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hotsingledragon · 8 months

Note

ok so,, im back!!

THIS ONE ISNT A SMUT REQUEST (but if you want to make it smut go for it !! its your blog), but I’m thinking of maybe like a really sensitive and shy reader and just like normal miles😭but he’s very strict in this. let’s say little reader makes a mistake and miles is having a bad day, so he yells at her and is like “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? STOP” and she gets really scared and upset because this huge 9’5 man just screamed at her for something so small and she’s just thinking he could crush her like a bug, and how intimidating her boyfriend truly is so the poor thing just cries on the spot :((

would prefer human reader but anything is fine !!

in the morning i’ll be better

Recom!miles quaritch x human fem!reader

warnings: mean quaritch, cry baby reader, emotions!

Miles quaritch is rude, egocentric, and ignorant. It's who he is, and who he has to be as a commander. He's sarcastic and privy to his emotions, though his temperament can really get the best of him.

but Q loves his shy little girlfriend. she’d been so quiet and small when they first met, in her own bubble until quaritch decided he needed to pop it. He loves the challenge of working her out of her shell and is rewarded with her sweet smile and laughter.

Miles finds that she’s actually an open book. He can’t help but fixate on her delicate features when there’s only so much space between them! Miles always finds the smallest twitches in her expression, revealing exactly what she’s feeling. she feels so deeply. miles loves how expressive she is, silently rejoices in the fact that he gets to have her like this as very few have the opportunity

-loves when he can tell her a mundane snippet of his day and she’s glows in delight for him, as if compensating for his lack of enthusiasm

-Q will sneak glances at her when they watch movies, hearing her sniffles and he just pulls her in his lap. his heart squeezes when she wraps an arm around his middle and lets herself cry openly, allowing herself to be vulnerable in his arms.

-but it seems quaritch woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. What had started as simple as early morning grogginess turns sour and quaritch becomes an irascible, mean man. not even her bright spirit can bring him out of it.

“what are you doin’ in here?” his voice carries as he enters his office and she’s already there.

she perks up at his presence and smiles.

“hey, i had a bit of time and wanted to stop by,” she says, swinging her legs as she’s perched on his abnormally large desk- on top of his paperwork.

“dammit!” quaritch flares, stomping across the room. “get off my desk.”

she startles at his low, thundering voice and scrambles to jump off of the polished wood. She’s slightly alarmed and confused, but this is not the first time Q has been in a bad mood. She chances a glance at him from her small stature, an uneasiness growing in her belly. Quaritch is tense, shoulders bunched and fists clenching. He's so large compared to her, it’s impossible to not be intimidated. she begins to nervously fidget with her manicure.

“I- i didn’t mean to intrude, i missed you before you left this morning and i wanted to see you,” she mumbles

Quaritch doesn’t acknowledge her as he takes the opposite side of the desk and assesses the clutter of paperwork. He rests his palms flatly on the desk, hangs his head and sighs deeply.

Quaritch raises to meet her eyes. “don’t I see enough of you at home?”

she’s stunned for a moment, unblinking as she processes his razor sharp words and finds his eyes burning with aggravation.

he raises his voice now, “go on. i got work to do and i don’t need you fuckin’ it up more than you already have.”

she’s still stuck in place, watching him. Quaritch begins to flare at her stall to action, rounds the desk again and takes strides to quickly approach her and thunders, “GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE.”

it comes out quicker than he can catch it, and quaritch catches the fright that flashes through her and she takes a skittish step backwards. This immediately halts his steps, and quaritch is forced to watch as her sweet little face crumbles under his gaze. it happens in slow motion- her face becomes warm with humiliation, and that usual light in her eyes clouds over with a fresh spring of tears. her chin wobbles and she breaks their mutual gaze and dammit, now quaritch has really fucked it.

she’s wrapping her arms around herself and turning her back on him towards the door and no no NO that’s not what he wants at all. He catches her wrist just as the door clicks.

and it’s a knife gouging inside his chest when she turns towards him, a veil of sorrow obscuring her usually radiant features. her cheeks are already blotchy from holding her breath, holding back her tears. Q feels awful, god he’s such a stupid prick.

“honey, i didn’t mean it”

and poor thing, she just bursts into tears. She tries to catch her sobs before they leave her chest, but she’s hurt, and even a bit frightened. It's heart wrenching, quaritch’s own expression falls and he’s immediately kneeling to her height. He holds her wrist gently, so fragile and small within his palm. He wants so badly to pull her closer.

“baby, i'm sorry. so, so fuckn sorry,” miles says

“Do I bother you that much?” she cries loudly, looking up at him with tears clumping her lashes and tracking over her cheeks. Quaritch hates himself for ever putting that thought into her mind. He shuffles on his knees to be closer to her, reaching to take her other hand in his.

“no, no darlin’. you could never bother me. Don't know why I would even say somethin’ so goddamn stupid and incorrect. talkin’ out of my ass again.”

she doesn’t answer, her chest raking with every sob she lets out. miles begins to wilt, his heart in his stomach. he can’t stand being so far away from her. he takes a chance; sitting on his haunches and parting his legs so he can tug on her wrist until she’s crashing into his chest. he tries not to let his heart sink when she doesn’t reciprocate his touch right away.

“didn’t mean it, doll. I'm sorry,” Miles says lowly, his chin resting on her head.

“you can be mean-you can be *so mean sometimes, miles.” she says wetly against his chest. she clutches the fabric of his shirt.

“I know, I know, i don’t mean to get that way,” he concedes, beginning to rub her back. He feels her take deep, steadying breaths.

“But you do, miles. more often than you think. Sometimes I feel like I'm tiptoeing through a landmine. I never know when you’ll blow up on me.” she sniffles.

-quaritch nods, truly considering her words. He knows he can be a dick, but he never wants to be that way with her. his heart clenches as he recalls the fear that flashed over her just minutes ago- and how he was the reason for it. Quaritch wants to kick his own ass.

The pair are quiet as she calms down, her tears subsiding. Eventually she wraps her arms around his shoulders, properly hugging him now. Miles is flooded with relief and pulls her closer. She smells sweet, like her conditioner and the fabric softener she uses. she smells like home, and god isn’t quaritch the biggest fucking idiot to even think of speaking to her that way.

“stay here with me,” he breathes, nuzzling into her hair. she pulls away to meet his eyes warily, her own still rimmed red. Quaritch shakes his head as if to erase any doubt in her mind.

“Wouldn't want you anywhere else, sugar.” he tells her firmly, taking her hands. she sniffles and pouts, her eyes falling to their entangled digits. her thumb runs softly over his knuckles and miles heavy heart beats so fast.

she takes a deep breath, finally meeting his eyes and nodding her head. Miles sighs in relief and hugs her close.

“Thank you, love you,” quaritch sighs. His anxiety eases when she locks her arms around him again. He wraps around her torso, petting her soft hair. They stay like that for a while, but quaritch really does have work to do. Wordlessly, quaritch moves to grasp under her thigh, pressing her close. Her legs instinctively wrap around his slim waist and quaritch easily maneuvers to stand with her in his arms. He walks them towards his desk and sits, holding her against his chest and begins to sort the scatter of documents. She lifts her head, eyeing the mess.

“M’sorry i messed up your desk,” she mumbles.

“S’alright, wasn’t really organized to begin with,” he chuckles, then somewhat awkwardly clears his throat. “I'm really sorry, darlin’, you have every right to kick me in my hind end and tell me off. I don't ever wanna make you cry,” he says softly.

What quaritch doesnt know is that he’s an open book with her, too. Miles’ eyes are swirling pools of raw emotion, constantly changing and turning with the tide. She finds a genuine sorrow, a true apology darkening the chartreuse of his irises. She rises to kiss him softly in reassurance.

And she feels the way the tension bleeds out of him, feels his slow sigh breathing from his nose. Quaritch lifts his fingers to cradle her jaw, brushing the soft skin. When they pull away, that cloudiness is gone and Mile's eyes are bright again.

She smiles at him. “Can I help?” she asks, already turning in his lap to face the desk.

“Y’know, I’d appreciate it, actually,” quaritch says. His hands drop to her hips and he pulls her into him, her back pressing against his chest. He scoots further into the desk and drops a kiss on her shoulder and says, “I don't deserve you- too good t’me, too sweet,” in his low, american accent. She loosely throws her hand back to punch his chest. “I know,” she says, a light tease in her voice. Quaritch chuckles and holds her tighter, bowing to press another lingering kiss into her shoulder. And so they organize the clutter together, exchanging papers and reading off the information to one another. They’re a well oiled machine until every stack is bound and clipped neatly. She even writes sticky notes in her loopy handwriting to describe what the documents are about. When the job is done, quaritch is turning her around and kissing her like he’s been dying to ever since he stepped into the office.

notes: lol hello! thank you for sending this request! i was v excited to dig my teeth into this. i apologize for the delayed roll out, life punched me in the throat and took me out over the past couple of weeks but it was a nice reprieve getting to work on this. thank you envy for the request! please enjoy and leave some love! <3

#recom miles quaritch #colonel miles quaritch #miles quaritch #miles quaritch smut #recom quaritch #avatar quaritch #colonel quaritch #avatar miles quaritch #avatar 2009 #avatar james cameron #avatar the way of water #atwow #atwow x reader #miles quaritch x reader #miles quaritch x y/n #avatar imagine #avatar fics #my work #request

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equallyshaw · 6 months

Text

not about angels | mat barzal

word count: 3.0k

warnings: talks of cancer and death.

It would be lovely if the format didn’t change after every save omg

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

We know full well there's just time So is it wrong to dance this line? If your heart was full of love Could you give it up?

◦

we only have so long in this life, until our journey is meant to end. only so much time to spend with loved ones and create memories that can last a lifetime. only so much time until things can change, much to our dismay.

when mat got the call, it was as if the whole world stopped. he was in the process of getting ready for a home game and maggie was incessant in trying to get ahold of him. well, her mom was.

"hey, im in the middle of-" and mat was cut off by sobbing - scratch that, screeching. his heart fell to his stomach, as maggie's mom explained that he needed to get home.

"i can't come home right now-" again, he was cut off. "mat - mat, maggie has cancer. she just got the news hun." maggie's mom explained, her voice faltering in and out.

mat dropped the tape and stick, and stared at the ground. he couldn't move, he couldn't speak and felt as if his world was frozen. "mat?" she questioned as tears began to form in his brown eyes, and then he looked down and let out a small whimper. this was not how maggie had planned for him to find out, but she wanted him home. anders lee looked over a few stalls and saw mat begin to cry, and quickly looked around and saw a few other guys begin to look up. "tell her- tell her im coming home- now." he said before hanging up. he wiped his eyes, sniffling, and standing up.

"mat." anders said standing up and trying to assess the situation, and mat couldn't look at anybody in the eye "i - i have to go find coach, let him know i - i have to go home." he said before walking out. he found coach pretty quickly and as soon as he said told the news to him, he broke down. him and management would do what they needed to do to give him some time off, so they could process it together as a couple. mat thanked them before quickly going and changing to head out. "mat, is everything okay?" matt martin questioned as he sat back down next to him. mat shook his head, continuing to get changed. before mat was about to leave matt spoke up, "if you need anything from us just let us know ok?" matt said and mat thanked him before walking out. he sat in the car for a few moments before heading home.

mat made it home in about 35 minutes, quickly heading inside, and was met with sobbing. he followed it to the living room to see maggie in her mom's arms trying to comfort her daughter. "mags?" he asked setting his keys down on the coffee table in front of them and maggie's sobs ceased. she turned around slowly, her cheeks stained with tears and crimson red. her mom got off the couch and said she was going to call maggies dad, and mat took over. "mat-" she sobbed and mat nodded, "i know." he repeated over and over again softly. his heart broke as he listened to her sobs and the way her body crumbled in his arms. he rubbed her back, his body slowly relaxing as her sobs grew softer and softer until she wasn't crying. "i didn't want to tell you that way, im so sorry mat." she said looking up from his chest and his eyebrows crinkled in confusion. "don't apologize for one second. you needed me and wanted me home, you know ill come running always mags." he said softly kissing her temple. she nodded, "doctor says i don't have very long.." she said feeling herself beginning to cry again. "he says its too far along for chemo." she said before her body began to shake, and mat pulled her in tighter. in fear of losing her for just one second.

this was the absolute love of his life, he knew the second he saw her from across the bar. newly 21, she decided to head to a bar that her and her friends had never been to in manhattan, and that was where she first sat mat. just like any other girl, she was a goner. there conversation in that bar, lasted for a few hours before heading back to her place to continue that said conversation. they couldn't get enough of one another, mat even stayed in the off season for pretty much the full thing just so they wouldn't be apart. only going home, when she was able to get a week off.

how could he be losing the one thing that mattered most in this universe? the one person he only saw himself having kids with? the one who goes above and beyond for any and all events while maintaining a full time job as a paralegal? the one person that no matter what could put a smile on his face, and garner a chuckle from even after the most brutal of brutal losses. how could he lose the one that he believed was created for him and vice versa? who's hand fit in his or the way their arms felt like home to one another? how could he give up that for a life of unknowns and one where he goes back to the drawing board?

