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fangirl-dot-com · 3 months

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Chapter 27 - Block Out the Haters

Hello beautiful people! How I've missed writing and uploading! I'm so sorry for the delay but this chapter and Across Every Universe part 2 had been in creation for a while. But expect a few updates this weekend!

I love you all and thank you for being so appreciating and patient!

Your body felt as though it was on autopilot as you walked through the paddock on Sunday morning. The weekend was kind to you. You completely dominated all the free practices and you’d be starting the race today on pole.

However, it wasn’t the weekend that was unkind.

It was them.

And it was all because of him.

Checo had decided to show up to the paddock at his former home race on Thursday. And like all “good” journalists do, they ask questions that bate people to speak words that can be turned into something they’re not.

Yet, the Mexican had spoken out with his chest puffed out and words full of confidence.

“I see my replacement has done well in the car. Too bad that she’ll be replaced soon enough. Like she did to me, someone will take her seat and brag about how great they are, leaving the old driver in the dust. It’s only a matter of time.”

Ah yes, only a matter of time until Red Bull drops you. The team that you had complete confidence in was not a ticking time bomb in your mind.

What if you didn’t convert pole into a win?

What if you accidentally took Max and yourself out of the race like Charles did to Checo in 2023?

What if the team can finally see how replaceable you were?

It had happened before…at Prema.

Number 1 driver to ending a contract early.

But this time, you were even further down the totem pole than you were at Prema.

You were a rookie and the second driver.

Replaceable and forgettable.

Your headphones were on and blasting music to cover up the nasty words thrown at you from the so-called fans. You had thankfully walked in with Max and Charles, who took the liberty to walk on either side of you. You were slouching as you walked, trying to make yourself smaller between the two men.

At least you understood that Charles and Max knew how you were feeling. Charles, who had been booed at this very race last year. And Max, who seemed to carry boos wherever he walked.

Your eyes widened at the sight of the large crown surrounding the opening to the garage. Checo was in the middle, smiling widely with sunglasses on his face. You froze, not walking any further. The navy and red clad drivers walked a bit before realizing that you weren’t between them anymore.

Max’s eyes flitted toward the garage and then toward a signature blue. He put his hand on your shoulder and lightly pulled one of the headphone cushions away from your ear.

His head jerked in the direction of the blue garage. “Why don’t you go hide in Williams for now. I’ll text you when it’s clear. Christian won’t let them get to you.”

You silently nodded as Max put the headphones back in place before heading in the direction of the safe garage.

Charles crossed his arms as he watched you walk away.

“Merde, I wish Arthur was here this weekend.”

The Monegasque sighed in relief once he saw Logan sling an arm around your shoulders and lead you away toward the back. Alex was following them, parading his limited edition Oscar Piastri paddle.

Max was silent as he gazed at the amount of journalists in front of the garage. He was internally cringing, knowing that the journalist would attack him as well.

Charles threw a smile in his direction as he bumped the sullen Dutchman.

“Do you need to hide in my garage as well? Be babysat Mr. Verstappen?”

The Ferrari driver wiggled his eyebrows as Max rolled his eyes. However, he shrugged and looked straight into Charles’s green eyes.

“Lead the way Mr. Leclerc.”

Charles’s eyes widened for only a moment before grabbing the backpack attached to Max. The brunette gently led the blond away, knowing that his childhood rival didn’t like crowds any more than you did.

You had found yourself hidden away in Logan’s room, on a facetime with your boyfriend. Logan was sitting next to you, trying to reach a new high score on whatever game he was playing. Oscar had somehow also found himself in the American’s room and was currently looking at Alex’s paddle.

The Aussie scoffed as he twirled the offending thing. He was silently listening to you borderline cry to Arthur.

“And then they threw a water bottle at me. And it was one of the metal ones too!” you cried out, hand rubbing your face.

Arthur offered you a sad frown.

“What did you do?”

You sucked in a breath.

“I caught it and I kept it.”

The three men suddenly laughed at your confession. You looked around confused.

“What? It was a nice one!”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Nicer than the one I gave to my brother to give to you.”

Your eyebrow cocked. “Um no, not Kevin.”

Logan’s eyes glanced at you as he muttered, “You named your water bottle?”

You shoved him, making him lose his spot. “You don’t?”

Oscar suddenly piped up. “That’s a bit childish, don’t you think. And how cliche is it to fall in love with your teammate.”

That earned him an eyeroll as you threw one of Logan’s pillows at him. He caught it easily.

“Sorry Os-cah, at least I can act on it. We all can’t secretly be in love with our teammates.”

A screech erupted from the Aussie’s side of the room. You and Logan giggled as Oscar’s face bloomed red with a deep blush. The pillow came back flying.

“I am not in love with Lando. And plus, I have a girlfriend.”

“Sure. Didn’t stop you from almost kissing Arthur that one time.”

The brunet rolled his eyes. “Number 1, it was through glass. Number 2, he leaned in first.”

“Excuse me?” you asked into your phone, looking at Arthur through the screen. Said boyfriend stuttered a bit as he tried to come up with an excuse. He only stopped as you spoke again.

“It’s ok Osc, he has some nice lips.”

A groan left Logan’s lips as he listened to this conversation. He leaned over and snatched the phone from your hands.

“Hey!”

“Sorry, poor connection. Call back later.”

The American pressed the red X as you looked at him in disbelief. Logan quickly deposited your phone back to your lap before picking up his own phone.

Your mouth was still wide open.

You were about to reply when there was a knock on the door. Logan huffed as he stood from the couch and walked toward the door. When he opened it, he was met with Christian Horner and a very pouty Max Verstappen. You sheepishly grinned as Christian just silently pointed over his shoulder and turned around, walking away.

Max stayed at the door, waiting for you as you packed your stuff. You quickly said goodbye to the best friends before following Max back to the Red Bull garage. You noticed his pout on the way.

“What’s got you so pouty.”

“I was about to beat Charles at FIFA and then Christian scared me, causing me to misplay and not score.”

“So Charles won?”

A huff from the Dutchman let you know that you were correct.

Thankfully the crowd had died down when you returned. But, to your chagrin, Checo was still there, looking down into your car. Mitch seemed uncomfortable as she stood near, needing to get the last bit of data before talking to you about the strategy.

You watched as she lightly nudged the Mexican, but was not met with any movement. Your anger rose as he blatantly didn’t move at all. You loudly cleared your throat, making most of the men turn their heads toward your direction, Checo included.

“I think my strategist needs to be by my car. You wouldn’t mind moving far back to give her some space?” you questioned loudly.

Perez seemed to get a bit of the message and took multiple steps back. Your jaw clenched as he smirked at you. At that moment, you knew he had done that on purpose.

You only walked past him, going to your room to get changed. When you walked back out, there was a small interview going on, once again with Checo and now Max.

The interviewer asked, “So Max, how does it feel to have your old teammate here to watch you win?”

You could tell that Max wanted to wince at the question, but he let it be.

Max replied, “Uh, it is nice to see Sergio back in the paddock. It is Mexico after all. But, Y/n is looking very strong and she won Monza from pole. So the team is just going to let us race and I’ll just try to keep up with her.”

The laugh that the Dutchman let out was obviously forced, but you were thankful for the backing from Max.

You watched as Checo obnoxiously laughed as he put his hands on Max’s shoulders, shaking the driver just a bit. Max’s shoulders tensed under the hard grip of the ex-driver’s hands. He was thankful that Perez wasn’t doing that to you, or you might have had a bit of PTSD because of it.

The Mexican began to speak, “Ah Max, always so modest. I bet that he’ll overtake her on the first corner. She might pull a me from last year. Eat some Ferrari tyre and DNF on the first lap. And before you know it, the team is going to drop her. I bet Max would like that. Maybe Daniel will get his rightful seat back.”

Max jerked away from the hands that gripped his shoulders before speaking, “Y/n happens to be a very safe driver. There might be a bit of fighting between us on the track but that’s just racing. And the seat was never Daniel’s to begin with. It was always her’s. Too bad you couldn’t keep up to keep the seat.”

If you could see Max’s eyes, you knew that they would be stormy and cold.

Your eyes wanted to water from the soft words that Max was speaking. He was really defending you to the best of his ability. Your eyes found Christian at the other side and your feet quickly took you toward the father-figure. Yet, you heard a closing statement from Perez that set your nerves ablaze.

“She won’t get the win. She was lucky in Monza, but that’s all it was. Max DNF-ed, giving her the win. This race will truly show you how talented she truly is.”

Your shoulders deflated as you tapped Christian’s shoulder, nodding over at the journalist. Christian’s eyes widened as he stalked toward the trio. He had anger in his eyes.

“I told you, no more journalists or interviews in the garage. The race is about to start,” the Briton stated, voice ice cold.

The journalist visibly gulped before packing up quickly and walking away. Max took this opportunity to also find his way back to your side. The two of you watched as Christian completely scolded the Mexican. You couldn’t hear it, but whatever your team principal said, it make Checo red with embarrassment.

Max gave you a shit-eating grin before pulling you into a hug.

“Thanks for being my best teammate kid. You’ve changed me for the better. Let’s go get you that second win.”

You pulled away with tears in your eyes as you laughed a bit.

“You’re just going to let me win? Thee Max Verstappen purposely losing a race to little old me?”

The Dutchman shook his head. “No, I’m not going to let you win. You’re going to take it from me.”

Well, Checo was right about only one thing.

Max did overtake you on the first turn.

But that was it.

You didn’t eat Ferrari tyre.

Your seat was yours to keep.

And Max was right about everything.

You made him work for the lead and overtook him on the second to last lap. Your cars fought for all they could give, drivers wanting another taste of victory.

For Max, it seemed like it had been a while.

For you, it was like Monza was yesterday.

And that sweetness from the win. The nickname you earned there from the Italians (who were much nicer).

Charles Leclerc, the Predestined.

Max Verstappen, the Inevitable.

Y/n L/n, the Long Awaited.

The victory was oh so sweet. Maybe you just really had to learn to block out the haters. It’s what you should have done at the beginning of the weekend.

But you showed everyone who you were as you stook on the nose of you trusted Red Bull. Fists near your body as you yelled, hunched over.

Max was right behind you, followed by the familiar Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. The two rivals watched as you pointed at the now booing crowd. They laughed as your motioned that you couldn’t hear them, cupping your hand by your helmet where your ear would have been and shaking your head. You shrugged and jumped off.

Your hand clasped Max’s hand and then Charles’s. You walked (more like skipped) by your team, being pulled in by the mechanics.

You took your helmet off quickly and got in line to be interviewed. Thankfully, for once, it was a woman.

She was smiling widely as she spoke into the microphone.

“Y/n that was splendid driving you did out there. And congratulations on your second win. I know this win is a little different than Monza, so tell me a bit about your race and how you’re feeling.”

You smiled as you spoke into the mic that you held.

“Ah well, this is very different from Monza. It was fun to race against my teammate. Normally, I’m behind him getting a nice tow, but the team really wanted to see us just go at it. Obviously, at the end of the day, Red Bull is what matters, but I had fun with Max. And this win just feel more special because I can tell that not a lot of people wanted me to win.”

You were huffing by the end of your statement, but the lady was grinning at your answer.

“Well, I will let you go celebrate, but mighty well done!”

You skipped a bit to the cool down room before heading to the podium. You wanted to follow Charles and Max, but someone led you down to the little lift where your car was waiting.

You knew that Charles and Max had already walked out when the lift slowly started to rise. On your head was the biggest sombrero you had ever seen. You climbed up on the nose of your car and sat cross-legged as you slowly rose. Once it stopped, you took your place at the top step and put your hands behind your back.

Jokingly, you took the hat off and placed it on Max’s head. He only rolled his eyes (but kept it on for your amusement).

People tried to yell and boo during your anthem, but you honestly couldn’t hear them over your own heartbeat. It was nice to see a certain disgruntled Mexican down below, arms crossed as he looked everywhere but up.

You smirked as you showered champagne onto Max and Charles, with you getting sprayed in return.

Fuck them haters – honestly.

redbullracing has posted

redbullracing rookie got a second win and max got a hat! time for a siesta!

due to strong storms and flooding, the Sao Palo Grand Prix is canceled and will not be rescheduled

liked by y/n.nation, formulala_delulu, arthur_leclerc, and 534,209 others

rookie_freshmanyear OH YEAH - THAT'S MY DRIVER

max&co max got the hat back

y/n&max4ever she truly is the best teammate max has ever had

y/n_on_top true, what checo said was horribly wrong

maxverstappen1 ok you're done - no more wins

y/n.89 booooo charles_leclerc certified every other racer hater landonorris tomatoes tomatoes tomatoes oscarpiastri you all can speak for yourselves :(

y/n.nation sad for Brazil but they will be in our thoughts

formulafan still can't believe that the next race is FREAKING VEGAS BABY

rookieroo I know right! what if - hear me out - y/n wins again as a homecoming formulala_delulu ok let's get you back to bed

mericanf1_fan YEAH VEGAS 'MERICAAAAA

TAG LIST: @fionaschicken @glitterquadricorn @laura-naruto-fan1998 @treehouse-mouse @sam-is-lost @kagatinkita @fangirl125reader @megatrilss1885 @myxticmoon @angsthology @cmleitora @fly-me-away @graciewrote @ashy-kit @slutofmultifandom @aexitizen-ln4 @sugarvibez @vellicora @thatgirlthatreadswattpad @33-81 @hoetel-manager @xcharlottemikaelsonx @jayda12 @ilove-tswizzle @justme2042 @itsjustkhaos @nikfigueiredo @stopeatread @cha-hot @sadg3 @iloveyou3000morgan @s4turnsl0ver @alessioayla @torchbearerkyle @leptitlu @awekbachira @shreks-sugar-daddy @v1naco @stan-josie @mellowarcadefun @badassturtle13 @beskardroids @callisposts @poppyalice2001 @juniper-july19 @lizzypiastri

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corpsebasil · 1 year

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Triple Threat 💣⚔️🔫

Your brothers and you are Stu’s children and, when you run into Ethan’s Ghostface, you consider teaming up.

Your brothers were acting unhinged.

You felt embarrassed, watching as Ethan examined your shared apartment, staring around at things that had belonged to your father. Stu had been his favorite Ghostface and, when you’d shoved a knife against his throat in the alleyway, demanding why he was parading around in your dad’s memorabilia, he’d confessed that Richie was his brother.

The three of you had done your research on the Woodsboro murders. You had no intention of killing Sam—no, that wouldn’t be what your dad would’ve wanted. He would’ve wanted you to manipulate her into joining the three of you, but what does one more Ghostface hurt?

“And then,” Ansel was saying, waving his shotgun around like a maniac. “we blew that bitch’s head off.” He laughed and you cringed, crossing your legs on the couch. Ansel was the eldest of you and the most like your dad; he was sadistic, uncaring, and enjoyed killing simply for the sake of it. “What about you, kid? Ever blown someone up?”

“You didn’t blow them up.” Matteo argued, sliding a wet stone against the long blade in his hand. Twin swords were his preferred weapons, thin and lethal, that he wielded with expert skill. “The only person here with explosives is Y/N.”

Ethan eyed you warily.

You noticed the boy constantly looking over at you; you’d disarmed him easily in the alley, pulling him into your complex, and he seemed incredibly out of his depth around the three of you. Nepo babies, he’d teased, which Ansel had found infinitely amusing. Matteo only shrugged, bored, and began sharpening his blades.

“Explosives?” Ethan asked, moving closer to you. You nodded and patted the couch beside you, allowing him to sit. He seemed jumpy, like he was worried the three of you were going to kill him after all. Richie or not. “What kind of—”

“Grenades, car bombs—oh, remember that canister thing you did? Under the house?” Ansel said, setting his shotgun down and opening up the large safe against the living-room wall.

“Whole building gone.” You mimed an explosive with your hands, raising an eyebrow at the boy beside you’s startled look. “Boom.”

“She makes them herself.” Ansel grinned, looking like the Cheshire Cat, and threw something at Ethan.

The boy let out a yelp of surprise and you lunged over his lap to catch it, glaring at your eldest brother. Even Matteo was mumbling curses, glaring as your sibling stuck his tongue out on a laugh.

“These are expensive.” You snapped, placing the grenade beside you. Ethan was shaking, pressed fully against the back of the couch, his eyes wide. “Don’t fuck with my bombs. I don’t touch your guns, you don’t touch mine—”

“You’re no fun, Y/N.” Ansel rolled his eyes, practically skipping over to the couch. He reached over to pinch Ethan’s cheek, enjoying the cringe that crossed the younger boy’s face. “Aw, he looks fresh out of high-school. How old are you sweetheart? Sixteen?”

