Matt were denying it.

“Yeah so stop being offended. You got bumped up the pecking order someone had to take your place” You grin as you hug Matt again and he rests his chin on top of your head hugging you back tightly

Alex decides to look to his best mate instead, asking, “Can you give me my wife back please?”

Matt chuckles before releasing you, and as you roll your eyes before scorning your husband, Matt goes and follows Y/B/F into the lounge.

“Alex” You laugh as you walk towards him and then cup his face and give him a quick kiss.

“I’m yours chill out” You assure him, and you smile feeling his hands come up and rest on your hips.

“Oh, I know you are” He says under his breath as he grins.

His thumbs rub over your lower stomach as he holds you and he whispers, correcting himself, “Both of you”

You can’t help but lean up to kiss him quickly before you follow Matt and Y/B/F’s lead and head into the lounge.

Alex goes and makes them both a cup of tea whilst you entertain the two, telling them where you found all the things that Y/B/F kept on pointing out. Thankfully by the end of August, the house was completely redone.

It was well and truly the Turner’s household and you loved each and every room.

However, you were both very aware now that one of the spare bedrooms now needed to be transformed into a nursery. Something which you would both take pleasure in doing when you were a bit further along than the 3 months you were now.

Alex come back into the room with everyone’s drinks in hand and you leave yours on the side for a minute because it was far too hot. It seemed that everyone else in the room had the same idea, so the drinks were abandoned for the time being.

Instead you started chatting for 10 minutes, all catching up properly in person as you hadn’t had the chance to do this yet because of Corona. Thankfully the world had adjusted itself to the new normal and Christmas could actually go ahead.

So, it was amazing that you and Y/B/F could have your Christmas ritual of having Christmas Eve together. Just an added bonus that Alex and Matt were involved now.

“Okay so we want to tell you something” Y/B/F announces from the other settee next to Matt.

You notice that she takes his hand and you smile; They were so fucking cute. You were so glad they got together. You couldn’t believe it had been 2 years.

You and Alex were on the other settee that was opposite theirs and you were already holding his hand. You weren’t usually this clingy but today had been an amazing day.

This morning you and Alex had gone and had your 12 weeks scan and the little baby growing in you was healthy and doing well. News which was much to yours and Alex’s relief.

You’d had some pretty bad morning sickness, so you were just glad everything was okay despite you not being 100% from time to time.

“Ooooo okay” You grin at the couple.

“I’m pregnant” Your best friend says with the biggest grin on her face.

Your jaw drops with massive smile on your face and you squeezed Alex’s hand without meaning to. You definitely weren’t expecting that.

And you doing think Alex expected it either, he asked excitedly with a smile, “Are you actually?”

“Yeah” Matt nods with a grin.

And you leap out of your seat and dart towards your best friend to trap her into a hug whilst squealing, “Oh my god”

She can’t help but laugh as you wrap your arms around her and say, “Congratulations” down her ear.

Your best friend just giggles down yours before saying a, “Thank you”

You see that Matt gets up and you presume he’s giving Alex a hug from what you can hear, but you’re too invested in Y/B/F to check.

You release her so you don’t suffocate her, and you have to ask, “How far along are you?”

“Sixteen weeks” She tells you with a massive smile.

“Holy fuck” You whisper excitedly covering your mouth as if the baby could hear you. “I bet you’re over the moon”

“I really am. Didn’t really mean for it to happen but we were both excited when we found out after the initial shock of it wore off” Your best friend tells you and you could only imagine the shock for the both of them.

But you couldn’t wait to pry out more information from her, but right now you were too giddy.

“Ahhhhh I’m so so so happy for you” You say before giving her another huge hug.

She giggles in your arms and gives you a tight squeeze before you get yourself up to hug your other best mate.

“Matt come here right now” You say once Alex had finished hugging him.

Alex goes and hugs Y/B/F whilst you hug your Helders.

“Congratulations” You say once your arms are wrapped around him.

“Thank you, my love” Matt grins before kissing your cheek when he pulls away from your hug after a few more seconds.

You look at him, so happy in front of you and you can’t help but say, “I love you so goddamn much… I’m so happy for you”

“Thank you” He says going a little red.

You get all of the gossip from them and get to see their scan photo. You find that they were planning to actually give birth over here, but they will still be primarily living in LA, because of course Matt didn’t want to leave Amelia.

You were so so so happy for them it made you excited to start telling people.

You’d yet to tell anyone because you knew the scan was going to be today, on Christmas Eve, so you and Alex had both decided that you were going to tell your families tomorrow.

You were hosting Christmas in your new house this year and it was going to be your family, along with Alex’s Mum and Dad. And you were both so fucking excited for how you had it planned out to tell people.

You think Alex was currently feeling the same as you about being excited to tell people. You caught on because when you were sat in your original seats again every time, they told you something that the two of you had both been through, he gave your hand a squeeze.

When the couple across from you started asking about the two of you, you gave them the answers that you’d been giving people for the past few months.

But then Alex looked towards you and you share a look. He gave you a knowing smile and tilted his head towards Matt and Y/B/F. You raise your eyebrows ever so slightly asking with your eyes if he was meaning ‘tell them’.

Turns out he was, as he gave your hand a squeeze and smiled and nodded his head slightly. All discrete and not too obvious which meant that the unsuspecting couple across from you were about to get a nice surprise.

You look towards them and grab their attention with, “Hey Y/B/F, you know that thing that I’ve always wanted most in life?”

You smile a bit when you see her eyes widen at what you said. Matt, however, obviously has no fucking clue and makes a joke.

“You wanted something more than Alex?” Matt asks you and both you and your husband chuckle.

You set the record straight though, telling him honestly, “Oh yeah, a lot more than Alex”

“Are you trying to tell me something?” Y/B/F asks you with knowing eyes

She sees both you and Alex grin and her and when you nod your head she screams. She darts to you just like you did to her, but she wraps her arms around both you and Alex and gives you both a massive hug.

Both you and Alex can’t help but laugh and hug her back.

“I’m so fucking happy right now” She squeals down the both of your ears.

“So are we” You giggle back.

She lets you go and sits on Alex’s lap as she talks to the both of you. “So, I need to know everything” She looks at the both of you expectantly.

However, poor Matt is completely lost.

“Wait, what the fucks just happened?” Helders says looking dazzled.

“We’re pregnant too” Alex looks around Y/B/F’s body and grins as he spells it out for his best mate.

“Are you serious?” Matt asks, his face beaming with happiness and shock.

“I wouldn’t be joking about this” Alex chuckles.

Aw guys” Matt says before standing from his seat.

Alex gets up and Y/B/F sits down in his place and gives you a proper hug.

“How far are you?” She asks as her arms are tight around your neck.

“Twelve weeks” You tell her and once sheet you go you explain, “We literally had the first scan this morning, but we haven’t told anyone so don’t scream it from the rooftops just yet”

“We’re the first to know?” Matt asks overhearing what you were saying.

“Yeah” You smile up at him.

“What why?” Y/B/F asks you a little confused.

“Because we weren’t expecting you to drop the news, but we couldn’t not when you told us… We’re telling the family tomorrow” Alex tells them.

“Me and Y/N need to chat about this. To save our mental states” Y/B/F says, getting herself comfy on the settee in Alex’s space.

You smile at her agreeing, before looking to the boys and saying, “Matt, you need to prep Alex for everything”

“I told you I’m going to be fine” Alex says at you and you just stick your tongue out at him.

“Yeah, that’s what we all think mate” Matt laughs a little before holding Alex’s shoulder and then patting it for some extra drama.

Alex looks at his mate like he’s just grown another head. Fear very clearly seeping into his features and Matt has to back track.

“I’m joking don’t look so worried” He smiles. “Come on let’s grab a beer and we can chat”

And so, they do, the boys go and chat in the kitchen for a good 10 minutes whilst you and Y/B/F compare your pregnancies along with every minor detail of it. You were both just so buzzing.

She had just shown you her scan picture and you were so happy for her. Your heart was literally melting. You needed Alex to bring your picture in to show her.

“Al” You shout.

A second later you hear, “Yeah”

“When you come back in, bring the scan picture in with you please?” You ask him nicely.

“Okay”

Not a minute later, Alex and Matt are walking back in and you can see that Alex has shown it Matt, as Helders is holding the picture.

“Y/N I’m so fucking happy for you” He grins at you before leaning down to give you a kiss on the cheek and another quick hug.

“I’m happy for you too Matt” You reiterate back to him, before Y/B/F plucks the photo from him.

Matt and Alex then go and sit on the other settee so you can still continue with your previous chats. Something which you all definitely needed yet you were so bloody excited about everything at the same time.

“Shit” Y/B/F turns to you practically mid conversation to say, “I just realised that yours and Alex baby is going to be fucking stunning”

You laugh at that. You wouldn’t even lie, you really hoped that with Alex’s genes the little one would come out looking good.

You couldn’t help but picture their baby though and you had to tell her, “Yours is going to be the most beautiful child ever”

Y/B/F has a look of disbelief, but you scorn her saying there's no reason why it wouldn’t be beautiful. She was stunning and Matt was fit so there’s no chance the child wouldn’t be.

“I think you’re both going to be having gorgeous babies stop bickering” Matt says, obviously hearing the silly chatter.

Y/B/F furrows her eyebrows at him, “I’m sorry you can’t lie to me and say that their baby won’t have the best genes in the entire world”

Alex shakes his head at her, “Yes Y/B/F but also you are just as stunning as my wife there” He nods towards you and then to his best mate, “and Matt’s also not too bad”

You all have a little laugh at that before you chip back in with, “I mean apart from the musical talent they possess, let’s just hope they take after us instead”

“Cheeky bitch” Matt chuckles a bit shaking his head at you.

You scoff and in jest add, “I’m pregnant, you can’t call me that”

“When are you due?” You then turn to Y/B/F and ask.

“Thirtieth of May” You best friend informs you.

You squeal a little, with a grin on your face, “As if”

“Why when are you due?” She asks.

“Thirtieth of June” You tell her with a big smile.

Your best friend grabs you hand and says, “Oh my god”

You giggle, “We are literally the same person”

“We actually are“

That being because hers and your birthdays were a month apart from each other. Meaning that it was almost poetic that your first babies were due one month apart.

Your best friend and Matt obviously stay for the evening and you have a lovely time with them. You show them around the decorated house, and they seem to love it just as much as you and Alex.

It was funny when you all came back into the lounge though that had the bi-folding windows in and Y/B/F said, “You’re going to be a pro window cleaner”

“I know it’s huge” You laughed.

But then she corrected herself so you understood, “No, I mean because when the baby arrives and they stay crawl they will be all over that. Messy handprints and everything”

“I’ll let that be Alex’s job then” You laugh.

“Thanks Hun” Alex shook his head at you.

You grin back, “You’re welcome baby”

After you’d all finished eating later on, you and your best friend were still sat with each other on the settee and you were practically cuddled together. You loved her so bloody much that the fact that you wouldn’t be living in the same country anymore just left you both needing a cuddle.

You both chatted about anything that came to mind and then your best friend seemed to have a brainwave.

“Oh my god right, so there’s this thing that I saw and it said something along the lines of ‘As days go by they mean nothing to your now, but one day it could be the day you get married or your child’s birthday’” She tells you.

You smile and say, “Yeah that’s so true”

“I know right, so I recon we look back though our Snapchat memories throughout the years and see what we were up to on our due date” She suggests.

“That’s such a cute idea” You smile.

Your best friend smiles, “I know right”

“Okay let’s go” You said pulling your phone out of your pocket.

You both spent about 10 minutes on it and you’d just got to the date 5 years previous and you had to stop yourself. Your whole body just stopped as if someone had hit a pause button.

You can’t help yourself when your hormones get the better of you and your eyes start gathering tears. You look towards Y/B/F and she spots the tears straight away.

Your best friend looks at your phone then and takes it off you to see the picture.

“Awhhh Y/N that’s so cute” She smiles at you and you just break down in happy tears.

She throws her arm around you and you release a little sob craving the comfort.

“Aw don’t cry” She says before she kisses the side of your head.

“I can’t help it” You weep into your hands, hiding your face.

These last few months your emotions had been everywhere.

“Y/B/F what have you done to my wife?” You just about hear Alex ask over your crying.

“I’ve done nothing” She tells him with a smile and a little giggle.

You hear him get up and he asks you, “Y/N/N what’s wrong?” whilst Y/B/F lets go of you and you think she’s swapping seats with him.

She places your phone in your lap once she moves and you feel Alex arms go around you when he sits down.

He gives you a second before he tries to pry the information from you. You just look up at him and tell him though, stray tears still running down your face.

You look into his brown eyes and tell him, “Our baby’s due on the same date I came on holiday”

Alex seems a little confused as he probably would be. You’d been on holiday a lot, and many times with him. So, you let him off and just confirm what you meant, “You know the holiday… Our holiday”

“You’re joking” Alex says with a look of disbelief.

“No” You cry a bit more before you throw your hands around his neck and hug him tightly.

“Hormones are a bitch. Why am I crying at everything?” You say through your tears and Alex laughs.

“It is pretty cute though darling” He says kissing your neck as he hugs you.

When you release him, you unlock your phone and show him the picture you found. It was of your plane ticket to LA and it said, ‘Here I come to ruin Al’s life’.

Alex laughs a little when he reads it before

“You didn’t ruin my life by the way. You made it infinitely better”

~*~*~*~ Christmas Day ~ 2020 ~*~*~*~

Christmas had been amazing. After such a shit year this was definitely a highlight of it.

And you had a feeling you were about to make things better.

It was about an hour before you were due to eat, and everything was prepped so you were just chilling out with your big family. Presents had been done a few hours earlier and you loved watching everyone interact.

Your Mum and Penny were chatting away over a glass of wine. David and your Dad were talking about the football match that was happening tomorrow and your brother was chipping in every now and again.

Your sister in law, Jess was primarily taking care of little Lucas who captured everyone’s attention in the room. He was now settling down for a nap though.

You were a little jealous of him.

