#oh and darcy went blonde

[90s-trait]

[scar-lie]

Omega Pt. 3 [Natasha]

Summary: Natasha and Y/N are getting weaker and Yelena and Wanda are trying to solve the problem

Warning : Curse, Fighting, discomfort, itchy, I think that’s all (let me know is I miss anything)

Pairing : Natasha Romanoff x Reader, Yelena x Wanda x Reader (Platonic), Wanda x Darcy, Yelena x Kate

Word Count : 1,388

A/N : I paired Wanda and Darcy because I don’t have anyone in mind to pair with Wanda. No hate to Vision, but the role doesn’t fit him or Agatha, so I’ll settle with Darcy.

{OMEGA PT. 2} OMEGA PT. 3 {OMEGA PT. 4}

No one has permission to repost my work anywhere, if you see it let me know.

Natasha started to toss around her bed, sweating and whimpering at the new feeling of irritation and discomfort setting inside her, especially her mating mark, which had been itchy for hours and got worse and worse through the night

Natasha groans, opening her eyes after an hour of sleep and uncontrollably tossing around her bed. She’s taking a deep breath and throwing the blanket away from her in order to lessen the heat she’s been feeling

"Fuck," she mumbled, getting up and stripping off her clothes, leaving her naked

"I need a shower," she whispers, going to the bathroom to have a cold, needed shower

But she stopped when she saw her reflection in the mirror of her bathroom, and her eyes dropped down to her neck — her mating marks were now red. She swallowed the lump in her throat and touched her mating mark

"It must be hurting her," she mumbled to herself while running her fingertips on the bit mark, but before she could go all Alpha again, she shook her head and quickly got under the shower and started her cold shower

"She’s better off without me."

"Why don’t you talk to your sister?" Wanda asked the blonde Russian, who scoffed at the mention of her sister

"Why would I?" she stubbornly throws at Wanda, who rolls her eyes at the other Alpha

"I know something is going on with Y/N, and I know that it included Natasha, and what is your problem with your sister? And don’t you dare say nothing." Wanda gives Yelena a warning look, and Yelena just sighs

Even if they are both Alpha and Yelena being stubborn, she can’t afford to be on the bad side of the Witch, plus she’s her friend, so she can’t do anything about it, but when it comes to her Omega, Kate—oh god, she can be the wild aggressive Alpha she could be, and no one wants to mess with her or any other Alpha in the team, but the team is afraid to be on the bad side of Natasha

Natasha is the aggressive, possessive, and dangerous Alpha when it comes to her properties and belongings; she will not hesitate to kill or give you a lesson if needed, which is why the team is afraid of her, but Yelena, well, she’s afraid of her sister but not too afraid like others

"Nothing." Wanda quickly cut off Yelena before she made another excuse for her lies

"Shut it, Yelena." "I know things between you both are nothing, so spit it out," Wanda snapped at the blonde

"Fine. I don’t want to talk to her or acknowledge her because I know she’s the reason why Y/N has been acting strange these past few weeks. Because Y/N didn’t come here to just drop off the food, she’s here to visit her Alpha. Natasha claimed her." Yelena huffs, crossing her arm over her chest, and Wanda can’t believe what she heard

"Then why didn’t you tell me sooner? Oh my god, Yelena, the answer is already a few feet away from us." Wanda was shocked by A. That you've already mated Omega, and B. you’re Natasha’s Omega

"Wanda" Darcy her Omega cut their conversation

"We will talk later," Wanda said before taking off with her desired Omega, who’s in distress

Yelena just ignored her and went back to her and Kate’s apartment to spend quality time with her Omega, whom she’s been missing for the past few days now.

You on the other side are not doing well too; you’re much worse than Natasha; your body is on fire; the discomfort and distress are understatements; you feel unsafe and uncomfortable alone in your house, in the middle of the forest, without anything to protect you, and this makes your heart beat three times faster than it already is

"Mhhmmm." You whimper, rubbing yourself on your nest and releasing more pheromone to coat the room in our scent in hopes that it could bring you some comfort, but it doesn’t do anything even a bit; this only makes you weaker than you already are

Without your Alpha, the comfort of her, and her scent, you will never be comfortable in your life, not unless the bond is broken. You could go back to your normal style of living if you survive

"Too itchy, too hot, mmhh," you whimper, clawing your neck. Red line after red line is added until your neck is a shade of angry red

You're going crazy in your nest; you don’t know what you're going to do until you pass out in your nest.

"Open up." Yelena bangs on Natasha’s door loudly and carelessly. She hates to do this, but she can’t just sit down in her apartment with her Omega to have the quality time she needs; she needs answers, and the answers she needs are in Natasha's hand.

"Come on, I need to talk to you." She keeps banging on the door until it opens up, and the angry, annoyed redhead is looking at her like she’s ready to kill her sister.

"What do you want?" Natasha growls, only popping her head out of the door; sweat can be seen, and her face is red.

"I want the truth; what happened?" Yelena asked with a growl.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about!" Natasha spit back, not threatened by the young Widow.

"Don’t act like nothing happened; I know about you and Y/N, and I know that you have something to do with why Y/N was acting weird after she visited you, so tell me the truth." "What. Happened.!" Yelena said in greeted teeth

"Again. 'I .Don't. Know. What. You're. Talking. About' so leave me alone," Natasha spat, and she was going to slam the door shut, but Yelena stopped it with her feet and pushed it forward and started attacking Natasha.

Yelena tackled Natasha to the ground, attempting to pin her down, but Natasha quickly fought back, kicking her stomach and pushing her back, making Yelena stumble back, freeing Natasha.

But Yelena quickly stood up, blowing a few punches that Natasha was defending, then taking Natasha’s collar shirt and pushing her into the wall. Natasha didn’t have a choice but to push Yelena’s face away to at least loosen the tight grip on her neck, but before any of them broke each other's necks, Wanda heard the light commotion and pulled them apart with her powers

"Cut it out, you two; whatever you’re fighting with, it’s useless." Wanda scolded them, with Yelena trying to break free while Natasha took a deep breath. She’s thankful that Wanda pulled them apart because, whether she admits it or not, she’s weak, she doesn’t have much sleep, and her body is itching

"And Yelena, I visited Y/N, and she’s not there anymore; her place is clean; there's not a single clue where she was left behind." This makes the two women look at Wanda, shocked, worried, and anxious at what they hear about the news about you

"Free me, Wanda," Yelena demanded, but Wanda didn’t do what the blonde said because she knew that she would do something stupid once she freed Yelena

"Wh-what?" Natasha asked, still shocked, and she couldn’t believe what she heard. Wanda brought her down gently to her feet

"Oh, now you care?" You fucking cared?!" Yelena shouted, clearly wanting to kill Natasha

"I think you should sit this one out. I don’t know what happened between you and Y/N, but all I know is that you claimed her, Natasha. And you failed to look after your Omega....." Wanda, stop and look at what Natasha’s state is now

"And by the looks of you, sweating, itching, and weak...." Wanda chose her words carefully, debating if she should mention it and make the two Widows worried or sit the idea out to make them less panicked

"You fucked up!" With that, Wanda left Natasha’s room with Yelena behind her, the red wisp still preventing the blond from moving, leaving the redhead Alpha alone with her thoughts running miles, miles away, thinking about you

"If anything happens to Y/N, I will kill you!" Yelena shouts at Natasha. Choosing not to say a thing to either of them is the best choice. ….for now

Taglist : @flvrnat @toouncreativeforausername @how-to-disappearrr @marvelogic @snowdrop1026 @natashaswife4125 @paufox @newawakening9 @alphamclees @wandanatslittle

[tanith-rhea]

That I may be weak with you

"Do you love me enough that I may be weak with you? Everyone loves strength, but do you love me for my weakness? That is the real test." - Alain de Botton Dorothea Delilah Darcy is a woman in her mid to late twenties, struggling to find her place in the world. A recent job opportunity as a guidance counsellor at Nevermore Academy seems like a godsend, and she could not miss it for the life of her. Still, perhaps more problems will arise than she expected. Between bubbly, extroverted students and an uncharacteristically reactive principal, she'll be forced to overcome the limitations of her abilities or separate herself entirely from the place she'll grow to call home.

Author's note: this is... something that I'm willing to share at the moment. I hope you like it, it certainly is more of an indulgence on my part than anything else. This and Honey, You're a Keeper are what's keeping me sane lately (although more fantasizing about both the stories than writing them)

Chapter One

"There are times when I am convinced I am unfit for any human relationship" — Franz Kafka

You never thought you would someday get the chance to go to Nevermore. Being home-schooled was very common for kids in your community, and the boarding high school experience seemed to you like one of those unachievable dreams you only read about in the countless novels in your library.

You ended up not going, of course. At least not as a student. Now you approached the Nevermore gates in a car driven by a charming middle-aged man responsible for maintaining the campus surroundings nifty and, apparently, chauffeuring new professors.

A soft drizzle cast everything in a foggish autumnal setting. The term would begin in a week, so true autumn wasn't very far away, but the contrast with your parents' house was welcomed; it reminded you of Belfast, only warmer and sealess.

"What do you think, Ser Barnabas?" you petted the dark-grey tabby in your lap, "Will they be able to help us?"

"What was that, Miss?" the driver asked amicably.

"Oh! Nothing, Mr Duch, sorry to disturb you."

"Nonsense, girl, you've been nothing but nice the entire trip," he turned the car left and you saw the castle beyond the trees "We're here."

Nevermore Academy was a castle-like boarding school for teenage outcasts to learn how to control and develop their powers as well as a myriad of other subjects. You would do something along those lines, you would help them with their troubles. As it appears, their count had gone up considerably since last semester.

The building itself was a gorgeous piece of architecture. You remembered studying similar structures while going over the Gothic movement in college almost seven years ago but looking at pictures was never the same as visiting a cathedral. It certainly was not the same as stepping out of the car to a fairy-tale courtyard and mystical-looking archways. The grandiosity of the place brought you the nostalgia of reading The Secret Garden for the first time; childish curiosity meets fantastical hidden marvel.

"Everything was strange and silent and she seemed to be hundreds of miles away from anyone..."

"But somehow she did not feel lonely at all," someone interrupted your mumbling in a soft, amicable tone.

A tall blond approached you by the car, dressed in a long-sleeved, cream-coloured dress. She was easily a foot taller than you and quite intimidating, but contrary to her height, her warm blue eyes only invited you in. You felt a surge of emotion in your chest and slightly panicked at the thought of having an episode then and there, and out of nowhere too. You were certain no one was touching you, and you knew none of the people around you personally.

"Are you all right?" the beautiful woman asked, and a small crease appeared between her brows. She went to touch your arm, but you quickly composed yourself and stepped away to deposit Ser Barnabas on the ground.

"I'm quite all right, yes!" you tried to smile, "I was only surprised you knew Ms Hogson's words."

"Hardly an uncommon read," Ser Barnabas went to her and walked between her legs, rubbing on her quite uncharacteristically.

"But you knew them exactly, Pride and Prejudice is not an uncommon read and yet most people won't be able to quote it if asked."

"Quite the debater, I see, but you do have a point," she arched one perfectly designed eyebrow at you "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Darcy, I'm Larissa Weems, the principal of Nevermore Academy," she held her hand out to you and of course you were being unnecessarily prickly to the one person that could fire you and send you away at any time.

"Oh, my, I'm so sorry!" you hastily recovered from your previous scare, putting on a well-practised mask of serenity, "We only talked through e-mails so I'm afraid I didn't recognize you," you took her hand confidently "I didn't realise you would be meeting me quite so soon."

"I prefer to give the tour myself to any new staff member. I believe it to be a good bonding opportunity," she smiled easily. She was so effortlessly gracious, you had to admit leadership suited her like her obviously tailored dress.

You tugged on your glove ends to distract yourself from her overwhelming warmth and turned to look at the kind gentleman that brought you there, "Mr Duch, could you open the truck for me? I'd like to bring my things along to save time."

"Oh, don't worry, darling. I'll ask some of the staff to do that for you. You can go, Mr Duch, and have a rest before getting back to work, I believe Philomena made hot chocolate about half an hour ago and there still might have some."

"Thank you, principal, have a good day," the man left through a side pathway and quickly was out of view beyond the archways.

You were left with the imposing figure, and there wasn't much you could do aside from accompanying her. Somehow, she made you more nervous than you anticipated. Meeting new people was always a complicated ordeal, but with Principal Weems the hairs on your arms seemed more charged than usual as if her energy already knew you, which was impossible.

Ser Barnabas, the traitor, was nowhere to be seen. After nuzzling her ankles, he just skipped away to explore. You were relieved she didn't seem to realize or mind your cat's affections, after all, pets could not be prohibited but it didn't mean other co-workers or your boss had to like yours.

"I'll show you your private accommodations and we'll have a look around the school. Your office is near the astronomy tower, just before the Desdemona Hall communal area."

Your rooms consisted of a large bedroom and office area with an adjoining bathroom equipped with a bathtub and separate shower space. It was similar to what your last place of employment offered, but the stone walls and gothic feel were an entirely different level of appeal.

The principal showed you the dining area, the quad — which was a pentagon — the teacher's breakroom and your own classroom. The rest she said you'd be quickly acquainted with during the next few weeks. She explained some basic rules of the academy and advised you to be cautious of students trying to trick you into giving them a Jericho pass, especially Ophelia Hall girls. You found it all quite simple to understand, but that was only when you could actually concentrate on what the woman was telling you and not the movement of her lips forming words.

She had a very articulate way of expressing herself, something expected from someone in such a position of power, but it was understandably charming accompanied by her melodic accent, low voice and powerful stance. She commanded discipline by simply being.

"I hope to see you very soon, Miss Darcy," the woman concluded with a winning smile, "Dinner is served at seven-thirty, as I already told you. If you would like to dine out, please notify Mr Duch before five and transportation back is on you," she nodded one final time before turning on her heels and walking down the corridor.

You surveyed your office once more. Now that you were alone, a sense of calm finally made its way to your bones. Being near other people wasn't unpleasant most of the time, but the principal seemed to have a particularly powerful presence and keeping yourself in check all the time while paying attention to her was exhausting. Not that you paid all that much attention to her, instead just ogling like a creep.

Your files were already organized in the first drawer of your desk; all the documents you sent through e-mails to the school board were printed and put together in a leather cover binder. Very aesthetically pleasing and organized. You loved whoever did that for taking their time to sort through everything so carefully.

Leaving the office behind, you went back to your rooms for a shower and change of clothes. Ser Barnabas somehow was inside, sleeping atop a suitcase as if he was protecting your belongings.

"Someone had a busy hour," you scratched behind his ear and he stretched, meowing for being woken up.

You unpacked and put your things away in drawers and armoires, leaving Ser Barnabas' teacup by the enormous arched window overlooking the quad for him to hydrate whenever he deemed necessary — sometimes you were convinced he drank mentally because the water would disappear and he would be sleeping in the exact same position as the one before you left — before having a long-awaited shower.

You didn't go to dinner that day, deciding on a series of one-person games of draughts before bed.

[jackiequick]

— What If Jason stayed with House Stark? [ Agent Carter Fic]

Pairing: Howard Stark & Jason Underwood, Jason Underwood & Maria Stark, Howard Stark x Maria Stark

Characters mentioned: Tony Stark, Edwin Jarvis, Pepper Potts, James Rhodes, Nick Fury, Ana Jarvis, Peggy Carter and Darcy Lewis

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Agent Carter

Summary: Jason and Howard had a falling out, both wanting different things and never getting to apologize for their actions. In result, it broke down the family they created for themselves, but what if they didn’t? What if they were able to see Tony grow up and continue work at SHIELD?

Setting: Post-Agent Carter, Pre Iron Man and during the first Iron Man

Warning: Fluff, Angst, and hinting to future MCU projects down the line

Click here to see the previous work

——

It hurts. The painful thing about that agreement was there it felt like a little thread was snapped off. They say a break up between you and a girlfriend is hard, but of a friendship? That feels like worsening a open wound.

It’s been days now.

He was at Jarvis’s house in a guest room unpacking up his things and on the phone with his nephew, Tony, to make sure they were still up for a ride to the park. Even if Howard nor himself didn’t want to see each other’s face, still didn’t mean he wasn’t going to speak with his friend and nephew.

He felt bad lying to his kid, saying that he was just going on a break from the house and a small mission afterwards. But he knew he was saving young Tony from heartbreak, hoping things can return back to the way it was.

“So buddy, what else did you do today?” Jason asked into the phone, with a loopy grin hearing his voice.

“Ohh! Me and mommy went to the beach! I made a sandcastle.” Tony said with so much enthusiasm in his voice.

~~~

Downstairs in the workshop center stood two chairs, one empty and the other being occupied by the man of the house. He was tinkering on an old set of equipment and replacing a few tapes from earlier that week.

His mind was running miles a minute, chewing the lower edge of his lips and running a hand across his hair. He couldn’t focused.

He hate to admit but he felt like a missing piece wasn’t clear.

“Howard?”

A voice called out his name. Looking up from his spot at the desk to glance over at the voice. There stood in the doorway listening was his wife. Her blonde curls looked more like waves, as her eyes gently lightened by shiny lights from the hallway.

“Hm?” He responded back, waving for her to come over.

She sat down gently on his lap, running a finger underneath his deep chocolate brown curls.

“Are you coming to bed anytime soon?” Asked Maria with a soften smile.

“Ohhh. Oh um, yeah sure…just trying to crack this..” Howard replies softly with a sad smile that he couldn’t hide from his wife.

“The equation or JJ?”

“What about JJ?”

“Don’t play dumb, Howard..”

He sighed, “…what do you want me to say? Admit that i was harsh on him? That he was right?”

“I think you know the answer to that, honey.” Maria simply replies.

Howard knew that he missed up. They both did. But he’s too much of a mess, to point out the narrative of the situation. He let his friend walk out that door after saying he doesn’t want to ever see him again. To get out of his life. He should’ve stopped him before he left the house.

Jason will always be there for him. But will he forgive him after this?

“I should’ve stopped him..” Howard admitted softly, it came out as a whisper.

“Why didn’t you?” Maria questioned his actions, already knowing the response.

“..I couldn’t admit that he was right. I knew he wouldn’t listen after what i said…”

“You will figure it out.”

“Where is he now?”

“At Jarvis’s house. Be told me he will be moving back to New York soon…”

~~~~

That same weekend, the pair kept crossing over one another at work. Neither one said a word, only a short simple nod to acknowledge one another’s presence in the room. It felt like a headache was coming, this pinging reminder of what happened.

Jason didn’t bother looking at Howard most of the day, finding himself walking away to speak to others about a concept or bumping into Jarvis outside the building. He sighed, rubbing his face in annoyance.

Howard stayed in his office when he wasn’t chatting with his colleagues or having lunch with his friends, such as Hank Pym. Every single time he saw his old friend walk past his side of the floor, he sighed deeply and loudly at the sight.

It felt like a break up where might’ve screwed up their reputations within the group.

As much as their friends didn’t say anything, they felt like something was off in the air. Yeah sure their little group has always been until the end in agreements and tried to make calls to fix things. Plenty of times, Howard fought with Hank Pym where chairs would be thrown across the room.

Some things just couldn’t be fixed but Peggy Carter wasn’t having it today.

