#we’re renovating the main floor bathroom | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dreamescapeswriting · 3 years

Text

Together ~ KNJ [Request]

WORD COUNT:5.3k

PAIRING: Namjoon x Reader

GENRE: College AU, friends to lovers, angst, fluffy ending,

A single cough erupted from one side of the giant lecture theatre that you were sitting inside of causing everyone to stare over at the kid that coughed. He blushed deeply but anyone would with around 100 students sitting and staring at you because you coughed. All of you were just sitting there waiting eagerly for the exam to end. Tapping pens could be heard as you glanced around at everyone, it was the final exam and it appeared as though everyone had already finished and was just waiting for the bell to ring. All you wanted to do was race out of the lecture hall and out into the hot summer weather to tan for a while but you had to sit there, in silence until the test was finished otherwise the whole year of learning would have been for nothing.

All the hours of countless cramming for tests would have gone to waste so you sat there. Staring forward at the chalkboard and around 60 students heads since you were right at the back of the hall.

It was finally the end of your first college school year and you were looking forward to the next eight weeks of pure bliss, not having to worry about waking up early for lectures or staying up all night studying for a test. It was going to be the best summer vacation you could ever possibly want, you already had what you were going to do planned out. No one was going to be in the dorm house that you shared, they all had their own plans so you arranged to stay inside for the first week, catching up on everything that needed to do before deciding to relax, binge watch shows and do whatever you wanted.

"Pencils down and close your booklets, if you have no finished you're exam don't worry. I'm sure you can make it up when you repeat this year," You looked at the woman at the front of the room, she was a woman in her early 40's with a Karen haircut, she'd been brought in when your original tutor for the course left to have a baby and never bothered coming back. It was a surprise to you that you even knew half of the questions on the exam, the teacher was useless you practically taught yourself late at night reading through the books and countless research articles online.

"Single file lines! You're adults, we shouldn't have to tell you how to behave!" She screamed as people began rushing to get out of the hall, you stayed behind not wanting to get trampled in the herd of people.

The room was silent again apart from the shuffling of papers as Mrs Kim collected all of the papers. Leaning behind yourself you began packing things into your bag not noticing that your best friend was lingering up behind you.

"Boo!" He yelled out as he placed his hands on your shoulders and shook you a little making you cry out in surprise.

"Joonie," You whined as you saw the surprised look on Mrs Kim's face as she heard a sudden noise come out of nowhere.

"Sorry Mrs Kim, I've come to steal my best friend." He practically pulled you free from your chair and dragged you out of the hall and into the hallways where people were talking amongst one another.

"I'm not even going to ask how it went, you're my best friend and I already know you've passed," He said in a matter-a-fact tone as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder and that was when you knew he wanted something. The two of you had been friends since you could walk and talk you knew exactly what he was up to when he was flattering you.

"Whatever it is, no. I'm not doing it, I'm not driving you, I’m not doing a late assignment for you, I’m not going to pick you up late from a party and I'm not going to kill someone for you," You went through everything so you didn't leave a single thing out but Namjoon tutted at you.

"I am offended that you would even think for a second that I was trying to get something out of you," You stood still as you looked at him with a blank stare,

"Okay fine I need something," He grumbled pulling you with him as he walked out of the main campus building.

Back at the house, you waited for Namjoon to tell you what it was that he wanted, the whole walk home he'd been avoiding the question or distracting you with something else. The house you lived in was huge, it had around nine bedrooms in total all with their own bathrooms and two main bathrooms. It used to be an old mansion home but it was renovated when a college was built nearby and rented out to groups of college kids. The last year you'd been living there with Namjoon and six of his college buddies, all of you got along which was perfect, no awkward meetings in the hallways or kitchen.

"You can't just tell me you need something and then not say anything," You told him as you picked up a slice of pizza from the box and began eating it. This was what he did when he wanted something, he would try to bribe you with food or do something nice for you, you'd known him long enough that this meant he was going to ask for something big.

"You're not doing anything in the summer, right?" You put down the slice of pizza and brushed your hands onto a napkin as you got up to leave. You already knew what he was going to ask and you weren't interested,

"No way, there is no way of me going on that stupid trip." You told him as you began heading for the staircase wanting to go to bed but he grabbed your wrist.

"You're my best friend, we're supposed to look out for one another," He whined as he looked at you, his large brown eyes turning into puppy-dog eyes as he attempted to persuade you.

It was the summer vacation he and some of his friends had been planning to take together,

"Kyong is going and I don't want to be alone with her," He told you as he looked at you, tugging on your wrist as he waited for you to say something. Mi Kyong, his ex-girlfriend that practically ripped him apart and left you to stitch him back together again. Cheating on him so many times in the relationship you wondered how he stayed with her for as long as he did. To you, she was the devil in disguise but to Namjoon she was and would always be the love of his life.

"I'm weak if I go near her I'll break," That wasn't a lie, you knew that if Namjoon even stayed in the same room as her alone she would somehow manipulate him back into her life only to break him up into pieces yet again.

"I thought Jungkook and the boys were going," You sighed thinking about how your perfect relaxing time was going to be ruined by going out to some log cabin in the woods.

"They're taking their dates...Please...We'll have fun I promise and you can bring books...Music, painting gear...Whatever you want," You knew he was never going to let it go so you nodded slowly at him, at least this way you could keep a close eye on him at all times.

The two of you were back in the living room, pizza slice in your hand as you were ready to curl up and watch Grey's Anatomy together,

"There's just one thing," He called out, you turned to stare at him pizza slice in your mouth waiting for him to continue.

"You have to pretend to be my date." The pizza slice slipped from your hands and onto the white leather sofa as you stared at him.

"What?" Your voice cracked thinking that maybe you'd heard him wrong or he was just trying to joke but he shook his head.

"You have to pretend to date me, nothing major just...A cuddle and holding hands," You stared at him feeling your heart pounding against your chest at the thought of doing something like that was Namjoon. He wasn't the type of friend that cuddled or held hands with anyone so suddenly doing that bought back all of the feelings you had for him that you had repressed. You never wanted to admit your feelings for him and when you moved into a house together for college you pushed them down so deep you thought you'd gotten over him.

"And share a room, which we've done before it's not a big deal." He mumbled as he began watching the screen. Not a big deal? To him maybe it wasn't a big deal but to you, it was bringing up all of the repressed feelings you'd hoped you had been over.

"Y-Yeah, no big deal." You mumbled staring at the screen as you suddenly didn't feel like eating anymore.

"I gotta go pack," You said suddenly, leaving the pizza with Namjoon and rushing up to your bedroom. Slamming the door and looking around as you thought about all of the things you didn't have for a summer vacation, tomorrow was going to be an impromptu shopping trip as early as possible.

The car pulled up outside the large home and you thought it was some kind of joke until everyone began pulling their bags out. You took Namjoon by the hand and stared at him,

"I thought you said it was a cabin in the woods," You whispered turning to look at the large mansion behind you which was defiantly not a small cabin in the woods.

"No, I said it was a home in a remote area." The remote area part was right, the ride had taken you almost four hours to get out here and it was in the middle of the woods but it was not a home of any kind. It was huge and modern. All of it was an open plan area with large floor to ceiling windows. The walls were white and black and that was just the outside.

"I couldn't let my boys slum it for the summer," Kyong's voice said as she trailed her hand along Namjoon's back, you watched as he tensed up. The original plan was for him to be in the car with her but you managed to get Jimin and his girlfriend to swap with you both, riding along with Yoongi and his girlfriend instead.

"It's costing me almost 650,000,00₩, for the month. I know you're only here for a week but I decided I would stay." Everyone seemed to have their eyes glued onto the building as they stared at it,

"Nine bedrooms so I'm afraid Y/n might have to be on the sofa," She said in a condescending tone but that was when Namjoon wrapped his arm around your waist and drew you closer to him. Sparks felt as though they were shooting off your body and you hoped no one picked up on the fact that you were so shy from the small touch.

"Actually she'll be in my room since we're together." He stared at Kyong as he said it and the smile on her face was wiped away, leaving a shocked look as she tried to think of something to say in response.

"Really? You and Y/n- Wow...I never would have thought your taste would have changed that much," You knew it was an insult but you chose to ignore her, pulling at Namjoon's hand.

"Come on babe, let's go find a good view." You cooed, pulling him into the front door and hoping that Kyong would finally leave him alone now that she heard you were dating, that way you wouldn't have to go through the butterfly feelings every time he touched you, even a little.

"Babe?" Namjoon chuckled as he walked behind you, he'd never heard you call him anything besides Namjoon or Joonie, or if he was in trouble, Kim Namjoon.

"You need it to be convincing, right?" A smirk played on his lips while you had your back to him, he let you lead him through the house to try and find a room for the two of you but it was huge and you thought you might have needed a map to find your way around.

"Here," Namjoon laughed pulling you into a large bedroom, your bag dropped from your shoulder.

The bedroom had its own sitting room so you weren't going to have to worry about sitting downstairs where Kyong would bother you. There were large glass windows leading out onto a balcony that looked as though it had grass on it.

"Why does the balcony have furniture, there's no door-" You stopped speaking when the glass doors that you originally thought were windows began to move and open up, folding into the walls so you could walk out onto the small balcony area that looked over a giant pool on the ground floor.

"This place is incredible," You breathed out as you laid your hands on the balcony railing, looking over at the woods that were just beyond the house.

Namjoon was looking around the room, an ensuite was connected to it all white marble. A walk-in shower and a corner bathtub with jets.

"Hey I-whoa," Namjoon stopped as he looked at you and the view wondering where the windows had gone.

"So that's what that switch did," He chuckled softly as he thought back on the switch he had flicked on the wall.

The night came sooner than expected, you'd spent most of the day unpacking everything you'd bought along with you and planning what you were going to do the next day and now everyone was gathered in the kitchen.

"I made us all a pasta dish, I figured it would be nice for the evening," Not for one second did you believe that Kyong had cooked the pasta, mostly because there were take out containers in the bin but also because Namjoon told you about the last time she tried to cook. She almost burnt her entire dorm down just trying to use a rice cooker.

"Are you really going to eat all that?" Kyong questioned as she watched you piling pasta onto your plate,

"I mean pasta is known to bloat us but I guess you're obviously not bothered about looking bloated." Namjoon was suddenly by your side ready to take over for you,

"Y/n looks perfect, so why don't you just focus on yourself," He ordered, taking your plate and his over to tone of the many dining tables that were in the home.

"Ignore her, she's just trying to get under your skin." He reassured you as he smiled weakly, you knew he still had feelings for her but it was nice to see how much he was stepping in for you when he needed to.

"What did you ever see in her?" You mumbled as you began eating some of the pasta, trying not to let her lingering words bother you so much. It wasn't as though you and Namjoon were really dating, it didn't matter what you looked like anyway. If a person didn't love you for who you really were then that person didn't deserve the time of day.

"I'm not sure, I think I was looking in the wrong direction," He laughed as he watched you eating, smiling as he couldn't help but look at you. All the years he'd known you he had been hopelessly in love with you but never realised until it was too late. Until you both in college and busy with everything else to deal with one another, he never wanted to ruin the friendship that he had with you.

"What?" You questioned as you noticed how much he was staring at you,

"Nothing...Did you bring my favourite book with you? I might sit by the pool with you tomorrow," He was trying to change the subject and distract his own mind from thinking about you in that way.

"Do you have spare blankets over there?" You asked Namjoon later when you were back in your room,

"Yeah but I don't think you'll need them, it's summer." He chuckled looking up to see you standing over at the sofa in the bedroom getting ready for bed. You were dressed in one of his old football shirts from high school and a pair of shorts. Namjoon's mouth nearly fell open, he'd seen you in his clothes before but this was something different.

"I meant because I'm on the sofa, I can't sleep without something covering me," You laughed awkwardly when you felt how much he was beginning to stare at you, you shifted your weight from one foot to the other.

"Why are you on the sofa? We have a huge bed right here," He laughed pointing at the large California King Bed that was in the room but you never would have thought that he would be okay with sharing with you.

"You want to share a bed? You? Mr Kim Namjoon who hates being cuddled?" You laughed as you slowly made your way over to the bed, pulling back the covers a little.

"Don't worry, it's not as if I'm going to cuddle you in the night." It wasn't something that worried you though, it was a thought that excited you.

The next morning Namjoon bought breakfast up to you on the balcony, telling you that he and the boys were going to go for a hike.

"Sure, sounds good...Get some good photos," You told him as you bit into the apple he'd bought up to you, he smiled just watching you. That morning he'd woken up before you to find himself wrapped around you, one arm draped over your waist while your legs tangled together under the thin sheet you had both chosen to sleep in.

"I will, what are you planning on doing today?" The plan was to sit in the bedroom and avoid Kyong as much as possible but you knew it wasn't going to happen,

"I'll sit by the pool and read...Maybe go for a swim or bike into town." There was a small village just down the road, it was almost a two-hour walk but maybe an hour on the bike if you were lucky.

"Sounds like a good idea, maybe I can ride with you later. We can get some snacks to bring back," Agreeing with him you couldn't wait for the day to pass just so you could spend some quality time with him but right now you were looking forward to curling up beside the pool.

"Have a nice time," You whispered to Namjoon as you stood by the back gate of the house, all of the boys were getting ready to leave on their hike, the girls staying behind.

"Wait!" You turned around to see Kyong rushing over in hiking boots, a coat and some short shorts that were going to do nothing to protect her from the bugs and nettles that could get her out there.

"You're going too?" You questioned as you looked from her to Namjoon, it was clear he had no idea it was going to happen.

"Yeah. Me and my boys going for a long hike. It'll give me and Joonie a chance to chat." Hearing your nickname for Namjoon roll out of her mouth made your blood boil and you wanted nothing more than to trip her up but Namjoon looked at you and you instantly felt calmer.

"Baby please come with me, it won't be the same without you." Frowning you stared at him wondering what he was doing when he pulled you close to him by your waist, leaning his face down so close to yours that you could feel his breath on your skin.

"Fine, let me change..." You looked at him going to leave when Kyong scoffed at the pair of you,

"Not even a kiss goodbye?" It was obvious that she didn't believe you and Namjoon were truly dating and you knew Namjoon wanted her to believe it so you grabbed him back the back of the neck and kissed him. The moment your lips touched it felt as though your legs had turned to jelly and you were about to fall but Namjoon held you steady, holding you by the waist as he pulled you closer to him enjoying the kiss between you. For that moment no one else was around you, it was just the two of you as you finally kissed for the first time, your heart hammering against your chest as if it was trying to escape.

"I'll go and change," You whispered as you pulled away, your voice was hoarse as you stared at him biting down on your lip as you hoped that would happen again.

"I'll wait here," His voice was almost as hoarse as yours as he watched you run back into the house, his eyes never leaving your body until you disappeared.

"Well, that was a nice performance," Kyong mumbled but Namjoon didn't hear her, he just waited for you to return.

The week was almost over and you were enjoying your time there more than you originally thought you were going to. You and Namjoon spent a lot of time with everyone else which meant pretending to be a couple most of the time, holding onto one another, kissing him whenever you had the chance. It started to feel as though you were pretending anymore and that this was really happening, even if you knew deep down inside that there was nothing to this. That it would all be over as soon as you got back to your dorms but for now you were going to soak up as much of his attention as you could get for yourself.

"I don't like being blindfolded Joonie, it makes you think you're up to something," You whined as he continued to walk you through a bumpy area, you could hear gushing water and footsteps but that was all. He let out a deep laugh that seemed to echo around wherever you were and you whined again,

"Relax, here-" He began to untie the make-shift blindfold and you let your eyes adjust for a second to see that you were somewhere you'd never seen before. It was a cavern that had a pool of water inside, flowers spreading over the walls of the cave, the walls and ceiling seemed to have silver reflecting on them because of the water.

"Hot springs," He said with a smile, bending down to touch the water as it began bubbling, your mouth almost dropped open at the sight.

"I didn't bring a bathing suit, you didn't tell me what we were doing," You laughed softly as you looked at him and then to the pool behind him, it looked as though it was going to be relaxing.

"Is it deep?" He shook his head in answer to your question,

"Probably reach your shoulders, there are some rocks just under the water we can sit on and relax." He promised as he began to unbutton the white shirt he was wearing, you gasped and turned away not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

"I didn't bring a bathing suit. I'll wear my underwear, it's just the same," He said as he looked at you, hoping that you would do the same but not once saying what he wanted out loud.

The two of you sat there side by side in the water just enjoying the peace and quiet, Kyong had done nothing but follow the two of you around all week long leading you to "pretend" you were both together for as long as possible.

"This week has been one of the most amazing times of my life," You told him as you rolled your head over to look at him, your gaze meeting his as he smiled at you. You didn't know if it was the low lighting or just because our feelings for him were resurfacing but his eyes seemed to sparkle, as though they had a golden hint to them.

"Even with all this pretending, that's been going on?" He questioned as he looked at you, biting down on his lip as you shrugged,

"There's been one thing that's bugging me all week." He sat up straight making you do the same as you watched him, tilting your head to the side as you waited for him to elaborate on what he meant.

"I don't want to pretend...I want to be yours and I want you to be mine." Closing the distance between your mouths, you kissed him. At that moment it was clear that everything you had been feeling that week, the sparks, the butterflies, was all real. Everything you felt for him he felt the same for you and it excited you. He placed his hands on your waist lifting you up and placing him on his lap under the water as you continued to make out in the hot springs.

His teeth biting down softly on your bottom lip as he asked for entrance, which you gladly granted him, letting your hands wander into his hair as you tugged him closer to you.

"We're not pretending?" He questioned as you pulled away to catch your breath, you shook your head desperately,

"Never again," You whispered before reconnecting our lips with his, going back to your steamy make-out session in the water.

Namjoon left soft kisses on your shoulder as the two of you laid naked in the bed, looking out at the night sky as you cuddled with one another. The two of you had made it back late after your make out in the hot springs and continued your session in the bedroom where it lead to more.

