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ecliptsukki · 3 years

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his delinquent phase ❧ kaoru sakurayashiki // cherry blossom

navigation | music

➣ genre: fluff

➣ warnings: adam’s existence

➣ request: can i request a one shot where you’re cherrys s/o and like childhood best friends with joe and cherry and adam and you’re gushing over cherrys old bad boy look with piercings and everuthing and cherry one day goes to S with his piercings and hair the same way as before just to see you fawn over him skjfks

➣ a/n: this took me three times to type up because the first two times i did it, tumblr thought it would be funny to delete it. i’m not sure if i love how this came out, but it’s still better than my original plan. hopefully this was correct to what the anon requested. enjoy!

ps: i’m also going to be going on a trip for four days tomorrow, so i’m not sure if i’ll be able to post. i’ll definitely try to start working on my other requests!

You had known Joe, Cherry, and Adam ever since the four of you were in high school. Out of the three, you had met Joe, first, not soon before you met Cherry.

You were walking down the eventful streets of Okinawa, admiring the sights and getting accustomed with the area. You had moved to the city not too long ago and already were growing attached to the place. In your defense, the city was your perfect and desired location to live in.

A gentle breeze blew through your hair, rustling the leaves of the green trees. You sighed at the feeling of the cool breeze tickling your warm skin. Not long after that breeze had gone, another, harsher breeze blew past you. You flinched at the abnormally sharp wind, snapping your head to the side, in its direction. You were met with honey red eyes and short, green locks, swaying.

The male slips past you, stopping abruptly.

“Sorry about that,” he smiled, embarrassed, “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

You were in awe, seeing what the boy was standing on, and on alert because you had always been taught to be cautious around strangers, especially when you were walking alone.

“Um, no. I’m alright, just shocked,” you shrugged, replying quietly.

Another harsh, but gentler than before, wind blows past you, revealing a pink-haired male. He had three piercings on his ear and one on his lip. Half of the boy’s face was hidden by his long bangs, allowing your focus to lock on his golden eye.

“Watch where you’re going,” he snaps at his green-haired friend. “Sorry about him,” he apologizes, giving you a polite smile.

All the sirens were going off in your head.

He has so many piercings! Is he a delinquent? Are both of them delinquents? If they are, I can’t fight them off on my own. What do I do?

“I’m Kaoru,” the bubblegum-haired male suddenly said, “This is Kojiro.”

Kojiro nodded at you, an embarrassed blush still grazing his cheeks.

“Hey, aren’t you the new kid?” Kaoru asked, finding your puzzlingly familiar.

“Oh, that’s why I felt like I’ve met you before,” Kojiro spoke up, nodding his head when he realized who you were.

Awkwardly, you shyly respond, “Sorry, I can’t seem to remember seeing you guys at school. Are you in my class?”

Until dusk, the three of you talked, getting to know the each of you better. You were also able to befriend the boys you were so afraid of, becoming your first two friends in the city.

You met Adam in the dark of night, beside Cherry and Joe.

They had brought you along, one night, wanting to skate with you. You already knew the basics of skating, nothing more, nothing less. Therefore, as your closest, and only, friends, they wanted to get further acquainted with you in something they loved.

“Who’s the sweet cheeks?” His hoodie-covered eyes left an eerie pressure on you, causing goosebumps to emerge from your skin.

“This is our close friend, Y/N L/N,” Cherry spoke up.

“She goes to school with us, and we wanted to bring her skating. Mind her tagging along?” Joe asks his hooded friend.

“Not at all, just as long as she can keep up,” he spoke in a cocky tone.

The pretentious attitude the unnamed face had was irking you in the wrong way. He seemed too mysterious for your liking. A third of the boy’s face was hidden in the shadow of his hoodie, leaving you only able to see the blue tips of his hair and his structured nose.

He must’ve noticed your timid stare because he looks at you, under his hood, “Call me Adam.”

Cherry and Joe look at you expectingly.

“Just call me sweet cheeks, for now,” you reply, distantly, not ready to let your guard down just yet.

You hear your two friends sigh, chuckling to each other.

“Don’t worry, she’ll warm up to you, soon,” Cherry told Adam, “We know firsthand how she is with meeting new people.”

You blush, remembering your first encounter with the pair.

Thinking back, you still regret letting your walls down and accepting Adam as a friend. Not a day goes by that Adam doesn’t linger in your mind, as much as you’d hate to admit.

You despise that man with a passion. From your first interaction, you should’ve known that there was something off about the blue-haired male, but pondering on these frustrations now wouldn’t change anything. As much as you’d like to curse the man for hurting your friends’ and your feelings, you knew you had to move on.

You sat on the soft mattress of your shared bed, scrolling through old pictures stored on your phone. You saw pictures taken by Kaoru when you guys went on dates. Majority of the photos were candid, seeing as he always had told you that you were the “most photogenic woman” he had ever met.

You remember the day he had told you that. You also remember your laughed reply.

“Then you’ve got the whole world to explore, my love.”

Although, honestly, you thought Kaoru was quite the photogenic one himself. His gorgeous, sorted, pink hair matched with his golden eyes and perfect face never looked bad, not even at the crack of dawn or in the late of night.

Speaking of which, you scrolled upon a photograph of Kaoru sitting all pretty with his piercings on display. Those piercings brought back many memories, humorous and lustful.

Ironically, the thing that brought you fear before now brings you yearning.

Honestly, once you had befriended Kaoru and came to trust him, the piercings no longer frightened you but instead, fascinated you. Those metal hoops further increased your attraction to the ponytailed man, leading you to the relationship you were in now.

Obviously, Kojiro played a big role in setting the two of you up together because both of you were completely oblivious to the other’s feelings. It got to the point that Adam almost had to step in and wack some sense into the both of you.

Anyways, ever since Kaoru had started working in the calligraphy business, he removed his piercings to maintain a professional image. You detested the idea, but you also knew that it was the best for his business.

Now that you were looking back at photos of Kaoru as a teenager, you began to crave seeing him in those metal rings once more. You missed the “bad boy” look your boyfriend used to have, not that you didn’t appreciate how he looked now. It’s just that there’s a different vibe to his current and past aesthetics.

As you stalked through more pictures of teenage Kaoru, you were unaware of the very man you were thinking about watching you. He noticed the longing and craving in your gaze. Then, he caught a glimpse of what was being projected on your screen: it was him but in his teenage years.

Suddenly, everything clicked for Kaoru, and he had the perfect plan in mind.

Something was off. Usually your boyfriend would insist on bringing you to “S” himself but not today. If anything, he was urging you to go with Kojiro.

“He’s been your friend for the same amount of time as I. You should take this time to your advantage and catch up,” was Kaoru’s excuse.

First of all, catch up on what? It’s not like you haven’t talked to Kojiro in months. Actually, you talked to him a day ago, at “S.” Secondly, what’s up with the sudden lenience and weak excuses?

Joe, who was also in on the plan, tried to help his friend out, making a feeble attempt to lure you with free food.

“I can get free food from you whenever I want,” you replied, squinting suspiciously at your friend.

“Not with that attitude, you can’t.” That pulled a raised brow from you and a regret-filled face from the muscular man.

Though you weren’t fully convinced that nothing was off, you still left with Joe, caving into their terrible attempts of covering up whatever they were hiding from you.

You had arrived at “S” with Joe for about ten minutes now, but there was still no sightings of your beloved, Cherry. Joe caught glimpse of your searching eyes and reassured you that he would be coming, be it later than usual.

Reki, Langa, and Miya had made their way over to you, sparking up a conversation with you, making you forget about the missing presence of a specific male.

Miya was explaining the new training regiment and diet he was to use in order to advance his strength, leading you to worry for the small teenager. If he didn’t eat enough, it could become fatal to him. You didn’t understand why a child was being treated so harshly by his managers, forcing him to eat barely anything and train long hours of the day.

You were concernedly asking Miya if he was feeling alright and offered him an energy bar you carried around in case of emergencies, which he gratefully accepted, when you heard the cheers of fangirls behind you. Knowing they weren’t meant for Joe, you turned around to meet the golden eyes you’d fallen in love with.

This time, there was something different. His face wasn’t hidden by his mask. You could see the pale skin of his cheeks and the pink of his lips. Besides the absence of the black cloth, you noticed metallic rings decorating your boyfriend’s lip and ears. Also, his hair wasn’t whipping behind him, as per usual, but laid low, drifting in the wind.

For a hot moment, you had thought you had finally lost it, but when you blinked your eyes, looking at Miya then back to Cherry, you realized you were still sane and your boyfriend still looked like he aged back into his high school days.

“Is that Cherry?” Miya asked from beside you.

You nodded, speechless.

You heard someone let out a loud laugh beside you, “Since when did he have piercings?”

Ignoring the redhead’s outburst, you were mesmerized by the Cherry you had been obsessing over a couple days ago. It felt like one extravagant dream that you didn’t want to wake up from. In your defense, as he stepped of his skateboard, coming to embrace you, he looked straight out of a fantasy. His skin was practically glowing, and his hair gently floated perfectly onto his shoulders.

“Hello, darling,” he spoke in a sultry voice, placing a soft kiss to your forehead as he held you in his muscular arms.

“K-Kao—” you quickly realize your soon-to-be mistake and fix it, “Cherry.”

His eyes shrink as he laughs, endearingly, admiring the flustered and confused look you were portraying.

“Is this why you and Joe were being so weird earlier today?” You asked, cheek pressed against his slim, toned chest.

“Indeed, my love. What do you think? Definitely brings back some memories of the old days,” he lifts your chin, forcing you to look him in the eyes.

“I love it. It’s perfect. You’re perfect,” you smile brightly, eyes lustrous. Pushing yourself up on your toes, you whisper into his ear, “You also look really hot.” You quickly pull away, turning a vibrant red.

“I think you broke her,” Joe told his friend, placing a heavy hand on the pink-nette’s shoulder.

After the supposed one occurrence surprise, you began to avidly ask him to wear his piercings, loving how attractive and domineering he looked in them. If he denied, you would ask him to, at least, tie his hair in the relaxed half up half down hairdo. He didn’t mind the different hairstyle as much as he did the piercings so it became a normal look for him. The only times he would willingly put on his piercings were when he was going to “S” or when the two of you were safe in the comfort of your own home, for research purposes.

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snelbz · 3 years

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Tempting the Fates {Chapter 1}

Summary: It’s the final semester of Aelin Galathynius’ collegiate career and she is so beyond ready to be done. Her schedule is packed full of nursing classes and labs designed to test her knowledge and hone her skills for the real world and her “big girl” job. However, she needs one last elective to graduate, so she decides to study a subject she’s always been fascinated by: Mythology. Who would have thought that a class about gods and goddesses living complicated lives would end up complicating her own in such an unexpected way?

A/N: Fun fact about this one, y’all. I wrote the first chapter over 3 years ago and it was for a completely different story. This one has evolved on it's own and Tara and I are so excited to finally share it with you.

Word Count: 3493

Chapters will be posted every Wednesday.

Tempting the Fates Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist

Zeus

– King of the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky, lightning, thunder and law.

The waves lapped against the sand as Aelin sighed. Strong hands rubbed the muscles in her back and worked out the kinks in her neck as the warm sun heated her body. The smell of the salt water filled her senses and she settled into the cushioned chaise. Another set of hands set a fruity looking drink with a little pink umbrella on the table next to her head. She smiled at it.

“Can we get you anything else, miss?”

Aelin opened her mouth to tell them exactly what they could do to her.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Aelin’s eyes snapped open and she glared at her phone, chiming at her to get up.

She groaned, reaching for the offending device and silenced it, pulling her pillow over her head. She began to doze back off when her bedroom door flew open, smacking into the dresser on the wall behind it. She sat bolt upright and found her roommate leaning against the doorframe, a bowl of cereal in her hands and a gleam of mischief in her emerald eyes.

“Rise and shine, princess,” Lysandra drawled. Aelin just continued to scowl at her roommate. The bright warmth of the sun in her dream faded away as she looked out the window. Ice coated it and she could see a fresh layer of snow coated everything. “Aedion is about to be up, too. If you’d like any chance of taking a warm shower before class today, I’d suggest-.”

She was up and in the hallway before Lysandra could even finish her sentence.

Thirty minutes later, she sat on the kitchen counter, hair wrapped up in a towel, eating an apple and going over her schedule for the thousandth time. Her four classes were split into two days each, mercifully giving her Friday off.

Her cousin, long golden hair tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, came into the kitchen, pulling the jug of milk out of the fridge. He leaned on the counter across from her and drank straight from the plastic bottle, glaring daggers at her.

“Can I help you with something,” she asked him sweetly.

“You used the last of the hot water,” Aedion sulked, taking another swig.

She looked over, blowing him a quick kiss. “Maybe you should have gotten up earlier.”

He rolled his eyes, identical to her own, and came over to look at her computer screen. “What classes do you have this semester?”

She scrolled down the list, reading them off. “Pathophysiology, Caring for the Childbearing Family, Health and Gerontology, a few labs, and Mythology.”

Aedion’s eyebrows pulled together as she read the last one. “That doesn’t seem like it will be very helpful to a nurse.”

She shrugged, closing the laptop and sliding off the counter. “I needed one last elective. I’ve always been interested in Greek and Roman mythology and it’s a freshman level class. I figured why not study something for fun for once?”

He couldn’t fault her logic and began pulling ingredients out of the fridge to cook breakfast as Aelin headed back towards her bedroom. “Whatever you’re cooking, make two,” she called over her shoulder. She didn’t even need to look back to know the obscene gesture being flicked in her direction.

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

Aelin was regretting studying something fun for once as she looked at the map of her classes.

All of her classes, save for one, were in the nursing building. Of course, that one other class was all the way across campus, in one of the general education buildings. At least walking there would take her right past her favorite coffee shop on campus and with an eight am every Tuesday and Thursday morning, she knew she’d take full advantage of that.

Thankfully today was a Monday, so she’d be spending the entirety of her day in the nursing building. But first, she had to have coffee. The first day of the semester required coffee.

Aelin parked in one of the student lots close to the nursing building. Throwing her leather bag over her shoulder, she slammed her car door. It was absolutely freezing and she suppressed a growl as she saw soft white flakes drifting toward the ground.

What a great way to start off the semester, she thought.

She made her way across campus, hands deep in her pockets and face buried in her scarf. As she crossed the quad, she pulled her phone out to check the time. She still had about twenty minutes to get coffee and get to class. Snow crunched under her boots as she picked up the pace, wanting to be sure she made it on time. Aelin was big on first impressions.

As she approached the door of the café, she reached for the handle, but the door swung open suddenly, slamming into her and knocking her off her feet.

The young girl, eyes wide, apologized profusely but said that she had to get to class and ran off. Aelin was mumbling something about where the freshman could go, when she heard a deep chuckle and a tan, tattooed hand appeared in front of her face. She glanced up and the air was pulled from her lungs.

The owner of the hand was a handsome man in his mid-twenties, with hair the color of the snow swirling around his head and green eyes. Not emerald like Lysandra’s, but deep and rich like a pine tree. A tattoo, similar to the one on his hand, snaked up his neck and onto his face. She’d be willing to bet it ran down the whole length of his arm. She’d love to find out for herself. He smiled at her, a wicked, beautiful smile. She could only stare at the gorgeous stranger as she gripped her hand in his. He lifted her to her feet.

“You okay?” He asked. Aelin nodded, pulling her hand out of his. He opened the door and motioned for her to go ahead of him. She stepped into the delicious warmth and immediately got her wits back.

“I’m Aelin,” she said, giving him a man eater’s smile.

“Rowan,” he said, a slight incline of his head in acknowledgment.

“Thank you, Rowan,” she said, letting his name slip out of her lips like a purr, as she’d heard Lysandra do it to her cousin many times. She knew it drove Aedion crazy and for some reason, that’s exactly what she wanted to do to this man. She walked to the line. He got in line behind her and she pulled out her phone, figuring that would be that. A bit of shameless flirting with a stranger was never a bad thing. She ordered her coffee and was surprised when the barista handed her the paper cup, a phone number written on the side. She quirked an eyebrow at the girl, who gave Aelin a knowing glance and looked over her shoulder. Aelin turned around, meeting a pine green gaze, and smiled at him. She headed back out into the frost and snow, pulling her phone out to snap a picture of the cup to send to Lysandra, knowing her best friend would love this.

Finding the classroom in the nursing building where she’d spent the bulk of the past two years was a breeze and she made it into the classroom with seven minutes to spare. She enjoyed her time with Professor Hafiza in the fall and anticipated she’d like her this semester again, too. Nonetheless, she settled in about three-quarters of the way up and looked at the coffee cup again.

Feeling bold, she entered the number into her phone and sent a quick text.

Any chance you want to sweep me off of my feet again and grab drinks later? I’m free anytime after 5:00. – Aelin.

Her phone buzzed almost immediately.

My last class lets out at 6:00 and I have to go to the gym afterward. How does 8:00 sound?

She typed a quick reply and placed her phone back on her desk.

Sounds like a date. The Beer Cellar, on Church Street.

She smirked to herself and glanced down at her watch. 9:58. Not even 10:00 am and the semester was off to a great start.

She unlocked her phone, shooting a quick text to Lysandra, letting her know about her new plans for the evening when she heard the door open and students started to hush.

It wasn’t the most exciting class, Aelin had to admit, but she supposed the information was necessary. Hopefully it wasn’t an indication of how the rest of her semester would go. She needed a little excitement in her schedule, that was for sure.

Aelin liked to be kept on her toes.

After two classes and a crappy salad for lunch from the school cafeteria, Aelin was hurrying across campus and down the street, toward her apartment. Lysandra was nowhere to be found, which meant she was either snuggled up with Aedion somewhere or still in class. Aelin’s bet was on the former.

After organizing her deskspace, Aelin went to her closet, and attempted to pick out what she should wear for the night. It was her first date of the semester, which either meant that it could be a complete win or a complete fail.

She ultimately decided that the sluttier the better.

Laying the gold dress out on her bed, she let herself into the Lysandra’s room, borrowing a pair of strappy black heels she knew her roommate would absolutely approve of and was back out the door, ready to suffer through her first lab of the semester. Three hours was going to drag by, but thankfully, it was only once a week.

And drag by it did, but Aelin wasn’t sure if it was thanks to the monotonous recap of her previous semester’s information or thinking about seeing Rowan again. She usually wasn’t so forward, even though Rowan had clearly been the one to start it all, giving her his number. But still, she typically would have at least waited a day or two before texting him.

But there was just something about him that she couldn’t get out of her head.

She grabbed her gym bag out of the car, thankful she had a bit of time to get a work out in before she went out. Thanks to tonight, Aelin was a pent up ball of energy and needed to get it out someway. After a solid forty-five minutes on the treadmill and nearly thirty on the free weights, Aelin was heading for the locker room when she noticed a silver head of hair across the gym.

She watched him as he pulled himself up on the bar, his chin going over the piece of metal each time. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, sweat poured down his chest as his arms swelled. Aelin had been right.

That tattoo went across his chest, and all the way down his arm. He did the pull-ups so effortlessly, and Aelin’s mind began to wander to unholy places.

It wasn’t until his feet hit the mat beneath him that she was brought back to reality and hurried into the locker room. If he was here, that meant their date was approaching, and she had to get ready. She checked her phone. It was nearly seven.

Aelin hurried back home and showered. She had once vowed, during her freshman year, that she would avoid the gym showers at all costs and only used them under emergency circumstances. Luckily, her and Lysandra’s apartment was only five minutes from the gym.

After a shower and a full-body shaving session, Aelin was brushing out her long, golden hair and blow drying it until it was flowing freely down her back. She kept her makeup decently simple - at least, that’s how she made it look, and straightened the slight waves out of her hair before putting on her little, golden dress.

Once she had slipped on Lysandra’s heels, she was looking at herself in the mirror and even she had to admit that she was looking hot.

After grabbing her clutch, she hurried down the hallway and into the living room, where she found Lysandra and Aedion snuggled together on the couch, watching a movie.

“Going out with a stranger?” Lysandra asked, brow raised. “I'm so proud of you.”

“Yeah, just keep it in your pants,” Aedion mumbled.

“I thought I’d bring him back here,” she said, winking at Lysandra. “You don’t want to have breakfast together tomorrow?”

“Absolutely not,” Aedion mumbled and Lysandra chuckled, leaning into his embrace.

“Have fun, call me if you need me,” Lysandra called as Aelin blew them a kiss and headed for the door.

Her Uber was waiting when she walked out front and before she knew it, she was walking down the stairs into her favorite bar. Glancing around, she didn’t see Rowan sitting at the bar or any of the booths around the room.

So she bought herself a drink and claimed one of the pool tables, setting her coat and clutch on a bar stool nearby. Over halfway through the game, she felt eyes on her and glanced up to find Rowan standing at the other end of the table. Giving him a smirk, she knocked the cue ball into the yellow-striped 9 ball. It sank into the pocket.

“Playing with yourself?” Rowan asked, and Aelin caught a slight accent that she had missed earlier.

Aelin’s grin widened. “Well, if I’m left hanging, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.”

Rowan breathed a laugh. “Fair enough. And if I asked to join?”

“You sure you don’t just want to watch?” she asked, leaning on the table, making sure her cleavage was perfectly visible.

Rowan’s tongue shot out and subtly licked his bottom lip. “Tempting.”

Aelin pushed herself back and grabbed the rack, starting to collect the balls. “Buy me a drink and then we’ll talk.”

Rowan bit his lip to hide his spreading grin. “Fair enough. I’ll be back.”

Aelin watched as he left, watched as he went to the bar and bought her another drink, alongside one for himself. He came back with two glasses. One was the color of the sunrise, the other a caramelly brown.

“Sex on the Beach?” Aelin asked, brow raised.

He shrugged and handed her the glass. “Sounded promising.”

“So… Rowan,” she said, letting his name drag out as she said it. He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and the black Henley he wore made his hair seem even brighter in the dim light of the bar.

“Aelin,” he purred right back, pulling a pool stick from the wall behind her, nearly boxing her in. She realized then how much larger than her he was.

She loved it.

“I hope your coffee helped you get through the rest of your day,” she said, resetting the game and racking the balls. She glanced at him over her shoulder as she reached into the middle of the table, and he was watching her, staring at her ass.

Slutty was definitely the right option tonight.

“It certainly did, especially considering how boring it was,” he replied, reaching around her for the chalk that rested on the edge of the table. “But when I got your text, it gave me something to look forward to. Even if it made the day last twice as long.”

“Happy I could help.” She picked her drink up and stirred it, before taking a long sip through the straw.

“Would you like to break, or should I?” He asked, nodding to the pool table.

“Let’s see what you can do.”

He grunted as he stepped forward, lined up his stick, and knocked the cue ball into the others. They broke apart, but none of them fell into the pockets. Rowan stood there for a moment, his lips pursed. Meanwhile, Aelin tossed her head back and burst into laughter.

“Alright, alright,” Rowan said, straightening up and turning to face her. “So pool isn’t my thing.”

Aelin stepped up next to him and aimed her stick, leaning over the table, her ass nearly rubbed up against Rowan’s front. “Hopefully you’re better at other things.”

Rowan’s hand brushed along Aelin’s hip, just as she got ready to shoot, causing her shot to go haywire. She spun around, eyes narrowed. “That’s foul play.”

“No one said we were playing fair,” he countered.

“What about playing for drinks?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

He lifted his own eyebrows and he said, “I’ve got an eight am…”

Shrugging, she said, “So do I.” Then she leaned in close, thankful for the three-inch heels she’d pilfered from Lysandra’s closet and breathed into his ear, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re up in time.”

“So sure of how this night is going to go,” he said quietly, just loud enough for her to hear him, and she felt his hand skimming over the curve of her ass. “Fine. We’ll play for drinks.”

It turned out Rowan hadn’t been lying about pool not being his thing. They played three games back to back, and he lost them all, but every time he returned with a drink for Aelin, he had one for himself as well. By the time she dragged him towards the small dance floor in the center of the bar, they were both stumbling and his lips found her neck before his hands even gripped her hips.

His lips were soft, gentle, nothing like she had expected. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe he was just getting tired, perhaps he was usually rough.

But, when his hands found Aelin’s hips and he brought her back into him, she felt that roughness. It seemed Rowan was the best of both worlds. Gentle when prompted, rough beneath the surface.

Aelin turned to him and slung her arms around his neck, bringing his lips to hers. Their mouths crashed into one another, and their bodies slowed until it felt like they were the only two on the dancefloor.

Rowan pulled away, just a little bit, and breathed, his eyes wild, “Aelin-.”

“Take me to your place,” she said, her mouth finding his, once again.

Before she knew what was happening, they were in the backseat of an Uber, unable to keep their hands off of one another. Thanks to it being a college town, the driver didn’t say a word, just dropped them in front of an upscale building, just off the east side of campus.

She noticed how nice it was on the short elevator ride up, but was much more preoccupied by the way his hips pressed into hers. He dragged her along the hall, his lips never leaving hers, until her back was pressed against a cool door and he was fumbling to get it unlocked. It swung wide and she gripped his collar, pulling him inside.

Throwing her clutch and coat by the door, Aelin let her hands dive into his cropped silver hair and he responded by cupping her ass and lifting her up. Her legs were around his waist and he carried her through the apartment and into his bedroom. Neither of them had any delusions about how and where this would end and Aelin felt like she was going to combust as he dropped her on the bed and gazed down at her.

His eyes were full of lust, full of hunger, a wild animal with his eye on his prey. He wasted no time stripping Aelin down and admiring her body with his hands, his tongue, his lips. Rowan may not have been good at pool, but he was right when he said he was far better at other things.

He worshipped her, and Aelin knew it wasn’t the alcohol when she was sent into utter bliss.

When he rolled off of her, breath still uneven, Aelin watched as he dealt with the condom and fell back into the bed beside her.

She cleared her throat. “I can go…if you want me to.”

Rowan turned to look at her, and she could tell he was still just as drunk as she was. “What? No, of course not. You said you’ve got an eight am, too, right?” She nodded and he tugged on her hand, pulling her closer to him. They were both still gloriously naked and she could feel the heat radiating off of his body. “Then we can both make sure the other is up so we aren’t late. Or too hungover.”

Aelin snorted softly, resting her head on his chest. “I think that particular ship has sailed.”

“You’re probably right,” he mumbled and she could tell he was already starting to doze. She was on the brink of sleep herself.

Aelin decided then, as her eyes closed, that she didn’t care if she was hungover in the morning, or if she was late to her eight am. A night being praised by Rowan had been perfectly worth it.

#tempting the fates #snacmc ttf #snacmc collab #rowaelin ttf #throne of glass #rowan whitethorn #aelin galythinius

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angryschnauzer · 3 years

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Imagine you're Henry's neighbour, you've heard his conquests, have to admit you're a little jealous as they all sound happy. But it make you wonder if they are faking it.

You chat to friend on the phone whilst in the garden, not realising he can hear you.

The knock on your door later that evening was unexpected but when you see your hot neighbour there you have no idea why.

Until he offers to show you just why those other women were so happy

Okay so i decided to continue my PE Teacher Henry series with this one, previous parts below:

Thigh Riding, Jingle My Bells , An Epic Quickie

Warnings: Fluff, a little bit of Angst, talk of breakups, young idiots in love.

The Boy Next Door

The sun was shining and the sounds of late summer could be heard as the four of you settled on dining chairs that had been pulled out onto the ramshackle patio so you could celebrate moving into the shared house for your last year of Uni and doing Post-Graduate for teaching. Opening a chilled bottle of Echo Falls Rose Zinfandel, Marie sloshed it into the four waiting glasses, handing on to each of you;

“Here’s to just one more year of Uni, then we can be set free onto the world of teaching education rather than being taught!”