◦

'Cause what about, what about angels? They will come, they will go, make us special, oh

◦

maggie was his angel, and he was her's they always liked to say. heck, they were even named that on their phone's. he knew that he had met maggie and created a life with her, for a reason. there was something deeper and more meaningful in knowing her and loving her than mat could ever decipher. those three months of holding on only to let his angel go, was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do, and hoped that it would be the only hardest thing he'd have to endure. he watched as her body gave up on itself, and the smile that usually was plastered on her pale skin- gone. wiped clean and stripped. he watched as she lost her hair, and her sense of confidence was swept away. the love for life slowly crumbled for the frail girl. her sense of days and time blurred together, resulting in anger, grief, and confusion for her. mat always there to pick her up, help her gain a sense of reality and come back to the present. and then for her to enter hospice for only a few days, spawning in one last sleep together. one last goodnight kiss for his fiance.

he would go back in time to redo the last two years. he would give up anything in this lifetime to have more time with her. he would do anything to hold her close once more.

◦

Don't give me up

◦

maggie made mat promise that he would move on with life, he would move on with hockey and move on and find somebody else in this lifetime. she begged and pleaded, to not walk through life alone. that he was far too young and had way too many years left to be alone. mat couldn't get her to understand that he would never want anybody else. that there would be no other woman that he'd fall in love with. he also would not allow himself, in respect to her. maggie said that he could fall in love again, and that it would be ok. that he could still live his life and hold her in his heart forever, all while creating a life with somebody else. somebody else should be so ever lucky to know him and love him, and gain his love in return.

"matty.." maggie whispered, one cold winter night. mat's sleep schedule non existant since taking a leave of absence from the team. his sleep being short and light, with every move or sound maggie made. he quickly opened his eyes, looking down at her as she turned around in his arms. her soft green hazel eyes, puffy and encircled by bags. "whats wrong? do you need anything?" he questioned beginning to shift but she shook her head. "i just-i cant sleep." she murmured, biting her chapped lip. "what are you thinking about?" he questioned softly, pushing the few strands she had left. she clasped her eyes shut in embarrassment and guilt that was coursing through her veins at this point. "im sorry." she hummed, as she let a few tears fall. "what are you sorry for?" he questioned, wiping them gently. "im sorry for everything....im sorry that this happened...you don't deserve this at all. you shouldn't have to watch me falling apart like this. you-you deserve to be playing and developing your career, not be here with me." she said and mat shook his head. he couldn't think of any reason why she was thinking this, or any reason why she thought it to be true. but he knew why. "no. no. please don't say that mags. there is no way under any circumstance that i would not be here. no reason. i would -" he paused knowing that the next few words needed to send the message. "i would kill myself if i couldn't be here. i wouldn't be able to live withmyself and go on with my day to day or life for that matter if i wasn't here, because you'd be my every thought and concern." he paused as she looked up to meet his eye. "i vowed two months ago that i would be here through everything and i meant that. don't give me up maggie, because ill be here no matter what. ill be stubborn as hell if you banish me, you best believe." he said a bit cheekily at the end. she swallowed hard, her throat dry like the arizona desert at this time of the night.

she brought a soft hand to his cheek, and he closed his eyes savoring the feeling and the cold that oozed from her. when he reopened his eyes, he saw the tears that were still in her eyes. "whoever is lucky to find you in this lifetime, is one incredibly lucky girl." she hummed and he felt his heart break even more.

◦

How unfair, it's just our luck Found something real that's out of touch But if you'd searched the whole wide world Would you dare to let it go?

◦

maggie was adored by each and every person that came across her. her midwestern people pleasing and kindness made her somebody that people flocked to. that was partially why he was enamored the moment he left her apartment after the two spent 6 hours talking.

his grieving was stemmed in anger and frustration, that somebody so sweet and loving and a pearl in this world, could be taken away so quickly. her dreams and wildest ideas that would never come to fruition. mat would go to the ends of the earth just to be with her again. he'd never let go, in another lifetime. in another lifetime they were married and had kids and had the life they dreamed of; together.

◦

'Cause what about, what about angels? They will come, they will go, make us special, oh

◦

trigger warning: death.

mat and maggie lay in each others arms, as the nurse had just left for the evening. maggie had some inkling that tonight would be her last, as maggie had just entered hospice in their home a few days prior. her days had been filmed with a nurse coming in the morning to administer morning meds, they'd leave and come back in the afternoon for more meds and then come back in the evening to take vitals and more meds.

mat basked in these quiet moments when she wasn't vomiting or shaking with chills from the side effects that the meds gave her. he'd been able to savor and cherish these small moments when maggie's true self came through. he savored her little giggles, rambles, and her humor come through before she'd fall asleep.

maggie looked up at mat and smiled. "what?" he said grinning, her smile sending butterflies from head to toe. "i was just thinking..." she paused frowning slightly now, "i hope that-that in every other universe or lifetime, we got one another. perhaps in those ones...we got more time together." she said beginning to cry. mat pulled her in closer, joining in now. he sobbed into her neck as she cried into his chest. "every single one, mags. every one." he whispered loud enough for her to hear and that made her sob even more.

mat knew as soon as she fell asleep, she would not wake again. he didn't sleep one second that evening, watching as her chest rose and fell. fearing that if he did, she would slip from this world. it was around 5:34 when the sun was beginning to rise, he saw her chest fall for the last time before the machine went off. he pulled her in as tears fell, not wanting to let go for the final time. her parents ran in at the sound, her mom going to shut the machine off whilst her dad called 911. his parents came in and quickly went to console maggies parents before all of them took their final moments with her, with mat not wanting to let go.

◦

"she was the love of my life, since the moment i saw her. the very first word out of her mouth, i knew she'd be mine. we were destined for each other, and liked to say we were made for one another. she was my angel and i her's." mat paused, sniffling. "magdalene harper, was an angel to everybody that came across her. no one had anything bad to say about her, always going above and beyond; all with her incredible midwestern accent that i absolutely adored." he said pausing to smile. "she was always there to put a smile on my face, to make me crack even after a brutal loss, always ready to tickle if i didn't budge. gosh...she always knew how to make me gain perspective and understanding. always coming in with an angle on life, that i would have never thought of without her." he paused, wiping his eye. "that's what i loved most..was her keen ability to make sense of life and what it had given her, us, me. you name it, she always knew how to take the bad and make it into the good. i believe that the universe placed her in my life for a reason, one that i may never understand or figure out. and ill never understand why she was taken from us far too early, but i know deep down she was here for a reason. she was one of those persons in life, that you wanted to know. she left you with something each and every time you conversed or shared a moment with her." he paused to sniffle once more. he bit his lip, wiping a few tears. "before my grandmother passed on my dad's side, about 4 years ago now she had said something about maggie." he paused to smile, "my grandmother said, people will come in and out of your life, for whatever reason but only some will leave you with something to hold dearly for the rest of your life. and in the next moment, she said that i had to marry this one, that i cannot let this one go. i told her not a beat later, i had the ring. that i had had it for a few weeks at that point. that i was just waiting for the right time, and my grandmother said she felt at peace knowing that i had somebody in my life at such a young age to go through life with. she felt better knowing that i'd be loved for the rest of time, by an angel." he paused briefly before his final sentences. "she loved selflessly. she loved me without hesitation, she loved everybody selflessly even on the hard days, even when she was frustrated with the world, even when i was in a rut, she'd be there with that smile on her face that gave me butterflies from head to toe. that was the hardest thing I've had to grapple with and work through is that how could somebody that loved me and so many others, leave so soon? im afraid me nor anybody in this room will ever know that answer. but like my grandmother said, "people will come in and out of your life, for whatever reason but only some will leave you with something to hold dearly for the rest of your life". though i may not have gotten the lifetime that we vowed to one another, and one that we yearned for; i will forever hold the time, memories, and the love that we had for one another; forever." he finished, leaning away from the stand just a bit silently crying for a few seconds before wiping them away. everybody that was there, watched with sadness and despair.

mat did not deserve this. maggie did not deserve the pain that she went through. none of their inner circle deserved it either.

◦

mat went to bed most nights, in hopes of seeing maggie in his dreams. and for a long while she was there, but as time went on, his dreams turned and changed as the years went by. though, every once in a while if he saw something or heard something that reminded him of maggie, she'd plague his dreams like never before. and when he'd wake, he'd smile as his heart was a little heavy but smile because in his dreams, she was pain free and exactly who she was before cancer.

and he would always remind himself that at some point, they'd be together again.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Hope you enjoyed, please like and reblog if you did (:

tags: @cuttergauthier @hockeyboysarehot @nicohischierz @fallinallincurls @bitchinbarzal @jayda12

#mat barzal #mat barzal blurb #mat barzal imagine #mat barzal x oc #nhl #hockey #nhl blurb #nhl imagine #hockey blurb #hockey imagine #New York islanders #queued post

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autevi · 3 months

Text

today’s gay little pieces of personal wisdom

- taking a little walk in the middle of my work day to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air instead of waiting til i’m off the clock and going when it’s already getting dark…. feels VERY good (this is less necessary in summer when evening walks are more pleasant because they’re less hot)

- if you struggle with interoception and alexithymia and generally tend to only/mostly become aware of sensations in your body if they’re negative, it’s a good idea to cultivate a practice of giving your body things that feel good and noticing those very deliberately. (see above for the benefits of nice little walks.) this helps train your brain to remember that not all physical sensations require a threat response. i have come to this conclusion after realizing that i interpret ANY sensation i notice that is different from my norm as a potential threat, and this sends my conscious and unconscious regulation systems into threat assessment mode. for example i wake up with a little sore throat. maybe i mouth breathed too much and my bedroom needs a humidifier so my throat is dry. but my brain always goes for “you’re getting sick YOURE GETTING COVID YOURE GONNA DIE” threat escalation. over the years i’ve done a lot of work to interrupt or mitigate this tendency to escalate but i am not always great at it.

in addition to introducing pleasure, it’s also a good idea to cultivate a habit of mindfully noticing neutral body sensations and noticing that they are neutral. like the weight of your arm against your leg or the itch of a stray hair before you brush away (yes mindfulness can feel like death to some people with sensory processing and attention regulation difficulties, myself included, but it kind of really is a good way to neutralize the feeling of anything i notice is automatically bad.)

- thinking about things really really hard is not a substitute for actually doing things. i’m a pathological overthinker and i’m typically pretty apprehensive about Doing Things in general, the whole idea of it, because What If It Goes Bad. well now that i’m Doing Things a little more often than never, i both get to enjoy the benefits of whatever Things im Doing and also collecting data to convince the little spreadsheet gremlins in my brain that actually, things are generally Fine and sometimes even Good

#autevi

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jin0 · 2 years

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Good afternoon my sweet amazing Jin (if we are in the same timezone that is, but if not then good-any-time-of-the-day)

I would like to drop this with you to enjoy ❤️

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZn9GdwAf8k/?utm_medium=copy_link

I really can’t tell what undiscovered kink of mine this is but battered up and bruised men, especially Andrew , is something I really can’t understand why I’m in heat for. I remember reading something about the fact that it makes men seem vulnerable which is appealing to women but like… it’s just sexy. Forgive my 1950s desire to bandage him up and kiss his wounds away bc I’ll be standing there like 🤰🏻🧎🏻‍♀️🧍🏻‍♀️(side-note they really need a more accurate middle eastern skin and hair color emoji tone like what) absolutely ready to do so!

(girl im so sorry for responding late, everytime i could respond i was just getting home from work and skipping diner cause i was exhausted)

but the way desmond is one of my fav andrew characters because he's genuinely both sweet AND hot ?? and that southern accent does things to me i can't even process !!

but think about this (i think i wrote a fic like that) :

andrew got hurt on set while doing stunts and you got called in emergency because he refuses to rest until you come and 'give him a kiss to help him get better' ?? he's bruised all over, his face a little bloody too and genuinely feeling like shit all over yk ?? but as soon as he sees you drop your bag and reach for him, he's already better.

he's sitting on the edge of the bed and just opens himself for you to jump in his arms and hug him tight.

"hi bunny... missed you so much today..."

you're not even speaking a word, just looking at him all over and assessing the gravity of his wounds which he finds adorable but refuses to have you worried yk ?? he cups your cheek gently and starts kissing you while whispering sweet words of reassurance.

"hey... don't worry, these are just scratches, nothing to worry your pretty little head about. don't want my bunny worrying for me over stupid shit i do."

"but you're hurt andrew..."

"and that won't change a thing. i'm still stupidly in love for you and the only thing i want is cuddles, kisses and a shit load of your special sweets that you bake only when i'm sick. please bunny ? i promise i'll be good..." he mutters, reaching for you and kissing your breath away. he just needs to nip, suck, bite and pull on your lips, it's okay right ? he won't get hurt with that, even when he tries to get you to straddle him and palm your ass like a caveman in heat.

he always gets needy like that when sick a'd you give it to him, but not today. no more hot kisses or anything that leads to sex. you'll take good care of him.

except you don't. because andrew get's everything he wants. and you end up bent over the bathroom sink, taking his load while he keeps your head up and presses a hand on the mirror to support you both. the other hand is wrapped around your waist, his pants fallen down on his ankles and the sound of his belt clinking on the floor while he hammers into you at the best of his capacities.

"fuck bunny... promise i tried to be good, but can't keep still when you look at me like that you know..." he groaned in your ear.

obviously he knows you get hot for him when he's wounded and vulnerable (which is kinda everyday for andrew).

and you bet your ass he's gonna use that on you.

"pretty pussy dripping all over me... you like playing nurse huh bunny ? like having me putty in the palm of your hands, all bloody and bruised. you used to get so wet for the desmond look. wanna see it again baby ? wanna have me hurt all over, fucking you silly ?"

he doesn't need an answer because you're cumming all over his cock at the idea.

#•° jin replies <3°•#•°sweet people in my inbox°•#•°silent treatment nonnie°•#andrew garfield #andrew garfield imagine #andrew garfield smut #female reader #woc reader #black reader #also #andrew defo fingers you while watching some of his movies the scenes that get you the wettest

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hes-writer · 4 years

Text

Ruin

Summary: im not sure how to summarize this without spoiling the story

Warning: angst, bits of fluff here and there

Word Count; 4158 words

A/N: the long-awaited part 6 of the Tarnish series! A collab with @devilinbetweenthesheet-s. My attention span is short itself so I've decided to split it up into two parts.

