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thatsarcasticgemini · 3 years

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Poltergeist boyfriend

Bill Denbrough x Stanley Uris

When his parents told him that they were moving, Bill expected a new house or a futuristic apartment, but instead he got an old and rusty house. So there he was, big box full of books in hands, looking the house up and down with a sour look in his usually bright eyes. He looked at the window of the left upstairs bedroom, where he saw a figure looking at him. He looked around to find hid mom, but the figure was gone when he looked back. Stupid old house, stupid long road, stupid heavy box. Georgie, on the other hand was more than happy to go inside, running around the porch and urging everyone to move faster. Bill went inside and asked his mom to see his bedroom. She pointed the medium one upstairs, the same room where he saw that figure.

The next day he went to his new highschool. There, he met Eddie, Richie, Ben and Bev. He hit it off with Bev, but there was never gonna be anything between them, as Bev was dating Ben and Bill was very gay. The school was ok: the teachers were kind, the halls were clean and bullying was taken very seriously. Plus it was only five minutes away from home, which meant that Bill could get there in time to say bye to his parents before they left for work. For lunch he had mashed potatoes with chiken, his favourite. While he was eating, he heard a loud thud coming from his bedroom. Licking his fingers of grease, he went upstairs, ready to yell at Georgie for going in his bedroom. But the bedroom was empty. The only thing out of place was the picture of him and Mike, his old friend for the other town. When he picked it up he could swear he saw the same figure behind him in the glass. Placing the picture back, he ran downstairs to finish his meal. Little did he know, that would be the first of many encounters with the supernatural being.

Things started getting weirder and weirder over the next a few weeks. Wednesdays were Alphabet Soup days for the Denbroughs, but they got strange for Bill. Everytime he'd pick a spoon of letters, they would always spell things like: youre cute, i like u, i love u. He'd come home to see drawings of him and a boy on his desk. He blamed Georgie at first, but the young boy denied everything. All the drawings showed Bill either hugging or kissing this curly haired boy. He even saw this boy in his dreams, either looking out the window or playing the piano in the living room. Whenever Bill would open his english notebook he'd be met by short love poems, always signed S.U. But the worse happened when he brought people over.

The first time someone came over, it was boy named Jake, who was Bill's project partner. He only stayed in Bill's bedroom for five minutes, while Bill was making tea, when he cursed loudly and ran out of the house calling Bill nuts. Bill chased after him, confused and hurt, but looking to his bedroom window from the front yard, he saw the curly haired boy dissapear behind the curtains. This happened to everyone who came over to Bill's. It even happened to Eddie. The boy left after 30 minutes, saying someone was watching him and throwing stuff at his head. Bill was desperate, to the point where he begged Beverly to help him. Bev was a witch, so she was more than happy to help him figure the problem out. Her best guess was that a spirit that was bound to the house had taken a liking in Bill and was trying to chase potential partners away.

The plan was for Bill to hold hands with Bev, pretend to be dating so the spirit would give her its worst. That was exactly what happened, but Bev stood her ground. She ignored the yelling in her ear, the things thrown at her and the very scray ghost following her. At some point, Bill saw the ghost and warned Beverly that it was a diffrent one. The usual ghost was a boy with light curly hair and kind brown eyes. Beverly said that this scary ghost was a shape the boy was taking to scare her away. After a couple hours, Bev pulled Bill into the living room.

"Bill, I have to leave. Here you go. Inside this box there’s a ouija board. You have to paly alone, so that the poltergeist will have to join you. I also wrote you instructions on a paper I taped on the back of the box. This being really really likes you, so there’s nothing to worry about. I’m just worried I might anger it by staying longer. You’ll be fine.” and with that she left. Bill took the board and the planchette to his bedroom. Sitting down he read the mantra Bev gave him outloud and looked around.

“I’m alone, supernatural being, so you have to join me. Please join me.” With that, Bill lifted his head to see the curtains move. He was a little freaked out, but he calmed himself down. The scary ghost emerged form the other side of the room, looking around with wild eyes. It passed Bill by, yelling and ran downstairs. Bill was thanking God that neither Bev, nor his parents or Georgie were home to see the scene unfold. The door behind him opened again and Bill saw the boy coming in the room and sitting on the floor, oposite of where he sat. The supernatural being was in its regular form, probably calming down after seeing Bev was gone. It put its hand on the planchette moving it around to spell “Hi Bill”.

“Hi! Can you please tell me your name?”

“Stanley Uris. My family lived here 45 years ago.”

“But you’re supposed to be alive today.”

“I am, but I was killed in an accident at school. Two kids locked me in the boiler room as a prank. A teacher found me dead 12 days later. I was burried in the back yard of this house.”

“Why do you harass my friends? Why do you give me poems and drawing?”

“Cause I like you and I dunno how to express it. I chase people away cause I’m afraid you’ll like them more cause they’re alive. Was that girl your girlfriend?”

“She is a friend, I’m gay. I did that to make you respond.”

“I would’ve responded either way. You have nice eyes. And I like your drawings. You’re cute when you are focused.”

“You’re cute now. Is there any way I can make you be alive, sort of. Like in Beetlejuice?”

“I am dead. What’s Beetlejuice?”

“A musical about a demon. If someone said his name three times, he could be touched and seen, it was almost like he was real again.”

“I am not a demon, but I get it. You can make me real, sort of real. By allowing me to come into your world at will. You need black salt and moon water. Your witch friend has them for sure. You also need a picture of me. You can find one in the attic. You can do it tomorrow. I’ll guide you.” and with that, Stan moved the planchette to goodbye and went back to the window, where he vanished. Bill instantly called Bev and asked her for black salt and moonwater. Bev was happy to help again.

The next day, right after Georgie left to meet up with his friends, Bill dashed to the attic and looked in all the furniture until he found a picture of Stan. It was a picture of him playing the piano. Bill took it, ran to his room to get the board, took the salt and water from his backpack and ran to his bedroom. Stanley responded in less than a second.

“You got everything?”

“Yes, but you need to tell me what to do with them.”

“You need to go to the backyard and take 27 small steps from the back door forward. You’ll be somewhat above my body. You need to sprinkle salt around yourself in a circle, emerge the photo in moonwater and put it in front of your feet. Put some more salt on the picture and say this: I, Bill Denbrough, allow Stanley Uris to come back into this world at free will. I will be the only one to see him. He’ll step in the land of the living and come out of it whenever he wants. That should do it. I’ll be watching you.”

“Will I be able to touch you that way?”

“Yes.”

“Will you be able to leave the house?”

“Yes. I’ll also be able to return to land of the dead if I’ll feel like it.”

“Cool. Ok. Let’s do it.” And with that Bill went in the backyard and did exactly as Stanley had instructed him. At first it seemed like nothing happened, so Bill decided to go back inside. Once inside, he felt a hand on his shoulder while going up the stairs. Turning around he came face to face with Stanley.

“Hi, Bill! Wow you have soft skin. I have soft skin. Your clothes look nice. Mine are kinda old. Your hair is so soft as well. Mine is curlier then yours I don’t really like it that much. What do you think? Is my hair that bad?” Stanley started rambling. Bill just looked at him with wide eyes. He was real. Bill took a step forward, throwing himself in Stanley’s arms. Stanley didn’t respond at first, but hugged back in the end. It was going to be one hell of a ride, teaching Stanley how to be human again, how would his parent’s react, showing Stanley the modern world, but he was ready. After all, Bill would do anything for love.

Hello, Erica here! I just wanted to thank @bi-teen-angst for the headcannons posted their account. Sorry for the bad grammar and for the fact that I am 1 year late with this. I wish everyone the best.

#stanley uris #it2017 #it 2019 #stenbrough #beverly marsh #bill denbrough #oneshot #stanbrough

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supernaturallyobsessedchic · 4 years

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When He’s Sick

Pairing: Dean x reader

Warnings: sick!dean (it’s a thing, trust me), man flu (most women in relationships, also maybe some gay men would know the constant struggles when their man is sick the ‘man flu’ (usually it’s a cold)), mentions of depression, mentions of panic attacks, fluffiness

Word Count: 2,466

a/n: was reading @supernatural-jackles preference list, the title is same as her preference when the boys are sick. Here’s my imagination running wild when I should be preparing to post 7 Days to Die. But, Dammit Jen’s so good, plus, Jen, I hope this is okay...I never talked ahead of time with you about it, this happened spontaneously....I guess read and let me know if it’s all good. If not I’ll remove it.

They had been in the town for a number of days. Hunt finished, long finished. But it turns out, someone, somewhere, somehow, the boys got sick with a nasty virus.

Sam was the first down and out. Not throwing up, but heating up with a fever. But his gut feeling like he isn’t going to last. Even if he ate something light on his stomach.

Y/N offered a small variety of foods to the giant. Saltines, applesauce, banana, toast, mashed potatoes, soup, anything light. But he turned it down.

She heard retching in the bathroom. That leaves with the older Winchester. Now when he’s sick, he’s sick. Really sick. Hearing him lose the contents of last night’s supper told her he wasn’t going to be able to keep anything solid down. At least not heavy. But they need to eat something.

He came out after washing up, pale as a ghost. If not dead already. It worried her, seeing how pale he was.

“Any leads on Dick?” He asks, words slurred. A garbled burp escaped. Only to turn into another throw up session. When he felt something coming up, he turned at his heel to make it to the toilet.

It had been weeks since Bobby’s death, Dean was running himself ragged finding Dick. Both him and Sam both wanted revenge. But at least, Sam knows when to stop to sleep and eat. But Dean, has one speed. Go.

She could only shake her head. He needs to take a break.

“You are in no condition to keep this up Dean.” She says from the door.

“Rain or shine, I’m hunting Dick.” He says. He hears her snort. “Oh grow up.” he groans as another wave hit him. Only making him groan louder, unable to throw up.

She took the time to head out to grab some supplies for them before they leave to head to the hunters cabin where they hid out, but also primarily lived.

Grabbing canned soups, broth, and even grabbed a thing of potatoes to mash up. She had weird, not so traditional ways of getting nourishment when sick but also something to be easy on the stomach.

Driving back she heads to their room. Sam still in bed, sound asleep. She hears a moan from the kitchen. To find Dean on the floor.

“Dean!” she says, concerned. Dropping the groceries on the table before rushing over to help him up.

“I’m fine.” He slurs.

“You’re not fine, you’re on the kitchen floor for no reason.” She says, helping him up.

She could feel the muscles in his arms trembling, they were fatigued.

“The floor moved on me.” He mumbles.

As she struggles to get him up right, she had his back at her chest, so his head fell back on her shoulder. He was out of it. But she wraps an arm around to touch his forehead.

“Dean, you’re burning up. We need to cool you off.” She says. Pushing him up to his feet.

“Seriously, I’m fine.” He continues.

He’s up, but knees weak nearly gave out. She has his arm around her shoulder as she practically dragged him to his bed. When his but landed on the side of the bed he didn’t stop the rest of his body to fall onto the bed with a significant bounce.

“No you’re not. You got something, you and Sam both. You threw up, and are running a fever. You need to stop and rest. It’s not gonna kill you.” She says.

He didn’t have the energy to fight her. He doesn’t even fight her when she takes his boots off. Undressing him down to his t-shirt and boxers, tucking him in bed under a thin layer of sheets.

I’m gonna have to play nurse. She thought.

Pulling the thermometer out on the boys. Sam rang a temperature in the hundreds, but it was easily manageable.

“102, just rest up Sam, ‘kay?” she says.

Sam nods. “No problem, this sucks.” He groans.

“I’m making some soup and mashed potatoes. It’s cream of chicken and veggie soup. What’s best is you could also put some of the soup on the potatoes.” She suggests.

“Sounds good, my stomach has calmed down some, so I’ll try some.” He says.

“That’s good.” She says.

“How’s Dean?” he asked.

“His fever is nearing 104, he ate a few saltines before taking the fever reducer. He’ll try to throw up, but it just turns into dry heaves, I can tell they hurt. Whatever he got, it’s worse than what you have.” She says.

“If he gets worse?” he asks.

“He might need to go to the hospital then. For all I know it’s just the flu.” She says.

“The flu can get bad though.” Sam goes.

“In kids and the immunocompromised. And the elderly…And the uninsured…” she listed.

Sam chuckled. “It’s so sad how it’s preventable, but the government makes it a fucking hassle to just take care of your own health.” He says.

“And they die as the end result, because the meds they need or the care they need are too much for them, and they can’t get them. It’s wrong on so many levels. It’s like they’re bullies stealing our lunch money, they’re holding it out of reach and we’re too short to grab it.” she says.

“That’s what I was thinking of saying. But I’m not thinking straight.” He says.

“It’s the fever. Rest up Sammy. I’ll tell the caretaker we’re staying until you two are a little better. At least better enough for the road trip back to the cabin.” She suggests.

“I know I could, him I’m worried about.” Sam says. She nods, agreeing.

She was only able to get them the room for a couple of more hours before they had to move out. Sam was able to eat her soup and potatoes, Dean not so much. The smell of the food made him gag.

“I’m sorry sweetheart, I just made it look like your food smells awful, and it don’t. it smells amazing, my stomach is just in knots.” Dean whines, rolling on his side in his bed.

“It’s okay Dean, I know. I could tell you wanted to try but your stomach is making it rough. I’ll just pack it up in some topper wear and I’ll pack us up and drive us back.” She says.

“Um, no, you’re not driving my car.” Dean says, trying to get up. Only to dry heave while getting up, lurching forward, nothing coming up.

“Dean, you’re in no condition. Neither is Sam. I couldn’t get us to stay longer. You’re just going to have to deal with it.” she says. “I’ll help you out to the car when we’re ready.” She says.

The drive was smoother than it could have been. Dean passed out in the back seat; Sam curled up in his usual sleeping position when it came to sitting in the passenger seat.

She didn’t like driving older vehicles. They drove like boats, and this was worse, it was a truck. The year wasn’t that far off, but it was old enough. The four door truck had comfy, inviting seats that took Sam and Dean into dreamland in the instant they got comfortable.

She managed to get the cabin just fine, unpacking without jostling them awake. She got their beds ready with cleaner sheets, Sam was easy to wake up. He was eager to get into a bed. Dean was reluctant, already cozy and relaxed he was content with sleeping in the truck.

“Dean, you can’t stay in here. You’ll make your fever worse.” She says, nudging him awake more.

“Fine.” He mumbles, sitting up sluggishly. Shoulders slumped.

“Come on Dean, I’ll help you.” She says.

“I can walk myself.” He snaps. He’s grumpy.

She snapped her hand away from him, letting him walk himself. But kept to herself after that. But it didn’t really stop her from checking in on him.

Cleaning the cabin she put on her phone her music she’d sing to while doing such chores. Grew up on country music she listened to some old Keith Urban Music, from his albums Defy Gravity, Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy thing, and Be Here, she dusted singing along to Standin’ Right in Front of You.