The four of you had all done your degree’s together, and by the end of your 3rd year you had moved into a shared house to save on halls of residence costs. When you’d all decided to attend the same Uni for your Post Graduates qualification it was the easy choice to decide to rent together, and you’d manage to snag a gorgeous multi level Victorian town house to rent for the year. The landlord had admitted a few things needed to be updated, but it was a short walk from campus so in exchange for a reduction in rent you’d found the perfect place.

By the time the 3rd bottle of Zinfandel was opened you were all pleasantly merry, and from the advantage point of the raised patio where the garden dipped away as it went downhill you could see the road that ran alongside the house next door that yours was connected to. The corner house had looked a lot more appealing, but the rent had been considerably higher, so the compromise was that you’d rented the one away from the street corner. Just at that moment another Removals Truck pulled up alongside the corner house, and you could hear various cars park behind it, the sound of young male voices easily heard. It was obvious you had a group of male students living next door.

Three weeks into term and you were sat at the desk in your room, glaring at the wall in front of you. No matter how hard you tried to concentrate on how to teach fronted adverbials, the screams of the woman obviously on the verge on an orgasm from the guys house next door just reminded you of your lack of love life. With a sigh you set your pencil down and headed downstairs, away from the obvious now orgasming woman.

“Oh hey Hunny, thought you were catching up on some English Lit stuff?” Marie smiled as she poked at an egg she was attempting to fry on the small electric cooker.

“I was… until there was another screamer next door”

“Oh… another one?” she winced, knowing that from the 2nd day the guys next door had moved in, the one that was in the room next to you had been able to bed a different girl about every three nights or so.

You grabbed a glass of water and stepped outside, letting the sunshine warm your face. Opening your Motorolla Flip Phone you scrolled through your texts, smiling as you saw messages from last years classmates, checking in on how everyone was doing. You were vaguely aware of Marie coming outside, setting a plate down on the patio wall and the click of her lighter as she lit a Royals cigarette.

“You still miss him, don’t you?” she asked.

Pulling your gaze up to her, your eyes immediately growing wet. Nodding you swallowed the lump in your throat. Wrapping your arms around your body you looked out over the garden;

“I know… it’s stupid. Its been two years, and it was a mutual decision to part ways, but Henry was my first, you know? He was my first everything. We got together when we were sixteen, we made it through our A-Levels together, we even managed a year doing long distance when we didn’t get into the same Uni…”

“What about that dude… Chris? Didn’t you two have a thing a while back”

You let out a laugh;

“He loves his politics too much to commit to a relationship. If i had to listen to one more rant about Tony Blair whilst we tried to go out for dinner i would have screamed…”

You looked at Marie who was now halfway through her fried egg sandwich whilst her cigarette sat smouldering in the petunias that had mostly gone over for the season, and she gave you the ‘sad puppy eyes’ as she chewed. You let out a grunt of frustration;

“FUCK! I just want to not feel like this anymore! I’ve spent two years moping over Henry-fucking-Cavill, i just want to be able to get on with my post graduate and move on with my life without being constantly reminded of his skills every time i try to do any work in my room!”

Henry smiled and waved as Monica, no Michelle, no… wait… whoever made their way down the front steps of the house, closing the door with a sigh of relief.

“Another one dude?”

Looking at where Anthony was coming down the stairs he nodded;

“Yup. Sorry about the noise”

He followed his housemate through to the kitchen, switching the kettle on. He was now used to Henry’s conquests screaming the house down, but it was still fun to taunt Henry about the noise they would make;

“So, this was was faking it again?”

Henry looked at him in mock-shock;

“I can assure you none of them fake it”

Chucking teabags into two mugs Anthony chuckled;

“I know man. But i also know you’re still trying to fill the void she left. Its been two years man”

“Yeah, but she’s long gone, i’m her past, i’d only drag her down. She’s probably got some hot politics graduate about to propose to her. She wouldn’t want some dumb physical education ass like me anymore”

Handing him the strong cup of tea Anthony nodded;

“Whatever man, but i still think you should message her, you haven’t spoken in two years and you’re still hung up on her, one last try, huh?”

Heading out to the garden Henry sat on the patio wall and lit a cigarette. He’d sworn he’d never smoke again, what with being a physical education student, but there were still times when he buckled to his nerves and stresses. Lighting up he inhaled deeply, enjoying the quiet of the garden before he heard his neighbours come out onto the patio next door. Through the trellis covered in a thick layer of ivy he could hear everything, as although it did a great job at giving visual privacy, the clear voices of the young women next door carried easily through the greenery.

Ten minutes later Henry almost knocked Anthony over as he bolted up the stairs;

“Sorry man, got something to do… gotta get my Blackberry”

The next morning you were on your way to class when your phone chimed, looking at the screen you felt your blood run hot then cold at the name on the display;

“What does he want?” you muttered to yourself, before with a sigh you pushed the phone back into your bag, deciding to look at it later once you had finished your class. The last thing you needed to get your mind off of Henry was a text from him.

Making your way out to the patio, you threw your bag onto the sofa and smiled as you saw the rest of the girls already out enjoying the last of the days sunshine;

“Heeeyyyyy there she is” Janelle called, sipping from a bottle of Becks

“Is there any more of those? I need a drink”

Handing you a bottle Marie smiled as you smashed the cap off using the top brick of the wall, sipping the tart bubbles of Lager you let out a sigh;

“Henry texted me today”

The three girls went quiet before Jo spoke;

“What did he say?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t read it. I’m trying to get over him, the last thing i need is getting my hopes up. He’s hundreds of miles away, no doubt doing something super sporty that only makes him look even better, probably coaching kids rugby or something. He’s not gonna want some boring English teacher wannabe like me”

At the mere mention of the word ‘Wannabe’ the others broke into a poor rendition of the Spice Girls song, unaware of the silent frustration happening the other side of the ivy trellis.

After one beer you’d excused yourself, deciding to take advantage of the quiet to get some coursework done, thankful that your room neighbour on the other side of the wall wasn’t entertaining any female guests again, but you had no idea how long that would last so the sooner you got some work done the better. With your bedroom window open you got back to work, getting in a full hour before your phone chimed again with another text. Glancing at the little screen on the front you scowled, another text from Henry.

Setting the phone down you went back to your work, frowning as you struggled to concentrate, until five minutes later your phone chimed again, your eyes going wide when you saw it was yet another text from Henry;

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!” you yelled at your phone.

“A REPLY!”

You sat at your desk, surely your ears were now playing tricks on you, you could have sworn you’d heard Henry’s voice. With a sigh you set your pencil down and opened your phone, reading the messages;

Received 8.46am: Hi. I know its been a long time but i’d love to call you at some point. Would be good to hear your voice. Hen. x

Received 4.55pm: Miss you. Can I call you? Hen. x

The phone beeped whilst you held it, another text coming in;

Received 4.59pm:

Look outside.

Glancing at your window you moved to it and looked out, before a voice so familiar it sent chills down your spine shouted out;

“Down here!”

Janelle shouted out as you flew down the stairs, Jo and Marie both staring at the blur you made as you ran past the lounge and out the front door, letting it swing on its hinges;

“Where is she going so fast?”

The three girls stood at the window and smiled as they wanted to run into Henry’s arms;

“Into her future Husband’s embrace” Marie sighed, the three watching as the young lovers fell back into each other's arms.

“Wait, is he the ‘loud’ one?” Jo asked to no-one in particular

“Unfortunately… i spoke to one of the other guys - Anthony - last week, he apologised for his housemates noises”

“Oh well… guess she can get us some ear plugs then”

#henry cavill #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill fanfiction #rugby teacher henry #au rugby teacher henry cavill

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wing-ed-thing · 3 years

Text

Bread Boy (Rock Lee x Reader, College AU)

Synopsis: You knew that his name was Rock Lee and that he lived on the third floor. Sure he seemed a bit odd, but you didn’t understand what the fuss was about.

Word Count: 2,040

Warnings: Mild bullying

Notes: I looked up Bread Boy and it wasn’t something dirty so I have my fingers crossed that it remains being nothing bad. @beethebunny requested a modern au reader insert for Rock Lee in a post three years ago so here it is! If anyone knows how to get in touch with them that would be great. I tried their Reddit but nothing’s coming up for me.

You had been sitting at the common room table for about an hour now. A video played on your screen and the lecture in your earbuds. You fidgeted with the touch pad of your laptop and rewound, trying to focus for the third time. You drummed your pen against the textbook that sat open next to you. Okay, so we have a population. When we take a sample from that population we get-

“He looks ridiculous.” You glanced up from your screen. “How does he not know how stupid he looks right now?”

You tried your best to ignore the small group that began to form around the common room windows. They laughed to themselves, eyes following a figure below around the quad. You turned back to your work. A little noise could be expected from studying in a shared space. You could handle that, right? So, if p̂ is a ratio-

“Now he’s on his hands.” You slammed your pen down on the table. A few heads turned towards the noise and you sheepishly looked away, placing a hand over your mouth. You paused the lecture recording and ripped your earbuds from your ears. Standing for the first time in a while, you stretched your legs. You gave in, approaching the windows to see what all the fuss was about.

Rock Lee lived in your hall, but you didn’t know much about him besides that his name was Rock Lee and that he lived on the third floor. Down below, he walked on his hands in what you could only assume were laps around the quad. You glanced back at the group that found more amusement in the sight than you did.

“Look at what he’s wearing, like, does he think he’s impressing anyone?”

“Maybe he’s exercising to exercise.” You mused. You looked from Rock Lee down below to find that eyes were on you. You gave a curt shrug. “He doesn’t have to impress anyone.” The girl from before scoffed.

“Well he certainly isn’t.” She earned a laugh from behind her. You sat back down at your seat. Not your problem.

***

A few hours had passed when you finally slammed down the lid of your computer. Stuffing your belongings into your bag, you decided that your brain had been officially fried for the day. Your stomach grumbled. A trip to the dining hall sounded promising.

You slung your bag onto your shoulder and pushed the button to the elevator. You took in the various groups that settled in the small public space. A few guys watched Rick and Morty loudly on the Roku TV. Most of the floor chatted with each other, tilting their chairs backwards as they did so. A handful of your neighbors discussed conspiracy theories on the academic whiteboard. The elevator doors opened.

You noticed when you got outside that the sun had set. Perhaps you had studied for longer than you thought. The journey to the dining hall was made quickly and hungrily. You made short work of swiping in and made a beeline to the french fries. Plate full, you searched for a table when you were waved over to one. Sakura signaled to you. Her pink hair stood out in the crowd of diners.

“Hey Sakura,” You greeted her as you walked over. “What’s up?” The blond from across from her cackled over his two full plates.

“Her tuesdays fuckin’ suck, that’s what’s up!” You came to stand before the pair, already snacking.

“Naruto!” Sakura rolled her eyes before turning to face you, “Come sit, you don’t have to stand, you know.” You placed your food down on the table next to the pinkette and pulled up a chair. She faced you again.

“What’s on your schedule that sucks so much?”

“I got a four hour lab with Orochimaru at 6:10.” Sakura melted into the table, motioning to the lab pack that hung on her chair. She groaned, a hand over her face.

“Yikes,” You recoiled, sharing her pained expression.

“I know, right? That’s pre-med for you” Sakura checked her phone. “I have seven minutes to get to Uchiha Hall. I swear, I never get a break.” She sighed.

You glanced at Naruto as he inhaled his mountain of food. It looked as if he hit every station in the dining hall. You could see chicken tenders, two burgers, and noodles of one sort or another. Cups of various finger food were stacked in two mounds on the two plates and Naruto tackled them like a man on a mission.

“You’re still in ROTC, right? Are they working you hard too?” You questioned. Naruto looked up in surprise at the burgers he currently double fisted.

“Nah’ fe’ lon’!” He laughed, mouth full. “Rot’sy suks ash!” You blinked. Sakura laughed and playfully slapped your shoulder.

“That’s ‘Naruto’ for ‘I don’t like Might Guy’.” Sakura gave another exasperated look at the blond. The two of you giggled together as Naruto let out a defensive cry. He picked up the last chicken tender from one of his plates.

“Hey, now that’s not true! Just because I could go without the excessive workouts doesn’t mean-” Sakura’s phone rang and she hastily snoozed her alarm.

“I gotta go! Take care of my plate, would you Naruto?” As soon as she scooped up her lab equipment, she bolted from the table. You took the plate and stacked it on top of the one Naruto cleared.

You didn’t know Naruto well. He was more Sakura’s friend than yours and the conversation died down from the time she left. You remained in your seats peacefully and silently scrolling through your phones. Both of you plucked fries from your plate. You glanced up at him. One on one time with Naruto turned out to be surprisingly peaceful. Or it was.

A blur of green entered your peripheral and in a blink, Rock Lee stood in front of you holding the biggest sandwich you had ever seen.

“Hello! I have seen you around before! My name is Rock Lee!” You took a second to process. He did not talk fast or unclearly by any means, but to your burnt out brain he may as well have been speaking another language. It didn’t help that you were still focused on the sandwich. You gawked at it. The sheer shape and size of it easily could have come out of a Scooby-Doo episode. Every meat and vegetable available seemed to be between those two slices of bread and they were all squished down as best as they could. Lee set his plate down while you paused. Still standing over the chair, he turned to Naruto who sat to his right. “And you know my friend Naruto!”

Naruto chuckled nervously before grabbing his three plates.

“That’s my cue to leave!” He whispered, leaving you alone as Lee took Naruto’s place across from you. He ignored the words and disappearance of the blond. You gave him your name slowly and albeit more softly. He stared at you, stars in his eyes.

“They cut me off from the sandwich station.” You wondered if you had zoned out somewhere between Naruto leaving and your greeting.

You glanced to your left, then your right, then back at him. “They… cut you off from the sandwich station.” You asked as much as you stated. Lee picked up the comically sized sandwich with two hands, digging right into it.

“Apparently there is a limit to how much turkey one can put on a sandwich before they cut you off.” He squished it down. “So I asked for the same amount of ham and they told me I could not come back today.”

“Oh.” You didn’t quite know what to say. “Sorry about that.” You opted, sticking a fry into your mouth.

“Do not be! I am cut off every day and this is my fifth sandwich!” You choked.

“Fifth?” You asked in disbelief. “Why so many?”

“One must consume lots of protein to enhance muscle growth.” Lee stated between bites, practically inhaling his giant meal. You leaned on the table, studying him closely.

“Yeah, I see you a lot around campus. You seem like you workout a lot.”

“All the time!” You let out a light laugh.

“I wish I had that kind of work ethic. I’m definitely less active than I want to be.”

“You should join me some time!” Lee chewed happily, “Or perhaps I could design a workout routine that best suits you.”

Rock Lee was definitely an odd one, but he was also… sweet. That’s about when you really took him in. Ignoring the green tracksuit proved to be a feat of its own, but you found yourself mentally brushing your fingers through his messy hair. You could read his excitement and passion for life in his wide eyes. You smiled at the way he ate. Nothing in front of you could possibly be anything that someone could dislike.

“That…” You paused, thinking back to the group gathered around the windows in the common room, but those thoughts were quickly shaken. “That sounds nice, Lee.”

Lee’s eyes lit up once again. A certain warmth came to you each time you saw him become excited. He rattled off his schedule and you exchanged yours. You didn’t have any classes together in the current semester, but as the conversation progressed, you found yourself excited at the prospect of spending time with him.

The both of you got up every once in a while to grab more snacks but ultimately settled back into your same seats. And like that, a five minute conversation turned into a two hour conversation. The time was around eight when you decided that you should go. Leaving your dishes with the washers at the very end of the dining hall hours wouldn’t be very courteous, so the two of you headed back to the dorms together.

Rain poured from the sky and you flipped up the hood of your hoodie and braced for the wetness from above. It never hit you. Instead came a light pitter patter. Lee held the umbrella for the two of you.

“Thank you, Lee.” You smiled as you walked. Puddles splashed under your boots but the weather remained light. Lee’s face shone under the lamplight. “So, is your real name ‘Rock’? Or is that just a nickname?” A bashful smile overtook his lips.

“It is my real name. You see, every member of my family is named after music. Just as an example, my father’s name is Blues and I am Rock.”

“I like that,” You told him softly, “That’s unique. It must be nice to have that kind of connection with your family.”

“It is.” You were too busy staring at Lee to realize that you both had reached the dorm. He swiped his ID and held the door open for you. You pushed the button to the elevator as he wrapped up his umbrella.

“Lee,'' You pursed your lips. As you pushed the buttons to your respective floors. You looked into his innocent, expecting eyes. You hesitated and the elevator opened to the third floor. You held it open with your foot. “I just thought that you should know that people tend to, well… I thought you should know that some people from our building have been poking fun at you.”

“Oh yes! We do live in the same building!” He gave out a loud, jolly laugh. Red tinted his cheeks. “How did I not notice this? What a funny coincidence!”

“Did you hear what I said?” Lee paused. His features softened.

“I appreciate you telling me, but I do not care.” The serious look didn’t stay for long. His usual positivity and determination quickly enveloped him again.

“You don’t?”

“Why would I care about what people think of me bettering myself?” You inwardly kicked yourself, suddenly feeling very small. Embarrassment burned within you.

“Wow, I never thought of it like that before.” You met his eyes, but you quickly looked away. “You really are something, Lee.”

“The best person you can be is yourself.” Lee smiled, fully stepping off the elevator. You matched his grin and withdrew your hand, letting the door close.

“Goodnight!”

“Goodnight, Lee.”

Notes: Out of all my fics this one is most based on real life. But, in this scenario I was the Rock Lee in the top section. I make it a point to maintain muscle and take care of myself. I wouldn’t say I’m Rock Lee levels of fit, but I used to get made fun of for going on runs in the quad all the time. The conversation Lee has with Reader by the elevator is near the same conversation I had with someone on my floor.

The second section Rock Lee in the dining room was loosely based on a friend of mine who has since transferred. He actually did offer to make me a workout routine when I first started getting into fitness and would get those huge sandwiches multiple times a day. It was to the point where the sandwich makers would recognize him and know his order.

I hope you enjoyed!

#rock lee #rock lee x reader #rock lee x you #x you #x reader #reader insert #college au #naruto #naruto uzumaki #sakura haruno #sakura #naruto x reader #naruto x y/n #naruto headcanon #naruto headcanons #naruto imagines #naruto imagine

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scapegrace74-blog · 3 years

Text

Ginger Snap, Chapter 2

A/N I am breaking probably the only rule I gave myself when I started writing fanfic, which was Don’t Ever Post a WIP. But lord knows I’m not immune to peer pressure and the narcotic that is reader feedback, so here it is, the second chapter of what is now an open-ended modern AU story about Jamie the Chef and Claire the Kitchen Disaster. Still a first person Claire POV, so I apologize in advance for any stray pronouns.

For the first chapter, I recommend reading it on Ao3, since I’ve made some minor edits since I first posted it on Tumblr. See above re. not planning on posting a WIP.

Oh, and funny story. When I decided to check the location of the real Ginger Snap catering company in Edinburgh, it was squished between “FrazersOnline” and “McKenzie Flooring”. If that’s not kismet, I don’t know what is. The location I describe below, however, is based on a catering venue here in Ottawa called Urban Element, where I’ve attended a few team-building events. I have yet to set anything on fire, though.

I checked my phone for the third time, confirming I wasn’t lost.

Frank and I moved to Edinburgh over the summer, just in time for him to start his position as Associate Professor of History at the University of Edinburgh. Despite our years spent in America, neither of us cared overmuch for driving, so we chose a flat (or rather, Frank chose a flat and I concurred) not far from campus. Therefore, this was the first time I’d ventured as far afield as Leith, a maritime enclave just to the north of the capital that couldn’t seem to decide if it wanted to be grittily working class or artistically hip.

When I finally reached the address, I had to smile. No main street pretensions or non-descript commercial frontage for Ginger Snap Catering. Before me stood a two-story red brick fire station, still emblazoned with the crest of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services. The two massive truck bays were now enclosed by see-through doors that could be drawn back on a sunny day. Through these a warm yellow light could be seen, spilling onto the grey, damp pavement.

A petite woman with dark hair manned the small reception area, a red-haired toddler clinging to her like a marsupial. She held a phone to one ear while simultaneously pacing the polished concrete floor. I stood as unobtrusively as possible near the door, but in such an open space it was impossible not to overhear her side of the conversation.

“... they willna take ‘im back until ‘is fever goes down... aye, an hour ago when I picked him up but it hasn’t... nay, i dinna think it’s... tis jus’ terrible timing with two weddings t’morrow... Could ye? Och, I owe ye Mrs. Fitz, a million times o’er... Anytime, we’ll be here. Alright, soon.”

The speaker turned to me, the harried look of a working mother sharpening her already honed features.

“I apologize fer keeping ye waiting. What can I do fer ye t’day?”

Before I could respond, the young boy, probably no older than two, began to fuss, rubbing his flushed cheek against his mother’s shoulder.

“Och, mo ghille, Mam kens ye’re poorly. Mrs. Fitz is coming as fast as she may.”

Unable to quell my instinct to diagnose and then cure, I spoke up.

“I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation. Based on his age and the way he’s holding his head, it may be an ear infection.” At the woman’s penetrating look, I hastened to explain: “I’m a doctor. Would you mind if I took a closer look?”

Permission granted, I carefully palpated the boy under the jaw and peered as best I could without an otoscope into the offending ear canal. Confident in my diagnosis, I recommended treatment with a warm compress, an over-the-counter analgesic ear drop, and children’s paracetamol to control his fever. If, after twenty-four hours the symptoms had not improved, they could consider seeing his pediatrician for antibiotics, but these were only truly necessary for a persistent infection.

“Och, ye ‘ave no idea what a relief it is tae hear ye say so, lass. He’s my first bairn, ye ken, an’ I can ne’er tell if I’m over-reacting or being negligent. Can ye say thank ye tae the nice doctor, Wee Jamie?”

My stomach jumped. “Wee Jamie? Is he related by chance to Jamie Fraser?”

“Aye, tis his nephew. I’m Jamie’s sister, Jenny. Ye ken my brother, then?”

The pieces fell into place, and my insides settled.

“We’ve spoken before,” I explained. “I’m Claire Beauchamp. You and your brother helped me with a dinner party emergency last Tuesday. I came to return your market bags, and to thank you again for coming to my aid during my hour of need.”

Jenny and I spoke for another ten minutes, sharing the superficial narratives of two strangers brought together by circumstance. She was warm and thistly by turns, and I felt a longing for the honesty of female friendship that I’d given up when we left Boston. Eventually a matronly woman arrived to collect Wee Jamie. I carefully wrote down the exact names and dosages of my prescribed remedy.

After Mrs. Fitz and Wee Jamie had left, it occurred to me that Jenny needed to get back to work. I’d accomplished what I’d set out to do, even if I hadn’t thanked Jamie himself. As I began to make my goodbyes, however, Jenny interjected. “If ye’re no’ in a rush, why dinna ye join our afternoon cooking class? My brother will be demonstrating how tae make quiche. Tis the least we can do, after ye helped Wee Jamie.”

Which was how I found myself standing behind one of six cooking stations arranged across the fire station’s main area, a bright red apron covering my black slacks and saffron turtleneck. My impetuous curls were slowly breaking ranks from where I’d slicked them into a bun that morning. I worried I looked like a human Pez dispenser.

I glanced at the workstation immediately to my left. A slight woman who I guessed to be roughly my own age was engrossed in her phone, a cheeky smirk playing on her berried lips. Her strawberry blond hair was swept into an effortless chignon that made me twitch with envy. She looked up from her screen and caught me looking her way.

“Geillis Duncan,” she said, offering a well-manicured hand.

“Claire Beauchamp. Pleased to meet you.”

“Is it yer first time taking a class, Claire?” At my nod, she leaned in and whispered conspiratorially: “Ye’re in for a treat.”

Before I could enquire what she meant, a murmur amongst the other students (all women, save one) was accompanied by the heavy tread of work boots on polished concrete and a familiar Scottish burr.

“Good afternoon, everyone. Thank ye fer joining me on this dreich Scottish day. I ken a few of ye are new, so let’s start with a brief overview of yer stations and some basic safety reminders, before we tackle the quiche.”

Today Jamie was wearing a pair of olive pants that tapered down his endless legs and a technical shirt that clung valiantly to his upper body. He looked like he’d just stepped off the nearest rock climbing pitch. I wondered if he owned anything that answered to the name of a professional wardrobe, but I couldn’t deny that he looked impressive, in an athleisure sort of way.

“See what I mean?” Geillis hissed at me as Jamie made his way to the front of the hall, speaking now about optimal burner temperatures. “That man is a dozen kinds of yes.”

I concentrated on each step of the ostensibly simple recipe. Pie crust had been the previous week’s assignment, so I had only to blind bake the prepared dough already at my workstation. Once I had the crust centered exactly in the pie pan, pierced with a fork in orderly rows and placed in the oven, I rushed to catch up with the others. I’d missed Jamie’s instructions regarding pan frying the bacon, so I increased the flame, thinking I could make up a little time. The fatty meat crackled pleasingly as I set it in the lightly greased pan. I was inordinately proud of myself.

Things went very badly, very fast. First, my eyes wouldn’t stop watering as I meticulously peeled then dissected the onion into near-transparent crescents. Tears obscured my vision and I tried to wipe them away without contaminating my hands. To my left I could make out Geillis skillfully cracking eggs into a glass bowl, her pie crust already elegantly filled with crispy morsels of bacon and caramelized onion bits.

A vague sense of having forgotten something important tickled my mind. My pie crust! Grabbing a silicone glove (I wasn’t making that mistake twice) I rushed to the wall oven and extracted the pan. Giddy with relief, I saw the dough was only a little dark around the edges.

Before I could return victorious to my station, Jamie uttered a Scottish noise of alarm from his vantage at the front of the class. We both rushed across the room to where my rashers of bacon now resembled blackened shoe laces obscured by a heavy veil of smoke. With practiced ease, Jamie lifted the entire skillet into the adjacent sink and turned on the cold water. A cloud of steam enveloped his head, highlighting his auburn curls. I bit my lip as he looked my way in amusement.

“I hope ye werena planning on serving quiche to yer faculty guests t’night, Ms. Beauchamp?”

I stood meekly next to Geillis for the remainder of the class, no longer trusted around open flame without adult supervision. She graciously allowed me to extract her quiche when it was done baking. It looked like a magazine cover. Meanwhile, my workstation looked like the scene of an industrial accident.

While we were waiting for her quiche to cook, Geillis and I got to know each other a little better. She was a Highland lass from up near Inverness. Married to a wealthy older man, her life sounded like an endless quest for diversion. Despite this, or because of it, she had a sharp-witted frankness that I appreciated. She was also a hard-core gossip.

“Wee besom,” she remarked with a nod towards a blond girl who was currently monopolizing Jamie’s attention with endless questions punctuated by manufactured giggles and flicks of her pin-straight hair. “Tha’s Laoghaire Mackenzie of the Mackenzie brewing dynasty. They’ve a live-in cook, so there’s only one reason she attends these classes, and it isna for the quiche.”

I watched Jamie laugh over something the girl said, mineral eyes alight and his perfect white teeth on display. I suppose I couldn’t blame her. I wasn’t here for the quiche either.

The interminable ninety minute lesson finally ended. I thanked Geillis profusely and we exchanged numbers before she rushed off for her reiki treatment. Gathering my trench coat and purse, I tried to slink away without calling any further attention to myself.

“Ms. Beauchamp!”

I cursed under my breath, then turned to face him.

“Please, call me Claire. After I nearly burned down your place of business, we should probably be on a first name basis.”

Jamie chuckled. It sounded more natural and lived-in than his earlier response to Laoghaire, but I was likely fooling myself.

“Och, wha’s a cooking demonstration wi’out a wee bit of drama. Will ye be joining us next week? We’ll be making ceviche, sae I willna need tae put the fire brigade on stand-by.”

“Bastard,” I replied to his cheeky smirk. “Alas, I don’t think I’m cut out to be a cook. It appears to be the one science I can’t master.”