UNEDITED

___

Harry tried to see the brighter side of the situation because it truly was something to look forward to. Having the chance to get to know Halo was something that he should be grateful for. As Y/N said, Harry did not deserve to be a part of her life, despite the fact that he was the father. And somewhere, somehow— he understood where she was coming from.

Harry honestly wouldn’t know what he would do if the roles were reversed; if Y/N were the one to have been cheating on him. He would not have a clue if Harry would be as kind to her as she was with him. If an outsider were to assess the situation between Harry and Y/N, they would definitely choose her side to be in favour of. So far, Harry still wasn’t able to pinpoint what exactly Y/N had done wrong for him to be swayed by an illicit affair. Was there even a moment in time that he could vividly see where he made the decision to just up and betrayed her trust? Because if there was; either his memory has gone to shit or Harry was more of a jerk than he served himself.

To put things into perspective, Y/N was the perfect partner and Harry had somehow lost sight of that by cheating on her. Don’t get him wrong; Camille was good, great, even. Yet Y/N was an amazing woman who knew exactly what she wanted. Coincidentally, those were the same type of things that Harry needed, too. As much as it pained him to say it, Camille’s rejection of their own little family made him rethink his decision-making process. Harry has learned more about himself in these past few months than he did in his entire lifetime.

For starters, he cleared it up that he had absolutely no excuse for cheating on Y/N except the fact that his retention span lasted a good few years before he was in search of something fresh; something new and exciting. Maybe it scared him just how serious she was in having a family in the future that his subconscious thought that Harry needed one last hurrah to get the infidelity out. Besides, divorces are more complicated when there are children involved.

Secondly, being with Camille was an infatuation that lasted for a long, three years—beginning while Harry was in a relationship with Y/N. Feelings were still there for sure, but he just didn’t know if it was enough to make him stay, especially when Y/N and baby Halo were right there waiting for him. They actually weren’t; Harry just liked to pretend that they were so that he could justify the consequences of his actions.

Camille was trying to make things work with him; Harry could see that. However, there were only so many things that she could do to improve their relationship before she had to change the choices that she had made years prior. Camille really didn’t want to say that she had refuted the idea of not having kids for the sake of making a relationship prosper, but maybe it was what she had to do to make him stay. She wanted a happy life with someone who wanted the same things as her. Harry wasn’t the man who shared a mutual agreement and she was pushed to question her options.

Nonetheless, Camille and Harry stuck with each other because they were all they knew for the past three and a half years. It was definitely ironic for Harry to say that he couldn’t just leave a three-year relationship behind for another woman; because he had done that before. Now, he was a hypocrite too? His ego cannot take it.

____

Connor wrapped his arms around Y/N’s middle as she washed the dishes in the sink. Their water heater was broken so the stream that came from the faucet sometimes teetered from freezing cold to extremely hot. Right now, she was scrubbing the sponge on the porcelain as quickly as possible while the water was at the right temperature.

Y/N turned her head to the side, pressing a kiss on Connor’s cheek. He rested his chin on her shoulder, bobbing up and down as she moved her arms.

“Is this really a good idea, baby?” Connor asked, staring at the way her lashes fluttered in a pregnant pause, taking a deep breath.

She nodded, reaching over slightly to rest the wet dish on the drying rack. “Halo deserves to at least know her real father,”

And it was true. What kind of mother would Y/N be if she kept a secret like that from her own daughter? The past two years was a constant ping-pong battle of reaching out to Harry and sharing the news to him; then, Y/N would be hit with a shot of realization, wondering if this would ruin his current lifestyle.

“I understand. What if he leaves again? Hate to remind you but Harry left you once before, don’t think he’ll hesitate to do so again,”

She froze at Connor’s words. Y/N was aware that he only said that in good faith, to remind her of how hurt she was at the time and just how long it took for her to be able to finally breathe again.

One side of Y/N urged to still defend Harry. She wanted to turn and around, yell at him because Connor doesn’t know Harry as she does. Harry wasn’t the type to build a child’s dreams up only for him to personally manhandle the heart and crush it in his fist. There was a reason why he was a godfather to so many kids; Ruby, Arlo and Jackson—because he was capable. Harry was a nurturing father who put himself on the back burner in favour of making sure that the little ones were safe and secured. He had no problem being third if it meant that the kids were first, then Y/N, then him.

It all sounded so good in Y/N’s head; so well-rehearsed and very well thought out. The monologue that had somehow stuck in the sides of her brain like a script taped to the wall, ready for the time it needed to be recited. The shredded pieces of paper also reminded her that Y/N might’ve known Harry before, but she certainly doesn’t anymore. In fact, she knew just as much as Connor did.

Just like Y/N had grown and evolved into a new person, Harry was not the same guy he once was when they were together.

“I told him the consequences if he did,”

Connor pulled back, stepping away from her. “But wouldn’t it be better if we didn’t take that chance? Who knows what he might do. . .” He trailed off, grabbing a dry rag to wipe the water dripping from the dish.

Y/N took a leap of faith in letting Harry in. He was a wild card. He could promise one thing but would mean another. Or he could recite a vow and completely annihilate the person as he did with her. Yet somehow, Y/N couldn’t resist the opportunity to give him one chance. Maybe it was because a small part of her craved to re-create a happy family that they had always wanted.

“It’s a risk. I know that” Y/N rinsed a cup, swirling the water in circles. She felt like that whenever Harry was around.

“So why are you still doing it?” Y/N opened her mouth to answer, “And tell me the truth this time, yeah?”

Her boyfriend stared at her with an unreadable emotion in his eyes, lips drew taut in a straight line and arms were crossed over his broad chest. The pressure was immense on Y/N’s shoulders. She was torn between admitting what she had buried deep below the sand or simply glossing over it like a figure skater. Nonetheless, Y/N was on thin ice.

For years, she had flicked away the remaining feelings that stayed with her. But they were persistent in sticking by her side. It wasn’t like Y/N could completely erase Harry from her life--from who she was. She still dressed like him, evidenced by the matching pair of Gucci loafers she chose not to wear for the night in fear that he would coincidentally be sporting the same footwear.

Furthermore, they had a child together! Halo was the spitting image of him. It was hard not to be reminded by a man she once loved when their little baby was both of them mixed in one. So did Y/N still love Harry? She couldn’t deny how much her heart fluttered seeing him stutter over his words at the park. Y/N just wasn’t sure if it was from anxiety and nervousness or excitement and anticipation.

Unbeknownst to the couple, Harry had sneakily closed a sleeping Halo’s bedroom door. His trek back to the kitchen was slow, slightly afraid of the awaiting talk he and Y/N--and possibly Connor-- have yet to have. Harry wanted to be there for Halo and for Y/N every step of the way, but he knew that Y/N would not allow him around if his intentions were to cater to a relationship with her. She was already tolerating him as is.

Standing behind the thin wall that acted as a partition from the hallway to the kitchen, Harry carefully placed his hands against the barrier to steady himself. He didn’t know if his legs could take whatever answer would spill from Y/N’s mouth. If she admitted her true feelings, he would stumble and melt into a puddle. He would be confused, but Harry wouldn’t be opposed to it; he was in a relationship after all. If she denied it--which was the more likely option--, his heart would break silently in his chest.

Harry numbed himself of the guilt raking at his ankles. He was well aware that this was a private conversation but hey; it was not his fault that he had ears straining to listen to Y/N’s reply.

“Do you still love him?” Connor followed up, voice grim. Almost fearful to find out the truth. Harry was, too.

Y/N paused her thoughts as well as her actions, flinching at the sudden intrusion of Connor’s question. She flinched, yelping a little and jumping backwards when the broken water heater subdued the filtering liquid into a burning hot splatter on her skin. Connor picked his feet up in alarm, grabbing at Y/N’s wrist to see the minor injury on the back of her palm.

“Ow!” Y/N whisper-shouted, soothing the ache by situating it between her thighs before shakily showing it to Connor; the doctor.

“Let me see, baby,”

Harry peeked his head around the corner, almost losing his cover with the way his feet instantaneously wanting to move towards a hurting Y/N. Good thing he caught himself. Surely they would put two and two together and realize that Harry was eavesdropping.

That decision came with a laceration to his heart. Harry got a first-class ticket to register that the couple was everything he and Y/N were. The pet names, the domesticity of their actions. The caring glances and constant check-ups.

Deciding to come out of hiding, Harry almost had a heart attack when he turned the corner and was met face to face with Connor. His brows had dipped in worry, face determined to grab some cream to apply to the burn from their first-aid kit in the bathroom. Harry guessed that his whizzing thoughts failed to hear the quiet instruction.

The man jolted in surprise, stopping quickly in his tracks, “Oh hey! Is Halo asleep?” Connor gave him a smile despite the confusion etching in his forehead. Harry nodded dumbly, lips pursing like a fish. “Y/N’s just burned her hand, nothing too serious though,”

He looked over his shoulder to see Y/N eyeing the both of them suspiciously, still clutching the burnt skin close to her. “Oh, I see,”

Connor smacked a firm hand on his shoulder, stepping around him to grab the cream. Harry walked towards Y/N, noticing that she was soothing the painful ache with ice wrapped in layers of tissue. She was softly hissing through her teeth once in a while.

“You okay?”

She tilted her head at him, appearing to be dazed out in her thoughts. “Yeah, uh, nothing too bad,”

Harry kept his distance, leaning on the other side of the counter. He started off by saying, “Thank you for giving me this chance,”

Y/N graced him with a smile, standing up straighter when Connor appeared with a tube in his hand. Harry watched as he unscrewed the cap, placing it beside her. He squeezed a bit of the cream unto his fingertip before applying it directly on Y/N’s skin. She winced, wanting to pull her wrist away from his grip but Connor didn’t let her, “It’s gonna be fine, baby,”

He pressed a kiss to her temple, continuing to rub circles on the burn until Y/N visibly relaxed through slouched shoulders and less shaky breaths.

Harry was staring at them like a kicked puppy. He was fussy and frustrated all in one. He wanted the attention that Y/N was giving Connor. He wanted to be Connor, but both of them were too wrapped up in their little love bubble to notice Harry’s squinted eyes and pinched brows.

He was frustrated because even if he wasn’t the direct cause of her pain, Harry had somehow found a way to continue hurting her and Connor was always there to pacify his wrongful actions. Harry hated that this was how fate had planned his life.

Harry cleared his throat, raising a fist to his mouth, “Think I should go,” His thumb pointed over his shoulder, “Uh thank you again,”

Y/N snapped her head to him, gaze lowering in a timid manner as if she forgot that he was even there in the first place. Connor was the first to reply, “Alright, man. See you whenever,” He capped the tub, shoving it in his back pocket to return to its place.

She leaned on her tiptoes to press a kiss on his lips, muttering something in his ear that had Connor teasingly wrapping his hands on her hips. Harry looked away, taking long strides to the entryway instead.

“Harry, wait!”

He shuddered at the memory of the words that had changed his life when Gemma told him the truth. Harry’s shoe was half-way one when he turned around. “Yeah?”

Y/N was holding a folded brochure, “Halo has a recital this weekend for her dance class,” She handed it to him, “Maybe you’d want to go? You can bring Camille if you want but I think it would be better if you didn’t. She’s still new to this and I don’t want her asking too many questions until she can unders--,”

“I’ll go,” Harry cut her off, unfolding the folded paper. The venue was about twenty minutes away from his place. It was only an hour-long considering the skill set of two-year-olds but it was a fun way for parents to cheer on their little ones. Harry’s previously sour mood was now replaced with giddiness at the sight of his daughter in a pretty pink tutu, twirling on her feet. He was sure that Halo was born to become a performer like him.

She sighed in relief, puffing her cheeks out cutely, “It’s a private dance class. Pretty high end so the security should be okay,”

And there it was again. The constant reminder that Harry was otherworldly to some people. As much as he loved living his lifestyle, he sometimes wished that he was a normie. That was a lot to ask for considering his current situation with his daughter, but a man can dream.

“Got it,”

Y/N leaned over to show him the back of the leaflet, “Just show them this ticket and security should let you in. Halo wanted me to give that to you because she was too shy earlier. I know it’s short notice but I guess she was comfortable enough to ask you,”

Harry blushed at the admittance, mentally patting himself at the back for making his daughter feel at ease in a short amount of time.

“I’ll be there,” He pushed his heel to adorn his sneakers. Y/N bit her lip, she looked hesitant, “It’s okay if you don’t want to go, by the way. I can explain that you’re busy. She’ll probably understand,”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. Harry wasn’t going to ruin his progressive relationship with his daughter on ‘probably’. “Y/N, s’alright. No problem, yeah? I’ll be there,”

___

Where was he?

It was two days after the dinner and Harry’s promise of attending Halo’s recital was vanishing with each passing second. Every time the hand of the clock ticked to indicate that another minute had elapsed. Harry still wasn’t jogging through the carpeted middle of the small theatre to where Connor and Y/N were seated. Two empty seats were left at the end of the aisle to aid Harry--and possibly Camille--a smooth arrival without creating any distractions.

There were only five minutes left before the stage crew were to dim the spotlights illuminating the room. Y/N was checking her watch what felt like every second, clicking her phone on and off once in a while worried that something may have happened to Harry. Maybe security wouldn’t let him in. The gnawing feeling at the pit of her stomach suggested that Harry just forgot the event tonight but Y/N would cross the bridge when they got to it. Regardless, her nerves were left unsettled as swallowing proved to be more difficult with the way a sip of her water had her gulping audibly. Connor wasn’t there to lend a soft hand on her upper back to help her breathe.

