#its friday night and i am actually just sitting here in my pyjamas feeling left out & my thoughts are just going from one end to the other

[einstetic]

i don't know about you but to be honest i am not feeling too great

[coffeestainsandcashmere]

Let No Man Steal Your Thyme - (older Dramione) Part Five

I hope you enjoy this one! It features a surprise snooty owl (I wonder who could own such a creature???) and some well-meaning concern from a friend. And some banter. And an expensive lunch. Because Theo is extra and can’t help himself. And it’s 4.6k words long...

I also realised that, since I wrote the first chapter basically out of the blue and not really intending for it to blow up into a big multi-part story, I’ve messed up the timeline a little with Harry’s kids, so I’ll have to go back and fix that when it comes to a re-edit before it goes up on AO3, but for now, just handwave it, ok? :)

Finally, many thanks for your lovely owls, anonymous or otherwise, about this story and where it’s going! I was honestly floored by the feedback I’ve got, and thank you to those who’ve reblogged it and helped get it out there for folks to read. I have a very small following since this side-blog is fairly new, so all reblogs are very much appreciated. I did a quick doodle for the cover of the story which you can find here, if you’re interested in how I pictured Draco and Scorpius standing in the steam from the Hogwarts Express from chapter one.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

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Far earlier on Monday morning than she was accustomed to these days, Hermione woke with a start and frowned, confused. Eyes dry and prickly, and hair absolutely everywhere, she sat up and looked around, straining her ears as she blearily tried to work out what had yanked her so unceremoniously from a deep and mercifully dreamless sleep. Her Muggle alarm clock silently showed 05:54 in harsh red numbers, and nothing had touched the wards or tried to get in, though there was something thrumming against them, like the lingering reverberations of a plucked harp string.  

The temporary stillness was shattered when a wild scrabbling of claws and the beating of enormous wings started up against her bedroom window. With a flailing shriek of surprise, she nearly fell out of bed, but after taking a deep breath, she stumbled out from under the covers to wrench the curtains open.  

“Bloody owls!” she began, but drew up short when she saw the unfamiliar bird waiting impatiently on the other side of the glass.  

There, battering its truly monstrous talons against the glass, was a colossal eagle owl. When it saw her, it stopped its fussing to perch haughtily on the brick windowsill outside and fix her with a fiery red glare. If owls could have raised their eyebrows, she got the impression that this one would have done it at the sight of her.  

“Yeah, well, it’s early. What did you expect?” she groused as she slid the window panel to one side and the bird looked around her bedroom with obvious disdain. Imperiously, it stuck out one leg, like a noble expecting a servant to remove a dirty boot, and she saw a rolled-up piece of parchment with a green wax seal and a green ribbon to bind it together.  

“Who do you belong to then?” she asked, going automatically to stroke the bird’s flight-ruffled chest plumage. It instantly hissed and nipped at her fingers, and she barely drew them back in time. “Christ! No need for that,” she gasped. She’d never met a postal owl as cantankerous as this one. “I usually give visiting owls a treat, but I don't think I like your manners one bit.”  

With the letter in hand, she slid the window closed again, leaving a gap just small enough that the bird wasn’t going to barge its way in. She wondered if it had been instructed to wait for an answer because it began almost immediately clicking its beak against the glass and hooting indignantly. 

“Manners makyth bird,” she snapped without looking up, and broke the unfamiliar wax seal on the letter.

It had a cursive ‘M’ within a circle, but was otherwise unadorned. Unfurling it, she glanced at the name on the bottom and her eyebrows rose as her growing suspicions were confirmed. It was signed in a princely English roundhand by none other than Draco Malfoy.  

She snorted, glancing back at the bird who was doing its best basilisk impression from the other side of the glass. “Who else would have such a snotty owl?”

It hooted childishly at her again and she laughed.  

Dear Hermione,

I must beg of you to forgive the unspeakably rude hour of this correspondence, but I am leaving this morning for France by portkey for a couple of days and I had hoped to get your answer before I left. I should add now before you read any further — although with your kind heart I fear it may be too late already — that Cassiopeia here is not fond of physical affection, but is very partial to owl treats. She can be bribed into doing almost anything for food, but affection is sadly not in her nature, so please be careful with your fingers around her beak. The only reason I was able to get her to fly at all at this time of the day was to bribe her lavishly. She’s terribly spoilt, and for that, I’m sorry too.  

Hermione shot another look at the bird, who narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Cassiopeia, eh?” she said and the enormous owl bobbed a few times. “Prideful about your good looks then, are you? You should know how your namesake’s story ended then. But, I suppose you could be forgiven since you are an inordinately pretty bird. You’ll still not get a crumb from me after trying to take my fingers off though. I’ll be having words with Malfoy about that.”  

Cassiopeia ruffled her feathers and promptly turned her back on Hermione. The bird didn’t take off, so she returned her attention to the letter.  

I spent all weekend thinking about our evening together on Friday, but it will come as little surprise to you to learn that it has taken me all that time to muster up my limited courage to ask you to dinner at your next convenience. Naturally, I left it to the last possible moment to ask you. I have a place in mind in London, but it’s a little more out of the way than the restaurants on Diagon Alley. I have it on authority from the owner that you have never been there, and I would very much like to surprise you, but if you would feel more comfortable knowing in advance, then you can ask Theo while I am out of the country.  

Staggered, Hermione stared at the letter and found her vision swimming a little. Blinking, she was shocked to find tears blurring his formal — almost painfully formal — words.  

But how long had it been since anyone had actually asked her on a date? ‘Too intimidating’, ‘too boring’, ‘too work-orientated’, ‘too bossy’, ‘too driven’ were all things she’d heard at one point or another, and admittedly many of them from Ron.  

Thirty seven wasn’t even old - especially by magical standards - but she didn’t exactly have the same bright-eyed charms as someone like, say, Lavender did anymore. Hard work, and a draining marriage seemed to have sapped much of the youth and vigour from her. And, if she were honest, being replaced by someone supposedly ‘more attractive’ had damaged her more deeply than she cared to admit, even to herself. There were certainly days when she felt like a washed-up, burnt-out, dowdy old matron. She had crashed out of a sparkling career in the Ministry to run a scruffy old second-hand bookshop next to the newly-refurbished Florian Fortescue’s ice cream parlour.  

“Why are you even bothering, Malfoy?” she murmured aloud as she stared blankly at the letter in her hands. With looks like his — and a groaning Gringotts’ account if the rumours were to be believed, not that that mattered a jot to Hermione — he could probably have had almost any witch he wanted, his past and reclusive behaviour be damned. And yet he was asking her to dinner after having only met twice since they turned eighteen? Three times, she supposed if she included that brief encounter at the Ministry on the night of the attack.  

Perhaps he was lonely just wanted the company. Perhaps she was just… convenient; a chump with a soft spot for outcasts…

Before she let herself go too far down that unsavoury rabbit hole, she forced herself to read on, heart pounding. Outside on the windowsill, the owl had gone very still, watching her with curious, orange eyes.  

Please feel free to send Cassiopeia back with your response either way. I hope I have not overstepped or misread how things are between us now, especially given our history, but I find my thoughts returning over and over to our evening, and to that surprise lunch on the 1st of September. I’m not sure what I had expected when you asked me to join you that day, but I certainly hadn’t expected to enjoy myself as much as I did. In the years since I became Scorpius’ sole guardian, I have not sought the company of others, nor have I particularly enjoyed it when it has been inflicted upon me, but those two occasions spent with you have drawn me out of myself. You truly are a remarkable witch, and I’m more moved and honoured than I can express that you have given me even this much of your precious time already.  

Before I begin to ramble too freely, I think I must sign off here.  

Yours,  

D.M.  

P.S. Scorpius did write to me in the end. He has a detention already, and Potter’s youngest is also involved somehow… I will get more details from him anon, and no doubt a letter from McGonagall in due course.  

For a long time, Hermione stood in her bedroom, with her hair in a wild halo around her head and her scruffy old pyjamas hanging low on her hips, just staring at his signature.  

When Draco’s owl began to fidget and fuss again, she sighed and looked up. “Sit tight,” she breathed. “I’m going to get a piece of paper and if you keep quiet, I might bring an owl treat with me when I come back, ok?”

Cassiopeia narrowed her eyes and ducked her head suspiciously, but remained put on the windowsill, so she took that as a ‘yes’ and disappeared into her tiny study.  

Grabbing a biro from the chipped mug that served as a pen and quill pot, and tearing a sheaf of paper from a muggle notebook, she scrawled a note back to him.  

With that done, and before she could talk herself out of what she had just accepted, she returned to his owl with a treat. The bird mobbed her for it instantly, but Hermione scowled at her, snatched her hand back, and barked, “Wait! My goodness, you are spoilt. Let me attach this first, and if I manage it without you drawing blood or otherwise maiming me, not only will it be a flipping miracle, but you’ll get your sodding treat, alright?”

The bird went still with a tiny shuffle of her wings, and stuck out her leg.  

“Thank you,” Hermione said tartly.  

Cassiopeia took off with her note attached by the same green ribbon and secured with a basic sticking charm. The downdraft from her departure sent bits of accumulated detritus from the window ledge spiralling up into Hermione’s face, but she coughed and blinked, and watched the bird soar way up into the sky. The receding dot of her silhouette banked west, out of sight and in the eventual direction of Wiltshire and Malfoy Manor.  

Malfoy Manor.  

She’d hardly given the place any thought since that fateful night ten or so years ago when Malfoy had been attacked, a whole wing had been burned to the ground, and Scorpius had nearly been killed. They’d never said in the papers who had done it, and the Auror Office had been distinctly tight-lipped about it. Not that she’d really bothered to find out more, if she were honest. Once Malfoy’s little yowling mandrake had left her office in his father’s arms, she had been almost instantly reabsorbed with her own caseload, and Harry had never mentioned the outcome of the investigation to her. A twinge of gilt shot through her but she pushed it down. It was hardly a topic for dinnertime conversation either, so she doubted she’d find out immediately.  

She thought vaguely about clambering back into bed, but since she was up, she headed to the kitchen and put the kettle on for a cup of tea. It had been a while since she’d been up before dawn, and she had some paperwork to do anyway.  

Cassiopeia’s appearance was not the only unusual thing to happen to her that day. She had no visitors to the shop at all for the entire morning, but when the brass bell above the door did finally chime, she looked up from the desk at the back of the shop to find Theo striding in.  

“Hi, love,” he grinned, stepping deer-like over the stack of recent arrivals beside the counter and stooping to hug her where she sat. “Lunch. You and me. Now.”

“Theo, I have a shop to run,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I can’t just… leave. Besides, I brought sandwiches.”

“I will literally pay you the price of an entire chest of first editions to spend the next few hours in my company if things are that tight. Or I could just… buy you an entire chest of first editions,” he said, adding with his most dangerous puppy-dog eyes, “Seriously, please come to lunch with me?”

She flicked her wrist and the ‘open’ sign hanging in the glass-panelled door flipped over to ‘closed’. “I’m not accepting your money, Theo. What’s the occasion?”

He twitched slightly and then flashed her a grin; a combination that made her instantly wary. “Does a gentleman need ‘an occasion’ to ask a beautiful lady to lunch?” he asked, his brown eyes wide with feigned innocence.  

Hermione slowly raised one eyebrow. “You’re gay. And happily married. And that’s a terrible line. Try again.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t take my very best friend out,” he shrugged nonchalantly.  

Something was definitely up.  

“Draco Malfoy is, and always has been, your very best friend in all the world. Try again.”

“You,” he said, actually growling the word this time with comical frustration, “Are one very persistent witch.”

“Mmhmm. How do you think I made it to Minister by twenty-seven, darling,” she grinned, still without getting up from her chair. “Last chance or I turn that sign around and forcibly evict you from my shop.”  

Theo whipped his wand out from his inner jacket pocket like he was in a duel, and apparently vanished the offending sign from the door altogether. “There. Your threats are empty. Come to lunch with me.”

“Theodore Nott, you return my sign this instant.”

“Say you’ll come to lunch with me, and the sign goes back up.”

“I will not be threatened in my own shop!” she laughed, arms folding across her chest like a petulant child. “Put it back. Now.”

“Say you’ll come with me,” he said with a wide, playful grin, planting his hands on the counter and leaning his long frame forwards.  

She had to bite her lips to stop from giggling. The charming scoundrel knew she’d say yes anyway. “I’ll tell Dan you were bullying me,” she said.  

“Tell him; he’ll never believe you. He thinks I’m lovely. Come on, Hermione,” he added, softening from playful to plaintive. “I need to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“You and my ‘very best friend in all the world’, that’s what,” he said, and levelled her with a flat stare.

Her stomach dropped and she remembered the letter from that morning. And its contents. ‘…if you would feel more comfortable knowing, then you can ask Theo while I am gone’ Draco had said. He’d spoken with Theo about asking her out. She didn't know whether to be honoured or embarrassed.

Seeing her expression slip, Theo came round the side of the counter to stand beside her and leaned his hips against the wooden desk. “So you like him?”

“I… Why would that be a surprise?”

Theo blinked, and then his gaze flickered down to her left forearm. Everyone knew about the word engraved into her skin with the point of a cursed knife — she’d never tried to conceal it — but not many knew the real truth of just how the slur had come to be carved indelibly into her flesh. Theo was one of the few who did. “You’re really asking me why I’m surprised you like him?” he said in a hoarse whisper. “You, of all people?”

She took a very deep breath, held it, and then sighed. “Let’s go. You’re paying though. And I’m drinking.”

He managed a shy smile, and as they approached the front door of her shop his shimmering illusion around the sign dissolved to reveal it once again.  

“Cheeky bugger,” she smirked at him and he waggled his eyebrows disarmingly. An undercurrent of anxiety still lurked beneath his jovial expression though.  

A number of new restaurants had opened up in Diagon Alley, but Theo’s and Dan’s favourite was a sleek, modern establishment, quite different from the fusty old decor of the Leaky Cauldron or the other more traditional restaurants in wizarding London. It also sat overlooking the crooked columns of Gringotts, and was eye-wateringly expensive. Naturally, Theo was greeted by name at the door, and the pair were shown without fuss or fanfare to one of the nicest — and most secluded — tables.

With food ordered, and enormous balloon-glasses of wine in front of them, Theo fixed her with a serious look and steered the conversation around to the real reason for his impromptu lunchtime kidnapping. “He finally grew a pair and asked you to dinner then?”

“Mmm,” she nodded. “I take it this is… unusual for him?”

Theo tipped his head back and chuckled softly, sounding more tired than amused. “That’s putting it mildly, love. Until Friday, I had the devil’s own job trying to get dear Draco to leave his gloomy little manor house and come to anything. I had to blackmail him into coming to our anniversary, you know?”  

Hermione just frowned, not entirely sure if he was being serious or not.  

Theo let out a slow breath and stared into his wineglass, idly twirling the stem between long fingers. “Don’t get me wrong,” he said without looking at her, “I’m beyond grateful that he finally seems to be opening up to the idea of… being somewhat… vulnerable again, but…”

“You’re worried I’m going to hurt him,” she said quietly, and Theo bowed his head. “Theo, I’m… You know me. This isn’t just some one night stand with a rich, attractive bloke I met in a bar. I haven’t —” she leaned in close over the table and hissed, “I haven’t even had sex with anyone in years, Theo. Years!” She brushed an errant corkscrew of hair back out of her eyes, embarrassed.

His lips twitched at that, but his eyes remained stormy.  

“I’m not going into this lightly. I was honestly as surprised as you are, but I wouldn’t even be considering going on a date with Draco Malfoy if I wasn’t completely convinced that he was no longer the bratty little owl-pellet he was back at Hogwarts.”

At that, Theo barked such a loud laugh that the patrons at the tables nearby turned to look at him like he’d sworn in a church. He covered his mouth with his hand and snickered himself into silent tears for a good thirty seconds before she rolled her eyes and sat back with her glass in her hand, waiting for him to control himself again.  

“I’m telling Dan you called him that. And Pansy. They’ll love it.”

“Right,” she said, cheeks suddenly hot. “Well, as much as he might have been an owl pellet, let’s not have it become a ‘thing’, hmm?”

The mirth in his face simmered back down and he looked at her steadily over the rim of his wineglass. “Look, I care about both of you, and I can see this going two ways. One: you realise that the two of you actually have an awful lot in common, he takes you to increasingly fancy places for dates, you have lots of steamy sex, and finally settle down together. Two: the past gets in the way, you both say hurtful stuff you don’t really mean, and you both end up single and twice as miserable as you were before you went for lunch at the Leaky. Don't think I didn’t know about that, either,” he added.  

“You’re such a gossip,” she snapped.  

“I was being serious, Hermione,” he said, leaning to one side as their food arrived.  

She paused until the waiter had left but didn’t make any move to pick up her cutlery. “Are you looking out for him or for me?” she asked.  

Theo sighed. “Both of you. But…”

“Mostly Draco, huh?”

“He’s like a brother to me, Hermione. He was there for me when no one else was. You know the things my father did to me as a child, and Draco helped me through all of it. And ‘Cissa too. And I couldn’t believe it when he actually showed up at drinks the other night. Watching him, it… it was like the old Draco had come back to me. The nice ‘old Draco’, I mean.” His eyes glistened and he blinked rapidly, voice cracking as he continued. “After the attack, he shut himself away at the Manor with Scorpius, as if he could keep the whole world out just to keep little Scorp safe. I thought… I thought he’d never leave, Hermione.”

“You never talked about any of this,” she said gently, forcing herself to make a start on her linguine despite the fact that her appetite had vanished almost completely.  

Theo shrugged. “I guess… I guess I wanted to give him the privacy he craved, and to be honest, I didn’t think you’d be all that sympathetic to him after your history.”

At that, she scowled, but she could see his point. “Theo, I held his screaming infant in my arms for hours while he was being questioned by the Aurors that night. I saw his face when he came to my office for Scorpius afterwards.” She shook her head. “No one who saw him then could believe he was even a shadow of the person he had been at Hogwarts.”

At her words, Theo had stopped eating, fork held loosely between perpetually-ink-stained fingers even as it rested on his plate. “You did? He never said.”

She tried not to examine that last comment too closely. “Mm. Harry didn't know what else to do with him, so he brought Scorpius to me to see if I could quieten him down. In the end all it took was a handful of my hair and a few poorly-sung folk songs. But you’re missing the point, Theo. You could have trusted me with things that were worrying you. I would have listened to you.”

“I —” he cut off and cleared his throat. “I know. I’m sorry. I just… Aside from Dan, I don’t think I love anyone as much as I love him.”

It was Hermione’s turn to choke up a little, but she swallowed and said, “Then I can think of no greater accolade for his character.” She looked up at him and added, “So where’s he taking me then?”

“You said yes?”

“I did. I like him. And not just because he looks like a flipping marble statue brought to life. He’s thoughtful, and he always was extremely intelligent and articulate. I’ve really enjoyed talking with him this time around. I think… I think…” she pursed her lips and took a too-big gulp of wine. Luckily it all went down the right way, and she forged on. “I think… we could work. Or at least… I want to see where it goes, Theo.”

With a slow nod, Theo finally relaxed his shoulders and let out a shaky breath. “He wants to take you to The Foundry.”  

“I’ve never heard of it,” she mumbled. It wasn’t one of the ones in Diagon Alley, for sure.

Theo made a side-to-side movement of his head. “I’m not surprised. It’s…”

“Oh God, is it horrifically expensive?” she asked, eyes wide with a sudden abject terror. “Theo, if he’s going to take me somewhere hideously fancy for our first date, I’m going to back out right now…”

The corners of his lips lifted and he shook his head. “Not in the way you’re thinking. You have to know the owners to get a table though, and there are no menus. They’ll ask if you have any allergies, but other than that, you eat what they serve you.”

“Holy fuck, Theo…”

“Trust me, you’ll love it. The place used to be a bell foundry in the seventeenth century — hence the name — and it’s this gorgeous brick building with arches and vaults, and cosy little corners,” he added, raising his eyebrows. “You’ll forget where you are and be as comfortable as if you were in your own pokey little Muggle living room. I promise.”

She narrowed her eyes and took another gulp of wine. “I’ll take your word for it, Nott,” she said. “What should I wear?”

Without hesitation, he said, “That burgundy number you haven’t worn since Pansy told you to buy it.”

She blanched at that. “Theo, it’s…”

“Gorgeous? Revealing in all the right ways, yet modest enough to suit you? Dead sexy? Exactly the kind of thing that will make Draco lose his goddamn mind when he sees you in it? The kind of thing that will make him spend all evening simultaneously admiring you in it and mentally tearing it off you —”

“Theo, stop!” she hissed, flushing darker. “For God’s sake shut up!”

He cackled into the remainder of his wine, but refused to give any more sartorial advice.  

“Burgundy dress and heels it is, I guess,” she said, and the two of them focused on their food again.  

“I hope,” Theo said as they left a very leisurely two hours later, “I hope you don’t think I was too…” he jiggled nervously on the balls of his feet as he held the door open for her, “Overbearing…”

“I mean, you did ambush me, blackmail and threaten me into having lunch with you at the fanciest restaurant in Diagon Alley where I couldn’t reasonably kick up a fuss, and then proceed to tell me all sorts of heartrending stories about Draco and yourself…”  

When she saw the wounded look in Theo’s brown eyes, she stopped and turned to face him.

“Theo, no. You’re one of my best friends, and you clearly care about us both. Stop panicking,” she added when she saw the slightly wild light in his eyes. “You didn’t try to tell me what to do or who to see. You’re looking out for your friends, and making sure we’re both… serious about this. And I appreciate that.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and added, “But know that if you keep meddling beyond that, I will hex your bollocks off and make you explain it to Dan.”

“Understood,” he said with a watery smile. “I was worried I’d overstepped.”

“I’ll forgive you if you tell me one thing.”

“Name it.”

“Did you have the same talk with Draco about breaking my heart?”

His handsome, freckled face split into a blinding white grin. “I did.”

“Forgiven,” she said. “Now, some of us actually have to work for a living.”

“I work!” he squealed. “I work bloody hard up in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, thank you very much!”

“I know you do,” she conceded. “Not that you actually need a job, you filthy rich prick.”

Theo laughed long and loud, scooping her hand up in his and walking arm in arm down the bustling, cobbled street towards her bookshop. “And to think,” he chimed with a sidelong look down at her, “You used to be Minister for Magic with that mouth.”

“I know,” she said. “It nearly got me into trouble on many an occasion.”

Kneazel and Quill’s little sign swung jauntily in the breeze and Theo gave a slight bow from the waist when they stopped at the door. With anyone else, it might have seemed foppish and insincere, but with Theo, she knew he meant it. He was only silly like this with his closest friends.  

“Good day, fair maiden of the dusty bookshop,” he said. “And thank you for giving my idiot best friend a chance.”

Hermione nodded and smiled. She stood and soaked up the autumn sunshine for a while as she watched his retreating back, until he eventually disappeared into the Diagon Alley entrance to the Ministry and she slid back into the musty quiet of her little sanctuary.

Chapter Six

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Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of friendship! Next time, Hermione and Draco go for that date...!! Things will start to gain momentum too, fear not. It’s not going to be an eternal slow-burn...

writing masterlist | Ao3

[themarvellouswriter]

MOB! SEBASTIAN x TALL! READER

PART III OF THE MASTERPIECE SERIES

Warnings: Slight blood reference, mentions of torture but not really

Word Count: 1.9k

Genre: A weird hybrid mix of feelings, some angst and fluff.

Notes: Enjoy! And do share your thoughts! All feedback is welcome!

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Upon reaching your house, you slowly opened the door. “Sofia? You there?” Stepping into the foyer, you called out for your friend. Sebastian right behind you. “I like what you’ve done with the place,” he said looking around. You hummed in response as you headed towards your bedroom. He made a move to follow but you held up a hand to stop him. “Stay here. I’m not running or calling for help.” You raised your hands and waggled your fingers. “Some idiot must have taken my phone last night when they bonked me.” Sebastian had the decency to look embarrassed. He muttered an apology and ran a hand through his hair. “Cute,” you said making eye contact. His eyes showed a flicker of surprise, mildly taken aback. You bit your lip to stop yourself from laughing as you went inside your bedroom. Seeing Sofia’s sleeping form you relaxed knowing that she hadn’t worried about your sudden disappearance in the middle of the night. You looked at your alarm clock. 11:17.

