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crouchingtiger28 · 1 year

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3: Switchblades and Swords

(This is a continuation of The Bone Cats, originally a short I wrote based on @deepwaterwritingprompts's prompt #2965)

Warning: This story is centered around self-harm (cutting) and feelings about self-harm. There are also mentions of depression and emotional abuse.

She had done a bad job of hiding the evidence. Bad enough that, had anyone bothered for a second glance, it would have been blindingly obvious. Nobody did.

Oh, she left the vicinity clean enough. She didn't get into dousing things with bleach, but she wiped away the obvious blood from the floor, the knife, and the wall the few times she messed up and got blood on the wall. She even used the scented candle in the bathroom to sterilize the knife.

Her mother wouldn't stand for anything but a spotless house, and Cass didn't want any infections to set in.

No, she did a bad job of hiding the more personal evidence. Haphazardly wrapped cuts, blood showing through the gauze, a barely-there limp… but she didn't care. No one cared, and so neither did she. After a while, she forewent bandages entirely. The fabric of her pants from the knee down to about mid-calf was perpetually spotted with blood.

She didn't care. She didn't. And whenever she found herself caring too much, she slipped into the bathroom with a lighter and a knife.

Cass knew for a fact that her mother hated cats. Hated them with a deep and abiding passion, and only partially because she was allergic. However, Cass was sure that, if her mother had to pick one, she'd choose one of the bone cats. Cass was equally positive that the cat would be right at home in her mother's house.

It was a surprise, but only briefly, when Cass swung the bathroom door open and was met with round, golden eyes. Not human eyes, certainly, but also definitely not cat eyes. They were set into a body made mostly of wood, with what appeared to be sand beneath the shifting plates of bark and sprays of lobed leaves. Smoke rose languidly from its back, drifting up into the air in lazy curls.

Cass slipped through the open door and closed it softly. The cat continued to watch her calmly, moving only her head to keep her eyes pinned on Cass.

Stepping around the cat, Cass set her lighter on the counter and flicked her knife open. It wasn't anything special, just a switchblade she'd bought at a corner store when she'd saved enough to stop using cheap razor blades. She glanced, briefly, at the cat.

The cat who was still watching her, sitting in the same place with her head turned almost a hundred and eighty degrees.

Cass jumped, almost dropping her knife, then forced her racing heart to calm down. She had been aware, distantly, that the bone cats weren't exactly alive, and the 'cat' in her bathroom could be nothing but a bone cat. To see her completely ignore things like how spines were supposed to work was something else entirely.

It didn't matter, though. The cat still wasn't moving, and Cass could get on with it. She lit the candle.

A few minutes later, she methodically wiped blood off her knife. The floor was clean already, since she hadn't gotten any blood on it in the first place. She'd found that if she used the knife fresh after being sterilized, it would mostly cauterize the cuts.

She flushed the paper towel she used to clean the knife down the toilet. She couldn't put it in the trash can, not because it would make it clear that something was wrong, but because she was only allowed in the bathroom that any company also used. If someone snooped around and found a bloody paper towel or two, it would look bad on her mother.

As she finished, Cass felt something like sandpaper swipe up her leg, tearing at her new cuts. She spun, knife still in her hand.

Behind her, the bone cat, who had been still and silent the whole time, had finally moved. The sandpaper had been her tongue, swiping at the few dots of blood on Cass's leg. Cass nudged the cat away with her foot, ignoring the sensation of warm polished wood on her skin.

"Just because you're the bone cat of blood doesn't give you free reign over mine." Cass's voice came out soft and hoarse, shaking slightly. It had been a while since she'd said anything. Maybe a day and a half? The cat only gave her a sad, piercing look and turned away.

The cat became a staple after that.

She was nowhere to be found most of the time, which was a blessing in and of itself. Cass had the faint inkling that the cat had been drawn to her, and that would be bad publicity for her mother. Instead, whenever Cass slipped into the bathroom for more… selfish purposes, the cat was always there before her.

Every time, the cat would sit as still as a tree in one place, watching her like a hawk… or an owl, based on the flexibility of the cat's neck. Then, when Cass was done, the cat would move.

Sometimes she would 'clean' whatever unhealed cuts Cass had, her tongue literally made of sand. Other times, when Cass lingered on the bathroom tiles, the cat would move to sit next to her, leafy tail flicking silently. Rarely she would merely walk out, not looking back.

If Cass sat on the floor and the cat sat next to her, then Cass would absently run her hands over the cat's head and side. Her head was made of thin slats of polished wood, and her back and sides were larger plates of rough bark. Where a normal cat would have had tufts of fur in her ears, on her ankles and elbows, and at the end of her tail, the bone cat had bushy clumps of what Cass had come to recognize as oak leaves.

"Cassandra." Knuckles rapped on the bathroom door, startling Cass out of her stupor. "Open this door immediately!"

Cass scrambled to her feet, lunging for the door and fumbling frantically with the lock until the door clicked open. He mother stood sternly in the open doorway, staring through her special gold-leaf glasses at Cass.

"You need to be ready in five minutes," She said briskly, "The mayor's wife is coming to tea today and you need to look presentable. Do something about your nasty scars, too!"

Cass nodded numbly, still holding the door handle. Warm bark brushed against her leg, and then her mother screamed.

"What is that!? What is that demon creature!?" She stumbled back a step, her face gray with terror. Cass glanced down, confused. There was no way the bone cat was normal, but she wouldn't call her a demon at first sight-

The wood-and-leaves cat Cass had come to know was gone. In its place was a true hell creature made of molten glass and blood-red fire. The calm golden eyes were gone, replaced by burning yellow embers and the cat was spitting blue sparks, her back arched with flame.

Without a second thought, Cass grabbed the cat around the middle and yanked her back. The bathroom door swung shut, seemingly of its own accord.

Cass knew what fire was like. She had an intimate knowledge of how it felt to be burned. Even before she dropped the cat on the ground in a flurry of instinctive wariness, she knew she hadn't been burned. As always, the cat felt only mildly warm.

The cat wound around her ankles, and Cass watched in wonder as she transformed in real time. Flames died slowly, and molten glass hardened and shattered at the same time into grains of off-white sand. The sand simmered and sifted, and the familiar bark and leaves and polished oak wood appeared as though they were driftwood bobbing to the surface.

The cat nudged Cass with her head, and a voice spoke directly into her mind. It was a voice of banked fire and ever-growing always-dying forests.

'Hello,' it purred, 'My name is Sword. I am yours to wield.'

_^. .^_

#The Bone Cats #magic #cats #magical cats #tw: knives #tw: self harm #tw: emotional manipulation #tw: emotional abuse #tw: depression #writing #my writing

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melodyalanaroster · 2 years

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Once Upon A Dream

"I can't wait to design and make everyone's costumes! Even though I haven't been, officially, the designated fashion coordinator...." Rosa seemed unsure in her excitement. "Rosa, I can easily bet that you'll get the designation. The play was just announced! Alana smiled as she pulled something out of her pocket. "I got you a little something." She mused as she handed the small box to Rosa. "When did you get this?" Rosa asked as she took the box and opened it. "While you were looking at the clothes in Clara's, I found a pin that made me think of you. I know pins aren't your style, but it spoke to me, so I bought it.” Alana explained. The pin was a mermaid with long white hair, translucent skin, a purple bikini top, and a black tail. “Alana! It's beautiful! Thank you so much! ” Rosa gasped as she put the pin in her pocket and hugged her. "Can I admit something to you?" Alana asked. "Of course!" Rosa beamed. "I kind of want to audition for a role in whatever play gets picked, but I have horrible stage fright." Alana explained. “Alana! I'm sure you can do it! You just have to believe in yourself!” Rosa cheered. “That is easier said than done. I've been told that I should go into acting, or singing... But, every time I think of all the people who would be watching me, I freeze up.” Alana looked down and put her left hand on her right arm. “I know you can do it! Heck, you could even go after the lead role if you wanted to!” Rosa smiled. “I don’t think I could go that far...” Alana sighed. “Alana, anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Don’t let your fear control you! Letting your fear decide your actions will lead you down a life that is not worth living! Believe in yourself and you will never go wrong!” Rosa insisted as she put her hand on Alana’s shoulder.

Throughout the day, excitement flooded through Alana. Most of the students had made it clear that they weren’t really that interested in the event. “We have to make sure that everything is perfect!” Melody had told her. Kim wanted to not bother going. “I hope I can make my parents proud!” Violette had said. “Do you think your parents will come? I know you told me that they’re never home because of their jobs...” She started when she walked up to Castiel. “I hope not. Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll have to work a flight that day...” Castiel sighed. “Cass... I hope they come for your sake. If not, you can always hang out with my family.” She smiled. “Your mom is gonna come?” He asked. “Most likely. She always tries to jump at the opportunity to be a part of Sam’s and my lives.” She grinned. When she got to Lysander, he was more optimistic. He talked about how his parents didn’t like classical plays because of them having opposite taste on mostly everything. Armin complained that he had no interest in the play unless it had something to do with the Metal Gear series. As expected, Alexy was excited about the play, disagreed with his brother and even argued with him over it. When she got to Nathaniel, he looked sickly pale and was pacing the floor, nervously. “Nath? Are you okay?” She asked, concerned. “The open house needs to go well... I know my parents will be there.” He did his best to not let his voice crack. “Surely they won’t be too harsh...” She tried to calm him. “You don’t know my dad.” He choked. “I’m sure it will go well! You’ll be surrounded by friends, so, even if your parents aren’t kind, you’ll have us.” She sweetly grinned. “Thank you Alana. That does make me feel a little better.” He smiled as he quickly hugged her. “A-Any time!” She blushed as she walked off. “I actually wanna audition.” She happily told he sister. “Good! You should! You’ve been a wallflower in public for far too long.” Sam blurted out. “Yeah... Why is it that you only ever show your true talents at home?” Ken asked. Alana looked down. “Because when I’m at home, either no one is watching, or the people who are are people I know won’t judge me too harshly.” She muttered. “Even though you’re one of those people who is artistically talented in multiple forms. Hell, you did Choir in middle school!” Sam snapped back. “I never had solos and I was often in the middle where no one would pay too much attention to me!” Alana shot. “Ah, yes, because despite being talented, you have crippling stage fright.” Ken chuckled. “Shut up Ken! You know how bad it is!” Alana shot. “I know, I know! I must admit, I am excited. It’ll be nice to have an event that I can take part in!” He cheered.

“A play! Oh Nate! Let’s go to it together!” Lynne cheered when Sam and Alana told her about the open house. “Are you sure you want me to come with you all?” Nate asked. “Its fine. You’ve been with mom long enough that you might as well be our dad.” Alana smiled. “Yeah, so at this point, it wouldn’t be right if you didn’t come along.” Sam grinned. Lynne signed the forms and handed them back to her daughters. “I can’t wait! I hope you two are on stage! Do you know what play it is?” She asked. “No, we’re deciding on that tomorrow. I think its gonna be one of the typical fairy tales.” Sam explained. “Whatever it is, I think I’m gonna audition for one of the roles.” Alana piped up. “Ah! Melody are you finally taking an interest in the theater?” Nate asked, a smile on his face. “Sweetie, are you sure you can do this?” Lynne asked, concerned. “I’m gonna try.” Alana smiled. “Then I can’t wait to watch you BOTH shine!” Lynne mused. “It’ll be grand!” Nate cheered.

“Your options are “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Alice In Wonderland” and “Sleeping Beauty”. Yes, we’re going with more of the Disney versions for Alice and Sleeping Beauty.” Mr. Faraize announced. Most of the students collectively groaned and several of them had begun to complain. “Little Red Riding Hood sounds fun.” Sam smirked. “Its the same old stuff!” Castiel spat. “I like the idea of Sleeping Beauty.” Alana suggested. “Now there’s an idea! I wouldn’t mind making those outfits! Plus, Sleeping Beauty is such a cute story!” Rosa boomed. “Ah, yes, Mels could be princess Aurora!” Sam suggested. Alana instantly became flustered. “I think I know who would be the perfect prince Phillip!” Rosa mused. Nathaniel and Castiel instantly began to blush. “I-I wouldn’t g-go that f-far.” She stuttered. When Sleeping Beauty became the official choice, Amber instantly began boasting about how she was going to get the lead role. “Not in your life, you stuck up bitch!” Sam called as she and Ken left the room. “Alana, do you wanna practice lines?” Nathaniel asked, cheerfully. “Sure!” Alana smiled as they left the room.

“Oh god... Sam is on a warpath! Lucy! Did you really have to flirt with Ken?!” Alana whined as she caught up with Lucy in the school hallway. “I’m sorry! I didn’t realize it was him! But, since it is little geeky Ken, he’s not even hot anymore!” Lucy blurted out. “And here we go again. Lucy, you need to quit this whole superficial thing you’ve got going on. Its not nice and you need to apologize to both Sam and Ken.” Alana ordered. “But Mels!” Lucy whined. “No “butts”! Now go!” Alana commanded. “Fine... I’ll say “sorry”.” Lucy sighed as she ran off in the direction of Sam. “And it had BETTER be sincere!” Alana called. “Who was that?” Nathaniel asked when he caught up to her. “Lucy. She’s a friend from Weathering... Apparently she’s visiting our school for the day and she just pissed Sam off...” Alana sighed.

When the day of the audition arrived, Alana had worn a special outfit to boost her confidence. She wore blue skinny jeans, a blue t-shirt, and blue high top Converse. She had been practicing her lines and going over everything all day. She had spent all day making sure that everything was ready for her to give a good performance. “Damn it! Where are the auditions taking place?” She thought as she walked the halls of the school. Suddenly, she heard a noise come from the basement. “Maybe everyone is in here?” She thought as she walked down the stairs to investigate. The room was empty. Within seconds, cackling could be heard from the top of the stairs as the door was slammed shut and locked. She instantly recognized the cackling and ran up the stairs. “AMBER! LET ME OUT OF HERE!” She yelled as she started banging on the door. “I told you that I’m getting the lead role!” Amber called as her footsteps became more and more distant. “AMBER YOU BLOODY LOWLIFE! AUDITIONS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT MERRIT!” She yelled. Too late, Amber’s footsteps were already too far gone. “GOD DAMN IT! I actually try to step into the spotlight for once and I get shut out by that little snake!” She yelled into the empty room. She pulled out her phone to try to get ahold of her sister. “Damn it! No service!” She hissed. Alana paced around the basement for several minutes. “The one day I don’t have anything that I can pick the lock with!” She whined as she kicked the ground.

“Alana! Where are you!” A voice called from the top of the stairs. “Nathaniel!” Alana called as she ran up the stairs and started banging on the door. “ALANA!” He called. “NATHANIEL! I’M IN HERE!” She yelled as she hit the door even harder. “ALANA! How did you get locked in there?!” He asked as he hit the door. “Your sister wanted me out of the running for the auditions!” She explained. “Of course she did... That’s why she looked so smug a few minutes ago.” He sighed. “I don’t wanna miss it! Please help me!” She pleaded. The pair continued banging on the door until the lock became loose. She then started jimmying the handle until it opened. “NATH!” She cried as she threw her arms around him. “Let’s go. Maybe we can still make it.” He smiled as he held out his hand. “Yeah!” She beamed as she took his hand.

“I’m sorry miss Roster. The auditions are over!” Mr. Faraize looked down. “Amber Jacott locked me in the basement and you won’t even give me a chance?” Alana looked disgusted. “That’s not fair!” Nathaniel barked. “LET MY SISTER AUDITION! She’s put in a lot of work just to pluck up the courage to even do this!” Sam ordered. “Yeah! Give her a chance!” Ken nodded. “Sorry guys! It looks like I won!” Amber cackled. “SHUT UP WENCH!” Armin blurted out. “Give Alana a chance! Give Alana a chance!” Alexy chanted. “If she’s willing to audition, she should be allowed to do so.” Castiel agreed. “She deserves a fair opportunity.” Lysander smiled. Several of the other students nodded and cheered in agreeance. “Give Alana a chance!” Rosa and Kim joined Alexy in his chanting. “Please?” Alana begged. The teachers looked at the chanting students, then at Amber, then back at Alana. “Alright, alright! Miss Jacott, go to the Principal’s office. The rest of you, please give us the privacy that you were all allowed during your auditions. Alana, you may audition.” Mr. Faraize smiled. “YEAH!” A bunch of the students cheered. When the room only contained the teachers and Alana, she stood in front of them and took a deep breath. “For my audition, I will be performing the scene where Briar Rose is talking about meeting her true love in her dreams to her forest friends. I will stop right before she sings the song “Once Upon A Dream”.” She explained. “As you wish. Start when you’re ready.” Mr. Faraize nodded.

When the audition was over, she walked out of the room and found Nathaniel, waiting with Sam and Ken. “You should have sang “Once Upon A Dream”.” Sam smiled. “You can sing?” Nathaniel asked. “I don’t...” Alana looked down. “She can. Her voice is really beautiful.” Sam explained. “Yeah, you should hear her!” Ken cheered. “How have you heard me?” Alana asked Ken. “When we were living in Weathering, Ken and I would wander the property... There were several times we’d find you singing and dancing to that exact song.” Sam clarified. Alana’s face instantly became red. “Oh dear god.” She muttered. “Its not a bad thing! You’re a great singer!” Ken smiled. “I’d like to hear you sing one day.” Nathaniel grinned. “I’m not as good as they say.” Alana sighed. As Sam and Ken walked several feet ahead of them, Nathaniel took her hand and whispered into her ear. “I’m sure your voice is beautiful.” He blushed.

★

“Melody! You should sing! You’re such a beautiful singer! I know you can perform “Once Upon A Dream!”.” Severina suggested as she and Alana shared a video call. Alana sat in front of her computer and looked at her friend. “Rini, you know about my stage fright! I’m out of my element just by acting!” Alana looked anxious. “Mels! You can definitely do this! Your voice is lovely and you’re a great actor! You were always the best Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity when we were kids!” Severina cheered. “We were in my back yard with just Sam, Viktor, you and me when I did that! There wasn’t an actual audience!” Alana spat. “But, if you can do that with just the three of us, then you can do it in front of an actual audience!” Severina smiled. “Rini! We don’t even know what part I got!” Alana anxiously whined. “I’m sure you got the lead. I bet that you got the role of Aurora and that your little prince got the role of Prince Philip!” Severina sounded cocky. “And what does the winner of the bet win?” Alana asked, curiously. “Simply the ability to tell the loser “I told you so!”. Unless you wanna put an actual prize into the bet.” Severina keenly replied. “Nah, the humiliation or pride should be enough.” Alana laughed.

