#we have to answer 8 questions in a group of three

[roaringroa]

fucking hate doing uni work with people who aren't my designated group project friends cause some people really just blatantly plagiarize and copy from chatgpt like huh you didn't even try to hide it

[imaginespazzi]

Part 9: These Moments Of Ours

Masterlist - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 - Part 14 - Part 15

Just crash, it's our time now (to make this work second time around)

(In which a people-pleasing author gives the people what they've been begging for)

Pairing: Paige Bueckers X Azzi Fudd

Themes: Fluff with a little bit Angst

Words: 7.2K Words

TW: Explicit Sexual Content, Swearing

A/N: Hello my lovelies <3 Thank you for being oh so patient with me because I know I really made y'all wait and hopefully it'll be worth the wait. I'm gonna keep this pretty short and sweet today so onto the usual. Please keep sending me your thoughts and theories; they're the best motivation a girl could ask for. I did edit but feel free to point out the inevitable typos/mistakes. As always, let me know what you liked, what you disliked and what you'd like to see going forward. Have a lovely rest of your week my loves :)

April 2030 

UConn 84   Notre Dame 82 

The blue and white section of the Moda Center crowd erupts in cheers as the final buzzer rings through the stadium. Confetti rains down on the court as the UConn Huskies are crowned national champions once again. Paige’s scream is drowned out by KK’s louder whoop as the two of them excitedly wrap their arms around each other, jumping up and down like they’re college students all over again. 

“Oh okay, love the inclusion,” Ice rolls her eyes but it morphs into a grin as her former teammates pull her into their group hug, all three of them making a ruckus that’s drowned out by the crowd around them roaring in excitement. 

“Can y’all be a little quieter. I’m tryna mourn my Irish in peace,” Sonia says lousily, glaring at them in irritation as she fiddles with her clover bracelet. 

“Oh cheer up Citron,” Paige teases her Wings teammate, “at least y’all finally made it back to the Final Four.”

“Fuck all the way off Bueckers-”

“GO HUSKIES,” a loud voice interrupts Sonia’s grumbling as Jana rushes into their section, the Valkyries center smiling vibrantly as she crashes into her old friends, “BLEED BLUE BABY!”

“Bleed blue!” the three UConn faithful chorus back as Sonia glumly saunters over to Maddy Westbeld who had come over with Jana, the two Fighting Irish alum sharing a commiserating hug. 

“This is why everyone finds you Huskies insufferable,” Maddy says with disgust. 

“Because we just keep winning? There, there little leprechauns,” Ice taunts, light-heartedly patting Maddy and Sonia’s heads as both of them bristle and flash the Wings forward with a synchronized middle finger, “I’m sure you’ll catch up to us never.”

Paige is about to join in on the ribbing when KK turns to Jana with a frown, “where’s Azzi? I thought all of y’all came together.”

She shouldn’t care this much anymore. It’s been five years and Paige thinks it’s a little ridiculous how quickly her ears perks up at the mention of her girlfriend, thinks it’s a little pathetic how she leans in closer to Jana, embarrassingly eager to hear the answer to KK’s question. 

“We did. She wanted to go call her parents to check on Stephie,” Jana explains. 

KK rolls her eyes, her face as disappointed as Paige feels, “of course she did.”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” Jana narrows her eyes at the shorter woman, a protective edge to her tone.  

“It means that this avoidance bullshit Azzi’s on is pretty fucking tired,” KK sneers. 

“KK bro chill,” Ice steps in immediately, looking worriedly between her two friends as Jana’s eyes flash with fire. 

“She’s checking on her daughter KK. She’s not trying to avoid anything,” Jana’s quietness is in stark contrast with the loud cheers around them and Paige swallows the guilt clawing at her throat. This is their fault. Her and Azzi’s. They’d caused an earthquake in their own lives and the aftershocks had rippled throughout their friends and families, creating rubble where there had once been solid foundations. 

KK laughs bitterly, “she had to check on her daughter right now? The game ended like three fucking seconds ago and she couldn’t just wait?”

“You’re being unfair.”

“Why are you always defending her?”

“Because she’s my teammate and it’s not all her fault,” Jana spits out, eyes briefly darting towards Paige who digs her fingernails into her palm, “it’s not her fault that she doesn’t always feel welcome around certain people.”

“And how about the rest of us people who’d really like to see her once in a while?” hurt tinges in KK’s words, “she can’t put the other shit aside for one fucking second?”

Jana opens her mouth, ready to defend her Azzi again but before she can speak, a calm voice cuts in, “hi guys.”

Goosebumps rush up Paige’s arms as she takes in the sight of the ex-girlfriend. There’s nothing extravagant to Azzi’s outfit, a simple UConn sweatshirt paired with black ripped jeans and minimal jewelry but she looks as radiant as always. There’s an awkward tension in the air as Azzi warily takes in the way KK and Jana are still glaring at each other. Her eyes accidentally lock with Paige and the blonde can see the same guilt of this is our collateral damage reflected back in those dark brown orbs. 

“Hi Azzi,” Ice is the first one to break the silence, wrapping the Valkyries shooting guard in a hug, “how’s Stephanie?”

Paige watches as Azzi’s eyes light up at the mention of her daughter's name, all of her previous apprehension gone as she begins to gush about the little girl, “she’s good. Somehow manipulated my dad into letting her stay up past her bedtime but good. She’s only two years old but already such a damn menace,” the brunette’s gaze wanders over to KK, “I guess that was to be expected huh? Any child of mine was bound to be one.”

KK cracks a half smile, bumping her shoulder against Jana’s as a truce sign, “you call it being menace, we call it being smart as hell right El Alfy?”

“Dude that’s what I tell her every time,” Jana immediately accepts the white flag, slinging an arm around the shorter woman, “Azzi just has genius children. Me, you, Nés and now Stephie.”

Ice gawks at the two of them, “seriously?”

“Well you see Ice, statistically she can’t have all genius children. Someone needed to be average,” KK mocks, high-fiving a giggling Jana. 

“Are y’all seeing this bullying?” Ice rounds on Paige and Azzi, hands on her hips with dramatically wide eyes, “are y’all really gonna let them bully your favorite child like this?”

“We don’t have favorites,” Paige and Azzi say at the same, pausing abruptly at the resurgence of familiar synchronicity between them. They glance briefly at each other, shuffling nervously, before immediately looking away. 

“I hate all of y’all,” Ice pouts, petulantly folding her arms against her chest. 

“Aw cheer up Icey,” Jana pats the top of Ice’s head, “how about a round of shots at the hotel bar to cheer you up?” she turns to Maddy and Sonia, who’d been having their own conversation, with a devilish grin, “losing team’s paying.”

“Y’all are sore winners,” Maddy huffs. 

Paige’s eyes dart towards Azzi, waiting for the younger woman to come up with a shallow excuse like she usually does to get out of having to spend more time with the blonde than necessary. And she knows that it’s unfair of her, knows that it’s only natural for someone to actively avoid being stuck in the same place as their past -thinks only a fool like her could want to be in their ex’s presence- but every time Azzi escapes being around her, Paige can’t help the disappointment that curls in her stomach. 

“Y’all coming,” KK asks, a slight edge to her voice as she twists to look at Paige and Azzi. 

“Of course,” Paige grins, locking arms with Sonia who immediately groans, “I’m not passing up free drinks. Especially not when the Irish are paying.”

“Az?” KK’s eyes are hopeful. 

Azzi bites her lip and Paige can almost see the cogs turning in her brain before she schools her features into a soft smile, “yeah. I’ll come.”

*** 

Paige isn’t sure how it happens. Well actually, that’s not quite right. She definitely has an idea of how it happened. She’s not quite sure when KK, Ice and Jana had had time to devise the plan but she’s certain that’s how it happened. Because really, there’s no other reasonable explanation for how she and Azzi have ended up being the only two people, from their previous party of seven, that are still sitting at the bar. Maddy and Sonia had left first, muttering under their breaths about not wanting to be around insufferable winners. Ice had been the next to leave, making up an excuse about how she wanted to call her boyfriend. Then Jana had apparently needed the bathroom. When she hadn’t returned in a solid 15 minutes, it was KK’s turn. A barely disguised grin and a hard-to-believe lie of  I think Jana got lost, I should go help her on her lips as she’d excused herself to the sound of Paige and Azzi’s protests. 

The two of them sit in awkward silence for a bit until Azzi suddenly bursts out laughing, the corner of her eyes crinkling. Paige regards her with amusement, trying to ignore the way the sound of the younger woman laughing feels like hearing her favorite song come on in the car on a warm summer road trip. 

“You’re a little young to be going crazy,” she remarks. 

“Shut up,” Azzi rolls her eyes, lightly punching Paige’s shoulder, “it’s just- they’re still all really shitty liars.”

Paige laughs, “and they still come up with the dumbest plans.”

“Do you remember when they locked us in the Werth changing rooms when we had that stupid fight-”

“Hey,” Paige interrupts indignantly, “it wasn’t stupid-”

“It was definitely stupid-”

“You asked Carol to drive you to rehab instead of me.”

“Because you had practice at the same time.”

“I wouldn’t have minded being five minutes late to practice.”

Azzi snorts, “more like half an hour and you sure as shit wouldn’t have been fine when coach would have yelled at you and made you run suicides after.”

“I wouldn’t have cared,” Paige shrugs, “running suicides would have been worth it for an extra hour with you.”

Azzi stares at her, mouth opening and closing several times before she finally looks away, a soft sigh falling from her lips, “you’re doing it again.”

“I’m not doing anything,” Paige says, unable to keep the defensiveness from creeping into her words. 

“You are,” Azzi slips off the barstool, “you are and you don’t even know it.”

“Azzi,” Paige curls her hand around the other woman’s bicep, pulling her in to stop her from leaving and it’s a bad idea because now they’re too close and her heartbeat quickens immediately at the fact that if she leaned in just a little bit more, there would be no more space left between them, “what am I doing?”

“You’re- you-” Azzi stutters, gulping as her eyes briefly flicker down to Paige’s lips, “you’re making me feel.”

“Making you feel what?” Paige presses. 

For a second, Paige thinks Azzi might just give in to her heart, might just tell the truth but then something hardens in her face, and the next word that slips out of her mouth has both of them going rigid, “how’s your wife Paige?”

“Az-”

“I should go to bed,” Azzi says firmly, trying to wriggle out of Paige’s tightening grip. 

“Azzi-”

“I have an early flight and I should probably wake up a little earlier than I normally would cause you know Jana’s gonna need me to wake her up,” Azzi rambles still trying to twist her arm out of Paige’s hold. 

“Hold on-”

“Can you just let go of me-”

“I’m trying to tell-”

“I really need to get to bed-’

“Az-”

“I have to go-”

“Azzi I’m getting a divorce,” Paige bursts out; the admission feels light a heavy weight off her chest.

Azzi stops fighting against the blonde’s grip, “oh.”

“We’ve- um-” Paige’s throat feels dry as Azzi’s eyes continue to bore into her, “we’ve been separated for a while and I finally-uh- finally filed the papers a little while ago. So um- to your question- I uh- I don’t know how she is because I- I don’t- there uh- there isn’t- there isn’t a wife.”

There’s silence for a bit as Azzi’s head bops up and down as she processes Paige’s revelation, “I’m um-” she clears her throat, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s not like it’s your fault,” and that’s not completely true -not when Olivia had repeatedly thrown the past back in Paige’s face- but she doesn’t think Azzi needs to know that, doesn’t want the younger woman to feel guilty for things beyond her control. She’s confused when Azzi flinches, like a memory has just pinched her nerves. 

“Right,” Azzi bites, “I really should- I really should be going to bed.”

Something gloomy settles across Paige’s heart as she nods at the brunette’s words, slipping out of her own chair as they start walking towards the elevator in the lobby. She feels antsy, like she’s leaving something incomplete. The silence rings loud between them as they wait for the elevator doors to open, keeping as much distance as they can from each other. It feels like ages before the familiar ding! finally rings out around them. Despite the abundance of room inside, the doorway into the elevator is rather condensed and their shoulders brush against each other as they make their way inside. Audible sighs involuntarily roll off of their tongues at the brief second of contact as they both shiver from each other’s familiar touch. There’s enough space now that they could easily move away -they probably should move away- but instead they stay pressed together. The sound of their uneven breathing fills the elevator as the doors close in front of them.

“I’m uh- I’m on the third floor,” Azzi says as she presses the #3 button, “you?”

“Fifth,” Paige breathes out, eyes fixated on the goosebumps that appear on the back of Azzi’s neck as her hands shake while pushing the #5 button. 

The elevator jolts up and Paige immediately reaches for Azzi’s hips to steady her, eliciting a small gasp from the other woman. She waits for Azzi to move away but the brunette stays put and Paige doesn’t move her hands. 

The doors open on the third floor. Both of them suck in a sharp breath. 

Azzi doesn’t get out. 

*** 

Paige wakes up to the dreadful sound of her alarm clock blaring around her room. It takes a second before the memories of last night start pounding against her skull. Her body aches in the best way possible. The room is still dark -just like it had been last night- and she closes her eyes, trying to revisit the feeling of Azzi’s lips pressed against her forehead, right before the younger woman -with her hair disheveled and bitemarks littered across her jawline-  had left Paige’s room. 

Paige hadn’t asked Azzi to stay. She wonders if she should have; wonders if Azzi would have agreed if she’d asked. But she hadn’t asked and Azzi hadn’t stayed. She regrets it a little bit. She wonders if Azzi does too. And Paige thinks that maybe that’s just the melancholic truth about their tragic story. 

Maybe they’re destined to always regret. 

*** 

April 2033

Paige thinks Azzi’s guest room air conditioning must be broken or something. There’s no other explanation for why, despite having kicked off every single blanket, she feels like she’s tossing and turning in red hot lava. She feels restless, like she has a purpose that she’s leaving unfulfilled. All the different scenes from tonight are rushing through her head, but her heart keeps stuttering on the last one; an image of the way Azzi had looked at her before they’d kissed good night. 

Azzi had asked her to stay even if she’d hidden it under a lame disguise of it being too late and Paige being too angry to drive home alone. And it’s not completely false that her blood is still boiling, their little encounter with fucking asshole still dangerously lingering in her mind as she thinks of the 101 ways she would have liked to murder him. But they both know that the minute Azzi had run her hand down Paige’s back, the moment she’d called her baby, the moment she’d given her the reassurance she was too scared to ask for but needed desperately, Paige had felt all the anger in her body replaced by that familiar sense of calm only Azzi had ever been able to provide. 

And after that had been decided, they’d both hesitated in the hallway, looking back and forth between Azzi’s master bedroom and the guestroom. Paige doesn’t know what had possessed her, why she’d decided tonight of all nights to play this false chivalrous rule-abiding good girl persona when it was the last thing she wanted to do. Because the last couple of weeks had been hell. The stupid rules had been hell. Going slow had been hell. Having to pull away from Azzi and walk out the door every night when all she wanted to was to lose herself in the brunette’s arms had been hell. But she’d done it for Azzi. She’d done it because there isn’t a thing in the world that she wouldn’t do for Azzi. Except tonight had been different. There had been that look on Azzi’s face -the way the younger woman had bitten her lips, the way her eyes had been hooded over, the way her cheeks had been flushed as her gaze roamed over Paige’s body- and  it had morphed into one of pure disappointment when Paige had said she’d take the guestroom. 

You’re a fucking idiot Paige Bueckers, she thinks to herself as she bolts right up, the image finally burning a little too bright behind her eyelids to continue this façade of trying to sleep. Perhaps it’s pointless. It’s late and Azzi loves her sleep; there’s no way she’s awake. But Paige slides out of bed anyways, breathing unevenly as she turns on the nightlight and walks towards her door. She doesn’t have a plan, doesn’t have any idea what she’d even say if Azzi is, by some miracle of god, even awake. But fuck it, Paige needs to see this through. She pauses at the door, hands wrapping around the cold handle as she gives herself one more chance to back out. Really, she doesn’t even know why she’s so nervous. It’s Azzi. Her Azzi. 

Paige twists the handle to tug the door open. 

Azzi’s eyes widen in surprise, her fisted hand -that had clearly been raised to knock on the mahogany door- freezing in place as she swallows and Paige is mesmerized by the way it highlights the veins in her neck. Her eyes move downwards, fixating on where Azzi’s oversized t-shirt hangs looser on one-side, leaving her right shoulder and collarbone on display. The shirt right above her thighs, giving Paige the perfect display of Azzi’s toned long legs looming beneath and the blonde gulps at the sight. 

“Hi,” Azzi speaks first, the low graveliness in her tone causing a coil of want to wrap itself around Paige’s stomach. 

“Hey,” Paige whispers back, “couldn’t sleep?”

Azzi bites her lip, “no- I just uh-, people always say- like when Jana sleeps over or something- she always says that- that the guest room is um- it’s too cold so I just- I wanted to make sure- wanted to ask-” she clears her throat, taking a step forward as she look earnestly at Paige, “are you cold?”

“So cold,” Paige confirms, moving closer to Azzi so their chests are almost touching. 

“You could um-” Azzi licks her teeth, “you could stay in Stephie’s room-” 

“I could?” Paige asks, pressing herself flush against the younger woman, hands wrapping around her waist. There’s barely space for air between them but she wants to get closer, wants to stitch herself into Azzi’s skin and keep them intertwined forever. 

“You could but,” Azzi’s hand trails Paige’s biceps, causing the blonde to shiver, before finally interlocking around her neck, “I think- I think her bed might be a little small for you.”

“Way too small,” Paige breathes against Azzi’s skin as she nips at the brunette’s jawline, before ghosting her lips against her neck, leaving a trail of mine mine mine down her throat.

“Paige,” Azzi’s voice is breathless as she tilts her head, hissing when Paige bites harshly right above her collarbone, immediately soothing it with her tongue, “I think- I think-fuck” she cuts herself with a moan as Paige turns them around, maneuvering them back towards the bed that suddenly looks far more inviting then it had before,  “I just think-”

“You think too much,” Paige says softly, finally removing her lips from Azzi’s skin -she misses the taste of it immediately- so she can smile teasingly at the brunette. 

“Do I?” Azzi grins dopily. 

Paige rolls her eyes, continuing to walk them backwards, “way, way too much.”

They’re forced to a halt when the back of Azzi’s thighs collide against the backframe of the bed. It feels like a turning point, like they could unlock a new chapter or keep themselves on the one they’re already on. And while Paige would really to skip forward, she’ll be okay with whatever happens next as long as the story being written is still theirs, still about her and Azzi. 

“Paige,” Azzi whispers again -and Paige loves the way Azzi’s lips curl around the syllable of her name- as she bunches the blonde’s shirt in her hands, “make me stop thinking.”

“Whatever you want baby,” Paige promises before they both go tumbling into the mattress, their lips colliding in a heated kiss. It feels like they’re trying to meld themselves into each other, like their bodies are carving out an indent of you and i just always feel right against the bedsheets. 

“I want this off,” Azzi breathes out between kisses, hands lifting the edge of Paige’s shirt, “off, off, off.”

“So bossy,” Paige smirks, leaning up off of Azzi to take off her shirt in a tantalizingly slow manner, enjoying the way the brunette’s eyes darken as they glide across her abs first and then her breasts, “enjoying the sho- fuck Az.”

The words are stolen from her mouth as Azzi swirls her tongue around one erect nipple, her hands cupping Paige’s ass to balance the blonde on top of her. She’s always known exactly how to get Paige to shut the fuck up. Paige groans as Azzi flips them over, shifting herself to press her thigh in between Paige’s legs and the blonde can’t help but grind up against it, desperate for some much needed friction, as Azzi sucks a possessive bruise against her jaw. 

“Missed this,” Azzi whispers, as she kisses down Paige’s neck, “and this,” a kiss pressed against her collarbone, “and these,” Azzi presses her lips softly to each breast, “and this,” against Paige’s stomach, “and these,” two featherlight kisses are peppered against her hip bones, “and I really missed these.”

“Azzi,” Paige moans as the brunette’s lips glide across the inside of her thighs, taking her sweet time marking only i could ever make you feel like this against every inch of Paige’s skin. 

Azzi stops right above the edge of Paige’s boxers before slowly peeling them off as sparkling brown eyes staring up at her with a myriad of unspoken emotions that Paige could spend a lifetime trying to memorize, “missed all of this. Missed everything about you. Missed you so much baby.”