She stormed into the room knocking some scene with Jason and Howard, dragging both adult men into a large office to speak together. She would’ve brought bigger guns to the playing field but she didn’t want to bring half of the group into this. Not today.

She stood in the room with her arms crossed, “You two better pull your head out of your asses! I’m sick of this. I’ve seen you fight before plenty of times where you walked out of the bloody building but this?! It’s incredible!”

“Peg—” Howard spoke up but was cut off.

“Ah! I don’t want to hear it. I don’t know what exactly happened here but you two are going to fix it or so god help me.”

“And what else is there to say huh? Peg—” Jason add but this time was cut off by the women.

“OHH! This is much more to say. You will will resolve this bloody issue soon, if it’s the thing you do today.”

Before both men can say an word, Peggy Carter walked out closing the door behind her. Jason rushed to try and open it, but he was too late. Howard sighed muttering something to himself, with his hands on his hips.

Neither said a word to one another, pacing around the room and just sipping on glasses of water that were set in place. There was dead silence that engulfed the area they sat in.

Until a laugh was heard.

It was Howard snickering and scoffing, shaking his head at the situation. Jason gave him a odd looking muttering to himself at the moment.

“What’s so funny?” He asked with a soft glare, not realizing this was the first word he has spoken to the man in days.

“This.” Howard simply said, waving his hand around to emphasize the meaning of his word, “Peg, trapped us here and we’re acting like complete morons to her.”

“Well can you blame her? I’ve not been in the best mood lately…you know why.”

“Let’s just try to get out, okay?”

“No. She wants to talk and we will..i hope.”

“What is there to talk about?”

“Howard…”

He felt a headache coming on from just the way he said it. Jason stayed silent, taking another sip of his drink and lightly chuckled at the cheesy ridiculousness of the situation.

“You see it! It’s funny.” Howard exclaimed with a half smile, pointing out the chuckle he just heard and sighed, “…look. I’m not good at this time, alright?”

Jason scoffed jokingly adding a small, “You know that’s right..sorry go on.”

“Uhhhh! Ok here it goes! I-i why is this so hard to say?!”

“Say it with your chest.”

“Do i have to?”

“Do you want to get out of here or not?”

“Oh god, fine! But you have to say your truth then!..uh i screwed up…”

“Look who’s learning!..and?”

“What do you want me to say? That i screwed up and you were right this whole time?”

“I think you just admitted it..”

“I did not!”

“Oh yes you did!”

“Jason!”

“Howard.”

Both men sent glares to one another however they couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. Sure they were pissed off, fumbling and fuming over the agreement with one another. There’s pride and ego always get the best of them.

It was hard for Howard to admit when he’s greatly wrong about something and it’s hard for Jason to admit when he clearly hears something then overstepped.

“Uh, look man, i’m sorry..i messed up, I didn’t mean everything i said in the lab, okay?” Jason said, rubbing a hand across his face with such seriousness and sincerity in his eyes.

“You called you a huge jerk, JJ! You said I was practically a poor excuse of a parent and I didn’t think of anything but my work!” Howard exclaimed taking a seat across from the table, feeling defensive.

“Because you don’t! I work just as much as you do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have time to spend with our family and friends. I’ve seen the man you’ve become and I don’t like it. I overstepped when I mentioned it earlier..”

“You’re not getting it. I’m doing the right thing here!”

“No, I get it! I do understand it, but you don’t.”

“Everything I do is for our family, you know that! Not once have I thought I’m not giving you, Maria or Tony the best life I could. It’s why always i fight and invest time in my experiments.”

“Answer me this then. When was the last time you’ve gotten caught up watching a film with us? Or shown Tony the lab?”

“He’s not allowed in there. And I’m too busy for that, ask Peg she can tell you. I don’t have time for that.”

“That’s my point. You don’t make time for anyone else but yourself.”

“Uh, excuse me?!”

“I said once I say again, your mind is one of the most incredible things about you, and it has been transferred over to Tony. He’s a smart kid. He just wants to spend some time with you. Me and Peggy want to spend some time with you!”

“I don’t have—”

Howard cut himself off greatly with a sigh and placed his head in his hands. He grumbles underneath his breath, hating to admit when he’s wrong but he knew that he is. He’s not the same man he once was all those years ago and doesn’t intend to go backwards to fix it all.

Both men went slapping insults, excuses and explanations, back and forth like it was a battlefield. One would’ve laughed if they weren’t trying to make a point to one another, wanting to leave this room.

Howard felt like he couldn’t breathe as he huffed, “What do you want me to do? I’m not changing who i am now, JJ. I just started watching the world change and i want to be there to see it.”

“I’m..uhh, i don’t know, I don’t expect you to change anything. But i do know one thing. You’re a good man and a smart one, you’ll figure out. I just believe that i screw up and we need to fix this..” Jason admitted with a sigh, rubbing his temple.

“How?”

“Take it from someone who knows time is special and should be well spent, I think you need a break. Take some time off…”

“I don’t know if i can..and I don’t want to fight anymore. I’ve haven’t slept in days or ate well either thinking about the times I’ve lied to make myself feel better..”

Jason scoffed, “I’ve barely had a chance to process everything i said that day..I can’t sleep. I couldn’t remember the last time i ate well..I’m tired of not feeling good…”

“I’m sorry i let you walk out..I shouldn’t have said that you should leave, because I didn’t think you would..”

“It’s alright. I think the best course of action is to reevaluate our relationship..”

“It’s gonna take time.”

“I have all the time in the world.”

Howard chuckled, “Ain’t that right.”

Each took their turns talking about what happened, how they left horrible and hoping to try to path up their issues. It felt like a long talk, 45 minutes of silence with a mix chatter between both sides. But there was still so much to talk about later on...

They stood up shaking hands, ready to get out of the room before Jason pulled him in for a hug. Howard hesitated to return the hug but for what’s it’s worth, he felt good hugging his friend back.

Howard hugged him like it’s his last day on earth and stayed there in his best friends arms with a smile as Jason returns the hug with a matching smile.

They missed each other deeply. It was sorta hilarious, how much time they spent without seeing another and the complaints from one each other about it. But it was simple really, they’re friends.

No matter what happens. Things stayed true for the pair. Respect, care, loyalty and a basic sense of love.

Despite everything they love each other like brothers, treat one another like a good friend and always respect their relationship like a pair of lovers.

The two left the room, decided to have lunch together and head back home. Howard was supposed to drive him back home to his house but took a short detour. He drove up to his house with a smile and his friend gave him an odd look, recognizing what he meant.

The moment they enter the house, Maria greeted both of her boys with loving arms gently kisses both their faces. The trio talked about their current living conditions and where they stand, until the pattern footsteps of the little man of the house came into view.

Little Tony Stark was wearing his NASA shirt and jeans, holding up his toy hammer with a smile climbing into his mama’s lap. She showered him in kisses.

His eye lighten up after seeing his second favorite person in the room, climbing out of his mother’s lap into his uncles. Jason smiled at the sight. Howard chuckled ruffled his son’s hair seeing the pure smile on his face, then leaned down to kiss his wife.

“Ewwww!!” Tony squeals covering his eyes.

—//—

Years went on, arguments came and went, simple small adjustment were made by their families rules and regulations came across to how everyone acted. Howard became a little comfortable and softer with his son letting him learn more from his father. Jason worked between units of SHIELD and other jobs, being care to watch his mouth every now and then. Or else Peggy would’ve smacked the living hell out of them.

Sadly Maria and Howard died, leaving their son in the care of his godmother Peggy Carter and uncle Jason Underwood. Along with Jarvis and his lovely wife Ana. So he was cared for, but still annoyed with his father. Something Tony would never let down is proving himself to be good or even greater than his father.

