#something i am a fragile baby in need of shielding

[separatist-apologist]

Look, some of you need better fandom friends because I said I didn't want to see any ACOTAR drama leading up to and during elucien week, and my fandom friends built a literal WALL around me like I'm a fragile baby (I am). I have seen 0 drama, 0 shit talking, 0 nonsense and I have never felt less anxiety

[ikeprinces-stuff]

Finally

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗰 :

"𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 ... 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬."

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤, 𝘖𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘎𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯

✨𝖵𝖾𝗋𝗇𝖺𝗋𝖽 𝖬ü𝗋𝗋𝗂𝗌𝖼𝗁(?)✨

✼ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴʀᴀɴᴋᴇᴅ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ ᴏғ ʀʜᴏᴅᴏʟɪᴛᴇ✼

Name : Vernard, Verny, Vern, White, Dear Vernard, stick-in-the-mud and so much more...

Age : Same as Leon

Hair colour : Snow-white

Eye colour : Jadean green

Height : 182 cm

Blood type : O

Crest : Lynx (White Eurasian)

“Without my status as a chess piece in someone's scheme, I would not have evolved into the person that I am at present.”

Upon your arrival at the palace, he took on the role of a guardian, and prioritizing your safety, well-being and your progress to choose the next king became one of his most important duties. A complex and multi-dimensional personality, you constantly discover new aspects of him, making him more intriguing and sparking your desire to delve deeper. His self-sufficiency, refusal to be associated with any particular faction, and commitment to fulfilling his duties to the best of his abilities mask a dark and painful past that haunts him like a ghost. The shadow of his birth, the darkness that has always controlled him, rears its head, representing him as a mere pawn, and only...one decision from you will set him free.

❥ 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 :

One could say that Vernard's existence was the result of a mistake made by not only his mother, but also Rhodolite's previous king. His mother, driven by the need to survive, worked as a prostitute, while the former king (The Fallen Beast) sought solace and validation in the arms of various women. It was their intersection that ultimately brought Vernard into this world.

Attempts were made to make Vernard's mother abandon her unborn child, but her inexplicable connection to the fetus led her to resist this decision. Rather than kill her unborn child and live with the guilt, she decided to take her own life by slitting her veins with a broken glass shard.

Desperate to save both her life and her unborn child by orders of a certain someone, the physicians worked to deliver the baby prematurely. However, the toll on her already fragile body was too great, and she sadly passed away shortly after giving birth, due to complications from the premature delivery and the attempt at suicide.

❥ 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 :

Due to a forbidden interaction, Vernard faced harsh criticism, disapproval, and shame from the royal court. However, his status as a pawn helped shield him from complete rejection, allowing him to be recognized as a prince, if only in the minds of some. He's the only prince who wasn't granted a rank, as the court deemed him unworthy due to his mother's disgraceful past. Even from the outset, giving Vernard the title of prince was a difficult pill for the court to swallow.

Whenever Vernard makes a small error or oversight, he's judged and his actions are linked to his mother's past as a prostitute, causing him to isolate himself and fear making mistakes again, and closeness to one of the princes used to keep him in check, preventing criticism or judgment, but something happened, widening the distance between them.

Because of his mother's shameful past, it was believed that Vernard lacked a proper lineage and was unworthy of one, so his "fake" caretaker intervened and the "Mürrisch" name was given to him, from that day on, the prince stuck to this name even after he reached puberty.

❥ 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 :

The princes were confused by Vernard's varied and strange behaviors. They used the word "eccentric" to describe his mysterious personality, which can be open and active or closed and dull, depending on the situation. He can be obedient at times and rebellious at others, but all of this is connected to the circumstances he's in.

Vernard adamantly refused to affiliate with a faction, but he handled faction business smoothly as if he was a recognized member, because he believed that joining a faction would limit his duties and restrictions would go against his belief that he could maintain multiple ventures.

✦"𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑡, 𝑎𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑐𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑠. 𝐵𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒, 𝐼 𝑎𝑠𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟... 𝐶𝑎𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑚𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠?"✦

[avatarrecom]

Day 15: Size difference

Pairing: Poly!recoms x Human!reader (can be read as character x reader)

Word count: 1.6k

A/N: Trying to get the other prompts out asap. Also, I'm curious, do you guys think my kinktober headcanons fit the Recoms? Or not? or would you change certain things about how I write them? And what do you guys think of my characterization?

Kinktober masterlist

🌍 Recom Miles Quaritch The difference in size between you and him can drive him crazy. You're so small compared to him, completely covered when he hugs you. Your fingers barely wrap around his thumb. His shirt looks like a dress on you. You're his adorable little one. He holds you close, making love to you from behind. His size may be a challenge, but you'll handle it, won't you? He can't even put into words how his shape fills you up, creating a bulge in your belly. He's giving it to you so well, guiding your hand to feel his presence inside you. "Feel that, baby? That's me deep inside you. You're doing so good, taking me so well. Are you proud of yourself? Because I am. You're so lost in pleasure right now, aren't you? What if we have a child together? I bet your belly would look even more beautiful with our little one inside." Don't worry, he won't harm you. He'll take care of you, dressing you in his shirt. Panties and bras? Who needs them? His shirt is enough for someone as cute as you. There's no need to hide your private parts because they all belong to him.

😈 Recom Lyle Wainfleet Lyle secretly revels in the contrast between your sizes. When he holds you close, he can't help but notice how petite you are compared to him. While he may appear to be affectionately caressing your stomach, he's actually mentally measuring how deeply he can penetrate you. However, he's mindful of not causing any unintentional harm, so he allows you to set the pace. Despite all the preparation he's done beforehand, your tightness still surprises him, causing him to tightly grip the bed sheets as he witnesses your efforts to accommodate him. The sensation of your walls gripping him sends shivers down his spine, testing his self-control. As he observes you whimper whenever you accidentally push too far, he experiences a mix of nervousness and intense arousal. The gentle contractions of your inner walls make him tremble as he struggles to maintain composure. But when he sees that small smile grace your lips and the pride gleaming in your eyes as you finally take him in completely, he finds you irresistibly adorable. He softly praises your accomplishment, urging you to relax and let him take charge.

🍬 Recom Z-dog I’m pretty sure that when she’s fingering you, her fingers feel like a thin, but long human sized cock. So her size kink isn’t exactly fixated on that, but more on how she has to get on her knees to kiss you or you have to climb on something to reach her lips. Loves how she can pin your hands with one hand and barely any effort. She also loves how she can pin your entire body with hers. If you’re being a brat and you pissed her off, she definitely picks you up and holds you under her arm like a football while she storms back to her room to fuck the brat outta you.

🥽 Recom Walker Same as Z-dog. But she also loves to pin you against the wall, slot her thick thigh between your legs and with her knee against the wall, she slides her leg up until you’re literally sitting on her thigh and you’re face to face with her so she can kiss you.

😎 Recom Mansk He's a massive guy, and he can't help but notice how small you are compared to him. It's like you're fragile and delicate in his arms, and it drives him crazy. Your hands can barely wrap around his impressive size, and it's a sight to behold. Because of the difference in size, he feels this overwhelming need to protect you, to shield you from anything that might harm you. And he absolutely loves it. But don't be fooled, because as soon as he knows you want him to take control, he'll do it without hesitation. Thankfully, he'll make sure you're ready for it, because otherwise, it would be a real challenge to handle all of him. And even with all the preparation, it's still an incredibly intense experience that leaves you in tears after just half of him. But he'll be there, whispering the sweetest words of encouragement, reminding you how well you're doing and urging you to keep going. Once he's fully inside you, he'll make sure that you can't think of anything else but him and his cock. It's a mind-blowing experience that will leave you completely captivated by him.

🧯 Recom Prager He only discovered his size kink when you entered his life. The stark contrast between your tiny frame and his larger stature excites both of you. Behind closed doors, however, he takes advantage of this size difference. His strength, combined with his significant size advantage, turns you both on. He effortlessly pins your wrists above your head with one hand, or holds your waist with both hands, his fingers barely touching due to your small size. Initially, he worried about hurting you during sex, given his girthy and large cock. But you reassured him, and he cautiously entered your petite boy. The sight of his length slowly entering you drove him wild. You were amazed at how clearly you could see him inside you, with each thrust causing a visible bulge. Your first time together was shocking, but now that you're deep into your relationship, he ensures that you feel every sensation. His tip hits your cervix, and the veins on his shaft press against your velvety walls. Despite the roughness of the sex, he excels at providing aftercare.

⚕️ Recom Ja He's not necessarily into size, but once he knows it turns you on, get ready. He's not only well-endowed, but also tall, and it really boosts his ego when you kneel before him and he towers over you. He'll use your eagerness to convince you to take more than you think you can handle. He loves watching you wrap your lips around him and try to take as much as you can in your mouth. "Hmm, not quite enough. Keep going, you can go deeper. If you do a good job, maybe I'll fuck you later." It really turns him on when your eyes water from trying to deepthroat him, so he starts thrusting into your mouth until you paw at his legs, desperate for air. You're drooling and flushed when he pulls back and wipes his thumb across your pink, swollen lips from trying to give him the best blowjob possible. By the time he flips you onto your stomach, you're mindlessly begging for him to completely ravage you, and he's more than happy to oblige.

🧢 Recom Brown He loves to praise and guide you as you take him inside you, even if you're initially hesitant about his size. Most of the time, you're on top of him and he'll hold onto your hips possessively, leading you down onto him. Despite his sweet words, he won't give you a break and will make sure you take all of him if he has to. When you're a trembling mess, he'll gently rub circles on your hip bones with his thumbs while you try to adjust to him. "You look amazing, Love. Look how well you're handling me. How does it feel to be so full?" He takes his time, starting off slow because he wants you to feel every inch of him entering you, driving you crazy. He'll make you lift your hips until he almost slips out, only to push you back down and make you feel that sensation of being filled over and over again. Only when you start moaning his name in pure pleasure, he'll pin you down and finally take you like you've been begging him to do.

📿 Recom Lopez Loves to surprise you with his size, making you struggle to accommodate him and squirm from the sudden stretch. Even when tears threaten to spill, he pushes you further, ignoring your pleas to slow down. He gets off on your desperation, especially when you sob about his size. "Weren't you just drooling over how big I am? Now you want me to stop? You're not going to be a good little human and take it? What a shame..." He acts like he's going to leave you hanging, but you quickly claim that you can handle it. He has you begging for his cock again in seconds because you secretly enjoy the burn. His dirty talk becomes even filthier. If you try to stop him by pressing your hands against his chest, he pins your wrists above your head and fucks you mercilessly.

⛓️ Recom Fike  When you start complimenting him on his size, he'll be surprised to learn about the size kink. After getting over his initial embarrassment, he'll demand that you tell him how much you love his cock. Shower him with praise about how good and big he feels, and let him know that he's the biggest you've ever had. In return, he'll reward you with relentless thrusts that make you moan into the mattress. He'll even start leaking pre-cum when you agree with him, but you'll still beg him to slow down a bit because he's too big, too deep, too fast. However, you won't want to let go of his cock, so he'll keep going, pushing even deeper than before. Let him know that you're going to cum soon and that his cock is the only one that makes you feel this good and full. He'll want to imprint the feeling of his dick inside your memories as he fucks you until you scream his name.

[vmures]

Highly recommend reading this essay about grappling with art and the creator's bad acts/monsterousness:

I've struggled to put much of this into words myself. It's a hard thing to grapple with and I think the point being made in the article is incredibly valuable. When we work so hard to claim we only take in unharmful art, we willingly blind ourselves to the truth that we too are capable of great harm, which in turn can perpetuate abusive systems. It can create this mindset: If I am not capable of harming others, because I am a righteous and "good" person, then any harm caused must have been the fault of someone else. You are essentially gaslighting yourself, which leads to gaslighting others.

If you asked my mother, she would tell you that she was a great mother. She gave up so much for her kids and sacrificed all her own wants and needs. She'd tell you that I was a fragile, overly emotional child. That I was difficult and over imaginative. She'd express confusion about how I went from the perfect, quiet baby to the angry, depressed teen, to an adult who no longer spoke with her.

She'd never mention the thrown objects, the rages, the climbing into my bed (not just to comfort me after a nightmare), the belittling, the emotional manipulation, the times she told me I must be mistaken and played off my observations as imagination (gaslighting me), the constantly changing expectations and rules. Because she was incapable (and probably still is incapable) of acknowledging that she herself had the capacity to do the same things her father did to her. In her head she was a victim and a good person, and she used those ideas to shield herself from her own monsterous behavior.

It is important to acknowledge that you can and will fuck up. That no one is purely good or purely evil. That we all contain the potential for both helpful and harmful acts and that if we are not mindful of others actual needs our helpful acts can be harmful.

When it comes to art, I do think it is important to not just shun, without thought or contemplation, art when we find out something awful about the creator. What we learn will change the way we see the art, but that goes from learning anything about the creator--good or bad.

[altocat]

Alto I am literally frothing at the mouth for that babyroth and ifalna fic.

*casually dumps a snippet just for you*

She’d bit her lip, swallowed, a neutral shrug as she brought the wriggling pink bundle up to the light. “She is hungry. I am nursing her.”

“Nursing?” The note in the child’s voice was speculative, puzzled. He’d cocked his head to the side, tasted the idea with a vigor that rivaled the babe at her chest. “What’s that?”

“It’s what all mothers do when their baby is hungry.”

“All mothers?”

“Most. She needs a lot of milk to grow up strong.”

“There’s milk?” Another speculative glance, craning his head, though innocently enough. Or as innocent as a creature like Sephiroth could manage. “In there?”

“Yes. she’s feeding.”

“You’re really feeding her that way?”

“Yes. Didn’t yours do the same?”

The eyes. Burning now. Radiant, yet sullen. Green fire, slowly darkening as the child hid behind his bangs, shaking his head. “I don’t have…” 

She’d paused, recalled, then nodded. Sympathetically enough, but immediately flinching when the serpentine pupils met her again. And then it was upon her once more. A scarring shade against the makeshift warmth of the nursery, all cold claws and teeth and danger. 

Danger, yes. Because that’s what this was. Dangerous. A dangerous encounter with a dangerous creature, bound by instinct, maternal impulse. The eyes. The Calamity. The Goddess. The Destroyer. Oh gods, his eyes. The Great Pestilence. The Deceiver. The Harbinger. All there, in his single, burning stare.

She’d bitten her lip again, coiling, protective. A bundled, shielding cocoon, wrapping the fragile figure, sensing the descent, sensing the years. Sensing the craven crawl of history, ancestry. Ancient. The Dark Reunion. The threat to come. The desecration, ruin.

And knowing he’d meant no harm to them. Not yet.

“She looks happy,” he’d murmured softly.

She’d swallowed, nodded again.

The boy watched her, feeling the discordant pulse of something cringing, something unexplainable, raw. He’d put his thumb in his mouth, sucked, and that was all.

[obsidiancreates]

Born This Way (Because Of Negligence Towards Basic Scientific Safety)

(IDK how far apart the Fenton kids are in age, so Jazz is an Undetermined Age Where She's A Toddler But Also Very Verbal. Maybe it's the Genius Genes letting her learn faster. Let's go with that.)

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

Maddie coughs, spitting out another glob of ectoplasm. "Well, at least know it's not an issues with the cooling system."

Jack sneezes out the ectoplasm stuck in his nose, and then grins and stands triumphantly. "Still a step towards success!"

Jazz frowns from where she's playing with her doll, safe within a Fenton Anti-Ghost Toddler Chamber. "Mommy, you should cover your mouth." She points at her own mouth. "Mr. Wummy on TV says dat getting weird stuff in your mouth is bad."

"Mr. Wummy is a cartoon, dear. We're seasoned scientists, we know what we're doing." She wipes herself off, and sits down. "If there were any side-effects to accidental ecoplasmic consumption, we'd know."

"But what if Danny doesn't like it?" Jazz point at her mother's belly.

Maddie pats her belly. "The baby is still just a fetus, sweetie. It can't tell what it does and doesn't like yet. And why are you so sure it'll be a boy?"

"Because I'm your baby girl. So now you need a baby boy!"

Maddie tilts her head and smiles lovingly at her daughter. "Oh, you're adorable." Nothing cuter than Child Logic.

Maddie stands back up, and puts her hands on the workbench. "Now, let's see about that firing mechanism..."

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

Maddie brushes her teeth, sighing when her toothbrush comes away glowing green. "We really messed up a lot of experiments today. I think I swallowed a whole ghost's worth."

Jack spits a similarly colored mouthful of toothpaste foam out. "At least it doesn't taste as bad as it smells."

Maddie puts her hands on her belly, the bump now quite obvious. "II hope we're right about it not having side effects."

Jack's expression softens. He gently pulls his wife into a comforting hug. "The doctors all say he's as healthy as can be, Mads. You don't need to worry."

"I still worry anyway, though."

"Of course you do. You're his mom! But we'll worry together, and if you ever need me to, I'll do the worrying for us both! While you relax and give him more tips on how to avoid ghosts once he learns to walk."

Maddie giggles, and sighs. It'll all be fine... nothing to worry about.

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

Jazz has her arms crossed, a teddy bear hanging from one hand. "Five times!"

"Yes, and did we mention we're so proud that you can count so we-"

"Five times!" She shouts again, waving her little sticky toddler hand at them. "I saw you eat the bad green stuff five times!"

"We didn't eat it," Maddie says patiently, "It got into our mouths by accident."

"You swallowed it!"

"Only a tiny bit, only on accident, dear."

Jazz puts her hand on her mom's belly. "Danny is gonna be here soon and he's gonna be mad!"

"He won't even know it happened, sweetheart."

"Yes he will! He'll be the smartest ever, just like me and like you and like daddy! And he'll be so upset and never stop crying!"

"Babies do that anyway, sweetie." Maddie rubs her belly. It's true, Danny is due any day now. And yes... there's been some extra Ectoplasm Incidents lately. Maddie just can't stay awake sometimes, and... well. That's not exactly good when working on ghost hunting machines.

"Your baby brother will be perfectly fine," Maddie assures. "He's a healthy baby boy, and he'll be just as healthy when you meet him."

Jazz lights up at the mention of meeting him. She can't wait!

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

Jazz bounces excitedly in her dad's arms. She gets to meet her baby brother! Finally! She's going to read him bedtime stories, and protect him from closet monsters, and show him how to throw a tea party!

Jack chuckles. "Calm down, sweetie, you don't get to play with him quite yet! He's still very fragile."

"But he's okay?"

"Yes, he and Mommy are both okay. Better than okay."

Jack knocks on the hospital room door, and they enter.

Maddie is holding Danny, and it looks like she fell asleep. Jazz gasps, even though all she can see so far is the blanket bundle.

"He's tiny!"

"Very." Again. Ah well. Jack had always hoped one of his kids would groww up to be taller than him, but maybe it'll have to be a grandkid.

He walks over, and smiles at his sleeping wife. "Okay, let's be quiet," he whispers. "We don't want to wake mommy."

Jazz nods seriously.

Jack sets her on the bed, and Jazz carefully crawls closer to Danny. She moves the blanket to get a good look at his face, grinning widly-!

She frowns. "Where is he?"

"What?!" Jack hurriedly picks up the bundle, making Maddie startle awake. "Holy-"

"Jack? Honey? What is it?!" Maddie's tone becomes increasingly panicked.

Jack, looking a bit pale, hands the bundle back to her. She gasps.

It's empty, and freezing!

"Where- where is-"

And then suddenly. He's there.

Fast asleep, wrapped up snug and tight. His little face still red from being brand-new to the world, his tiny tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly as he snoozes.

He disappears again.

Maddie thinks she's about to pass out.

Finally, Jazz breaks the horrified silence. "I told you to cover your mouths!"

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

Danny sleeps all the way home, and all the way up to his room. Jazz is waiting by the bassinet, and peeks in as soon as he's placed down. She frowns. "Mommy, his hair is white. He's not old."

Maddie sighs. "No, he's not. Apparently it just... does that, sometimes."

Danny yawns, and opens his little eyes. Jazz's own eyes widen as well. "He's glowing!"

"Yes... that happens too."

Danny screws up his face, and starts crying. Maddie picks him up and rocks him. "Poor baby... he's so cold."

"Why?" Jazz tilts her head.

Maddie sighs. "Well... your father and I... we think he's half-ghost."

"How?"

"... Probably... the ectoplasm," Shame burns in Maddie's veins.

Jazz, wide-eyed, reaches to to try and touch Danny. "Is he dead?" She doesn't sound sad, because it looks to her like even if he is dead, he's still alive.

"No!" Maddie shuts the idea right down. "He is a very healthy, living boy! But he's... different."

"Are you gonna trap him?"

"Wh- Jasmine, why would you ask that!"

"He's a ghost."

"No! No, we never treat him like any other ghost. And he's only partly ghost, so it barely counts. Now, Mommy has to feed him so he can go back to sleep. How about you go pick a movie for tonight?"

Jazz nods. She takes that job very seriously. There's a science to picking movies.

She heads off, and Maddie looks at Danny's sniffling little face. His eyes are back too baby blue, but his hair isn't quite black yet.

At least he's still visible.

At least the side effects seem mild.

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

It's about 6 am when Jack bolts up too use the bathroom. On his way back, he decides to check on the kids.

Jazz is asleep, cuddling a stuffed animal. Jack smiles.

Danny is also asleep, wrapped up in a cute little onesie and floating above the bassinet FLOATING ABOVE THE BASSINET?!?!

Jack runs over and grabs Danny from the air, pulling out a Fenton Ghost-Whapping Baton!

And then he looks at Danny, who's whining, and sees sleepy glowing green eyes looking at him.

"Oh. Um, sorry, son." He puts away the baton. "I thought a ghost was stealing you."

Danny yawns. Jack sees a cold breath puff out of his son's mouth, despite the room being temperature-controlled to keep him toasty during the nights.