★

“MELS! YOU GOT THE LEAD ROLE!” Sam called as Alana and Nathaniel entered the Gym. “WHAT?!” Alana called back, shocked as they walked up to the Cast List. Sure enough, listed next to the role of Sleeping Beauty was Alana’s name. “Nathaniel is the prince too! That means you two will have a kissing scene!” Rosalaya cheered. “Well then.” Nathaniel looked at Alana and blushed. “Does that mean, I’ll actually get to kiss Nathaniel?” Alana thought. “It would be about time!” The voice in her head piped up. “Well, it looks like Rini won that bet.” Sam commented as she elbowed Alana lightly in the side. “Yep. And she’s going to hold this over me for a while.” Alana sighed. Castiel looked at Nathaniel, annoyed. “Looks like someone is jealous.” Sam snickered in Alana’s ear. “What do you mean?” She asked, innocently. “Good, god, sis... Its obvious that Cass wishes he was Nath right now... Your “Prince Charming”....” Sam quietly laughed. “Shut up Sam, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Alana quietly spat. “And you’re blind.” Sam quietly scoffed. “Alana... Do you think we could practice our lines together after school for a while?” Nathaniel nervously asked. “S-sure! We c-could practice a-at my a-apartment if y-you’d like!” She stuttered. “I’d like that!” He beamed. “I was supposed to be the princess!” Amber shouted. “Okay, first of all, your brother is the prince. Don’t advocate for incest! Secondly, my sister gave that audition her all, she has known the role by heart since we were children, and she is overcoming her stage fright to do this, Mels deserves the part!” Sam shot. Alana looked at the cast list and began laughing. “Uh, Sam... You got the role of Oma’s favorite character... In her human form. Ken and Armin got the parts of being her dragon form.” She explained while she continued to laugh. “Haha! I got Maleficent! That’s awesome!” Sam laughed. “Well, at least I don’t have to wear a dress!” Armin chuckled. “And Maleficent is a MAJOR Kingdom Hearts villain!” Alana mused. She went back to reading the cast list. Castiel and Lysander were the kings, Castiel being Phillip’s father, and Lysander being Aurora’s father. Li was Fauna (the green fairy), Kim was Flora (the red fairy) and Peggy was Merryweather (the blue fairy). Amber was a flower and Charlotte was a stage hand. Most of the other students were crew. Alexy joined Rosalaya in the costume design team.

“Nathaniel! Step down as the prince! Trade that role with Castiel!” Amber ordered. “I am not doing that! Even if I did, you wouldn’t be the princess! You locked Alana in the basement! The teachers are mad about that!” Nathaniel growled. “I just wanted the lead role! I couldn’t let HER get in the way!” Amber yelled. “That doesn’t give you the right to do what you did! Just be happy that the teachers are even allowing you in the play at all!” Nathaniel commanded. “Oh really? And how would DAD feel if I told him that you didn’t help me get the role I wanted? I’m sure he wouldn’t like it!” Amber sneered. Sam and Alana walked through the halls, hid behind a set of lockers, and listened in on the situation. Alana couldn’t hold back any longer. “Using your father as a weapon is never a good sign.” She stated as she walked up to them. “Stay out of this freak!” Amber snapped at her. “No! Every time I turn around, you’re being nothing more than a pathetic brat and whenever anyone calls you out on it, especially your brother, you act like Draco Malfoy and say some bullshit version of “My father will hear about this!”. Well guess what?! I’m sure your father has absolutely NO power over my family. So, if you wanna take aim at anyone, you need to take that wretched target off of your brother and put it on me! Because, I’ll have you know, my pacifism has its limits and I don’t have to get violent to go after you.” She snarled. “Do you really wanna do this?” Amber’s eyes turned livid. “Do you?” Sam asked as she came out from around the lockers. Amber looked at the two sisters annoyed and ran off in a huff. “You know what Nathaniel? I wanna meet your father! If he wants to be an asshole, he can come after the Rosters!” Sam demanded.

The following day, Alana walked up to Alexy and Rosalaya. “Alana! We were looking for you! We’ve designed your outfit and we’d like your opinion on it!” Alexy cheered. “Okay...” Alana looked down. Rosa pulled out her sketchbook. For a split second, Alana wanted to vomit. The dress on the drawing being held before her could only be described as “Gaudy”. A lace top around her neck, white padding across the top of the bust, a purple dress that dropped down into a puff of purple and white clouds with stars to accent it, white lace gloves, and a plain gold tiara. “I will NOT be wearing that travesty!” she thought. “Alana, what’s wrong?” Rosa asked. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you two about Aurora’s wardrobe... My aunt Agatha has insisted on making it. She and my mother are here discussing it with Principal Shermansky. It means the world to Agatha that she does this.” Alana explained. “But! This outfit is genius! You’ll look fantastic in it!” Alexy blurted out. “I’m sorry! This is out of my hands.” Alana sighed. Rosalaya looked heartbroken. “Why are they doing this?” She asked. “Because this is the first time I’ve EVER taken center stage and Agatha wants to design the outfit I wear when I do so.” Alana shrugged her shoulders. “Hello!” A voice cooed as a woman entered the room. Standing before them was a woman with long purple hair and wearing a fairy outfit. “Agatha!” Alana smiled. “This is your aunt?” Alexy asked. “Yes. Agatha’s my mom’s little sister.” Alana nodded. “And you two must be Alexy and Rosalaya! It’s lovely to meet you! My little Mels has told me so much about the two of you!” Agatha cheered as she shook Alexy’s and Rosalaya’s hands. Rosa looked at Agatha annoyed. “Miss DeMeilhan, I’ve also been told that your true love is the designer behind the locally famous Ainsworth fashion line. I absolutely LOVE his work!” Agatha beamed. The annoyance in Rosa’s face lessened. “And you’re impeding on my work.” She slightly spat. “I’m sure I am. I truly don’t mean to and I am sorry for that! But, Melody has never performed for a legitimate audience before, I just HAD to make her outfit!” Agatha smiled. “Will you at least use my sketch?” Rosa asked as she handed Agatha the paper. “Sadly, no. This is very fashionable, but it will not flatter my niece. She looks her best in blue. Melody’s body type is better suited for a more formal ballgown. Your design is best suited for a nightclub.” Agatha explained. “But its modern! And I’ve already taken her measurements!” Rosa blurted out. “I’m sure it is, but as a young fashion designer, you need to learn when to take criticism from us older designers. Your dress would not flatter my niece.” Agatha cooed. She pulled a sketchbook from her bag and opened it. On the open page was the design for a blue off the shoulder slim ballgown with a small bow at the top, blue pumps, a silver necklace with a blue pendant, and a slim silver tiara that had several blue jewels. “I did this last night. It will look elegant!” Agatha cheered. “Agatha! Its beautiful!” Alana burst. “Are you going to do Sam’s costume too?” Rosa asked, still slightly annoyed. “The school is only letting me work on one costume. My little Sammy’s costume will be left to you!” Agatha smiled. “Good.” Rosa muttered.

Several students began to laugh as Amber entered the school, angrily. “IRIS!” She yelled. Iris cringed as Amber stormed up to her. Sam instantly threw herself in between the blonde and the red head. “Get out of my way Roster!” Amber snarled. “No.” Sam growled. “I’m sorry Amber! I thought I had gotten that paint taken care of last night!” Iris begged. “There is no washing this out! I have to go to my salon to fix this!” Amber hissed. “Oh no! The little preppy rich girl HAS to go to her salon! I’m sure you were just itching for a reason to do that anyway, so take it as a win!” Sam sneered. “If you actually went to the salon every once in a while, you’d know how good it feels! But your mother is too CHEAP!” Amber blurted out. “Please. MY mother has instilled in us that we don’t need a shit load of product on our bodies to make us like ourselves! Just because you’re an air headed lizard person who has to put loads of makeup on just to make yourself look human, doesn’t mean the rest of us are!” Sam shot. “I hope I don’t get into trouble with the teachers!” Iris bleated. “I’m sure they know it was just an accident.” Nathaniel smiled. “Don’t defend her!” Amber ordered as she looked at her brother. “Enough Miss Jacott.” Mr. Faraize called from behind them. Amber growled, ordered her friends to follow her and walked off.

The students gathered in the gym to go over the script. “I think we should make it a musical!” Sam laughed. “Sam! Stop it!” Alana called. “Come on! You should sing! I know you know “Once Upon A Dream” by heart!” Sam sweetly sneered. “Or you could give either Nathaniel or Castiel a private performance!” Sam snickered into her ear. Alana’s eyes widened as the image of her singing to either of them alone in her room entered her mind. “S-Shut-t u-up-p S-Sa-am!” She stuttered. “Alana singing... That would be an interesting sight.” Castiel chuckled as he turned away from them an in attempt to hide the blush that was overcoming his face. “I’m sure you sing beautifully.” Nathaniel cooed. “This will not be a musical. We’d have to pay Disney a lot of money for the rights to that.” Mr. Faraize announced as he entered the room. “Yes!” Alana quietly cheered. “Awe! No singing for my sister!” Sam whined.

“We’re gonna run this errand for Rosa. Go ahead on home without me.” Sam texted Alana as she got to the school doors. “Oh, okay.” Alana replied. “Are you walking home alone?” Castiel asked as he walked up behind her. “Yeah, Sam and Ken are running errands and Nath’s dad ordered him to go straight home.” She sighed. “I’ll walk you home.” He suggested. “You sure?” She asked. “Yeah, come on.” He smiled. When they walked through the park, Alana noticed Amber walking with a woman she didn’t recognize. “Nathaniel must be alone with his dad.” Castiel commented. “Why do you say that?” Alana inquired. “Amber is with her mom.” He stated. “That’s their mom?” She sounded a little stunned. “Their dad isn’t any better. In fact, he’s more of a pompous douche.” He explained. “Let me guess.... They’re the type who wants to be part of the aristocracy, but whose blood is just common enough to never be let in?” She raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like you know the type all too well.” He remarked. “I’ve told you before about how Carol is.” She looked down. “Right... How could I forget?” Castiel looked down. “These people will stop at nothing to gain the supposed power, privilege and prestige that comes with being part of the aristocracy... What they don’t realize is that its horribly limiting... My best friends have been groomed from day one to be the next heads of their fathers’ company. They were ripped away from us within weeks of Viktor’s mom’s death and sent to a fancy boarding school in England... And they’ll most likely be forced to marry each other because of their fathers arranging the union. Severina will be reduced to nothing more than a pretty face and a baby factory, just like her mother was in the public eye because of the institution... Just like what Carol wants me to be. They don’t care about the damage it does... So long as it makes them look good to the posh elite.” She explained. “What about your mom? Your family is old and your mom doesn’t seem to want that life for you and Sam.” He asked. “Despite the fact that my family is old, has a crest, and has three main sections spanning three countries, there is no pressure for perfection on us. Our goals are to just have a good life, and be a close family. As it is, we worked hard for our positions... Only the last few generations were born into anything resembling the “prestige” that is given to the aristocracy.” She explained. When they got to the apartment building, she turned to look at him. “Thanks for walking me home!” She smiled. “I-Its was n-nothing.” He blushed. As she went inside, Castiel stood at the door, sighed with a longing look, and walked away.

“I DIDN’T WANT THEM TO COME!” Castiel yelled. Word had gotten out that the Veilmonts were coming to the open house, only for Castiel to find out that it was Nathaniel who invited them. “ENOUGH!” Alana called as Castiel made a fist while staring at Nathaniel with rage in his eyes. The boys looked at her, quite shocked. “The last thing we need is you two fighting again!” Alana huffed. The boys looked at her, a little annoyed. “We need to go see our costumes anyway, Alana.” Nathaniel smiled. When they got to the classroom, they were greeted by Rosalaya and Agatha. “Our stars have arrived!” Agatha cheered. “You two look a lot happier working together!” Alana smiled. “I must admit, your aunt butting in on my work did upset me, but she’s actually quite delightful!” Rosa mused. “She did go a bit over budget... But, I compensated for it! The students shouldn’t have to pay for their own costumes!” Agatha added. “That was sweet of you!” Nathaniel cooed. Alexy brought out the models with the main costumes. “I made it blue!” Agatha cheered. Standing on the model before them was a floor length, off the shoulder, periwinkle blue, dress with a sapphire blue ribbon around the base of the bust that was pinned to the side by a blue flower. At the center of the top of the bust was a little blue bow tying together the top of the dress. “We also have a simple silver and blue tiara, earrings and necklace set, blue pumps and white lace gloves to finish the look.” Agatha explained. “Your hair will be down and flowy as well.” Rosa added. “It’s beautiful!” Alana blurted out. “You’ll look amazing in it.” Nathaniel blushed. “And for our prince, we have something that will match!” Rosa explained as she instructed Alexy to bring Nathaniel’s outfit out. The outfit on the model was a blue and white fairytale prince outfit with gold outfits and a matching hat. “Nath! You’ll look so handsome in that!” Alana blurted out before she could gather her thoughts.

The day for the school play had finally arrived. The school was buzzing with students making their final preparations for their parents to fill the halls. “This is going to be fantastic! I can’t wait to see my girls shine!” Lynne cheered as she walked the halls with her daughters. “I’m not gonna be on stage for very long mom.” Sam sighed. “But you’re Maleficent’s normal form! That’s a fun role!” Lynne smiled. “And our Mels is gonna be great as Aurora!” Nate mused as he caught up with them. “I don’t think so...” Alana muttered. “Sweetie! You’re a wonderful actress! You’ve just gotta have faith, trust, and gumption!” Lynne boomed. “A little pixie dust doesn’t hurt either!” Agatha chuckled as she ushered for Alana to go into the classroom she was in. “Its time for our princess to get dressed!” Agatha beamed. “Alright! We love you sweetie!” Lynne called. “Don’t forget to be confident and have fun!” Nate nodded. “Thanks guys! I love you!” Alana smiled as she walked past Agatha. “We’ll be waiting for you when the show is over!” Lynne waved as the door shut behind Agatha. “I’ve gotta go. It’s time for me to become villainous.” Sam smirked as she walked off, leaving her parents alone in the hallway. “Have fun sweetie!” Lynne cooed.

After the final rehearsals, it was time for the show to start. Everyone assembled in auditorium. The students gathered backstage and did their best to keep their composure. “Alright everyone! Places!” Mr. Faraize called. Everyone took their first positions and the play began. Charlotte entered the stage and began narrating the story. The school decided to save more money by not having a Briar Rose costume made. Sam brought her a-game to the role of Maleficent. “She must have re-watched the movie recently.” Alana thought as she watched her sister curse the baby. She did her best to give a good performance, but, throughout the show, she couldn’t take her mind off of how handsome Nathaniel looked in that suit. As Nathaniel slightly stumbled over his lines, Castiel laughed. Sam made a motion from behind the curtain telling Castiel to “cut it out” and continue the play. When it was time for her to say her lines, she slightly stuttered at first, but then recited the rest of them perfectly. The curtain closed, students rushed around to set up the “home” set while the fairies took their places. Alana took the change of scenery to think of sad things that would make her fake tears more real. “Come one Melody! You can do this! Think of abandoned kittens... Dead puppies... Maes Hughes’ funeral scene from Fullmetal Alchemist... Bambi’s mom dying... The scene from Mewtwo Vs Mew where Ash is turned to stone and Pikachu tries to revive him, only to begin crying... The scene from Sailor Moon where Darien breaks up with Serena and she crumples down crying in a phone booth...” She thought. Tears came to her eyes and she began to cry at exactly the right moment when she expressed her sadness towards not being able to be with her prince.

The fairies did their best to sneak Aurora into the castle in their efforts to avoid Maleficent. As the fairies went on ahead without her, she wandered the castle. Suddenly, a force overcame her and she was lead by magic to an isolated room. Inside the room was a spindle. Maleficent’s sadistic laugh could be lightly heard as Aurora pricked her finger on the spindle and fell asleep. Alana discreetly left the stage so that Sam and Nathaniel could act out the battle between the prince and Maleficent. The audience started laughing when Kiki wandered onto the stage in his dragon costume. “Miss Jacott! Catch my dog!” Principal Shermansky ordered. “But the play!” Amber called. “You’ve been playing a plant this whole time. Now, GO!” Principal Shermansky barked. Amber gave the principal a dirty look, sighed, and ran off the stage in her flower costume. The moment Amber had left the stage, Armin and Kentin brought out the real dragon costume. “This is a disaster!” Rosalaya cried. “I don’t even need to make trouble. They did it all on their own.” Castiel commented. Alana rolled her eyes. “At least it made you laugh.” She smirked.

The curtain closed and the sets changed to the show’s finale. Students made quick work of moving a small bed onto the stage and fluffing up the pillows. “I sure hope Nathaniel actually kisses my sister!” Sam laughed as she walked closely past the two of them. “Uh...” Nathaniel muttered as his face turned bright red. Castiel looked away, annoyed. “Sam! Don’t psyche our leads out! They need to make up for the mistakes that were made!” Rosa spat. “Thanks for putting more pressure on us!” Alana sarcastically shot. “Mels! Look at you gaining confidence!” Sam smiled. “Now, now! Go on!” Rosa demanded. “Alright, alright.” Alana sighed as she walked towards the bed, laid down and pretended to be asleep. “Come on Nathaniel! Get out there and kiss my sister!” Sam urged as she pushed Nathaniel onto the stage. She could feel Nathaniel getting closer to her. Her nerves were set ablaze. “He won’t actually kiss me... Will he?” She thought. “Would it be a bad thing? You already like him.” The voice in her head piped up. “O-Oh h-how you are beautiful, s-sweet creature...” Nathaniel nervously began. She could hear Castiel, Armin and someone else laugh from backstage. She wanted to think something snarky, but her mind stayed glued to the boy kneeling over her as she did her best to stay perfectly still. “I-I will wake you from this nightmare...” Nathaniel continued as he got closer to her face. “Oh god... Is he going to do it? He’s so close to me...” She thought. He put his hat in front of their faces and didn’t move any closer. “Damn it! Come on man!” The voice in her head piped up. “I don’t want our first kiss to be on stage. As it is, I don’t even know if he likes me like that!” She thought back. Alana opened her eyes and smiled at him. “We made it!” She whispered. “Yeah... It could have been worse...” He whispered back. He removed his hat and she sat up. The play finished with a curtain call then Charlotte closed the curtains.