“Cooking isna a science, Claire,” he explained with sincere intensity. “Tis an art. Perhaps tha’s the root of yer struggle.”

“Perhaps it is. But in that case, I may as well give up now. I haven’t an artistic bone in my body.”

His languorous perusal of said body lit a different kind of flame in my belly. Geillis was right; he really was a dozen kinds of yes.

“I canna say as I agree. Come back any time if ye’d like tae try again.”

I blushed, thoroughly discomfited by his blatant flirting. He knew about Frank. He’d fled from him onto my fire escape, for Christ’s sake! Maybe when you looked like James Fraser, every interaction with a woman was merely a chance to hone your craft. Or maybe he was truly ignorant of his effect.

“I’ll take that under advisement. Thank you again, Jamie.”

“Until the next time, Arsonist.”

#my writing #outlander #ginger snap

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johnkrrasinski · 4 years

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𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐞

Chapter 1: You Were My Town

full masterlist // series masterlist // commission open // support my work

Pairings: Dark!Steve Rogers (in future chapters) x Reader

Word Count: 2,061

Summary: Steve Rogers; a Hollywood A-lister and your clandestine occasional hookup. Best friends since childhood, but people change and friendships fall out. Now you were merely strangers with benefits. What happens when one day you stopped being his doormat to be a better man’s queen? The selfish Steve Rogers would not like it. How far is he willing to go to get his favorite possession back?

Warnings: smut, non-con/dub-con, dark Steve (in later chapter), angst, Steve Rogers is an asshole in this one, no redeeming qualities. (MUST BE 18+)

A/N: first chapter is finally here!! this series is dedicated to the lovely @belovedcherry who commissioned this story and developed the concept. thank you for being a friend when i truly needed it. i’m really glad that you trusted me to write this story for you. with all my heart, i sincerely hope you like it. this series will be updated everyday, there will be 4 more chapters ahead.

PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: New Couple Alert! Steve Rogers and a blondie bombshell can’t keep their hands off each other! The headline verbalized.

The notorious heartthrob was spotted leaving The Ritz-Calton Hotel in Los Angeles around 2 AM with Spanish model, Alondra Ondiviela, 28, who looked stunning in a salmon sports bra and black overall, as she walked hand-in-hand with Dusk and Dawn star, Steve Rogers.

Steve Rogers was last linked to Blade in Deep actress, Anne Amorós back in early spring this year but had reportedly split after only two months dating.

Steve Rogers has been previously linked to many gorgeous models in the past, earning him the infamous title of ‘Hollywood’s favourite ladykiller.’ Will Alondra Ondiviela be the one to finally make Steve Rogers settle down and give up his womanizer ways? Placing our bets on how long this couple is going to last!

You closed the tab on your browser as you sighed defeatedly on your couch. You laid your head back on the headrest as you shut your eyes and folded your arms against your chest. Just how many more gossip articles can you endure?

Steve Rogers was your childhood best friend and… Perhaps the only man you had ever truly loved. You knew it was nothing but sheer naivety for you to concede that. You knew it was cruel and inequitable to your heart, but, you still held on to that tiny glimpse of hope that someday, things will change. He will change. Despite all the shit he had put you through, you couldn’t abnegate yourself from him. He always lured you back in with his sweet words and sinful lips whenever you try to expel him from your door.

It wasn’t always like this. Back in kindergarten, Steve used to be this good, shy, scrawny kid who had a blistering passion for art. He was always very twitterpated by watching live shows on stage. When you were kids, Steve would try to sneak both of you into the theatre when the lights were out. Steve didn’t grow up in a very lucky family. His abusive father abandoned his mother when he was only four years old, and since then, his mom had been working tirelessly to keep a roof over their heads and fill in their fridge with food.

You, on the other hand, were a little luckier than him. Your parents had decent jobs that paid the bills well enough to survive. Whenever Steve was short in cash, you would always offer him a little bit of your pocket money or your meal. You would even offer to buy tickets for both of you so you didn’t have to sneak in and could actually get good seats. But he would always say, “well, where’s the fun in that?”

So you’d drop the topic and go along with whatever deceitful ways he had in mind. After all, he was your best friend and you trusted him. You’d rather choose the thrill of bootleg games than waiting ten minutes early before the show starts anyway. But you remember it vividly under the aura of those stage lightings and when the actors were personifying in their larger-than-life costumes, he would be so mesmerized by the show before him that sometimes he wouldn’t even say a word to you at all until it was over.

Before you went home, he and you would walk to the nearest burger place, where you would eat under the polychromatic neon sign and he would tell you, “someday, I’m going to my face on the big screen or one of those giant stages and I would make my mom proud!” he cheered. And you’d always encourage him, “…and I’ll be there to watch and clap for you in the audience.”

Rest in peace, to your naïve bravado… Little did you know, his dream was going to be your doom.

You remained closed friends as you grew up; going to the same school, sharing a few classes together, until, in high school, things began to change. He began to join auditions and taking art classes and extracurriculars. He became busier and busier every day to the point where he could only hang out with you on the weekends. That is when he absolutely had no rehearsals or he wasn’t too worn out from a week full of activities.

You also noticed the different manner and shift of inflexion when you two hung out. All he would talk about is the ‘clique’ of popular boys in school had asked him to sit with them at lunch and how the popular girls would start preening at him when he walked down the hallway. It was as if by partaking in these arts clubs, it gave him a VIP member card to get access into sitting with at exclusive spots and it upgraded his status.

He changed his looks as well, by going to the gym more often and eating more so that he would gain some muscles. He began dressing like one of those jocks and he would begin throwing in some flirtatious comments to those popular girls when they were around.

Eventually, he and you began to grow apart. It got worse when he started dating one of the popular girls, Janet, and he would ditch you even on weekends despite all the plans you had made weeks prior.

“I can’t hang out today, y/n. Janet’s parents are out of town and I think we are going to hook up in her giant pool!”

“But what about the movie that we planned to see together today? I thought you had been anticipating for it since a year ago?”

“I know, but can we just postpone it? It’s not like they are going to take it out tomorrow! We could still see it next weekend.”

“Well, we’ve bought the tickets, Steve.”

“Ah, shit, alright, I’ll just pay back the money, okay? How much are those tickets?”

“No, it’s fine, Steve. Don’t worry about it.”

“Really? You sure, y/n?”

“Yeah, I’ll just ask my mom or maybe Wanda to go see it with me. Don’t want those spoilers on the internet ruining it for me.” You chuckled hollowly. Disappointment filled up your heart but you pretended like it was alright, anyway. If Steve wanted to spend time with his girlfriend then, you had no right to stop him and force him to hang out with you.

“Ah, got it. Thanks, y/n. You’re the best!” and then the frozen seconds on the screen showed that he had ended the call.

The phone calls and text messages began to dwindle. You would often try to text or call him first but it would go to voicemail and or you would be left on read. When you were at school, Steve completely stopped hanging around you. He would rather be with his new ‘friends’ now. And he was too occupied with making out with Janet to notice you as you both walk past each other in the hall.

Wanda was your most trusted confidant and she knew about all the feelings you caged inside you for Steve. She would always be there for you when you cry over him and she would always encourage you to move on and stop trying to reach him. “You deserve so much better than this, y/n. Why would you ruin yourself for an asshole like him?”

Curse your adamant heart for refusing to listen to Wanda and take her advice. In the bottom of your heart, you knew that Wanda was right. You deserved so much better than what Steve had turned you into. You used to be this bright-eyed, rose-coloured heart person who saw your future in a radiant lustre. You were always drawn to helping people out. You used to think that maybe you’d end up being a nurse or a school counsellor, but as you grew older, gradually, you realized that there is far way more pernicious malady than physical ones.

Like the wound in your heart that Steve keeps tapping on every time he acts like he didn’t know you or he left another call or text unanswered. Every time he posted pictures of him and Janet, or him and ‘the boys’ who would walk around the school as they owned it. You had always dreaded those boys. You knew they were bad news and you didn’t want to be associated with them under any circumstances. You and Steve used to make fun of them, how much of a loser they are and how negligent they are toward their grades. But who would’ve known that Steve would turn into his own worst abomination?

Eventually, like all good (and bad) things, they must come to an end. You graduated with a 3.8 GPA and you were proud of yourself for all those times you spent being at home to do your homework and study until around 2 AM.

You were happy; you were satisfied with your grades, your parents were there, cheering for you in the audience and taking countless pictures of you when you walked on stage, and you could finally move forward to the next stage of your life. But something was missing.

“Gosh, I can’t wait to finally graduate.” He scanned the paper with a mark that mocked him in big bold red as he sat at the edge of your twin-sized bed. You had just returned from school and you had received the result of your Math tests. You luckily got a B+ but clearly, Steve didn’t acquire the same latter.

“C’mon, it’s just one bad test. It doesn’t mean that your life is over.”

“I know but, I don’t like seeing a C+ on my test, y/n. It makes me feel inadequate. Besides, I need a solid 3.7 GPA in order to get into NYU. Otherwise, I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Stop being so dramatic, you still have what it takes. You just need to do a lot better in the next one.”

“Yeah, I’m really gonna have to work my ass off though. Math has never been my strongest suit.”

“Neither it’s mine, but you know what? Someday we’ll wear our graduation hat and this wouldn’t even matter. You’d probably forget that you’ve ever had a C in your high school year.”

You recalled those times where Steve would endlessly talk about graduating and what would happen when both of you go on separate ways. He would tell you “don’t be silly. We’ll always be best friends even if we go to different universities. It’s not like we don’t have a phone, y/n.”

You always imagined that on your graduation day, you both would celebrate it together but of course, those dreams have long perished. Steve didn’t even have a smile on his face when your name was being announced.

He was supposed to be there, standing right next to you and engulf you in a warm, giant hug. The one that he used to give on your birthdays. But no, now, you could only watch him from several feet away farther than you both used to be. You could only hear his echoing laugh as he high-fived the boys and twirl Janet around up in the air like the happy ending in your favourite Rom-Com movies.

That should be me. Your heart cry mourned for the memories and the fractured promises. It was like there was this colossal fortress between the two of you and while you were fighting to climb it to reach him, he, on the other hand, didn’t even have the patience to wait for you.

It’s okay though. At least you had your parents and Wanda and her parents and twin brother, Pietro who adorned this special day distracting you away from the anguish of missing Steve. You were going to spend this entire day with the people who truly loved you and you loved just as equal before you had to leave for the new phases of your own lives.

You will finally move to your college dorm, have yourself a roommate, and invest your time and energy in something that you knew you were always meant to do and it excites you that your journey of helping people will start soon.

And Steve Rogers will be nothing but a consigned to oblivion memory that will sink like a battleship beneath the waves.

At least for now.

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scarletwinterxx · 4 years

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Coming Home Finale

Note: first and foremost, I’d like to say thank you for the love you’ve shown this series. I love it too as much as you do, this was once only an idea in my mind before I decided to take the chance and make it. It has been a journey. Thank you so much for being a part of it.

Second, sorry for the slow update. I was back to work this week, I wanted to post but I also wanted this to be perfect. I hope you’re not disappointed.

AGAIN, thank you for all the kind words and your love for my story. It makes me happy beyond words could express. See you on the next series! ENJOY!

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2020 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

PART ONE || TWO || THREE || FOUR || FIVE || FINALE || BONUS

“Oh my god, I could marry you right now”

“I don’t think I’m in the right mind to give you an answer for that”

“So you are considering it, atleast?”

“Shut up, Yuta” I told the man sitting beside me as I try and rub away the headache I currently have

“We’re finally done with this, I’m grateful that Taeyong picked us for this launch but damn I don’t think I’ll ever do this again” he said while he was still busy typing away on his laptop

“I’m with you on that one, why did we say yes again?”

“He used the eyes”

“Ah yes, that” I chuckled then went back to the files we were reviewing.

“This is the only work I’m doing and I’m drained. How did you do this and the planning?” he asked me shooting me a quick look

“I feel like I haven’t slept in months, so that’s great. But all in all I’m glad everything turned out okay and now it’s all almost done”

“And save. That’s it. That’s the last of it. We’re done”

I held out my hand for a highfive which he happily returned, “Is Johnny coming in tomorrow?” he asked while he closes his laptop and fix some of the documents on the table

“Yes, I’m actually picking him up tomorrow”

“Shouldn’t you be resting before the big day?”

“You know Yuta, when you’re a mom you don’t actually get rest days. I just happen to have more than one child sometimes” I joked, I was referring to my friends who are grown adults but seem to always call me like a lost child

“I promise I won’t call you on the weekends” He said with a smile

“I might just say yes to your proposal if you keep that promise” I mumbled, making him release a chuckle

“See you on the big day, go home get some rest”

“Will do, see you” we said our goodbyes before he went back to his own office, leaving me on my own for a while

Not even a minutes later, my phone started to ring. My brother’s name shown across the screen

“Please tell me Chae Yoon is fine”

“Hi noona, yes she’s fine she’s currently just running around. Chae Yoonie say hi to your mom”“ It was Hyuck who was talking on the other side of the line, then shouted out for Chae who just screamed back at him.

I laughed at the two. Ever since she was a baby, she has always been fond of my younger cousin, their bond didn’t lessen throughout the years. If anything, now that Chae Yoon’s a toddler running around and talking as best as she could, they cause as much havoc they can when they’re together.

“Why are you calling from Mark’s phone?” I asked

“Oh right that. Well you see, we were playing hide and seek right, I left my phone somewhere and now I can’t remember where it is, but can you bring back some food when you pick Chae up?”

“I was already thinking that. What do you want?” he then listed off some food for dinner before saying a quick thank you then going back to whatever he was doing.

Finishing the last of my work, I picked up the dinner for us then drove over at Mark and Hyuck’s apartment which they also share with Renjun. He was out of town for a while for some workshop but he’ll be back by tomorrow just like the rest of our friends.

“Oh thank god you’re here. I’m hungry” Mark said when he opened the door to let me in

“Nice to see you too”

“Sorry, Hi noona thank you for the food” he said again with a smile before taking the take away bags from me. After dinner I took Chae Yoon home, she looked like was ready to sleep

“Did you have fun today baby?” I asked her

“Yes, Hyuck oppa gave me cookies” she happily told me

“Really? Did you say thank you?”

“Yes, mommy. And we played lots of games. Mark oppa let me play too” she said, referring to her uncle as Mawk because she’s still working on her r’s

“That’s great. Want to come with us to pick up uncle Johnny?”

Fastfoward to next day. When we got back home, as expected Chae Yoon was knocked out. I need to wake her up early tomorrow too to go and pick up Johnny from the airport

For the past three years, Johnny has been coming back and forth from Korea ever since he got assigned the job over at US.

I thought a lot about Taeyong’s offer, I really did think about moving over to another country but I thought about my daughter. I can’t just take her dad away from her and the same to Jaehyun.

After much deliberation it made more sense for Johnny to take over the project overseas. He was born in the US and he’s been wanting to go back for some time now. So that’s what happened, Taeyong agreed with that proposition to just have Johnny and I to switch positions.

Fast forward to now, three years later. A lot has changed since then. Apart from the obvious like Chae Yoon being a big girl, Mark graduated from college last year and now works for the entertainment industry as an upcoming producer, Hyuck and the rest of the gang about to graduate.

“Can you see him? Is he there yet?” Hyuck asked the little girl who was sitting on his shoulders, holding tightly onto him

“No, there’s no uncle Johnny” the little girl answered, she was happily waiting at the airport for one of her uncles to arrive

“Tell me when you see him okay, make sure to scream out Uncle Johnny!” Hyuck said making the little girl laugh

“Okay!”

“Hyuck, please put down my daughter” I said when I saw the two of them standing by the arrivals gate

“But I need to look for uncle Johnny, mommy”

“Fine but please hold on to Hyuck okay, and you please be careful” I told the older one of the two, when those two are together lord knows what havoc they will cause. Chae Yoon’s favoritism over one of her younger uncle never faded throughout the years, if anything she’s closer to him more than anyone else.

“I see him! I see him! Uncle Johnny” Chae Yoon said then waved her hand up, Johnny turned towards the direction of the voice calling out to him. He immediately spotted the little girl excitedly waving her hands around.

“Chae Yoonie!” he said then walked to where his close, almost family, are.

“Look at you, you’re a big girl now”

“I’m three now”

“Three? wow that’s a lot of years”

That got Hyuck and me laughing for a bit, “Hi hyung, did you bring back any present for me?” Hyuck asked while setting down Chae Yoon on her feet

“Yes, I bought a hug for you”

“On second thought, I don’t think I need a gift”

“Y/N, thanks for picking me up”

“No worries, glad to have to back” I told Johnny as we share a quick hug

“How was your stay there? My guess is busy, I heard Taeyong held a meeting last week planning to open another site in New York” I asked him while we make our way to the car

“Yes, I’ve been packed with meeting up until yesterday I barely had time to pack my sutff. But of course I’m not going to miss this for the world”

“How about you? You okay?” He asked me, now I’m talking to big brother Johnny instead of business colleague Johnny

“Been busy too, with the planning and all”

“I’m sure you did good” he said with a smile

“She did. I don’t know what she keeps on worrying about” Hyuck butted our conversation

“Right Chae Yoonie? Your mom did good” he told the little girl

“Yep! Mommy bought me a pretty dress” Chae Yoon told the older boys excitedly

“Really? You can show me tomorrow. Oh by the way, I bought some presents for you” Johnny told the little girl making her look up at the tall man in excitement

“You didn’t need to, but thanks” I told him

“I’ll drop you off at Taeyong’s then I’ll drop Hyuck over at Mark’s then this little one over at three dad’s. Why do I feel like a mom dropping her kids off to daycare?”

“Oooh how was her first day in daycare by the way?”

“Don’t ask that, hyung” Hyuck said

“Too late. I cried in the car for a solid 30 minutes, I wanted to call her teacher every 5 minutes. The three hours she was there felt like the longest three hours ever”

I felt my phone vibrate, it was Mark calling

“Don’t tell you you burned your apartment down” I said when I picked up the call

“I didn’t. I just called to check in, is hyung there?” Mark asked from the other side of the line. I then passed the phone to the eldest one

“Missed me, Mark Lee?” Johnny asked, they talked for a bit over the phone while we walk to the car

“So Hyuck, got any new news for me?” I asked him while we were in the car

“News?”

“OH THAT” he said when he realized what I was asking about, my brother still on the line and is now on speaker phone

“Yes well, last Thursday was our last day right so we planned to go out and eat. We were all down to go but Mark said he couldn’t, I was wondering why since Lucas was coming with us too, he didn’t have anyone else to go with right”

“What are you talking about? I have other friends you know”

“Oh now you decide to join our conversation” our cousin rebutted

“Only because you’re about to tell my sister something else” Mark reasoned out to which Hyuck started to make faces while the one defends himself

“So something did happen” Johnny prodded

“No! Nothing happened, Donghyuck is just being being dramatic”

“Excuse you, I’m not being dramatic. You did ditch us”

“I didn’t ditch you if I never said yes to you in the first place”

“So who was he with?” I asked, waiting for either of them to spill the answer

“Noonaaaaa” Mark whinned, clearly not enjoying the conversation

“What? as your sister I need to know who you’re hanging out with”

“He was with-”

“I was with a girl. Okay. There I said it” Mark said. interrupting Hyuck from revealing where he was and who he was with

“I was just going to say you were with another friend but yea that works too, he was with a girl from our dance class”

“Oooh that’s cute”

“She’s cute, noona. You’ll like her”

“Shut up, Donghyuck-ah” Mark told the younger one

“Does she have a name?” I asked Mark gently, I respects his privacy, if he doesn’t want to tell me then it’s okay, if he does then that’s fine too.

“Mina” he mumbled. it was almost inaudible

“What?”

“Mina, her name is Mina. And she’s a friend okay, stop making it weird” he said more to Hyuck than anyone

“Okay whatever you say”

“Will I ever get to meet this friend of yours? You should invite her over for dinner the next time you come visit”

“I didn’t want to intrude. it’s still your place so I don’t want to be inviting my friends”

“You’re just taking a friend, no biggie. I can still remember when you two decided to invite five other kids in our house” I said with a smile, recalling the old memories of Mark, Hyuck and the rest of their friends

“The rest of the kids will be here tomorrow, I know Chae will love one more person to play with. That is if she wants too”

“Is Jeno oppa coming?” the little one asked making everyone in the car laugh

“I thought I was your favorite” Hyuck told her, but he was ignored. The little one just repeated her question “Is he coming?”

“Yes he is, so you better behave” Hyuck told the girl, she shot him a smile before going back to just grazing out the passing scenery as the drive by

“Just tell me when she can come and I’ll make dinner”

“Can I come?” Hyuck asked

“No”

“Ofcourse” Mark and I answered Hyuck at the same time

“And you wonder why noona is my favorite cousin” Hyuck muttered

“I’m her favorite, what are you talking about” Johnny rebutted

“No, I’m her favorite” Chae Yoon said then raised her arm making her mom chuckle at her reaction

“Well no one can beat that, fine you can be her favorite”

The rest of the ride was spent on just catching up and making plans about tomorrow.

“Just please don’t be late” I told Hyuck when I dropped him off

“Yes yes, we’ll be there. See you. Bye Chae Yoonie” he whispered to the sleeping girl

“Hey, sorry I was cleaning up” Jaehyun said when he opened the door

“Hi, baby. Did you get to see uncle Johnny?” He asked our daughter, picking her up so they could talk eye to eye, she was still a bit grumpy from her nap

“She took a nap in the car, that’s why she’s still a bit grumpy”

“It’s fine, she’s always like that in the morning. I wonder where she gets it from” I knew where she got it from. I just rolled my eyes at him before passing her overnight bag to him

“You’re coming tomorrow right?” I asked him

“Of course” he answered with a gentle smile

“Thank you, and please don’t be late. We need her there” I said pointing to the little girl who was now resting in his arms

“Don’t worry I’ll take her, go get some rest”

WIth one last smile I said my goodbye to him.

I wasn’t really nervous for tomorrow, after months and months of planning I’m just happy that everything went smoothly and now we’re one day away the big day.

I made my way back home to take some rest and check for final details. I know everything is already set and ready to go but I just wanted to make sure.

Mark was busy since all of the guys are coming today too, Taeyong was busy with Johnny and the rest of the guys who are visiting from abroad. So I spent the rest of the day relaxing.

After a bath I was just arranging my closet when I turned to look at my dress, for a while I just stood there looking at it.

In an alternate universe I would be walking down the aisle to the man I loved so much waiting for me at the aisle, of course that isn’t a possibility that I can just shut down.

Jaehyun was my first love but he wasn’t the last.

If he was then he would be the one waiting at the end of the aisle for me.

I didn’t notice I was twirling the ring on my finger, something I’ve unconsciously done throughout the years. 10 years and I’m still wearing this band I was given when I was high school, I smiled at the thought of that.

============================================

“I need four shots of espresso, or one of your americano coffee order I swear” I told Jaemin whose tie I’m currently tying

“Relax, noona. Everything will be okay” he told me with a comforting smile

“Say that to me when you’ve planned a wedding yourself, Taeil and his fiance trusted me with this. Why? I would never understand but I don’t want to let them down”

“Is she freaking out again?” Jeno asked as he enters the room

“Yes”

“No”

“You, where’s your bow tie? you told me you wanted a bow tie” I pointed at the other boy who was showing me his undeniably adorable eyesmile

“It’s right here, don’t worry I’m about to put it on” he said the walked to a nearby mirror

“Will you please look for Chenle and Jisung?” I asked Jaemin when I was done helping him

“No problem, Jeno-ssi let’s go” he called his bestfriend, they both said their goodbye’s before walking out

I took a deep breath before checking the time. Almost all the guys are here, Johnny was with Taeil, along with Taeyong.

I was glad when he asked me if I could help in planning his wedding. I was ecstatic. The news wasn’t a surprise to our friend group seeing that Taeil and his fiance have been together for a long time. There was no denying that they were meant for each other.

“Knock knock” I heard a voice say said from the other side of the door before it opened widely

“Mommy!” I hear Chae Yoon shout then saw her running to me

“Hi, pretty girl. Did you just get here?” I asked her as I pick her up

“Yes, look my dress has sparkles on it” she said pointing at the skirt of her dress

“It’s really pretty, you look beautiful love” I told her then kissed both of her cheeks making her giggle

Someone cleared their throat making me turn my attention to them.

Through the years that passed I can’t say I didn’t try to fall in love again. I did. I went on dates, met guys but it just never worked out. I decided to not think too much about it and just wanted to focus on my work and my daughter.

I also can’t deny the fact that I know I’ll never fall in love the way I did with the man standing by the door looking like he’s about to take my breath away with one smile.

All the things that happened with Jaehyun and I, the hardships and joys, the time we spent away from one another made me realize that a lot of my life I spent with him. He was one of the constant in my life.

And he always will be. He is the father of my child. My first love. The love of my life.

No one can ever compete with that. There’s really no competition to begin with.

But for the past three years we learned how to grow as individuals, to live again without the each other. When he told me he wanted to be the man who was worth my love I wanted to tell him he already was.

“Hi”

“Hey, glad you could make it” I told Jaehyun with a smile

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, I saw the set up outside by the way. It looks great”

“Thank you, I mean I didn’t do it alone but yea thanks” even after all this years he could make me feel flustered. And the worst part is he knows.

I could just see the smile he was fighting to show while he was looking down on the floor

“Is Hyuck oppa here?” Chae Yoon asked, taking my attention away from her dad

“Yes, he’s outside with the rest of the guys”

“Can I go?” she asked, I set her back down before fixing the bow on her hair

RIght on time, Jeno and Jaemin returned. “Chae Yoonie! You;re here” Jaemin cheerfully greeted the girl

“Your dress looks pretty, you look beautiful Chae” Jeno told the little girl, she muttered a shy thank you. I turned to look at Jaehyun who was watching the whole thing happen infront of him

I can’t help but laugh, making Jaehyun look at me

“Can you take her to Hyuck?” I asked the two guys

“Sure, noona. We’ll take care of her, let’s go Chae”

I watched as the three walk back outside, I almost forgot Jaehyun was still in the room.

“You look beautiful by the way, white dress and all”

I just rolled my eyes at his comment, looking at the mirror to check my hair

“What? You do look good” he said

“Stop, I know what you’re doing” I told him, looking at him through the mirror

“I’m not doing anything. You do look good”

He was just looking at me as if he wanted to say something but he was holding it in. I don’t know what it was and I was scared to ask.

“Did you ask Rose to come?” I asked, his expression quickly changed. Something I didn’t quite catch but it was there, I’m just not sure what it was.

“No”

“Oh”

I don’t know what else to say, especially since he’s looking at me like that again

“Y/N-”

Just as he was about to say something, Yuta bursted in the room

“Y/N, I need- Oh sorry was I interrupting something?” he asked, looking between me and Jaehyun

“No”

“I’m gonna go and see what Chae Yoon is doing” Jaehyun said the exited the room without another word

“I did interrupt something, didn’t I?” Yuta asked me

“Shut up, what do you need?” I asked him

“I actually forgot”

“I swear to god I’m going to hit you, one day I will do it with no warnings” I told him. We walked out of the room to the garden outside where the ceremony would take place. Chairs were set up and flowers were everywhere, not going to lie I wanted to give myself a pat.

“You look happy” I hear Yuta say making me turn to look at him

“I actually am, thank you for asking” I say with a smile, and it is true. The big day finally came and seeing everyone here makes me feel happy.

“They never dated you know” he suddenly said, I already knew what he was talking about.

“That I wasn’t asking” I said then turned my attention to the bouquet I was holding

“Then why are you-“

“I know where this conversation will go and the answer is no, Yuta”

“I was just going to ask why you went alone today, but it’s cute you’re being defensive and all” I just rolled my eyes at him.

Working with him for the past years made us bond more and form an unexpected friendship, I’m not going to lie he did intimidate me when we first met but the more you know Yuta the more you’ll know that he’s an actual sweetheart.