Jack puts Danny back into the bassinet. He leaves, and comes back a little bit later with some equipment.

He sets up a rudimentary ghost-shield to keep Danny from floating away during the night, but won't trap him. He can still float a little, if need be.

"The scariest ghost we've faced yet," Jack mumbles. He kisses Danny's forehead, and sits there until Danny falls asleep. By then, Danny is human again.

Jack leaves, and in the morning he and Maddie begin working on some upgrades for Danny's room.

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

Danny babbles happily as Jazz plays peek-a-boo with him.

"Boo!"

Laughter.

"Boo!"

More laughter!

"A-boo! A-boo!" Jazz can't stop grinning. She's a great older sister! Look at her go!

She takes Danny's hands, and moves them over his face. "Now, where's Danny? ... Here he is! Oh."

Danny isn't there. But his clothes are, and something's inside of them. And Jazz is still holding two chubby baby arms, even if they're cold and invisible.

Jazz stares for a second, and then speaks. "... Peek-a-boo?"

Danny reappears, and squeals with laughter!

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

Maddie sits down to give Danny his bottle. She's brought him out shopping with her so she can grab some replacement parts that fried in their latest invention, the Fenton Ecto-Extractor!

Jazz had thrown a fit when she'd heard the name, and it startled Jack so bad he'd turned it on too early and it completely collapsed on itself! It took half an hour to convince Jazz that they weren't trying to use it to make Danny normal, just using it for themselves now that they know it can cause... strange things, to happen.

Danny drinks the bottle with no issue, and burps as soon as she starts his back. Really, he's a pretty easy baby. Except for the ghost part.

Maddie is getting him back in the stroller when Danny's face screws up. She watches a cold, visible breath leave his mouth, and then he starts to scream. Sobbing, wailing baby screams, attracting the concerned and/or annoyed attention of most people around them.

"He's just tired," she assures loudly. His breath is still puff out in cold clouds, even though it's perfectly warm in the mall.

Maddie quickly picks him back up and hugs him, bouching and singing to try and calm him down.

Danny starts to quiet down. She puts him back in the stroller, but as soon as she does (as soon as he looks behind her with those bright, bright green eyes) he starts crying again.

She sighs and picks him up, hurrying back to the car. She'll just come back for the parts later. Clearly, something is upsetting him.

Something that she just can't see.

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

Jazz leans away from Danny, grinning. "There!"

Danny is propped up on her bed. Maddie and Jack needed to quickly decontaminate themselves, and so Jazz had to watch Danny for just a minute.

And in that minute, she's does some redesigning.

Danny's fluffy white hair has a little bow in it, and she's put some of her kiddie makeup on him.

Danny disappears for a second, and the bow falls. When he reappears, it's not on his head anymore. He looks at Jazz blankly.

Jazz crosses her arms. "No fair! I was making you pretty!"

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

Maddie stumbles into Danny's room. She flicks on the light, and turns off the Fenton Ghost-Shielding Hanging Mobile. She reaches in and pulls the crying Danny out of the bassinet, shushing and rocking him.

Danny's eyes are bright green again, and Maddie can see his breath. "Oh, you always get so worked up when this happens," she says softly. "Is the cold upsetting you?"

Danny doesn't answer, just cries more.

Maddie takes him to her and Jack's room, and lays down with him on her chest. Jack rolls over in his sleep and puts his arms around her, cradling both of them.

Danny falls back asleep soon, and Maddie sighs. She can still see his breath, but at least he's calm now.

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

Jazz holds up her drawing, and shakes her head. She goes back to scribbling, and moves closer to Danny. "This is black," she says to him, pointing at the crayon she's using. She picks up another color. "And this one is red."

Danny stares as Jazz keeps scribbling. Jazz assumes that means he's learning.

"I'm going to let Mom and Dad know I saw this in my closet," she says seriously. "I think people know you're special and want to steal you!"

Danny blows a spit bubble by accident, and laughs when it pops.

Jazz's eyes hold more determination than ever. She scribbles with the fury of a million warriors. "You're very valuable." She learned that word yesterday. "So you need lots of protecting."

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

"Do you think this will make her feel better?" Maddie asks as she closes the panel.

Jack lifts his soldering mask and nods. "If one thing can make a person feel safe, it's fifty anti-ghost devices hidden in their walls!"

"I just worry about that doodle. What if something really got in?"

"Mads, you personally handcrafted every single sensor put up in the kids's rooms! If a ghost had gotten in, we'd know! To get past then they'd need deep knowledge of exactly how our deigns work and how they detect ghost energy, and no ghost has that!"

"You're right, you're right. Still, I hate to think she might be having nightmares about something like that. It looked like it had devil horns."

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

"Peek-a-boo!" Jazz grins at Danny. "Peek-a-boo!"

It never gets old for him! No matter how many times they play, Danny loves it!

"Peek... a-boo!" Jazz does little jazz-hands.

Danny disappears, and Jazz grins. "Where's Danny? Where'd he go?"

Danny reappears, and-

"B-b-boo!"

Jack and Maddie dart into the room! Maddie swoops Danny up, eyes wide!

Danny giggles, and says it again. "Boo!"

Maddie and Jackie both tear up. In unison they shout, "HIS FIRST WORD!"

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

Danny gnaws on the toy with his little baby gums.

"I can't believe it. Already teething," Maddie sighs, holding him. "Seems like only yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital."

Jack wipes his eyes. "He's growing into a young man already."

"Oh, Jack, stop it, he's not nearly a young man."

"But he will be before we know it!"

Maddie pats her husband on the back comfortingly as he begins to blubber.

Maddie closes her eyes, thinking about those early months with Danny, figuring out how to prepare for his floating and invisibility, learning to not panic when his eyes and hair changed color, learning that sometimes when they do his clothes change color as well...

She's startled out of her thought by something warm and wet on her lap.

She looks down to see the teething toy on her thigh... and a whole lot of nothing where Danny's head should be.

Then it' back when she blinks, and he's beginning to whine for his toy.

She quickly picks him up off her laps and retrieves it, giving it back to him.

So... the ghost abilities are still developing, then. She'll have to let Jack know about this later.

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

"Daniel Fenton," Jack says, the most serious Jazz has ever seen him, "You're in big trouble this time, mister. I don't know how you did this-"

Jack shakes the empty tube of baby snacks, safe for teething babies.

"But I will get to the bottom of it!"

"Look like he already did," Maddie jokes, setting Jazz's breakfast down for her.

Jazz laughs, because it sounds like a Smart Adult Joke and she thinks those are funny, even when she doesn't understand them.

Danny babbles, smacking his chair's food tray.

"Oh no you don't, mister! You're getting regular baby food this morning and that's all!" Jack grabs the jar of food, and holds up the spoon. "Now, here comes the Fenton Ghost-Tracking Copter!"

He puts the spoon up to Danny's mouth-

-and right through his head.

He gasps and pulls back, and Danny's head reappears. He babbles, smacking the tray again.

Maddie drops her fork. "I can't believe I forgot! That's what I was going to tell you about!"

Jazz looks at her parents. "You didn't know he does this?"

They both gawk at her. "You did?!"

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

Danny reaches up and grabs Jazz's nose. Jazz wrinkles it, and he laughs.

Jazz sticks out her tongue and crosses her eyes, and Danny laughs even harder!

Jazz looks at her parents as they finish setting up the picnic blanket. "I'm the funniest big sister ever!"

"You sure are, sweetie!" Maddie scoops Jazz up and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "You get it from me."

Jack laughs. "It's true! Your mother could get the whole Ghost Hunting Club laughing out HAZMAT suits off all day long back in the day! ... 'Course it was just the three of us, but still, three's a crowd!"

"May as well have been doing stand-up," Maddie says, setting Jazz down on the blanket.

They enjoy the little outing, the sun shining but not beating down, the cool breeze just enough to crispen the air but not freeze.

And then Jazz looks at Danny. She sees glowing eyes, and a puff of breath come out of his mouth. "Uh-oh. Mommy! He's gonna cry!"

Maddie picks Danny up right as he starts to wail. She hugs him, and is shocked. He doesn't feel cold this time!

Is he just cold inside?

Or is there some other problem?

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

Jack rubs his ears. "That child wails like a Banshee!"

"He could very well be doing exactly that," Maddie points out. "We still don't know what other abilities he'll develop as he ages!"

"Or how well he'll be able to control them. ... Mads... should we homeschool him?"

"It's a little early to worry about that, Jack."

"I know that tone, you're worrying about it too."

"... We can't just keep him isolated from the rest of the world, Jack. It'll be unhealthy for him. And what if it makes him lean into his ghost side too much?"

"So you think we should let him go to school."

"Yes. ... But not pre-school. We'll teach him to not use his abilities around other kids, and then send him to Kindergarten."

"... Alright, Mads. If you think that's what's best, then that's what's best!"

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

"Come on, that's it! Yes, yes, WHOO!" Maddie picks Danny up as soon as he walks over. "Who's a strong little Fenton? Who's the best little boy at walking in the whole wide world?"

"Danny!" Jazz cheers from the couch.

"Danny!" Maddie and Jack both cheer at once.

Danny laughs and squeals, kicking his legs and flapping his arms. His first proper Walk! Not just a step or two and then crawling, that was real walking!

Jack takes Danny, holding him aloft. "You're a real butt-kicker in the making, son! You'll be as strong as your old man someda-"

Jack feels something bump him, hard.

He shouts as he goes down! Danny going with him!

But as Jack meets the floor, he feels Danny's weight disappear from his hands!

He lands with an "oof", and looks up to see Danny floating above him, surrounded by a faint white aura. Danny looks down and babbles, sucking his thumb. Then... he moves.

He's only ever floated in place before. But as he looks down at his dad, he kicks his little legs and moves! Moving right across the room!

And then he looks behind his dad, and his breath comes out in puffs. He starts crying and wailing hysterically.

Jazz peers at where Danny is looking. "Mommy, hit the air with the stick!"

Maddie gently grabs Danny. "Why, sweetie?"

"Danny is scared! So we have to protect him!"

Maddie grabs her Fenton Baton, and gives the area Danny was looking at a good thwack. She expects it to go right through the empty air.

Instead there's a loud zap! There's a cry of pain! And then a semi-transparent form zooming out of their house!

Maddie's jaw drops. Jack scrambles to his feet and grabs every ghost weapon in radius, forming a protective circle around the family with them!

Maddie looks at Danny, who's now calm.

And his breath isn't visible.

Hmm...

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

"We're just seeing if my hypothesis is right," Maddie assures.

Jazz sobs, clinging onto her leg. "NOOOO! HE'LL GET HURT! OR STOLED!"

"Stolen, sweetie. And Mommy and Daddy would never let that happen."

Jazz scream-sobs again.

"What if we can promise you the ghost will be in a big, big box?"

Jazz looks at her mom with watery eyes. "Like around Danny's crib?"

"Yes, like that."

"But-but he's so little."

"It'll just be a second, sweetheart."

Jazz sniffles again. "... Can I hold the stick?"

Maddie smiles softly. "Yes, sweetie, you can hold the stick."

A couple hours later, Jack and Maddie return home with a ghost in a box. It's yelling something, but the box is soundproof.

Jack sets the box down, and goes to grab Danny. He comes back, and holds Danny firmly while walking towards the ghost. Danny's eyes are covered by a too-big hood on his little shirt. He can't see, or hear, that there's a ghost nearby.

Danny's breath comes out a visible puff about two feet away from the ghost, and he starts crying. Jack steps back a ways, and Danny's breaths become normal again. He settles down.

Jack walks closer. Puff of breath, and crying.

Jack steps back. Normal breath, calm Danny.

"He can sense ghost's," Maddie says, looking in awe at her baby boy. Her face breaks into a grin. "He's his own portable ghost detector! He'll never be caught unawares, he'll be able to always defend himself!"

She runs up to Jack and hugs them both, kissing Danny's little forehead. Danny babbles.

"He'll never be caught unawares," Maddie says again in relief. "Oh, this makes me feel so much better."

"Mommy? ... Does that mean we're haunted all the time?"

Maddie's relief hardens and breaks in her chest.

All those times Danny's Ghost Sense has gone off inside! All those times!

She pulls away. "Jack, we're upping our security!"

Jack nods. "Time for FentonWorks 2.0!"

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

Danny giggles as his dad chases him around the house. He phases through doors and turns invisible in hiding places, always giving himself away with laughter.

Jack grabs Danny just before he phases through the next door. “Gotcha!”

Danny laughs, happy little kid squeals that you can hear through the whole house. Jack puts Danny on his shoulders and heads into the kitchen. “He’s getting pretty good at running! Say, whatcha making, Mads?”

“Meatloaf. Would you mind helping?”

Jack sets Danny down at the table and helps Maddie make dinner, while Danny eyes something on the counter.

“Cookie.”

Maddie looks over. Danny is staring at the cookie jar. “No sweetie, no cookies yet.”

“Cookie!” 

“Not yet.”

Danny starts to cry. “Cookie!”

Maddie walks over, and gives Danny his binkie. Danny refuses it af first, but once he has it he calms down fast.

He looks at the cookie jar still, though.

And, slowly, he lifts out of his chair. He kicks his little legs, pushing himself forward. He plops down on the counter, and reaches into the jar with an intangible hand. 

He pulls out not one, but two cookies!

He gets so excited that he starts waving his arms, making happy noises.

Jack looks over. “What? Maddie, he’s gotten into the cookie jar!”

“I’ve got it!” Maddie walks over and scoops Danny up in his old Anti-Ghost-Phasing Blanket. Soft, warm, and totally ghost-proof.

Danny whines. “Cookie!”

“I said not yet, honey.” Maddie grabs the cookies and puts them on the counter. She safety pins the blanket around Danny like a little cape, except it takes away his powers.

Danny sits in his chair, throwing a fit! But to no avail. Eventually he just sits there, tear-faced and angry.

And then Jazz walks in. She looks over at the cookies, and then at Danny.

She walks over and snatches them off the counter as quick as she can! She casually walks over to the table, and hands them to Danny.

Danny brightens up. He shoves one cookie in his mouth, and gives the other back to Jazz. His original intention.

Jazz smiles, and scarfs the cookie down just before Maddie turns around.

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

“Why?” Danny looks at his mom with wide, innocent eyes.

Maddie’s heart aches. “People might get scared.”

Danny frowns. “Scawy?”

“No, no, you aren’t scary. But the... idea of ghosts, for a lot of people, can be scary.”

Danny thinks, and then walks over to the fridge. “Scawy.”

Maddie looks at the drawing Danny is pointing at. It’s Jazz’s drawing of The Ghost.

The one that’s been haunting them for months.

Black horns, it looks like. Red eyes. Deathly blue skin. It makes Maddie shiver, knowing it had direct access to her children for so long. 

Danny starts to cry. “I scawy!”

Maddie scoops him up. “No, no sweetie! You are nothing like that monster, nothing like it at all! And you never will be, I promise!” Maddie hugs him tightly. “Oh, my poor baby... how about we take a break? Do you want to help Jazz paint something?”

Danny sniffles, and nods. They head upstairs, leaving the talk for another day.

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

“Kindergarten, Jack,” Maddie says, packing the little lunch box. “He’s already in Kindergarten!”

Jack is already openly sobbing as he makes Jazz a sandwich.

“Do you think he understands what he needs to do?” Maddie asks no-one in particular, just worrying.

“He understands perfectly!”

Maddie jumps a little, and turns around to see Jazz smiling proudly. Danny stands right next to her, a shyer smile on his face. Maddie tears up at the sight of him with his little backpack and school outfit on. 

Jazz looks at Danny. “Go ahead! Show them what we practiced!”

Danny puffs out his chest to look strong. “I won’t go through anything, turn invi-invisi- um, turn not-seeing-me, I won’t fly, and, um... and if I feel another ghost, I’ll use this!” He pulls his little Fenton Emergency Pager out of his pocket.

Maddie wipes her eyes. “Perfect, honey,” she says, letting the pride seep into her voice. “Oh, my baby boy! Growing up so fast!” She picks him up and kisses his face. Danny wraps his arms around her neck.

“Do I have to go, mommy? They’ll think I’m scary.”

“Oh, honey. You aren’t scary, I promise.”

“... What if I need to be scary?”

“Mommy will come be scary for you.”

“She very good at it,” Jack chimes in, shivering a little as he remembers the time a ghost attacked while Maddie was buying Danny’s first pair of little shoes. By the time it was over, Jack almost pitied the thing.

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

Maddie gives Danny one last hug. “Remember, calls u anytime you need us, okay?”

He nods. “I love you, Mommy. I love you, Daddy. I love you, Jazz.”

“You’re just going to school, not saying bye forever.” Even as Jazz says it, her lip wobbles and her voice cracks.

Danny floats up to the car window give her a hug, before being quickly held up by Maddie to cover the power use.

“That’s the only time today you’ll do that,” she reminds him. 

Danny nods.

Eventually... the goodbyes are done being dragged out. Danny’s family drives away as the teacher leads him inside.

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

Danny sits on a swing by himself, not sure what to do.

Usually at home he plays using his powers. He doesn’t know how to be good at tag without making it so people can’t touch him, or how to play hide-and-seek without turning invisible.

He kicks the sand. This is stupid. He misses Jazz. He can play with her.

“Hi.”

Danny looks up. Another young boy is standing in front of him, holding some kind of electronic. The boy holds out his hand. “I’m Tucker.”

Danny shakes his hand, focusing very hard on keeping it a real hand. “I’m Danny.”

Tucker shows him the electronic. “Want to play my game?"

Danny looks at it. It’s a coloring game. He nods.

They pass it back and forth between each other for a while, both coloring in different parts of the same picture. 

Eventually it’s time to back in. Danny and Tucker ask if they can sit closer together.

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

“So, how was it?” Maddie asks, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she picks Danny up. “Have fun?”

“I made a friend!” Danny yells! “His name is Tucker and he’s really nice!”

Maddie relaxes. “Oh? How did you meet?”

“He let me play his coloring game!”

“That’s wonderful!”

“We made a tower out of blocks and it was the strongest ever! And I never used my powers!”

“I’m so proud of you, sweetie!”

Maybe Maddie can stop worrying now. ... Probably not.

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

“What if we gave it big scary horns?” Danny says as he doodled something in crayon. “Like the thing that watches my window.”

Tucker looks at him with wide eyes. “A monster watches you?”

“My parents don’t let it touch me. They hunt ghosts.”

“Oh. Do you hunt ghosts?”

Danny shakes his head. “I’m too little.”

“Oh. Me too.”

“You should give it bat wings.”

They both look up. The quiet girl who usually sits in the back is standing in front of them, her hair pulled back in a tight black braid and her clothes perfectly pressed. 

Danny looks at the drawing, and nods. He adds the wings. “We’re drawing the monster from that story we heard today.”

The girl sits down. “I bet it had claws. And could breathe black fire!”

Danny adds them on. “You’re really smart!”

The girl nods. “I am.”

“I’m Danny.”

“I’m Tucker!”

The girl grins. “I’m Samatha.”

“Wow... that’s a long name,” Danny says, eyes wide. “My sister has a long name too. Do all girls have long names?”

Samantha thinks. “I dunno. I haven’t met all girls.”

“Oh. We don’t know all boys, either.”

They spend the rest of free time coloring. Once it’s over, Samantha moves to sit with them.

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

“So, how was today, sweetie?”

“I made another friend! She’s really good, and her parents make her have long hair but she wants it short, and we made this with her!” He shows Maddie the drawing.

Maddie grimaces a little, but turns it into a smile. “It’s lovely, dear. Looks... a little like Jazz’s picture.”

Danny nods.”The monster in the story lived in the window. So does this ghost.”

“... What?”

“He lives by my window. But he can’t come inside, so I make faces at him and make him mad.”

Maddie speeds up a little. “Danny, we’re going to be altering your windows when we get home. Okay?”

“Okay.”

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

Danny leads Sam and Tucker to his room with his tiny arms full of snacks. He brings them inside, and proudly stands in the middle. “This is my room!”

"Cool!” Tucker exclaims. “Whoa, you have a computer?”

Danny shakes his head. “That’s to keep ghosts out. Ghosts hate us.”

“You’ve seen some?” Samantha asks, eyes wide.

Danny grins. “So many!”

“Can we see some?”

“Sure, I can even-”

They hear a gasp in the doorway. Turning to look, they see Jazz. “Danny, you didn’t let me meet your friends!”

Danny looks horrified. “Oh no!” He runs over and pulls Jazz into the room. “This is my big sister Jazz! She’s the coolest big sister!”

“I’m Tucker!”

“I’m Sam!”

Jazz grins. “Guess what I learned yesterday?” She points out of the room. “How to use the remote!”

The trio of toddler’s eyes sparkle. They cheer for Jazz as all of them descend, ready to Take Control Of The TV!

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

“-and this is The Box Ghost,” Danny says, showing his friends the doodle him and Jazz made at home. “He’s silly. He wants to be scary, but he isn’t.”

Tucker and Samantha nods like it the most important thing they’ll ever learn.

Danny pulls out the next drawing. “This is Scary, the ghost from my window.” It’s a new drawing, a little more detailed thanks to Jazz being better at drawing now. And Danny having seen the face so, so many times. “I don’t see him anymore. Mom and Dad kicked him out of the window.”

“He’s ugly,” Samantha says, wrinkling her nose. 

“He looks stinky,” Tucker agrees.

Danny looks over at the window. “Shhhh! He’s here!”

Tucker and Samantha look at the window. They see nothing.

They look back at Danny. They see little puffs coming out of his mouth, and his eyes are the wrong color.

Danny pulls his pager out. “It’s okay. Mommy will come scare him away.”

“We can’t see him,” Samantha says.

Danny nods. “He’s hard to see.”

“Do you have to have glowy eyes like yours?” Tucker asks. “I have to have glasses. Are your eyes like Ghost Glasses?”