Suddenly, a white storm flew past them and rushed over to Armin and Kentin. “You IMBECILES! You RUINED EVERYTHING! The principal’s dog... You’re both crazy!” Rosa shouted. “Hey, your costume wasn’t that great, we wanted to do something a little more fun...” Armin laughed. “My costume wasn’t WHAT?!” Rosa shouted. “Oh dear god... May your souls find peace in the afterlife, boys...” Alana muttered as she hung her head in embarrassment. Rosa looked like she was going to lunge at them. Sam got in between Rosa and the boys. “That’s enough! The dragon costume wasn’t the best, but it was fine enough for this! For fuck’s sake, this isn’t a movie set! It’s just a high school play! And Rosa, it doesn’t have to be “perfect” it just needed to be “good”! I think we accomplished that!” She spat. “Come on guys! Our families are waiting.” Alana smiled as she headed in the direction of the girls’ changing room.

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This covers Episodes 20 and 21 of HSL.

I was going to leave Armin as Maleficent’s role... But I thought it would be more fun to have Sam in that spot.

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stolensiren · 2 years

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neighborhood watch // jonas & cass

TIMING: current PARTIES: @moonrivermedium & @stolensiren SUMMARY: while selling a stolen watch in a local antique shop, cass takes advantage of an opportunity jonas offers her. WARNINGS: none

Normally, when she stole something, Cass kept it simple. She took cash, she conned her way into credit card numbers or the occasional bank pin, she lifted easily pawnable items that she’d sell to tired shop owners for far less than they were worth. Keeping things simple was an important step to take to avoid getting caught, because cash was hard to trace and no one wanted to admit that they’d willingly given someone bank account information and pawn shop owners who bought stolen items were discreet if only to cover their own asses. Keeping things small meant keeping things safe.

But sometimes, it was hard to resist something a little bit bigger.

The pocket watch was clearly old. It was heavy, too, the kind of heavy that told her it was made out of something pricy. The pawn shop she’d taken it to had seriously lowballed her, and while Cass might normally cut her losses and sell it to him, this thing felt like it could pay for her groceries for the month if she got a fair price. The antique shop she found online seemed like her best bet at getting that fair price.

She stepped inside, glancing around carefully with a hum. It didn’t smell as bad as most antique shops she’d been to… but scents had been off in White Crest for a few months now, so who knew if it was another victim of that. Spotting a head of dark hair at the front counter, she plastered on her most charming smile and moved towards it. “Hi,” she greeted, waving a hand. “I was looking to sell my grandfather’s watch. Do you buy antiques?”

Jonas had been busy carefully cleaning the shelves behind the counter when the voice popped up behind him he all but jumped, body tensing as he let out a small noise, “Ah!” He quickly turned and upon noticing it was just a regular person relaxed considerably. He offered a weak wave in response, “Oh I uh yes I buy antiques.” He smoothed his shirt out before shuffling through a few drawers in the desk. “If you uh wouldn’t mind putting it on the counter I’ll take a look in just a moment. Where did I put them?” he mumbled softly before letting out a small aha and pulling out a pair of glasses.

“Part one found haha.” Jonas then went back to shuffling around drawers and shelves till he found a pair of soft gloves and a small case containing tools that would allow him to better inspect what was on offer. “I promise I’m a little more-more organized than this, usually.” He cleared his throat and finally looked at the other’s face,”Is there anything you can tell me about your watch? Like if your grandfather got it from his father?” He slipped the gloves on and slid the glasses onto his face finally ready to get down to business.

The guy was jumpy but, given this was White Crest, that was fair. Cass had come across all kinds of weird things here, after all, especially lately. Jumpy was bound to be anyone’s default state after a while. Nodding at his request, she set the watch down on the counter and watched the man hunt for his glasses with an amused expression. When he finally pulled them out, she flashed him a bright grin and watched the hunt continue until he also produced a pair of gloves.

“Oh, no worries,” she assured him with a wave of her hand. “You haven’t seen disorganized until you’ve taken a look at my apartment, trust me.” It wasn’t entirely true — her apartment was pretty tame, for the most part — but disarming someone by relating to them was a good way to build up a rapport, and building up a rapport was a good way to inspire them to do what you needed them to do. Like, for example, buy your stolen pocketwatch for a hefty price. “I think it’s pretty old. I wasn’t very close to my grandfather, so I don’t really have the full story.” Keeping things vague was her best bet at avoiding a line of questioning that might reveal the watch’s true origin. “To be honest, he was kind of an asshole, which is why I’m selling the watch. I don’t really want anything of his hanging around, you know? Clean slate.”

Jonas nodded as he listened; moving a small piece of cloth under the watch he rolled out the toolkit exposing a few small screwdrivers, a pair of tweezers and a small wooden peg which he pulled out to gently pry the back open. He was checking for dust and dirt “Well I have to say despite your differences, you’ve managed to take very good care of the watch. If you look here the date is inscribed on the inside of the back plating,” He pointed it her way using the small peg from earlier to show what he was saying, “The insides are also very clean and the fact it’s still running given how old it is is quite amazing.” He looked giddy at such a find.

Jonas cleared his throat and closed it back up just as carefully as he had opened it and turned it around, “Really the state this is in I doubt I’d need to-to do anything to it to get it up to snuff.” He was already thinking of sending it back to his dad as a father’s day gift. “I can offer you about $600 for it.” He considered that a fair price given the year it was made and that he wouldn’t be making a profit off of it in the long run.

The cover story wasn’t really important beyond making sure she wouldn’t be barraged with well-meaning questions about whether or not she was sure she wanted to sell the watch. Cass offered the clerk a small smile of thanks, leaning forward a little to look at the area he indicated. She hadn’t looked too closely at the object beyond a quick once-over to determine that it was probably worth a lot, but it was interesting to see what aspects of it confirmed those theories. A date showing that it was definitely old. A well managed set of gears. A quiet ticking sound. The guy at the counter seemed excited by it and, privately, Cass hoped that meant he was willing to pay extra. They’d both win, in the end. He’d get something he was clearly passionate about, and Cass would get some cash lining her pockets.

“He took good care of it,” she shrugged. “I can say a lot of things about him, but I can’t say he didn’t do that.” In truth, she could say nothing about the owner of the watch at all beyond the fact that he’d been an easy lift. When the guy finally got around to the number he was willing to offer her, Cass was careful to school her features. It was even higher than she’d hoped for. “That seems like a fair price,” she agreed with a quick nod. “Sold.”

“Good good good!” Jonas smiled wide as he tugged his gloves off and began to shuffle around his drawers again. “I will have to write you a check.” He called out as he ducked low to open some of the bottom drawers before pulling out a receipt book. He placed it down on the counter and ruffled around his pockets till he found his pen. “I went to the bank yesterday and I’m afraid I don’t have the cash on me” He wrote out the information on the receipt and slid it her way along with the pen. “If-if you don’t mind signing this, that'd be great.” He offered another smile, clearly happy with the find as he shuffled back to looking for his checkbook. “My father, he’s back in Caliornia, is a fan of old watches. I find them a little tedious, not that they aren’t interesting!” His voice changed in volumes as he went from looking in drawers and piles of files back to her. “They just have so many little parts it's so easy to lose things. Do you have any interest in antiques? Other than selling I mean.” He scratched at the back of his head as he talked clearly, not finding what he wanted. He was in the middle of reorganizing and nothing was where it should be.

The guy talked a lot, but that was fine with Cass. What she was really worried about was the checkbook in his hand. The danger of selling stolen goods was always in being tracked down after the fact. Dealing in cash was a good way to prevent such a thing, but a check? That left a paper trail that would lead right back to Cass if she wasn’t careful. She hesitated, weighing her options. If he was sending the watch back to his father rather than selling it out of his shop, it did lessen the chance of the theft being discovered. But… “You’re sure you don’t have any cash? I was kind of hoping to avoid the line at the bank, you know?” She glanced around the store with a shrug. “I guess some of it’s pretty cool.” Mostly, Cass’s interest in antiques came from stealing and reselling them, but that was hardly something she could admit to a guy she was currently trying to sell a stolen antique to.

Jonas finally managed to tug the checkbook out from under a few other books that were left next to the register. He paused at her question. “I… Well the other option is you come back tomorrow. That would-That would give me the chance to withdraw cash. But that would take longer than taking the check to the bank today. You uh would still need to sign the receipt today so the sale is final but also keeps us both honest. No..No last minute changes to the price from either side.” Both would have a copy ensuring a safe sale and would help him manage his account book later. “I would offer to go and get it now but I uh don’t have anyone to watch the shop. I’m kind of in the process of trying to hire someone, I’ve never been good at spreading the word though, haven’t even gotten a help wanted sign for the front of the shop yet.”

“I can come back tomorrow,” Cass said quickly. “I don’t mind it.” Signing the receipt book still wasn’t ideal, but it would leave less of a paper trail than a check in her name. And she could always play dumb if the receipt book turned up as evidence, make some claim that she’d never signed it without anyone but the antique seller being the wiser. In a game of ‘he said, she said,’ Cass had a way of coming out on top… even if she would feel pretty bad about throwing the guy under the bus. It probably wouldn’t come to that, though; he seemed to be telling the truth about just wanting the watch for his dad. Sucking her teeth thoughtfully, she considered the rest of his statement. “What’s the pay like?” If it was decent, maybe she could offer her services and take a break from stealing and conning for a while. If it wasn’t, maybe she could help him out by spreading the word.

“Oh alright tomorrow then.” He fiddled with his phone, pulling it out and making a reminder to go to the bank in the morning, “If you stop by sometime after…After 12pm I should have the money.” He offered a smile and slipped his phone back in his pocket before he tucked the checkbook back into one of the drawers. “Well it-it starts off at 15 dollars an hour. You’d be expected to work from 10am to 6pm, Wednesday to Sunday. On Sundays and Saturdays we open a little earlier but I don’t expect you to come in unless you want the extra hours. You wouldn’t handle buying antiques either, you'd just come fetch me.” He paused, thinking if he’d missed any of the script he practiced beforehand. He didn’t think so he nodded. “That’s about the gist of it really. Uh the main job would be handling sales and giving me a chance to spend more time in the back working on the- working on the refurbishing part.”

“Deal,” Cass agreed with a grin. She had to make an effort not to tack on a thank you, because it was still a hard one to avoid, but she was privately proud of herself for managing it. Hanging out with fae like Marina and Teagan had done her a world of favors there. As the antique seller rattled off the details about the job, Cass hummed. “Make it eighteen an hour and I’ll take an application.” It wasn’t like she technically needed the extra three bucks — Marley let her slide by without paying rent or utilities, so all she really had to worry about were groceries — but she wasn’t one to let an opportunity to haggle slip her by, either. And, all things considered, it did seem like this might be a fun gig. If nothing else, she could use it to scout out potential marks. Rich people loved antiques.

He paused thinking for a moment, “...If you start tomorrow I’ll bump it up to eighteen. It would also mean you could um well be here when I go to get the money I owe you.” It would free him up to keep re-organizing the shop more if she started tomorrow and could handle customers while he shuffled about. He could afford it if he budgeted wisely, like always. That was a habit his father hammered into his head. “We can do the paperwork and everything then as well.” He rubbed his hands on his pants out of habit when he started to get anxious. He could always find another employee if she said no, but this was also a good opportunity to save him a lot of work in the long run so he was hoping it would work out. “Does-does that sound good to you?”

He drove a hard bargain, but Cass flashed him a grin all the same. If she was working here, it would also give her the chance to misplace the receipt he’d have her sign. Really, it was a win/win kind of thing. “Deal,” she agreed, holding out a hand for him to shake. “I’m Cassidy, by the way. But you can call me Cass.”

He beamed at her and enthusiastically shook her hand, “I’m Jonas! I look forward to working with you Cass.” He patted her shoulder and shimmed around the counter, “I’ll get you all the needed paperwork you can take it home and fill it out tonight, I’ll also get your name tag printed out. There’s no uniform really as long as it’s appropriate for work and you have your nametag on I won’t hassle you about what you’re wearing.” He folded the watch up in the cloth it was sitting on and placed it in her hands, “Bring this back tomorrow with you.” He didn’t want to keep something he hadn’t paid for yet. He moved past her to slip into the workshop, coming back a few minutes later with all the needed paperwork. “Take this and I’ll see you tomorrow.” The smile hadn’t left his face yet, really hiring his first employee was a highlight. He’d have to call his dad to tell him the news!

#moonrivermedium #jonas: neighborhood watch

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viviennevivisection · 2 years

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Session 16 Notes - “Revelations from the Closet” - 8/24/22

-The virus has targeted memories (head), feelings (heart), and caused death (blood)

-Naomi and Cass woke up :) Vivellie…did not :(

-Ezra is making breakfast — doesn’t know where anything is

-Cass is trying to wake us up

-My physical body is asleep but I can’t control it — don’t really want to wake up (sleep paralysis girlies rise up)

-It’s dark, but Viv and Ellie can see each other

-We can hear the alarm going off from the Sunken Place

-A little pin prick of light

-“Oh, no, it’s again” - Cass

-Naomi has never seen such a calm over our faces —> SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG

-Vivellie, wake up….I don’t like this

-Ellie understands that the mousetrap has been set off —> something has fundamentally changed. Proceed with caution

-That’s probably fine

-It was just a little lamb —> VM from Angie

-CASS AND ELLIE BOTH ROLLED NAT 20’S ON A CONTESTED INSIGHT/DECEPTION ROLL

-Angie broke a store window for a florist in the Edge, stole a rose out of the display bouquet

-Violence & Vino — our new true crime podcast (made this up to get information about Angie, including the security footage)

-We bought baby’s breath for Phoebe’s funeral

-I scooped up and kept the bloody shattered glass

-I casted augury to see if we could find Angie —> a vision of Angie and baby Vivellie playing hide and seek in the boudoir : “Don’t worry, I’ll find you.”

-Looking for pictures and trinkets from Phoebe’s apartment. Window open. Mira. Closed the window.

-Cass re: Vytris: “That’s not a real god” —> something happened! There’s something more there!

-Cass proposes the Haruhi Suzumiya theory (believing things will make them true)

-“Maybe it’s more about faith and belief in something. Maybe it’s less about the belief in Techrono, but the ordering of one’s life around Techrono as if it’s a church.”

-AVRIL RESPONDED IN SONOS’ VOICE????

-SCREAMING, CRYING, THROWING UP

-Avril’s divine infused residuum (DIR) core is CRACKED?

-Cass dumped Avril’s body :(

-The crack came from the inside out, as if it were channeling something powerful— Avril wouldn’t have been the same anyway

-Something passed through the core, like it was struck by lightning, a homing beacon

-The inclusion in the DIR had cracked the crystal, Cass’ knowledge of arcane ley lines and their influence on tech —> the production and mining of the materials overlaps a swell of arcane ley line power in Woodvale

-The DIR is a fractal of the arcane ley line

-The powers that be tracked Mira’s soul and pinged it like a cell tower —> unclear on what triggered it

-Naomi is driving the car, VE are in the passenger seat, Cass and Watts are the backseat (Avril was too before she was revealed to be an evil spy of some kind)

-Vivellie cannot drive

-Going back to the apartment to talk (we decided to wait until TLS so we didn’t have to use up the Bubble)

-We explained true crime AND podcasts to Naomi on the way to TLS

-Phoebe’s Funeral Program —> “Grief can take many forms and changes often.”

-Naomi has never been to a funeral (??? Growing up in the church???? Never??????????)

-We left the trinkets and photos we found in Phoebe’s memorial room — which will stay in TLS to be called upon as desired

-Everyone is more or less here (All TLS folks, Damien, Hexanna and Heather, Doll, Xane, Sterling, Danny, the robits, Molly— MOLLY

-“The magic here is nearly limitless, which, with my knowledge of magic, is bonkers.” Cass on TLS in general

-I left a magical memory at Phoebe’s memorial —> Us in a session at the Dungeon, but a moment of us “breaking character”/“losing the plot” and just laughing. A moment of joy and intimacy.

-“Dandy is just a guy…or at least he used to be”

-Cass told Ophelia that she favored House Jubilance at the ball because we’re friends…..that’s gossip

-WE PLANE SHIFT TO GO TO THE LAVENDER SOCIETY?!

-Fleur is from the feywild, and has old money fae ties

-Damien’s exhibit is this Friday (RIP)

-Phoebe and Molly grew up together in foster care

-Cass stopped Molly after she left the memorial room

-“I don’t think my life has ever been as complicated or unknown, but I’m being very brave about it.” - Cass

-Vivnomi holding hands

-“It is a demiplane!”

-We went into Dandy’s secret office

-DANDY IS WIGLESS! SNACTHED!

-His “natural” hair is going gray

-He has a skelly head that seems like his assistant named Lucious

-There are so many Dandies (simulacra)

-Dandy and Dr. Cunt wENT TO SCHOOL TOGETHER? Who knows when!

-DR. CUNT IS A DRAGON?

-There are dragons in the Wild Lands???? The rest have assimilated into “human” society a la Dr. Cunt

-Dandy is NOT a lich….but may very well become one!

-“I don’t believe in Gods, but I do believe in the divine.” -Dandy

-Dandy has a bunch of fucking residuum

-Cass was sus due to the effects of the residuum industry on Woodvale, but Dandy seems to be a responsible residuum consumer/user

-The DIR is an unethical method of consumption

-Dandy called the DIR core with Mira’s faith in it “a fucked up soul gem”

“I have never stumbled across what I believe to be what someone might call a god.” Dandy

-God is dead

-Dr. Cunt and Dandy both went to the Aurora Conservatory (very strange that they plus Leah and Vivellie all have the same alma mater)

-A student at AC may have mentioned Vytris…Dandy can’t remember exactly

-Dandy is going to set up a telepathic link

#dnd #campaign diary

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rhys-daarling · 3 years

Text

Gwynriel Training/Pinned Against The Wall Headcanon

Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie sat beside each other on a couch eating snacks, all of which the house had provided at their request.