"I'll go get us a snack," He chuckled as he heard your stomach growling, even if it was almost 3 am you were hungry from the activities you had both done together.

"Thanks," You kissed him softly as he changed into a pair of shorts and a white shirt, disappearing out of the door and leaving you alone with your thoughts.

Letting out a small excited squeal you laid back against the pillows and smiled to yourself, you never thought this day would come and now it had, you couldn't contain yourself. Everything you had ever wanted was becoming a reality.

Time passed and Namjoon still wasn't back with your snack, you figured he was going to cook something so you laid there for a second, trying to rest a little before he came back not expecting to fall asleep within seconds of closing your eyes.

Waking up alone the next day you frowned to yourself, he was supposed to be beside you,

"Joonie?" You called out as you changed into some leggings and a baggy shirt thinking maybe he had gone for an early walk or something. You headed down to the kitchen shocked to see Kyong nursing a hangover but that wasn't the part that shocked you. The part that shocked you was that she was dressed in nothing but Namjoon's shirt, the one he had put on the night before to go and make a snack for you.

"I made this, drink it." Namjoon's voice called out to Kyong as she smirked at you, turning her head to look over at him and that was when you saw the deep purple bite marks up and down her neck. At that moment it felt as though your whole world was falling apart as you put it all together, dressed in his shirt, he was looking after her and she was covered in marks.

"I-I can't believe it," The glass Namjoon was holding slipped from his hand and smashed against the floor, the green liquid splashing all over the white floors and cabinets while Kyong smirked.

"Y/n, it isn't what it looks like." You scoffed at him, rushing back up the stairs towards the bedroom as you began throwing clothes into your bag, trying to get some money together as he begged you not to overthink it.

"It's not what it looks like," He pleaded as he stood in the way of the door so you couldn't leave the bedroom,

"Was she dressed in your shirt?" You questioned as you stared at him, his eyes widened with panic,

"Yes, but-"

"Was she covered in hickies?" You asked him again, cutting him off. All you needed were the answers you knew exactly what had happened. He fell back into her arms the way he always did, crawling back to her every time.

"Yeah, but that-"

"You didn't come back last night, were you or were you not with her?" His face fell and he didn't answer, tears rushed to your eyes as you pushed past him heading down the stairs and in the direction of the front door.

"You can't just leave, we're miles away from home." He called out as he chased after you, Kyong holding onto his arm as she whined at him not to yell anymore.

"That's my problem to deal with," You mumbled as you threw your bag over your shoulder and took one of the bikes, heading to town was the best plan for now. Once you were there you could figure out where to go by Kyong groaned at you,

"They're for people staying on this holiday." Locking eyes with her you threw the bike onto the ground before heading down the long driveway, ready to start your long walk back into the town.

"Y/n!!" Namjoon yelled as he chased you down the road, grabbing you by the hand as he made you look at him.

"You have to let me explain, I know how it looks." At this point your tears were already rushing down your face as you looked up at him, you thought that he would be the one person you could trust in the world. He knew how much it hurt to be cheated on and yet he still did it to you, was it even cheating? Were you nothing more than a fling for him?

"What was it? I was just there until she decided she was jealous enough to take you back? Or were you both in on a joke about it, she knew I had a crush on you and thought she could get kicks out of it?" He didn't blame you for being angry but he held your arm as he tried to make sure you listened to him.

"You thought, I can't screw my ex so why not fuck my best friend over instead?" Namjoon's eyes watered as he stared down at you waiting for you to finish,

"How could you ever think I would hurt you like that?"

"Because you did-"

"No. I didn't. I went down to get you food last night and I found her, drunk and on the floor covered in her own vomit." You pulled a disgusted face as he explained what had happened, leading you over to a rock as he sat you down beside him.

"She was covered in her own vomit, along with bite marks, hickies. She said she'd been into town for drinks and got a taxi back. I changed her into my shirt and took her to bed but she wouldn't go to sleep without me there," You looked at him, feeling bad for accusing him of doing the one thing you knew he hated her for doing to him.

“I sat beside the bed the whole night, I didn’t get into bed with her, I just wanted to make sure she was okay.” He sighed and you realized how much you must have overreacted.

"Joonie..." You breathed out as you felt bad for everything,

"I know what it looked like but I would never do that to you. I'm in love with you, always have been and always will be but I loved her too...She may have hurt me but she's still a person and someone I once cared for so I wanted to make sure she was okay," That you could understand, you knew how deeply Namjoon cared for everyone he met so you weren't going to hold that against him.

"Now, please...Come back so we can drive home together..."

"Together?" You questioned as he locked your hands together, linking your fingers with his,

"As a couple?" He questioned looking at you, making you smile brightly as you nodded your head.

Tagline: @lyoongx @mitzwinchester @rjsmochii @taestannie @sw33tnight @innersooya @sweeneyblue1 @jin-from-the-block @acciocriativity @mwitsmejk @anxiousbobatea @justbangtanthingz

#bts #bts x reader #bts x you #bts x y/n #bts imagine #bts imagines #kim namjoon #namjoon #namjoon x reader #namjoon imagine #namjoon imagines #kim namjoon x reader #kim namjoon imagine #kim namjoon imagines

112 notes · View notes

cosmikazie · 2 years

Text

PORTAL 1/2 TEST CHAMBERS RANKED ON HOW MUCH I’D LIVE IN THEM

(Note: We’re talking individual test chambers here, not just maps (with a few outliers). No escape sequence stuff, maybe excluding like a thing or two. Also we’re counting GlaDOS’s chamber(s) just because lol)

Ratings below the cut.

Chamber 00: 6/10. One of 3 rooms in the whole series with a toilet. Also there is mild enrichment with a cube and button test. Having to rely on portals to leave my little bedroom though is kinda ass.

Chamber 01: 1/10. I'm not gonna wait like 70 years to go from the kitchen to bedroom to bathroom or whatever I designate the rooms as

Chamber 02: 4/10. First chamber with a loft, but needs stairs and could benefit massively from both compartmentation and use of actual doors. It does have a nice central room, though.

Chamber 03: 3/10. Even with an envisioning of what it could look like as a living space, the architecture is just too weird to even consider. Still better than 01, though.

Chamber 04: 3/10. Same principle with this one. It's also quite small and the geometry feels strange to imagine a couch or something in there without it seeming starkly out of place.

Chamber 05: 7/10. Actually, pretty good. It's got a quasi-loft area, space for other things in the pit, and with a little bit more compartmentation and the addition of stairs, it could be the Aperture Science Quaint Beachside Cottage being envisioned.

Chamber 06: 1/10. Energy Pellets aside, it's literally a box.

Chamber 07: 4/10. Not ideal for remodeling or interior design.

Chamber 08: 1/10. I rap on 01 a lot, but waiting is better than swimming through toxic goo.

Chamber 09: 5/10. Frankly, would be on par with 05 if it was a little bit larger and didn't have the big Aperture Science Field Of Delete The Things You're Holding smack dab in the middle of it to begin with.

Chamber 10: 3/10. This one somehow managed to meet my demand for stairs, but forsake literally EVERYTHING else that made this chamber salvageable.

Chamber 11: 4/10. Somewhat livable, what with the nice beachside view, but it would be a few points higher if that "beach" wasn't a part of my home.

Chamber 12: 5/10. I see a lot of potential in this one, but it needs far more stairs, far less flinging, and a larger emphasis on safety. Otherwise, the compartmentalization is already solved for me by the vertical floor arrangement.

Chamber 13: 3/10. I will give it the room separation as a plus, but that's about it.

Chamber 14: 4/10. Not ideal. Compartmentalized, but too much space. Also the stairs that contract are cool, but not practical.

Chamber 15: 5/10. WAY too big as well for a home, but could be good for a nice morning walk.

Chamber 16: 6/10. Not bad for a hallway, removing the turrets. Well compartmentalized, but the main problem is in the square footage of each room.

Chamber 17: 9/10. This is the ideal test chamber here, minus minor renovations. Wonderful hallways, GREAT compartmentalization, dynamic rooms, two stories, and you even get a friend included. All it needs are like, two sets of stairs, and we're golden. SOLD.

Chamber 18: 2/10. This chamber isn't even that good as a CHAMBER. It's tedious, and frankly I don't want to spend more time in it than I have to.

Chamber 19: 5/10. Not great, but it does have interior heating, so that's good.

GlaDOS's Chamber P1: 2/10. Suffers from the fact that it is simply one huge, tall room. I like having space, but this is FAR too much. Plus, where the hell am I going to put the couch

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Courtesy Call Chamber: 6/10. At least has an implied toilet. Not ideal for space but I once had to live in a hotel room for a month, so I'm at least familiar with it.

Overgrown 00: 3/10. Same thing, but filled with plants. If it's spring, then Christ almighty I'm down for the count.

Portal Carousel: 2/10. Somehow, it got better with the buttons. Still kinda tedious, having to walk back and forth all day to get to rooms that should be half the distance away.

Portal Gun: 1/10. No.

Smooth Jazz Chambers: 2/10. I know I had nice things to say about them initially, but over the course of 20,000 years I've had some time to think, and it seems the plants have too.

Cube Momentum: 2/10. Toxic goo, dangerous conditions, and did I mention that there have been holes in the roofs of these chambers the entire time?

Future Starter: 1/10. Also a no.

(Not counting the next 3 maps because they're not really designed to be solvable as much as they are for plot.)

Laser Intro: 1/10. HOW DID A SMALL BOX GET SMALLER.

Laser Stairs: 6/10. I think the Valve devs have been listening to me when I asked for even a little bit of compartmentalization and stairs, because they got that part right.

Double Laser: 5/10. Too small for me, but would make for a nice little fucked-up living room-hybrid or something. Put the couch on the elevated thing and watch TV up there and then head down to the kitchen embedded into the wall.

Laser Over Goo: 1/10. If a house "allows" you to swim in it within the vicinity of Aperture Labs, maybe not a good sign.

Catapult Intro: 1/10. Being realistic here, I would sooner be in a wheelchair than make it across the gap, for multiple reasons.

Trust Fling: 1/10. I could either break my legs, or dissolve them. It's a choice one has to make when living here.

"Pit Flings" (the Companion Cube Chamber): 6/10. A few renovations and stuff on the side would benefit this chamber, but it's at least salvageable compared to the other chambers in this segment of the game.

Fizzler Intro: 5/10. Suffers from the same problem as P1-09 because of the Aperture Science Household TSA Field slap-bang in the middle of the chamber. Minus that, though, and the chamber has some pleasant architecture.

Ceiling Catapult: 4/10. I ADORE the way this chamber is built, which is a real shame because the only way to get to that part of the chamber is by risking breaking VITAL bones.

Ricochet: 1/10. This is How A Man Dies

Bridge Intro: 3/10. I like the bridges made of light, but A) if I rubbed my cheek on one my hair would light on fire, and B) those bridges are there for a REASON and it's an evil one at that.

Bridge the Gap: 2/10. I try to move a couch and I immediately recreate that Terminator 2 scene

Turret Intro: 5/10. Same principle as P1-16. If you take the turrets out it's okay, but it's not as greatly compartmentalized as P1-16.

Laser Relays: 3/10. It's not very dangerous, but IT'S A BOX.

Turret Blockers: 6/10. This is one of those chambers that's rather appealing to make into a living space at first glance, but then you actually try and it's hard as all hell to design the interior. I can imagine a few living situations that are good, but overall it's very difficult to navigate if you place your furniture on the high spots and don't want to smack into a wall.

Laser vs. Turret: 8/10. A bit small, but that aside it's not really that bad. It's well compartmentalized, it's good for room design, and it's got everything you need. The only real problem is keeping the glass door open, and even then if the test is solved then you're pretty much good.

Pull the Rug: 4/10. Small and overall not dangerous, but I don't like the fact that a dude used to live in the walls here.

Column Blocker: 3/10. Too big, plus the turret is a hassle to remove. And the goo. Don't forget the goo.

Laser Chaining: 5/10. It allows for some creative room organization, maybe potential bridging from one platform to another during the renovation process(?) but overall a tedious and inconvenient one to navigate.

Triple Laser: 3/10. guys my chamber is a room with lasers and a pillar in it

Jail Break: 1/10. Idk, something seems suspicious about this one.

"The Last Test": 0/10. not this time motherfucker

P2 GlaDOS Room: 2/10. Not a room meant for interior design, nor compartmentalization. Kinda unsalvageable, especially with the gigantic, untouchable killer robot in the middle.

Repulsion Intro 1/2: 8/10. Honestly, not bad! The way the room is designed is actually quite convenient for travel. As for stairs, only one flight is needed thanks to the wonder of repulsion gel.

Repulsion Intro 2/2: 3/10. Compartmentalized alright, but overall risky and not worth it.

Bomb Flings: 8/10. It's not very organized as a potential home, but ignoring the large death pit, with some renovations it could become a great living space. Perhaps the setting for a rebellion base? Who knows?

Crazy Cube 1/2: 2/10. Small room with only a downpour of water to show for it.

Crazy Cube 2/2: 4/10. Not essential for setting up a living space, plus that giant cage in the middle is weird as hell.

Propulsion Intro: 2/10. Extremely inconvenient for navigation, as is pretty much every chamber in this set.

Propulsion Flings: 6/10. A pretty good chamber, and the best home imaginable if you're that guy from Diamond is Unbreakable.

Test: 1/10. No.

Funnel Intro: 2/10. It sure would suck to get stuck in one of those beams and get levitated to the top of the room. No getting down from there.

Ceiling Button: 1/10. You wanna See a Man Die? Is this what you want?

Wall Button: 1/10. This section of the game in general is just ridiculously dangerous to be in. I don't think I should be here.

Polarity: 1/10. All of these test chambers I'm ranking assuming I don't have a real portal gun, because who on earth does? All of these chambers COUNT on it.

Funnel Catch: 1/10. This chamber's ground is 90% air.

Stop the Cube: 6/10. This chamber is just barely inhabitable, but I will literally take this over ANY OTHER CHAMBER in this chapter.

Laser Catapult: 3/10. Another non-death barrier map, which still has some compartmentalization, but it's still awful for pretty much anything. Can't forget I'd be monitored by a mad robot bent on pretty much anything to get me to do a test.

Laser Platform: 1/10. Your death is 100% going to happen in this chamber if not anywhere else.

Propulsion Catch: 2/10. The only thing that redeems this test is the wonderful view of what could be my neighbor's house.

Repulsion Polarity: 1/10. Turrets, bottomless pit, and hell on earth.

Only 2 More Chambers: 1/10. Don't step on the Aerial Faith Plate. Don't step on the Aerial Faith Plate. Don't step on the Aerial Faith Plate. Don't step on the Aerial Faith Plate. Don't step on the Aerial Faith Plate. Don't step on the Aerial Faith Plate. Don't step on the Aerial Faith Plate. Don't step on the Aerial Faith Plate. Don't step on the Aerial Faith Plate. Don't step on th

AND THUS, THAT CONCLUDES MY LIST. I'm gonna live outside now

#long post #portal #portal 2 #aperture laboratories

5 notes · View notes

darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 4 years

Text

When the Weight Comes Down - 8 - End

Warnings: non-consent sex (series); intercourse, oral

This is dark! (biker) Steve and explicit. 18+ only.

Series Synopsis: Your father’s a drunk, your mother a recluse, and you’re just another small town girl in Birch.

Sister series to Smalltown Bringdown

Note: It was fun sharing this series with you guys. As for the next week, I don’t have anything done, just a bunch of bits and pieces I need to put together for other series and possible one shots. So, I’ll take Monday off at least and figure out what the hell I’m doing.

Thanks to everyone for their patience and feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

Chapter Eight: It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken

And find somewhere to go Go somewhere we're needed Find somewhere to grow Grow somewhere we're needed

💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

The main floor had a large kitchen and a dining room and a second room on the other side of the entryway. The entire place seemed untouched and barely lived in. Curious. And it was much nicer than your parents’ house, but most were.

Upstairs there were several more rooms along with a couple bathrooms and closets. You could guess that it was a recently renovated farmhouse, the skeleton built for a large family who had once worked the land. It seemed much too big for just Steve. And you.

That thought was still sinking in. You didn’t believe Steve. Truly didn’t. This was all just a ploy that you weren’t in on. It felt like everything he’d done was just another trick but you couldn’t guess how. You couldn’t complain either. He was generous despite his brusque demeanour and you hadn’t exactly suffered from his kindness.

He lingered behind you as you walked down the long hallway. You glanced at the framed pictures of trees and seascapes. Steve’s footsteps trailed you and he came up beside you to look at a painting of a barren winter forest.

“We can change the pictures, the curtains, the carpet…” He said. “I never did much. I just needed a place to sleep.”

“I’m not stupid,” You said suddenly, surprising even yourself. “I know what you want.”

“Well, doll, I haven’t exactly been subtle.” He scoffed. “So… tell me what I want?”

You hesitated. There was no way to say it without sounding silly.

“S-sex,” You forced out.

He smirked and reached to run his thumb down the frame of the picture. He slowly turned to you as he planted his hand on the wall. He loomed over you.

“Sex,” He repeated with a chuckle. “And what is it exactly I want from you? What we did last night? Or maybe I want to just bend you over…” He was amused at how you squirmed. “Or maybe I want it all.”

“And you would hurt me if I didn’t?” You asked.

“If? There is no if, doll,” He purred as he tickled your neck. “We know that you’re going to go in there…” He nodded to the door just feet away, “And and what you’re going to do. What we’re going to do.”

You stared at him and took a breath. You shivered and shook your head.

“You go in that room,” He lowered his voice as he played with the strap of your dress, “And wait for me.”

“Wait?” You shook your head.

“I’ll be a few minutes.” He squeezed your shoulder. “More than enough time for you to get ready for me.”