Peggy stayed in and out of SHIELD work meanwhile Jason retired from his office. He still kept tabs on the organization but decided to stay away after a few incidents resulting in his responses or concerns being blown over his head.

~~~~

Currently he road up to the Stark Mansion, stepping out of his black cherry sports car and pulling out his sunglasses to see the beauty of the sight, after being gone for too long. He half smiled at the redesigns he added to the front of the house.

He greeted Pepper at the door, giving him a small hug and a kind kiss on the cheek. He handed her a bag of donuts and a freshly made cup of coffee he ordered just for her.

“You didn’t need to get me anything, J.” She replied with a smile, looking into the bag to see her favorite set of donuts.

“You deserve a sweet treat every once in a while, doll.” He added, chuckling looking over his shoulder at the small mess.

“Oh I’m sorry about the confusion and mess..”

“Oh no, it’s fine honey. Just didn’t expect this house to be so quiet at this time and hour…?”

“Ah, well you know where he is. Hasn’t come out of his lab since yesterday and I’m scared to check.”

“That’s what I’m here for. Go ahead and enjoy the coffee before it gets cold.”

Pepper thanked him, grateful to have him in her life and feeling lucky to see him around the house again. She left to the kitchen counter to enjoy her donuts and coffee in peace, she knew Tony was tinkering down there and it possibly involves some kind of new crazy investment of technological enhancements. Building a suitable way to help the people, according to him.

Jason step down the stairs being greeted by their A.I. Jarvis, who announced his presence to the center of the lab, which he thanked him for. Once he landed on the final step and stood underneath the doorframe his jaw dropped drastically.

“What the hell?!” He yelled seeing the sight.

There stood Tony Stark removing himself from a set of metal plates and holding a helmet in his hands, having DUMMY hold up a few more items for him. Next to the man in place was a human size action figure looking suit, in deep golden yellow and hot rod red.

The room was filled with metallic gray plates, tools left and right, a diagram model of suits and thrown out gloves. As well plenty of other things just landed across the lab. 

Tony looked up with a soft smile and shrug, “Let’s face it, this isn’t the worse thing you caught me doing.”

“What the hell are you doing?” He asked walking into the lab, his eyes wondering over to the suit looking very confused.

“I’m building a suit, isn’t it obvious?”

“Tony.”

“After everything that happened lately and seeing what my weapons have accomplished, I don’t like it. So I figured I’d do something about it.”

“And a iron suit is your answer? I’m sorry son, but I need a better explanation. Please.”

“This suit will help me save civilians and undo the damage I’ve caused. My weapons and the way the world is becoming, I think it needs a change. Help people..”

“A heroic path?”

“Yeah. Or that’s at least what I’m trying to do.”

“..okay.”

“Okay?”

“Is Jarvis in the suit? And it fully charged with sensors to brace for impact?”

Tony smirked and nodded.

Jason was scared out of his mind about this idea, fearing he might get himself hurt, but he knew he couldn’t stop him from doing this. The least he can do is make sure he was safe.

Little did he know that this would be the start of Iron Man becoming a new hero, his possible return to SHIELD with Agent Coulson showing up and his way to enforcing his placement back into the new world. He wasn’t ready for the new faces he would met along the way either.

—//—

Thanks for reading! What did you think?

Pls like, comment and reblog!

I could do a follow up with him being in Iron Man 2 and or Thor, which is where he meets Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis (+ a young Melissa Wallace) if you like? Whatever movie is up for grabs!

Tags: @gaminggirlsstuff @hanlueluver @blackheart-beauty @gcthvile @mandylove1000 @superspookyjanelle @daughter-of-melpomene @yetanotherwells @levijeanqueen @msrochelleromanofffelton @rooster-84 @sherloquestea and etc

[angelhummel]

your glee/degrassi posts made me curious: which degrassi characters do you think are similar to the glee characters? i'd compare spinner and puck for example.

Oof not sure now I feel about that lmao. I have sooo many wildly fluctuating thoughts on Spinner that they all kind of average out into "he was ok" lmao. God honestly Spinner vibes for Finn more than Puck like aww I was a big dumb loser with no direction in high school, guess I'll become a cop/join the army (: I mean Puck too lowkey but that was just doubly dumb bc he was basically doing it for Finn like ?? calm down alksjfsdklgs

Plus there's so many more Degrassi characters than Glee characters so I feel like one Gleek is worth six Degrassians lmao

First of all Finn and Rachel want what Jay and Manny have, let's just say that. Super talented destined for stardom singer actor girl and her bf who works on cars and plays drums?? Janny outsold

Also with Jay and Alex I get Pucktana vibes. The ultimate lesbro lmao

Also Brittana are Palex and i dont ship either of them like the seemingly dark and brooding Latina lesbian with the soft spot for the preppy blonde bi cheerleader... Those dynamics look familiar

Quinn, I hate to do it to her, but a little Becky a little Darcy... Churchy good girl with the shitty parents who are oblivious to her struggles. Maybe also a little Jenna just for the teen mom thing but Puck could never and would never stoop so low to be a KC. Maybe also a little Fiona for Quinn??

Umm Karofsky and Riley are the same character. I think the only reason I like one and hate the other is bc Max could act :| Sorry bout it

I already went on record saying that Miles Hollingsworth is just fanon Sebastian Smythe alksjfslkfjs

Mercedes and Liberty a very little bit?? Mainly when it comes to Rachel/Emma & Manny acting like they were always such close besties when it's like ?? 75% of the time yall were hating on her!! Umm Terry for superficial body image issues lol. And ugh I don't know how I feel about this but maybe a little Clare?? Like in regards to keeping her faith and her relationship to sex etc etc

Actually I can very clearly see Kurt and Finn as Marco and Spinner bc I imagine s1 Finn would rather choke to death on a piece of food than let a gay guy give him the heimlich <3

Oh duh Kurt and Tristan. bc Finn and Owen (: But also bc they both have very theatrical personalities and similar arcs with body image issues and also they're both iconic

Artie is like JT and Toby's son idk

Kitty gives me early Holly J mixed with early Becky vibes

Tina maybe. Ellie and Ashley vibes :x I'm sorry alskfjslkfhs. And also superficially Leia in that they are both Asian and the show didn't care about them (:

Brittany is Lola (derogatory)

Whew that feels like a lot lmao but that's all the ones I can think of right now!! Lmk what you think!

[casspurrjoybell-24]

The Alpha's Beta - Chapter 9 - Part 2

BOOK ONE: The Alpha's Trilogy

*Warning - Adult Content*

Don't Play Stupid - Part 2

Beta Darren Phoenix

'Goddess damn mother fucker.'

I had just got to the office and now I had to make my way all the way back home.

I had walked into Jeremy's house, slamming the door behind me.

I went to my bedroom, then to the on-suite bathroom.

I got undressed, took a shower and then got dressed again.

Like fucking Déjà vu from this morning.

I grumbled my way back down the stairs and made my way to the front door.

Just as I was opening it 'Metallica's Fade to Black' started to play from my cell-phone.

Looking down at the screen I groaned in annoyance when I saw Quinton's number.

"I'm not telling you again. No. I will not get you a dirt and worms donuts. You're twenty six Goddess-damn years old," I growled out when I picked up.

"Okay. First off. Ouch. Second off, that's not why I called at all. Okay, maybe a little to why I called..."

"Get to the point Quinton."

"Right, sorry," he apologised.

"The surveillance camera's from sector one to three have gone black. I figured you were out around there maybe you could check it out."

I rolled my eyes locking the door behind me as I left the house and started my half a block walk to Donavan Road and Hiltman Drive.

"Anything weird show up on the camera's before the black out?" I asked looking around the neighborhood as I walked along.

I heard shifting from Quinton before he replied.

"Nothing at all in Sector three, Sector two Mrs. Oliva was outside tending to her garden while Mr. Oliva talked to their tree. Oh and a stray dog walking from sector two to one."

I raised an eyebrow.

People in this pack where just weird.

"Sector one, there was Silas leaving Lucca's house. Looking not to pleased. He made it about half way's to the sidewalk before the camera's cut."

"Alright. Well I guess just stay on the line just in case I find something," I replied as I walked passed the Oliva's.

Who were both still outside Mrs. Oliva sitting down on her porch with a glass of, something.

While Mr. Oliva was sitting beside said tree whispering about the importance of friends.

Someone needs to remind me to get him a psych-check.

He was either a real hippy or crazy.

"Have you passed Silas yet? He should be going to Symon's that's just a blocks away," Quinton said in my ear.

I had almost completely forgotten I was on the cell-phone with him but now that he mentioned it.

I hadn't seen the 'big bad Alpha' or smelled him at all.

"Haven't see 'em. You try calling him. I'll check and see if he went back to Lucca Miethke's house."

With that I hung up the phone and walked to Lucca's house, knocking on the door loud enough for the people next door to hear.

A couple minutes later I heard shuffling from inside and soon an annoyed looking Lucca answered the door wearing a large white shirt that only covered half of his boxer shorts.

His blond hair was dishevelled on his head and if looks could kill.

I'd be long gone.

"What do you want?" he spat crossing his arms over his chest.

"Where is he?"

"Where is who?"

"Don't play stupid. You know who."

Though I was almost sure he wasn't playing stupid he just was.

He rolled his eyes and I mimicked him.

Then propped myself against the door frame, crossing my arms over my own chest.

He sighed dropping his arms.

"He left about ten minutes ago. He said he was going back to Simon's place," he replied getting ready to close the door.

I nodded my head to him before walking back down the path way.

I had this sickly feeling in my gut but I just shrugged it off as I walked back towards the office.

When I got back Quinton was talking to somebody on the office phone, while Darcy was typing away on her computer.

I could honestly say I was shocked when I saw that the pack had an IT room.

They seemed so behind on everything I was surprised they didn't still do stoning's and hanging people for talking to trees.

Quinton hung up and let out a sigh, closing he's eyes and running he's temples.

"What's up?" I asked, sitting in my chair and loading my screens up. Surprised to see the camera's working again.

"Nothing. Pretty tired. I'm guessing he wasn't at Lucca's. I couldn't get a hold of him on he's phone so, I called Simon. He said he got a text from Silas not to long ago. Apparently he's going into the city for some errands. Said he won't be back until tomorrow. Ellis is staying the night at Simon's just in case."

I nodded my head along to what he was saying but I couldn't help feeling sick in my gut again, after listening to what he said.

[iwritestuffzs]

Whumptober Day 2: Delirium//Thermometer// "They don't care about you"

Fandom: Heartstopper

"Shit this is bad."

Charlie looked over the thermometer again and winced. 105. Definitely bad.

He looked toward Darcy sleeping on the couch. Her face was clammy and wet from all the sweating she was doing. Tara kept a cold compress on her girlfriend's forehead but it wasn't helping much.

Charlie didn't know where it went so wrong. It was just supposed to be a fun day at Nick's house.Well technically Nick and Darcy's house. Ever since Darcy's parents had kicked her out she'd been staying at Nick's. Sarah had basically taken her in as a daughter but nothing was official.

An hour before they were supposed to meet up, the Paris Squad received a message from Nick saying that Darcy was sick and that they had to cancel. Which lead to everyone showing up at their house with medicine.

When they arrived Darcy and Nick greeted them at the door. Besides her face being a bit flushed, thier friend seemed fine. Darcy wrote off Nick's concerning message and told the gang that she was just a bit tired and hot.

So the group had moved forward with their previous plans and watched a movie.

That's where things went south real quick.

While watching the movie everyone noticed how quiet Darcy was. Usually she would be the one cracking jokes and gawking over how hot Sadie Sink was. But it was unnaturally silent.

Upon looking over they saw that Darcy was barely awake and leaning on Tara's shoulder. She looked even more flushed then when they arrived. And within a couple more minutes the blonde was out cold.

"Guys she burning up," Tara said, touching the back of her hand to Darcy's forehead.

"I've turned the air conditioner on but it doesn't seem to be helping," Nick said.

"What's her temperature?" Elle asked.

"I told her to take a temperature test before you all came, but she refused to," Nick said.

Charlie playfully punched him in the arm, "Some brother you are. You gotta force her to."

"I-i didn't want to overstep," Nick admitted, "I mean I'm technically not her brother."

Tao let out a chuckle, "you two are the most brotherly-sisterly duo I've ever seen."

"Yeah," Charlie agreed, "Even more than me and Tori."

The comments made Nick blush a bit.

He got up and returned with the thermometer. He gave the thermometer to Tara who put it in Darcy's mouth.

An uncomfortable silence went through the group as they awaited the results. After about 4 minutes it was ready. Charlie read the results and the group all winced with him.

"What should we do?" Issac asked, "take her to the doctor?"

"Probably," Elle agreed, "I mean 105 isn't normal. Not even for a fever."

"Yeah if it gets any worse it could be deadly," Tao said.

"Deadly?!" Tara cried.

Elle elbowed him hard in the side," but it won't come to that. Right Tao?" She said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah if course. I was just saying," the boy replied.

The group argued about what to do. While the clock ticked away and Darcy's fever undoubtedly got worse.

"What do you think Nick?" Charlie asked.

Suddenly all eyes were on him.

And he unfortunately didn't have the answers. His sister was on the couch basically dying. His mum was at work. And all his friends were looking at him.

"I don't know," he admitted, "but I'll call mum to see. But in the meantime, try to cool her down." Tara's cold towel wasn't really working.

The rugby lad went upstairs to call his mom, while the rest of the Paris Squad scrambled to get Darcy cool. Darcy squirmed in her sleep. The group thought it was just from the fever's heat.

Oh how they were wrong.

One minute she was watching Fear Street with her friends and the next she was somewhere dark. Nick's living room disappeared and was replaced with an endless black void.

"Hello?" Darcy called, "guys where'd you go?"

She walked around for a bit but there was nothing.

"Darcy."

What the fuck?

Someone was calling her. But who?

"Darcy."

It sounded like a far off echo.

"Darcy."

The voice sounded familiar.

"Darcy."

Wait she new that voice.

"Darcy!"

All of a sudden, someone materialized in front of her. It took her by surprise and he fell back with a yelp.

It was her mother.

"What the fuck," Darcy muttered.

"Darcy Elizabeth Olsson, look at what youve done," her mother yelled.

Suddenly Darcy was transported to her house. When she was six and had broken a vase that her mother had bought to impress some work friends.

She was sitting on the floor playing with some toys when her mother barged in and absentmindedly threw her purse which landed on Darcy's toy. She had to stand up to try and yank it out but when she did she bumped into the table where the vase was.

Crash.

The item fell to he floor and burst into a million pieces.

"I sorry," Darcy said, "I didn't mean to."

"You stupid girl!" her mum yelled.

"I'm not stupid." Darcy said.

Little did Darcy know she was mumbling in her sleep.

"I'm not stupid," Darcy mumbled.

Tara looked towards the rest of the group. Each of them knew about Darcy's troubled life at home. She was living with Nick for god's sake. Everyone hoped she'd never have to go threw it again.

And now she was.

And all they could do was watch.

"I'm not," Darcy muttered,"No please. I'm sorry." There was a kind of pleading in her voice.

"I'm sorry. Please don't. I'm sorry ok! I didn't mean to," she squirmed, trying to get away from some unseen force.

Tara pulled Darcy (no matter how hot she was) into a tight embrace. Trying to protect her girl, she knew it wouldn't work. But she had to try anyway.

Darcy knew she was in deep shit. Her mum had called her dad, right in the middle of his afterwork nap. A time he was not to be disturbed.

"You little brat!" Her father yelled, he towered over her. "You ruined that vase on purpose! So you know what time it is…"

"No please!" She stuck out her hands for protection, but it was no use. Her father grabbed her arms and yanked them down. Then slapped her hard across the face.

"You. Little. Bitch!" He said with every hit.

"Please stop!" She cried, she tried to run but she was backed into a corner.

"No one loves you!" He yelled.

"That's not true I have friends!" Darcy yelled back.

"They don't care about you!"

"Yes they do!"

"No they don't!"

"Yes they do," Darcy muttered," my friends do care about me."

No they don't!! Say it back.

Slap.

They do!

Slap

"They-they-they don't," she cried, "ok, my friends don't care about me. Just please stop."

"No we do," Tara replied, "I promise we do." Darcy couldn't hear her. Her fever dream was too powerful.

"Guys," Nick burst into the room," My mom said that she is on her way. Then we're gonna take her to the hospital."

"We should probably get her up," Tao suggested.

"Yeah," Tara agreed. She turned and gently pushed Darcy,"hey baby get up." In all truth she was happy to get her up. At least she wouldn't have to experience whatever was happening in her dream.

Darcy didn't get up, but was still talking in her sleep. "I'm sorry. I'll take my punishment."

Nick's heart broke. If he could, he would kill Darcy's parents. He helped try to wake her up and gently slapped her cheeks. "Come on sis, you gotta wake up."

Eventually her eyes opened a bit, they were glazed over but open a bit non the less.

"That's it Darc." He smiled.

But she suddenly attacked Tara.

Darcy's parents disappeared and suddenly Nick's living room blurily came into view. And there was a figure standing over her.

It was her mother.

It had to be.

She punched the figure in the face. They fell to the ground with a shout of surprise. This time her mum would pay. She continued to punch the living shit out of her.

There were shouts but they were muffled. All she could see was her mum. There were hands trying to pry her off of the figure. But Darcy wasn't going to give up that easily.

"This is for all those years of pain, you bitch," Darcy said.

Something pricked her shoulder and everything came to a halt. Her vision cleared up and she saw that it wasn't her mother.

It was Tara. Her love. Her best friend. Who as looking at her terrified. Her eye was already swollen and blood matted her face.

Darcy looked down and saw her knuckles stained red with her girlfriend's blood

"Fuck what have I done," she said, before falling unconscious.

Nick stood above her with an empty syringe.

"Why did you..how did you.." Charlie started.

"My mum," Nick answered, "she told me that high fevers can sometimes get dangerous.

And to be prepared."

[darcy-doll]

another customer.

He walked into the main office with a sense of purpose and saw a blonde woman behind the counter. It wasn’t the blonde he was looking for, yet he knew exactly who she was.

She looked up with a pleasant smile. Her gold name tag shined as she turned to face him. Ramona, it said, in big block letters.

“Welcome to the Merry Motel. Need a room?” Ramona asked. Her hand hovered over the computer mouse, waiting for his response.

She didn’t know who he was. He shed his kutte and bike, opting to take his truck instead. She never met him before. Her sights were focused on Desmond most of the time anyway. In fact, he doubted she would recognize anyone from the club if they weren’t sporting patches.

“Yes,” he said with a nod before he carefully leaned over the counter and gave her a look, “How much for special service?”

Ramona’s grin only widened as her eyes turned to her computer and she typed something in. Her hand moved the computer mouse this way and that, and she looked satisfied when she was done. Turning around, she grabbed a room key off the set of hooks behind her and handed it to him. “Depends on what you’re looking for. We offer a variety.”

“Any blondes?” he asked as his fingers curved around his room key.

Ramona nodded. “We have a blonde readily available. She’ll be down to your room shortly. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns, and enjoy your stay.”

He left the main office and walked down the row of rooms. Room 8 was his assigned room and he unlocked the door and stepped inside. Immediately, he drew the curtains, closed the blinds, and dimmed all the lights.

Then he waited.

The whole plan wouldn’t have been in motion if he didn’t get into an argument with his girlfriend a few days ago. It was bad, one of the worst ones yet. He and his girlfriend got into it. It was so heated that Desmond told them to take it outside. He did one better. He hopped on his bike and went for a ride.

He must’ve drove farther than he thought because he saw her. She was walking along the perimeter of the motel, and her blonde hair and petite figure were unmistakable. He knew it was her. She had looked up at the sound of the motorcycle, almost hopeful, but he had disappeared down the next road before she saw who it was. When he doubled back, just to make sure, she was gone. He had pulled over and called his vice president, and since then, he not only conducted a few stakeouts to make sure it was her, but he also put this very plan in motion.

He paced around the room slowly, eyeing his watch every few seconds. He was as calm as can be, and it was almost scary, given the circumstances. Still, it was all part of the plan.

There was a knock at his door. Inhaling deeply, he realized this was the moment of truth. Pulling the door open, he came face to face with her.

She took a step back in surprise. “Oh my god, Walker.”

He reached out, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her inside before she had a chance to say anything else. Shutting and locking the door for good measure, Walker turned around and faced her. He stared at her, taking her in. What the hell happened to her?

“Darcy,” he whispered in shock. He knew he saw her a few days ago but not up close. And now that he was looking at her, anger and hatred boiled inside him.

Darcy had deep bruises around her neck, shaped like a handprint, like someone choked the ever living shit out of her. There was a fresh abrasion against her cheek, probably from a slap to the face. She looked like she lost weight, which was unsettling given how petite she already was. Whatever part of her body that wasn’t covered in clothing was covered in something else. There were scratches, bruises, and… damn, cigarette burns too.

Walker wanted to maim whoever did this to her. Desmond though… he was sure Desmond would slaughter them. With that thought, Walker was debating if Desmond should even see her like this. Surely there must be a way to hide her until she was all healed up, right?

“What… what happened–?” He had no idea how to begin this line of questioning. How she was still standing in one piece amazed him.

“I’m protecting the people I love,” Darcy told him. She seemed so relieved at seeing a familiar face. There was almost a light in her eyes but a depressing darkness overshadowed it.

Walker blinked, trying to process what to say. She made the dumbest decision in the entire fucking world, and this was what it cost her. He was there when Desmond got the phone call. He was there when Darcy said she was leaving, that she had to go with her sister in order to protect Desmond and Legend. By the time Walker got to the motel, she was gone. Not a single trace left of her, except the burner phone she intentionally left behind. After days, weeks even, of searching and staking the place out, here she was. 

Walker pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to Desmond, letting his vice president know that Darcy was okay. Well… as much as she could be anyway, but he wasn’t going to go into details over the phone.

Then he dialed a number.

“Who are you calling?” Darcy asked, suddenly looking alarmed and panicked, “You can’t tell anyone I’m here. You were never here.”

“Shut up,” Walker mumbled toward her just as the person on the other line picked up. “No, not you,” he spoke into the phone. “I found her. Wanna talk to her?”

In half a second, Walker handed the phone to Darcy. The blonde took it, almost afraid of who was on the other line, but she answered anyway. “Hello?”

“Darcy Sarah Merritt,” the voice on the other line spoke sternly, “how fucking dare you.”

Darcy sank onto the bed, and Walker watched her carefully. He felt like even the slightest breeze would cause her to fall over, so he kept an arm out just in case.

“Hi Winnie.”

“I swear to god, when I see you, I’m gonna kick your ass. Are you okay?” Winnie’s voice was angry but also laced with concern and worry. Just hearing her voice like that made Darcy tear up.

“I’m fine,” Darcy said. Her eyes glanced up at Walker, who mouthed to her, like hell you are. She ignored him, pulling her eyes away and staring at the ugly printed carpet. “How are you?”

“You’re kidding, right? I’ve been a wreck. What the hell were you thinking?” Winnie almost shouted.

Darcy just wanted to be swallowed up by the bed at that point. She hated disappointing people, and she absolutely didn’t like hurting anyone. She thought she was doing the right thing. Her heart was in the right place.

“I, um. Well,” she didn’t even know where to begin.

“Look, Darce. How many times do we need to tell you? Let us protect you.”

“No, Win. No. You don’t get it.”

“I get it plenty. Sweetie, you have a whole gang over here who will fight your battles for you, and you know your man will be front and center. You didn’t need to do this.”

Darcy inhaled, trying not to choke on the sobs that were blooming in the back of her throat.

“Ramona threatened–”

“The club gets threatened all the time. You think they’d be fazed by this?” Winnie’s voice rang in Darcy’s ear, and Darcy desperately wanted her to stop talking. She really didn’t get it.

“God, Win.” Darcy stood up, shifting the phone to her other ear. Walker eyed her, staying close by just in case. “That’s not what this is about.”

“Then come home and let’s talk about it, Darce.”

“I can’t.”

“I hate to break it to you, but why do you think Walk is there?”

“He’s leaving.”

It was at that moment when Walker snatched the phone out of Darcy’s grip. He gave her a look, almost menacing, that made her cower in her place and pull her eyes away from him. Instinctively, a hand went to her blonde hair, curling it around her finger as she awaited whatever punishment Walker was going to dish out.

“Hey Win,” Walker said on the phone while looking at Darcy, “Yeah. I told her. Tell Des it’s definitely her. You’ll see her soon. Yes, Win. Okay. Okay, Win. Love you too.”

He hung up and pocketed his phone. His eyes never wavered from the petite blonde in front of him. Darcy tried to look menacing too, but she knew it was coming across as pathetic. With her looking like she was, in the state that she was in, it was clear she couldn’t look threatening. Hell, her tiny frame made it almost impossible for her to look even slightly scary.

“I’m not going back,” Darcy said.

“Oh yes you are.” Walker stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans, staring her down. “I’ll force you into my truck, Darcy. You’re going back.”

“Why? Why do you care so much? I’m doing this for you, all of you.” She wasn’t backing down, and it was becoming bothersome.

“I swear to god, if I had my gun on me right now…”

“You’ll what? Shoot me? Wouldn’t be the first time someone hurt me enough to draw blood.”

The words stung and he had to take a step back. While it was a low blow, he also recognized the truth in her words. He couldn’t imagine what kind of hell she went through, what her sister forced her to go through, and he didn’t want to think about it. This was what she decided to do for the club? For Desmond? He couldn’t help but admire that, despite how flawed it was.

“I’m getting you out of here,” Walker told her. He walked past her and glanced out of the peephole on the door. It was a split second action, like he had done this a million times.

“I can’t leave,” Darcy tried to reason. He heard it in her voice. She sounded so full of desperation, like she had no other choice.

He was in front of her quickly, his hands gripping her arms in a tight lock. “You have two options here. Either you leave with me, or you leave with Des. And I guarantee, if I call my VP and have him come get you, it will not be pretty.”

“I can handle myself.”

“It’s not you I’d be worried about.”

Her light brown eyes widened in shock, fear breaking through for a moment. Darcy lost one sister already, and the thought of losing the other was clearly getting to her. He knew very little of her story. Desmond and Winnie knew the most, and he only knew what he was told, which wasn’t a lot. He knew about the past motel business, and he knew about Maeve. Darcy didn’t know what specifically happened to Maeve like he did, but still. Ramona was the last sister still standing for her. She had no other blood-related family.

Yet she still walked away from the Morrises, her new family, the better family.

“Make a choice, Darcy. I’m fine either way.” Walker sat down on the bed and stretched out as he stared at her. He inhaled deeply, shifting his weight against the bed. But his relaxation came to a screeching halt when there was a knock at his door.

“Shit,” Darcy mumbled to herself. She pulled off her shirt, and walked over to the door wearing black leggings with a black bra. Turning to face Walker, she motioned to him. “Quick, undo your pants.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“Shut up and do it.”

Walker shed his jeans and was sprawled back on the bed. God, if anyone from the club could see him right now, he’d be dead. Darcy opened the door and leaned against the frame. Ramona stood there, looking pleased at the sight in the room.

“Everything meeting your expectations?” Ramona asked as she looked past the door frame to Walker, who was seductively lying on the bed with a slight frown.

He stood up, his frown melting into confusion as he put on the same role as before. “Why are you here?”

Ramona seemed taken aback by the question, and she stumbled over her answer. “Just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

Walker pulled himself off the bed and grabbed his pants from the floor, shuffling them back on as if he didn’t just take them off. “You always disturb paying customers with a check in?” He looked angry as he grabbed Darcy by the arm and pulled her into the room, away from Ramona.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Ramona said, looking guilty. “Just wanted to make sure–”

Walker slammed the door in her face, locking it with a loud click. He turned back to Darcy, who was already putting her shirt back on. “What the hell, Darce.”

“She does that sometimes. She checks up on me and makes sure I am actually performing the services people pay for,” Darcy answered nonchalantly, like it was an everyday thing. God, Walker wanted to so badly show her it wasn’t.

“You’re joking.” Walker made a mental note to tell Desmond about this too. Man, the things he had to tell his vice president from just this one evening was racking up.

“No,” Darcy shook her head.

“What happens if you don’t perform your required duties?” Walker asked, hating the question as soon as it left his mouth. Darcy wasn’t supposed to be doing this. She should be back home, with her friends, with her family, where she belonged. None of this was normal.

Darcy pointed to the crude red mark on her face, the fresh abrasion that Walker noticed right away when he first saw her. Putting two and two together, he realized Ramona had slapped, or possibly punched, Darcy in the face before she knocked on his door. Suddenly, a wave of guilt washed over him, and he couldn’t help but think he was responsible for that injury.

Glancing out of the door peephole, Walker noticed Ramona was no longer in sight. But clearly she was watching from somewhere. He let out a sigh and turned back to face the petite blonde before him. “We’re not leaving for a while. Your sister has eyes on us. How about you get some sleep for a little bit? I’ll keep watch.”