But you knew that there was going to be a lot of excitement in the room in the next 15 minutes. So, when you saw Zoe sat in Alex’s lap, him still definitely being her favourite member of the family (traitor), you decided to put yours and Alex’s plan into action.

Alex catches your gaze and he raises his eyebrows at you, silently asking if now was the right time. You give a little nod before you say from across the room.

“Hey Zoe” You get her attention.

Her attention immediately finds you and she gives you a smile. A smile that gets bigger when you say, “I forgot about another present for you. Come with me a minute”

You both get up and head to the stairs. You give Alex a little smile before you both disappear off.

When you reach your room you get out the wrapped up clothing, but before you give it her you say, “Okay so I’ve got something to tell you but I need you to keep it a secret for me for the next five minutes”

“Okay” She smiles at you, trying to keep her eyes averted from the wrapping paper to be polite.

“Pinky promise me” You say with a smile.

She wraps her pinky around yours and you both take a seat on your bed.

“Okay, open that and it will tell you the surprise” You say handing her the most important part of this present.

You and Alex had got a top made for her. It was her favourite colour and on the front of it you’d had on it in bold writing 'No. 1 Cousin’

You watch as she quickly gets the wrapping paper off and hold back your smile when she unfolded the top to read it. It took her a second, but she gasped and then looked at you.

“Am I getting a cousin?” She asks, her jaw on the ground.

“You are” You giggle.

“Yay” She squeals before she leaps into your arms and gives you a massive hug around her neck.

“So, your pregnant?” Zoe confirms when she releases you.

“I am. and I was hoping you could help me tell everyone downstairs by wearing that?” You ask her.

Zoe excitedly nods, “Yes”

“I got you more clothes so you can hide it first so it will surprise everyone” You tell her, handing her the other stuff to unwrap.

You watch as she unwraps a leather jacket that you had sadly got the One For The Road logo printed on the back of it. You just couldn’t help yourself.

You also got her black wrapped jeans like the ones that you were wearing now. Along with some cute little ankle boots.

She would literally be a mini you.

As she looks at the One For The Road logo, you explain, “I had it made so you can be like me and have Uncle Alex’s song on the back”

You’d wore the One For The Road leather jacket many a time. And Zoe had said plenty of times that she loved it too.

“Is this the video with Jamie on the tractor?” Zoe asks curiously.

“Yes” You giggle.

You really had raised her well.

“I love it thank you” She tells you and say a quick ‘you’re welcome’.

Zoe asks you as she unwraps the other clothing “Are you wearing yours to go down in too?”

“If you want me too?” You smile at her.

She nods, “Yeah and then Uncle Alex can take a picture of us matching”

“That’s a good idea actually and then when he comes and stands next to me, if no one asks about your top then you can open the jacket up and show everyone yeah?” You plan out in your head and she nods excitedly at you.

“Okay, let’s get you dressed” You say excitedly.

After 5 minutes your back downstairs, you head into the lounge first as she waits just in the hallway so people can’t see her yet. Thankfully all the clothes fit her, and she truly looked like you.

It was amazing.

You’re wearing the comfy leather jacket as you enter the room and announce, “Okay, so she wants a photoshoot, so someone have a camera at the ready”

You watch as Alex says he’ll do it, giving you a little grin. He gets his phone out of his pocket and waits for her entrance.

“Alright Zo” You look to the hall and see her excited grin.

She asks you, “Does Uncle Alex have his camera ready for the photo?”

The room laughs a little at that and you just assure her giving her a nod, “He does”

She walks into the room in her new ripped black skinny jeans, her top expertly covered by the zip up leather jacket that she looked cool in.

“Spin for them” You instruct.

She does a twirl for everyone and you can tell she’s loving the attention.

“Oh amazing” You’re Mum says with a big smile.

“Lovely Zoe” Penny tells her and lots of other compliments are thrown her way too.

“Auntie Y/N/N, picture, come on” She holds out her hand to you and has a hint of a knowing smile on her face.

You smile at her and take her hand before you stand beside her with almost the same clothes on and as you see the flash of the picture on the wall as you were both showing off what the jacket said to the camera.

You hear your brother ask Alex, “Does she still steal your clothes mate?”

“All the time” Alex laughs.

“It’s a cool jacket” You defend yourself against your brother. “Shut up”

“Yeah dad shut up” Zoe tells him sarcastically with a little giggle.

“Yeah” You chuckle along with her and the room laughs too.

“Al can I see the photo?” You ask him and he nods with a smile.

Both of you stand behind Zoe and you look at the phone for a second. Alex wraps his arm around you, so he’s holding your hip and you send him a little smile.

He grins back at you but then you both look to your niece who is still loving the limelight. And then someone asks the question you’d really hoped to hear.

“Did you get a new top too Zo” Jess asks.

“I did. I love it” Zoe nods.

“Show us then?” Your Mum asks her, and you feel Alex’s hold you against him the tiniest bit tighter.

Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest. You look up at him and give him a quick smile and he squeezes your hip a bit, so he doesn’t give anything away too early.

You both look down to Zoe who was just unzipping her jacket and then she opened it up and put her hands on her hips to keep it open.

The room went silent after that and that was when it hit Jess, your sister in law, first. A loud gasp escaped her mouth and you couldn’t really hold your smile back any longer.

“Are you being serious?” She asks you looking at both you and Alex, still seeming to be the only one to understand what was happening and you both nod back at her.

It was then that you heard your Mum gasp and a second later Alex’s mum. You both fully grinned at them as your Mums got themselves up and ran over to you tears already in her eyes.

“Is my baby finally having her own baby” Your Mum shouts as she traps you in a hug.

“She is” You giggle down your Mums ear.

She squeals for you and she won’t let you escape from the hug at all. Not that you really wanted too.

“I’m so so so happy for you darling” She tells you still squeezing you tightly.

“Thank you Mum. I love you” You say hugging her back just as tight.

She then releases you and gives you a big kiss. You wipe away the few stray tears running down her face.

Alex’s Mum, Penny, is already fully sobbing as both Mums swap which child they pour their new found emotions on to.

“Y/N darling, I love you so much” She almost sobs as she hugs you.

“I love you too” You assure her, giving her a squeeze.

Penny lets you go but then holds your arms, probably more to keep her mind completely sane and ensure her that the moment was real.

She tells you, “I’m so happy for you”

“Thank you” You grin at her. This was such a lovely feeling; You were so happy you could finally tell people.

“I can’t believe you kids are having a baby” She says looking between you and Alex, who is currently still being hugged by your Mum. “It feels like I was only at your parents evening a year or two ago”

You giggled at that, “At least we waited a while, so you didn’t have that to chat about in school”

Penny then laughed at that. That would have been

“Yes, thank you for not doing that to me whilst you were in school. I would have killed him” Penny tells you with a little giggle.

“Don’t worry I think my mum would have battered me too” You tell her honestly, with a little chuckle.

You also add, “You’re finally going to be a Grandma or a Nana”

“I can’t believe you both made me wait five years for my first grandchild” Penny shakes her head.

“I’m sorry, I had to made sure he loved me properly first” You joke.  

“Hunny, he’s loved you since he was Fifteen” Penny assures you and you laugh.

“I know, he’s obsessed with me” You say giving Alex a little grin.

He just looked at you and gave you a little death stare.

But did he deny it…

No.

“My little girl who’s now pregnant with her own baby... don’t you make out like you weren’t drawing hearts with your and his name in it when you were Fourteen” Your Dad says as he stands by Penny’s side.

Penny giggles at your Dad dropping that truth bomb, along with Alex’s laughter as he hugs David.

“Dad” You whine, before you give him a hug.

His hug is tight and comforting, everything that you could want from a hug from your Dad.

He says softly, “Sweetie I love you, and I’m so happy and excited for you”

“Thank you Dad” You say hugging him tight before the hug is over all too soon.

Your Dad smiles at you when he lets you go before asking, “How far along are you?”

“Just over twelve weeks” You tell him with a smile.

“You’ve had your scan then?” Your Dad asks with hopeful eyes.

You can’t get the smile off your face as you say, “Yes… Do you want to see the picture?”

“I’d love too” You get it out from the jacket pocket and show him the first picture of his new grandchild.

Your Dad looks at it for a moment and you can see the smile on his face. He was completely beaming.

When he looked back up at you, you saw his eyes glistening with happy tears and your heart swelled at the sight.

He just about choked out, “Darling I’m so happy for the both of you”

“Thank you Dad. I love you” You say as you give him another big hug.

“I love you a million sweetie” He whispers down your ear as he hugs you back tightly.

Before you even released your Dad from your hug, the picture was snatched out of his hands by the soon to be grandmas to take a look at. The started crying again once they saw it.

Their reactions were just making you giggle.

When your Dad released you, David was then next in line for you to hug. And you couldn’t wait, David was always so lovely to you, you loved a good family hug.

“I’m beyond happy for the both of you” David says looking between you and Alex.

“Thank you… I’m excited for you though. You’re going to be a grandad” You say with a big smile before pulling him into a hug.

“Don’t. You’ll have me crying on you” David says with a little chuckle.

“Don’t worry, your son’s been crying on me the last few months… I can handle tears” You tell him.

Alex had been so adorable with you. When you both found out he started crying tears of joy.

Both of you were just so over the moon. It was amazing.

You were glad you weren’t the only emotional one in the house.

“I love you both so much. And I can’t wait to meet the little one” David says smiling between the two of you before looking down to your stomach that just had the tiniest little bump.

But you couldn’t see it, as you were wearing a loose top.

“Neither can we” Alex grins before kissing the side of your head.

Your brother then runs up to you, pulls you away from Alex before lifting you into the air by giving you the biggest hug in the world. And when he spends you around, you start giggling like a little girl.

“I’m so happy for you” He yells

You can’t help but giggle a, “Thank you”

Once your back on the ground, your brother gives you another proper hug before letting you go, saying, “I’m going to shout at your husband though”

“Oi Alex. How dare you get my little sister pregnant” Your brother fakes anger as his wife releases Alex form a hug.

“I’m sorry, she just kept asking me to put a baby in her” Alex sighs and then points at you, all with a cheeky smile on his face.

You smile back at him, but you say, “I think you’ll find it was him who brought it up so you can batter him if you want… Just leave his pretty face alone. I have to live with it”

“Hey” Alex scoffs offended, before your brother wraps him up in a big hug.

You giggle to yourself before you hug Jess, “Thank you so much for actually understanding what was going on then”

She laughs, “It’s okay. I just couldn’t believe your family was being so slow”

“Zoe literally got it after a second. I was thinking ‘surely this can’t be that hard to understand’” You tell her smiling to yourself.

“No, it really wasn’t, I got it straight away and then I saw your smile and couldn’t hold in a gasp” Jess giggles.

You chuckle, “Well thank you… They seemed to get it after you did”

“It’s alright” She says before she lets go of you.

“I do have a number two cousin top upstairs for Lucas too” You smile, and she says thanks again.

You little nephew now back to sleep in his car seat just across the room. He was just too adorable.

You both look towards the No 1 cousin though and see that she’s already giving Alex a hug. He then held Zoe at your level by sitting her on his hip like she was still 4 years old.

And that was when you tuned into their conversation.

“Thank you for helping us tell everyone” Alex gave her a toothy grin.

“It’s alright” Zoe assured him, “I think everyone is buzzing”

“I think they are” Alex laughed.

He added an, “Are you buzzing?”

She nodded at him and you had to cut into their conversation at that point.

“I should hope you are” You remind the little one, “You’ve been wanting a cousin since you were six”

“I’m proper buzzin’” She said in a very northern accent that made you both laugh.

~*~*~*~

The rest of the day was spent in such high spirits.

Your Christmas dinner was amazing, and you think you and Alex smashed it for your first time doing it. You were such a good team and you could only get stronger at this point.

Well if he wasn’t petty and still tried to get out of doing the cooking claiming that because Christmas was on a Friday this year, that he didn’t have to cook because it was your day.

But all jokes aside you had never been happier with him and you loved him so much.

He’d made your life so much better in every single way he possibly could. He’d given you his love and he was giving you a family.

Something that you’d always wanted.

So, when you both got to your bedroom once everyone had gone back home, you were both tired and emotional.

You lay yourself down on your bed, still fully clothed, and just thought over the past few days.

You’d had your scan, heard your baby’s heartbeat. Matt and Y/B/F told you they were pregnant too, you found out that your baby is due the day you went on holiday to LA and your life hadn’t been the same since. And you’d told your family you were expecting.

Life couldn’t be any better.

So, when Alex sat down on his side of the bed, you just couldn’t help but express yourself to the man that owned your entire heart.

“Thank you” You whisper to your husband.

Alex looks to you then curiously, a smile pulling his lips up when he asks, “What for?”

You start tearing up a big just feeling a bit emotional about everything.

“Just… Thank you for making me happy” You say, wiping away a stray tear away as you looked into those eyes you could forever get lost in.

Alex softly smiled at you when you said that, and crawls across the bed to give you a kiss which you really appreciated. You still weren’t tired of those soft lips meeting your own.

 And you were fairly certain at this point that you never would be.

“I love you so much” You say with a big smile.

He was truly your world.

Alex smiles back, pecking your lips once more before saying, “I love you too baby”

“Your baby is there” You tell him, putting a hand over your stomach.

“How could I forget?” Alex grins at you but then his gaze moves down your body.

He lies himself down across the bed, so his head is at your stomach and he looks to you as he lifts the bottom of your top. A silent question comes from him, asking if he can lift your top up.

You grin at him and nod.

That was the first and probably only time he’d ever asked if he could take your top off.

He brushed the bottom of your top up to just under your boobs and then he started trailing is fingertips across your stomach.

You laid back and watched as you husband started thinking out loud and it was the cutest thing.

“Okay then…” Alex trails off, looking at your smooth skin.

“So, you listen here you, hiding away in there” Alex softly says as his fingers trace over your tiny bump.

It was barely noticeable to anyone else, but Alex knew your body like the back of his hand. He could tell the little bump was there.

“You’ve gotta be good for your Mummy for the next six months because we don’t want her poorly like she was a few weeks back”

Alex continues his adorable one-sided conversation, and says to your tummy, “You can crave whatever food you want, and I’ll go and get it for you… But your Mummy doesn’t like throwing up, so just take it easy on her, yeah?”