“Nesta stop drooling and pay attention”. Gwyn teased, indeed, Nesta was staring directly at her mate, eyes slightly darker as she took in his shirtless form and rippling muscles.

A snort, and the three females knew Cassian had heard her, he flexed slightly more, confirming everyone’s suspicions.

“Of course I’m drooling” Nesta drawled, scowling as she watched Cassian’s arrogant smile. “How can you look at Azriel and not drool” the three females all snickered, watching Cassian’s face drop into a scowl.

“Jealous Cas” Mor teased, sauntering in and plopping down onto the couch beside Emerie.

Indeed, Gwyn turned her gaze towards the shadowsinger, his body broad and muscles rippling, skin gleaming with sweat. He was not as wide as Cassian, but with his shadows surrounding him, he looked graceful and deadly all at once- like an angel of death, Gwyn thought.

Gwyn followed his movements, the way his arms moved, and cleared her throat, quickly looking away, cheeks burning, turning back to Nesta and Cassian’s argument.

“You’ve had five hundred years more training compared to us, and yet we’re close to beating you” Nesta scoffed, looking towards her mate. A bald face lie the three females knew, Cassian and Azriel were close to legends, but still, their egos didn’t need to hear that.

“I think we’d be able to beat you, or come close to, anyways” Gwyn added, looking at Azriel’s raised eyebrows and smiling.

“Is that so” he drawled, arms crossing his chest.

The two Illyrians began prowling towards them, and Gwyn stood up and walked towards the shadowsinger.

“Pick Az, either you trained us well or you didn’t” she smirked, watching Azriel stare down at her.

He stepped slightly closer to her. “I know how well I trained you.” His eyes scanned her face, and Gwyn’s eyes gleamed and sparkles under his perusal. “But we’re better” he finished smugly.

“Humble, aren’t you” she teased. Their chests touching, her thin Illyrian leathers the only thing separating them.

“There’s a few things I don’t need to boast about” his wings twitched behind him. “But apparently you need reminding that I could have you flat on your back on that mat in seconds.”

Gwyn swallowed, her imagination running rampant and her blood heating, Azriel smirked watching her reaction, and walked past her towards Cassian, turning his head to look at her and smirk once more.

Gwyn sent him a vulgar gesture.

He smiled, opening his mouth to respond.

“Cassian put me down!” Shrieked Nesta, where Cassian had thrown her over his shoulder.

“Tell me again who’s stronger” he said smugly, carrying his mate as if she weighed nothing.

Gwn and Azriel laughed watching the two, whilst Emerie and Mor shouted ways for her to detangle herself, and the afternoon continued in much the same manner.

•••

“Train all you want, I’ll still beat you” Azriel drawled, walking into the training room at midnight. Gwyn stuck her tongue out at him, going back to her punches against the bag, shaking her head to clear the image of Azriel shirtless from her mind so she could concentrate.

“Feeling threatened shadowsinger” Gwyn raised an eyebrow, her punches consistent as she felt Azriel come towards her.

He grabbed the bag, using his strength to hold it steady.

“You’re at a disadvantage Gwyn” his eyes followed her body, slowly scanning every inch of her in her Illyrian leathers.

“Why’s that” she asked, breathless.

“I’ve seen you fight at your best- helped you get there. But you’ve never seen me”

He sounded so smug, Gwyn threw all her weight into the next punch, Azriel didn’t even falter.

“I’ve seen you spar” she wiped the sweat from her brow.

Azriel scoffed.

“You’ve seen me and Cass friendly spar, but that’s low stakes, no threat. You’ve never seen me fight”. His wings twitched, and his shadows swarmed, probably remembering the war and battles he’d fought.

Gwyn looked into his eyes, losing herself in her imagination, she could picture him on the battlefield; commanding, vicious, deadly.

“I can imagine it” she added, her voice breathless for reasons that had nothing to do with her sparring.

Gwyn raised her arm, and Azriels eyes followed his shadows that wrapped around her hand.

His eyes held hers for a second, and Gwyn smiled.

“Still don’t think it would be all that impressive” she added cheekily.

He moved away from the punch bag, coming to stand in front of her. He lifted his hand, his fingertips touching hers.

Gwyn watched amazed as his shadows swarmed and blended seamlessly with those wrapped around her hand.

His fingers intertwined with hers, and she watched transfixed as his shadows danced between the two of them.

Azriel smiled.

“What!” Gwyn shrieked, as her body was hauled. Suddenly, she was pressed against Azriel, her back to his chest, one of his arms across her shoulders, the other wrapped around her waist.

“Azriel what the-“

“Get out of my hold Gwyn” he spoke in her ear, and Gwyn shivered as his breath brushed her neck.

“What?” She asked, her brain fuzzy, fixating only on all the points where Azriel was touching her.

“You seem to think you could win” his hold on her waist tightened as she struggled to free herself.

“Use all that training, this is as basic as it’ll get.”

He turned his head to her other side. “Prove me wrong Gwyn”.

Hearing how smug he was, Gwyn scowled, willing herself to calm down, and looked down at where he held her.

“Good” he whispered.

She could feel every ridge and muscle of his chest, and she had to will herself to concentrate.

She placed her foot outside of his, and turning her body, she simultaneously elbowed him, and used her other hand to grab his arm at her neck, pulling down and away from her.

“Well” she asked smugly, waiting for his praise.

Azriel shrugged, and Gwyn scowled.

“Nyx could have gotten out of that hold, I’d hardly call it impressive”

Gwyn scoffed, and a plan slowly formed in her head.

“Let’s spar then” she added, eying the mat.

Azriel laughed, a booming laugh that sounded like music, like a melody Gwyn wanted to memorise and sing to herself.

She ran at him and punched, hoping she’d have the element of suprise on her side.

“Is that the best you’ve got?” He grabbed her arm and spun her round. She tried to kick his shin, and in return he grabbed her thigh and held her in place.

“You forget something Az” she said, balancing on one leg whilst Azriel gripped the other, he squeezed her thigh in warning. She was so aware of every point of his chest that touched her, of his fingers, her skin burning at the points on her thigh he held.

She elbowed him. Azriels grip loosened marginally, and with one leg she kicked up at his chest, twisting her body into a roll as she pulled away from him.

“Nice trick” he smiled, rubbing at his chest lightly.

“You let me get out of that didn’t you” she squinted at him, staring at the mass of muscles that lined his body, at the innate strength he possessed.

He smirked, and inclined his head, crossing his arms across his chest and flexing them ever so slightly.

“Again” she beckoned him, and with one last gaze at her, he ran at her.

Gwyn pulled her arm out, aiming for the flesh of his neck, but he was so fast, he grabbed her waist, flung her upwards as if she was a doll.

She free fell for a second, but then she was in azriels arms, one of his arms under her knees and the other supporting her back, he absorbed all the impact.

“That’s 2 for 0 if I’m counting correctly Gwyn”. He held her in his arms, both breathing heavy, this close he could see every freckle, and every speck of colour in her eyes.

He slowly put her back on her feet, her body sliding against his. She gripped his shoulders, and squeezed once playfully.

“Do I look like I’m giving up anytime soon Az?” She questioned. Azriels eyes raked down the length of her, slowly taking in every inch. The look in his eyes was not the gaze of a teacher assessing a students form.

It was dark, heated, and Gwyn gripped his shoulders once more, appreciating the corded muscle and the heat of his bare skin.

Gwyn spread her fingers on his shoulders, and before he realised what she was doing, applied pressure to a small joint between his shoulder and neck.

“What the-“ Azriel flinched instinctively, and Gwyn used his distraction to elbow him once in the stomach, and brought her leg up to his shin.

Gwyn bought her elbow to his side, hoping to throw him off balance, but Azriel had recovered from his slip. Before Gwyn could take a breath, Azriel had his hands on her waist,and flipped her so fast the breath was knocked from her.

Gwyn ended up on her back on the mat, Azriel caging her with his arms on either side of her head. “What just-” she was still recovering, her head slightly dizzy and even though Azriel had absorbed most of the impact, he’d still thrown her onto her back.

“Tap out Gwyn” he leaned in, his hair tickling her neck and cheek, the length of him against her, he was huge, and she felt tiny against the bulk of him.

“I’m being nice Gwyn” he smirked watching her stubbornly refuse. He leaned down even further, right into he crook of her neck, his arms flexing on either side of her head. “Tap. Out” he growled.

Gwyn, her head a mess surrounded by so much of the Illyrian above her, slowly let a plan form. “Never” she gasped out, her legs wrapping around his waist, twisting her upper body and trying to knock Azriel sideways.

He shifted only slightly, laughed once, and in the next breath, they flew to the wall on the opposite end.

“Cheat” she gasped, her legs wrapped so tightly around his waist, every inch of their fronts melded together. Azriel held both of her hands in one of his above her head. He pulled on her arms once, and her back arched off against the wall.

“I win” he whispered, dragging his eyes across her face, lingering on her lips.

“You cheated” she retorted, leaning her head slightly against his shoulders, her arms beginning to ache.

“Did I” he smirked against her, loosening his hold on her arms so it wasn’t punishing, but still holding her.

“One day Az” she looked into his eyes. “One day, it’ll be me who has you flat on your back.”

They were walking such a fine line. Even now, she knew what he was thinking, what they both were. What they were imagining.

“I’d love to see that happen Gwyn. But I promise you this.” She watched his throat move as he swallowed, felt the way his heart beat slightly faster against her. “I’ll let you think you’re winning. And then” he release a jagged breath, dropping his hold on her arms and gripping her waist instead.

“And then, just like now, I’ll have you pinned down before you’ve even taken a breath. But I won’t be kind and I won’t be soft. And that time. That time, I won’t let you up. Not until you beg.”

Slowly, he slid her down his body to the floor, and with one last look, they both left, the promise in his words filling both their heads.

#acotar #avowal #acomaf #Feyre #Rhys #feysand #gwynriel #gwyn #Azriel #nesta #cassian #nessian #sjm

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sluggishslugcrimes · 2 years

Text

A Jason centric au,

He doesn't die but instead while growing up to the the good old age of 15 and was fed up with Bruce so he planned his death and name change and made bard not to tell anyone

He "dies" at 20 years old

He is also Latino and mildly (totally) addicted to telenovela and got his death inspo from that.

He moves to Arizona, a small podunk town and bought a fixer upper cattle ranch house

He needs tools so he goes to the town and the town hardware store

Single Latino dilf™

He gets tools, flirted a bit because he's a new man he can do anything now

Comes back every single day not buying all the tools on purpose

Finds out single Latino dad also runs his late wife flower shop

Single Handley supporting two small businesses because he is a pansexual disaster and of course a cattle ranch needs tulips...

Fixes house and decided to be bold and ask out Mr. Single Latino dad

He agreed on the date

Jason gains a health relationship

Jason becomes second dad to Mr. Single Latino dad's kids.

All 7 of them love him.

They get married

Jason finds out he's also genderfluid and so hubby makes flowers pins to be the pronoun pins to show his love for Jay

Fast-forward about ten years and his family finally found him.

Knock on door, child 6# opens door, "dad! There's strange people at the door!" Jay, from the kitchen, "are they in black layered clothes In Arizona heat and look rich?" Child, looks at the goth family, "yes dad they do!" Jason, "SLAM THAT DOOR SWEETIE!" kid, slam door.

Doors are not the only way they get into home

Dick: we thought you died!

Jason: that was the point. Barb I thought I told you not to tell them

Barb: yeah well,,, they put Cass on me, how can I lie to her!

Dick: but you can lie to me?

Barb: you know that multi print shirt I said I love because it was your favorite shirt.

Dick: yeah?

Barb: I lied, I hated it.

Dick: *gasp* no!

Big fight. Enter hubby asking what's wrong

Batfam offended not being invited to the wedding and that their jay is a father too

Hubby family, family hubby

Invited for dinner because hubby would like to meet the family (Jay already told him his true identity while dating)

Damian becomes king of the cows, the farmer quiver before him.

Jason's life goes back to being simple and carefree

#jason todd #batfam #idk what to call this au #i just like it #and i have no idea what to name hubby and the kids yet #ahhhh #enjoy ig

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starfirette · 3 years

Note

Ok, imagine Helena nervous for the first date with the reader (since she has no experience) and doing everything to make things go as planned (spoiler: they don't work). So the reader says that it doesn't matter what the date is going to be, as long as she has Helena by her side. Btw you are fantastic 🥰

A/N: I think YOURE fantastic ❤️ this was fun to write and so it became less of a bullet list and more of a blurb! It honestly reads like a children’s book. Like a description of what’s happening LMAO

Warnings: fem x fem ALLUSIONS to smut, not actual smut | pineapple on pizza |

Please note this was an automatic post, which had been queued to quench the hiatus thirst. Inbox is currently closed for requests.

(Find my masterlist under pinned Navi)

Poor Helena would definitely have the first date planned down to the tee. She had memorized what she’s going to say. She’s prepared conversation topics.

Well, it starts when you’re held back by Harley of all people. Harley and you just seem to hit it off and you can’t stop laughing. This makes Helena a little upset, but she’s just glad that you’re talking to Helena and not Dinah. Dinah is known for being Miss-Steal-Your-Girl; I mean be honest? If Dinah looked you up and down and asked you for a drink, would you say NO?!

Helena finally gets you out of Harley’s grasp.

Y’all are ready to go. Finally. But then you find out just how Helena intends on taking you to the restaurant.

“I’m so sorry,” you blubber. “I’m so scared of motorcycles.”

Okay that’s fine, Helena thinks. She beats herself up for assuming that you’d be okay with such a mode of transportation.

So she has to go and beg Dinah for the car. Dinah loves the car more than anything, and she should, because it’s truly beautiful.

“You can take my car,” Cass offers.

“It’s my car,” Harley interjects. “I just let her drive it whenever she wants.”

You raised your hand. “Aren’t you, like, fifteen?” You asked.

“Yeah, and?” Cass snorts.

Okay, AWKWARD, but not as awkward as Harley saying, “If it bothers you that much I can write ya a prescription for Xanax.”

Silence.

“...I can make it ten mil,” she adds again in an effort to break the silence that’s boarded over the room.

“Okay well we better get going,” Helena said in a gritty voice. “So I’ll take those keys and we can get a move on.”

Cass and Harley proceeded to spend about ten minutes looking for the car keys, and when they still couldn’t find them, Dinah felt bad and surrendered her baby.

Okay so Helena is so glad to finally get the FUCK out of there. She’s ushering you out and it’s all fun and games until Renée’s ass stumbles through the front door, drunk, and vomits on you.

The ladies were all staring at you in shock as you looked down at the front of your dress, equally as flabbergasted as they were.

Renée managed to apologize before she slithered onto the sofa and fell asleep.

Dinah was on the ball, immediately ready to find you some clothes. “Let’s get that dress off you,” she was saying.

This basically cued the Kill Bill sirens in Helena’s head.

Dinah? Taking off your clothes?

Helena watched meekly as Dinah pulled you to the bathroom.

Harley and Cass didn’t really know what to say as Helena stormed to the couch and tried to yell at Renée. I’m positive that if she were sober and conscious, she’d feel bad and try to grab you some fresh clothes, even if it would be one of her oversized white tee shirts with hair dye stains.

Renée will feel so guilty when she realizes what she’s done but that won’t happen for a while!!!!

You came out wearing a baggy hair dye shirt. It was fine and it matched the paint splotched sweat pants that were blatant PINK knockoffs.

Helena wanted to cry; but, like, angry cry. She’s been waiting ages to get a chance with you.

“I’ll order a pizza!” Harley exclaimed when she noticed how angry Helena was becoming. “It’ll be okay, you guys can drink my fancy white grape cider. I bought it for thanksgiving but forgot to use it, so it’s been behind the milk for a few months. You don’t mind, right!”

Harley was trying to help but Helena didn’t really appreciate it like she should have. She was convinced the night was ruined.

Harley noticed her friend’s distress. She felt bad. Helena went out to the balcony for a stress smoke. Harley couldn’t blame her. I mean, the things smell nice. They can be addicting. Helena smokes cigars or pipes. Her father smoked from a pipe when she was a child. The smell is sweet and comforting for her. Harley, on any other night, would make a snarky comment about how Helena relies on substances like tobacco to achieve a comfort-nostalgia-happy-place state. But Helena wouldn’t appreciate it.

Harley made Cass take Bruce, Wayne, and Dickie into her room. They would be fine in there for a few hours. Harley hauled Renée into the first bedroom she could find where the mattress wasn’t littered with cigarette cartons and ink tags off stolen clothes.

Harley snuck out into the living room. The washer was loudly cleaning your dress while you sat with Dinah on the couch.

It was clearly awkward compensation for the lack of the one lady you wanted to be sitting with.

Dinah tried her best to make good conversation, but there was a reason why you liked Helena over her. You were so...sweet.

Harley decided to intervene.

“Hey. Sorry our...friend puked on ya.”

You WERE sweet!

“It’s okay!” You hurried to say, waving a hand.

“Nah—I woulda punched her if she had done it to me,” Harley said as she cracked her knuckles, imagining the precarious situation and becoming angered by it.

“Well your taste is impeccable,” you said as if in agreement. “I would love to dress the way you do. You pull it off so well!”

Harley shook her finger. “Awwwh, either someone’s a people pleaser due to child hood trauma, or you’re just a sweet as a cheery, cherry tart!”

Okay, THAT made you stutter for a sec.

Harley forced herself between You and Dinah, who rolled her eyes and crossed her long legs.

Harley wrapped both of her arms around your shoulders, then Dinah’s. “This is nice, but I sure am hungry,” she said dramatically.

You strained your neck to look towards the balcony door. “I guess Lena’s not up for dinner...”

Harley was so pleased to her the nickname along with the clear disappointment in your voice.

“Well, I could always order a pizza!” Harley suggested. “And you guys could stay around and watch some movies. I got tons of DVDs. Porn, even.”

You raised your brows. “Oh,” you stammered.

Harley tossed her head back with a laugh. “I’m JOKING! I don’t have porn on DVD. That’s what OnlyFans is for!”

She staggered off the sofa and turned dramatically to face you, her pale arms on her slim hips. “What kind of pie do you want!”

You shrugged. “Hmm...well, I like pineapple on mine.”

Dinah cringed. “Does Helena know that?”

“Well I doubt she’d care,” you shrugged.