“Sofia! Wake up! You have a meeting with your advisor at 12!” You shook her awake. She sat up with a jolt. “My thesis,” she cried. “Y/N! Why didn’t you wake me sooner?” “You slept through your alarm! And I was,” your gaze went to Sebastian who was looking extremely interested in the picture frames and trinkets that littered your mantel place. Yes, you were one of those people who liked the idea of fireplaces in your house. “I was out.” You brought your eyes back to Sofia’s, hoping that she hadn’t noticed Sebastian but it was too late. She looked in his direction. “Ooh. Someone was having fun this morning. Is that why your hair look like that?” Your hands immediately flew to your hair. “Like what?” “You have a case of what I call sex-hair. Its really bad. Especially given how he’s dressed and you are wearing that.” You looked at her offended, “These are my favourite Captain America pyjamas. Besides. That is NOT what we were doing. I was out for breakfast and then ran into him. He gave me a ride home.” “And you invited him in?” You inwardly facepalmed. ‘You complete idiot Y/N. You walked right into that one. Deflect and deflect hard.’ “So nosy. Not a good look for a bride to be. And you’re late. Get up and get ready,” you said pulling her up to her feet and pushing her into the bathroom. Sofia laughed, closing the door behind herself. You let out a breath and started to gather some of your stuff. Sebastian entered your bedroom holding up a picture. “Cute baby,” he teased. “I know. I was adorable. I mean have you seen these cheeks?” You turned to face him and squished your face. He let out a genuine laugh. “You’re really something Y/N. I just can’t figure out what exactly, but I seem to like it.”

He moved closer. You looked deep into his eyes trying to figure out if he was being serious or not. “I like it a lot.” He took another step leaving only a few inches of space between the two of you. He leaned closer. ‘Oh my god, he’s serious. He’s gonna -’ Before you had time to finish your thought, you felt a warm pair of lips on your own. Your eyes widened in surprise before you snapped out of it and kissed him back. The kiss was soft and comforting. Like feeling the sun on your face in winter. A hand found its way to rest on your hip and your hands instinctively gripped his suit jacket, pulling him closer. You had shut your eyes sometime within the first three seconds of being kissed and all sorts of alarms were going off in your brain. ‘You’re kissing the guy who kidnapped you. Why? Why in the world are you kissing him and why are you liking it? Stop it. Stop it. Be sane woman, you do not kiss people who’ve murdered other people.’ Forcing yourself to stop, you took a dazed step back. “Sebastian, I don’t know why I did that.” “Are you telling me you don’t want to do it again?” “If we’d met under different circumstances and you hadn’t, you know, killed my neighbour. Are you seeing where I’m coming from?” You chewed on your lip as you hesitated. He took a step back and fixed his jacket. “Its fine, Y/N. I get it,” he answered smoothly, pushing back his stray hair. “I don’t think you do. I am not opposed to your lifestyle. I just want to know more about you before moving further. I don’t know anything about you! I don’t even know why you got her killed?” You swallowed harshly. “I don’t like not knowing and I get the feeling that you don’t either.”

He took your hands in his own, dropping the picture frame on your bed. “Hey, you don’t understand. Even though there is this whole murdered neighbour thing, I would never let anything happen to you and I would never hurt you. I know that we’ve not even known each other for a full day but I can’t get you out of my mind.” You gave him a weak smile as he went on. “I’ve never felt this way before and I don’t know how to act.” “Me neither. I know I should hate you and think of ways to get rid of you, but I can’t. I can’t even think about leaving you cause I know I’ll be hurt.” He brought your hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss to your knuckles. The sound of Sofia clearing her throat startled both of them, making them jump apart. The former was now fully dressed and ready to go. “Hi, I’m Sofia, as you must have heard Y/N screaming my name.” She held out a hand. Sebastian shook it. “Sebastian. Y/N’s latest,” his eyes met yours and you could’ve sworn they twinkled with mischief. “Conquest.” “You should be honoured. She doesn’t go for men that easy.” “Sofia,” you exclaimed throwing a cushion at her. Sebastian laughed. “I am.” He shot you a discrete wink as Sofia checked her phone. “I will be late tonight so don’t wait up. Also, dress rehearsal on Friday. Do NOT be late. And Sebastian, why don’t you come too? I’m sure we can squeeze you in next to her.” You internally screamed. ‘What on Earth does she think she’s doing? I may be extremely, extremely attracted to him but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let him anywhere near my best friend’s wedding.’ “I would love to. Thank you,” came his gracious reply.

Sofia waved good bye and left. You automatically collapsed on your bed. Sebastian looked at you thoughtfully. “Did you mean that? What you said?” “I rarely say things I don’t mean,” you replied sitting up. Pushing your hair from your face, you met his gaze. “I don’t really trust you yet, but I could. With time.” He nodded, “Fair enough. Come on. Let’s start packing.”

Within an hour you had finished. You put your belongings in his car began the drive back to his place. You were skimming through your thesis when you caught him staring at you from the corner of your eye. “What?” “You’re cute when you’re focused.” You snorted. “A person of my size doesn’t really fall in the category of cute after a certain age.” “You are. I think so.” You let his words hang in the air. Nobody, out of all the women and men you’d dated, had complimented you so freely, so often. It didn’t feel like much of a deal but there was always some hidden part of you deep, deep down that made you think, I am being too much? Are they keeping quiet cause they secretly don’t like that I’m bigger than them? Should I dial back a bit and stop? You weren’t a fan of dependency so you kept your relationships to a minimum.

As you reached the place that would be your new home till Sebastian was ready to let you go, you rubbed your forehead in tiredly. With all the partying, the murdering, the getting bonked on the head and running around behind your best friend’s back. You just wanted to change your clothes and fall asleep. “Come along, sleeping beauty.” He helped you with your stuff and led you to your new room. This one was exactly opposite to his on the first floor. Unlike the room you’d found yourself in, on the second and topmost floor. His place although big was minimally furnished. It had all essentials but nothing that gave it a home-y feel.

You made yourself comfortable in your new living area and then took a shower. You changed into a fresh pair of clothes and then went to see what Sebastian was up to. You knocked on his bedroom door but got no response. ‘He must be downstairs then.’ You headed down. This time you noticed a room at the far end of the foyer. It was easy to miss since it had a curtain half way pulled over it. You pushed the door slightly open and came face to face with a man covered in blood. “Y/N,” came Sebastian’s disapproving voice from behind you. “Sebastian.” “What are you doing, love? You don’t want to see this.” “I kinda do. Why is he here?” “He got caught trying to blow up one of my shipments.” “Shipments of what?” “Shipments of fake art.” You raised an eyebrow. “That’s a first. Usually one expects to hear drugs. Or escorts.” “I’m not a part of the usually. It’s actually easier to fake paintings and get them shipped instead of drugs. Make more money too.” “So, are you torturing him?” “I just want to find out who sent him and how did he know where to find my stuff. He refused to cooperate so I got a little creative.” He shrugged, snapping his fingers. A hulking man appeared seemingly out of nowhere. “Gerard. Take Miss Winchester here to her room, please.” “I don’t want to go.” “Sweetheart, what’s going to happen next, is not going to be pretty. Are you sure you want to be here for that?” “Yes,” you answered firmly. He looked at you. “Fine. But you’re staying outside the room.” You nodded, “Okay.” Sebastian and Gerard disappeared inside the room. A few minutes later, you heard pained screams. Followed by dark laughter and angry Chinese. You went over the Chinese once, twice then thrice in your head. Sebastian came out, wiping his hands on a handkerchief which he handed to Gerard behind him. Taking in your shocked expression, he looked at you, face pinched with concern. “I knew you should’ve gone upstairs again, love.” “No, you answered shakily. “If I had, I wouldn’t have heard that man confess to what’s about to happen.” “Well, translate his Chinese for me love, I don’t speak it.” “He said that he was sent as a decoy. I am their real target. They want me dead. And I have no clue why.”   

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Stark Spangled Banner Ch26: The Only One In Colour

Summary: It’s the big day...Katie and Steve finally tie the knot!

Warnings: Bad language, Fluff, Smut! (NSFW, Under 18s) Bad Language words, a hungover Captain...and who is that lurking in the shadows??

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist 

 31st August 2015.

It took Katie a while to realise where she was when she woke. As her mind came to he realised she was in her apartment at the tower, and when her eyes flew to the dress in its cover which was hanging up in the open closet her stomach did a flip.

It was her wedding day!

“Good Morning Miss Stark…” Friday spoke, and Katie grinned. Miss Stark, not for much longer! “Miss Potts requested I inform her when you are awake…”

“Go ahead.” she grinned, and jumped out of bed, grinning at the reflection of her tacky ‘Bride’ short and vest Pyjamas that the girls had surprised her with last night when they had been sat around having their pamper session with several glasses of champagne. Making her way into the living room she was greeted by a loud squeal from Wanda, who along with Laura Barton had stayed in her apartment last night.  Considering the amount of champagne that had been drunk, they all had surprisingly clear heads. It wasn’t long before the Pepper and Nat arrived, and after a breakfast of fruit, pastries and croissants provided by the local bakery, Katie was ushered into the shower surprised at how calm she actually felt...

The boys, however, were faring a little worse, especially after Tony had cracked open a bottle of his dad’s vintage scotch which he had been saving for a special occasion and Thor had supplied Steve with copious amounts of that lethal Asgardian liquor along with some equally as potent Asgardian Ale. The Groom cracked one eye open and groaned when he realised he had passed out, fully clothed, on the sofa, Tony face down along the other side of it, drooling into the cushions. Steve looked round, Clint was on the large arm chair, Sam was sprawled on the large rug and Thor nowhere to be seen. Jesus Christ it had been a heavy one.

Of all the days to get his first hangover in over 70 years…his wedding morning.

His wedding morning. Shit.

Sitting up, a stupid grin on his face, headache forgotten he nudged Tony with his foot. The billionaire jerked and tumbled off the side of the sofa.

“Whassgoin on?” he said, blinking before he grimaced “Shit, my head…”

Clint let out a groan “Keep it down man…”

Sam let out an equally pained noise, not moving “What day is it?” “My wedding day, fellas.” Steve said, grinning.

Tony groaned again, leaning back against the sofa “How are you so sprightly old man?” “Trust me I’m not.” he said, standing up “But Katie will kill me if we turn up like this.”

“Coffee…” Clint said, standing up and swaying slightly “We need coffee…” “And food.” Sam mumbled into the rug

“Good job I organised some.” Tony said, looking at his watch, squinting. “Should be arriving soon.” “Where’s Thor?” Clint looked around.

“Here…” came the Man’s deep voice as he strolled into the room. He was already dressed in a pair of jeans, t-shirt and his hair was damp from the shower

“Man, how are you so alive?” Sam sighed, sitting up.

“Because…” he shrugged “ I am the God of Thunder.” ******

Two hours later Pepper was bustling around topping everyone’s Champagne up and when she reached Katie she gave her a fond smile “You ok?”

“Yeah…” she smiled back “Maybe a little nervous, but mostly excited…I can’t believe I’m finally walking down the aisle, you know?”

Pepper nodded, a grin spreading across her face “Yeah…Tony has been on the job making sure the marquee was right, caterers have arrived. I got a full blow by blow and he was nearly having had a fit when the alcohol and bar arrived an entire 4 minutes and 34 seconds late.” “I thought organisation was your job?” Nat quipped from where she was lounging in her light blue ‘Bridesmaid’ robe.

“It is.” she rolled her eyes “And I told him it would be ok but…well, he just want everything to be right for his little girl…” Katie rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips at the thought of her brother still trying to make sure she was happy.

“Where is he now?” she asked.

“He spent the night with the boys at the compound so he’ll be on his way back shortly to get changed. Apparently they sat outside at the compound with a bottle of whiskey and a few Cubans...few sore heads this morning” Pepper smirked. “Even Steve is feeling it.”

Katie grinned, she’d only seen drunk Steve a handful of times, and he was definitely one of her favourite Steves.

"Clint mentioned that Tony had some Cubans last night. He seemed pretty excited." Laura said.

Wanda shook her head. "What is it about men and cigars?"

Natasha shrugged. "I like cigars."

“What a surprise…” Laura grinned, earning herself a glare off the red head. They were cut off then by FRIDAY informing them that Mateo, the hair stylist had arrived. Pepper told her to send him up and suddenly the room was filled with him, his assistants and his over the top personality, the one that Katie always loved when I went to get my hair done.

And then, it was down to business. He knew exactly what Katie wanted as she’d had a rehearsal and he set about, sweeping her brunette locks up into the up-do she’d picked- a bun which had a few small plaits running from my crown into it, her sweeping fringe perfectly set to frame my face.

Time seemed to fly and soon enough Katie was then in front of the make-up artist.

"Don't worry about a thing," the tiny blonde in front of her said as Katie asked her to do her best to cover the scars by her mouth and temple that Hydra had left. “You're going to look perfect. I promise."

Another glass of champagne made it into Katie’s hand and 30 minutes later she was done and handed a mirror. Her mouth dropped open. Someone else, but yet, still her glanced back. Her make-up was heavy enough to last the day she suspected, but it was subtle enough to not be ridiculous. She had a light, neutral shade across her eye lids, which had a darker colour in the crease and a hit of sparkle. The contouring was amazing and the light gloss on her lips set everything off. And her scars were gone.

There was another announcement from FRIDAY about a delivery, and all of them looked at one another. “That’s not me I swear…” Pepper said.

“I’ll go…” Nat offered, “I’m done…”

She headed out of the room and Katie stood up to allow Pepper to sit down for the make-up artist in the seat next to where Wanda was sat having the finishing touches done to her face. She looked amazing, dark smoky eye-shadow set off her eyes and red locks perfectly.

Natasha arrived back with a huge bouquet of flowers, tied with a blue ribbon, which sat in a clear bag of water and a small Cartier bag.

“For the bride…” she said and Katie took the bouquet, smiling, not even needing to read the card to know who they were from.

“They’re from Steve…” she smiled.

“How do you know?” Laura frowned. “They’re the ones in my tattoo” she said as she placed them gently on the kitchen area of her Tower Apartment admitting the various lilies, daisies and greenery. “My favourite flowers.”

She picked the card out of the bouquet, spotting Steve’s looping scrawl straight away.

I can’t wait to make you Mrs Rogers baby doll.

“That’s disgustingly cute…” Laura said, reading the card over her shoulder as she grinned at the simple yet meaningful message.

“Steve all over.” Katie smiled before she opened the bag. She pulled out a small box and opened it, her mouth falling open at the beautiful diamond studs inside. They were shaped like stars, subtle but still evident enough for everyone to notice.

“Star Spangled Man with a Plan.” Nat smirked and she turned to her grinning.

And suddenly the excitement washed over her. This was happening. Actually happening.

“Shit!” she said, wheeling round as her stomach started to flip “Oh my god ladies…I’m getting married!”

**** Steve finished brushing off his shoes which were polished that much he could almost see his face in them. With a groan as the pain in his head had once again reared, damned that fucking Asgardian shit, he slipped them on and laced them up, he then turned his attention to his hair. Once he was happy with that it was time for his tie. He hadn’t taken the decision to wear his army uniform lightly. It had been one he had agonised over for ages, but after Katie had told him it was entirely his choice but to stay true to who he was, he’d realised that before Captain America, he’d been Steve Rogers, and all he had ever wanted was to be in the army. So he was going to be Captain Rogers today, who he was. There was a knock on the bedroom door and Sam walked in, already in his uniform. Steve smiled at him in the mirror before expertly tying the double-windsor and turning round.

“Got the rings?” Sam asked. Steve nodded to the two boxes sat on the dresser. Picking them up Sam slid them into his breast pockets, fastening the buttons.

“Nervous?” he asked and Steve smiled. Was he?

“Kinda.” he shrugged “Don’t wanna mess up my vows but I’m not nervous about marrying her, nothing has ever felt more right.”

Sam smiled and swept the man up into a bro-hug, clapping his back. “Tony’s heading off to the tower now. Marquee is ready, waiters are here setting the tables…it’s all going to plan.” “Maybe once it might stay that way.” Steve said and Sam chuckled.

“How’s the head?” he asked.

Steve let out a sigh “Pounding…as best man I’m holding you totally responsible.”

Sam shrugged “Wouldn’t be the worst thing I’ve been blamed for.”

Steve snorted.

“You know what you need?” Sam looked at him said “A leveller.” “A what?” Steve asked

“Another drink, hair of the dog that bit you and all that…”

At the thought of another drink Steve’s stomach lurched and he shook his head.

“Trust me.” Sam said, as he left the bedroom “It never fails. How do you think I’ve just cured mine?” Steve followed him into the living room. A photographer was there taking snaps and Thor was loudly asking what he was doing and why until Sam explained Clint was already in his suit and Thor was in his Asgardian dress, but this was different. Instead of the silver and red Steve was used to seeing him in his robes were a glittering white lined with gold piping, his cape was deep blue and his hair was well groomed.

“Wow Thor.” Steve said.

“Traditional Asgardian formal dress.” he said “Little Stark’s request, which reminds me…” he jerked his head signalling for the Captain to follow him. Frowning slightly he did and the men stepped outside.

“Little Stark is very dear to me.” he began. “But she is your intended I thought it only right to ask your permission to give something to her.”

“Ok…” Steve said puzzled.

“I have a headdress.” Thor said, “It belonged to my mother and has been passed down the line for years. I would very much like to offer it to her to wear today.” Steve smiled, the man’s care for his girl was genuinely something he liked. He was a good man to have onside, and his intentions were always honourable. “She’ll love that.” He said, nodding. Thor shook his hand and held out his hand, Steve just getting out of the way before Mjolnir flew into it. With a nod to the Captain and a promise to be back shortly he went.

******

Pepper and Natasha looked stunning in their pale blue bridesmaid dresses. Knee length, skater style with off the shoulder straps. Laura’s dress was also blue, but a dark shade peplum style with a slit up the side and Wanda’s was slightly more grungy, almost 50s style, navy blue with polka-dots and a large, puffy skirt. All 4 of them looked amazing.

Katie told them so, beaming, and then Pepper informed her it was time to get into her dress. In a daze Katie stepped into it, Pepper’s fingers deftly doing up the buttons, before she smoothed down and fluffed out the skirt. Katie stepped into her heels, took a glance in the mirror and felt the tears prick her eyes.

“Don’t…” Pepper instructed, handing her a tissue from a box on the side, one which she had clearly bought, prepared to the very end “You’ll set me off…and there’s gonna be enough of that when Tony sees you.” “Where is he?” Katie asked, tissue gently dabbing at her eyes.

“Just getting into his suit” Pepper said. “He won’t be long. Ready?”

She nodded and the 2 of them made their way out of the bedroom and into the hall, the photographer that had been taking photos all morning was waiting, snapping away, capturing she hoped the look on the girls faces as for the first time ever she saw Natasha’s eyes watering over.

“Shit Nova…” she said, her hand flying to her mouth. “Wow…” Katie grinned at her, and was about to answer when the elevator door slid open.

"I'm looking for the one wearing white." A familiar voice teased as Tony stepped into the apartment, making her turn to face him. He stopped dead, his eyes widening.

“Oh Kiddo, you look incredible." he said, swallowing slightly.

“Thank you, so do you." she said, gesturing to the charcoal suit and light blue Stock Tie he was wearing. Tony took a glass of champagne that Pepper handed to him but before he could say anything else someone else stepped into the apartment. A tall, large blonde God dressed in gold and white Asgardian armour beamed at her.

“Thor!” Katie almost shrieked, as he strode across the room to wrap his arms around me.

“Little Stark…you look beautiful.” He smiled down at her, “I cannot stop long I just wanted to give you something.”

She frowned as he held up his hammer and with a flash she felt something land on her head. She reached up gently and felt the outline of a tiara perched on her hair.

“What…” “It was my mothers.” he said gently “I do not have a sister, you are the closest thing to it and I’d be honoured if you would wear it…” Katie was speechless as she crossed to the mirror. Made of a silvery metal, it consisted of intricate lines and reminded her somewhat of how the lost Diadem of Ravenclaw had looked in the Harry Potter film. It shimmered in the light and was adored with what looked like diamonds, a larger deep red stone in the centre and she could just make out the small ancient Asgardian runes

“Thor…I…” she turned to him, unable to speak. “I told your Captain of my intention.” he beamed. “He thought you would appreciate it. The runes are an ancient Asgardian blessing, they wish the bearer happiness and safety” “It’s beautiful, thank you…” her voice cracked.

He swept her up in another hug and nodded. “I must go now, back to the compound. Barton and Birdman and doing one final sweep of the grounds. I said I would help before we meet at the church.”

A final squeeze and nod and he left the room, and minute later she heard the tell-tale whoosh as he summoned the bi-frost.

“I really hope he was on the jet pad…” Tony grumbled. “Those damned marks are impossible to shift.” ***** Against his better judgment Steve had a ‘leveller’- another shot of that lethal liquor, and to his surprise it had actually gone someway to sorting his head out. Either that or his metabolism was finally working it out of his system. But now he had another issue…

“Where the hell is it?” he was getting flustered now. How the HELL had he misplaced his suit belt? He’d had it last night, he knew he had.

“It’ll be here somewhere.” Sam said. After a frantic search which left the apartment almost upside down, Clint located it down the back of the sofa.

“What was it doing there?” Steve frowned.

“Stark was wearing it as a headdress last night.” Thor supplied “You were wearing a tie, Birdman was wearing a pair of Little Stark’s tights and Barton was using a tie from a robe. You were, I believe Stark said the term was rocking out to some form of music. Do you not remember?”

“No.” Steve mumbled, sliding it on and clipping it round his waist. He walked to the long mirror in the hall and looked at his reflection. Being dressed in this jerked back a lot of memories of his time with the Howlies, Bucky and Peggy…

“Just go talk to her.” Bucky said, leaning against the bar as Steve’s eyes roved up and down Peggy as she stood at the bar in the pub in London talking to Howard Stark.

“I talk to her all the time.” Steve looked at his friend.

“God you’re a dumbass.” Bucky shook his head “I don’t mean just talk I mean, you know...talk, ask her out.”

Peggy looked up, caught his eye and he found himself blushing before turning back to his drink. It really wasn’t appropriate, maybe if it was a different time...

“Captain America and still a pussy when it comes to women.” Bucky snorted, clocking the look on his friend’s face “Glad to see not everything about you has changed.”

Everything had changed now though. And it was funny how things had worked out in the end. But as he knew, and had told Katie, he wouldn’t change a damned second.

“Captain Rogers…” Friday spoke. “Your cars are arriving.”

He took a deep breath and smiled at Sam who walked towards him, clapping him on the shoulder. “You alright?”

Steve nodded, suddenly his stomach was doing flips and this was nothing to do with the alcohol. “Let’s go.”

****

"The cars are here…” Pepper said, walking into the room with the box that contained the flowers. She handed Katie her bouquet, a simple bunch of Cala Lilies tied with pale blue, gold and red ribbons. She set about pinning one of the button holes to Tony’s lapel before she smoothed his shirt down and pecked him on the cheek.

“Ok…” she stood back. “Nat, Wanda, Laura and me are gonna go ahead now… “ she said, “You follow on in about 15 or so, give us enough time to hand these out and sort the boys into the right places…”

Katie smiled at her and she looked at the woman she had long since come to regard as a younger sister. “You really do look stunning!”

“Thanks Pep.” She kissed Tony again before she bustled the other three women out.

"You know," Tony said gently when the door closed behind them, "I always thought when you were a kid that you’d look ridiculous in a wedding dress….but, well, I was wrong, yeah it happens occasionally.” his face softened as he looked at his sister “You turned into a beautiful woman. Mom and dad would be proud, just as I am."

“They’d be proud of you too…” Katie said, the tears springing into her eyes “You know that right?”

"Yeah, yeah, anyway…" He said pulling back and sniffing slightly, before he ran his fingers underneath his eyes. "I have something for you," he said reaching into his suit jacket and withdrawing a slim box.

Katie took it from him, her hands shaking slightly as she opened it. Inside was a stunning white gold necklace. It sported 5 teardrop shaped loops, each set with diamonds, the middle of the loops holding sapphires.

“It was mom’s” Tony said, as she ran her fingers over the stones “I’ve been saving it for you and figured that this…” his voice cracked “Was the perfect opportunity to give it to you.” “Tony…” she said, the tears forming in her eyes again “It’s stunning.”

He took the box from his sister and gently removed the necklace and she turned round so he could fasten it round her neck.

“So that’s your something blue…” he said as she turned round, and let out a watery laugh.

“My garter’s blue…” “Don’t wanna know…” he snorted.

Katie giggled and gently wiped at her eyes “if you’ve ruined my make-up…” she headed to the full length mirror in the hallway and leaned forward.

“I think you’re good…” he smiled at her in the mirror.

