#(pretty sure this is the last time we really see lex genuinely smile like this... but that's depressing so let's not think about it) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

schrijverr · 3 years

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'Till Death Do Us Part

Part 1 out of 13

When Alex has to bring Philip to work, he and Thomas discover that they both have something in common: they lost their love. They form an unexpected bond and connection about this that grows into something more.

A medium burn with parental feelings about Philip and flowers.

On AO3.

Ships: Jamilton

Warnings: mentions of grief and death

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

Chapter 1: Canterbury Bell Means ‘Acknowledging’

Alex ran a hand through his hair as he thought of who to call. Philip’s teacher had just called that today school would be canceled due to a mishap yesterday, but his usual babysitter wasn’t available on such short notice.

Maria and Eliza would usually be up to babysit, but they were away on their honeymoon, Angelica worked with him, so she was out, Laf was in France and Herc had that fashion show. He cursed, then looked at Philip to check if he’d heard.

Philip was oblivious. The five-year-old was happily munching on soggy cereal as he watched some kids show.

He was a well behaved sweet child.

Alex smiled and watched his son. It ached how much he looked like John with his freckles and little curls and in moments like these he wished the other was still there, so he wouldn’t have to deal with everything on his own.

“What are we doing today, Papa?” Philip asked.

“I’m going to work, do you want to come with me?” Alex made up his mind, he was sure Washington wouldn’t mind seeing Philip again and he knew Philip would be on his best behavior in the office.

“Yeah!” Philip cheered happily, starting to munch on his food slightly faster.

Alex chuckled at the sight, before sending Angelica a message of why he would be slightly late and who he would have with him.

Then it was bustling through getting the sock on the right foot and the shoes on, making sure Philip’s jacket was on correctly and his shirt not inside out, before almost forgetting his keys as they made their way out the door.

It was the first time since John’s death that Alex was late to work. It was only a few minutes, but it was more noticeable since he was usually way too early.

With Philip on his hip he rushed to his office where an email informed him that the meeting of the afternoon was rescheduled for now, but he could still make it if he hurried.

“Should we go see Grandpa George? Would you like that buddy?” he asked Philip.

He grinned as the boy’s eyes lit up and he bounced so much, he almost fell out of Alex’s arms as he chuckled: “Okay, okay, let’s go.”

Alex opened the door with an apologetic grin as he said: “I’m sorry, the morning was a bit hectic, I just got in.”

Philip wiggled out of his arms and ran to Washington, who caught the boy easily as he assured Alex: “It’s alright, son. Angelica told me already.”

With a sigh of relief Alex set his stuff down, not even bothering to correct Washington about the moniker, before calling Philip over to him and explaining: “I have to do boring work now, but I have some paper and pencils for you, so that you can color. Does that sound fun, Pip? Will you tell me if you need to pee?”

“Yes, Papa,” Philip promised, taking the coloring materials and settling down in Alex’s lap peacefully.

The love he had of drawing was something he shared with his Daddy and Alex always choked up slightly when he saw that concentrated face and the pencil. He was quickly distracted, however, by a certain Virginian saying something stupid and he mostly forgot about Philip in his lap as the meeting progressed.

About an hour into the meeting, Philip pulled on Alex’s jacket and whispered: “Papa, I have to go pee.”

Alex cut himself off mid sentence and smiled down at the boy: “I’m sure, Grandpa George wouldn’t mind if we take a small break to go pee. You hungry, Pip?”

“A bit,” Philip confessed.

“Well, then it’s a good thing, I have a little snack for you,” he said, as he got up, putting Philip down on his two feet as he took his hand, “Come on, buddy.”

Philip followed his Papa contently as Washington cleared his throat: “I think we can all do with a break, gentlemen.”

Thomas frowned. He already thought it quite irresponsible to bring a kid to work, but he supposed the reason must be good enough if Angelica agreed, however stopping a meeting right as they were getting somewhere was annoying.

The kid was cute though. Thomas had no clue who the mother was. Hell, he hadn’t even known Alex was married, or divorced with how he was married to his work.

Also, Grandpa George? Talk about nepotism.

He blinked as Alex got back with Philip. The kid seemed less fidgety and was eating a granola bar with little chocolate chips in it as Alex smiled down gently, not at all like normally. Though, Thomas supposed, he only got to see Alex when the other was yelling or presenting.

It was strange to see Alex so domestic. He had often pictured the other like that, but now it was even easier to picture him – sadly – with a faceless woman, which send a pang through Thomas. It was pathetic how he was crushing on an already taken coworker who hated him.

Though Thomas would never act on those feelings, so it shouldn’t – didn’t – even hurt... that much.

After Martha, he just didn’t know if he could move on like that, but he could allow himself to watch, to torture himself with what he never had or will have.

The rest of the meeting went smoothly with everyone pretending they didn’t notice the small boy crawling under the big table with play cars as he made soft ‘vroom vroom’-noises.

When everyone was leaving Alex squatted and called out: “Hey, Pip, you having fun there?”

“Yes, Papa,” the little voice called back.

“That’s great, buddy,” Alex smiled, “Would you mind moving? We need to go back to my office now, but you can keep playing.”

“But then my cars can’t go to their base under the chair and they need to, because the evil monkeys are after them and they have to go back to defend it,” Philip explained.

Alex listened closely and nodded: “Seems like they’re hardworking cars, Pip. Remember when I was working hard and then we went on a vacation to that cottage in the forest?”

That was a lie, sort of. He had been throwing himself into work because John’s death date had been coming up and Angelica had forced him to take a vacation, sadly backed up by Washington, though Alex had to admit it had been for the better.

“Yes?” Philip was obviously confused about the question.

“Maybe your cars also deserve a vacation,” he said, “They can go on vacation in my office and take a rest from fighting the evil monkeys.”

“Ooh, yes,” the little boy exclaimed as he made his way to his father, who double checked if all their stuff was with them.

When he turned to the door, he was surprised to find Thomas there, soft smile on his face as he waited. Thomas noticed and held up the keys: “It’s my turn to lock up.”

“Ah, well, thank you for waiting,” Alex said awkwardly.

“I didn’t know you had a kid,” Thomas started, trying to fill the strange silence.

“I’m not much of a family talker, but Philip is my pride and joy,” Alex told him, “He’s very smart, isn’tthat right, Pip?”

“Yes, my teacher says I’m very good, one of the bestest in class and I can already write my name. I also draw very good already,” Philip bragged, “And Papa always says I will blow eeeveryone away.”

“Oh, wow, kiddo, that’s pretty good,” Thomas humored the kid, charmed by his smile and excited gestures as he talked, kind of like Alex in a way.

“Well, bye Hamilton.”

“Ah, yes, bye Jefferson.”

They awkwardly went their separate ways, not used to the fact that one of them wasn’t stomping away angrily while the other yelled at them.

Alex shook his head, he felt weird with Thomas being nice to him. He had smiled at Philip and it was genuine, not his normal ‘I’m better than you’- smirk that made Alex want to punch him. It looked good on him and Alex hated how good it looked on him.

Sure, he’s always known Thomas was attractive, but he had a soft spot for people who were good with kids and it didn’t help the stupid feelings he thought he’d suppressed well enough. God, the other man hated him, what was he even thinking?

He tried to let go of the thought as he set Philip down with all the stuff to keep him occupied as he got to work, hoping to get his proposal for the financial planning of the company done.

Philip reminded him to eat lunch, because he was hungry and he went to Angelica, because Philip wanted to see Auntie Angie. For Philip he would do anything, the little boy had him wrapped around his finger.

Angelica was more than happy to eat lunch with them and humored Philip when she listened to his explanation of his car story line until he got distracted by the coloring place mats they had at the restaurant.

Then she turned to Alex and asked: “How are you?”

“I’m doing good, Angie, really. This is not me not taking care of either of us, I swear,” he said, already knowing why she was asking and slightly annoyed, “The school canceled last minute and the babysitter couldn't come and everyone else was busy.”

“Just checking, ‘Lex. We know how hard it’s been since John passed, we just worry,” she soothed his ruffled feathers.

Alex sighed: “I know, I know. I still miss him, but it’s getting better.”

“How much better? Not to be rude, ‘Lex, but you’re wound up. You need to get laid,” she said bluntly.

“Angie!” he exclaimed, glancing at Philip, “There are children here.”

“Yes, and he’s been too focused on his drawing for the past five minutes to pay attention to us,” she rolled her eyes, “But I’m assuming that’s a no to the getting laid.”

“I’m too old for casual hook-ups, Angelica,” he told her, “If I’m going back into dating, I’m going to look for something serious. But no one is looking for a widower in his thirties with a five-year-old kid. And I can’t commit to someone who isn’t going to commit to Pip. He doesn’t need that.”

Angelica nodded: “You’re right, just try not to turn into a sad lonely old man.”

“Like you’re becoming a lonely old woman?” he teased.

“Alexander!” she swatted him lightly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, you’re as radiant as ever, a beacon of beauty and youth,” he retracted his statement with a grin.

“That’s better,” she grinned back.

“Papa, I finished my drawing,” Philip interrupted the two adults, almost spilling his drink when he proudly held up his place mat.

Alex smiled: “That’s beautiful, Pip. Want to take it home tonight?”

“Oh, can I?” the boy asked.

“Of course, buddy,” Alex ruffled his hair, carefully putting the drawing in his briefcase with his other papers, so that he could hang it on the art wall.

They returned to the office and said their goodbyes to Angelica, before Alex got back to work.

It was quiet for a while, then Philip said: “Papa, I’m bored, can I walk around? I can go to Auntie Angie? I promise not to dis- dis- bother other people.”

“Disturb?” Alex asked.

Philip nodded that it was the right word, then asked: “Please, Papa. I promise I’ll be good. I know where Auntie Angie is and if I can’t find you I’ll go to Grandpa George after.”

The boy put on his best puppy eyes, which he had inherited from John, and Alex had never managed to say no to those eyes, so he relented: “Be back in an hour okay? That’s when that big arm is at the four, alright? Be sure to tell Auntie Angie.”

“Alright, Papa!” the boy said, already bouncing out his office with the pent up energy of a small child who had sat for nearly the entire day.

Alex smiled and watched him go. He contemplated getting up to check if Philip made it down the hall alright, but stopped himself.

A memory flashed through his minds eye of John holding a baby Philip and smirking: “You can’t always be there, ‘Lexi. You gotta let him be his own man at some point.”

“But he’s a baby,” he had protested at the time.

John had leaned forwards and kissed his nose: “But he won’t be forever, he’s gotta grow up just like you did. Ain’t nothing wrong with a bit of independence, sweetheart. Letting go is good at some point, just start small.”

He could let go.

Walking down the hall of the office to an adult he knew wasn’t the ultimate danger Philip would face, this was good. A small start just like John had said.

So, with reluctance he focused back on his work and easily got into the zone again as he did. It was easy to loose himself into his work. He was sure that if Philip hadn’t been there, he would have worked himself to death.

Meanwhile Philip walked down the hall, skipping and jumping just because he could and wanted to. He was really planning on visiting Auntie Angie, but he’d already seen her at lunch, so when he saw something more interesting, he stopped.

It was the Mister from before, Jeff- something, it was a long name and Philip hadn’t been paying attention, though he recalled it being a familiar name. He felt bad now, the man had seemed impressed with him.

Maybe he would want to play with him? But he’d promised Papa not to disturb the other people.

Apparently he’d been standing in the man’s doorway long enough for him to notice and ask him if he needed anything and where his Papa was.

“Papa said I could go walk around a bit,” he told the man, “My cars are on vacation and it’s a bit boring and I don’t feel like coloring. Do you like cats, Mister?”

It seemed the man was startled by his sudden change of topic, but he smiled easily and said: “You can call me Thomas.”

“Okay, Mr. Thomas,” Philip nodded, “Do you like cats?”

With Mr. Thomas not actively telling him to go away, Philip decided it was safe to enter the office and Mr. Thomas just pointed at a chair for him to sit in, so he did. He looked at Mr. Thomas awaiting his answer.

“Sure,” he said, “Why do you ask, kiddo?”

Philip shrugged: “Uncle Laf calls Papa petit lion and Uncle Herc explained to me that it’s a type of cat. Auntie Eliza and Auntie Maria wanteda cat, but Auntie Angie is allergic to them, so she doesn’t agree. But Grandpa George and Grandma Martha have cat, though Papa doesn’t like him very much, even though he likes other cats. So I wondered what you thought about cats.”

“Well, I think cats are nice,” Mr. Thomas said.

“Do have a cat?” Philip asked.

Thomas gave up any pretense of work, he hadn’t wanted to do anything anyway and the kid was way more interesting. He shook his head: “No, my friend, Jemmy, is allergic too and I like having him come to the house.”

“Can’t do that if there’s a cat,” Philip said, nodding his head sagely as if he had all the wisdom in the world.

“Yeah,” Thomas laughed at the display, then said: “I don’t know if sitting in my office is going to be very entertaining, kiddo. I don’t really have toys lying around.”

“That’s alright,” Philip said, “You’re Jeff-” he hummed trying to find the name, “Jefferson?” he suddenly remembered, but he didn’t sound very certain.

Thomas nodded: “Yeah, Thomas Jefferson. Why?”

“Papa talks about you lots,” Philip confided in him, recalling why the name was familiar, “He says you’re a meanie, but I think you’re nice, Mr. Thomas. I think Papa does too, he just don’t wanna say it. He says you’re smart, he only says that about Auntie Angie.”

God, the secrets this kid had from Alex ranting at him would be enormous, but Thomas wasn’t going to interrogate a kid about what his father thought of him. A small part of him, however, preened slightly at the indirect compliment from Hamilton.

He pushed the thought down, the man was married and had kids.

“I don’t know, kiddo. Me and your Papa are,” he hesitated, how do you tell a kid that the most talking you do with his father is yelling insults at each other, “We’re not the best buddies,” he finished lamely.

“That’s sad, I think you and Papa would get along greatly. I like you and Papa says I have good taste,” the kid sounded proud of that and Thomas couldn't help but smile, “I think you have good taste too, Mr. Thomas.”

“Really?” Thomas asked curiously.

“Yes, I like your flowers,” Philip pointed to the vase Thomas had filled on a whim, because he’d been sad a few days ago.

“Thanks, kiddo. They’re Canterburybells,” he said, then had a bright idea, “Hey, since you and I have such fantastic taste, why don’t you help me pick out the colors for my presentation? Then I can read you a story if you’d like. I got books.”

Philip lit up and bounced to the other side of the desk, already telling Thomas loudly about which colors were the bestest.

In the end the presentation was yellow and magenta (Thomas was going to have a field day with that) with neon green letters. It was disgusting to look at and Thomas knew he was going to keep and treasure it, especially because Alex couldn’t say anything of it.

He had mostly stuffy old literature on his shelves in the office, but there was also a fairy tale book for when he needed to calm down, not that anyone knew about that, and he read Philip the tale of Hansel and Gretel.

When they were done Philip asked for the time, saying: “Papa told me to be back in an hour, when the big arm was on the four.”

Thomas checked the time, it was five to four. He turned back to Philip: “Well, then young man, you must be going. Here, I’ll accompany you.”

The five-year-old didn’t seem to mind him tagging along as they walked down the hall to Hamilton’s office.

What Thomas hadn’t expected was for the office to be empty. The laptop wasn’t there and only papers and empty mugs scattered the desk. Thomas quickly glanced down to Philip, who looked confused as he asked: “Where’s Papa?”

“I don’t know, kiddo,” Thomas told him honestly, he spotted a phone on the desk and mentally cursed, if Hamilton had forgotten his kid and phone he was going to scream. Though it was highly unlikely the man would leave that early.

Then he spotted a note on the desk: Angie or Washington, I don’t know which one of you Pip will look for. I got called by fucking Lee for an emergency (I doubt it actually is, but you know how he gets, the prick). I’ll be back before five, please just watch him for me. I’m so sorry.

Relief coursed through Thomas’s veins that Alex had at least been responsible enough to leave a note.

He turned to Philip: “Hey, the note says your Papa has been called away for a bit.”

“Oh, okay,” Philip replied, “What do I do?”

Philip really was a smart kid, probably got it from his dad. Thomas smiled: “I don’t mind hanging out with you for a little bit longer, but maybe I could call your mom?”

It was an acceptable time to be done with work earlyand Thomas knew Lee was as much of a prick as Alex’s note had claimed, and the man hated Alex. Ifhe could keep him busy, he would, just because it would piss Alex off.

“I don’t have a mom,” Philip told him.

Thomas knew Alex was bi of course, but with the kid he’d made the assumption. He quickly adapted and said: “Do you have a dad then?”

Philip nodded and Thomas was about to ask if he knew how to contact him, trying to ignore the pang of jealousy, when the kid said: “But Papa said I can’t see Daddy, because he’s living with the angels now.”

Oh fuck, Thomas had not seen this coming and he was floundering.

“According to Papa, he didn’t mean to go, but he can’t get back to us. We visit his special place sometimes,” Philip was oblivious to all the emotions Thomas was experiencing, “There are a lot of stones there, but we always go to one with Daddy’s picture on it and Papa cries.”

That was probably much more than Alex wanted him to know. He briefly thought of Martha and how they’d never had kids. He didn’t know how he would have explained her death to them if they had.

“I’m sorry, kiddo,” he said instead, “Must be hard with one parent, though it seems your Papa loves you very much.”

“He does,” Philip smiled widely, “He takes me to the park on Saturdays and we run around. He teaches me about all sorts of stuff, like dinos. Do you know about dinos, Mr. Thomas?”

Thomas was glad for the change of topic and nodded: “I’ve heard of them, but I don’t know much. Why don’t you tell me more about them?”

“Well, they come from eggs. I did too, did you know? Papa said he froze eggs and I came crawling out, just like a dino,” Philip told him excitedly. Thomas was confused about what on earth that could mean, but just nodded along to the kid’s babbling.

An hour later Alex stomped into his office, grumbling under his breath about what an asshat Lee was.

He stopped at the empty office, he knew Philip must be with Angelica or Washington, but with the note still there, he didn’t know which one. He went back into the hallway and saw Washington walk by. Stopping the man he said: “Perfect timing. Is Pip with you? I got called away and told him to find you or Angie.”

“No, son, he must be with Miss Schuyler,” Washington smiled, “How was it with Lee?”

“Sir, if you don’t want a verbal essay, I suggest you don’t ask,” Alex sighed tiredly. He just wanted to go home and sleep.

Washington chuckled then stepped into his office as Alex made his way over to Angelica’s office, he knocked on her door and opened it with a: “Hi, Angie, I’ll take Philip now, thanks for watching him.”

Angelica looked up from her work with confusion: “Philip? I haven’t seen Philip since lunch, Alex. What are you talking about.”

The blood in his veins turned to ice as he said: “But, he was going to you. He said he wanted to say hi. He’d be back by four, but I got called away. I left you a note. Are you sure you didn’t see him?”

“No, I wouldn’t lie about that,” Angelica said, “Why didn’t you walk with him?”

Alex was already beating himself up over it: “Fuck, I’m so stupid. I thought he would be fine, that I should let him go, be independent. I’m a terrible father and now something might have happened to Pip. God, what if he’s dead?”

“Hey, none of that, calm down, just breathe,” Angelica put her hand on his shoulder, “He probably got distracted. He’s still around, I’m sure. Someone else must have seen him.”

They got distracted by a southern voice floating down the hall: “Hamilton, there you are. I was wondering if I should start charging hours.”

“Papa!” Philip yelled excitedly, running up to his Papa, who crushed him into a tight hug with a sigh of relief.

“There you are. Pip, I was so worried. You said you were going to Auntie Angie,” he scolded the boy, “Don’t scare me like that again. I thought something had happened.”

“Sorry, Papa,” Philip sounded genuinely upset.

“It’s okay, baby, it’s okay. Papa didn’t mean to make you upset, I was just worried,” after soothing his son, he turned to Thomas and glared, “Do you often kidnap children?”

Thomas looked up shocked and in an offend voice replied: “Excuse you? I didn’t kidnap him. He showed up to my office telling me he was allowed to walk around. He asked me about cats and I just made sure he was okay. You should be thanking me, it could have gone a lot worse.”

Alex eyed him suspiciously, but was distracted by Philip: “He’s right, he listened to me back at the room with the table and I was just wondering what he thought of cats, then he let me help with his presentation and read me a story and then I told him about the dinos.”

“I know we have our disagreements, Hamilton, but I’m not going to be an as- meanie to a kid,” he said.

“Nice save,” Angelica smirked.

“Oh shove off, Angelica,” Thomas rolled his eyes good-naturedly, he liked the eldest Schuyler. He had met her a long time ago, back when Martha was still there.

Alex checked over Philip one more time, before begrudgingly acknowledging that Thomas had done him a favor. So, he said: “Thank you, Jefferson. For making sure Pip was alright.”

“No worries, man. I have a lot of siblings,” Thomas shrugged.

Angelica looked between them and smirked, before saying: “Here, I’ll go grab your stuff, ‘Lex. You and Thomas make sure you’re on the same page about this. I don’t want to have you screaming because of a misunderstanding, you do it enough without them.”

Philip walked off happily with his Auntie Angie, leaving Alex and Thomas on their own.

“Did he behave well?” Alex asked, breaking the silence.

Thomas looked confused for a moment, then smirked: “Yeah, he’s a sweet boy. Certainly didn’t get that from you.”

Alex chuckled: “No, he got every good bone in his body from John,” his smile was far away and soft, before he shookhimself out of it, “I’m glad you listened to him, he’s a good kid.”

“No problem, really,” Thomas shrugged.

It was quiet for a moment.

“Can I ask why he thinks he crawled out of an egg like a dinosaur?” Thomas asked, unable to help himself. He was just too curious and it was weird for a kid to think that. He just wanted to know what an earth Alex had told the boy.

The random question startled Alex, who laughed after a second. He explained: “Kids at school were asking how he could have two dads, so I told them that I froze some of my eggs and his other Daddy made sure they would work, before Auntie Eliza hatched him. I compared it to dinosaurs because he understands them and thinks they’re cool. I guess he only picked up some parts.”

“So, he’s not related to the Schuyler's?” Thomas asked, then elaborated, “Just with the whole Auntie Angie and Auntie Eliza he was talking about, I assumed his other parent was one of their sibling hoard.”

“No,” Alex said, “He’s completely mine and Johns.”

It was quiet for a beat, then Thomas said: “I didn’t know you were trans.”

Alex shrugged: “It’s not really something I tell people, especially with how they start calling me a mother, no thanks. Besides, it’s none of their business anyway. Philip is mine and they can keep their opinions of my parenting to themselves.”

Thomas nodded: “That makes sense. For what it’s worth, you’re a great dad. Philip is lucky to have you. I know you didn’t want me to know, probably, but he told me his other dad was living with angels. I’m sorry for your loss.”

“I don’t need your pity,” Alex bit out after a hard swallow. He didn’t need Thomas treating him differently just because his husband was dead, he got that enough as it was. He missed John dearly, but he was healing and the special treatment just made it harder.

He was surprised by Thomas’s reply: “I’m not pitying you, Alex. I just wanted you to know that he told me and that you can talk to me.”

“That’s-” Alex hesitated, slightly confused, “That’s… nice? I suppose. But you’re not really my first confidant.”

“I know,” Thomas shrugged, he seemed to be preparing himself for something, “I just know how some people don’t get it and it can be annoying, so if you ever just wanna talk, please do,” he pulled out a necklace from his shirt, on it were two golden bands, “I’m not messing with you, or pitying you.”

“I didn’t know,” Alex mumbled, feeling a bit sheepish for his earlier reaction, “How- How long ago?”

“Seven years,” Thomas answered, “Martha- she was the best, but she had heart problems. I knew we didn’t have long, but it still hurt. She was just too young.”

There were tears in his eyes and Alex could feel himself tearing up as well. He said: “The better ones always die first somehow, fuck. John- John died four years ago. Wanted to do one last tour, before settling down. They were already retreating when-”

He couldn't finish the sentence, but Thomas understood. It was weird how much it made sense that Thomas understood.

They’d always been each others equal. Both in debate and passion. They knew how to push the other and got why. They were the same, just different, so of course Thomas of all people would understand.

Both stood there in silence, tears still in their eyes, but content to just stand there.

At that point Angelica came back with Philip. She was about to start a sentence when she saw the state they were in: “Jesus, are you two alright? I swear, I leave you for a few minutes and-”

“We’re fine, Angie,” Alex quickly wiped away his tears and attempted a smile.

Philip ran up to him and with his arms demanded to be carried. When Alex obliged he asked: “Are you okay, Papa?”

“Yeah, Pip, Papa’s fine,” Alex assured him, “Remember how I told you about the missing sad. It was that.”

“Like when I can’t see Sockie at school and I miss him, right?” Philip asked.

“Exactly that, Pip,” Alex agreed, “Now, what do you say about going home, buddy? Does that sound alright? We can watch Moana.”

“I love Moana!” Philip chirped.

Alex turned to Angelica and Thomas and said: “We’re gonna go. Uhm, thank you both and, uh, I might take you up on that, Thomas. Now say bye, Pip.”

“Bye Auntie Angie, bye Mr. Thomas,” Philip said with a wave, a quick yawn escaping him after all the excitement as he burrowed closer into his Papa’s arms while they walked out of the building.

When they were gone, Angelica turned to Thomas with a raised brow: “So, Mr. Thomas,” she put extra emphasis on the name, “You’ve got yourself a social upgrade.”

“Shut up, I should have never told you about that stupid crush,” Thomas hid his head in his hands.

“I think you two would be cute together,” Angelica said, then she asked: “Why were you two crying, by the way? Are you okay?”

He put the necklace back and said: “I told him about Martha, seemed fair after the kid told me about John. I didn’t know Alex was a widower, nor that he had kids.”

“Yeah, ‘Lex used to love bragging about John and Philip, but ever since-” she sighed, “Well, you know. He hasn’t been the same.”

“I don’t think anyone can stay the same after living through that,” Thomas told her, “I was always saddened I had no kids with Martha, but after today. Fuck, I don’t know what I would have told them. I don’t think I could have handled it.”