Danny thinks, and then nods. “I guess so. ... OH NO!” He covers his eyes. “You aren’t supposed to see that!”

“Why not?”

“Mommy said it’s a secret! You’ll think I’m scary!”

“But it’s not scary.”

Danny tilts his head, still covering his eyes. “It’s not?”

“No, it’s cool!”

He slowly uncovers his eyes. “... Do... you think this is scary?” He holds out his arm, and makes it invisible.

Tucker and Samantha gasp! Danny pulls his arm back, about to cry. They think he’s scary, they won’t be his friends anymore-

“That’s so cool,” Samantha says.

“I wanna do that!” Tucker exclaims.

Danny can’t believe it for a second. And then he grins. “I can do more stuff too! I’ll show you at my house!”

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

Maddie paces the floor while Danny sits on the couch, his little face burning with shame.

Jazz sits next to him, arms crossed. Jack stands in front of him, Maddie pacing beside her husband.

“You told your friends?” Maddie asks again.

Danny nods, keeping his head low. “I didn’t mean to. I saw Scary, and my eyes turned green, and I can’t fix that.”

Maddie sighs. “I know, sweetie, but you showed them more after! We caught you flying them around your room! How can you even carry both of them at once?!”

“It’s easy when I’m a ghost,” he says, still keeping his head low. “Everything’s easy when I’m a ghost.”

Maddie stops pacing. “Oh, sweetie... I know it must be strange for you to suddenly have to hide it.”

Danny nods. He sniffles a little.

“It’s for your own safety, son,” Jack says. “You understand that, right? We just want you to be safe.”

“Other kids can be mean, Danny,” Jazz says. “I’m smart, and some kids are mean to me for that.”

“But Samantha and Tucker aren’t mean!”

“No, they aren’t,” Maddie concedes. “... I guess what’s done is done. Danny?” She kneels down in front of him and gently lifts his head up, wiping his tears away. “We aren’t mad. We’re worried. They’re your friends, but they also don’t understand this the way we do.”

“... Can you make them understand?”

Maddie nods. “We’ll absolutely have a talk with them. You can go get them from your room right now, even. But Danny? No-one else. Okay? These two kids are the only kids you will ever tell. Promise?”

Danny nods, still sniffling. “Promise.”

Maddie puts on her HAZMAT glove and holds out her pinkie. “Fenton promise?”

Danny links her pinkie with his, letting it go ghostly. “Fenton promise, Mommy.”

“Okay. You can send your friends down now.”

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

Danny waits for his mom to come pick him up, Samantha and Tucker sitting next to him.

Samantha looks up suddenly. “I don’t like my name.”

Danny and Tucker look at her.

She stands up. “From now on, my name is... is Sam!”

Danny and Tucker clap, because they learned that’s the polite thing to do when someone has a dramatic moment like this. They learned it from watching the older kids do a play.

Sam sits back down. “I’m Sam,” she says happily. “Sam.”

“Sam is a good name,” Danny says. 

“Easier to write,” Tucker says. 

“Yeah.” Sam is very proud of her new name.

They wait a bit longer, and a long black car pulls up. Sam stands up, but her parents don’t step out.

A tall, white-haired man does, one none of them have ever met before. He smiles down at them. “Hello, Danny. Hello, Danny’s friends.”

“Who are you?” 

“I’m a friend of Danny’s parents,” he says, giving a slight bow (or maybe just bending over to hear them better since they’re so much shorter than him). 

“I don’t know you,” Danny says, accusatory. “Mrs. Emma told us about people like you!”

The Man shakes his head. “I’m not a stranger, I promise. Your parents and I are very close.”

“I don’t know you,” Danny says again. He steps between The Man and his friends. “I’m gonna tell Mrs. Emma on you.”

“Danny, really, your mother called and asked me to pick you up.”

“You liar! She always picks me up!”

“She’s fighting a ghost right now.”

“She leaves fights to come get me!”

The Man sighs. He grabs Danny’s arm. “Stubborn like your parents. Come on, I promise you’ll be fine.”

“NO!” Danny yanks his arm, trying to get away. “LET GO OF ME!”

“Stop making a scene!”

“LET GO! YOU-”

Danny gaps, a puff of breath coming out and his eyes turning green.

“S-Scary,” he whimpers. “SCARY! MOMMY! MOMMMYYYY! SCARY HAS ME!!! HELP!!!”

Danny yanks again, Tucker and Sam finally running inside to get Mrs. Emma! 

The Man scowls. “I’m trying to help you, little badger!”

“YOU’RE THE SCARY IN THE WINDOW!” Danny looks at him with bright eyes, tearful and afraid. “GET AWAY!!!”

Danny’s little hand glows green, and suddenly The Man is clutching his stomach instead of Danny’s arm. Danny runs inside, right into Mrs. Emma’s arms. He sobs to her as she frantically calls the police, trying to read the plate of the car speeding off into the distance.

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

Maddie hands Jazz a Baton. “This is in case this ‘Scary’ come after you,” Maddie says, still shaking a bit. “Okay?”

Jazz nods. 

“Danny, this is for you.” Maddie hands him a black-and-white suit. “This is to keep other ghosts from sensing you, okay? So wear it under your clothes.”

Danny nods, still crying.

Maddie looks at Sam and Tucker. Their parents were late picking them up, but with the attempted kidnapping it was decided that they’ll stay with The Fentons for a few hours until their parents could get them.

“You two get these.” She hands them Fenton Pagers, and Fenton Fun-Sized Ghost Stunners. “They can hurt people too, so only use them on ghosts. Or if someone tries to do... what you saw today, ever again.”

Sam and Tucker nod.

“And Danny? From now on, wait with Mrs. Emma until we come inside to get you.”

“Yes, Mommy.”

“And when I get my hands on this ‘Scary’, I promise you’ll never have to worry about him again.”

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

Danny looks around to see if anyone is watching. He, Tucker, and Sam are crouched under a desk in the classroom while everyone else is out at recess. 

He holds out his hand to the stack of paper, and closes his eyes. For a second, nothing happens.

And then it glows green, and a small beam shoots from his hand! Tucker and Sam gasp!

“You’re like a superhero!” Tucker exclaims, standing up. 

“A ghost superhero!” Sam says, standing up too. “You need a superhero name!”

Danny shoots up, smiling widely. “What should it be?”

They all think for a long, long time.

Sam perks up. “I know!”

She grabs a book from the corner. The book is a Halloween one, mostly for pictures with just a few words. She flips to a page, and points to it. “This word! It means Ghost!”

Danny and Tucker peer at it. “How do you say it?” Tucker asks.

Sam grins. “Phantom!”

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

“Phantom?” Maddie says, looking at the doodle.

Jack nods. “Apparently Sam came up with it! Our boy wants to be a ghost hunter after all!”

“Superhero, this says.”

“Same thing!”

“Jack, what’re you making there?”

Jack holds up the suit, one of the prototype Anti-Ghost-Detection suits for Danny. “I got out my old needlepointing stuff and am making him a superhero costume! See, it’s a P!”

Maddie squints, trying to get a better look at the outline. “It looks like a D.”

Jack looks at it. “Hmm. I guess from some angles. But it’s a P! Or, DP! Danny Phantom!”

Maddie’s expression goes soft. “Awww! Okay, you keep making that, and I’ll hang this doodle on the fridge! But no actual ghost fighting until he’s at least fourteen, right?”

“Absolutely!”

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

Danny steps into the school “Halloween Party” with his hands on his hips and a bright grin, looking like a mini-version of his dad behind him.

“Aww, and what are you dressed as, Danny?” Mrs. Emma asks.

“A superhero ghosthunter!” Danny says proudly. “My parents made this for me!”

“It’s great,” Mrs. Emma says genuinely. “Alright, go mingle! We’re going to make paper jack-o-lanterns later so now is the time to trade candies!”

Danny walks over to his friends, still striking the pose. Tucker, dressed as a robot made out of cardboard boxes, pouts in slight jealousy as Danny comes over. Sam, dressed as a vampire, grins. “P for Phantom!” she yells.

Danny runs over faster. “Yeah! My dad put the logo on!” He shows it off proudly. “I’m gonna be the best ghosthunter ever!”

“You can work from the inside!” Tucker says, getting over his jealousy thankfully quick. “Make them think you wanna haunt stuff too!”

“Yeah!” Danny strikes another pose. “But I’m actually going to catch them all, because I’m Danny Phantom!”

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

Danny and Jazz are playing with dolls in the living room. “Pow! Take that!” Danny shouts, making his doll punch Jazz’s.

“Nooo!” Jazz cries out in a husky voice. “But how? I’m The Scary! Nothing can not fear me!”

“I don’t fear you!” Danny waves the hand of his doll, making laser noises. Jazz shakes her doll around, making dying noises. “I’m Danny Phantom, the strongest ghost boy ever!”

“Nooooo!”

Maddie chuckles, watching them. “That Scary better watch out for more than just us.”

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

“Where are we going?” Danny asks again.

“It’s a surprise!” Jack says again, still as excited as when the road trip started. 

Danny huffs, looking out the window again. “Why couldn’t Sam and Tucker come?”

“Because they’re spending Summer visiting their families,” Maddie says. “And so are we, sort of.”

“I though Auntie lived in Spittoon,” Jazz says.

“She does! This is different.”

After hours (years in the minds of the kids), they pull up to a mansion. All fo the boredom washes away instantly, Jazz and Danny cramming into the window to see it!

“Are we rich?” Jazz demands to know. 

“We’re well-off, but not quite. Welcome to your honorary Uncle Vlad’s house!” Maddie cheers.

“Vlad was out best friend in college!” Jack says, grinning. “He got back in contact with us a few years ago and we’ve been thick as thieves since! He asked us too come over this weekend, and we thought we’d surprise him and let him meet your two at the same time!”

Danny and Jazz cheer! THEY GET TO STAY IN A MANSION!

The family piles out of the car, and stand in front of the door! Maddie and Jack make sure Jazz and Danny look extra nice, and ring the doorbell!

It takes a long minute, so they ring it again!

Finally, a man opens it up! “Oh, Maddie, Jack, I’m so sorry I didn’t hear-”

Danny shrieks. His eyes are glowing bright as they can, his breaths giant puffs! He holds up his hand and send a little beam right into Vlad’s side!

Vlad falls back with an “Oof!”

“Danny!” Maddie scoops him up. “What on earth has gotten into you? Oh, Danny!”

Danny is sobbing pointing at Vlad. “It-it’s him! The-The Scary! He-he tried to take me!”

Maddie and Jack freeze. Slowly, they both look at Vlad. Jazz pulls out her Baton.

“Vlad?” Maddie says coldly.

“Didn’t I only invite you two?” Vlad wheezes.

Jack points a ghost detector at Vlad. It goes off.

“Now, now, I can explai- AGCK!”

Jazz starts happening him with the Baton before he can finish his sentence. Maddie hands Danny to Jack. “Sweetie, close the door and take Danny back to the truck. I need to have a word with Vlad.”

Jack does as told, holding Danny in his lap and soothing him.

“He-he tried to take me,” Danny sobs again.

“Don’t worry, son.” Jack hugs him tightly. “No-one’s ever going to be able to do that. We’ll always keep you safe. We promise.”

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

“And what do we always wear while testing new devices?” Maddie asks, handing Danny a Fenton Ghost-Zapper that would use Danny’s own ghost energy to work.

Danny grins, and puts it on. “Face mask!”

“Because?”

“Because lab safety is very important!”

Maddie grins. “That’s right! And who do we thank for reminding us of that every time we’re in the lab?”

Danny points. “Jazz! Thank you, Jazz!”

Jazz grins proudly. 

[sisterssafespace]

What is the point of getting married when all you see is people getting treated like shit without any respect and despite of so much time being spent together...lack of communication and understanding.....

I am just tired. Can't see such stuff anymore.

السلام عليكم و رحمة اللّٰه و بركاته عزيزتي،

I have to be honest I feel like most of Muslim girls are confused to the limit of being traumatized when it comes to the topic of marriage. This is not the first time I get asked such question.. and it is saddening but also very understandable..

* sigh *

Where to start?

There are essential elements that a marriage and a connection between 2 people is supposed to be based on and that affect the success rate of a marriage, which has nothing to do with time, because no matter how much time you spend with someone, not 21 years, not 21 centuries even. Despite what the culture has tried to preach to young women and forced them to believe that time nurtures love. if the bases are not there, if there is no common ground, no strong base to built a home on, the home won't hold. You can't have a strong rooftop over fragile poles. Do you get me?

But let's clear something out from the start: just because there are failed marriages, doesn't mean that all marriages are doomed. Same as just because there is evil in life that every person you meet is bad, or that just because you failed one exam one time that you are a bad student or a failure, la qaddar Allah.

Now, let's be analytical. Marriages tend to fail for two major reasons: They are established for the wrong reasons. A) People generally get married because society is pushing them to do so, because they're getting older, because they (or their parents) want babies, because their mothers need help around the house (lmao). Truth is, we get married for the sake of Allah swt. We get married because marriage is worship of Allah swt. We get married by Allah swt, for Allah swt, to please Allah swt. But we will get back to this point later.

And B) People walk into marriage with the wrong expectations of what married life is about/like. And that's due to lack of information, people have no training or background whatsoever about marriage. I stg there should be at least a workshop or a training for people are about to get married. I read somewhere than in the west, the Imam of the masjid in some Muslim societies does offer sessions of premarital counseling to future married couples. That is a good start actually. Now ideally, every single person is ought to work on their psychological issues, resolve their traumas and try to heal as much as possible before walking into a lifetime partnership that is marriage. Unfortunately, that does not happen irl. People are so far away from being aware of their issues let alone try to work on them. What is happening instead is that each person walks into the marriage with their own unresolved traumas and psychological bagage, and worse still, they treat the other person with all the unhealthy coping mechanisms in the book. It is very rare that a husband or a wife does take into consideration the psychological dimension of their partner or even put themselves in the shoes of their partners. On the contrary, what happens is at the appearance of the least inconvenience, people get their walls up high, take shield behind them and start attacking the person before them as if they are the enemy. At first sight you might think it is selfish to do so but taking a closer look, you will find that it is only a defense mechanism because they are scared or lonely or unable to fully trust that person. And that's the first step down the road of fights and failed marriages. Not understanding your partner, at a humanly level. Not accepting their humanity. That they are flawed, that they have their own fears, insecurities, trauma, etc. They often use them as their punching bag and the outlet of their misplaced emotions. There is a famous saying: it is not you vs your partner, it is you and your partner vs the problem. How many couples do you think apply that into their lives?

Back to the point that Allah swt should be the center of our marriages, and our lives to begin with. Islam had set the rules and regulations for marriage but they got tainted with " culture" and " traditions". Now very frequently a marriage starts with things that Allah swt would not accept thus would not bless (such as the extravaganf weddings that are mixed, with all the music and the dancing, etc..). People would find themselves spend way too much money to please the community and forget that Allah swt is the one to please. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that the most blessed marriages are the most simple. And that's just one aspect. Besides the fact that the closer the wife and the husband are to Allah swt the closer they will be to each other, and the fact that society tainted the meaning of qawamah of the man over the woman, and gave it a patriarchal sexist view. I could talk about this topic in a 3 hour podcast episode and still it won't be enough. So I am going to stop myself here.

But listen sweetie, the institution of marriage is not broken. The people that are away from Allah swt are.

P.s. marriage is a lifelong daily job that you don't just take a vacation from or retire. And most people are just lazy.

May Allah swt grant the girls of our ummah the righteous husbands who will fear Allah swt in them and follow the sunnah of our Prophet ﷺ in taking care of them and of their hearts. Ameen.

Please do not focus on the unhealthy marriage that you are close to, please do not let it scare you away from the idea of marriage. Instead, focus on getting closer to Allah swt, working on your relationship with Him, and making duaa that He blesses you with a good marriage that pleases Him in shaa Allah. Ameen.

- A. Z. 🍃

[tomatograter]

What are your thoughts on JuneVris?

I like the ship, but sometimes I wonder if the romance is really There or if I just want to complete the Junevrisrezi Triad or w/e. I loved how their friendship developed over the course of homestuck, I just keep getting stuck on the pesterlog where June tells Vriska that she "kind of hates her". Ultimately they're still friendly after that, with June joking with Vriska by saying "if you ever need someone to punch you in the face again, I'll be there" and all that, but I wonder if June would ever really want a commited relationship with Vriska after that

June says a lot of negative things she doesn't fully mean or, if she means it, she has not taken into account how it will affect others; if jake is on the high end of the constantly-performing-for-acceptance spectrum, june is somewhere at the bottom.

The ease with which she can detach herself from her entire friendgroup and go into extended periods of complete isolation— marked by her friends worrying about her but that worry not being reciprocated, since she's mostly stewing on her own fog of bitter NEET malaise— is something that marks june's biggest flaw but also cements her story-role; she's the Protagonist. Things are secondary to her, not the other way around. She can tune the whole world out of her sight and focus only on whatever she deems worthy.

When she seeks affirmation and justification or even comfort, its not from her Fellow Friends, it's from the general cosmic ideal of... her doing something. The importance/meaning of her existence. The fact that She Needs To Do Something to fulfill her own abstract expectations, and keep busy. Of course our biggest point of comparison for this is when she's still not out to anyone, not even herself, so I'm partial to saying the self-actualization she desperately craves but can't even name has something to do with how she's transgender, and realizing that can be a great step 1 to getting out of that headspace, and moving on.

But related to the above statements and more closely tied with the purpose of your ask: June can and does designate certain people as stand-ins for why "things are going wrong" - and with nobody else to turn to safe for a big boss, these people are mostly her friends. This doesn't mean june is justified or right, and this also doesn't mean she doesn't truly love her friends, just that her feelings are easily overtaken by frustration, and from that frustration surges anger and spitefulness, a trait she closely shares with Jane.

They toe the flimsy line of meanness and arrogance, and sometimes blow up spectacularly. Their sense of inflated self-importance makes them transform everyone else in a liability, under the absolute lens of "I am justified, you are not."

June will holler to the skies that davesprite has somehow driven her out of her mind with his idiosyncrasies, and that her once favorite movies are truly fucking stupid shit for stupid fucking babies, and that roxy is a subhuman robot entirely out of her goddamn mind, and that vriska is a freak phony psycho she wants nothing to do with and is embarrassed to ever have liked; and she feels righteous in her fury. The excuses work, it doesn't matter if they're real. Make up a guy and get fucking mad at him! He's ruining your life! Doesn't that make you feel better? Doesn't that instantly give your life a clearer objective, and the assurance you are better than them? It's so easy. Here's a big red game target; catch it. kill it. scream at it.

It doesn't last, though. And in the aftermath the only thing it reveals is more of that same familiar emptiness.

The frustrations she has personified in her friends are still there, and they remain unaddressed, because the root often laid in june herself. She's mad her friends aren't exactly as she pictured them to be, or else she's mad at herself for ever making something out to be what it wasn't— or she's mad because she believed they could hold all the answers to make life better for her, but they don't.

The june-vriska example is particularly relevant because 'vriska' is part of june's dream of utter escapism; from seemingly nowhere, here comes a cool girl that knows exactly what june has to do always, and shes quirky, snippy, not like the other girls, and she has aaaaaaaall the answers. Except that personality shield has a complex and bloody backstory to all its 'epic' antics, and just as soon as vriska reveals her fragility the dream breaks a little. June has to cope with the fact vriska has flaws she cannot understand or justify, and after having looked up to her for so long she defaults to the emotion "maybe you always sucked after all." - it simplifies the situation. It makes her feel better about projection. That's where "I kind of hate you." comes from. She could have said 'i envy you/want to be you/am frustrated by you/disappointed in you' but the former is quicker.

The words 'June' and 'committed relationship' aren't really some i'd easily associate (She has a bit of a permanence=stagnation problem), but I do think her Protagonitis can only be put in check by the story's own favorite. Vriska can dish it out, and she has a backlog to argue she's important - if not MORE important than june, providing some perspective. Similarly, they can just sort of hang out sometimes and not feel utterly bored by each others presence, as they're picky in similar ways.

When I picture junevrisrezi, it is with june coming and going after vrisrezi have figured it out. They will always be a bit more partial to each other than they are to june, and june's drive to be constantly moving isn't exactly the same as two women who basically spent their childhoods in a murder-happy hellscape and could use a little slowing down, actually. It's not bad, they just have different priorities.

[oceans-goddess]

A Hole Right Through The Sun

In honor of The Witcher season 2! Yes, I know, everyone knows his name. It’s just for romantic purposes that they don’t lol. Happy reading!

_______________________________________________________________________

Another set of slow footsteps crept past my fragile door, a crack at the bottom of it revealing shadows moving further down the hall. Drunk men guffawed loudly downstairs. Though it was slightly warmer than camping outside, I wished the Witcher would’ve chosen somewhere else to stay other than this tavern.

I heard a sudden scream from across the hall and snapped into a sitting position, using my tattered blanket as a shield. Quickly the scream fell into a laugh, and then a sort of strange, sickening moan. I grimaced. After dinner, Jaskier had gone to his room without complaint. I could not be the whining tag-along who couldn’t handle a night here, so I followed suit. But the Witcher had asked for three separate rooms, so I would have to spend all night alone in this horrible place.

Maybe he would understand if I told him my room had a draft. Or if I said the couple next door was keeping me up (which was pretty accurate at this point). I could come up with something to explain to him...

The Witcher would understand...

The Witcher’s face formed perfectly in my mind as my eyelids became heavy. I lie back down and imagined his smile. The smile I only saw when he looked at me. I’d made him laugh- twice now- in our travels. I could make him smile, so I could make him understand...

I was no longer looking through my mind’s eye at the white-haired man. Instead, I was walking along a narrow forest path with overgrown shrubs pulling on my skirts. I hiked them up and trudged along, following the path in the moonlight. I took my time on my walk. It didn’t matter where I was going or where I was meant to be. My relaxing stroll would bring me to my destination.