You couldn’t help but smile at that. You started playing with the hair on the back of his head, which was growing back to how it used it be.

You’d never get used to him being cute. But this was a whole different level.

He carries on after he kisses your stomach, and says against your skin, “We can’t wait to meet you sweetheart”

You couldn’t contain your grin then, “You think we’re having a girl?”

Alex presses his lips down onto your stomach before he nods before giving you more kisses.

“What makes you think that?” You ask him.

You didn’t really want to interrupt his train of thought but you just needed to ask this once.

Alex smiles at you and says, “I don’t know. I just have a feeling”

You smile at him then and keep running your fingers though his hair as he continues talking your tiny bump.

“I can’t wait for you to arrive and we have the best time all three of us together” Alex smiles looking at your skin, resting his hand on top of it for a moment.

“Your Mummy makes me so happy anyway, but I can’t wait until I can walk into a room and see the two of you together” He says, and the thought makes your heart melt.

Especially when he continues on to say, “I can just imagine when your older that I’ll come home one day and see the both of you sat at the piano, because your Mum will definitely insist on teaching it to you when your big enough”

Alex carries on thinking scenarios up in his head, “I can’t wait to help get your ready for school and I can put plaits in your hair and for your Mum to teach me how to do that because I’m useless”

He then starts tracing random lines on your stomach again and he giggles when he adds, “She’ll have to let me practice on her hair like she practiced on mine the other year”

You had to try not to chuckle at that because you didn’t want to bring him out of his thoughts by your stomach moving up and down from you laughing. But yes, when he had his long hair you plaited it many a time.

“I can’t wait to meet you because I’m not going to leave you alone” Alex says to your stomach once more. “You’re already the best thing that’s ever happened to me…”

He then brings his other hand up to cover his mouth so you couldn’t see his lips moving. But you still heard him whisper, “But don’t tell your Mum because she thinks it’s still me and her getting together after loving each other from a distance for ten years”

You both share a little laugh then.

But Alex isn’t quite finished.

Your husband continues with, “I love you so so much, and I can’t wait for you to start this family off properly… We will get you loads of brothers and sisters though don’t worry. You won’t be lonely”

Your eyes widen at that and you feel the need to just quickly interrupt with, “That is only if Mummy can handle you. But the deal is, your Daddy has to make an album in between each sibling you have”

Alex chuckles again at that before kissing your stomach.

“Wow that’s a lot more music for me to write” He says with wide eyes.

“Like you’ll ever stop making it” You say raising your eyebrows at him.

“Alright alright” He shakes his head, knowing he’s been caught out. “Can I get back to my chat now?”

“All yours” You say gesturing to your stomach so he can continue.

“Right before I was so rudely interrupted” Alex playfully rolls his eyes.

You giggle a little but listen to him as he carries on, “Okay so, I know your Mum’s going to love you to the moon and back like I will, but I’m going to steal you away from her so we can go and do fun things”

“I can’t wait to teach you how to ride a bike and I can’t wait to teach you how to play guitar because that’s better than piano but don’t tell your mummy that either”

You just smile at that.

“I can’t wait to hear you speak; I’m going to put in an early request for your first word to be ‘Dad’ please… That’ll make your Mum really jealous”

The giggle that falls from your lips is music to Alex’s ears. He loves your laugh so much.

“Thank you for making us both so happy already. And for all the happy times we’re going to have” Alex finishes of with before he looks towards you.

“And thank you for being amazing… And for carrying our baby… And for marrying me… And for being my best friend” He tells you.

Alex picks up your hand and kisses the back of it, then says, “I genuinely don’t know what I’d do without you”

“You don’t have to find out, don’t worry” You assure him.

You were here for good.

He couldn’t get rid of you now, even if he wanted to.

“Just thank you… For everything” He says once again, and you can hear how genuine he’s being.

“I love you Alex” You tell him before leaning forward to press your lips against his.

And Alex manages to say against your lips, “I love you too”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Let me know if you want to be added to my Alex Turner Taglist for future works x

Taglist: @the-girl-before @murderousginger @minigranger @turnertable @bastillewolf @slothgiirl @billskarsgard-is-gorgeous @watashi-no-namae-wo-yonde @fookingsummertime @marvel-avengers01 @shibuikelsi @toolateformcrtooearlytoleaveemo @gretavanbobatea @chocolatecig @iamnotjesha @rachaeljayne15 @edgythought @marveious @liviasaugusta @boysinskirts @musicmania100 @he4rtbre4khotel @innocte @beckauhhh @whoknowswhatimeant @tony-starks-ego @tobarmaidswhodontcount @elektranxtchiios @bettyschwallocksyee @alexsvacuumcleaner @cornerstqne @halfofwhatisayismeaningless @juicebox-baby @yousuck-marina @nrldswita @dot-writes @skullag @b-monkeys @babyhoneystvles @timchalamxt @writingismybiggestlove

Thank you all so much x

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just-the-hiddles · 4 years

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Writer’s Spotlight | myoxisbroken

Happy hump day, peeps! This week’s spotlight is the queen of a historical fic, AU or canon. The maven of food porn in a fic. And the reigning champ of teasing me with smut @myoxisbroken ! Let’s dive in!!

The Basics

MASTERLIST HERE

Any other names you want people to call you?

Miss Ox, myox, whatever you feel like!

How long have you been writing fic?

2 years.

What fandoms and/ships do you write?

MCU (Loki, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes), other Tom Hiddleston characters (Pine, Conrad, Sharpe, Buxton, Nicholls, Plumptre, and ever-growing), and just branching out into Pedro Pascal with The Mandalorian; I also have a few Doctor Who fics in my Masterlist (Ten/Donna Noble)

How did you get started writing fic?

I was reading a ton of Doctor Who fic and enjoying the Doctor/River Song stories. Then I rewatched DW season 4 and was so depressed about Donna's ending that I immediately watched the David Tennant/Catherine Tate version of Much Ado About Nothing. And then I started to ship the Tenth Doctor and Donna.

So I read a bunch of their fic and thought, "You know what would be awesome? If someone wrote a WW2 AU where Donna's a single mother and the Doctor is an injured fighter pilot that she takes in as a boarder." And then I started to get snippets of dialogue in my head, and ideas for scenes, and I wondered if I might be able to write a story myself. I hadn't written anything in years, but I decided to give it a try. And a few months later, I had my first story completed, a 14-chapter Doctor Who AU.

After that, I had the writing bug and I haven't been able to stop coming up with ideas and working to put them into words!

Story Recommendations

Which of your stories are your favorite?

It is honestly so hard to choose. I'm only going to choose completed works, because I always love the WIPs I'm working on. So, let's see: You Bring Me Home is one of them, because it was so fun to just jump into a sexy vacation romp with some playful kink exploration for James Conrad (Kong: Skull Island). With Brooding Wings was my first attempt at a vampire story using multiple Tom Hiddleston characters, and I really enjoyed playing with the dynamics of different personalities and settings in that world.

In A Restless World Like This Is is another, because I had such a great time writing a fluffy love story for Steve Rogers and an older OFC. It started as a spite project because of someone's objections to older characters and turned into such a lovely experience. It was one of the easiest I've ever written in terms of how quickly it flowed from my brain through my fingers. I'd loved writing for Loki (An Excellent Suggestion was my first Loki story, and my first time writing smut) and for Bucky (We Are All Victims of Physics Sometimes was my first dip into capturing Bucky's quiet reserve and depth of emotion).

I honestly could go on and on about stories but would only sound more conceited.

Which story are you most proud of?

I think A Pursuit of the Heart. It was my first time writing in the Regency/Georgian era, and I did a TON of research for it. It was also my first novel-length story, and I didn't even know if I could take on something that big or write a historical romance convincingly, in a way that felt era-appropriate and true. I was so proud of the finished product.

Which of your stories do you think is the most underrated?

Let Your Heart Be Light, a Bucky/OFC story with a Christmas theme - its companion piece, Kissing The New Year In, also didn't get much traction. But I loved writing them!

Someone is new to reading your stories, which story/stories should they read first?

It depends on what actors and characters they like, really, as well as if they like smut or fluff or both. For a smutty one-shot, I'd recommend An Excellent Suggestion (which has a one-shot sequel). For a swoonier longer fic with smut, I'd recommend either You Bring Me Home or my fake relationship Steve Rogers fic The One Thing You Can't See.

For fluff, An Unforeseen Outcome is a Loki one-shot with both fluff and a little emotional hurt/comfort. Interestingly, I've written more not-smut fluff for Loki than for any other character. I think I just want him to find connection and love and acceptance so much.

And if you are a fan of historical romance, I'd recommend either my Thomas Sharpe AU A Compromising Situation, or if you like your fics with a healthy dose of angst, Beside Us When Beauty Brightens, my William Buxton (Return to Cranford) story about what happens after he loses Peggy.

Which Story did you do the most research for?

A Pursuit of the Heart, since it was my first one set in the Georgian era and I had a lot of catching up to do! I research for most of my stories, and definitely for my multi-chapter stories. Even if they're contemporary, I still look up resorts, locations, restaurants and local foods, things to do, etc. I can't help it. It's like I'm addicted to research.

Which Story was the easiest to write?

For a multi-chapter fic, In A Restless World Like This Is. For a one-shot, probably my Loki Christmas fluff All I Want For Christmas Is You.

The Writing Process

What is your favorite part of writing?

When a scene I've had in my head just flies out of my fingers and onto the page, and I can read it back and think, "YES! That's just how I wanted it!"

What is your least favorite part?

When my brain is too scattered and unfocused to actually allow me to do any writing.

Describe your style in 1 to 2 sentences.

Well-researched stories that use the information to make you feel like you're there and that incorporate sweetness into even the smuttiest scenario. Also, food porn, and porn porn.

Who are some of your writing idols and/or influences?

For published novels, Mary Balogh and Sabrina Jeffries are two of my favorite historical romance writers, and I think that reading them has helped to make my writing better. In terms of fic authors (some of whom are also published), @nildespirandum and @caffiend-queen were two of the first I read in the Tom/Loki fandom and their excellent quality and intriguing plots are an inspiration, even if I will never be able to write plots as twisty as theirs. Also, reading @yespolkadotkitty's stories helped me push myself to get better at setting scenes and at incorporating the various senses into stories, because she is so good at both of those things and so much else.

What programs do you use to write and/or edit?

I use Google Docs. I have also been dancing around buying Scrivener for an original novel I plan to write and shop around, so I'll be doing that soon.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Plotter, for sure. My brain would implode if I tried to pants my stories.

Do you write RPF or not?

I have a few chapters of a Tom Hiddleston RPF in draft form but haven't proceeded with it. I'd kind of like to write a Pedro Pascal RPF one-shot. I love reading RPF but feel odd about writing it for some reason.

Who is your favorite character to write and why?

Again with the tough questions! It might be Loki, because he is such a chameleon and there are so many hidden depths to him. I really want to write some multi-chapter Loki stories, because so far I have done one-shots and one 3-chapter short fic. I'd like to explore a longer character arc for him.

What do you think are your writing strengths?

Authenticity because of my research, realistically depicting emotions, and writing in a style that feels genuine to the setting and era.

What do you struggle with?

PLOT. I do think that there is plenty of room for all kinds of stories, and I like to tell stories about relationships. But I would like to get better at adding outside conflict and other types of plot to my stories.

Favorite Trope?

It's so hard to choose between There Was Only One Bed and Fake Relationship. I think those are my top two.

What is the best piece of writing advice you have heard?

Write something. Anything. Even if you think it's crap, get your first draft done, because you can always go back and rewrite something that's bad and make it better. Also, if you're stuck on your WIP, write something else - a piece of another story or one-shot, a description of something you saw, a character profile, a bit of personal journaling. Keep writing and don't let a temporary roadblock turn into a long-term one.

What would you say to a new fanfic writer starting out?

It's hard when something you wrote doesn't get a lot of attention, especially when you love it. We share stories in the hopes that other people will discover and enjoy them, but you have to at least partly do it for your own satisfaction, or it will get pretty discouraging if the likes/kudos, comments, and reblogs just don't happen.

What is a random bit of research you have not managed to work into a fic yet?

Ladies' drawers (underwear) were not commonly worn until the mid-1800s. They were thought to be gentlemen's garments and it was thus vulgar for a lady to wear them. Yes, ladies of the Georgian (incl. Regency) era were generally commando beneath their skirts, petticoats, and shifts. But that was still a lot of layers.

Any goals or WIPs you want to share?

My goal is to write an original novel (series) set during the Napoleonic Wars. My hope is to get it researched, written, and put in final draft form so that I can send query letters out before the end of 2021.

This or That

Fluff or Angst

Fluff AND Smut

Reader Insert or OC

Canon Divergent or AU

Pepsi or Coke (Neither: Cherry Coke Zero)

Coffee or Tea (Neither: Cocoa)

Sweet AND Savory

And that is it, until next week, remember to check out the masterlist here. And your new fav fic is just around the corner! Until next time, toodles!

#writer's spotlight #myoxisbroken #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston fanfiction #loki #loki fanfiction

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everamazingfe · 3 years

Text

The Kumbaya Approach

Fic Summary: Trevor is the captain of his own ship and is in need of a new pilot when his old one abandons the crew. Fortunately, his trusty engineer Gavin knows of a good one. Unfortunately, the cargo he brings along with him is a little more dangerous than they anticipated.

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Words: 15113 Pairings: Michael/Jeremy, Trevor/Alfredo Warnings: Mild descriptions of violence and blood

Notes: This was written for the Secret Springfairy fic exchange in the @rtwritingcommunity discord for @doolray! This was a ton of fun to write, I hope you enjoy, and big thanks to @fornhaus for proofreading/editing! Check the source for a link to read it on A 0 3!

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“What do you mean you quit?”

“I mean I quit. I’m done with this bucket of bolts. Every day there’s a new problem, a new critical failure, a new busted part, and I’m sick of it! What kind of commander can’t get a handle on his own ship?”