Angelica shrugged: “It’s different for everyone, I think Philip saved ‘Lex’s life. He got up each day to care for him. Don’t tell him I told you that, I will slap you again.”

“I won’t, I swear,” Thomas held his hands up in surrender and luckily Angelica believed him, because she smiled: “Good, I know where you live.”

“You are terrifying,” he informed her.

“That’s why we’re such good friends,” she merely smiled, “Now, let’s go, you still owe me dinner for giving you private time with Papa Alex.”

Thomas flushed a bright red and told her he hated her, before following her out of the building as she cackled at his misery.

After that things went back to normal.

Mostly.

Somewhere he had imagined the interaction would be some revelation or something and the next day would be completely different.

But it just wasn’t.

They had a meeting in the morning, it was the first time they saw each other that day and within minutes it had turned into an argument.

Though, perhaps the arguments had gotten less personal. They had always thrown in slight digs at the other, believing themselves to know the man before them and judging the person they’d built in their mind, but when that fell away, it was hard to make digs at someone who understood.

So work returned to normal, with arguments echoing through the halls, which were now followed by civil conversation as they walked to their offices.

It was only a month later that it changed.

You know, this fic is getting much bigger than expected and has gotten severely out of hand. It was meant to be a cute Philip at work fic, but then I thought about past John/Alex (and not fucking Eliza over bc I love her too much for it) and now it hasturnedinto a gigantic angst pile turning fluffwith a slow burn thrown in there, something I have never written before, but I’m having fun.

#RR writing #Hamilton #alexander hamilton #philip hamilton #thomas jefferson #jamilton #Hamilton AU #angelica schuyler #george washington #'Till Death Do Us Part #'Till Death Do Us Part AU #'Till Death Do Us Part Part 1

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smugraccoon137 · 3 years

Text

Supergirl Season 2 episode 8 Medusa review part 2

If your curious part 1 was just my breakdown of Kara and Mon-els relationship that got way too long. But as always SPOILERS AND GAY THOUGHTS AHEAD

Me and kel get so excited when Lenas in an episode. Like practically giddy. I can’t help smiling when shes on screen honestly. And yes Katie McGrath is beautiful, but beyond that such a pretty smile and lovely voice. I’m sure ratings started to spike when she joined the cast. Okay enough about pretty girls on to the review

Tipsy fucking Alex though guys I can’t get over this mess of a person.

Alex: if I have to come out to my mom then I choose to do it drunk

Kara: no your not *yoinks beer*

Alex: wait no my coming out juice

Kara Danvers sneaky sneaker extraordinaire can totally interview Lena and find out Cadmus things without anyone knowing. The confidence this goofball has is top tier

Underrated relationship: Alex and Winn though. I really really love Winn and honestly Alex is such big sister energy to both him and Kara.

wow Lenas pretty in the interview scene. A touch of auburn hair from the sunlight really makes this shot and we never get to see her with her hair down. Fan service honestly, or maybe she heard a certain beef cake reporter was gonna come by and wanted to dazzel her.

Lena: hair up is for business. Hair down is for flirting friendship time with Kara

Poor baby thinks she falls short nooooo. Your doing your best godamn your only like 25 jesus. Kara give her a hug she needs love and affection

Kara thinks shes being so sneaky in this interview. Such a golden retriever, bad at sneakin. As soon as she toes the line Lena catches on and kicks her out. Really good acting in the scene, the subtle change in expression to show Lenas guard raising. Good job Katie.

Real quick Lena why is your office so ugly? How do you keep it clean? You spend 99% of your days in this place and its whiter than a hospital room. I hate it. Why is your desk an oval? and why does it have a hole in it? Kara cant eat you out in secret anymore damn.

OOHHHhhhh noooo the fucking gas bomb in the bar what the fuck. EVERYBODIES DEAD JESUS WHAT WAS THAT

Poor Mon-el. What happened at the bar was fucked up, and he feels like its fault when its obviously not.

Love that he and Kara are having bro time playing some Monopoly. Oh no not Kara asking if he likes her. Honestly thought these two had good chemistry in this scene. Im a sucker for dumbass not understanding certain words and phrases. So Kara having to reiterate her questions and finally being like “You don’t want to mate with me do you?” was super fun. Omegaverse vibes mfs. Although I am confused by mon-els reaction “I mean have you seen the kind of women I’ve been attracting?” I honestly don’t know what this means.

Kara internal reaction though: Oh thank god

Wow Kara really just has no regard for her own life, huh? she just opens the door and possibly contaminates herself. It’s good to want to help people, but love you gotta care about yourself too

Good reveal with the fortress of solitude. Oof Kara gonna feel like its her fault all those aliens died and mon-els sick. They do a really good job of showing Karas relationship with her parents through their holograms. She wants so badly to see them again, to talk to them. And she can, but not really. They just aren’t real.

Lena cattily to her mother: im used to celebrating holiday weekends alone at my desk

me to Kara: please invite her to thanksgiving

Okay so Lena being adopted is another interesting parallel to Kara. Also the fact that both Kara and Lena fall into there families shadows, and are left behhind or forgotten. Really interesting how Lena and Karas relationship is so similar to Clark and Lex’s for obvious purposes. Though the CW queer coding the fuck out of their relationship in Smallville really only adds to Supercorp fever. Its always been Homoerotic subtext Harold!

Me watching Lena and Lillian trade verbal blows: Wow ya’lls relationship is fucked up. Lex and Lionelle would spar and fence but you two are on another level jesus

oooooof that last line.

Lena: I know your lying

Lillian: and how could you possibly know that?

Lena: because you told me you loved me. And we both know thats not true

Who wrote this jesus fuck my heart. The PAIN.

Bonus thought Lena thinks Karas smart. Goofball beefcake sneaky sneakster who doesnt know the difference between flirting and friendship is smart she thinks. I love these idiots

Wow Kara just doesn’t wait huh? Oh cadmus is going to be at LCorp? Not on my watch. Lena’s there. I know this because I tune into her heart beat just to check on her cus she likes to work late. Don’t worry Alex it’s for friendship reasons.

That LCorp security guard got princess carried for .2 seconds. Best moment of his life.

God its like dark out. Lenas working on a holiday weekend into the night. I hate this, give her friends.

Lena looks so scared when Kara gets thrown into the giant LCorp sign

And then hurt Kara looking up at her with dread.

Kara internal: fuck don’t come out now. I came here to save you

God I love the protectiveness. Its *chefs kiss*. Hank throwing the beam at Lena and Kara even in her hurt state throwing herself in front of it. Sometimes self sacrifice is gay. But how Lena looks at her after wards like “I can’t believe I’m alive. I can’t believe she chose to save me”. Met with a gruff “Get out of here!”. mm yes this is my kind of content. Fight for me.

I was robbed an aftercare scene but I doubt it will be the last time. (*COUGHS* the “im leaving” phone call *COUGHS*)

Talking about the virus Eliza: what about Lena Luthor?

Kara: What about her?! (super defensive is also a super power maam)

Winn: Luthors can be pretty good actors

Kara: No, I looked into LENAS EYES. She doesn’t know anything about cadmus or her mother

J’onzz: Would you stake Mon-els life on that?

well I guess that really puts Lena and Mon-el right next to each other in priorities huh? Which one is more important?

Wow Lena totally has a crush on Supergirl after that. Flustered dork.

Lena: *laughs nervously* you know that doors not really an entrance

Kara: *upsettit stone face pupper*

Lena: :,)

Okay but the way Lena just says “Anything” all breathless and helpful when Kara says she needs her help. Shes crushin hard

Kara tells Lena her mother is in charge of Cadmus.

Lena: >:(

Annnd the crush is dead. That did not last long. Really love that Lena has such a different relationship with Kara vs Supergirl though, good dynamic having her reactions so different. Which I believe actually relates as a Clark and Lois parallel? Seeing as how Lois has two separate relationships with Clark and Superman.

OOf the way Lenas throat bobs with genuine sadness because who she thought Supergirl was is wrong. Shes just like the rest of them. Thinks Lena is just another crazy Luthor. It hurts

Kara: I know what its like to be disillusioned by our parents, but Im a pretty good judge of character, and you are not like your mother. She is cold and dangerous. And you are too good and too smart to follow in her path. Be your own Hero.

Wow just what a good line. They are capable of some things here and there arent they? Melissa's delivery on this is excellent. And the way Katie McGrath is able to show such depth of sadness and bitterness even from a shot of her BACK is really cool. Great acting in this scene in particular. And I can see why the “desperation to be good” is such a highlighted part of these two relationship. Its the one thing in common between Lena and Supergirl, the place where they can meet in the middle. And the way Lena looks after her as she leaves! AHHH thats the good shit, the pining

Okay big Mon-el scene in coming so if you dont want to hear my ranting skip over this part.

Funny how as soon as Kara has this big impactful scene with Lena full of tension and emotion the writers were like: shit we almost forgot Mon-els dying.

Kara: *staring sadly back into Lenas office kind of wanting to go back in*

Writers: *cough cough* KARA He’s DYINGGGG

Kara: Oh shit right. Mon-el Oh no. My *looks at poorly written handwriting on her palm* romantic interest?

Wow Mon-el looks like shit, poor guy. Someone swaddle this pillow princess and get him some soup.

Heres a question. Kara is visibly upset that Mon-el is dying. Is it because she’s sad that the guy shes likes is dying. Because her friend is dying? Because her father created the virus thats killing him (what the writers want us to think)? Or because no matter what Kara does the people she loves keep falling through the cracks and shes helpless to stop it?

Her parents. Clark. Her adoptive father. Now Lena. Now Mon-el. Why can’t she ever do anything? Why is it always her fault? This poor kid has some deep seeded abandonment issues

Mon-el: you know you look beautiful with the weight of all these worlds on your shoulders.

I do remember my reaction here, cus I thought this was a weird line. A line that was obviously meant to be romantic and complimentary, but it felt unsettled in my stomach. Coming back and watching the scene it sits even more uncomfortably there. He obviously means well, but this line is kind of just shitty. Its a very selfish and unthoughtful thing to say to someone.

Kara’s entire fucking life has revolved around other people and making sure they are happy and taken care of. But having “failed” at such a young age to do the impossible things asked of her (carrying on Kryptons legacy, raising Clark) she overcompensates. Any normal person would just make their life revolve around their family and friends, not healthy but it works. But Kara feels responsibility over an entire world of lost people and lives. So the amount she overcompensates is ungodly. She does have the weight of worlds on her shoulders. This is not a joke or hyperbole. Its just her life. And thats so fucking shitty. And to have someone actually see that and acknowledge it. To make it a reality so to speak. Then to have them say “yeah you look good like this” while you’re a shaking Atlas being crushed. It is just a little too much isn’t it? That pain to have someone see you finally, and then completely miss the point. For them to go “oh wow your so strong. your so brave” instead of “let me help you. you shouldn’t have to do this at all, forget by yourself. But now I am here”.

I imagine this was the scene that crowned my darling himbo boy Mon-Hell? Which is so unfortunate. I hope Im wrong, but I feel that his character might just end up a big missed opportunity

I want everyone to know that me and Kel screamed through the entire enxt few seconds of the scene. We knew the kiss was coming from how they were building it up. But god was it painful, especially for it to be delivered after a line like THAT. But yeah very loud angry screaming

Also not to be that bitch but Kara and Mon-els scene was a total of 1:53 RT, and Kara and Lenas ran at a 1:57 RT. Just sayin...

No Lena don’t be evil thats too sexy...

Okay but the way that Lena just tricks Lillian is so good. Shes so clever. And added bonus she makes her ask for her help, which is nice actually. Lillian's obvious vice is weakness and that is often shown in embarrassment. A woman like this asking for help borders that line of weakness and its nice to see on such a dislikable character. Lena didn’t just get what she wanted she got a point over her mother.

Lena looks good in the purple coat. Repeat she is pretty

Love the mental chess game between Lena and Lillian. Lena offering help right off the bat and giving her the isotope free of charge. And then Lillian making Lena launch the virus to prove herself. Good stuff.

Kara appears: don’t do it Lena!

Lena: why not? im a luthor

Okay so obviously Lena switched the Isotope and the Virus won’t work. But thats what makes this line so perfect. Throwing it back in Supergirls face. Like “Yeah, Im a luthor. And Ill show you what im capable of.” But instead of mass death and destruction Lena saves the day. She saved thousands of lives, and its because shes a Luthor that she was able to do that. Really nice way to full circle that

Wow Lillian really just starts booking it without Lena, huh? bitch

I really love the scene of the virus falling all around National City. The choice of an orangish snow falling was a really really good one. Paired with some excellent music for the mid season finale.

Its sad but I do love Hank just being ready and at peace with death. Im sure he misses his wife and daughters.

Okay but Lena calling the cops is tea. Send your mom to jail honey.

So we’re really not gonna talk about how Lena saved everyones asses? Like don’t you think Supergirl would want to talk to the woman that A) kind of tricked her, and B) saved National City. Thats just what makes sense??? But no we’re going to ignore that the DEO is a kind of shit at their job sometimes. And that the woman that they were accusing of having a part to play in all the xenophobic shit is the one who did their job. BY HER SELF.

Okay rant over. This was a long one review dear god. Really really good episode though. I enjoyed rewatching all the scenes even if it was a mixed bag of feelings. Thanks for reading hope you enjoyed all the screaming!

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internalsealpanic · 4 years

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Fabulous Friday Evenings

Summary: You were having a really bad day. Conner decides to help cheer you up and make sure your drunk ass doesn’t face plant on the side walk.

masterlist

word count: 2,652

a/n: Special thanks to @anothertimdrakestan for helping with the ending and helping with editing! Love you, Elle!

warnings: alcohol and swearing and author does not know how alcohol works. No one is under the drinking age. This may benefit from more editing.

"Mosht people are jusht the careful scaffolding of complexshesh," you slurred, your face red, head half buried in your arms, and golden ear cuffs winking under the dim bar lights.

"You somehow still sound like a fucking nerd even you're when drunk," Conner laughed throwing his head back, handsome face stretched with a cheeky smile. "You look like a mess," he said softly, reaching out for your cheek.

"Fuhk you! Not eberyone can be born too pretty for their own guhd- how did yah evehn know I was here? It was Tim wasn't it! "

"Good guess buuuut it was actually Bart" Conner explained casually taking a seat next to you as you lifted your head momentarily before plopping it back down to stare at the amber gloss of the drink. The light from the ceiling seemed to dance so elegantly in your eyes even as you wrinkled your brows. "That rat," you cursed miserably into your arm.

Across from you, a pretty brunette shot you two a wink and without looking you could tell Conner flirted in kind. Normally, you'd have the audacity to steal the girl's attention away before Conner could even make a proper move but tonight you were in absolutely no mood to be charming. In fact, you were sloshed. You didn't know whether it was the fourth or fifth drink that did it but there you were sitting next to one of the most attractive people he knew with your makeup smeared and eyes still swollen and puffy. You kind of just want a portal to open up and swallow you.

The brunette made a motion to her friends which indicated that she was gonna try her luck and you wished her the best of luck. You bit your soft lips before pressing them into a pout. It took everything in Conner not to kiss you on the spot. Be the responsible one they said. It would be fun, they said.

"We should go. You're-"

"Have fun," you said, patting him on the shoulder, cutting him off curtly; placing some cash on the bar before leaving. The buxom brunette approached Conner placing a hand on the shoulder you’d just touched moments before. He didn’t seem to notice her, his mind still lingering on the warmth of your hand. Before she can say anything, he pivots and runs towards you .

The casual slump in your shoulders in place of your usual elegance was a pretty good indication that you would probably fall in a gutter before you got home. Conner highly doubted you could see straight.

"I can’t believe Roz let you get this sloshed without checking on you," He joked bringing one of your arms over his shoulder and slinging his own arm around you for balance. You walked like a newborn horse. It was incredibly embarrassing and you wanted to die. Conner, on the other hand, just found it incredibly hilarious.

"She's out getting into her own brand of sloshed at a bachelorette party,"

"Huh. Didn't know she was the wedding type. Thought she hated going to those,"

"She's the stripper," You deadpanned, sounding abnormally sober. With that Conner let out a genuinely hearty laugh. You would trade all the martinis, dackories, and margaritas in the world just to get drunk on that laugh.

"That reminds me," Conner drawled, adjusting his hold feeling just how shaky you were from the late October Metropolis weather pressing you closer to his warm body. You kind of wanted to melt into his side but you had too much pride. "Bart never said why you were out here getting shit faced," You frowned at him but couldn't really muster any sharpness into your expression.

There were lots of reasons to get 'shit faced' even in shiny Metropolis. You twitched your nose and mouth side to side gathering the makings of a sentence. Where do you even start? Your little sister got suspended, your mother (who somehow found out you were in Metropolis) is either demanding money or for you to drop everything to go back home to help around the house (translation: help out with the bills while babysitting your siblings), Bats and some other league members were on your ass for the last mission (probably the only thing on this list you found reasonable), this morning, you got fired from your library job so they could hire Marco's girlfriend (who is in fact a perfectly nice person which means you can't really hate her), or the dozens of little annoyances such as Bart not being able to keep his trap shut.

"This week was just a little much,"

A long moment of silence passes between you. Uncharacteristic for Conner but it was cute that he thought silence would make you fess up.

"You know I could have gone home on my own. That brunette looked like she was up for a good time,"

"Yeah right. Also you're welcome."

"You're right. Thank you for getting blue balled this fine evening to escort me" you didn't want to be prickly but Conner was being too nice and that made your skin crawl. Why couldn’t he be mean to you right now like a normal person?

"First off, she wasn't even my type-" You raised a brow.

"Kon, her tits were the size of Jupiter-"

"Did you really just say 'tits'?"

You threw him a scowl clearly sobering up from irritation.

"Shut up. Point iiiis, you didn't have to-"

"You just said-"

"Oh for the love of- yes, I said tits. Speaking of which you should be staring at some instead of having to lug my sorry ass around on this fabulous Friday evening." Your hand fluttering, gesturing vaguely in the air.

"Eh. There'll be other Fridays" Kon shrugged. Pulling you closer and some selfish part of you felt relieved.

----------

Much to your surprise (you really ought not to be), Roz wasn't home yet which meant you had to dig out the keys from the secret hiding spot- another hassle. You reached out peeling a hilariously well concealed hole in the wall and fished out the set of jingling keys. Conner looked like he was between amusement and bewilderment. Good enough. At least, this stopped Conner's 30 minute TED Talk about the new 70s sitcom he'd found.

You two entered the shoe box apartment clumsily thanks to your disastrous limbs.

You blew out a breath and muttered a thanks as Conner helped you plop onto the couch. Though, it was more like gravity decided to magnetize your body to the couch and Conner just let it happen.

You shut his eyes for a moment wrapping a ragged blanket around you. You made a mental note to raid the thrift store for a new one. Preferably one void of holes.

"So what's up and don't you dare say it was nothing. I've never seen you this hammered before," He said handing you a mug of steaming hot chocolate.

"Does it occur to you that I might get hammered like this often and you might just not see it? Who knows maybe I'm actually a functional alcoholic?"

"Ok, first off, you are barely functional. Second, that might be your weakest deflection yet. Try again,"

"Ok... did it occur-"

"I didn't mean it lite- just tell me what happened. Everyone's worried,"

You stared at the steam rising from the fresh cup of cocoa. It was none of Conner's business. It was no one’s business. Your friends were too goddamn nice. Blowing out another breath, you said "You might wanna sit down too,"

Conner takes his own mug of hot cocoa and sits next to you because for some reason eye contact made you a better liar and Conner for all his dumb decisions wasn't gonna let you off the hook that easily. You shifted uncomfortably and muttered about either Cassie or Roz ratting you out. He assumed it was the eye contact thing. Conner felt a little offended. He might not be Tim but he’s smart enough to figure it out on his own. Despite his hurt feelings and bruised ego, he decided to table that and focus on the current issue or, likely, issues.

"Do you want it in alphabetical order?"

"Please tell me you can actually do that," Conner teased with a wide grin. You couldn’t fight off a smile forming on your face. "Sadly, I am not Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne. My brain cells work like a normal person's,"

"Didn't you die?"

"Death only fixes stupid when you stay dead. You've seen Red Hood and whichever other Ex-Robin has been to the pearly gates,"

"You say that as if Jason wouldn't tell the big man to fuck off,"

You blinked and turned your head up to the ceiling. "Ok that's true," You conceded, your mouth twitching rapidly from side to side making you look like an exasperated rabbit. Cute.

"So what's up?"

All the good mood from the past few minutes dissipated in an instant. You looked down solemnly at the still steaming mug. You were silent for what felt like an eternity.

"It's family- Immediate. And the source of all evil-"

"Lex Corp?"

You snorted a shy tired smile cracked across your face. You shook your head. Those little gestures just make Conner feel a little warmer. You, on the other hand, cursed at how easily Conner could make you laugh. You were supposed to be sad damn it.

"Money," Conner knew immediate family was always a sore spot for you. No one knew the specifics except Roz but that was inevitable when you're cousins. Money was also a sore spot and based on your near dead tone. You’ve either lost a lot of it or you’re in a tight spot but not ready to elaborate.

"Wanna try buying a lottery ticket?"

"What?"

"Who knows you might get lucky?"

"You could have gotten lucky you if you-"

"Are you seriously gonna keep bringing that up?"

"Yes, most likely. Depends,"

"On what?!"

"On whether I can think of something funnier to give you shit about or if you can convince me-whatever the fuck you're thinking of doing stop!"Conner's cheeky grin did not disappear nor did the faint flush on your cheeks.

"I wasn't thinking of anything, you sick pervert" he laughed. You really should have been exasperated with Conner. You tried damn it. You looked at him skeptically before violently letting his head rest on Conner’s shoulder causing the other boy to fall over.

"Aaaaaaawwwww babe , if you wanted to cuddle you could have just said so,"

You wanted to. In fact, both of you wanted to. But unfortunately neither of you were martian and neither of you was willing to say jack. You closed your eyes trying to pretend Conner wasn't a little shit. Conner radiated too much smug for that though.

"Shut up," You mumbled into Conner's shoulder already feeling sleep pull him under. You clung to him. Maybe just for tonight you can indulge in this. Just for a little while you can cling to Conner's warmth. Maybe in the morning your head will ache too much to remember this. Waking up alone wouldn't be too painful then. Hopefully.

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

You woke up feeling like a troop of Can Caning hippos decided to host a live performance all over your head. You sighed remembering that you had in fact run out of Aspirin just days before so you decided on just lying there and praying that Roz also needed Aspirin and had more energy to run to the store.

You settled in nuzzling in to the warm-

Wait. It was October.

Nothing in the apartment should be warm.

NOTHING.

Then, you heard it. A LOUD snore. It honestly sounded more like the roar of an engine than anything. Everything else followed. The slow rising and falling of the chest beneath you, the press of stubble against your forehead, and the strong arms loosely wrapped around you.

Yeah. You died again. Yeah. You finally went to heaven. Yup. You were ok with that. You were definitely 100% A Ok with this if this was heaven. Being held tenderly by the guy you liked while you got a good night’s sleep was definitely heaven. God, you were such a sap.

How the hell you missed all of that baffled you.

Oh wait. Dancing hippos. Fuck.

Your head felt like it was threatening to crack open but somehow you honestly could not mind even if you tried. You were laying on top of a hot (literally and metaphorically) guy mutually cuddling. You nuzzled into the junction between Conner’s neck and shoulder in an attempt to steal more warmth. Sure, you were probably gonna go deaf from the snoring. Sure, you were definitely irritated by the stubble pressed against your face. And sure, you would probably die of embarrassment once Conner woke up. You could worry about all that later. All you could think about was how nicely your arms fit around Conner’s neck and how Conner’s arms wrap around you a little tighter in return.

Click.

You could hear the distinct sound of your own camera shutter. Each sound chipped away at your peace of mind. You lifted your head only to see Roz holding your camera.

TAKING PICTURES.

Your cousin was nothing if not a petty opportunist.

“I would tell you to get a room buuuut the only bedroom iiiiis preeeeeeetty occupied,” Roz drawled smugly way too pleased with herself. You opened his mouth to ask but you’d already made the mistake of walking in on Roz and a guest once and you were pretty sure you needed more therapy for that than you did for your murder. You just sighed as Roz took another picture.

“Come on, (y/n), smile a little,”

“I’m not smiling for your blackmail material,”

Roz gasped trying to sound scandalized. She failed, only sounding amused beyond belief. “It’s only blackmail if you’re ashamed of it. Personally, I think you’re scoring big time,”

“Roz please just fuck off before you wake him up,”

“Too fuckin’ late for that. He’s been awake for awhile,”

You could feel Conner smiling into your hair and his arms wrap around you a little tighter. You tried to straighten up. To tower over him. To look intimidating.

But…. you couldn’t. You were kind of trapped because, yanno, super strength.

You were seething and threw a scowl at Conner who only chuckled at you in response.

“You’re never gonna let me live this down, are you?” You snarled, clearly exasperated and feeling the hippos start their encore performance.

“ Mmmmmm, it depends,” Nope. The hippos did not only come back for an encore. They brought friends. Based on the absolutely smug look on Conner’s face, you were in for an entire parade.

You let out a breath not sure if you wanted to play this game but not really seeing any other options. “On what?“

Conner paused and hummed and hummed and hummed some more as if he was actually thinking but you knew from the crook of his lips that he had this planned out. Maybe not this exact scenario but something close“Go out on a date with me,”

You blinked then rolled your eyes theatrically enough that your head rolled along with it. “And be seen with you in public?” You teased, an almost sheepish smile tugging at your features.

Yeah, Conner wasn’t exactly expecting you to say yes.

“Yeah. Sure. Why not?” You said playing it off as casually as possible but you couldn’t help but mirror the absolutely goofy grin plastered on Conner’s face. His happiness was infectious. You felt weightless. It was probably the fact that you were floating with him but you were pretty sure you were just on cloud nine. You were doomed. Definitely, inevitable, indubitably doomed. Even though everything has been shit up to now. The happiness radiating off of Conner was enough to make everything feel a little better.