“Y/N, please stop singing! I’m trying to sleep!” she heard Dean shout from his room.

Feeling guilty, she just hummed the song as she cleaned. She felt bad for a minute, the feeling sticking with her throughout her cleaning.

She cooked up more soup for the boys, cleaned, and once done she just jammed out on the couch with the TV on Spanish Soap Operas. Trying to shake the guilt feeling she had early, as it crept back up on her.

That night, after the boys ate and got situated for bed, one Winchester had something on his mind.

She was watching cable television, surfing here and there trying to get away from Spanish Soaps, but always finding her way back when finding nothing else on. She heard the floor creak behind her.

Her headphones were off, music off, just relaxing watching TV, she turned to see the older Winchester standing adjacent of the couch. Looking exhausted.

“You’re not coming to bed?” he asked. Voice still rough from being sick.

“I’m not tired. Besides, you need the bed. You’re still sick.” She says softly.

“You’ve been cleaning all day, taking care of me and Sam, you’ve got to be exhausted.” He says, something off about his tone.

“Dean, it’s fine. Just go back to bed, rest.” She says kindly.

He doesn’t say anything to that, but sits on the couch with her.

“Do you even like Spanish Soap Operas?” he asks, hiding a chuckle.

“I don’t like Soap Operas period.” She says. “But we got only cable TV, and it’s 2 in the morning. There’s nothing on.” She says.

“I’m sensing there’s more going on.” Dean goes.

“Dean, why are you up in the first place?” She asks. “You’re sick, you need to rest to get better.” She adds.

“Well see, there’s this girl. She’s more than a friend to me. I’ve been kind of a dick to her lately.” He says.

“Dean, it’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have babied you; I should have kept it down when I was cleaning. It’s fine.” She says.

“And I know how sensitive you are, and can be. You love to take care of those you love. I’m the same way.” He says. “I guess I was more mad at myself for getting sick, I was so fixated on finding Dick I even didn’t care how sick I got.” He adds.

“You got a drive in you it’s scary, but it’s fine Dean. You’re only human. You have limitations, we all do. But you got to recognize your physical limitations and give yourself a break, and then get back at it again when you’re better.” She says.

“Back at you sweetheart.” He goes.

“Huh?” she asks.

“You got to know your mental limitations too. I’ve noticed how quiet you’ve been getting since we got sick. Plus, in the past, I’ve seen it happen. Sam mentioned it to me, Bobby knew it. Depression. It’s no joke Y/N. You got to take care of yourself mentally too.” Dean says.

She locks up, her walls going on. And he sees her tense. “And it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. but you can’t bottle it up. You got to deal with it. But you don’t have to do it alone.” He adds.

She nods, fiddling with her fingers.

“What has that demon told you in your head lately?” he asks.

“I’m not doing good enough to care for you or Sam.” She says quietly. Voice beginning to crack. “Stop trying.” She adds.

“You know that’s bull shit right?” he asks. He can see her shake her head.

“You snapped at me, yelled at me to keep it down.” she says. “That’s when it started getting bad.” She adds.

“And now?” he asks.

“It’s saying he’s going to throw you out; he doesn’t want you or your issues. You’re too much for him.” She says. Her throat holding back a sob.

“I’d never do that to you. You’re more than my friend, you’re my girl. I know I haven’t been the best friend lately. But I’m here now. Yes I’m sick, but I want to be there for my girl.” He says. “I’ll kick this demons ass for you, just tell me what you need.” He adds.

“I’m about to have a panic attack, I can feel it come on, can you hold me through it?” she asks, her voice disappearing.

Not saying a word, he invites her in his arms, and the two cuddle on the couch as she cries her eyes out, shakes and trembles, and works to get her breathing under control.

After a while she fallen asleep in the Older Winchester’s arms, when a wooden creak can be heard in the living room.

“How is she holding up?” Sam asks, walking in.

“She’s asleep now, that was a bad attack from the looks of it.” Dean says.

“How are you feeling by the way?” Sam asks.

“Better, but still a little under the weather. You?” He says.

“A bit better. Just a sore throat now.” Sam answers.

“I say we take care of her tomorrow, even if she’s not sick, but she needs us.” Dean says.

“I agree with that.” Sam says. “You up to carrying her or?” He asks.

“Dude, I’m exhausted. And I really don’t want to move her. Just grab us a blanket and some pillows, we’ll crash here.” Dean says with a groan.

“Sure thing.” Sam says with a tired smile. Heading into Dean’s room, grabbing a few blankets, a couple of pillows and heads back to the couch covering them up, and handing Dean the pillows.

“Night Jerk.” Sam goes.

“Night Bitch.” Dean says.

Sun rose high that morning. Dean woke up with, feeling a warm spot on his chest. Seeing her still asleep, not moving from her spot.

Brushing a strand of hair back, his fingers grace over her forehead. His brows furrow when he feels how warm she feels.

She moans, waking up, causing a dry cough.

“Sounds like someone got sick.” Dean says.

“I feel sick too.” She says, her voice rough and scratchy.

“I finally get to return the favor, and take care of you for a change.” He says with a big grin, hugging her close making her giggle.

“I’m loving it so far.” She says hugging him back.

Copying and reposting someone else’s content is plagiarism and illegal. This work is property of supernaturallyobsessedchic. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher. An electronic reference link to the original posted work may be provided for purposes of promotion or assistance of publication by the readers discretion, if proper credits are given to the author in the re-post. 10/2/2020

Dean Taglist:

@pandazombie69, @luci-in-trenchcoats, @supernatural-jackles, @becs-bunker, @mlovesstories, @winchesters-favorite-girl

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loveourfuture-c · 2 years

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4, 20, 24, 25, 29, 30, 35, 42, 43, 56, 59?

4. What are you looking forward to?

Christmas!!!! It’s honestly my favorite holiday and it makes me very happy. I’ve already been listening to Christmas music for awhile and I’m decorating tonight!

20. What’s your favorite song at the moment?

My favorite songs at the moment is

Nothing new by Taylor swift or Easy on me by Adele. I like them because they make me feel kind of sad.

24. Height?

I’m 5.4. I wish I was taller though

25. Role model?

Honestly, probably my older sister. She is my favorite person and was basically the best older sister a girl could ask for. She still is.

29. Favorite films?

While you were sleeping

Little women (2019)

Emma (2020)

Pride and prejudice (2005)

Bonus because it’s Christmas:

Annabelles wish

Muppets Christmas Carol

30. Favorite tv shows?

Never have I ever (of course)

Gilmore girls

Community

New Girl

Friends (it’s a comfort show)

Okay now bear with me for this one because I like it simply because it is trash.

Greys anatomy but the earlier seasons not so much the newist ones. It needs to end. (Also my toxic trait is being lowkey in love with Derek shepherd, also bawling when he dies. Everytime.)

35. Favorite subject?

I love Literature (English as it is sometimes called) I really loved writing essays in school. It was one of my favorite things.

42. Favorite books?

The goose girl by Shannon Hale

Emma by Jane Austen

Jane Eyre by Charlotte bronte

Beloved by Toni Morrison (everyone needs to read this book, it’s absolutely fantastic and so important)

Educated by Tara Westover (everyone should read this, it’s absolutely amazing)

43. Favorite song ever?

The middle by jimmy eat world. It’s just a very upbeat and happy song and I love listening to it whenever I need to feel better.

56. Favorite food(s)?

Potato soup, homemade bread with soft cheese spread on it, pot roast with mashed potatoes, pasta, rice, sushi, waffles, biscuits and gravy, venison jerky, and strawberries.

59. Why I joined tumblr?

For fandom stuff, at the time I first joined tumblr I was in high school and was lowkey obsessed with Sherlock bbc (I know I know). I actually deleted my blog as free high school for a while and rejoined not the toons after it deleted it. But I wasn’t very active. But then a couple years ago when I was watching Jane the Virgin and wanted to rant about it, I became active again.

#ask game #mutuals ❤️#lunasink #❤️❤️❤️❤️

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nothingeverlost · 4 years

Text

Henry Gold (8/?)

Summary: Regina asked for Gold’s help in procuring a child, but when he held the wee boy in his arms he couldn’t give the child up. Ten years later it’s Henry Gold who arrives in Boston, looking for Emma.

This chapter: Graham’s recovery, Sidney Glass appears, Emma starts her new job, and Henry makes friends.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3/ Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7

“He’ll be okay, won’t he dad?” Henry was, reluctantly, in his bed. He’d begged for a visit to see Graham but really one late night visit to the hospital was enough for a week. They would go in the morning, he’d promised.

“You heard what Emma said. He’s awake, his tests came back clear. They’re keeping him overnight as a precaution; he should be home in time for lunch tomorrow.” The doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with the sheriff’s heart, which was both true and ironic. Gold could have told them there was nothing wrong, except for the fact that it was in a cardboard box in the basement and not in Graham’s chest.

“What if it happens again?” From under the blankets Gold could see the fabric plunger that told him Henry had his dalek under the blankets. At ten it wasn’t often that he slept with the stuffed toy that had been his nightly companion from the age of four on, but Emma’s distressed call from the ambulance had rattled him. “The evil queen tried to hurt him.”

“I promise you it won’t happen again. He’s got Emma working for him now, and she’ll watch out for any trouble.” For the first time he almost wished he could tell Henry that he was right about everything, if only to reassure him that the evil queen didn’t have the power to hurt Graham any longer. It would give him even more to worry about, though, if he realized the scope of what they were dealing with. And then there was the fact that he would have to admit his own role in things.

“She’s staying for real, isn’t she dad? She has a job now, that has to mean that she’d not going back to Boston.” He grinned, and it was the first smile he’d seen since breakfastime.

“I think she is, Henry. I think she really is.” He kissed his son’s forehead and reached over to set the timer on the bed stand. “Fifteen minutes for reading and then it’s lights out, alright?”

“Yes dad.” He pulled a Percy Jackson book out from under his pillow and was quickly lost in the pages, concerns about curses and hearts put aside for a little while.

Too keyed up to sleep, Gold limped back downstairs, muscles sore from the walk into the forest as well as the climb into Regina’s vault. The ache was one he’d lived with for decades now, but before that he’d been free of pain for centuries and it was frustrating to know it was possible to be without the shattered bones and painful joints, but out of his grasp right now. He had pills for days when it was too bad, but tonight he headed for the bottle of scotch and poured himself a couple of fingers. It was an hour before Emma came home, trying her best to be quiet.

“Drink?” He offered once her eyes had a chance to adjust to the light and she was less likely to be startled.

“Why not?” She accepted the scotch he offered her, sinking down onto the couch and tossing back half of it in a gulp. “Whale oh so politely kicked me out. Said Graham needed his rest and thought I might be distracting.”

“Perhaps Graham wasn’t the only person he thought needed some rest.” She had dark circles under her eyes. He suspected she hadn’t slept well last night, after whatever had happened between her and Graham. “Did you have a chance to get anything to eat?”

“One of the nurses brought me a tray.” When her drink was gone she set down the glass, not seeking a refill. “I don’t like leaving him there alone.”

“The staff at the hospital is adequate. They can manage for a night.” When Whale regained his memories it was going to be interesting, but for now he was simply a decent doctor who spent far too much time flirting. An amusing contrast to the man he’d known.

“I’m more worried about unexpected and unwanted visitors. He ended things with Regina tonight and she didn’t take it well.”

“She rarely takes anything well unless it’s her own idea or she can claim it as her own.” Emma didn’t understand the weight of what she was saying. Graham had been Regina’s for almost four decades, and she didn’t let go easily. While the Saviour was always going to have an enemy in the evil queen, Emma had made a much more personal enemy of Regina Mills.

“I’ll call the hospital, make it clear that our sheriff is to have no visitors until morning. They know well enough not to cross me. Donations, and many pay me rent,” he offered as a vague explanation. In truth most residents of town held a fear for him that was in their bones, not understood because of their amnesia. He didn’t mention that Regina was most likely at home nursing a painful headache, if she wasn’t still unconscious, and probably not a threat for the immediate present.

“Thanks.” Emma leaned forward, looking like she wanted to stand but not quite having the energy. “Your mayor is a real piece of work.”

“I believe she’s your mayor too, Deputy.” She didn’t wear the badge yet, but she would. A golden star. It was good; symbols had power and they could use every bit of power they had. Emma as deputy was something he would have arranged himself, eventually. It was so much easier being Graham’s idea.

“Great.” Emma pulled together enough energy to stand. “Is Henry alright?”

“He’s worried, but he fell asleep after I promised we’d see the sheriff tomorrow. He’ll be glad to see you in the morning.” His boy was getting quite attached. It was strange, to think of sharing his son with anyone. With Bae Milah was never quite there even before she’d left.

“I’ll be glad to see him too.”

“Alright so kid, lunch with your dad and then it’s back to the hospital to pick up Graham.” Henry had insisted on spending most of the morning with her, after their first visit to the hospital. They’d been to the grocery store to pick up grapes, chicken soup, mashed potatoes and any other ‘sick’ foods they could think of, dropping them off at Graham’s apartment. They’d rented a stack of videos, because Storybrooke was backward enough to still have a video rental store. Most of the movies at Neverending Stories were older, but she’d found a few she thought might entertain Graham. Henry had insisted on renting the Disney version of Robin Hood, because of the archery contest. Henry had been very excited when their morning errands had included a stop at the sheriff’s station to pick up Graham’s jacket. He’d carefully examined all three desks in the main room before declaring that she should claim the one by the window. If she was by the window, he decided, she could get a plant for her desk. Mostly, she knew, he was excited about the fact that she had a job, and that meant sticking around.

“We could get him a milkshake,” Henry suggested as they approached the diner.

“I don’t think that much sugar and dairy is what you give someone that just had a… whatever he had.” Emma’s jaw clenched when she thought of him collapsing on the ground, talking about his heart. The heart she’d seen very clearly on the sonogram Whale had run. But it was less than 24 hours and he was already an hour and a half from being released, so she had to believe that it was alright. “We’ll heat up that soup, okay? Maybe some crackers.”

“Can I have a milkshake?” He looked up at her, grinning, and she had to laugh as she ruffled his hair.

“That’s up to your dad.” She was feeling lighter as they walked side by side into the diner. Everyone was staring at her, but she assumed that was about Graham, or the news of her new job was already spreading. Gold had a booth for them already, and she slid in across from him. Henry took the spot next to his dad. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Gold’s answer was more terse than she’d expected. She frowned, and noticed that he glanced briefly at the table. Shoved half under the condiment containers there was a rumpled newspaper. When she started to reach for it he tried to take it away but it was too late. It unfolded to the front page.