Speaking of, Connor had taken the initiative to visit Halo backstage. The ballet teacher was growing weary of the way the little dancer ran out from beside the stage to stop in front of her parents, asking, “Where’s Hawwy?”.

Halo had done it three times in hopes of receiving an answer aside from, “He’s not here yet,” Y/N tucked a fallen strand of hair from the otherwise sleek bun from beside her cheeks. Her daughter’s form slouching as her pretty eyes watered slightly, “He’s not coming? You told me he was coming, mama,”

Y/N glanced at Connor nervously, being met with an ‘I-told-you-so’ look which didn’t really help the situation. Luckily, the teacher had approached them with a clipboard on hand, searching for the ballerina. The teacher had suggested that one of them stay with her behind the curtain until the show began. Connor volunteered.

“Better hope he comes or else we’ll have to deal with the consequences. I really don’t want to see her heartbroken before of a promise he couldn’t keep,” Connor muttered, following the woman but not before thumbing circles on Y/N’s flushed cheek.

Y/N knew that he meant well. She also didn’t want to comfort a heartbroken Halo because Harry failed to show up where he promised he would be. And now, with a little less than two minutes before showtime, Connor was sent back beside her. Parents were being ushered to find their seats before the lights dimmed and it would be difficult to maneuver through knees and legs.

“Is he here?” Connor questioned, draping a hand on her shaking knee. Y/N shook her head, casting another glance at the auditorium doors. He waved at Halo who peeked her head between the silk curtains, wandering eyes looking at the empty seat beside Y/N.

“No. Hasn’t texted or answered his phone either,” Y/N was about to dial Harry’s contact once more in a desperate attempt to reach him. However, the dimming lights indicated that it was too late. Connor laced their fingers together, offering apologetic eyes and a tight-lipped smile; they would have to nurse a broken heart later tonight.

_____

Harry was in the middle of buttoning his patterned shirt, staring at his reflection in the mirror to silently judge his fashion choice for the night. Was it too much for a kids’ ballet recital? He deemed that it was, stretching his arms to remove the fabric adorning his chest, moving to grab the pink, flamingo patterned shirt instead. He took his time, granted that he had about an hour before the recital started.

He smoothed the fabric over his broad shoulders, pausing when Camille walked in. Harry locked his green eyes at her through the mirror as she walked to their shared bed, sitting at the foot of it.

“What d’ya think?”

She hummed in response, absentmindedly nodding in agreement when Harry asked if it was good. Both Camille and Harry had talked about his relationship with Halo as soon as she landed at the airport. He didn’t want to keep any secrets from her. Fortunately, Camille was very understanding of his situation, offering him support and encouragement to build a bond with his daughter.

What Camille didn’t reveal was that she was a bit antsy of Harry’s relationship with Y/N. She meant everything she had said to him, but it was no guarantee that Harry would ignite another connection with his ex-girlfriend. Not that Camille didn’t trust him. It was just a bit concerning because she believed that how a relationship starts is how it will end. Harry certainly had a history of straying away from his present partner.

Harry was currently in their walk-in closet, finding a pair of slacks that weren't too formal or casual. Camille mulled the thoughts in her head. She loved Harry dearly and would do anything for him. Well, anything except having children of their own. He had mostly accepted her decision, only wincing a little when the topic of a family was brought up by mutual friends and family once in a while.

Truth to be told, Camille was scared. She was afraid that Harry would leave for Y/N because she had Halo. They were the family that he had always wanted and although Camille wasn’t too keen on giving him the same; she was debating on it.

“How’s this, Cam?” Harry retreated with two pairs of pants. On one hand was a pair of straight-leg skinny jeans that he hadn’t worn in years. The other held brown, corduroy, striped slacks. “Or this one?”

She bit her lip, standing up slowly, walking over to him. “What do I think?”

He nodded, innocently jutting his bottom lip at her as he looked back and forth.

Camille swathed her hands on his shoulders, ghosting her mouth over his ear, “I think I like you better without them,” Her finger traced his collarbone, swirling at the dip of his throat. “Without anything,”

Harry gulped harshly. He felt Camille unbuttoning his shirt, gliding her palms downwards until she was cupping his bulge, “Camille, wait,” He flicked his watch to check the time. It took twenty minutes to get there, maybe even more with traffic and parking.

She dragged him to the bed by the ends of his opened shirt, locking her lips with his plush ones. He rested a knee on the mattress, his hands at the back of her head as Camille continued to pull him down.

Pulling away, Harry panted, “What are you doin’?” He laid his creased forehead on hers.

Camille supported herself on her hands, moving her face back until she was able to get a clear view of his perplexed expression, “I was thinking that maybe we could. . . try having a baby, H,” Her voice was soft, almost timid and she was doing her best not to break eye contact to show her sincerity.

Harry gasped in surprise, “Wha--? Really? Are you serious?” His tone gained a pitch as excitement enthralled his senses. The smile on his face was wide and reached his bright eyes. “Baby, are you sure?”

Camille nodded, grinning softly. “Yes,’

“Oh my--this is. . .,” Harry pulled at the locks of his hair, pacing around the room. “This is great! Our own family. Jesus. I can’t believe it,” Tears sprung on his corneas.

He kneeled between her legs, taking her wrist and pressing a gentle kiss on her skin, murmuring ‘I love you’ repeatedly.

“Are you going to keep doing that?” Camille asked, spreading her legs rhetorically. Harry observed her position, nodding enthusiastically.

Another glance at his watch indicated that Harry was absolutely pushing it with being late to Halo’s recital. Yet one enchanting kiss from Camille wiped his thoughts clean. He was getting what he wanted; a family of his own.

___

Let us know what you thought! The seventh part of the Tarnish series will be uploaded on Patreon on Sept 29!

___

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ha-hatdog · 4 years

Text

double the trouble, triple actually / miya atsumu / smau / chapter one

masterlist / miya atsumu's squad / chapter two

Upon the exiting the compact spaces the cab provided, the first thing that greeted your figures was the cool wind from the north, and not long after, as your feet padded across solid ground, the soft sunrays from the sun hung above the skies caressed your delicate skin. The sun and wind in Japan did not differ from Australia, both countries shared the same sources, but somehow, in some strange and indecipherable way, you felt more at home than the country who served as your paradise from your heartbreak.

Behind you, the chatter between your best friends reached your eardrums as they busied themselves of gathering your luggage from, but their words seemed muffled and beyond the boundary of discernment as you took a proper gander at the luxurious, two story construction erected before you. Slathered in monochrome paint, enveloped in a pristine and doted garden, with the smell of lavender and roses which has blossomed from the rich greenery of the shrubs springing in the air – “Wow,” You breathed out, the disbelief ever present in your inaudible murmur. “Sousuke,” Without executing any kind of motion to execute a decorous confrontation to your raven-haired companions, you carried on with your statement, stammering in the process. “I-Is this really where you live?”

Yamazaki Sousuke heaved one of your baggage from out of the trunk of the vehicle with complete ease as years of his athleticism aided him in his action and fixated his bemused gaze unto you. “I took you here, didn’t I?” His answer came in blank sardonicism but from your years of friendship, you can depict the banter and smile on his baritone voice. “I wouldn’t have offered you my place to stay in if I didn’t live in a nice place.”

Your eyeballs bulged from their sockets, your jaw slackened to reveal a clear display of astonishment on your visage, as your mind attempted, and failed miserably so, to wrap itself around the verity that soon you’ll be taking residency in this abode under the care and generosity of one of your best friends.

“What? Is the apartment not up to your standards, [ Your Name ]?” This particular jest came from another close associate of yours. Donned with a blue cap with his maroon locks peeking from smaller unoccupied spaces, a white shirt, a flannel, loose trousers, and a merry simper saliently illustrating his tapered set of teeth, Rin Matsuoka slung his own bag over his shoulder as he positioned his vacant hand over his hip, his scarlet hues assessing you with the same playful manner Sousuke supplied you with in his interaction. “Did my apartment in Australia broaden your taste?”

Your lips parted to retaliate to his comment, your words just by the tip of your tongue when you felt a tug on your clothing just by your bust. “Mama,” A pair of sweet voices called for your attention in perfect unison, the sleepiness and enthusiasm segregating which voice belonged to who. Lowering your line of sight to your arms, you were met by your bundles of joy whose brownish eyes grew wide, one pair glossy with permanent timidity and the other just brimming with curiosity. Their hands bunched the fabric of your clothing in their small and chubby hands, as though begging you to keep your focus solely on them – and how can you not when they looked so adorable?

"Mama," Whimpered the more reserved twin, lips quivering as he registered the unfamoliar enviroment circling his tiny frame. Regardless of already being as close to you as possible, he nestled himself even further to your chest, cheek pressing on your bust. "Where are we?"

A more enthusiastic voice interrupted you, a squeal of excitement laced on it. “Mama, Mama, Mama," Chanted the other in demand of your attention, to which you offered to him. "Are we back in Japan, Mama? Is this Japan, Mama?” [ Last Name ] Hiro, the older twin and son with a knack for making you exhausted as you tried your best to satisfy his needs ranging from running around in wherever location you found you and your sns were at, to jumping on the bed he shared with his younger brother demanding for more play time or a bed time story, questioned as he tugged at you twice. Two honey pairs of eyes regarded you with their own set of curiosity, and you nodded kindly at them, beaming.

"That's right, Hiro. You and Mama are finally back in Japan." Your voice rose to match their excitement. "Aren't my babies happy?"

( Last Name ) Taichi casted his eyes down, cheeks puffing. "But I wanted to see airplane one last time . . . " Taichi was the younger twin and son, and practically the opposite of Hiro. Reserved, easily scared, has trouble communicating with strangers, and in all honesty, the easier twin to handle but that doesn't mean he didn't give you a hard time (you cannot count the times he interrupted your personal business and your time for yourself because he thought there was a scary monster following him. It was Hiro with a blanket over his heas thinking they were playing). Though he may be an opposite of his brother, that didn't stop them from being tightly knit with one another. Somehow, they balance each other out.

Kind of like . . . You caught your thoughts before you could finish it.

Hiro, upon sensing the turmoil coming from his little brother, smiled widely at him and extended his small arm to pat Taichi on the head. Taichi stopped his sniffling and looked up at his brother. "That's okay, Taichi. We'll go back to Aus-tri-lay again and then you'll get to see the airplane again. Right, Mama?"

You stopped yourself from frowning. You have never told them the real reason why you left Japan in the first place. In their mind, it was a vacation, a vacation that lasted for eight months. I can't tell them we went to Australia because I wanted to move on from their father.

"You two want to go back to Australia?" You pretended to whine. "Sou-kun will be really sad to hear that. He was looking forward to seeing his favorite boys."

Immediately, the lethargy from your flight dissipated from their eyes, the name of the mentioned latter bubbled uncontainable excitement in them. “Sou-kun is here? Sou-kun is in Japan!” Hiro asked once more, voice pitched with the same sentiment controlling him. “I want to see Sou-kun, Mama! I want to see Sou-kun! Where is Uncle Sou?”

Taichi chimed in. “I-I want to see Sou-kun too.” He uttered, face scrunching and his small hands turned to smaller balls of fist. “I missed Sou-kun . . . ”

You stopped yourself from laughing at their obliviousness. You lifted your arms further up and nuzzled theit cheeks, both if them cooing at your affection. “He’s over there, silly. He picked us up from the airport but you two were being sleepyheads so you didn't know.” You rotated your body to face the opposite direction, giving your twins a clear sight of Sousuke and Rin bidding their polite farewell with the cab driver as he pulled away from the apartment complex. They let out a thrilled “ahh” as they spotted Sousuke, and disregarding your precarious hold on them, Hiro and Taichi began squirming in your arms, persistent to get closer to Sousuke. “H-Hey, Hiro, Taichi, please, don’t move too much!” You scolded them as you single handedly adjusted your position to keep them from slipping out of your arms. "Stop - moving - please - "

But as they always did, they did not heed your command and it only seemed to encourage them to continue their actions. “Sou-kun! Sou-kun!” They did their best effort to reach out for Sousuke, stumpy arms reaching to his direction, as they cried out his name.

Finally, at long last, at least in the opinions of your sons, Sousuke turned to face you and sent your sons a gentle smile. “Ah, almost didn't see you adorable rascals over there! How are my favorite nephews doing?” He walked over to you and just as easily as he brought your belongings out of the cab, he swooped the twins from your arms and into his. They did not waste time latching on to him, mimicking koalas, albeit a tad more affectionate and clingier. The burst into fits of laughter as Sousuke pretended to chomp on their cheeks, making sure not to hurt them in his process of returning their fondness. He pulled away, grinning as Hiro and Taichi looked up at him with admiration, honey colored eyee glittering. “I missed you two so much! So, so much! Did you miss Uncle Sou too?”

Hiro was the first to answer. “Yes, very much!" He threw one of his arm up in the air. "Me, Taichi, and Mama missed you very much!”

Taichi nodded in agreement to his brother. You feigned an action of vomit, however.

Sousuke rolled his eyes at you and then chuckled at Hiro's answer. “That’s good. That’s good. Were you two good boys to your Mama?”

“Hiro and I are always good boys!” Protested Taichi, cheeks puffing. "Always!"

Hiro bellowed, “We always help Mama with chores! We make lunch for Rin-kun and take it to him in his swimming training!”