He kissed your forehead and his hand fell from your shoulder. He tilted his head as he watched you. Numbly, you turned and looked at the pale walls as you measured your steps to the door. You turned back as you grasped the knob and Steve stood as he had. He urged you on with a nod and you opened the door.

You stepped inside and shut the door with a click. You looked around the bedroom, the melding hues of the afternoon and evening streamed in between the dark curtains. The large bed stood between a set of weathered nightstands and looked cozy despite its dark blankets.

There were traces of Steve all around, unlike the rest of the house. A tee shirt hung over the lip of the hamper and a towel draped from the back of the armchair. You’d never really thought of how or where Steve lived. In your head, he existed in perpetual foreboding; floated in a nether until he could appear to rein over you.

You walked around the room and peeked out the window. It was at least twice the size of your bedroom and the scent of vinegar and bleach didn’t seep in under the door. You spun back and faced the room. You thought of those dumb harlequin novellas you’d read as a curious teen, the flowery language, and cheesy notions of romance. This wasn’t that.

You went to the bed and sat on the end. You watched the door. An impatience that you scorned. You should be dreading him not expecting him. You clasped your hands together and trembled. You were more nervous than you’d ever been.

The door opened and you looked up. Steve entered and let the door hang open carelessly. He held your eye as he neared and brought his hands up on either side of your face.

“Good girl,” He praised.

You shifted, uncomfortable, and his hands fell. They trailed down your arms and crawled over your waist. He lowered himself to his knees before you as his hands rested on your thighs. He peered up at you, his blue eyes darkened and dilated.

He pulled on your knees and you fought for a moment before he wrenched them apart. He quickly drew himself between your legs and his fingers danced along your skirt. He lifted it slowly and hummed at your nakedness.

“You listened,” He said. “Good girl.”

You looked away, ashamed. He rubbed your thighs and slipped his hands up to your hips as your dress bunched up.

“Relax,” He coaxed. “Lay back, doll.”

“What are you--” Your legs squeezed him as you tried to close them.

“Shh,” He gripped your hips. “Just… listen.”

You took a deep breath and shakily leaned back on your elbows. You fell back completely as one of his hands slid further up your stomach. His fingers stretched along your stomach as his other hand crept along your pelvis.

He shifted between your legs and you were stunned by the warm of his breath along your thigh. He kissed the tender flesh and you flinched. He grabbed your leg and kept you from trying to draw them together. Another kiss and you gasped. You lifted yourself up on his elbows and he pulled back.

“Down,” He commanded.

Your lips parted but your voice was gone. You fell flat and he continued on, his beard tickled the inside of your thighs. He gave a nip and you cried out. He did it again, harder, and you clawed the duvet beneath you. He left a trail of kisses and bites until his warmth reached your pelvis.

His nose tickled along your vee and you gasped. He kept one hand on your thigh as his cool tongue flicked over your folds. You tensed and he squeezed your leg. He delved deeper and your hand flew down without thinking. He slapped your hand away and kept on. The sensation he sent through you was both frightening and intoxicating.

His tongue explored you carefully but grew more fervent. He lapped at you hungrily and swirled around your clit. Your back arched and you grasped at the blankets. Your legs bent against the end of the bed as he grabbed your skirt and balled the fabric in his fist.

Your heart beat furiously as your breath hitched. You writhed against him and closed your eyes as you lost yourself in the rapture. Everything around you faded away; the distant farmhouse, the club, Birch… It was all gone. It was nothing. There was only that feeling.

You whined and slapped the mattress as your core bloomed. The sudden wave of pleasure that washed over you was suffocating. As you moaned, your voice didn’t sound like your own. Your body felt disjointed; like you were watching yourself squirm and squeal in delight.

Steve urged you on with his mouth as he didn’t let up. You came again. You were dizzy and breathless as he forced you over the line over and over. You were weak and sensitive when he finally slowed and sat back on his heels. Your grip slackened on the blankets and you reached down to push your skirt over your exposed pelvis.

“Ah,” He grabbed your wrists as he stood. “We’re not even close to done.”

He pulled you up so that you were sitting on the end of the bed. He let you go and stepped back. His gaze didn’t waver as he pulled his tee shirt over his head. You glanced down at your red dress, the skirt gathered at your waist.

“Keep that on,” He growled. “And look at me.”

Your eyes flitted up and he undid his jeans. Your cheeks burned. You recalled the sight of him the night before. You’d never seen a man entirely naked and here he was undressing before you. So brazen and bold that he seemed to splendour in it. You couldn’t look away, but you weren’t sure it had anything to do with his order.

When he was completely bare before you, your lips formed an o. His muscles were firm along his stomach, arms, and thighs. His flesh was carved with strength. His shoulders were broad and he seemed even bigger as he stood before you in his purest form.

He stepped towards the bed and it felt like you were slapped out of your trance. You kicked your legs back and he lunged forward. You crawled backwards on your hands and feet awkwardly as you tried to evade him. He caught your ankles and dragged you back to him as he lifted his knees up onto the bed.

“Let’s not do that,” He warned as he parted your legs and moved between them.

You blinked as his cock bobbed at the edge of your vision. You tried to focus on his chest, on the sheer power corded along his shoulders. He grabbed your wrists and pinned them to the mattress as he bent over you. You could feel every ounce of strength in his grip.

He kissed you. He was desperate; impatient. He dragged his lips from your and brushed down your cheek. He nuzzled your neck and nibbled the delicate skin. He closed his lips around his teeth and sucked. You cried out at the intricate pressure. You struggled, or tried to. He parted with a ‘pop’.

“What--”

“Gotta make sure they know you’re mine,” He purred as his nose tickled your throat.

He released your wrists as he dropped down onto an elbow and his other hand crept between your bodies. He pushed the straps of your dress down your shoulders until your arms were trapped in it. He cupped your tit and then the other. He moved back to take a nipple in his mouth. He toyed with your roughly and you whimpered at the pluck it sent through your core.

His fingers dug into your hip as he squeezed tighter. You could tell he was holding back, just barely. You were thankful yet terrified. His restraint could not last.

“Touch me,” He whispered against you as he moved over you.

His lips crashed into yours and you murmured into his mouth. You felt around blindly and he grabbed your hand with his. He devoured you as he guided your hand around his cock. You didn’t need any encouragement as you feared what would happen if you tried to retreat now. He shuddered as your hand slid up and down his length.

His hand flew up and grasped your head as he kissed you deeper. He moaned and parted for just a moment before he kissed you again. As you stroked him, he shifted so that his tip rubbed against your sensitive clit. You twitched and he pushed down so that every glide of your hand had him sending ripples through your core.

He eased himself down until he slid along your folds. He prodded at your cunt and ripped your hand from between you. He pulled his lips from yours and held himself up on his elbow as he felt between your legs. His eyes bore into yours as a wrinkle marred his forehead.

“You ready, doll?” He asked as he pressed himself against your entrance.

You gasped. You were terrified. He pushed in just a little and you whined. “N-no!”

He ignored you and pushed further in. You could feel yourself stretching around him. You felt an unnatural fullness as he inched deeper and deeper. You gritted your teeth. The pressure was peculiar but not painful. Your breaths came sharply and you clawed at his sides helplessly.

He pulled back just a little and you let out a sigh.

“Steve,” You pleaded.

He pushed back in and your voice fizzled. This time he sank to his limit. His body kept yours in place and he kissed your cheek as he began to thrust slowly. He smelled like leather and sweat. You could taste tears though you hadn’t felt them fall.

“Doll,” He hummed and inhaled the scent of your hair. “Oh, fuck, so good.”

“P-please,” You stuttered.

“Doesn’t that feel good?” He kept his motion steady; even but teasing.

“I don’t… know,” You bent your legs so that he was cradled between them. You felt an intense tickle and moaned.

“That’s it, just do what you feel,” He cooed.

His pelvis rubbed against your clit. You felt the same tension winding within you. The fabric of your dress scratched between your bodies.

Steve pushed himself up. He impaled you as he sat back and gripped your hips. You grabbed onto his wrists as he sped up. You cried out as he slammed into you. Hard. He jolted your entire body and the bed shook beneath you. The clap of your flesh bounced around the room as you squeezed his wrists in a silent plea.

“Hurts,” You gulped out. “Slow… slow.”

His hand came down on your chest and he stretched his fingers across you. He had you pinned as he leaned his weight into you. He didn’t seem to hear you, or perhaps he chose not to, and his groans added to the lurid cacophony. His thrusts grew sharper and more deliberate.

And you felt the tension break suddenly. You slapped his arm as you came again and your hands grasped his thick thighs as you tried to hold him to you. He bent over you and snaked his arm beneath you. He lifted you in a single motion and bounced you against him.

“Again,” He urged. “Again.”

You rocked against him as the thrill began to wane but quickly rose again as the friction mounted between you. You untangled your arms from the straps and slung them over his shoulders. He grasped the dress and twisted until it was tight around you. He used it to guide you as your body acted in a lusted haze.

When you came again, your voice crackled and you threw your head back. Steve held you up and kept your body moving against him, one hand knotted in your dress and the other on your ass.

“Oh, oh,” He rasped. “Doll, I’m almost there.”

“Wha--” You struggled to understand anything as your mind was little more than stars. “What…” Your heart dropped but the buzz still radiated through you. “N-n-no.”

He grunted and fell onto you. He crushed you against the mattress as his thrusts turned spasmodic. He groaned and you felt the heat seep into you as you wriggled beneath him. He held himself deep within you and slumped heavily over your body. His breath was trapped along the crook of your neck as he stilled.

You were silent as you stared at the ceiling. As you felt his weight over you. His body was a prison. Reality trickled along your spine as your sweat cooled and you lightly tapped his arm.

“Doll?” He breathed and nuzzled your cheek.

“Steve…” You quavered. “Steve… I’m not on… I’m not on anything.”

He lifted his head and looked down at you. He rocked his hips and you quivered.

“That’s alright, doll,” He purred. “I’ll take care of you.”

💀

#Steve Rogers #dark steve rogers #dark!steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #dark steve rogers x reader #dark!steve rogers x reader #series #fic #au #biker!steve rogers #biker au #biker!au #dark fic #dark!fic #when the weight comes down #marvel #mcu #captain america

706 notes · View notes

iplaywithstring · 3 years

Text

We're redoing our house. Nothing major - paint mostly, a couple light fixtures, and I'm going to try covering our counters. It's a lot of work, but it's not hard, and I enjoy it. Plus it's well past time for this to get taken care of. My husband and I have had a rough go of home ownership. We bought this place 14 years ago, a private sale from the person who was supposed to be our realtor but only showed us dumps. Then he said he had a few condos for sale and our daughter reminded him of his grand daughter and it would be great. And look, I understand I'm speaking from a place of privilege here - the fact that we have a mortgage is more blessing than curse and I know that. But it has been a lot. See, he only sold off 4 of the 12 units (and two were sold to his own kids) and then he just sort of...stopped. No proper condo association, no proper finances set up for the upkeep, wouldn't take calls or respond to messages or come to meetings. He lost his realtor license a couple years after selling us this place - apparently he was known for bad deals, but we had no idea. Every year for about 7 years someone from the city would knock on the door to ask about the abandoned properties. My husband and I did what we could for lawn care, the 4 owners pooled together for shared services (like snow clearing) and we managed to pay down 40k in debt to the city that we didn't know was building. Lawyers were involved, calls and emails to city and provincial offices. Not much could be done. Then a few years ago, the 8 empty units were sold in a tax sale to a new owner. We thought it would be better, and in a lot of ways it is, but it's still not good (and the new guy also isn't interested in following the law with regards to the condo, and he gets 8/12 votes, so there's not much we can do, and he won't do the things necessary to get paperwork so we can sell). All of this means that our relationship to the house is complicated. It's where our kids have grown up (we bought it when my daughter was a year old and we just found out I was pregnant), so there's a ton of good memories, but it's always felt not quite ours. We were too poor to invest much into it when we first bought it, and then as the problems piled up investing seemed like a bad idea (because who knows if the roof will leak or fall in). Last year it was almost condemned and I'm so thankful the other owners were willing and able to put the money in to fix the problem (electrical and water systems - we were out of the house for 6 weeks). We have done some updates - the bathroom got completely gutted because the paint wouldn't stop peeling from the walls, and half the grout between the awful orange tiles was missing. A few years ago we ripped up the old carpets on the second level and put down laminate flooring. We've done as much of the work ourselves as we can (and we're not very good at it). When we bought it, we were told it would be painted. What actually happened is they put a bunch of crack fill on the walls and then just primed it - lumpy and streaky and bad. One year I spent a week painting most of the walls - the hallways and downstairs and the kids room - but I didn't do any prep or fix work beforehand, I was just tired of the grungy off-white mess. Until today I had a yellow kitchen and hallways and a mint green dining/living room. I like the powder blue bathroom (with a ceiling to match), but the green in the main space is a problem, especially when I'm trying to take pictures of weaving. We spent some time in the spring trying to patch and sand, but at this point honestly it needs a skim coat and we are not up to that. So I bought flat paint and I'm calling it character. I've got plans for a big wall of family pictures and new lighting in the hallways. We've been living in a space that didn't really feel like ours, and now we're changing that and it feels so good. I'm hoping to get the downstairs done before it's too cold to paint with the windows open. Upstairs can wait a bit - our room feels like ours since we did the floors, so it's not as

urgent. The kids feel the same, and they can't quite decide on colours, so it's not a rush anyway. I haven't decided if I'm changing the colour in the bathroom. This is still just a stop-gap. I would like to move in the next few years (we never intended to live here more than 5 years, it's quite small for 4 of us, especially with two of us home full time now), but if that doesn't happen, I want to renovate. Take out a wall, put a pass-through in a different wall, completely tear out the kitchen. It's better to have dreams than to feel stuck.

#this is my life #home ownership #having a single income is hard when it comes to big things like this #I feel a bit guilty with every purchasse #but all I've done is the kitchen and it already feels better #I'm so tired of living in a space that feels bad

9 notes · View notes

thecazagroup · 1 year

Photo

🏠 in #Washington DC 20019 5045 C St SE #302 $345,000 | 2🛏 2🛁

C St Condominiums! Beautiful 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condo in a sought after condo community that combines urban living with natural beauty. Stunning top floor unit offers the largest floor plan in the building and a comfortable, modern living experience! Spacious and bright open-concept living room with large windows that fill the room with natural light. The living room seamlessly flows into a fully equipped kitchen, complete with stainless steel appliances, sleek countertops, new backsplash and ample storage space. Dining area conveniently located just off the kitchen, perfect space for entertaining. Both bedrooms are generously sized and offer ample closet space! Primary bedroom features an en-suite bathroom with a luxurious renovated shower, jacuzzi tub and dual basins; and with a massive walk-in closet and a newly renovated balcony overlooking the city. The second bedroom is just steps away from the main bathroom, making it perfect for guests or a home office. Private balcony with a stunning view, providing a peaceful oasis! Additional features include a full laundry room with a new washer and dryer inside the unit, central heating and cooling, a newly installed water heater, an intercom system and a designated parking space that conveys with the unit. Unit has new LVP flooring in the living and dining areas. Located in a prime location, easy access to downtown DC and shops and restaurants, while also providing easy access to major transportation routes for commuters. Don't miss out on the opportunity to make this stunning condo your new home!

☎️ 703.337.3699 #TheCAZAGroup creates #RavingFans by helping our community make smarter #HomeBuying and #HomeSelling decisions with less hassle and better service. We're serious about helping you make excellent and informed decisions. Click here for details https://www.thecazagroup.com/ #SatisfactionGuarantee #RealEstate

0 notes

johnaleitner · 2 years

Text

Canadian Mountain Style Meets Retro-Chic in This Whistler Cabin

Lyndon Cormack, who, along with Jamie, created the retro-inspired Vancouver accessories brand Herschel Supply Co., was looking for a Whistler property. It wasn’t just a holiday home or fancy city apartment. He knew what he wanted, a log home in the Canadian mountain style.

__S.92__

__S.206__

__S.369__

__S.473__

__S.668__

__S.760__

__S.931__

__S.1011__

__S.1087__

__S.1159__

__S.1227__

__S.1350__

__S.1406__

__S.1458__

__S.1528__

__S.1570__

__S.1641__

__S.1671__

__S.1697__

__S.1754__

__S.1762__

References:

By: Carolann Rule Title: Canadian Mountain Style Meets Retro-Chic in This Whistler Cabin Sourced From: montecristomagazine.com/magazine/winter-2022/lyndon-cormack-log-cabin Published Date: 03-02-2023

Choose Canadian Home Style for your Vancouver kitchen renovation projects.

Canadian Home Style is your family-owned and operated custom cabinetry retailer with a showroom in North Vancouver, BC. We are the official dealer of Cabico custom cabinetry in the Lower Mainland, providing complete kitchen renovations with an extended lifetime warranty. We always keep up to date with the latest trends and are proud members of the NKBA, National Kitchen and Bath Association. In addition, we have won the Consumer’s Choice Awards back-to-back in 2021, 2022 and 2023 for our commitment to business excellence. We are considered one of the highest-rated kitchen and bath design and renovation experts in Metro Vancouver. Book now to visit our North Vancouver showroom, where you can get expert advice from one of our kitchen and bath designers. We’re happy to be a part of your journey with your next kitchen renovation project in Metro Vancouver.

Our mission is to help homeowners create beautiful homes that reflect their lifestyles while reducing energy consumption and conserving resources. We do this by providing our clients with innovative products, services and education. Our vision is to become Canada’s leading sustainable kitchen design and custom cabinetry solutions provider. Our values include integrity, respect, honesty and transparency. These principles guide us as we strive to provide outstanding customer service.

We believe that our success depends on the success of our clients and their customers. We work hard to ensure our clients get the most out of their investments. Our team consists of highly skilled professionals who are experts in their field. They have years of experience working together and know what works and what doesn’t. They understand how to solve problems quickly and efficiently. We are committed to providing excellent customer service. We listen carefully to our client’s concerns and suggestions. We take these into account when planning and executing projects. We always strive to exceed expectations.