“Twenty.” Ethan scoffed, eyebrows furrowed as Ansel gripped his chin and turned his face back and forth to examine it. “What are you—”

“Definitely one of those remake losers.” Ansel sighed, patting Ethan’s cheek hard enough to sting. “Dad would be so proud.”

“Leave the kid alone.” You groaned, pushing your brother off him before you reached out to snatch Ansel’s phone from his pocket.

“Hey, that’s mine—”

“I’m ordering pizza, you dick.” You told him, glaring as he moved away, muttering ‘okay mom’ under his breath. “Want anything in particular?” You asked Ethan, turning your head, and realized you were still practically in his lap. You didn’t move though, not when you felt his hand hesitantly, almost as if he wasn’t sure he was doing it, touch your lower back.

“Whatever you want’s fine.” He said, expression still wary. Then he flushed when you leaned in, brushing away an imaginary eyelash from his cheek.

“You’ve got eyes like Bambi, you know that?” The smile that crossed your mouth was feline when he blushed, looking away, then back. “Matteo. Call my supplier. We should get this kid geared up.”

“Sam—” Matteo started, looking up, as he pointed a blade at Ethan. His expression was calm. Your middle brother was the most stoic of you all, moving through life with a steadiness that was the foil to you and Ansel’s subdued Chaos. Perhaps if Billy had been his dad it would’ve made a bit more sense. “—is ours. Don’t even think about touching her.”

“But she killed—”

“Do you think I give a shit about your pathetic brother?” Matteo laughed, standing and dragging the tip of his sword across the floor. “She’s our—” he paused, searching for the right words. “she’s kind of like a sister. You can have the other ones, but not Billy’s kid.”

“That alright with you, sweetheart?” You asked, running your fingers along Ethan’s jawline.

There was a pause, a moment of tension, where Ethan seemed to debate the serious merits of trusting you all, when he nodded.

“Fine. Fine, alright.”

“Good boy.” You cooed, moving yourself fully onto his lap, and looked to Matteo. “I’m serious. Call the supplier.”

He nodded wordlessly and left the room, likely off to see if Ansel was writing runes in blood all over the walls again. You opened the Dominos app and began scrolling, settling back into Ethan’s chest. He was tense—more than tense, but he slowly began to relax as the vanilla scent of your perfume invaded his senses.

“They seem…” he swallowed, and you felt the movement against your own body. “Nice.”

You snorted.

“Hawaiian or Meat Lovers?”

“Hawaiian, duh. But how did you guys—where were you—”

“Stu knocked up our mom a couple times when they were teenagers. She was totally in love, even though he had a girlfriend, which it turned out he had a boyfriend because Billy was—”

“But where were you?”

You paused your typing, turning your face to glance at him.

“The system.” You admitted, frowning at your screen. “Ansel got us out when he turned eighteen. I’d been fostered a couple of times but it never stuck.” You smirked, meeting his eyes again. “He made us nicknames. He thinks we’re some kind of special superheroes. Out to serve justice for anyone who’s wronged Stu or Billy.”

You finished ordering and turned in his lap, slipping your legs around him. You’d just met the dude, for fucks sake, but he was hot. And besides—you’d always been rather forward. Flirtation was in your nature. You felt a thrill when he immediately grabbed your hips, his intrigue and fascination overpowering any shyness.

“Which are?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m The Bomb.” You laughed, and beamed when a grin split across his face. “I know, Cliché. He’s Joker, and Matteo is Red Ninja Turtle.”

“Oddly specific for the last one.”

“He finds pride in his creativity.”

Just then Ansel burst back into the living-room, the Ghostface mask on his head, wielding a chainsaw. It wasn’t on, thank God, but Ethan still gasped and flinched backwards, almost smacking his head against the couch.

“Look what I found!” Ansel laughed, shaking the weapon around. “It’s like Christmas!”

“I told you to stay organized.” Matteo groaned, following after him, and yanked the mask off his brother’s head. “God, take an Ambien or something. You’re freaking me out.”

The doorbell rang, then, and all four of you turned to look at it.

“Do you think it’s the pizza?” Ansel whispered, speaking into a voice modulator and, despite himself, a hesitant smile began pulling on Ethan’s mouth. Shit, your family was way more insane than his.

“We’re all gonna end up in an asylum.” Matteo muttered, pointing a finger at Ansel. “Chainsaw. Closet. Now.”

As he opened the door, smiling politely and talking in that sweet way he always did to strangers, you jostled Ethan a bit underneath you.

“Come on,” you said, moving off of him and grabbing his hand. “come see my collection.”

An hour later, after the four of you had split three pizzas and were watching one of the Saw movies, you yawned and moved into your bedroom. Ethan followed—like a puppy, to your amusement—and watched as you opened up your window and leaned against the frame.

“They are..” he trailed off, eyebrows pinched together. He’d allowed Ansel to tease and terrorize him, then Matteo to interrogate him in a low, hushed voice about Ethan’s family and their plans. He’d spared no detail, well aware of the sword that rested on the floor next to your middle sibling. “I don’t know. I’m scared, but I like them.”

“Welcome to the club.” You smirked, peering up at him through your lashes. He leaned against the frame beside you, toned arms brushing your own. The night breeze tousled his hair as he stared out at the city, a contemplative look on his face. “What’s going on up here?” You asked, running your fingers through those dark curls of his, and he shrugged.

“I don’t know, I just…I can’t believe you guys are alive.” He glanced over, then away. “Makes me feel like an amateur.”

“Everyone has to start somewhere, babe.” You told him, bumping your shoulder against his own. “Once Sam joins us, we can go after Sydney. And that bitch, Gale.”

“You think she would?”

“I’ve seen her from afar.” You admitted. “She’s got that look on her face. You know?”

“Yeah.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “I think I do.”

You stared at each other for another moment, his expression softening as he took in your face. Before he could do something stupid like have a crush on you, you turned, snatching something off your shelf.

“Here then.” You told him, dropping one of your grenades into his hand. He flinched, and you giggled. “Welcome to team Stu.”

this is the most unhinged family ever but I truly think they’d solo

Part TWO

#Ghostface #stu macher #stu Matcher #Stu’s kids are unhinged #triple threat #team stu #Ethan Landry #Ethan Landry x reader #scream #scream six #sam loomis #Sam carpenter #Jack champion #ethan landry x y/n

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merge-conflict · 11 months

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I realize it's just a headcanon of mine that Takemura loves a little bit of mischief, but I will submit several canonical events to support my theory:

After meeting with Oda, if you ride with him in the car he will sternly warn V not to mock him and then minutes later V and a stranger can convince him to do his best Hideshi Hino impression, which absolutely bombs

He plays right along with V's "what happened to Dexter Deshawn again?" with "He is deceased" without being annoyed or disapproving

Before the parade starts, even though he seems to hate all streetfood, he buys a scopburger and waits until V is within view to drop it several stories off a railing and then complain about it

The industrial park quest where he jokes "I will make their systems sick" and then genuinely laughs when V tells him he can take the float all the way to Tokyo

The straight-faced way he tells V they "do not look so bad" can be read as just reassurance, but tell me that's not the kind of joke you might tell someone to make them feel better?

When Hellman freaks out and runs someone over, Takemura pats him on the shoulder and tells him (paraphrasing here) that he did a good job as a chauffeur

Actually his entire opening conversation with Hellman before he interrogates him and the way he threatens to waterboard him is entirely unnecessary unless he's amusing himself

Like, he's almost always deadpan and obviously there are a lot of times where he's too focused or annoyed for humor, but c'mon!! Who was it that once said Takemura was like the comic relief for this game? Because they are 100% correct.

#cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk meta #goro takemura #it's possible to read him differently but i'm just exceptionally charmed by an emotionally reserved man having the soul of a trickster #all his experience being a sober and practical bodyguard just make him that much funnier when he chooses to joke around

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lifeontoast · 6 months

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Fairytale of Seattle

Platonic!Alice and Rosalie x reader

SUMMARY: Day 2! A girly shopping trip with Alice and Rosalie - what could go wrong?

Trigger warnings: none, I don’t think.

…

Today was the day. Alice had somehow convinced you and Rosalie to come shopping with her. After much begging and pleading, you had no choice but to give in. Much as you had complained about it, a tiny part of you had been looking forward to it.

Setting off early in the morning, the three of you made your way to Seattle, as Alice said it had ‘the BEST shops!’. You had to take her word for it on that one. You knew next to nothing about all that sort of thing, and Rosalie had to agree. Shopping was very much Alice’s forte, not that she hadn’t tried to change that with you two. The car ride had been very uneventful, but you had requested Christmas songs on the way, and before you knew where you were, you were all yelling the words at the tops of your voices. Even Rosalie had been persuaded to join in.

Several rounds of Step into Christmas and one particularly heartfelt rendition of ABBA’s Happy New Year later, you reached the city, before finally swinging into a parking spot just as you were belting out the final chorus of Christmas Lights. The festivities didn’t stop there; you all but danced down the street, arm in joyful arm. Every shop was totally decked out with every kind of decoration you could possibly imagine. Bells jingling, fake candles flickering, fake snow glittering; it was a magical sight to see. There was real snow on the pavement and on the roads, turning to slush as you walked through it. Thank goodness today wasn’t a sunny day, or else you’d all be sparkling like the snow.

The first shop you wandered into was, of course, a clothes shop. You knew that there’d be no escaping it, with Alice in charge of the trip. You dutifully tried on all the clothes she practically threw at you, and even found a few pieces that you actually liked. Say what you like about Alice, but she has damn good taste. She said that you’d need outfits for several occasions, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve. and that was just for starters. The pair of you decided to humour her and just go along with what she was telling you. Rosalie looked absolutely stunning in a short, sparkly red dress that made her legs look ten miles long and set off her pearly skin perfectly. Alice herself was happily parading around in a white number, that she said was ‘perfect for New Year’s Eve!’

Next, you found yourself in a bookstore, trying to find presents for the rest of the Cullens. Shopping with Alice was like walking in a tornado; you never knew where you’d end up next. You decided on a book on the history of Chicago for Edward, and some medical tome for Carlisle, not that there wasn’t anything about medicine that he didn’t already know. Esme liked her hobbies, so you chose a book on flower-pressing for her. Smiling, you pretended not to look as Alice picked up the book you’d wanted for ages. You paid for all your books, and you all but staggered out of the shop carrying them all in tote bags full to bursting, making you really wish you’d got them last.

By this time, it was around noon. The next shop you hit was a homeware store, to pick up some new decorations for the Christmas tree and a gingerbread house kit. Even though you couldn’t actually eat it, they were so fun to make. Carlisle could always bring it as a treat for the other workers at the hospital. Sighing, you thought about the long-ago times when you could’ve eaten it. But now was not the time for reflection. You finished quickly there, sporting tinsel feather boas for some extra festive pizzazz. Stopping at LUSH, you bought yourself a bath bomb, along with some other goodies for the girls. More shops, more gifts. It was never-ending in the best way possible.

By 6 o’clock, you had well and truly shopped until you dropped. The car ride back was another karaoke bonanza, featuring Rosalie’s incredible version of All I Want for Christmas is You. You had found that Rosalie had taken a lot of thawing, but once you knew her, she really was a lovely person to be around. Same with Alice, but she was as bubbly as a bath. She had already declared you firm friends on the first day you met. It was times like Christmas when you were really grateful for the Cullens and the warm welcome they had extended to you; having nobody to spend Christmas with was miserable.

Back at the house, the fun continued with a screening of Elf, everyone in the matching pyjamas Alice had somehow managed to sneak into the shopping basket at one point, totally unbeknownst to you. The faces Edward made when he was presented with them were absolutely priceless. It had been a fun day. Maybe you’d let Alice take you shopping again soon. Not too soon, though!

…

Hope you enjoyed :)

#lifeontoast #twilight #alice cullen x reader #alice cullen #rosalie hale #rosalie hale x reader #advent 23

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joe9cool · 7 months

Text

Collide-Epilogue 2 Part 2- Take My Hand

A/N: As usual, don't steal my work, I only own my characters. I do not know or affiliated with the Chargers. This is fanfiction only. Enjoy

The whole plane ride home was a different atmosphere. The guys were fired up, but exhausted, most of them were using the ride to sleep. They already knew that once they landed there was going to be no time to rest, as they were heading straight to the stadium to celebrate with their fans before the official parade the following day.

They also had some television appearances (which Justin was super excited about.) Sara was tired, as much as she wanted to attend the rallies and the parties. She had a court wedding to plan.

Justin was napping next to her. He had told her, in a whisper, he wanted to be as well rested as possible for their wedding day.

It was surreal to her, she was getting married today. As much as she made a big deal of waiting til the party to make it official, she loved this idea. Eloping, saying their vows in private and it just being both of them.

Well not just them, they did need a witness. Sara thought about her sisters. Brittany and Katie were in town, they could easily serve as the witness. However, she was the closest with Alyssa and Brent, and it would kill them if they weren't there.

Speaking of, she had to respond to their texts of congratulations. Also she had to pick out something to wear, cause she wanted pictures, but who was going to take them? Maybe the witness, well that person needed to be a good photographer…"

"What's going through your head right now?" Sara snapped out of her daze and looked to see Justin staring at her. "I've been up for five minutes and you're just staring straight ahead. Like you're in a trance."

She shook her head. "Sorry, just planning our courthouse wedding."

"I thought the point of the courthouse wedding was so it wouldn't be stressful?" He smiled and she laughed. "I know, but you think I'm really going to allow us to go there in just Nike clothes?"

"I’m in." He dodged a swat. He laughed. "No, I understand. I have a nice tan suit, the one I wore to Fehoko's wedding. You liked that one, couldn't keep your hands off of me." He smiled, most likely remembering when they got back to the hotel after the reception.

"Oh that's a good one." She thought about it. "I have no idea, I guess I could wear one of my outfits that was picked for the wedding weekend." She thought. "Well if I get spotted wearing white that will make it obvious."

He laughed. "Don't overthink it babe. You and me tonight. Meet me at the foyer, your assistant can serve as a witness."

She nodded.

The rest of the plane ride was full of chatter as everyone began to wake up from their quick power naps. Once the plane landed the players were let out first to the screams of the crowd. Hoisting the Lombardi trophy over his head, Staley gave a quick speech thanking the fans for their support. The players were signing autographs while the Lady Bolts made it to the cars to head home.

She was heading to her assistant's apartment to pick up the cats (and to drop the bomb) she zoomed in and out of traffic, not caring if people were recording or if she ended up on tmz later.

Reaching her floor after getting past security she knocked rapidly. She wished she called first in case she wasn't home.

"Hi Sara! Eugene and Nova are ready to go!" She stepped into the apartment and grabbed the carriers containing the meowing cats. "How were they!"

"Angel's!" Sara gave her assistant a look. "Well Eugene had some difficulty taking his pain med so I had to stuff it in a sardine." They both laughed. "Congratulations to Justin by the way. Wow with the superbowl and the wedding, you must have a lot on your plate! Maybe you can have the Lombardi trophy there!"

Sara didn't think of that. Too busy wrapped up in trying to plan this last minute courthouse wedding. "It's so nice that your friends and family are all celebrating you. That's what it is about. Love." Hannah smiled.

Sara nodded. "Yes, Justin and I are very blessed."

Grabbing a carrier containing a cat, they headed down towards Sara's car. Once loaded up, Hannah asked her. "Hey, was there anything important you wanted to tell me? You kinda got here fast, and with no warning. Did I forget something?" The assistant was nervous, like she was going to get fired for forgetting something.

This was it, Sara could tell her to help her pick out an outfit and serve as a witness. "No, I'm just in a hurry. I've been on autopilot since January. You know how it is."

Hannah smiled. "Oh yeah, well it will calm down, and you can enjoy your Bachelorette party! Bella and your sisters made all of the arrangements! A few days away will be just what the doctor ordered!"

"Oh definitely. Thank you for everything." In a spur of the moment, Sara threw her arms around her, which she knew her friend was surprised about. Sara always kept her at a distance, afraid of letting her in due to her previous predecessor. Hannah reciprocated the hug. "It's no problem. You know we started off as friends." Sara nodded, feeling emotional. "Yes I know, and I know I've been all business since hiring you. But thank you so much for everything. I cannot thank you enough."

Hannah smiled brightly. "Seeing you happy and getting everything you deserve is thanks enough."