Vulnerability echoes in Azzi’s voice as she slowly moves herself back up, hands coming to cup Paige’s face as they press their foreheads together. And it’s not like she hadn’t known that Azzi must have missed her in these last couple of years. But there’s a part of Paige that had thought that there was no way Azzi could have missed her as much as she missed Azzi. Because missing Azzi had felt all consuming, like there was a constant noose around her neck that got tighter and tighter with every day that passed by. But there’s something about the way the words reverberate around the room, something about the way Azzi looks like she can finally breathe again after saying it out loud that it hits Paige; it hits her that they’ve both been suffocating without each other. 

“I missed you too,” she breathes out, tears pooling at the edge of her eyes, “missed you so fucking much Azzi.”

“Yeah?” Azzi whispers, lips catching the lone tear that falls from Paige’s eyes, “how much?”

Paige shudders as Azzi’s fingers teasingly ghost over her wet folds, “s-so much. Azzi please. Need it so bad. Need you so bad.”

“Whatever you want baby,” Azzi repeats Paige’s own words back to her before she finally gives her what she’s desperately been craving, two fingers rhythmically pumping in and out of her pussy as her thumb rubs circles against Paige’s clit. 

“Fuck, fuck, just like that-” a litany of curses waterfall from Paige’s lips as she bucks her hips up against Azzi’s hand, “fuck please.”

“Please what?” Azzi asks coyly, fingers moving at a faster face as she hides a grin against Paige’s neck, “gotta tell me what you want baby.”

“W-want your mouth please- please Azzi-baby please,” Paige begs, writhing underneath her when Azzi immediately complies, lips attaching to her clit as she adds another finger, “fuck Azzi- I’m so close.”

“I know baby,” the words vibrate against Paige’s core, sending another bout of ecstasy shooting up her spine as she feels that familiar buildup in her stomach.

“Azz I’m gonna-”

“I know. Let go baby. I’ve got you. I’m gonna catch you I promise,” Azzi whispers. 

And it’s those words, that promise, that sends Paige over the edge, a cry of Azzi’s name falling from her lips. Because she knows Azzi means them for a lot more than just this moment, that those words -the promise- are born out of something deeper than lust. And maybe neither of them are quite ready to acknowledge that yet, not ready to make vows that teeter dangerously close to the ones they watched themselves break in the past, but it lingers between them, like a string made of we’ve always been inevitable connecting their hearts to each other. 

Azzi slowly eases her fingers out of Paige, pressing open-mouthed kisses against the older woman’s stomach as she recovers from her high, before looking up at her with a smirk. Never breaking eye contact, Azzi slips her fingers into her own mouth, leisurely sucking at them as she watches Paige’s face contort with desire. 

“Was I good?” she asks teasingly and Paige growls. 

“How have you gotten better at that? Actually you know what never mind,” Paige shakes her head, “I don’t want to know that.”

Azzi laughs, hiding her face against Paige’s neck, “only that good for you.”

“Good,” Paige tightens her arms around the woman on top of her and then scrunches her face as she feels the material of Azzi’s shirt itch against her wrists, “well this is unfair.”

“What is?” Azzi hum backs. 

“I’m fully fucking naked and you haven’t taken a single thing off,” Paige grumbles as she coaxes Azzi’s face out of her neck, hands gripping the edge of her shit, “take this off.”

Azzi stills, her previous serene expression replaced by something more nervous, as she lifts herself up so she’s straddling the older woman’s hips, “Paige-”

“What’s wrong?” Paige’s senses are on high alert immediately as she rises up herself, maneuvering them so Azzi’s fully on her lap. 

“I just-,” Azzi draws in a deep breath, looking downwards as she chews her lips.

“Hey,” Paige whispers, lifting the younger woman’s chin back up before pressing their foreheads together, “talk to me baby.”

“Can we just-” Azzi plays with the end of Paige’s hair, “can we maybe just-” she cocks her head towards the nightlight on the desk, “do you think we could turn the light off?”

“What?” Paige asks confusedly, “Azzi I’ve seen you naked-”

“Not since- not since I had Stephie,” Azzi interrupts, cowering under Paige’s intense stare, “the lights- the lights were off that one time and the other time I don't think- I don’t think we were sober enough for me to care or for you to remember so can we just-”

“Azzi,” Paige cups the younger woman’s face, “baby there is no amount of alcohol in the world that could make me forget you. Trust me I’ve tried,” she slips her hand under Azzi’s shirt, caressing the skin underneath, “but every time I see you baby, I memorize every little part of you,” she dances her fingertips across where she remembers those stretch marks -the ones Azzi is so afraid of her seeing again- are littered across her stomach, “and whether I’m sober or drunk or something in between, I always think every little bit of you is perfect.”

“Paige,” Azzi says softly, something akin to awe coating her voice. 

“Just wanna make you feel as good as you made me feel baby. Please,” Paige wraps her fingers around the edge of Azzi’s shirt again, “can I?”

“Okay,” Azzi concedes quietly, lifting her arms so Paige can finally tug the offending shirt off. 

Paige gives herself a moment to look at the woman in front of her, the woman whose body she’s seen countless times yet she swears that it feels like a different adventure every time. And then she lets herself have a taste, running her tongue lazily across Azzi’s skin, as she slowly maneuvers them so she can hover above the younger woman. A soft smile flitter across her face as she rubs her fingers over the tattoo printed across Azzi’s ribcage. It’s a purple S tattoo, with butterfly wings fanning out on either side. For Stephie. 

Keeping her eyes trained on the darker-skinned , she brushes her lips across the stretch marks on the darker-skinned woman’s abdomen and she hopes that Azzi can read the all of your imperfections are still made for me that Paige is spelling out against her skin. She uses her teeth to pull down Azzi’s panties, smirking to herself when she hears the younger woman's breath hitch above her. Eyes still interlocked with Azzi’s, Paige is purposefully slow as she licks a stripe up Azzi’s folds, relishing the way the other woman’s eyes roll back into her head. 

“So fucking wet,” she hums, “all for me?”

“You know-” Azzi shudders when Paige’s lips brush against her clit, still teasing, “you know it is.”

Paige smirks, “only for me.”

“Please,” Azzi begs as Paige continues to lazily lap at her pussy, giving her something but not quite enough. 

“Say it,” Paige demands, harshly biting against Azzi’s inner thigh as she brings up a hand to rub infinity signs around Azzi’s clit, “say it’s only for me.”

“It’s only for you-” Azzi cuts herself off with a scream as Paige plunges her tongue deep inside her, setting a tempo she knows will have Azzi seeing stars. 

“Doing so good for me baby,” Paige coos as she adds two fingers with her tongue, “always so good for me.”

“Fuck,” Azzi fists the bedsheets, trying to gain some semblance of control as she writhes under Paige’s touch, “feels so good. Paige please.”

“I know,” Paige whispers, “I know what you need baby.”

And that’s the thing about them. That’s why it’s good every single time. Because Paige knows every little crevice of Azzi’s body like it’s her own, knows exactly where to touch and how to touch to elicit those little gasps of pleasure that she wishes she could record and listen to on loop. And it doesn’t matter how long they go without each other in between, coming back always feels like home. But as much as she loves the feeling of coming back, Paige never wants to feel it again. Because this time, she hopes there is no in between without each other. She hopes that this time, they both stay. 

“Paige,” Azzi moans again, her name falling from her mouth like a prayer. 

“I’ve got you,” Paige whispers, capturing Azzi’s lips with her own as she continues her ministrations with her hand, “fall apart for me baby. I swear I’ll put you back together.”

There’s nothing quite like watching Azzi come undone and Paige drinks in the sight of the other woman quivering as she grabs the blonde’s bicep so tight that it’s bound to leave a victory mark. Paige coaxes her through it, nibbling at Azzi’s jawline as the younger woman slowly climbs down from her peak, going limp in Paige’s arms. 

They’re quiet for a while, languorously pressing delicate kisses against each other's skin, soft hands exploring all over each other’s familiar bodies as they tangle their legs together; close not being close enough. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Paige whines when Azzi starts to move out of her grasp. 

“I got what I came for,” Azzi teases, “so I’m going back to my own bed.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Paige scowls, pulling the younger woman back into her chest. 

Azzi laughs, kissing away Paige’s pout as she wriggles out of her grip and slips out of the bed, “relax. I’m just getting something to clean us up with.”

“Well hurry up. I’m already cold,” Paige mewls before letting out a wolf-whistle as her eyes drift over Azzi’s naked retreating form, appreciating the tautness of the brunette’s back muscles down to her perfectly curved ass. 

“You’re 31 years old Paige Bueckers,” Azzi chides as she walks into the ensuite bathroom but Paige can hear the blush in her voice. 

“And you’re hot as fuck Azzi Fudd,” Paige calls out with a smirk, keeping the and you’re all mine as a secret in her own thoughts. 

“You’re not bad yourself Bueckers,” Azzi returns from the bathroom with a smile and a damp cloth as she hops back onto the bed, gently dabbing it between Paige’s thighs. 

It’s a simple act but Paige feels tears prickle at the corner of the eyes. Because it signifies so much more than just this moment. For most of her life, Paige had grown accustomed to the idea that no one would take care of her unless she took care of them first. She didn't know it was possible that someone could reach out first, that they could hold her first without any expectation of anything else in return. Until Azzi. 

“Baby?” Azzi’s voice is wrapped in concern as she takes notice of Paige’s tears, immediately rising up to brush them away, “what’s wrong?”

“Nothing I just-” Paige loops her arms around Azzi’s neck, shuddering slightly at how earnest the younger woman’s face is, “I really fucking missed you.”

Azzi’s eyes soften as she caresses Paige’s cheek before pressing her lips against her forehead, “I really fucking missed you too.”

***

Paige’s eyes flutter awake to sunlight peeking through the blue curtains of Azzi’s guest bedroom. She groans, shifting to bury her face further into the brunette’s stomach, pinching it when Azzi laughs above her. Lifting her head slightly, Paige can’t help but smile at the woman above her. Azzi’s got her glasses on, a book in her hands as she peers down at Paige with nothing but pure fondness. Something aches in Paige’s chest as countless visions of mornings just like this fill her head. She’d resigned herself to believing that she’d never get this back again, that she’d have to rely on memories of the past to fill the empty void that rattled hollowly against her chest every time she’d woken up without Azzi by her side. 

“Morning sleepy head,” Azzi says softly, putting her book down to brush her fingers through Paige’s hair, “assuming you slept well considering you didn’t even notice when I left to grab my glasses and a book from my room.”

Paige frowns, “you left me?”

“I was bored,” Azzi defends herself, “you were fast asleep and I had nothing to occupy myself with.”

“I can believe you left me,” Paige petulantly accuses again. 

“I didn’t leave-”

“You left me!”

“Okay fine,” Azzi concedes with an eyeroll, “but I came back.”

“Yeah you did,” a soft smile takes over Paige’s features as she leans up to brush her lips against Azzi’s, “you came back.”

“I did,” Azzi whispers against Paige’s mouth, cupping the older woman’s face with her hands. 

Paige is about to deepen the kiss, her hands beginning to slip lower, when the sound of a doorbell ruins any chances of putting in motion any of the uncordial ideas that had taken birth in her mind. She groans as Azzi immediately pulls away.

“Shit, I didn’t realize they’d be here so early.” the younger woman curses, hurriedly tossing Paige’s discarded clothes at her, “here, put your clothes on. I’ll go down first while you change.”

“I- I can come down?” Paige asks slowly. 

Azzi crinkles her eyes in confusion, “what do you mean? What else would you do?”

“I just. I dunno-” Paige shrugs, “I just assumed you uh- you wouldn’t want Stephie to know I stayed the night. I figured I’d sneak out of the window or something.”

“Paige,” Azzi whispers, walking over to grip the older girl’s hands, “you’re not- you’re not my dirty little secret or anything. I’m not- I’m not quite ready to tell Stephie about us- hell I’m not even really sure what we are yet but I know- I know that I don’t want to hide you from her. Besides,” she nudges Paige humorously, “we’re on the 2nd floor babe. I don’t need you trying to climb out the window and breaking your knee before the season even starts.”

Paige watches quietly as Azzi walks out the door. She doesn’t think the younger woman quite understands how much she had needed to hear those words, how much she had needed to not feel like a secret again. It fills Paige with a sense of hope, hope that maybe things would be different this time. Maybe things would be better this time. 

*** 

“Miss Buecks,” Stephie squeals from Azzi’s arms as she spots Paige descending down the stairs, “you’re already here!”

Paige smiles at the little girl, tapping her nose over Azzi’s shoulder, “I promised you I’d be here bright and early didn’t I?”

“Very bright and early,” Katie cocks an eyebrow as she smirks at Paige and Azzi, “how did you get here so early Paige?”

“Don’t be silly Nanna. She drove of course,” Stephie says matter-of-factly before scrunching up her nose, “but Miss Buecks. How come your car isn’t outside then?”

“That’s a great question Stephie,” Katie says and Paige thinks the woman’s a little bit too peppy for a grandmother, “why isn’t your car outside Paige?”

“Because-” Azzi gives her mother an exasperated look before fixing her eyes on her daughter, “because Paige slept over last night.”

“Miss Buecks slept over last night?” Stephie repeats. 

“I did,” Paige confirms, glaring at Katie as she snickers in the corner. 

“Mama can you please put me down,” Stephie says finally. 

The little girl looks upset and Paige feels her heart constrict with fear. In general, she doesn’t really do well with people being mad at her. But she definitely doesn't think she can take Stephie of all people being mad at her. The little girl has chiseled herself into Paige’s heart and if she ever left, Paige thinks she’d leave a hole so big, her entire heart would cease working. 

Azzi shares a nervous look with Paige as she sets her daughter down before crouching down to Stephie’s level, “what’s wrong Stephie-bean?”

Stephie’s bottom lip trembles as she looks between her mother and Paige, “you let Miss Buecks sleepover.”

“I-” Azzi looks helplessly between her own mother and Paige, both of whom look just as tense, “I did but sweetheart why is that upsetting you? You like Miss Buecks.”

“I love Miss Buecks,” Stephie wails and Paige lets out a sigh of relief, the little girl's words wrapping themselves around her like a warm blanket. 

Azzi blanches for a second, “I don’t understand then what’s the problem-”

 “YOU GUYS HAD A SLEEPOVER WITHOUT ME,” Stephie yells, stomping her tiny feet.  

Oh. 

“Stephie-” Azzi says softly, unable to keep the smile off of her face. 

“I can’t believe you’d do this to me Mama,” Stephie sniffs as she turns to Paige with a betrayed expression, “and you Miss Buecks. How could you guys have a sleepover without me?”

“Oh sweetheart,” Paige falls to her knees beside Azzi, trying not to smile when Stephie dramatically turns her face away from them, “we didn’t mean to. It was just really late when we got back from the party-”

“The party,” Stephie cries out, “first you went to a party without me and then you had a sleepover without me. I can’t bel-ieve you guys would do that to me. Don’t you guys love me at all?”

“We’re really sorry Stephie,” Paige says as seriously as she can, reaching out to fold Stephie’s tiny hands into her much larger one. 

“Very, very, sorry,” Azzi echoes. 

“I don’t know,” Katie supplies unhelpfully from where she’s watching the whole situation with pure amusement, “they don’t seem that sorry Stephie.”

“Mom!” “Katie!”

Katie raises her hands in mock surrender as both Paige and Azzi glare at her, “just looking out for my granddaughter’s best interest.”

“Stephie-bean,” Paige says again, maneuvering the little girl’s body to face her, “your Mama and I are very, very, sorry for having a sleepover without you. Please forgive us.”

Stephie looks at the adults kneeling in front of her with a contemplative expression, “you promise you’ll never do it again?”

“Never,” Azzi promises as Paige nods along.

“And when we go to the park today I can get three scoops of ice cream?” the little girl asks, the hint of a smile starting to breakthrough her lips. 

“I don’t know about that one sweetheart. That’s a lot of ice-”

“Of course you can!”

“Paige!” Azzi hisses. 

“And you’ll push me on the swing at the park for twenty minutes?”

“I’ll even push you for thirty minutes if you want,” Paige says and Azzi rolls her eyes. 

“Just had to one-up it didn’t you Bueckers,” she mutters under her breath. 

“And even though Miss Buecks said she’d get me fries at the park, I can get In-N-Out for dinner too?”

“You’re pushing it Stephie-bean-”

“In-N-Out for dinner sounds perfect,” Paige winks at Stephie as a full smile finally overtakes the little girl’s face. 

“You’re hopeless,” Azzi chides the blonde, throwing her hands up exasperatedly but there’s no denying the grin on her face as she looks back at Stephie, “is that all your highness? Are we finally forgiven or did you want to ask us for more unhealthy things?”

“Just one more thing,” Stephie’s eyes twinkle with mischief, “Miss Buecks has to sleepover tonight too.”

Paige and Azzi share a toothy smile with each other before turning to the little girl. 

“I think that could be arranged.”

The words are barely out of Paige’s mouth before Stephie goes tumbling into her and Azzi, tiny arms somehow wrapping around both of their necks as she pulls them into a group hug. The two adults laugh, cocooning the little girl in between them as she rambles on about how excited she is.  And Paige thinks that when all is said and done, when she looks back on her life, she’ll remember this moment as the one where everything started to finally come together. Right now, with Stephie's arms wrapped around her neck and Azzi’s hands curling around the little girl’s back to intertwine their fingers together, this moment here feels perfect. This moment feels like it belongs to Paige.

[peachhcs]

What is samy doing for will’s birthday?

yasss will is 20 today!!!! #feelingold samy flies out to san jose for the weekend to surprise will + managing to get all of his boston college hockey friends over after their game on sunday (trust i had this in the works yesterday i just couldn't finish it) happy belated to will, let me know if you want part 2!!

warnings: underage drinking mention, sex mentioned but not described, that's it??

au masterlist

"what if he finds out?" gabe's question made samy roll her eyes as she stayed on the phone with him as the eight boys navigated their way through the san jose airport.

"he won't. i promise. the surprise party is set and mack has him distracted all day until it's time," samy reassued the boy probably for the 100th time since they started planning this whole thing.

"do you think he knows you're here? wait, ry, i think we're going the wrong way," she heard gabe mumble something and again, the brunette rolled her eyes. she glanced over at hannah and blaire who looked at her expectantly.

"do i need to come in and get you?"

"no, no. we know where we're going. we can see the exit signs," gabe assured and samy chose to believe him, but if they weren't out in the next five minutes, she was going in to find them.

"to answer your earlier question, i don't think so. he may know i'm surprising him, but he has zero idea you're all here."

samy came up with the plan two weeks ago. she wanted to do something special for will knowing it was his first birthday away from all of his friends and everyone knew she loved surprises no matter what the occasion was. she managed to pull a few strings to get out of practice for a few days and the boys all agreed they'd skip their classes as well monday and tuesday to spend time with will on his few days off. seeing their best friend was way more important than having to do laps across the ice.

"you should go in and get them," hannah mumbled, eyes on her watch. blaire giggled while samy shook her head. they planned the flights so they'd get in within 30 minutes of each other, but now it'd been close to 45.

"i heard that!" gabe exclaimed through the phone.

miraculously, the eight of them emerged from the exit doors, eyes looking for the girls. all of them but gabe and ryan looked shocked at how warm it was in san jose. the older boys spotted her after passing her waving hands two times.

"found you!" gabe exclaimed and hurried towards the three. samy hung up the phone as she embraced the boy.

"hi, good to see you gabo," she chuckled.

"you too, hughesy. hey hannah, hey blaire," the other two girls waved and everyone quickly exchanged hellos.

"i can't believe this is will's everyday. it's boiling," drew pulled at the collar of his t-shirt.

"yeah, i'm sweating my balls off," aram added which earned him a slap on the arm from samy. ryan and gabe helped everyone get their things into the back of blaire's mini van.

"so..some of you may need to sit on the ground..um..just kind of duck your head incase there's a cop. i don't have seats for everyone, sorry," the younger girl giggled nervously.

"oh, you don't have to drive us all there. we can split up and catch an uber too," ryan immediately cut in because he knew the feeling of illegally stuffing people into the car and worrying about getting busted.

"no, i don't mind. i've done it before," blaire shrugged but ryan shook his head.

"no, i don't want you getting in trouble. how many can you fit?"

"like 8 including me?"

ryan scanned the group, his older brother instincts kicking in as he tried figuring out who would be fine getting to the uber by themselves.

"okay, gp you're with aram, teddy, and jacob. the rest come with us," ryan decided.