“The woman runs a four generation old Italian mafia,” Harley chortled. “She doesn’t like pineapple on pizza or broken noodles in a pot or water. Or wearing underwear.”

“Two of those things sound true,” Dinah said as you held up two fingers for emphasis.

“Yeah, Helena eats pineapple pizza all the time,” you said without thinking.

Dinah, Harley, and even yourself, paused as the realization kicked in.

Okay so it’s clear you know Helena pretty well. You two were likely friends before this date. Helena probably had been waiting for her moment to ask you out.

Harley works quick to make things right. Pizza, ordered. She shoved everything into a closet, giving the appearance of a clean apartment. She even kicked Dinah out, claiming she’d detail the car if Dinah just went out and left Helena alone for the night. Dinah absolutely has no clue that Helena considers her major competition. Dinah knows she’s sexy and she knows she’s flirtatious, but she doesn’t like you that way AND she’s a good friend. She’d never go after Helena’s girl. Dinah quite likes her friends. Surprisingly.

Helena comes back in after pouting into her pipe. She smells so good, like night and tobacco. She’s shocked to find the display of the living room. Harley’s got wine glasses filled with sparkling cider and an array of Pizza Hut pizzas set out on the coffee table.

“Surprise!” Harley says happily as you hold a glass of cider out to Helena.

She’s definitely surprised.

“Harley brought the date to us!” You said with a grin. “Isn’t that sweet of her?”

“It is,” Helena said, sounding wary as she carefully accepted her drink.

“Now don’t you two get up to naughty shenanigans on my couch,” Harley says as she wags her finger.

Helena just rolls her eyes as she takes a hesitant seat beside you.

“Rent any movies you’d like,” Harley says as backs out of the living room. “Dim the lights. Maybe take your shoes off. And remember, tribbing only works when the clits are touching.”

Helena took a slice of pizza and chucked it straight at Harley, the pizza slice sliding on the front of her shirt.

“I deserved that,” Harley admitted as she plucked the pizza up. She took a bite and you tried not to grimace at the sight.

“Goodnight!” Harley sings as she tip toes out of the room, still eating the pizza that HAD to have been covered in thread and lint from her own shirt.

“Well,” you said as you nibbled the stuffed crust, “we know how to trib.”

Helena glared.

“Oh, what’s wrong!” You exclaimed.

“I had the entire night planned, Y/n,” Helena scowls. “This was our first real date. I had plans.”

You chased the pizza crust down with some cider. “But this is fun.”

“Montoya threw up on you,” Helena deadpanned.

You couldn’t deny that. “But now I’m in comfy clothes. On a comfy couch. With the most beautiful woman I think I’ve ever known. And we’re eating pizza. That sounds good to me.”

“I just wanted our first date to be better,” Helena said again. You rolled your eyes as you came to understand that Helena was dead set on having the picture perfect first date.

“I don’t care how it goes,” you shrugged. “I mean, as long as I’m with you, isn’t that all that matters? That’s what makes a date a date.”

Helena didn’t really know what to say as you clicked through Harley’s digital movie library.

“I mean, I guess that’s technically true,” Helena mumbled.

She took a slice from the box. Though her Italian blood screamed out in horror, she took a large bite of the pizza littered with pepperoni and pineapple chunks. Damn, if it wasn’t good.

“I’m perfectly happy to be anywhere with you,” you said again, though now tenderly. “I mean, who else is going to eat pineapple pizza with me?”

Helena cringed. “Just saying it is a sin.”

“But if you like to eat it, then just eat it,” you laughed. “We’re on our very first date. We should be honest with one another. We should be comfortable.”

Helena supposed she had to agree. “I...”

You touched her knee. “I’m comfortable with you,” you said, a little smile gracing your mouth.

“Whatever,” Helena grumbled.

You just cuddled into her side. “You like me,” you teased as she pulled you closer with a muscular arm.

“Maybe I do,” Helena said in a flat voice. But you could sense the smile that was embedded on her face.

Yeah. She liked you.

“The next date will be better,” Helena promised.

You looked up at her, frowning through the darkness. The television illuminated her features. “I don’t care. I don’t need elaborate gestures. Sure, they’re appreciated, but I don’t need them. All I want—all I need—is you.”

Helena gulped. “Shut up,” she said in a slight panic.

You laughed as you laid your head over her chest. As far as you’re concerned, this date is perfect.

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emilia3546 · 3 years

Text

Reflections - Nessian NSFW

Nesta has no idea why Cassian bothered to buy a new, floor-length, mirror, but once she figures it out, she can't get her mind off it.

*****

Nesta hadn't given the new mirror that Cassian had bought a few days ago much thought, until now. Full-length, plenty of empty space in front of it, she hadn't thought anything of it, not even at Cassian's undisguised glee when he'd come home with it, assuming it was just some stupid joke, but days later the mirror was still there. She'd only thought about it yesterday morning when he whispered to her,

"Want to know what it's for? What it's really for?" Nesta had nodded, slightly confused, but realized at once at the gleeful look in his eyes,

"You want to fuck me in front of a mirror?"

"I want you to watch me fucking you in the mirror." She'd flushed bright red at that, but Cassian had already slipped outside, raising an eyebrow at her before disappearing to training. Still, Nesta hadn't been able to shake that idea, he hadn't mentioned it since, and even with her book, it was like the mirror was watching her, but that was ridiculous. She glared at it, slamming her book closed, and Cassian chuckled from beside her, clearly happy to escape his book, well, the book she had practically forced him to read.

"Stop that."

"What?"

"Stop it, stop looking at me like that," she hissed, opening her book again, but gave up after reading the same sentence at least three times,

"Something distracting you?" Cassian grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes,

"I hate you."

"We both know that's not true," he laughed, and Nesta glowered at him,

"It is," she insisted, but yelped when he moved faster than she could register, flipping her underneath him,

"Then how come I'm the only one who gets to have you like this?"

"I don't know what you mean," she managed, but gasped and dropped her head backwards when he pushed her nightgown up, his hand so close to her sex, but staying just too far from it. She squeezed her eyes shut, this was what he wanted, and she wasn't going to lose, so she lifted her head again, "Who says that you're the only one?" She almost missed him move again, only noticing once his hand had curled around her throat. Her words died on her tongue, and she automatically grabbed at his wrist, not bothering to try to dislodge him, just ready to warn him if whatever he did was to much for her.

"I'm sorry?" The opportunity was too good to miss, even if his tone was dangerously low, even if the sensible thing would be to apologize, to save herself a punishment, she smirked as she spoke,

"That's okay, you're forgiven." She had underestimated him, underestimated how quickly he was going to react tonight, no sooner had the words left her mouth than Cassian's grip on her throat tightened. She could, of course, still breathe, but the lack of blood flow left her head roaring, the world fading as she panted, gently squeezing Cassian's wrist. He loosened his grip at her request, but still stared down at her with that unyielding dominance in his eyes, she'd lost, she'd completely and utterly lost.

"Try again," he whispered, and Nesta whimpered, her lie slipping away as she wriggled, Cassian raised an eyebrow, and she stilled, "What were you saying? That I'm not the only one who gets you like this?" He tightened his grip again, and she gasped out his name,

"No, please, I'm sorry, it wasn't true, it wasn't true." He released his grip on her throat, but kept his hand in place, holding her still,

"So you lied to me." She didn't have a clever response to that, "Well?"

"Yes," she whispered, "I'm sorry," she added after a moment, squirming under his gaze as he silently glared down at her,

"Oh we're definitely playing with the mirror now. Do not move." Nesta obeyed, laying still as he disappeared from her view, but shifted around at the sounds of rustling. "You can sit up now." She did, her gaze snapping towards the mirror, and she felt another rush of wetness at the sight before her. Cassian was utterly, gloriously naked, already hard and ready, a length of rope in his hands. It was an effort to stay still, to avoid rushing straight towards him, but this was part of the game, now she'd lost, she had to play the game, had to wait for his order. She grabbed the hem of her nightgown, pulling it over her head at Cassian's nod, "Come here," Nesta didn't need any more encouragement to practically leap up, but she caught herself in time, managing to maintain a steady pace as she walked towards him.

He tipped her chin upwards, one hand in her hair, the other tugging her waist against him, and Nesta moaned when Cassian tugged her head backwards, gripping onto his shoulders as he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. She couldn't breathe fast enough, not with the way he was kissing her, hard, fast, so much that she almost couldn't match his movements. He was faster than her, catching her off guard when he nipped at her bottom lip, making her jaw drop further. He allowed her all of one breath before surging back towards her, claiming her lips so thoroughly that she had no doubt of what she wanted,

"No one else," he snarled, "No one else get to have you,"

"No one," she panted, still trembling in his arms, "I'm all yours," she whispered, and Cassian spun her around, and tugged her backwards against his chest, so that she was staring into the mirror. She tried to turn away, but Cassian gripped her chin, turning her head back to the mirror, forcing her to stare into her own eyes. She automatically moved back, but found herself pinned still, Cassian's arms around her waist, she could only see him in the mirror, see the way he was grinning, the way his lips were now slightly swollen, a deep flush creeping down his chest, not that she was in any better shape. With her hair unbound, he'd been able to mess it up enough to make her look truly desperate, if her red cheeks and panting breaths hadn't already given her away.

"Good girl," he murmured, and Nesta saw herself melt under the praise, saw herself sink into his arms, and didn't complain when he slowly leaned back, supporting her with one arm as he lowered them to the floor. He snatched up the discarded length of rope, and steel gathered in Nesta's veins again as she made to crawl away from him, from where she was sitting between his legs. While he was distracted she could snatch back control, but he wasn't really distracted, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, dragging her backwards with a yelp until she was pressed against him again. He locked his ankles against hers, dragging her legs open, and gently guided her head back so that it rested on his shoulder. She drew in a deep breath, but twisted her wrist out of his grip when he caught it, but forgot about the other one, and she huffed when he looped the rope around it, losing her concentration on evading him, and struggled against him for a moment when he caught both, before giving in and glaring at him through the mirror as he bound them together in front of her. In front, not behind, because he wanted to be closer to her, to touch her.

Nesta's eyes flickered shut at the first light touch across her stomach,

"Eyes open," Cassian reminded her, "Watch." She did as she was told, her gaze fixed on his hands where they rubbed circles across her skin, rising higher to knead her breasts in time with her ragged breaths,

"Please," she whispered, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice, and apparently failing, judging by Cassian's chuckled against the skin of her neck,

"Awwww, can't take it?" He tugged on her earlobe, and sped up at the same time, "That's too bad," he hummed, "How badly do you want it?"

"Bad. Please, Cass, please, please," he hummed wordlessly, as if considering her plea,

"You're so pretty when you beg, sweetheart, I want to hear some more." Despite his words, he did dip his hand to brush against her clit, leaving her wriggling, and rocking her hips against him, until he pulled away. She sobbed in desperation, biting her lip to keep from squealing,

"Please," she muttered again, "I need you," no difference, "General," she crooned, and almost laughed at the way Cassian's hands froze momentarily before continuing, "Please, General, I need your cock inside me, I need you to fuck me, please," she tried to sound teasing, but it still came out as a weak whimper,

"Fuck," Cassian muttered next to her ear, his head dropped into her neck as he pressed gentle kisses against her skin, his hair as messy as hers now, a dark angel, her warrior. "You see what you do to me?" He whispered, "Only I can have you, but only you can have me," she was still processing his words when he slid two fingers through her sex, coating them with her wetness, "Oh, you are desperate aren't you, Nesta?" He teased before sliding a finger into her, then a second, pumping them in and out a few times, his other hand keeping her head from falling back, forcing her to keep watching as she rode his fingers, her hips bucking almost uncontrollably now. She screamed his name when he curled his fingers inside her, already hurtling over the edge, and kept screaming as he kept moving inside her, dragging a second climax from her as soon as the first had finished, then a third, then a fourth. Nesta sobbed with pleasure when she came down from her fourth climax, trying to squirm away, trying to push his hand away,

"I can't," she gasped, "Please,"

"You can, and you will. You lied to me, you owe me another four before we play," No, no, no, eight was the number for lying, but she'd hoped he'd just spank her, this was so much harder, and she sobbed again when he pushed her towards the edge. She couldn't do it, it was too much, but she screamed her pleasure again when she came a fifth time, her body no longer responding to her commands to wriggle away from him, to escape the overwhelming pleasure arcing through her at each orgasm. She could hardly see through the tears blurring her vision, but she knew that she was absolutely wrecked, could feel the way her body was loose and pliant against Cassian's, how easily he could move her around, his fingers reaching deeper inside her as he stretched her out, "One more for me, sweetheart, one more, okay," Nesta nodded, and wriggled as her muscles tightened, coiling in her stomach, until Cassian bit down on her neck, sending it all rushing outwards, washing over her in a great wave, leaving her screaming and crying in pleasure.

Cassian gently stroked her hair, rubbing soothing circles against her ribs as Nesta struggled to fill her lungs again and again, spooling herself back together piece by piece, panting as Cassian untied her wrists

"Good girl," he murmured, and Nesta mumbled something incoherent, earning a chuckle from her mate, "So beautiful, so fucking gorgeous," he hummed, and kissed the top of her head. He meant it, Nesta knew he meant it, but the praise still made her squirm, still made her automatically think he was lying. "You did so well, sweetheart," she melted under the adoration in his voice, twisting in his arms to look into his eyes, "You okay?" She nodded, and buried her face in his neck, sighing happily. "Color?" Cassian murmured, and she twisted her head sideways to mutter,

"Orange, I just need a minute."

"Are you done?"

"No. I just need a break," Cassian held her against him as she breathed, and breathed, and breathed, her mind-stilling exercises helping her to relax, to bring herself back to her body, to the present, to Cassian. Once she was ready, she leaned back into him, dragging his face back to hers, her heart cracking at the gentleness of his movements, the worry in his eyes when he pulled back, and lightly kissed her nose. Nesta grinned, and kissed him again, nipping at his bottom lip to turn the kiss into something more, something more demanding. That familiar smirk returned the moment Cassian released her lips, and Nesta shifted her hips against him, chuckling at his muttered curses. She shot him a glance over her shoulder, "Green," she trilled, and leaned forwards onto her forearms, lifting her ass in silent demand. Cassian rose behind her, running a hand down her spine, sparking shivers wherever their skin met, and pushed her legs further apart. Nesta dropped her head onto the floor, suddenly grateful for Cassian's foresight to put a rug there, softening the hard floorboards.

"You're supposed to be watching," Cassian murmured, and Nesta yelped when he pulled her head up, her hair wrapped around his wrist, his hand fisted in her hair. She gasped when he tugged again, lifting her off her hands for a moment before letting her back down, "Now watch, sweetheart," he whispered before slamming into her in one thrust. The sound that left Nesta's throat was one of pure animalistic need, and she couldn't look away, not as he pumped his hips against hers, not as his eyes dropped half-closed with pleasure, not as she unraveled, screaming his name with each thrust. He released her hair to grab her hips with both hands, pulling her backwards at the same time as he thrust forwards into her, Nesta screamed wordlessly, stars filling her vision with each thrust. She lost track of exactly what she was saying, what she was begging for, but Cassian gave her everything she could have asked for, and then some. She came twice more, screaming his name, but still begging for more, until he finally groaned her name, and came himself after one last, harsh thrust. Nesta had already slumped forwards, her ass still in the air as his release slowly dripped out of her. She could never tire of this, of him, not if they had a million years, and she must have said as much, because Cassian eased her into his lap, still panting himself from the force of his climax,

"Now I'm done," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck as they sat in silence for a few moments, comfortable, safe in each others' arms. Cassian was still running his hands up an down her sides, as if he needed that contact, that reassurance that Nesta was okay, as he did every time. She kissed his jaw, "I love you," she mumbled, her heart aching at the undisguised worry in his eyes, "I'm fine," she wriggled back slightly, "See? Fine," still, Cassian would need to check for himself, but Nesta could do this for him, "I will always love you, you know that, right?"

"I know," he ran his lips across her jaw again, "But it does help to hear you say it,"

"I can say if every five minutes if that's what you need to believe me." He chuckled at that, and ran his gaze over her again,

"You sure you're okay? Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine," she took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly, proving to him that she was recovering fine, still remembering his panic when she'd come one too many times, and hadn't been able to catch her breath. Cassian had made sure to watch her breathing ever since, and she couldn't bring herself to tell him that she'd tell him if she was struggling, even if Madja had said that it was just because she had been tired. Cassian was still holding her to his chest, waiting until her breathing had completely returned to normal before carrying her across to the bed,

"Give me one minute, okay?" Nesta nodded, and Cassian moved quickly to the bathroom, coming back in less than the minute he'd asked for, finding Nesta alert, and glancing around the room. She relaxed again the moment he reappeared in her vision, "I'm sorry," he murmured, "I should have had this ready in here,"

"It's okay," Nesta muttered, "You're here, that's all I need," Cassian kissed her forehead again before gently cleaning her up with the washcloth he'd gone to fetch, but protested when she tried to do the same, claiming that he was fine, but Nesta just glared at him until he caved. She was still wobbly on her feet when she stood, and she didn't miss the note of satisfaction in Cassian's gaze when he noted that fact, but she ignored it, careful when she reached his back. "Do you want me to do your wings?" Cassian nodded, and Nesta swiped up a towel, quickly drying the areas she'd washed straight away, and Cassian dropped his head forwards, his eyes falling closed, a low groan sounding in his chest, not one of pleasure, but contentment. Nesta placed the bowl and cloths to the side, smiling when Cassian slipped under the covers, opening his arms to her. She slipped underneath one, half-laying on his chest, with Cassian holding her tightly against him, one hand around her waist, the other cradling her head. She sighed happily, and snuggled into him, giggling when he wrapped his wings around her, leaving her head free, her breathing space. She mumbled again that she loved him, but she was already slipping into sleep, hardly registering his chuckle as he stroked her hair softly until he too fell asleep.

#fanfiction #fanfic #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #acosf #a court of silver flames #nesta #nesta archeron #nessian #nesta x cassian #nessian smut #cassian

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neonphoenix · 3 years

Text

When Dick Grayson originally bought his apartment in Bludhaven, he had exactly two pieces of furniture: a couch and a coffee table. He owned one bowl, a coffee mug, a disposable fork, spoon, and knife that he made reusable, and a pan. He also owned a coffee maker and all of his vigilante gear, but those were in the “Super-secret hidden room in the back that No One will ever find.” Eventually he caved and bought a larger spatula/wooden stir spoon so that he could cook things without melting his only utensils.