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once home, and the cats were eating their lunch, Sara unpacked her suitcases. She tried to be as normal as possible despite all of the chaos. On autopilot, she looked at what to make for dinner, totally forgetting about the events tonight.

Her phone buzzed on the counter, grabbing it, she smiled reading the message.

Justin I can't wait to marry you.

It was still around 1pm, so once he was done with all of his fan obligations, he would be home and getting ready.

Deciding to dedicate the rest of the time to a mini spa day, she popped open a bottle of wine, and grabbed a bottle of champagne for when they got home from the magistrate. Running towards their master bathroom, she slathered her face in a mask, and her hair in coconut oil. It was up to her to do hair and makeup for her ceremony so she was watching ideas on her phone while doing a pedi and shaving over the tub.

Sara exfoliated in the shower, getting all the craziness of yesterday off of her. It took a bit longer than usual, but it was worth it in all aspects. She knew she was going to be busy tonight.

Once finished, she lotioned up and began her skincare. She was grateful she had gotten a facial before the superbowl. As she finished up and was in their huge joint closet trying to figure out what to wear. She could wear white, but she didn't want to tip anyone off. While friends might not assume anything, their families would. Speaking of, they were supposed to attend a party tonight with both families. Maybe they could make a late appearance

As she was looking through her rack of dresses, there was one that caught her eye, and she pulled the hanger out.

It was the satin emerald green cocktail dress she wore to Joe and Alisha's July 2022 wedding.

The same dress she wore when she met Justin's for the first time.

He had complimented her on it during their conversation, and she proceeded to launch into a five minute spiel about how it was her favorite color and she hated green as a kid. She was worried she scared him off, but he laughed and said usually everyone's favorite color is blue, so it's different.

She smiled, it had so many memories, and suddenly, the dress was perfect, even more so than the one she would actually be wearing on the day.

She laid it out on the bed, and began to style her hair. She kept it down in loose curls. Her makeup was simple, but played it up to make her eyes pop.

It was around 6pm by the time she was done and had all of her and Justin's documents needed to give to the courthouse. Hearing the door opening in the foyer, she walked out to see Justin in a simple black suit, and Mitch and Isabelle dressed up as well.

"I told them our plans." He said, seeing the confused and concerned look on her face. "We needed witnesses, and I honestly knew you wouldn't tell Hannah because of security reasons."

Mitch cut in. "It will be our little secret, mom, dad, Patrick and Carly went out to Mike's house for a party, I said we might join them later. "

Sara smiled. "You're right, I didn't tell Hannah, but I'm glad to have you guys here."

Truth be told, she didn't tell Hannah because she was afraid of leaks. She actually had second doubts about eloping. But when she saw the green dress, something in her knew that this was the right decision, and having Mitch and Isabelle here felt right. She wanted to be married to Justin as soon as possible.

"I called the office and they are staying open. Do you have our documents?" She nodded and held up two long envelopes. "We got our licenses?" He nodded.

Isabelle stepped forward. "I stopped at Whole Foods and picked out a vanilla bean cake for you guys. There's also champagne so we can all celebrate after."

Sara smiled. Justin grabbed her hand. "Let's get married."

—--------------------------------------------------------------

"Thank you Judge Hemmons, we really appreciate you making time for this." Justin smiled as he shook their hand

The older man laughed. "Well it's not everyday a superbowl champion and his famous fiance ask me to stay late and marry them in secret. You do realize though that once this is registered tomorrow this will be available to the public?" They both nodded. Truth be told they didn't expect anyone to go searching for the records. The rest of her family was coming out the day after the parade to celebrate. Brent was injured, so he and Alyssa were going to leave the kids with his parents.

They would break the news over dinner at the house.

"Paperwork is filed out, do you have the rings?" Justin spoke up. "We actually didn't bring them, since we wouldn't be able to wear them."

the older man nodded in understanding. "What about vows?"

Justin and Sara agreed in the car that they would say their personal written vows to each other and do something else for the wedding in front of everyone. It saved the awkwardness of everyone seeing them be vulnerable.

"Okay. Now let's begin." They stood in front of the judge and held hands while Mitch and Isabelle stood off to the side.

"We gather here today to join Justin Patrick Herbert and Sara Christine Wozniak in this union of marriage. Before we go further you both understand you are entering this legal binding union?"

"We do." They both spoke, staring into each other's eyes.

"You may now speak your vows." Sara gestured at Justin to go first. He cleared his throat.

"Sara, I never thought we'd be here. Although I always wanted to be here from the moment I came by your house for a movie night, and we watched Shrek 2." Everyone laughed. "And despite that, I knew I'd done everything to destroy what we had."

Justin paused, and the tears came to his eyes. Sara found herself getting emotional. Choked up, he continued. "But here you stand before me, loving me, and supporting me even when I didn't deserve it. I can't promise our lives will be smooth sailing, but I promise that I will always be there through the good times and bad. I will be there with you watching our days pass by in the rearview mirror. You're the love of my life, and no matter what happens, I will give you and our marriage my all."

Just those short words were so sweet and made her emotional. Taking a deep breath, and thanking God for waterproof eye makeup, she began. "Justin, I read a quote that said. "Someday, someone will come into your life, and make you understand why it never worked out with anyone else."

She took another deep breath. "At that time, I thought that moment would never happen to me. I watched as everyone had their fairytale, and I came to a conclusion that I was happy on my own. Until you came into my life. Then all my tears, all of the pain, didn't matter. In these coming years, many things will change, but the way I feel for you in this moment will stay . I vow to be the best wife, and mother to our children. I love you Justin Patrick, and I can't imagine my life without you."

She heard sniffling behind her. The judge cleared his throat. "Do you Justin Patrick take Sara Christine to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Justin nodded, before realizing he needed to speak. "I do."

"Sara Christine, do you take Justin Patrick to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"Then I hereby pronounce you in the state of California and the City of Irvine husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Justin picked Sara up, and their lips connected, tasting the saltiness of their tears. The flash of the camera pulled them away, as Isabelle was taking tons of photos on their phone.

After signing the wedding certificate and the documents to change Sara's last name. They took tons of photos, then decided to dine at one of the fanciest restaurants before having cake and champagne at home.

They were sifted at the back of the restaurant. The owner came over and gave the group whatever they wanted. At one point during dinner Isabelle spoke up. "So are you planning to tell everyone soon?"

Justin took a sip of his wine. "Yes, the rest of Sara's family is going to come after the parade tomorrow. So we are going to have a big barbecue the next day and tell everyone."

"How do you think your family is going to take it?" Mitch looked worried for his new sister in law. Sara sighed. "They aren't going to be happy. But then again, it's like they always expected it from me. So who knows? But it's not like we are going to cancel the actual wedding. It's just not going to be legally binding since that's already happened. Probably more spiritual? Maybe we can incorporate a little more catholic traditions? So that might ease any anger."

Again, Sara didn't know how her family was going to take it. They always told her she was probably going to elope if she ever found someone. As soon as they told her parents and sisters they were engaged they were expecting a huge wedding in Pennsylvania. At one point Cathy suggested they have the ceremony and reception at home. Since they had space and could decorate the huge land. Cathy got emotional just thinking of it.

She knew they were upset that the wedding was being held in Oregon. To be honest she thought she should host it In a neutral place. But that would make no sense with Justin's side.

Food and drinks were flowing, and the group had to wait as they were a little tipsy. Mitch paid the bill, which Justin tried to fight on. But his older brother was having none of it. "You think the best man who is a doctor is going to let the groom buy dinner on his wedding day?"

On the drive back, Justin, feeling the drinks, was all over Sara. "Hey guys." He called from the back seat. "After the cake you should probably take a drive by the beach for a while because I don't think you want to hear screaming."

"Justin!" Sara was red. Isabelle was laughing, Mitch groaned. "I think I liked it better when you were all awkward."

"Excuse my husband." Sara said and stopped. She looked at Justin who gave her the same smile. "You're my husband." Sara gushed, then continued. "Holy shit we are married!"

He laughed. “You’re my wife. Mrs Sara Herbert.” She giggled, drunk on cocktails and love. “I moved up in the alphabet."

He nuzzled her neck. "I love you my wife." He muttered. She smiled. "I love you my husband."

"Yeah I think we are just going to get a few things from your house and leave you alone." Isabelle laughed.

However, as they pulled up they saw the lights on. "I thought everyone was supposed to be at the party." Mitch was confused.

Justin sighed. "It seems like everyone had a change of plans. Come on, we will celebrate later." They all got out of the car once Mitch parked

Sara was annoyed. "But it's going to be total chaos this week." She yelped when he slapped her ass. "Stop being a brat." He growled. He wrapped his long arm around her.

Upon entering, they saw Patrick,Carly, his parents, Scott, Brittney, Katie and Charles. "There you are! We were waiting for you guys at Mike's house. What happened? And why did you guys get dressed up?" Holly was confused, looking between the whole group that just entered.

"I wanted to take Sara out, you know, just private time since this week is going to be chaos." Justin lied.

"Didn't you go out with Mitch and Isabelle?"

Mitch cut in. "Yeah we ran into each other and just decided to join them."

Patrick huffed. "Thanks for the invite jerks."

"Well sorry, but we thought you were going to be at the party late." Justin was trying to hide the agitation in his voice.

"Well, it got a little out of control and the cops came by. It's all over TMZ sports." Mark laughed.

Katie interrupted. "We kept calling and texting you. Mike sent us home with a ton of leftovers. Which There is no room because there's a cake in the fridge? Where did you get that?"

Isabelle cut in. "Well I saw it at Whole Foods and remembered it was Sara's favorite."

"Why were you at Whole foods?" Brittney looked at them suspicious. One thing about Sara's family was that they were going to ask questions.

Sara jumped in. "I mentioned I needed a few things for the barbecue. Didn't have it. Well we have cake now, and champagne. And since almost everyone is here we can have a proper toast." She pulled out the champagne glasses while Isabelle grabbed the cake and the bottle out of the fridge.

"We should probably change. I'm not too comfortable in this suit. I'm sure you want to get the dress off." It was a hint that Justin wanted Sara to join him in the bedroom." Sara nodded. "We will be right back." She told the crowd before following her husband into their bedroom.

Once in and the door was shut behind them. Justin groaned, and Sara laughed. "Relax, we will have some time to celebrate by ourselves."

"Maybe we need to take the drive by the beach." Justin unbuttoned his shirt. She laughed. "And risk getting caught and making the news?"

"Good point." Justin came behind her and unzipped her dress. "Thanks baby."

It was funny, watching them undress in the mirror. She didn't even realize she stared off into space until he said something. "What's on your mind?"

She shook her head. "Come on, tell me."

She laughed."I was just taking in everything around me. Watching you do your night routine. We are already such a married couple." She smiled up at Justin and he laughed. "I know. I can see us right now getting ready for our ten year anniversary. Our kids clamoring to get our attention.''

The thought warmed her up, until there was a knock at the door. "Are you guys coming? The cake looks really good."

Both sighing, they finished their routines before coming out. "Sorry, my zipper got stuck."

"Uh huh. Sure" Patrick joked. "Already getting a head start on the honeymoon?"

Justin froze, but Sara played it cool. "We are saving ourselves for marriage. I don't know what you're talking about." She shot back.

"Yeah I remember the first time you came to Oregon."

"Please, I would not like to know anything like that about my sister." Katie put an end to it.

The champagne was poured, the toasts were made, and the cake was cut. Despite It being an unbeknownst spoiler, it turned out to be a good night. Sara could see Justin relax and happier around the family.

Everyone agreed to turn in a little earlier than planned. It was a big day tomorrow with the parade. As Sara laid snuggled into him as Justin rubbed her back. "We're married." He whispered. She giggled. "Yep. I got the paperwork to go online and change my last name next week." She kissed him and he moaned into it. "You know we could sorta celebrate." She kissed his neck and began to move down.

"Babe, you parents are sleeping on the pullout couch right outside, and while I'm proud of it, you're not exactly quiet." She huffed. "I hate that you're right." He laughed.

"Don't expect that to happen often." It was silent, and she thought that he was drifting off to sleep until he spoke. "Don't think I didn't notice the dress you wore." He whispered. Turning to her. "I love that you wore that one."

"I knew you would." She kissed him again. After another moment of silence she whispered again. "We are married!"

She heard him laugh. "We are." There was a pause. "So how should we make that announcement?"

She shrugged. "Maybe during dinner. We tell them the wedding is still happening. But we are legally married. But we stress that we are having a catholic ceremony to please my mom."

He laughed. "So you're going to tell everyone that you're going to obey me?"

She smacked his stomach. "Fuck no."

They burst out laughing. "Happy wedding day my love." They intertwined fingers.

"Officially marking it. February 10th is the best day of my life." Justin smiled. "Mine too."

—-------------------------------------------------------------

Sara's family came the evening after the parade. It was total chaos. Some family were staying with Justin and Sara, others were staying in her old house. The kids were upset they weren't staying with their aunt and uncle.

At one point Justin remarked. "We should maybe consider getting a bigger house."

It was chaos, and they loved it. It made them think of the future, a house full of chaos with their own children someday.

It was now the day they were going to announce their marriage, and Justin and Sara were picking up last minute things at Costco's. It was nice to get back to normal after months of well, not normal. Between Press for both, and the overall football season it was a lot. As they made their way down the aisles. Justin remarked. "I think we should do a little getaway. Like a weekend trip to a Vineyard."

Sara smiled as she put some fresh vegetables in the cart. "That'd be nice." They passed by the huge display of roses and balloons. The arch saying. 'Happy Valentine's Day' Sara glanced at it. "Isn't Valentine's Day tomorrow?"

He looked up from the bouquet of flowers. "Huh. I guess it is." They both looked at each other and began laughing. "Wow. Our first married Valentine's day together and we totally forgot. Aren't we so good at this marriage thing?" Sara spoke softly so no one around her heard.

"Jeez, I'm probably the worst husband right now." They laughed again. "Well since we're here can I pick out my bouquets?"

Justin nodded. "I should probably get some for our moms to smooth things over."

"Good idea." They spent a few minutes trying to decide which mom would like what before they headed out.

Loading the huge batch of groceries in Sara's SUV they headed back to the house. Stuck in traffic Sara turned on the radio to get news and weather reports. However, after flipping through multiple stations, she ended up on the top 40 countdown. Justin was tapping on the steering wheel.

"Here we have Angie with the entertainment news." Ryan Seacrest's voice announced. "Apparently we have wedding bells!"

"Yes Ryan. Breaking News this morning as TMZ reports Sara Wozniak and Los Angeles Chargers Quarterback Justin Herbert tied the knot at the Irvine courthouse the day after The Chargers became Super Bowl Champs. The media outlet obtained a copy of the marriage license, which was filed Tuesday in Orange County. The couple reps couldn't be reached for comment. It is unclear if they are still going to hold a bigger ceremony which the bride gave details on planning last year."

Silence.

The air left the car.

The couple didn't even realize the cars ahead of them moved until the blaring of a horn brought them back to reality. "Oh my god." Justin finally whispered as he began to drive forward.

Sara just stared off into space. This was bad. Very bad. This wasn't how she wanted her family to find out. "Maybe they don't know. I mean it's the radio, no one listens to it." She tried to calm down until she pulled out her phone

40 missed calls 58 texts

Heidi. Alex. Alyssa. Brittany. Mom. Dad. Bella. AnnSophie

Justin exited off the main road and pulled into a parking lot. Pulling out his phone he sighed as he saw the insane amount of missed calls from his team and family. "Fuck." He whispered.

"What do we do?" Sara honestly didn't know. She felt the tears come to her eyes as she thought about how her family felt.

"Call Heidi first. She will know everything." Justin spoke like a true Hollywood veteran.

Heidi picked up on the first ring. "It's everywhere. Even local news outlets picked up on it. They called your parents for comments. Your mom went off on a rant on how she didn't know and how sad it was she had to find out from them. The media is all over that."

"Oh My god." Sara pinched her nose. It was even worse than she thought. "What else?"

"You guys weren't very slick. There's blurry photos of you and Justin, and well as two other people entering the courthouse in the back."

Justin spoke up. "How did they even get those photos?"

"Someone probably saw you and hid in the bushes across the street."

"Look I could put out a statement or keep silent. Justin's team reached out and we just all agreed to keep silent for now."

"That's fine. Don't say anything." After talking about their next course of action. Heidi said her and Alex where already on their way to the house to discuss future details, they hung up." Taking a deep breath Sara began crying. Justin gathered her in his arms as best as he could. "Hey, Hey it will be okay."