Thank you so much for reading!

tag list:

@idkmanicantenglish

@batarella (I thought you might like it?)

#conner kent x reader #conner kent #conner kent imagine #My writing #dc fanfiction #DC comics #kon el x reader #kon el imagine

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superman86to99 · 3 years

Photo

Superman #84 (December 1993)

Superman takes a short Paris vacation! Like, one day short. What's the worst that could happen?

Oh, man.

So, for the past few issues, we've been hearing about children being abducted in Metropolis. Now we see that they're being kept inside a giant toy house by some creepy bald man in Quasimodo clothes who seems to be obsessed with toys -- a "Man of Toys," if you will. Side note: no wonder the children haven't been found... all the articles about them are just gibberish! (See clip below.)

The kidnapper thinks that these kids' parents don't deserve them, and that they're much better off here, in an underground hideout with a man who threatens to starve them if they don't play with him. (And I do mean literally play, with action figures and stuff.) Meanwhile, as these children cry for help, Superman is having the time of his life. While helping move a stranded ship with some huge-ass chains, Superman spots a sunken galleon with a treasure chest inside and fantasizes about keeping the booty...

...before turning it over to the authorities anyway, the big boy scout. Then, he wakes up Lois at 6 AM and tells her they should go to Paris right now, which usually means your significant other is having a mental breakdown, but in this case they can actually do it. And so, after deciding that he deserves to use his powers for fun every once in a while, Superman and Lois drop everything and fly to France with super-speed for the rest of the day/issue.

Anyway: back to the child abduction! Cat Grant and her son Adam attend a Halloween party at Adam's school, but there's a disturbed weirdo in a hideous costume lurking among the crowd. Yes, I'm talking about Jimmy Olsen in his Turtle Boy suit.

Shortly after that, a guy in a dinosaur costume (see, all the creeps are dressed as reptiles) lures Adam out of the party with the promise of "superb video games." What child could resist that? Of course, that turns out to be the kidnapper and Adam ends up in his hideout along with the rest of the missing children and, worst of all, not a single "Lextendo" console.

The kidnapper gets angry at Adam when he refers to the toys at the hideout as "old-fashioned junk" (he was REALLY looking forward to those video games), and even angrier when Adam tries to free the other kids. Adam is brave and puts up a good fight, but...

And those were Adam Morgan's final words. "Uh-oh."

Next, we have a pretty harrowing scene of Detective Turpin letting Cat know Adam’s body was found, and Jimmy and Perry White taking her to the morgue to identify the body (most people probably wouldn't bring their former boss to something like that, but Perry sadly knows more than most about losing a kid). As for Lois and Clark, they were gone so long that the Daily Planet had time to print a headline about the murders. The issue ends when the lovebirds walk into the office smiling like two people who just spent the night fooling around in Paris... only to feel like jackasses when they find out what happened.

To be continued!

Character-Watch:

And that's it for little Adam Morgan who, unlike the also tragically diseased Jerry White, didn't even get any post-death appearances. Adam went from a little kid scared of Superman, to a huge brat, to a character who was approaching likeability as of last week. That's why I hate it when DC kills off young characters like Adam or Liam Harper: in long-form storytelling, children represent potential. Look at how much Wally West or Dick Grayson evolved over the years compared to their mentors! Sure, there's a huge probability that Adam would have ended up disappearing from comics for 25 years anyway, but who knows, maybe we'd now know him as Teen Gangbuster or something. GangbusTEEN.

This issue also represents a turning point for the kidnapper, who is never named or seen clearly in the story itself but I don't think I'm shocking anyone by spoiling the fact that he's Toyman (it's in the cover, for one thing). In his last two appearances before this storyline, Toyman helped Superman save some kids from Sleez and looked genuinely sad to learn about Superman's death, so this is a pretty dramatic change for the character. We'll find out why he went from big softy to child killer in Superman #85 (but don't get your hopes up).

Plotline-Watch:

The most disturbing part of the issue, all things considered, is still the part where Toyman climbs into a giant crib and hugs a huge stuffed bunny. Look at serial killer Tommy Pickles here:

Don Sparrow says: “Even with the upgrade, Toyman is still just a man in a suit, a common complaint about Superman’s rogues gallery.” Funny you should say that, because I JUST shared an old Wizard interview in our Twitter in which Dan Jurgens talks about how Doomsday came out of his frustration with the fact that most Superman villains are dudes in suits (plus other interesting tidbits from the era, like how it was actually Roger Stern’s idea to bring back Hank Henshaw, so check out that link!).

Don again: “The entire Superman storyline of this issue feels like filler. Diving for buried treasure and soaring off to Paris -- it all feels like wasted time next to the Adam storyline.” I have a theory that the entire ship sequence is there as an excuse to put Superman in those big chains and make that Spawn joke (which I didn’t get until now, since I’ve always read this issue in Spanish).

Superman says that pulling that big ship was "a little easier than expected" -- that's either another hint that there's something going on with Superman's powers since he came back, or a subtle dig at the state of American ship manufacturing.

Another adorable "window tap" scene for the books, and this is the sexiest one so far. Is it me or has Jurgens started copying more than just Teri Hatcher's hairdo from Lois & Clark? (For anyone who thinks Lois has gotten implants, I refer you to this clip.)

While in Paris, Lois asks Clark if he's ever wondered what would happen if his rocket had landed in other countries. Don: “Clark’s conversation with Lois sounds like a bunch of concepts for Elseworlds stories. We eventually would see a Russian Superman, and a British Superman, but not yet the French Superman. (Hire us, DC!)” Yep, got my French Superman pitch ready, Jim Lee. Or just let us do Russian Superman again, since Red Son wasn’t even the first time you published that idea.

Don once more: “Another thing that makes no sense about the ‘new’ Toyman is his resentment of technological toys—when in previous appearances he himself had deadly high-tech toys to vex Superman over the years.” I especially resent his hatred of video game consoles. Incidentally, I wonder what types of games are available for Adam’s beloved Lextendo. Star Lex 64? Mega Man Lex? Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles & Lex?

No one is more upset at Lois and Clark for going AWOL than Whit. NO ONE. He's so furious that his usually grey mustache turned black.

Patreon-Watch:

As always, shout out to our patrons, Aaron, Murray Qualie, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, Samuel Doran, Bheki Latha, Mark Syp, Ryan Bush and Raphael Fischer! Last month’s exclusive Patreon article was about the recently unearthed sequel to Superman 64 for the PlayStation, featuring Metallo, Parasite, and Lois looking even hotter than in this issue:

Hot damn. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/superman86to99!

And believe it or not, Don Sparrow has even more to say about this issue. Read his section after the jump:

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

I should start off my section with a big caveat: I flat out hate this issue. There were several weird decisions made in the post-Death-and-Return era (most of them along the same lines of making the Superman titles more grim-and-gritty), and this story was one of the worst of them. My theory is that, despite the praise and record-breaking sales of the Death and Return storyline, the Superman creative team felt pressure to have more extreme storylines, perhaps in response to the wildly successful Image books coming out at the time. Between this story, and the upcoming “Spilled Blood” storyline, the Super books take a hard—but temporary--turn into more violent and upsetting storytelling—even though these stories are by the same writers as the previous few years. While death has always been a part of comics, and Superman comics was no exception, there is a jarring glibness and unfeeling toward the way violence is handled in these pages that is quite different from the stories that preceded it. It’s made all the more jarring by the fact that well-established personalities suddenly veer wildly out of character, Toyman chief among them.

We start with the cover, and while it is technically well-drawn (by the familiar team of Jurgens and Breeding) it’s also a very upsetting visual. I think they should have gone with the pieta type pose with Adam and Superman, OR the scary badass bowie-knife Toyman (who apparently has a Cheshire cat smile now) but not both. But the cover is a good hint at the tonal dissonance of the comic within.

We open with a splash of the now-extreme 90s looking Toyman, with his serial killer shaved head and spooky cloak, ignoring the pleas of hungry kids he has locked up in a tiny jail cell for days at a time (if that sentence doesn’t ring alarm bells for how wrong this is for a Superman story, I don’t know what will). For much of the issue Toyman’s eyes are obscured by glare on his lenses, further de-humanizing a character who was once one of Superman’s more empathetic bad guys.

We cut to Superman tugboating a huge tanker with giant chains and it’s a cool visual (one repeated in the Batman V Superman film). It feels especially out of place to focus on, given how upsetting this issue is otherwise, but throughout the whole comic, Lois is drawn smoking hot, especially on the two page spread on pages 9-10.

The scenes depicting the actual murder, while still wildly out of place in a Superman comic, are well done, and give a real sense of darkness and menace, which I suppose is the intent. Perhaps my least favourite visual is the Big Bird stuffie, silently bearing witness to what’s about to occur.

The edges of the panels on get more slashy and off-kilter (to me, looking very much like the layouts more typically seen in Image comics of the day) and I suppose I appreciate the restraint of how little Dan Jurgens shows of the death of a child, showing only a bloody slash on a black background. This is still a pretty baroque image for a Superman comic, but certainly less violent than it could be, given what is happening.

Cat Grant’s silent horror is well staged, and powerful in its way. Lastly, Clark Kent bending in sorrow and regret is a powerful image.

While this issue is handled marginally better, and more maturely than other comics on the shelf at this time, I still believe it is one of the biggest mistakes of the era. Giving a long-established character an unceremonious death for shock value is gross on its own, but making it a child definitely crosses a line for me. Making it worse is that, while the Toyman is a criminal and a killer, he has shown in past issues (a similar kidnapping storyline involving Sleez) that he genuinely cares for the well-being of children. So for a long-time reader, this also felt like a betrayal of a long-established, fully developed character. Adding to the ugliness of this is that Adam dies heroically, trying to free the children who have been caged, unfed, for days, but even in that regard, he fails. The headline at the end of the issue confirms all the children are dead. Adam’s death did not buy the other kids enough time to get away. It was all for nothing. Had Adam died, but the other children lived, maybe this issue wouldn’t leave quite as bad a taste. [Max: It’s weird because it’s all told in a way where it’s told in a way where it would make sense, narratively and within the story universe, that the other kids survived, but then it’s almost casually revealed that nope, they died too. A scene of one of the kids relaying Adam’s heroism to Cat in a future issue would have gone a long way.]

Superman doesn’t come off well in these pages, either. It’s honestly the type of story they should just stay away from, because the more you think about all the calamity that is going on around the clock, the less defensible the whole Clark Kent persona becomes. Superman carving out time to romance his fiancée directly led to the preventable deaths of innocent children—how do you come back from that?

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

I’m always looking for hints that perhaps Jimmy or Perry know Superman’s secret identity deep down, and Jimmy’s anger at Lois and Clark on their return to the Daily Planet offices would seem to give that theory some credence, as he’s as angry at them as if he knew Clark really were Superman. Either that, or he’s ticked that it fell to him, and none of them to escort Cat into the morgue. [Max: Has this issue finally converted you to the “Jimmy is terrible” side now, Don?]

I don’t think I’m the only one who disliked the new Toyman—SPOILERS BE HERE: years later, in Action Comics #865, Geoff Johns retconned this whole story, reverting Schott into the criminal who over-relates to kids, rather than the child-killer of this story. Apparently the infantile Schott, who speaks to “Mother” a la Norman Bates, is a robot so lifelike it fools even Superman, and the “Mother” he’s constantly replying to was the real Winslow Schott trying to recall the malfunctioning robot. [Max: That’s one Geoff Johns retcon I really didn’t mind, even if it felt kind of derivative of his similar “all the Brainiacs are robots made by the real Brainiac” reveal.]

#superman #dan jurgens #josef rubinstein #toyman #cat grant #adam morgan #dan turpin #whit #gangbusteen #super luthor fighter ii turbo championship edition

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harrysgloves · 4 years

Text

Trouble (chapter 4)

>>>Catch up with master list here!<<<

word count: 1.9k

story summary: You’re nothing but trouble and Harry can’t help the fact that he wants a taste.

warnings: Language // Mentions of past smut // Harry is a cute little jealous jelly bean

chapter summary: A piece of your past comes back.

a/n: Lots of supporting characters in this one which is pretty great writing them. I’m in love with them all and very protective of them at this point.

>>><<<

Harry should have known you'd be there with your back pressed tightly against a tree. One hand laying on some frat boy's chest as he chatted you up outside on the quad.

He rolled his eyes, his dark sunglasses shading him from the sun and everyone knowing he was staring at you talking up some asshole.

He couldn't help it. Ever since you two hooked up, you had avoided him like the plague. Every time he stepped into the living room and you were there, you'd find some reason to run to your room.

Even at parties when he'd usually go out for a cigarette with you, you'd quickly put yours out and go back inside.

He had no idea what the hell he'd done to get you to fully stop talking to him. Sure, you guys weren't best friends by any means but you were always friendly. At least said hi to him when he walked in the front door. Now you were avoiding him and it was driving him crazy.

"You fucked her and you still can't stop staring?" Lex asked with a laugh, pulling Harry away from his thoughts of you and back to your guys' group of friends.

"You got it bad, man." Finn said with a smile, taking a hit from his cigarette before Rose walked up to the group with Elena following shortly behind her.

"Who's got what bad? Do I need to get tested?" Rose asked, plopping down on the sun-warmed grass, taking Finn's cigarette from him to take a hit before giving it back.

"Ew, stop fucking doing that." He complained, handing the cigarette back to her. A proud smile on her face as she got it back, knowing it worked every single time.

"Seriously, what are we talking about?" She asked as she let out a puff of smoke.

"Nothin'." Harry mumbled out as he stretched out on the grass. His long legs crossed in front of him as he rested on his elbows.

"We're talking about how the British twat has a hard-on for Y/N still." Link said as Addie rolled her eyes, laying her head in his lap when she laid down on the grass. His fingers running absentmindedly through her dark hair.

"You guys hooked up?" Elena asked, her head snapping towards Harry.

A short nod of his head was all it took for her face to fall. Staring off into the distance, glaring at you still flirting your ass off with some jock.

"Oh, they didn't just hook up," Finn said, glowing from the fact he had managed to weasel out all the dirty little deals of yours and Harry's night together. "They had crazy sex. I mean, shit, the details were enough to get me going."

"What the fuck, Finn? You're so gross." Addie complained as she kicked her brother in the arm with her outstretched leg. His annoying laughter being cut off when you finally made your way to the group, sitting down on the grass in the free spot beside Harry.

Not at all missing the glare you were receiving from Elena and the rest of them looking at you with those annoying shit-eating grins.

"What was that about?" Lex asked as you handed him a flyer. Everyone in the group who was sitting up inching their way towards Lex to read the piece of paper.

"Omega Chi is having a glow party this weekend!" You said excitedly as everyone ohh and awed at the news.

"Fuck yes." Finn cheered as he ripped the paper out of Lex's hands.

"Wot's a glow party?" Harry asked, sitting up, his arm slightly brushing yours as he reached for the flyer in Finn's hand.

The sparks erupting in you even from the slightest touch from him. Making you bite your lip. Really, it was so stupid. You had no idea why the hell you were this attracted to him.

"It's a black light party where you paint neon paint on each other." You said with a smile as he finally handed you back the paper you had been given.

You really had been trying your absolute hardest to keep him off your mind but with this party coming up, you couldn't help but wonder if that meant he'd be touching you again. Even something as simple as painting on you had your thighs clenching.

The sound of your name broke off the rest of the conversation. Your head swiveling around to see who was calling out for you.

You squealed, eyes wide, as you scrambled from your spot on the ground toward the person yelling and waving to you like a maniac. You ran full force, arms thrown around him as he spun you around in a hug.

Everyone in the group looked towards Harry, whose face had fallen slightly at your departure. A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he didn't even want to admit was there. He hated feeling like this for no reason.

You two had hardly even talked since that night. He really needed to put it out of his mind.

"Fuck, that hurts." Finn said, handing Harry his cigarette. Not even bitching about the fact someone else was stealing another cigarette from him.

"Nah," Harry lied as he took a hit from the cigarette before handing it back. "We're not together or anything. She doesn't do serious shit. Made it pretty well known too."

"We'll see about that." Rose hummed out, her eyes moving back towards you but Harry's stayed fixed on her. What the hell was she talking about?

His thoughts were quickly interrupted from wandering off too far when you pulled your new friend over to the group. His arm around your shoulder as he walked with you.

"Guys, this is Austin. He just transferred here from my hometown community college." You said with that bright smile on your face as you looked at him.

Harry hated to see you looking at anyone like that. Anyone besides him. Which was stupid because he was pretty sure you'd never look at him like that.

He hated the feeling, jealousy, that was burning up his esophagus from the pit of his stomach. He swallowed thickly, reminding himself that everything with you would have to be strictly physical.

"Yeah, we used to have a lot of fun back in the day." Your new buddy said, pulling you closer into him, making Harry thankfully he had sunglasses on to hide his eye roll. Fucking prick just had to rub it in.

"She was a great cheer captain. Even got us to nationals last year. Too bad we all got wasted the night before, right?" He asked with a laugh as you swatted his chest.

"Shut up, they don't know about the cheering." You grumbled, feeling your face heat as everyone looked at you.

"What?" Rose asked, perking up at the news that someone may possibly know you better than her.

"Yeah, I used to cheer."

"Hot damn. Go get your outfi-" Finn started but was quickly cut off by Addie kicking him on the shoulder… again.

"Yeah, this is why I didn't say anything." You said rolling your eyes but not missing the playful smirk forming across Harry's lips. Feeling your cheeks heating as you felt his eyes burn into you.

"Well, we were pretty great. I'll have to show you guys the videos. You know, from when we weren't hungover." Austin said with a smile, ruffling your hair with his hand before pulling away from you.

"Okay, gotta get my stuff together and into my new apartment. Just wanted to check out the campus." He said, making you pout up to him.

He had been one of your closest friends before you had met Rose. Of course, he was also a guy on a cheer squad in a small town, the guy could have used all the friends he could get his hands on back then. You were sure in a bigger more open-minded place he would really flourish.

"Oh my God!" You squealed, eyes widening when you caught a glimpse of another man walking towards you two. Throwing a slap on the now laughing Austin's shoulder.

"You didn't tell me you brought him!" You yelled as you ran past him, hugging yet another guy.

"Jesus, how many people does she fuck?" Elena scoffed.

Harry's head whipping around to her so fast you could hear his neck crack as he glared at her through his glasses.

"Damn, someone's bitter today." Finn commented as everyone else stared at the now slightly blushing Elena.

"What the fuck?" Rose asked quietly to her as you walked back up to the group.

"Guys, this is Akiro." You said as you pulled the other guy up to the group. "This is Austin's boyfriend."

Harry had never heard sweeter words in his whole life. Letting go of a breath he didn't even know he was holding in, making Finn laugh silently from beside him.

"They're high school sweethearts. Wish we didn't grow up in a shit town. You guys could have been Homecoming king and king." You gushed, pushing them together.

"Yeah, the gay linebacker and the gay cheerleader. A romance novel in the making." Akiro joked, his arm going around Austin's shoulder.

"Well, we got to get going. It was good seeing you again, babydoll. We'll catch up before this one leaves town. He's just here helping me unpack." You nodded your head, hugging them both before they turned to leave.

"Damn, they make a hot couple." Rose said, Addie agreeing with her as you sat down back in your spot.

"Yeah, they were adorable in high school. The only problem was they were the only out couple so they got a lot of shit." You sighed, leaning back to rest on your elbows.

Your eyes closing as you soaked up the sun. Only opening them slightly when Harry mimicked your position.

"Still got that cheer outfit?" He whispered in your ear as the group carried on another conversation.

Your cheeks immediately heating when you turned to look at him. The smug smile on his face and playfulness dancing in his now uncovered eyes.

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't." You said, smiling at his eye roll.

"Maybe I'll find out. Yeh?"

"Possibly. What's in it for me?" You asked, genuinely interested know what you'd get if you pulled that old thing out of your closet.

Well, what you'd get minus a mind-blowing orgasm.

"I'll pretend y'haven't been avoidin' me all week. Blushin' every time y'walk out 'f the room 'M in." He smiled, that annoying dimple popping out as your eyes widened.

"Whatever. I do not." You lied, trying your best to ignore your cheeks heating yet again at the fact he noticed you being so weird with him.

You just couldn't help it. You were so into him with knowing so little about him. You were afraid if you got to know him better you'd catch feelings.

"Sure, y'don't, love. Careful, someone might think y'got a crush on me or sumthin'." He said smiling widely as he laid back flatly on the ground. Your eyes widened as you looked at him so content with himself.

Did you have a crush on him? You didn't think so but at the same time, you couldn't deny the fact you were drawn to him like a magnet, couldn't get your mind off how he touched you. How you wanted him to touch you again.

You swallowed the thought down. Knowing you were playing with fire. You didn't do relationships for a reason. You didn't do getting close to people for a reason and you'd be damned is some pretty boy with nice eyes and a great smile made you forget what it felt like to be the one with your heart ripped out and torn into pieces.

#Harry Styles #Harry #Harry Styles x Reader #Harry Styles x You #Harry Styles x Y/N #Harry Styles Fanfic #Harry Styles Fanfiction #Fanfic #Fanfiction #Writing #Mine #Trouble

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forevermyalwaysphff · 4 years

Text

Chapter 18

A/N: Hello amazing readers and followers! I am back on tumblr and will be posting a few chapters today so please keep an eye out for them. Looking forward to hearing from you all xx

This chapter is quite long! Special treat for all of you!

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Alexa placed her jumper on top of the rest of her clothes in her suitcase and zipped it shut. Glancing around the room she did one last sweep hoping that she was not forgetting anything. A light knock on her door caused the blonde to turn around to spot a yawning Alice leaning tiredly up against her door frame.

"Off for the weekend?" Alice took a few steps forward and sat on the edge of Alexa's bed beside her packed suitcase.

"Yeah, Harry wants me to meet some of his friends and well,they have invited us out to Cumbria, in the Lake District for the weekend. I think one of their families owns a cottage out there on the lake."The blonde confessed as she sat down on a chair in front of her vanity and grabbed her mascara to finish applying her makeup.

"Awe! That will be so much fun, Lex!" Alice's smile lit up feeling a sense of happiness for Alexa. "It's such a beautiful place and I am sure that you two will have an amazing time there."

Alexa swivelled around on her chair to turn and face her flatmate. "I hope so. Well more so that his friends like me. I have only met one really since we have been seeing each other." She displayed a nervous smile as she fidgeted with her hands.

"Are you kidding me? They are going to love you girl! What's not to love about you?" Alice tried to offer some encouragement to her friend. "Are you also a bit nervous that things are getting more serious between Harry and you?"

Alexa's head lifted slowly as she nodded. "Yeah..." She paused and took in a deep breath. "That's part of it. I mean we have been in a relationship officially for a few months now and we tried to take things slow like I have wanted to, but I feel I have done the exact opposite. I am not saying I want to pump the brakes a bit because Harry and I are in such a good place right now. It's more my head games that doubt things more than anything at this point." Alexa confessed and explained to Alice what was going on in her mind. "It will be good to see him, but I cancelled my plans with Eugenie this weekend to do it..." She bit down on her bottom lip nervously.

"Oh..." Alice was a bit shocked. "You two still aren't getting along are you?" Her friend probed.

"It's not like we aren't getting along, Alice." Alexa frowned slightly, wondering how to explain the situation. "After that night that Harry had come back to London unannounced and we all had that big row.... Things changed." The blonde offered a weak soft smile. "I still love her to bits and she's still my best friend, but I am trying to find a balance between Harry and Eugenie. Harry has spoken to her and apologized to Eugenie over what he said that night and took the high road without even me asking him which says a lot about him. But, Eugenie tried to fight with him when he did and he said he had to walk away from her." Alexa breathed out deeply.

"It must be difficult on you then to see Harry willing to try for you, but Eugenie is still acting like a stuck up bitch, Alexa. I wouldn't blame you..." Alice giggled lightly.

"It is difficult because... I am falling in love with Harry." A beaming smile formed on Alexa's lips as she admitted it to her friend, Alice. Her green eyes were sparkling with happiness at the thought of it all.

"Aweeeeeeeee!" Alice clasped her hands together and was in near tears of happiness for her friend. "I could tell when you were falling so hard for him that night we had the girls over to introduce Harry to them. It was so evident that you two care a lot about each other."

"Really?" Alexa shyly laughed.

"Of course! You don't see the way he literally stares at you when you aren't looking. He is totally falling hard for you, believe me." Alexa's friend was quick to assure her. An alert sounded on Alexa's phone as she grabbed it off the vanity. "Harry's a few minutes away. I need to finish putting on my make up and getting Peanut's things ready."

"Are you wanting to take Peanut with you, you could always leave her here with me this weekend. I don't want to be all by my lonesome." Alice suggested hopefully as she petted the sleeping pup lying on Alexa's bed.

"Yeah, I mean that would be great. Harry said I could bring her because I wasn't sure what your plans were this weekend, but she can definitely stay and keep you company." Alexa watched Peanut crawl into Alice's lap and fall back asleep.

"Right, I will take pup and leave you to finish getting ready. I can let Harry in when he arrives." Alice nodded lightly. "Are you taking the train up there?" She curiously asked on her way out.

"No, Harry thought it was best for him to drive me. Still trying to keep under the radar despite the media's interest in me still." Alexa sighed before seeing a concerned expression on Alice.

But that expression quickly morphed into a smile. "Have a great weekend, Lex. Just relax and have some fun with your boy."

"Thanks, Alice. I will."

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"You are driving us?" Alexa stood there with a questioned look as she watched her boyfriend open the boot to place her suitcase in beside his own.

"Yes, love." He chuckled lightly. "They do let me drive my own vehicle every now and then."

"No, I think it's great." Her boyfriend turned back towards Alexa glancing down at her from under his cap. "We can have our first official road trip together!" The excitement was evidently planted all over Alexa's face.

Harry stood there watching Alexa's smile appear on her lips at the mere thought of it all. He walked up to his girlfriend and without a word, leant down and captured her lips in a sweet lingering kiss. "Henry..." Alexa broke their lips apart as she tried to scold him for his reckless behaviour. "You shouldn't kiss me in public like this." She regretted the moment she tore his lips off of Harry's, but they still had to be cautious.