“You’re a headache, Nakamoto. Why don’t you go and find someone else to bother”

“You looked like you need someone to bother you though”

“Are you flirting with me?”

“No, I mean no offense but I don’t like you like that. No worries you look cute though”

“You’re a big nuisance to me, you know that”

“He’s looking our way, ooooh your ex is watching us” Yuta said then continuously poked me on the side

“Shut up, are you drunk? It’s too early to be drunk”

“But he is looking though”

“Shut up”

With one final tease from him, he walked away. After a while everyone was called to the venue to they could begin the ceremony, Chae Yoon was sitting next to me then Jaehyun on her other side,

Throughout the ceremony I could feel his eyes on me, I was trying my best not to look affected by it but I was. I still didn’t know what he’s thinking about but there is something going on.

“And now, you may kissyour bride”

Applause and cheers surrounded us. It was a beautiful ceremony, we were surrounded with our family and the atmosphere was just so full of happiness and love.

The festivities went through the day, at some point Chae Yoon started to feel a little grumpy due to feeling tired and needing a nap. Good thing was Jaehyun’s parents were there too, so they offered to take be back home and let her rest while we enjoy the rest of the night.

“We got her, go enjoy the night” I hear Jaehyun’s mom tell him

“Goognight, Y/N” she told me before they drove off.

We walked back to the party, apart from the faint music that could be heard from a distance there wasn’t anything else. We were just walking in silence.

I felt Jaehyun’s hand on my arm, making me look up at him

“What?”

He just shot me a smile before walking to the opposite direction and pulling me along with him

“Where are we going?” I asked him, shooting him a skeptical look

“Do you trust me?” his question took me by surprise because it sounded more than a simple question

I noticed that we were walking back to where the altar was, it was on the other side of the venue. The party and dinner was on the other side, while the wedding altar was on the other.

“Jae, what are we doing?” I asked him, I stopped walking which made him stop too

“Do you trust me?”

“Depends on what you’re about to ask me”

He showed me a smile smile before holding out his hand for me to take

“Trust me enough that when I say still want to see you walk down the aisle you wouldn’t run away from me”

We just stared at each other for awhile before I looked at the hand he was still holding out to me

“You’re a dork” I mumbled before taking his hand, I hear him chuckle before we started to walk again

“You know this is not how it works, you’re supposed to wait down the aisle. Not walk with me” I told him

“Alright, wait here” He let go of my hand before walking the rest of the way and standing on the aisle by himself

“Please don’t run away” he told me

“I can’t, I’m wearing heels”

I love how easy it was with him. How effortlessly our conversations flow, how he knew what to say. Even after all this time we could still joke around.

I walked the rest of the way. My heart was beating faster with every step I take, the smaller the distance between us the more I see the small smile on his face.

And I knew,

I knew what he has been thinking about.

The little smiles, the glances, the staring at me during the ceremony, the question he was about to ask before Yuta interrupted us.

I knew.

“Hi” I told him when I got to where he was, now standing directly in front of him

“So, what’s next?” he asked me, the look on his eyes told me he was planning something

“Well usually before we get here we’d have to be engaged. We were but you know- I mean- That’s not what I meant. I’m shutting up now” the more I rambled on the bigger the smile on his face gets

“If I ask you to marry me, again, will you say yes?”

“Why? will you ask me?” I asked back

“Only if you promise to say yes” he said the held out his pinkie finger, “You’re a dork” I mumbled, the smile on his face was contagious I couldn’t help but smile back

“I said I wanted to be the man who deserves your love, someone who is worth to spend the rest of your life with”

“Jaehyun” I wanted to say more but no words were coming out of my mouth, he was looking at me like I was the only one he wanted, like this moment right here was something he knew would happen.

Maybe he did.

He looked like a man that didn’t have one ounce of doubt in his mind.

Time did pass and seasons changed again. But right now, right now it felt like spring. Like life was about to start again, and everything was in full bloom. Our story finally came in full circle.

“You still remember that?” I nodded as an answer to him

“I meant what I said, if you want me still then I do want to come home to you. I know I've put you through a lot. I know it isn’t fair that we’ve waited this long but I did want to be the right man for you” he was holding both of my hands in his

“You’ve always been the right one for me, the fact that you let me put myself first told me you do love me. You weren’t scared to let go of me if it meant we both could learn and grow from it” I told him, he shot me a smile before pulling me closer to him

The next thing I know I was in his arms, it felt like home. He was my home.

“Thank you” I hear him whisper

We still had a lot of things to talk about, but now we know we have a whole lifetime to do it. I didn’t have to worry even if the seasons change because I know he’ll be there.

This time I’m not scared of change, we’ve been through it all. We did it together, we did it on our own. I’m thankful that Jaehyun did what he did. He knew we both needed the time and space for us to grow and be better.

“Was this a yes? or-”

“You just had to ruin the moment” I mumbled through his shirt, I felt his chest vibrate when he laughed making me look up at him

“Come home to me?” I asked him

“Always”

And with that he closed the space between us, our lips meeting once again. A kiss that seals not a only a promise of a new beginning for us but also a lifetime we’ll thread together.

278 notes · View notes

novantinuum · 4 years

Text

Intake, Ch. 2

Fandom: Steven Universe

Rating: Teen Audiences

Words: 3600~

Summary: While waiting in the van, Greg reflects on the current state of his son’s mental health, and his many questionable parenting decisions.

This is set multiple months pre The Future, and is a bonus Greg-POV follow up to a previous one-shot I wrote. No context of that is needed to understand this.

If you read this and enjoy, I’d greatly appreciate your support through reblogs here, or kudos/comments on AO3 as well. AO3 link will be provided in the reblogs. Thank you! <3

____

Animated fireworks flash on Greg Universe’s phone screen, virtual fanfare for the virtual victor, as he clears the last king from the tableau. His brows shoot upwards in delight when he sees the final count of the timer. Wow, under three minutes. That’s close to a personal record. Not too shabby for a man who swears he finds a new strand of grey each and every week.

Another day, another successful round of solitaire in the bag.

Sighing, he almost clicks for a new deal, but then realizes it’s almost noon, and that his son is set to finish his first session any minute now. With that in mind, he switches off his phone and nestles it in the empty cup holder at his side, making sure it doesn’t touch the sticky soda stain covering a portion of the plastic. He’d kinda like to be paying attention when Steven exits the therapist’s office, rather than lose himself in a mindless distraction only to be startlingly yanked back to reality by timid knocks on the van door.

Timid.

If any word could be used to describe the way Steven dances around interactions with him these days, this one fits the bill. The boy will sometimes talk to him, sure, but it’s all small talk, short and curt responses, half-hearted shrugs. He’s positive there has to be more to his reluctance to fully engage, to even embrace him, but if so he’s not seeing it. At this point, the last time they had a true heart-to-heart conversation was on their road trip, before the crash. What on Earth happened? They used to be close. They used to share everything with each other, before he moved in with the Gems. Years later, he assumed they still did. And yet, after Dr. Maheswaran showed him the blunt reality of the X-rays on Steven’s chart... those dozens of healed-over fractures, speaking to a litany of injuries sustained throughout childhood, injuries he never knew about, all leading to trauma he never saw the signs of... he realized that, at some point, the two of them had drifted apart. When he was younger he thought he was correcting from his parents’ iron rule, letting his son have all the freedom he wanted. But was it too much? Was he that neglectful a father?

When did he stop paying attention to Steven’s emotional needs enough to miss his steep slip into mental distress?

He sighs, guilt lining the inside of his stomach like the burn of hard liquor coating one’s throat.

It’s not about me, he reminds himself. I can’t make it about me.

It’s the same mantra that kept him stubbornly pushing forward through waves of anguish and remorse weeks back, when his poor boy was roaring, slashing his claws at anyone that dared edge close, years of buried anger and pain thrown to the forefront in a veritable explosion of scales and thorns.

He glides his hand across the faux wood paneling on the dashboard as he consigns himself to recent memory, letting both his fingertips and his mind trace every dip and ridge of its grain. That was probably the most terrifying thing he’d ever witnessed in his life. His own son, disappearing in seconds into this... this monstrous thing, like all the corrupted Gems he used to see them fight from a distance but so, so much bigger. So much rawer. He genuinely thought he’d lost him forever that day. His own panic aside, he can’t even imagine what that experience must have been like for Steven. Remembering those heartbreaking three words he said before it happened, though, glowing pink on hands and knees, he’s not sure he wants to.

“Greg,” Dr. Priyanka Maheswaran says sternly as he exits the thrashed examination room, toting a clipboard under her arm. Her gaze, while undoubtedly sympathetic to the plight of the boy who’s currently changing back into his clothes in privacy, regards him with a fiery sort of reproval the likes he hasn’t squirmed under since he was a child himself. “We need to have a frank conversation about your son’s wellbeing.”

From the corner of his eyes he catches a blur of pink and faded denim blue pushing through the small office’s exterior door. Greg jolts to action, wiping what he fears is a self-pitying look off his face and attempting to replace it with something that looks halfway encouraging. Part of him’s terrified that no matter what he changes, it‘ll never be enough. He’s admittedly still at a loss for how to most helpfully interact with someone struggling with, erm... well, let’s be blunt— with long-untreated mental illness— but he’d do anything for his son’s sake at this point, even if that involves the hard work of addressing his own habits and convictions. He unlocks the van just as Steven walks up alongside.

He can’t help but briefly hold his breath the moment the passenger door opens.

The teen appears no different than he did when Greg left the office to sit in the van an hour and a half ago— his eyes are downcast, drawn with exhaustion, expression unreadable— but to be fair he supposes it’s silly to expect any drastic shift in mood after only one session. Right?

“Now, to be clear, I’m not licensed to diagnose mental disorders,” she explains, glancing up from her notes, “but from everything I’ve witnessed, tested, and heard from him today I have a strong suspicion that he’s dealing with post-traumatic stress.” Mouth pinched, she drops her clipboard on the counter beside them, its dull clap as it hits the laminate punctuating the sheer gravity of her words. “There’s my prognosis,” she says bluntly, palms spread wide. “This looks like textbook PTSD, ignored and overlooked for months.”

Greg lets the bitter reality of those four letters sink in, his eyes burning, throat dry, his heart cracking with despair at the very thought of— he only barely holds back what he’s sure in this circumstance, host to the scolding of a medical practitioner, is a pathetic sob— of his Steven, suffering through all these turbulent emotions for goodness knows how long, no one the wiser, no one noticing his silent cries for help, no one—

He... god, he didn’t know. He didn’t know! How could he have been so stupid to not have noticed?

“You do understand how serious this situation is, yes?” she continues when he doesn’t vocally respond. “How- how irresponsible it is to have never taken your sixteen-year-old son in for even, what? A simple check up? And, and—“ she holds her hands up before he can blurt out a response. “I know what you’re about to say. I know he’s half-Gem, I know he’s different than anyone else on this planet. But he has human needs, too, Greg! I just—!” Priyanka inhales deep, pressing her thumb against her temple as she pauses to catch her cool. “Pardon me. I’m sorry for snapping. I know you love him, and mean well with him, but at this point, we need to face the truth. That boy is hurting, badly. And if he’s going to have any chance of recovering from this, he needs your full support now more than ever.”

The passenger seatbelt clicks, the door already closed. Steven sighs under his breath, sinking into the time-worn, faded seat back. Greg studies his son’s face for a moment, noting with concern the lines of stress creased under his eyes.

“Hey, bud,” he says, his hands shifting to the wheel, nervously fidgeting as he waits for a response, any response.

“Hey,” he mutters, already pulling out his phone. (Probably to text Connie, if he has to guess. Greg counts himself thankful that he has this solid friendship to help anchor him at such a difficult point in his life. Simultaneously, his heart aches knowing the stress that girl’s surely gone through by choosing to be a support for him.)

“How... erm, how’d it go?”

He gives him a big shrug, his fingertips blazing across the screen in an almost dizzying display of dexterity. “It went.”

Greg’s fingers rap against the sun-stained leather. “You still game for gettin’ some food?”

“Yeah. That’s fine.”

Okay. Good. Lunchtime is a go, then, he thinks, diverting his notice to the keys in the ignition. Despite this, there’s a shade of disappointment that tints the atmosphere within this space. Unable to shake the harrowing feeling that he failed some sort of unspoken test with his son, he starts the van and— mentally plotting a course to that good Thai place Steven discovered a few months back— carefully pulls out of the cramped parking lot onto the main road, hoping that this extension to their time together may eventually chip away at the ice that’s formed between them.

Some classic rock plays on the radio as he drives, a band Greg distantly recalls hearing via his classmates in high school but can’t remember the name of. The singer’s mellow tenor effortlessly fills the gaps left behind in their timid silence. Briefly glancing away from the road, he catches Steven’s fingers tapping against his phone to the beat as he waits for a reply to his text, lips drawn. It’s an almost minuscule display, so subtle that any untrained eye might miss it, but witnessing this proof that his son is still very much capable of finding pleasure in music, however small said source of pleasure may be, he can’t help but smile. Soon enough, he passes the crooked street lamp on the corner of Glover and 4th that he always uses as a mental marker when navigating around the small town of Seaside, and takes a quick left at the next stoplight. It’s funny... this place is only twenty or so miles away from home, but given gas costs and his habitual frugalness, he hasn’t explored this county enough over the years to form a good internal map beyond Beach City. Perhaps now, with his son coming to this town every week for therapy, that will change.

The song ends on a sleek guitar riff, and quickly transitions back to the station’s upbeat radio personality.

“You’re listening to Dragon’s Hoard FM, your home for all of music’s greatest treasures! Next up, a trip down memory lane... to a fan favorite from the 1971 best-selling artist... welcome to the party, Kerry Moonbeam.”

Static pours through his nerves as the next number begins to play, (why now, why now, what cruel cosmic timing is this??), robbing all sensation from his fingers. His knuckles grow uncharacteristically pale as he clutches at the wheel, wrestling for dominance.

“Looking for your place in the universe...”

He doesn’t dare shift his gaze from traffic this time, but all he can see in his mind’s eye is that glowing, nauseatingly bright pink. The unwavering tension hanging over them, thick as smog, as their conversation grows terse and grim. His son at the helm, the demons of their past steering their trajectory far out of anyone’s control, as— angered and upset over what he now accepts are entirely rational things— he openly calls out his failures, his lack of structure, lack of attention, his—

“Don’t you know the universe is looking too~ Looking for its place in yo—“

And with the twist of a knob, it’s over. Some local station replaces those tense airwaves, bringing him relief from tainted memory in an instant. His hand quivers as it returns to command of the wheel. In the passenger seat, Steven glances up from his text conversation with that instinctual concern he’s so prone to, eyes blown wide and colored with equal parts confusion and sympathy.

Notably, there’s not a sign of pink.

Swallowing hard, Greg considers saying something in explanation, but in the tangled complexity of their current relationship he can’t think of anything worth saying. Eventually, his throat runs dry in his own silence. His son stops gawking at him like another problem to be fixed, attention drifting back to his phone. His muscles loosen in sheer relief.

He sighs under his breath as he slows for a pedestrian at the crosswalk. Willfully, he buries himself in the mindless drivel of the local talk show he switched to for the rest of the drive, allowing their distant voices to cover the aching, lonely gap torn in his heart.

____

They put in their order when the waitress arrives, Steven settling on pad thai with egg and tofu, and Greg falling back on an old favorite with fried rice and pork. She jots this down on her notepad in a jiffy, pours them some water, then hurriedly scuttles behind the curtain that separates the kitchen from the remainder of the restaurant. It is the lunch rush, after all.

Thankfully though, even amongst the rush the two of them were lucky enough to be seated at a cozy table nestled against the back wall, affording them a decent amount of privacy. There’s enough ambient chit-chat bouncing around the room that Greg doesn’t feel eaten alive by that aching isolation he endured on the almost silent drive over, but not enough that these people’s presence feels suffocating. Steven slowly sips at his water as he politely listens to his updates on Sadie and Shep’s blossoming music career. He’s not saying much in response beyond asking the appropriate follow-up questions and then nodding his head at his answers, but in the end, that’s fine. Even if the recent lack of depth to their conversations bothers him, even if his son’s silence shatters his heart, in his mind it’s not fair to pressure him to interact in a manner he‘s not ready for yet. Greg just needs to be patient. He’ll open up to him when the time is right. There’s no need to push so hard that the remaining threads stringing their relationship together snap altogether, which is— if he’s honest— the future he fears the most.

The one where he becomes no better than his own over-controlling parents.

With his fingers obsessively rapping alongside the side of his glass, he continues to make substance-less small talk, anything to aid in the illusion that the two of them can still carry a conversation together.

“So yeah, that’s where they’re at right now,” he says. “They said they’re gonna put a pause on the touring, and start working on a full album.”

“Nice. Good for them,” Steven responds, the lines under his eyes betraying his underlying exhaustion, even if it appears he’s trying his hardest to mask it. (But for who’s sake?) “And you, you’re still gonna...?”

“Be their manager, yes. That’s still the plan.”

“Cool, cool.“

Their words fade amongst the ambient chatter, neither immediately leaping to comment further.

He softly clears his throat. “And, uh... in the end, I’ll be there whenever they need me, y’know? They might decide they want someone else supportin’ them along some day, and that’s fine.” He wrings his hands together atop the table, watching his son closely. “I only want the best for them.”

The teen’s hollow glance flits across the restaurant, landing from person to person, his leg bouncing nervously under the table all the while. Upon sensing this, it suddenly hits Greg that this is the first time Steven’s been out in busy public beyond the familiar faces of Beach City. For a second he can’t help but fret that all this activity— therapist’s waiting room, awkward car ride, going out to a busy restaurant at noon— will only serve to stress the poor kid out, but then again... pressing his silent worries onto the situation won’t help anyone. The only thing that’s important right now is for his son to know he’s always loved. Always heard, always seen, from this moment on.

After all his failures as a guardian in the years prior, it’s the least he can do.

And then, as Steven’s gaze shifts back into focus, Greg can wholeheartedly sense that he’s mentally engaged, delicate machinery in his mind whirring away as he processes every facet of this conversation, this moment, this place. He swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and then opens his mouth to speak.

“With Sadie and Shep, well...” He scratches at the back of his neck, not quite sustaining eye contact. “I’m sure that... no matter what the future holds, they’ll always appreciate the support you did give them. Even if some of that support maaaybe wasn’t exactly what they needed at the time,” he adds as an afterthought, voice falling soft.

Something within his chest unshackles upon hearing these words, their double meaning more than clear to him. He blinks hard, desperately trying not to utterly break down in front of his own kid. “Steven, I—“

His attempt to piece together a heartfelt response is interrupted by the arrival of their lunch, steam wafting off each plate as the waitress sets them both on the table. They both offer their thanks, and unwind their utensils from their napkins. He’s quick to dig in to his fried rice and pork, having not eaten a full meal since last night. Steven, on the other hand, picks and prods at his entrée, something he’s noticed has become a concerningly common occurrence in recent weeks. He still eats, thank the stars, but not with zeal.

Greg is already midway through his plate before by the time his son‘s just started to put a dent into his own. The teen twirls his chopsticks around a clump of noodles and bean sprouts, seeming more lost in thought than usual. A moment passes, and he opens his mouth as if he’s about to speak up, but quickly shuts it again.

His brow creases with equal parts worry and curiosity. “You got somethin’ on your mind, bud?”

Steven frowns, abandoning his otherwise proficient chopstick skills to stab the tip of one of them into a hunk of tofu. “I guess it’s just that... well... nothing about that appointment was what I expected,” he says, and lifts his utensil to take a bite.

“Oh, yeah?” he prompts, and leans into the table with a surplus of attentiveness. All the while, he’s waging a desperate internal battle not to seem like he’s clinging to his each and every word. (Just let him open up at his own pace, Greg. Don’t be suffocating. Encourage him, but give him time.)

“It wasn’t like, bad,” he murmurs softly, his blank gaze drifting across the ornaments and framed art strewn across the restaurant walls. “But we barely even talked about the last few months? I thought we would, but we didn’t. Instead, he just asked a lot of questions about you, the Gems, Beach City, what it was like growing up. Some clarification on the history of the Diamonds, and the war. I dunno,” he shrugs, and twirls his chopsticks through his pad thai again. “It was kinda strange.”

Greg reflects for a moment on his son’s words, recalling with a slight grimace the first conversation he and the Gems had with Steven about considering therapy. At first he was strongly resistant to the idea, almost indignantly so, claiming that he could “sort this all out by himself” given time, that no one could ever relate to his exact problems enough to be of any help, and that he didn’t want to make his stupid life someone else’s burden in the first place. And even when they managed to convince him to give it a try, he still admitted worry about finding someone who knew enough about Gems to be qualified to treat him. So in that case, he can understand if the teen feels a little nervous, being asked so many questions about his complex lineage.

“Yeah, I hear ya’,” he nods, and then— catching the inside of his cheek between his teeth, rapidly weighing the pros and cons of risking a more in-depth comment— “With what Dr. Maheswaran’s told me about therapy, though, that sounds about normal for a first session, for anyone.”

Steven visibly perks up, perhaps in relief that for once his experience isn’t a unique exception like many other things in his childhood... schooling, housing situation, etc. etc... have been.

“Really? What- what did she say about it?”

“Mostly that it’s important for therapists to build context so they can better understand their client’s current state, or something like that.”

“Huh,” he says thoughtfully, sitting back in his chair. “Well, I guess that makes sense.”

“In the end, you’re definitely not the only one in this boat, Schtu-ball. And that‘s gotta be a little reassuring, yeah?”

He smiles in response. It’s small, merely a slight upward tilt of his lip, but it’s there. “Yeah. I suppose it is.”

____

Their conversation fades back into small-talk after that, but by that point Greg doesn’t feel so bothered. Instead, he feels as if a colossal weight’s been lifted from his chest. He’s not sure Steven fully understands the gift he’s given him today, opening up a little about his inner life after so many long weeks of self imposed silence, but the reassurance it’s offered about the state of their bond is astronomical. It promises healing, a brand new chance to listen and understand.

To change and grow in relationship together, father and son.

“Hey, Dad?” he asks hesitantly as he climbs into the passenger seat.

“Yeah, bud?”

He diverts his attention from the dashboard for just a moment, just long enough to catch a glimpse of the teenager. Clutching their leftovers in his lap, Steven’s eyes land on the stack of CDs tucked into the door pocket.

“D’ya think we can listen to one of your albums on the way back?”

With a watery smile, he switches the van’s radio to disk mode.

“Take your pick.”

#su #su future #greg universe #steven universe #su fanfiction #su fanfic #my writing stuff

108 notes · View notes

dangerghost20 · 3 years

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Creative Pride Month--Day 16th

So, I'm really tired today. I had been up since 6am and working summer school until noon. Then I walked for 45 minutes in the heat. During work, I did work on editing my novel (finally feel like getting back to it). I just don't feel like making something new and not sure how my other story should go. So I am posting the beginning of a story I started working on a few months ago (sorry for not doing something new like I said I would). It is not finished and still in the rough version (be nice). Also, half the month have gone by, so if you want to do ONE thing with my challenge, please consider doing it soon. Use my hashtag and tag me so I can see what you did.

The Dark Path (working title)

Running. Leaping. Crawling. Sweat dripping from my nose, ears and chin. Something was chasing me but I did not know what it was. I could see spots on the path that the lamps have illuminated but all around it was darkness. I was darting from one spot to the next, only entering the darkness when needed. The light was a sanctuary for me. I needed to run faster. My legs were burning. I knew that they would give out at any minute.

I spotted the parking lot finally and my truck a few more feet into it. The lamp I parked was not illuminating it like it did when I entered the park. I leaned forward hoping that it would make me cut through the thick foggy air. Left foot. Right foot. Left. Right. I was slowing down. My energy was running out causing panic to overwhelm my thinking. I dug down deep into my moxy to push harder on my muscles, breaking the barrier of the park path and into the parking lot.

I got to my truck, opening the door before jumping into the unlocked driver side of the vehicle and slammed the door. The noise vibrated through the air and my bones. Fumbling in my pockets for my keys with panic clouding my thoughts even more. They were not there. I keep searching through all parts of my clothes, checking each pocket again, shirt pocket and even my shoes. All this was in vain. I looked out of the window and saw them. Sitting in the illuminated spot right past the barrier of the parking and the park were the keys to my safety.

I had two options at this point. I could stay in my truck and pray that it does not find me. Wait for morning light when it would retreat into the deep darkness of the park before retrieving my keys. The other option was more risky. I could use all the energy I have left, making a break for them and back to the truck. My survival depends on the decision.

I decided. The keys were my way out of this nightmare at all costs. The beast was known to be smart and only getting far from the park is where my true safety resides. Looking around, I could not see any movement in the darkness or shadows other than the trees, brushes and my truck. I quietly opened the door, keeping it opened for a quick escape back to my trusty orange steed. I took a deep breath, readying myself for the sprint of a lifetime, breaking the world records.

I then felt it. A push of hot air on the back of my neck. It came again causing a chill to travel from my neck to the toes. Then the sound. I have been hearing it all night in the distance but it was so much louder and clearer. The snarl of death traveled into my ears, vibrating my ear drums. My heart was racing and sweat was running down my face. I turned to look at the beast that had invaded my space.

The only thing I saw upon turning on my heels was the brown hair. I was staring straight forward, afraid to see what the hair truly belonged to. I slowly took my gaze up towards the sky, seeing the hair change shape with the figure underneath it. I was now looking at the teeth of the beast, covered with blood from a previous kill. My friend. I roared into my face, spreading its hot breather and saliva all over me. I screamed in response, trying to back away slowly from the animal of death. I tripped over my feet, falling to the ground, feeling the pavement and motion through my body. It looked at me with the orange demon eyes, deeper in color than my truck.

It was not moving as I tried to crawl backwards away from it trying to get out of its vision. It just stared at me as I moved and I knew that it was deciding when it would attack. I was about to round the corner of my truck when it howled causing my ears to hurt. I could feel blood starting to run from them. It sniffed the air and the droll ran out of his mouth. It leaped without warning towards me. Once I recognized what it was doing, I screamed knowing my life was about to end by the hands of the beast.

I then woke up, screaming and covered in sweat like I have for the past three months ever since I turned twenty-five. Nothin I have tried has been able to release me from the plague of the dream. I grab my phone from the night stand and check the time. It was four in the morning, which is the longest sleep I have been able to accomplish in the past week. Unlocking the screen, the brightness of the phone illuminated the room causing my bedmate to wake.

“Marcus,” the groggy voice spoke. “Did you have that dream again?”

“Every night,” I responded. “Sorry to wake you.”

“Lay back down,” the voice said, clearing up some. “And we can cuddle.”

“Ryan, babe,” Marcus said with a cute voice. “Ya know you will not get much sleep then. And you have a big presentation in the morning.”

“I have rested enough.”

“Until you are cussing up a storm in the morning with a headache. Go back to sleep. I’m just going to go watch some TV or read.”

I kissed Ryan on the forehand before climbing out of the bed. I used my phone to find my shorts and shirt from the chair near my side of the bed. I grabbed a new pair of underwear from the dresser before leaving the room. I went to the bathroom, turning on the shower water. I stripped out of my current underwear, which was soaked with sweat and jumped into the shower. The water felt nice allowing me to start to relax. My heart was racing from the dream, but more than normal. I usually wake up before the attack comes but I have been trying to figure out what is going on.

Ryan has been my rock during all of this. We met three years ago when I first moved the town. I was lost trying to find where to take all these forms. I had to turn-in for a new town member in the county office building when I ran into him. He was there to get a permit for outside celebration at the park for the company he worked at. I must have looked like a lost puppy because he walked over to me to help me. After a little discussion, he walked me to the office I was looking for. He gave me his number if I needed help finding more places around town and I gave him mine to be polite. I remember what he said then.

“Text or call anytime. You need to know a good doctor or a great bar. I have lived in the town my whole life. Well except the four years at college.”