Services We Offer:

Flooring

Kitchen Renovation

Bathroom Renovation

Kitchen and Bath Design

Main Areas of Service in British Columbia:

Vancouver

North Vancouver

West Vancouver

Burnaby

Coquitlam

Squamish

Whistler

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a stove and refrigerator be side by side?

They can be side-by side if there’s enough space for both appliances. It is not a good idea in kitchen design. This can result in wasted space and cramped spaces. It’s better to place the stove and refrigerator in different areas of your kitchen. This creates a more efficient workflow, and the kitchen feels larger.

How can I make white kitchens more interesting?

There are many ways to make your white kitchen more appealing. Another way to make your white kitchen more appealing is to use coloured backsplash tiles and appliances. Another option is to incorporate wood elements if you want to add warmth to your white kitchen. To bring out the natural warmth and beauty of a white surface, warm LED lighting is another option. Whatever route you decide to take, remember that adding your style is the best way to make your kitchen unique.

Where do I start when planning a kitchen?

There are many choices whether you want to remodel an existing space and/or design a dream new kitchen.

Before you begin, spend some time gathering inspiration online. Look online for inspiration photos. Keep track of design ideas. With a pen, paper and a pencil, draw out where each element will be located.

Now think of ways to improve upon these spaces. What could be improved? What would your ideas be? If you want to get creative, why not ask someone who knows what she’s talking about?

Once you know what you want to achieve, it’s now time to start. Start with the basics. Remove all extra clutter. Dispose of appliances you aren’t using often. Replace old fixtures with newer models.

Next, look for areas in your kitchen that are tight. This means finding places where there isn’t room for storage or countertops. Consider how you can make the most of these spots. Perhaps you could turn them into wine cellars and pantries.

Lighting is important. Are there any areas that could use a brighter light source? A wall sconce may be able to brighten dark corners.

After you have made your list of improvements it is time to start the fun part: implementing them.

Do not worry if your knowledge isn’t perfect at first. Keep at it until you get it right. Remember that no project is complete if you don’t enjoy using it every day.

Are open-concept and modular kitchens in decline?

Because they are modern and easy to use, open-concept kitchens remain popular. For many reasons, homeowners are returning to traditional kitchen designs.

An open-concept kitchen can make it very noisy. A second reason is the difficulty in keeping a clean open-concept space tidy due to all of the dust and cooking gasses that circulate throughout.

For families that want to cook together, open-plan kitchens can be a great option. But they can also be a nightmare if you have kids that like to play in the kitchen and don’t always listen to their parents! If you’re considering an open-concept kitchen, carefully weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.

What color matches best with a white-colored kitchen?

Although a white kitchen can be done in many colours, walnut will work well. The warmth of the natural wood tones will enhance the space. They will also work well together. Black and grey can be a great choice if your preference is for something more subtle. However, if you want to make a statement, go for a bright colour like red or yellow. Whichever way you go, make sure your decor fits in with the style.

Do you place flooring under your kitchen appliances?

You can’t ignore the importance of putting flooring under kitchen appliances. This will ensure your countertop is at the right counter height.

Statistics

This is rather grim, but according to Business Insider, 12 percent of couples consider getting a divorce while renovating their home! (familyhandyman.com)

According to Burgin, some hinges have this feature built-in, but it’s an add-on cost for other models of about $5 retail, adding up to $350 to $500 for an entire kitchen, depending on size. (hgtv.com)

In the Pacific region (Alaska, California, Washington, and Oregon), according to Remodeling Magazine, that same midrange central kitchen remodel jumps to $72,513, and a major upscale kitchen remodels jumps up $11,823 from the national average to $143,333. (hgtv.com)

Your most significant cost investment for a kitchen remodel will usually be cabinets, typically comprising 25 percent of your budget. (hgtv.com)

Keep 10 to 25 percent of List 2, depending on the budget. (familyhandyman.com)

External Links

forbes.com

Amazing Kitchen Remodel Ideas To Refresh Your Home

familyhandyman.com

Family Handyman

Create an Open, Craftsman-Style Kitchen (DIY)

hgtv.com

Choosing Kitchen Appliances | HGTV

HGTV – Creating a Kitchen for Entertaining

homeguide.com

2022 Kitchen Remodel Cost Estimator

2022 Home Addition Costs

How To

How to design and build a kitchen you love to cook in.

Kitchen design should balance aesthetics and practicality. So that your kitchen is a place you feel at ease, can cook delicious food and entertain friends and family, and where you can unwind after a long day, you should plan carefully.

These are some ideas to help you design your dream kitchen.

Determine the layout that best suits your needs. L-shaped and U-shaped kitchens are the most popular. L-shaped kitchens work well for entertaining and can comfortably accommodate multiple cooks. U-shaped Kitchens are ideal for families who spend a lot in the kitchen. They provide plenty of counter space and storage. Galley kitchens work well in small spaces because they are efficient and simple to use.

Look into different types of cabinetry options and choose quality products. There are many options to choose from, depending on your budget. It will pay big dividends to invest in high-end cabinets. They will last for a longer time, look better, provide greater protection against temperature and humidity changes, as well as being more durable.

Choose a color scheme that makes your heart happy. It doesn’t matter if you prefer a particular shade of pink or green, choose a color scheme that brings life and color to your kitchen. You could use bright colors, or soft pastels. Just make sure it matches the rest of the room.

It is important to find the right balance between function & beauty. The kitchen does not have to be perfect. Sometimes it is more important to think about functionality than appearances. However, this does not mean that you shouldn’t include some decorative elements. Use a mix of glass, chrome, brass, ceramic, stone, wood, etc., to create an interesting focal point.

Create a comfortable environment. Remember that comfort is the most important thing when designing your kitchen. This space will be used a lot, so it should feel welcoming and comfortable. You can add seating, lighting fixtures and other features to help you unwind after a long day.

Storage is important. You should have ample storage space in your kitchen to store all your cooking tools, utensils as well as dishes, pots and pans. Consider adding cabinets to your kitchen when you are planning a remodel.

Include a pantry. You can store and organize food items in a dedicated pantry. You will also be able to stockpile additional supplies in an area separate from your kitchen, which will reduce clutter.

A new flooring option might be worth considering. Your kitchen’s overall appearance and feel will be affected by the flooring you choose. There are many choices. If you have a small space, consider running the same flooring throughout the house to avoid the need for transition pieces.

Expanding plan. One of the biggest mistakes people make when remodeling their kitchens is not including enough room for future growth. Consider adding another walk-in or sliding closet to expand your countertop space.

You should ensure that there is enough light. Being able to see your work is the best way you can enjoy your kitchen. Your kitchen should be used as a place to gather with family members.

Make sure you have energy-efficient appliances. When remodeling your kitchen, energy efficiency is a key consideration. This means that old appliances should be replaced with more efficient models.

Be realistic about your budget. Before shopping for new appliances, cabinets, or anything related to your kitchen project, do a detailed analysis of your finances. You will be able to narrow down your choices and save money over the long-term if you know how much you can afford.

Define a place for entertaining. Designate a space for entertaining, whether you host dinner parties or just enjoy socializing with friends over drinks.

An island can be added to your kitchen. An island is a great addition for any kitchen.

Helpful Resources:

Always check our latest articles at… https://canadianhomestyle.com/category/kitchen-and-bath

The post Canadian Mountain Style Meets Retro-Chic in This Whistler Cabin appeared first on Canadian Home Style.

Via https://canadianhomestyle.com/kitchen-and-bath/canadian-mountain-style-meets-retro-chic-in-this-whistler-cabin/

source https://canadianhomestyle.weebly.com/blog/canadian-mountain-style-meets-retro-chic-in-this-whistler-cabin

0 notes

midnightsvns · 4 years

Photo

Now I see daylight — a Twilight fanfic

summary: Edward spent his life so long in a ninety-year midnight. Now, all he sees is daylight. A short story about Nessie’s first prom. “How could I ever tell her how grateful I was? Grateful that she could always see past the worst of me and my mistakes. Grateful that she had unlimited selflessness, giving us the family I’d envisioned for her, but thought impossible for me. Grateful that she was all too happy to be the first and only love of my existence. Grateful that cruel fate, after our various ordeals, had turned merciful to bring us to this heaven.” words: 8,280.

AN: so. i was absolutely wrecked after reading the very sad note on which midnight sun ended. to lick my wounds, i wrote this fic, set 12 years after breaking dawn, on the day of nessie’s prom. 404 plot not found just fluff of edward & bella being happy with their now adult daughter. title/summary inspired by the t.s. song daylight. full text under the cut!

Bella and I walked with hands intertwined in the woods behind our house, on our way to the cottage a few miles away that served as our daughter Renesmee’s “room.” When she turned seven, we decided she deserved a space of her own, a space that was removed from her supernatural family who could hear every move she made even if she had a whole floor of the house to herself. It was not unlike the first cottage the three of us had lived in together, back in Forks, in the first year of Bella and I’s marriage. To me, those days seemed as close as yesterday—in reality, twelve years had passed like the blink of an eye. Our daughter was all grown-up now, about to graduate high school for the first time, and today was her very first prom.

We walked at human pace, enjoying the lights and the sounds of early morning in the forest. Before Bella, I would have hated moving at such a glacial pace, always wanting to reach my destination as fast as possible, never lingering under the sunlight long enough to contemplate the diamond-like sparkling of my marble skin. A constant reminder of my inhumanity. But now I relished having the chance to see my wife in the light of day. I knew that all the poets and philosophers who, for two thousand of years, had tried to define beauty, to describe it, had irrevocably failed—because none of them had been fortunate enough to witness Bella smiling and shining under the golden rays of sunlight. I squeezed her hand and chuckled to myself.

Bella, of course, noticed my jocularity. “What are you thinking about?” she wondered.

“I thought that was my line,” I replied, grinning at her. Bella easily controlled her gift now, raising and lowering her mental shields at will. Except in special moments of communication, her shields were always up. She could maintain shields around other people, too, granting peace for me and privacy for my family. The quiet that resulted inside my head was a balm; I could be thankful for it for a hundred years and it would not be enough.

She sighed, and her eyes were suddenly downcast. “Well, I’m glad one of us is cheerful enough to laugh today.” She stopped walking, let go of my hand, and sought shelter under the shadow of a large evergreen tree. I regretted seeing her move away from the sunshine.

Her mournful tone surprised me. “What’s wrong, love? You’ve been looking forward to Renesmee’s prom for weeks now.” It was all I heard the ladies at the house discussing as of late. Alice, our very own literal visionary, was making all their dresses, works of art that were sure to rival even the most revered of Paris’ haute couture scene. Rosalie was browsing our family’s sizable collection of jewelry—composed of heirlooms from our human lives and the very many anniversary gifts from over the decades—for the perfect sets of accessories that would go with Alice’s creations. Esme was renovating and redecorating the front room, the staircase, and the porch, in preparation for today’s sure-to-be endless photo opportunities.

Bella looked up at me, her golden eyes looking regretful. “I just… can’t help but be a little sad that she’s grown up so fast. She’s only twelve, Edward. I spent more time as a clumsy, awkward human child than I’ve spent as her mother,” Bella said, sighing again. “And now she’s graduating and going off to college for the first time? She’s not an adult! How are we even sure she’s fit to be by herself in the human world already? How is she gonna eat? How will she hunt? What if she needs us, or she gets hurt and Carlisle can’t get to her in time? She can’t just go to a human doctor!” Her voice got more and more agitated with every worry she voiced. “And what if she starts dating? And she doesn’t tell us because we’re not there?! She says she’s not interested in anyone romantically now, boys or otherwise, but it’s her first four years in college! She’s bound to catch the sights of some… some no-good jerk who—”

“Stop, Bella,” I said gently, interrupting her before she could spiral any further. I had to resist the urge to laugh at her tirade. It reminded me of the time I went on a very similar, equally anxious rant. Emmett had thought I was a crazy person, worrying about the myriad things that could wipe the human girl I loved out of existence. This time, though, these worries were much easier for me to assuage than when I was fretting over Bella’s mortality and her uncanny ability to attract danger.

I joined her under the cover of the tree and held her marble face in my hands. “Love, I understand wholly all of your anxieties. They’re mine, too. But we need to put a significant amount of trust and faith in our daughter if we want to stay sane during the next four years,” I said earnestly, cracking a little smile, and then started addressing Bella’s concerns one at a time.

“I’m also sad that it has been just twelve short years, and already, we have to let her go. And as much as we may not like it, she is an adult now. She has been for five years. I know she grew up too fast, but if that is the small sacrifice that makes the miracle of her existence possible, then so be it. And she’s had no problems being around humans since she started high school with us when she was eight. As for her eating habits, well, I am worried about the amount of junk food she’ll consume once she is left unsupervised. And she doesn’t need to hunt as frequently as we do…. Once, maybe twice, a month, she can come back here and any one of us would love to go hunting with her. She is also not so fragile that she would ever need the care of any other doctors than Carlisle, Rosalie, or me. As for her first romantic relationship, well... she’s smart, strong-willed. We have to trust that we have raised her well enough that she’ll be responsible, that she’ll know how to protect her heart, and that she’ll be comfortable enough to turn to us for any questions she might have. You are a good mother, Bella. You raised an amazing young woman.” She looked as though she was about to argue, but she said nothing. She must have lowered her shield because I heard her thoughts instead: We raised an amazing young woman. You, Carlisle, Esme, Rose, Alice, Emmett, and Jasper… Even Charlie, Sue, Jacob, and Seth. It really does take a village. Her smile was wry.

I shook my head and smiled back at her. She was still bad at taking compliments. “We just have to trust Ness, love. As much as I would never want to see her hurt, we have to let her make her own mistakes. To let her take risks. And we have to give her freedom while she still thinks it’s ours to grant. If she thinks she’s not ready for this yet, or becomes overwhelmed in any way, she knows she can come back home at any time. All we can do is be there for her, and as long as she knows she’s not alone in this, that she never has to carry the world on her shoulders because we’re supposed to carry part of it for her… She will be fine.”

I looked straight into my wife’s eyes, still holding her face, hoping I had eased her anxieties a little. She visibly relaxed, then placed her hands over mine.

“You know, I really hate it when you make sense,” Bella stated matter-of-factly, glaring at me and pouting a little. I laughed and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. Then I pulled her close to my side and led us back on the way to Renesmee’s cottage. If, thirteen years ago, anyone—even Alice—had told me that someday I would be trying to soothe Bella after a bout of anxiety instead of the other way around, I would have laughed in their face.

We made it to the cottage in companionable silence, and Bella’s mood seemed cheerier than before, back to being excited for the day’s events. She knocked on the door, calling for Nessie to wake up, but our daughter opened the door in a flash, greeting us with a chipper hello and a wave to indicate that we should let ourselves in.

“Good morning, Ness. You’re up early,” I commented. Not that our daughter was a late sleeper, but she was also not what one would call a morning person.

“I’m very well-rested, thank you,” she said, walking to the couch in the middle of the cottage’s main living area and plopping down onto it.

“How many hours did you sleep last night?” I asked, suspicious. Half-human, half-vampire hybrid though she was, Carlisle’s recommendation was still at least seven hours of sleep a night, and she often ignored it.

“Seven,” she replied too fast. I raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, six. Maybe five total…” she grimaced, sheepish now. “I was reading books! And I finished a movie.” I was unhappy to hear it. We really didn’t have an exact number of how many hours of sleep she needed each night, but I was sure five wasn’t enough for anyone, human or otherwise. I shook my head and sat next to her on the couch.

The cottage was a cozy place, with a kitchenette in the main room, one bedroom and a small bathroom down a narrow hallway. The main area was where Nessie spent most of her time, a rectangular room with big windows that let in a generous amount of natural light. The wide wall in front of the couch served as the canvas for a mural of the turquoise sea and white-sand beach at Isle Esme, painted from memory by Bella and Renesmee. The three of us had spent two weeks there a couple of years ago to celebrate Nessie’s birthday and my tenth wedding anniversary with Bella. It was my favorite painting in the world.

On the eastern wall was a bay window, Renesmee’s favorite reading nook, flanked by two tall bookshelves. And in front of the couch was a low coffee table, cluttered with books, stacks of paper, journals, pens, paints and paintbrushes, canvasses, coffee mugs, and a laptop. I sighed. The organized chaos, as Ness often referred to it, reminded me much of her mother’s old room at the Swan residence. Bella started tidying up the table immediately, replacing books onto the shelves and rearranging the mess on the table. I turned my attention to the kitchenette’s dirty dishes and the haphazardly discarded clothes on the couch, shaking my head at the untidiness. She spent her days with us either at school or at the main house, and sometimes even slept there when she felt like it. How could one girl create so much disarray after one night?

“Mom, Dad, stop it, I’ll do that later…” Nessie admonished us halfheartedly, but we were done cleaning up before she finished speaking the sentence.

“Did you already have breakfast, honey?” Bella asked.

Ness nodded and grinned. “I had cereal and two Pop-Tarts.”

Wonderful. Clearly she knew how to make healthy choices. I almost wished for the time before she had outgrown her distaste for human food. At least on a diet of animal blood, we knew she was getting some nutrients.

Bella rolled her eyes, although I knew she wasn’t really annoyed. “Esme will make you eat some fruit at the house. Are you ready to go now? Alice wants to do a final fitting of your dress, just in case she needs to make any changes.”

“It’s too bad Aunt Alice can’t see me in her visions. She could just decide to make any changes and then know which ones are right,” Nessie mused, then shook her head and bounded up from the couch, walking quickly down the hallway and into her bedroom. She came out a second later, hands deftly fastening a necklace on the nape of her neck. It was the necklace Rosalie had given her as a present for her birthday last year, a thin platinum chain and an oval pendant with the family crest on it. We filed out of the cottage, and Bella locked the door behind her.