"I can't help it when you get all adorable and excited about things like that." He grasped her hand and pulled her around to the passengers side. "Shall we get our first road trip together started?" Harry winked at Alexa displaying a cheeky grin while opening the door for Alexa.

"I thought you would never ask!" She exaggerated with a beaming smile. "Thank you, love."

Alexa's hand was grasping Harry's tightly as she scrolled through his phone finding the next song for them to listen to. Her head was bobbing to the beat of the music silently enjoying their road trip on the way to the Lake District. This gave Harry a moment to take her all in. Sitting there next to him was this beautiful woman who he was falling in love with on their way to meet his closest friends. He could not believe it himself half the time that he had found someone like Alexa.

"You look very pretty today, Lex." He watched a smile grow on her lips before lifting her head to beam up at him. "I like that suit thing on you."

"Thanks, love. It's a romper not a suit." Alexa leaned in and placed a sweet kiss to his lips. "But, eyes on the road darling." She giggled and turned his head towards the road in front of them.

"Well, whatever the hell it's called you should wear it more often. It fits you very well." He continued his flirting despite keeping his eyes glued to the road.

"Mmmm, I will keep that in mind. But, you will have to wait and see what else I have packed for this weekend." A mischievous grin was plastered on her lips knowing that Harry would have a difficult time keeping his hands off of her this weekend. "I went out and bought a few new things."

Harry's smile slowly faded at her comment. "Alexa, you didn't need to buy new things. What you wear is completely fine." The prince knew for a fact that she did not buy expensive clothes very often and hoped that she did not do this purely to try and impress his friends.

"I know... but I wanted to make a good first impression." She confessed exactly what Harry was worried about. Alexa turned her attention back to the prince when he did not reply and witnessed a furrowed brow forming on his forehead. "What?"

The prince sighed heavily. He did not reply because he simply did not want this to turn into an argument. "I don't want you to ever feel that you need to change who you are or what you wear to fit into any part of my life." He pulled her hand towards him and placed his lips softly to her fingers in a sweet gesture. "I don't want you to ever change who you are."

Alexa sat there quietly gathering her thoughts and really hearing her boyfriend's genuine words. This was the difference between Reese and Harry. Harry accepted Alexa for exactly who she was and did not want her to change anything about her. He did not want Alexa to change to fit into his world, she was in his world because of who she was. Reese on the other hand wanted Alexa to change everything about her in order to fit into his world. He had liked the idea of Alexa more than who she really was. Her head lowered as she shook it lightly. "I am such an idiot." Alexa muttered softly, but her boyfriend was able to hear what she had spoken.

"Alexa Grey, you are not an idiot." He leaned over and placed a kiss on her temple.

"No I am!" She lifted her head and tossed her arms up in the air. "All I wanted was to fit into your world because I care so much about you." Her head turned to look directly in his eyes. "I want your friends to like me and I just had this fear that I am going to be judged like I was with Reese's aristo friends..." Alexa dragged off and took in a heavy sigh becoming quiet. "That was when we started to have problems, after I met some of his friends...." She hinted at her fears in a quiet whisper. "I don't want this to happen to us..."

Harry closed his eyes hearing her quiet confession. Her voice was laced with doubt and uncertainty, causing an ache in Harry's heart. He knew that there would be times of Alexa struggling to find herself in similar situations like this due to her past relationship with Reese Kellington and all he could do was try to make her feel that she was enough for him.

He sighed and steered the car to the side of the road, breaking to slow down the vehicle to a stop. Harry turned off the engine and opened his door. "Get out..." He softly requested Alexa to do the same.

"Henry... what are you doing?" Alexa unclicked her seatbelt and left the vehicle as she walked over to the driver's side to find Harry leaning up against the car.

"You need my full attention right now and I cannot give that to you and focus on driving." The prince admitted. "Plus, I cannot hug you properly in that car so come here." He opened his arms and waited for Alexa to saunter over to him. Wrapping his arms around her he gently squeezed her small frame, enveloping her in a tight embrace. "That won't happen to us, I promise." He whispered into her ear and felt her body relax into him.

"You always give the best hugs." Her voice muffled as Alexa buried her face into his chest. Harry held her there on the side of the road waiting for her to speak again, but the simple comfort tugged at Alexa's heartstrings. His hand started to rub the small of her back in a subtle gesture of reassurance.

"Meeting my friends is going to change our relationship, Alexa. But, for the better. I have kept you hidden and away from them only because I wanted to see where this was going. I don't introduce just any girl to them, only the important ones. You mean the world to me and I want them to know you for who you are. For the woman I am falling in love with." He lifted up her chin making his girlfriend look into his mesmerizing blue eyes. "I am falling in love with you still."

"This means alot to you, doesn't it?" She tilted her head while gazing up at him and analyzing his silent response while he nodded.

"My friends are very loyal to me, Alexa. I only keep them around if they are. It's hard to find genuine friends like the ones you will meet because of who I am. So introducing you to them is a big step for me, but one I want." The prince calmly confessed.

Alexa smiled softly before standing as tall as she could to reach the prince's lips and capture them in a slow deliberate kiss. "Let's go meet them then."

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

"I seriously cannot wait to meet her." Melissa Percy voiced her excited thoughts towards the group of Harry's friends who had already arrived at the lake cottage in Cumbira on the Lake District. Melissa Percy was Harry's friend, Thomas Van Straubenzee's, longtime girlfriend.

"He has been really hush hush about this one, hasn't he?" Lara added her two sense in the matter. "I hope she is a real gem. Harry needs a good one after what happened with Chelsy. No offence, Mel." Lara gave her friend Mel a sympathetic look.

Melissa Percy and Harry's ex, Chelsy Davy, were and still are best of friends. The two had become close friends while their significant others, Tom and Harry were long time friends. It was natural that the two of them had grown so close and even after Harry and Chelsy parted ways they remained friends. It was difficult at first for Mel and Tom, feeling like they had to split their loyalties between them. Mel had to admit that she was excited to meet this new girl of Harry's, but she still was not entirely sure how she would handle seeing Harry with someone else other than Chelsy.

"No, no offence taken Lara." Mel simply shrugged her shoulders. "It is going to be hard seeing Harry with someone who isn't Chelsy. They were together for so long... I think he is still in love with Chelsy and I am a bit scared this girl may be just a rebound for him." She spoke her mind, making the group feel uncomfortable.

Zoe Stewart, Harry's friend Jake's girlfriend stood up for the woman. "I highly doubt that she is a re-bound for Harry. Do you really think that he would bring her here this weekend if she were? Let's not jump to conclusions shall we? Besides, he is over Chelsy Davy." She turned her head and narrowed her eyes at Mel, giving her a warning to behave.

"You have met her before Adam, right?" Jake Warren pipped into the conversation and turned the group's attention to his friend Adam Bidwell hoping to bring some sort of information to light about Harry's girl. To be honest, Jake and Harry had spoken a lot lately even meeting up for some drinks at a low key pub and the prince spoke freely about Alexa. Only Zoe knew about this information and they kept it out of the group's knowledge for a reason.

Adam took a sip of his drink and nodded slowly. "I have once." He admitted casually. "Not going to give you any deets until you meet her." He knew this comment would turn the women mad as they literally had talked about Harry's new girl the whole train ride up, wondering what she was like and what she did. Harry had already confided in his friend about Alexa before about how to introduce her to the rest of their friends. Adam suggested a casual weekend getaway with a chill relaxing environment would be the best option. He knew how protective of her Harry had become. But, when Adam suggested using his father's cottage in the Lake District where there was nothing but water and hills in the surrounding area, it was the perfect place to privately introduce them.

"Oh come on Bidwell!" Melissa pushed him further for any tidbit of information. He shook his head no and brushed her off.

"You can make up your own mind. Haz messaged me a bit ago and said they were about thirty minutes away so you shouldn't wait too long." Adam informed the group of the couple's imminent arrival.

Tom eyed his girlfriend Mel and leaned in to rest his chin on her shoulder. "You better behave. No talk of Chelsy or making her feel uncomfortable, ok?" He warned his girlfriend to watch her tongue this weekend. "Don't ruin this for Harry."

"I don't have a clue what you mean, love..." Mel giggled lightly before sipping on her drink.

The group of friends did a quick tidy up of their lunch while the girls started to mix a few drinks before Harry and Alexa's arrival. Zoe peered out of the window and saw a convoy of vehicles pull in. She recognized Harry''s Audi and could see the outline of two people in the front.

"They are here!" She hollered loudly for everyone in the house to hear. Everyone started rushing to the front door to see. "Let's not bombard the poor girl now! Give them a minute to get out, they just had a long drive!" Zoe did her best to attempt to give the couple a little space.

Harry put the car in park and glanced over to see his anxious girlfriend fiddling with a ring on her finger as she sat there quietly in the passenger seat. He reached over and gently grasped her hand, interlocking their fingers as he gained her attention. She looked up at him with those deep green eyes of hers and held their gaze steady. "Just be yourself and they will adore you." He tried his best to reassure the nervous blonde before leaning in and kissing her soft lips in a sweet embrace. "Shall we get out of the car or do you want one more minute?" Harry rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb soothingly as an attempt to calm her budding fears.

"One more minute..." Alexa looked down at their conjoined hands as she whispered her reply.

Mel was peering through the curtains of the big bay windows of the lounge area with Lara beside her while the rest of the group were waiting patiently inside for them. "Oh my god! Harry just kissed her I think." She alerted the rest of the group to which Tom shook his head at his nosy girlfriend. "What is taking them so long to get out of the car, like come on already Harry! We want to see your girl!"

"He is probably telling her how crazy you and Lara are right now!" Skippy rolled his eyes.

"Oh wait, Harry got out." Lara was giving them a play by play now.

The prince rounded the vehicle from the front as Alexa opened the passenger side door and climbed out of the car. Harry gently closed the door and turned around to fall into step beside his girlfriend. A beaming smile graced his lips that was clearly evident even from far away as he reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers and walked side by side towards the cottage.

"She's gorgeous!" Lara's mouth literally dropped open. "Awe, look at his smile! He's so happy."

This was when the rest of the group thought it was best to go outside and meet them. The guys exited the front door with their girlfriends in tow and slowly walked towards the new couple with welcoming smiles ready to meet them.

"Harry!" Tom tossed his arms up in the air and waved at his pal. The prince waved back happily, grinning from ear to ear for the rest of his friends to see. But, his gaze fell back down towards his girlfriend and muttered something in her ear, most likely a word of encouragement.

"Hey mate!" Tom and his girlfriend Melissa were the first to reach Harry and his new girlfriend as the rest of the group hung back a bit to give them space. Harry leaned for a quick friendly hug with Tom while still holding on tightly to Alexa's hand. "It's good to see you man!"

Harry chuckled, "I know, it's been a bit too long." The prince stepped out of the hug and exchanged kisses on the cheek with Mel, greeting her warmly.

Mel locked eyes with Alexa and was captured by her deep green eyes and natural beauty, but the shy expression on her face was clearly evident and her uncertainty was a target for Mel. Harry had stepped back in line with Alexa and glanced down at her briefly before starting to begin the introductions.

"Tom, Mel. This is my girlfriend, Alexa." A fond smile stretched his lips as he finally spoke those words. "Alexa... these are my friends, Tom and Mel."

Tom nearly cut in front of Mel and leaned in to place a kiss on her cheek when Alexa stretched out her arms for a hug. "Sorry, Tom. I am more of a hugger if that is ok." He nodded warmly and wrapped his arms around her small frame.

Melissa immediately took Alexa into a friendly hug. "It's so nice to meet you, Alexa. I can't believe Harry has been hiding you away from us all this time." She looked towards the prince expecting a snide remark, but she was shocked to see that he hardly even acknowledged her comment as his eyes were steady on Alexa. A gesture that brought about a bit of anger within her at Harry's complete infatuation with the blonde.

"I know." She giggled and peaked up at him with a smile. "It's so good to finally meet you though. Harry has spoken a lot about the both of you." Alexa informed them with a soft smile.

The prince placed his hand on the small of her back and gave it a gentle rub. "Shall we continue the introductions, quite a few others to meet?" Harry softly pushed her forward towards the rest of his friends waiting further down as Tom and Mel trailed in behind them.

Alexa was introduced to Lara Hughes-Young and Harry's close mate, Tom Inskip. She was welcomed with open arms and friendly hugs learning that Tom was often called 'Skippy' in his close knit group of friends. Lara happily commented on Alexa's romper and thought that they had similar styles, further discussing a potential shopping date together in the future.

Alexa was beaming at the couple with a tilted head. "It's lovely to meet you both. Thanks for inviting me here this weekend with Harry." The two of them were silently gushing about how sweet Alexa was and could not believe that Harry had snagged this beautiful woman.

"It will be a blast. We have so much fun things planned." Skippy informed Alexa before leaning in. "This does include getting your man completely wasted so I hope that is alright with you?"

"That is perfectly fine, Skippy. I need to show Henry that I can drink him under the table. He still does not believe me that I can." Alexa barked a laugh at his expense. Thankfully Harry was chatting beside her to Adam and did not hear a thing.

"Awe!" Lara clasped her hands together. "That is so sweet that you call him Henry..."

"What's so sweet?" Harry came back into the conversation and wrapped his arms around Alexa from behind. "My girl? I already know that." He placed a gentle kiss to her forehead unafraid to show some PDA in front of his friends. "Come on. We have to keep moving down the line."

Before they could take another step, Alexa stepped beside Harry towards Adam and he engulfed her into a quick hug. "Welcome to the Lake District. Glad you could make it Lexi."

"Hi, Adam!" Alexa squeezed his frame back and stepped out of the hug releasing a deep sigh. "Thanks so much for the invite. It was really kind of you." She leaned her head down against Harry's shoulder with a kind smile.

"You are welcome here anytime." Adam was acting very sweet towards Alexa, wanting to make her feel at home and comfortable here amongst Harry's friends. He looked down at Alexa who remained quietly taking a break while Adam continued to talk away. This gave Harry a moment to check in with his girlfriend and make sure she was doing alright. A gentle rub of her back made Alexa look up at him as he mouthed. "Are you ok?" She flashed him a sweet smile and nodded silently.

"If anyone is giving you any trouble come find me and I will sort them out." Adam kindly offered.

"Thank you, Adam. I think I will manage ok." She rubbed the side of his arm in a sweet gesture before being whisked back away to meet the last remaining couple, Zoe Stewart and Jake Warren.

Jake and Harry had been friends for the longest in the group, while Tom and Skippy trailed closely in behind him. Harry was more nervous for this introduction more than anything. He trusted Jake's judgment and often sought out his advice on relationship matters so he was very keen for Alexa and him to get along well. The prince knew for a fact that Zoe and Alexa would become best of friends in a short time.

"This is the last intro, I promise." Harry chuckled lightly as he ran his fingers through his ginger hair. "Then we can get settled in and have some fun."

"Good." Alexa giggled alongside him. "I saw that fireplace in front. Maybe we can have a camp fire one night?" She looked up at Harry to see what he thought.

"Yeah, that would be fun! I will mention it to the guys later and see. I know Adam has a few things planned already, but I am sure we could do it one night." He nodded with a smile then picked his head up to see Jake and Zoe stand up from the bench by the front door. "Sorry to keep you two waiting!" Harry smirked at his friend Jake who was eying up Alexa.

"It's alright, mate. You saved the best for last!" Jake pulled Harry into a big hug and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Well done, Hazza."

"Thanks, Jake." He quietly muttered displaying a proud smirk before he saw Zoe greeting Alexa out of the corner of his eye.

"Hi, Alexa. I'm Zoe." Zoe engulfed Alexa into a warm friendly hug and rubbed Alexa's back in a comforting manner. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you." She broke out of the hug and found herself staring into the depths of Alexa's deep green eyes. "It's so wonderful that you two could come out this weekend and give us a chance to get to know you better."

Alexa tucked a stray piece of her hair out of the way and smiled politely back. "It really is kind of everyone to invite us out here. It's such a gorgeous place and I am quite looking forward to meeting everyone. Hoping to get to know all of you more too." She paused and glanced up at her boyfriend. "And, hopefully telling me stories of Harry's debaucherous adventures."

Jake and Zoe dissolved into a fit of laughter at Alexa's remark and Harry's reaction. "I told you while driving up here already, love. I am a saint and my friends are very loyal to me." He slowly turned his head and locked eyes with Jake giving him a look.

"Don't worry we will fill you in. I know you will fit right in in no time. Just stick around me if you need. I am sure we will get along very well." Zoe was so kind and reassuring to Alexa, it even put her mind at ease about her worries of getting along with everyone. Alexa already knew she liked Zoe and could see herself getting along well like she spoke of.

"Oh and this is my boyfriend, Jake." She pulled him into the conversation and introduced her partner to Harry's girlfriend.

"Hi, Alexa. It's great to finally meet Harry's girlfriend." Jake leaned in and placed two quick kisses on her cheek in a friendly greeting.

"It's great to meet Zoe's boyfriend." Alexa teased back, starting to feel more comfortable and dive into her witty side."Oh, god I am so sorry that just came out." She started to become embarrassed and apologized. Zoe nearly died laughing at Alexa's quick comeback and how cute and shy she had become.

"You will do just fine here amongst our group with that witty banter." Jake nodded and eyed Harry. "You got a fiesty one on your hands."

"Believe me...I know, but she's a keeper." Harry tossed his head back in laughter and glanced around to see the rest of his friends behind him chatting in a circle. He turned his head back to Jake and Zoe. "Where are we staying? I think Alexa and I are going to get settled and then see what the plans are?" He curiously asked Jake.

Mel came skipping up behind the couple with Tom having overheard the conversation. "We were so very kind of saving the master bedroom for you two with the only private ensuite bathroom." Melissa proudly alerted the couple with a smile. "We figured it would give you a bit more privacy that way." There was a hint of annoyance laced in her tone at the fact that they were getting the bigger bedroom.

"You guys didn't have to...we would be comfortable staying wherever." Alexa commented, not wanting to seem needy and selfish taking the largest room and being the last to arrive. "We are happy to switch if anyone wants too." She kindly offered, but Harry was quick to shut down the offer. "Noope! We will take it!"

Zoe narrowed her eyes at Mel's tone and gave her a subtle nudge in the side. "It's what we decided as a group. No need to worry at all, Alexa. Besides, you two will be across from Jake and I. It was also across from the room where Harry's security is staying. It made perfect sense." Zoe gently grabbed Alexa's arm. "Come, let me show you the room while Harry grabs your luggage."

Harry watched as Alexa was dragged into the house by Zoe. He sighed briefly knowing that she was in good hands with Jake's girlfriend. "Let's go get your bags, mate. I will help you." Jake followed his mate back to the car. Harry popped open the back and saw Jake standing there casually.

"Are you actually going to help or are you just going to stand there?" The prince teased his friend.

"God, you should have heard all the girls on the train this morning literally trying to figure out what Alexa would be like." Jake laughed as the prince shook his head in response. "Then, just before you got here they were literally hounding Adam for any piece of information about her. Then there was Mel's comment..." Jake felt it was best for Harry to be aware of what his ex's best friend was saying.

Harry suddenly became stiff before dropping Alexa's bag on the ground and crossing his arms with a frown. "What was Mel saying?" He had been hoping that Mel wouldn't be an issue for him, but turns out he would have to keep an eye on her when Alexa was around.

Jake sighed knowing for a fact that Harry was going to be mad over it. "She said...'It is going to be hard seeing Harry with someone who isn't Chelsy. They were together for so long.' She also thinks you are still in love with Chelsy and that Alexa is only a rebound." His friend glanced up at Harry and saw a flash of anger circle in his blue eyes.

"That bitch... who does she think she is?! I am honestly so tired of her games lately. If she says anything at all about Chelsy and I this weekend in front of Alexa, I swear to god I will lose my shit on her." Harry's jaw clenched tightly. This was his one fear, that Mel would have a problem seeing Harry moving on from Chelsy and voice her unwanted opinion on the matter in front of Alexa. The prince slammed the car door shut in a release of his fury and made Jake jump.

"Haz... does Alexa know that Mel and Chelsy are best friends?" He was trying to help his friend out.

"No, I don't think so mate." Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Quite frankly I don't give a flying fuck about Mel and her opinions right now. Alexa and I are finally back in a good place after Eugenie pulled some bullshit and I won't let Mel cause further doubt in Alexa about our relationship."

"You should tell Alexa and give her a heads up...it will be worse if she finds out and you know Mel is going to say something to her at some point this weekend. It's better if Alexa knows before she does." Jake's calming voice brought a sense of reason to Harry as he saw his friend nod with understanding.

"Jake, I know where you are coming from." Harry looked him directly in the eye. "I can't do this to her though mate. She is having a hard time right now despite the brave face she is putting on. I only want her to have a fun chilled weekend with my mates." He explained the reason why, hoping that for now nothing would be brought up.

"This place is so amazing." Alexa walked towards the big beautiful windows of the master bedroom. "The view is absolutely stunning!" She could not believe that Harry and her were going to be waking up to this view in the mornings.

"I couldn't agree more." A familiar deep husky voice responded before Zoe could get a word in. Alexa turned on her heel to find Harry setting down her bag.

"Isn't it amazing?" Alexa slowly took in the room as she adorably became excited. Harry quietly chuckled at his girlfriend and briefly locked eyes with Zoe who was loving how adorable Alexa was at that moment.

Zoe stood up from the edge of the bed and walked towards Harry. She patted the front of his shoulder and whispered. "I will let you two get settled in. I like we are going for a boat ride this afternoon on the lake. What does Alexa like to drink? I will make sure some are packed."

"Thanks Zoe." Harry paused for a moment. "Vodka cran or any coolers or cocktail drinks."

"Heineken for you?" She checked quickly as the prince nodded his reply. " See you in a bit."

The prince walked towards his girlfriend who was now peering out of the window with an impressive view of the lake and the nature that they found themselves surrounded in. He wrapped his arms around his girl from behind and leant down to place a soft kiss to her cheek.

Alexa lightly grasped his forearms and smiled while he kissed her sweetly. She gently rubbed down his arms and released a heavy sigh. "I needed this getaway, love." Lexi quietly confided in the prince. "Thank you for this."

Harry was now resting his chin on the crown of Alexa's head while holding her tightly in his arms. "I know things haven't been easy for you lately, but I want you to know that I am here for you and that I have got you." He squeezed her frame a little tighter. "I wanted you to meet my friends to have other people to confide in who know more about my life. They know what it is like and how to handle certain situations that your friends or family may not."

Alexa swivelled her body around to face him. "Has anyone told you how incredibly sweet and thoughtful you are?" She looked up at Harry in amazement. "You have been my rock, Henry." Alexa confessed quietly.

She stood on her tippy toes and captured his lips into a passionate kiss. Her lips broke off in reluctance as he felt her hot breath float across his lip breathlessly. "You are an incredible boyfriend to me and I don't know if I tell you that enough." She pressed her lips on more time to the prince's lips as if to seal her words.

Opening her eyes she found Harry staring down at her with a desire filled gaze. She reached up and stroked his cheek until he closed his eyes with a flutter and relished her simple touch in silence. "I know you are worried and stressed about me... just relax love." Alexa continued to softly caress his cheek until she saw his features soften and his tense body relax. "Better?" Her quiet voice coaxed his eyes open as he nodded his head slowly. She smiled endearingly before pressing her lips against his forehead in a lingering kiss like he had always done. "Stop stressing, love. Let's have some fun this weekend. I think we really need it."

"Let's go get a drink then. See what the crew is up to." Harry led Alexa out of the bedroom to find the rest of the group.

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

Harry had one foot on the dock and the other in the boat while helping the girls climb into the swaying boat. Alexa was the last one needing help to step inside. The prince flashed his girl a charming smile before offering her his hand to hold her steady as she made the transition into the boat.

"Steady, love." He gripped her hand tighter than the previous women.

She took a step forward into the boat as a wave hit it causing it to rock. Alexa nearly flew into Harry's body, but he grabbed her and brought Alexa securely close to him. "I got you." He pushed his foot off of the dock and walked onto the boat with Alexa. "Start it up mate!" The prince hollered at Adam to get the engine going.

The group had decided to take the boat out on the lake for an afternoon cruise and have a chill afternoon. Harry sat down in the middle of the boat as Alexa joined him in the space beside. He lifted his arm and Alexa innately moved closer into him.

"What do you want Alexa?" Lara opened a packed ice cooler full of alcoholic drinks and started passing them around. "We have some pink lemonade vodka coolers, Heinekein, cider and soft drinks as well." Lara handed Skippy a beer while waiting for Alexa's reply.

"The pink lemonade cooler sounds good!" Alexa reached forward and grasped the frozen can. "Thanks, Lara." She sat back in the cushioned seat of the boat and glanced up to Harry feeling his eyes on her. "What do you want? Want to try mine?" The blonde had no idea that the group was watching her interaction with Harry.

Alexa brought the open can to his mouth as he took a sip while his eyes remained locked into her green eyes, smiling down at her while licking his lips. "That's good." They shared what they thought was a silent moment together, but Harry turned his head away sensing that people were suddenly watching his exchange with his girlfriend. Alexa followed his gaze and found everyone innocently staring at them with wide brimmed smiles. Her cheeks flushed with a crimson red, suddenly becoming embarrassed.

Harry turned his attention away from them. "Lara, can you toss me a Heineken please?" The prince caught a cold beer being tossed at him. "What are the plans for the weekend?" He tried to divert the stares off of him and Alexa as she squirmed silently beside him.

Everyone knew what Harry was doing, and they were not going to let the couple off that easy. "Bombarding you two with questions!" Mel tossed her head back in a devious laughter. "Why don't you tell us how you two met?" She was genuinely intrigued, but also had another intention on her mind.