Crunch.

I had stepped on a twig. I stumbled for a moment in surprise, but planned to forget about it soon enough. I kept walking, but soon I could hear the crunch, crunch, crunch, with each footstep. Each noise seemed to echo more and more among the trees until they were no longer crunches, but instead a hall of laughing voices. They were ragged and rough. I quickened my pace, hoping to find solid ground again-

I slammed face-first into the ground. Dazed, I looked up at the trail that was no longer there. I spun around, but the other end of the trail had vanished as well. I had tripped over a gnarly tree root that stretched across the ground where the path had once been. The laughter only got louder, feeding on itself until it was screeching and howling at me. I could only sob as I sat paralyzed with fear.

A large hand grabbed my shoulder, but I yanked myself away as hard as I could. 

“Y/N,” a voice hissed, and it seemed that whoever the hand belonged to had spoken to me.

“Please!” I whispered back. “I’m just lost, I promise I’ll leave.”

“Y/N!” I heard once more, and the hand began to shake my arm. I reached out to grab it, but I was no longer sitting on the forest floor. I lie curled up and shivering, my blanket uselessly piled on the floor. I looked up at the speaker.

His silver hair glinted from the light in the wide cracks of the door frame, and his furrowed eyebrows softened a bit when my eyes met his. The tears wouldn’t stop flowing, though I inwardly begged them to shore themselves up. He couldn’t see me cry. He’d send me back home if I cried.

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop. Did I wake y-” I stopped as he suddenly scooped me into his arms. He sat at the edge of my bed and rocked me slowly- as if I were a baby. Great. He saw me as a child who needed looking after. I scrambled out of his arms despite the comfort they brought.

“I said- I said I’d stop, okay? I’m sorry,” I repeated from the middle of the room.

“Are you alright?” he asked gently.

“Are you...” I began, but the question died in my choked up throat. He waited.

“Am I... what, Y/N?” he asked, his tone of voice the same. I took a step toward him.

“Are you going to send me back now?”

His once concerned eyes widened with surprise. He stood up and walked over to me.

“Why would I send you anywhere?” he asked with his arms open. I stepped tentatively into his embrace.

“Because I’m crying. I don’t want you to think I’m crying because I can’t do this. I can do this, I swear it.” I promised, my voice muffled in the fabric of his shirt. He rubbed my back lightly and placed his chin on the top of my head.

“Y/N, you’re allowed to cry if something’s wrong. I’ll never be angry with you for crying.”

“But you don’t cry, Witcher. And for you, something’s always wrong,” I retorted quietly. He breathed out a slight chuckle.

“Come lay back down,” he instructed, and I did. I faced him and let him continue to rub small circles on my back.

“Honey, why were you crying?” he asked. My heart melted as I realized what he’d called me, but I ignored it and answered his question.

“I was having a nightmare. I was lost in the woods. And they were laughing at me. The trees were laughing at me because I didn’t know where to go,” I explained. He nodded and reached up to rub my knotted hair.

“You’re not in the woods now, Y/N. You’re safe.”

“Here? No. The people here- there is something wrong with the lot of them,” I declared. He smiled at me.

“Do you want me to stay with you? They won’t bother you if I’m here,” he offered, his grin never faltering. I nodded in excitement before I could think to put on a short show of nonchalantly thinking over the idea and coolly accepting it. As I inwardly hoped that the darkness hid my blush from him, the Witcher slid onto the bed beside me and pulled the blanket over us. For a while, we didn’t speak. I eased away from embarrassment with each passing stroke of his hand over my hair and down my back. But a question that I’d never asked before suddenly surfaced in my mind.

“Witcher?” I whispered.

“Hmm?” He breathed, but his eyes remained closed.

“What is your real name?”

At this, the Witcher opened his eyes and stared into mine. After what felt like many moments, he spoke.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because you know mine. I’d like to know yours,” I responded with a shaky voice. He huffed.

“Please?”

“Geralt,” he said. I smiled.

“Why don’t they call you Geralt?” I asked, not daring to blink for fear of breaking the line of connection I’d created between us just a moment before.

“Because they call me Witcher,” he responded matter-of-factly. I nodded.

“But,” he said slowly, “you may call me Geralt if you’d like.” Beaming, I tried the name out on my lips.

“Geralt.” Perfect.

“But don’t tell Jaskier, I beg you,” Geralt pleaded. “He’d never shut up if he learned my name.” I giggled.

Another howl sounded from across the hallway, and I flinched. Geralt’s face clouded with concern.

“Try to ignore the noise, okay?” he cooed, and I put my face into the crook of his neck.

“Can you sing to me? The sun song? The one that your mother used to sing?” I asked. He sighed into my hair.

“Of course, Y/N.”

For the second time tonight, some part of Geralt put me to sleep despite the noise on the other side of the door. Into my ear he murmured my favorite of all the songs he’d sung for me- only for me.

...’Long with the calls of the canary, this song the summer breeze doth carry, For you, my dear, my darling one I’d shoot a hole right through the sun...

[ibuki-loves-you]

Drv3 boys(or any of your choice) with a s/o that's mikan reincarnated(not literally just personality and action wise very similar)

DRV3 Boys with a S/O that is like Mikan

Warnings: Mikan's personality/actions

Mod Ibuki: This was so fun to write! Sorry if it's a little repetitive

Shuichi:

Oh boy-

Shuichi and you are both shy

But you moreso than him, so he gets really protective

He wants no one making fun of you or using you

One time you thought he was mad at you

You were nonstop apologizing and offering to take your clothes off

His heart shattered

"S/O, I'm not mad I promise! You did absolutely nothing wrong. Don't worry, it's okay."

When you get like this he just holds you and pets your hair

And gives you lots of forehead kisses

If you ever fell in front of him he would try to prevent it by either catching you or warning you

If he doesn't then he just helps you up and covers you if need be

"I-I'm sorryyyy!" "It's okay, baby. Don't apologize, it's okay."

When Kokichi began trying to make you upset, he was livid

"Hey, S/O! You're making me really angry!" "Am I?! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll take my-" "Shut up, Kokichi. S/O, you did nothing wrong. He's trying to upset you. Ignore him, he isn't worth it." "O-Oh..."

Shuichi just wants you to be safe, and he's willing to do a lot for you to be that

Kaito:

Kaito thinks your shy nature is adorable!

Like Shuichi, he is also very protective

He doesn't want anyone cough Kokichi taking advantage of you

Kaito gets really upset when you apologize consistently

He's been trying to work with you on it

"I-I-I'm so s-sorry!!!" "S/O, babe! It's okay! You did nothing wrong! Don't apologize!"

Kaito doesn't mind that you are clumsy

It just gives him a reason to hold onto you!

But if you do end up taking a fall, he's quick to help

And rip anyone who makes fun of you a new one

Before you two were dating, Miu frequently insulted you

Almost every time she did you freaked out

"Ahhhhh! I-I'm sorry!! I-I'll take m-my clothes off if y-you want!"

Kaito shut that shit down quick

"S/O, no. You don't have to do that."

If you ever thought he was mad at you, he'd be pretty sad

"S/O, I promise you that I am not mad. I swear on every star in the sky."

Boy loves you so much and just wants you to be the best person you can be

Rantaro:

As soon as Rantaro saw you he immediately wanted to protect you

No one ever really tries to fuck with you because Rantaro will get mad and since it's pretty hard to make him angry everyone got freaked out

Everyone learned that the hard way

First time Kokichi tried fucking with you Rantaro handed his ass to him on a silver platter

"Hey, S/O! Heard you can do animal impressions super well! Mind showing me what a dog looks like?" "O-Okay..."

Rantaro never pulled you to his chest so quick

"So help me, Kokichi. Don't you fucking dare."

No one really heard him swore before so everyone was freaked out

If you took a fall in front of him, his reflexes are quick

If he couldn't catch you, he's insanely fast you help or cover you up

No one is catching a glance at you don't worry

If you ever thought he was mad at you, he'd immediately go to comfort you

"I-I'm sorry! I-I d-didn't mean to upset y-you!"

"No, baby please. Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. You did nothing to upset me. I'm not mad, either. I promise. I'll even pinky promise."

Rantaro loves you so so much just let him hold you I'd make his entire life <3

Kokichi:

At first, Kokichi thought it was hilarious

He thought you were just shy

Until you offered to take your clothes off because he started fake-crying

Ever since then he hasn't played intense pranks on you, teased you, etcetera

No one has ever seen him actually care about someone

So it was a shock when he snapped at Miu for making fun of you

"Fuckin' slut! Why don't you offer to take your clothes off for me!?" "I-I'm s-sorry! I-I will if y-you want!"

"Listen you fucking skank. They aren't gonna do that for you because you don't control them. So why don't you carry your sorry ass to your dorm and go play with yourself."

Miu was appalled, just like everyone else

She just cowered away and muttered an apology

Kokichi is well aware that you are clumsy

If you're embarrassed because of a fall, he'll trip too

Or start crying to divert attention

Say you land in a rather awkward position, he will cover you up as soon as he sees and if anyone looks he will throw hands

If you were to think he was mad at you for some reason, he would feel so bad it's not even funny

"S/O... I'm not mad! I couldn't be mad at you. You're too cute to get mad at! You did absolutely nothing wrong, so don't apologize!"

You're Kokichi's soft spot <3

Ryoma:

Never once has he laughed or made fun of you

If anything, he lowkey pitied you

Although Ryoma is small, he can and will fuck someone up for you if it came down to it

One time he nailed Kokichi in the shin with a tennis racket for telling you to act like a cat

"Say it again, I dare you."

Kokichi didn't bother you for a while

If you ever thought he was angry with you, poor boy would have mixed emotions

He would be upset but also angry with himself for making you think that

"Hey... I'm not mad. I don't think I have the ability to be mad at you. I promise, you did nothing to piss me off."

Ryoma can't really catch you if you fall, but he's quick to try and help you up

If you are exposed in some way, he will stand in front of you until you fix yourself

He will protect you for as long as he lives and that's a promise

Gonta:

Gonta was kinda clueless when it came to you

You were shy? Okay!

Even though he didn't really understand, he knew some things were wrong

Like when Miu would insult you and you'd either cry or offer to please her

"Miu! That's not nice! Don't say that to S/O! You don't have to do anything you don't want, S/O!"

Ever since then Gonta got pretty protective

If you ever thought he was mad, he'd probably bawl

"G-Gonta not mad at S/O! Gonta promise! Gonta not mad at all!"

Falling is 50/50 with him

Half of the time he catched you beforehand

The other half you fall and he feels bad

But either way he shields you and helps you up immediately

"Because it's what gentleman do!"

You're like a butterfly to him

Fragile and something that he wants to keep safe

Korekiyo:

Kiyo found you facinating

Your timid nature drew him to you at first

He would merely talk to you and try to be your friend

"Is there a reason why you are so shy, dear?" "O-Oh, I got b-bullied a lot...I-I'm sorry! I should k-keep my sob story to m-myself!" "Please don't apologize. I would like to know as much about you as you'd let me." "O-Oh...o-okay..."

Ever since that first conversation he kept you out of harms way

One day, Miu started insulting you (as usual)

"Ahhhh! I-I'm sorry! I-I can t-take my clothes off i-if you want!" "Hell ye-!" "Say such a thing again and I will be sure to make the next trial yours."

He worked with you a lot after that about offering to take your clothes off in return for forgiveness

"Darling, you have no one to please except yourself. Your body is yours and you should not offer to display it to those you don't want to. Especially if they are unworthy of seeing such a beautiful sight."

If you ever thought he was mad at you, he would be quick to tell you otherwise

"Never, my dear. I am certainly not angry with you. I swear, I don't think I possess the ability to be angered by you."

Kiyo has helped you grow so much, and that's the most beautiful thing in his eyes <3

Kiibo:

When Kiibo first met you, he had a strange feeling

He went to Miu about it and laughed in his face

She told him he was feeling protective

"What a strange feeling...should I act on it?" "Hell yeah!!"

"S/O, I have a feeling called 'protectiveness' towards you." "O-Oh! I-I don't know w-why you'd have such a feeling towards a n-nobody like m-me..." "Don't say such things! Would you like to accompany me to the library?" "I-If it's not a b-bother..."

Miu wouldn't make fun of you, she actually considers you a friend

Kokichi though

Another story

"Hey, S/O! You really pissed me off yesterday!" "Ahhhh!!! I-I'm so sorry!! D-Do you w-want me to take off m-my clothes?" "No, S/O! That isn't necessary! He is lying and is trying to make you upset!"

Miu would deal with Kokichi don't you worry S/O

If you ever thought Kiibo was mad at you, he'd be so confused

"What caused you to think I was angry? Actually, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you know I am not mad in the slightest."

If you ever took a fall in front of him, he would help you up immediately!

But if you fell in a suggestive position, he'd crash

Tenko would rush to help you if that happened

Then she'd curse him out on his degenerate male robot brain

Moral of the story, Kiibo wants to protect you from anything that comes your way! And trust me, he will not fail you!

[rainydaydream-gal18]

(Clone Wars) Captain Rex x Reader: To Follow Where the Heart Leads

(Author’s Note: Oh my goodness, this fic right now... In short, we’ve had custody drama with my niece, so now I need some domestic Rex and baby fics.  I am in need of some Clone Wars love).

Taglist:  @neekid

   It was a dark night.  Rain pelted your form over the cloak that you had pulled tightly around yourself.  A warm hand found yours, its gentle squeeze reminding you that all would be well soon.  From beneath his hood, Rex looked at you with reassuring resolve.  As the two of you turned down the alley, a tall figure came into view.  It stood, cloaked, at the other end beneath a flickering light.

   “That’s her,” you said, taking a deep breath.  The meeting in that cold, rainy place had been arranged at a prior date, but part of you still worried that it may be a trap of some sort.  Rex walked beside you, one hand resting so carefully on your lower back prepared to pull you out of harm’s way if need be while the other gripped his blaster that remained in its holster on his hip.  As you neared the figure and saw what she held, your suspicions began to disintegrate.

   You nearly melted when the bundle was transferred to your arms.  You leaned over him to shield his delicate face from the rain.  It looked so round and smooth, not yet burdened with lines marking life’s hardships as your husband’s was.  He slept so peacefully in your arms that you couldn’t resist planting a small kiss on his cheek.

   Since the Republic had been replaced by an Empire, the Kaminoans were informed that there was no further need for the trooper project.  Not only were they irritated about the lack of credits going their way, there were still “units” that had not completed their training.  Some weren’t even in the beginning stages yet.  They were born for a purpose that was no longer in existence, and there had been a fuss about what would become of them.

   You and Rex had heard this through the grapevine and talked it over, reaching a decision without any debate.  Both of your hearts broke at the situation the little ones were in, and neither of you could turn a blind eye.

   So there you were with a sleeping baby in your arms.

   “He’s beautiful,” you whispered. 

   “He’s the last of them,” the Kaminoan, Lana-se, informed.  “I have been successful in re-homing others with different families.”  You hadn’t spent much time with Kaminoans on their home planet, but this female seemed different from those you had met.  Her eyes were slightly softer than theirs had been, and she looked at the little one in your arms with a spark of warmth.  It was your understanding that they didn’t usually bond with troopers and only saw them as a commodity, but she didn’t leave that impression.  After all, why had she gone through the trouble to re-home the remaining young ones after the war? 

   You spared a glance at the gentle brown eyes that watched you and the baby.  “He looks like his dad.”

   Rex sucked in a sharp breath- a voiceless chuckle- at your comment.  “Brother, technically.  All the same, I appreciate the gesture.”

   “You may be brothers by blood, but you’re his dad,” you pointed out.  “He’s going to look up to and want to be just like you.”  Rex didn’t respond at first, only reached one arm around you and raised the other hand to gently pull the baby’s blanket over their form a little more.  “Is there something wrong?” you asked, heart sinking.  “Was this not what you wanted?”

   His eyes met yours instantly.  “Of course this is what I want.  I love you, and...I love that your heart led you to this.  Mine did too.  It’s just,” he paused, looking back to the baby while his hand rubbed circles on your back gently.  “I grew up without a father.  I grew up without a mother, even.”

   You gazed back at him tenderly as Rex bared his heart to you in a way he hadn’t before.  It was unexpected, but not unwelcome.

   “I just hope I do a good job,” he continued.

   You smiled, leaning in to press a kiss to his chin.  “You will.  You’re a good man, Rex.  That’s why I love you.  You may have not had a father as a reference, but that’s what makes this so great.  You didn’t grow up with a dad, but because of you, this little guy will.”

   Both of you turned your attention back to the baby which had since opened his eyes and was taking in your faces for the first time.  You smiled at him, greeting him with a chipper “hello” and Rex with a “hey there, little guy.”

   He proceeded to yawn, and you sighed at how adorable it was.

   “I think I chose the right couple,” Lana-se stated, clasping her hands together.  “This little one is in good hands.”

   “Thank you,” you told her.  “He’ll be well-cared-for.”

   “And loved,” you and Rex added at the same time, sharing an affectionate look shortly after.

   “We should get going before he catches a cold,” you said.  Then you looked up at Lana-se sincerely.  “Thank you for everything.”

   She gave a nod to reciprocate the notion.  “I wish you and your family well.”

   Rex ushered you out of the alley, and you glanced over your shoulder further down the duracrete to see that Lana-se was nowhere to be seen.  She had disappeared into the night as quickly as she had arrived, with only raindrops gathering to form a puddle under the flickering light.  On your way back to the ship, you kept looking at the bundle that you cradled so carefully.  He was tiny and fragile at the moment, but you knew that he would be a strong one.  He carried the same strength that Rex and so many other good men you’d known during the war did.

   You boarded the ship, setting the baby down in the prepared crib in the corner before removing your own cloak.  As planned, Rex grabbed a bottle and started following the instructions to make a batch of formula.  As soon as you were comfortable, you lifted the baby into your arms again and rocked him gently.

   Rex hurried over with the bottle, almost tripping over a bench on the way.  You chuckled.  “Here, why don’t you feed him?  I’ve been holding him all this time and you didn’t get a chance yet.”

   Though he looked eager to do so, he still checked to be sure you were okay with him being the first to feed the little one.  He took the baby in his arms and proceeded to offer up the bottle.  It took a few tries for the baby to finally latch on and take a swig.  Before long, he was enjoying his first meal with the two of you, and you and Rex looked at each other with eyes shining.  “Have we settled on a name yet?” he asked.

   “Well, why don’t we run through the ones we came up with so far?” you suggested, taking a seat beside him in the kitchen booth.

   “Sounds good,” Rex said.  “You go first.”

  part 2

[puckwritesstuff]

A fluffy Disaster Averted AU prompt request after all the angst 🤧 Sigyn is pregnant but she and Loki didn't reveal it yet. The others noticed how more intimate the two are and Loki being more gentle than usual. After a failed assassination attempt on the royals, Sigyn suddenly becomes weak from the shock and Loki blurts out the secret from panic. Pregnancy reveal and Loki is clearly happy and proud on having twins with Sigyn!

Oh, yeah, we need some fluff. Though I will say, a fluff one-shot with an attempted coup d'état is my kinda fluff, you guys know me pretty well, don't you? ^_^

Thank you for the ask!

---

Loki pulled out Sigyn’s chair and she sat down at the banquet table.

“You know, I can do this on my own,” Sigyn said.

“And yet you allow me to do it for you,” Loki said, sitting next to her.

“I’m not some fragile princess,” Sigyn said.

“Not at all,” Loki said. “You’re my fragile princess.”

She rolled her eyes but smiled.

Down the table, Hogun leaned over towards Thor.

“Have you noticed—”

“No, Hogun,” Thor said. “Whatever miniscule thing you think is off, I have not, in fact, noticed it.”

“Fine,” Hogun said. “Your brother is acting strange.”

“It’s Loki, he’s always been strange,” Thor said.

“Stranger than normal,” Hogun said. “I think something’s wrong with Sigyn.”

“Something we should be concerned about?” Thor asked.

“Not certain yet,” Hogun said. “She’s been wearing looser clothes, though, and she stopped eating cheese and fish, she stopped drinking…”

He paused, leaning back in his chair.

“You just realized something,” Thor said. “Care to share?”

“Not currently,” Hogun said. “It’s not my news.”

Thor snorted. “I should have guessed.”

The doors were opened and the crowds outside were let in. People found their seats and a hush fell when Odin stood.

“Today, we come together to celebrate another year of peace between Asgard and Vanaheim,” Odin said. “We are honored with the presence of my half-sister, Princess Gullveig Hársdóttir of Vanaheim, and her son, Lord Hogun, who I’m sure is a familiar face to you all.”

Sigyn sniffed and leaned over to Loki.

“Do you smell something burning?” she whispered.

“It’s probably just the candles,” he whispered back. “Your nose is a little oversensitive right now.”

“It’s not that,” she said.

She looked around. Behind the head table were casks of mead. The one right behind the All-Father had what looked like a string hanging from it. The end of it sparked and slowly shrunk towards the barrel. She gasped.

“Everyone down!”

There was a large bang, and smoke and dust filled the room. There were screams and loud confusion from the crowd. Thor summoned a great wind and cleared it all away, and they saw Sigyn standing up, using a magic shield to contain the debris of the exploded cask. She gently lowered the debris to the floor before lowering the shield. She looked to Odin.

“My apologies for interrupting, your majesty,” she said.

She took a step back to her chair and her head swam. She staggered, and Loki was up and next to her.

“Are you all right, darling?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she said.

“And the baby?”

If the room could have gotten even quieter, it was then. Sigyn glared at Loki, who winced. Thor rolled his eyes, looking at Hogun, who just shrugged.

“We’re both fine, I just need to sit down,” she said.

Loki led her over to her seat. Frigga came over quickly to them.

Odin cleared his throat. “The food will be brought out shortly.”

The hall started to fill with conversation and noise again. Thor and Hogun went over to look at the debris.