You cannot help permitting your smile to broaden as you watched Sousuke interact with your sons. Your heart swelled at the sight, but it was soon dampened as a dark thought, which had always been lurking in the back of your mind, manifested and was quick to envelop your thought –

You cannot help but feel your heart swell at the sight of Sousuke interacting with your sons. Your smile was broadening, and the happiness surging as the laughter and idle chatters exchange from the three of them reached your ears.

Sousuke have always been their favorite uncle - and may Iwaizumi and Oikawa never learn that or your head is for them to throw out im the empty sea - and even though you told them early on that he was not their father, you knew that didn't stop them from seeing him as one. You couldn't blame them either. Sousuke has proven himself as a great father figure. He was the first person you told about your pregnancy with Hiro and Taichi. You called him in the middle of his own swimming practice, crying, and before you knew it, he ditched his training and travelled many hours to become you comfort and support. He was with you throughout your whole pregnancy - through the morning sickness, through the late night cravings, through the obnoxious and abrupt change of mood, through the days you cried from hardships, through the disagreements and fights with your family, through the times you missed your ex lover, through the times when money was strapped - and even after you gave birth to Hiro and Taichi, Yamazaki Sousuke was an ever present friend, and now an ever present father figure to your sons. He fulfilled the duties that your previous partner should be doing - welcoming them to the world with tears of joy, keeping them safe from harm, teaching them to grow up as good boys, scolding them when they do something wrong, treating them, being there for them, helping them play a prank on you, treating them sweets, holding them when they cried, holding them just because he loved them - Sousuke did everything that Miya Atsumu should be doing -

Miya Atsumu, oh, even his name alone vexed you.

Tension knotted your shoulders and your eyebrows met in the middle, creasing your forehead in the process. Your mood has soured completely at the thought of the man who left you - left you not because he did not love you anymore, but because of his dream. That was more selfish than falling out of love for you.

You felt a palm softly hit your back, completely withdrawing you from the unwanted immersion of your hushed past and mistakes. You looked sideways and found Rin frowning at you; head cocked to one side. “I know that look all to well. We spent more than enough time to know what’s going inside that head of yours.” He chastised, and you lowered your head in shame. He stared at you for a while before sighing and then knocking his knuckles against your forehead. You looked up at him, bemused. “Look here, ( Your Name ), we didn’t spend eight months in Australia just for you to fall back to square one. You need to be careful with what and who you think. You don't know what could trigger you back to the person you used to be when you were still very hung up on that guy.”

You did not answer him, not trusting your voice to speak for you. You knew Rin was right, and that you did not leave your home country in hopes of moving on from Miya Atsumu. And you thought you had, that you have successfully severed any connections and memories from him (deleted your social medias, dropped any people you two were mutual with, did not disclose your location and current living conditions to your parents and relatives, and making new social medias with care that he wouldn’t find them in case he decided to search for you), his existence merely a dot in an unfrequented portion of your mind. But after returning to Japan, with your chest puffed out and an adventurous grin decorating your brims asking the world to give you its best shot, you realized something – it wasn’t easy forgetting someone just because you left the very place that lingered with his name, because no matter how much you try to run from him, he gave you two precious gifts to remember him by.

"Hiro . . . Taichi . . . " You murmured to yourself as you gazee at your twins. God, even they look so much alike him. Their eyes, their smiles, their laughter, the way they pleaded with you when they wanted a kiss or hug, the way they always look for you whenever they did something they were proud of. How in the world could you move on from Miya Atsumu when it felt like falling in love with him all over again whenever you see your sons?

“Can you maybe stop thinking about him? I just told you to stop thinking about that volleyball - ” Rin gagged as the profession of your ex boyfriend left his lips, tongue poking out, and you rolled your eyes at his playful display. “ – player. Stop being so stubborn.”

“I wasn’t thinking about him.” You defended but your protest was nothing to be given trust on, and Rin knew this. Although he wasn't as constant as Sousuke on your pregnancy due to his busy schedule as an Olympian (and not to mention he was in Australia most of the time), he was still your best friend and never missed a day to face time you and check up on you. When you were pregnant and he was in Australia, he insisted being there for your check ups via facetime. But you didn't allow it because it felt weird. Whenever he was back in Japan, he would go straight to you and tend to you like Sousuke did. He cried the hardest when Hiro and Taichi were born and also gave you ideas for their names. He was just as great as a friend as Sousuke, but was probably their last favorite uncle. Sousuke being first, Iwaizumi being second, Sugawara third and him fourth but perhaps the titles has changed after Hiro and Taichi hung out with him in Australia. He was basically their father figure in Australia and he sure acted like one.

Rin raised his eyebrow at you, not convinced. “Sure, you weren’t.”

You lifted your nose, scoffing. “Fine, fine, you got me, I was thinking about him." Rin opened his mouth to scold you but you cut him off. "But only because he looks so much like my sons.”

“He’s their father, [ Your Name ]. That’s how it works.” Rin playfully pointed out, smirking. “Just stop thinking about him. It's because you're entertaining the thought of him that he keeps coming back to you mind.”

You let out an astounded gasp, hands coming to cover your agape mouth. “Stop thinking avout him -oh wow, Rin, I didn’t think of that! God, it was that easy? It was that easy?” Your sarcasm dribbled from your statement, and this time it was Rin who rolled his eyes. “If only you told me that earlier, if only I thought of that earlier, I wouldn’t have wasted so much money going to Australia with you! So, thank you again, Matsuoka Rin, for your wisdom. May you grace me with it once again in the future.”

“Oh, haha, that's very funny. But nice try, ( Your Name ). You're not distracting me from this talk.” Inputs Rin, successfully diverting the subject back to its original track. You scowled. “After everything I've done for you. After all the efforts I put to make you forget about the dude – ” He ignored you as you tried to defend yourself. “ – He's nothing but a selfish prick, ( Your Name ). He abandoned you for his dreams. How can you still be hung up on him? I told you volleyball players were good for nothing but you never listen to me.”

You look at him, incredelous. You only hate volleyball players after what happened to me because of Atsumu. You held back a chuckle. Rin, you little goofball.

You crossed your arms just as Rin did, and you continued sneering teasingly at him. “Rin, if my memory serves me right . . .” You began, voice high with vague intention.

Seemingly picking up the mischief in your tone, Rin glared at you, as if daring you to continue your remark. “[ Your Name ], don’t you dare – ”

“Weren’t you rooting for him to be my boyfriend before?” You continued, smirk growing even wider as Rin spluttered at your words.

Rin mirrored the color of his hair at the recollection and he stomped his feet at you, causing you to burst out laughing. "O-Only because I didn't know about his true colors before. Sure, he was charming and cool when I met him b-but - " Rin cleared his throat, eyes closing. " - he abandoned you, so I don't like him anymore, and I'll never root for him again. Not even for his team! He can break an ankle in his game or something. I still haven't forgiven him for what he did to you." You can feel the spite for Atsumu coming off from Rin as he carried on. "He has to get through me and Sousuke first before he can even lay eyes on you!"

"How sweet. My very own censorship from Miya." You shook your head in appreciation and patted his back. “I don’t doubt that, Rin. And I’m sorry if it’s taking more time to forget about that volleyball player bastard as you often call him. But do you really think I can easily forget the father of my children?”

Rin looked down on the pavement beneath his feet, eyes opening. “No,” He pouted, and you nodded to affirm his reply. Then, he turned to you, pouting. “But promise me he’s no longer part of your life.”

“He never will be again.” You promised. “Now stop being a dramatic baby. I’m an adult you know, and a mother. I think I can handle another month or two of being slightly heartbroken.”

“Yes, yes, strong and independent woman who cries when Hiro and Taichi don’t sleep in their bedtime.” He jabbed at you.

“Of course, you have the right to say that. Strong and independent Olympian who cries at sappy love stories.” Came your scoffing rebuttal, and instead of growing embarrassed, Rin laughed. You softened as you watched Rin laugh. He’s trying really hard to help me move on. You gulped, finger twitching. I won't let them down. I'll forget about Miya soon.

“Mama, Mama! Lookie, lookie!” You turned to look back at Sousuke and your sons as soon as you heard Hiro calling for you. Amusement graced you mien as you watched Sousuke spin around with his hands holding on tightly to Hiro and Taichi who were draped over his shoulders. Your sons bore a sunny smile and were laughing joyously at Sousuke's antics. “We’re in a Ferris Wheel, Mama! Wee!”

“Wee!” Echoed Taichi, and regardless of his reserved demeanor, he looked just as happy as his brother.

You fluttered your fingers at them. “I can see that!” You bellowed with a titter. “I'm glad you two are having fun but Sou-kun is not a Ferris Wheel, you know? He'll get very dizzy soon, and so will you.”

Despite of the spinning figure Sousuke was, you can still catch Hiro shaking his head in disagreement to your declaration. “No, no! I’m a strong boy, I don’t get dizzy, Mama!”

“Not dizzy, Mama!” Taichi echoed once more. “I’m strong too! Me and Hiro strong!”

“I know you two are strong. You’re my strong little boys, after all." You cooed. "But if he doesn't stop then you won't be able to see Sou-kun's new place! He even prepared a really big bedroom for us with a really big and bouncy bed. You can play there all you want.”

Sousuke slowly stopped his twirling, panting and sweating but still smiling. Hiro and Taichi, realizing that Sousuke has stopped, whined in protest, demanding for him to continue spinning them. He shook his head, chortling. “Sorry boys, but we need to listen to your mother.” He slipped them off his shoulders and back to his arms. “Besides, don't you want to see Mochi already? I reckon you miss him, and he misses you too.”

Just like that, the disappointment in their eyes vanished and they stared at Sousuke, starstruck. They looked like they just heard the greatest news that was ever said in the world, and as kids who were ommensely obsessed with their furry friend, it might possibly be considered one. "Mochi!" Yelled Taichi, the familiar name resonating with him. "I miss Uncle Sou and Mochi!" He took hold of Sousuke's shirt, tugging at it. "Where is Mochi, Sou-kun? Is he with you?"

"He's at my apartment, where you'll be staying for a while." Answered Sousuke. "Ready to go there now? I bet Mochi is waiting for you by the door right now."

Sousuke did not receive a verbal answer, but he did take how Hiro and Taichi tore themselves away from him, miraculously landing on the ground safely, and taking off to the direction of the apartment complex with short and quick footsteps, hands interlinked, as an appropriate answer to what they want. Rin jogged over to them and opened his arms, beaming with his eyes closed. “Do you want Uncle Rin to carry you to Sou-kun's place? I know where it is!” Offered Rin merrily, awaiting their acceptance to his proposal. However, he was left hanging abd disappointed as Hiro and Taichi passed him in a hurry to get to the entrance of the complex, shaking their heads.

"No!" Hiro rejected, shaking his head. "Uncle Rin always smell like chlorine! I don't like!"

“Stinky Rin-kun.” Taichi added as he stuck his tongue out. “Rin-kun always smell like swimming poo!”

You and Sousuke shared a laugh as you watched Rin freeze, his smile and arms still in their position. His luggage fell from his grasp and on to the ground as he carried on with his frozen stance. Sousuke took your luggage and gave you one to carry. You took it from him the two of you walked and passed Rin without batting an eye to his still frame.

“At least we know who’s the favorite uncle.” Chuckled out Sousuke as he looked over his shoulder to appraise Rin, grinning.

“We all know the favorite uncle is Iwaizumi.” You pointed out. “I bet he can spin faster than you do, Sou.”

Sousuke nudged your side, a light sting of pain running down the portion of your body which has collided with his elbow. You let out a yelp and rubbed your sore rib, glowering at the tall and lean swimmer beside you. “You’d really choose a volleyball player over a swimmer to be Hiro and Taichi’s favorite uncle?”

“I’m not choosing anything or anyone. I’m only telling the truth.” You shrugged. “Could be Suga too.”

Sousuke curled his lips in a playful manner, feigning discontentment. “Then it seems I have some tough competitions.”

You, Rin, and Sousuke easily caught up with your sons as their smaller frames were no match for your larger strides. Sousuke and Rin walked beside one another and walked with confidence as they have the knowledge of the layout of the apartment complex and knew the exact room which Sousuke occupier, and you walked behind Hiro and Taichi who were still holding hands and happily skipping behind the swimmer.

You watched as the two pairs interact with their counterpart, energetically sharing stories and laughter with one another. Rin and Sousuke were talking about the nearing olympics in a few months time, how the training was going in Australia, and when can Sousuke safely venture back to competitive swimming with the same harsh regime as Rin without fracturing his fragile shoulder. Hiro and Taichi, on the other hand, were singing foreign childrens' songs they heard in Australia, and although most of their sung lyrics were incorrect and far from fluent, they made up for it by adding their own twists and words into the song and creating a perfectly new song for themselves. Their hands never once relented as they walked on.

You cannot help but smile as you gazed at their interlocked hands. It was nice seeing your favorite boys getting along well. But that thought drew in a darker thought, one that you have constantly dismissed, but this time, you couldn't anymore.

You glanced beside you, and alas, you had no one. No one to hold hands with like your sons, and no one to freely chat with like your best friends. You looked down, saddened. The loneliness crept back to you, the loneliness you always fought hard not to fall into whenever you found yourself alone and with no person to accompany you. It reminded you that everyone had someone -Hiro had Taichi, Taichi had Hiro, Rin had Sousuke, and Sousuke had Rin. Who do you have?

I thought I had Atsumu.

"Mama?" Your stupor has come to a stop, and the loneliness has disappeared as familiar voices rang in your ears. Your sight cleared and you spotted Hiro and Taichi by your feet and were staring up at you, worry written all over their cute faces.