The prince smirked and looked to Alexa to answer this one. "We met at Eugenie's engagement party. Eugenie and I have been pretty close friends since we were young." Alexa paused and peaked up at her boyfriend before continuing. "I was hanging out with Zara when I caught Harry eying me from across the bar." Everyone caught the beaming smile that grew on her lips as she continued to tell them how Harry and her met. "He came over and we chatted for a bit. We ended up dancing for most of the night together and I guess he won me over with his amazing dance moves." The group erupted in laughter at Harry's expense knowing for a fact that he loved to dance, but he often lacked any rhythm.

"I do like how sweet you are to Harry, but love we all know that Harry's dance moves are not a way to a woman's heart." Jake commented with a giggle.

"What do you do for work, Alexa?" Zoe got in the next question before Mel could.

Alexa was asked the question mid drink and took a minute to swallow. "I'm a social worker for a domestic violence and sexual assault shelter called Guardian." To be fair, Alexa really did not enjoy talking about her work so she decided to keep her explanation short.

Harry smiled down proudly at her. "She's leaving out another part she probably wouldn't tell you, but Lex also volunteers with SORRT." The prince was excited to share anything about Alexa and wanted his friends to see how amazing this woman was. "It's a program with the police where social workers go to at risk communities and find at risk youth, mainly homeless ones to try and find them housing , jobs and educational services or even get them mental health help and addictions counselling."

"That must be really tough though. Do you find it hard sometimes?" Lara was genuinely interested.

"It has its days for sure, but I couldn't see myself doing anything else to be honest. The good moments definitely outweigh the bad moments." Alexa was quick to respond.

"Wait..." Mel spoke up and gained everyone's eyes on her. She looked towards Alexa with a tilted head and confused expression on her face. "Isn't Kate, your sister in law, Harry... a patron of Guardian?" Melissa angled her head and a flash of a mischievous glint circled in her eyes, one that Harry had caught. Everyone on the boat knew what Mel was referring to. That Alexa's company got the patronage from Kate because of her relationship with Harry or even Eugenie.

Harry glared at Mel as his jaw clenched and his body stiffened. "Come on Mel..." His tone was angry and low. A deafening silence fell amongst the group while Harry and Mel stared down each other. It was a soft voice that intervened and lifted the silence.

"What I think you are asking Mel, is if Harry had anything to do with Kate becoming patron of where I work." Alexa's hand settled on Harry's thigh and gave it a gentle rub to attempt to calm him down. Harry watched Mel's eyes floating down to his girlfriend beside him with a glare, but Alexa did not back down.

"Kate came to Guardian and I did give her a tour of the place. She fell in love with it like I have and wanted to help us out. I had never met Kate prior to that day and she doesn't know who I am. Harry or Eugenie had nothing to do with arranging any of it." Alexa smiled politely and killed the debate with a simple kind explanation. A proud smirk graced Harry's lips at how Alexa handled the situation before her. He locked eyes with Jake and he gave a simple nod of approval.

Zoe diverted the conversation off of Alexa and discussed what the weekend plans would be. Alexa listened in quietly as the excitement in her built at how amazing the weekend sounded so far. The guys wanted to head out fishing for an afternoon while the ladies would be treated to some relaxing spa time with the evening ending with a five star chef cooking them a five course meal at the cottage. There were even suggestions of hikes along with the obvious drinking games and time spent on the boat. Harry leaned in and asked if she still wanted to do a campfire and she locked eyes with him and gave a small nod.

"Could we have a campfire one night? We could do a simpler meal over the fire and some drinks and snacks?" The prince questioned and everyone was happily in agreement.

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

"Love?" Harry wandered into the bathroom to find Alexa in her underwear putting on some make up. They had spent a relaxing morning having breakfast and tea out on the lake before the girls had come back to get ready for the spa afternoon. The men were going to go out drinking and fishing instead.

A cheeky smirk formed on his lips as the prince walked behind Alexa and checked out her ass. "What are you looking for Henry?" Alexa stood up straighter and glanced back behind her.

"My sunnies." He put his hands on his hips. As he breathed out, the ridges of his muscles accentuated them and caused Alexa to release a tiny moan. Seeing Harry topless in only his shorts caused lust to build within her. "Do not make that noise while dressed like that or I will take you right here." The prince warned her with a suggestively raised eyebrow.

*Mature

Alexa bit down on her bottom lip and gave the prince a playful expression before moaning one more time and egging him on. "I warned you..." He closed in the distance between them and bent down grabbing at the back of her thighs and lifted Alexa up onto the bathroom counter.

"I know... but you look too sexy right now and I want you in me." His girlfriend looked up at him with a primal need of desire, her green eyes begging Harry to not wait a minute longer.

"Fuck, love." Harry was too turned on to deny Alexa. He bent down and captured her soft lips while grasping the silk material of her knickers and pulled them off quickly to get to his intended target.

A few minutes later there was loud knocking at the door. "Harry! Alexa?! Are you guys coming?!"

The prince steadied himself with his hand beside Alexa's head on the bathroom wall while he drove his hips into her harder and harder. Her moans filled the air as their bodies collided while her fingernails dug into the muscles of his back. His brow furrowed, annoyed at the disturbance and interruption into his love making with Alexa.

"Few more minutes!" He yelled back and mouthed them to fuck off quietly making Alexa giggle at him.

He felt a set of gentle hands turn his head and make him look down at Alexa. "Cum for me Henry." He would give anything to those deep green eyes that begged him to. "I can't hold on." The prince felt Alexa clench tightly around him signalling the start of her climax while her toes curled and pushed her heels into the back of Harry's ass, pushing him deeper into her.

Alexa gasped at the new depth while her body started to tremble. It had sent her over the edge. Harry made slow deep deliberate thrusts, crashing through her orgasm that brought forth a series of endless moans from the blonde beneath him. This caused the prince to succumb and give into his own climax.

*End Mature

Harry had slipped on a shirt and helped Alexa gather some of her things knowing that they were beyond late leaving. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Lex, here." Harry handed her his credit card. "Don't say no and argue with me. Take it and treat yourself to whatever you want at the spa. Don't worry about the cost?"

He sensed a feeling of hesitancy as Alexa debated accepting the card from Harry. A simple nod and a grateful smile floated across her lips. "I should have sex with you more often if I get paid for spa days like this." Alexa cheekily replied.

The couple nearly flew down the stairs knowing that they would get a bollocking for being late. "What took you so long?" Melissa was the first to question, popping her hip out with some attitude.

Harry ignored her question and looked to Zoe. "Can you take Lexi in your car?" He shared a look of understanding.

He could hear Lara whispering to Melissa behind them. "They were clearly fucking, Mel. They are both literally glowing." Harry closed his eyes and turned back around to glance at Lara, letting her know full well he could hear her.

"Alright, let's go Alexa! Spa day for us bitches!" Zoe giggled lightly and made the girls head out the door before turning back to see a worried Harry watching with concern as they left. " I got your girl, Haz. Go have fun!"

The prince sighed and nodded knowing full well that he could trust Zoe.

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

Alexa sipped on her glass of champagne while feeling her toes get a well needed pedicure. She was laughing away at Lara and enjoying her afternoon at the spa getting to know Harry's friends.

"Where was the last place you went on holiday, Alexa?" Lara was awfully sweet and did her best to include Alexa into the conversation amongst the girls.

"Wow, it's been a long time really." She took a sip. "I think it was Spain in January to be honest. I really need to go on more holidays." The blonde sighed and relaxed into her comfy massage chair. "Or do more of these spa days! I am loving this."

Alexa had already gotten a facial and massage thanks to Harry. She was capping herself at those three treatments, not wanting to take full advantage of Harry and his generous offer to pay for her spa day. The other girls had also planned on getting a manicure, but Alexa decided against it stating that her nails never seem to last long thanks to her puppy and work.

Zoe was in full relaxation mode, loving the calm soothing music. "We have to do this in London again. While the boys hang out. Let's be honest, we all know that they are getting piss drunk and won't come back with any fish whatsoever for tonight's camp fire." Alexa erupted in laughter along with the rest of the girls knowing full well that it was probably true.

"I am surprised, Alexa, that Harry hasn't taken you on a holiday yet!" Mel pipped in and changed the subject. She locked eyes with Alexa and laughed. "I mean, Harry always takes all of his love interests on a trip to Botswana. It's like the Safari right of passage into Harry's bed!" She tossed her head back in laughter, but she was the only one that found it funny.

Alexa was starting to feel uncomfortable wondering why Mel was constantly commenting about her relationship with Harry like that. "Well, maybe it's just because that was Harry and Chelsy's place." Alexa lifted her head and locked eyes with Melissa hearing Harry's ex's name. "I am pretty sure that is where he told her he loved her." Mel added fuel to the fire and was fully intent on making Alexa feel upset and hurt.

"Mel!" Zoe sat up straight and a look of anger Alexa did not think was possible for Zoe, formed on her face. "Stop it. That is utterly rude to say that." Zoe scolded her friend while Alexa sat there quietly not wanting to cause a scene, but she would be lying if she said Mel's words did not sting and made her question her relationship with Harry.

"What? It's the truth, Zoe!" Mel tossed her arms up in the air. "We all know that Harry is still in love with Chelsy!"

Silence. A deafening silence fell across the room.

Zoe slowly turned her head and saw a teary eyed Alexa sitting there quietly almost afraid to respond. Those words cut through Alexa's heart like a knife, wounding her from within. She sat there afraid to say anything as she found herself doubting her relationship with Harry in a matter of seconds. But, those words were coming from someone who knew Harry better than she did. Alexa did not want to make matters worse and start a fight with Melissa so she kept quietly sitting there until she no longer could take it anymore.

A stray tear trickled down her cheek, betraying her and showing the hurt that was building up inside of her. Her gaze found Zoe staring at her apologetically. "Do you think you could take me back to the cottage? I am not feeling so well." Alexa's voice broke nearly making Zoe crumble into tears for her.

"Of course, hun. Let's go." Zoe stood up and told Alexa she would wait for her at the reception area while she got changed.

Jake's girlfriend took a step forward then turned back quickly on her heel. "Mel, you really are a class act bitch. All we have ever wanted was for Harry to be happy and to find someone for the rest of his life and you know what? It wasn't Chelsy. They were not meant to be. What you just said to Alexa hurt her and I swear to god I am telling Harry every last word you said to that poor girl. I know for a fact that he will be furious, because he loves that girl, anyone can see it being around them for a mere second that he adores her." Zoe had raised her voice at the end, becoming furious with her friend. "I hope he finally puts you in your place like you deserve.

A few minutes later, Alexa came out of the changing area digging through her bag to find Harry's card. "No, worries. I paid for it all!" Zoe forced a happy smile for Alexa.

"Zoe, you didn't have too..." Alexa trailed off as she followed her out towards the car.

"It was my treat, I had it planned all along."

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

"Ah mate you got a bite!" Adam slurred his words and reached for Harry's fishing pole that was rested on the side of the boat. The prince turned around in a flash and grasped it to start reeling it in. The guys had spent the afternoon getting well on their way to being drunk on the lake. Harry was having an amazing time catching up with his mates and falling into some good old banter with the guys.

They had a good conversation about Alexa and Harry gained some insights from his friends about his new girlfriend. All of which were very encouraging and positive. The guys all seemed to think the couple were a good fit and wanted to support Harry and Alexa's relationship going forward.

"Mates, I think I actually got one!" Harry tugged on the fishing pole as the rest of his buds cheered him on.

"Come on Hazza! We can't go back to the birds empty handed!" Skippy yelled just as Harry reeled in a decent size fish.

"Yaaaaaa! They all jumped up and down on the boat making it sway and causing them to have sea legs and fall down into a heap of drunken laughter. The guys spent another hour on the lake attempting to sober up and called it in early. They wanted to get the campfire set up for the ladies when they returned.

When Harry was closer to the shore his phone started going off with missed calls and messages from Zoe. He did not have any service out on the lake and saw the time stamped messages from nearly two hours ago. His brow furrowed reading one message from Zoe that said, 'H come back in. Alexa needs you.'

Harry quickly sent a reply back. 'What happened, is she ok?' He waited impatiently for her reply, watching the three little dots at the bottom of the screen as Zoe typed her reply.

'Mel happened.'

Immediate rage coursed through him. "Bidwell fucking step on it back to the cottage!" The prince's tone made everyone nearly jump. They knew full well that the prince was furious by one simple look at the anger painted over his face.

Adam went full throttle and they sped back to the cottage.

"Harry what's going on?" Tom asked with an annoyed look. "Why do we have to rush back?"

Harry's head snapped towards him as his blue eyes narrowed at Melissa's boyfriend, Tom. "Your bird is what happened, Tom. I don't know what she did or said to Alexa, but I swear to god I will put her in her place."

Tom released a heavy sigh knowing how his girlfriend can be. "Jesus Chirst, Mel. What did you do?" He muttered while shaking his head.

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

Harry quite literally leapt off of the boat and ran full tilt towards the cottage. He made it to the private back garden and there was no sign of Zoe or Alexa. He searched inside on the main floor with no luck. The prince ran upstairs and pushed open the door to their room and heard the sobs from the entrance. He paused for a moment and closed his eyes, taking a breath to calm himself down. Alexa did not need him angry at this moment, he would save that for when he confronted Mel later.

He slowly stepped around the corner to find Alexa curled up in a fetal position lying in bed with her head rested in Zoe's lap. Zoe was trying to comfort her by stroking her hair, but she stopped when she heard footsteps approaching. The prince and Zoe locked eyes with one another and shared a silent conversation. "I will be right back." Alexa was so trapped in her mind that she did not even notice Harry's presence as Zoe slipped out from under her.

Zoe motioned for Harry to follow her towards their bathroom. Harry closed the door lightly behind them and turned his attention on Zoe, but eager to get to Alexa. "What happened with Mel?" He did not waste any time getting to the point.

The blonde shook her head. "We were having an amazing afternoon at the spa, we really were and then all of a sudden Mel asks Alexa about the last holiday she had went on. Then Mel said she was surprised you hadn't taken her somewhere and brought up how you take all your girlfriends to Botswana." Zoe took in a deep breath before continuing. "How it is a right of passage into your bed....but, then she said." Zoe swallowed a lump in her throat knowing the next thing she spoke would set the prince off.

"Tell me." Harry demanded Zoe with a low chilling voice.

"Mel said that you didn't take Alexa there because it was your and Chelsy's place now. And that is where you told Chelsy that you loved her." Harry could tell by the look in Zoe's eyes that there was one more thing. "I told her off then she said 'we all know that Harry is still in love with Chelsy'."

Harry was silent with fury, he could not even speak a word.

"Alexa was in tears and asked me to take her back to the cottage. She hasn't stopped crying since we left. I think that comment destroyed her, Harry." Zoe voiced her opinion. "I don't know where her head is at. She hasn't really spoken, but she's hurting."

Those last words tore at his heartstrings making his heart fall from his chest. "Thank you Zoe for looking after her. I can take it from here. Do you mind telling everyone we want a bit of time alone?"

"I am sorry, Harry." Zoe could see the hurt in his eyes growing.

"It's nothing you did. You looked after my girl." He thanked her before she took her leave.

The prince quietly walked over towards the bed where Alexa was laying motionless. He climbed onto the bed and the shifting of his weight caused Alexa to lift her head. Harry was stopped by the wounded expression that was formed on her face. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot from crying as tear stains marked her cheeks. But that look of pure pain and hurt was something he would never be able to forget.

"Hey love." His voice was quiet and calming as he watched Alexa push herself up into a sitting position and cross her legs.

She sniffled and wiped away a stray tear with the fabric of her sweater that was balled up in her fists. "Did Zoe tell you to come?" Her green eyes fluttered up at him with a shy avoiding glance.

The prince nodded slowly, keeping a careful eye on his girlfriend. "She told me what Mel said to you at the spa." Harry confessed and witnessed the immediate tears start to stream down her face in a flood. Alexa buried her face in the palm of her hands as her body shook and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Tell me it isn't true, Henry." Alexa's voice broke in a quiet whisper. "Tell me that you don't love Chelsy still..." Her hands fell down slowly, and all that greeted him was those deep green eyes silently pleading for the truth. "I can't bear it if it's true..."

"Alexandria." He spoke her full name as her begging eyes morphed into a look of fear, afraid of what his next words would be. Her body tensed up, as if it was defending itself from a blow. "I do not love Chelsy anymore, I promise you that." He breathed out and let the words sink in. Alexa sat there quietly, not responding but searching past his blue eyes into the depths of his soul for any hint of a lie or signs of doubt. But, she could find none. The blonde woman needed to hear the words from Harry himself to believe him.

"What Mel said to you was a lie to hurt you. I should have told you this sooner, but Chelsy and her were best friends and still are. She took Chelsy's side when we broke up and it's clear that she does not have good intentions." The prince tried his best to explain. "I would have never started a relationship like this with you if I still held feelings for my ex. Like I told you on our first date I am completely done with Chelsy." He let the words sink in, hoping that she would believe his honesty.

"I'm sorry." Alexa's body started to tremble as she broke down right there in front of Harry feeling an insurmountable amount of guilt for even doubting him and believing Mel. "I doubted you... I doubted us." She cried out between strangled breaths. "It just hurt too much to hear her truly believe it. She was so convincing... and I didn't trust you... I'm so sorry Henry."

Harry quickly moved to Alexa and pulled her shaking body into his arms, engulfing her into a tight embrace. "It's ok love." He felt Alexa clutch at the fabric of his shirt as she cried into his chest, soaking through the material with her endless tears. "Shhh....it's ok. I'm here now." He whispered softly into her ear. "I've got you."

"Come here." The prince laid back onto the bed and Alexa followed finding a space beside him. She nestled into his comforting touch feeling safe wrapped up in his arms. "Why don't we just relax here for a bit. Have some cuddles? Maybe take a little nap. I am a tad drunk." Harry admitted and felt Alexa pick her head off of his chest and look up at him.

"Ok, love. I'd like that." She crawled up to him to capture his lips in a loving kiss. "Thank you for being here. I'm sorry for crying." Alexa snuggled back into Harry and rested her head on his chest feeling her eyelids become heavy from the exhaustion of her breakdown.

"Mmm. You are welcome, love. It's alright to cry babe, but Mel is going to pay for making you." He placed a gentle kiss on her temple. "Now close your eyes and sleep." His hand started to stroke through Alexa's blonde hair in a soothing manner until she fell asleep with her head on Harry's chest.

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

Harry and Alexa had taken a late afternoon nap and a well needed break together. The prince looked out through the window of their room and saw the guys chopping some wood in preparation for their campfire tonight.

The sun had started to set over the lake giving a spectacular view that Harry was admiring when he felt a pair of soft hands feel their way around his torso from the back and settled on his abs. He lifted his arm and Alexa stepped in beside him to admire the view with him. "It's so beautiful here." Alexa sighed deeply. "I think I want a place on the lake or at least somewhere in the English countryside as a getaway like this. Nothing too big or extravagant, but homey and cozy."

A smile stretched across the prince's lips listening to Alexa speak of her future. "I can give you that..." He spoke and looked down at Alexa staring up at him fondly. "I can give you everything, Alexa. You mean the world to me right now and nothing is going to change that." The words fell softly off of his lips.

"You mean... you will give me your cozy hoodie for tonight?" Alexa's lips pulled into a playful smirk.

"God, I was actually being serious for a moment and you are playing with me." Harry shook his head and pulled Alexa into a bone crushing hug.

"Fine! You can give me a country house where our three kids can go running around while our two dogs chase them in the gardens and you attempt to keep up with them." Alexa giggled happily at the thought of it all.

"Three kids? Four... at least." Harry made it very clear to her that he wanted at least a rugby team. His eyes could not stray from Alexa while hearing her speak about a potential future with him.

"Ok, four kids then!" Alexa giggled as she agreed to the prince's request.

A comfortable silence fell between the couple as they stood there in a close embrace. Alexa breathed out a deep sigh, relishing in the comfort of being in the prince's arms. She felt his big hand cup her soft cheek and rub the flesh beneath his thumb. "Are you feeling better?"

Alexa slowly nodded her head while a soft smile formed on her lips. "I am... thanks for being there for me today." Her arms squeezed Harry tighter to show her appreciation. "I'm sorry I overreacted... I just -"

"No, stop. None of this is your fault. You were hurt by what Mel said." The prince clenched his jaw. "I will always be here for you, though. I would have come sooner, but I didn't have service that far out on the lake." Harry reassured Alexa of this. "Shall we go outside and help get the fire ready? I need to speak with Mel..."

His girlfriend's body tensed up knowing that this would end in a massive fight. "Please don't..." Alexa grabbed Harry's arms and pushed them off of her as she took a few steps back away from him. "Don't fight with Mel." Her pleading green eyes begged of him. "I don't want you to start anything in front of your friends or cause a rift between everyone because of me."

"Alexa, she willingly hurt you. She said those things to you to hurt you and put a wedge between you and I. I won't let her get away without confronting her." Harry was adamant in his decision. "I won't start a big fight.... I promise, but I need to speak with Mel and deal with her. She needs to know that she cannot treat my girlfriend that way without repercussions." The prince convinced Alexa to be ok with Harry speaking with Mel about what she said, but a part of Alexa knew that his protective side would come about if he was pushed further by the blonde friend and this would cause a massive argument.

"Come on, let's go." Harry grasped his hand and led a quiet Alexa out of their bedroom, through the house and out to the back garden.

"Hey! There you two are!" Adam turned around from the fire pit and walked towards the couple. Harry looked past Adam and noticed that Tom was sitting beside Mel around the fire pit as Jake and Zoe were still trying to get the fire going.

Adam approached Alexa and noticed her quiet demeanor. He had seen the rage on Harry's face on the boat when he got the text from Zoe. He smiled down at her kindly and did his best to make her feel comfortable amongst the group again after what had transpired. "Can I get you two a drink?"

Harry's gaze was lingering on Mel with a clenched jaw and hard pressed lips. He momentarily locked eyes with Adam. "Biddie, can you get Lex a drink and take her for a walk along the beach."

Alexa lifted her head up at Harry knowing full well that he wanted Alexa far away from him when he confronted Mel. She squeezed his hand and brought his blue eyes down to look at her shaking head, refusing his demand. "Lex, go with Adam." His features softened for a brief moment while he stared down at his girlfriend. "I don't want you around for this..." He confessed quietly.

"Henry...No." She stood up for herself. "I am not leaving." Her stubborn side came on display.

The prince pinched the bridge of his nose and released a deep sigh. "Love, no." Harry was adamant that Alexa should be far away as possible when he spoke to Mel. He could not have this woman say something else that would inflict more pain and hurt onto Alexa. He understood why Alexa wanted to stay with him, to show a united front but he simply could not allow her to do this.

"I know you want to show her that we are together. But, I don't want you near this fight." His piercing blue eyes glanced down at her pleading to understand him. "Please let me do this on my own and go with Adam."

Alexa's gaze strayed towards a silent Adam. He offered Alexa a kind warm smile and motioned his head for him to follow him. "Come on, let's go for a walk. I need to pick up some snacks for tonight's fire."

Harry's friend started to walk away from the couple, but Alexa lingered there for a moment longer. She turned to look back at Harry and locked in his gaze, staring deeply into those blue eyes his mother had given him. "Don't lose a friend because of me... try to work it out." Alexa took a step away from him while squeezing his hand tight. Her fingers slipped out of Harry's grasp as she walked away from Harry to catch up to Adam.

Adam put his arm around Alexa and led her away. But, she turned to look back over her shoulder at Harry who was still watching her, waiting until she was completely gone before he went to speak with Mel.

The prince slowly walked over towards Mel and Tom sitting by the fire. Jake had nudged Zoe and pulled her away having seen Harry making his way towards the couple. Mel was smiling and laughing away at something Tom had said as Harry approached them. He sat down opposite of Melissa and narrowed his eyes at her.

Tom was clearly uncomfortable with the awkward silence that had fallen between them as he sat there fidgeting in his seat knowing by a simple glance towards Harry, that his friend was indeed furious at his bird.

"Mel... we need to talk." Harry's voice was cold and spine chilling.

Mel lifted her head and nodded slowly knowing that when Zoe had taken an upset Alexa home early from the spa that Harry would be furious with her. She had been waiting all afternoon for this fight.

"Come on, Harry." Tom attempted to stand up for his girlfriend. "Let's just forget about all of this and move on. She's sorry."

This made Harry snap instantly.

"FORGET ABOUT IT?" Harry's anger was on full display now for everyone to see. "ARE YOU MAD? OR JUST DELUSIONAL TOM?" Harry's voice rose as his body stiffened while the fury inside him was building. "It's fucking hilarious that you want me to move on when Mel clearly hasn't and is trying to fuck with my relationship because she can't see me with anyone but Chelsy."

"I WASN'T TRYING TOO!" Mel broke her silence and tried to defend herself. "I WAS ONLY TRYING TO TELL ALEXA THE GOD DAMN TRUTH HARRY. YOU STILL LOVE CHESLY WE ALL KNOW YOU DO!"

"OH FUCK OFF MEL." Harry was livid. "How many times do you need to hear me say that I am completely done and over Chelsy Davy. I know it's hard for you to see that I can actually be happy with someone else other than her. That part of my life is over and I have moved on with Alexa. She is the one that has made me happy as of late and now I hear that you were trying to fuck my relationship with her over some goddamn lies!!!" The prince was clearly furious and not backing down.

"You hurt someone I care about today and yet you sit there trying to justify it." He continued to spew his anger as the image of Alexa's wounded expression came to the forefront of his mind and added more fuel to the burning rage. "I brought Alexa here this weekend to meet my mates and now I had to spend the afternoon convincing her that I am not in love with my ex. She was so hurt by what you said to her Mel. I have been up there all afternoon holding her while she was sobbing in my arms." Harry was nowhere near done. "The look on her face when she asked me..." The prince dropped his head hanging it low wanting to banish the memory out of his mind. He lifted it slowly and locked in Melissa's gaze showing her how it pained Harry to see Alexa that way.

His voice grew quiet. "She needed this weekend away to relax from all the shite she has to deal with in London right now and that is ruined for her. You ruined it for her." Harry lifted his head slowly to lock in Mel's gaze, but she stayed silently sitting there. "You hurt her because you wanted to, simple as that. You hurt my girl and if you don't make it up to her somehow we are fucking through. I cannot be friends with someone like you."