"okay dad," teddy punched the older boy in the arm. everyone already knew the antics would be through the roof this weekend.

"i'll call it," gabe said.

"everyone else in. party starts at 6 right?" ryan wondered and samy looked at her phone. 3:43.

"less than three hours!" she grinned and could just picture the look of shock on will's face when he saw everyone.

the rest piled into blaire's minivan. drew took the front since he got carsick easily while ryan, samy, and vote got the middle row. hannah and james squeezed into the last row.

"better keep things pg back there," drew eyed the freshman whose face flushed in seconds.

"fuck off fortesque," hannah rolled her eyes.

they were out of there in the next minute since blaire had been taking up a spot in line for way too long now. it was a miracle no one yelled at her about it yet.

"sorry, i know we've hardly even met blaire. thank you for driving us," ryan spoke up.

"it's no problem. i love surprises as much as the next person. you guys are so cool for coming down and skipping class," the brunette grinned.

"he's our homeboy. couldn't leave him hanging," drew joked.

"is hagens teaching you those phrases?" samy eyed the boy behind her.

"i am not!" he defended himself.

"he sends us tiktoks in the group chat," drew admitted.

"fuck off," the younger hockey player complained making everyone laugh.

the rest of the ride filled itself with conversation of catching up with one another and poking a little more into blaire and mack's relationship. the girl happily answered though. she was never too phased by all the questions anymore and she was starting to grow fond of all of these hockey boys she kept getting introduced to.

the boys who hadn't been to san jose yet were gawking out the windows at the big city and warm weather, especially the palm trees. they didn't ever see any of those always traveling up north. samy went to check mack's location and will's. they were somewhere downtown doing things with beckett who was also in on the surprise and drove up for the night. samy strategically changed her location to come from her ipad which she left back in michigan so will wouldn't see her location here. she made the boys do the same thing and left their computers back home, so she was like 98% sure will didn't know any of the surprise.

the marleau's graciously decided to host all 10 guests in their extended house will stayed in, but toffoli agreed to host the party for the night. blaire pulled into the older man's driveway where there were already cars lining the grass meaning the other sharks players were already there.

"holy shit," drew mumbled when he saw the size of the toffoli household.

"damn is this our future life?" vote joked and samy nudged their arms so they'd stop gawking.

"come on, i'll introduce you guys," the soccer player pulled everyone to the backyard where the party was.

they had mostly everything decorated in the time it took to pick up everyone at the airport. eklund noticed the familiar face of will's girlfriend, "is that hughesy! hey!"

he ran to her to give out hugs. the brunette giggled, "hi eck. you know some of them, but here's half of the gang. ryan, drew, also will but we call him vote, james, and hannah who you know already."

"nice to meet all of you. didn't know pup had so many fans," eklund chuckled.

"pup? smitty's been demoted to pup??" drew laughed.

"he hates when we call him that," eklund shrugged, but smiled.

toffoli and bordelau came over to greet the incoming guests. the older man recognized samy and swept her into a hug like eklund just did. "glad you made it here. good to see you again."

"you too, toff. this is half of us. the other half is in an uber on the way," samy reintroduced the boys they didn't know. toff and thomas took turns shaking each of their hands.

"good to know pup talks to more people than his girlfriend and mack," thomas teased.

"you better be writing down these jokes for later," drew nudged ryan's arm.

"come in, come in. we got a few hours, but settle in, make yourself at home," toff invited them in.

the other car rolled in 10 minutes later. samy introduced the last four to will's teammates and now it was just a waiting game. will was supposed to roll in anytime at 6, so the closer it got, the more excited everyone became.

gabe abd ryan properly caught up with the soccer player where they caught her in one of the corners, "hey. thanks for doing all of this. getting us here," ryan said.

samy flushed, "of course, you could never miss something like this. i'm glad everyone could make it," she looked over at the other boys who had no problem immersing themselves into conversation with the sharks players.

"i think they're really happy they're here. we're excited to see will too," gabe chuckled.

"you and me both. i think he's gonna be really genuinely surprised," the brunette nodded. her boyfriend was an easy person to please who never asked for much, but sometimes she couldn't help but give him everything.

mack's text came 10 minutes later simply saying eta is 5 minutes!

"okay, they're almost here! everyone find a place to hide!" samy exclaimed which sent everyone scrambling.

granted, they were outside and the toffoli's didn't have a lot to hide behind, but the boys found corners and slid under tables. samy crouched beneath one of the adirondak chairs with gabe and ryan.

the entire background fell quiet while they listened for the three boys. in the distance, there was some car doors slamming and faint voices coming up the driveway.

"dude i could've just closed my eyes," will complained about something.

"yeah, but what's the fun in that? we won't let you fall," mack chuckled.

samy watched as they came through the gate with a blindfold covering will's eyes so he couldn't see the surprise. mack found her gaze and threw a thumbs up. she coped his action and rehid herself.

mack let the blindfold fall, a huge smile on his features as he saw everyone hiding.

"okay open your eyes," the younger boy said.

will's one eye popped open and then the other when he couldn't see what was going on. he was confused for two seconds until everyone jumped up at once and yelled a very loud "surprise!"

the blonde physically jumped and clutched his chest while his brain tried catching up to what just happened. his gaze flicked across all of his teammates and old teammates staring back at him with huge grins. he landed on samy next and then it all made sense.

"holy fuck," will said almost automatically.

"surprise birthday boy!" gabe jumped forward first.

the two boys embraced in a tight hug. the others quickly joined in for a larger group hug. samy watched them with love and found hannah's gaze. the two girls couldn't be happier that this was their reunion since thanksgiving,

"what the fuck are all of you doing here?" will finally asked when they pulled apart.

"surprising you, duh! you better thank this one," they stepped aside perfectly so it became a straight path to samy. she flushed bright pink, but will didn't waste a second meeting her in the middle.

"i should've known," he mumbled, breathing her in as his face caught in the crook of her next.

a few awh's escaped people's lips, but they didn't care. it'd been too long since they last saw one another.

"i love you so much," will hummed.

"i love you too," samy kissed his cheek and let him go so he could keep making his rounds. once will was caught up with the guys, he was caught up. it wasn't easy to break them apart.

he hugged mack and beckett next for helping with the surprise and then his sharks teammates. samy's smile was wide watching the glow on her boyfriend's features seeing all of his close friends and important people in one place all for him!

she knew he'd take a minute to make his rounds, so she let him have it while she caught up with mack and beckett.

"thank you for helping today," she said.

"of course. a whole day with these two? sign me up," beckett laughed.

"you're definitely getting brownie points amongst the team for this," mack nudged her arm and samy rolled her eyes.

"i like seeing him happy," samy glanced back to where will was excitedly saying hello to all of the boston boys now.

"i don't think he smiles that big unless you're around, so you must be doing something right," macklin teased just a bit.

"i'll take your word for it."

will caught samy's attention and quickly waved her over. the younger boys wiggled their eyebrows before letting her go to where the hockey player was. he clasped his arm around her shoulder as soon as she was near and kissed her forehead.

"wow, it's good to be back together," drew smiled as he glanced around their small circle.

"i can't believe you guys are here," will admitted.

"were you surprised? did you know?" ryan questioned lightly.

"i was and i didn't know, really. i had no idea what was going on. i'm surprised you all kept the secret for this long. especially jacob and drew!"

"i can keep secrets," drew defended himself.

"you have such little trust in us, smitty," jacob laughed.

"and you know what else is coming up? summer! any ideas what our weeks are yet?" aram looked at samy who shot her hands up.

"my brothers are in charge of guests. they're working on it now."

"tell them they can trust us! we did it over thanksgiving," aram continued.

"true! and they know that, so it shouldn't be a problem honestly. i just don't get priority," she shrugged. one of the downsides of being the youngest was that quinn, jack, and luke's friends all got first pick in their weeks.

the party went on well into the night that it started becoming a glow stick party and jumping into the pool. the boys were having way too much fun in the pool once they changed into swim trunks. toffoli was just glad his pool was getting good use out of it.

samy was sitting on the ledge taking a breather and wringing out her hair when will joined her. he was still smiling wide when he looked at her.

"hi," he said.

"hi," samy giggled.

"i've said this a hundred times, but thank you for this."

"of course. you really think i'd let them miss your birthday? you should thank toff at some point too. he may or may not have helped fund some of this trip," the soccer player glanced at the older man hanging out at his table.

"he did not," will was shocked all over again.

"mhm."

the blonde started to get up, but samy held him back, "think of it as a little happy birthday to you."

"but paying for..everyone''s ticket?? that's crazy expensive," will protested.

"and it is, but he insisted even after i tried talking him down. these guys really like you, will," her words earned a blsuh on the boy's face.

he leaned in closer so she'd know he wanted a kiss. she took the hint quickly and sat up to more top reach his lips. they melted into on another, especially after being apart for so long.

will didn't even know if he could pull away if he wanted to. after weeks apart, samy's lips were the thing he wanted to taste forever and kiss forever, but he knew they couldn't. they needed to breathe and that's when he pulled away for a second. longing looks sat on their faces along with the want and need for more though.

"wanna get out of here?" will wondered smugly. samy looked at everyone else way too wrapped up in the pool game of basketball and she knew they wouldn't notice if they snuck off for a few minutes, but toff would see them leave together.

"what about toff?"

"they already know what we do when i come back with a million hickeys and scratches," will mumbled and that made the brunette blush.

she didn't say anything more, but she stood up and let will lead to the way to a bathroom. toff didn't even say anything as they walked by, but he definitely knew what they were up to.

it was safe to say will's never counted down his birthday that way, but he sure wasn't complaining in the slightest. he'd do it all again if he could. him and samy were under the covers once 12:30 hit.

"wish for anything special?" she wondered.

"not really. i didn't need a lot besides new clothes," will shrugged because who didn't like new clothes? especially when he was drsssed up 99% of the time.

"you're a simple guy, i like it," she kissed his cheek.

the boy flushed, but pulled her closer so she was flush against his side.

"best birthday ever, i love you," will smiled.

"i love you, too. gladd we could celebrate together," she squeezd his bicep as a way of telling him she was listening.

they had a long day ahead, so the couple fell asleep fairly quickly and who knows? maybe they did wake up to go a second round at some point during the night. it was will's birthday after all.

[queeranarchism]

[the cover of A consensus handbook by Seeds for Change, featuring the title in Orange lettering followed by an color drawing of 11 people working on the maintenance of a house]

I'm going to share this as a separate post for those that missed the ask: A consensus handbook by Seeds for Change https://seedsforchange.org.uk/handbook is a free and very handy guide to how to take decisions as a group without leaders or hierarchies. I'm going to drop the chapters here to show off just how much useful stuff it has. If you work with consensus, there's almost certainly a problem in here that you recognize and wish you had some answers to!

1: Making decisions by consensus What’s wrong with the democracy we’ve got? - Why use consensus? How does consensus work? - The consensus process - Key skills and values for consensus 2: Facilitating consensus The role of meetings in group work - What is facilitation? - Facilitating a meeting – Making meetings accessible - Taking minutes 3: Facilitating consensus in large groups Meeting the conditions for consensus in large groups - Processes for large groups 4: Facilitating consensus in virtual meetings Why have virtual meetings? - The tools for the job - Challenges of facilitating virtual meetings - A consensus process for virtual meetings 5: Quick consensus decision making Preparing for quick consensus - How it works 6: Facilitation techniques and activities Starting the meeting - Regulating the flow of the meeting - Encouraging involvement - Techniques for problem solving and tackling difficult issues - Prioritisation techniques - Activities for re-energising - Evaluating meetings 7: Troubleshooting in your meetings Our meetings take a long time - Time pressure - Our meetings lack focus - Our group is large and we don’t enjoy meetings - We’re stuck and can’t reach a decision - Too many ideas - ‘Steamroller’ proposals - How can we deal with disruptive behaviour? - What to do when someone blocks - Our group is biased towards the status quo 8: Bridging the gap between theory and practice Conflict and consensus - The life cycle of a conflict - Ways of dealing with conflict - Techniques for inviting collaboration Power dynamics - Step one: What are our feelings about power dynamics? - Step two: Diagnosis – what is actually going on - in your group? - Step three: Where do your power imbalances come from? - Step four: Work out some ways to change your power dynamics Other common issues - External pressures - Open groups with changing membership - What if you’re the only person who wants the group to change? 9: Consensus in wider society So how might it work? - Challenges, questions and tensions - How do we get there? - A final thought

[bratzkoo]

seventeen masterlist

KEY: ♥ fluff | ♦ angst | ♠ smut | ♣ mature themes SERIES: ❀ in progress | ✿ complete note: request are close!

❥seventeen as your boyfriend ♥ (coming soon!) hiphop unit performance unit vocal unit

Seungcheol (S.Coups) diet pepsi ♥♦♠♣ summary: seungcheol just wants every excuse to have sex with his girlfriend, let him be. au: f1 driver! seungcheol offside ♥ summary:  seungcheol's hockey teammates just wants a break from their captain's strictness with hockey practice and decides to force him to join a dating app. au: hockey player! seungcheol Mingyu: barely yours ♥♦♠♣✿ Summary: you flirt, you fuck, but when you hint that you want to be more he dismissed it as if you’re joking... and when you decide to ignore him he comes back with flowers at your doorstep. 6/6 pt. 1 | pt. 2 | pt. 3 | pt. 4 | pt. 5 | end Hansol (Vernon) Wonwoo: positions ♥ (part of ag series) summary: it’s a matter of time before you tell your boyfriend that as long as he’s down for you, you’re down too. merging arrangements ♥♦♠♣ ❀ au: chaebol heir! wonwoo x chaebol heiress! reader summary: -

3/8

pt. 1 | pt. 2 | pt. 3 | pt. 4 our three year plan ♥♦♠♣ ❀ note: merging arrangments rewrite. summary: you think your life is ruined when your parents announced that you’re marrying the heir of a tech chaebol; jeon wonwoo. so you offered him a plan, pretend to be in love until you can fake a catastrophe to break the engagement.

jeon wonwoo thinks his life just got better when his parents announced that he’s marrying the heiress of the medical group. his long time crush and basically the woman of his dreams. so when you offered him your plan, he’s going to use it to make you fall in love with him. 3/12 pt. 1 | pt. 2 | pt. 3 | pt. 4 | pt. 5

Soonyoung (Hoshi) Junhui (Jun) back to you ♥ summary: you struggle to adjust with your university life abroad and jun just wants to be a lovesick puppy Minghao (The8)

blueprint of us ♥♦

Channie-baby (Dino)

Jeonghan yours, always and forever ♥♦ summary: Perfumer Yoon Jeonghan took the Perfume industry by storm with his intriguing perfume names that seems to be inspired by one specific person which makes the industry question, who is he even naming his creations after? Only Y/N, Jeonghan’s estrange wife knows the answer. au: perfumer! jeonghan scheming heart ♥ summary: jeonghan has finally found his match in that stubborn cardiologist not knowing that everything was orchestrated by his scheming grandmother in Suite 520. au: cfo! jeonghan Jisoo (Joshua) skin ♥♦ summary: you’re doing great with your boyfriend of 5 months but when his ex drops a podcast talking about their past relationship and indirectly mentions you, your relationship takes on challenges you don’t know if you can handle. still the one ♥♦ summary: 5 years after your break up, Joshua tries his best to get your attention. May it be creating a new instagram to get you to notice him, making your brother (Seungkwan) secretly invite him to his birthday party, and his latest act: begging you on his knees in front of your door to get him back. He just never gives up! operation: laundry love ♥ summary: Joshua Hong falls in love at first sight with you at a laundromat and schemes his way into making you like him back.

Seokmin (DK) we got married ♥❀ summary: WE GOT MARRIED is back. Seokmin and you pair up to shoot 10 episodes for a special. Turns out, there are more things happenings off-camera than what meets the eye. series masterlist Seungkwan Jihoon (Woozi)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Parts of Speech

These definitions explain the 8 parts of speech in the English language.

Noun

A noun identifies a person, place, thing, or idea.

Common nouns are generic: girl, boy, city, ship, desk, courage

Proper nouns are specific: Juliet, Romeo, St. Louis, Titanic

Pronoun

A pronoun renames or refers back to the person, place, thing or idea mentioned earlier in a sentence.

Personal pronouns: I, me, you, they, them, she, her, he, him, it, we, us

Relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that, what

Interrogative pronouns (used in questions): who, which, what, whose

Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these and those

Indefinite pronouns (a partial list): all, anybody, anyone, both, each, everyone, everybody, many, none, several, someone

Verb

A verb expresses action or state of being. “Helping” verbs (such as modals and auxiliary verbs) are used with base verbs to make a verbal phrase.

Action verbs: see, run, jump, sing, study, dance, cry, shout, buy, sell, fix, think, wonder, etc.

State of being verbs: am, is, was, were, will be, became, appear, seem, look, feel, etc.

Modal verbs: can, could, will, would, shall, should, ought, must, may, might, etc. These verbs are found in verbal phrases, seldom by themselves: can see, will run, might study, must sell, etc.

Auxiliary verbs: am, is, are, was, were, have, had, etc.

In a verbal phrase, remember that the modal or auxiliary verb may be separated from the main verb, especially in a question:

Did you hear me call?

She is not going with us.

How long have you been working at McDonald’s?

Adjective

An adjective describes or modifies a noun or pronoun: For example:

brown eyes

that person

ten players

Adjectives tell...

what kind: brown eyes

which one: that person

how many: ten players

Adverb

An adverb modifies or describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It usually answers “question” statements: how? when? where? why? how often? how much? to what degree?

The orchestra played beautifully. (How?)

The band has played there. (Where?)

The choir sang long. (To what extent?)

He is extremely capable. (How capable?)

She danced very slowly. (How slowly?)

Preposition

A preposition shows a relationship between a noun/pronoun and another word. Most prepositions show motion toward a place or location of an object. The English language has more than 40 prepositions, including: above, across, behind, below, down, in, off, on, under, through, into, of, on account of, in spite of, etc.

Conjunction

A conjunction joins words or groups of words. There are three major classes of conjunctions in English:

Subordinate conjunctions: when, while, although, because, since, if, until, even though, etc.

Coordinate conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

Correlative conjunctions (used in pairs): neither/nor; either/or; not only/ but also; both/and

Interjection

An interjection expresses an emotion such as delight, surprise, or disgust. It usually appears at the beginning of a sentence and often is followed by an exclamation point:

(Delight) Wow! Gosh! Golly!

(Surprise) Oh! Ah! Yikes! Gee!

(Disgust) Yuck! Ugh! Bah!

Note: A Word as More Than One Part of Speech

Remember, a word can be used as more than one part of speech. The function of a word determines what part of speech it is.

For example:

Appearances can be deceiving. (Can is a modal verb)

The tin can of tomatoes is dented. (Can is a noun)

We should can peaches and plums. (Can is an action verb)

The French actress danced the can-can. (Can-can is a noun-noun)

[alocon]

Still Irresistible [2] - Lando Norris

Lando Norris x Fem!Reader

written by alocon

Summary: Despite all hope, Lando never lost his feelings for his best friend's twin sister. However, he still hadn't acted on it. Well, that was until the party, which led you two into a long-term secret relationship

Warnings and Tropes: Fluff, part 2 to the story released the other day.

[Part One Here] [Part Three Here] [Part Four Here] [Masterlist]

Irresistible - LN⁴ x Fem!Reader

"Lando Norris"

You two had never broken apart as quickly as you did just then. The pair of you had been in your kitchen, cooking together for the arrival of P and Max. You had forgotten that he had a key. He quickly placed another kiss on your lips before stepping back, sitting on the counter beside you just in time for your brother to walk in.

"Hello, beautiful," P said, walking over to you to place a kiss on your cheek. You greeted her back, returning the gesture.

You and Lando had, expertly, invited the pair for dinner. They didn't know that you and Lando were together. I mean, God. Max would surely kill you for it. Which is exactly why this wasn't a double date. It was simply two roommates, one roommates brother and the brother's girlfriend having dinner.

It wouldn't be the first double date that you two had. You had also had some with Alex and Lily, as those two had witnessed your first kiss at the club 8 months prior and had a few with Oscar and Lily, who had only found out about you because Lando accidentally slipped up when he was speaking. Other than that, though, no one knew. You travelled to a lot of his races with him, so, of course, there were rumours about the two of you. However, Max was not suspicious as that had happened since he started driving in Formula One. It was how the sport went. Racing on Friday-Sunday, Rumours from Monday-Wednesday, Answering those rumours on Thursday. It was just part of the sport.