“Thank you,” I responded. “I definitely will do that. I don’t know anything about this town except my work, grocery store and home.”

Marcus smiled, “Here to help. And if you need someone to say grab a drink or meal with, I am free too.”

I must have turned red because he let out a little chuckle. I was a little speechless at the time and could only get out, “Okay.”

He turned to walk away before looking back. “I think you got the point, but I expect that text later. Love to take someone as handsome out on a date sometime.”

We went on that date and another one. Within a couple of months we were spending a lot of time together. Within a year, I was moving into his place and we were the newest couple of the town. Everyone was shocked when this happened because Ryan had never been one to have a boyfriend longer than a month or two. I would get congratulations on finally getting him to settle down.

Now here we were in this apartment we shared, including all of our secrets. Ryan was now the vice-president of the company he worked for. He tried to explain what they did but I did not know what he was talking about. I still let him practice all of his presentations on me where I smiled and nodded. It was the least I could do, when he had to listen to me talk about all the craziness at my job. Oh, I should mention that I am an emergency room nurse. Head nurse is really my title.

#creative pride month #pride month #pride #pride 2021 #creative writing #short story

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wastelandcth · 4 years

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heyyy so could you write a piece about the reader’s birthday since you wrote one about cal’s maybe with her relationship with cal, she’s kept her friend group pretty small, just the girls and guys and some others surrounding cal’s friend group. but she’s so sweet to all his friends and everyone in general and she or anyone doesn’t deserve any hate so he wants to make her day super special because she’s treated him so well unlike his past relationships ugh i just live for fluff

oof this got a little personal in the beginning but any time i get to write soft cal i just want to hug him 🥰

Special Day

Her birthday had always been something she tried not to get too worked up about. In the past, her family had ever really done much to celebrate, sure she'd be thrown a party every once in a while, but most of the time it was waking up a year older with a small cake and a dinner. One year, when she had turn sixteen, an age she thought was worth celebrating, the thought of her birth slipped past her family's mind. She stopped caring about her birthday after that. Every year when the day rolled around, she would simply try to ignore the feeling in her stomach as she went about her day like she would any other day.

The day had Calum met her, he had no idea it had been her birthday. He didn't know it was her birthday until a few months later when he asked her about it as they were both sat on the couch watching a movie. She had explained that it wasn't a big deal, that it was just another day and another year passing by. That's when Calum knew that her next birthday would have to be celebrated like it never had before.

Calum had started planning the party a month before her birthday, making sure to keep everything a surprise for her. He'd spent countless hours on Pinterest trying to find a cake that he thought she'd like. He also dragged Ashton and Luke to multiple party stores to find decorations for the backyard and kitchen all while her and Michael went out with friends as a distraction. He'd sent out the invites three weeks before the party, making sure to tell everyone in the email not to mention the party to her at all, that it was meant to be a surprise. He'd even recruited her best friend to help him, texting her almost every day leading up to the party to make sure the night would be something she'd like and not a horrible idea.

The night before her birthday, Calum had used the studio as an excuse to go pick up the cake he had ordered for her. It was a small round cake, covered with edible flowers and the fruit she loved so much. By the time he pulled into the driveway, he only had around ten minutes before midnight. Rushing into the house, he tried his best to quietly set up the kitchen counter with the cake and a couple of the presents that he had bought for her special day. Some were wrapped in a metallic blue wrapping paper that reminded Calum of the phone case she'd had when they first met, somewhere wrapped in a brown wrapping paper that was covered in black paw prints he'd all but forced Duke to do when she was at work one day. He also tried his best not to fall off the counter as he hung a happy birthday banner on the ceiling, he didn't think she'd appreciate having to drive him to the emergency room so late.

With two minutes to spare, Calum finished up his decorating and set up his phone in the corner of the kitchen to record her reaction before he rushed over to their bedroom. It was dark when he walked in, the white noise machine that had soothed her to sleep was still playing and Duke was asleep on the edge of the bed, his head raising as Calum turned on his bedside table lamp. He pet the small dog, making sure he kept his eyes on the time. Once the clock hit midnight, Calum gently shook her shoulders, his soft voice trying to wake her up as calmly as possible.

"Sweet girl, need you to wake up for me, yeah? Have something to show you, darling," he whispered, his lips pressing against her shoulder as he felt her stir in bed. He was met with sleepy eyes and furrowed eyebrows. "Come on, I have a surprise." Calum chuckled as she sat up and rubbed her eyes, mumbling something Calum couldn't understand, her voice laced with sleep.

"What time is it?" she asked quietly as she got out of bed, a yawn leaving her lips as she slid on her slippers. His hand was holding onto hers tightly as he led her down the hallway, her eyes squinting as she adjusted to the bright lights in the kitchen. "Cal...what is all of this?" she asked quietly as she saw the kitchen counter littered with presents and flowers. Her eyes landed on the cake, the bright candle flame bringing tears to her eyes as she read the banner above them.

"Happy birthday, sweet girl," Calum mumbled against her ear, his arms wrapping around her waist to pull her close to him. "Wasn't going to let you just act like today wasn't a special day, now was I?" His arms wrapped around her tightly as she let the first tears fall down her cheeks, her face snuggling into the crook of his neck as her heart swelled.

She had always made a big deal about everyone else's birthday. She made sure to clear her schedule for the day and get them a heartfelt present. She had been especially kind on his own birthday, planning a whole day out full of adventures and memories that Calum still reminisced about nine months later. So there was no way Calum was going to let her birthday pass, she was too special for him to simply just get a present and a cake and call it a day. She deserved the world and Calum was going to make sure she got it on her birthday.

After she had blown out the candles and Calum had obnoxiously sung happy birthday to her, they shared the small cake, even giving Duke the chance to lick some of the ice cream off of Cal's fingertips. Calum handed her one of her presents as he saw her tired eyes open and close slowly as her body leaned against his. Her fingers carefully ripped the wrapping paper, making sure to fold it back neatly on the counter before turning her attention back onto the present.

"You've been complaining about the noise machine not really helping you anymore, so I did some research and this one is supposed to be the best one ever made. Maybe we can use it tonight, yeah? You can open the rest of these in the morning." Calum nodded, smiling as he felt her tugging him towards the bedroom again.

When she'd woken up alone in bed the next morning, she thought she had dreamed of the wonderful cake and the banner that was hanging in the kitchen. Her suspicion fading away as she heard her phone buzzing non stop on the bedside table. She smiled to herself as she opened up her phone to notifications from her friends and family wishing her a good day, But she couldn't help but feel her heartbeat quicken as she saw a notification from her Instagram, a video that Calum had posted and tagged her in. Tears once again pricked her eyes as she watched herself on the screen, listening to Calum sing to her and then watching herself blow out the candles to her cake.

She hadn't expected Calum to stroll into the bedroom a few minutes later, telling her that the girls would be here soon to take her out to get pampered. She also hadn't expected Calum to hand her another one of the boxes that had been on the kitchen counter, this one with a label saying it was from Duke. She opened the gift as the old dog sat on her lap, barking as she laughed as the framed picture of her, Duke, and Calum at the beach, all three of them covered in sand and ocean water.

The second that the girls' car was out of sight, Luke's car pulled into the driveway, his backseat filled to the brim with colorful balloons and party decorations. Ashton and Michael arrived soon after him and they all started working on decorating the house for the party in a few hours. After a few arguments about the best place to set up the drinks and food and Calum almost falling into the pool while carrying a table, the backyard was set up for a party to remember. The doorbell ringing sprung everyone into action, Calum rushing over to greet the guest and leading them over to the main space, his nerves racing as he waited for her to come back home.

Calum shushed everyone as soon as he heard the car pulling into the driveway, turning off the music as he rushed back inside to grab the door. He was met by the four freshly pampered women, three of which looked at him with knowing eyes. As Calum led them inside, he couldn't the smile on his face as he heard a gasp. He turned to look at her as they all stepped out into the backyard, his eyes watching her as the entire backyard shouted in celebration.

"Happy birthday, baby." Calum watched as her tears formed in her eyes, for a split moment, he panicked thinking they might not be the happy tears he was hoping for but that was washed away as she jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. Calum chuckled and kissed her head, squeezing her waist as he let her go. "Go on, I'll get us a drink, yeah? You go have fun, it's your party."

Calum watched as she talked with everyone at the party. He laughed while their friends made corny speeches about her and the joy she'd brought into their life. He watched her in awe as she talked about her life with her friends, he was mesmerized by her and everything she was to him. Calum took a sip of his drink as he watched the girl of his dreams be recognized and appreciated on her special day, something he knew she wasn't used to. But he had made a promise to himself that night when she'd told him about how her birthday had never really been celebrated before. He whispered it to himself as she slept next to him in bed, hoping that she was too far gone in her dreams to hear him whispered how he was going to make every birthday from now on a day to remember for her. It was the least he could do for her, she deserved to be spoiled and pampered like this, she deserved all the attention to be on her, even if it was just for one day a year.

#calum hood imagine #calum hood blurb #calum hood one shot #5sos blurbs #5sos imagines #5sos one shot #5sos #calum hood #anon requested #gemma writes

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snowyseba · 4 years

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Miles Away

Summary: A Rockstar!Steve AU. Steve Rogers was known to most people as the lead guitarist for the Howling Commandos, but to you, he was also your boyfriend, or at least you thought he was. Lately, though, you weren’t so sure. He was barely around anymore and seemed to want nothing to do with you. Wrapped up in his own emotions, Steve won’t even hear you out, choosing to ignore you rather than confront his own failings. An unexpected phone call during the Howling Commando’s tour brings everything crashing down around him. How is he supposed to fix this mess?

Word Count: 6.2k

Warnings: angst, swearing, Steve is kind asshole, pregnancy & injury during pregnancy, fluff

Posted 12/18/19

Well fuck. The little plus sign on the stick in front of you changed everything. You and Steve had been together for just over three years now, living together for two of those years, but you’d never really talked about kids. It wasn’t that you didn’t want them eventually, but the subject just never came up, especially with his career taking off rapidly. Hell, you’d never really talked about your future. If you did talk about the future, it was always about his plans and his band, The Howling Commandos. You didn’t regret dating a musician; you had known what you were signing up for when you started the relationship. Hell, the fact that he was a guitarist was part of the appeal in the first place.

Lately, though, things weren’t great. Steve was busy, which was nothing new given his crazy schedule, but there seemed to be less and less time for you. Despite living together, it felt like you saw him less than ever. Most mornings, he was still sleeping when you left for work, not bothering to get up or say goodbye, and he’d stumble home well after you had fallen asleep each night. You might have been living together, but your lives had never felt more separate. He used to make time for you, or at least text you to let you know that he was running late. Not anymore, though. You were lucky if you got a few messages a day.

Maybe that’s why you started clinging to him. The more distant he got, the harder you tried. And the harder you tried, the more you seemed to drive him away. You felt like you were annoying him, but you shouldn’t have to beg for even the smallest bit of attention, not to mention affection, from your own partner. The more he pushed you away, the harder you held on.

Something was broken between the two of you, but you couldn’t fix it if he wouldn’t talk to you, and lately, that seemed like the last thing he wanted to do. You were running out of time. Steve was leaving for tour tomorrow, and you still hadn’t found a time to tell him you’re pregnant. You had been trying for a week now, but every time you tried to talk to him, he’d make some excuse about running late for a meeting, or having to go meet the guys to rehearse. Tonight was your last chance, and then he’d be gone for three months. You’d be showing by the time he got back. Sooner or later, the truth would come out.

So there you were, perched on the ledge of the bathtub, staring down at the positive pregnancy test, wondering just how the hell you were going to tell Steve. You’d wait up for him, you decided, no matter how late he was. The positive test was just confirmation; you had suspected that you were pregnant for a while now but had been too scared to buy a test. It would have been easier if you could have told Steve your suspicions, but your main form of communication lately was texts. This deserved an in-person discussion.

Four hours later, it was just past midnight. You were exhausted, but you were determined to stay awake. Thankfully, you didn’t have to wait much longer; Steve returned minutes later. The second you heard the door open, you felt the familiar pit in your stomach. Dread. That was the only word you could think of.

“Oh, uh, hey babe...I didn’t think you’d be up.”

“Well, I’m up,” you tried to sound playful, but you barely managed to conceal how shaky your voice was. “I was actually hoping to talk to you.”

“Not now, babe.” Steve shook his head, waving dismissively. “I’m tired and tour starts tomorrow. We can talk in the morning.”

You sighed in frustration, shaking your head. “No. We’re talking right now. I’ve been waiting for you all night. I barely see you anymore. I’ve been trying to talk to you for weeks. This is really important, Steve.”

“Jesus, Y/N. I’m fuckin’ exhausted can you just drop it? I said we’ll talk tomorrow. Fuck, I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately.”

“Well,” you huffed, still keeping your hand on his wrist, certain that he’d walk away the second you let go. “I’ve been trying to explain what’s gotten into me but you won’t even give me the chance! Fuck, Steve, I’m just asking for some goddamn time. We don’t talk. Hell, we don’t even see each other awake anymore!”

Steve tugged his arm away from you at that. “You know what, fuck you, Y/N. I’m gonna crash with Bucky for the night. I’ll see you after tour. I can’t do this right now.”

“Steve! Don’t walk away from me! I’m trying to tell you something really important!”

He retreated up the stairs and all you could do was stare after him in stunned silence, a shaky hand pressed against your stomach as you slowly sank to the ground, body shaking with silent tears. Fuck. What were you supposed to do now? You couldn’t just blurt out that you’re pregnant. Who knows how Steve would have taken that.

Steve didn’t even give you a second glance as he stalked through the front door, weekender bag overstuffed with clothes slung over his shoulder. He paused at the door, turning, looking at you silently for a few moments. His brow furrowed and his fists were clenched. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. “I...look, we’ll talk after tour, babe. But...I need a break. I can’t do this clingy shit. That’s not what I signed up for. I don’t know what’s up with you, but maybe some time apart will be good for us. I think that maybe we shouldn’t talk until I get back, though. Whatever it is you needed to tell me, it can wait until I get back.”

Ouch. Okay. “Fine,” you struggled to keep your voice calm, failing to prevent it from shaking and giving your emotions away.

And then he was gone without so much as a goodbye. Maybe you should have argued with him. Maybe you should have told him you’re pregnant despite his insistence that the news could wait, but you were tired. Tired of being the one who cared more, tired of being the person trying to fix everything when it was clear that Steve didn’t care. Steve had made up his mind, and it seemed like he was going to give you no choice but to accept it.

There was a huge part of you that wanted to fall apart completely, to close the curtains and curl up in bed for days, but you couldn’t do that. You had another life to think about now, and you had to try to take care of yourself. From now on, you’d focus your energy on your baby. Your baby. That brought a smile to your face despite everything, your hand still gently cradling your stomach. From the moment you found out, you knew you were going to keep this baby. No matter what happened with Steve, you’d always have your baby. You’d give them all the love in the world. With or without Steve, you were going to make sure that this baby had the best life possible.

Ten Weeks Along.

Today was your first ultrasound appointment. The doctor said you were measuring a bit bigger than expected given the date of conception, so she had ordered an ultrasound to confirm your due date. You had desperately tried to get ahold of Steve, leaving him several texts and a voicemail, but so far there was no word from him. You were still conflicted about telling him that he was going to be a father over the phone, but you could have really used his support. All of this was so new and unfamiliar.

Nat, a longtime friend of Steve’s who you’d quickly come to consider one of your closest friends, offered to come and was meeting you at the clinic. Nat was over the moon and eagerly agreed to go with you. You were glad that you wouldn’t be alone, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that it should be Steve by your side, sharing in the incredible experience of seeing the little life you had created for the first time. The Howling Commandos’ tour had barely begun, but he was already missing so much. In the short amount of time that Steve had been gone, you noticed a small bump was forming. To most people, it would probably just look like you’d overindulged at your last meal, but you knew better. Still, you were surprised. You figured that you were fairly early in your pregnancy, so why were you starting to show already? Then again, that was why you were here.

Next to you, Nat was practically bouncing in her seat as the doctor applied the gel to your bump, and she was the first one to spot the second baby, your second baby.

“Oh!” Nat squealed, gripping your hand tightly in her own, pointing at the screen. “Is that...are those...two?”

As it would turn out, the reason for your measurements was that you were currently carrying not one but two babies inside you. Lo and behold, there were two little blips on the screen. Baby A and Baby B.

“You’ve got a good eye!” your OB/GYN grinned. “See that, momma? Looks like you’re going to have your hands full.”

You didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Being called ‘momma’ and seeing your babies growing safely within you was incredible, but there was something, someone missing. Fuck. Now you really had to tell Steve. One baby, you might be able to handle on your own, but after hearing all the potential complications and concerns that came with having two babies, you weren’t so sure that you could do this on your own.

Nat fixed you with a knowing gaze before glancing up at the other woman. “Could you give us a moment?”

She nodded, stepping around the examination table and excusing herself. “I’ll be right out here when you’re ready.”

As soon as the door closed, the dam burst and you couldn’t help the sob that left your lips as you pressed a hand against your stomach.

“Oh honey, c’mere” Nat wrapped her arms around you in an instant, rubbing gentle circles over your back as she held you. It was the most intimacy you had felt since Steve left, and it made you cry all the harder. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on? Not that I’m not thrilled to be here, but...shouldn’t Steve...I mean, wouldn’t he want to be here for this?”

You pulled back from her, avoiding her gaze as you whispered dejectedly. “I wouldn’t know,” you paused. “He doesn’t know.”

“Y/N?” Nat’s voice was even, but you could tell she was trying hard to keep it that way. “What do you mean he doesn’t know?”

And so you told her. You told Nat everything - how distant Steve had been, how he had told you that he wanted space, how he was ignoring you texts and calls, how he had walked out on you that night without so much as a second glance. By the end of your story, Nat was fuming. She had stopped rubbing soothing circles over your back, now just gripping you tightly against her. Coming to sit on the exam table in front of you, she took your hands in her own, squeezing reassuringly. “Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to go back home, and we’re going to call him. I’m going to be with you, and we’re not going to give up until he actually picks up. This is too important for him to ignore.”

“You have reached Steve Rogers. I can’t come to the phone right now. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

That was the tenth time in a row you were sent straight to voicemail after a single ring. This was just getting childish. Steve was now actively ignoring you. He wouldn’t even give you the chance to try to have a conversation with him. You didn’t want to tell him about something this important via text, but he really wasn’t giving you much of a choice at this point.

“What an asshole,” Nat’s voice did little to mask her resentment towards Steve. “Has it been like this the whole time?”

You nodded, trying not to fixate on the pitying look Nat gave you.”Haven’t heard from him since he left. He said he wanted a break. Fuck, Nat, I told him I had something important to tell him and he...he just told me it could wait. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do here.”

Panic was rapidly bubbling deep in the pit of your stomach. Tears pricked at your eyes, quickly spilling over, your breath catching in your throat as you paced the length of your living room, wringing your hands. “What if he doesn’t want me anymore? What if he doesn’t want us? What am I supposed to do, Nat? I don’t know if I can do this by myself. I can’t have two babies on my own. This wasn’t supposed to happen this way. This isn’t how any of this was supposed to happen.”

“Y/N, you’ve gotta breathe. Can you do that for me? Take a deep breath, you’re starting to hyperventilate.”

Although you registered her words, you couldn’t stop. Thoughts were racing, and it felt like your heart was about to jump out of your chest. What on earth were you supposed to do now? You weren’t sure if you were prepared to face the very possible reality of doing this without Steve. You were too wrapped up in your thoughts to even notice that you were about to walk right into the coffee table.

Nat shrieked your name, and you looked up at her in a panic, but it was too late, your foot caught on the leg of the table, and you went tumbling forward. Nat sprung into action, propelling herself towards you in a frantic attempt to catch you, but she was too late. You had already fallen.

Steve snuck away from the rest of the band to tune his guitar. As much as he loved his bandmates, he needed some space after traveling in such close quarters and spending most of time each day with them, some time to clear his head. The way he had left things with you didn’t sit well with him, but he just couldn’t bring himself to pick up the phone. If he could just keep himself busy, maybe he wouldn’t have to think about it.

“Steve! Fuck, man, I’ve been lookin’ everywhere for you!” Bucky’s voice reverberated through the empty arena. It wouldn’t be that way for too much longer, though. Only a little while left before that night’s show, and it was sold out. Soon, the fans would start filing in, the anticipation building until that magical moment when Steve and the band stepped out onto the stage. Those were the moments he lived for, when the worries and stresses of life washed away and he was able to truly live in the moment, sharing what he loved with these people who had made time in their lives just to hear him perform. Sometimes he couldn’t believe how lucky he was.

Still, Bucky sounded worried, so Steve set his guitar down on its stand and turned to his friend. “What’s up?”

Out of every possible imagined scenario, Steve never expected the words that next left Bucky’s mouth. “I’m so sorry, Steve, you’ve gotta go. Now. Y/N had a fall. They’re worried it could have hurt the babies. You’ve gotta go. They won’t tell Nat anything since she’s not family. Get your ass to the hospital, man, and you can explain why you kept your unborn children a secret from your best friend later.”

He stared at Bucky for a few seconds, trying to process the information he had just been told. Babies? Fuck. Holy fuck. You were pregnant, with more than one baby, and you had fallen. You were being taken to the hospital. He stared at Bucky, uncomprehending, but suddenly finding extremely difficult to swallow, his chest constricting tightly as the realization set in, rapidly followed by guilt, then sheer panic.

Steve had messed up. More than messed up. He was pretty sure he might have just ruined the best thing that had ever happened to him, something he didn’t even know about because of his own pride and stupid inability to talk about his emotions. If he got to you and those babies...Bucky hadn’t said how many, but why would he? He had obviously assumed Steve had already known. Was it twins? triplets?? Oh god... if those babies were gone, if you were hurt, he wasn’t sure he’d ever forgive himself. He wouldn’t blame you if you never forgave him either. He had been such an asshole to you. All he could do now was hope that it wasn’t too late to fix all the damage he had done.

It was like a flip switched and before he even realized what he was doing, he had grabbed his phone booked a ticket for the next flight home. It would be tight, but if he left now, he’d make it on time to catch the flight. Meanwhile, Bucky called a cab, ushering Steve into the back seat as soon as it arrived, telling him to call as soon as he had news.

Once en route to the airport, Steve’s thoughts drifted to the night he left. He muttered vague responses to the driver’s small talk, but all his thoughts were centered around you. Something hadn’t felt right when he left you, he knew that, and yet he did so anyway. Even when you had said you had something important to tell him that night. When you had begged him to let her you out. All of a sudden, it was like everything fell into place. Of course. You were pregnant. That’s what you had been trying to tell him. That was the crucial news, and he had just walked out on you like you meant nothing to him. Worse, he told you not to contact him. He ignored your texts and calls. Oh god. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought.

Steve knew he had to fix this. He had no idea how, but he was going to try, and trying started with getting himself on that flight. Tour could wait. His family was in danger.

By the time Steve reached the hospital, he felt like he had run a marathon. His chest was tight, and breathing was getting harder and harder. He was exhausted, and yet on high alert. All he knew was that he needed to get to you. He was out of the Uber before it had even come to a full stop, mumbling a thank-you to the driver. Quickly shutting the door, he strode straight to the front desk, desperate to find out what room you were in. He needed to get to you as soon as he could. He only hoped it wasn’t already too late.

Thankfully, a sympathetic nurse took pity on him, “Follow me,” she’d offered with a kind smile. “She’s in room 103, at the end of the hall on your right. She’s asleep and under observation, but she’s stable so you can wait until she wakes up.”

Now here he stood, at the door to your hospital room as if some invisible forcefield were keeping him out, watching the slow rise and fall of your chest. The pallid white walls emphasizing the sterile and cold environment did nothing to make him feel better. He wanted nothing more than to fall at his feet by your side, begging you to forgive him, but his feet were rooted to the spot. Did he even deserve that? He had abandoned you completely when you needed him the most. He hadn’t even given you the chance to tell him about the babies, his babies. At that moment, he was pretty sure he was the world’s biggest asshole and he was going to spend the rest of this pregnancy, if not the rest of his life, making up for it.

Taking a shaky breath, he approached your bed, carefully sitting in the adjacent chair so as not to wake you. You looked exhausted, even asleep, and he felt his heart constrict with shame and guilt. His fingertips brushed over your hair gently, whether to reassure you or himself he wasn’t sure.

Steve remained silent for a while, listening to your breathing, his eyes fixed on the slight swell of your stomach that definitely hadn’t been there when he left for tour, the swell that currently housed his babies. You could have easily fallen on your stomach when you tripped. The thought ignited a spark of guilt deep within him that soon felt like it was consuming him completely. He swallowed thickly, shaking his head and looking away for the first time since arriving. If he had been there, he could have caught you. He could have been there if he had known. Maybe he could have even prevented this. Things were going to have to change, moving forward.

Finally, he found the courage to speak. He took your hand in his, giving it a hesitant squeeze. “Hey, princess. I don’t know if you can hear me or not but I’m so sorry. I was an asshole. I was so beyond out of line, and I should never have left you the way I did. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I’ve been a horrible dad so far, but I promise I’ll do better.”

Your eyes fluttered slightly, but he wasn’t entirely sure that he wasn’t imagining it. “Y/N?” Instinctively, his grip on your hand tightened as he waited with bated breath, searching for any sign that you had heard him.

He was almost about to give up hope, turning his attention to your belly and the babies within, when he heard you utter a small, groggy “Stevie?”

A sharp inhale left the man beside you as his eyes suddenly flicked from your belly to your face, searching for confirmation that he wasn’t making this up. When he saw your eyes open, looking at him with an albeit confused expression of love and gratefulness that he wasn’t entirely sure he deserved, he could barely stop himself from crying. “Oh, sweetheart...I’m so sorry, I -”

There was a knock at the door, interrupting Steve and alerting you to the doctor’s presence. “Ah, Mr. Rogers, it’s a good thing you’re here. Do you have a moment to discuss your results?”

“Of course,” Steve answered automatically, his grip on your hand tightening. His hand was clammy, his brow furrowed with concern.

“Now, the good news is, your results looking within the normal levels for a twin pregnancy, but you did fell, which can cause some problems. You haven’t had any contractions, and there’s no sign of blood or amniotic fluid loss. Everything is looking okay so far, but I’d still like to do an ultrasound just to make sure. You’ll need to make sure she’s taking it easy. Dad,” she looked at Steve, who’s somber expression suddenly brightened as the name sunk in, “you’ll want to make sure she’s resting enough. Make sure you’re staying hydrated and eating enough as well. Let’s make sure we try to avoid any future falls as well. Now, let’s take a peek at these babies.”

The moment Steve saw the two little blobs on the screen, when he heard the rapid thump thump thump of the twins’ hearts, it was like his whole world shifted. Suddenly, all he wanted was to stay here with you and his family. This was where he truly belonged, and he was an idiot for jeopardizing it in the first place.

How was he supposed to just go back out on tour, spend weeks and months on end away from you, all while knowing that you were at home, alone, carrying his babies? He didn’t want to miss another minute. The Howling Commandos would be okay without him for the rest of this tour. They could get a temporary replacement guitarist for him. He was okay with stepping out of the limelight for a while. Being able to be here for you and experience this together was better than all the applause in the world. The beating of his babies’ hearts was more captivating than any music he had ever heard.

After the doctor left, cautioning you again to make sure not to overdo it, you and Steve sat together in silence. He was still gripping your hand in his, his eyes glossy. Even though it wasn’t your first ultrasound, you still couldn’t help but tear up when you saw your little ones. Although Steve had stayed silent, fixated on the screen, you didn’t mind. If anything, you were moved by how he was completely captivated by the two little lives inside you, and you didn’t miss the way his hand tightened around yours when their heartbeats filled the silence.