He led a remarkably minimalist life. Until Jason, that is.

Jason showed up out of the blue on his doorstep one day and forced himself in, all sharp elbows and opinionated observations about the sparseness of the interior. Once he started spending more time there, Dick invested in a second set of dishware and cutlery. The mug and bowl were ones he specifically picked out for Jason at a yard sale, both the same garish red as his hoodie.

When Dick complained about Jason’s habit of abandoning his shoes and hoodies in the middle of the living room, he cited the lack of place to put them. So Dick bought a hallway tree for the entryway. Also because of Jason, who kept abandoning books at Dick’s apartment, presumably in an effort to make him read more, “Sensible literature,” Dick acquired a small, two shelf bookcase. When Jason died, Dick put his mug and bowl and various photographs into the bookcase, before moving it to a storage unit with some of his parents’ old things.

When Tim popped into existence in his life, Dick found him a mug and bowl of his own, just like with Jason. These were a less garish red on the inside, and black on the bottom. More tasteful pottery seemed to fit Tim better, so Dick put a bit more time into finding it. With Tim came a game console and monitor, with the coffee table being repurposed as a tv stand.

Tim made him get a proper dining table with, “At least two chairs because you should be able to have guests over in a proper manner.” Alfred said something similar, and pointedly gifted him a tea seat to go along with it. Neither of the chairs matched the table or each other, but Dick liked it better that way.

When he heard about Spoiler from Tim, he made a prediction and bought a mug and bowl, specifically glazed in her trademarked eggplant.

Cass showed up, and at first she was strange, but Dick was used to strange. She left brightly colored post-its with doodles all over the place when she visited, but he rarely saw her, at least for a while.

And then Jason was back, and Dick thought about the storage locker, but never got around to collecting his things. Then Tim wasn’t Robin anymore, and his apartment got blown up, and Blockbuster, and the rooftop... And then Stephanie was dead and he hadn’t even known her.

It was strange, to mourn someone he’d never known.

He got a new apartment, and replaced everything that had been in his old one. He bought a proper bed this time. His back was only so forgiving, after all. And then he tracked down another eggplant plate and bowl, and put them in the storage locker.

Barbara sent him a plushie of herself in a wheelchair, and he laughed and set it on his microwave. He reminded himself to find some green dishware for her.

A month or so after one of Clark’s visits, he received a black and blue quilt from Ma Kent, and a reminder that he was always welcome at her farm. He pinned the reminder to the fridge, next to the post-its from Cass. He wasn’t sure what their relationship was, she still didn’t stop by for long periods of time. Then one day, he was at an art fair, and he found a black kintsugi mug and bowl that reminded him of her costume.

After they appeared in his cupboards, she began staying longer. He took her to the Nutcracker, and taught her how to fly, the same way his parents taught him. In turn, she left him more post-its. There was an entire wall in his living room covered by them.

Damian arrived and Bruce died, and everything fell apart. Stephanie came back, and Dick got to meet her this time. But Cass was in Hong Kong, and Tim was who knows where, and Dick didn’t know how to fix it, and he was worried that he had lost any hope of rebuilding things with Jason, and Damian was just so young. Too young.

Dick tried his best.

He got Damian a mug that bore a hand painted robin. When Dick first offered it to him, he turned his nose up and huffed about it. Dick shrugged and put it in the cupboard. He wasn’t living in his apartment anymore, and he had moved most of his things to the locker. It seemed strange to buy Damian a bowl when Alfred served them their meals on matched sets daily.

But eventually Bruce came back, and Dick moved back into his apartment. He got his stuff out of storage, and this time, Jason’s bookshelf came with him.

The second time Duke came to his apartment, it was with a box of silverware from goodwill. Dick snorted and put it in his drawer. The Titans, Donna being the driving force, had gifted him a box of photos and picture frames. He put his favorite ones on the wall next to one of Damian’s paintings.

Harper showed up one day asking if she could use his apartment, “For science.” Dick figured, why not, and came back to one of the most intricately rigged lighting systems he had ever seen.

Cullen built a shoe rack in his woodworking class, and it took up residency by the fire escape window, along with a mat because people Would Not stop Dripping.

Stephanie’s lip gloss and nail polish began to take residence under his bathroom sink, and she donated her old waffle maker to his kitchen after Barbara got her an upgraded one.

Eventually he got used to new things appearing whenever his siblings decided his living space had a deficit. They treated it like a safe haven of sorts, somewhere they could go to get away from Gotham without leaving familiar territory.

He did have to put his foot down about the industrial soft serve machine. That was a batcave-only type of utility.

It started with Jason showing up on his doorstep, barely five foot and 100 pounds soaking wet. Now, he climbed in through the window, a mountain of a man, and sat down at the table across from Dick, holding his red mug.

Dick’s apartment had once been the sparsest thing known to man, but now each member of his family had a mug and a bowl in his cabinet. He even had a spare set for guests.

He never did get more than two dining chairs.

And Jason still couldn’t put his shoes in the cabinet, because he was a massive Jerk that liked to make his brother’s life harder.

Author Notes:

My personal headcanon is that Dick doesn’t buy things unless he needs them or they have sentimental value. So he’s not against having stuff per say, he just doesn’t feel a need to get it.

I feel like this could be interpreted as glorifying materialism and maybe I’ve just been on Tumblr to long, but that’s not what I’m going for.

Also I thought about including all of the Titans but that was a lot and I didn’t have time for it

Please feel free to add more to this? I love seeing other people’s thoughts.

But don’t feel pressured.

#I know I said only DickJoey this week #but I somehow got burned out on them #don't worry I'll be back #Just needed a cleanse #anyways #this was supposed to be some headcanons #it got a little away from me #batfam #dick grayson #cassandra cain #jason todd #tim drake #stephanie brown #harper row #duke thomas #cullen row #damian wayne #alfred pennyworth

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dirty-holy-things · 3 years

Text

Starlight

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x AFAB Reader

Rating: Mature, for adult themes.

Words: 6.0k

Chapters: 1 / 1 (?)

Warnings: Not many, as this story is honestly very soft and sweet. Story does include pregnancy.

Author’s Notes: This is set post TFATWS. This started out as purely self-indulgent, tooth-rotting kind of sweet story that I needed to get out of my head after the finale — and it quickly spiraled into a heap of excessively soft feelings and special moments. It’s in a spot where I might decide to explore this further in the future, but we’ll see. I just want Bucky to have a happy ending and all the wonderful things, okay?

Summary: Neither you or Bucky could’ve imagined a life quite like this, surrounded by your found family and countless days of sunshine. After a Memorial Day weekend trip to Louisiana to visit Sam and Sarah, the two of you finally found that ever-elusive sense of peace — and so you sank into it, building a life and a home and a future together. For all of the pain that came before, the universe now extended a kindness in the form of a perfectly happy ending.

For having grown up in a place as dull and frozen as the northeast, Louisiana was endlessly inviting and enticing — you loved the heat, loved the energy and spirit of those around you, loved living in a place where you could hear the ocean. Proof that something bigger, and more powerful, than anything occupying your world was out there; and here you were, coexisting with it. Yes, you loved your newfound life here — and you owed it all to one James Buchanan Barnes.

He had finally coaxed you out of your Brooklyn apartment one Memorial Day weekend, with an open invitation from Sam and Sarah to stay in the extra bedroom; you had been worried about the imposition, but after Bucky had put Sam on speakerphone one evening to guilt you into the visit, you finally conceded. When you packed your bag for the holiday weekend, you had no idea that you would come to love the small town within a matter of three days; but you had, and from the moment you and Bucky had touched down at JFK, you knew you were ready to go back.

You had eagerly leapt on any invitation that was extended, and one late summer evening while Sam and Bucky played with AJ and Cass in the yard, you found yourself watching them from the open window — you came to the realization that something about this moment just felt right. Like the pieces were finally coming together, after a lifetime of feeling scattered, feeling lost. Sarah picked up on the look in your eye easily, but that came as little surprise. The two of you had gotten to be good friends through the course of your visits, spending many a evening on her porch with a glass of iced tea — or wine — and she had a knack for seeing into people as it was.

She leaned back into the countertop, looking at you with a knowing smile. “You and Bucky seem happy here.”

You were startled out of your reverie, having been lost in the picturesque moment of joy in front of you; Sam was teaching AJ some boxing moves, and Bucky was wrestling with Cass, letting him win as he pinned him into the overgrown grass. Sarah’s comment had been spot on; you were certainly happier here than you had been anywhere else. “Yeah, we are happy here,” you sighed with a smile. “Things feel... right. I don’t have a better word for it, we can blame that on the wine — but yeah, things feel right.”

“Feels like home?”

Ah, yes. That was the word for it.

She leaned back into the countertop, looking at you with a knowing smile. “You and Bucky seem happy here.”

“Feels like home?”

Ah, yes. That was the word for it.

Your apartment in Brooklyn was nice, it was cozy and familiar, and you certainly loved it more now that it was shared with Bucky and Alpine. But when you thought about home — the brownstone wasn’t what came to mind. You thought about Louisiana, you thought about exactly where you were in this moment. You thought of cookouts filled with family, friends, and food; you thought of early morning trips to the small diner for the best biscuits and gravy to grace this earth; you thought of the many late nights spent drunkenly dancing with Bucky on the docks, while the two of you hummed off-key.

Taking a sip of your wine, you turned to look at Sarah. “Yeah, home. That’s the word.”

She nodded, her assessment having been correct. She seemed to think about her next words carefully, pausing before speaking again. “Have you two ever thought about moving here?”

You blinked in surprise to her question. “N-no, or at least, I haven’t — I mean, we have the apartment, and...” you trailed off, realizing that the only thing keeping you tied to the city was the fact that your belongings were there. You laughed, rubbing your hands across your face as the realization hit you. If this felt like home, why not make it home?

“There’s a house going up for sale down the road. You remember the Braxton’s, they were here for the Fourth of July. Her husband passed recently, so her son’s moving her in with his family, and they’re looking to sell the house.”

Your heart rate began to pick up speed as flashes of images ran through your mind — a house with Bucky, a home, one in a place where the two of you felt more at peace than you had ever believed to be possible. You thought of dinners shared in the late evening sun, mornings spent on the docks, Christmases shared with those who you considered as family — without the hassle of plane tickets. You coughed as you cleared your throat, trying to dislodge the nervousness that had settled there. “You think... d’you think that Bucky would want — would want to move?”

Sarah laughed, a bright and boisterous sound filling the kitchen that had always been brimming with love. “That man would move heaven and earth for you, if you asked. I think he’d be more than happy to move some furniture.”

***

Sarah had been right, as per usual. You had approached Bucky about it cautiously, nervously, later than night; but your nervousness proved to be for naught as he grinned at you like a kid on Christmas morning. His blue eyes burned with a sort of fire that set off butterflies in your stomach, and when he said yes, yes, yes — you felt tears prick your eyes as you realized that soon, you would be coming home, but this time, with the intention to stay.

The moving process had been easier than you expected, but of course, moving countless boxes and items of furniture was easy when your boyfriend was a super-soldier with a vibranium arm. Sam had also come along to help load the moving van, and the two of them made short work of clearing out the apartment that you had lived in for the past several years. You felt a twinge of sadness as you closed the door, knowing the memories that the walls held, but you were excited for all of the new memories to be made within the walls of your new home.

You and Bucky had bought the house down the road from Sarah; it was well-loved and meticulously maintained, having been looked after by Mr Braxton for decades. Mrs Braxton was delighted to know that the two of you would be moving in, fondly remembering the time that Bucky had spent an entire winter’s day working with Mr Braxton to repair the hot water heater; and as you signed the documents that officially made the house your home, she only asked you for two things — to keep up her husband’s garden, and to share your banana bread recipe. You agreed to both wholeheartedly and with a laugh; and as you saw Bucky smiling at you from across the room, you knew that this journey was starting off on the right foot.

As you drove up the gravel road to the house that was now called home, you couldn’t help the grin that spread across your face — the water was at your back door, the property was concealed and kept private by trees that looked perfect for climbing, and the wraparound porch offered the promise of countless nights of peace. You killed the engine and looked on at Bucky expectantly; somehow both nervous and excited.

“Y’gonna go inside, doll? Or was your plan to have us live in your car?” His cobalt-blue eyes were bright against the warm dusk of the evening, and a teasing grin worked its way onto his face.

You shrugged nonchalantly. “I figured the Tiguan would be pretty comfortable — the seats lay back —“ Your sarcastic response was quickly cut off by the feeling of Bucky’s lips against yours, soft and sweet and warm, but also holding the same sense of nervousness and trepidation that resided within your chest. Pulling back from him, you stared into those endless blue eyes that held the same depth and complexity of the ocean. “You — are you sure this is what you want?”

His hands came up to cradle your face gently; you felt the warmth of one and the coolness of another, loving the duality of the man seated next to you. “This is exactly what I’ve wanted — before I even knew what I wanted — this was it. It was always this. It was always you.”

A few hot tears rolled across your cheeks as you leaned in to kiss him, but it was only a quick peck as he quickly pulled away, unbuckling his seatbelt and hopping out of your car. He was at the driver’s side door in mere seconds, opening the door as you extricated yourself from the seatbelt. You moved to step out onto the gravel driveway, but before your feet hit the ground, Bucky’s arms had wrapped securely around you as he brought you into his chest; you laughed at the unexpected gesture, wrapping your arms around his neck as you nuzzled your head into his broad shoulders. “What’s all of this about, Mr Barnes?” You asked teasingly.

“Carrying you across the threshold,” he responded nonchalantly, but you noticed the blush creeping across his cheeks. “Bad luck not to.”

You relaxed into his strong grasp, trusting him not to let you fall — you had trusted him through everything, and this moment was no exception. He carried you up the stairs and across the porch before coming to the front door; it was just slightly ajar, as if someone hadn’t pulled it quite hard enough before leaving. But it offered the perfect opportunity for Bucky to nudge it open with his foot, not putting you down until the two of you were standing in the center of the house, looking on at this place that would now be called home. The floor creaked slightly underneath your weight as Bucky placed you down gently, and you couldn’t help but smile as you thought about the impossibility of kids trying to sneak through this old house, and the challenges the aged floorboards would certainly present.

“Welcome home, Bucky.”

“Welcome home, doll.”

***

Your first night in the house had been one full of excitement and passion. The four-bedroom house was admittedly more space than you needed, but the Braxtons had wanted the house to go to someone who was part of the community, rather than risk it being bought up by land developers; and as the two of you explored the house that was now your own, a devilish thought crept up on you.

“Y’know your superstition about carrying me across the threshold?” You asked loudly, as you leaned against the wall of what would soon become the master bedroom.

“Not a superstition,” Bucky called out from the private bathroom, as he opened every drawer and cabinet with curiosity.

“Superstition or not — I know of another one,” you teased. “It’s supposedly only right to christen every room.” You raised your eyebrows at him suggestively, winking as he caught on.

Bucky stepped towards you, quickly closing the gap between your bodies; you felt his arms wrap around you securely as he brought you into him for a desperate, needy kiss. “Well — best not to risk it. Let’s see, we’ve got our bedroom, one, two, three others, the living room, the kitchen, the laundry room, the garage —“

You cut off his rambling with an intense kiss, effectively quieting him as his attentions turned back to you and the rightful christening of your new home.

***

The two of you had been living in the small Louisiana town for almost a year now, and the house felt more and more like home with every day that passed. Your steadily-improving artwork graced the aging walls, Bucky’s socks were frequently found abandoned in the bathroom, and the garage had become the construction hub for the various household projects the two of you had taken on. Bucky’s book collection had grown to fill the built-in bookcases, and you had grown to fit the expansive kitchen you now had access to.

Sarah and her two boys had become the closest thing the two of you had ever known to family, and while Sam was not quite as consistent of a presence, he had gradually slipped into a brotherly role for Bucky. There were countless shared dinners, holidays were spent together, and you were endlessly grateful for the family that you had fumbled your way into. And when Sarah had a date one Friday evening, you and Bucky were more than willing to look after AJ and Cass, both boys being boisterous but incredibly fun and kind-hearted.

It had been an evening of pizza, video games, and nervous questions that couldn’t be asked of parents — and as you and Bucky tucked the exhausted kids into bed, well past Sarah’s set bedtime, the two of you looked on at the sleeping forms with a smile. You pulled the door of the guest bedroom closed softly, while Bucky’s strong arms wrapped around you securely as they pulled your weary form into his. You looked up into radiant blue eyes, blushing at the intensity with which he stared at you.

“That wasn’t too hard,” he commented, slowly guiding your tired bodies towards your bedroom. “Kids, I mean. I feel like we managed pretty well.”

You laughed as you tightened your grip around his narrow waist, feeling his muscles moving beneath your hands as he guided you to the bedroom. “I’m sure there’s more to kids than letting them play Mario Kart until 1AM and feeding them pizza.”

Bucky shrugged as he released you from his grasp, the two of you now securely closed within the privacy of your shared bedroom. “Sure, but you’re... good, with them. You’re good with kids — y’might be too smart for their own good, I don’t think they could ever sneak anything past you, but...”

His words trailed off nervously, and you desperately wanted to know what the end of that sentence might be. Your eyebrows raised in curiosity, hoping he’d finish that thought.

Bucky paused before getting into bed, his boxers hanging low against his well-muscled frame; your mind raced at the sight, heartbeat picking up as you felt heat rush to your cheeks. However, the comfort of bed was calling to you, neither of you used to being up so late anymore as the years had gone on. The two of you were wrapped securely within the comfort of bedsheets before Bucky spoke again, picking up the same thread of conversation that had been cut short just moments ago.

“You’d — well, what I was thinking, is you’d be a good — “

You cut him off with a kiss of sweet intensity, knowing the words on the tip of his tongue; you’d be a good mother. He didn’t need to say the words aloud for their weight and meaning to echo throughout the room. His admission of confidence and trust in you made you glow in a way that you hadn’t felt before — the thought of children had always seemed so far away, so far fetched that you hadn’t stopped and considered it as a possibility. But as you eagerly responded to Bucky’s exploratory, sensuous touch underneath the sheets, you started to wonder if that perceived impossibility may someday transform into a reality.