EX-JAILBIRD EMMA SWAN BIRTHED BABE BEHIND BARS

“Shit.” She didn’t know where they got a picture, she certainly hadn’t posed for it, but when she scanned the bi-line she found it was written by Sidney Glass, a man she’d only met once but who was known to be in the mayor’s pocket. “Oh shit.”

“I was born in jail?” Henry was too quick, reading the headline upside down before she’d had a chance to fold the paper up again. She should have caught Gold’s warning but it was too late. She looked at Henry, and then shifted her gaze to his father. He couldn’t help her, though. Not when the bold lines were shouting the truth.

“It’s supposed to be sealed documents, because I was a juvenile at the time. I don’t know how anyone found out.” No, that was a lie. It had to be Regina, she knew that. “I made some mistakes, and trusted someone I shouldn’t have trusted. Sorry, kid. It’s not exactly the once upon a time sort of story you might have hoped for.”

“It’s kind of funny, don’t you think?” Henry didn’t seem to be bothered. Gold was more quiet, and harder to read, but Henry was actually grinning.

“What’s funny?” she asked.

“You were in jail one time and now you’re a deputy and you can put people in jail if you want. It’s better now, isn’t it?” Henry folded the paper in half and pushed it back under the mustard.

“Yeah, it’s better now.” That didn’t change the fact that she wanted to go to the Mirror’s office and shake Sidney Glass. She had more important things to do, though. After lunch it was time to return to the hospital and pick up Graham.

“Emma, if I could have a minute?” Gold stopped her just outside of the diner’s door. She handed her keys to Henry and let him run ahead to the bug.

“I’m sorry he found out, Gold. That’s not exactly a story I was planning on telling him.” Emma shoved her hands into her jean pockets.

“I’m sorry for whatever it was that led you to that place when you were that young. It doesn’t matter, though. In case you thought it might change my mind about anything I just wanted you to know that it didn’t. It doesn’t change who you are. We all have things in our past that we’d rather forget.”

“Thanks.”

“And a word of caution, you want to think before you approach Glass. He’s not a good enough reporter or a brave enough man to come up with that on his own. He’s always been a pushover for Regina. Anything you tell him is going to get back to her.”

“Yeah.”

“Let me know if you need me to come pick up Henry. His exuberance might be a bit much for our recovering friend in a small space.” With a nod to Emma and a wave to his son Gold was off, crossing the street to his shop to remove the ‘out to lunch’ sign he’d hung up.

“Ready kid?” She slid into the driver’s seat, holding her hand out for her keys so they could head for the hospital. Five times in one week so far was a habit she hoped they wouldn’t continue.

“Did you have lunch yet? I can heat up some soup while you get settled in bed.” Emma held open the door, annoyed that Graham had insisted on taking the flight of stairs rather than wait for the elevator to the second floor apartment. Henry was digging through his bag for the drawing he’d made earlier to welcome Graham home, in which Graham’s bow and arrows featured prominently.

“I’m not tired, I can sit on the couch.” Emma frowned when he veered towards the brown sofa that had seen better days.

“Whale said you need to rest,” she reminded him. He’d been dehydrated on top of the exhaustion, and had been on an IV overnight. His color was better, at least.

“Emma, I’m fine. Yesterday seems almost like a dream.” When he was sitting down he started to untie his boots. He’d dressed in the same shirt from the day before but his vest and tie were in a bag

“More like a nightmare,” Emma muttered while she fussed around the kitchen looking for a can opener. Graham didn’t have a microwave, something she assumed was a basic in all kitchens, so she looked for a pot as well. “Whale’s a doctor, you’re a cop, so guess whose opinion I’m going to trust?”

“Compromise? I’ll eat the soup and rest, but not in bed. I’ve been in bed since last night.” Henry sat next to him on the couch, a piece of paper in one hand and a stack of vhs tapes in the other. If she knew the kid he was going to be glued to Graham for the next couple of hours. Better than putting an alarm around his ankle.

“Sure. I’ll even toss in some popcorn if you eat all your soup.” She knew from his answers to Whale that he hadn’t eaten much the day before. She wasn’t going to let him get hungry and dehydrated on her watch. She warmed up the soup in a pot, stirring it idly while it heated, and got out a glass of water. When she was about ready she glanced over at the sofa where Graham and Henry were bent over the picture Henry had drawn. Henry was pointing out features, looking up at Graham to make sure he noticed. Graham was looking down at the kid and smiling. She’d never seen Henry look so comfortable with anyone else before, except his dad. Maybe with her, but that was harder to judge. She’d never seen Graham look so relaxed either.

She wasn’t sure how she felt, and wasn’t ready to think about it either. Graham was now her boss, but also the guy she’d kissed, and held his hand in the hospital. Twenty-four hours ago she’d been ready to punch him, and a little more than twelve hours ago she’d been afraid of losing him. And that was simple, compared to how she felt about Henry and who she was in his life.

“Emma, can we have butter on our popcorn like at the movies?” Henry asked. She was glad for the voice that pulled her from her muddy thoughts.

“You can. Graham can’t.” She found a spoon in the drawer and carried the bowl of soup and glass of water to the couch. “In a little while I’ll run out and pick up some hot cocoa for all of us, though.”

After making three bowls of popcorn - Henry’s dripping with butter because apparently that’s the only way he liked it - she joined them on the sofa, sitting on the other side of Henry.

It was starting to get dark when someone woke her, a hand shaking her shoulder. When she glanced at the tv the movie playing was not Robin Hood.

“Dad wants to know if we’ll be home for dinner.” Henry was holding her cell phone. “Graham was it was okay to answer since we could see that it was my dad calling.”

“Okay.” She sat up straighter, stretching her neck which was a little sore. It was then that she realized someone had covered her with a blanket. “How long?”

“A couple of hours. You missed one movie entirely and half of the other two.” Emma glanced at the table and saw that the dishes were gone. Considering that Henry had to be poked and prodded to remember to clean things it had to be Graham.

“You should have woken me up.” She was supposed to be the one looking after him. Instead she’d left a ten year old in charge while she slept. A ten year old that had been sitting watching tv for hours. “Let your dad know we’ll be home soon, Henry.”

“You had less sleep last night than I did. I thought about waking you up to tell you to use the bed because this isn’t the best napping couch, but I figured you’d resist.” Emma looked over her shoulder towards his bedroom briefly, and shook her head. Graham moved a little, filling the void where Henry had been sitting. His fingers lightly rested on her arm. His voice dropped. “She was never here, just so you know. Not in my apartment and not in my bed. This was too rustic, or out of her control.”

Emma blinked, unsure of what to say. Not sure how he knew that she’d wondered, or maybe it was on his own mind and he just needed to say it. Hearing Henry wrapping up his conversation she just nodded. “I’m going to come back after I take the kid home, probably in an hour or so. Do you need me to pick anything up?”

“You don’t have to come back. I’m not going any further than from here to bed, and I’m not going anything more strenuous than making a sandwich. I’m fine, Emma. Whale said I can go back to work tomorrow. I’ll meet you at the station and start showing you the ropes.”

“I’ll be back after dinner,” she repeated. She wasn’t just going to leave him for the rest of the night. She also needed to talk to him about the newspaper. He hadn’t seen it yet but there was no way he’d go long without being told the story. She was certain Regina would make sure of that.

“I don’t suppose you’d bring me a donut for dessert?” For just a moment he looked at her almost exactly the way Henry did when asking for a treat, and she was tempted to ruffle his hair.

“Not even going to answer that.” She refilled Graham’s water and made sure the remote was close at hand before ushering Henry out the door. She’d only be gone an hour or two.

The Mirror’s office was a single room with a handful of desks on the second floor of the building. The first floor was taken up with the printing press. When Gold arrived late in the afternoon the first floor was empty and only two people were in the office.

“The work day is over soon. You should take an early leave, dearie,” he told the receptionist. The woman barely glanced over her shoulder before gathering up her things.

“Have a good evening, Mr. Gold.” She was quick to leave, probably heading straight for the home he rented to her. That left Sidney Glass as the only other person in the room. He appeared focused on his computer but his hands weren’t moving and when Gold approached the only thing on the screen was a search bar.

“Having a productive evening, Mr. Glass? Or are you waiting on Regina to email you your next front page story?” He stayed directly behind Sidney Glass, meaning he could only half make out the man’s facial expressions in the reflection of the screen, but he knew it would make Sidney sweat more.

“Mayor Mills doesn’t work for the paper.” Gold could all but hear him swallow.

“So you’re saying that you, all on your own, decided to do an expose on Emma Swan? To track down a sealed court document you didn’t know about and reveal it to everyone in town?” There was no way Glass had the ability or the connections. Or the imagination. They both knew it.

“She’s going to be working for the town as a deputy. The people deserve to know.” Glass’s hands wrapped around the edge of the desk. Gold was almost amused to see the tension.

“How does her abandonment as a child or the mistakes of a teenager make any difference when it comes to her job now?” He leaned in, just a little. Like a magnet with the same pole Glass leaned a little farther away.

“As law enforcement…”

“She will do her job and she will do it well. Nothing you said will change that or make anything better for the people of this town.” He leaned down, lowering his voice until it wasn’t much more than a whisper. “The two people most affected by what you call reporting are Emma Swan and the babe she chose to give up for adoption, a very difficult decision for any mother. Ms. Swan is my guest, and as such I am unhappy when she is slandered. And the babe, Mr. Glass. Do you know what happened to her babe?”

“Yes, Mr. Gold.” He squirmed, and tried to move away. Gold used his left hand on Glass’s shoulder to hold him in place.

“Then you know why I’m not happy. And why I will be even more unhappy if I see another report like that in the tabloid you call a newspaper. Do you want me to be unhappy, Mr. Glass?” Gold wrinkled his nose; the smell of fear and sweat wasn’t a pleasant one.

“I don’t rent from you a-a-and you don’t own the paper.” Glass tried one last attempt at bravado.

“Do you really think raising rent is the worst I can do?” He paused for a moment, squeezing the other man’s shoulder. After a beat he let go, turned, and started walking away. “If you’re not afraid go ahead and try. Just remember I gave you a chance.”

He smiled as he left the building, and picked up his phone to call Emma and see if she and Henry were coming home for dinner.

“Okay, so I assume that you’re planning some sort of background check at some point, right?” Emma had always been a ‘rip the bandaid off’ type. She barely let Graham close the door before asking the question.

“There’s some paperwork to fill out with references, but I’m not really worried.” Graham watched her pace for a minute before grabbing her arm just enough to stop her for a moment. He held it loosely enough that she could pull away if she wanted. “What’s this about? You’re upset about something other than my visit to the hospital.”

“There was a story in the Mirror today. I was in jail.” She would have had to tell him that much, because of the job. She could have left Henry out of it, and not made her story sound like the soap opera it looked like in the paper.

“I’ve only missed one day of work. You work fast.” He grinned, but it quickly faded when the joke didn’t make her respond in kind. “What do you mean?”

“When I was seventeen I was caught with stolen property. I spent eleven months in minimum security.” She took a breath, not able to meet his eyes. “I didn’t know I was pregnant until I’d been in for a month.”

“Henry.”

“Yeah, he was born in the prison infirmary.” She could still remember the stripes on the wallpaper and the window that was the only one she saw for months without bars on it.

“And he found out from the newspaper.”

“Yeah.” He hadn’t asked about it since lunch, but there’d been a lot going on. She’d talk to him about it again when he’d had more time to digest it.

“That bitch, I’ll…”

“No.” It didn’t occur to her that Graham would have understood so quickly. She’d underestimated him. The last thing she could handle was Graham facing Regina so soon. She’d taken too much from him already. He still held one of her arms. She wrapped her other hand around his upper arm. It wouldn’t take much to pull him into a hug, or let him hug her. “Please.”

“She’s lashing out at you because of me.” She’d seen him upset. Seen him resigned. Seen him happy and joking. She hadn’t seen him angry yet. Something told her the glare on his face could get worse. His hand around her arm tightened, though he probably wasn’t aware. She wondered if it was enough to leave a bruise.

“Hey, I’m capable of making enemies all on my own.” She shifted her hand from his arm to his chest, resting her palm over his heart. It was beating, but not too fast. “I just needed you to hear it from me before someone else told you or you picked up the paper.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that I want you to work with me.” He leaned forward, and when she might have expected a kiss he touched his forehead to hers. “It doesn’t change anything else, either.”

She almost nodded, but didn’t want to make him move away. “Yeah, okay.”

Her first official call came the next afternoon. Graham had jokingly asked if she wanted backup since it was a couple of ten year olds caught stealing candy. She’d rolled her eyes and warned him that she’d already called the donut shop and put him on a ‘do not serve’ list, so not to bother trying to sneak one while she was gone.

“Henry?” The three shoplifters were all lined up when she got there, backpacks open. Henry’s had chocolate bars inside.

“I didn’t take anything, Emma. I promise.” Henry looked so worried and confused that Emma probably would have believed him even without her lie detector.

“Oh course you didn’t.” Gold must have parked just a moment after her, as he entered the store before she had a chance to say anything else. “I assume you have video evidence, Mr. Clark? If not this is simply circumstantial and you have no way of proving that Henry was the one to put the candy in his bag.”

When Clark muttered something about the CCTV being broken Gold laughed. “As I suspected. Deputy, as you have two other suspects may I take Henry home? I believe you know where to find us if you have any more questions.”

“Just leave his bag here, I’ll bring it back to him later.” She should at least take pictures and make sure the candy was returned. She squeezed Henry’s shoulder as he left, and turned to the other two kids. “Did you call their parents?”

“The number they gave me was disconnected,” he said, glaring at the kids.

“Did you guys give Mr. Clark a fake number?” For a moment when she looked at the girl standing in front of her brother she saw herself, chin tilted up in fake confidence as she shook her head. She’d lied about her parents more than once and had a fake number rehearsed in case she needed it. “Then why’s it disconnected?”

“Our parents couldn’t pay the bill.” Both kids dropped their gaze. Emma took a closer look at their bags. Unlike the one Henry had - which she was certain they had helped him with - their own bags held toothpaste, tins of tuna, crackers, and packages of raisins. There was a roll of toilet paper in one of the bags.

“You guys are just trying to help out.” She’d owned a backpack that had, more than once, looked similar. It was ironic that of all the things she’d stolen in her life, including a stolen car, the one thing she’d gotten caught with she hadn’t stolen at all. She looked at Mr. Clark. “There’s no reason to press charges if someone pays for this stuff, right?”

She could help out a little, and make sure they got home safe. Maybe she could figure out a way to help their parents too.

“You’ve brought guests.” Emma had texted an hour ago that she was picking up burgers on her way home. He’d expected her and the food. He hadn’t expected the kids.