The group of you began to discuss how you had been, how things had been going. You all stood in the kitchen talking so that you could cook and still be involved. "What about you, Lan? Have you found someone yet, mate?"

Almost as if it was rehearsed (it was), Lando began to use his excuse. You both had agreed that, had this question came up, you would say you weren't, and he could choose on the day. "There's someone I'm interested in. She's great. We've talked, but I haven't taken her out on a proper date yet." You smiled as you stirred the pot of pasta. Smart, you thought. Technically, it's not a lie. He hadn't taken you out on an official date, just you two, but you had been on double dates, and you had also had many dates in the house. And when you went out in public together, it wasn't considered an official date, so no one was suspicious. Didn't mean you both didn't consider them dates.

"That's great, mate. It's about time you got yourself out there. I swear, since we were little, it was always 'yeah there's someone I like but we can't be together', I had started thinking that you might love my sister." Max let out a chuckle as you thanked God that you were facing away from him as you listened in, more intrigued. You decided to start teasing Lando.

"Awwe. Used to have a little crush on me, did you?"

Lando picked up on the usual jokey-flirting and decided to hit back. "Nope. Can't stand you."

"Yeah, yeah, that's why you used to get super nervous talking to me when we were 13." You turned to him, watching as his face flushed slightly red out of being called out. He was only able to mumble a 'shut up' in response, making you and Max laugh.

"Doesn't surprise me, I was amazing and very funny and beautiful growing up."

"Still are. Except for the beautiful part," He quickly added the last part onto his sentence as he spoke too quickly for that to be considered friendly. Max eyed him before turning away. You began to plate up the pasta and sent Max off to go set the table, P opting to follow him. "That was close," Lando whispered to you, causing you to wack him gently.

"God, Lan. Watch what you say," you responded, placing your hand on his face to pull him in for a quick kiss. That kiss turned into a longer one, though, as he clearly didn't want to break away from it.

"Right. Make yourself useful." You said, pulling away before they could get caught. You passed him two plates. "Go take these out please. This one is P's, this one is Max's."

"Yes ma'am. Do I get paid with another kiss?"

You rolled your eyes, placing another peck to his lips before he grinned, heading out of the room with the plates.

You grabbed the other two, following suit and placing them on the table. "Right, I'll be back in a second, I'm going to run some food over to Martine."

"Alright, tell her I say hi," Lando responded as you went to the kitchen.

A look of confusion appeared on Max's face. "Who's Martine?"

"Our neighbour. She's 60, and she's been struggling a lot recently because her husband passed last month, so we've been taking her food and inviting her over for dinner so she isn't lonely."

"Aw, that's lovely!" P said, smiling as the door shut.

You stepped across the hallway, knocking the door of your neighbour opposite. After a few minutes, she answered. "Hi. How are you?"

"I'm good, how are you doing? We have some extra food, so I wanted to bring it over for you." You passed her the tub of food, and she smiled gratefully.

"Oh, thank you, dear. I'm feeling a little better than yesterday. It's getting easier day by day, you know?"

You nodded in response, accepting the hug she offered you. "Would you like to come over for dinner again on Friday? Like we have been doing the past few weeks?"

"Are you sure it wouldn't be too much bother?"

"Not at all. I would've invited you over today, but my brother and his girlfriend are over for dinner, and I remember you saying that big groups got a little overwhelming for you."

"Ah right, having a double date, are you?"

You shook your head. "No, my brother doesn't know about Lando and I. Lando says hi by the way."

"Oh, do tell him I say hi back. How come your brother doesn't know? Haven't you been together for 8 months now?"

You grinned cheekily in response to her question. She was such an angel. You absolutely loved Martine. She was hands down the sweetest neighbour you had. "Lando was Max's best friend before he was my boyfriend, so Max would be a little upset if he found out."

"Oh, right. Well, you can't decide who you fall in love with, darling." You heard a door open behind you. "Love is something you can't really control. If you feel like someone is really, really right for you, he probably is, you know?"

You froze when you heard a voice behind you. "Uh. Sorry, who are you in love with?"

Martine turned to your brother. "Oh, hello, you must be the brother. I've heard a lot about you. Don't mind our conversation, dear. I was just telling her about my daughter and her new boyfriend. I'm Martine."

'Martine, you legend,' you thought as she smiled sweetly and innocently.

"Oh right, I'm Max." He shook her hand before looking at you. "Where's the red wine?" You turned to see Lando poking his head around the door too, shooting you a wink.

"Top cupboard, right at the back. I had to put it back there because someone..." You paused to dramatically look at Lando. "Smashed up the last bottle we had."

"It was an accident."

"Yep. And now I have to Lando-proof everything." You turned to Martine. "Right, Martine. I'll leave you, your daughter and her boyfriend, be. Do tell them I say hi."

"Of course, dear. It was lovely to see you, as always. See you Friday."

You three headed back inside, Max heading to grab the wine.

Sitting at the table, you and P waited patiently for the return of Max and Lando. You made friendly conversation, as always. You two always got along quite well. P looked around for any signs of the boys before leaning towards you. "So... Anyone you're interested in?"

You looked at the woman. She knew something. You sighed, shrugging. "There is someone I am interested in. Please don't tell Max though, we both know he'll get all protective twin about this."

She nodded. "Do I get to know who? Because I could take a few guesses."

You shook your head. "Maybe some other time when people can't listen in."

She understood, luckily, and it was only a few moments until the boys reappeared, laughing away as they carried the wine glasses in. Lando sat beside you, gently giving your hand a quick squeeze under the table.

Dinner went normally, you all talked and messed about, the usual. You then all retreated to the living room to play some games.

"Oh fuck you!" Max wasn't happy as you crossed the line once again to take first place, having barely overtaken him just before the end due to an ability you had saved. "You cheated!"

"You can't cheat in Mario Kart, Max. Stop bitching because I'm better."

"Right," Lando spoke up before they could continue arguing. "Bed time, I think. What do you think?" The other 3 of you nodded in agreement. Max and P would be staying over so Lando had given up his room, stating that he was more than happy to sleep on the pull out sofa bed in your room.

You were laid down on your bed as Lando locked the door, Max and P having already retreated to Lando's room and P having already fallen asleep. Lando was the last to come to bed. He took his shirt off, placing it on your chair before removing his jeans so he was only in boxers. He slid into bed beside you, his arms wrapping around your waist and pulling you into him. He let out a soft, content noise as you cuddled up closer to him. "I've missed doing this."

"Lan, it's only been a few hours," you noted as one of his hands ran up to play with your hair.

"A few hours too long, being away from you sucks so bad."

"What are you going to do when you go off to races, then?"

"I don't know." He looked down at you, placing a kiss on your forehead. "You could always come with me."

You looked up to meet his eyes. "To which ones?"

"All of them." He paused, taking some time to admire your face, to watch the way to smiled softly. "Every. Single. One." He placed kisses to your lips between each word before placing his forehead against yours, looking into your eyes.

"Okay."

"Okay? You will come to more races with me?" His eyes lit up as he thought of all the time you could spend cuddling after his races.

"Lando." You stopped speaking a second, your hand moving to the side of his face, thumb gently moving over his cheek. "I would go anywhere that you asked me to."

He pulled you into another hug, his head on top of yours, squeezing you tight, not wanting to let go. He whispered a few I love you's to you, placing kisses all over your face as he spoke. He then placed another to your lips, a longer one than previous. One full of love, adoration. One that made you feel that you two were the only people in the world. One that made you feel like nothing else ever mattered. One that showed you that, no matter what Max thinks when he finds out about your relationship, it really doesn't matter. As long as he had you, everything was perfect and how it should be. You balanced him, you showed him the love that he always dreamt of being shown. You showed him what adoring someone truly felt like. And he found you irresistible. He would always find you irresistible.

-The End-

[Word Count - 2,012]

Hi All,

Another part to the Lando Norris "Irresistible" story because I thought the first part could do with a part two. Hope you are all well, as always, have a lovely day x

Alocon

[isabeauwolf]

Four. Four soulmates. Oh Kamisama no! - Reader x ShiggyOverDabiHawks 8

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11

💞 Chapter 8 - Fives a crowd?

Well, that answers that question about which timeline they are from. You mentally face palm yourself. Right during the Overhaul arc. You swallow, shaking off your heebie jeebie as best as you could. Great, they are doing to start a war in my house. And I'm the one who started it. Big oops.

"You take my arms." Overhaul grit his teeth. "Leaving me stranded on the side of the road, bleeding, helpless, quirkless and steal the last two years of my life's work?"

If you thought you saw Overhaul angry, he looked murderous now. You knew he could do fullmetal alchemist level of overpowered bullshit with his quick. And all without the equivalent exchange at that. Before Deku took him down, the yakuza birdman was like a Greek God on the battlefield, fought dirty, ferocious and tenacious. Hell, even his Monsterhaul form was badass.

If Deku hadn't been there. You had no doubt that Lemillion and Sir NightEye would have both died as messed up as that sounded. Sir had saw a future in which Deku died and got away.

"Serves you right, Overhaul. You owed us an arm after all, isn't that what you said?" Shigaraki chuckles. "Oh? And the point of playing Shogi was dethroning the King, right? You lost to that brat, game over."

"Talk about bad karma catchin' up to you, beaky." Dabi replies.

"You're one to talk Shigaraki." Overhaul pointed out, pointing at one of the covers of the manga. "That little pest beats you too."

You were already mentally and emotionally drained, tired. You just wanted to go to bed. "Alright." You stood to your feet again and interrupted the Villains spat. "I'm going to go change out of my work clothes and then we can prepare dinner." You drag your blanket with you. "I don't care what. Just please pick something and I'd appreciate it, if one of you helps me in the kitchen." You pause, peeking over your shoulder and adding. "Whoever doesn't help cook washes the dishes."

The men watch you leave.

"I'll be damned she is a bossy little thing." Dabi grins in amusement, standing and heading towards the window for another smoke break. "She's got grit. I'll give'er that."

"Bossy, bratty, control freak like some other annoying bird we know." Shigaraki huffs and crossing his arms.

Hawks' chuckles, smiling softly. "It's cute you gotta admit that. She's taking all this incredible well for a civilian."

"You mean she's a weirdo." Shigaraki grumbles.

Overhaul sat in silence, his lips twitch. You are quite bold to boss them around, holding your ground and stepping your foot down. Any other person would have been screaming for the hills, crying, pleading and trying to escape. But not you. Showing insane amounts of courage, thinking rationally and keeping your wits about you despite your earlier moments of vulnerability and emotional outburst.

The yakuza stood to his feet, unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves to his elbows. "Better go see what we have to work with in the kitchen." He makes his way into the kitchen, opening the fridge, freezer and checking the pantry, thinking to himself in silence.

"It ain't your turn to cook." Hawks protested. Which was odd. He was more laxed out of the group, then again, a way to win over a potential lover was by cooking and to their stomachs. "It's mine."

"Overly greasy and fatty fried chicken, skewer's or otherwise isn't good for her stomach after all the stress she just endured for the past three hours." Overhaul drawled without leaving his gaze from the fully stocked pantry.

"I wasn't going to make fried chicken." Hawks muttered, his cheeks growing rosy. "Besides I can't help if its comfort food."

"Fried rice sounds nice." Overhaul mutters to himself, ignoring the hero. "I'll have to tweak the recipe a bit since we don't have any overnight or dry rice, but no matter." Pulling out the huge plastic container filled with rice, walking to the counter besides the stove, pausing and flickering his golden eyes on the winged bird. "Well? You were complaining and whining about not helping." He raised a brow; his tone was flat with a hint of annoyance. "Either come over here, make yourself useful and help or shut up and get out of the kitchen. I don't care."

Hawks' embarrassment quickly faded; his lips tightened into a strained smile. He went to the fridge, pulling out a carton of eggs, onions, and scallions. "I'll go ahead and cut these."

"Suit yourself." Overhaul replied, pleased to find that you had a rice cooker in one of the lower cabinets, raising a gloved hand and pointing towards the pantry. "The cutting board is over there." Then pointing towards the drawer near the oven. "Knives are on the three drawers to the left."

Hawks blinked. "Damn, you already know your way around her kitchen?"

"Obviously." Overhaul clicked his tongue, stopping himself from rolling his eyes. "If we are going to be stuck here and visiting her home. We need to know our way around." He went back to the oven, setting the rice cooker on the counter, opened the rice container, scooping three cups of rice into scoop you kept inside and poured it in. The sound of the rice hitting the pot filled the silence before the gangster spoke again. "While your over there. Fetch a couple cans of those canned hams would you."

Hawks glared at the nagging, control freak. "Yeah, yeah, I'll get it."

Dabi's voice came from the living room. "Since both birdmen are playing housewives, I assume it's Shiggy's turn to wash dishes tonight, right?"

"What?" Shigaraki protests from the couch, jolting when he nearly disintegrated one of the manga volumes in his hands. He wasn't paying attention until Dabi called his name. "Why me? It isn't my turn." He narrowed his eyes. "It's that germ freaks turn."

Dabi snickered, blowing a smoke ring out the window before taking another hit. "Can you cook anything without burning it or turning it into dust?" Shigaraki said nothings, causing the flame users amused smirk to widen. "That's what I thought. Poor spoiled, sheltered little gamer nerd."

Shigaraki made a noise between a feral cat hissing and a growl. "I can't help it, if Kurogiri never taught me how to cook. He always made everything and when I tried, he'd shove me out."

"Takes real talent to burn a pot of boiling water." The black haired, patchwork villain reminded the other.

You came back wearing an oversize t-shirt with a side profile of Overhaul on it, bedtime shorts that stopped at your mid-thighs that read "Plus Ultra", ankle socks with Toga, Shigaraki and Dabi on them as you towel dried your hair after having freshly showered.

Dabi and Shigaraki paused to check out your bedtime outfit. It was still weird seeing they had merch here, yet they felt amused to find you wearing it. Aside from seeing bird beaks face on your chest.

"Really?" Shigaraki grumbled, tilting his head.

You furrowed your brows, blinking and staring down at your outfits. "What?"

"You seriously picked an outfit with literally each of us on it." The hand villain gestured to all of you.

Oh. You did. "It wasn't on purpose." Your cheeks grew rosy, nearly covering your face with your towel. "It was on top of my pajama pile, that's all."

"Uh huh, sure, doll, sure." Dabi raised a brow, finishing his cigarette and cocking his head to the side as he closed the window. "How cute, our soulmate really is our fangirl. Cringe worthy, but cute."

----- End of Chapter 8 ----

Tag list: @cherry-queens-blog @fanofflames @touyas-wife @redr0sewrites @slayfics @dabislittlemouse @doumadono @wtf-ask-baddie-overhaul @number-2-hero-hawks @meeludrawz @kyiratodoroki @lucyblue101 @angelblueflame @canary58143 @nakiich @ihearf @mossy-opal @beekeepingageissome

💞Chapter 1 - Ignorance is Bliss

💞Chapter 2- Unexpected Encounter

💞Chapter 3 - The Matchmaking Goddess meddles

💞Chapter 4 - New Game. Love Game, Start.

💞Chapter 5: Dance with Devils and a Red Winged Angel

💞Chapter 6: The Red String

💞Chapter 7: Fiction meets Reality

💞Chapter 9: Dinner with a yakuza, a birdman, a pyromaniac and decay man; what could happen?

[bbrissonn]

𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 - 𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐝

☄. *. ⋆ synopsis: 4 times ryan's friend wouldn't leave the two of you alone, and the one time they did

☄. *. ⋆ warning: slight swearing, not proofread

☄. *. ⋆ disclaimer: this is my first time writing a 3+1 type of fic, so if it's shitty sorry

☄. *. ⋆ wc: 2.5k

ONE

ryan grinned as he walked into a small cafe right off the edge of campus, spoting you right away in the same corner as always. he had just gotten out of his only class for the day, and he could not wait to hold you in his arm again.

"hi, baby." he mumbled with a smile as he leaned down to kiss your forehead. you looked up from your book at his presence, a smile of your own appearing.

"hi, bubba." you smiled as he sat down next to you, letting one of his arm fall to the back of your chair. you leaned your head onto his shoulder as a reflex, hanging him his coffee. "how was class?"

"teacher made gabe improv in front of everyone, you really missed something, babe." your boyfriend laughed as he let his eyes drift to your notebook in front of you. "exam soon?" he questioned, he knew you only took color coded notes when you had an exam approaching.

"monday at like 8:30." you groaned, closing your books so all your attention was on the freckled man next to you. "i'm dreading it already."

"you're gonna do great, like always, love." he whispered, placing a kiss against your temple. you lifted your head from his shoulder, looking up at him with a smile before pressing a peck to his lips.

"okay, yuck." you heard someone exclaim from behind you, making you and ryan pull apart. your eyes fell into a couple of his teammates taking seats next to ryan.

"what do you want?" your boyfriend asked, pulling you a little closer to his side as one of your hands fell onto his thigh.

"that's no way to talk to your friends, leno." will smirked as he patted the boy on the back.

"dude, seriously, we're a bit busy here." ryan said through gritted teeth. his teammates just looked at him with innocent looks, making ryan a little angry.

"it's fine. i need to go to class anyways. i'll see you late, ry. bye, boys." you said, placing a hand on ryan's thigh, hoping it would calm him down, before packing your bag and making your way out the door.

once ryan was sure you were gone, he smacked his best friends behind the head, making all of them groan.

"you guys are the worst."

"what'd we do?" gabe knew he was pushing the limit, but he had never seen his best friend act like this because of a girl before. they all found it so cute how ryan was such a menace on the ice, getting in everyone's faces, always being in the middle of a scum, but he was always so gentle with you.

"we've barely spent time together because of hockey, and the one minute we get alone you guys just have to show up?" ryan mumbled underneath his breath as he started standing up from his spot.

"come on, leno. we're just messing with you." aram said, which only worsened the freckled boy's mood.

"i'm leaving."

TWO

you threw your head back, laughing at a story ryan was telling you about one of his classes this week. it was monday night, meaning date night. the two of you were currently sitting in a movie theater, waiting for the movie to start. you each had your own drinks, but shared the same popcorn, mainly because ryan insisted on it.

ryan had been away for the weekend because of hockey, meaning the two of you had barely seen each other in the last five days. of course, you always face timed or texted whenever you could, but nothing compared to spending quality one on one time with each other.

"i missed you." ryan mumbled, throwing his arm around you shoulder and bringing you close to his side. you smiled up at him before pressing your lips to his cheek.

"missed you more, ry." you answered with a smile and ryan leaned down to press a kiss to your lips. there were maybe three other groups in the room with you, a family of four, an old couple, and a group of friends about your age. it was pretty silent, only for the small whispers within the groups.

you and ryan were in your own little world, you sat in the back corner of the room, everyone else choosing the middle of the room to sit. no one around the two, truly having being able to just focus on each other.

of course, all of that quickly ended when almost all of ryan's team walked into the theater, their eyes obviously looking for the two of you. they quickly made their way over to the two of you once the captain spotted you.

"i'm gonna kill them one day." ryan let out a frustrated sigh. he had made it very clear that tonight was only for you and him, granted he made the mistake of telling the guys which movie you were going to watch, where, and at what time.

"let me know when you wanna do it." you mumbled as the guys started sitting around you.

"hi guys!" will said sitting behind the two of you and reaching for the popcorn between your bodies.

"no." ryan was quickly to pull the bag away from his friends reach, making the blond frown.

"that's not nice." gabe intervened from besides the blond boy.

"why do you guys always have to just ruin everything? i told you it was just me and y/n tonight."

"are we not allowed to come enjoy a movie as a team, ryan?" drew said from besides the boy.

"you couldn't have picked any other movie? it had to be this one? at this cinema, seriously?"

"it's a very popular cinema, ryan." cutter said, smirking at his teammate. you rolled you eyes, your boyfriend doing the same, before shushing the boy since the lights were starting to dim.

thankfully, the boys were quiet while watching the movie, which surprised you a lot, well for the most part. they would whisper between each other whenever one of them did not understand what had just happened in the movie, and of course had little reactions every time the two of you interacted. some of them even going as far as gagging whenever you leaned your head on his shoulder.

"where're you guys going?" will asked as you and ryan quickly left the movie theater once the movie ended.

"far away from you guys." ryan said harshly before quickly hurrying the two of you out of the cinema, and quickly making your way to his car, where he was fast to drive off in the direction of your dorm.