"I don't think she is right for you!!" Mel tossed her arms up in the air. "There I said it! Happy now Harry? I don't think you two are good for each other."

"You are the only one here who thinks that Mel." Zoe's voice cut through their argument. She had wandered over towards them and wanted to add her two sense in. Jake had closely followed in behind his girlfriend, trying to pull her back away. "You are so naive and blind if you cannot see how happy Harry is right now. We can all see how relaxed and settled Harry is around her, he has clearly fallen for Alexa and you need to just... shut the fuck up." Harry leaned back and eyed Jake. Zoe never swore at anyone, but he subtly liked how she was standing up for Alexa.

An awkward silence fell amongst the group.

Harry's eyes remained fixed on Mel, watching her every subtle movement. It was clear that Mel was on the war path with Alexa and she had no intention of making it any better for his girlfriend.

"Mel, it is clear that you are not willing to apologize or make things right. So, do not speak to Alexa, do not go within five feet or her and do not even bloody look at her the wrong way or I am completely done with you. Got it?" The prince threatened the slowly nodding blonde. "Funny thing is she begged me not to yell at you. Despite all the hurt that you caused her today, Alexa would have forgiven you in a heartbeat. But, I will not allow someone like you to be around someone like her. She is way better than you could ever strive to be." Harry stood up from the growing fire and walked towards the beach to find Alexa and Adam.

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

Alexa's laughter bellowed out as she dissolved into a fit of giggles listening to Jake tell a story around the fire. The prince was quietly sitting beside Alexa and watched her expression light up while the embers of the fire reflected in her eyes amongst the dark night. She naturally leaned into Harry and gently gave his knee a rub before her hand settled on his thigh.

He loved how Alexa was not afraid to show subtle public affection towards him. She would often give him a sweet peck on the lips or a reassuring touch that she was nearby him. The couple was always connected to each other by some sort of physical touch.

Harry sat there quietly next to her listening to her talk and contribute to the conversation around the fire. If there was one thing he had learned this weekend it was this. Alexa was fitting perfectly into his group of friends and into his life. He had longed to feel this way again with someone, after having spent so much time and effort into his previous relationship with Chelsy. He had lost hope that he would ever be able to find someone to fall in love with again, but Alexa brought him back that hope.

Alexa beamed out of her laughter and peaked up to find the prince staring down at her fondly with a set of soft blue eyes. Her lips stretched into a wider grin while she allowed herself to get lost into the depths of those crystal blues. Unknown to the couple, but everyone's eyes had fallen on to them watching their silent conversation play out. If it was not evident before that the couple were falling in love with each other, it was now on full display for Harry's friends by the mere way Harry and Alexa were looking at each other in that moment.

The prince leaned in and pressed his lips against Alexa's,capturing her lips in a sweet embrace in front of all of his friends. He cupped the side of her neck and felt her pulse racing as he continued to kiss her slow and deliberately for a few more seconds. Harry could hear her breath hitch as she became breathless from their embrace and reluctantly tore his lips off of Alexa's.

Alexa turned her head back to the group when she saw they were all looking at Harry and her in silence with beaming smiles lighting up their faces, well all except for one. " Oh...sorry." Alexa's cheeks became instantly flushed as the embarrassment of everyone seeing Harry and her mini makeout session left her growing shy. She glanced up at her boyfriend seeing him displaying a proud smirk knowing that everyone had just seen him kiss Alexa quite passionately.

A small moan from Alexa caused the prince to look down at her clearly embarrassed expression while her green eyes silently pleaded for some sort of comfort from him. He lifted his arm up and giggled at her. "It's fine, love. Don't get embarrassed." Alexa buried her head into his shoulder and moaned again.

This only made the group fall in love with her even more. She sought refuge in Harry when she became uncomfortable and she clearly wasn't about boasting her relationship with him for everyone to see. It only made it clearer that Alexa was genuine in her intentions with the prince.

"You are two cute when you get all embarrassed like that." Harry's deep voice broke the silence around the fire and made the group laugh at Alexa's expense. But, the blonde quickly fell into laughter with them.

"Why don't we make some of these smores?" Alexa changed the subject off of Harry and herself.

"So we can watch you feed Harry it?" Jake pipped up and teased Alexa even further while having the whole group in near tears.

Alexa welcomed the banter, she was not afraid of it. It meant that they were comfortable enough with her to tease her and it made her feel like she was a part of the group.

"Here, Henry let me help you." Alexa grabbed some graham wafer crackers and slid the melting marshmallow off of the stick, sandwiching it together with a chocolate to make a delicious smore. She gave it to Harry and beamed knowing that he had never had one before.

"Want me to roast a marshmallow for you, Lex?" Harry pulled out a marshmallow out of the bag and slid it onto the roasting stick.

"Can I do it?" Alexa stretched her hand out for the stick. "Then you can enjoy your smore. You have to eat it while it is hot." Harry didn't hesitate for a second and handed Alexa the marshmallow to roast.

The blonde quickly pulled out her phone and captured the moment Harry took his first bite out of the smore. The flash caught his eyes and he looked up to see a proud smile beaming from behind her phone. He rolled his eyes at Alexa and sighed. "Did you have to take a picture of me eating the messiest snack in the world?" Harry laughed as sticky gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate was all over the place.

"Yes... as a matter of fact I did." Alexa was displaying the same proud smile on her lips as she started roasting her marshmallow.

"What is with that smile?" Harry watched Alexa leaned back into the chair and lowered her head. Her smile morphed into an uncertain one while she shrugged her shoulders lightly.

"Love, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Harry had quickly realized the change in her demeanour.

"You didn't really..." She glanced up at Harry before continuing. "I just don't know if I should tell you this..." Alexa's uncertain green eyes gave her away. But, Harry was a bit unsure by what she was alluding to.

"Alexa, I'm not following you." He reached out and grasped her hand giving it a re-assuring touch. "Tell me." Alexa took in a deep breath and sighed. She took her stick out of the fire and made her smore with Harry's help. This gave her a few extra seconds to figure out how to tell him.

She settled back into her chair and dug out her phone from her pocket while nervously tucking her loose strands of blonde hair behind her ear. Indicating to the prince that she was indeed nervous about what she was about to tell him.

Alexa moved herself closer into Harry's space and clicked on a locked album in her phone labelled. 'H'

He leaned in towards her to get a better view and placed his hand on the small of her back, feeling her breath out deeply again. He saw about ten pictures Alexa had taken of him without his knowledge and saved into her phone.

"I have been taking pictures of your 'firsts' Alexa found the courage to tell him." She gently handed her phone over to Harry while he started to scroll through the pictures. "The firsts that you have experienced with me..." She trailed off. "Like the time we went to the drive-in theatre and your first ferris wheel ride... now your first smore."

An adoring smile stretched across the prince's lips as he was huddled next to Alexa slowly going through the pictures he had no idea were taken of him by Alexa. He had forgotten how talented a photographer she was, something that she rarely brought up around him. That was when he understood where her nerves had come from and her uncertainty in showing Harry the pictures.

He turned to stare into those uncertain green eyes of his girlfriend and wanted to take that feeling away from her. "Lex, I love that you have done this for me." He watched as the uncertainty in her eyes slowly faded. "I didn't realize how much you have helped me experience the simple firsts in life until now. Please don't stop taking these."

Once again, Harry was completely taken back from Alexa. He had thought he had gotten to know her so well at this point that nothing could surprise him. But, she continually did.

"I won't then."

Harry wrapped his arm around Alexa and nearly pulled her onto his lap while she pecked away at her smore. He glanced around the fire at all of his friends and reminisced of what an amazing weekend they had together. But, most importantly he felt his connection with Alexa had deepened as their relationship continued to progress forward into a serious one.

His mind drifted back to a question that Alexa and himself continued to discuss as of late. Whether or not they go to Eugenie's wedding reception as a couple. He finally felt that his heart knew what the right choice was, but first he had to help Alexa and Eugenie get their friendship back on track.

#Prince Harry #phff #prince harry fanfic #prince harry fanfiction #fanfic #chapters #chapter18 #harryandalexa #forevermyalwaysphff

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creator-zee · 4 years

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216

I fought to stop tears from streaming down my face as I sat on my bunk. How did everything go so wrong so quickly? I took a deep breath and got to work. I was leaving. I needed to pack. I don’t have much, but I showed my weapons in my bass and my spare change of clothes, fore buckling it shut and and sliding it under the bed. I would grab it after confirming it with the officer that I was leaving.

I opened my door and startled slightly at the sight of Jaz.

“What? What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I came to see you.” She said. “I’ve been worried. I know we haven’t been deployed at all, but I haven’t seen you around.”

The concern in her face was genuine, and my chest twisted under her gaze. I dropped her gaze.

“I’m fine, I’ve just been busy.” I muttered as an excuse. Some excuse, I was busy avoiding her because I knew this couldn’t continue.

She continued looking at me. “You’re not fine, are you?”

“I’m fine.” I lied, painfully aware that I was barely keeping my voice level.

I waited her to move out of the way, but she didn’t, continuing to look at me and then over my shoulder, despite my attempts to take up most of the doorway she was taller.

“Are you, are you leaving?” She asked quietly.

I couldn’t look at her. I looked away firmly, staring to the right.

“Yes.” I admitted. “I’m being transferred to another ship.”

“Why?” She asked, shocked. “Why would the officer transfer you? Why didn’t you tell us? And why won’t you look at me?”

“I -“ My voice broke, as I failed to keep it level. “What’s done is done. I’m being transferred and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“You’re our best ground fighter, why would they transfer you?” She demanded, stepping forwards slightly, and voice rising slightly.

“I need to go talk to the officer.” I said, dodging the question.

“He can wait until you answer my question.” She said firmly, placing a hand on each side of the doorframe, effectively trapping me in my room.

“Because I asked for it.” I said. It was better she hate me, better to get a clean separation.

“You... what?” She asked, shocked, her arms falling limp at her sides.

“I asked to be transferred, alright.” I said, trying to stop my voice from shaking too much... it didn’t work.

“Why?” She asked, sounding broken.

My hand dropped to my wrist and began twisting my bracelet. “Don’t worry about the why. It’s just - it’s for the best.” I choked out.

“You don’t - you can’t believe that.” She said, disbelieving.

“I do. It is - it’s for the best.” I repeated mimicking my father's words from earlier.

“How?” She demanded, tears pricking at her eyes. “How is it better for you to leave? We were finally getting along, minus these past few days, we’ve never been closer.”

“I’m easy to replace.” I assured her, forcing a smile. “You’ll find a new... friend.”

“What are you talking about?” She asked, voice empty and quiet.

“I’m easy to replace.” I repeated. “So, you’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

Again I forced a smile, despite holding back tears.

“There’s only one you.” She said sadly. “If you transfer there’s no way to stay in touch. The time difference will be too great, and constantly shifting.”

“I know.” I said quietly.

“And you weren’t even going to say goodbye.” She spat, angry.

“It’s easier to have a clean break if you hate me, you won’t miss me.” I explained, quietly, still shrinking from her angry gaze.

“A clean break? Have you done this before? Gotten close, let us in, only to transfer and run and leave us all behind.” She demanded.

Her anger hurt, but I knew it was for the best. I nodded.

“And to think I actually cared about you. And I was just some, some pawn. Whatever, transfer. I don’t care, not for a flake like you.” She spat before turning on her heel and leaving.

I sighed, and wiped away the few tears that had managed to escape, steadying myself for my last meeting with the officer. I could always break down on the transfer pod. I always did when my dad forced me to transfer. I really should’ve learned my lesson by now, don’t get close.

I knocked on the officers office.

“Come in.” He said, and the door slid open.

I fisted my hand over my heart in salute. “I’m just here to confirm my transfer.”

He glanced up. “I’m not a fan of the fact that the commander felt the need to step in and transfer you, but I can’t argue. I am loath to lose you though, but yes, your transfer is complete. The pod is ready to take you down to the space station where you will meet your new crew.”

“Thank you.” I said, bowing slightly before turning and leaving.

I almost ran straight into Jaz.

“Why did you lie?” She asked.

“I didn’t?” I said, confused.

“You said that you requested the transfer.” She said. “But, the officer just said that the commander stepped in.”

I stared at her blankly. Dammit she wasn’t supposed to find out.

“Well?” She pressed. “Say something. Why does the commander have interest in you? I mean you’re good, but not that good, are you?”

“He’s my father.” I admitted. “But it doesn’t matter, the transfer is complete. I’m leaving.”

“Your father is making you transfer, why?” Jaz demanded, following me as I set off down the hallway.

“He’s the commander, and I’m his

daughter.” I said flatly. “He wants to make sure I have a ‘proper’ image.”

“So what? You can’t have friends?” She asked, drawing up level to me.

“Uh, no.” I admitted. “I just can’t have, uh, more, he wants to pick for me.”

“But you don’t....” She trailed off. “You’re not dating anyone.”

“No, I’m not.” I said quietly. “But, I have feelings and those have to be billed in the bud, or rather pulled out, roots and all, so they can’t grow.”

“That’s harsh.” Jaz muttered. “But, who do you like?”

I smiled sadly as I grabbed my bag. “Isn’t it obvious?”

She gave me a strange look. “No?”

I walked the short distance to the transfer pod, and placed my bag in it, securing it in place.

“Who is it? Lex? Who is it?” She pressed.

“You. I like you.” I admitted, with the same sad smile, facing her one last time before turning and stepping into the pod.

“What...?” She mumbled, shocked.

“Forget it.” I mumbled as I slid the pod door shut.

216.1 (a long while later)

Sari’s hand was in mine as we walked through the base to meet up with the other ground team. They were from another ship, but since this was a planet with large hostile non sapient predators, higher command had felt it was necessary.

Sari and I were from a small ship, making up the ground team for ours, but the one we were meeting up with for backup, had a team of twelve. They were from a pretty big ship.

We reached the meeting area, and saw that we had arrived first. Sari sat down, pulling me down as well.

“Are you going to be okay?” She asked.

“Yes.” I answered, glancing at her, confused. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I know you don’t like people.” She said.

“It’s not that I don’t like people. It’s that I’m afraid to get close.” I muttered.

She squeezed my hand reassuringly. “It’s one mission. There will hardly be team bonding. We just need to collect the minerals and get out.”

I nodded. “I know, I just -“

I shut myself up, when I saw the other group enter. More importantly, when I saw and recognized who was leading them.

It couldn’t be. How? My father wouldn’t let this happen, not when he was so close to getting what he wanted.

I paled and my throat closed up. God I wasn’t prepared for this. I couldn’t see her again.

“Zandra, Zandra are you okay? What’s going on?” Sari asked, moving to be in front of me.

I tried to take a deep breath and calm myself. “Sorry, yes.”

I stood, despite my breathing still being shaky.

One of the other grounders snorted. “Is she even qualified to be on a ground team.?”

“Shut it Julian.” Jaz snapped. “She’s more qualified than you.”

“You know her?” Sari asked, surprised.

Jaz nodded. “We used to be on the same crew a few years ago, but she got transferred.”

I noticed an alien woman eyeing my over Jaz’s shoulder, sizing me up.

I forced a smile. “I told you I wouldn’t be hard to replace.”

Jaz’s expression fell. “You could never be replaced Lex.”

I felt a twinge in my chest at the nickname.

“You let her call you that?” Sari asked quietly.

I nodded, but then refocused. “Come on we have a mission. We’re wasting daylight. And yes, I know this planet has long days, with the night only lasting an hour or so, but still.”

Jaz nodded. “You still have a point. Do you guys have a navigator?”

“Zander’s the best navigator I’ve met.” Sari spoke up.

“You haven’t met very many people then.” I muttered.

“Really?” Jaz chuckled. “She must have picked up a few skills since I knew her then.”

I smiled. “We just had a different navigator. Our crew wanted me for my fighting skills.”

“We are in desperate need of those now.” The alien woman spoke up. “I’m the only semi-decent fighter we have.”

“Really? That must be why we’re here.” Sari said. “Since were a small crew and a small ship we have to be fighters in case we get attacked. I can’t always expect Zandra to cover for me.”

The alien woman eyed me. “I’m Ry.”

“Alexandra.” I returned. “But you can call me Alex.”

“Alex, huh.” She muttered. “You don’t look like much.”

I shrugged, not having a response. We reached the airlock and stepped inside, waiting till we could exit to the outside planet. It had an atmosphere that was breathable, but an airlock was just protocol on space bases.

Once we were outside I breathed in a deep breath of fresh air, enjoying the breeze on my face. Ry flinched back from the breeze.

“It’s freezing out here.” She muttered, rubbing her arms.

I slipped my jacket off, and handed it over. “Take it.”

“Really?” She asked as she grabbed it. “Won’t you be cold?”

I shook my head. “Just take it. If you’re the only fighter in your group you need to stay warm.”

She nodded and slipped it on.

She glanced at me again. “I take back my previous assessment. You do look like a fighter.”

I remained silent, just pulling up a map. “The mineral deposit is to the north.”

I felt Sari step closer to me, protectively. “You guys should prepare better in the future.”

Ry nodded. “Got it, you don’t like me stealing your girlfriend’s clothes.”

“We’re not dating.” I said flatly.

#space #fantasy #gay #writing #time skips #not a great dad #not edited

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chiidorii-miint · 6 years

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Save Me [Series] (1)

Summary: You have a terrific set of skills when it comes to close combat, Tony saw a great potential in you that’s how you joined The Avengers. It’s like having a new family, everyone is very accommodating and hospitable. And then finally you met this guy – James.

Pairing: Bucky x Enhanced Alexa Cannes ; Peter Parker x EAC

W/C: 1.4k+

Warnings: swearing, bit of fluff

A/N: This is my first time to write a series, I’ve written my first fic and I think it went pretty well. Also, English is not my first language so please please bare with me. This is just for fun, but I hope you guys enjoy this. Tell me if you liked this, then I will post second part. I accept comments guys! Thank you in advance.

Chapter 1

It was just another ordinary morning as Alexa was having her brewed coffee, her phone lighted up and buzzed,

“Hey Lexy!”

“What is Mr Stark up to?”

“Just checking in again.”

“Really miss our missions, hoping to do one again soon.”

“Anyway, it’s Peter.”

“Parker.”

You can’t help but smirked. “Kids.” You scroll up, and there was like a thousand messages from him. Before Tony and Pepper headed to Hawaii, Tony left you your most important task.

“Hey Lex, what are you up to today?” said the red head super spy. It was Natasha Romanoff sipping on her smoothie.

“Ugh. Same old task, Nat. Have to keep an eye on Peter. Make sure he won’t do anything stupid. Maybe until Tony is back from Hawaii,” she answered, checking on her high-tech wrist watch.

“Have you met Peter?” Asked Natasha.

“Uhm, no. Not yet. Why? What’s he like?” you asked narrowing your eyes.

“Well, he’s a nice kid – talkative. You know what, you should probably meet him! Guys your age could really get along.” Natasha grinned.

Alexa stared at Natasha looking rather irritated. “Look. One, I don’t date younger guys. Two, I don’t think Tony will like the idea of me and that kid hooking up.” You smirked, raising your eye brow.

Natasha chuckled, “Wanna go some few rounds? I wanna get pumped up today.”

“Oh yeah, sure. Just let me finish my coffee and I’ll be right down in a minute.”

This is your favourite time of the day, getting yourself trained by Natasha on close combat skills. Then later in the afternoon, you decided to do some target shooting with Jim Rhodes or as he call himself, the War Machine.

“Oh, nice. You improved a lot, Lex.”Rhodes complimented Alexa after hitting bull’s eye. “Honestly, your combat fighting skills are really substantial. But as you know, learning how to use weaponry are really a great advantage.” He explained.

“Yes sir.” You answered.

“You are a fast learner, Alexa. Now I can really see what Tony is talking about. You’re a natural. You just need some more trainings and you’re off to go on a real mission. Anyway, I think that will be all for today.” Rhodes gave a gentle pat on Alexa’s shouldered.

Your body felt so good after today’s training so you decided to have a quick shower, but before you could leave the room, FRIDAY called you.

“Miss Alexa, I think you may want to see this…”

You looked down on your smart phone and FRIDAY showed you a live video. It was Peter Parker involving himself in a clash against two huge men with guns.

“What the fuck is he doing?” you whispered to yourself while watching the clip. Gun fired everywhere. “This guy is an idiot.” She murmured shaking her head. Another incoming call from Tony Stark.

“Alexa. Are you seeing this?” asked Tony.

“Yes, Tony. I’m on my way.” You jumped on your feet.

“Okay, I’ll meet you there.” He ended the call. I’ll meet you there? Isn’t he in Hawaii? She thought. Using Tony’s R8, she hit the road to Queens as fast as she could.

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

You got in the location FRIDAY provided in just 25 minutes. In the dark sky, not more than seventy meters high, an unknown man with huge wings that nearly looked like a vulture, dropped a small red body in the open air. Red slim suit, you easily recognized him as Spider Man.

“Oh fuck!” you rapidly got herself out of the car. But before you could reach the lake to jump, Peter’s body fell in to the lake.

“Shit!” you hissed. But pretty sure before Peter’s body could totally sink in the dark water, another bright figure dived deep into it. And in just a couple of seconds, two bodies rose from the lake. It was Iron Man carrying Peter’s body in his arms.

“Tony?” you asked.

Iron Man laid Peter’s body on the solid ground. You rushed to Peter to check on his vital signs. You sighed as you heard his heartbeat. You turned his head to the side allowing any water to drain from his mouth or nose. He coughed out the water and opened his eyes.

“Who- who are you?” Peter asked her looking a bit confused. He slowly got himself to sit.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, kid?” Tony riled. “You could get yourself killed!” he raved.

“No, Mr Stark, they were the bad guys! They were using something alien and merging it in their guns!” Peter exclaimed.

“Please Mr Stark, just one more chance! I will make sure they will be behind bars this time. I’ll get them! Please Mr Stark sir.” He pleaded to Tony.

Tony sighed. “You’ll never let this go, aren’t you kid?”

“No sir. I just want to show you that I can take this mission on my own. If you will just let me.” Peter explained and looked very determined to have Tony’s approval.

Tony gazed at Peter and then shifted his eyes on you. “Alexa, I won’t be back until next week. And this kid –“

“Wait – what? You’re Alexa?!” he asked pointing at you.

“Hey. Yep, that’s me.” you replied.

“Oh, ohh. Hi, I’m Peter. Parker” offered his hand.

“Yeah, hi.” You shook hands and it looked like Peter is so overwhelmed meeting you.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough.” Tony cut them off. And Peter was obviously mesmerized by how you look.

“Look here kid, I’m really sorry but I can’t let you do this kinds of missions yet. I’ll have someone to get this done. For now, I want you to stay on the ground and please refrain yourself from doing crazy stuff.” Tony said.

“But –“

“That would be it. That’s my final warning. Do this again and you’ll bid goodbye to that suit, young man.”

“And you,” Tony is now looking at you. “Take him home. We’ll talk later.”

“Okay. Hey wait, I thought you’re still in Hawaii?” you’re puzzled. Iron Man’s helmet slide up to show that it was empty. It was just a suit. “Oh, of course, you’re in Hawaii.” Amazed, you got an answer to your own question. “I’ll take him home.”

The empty suit fly out in the air and disappeared.

“Come on now, Spidey. I’ll give you a ride home.” You led him to the car.

“But why won’t he let me?” Peter irked.

“You heard the old man. Come on.” you snapped.

None of you was breaking the ice as soon as you both get yourselves in the car. You fired the engine and drove. You noticed that the kid was upset. “Hey Pete, why so silent?” you asked.

“Sorry. I was just –“ He sounded like he’s annoyed, “It’s embarrassing.”

“What’s embarrassing?” you asked.

“That you have to see me being scolded by Mr Stark.” He hardly can’t look in your eyes.

“Oh that. It’s okay. You know him, he can really be over protective at times.” She genuinely smiled at him.

“Uh, are you receiving my texts?”

“All of them. I’ve read them.”

“Oh I see. Strict boyfriend?” He grinned.

“What – no, no.” You almost choked. “No boyfriend.”

“Whoa there. You’re – with a face like that, I don’t believe you.” he appealed.

“Well, I really don’t have time for that now, I engage myself in training.” She smiled.

As you both reached Parker’s residence, you felt that you need to rush and had this feeling that it’s going to be a long night for you.

“We’re here.” You said turning in the hand brakes.

“Hey, uhm, thanks for the ride, Alexa.” He smiled at you. “I hope maybe we can, you know, hang out some day or just – wait, do you stay in the Tower?” he inquired.

“Yes.” You briefly answered.

“Whoa, that’s cool! Can I come visit you sometime? You know, I could, uhm. Train with you. I know I got loads to learn. And it will be so great to do it with you.” He flashed a wide smile on you.

“Yeah, I think that’d be cool too. Hey, listen. I need to break this up I know we just met, and I really wanna know you more, but uh I still need to do few errands. So uh…”

“Oh yeah, right. Sorry. It was really nice meeting you. You’re awesome!”

“Thanks, Pete!” He opened the door and waved his last goodbye.

Gee, will this kid just won’t shut up. Nat is right.

You thought to yourself.

No tags yet, tell me if you wanna get tagged, I will surely love to tag you guys. XOXO

#bucky barnes #peter parker #winter soldier #spiderman #bucky imagine #marvel #marvel imagines #james bucannan barnes #bucky fanfic #mcu #spiderman imagine #sebastian stan #sebastian stan imagine #tom holland

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slapshot-to-the-heart · 6 years

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Move Together

Hey friends! Here’s Part VII for the Chaos and the Calm series. The singer whose work this is based on, James Bay, actually has a new album, Electric Light, out on Friday- I highly suggest you all take a listen when you get the chance! Please don’t forget to reblog if you liked it, helps more people get exposed to the stories we love! I’m also so excited when people talk to me, give me feedback and suggestions and any kind of conversation, so please feel free to pop into my inbox! Thanks again to @harrystylesgotmeknockedup for being my resource for all things British!