“Fake eyelashes, no mascara, no smudges…”she said, dabbing at her eyes before satisfying herself that all the make-up artist’s work was still intact.

“So, we got time for one last drink before you become a Rogers?” he asked, walking over to the liquor cabinet and reaching for 2 crystal tumblers.

“You know its’ only in name…” she said as he poured a few fingers worth of scotch into each glass.

“Still gonna be odd calling you by it.” he handed her one and she smiled. “But either way…you’ll always be my little Kiddo, you know that?”

His voice cracked slightly and she looked at him, the tears once more sprang into her eyes.

“Yeah…” she said, chinking her glass against his “I do Tone…” *****

Steve strode across from the car, Sam following and the pair of them began to greet the guests. Steve was starting to feel nervous now, despite what he had told Sam before. He wasn’t nervous about marrying his girl, but the butterflies in his stomach were definitely fluttering. He shook hands with Evans and Dawson, both of them giving him friendly slaps on the back, welcomed a load of other people he’d seen in Katie’s office before, but his mind wasn’t there. He was mulling over his declaration, and his eyes which were hidden behind his aviators constantly roved the area in front of the church.

And then Sam slapped him on his shoulder.

“What?” Steve asked, turning to face him. 

“Bridesmaids are here Cap.” he smiled, and Steve turned to see the sleek, black Jaguar pull up. The driver got out and opened the back door to allow Natasha to climb out first, then Pepper followed, Wanda and Laura Barton getting out of the other side. Laura beelined for Clint who dropped a kiss to her cheek whilst Pepper, Nat and Wanda made their way over.

“You look great.” Steve smiled as he dropped a kiss to Pepper’s cheek, then Natasha’s then Wanda. “How’s Katie?”

“Nervous as hell.” Nat drawled, smoothing down her skirt before she looked up at Steve grinning. “Nice touch on the flowers and the earrings by the way, you almost set her off.”

 “But she’s ok?”

“If you’re asking whether she’s having second thoughts, not a chance.” Pepper touched his arm. Steve took a deep breath and then turned to the Priest who had joined them.

“She’s about 10 minutes or so behind.” Pepper smiled, “So I suggest you lot get to where you should be.”

“Right, yeah...” Steve took a deep breath, “Ok...”

He turned to head into the church and Sam looked at Natasha. “On a scale of 1 to 10 how dead is she gonna knock him?”

“11.” Nat grinned.

Sam let out a laugh before he yelled to the other groomsmen, and began his duty organising people into the church to the right seats.

**** Katie had a tight hold of Tony’s hand all the drive into Brooklyn. They made easy talk, the pair of them laughing in the back of the car but as they rounded the corner to the street where the church was Katie suddenly fell silent.

“You ok?” Tony looked at her. Katie nodded. 

“A bit nervous. Not about marrying Steve but...” she trailed off “It feels strange, being happy...after everything that we’ve been through.”

“You deserve it.” Tony pressed a kiss to her temple “Now push that thought out of your mind ok? Today is about you...and Steve” he said as an afterthought.

Katie laughed as the car pulled to a stop and the driver hopped out. Tony got out of his side and rounded the car to offer Katie his arm. She tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, her bouquet clutched in the other and together they made their way up to the entrance where Pepper and Natasha were waiting. The photographer got a few snaps before he nodded and said he would see them inside, before he headed in. 

The Priest smiled and ran through the usual questions which Katie answered and he smiled, clapping his hands together.

“Ok, well, let’s get you married.” he grinned, heading back inside, leaving them stood in the vestibule area. 

Katie took a deep breath and Natasha and Pepper took their places.

"You ready?" Tony questioned, placing his hand over Katie’s as the opening chords to Eva Cassidy’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” started up.

"I've never been more ready for anything in my entire life." she said squeezing his arm when her knees threatened to wobble as the doors opened.

All heads turned in their direction as Pepper and Natasha made their way down the aisle and Katie’s legs suddenly felt like jello.

"Don't let me fall." she whispered as she gripped her big brother’s arm even tighter. 

Tony smiled and turned his head enough to press an affectionate kiss to the side of her head, "Never." He whispered back with a smile.

As they made their way down the aisle, Katie wanted to take a look around the full church but she couldn’t. She couldn’t take her eyes off her soldier at the front. It wasn't just the fact that he looked especially handsome in his 40s dress uniform that made Katie’s knees tremble, neither was it his, as usual, clear shaven face or his perfectly styled hair. It was his eyes, and the smile on his face that lit up the moment he saw her...

Holy shit.” Steve managed to mumble, his mouth dropping open, and Sam clapped him between the shoulder blades.

“You’re a lucky man.” he said, and Steve couldn’t bring himself to reply. Instead he stood, gawping like an idiot as she glided towards him. She looked incredible, almost like she was glowing. Her dress was elegant, yet almost princess like. Her hair was twisted up off her face and she wore the biggest smile on her face he’d ever seen. He watched as she clutched onto Tony’s arm, her brother giving her hand another squeeze and the two turned to face each other, sharing a moment, before she looked back at Steve and their eyes locked. Steve took a deep shuddering breath and smiled at her, the smile not leaving his face all the time she made her way towards him. 

After what felt like an age, his nearly wife reached his side and stood in front of him.

“Hi.” she managed to whisper, and he shook his head, blinking back his tears as he let out a deep breath.

“You look astonishingly beautiful…” his voice trembled as  his eyes bored into hers and she felt herself flush, the grin still plastered to her face.

“Why thanks…” Tony said, and the pair of them looked at him, Steve letting out a simple snort as Katie shook her head, a small laugh escaping her mouth as she handed her bouquet over to Natasha.

"Dearly beloved," the Priest opened “We are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of Steve and Katie…” he continued with the usual greetings and then it was time to get down to business.

"Who here gives this bride away?" he questioned.

"Oh, right, that would be err, me." Tony said, stepping forward and gently turning her left hand into Steve’s right. The two men shared a meaningful look that could only be described as pure respect before Tony stepped back, taking his seat next to Pepper, blinking away his tears as she gripped his hands.

“You have prepared your own declarations before the vows?” They nodded.

“Ladies first.” he smiled at Katie and she took a deep breath, turning to face Steve clearing her throat.

"You know, if someone had told me that the man I met for the first time in that small boxing gym down town would be the man I would fall in love with and one day marry I would have told them they were being ridiculous.” she smiled and Steve squeezed her hands “Stevie, I've watched you grow and thrive in a world that you thought you didn't belong in but you never let it break you. You have no idea how strong you are and how strong you make me…” she hadn’t realised she’d started crying until he released one of her hands to wipe her cheek, his own eyes shining as he felt like his heart was going to burst through his chest "When I think back on how much we’ve been through over the past few years, it never fails to amaze me how you carried not just me through it but everyone around you too. You’re the most honourable, beautiful man I know, and that’s nothing to do with any serum, it’s who you are. You're my best friend. My lover. My everything. And I'll always love you Steven Grant Rogers...”

"Wow," the minister said clearing his throat, "Captain? Think you could top that?"

"I'll try my best." He choked out making laughter ripple through the crowd along with a few sniffles, before he took a deep breath. "Katie, when I went into the ice, I thought I knew what love was, I thought that I was in love before and that I wouldn't ever feel like that again. And then you walked into my life and not only did I get to know you, I fell head over heels in love with you and you made me understand that a first love and a true love are two Stark-ly different things.”

Katie smiled, and there were a few titters at the pun he had used. He took another shaky breath and continued. “Every second I spend with you is unlike anything I've ever felt before. Everything I’ve been through I’d do it a thousand times over if it meant I'd find my way back to you. You're my world, my home, and for that I will always, always love and cherish you."

"Alright everyone wipe your eyes," The priest spoke to the room as Katie reached up to wipe a tear away from Steve’s eye this time, blinking back her own. A few chuckles rang round the church before he addressed her and Steve again.

“Ready for the serious business?”

They both nodded. And one by one they made their vows, promises to love, honour, cherish and forsake all others for richer, for poorer and in sickness and in health being uttered as their eyes intently bored into each other, driving the words home into each of their souls. The words weren’t lost on either of them, they’d been through all of it and so much more already.

“Do you have the rings?” The minister asked. Sam stepped forward and gave Katie Steve’s.

Katie did as she was told, placed the ring at the end of Steve’s finger and repeated the vows they had chosen.

"I give you this ring as a token of my love for you. I give it with my loving heart, with my willing body and with my eternal soul”  When concluded she slid the platinum band, which held 3 simple diamonds at the front in vertical line onto Steve's previously bare ring finger. He took a deep breath then exhaled.

Then it was his turn, he rolled the ring in his fingers before looking up and locking gazes with Katie as he repeated after the minister, finally sliding her diamond studded band over her knuckle, his thumb sliding over the top of it. She looked at it for a second, before looking back at him, smiling.

"By the power vested in me by the Church and the State of New York… in the presence of God…I mean Gods," he politely corrected himself, looking at Thor and the bride and groom laughed along with the rest of the Church as Thor raised a hand, grinning. ", I know pronounce you Husband and Wife. Captain," he patted Steve on the shoulder, "You may now kiss your bride."

Oh, he’d wanted to do that the minute she had walked into the Church! With a smile he closed the small distance between them and took her face in both his hands, as hers slid up to his chest and he pressed a soft, sweet and perfect kiss to her lips.

There was loud cheering and clapping as they pulled back and Katie had just enough time to register the cheeky wink he flashed her before his hands pulled her back to him and this time he really kissed her, in a way that was totally not appropriate for a church but neither of them cared as his tongue slid along hers. Through the blood rushing in their ears they could just make out the sound of more cheering and a couple of wolf whistles. They broke apart and for a long moment just smiled stupidly at one another until Steve reluctantly released her so he could take her hand and turn to face their guests.

“Ladies, gentlemen… please be upstanding for your bride and groom!” The minister spoke “The new Mr and Mrs Rogers!”

Their exit song “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder struck up and for the first time Katie got to glance at everyone in the room. She smiled at so many people, when a squeeze to her hand from Steve brought her back and he beamed at her.

“Shall we?” he asked.

“Lead the way!” she grinned.

He pressed another soft kiss to her lips before they set off down the aisle. As they reached the end he bent to pick up something, and Katie noticed his shield was by the doors.

“Seriously?” she looked at him, arching an eyebrow.

“Trust me doll…” he muttered “because I don’t trust that lot one bit…”

The photographer got a few shots of everyone and then people started to climb into cars and head to the compound, all except the Avengers plus partners who had made an arch for the bride and groom to walk under. Steve grinned and turned to Katie, the two sharing another kiss before he nodded at her and they made their way down the steps onto the path. As soon as they did, Katie realised what Steve had been talking about as suddenly a barrage of rice rained down on them as the group yelled and cheered. As she shrieked with laughter, Steve pulled her to him, shield raised over his head, ducking slightly as they made their way to the waiting car. The chauffeur opened the door to the Jaguar SUV and Steve helped Katie in.

“I love you Mrs Rogers…” he grinned as they settled in the back of the car.

“I love you too!” Katie beamed “And thank you for the flowers and the earrings. You’re a romantic idiot you know that?”

“I’m your romantic idiot…” he leaned in, his nose rubbing against hers.

“Always.” she muttered as her lips met his.

*****.

As the group filed out of the church, no one noticed the man staying close to the shadows across the road. But then they wouldn’t, as it's a good hiding place, he knew this neighbourhood like the back of his hand after all, and he should do too given the amount of times he and that scrawny little blonde haired punk used to tread the sidewalks getting up to mischief. Full of dirt and leaves from scaling trees they would head back to Steve’s house for his Ma to patch them up, normally getting a clout upside the head (fondly, he recalls, never meant to hurt) strong, Irish brogue from such a slight woman "You two young hooleys are going to be the death of me, so you are!" whilst wiping their various bruises and feeding them large pieces of whatever she's managed to bake from that week’s meagre supplies. Now that small, sickly kid was a strapping 6ft plus mass of muscle, his outward appearance now reflected the brave Captain he had always been, stood in his old army dress uniform, his stunning wife a vision in ivory, and he was pleased to see, looking a lot healthier than she had when he had carried her out of that outpost in Canada. He watched as Steve raised his shield above his bride's head to shelter her as their group of friends pelt them with rice, planting a kiss to her lips as various cheers and whoops hit his ears, and then they hurried to the waiting car. As it pulled away the last he saw of Steve was him leaning across the to place a kiss on his girl's, no, his wife's lips who's pretty face looked like it might split in half from her smiling so much. "Good for you, punk." He muttered and smiling to himself, he pulled his cap further down over his face and tucked his hands into his pockets. Yes, he had taken a huge risk coming here but he couldn't not see his Childhood best friend on his wedding day... even if his best friend hadn't seen him. 

With more of a spring in his step than he remembers having since before the war, he headed back to where he has hidden the stolen motorcycle ready to trek back north where he could catch a flight to Europe and slink back into the shadows once more.

****

The sunny August afternoon passed in a daze of champagne, photos and food.  The head table was situated in the middle of the marquee, occupied by Katie, Steve, Sam, Pepper, Tony and Natasha. The rest of the guests were seated at circular tables dotted around, Katie and Pepper having carefully plotted places. Of course the Avengers had their own table, which was rowdy, Thor’s loud voice booming across the Tent as he sat with Jane, who was chatting away to Linda Barton. Vision was perched next to Wanda, conspicuous as always, whilst Banner was talking to Clint. 

“You ok?” Steve asked, his right hand dropping to Kate’s knee under the table and she turned to him smiling.

“Yeah, yeah I’m good. You?”

“Never been happier Doll.” he smiled, dropping a kiss to her lips.

When the desert had been eaten, glasses were charged and it was time for the speeches. 

It was Tony’s turn first and as he stood up, both hands raised in his usual flamboyant manner, Katie let out a soft groan as she knew she was about to get a ribbing. He started off fairly mildly, toasting the bridesmaids cheekily quipping he was going to take one home. 

“Which one?” quipped Clint, earning him a slap round the head from Laura whilst the tent laughed. 

Tony paused before he dropped a hand to Pepper’s shoulder where she sat to his right and grinned “Well there’s a fifty-fifty chance it’ll be the one I’m in a relationship with. And on that note, I’d like to raise a toast to the beautiful bridesmaids...”

The tent laughed, and all raised their glasses, before a wicked glint flashed in Tony’s eyes and he turned to his left, looking at Katie where she sat at the head of the table.

“Kiddo…” he smirked “I don’t know where to start.”

“Then don’t” she said, earning more laughs. “Oh I’m gonna…” he winked “For the last 31 years you’ve been a monumental pain in my ass. From fighting monsters under your bed with the vaccum cleaner to your Vegan Goth phase and that damned Turkey that you insisted we keep…but there isn’t a day that I’d change any of it. Watching you flourish into the beautiful, brave, kind young woman sat in front of me has, and always will be, my greatest achievement. Everything that life has put in front of you, you’ve taken and more. And I’ll always be proud of you.”

He took a deep breath as Steve’s hand curled round Katie’s under the table.

“And as for the groom, well, there’s not much to say about Spangles really. When I first met him, thought he was an ass hole. Now I know him, think he’s slightly less of an asshole.”

Steve rolled his eyes, “Thanks Tony.” he quipped as the he guests laughed. But as his brother-in-law locked eyes with him, the two of them smiled.

“How I found out about you two was less than desirable…” he said and they both let out a groan “For those of you that don’t know I walked in on them, in the kitchen, and interrupted something…” more laughs as Katie and Steve groaned “And I won’t lie, I wasn’t overly enamoured about the idea but you fast proved me wrong and, well, here we are. I’m glad she has someone like you to look after her, care for her and cherish her but just so you know…” he raised his two fingers to his eyes and then moved them towards Steve, the same I’m watching you gesture as he had given him on his doorstep over 2 years ago. Steve snorted into his glass which was once more full of Asgardian ale and Katie simply shook her head.

“In all seriousness, Cap and I had a nice long talk last night about what it means to be a family. To love and be loved. To feel like you do and will forever belong with a certain person. And he told me that’s what he felt about Katie. That he does and will forever belong with her.”  Tony turned to look at them both “And I know I speak for everyone here when I say, we are so lucky – and happy – that you’re part of this weird-ass family. I feel lucky to be part of this family. Even with Rhodey here."

Rhodey flipped him off from where he sat across the Marquee and the guests laughed once more

“So if you’ll please all raise your glasses...” Tony said, as everyone stood round the marquee, glasses raised “Steve and Katie, Cap and Kiddo, and friends, family, be they with us or not.”

The murmurs of the echoed toast around the tent died down being replaced by cheers as Tony took a short bow, before he rounded the table and Katie stood up to hug him kissing his cheek. 

“Love you.” she grinned, and Tony beamed back at her before he returned to his seat. 

At that point Steve stood up to a load of cheers and he held his hand up.

“Yeah, not sure how I can follow that.” he smiled, “Thanks for those kind words Tony.” he cleared his throat “You know, looking around the place, seeing everyone here to help us celebrate has brought it home to me how lucky I actually am. When I came out of the ice, I thought I’d lost everything, my entire life, everyone I knew. But I fast came to realise that whilst that may have been true once what I’ve gained since is irreplaceable.” he glanced down at Katie “When Katie walked into that gym which was only a few blocks away from where we got married today, we shared a 15 minute conversation. By the end of those 15 minutes I’d already realised how sassy, sarcastic and loyal she was, and dare I say it, damned gorgeous too”

Katie shook her head as titters rose around the tent.

“But then I got to know her, she became my best friend, still is, and frankly now I think she’s the most amazing human being on the planet. I could continue to wax lyrical about you Doll, but I won’t. I said everything I had to say to you in the church, but there is one thing I wanted to add. You said that I make you strong, but it’s really you who does that to me. I’m only strong because you’re by my side. You make me want to be a better person and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of waking up in the morning by your side, simply being able to call you mine.” he took a deep breath, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall as he looked down at the table, then back to her. “From that first date I knew we had something special and everything we’ve been through in the past 2 and a bit years, we’ve made it through because we’ve been together. So if I could ask you all to raise your glasses in the direction of my gorgeous, amazing wife…man I’ll never get tired of saying that…” he grinned and Katie laughed, wiping her eyes “Mrs Rogers…”

He sat down and Katie leaned over to give him a soft kiss. “I love you” she smiled, her hand gently tracing down his cheek.

“Love you too.” he said, kissing her deeply to more cheers and Steve grinned against her mouth, his cheeks flushing slightly as he pressed his forehead to hers.

And then Sam got up.

“Yeah, saved the best till last I know.” Sam said as everyone giggled “I’ll keep mine short and sweet as we all know there’s a party to get started. I first met Cap when he was running. I say running, well, more like tearing up the ground. Kept lapping me like a crazy mother, nearly killed me trying to keep up.” he grinned and Katie and Steve both laughed “I haven’t known him for very long all things considered, so being asked to be best man was a privilege, so thank you brother. It means a lot.” he nodded to Steve who raised his beer in his direction. “Now, being friends with Captain America is probably the same as what being friends with Steve Rogers is like, from what I can gather. He’s a great guy, with a fully functioning moral compass...only there’s the added complication that you’ll have a building dropped on your head, get shot at and generally be whipped into a whole heap of trouble...and that was only within the first 3 we’d met.” Sam quipped as the tend laughed and Steve shook his head. “But the thing is, when Captain America knocks on your door and needs your help, you gotta follow, even if it means your life expectancy is probably gonna halve.  Mind you, my chances of getting laid have more than doubled so I think they cancel one another out” At that Steve groaned and dropped his head into his hands as the tent erupted into laughter. “But in all my life I’ve never met two people more suited for each other. You’re like jelly and doughnuts, mac and cheese, Simon and Garfunkel, can’t have one without the other” he smirked “So, without further ado, charge your glasses one final time…to the new Mr and Mrs Rogers….now, let’s get this party started!”

****

A few hours later as the sun was dipping behind the trees and several bottles of champagne, Asgardian beer and a fair few measures of whiskey had been drunk, Tony’s voice rang out over the speakers.

"Now ladies and Gents, and Thor…"

Katie and Steve, who were stood talking to Clint and Laura at the bar, both looked over to see him holding a microphone as he stood next to the DJ, smiling, "It’s my great honour to announce it is time for the first dance. Kiddo, Cap, the floor is yours…”

Steve held his hand out to Katie and she took it, and he led her into the middle of the lit up dance floor, gently pulling her into his arms.

I’ve been searching all my life I used to be so color blind You opened up my eyes Do you wanna share your dreams See a different side of me You're everything I need He pulled her closer, his hand curling round the small of her back, his other tightly clasped around hers as they gently swayed to the music, foreheads pressed together, smiles stuck firmly to their faces.

I like it when you think out loud Things you say when you know There is no one else around I can dig my own graves now But will you smile every time I try to crawl my way out

His left hand dropped from the small of her back and he took a step away, spinning her out into a twirl as the chorus struck up, drawing cheers from the circle of people around the dance floor.

There is no one like you I live in a world of black and white And you are the only one in color There is no one like you Into mystery I slide I want you to keep it all uncovered You are the only one in color

Katie smiled as he pulled her back to him, his face beaming and as was tradition they were joined on the floor by a few other couples, Tony and Pepper, Clint and Laura, Thor and Jane amongst them. Wanda and Natasha were dancing together too, in a joking, friendly way, which made Katie’s smile grow even larger.

You know how to set that mood You can light up any room Just by the way you move The only one who understands What I've given you you've given back Come on and take my hand

The music continued and as the chorus struck up again he span her out once more, making her laugh and this time he pulled her back in so her back pressed against his chest. Wrapping both arms tightly around her middle he pressed a soft kiss to her neck. Katie laughed, her hands coming to rest over his own, thumb stroking the new addition to his ring finger.

You turned an old world upside down A wave of calm when I was so tightly wound And so full of doubt I'll never tell you that two's a crowd I know I can't get through without Ever needing you around

Steve knew everyone was watching, probably taking pictures or video along with the official photographer, but he didn’t care. Extending his arm above her head, he took hers with him and gently spun her to face him. His right hand slid up to cup her face and as he leaned close to capture her lips. Katie’s hand slid up to tangle in the back of his hair before she pulled away slowly and he lets out a soft moan as his forehead dropped to hers.

"Mrs Rogers.." he whispered in her ear.

“Yeah?” “Nothing, I just wanted to say it.”

*******

"Garter off. No hands Rogers!” Nat yelled over the music as Katie sat in a chair on the dance floor “That's the rules."

“Well we all know I’m a stickler for rules.” he grinned, discarding his jacket and tie to a few whoops and a loud whistle from his bride, he tossed them over a chair as the men in the party gathered around, the women standing a bit behind, Pepper explaining what was going onto Wanda.

Steve strolled casually past them, hands in his pockets, his eyes locked on Katie’s as she arched an eyebrow in an almost challenging manner. This was the point where he would normally flush red but he hadn’t got a shred of embarrassment about his nature thanks to the Asgardian alcohol which once more coursed through his veins. He gave her a grin as he dropped to his knees and then, with a devious wink, dove under her skirt. Katie giggled and covered her face with her hands whilst the outline of Steve's broad shoulders could just be made out moving up her legs. But only she could feel his breath on her thighs. He grinned and pressed a soft but hot kiss to the very top of her thigh and it took everything in her not to jump or show any outward indication of his actions, but she did bite her lip when his teeth dragged down her thigh until he caught the lace of the blue garter that he himself had given to her the day before, then dragged it down her leg.

There were more whistles and cheers when he emerged from beneath her skirt with the garter in his mouth before he took it in his hands, stood up and fired it towards the men. Sam was the catcher, hastily dropping it from one hand to the other until he finally caught it, and looked around, winking at Natasha.

“What about it Red?” he grinned at her “Fancy a bit of Sammy-lovin’?”

“In your dreams birdbrain” she drawled, as everyone cackled.

**** All too soon their day came to an end, but Steve had one final surprise for Katie. She had been fully expecting to go back to their room at the compound but Steve simply shook his head and led her out of the Marquee and over to a waiting car which was parked on the expansive gravel driveway.

“We are not spending our wedding night at home Kitten.” he said simply when she asked where they were going.

Between the alcohol and being drunk on happiness, they were tripping over each other by the time they made it to the bridal suite at The Mark having been greeted  by a red carpet and applause of the staff upon arrival. Steve opened the door into the huge room, and the pair of them stumbled forward. Laughing, Steve curled an arm round her.