“Hey! Those problems aren’t my fault, it’s the-”

“-The ship’s AI, right. Heard that one a thousand times. But they’re part of the crew, too. Which means they’re your responsibility. And if you can’t keep them under control and keep your ship in shape, I’m out of here at the next port.”

The arguments had gone on like this for several days, nearly a week now, and it was the same thing every time. Jeremy would yell about how he was sick of being on the ship and lay down blame for its problems, and Trevor would defend himself against the barrage of insults instead of trying to change the other’s mind. He knew that was a futile effort, and he knew better than to fight losing battles.

The pair were silent for a long time, staring each other down. Jeremy was looking for a reason to get more wound up, to start yelling all over again. Telling off his commander for mistakes that everyone had seemingly let slide for far too long felt really good, and he wanted to keep going. Meanwhile, Trevor was calming down and calculating his next move very carefully. It was fine if his crew wanted to question his authority, they did it plenty and he never took it personally. But as far as he was concerned, Jeremy was no longer crew and no longer privy to that same mercy. After all, he’d quit.

“Fine. You can empty your quarters out and sleep in the observation deck, then. You’re no longer a member of this crew, so you no longer get to stay in crew cabins,” he stated after a few long moments, his tone cold.

Jeremy blinked in surprise, not expecting Trevor to actually do anything about it. “Wait, what?”

“You heard me. You don’t get a room anymore, those are reserved for the crew. If you’re unhappy with that arrangement, I can tell Lindsay to get the airlock open for you.”

“You know... If I leave, Michael’s gonna go with me. He goes where I go,” he reminded, though he was no longer yelling confidently. He was stumbling and faltering. Trevor had called his bluff effectively, and it was hard to keep up steam.

“Then you can help each other clean out your quarters and keep each other warm on the deck,” he responded, shrugging casually. “Finding a new science officer will be just as easy as finding a new pilot.”

“And just how do you expect to get to the next port safely?”

Trevor chuckled softly, smiling. “Lindsay is more than equipped with satisfactory navigational skills, isn’t that right Linds?”

The comms system beeped to life, and a cheerful voice was heard over the speakers. “That’s right, Commander! Jack’s charting us a course as we speak. We’ll be on our way shortly.”

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

There was some truth to Lindsay’s words. They were equipped with the best-in-the-market autopilot functionality, but Jack was not charting a course. The entirety of the crew was gathered around a large monitor in the communications bay, watching the whole ordeal unfold through Lindsay’s eyes. There were bets on how it would end. Most of the money was on it ending in blows at this point.

“Like hell I’m going with him!” Michael shouted, waving his hands and scoffing in disbelief as he looked at the screen. “I’m not idiot enough to throw away a good job when I’ve got it. I mean, sure the place is a shithole, no offense Linds-”

“None taken.”

“-But like… It’s not like we have to do anything. If I try and find another crew, they may make me do actual work! Can you imagine? I am not going anywhere.”

“I don’t think he’s going to give you a choice,” Jack said from beside him, the others all nodding in agreement. “I think you’re gonna have to go with him.”

Michael huffed, rolling his eyes and turning up the volume on the terminal. “If there’s one thing you fuckers should’ve learned about me right now, it’s this: I don’t have to do shit. Especially not for my boyfriend.”

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

Jeremy grumbled to himself as he packed up his things. Michael was, of course, no help. He just stood in the doorway and spectated, making snide remarks when he saw fit.

“You know, I’d really appreciate it if you could be on my side with this,” Jeremy said, balling up a shirt and throwing it at him. “Or at the very least, help me pack.”

Michael laughed, knocking away the shirt before it hit him in the face. “Fuck no, you dug this hole yourself. I’m not the moron who quit.”

“This place is a shithole and you know it.”

“Yeah, but you never have to fix any of it! You just have to sit there in your comfy pilot chair and wait for Gavin to do it.” Had Michael always been a little jealous of his boyfriend’s job? A little bit. The med bay was cold and unwelcoming, but the cockpit was cushy and warm. Plus, with Lindsay on board, the pilot didn’t really have to do much at all unless their systems went down. Which, to be fair, did happen a lot. “You pilots are always so snooty. You knew what you were getting into when you took this gig, you can’t expect it to be like the Ritz now.”

“Just fucking go,” Jeremy muttered, swiping up the last of his clothes from the floor. “Don’t even bother visiting, either.” The comment hurt them both, but that didn’t make him mean it any less. He didn’t want Michael to visit, he wanted him to stay at the port with him.

The other just laughed heartily and shook his head, turning on his heel to leave. “Wasn’t planning on it.”

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

The observation deck was, as it always was, cold and lonely. The warm blankets and fluffy pillows that were on his bed were technically part of the quarters he had previously taken residence in, so all Jeremy had to sleep on was the metal floor, cushioned by his clothing and a few other soft belongings. The things that he owned that were unfit for laying on were stacked around him. The observation deck’s window was huge, and as he laid there unable to sleep, the vastness of space no longer brought him the same comfort it had when he was in the pilot’s seat.

“Hey, Lindsay?”

The comms beeped to life once more. “Yes, Jeremy?”

“Am I making a mistake?” He asked, sitting up and leaning back against the stack.

There were a few long seconds of contemplative silence before they spoke again. “Yeah, you are. A huge one, I’d say.”

“That’s not really comforting... I don’t suppose Trevor would be willing to… Reconsider?”

“No, I don’t think so. You insulted the ship. The commander takes that personally.” Lindsay did too, but they figured that Jeremy already felt guilty enough without them piling on as well.

“C’mon, you know I didn’t mean it.”

“Do I, though? Because I really don’t think I do,” they stated. Maybe Jeremy didn’t feel as guilty as they had hoped, so their politeness parameters were temporarily suspended. “This is a ship made from stolen parts, what do you expect? For everything to run perfectly all the time? If you wanted that, you should’ve signed up for one of the legal spacefarers out there,” they quipped. If they had eyes, they would have rolled them.

Jeremy sighed heavily, sinking down the wall and burying his face in his hands. Maybe it wasn’t too late to take Trevor up on that airlock offer, he was sure he’d be happy to oblige.

“Is Michael going with you?” Lindsay asked after a few minutes, breaking the silence and sounding innocent enough. Jeremy couldn’t tell whether they wanted a yes or a no, but there was no use lying to them. They’d seen Jeremy packing alone, his quarters empty while Michael’s were still very much full.

“No,” he responded, shaking his head, “No, he’s not. He’s gonna be staying on board.”

“Oh, good. I like him. I’d be sad if he left.”

“But you’re not sad that I’m leaving?” There was no response to his words, just the comms beeping to signal that Lindsay wouldn’t be answering more of his questions. Jeremy sighed again and lowered his hands, staring back out at the stars. “I don’t even think that Michael’s sad that I’m leaving,” he muttered to himself, laying back down in his pile of clothes and shoving an old jacket under his head for a makeshift pillow.

He couldn’t exactly blame him for it, either. Maybe he could’ve been a better boyfriend, maybe he should’ve just bitten his tongue and held back whatever criticisms he had of Trevor and the ship. But part of this felt like it was inevitable, like he was always going to blow up like this. The worst part was that he didn’t even feel guilty about any of it, he was only sorry that speaking up had the consequences that it had. It was hard to have any regrets about it when he fully believed he was doing the right thing, though.

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

It only took them another week to reach the nearest spaceport, some podunk trading and tourist hub located pretty centrally to all the bigger colonies. Trevor liked it because they’d be able to stock up on supplies without having to scrounge or overpay. That was something that desperately needed doing, the last few ports had single rations sold for thousands of credits or reasonably priced ones that were nearly a century past date. Plus, they’d have pretty good odds at finding a replacement pilot there too. Jeremy liked it because it didn’t seem like the worst place to be booted onto, he could find work with another crew or in the port pretty easily. Everyone else liked it because being at port meant a few days of rest. Lindsay didn’t have to worry about some of the more power-hungry systems that came with flying a ship, which meant that Gavin didn’t have to run around making patchwork repairs at every hour of the day. But for some, their work didn’t stop. Matt always had to keep his ear to the radio for any incoming transmissions, and Michael and Fiona could only leave their experiments and samples unattended for so long before there were catastrophic results.

Reaching port this time was different this time around, though. They’d never had to say goodbye to one of their own before. Jeremy had been permitted one last night on the ship, but in the morning he’d have to go. To honor that last night, Gavin and Michael decided to organize a going away party for their fellow lad, complete with drinks and proper food (not just freeze-dried rations that pretended to be edible) and parting gifts.

It made Jeremy feel better about going when he saw how sad everyone seemed to be, how sincere they were in expressing how much they would miss him. He’d convinced himself that they all hated him for speaking out the way that he had, no one had come to speak to him in the observation deck and the only time he saw anyone was when he was brought his rations, but the party was a good indication that they didn’t hate him: they just pitied him.

Michael was certainly the most upset, despite the fact that he’d pretended to be unbothered only a week prior. Even if they had to do it from lightyears away, they promised each other they’d find a way to make things work. The communication technology was there, they’d still be able to talk. Michael was just glad that he wouldn’t have to worry too much about Jeremy while he was gone. It was a busy port, there’d be plenty of people around looking to hire a skilled pilot. And even if he couldn’t find work right away, it was safe enough that he could stay there for a while without running into any trouble unless he went looking.

Despite all the fun of the festivities, Trevor’s absence was hard to miss. Jeremy had to admit that he’d been foolish for expecting it, but not getting a final goodbye from his former commander stung.

However, Trevor had decided that his day was best spent working instead of partying, arranging for fresh shipments of supplies to be loaded into the cargo bay and beginning his search for a new pilot. The first task was successful, the latter one… Not so much. No one was really giving him the time of day, not believing him when he told them he captained his own ship and could afford to pay handsomely for work. Or they simply weren’t interested in the cargo that would need to be transported. After he was fed a lot of bullshit from people who clearly didn’t know anything trying to weasel their way onto his ship, he reached his limit and returned to the ship, thoroughly disheartened by the end of the night.

Trevor spent the evening in his quarters, agonizing over the situation for a few hours. There were a few solid candidates when he looked past all their unfavorable qualities, but he still wasn’t thrilled about any of them. Everyone was busy partying with Jeremy, he was grateful for the peace while he tried to work something out. The only thing that pulled him out of his thoughts was Lindsay’s chime. Usually that signaled that he’d been working for too long and it was time to get some rest, so he began to stand up, stretching his arms out over his head to ease away the stiffness.

“Commander, Gavin’s outside the door. Should I let him in?” They asked, sending a feed to his terminal of the lad standing outside the doors. He sat back down slowly, squinting as he looked at the grainy footage on the screen.

“Does he look like he’s carrying any stink bombs? I can’t tell.”

There were a few moments of silent examination before the comms beeped to life again. “Nope, he’s clear.”

Trevor waved in approval then, twisting around in his chair to face the door. “Let him in, then.”

The doors slid open to reveal Gavin standing there, fortunately empty-handed, with a smile on his face. “Commander! Missed you at the party, you should’ve been there! I saved you a bev, if you want it.”

“No thanks. Some of us had actual work to do, y’know.” He paused, looking the other up and down. It was always hard to read Gavin, he was always brimming with so much energy, it was hard to tell if his fidgeting was excited stimming or covering up for anxious nerves. There was no telling what he wanted to share. “I really hope you didn’t come here just to chastise me for not going to a party for someone who couldn’t stop insulting the ship every chance he got.”

“Nah, I get it. No one insults our Lindsay and gets away with it. But… I do think I can help with some of your problems.” Trevor arched an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue. “I know a pilot at this port. He’s one of the best. Well, actually, he is the best. And! He owes me a favor! So he’ll definitely be taking the job.”

“If he’s the best, how can you be sure he’s not currently in a crew?”

Gavin laughed at that, and Trevor’s face turned to one of confusion. “He’s rather picky about the jobs he takes. And, like I said: He owes me.”

He was quiet for a few moments, biting his lip as he thought it over. Gavin hadn’t led him astray before, it was how they’d ended up with Michael and Fiona on the crew, but it all felt a little too good to be true. Coincidences made him uneasy, but what choice did he have? “How soon can I meet him?”

“Tomorrow, if you’d like.”

“I’d like to, yeah. After breakfast. Lindsay, set an alarm for the engineering bay to make sure Gavin wakes up in time.”

“Yes, commander.”

“Hey!”

Trevor grinned as the other pouted. “Anything else, Gav?”

Gavin flipped him off before breaking out into a grin of his own. “Nope! That’s it. I should get back to the engines ‘case they bust again, but I’m happy to be of service. See you tomorrow, Trev.”

“See you tomorrow, Gavin. Get some rest, don’t stay up too late pestering Matt.”

“Will do, won’t do, goodnight!”

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

The next morning came soon enough, the crew having breakfast together for a change since Michael had been kind enough to grab some fresh ingredients and cook them a nice meal. It was refreshing to have real food, not just the usual freeze-dried rations or nutrient slurries they normally relied on. And real coffee was always a treat, though no one would dare insult Fiona’s synthesized seaweed coffee replacement for fear of losing the one caffeine source they had between stops.

After the meal, Gavin and Trevor set out as planned. They had a pilot to search for, and the lad wouldn’t stop ranting and raving about how great this guy was supposed to be. Trevor just hoped that he was going to live up to all the hype.

“When you said this guy is picky about the jobs he takes, just how picky did you mean?” He asked as they searched through the first hotspot. There were a few places this mysterious pilot liked to hang out in apparently, and there was no telling which one he’d be at.

Gavin chuckled softly, glancing over at Trevor with a smile until he realized he was being serious. Then, he just shrugged a shoulder. “I dunno. He won’t complain about the ship, if that’s what you mean.”

“Kind of. I just want to make sure he’s not too high class to run the sort of jobs we run.”

“Oh, trust me. He’s not. He is exactly low class enough to run these sort of jobs. But, y’know, like everyone else he wants to make sure the money’s real, and that he’s not gonna end up space dust.”

“Fair enough.” Those were reasonable requests, and ones that were easy enough for Trevor to guarantee. No one on his crew ever ran out of credits, and no one had gotten seriously injured on a job. The ‘on the job’ part was the most important part of that sentence, because injuries did still happen around the ship, despite everyone’s best efforts.