The three of us walked together, Nessie in the middle. I asked her what books she was reading last night that she had gotten so little sleep. Instead of communicating verbally, she held my hand and showed me.

I started seeing her memories from only a few hours ago, implanted into my mind as seamlessly as though they were my own. I saw her reading all seven books of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series and watching the first film adaptation. I saw how much she’d enjoyed them. Then, I saw her thoughts on the character Aslan, the wise talking lion and savior of Narnia. She admired him, his kindness and wisdom and compassion…. Suddenly, I saw my own face mixed in with images of the lion. She was trying to tell me the lion reminded her of me.

It shocked me. I’d enjoyed the world of Narnia at the time they were published and became widely popular in the 1950s, and even Bella had told me it was one of her favorite book series. As a lonely immortal, I’d always taken comfort in the fact that I had an Aslan-like figure in my life to look up to. My father, Carlisle. It never occurred to me to think that I could ever fill that role for someone else.

I must be doing something right, I marveled to myself. If Renesmee could liken me to someone who reminded me so much of Carlisle, then perhaps fatherhood wasn’t as lost on me as I had so often felt it was. It was like I was walking on a cloud, an invisible weight lifted off my shoulders. I wrapped my arm around Nessie as we walked, trying to let her know how much I appreciated the privilege of her sharing her thoughts with me. And then she surprised us by speaking in a serious tone.

She moved away from under my arm and moved a few paces ahead, turning around so she could face us. She walked backwards as she talked, her footing steady and sure. “Momma, Daddy, I don’t think I’ve thanked either of you yet… for allowing me to go and study on my own. I know you’ve always tried to let me have a normal childhood, to make sure I never missed out on anything. I love living with you guys. I love talking to Grandpa Carlisle about history and art. I love helping Grandma work on houses. I love shopping and appreciating fashion with Aunt Alice and Aunt Rose. I love playing chess with Uncle Jasper and Uncle Emmett. I love our piano lessons, Daddy, and our two-person exclusive book club, Momma. I love going back to Forks on holidays to visit Grandpa Charlie. I love our baseball games. But now I’m ready to experience the world for myself. I know it must be hard to let me go and that you’re scared for me. I’m scared, too….”

If my heart were still alive, it might have grown in size from the joy I felt. Renesmee rarely addressed us this way anymore. It was always Mom and Dad or Edward and Bella, if we were in public. It carried me back to the days when she was still just a little child. A rapidly growing, highly intelligent child, but still our little child. She was always so perceptive; it was as though she’d sensed the essence of the conversation Bella and I had had before we reached the cottage, and this sober declaration was her way of telling us she understood.

“You have nothing to thank us for, sweetheart,” I said quickly, at the same time that Bella hurried to ask Nessie what she was afraid of, concern in her voice.

Our daughter blew out a long breath. “I’m scared of living alone, of being completely responsible for myself. But I’m really excited about it, too, and most of the time the excitement overpowers any doubts I have. I’m certain I wanna do this, and don’t they always say that something isn’t worth doing if you’re not at least a little bit afraid?” she asked, her smile reaching her deep brown eyes.

Bella paused and left my side to grasp our daughter by the shoulders. “All we want, Nessie, all we will ever want, is your happiness. And we want you to find out what that means for you on your own terms. If you decide tomorrow that you’d be happy never going to college at all, none of us will argue with your decision. But I can see how sure you are about going. I can’t promise you that I won’t be worried sick and that I won’t be calling you multiple times a day until you’re very, very annoyed with me… But I know you can take care of yourself now, and I can’t wait to see what you do next, baby.” Bella’s lovely voice sounded assured, no trace of the anxiety she’d confided in me just moments earlier. This was what I meant whenever I told Bella she was a good mother, and seeing her in action never failed to earn my awe.

“Thank you, Momma,” Renesmee said sincerely, circling her arms around Bella, and Bella hugged her back. “And I promise I will never be annoyed by your calls, even if you call a hundred times a day,” she said, grinning. “I won’t ignore yours, either, Daddy.”

This made me and Bella laugh. Of course Nessie would make time to take her crazy parents’ calls. No one was sweeter than our daughter.

Their hug ended, and we kept walking. Suddenly there was a glint of mischief in Renesmee’s eyes, and then she touched my arm and Bella’s to tell us we were being challenged to a race. Before the thought was even fully communicated she had already taken off running to the house. I shook my head and chuckled as we hurried after her. She couldn’t quite run as fast as vampires, but the head start might be enough to guarantee her win.

When we reached the house, my brothers were waiting outside for us to arrive. They both had cameras in hand—Jasper a professional digital SLR and Emmett a Polaroid instant camera. With Bella around, I couldn’t hear their minds, so I raised an eyebrow at the both of them in question. What were they up to now?

“Nessie’s already in the house, you rusty old slowpokes,” Emmett said in greeting, mocking me and Bella. But mostly me. “And to think you used to be the fastest, Edward. What a fall from grace. Let me take a picture of this really embarrassing moment for you real quick.” He positioned the instant camera near my face and pressed a button, and it started whirring as it printed out the picture. He grinned and deposited it into a large red handbag, presumably Rosalie’s, that he had slung over his shoulder.

I rolled my eyes at my brother and asked what they were doing with the cameras instead of responding to Emmett’s attempts at vexing me. It was Jasper who answered. “We’re having a photography competition. Whoever contributes the most shots for Esme’s photo albums will win. She’s planning to keep one for us and one to send to Forks for Charlie, so we’ll need a lot of pictures.”

“Yeah, and the winner—who will definitely be me—gets to skip the bake sale that Esme is going to for some hospital fundraiser,” Emmett explained with an arrogant smile. I rolled my eyes again. Of course my brothers had found a way to turn this day into some kind of contest.

“Doesn’t the Polaroid give you a pretty significant disadvantage, Em?” I pointed out, wondering how much film he was lugging around in Rose’s handbag.

“Just because it’ll be more challenging doesn’t mean I can’t still win,” he replied, shrugging. “The pictures I take will be better. Plus, the easy way is overrated, don’t you think?”

Jasper shook his head at Emmett’s smugness, then told me and Bella to pose for a picture. I turned to Bella and she turned to me, and I held both of her hands. I smiled adoringly down at her as she stared back up at me with her deep, amber eyes. We weren’t looking at the cameras, but I heard the workings of the two small devices as my brothers captured the moment.

“Aww, you two are disgusting,” Emmett chuckled as Jasper showed the photograph to all of us on the camera’s tiny screen. “Esme’s going to love that one.” The Polaroid Emmett had taken was still developing, and he shoved it inside the red bag with all the others. Then they went inside to find better subjects for their contest.

Bella and I made our way inside as well. The house was alive with the whole family looking forward to tonight’s events. I heard Alice, Rosalie, and Nessie in Alice’s room, chattering and working away on their gowns. I heard Esme in the kitchen, making breakfast for Renesmee or perhaps practicing some recipes for the upcoming bake sale. I heard Jasper and Emmett running around everyone like a couple of paparazzi, taking pictures left and right. Only Carlisle was absent, hard at work at the hospital, but he’d be back in time to see us all off to prom tonight. Bella kissed my cheek in farewell before joining Nessie with her aunts upstairs.

I gravitated towards the piano, as I often did. I scanned the perfect mental repository of all the music I knew, trying out a few bars from different pieces—some my own compositions and some written by better musicians than I—but none of them spoke to me…. Until one did. I sat down and began playing the first notes of “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity” from Holst’s orchestral suite, The Planets. It was a piece that sounded abundantly better when played by a full orchestra, but I enjoyed it regardless. My hands glided quickly across the piano keys to produce the quick, jaunty chords of the exposition. Then the development came in ritardando, varying from the cheery main theme to take a strangely calm, nostalgic turn. Although it evoked feelings of nostalgia, it wasn’t sad. Only pensive about a time already past. The piece concluded a tempo, returning to the happy and powerful main theme. I didn’t realize how much the song reflected my mood until I was already finished playing it.

Knowing her thoughts were protected by Bella’s shield, Esme offered me her kind compliments out loud from the kitchen. “That was wonderful, Edward,” she gushed. “I have always been so fond of that piece. Please play some more, darling.” I murmured a thanks, then obliged my mother and started playing her favorite, the very song I had played for Bella the first time I brought her home to meet my family. Even though the memory was tainted by the agony and danger of the events that followed, I still looked back on it with some joy. That was the night Bella became a part of our family.

The day went on that way, calm and peaceful, everyone busy with their respective tasks. Nessie came down to join me once in the afternoon and let me hear a new composition she was working on. It was her best yet, and I told her as much. Bella came downstairs as well, listening to me play and rereading Persuasion by Jane Austen while she sat beside me on the piano bench.

Before long, it was time for us to get dressed and ready for the prom. I quickly changed into my dark brown suit. The color had been my only stipulation, the rest decided by Alice’s keen sense of fashion. Since that overcast Thursday morning—the day that had been my turn to ask questions—my favorite color had never wavered from brown. The chocolate-brown color of Bella’s human eyes was not just preserved fondly in my memories, but alive forever in Nessie, and it was beyond the bounds of possibility for me to separate such a color from the meaning of all my happiness.

After I was dressed, I tried to peek into Alice’s room to see if they were ready to go, but Alice, annoying as ever, blocked my entrance and told me to wait with Esme and Carlisle downstairs. I rolled my eyes but followed her instructions. Arguing with Alice was almost never worth it.

Carlisle was just arriving home from work right as I was coming down the stairs, and when he saw me, his eyes lit up. “Why, you look great, Edward,” he praised, setting his medical bag down on a table in the foyer. I thanked him humbly. He reached up and loosened his tie, likely more out of habit than out of a need to be more comfortable. It struck me as a very fatherly thing to do. Esme came out of the front room, greeting Carlisle with a bright smile and a quick kiss. “You’re home just in time, dear. I think the girls are almost done helping Nessie get ready.”

I snorted. At this rate, we were never going to leave the house in time. “Alice, we’ll be late!” I shouted in the direction of the stairs, knowing she could hear me perfectly.

“No, we won’t!” Alice chimed back confidently. I sighed.

Jasper and Emmett were already in their tuxedos and bounded quickly down the stairs, cameras still in hand. Rosalie was the one who joined us next, looking devastating in a burgundy mermaid dress. Emmett looked like he was about to combust. Jasper smirked at our brother’s dumbstruck expression, snapping a few pictures.

Then it was my turn to be dumbstruck as Bella started down the stairs, moving at full speed to be at my side in an instant. “Alice wouldn’t let me see Ness wearing her dress yet,” she complained, but all my attention was on her at that moment. She looked positively incredible wearing a knee-length, square-necked light azure dress, held up by thin straps with flutter sleeves and inset with a thousand little rhinestones that looked like stars. My wife could have been Selene herself, come down from the moon. I ran my fingers gently through Bella’s long, straight brown locks and pressed my palm to her cheek. And for the nth time in so many years, I was glad for the deal I’d made with Bella on our first wedding anniversary. “You look beautiful, love. Absolutely arresting,” I said honestly.

“I know,” Bella said, beaming up at me, and I laughed happily. This was our deal: whenever I told her the indisputable truth about how beautiful she looked, all she had to say in response was that she knew. In exchange, I was forbidden from spending money on gifts for her for exactly five years, and five years was such a short time for creatures such as we that the zero-gifts rule felt like it was lifted immediately. I circumvented the moratorium, anyway, by getting gifts that were for both Bella and Nessie, or both Bella and Esme…. It may not have been the fairest of contracts, but my intentions were of the purest kind. I leaned down and pulled my beautiful goddess of a wife into a deep kiss, and I felt her wide smile as her arms wrapped around my neck. We only broke away from each other when we heard Alice skipping down the stairs, dressed in a white two-piece cocktail dress that made her look like a mischievous fairy.

“Get ready, everyone!” Alice squealed, clapping her hands in anticipation. “I can’t wait to see your reactions, I know you’ll all just die.”

My sister was right. Renesmee—our only daughter, the greatest joy of our lives—stood at the top of the stairs in a gorgeous, peach pink off-shoulder gown decorated with the same little rhinestones that were on her mother’s dress and delicate leaf-patterned lace appliques, and she was a sight to die for. As she walked slowly down the stairs, one hand on the banister, Emmett and Jasper took pictures fervently, documenting the entire moment. I saw Bella press her hand to her chest, eyes soft and adoring.

“Well, how do I look?” Nessie asked when she reached the bottom of the stairs, a half-smile on her face. Her soft bronze hair fell in long, spiral waves down her shoulders, and on her neck, she still wore the necklace she’d put on this morning. She spun around in a circle, indulging the attention we lavished on her, understanding that today would not have been such a significant event for us if not for her. Esme made me, Bella, and Nessie pose for pictures by the staircase, then on the couch in the front room, and then outside on the porch. After Esme was satisfied with the pictures of the three of us, Jasper and Emmett set up a tripod and took a photo with all nine of us in the front room, our latest family portrait. When the photoshoot was done, we all filed into our vehicles to make our way to school. Bella and Nessie rode with me in the Volvo, and my siblings rode in Rosalie’s M3.

We made it to the high school just in time, and even from the car, I could already hear the booming electronic dance music and the excited prattle of hundreds of human children crowded around in the school gym. I prepared myself for the barrage of human thoughts I would have to hear tonight; the only people Bella would shield here were our family. Although Bella could shield a roomful of people from me easily, I still needed to be on the lookout for any suspicious minds when we were in public like this. The three of us met the rest of my siblings at the doors to the gym and joined the throng of high schoolers, looking like they were having the time of their lives. Little did they know how many lethal supernatural creatures had just descended upon this party. If they knew, maybe they wouldn’t be so happy.

“Are you ready for your first—but definitely not last—prom, Carlie?” Emmett asked my daughter, grinning. Nessie went by her middle name at school to be less conspicuous. At first, Bella was greatly displeased by the necessity of this precaution, but she couldn’t deny the rationale. We stood out more than enough being newcomers in a small town like this one, with our sheer number, our wealth, our beauty, and our semi-frequent ‘family trips’ to avoid the sun.

“Time to dance the night away!” Nessie said, grinning back at her uncle. She bounded away from us to meet a couple of her classmates, two girls who reminded me of Bella’s human friends, not physically, but in their manner and thoughts. Ness didn’t have many friends, and we had started to worry that her only interaction with other living beings was isolated to her family, but she rarely found her human classmates interesting, and when she did, it was because she genuinely had something in common with them.

The girl who was like Jessica, a brown-haired girl named Lindsay, shouted over the loud music at Nessie in greeting. “Oh my God, look how gorgeous you are!” Jesus, she looks like she belongs in some runway show right now. I wonder what designer this dress is by? Probably cost a million bucks…. I kind of hate her. Lindsay’s thoughts were petty and vitriolic, and I resisted the urge to march over there and shield my daughter from the bitter girl. That would have done more harm than good, so I settled for rolling my eyes and whispering in my wife’s ear about the girl’s thoughts. It was gossipy and ungentlemanly, but I had to share the burden of being powerless to protect Nessie from a fake friend.

“Oh, that girl is in my English class,” Bella said, looking unsurprised. “I knew she was mean, but I liked her Shakespeare essays. Nessie thinks she’s smart.” I scoffed and tuned in to the other girl’s thoughts—Annie, a girl with short, pink-dyed hair who made me think of Angela. She greeted Nessie with a hug, and thought, Wow, she looks like a princess. I should ask her to take a selfie with me! My mom will be super bummed if I don’t take a lot of pics tonight…. Annie pulled out a smartphone, and the three girls smiled as the little device flashed and snapped their ‘selfies.’ And then they ran to the dance floor together, jumping and laughing to the music.

I stayed with Bella in a darkened corner, and we watched Renesmee enjoying herself. Occasionally, one of my siblings would pull us away and make us dance to the upbeat music, but neither of us were particularly fond of the DJ’s infernal choices. The DJ, a baby-faced young boy called Drew who had Spanish class with me, exclusively played EDM and bastardized remix versions of classic love songs. By the ninth EDM song in a row, I finally put my proverbial foot down and crashed the DJ booth on stage to bribe him with a fifty dollar bill so he would play a song of my choosing. The boy was astonished and could barely say anything back to me, but as I walked through the crowd to reach Bella again, Johnny Ace’s “Pledging My Love” started blaring through the loudspeakers. I took Bella’s hand as we walked to the middle of the dance floor, and once we were there, I pulled her close to me and led us in a slow, intimate dance.

“This is the most romantic song I know,” Bella whispered, her head resting on my chest as we swayed slowly in a circle.

I chuckled. “Once upon a time, in a very old and decrepit truck, this song came on the radio and provided an apt soundtrack for the most romantic day of my life. Do you still remember that?”

Bella lifted her head from my chest and looked up at me, her eyebrows knitted together playfully. “My God, thirteen years and you’re still hating on the truck? I think you’ve got some issues to sort out there, honey,” she said, her beautiful lips turned up in a smirk. Then her face became more earnest. “But of course I remember. That was one of the best days of my life, too.”

Her amber eyes looked so full of love, so full of sincerity, that I felt like falling to my knees. As a mature vampire, more than a decade after her transformation, she should have no more than a few blurry recollections of her human life. But Bella felt so strongly about me, about the memories we’d made, that she vehemently held on to our past, even as each day, each minute, and each second brought us further away from it. I kissed her, always trying to let her know how precious she was to me. The song was nearly over, and I sighed. I could have stayed there dancing with her forever and never need anything more.

“Smile, please!” I heard Renesmee say, Emmett’s Polaroid camera in her hand. She snapped a photo of us. Then she turned the camera around, sandwiched herself between her mother and I, stuck her tongue out goofily, and pressed the button on the camera to take a picture again. Bella laughed.

“Where did your friends go?” Bella asked. “I was starting to think you guys would never get tired of dancing together.”

“Oh, they went back to their dates,” Nessie said nonchalantly. “So I decided to annoy Uncle Em by taking his camera.” A folky, lullaby-like acoustic song was now playing through the speakers.