Darcy shook her head, clearly wanting to protest, but Walker cut her off. “I doubt you’re even sleeping these days. A small nap, okay? I paid for the night, so you don’t have to worry about other customers. Plus, it’ll make me feel better.”

It was her turn to let out a sigh, knowing it was futile to say anything. She walked over to the bed and laid down, but said nothing. As she drifted off, Walker kept his promise. He watched over her while keeping an eye on the door and window, should any other visitors pop up. Once it was well past dark with nothing but the moon lighting their way, he’ll wake her up and they’ll make a plan to leave, whether Darcy liked it or not.

[lesbesapphic]

I know she planned it but deep deep down Wanda is very jealous Carol kissed _her_ girl

Oh Yes she so very is. I can literally imagine everyone around her being to scared to approach by the murderous look on her face in the party.

Even though Carol was onto the plan, she actually went out of her ways to avoid Wanda the whole night after the kiss.

Wanda making sure to kiss you to her heart desire the next morning, you didn't understand why Wanda was so fixated on your lips instead of marking you up which she prefered usually.

Through out the day Wanda had sneaked you in every place where she could make out with you. To the point where your lips were swollen from all the biting and kissing. You ended up complaining to Wanda about it when she moved to kiss you again and one quirked eyebrow from her was enough to shut your whining and surrendering to her control. A part of you enjoying the attention you were getting.

Unbeknownst to both of you in the other room, an annoyed Natasha was staring at Carol who refused to leave her room, she had planned to bring Darcy in for fun but had to cancel because of the blonde, "Why the fuck did you even agree to it?" Natasha asked watching as Carol laid on her bed, watching some movie on her laptop.

"Can you even say no to her? And i didn't even know she would get so jealous of her own plan." Carol muttered a little frustrated by Wanda's reaction and the cold shoulder she was given all day. "Plus aren't you happy to spend sometime with your bestfriend?" Carol wiggled her eyebrows and Natasha rolled her eyes at the other girl.

"Not at the cost of a good fuck." She muttered and Carol grinned hearing that, aware of how Natasha was getting cosy with the raven haired junior Darcy. That girl was epitome of trouble.

"Is that all she is?" She asked wiggling her eyebrows and Natasha threw a pillow at her. Ignoring the laughter that followed in the room.

----

Hope you all are having a nice day. (≧▽≦)

[marshmallow-phd]

Echoing Laughs

Genre: Supernatural, Wolf Au

Pairing: Baekhyun x Reader

Summary: You didn’t care for boys that could be labeled as the “class clown”. Their type of jokes made you roll your eyes. Though you enjoyed a fun time yourself, you preferred the more subdued type, a Darcy over a Bingley. So why couldn’t you get the most obnoxious boy you’d ever met out of your head?

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4

**

Nerves tingled under your skin, at the tips of your fingers and the pit of your stomach. You tried to keep it off of your face as you spoke to Yixing’s friend, Kyungsoo. He asked surface level questions as you exited the apartment building. It was mere friendliness, nothing more. Fair enough. 

Then you reached the sidewalk and the group that was waiting for your arrival. And you smiled like the cheshire cat before quickly smoothing out your features. You waved as the five of you stopped in front of the others. 

“Way to take your time,” the tall, blonde male snickered. 

Yixing ignored the comment. “Hey, guys. This is Ran’s friend, (y/n). (Y/n), this is the pac- I mean, these are my roommates.”

You caught the stumbled upon syllable that Yixing tripped over, but couldn;t come up with a satisfactory word to fill in on the end. “It’s nice to meet you all.” Scanning over the group, you waved again in a nonchalant manner. You tried not to linger on the tallest of them all, the one with the soft features and curly brown hair. He smiled brightly, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his black jacket. 

The shorter friend next to him didn’t look in your direction. He was almost… refusing to look at you. Okay, rude. You doubted the cars passing by were really that interesting. 

“I reserved a table at the brewery,” said the only female that you didn’t know. 

“Thanks for doing that, Ji Yeon,” Yixing smiled. Ji Yeon smiled at him as the one holding her hand pulled her in closer. 

“Let’s go!” the tall blond urged. Without waiting to see if he would be followed, he hurried down the sidewalk. Beside you, Kyungsoo shook his head. Ming chewed on her bottom lip, a twinge of embarrassment at the blond’s behavior showing on her face. Yixing must have sensed this as well as he squeezed Ming’s hand and gave her a reassuring smile. 

Oh, boy. 

You slapped the green monster away and plastered your charming grin back on. 

This was the most annoying kind of jealousy because there was no focus for it. You weren’t wanting Yixing for yourself, simply the relationship between him and Ming. It was cute and warm and full of comfort. Anyone would logically want something like that. Wouldn’t they? Or were you being greedy?

No. Definitely not. 

You tried to keep focused on the bouncing conversation as you all headed towards downtown. But something felt… off. You kept looking behind you, in case someone was following you. Whenever you came back around to face forward, you noted that the one faceless member still didn’t look at you. In fact, you couldn’t really say what he looked like. 

The brewery was crowded. It was obvious before you even stepped inside. Sitting off an alleyway, the singular dark gray building held its doors open to allow some air to circulate through. Buzzing voices flew out the entrance. But it was nothing compared to the wave that hit once you crossed the door’s threshold. You could already predictably presume that a lot of “huh?”s were going to be said. 

Despite the somewhat narrow space between the entrance and the waiting area in front of the host desk, you managed to snake your way closer to the tallest boy. Ji Yeon went ahead of the group and spoke with the hostess about checking in. 

“I’m Chanyeol, by the way.” The poor guy had to bend and hunch down so you’d be able to hear him over the chatter. He had a nice deep voice. Like caramel syrup. 

You took his warm hand happily. “It's nice to meet you, Chanyeol.”

“Do you go to the university?”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “Education major. You?”

“Music.”

Music? Intriguing. Unless his instrument was the tuba. Though, it was a giggle inducing picture in your head. “What do you play?”

The blonde on the other side laughed. “Chanyeol hyung plays everything.”

A miniscule amount of pink was blooming on Chanyeol’s cheeks. “Not everything. Just… guitar.”

“And piano.”

“And drums,” Kyungsoo cheekily chimed in. 

Your eyebrows lifted, seriously impressed. “Wow. A one man band. Your girlfriend must be in awe of that.”

Someone coughed. You weren’t entirely sure who the sound came from, but you suspected that it was the one whose face you’d still yet to get a glimpse of. Was he purposefully avoiding you? Maybe you had a class with him and he didn’t want to be recognized for some reason. 

The hostess finally guided all of you to a few tables shoved together in the back corner. It was a little quieter back here, for which you were thankful for. You smoothly took a seat next to Chanyeol, continuing the conversation by asking how long he had been playing each instrument. All chairs were slowly filled until the last spot to be taken was directly across from you. 

Legs scraping against the concrete floor, the mystery boy sat down and you felt your spine straighten involuntarily. His eyes bounced everywhere, refusing to make contact with your own. Somehow, though, this didn’t bother you. It gave you a chance to really take him in. 

Butterscotch brown hair fell over his forehead, highlighting the dark eyes that you were trying to catch. His chin and high cheekbones were sharp, but somehow together, they were softer, egged on by his rounded nose. The sum reminded you of a puppy - a mischievous puppy that was just itching to take off with the table cloth. 

“Baekhyun, are you looking for someone?” Chanyeol asked as he tried to follow his friend’s frantic gaze. 

The one apparently called Baekhyun shook his head. “Nope. Just admiring the patronage and how popular this place is.”

“Do you do that at every establishment you eat at?” you asked sarcastically. 

Baekhyun finally looked at you. “If it helps me get free food.” Then he winked. 

A confused frown pulled at your lips. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“He rarely makes sense,” Kyungsoo cut in on the other side of Chanyeol.

Shrugging it off, you turned to your previous chatting partner. “So, do you write your own music?”

Chanyeol shrunk into his shoulders. “Sometimes. In between school and… other stuff.”

“Other stuff like what?”

“Running,” Baekhyun butted in. 

You tried to keep your face neutral as you turned to him. “You go running?”

The waiter came around, placing baskets of bread along the center of the table and took first round drinks. Baekhyun snatched a piece of the bread and bit off the edge, smirking at you as he said, “Daily. Sometimes twice a day.”

You gave him a once over. “Where do you run at?”

The answer you had expected was one of the nature parks or bike paths around this area. 

“The woods.”

You nearly spat out your water. “The woods? Haven’t people been killed by the wolves out there?”

“The attacks have stopped,” Kyungsoo stated. You didn’t miss the glance he exchanged with a forlorn Yixing.

“We stick together the whole time,” one of the unnamed friends said; the one who held Ji Yeon’s hand on the way here. You really needed to learn their names. 

It still seemed like a terrible idea to go into the home of a killer wolf, but guys typically thought of themselves as invincible. 

The waiter came back for food orders. Realizing you hadn’t even glanced at the menu, you quickly scanned the laminated pages before the roundabout came to you. Once it was your turn, you picked something at random and handed over the menu. 

“Copying me?” Chanyeol teased. 

You looked at him, confused. “Huh?”

“We got the same thing.”

“Oh!” You leaned on your fist, smiling. “Isn’t that funny?”

A sharp clatter made you jump. Water and ice crept across the table and towards your lap threateningly as Baekhyun scrambled to clean it up. Apparently, he had knocked over his glass of water. Standing, you mopped up the water with your own napkins and helped scoop up the ice. As you went for one of the last cubes, your fingers brushed against Baekhyun’s slim hand. An odd electric spark ignited where your skins touched. Though you didn’t look at his face, you could see that he had stilled at the contact. Unsure of what else to do, you sat back down, letting him finish the clean up. 

With the water no longer running wild, Baekhyun sat in his chair. He was avoiding your curious gaze again. Did he know something about the shock? You didn’t feel any electricity in the air that could have caused the static and there was no carpet for him to charge on. But there wasn’t time to dwell on it when the next bizarre event happened. 

Something caught Baekhyun’s eye near the entrance that made his eyes go wide. In a blink, he was under the table and out of sight. Chanyeol looked behind him and then laughed, shaking his head but not commenting on what was going on. Like a cartoon, Baekhyun looked over the edge of the table. His eyes searched the brewery, the bottom half of his face obscured. Clearing his throat, he stood, though he remained hunched. 

“I,um,” he glanced at Chanyeol and then at you. “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to go for a walk.” And with no one to stop him, he hurried out the back door that led to an open patio for nicer weather. 

“Is he always like that?” Ran snorted from the far end. 

“Not normally,” Ming replied, obviously concerned. 

You looked out the door that Baekhyun had disappeared through to the benches and wooden chairs. You couldn’t quite think of another person who behaved like this. 

What a weirdo. 

**

Baekhyun kicked at the rocks on the asphalt. The car was cool to the touch, even through the jacket he had snatched out the back of Chanyeol’s jeep. He wasn’t cold - they never got cold - but it was extra cushion while he leaned against the car door. 

He didn’t know what to do. Two hours ago, he had been scheming to get Daisy back. And now - he didn’t care. Daisy was just another person to him now. He really didn’t think he would be next. If anyone, he thought maybe Chanyeol or even Jongin would have been the one. If he were honest, he really hadn’t put much thought into this - into meeting his mate. For his whole life, it was nothing more than a wisp of a specter hanging around his shoulder without a care. And now that specter had swooped in and taken over his body. It controlled his actions and veered his thoughts in a singular direction. 

He had no idea who you were. He had barely been able to catch your name between processing this sudden change in direction and fighting the urge to run as far away from this sidewalk as possible. And the timing of it all. 

Groaning with a hint of a growl, Baekhyun closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the jeep. Now  he had to figure out how to navigate this. 

And not accidentally rip his best friend’s head off in the process. 

Roars of laughter and chatter grew steadily closer. Baekhyun’s eyes snapped open at the sound. At the far end of the road, the pack and the girls were walking this way. Up above, the sky was turning midnight blue. Street lamps flickered on to keep the streets visible. It was a shock how long he had been lost in his thoughts. Immediately, his eyes searched for you among the silhouettes. He gritted his teeth at the sight. 

You were still stuck by Chanyeol’s side, only a few seconds away from hanging on his arm while you laughed as if he’d told the world’s greatest joke. Baekhyun’s jaw jutted out to the side in response. The wolf inside was snarling. His best efforts to be logical went unheard by the beast. Chanyeol caught the expression and frowned. 

“Ya, Baekhyun!” Sehun called out with a laugh. “You missed-”

Baekhyun cut him off with a loud obnoxious cough. The younger wolf was taken aback, but didn’t push. A miracle. 

“Done already?” was Baekhyun’s attempt at changing the direction of everyone’s attention. 

“We were there a few hours,” you said with a raised brow. 

“Ming and I have a test to study for,” Yixing added in.

Baekhyun scrunched his face, confused. “You have all weekend to study.”

Yixing’s face deepend a few shades of red. “We need every minute. It's over several chapters.” He waved goodbye and escorted Ming to his car. Everyone watched as the pre-med couple drove away. Then Baekhyun snorted. 

“We need every minute. It's over several chapters,” he mocked. “Yeah, right. They’re going somewhere for some ‘alone time’.” To emphasize his point, he made a few kissing noises. Yes, this was good. His sweet spot; teasing his members and not thinking about his newly discovered mate that was sending him into a tailspin without even realizing it. 

“Careful,” Minseok warned. “Yixing’s claws are sharper than yours.” Realizing his slip, he quickly glanced at the outsiders still standing amongst them. “Figuratively, I mean.”

You laughed. “Yixing seems like he couldn’t hurt a fly.”

“You would be surprised,” Baekhyun retorted, remembering the time he’d picked a playful fight with Yixing while out on a run. Despite being roughly the same size, Yixing had him pinned in a few seconds and left a bruise on his ribs when he shifted back. “It’s us innocent ones you have to watch out for.”

“I’d hardly count you amongst the innocent ones,” you quipped. 

“How do you know that?” 

“A feeling.”

Baekhyun smiled cheekily. His mate was a feisty one and he liked that. How could life be boring with someone like you? Whoa. Slow down there, Baekhyun. You didn’t even know the big secret yet. He couldn’t even know if you felt the pull yet. Sure, there was the spark back at the restaurant, but that was nothing compared to the yearning that was growing in him as each second passed. “Well, there’s not much fun in innocence.”

Minseok’s gaze flickered from Baekhyun to you and back again. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. 

There was no way he could know already. Baekhyun wasn’t acting that different from his usual self. 

“I think we’ll call it a night, too,” Ran said out of nowhere. She linked her arm through yours, solidifying the mutual decision. 

Baekhyun’s sense heightened. An odd feeling of desperation rushed over him. He didn’t want you to go yet. He wanted to inch closer. Take in your scent and memorize it. But he did no such thing as you said goodbye and headed inside with Ran. He swallowed back a whine. It was painful to watch you disappear and there was nothing he could do about it. 

Sehun shoved his shoulder teasingly as he passed to get to his car. A few feet away, Minseok leaned in to Ji Yeon, whispered in her ear, and then kissed her cheek. Nodding, she returned the favor before jumping into Sehun’s backseat. Then, the eldest of the pack stalked up to Baekhyun, smirking. 

“Finally.”

Baekhyun looked around in a horrible attempt to act ignorant. “Finally what?”

Minseok’s smirk deepend. “I have never seen you so close to ripping Chanyeol in two since that time in high school when he ate your girlfriend’s valentine’s day chocolate.”

“I- pff - I mean, why- Min, what are you-” He stumbled over every word that left his mouth. There was no saving it. 

Shaking his head, Minseok laughed, “Trust me, Baekhyun, as someone who went through it, you can’t lie about it. I heard you growling a block and a half away.”

“What is he talking about, Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked. 

Baekhyun swallowed. Everyone was staring at him - mostly baffled gazes, besides Minseok. There was no way he’d be able to talk his way out of this. With Minseok knowing….

He sighed. “Earlier today - before the restaurant - I discovered something. Something… somewhat important - kind of big-”

“Just spit it out,” Minseok huffed. 

Baekhyun huffed back at him. “Okay!” He swallowed once more. “(Y/n) is my mate.”

“Oh, come on!”

[tharros-auris-black-asimi]

Take me to church (Chapter 1)

Pairing: Dark Priest Bucky Barnes x Singer Female Reader

Summary: In Modern Russia, James Buchanan Barnes is the Priest of the Catholic Church. He has a great life.

However, there is something in him. A darkness.

And once he meets you, an opera singer at the Bolshoi Opera House, that darkness ferments and grows.

But James doesn't mind corrupting you. Or him.

Not at all.

Chapter Warnings: This story takes place in modern Russia. Heavy discussions and allusions to religion are also in this story. Mentions of a past male predator, as well as past male predatory behavior, are discussed. As well as the male predator in question having an improper power imbalance/dynamic with his victims. And because of the past male predatory behavior, there is also mention of religious trauma. This fic also contains a Dark!Priest!Bucky. And, if any will be asking, yes, implied/referenced murder. If you get it, you get it.

I think that should cover all of my bases as far as the content warnings go for this chapter, but if I missed any, please let me know down below!

Italics are for Russian. As this is modern Russia, I've switched out some names to make the story a little bit more accurate. Or, as accurate as I can possibly be. Instead of Natasha, she'll be known as Natalia. And instead of Alexander Pierce being spelled like Alexander, he'll be known as Aleksandr.

Additional Notes: Wooof, this had been living rent-free in my head for the last couple of days. I wanted to have all of this mostly prewritten out, as this is officially my first Christmas Special ever! So a Happy Holidays to you all!

This story couldn't be here without the love and support of the lovely soundboard that is @lizzygal, who often encourages these crazy ideas I have brewing. A huge thank you for your enormous help! This baby couldn't have been born without your helpful suggestions.

I would also like to add that even though Priest!Bucky is Catholic in this story, I am not Catholic myself or religious, so there will be some inaccurate things in here. So, I apologize in advance if anything seems out of the ordinary.

If you'd like to read this on my AO3, you can read it here.

Word Count: 6,648

“Hey! Are you going to get drinks with us tonight?”

You balanced your phone in between your ear and your neck as you craned your neck, to support your phone. Hastily putting on your shoes, you grabbed a hold of your phone again.

Smoothing over your clothes again, you checked to make sure your makeup still looked good. You had woken up after hitting your snooze button, and in a haste, had gotten ready.

Your boss wasn’t a very nice person when it came to tardiness.

Especially considering you worked at the Opera. You were going to need to get a coffee. Almond milk, no sugar. As a performer, you were not allowed any dairy or sugar. You rehearsed your lines daily and made sure to get lots and lots of rest. You drank some hot water with lemon when you had woken up this morning, and it was a very nice pick me up.

A certain little whimper caught your attention.

“C’m here Star, gonna let me feed you before I go, baby?” You were using your baby voice. Your Chihuahua just ran up to you, jumping to scratch at your jeans. You started to laugh.

“Okay, okay, okay! I gotchu. I get it. Hold on.” Star followed you to the little pantry where you kept her dog food, the blonde-furred dog wagging her tail happily as she heard the bag open. Excitedly, she ran over and watched with wide eyes as you got her food.

“… You still there?”

Oh shit.

“Yeah, yeah Darc- I’m still here. What were you saying about drinks on Saturday?” Your response made your friend snort as you poured food into Star’s dog bowl. She went to town, chowing down as you continued to talk to Darcy over the phone. Plopping the measuring cup into her dog food bag, you sealed it back up.

“Are you going?” Darcy Lewis sounded amused as you ran to the front door of your apartment.

“Be good for me while I’m gone, okay baby?” You patted Star’s head. She whined. “I don’t know if I’ll go have drinks tonight, Darcy. I mean, I went last week. You know I still have to go to church next month on Saturday when we usually go for drinks… because of my brother. I need to pick his daughter up from church. She’s got Christmas song rehearsals.”

“Oh!” Darcy sounded delighted. “Cassie, right? Scott’s kid?”

“Yeah.”

After your dad had remarried, Scott Lang had been one of his kids. You liked Scott very much. He was very much a jokester. After he had gotten out of jail, you had helped him get back onto his feet. Now, he was in a relationship with Hope Van Dyke, co-parenting Cassie with his ex-wife. She was a singer at the Bolshoi Opera House, and you were her understudy for the production of Faust.

“Oooh! Then you can see the priest! Oh my god, I saw him at Sunday Mass, and oh my god, if he weren’t a priest-” You stopped Darcy’s gushings as you unlocked your front door, only to close it and lock it. You made a noise deep in your throat.

“That’s the frigging priest you’re talking about, Darc. I don’t need to know what he looks like, okay? I don’t need to know what he looks like while he’s in his robes. Or worse, when he’s out of them.” You couldn’t help but shudder at the thought.

Because yes, you had seen pictures of the priest He was certainly attractive. Chestnut-brown hair that went down to his shoulders, blue eyes, a strong jaw, sharp cheekbones, and not to mention his beard- he was practically a walking wet dream. Not to mention he was very muscular and broad. You had only seen pictures of him on the Internet and Google. Never in person. When you moved out of your mother’s home after you had graduated from high school, you swore to yourself that you would never attend another church.

Especially the church that the current priest now did Sunday Mass in. Just the thought of it made you terrified. It made you feel sick.

“Do you think he’s packing?” Darcy’s words made you choke.

“Oh my god, please stop.” You begged as she cackled, hearing you exit out of your apartment complex, and she heard the chatters of people walking down the busy street.

“No, seriously! He’s like, super freaking tall. He’s gotta be packing under there. Do you think his holy sword is bigger than President Rogers’s sword?” Her voice had lowered to a gossipy whisper, which made your cheeks burn in embarrassment as the thought crossed your mind of, is this truly a friend of mine that I have.

“I don’t know! Why don’t you ask him for a physical Darcy, you’re a doctor!” You proclaimed. Some people on the street looked at you funny. You apologized profusely as you continued your merry way down the street.

“I’m not a physical doctor. That’s not in my field. Why don’t you go ask him? Or ask his ex-girlfriend?” Darcy suggested. “That’s an invasion of privacy,” you snapped at her. “Besides,” you continued on. “I don’t even know who his ex is. And aren’t priests supposed to be pure?”

“Well, this isn’t the Middle Ages. Maybe he’s not a virgin? Maybe he even has tattoos. You know, I met a priest that had tattoos once. Oh, he was wonderful.” Darcy’s suggestion did not fall on deaf ears.

“Still not checking his dick out. That’s gross. Besides, don’t you remember the sex tape that got leaked of that one celebrity in the West? I’m sorry, but I’m not looking forward to seeing myself on every porn site known to man while the priest is balls deep in my kitty, okay? No thanks.”

Your response made her cackle. It made Darcy sob with tears.

“I knew I taught you well. How’s your lady garden doing? Is it doing okay? Still going through a dry spell?” Darcy teased you. Your cheeks flushed, once again. “How can my lady garden be going through a dry spell when I haven’t even had a dick inside of me yet,” your grumble made Darcy laugh again. Reaching a street, you stood with people who were waiting for the stoplight to signal for walking. Now having a few minutes to yourself, you indulged in talking to your friend.

“I should take you out to a club. A strip club. You need to pop that cherry girl.” Darcy giggled as the crosswalk signal shone. Moving along with the crowd, you continued to talk.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’ve been trying to do this since we got into college. I’m twenty-five, not fifteen.” Your scathing remark made Darcy roll her eyes from where she was sitting, at her desk, at work.

“I’m just saying, it could be good for you. I know why you don’t go to church. I will spit on Joseph’s grave for you when I go and see my mom.” Darcy promised.

Just the reminder of the former President made you feel ill.

When you had been a teenager, still on the cusp of your teen years, you had still gone to church with your mother. Your parents had divorced when you had been young, and your dad had remarried to a nice lady who you considered another mother. You had three other half-siblings. However, your mother had not remarried. It had just been the two of you. And when you still attended church, a new priest had been put in.

Even now, as you walked down the street, coincidentally where the Church was, you couldn’t help but stop and stare. Tourists were there, taking pictures. Gushing over it. Talking about how gorgeous it looked.

Just looking at it made you feel sick. Because yes, you agreed, the church was beautiful. It was even more beautiful on the inside. You would know. You had gone inside there for years, once upon a time.

But now?

Now?

You weren’t stepping foot in it.

The priest had been there when you had gone had preyed on your best friend. She hadn’t been the only one. Many other girls had come forward, saying that they had also been targeted. At first, the church had dismissed the claims. Saying that it was absurd, that there was no way that the priest could have messed with young girls because A, he was married, B, he was a Holy Man, and C, because he deflected and said that the girls had come onto him.

… Until he had slipped up with C, saying that how could he have said no? That they were just too darn convincing. He had fallen into sin.

At the remembrance of those events, you couldn’t help but feel the bile beginning to rise up to your throat. You had worked at the altar. You had been in close proximity with the former Bishop.

If it hadn’t been your friend, it could have been you.

It was why when after you had graduated high school, that you had told your mother point-blank that you were no longer going to church. That you just couldn’t.

Being your mother, she had tossed you out of the house. With nowhere to go, you had accepted Darcy’s invitation to stay in her home. Throughout your college years, you lived with her family. Working odd jobs to earn money. All the while working to gain your BFA. Or. Bachelor of Fine Arts. You had majored in Opera, although you did belt out musical theatre tunes as well. You were very fun at karaoke nights.

“… Yeah… I don’t know if I can… go…”

Your words were a little strangled together. Checking the time on your phone, you began to internally panic.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

If you didn’t hurry up now, you’d be late.

“Hey- listen, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later?” You were speeding the hell outta there, jogging down the street, in order to catch the streetlight. You stopped to catch your breath, as the light hadn’t flashed yet.

Phew.

You were saved.

“Yeah, I’ll talk to you during your lunch break.” Darcy’s mood was still chipper as ever. Grabbing your AirPods from within your purse, you took them out of the case and slipped them on, connecting them to your phone.

“Kay. Bye.”

Just as the stoplight glowed, your music started to play.

And then, you were just another person in the crowd, going to work in the city that you loved.

That same day, in the afternoon, with Bucky…

“Excuse me, Father? Do you need anything else?”

Makkari, his deaf assistant at the front desk, looked at him.

James Buchanan Barnes, the current Priest of the Church quickly signed back to her.

“No, that’ll be all, Makkari. Thank you.” Signing back her thanks, Makkari walked out of his office and back down the hall to where the front desk was.

Leaning back into his chair at his desk, James took in a deep breath. His hand ran down his face, all the way down to his jaw. His jaw clenched.

After the past President had passed away due to a heart attack, and Steve's unfortunate father had been placed into the ground, the previous priest had been stripped of his position. James’s jaw continued to clench as he remembered.

He had not spared the man.

And why would he? After what the man had done to those teenage girls? It was disgusting, was what it was. A disgrace.

James hadn’t told Steve.

Steve would have never needed to know the measures he had taken to make sure the previous priest had just remembered what the consequences were when you messed with teenage girls.

At the ripe age of thirty-five, the first five years of serving the church as a priest, James had made sure everything was in order. That the mistakes of the past priest would not continue. He made sure to keep his boundaries. He made sure to treat everyone with respect.

He had joined the church as a priest at the age of twenty-three and had gotten his doctorate when he was twenty-nine. Very young. He had been the youngest man to be made the priest when he had been thirty. He served his country and his people. Not like Steve whereas he would have been President, but he made sure that the church was running. That everything was in order, and that everyone was behaving.

But now… he felt like something was missing.

James had taken a vow of celibacy. He refrained from sexual relations. But he wasn’t a virgin. He had popped his cherry a long time ago. If any word had gotten out that the priest had gone into sexual relations, well, that might have made a much bigger splash than the sex tape scandal that had leaked the Internet of that one American celebrity. James might as well just have lost his job. He might as well as have kissed his robes goodbye.

A deep sigh left the man.

He had sworn an oath, a vow to the church. He would upkeep that promise. But he missed it. Coming home to someone in his bed. James grabbed the whiskey and poured himself some. It was in the middle of the afternoon. No one would care or notice. Taking a gulp, he put his glass down.

His phone vibrated in his pants. Getting it out of his pocket, he quickly checked the notifications.

And then a text showed on his screen.

It was from Natalia.

are u coming to the opera tnite? Steve’s gonna show up with his fiancee

Typing back to Natasha, he saw that she was still typing

you don’t go outside Yasha

you need to go outside

your life is so boring

Rolling his eyes in fondest, James began to type back.