“Hang on… ” he said, before he bent down and scooped her up, carrying her into the room and she giggled as he stepped forward, kicking the door shut behind them before dropping her to her feet. She spun round and grabbed a fist full of shirt, just below his open collar button, bringing him down to kiss her, hard as they backed across the suite into the bedroom where Steve spun her round and carefully, delicately popped the buttons down her back. He leaned in and pressed soft kisses to the crook of her neck, nuzzling into her hair, as she reached up to remove the various clips, freeing her brunette tresses.

“God you’re beautiful.” he said, as the dress fell away, leaving her in nothing but a pair of white, lace French knickers. She spun to face him, eyes shining as she started to undo his shirt.

"You're not so bad yourself," she said with a smirk as her hands gently undid the buttons on his shirt, her eyes never leaving his.

And then it was a race to get out of their remaining clothes before they both collapsed on the bed. Steve took his time, kissing down his wife’s body, running his fingers down her ribs before his hands gently parted her legs. His nose skimmed below her bellybutton before he moved downwards, nipping at her inner thigh before he set his mouth to her.

Katie groaned and all but melted into the bed letting him have and play with her all he wanted. Her first orgasm hit her hard in an ridiculously short time and leaving her breathless he kissed all the way back up her body before he settled his hips against hers, he was rock hard and aching for her, and she shivered as he pressed up against where she needed him most.

He took her left hand in his, his thumb skating over her rings and placed a soft kiss over them before interlocking their fingers and pressing her hand down on the pillow next to her head.

"I love you so much Mrs Rogers," he mumbled leaning down and running his nose alongside hers.

"I love you too Captain Rogers." she responded holding eye contact with him as he slowly slid inside, letting out a moan as she lay back and he kissed her again, deeply, passionately as he slowly started to move. Katie rolled her hips up taking him deeper, moans flowing freely between the pair as he slowly built up his rhythm, releasing her hand so that he could grasp onto her hips. Katie’s arms wrapped around his shoulders pulling him in close and she buried her fingers into his hair.

"Faster," she moaned, wrenching her mouth from his so she could breath and he didn't hesitate to oblige. After a few more thrusts he slid his hand under her lower back and lifted her slightly, face buried in her neck, nipping, making her gasp and shudder as he hit her spot. He met it with every thrust of his hips until she was moaning and writhing and muttering nonsense.

Whether it was the passion of the day or the fact that it was just different because they were now married, for Steve it felt the most intense love they had ever made. It was the perfect way to finish off an amazing day and when they both fell apart completely immersed in one another, cries of names and curses tumbling from lips, Katie happily welcomed his weight on top of her as he caught his breath whilst she peppered soft kisses against his sweaty forehead before their noses gently rubbed against one another, their thing. Both of them remained trembling in the afterglow and it took a while but finally Steve gathered enough strength to roll himself to the side where Katie immediately curled up into his chest.

“Was it everything you hoped for?” he asked, and she hummed blissfully as he carded his fingers through her hair

"And more.” she whispered softly “.And the best bit?” “What?” She moved so she could look up at him, her face soft as she gave him the most intimate and incredible smile he had ever seen on her face as she answered “We have the rest of our lives ahead.”

Tags

@the-omni-princess

@momobaby227

@geekofmanythings16​

@angelofhell-666

@thewackywriter

[colourthestarts]

Chemistry -ish?

The lesson to be learned is that sometimes the universe is merciful. That day Kuroo learned that lesson and promised that he will treat Lev better for as long as he can.

The reason for this is because during the lunch break on Tuesday y/n came up to Kuroo’s desk, sat down, gave him her chemistry test with the score of 84 and declared that she needs help.

“You do know that this is a good score?” Kuroo asked. Despite that he wanted to hang out with y/n and to get to know her better, there really was no need for it if she had good grades.

“Considering that almost all of your grades are in high 80s and 90s you should know that good does not cut it for same people. I do get good grades in chemistry, but I cannot do better because I do not understand it whatsoever. Mika said that you are really good at it and the grades show that too. So if you got the time and want to I am asking for your help. If you say no, no hard feelings. Think about it.”

By the end of the day Kuroo said yes and they agreed to study Thursdays after his practice and Saturdays midday. They exchanged their numbers and agreed that they’ll figure out the time and other stuff later.

Y/N 17:49 Hey, it’s y/n. Are you good to study this Thursday cause I don’t mind.

Kuroo 17:51 Hey, yeah Thursday is good.

Y/N 17:52 Um, so do you want to come over mine or should I come to yours? Cause I thought maybe it would be easier if I come to yours on Thursday so you just have to travel home and can get some rest or something?

Crap, Kuroo was actually unsure. He did not want to make y/n uncomfortable as his dad would always be home late. But with volleyball and being a captain its quite time consuming to travel. Little did he know y/n was also freaking out similarly. She’s not used to ask for help and she did not want burden Kuroo with her nonsense. Plus he must be busy. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

Kuroo 18:04 I think Thursday would be easier at mine and then Saturday at yours?

Y/N 18:05 Yeah sure. Thanks again.

Kuroo 18:06 No problem.

Both of them thought how awkwardly they ended this conversation.

But awkwardness didn’t end there. It was very much present during the first session. It took them a while to decide where to start cause y/n truly did not understand chemistry despite her good grades. He was also surprised to see that the calm collected girl had a morbid sense of humour and kept making remarks of throwing herself of a building and just wanting to cry.

“Think like a proton and stay positive.” Kuroo said encouragingly.

By the third session Kuroo wanted to give up with y/n. They almost got in a full blow argument somehow.

“How do you not understand this y/n. This is basic chemical bonds.”

“I just don’t understand bonding!”

“Yeah… clearly.” Kuroo replied with his hands on his face. He knew he shouldn’t have said that. This one was a different type of frustration. A type where she just wouldn’t open up to him not even a little.

“What does that mean?”

“…it’s nothing…”

“ohhh no, please elaborate cause apparently we have a problem.”

“…”

“Okay then.” Y/n stood up and started to pack. Before she left his room, he attempted at something.

“Listen.” She turned around and look straight at him.

“I am listening.” When he didn’t make another sentence, she added before leaving “Thanks for the help. See you at school.”

Friday didn’t go well, neither one talked that day much. The whole classroom felt the chill from both, but no gossip emerged as there was no basis for it. Y/n looked genuinely pissed the whole day and scared few first years who were blocking the stairs while chatting. Kuroo took his feelings out during practice on poor Lev. His appreciation to the universe was over. Yaku and even Kenma told him to go home and relax. Later in the evening Mika texted him on what happened cause apparently y/n went back to isolation. About an hour later he explained what happened and all Mika replied with was that he should NOT have kept his mouth shut. What did that even mean? The rest of the night Kuroo laid in bed and sulked. Not really understanding the girl. He started to think that maybe he did not really like her.

On Saturday he went to Kenma’s not much in a better mood. And Kenma didn’t want to get involved in this for two reasons. 1. The new video game. 2. He didn’t know how to help. So an hour later Bokuto and Akaashi also appeared in Kenma’s room.

“So she just left?” Bokuto asked dumb folded after hearing the story.

“Yeah. She said thanks and see you at school. That’s all I got.” Kuroo answered while throwing volleyball up in the air.

“Maybe she didn’t want to argue?” Akaashi offered.

“It wasn’t an argument. She just picked something up from me.” When Bokuto and even Akaashi looked at him confused he attempted to further explain “It’s been awkward between us and she just comes in, I teach her, she says her thanks and leaves. Like there is no room for additional chats. It just made me think this is futile and I should give up on pursuing her… and then Mika said I should not have kept quiet.”

“Ehh this sounds confusing to me. Y/n is really straightforward when we text, she apologises for her bluntness, but she also said she feels uncomfortable in just being nice for the sake of it.” Bokuto said while laying back on the floor.

But this actually almost clicked with Kuroo. Maybe she did pick something from him, but maybe the bigger issue was that he did not say what it was. Maybe she wanted to clear out the air or something?

“I think I got it.”

“You do?” Akaashi inquired.

“Yeah. I think… I should just tell her.”

“You’re going to confess?!” Bokuto exclaimed.

“I’m gonna tell her what was my problem with her.”

“You wanna fight with her more?”

“Trust me, this will work. I think.”

“I guess we’ll wait and see.” Akaashi said.

 On Sunday Kuroo was outside y/n house. He didn’t think much beyond packing chemistry books, even if he was not supposed to be teaching, and just getting there. Now he almost wanted to leave if not for a male voice scaring him behind.

“Can I help you?”

When Kuroo turned around he was met with an older male guy who was just a bit shorter than him. He was a bit bigger in build, dark hair and appeared to be in his early twenty’s. Overall, intimidating but not scary.

“I um I’m here to see y/n. My name is Kuroo. We’re classmates at Nekoma.”

“I know where my sister studies.” Sister? Wait. Y/n had a brother. She never mentioned him. Kuroo never saw him or her parents.

“Right…”

“You’re the chemistry guy.” Came the conclusion. So she did mention him to her brothers. “Don’t you usually teach on Saturday’s?”

How does he explain this one when he’s not quite sure what’s gonna happen. Before replying her brother muttered a ‘whatever’ and passed him then added for him to follow in.

Unlike last time, this time the house seemed more lively. There was music on and he could smell someone was cooking pancakes. Kuroo assumed she was awake until he followed er brother into the kitchen and was met with another guy.

“Kisho, you can wake her up. She kicked me and went back to sleep. I give up.” Then he turned around, noticed Kuroo and yelled. “Oi, there is a difference between picking up stay cats and humans you moron!”

“It’s not like that Norio! This is the chemistry guy.”

Kuroo was in a bit of shock. So she had two brothers who seemed to love to bicker. He also felt awkward in this situation. He would almost prefer to go argue with y/n or something.

Also did one of them say she was asleep? It’s 1pm.

“You, sit down. Want coffee?” Said Norio. Kuroo immediately complied and nodded. He was used to living almost alone. His dad was working late, mom was not around and he had no siblings. Just lovely grandparents. So this was a weird authority figure. He noticed that the other brother seemed to go upstairs to wake y/n up. And apparently Norio noticed him thinking.

“Sorry, she does not have a sleeping pattern. A horrible insomniac. I’m Norio by the way. The less attractive brother is Kisho.” The guy stated as he put down a mug for Kuroo who accepted the drink. It was strong. Apparently strong coffee love runs in this family.

“I’m Kuroo, third year and y/n classmate.” Panic. What else is he supposed to say.

“You’re pretty tall! Almost as tall as me. What club are you in?”

“I’m the captain of the volleyball team.”

“Hey, I was one too in the third year! What a cool coincidence. Is Nekomata sensei still around teaching?” Norio smiled brightly.

“Yeah, he’s doing great.”

“That’s good. You’re not far off competition season are you?”

“Yeah, we had a practice match last week. Y/n and Mika went.”

“Ehhh why would you do that? Girls don’t like waiting for so long. Just invite them to proper matches.”

“Yeah, I think I learned that one last week.”

“Don’t mind, both of them get over stuff quickly. So how come you’re here on a Sunday?”

“Ahh… we didn’t study yesterday.”

“I see. So she overslept.”

“Not exactly.”

“I did not.”

Oh. She was here. Kuroo turned around and saw y/n in a purple nightgown, but under it he could see her pink and violet vertical stripped pyjamas. Her hair was completely down, she had her glasses on. If not for the very tired expression, he would have said that she was looking absolutely lovely. Before Kuroo could say a proper hi, she grabbed her brother’s coffee and told Kuroo to follow her upstairs.

Obviously they were going to her room. And he was never there, they only studied in the living room. But to be honest he would rather go to y/n’s room than have the conversation next to her brothers. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but it looked neat. She had a collection of books and cd’s, her bed was made and she had a lot of pillows. Her table was clean, but he could see that the chemistry book was on there.

“Why are you standing, go sit on the bed. If I’ll sit there I’ll fall right back asleep.” While Kuroo took his seat, y/n also sat down on the chair. After a minute she asked. “Why are you here?”

“I came to apologise about Thursday.”

“You have nothing to apologise for.”

“Well I still wanna explain.” After a minute Kuroo continued. “You’re a hard person to teach chemistry.”

“True.”

“And. Look. It has just been awkward and you don’t really talk to me besides chemistry so it shard to be friends with you.”

“That’s because I don’t want to bother you more than already am.”

“What?”

“We’re both third years, and we have the college prep classes. But you also have volleyball and you’re the captain so you must be busy. So I thought that I shouldn’t bother you with anything extra. And we can be friends. I mean you’re already friends with Mika so honestly it would be hard to avoid you even if I did my best. Now your turn. Do you wanna stop teaching me chemistry”

“I don’t. It would be nice if we can just chat once in a while not about it.”

“Yeah we can do that.”

“So we’re good?”

“Yeah.”

…

“Can I ask another thing?”

“Go on. ”

“Why did you leave like that?”

“… I didn’t know what was happening. I though you might explain but you didn’t so I decided to take myself out of the situation. For stuff like that I prefer to know what’s happening so I know how to react.”

“So if something happens again I should tell you?”

“Not unless you want to. That’s your choice. Just like its mine to leave the situation.”

“Seems fair. You seem pretty calm about this whole thing.”

“Not Friday. Almost killed two first years.”

“Yeah some of the classmates saw that one.” Kuroo chuckled.

And that was that. After resolving the situation Kuroo went home. And Monday was back to normal. Even better, cause now they would say hi in corridors and occasionally y/n and Mika would come by to chat or even eat together.  

Kuroo again thanked the universe.

[tryingtobeclassy]

so close I could kiss you . . . lee minho

genre: Minho x female!reader, college au, neighbour au

description: Being neigbours with your close friend can only lead to lots of unexpected adventures, but falling for him wasn’t one you had in mind.

word count: 8.1 k

warnings: swearing, alcohol, gets a bit more heated at some points ig

.         .         .          .          .

“Is the concept of sleep that weird to you?” you mumbled while squinting at Minho who was standing in front of your apartment door in just his pyjamas and some duck shaped slippers.

He seemed very eager and excited about his idea. In his head it obviously didn’t seem as flawed as it did in yours. Going to get ice cream isn’t as wild as someone would think. But when it’s almost 1 am and he insists on going to a place that’s a whole hour away by car then it becomes a slight problem.

“You’re a liar if you try to convince me you were sleeping”, he says, knowing damn well how messed up your sleeping schedule was.

“Okay fine”, you give in after the minimum effort he had to put into trying to make you change your mind. But to be honest, you were kind of feeling the idea of ice cream so you quickly put on some shoes and grabbed your car keys and the two of you were off to an adventure.

Moments like this weren’t rare. If it wasn’t Minho, it would be you to come up with some stupid idea that the other one would always end up jumping on in instant. Cause that’s what friends are for. When you were just starting university and moving into your current small, but comfy apartment, you never imagined you’d get this close to a neighbour. Especially since you always highly disliked neighbours or having any kind of interaction with them, elevators being the absolute worst. But one day he just knocked on your door asking if you had mayo so he could put it on his pizza, you subtly shaded him for putting mayo on pizza and instead of taking offence he unexpectedly invited you to join him and his roommate Chan. A bold food choice definitely threw you off at first, but you thought he doesn’t deserve to be crossed off for it. Especially since he was mad cute as well. And your decision lead you to a wonderful friendship.

And it lead you to sitting in your car at 1 am while driving towards a specific ice cream shop.

“I have class tomorrow at 9. I’m actually going to die”, you whine as you glance once again at the clock in the car.

“I suggest you simply don’t sleep”, Minho suggested as if it was the most obvious solution.

“Absolutely terrible idea Mr. Lee. I am a weak human and my organism does not wish to die that way.”

“Then have a power nap in class.”

You had a snarky comeback ready for him, but instead just paused for a second thinking about it. “Honestly not a bad idea.”

The rest of the trip there was pretty much just filled with both of you complaining about uni, how it doesn’t let you breathe and how the approaching exams are already stressing both of you. In the end, the trip to get the ice cream ended up as a good way to just get away from all of that stuff and put responsibilities and thoughts about it on side for a bit.

“Do you think you could go alone?” Minho asked once you finally parked in front of a brightly lit ice cream shop, basically no other cars around you except what you assumed were the workers’.

“What? No. Why?”

“I’m literally wearing slippers.”

“And I literally don’t care. The ducks will match well with my Batman pyjama pants”, you answered shoving him out of the car as he was grunting like a small annoying child. “Where’s that cocky confidence of yours when you need it?”

As you managed to get him out of the car, the two of you made your way to the entrance of the shop, but it would be too easy if you just walked in, so instead Minho abruptly stopped you as he grabbed the hood of your hoodie and pulled you back to him almost chocking you in the process.

“Watch it, dumbass”, you complained as you lightly slapped his hand away, but his attention seemed to be on something completely different.

“Look”, he said and pointed towards a poster hanging up next to the entrance door. “It says it’s a special couples offer and they get 15% off if they buy two cups of ice cream.”

Your brows frowned as you read the poster yourself. “I hope you’re not thinking what I think you are.”

“It’s 15% off, you’ll survive as my girlfriend for five minutes”, he said with his signature smirk and grabbed your hand into his.

With your on going complaining, you two finally got inside. The place was pretty much empty. It had one dude moping the floors, some guy who seemed homeless passed out in one booth with a plate where once was a pancake with ice cream and a girl at the counter – smiling tiredly as you approached her.

“What can I get you two?” she asked trying to be nice, but you could see a judgemental spark in her eyes as she scanned the two of you from head to toe.

“I’ll have one mint and one vanilla”, Minho answered obviously not caring about the cashier. “And what would you like, babe?” he added as he gave you the sweetest smile you ever saw him pull on his face.

For a second your process of thoughts was just cut off. As his hand felt warm around yours, his smile even warmer and then the babe being the final hit. You just blacked out for a second as all of it felt really weird.

“I, uh, chocolate”, you somehow manage to get across your lips.

“Just one?” the cashier asked getting your head back to earth completely.

“Two.”

The plan went completely as Minho wanted. You got the ice cream and you got the discount. And you were on your way home, this time Minho behind the wheel while you were still enjoying one of the best ice creams you ever had the chance to taste.

“Oh yea, I wanted to ask you something?” Minho said after he got bored of nothing but silence and the sounds you smacking your lips and finishing the ice cream. “There’s a party at Changbin’s house tomorrow.”

“He’s that one hella rich friend of yours?”

“Yeah. He said both me and Chan get a plus one to bring to the party so I thought you might wanna go.”

“Sure. I’m always down for some booty shaking.”

He just lightly smiled and mumbled a soft ‘great’ in return. So it was settled. You suddenly had plans for tomorrow as well.

Your little adventure soon came to an end as the car stopped in its destined parking spot and both of you went to your own place. You collapsed in your bed immediately, debating how much do you actually have to go to the morning class, but you just really needed the attendance if you wanted to pass.

You kinda regretted your life choices from last night the moment you woke up, but remembering how good the ice cream tasted, you were soon over it. The class wasn’t as bad as you expected. Not really taking Minho’s advice, you ended up drugging yourself with coffee that kept you alive just long enough to get back home and dive back into your bed. It was Friday so nothing to worry about for tomorrow which only means one thing. Napping! If it could be called a nap cause you passed out and slept for almost six hours. It would’ve been even longer if your hungry stomach didn’t rudely wake you up. After finally giving your body some food to survive, it was time to get ready.

You were going to just some house party with a bunch of students so no need to dress too fancy. Just cute enough to feel good about yourself and if so desired to get a lil bit of action as well. So it ended up being new baggy jeans matched with some fishnets underneath, a cute crop top and heeled boots. For a second you felt like some edgy tumblr post, especially when you added dark red lipstick, but you liked it and felt hot and confident.

Just as you were checking yourself in the mirror in the hallway one last time, Minho barged into the apartment while screaming: “Come on, idiot, we’re approaching the moment that crosses the line of being fashionably late into rudely late.”

He subtly checked you out, but gave a not so subtle compliment after it, “You look hot.”

“Thank you”, you said with a satisfied smile on your face and pushed him out where Chan was waiting.

“Am I not getting a compliment as well?” he asked as he pouted trying to fish for some ego boosting words.

You dramatically rolled your eyes, but still told him he looked cute.

“Damn. I was going more for the homme fatale kind of look”, he said, but you could tell from the confident aura he had around him that he definitely believed he pulled off what he intended.

“Whatever you do, just don’t feed his ego anymore”, Chan joked when he saw you were thinking about something else to add to your list of compliments besides cute.

“Shit, you’re right”, you laughed and left it just at cute.

After taking an Uber, cause all three of you planned on drinking, you finally arrived at the party. Despite talking to Changbin here and there, you two weren’t super close. You did know his family was swimming in money, but the house you arrived to was still way bigger than you expected. Perfect size to have a shit ton of students over for a party. Very brave thinking nothing would end up broken. But anyway, the party was already in full operation. Drunk people everywhere drinking and either sitting around and hanging out or dancing to the loud edm blasting from the living room.

You made your way to the kitchen where you found Changbin sitting on the counter with a beer in his hand. He was talking to Felix and a guy you saw like twice, but you believed his name was Hyunjin. He got really excited when he saw the three of you walk in, immediately giving Chan and Minho one of those signature bro greetings while you got a very solid high five.

“Where’s your plus one Chan?” he asked putting his hands around his eyes and mockingly scanning the room.

“Come on, mate, you know all the people I know are the same people you know.”

“We all just kinda hope, you’d finally find some other people to hang out or perhaps even…” he made a dramatic pause while all the boys suddenly acted like they were talking about the weirdest and most wild thing ever when Minho added, “a girl.”

“Y’all are hilarious”, Chan said sarcastically. “I have too much to do. I don’t have time to meet a girl.”

“Yet here you are”, Felix added. “Use the party as an opportunity to meet new people.”

Chan just waved his hands towards them as if he’s trying to blow away all the jokes they were throwing at his account. He took a beer from the counter and disappeared into the crowd.

Hyunjin and Felix were off to their own shenanigans as well so it was just you with Minho and Changbin. Changbin offered you something from all the different alcohol lined besides him on the counter, but from all the various choices, you felt like warming up with some beer first. You drank your beer as you listened to whatever they were talking about with just one ear, your attention mostly observing the crowd.

“Speaking about girls”, Changbin suddenly went back to the first topic, “I always kind of thought the two of you would be a thing by now.”

You almost spat out the beer you were just in the process of drinking, but instead chocked on the gulp you took while Minho just laughed. Both at you and the question.

“Why did you think that?” Minho asked, genuinely curious while you would’ve preferred it if the topic was dropped.

“I don’t know. Both of you have some kind of chaotic energy. I feel like you would fit each other.”

“Well we do”, Minho said, a smirk forming on his lips.

“Yeah, as friends”, you added pushing him so he would drop the creepy smirk going on. “I’m just gonna go dance. You two fuck around as much as you want.”

You finished the last few drops of the beer, left it at the counter and let yourself blend into the crowd. The music was loud enough to get all the way to your bones, making you feel every beat in your heart and making you want to dance until your legs give out. You were one with the crowd, yet still stuck in your own little world as the alcohol and music hit your head. Dancing as if there’s not a single worry in your life. Feeling good and feeling happy. But the little utopia your mind wandered off to disappeared as you felt a hand grab your ass and a male figure invading your private space completely. You looked up to see which guy decided to skip a bit too many steps and come to you so confidently just to see your ex-boyfriend arching above you.

“Can you fuck off? You ain’t wanted here”, you said, your voice clearly heating with anger.

“Come on, let’s do it just once like in the old days”, he smiled cockily and pulled you closer into himself making you even more mad.

“I’ll have to pass on that offer.”

You were trying to push him off of yourself, but the dude was persistent as hell and wouldn’t let you go.

“Fuck off!” you yelled again, but you weren’t managing to achieve anything and everyone else seemed to be too immersed in their own worlds to see what’s happening and give a hand. But suddenly you did feel another hand lightly grab your shoulder while the other pushed your ex away.

“She clearly said to fuck away, bro.”

You recognized Minho’s voice and felt his hand protectively pull you towards himself while glaring at your ex with a warning look.

“And who might you be?” your ex asked with a dumb smile as if he doesn’t care about anything in this whole situation.

“Her boyfriend”, Minho said without hesitation, sliding his arm over your shoulder to make it even more convincing.

You could see the dumb smile fade from your ex’s face as he looked at Minho once again. “Can’t believe you went for some pretty boy while you can have a whole man like me, but okay.”

“He’s a bigger man than you, but whatever makes you feel better”, you spat as he was finally going away and disappeared just like he suddenly appeared.

“Holy shit, I really owe you one”, you added while turning to Minho.

“Wanna say thank you in a form of a kiss?” he asked teasingly.

You rolled your eyes and lightly smacked his chest. “How about a dance instead, lover boy?”