Masterlist

Move Together

November 2019

Home now, end of the night/It's colder to turn on your side/And I know you're up in two hours/But we didn't get tonight/We don't have tomorrow/So don't ruin now

Hearing the click of the front door, indicating that Harry was finally home, Alex sat up slightly, rubbing her eyes and looking to her watch for the time. 2:41. As much as she had genuinely loved getting to tour Europe with Harry, and thankful that her firm had granted her the ability to work remotely, she was grateful to be back in her own bed.

Tour, for the most part, had been a series of give and takes, of compromises and sacrifices that had to be made. She got to visit cities she never would have gotten the chance to— Prague in particular was breathtaking, and she made a chuffed Harry promise to bring her back one day— but seldom stayed in any place for more than two or three days. She got to be with her boyfriend and make some amazing friends in the band and crew, but they were all living out of suitcases in unfamiliar hotels and tour buses. She got to fly first class for only the second time in her life— Harry insisted on ‘nothing but the best’ for their flight to Los Angeles for the Grammys earlier that year— but she had to adjust to the presence of sometimes hundreds of fans at airports, hotels, and radio stations. Who, for some reason, seemed to be interested in talking to her. She didn’t quite understand why anyone would want a photo with her, but was nevertheless more than happy to snap one if there was time.

But the moments that made all the bad times so, so worth it were the ones that she got to spend with Harry, watching him onstage. Watching him do what he loved filled her with a kind of joy so all-consuming and unimaginable she couldn’t even begin to describe it. Whether he was performing a song he about her or not, there was no place Alex would rather be than in the wings of the stage, playing the part of ‘proud girlfriend.’ She had told him at the start of tour that she wanted to go into the pit to watch the show, feeling like the experience of watching from backstage would be something of a half-truth, and Harry had yielded after a few minutes of pestering. “Just don’t want yeh getting hurt, love,” he had said. “Harry. They’re your fans. They’re not going to hurt me,” she had countered. So for the first five shows, she had slipped into the front just before the show, but her plans were faulted when, one night, a particular Italian crowd had gotten a little too boisterous during Kiwi and had jostled her too much for comfort, well, Harry’s comfort, that was. Alex insisted she was fine, but Harry put his foot down, and from then on, her place had been with the crew behind the scenes. She missed getting to interact with fans and experience the concert the same way they did, but was able to spend time with people she otherwise didn’t connect with. In fact, more than one concert she had spent in the lighting booth; as an artist herself, she was enthralled with the design and intricacy of the whole production, and was even allowed to help out with the lights for the last show.

So, even with seemingly endless drawbacks, the experience was one she wouldn’t change for the world. Interrupting her thoughts, Harry walked in just then, grimacing when he saw that Alex had woken up to greet him. “Why are yeh still up, Lex?” He asked, clearly tired himself.

“Wanted to see you when you got home,” she responded. “Didn’t realize it would be so late.”

He sighed. “Me either, love.” He had finished the European leg and had a few weeks to go before he left for a three-week stint in Asia and Australia, but had been roped into sticking around the studio to work on some new material that he and a few co-writers had been tossing around. It also wasn’t that he wanted to stay away from Alex. He’d get caught up in writing a song, or fiddling with the mixing, or recording harmonies, then look at his watch and realize it was past midnight. Being away from Alex was the last thing he wanted, especially now that they were living together. They both knew all the problems that could crop up with sharing a space with someone, and it would do neither good if Harry wasn’t there half the time to work out their inevitable issues. He knew that he should be better, tell the guys he was sorry, but needed to get home to his girl, but a tiny part of him— and he hated himself for it— wished Alex would just drop it. It was his job, and she had said a million times that she knew what she was getting into with their relationship. “Give me ten minutes to get in bed, yeah?”

Alex nodded, but Harry could tell there was more she wanted to say but was holding back. For his sake or hers, he wasn’t sure. Harry went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and stripped down to his boxers, crawling into bed behind Alex. It only took seven minutes. She knew that he wasn’t trying to be distant, that it wasn’t entirely his choice to stay so late and spend so little time with her, but that didn’t take away the fact that his absence was causing a wedge to drive in between them.

“I’ve got to get up at six for work,” Alex said softly, more to herself than anything. Harry felt a pang shoot to his chest. He had promised her that he would be careful with her, careful with her heart, and he was breaking that promise. “Is it— is it always going to be like this?” She continued. “I mean, it obviously was pretty much a non-issue when I lived in Brooklyn, but now that you’ve got someone to come home to, someone physically sharing your life, I’ve got to ask.”

“Is it always going to be what, love?” Harry asked. Stupid of him to ask, he already knew the answer but somehow felt that it would be better for whatever reason if he spared himself the emotional pain of having to address it himself.

“Is it always going to be late nights, seeing you for a few hours when we’re in bed, hurried phone calls and cancelled dinner plans?”

He winced. They had planned a dinner a few weeks after their return from Europe; they wanted to officially celebrate moving in together. Harry had booked a table at an Indian place a few blocks away that they both loved and Alex had bought a new dress. He was meant to meet her at the apartment at seven for them to walk over for their seven thirty reservation, but the time had come and gone and he hadn’t shown. She had hated having to call the restaurant and cancel their reservations, and it was clear that the woman on the other end of the phone knew that something wasn’t quite right, but she didn’t pry.

Alex wasn’t the type of person to really hold grudges, malice wasn’t something she was too fond of. So she told Harry she forgave him, she told him she understood, but in reality she was hurt.

How we gonna move together?/Just come closer/If we don't move together, just come closer/How we gonna breathe?/How we gonna be together?/Just keeping the peace/Between the sheets

“That’s not what I want it to be, love. I’m sorry that it’s been that way for the best few weeks. It’s not fair to you, it’s not fair to me, and it needs to change.” Harry said. Alex nodded, moving closer and leaning her head up against his back. He felt her hand moving up and down his back, as if she was trying to will away his worries, and Harry wished that he could stay in that moment forever.

Being in a relationship with someone who was willing to admit their mistakes, who wasn’t too proud to compromise, was a concept so new and almost foreign to Alex that she didn’t really know how to deal with it. It was true that she had never been in love with anyone like she was with Harry, but she had had her fair share of relationships before. Most were brief, shallow flings, but there were a few in university that she was genuinely invested in, that she could see moving beyond superficiality. Peter was everything she thought she wanted: intelligent, creative, curious, and really freaking attractive. But his downfall, and what made them ultimately fall apart, was how stubborn he was. Communication was never the couple’s strong suit, and whenever Alex would try to bring it up and tell him that they needed to work on it, he seemed to refuse to believe that there was a problem. Blinking a few times, Alex tried to get the thoughts of him out of her head. Peter was old news, someone so far gone from her life, and she had no good reason to dwell on what was a non-issue. A non-issue because of the wonderful, caring man she was laying beside. “We can’t keep pushing this off. It does need to change. But how?” She asked.

Harry rolled over in bed, facing Alex. “We need somethin’ concrete, an agreement that we’re both going to stick to, but something that’s practical, you know? ‘S much as I want to, I can’t promise that I’ll always be back home early or that I’ll always be able to stick to schedule.”

“And I wouldn’t want you to promise that,” Alex said. “I want you through the thick and thin; I knew what I was signing up for, no matter how much I might try to tell myself otherwise.” She paused for a moment. “How about two or three times a month, we just commit to getting out of the house and doing something together? Doesn’t have to only be dinner, we could go to a movie, breakfast, walk around Central Park…” She trailed off.

Harry gave a soft smile. “That sounds great, love. And how about I call you if I’ll be staying at the studio past ten or so? I don’t really want you waiting up for me, but I know nothing I say will really be able to stop you if you want to, you’re stubborn as they come,” he said with a chuckle.

So maybe don't give me cold, cold shoulder/Before you go, turn around, let me hold you/And let me stay in the dark of the morning/Just more one thing

Alex hovered her hand by Harry’s cheek, and he could tell, not for the first time that night, that she was holding back something to say. “Out wit’ it, love,” he said gently, causing Alex to crack a brief smile.

“I can never hide anything from you, can I?”

“Nope,” Harry said. “And yeh shouldn’t have to. Now what’s on your mind?”

Alex took a moment, collecting her thoughts. “Don’t you think it’s about time we tell everyone about us? You know, proper go public?”

His brow furrowed. “I thought we were? I mean, I called you my girlfriend at the Grammy’s, didn’t I?”

She nodded. “Yeah, and I’m totally not trying to imply that you’re not paying enough attention to me or trying to be needy in any way, you’re amazing and I love everything that you’re doing already—”

“Calm down, love,” Harry said, stroking his thumb over one of her shoulders. “I know I haven’t been as public with us as I could have been, but I think I thought that’s what yeh wanted, to be out of the spotlight?”

“And that’s still true,” Alex started. “I think, though, that I’d be fine being a little more open, though, you know? Pictures and stuff, and you can talk about us in interviews if it’s brought up, I guess?”

He lifted his eyebrows suggestively. Slapping his forehead none-too-lightly with the palm of her hand, Alex struggled to keep in her laughter. “Not like that, you chav! I trust you—” she took a quick look at him, “mostly— to keep private what ought to be private.”

“Of course, love.” For Harry, he would have been just as willing to go public with their relationship from the first day on. There was nothing more he wanted to do than to shout to the world how lucky he was, how in love he was with Alexandra Diana Jones. But he knew that wasn’t what was best for them at the beginning, that it wasn’t what they needed. They needed time to themselves, time to establish a relationship and norms and everything else they needed to give their relationship the best possible shot at working out. And Harry was a man of his word; his mum had never taught him to be anything other than honest, kind, and respectful. So when he told Alex that things would move at her pace and their relationship would only go as fast as she was comfortable with, he meant it with every fiber of his being. Needless to say, then, when Alex gave him the go-ahead, he was nothing short of over the moon.

For Alex, the decision was one that had been a long time in the making. She didn’t want Harry to feel as though she was suffocating him with all of her rules; she found herself more often than not questioning the validity of her requests, constantly second-guessing herself and deciding that she had made the wrong decision. It wasn’t a matter of her wanting to be hidden from the world; she had known as soon as One Direction had made it onto X-Factor that anytime she was linked with Harry would be far from normal, but she needed time. That had been her mantra for the first few months of their relationship, that she just needed more time. She knew that the moment they went public, the second they made their big debut as a couple, that any semblance of normalcy she had previously would be gone. She had seen what it had done to other “celebrity couples,” though she despised the term and found it inaccurate for their circumstances, and selfishly wanted to protect them from that. She wanted to be able to keep Harry to herself, at least for a little while, until they were exposed to the world, bound to be scrutinized and analyzed and picked apart to no end. But now was different. She had had enough time, felt like they had eased into their relationship enough, that she felt she had held off for long enough. She knew that it was inevitable, and most people were probably observant enough to know that they were in a relationship even without explicit confirmation. But there was something comforting about the concrete nature of an affirming tweet or photo on Instagram, as ironic as it may seem.

“Glad we’ve got that sorted out, yeah?” Harry murmured softly. “What d’you say we finally get to bed? Don’t want you too tired tomorrow morning, mm?”

Alex nodded, snuggling herself closer to Harry, who gladly wrapped his arms around her back, holding her to his chest. “Yeah.”

Alex woke up a few hours later, Harry having gone on an early-morning run and leaving her with a heartfelt good morning post-it and a pot of coffee on the warmer. Opening her phone, she went to check Instagram, seeing a notification for a new tagged picture from Harry. It was a photo of her from that morning, still sleeping, hair sprawled out on the pillow. The caption was simple, but its few words spoke volumes. My love @alexdjones

#Harry Styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles smut #harry styles writing #one direction #one direction fanfiction #one direction fluff #one direction fanfic #1D #1D fluff #1d preferences #1d imagine #harry styles fanfic #harry fanfic #harry fanfiction #harry fluff #harry smut

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askauradonprep · 7 years

Text

Cute Things In What’s My Name

Notes: Lex, Zeke, Malachi, Rosita, Raphael, Micah, and Vince were not present during this number. I’m watching through it for the 12 members of the crew who ARE and here are the notes:

Uma:

- Gabe, Gil, and Jonas lifting Uma on to the table and she PATS GABE ON THE HEAD like what even are you doing Uma

- The crew all bows to her when she says ‘tell ‘em who’s in charge so they don’t forget’. It varies in degree but they are all in fact bowing and gesturing to Uma

- Gonzo lifting Uma off the table to help her down - he doesn’t just grab her by the hips or something either, like he supports her waist and her knees it’s actually SUPER cute.

- The guys pushing Uma’s throne behind her so she can sit down and IMMEDIATELY lifting it up over their heads when she does like yeah, they treat her like a queen.

- Uma’s little winks at Harry and calling him ‘number one’

- Harry helping Uma up in her throne like Harry please control yourself.

- Jonas putting Uma on his shoulders so he can carry her from her throne to the table EVEN THOUGH SHE COULD HAVE MADE HERSELF IF SHE STRETCHED like do these boys let you walk ANYWHERE Uma or do they literally carry you anywhere you want?

- A good chunk of the guys, plus Bonny, Drey and Desiree making eyes at Uma while she dances on the table. No wonder she sees their eyes on her.

- Jonas ONCE AGAIN helping Uma off the stage.

- Jonas and Zhao help Uma up on to Gil, Jonas even BOWS a little. You can practically hear him saying ‘Right this way, your Majesty’ it’s actually adorable. He also helps her off of Gil and into the throne, both taking her hand and supporting her back. Don’t tell me Jonas does not have low-key heart eyes for Uma.

The rest are under the cut.

Harry:

- Harry’s smile at the beginning. He can tell this is gonna be good.

- Harry holds Gonzo’s hand during the ship choreography with his hook HARRY.

- Still a little bitter that he and Uma didn’t get a little kiss when he comes super close to her face when they say ‘Tell ‘em who’s in charge so they don’t forget’

- The smile he gives Drey while the crew is jamming around the table before he spins to the other side of Uma.

- He comes up in front of Uma when the guy lift her up so he can stare at her.

- ASDFGHJKL; I just realized Uma takes his hand when she says ‘let me see ‘em’ when they’re on the table. I knew he turned to look at her but I never noticed she took his hand and held his sleeve for a bit. That’s TOO cute.

- When the crew disperses to make way for Uma, he puts his hand on Drey’s arm and leads her away nicely, it’s absolutely ADORABLE.

- His smile falls when Jonas gets up when Uma takes his sword, right before he threatens him (i.e. Harry Is An Overprotective Little Sucky Baby For Uma)

- Harry gives Drey a little look while he and Uma are talking last regrets (not nearly as much of a look as he gives Uma, but it’s still cute that he acknowledges when she comes up to them grinning like the cat who’s got the canary).

- Harry TURNS TO AND ENCOURAGES the crew on both sides of the stage when he says ‘Ready, here WE come/WE always get our way’. Also everyone jams with him on his rap it’s so cute.

- He chucks Drey under the chin right before he helps Uma up.

- Harry actually stares MORE intently when he says Uma’s so hot they get burned if they look, HARRY. CONTROL YOUR THIRST.

- Harry takes a second look at Uma right when he kneels down up until they’re doing the octopus thing and he has to look away from her.

- Regularly ducks beneath Uma’s level.

Gil

- He looks around at the very beginning like he’s going ‘Wait, what, are we doing this, OKAY WE’RE DOING UMA’S HAPPY SONG OKAY’

- Gil turns and smiles at Jonas when they hop on the table, he looks SO EXCITED.

- He does a little fist pump when they say the sails are set.

- He has to KNEEL to pick up Uma, how cute is that?

- Actually, when he’s beside Uma, he kinda slouches a lot, and it makes him look shorter than she is TELL ME I AM WRONG ABOUT THE GUYS LIFTING HER UP ALL THE TIME OR KNEELING OR DUCKING AROUND HER TO MAKE SURE SHE FEELS BIG. He also gestures to her a lot immediately before they pick her up, like he’s keeping the focus on their pretty captain.

- Gil gives Uma a smoulder when she’s saying no one’s gonna stop them. Like he looks very very much like he wants to kiss her actually. It’s INTENSE.

- He play fights with Gonzo for a second before they both turn back to Uma - and yes, he gestures to Uma again while his other hand is on the chandelier YES GIL WE KNOW SHE IS THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION YOU CAN STOP POINTING TO HER NOW BBY.

- He jams out with her while they watch Harry dance, including pointing to her a lot when Harry calls her the captain. He also CRANES UP looking at her before looking away when the crew looks away the second time, as if trying to make up for the first time he looked away.

- He looks super surprised and hurt when Uma calls him on not watching her.

- He climbs up on one of the tables when Harry and Uma are flirting on stage.

- Gil wrestles Jonas, Gabe, and Yamato at the same time and wins while Uma is on stage.

- Gil is wide mouth laughing when he’s being used as Uma’s throne and he cranes up to look at her again at the end of the song. Gil = Too Precious.

Gonzo

- Gonzo actually GOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE when he bows to Uma.

- He cranes up to be close to Uma and also holds his arms out like he’s presenting her, it’s the cutest thing.

- Gonzo actually gets super close to kissing Uma when she comes by him while he’s on the stage, it’s cute. He also points at her as the guys lift her up, like, yes, Gonzo, we see her, don’t worry.

- During the ‘so hot’ moment, Gonzo actually LEANS ONTO THE TABLE like Uma’s hotness personified and slapped him.

- He lifts Yamato off a chair when they’re about to crawl to Uma and Harry.

- He dances with one of the chairs and then he and Zhao both grip it and stand on their hands, it’s amazingly acrobatic if nothing else.

- He holds Gil steady and looks SUPER DETERMINED when they push him. He also holds Uma’s throne steady.

Desiree

- Okay, so Desiree just REFUSES to leave Uma alone. She’s always very close by near her. And now you all know why I say she’s thirsty as all get out.

- Actually GETS ON THE TABLE ON ALL FOURS to do the ‘all hands on deck’ thing. She then hops off when Uma passes, only to jump up again for the ship thing, girl what are you doing.

- She does so much head banging towards Uma and then makes all these swimming arm movements in her direction...and then play shoves Gabe when he gets in her arm’s way.

- She holds Gabe’s arm to steady her when she's gesturing too wildly towards Uma on the table, this child has no chill.

- She and Bonny aren’t grinding, but they’re mock swimming behind the table in the same way the boys are grinding in front.

- She vaults over the table and rushed up between the crew mates to be directly behind Uma, including moving in front of Harry, Desiree, PLEASE.

- Rather than disperse, she twirls and leans against the table as Uma comes up. Also does a little play swooning when Gil flirts with her. She looks like she’s laughing actually, but the point is Desiree stays right by Uma.

- She points at Jonas right before Harry puts his hook at his chin, as if saying ‘Oh, now you’ve done it’.

- The one time she does step really far from Uma, she hops on a table...and stares at her. And almost immediately she hops from the table to a crate and then down so she’s right back by her again.

- She jumps and twirls around a lot while Uma’s throne is picked up, but she’s still right beside Uma on her left when they’re watching Harry.

- Not only does she put up her arm in front of her face, she also lifts her knee during the ‘so hot’ bit like she thinks she IS being burned.

- Crawls up RIGHT IN FRONT of Uma when they’re on the stage. Then when they leave the stage she walks beside Uma, twirls away...and steps up on the table beside Uma so she can join her in her dual sword dance. Desiree. HONEY.

- Followed Uma until she stepped back to watch her crew before heading to the bar. She proceeded to dance with her swords before she came up to the bar when Uma got in her throne.

Jonas

- His bow is super exaggerated like you nerd, what are you doing? He and Gabe trade this super excited look right afterwards too. He also looks around Gil to stare at Uma.

- He looks so fake annoyed when she throws off his hat. He’s just like ‘bruh, really’? Before Harry grabs him.

- Does a bridge move just to get close to Uma and put his hand out to her.

- THE ‘RIP OUT HIS HEART’ MOVE HE DOES WHEN UMA ‘KICKS’ HIM IN THE CHAIR.

- He dances around with one of the chairs.

Drey

- Drey hops out of Uma’s way when she goes around the table, and then jumps over the table so she can do her bit of the ship.

- Gives Harry a smile and lip bite before he trades places with Uma, whom she immediately gets on her knees and begins to jam with, hitting the table and smiling at her. (She’s also the one Harry’s smiling at when the crew is grinding).

- During ‘their last regret’ she climbs up on all fours on the table and gives the biggest grin at Harry and Uma (she has that smile on a lot of the time, and is often making eyes at either Uma or Harry for that matter - girl has taste).

- She jumps off the table to jam beside Uma before the guys grab her throne.

- SHE NEVER EVER EVER TURNS AWAY FROM UMA DURING THE ‘SO HOT SCENE’ - LOOK AT HER. SHE’S STARING STRAIGHT AT HER. When everyone is supposed to look away, she jerks a little, but she’s still looking at Uma.

- While Uma’s on stage, she gets in a play sword fight with (I THINK) Bonny.

- Comes up to stand beside Uma’s throne and tries to crane up to see her.

Yamato

- He has this little moment where he bobs up and down beside Uma before he moves to do his part of the ship thing. Also, his bow is INCREDIBLY exaggerated - he moves his arm down in an arc while he gestures to her and then FALLS TO ONE KNEE, Yamato, please. He doesn’t get up when the rest of the crew stop bowing either, he stays like that for a little bit.

- He and Bonny crawl around on the table together after the crew disperses when Uma says she’s the queen of the town. And then they get in a little play fight as they get up, Bonny pushes him.

- He kneels in front of Uma AGAIN as she walks around, just before the guys get her throne. (he, Jonas, Gil, and Zhao are the ones who lift her throne up).

- Pushes his way around Jonas to sit on the stage when ‘Uma’s so hot they get burned if they look’ - he recoils with everyone else, but it’s cute to see him worm his way up close to her. Speaking of the recoil, he keeps his arm up even after everyone is done, as though he’s afraid she REALLY WILL burn him if he looks.

- While Uma was dancing on the table and everyone crowded to make eyes at her, Yamato was sitting on a chair a little ways back enjoying it separately before Gonzo yanks him up.

- He holds out Harry’s hook for him when he comes off the stage to get to the table where Uma is. He’s also laughing at the end.

Bonny

- She spins around on her stool like a little kid at the start.

- She runs out from where she is and SPINS, ending in her bow to Uma, how extra is that? I love it! Her bow is my favourite tbh (and i’m factoring how close Huma is to kissing in that so you know I love Bonny’s bow). She stays down on her one knee after that too and gestures to her a second time it’s so cute. She doesn’t get up until there’s a gap in the crowd when they lift Uma on the table, at which point she comes up and looks up at her in awe.

- She comes up to jam with Uma too during the chorus...like, really really close. Barely an inch apart. She’s right in Uma’s bubble and Uma seems 100% cool with that.

- When Harry throws his jacket at the start, Bonny catches it and FOLDS IT FOR HIM while she dances, Bonny you are precious.

- She slams her hand down on the table when Uma says ‘All eyes on me let me see ‘em’.

- Towards the end she goes, grabs Harry’s coat off the steps, goes up and hands it to him, it is too cute.

- She just poses at the end, holding her sword blade over her shoulder like it’s a duffel bag or something, BONNY STOP, YOU’RE OVER THE LEGAL LIMIT FOR ADORABLE.

Zhao

- He has the biggest smile when the song starts.

- His bow is short but almost immediately, he crawls closer to Uma. He does it a second time when the guys pick her up too.

- He and Gabe practically side hop away when Uma ‘jabs’ at them with her sword, it’s so cute.

- When the crew says her name during the chorus (before they grab her throne) he NODS when he says her name the first time, like ‘Yes, this is indeed her name, isn’t it awesome?’

- He and Gabe push the throne over to Uma so she can sit down. You know, just in case you all thought Uma had to lift a finger for herself during this number. :P

- He DUCKS BEHIND ONE OF THE SUPPORT BEAMS DURING THE ‘SO HOT’ PART ZHAO WHAT EVEN. She acts like her hotness reached out and knocked him back.

- During the dual sword dance, he just stands beside the stage and spins - he doesn’t even have his sword.

- He spins on the chandelier beside Harry for a while, then ducks down, drags a netted Gil across the stage, and ducks out of the way so Harry can come up.

Gabe

- He PUTS HIS STOOL BACK before he uses it to climb on the table. So polite, Gabe. :P

- He moves to put his arms around Gil and Jonas right when the chorus starts and they jam until Desiree’s arm bumps him.

- Gabe is the one who first goes to grab the throne for Uma - Zhao joins him when they push.

- Oh my god, he’s so dorky during Harry’s dance - he goes right up to the stairs and leans out towards Harry, it’s cute.

- Gabe HIDES BEHIND A TABLE during the ‘so hot’ part. Gabe. Baby. I promise she can’t hurt you. :P

- Harry puts his arm around him when Uma’s dancing on the stage, then sends him off and he jumps to the ground it’s kinda cool.

- His dual sword dance is so dorky and he climbs up so his hands and feet are ALL on a chandelier, how. He swings from his FEET.

Morwenna

- Okay, so note, Morwenna is not standing with the crew for most of this. She’s on the stage jamming to the music with them though, more enthusiastically than the other customers, and smiling really happily watching them.

- She’s just sitting on a chair on the stage chilling and smiling when the crew starts making their way over there, I love it. She’s shaking her foot to the beat. It’s cute.

- She starts getting up during Harry’s dance and yeah, she’s jamming out in the corner holding the chair and nodding along.

- When Uma’s on the table, she puts her hand on her hip and puts her head out.

- She full on jams while Uma’s on stage, dancing around and moving her hips, she’s having a lot of fun watching the crew.

- She gestures to Harry when he’s leaving the stage, it’s cute as heck.

tl;dr - This crew is adorable and I am convinced that even if they don’t know how to express it, they are genuine friends and you can pry this from my cold, dead, hands.