“Y/N...” he raises your hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to your knuckles, “fuck, baby, I’m so sorry. I know sorry doesn’t cover it, but I swear, I’m gonna make this up to you. When Bucky told me you were in the hospital, that our babies were in danger, shit, I was terrified. I had everything I ever wanted and I was too much of an asshole to even let you tell me.”

As much as you wanted to forgive him, to comfort him, now that you were over the shock of him actually being here, part of you was still apprehensive. “You walked out on me, Steve. You walked out without even looking back. How am I supposed to trust you? You’ll be on tour for months after this. Honestly, I don’t know that I can handle the stress, and you heard what the doctor said. What, are you going to fly home for every appointment? You’d have to leave right afterward, and I don’t know if I can manage that. What about all the time in between? I miss you enough as it is, and having you here playing house for a couple hours every few weeks...that’s not what I imagined for us.”

Once you started talking, it was like all your fears were coming out at once. Everything that you had bottled up inside since the night Steve left was being unleashed upon him. “What if you miss the first kick? What if I go into labor while you’re still on tour? What if you can’t get home in time?” Your breath was coming in short gasps now, your chest tight as tears stung your eyes.

“Hey, hey, baby please take a deep breath for me, okay? Can you do that for me, sweetheart? We’ll talk about everything, I promise, but first I need you to calm down - doctor’s orders, right?” He moved to sit on the edge of your bed, facing you. His hands cupped your cheeks, his eyes locked on yours.

You tried to focus on his face, the feeling of his rough calloused fingers, a physical sign of his dedication to his craft, against your cheeks. How could you ask him to give up his dream? You needed him, but you knew just how important the Howling Commandos’ music was to their fans. Some of them saved up for months just to afford tickets to a show. And you also knew just how important music was to Steve. Still, you did as he asked, and tried to steady your breathing.

“That’s my girl.” The corners of his lips twitched up in the slightest smile. His hands dropped from your face to hold your own. “Now, let me start by saying that I was so incredibly wrong to leave like I did. I should have let you finish what you were saying. I missed out on finding out about the best damn thing that’s ever happened to me. It was unforgivable, and you have every right to hate me for it, but --”

You cut him off before he could continue. “Why did you do it? What did I do to deserve that? If I was being too clingy, you could have talked to me about it, Steve. But you didn’t. You just shut me out.”

“Y/N,” he pleaded. “You didn’t deserve it. Any of it. Look, honestly...I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to skip the tour and just stay with you. I miss you when I’m gone. I hate the time differences, the missed calls, sporadic texts. I hate that I don’t get to go to sleep and wake up with you by my side. I didn’t want to give that up. But then I thought about everything I have, and how so many people dream of being where I am, and I felt guilty that I wanted to give it all up. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do and I don’t want to stop, but sometimes I just...wish I could have a normal life. I worried that I’d be letting everyone down if I asked for a break...so I pushed you away.”

His bright blue eyes were glassy, his deep voice taking on a gravelly, unsteady edge. “And then when Buck came running out on to stage, telling me you were being taken to the hospital, that you fell and they’re worried about the babies...doll, I...” he shook his head, clenched fist pressed against his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. Without thinking, you reached out to squeeze his shoulder, tracing soothing patterns over his arm. Once he had collected himself, he began speaking again. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt more afraid, sick, or loathed myself more. I almost lost everything, Y/N.”

“But you didn’t lose everything, Stevie. We’re all okay.”

“I could have, though.” He shook his head, looking down at his feet. He was struggling with what to say next. “I’m not taking any more chances. I’m not taking any of this for granted. I’m going to talk to the guys and work something out. I’m going to be here every step of the way, okay? If you’ll have me, that is.”

You’re silent for a few moments. You’re still not entirely sure you can trust him, but you’ll never know unless you try. “All I’ve ever wanted you, Stevie, only you.”

“Hmm, only me? That might be a bit of a problem, sweetheart considering it’s going to be the four of us in a few more months.”

“The four of us? Are you really sure you’ll be around.”

If he was offended by your question, he didn’t show it. Instead, he pressed a kiss to your forehead, pulling your body against his. “I can’t change the past but I can promise that I’m going to spend the future making up for it and showing you just how much I want this.”

Thirty-Six Weeks Along

The universe was trying to kill him, Steve decided, as he accelerated out of the studio’s parking lot, merging onto the highway shortly after. You weren’t due for at least another week. The midwife had cleared you, and both of you had assured Steve that it would be fine to head into LA for the day to do an interview with the band. Tour was over, and the Howling Commandos were working on their next album, allowing Steve plenty of time to be there for you and your growing family for at least the next year.

But of course, the universe had other plans for him. Halfway through the interview, the band’s assistant was making frantic motions from the side of the set. When Steve finally caught on, his heart sunk. Before he even realized what he was doing, he had stood and was quickly making his way over to her. All he processed were the words ‘Y/N,’ and ‘in labor,’ and he was out the door, taking the stairs two at a time rather than waiting around for the elevator. He’d be damned if he was going to miss this.

Every minute that ticked by as he was stuck in LA traffic was excruciating. All he could think about is that yet again, he wasn’t there when you needed him. Rationally, he knew you wouldn’t be angry; you had been the one to push him to go to the interview in the first place, despite his protestations, but his residual guilt over his behavior made him feel as though he was letting you down by not being there with you right now. Steve had felt anxious all day, and the last thing he had wanted that morning was to leave your side, but he tried to quell his anxiety as you blamed it on the first-time dad-to-be jitters. He should have listened to his gut. If he had, he would have been there for you.

Steve did make it, though, and he was right by your side as you delivered two healthy babies, a boy, born at 11:42 PM, and a girl who arrived only 16 minutes after her brother. The moment he held his son, and then his daughter in his arms, he broke down into tears. He had managed to keep calm throughout your labor and their birth, focusing on supporting and encouraging you, but when he felt the weight of the babies, felt their impossibly soft skin against their own, watched the steady rise and fall of their chests, it suddenly hit him that this was real.

The next few hours were spent cuddled on the bed, the two of you marveling over your twins, both of you still trying to register that they were really here. Steve noticed your attempts to stifle your yawns, the way you struggled to keep your eyes open.

“Get some sleep, sweetheart.” Steve murmured, kissing your forehead as he scooped your daughter from your arms, moving her to rest by her brother in the crib by your bedside. “You’ve had a long day.”

You would have protested, but a yawn beat you to it, and Steve fixed you with a stern look. “Okay, okay.”

“That’s my girl. Don’t worry, momma, I’ll keep an eye on them while you sleep,” Steve brushed your hair back, looking at you in pure adoration.

“Mmm, thanks daddy,” you replied cheekily, smiling up at him. You were beyond tired, but not too tired that you were going to give up the opportunity to tease him. He just rolled his eyes at you, shaking his head in pretend exasperation. “What? You are a daddy now.”

“Yeah...yeah, I am. And I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you gave me this chance,” his gaze focused back on the twins.

“We’ve been over this, Stevie,” you replied sternly. “You’ve more than proved that you’re sorry. It’s okay to move on, to forgive yourself for what happened. I have.”

His back was still turned to you as he wiped a few tears from his eyes. It was something he had struggled with ever since that day at the hospital, and you weren’t sure if he was ever fully going to allow himself to stop feeling guilty over it.

“You keep saying that but--”

“No buts, Stevie, unless its your butt that we’re talking about, okay?” That earned you a chuckle, and he turned to face you again.

“Alright. Alright,” he pressed a kiss to your forehead, his hand tracing your cheekbone. “But only if you agree to get some sleep.”

“I guess I can live with that,” you agreed.

“That’s my girl,” he pressed another kiss to your forehead, then turned his attention to the crib and its brand new occupants.

Confident that they were going to be well looked after by their father, you finally gave in and let sleep take you. You’d only end up getting a couple hours of rest before the twins woke you, demanding to be fed. You’d take whatever rest you could.

Once he was sure you were asleep, Steve’s attention returned to his children. He took a moment to send photos of the sleeping newborns to his bandmates. They were fast asleep only moments after you. As much as Steve wanted to hold them, he was afraid of waking them up, so he settled for sitting between you and the babies, keeping watch over his family as he allowed himself to wonder how the hell he got so lucky. Bucky, naturally, responded almost immediately, congratulating Steve and asking when he could see his niece and nephew. He’d respond to that later, Steve decided. He wanted a little more time to exist in the haze, completely overwhelmed with exhaustion, fear, and so very much in love with his new family.

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers #steve x reader #steve x you #marvel imagine #mcu imagine #avengers imagine #steve rogers AU #dad!steve

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imanativeofswlondondahling · 4 years

Text

Becoming A Stark (4) Peter Parker X Stark! FemReader

A/N: So this is the longest chapter I’ve written for this so far! And it’s one of my favorites. Also my mom surprised me with a Nintendo Switch to make up for the fact that I haven’t been allowed to leave the house since March so I’m hoping to get another chapter of this out this weekend but there’s also Animal Crossing now so.......... As always let me know your thoughts on this or if you want to be tagged whenever I post a new chapter!

Word Count: 8346

Warnings: Mention of drug and alcohol abuse, swearing I think

Chapter One || Previous Chapter || Master List

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” Tony’s voice is painted with the smile he wears as Pepper walks into the living room.

“You saw me two days ago.”

“Two days too long.” He says before kissing her cheek. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”

“That’s because this is just a stop. I’m not staying. I’m picking up Y/N.”

“You’re taking Y/N…?” He trails off in confusion.

“We’re going to get mani/pedis, do some back to school clothes shopping, and maybe get dinner. I want to get to know your daughter better.”

“She seems fine with hanging out with everyone except me.” Tony says dejectedly.

“You’re an acquired taste.” Pepper teases before placing a quick kiss on his lips. “Give her time. She hasn’t had even a week of having a father yet.”

“What time will you be back?” He asks, already knowing that he’ll have to fill his afternoon by himself.

“Six or seven maybe?” Tony glances at the Stark Phone that he’s actually started carrying with him now that it’s more personal. Natasha had snapped a picture of Y/N at, apparently, your favorite place in the whole city, which looks like a big book store. You’re not even looking at the camera, you’re carrying a ton of books and yet reaching for another one, but you’re smiling which is more than he can say for the past few days. When Natasha sent it to him, he immediately made it his background and lock screen. It may not have been a week, but you’re definitely becoming his world. “I’m going to see if she’s ready to go.”

You take one last look in the mirror, trying to decide if this is the outfit you want to be seen out in the world with famous Pepper Potts. Maybe you should change and dress up, but you’d rather be comfortable if you’re being honest. So instead of a dress or a romper, you’re in a pair of ripped denim shorts, a Rolling Stones t-shirt that you found at a thrift store a few months ago for so cheap but it’s in such good condition, and tie dyed high tops. You had thrown your hair into a ponytail with a red scrunchy only because the humidity was too much today. There’s a knock on the door. “Come in.” Jerk It Out by Caesars is playing over JARVIS, but he turns it down as Pepper walks into your room. You are in the middle of putting on the heart shaped pendant that Nana had given you for your thirteenth birthday as Pepper stands across your room.

“You ready to head out?” You glance back at the mirror once more time as you see Pepper in a red cocktail length dress.

“Do I need to dress up?” You ask, suddenly worried that your shorts and t-shirt won’t cut it in Pepper’s world.

“Honestly no. I probably should change. I came from a business lunch at this overly posh restaurant. If you’re good waiting like five minutes, I’ll go change.”

“Yeah I’ll be fine.” You grab a bag from your pile of bags, throw your wallet, a testing kit and then wander down to the kitchen to grab some low snacks.

“Rolling Stones?” Tony asks in mock surprise. “Couldn’t wear something like AC/DC or Black Sabbath? Have some taste if you’re really my daughter.”

“If you’re having doubts, I’ll go home to Nana and Pops.” You say as you throw the applesauce pouches in your purse.

“Nope. Not happening. I’ll forgive your subpar music taste, but we’ll get working on music education soon.” You just roll your eyes. You weren’t going to admit to him that you already listen to AC/DC a good chunk of the time and when in the right mood you listened to Black Sabbath.

“Y/N Miss Potts wants to know if you want her to grab you a pair of sandals for your pedicure.” JARVIS asks.

“I’ll grab a pair.” Turning to make your way back up the stairs, you walk back into your room. Grabbing the first pair of sandals you see. As you walk out your door, you see Pepper walking towards you in a loose white top, denim shorts, and a pair of sandals. “That’s the most laid back I think I’ve ever seen you.”

“That’s because you see me coming from SI most of the time and I have to dress up for that. But we’re going for comfy and casual now.” She smiles at you. “Did your dad see your shirt?”

“And give me crap for my subpar music taste? Yeah.”

“I had a feeling he might.”

“That’s why he’s not invited.” Pepper laughs.

“It’s not because we’re going shopping and for mani/pedis which he would be miserable at anyway?”

“That too. But still, if he hates on the Stones, he’s not invited.” Pepper lets out another laugh as the two of you walk back into the kitchen.

“What joke did I miss out on this time?” Tony asks.

“You had to be there.” You say instead of explaining.

“It’s nothing.” Pepper says, leaning over to place a kiss on his lips.

“I can’t tell if you’re corrupting her or the other way around.” Tony says as the two of you walk towards the elevator. “Maybe I should come along for supervision.”

“Bye Tony.” Pepper says, rolling her eyes before telling JARVIS to take them down to the garage. “So where do you normally go for back to school shopping?”

“Well we never had a ton of money, so Nana and I usually hit up the thrift stores. But I find great deals like this,” You motion to your shirt. “Four bucks and it’s basically brand new. Well as brand new as an old shirt can be.”

“Where are your favorite shops?”

“We’d go to Buffalo Exchange if we were looking for more like dresses and stuff. Like that one I wore to dinner I got at the Buffalo Exchange on the lower East Side. But there’s also a handful of good mom and pop thrift shops in Queens and Brooklyn if you’d rather head over that way. Bayside Thrift Shop is a good one in Queens or there’s Out of the Closet in Brooklyn.”

“Which one do you have better luck at?” Pepper asks as they walk to where Happy is waiting for them.

“I’ve always had great luck at Bayside.”

“So lets start there and then we can head to Buffalo Exchange before mani/pedis.” Pepper suggests.

“Where are we heading?” Happy asks as you and Pepper slide into the backseat.

“Bayside Thrift Shop in Queens.” Pepper turns to you. “Want to put some music on while we drive over?”

“Really?”

“Nothing you put on can be worse than what Tony puts on when he’s in a bad mood.” She says with a smile.

“Um ok. JARVIS can you play my June playlist?” You ask before he can list that you have a playlist called Tony Stark Can Rot. For some reason you feel like she wouldn’t like that as much.

“Certainly Y/N.” The first notes of Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses start to play and you relax into the seat. If you had headphones in, it would feel like all the times that you, Betty, and Astrid had gone between Queens and the main island during the summer. The biggest difference was you weren’t crammed into the humid subway car and sitting to your right was your dad’s girlfriend, who was the farthest from the evil stepmother character from the thousands of books you read growing up. In fact, she is sweet and kind, someone you could find yourself loving easily.

You turn your head towards the window and focus on the passing sights of NYC as you head towards the area you had lived your whole life. You could point out the hospital you had been born at if you turned down the right streets. If you went up a few blocks you would pass your elementary school, your middle school, and the school you’d be starting at in a little over a week. Your whole life up until a few days ago centered on this area of New York. That bodega was the first one you had been able to run to on your own and that’s the street you take to go the back way to Betty’s old apartment. “Missing home?” Pepper asks, seeing you staring out the window with longing.

“This place is all I knew for the longest time. I spent more time in Queens than I did in Manhattan.” You say with a shrug, not wanting to sound ungrateful, but you miss home.

“You’ve gone through a lot this week. It’s ok to miss it.” Pepper’s hand rests on yours and gives it a little squeeze. “Queens can always be home, even if you’re living in Midtown.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever give Queens up.”

“Even when I’m in Malibu, I miss New York like crazy. It’s definitely home.” You listen to what Pepper’s saying as Happy turns the familiar path to head towards your favorite thrift store. He pulls into a lot across the way from the thrift store before getting out to open the door for you and Pepper. “Now, will you show me your favorite thrift shop?” Pepper asks.

“Easily. This place is meant to be shared.” You can’t help but smile as the three of you cross the street.

“What do you like the best about Bayside?”

“They tend to have a lot of graphic tees. Both of like the band variety but also just like sassy variety. And I could live in tees if I didn’t have to wear other clothes sometimes.” You admit as you open the door and hear the familiar chime. You see Anita at the counter as you walk in.

“Y/N! We thought we were going to miss you for back to school shopping.”

“Never! I have to come to Bayside.” You say, being completely honest.

“Where’s your Nana?”

“I brought my… Pepper this time.” You say motioning to your dad’s girlfriend, but not knowing how to introduce her.

“Well any friend of Y/N is a friend of ours. We thought you might be coming by, so I set a few things aside that you might be interested in.” Anita reaches behind the counter and pulls a stack of about four t-shirts out. Pepper watches as your face lights up. “We just got them in.” You lift the top couple up to look at the bottom couple.

“These are awesome!” The black and grey shirts look similar to things that Tony would wear, but Pepper keeps that to herself.

“I’ve got them. You keep looking.” Happy says as he takes the shirts from your hands.

“Happy, I can carry them-”

“It’s clothes, they’re not heavy. I’ve got it.”

“Thank you Happy.” Pepper trails a couple steps behind you as you finger through the shirts handing. The first to get pulled off the rack is a Nirvana shirt with a yellow smiley face on it. Then a blue tie dyed Pink Floyd 1973 tour shirt follows it.

“That’s one your dad can’t even try to say he was at. Three year olds weren’t allowed.” You roll your eyes, but you can’t help but smile at Pepper’s comment. You find another more classic looking Pink Floyd shirt hanging on the rack a few shirts back that you add to your pile.

“If I had been wearing that would he have said I had better music choices?”

“Probably. He’s just judgmental when it comes to music.”

“The Stones are classics!” You argue as your hands run through the racks to fall on a Sweet Child O’ Mine Shirt. “Oh this one is a winner.” It has a faded look to it and you love that in your shirts.

“Definitely so.” Pepper takes it from the rack and hands it to Happy. “To be fair to all your tastes, I think this one is needed though,” she says pulling another Rolling Stones shirt from the rack and you smile at it.

“They are my favorite.”

“Tony would die if he heard that.” You shrug. “Wanna try these on?” Pepper motions towards the pile that Happy is holding.

“Sure.” But then an Eagles Hotel California Tour 1977 shirt catches your eye. “One more for the road.” You say before snagging the shirt. You try on the shirts you had found before getting to the stack that Anita had put aside for you. You look at the four finally. The first was a grey Pink Floyd 1972 Carnegie Hall T-shirt?! Holy shit! Your mind might explode. Then there’s a black Aerosmith shirt with a boombox with wings that says ‘Let the Music Do The Talking’ which is such a big mood. Underneath that one there’s a black Nirvana Unplugged in NYC shirt which you have been looking for forever since you love that album. And last but not least there’s a classic looking Guns N’ Roses printed on black shirt in a gold font. Anita knows you well. Four of your favorite bands and to be honest four of your new favorite shirts. So far all of the shirts fit pretty well, or even fall on the large side which is how you like your t-shirts.

Pepper knocks on the fitting room door. “I found a couple things I think you’d like Y/N.” You open the door wearing the Guns N’ Roses shirt. “Oh I like that one.”

“Really?” You’re surprised that Pepper would be into band shirts.

“You think I could date your father and not be into what he considers some of the greatest musicians of our time?” Pepper smiles at you. “But also gold is just a good color for you and your skin tone.”

“I’m not going to be Iron Man at any point.”

“Wouldn’t want you to be. However I did grab these shirts because I think your dad’s reactions will be worth it.” You look at them and laugh.

“He’ll never let me leave the tower wearing them.”

“So wear them around the tower to bug him.” You close the door and try on the two shirts. The first is a tank top that you probably never would have looked at had all of this not happened. But Pepper was right. Tony would react to it, hopefully. Across the black fabric printed in white the shirt reads ‘I’m A Female’. Then in pink it reads ‘Fe = Iron, Male = Man” before finishing in white ‘Therefore I Am Iron Man’. You open the door to show Pepper.

“If I walked into the kitchen one day wearing this telling him I was going on a run, how much of a heart attack would I give him?” Pepper doesn’t have a chance to answer before Happy does.

“He will lock you in the tower. And possibly never let you leave.” Happy states, knowing how protective Tony is even after only knowing this kid for a few days.

“Worth it.” You and Pepper say with a teasing grin.

“Can I take a picture? That might be my favorite shirt so far.” Pepper asks. You nod and then, shocking even yourself, you throw your hand out in the standard Iron Man pose and Pepper snaps the photo. “I love it.” You smile and turn back into the dressing room before the flush takes over your face at the affection from your dad’s girlfriend. You shake your head, pushing the thoughts that want to invade your mind out of your head as you lift the last shirt up to change into it.

This one is grey and in white letters say ‘Screw Your “Lab Safety” I Want Superpowers”. Your dad was going to hate it for sure, knowing so many scientifically modified people. But you love it. Plus it’s so comfy. You roll the sleeves a bit and then open the door to show Pepper and Happy.

“He’s going to hate that one as well.” Happy says the moment he sees it.

“Or he’ll laugh and say show it to Steve.” Pepper says, cocking her head to one side. “Either way, we’re getting it.” In your head you know you shouldn’t buy all the shirts that you tried on, but even if you let Pepper pay for the two that she found, the remaining ones should only come up to about thirty dollars, and you think you have that much in your wallet. You collect all the clothes in the dressing room, which Happy immediately takes from you, and you follow Pepper and him towards check out when your eyes fall on the most beautiful jean jacket you’ve ever seen.

It was a medium wash jacket, that had been loved just enough that it was no longer stiff. It had some wear and tear in some spots, but it was loose enough that it would sit perfectly on you. You have to try it on. Pepper sees you debating about the jacket, but can’t figure out why you’re debating. “It’s a gorgeous jacket. Try it on.” You take it off the hanger, gently as if it was a child instead of a jacket, and slip it over your shoulders. Rolling the cuffs up a couple times so it didn’t hang over your hands you look down at the jacket, loving that it hits an inch or two below where your shorts do. “Now that is how a jean jacket should fit.” Pepper says, smiling that you found something you clearly loved on this trip. You slide it off your shoulders and the price catches your eyes. Yes, thrifting can be great, but the jacket is still fifty dollars even at the thrift store. You don’t have that much.

“I don’t need it.” You say, not wanting to bring up that you can’t afford it even if you did need it.

“I’m not taking no for an answer on that. A jacket that looks that perfect on you has to come home with you.” She places her hands gently on it and lifts it from your hands.

“Pepper, really I don’t-”

“Tony can afford it and it needs a good home.” Then it hits you, Pepper’s not going to make- no let you pay for any of this.

“You found many things today.” Anita says looking at the pile Happy and Pepper had made on the counter. “This is going to look the best on you.” She places a hand on the jacket that Pepper had added.

“She pulls it off like no one else.” Pepper agrees. Anita and Pepper chat about the weather and honestly you’re not sure what else because you just watch as the number climbs. You’ve been coming here for years and never seen the number go that high. Your heart falls into your gut when the jacket gets added. Looking in your purse, you know you have about forty dollars to your name and that wouldn’t cover even half of that right now. But Pepper hands over a black card, similar to the one that Natasha used the other day, and doesn’t even stop the conversation. It’s like this money thing doesn’t even bother her. But it definitely bothers you. Anita puts the clothes into a cloth bag and hands it to you.

“Thanks Anita.” You smile at her, but you don’t know when you’ll be back. All you’ll remember now is feeling uncomfortable for spending Tony’s money here. Happy opens the door and you follow Pepper out of the shop. Pepper is trying to make small talk but notices you looking nowhere but the ground. She takes the bag from you and hands it to Happy.

“Can you put this in the car?”

“But-”

“Five minutes?” She says. And technically, Pepper is his boss, so Happy nods.

“I’ll be right across the street.” She smiles as he walks across the street.

“So wanna talk about it?” She asks, bumping shoulders with you.

“Talk about what?”

“Why the ground is so interesting?” Pepper takes a pause trying to give you a chance to speak. “Or maybe about why you went so quiet in one of your favorite places?” Normally, you’d just keep it to yourself but for some reason, you don’t think Pepper will judge you.

“We, uh didn’t have a ton of money growing up. Whatever money we did have went to making sure we could afford rent and my insulin and making sure that there was food on the table. So once I was about eleven, some of the other people in our building would let me run errands for them or watch their younger kids and they would pay me some pocket money for doing it. And that pocket money I saved in a jar throughout the year so that once I could go back to school shopping and twice a year I could buy Nana and Pops something nice from Christmas and their birthdays. We didn’t really celebrate many holidays, but the ones we did we celebrated really small. Santa would bring me clothes while my friends would get touchpads and toys and I didn’t question it because I knew that while their families didn’t have to worry about whether or not you were going to have to choose between buying medicine you needed to live or putting food on the table.

But Nana and Pops tried to make it so I didn’t feel that. So when I got the chance to go to The Strand or Bayside, it wasn’t picking everything that caught your eye because I was the one paying for it. So I would buy one or two books or shirts because I couldn’t afford to spend all that money if I wanted to buy Christmas presents too.” You play with Queenie’s tubing, not wanting to look Pepper in the eyes as you continue. “But in the past three days, Natasha, Tony, you, whoever, have made it clear that Tony’s made of money and that he’s fine with spending it on books, phones, clothes, whatever he or anyone else wants. But there are people out there that aren’t that fortunate.

The money that Natasha spent buying me books the other day could have paid for my Nana’s medicine for a month. Or how much you just spent on clothing for me could have bought me clothing for the whole school year and bought Nana and Pops Christmas presents. Hell I looked up how much my new phone cost Tony and it could have paid for four months of insulin. That’s sixteen vials. But more importantly that’s nearly 1500 dollars. And I bet if I lost it, he would have a new one waiting for me.” Pepper lets you continue the rant, and doesn’t let you know that he added more upgrades to your phone than the baseline one that does indeed cost as much as your medicine does. But what she would rather talk about is why does your insulin cost that much? “You guys might not care about money, but it makes me sick every time that you drop this money on me. I’m not worth it.”

“First of all, you are definitely worth it and so much more. Tony has money just wasting away in the bank and likes to waste it on the people he loves. That means he’s going to drop money on you. But coming from the lifestyle you grew up in, it’s going to take some getting used to. Plus in his mind, he has fourteen years of Christmas presents and birthdays to make up for.” Pepper watches as your eyes go wide and knows that this might be the wrong thing to say. “But Tony is also up for doing things for charity. So maybe you can come up with an initiative that he can throw money towards for you. Like maybe fighting to lower the cost of insulin for others? Because while it’s not a problem now for you to afford it, why should it cost so much for others? Tony would definitely like to fight that. And that is something that SI can also get behind as well.” You look up for the first time since finding the jean jacket back in the shop.

“Really? SI would get behind something like that?” You ask, not understanding why a tech company would get behind something like the cost of insulin.

“Tony wants to look into manufacturing things to make diabetics' lives easier, which I told him he needs to talk to you about before doing anything. But your name is part of the company. You’re a Stark now. So anything that SI does, takes an interest in what you have an interest in. So yes, the cost of insulin is something that SI will fight for too. Help me do some research on who to support and we can start the battle as one of your first introductions to the world as Tony’s daughter?” You nod, knowing this is something you’ve always wanted to help with but never had the power to do anything about.

“Thank you.” You say, before doing something without thinking- you throw your arms around her. Her arms wrap around you, but she’s not sure what she’s being thanked for.

“What for?”

“Listening. Being here. Being human?” You say, joking about the last one, but it feels right.

“Of course. I don’t know how to be anything else.” She says and pulls on your ponytail a bit. “Now you want to show us around your neighborhood a bit before we head back to Manhattan?”