"Gunpowder, from Midgard,” Hogun said. “At least a ton. Volstagg is here, yes? He knows how this would have worked.”

“I’ll go get him,” Thor said.

Sigyn sighed, now having two overly cautious nursemaids fussing over her.

“Your majesty, I am well taken care of,” Sigyn said.

“Of course, you are, of course,” Frigga said. “But I do have some experience with this. Whatever you and Loki need, just let me know. I’ll not have my grandchild want for anything.”

“We know, Mother,” Loki said. “Sigyn, are you certain you’re up to staying?”

“I’m eating for three, I really shouldn’t skip dinner,” Sigyn said.

“Three?” Frigga said, her face lighting up.

“Yes, we’re expecting twins,” Loki said. “We don’t know the sexes yet, but there are two children.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” Frigga said. “Well, I’ll make certain you have food shortly, and some milk, to settle your stomach and for calcium. Osteoporosis is no laughing matter.”

Frigga swept away and Sigyn sighed, leaning back in her chair.

“I suppose I should have expected this,” she said. “Nothing like adding a little extra drama to a major life event.”

“I had nothing to do with this,” Loki said, sternly. “Do you really think I would put the three of you at risk like that? Hogun and Thor are dealing with it, you just rest.”

She shook her head. “I’m a bit tired of hearing that.”

“Well, it will be over soon enough, I’d imagine,” Loki said. “And then we won’t get any rest.”

Sigyn laughed and kissed her husband.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” she said.

“Thank you for saving us,” Loki said.

[juminsmysticmc]

Good morning/afternoon/night!

Could I get RFA and Vanderwood with soldier/mercenary MC, if possible?

Nice writings!

RFA with a solider/ mercenary MC 

Hey there! Of course! I hope you like it! The sources I have are Crash landing on you, best Kdrama, Descendants of the sun, still watching it and kind of Nacy CIS. But of course I also googled 😂 hope you still enjoy! Please request again for Vanderwood and the minor duo, I will make them separately ( OLD REQUEST! )  Love you!

Jumin

,,I can’t believe you,’’ you laughed as you took a sip of your water.

,,What?’’ your husband asked you and smirked.

Of course he knew what you were talking about.

,,Well, you took me as your personal mercenary just to make sure that I won’t work for anyone else. That’s absurd. I mean, that’s my work. Do you know how much hard work I invested into it?’’ you asked your husband.

It was true, Jumin planned this because he wanted you to stay safe by his side, where he could watch you and make sure that no one would harm you, even though he knew that you were a mercenary.

,,I know, and who says that you can’t protect me? Just because I am your husband and have enough bodyguards, doesn’t mean that I don’t need a mercenary by my side,’’ he told you and got up from his seat.

Suddenly, you pulled his hand. Jumin never knew that you had such strength.

And before he could ask you why you pulled him down, he felt a cold rush over his head.

In the next moment, the window broke in a million pieces.

,,Someone just tried to shoot you. I guess you’re right,’’ you hissed and hugged him to protect him.

,,Your job is to protect me,’’ he began, ,,but my job as a husband is to protect you,’’ he whispered and nodded to his bodyguards and used his body to shield you.

,,Thank you,’’ he still mumbled.

Zen

,,So sexy,“ Zen mumbled as you approached him, sexy lingerie on your skin, covering the parts of your body he wanted to see and explore the most.

Finally, the time had come, he thought.

But Zen was so wrong.

,,Salute Sir!“ you said over the phone, your voice completely changed.

It was as if you were another person.

,,Yes, Sir, yes!“ you said again before hanging up the phone and quickly changing clothes, leaving Zen stunned.

He got to see the parts he wanted to see, but the mood got totally destroyed.

It didn’t happen for the first time that you were called to work. Your tasks as the captain had to be done after all.

,,I love you. Please stay safe,“ he mumbled and softly touched the scar on your arm.

,,I will, Zen. Sorry for that. Thank you for staying by my side,“ you said and kissed his cheek, taking your gear and leaving for your next mission.

Yoosung

Three years passed ever since you got dismissed from your tasks in the military. 

You got pregnant and both you and Yoosung decided that the best way to protect your baby and future children was to stop what you were doing now, which was being a soldier.

,,I should have stopped back when I met you. That way I wouldn’t have been in such pain,’’ you mumbled as you signed your resignation letter.

Yoosung, your husband, observed you.

,,Mc,’’ he mumbled and hugged you, holding your head at his chest as you slowly began to sob.

The sobs were getting louder and louder and Yoosung realized that he would destroy your dream.

,,What if you stayed?’’ he asked you.

You looked up to him, your red puffy eyes made his heart tremble.

You were so cute and so fragile at the same time.

Yoosung wanted to hold you as he had the urge to protect you.

,,What?’’ you asked him, unable to understand what he wanted to tell you.

,,I mean, you can stay there. Not as a soldier but maybe as a...teacher? A mentor?’’ he asked you.

And so you did.

Thanks to your husband you were able to stay in your job and do the things you enjoyed without hurting the love of your life growing below your heart.

Jaehee

You don‘t need to go!“ Jaehee said as you put on your uniform.

,,Jaehee Kang, before the both of us got married I told you and asked if you were sure. You assured me that you would never try to hold me back!“ you told her and glared at your wife.

Ten days passed and you just had to go again to school for your training.

In Jaehee’s eyes, you did a splendid job, but also a very dangerous one.

She couldn’t stop herself from feeling scared when the memories came up.

Jaehee was alone for a very long time. Losing both her parents and losing you would kill her and she was sure of it.

,,I promise you, I will come back. We can enjoy a few days of vacation, but I need this training. Please trust me,“ you kissed her, trying to make her feel better.

She knew that you could make everything work, however, she still worried about you.

,,You’re watching too many Kdramas,“ you laughed.

Of course you could understand her fears after what she had to go through.

,,The reality is different, trust me,’’ you kept trying to assure her and left the apartment with your brown uniform.

Jaehee watched you from her window and like every time you guys had to part ways, she prayed for you to come back safe… something her mother never did.

Saeyoung

When you got locked up in the apartment, you made sure that every single connection to you disappeared.

To be honest, you weren’t even scared.

You experienced a lot of death missions so this wasn’t anything to be worried about yet.

Just when Saeyoung arrived, you became a bit cautious.

Not even that you needed to get worried.

No, instead, you finally had someone to talk to face to face, except that he was in a bad mood.

And so you fought back.

One day, he was really stressed and you knew that the situation wasn’t an easy one, so you decided to take out your rage with sport.

You didn’t know, however, that he observed you for a short time.

,,You look… as if this is something you do regularly,’’ he commented.

,,Indeed, I do. I guess I’ll die anyway, so I’ll tell you. I’m a mercenary,’’ you told him, leaving him shocked.

,,So, rely on me, I will fight for you,’’ you whispered and began to approach him. 

Saeyoung didn’t even flinch when you approached him and tried to put him down to show him what you were able to do.

,,You are a hundred years too young for me,’’ he told you and for the first time in recent days, he smiled.

,,Think so?’’ you laughed when you could use all your strength to come on top of him.

,,I don’t think so, so acknowledge me. You need me.’’

And that’s how your story began...

MASTERLIST 1

MASTERLIST 2

MASTERLIST 3

10.03.2021// 08:15 MEST

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

Ateez: Their GF Has Superpowers

Kim Hongjoong:

It was after a party that you guys had with the boys that he found out. They were in the process of cleaning up, and all that was left was to take down the balloons, which he was doing. Being bored with nothing to do, you absentmindedly began to play around with a few decorations, making them float around in mid air. It was Wooyoung's piercing scream that had everyone's attention on the floating confetti that currently was making weird shapes.

"I fucking told you that old lady looked like a witch! But you still bought the decorations from her!" Mingi began exclaiming, as he shielded himself behind Yunho's body.

"How was I supposed to know she'd voodoo curse them?!" Hongjoong tried defending himself, but was scared to death as well.

Coming out of your trance, you realized you had to come clean about your telekinetic powers before they developed high blood pressure.

"Guys it's not demons...... it's me." You let out a sigh.

"Babe, now is not the time for jokes! The room has bad vibes and we gotta call an exorcist!" Hongjoong wasted no time and threw you over his shoulder as they all made a break for the door.

You protested, saying you'd prove it by opening the door, which you did, leaving them all stunned and frozen in place. You finally convinced him after moving objects that he asked you to move. Realization hit him that his girlfriend has super powers. He'd be so upset that you never told him.

"And in the 2 years we've been dating, you couldn't mention that fact instead of making me believe that other demons besides San existed?!"

Park Seonghwa:

You and Seonghwa had a very loving and open relationship, full of trust, neither of you hiding anything from the other..... Well except the fact you have the ability to know what anyone is thinking, even from kilometers away. You could just block it out, but being curious, more often than not, you found yourself wanting to know what your boyfriend was thinking. Even when he was away on tour, you connected your mind to his. Needless to say, sometimes there were some very impure thoughts at times, not that you minded.

It was one night, you two almost nearing your first year anniversary. Seonghwa and you were cuddled up in bed, just looking at each other and placing innocent kisses. But you knew better, you could hear how Seonghwa wanted to go further but obviously wasn't going to, thinking you weren't ready.

"I am ready and I want to." You casually blurted out.

"What?" He simply asked.

"I know you want to go further, and I want to as well." You assured him.

He blushed a little and ruffled your hair. "Wow it's like you can actually read my mind."

Biting down on your lip, you looked back up at him. "I can....."

Of course, he only released a soft chuckle, thinking you were obviously joking, cause no one can read minds. You proved that to be untrue, citing down examples of times you read his thoughts. You even made him think of several things, some deemed impossible to guess, and accurately relayed those thoughts into words. You left him stunned for sure, even flustered by your ability.

"Does that mean you even heard what I was planning to get you as an anniversary gift?" He asked, genuinely worried the surprise was ruined.

You poked his nose, assuring him you won't find out.

Jeong Yunho:

To say that Yunho loved how small you were compared to him is an understatement. He adored how tiny you were, it made him feel like your knight in shining armor, your personal protector and boosted his confidence in you needing him for stereotypical manly things, such as opening a jar a pickles.

What Yunho didn't know was that even though you seemed tiny and fragile, you possessed super human strength. You rarely showed it off though, preferring to keep a low profile and if it made your boyfriend happy, why spoil it? Unfortunately, your boyfriend likes to be spontaneous, dropping in on you randomly. It was during one of those surprise visits that he witnessed your true potential, in the form of you lifting up your marble dresser with one hand, like it was nothing more than a basketball. He just stood there with his mouth open, silence for what seemed an eternity.

"Well say something!" You finally exclaimed, hating the silence.

"How long have you had that power?" Yunho simply asked.

"Since birth........ are you mad?" You wondered if he'd be upset about finding out this information.

Instead, he just picked you up and spun you around rather happily.

"Are you kidding?! My tiny girlfriend has super strength! Is there anything cooler than that?"

Yes, he was ecstatic about this discovery.

"Do you know what this means?!" He asked you.

"What?"

"You'd beat Jongho in an arm wrestling match! Oh how I'd love to see his shocked face" A mischievous grin spread across his face just picturing the maknae's face.

"The possibilities are endless baby!"

Kang Yeosang:

You had a super natural ability of healing faster than any human possibly could. If a bullet shot you, you'd feel it as nothing more than a punch and in a couple hours you'd be perfectly fine. Not that the situation ever happened, just an example. And you weren't really the clumsy, accident prone type, so rarely ever needed to make use of your ability.

Which is why you often forgot about it and therefore never told Yeosang about your special gift. But it became known when he was playing around in the company building. While distracted by something, he left his skateboard on top of the stairs, and you happened to be walking over to see him. Holding a bucket of chicken, you didn't see his skateboard and therefore tripped on it, causing you to fall down an entire flight of stairs. Yeosang ran over to you, panic all over his face thinking about all the damage you probably had, he definitely heard bones cracking. But to his surprise, you sat up just fine, only rolled your shoulders back, looking in mint condition.

"You literally just fell down about 20 stairs, how are you not dead?" He questioned you.

You then remembered about your super natural healing and proceeded to explain why you're fine to him. He was silent for a while, but then nodded in understanding.

"Are you sure you're fine? Nothing's broken?" He was still worried about your well being.

"Just my shoulder popped out of place, but I put it back when I rolled them back." You assured him that you were fine and he had nothing to worry about.

You did however scold him for leaving his things scattered randomly. Had it been anyone else, he probably would have been guilty of an accidental murder.

Choi San:

Growing up, you enjoyed your ability to become invisible, both figuratively and literally. You liked keeping to yourself and didn't mind that no one ever noticed you. However someone did notice you eventually, and his name was Choi San. His eyes were always on you since day one and you were all he could see. It took a while, but he finally won you over and the relationship was going wonderful.

The problem arose when he started becoming more bold, more teasing towards you, that's when you weren't able to keep secret that you could disappear into thin air. Knowing fully well you just finished showering and were probably changing right now, he decided to 'accidentally' walk in on you naked. As soon as he opened the door though, the cheeky grin he had was replaced by utter confusion when you turned invisible before he could even get a good look at you.

"Holy crap! What the-!" He could not process what happened and became even more scared when all he heard was your voice telling him to get out and wait for you in the living room.

After putting on clothes and calming him down, you told him that you had invisibility powers. San was amazed and curious about your strange yet unique ability. He proceeded to ask you many questions, which you happily answered to him.

"Ok but if you turn invisible right now, would I be able to touch you?" He asked, while simultaneously reaching his hand to your face.

Song Mingi:

You honestly loved your ability to fly. Sometimes if you had a bad day, you'd just go to a secluded area and fly around without a care in the world. It proved to be somewhat therapeutic for you when you were stressed or sad. You hardly needed to make use of it after meeting Mingi, he was such a ray of sunshine and always there for you, that he became what you needed if you were having a tough time. He never knew about that part of your life of course.

Until one day when he was busy with schedule and you felt bored. You found yourself walking to your favorite place and began reminiscing about old times. Soon you were just happily flying around, thinking no one was around to see you enjoy what you had missed for a while. But Mingi saw. After a canceled schedule, he went looking for you, and having mentioned before that this was your go to place, he went looking for you. He did found you, flying around trees and seeing how gravity didn't affect you at all. Once you finally noticed him, you panicked and came straight back to solid ground.

"How, how long have you been watching?" You fidgeted nervously with your fingers.

"A good 5 minutes." He simply replied.

Your heart sank. What if he didn't like you after this? What if he thought you were weird? What if he would never want to see you after this?

He seemed to notice what you were thinking and he was quick to push your worries aside, pulling you into an embrace and kissing the top of your head. That said it all for you. He loved you and this wasn't gonna change anything.

"So.....by any chance, can you hold my hand and take me flying with you?"

Jung Wooyoung:

You came from a family of shape shifters. Your parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, could all shift into some type of terrifying beast. Wolves, tigers, lions, alligators, bears, you name it. So why the hell were you only able to transform into a weak little kitten? It was embarrassing for you growing up and for that reason you avoided shifting all together, it caused you to have low self esteem.

When Wooyoung came into your life, it was like a breath of fresh air. He made you feel beautiful in every possible way and suddenly you were more confident in yourself. Wooyoung never questioned what made you so insecure, knowing you wouldn't want to talk about it. Eventually he had to find out though, and he did during a family gathering of yours. While he was looking around the pictures, he noticed a lot were of fearsome animals. When he questioned you about it, you took a deep breath, and pointed out that they were your family. He didn't believe you obviously, until he witnessed for himself a few of your relatives morphing into their animal forms. He was genuinely intrigued by this and of course, wanted to dug deeper.

"So what do you turn into?"

You simply turned away, not wanting him to know and refusing every time he asked.

"Why not?!" He screeched.

"Because it's embarrassing!" You hollered.

"Come on! I just saw your grandfather turn into a black bear and scratch his ass on a tree, how embarrassing could it be?"

Sighing softly, you gave up and slowly morphed into the tiniest and cutest ragdoll kitten he had seen. A smile crept up on his face, before bursting into laughter.

"Stop laughing! It's not funny!" Your squeaky kitten voice piped out.

"I'm sorry baby! It's just that it's too adorable!" He was definitely enjoying this.

Choi Jongho:

Speed was your thing. There was nothing that was faster than you on this earth. And it was somewhat euphoric for you. The adrenaline that rushed through you every time you ran faster than light was indescribable. You often wanted to show off your skills, but avoided it knowing how nosey people could be.

You felt attracted to Jongho because of his strength. You often wondered if maybe he was just like you, but you found out that wasn't the case. He had his limits. But you didn't. Of course, you wanted to tell him, you felt sure he wouldn't judge you or pester you about your speed. But you could never find the right moment. It came spontaneously, like the many things in your life. It was when you were watching him workout. Repairs were being made on the ceiling and that's what caused a small piece of it to fall off, almost landing on Jongho had it not been for you pushing him to the opposite side of the room, you landing on top of him.

He just blinked as he processed what just happened.

"Did you just yeet us into another dimension?" He chuckled.

You blushed and laughed softly before proceeding to tell him everything. He didn't need any more proof than what just happened.

"I always knew you were my special girl." He winked at you.

Gifs not mine. Credit goes to their respective owners.

[jungnoir]

destiny | 09;

⇢ summary: you’re just about ready to give up on life altogether; your love life is in ruins, you’ve lost your job, and your family couldn’t care less about you… and then you meet your blushing guardian angel, and maybe life isn’t so bad after all.

⇢ relationship: jeon jungkook/reader, min yoongi/reader.

⇢ genre: supernatural, angel!au, demon!au, romance, thriller.

⇢ words: 6.5k words.

⇢ warnings: mentions of depression, violence, vomiting. slightly nsfw toward the end.

previously |  next

a/n: happy new year! I know it’s been quite a while (literally an entire year since I’ve updated) but I’ve had this chapter pretty much ready in my drafts and just hadn’t gotten around to finishing because. everything. regardless, I hope this sort of makes up for it. love you all! hope you’re doing well. also WOW I swear a lot in this one.

His hand on your neck is meant to silence any screams that might slip out. He applies the perfect pressure to avoid crushing anything vital (and just by the feel alone, you know he’s got quite an amount of strength to pull that off) while simultaneously stealing all your air and forcing you to cower in fear. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know this guy isn’t someone to be fucked with, and all you can think about is the fact that Jungkook is right outside and has no fucking clue what’s going on. The very thought fills you with dread.

“Then again, you’ve got someone helping you.” What once was just a particular, calculated press against your skin becomes a deliberate act of violence as he begins to choke you harshly. You know the pain of his grip might last for weeks, and that’s only if you don’t die in the next minute. “Just makes me wonder what’s so special about you.”

“Nothing!” You rasp out, clawing at his hand now in some weak attempt at breaking away. If you could make enough noise, enough commotion, surely someone-

-but the stranger has already stopped you quick. You aim to throw the door open or something but his free hand quickly apprehends you until you’re just a squirming mess on the verge of passing out. Even your legs are pressed firmly to the wall by his own body, holding you fast so that you can’t help letting a few tears fall. There was no doubt in your panicked mind that this was Seokjin, the angel who’d been trailing you from the shadows for what felt like centuries. His grand act of approaching you, something you’d dreamed up to be a major climactic brawl in a battlefield made for a spectacle, turns out to be so simple. Perhaps that’s what you got for thinking biblically. Why go through all the trouble when he could just squash the problem the minute a chance presented itself?

Now, all you can think is “I can’t die like this”. A sobering thought of pure contempt. Drowning in the river was preferable to this.

You muster what breath you can, eyes blazing, “How does it feel… being God’s lap dog?”

Seokjin is, funnily enough, stunned for a moment. All bravado slips through a teeny crack in his demeanor when you say that, and even though it’s a low blow, it’s also enough for you to thrust a semi-powerful kick to the dressing room door to make the entire thing shudder like an earthquake. That sound, coupled with your comment, makes Seokjin release you in a panic. You hear some gasps from outside, a few people inquiring if you’re alright. An employee sounds most worried amongst the voices. You’re just shy of swinging the door open and forcing Seokjin to be revealed or to disappear all at once, but then he’s grabbed the back of your collar as you scream in frustrated fury. Seconds later, you’re no longer in the dressing room anymore.

Instead, you fall flat on a rough, sandy surface. You’re overwhelmed with nausea, pain, and fear, so your whole body is struggling to pick up on the most important things outside of that, but you do realize quite fleetingly that it’s sweltering. It takes you a few seconds as you curl up on the ground to peek behind your hands that shield your face and discover that it’s blindingly bright where you are, almost like a…

For fuck’s sake. “Of all the places…” You whine with a sore throat, coughing right after from the strain.

Seokjin stands above you and uses his foot to kick you onto your back so that you’re staring up at him and the baby blue sky. His hair color plays against it in an unfittingly gentle contrast, “I thought we might need somewhere safer to discuss things. Oh, and speaking of discussion,” he waves a hand near you and you instinctively flinch back before you feel the pain in your throat subside. You wait a few seconds, but it seems whatever he’d just done had no effect on the rising bile in your throat, so you assume that’s something you’ll have to deal with on your own. What an ass. “Feel better?”

“Fuck you! Maybe if you hadn’t choked me out in the first place-”

“You’d have listened?”

“Maybe if you hadn’t hunted us down to kill us, we would have!”

Seokjin frowns, “I didn’t bring you here to talk about you and that boy, I brought you here to talk about you. I am only concerned with you.”

Whatever that entailed did not sound good in the slightest.

You scramble to your feet and immediately regret the movement as it makes you sick again. The more than 100 degree weather does nothing to fix that either, the sun beating down on you and bouncing off the dusty white sands directly into your eyes. You’re feeling something nasty rising up from your stomach, ready to projectile…

Just as the scene changes, you paint a Victorian rug with streaks of your vomit.