#Descendants 2 #What's My Name #Uma descendants #Uma's crew

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is-this-life-or-fantasy · 6 years

Note

answer all the ones you wanna

Thank you Anon!! It’s been a DAY and I’m glad to get my mind off everything I need to be doing to do this

“PUT A NUMBER IN MY ASK ;)”

1. Who was the last person you held hands with?~Becca2. Are you outgoing or shy?~Depends on the situation, if I’m with friends I’m much much more outgoing. In general it depends on my mood and type of situation, but it’s probably 50/503. Who are you looking forward to seeing?~Olu! It’s been so long and he’s so good4. Are you easy to get along with?~I don’t really know. I think I can be pretty easy to get along with, but if we differ on something important to me or I have something against you I’m a huge bitch5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you?~If she wasn’t also very drunk then probalby6. What kind of people are you attracted to?~Sarcastic assholes7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now?~Maybe/I suppose8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind?~(This kinds implies there are two genders that are opposites and that’s not the case but I’ll pretend this says what guy) Zach actually because I forgot to venmo him9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?~Nope10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?~I genuinely can’t remember11. What does the most recent text that you sent say?~”Yay!! I’m reading your blog now actually”12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now?~1. “Hall of Mirrors” - The Distillers~2. “Dancing in the Moonlight” - King Harvest~3. “Within You Without You” - The Beatles~4. “I Think You Nose Is Bleeding” - The Front Bottoms~5. “Trampoline” - The Front Bottoms13. Do you like it when people play with your hair?~Usually only someone I’m interested in14. Do you believe in luck and miracles?~Fuck yes I do15. What good thing happened this summer?~I went to Virginia Beach on vacation with my friends16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?~yeah17. Do you think there is life on other planets?~Yup18. Do you still talk to your first crush?~Oh hell no19. Do you like bubble baths?~I used to, haven’t taken one in a very long time20. Do you like your neighbors?~Nope21. What are you bad habits?~Oh we don’t have time for all of them, but: biting my fingernails, procrastination, isolation, drinking, smoking, in general bad coping mechanisms, etc.22. Where would you like to travel?~Europe!23. Do you have trust issues?~Oh hell yes24. Favorite part of your daily routine?~Laying down at night to go to sleep25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with?~My thighs26. What do you do when you wake up?~Think about how much more sleep I can get without being late27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker?~A little darker because this bitch can’t tan28. Who are you most comfortable around?~My close friends29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up?~Ex’s? You assume more than one fool has made this mistake30. Do you ever want to get married?~Yea one day31. If your hair long enough for a pony tail?~A little one but it’s sad32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with?~Robert Downy Jr. and Halsey33. Spell your name with your chin.~ cy45isina (yikes)34. Do you play sports? What sports?~No I can’t sport35. Would you rather live without TV or music?~Omg that’s the nightmare scenario. I guess music36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them?~Oh that’s practically my life motto37. What do you say during awkward silences?~I usually make a weird noise or something stupid to break the ice (like doing my Ben routine) or say something random38. Describe your dream girl/guy?~amazing hair, smart, funny, sarcastic asshole, ambitious, dedicated, responsible, reliable39. What are your favorite stores to shop in?~Hot Topic and Target40. What do you want to do after high school?~I mean I’m already doing it, college41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?~Not everyone, but most people42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean?~Usually that I’m upset43. Do you smile at strangers?~Depending on my mood, yes44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?~Bottoms of the ocean45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning?~Usually the fact that this bitch needs money, or my anxiety46. What are you paranoid about?~Oh everything, it’s mostly stuff related to my anxiety and insecurities47. Have you ever been high?~Yup48. Have you ever been drunk?~Yup49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about?~I don’t think so50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore?~Black and gray (because this bitch wears two hoodies at the same time)51. Ever wished you were someone else?~When I was younger probably52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself?~My mental health status53. Favourite makeup brand?~Um what (this bitch don’t use makeup)54. Favourite store?~Hot Topic55. Favourite blog?~Actual blog: Eileen’s~Tumblr blog: So many but either slime-tony or color-me-erika56. Favourite colour?~Blue57. Favourite food? ~My mom’s mashed potatos58. Last thing you ate?~McDonald’s fries and nugs59. First thing you ate this morning?~Nothing lol, for lunch I had bonchon chicken and fries60. Ever won a competition? For what?~I mean I was valedictorian if that counts? So I guess I won for being able to take test and bullshit assignments 61. Been suspended/expelled? For what?~Nope62. Been arrested? For what?~Nope63. Ever been in love? ~Yup64. Tell us the story of your first kiss?~Oh boy. I was in like preschool I think, maybe kindergarden, and me and this boy didn’t know what kissing was other than that adults did it and we were like yea sure this is normal so we kissed sometimes like under tables and shit and looking back super weird thing to do. I don’t remember the first kiss, but it was something like that. My first kiss as not a small small child was Alex I think and boy was that a mistake65. Are you hungry right now?~Nah66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends?~(Tumblr friends are real friends) I don’t have friends specific to tumblr I think67. Facebook or Twitter?~Facebook68. Twitter or Tumblr?~Tumblr69. Are you watching tv right now?~Yup, FRIENDS70. Names of your bestfriends? ~I’d call them my closest friends, in no particular order: Eileen, Joe, Erika, Zach, Kim, Alex, Becca, Mars, Tiffany, Sloane, (I want to put Lex on this list too but we don’t talk as much so I don’t know if she sees me as one of her closest friends but I adore her)71. Craving something? What?~Not that I can think of72. What colour are your towels?~Blue, Green, and White72. How many pillows do you sleep with?~Usually 3 (Because they be flat boys)73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?~Yup!74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have?~I got rid of most of them when I was younger (I have no idea why I did that I was a total idiot) but anyway no clue because my life is a mess75. Favourite animal?~Honey Badger76. What colour is your underwear?~You assume I’m wearing underwear77. Chocolate or Vanilla?~Ice Cream: Vanilla~Milkshake: Chocolate78. Favourite ice cream flavour?~Banan-a-Peel'n79. What colour shirt are you wearing?~Again you assume I have clothes on80. What colour pants?~See answer above81. Favourite tv show?~SOAP82. Favourite movie?~Noises Off83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2?~Mean Girls84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street?~Mean Girls85. Favourite character from Mean Girls?~Damien86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo?~Dory87. First person you talked to today?~My mom88. Last person you talked to today?~Eileen89. Name a person you hate?~Anna90. Name a person you love?~Tiffany91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now?~Oh so many people92. In a fight with someone?~I don’t think so93. How many sweatpants do you have?~Like 4?94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have?~5 hoodies? 4 sweatshirts?95. Last movie you watched?~Descendents 296. Favourite actress?~Betty White97. Favourite actor?~Jason Bateman98. Do you tan a lot?~Not at all99. Have any pets?~Sadly no100. How are you feeling?~Not great but I’m still here101. Do you type fast?~Not really?102. Do you regret anything from your past?~I regret a bunch of stupid things103. Can you spell well?~Not at al104. Do you miss anyone from your past?~Yea, sometimes105. Ever been to a bonfire party?~I was at a bonfire but I wouldn’t call it a party106. Ever broken someone’s heart?~Not to my knowledge107. Have you ever been on a horse?~Yes108. What should you be doing?~One of the many many things on the spring break to do list109. Is something irritating you right now?~Oh many things110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt?~Oh yea111. Do you have trust issues?~I think this was already asked, but yes112. Who was the last person you cried in front of?~I can’t even remember, but I think Mars, Jake, and Arianne when I was high113. What was your childhood nickname?~Tina114. Have you ever been out of your province/state?~Yup115. Do you play the Wii?~I used to116. Are you listening to music right now?~Nope117. Do you like chicken noodle soup?~Yup118. Do you like Chinese food?~Fuck yes119. Favourite book?~This is a book by: Demetri Martin120. Are you afraid of the dark?~Yea121. Are you mean?~I can be122. Is cheating ever okay?~No, never123. Can you keep white shoes clean?~Nope124. Do you believe in love at first sight?~Yes I’m certain that it happens all the time125. Do you believe in true love?~Yea126. Are you currently bored?~A little127. What makes you happy?~being with my friends128. Would you change your name?~Maybe129. What your zodiac sign?~Gemini130. Do you like subway?~Occasionally (I like the way it smells more than I like the food)131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?~Tell them I’m sorry but I don’t feel the same way132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?~Again with the repeat questions133. Favourite lyrics right now?~”It’s fine, I’m fine, It’s fine”134. Can you count to one million?~I mean I suppose but at what cost135. Dumbest lie you ever told?~”I’m fine”136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed?~Always closed137. How tall are you?~5′5138. Curly or Straight hair?~Straight139. Brunette or Blonde?~Brunette140. Summer or Winter?~Summer141. Night or Day?~Night142. Favourite month?~May or December143. Are you a vegetarian?~Hell no I couldn’t144. Dark, milk or white chocolate?~Milk choclate145. Tea or Coffee?~Coffee146. Was today a good day?~Not really, but it was ok147. Mars or Snickers?~Neither148. What’s your favourite quote?~”It’s gonna take a long time…and then it’s perfect”149. Do you believe in ghosts?~Fuck yea150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page?~”I’m currently in the thick of the most confusing and terrifying time of my life” BIG MOOD

#me #personal #ask me #it's tina

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slapshotsandoneshots · 7 years

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Chapter Two – A Party to Remember.

You sat on the couch with Lex, you were enjoying catching up with her as Connor’s teammates filled into the house. You took another sip from the red solo cup resting in your hand when you felt the other side of the couch dip beside you. You turned your head and caught the glance of your red-haired best friend.

“Brownie!” You exclaimed cuddling into his side mid-hug.

“You got started early on the drinks?” he questioned raising an eyebrow.

“I can’t just be happy to see you? It really has been too long.”

“Well someone was off being a smarty pants at some prestigious college. What was the name again…?” He began to act like he was racking his brain for the answer.

“Don’t remind me or I will need more alcohol.” You giggled.

“You do know that we are going to talk about it eventually right?”

“But I am going to avoid it for as long as I can.” You raised your cup.

“I wouldn’t expect anything different.” He chuckled as he hit your cup with his own.

Auston’s POV

I watched as she sat next to Brown making some kind of conversation. I couldn’t take my eyes away as I watched her head move back in laughter. She was gorgeous, I was unaware of how she could be related to Carrick.

“She is going to think you’re creepy if you keep staring at her like that.” Mitch chirped from his place beside me, taking another sip from his beer.

“I am not staring. I am taking long glances.” I answer taking a swig from my own.

“She is pretty. But it looks like Capone already has dibs on her.” Mitch noted

“I think they are just close from Connor’s Marlies days.” I stated, or at least I had hoped.

“Are you two still talking about my sister?” I heard questioned from behind me, causing me to jump.

“Uh..Uh…No.” I stumbled with my words.

“Listen Matts, I already warned her about you but I have a feeling she’s not going to listen to me on the matter.”

“Warn her?” I cocked my head towards my teammate.

“It’s nothing against you Matts, she has been through a lot in the last year. She’s not one of those girls you normally go for, she is my sister.”

“I would never do that to her or you Carrick.”

“Well then go talk to her then buddy. Mitch is right, if you keep staring she will think you are creepy.” Carrick quipped as he patted my back. I watched as she stood from her place on the couch leaving Brown behind. I followed behind her as she headed outside.

You excused yourself from the couch, the loud music that the boys had playing was giving you a headache. Connor nodded and turned his attention to a conversation between Zach and Willy. You walked outside and glanced at the night sky. You sat down on the edge of the porch when you heard footsteps between you. You turned your head slightly and watched the tall figure come and sit beside you.

“Hope you don’t mind the company.” Auston noted as he looked ahead.

“Not at all, just a little loud in there. I forgot how loud a bunch of hockey players can get.” You smiled.

“We do get pretty loud don’t we?” He asked sending you a smile of his own.

You both sat there for what seemed like forever. Auston made you feel so comfortable. It was like you had known the boy forever. You talked about stupid things that didn’t really matter. You were just so happy that for the first time in a long someone was treating you like a normal person. He wasn’t asking you a million questions about college or where it went wrong. You were happy, genuinely happy.

So when he leaned in, so did you. You weren’t sure where the conversation had taken a turn to get you here but you weren’t complaining. Your lips met with Auston and as cliché as it sounded you felt the sparks. You both scooted closer to one another. You allowed the moment to get away from the both of you. That was until you heard a thump against the back door.

You both snapped your heads towards the door and saw a very guilty looking Mitch and Will. They looked like deer in headlights. Mitch offered you a quick wave before running off into the house. You covered your face with a giggle.

Auston met you with a chuckle. “As much as I don’t want to, if we don’t go inside, Mitch will have told the entire team before long.”

You nodded as Auston helped you up from your place on the porch. You followed behind as you both walked inside. You were met with expectant smirks from everyone, well everyone except for Brown. You didn’t think you could turn any redder.

Living with Connor might be fun.

#auston matthews #auston matthews imagine #auston matthews one shot #auston matthews drabble #Connor Carrick #connor brown #NHL imagine #nhl oneshot #nhl drabble #toronto maple leafs #playing with fire

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star-trekkin-across-theuniverse · 7 years

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Vital Signs, pt 29 (conclusion)

Word Count: 2805 Tags: @to-pick-ourselves-up-7 @outside-the-government, @jimfromsales, @donnaintx, @enterprisewriting @starmission @supermoonpanda @rayleyanns @sistasarah-sallysaidso @flirtswithdanger @anyakinamidala Author’s Note: There’s a few one-shots that go with this fic. If you want to see them, just let me know, and I’ll toss them up too. :)

“I’m blaming you for this.” Tony held a cup of coffee beside my head. I inhaled the rich aroma and opened my eyes slowly.

“What?” I asked, sitting up and taking the cup. He stood on the other side of the coffee table, eyebrow quirked.

“There is a huge knot burned into the roof.”

“What? Tony, you need to make sense,” I complained.

“Was Thor here? Because there’s also an empty box of pop tarts in the kitchen,” he questioned. I felt the realization break across me like a wave. I still wasn’t awake, but at least I knew what he was talking about.

“Yes.” I took a sip from the cup. Swill. Obviously Steve wasn’t in the building yet, and Tony’d had to make the pot himself. I was surprised he hadn’t invented a robot to do it for him.

“He was. And?”

“He said he was going to try to get some answers for me. He’s not back yet.” I thought that was pretty obvious, from the lack of tall, blonde and muscled in the room.

“You fighting with Cap?”

“Huh?”

“You slept here, on the couch.” Tony pointed to the indent my head had left on the cushions.

“No. I was obsessing. I thought I’d come play with the MRI proj-“

“You did not. Tell me you didn’t wreck it,” he interrupted with what appeared to be a genuine look of panic on his face. I couldn’t help but smile. I would have even drawn it out and teased him, were I not certain I could have been target practice the next time he was testing a new suit.

“It became obvious very quickly that I am not as brilliant as you are, and I spent most of the night just playing with my MRI. It was better than staring at the back of Steve’s head.” I held my hands up in surrender. Tony nodded.

“Wanna tell me about the lab tests?” Tony had obviously been to the lab before searching out coffee and me. I shook my head.

“Not really.”

“Am I glad I have no idea what any of those abbreviations mean?”

“Probably. Who would’ve thought biology would be your downfall?” I pondered. He rolled his eyes and headed to the bar. He couldn’t seriously be considering a drink at seven in the morning. He fiddled with something behind the counter for a few minutes, and emerged with ‘Heroes of New York’ action figures. He was playing with a Captain America and Hawkeye figure like a child.

“So you and Cap are fine?” Tony was unusually curious, waving the Captain America figure at me. I nodded.

“Sure.”

“When is he planning on moving into the tower? You’re welcome, of course. If you do decide to find a younger guy, we can find a place for you on one of the lower levels. Or you could just shack up with the Hawk already,” he babbled, and emphasized his point by thrusting the Hawkeye action figure toward me.

“What is with your obsession with Barton?” I asked, incredulous. I pushed the toy back toward Tony.

“He’s a young guy. He’s non-committal, so if you aren’t having fun you can just end things without complications. Cap is, well, in a word, old. He was friends with my dad, for Christ’s sake. He probably only knows the missionary position. You’re young, you’re a doctor, you have advanced biological knowledge. Let your freak flag fly, sweetheart. Barton is very flexible, I saw that during Loki’s little picnic.” He tried to make the action figure do something bendy but had no luck.

“Okay. One, his body was in suspended animation. He’s really the same age as me. Two, he’s adapted beautifully to the modern age. That includes knowing more than the missionary position, not that it’s your business. Three, Barton is lovely, but he’s not my type. Four, because why not a fourth item? Barton’s relationship with Tasha is just way too complicated for me to want to wade into that, even if he was my type,” I counted my points off on my fingers. Tony’s eyes grew wide on my last point.

“Barton and Natashalie? When did this happen?” He looked lost without a Black Widow action figure to thrust into the Hawkeye figure’s arms. He dropped both toys on the coffee table in disgust.

“Are you fucking blind? Have you never watched them interact?” I exclaimed. I rose and headed to the coffee maker to top up my cup. Swill it may be, but it had caffeine in it. Tony followed.

“More important than Hawk and the Widow, Cap does more than missionary?” Tony needled.

“I’ll be in the lab, Tony. Don’t make me get J.A.R.V.I.S. to lock you out.” I grabbed an orange from the fridge and walked away.

I flipped through a bunch of pages of lab results on the monitor in front of me, comparing my lab results from the blood I’d drawn during the night with my previous labs. It was interesting reading, but wasn’t actually giving me the information I was looking for. I decided I needed to make a visit to my friends at Midtown to see if I could get some information off the SHIELD records.

I stopped at the admitting desk in the Emergency Room and asked after Erica, hoping she was on. The nurse at the desk was just telling me that she was in the OR when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and Jamie pulled me into a hug.

“Lexy! It’s been ages! How are you doing? How is work?” He asked. His smile was warm and welcoming, and as he let go of me, it faltered just a little.

“I am great. I just needed to see a doc off the books. You up for a quick chat?” I asked. He nodded, and steered me into a private trauma bay, shutting the door behind us.

“You are cold, Lexy. Have you been sick?” He ran the back of his hand across my forehead and cheek, frowning.

“Yeah, about that. Remember the alien invasion?” I asked. He nodded. “I got an infection. This goes no further than you and I. I don’t want to say what I’m going to tell you could get you killed because I doubt that, but it could ruin your career if you start talking.”

“Do I want to know?”

“Medically unique and extraordinary. You decide,” I shrugged. He nodded and leaned against the supply counter.

“Okay, hit me.”

“My DNA was corrupted by the alien that infected me. I’m not worried about my health at all, all the testing that’s been done between then and now has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am just as healthy, if not healthier. But my menstrual cycle has been weird.”

“Are you pregnant? Did you finally start shagging that hot blonde who looks like Captain America?” He asked and I could tell he was curious from a medical standpoint as well as because he wanted the gossip he could share. I laughed.

“I am not pregnant. I ran that test already. I need to know if this infection has wrecked my reproductive system,” I blurted. He looked thoughtful.

“Have you had any bloodwork?” He asked.

“I’ve done thyroid, prolactin, estrogen, testosterone, FSH, and LH, as well as a standard E7.” I handed him a few pages of lab results. He looked them over quickly and looked back at me.

“These are all normal. Why are you concerned? Have you been trying to conceive?” He asked.

“God, no! No, I just, it crossed my mind and I’d rather know on my own terms than be slapped with this down the road,” I explained. He looked over the results a second time.

“Well, let’s pretend you are trying to conceive, and go ahead with an ultrasound,” he offered.

“Can this be a Jane Doe?” I asked. I really didn’t want this pinging on SHIELD’s radar.

“Sure. Let’s go to the ultrasound suite.” He opened the door and walked out. We caught up on the short walk to the ultrasound, and I learned that Loki’s invasion had changed a lot of policy regarding the operation of the hospital. Jamie was alive with excitement about everything that was going on. We turned the corner to the ultrasound suite and entered quietly. It was very sneaky in that way the kids are sneaky when they are trying to get away with something but their parents are around. We were all stage whispers and giggles.

I got prepared and sat up on the gurney. Jamie conducted the ultrasound in as professional a manner as I could expect from a former colleague, which I appreciated. There was no inappropriate commentary or awkwardness. He was straightforward and business-like. He turned the monitor so we could both see it. He progressed through all the images silently, knowing I knew just as well as he did what we were looking at. My reproductive system was a mess.

“Check out your ovary.” He pointed at the image on the screen, “that one is totally blocked.” I could see the outline of what appeared to be a fibroid cyst or something. He continued to try to get better images before finishing the test. He left the room so I could get changed, and then came back in.

“I’m a mess,” I said quietly. Jamie put his hand on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Lex.”

“No, it’s okay. I didn’t know that I wanted kids.”

“We can treat this, Lexy. If you want babies, we can treat this. Don’t assume it’s off the table.” His voice was compassionate. I sighed and looked at my feet, blinking back unbidden tears.

“No. My job, it’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle. I can’t bring kids into that mess. This just means I don’t have to worry about it. It’s better that way.” I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. In my days as a student, I’d seen women fall to pieces over this very information. I’d always felt compassion for them, but never thought I would understand enough of what they were going through to feel true empathy. I got it now. Even without the desire for children, this was a blow at the very thing that made me a woman. It was about more than just babies.

“Are you sure, Lexy?” Jamie placed his hand over mine, and I realized I was rubbing my abdomen, right above my uterus. I dropped my hand.

“I will be. I’ll be sure. I just need some time,” I admitted. He squeezed my shoulder.

“And Captain America? Do you need help telling him?”

“What do you mean?” I hadn’t thought Jamie had realized who Steve was. He’d let me believe he didn’t know who Steve was.

“He sat at your bedside after New York in the uniform, Lexy. He wouldn’t leave, not even to let us treat his wounds. You have to tell him. That man looks at you like you are his white picket fence house in the suburbs,” he lectured me. I felt my chest tighten, and the prickle of fresh tears at the corners of my eyes.

“I don’t think-“ I was going to deny how Steve felt, but Jamie interrupted me.

“I saw him, Lexy. This won’t change how he feels, but he still deserves to know.” He was firm. I nodded, and rose to collect my things.

“Thank you for doing this, Jamie.” I stopped at the door. Jamie nodded.

“Anytime, Ms. Doe,” he smiled. I threw my arms around him and hugged him. He rubbed my hair and gave me a squeeze before holding me at arms length.

“You’re going to be fine. Your superhero isn’t going to dump you.”

“Thanks.”

“Put in a good word for me with Black Widow, will you?” He teased. I laughed and left the room.

I found Steve reading a book about the Vietnam War in the lounge at Avengers Tower. I sat down beside him, and he snaked an arm out and pulled me close without looking up from his book. We stayed that way, quiet, for about ten minutes before Agent Barton came in. He waved and headed to the kitchen.

“Tony is trying to hook you two up.” Steve was so blasé about it, I wanted to laugh. I did laugh, actually.

“I know, he won’t let it go. I think he wants a ‘Dr. Lex’ action figure so he can make them make out,” I complained.

“He says I need to let you go. That you are young and have your whole life ahead of you. That you will eventually want to settle down and have kids and live in the suburbs.” His voice was steady and even, but I could feel his heart thumping harder than usual.

“I didn’t sign up for a house in the suburbs when I joined SHIELD, Steve, and that was before you.” I kept my voice calm too. He leaned over and kissed my forehead.

“I don’t know that I’ll ever want kids. I don’t know what the serum did there, but I don’t know that I want to bring kids into this world. I barely cope some days,” he admitted. I squeezed his thigh.

“You cope just fine,” I reassured him.

“I don’t know that I should marry, either, Lex. If it got out, you would be used against me,” he said. My heart constricted.

“You say that as if I was who you would marry.”

“Who else would I marry?”

“I just came from Midtown General.” I changed the topic. He sat up and untangled himself from me. He took my hand and looked right at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why do you think something is wrong?”

“Why would you go to a public hospital when SHIELD has the best medical care in the world?”

“I wanted some tests run off the radar,” I admitted. Steve leaned closer.

“And?”

“I’ll never have children, Steve. Loki broke my reproductive system,” I blurted it out and burst into tears. Steve pulled me into his arms and rocked me, shushing me like you would a small child. I let out all the tears I’d been holding in, going all the way back to the Destroyer. Steve rubbed his hands up and down my back, soothing me. My nose started running, and I tried to pull away to get a tissue, but Steve just held me close. I figured if he didn’t care about the state of his clothing, I wouldn’t either.

“Lex,” Steve started, but couldn’t quite grasp my attention. “Alexandra.” I looked up at him. He kissed me, ugly-cry face and all. I took a great hiccupping breath in, and tried to settle myself. I was only marginally successful.

“I’m sorry,” I managed. He shook his head.

“Don’t be. You’ve put up with a lot of shit, and this baloney with Loki is just one more thing.”

“I am broken,” I whispered. He took my head in both his hands and looked me in the eye.

“You are not broken, Alexandra Richmond.” He was firm.

“My ovaries are-“

“Are they still there?” He questioned.

“Well, yes.”

“Are you going to suffer any ill health from the revelation you got today?”

“Not as far as I could tell.”

“Are you still progressing and becoming superhuman?”

“I think so.”

“You are not broken, Lex. You just live in a different paradigm now. Like me. Gives us one more reason to stick together.” He kissed my forehead again and gathered me into another hug. I felt my heart lift, and was reassured that nothing had changed. I wiped my tears away, and took a deep breath. No matter how many cups of coffee I could freeze solid, and no matter what happened to my guts, nothing had changed.

“I love you, Steve,” I spoke into his chest.

“I love you too, Lex.” His voice rumbled in his chest. He held me in his arms like that for most of the afternoon while we watched movies. By nightfall, despite all my heartache, I felt like it was just another day. I didn’t know when Thor would be back, and really, I doubted he’d have any really useful information for me. So, while Steve and I ate dinner with the rest of the crowd at Avengers Tower, I resolved to just carry on.

We were washing dishes together at the sink after dinner when Steve leaned over and kissed my cheek.

“You look better. Do you feel okay?” He asked.

“I do.”

“You in an okay place?” He pestered.

“Can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.” I kissed him and started putting away dishes.

#avengers fanfic #Steve Rogers x OFC

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