***

The sun was setting low against the docks, barely clinging to the skyline; and by this point in the evening, both you and Bucky were a few glasses of wine deep. Sam and Sarah had invited you over for dinner, and the quality of steaks that were grilled and the wine that was served indicated a certain level of formality that you hadn’t quite expected; your mind racing, you considered the dinner you would offer in response, not wanting to seem ungrateful for their generosity. Your thoughts of future dinners, however, were put on hold when Bucky’s cool hand came to rest upon yours before gently pulling you up and away from the table. Sam and Sarah shared a knowing look, while AJ and Cass continued to be entirely preoccupied by the food in front of them.

“Buck, what’s — what’s up?” you asked curiously, as he guided you through the yard and out onto the dock, the familiar area faintly illuminated by the warm glow of the soft and aging lights. There was a nervous look on his face, one that made you want to move forward and smooth it away with a kiss; but as you stepped into his broad frame, he grew rigid. “Bucky, is everything alright?”

He laughed, a hint of nervousness breaking through. “Better than alright, doll.”

You smiled in relief, moving to lean against the weathered wooden railing of the boat dock, trusting that his rigidity and resistance was for a reason, whatever that reason may be.

You watched as Bucky took a deep, and incredibly anxious breath. Your heart started to race as you looked on at the tall, pacing man, unsure of what could be unsettling him like this. He spoke quietly and slowly, the weight of his words quickly bringing you into the gravity of the moment. “From the time I was sixteen and taking a girl on my first date, I had imagined what this moment would be like. When I joined the military, that moment I had imagined, it changed — I started to think of all of the formalities, of asking my girl’s father and hoping that my rank proved to be something he would respect, and that I was someone he could entrust his daughter to.”

You felt your heart race, although your mind was racing along even faster, a faint but hopeful feeling growing within your chest as you hung on his every word.

“But then things went wrong, so horribly, awfully wrong — so wrong that I could never forgive myself for what had happened, for what I had done, for what I had become. I was — I was a monster —“

It was at this point his voice cracked, as did your dedication to any emotional reservation; you reached out towards the man pacing in front of you on the docks, but were unsure of what to do next. He allowed your hands to come to rest on his waist as he continued to speak, his eyes staying locked on you as he paused to steady himself.

“For so long, I was the Winter Soldier. And even after that, for so long, I was fighting for redemption — I was fighting to... to become someone that was worth all the saving. I knew that I wanted to be better, I wanted to be more, I wanted to be the kind of person that someone like you could love.”

“I do love you, Bucky, all of you. I always have and I always will,” You whispered softly in response, the crashing of the waves threatening to drown out your words. “There’s nothing I love more in this life than you.”

Bucky smiled, although his bottom lip trembled slightly. “I had been so worried that the universe would — would punish me for what I was. I was worried that I would never... never get the opportunity to be loved again. But you —“ His voice cracked once again, and you saw the intensity of emotion playing out on his face as he blinked rapidly and pursed his soft, pink lips together. “You loved me, even after I told you everything, and — and you didn’t run away. And even after that, for years I went to sleep every night worried that this might be it, that it might’ve been my last day with you. But you stayed, and every new morning I got with you felt like a miracle.”

You shook your head slowly, tears rolling hotly down your face as you thought of all the mornings you had shared, never knowing the fear and relief that had been playing out behind those blue eyes. “Of course I stayed, Buck — I always will.”

He took another deep breath, trying to calm himself before speaking again. “I know that now. And — and I want to spend every day waking up next to you, I want to spend every day being loved by someone as incredible as you.” He paused, before sticking his hands into the pockets of his black denim jacket and fidgeting. “Sixteen year old Buck, twenty-two year old Buck, hell, even the Buck you met all those years ago never could’ve imagined this life, or this moment right here, but it’s exactly what it was meant to be. It was always meant to be me and you, doll, and that’s what I always want it to be. And with that —“

The world slowed down around you as Bucky gently grabbed your shaking hand, the warmth of his gentle grip radiating through you. In this moment, you were fairly sure that the waves had stopped crashing, the wind had stopped blowing, everything in the world coming to a quiet and peaceful standstill as you watched him sink down onto one knee. Your breathing had stopped, your whole heart felt as though it had stopped — and you appreciated the universe pausing for just one moment, allowing you to commit this entire scene to memory. Looking down at the man kneeling in front of you, Bucky’s eyes looked brighter and clearer than you had ever seen, even with the few tears that threatened to spill.

He continued to hold your hand, anchoring himself to you, as his other hand disappeared into his jacket pocket to retrieve a small black box; the velvet looked soft and darker than the night, and it was accented with a delicate gold thread that formed an intricate B upon the top. The beautiful box, resting against the cool vibranium of his palm, matched so perfectly that you were sure this had been intentional. Bucky stared up at you as though you had hung the stars in the sky above, and he grinned as he opened the box that held his promise of the future, of an unconditional and unending love.

“Would you do me the extraordinary honor of spending every day with me? Will you marry me?”

His voice rang clear and true across the water, and you didn’t need a single second to think of your answer — you launched yourself into his arms, laughing and crying to the point where you couldn’t speak a word, simply overflowing with happiness and love. Bucky’s arms wrapped around you, lifting you upwards as he stood up from the weathered grey wood of the dock; as he spun you around, you saw a look of sheer joy and adoration on the face of the man you had come to know and love. Setting you down gently, his hands never strayed from your side as he smiled at you expectantly. “So’s that a yes?”

You laughed as you nodded eagerly, realizing that the word had actually never been spoken — your voice shook with tears as you answered his question. “Yes, yes, yes — yes, Bucky, god, yes —“

Somehow his smile grew even wider and brighter; the sun had slipped below the horizon, but the two of you illuminated the scene with joy as Bucky took your trembling hand into his. The ring looked so small within the expanse of his broad hands, but as he slipped it onto your ring finger, it was perfect. Everything about it was perfect. “Oh,” you sighed softly, staring at the exquisite piece that graced your hand. “Bucky, this is — this is so beautiful —“

“Yeah?” He beamed at your praise. “It’s, uh, it’s pretty special — d’you want me to tell you about it?”

You nodded, still in shock and awe as you looked on at your hand.

“The band, it’s — well, it’s vibranium. It’s the strongest thing I know, next to you. And — it’s almost like it’s a part of me, y’know?” He shrugged his shoulder, and you watched the way the metal of his arm gleamed in the light. The band was thin, delicate, but as you now knew, it was also incredibly strong. “And the diamond, th’middle one, it was my mother’s.”

You felt another hot wave of tears rushing against you, crashing like the same waves that surrounded you. The stone was beautifully cut, the emerald shape highlighting the brilliant fire that somehow burned within the stone, and knowing the significance of it only served to make it even more perfect. “How — how did you—?”

Bucky laughed, his hands still holding onto yours. “Took a lot of work to get that back to me, but that’s a story for another day.” He moved your hand slowly and softly, admiring the way the diamond caught the low light of the bulbs above. “Fits perfect.”

“How’d you pull that off?” You asked, a hint of a tease behind your genuine curiosity.

Bucky laughed, the baritone of it echoing through your chest. “I might’ve... borrowed, one of your rings for a bit.”

“Ahh, so that’s where my mother’s ring had gone,” you mused, the smile on your face feeling as though it was permanent at this point. “I thought I was losing my mind when it turned back up in my jewelry box.”

“That was me,” Bucky admitted with a look of chagrin. “It was hard to keep that from you, I saw how worried you were — but I think it was worth it in the end, don’tcha think?”

“Absolutely,” you giggled, looking down again to admire the impossibly beautiful ring; you’d get to look at it every day, you’d get to have Bucky by your side every day. “Bucky, god, I love you so much —“ Overwhelmed by a tidal wave of emotions, you anchored yourself to him before leaning in for a kiss; his hands snaked around your back as he pinned you against his broad and muscled chest, and as you kissed him with fervor you tasted something unmistakeable on his lips. You pulled away from him reluctantly, and saw that a few tears had escaped to roll down his cheeks. You swiped the last one away with the pad of your thumb, before leaning in for one more soft kiss.

The faint sound of clapping made its way to you, carried along by the warm summer breeze, and both you and Bucky turned to see what had become your family grinning and cheering from the porch. The two of you laughed, the moment overflowing with joy, and he clasped your hand securely in his as he guided you off the dock and back to the excited onlookers.

Sarah was crying unabashedly as she pulled you in for a hug, and you wrapped your arms tightly around the woman who had become your best friend, your sister. “I’ve gotta see the ring,” she said eagerly as she pulled away from your hug. You felt heat rushing to your cheeks as you extended your left hand for her to see the ring. One eyebrow shot up as a grin spread across her face. “Damn, Bucky, you did good!”

He was quickly pulled into Sarah’s arms for an embrace, and he relaxed into the contact in a way that he never would have just a few years ago. Sam clapped Bucky on the shoulder, an easy smile on his face as he turned to look at you. “You sure this is the one you want?” Sam asked with a laugh, shaking Bucky by the shoulder.

You nodded, still smiling — you hadn’t stopped and you were sure your cheeks would be aching for days to come. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

AJ and Cass ran up to Bucky as they crashed into him for a hug, and he laughed as the wind was knocked out of him. “So, if you’re Uncle Bucky, does that mean we’re gonna get an aunt now?” AJ asked curiously.

Bucky nodded, the two of you sharing a soft and happy glance.

Cass spoke up next, having a question of his own. “Can we get some cousins too?”

The adults laughed at Cass’s genuine and hopeful question. You grinned on at Bucky, thinking of the sound of small footsteps running across your home’s creaking floorboards; you mussed Cass’s hair before pulling him into a hug. “One thing at a time, alright buddy?”

***

The wedding was small, but still bigger and more important than anything you had ever done in your life. Your backyard had been decorated by Sarah, having been filled with flowers and soft, sheer fabrics — it was transformed into something simple but ethereal. The weather held out, despite the brief shower that morning, and it was a perfectly balmy and breezy day. The wedding was attended by Mrs Braxton and her children, the librarian that Bucky had befriended, and the other community members that the two of you had come to love, and who had come to love you right back. You and Sarah had prepared the food for the celebration the day before, frequently having to chase Sam and Bucky out of the kitchen as they tried to steal a taste of something. The music for the evening was played from an old stereo that occasionally crackled with static, but it was just right.

Bucky waited for you by the sparkling water in a button-down with the sleeves rolled up, and you had fixed up an ivory gown that had been found while perusing a secondhand store. Sam walked you down the aisle, staying strong and steady as your heart raced and your knees wobbled; AJ and Cass stood next to Bucky, having excitedly agreed to being groomsmen after Bucky had bribed them with a pizza. The air was warm, but the collective feeling of all the love contained here, in your backyard, was more comforting than any sunny day or roaring fire could ever hope to be. Bucky bit his lip as he watched you walk towards him, one tear slipping down his clean-shaven cheek despite his best efforts to remain cool and collected. Sarah and Sam stood next to you after you had placed your shaking hands into Bucky’s equally-excited and nervous ones, and your eyes never left one another until that long-awaited line was spoken — “Mr Barnes, you may kiss your bride.”

It was the most perfect, tender, soul-shattering kiss, and the whistles and cheers faded into the background as if it were only you and Bucky here standing against the setting sun. He was all you needed, but in this moment, as the two of you walked down the aisle hand in hand, you looked on at the scene before you and realized you didn’t have only what you needed. You had everything you wanted.

***

Or so you had thought.

Your house was filled with love, no hidden cracks or crevasses escaping the happiness that emanated from the two of you, but it still needed something.

That something came along a few years later, and you could hardly contain your excitement when you dragged Bucky to the couch before presenting him with a hastily-wrapped box. He looked confused as he stared at the item you had eagerly thrust into his hands. “Is there a holiday or something I forgot about? I’m sorry doll, I’ll make it up to you.”

You just shook your head, the excitement and butterflies rendering you silent. You watched as Bucky carefully unwrapped the box, a curious look on his face as he bit his lower lip. The lid came off, and Bucky sat there with the box in hand, completely frozen for several minutes.

Hand shaking like a leaf in a storm, he grabbed the item before turning to face you, tears running down his face in rivulets as he looked on at you with unabashed hope. “R-really?”

He held up an impossibly small onesie, the words ‘My daddy is my favorite Superhero’ printed in bright, colorful letters. You nodded, grinning as the tears rolled down your face. You were swiftly pulled into Bucky’s lap, his arms cradling you against him securely, and he couldn’t do anything but hold onto you and cry.

Shoulders heaving, he looked up at you before planting a tear-stained kiss on your forehead. “Thank you,” he whispered to you, clinging to you tightly. “Thank you,” he sighed, but this one wasn’t for you — this was for the universe and the kindness it had extended, kindness he never imagined he could deserve.

***

The delivery was interesting, to say the least. Bucky had run through the house like a madman, coming to screeching halts and occasionally crashing into something as he tried to gather the hospital bags and anything else he thought you might need. He was an absolute terror on the road, but you knew that any police officer so bold as to try and stop him would simply walk away upon seeing the erratic and nervous look on Bucky’s face.

He somehow managed to calm down when you made it into the hospital bed; Bucky was here for you, he loved you, and was going to do absolutely anything that you asked of him. He never complained or winced when you gripped his hand so tightly that you thought you might pop a tendon; and he never left your side, whispering sweet words of love and encouragement through every tough moment.

And finally, after one more push, the room was filled with the piercing and beautiful cries that the two of you had been waiting to hear for months. Bucky looked on at you in absolute shock and wonder, as the doctor brought the baby to rest upon your chest.

“Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Barnes. It’s a girl.”

The two of you had decided to wait, knowing that the only thing that mattered was that your child made it earthbound safely.

“She has your eyes, Buck,” you whispered, as her tiny fist wrapped around your pinky finger. Bucky was silent and crying, unable to do anything else. Slowly, ever so slowly, his hands moved from the edge of the bed up to where your daughter was resting against your shoulder. As he got closer, he pulled back a bit, before regaining his courage and moving forward again. “D’you want to hold her?”

His eyes flashed with fear and trepidation; how could he hold something so sweet and so small and so new? How could he have made anything so innocent and perfect?

You shifted up in the bed, before grabbing Bucky’s hand and guiding it towards you. You eased the small bundle into his arms, and watched as his eyes grew impossibly large, like a deer in the headlights. You could see the emotions swirling within him as he brought her closer to his face, his finger coming up to gently stroke his daughter’s soft cheek. “Hi, sweetheart,” he whispered, voice cracking. “It’s — well, you don’t know me yet, but I’m your daddy. I love you so much, and I’m s-so lucky to have you and your mom. I can’t wait for you to see how amazing she is...��

He eventually moved to sit in the armchair next to your bed, and you drifted off to sleep as Bucky continued his one-sided conversation with his daughter. She was quick to follow you to sleep, and the poor nurse who offered to take her so Bucky could rest as well was subjected to a look that would shake anyone to their core. Your daughter slept on his chest that night, his head drooping against his shoulder as he held her close, and he only let her go when you were awake and asking for her.

The drive home was incredibly cautious, quite unlike the drive to the hospital, and as you stepped through the front door of your home, you smiled at the sight of Bucky managing multiple duffle bags, a baby carrier, and your McDonalds bag. He placed all of the items down gently, not wanting to wake the baby; he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you and your daughter into his chest. Sighing contentedly, he kissed the top of your head.

“It’s a good life, Bucky Barnes.”

You could feel the smile on his face as he kissed you once more. “It is now. I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you too, Buck.”

#bucky barnes #bucky x you #bucky x reader #bucky fanfic #sebastian stan #tfatws #the falcon and the winter soldier

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mehphoobia · 3 years

Text

You are beautiful

pairing - Tom Holland (actor) x Reader (college girl)

summary - Y/n is visiting her parents for the first time to Rio, whom she doesn’t know properly because they left her with her aunt when she was young. She is insecure about meeting her parents but she finds comfort in a stranger.

MASTERLIST

word count- 2.9k or around 3k

warnings - mentions of insecurity and self doubt, no swearing(cause its like my first post so gotta stay ‘pure’)

“Get up Y/N and Claudia…its 8 am already. We are going to be late.” a faint alarm could be heard from the kitchen, two rooms away from your room.

_______________________________________________________________

Your parents had been looking forward this vacation for months. With your father working in Rio for the past 7 years and your mother being a full time nurse at a nearby hospital in Rio where your parents lived, you never got a chance to feel how it felt to be with your parents. So naturally with no one to your care, you grew up with your Aunt Cass and your cousin Claudia, around whom your entire world revolved for the past 20 years.

________________________________________________________________

Grumpy, filled with laziness up to the brim Claudia dragged herself to your bed and tortured you to get up. “Just two more minutes. I swear”, you begged as if she was listening. Then came the final blow with a splash of water on your face and then well….its self-explanatory. You both got up, finished through the verbal fight which left Aunt Cass chuckling in the kitchen.

“Aren’t you a tad bit excited to go to Rio, it’s been years since your parents last spent time with you.” Asked Claudia looking at you expression-less face in the mirror while brushing your teeth. “I don’t know Cloud, it’s just that I don’t know how I should feel about it. I am nervous and scared and tired just thinking about how awkward it can get.”

________________________________________________________________

Your parents had last seen you on your 16th birthday, when they showed up at your house. The 16th year where you are neither an adult nor a child, of all those years they could have shown up, it was that year. Your mother had gifted you a manicure set and your father had bought you a hair kit and you absolutely had no idea what to do with it. Little did they know that you were more interested in trekking and photography rather than painting your nails and dyeing your hair? Where other girls chose tight fitting dresses and expensive heels you chose the comfort of sweatshirts: pajamas or jeans and sneakers.

_______________________________________________________________

“You will be fine, it’s YOU after all. If I can tolerate you enough to share my room with you then trust me, anyone can put up with you” said Claudia boasting her patience and handing a comb from her dresser. “Why don’t you curse or compliment me one at a time” you snapped annoyingly. But you were grateful for supportive arms around you which calmed you down.

After getting ready, you greeted Aunt Cass with a smile on your face and a stretched good morning as you helped yourself with some toast and orange juice. “Eat well, it’s a long flight after all” said Aunt Cass followed by a “Yes ma’am.”