THREE

you cheered loudly as your roommate scored yet another goal, ryan cheering as well from besides you. the two of you were among few in the crowd for the women's lacrosse game, the only other people in the stands being family and friends of the players.

you had came to almost every game this year, always ready to support your roommate, and now best friend. ryan had started coming along after the two of you dated, the games being another way the two of you could be alone.

the two of you should have figured that these games alone would not last long once the guy realized the two of you disappeared every time there was a game, but you choose to ignore it. probably one of the reasons why you were both so frustrated when some of ryan's teammates joined the two of you in the stands.

"seriously?" ryan called out, dropping down to his seat, a slightly frown on his face.

"are we not allowed to come cheer on our school?" drew said with an innocent smile.

"and you had to do it here?" you spoke out, shocking the guys a little. ryan was always the one who protested, never you. you always just stayed quiet, not wanting to say things you would later regret, but you had enough.

"wh--"

"i mean seriously? you guys never come to these games, but since we do, you guys wanna start coming too? you never go to the movies, but when we do, you suddenly want to as well? do you not have anything better to do in your lives than bothering us? it's pathetic." you said, anger filling your veins, before grabbing your bag and making your way to the bathroom, leaving all the guys dumbfounded, even your own boyfriend.

"shes' right, ya know. you guys are annoying. it was funny the first couple of times, but you're taking it too far. i mean, we barely get to spend time together, and when we do you guys just have to ruin it all the time. sometimes she doesn't even want to hangout with me because she knows you guys are just gonna show up and ruin everything. so, please, just leave us alone." ryan said, before getting up and following after you.

your boyfriend walked around the stadium for a bit, before eventually hearing some sniffles coming from one of the bathrooms. "Y/N?"

"in here." you confirmed, and ryan was quick to make his way inside, he did not care if there was anyone else in there, he needed to make sure his girl was okay. "oh, baby." he whispered when he saw a tear rolling down your cheek, quickly bringing you into his chest.

"i'm so tired of them, ry." you whispered into his chest, letting out a sigh of frustration.

"i know, hons, me too." he said softly, one hand rubbing down your back while the other landed on the top of your head, softly combing through your hair.

"i'm sorry i snapped at them like that." you said after a couple of minutes of silent, the two of you just holding onto each other. this was probably the longest the two of you had been able to hug each other for weeks without any of the guys interrupting.

"don't be, y/n. they're assholes... and it was hot. very hot." he giggled, making you look up at him only to see him smirking down at you. you knew that look all too well, making you roll your eyes.

"ryan." you warned him, smiling slightly, which only made his smirk grown bigger. the two of you had not been able to be intimate with each other in a long time, and after all, ryan was just a teenage boy.

"your rooms empty." he whispered, bring his lips down to yours. you took a deep shaky breath, trying your best to control yourself. "and the game's not even half way done." he added, letting both of his hands fall lower and lower on your back.

"promised the girls i'd meet up with them after." you mumbled as ryan attached his lips to your neck. you had grown close to the other freshman on the lacrosse team, finding your own little friend group.

"they'll understand, baby." he whispered against your neck as he brought your bodies even closer together. you were about to say something when his phone started ringing loudly from his front pocket, making him groan into your neck.

"what?" he grumbled as he answered the phone, making you let out a sigh. "no, i don't want to go to dinner with you guys. i don't care, will. well, tell eamon that i can't make it. then, i'll do suicides, i don't care. whatever, bye." he argued before letting out yet another groan as he hung up the phone.

"what was that about?"

"stupid team dinner or whatever, i'm not going."

"ryan." you said sternly. you had made it very clear throughout your relationship that missing team events to hangout with you was not something you were okay with.

"it's not an official one, babe. the coaches aren't gonna be there, they don't even know it's happening! eamon can't expect all of us to just stop our lives to go to dinner with him. someone of us have more important people to go on dates with." he said, his voice going from angry to soft at the end.

"you're an idiot."

"you love it."

"mm, i do." you smiled before finally connecting your lips together.

FOUR

"hide." ryan whispered loudly, hiding his face with the menu in his hands.

"what?"

"the guys are here!"

"what?" you exclaimed before turning around to the door, quickly spotting a small group of hockey players. some of them were quick to spot the two of you, smiling before following their host. "you'd tell them we were coming here?"

"no! i picked a different restaurant just so they wouldn't know where we are!" ryan said, quickly looking at his friends before hiding behind his menu again.

"ryan, idiot, they already saw you, there's no point in hiding." you said, grabbing the menu from his hands.

"oh." he said before the two of you looked over at them again. you saw a couple of them about to get up, before someone of the freshman said something, quickly making all of them sit back down. the next second, ryan's phone dinged, a message from jacob appearing on his screen.

sorry, though you guys would be going to the same place as always. we won't bother you, enjoy your night

your boyfriend read the message out loud, shocking the two of you slightly. you both looked over at them again, only to find none of them looking over at you, instead focused on the menus. then, ryan's phone rang again.

also i think drew's scared of y/n now

ryan laughed as he read the message in his head, before turning his phone so you could see it. you giggle slightly, a small blush taking over your face.

"i guess we're both menaces now." ryan smiled, making yours drops.

"absolutely not." you gasped, making your boyfriend laugh out loud. surprisingly, the boys kept their, leaving the two of you alone for the whole night. but not without sneaking a couple of pictures of the two of you, which they later sent to ryan. they did not even bother the two of you when you walked near their table to leave the restaurant, none of them even looking up at the two of you.

when the two of you made it back to his dorm, you talked for almost an hour at how you could not believe they had somehow managed the be in the same room as the two of you and not bother you guys. it felt great, it truly did, to finally have some time alone with ryan, some real quality time where all you had to focus on was each other.

and you were soon very thankful that found out it would not be the only time the two of you would be left alone. of course, the guys still popped out every now and then, but if one of you ever gave them a look, they'd be gone the next second. especially if they came from you.

[azsazz]

Dead by Dawn (Part 16)

Azriel x Cassian x Reader

Summary: Zombie!AU: It’s been a while since the end of the world.

Warnings: Blood, gore, injury, graphic depictions of violence, poly!relationship, slow burn, undead, death,

Word Count: 3,157

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7) (Part 8) (Part 9) (Part 10) (Part 11) (Part 12) (Part 13) (Part 14) (Part 15)

Notes: okay i forced myself to finish this part so it's a little shitty and not at all edited.

_________________________________________

Day 195 Part 2

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The forest goes completely still.

There are no moanings of zombies in the distance, no rustling of leaves on the trees. Even the wind has silenced with your words.

Surprise shocks the group around you. Nesta’s eyes narrow into a piercing glare. The untrust is clear in the way that she readjusts the knife in her hand, and Azriel shifts next to you, his intention to block her path to you should she lunge. Cassian looks like he could growl.

The man at her side flicks his russet gaze to his lover, a frown of concern on his face. He looks like he’s ready to step in front of her as well, but if you know her from any of the stories Feyre had told you, she’s much too stubborn to allow that to happen.

Her eyes are cold and calculating as they flick back and forth between yours, staring you down.

The zombie that they must have been taunting suddenly lurches from behind a large oak and you gasp a little, but Nesta doesn’t do so much as flinch. Instead, she keeps those sharp eyes pinned on you, Azriel, and Cassian while her companion turns to take care of the undead being stumbling behind them. It’s missing both of its eyes, a thick slash leaking black blood across its forehead and into its unseeing sockets. The smell that follows it has your stomach churning, your quick snack from earlier threatening to make a reappearance.

It’s kind of incredible, watching how easily the copper haired man slays the zombie, all while Nesta guards him from the three of you. She has the utmost confidence in him, that he will keep her safe, and she doesn’t need to turn away from who may potentially be the bigger threat, whether she knows it or not.

The man kills the zombie with ease. One quick jab of his knife into the base of its skull has the undead falling limp to the forest floor with a crunch that you’ll never get used to. The man grimaces a little when he wipes his knife clean on the calf of his pants, then returns to Nesta’s side, awaiting her lead.

No one speaks, and it’s a little unnerving. The sun has already started its descent into night, and there isn’t going to be much time for you, Azriel, and Cassian to find shelter for the night if things here don’t go well. Nesta had mentioned something about the middle sister, Elain, but you don’t hear a thing, so she must not be around. Is she with others? Have Feyre and Rhysand made it to Eryef before you? 

“Right?” you blurt, because no one’s speaking. “You’re Feyre’s older sister. Have they made it to you?”

“They?” Nesta questions and you deflate, knowing that they haven’t.

Cassian places his free hand on your shoulder in reassurance.

“Who are you?” the man next to her asks, and you watch his gaze dart to where the sun hangs low in the sky. He doesn’t seem to tense at its position, so you glean that wherever they’ve taken shelter must be close. No one wants to be caught out here after nightfall if they can help it.

“I’m (Y/N),” you offer and gesture to the men with you. “And this is Azriel and Cassian. I’ve been traveling with Feyre for a while now, and we joined forces with these two and their friend, Rhysand.” 

“Then where is she?” Nesta bites and you want to flinch, to duck away from the accusation lining her tone. It is your fault that your group has split up now, that you’re too far away for the walkie talkies to work. 

Neither you, Cassian, nor Azriel have an answer for her.

“She’s with our friend,” Cassian tries to console, because Azriel’s gritting his teeth so hard you think they might crack. He’s in a defensive position, and doesn’t like the way that Nesta is speaking to any of you. “They went back to our van but we couldn’t stay in the house we found because it was…infested. We left a note telling them where we went, and if they follow that, they’ll find your directions pointing to Eryef. When they get close enough, we can contact them on the walkies but as of this afternoon, they’re still out of range.”

“Rule number one of the fucking zombie apocalypse,” Nesta spits, “Don’t split up.”

You swallow roughly, fighting the pricking stinging your eyes. You know this and yet you’d been so stupid. The three of you should’ve waited for them to come find you, surely you could’ve survived in that house a few more hours—

You gag at the thought, turning away from the group. Cassian moves a few paces away with you, leaving Azriel to deal with Feyre’s sister and her counterpart as he tends to you. It makes something warm in your belly, the way that they fall back so easily into their roles; Azriel the menacing force, Cassian the caring charmer.

“You okay?” Cassian murmurs, his hand warm as he rubs your back. He keeps glancing over his shoulder, weary of the newcomers and how Azriel is going to handle them. He’s not very trusting, and everyone’s about to find that out the longer he’s left alone with them.

“Yeah,” you breathe, wiping your mouth. Nothing had come up but the motion seemed necessary. “I’m fine.”

He’s not all too sure that you’re fine but he ushers you back over to the rest of the group when you seem steady enough. He’ll ask you again later, when you find some privacy.

The group opposite you watches as you return. Azriel’s harsh stare keeps them from asking any questions. 

“Where is Eryef?” Azriel asks simply. Nesta blinks.

“Why should we tell you, when you don’t even have my sister with you?” she asks, raising a brow. A flicker of emotion crosses through her pale blue eyes but you can’t make out what it is.

“Surely you didn’t think painting a sign with the name of your safe haven would go unnoticed by everyone besides Feyre,” Cassian adds. “Do you turn away all of those who come seeking help?”

Her eyes narrow once again but it's her companion who answers the question.

“No one has tracked us down before.”

You share a look with your men. It’s not unusual to not have run into many humans out here…at least trustworthy humans. Maybe they’d run into the same problems as your little group, meeting those who wanted to kill. Or maybe their camp is so well hidden that no one really takes notice of it at all.

“Well, now you’ve got us,” Azriel states, “And we know Feyre, have a way of communicating with her should they be in range, so you either show us to Eryef or tell us to leave, because the sun is setting fast.”

The authority in his tone has you shifting on your feet, warmth dancing in your veins. Where this attitude of his had been an annoyance to you when you first met Azriel, now that it’s directed at someone other than you, it’s kind of hot. It also makes your stomach swoop when he speaks like this to you and Cassian during the intimate moments you share.

The copper haired man makes the decision for the both of them, in what seems to be much to Nesta’s dismay. 

“You can come with us to Eryef, but if Feyre and your little friend don’t show within two days time, you’re out.”

And yeah, that seems fair enough.  

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•

Eryef isn’t just a house, it’s a mansion.

Located within the confines of a gated community, you’re not sure you would’ve been able to miss something like this had you and your men come across it. The large, gold gates keep others out while expressing just how much money went into doing so. The streets are lined with brick, some loose in areas from lack of keep up during the apocalypse. They’d make for great weapons, should you need any, and it was smart thinking on Nesta and her companions' part, you think.

Inside of the gate house is a zombie who bangs on the window when you pass. Nesta hadn’t warned you about it, and since you’re traveling in the front of the group so that the two can keep their eyes on you, you startle, stumbling over your feet.

Azriel steadies you with a hand around your bicep, giving you a gentle squeeze to which you nod in response, letting him know that you’re okay. He shoots a sour look over his shoulder but Nesta is as stoney face as ever.

“We kept him alive in case anyone tried coming this way,” she explains, slipping through the gate, her hand tucked in her companions for help. He takes on the role of shutting the gate behind him and securing it with a padlock and thick chain. “Showing them that this place is as infested as the others will keep wanderers away.”

“Is this place infested?” Cassian asks, checking your surroundings as you all walk, the scraping of the zombie in the gate house getting softer as you move through the streets.

“There used to be a lot more,” is all Nesta says, taking the lead. She tosses over her shoulder, “But keep an eye out, just in case.”

“We spent some time trying to corral the monsters,” the man with the freckles explains. He seems a little more open to your presence, and you’re not sure if it’s because of the front Nesta is putting up or if he’s trying to get on your good side for an eventual backstab. “Cut off the arms of some, jaws of others,” he grimaces and your stomach churns. You slow your pace, not liking what you’re hearing. “The ones roaming around inside shouldn’t be able to harm you, but it’s not a guarantee.” 

So instead of killing the zombies infesting this once pristine neighborhood, they’ve mutilated them further? The thought makes you sick. You’ve seen some things since the end of the world, been through worse, but this…this is new.

“What’s your name?” you ask softly. You don’t have the highest hopes that he will answer.

His russet eyes soften as he answers you. “Eris.” 

“Nice to meet you, Eris,” you offer a gentle smile. “I’m (Y/N), and this is Cassian, and Azriel.”

Said men keep you tucked between them as you follow Nesta and Eris to wherever they’re staying. You let your eyes wander across the houses you pass. It’s like the world has gone frozen around you. There is no movement inside, no sign of distress from any of the homes in the community. 

You wonder if any of them had been like the situation you found at the last house you thought was safe. The family trapped in the basement.

You feel a bit queasy as you think of what happened down there, the horrors you saw when you opened that safe room.

You shove the thought from your mind the deeper you wander, down roads of loose brick. The houses only become bigger and bigger, looming over the streets. Some of them are even surrounded by their own fences, though this doesn’t seem like the kind of place one would be wary of their neighbors, only about the money they’d once been drowning in. 

Now, you see the fence around the houses as a second line of defense.

You pray that Feyre and Rhysand make it here safe, because if you can add to your group, get them to trust you enough to let you stay, you think one of these properties could be the place where Cassian might be able to start his garden. 

You can tell that he’s thinking the same thing because of how bright his hazel eyes are. He’s alert and drinking in everything that he can, and you can see the gears turning in his head as he envisions his own paradise, his own place where he can keep you and Azriel safe. His gaze is warm when they settle on you and a smile tugs the corner of his lips.

The thought sends butterflies off in your stomach. Enjoying the warm feeling, you delve into better thoughts while following along. You’re so lost in your head that you hardly even notice the group coming up to what you think is the biggest house you’ve ever seen.

Craning your neck back, you take in the large, forest green house. There are columns of wood on the expansive porch, wrapping around the side of the mansion. There are a few rocking chairs creaking softly with the wind, and it looks picturesque, the thought of sitting out there with a warm cup of coffee on an autumn day, Azriel on one side of you with Cassian on the other—

“Welcome to the Woodland House,” Eris says, unlocking the door with a set of keys. You suppose it’s not uncommon to have a set of keys for a mega mansion in the middle of the apocalypse, but you do wonder where he found them…if they were sitting out on the counter or if he took them from a zombie's pocket. 

You follow the pair inside. It’s like entering another world. Despite the home's large nature, the inside is warm and welcoming, so different from what the world has come to.It makes your chest ache. 

The furniture is oversized and cozy, mis-matched pieces that make the entire space look lived in. There’s a stocked fireplace in the living room with a large woodpile beside it, ready for the long winter. 

“We’ll speak more after dinner,” Eris tells you when his tour comes to an end. Nesta had darted off up the stairs while Eris offered to show you around. Nesta had thrown over her shoulder that it was pointless to do so because you will be gone if her sister doesn’t show up, but Eris only rolled his eyes in response. “This is where you’ll be staying for the next few nights.”

You brace yourself as he opens the door to the basement of the house. You tense a little as you stare down the stairs, brought back to the last scene of the large home you’d been in the basement of. Eris must mistake it for something else because he’s quick to continue. “I know how it must look, but you’re still intruders in our home and we must be careful. If I could put you somewhere else I would,” he promises. “When Feyre returns to her sisters we can give you something that better suits your needs.” 

“It’s alright,” Cassian answers, his thick hand falling to the small of your back in a comforting motion. You release the air caught in your lungs and follow Azriel down the stairs. “Thank you for your generosity, Eris.”

He smiles, looking pleased. “Of course. Dinner will be in one hour. See you then.” 

He shuts the door softly behind you and you’re tense, waiting for the click of a lock, trapping you inside, but it never comes.

Your shoulders droop with relief. Cassian is already halfway down the stairs by the time you and Azriel have shared a look and turn to follow.

“Holy shit,” Cassian breathes, “This place is fucking insane.”

It is. It’s a fully furnished space and it’s the size of another house. You almost don’t want to step off of the last stair into the carpeted cream carpets with your dusty shoes. It looks so soft you think if you lay down you’d be asleep within minutes.

There would be no need to do that, though, because in the middle of the room sits two large sofas that look like clouds. There’s a large screen and projector for movies and if this place had power it would be the place everyone would hang out at. You just know it.

Exploring further, drinking in its luxury. There are two bedrooms and an office, all fitted with pristine furniture and so clean that it feels like there’s no apocalypse happening outside of these walls. 

It seems like Nesta and Eris have been here since the beginning, unless they’d managed to take over this mega-mansion and keep it from being looted, defended, and stocked. You suddenly wonder if there are more to their party.

It’s a safe haven, if Feyre and Rhys can make it here.

On a whim, you find yourself digging through drawers and searching through offices, the bedrooms, trying to find anything you can for an insight on what is going on here. Who owned this house? Where are the signs of humans? 

You pull open one of the closets, shoving the winter coats out of the way but also taking note of them for when the summer winds down and the winter sets in. You’ll need warmth, especially if they don’t allow you to stay. You’ll have to speak with Cassian and Azriel about what you’re all going to do, how you’ll manage to get away with some extra necessities.

Getting down on your hands and knees you crawl further into the space when your gaze snags on a cardboard box shoved as far into the corner as it can. You drag it out, sitting back on your haunches, ripping open the flaps.

It’s memorabilia from what seems like another life.Trophies and sports ribbons, a signed baseball. There’s an old science project, a replica of the planets in space. 

Digging further, your fingers brush a picture frame and you pull it out, examining the family. It was taken in the great room upstairs, the loving parents behind their seven smiling sons. One is getting his ear pinched by the father, a twist of pain on his face and you frown eyes moving up to the culprit, the vile person who could treat their son this way—

Beron. 

You’d recognize the face of the man who wanted to eat you anyday.

The frame falls from your grasp with a crash. 

“Are you okay? What’s going on?” Cassian asks urgently, as both of the men dart to your sides. Bile sits high in your throat and your breathing is short, shallow because you’re under the roof of what is his home. “Sweetheart?” 

You can’t speak. Your heart races in your chest and your hands tremble even when Cassian pulls them into his strong, reassuring grip. 

Azriel shoves the fallen frame away from the photo that’s loose, glass clinking loudly throughout the basement. He stands, staring at the picture, his fingers clenched so tightly at its corners that it begins to crumple under his unbridled rage.

You squeeze your eyes shut as Azriel shows the photograph to Cassian. You can’t look at it again, can’t see those hateful eyes staring back at you, taunting you—

“Oh, fuck.” 