"No its not! This is not how I wanted them to find out! And now they think the worst. My family never spoke to the press unless it was a planned interview or under my control." She sobbed.

"That wasn't cool of her." Justin was already cursing out his mother in law. "She is probably just upset. She will get over it"

"You don't understand. We finally have a good relationship…." She trailed off and Justin knew what she meant. She thought she was going to jeopardize it.

He shook his head. "Sara. We are grown adults. We are still going to have the ceremony and celebration, but this was just for us. You don't… regret us getting married do you?" His voice was shaky

Immediately she shook her head. "I don't regret it at all. I'm just mad that once again my news got leaked before I could tell them. I don't understand why it's such a big deal? My marriage doesn't affect my fans' lives."

He smiled. "I mean your fans are crazy." It was true. He gained so many followers. Leaving comments asking him if he could fight and threatening harm if he hurt Sara. There were a couple of fan pages that disapproved of him, trying to dig up into his past that he wasn't worthy of their idol.

"Wanna just run away for a bit? We can get started on an early honeymoon and make up for our wedding night?" He wiggled his eyebrows and she giggled. Kissing him quickly. "As much as I would love to, we have groceries, and we do owe them to hear it from us."

It was the fact that her husband had the ability to calm her down and make her see rationally. He grabbed her hand and brought it up to her lips. "At least I can start wearing my athletic wedding band." She smiled. She got him a rubber gray band for him to wear during workouts or on the field if he wanted. "True."

They drove back home, Justin purposely taking the long way and driving slower than usual. Sara smiled, as much as he gave the pep talk she knew he was a little terrified of seeing her parents upset. He had never seen them really mad. He had been exposed to many of the arguments Sara had with her sisters and was immune to it, since they always made up a day later.

Finally, they pulled up to the house, and cars were everywhere. Sara even recognized Latrell's car and Justin knew his management's car. Justin and Sara approached the door with the boxes of items in their hands.

The door opened, and they were greeted with Charlie, the now preteen being almost his aunt's height. He closed the door behind them. "I just want to let you know it's bad. All these people are here, and grandma and grandpa got into it with Mr. And Mrs. Herbert."

Sara and Justin took a deep breath. Charlie, being the wise one that he is, filled them in. "Okay so Grandma is accusing the Herbert's of knowing and plotting behind our backs. Your business people are upset because I guess you guys have no prenup, and then the little kids are crying because they think you're nor having the party. Uncle Brent just wants to leave and got yelled at when he said everyone was being dramatic."

Justin rubbed his head. "I'm sorry you had to be exposed to that kid. But thank you. Now what kinda car do you want when you get your license?"

"Justin!" Sara looked at Charlie. "Thank you, just don't ask for a Lamborghini or something ridiculous."

"Charlie? Charlie? Charles Burke!" The door opened and Katie appeared. After shooing her son inside she glared at the couple. "I see you planned on hiding and avoiding us?"

Sara went to speak up but her mom appeared from behind Katie. "Sara Christine Wozniak, get your ass in here."

Justin's jaw dropped, not believing Sara was spoken to that way. Granted they were still her parents, but she was almost thirty years old. His parents never spoke to him that way.

She grabbed his hand and he squeezed it for reassurance, he wasn't sure if it was for him or her and followed her into the living room. Where everyone was waiting for them. It was both of their immediate families, his and her management. There were about fifteen or more people and they were all upset.

Justin and Sara sat next to each other on the couch. After a few moments of silence Sara began to talk. "You know how this isn't how we wanted-"

"Do you know how it feels to find out your daughter got married from a total stranger calling you?" Mike began and everyone could tell he was trying to hold back his anger.

"Dad-" her mom cut in "no you don't! That's why you did what you did. You've always been selfish."

Justin couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Cathy-"

"That's Mrs. Wozniak to you!" He sighed. "It was my idea."

"Oh I bet it was." She looked at Mark and Holly. "You two were there!"

Mark, having enough sighed. "That's ridiculous if you paid attention. We were at the same party that night!"

"But you knew! You knew your son and his girlfriend would be there!"

Mitch sighed. "It was last minute!"

Patrick cut in. "Yeah thanks for thinking of us guys."

"It was just for us! We needed a witness!" Justin threw his hands up

Cathy cut in again. "Yeah and you did not once think that Sara should have her family there. You made it all about yours! With this wedding you won't have it where she grew up! Her family and friends won't be able to show up!" She once again looked at her daughter who had her head down. "Now you're robbing us of a wedding in general!"

"I hope you realize you let down many people. Your own nieces are upset because they won't get to be flower girls!" Brittany cut in.

Sara looked up. Tears gathered in her eyes. "That's not true! We are still having a wedding!"

Cathy threw her hands up! "What's even the point! Your family might as well not show up since you made it clear you don't want us!"

Mike spoke. "Your mother has a point. I thought we were on the mend, and now you go back to shutting us out. I don't understand."

"I'm not shutting you out!" Sara ran her hands through her hair. Justin was speechless. He had never seen this side of the Wozniak family. He knew they had a not perfect relationship. He remembered the early days of their relationship when she didn't speak of her family and the little she spoke he was disturbed. Justin thought Mike's heart attack changed everyone.

But now seeing them tearing into her made him consider something. He wasn't sure he even wanted them there, or around any future kids if they were going to cause his wife this much pain.

"Also can we talk about how stupid this decision was!" Katie jumped in. "I mean you didn't even sign anything. No prenup! Asserts are unprotected! Me and Latrell have been trying to get you two to sit down with Justin's accountant to discuss if there was a divorce. Oh my god Sara California is a 50-50 state!"

"We could do a postnuptial agreement." Latrell cut in. Uncomfortable on intruding in a family conversation.

"Well first we have to do damage control, Sara, I need to book you on a tv show. I was thinking Late night, you got to clear it up and say it was a misunderstanding. Heidi pulled out her phone. “I have to call Alex and get you booked.”

“Like hell you are! I don’t regret what I said. Don’t you think the world should know how hurt this family is over your actions!”--

Mike shook his head. "I'm not upset, just disappointed in you two. Was this your plan of revenge? To exclude us?"

Holly cut in. "We aren't too happy about this either. We are getting harassed by extended family. Everything is up in the air!"

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Oh please save it.

"Hey Carly and I are still upset. We were left out as well!"

Everyone began talking over each other and arguing. Cathy was still directing her anger at Sara. It was chaos until a loud voice took over. "Hey, Hey, Hey!" Everyone quieted and looked at Brent, who looked perplexed.

"What the fuck is wrong with everyone!"

"Brent please!" Alyssa tried to calm her husband.

He shook his head and got up slowly. Still recovering from his injury. "No, I'm sick of this! This is supposed to be the happiest moment of their lives and you are all making it about yourselves! They didn't even explain themselves! And not that they have to, they don't owe us anything. He approached Justin, who stood up from the couch. Shaking his hand Brent spoke. "Congratulations you guys, I'm happy for you. Can't wait to celebrate in May."

Sara got up and hugged her brother in law. "Thank you." She cried. He gripped her tight and whispered to them both."I expect a nice bottle of scotch." He whispered and she chuckled. After hugging Justin he turned towards the family. "I think you all owe them a massive apology. Now let's get this food in on the grill and try to celebrate the newlyweds.

There were murmurs of agreement and everyone disbursed. Latrell and Ashley approached first to apologize and congratulate the couple. Although Sara felt they didn't really owe one. It was the job to make sure the client was making the best decisions for themselves.

After Latrell left, Heidi made sure that Alex would book her on a talk show sometime in the future for some damage control.

Ashley stuck around for the barbecue. Almost everyone began helping and getting back to normal. Most of Sara's family, besides Alyssa and Brent and the kids, avoided Justin and Sara. Feeling awkward about their outburst.

As Sara was in the kitchen helping Carly and Holly prepare things. Cathy came in through the sliding glass door.She was very awkward and avoided eye contact with the other girls. "Sara, can we talk?"

"Whatever you have to say you can say it here." She bit back. Once the shock of the family's reaction wore out, anger began setting in. Coupled with a margarita she didn't really hold back.

Holly looked between the mother and daughter. "Um, we will help move everything outside." Passing by, she gave her daughter in law a quick squeeze on her elbow before heading outside.

Once Sara heard the door closed she faced her mother. "Okay now say it."

Cathy sighed. "Look, you have to understand where we were coming from-"

"Really? That's how you start? No 'hey I'm sorry Sara? I'm sorry Justin? Or Holly and Mark?"

She was done, all her life she was labeled as something she wasn't when she did things for herself. Then forced to be the bigger person.

Cathy took a deep breath. "I shouldn't have yelled infront of everyone, I should have just pulled you aside privately and for that I'm sorry. But once again you went and excluded us again. I thought we were on good terms!"

Sara shook her head in disbelief. "So, again instead of clarifying and asking us, you fly off the roof and blab your mouth to a tabloid. Then make Justin and I's happiness all about yourselves. Did you really think after all of the stress and planning and everything custom made we would just say fuck everything and cancel it?"

"I don't know what to think! You have shut us out at everything! You're whole life!"

Sara bit back. "Yeah and why do you think that is?"

Cathy rolled her eyes. "Your father and I can't change the past. We provided everything and then some for you and your sisters. We have apologized over and over again and have been trying to be better. But you insist on punishing us."

Sara slammed her hand on the counter. "This what you don't realize, none of this was for punishment. It was something that we wanted to do. Just have a moment where it was just us. The whole point of this barbecue was to announce it to everyone!"

Sara shook her head as she finished mixing the salad. "All you could think about is you. I get being a little upset but you just had to put it out to the press, and you wonder why I was distant. I can't even trust my own family."

She picked up the bowl and brought it outside, leaving her mother to ponder on her words.

—-----------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the night it was awkward. While the couple's siblings and in- laws tried to carry on like there was no major conflict earlier, Mike and Cathy stayed quiet, only pitching in when someone asked them a question or to clarify something.

Sara was not only upset at her parents but for her siblings for not having her back. In some ways it felt like a betrayal. They all ganged up on her, except Alyssa.

As they got into bed that night. Justin pulled her close to him. "My mom asked if you wanted to join her on a hike tomorrow morning." He muttered into her hair. Holly approached him and said she was concerned about Sara. She nodded and sighed. "I knew they weren't going to be happy, but wow."

He nodded. She had told him about the earlier conversation between her and her mother.

"I should have had them pay for an expensive hotel." Justin was confused. "Wait, why?"

She smirked "cause we have been married for almost a week and we haven't even fucked!"

He laughed and she joined in. "You know we still could." She raised her eyebrow at him. "There's the car in the garage."

"True. We have to have so much sex. Superbowl sex, wedding sex." Justin snorted. "Don't laugh baby, I'm deprived!"

He kissed her before he got up. "Well what kinda husband would I be if I didn't satisfy my wife?"

She smiled and got up, grabbing his hand. They opened the door and looked out into the dark hallway. Taking a few steps, they thought everything was clear until the kitchen light came on. "Oh hey guys. What are you doing?"

Fuck. They turned around to see Patrick with a smirk on his face. "Sneaking off I see?"

Justin rolled his eyes. "We aren't tired. So we thought we'd go for a drive to Jerry's." It was a total lie, but could also serve as a backup since they were was that secluded forest where they could park and fuck."

"In your PJ's?" Pat smirked. Justin glared at his brother. "Well we might stop there, we might not."

"Well I'll join you guys." He laughed seeing the shock on Justin and Sara's faces. "Oh you thought I wasn't going to seek revenge on you guys not inviting me? Oh no. I'm going to make sure that you don't get a moment alone together as long as I'm around. So who's driving?"

Justin grabbed Sara's hand and led her back into their bedroom. "Goodnight asshole." —---------------------☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆—-------------------------------

The rest of the week was mixed

While they were still getting around that issue with her family while planning the Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties during dinner. Justin found out the extent of the Wozniak’s sisters' early party days.

“I have no idea how we talked the cop out of arresting Katie!” Sara was in tears as she recounted the story of her oldest sisters bachelorette party.”

Cathy rolled her eyes. “I thought having your youngest sister meant you girls wouldn’t get into too much trouble.”

“Come on mom, you know that we went crazy all of the nights you and dad were gone.” Brittany smirked. “Remember when Dad called the cops on the half naked man that was running across our property after we pulled in late after visiting Grandma?”

Sara’s eyes widened. “Britt do not!” Mike was confused. “Yeah, some dumbass kid decided to be funny. You know how kids were in the neighborhood.”

“Yeah and guess who was the only one home?” Sara laid her head in her hands, red faced when her dad thought about it, then it clicked. “Sara Christine! That was Carson, the man I met a few days later and I kept saying he looked familiar!” Everyone busted out laughing, except Justin and Mike. “And mom knew too!” Sara and Mike were both shocked. “Mom! Why didnt you rat on me!” Cathy laughed while sipping her glass of wine. “You think your father and I were saints?”

Holly joined in. “My boys always swore they were perfect angels.”

“We were!” Mitch protested. “I know you were, I am just not sure about these two” She gestured to Justin and Patrick, who were confused. “Wait, we were! Don’t blame this all on us!”

After dinner, when everyone was enjoying dessert and the kids were in the pool,Sara got a call from her manager. Excusing herself she headed inside. Leaving Justin alone with Mike.

"Justin, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for how my wife and I reacted to you two eloping. It wasn't very appropriate and we ruined such an exciting time. I remember being on cloud nine marrying Catherine, and we took that joy away from you. My wife, she's very stubborn. She will come around eventually. But I need to apologize to you."

Justin cut in "and Sara. I think she is the one that is owed the biggest apology."

Mike nodded. "I did this morning. Although I know it takes time for full forgiveness. If she ever decides to forgive me."

“What about Cathy? I mean Mrs. Wozniak.” Justin corrected himself

“Its Mike and Cathy, and don’t worry about her. She's sort of embarrassed about the whole thing.”

Justin nodded his head. “Cathy owes both of us an apology. Also my family as well.” Mike nodded. While things may never be one hundred percent, for now Justin wanted to move on and focus on the future and their wedding.

Before the family left, apologies were given, and Mike and Cathy took everyone out to dinner as one of the ways to make amends. Sara just wanted to move on from it all. She wanted to move ahead and enjoy the moments of the wedding coming up.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Exactly where is this going to be?” Justin looked at all of the skimpy outfits laid out on their bed.

It was Wednesday and Sara was set to leave Friday morning and come back Tuesday with her bridesmaids, as well as some of Justin’s cousins and some Lady bolts. They were taking a private jet to someplace warm

“Mexico. We got our own private house.” Sara zipped up the bag of shoes and toiletries, and opened the main suitcase to begin packing the outfits. They each had their own bag and Justin thought it was a bit excessive. His bachelor party was next weekend and the guys planned to go to Montana where there was fishing and hunting.

Looking over at all of the barely there outfits, he wished he pushed for a joint party.

He knew Joey wasn’t happy about having a pregnant AnnSophie along with the girls. She was five months pregnant with their son and while she and some other moms would be the overall moms of the group it was still going to get crazy.

"Why do we even need a bachelor party? I mean we are married." Justin picked up a white crystalized mesh see through dress. "I mean is this supposed to be a cover up? It doesn't cover anything!"

Sara glanced at it. "No that's for dinner and dancing." Justin's eyes widened and she began laughing. "There's nothing here! Babe you can't go revealing your underwear!"

"Relax there's a set you wear underneath." Justin was going to argue that point, but was distracted by something white going in her bag. Pulling it out his jaw dropped. "This bikini! This is the one that I love!"

It was the infamous white bikini that barely contained her goods. The one she wore infront of the guys that made him crazy. "There's not another one you have?"

She shrugged. "This is the only white one I have, and since I'm the bride mostly everything has to be white. I'm recycling outfits. Remember you said we shouldn't waste?" He groaned as his words came back to bite him in the ass. "Yes, but I think in these circumstances this should be allowed!"

She laughed. "Babe, it's a big group. I promise we will behave." She walked up to where he was sitting on the bed and kissed him. "Hey there won't be any strippers."

He rolled his eyes. "I know babe." He rubbed his hands up and down her sides. "I just worry about you running around in all of these skimpy outfits."

"We will be safe. You know Joey made AnnSophie bring security with." He made a mental note to message a thank you to his teammate. "Don't drink too much, and stay in the group."

"Okay dad!" —------------------------------------------------------------------

"TO OUR BRIDE!" Troye screamed to the cheers of the girls as Sara popped the champagne bottle. They were taking a group photo in front of the private plane. Justin just shook his head as he and the other partners all knew it was going to be a crazy weekend. Once again, he was grateful that Joey insisted that AnnSophie bring security with the group. As he saw the Itinerary was going to be massive crowds of people.