Spots two and three were as equally bust as the first one, but Gavin was just as determined as he’d been at breakfast. Trevor, not so much. It was well past mid-day by the time they reached the fifth spot, some sort of hotel and lounge for people to catch their breath and put their feet up.

The moment they stepped in the door, there was a big beaming grin on Gavin’s face. “Fredo!” He shouted, raising his arms as he cheered. “Took us long enough to find you!”

The man in question was seated casually on a sofa, nose buried in a magazine, though his attention was broken by Gavin’s shouting cutting through the ambiance. “Gavin?” He asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion as he set his magazine aside and stood. “What the hell are you doing so far out?”

“Ah, well, that’s a bit of a long story,” he said, waving a hand to dismiss the question as he walked up to the man and wrapped an arm around him. He dragged him over to Trevor, still beaming. “Trevor, this is Alfredo. Best pilot on this side of the universe. On both sides, probably, but he doesn’t like to brag. And Alfredo, this is Trevor. He’s the big boss of the Morrigan.”

“I, uh… Yeah, that’s me. I’m the cap- The commander.”

“Cat got your tongue, Commander?” Alfredo asked, smirking as the other’s face tinted red. “C’mon, let’s go somewhere else and chat. There’s way too many people listening in out here.”

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

They ended up in Alfredo’s room, crowded around the small table underneath a dim light. However, Trevor didn’t need a lot of light to get a read on someone, and he noticed a lot of things about their potential new pilot in a short time. He didn’t fidget like Gavin did, each movement seemed like it was with purpose, but sometimes he’d flex his fingers and roll his wrists. It told him that he was as experienced as Gavin said, because Jeremy had started to do the same thing after a long time behind the helm. His jacket was well worn, the red still bright in some spots but faded in others, and patched in places where it’d been damaged. That told him that Alfredo wasn’t afraid of a fight, and he was resourceful enough to not let good things go to waste. All good things, in his book.

“So, what’s your offer?” Alfredo asked, breaking the silence once they’d all gotten settled around the table.

“My… Offer?”

“Yeah. If I work for you, what do I get?”

Trevor and Gavin looked at each other for a moment, the latter stunned by the bluntness of the question, but the former was used to unprofessionalism like that. In fact, he preferred it. “Well, for starters, a spot on the ship. You get your own private quarters. However, you really are there as a backup to our ship’s computer in case things get extra… Challenging. They’re good, but there’s limits to every AI.”

Alfredo’s eyebrows raised at that. He’d never been on a ship that had a computer like that on it before. “Sounds like a fancy ship.”

Gavin snorted out a laugh, shaking his head quickly. “Trust me, it’s not. It’s all cobbled together, and the only reason we ended up with Lindsay was because their system was gonna be salvage otherwise.”

“Right…” He cleared his throat, looking back to Trevor. “What about money?”

“We all get an equal cut of the credits. We’re all important on the Morrigan, no one gets more or less than anyone else.” Everyone put in a lot of work to keep the ship running smoothly, sometimes Trevor felt like he wasn’t doing enough in comparison. Every now and then, he’d take less from his own cut to give everyone else a little more. It felt fair. “And we kind of just go wherever when we’re not running jobs.”

Alfredo was quiet for a few moments, thinking things over. He knew he owed Gavin a favor, but at the same time this whole deal seemed too good to be true. No commander was ever this reasonable, this good to his crew. “Can you go wait outside for a minute? I’d like to talk to Gavin,” he said finally, and Trevor was happy to oblige. He didn’t take his eyes off the other man until the door closing forced him too, then they were fixed on Gavin. “This smells like bullshit.”

“I’m telling you Fredy, it’s not. We all get an equal cut, the rooms are pretty damn lush, and the jobs are alright. I don’t do much but patch up the ship after them, but we haven’t had any major hull breaches yet.” He seemed quite proud of himself for that, but deflated when Alfredo didn’t respond in kind.

“Yeah, but what about your last pilot? What happened to them? No one just leaves a gig this good.”

“Ah, well… Actually, some do. There were a few… Disagreements. He wasn’t happy on the ship, and Trevor doesn’t like when people insult the Morrigan, or Lindsay,” he explained, choosing his words carefully. He wasn’t sure either of the men involved would be happy if the story started to get spread. “But it’s a good ship, a good crew, and Trevor’s a good man. Plus, you owe me.”

“I know, and that’s the worst part!” He groaned, slumping forward with his face in his hands. “I hate owing you, you always make people pay you back in the worst possible ways!”

“Oi! I’m getting you a job!”

“Yeah, and it all sounds shady as shit! I know you’re smugglers, but damn. Trevor’s cold.”

Gavin just chuckled softly, because he couldn’t exactly disagree with him. The commander had his moments, but didn’t everyone? “Look, Fredo. You need this, and we need you. So just… Take the job, would you?”

Alfredo chewed the inside his lip as he thought it over, letting out a long sigh after a minute. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear,” Gavin said with a grin, clapping Alfredo on the shoulder before yelling for Trevor to come back inside.

He genuinely couldn’t guess what they had been talking about in there, but judging by the look on Gavin’s face it was something good. “You’ve decided, then?” He asked Alfredo as he took his seat again.

“He has! He said that he’d joi-“

“-Gavin, dude. Let me talk,” he said, swatting at the other man to get him to shut up. “I’ll join your crew, on one condition…” He trailed off, wanting to gauge the other’s response before he continued.

“And that is?” Trevor asked, arching an eyebrow and waiting for him to go on.

“I have some cargo I need to get off this asteroid. It’ll be a win/win for the both of us: You get to see how good I fly, I get this job off my back, and you, me, and your crew get to split the money.”

It’d be a good reason to get out of the spaceport faster too. Trevor wasn’t planning on leaving until they had a job anyway and now one had fallen right into their laps with a new pilot in hand. “Sounds like a deal to me,” he said, reaching a hand out for Alfredo to shake and smiling across the table at him. It was a genuine smile, the facade of the stern negotiator falling away.

Alfredo grinned right back at him, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. “Hell yes.”

“We can get into the details of the job back on the ship, but I wanna introduce you to your new crew first.”

“Oh, you’re gonna love them, Fredo. They’re all brilliant.”

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

The Morrigan welcomed its commander back onto the ship with a cheerful musical tone, the doors sliding open as he approached with Gavin and Alfredo in tow.

“Oh, now who’s this?” Lindsay asked, curious about the new arrival. If they were being honest, they hadn’t expected Gavin to be telling the truth about knowing a pilot, or for Trevor to be convincing enough to get him to join. Their expectations weren’t pessimistic, just realistic. They knew their crew.

“Lindsay! Hey there, perfect timing,” Trevor said with a grin as Gavin scurried off to go gather the rest of the crew. “This is Alfredo, he’s gonna be our new pilot! And Alfredo, this is Lindsay, our ship's computer, and your co-pilot. If you have any questions about the ship, they’ll be the one to ask.”

“That’s right!” They chirped, “Not to brag or anything, but I know more about this ship than anyone, except maybe Gavin. We’re about equal, but don’t tell him I said that!”

Alfredo chuckled, amused by just how much personality this supposed AI had. “Are you sure there’s not a person on the other side of those comms, commander?”

Trevor simply shook his head. “Nope, just a Lindsay!” He answered, motioning for Alfredo to follow him as he led him further into the ship. Doors opened and shut behind them automatically as they went, which meant that Lindsay was keeping a close eye on them. They’d really taken Jeremy’s comments about the ship to heart, and they had to make sure the new guy wasn’t going to say the same thing.

“No offense, but… How does a ship like this afford a computer like that? I know how much these jobs make, and how much those things cost, and… The math just isn’t adding up.”

The speakers beeped to life with a gentle tone, and Lindsay spoke up for themselves. “I was a rejected version of an even more advanced system, but because of how advanced I still was, they couldn’t just shut me down and wipe out all my data. So, they put me up for sale instead.”

“We got a pretty good deal on them, actually. No one really wants a buggy AI, too much of a risk or whatever, but for a smuggling crew who doesn’t care about perfection, they’re perfect.” The bugs that the programmers had rejected Lindsay for were hardly even bugs in Trevor’s eyes, they were just things that made them too hard to control. There was no speech filter, no way to control them or make them do whatever you wanted, which is why they’d been rejected. You had to treat them like a person, and their programmers had hated that.

Alfredo was genuinely impressed by the state of the ship, and how smoothly things seemed to run on the surface. Lindsay gave him a quick brief on the engine the ship was powered by and some tips for when he was at the controls to help work around some of its quirks. By the time their spiel was done, they’d reached the bridge where everyone had been gathered so they could get introductions out of the way all at once instead of hunting people down one by one.

The Morrigan was no small ship, and its crew matched it. It was, by far, the largest smuggling ship that Alfredo had ever stepped foot in. Probably the happiest as well. Every role had a person to fill it, and none of them seemed to have many complaints either.

The first person to speak up and introduce herself was Jack, the ship’s navigations officer. She worked with Lindsay to chart their courses, keeping in mind everything that they’d have to avoid ranging from rogue space debris to the ever annoying authorities. The three of them would be working very closely together, so Alfredo was glad that she spoke up first.

Michael and Fiona introduced themselves next, the former being the ship’s medical officer and physician while the latter was a scientist. She had her own experiments to run, but she also spent a lot of time helping Michael keep everyone on board the ship healthy. It was a much more difficult task than one would expect, apparently. Alfredo asked Fiona what she was doing on the ship, but she refused to say anything more than “nunya business,” and Trevor insisted that it was better if he didn’t know, so he dropped the subject.

The communications officer introduced himself after that. Matt was more quiet and reserved than everyone else seemed to be, but he still seemed quite content in his role. It seemed like there wasn’t much to do - there were no aliens trying to make contact, or even that many other ships for that matter - so he spent a lot of his time misusing the comms to catch up on radio shows from Earth or the other space outposts.

“Alright! Well, feel free to hang out with everyone for a bit,” Trevor said, noticeably relieved that everyone seemed to like Alfredo, and vice-versa. It was a good first step. Gavin was usually a pretty good judge of character, but one could never be too careful.

“You’re not gonna stick around?” Alfredo asked, frowning a little. “You can’t just leave me alone with these guys.” That comment was hushed, he didn’t want anyone else to hear.

“Sure I can. I’ve got some work to do, and besides, they don’t bite.” He looked pointedly at Michael. “Usually.” Alfredo whirled around to follow Trevor’s gaze, eyes going wide as Michael snarled at him. The pair broke out into laughter, making Alfredo huff in displeasure.

“That’s not funny, man.”

“Sorry, sorry, couldn’t resist. Just… Relax.” He put his hands on the other’s shoulders, giving him a little shake. “Everyone here is great, they’re the nicest people on this side of the galaxy. You’re gonna have to get to know them eventually, so you might as well start now. I got some work I gotta do to get us loaded up, but come up to my quarters later. We need to hammer out the details of that job so we can get outta here soon.”

Alfredo nodded slowly, mumbling a confirmation and watching as Trevor turned on his heel and walked out of the room. Michael and Gavin slammed a hand down onto each of his shoulders, snapping him out of his trance as they whirled him around.

“C’mon, Alfredo! We’ve still got some booze leftover from Jeremy’s going away party,” Michael told him with a wicked grin, “Jack makes the best drinks, you gotta try one.”

“I dunno... I just joined, is that really smart?”

“Is what smart?”

“Drinking.”

“Nah,” Gavin scoffed, shaking his head quickly. “Drinking’s always smart, trust me.”

Alfredo rolled his eyes. He knew firsthand that trusting Gavin was a bad idea when it came to alcohol, but on the other hand… Maybe it’d be a good way to get more comfortable around everyone. He was still a little wary, and a little overwhelmed by the sheer size of the crew, some help feeling more at ease was definitely welcome. It was called liquid courage for a reason.

And after a few drinks, he certainly felt more at ease. At the same time, it was weird being accepted so quickly. Sometimes he was stuck on his own, even when he was on a crew. Space had a tendency to be a very lonely and isolating place, it seemed like these people were well aware of the fact, and worked hard to make sure no one fell victim to its clutches. Fiona saw him standing off to the side, trying to edge away from all the excitement, and dragged him right into it. Jack gave him drinks when she spotted an empty cup, alternating between alcoholic and not to make sure he didn’t end up too far gone. And Michael and Gavin were something else entirely, wasting no time in filling him in on the latest ship gossip and ongoing pranks. Ultimately, he decided that he’d made a good choice in trusting Gavin and joining the Morrigan.

When the festivities died down and everyone began to clean up and retreat to their quarters, Alfredo took it as his sign to go and find Trevor and discuss the job with him. Finding his quarters was easy enough, but he hesitated outside.

“He already knows you’re there, you know,” Lindsay piped up, giggling when they saw Alfredo jump and search around for the source of their voice. It was all around them, coming through every speaker in that part of the hall. “He’s got a video feed that shows the hall outside of his door. Put it in after Gavin pranked him a few too many times,” they added, this time only speaking from the nearest speaker.

“Yeah, Gavin’s always been one for pranks.” He stepped closer to the door, but still didn’t go in.

They hummed softly, some sensors whirring in a far off room of the Morrigan. “Why are you hesitating?”

“Because.”

“Because why?”

“Because!” Alfredo gestured in exasperation, activating the door’s motion sensor. He jumped again as it slid open, staring through it and making eye contact with Trevor, who was seated at his desk and smiling knowingly.

“Thank you, Lindsay.”

“Any time, commander! That trick never fails.”

Alfredo looked at Trevor with wide eyes, stammering out an excuse that was immediately waved off. “Just come on in, there’s no use putting it off,” he told him. “The sooner we get things sorted, the sooner we can get out of the port.”

“Why the rush?” He asked as he stepped inside, the door sliding shut behind him with a loud thunk. “It’s pretty nice, as far as spaceports go.”

“Yeah, but I’ve got a disgruntled former pilot hanging around here now, and I really don’t want him deciding that he wants to get revenge.”