“You guys can take these into the dining room. Henry will help you.” Emma handed the bags to the kids and waited until all three were out of earshot. “I didn’t know what else to do. They were living in a basement on their own. Their mom is dead and they don’t know anything about their dad. Regina’s demanding I take them to Boston for foster care but that seems cruel without at least trying to find their dad. Bad enough that they become someone’s meal ticket and get lost in the system, but the chances of finding a place that will take both of them is slim.”

“Some homes are better than that, aren’t they?” He meant to tell her that she’d done the right thing. She couldn’t take the kids out of town and terrible things would happen if she tried. Of course Regina would do her best to make that happen; what did she care for the possible death of a couple of kids if a car accident killed or maimed the Savior? But Bae might have been in the same system that Emma had lived though. Might feel the same things. Might still be stuck in a home feeling like someone’s meal ticket.

“They’re the rare ones, and the older you are when you start in the system the less likely it is that anyone wants you. That’s why I signed the release of parental rights for Henry, I had to make it as easy as possible for someone to adopt him.” They had reassured her that he was healthy and white baby boys were always in demand. She’d still feared that he could have been bounced back into the system, a fear that had only vanished after he showed up at her door. “Graham and I will work on figuring it out tomorrow, but I need somewhere for them to stay for the night. I know it’s an imposition, but…”

“The boy can bunk down in Henry’s room, I’m sure he won’t mind sharing. The girl can have the spare room.” It was better to keep them close, giving Regina less opportunity to make any plans. “Now let’s join the children before our food gets cold or they eat all the fries. Henry alone can take on a plateful, provided he has enough ketchup.”

After dinner the children made cookies from a box mix he had in the pantry. He let Emma supervise, mostly because it served to distract her, but also so he could stand back and observe. Henry was enjoying himself. He’d never spent much time with his own peers outside of school. For years he’d put it down to his own reputation and parents not being overly interested in letting their children spend time at the Gold residence. Now, however, he was aware of the curse and the fact that the ten year olds entertaining his son had also been ten when Henry had been taking his first steps. They’d been ten when Emma had taken her first steps as well. In a town where only one child aged his peer group didn’t exist. For some reason his mind flitted to Jefferson, alone in his mansion, watching his daughter from afar celebrate the same birthday 28 times.

He would keep Ava and Nicholas in town, fighting Regina if it was necessary. His son wasn’t going to lose the friends he was beginning to find. “Ava, what is that necklace you’re wearing?”

“It belonged to our mother.” Her fingers were a little sticky when she took the chain from around her neck and handed it to him. “She said it was a gift from our father but we don’t know his name.”

“It’s an interesting piece. Crystal, with a jeweled setting and an eye for detail. One might even say one of a kind.” One might even say it was the only one that existed in their world, since it was made in another. He should have known, when he’d seen them both and Emma had mentioned their homelessness.

“Is it unique enough that we might be able to figure out where it was brought? They might know who purchased it.” Emma washed her hands in the sink and dried them on a towel, suddenly focused. “Where would you buy something like that?”

“You might buy it in a shop that specializes in the one of a kind and rare. We happen to have a place like that on Main Street.” Of course it had never been in his shop, not really, but that didn’t matter. Emma would believe him, and he could pass on what he knew without having to tip his hat. He certainly couldn’t direct her to Henry’s book and the story of Hansel and Gretel.

“You sold it?”

“It was in far better condition a dozen years ago. It comes as no surprise that a ten year old doesn’t value antiques.” It was an elegant piece, though, and not the first time he’d seen it. It was the first time he’d held it in this world, but Mr. Gold had a memory of it.

“Would you have any records about who bought it?” she asked hopefully.

“I can do you one better. My memory, especially as it applies to such pieces, is very good. And lucky for us the man who bought this from me is still in town.” He almost laughed. Everyone was still in town. Well everyone except that one unfortunate father and son, but that was years ago. “In fact you’ve met him. It’s an interesting circle, don’t you think, that Michael Tillman brought you back to town when Henry was missing and now you might be watching his children to keep them from leaving town?”

“Tillman bought the compass?” She frowned as she looked at the kids. He wondered if she was trying to remember the mechanic’s face and if any traits were familiar.

“He was rather fond of camping and hiking, if I remember correctly.” He was more fond of being able to find his way home through the sometimes tricky woods with a cart of lumber. Now he didn’t even know what he should be looking for.

“I’ll go see him in the morning.” A burst of laughter came from the counter area and they both looked over to see all three children bent over the cookie dough where something amused them all. Emma, watching them, smiled. He wondered if she had a clue how much she looked like Henry when she smiled freely.

“I wish you luck.”

The only good thing she could say about Monday was that there was a new edition of the Mirror and she no longer had to walk past racks with her own face staring back at her.

“I’ll take another,” she said, pushing her cocoa mug across the counter when Granny walked past.

“Two cocoas in a row? Must be a bad day.” Mary Margaret slid onto the bar stool next to her. “Want to talk about it?”

“It’s not the cocoa so much as it’s the cinnamon whiskey in the cocoa.” Which was why a second was a bad idea. “Hold the shot, Granny.”

“Two cocoas with cinnamon but no whiskey coming up,” Granny said, looking at Mary Margaret and waiting for her to nod her head.

“Thank you Granny.” Mary Margaret folded her hands neatly in her lap. “Is this about Graham? I heard he has a clean bill of health and he’s already back on the job.”

“This is about Nicholas and Ava Zimmer.” She’d run a search on Dory Zimmer, and found no relatives. Other than Tillman there didn’t seem to be anyone for the kids.

“Still haven’t found any family for them?” Mary Margaret frowned.

“Just because you find family doesn’t mean they want to be found. You get these fantasies, when you’re a kid in foster care, about your real family. I think most kids had them. That someone was going to show up one day, your parents, maybe an aunt if your parents were dead. And they were going to want you. Files had gotten mixed up, or you’d been stolen from them, and it was all a mistake. They’d been searching for you. And everything would change because you’d be out of the system and instead of being a way for someone to earn a few bucks you’d be in a home with your family.” She’d waited for sixteen years for her parents to show up. She’d spent more years as an adult looking for them before deciding that they didn’t care enough to be found. “But that’s all it is, a fantasy. Biology doesn’t make you a parent. It doesn’t mean you’re willing to make space in your life for your kids when the only other option sucks.”

“Maybe he just needs time?” Mary Margaret reached out and rested his hand over Emma’s. “It must have been a shock finding out that he has kids he never knew about.”

“I don’t have time to let him get used to it. The Mayor wants me to take the kids to Boston tonight. She’s arranged for homes. Two of them.” It was weird how hands on she was about the case, but Emma assumed it was another one of her power plays, like the newspaper article. “Once they separate the kids they might never get a home together.”

“The system is meant to help them.”

“That’s just another fairy tale.” Emma’s shoulder slumped as she reached for the hot cocoa. Her hands were warm but the warmth did little for her heart. She had a long drive ahead of her and a couple of hearts she could break but couldn’t mend.

“They can’t leave dad. Something bad’s going to happen.” Henry stood in the middle of the street as if ready to run after the yellow bug that was already out of reach. Gold assumed that Emma could see him in the rear view mirror if she was looking. It wouldn’t be any easier to see than the children in the back of the car. “We have to stop her.”

“We have to trust her.” If he knew Emma she had at least one plan up her sleeve. He desperately hoped so. He’d paid a visit of his own to Michael Tillman, though he couldn’t risk being too bold about it. He’d simply mentioned a cottage that he’d recently decided to rent out, a small place on the edge of the forest. It needed work, and he’d wondered if Tillman knew of anyone good with their hands that might take a reduced rent in return for repairs. It was a seed planted.

“The curse, dad. People get hurt if they try to leave. What if Emma gets hurt and is in a coma like her dad? What if she…” Henry turned and buried his face in Gold’s vest, unable to finish the sentence. Gold wrapped one arm around him.

“It will be alright, my lad. It will.” If the universe made a liar of him he would hunt someone down and hurt them.

“I don’t want her to go.” Henry’s voice was muffled, Gold gave him one more squeeze and led him over to one of the benches that lined the street. While Henry might believe in the curse Gold suspected it was a lot less real then the idea of losing the woman he’d only recently found.

“Emma is a part of our lives now. Whatever else happens, that’s not something that’s going to change. She has chosen to be here, just like I chose to bring you into my home when you were just a wee little thing. It’s the choosing that makes you family, Henry. Choosing to open yourself up to loving someone and letting them love you.” It was a choice he’d made only a few times in centuries, and every time had brought so much pain that he’d closed himself off again. But it was the memories of love he carried with him, above all else. Bae. Belle. Henry.

“Do you think my biological dad loves me? Nicholas and Ava’s dad doesn’t want them.” Henry was close at his side, and in the dim street lighting it was hard to make out his expression.

“I can’t imagine him doing anything other than loving you.” He didn’t like to think too much on the man that clearly hadn’t stuck around long enough to know his son, or to help Emma when she was in trouble. “But I can tell you for certain that this dad loves you very much.”

“I love you too, dad.” Henry held tight to his arm and didn’t ask any more questions. Minutes passed, and then almost half an hour. Gold was about to suggest that they go home to wait someplace a little warmer when a familiar yellow car turned the corner.

“Look what I see, son.”

“Emma.” Henry jumped up from the bench at a speed Gold wouldn’t be able to match even if his knee wasn’t aching from the cold, and waited at the edge of the sidewalk for Emma to park the car. “You’re back.”

“My engine stalled just before I hit the town limits and I had to call for a tow again. Lucky for me the problem seemed to go away; maybe it was because I had two less people in the car.” She leaned against the car and grinned down at Henry. “Ava and Nicholas will see you at school tomorrow. They’re on their way home with their dad.”

“You did it. You changed things.” Henry’s hug was more enthusiastic than the one he’d gotten, but he was glad to share. The smile on Henry’s face was worth it. “And you’re back.”

“I was always going to come back, kid. I live here, remember? I’ve got a job and everything.” She touched the badge on her waist. When she looked over at Gold she nodded; he knew she understood that Henry needed the reminder that she was settling down. “Speaking of my job I need to head home and get some sleep. I have paperwork to fill out tomorrow and I promised Graham I’d pick him up one donut on my way in.”

Gold was about to make a wry comment when an engine revved and a motorcycle came down the street. No one in town had a motorcycle. Gold didn’t have to wait for the man to park and take off his helmet to know that he was a stranger.

Strangers didn’t come to Storybrooke. He could count the number that had on one hand.

“Is this Storybrooke?” Gold’s stomach tightened. It didn’t sound like an honest question. He would bet anything that the stranger knew exactly where he was.

“Yeah,” Emma said, head cocked to one side as she examined him. Gold hoped she was suitably wary.

“Any place to get a room around here?”

“You’re staying?” Henry was just as curious but not as leery. Gold hoped it was the motorcycle and not the man that had caught his son’s interest.

“Thought I might, for a while at least. It’s as good a place as any.”

“Granny’s Bed and Breakfast is just up the road – another two blocks.” Emma pointed down the road.

“Thank you.” After putting his helmet back on the stranger headed down the road. Gold was certain it wasn’t the last they’d see of him, though he wouldn’t mind if the widow Lucas hung the ‘no vacancy’ sign on her door.

“Stranger in town, haven’t seen that yet.” Emma watched until the motorcycle was out of sight. “Guess that’s what happens when you live someplace so far off the beaten path.”

“No one come here. It’s the curse.” Once again Gold marveled at just how clever his boy was, and how much he’d worked out about the curse and the people from his book.

“Sure kid.” Emma slung an arm around Henry. “Want to ride home with me or your dad?”

“Is it okay if I go with Emma?” Henry asked predictably. Gold nodded. He followed a minute later, but stopped in front of the diner to stare at the now parked motorcycle, fairly normal looking except for the box on the back. There was a light on in one of Granny’s upper windows. The stranger had found a room for the night.

Gold headed home. Emma was on the phone, and from what he could hear she was talking to Graham. Henry was getting ready for bed, the dalek back on the bookcase, book already waiting on his pillow. The sleeping back Nicholas had used the night before was rolled up neatly in the corner, waiting to be put away now that it wasn’t needed.

“Can we read a chapter together?” Henry flopped down on his bed. “Hades is in this part and you have the best Hades voice.”

“Of course.” He sat at the end of the bed and waited for his son to settle, then picked up the book and started to read like he had thousands of times before. Not everything had to change. Some things were good as they were.

#verse: henry gold #fic: henry gold #gremma #emma swan #mr. gold #henry gold #Graham Humbert #mary margaret blanchard #ava zimmer #nicholas zimmer #1.08 desperate souls #1.09 true north #emma swan & henry #mr. gold & henry #graham humbert & henry #my fic

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sunriserose1023 · 5 years

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Unexpected (7)

WORD COUNT: 5151 WARNINGS FOR THE SERIES: THIS IS AN AU; unplanned pregnancy, pregnancy symptoms, language, angst, fluff, sexual content, flashbacks, medical descriptions/procedures, emotional crap; more warnings will be added as the series progresses.

Masterlist Read this series on Ao3 HERE.

The One With the New Girl

You walked into Pepper and Tony’s apartment, seeing Christine sitting at the table, scrolling through her phone. She smiled at you and you walked over, leaning over the back of one of the chairs.

“Guess what.”

Christine raised her eyebrows and you smiled.

“Baby’s the size of a brussel sprout this week.” “Aw! Our little brussel sprout.”

You smiled and pulled the chair out, sitting across the table from her.

“Yep. Never mind the leg cramps that wake me up at night and the sore, oversized boobs. I’m having a brussel sprout.”

Christine smiled.

“This is so much fun. I’ve never cared about random fruits and veggies until now.”

You laughed, resting back in the chair and laying a hand on your stomach. Christine nodded to you.

“Can you feel anything yet?”

You shook your head.

“My app says the baby should be moving around and stuff by now, but it’ll still be a while before I can feel it. Maybe we’ll get to see at the doctor’s appointment next week.” “How exciting!”

You and Christine looked over as Pepper came out of the bedroom wrapped in her robe, yawning widely. She shook her head at you and waved towards the door.

“I love you dearly, but I need coffee.” “I’ll go, but real quick. Have either of you heard from Steve?”

Christine looked down at her phone and Pepper shook her head as she yawned again.

“Not today, why?”

You shrugged.

“I called him the other night and left a voicemail and he hasn’t responded. I texted him too, but I didn’t hear from him all weekend. So he’s either ignoring me or he’s turned off his read receipts.”

Pepper shook her head and you sighed.

“If you see or hear from him, ask him to call me, will you? I’ve got to go to work.”

Pepper nodded and you blew her a kiss before you left. When the door closed behind you, Pepper turned to Christine, crossing her arms over her chest.

“All right, spill.” “What?” “You went strangely quiet when she asked about Steve. What’s up?”

Christine sighed, tossing her phone to the table.

“It’s not my business to tell.” “Like that has ever stopped us.”