“That will work too”, he smiled and grabbed your hand, turning you around.

“Just tone it down a bit with the moves. I don’t wanna embarrass myself next to your perfect dancing.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Minho really was such a good dancer. He moved so effortlessly, but still managed to get you to follow his moves without a problem. It was fun getting lost in the moment – just dancing to the music and being playful. It didn’t even feel weird as his body got closer to you, his legs brushing against yours. You could feel his hand being hesitant when he slid it lower on your back, but as you didn’t push it back and instead gave him a small smile, he slowly got even lower and pulled you closer towards him. The next moment your arms wandered around his neck, getting the two of you dangerously close to the point you could even feel his breath on your cheek. For just a second you glanced towards his lips that were so close to you, you could’ve kissed them if you wanted to. But then something snapped inside you as you realized what’s happening and slowly broke the physical contact, giving him just a soft smile at the end.

“Well that was… fun”, you said trying not to be awkward because of the fact you just got so damn close to your friend to the point you could’ve felt his entire body pressed against yours at moments.

“You complain that you would’ve looked bad besides me, but you’re a surprisingly good dancer”, he answered, not seeming like the situation is awkward in any way for him.

His little compliment made you get a stupid satisfied smile on your face. “Thank you, lover boy.”

After that you hanged out for a bit with other people as well. Ended up even playing some beer pong which just got you completely drunk if you weren’t already. When you were on your way to go home, Changbin had to call the Uber for all three of you and safely set you off home, hoping you wouldn’t end up in some ditch along the way.

“Let me know when you assholes get home”, was the last thing he told Chan before the car door closed.

What happened after became all a bit blurry in your memory. You remember the Uber. You remember getting home. But the next time you were fully yourself again was the morning after when you woke up on your couch still wearing what you had the night before. Minus the pants that were thrown on the floor.

You got up with a burning headache as well as pain in your back from the highly uncomfortable sleeping position and ‘bed’. Like some kind of zombie, with small steps and a lot of grunting, you made your way to the kitchen and put all your energy into making coffee. You sat on the kitchen counter next to the coffee machine while waiting for it to be done when your mind started blasting a bunch of memories from last night. Ignoring the major dick aka your ex, the night was pretty fun. You hung out with lots of people, got to play some beer pong, absolutely crushed Woojin at it, danced a bit. And then the memory of you and Minho suddenly came back again and you could feel your cheeks burning up and your heart skipping a beat.

One would say those are clear signs of developing a crush, but you would’ve sworn that wasn’t the case. You believed that was a normal reaction after remembering a moment when you got so physically close to someone, but the fact it was no one else, but a super close friends made the situation a bit weird. For some reason you got worried as if it could impact your friendship with Minho and make it awkward, but common sense was trying to tell you that it really wasn’t all that mention worthy or special in any kind of way.

So you just did your best to push it at the back of your mind and not give it too much thought. And Minho obviously didn’t think much of it as well since nothing changed after that night. No awkward moments, no weird tension. Just you, him and lots of usual dumb shit going on.

Soon enough exams arrived and passed. You were just done with your last one and decided to celebrate so you invited yourself over Minho and Chan’s place where they welcomed you with open arms once they noticed two bottles of wine in your hands.

After a few glasses, all of you were already in Tipsy Land. Chan ended up on the floor whining about life as you were sitting on the couch and putting all your focus onto Minho’s hair you were trying to braid into a beauuuutiful French braid at which you were obviously failing miserably considering your state as well as the length of his hair.

“Wanna just ask random questions and answer truthfully?” Chan asked obviously getting slightly bored as he stared at the ceiling and twirled the glass of wine in his hand.

“Sure. You can go first”, you said while just finishing Minho’s half assed braid that reached only half of his head.

“When was the last time you had sex?”

As the question processed in your head, you squinted at him ready to say something, but Minho beat you to it, “That’s a strong one to start with, don’t you think?”

All three of you laughed before Chan changed it into something a bit tamer, but soon enough you were back to the kind of questions everyone was actually curious about.

“Okay, this one’s for, y/n”, Chan said with a smirk on his face.

“I already hate it”, you mumbled, but you were still interested in what he had to ask.

“If you had to pick someone to date from my and Minho’s little group of friends, who would it be?”

Your eyebrows got almost pierced together as you frowned, but not because of the question that you expected would have made you way more embarrassed than expected, but more because you needed some clarification. “Is that like everyone from the Chan’s Kids group chat?”

“Yep.”

“You two included?”

“Obviously.”

“Changbin already said you would fit me the most”, Minho interrupted with something you completely forgot about.

You felt your cheeks heat again and you weren’t sure what was the reason. But you tried to keep your thoughts collected and not let him know that his little comment got to you. “Well aren’t you feeling confident about that”, you teased.

“I mean, am I not right?” he teased back.

“Can the two of you not flirt while I’m here?” Chan complained after he got back up and proceeded to drink more wine.

“I’m picking Woojin”, you finally said, a dumb smile on your face as you know Minho didn’t get what he wanted.

He suspiciously squinted at you. “Why?”

“He’s sweet and hot.”

“I’m also sweet and hot”, Minho pouted.

“You’re a little bitch”, you joked while pushing him and his cute pout away from your sight. Because you just might give in to him.

“But hot, right?” he asked through a stupid smile as he was obviously enjoying annoying you.

“God, you’re impossible”, you roll your eyes, “sure, a hot little bitch.”

He excitedly punched the air before realizing it was his turn again and thinking of a question. It went on for a few more rounds until Chan got defeated by tiredness and disappeared to his room. You and Minho still weren’t feeling too tired despite the wine, which you completely managed to finish, doing its work.

“I’m kinda feeling pancakes”, you suddenly said and as a response getting a fast head turning from Minho as he stared into your eyes and whispered, ‘brilliant idea’.

This time it didn’t end up with you two going out to get the food, but instead getting everything ready in the kitchen. You managed to find all the needed ingredients so Minho was currently mixing the mixture in a bowl as you were heating the pan.

“You know, you really shouldn’t let me handle heavy machinery when I’m this drunk”, you commented while pouring oil into the pan.

“You literally only turned on the stove and put a pan on it.”

“A heavy pan”, you emphasized, but got only a laugh from Minho.

You offered to try and make the pancakes despite knowing what a complete mess in the kitchen you are. Minho could’ve just taken over the work instead of you and do it properly, but watching you struggle seemed like the more entertaining scenario.

You never made pancakes before and expected it to be easy, but to your surprise – it wasn’t. Or at least it wasn’t because you were either terrible with food or just drunk. Or both. Your first pancake looked like a disaster. But it was your disaster and you were proud of it.

“What do you think?” you asked Minho as your eyes sparkled with excitement.

He looked at it with a somewhat judgy look. “If we’re being honest-“

“We’re not.”

“In that case, it’s the best looking pancake I have ever laid my eyes on. Gordon Ramsay could never.”

“Thought so.” You seemed exceptionally pleased with yourself despite the amount of sarcasm in his sentence.

Putting aside how absolutely wonderful your first try ended up, you still decided to pass the spatula on to Minho and let him do it. Instead of that, you focused on cutting up some strawberries that you luckily found in the fridge. Adding some strawberries to a pancake with Nutella was the second best thing in existence. You were doing a wonderful job with it until suddenly the strawberries weren’t the only thing red. It took you a second to process that you actually managed to cut your finger and it was bleeding out.

“MIIIINHOOOOO”, you scream once the realization hit you.

Turning around and seeing the blood coming from your finger, Minho just grabbed your hand and put it under water. He pulled it out for a second and observed the cut and then just pushed it back under water.

“There’s no need to be so dramatic. It’s not that deep”, he said calmly and you were just super impressed at how well he handled it.

He finished the pancake and turned off the stove so he could order you to go to his room. Entering it, you got hit in the face by the smell of Febreze. You sat on his unnecessarily huge bed while he was looking for some bandages.

“This bed is hella comfy”, you said when your ass felt like it sat on a cloud.

After a little while, Minho finally found what he was looking for so he gently grabbed your hand and cleaned the cut with some alcohol. It stung, but not as much as you expected. It probably really wasn’t as deep as you freaked out in the beginning. He put the bandage and you were as good as new.

“Give me just a sec to really test out the comfiness of this bed”, you said immediately after and threw your body on the bed. Which was a terrible idea cause tiredness instantly hit you like a truck that came out of nowhere. “On a second thought, I don’t think I’m moving.”

“What about the pancakes?”

You got your head up just enough to look at him. “Can you bring them here?”

You were lucky Minho had no food in bed policy and that he absolutely adored your annoying ass cause he really did bring the pancakes to the bed. You managed to eat one before getting fed up and just passing out on the bed once again while he was still devouring the pancakes he had left in his plate.

“Is it fine if I just sleep over here? I literally don’t have the strength to move my legs all the way to my own bed.”

“Sure”, he said as he laid the plate on the night table and whipped his hand into a napkin. “Just don’t grab all the blankets.”

You didn’t expect he’d say yes so fast. He seemed completely chill with you invading his bed and you were more than happy about it because you fell asleep a minute after getting permission to do so. The only problem was the fact you fell asleep on top of the blanket so even if you wanted, you couldn’t grab and drag them away from Minho. Him being nice tho, he didn’t want you to get a cold and somehow rolled you to the side to try and get you off so he could actually cover you instead of the order being all messed up like that.

You slept like a like baby that night. Even almost snuggling up to him to replace him as the stuffed bear you still slept with. Minho’s bed really had to be magical or something because it’s been a while since you got such a good night sleep.

Once you woke up he wasn’t there anymore, but you could still feel the warmth he left behind. You barely made yourself get up and get to your own apartment so you could finally start your day, but it was certainly a struggle to leave such a good bed.

Leaving his room, you found him and Chan seated in front of the tv both eating some kind of form of a breakfast.

“Holy shit, what happened last night?” Chan yelled when he saw you coming out of Minho’s bedroom.

Minho gave him a mysterious smirk while you were the one to roll your eyes, “I just slept over cause I was tired.”

“Sure, you did”, Chan wouldn’t let it go, but he didn’t get more of a chance to joke because you just left their apartment to go to yours.

You tried going on normally with your day. You made breakfast, took a shower, watched tv, but all the time your mind was constantly going back to last night. Nothing of major importance even happened, but for some reason you couldn’t let go how different and good it felt being close to Minho that night. You started overthinking the whole situation. Worrying that maybe, just maybe, your feelings for him weren’t completely platonic anymore. Otherwise how would you explain your heart racing each time you thought about getting closer to him. Even remembering when you danced with him and had a chance to kiss him. What would’ve happened if you did it? Would he back away? Or would he actually have liked? You just couldn’t stop thinking about him, but you were still trying to convince yourself it’s nothing to worry about. It’s just normal human nature to like the presence of another human, right?

Well with those thoughts pushed aside, you tried to keep your cool and not do anything dumb when he asked you the next day to go some grocery shopping. He would always ask you to go with him cause apparently it was too boring and unbearable without you.

“How’s your attempt to eat healthier going?” he asked you while picking up some vegetables.

You let out a deep dramatic sigh. “Terrible. Lasted like twelve hours before I ate a whole box of ice cream.”

“Isn’t that a new record though?”

Your face lit up with a satisfying smile. “It is. Thank you for noticing.”

“You’re getting better by an hour. One day you might get to a whole day”, he teased and your smile instantly turned into a slightly annoyed frown.

“Not all of us have a will as strong as rock to just live on grass.”

He skewered you with a dirty look. “Those are some harsh words for someone who eats at least four times a week at our place.”

Uh oh. He got you there so it was better to just shut up before you lose your lunch for the next day. Minho wouldn’t hesitate to doom you to some instant ramen noodles. You focused on the food around you. You were in the dairy section so you took some milk for yourself, but as Minho can never decide which yoghurt to take, you were getting slightly impatient. You were trying to kill time by just pushing around the shopping cart and then pushed your body on the handle getting your feet on the metal below the cart as if you were five again. You got surprised when Minho’s hands suddenly ended up around you on the handle and his body arching over yours.

“I feel like a dad with an embarrassing child”, he said while starting to push the cart with you still in your stupid position.

You felt your heart race once again as he got so close to you even starting to freak out when his body slightly brushed over your back. You suddenly started realizing that perhaps all the thoughts you were trying to push aside might have been your true feelings. The two of you would share physical contact in the past as well through hugs and similar stuff and yet you never felt like this. You had to admit to yourself that you might actually be in love with your neighbour.

Once again you started thinking about it way too much. Whether it’s actually real or not. You might have just been single for too long and want a guy’s attention. But then why would you freak out at just the mere thought of you ending up dating him. Whatever it was, it was stupid. Because what are the odds of him actually liking you back. He might flirt with you sometimes, but that doesn’t have to mean anything. It’s just how the two of you worked even though it lead to this – you actually catching feelings like some kind of disease.

You refused to go to his place for lunch the next day. Said you already ate. You just didn’t feel like seeing him and getting tired from the rollercoaster of emotions. At the end of the day, you felt like going insane. You just had to get out, but you also had to talk to someone before exploding. So you grabbed your car keys and knocked on their door. Luckily for you, Chan opened.

“Wanna get some fried chicken?” you asked him.

He blinked a few times as a confused look formed on his face. “Aren’t you here for Minho?”

“No.”

He became even more confused. “It’s 11 p.m.”

“Please, Chan. It’s… important.”

It’s hard to tell if it’s his own curiosity about the situation or just the way you looked at him from which he could clearly see that you were distressed, but he accepted your offer and soon enough you were driving through the night to get some fried chicken.

“So what’s up?” he asked trying to get some answers over what’s going on.

“Okay, so… I’m not sure how to really tell you this, but-“, you made a long pause as you were trying to search for the perfect words. But how does one tell someone they’re in love with a friend who also happens to be their roommate. You simply don’t get the instruction for that in some guidebook. In the end, the only and best thing to do is to just say it and finally put it out there. “I think I might be in love with Minho.”

For a second there was nothing but silence and the sound of your car working and rushing through the dark streets. But then, after he finally processed your words, Chan smiled widely.

“Honestly I was just expecting when this would happen, but what I did not expect is that you’d be so serious over it”, he said while a soft laugh escaped his lips.

“Bro, it is a serious thing”, you got all heated up in a second.

“No, it’s a simple thing”, he corrected you. “You like him and he probably likes you. You two just have to figure it out finally.”

Just the hypothetical words of ‘he probably likes you’ made your blood rush to your cheeks. “Why do you think he likes me?”

Chan shrugged his shoulders. “I’m his friend and roommate. I can tell by the way he flirts with you. He doesn’t do that with any other girl. He gets all smiley and excited when he talks about you. Plus you constantly have some weird ass tension going on between the two of you.”

“N-no we don’t”, you stuttered for a second.

He gave you one of those ‘I ain’t buying your bullshit’ looks. “Of course not”, he said, pouring a whole bucket of sarcasm into that sentence. “I literally feel like if you two were left alone in a small room with nothing to do for two hours, you’d just end up fucking.”

“Jesus Christ, Chan, I get it!” you screamed at him as your palms got so sweaty you felt like you were gonna crash into the nearest traffic light.

“Look. I can’t help you in a way to go as your private detective and try to find out how he feels. He never comes forward with his crushes. You’re gonna have to figure it out on your own.”

“But I don’t know how to do that”, you whine just as you arrived to the drive thru for KFC. “Hopefully chicken will make me feel better.”

You ordered a whole bucket for four that was waiting in Chan’s lap for you to get home.

“What if I fuck up the friendship?”

“You won’t”, you get as an immediate answer from Chan. “He cares about you too much to completely break up the friendship over something like that.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Once you arrived home, you took a plate of chicken and Chan went home with the rest as you still didn’t feel like facing Minho. You were tired and simply didn’t have the strength to deal with anything anymore that night. You ate the chicken and went straight to your bed, but couldn’t sleep because thoughts were once again occupying your mind. Thinking about the possibility of Chan actually being right. Thinking about what you should even do.

Before you were able to come up with a proper answer for that, you fell asleep. You still didn’t come up with anything smart even when Minho called you over the next day to help him put up a new mirror in the bathroom. Saying no was your first instinct, but you felt like he would start getting suspicious over why you started avoiding him. So there you were. Sitting on the toilet while looking whether or not the mirror is perfectly aligned.

“A bit more to the left”, you said while intensely staring at it.

“Your left or my left?”

“We have the same left”, you rolled your eyes, but still laughed.

When the mirror finally looked decent, he gave you a high five for good work and proposed some pizza for lunch to celebrate. Despite still trying to get away from him before you decide what you wanna do, you didn’t have a good enough excuse why not, so pizza with Minho it is. But the bathroom door seemed to have a different kind of plan prepared for you as the doorknob broke off into Minho’s hand when he tried opening the door – leaving the two of you trapped inside.

“Are you shitting me right now?” you frown. You tried taking the doorknob from him and putting it back, but it wouldn’t work. And his attempt didn’t end up much different.

“It can probably be opened from the other side”, you said after some observing.

“Yeah, but Chan isn’t home.”

“Can you call him?”

Luckily, at least he brought his phone in with himself, but after calling him, you were doomed to be trapped in the bathroom for at least an hour as Chan had something else to do.

“What the hell does he have so important going on right now?” you asked while getting slightly irritated.

But only after you stopped worrying over how you’re gonna get out and settled with the fact you’ll have to wait for a bit for Chan to let you free, you realized the situation. It was literally what Chan mentioned the night before. Just you and Minho, trapped in a little room with no entertainment. Talk about wild coincidence. For a second you started freaking out a bit, but remembering that it’s literally just Minho with who you constantly spend time alone, your heart rate soon became normal again.

“I wish I could call the pizza man, but no one could let him in”, Minho whined, not getting pizza obviously being his main issue here.

An hour passed soon enough. You were killing time first by just talking, but as you got bored you helped Minho clean his part of the bathroom cabinet, you played tic tac toe with toothpaste on the perfectly aligned mirror, cleaned said mirror. And after almost three hours Chan still wasn’t back. You couldn’t help but feel like he might be doing it on purpose. But as four full hours in there were approaching, both you and Minho started to slowly lose your minds from not knowing what to do.

Once again you were seated on the floor, your backs against the bathtub.

“Have you been okay the past few days?” Minho suddenly asked catching you completely off guard with such a question.

“What do you mean?”

“You seem kind of out of it. Like your head is just floating in the clouds half of the time”, he said and then moved his head to look you in the eyes, the corner of his lips curling up into a smirk. “Perhaps you’ve fallen in love?”

He was obviously teasing you. Just like teachers would do when a kid wouldn’t pay attention in class. But it still made you heat up as if someone pushed your body into an oven. You weren’t sure what exactly to do, but for some reason, being honest felt like the best thing.

“I did. So?”

The attitude came out of nowhere and it certainly managed to throw Minho completely off.

“Wait, seriously?”

You gave him a short nod before turning your head and gaze in front of you so you could break the eye contact because it was becoming too much for you.

“So who’s this lucky guy of yours?” he asked scooting closer to you as if he’s about to hear some hot tea being spilled.

“No one special.”

“Oh, come on, y/n. You always tell me everything.”

“I kinda want to keep this one for myself”, you said while doing all your best to seem chill and not letting the chaos from inside of you get to the surface.

He shut up for a second, but you could tell this wasn’t over yet. He leaned his elbow on the edge of the bathtub to support his head that was now, as well as his upper body, completely facing you. “You worried?”

You gave him a short confused huh as a response, not really sure what he meant.

“You worried he’d turn you down or something?”

“Why would that be stopping me from telling you?”

“I don’t know. I’m just guessing.”

Suddenly there was silence. You glanced at him and saw him warmly looking at you, as if just his eyes are trying to tell you that he will be here no matter what. The silence felt heavy since you could just hear your heartbeat a lot more intensely.

“Then why don’t you wanna tell me?” he asked again, breaking the silence for a second.

Your body still felt hot. Your heartbeat was literally ringing in your ears. You felt as if gravity was pulling your entire body down as it felt heavy. “I guess I’m worried”, you said, your voice barely louder than a whisper.

You mustered just enough courage to not let your gaze drop and kept looking him into his eyes that seemed confused for a second, but then something sparked inside them. At that point your faces were so close that once again if you wanted and had the courage, you could’ve kissed him. But that didn’t work out, unfortunately. You didn’t get to lean over and give him a kiss because it was him who slowly got closer, locking your lips into a very short peck. Simply just brushing your lips against each other. For a second he moved back, as he was trying to tell whether he read the situation correctly. But seeing your lips form into a gorgeous wide smile, his lips quickly found their way back. Crushing against yours into a deep kiss. Another one. And another one. And soon enough his hand grabbed your leg and smoothly pulled you into his lap, your legs on each side of his body. He was kissing you with so much passion as his hands were holding your body, trying to press you as close as he can towards himself.

His lips tasted like mint. His hair felt soft going through your fingers. And it felt warm and safe being so close to him. You felt like you could’ve stayed like that forever, but just a moment later, you heard the door opening and Chan entering the apartment. Both of you quickly got up and fixed yourself before the bathroom door opened and you were finally set free.

“Sorry it took me so long. You two okay?”

“Splendid”, Minho smirked and went out, giving you a little wink behind Chan’s back.

Feeling a bit shaky from what just happened, you slowly went out, but just as you were passing Chan he stopped you by grabbing your arm and quietly asking, “Everything good?”

“Of course. Don’t worry”, you answered giving him just a cheeky little smile to go with it.

You went back to your apartment and threw your body on the couch just wanting to scream from so much joy into the pillow. Although you didn’t really get to actually talk with Minho about this since your mouths were too busy doing something else so you didn’t want to get too excited over it. Perhaps he just wanted to kiss you and end it at it. You never know. You couldn’t tell just where exactly were you standing with him as of that moment.

Being trapped in the bathroom for so long, it was already late afternoon. You microwaved some leftovers since you were starving and then just watched the tv while debating what to do next. But once again Minho was a step ahead of you when he sent you a text just saying to come over.

You didn’t think too much about it and just got up and walked into their apartment.

“You wanna talk about it?” you asked when you saw him sitting on the couch.

He got up, walked up to you and gently pulled you closer. “How about we talk about it over dinner tomorrow?” he asked with his usual confident smile before landing a short kiss on your lips.

“Tomorrow doesn’t really work for me”, you teased which made him just squeeze you in a tight hug.

“You really are impossible sometimes”, he laughed.

But already the moment later he was planting more kisses on you. They felt a lot more hungry this time so it wasn’t all that surprising when you ended on his bed, your hands wandering under his shirt feeling his hot skin and his wandering all over your body slowly undressing you. You never expected that a day that started with a mirror would end up with you passionately kissing Minho and feeling his gentle touch on your naked skin.

The night ended up in the best possible scenario you could’ve thought up in your head and your heart and body were filled with so much joy. Making you wish it would never end.

But the next morning came soon enough. And you woke up in his bed once again. Everything looked the same like last time, but the feeling was different. Just like last time, he was already up, just his presence still laying in bed. You got up and took one of his shirts being thrown over a chair, put it on and made your way outside in search for food. And just like last time you found Chan on the couch with a cereal bowl in his hands.

“Yo, Chan”, you called his name. “This time something happened last night”, you exclaimed all proud and cocky which just made him laugh out loud.

“Heard you’re having a special date tonight”, he added.

“Damn right I am.”

Despite feeling like just boasting the entire morning over your night, you still thanked Chan. Because who knows what would’ve happened if he didn’t give a few words of encouragement. You’d still stay trapped in the bathroom, but the scenario might have played out differently. But it didn’t. And you got what you wanted. You got Minho and it can only get wilder from this point on. And you couldn’t wait to see what the future had in store for you and your favorite idiot.

[heresyourramenbro]

You’re home to me

Reader x Bang Chan, reader is from another country but now lives in Korea and Chan is their only comfort.

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You had finally begun to feel at home with your new life in Korea, it took several months for you to settle, as you enjoyed the simplicity of home life, establishing your own space in a world you barely knew was essential. You had only the very few relics you could fit in your suitcase, to remind you of your old comfortable life back at home, though few each item had acquired many meanings and messaged of love and hope from those you had spent a lifetime getting to know. 

Learning Korean and getting around in your daily life was a whole other boat as you had to learn to read everything again for the first time; traffic signs, labels, street signs, emails, tv, movies, directions, even how to navigate taxis and ubers. Though you always knew it would take some time you weren’t expecting it to be so difficult, as everyone you told of your oversees plans and the anxieties you faced all replied the same “ well if you want to learn the language there’s no better place than the country itself” and since you were on your own and couldn’t afford a constant translator, you really did learn to adapt, you had your trains and busses down in 3 days, grocery shops were planned in advance so that the sea of uncomprehend able labels and words didn’t overwhelm you to the point where you left with just 2 bottles of milk tea and some pears (like you did the first time). However of course you still had slip ups…

You were waiting in line at Starbucks rehearsing you order over and over in your head whispering it to yourself, you could feel eyes behind you silently judging though at this point that was the least of your worries as you were next up to order.