Mitch laughed as Isabelle pulled out a bottle of tequila and passed it around for the group to take shots. "Are you sure you don't want to crash it?"

Patrick had suggested that they all have a mini boys weekend while they wait for their partners to come home. He pulled the others aside and suggested that they crash it. "Have you seen the outfits the girls are packing! There's like… no clothes at all!"

Justin shook his head as the group began to climb up the steps Sara turned around and blew Justin a kiss which he caught.

A few seconds later, his phone buzzed, opening the message he laughed and blushed.

I'll send you nudes to think of Me.

—---

"I cant believe this." Sara gasped as she opened the door to the massive house her sisters rented out. It felt like a reality show, it had a luxury kitchen, living room. Sara of course got the master bedroom with the attached bathroom, although she knew the girls would be getting ready together in the room.

"Holy shit. I might not even want to go out." Ekeler's wife was in awe as she checked out the massive pool and jacuzzi. Sara laughed and nodded in agreement. Bella squealed when she saw the massive bar and pool table. "I feel like we are on a reality show."

There was a massive fruit and snack assortment spread with more champagne. "Girls, we got the Meg the Stallion concert in a few hours!Time to get ready!" Samira called out

The group screamed and began to rush to their rooms to get settled, get ready and pregame.

It was pure chaos, with clothes, shoes, makeup and hair accessories spread out in every room. Sara had her hair in rollers when Carly came in with a tray of tequila shots for the group in her room. "I'm going to be so drunk this weekend aren't I?"

"I think we all are!" Carly laughed and the group cheered before taking the shot. Sara had no idea how she did benders in college, but then she was in her early twenties where as now she was going to be twenty nine in a few months. Definitely won't be able to recover as fast. However, she was determined to have one last party before she was married…. Well… the wedding.

Katie took one shot and said that she was going to take it easy. "Trust me sis at thirty eight you're really not going to be able to stay up past ten!"

Things with her oldest and middle sister were still a little awkward. Brittany and Katie did Apologize to her, citing that they thought it was in her best interest to have consulted someone about signing a prenup first.

"So you're saying my marriage is set to fail?" Sara humphed as she took offense to the comment.

"No Sare Bear, we just want to make sure you're protected. I mean also we just feel like this relationship was so fast."

It didn't make any sense, their reasoning, and while Sara opted to forgive, she didn't want to forget.

As everyone finished up their looks, and tons of pictures were taken they were shared to everyone's private social media. Sara didn't want her party to be making headlines, although once people spotted them it was sure to make the front page of every gossip blog and news outlet.

She made sure to message Justin a quick word of their whereabouts and Bella stopped everyone and made a big spectacle about putting a crown with a veil attached on her head. The group screamed once again, and Sara blushed a deep red.

"LETS GO GIRLS!" Troye yelled! And they all hopped onto the large party bus awaiting them.

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

God look at her dancing like a whore on the table!

Seriously, she's married and a quarterback's wife. Have some class.

At least Brittany Mahomes never did that Oh please Sara is way classier than that bitch in KC

What's wrong with yall? She is enjoying her moment!

She's married already. Why is she having a Bachelorette party?

Don't call yourselves feminists and then put her down!

Justin felt himself grip his phone tighter as he watched the private stories that her friends posted.

"That's it. I say we fly out to Mexico asap." Patrick said as he focused on a story with Carly dancing on the stage when Megan announced a special guest. Justin's jaw clenched when a video came through on his private messages.

It was an up close view of Sara shaking her ass for the camera. No doubt she told whoever had her phone to film this for him.

"Guys, they're all fine. I told Annie to bring her security. They are all good!" Joey was surprisingly the most calm one throughout the situation.

"I cant believe you guys are getting jealous. Come on. The girls love us I don-" Mitch stopped as he checked his phone. "I told Isabelle that was too see through." Justin busted out laughing at his older brother's sudden change of tone.

"Just let them have fun!"

—---------------------------------------------------------

"Move out of the way gentleman!" Security shouted as he shoved the cameramen out of the way for the group to make it to the vehicle. They were heading home after dinner and the concert. Sara was tipsy, so she was fighting for her life to focus.

"Did I look sober?" She asked Alyssa once they were all in the limo. Alyssa, who was probably more tipsy than the bride, looked closely. "You caaan yell in the eyes. But I think you walked the straight line…" Alyssa slurred.

The next morning everyone got a late start to the day, and decided to go out on the boat. It was going to be a chill day. It probably wasn't a good idea to party on the first day.

The girls were now on a boat. Sara was sunbathing in her bikini, while the others were in the water. She was messaging Justin, who was not pleased at all of the videos on social media and news outlets on her twerking on Meg on the stage. She giggled as he told he wanted to spank her.

"Ladies, we have company." AnnSophie announced as she looked out from her chair on the deck. Sure enough a small boat pulled up in the distance. Four men with cameras began to shoot the girls in their bikinis. Sara sighed. "Oh my god please these people need to get a life."

Every minor move was being snapped by the photographers. Sara immediately reached for her cover up. She looked at the group. "I'm going to head in. Turning towards the cameramen on the opposing boat she held up her middle finger so the photo of her alone wouldn't be able to be sold.

Once inside she joined her sisters in the lounge area. "Hey bride." Katie smiled. "Enjoying your festivities so far?"

Sara smiled. "I am. Thank you guys."

Alyssa hugged her. "You deserve every moment of this girl. So I guess I have to ask this question. "How's married life so far?"

Sara giggled. "It's been great. My name is officially changed."

"So will you be known as Sara Herbert?" Brittany asked as she snacked on the fruit display.

She shrugged. "My team said it'd be better to keep my maiden name professionally. And to some point I agree, but I like knowing that I have his last name."

"Hyphen it." Katie suggested. "Put Sara Wozniak-Herbert on social media."

"I'll think about it."

Alyssas phone rang, and she went to answer it. Once she was out of the room. Sara laughed. "The kids are probably driving Brent crazy." They all laughed

"Speaking of kids, are we going to see a honeymoon baby from you and Justin?"

"I'm surprised she isn't pregnant right now!" Sara choked on her drink. "Woah woah guys. Let's get past the party first. Besides, Justin and I agreed that we would wait at least a year. Let us get through the first football season married."

"Okay, but you know cousin Siobhan put the pregnancy hex on you." The girls laughed.

—-------------------------------------------------------------

"So guess what we did today?" Justin smiled as his wife was a tad buzzed from another club. Again, social media and news blogs were flooded with pictures of the girls crazy night.

"Besides dancing on the stage and having a little too much to drink?" He laughed and Sara giggled. "Well first, we took a pole dancing class, and then we had a lingerie night where I got all of these new sets."

"Oh?"

"Yessss." She giggled.

"Did you have a bit too much tonight?" He smiled as he pet Nova laying beside him. Eugene was walking around the house meowing at missing Sara. He heard a giggle on the other end. "Yessss." She paused.

"Is that Eugene I hear?" He sighed. "He has not shut up since you left."

"Oooh poor baby. Oh speaking of, I saw a tiktok of flower girl pulling the cart with cats as the ring bearer."

"Sara, babe we have to lock them in the bedroom when we have our families over. That is not going to go well with over one hundred guests."

"I'll give you the sloppiest-"

"Sara! The food is here!" That seemed to distract his wife. "I'm sorry baby I got to go."

"It's okay, eat and sober up. I love you."

"Love you more."

The girls did not sober up. They progressively got drunker and raunchier. Karaoke was available in the main living room, and Sara was singing to 'I need a hero.'

"Ladies, our bride got her hero!!" Alyssa screamed and everyone cheered."

"AND WHAT A FUCKING HERO I GOT! WITH A GREAT ASS!" Sara yelled to more cheers.

—-------------------------------------------------------------

"Do you compare the guys in bed?" Bella was sitting on the bed while Sara was repacking. They were scheduled to head home tomorrow, and as much fun as she had partying, being in the sun, she missed Justin and the cats. Plus, her body reminded her she wasn't in her early twenties anymore.

"What are you talking about?"

"You, Isabelle, and Carly. Since you're all dating brothers, do they have the same mannerisms?" Sara's face wrinkled. "No. That's kinda weird."

She heard a laugh from the other room, Carly and Isabelle joining them. "We have to be honest. We compared Mitch and Patrick."

Sara paused for a moment, then spoke. "Justin makes this sound when he is close to finishing-" Isabelle made the grunt perfectly, and there was a second of silence before all of the girls began giggling. "Oh my god! Mitch does too?"

"Patrick does the same thing?"

Bella cut in. "Yall think they get it from Mark?"

All of the group busted out in ewws and laughter.

—-----------------------------------------------------------

1 month til the wedding.

"Okay so the final guest list is 220 people." Sara looked over the official rsvp. "Well I guess my parents managed to sneak some of their friends to come." She sighed as Justin walked into the house, sweaty from a workout. He wrapped his arms around her and she squealed. "Get off of me! You're nasty!" He laughed and kissed her cheek.

He had been trying to distract her since now it was crunch time. They were set to leave for Eugene next week to visit family, then drive up with the Herbert's to the venue. She had her final fitting the other day, the bridesmaids and groomsmen had their outfits. Everything was booked.

As for the minister. Stevie Nicks agreed to marry them. Which was surreal in itself. Then there were the famous guests. Timothee, Zendaya and Tom, Harry and his girlfriend. Taylor Swift (Sara invited her on a whim when she ran into her at an awards ceremony) , Hailee and Josh, and Sara's castmates. Justin's teammates and Oregon Legends. The wedding was gaining attention. So much so that the wedding planner had decided to put up tents so the paps didn't capture anything.

Also Sara's camp had contacted Vogue and gave the final no. Anna wasn't too happy about it, but for Justin and his family Sara wanted them to enjoy the day, not worry about signing release forms, and not being able to share photos. To be honest, Sara didn't care about candid photos and videos of the reception being on the internet. So much that she requested polaroid cameras to be on the tables for guests to take candid photos of whatever.

It was becoming real, and she could feel her and Justin's excitement as they arrived in Oregon. All of Justin's family was at the house, both maternal and paternal side. Her family was to arrive a couple weeks before.

She thought she'd be a total brideszilla, but she felt calm. Justin was surprised as well. As the wedding got closer, he had his moments of upset when something didn't go right. He couldn't help it, he was a type A. Everything had to be perfect, especially since this was going to be the most important and expensive day of their lives.

Maybe the calmness could be attributed to the fact that they were married, and they said their most meaningful vows to each other in front of people they loved and were completely comfortable with. When Stevie asked what she should say while officiating, they said to say some nice words about them and the only words coming out of their mouths would be 'I do'

5 days before

"As you can see, guests will be on the balcony for cocktail hour. Then the grand ballroom will open for the reception." The director of open motion for the hotel employees to open the doors to where the ceremony would be held. The large tent was in the process of being set up. However, where they would be standing the coast would be in the background.

It was everything Sara imagined when she picked out the place. Looking at Justin, she smiled big and Justin matched it. "Can you believe this baby? Our day is in less than a week!"

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "I can't wait."

"Oh and security will be very tight. I've already made sure the guests have wristbands to get on certain parts of the property. You and your bridal party will be able to enjoy our luxurious, world renowned golf course with the utmost privacy."

Justin smiled. "Oh don't worry we will." Sara laughed. "I think that's why you wanted this place."

"There's the couple of the week!" They turned around to see Justin's cousin and her husband approach them. After exchanging hugs, Justin smiled. "I see you checked in a bit early?"

His cousin laughed. "Are you kidding? This guy." She pointed to her husband. "Couldn't wait to get on the golf course."

"I can't wait to brag to all of my coworkers about the course."

Justin looked at the planner and the director. "Can we hit the course now? I mean my buddies are here, and everything is taken care of on my end." Sara nodded. "I don't care, I'm probably going to check out the bridal suite and look over the rehearsal prep one last time." He nodded and gave her a quick kiss before heading off.

She did a quick once over before heading inside. Guests were starting to arrive and check into their rooms, and someone approached her and she walked the area.

"Sara!" She turned to see Harry and his date coming up to her. After exchanging greetings, they all began to walk together. Sara was explaining how all of the planning was coming together. Harry smiled. "I suppose I should have congratulated you on being married already, but it doesn't feel real until the actual ceremony"

Sara smiled. "It's half and half, sometimes I feel married, other times I feel engaged."

His date smiled. "You look gorgeous, you have that married glow I want to have one day." She looked up at Harry, who was greeting Stevie.

Sara really liked this girl, and was confident Harry would settle down with her. It was just a matter of when.

"Excuse me Mrs. Herbert, but Ms. Swift's security team has arrived, and they want a copy of the guest list to make sure everything is on the up and up." The director came by with a big man, one of Taylor's security team. Taylor had called Sara and asked if she was sure she wanted her to come. It was going to bring a spectral if someone saw her, which she was taking extreme measures not to be seen.

Harry smiled. " Are You used to being addressed as that?"

Sara smiled. "Not yet."

"It does fit you. Congratulations Sara, you're going to make a gorgeous bride."

The rehearsal

Sara wished she paid attention during her sisters rehearsals.

She was a bridesmaid (and Alyssa's maid of honor) before, and she could honestly say she zoned out for every practice. All she had to do was wait for her cue to walk and made sure she went along with the music. No problem

Well now she apparently walked too fast. To be fair her feet were killing her. She wore lace 5 in platform's along with a tight satin dress. Pierpaolo made sure she was dressed to perfection for the pre celebration.

Paps were already on sight and took photos of her on the grounds that weren't sealed off. Everyone was losing their minds over her rehearsal dress. Crowds gathered at the end of the property after someone had spotted Taylor. Taylor kept apologizing to the couple, and as much as Justin was annoyed he didn't genuinely feel sorry for Taylor. It wasn't her fault that people couldn't accept boundaries.

"Sara! A little slower please! You look like you're dragging your parents." Sara was walking alongside both her parents. "Honey, also put your chin up, trust me you don't want double chin in the photos." Her mom whispered, and her smile faltered. Justin immediately took notice being at the end of the altar.

"Okay, now everyone resume places." They immediately went back to the spots. "Okay once the music starts, the doors will open and again, slow, careful steps guys. One, two, three."

The music began playing, and the doors opened. Sara's arms linked with both parents and they slowly began walking. One thing she discovered was that she didn't like everyone looking at her. A nervous tick was that she began laughing uncontrollably whenever she felt awkward. "Sara, control yourself." Cathy whispered. "There's only twenty people, I cannot imagine how you will react when the seats are filled."

"Okay one thing we have to cut out is the side convos. Remember you will be mic'd up so everything you say will be recorded. Also Mike move over a bit, we don't want you tripping over the flowers. Front the top."

Once again, everyone took their place and they went over the routine for what felt like the millionth time.

Finally, everyone was satisfied with the walks, the timing of the music, and some other mundane things. Everyone was over it and hungry.

The rehearsal was catered by Traeger Grills. Justin and Sara loved the crew as they had come over to film sponsor videos with Justin.

As they all enjoyed the full barbecue banquet, both sets of parents had surprised everyone with a sideshow of the couple growing up. Justin died of laughter seeing Sara go beet red when some childhood photos popped up she thought were buried deep in the attic. Mark and Holly came through with Justin's pictures.

The planner made sure that everyone disbanded and was at their rooms by 9pm. "We want to make sure we all get a good night's sleep. 6am wake up call tomorrow."

Justin and Sara walked slowly to the hotel lobby, they would stay on opposite ends of the hotel and wouldn't see each other until the first look. "This is ridiculous. We are already married." Justin whined as they swung their arms as they walked. Sara giggled. "It's one night. You will live." She squealed as Justin picked her up bridal style and swung her around with ease. Their lips met and even after a few years, there was still passion, the love that they had through each other could be felt through their kiss "Are you sure we can spend the night? We will just sneak back before everyone wakes up." Justin broke away.

She thought about it. "Sorry. But the girls and I are doing a little skincare before bed. Plus I'm saving myself for the wedding night." Justin snorted. "And how is that going for you?"

"Pretty well. Actually." They heard footsteps. "Alright you two you will see each other in the morning." Bella laughed as Justin set Sara down, making sure to steady her in her heels. With one last kiss, they departed and went their separate ways.

Upon entering her Bridal suite she laughed. Above her bed were big Silver balloons spelling out 'HERBERT'

"It's surreal huh? Sorta your last night as a Wozniak." She turned around to see her MOH, Alyssa leaning against the doorframe with a smile on her face. Sara smiled. "Yeah. I mean it feels official. I know Justin and I are legally married. But…." She trailed off, not sure how to explain her feelings.