Oh, fuck indeed.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

DBD Taglist: @writingsbychlo@kemillyfreitas@5moremin@dream-alittlebiggerdarling@waggel36 @bionic-donut@queserasera @applepie02 @azrielsbabyg @arcadianmoonlight @pradaxstyles @illyrian-dreamer@reiincarnatiion @fuckthatfeeling @shadowsingersmate24@poppyalice2001 @fallmyriad @sstrohma @tcris2020@jeannineee @21stcenturytaegi@ochiolism@secretly-here@harrystylesfan2686@i-am-infinite

[just-aake]

Boundless Devotion - Part XII

Pairing: princess!Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader

Summary: MedievalAU. Natasha is the eldest princess of the Romanov Kingdom. As the time of her coronation approaches, she is suddenly forced to make a decision – either find herself a partner or her parents will choose one for her.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15

Warnings: slight fluff, angst, violence, blood, panic attack, death

Words: 6103

The prison looms ahead, enclosed by its imposing stone walls and large wooden gate at the front. The mid-afternoon sky has also darkened with the coming weather, and an unsettling tension fills the air as a light drizzle begins to fall. 

As the three of you approach the prison’s entrance, Natasha stops, hands on her hips, and surveys the area with a frown.

“Clint,” she addresses him calmly, but there’s a hint of exasperation in her tone. “Where are the kingdom’s guards?”

The retired knight, who was also searching for any familiar faces, shrugs when he finds no signs of activity on the outer walls either. 

“Maybe they’re taking shelter from the rain,” he suggests, though his tone didn’t sound convincing.

At that, Natasha rubs her head exasperatedly in an attempt to alleviate the small headache forming and the unease surrounding the situation.

She then turns to you with a resigned look, already knowing your response before she even asks.

“Any chance you changed your mind about going to the castle?” 

You raise your brow at her in disbelief and cross your arms, silently answering her question.

“Yeah, I thought so,” Natasha says with a small sigh, looking back at the entrance. “Stay close to me, then.”

Natasha leads the way through the gates into the outer courtyard, followed by you and then Clint guarding the rear.

Like the entrance, the usual patrol of guards in the courtyard is noticeably absent, creating an eerie silence and a still atmosphere.

Turning back to Clint with a raised brow, Natasha remarks pointedly, “Still think they’re hiding from the rain?”

“I didn’t believe myself either when I said it,” Clint admits with a sigh, preparing his bow for the obviously troubling situation.

Natasha rolls her eyes and shakes her head slightly in disbelief before turning to you in concern. 

“Maybe you should take my sword again, just in case,” she says, reaching for the weapon at her side.

You place your hand atop hers, stopping her and shaking your head as you decline. 

“We would probably be safer with it in your hands than mine,” you remark confidently and then give her a slight shrug. “Besides, I think I still need some more practice before I’ll be of any good.”

Natasha chuckles lightly at your words before giving you a teasing smile and nudging your shoulder playfully.

“Well, I’d say you fought pretty well in that last fight…the fierce look you had on your face was especially cute.”

Your face warms at the unexpected compliment, causing Natasha’s smile to widen at the sight of your reaction.

Before you could respond, a light awkward cough gets your attention as you turn to the other member of your group.

Clint holds out a dagger in offer to you.

“Here, Lady Y/n, you can have this.”

You pause in surprise at the gesture, hesitating, before Clint gives you a reassuring nod.

“I’m more of a bow and arrow guy,” he says, raising the weapon in his hand confidently.

“Thank you,” you say appreciatively, accepting the knife and securing it at your side. 

He gives you an acknowledging nod before continuing.

“Once this situation is settled, I can make you a sword of your own if you’d like,” Clint offers. 

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” you begin to say, but he waves away your refusal. 

“It’s no bother. Besides, you can consider it an early wedding gift, you know, whenever the princess here decides to find the courage to propose,” he teases, giving Natasha a pointed look, gesturing with his head meaningfully towards you.

“Clint,” Natasha says in a warning tone. 

She may be used to Clint's usual teasing about marriage, but she doesn’t want you to feel pressured or embarrassed by the sudden topic.

Laughing lightly at her reaction, you place a reassuring touch on her shoulder and give Clint a firm nod, answering. 

“In that case, I’d love that.”

At your response, Natasha snaps her attention to you in question, taking your hand gently from her shoulder into hers and tilting her head curiously. 

“Wait, which part are you referring to? The sword or…,” she pauses at the thought of the other option, her thumb unconsciously tracing the empty space on your hand.

“…me proposing?” 

In response, you hum as if in contemplation for a brief moment before leaning in slightly closer to her.

“I guess we’ll find out whenever you decide to take the next step,” you challenge with a small teasing smirk.

Natasha huffs lightly in disbelief and amusement at the reminder that you are still waiting for her to give in first.

The thing is she would readily give in right now and tell you how much you mean to her, but with you so close, she can’t seem to concentrate enough to find the right words.

Instead, she feels herself getting lost in the moment with you, caught in your expectant gaze and the thought of you being by her side, not just as her friend but also as her partner. 

When your lips part slightly with a small exhale against hers, Natasha’s eyes dart down at the movement, wanting nothing more than to save the words for another time and just pull you in close so that she can finally lean in to kis—

An awkward low whistle breaks Natasha’s train of thought and the intense stare between the two of you, also causing you to pull away, much to her displeasure.

“Now I understand what Kate meant about being the third wheel around the two of you,” Clint remarks playfully.

Remembering that you two are not alone, Natasha clears her throat and refocuses on the current situation at hand, deciding the sooner this is resolved the sooner the two of you can have a chance to talk about your future. 

Hopefully without any more interruptions.

“So, what do you think happened to all of the guards?” she asks for your thoughts.

You think about possible reasons for their absence before recalling Natasha’s schedule for the day.

“The security meeting for your coronation is starting soon,” you remind her. “What if they went to the castle for that?”

“Maybe, but there should still be at least a couple of them left behind…And there’s another pressing issue,” Natasha states with a deepening frown.

Clint nods in agreement to her concern, also frowning with caution, before stating aloud.

“If the guards are gone, what about the prisoners?”

Leading the way to the cell blocks, Natasha and your group enter through the doorway into the dimly lit corridor. She gets the answer soon enough as her eyes dart from one empty cell to another.

As you all continue to descend the steps deeper into the prison’s depths, leading to the dungeons reserved for the most dangerous of criminals, she eventually reaches a cell that isn’t empty.

The dim light from the torches on the stone walls flickers, casting dancing shadows on the ground, and in the far corner of the cell sits a lone figure who slowly looks up as your group approaches.

“It’s you,” Barnes’ gravely voice breaks the eerie silence of the prison.

His focus is solely on you, ignoring the other two in your company.

Noticing his gaze, Natasha moves slightly in front of you, her arm outstretched protectively as she watches the old captain cautiously. 

He shifts his attention to her at the action.

The slight widening of his eyes is the only indication that he recognizes who she is. He then observes her alert stance and looks between the two of you curiously before an understanding crosses his expression.

“Relax, Your Highness,” Barnes addresses Natasha, raising his hand to show the metal cuffs and chains on his wrist.

“I'm not going to do anything to you…”

He then looks at you solemnly, continuing, “…or her.”

To her slight surprise, Natasha finds that she believes him, sensing the sincerity in his words, though she still doesn’t move from her position as she recalls your words of your earlier encounter with him.

Deciding to confront him about it, Natasha begins to ask, “If that’s true, then why did you attempt to take Y/n—”

The sudden touch of your hand on her arm stops her, and she turns to cast a questioning glance at you before noticing your eyes glance over hesitantly at the other member of your group, who has been silently observing the interaction.

Understanding your apprehensive expression, Natasha addresses him with a meaningful tone.

“Clint, could you check the guard’s quarters for any clues of where they might’ve gone?”

After a firm look from Natasha, Clint casts one last curious glance at the man in the cell before he eventually nods in acknowledgment of her words and heads back up the steps. 

“Y/n…,” Barnes repeats to himself and then focuses on you again with an almost sad expression. “So, that’s your name.”

Natasha turns her attention back to him, but before she can respond, you give her arm a small squeeze in appreciation before stepping forward yourself.

You give him a single nod in acknowledgment, replying. 

“It is, and you’re Captain—um—Sir Barnes…?” you end unsurely at the correct way to address him.

He chuckles half-heartedly under his breath, commenting.

“You can just call me Bucky. It’s not like I have any title or status anymore after all.”

You pause as you take in his appearance, now noticing newly formed bruises and dried blood on his face. He looked worse than when you saw him earlier, causing you to frown at the idea that he was beaten after his encounter with you.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them from taking you away,” you apologize for your inaction at that time.

“No, you did the right thing,” Bucky says firmly before giving you a serious expression. “Dreykov is not someone you should cross.” 

You remember their interaction with each other earlier, especially Bucky’s intense hatred and anger at the appearance of your father.

“Is that what happened between the two of you in the past?” you ask curiously, “You crossed my father—?”

“He’s not your father!” he shouts angrily, his fist slamming against the metal bars of the cell. The rattle of the chains and the impact echo in the corridor before fading back to a tense quiet.

Natasha had immediately pulled you back to her side at his action, but as she processed his words, her eyes widened in confusion, turning to look at you.

Your expression is not as surprised at his outburst as she is, your brows just pinched in thought as if trying to solve a mystery.

After a moment of silence, you finally continue.

“You said the same thing earlier. Back at the manor,” you pause, your hand clench and unclench nervously, unsure if you want to pursue the answer to the question that’s been on your mind since the first time he said those words to you. 

A warmth envelopes your hand as Natasha intertwine hers with yours gently. You turn to see her giving you a reassuring expression.

Taking a deep breath and tightening your grip on her hand for support, you ask the question.

“What do you mean, Dreykov is not my father?”

“He’s not,” he asserts firmly.

“But how do you know?” you argue, “We’ve never met before until just recently. And the only thing you’ve told me is that I resemble some woman who you say is my actual mother.”

Natasha raises her brow at that information and gives Bucky an incredulous look before speaking up.

“You’re basing this on the fact that she looks similar to someone else that you knew. That’s not exactly proof of anything,” she points out.

Bucky lets out a rueful chuckle, before replying confidently, “I trained and served in the Stark Guard for almost all of my life. I’m sure I can recognize a member of their family.”

There’s a tense silence at his implication.

“Y-you can’t possibly be suggesting—,” you scoff in disbelief.

“You are not Dreykov’s daughter,” he interrupts firmly, looking at you with a serious expression before continuing without a single doubt.

“Lady Y/n, you belong to King Howard and Queen Maria — the princess of the Stark kingdom.”

Your hand falls limp in hers, almost slipping away from her grasp, as many conflicting emotions cross your face.

Natasha tightens her grip in an attempt to get your attention, but you remain unresponsive and silent, lost to your thoughts.

Natasha gives one more concerned glance at you before confronting the old captain.

“The Stark princess was killed after the war ended, along with the king and queen.”

Bucky lets out a wry chuckle, turning his attention to her, “And between you and me, who was actually there at the incident, Your Highness?”

Natasha frowns at his point.

Seeing her doubtful expression, he continues.

“If you don’t want to believe my word that the princess was still alive at that time, you can go ask your captain, seeing how he was the one to stop me before I could harm her.”

“Steve was there?” Natasha asks in surprise.

Bucky nods firmly before continuing, “And some people from the shadows appeared shortly after too. They took the baby princess and set fire to the carriage as Steve was fighting with me. When I finally did regain my senses, I was never able to track her down.”

He slams his fist against the ground in anger at the memory.

“It was just supposed to be a simple trip back to our kingdom. I didn’t expect—” he hung his head regretfully, “I couldn’t do anything to stop myself.”

You recognize the feeling of guilt, his words and expression snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Because you were controlled, right?” you finally find your voice, deciding to focus on your other suspicion that you had wanted to ask him.

His eyes widen slightly in surprise at you. 

Meanwhile, next to you, Natasha tries to catch your gaze to check on you, but you avoid her eyes.

You don’t want to think about the topic of your possible identity any further. You’d rather focus on something familiar—something you know is true—the subject you’ve been researching these past months. 

“Back at the manor, you blamed my fa—” you pause, closing your eyes briefly to push away the thought before continuing, “You said it was his fault for what happened to you...” 

You look at him with a sure expression. “...which means you know about the Black Widow operations too, don’t you?”

He examines you with an impressed look, nodding his head in confirmation.

“Not many people are supposed to know about that,” he says, giving you an appraising look. “You’re resourceful, reminds me a little bit like your older brother.”

Feeling frustrated at the repeated reminder that your entire life may have been a lie, you step forward in anger, your hand slipping from Natasha’s grip.

“Stop saying that! I’m…I’m not—” 

A manic laughter from a cell at the far end of the dungeon’s corridor interrupts your denial. 

Turning to the source of the sound, you see a figure emerge from the shadows, approaching the door of his cell.

Gripping the bars tightly, he presses his face against them to look over at you. 

You recognize him as the man from the cemetery who attacked you and Natasha. He is still cackling maniacally as he observes you.

“Ha…I knew I didn’t fail! I made sure that bastard’s wife and child burned to death,” the man exclaims gleefully, his eyes seeming more crazed than before as he focuses on you.

“Now I understand why that woman was so intent to get you.”

His last words catch your attention, and you furrow your brow in confusion, moving to step closer to him to question him further about who he is referring to, but Natasha’s hand on your shoulder stops you.

Standing behind you, she leans in close to whisper urgently into your ear.

“Don’t listen to him, Y/n. Let’s just go. We can investigate all this further another time.”

You turn your head slightly toward the sound of her voice, comforting and warm—real.

As you go to agree with her, the man calls out to you again tauntingly.

“You’re like me. Just another one of Dreykov's tools, princess.” 

“Don’t call me that!” you exclaim, your mind reeling in sudden anger at the title.

You quickly make your way to the front of his cell, Natasha’s hand falling from your shoulder at your unexpected and swift movement.

“Wait, Y/n, stay back! Don’t get close to him,” Natasha calls out as she goes to follow you.

“We’ve got company!” Clint's alarmed voice sounds immediately afterward from above, causing Natasha to pause and look back.

With her momentarily distracted, the man pushes his cell door open violently, knocking into you and Natasha, causing her to stumble back away from you while he slams you against the wall nearby. 

Your head pounds at the impact, but through the pain, you hear a distinct click, and the wall behind you begins to turn as the man roughly pushes you through the opening.

You faintly hear Natasha’s voice calling your name in panic before the trap door closes shut. 

Reacting blindly, you quickly shove the man away, the force causing you to also fall to the ground as you try to regain your senses.

Pulling yourself to your knees, you cough at the kicked-up dust around you, and your vision clears slightly, though the torches on the walls don’t provide much light in the strange new area.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise. It's been a while, hasn’t it, my dear?”

Your body freezes at the voice, eyes widening as you swallow nervously. You keep your gaze on the ground, as a familiar shadow appears in front of you.

“Now, don’t tell me you forgot all of my lessons already,” the voice chastises.

When you don’t move, the person makes a sound of disapproval before firmly ordering, “Look at me when I’m speaking to you, Y/n.”

You flinch at the harsh tone, and slowly, you raise your head to look at the figure standing before you.

“There, that’s better,” Madam B says with a satisfied expression on her face before continuing. “What’s the matter, no greeting for your dear governess?”

“You shouldn’t be here,” you manage to mutter.

She makes a show of looking at the surroundings before tilting her head mockingly at you. 

“No? Well, I did help your father create this place during the war, so there’s that.” 

She claps her hand once, the harsh sound causing you to flinch unconsciously. 

“Oh! Or did you mean how I’m supposed to be in exile for taking responsibility for the actions you committed?”

Widening your eyes at her words, you begin to defend yourself, “I—I didn’t—” 

“You poisoned the princess, didn’t you?” she cuts you off with an accusing glint in her eyes, daring you to deny the claim.

You look away at the familiar feeling of guilt forming in you, and you see your hand trembling slightly.

You clench your hands in an attempt to stop the movement, trying to remember Natasha’s comforting words from before, though it is difficult to think of anything comforting with the presence of the person in front of you. 

Wanting to change the subject, you decide to ask instead, “Where am I?”

“I’m sure you can figure it out. After all, you’ve put so much effort into learning about it,” Madam B says mockingly.

Her hand harshly grabs your face to bring your eyes back up to her as she gives you a sinister smirk.