Christine sighed again, nodding towards the coffee pot. Pepper pressed the button and it began percolating. She turned back, sucking in a breath as Christine met her eyes and shook her head.

“You’re not going to like it.”

You were standing in the kitchen, slowly stirring a large pot of what was now potato soup when Bucky walked in. He frowned at you and you shook your head.

“I don’t know. It sounded good and nothing has sounded good to me in forever.” “Well, I’m game. Who cares if it’s ninety degrees outside?”

You smiled, glancing over your shoulder at him.

“It’s actually soup this time. Remember last time when it was like mashed potatoes?” “Hey, it was still good.”

You smiled, grabbing two bowls from the cabinet and filling one for Bucky, handing it to him before filling yours. He sat at the bar, blowing on a spoonful of the soup before eating it. He groaned, nodding his head.

“God, this is good.”

You smiled, taking a bite of your own soup, eyes widening when you swallowed.

“It is good.” “Hey, maybe we finally found something our little gummy bear likes.”

You smiled, glancing down at your not-yet-blossoming stomach. Bucky had studied your sonogram photos, then took to trying to convince everyone that the baby looked like a gummy bear. It had worked, to your amusement. You lifted the spoon to your lips, blowing on it before taking another bite.

“It’s the size of a brussel sprout this week.” “Aw, those are so little!”

You laughed, stirring your spoon around your soup.

“Hey, Buck?”

He made a noise because his mouth was full, and you couldn’t help the smile before you spoke.

“Have you heard from Steve lately?”

He nodded as he swallowed.

“Yeah, I talked to him when he got out of class earlier.”

You pursed your lips and nodded your head. You glanced at the counter, then set your bowl down.

“Do you want something to drink?”

Bucky nodded and you walked to the fridge.

“Beer, water, or apple juice?”

Bucky laughed.

“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” “You know what? You can get your own drink.” “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I will take whatever you give me.”

You rolled your eyes and grabbed a beer, sliding it across the bar to him. He twisted off the top and tossed it towards the trash can, both of you wincing when it bounced off the side and clinked onto the floor.

You stared into your bowl and Bucky took a drink from his beer.

“Hey.”

You lifted your eyes to his and he smiled at you.

“What’s up?”

You blew out a breath, leaning over the counter.

“I think Steve’s mad at me.” “What makes you think that?” “I called him like three days ago and he still hasn’t called me back. I texted him and he’s either ignoring it or he’s turned off his read receipts. I tried to call him again and it just goes straight to voicemail, so if you’ve talked to him, then it’s just me.”

Bucky shook his head.

“Why would he be mad at you?”

You shook your head.

“I don’t know. I mean, I went and talked to him about my business dinner the other night and he said he was fine with it.” “And you believed him?”

You rolled your eyes.

“Don’t start.” “Come on, Y/N. You told the father of your child that you were going on a date—don’t even try to feed me that ‘business dinner’ bullshit—with another guy and he was fine with it?” “He said he was! Am I supposed to call him a liar?” “I don’t know, did you tell him that you were dying for him to stake his claim with you?”

Your eyes widened and Bucky nodded.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”

You swallowed, shaking your head.

“It’s not—“ “I’ve got eyes, Y/N. We all do. We all see you two dancing around each other and quite frankly, we’re all sick of it. Tell him you want more. What’s the worst he can say?” “He can say no.”

Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed when he looked to you. You shook your head.

“You look like that, so you’ve never had to deal with rejection. But for some people, the fear of rejection is more powerful than anything else.” “Even if the other person feels the same way?”

You closed your eyes, shaking your head. You pushed your bowl away and started to walk to your bedroom.

“Y/N. Y/N, come on. Don’t—“

You shut your door and Bucky hung his head, blowing out a breath.

When two more days went by without you hearing from Steve, more texts ignored and more calls going straight to voicemail, you decided you’d had enough. You grabbed your purse, told your coworkers you were taking a long lunch, and rode the subway to Brooklyn. You were nervous, of course, so nervous you wanted to throw up, but there was a little piece of you that was irritated, and you were clinging to that.

You bypassed the coffee shop this time, walking straight to the college and into the building where Steve’s office was. You made your way down the hall, only to discover that his door was shut. It was dark behind the blinds on his door and you blew out a breath as you lifted a hand to rest against the wood.

“Can I help you?”

You turned to see a girl standing behind you, curly brown hair hiding one side of her face. You gave her a smile and pointed back at Steve’s office with your thumb.

“Is … surely he’s not Mr. Rogers.”

The girl gave a soft laugh.

“Professor Rogers?” “That makes more sense.” “Most of us just call him Steve, though.”

You felt your cheeks warm.

“Yeah, he’s easy to get along with, huh?” “He’s a great professor.”

You nodded, crossing your arms over your chest. The girl stepped forward, nodding to you.

“He’s in class right now. And he’s got another class right after it. He won’t be back in his office until later this afternoon.”

You sighed, moving a hand to fuss with your hair.

“Figures. I never got him to tell me his schedule.” “You can leave a note for him, if you want. On the board or on a post it. We usually just leave the post it on the doors if they’re not in the office.”

You smiled.

“Thank you.”

She nodded, turning and walking away. You thought of leaving him a note, then decided against it. You let out a breath and left the building, going to the coffee shop you’d found before to try and find something for your suddenly ravenous stomach.

Watching the kids walk by with their backpacks on and headphones in their ears really made you miss college. Not the work, but the experience. Spending every waking moment with friends, staying out all night and then dragging to class the next morning. Stressing over tests and studying until you fell asleep, making a mad dash to class the next morning in an attempt to not be late.

You sighed, taking another sip of lemonade and watching out the window. The bell above the door rang and you glanced that way as you took a bite of the cinnamon-chocolate swirl pastry you’d been unable to pass up.

Your breath caught in your throat when you saw Steve reach up and take the sunglasses off his nose. You blinked, a smile coming to your lips.

It quickly slid from your face when you saw the woman beside him, taking sunglasses from her face as well. You took in a breath when you watched them walk to the counter, Steve’s hand on her lower back.

You felt your face flush and you could hear your blood rushing in your ears. You closed your eyes and took in a few deep breaths, letting them out slowly.

“Ma’am? Are you okay?”

You looked up into the worried eyes of the waitress who had brought your things to you. You pushed a smile onto your face.

“Yes. I just have to go.” “Can I get you a refill?”

You shook your head, standing up and smiling at her.

“Thank you, but no.”

She smiled and nodded, and you grabbed your purse before looking to the counter. Steve was staring back at you and you felt your breath catch in your throat. You waited for a moment, but when he dipped his head to listen to whatever the blonde with him was saying, you turned and ran out of the shop.

Pepper looked up as her front door opened and she smiled before she got a good look at you. She stood up, rounding the couch.

“What happened?”

You shook your head, tears finally falling from your eyes.

“I messed up.” “What did you do?”

You shook your head again, sobbing when Pepper took hold of your arms. You couldn’t talk, so she just wrapped you in a hug, turning you and meeting Tony’s worried eyes when he stepped from the bedroom. He walked over and kissed the top of your head, wrapping you in his arms from the other side, only making you cry harder.

“I’ll kill him.” “Oh, sit down.”

Bucky stopped pacing to glare at Pepper. She shrugged her shoulders, fingers gently drifting through your hair. Bucky sighed, coming to sit on the edge of the coffee table, watching you as your shoulders slowly moved up and down as you breathed. You’d finally fallen asleep just a few minutes ago, with your head in Pepper’s lap.

Bucky shook his head, looking up to meet Pepper’s eyes.

“What is he thinking?”

She shook her head, then let out a breath.

“Christine said he had a woman at his office that he said he was taking to lunch or something the other day.” “That stupid dipshit.” “Bucky.” “No, don’t ‘Bucky’ me.”

Pepper shushed him and he blew out a breath, quieting his voice, but hissing out the words.

“You can’t tell me you don’t see it.”

Pepper rolled her eyes.

“Of course I see it. The only people who don’t see it are Y/N and Steve.” “So what the fuck is he doing seeing a woman he works with? The last I heard, there wasn’t anyone there he was even remotely interested in.”

Pepper shrugged.

“That sounds like something his best friend could talk about with him.”

Bucky rolled his eyes.

“If we’re taking sides here, I’m on hers.”

Bucky pointed at you and Pepper raised an eyebrow. Bucky shrugged.

“Call me misogynistic or whatever, but pregnancy trumps lifelong friendship.”

Pepper smiled.

“That’s not misogynistic. It’s sweet. But—“

Bucky shook his head as he pointed at her.

“Don’t even start.”

She made a motion like she was zipping her lips and Bucky sighed.

“Do you think I can carry her across the hall without her waking up?”

Pepper sighed.

“I specifically chose this soft, expensive couch for reasons such as this. Let’s see if we can just let her sleep.”

Bucky nodded, helping Pepper finagle her way out from under you, placing a pillow under your head and covering you with a blanket. Bucky gently smoothed out your hair and sighed as he stood up. Pepper rubbed his back as she walked him to the door.

“You’re a good man, Bucky Barnes.”

He smiled as he kissed her cheek, putting his hands in his pockets as he walked across the hall.

It was dark when you woke up, and you winced when an ache shot through your lower back. You sat up, wincing again, lifting a hand to your messy hair when you looked around, realizing where you were.

You sighed, pulling the blanket around your shoulders, staring at Pepper’s living room in the dark. The light above the stove was on and you smiled before you got to your feet, stretching your sore muscles. You made your way to the kitchen, opening the fridge before closing it again. You let out a shaky breath, then shook your head. You walked to one of the almost floor-to-ceiling windows and looked out of it, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

“Hey, what are you doing up here?”

Steve smiled as he glanced over his shoulder. You raised an eyebrow when you saw him sitting on the ledge and he rolled his eyes, still smiling.

“I’m not gonna jump.” “Well, I’d feel better if we could talk on level ground.”

Steve’s smile widened as he spun around, jumping down to where you and he were on equal footing. He reached out a hand and you laid yours in his as the two of you walked to a bench and sat down, sitting in silence for a moment.

“You okay?”

You nodded, looking up at him.

“Are you?”

He nodded, and you smiled, bumping his shoulder with yours.

“You were gone when I woke up the other day.”

Steve sighed.

“Yeah, I … I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want you to think I was regretting it, but I didn’t want it to be awkward either. And I didn’t want Bucky to see me sneaking out of your room, so…”

He shrugged his wide shoulders, then glanced at you.

“Do you regret it?”

You felt your cheeks warm.

“No, I don’t.”

Steve nodded.

“Good. Me either.”

You gave his hand a squeeze and he met your eyes. You shook your head, leaning over to rest your head on his shoulder as you spoke softly.

“What are we doing?”

Steve sighed, turning to look at the tops of the buildings around you.

“I don’t know.” “Do you want something here?”

Steve sighed again, letting go of your hand as he stood and began pacing around.

“I don’t … I don’t know. Do you?”

You shrugged.

“I mean … I had a great time the other night, but …” “But?”

You stood up as well, shaking your head at him.

“You’re one of my best friends. You … you’re my safe place, Steve. If something went wrong, I don’t … I don’t know if I could handle it if I lost you.”

He walked over and wrapped you in a hug. You clutched him tightly, tears welling in your eyes as you put your chin on his shoulder. He just held you for the longest time, until he finally spoke, voice low.

“I can’t lose you either. I love you, Y/N. I don’t think what we did was a mistake, but … maybe we should keep it as a one-time thing.” “And just between us?” “I’m not about to kiss and tell. Our secret’s safe with me.”

You nodded, sniffling. You stepped back from him, wiping your fingers under your eyes.

“Don’t cry.” “I’m not. We just don’t usually get this deep.”

Steve chuckled, laying his hands on your shoulders.

“I’ll always be here for you. No matter what, okay?”

You nodded.

“Right back at you, buddy.”

A wide smile came to his face.

“Thanks, buddy.”

He pulled you in for another hug, kissing the top of your head. You closed your eyes as you took in a deep breath, resting your head against his chest.

You blinked as tears slid down your cheeks, sniffling before you lifted the blanket to wipe your eyes. You turned to walk back to the couch, gasping as a pain shot through your lower stomach. Your eyes were wide as you moved a hand under your belly button, feeling your heartbeat kick up. You didn’t feel anything else, but the fear in your heart was almost palpable.

You wanted to call Steve so badly, and tears came to your eyes as you slowly made your way to the couch again. You bit your lips to try to hold back the sob, glancing over when Pepper’s bedroom door opened.

“Hey, is everything okay out here?”

You shook your head, letting out a quiet sob as Tony walked over to you, sitting beside you and pulling you to his side.

“What is it? You okay?” “I don’t … I don’t know.” “What happened?”

You still had your hand low on your belly, and Tony leaned back to look at you.

“Are you hurting?”

You shook your head.

“No, I … I just had this pain and it … it scared me.” “What kind of pain?” “Like a cramp.” “Did it stop?”

You nodded.

“Yeah, it was … just one, but …”

Tony sighed, pulling you to his side again, resting his head on yours.

“Try and relax.” “I am. It’s hard.” “I know.”

You gave a shaky exhale, speaking softly.

“Are you okay?”

Tony nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just checking on you.”

You tapped his leg and he let go of you. You turned to face him, one eyebrow raising.

“You’re fine? Waking up at …”

You glanced at the clock on the stove in the kitchen.

“Three seventeen A.M. is normal behavior for you?”

Tony sighed, rubbing a hand down his face.

“Bad dream. I managed to get out of this one without waking Pep, so I thought I’d come chill out here and …” “You forgot I was here, didn’t you?”

Tony winced and you gave a quiet laugh.

“Do you have bad dreams often?”

Tony smiled at you.

“That is not your concern. You’ve got bigger worries to deal with. Go get in the bed with Pepper.” “But if you want to go back to sleep—“ “I’ve got a guest room or this couch.”

You bit your lip and Tony nodded, the smile still on his face.

“Go. I’ll be fine.”

You sighed, closing your eyes as he kissed your forehead. You stood up and left the blanket behind, rubbing your arms as you walked into the bedroom. You silently made your way to the bed and pulled the covers back.

“Tony?” “Guess again.”

Pepper sat up, yawning as she rubbed her eyes.

“You okay?”

You nodded.

“Tony thought we could switch places for a while.” “Is he okay?” “Bad dream.”

Pepper sighed as the two of you settled down in the California King. You pulled the plush covers over your body and yawned.

“He could come back in here. There’s more than enough room for the three of us.” “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

You gave a soft laugh, yawning again as your heavy eyes drifted closed. Pepper reached over and laced her fingers with yours, and you smiled as you drifted off to sleep.