Alyssa nodded. "I know. When Brent and I first got engaged and were in Mexico, we went to a church and got married." Sara's eyes widened. "You never said anything."

"We never did the paperwork to make it binding. But we did it. Why do you think Brent was so defensive of you two?" Alyssa walked up and grabbed her younger sisters hands. "I should have stood up for you too."

"We all should have." Now they were being joined by the other two. Katie sighed. "We are very sorry. How we reacted, God we are no better than our mother." The girls laughed. "Where is mom, by the way?" Sara looked behind her.

"She's off making sure everything is set up. Also Denise and Linda are with her as well." Sara rolled her eyes, but before she could say anything else they were interrupted by Alisha knocking. "Come on ladies, we have everything set up!

Feeling better after the talk with her sisters, the girls joined the rest of the bridal party.

—-----------------------------------------------------------

The wedding day.

Put over 10 girls in a bridal suite, and pure chaos commerces.

Sara was calm as a cucumber. It was funny, because when she looked back on her sister's wedding days she remembered them being all high strung and panicking. Yelling, and barking orders at her and the other bridesmaids.

Yet as she sat at the table eating her omelet and sipping her orange juice (her mother insisted she use a straw, so no stains) she was very calm. It was 7 am, and official pictures weren't schedule til 12:30.

The photographer was due to arrive at 8. "Sara, have you washed your face?"

She shook her head. "Once I'm done I'll jump in the shower and wash my hair. Jonathan is coming soon, and he wants my hair wet."

Cathy gasped. "Sara, you should have showered as soon as you woke up!"

"Mom, can you check and see if every bridesmaid's station is set up." Brittany ushered their mother out the room. She looked back. "You better jump in the shower, I can't hold her off forever." Taking a quick bite of the omlett, and Sneaking some fruit. She quickly jumped into the shower. She was a little bitchy since her mom didn't allow her to have coffee (takes too long to get rid of coffee breath)

Once she was ready she was in the chair as Jonathan began to dry her hair. They were going for a half up half down romantic hairstyle with loose curls. Her heirloom headpiece was taken out of its case while he was finishing up and the makeup artist began.

Pictures were being taken as the fellow bridesmaids were getting ready. "The bouquet is here!" Holly came in with the florist who presented the mix of white and baby pink carnations for inspecting.

"Those are gorgeous! Just like grandma's." Sara felt herself get emotional as she remembered the photo of her grandmother's wedding bouquet she showed to the florist.

The wedding had its personal touches. Justin's suit had a piece of his late grandfather's suit stitched into the inner coat pocket. As well as the memorial table and section in the wedding programs.

More pictures were taken with the bridesmaids in their robes, then the smaller details like the shoes. Cathy unzipped the Valentino garment bag, and Sara undid her robe and stepped into the lace and satin gown. It felt surreal, she had many try-ons, but this was the moment. The one she thought she'd never have. As her mom tied up the back and Holly adjusted the front, she thought about all of the times she watched her sisters and some other family and friends have their moments, and people joking that would never be her.

All of the tears she shed, all the times where she would fake being okay, led to Justin, and this moment. After attaching the hairpiece and veil, she sat down so Alyssa could put on her shoes. "Oh honey, you look gorgeous." Cathy began dabbing her eyes. "My baby girl, I'm so happy for you."

She was guided over to a mirror and Sara felt beautiful. Her A- line ball gown flattered her figure, her now longer hair was styled to perfection. Sara had to admit, she looked gorgeous. Taking a deep breath, she stepped outside into the main area, where all of her bridesmaids were ready with eyes closed. "Okay ladies, open." Sara smiled as the girls squealed and awed over her completed look. "Mom, aren't you forgetting something?" Katie questioned. Sara's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

Cathy laughed. "Just wait."

The door opened and Mike walked in, he immediately teared up upon seeing his youngest daughter in this moment. "Oh SareBear, you look beautiful." He wrapped his arms around her. "I can't believe it, this is your day sweetheart."

"Makeup make up!" Her artist yelled as he began to reach for his kit. "I used waterproof everything, but there is going to be a lot of tears shed today, so no chances."

"You have the gift Michael." He nodded and pulled a small black box out of his pocket. "Your mother and I didn't know what to get you for your day, but this would be something that we hope you can pass down to your daughter one day."

He opened it and Sara gasped. It was small teardrop diamond earrings. Mike turned them around to reveal an 'H' on the back piece, also in diamonds. "In honor of your new name."

As she put on the earrings, she felt herself get emotional all over again.

—------------------------------------------------------------

Justin was facing the ocean. It was a nice and relaxed day. He woke up, showered, played pool with his groomsmen and new in-laws. He even enjoyed a glass of brandy, courtesy of Brent.

He had to admit Sara was right, it felt more official now that the lavish ceremony was taking place. He never thought in a million years he'd be here at 27. Justin didn't plan on settling down til after thirty, let alone someone in the public eye. But somehow, almost three years ago his heart was stolen by the little brunette who somehow loved him back.

He smiled as he heard the soft clicking of heels over the crash of the ocean waves behind him. The sound grew closer.

"Shit. This veil is heavy." He busted out laughing, and despite not seeing her he knew she had a smile on her face. "Shut up!"

He felt her hand rest on his back. "You can turn around now." She said

As Justin faced his wife. The sight of her, looking like an angel in white almost sent him to his knees. "Wow." He whispered, tears coming to his eyes."

"How do I look?" She whispered nervously and she brought her veil around her shoulders so he could get the whole effect.

"You look gorgeous." He shook his head as the photographer and videographer captured every moment. "I can't believe it's here."

"Yeah." She laughed in happiness. "We're here. Getting married." She smiled. "I mean we're already married but-" He kissed her quiet.

"Are you ready?" She smiled after they pulled away

"As ready as I have ever been."

—----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dude you're just staring into nothing. It's creepy." Justin broke out of his trance as Mitch stood next to him at the altar. The place was full, every seat filled. Some were waking the paper programs, others were whispering to their seat partners. Most were staring at him. Holly had to calm him down as he escorted her to his seat.

He recognized a few famous faces. Josh and Hailee were there, so was Taylor and Travis (never thought Kelce would be at his wedding.) Hell, the legendary Stevie Nicks was standing next to him, waiting to marry him and his wife.

The music began to play, and the doors opened to the bridesmaids walking to take their places. There was AnnSophie, who was sporting a quite a bump at seven months pregnant, then Carly and Isabelle, Samira, Bella, and then her two sisters. Alyssa, her MOH was the last up the aisle.

The music stopped for a bit then the violin began to play here comes the sun. As everyone rose, the doors opened, and despite just seeing her not too long ago his eyes began to water again.

She was on the arm of her mother and father, her veil was over her face. Mitch clapped his hand on his younger brother's shoulder.

Sara was nervous, all of these people in the room staring at her. As her eyes stayed locked on Justin she could sense his unease too.

Finally, she reached the altar and she kissed both parents.

"Who allows this couple to marry?" On cue both sets of parents spoke in unison. "We do."

"Please be seated." The crowd took a seat, and Stevie began

"Welcome everyone to this wonderful occasion. On behalf of the couple and the Wozniak and Herbert families thank you for your love and support on this special day. I would like to start off by saying a couple words about marriage and Justin and Sara as I've gotten to know them individually and as a couple.

She cleared her throat.

"Justin and Sara grew up on opposite ends of the country. He was a west coast kid with a love of sports, she an East coaster with a love for the arts, now that wasn't the only thing that was opposite. Justin likes to blend into a room while Sara commands it. Sara loves in and out while Justin hates it."

Everyone laughed.

"But despite that, these two with the help of fate and friends, ended up at the same place and time on July 22nd 2022, and now they stand before us and God because when they are together, everything is right in the world."

Sara knew her role model was a talented songwriter, but her officiant speech took her breath away

"Today before us and God, they pledge their lives to each other. By agreeing to enter this union, you agree that there will be times of laughter, and love but there might also be times of hardship. Do you both understand that this is not something to take likely?

"We do." They never broke eye contact with each other

"Do you understand that a mutual love and respect for each other is important not only for each other but if blessed with children that they need to see above all else, their mother and father respect each other?"

"We do."

"Now Justin Patrick, do you take Sara Christine to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Justin smiled "I do. Again"

"Sara Christine, do you take Justin Patrick to be your lawfully wedded Husband?"

She nodded. "I do, again."

Stevie smiled. "May I have the rings?" On cue, Alyssa and Mitch handed over the couple's wedding bands to the older woman.

"May these rings be blessed as they who give it, and they who shall wear it live in peace and love until their lives end." As rehearsed, Justin took Sara's band first.

He grabbed her left hand, and repeated Stevie's words. Slipping the thin platinum diamond band on her finger, Sara gasped and how stunning the ring was. "It's gorgeous." She whispered.

She repeated the same actions to Justin, and Stevie said a few more words, as the crowd said amen. (She left some catholic aspects to appease her parents)

Finally, "By the state of Oregon, I pronounce you husband and wife. What God has joined together may no one separate. Justin, you may kiss your bride."

Loud cheers and claps could be heard in the air all around them but the couple were too wrapped up in their kiss.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Do people actually have sex on their wedding night?" Justin laughed as he undid the buttons on his dress shirt. Sara was in the midst of taking her hair out. "Fuck this hurts." He walked over once his task was completed. "Let me help you with the dress"

She had changed into a white satin cocktail dress and decked out sneakers for the reception/after party, claiming she wanted to 'throw it back' on Justin.

They had fireworks at 10pm to send off the older couples who wanted to leave, then the sparklers were set off at 1am for the after party leaving.

It was now 2am, and the drinks and dancing were now affecting the couple as they wanted to go to bed. "Tell me why you thought a brunch before going on our honeymoon was a good idea?" Justin smiled as he watched his wife clean her face.

"We can still sleep in. Brunch Is at 11am and our flight is at 5." She dried her face and wrapped her arms around him.

Justin smiled down at her. "You're right. It feels more official now that we are wearing our rings."

"Do you regret how we did it?" He shook his head. "We did it our way."

"That we did."

A/N: Thank you guys so much for your patience! I wanted to write so much more regarding the reception but This was already too long. Maybe I'll write a small blurb or you guys can ask questions

#justin herbert #sara and justin canon #alexa writes collide

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typingcorgi · 1 year

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sanctuary; part ii

read part i here

pairing: joel miller x f!reader (no y/n)

warnings: tw for mention of blood, mild gore, violence, age difference hinted, no smut yet but honey have you met me? it's coming (and so is joel, and you, ey-ohhhh)

word count: 1.5k

author's notes: canon divergent aka no ellie I'm sorry kids cramp my style

still no smut i'm so sorry but i needed a little bit of a bridge from the last chapter before you and joel go to bone town. So this is violent-ish (I'm a very vanilla writer so if you are seeking major thrills you aren't going to find them here lol)

As always, if you like this, please leave a comment or reblog!! I am so happy to be sharing this garbage with you, whether you like it or not, and can't wait to get to the next part. BRING ON DA SMUT

also thanks @magpie-to-the-morning for reminding me you can put cars in neutral

taglist: @avengersfan25 @fairytale07

Gunshots used to remind you of Outbreak Day.

You weren’t old enough to comprehend the severity of the circumstances. Looking back on it now, severity doesn’t even seem strong enough of a word. It was more of a cataclysm, a shattering of the world you’d known for a world you weren’t prepared to enter.

New York was the first city to be bombed. The outbreak was impossible to contain on the thirteen-mile island, the Infected found on every street corner, every bend in Central Park. You were young, just beginning to experience the storm and strife of your teenage years when everything you ever knew had been ripped from beneath you within a matter of hours. At the time, you’d been in Boston with your family, unaware that when you’d arrived, you’d never leave.

Gunshots used you remind you of Outbreak Day. Now, you’re hard-pressed to go twenty-four hours without hearing them.

—

The pistol Joel had directed you to use lays useless in your lap. You turn the safety on, even though you’re pretty sure you’d fired the last three bullets mere hours ago. The truck, now essentially your immobile mobile home, is parked on the edge of a side street, overgrown with enough shrubs and greenery to make you believe you’re situated in the middle of a meadow.

It’s unsettling, really, to sit in the passenger seat of your pickup, to feel the rays of the golden sun warm the skin along your cheekbones and reflect against your tired eyes when you had a run-in with death in the dark hours of the morning. To be fair, you have a run-in with death typically multiple times a day, now that you’ve managed to get out of the QZ. The monsters out here are scarier than the druggies and corrupt FEDRA officers you’ve gotten used to. These will continue to track you down like bounty hunters until you’re just as harrowing and inhuman as they are.

And while the rational part of you knows this is life in 2023, this is your New Normal, you hate the idea of your actions dragging both you and your partner into unnecessary danger.

“Here are our options,” Joel mutters over the folded edges of his map. “Marlene mentioned there was a base in Mansfield. We can fuel up there or find a lowlife to siphon from along the way. But there aren’t many discreet ways to get there. If we cut around this way, though, southeast—we should probably be able to manage ourselves.”

A part of you wants to scoff. Probably. Every moment is a probably.

But in Joel’s rare moment of muted optimism, you don’t want to rain on his parade. You nod in quiet agreement.

You are not fully able to manage yourselves.

—

Without your truck, the protective cover you and Joel once reveled in now leaves you open and exposed to the dangerous world around you. The most you can do is put the truck in neutral and push the damn thing down the path Joel’s planned out for you.

It’s exhausting; even in the mild New England spring, you’re breaking a serious sweat. Evidence of exertion forms along your browbone and temples, and at one point, you tie the flannel you’ve been wearing for weeks on end around your waist, leaving your arms and chest exposed in a dark tank top.

“There’s a house up ahead,” you observe, hours into your arduous task. The sun is just starting to slip beneath the horizon, painting the sky in a series of blues and purple-pinks. Against the backdrop of the sky, the house looks eerie and dilapidated, almost out of place. You shake your head and remember it’s the rare moments of beauty–a sky at dusk, the glimmer of the Charles on a golden afternoon, the twinking diamonds of midnight stars—that are out of place. A broken-down home with a hole in the roof is all too ordinary for your liking.

Joel nods through a grimace, broad palms against the trunk as he continues to trudge forward. “Uh-huh,” he acknowledges. “Okay. We’ll stop.”

While the house is seemingly empty, the front door is open, which is never a good sign.

Your stomach twists as Joel examines the doorway, then looks at you. It’s as though his eyes are telling you what his words cannot—I’m right here with you. I’ve got you.

It’s wishful thinking, maybe.

“Let’s go,” Joel says instead, and your heart sinks.

You nod, following behind him. Joel’s grip is tight around his shotgun, with your hands around the neck of his pistol, aimed right in front of you.

Your steps are quiet. The interior smells like dirt and demise. You gulp, following close behind your partner, your unofficial party leader, considering it’s rare you’re the one guiding the both of you into the dark.

Joel is so quiet, you can’t even hear him breathe. Exhale too loudly, and you give away your position to potential enemies. Step the wrong way, make the floorboards creek, and you’re an absolute goner. You mirror his actions, placing your feet in every invisible footprint he leaves in his wake, nearly holding your breath.

You move around the first floor of the house, observing what might have been a living room, a functional kitchen, a decorated hallway. You wonder who lived here on the side of a main road. Was it a family? Did they make it out of here alive?

Or did they get turned before they even had a chance?

You shudder at the possibilities before Joel gently, strategically, opens a mahogany door to the next room. You’re met with a basement entrance, a damp cement staircase, and a musty odor.

But more importantly, more shockingly, you’re met with an ear-curdling scream.

Joel slams the door immediately, eyes widened without giving away every ounce of worry you wonder he might be feeling. “Fuck!” he hisses, and then his hand is on your wrist. He pulls you away from the door, down the hallway, and toward the entrance that’s now become your dire exit.

You hear the clicker clambering up the stairs, its cries violent and deafening. You can hear its frustration as it punches a rugged fist through the basement door, as it scrambles to find the pair of you, to get its rotten hands on you, and transfigure the fibers of your humanity to something decidedly inhuman.

The house isn’t particularly big. It’s not hard for you and Joel to try to make it out the front door alive, but it’s also relatively easy for the monster on your heels to launch itself onto both you and Joel as you practically leap down the front steps.

Your head slams against the ground, and before your body is able to register the pain, the shock of knowing there’s a damn clicker on top of you, and you’re about to die—or worse, turn—begins to sink into every pore and fiber of your being.