“Fair enough.” Alfredo sat down in the chair across from Trevor, watching him from across the desk. When the other didn’t speak right away, he took it as an opportunity to do so instead. “So, the job. It’s several crates of cargo, will you have enough space in the hold for all of that?”

“How many is several, exactly?”

“About ten, all pretty decently sized. A yard or two each way, at least.”

Trevor chuckled, nodding as he made a note. “Oh yeah, we’ll have plenty of room. I’ve got some supplies getting loaded up tomorrow, if you talk to a man named Geoff at the mercantile he’ll be sure to slip ‘em in, make sure no one suspects anything.”

Alfredo raised his eyebrows, impressed. “That’s it? No questions about the cargo?”

Trevor let out a long sigh at that, lifting his eyes from his notebook to look at him. “Usually, I don’t want to know. It’s not my business to know. I’m not paid to know,” he explained, waiting until the other nodded in understanding to carry on. “But, since you brought it up, I feel like I should ask… Is it alive?”

“Uh… Yeah, it is.”

“Is it people? Cause I don’t do that shit.”

“What? No. No! It’s… Well, it’s-“

“Is it gonna break out of the crates and kill us in our sleep?”

Alfredo didn’t have an immediate answer to that one. Trevor didn’t find that comforting.

“Probably not?”

They stared at each other for a few moments, gauging each other’s reactions until Trevor broke the silence. “Works for me! Like I said, talk to Geoff at the mercantile, let him know where you keep everything, he’ll get it all worked out.” He extended his hand, offering it to Alfredo for him to shake. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Alfredo.”

“Likewise,” the other man said, reaching out and giving Trevor’s hand a firm shake. “The Morrigan seems like a real nice ship, I can’t wait to see how they fly.”

With that, Alfredo took his leave, but Trevor kept his eyes on the door long after he walked out.

The comms beeped to life, and Lindsay spoke from a speaker on Trevor’s desk. “I like him already.”

“Yeah, I do too,” he said whimsically before shaking his head to clear the thoughts from his mind and pointing a finger at the speaker. “I never said that. You didn’t hear that.”

“Of course, Commander. I heard nothing.”

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

The cargo was loaded up without issue the following day. All Alfredo had to do was give the boxes a small mark once they were in the hold, that way they’d know what was the smuggled cargo, but that was an easy enough task. They spent a few more hours at the port, letting everyone do a small tour around for some shopping and giving Michael a chance to say some goodbyes to Jeremy before they set out.

“Alright, let’s see how this baby flies,” Alfredo said with a grin once he was in the pilot’s seat, cracking his knuckles. This was the one place where he truly felt confident and in his element, and it was so good to be back where he belonged. “Jack, we got a course set?”

“Yup, Lindsay’s got all the info, and there should be a copy of it there on your terminal,” Jack said from her station, turning in her seat to look at Alfredo and give him a thumbs up. She grinned as she got one in return.

“Sweet. Lindsay, you ready to take off?”

A few melodic beeps came through the speakers as they checked in with Gavin to make sure the engines were all in working order, then they spoke. “I am! Gavin’s on standby in case anything goes wrong, too.”

“Perfect, start the launch sequence for me, please?”

“Ooh, how polite! I like this one,” they hummed, and Jack laughed softly from her station at the way Alfredo’s cheeks tinged pink. “Sure thing, Fredo. One launch sequence, coming right up!”

The Morrigan shook and creaked as the engines fired up, groaning with effort as the sound roared through the engineering bay and echoed around the spaceport. It was a big ship that required a lot of power to get going, even more so to break away from the gravitational field surrounding the port, and every time they took the crew was terrified that it would come apart at the seams under the pressure. But, like it did every time before, it pulled through, and it wasn’t long until they were up in the atmosphere and out into space.

“Wow,” Alfredo breathed, slumping back in his chair once things had stabilized. He hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath. “Is it always like that?”

Trevor chuckled from behind him, smiling and nodding. “Yeah, pretty much.” He walked up and patted Alfredo on the shoulder, making eye contact with him in the window’s reflection before looking past it at the stars. “Get used to it, buddy.” The clanking of the ship he’d long since learned to tune out, but seeing the stars? It never got old to him. They were just as beautiful every time he saw them, and it was easy to get lost looking at them as they went by.

“Guess I’m gonna have to.” It was clear that Trevor was lost in thought, so Alfredo just nudged his hand from his shoulder and leaned to look around him at Jack. “How we lookin’? Smooth sailing?”

“Smooth sailing. No asteroids, no authorities, no other ships if we’re lucky. I’ll let you know if that changes, though. It’ll take us a while to get to our next stop, few days at the most.”

“Can this thing handle lightspeed?”

Jack and Lindsay both broke out into laughter, and even Trevor snapped out of his trance to join in.

“Absolutely not,” Lindsay told him, laughing brightly. They took great pride in the Morrigan, but even they knew its limits. “We’ve been trying to get our hands on a new warp drive for a while now, but no such luck. We’re stuck inside this solar system for the time being, unfortunately.”

“Put my cut from the job towards one, then.” Trevor’s eyebrows shot up, and he met Alfredo’s eyes through the reflection once more. “I’m serious. The further you can travel, the better jobs you can get.” And even for short distances, Alfredo wasn’t really one for travelling at a space snail’s pace. “The better jobs you get, the more money you make.”

Trevor couldn’t disagree with that logic, so he simply just nodded in approval. “I’ll start putting my cut towards one too, then.”

“Seriously?” Jack piped up, “like Gavin doesn’t have enough to fix around here?”

The commander turned towards her, arching an eyebrow. “Everyone’s free to spend their cut on whatever they like, and that’s how Alfredo and I are choosing to use ours. Do I say anything when you spend it on baseball cards just cause Geoff and Gav talked about ‘em?”

“No…”

“No, I don’t. So, you mind your business, and I’ll mind mine.” Trevor could take a ribbing as good as the rest of the ship’s crew, but there were some things he just wouldn’t take. The ship was still a very sore subject for him. Jack let out a long sigh but nodded, knowing that there was no use in pushing the matter further. “So, Alfredo. You don’t have to stay here all the time, Lindsay’ll put an alarm out if there’s any immediate threats you’re needed for. I don’t expect you to be sitting here all day, every day. That’d just be mean.”

Alfredo nodded in understanding, spinning around in the chair to get a look at Trevor. “I’ll probably hang out here most of the day, though. Nice view, y’know? Plus I wouldn’t want Lindsay and Jack to get bored,” he joked, cracking a smile.

“Good plan.” Trevor nodded in approval before he spun around to leave, though he lingered just out of sight. Alfredo was agreeable, almost too agreeable. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the guy, or that he cared if he was a troublemaker, but it was certainly an oddity to have a crewmember that actually wanted to do their job. There had to be a catch. There was always a catch.

Jack scoffed from her seat once she thought Trevor was gone, glancing over at Alfredo from her terminal. “You let him walk all over you, dude.”

“He’s the boss, I’m gonna listen to him,” he responded simply, looking to her for barely a second before his eyes were back on the stars.

“Yeah, but you can push back a little, he’s not gonna bite your head off for it.”

“He gets enough of that from the rest of you assholes.”

“Whoa, okay. Just trying to help.”

Alfredo turned in his chair then, meeting Jack’s eyes. “I don’t need your help. Did you hear what Trevor said? ‘You mind your business, I’ll mind mine?’ That goes for me too.” He’d put up with enough bullshit from the other crews he’d been a part of and jobs he’d taken, and he wasn’t going to let this be like the rest of them. He knew the difference between letting himself get pushed over and keeping his head below the fenceline so he didn’t end up losing it.

They stared each other down for a few long moments, sizing each other up. Jack realized then that she’d misjudged Alfredo. He wasn’t some rookie pilot pulled off the streets, he was the real deal, and he wasn’t going to take any shit from anyone. On the other hand, Alfredo realized that he’d judged Jack correctly, and he didn’t like antagonists much. He knew he’d warm up to her eventually, he had to if he didn’t want this whole thing to fall through, but that was an awfully bad start.

Lindsay couldn’t stand the tension that was building in the room, making the air so thick that the vent system was having a hard time sucking it up for purification. So they did the only thing they could to break it: Sound a station-wide alarm. Trevor had to come out of his hiding spot then, running up to the main console to check the system.

“Lindsay, what the hell’s going on?!” He asked, having to shout over the blaring alarm.

“I don’t know, the alarm just started going off!” They shouted back, sounding panicked, although it was all an act. They pretended to flounder for a moment, making sure that there was enough time for the tension to fade entirely and that Alfredo and Jack had forgotten about their spat before they killed the alarm. “There! All sorted, I think it was just a crossed wire or something. Crazy, huh?” They could tell that Trevor didn’t quite believe them, but at least Jack and Alfredo had gotten back to work. “Maybe you should stick around for a bit, commander. Just to make sure nothing like that happens again.”

“Hm.” He hummed as he took a seat in the commander’s chair, kicking his feet up onto the console in front of him. There was no way to tell what they were playing at, but keeping an eye on the new recruit wasn’t exactly a bad idea, especially if Jack was going to be giving him trouble. “I think you’re right, Lindsay. Can’t be having any trouble on the bridge now, can we? Good call.”

“No commander, we can’t. And thank you.”

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

Things were quiet for a few days. Too quiet. There were the usual pranks and fights and other nonsense, but there were no large scale problems. Any commander would be happy about that and proud of their crew for avoiding disaster, but not Trevor. On the Morrigan, that meant there was a ticking time bomb hidden somewhere on the ship, and it was only a matter of time until it blew. He allowed himself to sleep, but only for a few hours at a time, and when he was awake he was on constant patrol. The previous longest record for going without a major incident was about three days, and it was now encroaching on a week. He wasn’t counting the detour they’d had to make to avoid some random authorities patrolling the system as a major incident, just a minor setback, so they were still due for something.

When it hit a week since their last incident, he was almost convinced that he could relax, that he could let his guard down and accept that there was nothing waiting just around the bend for him. Almost. Barely a second after that thought crossed his mind, he heard footsteps quickly approaching from behind him.

“Hey, Trevor-boy!” Gavin called out for him, making him spin on his heels. “So, got a bit of a problem for you.” It was weird seeing someone relieved to learn there was a problem, but Trevor certainly looked that way. “There’s a lot of uh… Banging, coming from the storage deck.”

“Have you gone down there to check it out?” He asked, already knowing the answer before he even asked.

“Absolutely not! Are you insane? Michael won’t go either, before you ask, you’re gonna have to go down there and look,” he informed him, and Trevor pinched the bridge of his nose. “Hey, don’t give me that! We don’t know what Alfredo brought on board, and I’m not trying to get eaten.”

“He promised me it wouldn’t kill us in our sleep.”

“That doesn’t mean it won’t kill us when we’re awake, though.”

Trevor sucked in a breath, holding it for a moment as he thought his next words over carefully. “Lindsay?” He called, his attention no longer on Gavin as he began to walk

The speaker system chimed to life, and Lindsay greeted the two of them cheerfully. “Yes, commander?”

“Where’s Alfredo?”

There was a beat of silence as they checked all of their ocular systems. “He’s in the bridge, why?”

“Have him meet me down by the storage bay, would you? And have Michael bring down a few weapons, I don’t know what we’re dealing with. Can you tell if anything’s started moving down there?”

“There is a lot of movement down there, but I think whatever it is, it’s still in the crates.” The comms system buzzed as they went quiet, searching the cargo bay to make sure they weren’t sending their crew down into certain death. “Yeah, no, it’s definitely still contained.” There was a beat of silence before they whispered, “for now.”

That brought some relief, at least. Still, he didn’t want to go in there with nothing, just in case. At least they managed to hit a new record. He’d have to mark it on his calendar when he got back up to his quarters.

He let Gavin get back to work somewhere along the way down to the bottom of the ship, waiting outside the door to the hold and tapping his foot as he waited for Alfredo and Michael to join him. As he opened his mouth to ask Lindsay to let them know he was waiting, he heard the telltale sound of yelling that signalled Michael’s approach. Alfredo was much quieter, but he had no doubt that he was in tow.

Still, he was impatient. Trevor always was when it came to the safety of his crew. If there was anything that had the potential to harm them, he wanted it dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. There was no room for wasting time. He already had his hand out as Michael rounded the corner, and he didn’t lower it until he felt the weight of a gun settled in it.

“Gave you your usual rifle, boss. Figured you’d want something reliable,” he explained, watching as Trevor inspected the rifle to make sure it was up to his standards. “Gave Fredo the harpoon gun, figured it might be handy and he said he’s used one of those before. Plus pistols for the both of you. Try not to miss your shots, though. Gavin’ll be pissed if he has to do a hull repair.”

“Thank you, Michael. We’ll take it from here, but…” He trailed off, noticing that Michael himself was also armed with a variety of weapons. “Standby out here, just in case. Lindsay’ll let you know if we run into trouble.” They nodded at each other in understanding, the doors to the cargo bay sliding open in front of them. “Let’s go.”

Alfredo could only give a tiny nod himself, following behind the commander as they stepped into the hold. It was bright, the lights at full blast to make sure there weren’t any shadows to hide in. But that wasn’t enough to stop him from being nervous. His hands didn’t shake, but he was chewing on his bottom lip so much that it was starting to bleed, and every little noise made him raise the harpoon gun and aim.

“You wanna tell me what’s in those crates?” Trevor asked as they worked their way towards the center of the hold, checking every nook and cranny as Lindsay kept them updated on any movement around them that was out of the ordinary. “I was fine with not knowing before, but-“ He was cut off by the sound of wood scraping against metal, dull thuds as whatever was inside of them grew restless. “But because of things like that, I can’t let things slide anymore.”

The other man hesitated, continuing to bite at his lip, but Trevor’s gaze was piercing and it made his blood run cold against his tongue. Nothing got past the commander, even the smallest of lies. “Plants. It’s plants.”

“Plants don’t move like that,” Trevor pointed out, and Alfredo couldn’t exactly refute his claim. “Now, what the hell is actually in these crates?”

“I’m being serious. It’s plants.” A beat of silence, more piercing stares, before he continued. “Mutant plants that were definitely overfed a ton of fertilizer and who only knows what else, but… Yeah. Plants.”