You woke up when sunshine was warming your face. You blinked and slowly sat up, pushing your hair out of your face and glancing around. The room you were in was unfamiliar, yet …

You smiled at the brand new picture on the nightstand, one of Pepper and Tony’s first kiss as husband and wife. You frowned when you realized you’d rolled all the way to Pepper’s side of the bed and you shook your head. You crawled out of the bed, yawning and stretching. You grabbed Pepper’s brush and fought with your tangled hair, tying it into a ponytail until you could get across the hall to your shower. You walked to the bedroom door and opened it, coming to a stop as soon as your feet hit the threshold.

“Hey, there she is!”

Tony jumped up from the table, walking to hand you a small bottle of Sprite. He opened it and leaned in closely, speaking under his breath.

“Play it cool.” “What the hell is this?” “Just smile and we’ll get you out as soon as we can.”

You pushed a smile onto your face, taking a sip from the bubbly Sprite. All of your friends were gathered in the kitchen, along with one extra. Bucky turned to you, his smile going apologetic.

“We were wondering how long you’d be out.”

You glanced at the clock on the stove behind him, eyes widening.

“I had a … rough night last night.”

Bucky’s brows furrowed and you gave a slight shake of your head. You looked to Pepper’s back at the stove, Christine gnawing on her bottom lip as she stood beside her. Steve leaned back from where he’d been whispering to the guest, turning to face you.

“This is Y/N. Y/N, this is Sharon. We work together.”

You nodded as you recognized the woman sitting beside him as the woman that was with him in the coffee shop the day before. You pushed a smile onto your face and held out a hand.

“It’s nice to meet you.” “You too. I’ve heard so much about all of you; it’s nice to finally put faces with the names.”

You nodded, suddenly feeling the walls closing in.

“Well, I hate to be the one to leave the party so early, but I’ve got to get to work. I’m … incredibly late as it is.” “It’s Saturday, honey.”

You looked to Christine, shaking your head.

“God. See, I don’t even know what day it is! Maybe I should see about getting some more sleep.” “Y/N—“ “I think I’m getting a migraine. It was so nice to meet you, Sharon.” “You too.”

You set the Sprite on the counter as you hurried to the door, closing it behind you before you sprinted across the hall. You ran for the bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet and rocking back and forth as you wrapped your arms around your stomach.

“Hey, hey. Breathe.”

You shook your head, gasping out a breath, only realizing tears were cascading down your cheeks when Bucky’s gentle hands wiped them away.

“It’s okay. You’re okay.”

You shook your head, sobbing out a breath. Bucky helped you off your knees, pulling you to him, both of you sitting on the bathroom floor as he held you while you cried.

“What happened to me?”

You were finally off the bathroom floor, but now in a warm bubble bath. Bucky had insisted on it, and you weren’t about to argue with him.

“What do you mean?”

Christine was on the bathroom floor now, flipping through a magazine while Bucky ordered a pizza, because that finally sounded appetizing to you and they were jumping to capitalize on it.

You glanced over at her, saw her make a face before she turned the page in her magazine. She flicked her eyes towards you, then sat up straighter.

“What?”

You shook your head.

“When did I become the kind of girl who cried on the bathroom floor because a guy brought a girl to meet us?” “Okay, first of all, it wasn’t ‘a guy.’ It was Steve. And you love him.” “I do not.” “Keep telling yourself that.”

You narrowed your eyes and Christine shrugged.

“This whole thing is weird to me. Yeah, I know you had a date the other night, but—“ “It was a business dinner.”

Christine rolled her eyes.

“Can we just cut the bullshit? You went on a date. Steve said he was fine with it, but the next day he’s meeting some woman he works with for coffee because he’s ‘been wanting to get to know her.’ Okay, first of all? He didn’t give one fuck about her until you went on your date.” “He told me to go!” “And you believed him?!”

You blinked, and Christine got to her knees, shaking her head.

“I swear to God, you and Steve are the dumbest college-educated people I have ever met. And I know Bucky Barnes.” “I heard that!”

You couldn’t help the giggle, and Christine shook her head again.

“If you ask me—“ “Which nobody has!”

Christine ignored Bucky and continued talking.

“You and Steve need to sit down and have a long talk and put it all on the table. He doesn’t care about Sharon like he does you. He needs to let her go before he hurts her.” “Chris …”

She sighed, moving to touch the side of the tub.

“Honey… it’s okay for you to like him. It’s okay for you to want more with him. You’re having a baby together, Y/N. It’s okay to give the two of you a shot and see what happens.” “And what happens when it ends?”

You looked up at her, tears sparkling in your eyes. She shook her head.

“What if it doesn’t?”

You shook your head, swallowing before you spoke.

“I don’t want to lose him.” “So you’ll let your heart break instead? You’ll let the chance go by and always wonder what might have been while you schlep your kid to him every other weekend and holiday?”

You looked at the bubbles in the water and Christine sighed.

“Don’t give up on him, Y/N. I’ll—“ “Don’t. He … he’s made his decision.”

Christine closed her eyes and you coughed before you shifted in the water, sloshing it around.

“Can you hand me that towel? It’s getting cold.”

Christine put a towel on the closed toilet seat, grabbing her magazine and leaving the bathroom. You leaned back in the tub, closing your eyes and taking a breath before sliding under the water.

You stepped into Pepper’s apartment a few days later, giving her a smile. You walked to the fruit basket on the counter, sifting through it before picking up a lime. Tony narrowed his eyes, then shrugged.

“Want a margarita? It’s a little early in the morning, and it’ll have to be virgin, which is a travesty, but …”

You rolled your eyes at Tony, then held the lime in front of your belly.

“That’s how big it is this week.” “Oh wow!”

Tony’s eyes widened and you smiled.

“One site said lime, another said passion fruit. I don’t know where you can get passion fruits in Manhattan, so I’m sticking with lime.”

Pepper smiled.

“Little baby lime.” “Hey, have you heard from Steve today?”

Pepper and Tony shook their heads. Tony picked the paper back up and went back to reading as he spoke.

“Did you try texting him?”

You shook your head, putting the lime back in the basket.

“He doesn’t answer my texts, so I stopped bothering him.” “Y/N—“ “It’s fine. I’ve got to get to work. Love you.”

You left the apartment and Tony and Pepper exchanged a glance and a sigh before he took her hand and lifted it to his lips.

You stood outside the building, hands in the pockets of the light jacket you had on. You were constantly cold these days, even in the August heat. You checked your watch, then blew out a breath. You tapped your foot on the ground, then picked up your phone and dialed the number to Brooklyn College, typing in the extension for Steve’s office. It rang and rang, until an unfamiliar voice picked up.

“Thank you for calling BC. This is Michelle, how can I help you?”

You swallowed.

“Uh, yes. I’m trying to get in touch with Steve Rogers?” “If your call bounced here he’s not in his office.” “Do you have any idea when he’ll be back?” “He has a class that’s finishing up right now, but he’s blocked out the rest of the afternoon.”

Your heart gave a thump in your chest, and Michelle spoke again.

“If you ask me, he’s probably taking his girlfriend for a long lunch.” “Girlfriend?” “Yeah, he and the new English comp instructor are the talk of the campus.”

You closed your eyes, pushing a smile onto your face.

“Thank you, Michelle.” “Did you want to leave a message for him?”

You blinked back tears.

“No, uh … no. But thanks.”

You hung up the phone, sniffling and dropping it into your purse. You gave a shaky sigh, rubbing your hands over your face before turning and walking into the building alone. You rode the elevator to the third floor, walking into an office and signing your name on the sheet. You took a seat and glanced around, fingers itching for your phone. You could call Pepper or Christine or even Bucky and they’d be there in no time.

You sat back in the chair instead, shaky hand going to pick up a magazine. You should probably get used to doing things on your own, right?

“I’ll see you at the appointment in two weeks, right?”

Steve flashed you a smile, leaning back and tapping the calendar on the wall, where a green heart marked the day.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

You blew out a shaky breath, flipping open the magazine, waiting for the nurse to call your name.

TAGS: @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan, @captain-rogers-beard, @captain-s-rogers, @alexfayer, @rhiisnotawitch, @janeyboo, @zlixlle, @aurorasinger, @katielu-blog, @sandlee44, @iamwarrenspeace, @sebbystanlover-vk, @sofipatey, @poemfreak306, @teainaukgarden, @godhateskyleigh, @kaylaphantomhive, @vivalaplutonium, @katecupcakekate, @thatgirl-xx-thatgirl, @renalilo, @astrid345, @theonelittleone, @sebbytrash, @bionic-buckyb, @dudahmautner, @allyp1023, @nerdgirljen, @ashrod98, @rednamrahc, @ghostly-balloon-collector, @theplaidshirtmadness, @pagan-geek-girl-4-life, @itzmegaaaaaaan, @tumariposaroja, @thefanficfaerie, @wintersoldierswhore, @nerdy-bookworm-1998, @nuvoleincielo, @unapologeticallymimi, @shhhs3cret, @sea040561, @reginaphalange2403

#unexpected series #marvel fanfiction #marvel au #marvel reader insert #marvel crossover #marvel x friends #friends #friends to lovers #steve rogers x female reader #unplanned pregnancy #reader insert #female reader #steve rogers #bucky barnes #christine palmer #pepper potts #tony stark #sharon carter

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rose-01 · 5 years

Text

Instituted

TRIGGER WARNING

~ANGST COMING UP~

~Mentions of suicide~

~2nd person POV~

You wake up the the pale walls of your small room. The bed sheets a plain white. The door about 2 feet away from your twin sized bed. Your neck stiff from the uncomfortable bed. Your sheets rough and thin providing little warmth.

Your unkempt hair sticking up. You look at the cheap plastic like "mirror" your eyes sunken in, dark circles under your eyes, and your face as pale as the room from the lack of sunlight.

"Y/n, time for breakfast." Said the familiar voice of Jacky. She treats you well enough. The door creaks open and you stand up with out looking up at her. Jacky has orange/ red-ish hair. Freckles scattered above her nose reaching down to her cheeks. Her eyes a cool blue. She has the same plain white outfit as usual.

You slip on your boring plane shoes. This was your routine. Its was plane to say the least. You use to talk more now you keep to your self.

As you walk to the small cafeteria you see a man with jet black hair turn a corner. Your heart skips a beat. Shaking it off you keep walking forward, still following Jacky.

You get in the fairly small line. You wait patiently for your turn. You get some oatmeal and an apple. The same as always.

You can't remember what any thing else tasted like. All you had was oatmeal for breakfast, chicken soup for lunch and, gray beef with flavorless mashed potatoes for dinner.

You sit down at an empty table. You slowly start to eat your food. You see the boy with the jet black hair. He was standing at the end of an empty hall. Your heart is racing faster now. Your head is spinning. You slowly get up. You check to see if any one looked up at you. Every one else is minding there own business. Quickly you push in your chair quietly.

You start to walk to his direction. You can hear your heart thumping. You raise your hand to tap his shoulder. He speaks up before you could touch his shoulder. "Y/n?" His voice catches you off guard. The hall is dark and cold. You feel tears start to brim at your eyes. "I-I-m so sorry. Please forgive me." you choke out your words. He turns and looks at you with his warm hazel eyes. "Don't cry it's not your fault, you did nothing wrong." His hand almost touches your face. You step back. "It is. If I was there you wouldn't have been in pain. I could have stopped you and, I wouldn't be here." You fall to your knees.

Foot steps echo down the hall. You look at his feet. They walk around the corner. You quickly get up and try to reach for him. "Y/n, get back here you know you shouldn't be back there." It was Jacky she held on to your wrist stopping you from leaving. You been too weak to get away made you listen to her and walk back. She had a look of concern. "What where you doing there, y/n?" Jacky questioned as she walked you to your spot. "Nothing." You mumble. Surprisingly she understood. Alright but, don’t do that again." She replied sternly. You didn’t want to tell her or else you might not get out at the time your suppose to.

Still crying you slowly eat the mush the staff call oatmeal. You don’t look up again fearing what you'll see again.

•°~small time skip~°•

You start to get ready for bed. You brush your teeth and put on the fresh paint of white t-shit and gray sweats they placed on your bed. All day you couldn't stop thinking about him.

You turn off your light, head to your bed and, take of your shoes. As soon as you start to sleep your door opens. You sit up and look up. There he is again. The light from the hall lightly shine on his features.

You feel your heart sink. "You can't be here, Gerard." You say emotionless. "But, how do you think I got in?" He asked smugly. " NO! you. are. not suppose. to. be. here." You say more aggressively. His smirk turns in to a frown. He looks like he's about to cry. "D-do you not want me here?" His face holding fear, pain, and sadness.

Unable to hold in your emotions your tears burst out. "YES I WANT YOU HERE. YOU JUST AREN'T SUPPOSE TO BE HERE." Your shoulders shake violently.

"You killed your self! I saw you get buried! I had to give a speech to every one! We were going to be so happy!"

You look up and still see him standing in the same spot but, he's crying too. "This isn't real. Please leave me alone. I want to leave here but, if I still see you I won't ever leave this place." Looking up he's still there. He doesn't move. He just looks at you. His tears falling to the floor. He whispers "I love you. Please don't make me leave." His breathing unsteady.

Your heart feels like its getting ripped out again.

It feels almost as bad as when you walked in to the warmth of your now 3 year boyfriends house. "Gee?" You walked up stairs hoping to be greeted by your loving boyfriend. You see the restroom light on. You knock on the door no answer.

You look down and see red liquid leaking from under the door. The strong metallic smell hitting your nose. Your heart is beating faster than ever. You open the door. You see your beautiful boyfriend laying on the floor. A large puddle of blood around him. You drop to the floor sobbing. His arms with 4 deep cuts on each arm.

You step forward. He doesn't move at all. "I miss you so much. Why did you do it." He stay silent. His tears still rolling down his cheeks. You walk up to him. You feel some thing wet under your feet. You look down and see you're standing on where his tears have fallen.

Your heart sinks again. How? You look up at him. His eyes already on you. He hasn't looked away from you. Your eyes meet his. Your breath mixes with his. You feel his breathing. You slowly reach your hand up. Your hand is right next to his cheek. You hesitate. Almost putting your hand down.

You place your hand on his cheek. Your heart flutters. You feel small sparks where you made contact. His cheeks wet from crying. Your crying picks up again. "H-how?" He again stay silent leaning in to your touch. "Sorry." He apologized. Instead of responding you kiss him. Your hand travels to his messy hair. His hand rests on the small of your back. He pulls you closer.

Millions of thoughts race across in your mind. You push them down for a while only paying attention to the way his lips feel on yours.

You hold on tight not wanting to lose him again. You pull apart but still holding him close. "I love you. Please don't think what I did was ever your fault." He let's go. You miss the warmth of him arms. "I have to go." He says. He look at you and captures your lips in his again.

"Don't leave." You try to convince him to stay as soon as you break apart. He just nods. You lay on your bed. Him pressed right next to you like you use to. His hand running through your hair while, you look at his eyes you start to go to sleep.