“Uhhh iced americano “the order you had repeated over and over suddenly fell off track as you stumbled on your words the cashier had already responded, agitated by your inability to order efficiently.

“Sorry she’ll have one iced americano with soymilk added please, venti” the stranger behind you who had apparently memorised your order better than you suddenly swooped in with the save

“And for me an americano” you were so shocked for a second you thought that he had actually pushed in and just happened to order the same as you, but when you realised that he was by himself, that it was for you.

And that is how you met the love of your life Bang ‘Christopher’ Chan.

You two soon after caught up regularly at that very Starbucks as he took it upon himself to help you master Korean a little bit faster, to begin with he was simply a friend to rely on if you needed help to get somewhere or needed an interpreter or translator. And that worked wonders for both of you as Chan was so busy with comebacks and concerts, he told himself constantly that he had no time for a girl and plus, the dating ban. However, as time progressed and he got to learn all of your nuances; what traits made you tick, what jokes made you laugh, what books made you cry. He found himself making time for you, he also began caring less and less about the dating rule, as let’s face it many idols go against the ban and you were so worth it.

So there you were, wrapped up in your tiny Seoul apartment the whiteish lights shining harshly as cars and busses driving by outside gave you atmosphere, not the atmosphere you grew up loving but it was home none the less. You had on a movie in your native language as you often did during the night times to give your brain a break. The microwave was buzzing as your food was becoming unbearably hot, the sink dripped like always and the sound of your newlywed neighbours brought you comfort as these were the sounds you had spent months getting used to and learning to love, sometimes though you knew it was noisy you would try to listen along to their arguments as a chance to learn even more, but lets just say that often they were not words you could replay in the workplace.

Your comfiest pair of pyjama shorts and a bottle of sake accompanied your microwave dinner, you looked around your apartment and felt at ease, you finally had it, your own little corner of the world, where as far as you were concerned no one but you knew of. And you had planned to keep it that way…until you heard a quiet knock at the door, maintenance? You thought, no, not at 8pm on a Friday, maybe someone ordered uber eats to your apartment by accident. You swung the door open to reveal your bare face and pyjama-based outfit very casually for someone who didn’t know who was on the other side and boy did you regret that. It was Chan, how did he know where you lived? Why is he here?

“y/n I know your probably wondering why I’m here and how I remember where you lived” …well that was easy

“I mean yeah I wouldn’t mind knowing” you laughed

“Well a. I remember from when I walked you home after we got ramen that one time, and I’m here because I just need to say, y/n I’ve spent the last few months learning everything I can about you, I wake up wondering how you are and I fall asleep craving for you to be with me, I don’t know if you feel the same way but” he took a brief pause as he grabbed both of your hands with his.

“y/n, will you please consider dating me exclusively” (why this boy thought you had the balls or want to be dating anyone else confuses me) but of course with tears welling in your eyes you agreed, he embraced you in a hug like never before, you felt his muscles constrict around you as his atmosphere dripped with passion, you had always  enjoyed his company but this new Chan made you feel warm in your heart and soul like no person or thing ever had.

“Did you wanna come in?” You gestured lazily towards your humble apartment

“Yeah might as well” Chan spoke with his native Australian accent, as he stepped over the threshold you looked into your living room and saw your own reflection off of your mirror, the horror amounted when you realised you had been asked out by your dream guy, with your hair in a sloppy bun, comfy shorts and an oversized sweater. However, you felt too awkward to go and change. And let’s face it Chan isn’t the type of guy to expect his partner to dress up for him. You led him into the living room where you reinstated your spot on the floor, Chan without hesitation sit next to you, back resting against the couch, one leg bent the other straight out.

“This is a nice place you have here, those are cute” he pointed at the fairy lights you put up, out of frustration of all the lights in the city being cool white lights, you yearned for the cozy-ness of warm lights. You followed Chans eyes as he decoded every inch of your living area, you were in awe of how outstandingly this man could find the most minute details of your life so fascinating. His pupils sliding right to left, up and down as eventually they landed on you, his lips curved up into a smile

“What?” you innocently ask, he lets out one of the signature Chan chuckles under his breath.

“No, nothing I’m just shocked that’s all”

“Shocked at what”

“How you managed to make such an ugly apartment look so beautiful, like I know for sure this is the most beautiful one in the entire block”

“And just how do you know that Christopher”

“Well because you’re in it” you give him a frown as his cute monologue suddenly turned cringe “That was bad wasn’t it?”

“Let’s just say you’d be a better song writer than poet” Chan giggles mocking you for your poor attempt to start banter. You shoot him a mockingly evil look before taking sip of your sake.

“So, we’re drinking now are we?”

“I’ll have you know Christopher that I am over 19” you joke as you push the front of his cap down over his eyes, he lifts it slowly back up to reveal a cute face

“Is that Bang Chan doing aegyo?” you poke his inflated cheeks.

“You can have more for a price”

“And what price is that?”

“one kiss” you feel your cheeks begin to darker as Chan catches you totally off guard, of course you want to kiss him, that’s all you’ve wanted from the moment he caught your eye at Starbucks. Without hesitation you lean in towards him, you hand guides its way so that your palm is on his cheek and your fingers rest behind his ear nestled in his hair. You both lean in, in anticipation, you lips instantly lock, instinctively your mouth opens as does his are your tongues discovery each other, Chans hands find their way one onto your face and one onto the small of your back. You guys continued kissing for what seemed like mere moments and yet an eternity at the same time, Chan pulled back before he instantly pulled another cute face.

“Oh my god” is all you can manage as you tip your head back in laughter.

[zoeygreensimblr]

Treacherous (Episode 10)

Saturday Morning I woke up alone in a giant bed that smelt like strawberries and aftershave, I could stay wrapped up in the blankets but I know I have to eventually get up.  The alarm clock on the bedside table tells me it's 11;35am, I've been asleep for hours and I have no idea when Angus got up or if he is even home, the apartment is so quiet.  I throw the blankets off, get out of the bed and then make it, I'm a tidy house guest even if I did sleep in til well into the morning. I make my way to the bathroom, grabbing my hairbrush on the way, I can feel I have a bird's nest of bedhead hair without even viewing it, I brush my hair into a neat ponytail. In the bathroom I see our towels are still laying on the floor from our early hours shower, they too smell like strawberries. I gather them up and am now on the search for the laundry, I guess I didn't pay  enough attention when I was given the tour. I know that upstairs theres just Angus' bedroom, lounge room and kitchen so it must be downstairs, somewhere so I venture down there and find a small laundry hidden under the stairs, I put the towels in the washing machine, scoop in some powder and start the washing. Angus suddenly appears in the doorway of the laundry.

"I have a maid who I pay to do that" He tells me

"Oh, I didn't know that, I just know at home Don would go off if he saw we left dirty towels on the floor" I explain

"I'm betting you made my bed too didn't you?" He asks, smiling at me

"Ah yeah, I did, should I have left it unmade?" I'm so confused

"I'm going to pay Joanna $165 today and she's not going to do anything" He explains, laughing

"I'm sorry" I apologise

"Baby it's all good, you just don't have to be a domestic goddess here, relax" He assures me.

No more cleaning Zoey, no matter how frustrated I get with how untidy things are left.

"Do you want to have brunch out somewhere?" He asks

"That would be awesome considering I know you're not going to cook for me" I reply, laughing

"Fuck you're cheeky" He says, spanking me on my behind and kiss him on the cheek and he explains it won't be just us at brunch, "Caleb will be going us and when he found out I was bringing you he insisted on bringing Molly, his non girlfriend who desperately wants to be his girlfriend" He warns me

"That's ok, where are we going to?" I ask

"Funnily enough we are going to the bar on top of Skye Fitness, we've got an awesome chef and he will make you whatever you want" He informs me

"Do you and Caleb do brunch dates often?" I ask, curiously

"Zoey, I've been single for two years and Caleb is not likely to commit to any woman any time soon but we do like brunch and it's not exclusively a couples meal, two dudes can enjoy a manly brunch together" He says defensively  and I can't help but laugh at him. He picks me up and sits me on top of the washing machine which has just entered into its spin cycle, I wrap my legs around his waist and kiss him passionately as the vibration from the machine sends delicious  jolts through my whole body, I have no idea what is happening but it's exciting and feels amazing, like it's building inside me. Angus scoops me up with one hand and uses the other to remove my pyjama bottom, he pushes my now soaked underwear to one side and I feel his fingers slip inside me, massaging my sweet spot, I can't hold onto this mounting pressure any longer and I feel my whole body quiver, my breathing slowing down and returning to normal, I open my eyes and focus on Angus who is watching me intently. The washing machine had long finished it's cycle and I didn't even notice. I'm just sitting there shocked by what just happened, eventually I find my voice.

"What was that?" I ask Angus

"It was an orgasm, have you never had one?" He sounds surprised and I shake my head, "Did you like it?"  he asks and I hear the panic in his voice, he thinks he went too far.

"It felt amazing, I've never felt anything like it" I tell him and his face relaxes, "Do you want me to...umm...return the favour?" I enquire, not even sure if I'm ready to touch his penis but after that I'm willing to learn.

"No baby, I got myself there" he reassures me

"I love you Angus" The words roll out of my mouth without me even realising it but it makes him smile so wide.

"I love you too Zoey" he replies and kisses my lips softly.

We were running a little bit late for brunch but Angus assured me that Caleb is always late anyway so I shouldn't worry but when we arrive at the Skye Fitness bar the only other people there are pale skinned man with dark hair and a woman who looked only a few years older than me, skinny and pretty with blonde ringlets of hair sitting at shoulder length. The man stands up as we approach the table, he's so tall and so pale.

"I've been waiting here for 10 minutes, Molly ran out of small talk after 5 minutes" The man announces to us.

"Sorry Caleb, we lost track of time, had to put a load of washing on" Angus explains to him and the two men shake hands

"And who is this beautiful creature who you're obviously paying to hang out with you?" Caleb asks

"This is my girlfriend, Zoey. Zo, this is Caleb, he talks shit about me, don't believe him and this is his girlfriend, Molly" Angus introduces us, Caleb shoots him a look at the referral of Molly being his girlfriend but Molly just smiles like she's finally won a prize

"Hey Zoey, nice to meet you, finally another girl I can talk to, these two just talk about sports and whose car goes fast" Molly greets me warmly

"Caleb has accepted that my Aston Martin could beat his toy car any day, we raced and I won" Angus tells me

"Was I meant to be impressed by your car Angus?" I ask innocently

"Oh burn, she didn't even notice the car buddy, you clearly haven't shown her the backseat yet" Caleb jokes and I blush intensely

"Let's order" Angus attempts to save me while shooting Caleb a look.

Our meals arrive, I ordered protein pancakes which are super soft and fluffy, both Caleb and Molly have bacon and eggs and Angus also has the pancakes but with a small bowl of strawberries on the side.

"What is it with you and strawberries" I have to ask

"I love them, they're sweet and juicy and they smell amazing" He tells me, placing one in my mouth and it is the most amazing strawberry I've ever tasted. "see?" he asks

"Mmm that actually tasted how that body wash smells" I announce, amazed.

"Are you at University Zoey?" Molly asks

"Not yet, I'm in year 12, 5 months to go and then hopefully Uni" I reply

"You'll get in baby" Angus reassures me, "She's really smart, top of her school" He tells the others as he looks at me proudly

"What about yourself Molly? Are you at Uni?" I ask her

"Yeah, first year, it's so different high school, a lot more freedom but a much bigger cause load and the campus is massive" She tells me

"What are you studying?" I ask

"Psychology, human behaviours excite me, why people do what they do" She enthuses, "What about you Zoey, what do you want to study?"

"My parents want me to do medicine but I want to study veterinary" I explain

"Wow, both would be pretty intense" Molly exclaims, shocked

"You're telling me and my parents have just started coming down on my sister and I with their "No distraction" rules so I'm feeling the pressure at home and at school too, if my principal tells us one more time how "This is the year that determines the rest of your lives" one more time I think I'm going to scream" I tell her and we both laugh.

"You didn't tell me that Ruth and Don set new rules. Does it affect our time together?" Angus asks me, shocked

"Sorry, I was going to tell you, it doesn't really affect us too much, I can still do gym but Friday and Saturday nights are my only times I can socialise now, Tess too, that includes parties or going to boyfriend's places, they kinda flipped out when I told them I was staying at yours on Friday but it's all good now" I explain

"You should of told me Zoey, last thing I want is being a distraction to you right now" He says in a tone that I can't tell if he's angry or hurt, stupid Zoey, why did I bring the subject up.

We finish brunch, say our goodbyes to Caleb and Molly and make our way back to his apartment.

"I'll take you home Zo" He announces after we walk in silence

"I don't have to be home yet, I've completed all my weekend homework already so I can stay longer if you want me to" I plead with him, I don't want to go home yet, I don't want to leave things like this, I want him to know I have it all under control

"Don't ever hide things from me that concern us Zoey" He raises his voice and I feel so guilty inside, I caused this and I don't know how to fix it.

We get inside the apartment, he throws his keys on the bar and storms off out into the garden. I walk upstairs and start packing my things into my bag, I don't want to stay if he's just going to be in a bad mood all afternoon. With my bag packed I make my way back down stairs, I can see he's still outside, sitting in a lounger with his back to me. I open my school folder, pull out a piece of paper, find a pen on the bar and write him a note

'I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I didn't want to cause you to worry. Thank you for an amazing night, see you Monday.

Love Zoey'

I pin it to his noticeboard, take the elevator to the lobby and walk to the train station with tears streaming down my face. I ruined everything, I should of just been honest with him. I put my phone into aeroplane mode so I can listen to music without being distracted and find an empty seat next to a window, perfect, I can watch the scenery and no one will know I'm secretly having a break down. The train pulls into the station at Brindlton Bay, the doors open and I step onto the platform and there he is, looking casually cool, leaning against the wall, he steps forward when he sees me, walks towards me and I breakdown in his arms.

"Im so sorry" I sob, drenching his t-shirt in my salty tears, "I ruined everything". He holds on to me tightly and I'm sure the other passengers are enjoying the break down of Zoey Green's relationship.

"Lets go to the lighthouse, we can talk there" He says

"If you're going to end things with me just do it here" I tell him

"Baby I'm not ending anything, I just want to talk" He promises and I walk with him to his car, get in and he begins driving us up to where the light house is.

"I'm impressed by your car" I joke and he cracks up laughing at me.

We all up in the carpark for the light house, he turns the car off and sits there looking at me for what feels like forever then he speaks.

"You left and I had no idea where you were and I got worried that you had left for good" He says and I can see the sadness in his eyes

"I wrote you a note, I put it on your noticeboard" I explain

"I have a noticeboard?" He asks, laughing

"Yeah, it's just out the front of your front door, you've never noticed it?" I laugh

"I've never noticed a noticeboard at my front door" He tells me and we both laugh. Silence once again falls between us but this time it's me who breaks it.

"I didn't want to stay if you were going to be angry at me, I don't like confrontation" I explain

"I'm not angry at you Zoey, I know it came off like that but I'm not and I'm sorry you felt that you had to run away from me. I'm just worried about being a distraction to you, like you're parents and school have said, this is one of the most important years of your life and I don't want to be the reason that you don't get the marks you need to get into uni" He frets

"Angus I'm so far ahead of everyone else in my classes, I've been putting in all the effort for years and I know how important this year is, even without everyone reminding me but I also want to be a normal, teenage girl, one that gets to go on dates with her boyfriend" I tell him

"I want you to be honest with me though, if it does get too much and you have to step back from us I will understand, it will kill me but you are my priority. If you feel you need to concentrate on school over us please tell me. No more hiding anything either, promise" He's pleading with me and it would kill me too to walk away but I know he's doing it for me.

"I promise, I won't hide anything, I love you Angus" I vow to him

"I love you too baby, when do you have to be home?"

"No until noon tomorrow, why?"

"Stay with me again?" he asks

"Yes but I think we need to do some more laundry" I inform him, smiling

"We are going to make a special stop on the way home, buy some things for Zoey" He announces and it peaks my curiosity

"What things are we buying for Zoey?" I ask, feeling a little silly talking to him in third person

"Something better than the washing machine and you can leave it at my house or take it home with you but I always want you to bring it to my house, so I can use it on you" He's getting excited as he starts the car and we pull out of the parking lot.

"On me? Is it going to hurt?" I ask, somewhat terrified

"Zoey why would I want to do anything to you that hurts you" He ask, slightly insulted

"I thought maybe that's what you're in to. Tess said some boys like that kind of control over a girl" I explained, embarrassed

"Do me a favour Zoey, stop taking advice about men from your sister who has only been with Declan and now I'm thinking Declan is one of those boys" He laughs to himself

"Well what is it that we are getting then?" I ask, if it's not designed to hurt me then I'm fully on board

"Just a small vibrator baby and I'll be very gentle with it, I promise"

"Is it going to hurt when I do have sex?" I ask him, back to being fearful

"It most likely will, the first few times but I'll be there with you and if it gets too much we can stop or take a break, whatever you need" He says and I feel at ease

"Can we try tonight" I ask, voice trembling, he reaches out and grabs my hand.

"There's no rush baby, I'm not going anywhere, I know our fight scared you, it scared me too whenI saw you had gone but I don't want you to feel you have to do anything out of fear that you're going to lose me coz I'm not going anywhere" He says to me in a reassuring tone.

"I know that, I want to do this because I love you and I trust that you will make me feel safe and I want to share something special with you, just you" I know I want this, I just need him to know it too.

"If you're sure about this and as long as you know that we can stop at anytime. Then we will need to make a second stop then, to the mini mart" He tells me

"Why?" I ask

"Because I don't think Don and Ruth want their 18 year old daughter being distracted by pregnancy, pretty sure they'd murder me for that" He laughs and I look at him in fear.

"do you remember your first time?" I ask him to break the silence

"Yeah, I was guy who thought he knew everything and it was all over within about 15 seconds, poor Steph didn't know what to do but we kept practicing, every chance we got and I got better, lasted longer" He reminisces

"Did it hurt her? The first time?" I know I'm asking a lot of questions but I like to be prepared for every possibility.

"Yeah it did" He answers me with the truth.

We make our stops and head back to his apartment just as the cold night air is setting in. He lights a fire in the fire place and orders food, I offered to cook but he wouldn't allow it.

"Go grab a blanket and sit on the couch" He orders me. It's only then that I realise that my phone is still in aeroplane mode from when I was on the train, I turn off aeroplane mode and an influx of missed calls, voicemails and text come through, manly all from Tess. I call her back and she answers on the first ring.

"Zoey are you coming home tonight by any chance?" She asks and I get suspicious

"No, Im staying in the city tonight, why?" I ask her

"Mum and Don went away for the weekend so I'm going to invite Declan over tonight so we can be alone" She explains

"oh, ok, is that it?" I ask

"Did you do it?" She demands, wanting to know the status of my virginity

"Not yet...but I think I will tonight...I'll tell you about it when I get home tomorrow. I love you T"

"Love you too Z"

I hang up and relax on the lounge until our food arrives and when it does I see he ordered us Chinese and all my favourite dishes too.

"I had some help" He tells me

"From who?" I ask

"Who do you think? who knows you better than anyone?" He asks

"Tess? When did you get in contact with Tess?"

"When I couldn't reach you and I panicked and she said you'd be on the train and that if I had fucked up, her words, not mine, then I should get you Chinese food and passionfruit ice cream" He tells me.

"There's passionfruit ice cream in this apartment?" I ask shocked

"Yep, carbs don't count when I've upset you" He looks at me with sad eyes.

"I upset you too, I should have just told you about the rules, I just didn't want to worry you"I explain and he kisses me

[ijustreallylovezebras]

Breathe

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Summary: The reader grew up with the Avengers, she doesn’t know how to talk to them about some things (this can kinda link in with Family, but it has no direct correlation really)

Requested: No

Warnings: Panic attacks

“Peter?” I mumble, pushing the door open to the boy’s room. The lights are all off and in the dimness I can just make out Peters figure sprawled across the bed, half of his body not under the covers as a result of the warm summer night.

It was a routine at this stage. Since moving into the tower for week days (he still stayed with May on the weekends) I found myself coming into Peter’s room often. He didn’t mind, though. Sometimes he would get nightmares about missions he had been sent on that hadn’t gone entirely his way and would be appreciative of the company.

One of us made sure to wipe FRIDAY every morning of the footage of me sneaking into his room, both of us dreading the day that one of the Avengers would discover our relationship that we had been keeping so well hidden.

I took a few steps forward into his room, the feeling of uncertainty creeping up on me as it always did, even though I knew he didn’t mind me being there. Even though I had been doing it for months now.

“Peter?” I ask again, a little louder. Peter murmurs something incoherent but shifts over to the side nearest the wall, allowing me space to clamber in next to him. 

Even in his half-asleep state he wraps me in his arms, bringing me closer to press a kiss on my forehead.

“Love you,” sleep slurs his words but they make me smile nonetheless as I snuggle closer into his body, seeking comfort I found so difficult to find now in the warmth of my boyfriends body.

“Love you too,” I murmur, nuzzling my head into his next to press a kiss there before curling up, content that I would actually get some sleep.

“You need to tell them,” Peter says the next morning over breakfast. The kitchen was empty, some of the team still asleep, those who were awake having already eaten and gotten to work. Peter was awake and dressed for school, I was sat on the kitchen counter with a bowl of cereal, still in my pyjamas.

“About what? Us or...?”

“Both,” Peter says, coming over to the counter and placing his bowl in the sink, going to wash it up but I put a hand on his wrist.

“I can do it,” I tell him, smiling a little. Peter chuckles, moving so he’s stood between my legs, his arms on either side of me on the counter, caging me in. I put my breakfast to the side and wrapped my arms around him, nestling my face contentedly into his neck. “I don’t want to tell them,” I murmur and Peter’s hands slide up my body so that one is in my hair and the other is holding my lower back.

“I know it’s hard, but you need to, Y/N, they can help you,” 

“You help me,” I point out and Peter sighs, moving back to kiss me.

“But I can’t be with you all the time, especially since they don’t know about us,” 

“We could tell them about us,” I point out, kissing him once more.

“I’m too young to die, Y/N,” Peter says seriously and I giggle, placing my head back on his shoulder, loving the feeling of being close to him.

“I wouldn’t let them hurt you,” I tell him, yawning a little and Peter hums in agreement.

“I’ll see you this evening,” he says, pulling away but I hold onto his hand, hopping off the counter to pull him nearer to me again for a kiss.

“I love you,” 

“I love you too,”

Peter leaves, picking up his backpack from the seat he had left it on, grinning at me over his shoulder as he leaves for school. Half of me, as it always did in the mornings when Peter left, wished that I was going to Midtown too.

“FRIDAY, can you please delete the footage of Peter and I in the kitchen?” I ask.

“Of course, Miss Y/L/N,”

“What you got today then, Y/N/N?” Clint asks, coming into the kitchen a few minutes later, bag slung over his shoulder, clearly ready to return home to his family.

“Pot of coffee on the counter,” I tell him, returning my gaze to the history text book that lay open in front of me.

“Korean war?” Clint asks after pouring himself a mug of coffee and sitting next to me, pulling the open text book over so it sat in front of him and he could read the information as well. 

“You heading home, Uncle Clint?” I ask, jotting down another note before looking at him.

“Yeah,” he confirms, giving me a smile that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle up. “They miss having you around, Y/N, you should come visit some time,”

“I will, I just got a lotta work,”

“There’s a lot of work to do on the farm, too, kid. That’s more important than this bullshit,” Clint tells me, closing my book and I groan loudly.

“Uncle Clint!” My uncle just gives me a mischievous smile as Steve, Bucky and Sam come into the room, dripping with sweat from their morning runs.

“I won,” Bucky informs me, going over to pour a glass of water from the tap as Steve comes over to kiss the top of my head in greeting, as he did every morning.

“Morning Uncle Steve,” I say, scrunching up my nose. “You guys stink,” 

“It’s called exercise, Y/N, you should try it some time,” Sam sasses and I stick my tongue out at him.

Half a week later, Monday rolls around. I hadn’t been sleeping well as a result of Peter’s absence from the compound as he visited May, causing me to be distracted during my study periods, especially when I was trying to learn physics, a subject that I found boring regardless.