Composing yourself, you cocked your head to one side, perplexed. "Yes? What is it?"You asked and bent down to their level. They continued staring at you, their lips pursed as they leaned forward to your frame. "Does my babies need anything, hm?"

Hiro and Taichi, then, exchanged looks before nodding with one another. You stared at them, confusiom increasing. Despite being their mother, you never understood how Hiro and Taichi can communicate with one another without speaking. It was quite impressive.

Hiro and Taichi released their hands from one another and hurried over to your side. They reached down to take your hands in their soft snd gentle grip, Hiro holding one hand and Taichi holding the other. You stood up rose from your previous position, switching your curious gazes from Hiro to Taichi. In front of you, Sousuke and Rin has stopped and shifted their bodies to oversee the scene unfolding behind them.

"Mama, don't be sad. We don't like it when you're sad." Whimpered Taichi, and Hiro nodded in agreement. "We'll hold your hand too, so you can be happy like us!"

"Smile too, Mama! We love Mama's happy smile!" Yelled Hiro, leaping once. "See? Smile like this Mama. It's so easy!" Hiro showed you his biggest smile.

You stared at your twins, heart melting as their innocent smiles displayed on their chubby faces. You closed your eyes, shooting your bundles of joy a comforting smile.

Right. You thought. I'm not quite alone, if I think about it. Not with Hiro and Taichi.

You smiled back at them. "Yeah, sorry about that. Mama was just thinking about something." And then you all carried on with your journey to Sousuke’s place, slowing down your pace to keep up with the skips of your sons as they held on to your hands tightly.

It didn’t take long until you arrived in Sousuke’s front door, his place located at the second floor. You were barely settling your stance by the door when you heard tiny footsteps padding from inside, followed by incessant pawing on the other side of the door and series of whines. You felt excitement bubble inside your chest as you heard the familiar noises of your dog. The last time you have seen your cute little Shiba Inu was when you left him in Sousuke’s care, and in hindsight, it was a pretty terrible decision to make as you knew Sosusuke and Mochi were not in good terms, and for absolutely no reason. When you handed Mochi to Sousuke hours before you left to get to the airport, you can see the disdain on both their faces and Mochi was growling at him as you left his house.

Mochi disliked Sousuke the moment they first met each other and Mochi had been keen on making Sousuke’s life a living hell ; whether it be destroying his bed, peeing on his pants, pooping on his shoes, stealing his food from the table, putting his medals in trashcans, just about everything a bad dog could do and perhaps worse and you wondered how Sousuke survived a whole eight months with the devil dog as he often called Mochi.

It was strange how Mochi hated Sousuke when he got along well with Rin.

Hiro gasped and pointed at the door, turning his head to face Taichi. “Taichi, it’s Mochi!” Shouted Hiro. Immediately, Hiro tore away from you and Taichi went after him. Sousuke and Rin got out of their way, allowing them to be the first to enter the apartment. Sousuke twisted the doorknob after unlocking it and pushed open the door, and before a larger space could be provided to accommodate the small body of your pet, a faint color of brown and white dashed out from the apartment and tackled your sons to the ground.

“Taichi, Hiro!” You shouted, rushing over to them to console them at their ungraceful plummet but you stopped dead on your tracks when you heard Hiro and Taichi laughing as Mochi stood over them with his little paws pressing on their tummies, tongue hanging out and a visible happy smile stretching his panting mouth. “Mochi!” They both called and Mochi let out a small bark of recognition before proceeding to run his tongue over their chubby cheeks, showing his excitement over their return and love for them.

Rin grinned as he watched Mochi lick Hiro and Taichi, and he bent his knees and smacked his hands against his thighs a couple of times. "Come here, Mochi. Come here." Mochi turned his head to look at Rin, and slowly and carefully trotting away from Taichi and Hiro to approach Rin. Mochi's tongue was poking out on one side and he was panting as he looked up at Rin. “Hey there, good boy.” Cooed Rin as he stroked Mochi’s head, and the dog let out a whine bark at his actions. “Have you been a good boy to Sousuke? Hmm? I bet you were, I bet you were such a good boy.”

Sousuke scoffed and turned his nose in disgust as Mochi wagged his tiny ball of tail at Rin. “This dog could get lost and I won't bat an eye.”

Hiro and Taichi sat up, tilting their head at what Sousuke has said. They turned to you, “Mama,” Called Hiro. “What does Sou-kun mean?”

You shook your head and approached them. “Nothing, baby. He’s just being mean to Mochi again.” You answered as you heloed them up to their feet. "There we go."

Sousuke rolled his eyes – “Yeah, as if the dog didn't force me to buy new furniture every week because he won't stop chewing on them!”

Mochi didn't look at Sousuke even when his voice rose. He just let Rin pet and stroke his head.

Hiro stomped his foot on the ground and Taichi clutched your shirt. “Sou-kun, don’t be mean to Mochi!” Scolded Hiro as he pointed a finger at him. "You can't be mean to dogs, okay?"

"But Mochi has been very mean to Uncle Sou." Sousuke put on a mask of face sadness. "He even but me here on my ankle. See?" Sousuke showed Hiro the tiny marks of teeth Mochi left when he tried to bite him.

Mochi barked at Sousuke, surprising all three adults. Why did it sound like Mochi understood what Sousuke said?

Hiro narrowed his eyes at Mochi and crossed his arms. "Mochi," He chirped and Mochi turned to him, ears flopping at his tone. "Bad Mochi. Mochi shouldn't be mean to Uncle Sou too!"

Mochi whimpered with mild shame, and Sousuke smirked. “Yeah, that's right, Mochi,” Began Sousuke, pride encapturing him. “You should be nice to Uncle So - ” His arm extended to pet Mochi but before his palm can touch his fur, the Shiba Inu turned around, head snapping opposite of the direction of Sousuke as though he was a snobbish and spoiled dog repulsed by hid filthy hand and then ran up to you, standing up and putting his paws on your legs.

You giggled and scooped up Mochi. He leaned forward to press his nose on your own, and began licking your face. "You missed me, Mochi? I missed you too." You cooed, snuggling Mochi. "I wish we could have brought you to Australia but it'll be a hassle."

“Mama,” You heard Taichi whimper and you look down to see him staring up at you with teary eyes. He tugged at your shirt. “Mama, I want to play with Mochi.”

You put Mochi back down on the ground and the dog ran back to your sons, circling them before rushing back to the apartment. Hiro and Taichi chased after Mochi, laughing.

Sousuke let out a sigh, and Rin smirked as he entered the apartment. “At least we know who the favorite dog uncle is.” Bantered Rin.

Sousuke tried to give Rin a soft kick on his lower back, but the supposed victim of his managed to flee from his assault, causing Sousuke to click his tongue. You and Sousuke went inside the apartment and stowed your belongings away in the room he reserved for you. It was spacious and can accomodate you and your two sons. One king sized bed with two windows overlooking the beautiful outdoors. After stowing your baggage away, you exited the room to find Hiro and Taichi playing with Mochi by the couch, and Rin seated on one of the chairs in the dining room, cap off and body easing.

“Thanks again for letting me stay here, Sousuke.” You stated as you and the said male joined Rin in the dining room. You pulled out a chair and sat in front of Rin, and Sousukr occupied the chair beside you. "Really, thanks. I just . . . " You paused to gather your thoughts. " . . . I don't think I'm ready to face my parents just yet."

“You can stay here as long as you want, just don’t leave that devil dog with me ever again.” Sousuke glanced at Mochi and your sons. "I don't think I would survive another day alone with that thing."

"I'm surprised you survived." Commented Rin. "When we landed on Australia, I was expecting a call from you maybe complaining about Mochi or reporting that he ran away from you or something. Surprisingly, none."

"Trust me. I was this close to calling. But I knew how important the trip to Australia was for ( Your Name ) so I didn't." Sousuke answered. "I can tell you everything that happened to me and Mochi, but that would take too long so I won't bother. It'll bore you anyway."

“Thanks for that too, Sou.” You giggled nervously. “I guess Mochi is a little handful for you. I’m sorry.”

Sousuke heaved a sigh. "Don't say sorry. It's over now." He spoke. "Anyway, enough about me and Mochi. How was Australia? And how is, uh . . . " He cleared his throat. " . . . moving on going?"

“It was fun in Australia, yeah.” You answered joyously, ignoring Sousuke's last comment. “Sure, it was scary to be out of the country for the first time, but Rin helped me adjust and brought me, Hiro and Taichi to tourist destinations. He even bought me a bunch of souvenirs!”

Sousuke nodded, a soft smile plastering to his brims. "I'm glad you liked it there." Remarked he. "I heard from Rin you and the twins always visit him in his practice."

“Yeah, yeah. [ Your Name ] would always drop by to give me lunch. And sometimes she'll even help with training.” Rin inserted. “To be honest, I prefer her training regime than Mikhail’s. Just-Just don't tell that to Mikhail.”

“I kinda understand why you'd think that. Although Mikhail was a great swimmer back then, [ Your Name ] has practically been our coach when we were still in Sano. It's only natural she knows what training is more effective on you.” Sousuke leaned against his chair. "And what's Mikhail take on her helping you?"

Rin let out a nervous chuckle and you produced a genuine laugh. “Actually,” You started, still laughing. “Mikhail wasn’t very fond of the idea, but . . . ”

Rin shook his head, red hair moving with his actions. “They bonded over my muscles and that gained her approval from Mikhail.”

"Now, don't sound so disappointed, Rin." You badgered. "I think it's great someone else appreciates how well proportioned you are. Plus, it got me Mikhail's permission to continue helping with your training."

Sousuke threw his head back, laughing. “Of course, it would be something as stupid as that. I still don't understand what's up with Rin's body that got you so worked up buy at least it all worked out for you.” He voiced. “How about Hiro and Taichi? Did they have fun too?”

"Oh, they had fun. More than they should have. They were all over the place - my God - even in the airplane." You informed. "They keep trying to run from me because everything was so interesting to them. I love my sons, really, I do. But when I was in Australia, I contemplated buying both of them leashes just so I won't lose sight of them."

“All over the place? That’s an understatement.” Huffed Rin. "Those two nearly gave me a heart attack when they jumped in the pool."

Sousuke blinked, as though trying to register what Rin had just said. "Wait - What?" His back straightened and his brows furrowed. "Jumped in the pool - Hiro and Taichi - what?"

"Exactly as you heard." Confirmed Rin. "They always catch me out of the pool when they stop by to give me my lunch. But there was one time when Mikhail made me try a new drill so it was taking me a little longer to finish my practice. Hiro thought he'd be a good little boy and try to call for me, so he went ahead and jumped in the pool. My only guess is that he thought the pool was shallow."

Sousuke looked over at you, and you ducked your head in shame. Rin noticed the accusatory glare sent your way by Sousuke and he shook his head.

“Don't blame ( Your Name ). Hiro actually tore himself away from her when she was tying Taichi's shoes and came looking for me.” Said Rin. “Taichi followed afterwards because everything Hiro does - ”

Sousuke sighed. " - Taichi does."

"Thank God one of my teammates saw them and saved them." Rin breathed. "And you can't get mad at Hiro and Taichi because even though they nearly got themselves killed, they had pure intentions."

Sousuke looked over at you. “Perhaps it is time to buy them a leash.”

Rin snorted. “Especially Hiro.”

“Huh?” Hiro and Taichi poked their heads out from behind the sofa, Mochi joining in after a few seconds. “Did you call me, Rin-kun?”

“I heard leash!” Yelled Taichi. “Are we going to buy a new leash for Mochi?” Mochi let out a woof as he heard his name being mentioned.

You shook your head, smiling. “No, no, we're talking about something else. Just go back to playing with Mochi.”

Hiro and Taichi both nodded and was about to return to playing with your favorite Shiba Inu when Hiro noticed the click. He let out an excited gasp and poked his head behind the couch again, grinning. "Mama, Mama! Sou-kun, Rin-kun!" Hiro yelled as he flailed his arms to get your attention. "TV, I want TV!"

“TV?” Asked Sousuke, head craning to look pass you and to your older son. "Oh, do you want to watch something?"

Hiro nodded enthusiastically and pointed at the large flat screen television in front of the couch. "It's three PM! There will be replay of Tsumu's team!" Shouted Hiro, and you closed your eyes tightly, trying hard to control yourself. "Can you open the TV for me and Taichi, Uncle Sou? Pleaseeee?"

Rin casted a worried glance your way as Sousuke stood up to turn on the television. Hiro and Taichi practically buzzer with excitement as they patiently waited for the television to come to life and they cheered once it did.

After changing the channel to the correct channel, you saw from where you sat in the apartment a longshot of the volleyball court displaying in the screen. It was filled to the brim with volleyball enthusiasts and fans of either teams. You can hear the cheers coming from opposite sides and the commentators were discussing their speculations on the upcoming game. Hiro and Taichi hopped off the sofa, wobbled over to the front of the television, sat down and gazed up at it, eyes shining and excited. Mochi left the couch as well and settled himself beside Taichi.

“[ Your Name ],” Said Rin after Sousuke has returned. You can hear the hesitance amd softness in his voice. “Are you okay?”

"At least I don't have to bring up the whole moving on trip all over again." Murmured Sousuke.

The truth to be told, even you didn't know. Anyone bringing up Miya Atsumu was fine with you, but hearing your sons mention him in the kind of way that was filled with adoration - you can't help wonder about the what ifs.

You let out a deep sigh and nodded. "I'm fine, I'm fine." Your answer came out dismissive, causing Rin and Sousuke to exchange looks. "I can't really stop my sons from admiring him, that would be childish and stupid. I mean . . . " Your forefinger dragged along the surface of the desk, and you watched the skid mark you left behind slowly vanish. " . . . Atsumu is a great athlete, and so are his teammates. I can't deny that."