You wake up the next morning. The bed is empty, and cold. You feel like crying again. Was that a dream?

Sadly you walk in to your small restroom. You see the new pair of plain clothing for the night on the night stand.

You grab it and get ready for a much needed shower. You take off your white T-shirt. On the back 4 blood stains right where his arm rested. You quickly chuck it across the restroom in fear and shock.

#gee way #my chemical gerard #gerard way #gerard way x reader #gay #my chemical mikey #my chemical ray #my chemical frank #my chemical romance #gee way x reader #my chemical romance x reader #x reader #my chemical romance imagines #my chemical romance imagine #fanfiction #fandom #frank iero #mikey way #ray toro

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the-observant-frisbeetarian · 5 years

Text

Chapter 6

The Tiger and the Dragon by George deValier

Chapter saved by fluffchemy ♥

"Potatoes," said Francis, looking over Yao's shoulder at his laptop screen before flopping back onto the couch. Like every other item of furniture in Francis' apartment, it was deep red, rather expensive, and completely over the top. He lifted his hand, blew on his nails, and went back to filing them. "I think they eat a lot of potatoes."

"Potatoes…" Yao looked back at the screen. Nothing in the results of his search for 'Traditional Russian Food' was jumping out at him. He sighed and leaned back against the couch, feeling Francis' knee behind his head. "I can't just make a plate of potatoes."

"Why not? That is what Arthur served that one time he cooked for us."

"I believe there were sausages involved as well." Yao shuddered. Possibly the worst meal of his life, and he was still unsure how he was able to get so sick from mashed potatoes. "Besides, I don't think a plate of mash is a traditional Russian meal."

"Too bad Ivan isn't English, non?"

Yao laughed. He was visiting Francis in his apartment upstairs in order to get away from the noise of the thunderous argument taking place in the apartment below. And knowing the way Alfred and Arthur's fights usually ended, with more shouting and screaming and swearing - albeit of a different sort - Yao figured he was probably stuck where he was until after midnight.

Francis held his hand out for Yao to inspect. Yao just nodded absently and Francis started filing the nails on his other hand. "So are you having much luck?"

"Not really." Yao was quickly starting to regret his promise to make Ivan a traditional Russian meal. He knew he was a good cook, he was just also a perfectionist and terrified of messing it up. Messing something up in front of Ivan was the last thing he wanted to do. "I could make Borscht, maybe?"

"Hmm, soup, could be messy," said Francis, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Remember to make something you'll look good eating."

"I didn't even think of that," said Yao, staring blankly up at the wall. "Great, now I have something else to worry about."

"Don't worry cheri, if all else fails, serve bananas for dessert. Works every time."

Yao reached behind him and thumped Francis on the knee. "Could you not give me some actual help here?"

"All right, fine… what about that Buz… Buzhenina thing?" asked Francis, pointing at the laptop screen.

"Takes too long." Yao didn't know how Ivan would feel about him spending two days at his house preparing the meal. Yao didn't know how he would feel about it himself. Either way… impractical.

"Well how about Beef Stroganoff… that's Russian, isn't it?"

"Too simple." Yao wanted it to look like he'd at least made an effort to research something a little less well known.

"There you go, I try and help and you disregard my helpful suggestions. Sorry, now you're on your own." Francis focused intently on his nails.

"Well what do you think of…"

"Uh uh," Francis held up his index finger in a 'shush' motion. "You may no longer ask me for my assistance since you are so quick to dismiss it."

Yao shrugged. Francis could not go more than two minutes without talking so Yao was not worried. At least he could speak with Francis about Ivan. Unlike Alfred, he didn't go on about how only spies wore trench coats, or how Ivan must have serious underground connections to be able to close off an entire zoo. True he went on about the rumoured virtues of Russian men and kept telling Yao to look at the size of Ivan's ring finger, but somehow that was preferable.

It had only been a few days since the afternoon at the tiger enclosure, but Yao was already missing Ivan. Some rational part of his mind told him it was a little silly to be so infatuated with someone he had met twice and who it was quite obviously not a good idea to get involved with. But the rest of him won easily over that rational part. And all he could think of was Ivan's strong hand in his as they gazed down at Siberian tigers, Ivan's proud grin when he unveiled a picnic basket of peanut butter sandwiches, Ivan's violet eyes staring into his, Ivan kissing him, holding him, pulling him closer… in fact for two days straight Yao had thought of little else.

Yao had last heard from Ivan when he had phoned that morning, waking Yao at six a.m. on his day off. Yao had answered the phone, annoyed and half asleep, without looking at the number on the screen.

"What the hell do you want?" he shouted.

The reply came as cheerful as ever. "To ask you to come to my house for dinner tomorrow!"

Yao shot up in bed. "Ivan!"

"Yao!"

"I, um, oh… tomorrow?"

"Yes! I will see you then… please to remember, you are cooking me traditional Russian meal, da? I look forward to it! See you tomorrow Dragon!" And he hung up.

So now Yao was desperately searching for a Russian recipe and he had less than 24 hours to find it. Of course he had no idea how he was supposed to get to Ivan's house seeing as he had no idea where it was. But Yao wasn't so much nervous as he was almost painfully curious. He tried to ignore the knot in his stomach and continued clicking through the search results on his laptop.

Yao came across a promising looking page and nudged Francis with his elbow. "Hey, look at this…" he was interrupted by a deafening thumping coming up the stairs. He looked up quizzically at Francis, who swung himself into a sitting position with a guilty expression.

"Oh, Yao," he said, "I forgot… Gilbert and Antonio are coming over."

Yao closed his eyes briefly. Great. The other two stooges. While Antonio wasn't too bad, Yao had never quite gotten along with Gilbert. They'd known each other even before Yao met Francis… Gilbert's brother Ludwig was one of Kiku's best friends. And as far back as Yao could remember Gilbert had always been an arrogant jerk whose wilful ignorance rivalled even Alfred's. The thumping reached the door and Yao shrunk down as far as he could against the couch.

"I think your neighbours are killing each other," said Gilbert cheerfully as he barrelled through the door before Francis could reach it.

Yao stared fixedly at his computer screen.

"Gilbert only brought beer. Grab me a bottle of red, will you?" Yao recognised Antonio's Spanish accent.

"Bonjour to you too. Help yourself, there is plenty in the kitchen."

"Wine, ugh. Do you have any of those awesome chocolate chip cookies you make?"

"On the bench."

"Francisco, this plonk is only one year old!"

"Mon Dieu, if you want better, bring it yourself!"

"Ooooh, touchy about your cheap wine, eh? Everyone knows you have an expensive stash hidden in your room, run and get me one."

"How about screw you, or beso mi culo if you prefer?"

"No thanks, I don't know where it's been."

"Mmm, these cookies are awesome with beer! What's on the… hey, Chinese kid!" Yao groaned. He'd been spotted.

"You know, amazingly, that isn't actually my name," said Yao as Gilbert jumped the back of the couch and landed in the cushions behind him.

"Hi Yao," Antonio smiled cheerfully. Yao waved half heartedly.

"What's all this?" Gilbert leaned over Yao, taking the mouse from his hand and scrolling through the website open on the screen. He trailed crumbs over the keyboard. "Russian food. Whatcha looking at that for?" Yao leaned away from Gilbert.

"Yao's dating a Russian," explained Francis.

"Ooh a Russian, is she hot?"

Yao paused. Well, in fact, he was incredibly hot… "Well… uh…"

"Ah yes, Feliciano mentioned you had a boyfriend," said Antonio.

"I don't have a boyfriend!" said Yao firmly. "Can that boy keep his mouth shut for three minutes?"

"Geez, Francis," said Gilbert, "am I the only straight friend you have?" At this, both Francis and Antonio burst into laughter. Gilbert shot them a frosty glare. "What?"

"Straight. Hehe. Yeah," said Antonio as Francis giggled uncontrollably beside him.

"That's what I said," said Gilbert through gritted teeth.

"Cough, Roderich, cough," Antonio said into his hand. Francis gripped Antonio's shoulder, laughing hysterically.

Gilbert spun around on his knees, narrowly avoiding kicking Yao in the head, and faced the others over the back of the couch. "As I have told you thirty-five times, I was drunk, it was dark, and I thought he was Elizaveta!"

Francis fell on the floor and howled. Even Yao couldn't help snickering a little, even as he gathered up his laptop and climbed to his feet. He coughed and tried to clear the smirk from his face.

"As much as I'd love to hang around," said Yao, his voice dripping sarcasm, "I really must be heading off."

"I thought you were going to stay?" said Francis, looking up from the floor where he sat clutching his stomach.

"Well, I was… to get away from the noise. And here we are." Yao headed for the door.

"Hopefully you get laid by that Russian soon. You totally need it," said Gilbert. Yao glared at him and, ignoring Francis' pleas for him to stay, walked out the door and slammed it behind him.

Yao walked down the stairs and groaned in frustration at the noise coming from the bottom floor. At least Arthur and Alfred had stopped fighting. Unfortunately they were making up. Yao went into his apartment and rummaged around for his ipod. Just as he found it in his top drawer, a loud beat starting thumping through his ceiling. Yao stopped himself kicking the wall, plugged in his earphones, and turned the volume up to full. Knowing there was no way he would be sleeping for a while, he fell onto his bed and opened his laptop. For the next hour he looked through the cooking sites he had saved earlier and made notes. Once he was done, he clicked aimlessly through his bookmarks and finally, deciding to check his email before attempting to get to sleep, he found one with the subject line "Hello Dragon!" Yao's heart skipped a beat. He clicked on it and cursed the seconds it took to open. When it did, there was only one line.

My car will pick you up tomorrow at 5pm. Xxx Ivan

Yao read it thirty times. He finally clicked reply, completely unsure what to answer. After about five drafts, including "I am quite capable of making my own way there, thank you" and "How the hell did you get my email address?" Yao finally typed in "Okay." He clicked send, closed his laptop, and pulled his earphones out of his ears. It had finally quieted just enough for him to try to sleep. Sleep was, however, a long time coming.

Next Chapter

Disclaimer: This story belongs to George deValier. Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya. I own nothing.

THANK YOU FLUFFCHEMY FOR SAVING THIS CHAPTER!

#the tiger and the dragon chapter 6

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speedybaeandbirdiebae · 6 years

Text

Found Out

Pietro is bored in the hospital after Cadence leaves so he decides to go out and find her. But he causes havoc at the New Avengers Facility.

Warnings: None (Maybe mild pissing Tony Stark off)

Pairings: Pietro x Cadence Wilson (OC)

Words: 3,721

Cadence blinked as she poked her head into the hospital room, she looked around a moment and smiled softly at the sight of Pietro still laying in bed and looking up at the ceiling. She could tell he was either bored or eager to leave the bed. However, it was still too early for him to even think about leave the bed. He still hadn’t fully recovered yet from his injuries. The slightest wrong move could make his recovery take twice as long.

“Pietro,” Cadence called as she entered the room. “I’m back, I hope you weren’t too bored without me.”

Pietro looked up with a bright smile upon his face and he sat up quickly so to see her better. “Candi, you came back.”

“I told you I would,” Cadence proceeded to check the machines and the readouts that were printed out from the machine. “You seem to be doing well and while I don’t know this medical jargon, but it seems good if there are no errors.”

“So, I can leave this bed?” Pietro asked in hope. “I don’t like sitting for too long.”

“I’m not sure about that yet,” Cadence said gently. “But you can ask Dr. Cho when she comes in tomorrow morning.”

“Mmn, I see.” Pietro went silent as he watched Cadence lean over and fluff his pillows. “Candi…”

“Yes Pietro?” Cadence asked. “Do you need me to get you something? Oh, right it’s close to dinner time, I’ll see if they’ve sent you some food up.”

She moved away from him and went over to the wall, she pressed a button as it opened, and she saw it wasn’t soup this time but something a little heavier. She grabbed the tray out and closed the door before walking back to where Pietro sat. “Guess you eating two bowls of soup was enough to convince the doctors that you can eat something heavier.”

Pietro’s face lit up in happiness. “I can?” he asked. “What is it?”

Cadence laughed softly. “It’s chicken, mashed potatoes and I think some peas.” She said. “Standard hospital food but I bet it’s good, they event sent up some lime Jell-O.”

Pietro laughed. “That’s better than soup,” he eagerly went to grab the fork and knife but quickly dropped them when he saw his hands were still too shaky to hold anything. He looked up at Cadence like a wounded puppy. “Help.”

“I know I know,” Cadence laughed softly as she took the fork and knife as she began cutting the chicken up for him. “You’ll need me to do this for you until your hands stop shaking.”

Pietro nodded as he allowed Cadence to feed him. He admired the way her eyes lit up when she giggled or the way she’d reach up to wipe his mouth with a napkin. “Candi, how was your day? After you left I mean.”

“Boring,” Cadence admitted. “Paperwork, helping Fury with other things and making sure to keep a close eye on the other Avengers.”

“You do all of that?” Pietro asked. “You must be very good at your job and very smart too.”

“It pays the bills,” Cadence waved a dismissive hand. “I would much rather be out in the field doing more exciting missions.”

“You go out and fight too?” Pietro asked. “Like the Avengers?”

Cadence nodded. “Yeah, I may look like I’m a cream puff, but I am a pretty good fighter, I’ve been on missions with Sam and I have done a few on my own.”

Pietro stayed silent and began thinking about how much danger Cadence put herself into but also admired how she was able to talk about it as if it wasn’t anything big.

“At the end of the day my job to help out as much as I can, it’s what makes me happy,” Cadence said. “Pietro?”

“Sorry, I was just taking in everything you told me,” Pietro said forcing a smile. “You do so much to help people, even if you don’t have any powers.”

“Yeah, I guess I do.” Cadence sat down the fork on the tray and proceeded to open the cup of apple juice. She held it up for him and laughed softly. “Drink.”

Pietro once again did as he was told as he drank the juice. He stared at Cadence’s face and saw her eyes were soft with what he assumed was compassion.

“Alright, you managed to eat everything,” Cadence noted. “All that’s left is the Jell-O, that’s your dessert.”

“I don’t like lime Jell-O,” Pietro mumbled. “It reminds me of slime.”

“You don’t?” Cadence asked. “Well that’s fine, I’m sure that everyone down in the kitchen will send you up another flavor if they see that you didn’t eat it.”

“You can have it,” Pietro said. “I don’t want it to go to waste.”

“Thank you but I’m getting something to eat when I leave here,” Cadence said sitting the Jell-O on the tray as she got up and went to go send it back down to the kitchen. “There is this place that Tony told me about that has amazing Shawarma.”

“What is Shawarma?”

“I don’t know but I want to try it,” Cadence walked back to Pietro’s bedside and sat down. “If it’s any good I’ll let you know, maybe we can have lunch there sometime when you’re able to leave.”