“Oh—I love this song so much!” Nessie gasped. “Please dance with me, Dad?” She whispered the last word to keep any humans from hearing.

How could I refuse her? “Of course, sweetheart.”

Bella smiled and took the camera and the Polaroids from Nessie, saying something about finding Emmett and his big red bag. I led my daughter in a slow dance around the crowd, her hands resting on my shoulders.

“You and Mom looked amazing dancing together like that,” Nessie said casually, but by the look on her face, I could feel how serious the conversation was going to be. “I know the story, Dad. I know everything you went through before you could get here. And I am so happy that it worked out for you. Seeing how much you love Momma, how much she loves you… it makes me never wanna settle for anything less than that.”

My brows furrowed. “Is that why you said no to the boys who asked you to be their date tonight? Because you don’t love any of them?”

We kept swaying to the music, and Nessie chuckled. “Kind of. It’s true I said no because I don’t feel a connection to any of them, but also because I didn’t want tonight to be about some stranger hanging out around our family. I wanted it to just be us, so we could be ourselves.”

My heart swelled. Nessie always thought of our family first. That wasn’t her responsibility, and we would’ve been all too happy to pretend to be human and normal for any prom date of her choice, but she thought of us first. She was so like her mother in some ways.

“What did you mean, then? About never settling for anything less?” I asked. Something about the way she’d said it worried me, made me feel as though there were insecurities underneath her positive tone that needed to be addressed.

She took a deep breath. “I just… I realized that real love like I’ve seen with you and Mom, Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Em and Aunt Rose, Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice… it’s rare and it’s wonderful. And I think I would prefer waiting for a love where I could feel everything there is to feel rather than try to force something with anyone I’m not sure about. And I realize I could be waiting forever if I keep waiting for something perfect, but that’s the point, isn’t it? And I can’t imagine how I would ever find something like that. And that’s all right, I think.”

Renesmee’s words were full of conviction, and I started thinking about how, someday, the day would come when we would be dancing just like this—I would be in a tuxedo and she would be in a big white dress—at her wedding, for the father-daughter dance. Like her, I could not imagine yet the person she would marry, but I saw our family there. I saw Charlie desperately trying to ignore how our faces still remained unchanged. I saw Jacob, whom Renesmee considered her best friend, taking a break from managing his own auto repair shop to be there as her best man. It would be the happiest day of her life, just as how my wedding had been one of the happiest days of mine, and it saddened me that she couldn’t see herself finding that happiness one day. But I understood Nessie’s conclusions—or maybe more accurately, her fears—about not finding love. When I was still alone, I’d come to similar conclusions that the kind of happiness I saw in my family was simply not meant for me. Even when I’d found Bella, I always chose the saddest path, never daring to hope that I could have happiness with her forever.

“I admire your position about refusing to settle, Ness, because you deserve only the best. And I was just like you once. Before I found your mother, I never saw the point in pursuing relationships that I knew weren’t going to be meaningful. But you shouldn’t let yourself believe that you won’t find what you’re looking for.” I brushed a stray lock of curly bronze hair behind Nessie’s ear, hoping she could hear the honesty in what I was saying. “You know that for our kind, waiting through decades of being alone before finding who you’re meant for is more common than finding that right away….So please, don’t be so resigned. You are entirely too young to resign yourself to an eternity of being alone. It will work out, somehow,” I finished, echoing Esme’s confident words to Bella long ago when our relationship was at its very beginning.

Renesmee nodded, and I hoped my reassurances had lifted a little of the weight off her shoulders. I didn’t need to have Jasper’s gift for empathy to know that existing in both our world and the human world, not quite belonging in either, was a difficult thing to process. I didn’t know what the future held for my daughter—none of us did—but I looked forward to it with the same optimism my own parents had always had for me.

The acoustic ballad we were dancing to ended softly, and I escorted her away from the dance floor so we could rejoin our family.

“My feet kind of hurt,” Nessie complained as we found Bella sitting beside Rosalie on some folding chairs, but a smile was still bright on her face. She was having such fun tonight.

“Do you want to go home, baby?” Bella asked as Nessie dragged over another chair to sit down between Bella and Rose. Nessie rested her head on Rose’s shoulder, and Rose circled her arm around Nessie in a one-armed hug. “You’ve been dancing all night, I’m sure you’re tired.”

“Yeah, I think I wanna go home,” Ness said, sounding a little sleepy.

Suddenly, Lindsay and Annie appeared out of the crowd as an upbeat pop song started playing. “Carlie, come dance with us!” one of the human girls said.

Nessie perked up. “Wait, I love this song! Just one last!” she said enthusiastically, heading back to the dance floor with her friends. I shook my head, amazed at her energy. I sat down on the seat that Nessie had just vacated.

“We’re still a go for tomorrow, right, Rose?” I asked Rose discreetly. If the weather was safe enough for us to be out, we were going into the city tomorrow so Rose could help me pick out Nessie’s very first car. She learned how to drive when she was seven but always used the cars that belonged to the rest of the family. Now that she was going to college, she needed a vehicle to be able to get around on her own. Bella was coming with us, too, to be the voice of reason. Apparently, Rose was just as likely as I was to pick a car that Bella would deem—and this was her word—‘overkill.’ Rose only nodded in response, but I saw the corners of her mouth turn up a little.

We all watched as Nessie danced to one last song with her friends, and I could pick her lovely voice out of the babble of other noise as she sang along. “There’s a mountaintop that I’m dreamin’ of…. If you need me, you know where I’ll be!”

“She’ll call us constantly once she’s in college, right?” Bella asked me in an emotional whisper, looking at our daughter jumping up and down and singing with her friends. Since she became a vampire, I rarely thought of my wife as vulnerable anymore, but she looked vulnerable now. If our bodies were still capable of shedding tears, I wondered if she would be crying. Honestly, I realized I wanted to cry as well. Renesmee was ready to create her own life, and she needed us less and less every day. Years ago, I’d thought loving Bella was the greatest accomplishment of my life, the only good thing I would ever do. I’d thought that, after a hundred years of emptiness, loving Bella as thoroughly and as completely as I did was the strongest feeling I would ever experience. But Nessie—she proved those assumptions wrong, time and again. It was an honor to have raised her, and I knew Bella felt the same.

I held Bella’s hand and kissed her temple. “I’m sure she will, love. I’m sure she will.”

After a few moments, the song was over, and Nessie was saying her goodbyes to her friends. When she had made her way back to us, she cried, “My feet are killing me! Please never let me dance all night in heels ever again.”

Bella let out a short laugh. “It’s fine, baby. You can take off your shoes and your dad will carry you to the car.”

“Oh, bless!” she exclaimed. Bella laughed again. Nessie pulled off her heels, which Bella promptly carried for her, and our daughter let me lift her up in my arms. As we walked, Bella wrapped her arm around my waist. I glanced up at the night sky and saw the pale moon untrammeled by the usual gray clouds, bathing the high school parking lot in its ghostly light. It conjured up memories of a similar evening. Another prom night—Bella’s very first. I’d carried her in my arms just like this, and I remembered how desperate I’d been, how important it was for me that she did not miss her prom, in case her future children ever asked about it. I wanted to make sure she wouldn’t have an empty story for them because of me. And here we were, thirteen years later, with the miracle of our own child in my arms, Bella’s arm around me. Not even the sweetest of my dreams could compare to the reality we lived in now. I stared at Bella’s face, wondering if her thoughts had taken the same turn mine had. She pressed a hand to her throat, remembering how I’d kissed her there that night. We shared a secret smile.

When we reached the car, Bella opened the door to the backseat, and I sat Ness gently down in the middle, making sure her limbs were in comfortable positions. “Thanks, Dad,” she whispered, looking seconds away from succumbing to sleep. Bella got in beside her, and I sat in the driver’s seat to take us back home.

At moments like this, I still struggled to believe how I could have been given so much happiness, so much unadulterated joy that went beyond the ambit of anything I had ever dared to dream of for myself.

It felt like a reward I didn’t deserve. Maybe it was futile, looking for reasons when I knew I would get no answers. But in all my musings, the only conclusion I came to that made any kind of sense was that… it was because of Bella.

Because of Bella and her goodness, that rare kindness I saw only in her—she was why I was allowed all this happiness. And I was just the fool lucky enough to be in the range of her shining sun. Lucky enough to love her and be loved by her.

How could I ever tell her how grateful I was? Grateful that she could always see past the worst of me and my mistakes. Grateful that she had unlimited selflessness, giving us the family I’d envisioned for her, but thought impossible for me. Grateful that she was all too happy to be the first and only love of my existence. Grateful that cruel fate, after our various ordeals, had turned merciful to bring us to this heaven.

I looked back at them again, Nessie now sleeping soundly on Bella’s lap, and Bella absentmindedly twining her fingers through the mess of bronze curls fanned out on the soft fabric of her dress. “She’s dreaming,” Bella whispered. I could see Nessie’s hand on Bella’s arm, inadvertently letting Bella see the pictures she was swimming through in the land of her dreams.

I was sure that no words in any of the languages I knew could ever sufficiently reveal the feelings of peace and contentment that I felt, staring at them, the two halves of my heart, at ease in the backseat.

Bella caught me looking then, her golden eyes piercing through mine in the rearview mirror. She smiled, lowered her shields, and allowed me to hear one thought: I love you.

“I love you, too, Bella,” I whispered. I willed the past and the future that stretched out infinitely before us to give those words weight, seeming too simple and inadequate to convey the depth of what I felt.

No, I didn’t have the words that could tell Bella how grateful I was for her. For Renesmee. For our family. Perhaps I never would…. But that was fine. I had the rest of forever to try and find the words. Forever and forever and forever. I smiled and felt lighter than if my heart were not made of stone, and sped up the car to take us faster towards home.

#writing #twilight fanfiction #kellythepitiablefangirl #thethoughtsofafangirl #edwardsmidnight #magicandmyth #mafitheedwardhoe #← thanks once again to my friends for prereading this and giving me feedback u guys are the bestest #midnight sun still has me very 🥺🥺🥺 and this entire fic was just an exercise in reminding myself that e/b are living their best lives now

97 notes · View notes

imaginetonyandbucky · 4 years

Text

Keeping Me Alive

Chapter 11: Heathens

by @dracusfyre

They made it to the long-term cruise liner parking lot where Tony had staged an SUV for their escape when James stopped and said, “Tracking devices.”

“Shit.” Of course Hydra would have some way of tracking him; he was an expensive tool, after all, not a person. Tony had Jarvis scan him and found two transmitters, one in the metal arm and one in the back of his neck close to the spine. “I can jam them both until we are in a safe place to remove them,” Tony said, “but I can’t get the one out of the arm without tools. And the one in your neck…” Tony trailed off when James pulled a knife out of the sheath on his thigh and held it out.

“Get rid of it.”

Tony wanted to protest but he bit his tongue when he saw the look on James’ face. He would want it out of him as soon as possible as well; he was lucky that Stane hadn’t thought to put one in him too. He climbed laboriously out of his suit and took the knife as James turned around and bent his head. Guess I get to stick a knife in the Winter Soldier after all, Tony thought with a grim smile. Years of working on circuit boards had given him a steady hand, so even though he grimaced as blood welled to the surface when he sliced through James’ skin, he was quick and efficient. “What should we do with it?” Tony asked when it was on his palm, tiny and shaped like a pill capsule. James took it from him and crushed it with his metal hand, letting it fall to the ground before grinding them into the pavement with his boot.

James helped him pack the suit in the back of the SUV and then they both went for the driver’s seat. “I have the key,” Tony said, pulling it out of his pocket and closing his hand around it when he saw James eyeing it. “Also, you don’t know where we’re going.”

“If Hydra comes, I should be driving,” James said with a scowl.

“If Hydra comes, you should be shooting,” Tony countered, and James considered that for a second before going around to the passenger seat. He’d already stashed one of the duffle bags of arms and ammunition that they’d taken from the lab in the floorboard, and as Tony pulled out of the parking lot he began methodically loading all of the rifles and spare magazines. It was a funny thing to find relaxing, but it made him feel safer to think that all of the Soldier’s lethality was on his side for once.

By the time they got onto the 5, the car had fallen into a strained silence, so Tony turned on the radio. The news of his demise had made headlines about an hour into their drive, though the police being interviewed were very careful not to officially declare Tony dead. The radio was the only sound in the car until they were four hours north of LA, when James finally spoke again. “Why?” He asked, his voice low and gruff and barely audible over the radio, even though Tony had the volume low.

Tony, who had been waiting for the question since he first took his helmet off in the lab, glanced over to see James studying him. “Do you recognize me at all?” After a moment of hesitation, James shook his head and Tony turned his eyes back to the road. “You and I have a long history,” Tony said finally. “None of it good. I don’t blame you for it,” Tony added hurriedly when he saw James stiffen. “I mean, I did, but I don’t now, because...Well, the point is, I realized recently that we are – were – both prisoners of Hydra. So I figure that means we have a common enemy, and that we should work together."

"You want me to help you take down Hydra?"

"Well, yeah." Tony glanced back over; James' expression didn't say what he thought of that. "Unless you don't want to, I guess. But we should still stick together until it's safe. I don't know about you, but I'm not going back."

James snorted at that. “So where’re we going?”

“Safe house.” There was silence in the car again as Tony pulled off the next exit to get gas. After he started the pump, he climbed back into the car and opened the center console. It was filled with protein bars, candy, chips, and drinks. “Pick your poison,” Tony said as he grabbed a bottle of water and a candy bar. James eyed Tony and then the stash of snacks before picking out a protein bar and bottle of Gatorade.

“What’s this?” He asked as he eyed the unnaturally blue drink.

“Sugar water, mostly.” Tony chugged his water as James took an experimental sip. “Your file says after you, uh, wake up you need a lot of protein and electrolytes and stuff. So drink up, it’s good for you.”

James grimaced at the taste but drank it steadily like a person that is used to taking medicine. When he was done he started making his way through the stack of protein bars with a grim determination that was almost impressive, if Tony hadn’t started to worry that he should have packed more food for the drive. They weren’t even a quarter of the way to their destination and James had eaten more than half the food. Finally the pump turned off with a thunk, so Tony finished paying and climbed back into the driver’s seat.

“If you've read my file,” James said as they got back onto the highway, “then you know a lot more about me than I know about you.”

“That’s not a high bar,” Tony said with a ghost of a smile. “I know more about you than you know about yourself.” James shot him an unamused look and Tony shrugged. “What do you want to know?”

“You said your name was Tony Stark,” James said. He pointed to the radio. “If that’s true, why do the police think you’re dead?”

Tony’s eyebrows climbed. He didn’t realize James had been paying attention to the radio; he’d spent the entire drive so far staring out the window and checking the rearview mirror, presumably looking for Hydra. “Because I want them to think I’m dead,” Tony said. “That way I can be free to do what needs to be done.”

“What did Hydra want you for?”

“I make weapons. Made,” Tony corrected. “Their little pet engineer, cranking out planes and tanks and bombs for them,” he added bitterly, gesturing to the weapons in the bag at James’ feet. “I have also been fixing your arm for the past few years.”

That made James’ eyebrows draw together. “Music,” he said after a long moment. “I remember loud music.”

“Yeah, that was me. You remember that?”

“Hydra doesn’t exactly play me tunes on a regular basis,” James said dryly. “It stood out.”

Tony barked out a surprised laugh and turned the radio away from the news to classic rock. They switched vehicles a few hours later, then again at the border with Oregon. When they finally pulled in to Tony's cabin - one left to him by Ana and Edwin, and significantly renovated over the past month - Tony turned off the car and sagged against the seat. It wasn't until he felt his shoulders and jaw relaxed that he'd realized how tense he'd been the whole drive; he was suddenly acutely aware that he had been awake for almost 24 hours. "Home sweet home," he said unnecessarily as the engine ticked and cooled.

"I'll be the judge of that," James said. He climbed out of the car then proceeded to fit an unlikely number of firearms on his person before he disappeared into the woods. Tony shrugged and started to lug the suit piece by piece into the house, and when he took a moment to fire up the surveillance system he could see James evaluating the perimeter, pausing each time he noticed one of Tony's cameras. "I may not be an expert, but I am paranoid," Tony said to the monitors, then went back to the SUV for another load. By the time he had the suit in the gantry and ready for the next time he needed to put it on, James had finished his patrol and was standing in the middle of the living room. "Does my security meet your standards?" Tony asked as he headed for the freezer. For now, the cabin was stocked with shelf-stable food and the freezer was packed with instant meals, enough that they could avoid leaving for a few weeks as long as they didn't want things like milk or eggs or fresh fruit and vegetables.

"I have some suggestions," James said, following Tony into the kitchen. "Mostly involving explosives."

"Then you must not have checked around the foundation," Tony said. He picked out a frozen pizza and, checking the instructions, turned on the oven. He turned around to see James still standing there, looking uncertain, and he cursed internally. He wasn't used to having someone else in his space; it was going to take a while for him to get used to having a roommate. "Come on, I'll show you around."

James' room was in the top of the house, in a renovated attic space. Tony had picked it because the windows gave it excellent views on all sides of the house, and since James' files said he was a sniper he thought James would appreciate it. But as they stood there, Tony realized he had underestimated how tall James was, because if he stood anywhere other than the middle of the room he would have to duck. He'd also have to sleep diagonally on the queen size bed, but from the way James had gone all still and quiet when he'd looked at the room, Tony thought it might be good enough. There was one bathroom and it was on the ground floor, next to another bedroom. That was supposed to have been Tony's, but when he'd tried to sleep there he had woken up multiple times with panic attacks, feeling exposed and vulnerable, so his room was now in the basement. The basement had started life as a cellar but Tony had expanded it and reinforced it until it could probably now be classified as a bunker instead. "And this is HQ," Tony said as the lights came on to the main room. He'd moved everything important out of the LA home before he'd sent it into the Pacific, including his computers, JARVIS's servers, and all of the tools and machinery he would need to design and build new suits. What drew James' attention, though, was the murder board that took up one wall of the room. It was pretty sparse at the moment because Tony had only just started to dig through the Hydra files he'd downloaded, but there was Stane, Pierce, and Stern, as well as some of their more prominent hangers-on.