“You want to see it?” You ask, surprised that Pepper wants to see Queens.

“It’s part of what makes you you, so yes.” Happy finishes crossing the street to be back with the two of you.

“There’s a really great coffee shop up this way. Or if we go down this way there’s an amazing sandwich shop called Delmar’s. Oh and Pops goes to play chess at this park down that way.” You point out three different ways.

“Coffee sounds like a plan.” Pepper says. You drop your arms, not wanting to hold on to her longer than you’re allowed to but Pepper keeps an arm around your shoulder as you walk towards the coffee shop you love. It was always a treat when you got to go, but the smell alone was something you had missed. They make all their syrups from scratch and you could spend all day there reading if you were allowed.

As you walk, you point out the book shop where you sold the books you were done with to make some extra money, the apartment building that you, Nana, and Pops lived until there was a rat infestation, and the bodega that you used to go to to stock up on low supplies. You wave to some people that you know by face alone and smile at the feeling of being home. It feels nice to share this world with Pepper, and almost makes you wish Tony was here to show him what home feels like to you. It’s not throwing money around on things you don’t need. It’s the feeling of the sun on your skin as you walk around the streets you’ve known all your life.

At the coffee shop, Pepper buys you and Happy coffee, yours iced and his hot, as well as an iced tea for herself. “So I was thinking, we could go to Buffalo Exchange to try and find you some bottoms to go with the shirts we found for you, or maybe a dress or two? That way you have some clothes until the rest of your stuff gets moved from Queens?” You don’t say anything, but you know she’s right. You only have a few more sets of outfits and half of them aren’t appropriate for school. You force yourself to take a sip of your coffee as you nod your head. “We don’t have to Y/N. We can hold off.”

“No, we should. I don’t have that much stuff left at the tower and some of it is more wear at home type stuff.”

“Do you want to make a stop at your Nana and Pops house and get some more stuff?” Pepper asks.

“Can I?” You miss your Nana and Pops so much it hurts.

“Of course. Tony isn’t trying to keep you from them. And we’re already in the area.” You can’t stop the grin from exploding on your face. You know that Nana and Pops won’t have much more baggage you can put stuff in though so you turn to Marcie, who’s working at the counter.

“Hey Marcie, do you guys have any boxes that you haven’t broken down yet?”

“Actually yeah. We got shipments in this morning of some stuff. What size are you looking for?”

“Big enough to put some clothes and stuff in.”

“Ah moving apartments again?” Marcie had helped you with boxes when the rat situation happened. “Rats again?”

“Not rats, but something like that.” You say with a teasing smile. She walks to the back and grabs the couple bigger ones.

“Will these work?”

“Those are perfect!”

“You can have them on the condition that you still come and get coffee occasionally.”

“Deal! I’m going to go to MSST so I’ll still come by!”

“Then the boxes are all yours.” She hands them to you and Happy offers to take them from you. Marcie looks at him with confusion but you wave it off.

“Thanks Marcie!” You say before returning to the table where Pepper sits.

“I’ll bring the car up,” Happy says. “Be back in five minutes.”

“Thanks Happy.” Pepper says as Happy takes the boxes with him as he leaves the shop.

“You seem to know all the people at your favorite shops.” Pepper comments.

“New York is more like a small town when you think about it. We all go to the same businesses over and over again. Why shouldn’t we know the people who’s shops we frequent?” You shrug. “Plus Marcie is the best person to get boxes from when you have to move buildings. Then you don’t have to pay for them.” Pepper and you both drink your cold beverages as you sit waiting for Happy.

“Have you ever traveled anywhere?” Pepper asks, wanting to get to know you better. You shake your head.

“I’ve uh never left New York. We never really had the money.” You glance out the window. “I don’t even have a state ID, much less a passport.”

“Well we can get you an ID sweetheart, that’s easy. And knowing your dad, he’ll want to get you a passport since deciding to take last minute trips is one of his favorite things. But if you could go anywhere, where would you want to go?”

“You’re not going to like plan a trip, right? Because you’ve spent plenty-”

“Y/N, I just want to get to know you. Now if Tony asks you, I would answer on the bet that he wants to take you wherever you answer.”

“The kid in me wants to say Disney World because who doesn’t want to go. But I think the actual answer would be the Grand Canyon. I’ve always wanted to see if it’s as big as it looks in pictures. And the third choice would be London. So many writers lived there and I want to see what inspires them to write the way they do.” You look back at your coffee. “I’m not the best at picking just one place.”

“Never said you had too.” Pepper says, trying to catch your eyes. “I think all three are wonderful ideas. Maybe we should go there, but leave Tony at home to finish the deadlines he never touches.” You look up at her with surprised eyes. “Ok, maybe he can finish them before the trips and then come along because if I steal his kid for that long, I’ll never hear the end of it. He might take my job away for stealing you for that long, if it didn’t mean he would have to start doing work again.”

“Really?”

“You’re all he talks about these days. And I don’t see that stopping anytime soon. He’s not someone that’s easy to get to know. And I would say he’s definitely an acquired taste, but once he’s in your corner, having Tony Stark have your back is sometimes greater than having Iron Man. I hope you get to learn that. Because I know he desperately wants to show you how much he already loves you.”

“But he barely knows me.”

“There’s this thing about being a parent, so I’ve heard, where you love your kid so much from the moment they enter your life. That’s how he feels, and how he’s felt about you since the moment he saw you for the first time. Every night since you entered his life he said to me ‘God Pep, I didn’t know I could love a kid so much.’ And I don’t see that stopping anytime soon.”

“But I’ve kind of treated him like garbage?”

“And you think you’re the first teenager to ever say things to their parents like that? You have a better excuse than most though. Most aren’t thrust into having parents as late into life as you were, but you’re dealing with a lot. Most people also aren’t dealing with having Tony as a father. I give you props for that alone.”

“You’re the one dating him.”

“Yes but that’s different.” Happy pulls up outside the coffee shop. “Come on. We have all the time in the world to debate who has it worse in regards to Tony.” Pepper teases you. You turn and wave to Marcie.

“Bye Marcie!”

“Good luck with the move!” She waves before returning to the order she’s in the middle of taking. You follow Pepper towards the car and climb into the backseat. Happy drives you towards the apartment he had taken-picked you up from less than a week from.

“Would you feel more comfortable if I stay in the car?” Pepper asks as you pull up and Happy puts the car in park. If it was Tony, yes. But you like Pepper. You want her to see the place that you think of as home so you shake your head.

“Plus I want you to meet my Nana and Pops.” You swing the door open before Happy even has a chance to open the door for you. You’re too excited to see Nana and Pops. Usually you would just run up the six flights of stairs to the apartment, but you’re not going to subject Pepper and Happy to that just because you don’t want to wait for the slow elevator. So instead you bounce on the balls of your feet as you wait for the elevator. If not for your fear of elevators dropping, you would have continued bouncing the rest of the way up. But finally, finally, the elevator arrives and you count the three doors as you pass towards home. It’s weird to not have your key so you knock on the door.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” You hear your Pops voice and you could almost cry. He opens the door and you don’t wait a moment before flying into his arms. “Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” He pulls you away to say something, probably like ‘there’s no way you’re my granddaughter. You’ve gotten too big,’ but you push against his arms to wrap your arms around him again. “I’m right here. Not going anywhere. I got you.”

“Who’s at the door Lou?” Your Nana calls and it sounds just like coming home now.

“It’s me Nana.” You say even though the sound is muffled by your Pops’ chest.

“Is that you babydoll? What are you doing here?” Your Nana rounds the corner and then you're out of your Pops’ arms and into her’s.

“We’re sorry to just surprise you. But we were in the area and Y/N has been missing you.”

“Never apologize for bringing her ho- to visit.” Your Pops voice is a little rougher than normal. “You must be Pepper Potts.”

“Yes, nice to meet you. And this is Happy, or um Harold Hogan, our head of security.” In the back of your mind you place the fact that Happy’s real name is Harold of all things, but right now you’re too focused on the fact that you’re home. “Y/N also needs to get a few more clothes and things so Happy has some boxes for her to put some stuff in.”

“That’s fine. She’s always welcome to come and get things. This may not be as fancy as where she lives now, but it will never stop being her home.” Pops voice rings out and Pepper can feel that he’s not welcoming them in like he welcomes you.

“Pepper, will you come help me get the stuff in my room?” You ask. You know Pops probably isn’t happy with the way things are working out either, but leaving Happy, he can at least go over the security plan or something. Leaving Pepper seems just mean after how nice she’s been to you today.

“Sure honey.” Pepper smiles at you. She follows you down the hallway to the door where your name is printed in block letters on a piece of computer paper. “I like this.”

“Thanks, Betty made it for me.” You pull it off the door. “Do you think I can hang it on my door at the Tower?” Pepper nods.

“If you want to, I don’t see why you can’t.” You open the door and Pepper follows you into the room that is about a quarter of the size of your room at the Tower, yet feels more at home than the Tower. “So what is coming with this time?” Pepper knows that at least with most of the books and if you want any of the furniture, they are going to have to get a few men to move it.

“I’m thinking mostly clothing and maybe some of my books. Not all of them, but at least a few of them. Oh and there’s a blanket I’ve been missing.” You walk over to the dresser in the corner and open the bottom two drawers, which are filled with mostly distressed jeans and shorts. “All of these.” You say with a laugh.

“How about I work on putting those in this box while you get the blanket and pick out some books?” Pepper suggests. You shrug, it sounds like a good enough plan. Walking over to your shelf, you have to stop yourself from calling out to JARVIS to ask him to put on music and instead pull your phone and put on your playlist instead. Have you really gotten that used to living at the tower? Before you can get to the shelf, you spy the quilt you want sticking out from the under bed boxes.

You pull it out and hold it close. Part of you wants to unwrap it and drape it around your shoulders, but you know that you’d be wasting precious time doing that. So instead you trace your fingers over the different triangles of fabric. Pepper looks up and sees what you’re looking at. “Is this the blanket you were missing?” You nod and she comes to take a seat next to you on the twin bed that you grew up in. “It’s beautiful. Was it handmade?” Pepper asks, but doesn’t make a move to touch it since it’s clearly special to you.

“My, uh, mom made it.” With everything that has happened in the last week, Pepper hasn’t actually heard anything about your mom besides Tony talking about how your mom was a one night stand. “She was in a recovery program the first three months after I was born to try and get her recovered. Alcohol and drugs. Part of her recovery was making this quilt. Something to focus on as she went through withdrawal. It’s part of the reason I was placed with my grandparents. I was born two and a half months early and addicted to crack. So she wasn’t that fit of a parent. But they hoped that with rehab she would get better and come home. It, um, didn’t work like they hoped. She relapsed and they found her on the streets six months later dead of an overdose.” You don’t look up as you trace your favorite triangle, the peach colored one. “This is the only thing I have of her. I’d like to think she made it for me, but I think I know deep down, she only made it because the program made her.”

“She would have been lucky to know you.” Pepper says, wrapping an arm around your shoulder.

“But she didn’t so…” You trail off. “But I have Nana and Pops. And I have Tony now. And I guess you and the Avengers too.”

“You got bonus family galore.” Pepper holds you close. “I got you and I’m not letting go.” She whispers into your hair as she places a kiss there.

“Thanks Pepper.” You lean into her side, before placing the quilt into the box at your feet. “I’m glad you got me.” You admit.

It doesn’t take much longer to pack up the clothes and books you want from the room you love. There’s still other things you’ll need to come back for, but you can do that another day. You have the things you need to get you through at least the beginning of school. Before you know it, Happy is taking the boxes down to the car and you’re wrapped up in your grandparents’ arms once again. “You’re welcome anytime babygirl. You have your key for that reason.” Your Nana says into your hair.

“I know Nana.”

“And if you need a break, you come on over. Being Stark’s daughter isn’t the end all be all.” Pops’ voice is aimed more at Pepper than at you, but you nod.

“I know Pop.” You kiss both their cheeks. “I love you both. So much.”

“We love you too babygirl. Always have, always will.” Your Nana runs a hand through your hair. “Get going. You probably have big fancy plans for the day.”

“Still the same girl you know.” You say as you walk towards where Pepper stands. You follow her towards the door, but take one more look at your grandparents before you both start making your way downstairs. As you get outside, Pepper looks at you.

“Do you want to do more thrifting and mani/pedis or you want to call it a day? You still have next weekend? We can always do more back to school stuff then.”

“Do you mind if we don’t? I’m kind of exhausted.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I did. Plus we can order food to the Tower and maybe watch a movie or something instead. Calm night instead.”

“That sounds awesome.” You say as Happy starts the drive back to the Tower. Going back to Manhattan took a little longer than normal, just because of the time of day. You scroll through social media, trying to take in your last day as Y/N Y/L/N. Tomorrow the news breaks about you being Tony’s daughter, so you’ll take the calm before the storm. Pepper is reading over things on her own phone, probably SI stuff if you had to guess. “Pepper?”

“Mmm-hmm?” She answers as she scrolls.

“Will the explosion from the news tomorrow be bad?” You ask before adding. “Like you dealt with when Tony announced he was Iron Man. Will this be that bad you think?” Pepper puts down her phone and looks at you.

“I don’t think this will be bad news. I think there will be questions, but that’s why SI has been putting together a lot of press packets for different situations. If the press tries to spin it in different ways, we will be ready. The most important thing we have stated in all of this, is that while Tony didn’t know about you until recently, he is very happy to be your father and he is doing everything in his power to provide the best home for you.” Pepper pauses looking for signs from you on which way you were feeling. “For now, how you feel about everything is going to stay silent because of your age and such, but eventually, if you feel up for it, we’d love to publish something about you and your dad together.”

“Why about me?”

“Because the public will want to know, but also because you are one day possibly going to be a face of SI. If that’s the path you wish to take. Again this isn’t a decision you have to make anytime soon. Right now, the focus is keeping you out of the press as much as possible.” Happy pulls into the garage as Pepper says all of this. “But I think the public is just going to be interested in learning about who you are because you are an extension of Tony and they like knowing about him.”

“I can understand that. But I don’t even feel like I know him all that well yet.”

“You will in time. I promise.” Pepper says as she walks with you towards the elevator you had left only a few hours earlier. You had grabbed the clothes from Bayside, but Happy said he would get the boxes and take them to your room for you. Upon arriving to the living room, Tony is surprisingly waiting for you and Pepper.

“My two favorite ladies, back already.”

“Finished early. Figured we could do a night in instead.” Pepper explains as Tony gives her a kiss on the cheek.

“Did you have a good day kiddo?” Tony looks towards you and you nod before turning to Pepper.

“Thanks Pepper.” You say before giving her a quick hug. “I had a lot of fun today.”

“Of course. I had fun with you too.” Pepper’s arms wrap around you, squeezing you back. And for a moment you can’t help but wonder if this is what it feels like to have a mom. Yours was out of your life moments after you were born. You let yourself relax in her arms for a moment before you feel Tony’s eyes on the two of you.

“Uh, I should go put these things away.” You pull away from Pepper and make your way towards your room, canvas bags in tow without saying anything to Tony.

“It’s not fair Pep.”

“What?”

“She hugs you.” Tony whines as he plops down on the couch. “All she does for me is make playlists called Tony Stark Can Rot. How is that fair?”

“Now how would you know what her playlists are called?”

“I asked JARVIS to play some of her music so I could know more about her since she refuses to hang out with me. He asked which playlist and started listing them. To be fair it has some great music on it. But still, I would never make a playlist called Y/N Stark Can Rot.”

“You don’t name your playlists.” Pepper points out.

“Not the point.”

“The point is you're jealous that she’s closing herself off to you.”

“Maybe I am. She’s my kid. I want to know her. I want to do everything for her and with her. But everything I try backfires.”

“So don’t try so hard.” Tony’s brows pull together as he looks up at Pepper. “You suggested her friends coming over for dinner and that worked really well.”

“Yeah worked really well in that she told me about a teacher that hated her enough to throw scissors at her.”

“She also acknowledged that you’re going to be here for her from now on. That’s a success. So try doing small things like that. Don’t make huge gestures. Don’t you dare buy her a gigantic bunny. Try to let her get to know you. And don’t try to buy your way into her life. She hates that.”

“You literally took her shopping today.”

“We went thrifting.”

“What? All of that needs to be washed immediately!” Tony starts freaking out.

“This right here?” Pepper motions towards him, “This is the kind of reaction that will push her farther away. She loves thrift shops. She told me and we went to her favorite ones to look for clothes. She opened up about her life before us Tony. That picture on your phone. That’s a moment she shared with Natasha. You need to give her a moment to open up to you.” Tony notices Happy walking by with a couple of boxes.

“What all did you buy her today?”

“We stopped by her grandparents’ house so she could pick up some more stuff. She mentioned she was getting low on some stuff.” Pepper motions towards what Happy is carrying. “She really misses them. I think we need to give her time to see them too.”

“I’m not keeping her from them.”

“I’m not saying you are. I’m saying I think we should schedule times so she doesn’t feel that way. Also I told her that SI would start a charity fund to fight the cost of insulin.”

“Not against that but why?”

“She was feeling really uncomfortable about how comfortable we all spend on a day to day, based on her background with money.” Pepper says, not really explaining.

“That tells me less than nothing.”

“It’s her story to share. You’ll have to wait until she wants to share it with you.” Pepper kisses his cheek. “But you have an amazing kid.”

“I know that. I just want to know her like all of you know her.” Tony says frustrated.

“Give her time.”

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blankblankityblank · 4 years

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Just, don’t wake up

Hi everyone! This is my fic for the @starkerkink exchange, dedicated to @vaguekiwi! I really hope you enjoy it :)

Pairing: Peter Parker x Tony Stark

High school AU, with superpowers.

Tony’s home life has never been amazing, but one night, it’s just too much for him. He flies blindly to the first destination he can think of in his battered suit, holding his breath when he realises exactly who’s house he’s flown to. He doubts this evening will be normal, especially when he realises there’s only one bed.

Warnings: Masturbation, Flogging, Name-calling, Restraints, slightly dub-con, both 17. Check ao3 for further warnings!

Read on ao3!

Tony arrived late to class, as usual. Peter sighed, the usual thought flitting through his head: How does he always manage to arrive late, even with a full body suit that flies?

The teacher for their class, AP Bio, glanced at Tony unimpressed but unsurprised-this was a regular occurrence, and it showed.

Tony waltzed to his seat with the usual I-really-don’t-give-a-shit attitude, plonking down and prompt executing a yawn. Peter rolled his eyes; did he always have that look on his hot face? How did he even get into AP Bio when he didn’t even pay attention? Oh yeah, that’s right-Howard Stark’s son, prodigy at 4, bla bla bla. Peter needed a break from the constant ‘Tony Stark made his own suit’ fawning that half the girls, and guys, constantly exhibited. Like yeah, big deal-was anyone gonna talk about Peter’s amazing skills to do with web fluid? Or crafting his own suits, which, well, didn’t always go particularly well?

“And today, we will be taking a bit of an off-topic turn into some neurobiology! Chemicals and hormones produced by the brain!” The teacher sang, trying to mask her own boredom with the unresponsive class, “who can tell me what the four main hormones to do with happiness contain?”

Peter shot his hand up, excited that he for once knew the answer to the question before smart-ass Tony.

“The four main chemicals are endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, often abbreviated as D.O.S.E,” Peter stated. Tony slowly turned around in his chair, and glared at him. Peter just smirked. ‘One day,’ he mouthed at the growingly frustrated classmate.

“Very good! Can someone tell me what each of these hormones’ functions are?” Their teacher again asked. Peter’s hand shot up for the second time, his mouth forming a smirk in sync.

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

“Well well well, if it isn’t smart-ass Parker in a sticky situation?” Tony purred, his smooth voice richoeing off of the poorly-designed science lab. Peter sighed, closing his eyes in preparation before facing the problem.

“Does it look like I don’t know what I’m doing? Wouldn’t wanna steal your thunder now, would I?” He snarked back, trying to stir his web fluid in peace. The teacher had allowed his class 15 minutes of time to work on their various powers, any tweaks or fixes being attended to. Tony had apparently finished oiling up his suit, but Peter had no such privilege.

Tony flicked the back of Peter’s head as he strutted away, going over to talk to Steve and Bucky. Goddamned overpowered mutants. Ok, so maybe Peter was a tiny bit jealous of their friendship, but that was his business.

He dispensed the web fluid with a sigh, getting ready to pack up and head back to his apartment, and hopefully blow off some steam with a Star Wars movie night. He smiled softly to himself; maybe the day wouldn’t be so bad after all. He could chill with may, have some hot chocolate, quote every line of Empire Strikes Back because he totally doesn’t know it word for word.

The bell rang, immediately followed by a cacophony of bags zipping, several whirring sounds as various students fired up their ride home. Peter ducked his head down, knowing his power wasn’t as rich or powerful as his classmates’ privileged ones. And they didn’t even know it, how lucky they were. They’d never know what it’s like to be born with stickiness and a general strength upgrade. No super-advanced knowledge of tech, engineering, how to fly, being able to fly...everything that separated him from the rest of his peers.

Peter swung his backpack over his shoulder, cursing as his AP Bio textbook dropped onto the ground, setting off a too-loud thump on the concrete floor. A few heads swivelled in his direction, and Peter flushed as he hurriedly picked the offending book up, and returned it to its rightful place. Face still hot, he all but rushed out of the classroom, eager to change into his suit and get this day over with.

“Hey! Parker! Wait up, for fuck’s sake. You dropped two books, not one, you blind-ass bat,” Tony hollered, his feet slapping against the linoleum. Peter grabbed the exercise book from Tony’s offering hand, not dignifying the teen with a response. Ok, so maybe it was a bit harsh. But he had to stay ice-cold around Tony; if it got out Parker had a crush, it would not go down well. At. All.

“You’re not even gonna say thanks?” Tony spluttered in disbelief, hand still outstretched.

“Nope,” Peter replied, popping the ‘p’.

“Pretty sure I deserve some recognition, I could have just left that book on the floor for some other snotty-nosed kid to find,” Tony said indignantly, hand returned to his side.

“Well then don’t do it next time. I don’t give a shit, Stark,” Peter fired back, attempting to quell his progressingly noticeable butterflies.

Tony opened his mouth in a retort, but instead opted for an eye roll and spun on his heel. Probably to get back to his fancy 5 star penthouse, Peter thought bitterly. He headed to the bathrooms, diligently fighting his instinct to catch a glance of that ass. God, he was so, so gone.

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

Peter entered his apartment silently, not wanting to disturb May. He kicked off his shoes, deflating his suit and carrying the rest of his belongings to his room. Or, his cave, as May liked to call it. The 16 year old dungeon was another favourite of hers.

“May? ‘M home..” He trailed off when the bright Post-it note caught his eye. He frowned, peeling it off the bench and reading the bubbly handwriting. ‘Picked up an extra shift, be home tomorrow at 7! Sorry I couldn’t make it tonight kiddo xx’ Well. He could kiss his plans of venting to may goodbye, it seemed. Hot chocolate and a movie night still lifted his hopes, albeit less enthusiastic with no one to share it with now. The teen hummed the Star Wars theme song as he boiled the water and got his hot chocolate ready. He finished his task from earlier, dumping his stuff in an impossibly messy room that cleaning seemed impossible. There were things he didn’t want to uncover by doing so.

The TV flickered to life, selecting the chosen movie as directed by Peter. He sipped on his hot chocolate, swearing softly when the liquid burnt his tongue. It’d probably need to cool, considering the loss of feeling in his taste buds. The TV screen suddenly paused the movie, indicating the buffering icon as the infuriatingly slow loading bar popped up.

“For fucks’ sake…” Peter muttered, deciding to take a quick shower to pass the time. He didn’t bother getting clothes, seeing as he was the only one home. He padded to the bathroom, turning the shower on and watching as the water slowly began to produce steam. He then stripped, chucking his clothes into the overflowing hamper and stepping into the soothing water. He let it wash over him, adjusting himself to the temperature as he scrubbed himself with vanilla soap, the day’s events flicking hazily through his mind.

The teen looked down, noticing his growing hard-on. Maybe his thoughts about Tony had taken a...darker turn. He palmed himself half-heartedly, almost jolting when the spark of arousal ran through his body. He groaned softly to himself, putting more energy into pumping his hard on. His precum provided lubricant, his hand going up and down faster and faster until he was right on the edge and it felt so good, and-

Peter pulled his hand off, letting his erect cock bob helplessly in the air. He was breathing hard, not having reached his orgasm. It just...it didn’t feel right. He rubbed soap on his body again, his dick slowly returning to it’s normal size.

The shower came to a close after 15 minutes of staring at the wall, he may or may not have been thinking about a certain black head of hair, brown eyes flecked with gold, the body of a Greek god...maybe he lost track of time, but it was time well spent in Peter’s opinion. He towelled himself off with less energy, suddenly losing the motivation to actually dry himself off-probably because all his brain power was used trying to figure out a certain someone’s personality.

He plopped onto his nest of blankets and pillows, smiling when he saw the movie was ready to watch again. He hit play, content with the world at last.

That is, until some fucking idiot banged, not knocked, banged, on Peter’s door. He resolutely ignored it, turning the volume of the TV to max. Until, the banging didn’t stop. It just kept going. And going. And going-

“This better be a real good fucking reason,” Peter snarled, pausing his movie with more force than he probably needed to, and he stomped to the door.

The assault on the door didn’t stop, even when Peter yelled ‘Coming!’ to try and ease the banging. It did not succeed. He swung open the door, fuming, the epitome of annoyance as expressed on his face. He was ready to give this newcomer a piece of his mind, what, interrupting his fucking movie night, the audacity-

The words died in his throat as he looked up to launch a deadly glare, only to be met with chocolate brown eyes, flecked with gold, a soft pink cupid’s bow, the presence of stubble beginning to form a goatee, and oh wait, he’s seen this before, wait a minute-

“Tony?” He spluttered, taking a step back as he took in the scene before him. Tony, in a banged up suit he probably used as his transportation, his hand poised to bang at the door again. Tony’s expression mirrored Peter’s, a mixture of shock and confusion. Unlike Peter’s, Tony’s cleared quickly, and formed a new expression-one of almost desperation.

“Look, Parker, I’m sorry alright? I just...I need somewhere to stay tonight,” he rubbed a hand over his face, “forget it. I knew it was stupid to come, sorry for wasting your time I guess,” he muttered, already pivoting on his heel. Without his conscious consent, Peter grabbed Tony’s arm as he turned away. They both froze, neither knowing what Peter did.

“Wait, I...you can stay, Tony. You can come in, I just was watching Empire Strikes Back,” Peter ranted, gently tugging Tony inside. The latter seemed to be in a state of shock, obviously not expecting the positive response.

“Empire Strikes Back? You would be watching that, of all movies,” Tony snarked, recovering quickly from his bout of shock.

“You’re the guest, at least try to be nice,” Peter countered, blushing at the tips of his ears from embarrassment. He huffed, flopping onto his comfortable collection of pillows. He raised an eyebrow meaningfully at Tony, who looked a little out of place with his scratched suit. Peter was curious, but didn’t pry-there was obviously something that caused Tony to come in so suddenly.

“Being nice? To Parker? Talk to me when you have an achievable goal,” Tony grumbled, walking around to tour Peter’s apartment. Peter hoped it would be up to his standards. Wait, no he didn’t, Tony’s standards didn’t matter to him. At all.

Peter resumed his movie, soon becoming engrossed in the iconic plotline that he’d seen hundreds of times before, yet it never failed to make him excited. Tony watched his classmate from the shadows, the smile on Peter’s face contagious. His auburn curls, sharp jawline...Picture perfect Tony mused, as the lights from the movie danced across Peter’s angelic features. Tony shook his head, afraid of getting caught in the act-someone that beautiful would never return his feelings.

The depressing thought prompted Tony to emerge from the shadows, gliding over to where Peter was laying down and slumped nearby, resigning himself to the fact he’d have to watch this nerd movie. His suit whirred in the corner, fixing its own malfunctions as Tony had programmed it to.