“Welcome to the Red Room, Y/n.” 

~~~~~~~ ⧗ ~~~~~~~

You are in a state of shock as you survey the area you’ve been researching for the past months.

Stone walls enclose the room on all sides, revealing no windows or exits. Shackles and chains adorn one wall with dark stains of dried blood coating the stones and ground.

In the corner, a small desk displays meticulously organized tools and papers.

A sudden movement behind you catches your attention, resembling someone stumbling upright.

“There! I did what you asked. I bought you the girl. Now it’s your turn to fulfill your part of the deal,” the man exclaims.

Madam B’s expression turns downward at the reminder of his presence, her eyes rolling as she lets go of your face and stands up to face him.

“You think you still deserve anything from me after how you failed the first time?”

“That wasn’t my fault!”

He clutches his head with a frantic expression.

“When I heard that she was Dreykov’s daughter, my mind just went crazy. The voices, the commands, past, present, everything kept mixing together.” 

He points at her accusingly, shouting in a desperate plea, “You said you would fix me if I got her to you!”

Your eyes widen in realization that he was also trying to find a cure like you, and you turn your attention to the person who he believes has it.

Madam B stares at him with a bored expression for a moment, before straightening with a sudden thought. Her expression shifts into a familiar neutral look that makes you feel uneasy.

“You’re right. A deal’s a deal,” she says in a seemingly genuine tone.

From one of her pockets, she retrieves a small vial and offers it to him.

“This should make those voices stop and clear out any commands stuck in your mind.”

He takes it from her quickly, and suddenly, you recognize the vial in his hands.

“Wait, don’t!” you exclaim, but it is too late.

He has already downed the entire contents of the vial. 

You slump defeatedly and watch with wide eyes as he begins to cough uncontrollably, falling to his knees as blood pours from his mouth. 

Madam B moves to stand over him with an indifferent expression as he coughs and groans.

“You really should’ve just left with the others when that lord came for them,” she chastises, shaking her head.

You furrow your brows in suspicion at her words, trying to figure out what she meant.

Someone else came by earlier? 

You are brought out from your thoughts when the man cries out painfully.

Looking back toward him, you see that Madam B is now pressing the heel of her shoe against his body. She tilts her head casually, observing his reactions before commenting.

“The pain is mostly in the beginning,” she states casually as if she was just reading from one of her lecture notes. “In a few minutes, you should feel your body weaken as your organs slow, one by one, until eventually…everything stops.”

He groans and glares at her, "Lying, vile wench..."

She sneers at him, pressing down harder, “You wanted those voices to disappear? Then this is the cure that I can give to you.”

Once he begins to convulse, she removes herself from him with a satisfied expression, deciding to leave him to his impending end, and turns her attention back to you, giving you a pointed look.

“Take note, Y/n. That is the proper way to administer the full dosage of a poison,” she lectures.

Stunned, you are unable to respond.

She observes the horror on your face and then comes closer, bending down to eye level with you.

“Don’t feel bad for him, dear. He was a failure from the start, one of the first few subjects of the Black Widow operations,” she clicks her tongue in disappointment.

“Not surprising — failures are to be expected when one experiments on the complex minds of people.” 

Madam B continues, her hand reaching out to touch your face.

“No, unlike him and those other disappointments, you are my perfect subject.” 

Pulling yourself together, you smack her hand away and scramble back to your feet before pulling out the dagger at your side and pointing it at her in a warning.

“Don’t call me that! I’m not yours,” you exclaim.

“Oh, Y/n,” she says sympathetically, but you can detect the insincerity in her tone. “You've always been mine — mine to raise, to teach, to experiment...to control.”

As she straightens, she casually waves her hand in the air as she explains.

“You see, we couldn't use the original method on you since the scars and wounds from the torture would raise suspicion, especially after you befriended the ever-observant princess.”

You glance at the man curled up on the ground, still trembling in pain, and see the multiple faded scars on his exposed skin as she described.

“Then there’s that disgraceful conditioning method that I had to create for that arrogant lord,” she scoffs derisively, shaking her head. "Of course, I wasn't going to give him complete control, just something temporary. A quick shortcut method for larger batches of subjects to be controlled in a short period of time."

Your brows furrow at the mention of this other lord again, but then you realize what she means by temporary control.

"Oksana's attack in the tournament," you say, "...that was you."

Madam B tuts in denial at you, waving her finger in reprimand.

"I just provided the resources, my dear. Whatever happens afterward is not my concern.”

She waves her hand dismissively.

“No, none of that compares to the years I dedicated to you — molding you into my perfect little spy.”

Her words cause you to deepen your frown and swallow nervously as you argue, “I haven’t done anything like that for you.”

"Oh?” Madam B says, raising an amused brow.

“Then explain how I knew about you researching the Black Widow operations and the Red Room despite not being near you this past year,” she challenges.

You hesitate, your confidence wavering as you try to come up with an explanation. 

Madam B seems to notice your uncertainty, a knowing smirk appearing on her face. 

Her hands cross behind her back, in the same manner that she always does before beginning any of her lessons with you. She begins to walk towards you slowly, unbothered by the weapon you have pointed at her, as she continues. 

“That’s right, Y/n. Whether you remember or not, you’ve always given me any information that I requested and then some.”

As she moves closer to you with each step, you find yourself also stepping back to maintain your distance while she continues to speak.

“I know all about your search for a cure. Your interactions with the royal family. Your little charade with the princess. Oh, and my favorite…” 

She stops and gives you a menacing grin.

“...how is that magical servant of yours faring these days?”

Your eyes widen in shock at her question, and you stumble, your back hitting the cold stone wall.

The hand holding the dagger lowers slightly in disbelief. 

Taking a moment to take in the fear on your face, Madam B grins with satisfaction before waving her hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry. Her true nature and your correspondence with me with me are my secrets alone. Your father is not aware of anything I don’t want him to know.”

Her words provide a slight relief, knowing that Dreykov does not know about Wanda.

However, the mention of him leaves an uncomfortable feeling in your chest, reminding you of the unsettling revelation from earlier.

“He’s not my father,” you find yourself muttering unconsciously under your breath.

At that, her eyes glint in interest, and she gives you a slow and deliberate clap.

“Clever girl, now when did you learn about that?” she asks with intrigue. 

Her nonchalant response to your revelation fills you with dread about the validity of the information when you realize she is not fazed or surprised at all. 

The uncomfortable feeling in your chest intensifies, and you've never wished for Natasha's comforting presence more than now.

Unconsciously, your eyes glance at the opposite wall where Natasha and the others are located.

Madam B follows your gaze and then makes a sound of understanding, assuming you were answering her previous question.

“I see…that old captain is resilient; I give him that. I was sure he would be unconscious for much longer after I had finished with him.”

Horrified by her words, you recall the new injuries on Bucky. 

“You’re the one who did that to him?” you ask.

Madam B makes a bored sound, rolling her eyes, “Don't concern yourself over him. He's just another brute soldier in Dreykov’s collection. You, however, are much more interesting — my proudest creation.”

Disgust crosses your face at the possessiveness of her words, but then again, you would rather have her focus remain on you than harm anyone else in your life.

If she truly knows every secret of yours, then you and the twins are not as safe as you previously thought.

“If you’re just interested in me, then leave the twins out of it. They are not a part of any of this,” you reason, raising the dagger threateningly at her.

Madam B scoffs, letting out a mocking laugh. 

“Please, the most that the boy is useful for is running simple errands.” 

Your glare intensifies at her dismissal of Pietro, but she brushes it off. 

“As for the actual special one, as much as I would love to pick apart that girl’s mind, she can’t be a part of the operations,” she reveals.

Furrowing your brows at the information, Madam B sees your questioning expression and continues lecturing haughtily while she returns to making her way closer to your position.

“People with innate magical abilities tend to be…” she pauses and frowns as if remembering an unpleasant thought. “...stubborn. Some sort of strong mental barrier that protects their mind. There are even a rare few stronger ones who can affect the minds of others.”

You adjust your grip on the handle of the dagger nervously, recalling Wanda using her powers against the guard’s mind earlier.

But that was the first time you ever witnessed her use her powers in such a way, which means Madam B doesn’t know the extent of her abilities yet. 

Distracted by your thoughts, you're surprised to find Madam B now standing in front of you, the weapon in your hand still positioned between the two of you.

“Nevertheless, weak or strong, having a sorcerer by your side is always useful. And if I can’t control her,” she reaches out toward your face possessively, “then I might as well control the person who she will follow.” 

You take in a shaky breath through your clenched teeth.

For some reason, the air in the room seems to be getting heavier, and your body and mind slowly feel more sluggish.

“It’s not going to work,” you manage to mutter out, each word taking much of your strength to say.

“You failed the last time you tried to control my actions.”

“Did I?” she asks mockingly.

You don't respond, finding it difficult to open your mouth against the heavy air.

Madam B raises her finger to her chin as if in thought at the memory.

“That was the first time I attempted to extend my control beyond having you collect information. Dreykov didn’t believe that aspect of control would work for you, but I knew you would follow my command.”

She gives a nonchalant shrug, “And you did, albeit half-heartedly. Unfortunately, that cunning action of yours that saved the princess led Dreykov to force me to take the fall as punishment for attempting it without his permission.”

She then focuses on you with a thought, examining you with interest.

“Perhaps, telling you to poison the princess was not specific enough. I wonder…if I tell you to stab her in the heart, would she survive then?”

Her words send a jolt of fear through your body.

Glancing down at the dagger in your hand, you see that the tip of the blade is positioned at her heart.

If you just force your hand forward, you can stop this—stop her—from making you do such a thing to Natasha.

“You’re not going to do it,” Madam B states confidently, easily reading your thoughts.

“Despite all my attempts, you don’t have it in you to kill anyone. That’s why you need me. To help you do the things you can never bring yourself to do.”

You shake your head slightly, but you know she’s right. Whether from your own hesitance or the heavy air, you can’t seem to move your hand at all. 

“Now, shall we try to kill the princess properly this time?” she asked with a menacing smirk, placing her hands on your shoulders tightly.

“Kill her and become my perfect subject, Y/n.”

“Don’t,” the pleading whisper falls out of your lips, even as you begin to feel a fogginess and harsh ringing begin to pierce your mind. 

“Remember what I’ve taught you, Y/n. About loyalty, compliance, and devo—”

A sharp gasp escapes from Madam B's lips, interrupting her.

Your eyes had shut closed from the pain in your mind, but slowly, it began to fade.

You shake your head, attempting to clear your senses, but Madam B's voice seems to echo in your clouded mind, even though you don't actually hear her anymore.

When you finally open your eyes again, the first thing you notice is something wet and red on your hands.

Is that…

You turn your hand slowly as you examine them.

…Blood?

You recoil back against the wall in shock and realization. Panicked, you look up from your hands and take in your surroundings.

You are still in the Red Room. 

Looking around, a silent gasp escapes your lips when you spot Madam B’s body lying on the ground in front of you, a small pool of blood forming under her, and the bloodied dagger at your feet.

You try to remember if your hand had reacted and moved during the process, but the only thing that fills your mind is the feeling of being frozen and the fogginess as whisperings of Madam B's voice linger repeatedly in the back of your mind. 

A painful cough catches your attention, and you look toward the sound, only now noticing the man from before lying a short distance from Madam B’s body.

From his position, you realize he must have gathered enough remaining strength to sneak behind Madam B and push her into the dagger.

His eyes are half-lidded and tired as he stares at you, a small smirk on his bloody lips. 

“There…now the voice will stop…for both of us…” he ends with a soft exhale as his eyes finally close shut.  

The quiet and stillness of the air in the room is suddenly disrupted by the sound of labored breathing.

Your still-cloudy mind searches your surroundings for the source when you realize that it is coming from you.

Each breath you take feels more suffocating than the last. 

Realizing you are in a state of panic, you instinctively bring your hand to your chest in an attempt to soothe your rapid heartbeat, but the sight of the blood on your hand causes you to freeze instead. 

I did this

As you look at the bodies at your feet, the terrifying thought and guilty feelings returns to your mind, repeating as if in reprimand.

The sound of a click interrupts your spiral, causing you to look up as the trap door opens again.

In the next moment, Natasha comes rushing in, calling your name.

Her voice is muffled against your ears, but the sight of her brings you a tiny feeling of relief in your mind. 

You open your mouth to call for her when Madam B’s voice suddenly appears in your mind.

If I tell you to stab her in the heart, would she survive then?

You freeze in fear, and her name gets stuck in your throat.

Natasha spots you near the far wall and begins to swiftly make her way over to you, causing your eyes to widen in panic. 

You quickly raise your hand out in a stopping gesture at her, panicked words falling from your lips.

“Stay away from me!” 

Natasha stops in her tracks, halfway across the room from you, and a flash of hurt crosses her face at your words.

Through the slight pounding in your head, you feel your heart break at her expression, but still, you make yourself take a step back away from her, pressing further against the wall behind you to increase the distance between the two of you.

Your voice shakes fearfully as you repeat your words to her. 

“Just…stay away…”

~~~~~~~ ⧗ ~~~~~~~

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15

Series Masterlist : Boundless Devotion

a/n: Thank you for reading! Sorry about the long break, but hopefully, the next one should not take too long to complete.

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[ywpd-translations]

Ride 783: Advancing ranks

Pag 1

1: “Friends”....

2: “People who trust each other and treat each other as equal”

“People who hang out and chat together”

4: Funatsu-kuun

Huh!? Me... me!? What

You and Kiriya-kun are friends?

5: Ye-yeah, we've been together for three years, so of course

And last year and this year we worked hard together and participated in the Inter High....right?

Yeah

And what about me?

Huh!?

Pag 2

1: What about me?

2: Are we friends!?

3: Uhm, well

4: We also were together for three years with this guy and we practiced and participated in the Inter High together

Uh.... well

What shoud I say? How should I answer this question

But this guy doesn't talk about anything but bikes

5: There they are, Midosuji's “cryptic questions”!!

Thank god this time his target is Funatsu

6: What's the correct answer!!

Ahh, dammit... I'm suddenly shaking

Midosuji!!

7: I'm sorry, Funatsu!! Do your best!! Funatsu!!

Pag 3

1: Of course!!

We've been running together for three years!! You're a great friend!!

How about this!!

3: Fr... iends...

Me and.... you?

6: He's satisfied!? Yes!! It was the correct answer!?

Pag 4

1: What, did you misunderstand?

Me and you are not equal in the slightest!?

Pag 5

1: Our efforts, tenacity, our attitude and readiness, and even our imagination!!

Uwaaahiiii!!

2: Didn't you think about it?

Ah.. was there even a moment when you felt like we were equal!? Surely

Dammit so this is what it was!!

3: You that in your zeal for goodness became nothing?

Puku

4: What's this!? This time

Ahh, dammit, don't spout nonsense!!

This time even my parents came to see me

5: Midosuji-san

More importantly

Pag 6

1: The course is changing

Turning west along the flat seaside road

Pag 7

1: it's entering a hill

4: The Kyoto Pass

It's a hill with a 3.5km climb with an incline of 4%, about 250m above sea level

Pag 8

1: According to my plan....!! Alright....!!

Let's move on....!!

2: Heading for the next phase!!

Yeah!!

Yes!!

Yes!!

4: Kyoto Fushimi are assembling and moving up

5: They didn't move in the first half, Kyofushi is saving their legs

Yet on this short climb they're spontaneously moving up their group's position

Pag 9

1: They're moving up!!

3: Seeing him this up close, this Midosuji really is amazing

His body's thickness is completely different from other people's, and his limbs are so long!!

4: He has such an aura that it makes me feel like there's no way I could win!!

5: I broke out into a cold sweat but at the same time I can't help but laugh a little!!

Pag 10

1: They really are amazing, Onoda, Imaizumi... and Naruko, they fought against him last year and the year before!?

3: Sugimoto-san

Sugimoto-san

4: Ah, sorry, is everything alright?

I was just thinking a little about something, just a little

5: That's right, I'm in the “selected team”!! I need to focus more on bringing these guys together!!

Pag 11

2: Huh

3: The two sprinters who went ahead

4: have turned back!!

We're back... we're back!!

5: Sugimoto-san!!

Yeah!! Kobayashi!! Uchikawa!!

Pag 12

1: We somehow managed to catch up to the lead

Is that so!!

But the remaining 3km... too fast!!

I see!!

2: That guy from Hiroshima let us know a lot of things

I see!!

They're so sweaty and their jerseys are all torn out too

3: They worked hard, I'm glad...!!

4: I couldn't last until the very end, but Kobayashi-san was there too

There were four people in front of me so I pushed as hard as I could in fifth place

5: And I placed ninth

Oh you're in the top ten, amazing, amazing!

Waaa, Sugimoto-san praised me, I'm so happy

Pag 13

1: Hahaha

Ah, that's my line....

I'm feeling so proud, somehow

2: Ninth place is amazing

Well... Ichikawa pulled me

Was the lead amazing?

It was!!

3: I'm aiming for the top ten for the mountain line too!!

Really? Do your best!

5: We're an impromptu team and we still have a long way to go in terms of skill, but with our mutual interest and cheerfulness

Pag 14

1: Maybe we could go far!!

3: It's all thanks to Sugimoto-san

No no, I only asked Doubashi

Doubashi-san also helped us a lot!!

4: That's right, next time we meet him

Pag 15

1: I'll have to thank Doubashi

3: Dammit!!

Sorry, it's my fault!!

4: With opponents like that, if I had gone myself we would have placed even lower

This just shows how hard it is to carry out your words in road racing

Pag 16

1: As I told you, you needed to be careful about that guy

3: The race goes went a low pass and passe through a tunnel

Pag 17

1: They went downhill in a line

2: Waa... this is the place for “three seconds”...!!

Kiji-saan!! Fou!!

3: Looking at the limestone quarry that is the raw material for cement

4: the passed through the coal mining factory that supported the growth of Kitakyushu

Pag 18

1: The ranks went south along the riverside in the inland areas of Kyushu

2: Ah....

Oi, Issa, how long....

3: How long are you gonna feel down!?

Pag 19

1: Naruko-san

2: Stop with the depressing sighs

You'll just have to use your frustration as a springboard to keep moving!!

3: Naruko-san, you don't know what it feels like to lose a sprint!!

5: I've matured, I've matured, I've matured.... or I should have

Naruko chanting magic words to suppress his anger

Two people who feel so sorry for him they have no words

6: What's wrong? You're shivering and peeing your pants?

I wanna kill him...!!

7: Hotshot, gimme permission to kill him!!

I don't have that license

8: Ah!!

I see it!!

Pag 20

1: It's the mountain!!

The first day's..... this Inter High's very first....

2: mountain!!

[madhatterbri]

Grateful | K.M.

Summary: Kol admits he is grateful for you.

Author's Note: Another Thanksgiving story from my prompts found here.

What are you grateful for?

You must have been asked this dozens of times since the beginning of November. This question was mostly asked by your customers. A tour guide in New Orleans was a pretty popular gig especially with everyone coming for the holidays. Each answer was always different per group. Your job, your school, and your family were the three most common answers. You couldn't exactly tell them you what you were really grateful for.

Kol Mikaelson leaned against the wall on the balcony outside. A cue stick kept tightly in his hand as he watched you. The two of you were in a competitive pool game. You were winning by a long shot.

"I am leaving you in the dust, Kol. Never picked up playing pool in your thousand years of existence?" You teased while leaving two balls left to shoot in the pocket. He smiled and moved to hit the cue ball.

"Who is saying that I am not letting you win? I am a gentleman after all," he smiled and hit the striped balls.

"Is that the game we are playing at, Mikaelson?" You asked. He pouted hitting another ball into the pocket.

"Last names again, darling. I love the way you say my first name. What can I do to make you say it again?"

"Play me fairly," you demanded. "I am going to beat you one day fair and square," you insisted. Long gone were the days you used to use your magic to try and best him.

"As you wish,"

As expected he was able to manipulate the balls easily into various pockets. He was even able to call the right pocket for the 8 ball. Kol smiled at your defeat.

"What are you grateful for?" You asked as you sat on the pool table. You rolled the cue stick away from you. He placed his stick on the table and placed his hands at the sides of your thighs.

"This little witch. I'm afraid she has me under some sort of spell," he answered truthfully. Your cheeks blushed as you looked at him. His brown eyes stared into yours.

"And what sort of spell is that, Kol?" You asked softly.

"The absolute worst I'm afraid. I think about her nonstop. When I'm sleeping all I dream about is her. Is there a way to fix that?" He asked. He placed his forehead to yours. His hands moved to your sides.

You didn't think you could blush anymore. The room felt like an oven. Your heart pounded loudly in your ears. His breath tickled your skin. This was finally happening.

"Afraid not but I can help remedy the situation," you responded. You leaned in and kissed his lips.

[drunknillawafer]

right down the line: zuko x firebender!reader (part 9)

You grew up close to the Royal Family due to your father's position as a General, but you ran away from home after the agni kai against your best friend, Zuko. Now, you've joined the Gaang and plan on doing your part in ending the 100-year war.

Part 8 Part 10

hiiii omg yall know ill never leave yall hanging!!! i love this fic like i want to finish it to the very end and even had some older zuko & reader stuff... maybe even some korra time period stuff... like!! reminder: characters are not mine I do not own them... word count approx 2500... let me know how u like it! don't forget to reblog like comment if u do like it hehe >.<

⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙

It wasn’t the throbbing headache pulsing in my right temple from my lack of sleep. It wasn’t the danger looming over our shoulders in the form of a Fire Nation metal machine. It wasn’t the shouts and trembles of earth from Katara and Toph’s adjustment to a fifth member on the team. It wasn’t the fact that Appa had crash-landed and some tree branches from the speed of dropping cut my bicep. No, it was not any of those things that finally drove me over the edge.

It was what Aang said when he was inevitably driven to madness because of our current situation.

It’s one of those rare moments that Sokka is standing outside of a group outburst.

“You’re not carrying your own weight, Appa is,” the young-air bender begins, “We didn’t have trouble flying when it was just the three of us!” My sigh punctuates his confession.

Without another moment passing us by, Toph grabs her cross-body bag and heads toward any direction that would take her the furthest from here.

Sokka steps in her way as a last effort for resolution. Oh, how it must feel to stand outside of the tension, holding the ability to remain neutral. “Wait!” He tries. She moves him in one swift kick and the dirt from under him grazes him to the side.

I’m right behind her.

“Where are you going?” The boy in blue questions me. His begging blue eyes glaring into mine.

I shrug it off. “With Toph! The three of you will be fine.”

Did they all think this about us—Aang, Katara, and Sokka about Toph and I: newcomers to the group of children burdened with saving the world? I push it aside with the rest of the questions I don’t want the answer to. It didn’t matter anyways. I’d never leave them for good.

The dirt crunches under my boots. A forged path in the spring forest leading us further and further away from the commotion. It’s just me and the earth-bender walking side-by-side with no plan in place.

It had only been a week since her official admission to the group but we both quickly registered that we’d prefer the walk to be silent. After the last two days, peace and quiet were preferred. Mandatory. A requirement.

You could feel the breeze as we begin the warmer time of the year. Flowers blooming, baby birds learning the tunes of their being, and Appa shedding. I can’t help but breathe in and out as I let the changing of the seasons cleanse me.

Toph speaks first. “Were they like that when you joined?” 

I briefly think about what I’d been up to since I met them. Aang shared how he learned he was the Avatar before going in the ice. I told them where I’m really from and what I can do, something I’d never done with anyone outside of Zuko. I ran into Zuko at the Northern Water Tribe, and he kicked me in the ribs and caused a rift between Sokka and I. Over it. Unfortunately, Aang met Azula. And now I’m here. Walking away from it all with a child I met over a week ago.

I’m also just a stranger she met a week ago, so at least it goes both ways.

“I’m not sure.” Which was true. Was it Aang’s crankiness from the sleep deprivation or did the harsh words have some truth behind them? He could’ve been defending Appa. Still. I couldn’t help but let it burn.

As we continue our walk in silence agreement with each other, she stops her movements. Her pause halts my footsteps as I watch her use her senses. She confirms any suspicion and stomps her foot down in the direction of a boulder that’s clearly hiding something behind it. A line forms as rock bends toward the culprit like a lop-eared rabbit digging underground. Suddenly, I hear a thud and a groan.

Both of us quickly make our way to investigate and we’re confronted with an old man lying on his stomach, rubbing his lower back from Toph’s damage.

“That really hurt my bottom.” The familiar voice hits my ears—It can only be one person.

Iroh.

He grunts as he stands up on his two feet to face us. The old General’s not wearing any of the classic royal clothing he wore the last time I saw him. The moss-colored robe contrasts the memories of crimson I have. But most of all, he has cut off his ponytail.

The rumors are true, then. Azula was in fact not lying to me. Zuko abandoned his post, and she’s most likely tasked with catching him. Somewhere along the lines our paths crossed and the big metal machine that’s been chasing us no longer remains a mystery.