Seokjin immediately groans out loud, placing a rough hand at the back of your neck like one would grab the scruff of a kitten. You’re far too weak to protest, rubbing at your mouth with the back of your hand, so you let him toss you into a chair. The jerkiness of the action should have sent another eruption out of you, but you recognize the relief that has overwhelmed you from the touch of his hand. Had he fixed that too?

“Never the matter,” the angel growls, waving his hand and making the mess evaporate from the very fibers of the rug, “you’re all very fragile. I should have prepared you first.”

“How can you do all that…?” You couldn’t recall Jungkook or Jimin showing off any power like that, and whether it was because of Seokjin’s status or their modesty (and adherence to rules), you were unsure. Most likely both.

Instead of answering right away, Seokjin reaches forward a moving cart and you finally notice there’s a glass pitcher of water (hopefully) next to an array of empty glasses. You take the time he spends pouring some water for you to examine your surroundings.

It looks like a secret room in an old English manor house. The walls are painted a deep charcoal and with the absence of natural light, you could mistake it for the void. The only light that does exist is a strangely dim white light coming from the ceiling. What looks like a rather ornate shell of a skylight (sans the window to actually reveal, well, a sky), seems to hide said white light somewhere in it. It’s such a vague glow that you can’t pinpoint if it’s coming from a lightbulb or magic.

The rest of the room is just as ornate as the “skylight”, filled with deep oak bookshelves, golden artifacts, and shining decorations that already look like they cost more than your house. It doesn’t really matter the longer you think about it. All of it has to be an illusion… right?

A glass is placed into your hand and you break out of your thoughts to make eye contact with Seokjin. He hovers over you with narrowed eyes and when you look back at your surroundings again, you notice all the little decorations have disappeared. Why had he- “We can negotiate those bits of the deal later if you so wish.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” You ask, hesitant to drink the water despite how much the heat of the desert had made you crave it.

“Like I said before, I brought you here to discuss you. I’ve been watching you and lover boy for a while and it has become clear to me that you’ve been pulled along for quite the ride. I’m sure it’s all very daunting.”

“It wouldn’t have been so bad if you hadn’t shown up.”

“How much do you know about our Lord and Savior?”

It was tricky to say the least. You’d grown up on tales of him, an over-powered being of immense stature. No one could come close to him, not even the devil. However, you’d learned bits and pieces from Jungkook, Yoongi, and the others to the point where your ideas of the figure had become skewed. There was no linear understanding of him. You honestly had no idea, “Probably not enough.”

Seokjin huffs, taking a seat from across from you in a chair similar to yours. Crossing a leg over the other, the angel stares you down, “Do you know why I’m after you both?”

“You want to kill Jungkook. Because he committed your sin.”

“Jungkook is my main target, yes, but it wasn’t my sin. My sin was sullying myself with a demon. Jungkook’s sin was sullying you.”

You frown, “He did no such thing! You had a fucking child! Jungkook saved my life!”

“You mean to say he ruined it. You were supposed to be dead a long time ago.”

You’d known that much, Jungkook had told you already. Even if he hadn’t, that had always been the plan. “It was… it was my choice and I wanted it then, I admit it. But I was hurt. I was overwhelmed. I wanted it because I was scared there would be no reason to keep going.”

The angel angles a brow upwards, “And the fallen was that for you? A reason to keep going?”

“It was- it was a lot of things. I was reminded that I existed, and that there are people who can love me the right way,” frustrated at the situation, you glare at him, “what the fuck? Is this some fucking therapy session?”

He has the gall to smile, “God knows you need one. I’d like to be the one to get inside that mind of yours.”

Shit. What if you’d given him just the right information to use against you?

You snap your lips shut and sink back into your chair, bubbling with more dread. He notices your sudden resolve and appears to want to ease your worries, “I’m not doing this to break you. Unlike God, I find you, as a person, quite redeemable. A gentle, pained soul who fell victim to the perversion of her guardian angel. It’s all very sad.”

So God did think you were a lost cause. Jimin had been right after all. However, you don’t want to keep talking when you’re so close to getting the information you’ve been waiting for. It seems even Seokjin isn’t fazed by your silence, continuing on without missing a beat. “You see, usually these angel and human matters can be chalked up to the angel getting too big for their britches. They think they can change things like fate: God’s very flawless plan from the beginning. They are simply… glitches in the matrix, you could say? That’s where I come in. I make sure these issues are handled and that everything goes back to normal. You see, God loves his humans. Truly. He has a bit of a temper, but it’s justified, you know? He loves you all so very much that seeing you stray from a holy and righteous path is heartbreaking for him. He can only excuse so much.

“So he doesn’t. But… sometimes I help him. I change his mind. Even Jesus had to convince God not to blame his executioners. The big guy gets real impassioned about those he loves. It’s all part of the territory of being in heaven’s sovereignty,” at this, Seokjin shrugs, “you were an unfortunate casualty of it. However, I brought you here because I think that you could be saved. You’re simply confused. I’m sure I could convince God to rethink... his punishment for you.”

Your eyes widen, nearly dropping your glass, “He’d do that?”

The angel nods, pleased, “Of course! After all, he just wants you to repent. If you show that you will, well, I could put in a good word for you. He and I are very close.”

“But only for me.”

Seokjin’s smile dims some. He was so sure he’d had you on the hook just then, “Well… yes. There isn't much I can say about angels. Humans are born sinful, but angels are born knowing better. If they succumb to sin, I cannot do anything about that. But… if you feel that you’d be leaving Jungkook behind, and if that would cause you to feel guilty, I can assure you that that would be taken care of. Your memory of him would be wiped clean and you’d receive another guardian angel in an instant. You’d be granted everything you ever wanted. You’d be able to live out a new path of life contrary to the one your fallen so selfishly carved out for you.”

At this, you begin to frown deeper than you ever have. It’s not out of confusion but deep, deep understanding. Seokjin’s deal was asking you to sell Jungkook out and in return… he’d make you happy. You’d forget all about what had happened and carry on a new person, virtually safe. You could only assume that meant forgetting Yoongi too. Everything you’d accomplished so far would be rearranged until the you that you’d become would be so unfathomable you wouldn’t ever consider it.

What scares you the most is that you actually consider it.

This all could end right now and you’d get out alive, maybe all the ordinary people you knew would get out alive too. You’d be completely removed from the situation. You’d just have to forget Jungkook.

“You asked me how much I know about God,” you start, thumbs twiddling, and Seokjin perks up, “the stories humans told of him always kind of scared me. He’s so powerful… he knew everything before it was even created. Nothing can get past him. And yet, he let humans have free will and the right to choose what their path in life would be. That part always boggled my mind. God’s supposed to love us unconditionally, but if we don’t return the favor, we suffer eternally. It seemed like a pretty big plothole in the otherwise ‘flawless plan’ you claim he made.”

“Yes, well, it’s not God’s fault that Lucifer’s so conniving.”

“But it is. Isn’t it? God created him. Lucifer is the one who brought sin upon the world but God is the one that created him. If he knows everything, why make him in the first place? It’s a fallacy,” Seokjin’s eye twitches just a bit as you lean forward, “that God knows everything. Isn’t it? He wouldn’t be so stupid. He had no fucking clue what he’d made when he made Lucifer.”

“I’d watch your tone. God hears all.” The angel’s ominous reply is all that you need to hear. He doesn’t tell you that anything else you’ve said is false or not. Of course not. You know as well as he does that you’re spot on.

You’re so stunted by the arrogance of it all that you have to laugh, “Allegedly.”

In that same moment, the white light above begins to flicker. A distant rumbling sounds from somewhere and that fear you’d felt earlier comes back with a vengeance. Seokjin looks annoyed, if anything, “I only have so much time to sit here with you to chat.” He stands up and walks over to you, seizing you by the arm, “So I’m telling you now that you still have a chance. No one else has to die. Do me a solid and make that a reality.”

Did he really not want to kill you? He’d had so many chances to. Even now, he could just… what did you have that made him hesitate? “You think I believe that?”

The ground rumbles underneath you and then you fall through, Seokjin’s grip slipping off your arm… or maybe being pried off.

Where you land next isn’t as disorienting as the last few times, but it doesn’t feel any better to be ripped away again without so much as a warning. For a moment before you land, you halt, almost floating. Then your feet make contact with stone and then your knees follow under the sudden press of gravity. A quick look around tells you that Seokjin is nowhere to be seen… and that where you are looks vaguely familiar.

The stone continues up the walls to the ceiling, creating a naturally cold room that expands no more than the size of a restroom (no toilets in sight, however). The furthest edge of the room from you is completely dark, while the other is helped by a fire stretching from one long, narrow wall to the other. There is no wood crackling beneath it though, nor is there an actual controlled area for it to burn. Flames simply lick up the bottom of the wall as if commanded by magic. While the rest of your body feels chilly, the warmth of the fire keeps your head warm like a fever.

You lay crumpled up on your knees and hands, staring into the flames with the most bemused expression, wondering what to do now. You’re definitely not intent on travelling to the other side of the room in fear of being met with something sinister you can’t see, but the fire only illuminates so much of the place and there doesn’t seem to be a door in sight. If Seokjin wasn’t here, you doubted this was a place he wanted to be.

Maybe he was torturing you? Intending to keep you in a dark, scary room in order to break your resolve? You didn’t know the extent of power he was allowed to wield but this whole transportation thing was starting to get really annoying. You chance a meek, “Hello?”

Your voice doesn’t echo like you expect it to. It sounds like it’s right up against your face, like you’d spoken into a pillow, the sound eaten as soon as it came from your mouth. Where the hell were you?

“...not exact, okay?!”

You pick up on a voice to your right and turn over with such speed that you land on your ass. Some stones move on the narrow wall, and then the room is illuminated from an entirely different source of light. It takes you a few moments to gather your bearings as your eyes attempt to adjust. Voices are frantic and coming closer, you can hear that much. You pick up on one instantly, “Jungkook.”

Your voice is weak with relief just as he comes into view. He looks an absolute mess as he throws himself at your feet and wraps you up into a bone-crushing hug. The strength of his hug doesn’t even bother you as you cling back with just as much force, grateful tears beginning to gush out of your eyes. You didn’t realize until then just how terrified you’d been, really. It was always there underneath the surface, but something about Jungkook’s sudden presence makes the reality of it all hit much harder. He smells like your shampoo still.

After a couple of minutes in his embrace, you pull away to examine his face, “Are you okay?”

He laughs and the way his tears have clogged up his throat make it sound more like he’s choking, “Who cares about me? Are you?”

You smile, tucking some of his hair behind his ear, “Better. With you here. Where are we?”

“Limbo, hell’s limbo.”

You’re not sure what to say in response to that. After what you’d been through in the last… however long it’d been, that seems the most plausible to you. “Is that like purgatory?”

“No,” another voice speaks from above you and only then do you realize that Yoongi is here too. He looms over the both of you but his gaze is fixed heavy on your face, “purgatory is where the dead go on their way to heaven. This is where the living come on their way to hell. Was a hell of a ride trying to get your ass down here.”

“Yoongi…” You peel back from Jungkook and stand up, a little wobbly as you lean against the wall, “...thank you. How did you do it? The places Seokjin took me… I felt like we were in a dream.”

His upper lip ticks up in a snarl, “It was. The place where you were is a void, heaven’s version of limbo. It’s where angels bargain with humans on the edge of death to repent. It’s an open playing field for angels to present themselves to their humans without them having to be dead or breaking a rule… not like the latter really applies to Seokjin, though. It’s only as strong as your will to be there,” with that, Yoongi reaches toward you and brushes what feels like sand off your cheek, or perhaps he just meant to touch you to make sure you were really here with the way it lingered, “and that’s the only reason I could pull you out.”

It was a lot to digest. You still couldn’t totally understand how he’d pulled you from heaven’s limbo if he was a demon, but that was beside the point. Right now, you just wanted to get out of this creepy box of a room for good. And it seemed you would be getting your wish.

Another figure became clear to you through the doorway, though this figure looked much more intimidating than the two by your side. Dressed immaculately with a sly smile that felt strikingly familiar, a man makes his way into the room, pressing a hand to his chest and bowing his head to you, “He had my help too, of course. A pleasure to meet you (Name), I’ve heard very little about you.” The man holds out a hand to you and you can feel both Jungkook and Yoongi stiffen on either side of you, but neither makes a move to stop him. This had to be another demon, no doubt.

You take his hand and shake it firmly despite your nerves, “T-Thank you for your help as well. May I ask who you are?”

The man grins wider, “You can call me Lucifer. Are you hungry?”

An entire array of human food is set out before you but you don’t have much of a stomach to touch any of it, though Jungkook seems right at home as he fills up his own plate. You can only guess he’s enjoying the hell out of having so much food at his fingertips without having to pay for it.

You can hear his delighted sound effects from the left of you as you both sit on one side of a long table. Lucifer sits at the head of the table to the right of you, also refraining from really eating anything. Yoongi sits right across from you on the other side with an annoyed expression on his face, fingers tapping the heavy oak table top in a rhythm you can’t decipher. It couldn’t be any more awkward.

“No appetite?” Lucifer asks, pointing to the food. There’s meat and vegetables and cheeses that you know and don’t know but none of it seems particularly appetizing to you at the moment.

You shake your head, “No. Actually, I have a few questions I’d like to ask you.”

“Ah, bet you’re bursting.” He chuckles and takes a swig of something you think might be wine. “Go ahead. I’ll try to recap the last couple of days as well as I can.”

“Days?!” You don’t mean to yell, you really don’t (especially not at the king of hell, but-), “It’s been days?”

Jungkook stops chewing to give you a concerned look, “Of course… how long was it for you?”

“Barely… half an hour, maybe more? But not days.”

“Yes, well,” Lucifer sighs, tucking his hands together in front of himself, “time works much differently in heaven and hell than it does here. Especially for those who end up in heavenly limbo. It’s essentially cut off from the rest of the universe which makes it that much harder to track those who end up there. Seokjin was smart in bringing you there than somewhere else on earth.”

Your head is throbbing at this point. If days had gone by, you could only imagine how much had changed since you’d been gone… “So… what has happened since then?”

“Apparently quite a bit, seeing as I was a last resort.” Lucifer’s tone almost sounds irritated. Like a petulant child, he glares over at his son with an unspoken tension that you would like to delve into much, much later when the important things have been moved out of the way. “These boys have been pretty busy trying to get you back. But we are all eager to know what happened while you were with Seokjin.”

Jungkook places a gentle hand on top of your knee under the table. For whatever reason, you note that his grip feels stronger than you’d grown used to. You’d thought the hug was just because he missed you so much, but even this simple touch was- “He… he found me in the dressing room, cornered me there and told me he’d been trying to get me and Jungkook alone. Somewhere he could really do some damage.” You recite all that you readily remembered, some details slipping as you focus on Jungkook’s touch. Yoongi’s eyes never stop boring into you. “He said a lot. He… he said he wanted to give me a second chance.”

Lucifer raises a brow at you, “At…?”

“Life. He said that if I… if I ratted out Jungkook, he’d work things out with God to set my life back on track. Memories wiped, a new guardian angel, the works.” You can feel Jungkook stiffen next to you.

“And did you take him up on it?” Lucifer inquires.

“No! No, I would… I would never. But he was so insistent… It sounded like he really wanted me to say yes. I don’t think he was planning to betray me if I took him up on it either.”

Lucifer heaves a heavy sigh. Folding his hands underneath his chin, the king of hell spares a glance at Jungkook, “He’s got a thing for innocents: those he believes did no actual harm in a situation. He’s always been soft that way. He has more of an affinity for humans than I ever did, but I have more reason to loathe humans than he does, so I guess it’s understandable.”

“He did… mention that none of this was my fault.”

“Of course! You were only following the path life laid out for you. It was the fallen angel you have beside you that decided to shake things up, and aren’t you lucky he did? It doesn’t surprise me one bit that you’re still alive. You’ve done nothing but suffer the consequences, it seems, against your own will.”

“But what about the demon he fell for? Or his child? Weren’t they killed so he could keep his spot in heaven?”

Lucifer leans forward, “I’m assuming your friends haven’t made it known to you yet, but they aren’t dead. They are both very much alive. In fact, the child in question was one of the people that helped in tracking you down. The mother… she is here, in hell, meant to stay imprisoned for all eternity. Or at least until the rapture,” with that, Lucifer drinks again, maintaining eye contact with your shocked stare, “but it was best that no one knew of their whereabouts. Only a handful of people even know that Inhui still exists. It’s become something of a legend amongst the demons and angels, shrouded in confusion. None of the angels would care for the mother, but the child would start an earthly war if they knew one still walked the earth. As far as they’re concerned, the child probably died from the natural complications of being an abomination.”

You frown, “How is that possible? An angel for every human on earth… that’s billions of angels and no one has even noticed the guy?”

“I was wondering about that, actually. He told us that he’d been walking the earth for a while now. Surely someone would have taken notice, right?” Jungkook speaks next, having abandoned his food entirely.

Yoongi snaps out of his bored stance, “Tae’s an anomaly. He’s forgotten everywhere he goes. His impression barely lasts long. Those people he encountered early on considered him a dream, or a hallucination, or a possession of the mind. His actual presence is… hazy. It’s easier to remember him by his name or his number, but everything else is-”

“Intangible.” His father finishes with a flourish. “No ordinary angel or demon could ever put a face to the name, only a feeling. Along with the rather excessive amount of glamours he employs when amongst the public, it is no wonder no one has sounded the alarm. Go ahead and recall his face in your mind, fallen. I’m sure you couldn’t piece it together even if you wanted to.”

Jungkook’s face screws up a little as an attempt, stricken dumb moments later when he can’t utter a thing. Your stomach churns at the thought, soiling your appetite even more.

It seemed like there was more to that story than you were being told, but you imagined that it would be quite a lot to relay to you in more than one sitting. After all, you still had no clue what you’d missed since you’d been gone, and it only hadn’t terrified you senseless because you were at least certain that the biggest threat to everyone’s lives had been right there with you the whole time.

“If you’re not planning to eat anytime soon, is there anything else you’d like to know? It’s not every day a mortal like you gets to talk to Lucifer.” With a small flourishing wave of his hand, Lucifer smiles at you, charming as ever. It was so strange. Yoongi acted nothing like his father, and yet you saw every bit of him in his expression.

You imagined Yoongi felt the need to distance himself as much as he could from his father’s intimidating image and had ended up creating his own in the process. Where Lucifer was inviting, however, Yoongi was… not for everyone. Even as he stares over the table at you, eyes hooded with what appears to be indifference rather than lasciviousness, you can’t help but see the other in him.

“I suppose not,” you murmur, “but now that I have the chance, I don’t really know what to say.”

Lucifer continues to smile, “Don’t fret! I’m sure after the doozy you’ve been in, you’ll need to rest up. You’re more than welcome to stay here until you feel it’s safe to go back topside.”

The thought of treating hell like a hotel to stay in was tickling to say the least. The minute you rise, Jungkook follows suit, nearly knocking his chair over in the process to follow you. “I’d appreciate that. Is there… perhaps a room I could cool down in? Maybe a bathroom?”

Lucifer had deposited both you and Jungkook in a rather nice room, fitted with all the things you’d find in a nice resort room overlooking somewhere like the Bahamas. The dark, brooding colors of Hell follow you even here, and what little light you are allowed in the room comes from fire or mysterious ambience. Still, it’s enough to splash your face with (what you’re definitely sure is) water in the ensuite bathroom.

Jungkook sits at the foot of the bed, watching you, “I missed you.”

Since the moment that the Lord of Hell and his son had left you to your devices, you’d become increasingly aware that something was off about your angel. You had imagined that it had been from the sheer worry he felt over you, but it was starting to feel different from that. Something not so easily explained. If only… if only you could figure it out.

You pat your skin dry and look over at him, measuring him up and down. Appearance wise, he still had the same haircut, same clothes, same shoes. It was the aura that felt different.

Slowly, you approach him from the bathroom and wish that there would be more light in the room to examine him with. In that same moment, what appeared to be a ray of warm light halos above you both, giving you exactly what you had wished for. When Jungkook looks up, he looks… radiant. “I missed you too…” You whisper, reaching out a hand to cup his jaw. At your touch, he shudders, melting into you, and those eyes then laser focus on your own. “Are you okay?”

“I am now.” He answers without hesitation, then turns to kiss your inner palm with such a sensual drag of his lips that you grow hot instantly. The surprise makes you yank your hand away and you swear you hear him whine at the missing contact.

“Y-You just look different.” You squeak, holding the aforementioned hand to your chest as if he’d burned you.

Jungkook’s bushy brows furrow. “Do I?”

When Jungkook had been an angel, he’d had a distinct glow about him that set him apart from others. It was cliche, but it made sense then. You knew that you were dealing with someone from another world. When he’d turned human, he’d felt softer, normal. He didn’t glow in any particular way lest the light hit him through the window just right. But now… that glow was back. In a way that didn’t feel familiar.

You reach your hand out again, but this time you let it wander. You push his fringe back from his forehead, then behind his ear, then down his neck to where a sweatshirt hides his collarbones. In a daze, you fall to your knees before his seated frame and push the fabric back some. You find… nothing. You don’t even know what you’re looking for. A vampire bite? What is so different?

Your hand starts to fall mindlessly as you wrack your brain, but it’s all for naught when Jungkook catches hold of it and intertwines his fingers with yours. His grip is warm and solid. But it’s still- “I thought he’d hurt you.”

You look back up into Jungkook’s eyes as he now leans over you with an intense stare. His hair curls around his cheekbones and twists away from his face at the nape, each strand fluttering as he inches closer until the longest ones are touching your face. “Not much. He healed what he did anyway.”

At that, your angel’s eyes narrow in their scan over you, “What did he do?”

You instinctively swallow. Perhaps because you remember the feeling. Perhaps because Jungkook looks like he could kill. “He… he had to get me to limbo. He had to…” You touch the skin of your throat the same moment you break eye contact, feeling the ghost of Seokjin’s fingers there. It wasn’t so long ago that it had happened after all. You could honestly still feel it.