“Joel!” Your scream is ragged and desperate. Tears form in the corners of your eyes, threatening to fall down your dirt-stained cheeks. Your eyes close, unable to meet the sight of the snarling monster above you, its predator hands holding you in a bone-cracking grip before it can take its prey.

“Joel—help—I need—”

You hear two gunshots fire, and while your eyes are still squeezed shut, you sense the clicker’s blood—among other things that you’d rather not think about—splattering against your face. The monster’s grip along your wrists goes limp and falls away.

You survive. For now.

By the time you open your eyes and rise to your feet, you can’t help yourself—you sob into the fabric of Joel’s worn denim, unable to fight off the emotion as well as Joel had fought off the clicker. It’s impossible, knowing you’d been so close to losing yourself, losing this strange life you’ve cultivated alongside a man that can hardly articulate how he feels for you. Does he feel anything? Have you fabricated it this entire time?

It’s not the moment to mull it over, f you’re being honest. But you can’t help it if the thoughts come.

“J—Joel,” you stammer. “Holy shit, I almost—you almost—”

“I know,” he exhales, and you can hear the exasperation in his voice. After months of practice, he doesn’t know how to do this. His arms are a loose loop around your body. Despite your relationship and the amount of time you’ve spent together, you know vulnerability isn’t Joel’s strong suit. He’s not one to run a hand over your hair and tell you you’re safe. He’s not one to encourage you to cry it out.

But you do anyway, because it might be all you have left to give.

You both decide the truck is safer. He lets you take the first sleeping shift, offering his backpack as a pillow before locking the truck doors.

You’re dozing off. You think you might have heard Joel whisper brave girl in your drowsy haze, but you chalk it up to exhaustion.

#tlou fic #joel miller fic #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x female reader #joel miller #tlou fanfiction #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us fic

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floridaboiler · 9 months

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Things I learned from the movies:

1. If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a passing St Patrick's Day parade - at any time of the year.

2. All beds have special L-shaped top sheets that reach up to armpit level on a woman but only waist level on the man lying beside her.

3. All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.

4. Once applied, lipstick will never rub off - even while scuba diving.

5. The ventilation system of any building is a perfect hiding place. No one will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building without difficulty.

6. Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language. A German accent will do.

7. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window of any building in Paris.

8. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.

9. When paying for a taxi, never look at your wallet as you take out a note - just grab one at random and hand it over. It will always be the exact fare.

10. If you lose a hand, it will cause the stump of your arm to grow by 15cm.

11. Mothers routinely cook eggs, bacon and waffles for their family every morning, even though the husband and children never have time to eat them.

12. Cars and trucks that crash will almost always burst into flames.

13. A single match will be sufficient to light up a room the size of a football stadium.

14. Medieval peasants had perfect teeth.

15. All single women have a cat.

16. Any person waking from a nightmare will sit bolt upright and pant.

17. One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of killing them all than 20 men firing at one.

18. Creepy music coming from a graveyard should always be closely investigated.

19. Most people keep a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings - especially if any of their family or friends has died in a strange boating accident.

20. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involved martial arts - your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessor.

21. During a very emotional confrontation, instead of facing the person you are speaking to, it is customary to stand behind them and talk to their back.

22. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your room will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.

23. Dogs always know who's bad and will naturally bark at them.

24. When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.

25. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their arch-enemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gases, lasers and man eating sharks that will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape.

26. Having a job of any kind will make all fathers forget their son's eighth birthday.

27. Many musical instruments - especially wind instruments and accordions - can be played without moving the fingers.

28. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off.

29. It is always possible to park directly outside the building you are visiting.

30. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.

31. If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you bump into will know all the steps.

#movies #knowledge #humor

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rhapsodynew · 2 days

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#Everything you need to know about Rock📌

Cinderella

The American blues heavy metal band Cinderella was founded in 1983 in Philadelphia by guitarist and vocalist Tom Keifer and bassist Eric Brittingham, who combined in their music all the best from their favorite teams – Aerosmith, Nazareth and Led Zeppelin.

The original line-up also included guitarist Mike Shermick and drummer Tony Destra. At one of the club concerts, the band was noticed by the famous John Bon Jovi, who played a decisive role in the fate of the budding band and for the next few years was actually a protege of Keifer & Co. On Bon Jovi's recommendation, PolyGram got acquainted with Cinderella's work, which it saw as potential and signed a long-term contract with the group. However, by setting a condition - to change the guitarist and drummer. Thus, Jeff La Bar and Jimi Drank appeared in the band, whose place was taken by Jody Cortez just before the recording of the debut record.

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The sharks of show business were not mistaken in their predictions: the first album "Night Songs", released in the summer of '86, became a real bomb and landed right on the third place of the American hit parade! In this regard, the band's debut became its most successful album. Immediately after recording "Night Songs", Cortez was replaced by Fred Kouri, who had previously been Ozzy Osbourne's session drummer. Bon Jovi continues to help his younger comrades and takes Cinderella on his world tour, the culmination of which is the performance of both groups at the British Monsters Of Rock festival. This is followed by a number of concerts opening for AC/DC, David Lee Roth (Van Halen) and Judas Priest.

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In 1988, Cinderella released a second, more mature and interesting album, Long Cold Winter. In addition to the main line-up, drummers Cozy Powell and Danny Carmassi, keyboardists Kurt Shore and John Webster also took part in the recording of this disc

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The fans were jubilant, the music critics were ecstatic. Tom was certainly the heart and soul of the team. For example, "Nobody's Fool" was written in his parents' bedroom when he was visiting them, and "Heartbreak Station" during the "The Long Cold Winter" tour, when he was riding on the way to Memphis on a bus in the back seat and playing music on a 12-string guitar. "Coming Home" appeared in California during a tour with Bon Jovi. He just got a beautiful guitar "J200 Gibson", and to test its sound, he locked himself in a hotel room, and after 10 minutes a real hit was ready. "Gypsy Road" was also written in a hotel during the very first tour of "Cinderella" with David Lee Roth, a "Somebody Save Me" and "Bad Attitude Shuffle" were the result of just a rotten mood. And the idea of "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" came to Tom's mind when he was driving in a car to the studio during the recording of the first album.

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During the 1988/89 Cinderella world tour, they visited the USSR, where they performed at the two-day "Peace Festival" in Moscow in August '89 together with "Skid Row", "Gorky Park", "Motley Crue", Ozzy Osbourne, "Scorpions" and "Bon Jovi". "It was a crushing success, the whole stadium stood and sang with us, these Russians did not know English, but they understood what we were singing about, it was unforgettable, if I write memories, I will definitely devote an entire chapter to this concert," Tom said after the performance.

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In 1990, the third CD of Cinderella, "Heartbreak Station", was released. A guitar slide and a saxophone were added to the infinitely lyrical blues sound. The most popular track was the song "Shelter Me", firmly entrenched at the top of the "Top 40", and the video for it was constantly playing on MTV. The album sold 1 million copies, and the band went on tour with David Lee Roth. Japan, which always follows the principle of "ahead of the whole planet", immediately released the concert album "Live Train to Heartbreak Station". And the song "Hot and Bothered" was even included in the soundtrack to the movie "Wayne's World".

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In 1993, Cinderella's career began to decline, which was facilitated by a number of events. Tom Keifer was found to have nodular seals on his ligaments. The verdict of the doctors was merciless - paralysis of the left vocal cord. The voice was gradually fading away. Tom had surgery, ate a ton of medications, studied with the best vocal teachers, spent long hours of chanting and intensive therapy every day, every note was painful, but Tom wanted to sing and was willing to undergo any tests in the name of what he really cared about. It was probably the most difficult period of his life. Fred Kouri left for Arcade. Kevin Valentine sat down at the drums. But he doesn't stay long either and dumps in the middle of recording "Still Climbing". The vacant place is occupied by Rai Brinker, and Kenny Aronoff played drums in the studio. To top it all off, Keifer's mother dies (he dedicated the song "Hard To Find The Words" to her). All this willy-nilly affected the band's work and the fourth album "Still Climbing", released in 1994, although it was of extremely high quality and received very good reviews from the press and radio stations, but could not rise to its former height in the charts.

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1995 brought nothing but fatigue and disappointment, and soon the band broke up.

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Ray helped Tom write his solo album, Eric worked on Marshall Coleman's team. Jeff decided to give up his music career, and Fred continued to play the role of session drummer for various bands, as well as engaged in the affairs of his recording studio in Nashville. That would seem to be all. However, in October 1996, the team received an invitation to take part in a charity concert at a nightclub in New Jersey. It was there that the four main members of the project gathered again, and it was decided to release the Greatest Hits CD "Once Upon A..." Released in May 1997. This CD contained all the best things of "Cinderella", plus a great cover of Janis Joplin's "Move Over" and a new song "War Stories". Cinderella got another chance.

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In November 2017, Keifer stated that Cinderella had no plans to reunite, explaining that "the problems between the band members are beyond repair."

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#Everything you need to know about Rock📌

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kinghairington · 2 years

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Love Walks In [E.M.]

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!reader Word Count: 1.3k Summary: You run into Eddie Munson at a music store one night and an unexpected flame is ignited. Warning: SFW. This is very fluffy. Includes 2 f-bombs courtesy of our boy and dissing of The Smiths/Morrissey. A/N: There are no mentions of the reader's physical features other than Eddie acknowledging that reader is a woman. Reader is the same age as Eddie. This is set during the summer of '86. Loosely titled after Love Walks In by Van Halen. Masterlist.

One of the best things about summer in Hawkins was that most stores on Main Street stayed open later, meaning you could hang out wherever you wanted after getting off work. Tonight it was the music store. What better time to stock up on some tapes to play in your car than in the summer when you could go on late night drives without a care in the world.

The music store was the sort that played an entire album before switching to another, usually an upbeat rock album or Wham! to up the energy in the store. But, tonight, someone was clearly in a mood. You had already heard three songs by The Smiths since the moment you stepped inside. The melancholy atmosphere was not exactly the best for shopping, and apparently you weren’t the only customer who felt that way.

“Yes, there is a murderous desire for making me listen to his whining!” Someone exclaimed, their voice easily heard over the music.

The volume of the outburst caused you to jerk in surprise before curiosity set in and you glanced around to see who had been brave enough to yell out the insult. Someone could get kicked out of the store for that, you were sure.

You hadn’t seen Eddie Munson since you graduated high school two years before, but he hadn’t changed much. His hair was a little longer, maybe he was taller, but it was no surprise that he was the one causing a scene. He always knew how to draw a crowd.

Well, no one else was in the store.

It was just you, Eddie Munson, and one bored looking employee who undoubtedly was the culprit of the music choice. So not a scene so much as a small incident that passed as quickly as it occurred.

You laughed anyway, meeting the man’s eyes when he lifted his head from the records he was already back to flipping through. He smiled crookedly at your reaction and took in your appearance. The recognition on his face was almost immediate.

“Hey!” He called out as he rounded the table and came to stand in front of you, one hand grabbing onto the bottom of his leather jacket and the other going up to his hair. “I know you.”

Then he pointed at you and tilted his head in thought.

“Class of 1984.”

You nodded and smiled politely, planning to go back to your search, but you found yourself speaking up.

“I know you, too.”

“You remember me?” His voice was surprisingly bashful.

“It’s hard to forget someone who walked around school like they were the most popular guy but it was kind of the opposite.”

“Ouch. Do you bite too?” He gasped playfully and placed a hand on his heart. “Do I need to run away?”

“Everyone knows who you are,” you replied with a shrug. Honestly, you weren’t trying to be mean. That was exactly how you remembered the man in front of you. He was infamous within the halls of Hawkins High. “I never thought you were weird.”

“Well, thank you. You’d be one of the few.”

“At least high school is over.”

Eddie titled his head back and looked to the ceiling, hands clapping together to form a praying motion. “Finally,” he whispered to himself.

That was right - last you heard, Eddie ended up failing his first and second senior year before graduating in the spring of ‘86. It was a surprise Hawkins High didn’t throw a parade around the entire town to celebrate.

When he looked down, he assessed the cover of the cassette tape in your hand and hummed in thought.

“Van Halen? Not bad. I took you for more of a Cyndi Lauper fan,” he said, an amused smirk on his lips.

“You mean you don’t just want to have fun?”

“Different definitions of fun, I’m afraid.”

It was difficult to not smile back at him. There was something extremely contagious about Eddie’s laugh and smile. Always had been.

“She’s pretty cool, but I think we all heard “Time After Time” enough at school dances to want to listen to it on our own.”

The final chords of “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” faded out as the record ended and you glanced at Eddie to gauge his reaction.

“Thank fuck.” Eddie breathed out the words, shoulders slumping in exaggerated relief and forcing another soft laugh out of you.

It was quiet for a moment as the store employee changed out the records before the next song began, “How Soon is Now?” playing over the speakers. The volume was cranked up far too loud, but it definitely sent a message for the music critic next to you.

“I believe this is dedicated to you,” you said around a smug laugh. The hope on his face was quickly replaced by a look of pure disbelief.

“Oh, fuck off.” He huffed, but there was a pretty quirk to his lips. Playful.

“It’s not that bad!”

“Not that bad?” He sputtered dramatically, head shaking like he was possessed by a demon before he sobered and fixed you with a serious look. “You, my friend, need a lesson in real music and I have just the teacher for you.”

Eddie produced a piece of paper from the back pocket of his jeans. He unfolded it - you noted that it was folded in perfect fourths as if he’d taken his time to fold it just so - and held it out to you face up.

“Corroded Coffin, Tuesdays at The Hideout,” you read off the page. There was a drawn image of a guitar shaped coffin with flames and bats around it, the coffin itself the center of the picture. The lettering was bold and jagged like Eddie himself. “Is this a band? Your band, I’m guessing.”

“Bingo. We play every Tuesday, I play guitar. The crowd isn’t great; we get some newbies sometime. They usually don’t come back, but there’s a first time for everything, right?”

His expression was expectant, brown eyes impossibly wide and too puppy-ish for someone with his reputation. Childish. Harmless. Cute.

And you were kind of a sucker for puppies.

“How can I say no to such a glowing review?”

The positivity of your response acted as a shot of energy to the man who nodded happily before folding the paper back up and placing it in your free hand.

“So you don’t forget,” he said quietly, cordially. “You’ll be the first woman at our gig, to be honest with you, if you don’t count the bartender who says we’re too loud. Um, you might want to bring some friends. That’d be cool.”

“Yeah, sure. I can definitely bring someone.”

“A boyfriend?” The words came out of his mouth in slow motion, the crease between his eyebrows making you wonder if he meant to let them out.

“No. No boyfriend, but I do have a friend who’s wild for guys in bands.”

He let that sink in as he jingled the chain attached to his belt loops. The metal links clinked together, jangle jangle jangle, as silence passed between you again.

“What about you; are you wild for guys in bands?”

Tilting your head in faux thought, you joked, “I guess Morrissey’s not so bad.”

“Oh, come on.”

“I’m kidding.” You laughed, continuing without looking at him. You busied yourself by putting the flyer in your bag. Then you met his gaze. “I’m no groupie, but I get the appeal.”

“Well, who knows. Maybe you’ll come to our show and find the rock god of your dreams.”

He was teasing, the grin on his face frustratingly boyish and charming, and there was no way you could deny that he definitely fit the type of rock guys your friend was constantly fawning over. That fact was at the forefront of your mind as you parted ways after a few more minutes of talking.

You never would have expected to meet up with Eddie Munson after high school, let alone agree to go see his band play at a rundown bar, but as you left the music store with a few new tapes and a flyer for Corroded Coffin, you made a mental note to tell your friend you had your eye on the lead guitarist of the band.

#eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x reader #stranger things x reader #eddie munson #my writing #writing tag

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lizzie-is-here · 2 years

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like the dawn

part iii- not without you

“show me a hero, and i’ll write you a tragedy” - f. scott fitzgerald

summary: you and steve go on a two-person charge into a nazi facility to save your best friend. looks like the tables have turned, and you have a profound realization.

wordcount: 3.4k

warnings: violence, cussing, mild pining, foreshadowing, me setting up for the train scene to hurt even more

a/n: crying in the club 🥲 this is mostly set up, but i’m completely ready to almost cry writing the next part. hope u all enjoy! love you all <3

taglist: @whelvedfeelingsstuff @sebsgirl71479 @rebloggingmyrecs @babyblublossom @local-mr-frog @thenyxsky @capsiclesdoll

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As you and Steve plummeted through the air, you ignored the gunfire surrounding you. Eyes trained on the ground rapidly approaching, you nodded to Steve and deployed your chute.