“Uncle Bruce!” I call out, walking into the science lab where Bruce was working. He lifted up his safety glasses as I came over, a smile on his face.

“Hello, Y/N,” 

“Can you help me?” I ask, waving around the physics textbook. Bruce halts my actions by taking the book from my hands at the page I had marked.

“Come on, kid,” Bruce says, leading me over to his desk and drawing up the chair from Tony’s for me to sit in as he began to talk the theorem over.

“And these are the science labs. Dr Banner will be here somewhere, probably hard at work,” Bruce and I are taken out of our study session by Tony’s voice. A mass of footsteps follow behind him and Bruce and I share a look of confusion. I can tell that there’s a little bit of horror mixed in with mine, though, as Tony rounds the corner, followed by a group of teenagers.

There’s little comfort I can find even in finding Peter’s face in the crowd of students, along with his two friends that I had met before - Ned and Michelle. My knuckles tighten involuntarily around my pen and I find myself rooted to the spot, feeling as though I was facing my worst nightmare.

“Who’s that?”

“Who’s she?”

“Is she an Avenger?” 

The whispers amongst Peter’s peers are nowhere near as quiet as they seem to imagine they are as they spot me. Tony sees me shortly after the whispers start and he gives me a grin.

“That’s Y/N,” Tony answers simply, as though that is the only introduction the teenagers need. I wish that were the case. I don’t want to know them. I don’t need to know them.

I can feel my breathing starting to get shallow as every eventuality of this meeting plays out in my head. I can’t breathe. My chest rises and falls as though I’ve just run a marathon as I attempt to gasp for air. 

“Kid, you alright?” Even Bruce’s rough voice that normally calms me down cannot stop the rapid movement of my chest. I feel like I’m drowning.

“I - uh -” I finally gain some control over my limbs as I stumble up, out of my chair. 

I gesture wildly over my shoulder, knocking into pretty much everything in my path as I hopelessly attempt to leave the lab through the back exit, not wanting to have to navigate my way through the mass of students who are gawping at me, still trying to figure out who I am.

If someone follows my exit from the lab I don’t hear them, too caught up in finding a safe spot to breathe in. I find a corner in the back hallway that I know won’t be on the tour as it’s just the short-cut from the rooms to the labs. I collapse into it, wrapping myself up as small as possible in my arms, my head buried between my knees as I just try to breathe.

“Hey, Y/N/N, you’re alright,” the voice is gentle, coaxing, but I can’t place it over the roaring mess of my thoughts. I can barely hear it. I cower further into myself, just wanting to hide. “It’s okay, Y/N, just focus on me, on my voice. It’s going to be alright, you’re going to be okay. Just focus on my voice and try to breathe with me,” a choked sob left my lips. I was trying. “I know it’s hard, but you can do it,” the voice mimics breathing and I try to focus on it, breathing as best I can with them, feeling the air rushing back into my lungs, my brain becoming less foggy by the second.

Hesitantly I lift my head, surprised to see Tony in front of me, more concern written across his face in that moment than I had ever seen before.

I allow my head to fall back against the wall behind me, closing my eyes and sobbing. I can hear Tony slowly shift towards me, moving so that he’s no longer squatted in front of me but sat next to me. His arm wraps around me and he lets me cry into his chest for a while.

“Your suit,” I mumble but Tony shakes his head, squeezing me tighter.

“I can change before I go back out there,” I sniff and allow myself to let a few more tears leak out of my eyes.

Tony was never the one who I would go to when I had an issue, particularly an emotional one. Tony was like the fun parent who I didn’t talk about serious things with but I knew loved me regardless, and vice versa. I tended to go to Steve or Bruce, even Bucky when I had an actual problem. But I hadn’t this time. I didn’t want to burden them, I felt weak like this, living with all of these incredible superheroes and struggling with fighting my own brain.

Perhaps if Thor was here then I would have told him, but he was away, trying to rebuild Asgard from its ruins. I only told Peter because I started having nightmares that woke me up screaming at night and I sought the comfort that could only be provided by cuddling him late into the night.

“Come on, kid,” Tony says, his voice soft, trying to keep me calm as he gently lifted me to my feet. “You going to be okay?” He asks me, hands on my shoulders, bending down slightly to look me in the eye. I sniff and lift a hand to wipe at my nose with my sleeve, well aware that the habit was disgusting but knowing that I looked far worse with snot on my face.

“Yeah,” my voice cracks even as I say it and Tony is quick to wrap me in a hug again.

“Go and shower, change into some pyjamas or something,” he says. “Relax, okay?” I nod, wiping away my tears and turning to walk down the back corridor, up the staircase to the rooms. “I love you kid,” Tony calls after me. That was another thing. I knew Tony loved me, he didn’t feel the need to say it often.

Steam billows out of the shower after me into my room after I change. My eye lids feel heavy and I want to just fall asleep. Peter is waiting for me, though, sat on my bed, concern written all over. He forces a smile though, opening his arms and leaning back on the bed. I collapse into him, curling up into a ball, allowing myself to be completely encased in his arms, his sweater, him.

“Are you okay?” He whispers gently and I nod. “I’m sorry I didn’t come for you,”

“It’s okay,” I mumble, trying my hardest to curl up even closer to him.

“I love you, more than anything,” Peter says, turning on his side so he can wrap his other arm around me too, pulling me as close as we can get to one another.

“I love you too,” I respond, for one not worrying all that much about one of the others finding us. I knew that one of them would come in and check up on me, Tony and Bruce would tell them about what had happened in the lab. I didn’t care though. Peter helped me to breathe easier.

“You could have told us, though, I hope you know that,” the Avengers are gathered around me and I sit on the sofa in the middle of the lounge. Peter sits next to me, holding my hand tightly, squeezing it every now and then to give me reassurance.

“About both things,” Steve speaks up, raising his eyebrow at Peter who blushes and looks away but doesn’t release my hand even for a second.

“No more sneaking into each others rooms,” Bruce says and I shake my head quickly, feeling the panic growing in me at the rule.

“No, please Bruce! I can’t... I can’t sleep on my own,” I say and my words come out too quickly to be seen as natural.

“It’s not appropriate,” Bruce starts but Bucky’s frowning, looking at me confused.

“What was that?” He asks, coming forwards slightly.

“I get nightmares,” I confess and I hate the way that my voice shakes a little. “Peter... I don’t get them with him. We don’t do anything inappropriate, I promise, we just sleep,” I direct the last comment towards Bruce whose brow is furrowed as he takes in the information. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.

The comment causes ruckus to break out from every hero as they all insist I have nothing to be sorry for. 

“Don’t you ever apologise for something that you can’t help,” Natasha tells me, a deep frown on her face as she stands with her arms crossed looking at Peter and I.

Wanda takes a seat next to me on the sofa and pulls me into a side-hug, ensuring that my hand can still remain securely wrapped with Peters.

“We’ll love you no matter what,” she says to me.

I smile and lean my head on her shoulder.

“How long has it been going on for?” Steve asks.

“What? This,” I gesture between Peter and I, “or... that?” 

“Either. Both,” 

“I’ve been dating Peter for about five months” I notice Peter’s smile widen at my words and I blush, still keeping my head rested on Wanda’s shoulder. “But... they’ve been happening for three,” I say.

“Three months... Since-” I nod, cutting off Sam’s unasked question.

“Are the nightmares about that?” Steve asks gently, coming forwards and crouching in front of me. I sniff and nod, retrieving my hand from Peter’s at long last to wipe the tears away before they can fall.

“Oh, Y/N,” Bucky sighs, coming over to crouch next to Steve, a gentle smile on his face, “I’m okay, you know that?” 

Three months ago, I had been out in town with Bucky late at night. We had been jumped and Bucky had been injured badly and the men left him bleeding out on the street. I was battered and bruised but nothing too bad but I never got over the image of Bucky lying there on the pavement, blood pouring out of him.

I nod hesitantly and Bucky is quick to hug me tightly.

“I’m okay, see? I’m not going anywhere, kid,”

As Bucky attempts to comfort me, I hear Steve talking to Peter in a quiet, hushed voice.

“Thanks for looking after her,” 

“I love her, Mr Rogers,” 

“We’ll get you help, Y/N, if that’s what you want, okay? But we don’t want you to feel forced to do anything, alright?” Tony speaks and the rest of the team are quick to agree with his words as Bucky lets me go and I sink into Peter’s side, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the love and support the team are insisting upon giving me at this present time.

“If you want to wait for Thor to return before you take any action, we can do that too,” Steve adds, knowing that I had always been especially close to the God.

“Maybe... I just don’t want to think about it right now,” I admit, letting out a little laugh and Peter kisses the top of my head.

“We have cheesecake in the fridge,” Sam points out. “We could get that and some other snacks out and watch a film?” He offers. The team look at me and I nod, grinning at the suggestion.

“Not Star Wars, though,” Wanda is quick to add and everyone looks at Peter who pulls a face.

“Told you you’d be fine,” Peter whispers to me as the team bustles about getting ready for our impromptu movie night.

“Only fine because you’re here,” I insist, curling into a ball, burrowing further beneath Peter’s arm and into his side.

“I love you,” he says, leaning down to catch my lips with his.

“Okay, I know I said I liked the kid, but you guys don’t need to do that in front of us,” Tony whines and everyone laughs.

‘Series’ Masterlist

I love writing for Peter so much! Please send in your requests!

MARVEL TAGS

@vineisdeadiwishiwas

[a-splash-of-stucky]

I Know This Game | Five

Pairings: Bucky x Foster!Reader

Summary: In which you have a break-up chat with Wanda and Peggy (and Jane).

Warnings: A little language, a lot of mildly depressing talk. Questioning your self-worth. Crying, crying and more crying - and angst, of course.

Notes: Fic was inspired by ‘Eyes Closed’ by Halsey. Jane as your wise little sister would be kick-ass, tbh.

IKTG Masterlist

The light drizzle has turned into a storm that is rapidly intensifying, sheets of rain sweeping across the streets. You’ve made it to your building in the nick of time and dash inside before you become completely soaked. You make a beeline through the lobby, heading straight for the elevators at the far end of the foyer. Stan, the elderly night guard, is reading comics behind his desk and tips his hat to you in greeting as you pass by.

Your hallway reeks of its usual rotten egg odour, which always seems to get a little stronger whenever it’s raining. You hold your breath and stride briskly to your apartment, fishing your keys out of your purse as you go. You let yourself in as quietly as possible — no simple task, given the fact that the front door squeaks loud enough to be heard from the floor below.

As expected, the apartment is mostly in darkness, save for the faint glow of the TV in the living room. As you shrug off your coat, you smile fondly when you catch sight of Wanda and Peggy. They are sprawled out on the couch, each occupying one end. Neither seems to have heard you coming in — which says something about how accustomed they’ve become to the squeaky door — utterly engrossed in whatever it is they’re watching. After you arrange your coat and shoes in the hallway closet, you pad into the kitchen to get yourself a glass of water.

“Oh my god, Kim’s an idiot. Like, an actual idiot,” Wanda groans.

You snort, leaning against the kitchen counter, “What’d she do this time?”

Peggy lifts her head up, craning her neck around to look at you. “Y/N! You’re back!”

“How observant you are,” you remark dryly, shuffling over to the couch.

“You’re home early,” she continues, “It’s just turned half past nine, hasn’t it?”

“Again with the ‘stating the obvious’, Pegs,” you sigh. You climb over the back of the couch, glass of water balanced precariously in one hand, and sink into the space between them, crushing Wanda’s toes and Peggy’s calves in the process. The yelp in pain and grumble various curses under their breath as they shift around to make room for you.

Wanda extends her arms in a dramatic flourish. “Welcome to our crazy wild Friday night!” she says, “As you can see, things are going absolutely mad here. We’ve got pizza—,”

“She means ‘an empty pizza box’,” Peggy interrupts.

“—alcohol and the Kardashians, what more could you ask for?” Wanda finishes.

You snort and shake your head in amusement. “You’re a pair of old ladies, I tell you,” you mutter, taking in Wanda’s ratty t-shirt and messy bun, sharply contrasted to Peggy’s blue-and-white striped pyjama set. They’re about as opposite as night and day, those two, but somehow, they make things work.

“You look terrible,” Peggy informs you abruptly. Most times, you absolutely adores the way she cut straight to the point and never beats around the bush. Tonight, with you in your emotionally drained state, her words just make you feel that much more shitty.

“Gee, thanks,” you drawl, rolling your eyes with as much sarcasm as you can muster, “It’s so nice to be welcomed home by you lot,”.

“I thought you were staying at Loki’s for the night,” says Wanda, talking to you even though her eyes are back on the screen, watching the saucy, rich-bitch drama unfold.

“I thought that was the plan too,” you admit softly, settling back into the couch and tucking your legs underneath you. From the corner of your eye, you see Wanda redirecting her attention back to you when she notices your sorrowful tone. On your left, you feel Peggy’s stare practically boring a hole into the side of your skull.

“So what changed?” asks Peggy, cocking her head to the side and narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

You’re hesitate for a heartbeat before answering, and in that split-second, Wanda gets it. The girl can seriously read minds.

“Oh my god,” she whispers, putting a hand up to her mouth, “You guys broke up?”

You nod morosely, “Cheated on me with a girl called Sharon,”.

“Called it!” says Peggy, fist-punching the air triumphantly. The three of you tend to make bets over your love life — because let’s be honest, if you’re going to be such a train wreck when it comes to romance, a little bit of comic relief and lighthearted competition can’t hurt — placing wagers on how long you’d stay with a guy and the reason for your separation. You’re not in the mood for humour tonight, though, so you shoot her an unamused glare and she grimaces at her lack of tact, mouthing “Sorry,” at you.

“You okay? You wanna talk about it?” asks Wanda, sitting up and slinging her arm over your shoulder, “I would offer you pizza, but as you can see,” she gestures towards the empty box sitting on the coffee table, “It’s all gone,”.

You smile wryly and pat her thigh. “Nah, I’m good,”, you murmur, hoping to avoid getting dragged into a full-blown interrogation session with these two. After the events of today, you don’t think you have the inner strength to sit through one.

“You’re good as in…you’re good, or you’re good, you don’t want pizza?” Peggy asks, arching an eyebrow and crossing her arms imperiously, because she’s known you long enough to know exactly what you say when you’re trying to skirt around an issue.

“The second one,” you sigh, conceding that she’s got you cornered. You know it’ll be easier to admit defeat.

“So you’re not good? What’s up, sweetie?” Wanda murmurs, immediately going all protective on you. “Upset about Loki?”

“Actually, no,” you reply. The conviction and clarity in your voice leaves them taken aback — in fact, you’re a little surprised yourself. But, as you turn over your answer in your head, you realise how true it really is. You’re not upset about Loki cheating on you. Well, not really. Sure, you’re pride’s been bruised, but it’s not torn to pieces, or anything. What you had with him was never going to be permanent, you knew that in your heart of hearts. If anything, you’re glad that it’s over.

Peggy seems to sense your weird mood. “You don’t seem too shaken up,” she says slowly, furrowing her brow as she appraises you.

“I—I am a little shaken up, but it’s not because of Loki,” you confess.

“What is it, then?” asks Wanda, a truly confused expression on her face.

“I—,” you sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose, “It’s a long story,”.

“Well, I’ve got no problem with you turning our wild Friday night into story time,” says Wanda, “You okay with that, Pegs?”

“I am rather curious to find out what’s up with Y/N,” she agrees.

You groan and bury your head in your hands. “I really don’t want to talk about it,” you tell them, voice coming out slightly muffled.

“Avoidance is not healthy, Y/N, you shouldn’t bottle up your emotions,” Peggy says, putting on the solemn voice she uses when you’re getting a talking-to.

You uncover your left eye and glare at her. “I should never have given you that line,” you mutter.

“You’re a therapist, Y/N! You know it’s—,”.

“Peggy!” you interrupt sharply, “Please, I—not tonight, alright? I’ve had a really long day and I just want to sleep,”.

“Okay honey,” Wanda soothes, gently rubbing her hand in wide, circular motions on your back, “Not tonight. But sometime?”

“But sometime,” you agree, nodding your head weakly.

“D’you wanna at least…tell us something? Put us out of our misery? I’m dying to know what’s got you so worked up,” Peggy pleads, half out of personal curiosity and half out of genuine concern for your wellbeing.

You draw your bottom lip between your teeth and chew at it for a bit before replying. “I—I’ve been thinking about…them, and, specifically him a lot today. Well, mostly this evening. And—I don’t know. I’ve just been really reflective about things, tonight,”.

You sense Wanda and Peggy sharing a ‘look’, silently communicating above your head. You’re grateful that they don’t have to ask who ‘they’ are or who ‘he’ is. You’re not sure that you could keep it together if you had to say his name out loud.

“Okay, we’ll talk about it in the morning,” Wanda says softly.

“Whatever it is, you’ll get through this, Y/N. After what Barnes did to you, I think your heart can cope with anything,” Peggy assures you.

The three of you wince at the mention of his name.

“Yeah,” you murmur, moving to stand up, “Nothing can be as bad as losing him,”.

—————————————————

You remember stumbling into the empty apartment after going to see Pepper. Happy had dropped you and your things off with a stoic expression on his face, going through the motions with meticulous efficiency. You walked around in a daze as he brought your things in, flicking on light switches as you went, feeling like the darkness was trapping you in. You noted the changes that Wanda and Peggy had made since your last visit, like the new blue curtains and the fluffy pink sofa cushions. For the last two years, you’d been primarily living at the compound, as per your contract, only visiting the girls every now and then to catch up.

You’d been grateful to at last be on your own, after spending a whole afternoon forcing yourself to hold it together in front of people you once thought of as friends. Alone with your thoughts, you finally allowed the dam to burst and the emotions to overwhelm you, collapsing in a heap on the living room rug as you sobbed your heart out.

Wanda had come home first. She’d nearly had a heart attack when she found you sniffling on the floor, curled up into a tight little ball. Peggy had arrived not ten minutes later and together, she and Wanda coaxed you into your bed.

As Wanda fussed about with blankets and pillows, making a little fort for the three of you to huddle in, Peggy had brought in several bars of chocolate, a few bottles of water and three boxes of tissues — “One for each of us,” she’d said. Peggy sat on your right and Wanda squeezed in between your left side and the wall, nestled against you like a cat.

You had haltingly told the entire story to the girls, pausing every now and then then to descend into the bottommost pits of SorrowLandTM  whenever a fresh wave of grief came flooding through your system. They had listened patiently, not once making a smart-ass comment or interrupting you as you recalled the whirlwind of a day you’d just had.

Afterwards, a very incensed Peggy had declared that she would be going to visit Pepper herself and demand some sort of compensation for you, as this heartbreak was most certainly not part of your contract. Wanda had already begun plotting ways of getting back at Bucky — though howexactly she thought she might be able to outwit a supersoldier and highly trained assassin you had no idea. Miraculously, you managed to talk them both out of their crazed plans.

Losing Bucky was akin to losing a very close family member, and your mind and body grieved as such. In the days following your return, you spent most of your time in your room sobbing your eyes out. You were certain that you could fill an entire Olympic-sized swimming pool with the amount of liquid leaking out of your tear ducts. In a moment of hysteria, you remember wondering how your body hadn’t shrivelled up like a prune from all the fluids it had lost in such a short span of time.

It had been difficult for the two of them — you were normally the emotionally calm and reserved one of the group (being a renowned psychiatrist specialising in victims of war does that to you, you suppose), and neither person had ever seen you this upset. Peggy and Wanda had seen you through horrendous breakups before, but even those paled in comparison to your separation from Bucky. They didn’t know what to do with themselves, didn’t know how to break you out of your funk and in the end, just decided to let you burn it all out.

What differentiated this breakup from all the other ones you’d had was the fact that not only were you betrayed by your lover, you were let down by a whole team of people you used to depend on. When you lost Bucky, you lost them all. Two years of your life, billions of priceless memories and shared moments — all tainted because of one encounter. You weren’t behaving as if you’d just lost one family member; your mind was reacting in the way it would if you’d lost your entire family, which, in a way, you had.

Bucky called you several times a day. He left you about a million messages. The day after you left, you remember being half-inclined to smash your phone against the wall, as it was buzzing almost non-stop. Sometimes you’d check your phone and see that you’d received missed calls from Steve, Sam, Tony, even Pepper, at one point — though whether it was actually those people calling you, or whether Bucky was just borrowing their phones, you never did find out.

When Peggy had gone and gotten you a new phone number, you nearly sobbed with relief.

Would’ve traded all for you, there for you So tell me how to move on Would’ve traded all for you, cared for you

On the fourth day of your self-imposed bedrest and grieving period, you were, without a doubt, at the lowest point in your life. You felt dead on the inside, utterly hollow and devoid of emotion. You were sick of crying, fed up with feeling like you were barely alive. You were burned out, a shell of the person you used to be. You hadn’t eaten a solid meal in almost 24 hours, yet no hunger pains plagued you.

You’re lying in your bed in a state of half-sleep when the door creaks open. Your head is buried under the blankets, so you don’t immediately see who it is; you assume it’s Peggy or Wanda coming in to check on you before they head off to work. The bed dips as someone perches on the edge. A hand gently tugs the blanket off your head.

Disoriented by the slivers of light spilling in through your curtains, you have to blink your eyes several times before your pupils get accustomed to the brightness. You stare blearily at the person sitting on your bed and, in your drowsy state, it takes you a while to make out their facial features, let alone get your brain functioning enough to recognise who they are.

“Jane?” you ask. You immediately wince; you sound like a frog, your voice croaky from disuse. You honestly can’t believe that it’s her — your little sister has actually taken time away from her precious research and flown all the way from New Mexico to see you. If your eyes weren’t already sick of crying, you’d surely be shedding a few tears.

Jane smiles and smoothes a hand over your head. “Yeah, sis, it’s me,” she murmurs, “Scoot over, will you? Your fat ass is taking up the whole bed,”.

With some difficulty, you manage to extricate yourself from the multitude of blankets wrapped around your limbs. Together, you and Jane rearrange your nest of blankets, creating enough space for her to burrow in next to you. You press your back against the wall and Jane kicks off her shoes so that she can crawl in. The two of you lie on your sides, facing each other.

“Sorry,” you snuffle, wiping your snotty nose on the edge of your sleeve, “I look like shit,”.

She chuckles softly, then reaches out to tenderly tuck the strands of hair clinging to your damp cheeks over your ear. “Yeah, well, what’s new, eh?” she whispers, “You think you look like shit, I think you look beautiful. A little busted up, but beautiful nonetheless,”.

“I feel busted up,” you mumble.

Jane doesn’t say anything, just closes her eyes and waits patiently for you to continue. She knows you’ll tell her when you’re ready. She tucks one arm under her head.

“Where did I go wrong, Janie?” you whisper, your voice coming out wrecked and broken, “I—I tried, so hard. I wanted to make it work so bad—I—,”.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay,” she soothes, shuffling closer and slinging one arm around your ribs, so that you’re pressed chest to chest. “It’s not your fault,” she whispers fiercely, “Don’t blame yourself for something you couldn’t control,”.

“B-but…why would he do it if I didn’t do something wrong?” you ask thickly. Against the odds, a new wave of tears threatens to spill from your eyes. You brush the back of your hand over them impatiently, utterly fed up of feeling so broken and exhausted.

Jane sighs. “I don’t know, Y/N. Maybe—maybe he changed. You said so yourself, right? Bucky at the start of your relationship was different to who he was at the end. Maybe—his preferences changed too,”.

Over the past couple of days, you’d come to a similar conclusion, but hearing it from someone else seemed to placate your raging emotions, somehow. “Did he have to…y’know, break my heart like that?” you ask weakly.

“I don’t have all the answers, Y/N,” she says apologetically, shaking her head.

You snort, bemused. “Don’t astrophysicists have all the answers?” you tease.

Jane giggles, pleased to have gotten you in better spirits. “We do have all the answers, hiding out there, somewhere — that doesn’t mean we’ve found them all, though,”.

A moment of companionable silence passes. You scoot down the bed and rest your head on her chest. Listening to the steady thud of her heartbeat and feeling the gentle rise and fall of her ribs lulls you into a more peaceful state. You’re a little bit sleepy, but the cogs and gears are grinding in the back of your mind, trying to piece together the words and phrases you need to say, the stuff you need to ventilate.

“It’s just—things are different, this time,” you say quietly, running your finger over the design on her shirt.

She stays silent, letting you amble along your train of thoughts at your own pace. You chew at your bottom lip, wondering how best to phrase this.