“I don’t even know what the fuck is going on, Parker,” Tony muttered, the movie’s plot confusing him due to the lack of knowledge in previous films.

Peter just smiled, deciding it would take too long to explain the plot. Tony saw this, and a small smile spread across his face, too. It was nice to have a friend that just accepted you into their home, even if you had no explanation. Well, he couldn’t really tell the boy his explanation. Home was...a bit hard to go to at the moment, not that he’d ever tell Parker. He glanced at the serene expression on Peter’s face again, taking in the pure joy as he watched his seemingly favourite movie. Yeah, he was not gonna spoil that expression. Not ever.

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The movie’s credits rolled, signifying the end of the movie night. Tony softly blew out through his nose, wondering if it would be overstepping to stay the night. Before he could dig a hole of despair within himself, Peter noticed his obvious inner battle. Deciding to put the rivalry behind him for now, he reached out to Tony, gently touching his arm and effectively grabbing his attention.

“We should head to bed...if you’re ok with that,” Peter murmured, gently tugging Tony’s arm as he stood up.

Tony sucked in a breath at sparks of pleasure that rippled through him as Peter’s hand lingered. He got to his feet, following Peter through the apartment, taking in the few decorations and pictures. He paused at an old picture of an obviously much younger picture of Peter, sitting on a man’s shoulders. He looked so...well, happy. Tony frowned; what had happened? Not wanting to intrude, he tucked the question away for later, and hurried to catch up with Peter.

“So, this is it. The humble abode, I guess,” Peter chuckled nervously, giving a dramatic wave with his hands. Tony looked around, taking in the worn twin bed, well-read books mounted on shelves that looked as if they could fall at any minute, the stained dresser, obviously the victim of many late-night hot chocolate spills. Tony could feel a slight smile tugging at his lips-this felt like Peter.

“Humble, huh. Didn’t know you were a Potter fan,” Tony smirked, gesturing at the aforementioned books. A red blush tinted the teen’s cheeks as he rushed to defend himself.

“I’ll have you know Harry Potter is a very famous series, thank you very much,” he huffed, crossing his arms. The following silence was comfortable, Peter rifling through his dresser as he looked for his pyjamas. He succeeded, muttering a soft ‘aha’ at the victory, and turned to head to the bathroom.

“Get yourself comfy, you can sleep wherever, couch or bed,” Peter stated, trying not to blush for a third time in an hour. He made quick work of changing, exiting the bathroom once he was satisfied with his appearance. A new toothbrush smacked Tony in the back of the head, credits of Peter.

“The fuck, Parker? Why couldn’t you just ask me to turn around,” Tony muttered, grabbing the toothbrush and making his way to the meager bathroom. He cleaned his teeth, checked his face for any signs of, well, outstanding blemishes, and once satisfied, returned to the bedroom. Peter was already in the bed, having turned off the lights and receiving a wave of sleepiness that he couldn’t refuse.

Tony hesitated before quietly sliding in beside Peter, careful not to touch him in hopes of keeping him comfortable. After all, this was Peter’s bed. He shifted, finding the proximity a little too...exciting.

Peter stirred, muttering something incomprohensive that sounded suspiciously like ‘Stop fucking moving,’ which Tony grudgingly obeyed. He found himself drifting sooner than he usually did; maybe it was the company that finally got his eyes to close, who knows. It just felt good to be cared about.

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“Fuck, harder Tony,” Peter cried out, relishing the feeling of the flogger on his burnt ass, “please. Please Tony, ah!”

Tony whipped mercilessly, painting the teen’s ass and lower back a pretty scarlet colour. He knew Peter loved it, despite the whimpers of pain as he relentlessly assaulted his body, again and again.

“Little slut, begging for me to stop like a good little bitch. Ask me nicely, I might consider,” Tony snarled, drinking in the moans that came tumbling out of Peter’s mouth at the sentence.

“P-please, I promise I’ll be your good little cockslut, please just let me go,” Peter repeated, rolling his eyes back from pleasure. His cock twitched at the constant stimulation, begging for touch, but Peter couldn’t move, the restraints preventing him from relief.

Tony growled, pausing the flogging at 15 hits. “You better live up to that, whore,” he snarled, taking in the sight before him. Peter, bound to the bed face-down, bent over the back, ass on display. His petite frame quivered in anticipation, preparing for more of the flogging.

“Yes, Tony, I promise I’ll be good, no more,” Peter begged, too aroused to care how desperate he might sound. He jerked his hips forward, trying and failing miserably to acquire friction for his painfully hard dick.

Tony untied the restraints slowly, careful not to hurt his lover any more, now that the scene was over. Peter sobbed, reaching down almost immediately to try and relieve his aching cock. Tony slapped Peter’s hand away, taking the matters into his own hands.

“Such a naughty boy, trying to touch yourself without permission. What do we say?” Tony crooned, teasing Peter’s tip. The latter cried out, grinding against Tony’s hand in hopes of release.

“‘M sorry, so sorry, please, please let me-ah!” Peter abruptly cut off his rambling as Tony took him in hand, stroking along his length tantalisingly. Peter sobbed, crying out as the feeling grew. He centered in on the sensation Tony was giving him, pumping his dick with such earnest it was almost too much, the heat building in his lower abdomen, ready to burst-

Peter woke up with a start, acutely aware of his burning arousal. Oh. Oh shit. He just had one of those dreams...about Tony. Who was right next to him. Peter sucked in a breath, his eyes going wide. He calculated his options, quickly realising he couldn’t move without waking him up.

He cursed the lack of space in the bed, horror taking over as his arousal became too prominent to ignore. He whined softly into his pillow, at loss with how to deal with the predicament. How did things go so badly wrong so soon?

As if things couldn’t get any worse, Tony elicited a groan in the silence of the room and shifted to that his hip was pressed against Peter’s...problem. He unconsciously bucked into the stimulation, immediately regretting the action as Tony groaned again and moved, if possible, closer to his dick. Well, wasn’t this just amazing.

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

Tony awoke from his sweet abyss of darkness, groaning in annoyance. What had woken him up? He thought he’d heard a whimper, but that couldn’t be right. He shuffled closer to his warm pillow, which promptly moved back against him. Tony froze; pillows weren’t supposed to move. Pillows...also didn’t have a bulge. He recovered quickly, a smirk slowly growing when he realised what had happened here. Parker was hard. So, so hard.

Tony groaned again, this time intentionally shifting against Peter’s bulge to try and gauge how exactly this was going to play out. He was met almost immediately with a response as Peter grinded against him. Tony stifled a moan; it was insanely hot, how responsive Peter was. He was obviously trying to hold back, covering his mouth as he desperately sought relief against Tony. The latter helpfully shifted again, receiving a small squeak in response. Peter’s hand snaked down to his cock, unable to hold back anymore. Tony closed his eyes, savouring this moment-possibly the only time he’d get to be this intimate with his crush, even if he was ‘asleep’.

Peter palmed against his sweats, the pleasure making his breathing uneven as he neared his climax. He felt so bad for doing this with Tony in the same bed, but he was past the point of being able to control his movements. The pressure built up inside him like a spring coiled at it’s base, as he desperately rutted against his hand, when it all became too much-and Peter went rigid. The white-hot pleasure consumed his body, racking through him in wave after wave as he tried to silently ride out his orgasm. The spurts of come soaked his boxers, but Peter was too out of his mind to care as the high slowly came down. His breathing was hard and his sweats were cold and sticky, but the aftershocks of the orgasm jerked his softening cock.

The world slowly came back to him as Peter blinked a couple times, trying to orient himself. The first thing he thought was oh shit, now I’ll have to lie in this mess until Tony wakes up.

That is, until he realised a tiny detail. Tony’s back and hip was completely covered. In. Peter’s. Cum.

Peter looked up slowly, the horror beginning to consume him. His entire body froze when Tony looked right back at him.

#starkerkink2020 #tony stark x peter parker #highschool AU with powers #vaguekiwi #promptexchange #starkerkinkchallenge #my work

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janaikam · 4 years

Text

It’s Just the Start

This is my @mlsecretsanta gift for @theluckiestwitchathogwarts. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you so much @chatnoirinette for beta reading this!

Happy Holidays!

FFnet. Ao3.

Word Count: 4101

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From a young age, Marinette Dupain-Cheng has been well aware of the meaning of soulmate tattoos. Soulmate tattoos don’t just mean romantic soulmates. The tattoos are the names of important people in a person’s life, like best friends, romantic partners, or even a person’s worst enemy.

The number of these tattoos always differs from person to person. Some people get one tattoo, meaning their romantic soulmate is also their platonic one. Most people tend to get two tattoos—usually one for their romantic/platonic soulmate and one for their soul enemy. Others get three. One soulmate for each of the main types, plus one soul enemy. However, Marinette was an odd case; she had four soulmate tattoos.

Adrien, Alya, Lila, Luka

Adrien’s and Luka’s names are on her right wrist, while Alya’s and Lila’s are on her right ankle. Ever since she was able to understand the meanings behind the tattoos on her wrist, Marinette has been searching for an answer to why she has four names. Marinette visited many tattoo experts to try and figure out the meaning behind her four tattoos. Everyone had a different answer. Some people said she had another soul she was connected to. Others said that she didn’t truly have a soulmate and the names were people she could potentially be soulmates with.

For years, Marinette used long sleeves and makeup to hide her tattoos for fear of being made fun of because she wasn’t normal. Especially around Chloe Bourgeois. That girl would torment Marinette if she knew there was something remotely different about her. So Marinette hid her names and never spoke of it until she saw an interesting post online.

The post was made by a user named Chat Noir and read: Anyone have four soulmate tattoos? I’m just a curious kitty :).

Under the post, there were a lot of people who commented that four soulmate tattoos weren’t possible. Someone even joked that “curiosity killed the cat.” The specificness of the post sparked something in Marinette, which caused her to click on Chat Noir’s profile. With her cursor over the private message, Marinette debated responding to his original post.

Well, it’s not like he could ever find out that I’m the person behind Ladybug’s account. With that thought, Marinette clicked on the button and typed out a quick message to Chat.

LB: Do you have four soulmate tattoos?

After about five minutes with no response, Marinette chose to work on her sketch for a dress she was working on. When she finished up her design, she went down to eat dinner with her parents. By the time she got back to the computer, Marinette had forgotten all about the message she had sent earlier in the day. Thus Marinette was surprised to see a little red notification telling her she had a message.

CN: Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. It all depends on who’s asking.

Frustrated by the vague answer, Marinette went to the user’s profile to block him, but before she could, another message popped up.

CN: I’m not all too comfortable sharing these purr-ivate secrets with a stranger.

LB: You’re the one who decided to post an oddly specific question on a PUBLIC website.

CN: Fair point. So let’s assume I have four soulmate tattoos. Is it okay for me to assume that you have four tattoos?

Marinette paused, considering how she should answer the question. On one hand, Chat Noir could have two and just be trying to out some weirdo. On the other hand, he could just genuinely be curious.

LB: Well if I’m assuming that you have four soulmate tattoos, I guess it’s only fair you can assume that I have four.

CN: Well my lady, it seems we have reached a good understanding of where the other stands. May I ask what do you think it would mean if a person does have four soulmate tattoos?

LB: I guess I would think that they might have two best friend soulmates and one of the other.

CN: Interesting theory Miss Bug. Got any more?

Marinette was surprised by how quickly he responded given that the last response took a couple of hours to come through. However, what Marinette found more surprising was the fact that she wanted to just keep talking with this stranger on the computer. And that’s exactly what she did late into the night until both of them had to go to sleep.

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Marinette found that she and Chat Noir got along very well despite not really knowing who the other was. For the rest of her summer break, Marinette found herself messaging Chat Noir and getting to know him behind the screen. Though Marinette did make sure that they did not share anything too personal so that Chat could never figure out it was Marinette who had four tattoos.

Throughout their chats, Marinette learned that Chat was the same age as her (or so he claimed), he was a piano genius, and he had the cutest black cat named Plagg.

After about a month, the time came for school to start for Marinette, which in turn meant less time for her and Chat to talk online. Since she didn’t want to leave Chat in the dark, Marinette decided to let him know about the upcoming shift in her schedule.

LB: Hey Chat, I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be starting school soon, which means that I won’t be on all the time.

CN: Thanks for letting me know Bugaboo :)! If you don’t mind me asking, what is public school like?

The question surprised Marinette mostly because she had assumed that Chat Noir had attended public school.

LB: Uhh. It’s alright. The teachers are fairly nice and try to help with what they can, and the other students are pretty cool. I’m good friends with most of them.

CN: That sounds cool. I wish my father would let me go.

LB: Why won’t he let you go?

CN: He thinks the world is too dangerous and he keeps me in our house unless it’s for a photoshoot or something. It sucks :(.

LB: That’s dumb reasoning. He can’t protect you from the world forever.

CN: Well he’s sure gonna try.

LB: You should sneak out to go to school

Marinette half meant it as a joke, definitely not expecting the next slew of messages from Chat Noir.

CN: I totally should.

CN: So I just messaged one of my friends. She goes to Francois Dupont and they start tomorrow as well.

CN: She said she can get me enrolled without my father filling out all the forms.

CN: Wanna help me figure a plan of escape?

Not being able to say no, Marinette ended up spending the next three hours helping Chat plan a way to escape a home where there was a bodyguard and a personal assistant that could ruin the entire plan. Since too many specifics couldn’t be shared without risking Chat’s identity, Marinette was very lost during most of the planning, which distracted her from the fact that the user Chat Noir was going to try and show up at her school the next day.

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Despite setting her alarm super early, Marinette still manages to be running late for the first day of classes. After quickly throwing on her clothes, she runs downstairs to their kitchen, where her mother was cleaning the things from her breakfast.

“Good morning, Maman,” Marinette greets, giving her mother a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Good morning, Marinette,” Sabine Cheng responds, watching with amusement as Marinette grabbed a banana and her school bag and rushed out the door.

When Marinette gets down to the bakery, she gives her dad a kiss on his cheek and grabbed the box of macarons he made for her class.

“Have a good first day of lycée!” Tom Dupain yells to his daughter as she runs out of the bakery. Marinette quickly rounds the corner, preparing to dash across the street, only to have to stop abruptly because the light is red. The sudden stop causes Marinette to lose her grip on the macaron box and drop it on the sidewalk.

“Oh no!” Marinette exclaims, leaning down and picking up the remains of the macaron box and its contents. “Why am I so clumsy?” By the time Marinette gets back up, the light is green and people start walking across. Marinette sighs and starts running towards the school.

Thankfully, when Marinette enters the classroom, Mme. Bustier is still moving students around. “Nino, why don’t you come sit in the front this year?” Mme. Bustier says, prompting the boy in the back to move to the desk at the front of the classroom.

As Nino is moving, Marinette quickly takes her usual seat in the second row, breathing a sigh of relief now that she is in class.

Unfortunately, she can’t relax for too long, as a perfectly manicured hand slams down on the desk. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe says, grabbing Marinette’s attention.

“Here we go again,” Marinette mumbles underneath her breath.

“That’s my seat,” Chloe states as if it were common knowledge.

“But Chloe, this has always been my seat,” Marinette responds, hoping Chloe will leave her alone.

“Not anymore.” Marinette is startled when Sabrina, Chloe’s lackey, speaks from the seat next to her. “New school year, new seats.”

“So go and sit beside that new girl over there,” Chloe demands, pointing towards a dark-haired girl with dark red highlights. Marinette starts to protest, but Chloe cuts her off. “Adrien is coming today and since that’s his seat”—Chloe points to the spot in front of Marinette—“this is going to be my seat. Get it?”

“Who’s Adrien?” Marinette asks. She tries to keep her hopes down because despite the fact that one of her soulmates is named Adrien, it doesn’t mean this Adrien is the same person.

In response to Marinette’s question, Chloe and Sabrina laugh. “I can’t believe you don’t know who Adrien is. He’s only a famous model and my best friend. He adores me,” Chloe brags. “So go on and move.”

Marinette starts to move only for the new girl to stop her.

“Hey, who elected you the queen of seats?” the girl asks Chloe.

“Oh, look, Sabrina, we’ve got a little do-gooder this year,” Chloe mocks the girl. “What are you gonna do, shoot laser beams at me with your glasses?”

Instead of backing down like other people would have, the new girl says, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Chloe takes a step back with surprise etched on her face, allowing the dark-haired girl to grab Marinette’s arm and drag her to the desk at the front of the classroom. Unfortunately, the sudden, unexpected movement causes Marinette to spill the remaining macarons on the floor.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Marinette says, picking up the box and quickly taking her seat.

“Alright, does everyone have a seat?” Mme. Bustier asks, looking up from some papers on her desk.

Marinette stares down at the box with the lone macaron with a frown on her face.

“Chillax, girl,” says the new girl. “It’s no biggie.”

“I so wish I could handle Chloe like you do, ” Marinette says as a way of thanking her.

“You mean like the way Majestia does it. She says, ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that the good people do nothing.’” The girl turns and points towards Chloe. “That girl over there is evil, and we’re the good people. We can’t let her get away with it.”

“Well, that’s easier said than done. She likes to make my life miserable. It’s a wonder she isn’t my enemy soulmate,” Marinette says dejectedly.

“That’s because you let her, girl. You need more confidence.”

Smiling, Marinette grabs the sole surviving macaron and splits it in half.

“Marinette,” she says, holding out the macaron half.

“Alya.”

The two girls share a moment of understanding as they both realize what the other’s name could mean for them both. Before they can address it, Mme. Bustier starts class.

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“Adrien, where do you think you’re going?”

Adrien cringes as he turns to see Nathalie on top of the steps in the foyer. He quickly tries to think up a reason as to why he is attempting to sneak out the front door with a school bag.

“Uhh...I was going to go visit Chloe,” Adrien half lies while turning around and putting on a fake smile.

“Mlle. Bourgeois is currently at school, Adrien. I know you remember that your father does not want you attending public school,” Nathalie reminds Adrien. She walks down the stairs and meets Adrien near the door. “Please go upstairs and practice your piano. I will finish preparing our lessons for today.”

With that, Adrien heads upstairs towards his room. Once Adrien enters his room, he brings his piano up from underneath the floor and plays pre-recorded music from his iPod. After setting everything up, Adrien lies down on his bed. Plagg, Adrien’s cat, comes up and sits right next to him.

Adrien pulls out his phone, opening one of his favorite messaging threads.

CN: Plan A failed :(. I guess I’m glad you had me make a plan B.

LB: Well you can never be too prepared.

Smiling to himself, Adrien sends a quick message to one of his other close friends.

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“Adrien, it would seem Mlle. Tsurugi would like to spend the afternoon with you. I have cleared your schedule, but please make sure you are back by 5 for your Chinese tutoring lesson.” By the time Nathalie is finished, Adrien is practically out the door into Kagami Tsurugi’s cherry-red car.

“Thank you so much for doing this, Kagami!” Adrien thanks, practically squeezing Kagami to death as soon as he’s in the vehicle. Once Adrien lets go, he turns to put his seat belt on so the car can start moving.

“It was no problem at all, Adrien. You are my best friend, and this seemed to be something you really wanted,” Kagami replies, unfazed by Adrien’s excitement.

“To make this up to you, I’m going to introduce you to Chloe the first chance I get,” Adrien decides.

This prompts Kagami to sigh. “Adrien, while I appreciate your efforts, who is to say that Mlle. Bourgeois is the same Chloe that is on my wrist? Not everyone is as lucky as you to have unique names for their soulmate tattoos.”

“Hey, Gabriel isn’t a unique name!” Adrien protests. “That’s my dad’s name, and I wouldn’t say there’s any strong connection there.”

“True, but Marinette, Nino, and my name are unique.”

Adrien goes to argue, but the car stops, announcing their arrival at Francois Dupont.

“I will see you at 3, Adrien,” Kagami says. “Try not to be late.”

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Once it is time for their lunch break, Marinette takes Alya to the park across the street from the school. Marinette leads Alya towards a bench in a secluded area of the park so they could talk with relative privacy.

Once the two girls get settled, it’s Alya who breaks the silence first. “Okay, so we’re soulmates in some way. And I would like to assume that we’re meant to be best friends because you seem really chill, but you’re not exactly my type romantically.”

Marinette releases a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Well, that makes two of us.”

“Okay, so if you don’t mind me asking, what other names do you have?” Alya asks, getting excited. “I always promised myself that whenever I found my best friend I was always going to help them if they hadn’t found their soulmates. So may I see your names?”

Marinette hesitates. For all she knows, this girl is pretending to be her friend to lull her into a false sense of security and turn her soulmates against her. Before Marinette can get too lost in her inner ramblings, she looks into Alya’s eager and curious face, noticing that there is not any sign of malice in the girl’s features.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette takes off her dark jacket. “So, my tattoos are a little weird. I, umm...I have four of them.” With that, Marinette shows Alya the two tattoos on her wrist and lifts her right leg so she can show her the other two names on her ankle.

For a bit, Alya doesn’t say anything. Then she suddenly shouts, “NO WAY!” Marinette immediately jumps up and covers the girl’s mouth, silently praying that no one will come over.

“Please don’t yell. I don’t want a lot of people to know this specific information,” Marinette pleads, with her hands still covering Alya’s mouth. Slowly, Marinette removes her hands and sits back down.

“Okay, so my new best friend just told me the best thing I’ve ever heard. Girl, I didn’t even know it was possible to have more than three tattoos. That’s amazing!” Alya exclaims.

“Really?”

Alya nods her head furiously.

“Wow, I guess I never really saw this as a good thing.”

“It totally is, girl. Now, who are the lucky people? Besides myself, of course,” Alya questions, barely containing her excitement.

“Luka, Adrien, and Lila.”

“Interesting names. Have you met any of them?”

“Only Luka. He’s Juleka’s brother. He’s very sweet, but I’m not really into him like that.”

“So I’m on the lookout for an Adrien and a Lila. Good to know.” Alya pretends to write the names on her hand, causing Marinette to giggle.

“Hey, do you have any other soulmates?” Marinette questions.

“Just one other. I’m boring like everyone else.”

Marinette giggles.

“Their name is Nino and hopefully he or she is nice and not a jerk.”

“You know, there’s a Nino in our class. I should totally introduce you guys. Maybe you’ll hit it off!” Marinette teases.

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“Hey, Chloe,” Adrien greets as he walks up to her in the school’s courtyard.

“Adrikins! You came!” Chloe runs and jumps into his arms as other students in the courtyard start to recognize who he is and crowd around him.

Thankfully, Chloe manages to shoo most of them away as she leads him upstairs towards the classroom. Still, Adrien does sign a few autographs for some students.

Once they get to the classroom, Chloe shows him to a seat in the front row. “This is your seat, Adrikins. I saved it for you, right in front of me.” As Adrien walks in, he notices his deskmate, a boy in a blue shirt with a red cap, sitting in the seat next to the one Chloe saved for him.

“Thanks, Chloe.” Adrien walks up and takes the seat in the front. He stretches out his hand toward his deskmate. “Uhh…hey….Adrien.”

The boy seems to react to Adrien’s name, but instead of responding with his name, he says, “So you’re friends with Chloe then, huh?”

Adrien looks over in the direction of where the boy was looking and sees Chloe taking out the gum that was in her mouth and giving it to her red-headed friend. The girl then puts the piece of gum on the seat right across from Adrien.

“Hey, what’s that all about?” Adrien questions the two girls with a disgusted look on his face.

“The brats that sat here this morning need a little attitude adjustment,” Chloe states as if it makes perfect sense why she’s doing what she’s doing. “I’m just commanding a bit of respect, that’s all.”

“Do you think that’s really necessary?” Adrien says, moving to try and remove the gum from the seat.

Chloe laughs, walking towards her desk behind Adrien. “You’ve got a lot to learn about school culture, Adrikins. Watch the master.” Chloe leans back in her seat with a confident smirk on her face while the redhead comes up next to her, mimicking Chloe’s pose.

Adrien continues to try to remove the gum until a feminine voice from behind him stops him. “Hey, what are you doing!?”

“Uhh...I…” Adrien attempts to explain himself, but he is at a loss for words as he takes in the beauty of the blue-haired girl behind him. Then, when Chloe and her friend start laughing from their seats, Adrien becomes even more flustered as he reaches for an explanation. An angry look of understanding flashes across her face.

“Okay, I get it. Good job, you three. Very funny,” she congratulates sarcastically.

“No, no. I was trying to take it off,” Adrien attempts to explain, not wanting to ruin his chance at making friends at school.

“Oh really?” the girl questions, getting in his face while Chloe and her friend continue to laugh. The blue-haired girl attempts to remove the gum herself but instead chooses to cover it with a tissue from her bag. “You’re friends with Chloe, right?” she asks, turning back towards him.

“Why do people keep saying that?” Adrien mumbles under his breath. The girl gives him one last dirty look before sitting down in her seat, prompting Adrien to take his own seat.

“Now do you see what I mean about respect?” Chloe comments from behind him. Adrien sighs, looking down at his desk.

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“I know I’ve seen him somewhere before,” Marinette comments, staring at the blond boy sitting across from her. Alya gasps from beside her, showing Marinette what she found on her phone,

“Of course! Adrien Agreste,” Marinette gasps. “He’s the son of my fave designer, Gabriel Agreste!”

“Daddy’s boy, teen supermodel, and Chloe’s buddy? Ha! Forget it.” Alya points to Adrien. “If that boy is your soulmate, it’s probably not good news.”

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Adrien’s deskmate stares at him for a good minute. “Why didn’t you tell her it was Chloe’s idea?” he questions.

“I’ve known Chloe since I was a kid. I know she’s not perfect, but I can’t throw her under the bus. She’s one of my only friends,” Adrien explains.

“I’m Nino. It’s time for you to make some new friends, dude.” The boy smiles and offers out his hand. Recognizing the name, Adrien gasps before understanding the implications of this new friendship. Adrien takes the boy’s hand and shakes it.

“Just some helpful advice. Marinette over there is a pretty chill dude. I’m sure if you just explain to her what happened, she’d be very understanding.”

“Wait, did you say Marinette?” Adrien questions quickly, looking back over to the bluenette. Before Nino could reply, Mme. Bustier starts class by taking attendance, stalling the curiousness stirring in Adrien’s mind.

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Marinette walks out to the front of the school with her bags prepared to leave only to see it pouring outside. She considers making a run for it to the bakery, but after seeing how hard it’s pouring decides to wait out the rain for a bit.

Hearing another student approaching from behind her, Marinette moves to the side of the entrance so she wouldn’t block them. Unfortunately for her, it is Chloe’s friend who just started.

“Hey,” he greets. Marinette turns away, trying to ignore him so he would just go away and leave her alone. A red car pulls up to the front with a young girl in the backseat. The boy sighs and looks at his umbrella, then opens it and takes a step out in the rain. “I just wanted you to know that I was only trying to take the gum off your seat. I swear.”

Marinette gasps and turns towards the blond. “I’ve never been to school before. I’ve never had many friends outside of my father’s associates’ kids. Everything here is all sort of new to me.” The boy turns around and offers Marinette his umbrella. Marinette stares into his eyes, searching for any sign of malice, and realizes that the boy in front of her is truly being genuine. She reaches out for the offered umbrella, hesitating a bit. Still staring in awe, Marinette doesn’t realize she has pressed the close button on the umbrella until it closes on top of her head.

Not a second later, Marinette hears the sweetest and most innocent laugh she has ever heard in her life. She peels back part of the umbrella to see the teen supermodel smiling a genuine smile, causing her to laugh a bit as well.

“Well, Marinette, I hope we can become great friends. See you tomorrow!” Adrien waves good-bye, heading into the red car.

“Maybe we could be something more,” Marinette whispers as his car drives away.

Marinette pauses to pull out her phone and opens her chat with Chat Noir.

LB: I think I just met my romantic soulmate...

CN: I think I did too…

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