The dots connecting cause a smile to escape me. It always comes back to him, doesn’t it? In some way, in some form, his presence in my life is inescapable. Almost as if the universe is pushing us together, but I don’t know why. Am I stuck with having to figure that part out too?

“Y/N.” Iroh greets me. “Who is your friend?”

“Who are you?” She asks, he’s the intruder—not the other way around.

Everything in me would like to run in the other direction, but I remember Iroh protecting the moon spirit over the Fire Nation. He can be trusted, I believe. “It’s okay, Toph. Iroh is an old friend.”

He feigns offense that’s only obvious to Toph. “I’m not that old.” 

“No!” I’m immediately wary of my next words. Even after all these years, I wouldn’t disrespect a General. It was instilled in me from the moment my father found out I could speak. “I meant like. I know him.” Nervously, I laugh and at my expense, the young earth-bender can trust this old man we bumped into in the forest.

☆

“Here is your tea.” The three of us are sitting around a small fire warming up a tea pot. Three handle-less cups are placed and ready to be filled.  Iroh grabs the kettle, and I watch as he gracefully pours us our share of tea. “You’ve separated from your group?” Politely, he breaks the quiet.  

Toph remains silent and the responsibility of answering the question falls on me. “We… got into a disagreement. To say the least.” I take a sip from the wooden cup, and it tastes as good as springtime feels.

He couldn’t help but question the lack of supervision in attendance. “Aren’t you a little too young to be traveling alone?”

“Aren’t you a little too old?” This wins Toph a laugh from the former General.

“Perhaps I am.” His humble reply softens the cloud looming on top of us. It seemed to calm us down: the tea and the view of the endless landscape. Tall trees with mountains in the distance. The sun beginning to rise over the east casting the skies with lilac and blush pink.

The young earth-bender goes on. “I know—I look like I can’t handle being by myself.”

This prompts a shared glance between Iroh and I, a secret conversation to affirm if this was what the fight was about. I tilt my head a bit to the left to say yes. He understands.

“I wasn’t thinking that.” Solemnly, he replies.

All day, Toph had spent defending herself against Katara so much that it had cast a lens over the conversation. Immediately, she’s defensive. A true earth-bender, mighty and as stubborn as they come. She needed to be if she was to survive this world. “You wouldn’t even let me pour my own cup of tea.” She argues.

Iroh’s earnest intentions paint his face. “I did it because I wanted to, nothing else.” One hand holding his warm tea and the other over his chest.

“People always assume I can’t take care of myself. But I do it and I do it by myself.” She states, confident as ever.

“You sound like my nephew.” The mention of him causes my heart to drop. I can’t tell if it’s racing or resting at the pit of my stomach. “He thinks you need to always do things on your own without anyone’s support.” I keep my eyes glued to the ground praying Iroh isn’t looking at me.

I’ve managed to keep him away from my thoughts when the sun shines. Training, hunting, gathering, and constantly moving place to place keeps me distracted. Sokka helps too. But when the light goes away and the moon comes up, he comes and visits me in my dreams.

When I’m dreaming, my heart can’t feel the difference between reality and fiction. The yearning fights to come out of my body in my sleep. I wake up feeling the ache of missing him in my bones.

And the dream itself is always the same. I find myself with our current selves, gone rogue from the Fire Nation, but we’re not fighting. We are walking side-by-side in some earth town, neither of us wearing our home colors. He’s smiling and we’re laughing. The conversation I can never make out, but it gives me what I need: a false replica of what we used to be and how I used to feel. At this point I can feel tears wanting to escape my eyes, both in my dream and in real life.

I wake up with the sun softly kissing the sky purple and the cycle begins again.

It wasn’t realistic, but I had been hoping the Northern Water Tribe would be it. I’d never see him again.

Iroh continues. “There is nothing wrong with letting people help you, you know.” Toph’s shoulders drop as she begins to calm down from a two-day fight. The mention of Zuko doing nothing to her, she would have no way of knowing who he is.

The question I never thought I’d ask rests at my tongue. I struggle to say it out loud in proximity to other people where someone might hear me. “Where is… Zuko?”

In honor of the shared truths, Iroh confides in us. “I’ve been tracking him.”

“Is he lost?” Toph asks.

“Sort of.” I put the cup down, wanting to stick to every word. “His life has recently changed and he’s going through very difficult things. He doesn’t know who he is, and he went away to figure it out. By himself.”

It’s almost hard to buy: Zuko all alone out there. He’s never needed to feed himself one day in his entire life, he’s always had people who would remember and do it for him. What would he do? Wander around without speaking to anyone? No, he’ll meet someone and maybe they can teach him something.

From what his uncle is telling me, he’s going to need it.

Zuko.

Changing from empathetic to merciless to empathetic again?

“Now, you’re following him.” Toph’s speaks for both of us.

Iroh sighs. “He doesn’t want to be around anyone right now. But if he needs me, I’ll be there.”

The last three years at sea must have shown Iroh something about Zuko that’s worth protecting. He’s looking past the space his nephew has put between himself and everyone else.

“He’s very lucky.” The young earth-bender comforts the old man with her words. “Even if he doesn’t know it.”

By now, the argument with Katara seemed so little. Aang’s words were fading in the distance. The metal doom machine chasing it remained large and now that I knew it was Azula, I had to get back to tell them.

Toph stands and I take this as the ending cue to our impromptu tea stop. “Thank you.” She tells him.

“My pleasure. Sharing tea and bottled-up emotions are one of life’s gifts.”

“I meant for what you said. It helped with my… disagreement from before.” Toph hooks her bag over her shoulder and motions for me to follow her. I’m on my feet with nothing but my swords with me.

Iroh has always been as wise as a winged lemur. He knows what to say and when to say it. Hopefully, one of these days it can get through to his nephew.

“Thanks, Iroh.” I don’t tell him for what specifically, but I think he knows. The small update on my old friend to let me know he’s safe. What’s going through Zuko’s head would have to be something I ask him personally about.

Before we begin our journey back, Toph leaves Iroh with some wisdom of her own. “Maybe you should tell your nephew that you need him, too.”

☆

The old town is desolate, dry, and arid. It’s a single strip with abandoned buildings scattered all around. There seems to be no civilians around. It’s perfect for Azula.

The three of us, Toph, Iroh, and I found our way to this empty shell of a village. Toph sensed multiple people with different directions depending on who you want to find. We’ve decided she’ll go look for Sokka and Katara and I’ll go with Iroh to find the royal siblings. “You’ll be fine by yourself?” I double-check with her before going.  

“Do you even have to ask?” She gloats. “There!” Toph points us in the general area we need to go toward, and we go our separate ways, better adjusted than before to fight this fight.

As the old man and I step closer and closer to one of the empty wooden homes, we find Zuko passed out on the ground. We slightly jog to him, reaching him before Azula distracts us.

His ponytail is gone too and he’s already grown some hair back. I’ve never seen him like this, I can’t take my eyes away. Zuko looks as if he is sleeping and if I squint, I can see my friend and not just his rage.

Iroh stands over his nephew as he wakes up. I wonder what he’ll first see, me or his uncle.

“Y/N?” He grunts. Whoever knocked him out must’ve did it good.

“Get up.” Iroh sternly tells him, almost like an order. He’s not going to let him go down now.

The old General holds his hand out for Zuko to grab onto and the prince gets up on his feet.

Without a second thought, my body reacts first to being in close proximity with him once again. I get into my fight stance, unsure of his next moves. Our eyes meet and I make sure there is no sign of nostalgia in my glare. I’m angry. “Don’t wanna fight?” I tell him.

He doesn’t get in a defense position. Zuko just stands there, processing the consequences of his actions. “No.”

“You did the last time I saw you.” I make sure to add every drop of bitterness in my words.

“That was—” He clears his throat and holds his hands up, “Look, remember what we said when we were younger?”

Where is he going with this? “I’m not following.”

Clear as day, he states. “Fine isn’t fine.”

“Azula always lies.” I finish for him. When we were younger, we made up a quick phrase to help us with his younger sister’s alarming behavior. Well, to help him with her. Zuko wants to believe his family, he wants to give them a chance no matter how much they lie to him or hurt him. In the Fire Nation, a trait like this can only be used against you.

It seemed like a childhood rhyme you forget about, but I guess he didn’t. And now, it’s come in handy. A quick way to explain our current battle.

“We can’t let her get him.” He pleads.

“So, you can?”

“I don’t know.” It was the first indication of a glitch in his unwavering loyalty toward his father. Not a yes, not a no.

He’s finding himself. Iroh’s words run through my mind. He’s choosing patience when it comes to Zuko and for now, just now, I have no reason to doubt it. We must stop Azula. Even if he tried something, I don’t think Iroh would let him. And that’s enough to calm me down.

I lower my hands in surrender and nod. “Fine.”

Zuko’s eyes are digging into mine, desperately trying to find me but I’m not letting him.

I practice this all the time—in my dreams. Zuko and I are on the same side once again, but the sun is glaring at me and I know I where I am. I know our past means nothing here.

This is reality, where me and him aren’t friends anymore.

tag list: @camilleverreault @staygoldsquatchling02 @yunloyal @lily-ann-b <3333

[tarithenurse]

Inhuman

Fandom: MCU Pairing/starring: Eventually Bucky x fem!reader, Loki x fem!reader, Stucky, more (some canon, some not). Word count: 1613. Contents: More rescuing and aftermath. A/N: This was my first ever fanfic - it looked different in its original version but I'm editing heavily. It will be tackling everything from "Civil War" and on differently than canon. Any questions are welcome. Please comment and like and reblog. Let me know if you want a tag.

Chapter 8

It starts as a murmur but like a mosquito in the dark it’s insistent and impossible to ignore in the long run. You’re still busy working through wound after wound, feeling drained (despite power bars) and covered in blood and dust. But Natasha’s voice makes you stop.

“Guys...you might wanna see this...”

She’s looking over at the house on the opposite side of the street where a long tarp is hanging from the rooftop, draping the top floor of the building with clumsy words painted on it:

Thank your “heroes”

The flashes from cameras are busy as the four of you take in the words.

“We can worry about that later, guys. Let’s continue.” Steve’s voice could probably cut glass and his brows are furrowed. Everyone know it’s a bad idea to argue with him when he’s like that and frankly none of you disagree with him.

A lot of volunteers are pitching in. Some are busy in the ruins while others are assisting in other ways like the group of college students that are bringing water and pizza to everyone working on site. They’re carrying folding tables from their campus all the way to the scene just to open up a buffet. Everyone’s immensely grateful and the spirits are lifted despite the severity of the situation. You’ve no doubt that this is what gets you all to the finishing line.

That’s when the first collapse occurs. Two rescuers have been shifting a beam to get to an older man, but apparently that beam was still supporting part of the wall. As they remove that support, the wall topples over and a section of the ceiling above caves in on all three of them. You’re almost screaming, clutching your head as a sickening, crushing pain shoots through the skull. Then there’s just the numbness in the rest of your body left and as you look towards the building you see a glittering figure of one of the rescuers start to fade away. So far, there had been no more deaths since the team arrived at the scene but now the confirmed death toll has risen to 24.

By the time rescuers and Steve have dug their way back through the collapsed part, the old man has passed away too. It’s taken too long for his already frail body. But when they reach him, he’s lying with a small smile on his face and holding the hand of the surviving rescue worker. They’ve been talking for as long as possible, the old man doing the comforting and telling the younger man not to be sad.

… …

Night’s turning into day as the little team’s sitting on the rubble, resting for the first time since the explosion. The sky’s pastel purple now. There’s still a lot to do, but the job’s done for now for the Avengers: there’s no one left, dead or alive, in the ruins where forensic teams, both from SHIELD and from the local authorities, are working their way through the chaos. The last ambulance’s already gone, and both the press and bystanders are starting to leave.

About time...if y’aren’t going to help then stay out of the way.

All four of you’re trying to ignore the big, homemade banner hanging across the street but eventually Stark flies up with a “damn it” and tears it down.

As the rest of you get up to leave too a cop stops you. “I just thought you should know…” the uniformed woman begins, “the young mother you rescued. She’s given birth to a perfectly healthy boy. They’re both doing well.”

“Where are they?” Tony’s heard the cop’s words and is hovering while waiting for an answer.

“Saint Luke’s.”

“Thank you.” And with that he takes off again, leaving Steve, Natasha, and you behind.

“So...I guess we walk?”

“Why? The jet’s on the way.” Natasha looks at you quizzically.

“...on its own?”

Just then it appears above the rooftop, descending gracefully. As you step on board, you can see for yourself that there’s indeed no one else there.

“It’s got a very good autopilot,” Steve explains, “but don’t let Stark know you are impressed or we’ll never hear the end of it.”

You’re finally heading home, only pausing briefly in the air over the bay to let Stark on board.

…

No one says a word until the jet reaches its destination.

“[Y/N]...the Bunker’s in Montana, by the way.” Steve says as they disembark. Nothing else.

Bruce’s waiting for them as you come upstairs. He’s been worrying and promptly holds on to Natasha. They both look so small and vulnerable for a second.

In fact, everyone looks very far from hero-like. You’re all tired and most of you dirty, and this isn’t something that leaves anyone feeling like it’s a good job you’ve done even though it technically might be.

Somewhere in the back of your brain’s a nagging feeling that this would not have happened were the Avengers not involved in the mountain-raid and it makes you stomach curl up into a tiny hard ball that makes it difficult to breathe properly. The others are marred by the events too but seem to handle it better.

“She’s gonna call him Anthony Steve.” Bruce looks perfectly at a loss, but the rest know who Tony’s referring to with the hint of a smile on his lips.

Natasha seems surprised. “You went to see her.”

“Yes. Such a tiny, little thing, but very strong...I could barely get my finger back.” Disappearing into his own thoughts he heads up towards his corner of the house.

Bruce and Natasha also leave, presumably for Natasha to shower and Bruce to get an update on what that was all about.

“I better take this to the lab.” Steve picks up the tarp with the message about them on and walks off leaving you standing all alone until he passes again on the way from to his quarters. “You should go get a shower. It’ll make you feel better.” And he guides you to your room, even turns on the warm water before he leaves. “If you need to talk...don’t hesitate.”

You step under the waterfall with all the clothes on. Feathery patterns of dust and blood start to form around the feet and you realize you even forgot to take the shoes off. Bending down, you catch the reflection in the tiles: dark circles around red eyes, streaks from tears on the cheeks. You don’t know when you’ve been crying.

Most of the day’s a blur of broken bodies, faces with agonized expressions, and voices crying for help. The face of the old man swims to the front of your memories. He’d looked calm, almost happy, about what was coming for him – not all people would be as accepting about their imminent death as he must’ve been, and it makes the knot in the chest loosen a bit more.

Letting the dirty and wet clothes fall to the floor and feeling the clean water run down over your body, leaving you refreshed. Turning the water as cold as possible, you watch as each drop makes the skin ripple slightly and change hue for an instant where they land.

You’ve let her hair recede in to feel the chill on the scalp too, but now you grow it out again, a purple colour matching the sky as you left San Francisco. Maybe it’s silly, but it seems fitting somehow and for a second it’s even as though it gives a form of closure, but that only lasts until you remember the smell of smoke again and a restlessness takes over which is odd because your body’s screaming that it’s tired, drained in a way that’s unlike how you feel after sparring and more like ants crawling under your skin and biting your joints.

The others are gathered in the kitchen and you decide to join them once dressed.

Natasha’s wearing an oversized sweater that you’re sure you’ve seen Bruce wear at some point. Steve’s fidgeting with something in his pocket and Stark’s nursing a whiskey. There’s not much chatting going on, only facts being exchanged and as you sit down even that grinds to a halt. What did I do wrong? Steve seems taken off guard by the new hair colour.

“You did well, [Y/N]...” Natasha admits, smiling. “I wasn’t sure you’d handle the blood’n gore.”

“Nurse, remember? I’ve taken quite a few turns at the ER. That tends to steady the nerves...and stomach...”

The former super-spy nods briefly at your words, hands wrapped tightly around a mug with steaming coffee before eventually pinning you with a grey stare. “Your existence’s not a secret anymore so be ready for a shit-storm.”

“What she means is…people with special abilities, Inhumans or not, tend to get a lot of negative media regardless of what they use their powers for,” Bruce translates unnecessarily, “there’ll be a lot of opinions ‘bout what y’ought to do to help the world…and fears of what else you can do. Don’t listen to them.”

You can feel yourself bristling at the words as much as the memory of the soldier’s reaction in San Fran. “Hopefully, this has shown them that Inhumans do not equal danger...”

“Yeah…but people only tend to see what they wanna see.” Steve’s right, of course, but you can’t bear to think of that right now.

...

Eventually, you retreat to the comfort of bed and as your eyelids get heavy, you try to recall what it felt like to be a normal person. In one of the other rooms, Natasha and Bruce are spooning, maybe trying to give the day some meaning and comfort.

[foundress0fnothing]

2024 Fic Writer End of Year Roundup

Thanks for the tag, @popjunkie42! 💕

Answer and then tag three or more creators to keep the game going!

(If you're in my answers consider yourself tagged if you'd like to play!!)

1. How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

57,016! It's by no means a lot, especially compared to what some are able to produce, but I'm pretty pleased with them.

2. How many fics did you complete this year?

4, all for acotar

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

I have 3 published WIPs that I started this year: my Feysand secret santa for @beesays, and two Nessian-centric, modern AU WIPs. I have a partially published Azris academia WIP from 2023 hanging around as well that I haven’t given up on yet. I've started, but not yet published, a Feysandnyx first war AU that I'm planning to start publishing around my birthday (in mid-February).

4. What was your favorite thing you wrote?

I am forever in love with pied piper Feysand, whistles far and wee. I was also really pleased with how my elucien week fic, what lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why, turned out!

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

There’s not much of it yet, but leave a kiss but in the cup is probably the most experimental for me—it’s a long fic (or it will be) and the first thing I’ve written in present tense.

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

what lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why, I think—I had no idea where the second chapter would go when I published the first one—it was purely vibes and thots 😌

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

leave a kiss but in the cup—it definitely has a modern romance novel feel and is still very much a wip, and so the fact that it didn’t get a lot of attention wasn’t a surprise.

8. Who is an artist that inspired you?

There are so many wonderful artists that I couldn’t possibly name them all, but to name a few: @witchlingsandwyverns, @laxibbeb, @velidewrites, @stickyelectrons, @janearts, @froggybogwitch, @artinelysian, and @gracieart. 💗

9. Who is an author that inspired you?

SO! MANY! How can I choose?? But I’m so grateful for the community and inspiration offered by people like @popjunkie42, @yourstarsmyscars, @violetasteracademic, @beesays, @rosanna-writer, @the-lonelybarricade, @separatist-apologist, @thesistersarcheron, @dustjacketmusings, @jsmelodies, @reverie-tales, and @shadowriel.

10. Who is a new author you discovered?

Again, so many wonderful, wonderful folks, but I want to shout out @violetasteracademic! I’ve loved getting to know her this year—she writes the Archeron sisters beautifully and is a revolutionary beta reader 😘

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start?

Not this year! Over the summer, I tossed around the idea of an acotar key fic with @popjunkie42, @beesays, @witch-and-her-witcher, and @climbthemountain2020, and we went so far as to create all our throuple groupings, but I don't think any actual writing happened 😅 Maybe for 2025...

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of?

Honestly, just getting some writing done at all this year. PPD was a bitch, and 9/10 I will choose to read in my downtime rather than write, and so the fact that I ended the year with words at all feels like a pretty big win to me.

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

The joy of sprinting as a writing technique! I hadn’t used it before, but it was summer and I was feeling intense guilt about not having finished last year’s secret santa gift, Firm and Fragrant Still the Brambleberries, and so I tried spriting with some friends on a whim and found it to be a really useful way to trick my brain into writing.

14. Any advice you’d like to share with new or aspiring writers?

If you’re stuck, shift to writing with a pen and paper!! I work out so many writing ideas and issues and questions this way before shifting back to the computer. The physicality and slow pace of it is really important for me.

15. What are your creative goals for 2025?

I’d like to get my WIPs cleaned up. They’re all stories I’m interested in telling, even the older ones, and I look forward to having the chance to do so, even if it takes a while.

(I’m also planning to defend my dissertation in the fall so lololololol we’ll see what actually happens)

If you’re tagged in this, please consider yourself tagged for the game 💕