I’m not boring, Natalia. I’m an introvert. I don’t go outside because I don’t like crowds. It’s why I joined the church.

Three grey bubbles popped up from Natasha.

oh yes

im sorry oh righteous one

Go back to work, Natalia. I’ll see you later at the opera.

James imagined Natasha laughing at him when she gave him a thumbs up. Shutting his phone off and putting it in his desk and sliding the drawer shut, he leaned back into his chair and dragged his hand down his face, clenching his jaw.

His thoughts drifted back.

To that headspace he never thought he’d ever find himself in ever again.

Those deep, dark thoughts of just wanting more.

He wanted sex. Granted, James wasn’t a virgin. But he did refrain from sexual touching. But he was a sexual creature. He still masturbated, at the very least.

But he just couldn’t get sex. His fist just wasn’t covering it. It just wasn’t. James wanted to scream.

There was a little part of him though. That part of him that was whispering to him that he had taken a vow of celibacy. That he was a holy man.

It was that part of him that he fought with.

He might as well just have said goodbye to his entire fucking career at this point.

Just as he was about to lose himself in his thoughts even further, a knock at the door caught his attention.

“Father?”

James exhaled.

“Yes?”

It was going to be a long day.

Later that afternoon, with you…

“What do you mean, she can’t go on?”

You sat in Alexei Romanov’s office, perplexed.

You couldn’t believe this.

Alexei Romanov, the current owner of the Bolshoi Opera House, just looked at you as you sat in his office.

His Russian accent was thick as he spoke. “Hope got sick. You are her understudy. Therefore, you will take her place tonight.”

Tonight was the first showing of Faust. Your hands gripped the desk in anxiousness.

Noticing your sudden distress, Alexei put his hands over yours. “Don’t fret, little one. I did not make you understudy just for you to fail. You are good. Good enough to be Hope’s understudy. And no one judges my wisdom, eh?”

You shook your head no.

Alexei chose the cast members with deliberation and carefulness. Even though his own two adopted daughters, Natalia and Yelena were in the ballet corps as ballet rats, and even though Natalia was the Prima Ballerina, she didn’t get there just because of her mother’s favoritism. Her mother, Melina Vostokoff-Romanov, the ballet mistress, trained her daughters and the rest of the ballet rats day and night. They all lived in the ballet girl dorms. You had too, once upon a time. Before you had been moved up to the chorus, and now, as the understudy to the Prima Donna of the opera house.

“You will do just fine, little one. Don’t worry too much, huh?”

Swallowing the thick lump in your throat, you gave him, (or at least tried to), a confident nod.

It was later, during a rehearsal break that you got approached by Natalia and Yelena.

The three of you sat down, eating your lunch. Yelena cooed over Star howling. “She has great lungs,” the blonde-haired young woman remarked as she patted her tutu, “If there was a dog opera, she’d be the main star.”

You snickered. Natalia just looked amused as she took a bite of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“Do you miss being in the ballet corps?” Yelena wondered to you. You pursed your lips as you took a nice gulp of your lemon and ginger tea, with the slightest bit of honey. You often carried your hydro flask of ginger and lemon tea for your throat. Feeling the warm liquid go down your throat, you spoke in a low voice.

“Sometimes,” you replied back to her. “Sometimes, I still dance before going onstage. It helps stretch out my legs, you know. I still do my stretches.”

Both Natalia and Yelena nodded in unison. In seriousness, of course. Stretching was always important in their line of work. They were flexible than a football player. Or what America perceived as football anyway. The three of you heard down the grapevine that America referred to what you would call football “soccer.”

Which was weird in all honesty in itself.

But then again, America itself was a weird place. You had a friend who was a chorus member in the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. She often spoke about Americans referring to things that you would normally call a jumper a sweater.

America was truly odd.

“Good,” Natalia hummed. “Are you excited for the first show tonight?” She asked you curiously. You took another gulp of your tea as you gently put your hydro flask down on the table in your dressing room. Your dressing room was a tad bit smaller than the leads. But, it still held a couch, a TV that was propped up on the wall, your vanity where you had all of your stage makeup stashed, a mini-fridge, a microwave, and a table where you kept all of your tea bags and your kettle plugged into the power outlet.

From where you were, sitting on your vanity, you looked at Natalia who was sitting on your couch while Yelena had found your TV remote, and was watching some Russian soap opera.

“Your father said that since Hope couldn’t make it tonight, that I’m taking her place.”

Yelena gasped out loud.

“Oh!” She exclaimed happily, “How exciting! Are you excited?” She asked you giddy.

You swallowed that huge lump in your throat. Just like how you had done in Alexei’s office.

“I don’t… know.” Your voice had turned soft. “I’m… nervous. I know the part backwards and forwards, I… I know the blocking but… I’m terrified. I know that I’ll do fine but it’s just… I’m nervous. Everybody's going to be looking at me.”

Two-thousand, one-hundred, and fifty-three seats.

That was how many people were coming to see Faust tonight.

You couldn’t help with nervously fiddle with your thumbs. A nervous tick you had picked up as a child, whenever you got anxious before a show.

“You’ll be fine,” Natalia reassured you as she came to put her hands over yours. The redhead even had a reassuring look in her eyes.

“Come on. Deep breaths little Songbird.”

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

“-You know, Yasha’s coming tonight.” Yelena’s remark did not fly by Natalia. Removing her hands from yours, she turned to look at her younger sister. “Oh?” questioned Natalia, “So he said yes?’

Now.

You had no idea who this “Yasha” was, but whoever he was, he must have been very important, because Yelena gave Natalia a toothy grin as she replied back in Russian.

“Uh-huh. His schedule is all cleared for tonight and he secured a box. Box Five. You know that’s his signature spot,” Yelena giggled.

Natalia rolled her eyes.

“Yasha’s always been some what of a scamp,” Natalia remarked. Yelena just continued to giggle.

“Who’s Yasha?”

Yelena giggled once again.

“Don’t worry little Songbird,” Natalia reassured you again.

“You’ll find out who is soon enough.”

Later that evening, with James…

“Are you sure you’re going to come?”

James was at home, as his pet cat Alpine ran around the luxurious apartment, chasing her toy mouse around.

The white feline had been overjoyed when her daddy had come home. Alpine had greeted him at the door, meowing at him and pawing him for some much-needed head rubs and tummy tubs. And cuddles. Lots of cuddles. Then, she had retreated to her scratching post to scratch at it.

James had then got out of his vestments and into much comfier clothes. Now in his black jumper and a pair of sweats, the broad-shoulder man leveled his phone on his shoulder as he talked to Steve.

“Yeah, Steve,” James replied back in Russian as he grabbed his water bottle, uncapping it and taking a gulp.

Alpine pounced on her tiny mouse, shifting onto her back as she rolled around on the rug, playing with her toy happily.

James watched as Alpine played with her toy before he heard Steve speaking again.

“… You’re gonna take your usual box, aren’t you, jerk?” Steve’s teasing voice made James grumble underneath his breath. “Course I am, punk.” James huffed.

“So, I’ll meet you there, jerk?”

“Yeah, punk.”

Alpine yeeted her toy across the room. A painful meow escaped her as she huffed, getting on her hind legs. Getting into position to pounce on the little mouse toy, she kicked her hind legs back in a show of intimidation.

A deep hiss left her when she zeroed her gaze right on the purple toy. With a meow that sounded like a battle cry, she leaped across the room and tackled her toy.

James’s chuckles snapped her out of her train of thought. The purple mouse's tail hanging off of her teeth, Alpine stared at him dead in the eyes.

She watched as her daddy chuckled down at her, getting down onto her level to pet her head. Alpine meowed in content.

“I gotta go to the opera, alright Alpine?” James told his cat. “I’ll come back home and spoil you. We'll cuddle on the couch together. How’s that sound?”

Alpine meowed. James took that as a yes.

Her tail swished, as if to say, you’d better come home in one piece, dad.

When James got to the opera house, many people were already getting in their seats. James made his way up to his box and took his seat. He had changed out of his jumper and sweats, exchanging them for a nice black button-down shirt, a pair of his nicest black slacks, and his black dress shoes.

Because there was a dress code policy. Whenever you went to the opera or the theater, you did not wear a simple t-shirt or jeans. You needed to dress nice. It was the policy.

So, James sat in his chair, in his box, waiting for the show to begin. He even took his phone out of his pants and scrolled through the news as people made their way to their seats.

After a few minutes of aimlessly scrolling through his phone, he heard someone over the intercom speaking in Russian.

“Please silence all and any cell phones. The performance shall begin shortly.”

Shutting off his own phone, James pocketed his phone back into his pants.

A few minutes later, the curtains opened.

Revealing the aged scholar Faust. The actor playing the aged scholar began to sing and lament about how his studies had left him to nothing, that his studies had made him lose out on enjoying life and finding love.

James watched as the man onstage picked up his goblet, containing poison, using it so he could drink it to end his misery. Every time Faust tried to drink it however, a choir stopped him.

James had been watching.

But just then, he saw it.

The actress playing Marguerite appeared right there, on stage, singing. She was trying to convince him to accept Mephistopheles’s offer to exchange his soul for his services on Earth.

You were nervous. But, you were singing along, looking at the principal tenor Jimmy Woo, as your spinning wheel spun. He was giving you an encouraging look as you spun around, making eye contact with the principal bass Vision, or Vis, as everyone called him, who was playing Mephistopheles. His red and black makeup made you want to burst out a giggle, but you were a professional. Continuing to sing, you watched as Jimmy raised up his goblet and took a gulp of it, even though nothing was in there.

Hiding your smile, you and the chorus hit the crescendo note and vanished just as the now young scholar Faust and his strange companions set out into the world.

As the opera continued, James continued to watch you with rapt attention.

You were just… wonderful. James couldn’t quite put a pin in it, what made you so alluring to him. You happily moved along with the chorus and ballet rats, Marguerite joining Faust and the villagers in their waltz as Faust declared his admiration for her.

He watched as you modestly declined his arm, before being taken away by Natalia and Yelena, dressed in commoner's clothing, leading you towards Stage Right.

Act Two bled into Act Three as James watched the young man playing Siébel leaving a bouquet of flowers on Marguerite’s doorstep, while Mephistopheles urged Faust to buy Marguerite a present. When Mephistopheles put a box and a hand mirror next to Siébel’s flowers, James saw you come back.

You walked right back on stage, coming back Stage Left. You wandered around the stage, mimicking the blocking as you sang a sad ballad about the King of Thule, as Marguerite pondered over her encounter with Faust during the waltz with the villagers.

Vision’s wife Wanda, who was playing your neighbor Marthe, came out from Stage Right and spoke to you about how nice the jewels looked.

“Must be from an admirer,” Wanda teased to you as you opened the box, procuring the jewelry and sliding the prop onto your neck. Getting up and doing a spin, you giggled as the stage lights caught onto your jewelry.

As the orchestra moved into the Jewel Song, you happily danced around the stage and sang, pulling a giggling Wanda into your dance. Happily singing the aria while you danced on and about, you did a little spin, the jewelry caught the lights, making them shine.

James couldn’t stop watching as you happily spun around, your voice floating as you finished the aria.

As the audience clapped, Wanda pulled you back as the two of you giggled, before you were joined by Vision and Jimmy.

Leaning back into his seat, James Buchanan Barnes swallowed thickly. Watching as Natalia and Yelena led a couple of the ballet rats back on stage, he made eye contact with Natalia.

Having caught Yasha’s eye, Natalis didn’t nod, nor did she even wink at him.

It was a knowing look.

Natalia knew what he was thinking.

Two peas in a pod, one could say.

It had been that way ever since they had been growing up together in Moscow as little children when Winifred and George Barnes had met each other while Winifred had been a chorus ballerina and George had been in the orchestra as a Viola player. James knew the Bolshoi Opera House backwards and forwards. Every corridor, every underground corridor too. Even the underground sewers.

And, as Natalia steered you away, she saw you.

You had finally made eye contact with the priest in Box Five.

Prey always knew when they had been caught by their predator, after all.

“To the opening night of Faust!”

“To the opening night of Faust!” The entire company, including you, cheered as you did the toast.

More cheers sounded as all of you took a gulp of your vodka shots. Laughter and loud conversations soon filled the room as you began to walk around the huge room, where the after party was being held.

The after party was being held in the huge foyer, and after everyone had gotten out of their costumes and into the clothing that they were going to wear tonight, someone had popped open the vodka and champagne bottles and the party had officially gone into full swing. The cast and crew were all in the room, and you waved and greeted friends, colleagues, and patrons alike.

Natalia had given you one of her silver dresses. Even though you had protested at the idea. But, Natalia had won after she had convinced you that it would be fine and that she didn’t really need it anyway. So, clad in Natalia Romanov’s silver dress and a pair of matching silver heels, with your face painted and sculpted to the musical gods, you wandered around with a glass still full of champagne.

Just then, you felt it.

A shiver go up your spine.

“Yasha!” You heard Yelena shout from where she was. She was making her way towards you as the blonde dancer waved at someone, motioning them to follow her. You watched as she bounced towards you gracefully, even with the glass of champagne in her hands. She was almost like a fairy, gracefully bouncing your way towards you with a smile on her nude painted lips.

“Songbird!” Yelena greeted you cheerfully, “C’mon! I wanna introduce you to Yasha! Where’s Tash? Good Lord, is she talking to Barton again?” Yelena groaned as the two of you weaved through the crowd, heading towards whoever this “Yasha” person was.

“Yasha!”

Your heart immediately skipped a beat when you saw the “Yasha” person turn around.

Oh no.

No. No. No. No. No. No.

No.

It was-

It was the frigging Priest!

Jesus Christ on a frigging stick.

He was more attractive in person than you initially thought.

Google Images did not do him any justice.

That strong jaw. Those sharp cheekbones. And the beard. Oh, the beard. His shoulders were broad and they were making the nice black button-down shirt he was wearing look like his muscles were practically rippling through the fabric.

And… was that a tattoo you were seeing peeking out from the first two buttons of his shirt that were unbuttoned peeking out?

Yes… it was. You saw a smidge of the beginnings of his tattoo on his chest peeking out.

James’s shoulder length hair was tied back into a man bun, and you swore to yourself that you didn’t care much for men who had their hair in man buns, but at this moment?

Yeah.

You were feeling it.

At this very moment, you swore to yourself that you were so wet to the point where someone could easily drown a toddler in your panties.

And for a moment, you totally forgot that you were staring at the priest, practically ogling him like you were some lovesick teenager who just discovered that she had a crush on the most popular guy in school.

Until your brain had caught up with your heart and you were steered right back in your current reality.

Oh shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

You had just been shamelessly ogling the priest.

Fuck!

Your mother, if she had still been in your life, would have not been very happy right now. She would have dragged you off by your ear and reprehended you for your selfish and reckless behavior.

“… Yasha! Here she is!” Yelena looked very cheerful as she introduced James to you, speaking your name.

The first thing you really noticed about him was his eyes.

Those eyes.

The way they captivated you, held you prisoner in his gaze. His eyes alone made your breath hitch in your throat, leaving you unable to speak.

James had rendered you completely speechless.

“Hello, little one.”

Fucking God.

His voice was just so... nope. It was husky and deep. You weren't about to divulge into deeper details. Who were you, EL James? Please. As if.

You thanked every lucky star in the universe that Yelena was still holding onto you. Because if she hadn’t, then you were sure you have collapsed right then and there on the floor like some dramatic bitch.

But, then again, that was your profession, so maybe, probably, people wouldn’t be all that surprised.

You hoped.

“Hello Father,” you managed to say with a tight smile on your face, “I hope you enjoyed our opening night. We’ve been slaving away at it. Aleksandr made us work our asses off.”

“He made the orchestra go through the waltz dance three times one night Yasha!” Yelena whined, suddenly remembering the hellscape that was Aleksandr Pierce’s harsh eye.

“And Melina made the ballet rats go through the waltz dance three times too because of that,” you added, now clearly amused as James saw you take a sip of your champagne.

You were hiding an amused smile behind your glass before you heard Yelena tell you she had spotted Helen, one of the other ballet rats. Bidding you a goodbye, she happily bounced off, her curled blonde hair bouncing behind her like waves.

James spoke again. Making you maintain that eye contact with him.

“I enjoyed the show very much. Your portrayal of Marguerite is… exquisite. You captured her perfectly. How long have you been at the opera house?” James inquired as he took a gulp of his water. Being a priest, he didn’t drink all that much.

Your tongue came out to dart your lips, to moisten them.

“Well… my mother enrolled me in ballet classes when I was three. And I’ve been taking singing lessons ever since I was four. After I got my degree a while ago, then I joined the opera house pretty quickly. So… I would like to say, a couple of years now. Four or five, at the very most.” Your response made him raise an eyebrow. Looking a little sheepish and possibly a little bit embarrassed as well, “I was in the ballet for a long time. My mother had the funds to enroll me in the ballet corps with Natalia and Yelena. Here. But I didn’t stay in the dorms because my mother didn’t want me to ‘mix up with that crowd’-” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes in annoyance at that. Even putting air quotes around the 'mix up with that crowd' part. James certainly noticed. He also noticed the way you gritted your teeth a little, gnashing them together.

He got the vibe that you were not very close to your mother.

So, therefore, he did not push it.

“… So, I suppose you can say I’ve grown up here. It’s my second home, really. I don’t think I’d rather be in a place but here. It feels like home.” you confessed.

James cracked a smile.

He was smiling!

Actually smiling!

You could not believe it.

“Are you quite fond of the arts then, Father?” you inquired of James as you gulped down the rest of your drink. As a waiter walked by you, they quietly took your empty glass away from you and asked if you would like another. Agreeing and thanking them, you got another glass of champagne.

“I am. I’m very close with Natalia and Yelena. We all grew up together. My parents used to work here. My mother was a part of the chorus and my father was a Viola player.”

“Oh?”

You were interested.

He had piqued your interest. Not that he hadn’t already, but this interested you about him even more.

“Yes.” James nodded vigorously. “They’re retired now, though I’m afraid.”

“You should bring them to see the show. We run for a couple of more months, Father. If they’re up for it, of course.”

You were smiling. The curves of your lips were up and your eyes were sparkling.

All of a sudden, someone called your name. Breaking your smile as you quickly whipped your head around, doing a whole one-eighty.

Natalia was making her way towards you and James.

“Oh! You met Yasha! It’s so good to see you, Yasha. But we have to go. Ladies' night tonight. We’re hitting up the club.” Natalia actually winked at him this time as she tugged on your arm, making you protest.

“Hey! I didn’t- I wasn’t aware of this!” You yelped as you were tugged away by Natalia, who was gleeful.

“Tash? Tasha? TASH! Hey! No, I wasn’t finished talking to- Tash!”

Your pleas followed the two of you as Natalia whisked you away, leaving James alone.

“Did you enjoy the opera tonight, James?”

That was Alexei.

The Romanov family, although they did go to church every Sunday and called him by his proper title, they did not do that whenever James visited their home during the holidays.

Turning to face the man he considered a father figure, James gave him a nod. “I found the actress playing Marguerite very enchanting, Alexei.”

“Oh yes. Our little Songbird. I adore her, just like every member of this Opera House. But her mother, very uptight woman if you ask me. Very religious as well. You might have seen her in church many times. You do remember the scandal with our old priest, Obadiah Stane, yes?”

Indeed.

James did indeed remember.

“Our little Songbird had left the church after the old priest had gotten stripped of his title. Her mother did not take that lightly and cast her out of her own home. She lived with her friend Darcy Lewis for a couple of years, if I remember correctly.” The two men watched as Natalia grabbed Yelena while you were practically sandwiched between the two of them.

“Do they still live together?” James asked him. Alexei shook his head no. “No, son. Darcy lives with her boyfriend. Loki Lauyferson, I believe? The old English man that came to live down here, expanding his business. His older brother is named Thor, I believe. Thor and their older sister Hela live in the UK.”

“Ah.”

James turned to Alexei. “Is there anything else you can tell me about her?” he asked politely. Alexei turned to him and clapped him on the back. Just like how the older man had done when James had been accepted in the church all the way back when.

You had just begun to make it towards the doors.

However, you couldn’t help but turn around, just to see if James was still there.

He was.

And James was looking straight at you.

Natalia asked you something, and suddenly, you were out of the doors and entered the chilly Russian air.

You were gone.

“… Much, yes. Come. We’ll speak in my office.”

Turning his gaze back to Alexei, James gave a firm nod.

That sounded good.

Very good.

Taglist: @greeneyedblondie44, @bxnnywriting, @hawsx3

[late-to-the-party-81]

Requesting where Darcy is married to Thor and tells him that she pregnant!! 😍😍😍

Thunder Struck

AN: Thank you Nonnie, for this sweet ask.

I’ve been wanting to write Darcy for a while and also more Thor, so this was perfect.

I have gone a little off-piste from the ask though, and have situated the scenario earlier in their relationship just to get a pinch of angst and uncertainty in for flavour.

Mood board by me, divider by @fireflygraphics, beta’d by @sidepartskinnyjeans

Please check out my Master list

If you'd like to make a request, please check out my info post

Pairing: Darcy Lewis x Thor

Word count: 1.2k

CW: Unexpected pregnancy, pregnancy related anxiety, brief mention of abortion as a legitimate choice, fluff, love confessions, Himbo Thor, Darcy being thirsty on main, slight size kink, slight Daddy Kink, inferred sexual content.

Darcy sat down on the closed toilet seat with a ‘thunk’, hands trembling as she stared at the slim piece of plastic in her hands, two pink lines screaming at her. A bubble of somewhat hysterical laughter pushed its way up her throat and out into the relative silence of the bathroom before she clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle it.

Well what did you expect? She thought to herself. You are banging a literal God of Fertility on the regular.

Fuck!

They’d been friends for years, and it was only recently that things had… changed. It was all so new, and she had no idea where it was going. Something like this could either make or break them. What if it all went wrong and she was left on her own? But what if he feels the same way as you? The little voice in her head taunted her.

She was going to have to tell him, and if she didn’t do it now, then she might not do it at all, and…

A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts.

“Darcy, my love? Are you okay?”

Thor’s voice rumbled through the door, almost causing it to vibrate.

“Um, yeah, sure. Be out in a minute!”

She tucked the test in her pocket and moved to the sink to wash her hands.

Now or never. Okay not never because it will become obvious in a few months, stupid, stupid Darcy.

She took a deep breath and opened the door, so startled that he was standing right there that she practically bounced off his muscled chest.

Fucking sinful pecs, all your stupid fault!

His hands came down onto her upper arms to steady her, and he ducked his head so he could look over her face.

“Are you sure you are alright? You look pale. Come sit.”

He practically dragged her over to her sofa, but as she was about to get herself settled into the cushions, he occupied the spot himself before pulling her down into his lap.

“Ooof. Um…err…” She tried to get up, so she could put some more space between them, try to centre her thoughts, but he just tightened his arms – stupid sexy arm veins! – and pulled her closer. He nuzzled his nose into her hair, hot puffs of breath washing over her neck and ear.

“Isn’t this better? I’m sure I've heard Midgardians say that anything can be made better with a hug.”

Darcy sighed and rolled her eyes. This conversation was not going to be easy.

“Thor, snuggle-bear, can you just let me go for just one teensy, tiny sec?”

She shifted with more determination, and with a huff of amused annoyance, Thor loosened his grip and she slid from his lap to sit next to him. He kept hold of one of her hands though, sandwiching it between his own giant paws.

Don’t think about what those fingers can do…

She regarded him for a moment, dirty blonde hair, chiselled jaw, broad shoulders, biceps almost as big as her head, those pecs that made the most perfect pillows, abs you could wash laundry on, and those delicious thick thighs. She could feel her arousal growing, despite the situation.

Cool it Lewis, pull yourself together.

“Okay, here goes…um...”

Oh, why did he have to be looking at her like that, summer sky blue eyes regarding her, wide and oh-so serious?

“So… yeah… um… we’ve been having fun, right, these last few months?”

“You have always been fun to be around my darling doctor, but yes, I would agree the last few months have been more…’fun’.”

He waggled his eyebrows and she couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Stop that! I’m trying to be serious here.”

His face suddenly dropped, making him look like a kicked puppy.

“Darcy, do…do you wish for our ‘fun’ to come to an end?”

Ah, fuck…

“No, it’s not that… it’s just… oh god…”

She thrust her free hand into her pocket, retrieved the test and popped it on his thigh. He looked down at it, confused at first, and then concerned.

“You have caught the virus? Do you need me to tend to you during your isolation? I cannot get sick from it and would be more than happy to be your nursemaid.”

He got up, letting go of her hand, the test tumbling to the floor as he bustled over to her small kitchen area and put the kettle on..

“I shall make you some chamomile tea, that is your favourite, correct?”

Darcy couldn’t stop the broad smile that swept over her features. How could such a fearsome warrior, and intelligent man, also be so naïve and guileless? She stood, retrieved the test, and walked over to him, stilling him with a hand on his arm.

He’s so big… everywhere… stop it Darcy, get on with it!

“Um, big-guy. It’s alright. I don’t have the virus. It isn’t that kind of a test.”

“So, you don’t have some kind of creature inside you wreaking havoc on your body?”

She smothered a laugh. She was going to love telling this tale to the others later.

“Well that’s what I’m trying to tell you. I kinda do…”

He looked at her, looked at the test in her hand and then back at her. His eyes went wide, and he took a step back, bumping into the refrigerator and making it wobble.

“Are you telling me..? Are you..?”

His legs buckled and he slid down the appliance until he was sat on the floor, staring straight ahead. Darcy looked at him, slightly worried by his reaction, and crouched down, lightly stroking over his knee.

“Okay, come on dude, just breath. It’s not the end of the world okay. We can discuss it all, and sort it all out if needs be. It’s sorta your fault though. God of Fertility and all.”

His head snapped up.

“Of course, it’s not the end of the world. It’s the start of a brand new one!”

He surged back to his feet, large hands spanning Darcy’s waist, lifting her, and then spinning them both around, causing her hair to stream behind her, and laughter to burst from her chest.

“This is the most wonderful news! You’re having a baby. My baby! Praise Odin! You, Darcy Lewis, have made me the happiest man in the whole of the nine realms. You are happy too, yes?”

“Well, I… erm… haven’t had a lot of time to really think about it, but yes, I think I am happy. And I hope that you and I can make this work, and be friends and raise a happy healthy child…”

He lowered her to the flow and silenced her with a kiss.

“I know we can make this work, little one, because I love you.”

It was her turn to be struck dumb.

“You… you love me?”

“Why of course! How could I not?”

“Because I zapped you with a taser the first time we met?”

“And what a tale that will be to tell this child, and our other future children.”

“Future children?” she squeaked.

“Yes”, he purred, voice deepening. “I have a feeling that as the God of Fertility, once I have seen you, round with my child, I will wish to keep you in that state.”

Darcy tilted her head to the side, pursing her lips dramatically.

“Should have seen that one coming, of course the God of Fertility is going to have a breeding kink.”

He chuckled, before pressing his lips to her neck, nipping, and sucking on the delicate flesh. His hips pressed against her, his arousal growing more evident by the moment.

“Okay, Daddy-o, cool it.”

He let out a low growl and nipped harder.

“What if Daddy does not wish to ‘cool it’?” He circled his hips suggestively. “What if he, in fact, wishes to increase the temperature? Would you stop me, oh mother of my child? Would you want to stop me from worshipping you? Surely carrying and giving birth to the child of a god makes you a goddess?”

Darcy smiled, coyly, wrapping a strand of Thor’s hair around her index finger?

“I suppose, Daddy, if worship and goddess-hood are on the cards, I can allow it…”

He scooped her up, and hurriedly carried her towards the bedroom.

“Oh, and Thor-bear… I love you too.”

“I never had a single doubt.”

Tag list: @christywantspizza @jobean12-blog @tinnedowl @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky @tuiccim @beelicious-barnes @yarnforbrains @maladaptivexxdaydreaming @krissy25 @bodeckersdiamonddoll @turbolisedcomet

[arcadianmoonshadowjedi]

Let The Bells Ring (A Stricklake Wedding)

Good news everyone! I was finally able to motivate myself to finish this fanfic, which took me weeks due to work and weak motivation lol. Since I’ve been sick this week with not much to do, I was able to motivate myself to power through!

So this is a continuation of my Making Things Right fic, which is an alternate ROTT ending where the timeline is NOT reset and everyone lives and gets to attend the Stricklake wedding! This in general is how I imagine a Stricklake wedding going, regardless of the overall plot of ROTT. I got so much inspiration for this from throughout the fandom, including @bklily & @undeadchestnut <3 Enjoy!