Jolting harshly, you crashed through the trees and landed harshly on the forest floor. You unclipped your parachute and sprinted into the cover of the trees, Steve following close behind. He held a hand out in front of you, protectively shielding you as a parade of trucks passed by.

Once you spotted the last car in the line, you and Steve jumped in, immediately coming face-to-face with two HYDRA operatives. You let him beat them up, grabbing a glowing blue gun from one of them before he tossed them out of the back of the vehicle.

The truck came to a stop a short while later, and a soldier lifted the flap. He was met with Steve’s shield to his face.

“That thing is a literal target on your back,” you grumbled, sneaking with him through the grounds. The entire camp was crawling with guards, but you managed to slip past them, hiding in the shadows and Steve knocking the living daylights out of any of them that spotted you.

He helped you clamber up a tank and onto the roof of a building, racing along the rain-soaked concrete and into the nearest building. After successfully knocking out a guard and peering into one of the central rooms, you froze.

It was huge, with advanced technology scattered everywhere. Including bombs.

As you two crept past a table, you swiped what looked to be some sort of battery that glowed the same blue as the gun you’d stolen.

“We need to find where they keep prisoners,” Steve hissed to you. You frowned, scanning the entries and exits, squinting in an attempt to read the German plastered above the doors. You pointed to one, labeled “Gefängnis”.

“I bet that’s it,” you whispered. He shoved you.

“You don’t know German, dipshit!” You slapped him in return.

“Maybe not, but a guy just walked out of there, and I saw what looked like jail cells, so,” you glared at him as he gave in, starting to sprint towards the corridor. The door let out into a hallway above circular cells, where thin rays of light filtered in from outside.

Grabbing an arrow from your quiver, you nocked it as you stalked down the hall. When you spotted a lone guard patrolling, you fired. The arrow embedded itself in the man’s chest, and he fell on top of a cell with a surprised grunt.

Steve grabbed the set of keys from the soldier as one of the prisoners eyed you both.

“Who are you supposed to be?” he asked the blond.

“I’m…” Steve paused to ensure there were no more guards. “Captain America.”

Jumping down the nearest ladder, the two of you raced to unlock every cell. You got a few odd glances, but none of the men said anything after watching you rip your arrow from the guard’s body and return it to your quiver.

“Is there anyone else?” your friend asked. You spoke up, voice still quiet to avoid drawing attention. “We’re looking for a Sergeant James Barnes.”

“There’s an isolation ward in the factory, but no one’s ever some back from it,” one soldier said. You and Steve nodded to each other. That had to be where Bucky was. He had to be alive.

Steve turned to address the crowd. “The tree line is northwest, 80 yards past the gate. Get out fast, and give ‘em hell.”

“We’ll meet you out in the clearing with anyone else we find,” you added.

“Wait,” one man said. “You know what you’re doing?”

Steve didn’t hesitate. “Yeah. I’ve knocked out Adolf Hitler over 200 times.”

As you both sprinted away, you laughed under your breath. “You’re a punk, you know that?” He shrugged, not disagreeing.

Since all of the guards were handling the escaped prisoners, maneuvering through the facility was much easier, and before long, you were running down a damp hallway that you assumed to be the isolation ward. The tiles underneath your feet were caked with mud and mildew, and a permeating smell of sweat and chemicals lingered in the air.

Just as you both cleared a corner, you spotted a short, stout man carrying a briefcase. He stopped for only a moment before running away down the hall. Neither of you wasted any time before hurrying into the room he’d left.

On a table, strapped down and shaking, was Bucky.

“Sergeant… 32577…” he mumbled. You gently rested a hand on his shoulder as Steve tried to get his attention. He didn’t react to either of your voices, but the blond began to tear away the restraints nonetheless. “Is that…”

You smiled, nodding. “It’s us.”

“Steve?” he whispered, as if he thought he was dreaming. “(Y/N)?” You both lifted him from the table and you wrapped his arm across your shoulders, supporting him as he tried to walk on wobbly legs.

“I thought you were dead,” Steve whispered. “We both did.”

Bucky only looked him up and down. “I thought you were smaller.”

“C’mon, boys. We’ve gotta go,” you warned. The three of you ran back into the hallway, with the brunet detangling himself from you and trying to walk on his own. He seemed to be coming back to his senses, and he held his arm as he limped alongside you.

“What happened to you?” he asked. Steve, not feeling like explaining the whole situation, responded with “I joined the Army.”

You ran through the empty halls, slowly working your way back to the center of the massive building. Explosions began to echo. When Steve kicked the door down, you were met with a room engulfed in flames, the heat radiating off the metal.

Your little trio raced up the staircases, trying to escape the sweltering temperatures. Just as you reached a walkway across, a piercing voice cried out.

“Captain America! How exciting!” Johann Schmidt, in the flesh. He and the small man you’d seen in the hallway were directly across from you. “I am a great fan of your films!”

He and Steve began to approach each other on the walkway, while Bucky death-glared the scientist.

“So, Dr. Erskine managed it after all. Not exactly an improvement, but still, impressive.” With full force, Steve punched him, sending the Nazi reeling back.

“You’ve got no idea,” he growled.

When Schmidt rose back up, you noticed the skin under his eye was abnormally red. As if it wasn’t really skin at all.

“Haven't I?” he asked. Although Steve blocked his punch with the shield, you spotted a fist-sized dent embedded in the metal. Bucky jumped at the sound.

You laid a hand on his shoulder, stepping in front of him to shield him from the burning gaze of the scientist. Grabbing an arrow, you nocked it in your bow.

With another punch, Schmidt sent Steve tumbling down. In response, Steve kicked him far back as the two sections of the walkway split apart, growing out of reach and removing your exit.

“No matter what lies Erskine told you, you see, I was his greatest success!” The man grabbed at his neck and began to peel the skin back, displaying a horrific red face. You now understood where he got his name. The Red Skull.

“You don’t have one of those, do you?” Bucky mumbled. You snorted, pulling the arrow back a little further.

The Red Skull continued. “You are deluded, Captain. You pretend to be a simple soldier, but in reality, you are just afraid to admit that we have left humanity behind.”

“Unlike you, I embrace it proudly. Without fear!” With that, he and the scientist began to retreat through the doors.

You scowled. “Then how come you’re running?” Neither said a word, just closed the doors.

Another explosion shook the stairs. Steve ripped away a chain and ushered you and Bucky up the stairs.

“Come on, let’s go. Up,” he encouraged, letting you help your friend limp as quickly as possible.

Eventually, you found a way across. A metal beam, creaky and unstable. But your only way out.

“Let’s go. (Y/N), can you help Buck cross?” You nodded, leaping over the railing. The beam creaked, but you helped the brunet climb over anyway, slowly making your way across the beam.

Just as you both got halfway across, it began to shift, and it became clear that the beam was about to collapse from under you.

“Run!” you yelled, grabbing Bucky by the hand and diving for the railing. You barely made it, both clinging onto the bar for dear life before vaulting over to safety. Just as you leaped over, the beam fell into the fire below. But Steve was still on the other side.

“Gotta be a rope or something,” Bucky shouted.

Steve shook his head. “Just go! Get out of here!” You froze, the idea of trading one friend’s life for the other turning your stomach.

“No!” Bucky yelled. You joined in. “Not without you!” The blond paused, before bending back the metal railing and stepping back, preparing to jump the distance. Your breath hitched in your throat as he ran, leaping as more explosions echoed.

———————————————————————

Once the three of you had safely escaped the building and met up with the escaped prisoners outside, you hijacked the tanks and began the long trek home.

You were offered a ride atop a tank, but you refused, insisting on walking with your boys. The three of you were more than happy to be back together again, and the journey gave you and Bucky plenty of time to yell at Steve for doing the one thing you told him not to.

He told you both all about his USO tours, how he felt like a dancing monkey. He told you about Peggy, and while your first instinct was to call him out on his crush, he wholeheartedly denied it. Saying that, while she was amazing (and she really was), she wasn’t the one for him.

That conversation trailed into talks of marriage, and what you all would do once you left the war behind you.

Steve reasoned that he would have some fame from being Captain America, but nonetheless said he wanted to become an artist. A quiet life.

Bucky wanted to rest, mainly, but also showed interest in engineering and science. Maybe working as a mechanic. His main goal was to be done with this whole war.

And you? Well, you were content so long as the three of you stuck together. You figured you could get a job at the hospital, help some people.

You three easily passed the days heading back to camp, and when you finally began to hear the sounds of the soldiers, you were almost upset that your time was coming to an end. Almost. Your feet were screaming at you.

But you held your head high, striding into camp in all of your sweaty, dirty glory. Soldiers cheered as you all led the group, heading directly for Colonel Phillips.

Steve saluted him, immediately rushing to request medical attention.

“I’d like to surrender myself for disciplinary action.” You raised a brow, exchanging a glance with Bucky, who shrugged in response.

Thankfully, Phillips shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.” He gave a small grin. Steve and Peggy spoke for a second, and you noticed Bucky seemed to get more agitated by the second.

He piped up from next to you. “Hey! Let’s hear it for Captain America!” he shouted. Cheers and yelling rose up from around you, deafening clapping echoing through the camp.

Steve turned back to you and Bucky, an almost shy grin on his face.

“What?” he asked.

You shrugged. “Nothing. Just thinking about how we can’t baby you anymore.” He scoffed.

“Yeah, I’m sure you still will.” Another shrug, but he pulled you both into a hug anyway. “It’s good to all be back together.”

After a moment, Bucky sighed. “So, what now? HYDRA’s still out there.”

“So we take them out. I got a good look at a map of other factories just like that one.” The blond navigated through the crowd, searching for the main tent. He stopped, casting a concerned glance at you and the brunet, covered in dirt and more than tired. “Are you two up for it?”

Bucky agreed without hesitation, but you held up a hand. “On two conditions: They finally let me fight, and I never have to wear that nurses uniform again.”

The newfound Captain gave one of his shit-eating grins.

“I think we can make that work.”

———————————————————————

It definitely worked. After a brief demonstration of your skillset, Phillips agreed to promote you. While you weren’t given a rank, Peggy reasoned that you would be best suited as an agent, and began training you under her wing.

While your bow was your weapon of choice, she also gave you basic training with guns and knives. You also began brutal exercises for self defense and hand-to-hand combat.

During this time, Steve also began discussing putting together a team to take out HYDRA’s bases.

He had the group gathered in a bar, and after proposing the idea to them and their immediate agreement, he was feeling pretty content. Circling the room to find one of his best friends, he found him leaning against the bar, drink in hand, uncharacteristically quiet and alone.

“See?” the Sergeant laughed. “I told you. They’re all idiots.”

Steve sat next to him, still getting used to the feeling looking down to his friend. “How about you? Ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?”

“Hell no. That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb to run away from a fight.” He shoved the other man. “I’m following him.” Downing more of his drink, he leaned in.

“But you’re keeping the outfit, right?” In his drunken brain, Bucky immediately wondered if that was too obvious. Maybe? Then again, Steve seemed oblivious as he spared a glance to his show poster.

“You know what? It’s kind of growing on me.” With a light chuckle, he turned the conversation to his other best friend. “Speaking growing on someone, I don’t think (Y/N) will ever go back to dresses. Peggy brought her a bunch of dress pants and tops today.”

The brunet clicked his tongue, looking over his friend’s shoulder. “Speak of the devil.”

You maneuvered through the crowd, the dark dress pants and bright-red blouse seemingly draining your surroundings of color. Or maybe that was just your friends’ tunnel vision. Your hands were tucked leisurely into your pockets (your favorite part about pants, you found), the top few buttons of the top were undone.

“Captain, Sergeant,” you snarked. They mimicked you, letting out an overly-serious “Agent (L/N)” in unison. Your laugh rang out in the small bar, turning just as many heads as your attire did.

“Howard has some equipment for you to try,” you said to Steve. “He wants you there tomorrow morning.” You turned, listening as the group in the room over got more rowdy by the second. “I see our top squad is prepping for duty.”

“You don’t like the music?” Bucky asked. You shook your head.

“I do, actually.” Casting a glance to both of your friends. Maybe you were toeing a line. “Maybe after we get through all of this, we can go dancing.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” he asked.

You frowned. “James Barnes, I am not dancing in pants.” With one last smile to both of them, you bid your farewells. “0800, Stevie. Buck, you can tag along if you’d like. Might be fun.”

Winking, you glided through the throngs of drunken people and bit your lip with a grin. Watching the two fumble just from one little action bosted your ego far more than you’d like to admit. You hadn’t had this much fun since you’d had a crush on a boy in school and had flirted with him relentlessly, driving him crazy until he eventually asked you out-

Wait. You froze on the sidewalk under a streetlamp. You reran your past train of thought. When did the word “crush” come into this?

Resuming your walk, this time with much more vigor, you analyzed your own head. Of all the years you’d known Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, you’d never even considered lov liking them any more than platonically.

Sure, people thought you’d end up dating one of them, but none of you had ever taken it seriously. You all swore to be there for each other no matter what, and how could you do that if two of you were closer than the other? You couldn’t. It’d be unfair.

Besides, it wasn’t like you could choose between the two. Shaking away the strange thoughts, you made the last turn into camp, heading for your tent. All this training must have scrambled your brain.

———————————————————————

Once the group, named the Howling Commandos, was approved, you set out on your mission: take down HYDRA.

The raids were long and cold, but growing closer with the group made your time enjoyable. Plus, training Steve with his new shield was a gas. Watching him progress from hitting himself in the face to knocking Nazis from trees was a gift in and of itself.

Bucky proved to be an excellent marksman, sniping soldiers down in rains of gunfire. You often joined him, perched in trees with your bow and the modified arrows Stark provided. Your aim was impeccable, and you took out man after man with vigor.

Some nights you would have to camp in the cold. Jacques and Morita often would lead songs, flickering fires illuminating your campsites. Other times, you’d have to be deadly silent, always having at least two people on guard.

The one thing that stayed the same was you and your boys. The teasing never stopped, even in the midst of battle. And when one of you got injured, the other two were there to fuss over them.

The rest of the Commandos often joked that you three acted like an old married couple, and while it sent all of you blushing, you never denied it. You couldn’t really deny it when your plans for the future seemingly revolved around those two.

“You mean to tell me, you don’t have any big plans after we get through all of this?” Jones had asked you one night. You shrugged, absentmindedly spinning an arrow.

“Probably’ll stick with these idiots,” you’d chuckled, pointing to the Captain and Sergeant, who were arguing over where to set up a tent. “That’s how it’s always been; can’t really imagine it any other way.”

He hummed. “No special someone to go home to?” You snorted, shaking your head with a definitive no. “Well, I think you three’ll do just fine.”

You couldn’t help but agree.

For a while, the raids were small. Low-profile, calculated strikes on bases. And then you got word from the camp that HYDRA’s head scientist, Arnim Zola, would be on a train heading through the Swiss Alps. Right where you could intercept it.

You pushed through the cold and snow, finally emerging at a point overlooking the railroad that twisted and curved around the mountains. The wind buffeted your cheeks, numbing your face to the point that your words came out jumbled and slurred.

Morita and Jones listened to the radio, with the letter translating the German as it crackled through. The rest of the group began making their final checks of their weapons and equipment as you, Bucky, and Steve peered over the landscape.

“Remember when I made you ride the Cyclone at Coney Island?” Bucky asked, eyeing the drop.

“Yeah, and I threw up?” Steve asked.

“This isn’t payback, is it?”

“Now, why would I do that?”

As they joked, you tried to stamp down that feeling in your chest. The stomach-turning dread. You suspected it was due to the high altitude.

“That’s one hell of a drop,” you called as the metal cable swayed above your heads. The rail overlooked a steep drop into a ravine, with sharp ledges jutting out from the mountain. “If anything goes wrong…”

The blond on your right shook his head. “Nothing’s gonna go wrong, (Y/N). We won’t let anything happen to each other.” On the other side of you, Bucky nodded.

“‘Till the end of the line, right?”

Jones piped up from behind you. “We were right. Dr. Zola’s on that train.”

A deep breath, an exhale of icy-cold mist that chilled your lungs and did nothing to abate the horrible worry gnawing at you.

“‘Till the end of the line.”

#marvel #marvel x reader #x reader #avengers x reader #avengers #steve rogers #bucky barnes #steve rogers x reader #captain america: the first avenger #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky x female reader #steve rogers x female reader #40s stucky #stucky x reader

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