“Mutant… Plants?” The words fell slowly off of Trevor’s tongue, processing what they meant at the same time they left his mouth. “Just how mutant, exactly?”

“Depends. Some of ‘em are still pretty plant-like, but… Others are getting pretty close to Audrey II territory.”

“As much as I appreciate the comparison, I’d appreciate a little more seriousness even more.” Alfredo murmured an apology, but Trevor’s silence made it clear that the time for talking was over.

After a few more paces they reached the crates, specially marked to make it stand out from all of the other similar crates, but only to the trained eye. Sure enough, there was some banging coming from inside the crate, as well as some angry hissing, but it wasn’t exactly loud enough to be heard from the engineering deck, especially not over the roar of the engines either. If Gavin was able to hear it, it had to be something much bigger, much louder.

They began to inspect the crates one by one, making sure each one was intact and tightening whatever screws had started to get knocked loose by the thrashing within. All the noise and movement had Trevor on edge, his heart racing and normally steady hands shaking each time he had to touch one of the boxes.

“That’s all of them. Nine crates, all secure.”

Alfredo frowned, eyebrows furrowed together as his eyes flicked from crate to crate. “There should be ten here.” They both counted, and re-counted, and counted one last time for good measure. Sure enough, there were only nine crates with no sign of a tenth.

“Lindsay, double-check the manifest for me?” They did, which only confirmed that there was a crate missing. Trevor’s face mirrored the pilot’s then, concern etched deep into their features. “Alfredo? Any explanations?”

“Alright, this isn’t my fault.”

“I’m not saying it is, but I would still like an explanation. Or at least some way to make sense of… This.”

Alfredo shifted, uncomfortable under Trevor’s gaze. “Well… Best guess is that… Either Geoff miscounted or left one off the ship, or-“

“-Which is pretty likely-“

“-Or one of the plants escaped. Which is also pretty likely. Maybe even more likely.”

“Well. Shit.” They both hoisted up their weapons simultaneously, knowing that they couldn’t afford to get caught off guard by anything. “Lindsay, lock down the cargo bay! Nothing gets in or out of here, not even the two of us. If anything starts moving other than us or those crates, you tell us immediately, got it?”

“Sure thing, commander. There’s just… One teensy-tiny problem.”

Trevor groaned loudly, looking up at the speaker. “And that is what, exactly?”

“Well, you see… There’s so much movement in those crates that… I kinda can’t see any movement anywhere else in the ship, and especially not in the cargo bay. It throws my whole system off, I can’t see anything.”

He whirled around to look at Alfredo upon hearing that, rifle still raised, and for a second he thought that the commander was going to shoot him right where he stood. The thought crossed Trevor’s mind, he wasn’t going to lie about that, but he decided that it would be unwise. He needed someone to watch his back, even if that someone was the one who got him into this mess. Turning back around and marching on, he let out a very slow, very shaky breath as he tried to control his anger.

“Alfredo?”

“Yes, sir?”

“You and I are going to stay in here and keep watch on the rest of these crates to make sure no more of these…” He trailed off, glaring back at the crates before his gaze was back on Alfredo. “Things escape before we reach our destination. Michael and Jack are going to be patrolling the rest of the ship to keep everyone else safe. I don’t know what the hell these things are capable of, and I’m assuming you don’t either, so we need to be on high alert. Got it?”

Alfredo nodded quickly. “Yes sir.”

“Good. Now… Lindsay, how far away are we?”

“We’re about a day out. I’ll try and push the engines so we can get there faster but-”

“Don’t bother, I’d rather not blow the ship. Alfredo and I are just going to have to find some way to keep ourselves occupied.”

A day stuck in the cargo hold with the commander, who was very armed and very angry, really wasn’t ideal for Alfredo, but he acknowledged that there were worse punishments he could be given. He was just glad that he’d already opted to put his cut towards the ship, because there was no way he’d be given all of it after this.

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

“Got any sevens?”

“No, go fish. Got any threes?”

“Nope, go fishin’! Got any… Got any aces?”

There was a long moment of silence, and then: “This would be easier with cards. I don’t remember what I have or don’t have anymore.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

It had been several hours since the start of the cargo bay lockdown, and they were already running out of things to do. They’d searched the hold over and over until they found scrapes in the floor that lead to a splintered crate at the far end, but nothing that told them where the plant monster had run off to. Then, they reinforced all the remaining crates, doing what they could to make sure nothing else would try to escape and end up succeeding in their attempt. After that, they’d sort of run out of things to do to keep busy. “Imaginary Go Fish” was only entertaining the first time (though Trevor would disagree), and Lindsay had shut off all their sensors in the hold in an attempt to get everything else back in working order so they could help Michael and Jack. Not only were they cut off from the rest of the crew, but they were alone for the next twenty or so hours.

“At least we’re down here with the supplies so we don’t starve,” Alfredo muttered, trying to find any possible brightside to the situation.

Trevor hummed in agreement, standing up and shaking out his arms. “Yeah, at least we won’t starve,” he agreed, the slightest hint of mockery in his tone. He had yet to outright voice his displeasure, but he was sure Alfredo could put the pieces together. After stretching, he checked his watch. “Time for another walk around. You stay put.”

Slumping against a crate, Alfredo nodded, making sure he had his own weapon in hand as Trevor readied his own and walked off. They did this every half hour or so. Trevor made him do the first few, but he must’ve gotten tired of sitting around because it was the first time he’d offered to go.

His footsteps echoed off the thick metal walls of the hold, and Alfredo listened intently to them. The only other sounds were the dull thuds of the contained plant monsters and the usual creaks and groans of the Morrigan itself, but those were easy to tune out once they droned on long enough. When the footsteps stopped, it was like the hold went completely silent.

He was immediately on edge, standing up quickly and hoisting the harpoon gun up as he went. “Trevor?” he called, taking a few hesitant steps forward. When there wasn’t an immediate response, he took a few more, heading towards where he’d last heard the other’s footsteps come from.

“I’m fine,” Trevor called back after a minute, “Just stay there, everything’s fine!”

“You don’t sound too sure,” was the response he got, and he just let out a huff.

It was true, he wasn’t too sure, because in a corner Alfredo had surely overlooked on his previous patrols, the plant had taken over. Its thorny vines stretched across the floors and up the walls, writhing and squirming as it supported the weight of what looked like a giant flower bud but… Flowers weren’t supposed to have teeth. That was the one thing that had been consistent across the planets he’d been to. Plants didn’t have teeth. “I’m not,” he muttered to himself, wondering why the hell he’d agreed to take this job in the first place. You needed a pilot, he reminded himself as he took slow, careful steps back in an effort not to startle the thing. But I don’t think we needed one this badly.

“What’s going on? I’m coming over there.”

Trevor turned around slowly, carefully, just in time to see Alfredo running up. “No, don’t!” he shouted, putting a hand up to stop him, but something stopped him instead.

A vine wrapped itself tight around his arm, the thorns digging in deep and latching on. It had been resting peacefully before, able to slumber without being disturbed by the occasional movement and noise from the two men, but Trevor’s sudden shouting had woken it up. And it was not pleased.

He cried out in pain, instinctively trying to pull his arm free, but it only made the vine hold on even tighter. It reminded him of those finger traps Jeremy had brought on board one time: the more he pulled, the more it constricted his arm. But unlike those finger traps, it had no intentions of letting go once Trevor relaxed.

Alfredo stood there in shock, eyes wide and frozen in place until the commander barked out an order. He didn’t even register the words, just that he needed to move, and he needed to move now. Gavin was going to kill him for the damage later, but there was no time to aim the harpoon gun properly before he was pulling the trigger. Though it missed the bud by a few feet, the harpoon did manage to sever a few of its tendrils. The plant monster let out an ear-piercing shriek, untangling itself from Trevor in order to start scaling the wall and worming its way into an air vent. The metal of the grate covering it bent and snapped from the force, and the ends of several vines hung out through the remaining slats.

“Nice work,” Trevor managed through gritted teeth, trying to pretend like his arm wasn’t bleeding as badly as it was and didn’t hurt nearly as much as it did. Alfredo saw through the act in less than a second, retrieving the harpoon before dropping the gun and approaching Trevor.

“That looks… Bad. I should’ve given you my jacket,” he muttered, pushing his sleeve up to get a better look at the damage. Bruises were already starting to form where the vine itself had been, and there were several grisly cuts from the thorns, all bleeding pretty badly. “Fuck… Lindsay! We need Michael down here, now!”

Trevor pushed Alfredo’s hands off him before sinking to his knees and gripping his arm, trying to cover at least one of the cuts in an effort to stop the flow of blood. Whatever wasn’t soaked up by his shirt dripped down to the floor, creating a pretty sizable puddle beneath him that began to soak into the knees of his pants as well. “They can’t hear you… They shut down all their sensors for this room, remember?” There were a lot of flaws in their plan, he saw that now. But at least he knew that the beast was for sure in the cargo bay, not that there was anything that could be done about that right then. “There’s… There may be some emergency supplies by the door, Michael makes sure there’s some in every room.” Accidents happened everywhere, and the lad hated having to run all the way back to the medbay for a bandage every time someone got hurt.

Once Alfredo had retrieved the medkit, he helped Trevor to his feet and guided him back to their makeshift campsite. The further they were from that vent, the better off they were, though the plant monster would easily be able to follow the trail of blood Trevor left behind right to them. They sat down together there, Trevor still clutching his arm as he leaned back against the crates with a soft groan. He was feeling a bit woozy,

“I’m gonna… I’m gonna bandage this up for now, hopefully that stops the bleeding, or at least slows it,” Alfredo murmured, popping the kit open and breathing out an audible sigh of relief when he saw that it was fully stocked. “Thank the stars,” he breathed, almost smiling as he grabbed a roll of gauze and began to wrap up Trevor’s arm. He was silent as he worked, faltering when the other spoke up.

“Can we please talk?” he asked softly, eyes meeting Alfredo’s when he looked up. “I’d really like something else to focus on other than the pain.”

“I thought you were mad at me?”

“I was… I am, but… I’d still rather talk than sit in silence.”

“Oh.” He continued to wrap his arm, securing it with some tape once he was done. “What would you like to talk about?”

“Anything. Something. I really don’t care.” He held his arm to his chest, cradling it in an effort to soothe the pain.

“Well, how’d you become in charge of your own ship?” Alfredo asked, settling in beside him and leaning against the crate as he began to rummage through the medkit.

Trevor chuckled quietly, turning his head to look over at the other. “Now that is a very long story, but… I guess we’ve got the time.” He checked his watch, taking a deep breath. “I worked on a lot of ships that treated their crews like shit. Treated their ships like shit too, honestly. I bailed on one before my contract was up once I had enough credits saved up, hid at one of the starports until they stopped searching for me, and then… I bought a ship of my own. It was small at first, real small. Couldn’t do much with it, couldn’t really go anywhere with it either, but I managed to swing a few small jobs.” He stared off into the distance as he spoke, looking out the small port windows at the stars outside the ship. It had been a while since he’d thought about any of this, even longer since he’d talked about it, but there was a fond smile as he did. “I don’t miss any of the bullshit at the start.”

Alfredo listened intently, a small stack of things from the kit forming in front of him. More gauze, disinfectant, rags, a suture and thread. He wasn’t really thrilled about the prospect of stitching up Trevor, but those wounds were so deep that something more needed to be done. “I don’t think anyone here misses the bullshit at the start. I sure had my fair share.”

“How did you get started, then?”

“I used to be a pilot back on Earth. I was good at my job, really good, so they bumped me up to piloting shuttles between the colonies. After a while, I guess I got sick of seeing the same places over and over again,” he explained, letting out a soft ‘a ha!’ as he pulled a bottle of painkillers from the bottom of the kit. “Lotta ships need good pilots, and they paid better than the other gig, so I jumped ship, so to speak.” Shaking out a few pills, he passed them to Trevor who swallowed them down dry with a grimace. Anything to help the pain. “Never really wanted to own my ship, seemed like too much work, but… I was cool with piloting them. I get paid to see space, how cool is that?”

“It is a lot of work,” he agreed, still trying to get the pills down. “Sometimes, it’s too much work. But at the end of the day, it’s all worth it.”

Alfredo was quiet for a few long moments, the silence hanging heavy between them. “Will this be worth it?”

“Yes.” Trevor didn’t need to think about his answer as much as Alfredo had needed to think about his question. “Absolutely. You seem surprised.”

“But you got hurt. That thing could have killed you!”

“But it’s still in the cargo bay, and it didn’t hurt anyone in my crew. Better me than anyone else.” His crew was his family, and if he had to get hurt to keep them safe, so be it. It was a small price he was willing to pay.

Alfredo scoffed and shook his head. “I don’t get you.”

“What?”

“No commander gives this much of a shit about their crew.” No captain gave their crew an equal cut, they always took more for themselves. No captain would sacrifice themself for their crew, they always forced their crew to do the sacrificing for them. No captain would adopt a broken AI like one would a stray cat. It just didn’t happen. “Not a single one. I’ve been trying to figure out your game from the start, and I just… I can’t.” The laughing only added to his confusion.

“I know. No other commander does, but I do. And you’re gonna have to get used to it, Alfredo. All those assholes on the other side of the door are my family, and I’d sooner die for them than let anything bad happen to them,” he stated firmly, making sure the other was looking at him and meeting his eyes as he spoke. “There’s no game, no ulterior motive. You’re part of that family now too, so you’re just gonna have to learn to live with it.”

It had been a long time since Alfredo had been a part of any family, since anyone had accepted him so completely so quickly. While he didn’t fully trust Trevor just yet, he trusted him more than he had a few minutes ago. “Alright. I’ll learn to live with it.”

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

Alfredo was silent as he worked to stitch up Trevor’s arm, hands steady as he did so. He’d spent some time cleaning up the now dried blood, disinfecting the wounds and getting a better look at them. Some of the cuts were only surface wounds, already scabbed over and barely noticeable, but others were pretty gruesome. He didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to freak Trevor out, but he was pretty sure that he could see bone in a few of them. “Michael’s gonna have to redo these, but they’ll hold for now,” he murmured, tying off the last one and bandaging him up again before things got too bloody again.