You can hear the cheers grow louder in the television as the players of both teams are being introduced to the spectators.

"Playing against them is the Black Jackals Volleyball team! Introducing, their setter - Miya Atsumu - "

Hiro and Taichi threw their hands up in the air, reaching out for the screen. "Tsumu!" They both shouted, and despite yourself, you turned to look at the screen. You froze as you watched a familiar face emerge in the camera, a carefree smile plastered on his face as he waved at everyone present in the court before proceeding to give high fives to his team.

"High five!" Yelled Hiro as he stood up from the ground to press his tiny hand on the screen. On cue, the camera followed Atsumu as he ran pass the camera, waving at it before making his way to the court, giving his other teammates the opportunity to be introduced.

Hiro looked at his hand which he had pressed against the screen and turned to you. "Mama, Tsumu gave me a high five, Mama!"

You smiled at Hiro as a reply while Taichi sniffled, tears brimming his eyes. "I want a high five from Tsumu too."

Hiro looker at his hand again, thenat Taichi, then at his hand before pressing his palm against Taichi's. Hiro grinned. "There, now you have a high five from Tsumu too!"

You looked at Sousuke and Rin, pausing for a brief moment to gather your thoughts. “See that? I’m not going to keep my sons from admiring him just because I have history . . . bad history with him. Besides . . . ” You swallowed as you looked at Hiro and Taichi eagerly waiting for the introduction of the teams to finish. “This is the closest they can get to Atsumu.”

Sousuke and Rin did not speak and looked at Hiro and Taichi as well. After a moment or so, Sousuke broke the silene. “If it makes you feel better, it’s Rin’s fault for introducing the twins to volleyball.” Said Sousuke, pointing at Rin with his thumb.

Rin leaned back, appalled by the bold accusation. “How is that my fault?”

“You left the TV in the sports channel after you watched your interview and they saw Miya Atsumu –”

Rin shot Sousuke a glare. "Oh, so we're talking about past mistakes now." The maroon haired man adjuster his sitting position. "How about you, Sousuke. Let's talk about the time you bought Hiro and Taichi hair dyes - "

Sousuke turned away, flushing red. "I said I was sorry."

"Now, ( Your Name ) has to think about that stupid blond volleyball player every time she looks at her now blond sons." Fought Rin.

“Not every time, just sometimes.” You protested.

"I get it, I get it, I messed up." Relented Sousuke. "But you'd do the same thing if Hiro and Taichi begged you. Still, I'm sorry."

You smothered your laughter to your throat. You can just imagine how difficult it was for Sousuke to try and deny Hiro and Taichi from getting hair dye. They know how much power they have over Sou. You thought, amused. Probably used their puppy eyes or something.

“You should be sorry.” Affirmed you, wiggling your finger at Sousuke. “Rin had to talk me out of punching you.”

Rin curved a smug smile to his mien. “I was tempted to let [ Your Name ] do so just for fun.”

“Uwaa,” You heard Hiro and Taichi coo in sync as you heard the cheers from the television diminish. You shot a glimpse at the television to see the entire stadium has gone quiet as Atsumu prepared to serve. His eyes shone with determinstion, and the twins eyes glimmered as they awaited his serve. A service ace, they hoped.

“You don’t have to worry about me guys.” You told Rin and Sousuke, features soft as you turned back to them just as Atsumu began moving. The cheer erupted again, and your twins joined their noisen “Australia has been a nice change of pace, and Rin has helped me a lot. I haven't moved on, to be honest. Not completely, but I'm there, somewhere. I just need . . . " You inhaled. " . . . to learn how to live before Atsumu entered my life.”

Sousuke folded his arms, nodding. Rin reached from across the table to ruffle your hair, his pointy teeth flaahing at you. "We know you'll get there. Just take your time, ( Your Name )." Encouraged Rin.

You smiled back at him, thankful for his words and action. “I’m fine, really.” You pressed on. “Plus, I’m going to be even better tomorrow."

"Why? What's with tomorrow?" Questioned Sousuke.

"After a good night's rest, I'll be meetint up with Suga and Iwa." You responded cheerfully.

“I didn’t know about this.” Sousuke narrowed his eyes. “You just returned to Japan and you’re already making plans.”

"I don't know how you can move on from Miya when you're literally friends with two ex volleyball players." Complained Rin.

"Oikawa will be there too." You added.

Rin raised an eyebrow at you. "Is that better?"

"They're my friends, Rin. I won't dump them just because they used to play volleyball." You defended, exasperated. "And speaking of," You twisted your body to face Sousuke and before he can speak, you reached out and took his calloused hand in yours. "Sou, I have a favor to ask you."

Sousuke didn’t let you continue and tugged his hand away from your grip. “No,”

You pouted, hand withdrawing from him. “You didn’t even let me finish.”

“Were you going to ask me to look over Hiro and Taichi while you’re out?” Affirmed Sousuke.

You tittered nervously. You pressed the tips of your forefingere against each other, whispering, “Maybe?”

“Then no.” Finalizer Sousuke.

You slouched against your chair, whining. “Oh come on,” You prolonged the verbalization of the last word with a voice of complain.

“Why don’t you just bring them with you?” Offered Rin.

“I want to but I feel like I just want to talk to Suga and Iwa without having to worry about them eavesdropping. They don’t have to hear my problems.” You explained. "Please, Sou,"

“I can always babysit them.” Rin perked up at his own suggestion.

You shook your head. “No way, Rin. I know you planned on meeting with Haru-kun and Makoto-kun tomorrow. You’ll either cancel on them or cancel on me.”

“I can always invite them here, that way I won’t cancel on anyone.” Rin suggested.

“In my apartment? No way. It's crowded as it right now,” Sousuke rejected and faced you. “Fine, I’ll look after them, but come back quick, okay? You know how Hiro and Taichi get when you're gone for too long.”

"Thank you so much, Sou. You're the best." You smiled. You rose from your chair, fishing your phone out of your pocket. "I'll go tell them it's still on tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Mumbled Sousuke, scoffing.

Rin narrowed his eyes at you as you left the room. "Oi, ( Your Name ), what about me? Am I not the best too - oi, oi!"

You pretended not to hear Rin and retreated back to your room, giggling.

***

Hiro and Taichi, through wide and awed lenses, watched intently as the Black Jackals replay displayed the highlights of the game. Not once hace their golden eyes left the screen, too immersed with the game showcased in the television. Hiro had a big and wide smile on his face, and Taichi had a small 'o' formed on his lips. Mochi yawned as he looked over the twins.

"Taichi, Taichi, look," Hiro pointed as the television showed Hinata Shoyo jumping nearly over the net, hand raising to spike the volleyball. "It's Tangerine-kun!"

"Frog-kun!" Yelled Taichi. "Ah, Hiro, it's Kou-kun!"

"And Omi-san!" Hiro and Taichi let out excited cheering as they watched Sakusa slammed the ball on ground on the other side of the court, Bokuto coming up behind him to pat his back for a job well done.

"Uwaaa, that was so - " Hiro cut himself off as a familiar face popped up in the screen. The television showed Atsumu serving once more, and even the twins themselves, fell silent once again as they watched Atsumu do a service ace.

Hiro couldn't understand the feeling in his chest as he watched Atsumu serve. His hand buzzed with excitement, and all he wanted was to do what Atsumu was doing. Taichi turned to his twin and noticee the oddity in his visagen. He tilted his head. "Hiro?" Taichi called.

Hiro turned to Taichi, eyes glimmering. “Taichi, I want to be like Tsumu.” He pointed at the screen. "Do you think I can be like Tsumu?"

Before Taichi can answer, a commercial was played in the middle of the replay, and it displayed the whole Black Jackals team, and another volleyball team Hiro and Taichi were not familiar with.

Overlapping on their images were the words - Black Jackals Versus Red Bulldogs, catch them live tomorrow in Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

Hiro gasped in excitement at the news. "Black Jackals are going to be here in Tokyo tomorrow! Taichi, Taichi, they're here in Tokyo!"

Taichi puffed his cheeks. "We can meet Tsumu?"

Hiro nodded enthusiastically. “We can meet Tsumu, Tangerine-kun, Omi-san, and Kou-kum!” Confirmed Hiro. "Should we ask Mama to take us there?"

"There's my favorite twins, Rin, all of a sudden, plopped down behind Hiro and Taichi, startling both of them and Mochi. Rin wrapped his arms around their torsos and pulled them to his lap. “What are you guys talking about?” He asked.

"Uncle Rin, we're going to meet Tsumu tomorrow!" Said Hiro.

Rin laughed awkardly. "Oh, are you now?"

Taichi nodded. "Tsumu and friends - " Rin snorted at how Taichi has referred them. " - will be here tomorrow, in Tokyo."

"We'll ask Mama to bring us there. I know she'll be happy to meet Tsumu too!" Added Hiro.

"Ooh," Rin sucked in. "I don't think so."

"Huh?" Hummed Taichi, puzzlee by Rin's actions and words.

Hiro, however, did not notice this. "Maybe Mama will marry Tsumu when she meets him! Then we'll have a daddy!"

"Hopefully not," Murmured Rin. "That won't happen, you know."

Hiro fell silent at that, and tears immediately began forming in his eyes. Taichi looked worriedly at him, whispering his name. Rin, on the other hand, was panicking. For the first time, Hiro was the crybaby.

"I-I meant that won't happen because your Mama can't take you to the game tomorrow!" Rin frantically added. "She has to meet your Uncle Iwaizumi and Uncle Sugawara!"

Hiro stopped sniveling at what Rin had shared with him. He wiped his tears. "Mama has to meet Iwa-kun and Suga-kun?" He whimpered. "Can't you take us there, Uncle Rin? Please?"

Rin looked away from Hiro and Taichi, knowing all too well he would fall in the same mistake as Sousuke if he looked at them. "Sorry, but your Mama won't allow that."

Taichi tugged at his shirt and he bit his lower lip, still trying to resist them. "Please, Rin-kun,"

"I want to bring you there but your Mama wouldn't let me." Explained Rin, sighing. "I'm sorry guys."

Hiro pouted and crossed his arms. "Then-Then," He breathed in, and cried out. "Me and Taichi will go there alone! A-And we'll bring Mochi!"

At that time, Rin thought Hiro was joking, so he did not take this declaration seriously. He merely nodded as he ruffled both their hairs. "Yeah, sure you will."

Rin did not make the same mistake as Sousuke, but he certainly made a worse one.

sousuke is the favorite uncle of the four men. rin used to be last but after the twins have spent time with him in australia, he is now on par with sousuke

mochi hates sousuke because he smells something odd coming from him whenever you were present

hiro and taichi call sousuke, sugawara, rin, and iwaizumi either with a -kun or with an uncle

(taglist closed - @itzgabz22 @tnu-ree @adrasteiaxandromedaa @aquzairus @ephemeralsunny @jirachii-chan @lifeisnotdiajoubu @fandomtrashpandasposts @diyosku @agaashesmilktea @honey-pop-pop @toripersonalacc @kozukth @minty-mangos-world @kellesvt @obsessedwhxre @helloshoutohere @queenofallslay @sakusa-simp @tsukkx @kyomihann @yoitsseulgi @dinablossom @youpieceofwasabi @riniii @jeonsthighs97 @shoutobabyboy @sillyroyalty @ushi-please xstormiii @cowward @peachiikichu @vantaekiim @nerdynstoned @hxked @melodiamore @renyfran @humanitysbiggestsimp @froyopet @stantalentstanunderratedgroups @mkazuyuh @booklover240 @miyayassy @marvelous-maxi @ptv-hades @koukatsuki@anihoesimp @hobobob38-blog @tintina365 @hai-q-haikyuu @cruelstring @les-i-m-miserable @somehowstillalive123 @bunny-on-crack

current favorite uncle status - sousuke, rin, iwaizumi, sugawara

sousuke bought blond hair dye for hiro and taichi because they begged him to with their cute puppy eyes. don't worry he made sure it was safe for kids and he helped them even but never told yoi that part

the time you saw your kids blond nearly made you punch sousuke (as said in the story) but rin had to hold you back literally by your arms because he doesn't want sousuke to end up in the hospital

sousuke moved from his house to an apartment

vip - @1plus1kiyoomi )

#atsumu x reader #atsumu x you #miya atsumu x reader #atsumu smau #haikyuu x reader #miya atsumu #atsumu miya #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu scenario #haikyuu imagines #atsumu

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sweater-daddiesdumbdork · 4 years

Text

Welcome To The Pack

Build Up of Tension

Summary- 8.4k Alpha!Steve x You. Morning after attack, Steve shows you around, Bucky follows the Tracker, Natasha is brought back by Alpha Tony and Pepper. Warnings- implied abuse.

A/N- Im really in awe at the response and I hope this story continues bringing people happiness. Moodboard made by @omega-nicole, I love it babes, thank you so much for taking the time to read and put it together for the story. Thank You to everyone who reads from all the Wolves 🐺❤

Chapter Two/ Pack Master List

You were sitting out on Steve’s back deck for the rest of the night, sleep? It wasn't something you could bring yourself back to do. Crawl back into that bed with the memory of waking up the Pierces tracker looming over you with nothing but the moonlight edging his outline. Even your wolf paced back and forth in your mind, shaking herself once in a while to dispel the tension lacing your body. Around your shoulders Steves jacket rested, warding off the early morning’s damp chill rolling off the lake nearby. Nearby the large Alpha was settled in the opposite deck chair, his feet stretched to lean on the deck railing, bare feet crisscrossed at his ankles, and his arms crossed over his chest, head tipped forward so his chin rested on his chest. You couldn't help but watch him on occasion while he was lightly sleeping, your nose pressed in the collar of his jacket, inhaling his comforting scent.