~~~

In the weeks to come, the people of Arcadia and perhaps, the whole world would continue to recover from what would’ve been a large-scale apocalypse. To celebrate the end of this war and help everyone with healing, Barbara and Strickler felt that they should get married as soon as possible. Barbara nearly lost Strickler in his attempt to save Jim and stop the ice titan, and she was never more determined to tie the knot and be with him for the rest of her life. It was thanks to her excellent medical skills that both him and Nomura were able to recover from their life-threatening injuries, even though his wings were permanently damaged from the blast.

The day of the wedding arrived on a bright spring as the flowers began to bloom in the trees across Arcadia. Everyone was busy and super pumped getting ready for the big day. Claire, along with Aja, Darci, and Mary were all getting ready in her room. With Papa Skull music playing, they did their hair, nails, and makeup while also fooling around quite a bit. Aja sat right in front of the mirror back in her human form after a very long time.

“I’ve never been to a human marriage party before!” She squealed in excitement as her girlfriends did her hair and makeup.

“We’re so glad you can be with us, Aj,” Darci responded wholeheartedly as she pulled Aja’s light blonde hair into a beautiful, flowery updo with some loose hairs falling to the side. Claire and Mary both focused on getting her makeup done and when they were finally done, Aja gazed into the mirror in awe. 

“Wow! I look.. I look soo..”

“Lively!” The girls cheerfully finished the sentence for her.

“Hey Claire Bear, Darc and I are gonna grab a few things from my car. You and Aja finish getting ready, ok?” Said Mary as she and Darci left the room. Claire helped Aja get into her hot pink strapless dress, and Aja couldn’t help but squeal in excitement and twirl around in her high-low skirt. Aja quickly enveloped Claire into a tight hug.

“Oh thank you so much Claire! This is amazing!”

Both girls chuckled and smiled at each other.

“Also,” Aja started. “It’s so nice to have another girl to fight side by side with, I don’t get to do that a lot. And your shadows of magic are so lively!”

“Thanks! And yeah same. Boys clubs can get pretty annoying, haha,” Claire joked. "We should definitely hang out more," Aja nodded in agreement and they both smiled warmly at each other. 

“We’re back!” Mary said as she and Darci finally came back with more accessories. After they all finished getting ready, Mary took out her phone and they all posed for a selfie.