“Keep your phone charged at all times. Keep calling me after every two hours and did you pack enough clothes to last you a month. I don’t want to hear your mother complaining later about it. Should I pack some extra snacks for you, you will surely not take care for meals and if you skip any your meals throughout the day, I swear you have had it then.” It never ceased to amaze you how multitasking Aunt Cass could be. She is strict, tough and a woman of her words. There was not a single day when you and Claudia had not done your college assignments or homework with Aunt Cass being at home. But at the same time she would sit with you past midnight when both of you cousins stayed awake for you midterms. Maybe that’s why you never missed your parents because you never had a void in your life, Claudia and Aunt Cass had filled it lovingly.

That being said, before you knew it all three of you were in the car and already off for the airport. The entire ride was filled with constant chattering as to how famous and beautiful Rio is and as how will not be able to walk down a street without bumping into a celebrity. However you were lost in your thoughts about living with your parents for a month, about whom you knew nothing and neither did they about you.

After reaching the Leipzig Airport, you waved them goodbye, leaving the loving and proud embrace of Aunt Cass and a cute envious look on Claudia’s face you were all set for Rio.

During the flight:

It was a 15hr flight, with the overthinking and hyperactive person you were there was no possible way you could have had a simple excited flight journey, but there is no harm in wishing one for right? Or so you thought.

When you were boarding the plane you noticed an unusual number of bodyguards outside, literally engulfing the poor person standing in middle. What annoyed you the most was the people who were cheering, because at some point of time it wasn’t cheering anymore, it was a mob attack. After boarding, what greeted you were the over excited air-hostesses which was obviously because ‘the person’ as you painfully learnt through the mob attack. But all you could care at that moment was your seat being a window seat or not, and luckily it was. After putting your hand luggage in the upper compartment (you had three suitcases and one hand luggage) you finally asked a fellow passenger dressed in black hoodie with a mask on his face and skinny jeans as to what exactly was the commotion about and to brief you about the situation. The answer surprised you- it was none other than Tom Holland.

Your mouth was literally in the O shape and eyes wide open. It was the Tom Holland. It was your favorite actor travelling in the same flight with you. That explained the mob attack. The only person that came to you upper floor was your Claudia.

Y/N: TOM HOLLAND is in the flight right now!!!!!! Tom freaking Holland.

Claudia: wwwwhhhhaaatttt!!!???????, damn I knew I should have gone with you. How could you do this to me? Why?

Y/N: I am sorry ok I didn’t know or wait maybe I did. His visit to Leipzig was mentioned in his itinary on his twitter account how could we miss that? We just got lucky man and also I was squashed in the mob attack at the airport.

Claudia: Oh! You mean you got lucky dipshit!? Please tell me you got a picture!

Y/N: no I couldn’t, I hardly knew about him being on the plane I asked someone and I have been freaking out since.

*announcement for switching off electrical devices.*

Y/N: I have to switch off my phone for a while, the flight’s gonna take off.

Claudia: okay, I knew I should have come with you. Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!text me soon..love you

Y/N: yeah you should have, I miss you. Love you too.

“Are you a fan too?” asked your neighbor. You look at him with suspicious eyes was he eying your texts? Because if he was, that’s not healthy and it creeped you out. Even though, “well yes, me and my sister.” You said and hoped the conversation will die out there. He took the answer and you could imagine a small smirk curling upon his face by the wrinkling of his eyes which was adorable. By his physique and posture he looked no older than early twenties. “What about you, are you fan?” you asked, unknowingly and regretted it immediately. “He doesn’t bugger me, so you could say so. How long have you been a fan?” ,“My aunt happened to be watching ‘The Impossible’, when we were younger and we have been crazy about him since. My sister liked him like crazy as to how cute he was but I liked his acting in the movie but ended up liking him too.”

“Very interesting..” something about him was attracting you, maybe his aura, the charming vibes, you didn’t know, but you were just attracted. But something pinned you, his accent, he had a British accent. Unknowingly, when your eyes met, your heart skipped a beat. It’s him. He was sitting right here. He realized your surprised expression and said, ”You can take a picture now” he chuckled and looking directly at you. Your brain on the other hand was still processing the vital information and the very awesome physique with veiny and beautiful hands and captivating eyes. How could you miss his eyes, those beautiful passion filled dark brown eyes.

“uh..um..h hi, I mean hello nice to meet you, I am Y/N”, ”Tom Holland” he said extending a hand not taking his eyes off of you. It amazed you really, how could he despite being an actor maintain such a down to earth personality. The way he talks, listens to you, waits for your reply and him being in the economy class instead of comfortably sitting in the first class seating arrangements. Wait!?Why was he here?. As if he read your mind and a sudden change in your expression from being flustered to confused. “Too many people, I needed to get out of there and breathe by myself for once. No cameras, no media, no stylists….jus… just plain old me. By the way, my manager is my imposter”, he said with a smirk on his face.

“Oh sure, I can understand that, it can get tiring sometimes. The attention being forced on you that you were never used to it. My parents too, in that way, been out of my life since the very year I turned 1 and suddenly they want meet me and want me to stay with them for a month in Rio. I didn’t want to but my aunt convinced me and I couldn’t say no to her. ”, ”You stayed with your aunt your entire life? Didn’t you miss your parents?” his passionate eyes suddenly changed into concern and pity, “yeah, but she means a lot to me, she was there for all my dance ceremonies, each and every one of my birthday’s , my graduation, she means the world to me so does my sister, she is like my pillar, my support , an annoying one at that.” You said smiling on you lap, and you could feel his gaze softening upon yours. ”my parents, uhh…you can never miss something you never had.” You looked at him again, but this time you could feel and see his gaze on you, watching you and never leaving your eyes.

Both you were so lost in each other that you didn’t realize when the flight had taken off and the snacks table breaking your moment. “Oh it’s been so long already since the plane took off, I didn’t realize we even missed the safety instructions”, you both chuckled at that. “Oh man!, you are really beautiful, really” he said running his hand down his locks and realizing that his tone was a bit too loud, and he meant to keep the compliment to himself. “Sorry?” you asked, despite you pretty much heard it when he said it, you wanted to hear it again.

“uhh..i m..mean your teeth are beautiful.” He realized what he said and his expression was like ‘did I really just say that?’. “I mean your smile is beautiful, Not your teeth..oh wait..I mean your teeth are beautiful too but your smi…” you couldn’t hold you laugh anymore looking at him and his cute ‘war’ with himself. “Thank you, I guess, a lot of people say that about me after I got my braces removed.”

“Oh you had braces? Since when?” “around when I was 15, like every girl wanted to look pretty and wanted boys around her ,so me and my sister had braces for the sake of it, not that I cared about me getting a boyfriend, just for fun”. He seemed to have got stuck on one word, “so you got one?”…”got what?” , “a boyfriend I mean?”. His expression changed and yet again you could feel blood rushing to your cheeks, “I always wanted a crazy guy, who could have something similar to my interests, ‘cause I am not like every other girl in the town, I am into trekking and photography and outdoor activities, not just a girl who likes shopping and who always has to be around people so, my specifications are a bit particular, so I have never had a boyfriend.”

“So, no boyfriend, right?” he asked as if that being the only part he was interested in, or who knows may be he actually was.

After a few hours, you realized you had a lot of things in common and the internet was all wrong about his interests and all. It was like meeting a complete different person, a person whom you have known for the longest time as if you have always been together. You were attracted to him and so was he to you, and you could tell that.

“So what are you doing in Germany? Did you have a shoot here?” you didn’t mind asking because he already had mentioned a lot of stuff that he was not supposed to and also his eyes lit up when he was excited to tell you about some stuff anything at all. “uh..yeah we had to film a segment in Berlin and then we decided to take a break, so I around different places and now we are heading towards the Carnival.” “oh Carnival huh? My aunt says its pretty lively. That was like the main reason why I agreed to go Rio. ”

“so don’t mind me asking, but are you going to be awkward around your parents? Like I know you are not very close to them..” he asked you sincerely concerned with his hands slightly brushing off of yours on the handle of the seat. It’s like he wanted to hold your hand because he knew the weight of his question but he felt like you would disintegerate if he did so. You could feel the same pit around your stomach filled with nervousness that you had forgotten about a for couple hours. “I don’t know, it’s complicated, I don’t know anything about them and also they might have certain expectations about me and what do I do if I do not live up to it. I know we haven’t had a very comfortable story build around us but somehow I don’t wanna disappoint them from my side because they don’t know anything about me like the birthday incident I mentioned about. But I simply don’t want to disappoint because I don’t want my mother, who was never there for me, to question my aunt, who has always been there for me” It’s like you pour the entire timeline of your life in front of Tom and you were scared if he would drift away. “I understand Y/N, but your parents were the ones who planned this trip right?” “yeah they were the ones.” “so that’s it, you know when I have too much on my plate, my manager asks me to take a break and let everything go for sometime. All my meetings and appointments are cancelled because I will ruin them anyway, so there is no point of it. Your situation is kind of similar too, you have had a lot in your life with you parents not being there and now you simply just have to take a break and forget everything for a while because that’s what your aunt wants to you to do.” His hand finally rested upon yours and none of you flinched. It’s as if it’s meant to be.

That being said, you have already arrived in Rio and a beautiful ocean greeted you with open arms and you accepted it with a fresh mind. Tom’s hand still resting over yours and his fingers brushing the upper part of your hand and you look at each other embracing each other’s warmth with your eyes. That’s when you realized that you have fallen for him, not Tom Holland but just him, just Tom.

After the plane landed he was still holding on to you, scared to let go. He was scared to let you go because he cared about you and some fact had gotten him attracted towards you and he was scared to show you his vulnerable side. On the other hand you were scared to let go because you might never see him again. As if he sensed it again, what you were thinking, “I will see you again for sure. Don’t worry.” With a tight squeeze on his hand you let go and say “thank you, I will wait for you.”

“me too.”

You didn’t see him again after departing the flight, he would steal glances out of every opportunity to see you ,lost between the flashes of cameras and cheering, till the last second. The last time you saw him was to murmur something to his manager pointing towards you and that was it, the escalator distanced him from you. But you would still wait..

Outside the gate you could see your parents waiting for you, with Tom’s words in your mind you greeted them with a smile and everything seemed normal, as if they were always with you.

Two weeks later, still no message from Tom.

Claudia bombarded you with messages, when you told her about the entire duration of the flight. You were kind of annoyed with messages cause they were literally somewhere is hundreds. So you decided to ignore her for sometime.

*Ting* some part of you wanted to check that message but the other part of you wanted to go eat pizza because you were really tired from messaging and explaining everything to Claudia over texts. But then you were like *screw it* and you checked the message and…

*unknown number*: I said you were really beautiful Y/N….

A/n- uh..first of all thank you for reading this, cause it like my first post and my first fanfiction so i was a bit skeptical about posting this but fuck it, here it is guys it took me around four hours to complete this and its worth it.

also if you wanna be tagged in this just let me know!!! *uwu face*

lemme know if you want a part 2 of this, because I will gladly include it with improvement of course, love you ppl...

#tomholland #tom holland #tomholland fanfiction #tomhollandxreader #tom holland x reader #actor!tomholland #actorxreader #tom holland imagine #tom holland fluff #tomhollandfluff #tomxreader #actor tom holland #actortom #marvel

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nightwingmyboi · 4 years

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Can I ask why you hate Batman and Robin Eternal? (it was my first DC comic ever, my dad bought it for me in one of his trips even though I didn’t know anything about the batfam or comics in general lmao). It’s been so long since the last time I read it I don’t even remember what it was about (I do remember enjoying it in that moment but it may have also been because it was a gift and the drawings were cool lol)

Aww, that’s very sweet. There are certainly bits of the comic that are enjoyable. I’m pretty sure that I’m actually in the minority when I say that I don’t care for it...but since you asked lol, there are several things about these comics that really rub me the wrong way. This is pretty negative (and way longer than I’d planned), so be warned.

For starters, Dick Grayson was just...not treated well by his family members in these comics. It felt particularly brutal here specifically...I think because Dick would say very harmless things, and his family’s responses in return were so abrupt and unreasonably harsh. Like, Dick says that he’s glad to see Batgirl, and wonders what some kids are doing dressed as Robin...

Batman and Robin Eternal #4

And Batgirl bites his head off. Or, there were times where Dick would just be hanging out in the general vicinity, and people would just take shots at him out of the blue for seemingly no reason.

Batman and Robin Eternal #3

It felt like he could barely breathe without someone criticizing him for it. At one point, Dick confesses that he’s feeling discouraged, and Damian’s response is to punch him in the face.

Batman and Robin Eternal #22

Which is a pretty good summary of the family’s treatment of him in these comics to be honest. Just literally, lashing out at him for zero reason while he just takes it.

One scene in particular that really frustrated me was this one:

Batman and Robin Eternal #5

You know, that other time in this comic series where one of Dick’s family members punches him in the face while he, once again, takes the hit and does nothing to retaliate. Good times.

For context...the big bad in these comics is a villain known as “Mother.” Her speciality is brainwashing. She placed several of her “children” in high-profile positions in order to enact her plans, even managing to infiltrate Spyral. In a message left for Dick, Batman specifically explains that “Anyone could be under her control, Dick. They could be people you know. People you love…they probably will be” (Batman and Robin Eternal #1).

Unlike in Pre-52, Tim’s background is largely a mystery. He’s acting suspiciously. So, Dick takes it upon himself to investigate and ensure that Tim’s not one of Mother’s plants.

On Tim’s side of things, he’s upset that Dick investigated behind his back and found out where he’d secretly had his parents living for their safety. Dick unintentionally brought danger to their doorstep (though, notably, no one was actually hurt). But Tim’s pissed, and punches Dick in the face.

Not gonna lie, this was hard to take. I mean, even if Tim was in the right in this argument (which he lowkey isn’t in my eyes), that still does not make it ok for him to just punch Dick out of the blue when Dick is, as pictured above, just talking to him.

And the hypocrisy that Tim is displaying here is stunning. How he had previously told Dick off for keeping secrets from the family by going undercover with Spyral, when he in fact had a whole secret family tucked away in a corner. How he tells Dick off now for invading people’s privacy, when just earlier in this very comic he had planted surveillance devices in Stephanie’s apartment without her consent.

Batman and Robin Eternal #2

How Tim storms off and goes on a solo mission with Jason because Dick’s supposedly too personally invested and thus compromised, when he just got so emotionally unhinged that he lost his shit at Dick and punched him. Once again, may I just say, simply stunning.

But does Tim ever face any consequences for this behavior? Oh, of course not! Instead, we get Jason joking about how great it is to punch Dick in the face when he is not even fighting back.

Batman and Robin Eternal #7

And everyone collectively piling on to Dick and blaming him, even though he had legitimate concerns. Awesome.

Batman and Robin Eternal #6

Batman and Robin Eternal #7

And Dick just continues to take it. Not once does he stand up for himself. It’s so hard to read him continually get shit on, I’m sorry. And it’s crazy how they treat him this way, and yet still ultimately look to him for encouragement and rely on him to save the day in the end? You hate to see it.

I also didn’t like what they did with Cass. I know, I’m just full of complaints. But they really watered her down. With Pre52 Cass, you could actually describe facets of her personality. She was compassionate, had a very refreshing, sassy sense of humor, etc. She wasn’t just...mysterious action girl who has a dark past and cries occasionally. I mean, there were moments where I could see glimpses of personality (the time she visited the ballet being the main one), but on the whole she punched people when needed, and otherwise just stood there as people talked about and around her. Essentially a prop for the story.

Batman and Robin Eternal #24

Another thing that makes me so uncomfortable (that I couldn’t pin down until I read this post here) is the fact that this comics version of events makes it so that Cass’ own backstory no longer has her as the focus; it’s not about her emotional struggles and journey. By having Cass kill Harper’s mother rather than a random man, it makes the story about Harper, and about Cass gaining Harper’s forgiveness. So...more using Cass as a prop...as an element of someone else’s story in what is supposed to be her origin!

Honestly, I have no idea why Cass would want to stay with the Bat-family in these comics anyway...her previous mentorship with Barbara Gordon is nonexistent. She’s no longer Batgirl. The two people who were once her closest friends treat her horribly.

Batman and Robin Eternal #3

Batman and Robin Eternal #4

As if she’s barely a person. Once again, sooooo hard to read this. Why.

Yeah, I could go on forever nitpicking here. You probably got a sense of it already, but I absolutely despise how Tim is characterized here. Most of the time, he’s an ass. Jason also had pretty inconsistent characterization. And I really don’t like how the whole comic treats Robin like something Batman owns and is meant to benefit from, rather than as something Dick created. I don’t like how Cain was “redeemed” in the end, and that Cass took on the name Orphan instead of Black Bat or Batgirl. Once again, how is she connected to the Bat-family exactly? And I don’t like how Dick’s time as Robin is portrayed.

The existence of this comic...drives me insane...

It’s also the worst time to be doing a “Does Batman treat his kids like child soldiers?” arc considering it is coming on the tail end of Spyral, aka that one thing that Dick did because Bruce beat the shit out of him and forced him to.

Nightwing #30

Looking through Batman’s speech to Dick there...some of the things he says to Dick are so uncomfortably close to what Cain says to Cass. Really horrible parallel there. Why DC.

I really don’t know why Dick was so certain that Bruce didn’t do something shady with Mother, as was implied throughout the comic, when Bruce had pulled the Spyral crap fairly recently. Idk why they didn’t play into that side of things. Like, the fact that this arc ends with Dick comforting Batman about them not being child soldiers:

Batman and Robin Eternal #26

Instead of Batman stepping up to reaffirm to Dick that he was a good partner and a trusted ally when he spent the whole comic being insulted by his family and being told this stuff by his enemies (and flashback!Batman):

Batman and Robin Eternal #8

Batman and Robin Eternal #12

Just sucks. I mean, Dick had just recently sacrificed everything (his family, his friends, his life, his identity, everything) to do as Batman wanted and go undercover, only to hear this over and over? To hear that none of it was enough? That he could never be enough? And Dick never gets reassurance that this isn’t true. This comic is just agonizing in so many ways.

Obviously, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I am not criticizing this to be a killjoy? Just venting. If you enjoy these comics, you are free to continue to do you. But I am never going to like them. And when I see people championing these books as the best the Bat-fam has to offer...oof is that hard to hear lmao! Surely we can do better than all this.

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