There were also the people that Tony had seen last time he was in the lab with Stane. Tony picked up a marker and put an X on all the faces he remembered. James pointed to one that he'd missed and then Tony hesitated, fidgeting with the marker before he finally said, “I was there the last time they…” Tony blew out a breath, unable to finish his sentence. "With the.."

“The chair,” James finished for him.

“Yeah. And I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“Why? You weren’t one of…” James made an aborted gesture towards his head. “I knew them. I didn’t remember them, but…I knew them.”

“Because I didn’t stop it earlier. I mean, I didn’t know about it, but it was because I didn’t want to know. I was scared and…” Tony swallowed thickly and forced himself to keep going. “Weak. I let Hydra break me down for so long and they didn’t even need the chair to do it.”

“How long?”

“Over twenty years. Since I was sixteen.”

“Sixteen? Christ, you were a child,” James said with disgust. “Where were your parents?”

“Um…” Tony glanced over at him and grimaced. “They died. When I was eighteen.”

“Died?” James caught the look on his face and cursed long and low under his breath. “It was me, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Tony fidgeted with the marker in his hand. “I told them what was happening, and Hydra had them killed.”

“Ah, fuck. When you said we had a bad history you weren’t fucking kidding.” James ran a hand over his mouth and crossed his arms. “Well, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“Well, it’s not like it was your idea,” Tony started, and then got cut off when James snorted. “What?”

“Look at us idiots, apologizing for shit that was Hydra’s fault,” he said. “I’m sorry Hydra made me pull the trigger on your parents. You’re sorry Hydra tortured and brainwashed me. I hope you got me out because you have a plan to make Hydra sorry I killed your parents and they brainwashed me,” he said, pointing to the murder board.

Tony met his eyes and felt a smile tug on his lips. He pulled out the picture of Ana, Edwin, and Maria from Christmas out of his pocket and propped it up on his desk. “Yeah. Yeah I do.”

#Tony stark #bucky barnes #tony x bucky #winteriron

33 notes · View notes

let-it-raines · 4 years

Text

your wonder under summer skies (9/?)

Summer in Storybrooke, Maine means one thing for its residents: tourist season. This year, for Emma Swan and Killian Jones, it means relationships ending and friendships changing all the while they attempt to figure out just what their relationship is. It’s somewhere straddling the line between friends and lovers, and there’s no guarantee of a soft landing if they fall into new territory.

rating: mature

ao3: beginning | current

tumblr: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |

-/-

“Do you have on sunscreen?”

“I basically took a bath in it, Marg.”

“You’re looking a little red.”

Emma sighs and looks down at her chest before turning to her shoulders. She’s the slightest bit pink, and she sighs. Dammit. She sprayed herself down twice before she got here, and it’s only been an hour since she’s been outside.

“Do you want to finish the rest of these inside then?”

“We’ve only got a few left, but you need to make sure to reapply before we go out to the festival.”

Emma nods and keeps stuffing bags with water bottles and snacks. They’ve got to get these to Ashley and Aurora before lunchtime and then need to get to the dining rooms to check on their members. Mary Margaret can leave after that since the club is mostly shutting down early to encourage everyone to support local businesses and the festival, but Emma’s got to meet with two brides before she can go. She doesn’t know why the hell they picked her to coordinate over Mary Margaret, and if she got paid by commission, she’d really appreciate that. Since she doesn’t, though, and really only wants to get a tan and eat funnel cake, she’s not too interested in having to talk weddings for a few hours.

“So,” Mary Margaret hums, “have you met the new Sheriff?”

“Nope. David likes him, doesn’t he?”

“David loves him! Oh, Emma, he’s just great! David says he’s organized and always on time, and he’s great at building morale. We had him over for dinner last night, and he was the sweetest thing. Very handsome, too.”

Emma’s hand falters on the bag of animal crackers she’s holding before she drops them in the bag and glances over at Mary Margaret, who is doing her best to avoid looking Emma in the eye.

Smooth, Marg. Real smooth.

“No.”

“No? I didn’t even say anything!”

“You are about as subtle as a gun, Mary Margaret Noland. You’re trying to set me up with the new Sheriff, and I’m not interested. I mean, I just broke up with Neal.”

“A month a half a go!”

“After five years, a month and a half doesn’t seem like that long, does it?”

Mary Margaret finally has the courage to look at her, and Emma wants to be annoyed. She really does. She just can’t seem to find it in her today to do that.

Good intentions, she reminds herself. Mary Margaret and David nearly always have good intentions.

Doesn’t mean she has to like them.

“I’m not ready to date someone, and I don’t think the new Sheriff is rebound material for me.”

“Well, why not?”

“Because you like him, and David works with him. Do you really want for things to be awkward when I inevitably break up with him?”

Mary Margaret’s sigh can probably be heard in Australia. “How do you know you’re going to break up with him?”

“Because I’m not ready to date! I just said that. I’m not too interested in getting hurt again.”

“Oh, Emma, those walls of yours may keep out pain, but they also may keep out love.”

She’s going to crush these poor kids’ animal crackers if her fist doesn’t loosen soon.

Good intentions.

Good fucking intentions.

“Marg,” she whispers, “I had my trust ruined by a man I thought I could have been with forever. That doesn’t just go away, okay? You’ve been with David for your entire life. You guys have only been apart for two days in fifteen years. I’m sorry, but you can’t possibly understand what I’m going through right now or how damn hard it is to know that Neal is still in this town walking around with Tamara without a care in the world. I loved him, and that wasn’t enough yet again. So maybe just let me have some time, okay? Let me be able to see Neal walking down the street and not have a meltdown. I’m not ready to seriously date someone else.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean – ”

“It’s fine,” Emma lies as she inhales and tries to get some much-needed air into her lungs. “Let’s just finish up here. The sooner we’re done, the sooner I can get to my funnel cakes.”

“You and those funnel cakes.”

“They’re the best part of the holiday.”

“Not the fireworks?”

“Nah, it’s the funnel cakes.”

Mary Margaret drops the conversation, and she miraculously doesn’t bring up anything having to do with relationships for the rest of their day. It’s all updates on the bathroom renovation in the house and David’s new obsession with homemade lasagna, which Granny is definitely going to be pissed about. Then she moves onto Elsa and Liam’s wedding, which does verge a little into the relationship territory but is also their job, so she lets it slide.

Mary Margaret was very much meant to help others plan their wedding days. The sparkle in her eyes alone shows that.

After they check in with the two luncheons that are happening, Mary Margaret takes her leave and goes home, promising to meet Emma at Eric’s restaurant later tonight. Emma’s brides are both early, both far too overenthusiastic, but they keep under their hour-long appointments, and by four, Emma is in her car and on her way home to change and get ready for tonight.

The funnel cakes are still calling her name.

As soon as she gets home, she takes her shoes off at the door, heads back to her room and changes into a bikini before pulling on a pair of jean shorts and an old flannel shirt. It’s too big on her, and when she looks down at it, she realizes it’s Killian’s. For a moment, she considers changing, but it’s comfortable and will be warm for after the sun sets.

Plus, his cologne is still lingering, and he wears some damn good cologne.

It’ll also annoy the hell out of him if she doesn’t give his shirt back, so the benefits of keeping it on continue rolling in.

Getting to the boardwalk is nearly impossible with the roads blocked off for some of the rides and booths that have been brought in, so Emma ends up turning around and driving on the outskirts of downtown before finding parking outside of Killian’s place.

Skipper greets her through the window of a back office, and Emma taps on the window before looping around and heading through the back door so she doesn’t set off that damn alarm.

“Hey, boy,” she greets, “hey, you working hard, my friend? Giving yourself a case for employee of the month?”

“I am employee of the month, always.”

Emma jumps and backs up against the wall to close her eyes and take a few deep breaths to calm her heartbeat.

“Where did you come from?”

“So, my mum and dad, somehow, had sex, and then – ”

“Somehow? Do you think parents don’t have sex? That’s how we all get here.”

“My parents hated each other for most of my life. I can’t imagine them ever liking each other enough to want to sleep together.”

“Hate sex is a thing.”

“I will pay you to stop talking.”

“Really? How much?”

Killian steps up to her and dips his head until his lips brush across the shell of her ear. “Whatever your heart desires.”

A shiver works itself down her spine and up over her arms as gooseflesh appears, and Emma’s breath stutters. “I’ll stop talking if you buy me a funnel cake.”

“I’ll buy you two.” His teeth tug down on her ear before his lips brush against her cheek, and then he’s pulling back and putting some space between them. “Give me twenty minutes to set up the answering machine, and then we’ll walk to Ariel’s together. Can you feed Skipper for me?”

“Is he not coming with us?”

“No, I didn’t want to have to keep up with him tonight, and the fireworks scare him.”

“Do they scare you, buddy?” she says to the dog as she scratches his ears. “They scare you, and your dad is going to make you stay here all by yourself? That’s not very nice.”

“I’ll leave the TV on for him, Swan. He won’t hear a thing.”

“You love Killian so you can’t see his flaws, but a good owner would never leave you.”

Emma snickers as Killian groans behind her. “If you want to walk him for the next several hours, feel free.”

“Nah, I’m good. Is the food upstairs?”

“In the kitchen.”

Emma nods and starts walking up the stairs, whistling so Skipper will follow her up, and when she gets to the kitchen, she finds the bag of food, pours it in the bowl, and then refreshes his water bowl while he eats. A bit of water accidentally splashes on the counter, and Emma picks up the mail that got wet to try to keep it from getting even more wet.

“Going through my mail then?”

“Good God,” Emma breathes out, “do the two of you insist on scaring the shit out of me?”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Emma sighs, turning around to see Liam. “Your brother just scared me when I walked in the office downstairs. I swear the two of you don’t have footsteps sometimes.”

Liam shrugs. “Is he downstairs?”

“Yeah, he’s making sure everything’s all set for you two to take the night off. Elsa told me you found tuxes you like. You know, if you have enough groomsmen, they might give you a discount on rentals or on yours if you want to buy it. I know you haven’t decided on everyone, but it’s something to think about.”

Liam’s lips press into a forced smile. “I will keep that in mind.”

Silence falls between them, and Emma awkwardly shuffles the mail in her hand before dropping it back to the counter. She doesn’t remember the last time she was in a room alone with just Liam, and really, she should be better at coming up with small talk since she has to do it all day every day.

Or, maybe, she can’t do it now because she’s just so damn tired of doing it and can’t put in the effort.

“So, would you happen to know who my brother is seeing?”

Emma nearly chokes on air. “What?”

“Do you know who Killian is seeing?” Liam repeats, stepping closer as the floor creaks below him. “You two are close, and, I don’t know, he’s keeping who he’s seeing from me, which he’s never done before. I figured you…I guess I was curious and wanted to know.”

Oh God.

No. Just no.

She is not having this conversation, especially when this conversation is about her.

Not that Liam knows that.

Hopefully.

Wait. Is it her? Or is he seeing someone else? He could definitely be seeing someone else at this point. She thought he would have told her, though. That was the agreement.

He definitely would have told her. Killian is a man of his word. Of that, she is sure.

“Is he seeing someone?”

Liam clicks his tongue, and damn, that is such a Jones thing to do. “I assume. He doesn’t come home some nights, occasionally takes a longer lunch than usual, and I swear he’s been sneaking someone in and out.”

Oh shit.

How many times has Liam almost caught them? That’s not good at all. At least she hasn’t had to jump out the window again. That was a pain in the ass. Literally.

“Look,” she sighs as she straightens her back, “even if did know who he was seeing, it wouldn’t be my place to tell you his secrets. If he’s not telling you, I’m sure he has his reasons.”

Liam’s eyes narrow as he crosses his arms over his chest, and if she got a dollar for every time he did that, she’d be rich. “So, he is seeing someone?”

“I don’t know. Let him tell you whatever he wants to tell you. He’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”

“Doesn’t hurt to have someone else helping him out.”

“It does if that someone can be overbearing.”

“Are you referring to me?”

“I really feel like I don’t have to say who I’m referring to.”

“Hey, you ready to go? Ariel texted and – oh, hey, Liam.”

Liam blinks, slowly, before turning from Emma to look at Killian. “What did Ariel say?”

“Just that she’s got the big table on the deck saved for all of us. Do you want to walk with us or are you waiting for Elsa?”

“I can walk with the two of you. Elsa is working in a booth, remember?”

“Of course. We’ll have to stop by and get some ice cream after we get Emma her funnel cakes.”

“Funnel cakes, ice cream, and dinner at Eric’s? That’s quite the spread, lass.”

Emma pats her stomach and smirks at Liam. She guesses their conversation from earlier is done. “What can I say? I like food, and the fair only comes to town once a year.”

“I thought the club put on a fair in August.”

“That’s for kids, and we don’t have funnel cakes. Come on, Joneses, I’m ready to go.”

Killian and Liam spend the entire walk talking about a baseball game from last night, and as much as Emma enjoys it, she really only enjoys watching it, not debating about it when the game is over and done with. She knows she’ll have to debate it when she and Killian go to New York next month, but for now, she drowns them out and looks around the boardwalk. String lights are hung above them, criss-crossing between buildings and stalls, and she can’t wait for the sun to set so they can be turned on. There’s something weirdly magical about fairy and bulb lights when they come on, and really, she’s looking forward to that more than the fireworks.

Obviously, she’s got high-standards for things that she enjoys.

Kids keep running in front of them, not looking where they’re going, and Emma almost trips at least twice before Killian tugs her back so she’s not walking slightly ahead of the two of them.

She would have loved being able to do things like this as a kid. It would have made her life just to be able to waste all of her money on these rigged games trying to win a stuffed animal, but she was never given the opportunity. Now, she knows better than to waste money on something she has no need for.

Except for the funnel cakes, which she can now smell.

“KJ, you owe me two funnel cakes. I’m cashing in on one now.”

He turns his head and raises his brow. “Now? We’re about to get dinner?”

Emma points to the stand a few feet ahead of her. “I can smell it. I need it.”

“There’s quite a line at that booth.”

Emma stops walking and tugs on Killian’s t-shirt while batting her eyelashes. She knows it doesn’t work, but it’s all she’s got. “C’mon. The table will still be waiting for us.”

“You two go,” Liam says. “I think I’m going to see if Elsa needs help. She said she her summer staff working, but I’m sure she might like the company.”

“You could also go let those teenagers enjoy the carnival.”

“That was my plan, little brother.”

“Younger.”

Liam winks and smiles. “It’s the same.”

“No, it’s bloody well not,” Killian shouts as Liam walks away, waving as he goes.

“You two have a very weird relationship.”

“You have no idea,” he sighs, wrapping his arm around Emma’s shoulder and pulling her closer until his lips and lightly brushing against her temple, and she swears that he breathes her in. That would be ridiculous, though. “Let’s get you funnel cake one.”

“I would riot if you didn’t.”

The funnel cake is as delicious as she thought it would be, and she doesn’t even care that her lips and her fingers are undoubtedly covered in sugar now. She can look like a clown to everyone as long as she keeps getting to eat this pure, sweet sugar.

Even if Eric is a little agitated with her when they get to the restaurant.

“Are you bringing in outside food to my restaurant?”

“Yep.” She pops another piece in her mouth and makes sure to exaggerate her chewing. “And unless you made onion rings today, this is going to be the best thing here.”

“You do know I am an excellent chef, right? And I can make food other than junk food.”

“She has the palette of a child.” Killian gently tugs on a piece of her hair and pulls her in closer. “Don’t try forcing anything else. It’s not worth it. I, however, will take all of the good food you’ve got.”

“And that is why you’re my favorite.”

“Hey,” Ariel grumbles.

“Besides you, obviously.” Eric shakes his head and smiles. “You two go sit down. I have to get back to the kitchen.”

“It’s never going to be as good as this funnel cake.”

“Shut up.”

Emma sticks her tongue out at Eric because she is the height of maturity. Obviously.

She maneuvers out of Killian’s hold and walks to the table, pulling out the chair across from Ruby while Killian sits down next to her.

“Why are you two so late? Did you finally decide to fuck each other?”

The funnel cake she was chewing gets stuck in her throat, and Emma starts coughing, doing anything to try to get air while her cheeks have got to be turning the color of tomatoes.

“Ruby,” Mary Margaret hisses, “there are children around. Don’t use that word.”

“Why? That’s how they got here.”

“Funny, I feel like I’ve already had this conversation today.”

“So, you were fu – sleeping together then? I knew it!”

“We,” Emma breathes out as she still hits her chest, “are not sleeping together. Why is your mind always in the gutter?”

Ruby scoffs and picks up her wine. “My mind is not in the gutter. I’m just saying that you two are both very hot, and you’ve got this whole sexual tension thing going on. We’re all waiting for it to happen. One day you’re just going to show up and tell us that you’re secretly in love.”

Emma rolls her eyes as Killian’s hand falls against her thigh underneath the table. “We are not secretly in love. And we are not sleeping together.”

His fingers inch further up her thigh, and a shiver runs down her spine.

Asshole.

Killian is the better liar than Emma, so, really, he should be the one lying to all of their friends right now. It’s not really a conversation she thought would ever come up, but it’s Ruby: nothing is safe.

“I’ve always thought you two would be a nice couple,” Mary Margaret sighs. “I mean, you were always with Neal, so I never said anything but – ”

“Never said anything? You talk about it all the time, honey.”

“David, that is not true.”

“It is. You love meddling in other people’s business, and since Ruby is, well, Ruby, the only two you really like to plot about are Emma and Killian.”

“Excuse me? Plot?” Killian raises his brow before winking at Emma. “You’ve been plotting about us?”