“Aw C-Bomb! It’s so good to have you back! We missed you like crazy when you left Arcadia! You and Aja!” She squealed cheerfully, squeezing Claire into a tight hug. Darci joined in and grabbed Aja as well. “Yeah girl! Don’t ever leave us out of nowhere like that again,” Darci said with a frown as she hugged Claire tighter. Claire chuckled and took both of their hands. “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. It would be nice to take a break once in a while, hopefully,” She assured her girlfriends and hugged them again.

Moments later, the girls rode in Mary's car to Jim's house. When Aja got out from the back seat, the front door suddenly flew open and Steve ran out to her.

"My royal, ninja-kicking angel is here!" He yelled. 

Without any hesitation, he swung Aja up from her feet and spun her around as she screamed joyously. He kissed her so passionately that Aja eventually started pushing him.

"Steve!" She chuckled. "My makeup! You're going to mess it up!" Steve laughed and then they both pressed their foreheads together and smiled lovingly as they held each other.

Jim stood at the front door watching and shaking his head while the remaining girls chuckled and let out some "awws" from the car. Claire eventually opened the door and walked out from the front seat, and Jim couldn't help but let out a "woah."

Claire stepped out in glimmering heels and wore a beautiful, midnight dress with a slit to the side. She smiled at Jim and her smoky eyeshadow made her beautiful, brown eyes glow even more. She walked up to him and he gently took her hands in his.

"You ready to be the greatest best man?" She asked. 

"Ready as I can get," Jim chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. Claire smiled, then cupped his cheeks in her hands and leaned forward to press her lips against his. When she finally pulled back, she carefully stroked his hair and tucked it behind his ear.

"Good luck, I know you got this," 

Jim smiled and put his hand on hers, letting out a sigh of relief. 

Toby and Aaarrrgghh walked out of the front door beside them and the three trollhunters smiled at one another. It's good they were all back together. And actually happy this time! Toby walked over to Jim and Claire for an affectionate group hug while Darci and Mary walked over.

"Toby!" Darci screamed as she ran over to hug her boyfriend. With a massive smile on his face, Toby hugged her back and held her tight.

"Oh TP! It's so good to have you back! I missed you so so much!" She started, her eyes tearing up. Toby on the other hand, after everything he went through, just wanted to revel in this moment

"It's good to be back, Darc," he responded softly. 

Darci smiled at him and was totally digging his wedding look. "Looking good in a tux, TP,"

Aaarrrgghh nodded in agreement. "Mmm, Fancy,"

Toby put his hands on his hips and smirked. "Oh, well, yeah I do gotta look awesome-sauce for Dr. L's wedding, am I right?"

The gang laughed and finally went inside the house. Everyone headed towards the backyard except for Jim, who waited by the stairs. Toby and Claire looked back at him and gave him a nod of good luck before walking out the door.

Later that evening, more guests arrived and filled the seats in the backyard and Strickler waited for his bride at the altar. Blinky stood behind the stand mic with a piece of heartstone in his hand. Nomura stood by where Barbara soon would be. After all the help she's gotten and the time they spent together, Nomura became so close to Barbara that she gladly accepted her request to be her maid of honor. They were surrounded by a magical, embellished flower arch made by none other than Nari. Bright lights twinkled all around the place and soft, mellow tunes filled the atmosphere, played by both Krel on his keyboard and Douxie on his guitar. They high-fived each other for successfully setting a romantic mood.

Jim stood inside his house and then suddenly, he heard click-clacking from the stairs. It was his mother, so beautiful in her lace white dress. He couldn't help but tear up at the sight of his mom finally being happy again. She made it down the stairs and wrapped Jim in a warm hug. 

"I love you so much, kiddo," Barbara told her son as her voice began to break. "I'm so proud of how far you've come and couldn't be any happier to be walked down the aisle by my beautiful boy,"

Jim held her even tighter as he chuckled lightly, tears falling down his cheeks. Barbara then looked at him lovingly as she wiped his tears. She leaned forward to kiss his forehead, then put her arms in his as they began heading towards the back door.

The guests looked around as the beautiful bride made her way down the aisle. Strickler couldn't stop gazing and smiling at his soon-to-be wife as she walked towards him, returning his smile. Barbara finally stood looking towards him and Jim stood by Strickler's side as his best man. Blinky finally cleared his throat and approached the mic.

"Greetings everyone. We are gathered here today to join our dearly beloved Barbara Lake and Walter Strickler in holy matrimony. After everything that has transpired in Arcadia over the past few years, what a blessing it is for all of us to congregate here to cherish and celebrate this union. Despite all the trials and tribulations that have been faced by this lovely pair, well of course the unusual beginning they’ve had..." 

Strickler cleared his throat, interrupting Blinky’s speech. Jim couldn’t resist letting out a little chuckle. “Uh, Mr Blinky,” Barbara whispered. “We don’t need to go into all the details. What’s in the past can stay in the past. What’s most important is the here and now,”

“Right, right, right,” Blinky continued clumsily. “These two warriors have persevered through it all, the thick and the thin leading up to this very special moment. From this day forth, they will continue to strive and triumph together for the rest of their lives. Now may I have the rings?” 

The audience clapped while Blinky signaled for Archie to fly over and bring the cushion that bore the rings.

“Now both of you place your hands on this heartstone as you say your vows. Do you, Walter Strickler, take Barbara Lake to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

Strickler took a deep breath, then smiled wholeheartedly and answered. “Yes, I do,” Followed by the clapping in the audience, Blinky turned to face Barbara.

“Do you, Barbara Lake, take Walter Strickler to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do” Barbara responded softly, with light tears in her eyes as she smiled brightly at her soon-to-be husband. They let go of the glowing heartstone, then took their rings and gently placed them on each of their left ring fingers. They finally held hands tightly in excitement and couldn’t take their eyes off of each other.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may now kiss,” 

Strickler pulled Barbara closer to him and they finally leaned in for a warm kiss. Loud cheers spread throughout the audience with some sniffles of joy. Jim stood by wiping tears off his cheeks. Finally! Nothing brought more happiness into his heart than to see his own mother finally again, just as she deserved. And never did he expect that someone he once resented would eventually become someone so dear to both him and his mother. 

Claire looked towards Douxie across the front row and they both nodded. Absorbing shadows from around her, she released a couple of black and purple shimmering doves into the sky and in turn, Douxie cast out beautiful blue sparkles to light up the scene even more. A round of oohs and aahs echoed was followed by a standing ovation.

A few moments later, Barbara turned around and was ready to throw the bouquet to a competitive crowd of single ladies of all ages and… Varvatos, who’s made it his quest to be the next in line for Nancy. As the bouquet suddenly flew into the air and was falling back down, out of nowhere, a shadow portal opened and swallowed it up. The audience gasped and looked around in confusion as another portal opened and the bouquet was caught by Claire. She glanced over at Jim whose eyes widened and cheeks turned pure red. In response, she winked at him as he sheepishly smiled back and waved. All the other ladies grunted and Mary and Darci approached her. 

“Claire Bear! You’re not supposed to do that here! That’s cheating!” Darci told her with her arms crossed while Mary nodded in agreement. Claire chuckled and held the bouquet victoriously as she went to sit back down. “Um, I don’t remember there being a rule book for bouquet tosses as far as I’m concerned,” 

“Preposterous!” Exclaimed Varvatos. “It should’ve been I who won this battle for Nancy!” He heard Nancy walk up to him giggling and grabbing his arm. “Oh Varvatos, you don’t need a bouquet to marry me! I’m way past that!” Varvatos’s eyes glew up and he let out a big smile. “Glorious!” He yelled. laughing maniacally. 

Later that night, everyone got up and slow-danced to the sweet, charming tunes that Krel played. Douxie danced with Zoe, who he finally caught up with and they got to hunt niffins and grab burgers together as promised. Toby and Darci danced together and enjoyed their well-needed reunion, sharing a few kisses here and there. While Steve and Aja danced, they discussed their future plans and whether they would be together on Akiridion-5 or remain long distance.

“Well now, since we got wormholes and stuff, maybe I could come to you more often on Akiridion-5 while finishing college and who knows what will happen next?” Steve started as he held Aja and slightly dipped her. She smiled back at him and pushed her hair behind her ear. “You know, I really miss this mudball and seeing you more. I think maybe I too, should come visit and go on more Earth dates,”

Jim shared a short and sweet dance with mother then hugged her so tightly, before Strickler walked over to them and asked if could borrow his wife for another dance. Jim went over to Krel’s turntable and whispered something in his ears. Suddenly the music stopped as Krel plugged Jim’s phone to his turntable and pressed play. 

Claire sat and chatted with Mary and a couple of friends when she suddenly froze. It was a familiar melody that took her back to the night of Spring Fling, her first ever dance with Jim. The guitar strings of Eres Tu played as she turned around and saw Jim hold out his hands to her. She looked up at him smiling and grabbed his hand. She got up and walked with him further away from the crowd until they were almost alone but could still hear the song. They started dancing as the Spanish lyrics began to be sung, while Jim sang along parts of the song, just like last time. 

“Nice little trick you did back there with the flowers,” Jim joked as he spun her around. Claire chuckled and blushed a little. “Oh I bet you wanted me to be the one to catch it. But don’t worry, there’s no rushing into this. We just enjoy every moment together and take this all little by little, ok?” She assured him. He smiled back at her and stroked her cheek. It was so good that they finally got to enjoy this moment of peace without needing to defeat gumm-gumms or evil wizards trying to destroy the world. For both of them, it was a relief that neither of them felt the need to dread any upcoming battles hopefully for years to come. Without any further talking, they just danced together slowly reminiscing their beautiful memories they’ve had throughout their relationship, putting a warm smile on each of their faces. Jim spun Claire, then hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek, while Claire’s smile only got bigger and brighter.

From a distance, Barbara and Walter watched Jim dance with Claire while they too danced. “You’ve raised an amazing son, Barbara. Young Atlas has come so far in life and he wouldn’t have become the man he did without an amazing mother like you,”

“He’s also had a wonderful person like you come into his life and help him grow a lot. I couldn’t be more thankful he had you and Mr. Blinky help him become a strong trollhunter,”