“I couldn’t keep working there…anyway,” you tell her, “I—a professor at uni once told me that you can either be someone’s therapist, or you can be their friend, but you can’t be both. And it was pretty clear that I was becoming a friend, or more than a friend to everyone there,”.

You swallow nervously. You’ve never really voiced these thoughts aloud before, not even to him. “I…I was willing to give this up, y’know?”. You make vague, circular hand gestures as you figure out how to elaborate, “This—this therapy gig, yeah? I was willing to stop. I would’ve found something else to do with my time, maybe, work in the compound another way, but—I wanted to stay,”.

Jane rubs her hand up and down your back. “You really were in love, weren’t you?” she says quietly, “Loved him enough to throw away everything you ever worked for,”. You knew she didn’t quite get it. Though the two of you were sisters, Jane’s bond to her research was quite unlike yours. You’re certain that if she could, she would marry her work. She barely had any experience with long-term relationships, and so you weren’t quite sure why you were trusting her, of all people, to give you advice — but Jane was Jane, and she had a tendency to be right about these things.

You sigh, choosing your words carefully, to make her understand. “I was willing to trade it all for him, Janie. Everything I’d built for myself, my reputation, my skills — all of it. Just so I could stay with him,”. You hesitate, “Not because I loved it any less, but I knew that it would be too difficult to have them both, and he gave me all the satisfaction I got from doing my work and more,”.

She snorts in a very unladylike manner. “I should hope so,” she scoffs.

It takes you a while to get the joke, but when you do, you smack her shoulder forcefully. “Not like that,” you hiss.

“Okay, okay, I know what you mean,” Jane laughs. When she’s calmed down, she presses her cheek to the top of your head, “Why wouldn’t you be able to have both?” she asks.

“Well, I couldn’t have been their therapist any longer, and the hours I’d need to put in in order to run a functioning clinic would have been enormous,” you explain. “I wouldn’t be spending as much time at the compound and, seeing as I would be giving up my work to have more time with him, that seemed pretty pointless,”.

“Maybe you could’ve found a way to make it work,” Jane says, and from her tone you can tell that she’s already trying to come up with solutions, working out possibilities. “Just because the path isn’t clear, or the road is an uphill struggle, doesn’t mean that it’s not feasible. If you love two things, you should be able to have them both,”.

“Just drop it, Jane,” you sigh, not wanting to dwell on what-ifs and burden yourself with maybes. Already, you’re feeling the sadness welling up inside you from the brief discussion you’ve just had. You shrug, trying to brush those thoughts away with some indifference, “Guess I’ll never get to find out, huh?”.

“Guess not,” she echoes quietly. Another silence, then, with her voice so soft you almost don’t catch it, she says, “You did nothing wrong, you know that right?”.

“Yeah,” you mumble, even though you don’t quite believe it yourself. If she notices the lack of conviction in your tone, Jane doesn’t comment.

Something is still weighing on your chest and you decide that now is as good a time as ever to let it out. “I was there for him,” you tell her, “I was there for him, just him, y’know? I wasn’t…trying to make him who he used to be, wasn’t trying to make him anything he didn’t want to be, I was—I just—,”.

You cut yourself off as you feel a wave of panic rushing up your throat. You take a deep, shuddery breath in an attempt to calm your nerves, “I think everyone on the team had their own personal agenda when it came to helping Bucky. They were helping him, but ultimately, they were helping themselves, in some way,”.

“Even Steve?” she asks quietly.

You nod, albeit a little reluctantly. “Yeah. I think he kinda hoped that I could get him back to the Bucky he used to be,”.

“And you’re upset about that?”. There’s a confused undertone to her voice.

“No! Well, actually, yes, but that’s not the main point. The main point is that I—I didn’t!”. You laugh breathlessly, feeling somewhat delirious from lack of sleep. The fatigue seems to finally be catching up on you. “I didn’t have an ulterior motive. All I wanted was to make things better for him, to help him accept the person he’d been made into. I was there for him as he had become; the Winter Soldier and Bucky Barnes,”.

“He’s an idiot,” Jane mutters darkly.

You laugh, despite yourself. “I think I might’ve been the only person to really understand that you needed to accept him as an all-inclusive package, y’know? I mean, Steve kinda got there, in the end, but—but for a long time, the only person Bucky could talk to, about anything and everything, without fear of judgement, was me,”.

Jane makes a little noise of understanding, like she’s mulling over what you’ve just said. “And so…” she prompts, encouraging you to round things off.

“I guess…maybe this is selfish of me, but I just want him to think about everything I did for him,”, you sigh, “If he replaced me that easily, I just don’t think he appreciates, or appreciated me as much as I thought he did,”. The confession makes you feel lighter, as if you’ve shed some of the weight that’s been bearing down on you for the past few days.

“So what’re you gonna do about it? You gonna talk to him?” Jane asks.

You groan resignedly, “I don’t know how to move on, Jane. I—yeah, I’ve had breakups before, but never like this. So—maybe sometime I’ll see him. But I can’t face him right now,”

“But you will?” she prods, “Closure might do you some good. It’s unhealthy to hold onto the past too much, y’know?”

You arch one eyebrow and tip your head back to look at her. “Anyone ever told you that you should be a therapist?”

“I did learn from the best,” she jokes, poking you in the ribs. You stick your tongue out at her. She scrunches her nose at you and flicks your forehead.

“Go to sleep,” Jane whispers, after she sees you trying to hide a yawn, “You look like you need it,”.

“‘M not tired,” you mutter, even as you cover your mouth with your hand to stifle another one.  

“Uh-huh, sure,” she says, rolling to face the other way so that her back is pressed against your chest. She takes your arm and drapes it around her waist, “If you’re not gonna sleep, I will. By my body clock, it’s still 5AM and I should be knocked out,”.

Your eyes are already beginning to slide shut as you press your cheek to the space between her shoulder blades, inhaling Jane’s comforting vanilla scent. “G’night Jane,” you murmur, “Thank you,”.

—————————————————

After assuring Wanda and Peggy that you’re completely fine after your breakup with Loki and promising (multiple times) that you would tell them everything else in the morning, you retire to your room to get some rest. The events of the day have finally caught up with you, and the cumulative emotional toll is making you feel utterly spent, both physically and mentally. You strip off your work clothes, dumping them into the laundry basket in the corner of your room, before crawling into bed in just your underwear.

You set an alarm for 6AM, mentally cursing yourself for agreeing to meet with a patient so early in the morning on a goddamn Saturday, of all days.

In your exhausted state, sleep comes blessedly easily. As your eyelids begin to droop, your last dregs of your consciousness sadly notes that your current situation is nothing new to you. Freshly broken heart, moping over your failed relationship and wallowing in self-pity as you analyse your frankly depressing dating history. It seems that you have a knack for picking boyfriends cut from the same material.

As always, the last thought you have before drifting off to sleep is of Bucky. Tonight, it’s the way his eyes had shone with unshed tears when you said “I love you” to him before he left on that mission.

Now, if you were to see him again, you’re not sure whether or not you would change it to ‘loved’.

—————————————— Tags are open, but I’m only accepting requests via asks or PMs. Tag requests from replies/comments will be ignored.

[green-violin-bow]

Thank you @missmuffin221!

33. “I’m not going to stop poking you until you give me some attention.”

“Gregory. My sincere apologies, but an emergency has arisen and I will not be able to make our dinner engagement tonight. I hope that your day has not been unduly stressful, and shall no doubt see you at home –” there’s a short hesitation, and Mycroft apparently decides against putting a timeframe estimate on the current crisis. “My apologies again.” His voice is tight, harried; the click of the message ending, and Greg obeys the instruction to save it.

He sighs and drops his mobile onto the desk, running his hands over his face and through his hair. They’ve barely seen one another this week – mostly his fault, a truly unpalatable murder that’s kept him out of the house for all but the quickest of showers and change of clothes, and a trip to Manchester for Mycroft that covered the only evening Greg actually did manage to spend at home. (Well, he arrived home just before nine, anyway.)

They had arranged via text to cook dinner together on Friday night, and Greg had been anticipating it eagerly. It was not even as though he had been expecting them to have sex – his own bone-deep exhaustion made it unlikely. But just to be able to have a glass of wine together as they cooked, watch Mycroft’s deft hands as he chopped the vegetables, wrap his arms around his boyfriend and inhale the scent of his skin, stay close as they worked and then sit at right-angles at the table to eat, legs and feet pressed together… To go to bed together, hold Mycroft close with a hand in the centre of his pale chest, and get a full night’s sleep – oh God, yes – and to wake up warm, and sleepy, and together… A distant, and apparently an impossible, dream.

Greg leans his head on his hand and surveys the paperwork in front of him with bleary eyes. Then he picks up his phone and texts:

No worries gorgeous. Hope it goes well. Good luck, and see you at home later hopefully. Keep me updated, yeah? G xxx

He doesn’t really expect an answer, given Mycroft’s tone in the answerphone message. He stretches, yawns, and goes to fetch himself a coffee. On returning, he is surprised to find a text waiting.

I love you. MH

Hmm. Greg gives a wry smile. Possibly the crisis is worse than he’d assumed. Nuclear attack on London? Full-scale international war about to break out?

Love you so much. G xxx

*

The dinner he eventually ‘cooks’ (spinach and ricotta ravioli from a packet that takes two minutes to boil, a bag of salad and some pesto sauce) is a sad comparison to what he and Mycroft would have made. But Greg puts together a second plate for Mycroft anyway, and places it in the fridge, just in case he manages to get home at all tonight. Morosely, he eyes the bottle of red that they would have opened, but decides not to bother. He’s so tired he can hardly think, anyway. What’s the point of drinking? He’s not going to need the help passing out tonight.

With the aid of far, far too much coffee, he’d managed to get all the paperwork from their murder case off his desk and onto the Super’s for approval before he left. As a result he feels like he can take the whole weekend off, for once. Come on Mycroft, please come home.

He makes it through the News at Ten, and manages to force himself to his feet when it’s over instead of just curling up on the sofa. Exhaustion overwhelms him as he strips off and crawls into bed. He falls asleep hugging Mycroft’s pillow.

*

He doesn’t wake until just after ten, and it’s obvious immediately that Mycroft has not been home. He blinks in the startlingly bright morning light, briefly buries his head in Mycroft’s pillow, then rolls onto his back with a sigh, reaching for his phone on the bedside table.

[06:52] Still at the office. Did you sleep well? MH

[09:37] I hope this means you are still asleep. I am afraid I still have no estimate for when I will be home. MH

Greg chews his bottom lip.

Yeah, fast asleep until just now! You going to pop home for a shower and change at any point? Want to be here if you are. G x

With a groan, he levers himself out of bed and pulls on pyjama trousers. He does a circuit of the bedroom, making sure he picks up all the dirty laundry, then pads into the kitchen and stuffs it all in the washing machine. Eventually he had succumbed to Mycroft sending out his shirts and suits for dry-cleaning along with his own, but there are still things he puts in the wash every week. He yawns and stretches as the wash cycle starts.

(“Mycroft, I’m not sending my boxers for dry-cleaning. They’re only from M&S. They’re machine-washable! That’s the whole point of them! Who the bloody hell gets their pants dry-cleaned, anyway?”

“If you would accede to my suggestion that you invest in some undergarments in appropriate fabrics –”

“My boxers are made of cotton, Mycroft! That’s an absolutely normal boxer fabric. Only one of us in this relationship needs fancy silk pants that probably cost the same as a week’s-worth of my wages. And, gorgeous, that’s emphatically you.”

“I should of course buy them for you, Gregory.”

“Nonsense. Anyway, I don’t know why you’re bothered, you don’t seem to mind my boxers when I’m walking around in them.”

“Just because you have an extraordinarily attractive behind, Gregory, does not mean that –”

“‘Extraordinarily attractive’, eh?”

“Gregory –”

“Why don’t you come over here and say that again?”

“Only if you take those Marks and Spencer monstrosities off first.”

“Deal.”)

The rest of the memory is extremely pleasant indeed. Greg grins to himself and reaches down a mug, moving over to the coffee machine. He’s suddenly breathless with the need to have Mycroft’s arms around him.

*

The day is pleasant enough, in its way. After cleaning up the kitchen and hanging out the washing, Greg has a late breakfast of poached eggs on toast and changes into his running gear. He means to do his 5k route, but it’s a nice day, and he still has no messages from Mycroft, so he pushes on to the 10k. He’s knackered by the time he gets back, and takes a long relaxing bath.

Usually Mycroft is the bath fan in their relationship, but Greg’s come round to them more now he has someone to share them with. He listens to his audiobook, playing with the bubbles, and briefly considers sending Mycroft some pictures to tempt him home…

No, unfair. The man has to work.

His phone buzzes, and Greg dries his hands before picking it up.

It seems that a brief trip to Brussels is now necessary. I hope to be able to return home after that. MH

“Brussels? Oh bloody hell,” grumbles Greg crossly. He pulls the plug out of the bath and stands up, towelling himself off none too gently. Stop being such a git. You were out of the house three nights in a row this week.

He texts Sally and Phil, asking if they fancy a pint tonight, marginally cheered when they both accept.

Any idea what time you’ll be home? G x

Pulling on jeans and a grey t-shirt, Greg listens for the buzz of his phone on the bedside table.

It is unpredictable at the moment, but I shall keep you informed. I am sorry, Gregory. MH

The corners of Greg’s mouth tug down, just a little, as he reads.

Gorgeous, it’s your job. Don’t apologise. Just dying to see you, because I miss you. Going to the pub with Sally and Phil in a bit, but will be home as soon as you are. Let me know. G xxx

*

They drink. They drink quite a lot, and they have a laugh, and Sally bemoans how utterly fucking in love he is, and the fact that she can’t find anyone she feels like that about, not like him and his tall posh bastard.

And he is in love. So, so, fucking in love, and he just wishes he could see him, because it hurts now, not being held by him.

Closing time comes, and then the chip van, and by the time he stumbles through the front door and collapses onto the sofa, he falls asleep squinting at the screen of his phone.

*

“Gregory?”

The grey morning light is brutal. Greg screws his eyes shut, and groans. Must be early. Not enough sleep. Dizzy.

“Gregory.”

“No.”

“Oh, charming. Gregory. Drink this water.”

“’M’very tired, Mycroft.”

“As am I. I am, however, less drunk.”

“Might be drunk. Might be hungover. ’M not sure yet.”

“Take the water.”

“Urgh. Ow! What’you doin’?”

“Gregory. I am not going to stop poking you until you give me your attention.”

“Don’t have any.”

“Fine. Have this water instead. I shall make us coffee.”

With an almighty groan, Greg rolls over on the sofa, cracks one eye open and takes the glass. His neck feels horrendous, but it’s nothing to the pounding, vertiginous pressure in his head. After several sips of water – which he fears may soon prove to have been a mistake – he manages to open both eyes. His voice is rough and deep. “Coffee? Don’t you need sleep? I need sleep. Let’s go and sleep.”

Mycroft looks exhausted. His eyes are darkly shadowed and his usually impeccable posture has given way enough for him to lean against the kitchen counter as the coffee machine hums.

“I am afraid I shall need to complete just a couple of matters in the study. It should take an hour or so. After that – yes, sleep would be incredibly welcome.” He passes a long-fingered hand delicately over his eyes.

Greg’s heart clenches. This man, willing to work and work past the point of endurance. How he loves him.

“Right. Okay.” Bracing himself, he stands up. “Gimme ten minutes. ’M gonna have a quick shower – prob’ly smell like a brewery – then’ll come’n drink my coffee in the study with you.” He gulps down the rest of his pint of water.

A cool shower and cleaning his teeth make him feel significantly more human, as do a couple of ibuprofen and another pint of water. When he pads into the study, he finds Mycroft, pale and exhausted-looking but focused on his laptop.

“Hi gorgeous.” Mycroft looks up, and Greg kneels down beside him, gently turning his office chair so he can get closer, between his knees. “I know you’re busy, but a hug’d be lovely.”

“Mmmm,” murmurs Mycroft as Greg’s arms close tightly around him. Mycroft relaxes, tension flowing out of him, and to Greg that feels like a reward in itself.

He buries his nose in Mycroft’s neck and breathes him in. “Missed you,” he mumbles. “Sorry it’s been such a ridiculous week.”

“I am sorry too, Gregory.” Mycroft nuzzles his cheek into Greg’s damp hair, then pulls back and leans down for a kiss.

“Thank you,” whispers Greg, as they part. “Now get on with it. Sooner you’re done, sooner we can go to bed and get some proper sleep. I’m going to sit over here and read the news on my phone. Try and work out which particular crisis you averted.”

Mycroft gives him a quick half-smile, and turns reluctantly back to his laptop.

“Get you another coffee, gorgeous?”

“Please, Gregory.”

“’Course.”

[vannidajoaneblog]

Brisbane 2018

DAY 1

The first time I went to Australia it was solo backpacking in Sydney. It was a short trip that even if I was able to go around to a lot of different places, I still missed on doing other things like ride a ferry; see other beaches; try Vegemite; go to the countryside; see kangaroos and koala bears, etc. Well, the next time I went to AU, it all kinda came true - in Brisbane. Thanks for my dear host Stephen. I was very happy that he agreed to tour me around in his hometown. And because he grew up there, I got to know the city in a different level.   

Different way of flying to Aussie this time. It was not direct like when when I went to Sydney via Cebu Pac. This time it’s via Qantas Air.  And I have to experience an “amazing race” connecting flights in different countries. I actually like checking different airlines and airports so I really don’t mind. I am starting to have some favorites actually.

After spending almost a day of connecting flights and stopping-over. I was back in Australia. I arrived during midnight. My gracious host fetched me up from the airport. I told him it’s okay to be in his pyjamas.

DAY 2

From there, I started to get to know Brisbane (and Stephen) as we started passing by different places after the airport. We stopped by first, at a convenient store to grab a midnight snack and off to his place. I noticed that the streets are broader in Brisbane than in Sydney.

Kangaroo Point

The next day, I was ready to see Brisbane. Well, I do not have to go any further to enjoy the fabulous view of the city because from his balcony you’ll get to see the gorgeous City District Buildings, the Brisbane river and the Story Bridge. The highways and roads are also easily accessible and proximity to shops, restaurants, and the city ferry terminals as well. I find myself taking panoramic shots whenever I can from his balcony.

Story Bridge Deli & Cafe

Off to have breakfast first. I told about the Story Bridge - well, under it, there is a suburb. And in that suburb, is an old-style delicatessen called Story Bridge Deli & Cafe. It is the place to come for everything from breakfast or lunch as well as morning coffee. You will just happen to hear lots of cars whizzing up the bridge when you sit outside but, it is a part of its charm.

Lone Pine attempt

After breakfast, we went to the first stop - to see the koalas and kangaroos. Just a short distance from Brisbane City is the Lone Pine Sanctuary. The place is pretty popular to tourists. We happen to arrive late from sleeping-in so, a lot of people have piled up already excited to see the cute animals. So, we switched plans and went to Mt. Cootha instead.

Mt. Coot-tha

Brisbane Lookout at scenic Mt. Coot-tha is a ‘must see’ for all visitors to Brisbane. It offers spectacular panoramic views over the CBD all the way to Moreton Bay. On the mountain, there are also cafés and restaurants to cater to all visitors.

Nice to see the whole city from a bird’s eye view. It definitely is stunning in the day, but I’ve heard it’s also a wonderland of lights at night.

Vine Restaurant Bar

Looking forward to seeing Brisbane in the evening. So, we decided to go for dinner that night. Italian it is at Vine Restaurant Bar.

Not just the traditional Italian dishes. Seeing the menu, it was very interesting to decide on what to have. I believe I ordered a bird dish but it was really delicious. Soup + the dish left me stuffed. But I made room for some dessert and of course wine to go along with it.

Nice ambiance in that place. It just went pretty warm inside because of the heater. Nonetheless, the staff were very nice going from one table to another, making sure that customers are having a nice food experience.  

DAY 3

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Back at Lone Pine to catch the koalas and the kangaroos. We made it a point to really come early this time before the influx of the people. It was pretty successful the second time around. Lone Pine is popular to tourists, to save yourself from lining up, you have to get there early.  

We were able to go around the whole place and see most of the animals. I was able hold the koalas, hand feed kangaroos and see a large variety of Australian wildlife like Tasmanian devil, bats, parrots, etc. within the natural settings of the sanctuary. Yes, I was a kid for today but it’s all good. It’s fun engaging with animals. I got my 2019 calendar with this cute ball of fur.

Citycat Ferry

I’ve seen Brisbane from a bird’s eye view at Mt. Cootha, also by the road by a Benz now it’s time to see Brisbane from a  duck’s point of view from the river itself via CityCat ferry.  The Citycat ferry is a pleasurable way to travel in Brissy. It carries Brisbane passengers each day along the inner-city. It has 15 stops and if you go from one end to another, will take you almost an hour.

We occupied the padded seating outside (don’t forget to bring your jumper during winter). Definitely a great view of the Brisbane River and you’ll get past Brisbane icons, such as the Story Bridge and South Bank Parklands. It was a plus to see the the lovely sunset from the river for we rode the ferry during that time.

Eat Street Markets

After cruising along the river to the last terminal, we had an eight-minute walk and we were in Eat Street. Eat Street is a container food village that is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.

It was quite overwhelming when you get there the first time. The sights, smells, tastes and sounds. Oh the food! So many to choose from! You better get a game plan as they say so you can choose the best food you would like to eat. You can check out all the stalls first before making any food decisions. You really have to! And have a snack while at it ;)

After you’ve wandered around and spotted lots of great food choices. For sure you are ready to order your main meal. They have a great way to order so while you wait, you can still check out the other stalls and finally get your food.

When you are ready to sit down and devour, you can choose from the so many colorful alleys,where there are so many tables and chairs in. There are bands playing to keep you entertained. Eat Street is definitely a feast in every sense.

DAY 4

Queensland

Heading out to a beach on the Coast and to other beautiful places like Montville, Melany in Queensland. From Brisbane, it’s a two hour drive getting there, I believe. The road getting there has a bit of surprise so, if you feel like dozing off during the trip… hold it! At least get passed the Glasshouse Mountains.

Glasshouse Mountains

There's a total of 8 of them. The Range, as it is locally known, was created by 200 million years of constant interaction by volcanoes and water which left behind a mass of hills, valleys and waterfalls.

I was half asleep and half peeping during the trip. I thought I saw a big rock formation beneath some tall trees, it was a view of one of the Glasshouse Mountains up close. Stephen thought I missed it. I hope I was not dreaming.

Montville

After less than an hour or so, we arrived in a charming little village called Montville. It is nice to walk around here in this village. You will feel the winter cold at the same time - sun striking on your face for Montville is quite elevated in location.

It is home to unique restaurants, coffee houses, art galleries and specialty shops which maintain their own special blend of character and individual style.

Montville is quaint and romantic in a sense, certainly worth a visit.

Baroon Pocket Dam

Next, near Montville is a picturesque lake called the Baroon Pocket Dam. Pretty quiet and relaxing when we got there. Perhaps it was a Monday and there’s not much people. I am pretty sure there are lots of activities you can do if you walk around the lake, shoreline and some sort of forest in there.

There are picnic tables, places for barbecues and playgrounds for the kids making it the ideal spot for a get together with family or friends.

Caloundra Beach

Last stop before we head back is the Caloundra beach. Yes, it is still winter but, you would not want to miss on the fine sand beaches in Queensland. Nonetheless, still can’t sunbathe in that cold. But, it's still pretty nice to hangout and just talk about anything under the sun while eating fish and chips.

Movie Night

Nice to just chill  and watch some movies indoors at the end of the day. Especially if my host has a wide collection of movies from CD’s to anything new that is already downloadable.

A sure nice way to relax before a long trip back to Manila the next day. All snugged up in a blanket and munching some salted caramel popcorn from Eat Street with some nice warm drink. #Hygge

DAY 5

One last breakfast at the Story Bridge Deli & Cafe before I pack my bags.

As we headed to the airport, we dropped by the grocery store to buy pasalubong - famous Timtams & Vegemites :) I’d like to thank my host for filling half of my baggage with it. He got the concept of “pasalubong.” So, if you guys took a piece from the fridge, you now know who to thank.

Back to the airport. Flying Qantas Air from Brisbane to Sydney then to Singapore. I had a six hour stop over in Changi. Initially I was planning to go around and check the whole place but just chilled in the lounge instead. Three hours more via Jetstar, I was back to the Philippines.

A 5-day holiday is never enough. Nonetheless, it’s a great weekend trip. I had the best companion who despite having an injury - toured me around Brissy and made sure I felt at home.