The silence grows until it’s nearly unbearable, you eventually finding that Jungkook will say nothing while you continue to avoid his gaze. Against your better judgement, you chance a look up at him.

You don’t get very long to look. Jungkook takes both sides of your face and lunges forward like a man possessed and you are forced to follow. In your surprise, you stumble back onto your elbows and Jungkook slots himself between your legs, latching onto your lips in a searing kiss. It’s hot and fast and immature, the kiss of a person who has never kissed before and may never get the chance to kiss again. Youngho had never kissed you like this.

A gentle whimper escapes your mouth but Jungkook inhales it into his own. You feel something primal burn inside you when Jungkook growls out, crouching over you now like a predator cornering his prey, and he’s practically consuming you when you start to kiss back. Can you blame yourself? You easily fold into the feeling because it’s Jungkook and goddamn if you hadn’t wanted to kiss him badly before.

His inexperience does very little to dissuade from how good it feels too, and as you start to take over to guide him, he is all too eager to feel your reciprocated passion. The heady feeling he gives you in his sudden attack pushes all thoughts of Seokjin or the last few days out of your mind like a fast-acting asprin. All you can think of now is how tightly coiled you’d been and how Jungkook is loosening you up one press of his lips at a time.

He lays you on your back and you happily oblige, no cushioning found on the hard floor but you couldn’t care less. Jungkook is careful not to be too rough, aware of your needs as much as his own, and it’s jarringly sweet the way he cradles the back of your head to keep you from hitting it on your descent.

When he’s had enough of your lips (as if he could ever), he starts attacking your neck. He’s lapping at your skin and biting away as if he’s trying to remove all traces of Seokjin’s hands… as if he’s replacing the feeling with him and him only. “I’ll kill him,” Jungkook whispers, a foreign fury in his voice that makes your haze disappear in an instant while he continues to work at your neck, “I’ll kill him for ever touching you.”

Your hand shoots to his hair, feeling your heart beat faster from more than just the kisses, “Kook-” But any attempt at sobering up washes away when, to your surprise, he ruts against you. Youngho had never been that good at using his hips like that either. There was something definitely off with Jungkook.

As much as it pains you, you grab at his hair and yank back, ignoring (or trying to) the filthy groan that he gives in response before peeling away from your skin. You gasp for breath, absolutely winded, “What is going on?”

Jungkook pants past wet lips, “What do you mean-”

“Did Yoongi do this to you?” The sudden heated moment is over when you say that.

Jungkook’s blood has run cold. You have a very strong, haunting feeling that your mounting suspicions have proven correct. His eyes… as gentle as they always were when they looked at you, told you everything. He was not the same Jungkook you’d come to know. Something had happened to him. Something irreversible. You touch his face again and this time Jungkook does not move to embrace it. He looks like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world. “Why?”

In an attempt to escape your pitiful gaze, Jungkook’s eyes flutter shut, cutting you off from seeing him vulnerable any longer. It breaks your heart the longer he stays silent. There’s no denying it now.

A tear of his touches the palm of your hand instead of his lips this time, “How else could I protect you?” He chokes, weak, “I’m not your angel anymore. I can’t be like you. This is the only way... the only way I could stand to look you in the eyes again.”

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch25: All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go

Summary: The team work hard to put the events of Sokovia behind them, whilst Steve and Katie set a date for their wedding. But as the Avengers get to grips with their new base upstate, with Tony retired from active service, Steve finds his time stretched perilously thin between his leadership responsibilities and his soon to be wife…and tempers boil over.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark 

Warnings: Bad language, HARD Smut! (NSFW, Under 18s) Bad Language words.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

A/N: More super edits from @angrybirdcr​ . And this chapter was always one where I was a little bit ambivalent about the flashbacks and ending, so I kinda changed it up a bit...

Chapter 24 Part 2

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

July 2015

“You’re up early.” Steve said as he dropped onto the swinging chair besides his girl. It wasn’t even 6 am yet but she was sat outside on their patio “You ok?”

“Yeah.” she smiled at him, as he pecked her cheek, looking out over the dimly lit lawn area of the Newly Opened Avengers Facility which swept down to the banks of the Hudson. The Facility had been the product of one of Tony’s crazy brain farts not long after they had come back from Sokovia and had been remodelled in record time. Whilst some areas were still undergoing renovations, over 80% of it was complete. There had also been changes to their team too. Clint had headed home, the birth of his baby son- Nathaniel Pietro- prompting him to take indefinite paternity leave, all of them fully accepting this was his way of leaving everything behind for good. Thor had left earlier that morning, promising he would return for the Wedding, whenever they finally got round to setting a date. But they still hadn’t heard a thing from Banner and the jet was proving impossible to track. On the plus side, they invited Sam and Rhodey to join the team officially and both had gleefully accepted, along with Vision and Wanda. Lawson was now their chief Technician and Evans had joined the team too, which made Katie happy as she enjoyed their company.

It was starting to grow light, the first rays of sunlight were bouncing off the water to the West. He turned to look at his girl and watched her as she surveyed the river, feet tucked underneath her on the seat.

“No regrets?” he asked, and Katie could feel him studying her face as her mind wandered back to the conversation they’d had when Tony had first mentioned moving to a new base.

Look, Cap, we’re like a trouble magnet,“ Tony explained animatedly, "Wherever the Avengers are, trouble follows.”

“So - you’re suggesting we build another building?” Steve rubbed his neck and looked up at the blueprints Tony had now blown up against the wall.

“I’m suggesting we relocate, completely, leave the Tower to Stark Industries and build our own facility and expand.” Tony said, flipping through pictures with a sweep of his finger. “We have this this old warehouse upstate, good location, middle of nowhere.”

"Less chance of civilian damage.” Steve’s hands fell to the buckle on his belt.

“Full medical wing, Living quarters, as well as a bunch of extra spare apartments, for all the strays we keep accumulating, training arena, kitchen, cafeteria- satellite links- you name it, you got it.”

"How long will it take?” Steve asked and Katie tried not to sigh at the fact that her dream of a quiet life in a nice house in Brooklyn had just blown up in front of her face.

Tony looked affronted. “I’m a billionaire cap, it’ll take however long we say.”

Steve looked at Katie who simply shrugged at him, keeping her face passive.  

“Have you two eaten?” she asked, changing the subject.

Tony shook his head as did Steve.

“I’ll fix you both something.” she turned and started moving towards the kitchen area.

“Not for me…” Tony said. “I’ve got a dinner reservation with Pepper at 8…” “Yeah, you might wanna get a move on then, seeing as its 7:30.” She shot over her shoulder as she turned and began pulling stuff out of the fridge to prepare dinner.

“What?” Tony glanced at his watch and frowned “Shit…fuck…”

“You kiss Pepper with that mouth?” Steve quipped back as Tony collected up his laptop and the blue-prints disappeared off the wall.

“FRIDAY why didn’t you remind me?” Tony groaned. “You never asked Boss…” The Irish lilt came back.

“I miss JARVIS…” Tony grumbled, the door clicking shut as he left.

Steve headed into the kitchen and stood for a moment watching his wife as she moved around, before he he headed over to her, his arms wrapping round her from behind.

“Are you okay, you know, with the idea of moving to a new facility?” Steve asked. “I know it’s not exactly the home you had in mind.”

“We’ll be together. That’s all that matters.” Katie shrugged, concentrating on her task- chopping a pepper up for the couscous salad she was making.

“I know but, I just worry sometimes. You deserve better, a quiet life.”

“Not sure we have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice.” Steve dropped a kiss to her cheek. “You got out of SHIELD, you could get out of this.”

“You know for a moment in Sokovia… “Katie placed her knife down and turned to face him. “I thought… well I thought we weren’t getting out of it alive. And It frightened me, I’m not gonna lie…”

She looked up at him and met his eyes. He knew the whole thing with Ultron and the final show down in Sokovia had shaken her, more than any other mission she’d been involved in. It served as a reminder exactly what is achievable with technology, how fragile humans are, how easily life and peace could be shattered. For that split second, when on that floating city she hadn’t seen a way out, she had genuinely thought their time was up. And her life with Steve cut short before it had even started.

“We stood there, on that rock and in that split second when it seemed everything was lost you know what I felt?” she looked at him and he waited for her answer “Relief. Relief that if we both went down, we did it together and I didn’t have to spend a single day without you…”

“Sweetheart…” Steve began but she carried on.

“I can’t sit by and simply wave you off on a mission wondering to myself if it’s the last time I ever see you. I hated doing that when I left SHIELD and I can’t do it anymore. You fight, I fight.” “So what if I quit?” Steve looked at her. “What if I gave you the life you deserve?” “You can’t quit, and I wouldn’t ask you to.” Katie shook her head, smiling a little. “The world needs The Avengers, and the Avengers need their Captain…” “And their Captain needs his girl.” Steve took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with something that looked to her a lot like worry. She sighed and ran her hands up his arms, bringing them to rest on his shoulders. 

“And she’s not going anywhere…” Katie she assured him gently, standing on her toes to give him a peck

She knew the Avengers depended on Steve as their leader even more so now that Tony had said he was hanging up his Iron Man suits for good, choosing to manage and see over the running of the practical side of things instead of active combat. Ultron had really hit her brother hard, but whilst his way of dealing with it was to call it quits, Steve was the opposite. He wasn’t ready to leave this behind for a quiet suburban life. And if being with him meant Katie had to stay too, then so be it.

So, regrets?

“No” she said, taking his hand in hers as she lay her head against his shoulder. “None at all.”

He smiled to himself as her hand began to play with his, the fingers of her left hand gently tracing across his knuckles, the only evidence of her brutal beating last year was the slightly bent pinkie that no matter how much physio she had, she couldn’t extend it fully.  He still got a cold shiver when he thought about how close he had come to losing her. She sighed softly, and he looked down to see she was looking at their intertwined hands and then it struck him just how much he couldn’t wait to tie himself to her for the rest of his life.

“Let’s get married.” He whispered gently into her ear.

“I thought we already were.” She chuckled.

“No, I mean let’s do it. Let’s get a date set, the sooner the better. We were supposed to set one months ago and I don’t want to wait any longer.” “Is that what you want?” She looked up at him smiling.

He nodded “More than anything, Doll.”

“Alright. Let’s do it.” He grinned before his lips met hers, the kiss gentle and soft.

“Any ideas on where?” She asked. As a matter of fact Steve did, the idea had come to him a few days ago, but he wasn’t sure if she was going to go for it.

“Well…I errr…thought, maybe, perhaps we could look at the church my mom used to take me to when I was a kid.” He ran a hand through his hair “That is, if you wanted to.” “Steve that’s a lovely idea.” She smiled and he beamed down at her

“You think?” “Yeah. And I’ve been thinking, maybe, we could have the reception here, in the grounds.” she said, looking at him.

“Here?” Steve frowned, he’d assumed she’d want some kind of hotel booking downtown. But as she spoke, he soon realised that what she was saying made perfect sense, and was more them than any flash place they could hire.

“Think about it.” she said, “No security issues, no press, just us, our friends, family… we can get a marquee by the lake…” Katie paused. As a girl she’d always envisaged a huge, fairy tale wedding with hundreds of guests, in The Rainbow Rooms no less. But now, all she wanted was for those people who meant the world to them to be there to celebrate with them.

“Are you sure?” he asked. She nodded. “Never been so sure of anything in my life.”

“Then I’m fine with that.” He smiled, gently kissing her again.

“So you wanna go see this church?”  she asked.

“What now? It’s barely light…” “So?” she sat up “I’ll take you to IHOP on the way…” “Now you’re talking…”he grinned.

By the time they had showered, which Steve had suggested they do together, to save water and time (although by the time they had finished there was a lot more water and time used up than if they showered alone) and finally dressed it was gone eight, meaning they hit IHOP at just after half past. As they both stuffed their faces, excitedly talking about their clandestine wedding planning Katie was struck with just how young Steve looked. He was dressed casually in a Dodgers T-shirt, jeans, trainers and a baseball cap, his blue eyes sparkling with anticipation. He was excited.

The church was in a small neighbourhood in Brooklyn and Katie instantly fell in love with the place. St Augustine’s was an old red stone and brick built church with a tall spire. Very Gothic chic, which caught her attention instantly. As Steve climbed out of the car, a rush of memories hit him, the smells, the noises, the sights, everything. It was like he had stepped back in time as he saw his mother grasping his hand softly as she led him up the steps and through the heavy wooden doors. The last time he had set foot in this church, however, had been his mother’s funeral. But now, it was time for something happier.

Steve slipped his arm round Katie.

“What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful.” Katie said.

Before Steve had chance to reply, a voice with a faint Irish lilt spoke, causing them both to stand and turn to see the Priest walking towards them.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes, hi…” Steve smiled, shaking the priest’s hand “I’m Steve…”

“Rogers, yes I recognised you.” the Priest smiled “Pleasure to meet you Captain.”

Steve shook his hand before the Priest reached out to Katie

“So this would make you Miss Stark?”

“Hi.” she smiled, shaking his hand.

“Charmed…” The Priest smiled, his eyes twinkled as he looked at Katie and she instantly warmed to the man. He wasn’t as old as she had expected, maybe a few years older than Tony, the hair around his temples was greying and his eyes were lined but he had a kind smile.

“So what can I do for you?”

“Well, we…” Steve smiled at Katie before he looked at the Priest. “We’d like to get married here. As soon as we can.” The dark haired man smiled and beckoning for them to follow him to the back of the church “I’m sure we can manage that, let’s see what date’s we have free…”

After chatting to the priest, and settling on a date, Steve was taken by a wave of nostalgia and convinced Katie to drop into the small cemetery on the outskirts of Brooklyn. Weaving their way through the stones he finally stopped in between two well weathered ones, which contained the names of his parents. Crouching down he gently wiped away decades worth of grime and he bowed his head, his eyes wet.

“Hey ma.” He said softly, “brought someone to meet you.”

Katie felt the tears springing into her eyes as she crouched next to him, laying her head on his shoulder.

“She’d be so proud of you, Stevie” She said gently, “They both would”

“I hope so.” he said softly and she reached out to turn his head so he was looking at her.

“Baby, how could they not be?”

She gently kissed him before she stood up and made her way to the car, leaving him alone with his thoughts for 10 minutes or so before he came striding out of the yard, and climbed into the driver’s side.

“Could we, maybe update the stones?” he asked after a moments pause “I mean I didn’t have much money back then and I’d like them to have something a bit more, I dunno…” “Of course we can.” she said, tangling her fingers with his, bringing his hand up to her lips so she could kiss his knuckles “Of course we can.”

******

“31st August?” Natasha frowned. She was the first person after Tony who they told they had set a date.

Katie nodded.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah…”

“That’s like…well, it’s weeks away!”

“Look, just be grateful it wasn’t sooner. The priest originally offered us a date two weeks off which Steve was all for taking until I persuaded him to give us a bit more time.”

“You know you could have set this date months ago.” Natasha rolled her eyes “Yeah, I know. I mean it’s gonna be a bitch to organise. If only I had a really good almost sister-in-law and a best friend with amazing military like planning skills that could also double up as bridesmaids…” Katie said, eyeing her as they walked. Natasha stopped and turned to face her friend. “You mean…” Katie smiled at her and nodded “If you’re up for the job…”

“I’d be honoured…” she stuttered, before pulling her into a hug, which surprised her slightly but she returned it gladly. “I’ve never been a bridesmaid before.” “There is one condition…” Katie said looking at her “Can you get Wanda involved in the organisation too? Help her with something other than training or whatever…”

Nat smiled “Sure I can handle that.” Natasha’s response was nothing to the one she got from Tony when she asked him to give her away. 

“You know you’re my dad in every way other than actually being my dad…” she said, her fingers on one hand playing with those on the other as she felt her eyes misting “There’s no other person I’d want to walk me up the aisle…” He instantly teared over and pulled her into a hug, not finding his voice for a good 30 seconds as he silently shed his tears over her shoulder.

“I’d be honoured…”he whispered softly, kissing her cheek.

Steve, however wasn’t having as much luck. Rhody, Clint and Sam all accepted his invitations to be Groomsmen (he sent one to Thor via Jane, who also accepted gleefully with a loud, booming phone call) but he was struggling really to decide who to ask as his best man.

His initial thought had been Tony, despite the fact the two of them bitched and bickered at one another, they were close, almost brotherly close. However, given that Tony was giving Katie away in his role as Father/Brother of the Bride that was out. The next obvious choice was Sam, but it all just felt wrong. He was struggling, coming to terms with the fact that his lifelong best friend wouldn’t be the one to do the job.

“I always thought it would be Buck by my side.” he said, looking out over the lawn as he was sat on the patio one evening with Katie, the pair of them with a beer in hand. “He was, is, my oldest friend.”

“Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known for the longest Steve.” Katie said, shrugging “It’s about who came into your life and never left your side.”

Those words had resonated within him, and he realised they made perfect sense. So in the end he did ask Sam, who accepted gleefully. Although when he caught him and Natasha huddled in a corner, looking at something on his phone one afternoon, the pair of them sniggering like a couple of naughty kids he started to wonder what on Earth he had started.

***** Katie sat in front of her mirror and did her hair and make-up before she shrugged on the pale pink jumpsuit she’d bought especially for that evening, slipped her feet into her heels and headed to the living room. It was now 6:30, but knowing Steve as she did, he would no doubt barrel through the door in the next 10 minutes, swearing the way he always did when no one else but she could hear him, shower and be ready to go in 15 minutes flat.

She sighed to herself, she’d had the best day today in a long time. It was the first day in ages she’d had off work and she’d managed to buy her wedding dress. Or should that be Tony had bought her wedding dress courtesy of Pepper and a black Amex.  Wanda and Nat had cruised down to Manhatten with he in the Champagne stocked limo, stopping to pick Pepper up on the way. Once in the boutique, it had taken them a while but Katie had finally settled on one, a gorgeous, sweetheart neckline Ivory A-line with lace detailing all-over the bodice which was decorated with crystals. The skirt flared into layer upon layer of tulle decorated with the same lace detailing and beading with the skirt extending into a layered train at the back.

Steve had also had a reasonably productive day. Given that he, Sam and Rhodey were planning on wearing their Military Uniforms for the wedding and that Thor was going to be in his best Asgardian dress gear this only left Clint and Tony to organise for the suits. Katie had already picked them, simple charcoal pinstripes with ivory and gold waistcoats and light blue ties (light blue, pale red and gold were their colours, being a less gaudy variation of red, white and blue which they had agreed on) so this meant all he had to do was sort a fitting for Clint and Tony.

It had been a lot easier than he had imagined, the store already having Tony’s measurements, (because of course he got all his suits from there) and they also had a sister branch about 30 miles from where Clint lived who could sort it for him. So with that done and completed by lunch time his attention had turned to the meetings he had with General Ross and Rhodey about a potential collaboration programme with some of the Armed Forces Specialists. Now he had one final stop to see how the New Recruits for the support team were getting on.

“Hey,“ Steve said as he strode into the training facility before he smirked and nodded over Sam’s shoulder "I’m assuming you told them to take five?”

A confused frown spread over Sam’s face as he turned to look behind him. Every single one of the recruits was standing right staring wide eyed at the Captain.

“Drills!“ Sam shouted “Or you’ll get another 10 laps of the compound!”

“You’ve taken to this training role far too easily.” Steve grinned at him.

“What can I say, I’m a natural born leader.” he grinned “S’up?”

“I’ve been going through the intel on the Cambodia job.” Steve said. “I know the authorities are insisting its some low times arms dealer thinking he can muscle in on someone else’s patch but something smells off.”

“That’s because it is.” Nat said, walking into the gym, tablet in her hand.

“You got something?” Steve asked and she nodded, handing him the item.

“Cross referenced the MO. Matches an attack on an Army Munitions factory in Calcutta. And one in Tayshet, Russia” she said “And this is the culprit.” Steve looked down at the photo up of a man in what looked like a White Hockey Mask.

“He’s calling himself Crossbones.” Nat said as Sam moved to look at the photo.

“Great…another rogue arms dealer.” Steve rolled his eyes.

Sam snorted “What kind of dumbass name is Crossbones?”

Steve sighed and looked at Natasha “We got any info on who he might be?”

“I contacted a few people.” Nat said vaguely. “One of my contacts came through and says he has something but will only speak in person.”

“How soon can we go?” Steve looked at her.

“I’ll talk to them, see what they say.” She said.

Steve nodded “Ok, well I don’t think it needs the full team so me and you will go, Sam you can hold the fort here. We should only be away for a day or two.”

Sam shrugged “You’re the boss.” “I’ll make a few calls, tell them to expect us.” Nat said. Steve nodded and she straightened up. “You talked to Katie?”

“Not since this morning why?” Steve looked at Nat.

“She got a wedding dress today.”

“She did?” Steve’s face softened just the way it did anytime someone referred to their wedding. “Hang on, am I allowed to know that?” “Think it’s pretty safe to know your future wife’s bought a wedding dress, you know, on account of the fact you’ll be getting married soon.” Sam snorted “You’re just not supposed to see it before hand.”

“How long did she take to pick it?” Steve looked at Natasha, a grin on his face. Natasha smirked back at him.

“Not that long, because I’d already rung and told them the type of thing she like so nothing she tried on was hideous to her. We were in there a couple of hours, then went for some lunch and did a bit more shopping.”  

“Good.” Steve nodded. “She’s been working really hard recently so she deserved a day off. I feel like I’ve hardly seen her over the past few weeks with everything that’s been going on.”

Which reminded him, he couldn’t wait to take her out that night for a well overdue evening together. They’d both been so busy with setting up the compound, her business and he was looking forward to them both escaping the hustle and bustle. Which reminded him, he needed to go.