Mary Margaret’s face is as red as Emma’s was earlier, and if the woman wasn’t at least showing some remorse, Emma would be agitated.

Maybe she still should be, but she’s obviously on some kind of funnel cake high where nothing can piss her off, even having her personal life examined for the second time in one day.

“I have not,” Mary Margaret protests, flustered. “All I want is for you two to be happy! I thought Emma was all settled, and I really wanted someone for Killian. Now, though, you’re both single, so you know…”

Killian’s fingers tickle along her thigh before he squeezes. She really hopes Ariel cannot see underneath the table.

“And Eric says I’m the meddler,” Ariel sighs.

“You are all meddlers,” Emma finally says. “Each and every one of you. You all need hobbies like painting or reading or, hell, crocheting. Anything to keep you occupied so that Killian and I can keep living our lives.”

“Yeah, living your lives totally wrong.” Ruby swishes her wine glass and tilts it toward Emma. “I’m just saying – when, and I do mean when, you two get together, I want a personalized gift and the ability to say ‘I told you so’ as much as I want without reproach.”

“What kind of personalized gift?” Killian asks. “Just so I can prepare for when Emma finally falls for my charms and kisses me.”

Emma laughs and turns to the side, gently pushing Killian’s arm.

Asshole.

Cocky, annoying asshole.

“Please,” she scoffs, “you couldn’t handle it.”

Killian leans in, eyes slanted and lips curled up to the right while his tongue flickers across his teeth. Emma gulps, but she doesn’t blink, even when Killian’s finger hooks inside the hem of her shorts.

“Perhaps you’re the one who couldn’t handle it.”

Glass rattles as someone smacks the table. “See,” Ruby groans, “just look at all of that untapped chemistry. I feel frustrated just looking at the two of you.”

“Okay,” David squawks, his voice breaking, “please change the subject. There’s only so much of this I can take. It’s like hearing about my little sister’s sex life.”

“See, maybe if you weren’t so overprotective of Emma, it wouldn’t be like that.”

“She’s our friend. I can’t help it if I am. And you’re one to talk, Mary Margaret.”

“What does that mean?”

“We just talked about what it means.”

Killian laughs at their friends bickering before leaning into Emma’s space even more. He never really moved out of it, but she didn’t notice.

“For the record,” he whispers as his nail traces along her skin, “we both know that I can handle it.”

Emma swallows the lump in her throat, and she can suddenly feel her heart beating, faster and faster and faster until she feels it between her ears while she blinks at Killian and tries to form some kind of coherent response.

Where the hell did all of her words go?

“Do you think Eric would hate us if we ordered the pizza?” Ruby asks.

“He just yelled at Emma for bringing in a funnel cake and wanting onion rings, so I think that’s a possibility.”

Killian winks once more and then turns from her so that all she can see is his jawline. “You guys do know this is a seafood restaurant, right? With damn good seafood. He only sells the other things for the tourists. We are not tourists.”

“It’s the fourth of July carnival. We’re all tourists for the night.”

They end up getting the pizza.

Eric is beyond pissed off at it, but absolutely no one cares, especially when Will and Belle walk in and order another one because the first two were completely obliterated. Robin stops by with Roland for five minutes to get food, but then Robin is being dragged off because Roland wants to do go on the spinning tea cups that are set up in city hall’s parking lot.

Emma has eaten so much tonight that she definitely can’t imagine being on anything that spins around.

Especially when Killian still owes her another funnel cake. It’s too bad they don’t keep well in the fridge.

“I have to go make some rounds,” David announces as he stands from the table. “Do we have any other plans for tonight?”

“I have to go back to work,” Ruby says.

“Yeah, me too,” Ariel adds in.

“Belle and I are free.”

“As are Emma and I,” Killian says. “Mary Margaret, what about you?”

“I think I might walk around with David, but do you all want to meet back at your place for the fireworks at ten? I think the roof will be the best place to view them.”

“Sounds perfect, lass. We’ll see you then.”

Belle suggests watching around to work off dinner and see if there’s anything new this year, so they start with the booths on the side of the boardwalk no one has been down yet. It’s emptier because it’s away from all of the rides, but there are plenty of food stalls, a few games, and several booths from small businesses around town. Belle immediately finds a stall selling books for a dollar a piece, and she ends up getting two tote bags that Will grumbles about carrying. Killian buys the one book Belle didn’t snatch up, folds it, and sticks it in the back pocket of his jeans.

Emma swears that Belle nearly has an aneurism over that.

“Hey, look, love.” Killian points over to a booth with balloons pinned to the wall.

“What exactly am I looking at?” He grabs her hand and pulls it in front of them to point back to the booth. “Still not getting it, KJ.”

“The prizes. I think there’s one you might like.”

Emma steps a little closer and then sees it at the very top of the shelf. It’s a giant white swan stuffed animal.

Oh.

Well, yeah, that is kind of cute and very apt for her name, but it’s pointless to look at it. She has no need for a stuffed animal, even if she was thinking about it earlier, and she definitely isn’t about to waste money on it. But it was a nice thought.

“Cute,” Emma laughs as she keeps walking only for Killian to tug on her arm and pull her back. “What? What are you doing?”

His lips curl up. “I’m going to win you that damn swan, Swan.”

She rolls her eyes.

He’s an idiot.

Just…a big idiot, but there’s this feeling in her gut, this dumb one that she hates, that wants him to win her the damn swan. She wants to have that experience she so craved as a child, even if she does still think that games like this are still pointless.

She wants.

In the back of her mind, she thinks back to Neal never even offering to walk around the carnival with her. He always said it was stupid and that he would not be showing up. It was never so much that he wouldn’t come here, but it was more that he was like that with everything that was important to Emma.

How could she be so stupid?

And how could she still feel like she loves him?

Loved him? Definitely loved.

There are no feelings of affection left, not even in memories. She’s just so fucking pissed sometimes.

“Killian, you don’t have to – ”

But he’s not listening to her. Instead, he’s already standing in front of the booth, cash on the table, and darts in his hand.

He pops a balloon on the first try.

“Woah, were did that aim come from?”

“I’d say the Navy, but I think it might be natural talent.”

The guy in the booth rolls his eyes, but Emma doesn’t care. He’s probably dulled the darts and gotten some kind of indestructible balloons to make sure no one wins anything, but as Emma keeps watching, Killian keeps popping the balloons. It takes him several tries and far too much money, especially when Will rejoins them and starts heckling him, but eventually he gets the stuffed Swan from the top of the rack and hands it to Emma.

It’s so dumb.

(But it’s not.)

(Things like this never are.)

Emma holds onto the swan as they keep walking around until she stops and gets something to drink. Then she hands it to Killian, who holds it in his hand that’s draped over Emma’s shoulder so that the damn beak keeps hitting against her cheek as they walk.

“You’re being obnoxious,” Emma laughs as Killian keeps poking the beak against her cheek. “You’re an actual child, Jones.”

“I’ve never said I was mature. It might also be all of the sugar I’ve had today.”

“Having one bite of a funnel cake does not count as having a lot of sugar.”

He pokes the beak in her face one more time before she turns on him so she can see the frankly obnoxious grin he’s sporting.

Maybe that little bit of funnel cake was a lot of sugar for him.

“You know, Swan, I used to think you were kind to me, but that thought is disappearing.”

“Is it now?”

“Mhm.” He wraps the swan around her neck before placing his hands on her hips. Emma glances around, searching for Will and Belle, but they’re nowhere to be seen. When did they run off? “And apparently all of our friends think we have some kind of sexual tension going on, that we’re compatible, and that’s just not true.”

His fingers inch toward her ass, and Emma cranes her neck to try and figure out how long it would take to get to Killian’s place. That’s where they’re supposed to be headed anyway.

“Oh, no, it’s definitely not true. We don’t get along at all. You’re getting a little brave touching my ass right now. I don’t think we can, you know, on the middle of the boardwalk.”

“Well, we could, but then David would arrest us.”

Emma grabs onto his hand and moves it off her ass. “Then let’s not do that. Let’s – ”

Her words die on the tip of her tongue as her gaze falls upon the last person she ever expected to see here.

Neal.

-/-

@qualitycoffeethings @mrtinski @klynn-stormz @scarletslippers @jonirobinson64 @snowbellewells @therealstartraveller776 @thejollyroger-writer @sherifemma @galaxyzxstark @galadriel26 @idristardis @karenfrommisthaven @teamhook @spartanguard @searchingwardrobes @jamif @shireness-says @ultimiflos @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @onepunintendid @bluewildcatfanatic @superchocovian @killianswannn @carpedzem @captainkillianswanjones @mayquita @mariakov81 @jennjenn615 @onceuponaprincessworld @a-faekindagirl @scientificapricot @xellewoods @ultraluckycatnd @stahlop @kmomof4 @tiganasummertree @singersdd @tornadoamy @cluttermind @lfh1226-linda @andiirivera @elizabeethan @captain-emmajones @csalltheway @itsfabianadocarmo

#your wonder under summer skies #cs fic #cs ff #cs fanfic #captain swan fic #captain swan ff #captain swan fanfic #Captain Swan

104 notes · View notes

siren1song · 4 years

Text

@max-is-tired

Let Me Be

Summary: Janus is moving into a new house so he has more space to work on his projects but he kind of gets distracted being totally in love with Roman.

Warnings: None I can think of.

Pairing: Roceit

Word Count: 1,581

General Taglist: @acanvasofabillionsuns, @emo-disaster, @greenninjagal-blog, @jungle321jungle, @sleepy-sides, @gattonero17, @another-sandersidesblog, @strawberryjellystuff, @logic-with-a-pinch-of-deceit, @gr3ml1n-loser, @main-chive, @firey-alex, @orca-iguana, @spooky-scary-virgil, @yalltookmyurlideas, @sanderssidesweirdo, @stormypaint, @just-a-little-bit-gay-oops, @dying-is-a-hobby, @rose-gold-roman, @themultishipperchild

Notes: This was honestly so much fun to write oh my God. Also wow, everyone is a gay disaster, no exceptions.

Commissions!! | Buy Me a Kofi!! | Join Casper’s Crew!! | Ao3 Link!!

Janus liked to pretend he had a handle on his emotions. Liked to think that even though he couldn’t control how he felt, he could at least hide what he was feeling so nobody could tell when he was vulnerable.

But then he was introduced to Roman and there became an exception to that. Because when it came to Roman, Janus didn’t want to feel anything other than totally in love.

And really, he thought that was a totally reasonable conclusion to come to. Roman was funny, brave, caring, sensitive…

He sighed, watching Roman as he struggled to carry two different boxes, one he’d failed to notice was marked fragile.

Should probably add strong and a little bit stupid to that list too.

“Did you just do a lovesick schoolgirl sigh?” Remus asked, drawing Janus’ attention to him to see his disbelieving grin.

“No,” Janus lied, because honestly that was exactly what he’d done.

“Over my brother?”

“No,” he reiterated, narrowing his eyes at his best friend while his grin turned from disbelieving to teasing.

Before Janus could realize what Remus intended and stop him, Remus turned to Roman as he left the house he’d just set the boxes inside of.

“Hey, Leaf! C’mere!”

“Remus what are you doing?” Janus hissed, glancing between the brothers frantically while he tried to figure out Remus’ endgame with calling Roman over.

Roman meanwhile sighed and jogged over, wiping sweat from his forehead and then rubbing it off on the tank he was wearing to help Janus move into his new home.

“Yeah, Dick-tator?” he asked once he was within a reasonable talking distance, flashing Janus a smile that had his heart leaping in his chest.

“I have a secret to tell you!” Remus started, and the goopy lovestruck feeling in Janus’ chest quickly dropped into a pit of fear in his stomach.

So he impulsively slammed his gloved hands over Remus’ mouth, for once thankful for his issue with skin contact since the gloves provided protection against Remus’ tongue.

“Uh?” Roman asked, raising an eyebrow and wearing an amused smile that made Janus want to swoon a little bit because wow he looked so pretty wearing a smile.

“It’s nothing important! Don’t worry yourself with it, Ro. It’s just Remus being an idiot, as usual.”

Roman didn’t look like he believed him, but he shrugged anyway and let it go.

God, Janus loved him so much.

“In that case, you wanna come inside and let me know which room you want the box of your clothes in?”

Alone in his new home with Roman?

“Of course, just let me switch out my gloves because Remus has not stopped trying to lick my hands away from his mouth.”

Roman snorted, patting Remus’ shoulder while he snickered at Janus’ expense before walking back towards the moving truck to grab more boxes.

When Roman was out of hearing distance, Janus pulled his hands away to glare at Remus while he continued to break down in snickers.

“What was that?” he hissed, glancing towards the moving truck and struggling not to absolutely melt when he saw Roman hop down carrying two more boxes of clothes, his arm muscles straining under the weight.

…If he did melt he could just blame the heat.

“It was me trying to push you along because you’ve been pining over my brother for a year and- You’re not even listening, you’re ogling him right now,” Remus answered, snickering when Janus flushed and tore his eyes from Roman so he could start taking off his gloves.

“Remus I swear to God, I will push you off a roof or something if you don’t stop,” he grumbled, folding the gloves in on themselves before shoving them in Remus’ pocket. He was not going to carry around his best friends slobber, thank you.

While Janus put on his backup gloves, Remus raised his hands in surrender and took a step back all the while giving Janus a wide grin.

“Alright, I’ll leave you alone on it, but you gotta promise me you’ll hold Roman’s hand on a good day.”

“I will do no such thing. Are you gonna help or not?” Janus snapped, glaring at Remus while he finished tugging on his gloves.

Remus sighed, understanding that Janus had reached his limit before shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah. We’ve been working for a few hours now, I’ll go get us something to eat for a break.”

Janus nodded, then watched as Remus walked to his car before he sighed himself and entered the house, nearly colliding with Roman in the doorway.

He didn’t though, because Roman had grabbed his shoulders (clearly being careful not to touch skin) and steadied both of them while he grinned down at him.

The heat was definitely to blame for him melting just then, for sure.

“Hey Jay, ready to tell me which room is yours?”

Oh God he used a nickname. How long could he blame the heat for him melting until he turned into a puddle of adoration?

“Yes, of course. Can you let go please?”

Roman nodded, reassuring himself that Janus was steady before he dropped his hands. Janus took a second to brush off his sleeves and then moved further into the house.

It was small, but it still had two bedrooms and he needed to figure which was going to be his and which was going to be used for his sewing projects.

“I’ll probably have the smaller room be my bedroom,” Janus started, peering into the master bedroom in consideration, “I’ll need the extra space for my fabrics and machine. Not to mention the tools I need for accessories.”

He was thinking out loud at this point, and Roman was quiet behind him while he moved to where the smaller bedroom was down the hall, taking the time to peak into the bathroom with a wrinkled nose.

“If I wanted to renovate this, would you help me?” he asked, looking back at Roman and stopping short when he noticed the fond smile.

Was that lovestruck, or was it wishful thinking on Janus’ part?

“Yeah sure, but you gotta promise you’ll let me do painting and picking out colors for the walls,” Roman agreed, grinning.

Was that lovestruck or was it wishful thinking?

“Janus?”

“I l-”

He couldn’t.

Roman raised an eyebrow, waiting patiently for whatever Janus had to say.

Taking a deep breath, Janus looked away, closing the bathroom door and continuing to the second bedroom to get another look.

He wasn’t a coward he just… he wasn’t ready to tell him, even if he was so ready to be his boyfriend.

“Hmm… I might just repaint this too, the beige is god awful,” he commented, pretending he hadn’t been about to tell Roman he was very much in love with him.

Roman remained quiet, which wasn’t unusual, he tended to think before he spoke ever since his fallout with Janus’ brother.

…But it lasted longer than it usually did. Janus turned to look at Roman in confusion, seeing him looking back in consideration, arms crossed over his chest.

“You were about to say something,” he stated, giving Janus a questioning look that quickly turned into a grin.

Janus’ heart should really stop thudding every time Roman smiled, it couldn’t be healthy.

“Was it that you love me?”

Stopping wasn’t any healthier.

Janus choked, unsure if it was because of the fear of rejection settling into his stomach or because he was surprised by how sudden Roman said the words.

“What-” he cleared his throat, “what are you talking about?”

Roman leaned against the wall, letting his eyes wander around the room while Janus recovered.

“I’m not as stupid as everyone calls me, Jay. I might not the brightest when it comes to common sense, but I can tell when someone is swooning.”

Oh God.

“Which is really cute when you do it, by the way,” Roman commented, looking at Janus again with a grin and a wink that did not help his red face right now.

“As great as it is that you have observational skills Ro, I would really like it if you didn’t drag this out.”

Roman huffed a soft laugh, looking at the carpeted floor- which… Janus kind of also wanted to replace. Who the hell matched beige with beige?

“Tell you what. When we’re done getting you moved in, we’ll go get drinks or something. Just the two of us. How’s that sound?”

That was definitely Roman asking him out on a date.

“That… sounds great, actually,” Janus answered, feeling his heart flutter in his chest when Roman met his eyes again.

“Great. I’ll go get the boxes of clothes in here, then. Where’d Remus go?”

Janus had to take a second to breathe before he was able to answer, considering his speaking suddenly became very difficult and he was not going to squeal like a teenager in excitement.

“He went to go get us lunch, since we’d been working for a few hours now.”

Roman blinked, then rolled his eyes.

“He definitely left to give us a chance to get together, if he doesn’t come back with something good I’m going to strangle him.”

Janus snorted, rubbing his fingers together to feel the friction of the fabric of the glove.

“I’d rather not be short a best friend, Ro.”

“You’d be plus a boyfriend, though. Surely that counts for something?”

Janus would not squeal like a teenager.

#casper writes #ts janus #ts remus #ts roman #roceit #janus is a simp agenda #im pandering so hard to vespers tastes with this ngl #but also this song was a bop ty for the suggestion!!!!#let me know if i need to tag anything else :D

117 notes · View notes