The stars continued glimmering in the night sky as everyone enjoyed the rest of the wedding. A cool breeze blew through and the petals on the flowers and the twinkling lights slowly flowed along. The heroes of Arcadia have truly found an adventure worth telling for generations to come, whether it was on Earth, the caverns below, or on Akiridion-5. It was a one of a kind adventure that each hero will continue to remember and hold onto no matter what comes next. Despite all the trauma and heartbreak they all went through, they have also gained so much strength and wisdom, along with many great allies that will always stay together whatever comes next.

~~~

Thank you so much for reading this fic! I know this was super long but I definitely put in a lot of stuff that I wanted to see in the TOA series, including Aja and Claire bonding and a happy ending with a Stricklake wedding! I know this isn’t the best I’ve written and that I wasn’t able to give each character but I’m glad I was able to get it done! Stay tuned for more and hopefully more focus on other characters!

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Day 27: Home

"He's got to be somewhere!" Harry all but shouted at the bloody incompetent people milling uselessly around him. What was the point of all of these people if they couldn't even do their jobs?

"Sir," one of the junior aurors said, "We're doing the best we can, but-"

"Do better,” he exploded.

Ron gripped his forearm and led him off to the side of the room. "Listen to me," his best friend said, "I know that you are worried and I know that you are chomping at the bit for us to figure this out, but we cannot work any faster."

"We have to," Harry said. "We have to work faster because every moment that we spend in here, is another moment that he is out there with that psychopath and I don't have to tell you how vicious Marcus is."

The horrific images of the bodies they'd found a few days ago flashed to the front of his mind but instead of being the strangers bodies naked and covered in cuts and bruises, it was Draco's body. The well-loved, all but worshiped body of the man that Harry was desperately in love with. And Draco didn't even know, he'd never even told him. He shook his head, biting back the urge to vomit, trying to keep the panic to a dull roar. "We have to find him."

"I know," Ron murmured, putting a warm, steady hand on his shoulder. "I know and we are doing everything, we have everyone on this. The moment anyone finds anything they'll let-"

"Sir!" Darcy called, dashing into the room, "I think we've got him."

(Read more below the cut)

"Give me the coordinates," Harry said, reaching for the paper in her hands.

"You can't just go in there," Ron protested, trying to snatch the paper away from Harry, "we need a plan of attack, we need to figure out how to coordinate our people."

"Yes," Harry agreed. "You're in charge of that and you can meet me there. I'm sure I'll need the back up."

"Harry, don't-"

But it was too late, obviously, as if Ron could have ever expected him to stay, as if there was anything on this earth that could have kept him from Draco.

Harry wasn't especially good with blind apparation, but he knew the instant he arrived that this was definitely the spot. The air around him when he landed felt tainted and dark, sparking with evil that touched the depth of Harry's soul and set the hairs on the back of his neck on end. A cabin sat just at the other side of the clearing, smoke rising from the chimney.

Casting a silent spell that would show any hidden wards and traps, Harry pulled out his invisibility cloak, enlarged it to it's normal size, covered himself, and set off across the clearing, deftly avoiding any of the places that quivered gold from his magic.

His heart hammered against his ribs, so loud that he feared it would give him away the moment he got into the house. He crept to the window and peered inside, Draco sat slumped in a chair near the fire place. His long blond hair was dirty and Harry got the sickening feeling that some of the darkness was where blood had dried. Bruises and abrasions mottled his pale skin, covering his face and neck, and undoubtedly places that Harry couldn't see.

The only relief was that he was obviously still breathing, labored though it appeared to be.

Marcus was no where in sight.

He cast several spells that Bill had taught him one summer when he was considering becoming a curse breaker and the ward fell apart around the window, leaving him a space to crawl through.

No sooner was he through the window when that tickle of awareness prickled up his spine, he spun and cast, "Expelliarmus," before he'd even fully realized why. A wand clattered to the ground and he cast, "Petrificus Totalus, incacerous," in rapid succession and Marcus hit the ground wrapped in ropes. Harry yanked his cloak off and glared at the man on the floor, "Give me one reason," he growled at Marcus, "One reason and I will fucking end you."

When the man made no attempt to move, he rushed over to Draco, "Draco," he murmured, "Draco," he repeated, carefully brushing his fingers over the other man's swollen, bruised cheek.

His silver eyes flickered open and he flinched away from Harry's hand.

"Oh, love," he managed, his throat tight around the words. "I'm here, you're safe."

Draco's eyes widened when he realized it was Harry, a tear slipping down his cheek.

"Okay," he breathed, "We have to get out of-" he began but the door behind him was blasted open and he cast a hasty "protego" preparing to fight off whomever had just come barreling through.

"I cannot fucking believe you," Ron hissed as he stomped in.

"Is the perimeter cleared?" Harry asked as he turned back to Draco, far more at ease now that Ron was there guarding his back.

"No it is not," Ron replied. "I broke a million protocols to get here while everyone else is working their way in-"

Harry stopped listening as he took the gag off of Draco. "Are you alright?"

Draco nodded weakly, "I'll be fine," he assured him.

He untied him quickly and efficiently and then helped him to stand before pulling him into his arms.

"Harry," the other man gasped, "We shouldn't. Everyone can see-"

"Let them," he whispered, tears stinging the back of his eyes as he held the other man, "Godric, Draco," he rasped, "I was so bloody worried about you."

He pulled back minutely and cupped the other man's cheek, brushing a finger over his bruised cheekbone. "He hurt you," he said, "We need to get you to St. Mungo's, get you checked out."

"It's superficial," he said, shaking his head, "I can heal them myself. Just," he swallowed, "Can we go home?"

"Ron?" Harry called.

"Yeah?" the other man replied.

Harry turned his head, but kept Draco in his arms, "I'm leaving. I'll owl you with a report of what happened prior to the team's arrival."

"Harry," Ron said, lowering his voice and stepping closer, "You're going to be in a lot of hot water about this."

"I don't care," Harry said.

"I mean all of it, going rogue, coming here without any plan, without back up, leaving now will be the least of your worries."

"You're right," Harry replied. "But I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. What are they going to do? Fire me?" He rolled his eyes, "They'd be doing me a favor."

Ron shook his head, "Go on, then."

"Thanks," Harry said, nodding once at Ron before he turned to Draco, "Ready?" he asked, "I'm going to apparate us."

Draco nodded and Harry focused on Draco's living room, even though his own sofa and fireplace beckoned him, before he apparated them out of there.

When they landed, Draco looked around, looking a bit crestfallen, "This is my flat," he said.

"Yeah, you said home?" Harry replied. "Oh, did you mean the Manor? I can take you there-" Harry started even as it made his heart ache, he knew he wouldn't be welcome to stay there.

"No," the other man interrupted, shaking his head for emphasis and wincing a bit at the motion, "I was rather hoping we might go to your home?" he asked uncertainly. "I feel safer there," he added, a little hitch in his voice.

"Yes," Harry said. "Yes," he managed again because his heart was racing and soaring all at once and he wasn't sure what else he could possibly say.

He apparated them into his home and stroked Draco's hair back from his face, "You're sure we shouldn't go to St. Mungos?"

Draco nodded, "I'll be fine. I've left a kit here with some potions and such since you're always injuring yourself," he added with a pained smile. "I'm just going to use the restroom so I have a mirror."

Harry nodded, "I'll light the fire. Are you hungry?"

"A bit."

"I'll heat up some stew," Harry said, "I could make a batch of the biscuits you like?"

Draco nodded, "That would be nice."

"Draco," Harry called once the other man started limping to the bathroom.

"Yes?"

Harry crossed the distance between them, cupped his face and gently, so very gently, pressed his lips to Draco's.

Draco pulled back, "I'm covered in blood."

"I don't care," Harry whispered, brushing his lips over Draco's once more. "Call me if you need help, yes?"

He nodded and started toward the bathroom.

After starting the fire and making them food, Harry went to get a pair of sweatpants (the grey ones that Draco always stole when he stayed over for breakfast) and a tshirt (one from when Harry was training to be an auror that was worn and faded, Draco always borrowed it when they went out flying) and wandered to the bathroom. He knocked once before opening the door to find Draco sitting on the closed toilet lid with his head in his hands.

"Oh," Harry murmured, moving to kneel at Draco's feet.

"Sorry," the other man said, wiping at his eyes, "Circe I'm sorry, every time I look at myself in the mirror I lose it."

"Okay," Harry murmured, "It's okay. Let me help."

"I fixed my rib already," Draco said, "Episkey ought to do the trick for the rest."

With as much care as he could muster, Harry tenderly healed all of the wounds on Draco's body. He was covered in gashes, and scrapes, and bruises and Harry ached with all of the words that stuck in his throat, with everything that had remained so desperately unsaid.

After he finished healing him, Harry drew the other man a bath and filled it with the lilac soap that always left Draco smiling and pressing his nose to Harry's skin to smell it. Draco reached out a hand for the flannel but Harry whispered, "Let me?" and the other man nodded.

He cleaned his body of all of the dirt, the grime, the blood; washing every inch of him until there was no trace of the horror the other man had endured. Then he moved to his hair; he carefully washed, conditioned, and detangled his hair before helping the other man out and drying him with equal care and diligence, and helping him into the clothes he'd brought in.

"Sit for a minute?" he asked, gesturing to the toilet seat and the other man obliged him without a word. He carefully brushed his hair and then braided it the way Draco so often did before bed, starting at the crown of his head and drawing in section after section, braiding all the way down to the middle of his back.

"All done," he whispered when he finished, pressing a kiss to the top of Draco's head.

"Thank you," the other man murmured, reaching back to cover Harry's hand where it rested on his shoulder.

And all of the things that had been scratching at Harry's throat, trying to claw their way out at once and stuck there now, "I'm so sorry," he managed, "Godric, Draco, I'm sorry." Tears welled up, prickly and hot at the back of his eyes.

"Hey," Draco said softly, clearly recognizing that Harry was about to break. He turned so he was facing Harry and grabbed his hand, "This isn't your fault."

Harry shook his head, "It's always my fault. Everyone that I love-" he broke off abruptly realizing what he'd just confessed.

"You," Draco started, brows furrowing, "You love me?"

He nodded miserably, "And I should have told you before now. You're going to think it's just the trauma, but Draco I should have told you every day for the past year," he added. "All I could think today was that I was going to be too late and I'd never be able to tell you how I really feel. Because I am completely gone on you Draco Malfoy and I wanted you to know."

A smile tugged at the corner of the other man's lips, "I love you, too, Harry Potter."

"Yeah?" he whispered.

Draco nodded.

"Will you stay? Here?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Draco replied.

"But like, forever?" he asked.

"I'd like nothing better," Draco affirmed, smiling as he leaned up and pressed a kiss to Harry's lips.

Harry kissed him back for a long moment, letting the kiss assure him that Draco was going to be okay, that he was here with him, and he wasn't going anywhere. He rested his forehead against Draco's and said, "I still have so many things I need to say."

"They'll keep," Draco replied, stroking a finger lightly over Harry's cheek. "Let's just have dinner and then I really just need you to take me to bed and hold me."

And if they held each other a little tighter than usual that night, there was no one to know but the two of them.

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

Ah!!! Please go and look at the gorgeous art that @pato-roldnart drew for this ficlet. It’s stunning and heart wrenching and I’m so overwhelmed by how amazing it is!! You’re seriously spoiling me!

Day 26: Broken Bone | Day 28: Shopping

Thank you, @atticus-bluejay for the prompt! I hope you enjoyed it!

[amphibia-words-suggest]

With Marcy’s screams still ringing in her ears, Sasha crawled forward, head pounding, back throbbing, thoughts spinning. It all centered in on one plea, clawing its way out of her throat in the form of frantically-murmured whispers.

“Marcy! Marcy, wake up,” she begged, holding her friend’s still form in her arms. The blonde tore the helmet off of the noirette’s head and tossed it aside, ignoring the quiet but worrying click as it dislodged from Marcy’s skull. She ignored the still faintly-glowing orange eye on her friend’s chest, too.

Sasha clutched Marcy’s body close to her, the cool, smooth armor adorning her strangely soothing against the heat of too many close calls (and one direct hit) with Darcy’s scythe. She listened for a heartbeat, sobs and apologies flowing past her lips. The longer she went on with her pleading, the more the tears poured down and the more strangled her voice became. “Marcy, please…”

Was this some kind of sick parting gift? A twisted contingency plan to kill Marcy if all else failed? Worst of all, was this somehow all Sasha’s fault? She closed her eyes tighter, letting out yet another sob. Maybe she was just as bad as she-

The blonde let out a soft gasp, her eyes shooting open in surprise.

“Oh.”

Marcy’s body-but-not-Marcy smiled, opening a pair of eyes glazed over with orange code. It kept its hands on the hilt of the dagger that it’d driven through Sasha’s chest, letting her feel her insides burn and grinning smugly at the blonde’s horrified expression.

“Sorry about that, Sashy,” Darcy tipped their head at Sasha, taking one hand to tilt her chin upwards as it used her old nickname in a cruel mockery of Marcy. “Marcy Wu isn’t available at the moment. Leave a message if you’d like.”

Sasha hissed and narrowed her eyes, fighting to stay conscious. “Marcy, i-if you’re in there, l-listen to me. You can fight it, I-” She cut herself off with a scream of agony as the blade slid out of her chest, tears pricking her eyes again. Darcy stepped back with a little sigh, smiling wistfully as they watched Sasha collapse motionlessly to the floor.

“Better luck next time, then.” A pair of metallic tentacles scooped up Sasha’s body and hauled it away, down to where a single regeneration tank was sitting in the basement. They turned around just as the flapping of kill-a-moth wings filled the air. So the Heart had arrived.

This would be entertaining.

--

maybe 1/2?? not sure honestly

[winterrose527]

Jon and Robb trying to get a drunk Sansa and Myrcella home

K I didn't write this today, but wrote it like years ago and never posted it I don't think? Maybe I did, but nevertheless, enjoy!

***

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Jon said for the seventeenth time since they’d gotten into the taxi. “What did she say exactly?”

Robb sighed and tried to recount the conversation. It was a little tricky to follow what Sansa was saying, she’d definitely had too much to drink.

“She said that they got in a fight and that Ella left her,” Robb told him.

“But they don’t fight,” Jon argued vehemently.

Seriously, it was as though someone had told him that the earth, after all this time, was indeed flat. Like somebody told him the sky was actually red. He said it like he needed a damn Vicodin due the prospect of Sansa Stark and Myrcella Baratheon arguing.

In Jon’s defense, it did seem a little strange. The two had been inseparable since boarding school, and to Robb’s knowledge had never actually had an argument. There was that one incident on Ella’s last birthday when they both got really drunk and started arguing about who loved the other more - it got really emotional, a few other people started crying as well. Not him, of course, it was just really smoky in there.

The point was that it really didn’t make any sense. Even if Sansa and Ella did have their first fight as the most iconic non-couple-couple, Ella would never leave Sansa at a bar. Especially when she’d been drinking. But on the off chance something calamitous had actually happened, he wasn’t going to not go.

And if something calamitous hadn’t happened, he and Jon were happy for the excuse to seek them out.

The taxi pulled up in front of the pub Sansa had called from. The girls loved this place because they deemed the bartender swoon worthy and he obviously loved them because he always gave them free drinks.

They walked in and immediately started scanning the bar for his sister and Ella. The place was packed, but Robb just looked for where Daario was stationed and sure enough he saw Sansa’s auburn hair.

He tapped Jon on the chest and pointed and they made their way through. Sansa was facing away from them so he called to her. It really was too loud in here though and she looked like she was hanging on whatever it was that Daario was saying.

When he finally got to her, he was, well, not all that surprised to see Ella Baratheon sitting on the barstool next to her.

“Robb?,” she asked in that moneyed voice of hers.

Her cheeks were a little flushed but that could just be the alcohol. She was wearing a black and gold dress that was fitted through the waist and then flared out, her slender legs covered in black tights. Her hair was up and it revealed that little freckle on her swanlike neck and - fuck.

“Hey El,” he cleared his throat, “Sansa what the hell?”

“You’re a poet and you didn’t even know it but I doooooo,” Sansa giggled. “Quick make something up about Ella’s eyes.”

“Huh?,” he wondered.

“Just a little ditty,” Sansa promised, as though it was nothing really, “Come now, Robbert don’t be stingy with your gifts. I really think that you should - oh hello Jon.”

“H-hey Sansa…,” Jon breathed out.

For fuck’s sake. He was going to need a drink to get through this. He gestured to the bartender who ignored him.

Ella bit her lip to hide her smile, “Hey Daario?”

“Yeah darlin’?,” Daario asked immediately, leaning his forearms on the bar.

“Could we please have two Wight Gold Labels neat whenever you get a chance?,” she asked.

Daario glared at him which Robb felt wasn’t entirely called for and nodded, “Sure thing. And how about another martini, on me?”

Ella blushed and nodded, “Thanks.”

Jon muttered something about that being a terrible business model and Robb fought the urge to grin.

“So,” Ella asked, “Why are you guys here? You hate this place.”

“Sansa,” Robb noted, “Care to field this one?”

Sansa looked over at him and furrowed her brow, “Robb? When did you get here?”

They all turned to look at her in horror. Oh no. He had only seen that vacant look in her eyes once, the night of her college graduation.

“Daario cancel those please!,” Ella called, sliding off her bar stool and she took Sansa’s face gently between her hands. “Sansa, sweetie, did you take some shots without me?”

“I would never!,” Sansa argued vehemently taking Ella’s cheeks in her own, “Where I drinketh you drinketh babygirl. I only had like two tequilas and then some green thing.”

“Did that green thing taste like licorice?,” Jon asked.

Sansa turned and all but fluttered her eyelashes at him, “You’re so smart. Did you know that?,” and then as though she realised she had Ella’s face still in her hands turned back to her and said, “You’re smarter though. And you’re so pretty. You’re the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world, I’m so lucky we’re friends.”

“Trust me, I’m the lucky one,” Ella told her sweetly, “But now we have to go.”

“But Robb and Jon just got here!,” Sansa protested, then turned to look at him with watery eyes, “You came for me.”

Absinthe always made Sansa particularly grateful for everyone in her life. As far as drunks went it was one of the cutest he’d ever seen. And as a devoted big brother, who had had a couple of drinks himself, he was a complete sucker for it.

“Of course I did,” he told her, “I’d always come for you, you know that.”

“Keep it together Robb,” Jon told him.

“What?,” Robb asked then nodded, his cheeks warming, “Right yeah no um… Sansa you called me and told me that you and Ella got in a fight and she left you.”

“I would never do that,” Ella argued.

“But you did! Remember?”

“N-Sansa that was not an argument! I just told you that I liked Mr. Bingley more than Mr. Darcy and then went outside to take a phone call…”

“You were gone for a really long time.”

Ella picked up her phone and showed them all the call. It was with her brother Gendry and it lasted for… 2 minutes and 45 seconds.

“Sansa,” he chuckled.

“Look Robb maybe you just don’t understand the importance that Pride & Prejudice has had for GENERATIONS of women,” she noted.

“Well considering you made me read it I think I do fully understand,” he argued.

“Yeah,” Jon piped up, who had also been bullied into it, “I mean… I’m with you though Sansa. Mr. Darcy all the way.”

“Really?,” Sansa asked excitedly.

Jon nodded, “But um, I’m really just a sucker for Elizabeth…”

Sansa blushed. Jon might not know it but Sansa had always identified with Elizabeth Bennett. Though from the way he was blushing too, maybe he did. Especially considering Jon was exactly as brooding and aloof as Mr. Darcy.

“Sansa,” Ella said gently, “I think we should go.”

Sansa looked back at her, “Okay Jane.”

Ella giggled, “Sansa!”

“But you’re the prettiest girl in the county!,” Sansa cooed at her. “Tell her - tell her she’s the prettiest girl in the whoooooole country.”

“I thought it was county,” Ella protested.

“Dream big, baby!,” Sansa said and Ella giggled. “Robb tell her.”

“Sansa,” he sighed.

“Useless,” Sansa rolled her eyes and then turned to Jon, “You tell her.”

Jon nodded, “Top Two at least, in the whole world.”

“Top Two?,” Sansa raged, “Top TWO!? Take it back.”

“No,” Jon said.

Sansa took Ella’s chin in her hand and tugged it forward, not exactly gently, “Look at her.”

“Ow.”

“She’s the prettiest girl in the world, okay Dovey?,” he asked, both to appease Sansa and because he’d never get another organic opportunity to say it.

Sansa nodded brightly and Ella took the opportunity to ease her off of her bar stool. Unfortunately Sansa was in heels and landed on them wrong and fell directly into the arms of Jon Snow.

“Woooah, there,” Jon said softly, his arm wrapping around Sansa’s waist.

He chuckled lightly at her and brushed some hair out of her face.

“I’m sorry, Jon,” Sansa said sadly.

“You just had a bit too much fun, that’s all. Nothing to apologise for. Did you have a coat?”

“Here you go,” Ella said, handing it to him.

Jon wrapped her coat around her shoulders and Sansa pushed her arms through the sleeves.

“Can you walk?,” he asked her, his hands on her waist keeping her upright.

“If I say yes will you still hold onto me?,” Sansa asked flirtatiously, her hands on his shoulders.

Robb grimaced and looked away. He was alright with it, the two of them, but he wasn’t sure he needed to see it. He looked over at Ella who was pulling on her own coat trying to hide her grin.

“Course I will,” Jon said gruffly and started leading her out.

“You have everything?,” he asked Ella.

She nodded and he gestured for her to walk in front of him. It was a mistake. With Jon leading Sansa out everyone gave them a wide berth, but the bar was crowded and guys kept getting in Ella’s way to hit on her.

Finally he sighed and placed his hand on the small of her back, “Hope you don’t mind, but at this rate it could take hours getting out of here. Prettiest girl in the county and all.”

She looked up at him and chuckled, “I don’t mind.”

Her eyes smiled into his and he felt that warm molasses spread through his veins like he always did when she was nearby.

Sansa had it right when he called her Jane Bennet. On top of being beautiful and blonde, Ella was sweet, the sweetest person he’d ever met, and charming and loyal.

He’d always had a crush on Jane Bennett.

They stepped out into the cool fall air.

“We’ll never get a taxi here,” Ella said, “We should walk around to the Kingsroad.”

“Alright then,” Jon said and swooped Sansa up into his arms.

She giggled and cooed, “Jon Snowwwww what are you doing??”

“There’s no way you were making it to the Kingsroad.”

Sansa wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder, “Once more ‘round the park, Chauncy.”

Ella giggled and started leading the way so he fell into step beside her.

“Sorry we ruined your night,” she sighed, “I had no idea Sansa would call you. If you guys just put us in a taxi I’ll get her home and into bed.”

The girls shared a flat in the same cozy little hamlet across town where he and Jon lived. His father had only approved of it due to the proximity to his and Jon’s places, it was dead in between them, three blocks on either side.

“You could never ruin my night, you know that,” he said. At least… he hoped she knew that. “Don’t you?”

She looked up at him and he didn’t think he imagined her blush. But she playfully nudged her arm against his and said, “I know you’re too kind to tell me if we had.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes more. Jon had passed them, and Sansa was stroking his hair as he carried her up to the main street. He couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but he heard their quiet tones and hushed laughter, like everything between them was a wonderful secret.

“So Mr. Bingley, huh?,” he asked Ella.

“Does that surprise you?,” she wondered, “I’m not one much for broods. Except Jon.”

“No it’s just that… he reminds me of Grey Wind,” Robb shrugged, “He’s a dopey labrador.”

“Take that back,” Ella chided, “Grey Wind is not dopey.”

Robb chuckled and nodded in apology.

“And neither is Charles,” Ella went on.

“Charles?,” he teased, “You’re on a first name basis now?”

She giggled his favorite giggle. The surprised one, as though the laughter couldn’t help bubble out of her before she’d allowed it to.

“Oh things are very serious between us,” she joked, “But really I guess I’m just a fool for a fool in lo—ohhoww.”

Out of nowhere Ella had stumbled, and he was nearly bent over completely as he narrowly caught her from smacking onto the road.

“By the gods,” he said, pulling her back up, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Ella nodded and then her face fell, “No.”

He didn’t dare let go, and in truth he had no desire to. “Did you have too much absinthe too?,” he teased, trying to get her to smile.

She shook her head, “No it’s just these damn heels Sansa made me wear.”

He looked down and was surprised she hadn’t fallen earlier. The heels were as slim as needles, which was really sexy but definitely not appropriate for the cobblestone they found themselves on.

“Do you think you sprained it?,” he asked in concern.

“No I don’t think so,” she said holding onto him and trying to put her weight on it, “I think I’ll be okay.”

“Think, hmm?,” he asked, because he still hadn’t gotten her smile. He scooped her up into his arms, “Not good enough.”

She let out a giggle now, “Robb!”

“Those heels are more of a weapon than they are actual footwear,” he reasoned, trying not to think about how good she felt.

“I’m too heavy,” she said stupidly.

“Ha! You’re cute,” he guffawed as he started walking. She really did feel weightless in his arms, the warmth she was transferring to his body was the only confirmation that she was actually there. “I could carry you all the way back to your apartment.”

“You’re good at it, you know,” she told him.

“At what?,” he wondered. It didn’t take a particular set of skills to hold her and walk.

“The whole Knight in Shining Armour thing,” she explained. “It suits you, always has.”

“Well you’re welcome to my services anytime,” he told her then added, “Though you’ve never struck me as the kind of girl that needed saving.”

“Really?,” she grinned, “That’s so sweet. And present reality excluded, I’m not. It’s nice to know though, that if I ever did that well, that maybe -“

“Not maybe,” he told her in a serious tone. Holding her was so intimate, that he immediately understood the soft way Jon and Sansa were speaking. It felt like they were in their own little bubble, and for whatever reason it demanded honesty. “You have to know that.”

She placed her hands on his shoulders, propping herself up and she nodded. She let her forehead fall against his temple, “I do. Promise.”

He tightened his grip on her and fought the urge to nuzzle against her. Her arms went around his neck though and she laid her cheek on his shoulder.

“How’s that ankle?,” he asked her.

“Hmm?,” she asked dreamily, and then giggled, “Oh, oh it’s fine. You can put me down if you want.”

“We shouldn’t risk it,” he said stupidly and he could swear he felt her smile against him.

She wrapped her arms around him tighter and he felt her cold nose against his neck. He rubbed her arm because the coat she was wearing wasn’t nearly warm enough for the evening.

All of a sudden she started giggling, it tickled his neck.

“What’s so funny?,” he wondered.

“Does your mom still do your laundry?,” she asked.

He blushed and argued, “No! No of course not.”

Which was the truth. Except when he went home to Winterfell. But it wasn’t like he asked her to.

“Why do you ask?,” he wondered.

“You smell like the laundry detergent she uses,” she explained.

“Oh! Sorry,” he said.

She lifted her head off of him and smiled, “Don’t be sorry. You smell nice. Like home.”

Her eyes went wide like she couldn’t quite believe she had said that, and he certainly couldn’t believe that she’d said it either.

He didn’t know what to say. A thousand different possibilities raced through his mind. He could tell her that he liked the way she smelled too. Or that he loved that she associated Winterfell with home. He could tell her he wanted to make love to her on a pile of clean laundry. All of it would have been true, but he didn’t say any of it.

Instead he just stared at her, and she stared back.

The air got really thick around them and the edges of his vision took on a kind of shimmery quality and her green eyes were locked on his, her soft pink lips parted in an o of surprise.

He started leaning closer and he was pretty sure that she did too.

“Robby we got a taxi!,” Sansa called delightedly and he and Ella sprung apart as far as they were able considering that he was still holding her.

“We should um go,” he said.

“Yeah…we should,” Ella agreed. Then prompted, “But only one of us can walk right now so…”

“Oh! Oh right,” he nodded and started speed walking over to the taxi.

He deposited her into the backseat next to Sansa and then followed her in.

“Where to?,” the driver asked.

“Winterfell!,” Sansa cried.

“Dovey no,” Robb argued, “It’s the middle of the night and it’s a half hour outside the city…”

“Come on, Robb, they’ll be so happy to see us! Dad will make us pancakes in the morning and we can spend the rest of the weekend out there with the kids,” Sansa pleaded.

Jon turned around from the front seat, “It does sound kind of nice…,” though he was pretty sure Jon would have agreed to anything Sansa wanted in that moment, “And Rickon wanted us to look over that history essay anyway.”

He looked at Ella who very pointedly did not look at him, a small smile threatening her lips.

“Alright,” he sighed, “Let’s go home.”