“How bad am I, doc? Am I gonna make it?” Trevor asked, really glad that he’d taken some more painkillers because he couldn’t imagine all of those stitches would feel great in a few minutes.

“Yeah,” Alfredo said with a soft smile, taping down the end of the gauze. “You’ll make it.” I hope.

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

As hour six rolled around, the comms hissed with static and a few musical beeps, surprising Alfredo and making him lift his head. He and Trevor had decided that sleeping was a pretty good way to kill time, so the commander had ended up fast asleep and slumped with his head on Alfredo’s shoulder. The other man hadn’t been so lucky, wide awake and checking every few minutes to make sure that he hadn’t gone and died on him.

“Lindsay?” he asked softly, hoping they’d see the situation and match his tone.

“Alfredo! What the hell happened?” They could see everything the second their cameras were back online: The broken vent grate, the vines coming out of the grate, the severed tendrils on the floor, the puddle and trail of brown dried blood leading to Alfredo and a very injured Trevor. “Is he… He’s not dead, is he?”

“No, he’s alive. We found the plant, and it… It got him good,” he explained, tipping his head forward to make sure Trevor was still asleep. “I patched him up, but… He’s gonna need a lot more than some stitches.”

“I’ll get Michael to come down-”

“No,” he stated, and Lindsay let out a soft scoff of indignation. “No one else comes down here. If you lift the lockdown, that thing’ll get free run of the station through the vents. We’ll be fine… We’ve got food and water, this kit’s got enough supplies to last us, and… I think as long as we leave it alone, it’ll leave us alone.”

Lindsay hummed as they scanned the room. The plants in the crates had calmed down a little bit, and as far as they could tell the one in the vents was perfectly still, only shifting every now and then but not making any grand movements. “What should we do, then?”

“Make sure everyone else evacuates the ship the second we touch down and send Michael down here with a flamethrower. We’ll take a bit of a hit to our pay because we’ll be short a crate, but I don’t care. I want that thing dead.”

“I’m sure the commander feels the same way… Are you sure he’s gonna be okay?” They asked, dimming the lights a little. If it was dark, the plants would probably stay calmer. It would make sleeping a little easier for the pair as well.

Alfredo bit his lip, shrugging a shoulder before shaking his head. “No, but I’m trying to be optimistic.” He leaned his head back against the crate and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief he’d been holding for far too long. With Lindsay back, it meant he wasn’t alone. There was a buffer between him and the commander, someone to help fill the silence.

They were quiet for a few minutes as they relayed information to the rest of the crew, before the comms crackled in the hold once more. “You should try and sleep too, ‘Fredo. Now that we know where it is, I can keep an eye on it.”

“No, I gotta make sure he’s still breathing.”

“I can keep an eye on him too. The crates are quiet, so all my sensors are in working order. His heart rate is normal, if a bit weak, but he’s breathing fine. You should rest.”

He didn’t really have the energy to argue with them further, so he relented. “Wake us in a few hours. I’m gonna have to change his bandages and clean those wounds. Michael’ll kill me if I let those get infected.”

“Yes, he will.”

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

As hour twelve rolled around, Lindsay brightened the lights slowly and chimed softly to wake the pilot and the commander. They hoped that the plants wouldn’t be disturbed as well, but considering how long it took the pair to wake up, they weren’t really too concerned.

“Trevor,” Alfredo said softly, jostling him gently with his shoulder. His ass and his neck ached from sleeping on the hard metal floor in such an awkward position, and he was sure that the other man would need another round of painkillers too. “Trevor, c’mon man. Wake up.”

He did so with great reluctance, groaning softly as he registered several different aches and pains. “Was this really necessary?”

“Yeah, it was. Gotta change your bandages so Michael won’t have to cut off your arm,” he said, encouraging him to sit up before reaching for the supplies in front of him. “Or my head.”

Trevor laughed softly, starting to stretch his arms out over his head before he stopped short, wincing and clutching his bandaged arm to his chest. “Fuck… I thought that was a dream,” he muttered, eyes squeezed shut.

“I wish it was,” Alfredo sighed, “But while you were sleeping, we got Lindsay back. So that’s good, at least. Told them everything. They wanted to send Michael down here, but I told them not to.”

“And why the hell did you do that?” Trevor winced as Alfredo started to unwrap the gauze. Despite how careful he was being, it still pulled at the cuts uncomfortably.

“Because,” he started, murmuring an apology when he saw him wince and trying to go slower. “If the lockdown gets lifted, that thing can go through the vents and go anywhere it wants, which is bad.”

Trevor hummed in agreement, but it was reluctant. He didn’t like knowing Alfredo had been giving orders while he’d been asleep, even if they were the same ones he would’ve given. “What’d you tell them to do, then?”

“Keep the lockdown going, evacuate everyone once we land, and then send Michael down here. With a flamethrower.”

“Good thinking.”

“Why, thank you.”

They fell into a comfortable silence then, Alfredo removing the last of the gauze and cleaning up his arm. The bleeding had stopped, thankfully, so now it was just a focus on preventing infection, which he hoped would be easy enough. It would be even easier once they got back on solid ground, when Michael could actually get in here and kill the thing. Bullets probably wouldn’t do the trick, they’d just piss Gavin off by causing damage to the ship, but fire was pretty damn effective in every circumstance.

“Lindsay?” Trevor called softly, feeling instantly comforted when he heard their voice over the speakers. “Where is the thing? Still in the vent?”

“Yep. Still in the vent. It’s almost cute like this, even if it did try to eat you.”

“It didn’t… It didn’t try to eat me.”

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say, commander. Oh, and Matt would like me to tell you that he thinks it’s hilarious you got your ass kicked by a plant.”

Trevor huffed, rolling his eyes and sinking back against the crates. Even when he was isolated from his crew, they still found a way to pester him.

Beside him, Alfredo shrugged off his jacket, flipping it inside out so the soft lining was visible before balling it up. “You should get some more rest,” he said as he held it out to Trevor. “It’s not much, but it’ll be better for your neck than the crate.”

He hesitated a moment before taking it, sinking right down to the floor to lay flat since he had a pillow now. “It’s weird seeing you without your jacket on.” Alfredo had been wearing it from the moment he’d met him until now, he hadn’t seen him with it off once.

“He even wears it to bed,” Lindsay piped up, laughing as Alfredo’s face went as red as the leather.

“I do not!” He shouted defensively, glaring up at the ceiling. “It’s just part of my style, that’s all.”

“Relax,” Trevor chuckled, reaching out blindly to pat Alfredo’s arm. He missed and hit leg instead, but neither of them said anything. “I wasn’t making fun of you. It’s a good style, I like it.” He turned his head, looking up at Alfredo with a small smile.

The other couldn’t help but smile back, getting comfortable against the box behind him. He didn’t know why that compliment made him feel so warm, but he was lucky that his face was already red from Lindsay’s teasing so it didn’t give him away. “Thanks, Trev.”

“Anytime, Fredo.”

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

The hours rolled by easily, the pair spending most of them asleep because there wasn’t much else to do. They woke up a few times so Alfredo could change the bandages, munching on some rations at one point since the last meal they’d had was breakfast that morning. Chatting with Lindsay was another good way to pass the time, too. They were able to keep the crew updated on the situation down in the hold, and keep the commander updated on things going on on the other side of the door. There wasn’t much going on, just a lot of worry, but Trevor still didn’t want to be out of the loop.

Once they’d slept as much as they could and talked to Lindsay until there was nothing more to talk about, they decided to do the only thing they could to pass the final few hours before the ship landed: Talk to each other.

“You said you used to work on Earth. What was that like?” Trevor asked, looking down at Alfredo. They swapped who got to use the jacket-pillow every couple of hours, and since they weren’t going to be sleeping anymore Trevor had decided to surrender it back to its original owner (even though it was still technically his turn for another thirty minutes).

“You’ve never been?” he asked, sticking an arm beneath his head to prop himself up as he looked back at the commander, who shook his head. “I mean, it was fine? I guess? Kinda boring compared to space. The sky was always the same, and there were way too many people. Have you seriously never been to Earth?”

“No, I grew up out in the Terra 2 colony. Then I got sucked up into a spacer crew, and that was it. Never saw any reason to go once I got the Morrigan, and now without a warp drive we’re too far out.”

“I’m shocked a job hasn’t taken you there, people there are always looking for stuff smuggled in from the far reaches,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. Customs was a bitch to get by, but he still had a few buddies down there who’d be willing to let them through. He was sure of it. “Once we get that drive, we’ll pick up a few jobs that’ll take us there.”

“Whatever you say, man. But you didn’t exactly make it sound worth the hype.”

“Oh, it’s absolutely not, but still. I can’t believe you’ve never been!”

Talking to Trevor was a lot easier than it had been before. He wasn’t as scared of him, and a lot of the distrust had faded. The feeling was mutual, as well. The commander wasn’t angry at Alfredo anymore, because ultimately, none of this was his fault. He was the one who hadn’t checked in on the cargo sooner, he was the one who’d startled the monster, all of this fell on his shoulders because it was his ship and he was responsible for everything that happened on it.

“I’m sorry,” Trevor said out of nowhere, almost startling Alfredo with the suddenness of it. “I’m sorry I blamed all this on you.”

“It’s fine.” He hadn’t been expecting an apology from the commander. Maybe a month or two on bathroom cleaning duty, sure, but not an apology. “We both had our fuckups in this mess.”

“We did, but it’s unfair to blame the whole thing on you. Most of it, sure?” Alfredo cut him a look, and he just laughed. “Kidding. I’m kidding! Don’t give me that. It’s really more like… Fifty/fifty.”

“Sixty/forty. You’re the sixty.”

“Yeah, okay. Fair enough.”

They grinned at each other, oblivious to the way the ship began to creak and groan around them as Lindsay initiated the landing sequence. The plants in the crates kicked up again, but the one in the vents was still.

“You know what? You’re alright, Fredo. Gavin was right about you.”

Alfredo’s face matched his jacket all over again, and he had to fight hard to get the words out despite how flustered he was. Trevor hadn’t called him by any sort of nickname until now, it made him feel good to know that the commander was finally warming up to him. “What… What did he say about me, exactly?”

“That you were the best of the best. And he was right. Normally he’s not right about these things, but… He nailed it with you.”

“You sure you’re not still woozy from blood loss?” Alfredo asked, arching an eyebrow as he sat up, meeting Trevor’s eyes. “Because I know we just did that whole heartfelt apology thing, but… I definitely almost got you killed.”

He shook his head fervently. “No, you didn’t. You saved my life.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to let you die.”

“And I owe you big time for that.”

The ship jostled as it landed on uneven earth, and Alfredo grabbed onto Trevor quickly to prevent him from sliding around with the crates around them. Even as things settled, he didn’t let go, hearing something hiss in annoyance from the far end of the cargo hold.

“Lindsay… Please tell us Michael’s on his way,” Trevor said, sinking back into the pilot in an effort to hide as he scrambled to grab the harpoon gun.

“He’s outside the door, we’re just waiting for everyone to be off the ship so I can lift the lockdown. I suggest staying out of his way… He’s been wanting to use that thing for the last eighteen hours, and I don’t think anything’s gonna get in his way.”

“If he dies, Alfredo’s the new medical officer.”

“Noted.”

Using a flamethrower while they were in flight was unwise because of the oxygen rich environment, but back on terra firma it was the perfect weapon for dealing with unruly plant monsters. Michael’s cackles of delight echoed off the walls, mixing with the roar of the weapon and the shrieks of the plant as it burned. The noises kicked off another escape attempt in the other crates, but the reinforcements they’d made held firm. Only a few crates of supplies got caught up in the crossfire, and Michael was relatively unharmed aside from the ash staining his lab coat.

Alfredo let the harpoon drop from his hands once he realized he wouldn’t be needing it, instead helping Trevor to his feet and keeping him steady as they made their way to the bay doors. “Michael,” he said, watching as the man kept scorching the charred remains. “Michael!” He stopped firing quickly, whirling around with wide eyes. “Stop dicking around, Trevor needs help.”

“A thank you would’ve been nice,” Michael muttered as he dropped the weapon, knowing he’d need his hands free to help Trevor.

“Thank you, Michael. Now help him, please?”

“Yeah, yeah. Lindsay told me that you were trying to steal my job, I just hope you didn’t make things worse,” he said as he swapped places with Alfredo, supporting Trevor’s weight to make sure he wouldn’t fall. “Alright, Trevor-boy, let’s get you to the infirmary.” He started to lead him out of the cargo hold, and Alfredo watched them go for a second before turning to start cleaning the mess they’d left behind up.

Trevor stopped after a few paces, glancing over his shoulder. “You’re not coming?” he asked, the smallest hint of a frown etched into his features.

“Uh.” Alfredo blinked, not sure how to answer. “No?”

“Yes, you are. C’mon.”

“Why?”

“I need someone there for moral support. Michael’s not as gentle as you are and I need someone’s hand to hold while he patches me up.” Trevor cracked a grin despite the fact that he wasn’t telling a joke, and Alfredo mirrored the expression after a moment to process exactly what he’d said. “Come on, I don’t have all day,” he insisted, holding out his hand towards him as Michael began to pull him along.

Alfredo jogged to catch up to them, abandoning the task at hand in favor of taking Trevor’s hand. He was happy to have escaped the cargo bay alive, and even happier to know that he was back in the commander’s good graces. Their relationship was different, stronger and a lot friendlier than it had been now that they were no longer wary of each other. Trevor couldn’t think of a single member of the crew that he would’ve rather gone through that ordeal with, either.

“Thanks for not letting the boss die, Fredo,” Michael said, cutting into the silence once they reached the infirmary.

“Yeah, thanks for not letting me die, Fredo,” Trevor agreed, smiling kindly at him and giving his hand a squeeze.

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

#ragehappy #secret springfairy #rt writers #jeremichael #alfreyco #i hope those are the right ship names i have no clue #space au #oneshot #fic #fanfic #my fic #my writing #everamazingfe

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