“Ok, I look forward to it prinţesă.”

“What did you just call me?” Cadence asked in surprise.

“I called you…princess…in Sokovian.” Pietro blushed and silently cursed himself for letting it slip. He looked away from Cadence. “Sorry.”

“No that’s fine, it’s cute.” Cadence laughed. “But maybe save the pet names for someone else that you end up dating.”

“Candi…”

“Oh, look at the time it’s five,” Cadence stood up and smiled softly. “I have to get going, but I’ll see you tomorrow morning Pietro.”

“You’re coming back?”

“Yeah, you’re who I am assigned to look after remember?” Cadence asked. “I’m going home to change and then go grab some food, but I’ll see you tomorrow morning ok?”

Pietro nodded silently feeling a little disappointed that she was going to leave already. With a sigh, he looked up at her with a forced smile. “Yeah. See you tomorrow Candi.”

Cadence gave him a sweet smile and ran a hand through his hair before she left the room shutting the door behind her quietly. “He looked a little sad when I said I was leaving,” She whispered to herself. “But I need to go home…I’ll see him tomorrow.”

------------

“Sam, I’m home now!” Cadence called out as she entered the Avengers base, she took her jacket off and laid it on one of the bar stools. “Hey is anyone here?”

“Miss Wilson, welcome home.”

Cadence nearly jumped a mile at the sight of Vision phasing through the wall. She stared at the Android and laughed nervously. “Hey Vision, you’re the only one here?”

Vision nodded. “I am,” he said. “All of the others left to go on a mission, I volunteered to stay behind so you could have someone to welcome you back home.”

“Thank you but you didn’t need to do that,” Cadence laughed softly and went over to the refrigerator. “I was going out for the evening, you want to come with?”

“You’re inviting me to be your travel companion?” Vision asked in confusion. “Miss Wilson, I don’t normally leave unless it’s to help the other Avengers.”

“Come on robo dude, you have to learn how fun it is to let your hair dow—uh I mean unwind and relax.” Cadence grabbed two cans of soda and tossed one to Vision. “You know that there is more to life than being cooped up in here.”

Vision looked down at the can of soda and then at Cadence. “I should go out more?” he asked. “Miss Wilson, if anyone saw me walking around, they’ll be afraid.”

“Dude, you’re fine,” Cadence laughed. “And please call me Cadence not Miss Wilson….it makes me sound like I’m old.”

Vision went to say something more but shook his head.

“Anyway, if you change your mind I’ll be in my room getting ready,” Cadence said. “Also, try to lighten up more dude, your programming will turn into old man programming if you worry too much.” She walked down the hallway all the while drinking her soda.

He was bored, extremely bored, nothing in the room seemed worth looking at and If he had to count the tiles on the ceiling again he’d go insane. Pietro sat up and sighed heavily, he wanted nothing more than to leave this room and explore the city and maybe find Cadence.

“I’m going to this awesome Shawarma place in town, you should check it out when you get out of here.”

Pietro groaned quietly and in annoyance, as he finally had enough of sitting around, he looked down at his arm and began removing the IVs from his arms and unplugging himself from the machines. He wasn’t going to stay in here and die of boredom.

Getting up on shaky legs he slowly started walking around so to gather his bearings. He managed to feel his unused muscles flex as he moved his legs to wake them up. He looked down at his hands and concentrated so they’d’ stop shaking. With a small smile, he felt himself slowly get used to standing as he finally stood up straight.

“I’m not staying here,” he said to himself and went to the door, he opened it and saw many doctors and nurses walking around tending to other duties. He could run out of the room unnoticed and look for Cadence and maybe even find Wanda. He seized the opportunity and ran out of the room unnoticed by anyone.

“Yo Vision,” Cadence called walking out of her room dressed in a pair of jeans and a crop top with purple A on the front. “Did you decide if you want to hang out with me?”

Vision looked at Cadence. “I’ve decided to stay here and wait until the other Avengers return home.” He said. “Someone has to welcome them.”

“You sure?” Cadence asked as she shrugged. “Alright, I’ll bring you back a doggy bag.”

“I don’t see how having a pet would help me Miss Wilson. Vision sad.

“No, a do---nevermind I’ll bring you back something to eat.” Cadence laughed as she headed down the stairs and to the garage where the cars that Tony left for the Avengers to use were. She walked towards the car that belonged to Sam and pulled out the keys from her pocket. “I feel kind of bad leaving him alone…especially after the last time he poured grease down the sink.”

The sound of a can falling to the floor was heard as Cadence looked down and raised an eyebrow when it rolled near her foot.

“Really dude?” She called annoyed. “Vision, you don’t want to go with me, yet you decide to play a prank on me? Seriously what the hell!?”

A blur of blue sped from behind one of the parked cars and behind a stack of boxes. With an annoyed sigh, Cadence readied herself for a fight. She focused on the place where she had seen the blur run over to.

“Come on out, I am warning you,” she said. “If you’re a Hydra agent trying to break in you’re one stupid ass agent.”

“Candi?”

Cadence kept her fighting stance staring wide-eyed at the person behind the boxes. She couldn’t believe it.

“Pietro!?” she screamed before quieting down and staring at him. “Why in the world are you out of bed? Wait why are you out of the hospital?!”

“I was bored,” Pietro said quietly. “I wanted to go with you for that shawarma stuff you mentioned.”

“Pietro, I’m not going to let you keel over here and I am sure as hell not going to let you stay here,” Cadence said looking him up and down. “And you’re still in your hospital gown.”

“My clothes weren’t in my room,” Pietro mumbled as he looked down at his feet almost like a guilty child that had been caught doing something wrong. “I’m sorry.”

“No no, it’s ok,” Cadence groaned. “Come on, let’s go inside and find you some clothes to wear since I doubt you’ll go unnoticed in a hospital gown.”

“Thank you Prinţesă.”

“Yeah yeah,” Cadence sighed pulling him by the arm and towards the elevator to reach the main living area. She was grateful no one else but Vision was hanging around. “Oh shit, I forgot about Vision!”

“Who?”

“The…uh nevermind,” Cadence look at him. “Pietro listen to me carefully, I’m going to need you to follow close to me. If you see a red guy that’s just one of the other Avengers ok? His name is Vision…but he cannot see you or else he’ll try to kill you.”

Pietro nodded. “I’ll stay out of sight prinţesă.”

“You better,” Cadence heard the bell ding indicating they were on the floor where the Avengers lived. She looked around and saw no sign of Vision and quickly took Pietro’s hand and leading him down the hallway to her bedroom.

“This is where you live?” Pietro asked looking around the hallway he was being led down. “It’s quite nice.”

“I live here with all of the Avengers,” Cadence explained as she opened the door to her bedroom and shoved Pietro into the room. She looked at him and put a finger to her lips. “Stay in here and I’ll get you some clothes…maybe you can fit some of Cap’s or Tony’s clothes…I doubt you could fit anything Sam has…maybe Thor left some clothes around.”

At those words, Cadence walked out of the room as she shut the door and locked it behind her in case Pietro tried to get out. She looked up and called out. “Friday, could you make it, so my door doesn’t open from the inside?”

“I need your confirmation code, Miss Wilson,” FRIDAY said.

Cadence groaned in annoyance and let out a curse at the confirmation code she’d been given. “The confirmation is Falconette.” She visibly cringed as the words left her mouth. She heard beeping and locking.

“The doors have been locked, Miss Wilson.”

“Thank you,” Cadence then added. “Friday make sure to remind me to punch Tony when he comes back.”

“Noted Miss Wilson.”

Cadence headed down the hallway towards Steve’s room as she opened the door and began looking around the room for anything that would fit Pietro. “How many sweaters does one man need?” she mumbled to herself. “Ok let’s see…I’ll just take this one and maybe a pair of jeans too.” She grabbed a pair of Jeans that were folded neatly on the bed and walked out of the room before going to the next room across the hallway.

“Ok, let’s see…Tony’s clothes are…in the closet?” Cadence began opening doors trying to find some of Tony’s clothes. “Ugh, seriously? Can a man be obsessed with himself more?” She shut the closet and opened another door as she held back a laugh. “Ok blackmail material.” She quickly snapped a picture with her phone and went back to searching. “This is impossible, where does Tony keep his clothes?! Friday help me!”

“Mr. Stark’s clothes are in the closet, I’ll open the doors for you,” Friday said.

Cadence saw the door to the closet open revealing various clothes. She smiled and walked inside and grabbed the nearest thing she could. “Well, it’s not like Tony would miss this.” She walked out of the closet and the room.

“Here, I hope you can fit some of these,” Cadence tossed the clothes to Pietro and sat on her bed. “I managed to find something of everyone’s in here, but I am not sure who’s clothes you can fit.”

“It’s fine Prinţesă.” Pietro began undressing and started pulling on a pair of pants he had gotten from the pile on the bed. “I can handle wearing these until I can buy my own clothes.”

“Alright.” Cadence blushed turning away. “So, you ran all the way here to find me because you were bored? That’s sweet of you.”

“I don’t like sitting in one place,” Pietro answered as he buttoned the front of the shirt. He glanced at Cadence and saw her reddened face. “Is something wrong?”

“No…no…it’s just.” Cadence looked at him a moment and snorted. “You don’t look good in a button up, here put this on instead.” She tossed him a black sweater. “You can keep the other stuff, however.”

“Where did you get these anyway?”

“From Tony and Steve’s rooms,” Cadence said. “I couldn’t get into Dr. Banner’s room and I doubt you’d want to wear any of Sam’s clothes.”

“Oh,” Pietro pulled the sweater on before he straightened it and then grabbed the jacket off the bed. “Kind of ironic, I’m wearing Tony Stark’s clothes.”

“And Captain America’s.” Candance began laughing quietly. “You look good dressed like that, I think you’d make a pretty fine playboy billionaire.”

“Thanks.” Pietro rolled his eyes before running a hand through his hair and he stopped before looking into the mirror. “I don’t look half bad do I?”

“Nope,” Cadence smiled softly. “Come on, we’ll go for Shawarma now.” She opened the door and looked around the hallway. She heard voices coming from down the hallway and she knew that meant only one thing…all the Avengers had come back.

“Pietro, on second thought, stay here,” Cadence walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. She trekked down the hallway and immediately saw that all the others were there including Pepper.

“Cadence, you’re home?” Sam asked with a smile. “What happened to going out with your friend?”

“I was going out but I…umn…wanted to stay and welcome you home.” Cadence lied. “Oh, you guys picked up dinner too?”

“Miss Wilson, I assumed you left already,” Vision said. “You said you were heading out. Did something happen?”

“No no, nothing,” Cadence said. “So, you guys are going grab your food and go to your rooms, right?”

“We’re doing a post-briefing of the mission,” Steve said. “And some of us are going to spend some time training.”

“Oh.”

“Cadence you look pale,” Natasha noted. “Are you sick?”

“No, I’m fine, just a rough day at work.” Cadence lied again. “Fury worked me a lot, I’m fine though.”

“Are you sure?” Wanda noticed the way Cadence’s eyes were holding a look of fear. She began probing her mind to find out why.

Cadence began trying to clear her thoughts so Wanda wouldn’t find out why she was so nervous. She prayed that she wouldn’t find out anything about Pietro being hidden in her room. “Umn… say, Wanda, how did you like sightseeing around New York this morning?”

“It was interesting,” Wanda said deciding to give up on reading Cadence’s mind. “I wish that Pietro was here to see everything.”

“Umn…yeah he’d probably like it.” Cadence sighed heavily as she finally felt the cloud of suspicion coming from the other Avengers being lifted. Maybe she was in the clear and could get away with sneaking Pietro out when everyone else was asleep.

“WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAVID AUGUST SUIT?!”

“Damn it…so close.”

Everyone looked up and saw a furious Tony holding a hanger in his hand. He looked around the room with fiery eyes as he settled on each of the other male Avengers. “Who!? Who took it?!”

“Don’t look at me,” Steve shrugged. “I don’t know what a David August anything is, and I don’t do designer.”

“Obviously not Capsicle.” Tony turned to Vision and Sam. “Which one you took it?”

“I don’t have a need for your clothes Mr. Stark.” Vision said simply.

“I wouldn’t be able to fit in anything you own,” Sam began laughing. “Why are you getting bent out of shape about a suit anyway?”

“It’s my suit, we have to respect each other’s property,” Tony said. “That includes borrowing clothes without permission. I know that all of you admire what I wear but I stealing it isn’t a way to capture my superior style.”

“Cocky bastard,” Cadence mumbled. “Maybe you misplaced it?”

“I’ll get to the bottom of this,” Tony said. “Friday playback security footage from the last hour of my bedroom.”

Cadence let out a silent curse as she saw a screen come down and it played the video of her going into each of the male Avengers’ rooms save for Visions looking for clothes.

“Falconette, you’re the last person I suspected to steal clothes from me,” Tony said raising an eyebrow. “If you wanted to borrow something to sleep in you could’ve asked me.”

“Candi, why did you do it?” Sam asked. “Do you have a thing for Stark? Or a thing for Steve? Or maybe you like Banner?”

“No no, it’s not it!” Cadence said. “I can explain ok!”

“Go on and tell us,” Steve said with a small smile. “We won’t be mad, I think it’s sweet you want to wear something that belongs to one of us.”

“I just…umn…well I….”

“Prinţesă! Are you done now? Can I come out?”

Cadence let out a small squeak and could feel the heat rise in her cheeks, she heard the other Avengers get up from their seats and rush down the hallway to her room.

“Friday catch the intruder,” Tony ordered as Cadence’s room was covered in bright red lasers around Pietro.

“Isn’t that…?”

“It’s Speedy!”

“Pietro!?”

Pietro stood perfectly still so not to be hurt by the lasers, he looked at the group staring at him before he gave a nervous chuckle. “Surprise?”

“He’s alive!” Wanda squealed happily. “Oh, brother I missed you!”

“Well I’ll be damned,” Natasha gave a small smile. “I’ll go call Clint and tell him that the quick little bastard is alive after all.”

“This is all well and good but he’s wearing my suit!” Tony shouted in anger. “With a sweater of all things!”

“The prinţesă gave me these clothes,” Pietro explained looking directly at Cadence. “Right Candi?”

“Cadence you know him!?”

Cadence sighed and didn’t say anything more as she slid to the floor with her head in her hands and quietly groaning from how stupid she had been to let everyone find out the truth.

#Quicksilver x OC #Quicksilver #Pietro Maximoff x OC #Pietro Maximoff #Marvel Fanfiction #Avengers AOU fan fiction #AvengersFanFic #MCU AU #MCUfanfic #MCU Fanfiction #Black Marvel OC #Marvel Black OC #Speedy Bae and Birdie Bae Fan Fiction

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