Nodding to the pair of them, smiling as Sam barked another order, he wandered into the corridor. It seemed a lot less busy than usual. Maybe everyone had taken an early finish for some reason, although he couldn’t think why for a Tuesday. He glanced at his watch and gave a start. “Shit…”

They weren’t taking an early dart, he was taking a late finish.

Katie was sat on the couch, shoes long since abandoned along with any hope that they were actually going anywhere, and was half way through a bottle of very expensive Pinot Grigio that she had bought for them to have once they got home by the time Steve blustered into the apartment.

“Shit, shit…baby I am so sorry!” he said, as Katie looked up, not even able to bring herself to be pissed off anymore, she’d been angry about half an hour ago. Now she was just disappointed. “The meeting with Ross and Rhodey took a bit longer and then something came up on the Cambodia thing” he continued, sighing “Time just got away from me.” he stopped as he drew level with the couch “You look gorgeous.” “Shame it was for nothing” She said, rolling her eyes, turning her attention back to the TV and the re-run of Friends she’d been watching but not paying attention to.

“We can still go…”

“There’s no way we’ll make it.” she said, pointing to the clock with her eyes “Its forty minutes into Manhatten and you need to change.” “I’ll call, push it back…” he said after a moment’s pause. “Just forget it.” she sighed “Honey…” he dropped to his knees in front of her “Don’t be like that…we can go for a drink or something.” “I’m not being like anything.” she snapped back. “You’re the one that told me to ready by seven, well I was…you on the other hand-”

“I know and I’m really sorry.” “I know.” she said, standing up “You said. Look, it doesn’t matter. Not like I had anything special to talk to you about or anything…”

“What do you mean?” He frowned, “What-“

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter.”

“Katie…” he sighed as he rose to his feet too.

“I’m going to get changed and take a dip in the hot-tub with the rest of this bottle of wine and a manuscript, might as well make the most of my spare time” she said, grabbing the ice bucket as she headed to the hallway “Your presence is not required.”

*****

“Uh oh, what you done?” Natasha asked as she walked into Steve’s office the next morning, finding him browsing delivery sites for flowers.

“Last night was supposed to be Date night.” He muttered with a sigh “I was late, and we missed our reservation. First time I’ve ever done that. Katie was not happy.” “So I suppose now isn’t a good time to as if you’re up for a trip to Russia tomorrow.” Nat said, and he let out a groan. Katie had hardly spoken two words to him all evening and this morning before she had left for her office at the other end of the compound. Today was Wednesday, one of the 2 days out of 5 she worked on SIP stuff during the morning, then trained in the afternoon, a way for her to keep her toes in with the Avengers training.

“You’re right, it’s not.” he said, “But she’s pissed at me anyway so…”

“You sure it’s just about date night?” Nat asked, “Not like her to get so annoyed over something like that, especially if, as you say, you’ve never done it before.” “Well like I said yesterday, this place has been taking up a lot of my time” He shrugged. “She’s probably feeling a bit neglected. It’s my fault completely.” 

“Well instead of wasting money on flowers…” Nat said, nodding to his screen. “Go and find her now, take her somewhere for the afternoon. I’m supposed to be sparring with her in 15 minutes, we can reschedule.”

Steve hesitated. “What about…” “I can handle the arrangements for Russia.” Nat said, “Just go.”

Katie’s bad mood hadn’t got any better by the time she finished her work for the morning and it got even worse when she reached the door of the main gym area and paused as one of the new recruits, a girl called Jenny Allen, was midway through a full on bitch rant.  

“Who the hell does she think she is anyway? I mean…” “She’s a damned good agent.” Evan’s voice cut her off “One of the best I worked with, one of the most outstanding snipers I know so…” “Yeah well she still shouldn’t just be allowed to dip into missions as and when? I mean, we all train our asses off and she just walks around, like she’s hot shit just because she was trained by some SHIELD legend when we all know the real reason she was pulled into SHIELD and the Avengers in the first place is because of her name…” “You’re out of line…” “And let’s face it, she’s only here now because she’s engaged to Cap, and owns half the gaff…”

“I mean, they are two pretty good reasons” Katie said, pushing the doors open and walking into the gym. She had to give Allen credit, she started bit but then recovered and stood tall.

“Katie, I…” Evans started but Katie cut him off. “It’s ok…she has an opinion, she’s entitled to it. Say what’s on your mind Allen.” “I just…” she took a deep breath “I don’t like the way you seemingly get to swan into missions, with little to no training like the rest of us. It’s dangerous.” “Dangerous?” Katie folded her arms over her chest.

“Yes, dangerous. You don’t know how we operate as a team, I mean are you still versed in hand to hand?” Versed? What the fuck?

Katie raised her eyebrow and smirked at Evans who instantly spotted the look on her face. Fuck this, she’d been waiting to give Allen a smack since she had caught her batting her eyelids at Steve, practically trying to climb him when he’d been running over a report with her. What better way was there to fix a bad mood?

“I tell you what.” Katie said “why don’t we find out? I’m due to spar with Widow but you’ll do.” “I err…” Allen hesitated slightly. “Nova I don’t think that’s a good idea?” Evans cut int. “I mean…” “No.” Allen said, straightening up. “It’s fine…I’m game.” Katie turned to drop her water on a bench and started to wrap her hands in the bandages she had.

“Go easy on her…” Evans whispered in Katie’s ear. She looked at him innocently.

The pair of them started to circle and Katie waited, waited like she always did for her opponent to make the first move. She watched, quickly noting that the woman favoured her right, so she was right handed. She was also a bit taller than Katie, and stockier but that wasn’t an issue, she’d floored Sam before and Evans come to think of it.

As Allen came in with a right lead, Katie ducked and aimed a harsh left jab at her mid-section, causing the woman to let out a gasp of air. She recovered fast, coming in again and Katie moved to the right so the blow glanced off her ribs and aimed a kick to her right knee, causing her to stumble slightly. As she straightened Katie was waiting and landed a hard jab straight to her face, causing her to reel as her nose began billowing crimson. There were hisses from the watching recruits and she vaguely registered Evans to tell her to take it easy but she wasn’t listening. Allen wiped at her face and came at Katie, full on, which was what she had wanted, she’d riled her enough to make her want to fight fierce but as she came Katie threw herself to the left and swept both legs from under her. She crashed to the mat and in an instant Katie had her on her front, knee in her back as she yanked her arms back.

“You’re right…” Katie bent over, lips close to her ear as she struggled, making Katie pull even more “I do own half this gaff, and my brother owns the other half. Something you need to remember when shooting your mouth off, and trying to climb my fiancée in his office…” “I wasn’t-.” she protested and Katie cut her off with another yank.

“If you so much as utter another word commenting on my fighting skills again. I will rip your arms out of your sockets, right before I have you escorted out of my compound, you got that?” “Yeah I got it.”

Steve paused at the sight in front of him. Following Natasha’s advice he’d headed to the gym, ready to take his girl out for the afternoon, only to find her pinning Allen to the floor, the woman’s arms yanked behind her back and her nose bleeding on the mat.

“I tried to stop them…” Evans looked up at Steve who made a noise in his throat and strode towards the two women. “Katie that’s enough!” his voice rang out loud across the gym.  “What the hell is going on?” “Allen had some worries I wasn’t field ready.” Katie let go and easily got to her feet, looking at him, a flash of anger in her eyes, the fact he had used his Captain’s voice on her hadn’t gone unnoticed. “So I offered to show her, put her mind at ease.”

“Yeah well I think you’ve made your point.” he said, looking at Allen as she stood up holding tight to her nose, pressing firmly to either side to try and staunch the flow of blood from the single quick right straight Katie had hit her with before the take down.

“Do you need medical Allen?” Steve asked. She shook her head. He turned his attention to Katie, and glared at her “I don’t know what the hell is going on here…” “I just told you.” she shot back. “I was showing how field versed I was…” “By punching her in the face?” he said, his hands falling to his belt. Katie folded her arms and glared back at him.

“We were sparring.” “You were trying to rip her arms out of the sockets…”

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Katie rolled her eyes earning herself a glower, a look which would quell anyone else but not her, she wasn’t scared of him. “Maybe now she’ll think twice about making shitty comments.” “If someone punched you every time you made a shitty comment you’d never get up.” he said back, no trace of humour in his voice, because he didn’t find the issue funny at all. He eyed her again before he nodded to the door “Go.” Was he serious? One look in his eyes told Katie he was. 

“Fine.” she shrugged, picking up her water bottle before she left. Natasha, who noticed the tears in her eyes went to stop her but Katie waved her away. Steve watched her back before he turned to Evans, pointing to Allen

“Patch her up and then I’ll see both of you in my office. AND GET BACK TO WORK!” he bellowed round the room.

Evans and Allen both nodded and left.

Steve noticed Natasha was looking at him from the doorway, arms folded.

“Got something to say, Romanoff?” he asked, snappily.

“What could I possibly have say when you handled that so well?” she asked sarcastically. “FYI, you might want to take your shield back home with you later, I can’t expect Nova’s gonna take to being stripped down in front of people so well…” She levelled Steve with another look before she left and he let out a groan of frustration. Could this get any worse?

By the time he got back to his office both Evans and Allen were waiting. And when Evans explained what Allen had been saying, Steve was even more frustrated as he wasn’t surprised Katie had reacted the way she did, not that it made it right, just a little more understandable. He unloaded on the woman, gave her a verbal warning and then dismissed them both. Then, deciding it was time to face the music at home he headed to their apartment.

Katie had made it back to their quarters before she had burst into tears. She knew she was being unreasonable in a lot of ways. The Compound was still finding its feet, so of course it wasn’t going to run like clockwork and obviously Steve was going to be working long hours. She was too, she wasn’t completely innocent in that respect. The issue was him missing date night was something he had never done before and it had surprised her a lot. Was she getting less important to him as the time went on? 

Angrily she stripped off, changed into her bikini top and her denim shorts before she grabbed her book intending on heading out to the patio area to top up her tan in the August sun.

She was in the kitchen, grabbing herself a beer when Steve came back.

“You alright?” He asked.

“No.” Her tone was clipped, “But thanks for asking.”

He rolled his eyes “Katie…”

“Excuse me.” She went towards the door, but he didn’t move.

“Steve, get out of my way.”

He still didn’t move. “No, you’re not going anywhere until we sort this out.”

She groaned and looked up to the ceiling.

“Wanna tell me what your problem is?” he asked

“Right now, you, not letting me out of this fucking room.” she sighed, rubbing at her temples.

“Look, I know you’re pissed at me for last night and I get that, but..”

“That is not the problem!”

“Then what is?” He shot back, somewhat exasperatedly. “Honey, I can’t fix anything if I don’t know what I’m supposed to be fixing…”

” That!” she looked at him, her voice loud “That is the problem! That you have no fucking idea what the matter is! You’re so wrapped up in running this place I hardly get a look in. You don’t ask for my input, you don’t involve me in anything…”

“Woah, now hang on.” He stepped forward. “When we moved here you said you didn’t want to run anything…”

“And then you order me out of the fucking room in front of the damned trainees!”

“Yeah well you can’t just kick the crap out of one of my team members like that”

“Yeah well your team member is an asshole.” Katie rolled her eyes. “She deserved it for being a dick…”

She took the opportunity to dodge round him and out of the doorway he had vacated when he stepped into the kitchen and made her way to the doors at the back.

“Right now you’re being a dick”

“I’m not. I just don’t want to play second fiddle to your fucking Army Camp anymore.” “Army Camp?” he let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Yes Army Camp” she said, spinning round.

“You’re being ridiculous.” he shook his head, running his hand through his hair. “Absolutely ridiculous.” “And that doesn’t help!” she glowered at him “When I’m pissed off or upset, you telling me I’m being ridiculous…” “Well you are…” A chuckle escaped his mouth before he could stop it.

“Stop fucking laughing at me!” She yelled, the heat rising up her neck and to my ears. He was really, really pissing her off, her could see it on her face he took a deep breath as she continued. “Tell me I’m wrong, tell me this whole thing isn’t about reclaiming some of that time and life that was stolen from you?”

“You think…” He stopped and cocked his head to one side, trying to make sense of what she was saying “You think that this, all of this…” he waved his arms around “Is some kind of trip down memory lane?” “Well isn’t it?” He shook his head, snorting, giving her comment the contempt it deserved. “You couldn’t be further off the mark if you tried.”

“Well from what I see it looks like you’re simply trying to re-live your Howling Commando days.” She snapped back “And I have news for you Steve, I’m not Peggy, no matter how much you wish I was.”

The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them and they felt like a slap to his face. But instead of it upsetting him, he found himself boiling over with anger at how fucking ridiculous she was being. They had been through this time and time again, he’d shown her and told her at Clint’s she as the most important thing in his life, hell, they were getting married in less than three weeks for fucks sake, what else did he need to do?

“That’s out of order and you know it.” His voice was low. What do I have to do to make you realise you are what I want? Not Peggy, you…”

Suddenly the shitty nature of her words began to sink in and Katie found herself unable to look at him anymore, so she turned her head to the side. So he crossed the room and grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger forcing her to look at him. As she looked back his jaw twitched slightly, a mixture of hurt and anger in his eyes, the furious energy radiating off him and then that ridiculous part of Katie’s brain that controlled her libido piped up, this was fucking hot. Her breathing hitched slightly and he felt it too.

“Fine, if that’s what you want…” he practically growled as his lips crashed onto hers and before she could even think to kiss him back, he pulled away - leaving her wanting and moving toward him to try and catch his lips again. Her hands reached for his face, desperately trying to bring him back to her. At the motion, his hands grabbed her wrists and forced them back to her sides, clearly, but wordlessly telling her who was in charge.

There was a slight pause between them, both trying to catch their breath from the row that had just occurred and from the searing kiss he had just delivered. Then their lips found one another again, his hands moving to her waist to both pull her closer and he began to tug at her clothes. Getting the hint, she acted in tandem, hands falling to the clip on his utility belt, fumbling with it for a second in her rush before successfully releasing it and then going for the flies on his uniform pants. Steve popped the button on her denim shorts and in a quick swoop shoved them and her bikini bottoms down as they both stumbled around the room.

He took hold of her hips again so to manoeuvre her wherever he wanted. They continued to stumble around the room for a moment before he took control and roughly picked her up. Her bare legs immediately wrapped around his still fully uniformed waist and her arms went around his neck as he slammed her up against the wall at the far side of the lounge and, using it as support he shifted his grip from under her ass. One hand went to her hip while the other pried her hands from the back of his neck. He was able to hold both of her wrists together with one of his hands, placing them up above her head and holding them there tightly.

This was angry sex, not make up sex, this was utter ‘I’m so fucking angry at you so I’m gonna show you.’ sex. Well, she was angry too so there was no way he was having this all his own way.

She rolled her hips, hard against him which was enough to get his attention but he simply used his free hand to shove her legs off of him. Katie managed to catch herself on her feet, only slightly bumping against the wall but before she had chance to think his lips found hers again, hungrily kissing her while his hand skated over her bare stomach. She arched into the touch, wanting him to move a bit south, but his hand stopped an inch away from where she wanted it to be.

“Say you’re sorry.” his voice was right by her ear, rougher than she could ever remember it being before. Rough enough to make a shiver go down her spine and for her to try and thrust into his hand, desperate for any sense of relief. But he pulled even further away from her, making her whine a bit. “You’re sorry and you believe me…”

“I’m sorry.” she breathed out, stumbling over her words “And I believe you…”

He surged forward, kissing her desperately and she openly moaned into his mouth as two of his fingers slipped inside of her. His motions were fast and aggressive and he brought her to the brink, and then stopped.

“Do you still believe me?” he breathed out, voice ragged. “Tell me you do and you want this.” The fucker was still making a point but by now Katie really didn’t care.

“Stevie, please.” she thrust her hips out toward him, gasping “I still believe you, I want you.”

It was want, not need. And that didn’t escape his notice. He knew which one he would prefer to hear, to be wanted over needed any day.

He couldn’t help the soft smirk on his face as he braced one hand on the wall beside her head, the other harshly yanked one of her legs up so that it wrapped around his waist. Reaching into his pants he freed his now painfully hard erection from them and didn’t even pause before slamming into her, making her cry out sharply, one hand going to grip his bicep, the other against the wall to steady herself. He slammed into her over and over with such force that she was sure she was about to go through the wall itself and into the hall.

Desperate to be both closer to him and not to actually go through the wall, because that would be awkward to explain, not mention painful, Katie tried to lean in more to him. The motion made him go deeper inside of her, which caused her to moan at the feeling. At that point Steve quickly removed his hand from the wall and lifted her off her feet. Their chests pressed together, the bare skin of her stomach rubbing against the harsh Kevlar of his uniform, both messily kissing each other as Steve stumbled around the main area of the lounge before toppling over the arm of the couch where Katie ended up on top. Even then he continued his aggressive thrusts, his hands on her hips, pulling her down as he drove upwards.

She let out a small groan, the roughness of his pants was grinding against her clit along with the fact he was bottoming out inside her, hitting her spot again and again.

“Shit, Captain…” she hissed and the noise made him slam up even harder, fuck he loved it when she said that when he was being tough. She let out a loud scream and tightened around him and at the feel of her walls clamping down, which was fucking bliss as always, his thrusts upwards became desperate as he chased his own end,  before he gave a loud “fuck…” and he came, hard as she collapsed on top of him.

The pair of them lay, utterly spent and his hands gently ran up her spine as her face pushed into his neck.

“Still pissed at me?” he murmured.

“In a fashion.” she responded as she picked her head from her shoulder and rolled to the side so she was between him and the back of the couch. He moved so they were facing each other, gently nudging her nose with his.

“Can we talk this over like adults now?” his voice was still quite stern. Katie bit her lip as she looked at him and he sighed, his voice becoming softer “I hate rowing with you. But I still don’t know what’s going on. Please talk to me.”

“You shouldn’t have ordered me out.” she said.

“You broke Allen’s nose.” Katie had to fight the smirk crossing her face. Good shot.

“it’s not funny.” “It is.” Katie said “She deserved it.”

After what Evans had told him, Steve kind of agreed to be fair and Katie saw his face soften slightly. “Evans told me what she said.” Steve brushed her hair behind her ears “For what its worth she’s had an official warning.” “Did you go all Cap on her?” Katie raised an eyebrow “Bet she loved that…” “What do you mean?” “Oh come on, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed…”she snorted before putting on an airy voice “oh Cap…that’s so funny. Hey Cap, can you show me how to do this take down. Oh Cap, you’re such a good teacher… she was practically trying to climb you the other day in your office.” “You’re jealous…” he smirked.

“I don’t like people touching my stuff.” she sighed “Especially not some 28 year old blond bombshell.” “Blond bombshell?” he snorted.

“What? She’s hot.” I shrugged “I’d do her.” His eyes flashed cheekily “Now there’s an image.” She narrowed her eyes at him and he laughed before sighing again.

“Listen to me…” he said, his hand then coming up to caress the side of her face as he looked at her, driving his words home. “You are the most important thing in the world to me and there’s no other girl that comes close, not matter what you think. Not Allen, not Peggy, no one. And as for playing second fiddle…” he gestured with his spare hand around the room. “Say the word and this all goes.”

“Yeah right. You’ll never give up being Captain America…”

“I would for you.” He said simply.

Katie looked at him, he’d shocked her, but he meant every word. If he had to give all this up, he would. He didn’t want to but, he would. The magnitude of what he had just admitted took a while to sink in, but when it did Katie was overcome with emotion, and the tears pricked at her eyes.

“Hey, come on.” Steve let out a soft sigh, as he held her close, rubbing his hands softly up her back. “You wanna tell me why last night was such a big deal, and yeah, I know that I messed up but, well I’m getting the feeling there’s a little more to it.”

With a deep breath she pulled back and licked her lips. “I err, I just wanted to tell you something and I wanted it to be special because I know how much it means to you, but, well, I made a decision on my name. You mean everything to me, Steve, and when we get married I wanna give everything to you, so, I wanna be Mrs Rogers.”

Her words took a moment to sink in and once they did, a huge grin spread across Steve’s face. “Really?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, smiling. “We’re tying ourselves together for life and I want everyone to know that I’m yours and you’re mine.”

“I’ll always be yours, Baby.” He whispered, as she leaned in to kiss him, as he wrapped an arm around her waist while one of her legs slithered in between his.

Soft, gentle kisses were shared as Katie gently reached for the zip of his uniform top, undoing it and then guiding his undershirt over his head as he undid his pants fully, shimmying out of them before he guided her onto her back while he shifted so he was caging her in between his legs. This time the mood passion, not anger.

“You have no idea what you do to me…” he whispered gently into her ear as he undid the strings on her bikini top leaving them both completely bare. She let out a groan as she titled her hips up. He closed his eyes as her hand came to rest on his cheek and he leaned into the touch as he shifted so her legs parted and he was inside of her again.

Tilting her head back at the feeling left her neck exposed, which Steve took advantage of in pressing soft kisses up her throat. His hand snaked up her arm so he could intertwine his fingers with hers. He slowly rolled his hips against hers, instead of the frantic rhythm he had prior. The hand that wasn’t entwined with hers went to her hip, pulling her closer as he thrust deeply, gently, slowly, each roll of his hips hitting her spot as he continued over and over again, head dropping to my neck, collar bone and breasts which he had paid no attention to before.

“Stevie, you feel so good…” Katie moaned and he let out a groan of his own at her words. When her orgasm rolled over her again, this one not as ferocious as before, but no less pleasurable she melted underneath him, breathless, her hand running through his hair as he came again, collapsing on top of her

The moments after they finished were always their favourite. The quiet bliss that surrounded them like a bubble, keeping them safe from the world.

“I love you.” Katie said softly. He picked his head up from where he had it buried in the crook of her neck so he could meet her eyes.

“I love you too.” he responded, pushing some hair out of her face, thumb circling her cheek. “I can’t wait to make you Mrs Rogers.” He whispered, his lips ghosting over hers.

**** Chapter 26

**Original Posting**