<You should crawl in his lap.> Your little wolf whined as you took in that heavy male scent once more <I would at least feel better.>

We're not disturbing his rest anymore then we already have, he should have gone to his own bed last night.

You grumbled at your Little Wolf, not needing her to point out things you didn't want to admit to yourself. You could already feel the Full Moon Runs bonding starting to sharpen, just being in his home was tying you two together, and that human side was scared of that connection. You've seen bondings that were all one-sided, the other losing themselves completely to there partner that they turned into a husk. Nothing more than property to the other. You shuddered at the idea and turned back to face the lake, watch with a new fascination at the way the light broke through the pines, beams dancing over the rippling water that lapped at stony grey shores. The soft haunting lilt of mourning doves ripping through the upbeat morning songbirds just starting their greetings scattered through the forest The Compound was settled right in the middle of. This was more fascinating then assessing the possibility of being an Alpha Mate, you lied to yourself over and over, sure that would make it true.

After Steve was sure the Trackers were removed, he had gone inside to find you earlier that night. You weren't hard to find, the glass door leading to the back of the cabin wide open and he could see your silhouette sitting in the alpine chair you had sat in just a couple days ago for the first time. He wanted to insist you come back in, put you back to bed, you needed the recharge after the run as much as he did. You and your wolf needed rest in order to shift properly again, but he couldn't find it in his heart to demand you do such a thing. Twice in a short period of time, he had already took away your willpower to disobey him, and he wouldn't again, not this night. Instead the Alpha picked up a jacket he had hanging, his Wolf rumbled protectively while he stepped outside. “Hey” He said softly and holds the jacket open which you willingly leaned forward, he had set the jacket around.

When you willingly accepted it, Steve resisted pulling you into his arms, let his hands relax you in his lap, against his chest where he could envelop you. You weren't his. And with that, he settled down, to stay out with you as long as he did. The silence drifting far beyond his back deck. It encased the forest much like the fog rolling off the water frequently did. You made no effort to talk, and he didn't either. His Wolf, diligent with perked ears and flashing eyes watched over you in the only way he could, nearby, in silence. Finally a lone howl echoed back to the two of you, and Steve tilted his head listening to it. The pack mate informing that the Tracker had crossed the border, and they were following along the line to make sure he didn't attempt to return.

Now that he could relax a bit more, letting his head drift to rest against his chest, never truly falling asleep. Steve still was aware of you nearby, of the pack running the border tracking the intruder, every breath in brought him news of the stirrings of other members settling back in the early morning hours that there was a tinge of unease with them. Unease, some of them were worried about what the stranger might have brought with her. The Wolf slowly sunk down to a lay, processing everything Steve was giving him. <We will need to take care of any doubts, she belongs here. At our side, she is ours>

We will handle any that have an objection to her being here. I wouldn't turn any away that was a danger to the pack.

<They will point out the Trackers, that she brings danger.> He pointed out, resting his head down, muzzle crossing over his paws.

She can't help the danger that follows her. She is just trying to start over.

Satisfied with your answer, the Wolf remained silent, watching over the one he considered his. Neither beast nor man chose to point out that they didn't disagree with the 'she is ours.’

When Steve stirred hours later, he tipped his head back to yawn, stretching his jaw, and arms lifted over his head to reach for nothing really. He dropped his feet from the deck. You stirred next to him, shifting in the seat to face him, giving a soft smile of the collar of his jacket that you were cocooned in. You had drawn your feet up and now it had encased you like an oversized hug. It made the wolf in him very pleased to see you covered in his clothing, his scent would cling to you to any other wolf that passed you. “Morning” He said his forearms draping over his knees and letting his upper weight fall against them, leaning in closer towards you.

“Morning Steve.” Your Little Wolf, is preening at the Alpha, seeing his 'Wake Up’. “I hope we didn't wake you up. But now that your awake, I did want to say something.” Your Little Wolf perked, and knowing the thoughts edged in your mind, she gave you a growl. <Stop that right now.>

“Not, not at all Little One” He rubbed on his face with vigor and paid attention again. “what's on your mind?”

It all kind of rushed out, you could feel what you were saying shattering your heart and the Little Wolf snapping at you in anger for what you were saying, her growls first and foremost at your mind that it even muffled what you were speaking. “Steve, it's not going to stop, I know Pierce. For everyone here, it will be safer for me to leave, and be seen leaving... “ You could see the moment his eyes went from a hazy blue to sharp and warning, Steve’s jaw clenching under his beard, it ticked.

“The only way your leaving Y/N, is if you want to. Not from fucking fear, or intimidation from anyone. If you want to move on fine.” His wolf bristled, all the fur on his ruff standing on end, traveling down his back in hostility at the very idea she should leave cause of danger. And much like yours, was very vocal. Steve overlooked that though, knowing it was simply his drive to keep you with him at all costs. “But this is your home as long as you want it to be.”

I had to, he has to know the danger being here could mean for his pack. If anything happened to them... I couldn't.

Trust, what was that really like? You haven't trusted anyone since you matured and was forced into finding a suitable mate to be paired with, continuous threats at being collared beaten into you until that day finally came. You didn't even realize Steve moved to a stand, and his hands cupped around your face until he tipped your face up to look at him, his thumbs sweeping over your cheeks, and his brow creased in worry. “Y/N? Hey, you hear me?” His voice snapped you out of your thoughts and your eyes lifted. His warmth started to seep into you, making you want to uncurl from his coat and right around him. Your breath hitched a moment, and you could feel your Little Wolf start to stir, your own body aching to press into his hold, feel him against her, over her... Quit It!

<That wasn't because of me Y/N> The Little Wolf snorted

Fuck

Who would have guessed just a simple touch would send Steve spiraling high, he immediately picked up the way your heart sped up and your sweet honeysuckle scent wafted in that intoxicating way that told him to drop his head, taste your lips, lick down your skin till you were saying his name in that breathless manner. His pupils blew in his arousal, a light hazing of yellow gleaning over as the beast started craving more. “I understand Steve.” Your voice, soft and inviting. He had to pull away before he dragged you down on the porch and... snapping out of it, he pulled his hand away, growling out softly. “Good, this is your home now Y/N.”

Quick to escape inside, Steve went one way to prepare for the day, and you remained curled up in the Alpine chair, your forehead pressed to your knees, chastising yourself for the way your body responded to him. The way your Little Wolf constantly fought for it, the way you were simply scared of it. This wasn't anything like the other times, when Pierce would present you to an unmated wolf, there wasn't the same fear in his hands that there was in any of theirs. And that... fuck that terrified you.

Steve needed to step away, get a clear head. This was nothing like with Alana, and as he wrenched open his front door, Bucky and Sam already headed up the walk to meet with him, Steve played it off as he was expecting them. Not running away from you sitting on his back deck, looking at him with those wide eyes of yours that looked innocent, but stirred something much more than that. “He's still nearby, we have a tail on him, but he looks like he's getting ready to move,” Sam said as they both came up on the porch, not picking up on Steves distracted presence at the moment.

“Mmhh... I want to know where he comes from, where the pack is settled in. That alpha isn't going to be okay with having one of his wolves killed.” Bucky didn't flinch a bit when Steve mentioned this. He was doing nothing more than protecting the pack, and although he was hesitant with you, he would do it again. “Call Stark, I want Natasha here now. It's about time we see how well that training of his works.” Sam immediately pulled out his phone and started preparations. Bucky leaned up against the railing, and eyed the Alpha for a moment, arching his brows. “How did it go last night? Your wolf push for more?”

Steve glanced at him and rubbed the back of his neck. “No, he was satisfied she was safe, but that run, her staying here... It's different this time, not like before with Alana. She's scared, of what her old Alpha is capable of. Y/N actually considered leaving, she brought it up this morning. We had a moment just before you two showed up.” From behind him, Steve was acutely aware of you in the kitchen, doing what he now realized was a morning routine for you, Scooping grinds into the filter, pouring water into the canister... And Bucky watched Steve get slightly distracted, the curve of his mouth lifting at the corner hearing you. “You got it bad man...”

“Shut up Bucky.” Steve snapped back at him.

“No, I mean it. Even now you're so fucking tuned into her that you can't hide it. Hey, maybe I was wrong earlier, and you should actually see where this takes you. I thought at first you were just being your usual self, needing to save someone and got distracted cause she was unmated, but this... this isn't like that at all.” Bucky gave a shrug. “Maybe this is what Sam is always going on about with Sara. I know I've never bought into that soul mate stuff, but maybe you two are compatible. Just don't be so fucking stubborn, a'right?”

Sam turned back to the two of them, Steve drifting from all the Bucky just laid on him to his news. “Nat be back by tonight Tony said., he's going to fly in. He asked if there was some kind of trouble since it was a rush, but I told him to get ahold of you later, then you just tell him what you want.” Steve nodded. “Bucky trail him, just don't let yourself get caught. He will probably recognize your scent.” Steve started to feel better now that things were happening, his wolf to, and just as the men left, you stepped out onto the porch, bringing him a cup of that coffee you just brewed. Steve accepted it gratefully, letting the caffeine ease into his system.

“How about I show you more of the area Y/N?” he suddenly offered, his eyes looking you over momentarily, your blush spotting your cheeks at the attention. That made him smile, seeing you get a bit bashful on him. “Works canceled, need a part to fix the machine, and there are some good beaches to run on nearby, if your up for a shift so soon.”

< Let's do it Y/N! I can handle coming back out.>

You sure? We haven't slept to recharge.

You dipped back your mug, and eyed the Alpha over the rim, he waited so patiently for your answer, that you grinned at him and nodded. “Would love that, I will meet you back out here in just a few minutes.” Taking his mug, you escaped inside with the door ajar, and cleaned up right quick. Steve thought nothing of it, and simply waited. He was surprised though when you didn't necessarily come back out, but your wolf trotted out to greet him, “Oh! well aren't you quick Little One.” Holding out his hand, you mouthed it lightly and his other came up to brush over your head and down your neck, chuckling. “Guess I gotta catch up.” You flashed your eyes up at him and gave a wolfish smirk before bolting out of his hold and off the porch, hightailing it for the woods you had run in the night before. Steves wolf was now ramped up, pushing for a shift and Steve started peeling off clothing off right there on his porch, tossing and kicking it away.

I'm fucking going as fast as I can! as soon as Steve lost his sweats, the wolf burst forward, and the heavy alpha was sailing off the steps, landing heavily on his front paws and as soon as his back legs spring back underneath him, Steves off, following where he's seen the light-colored she-wolf disappear into the shadowed depths of the forest.

His Forest.The she-wolf was exploring His Forest.

Steve had been running these trails since he started shifting, and his eyes slit almost closed to protect from flying debris every time he pounded into the pine needled trails, and under low hanging branches slapping at him. Your scent clung to the cool air under the towering pines, fresh and enticing 'catch me Alpha’, his muzzle weaved back and forth following it till he shot past it, and spun mid-trail to backtrack, leaping off into the unbroken ground, and weaving around trees. Heading for the edge of the lake, where he caught sight of you pacing ahead, your ruff hanging around your neck swaying back and forth in your trot. Your ears flicking back when you heard him, but the oversized Alpha had effectively caught up to you and before you could spring away once more, he crashed into you, the two of you rolling and nipping at each other sharply, all in play of course.

Once you land on his chest, you make a growing noise while shaking a mouthful of his silver fur, making as if you were mad at his antics. Steve twisted so you slipped off and pinned you down below him, making you bare your fangs at him. A large oversized tongue swiped over your muzzle and he bounded away with a howl, twisting to slap at the ground with his front paws, enticing you to play. Very cat-like, you slithered forward through the grass and sprang at him, chasing after him as he barreled away, leading you closer to the lakeshore.

The air went from dark trees shadowing you to damp freshwater, begging to be played in and lapped at. Of course with the air so heavy from the moisture, it carried the Alphas scent better, and soon you were whining with need, pulling Steve up short when he heard the sharp noise, ears perked and the tip of his tail, cricking in concern for you. Trotting back, and inhaling against you, his muzzle poking around, to search where you might be hurt, is when he caught the reason why. Dragging in your aroma, the Alpha started nipping in affection at your neck as you tilted it, careful not to bite hard, his tongue lolling over your forehead and ears, over your eyes and muzzle.

Essentially any who come near you would smell him, that you were his and his alone. He wasn't willing to share your and would kill any that threatened the two of you, anyone who would dare lay an unwanted hand on you. In return you rubbed your chest against his, licking under his chin, and nuzzling against him in respect for who he was, his leadership of the pack and yourself. Your wolf had no qualms giving herself to Steve, it was only your human selves that made this complicated. The two of you weaved around each other in circles, a courtship dance before bounding off together to escape the treeline and stretch out in a run across the stony beach, crisscrossing back and forth in harmony. Neither pulling ahead of the other, although Steve was well aware giving the chance to let loose, you could easily outtake him.

Both of you slowed to a trot, shoulder to shoulder, brushing up against each other once in a while before pulling apart, you tilted towards the water's edge, and bit at the water, spraying it in play. Steve sat at the edge, tilting his head watching as you pawed at it with a growl, wading in further with your tail happily wagging back and forth. Finally you slipped beyond where you could reach and started swimming in short bursts. Steve on the other hand was content to watch you play, settling himself down with a groan on the stones, his head following your back and forth movements in the water. His ears perked when you disappeared for a moment underneath, only to see you pop back up closer to shore and slowly making your way out.

Your wolfish grin gave you away as dripping wet you padded up to him. Making him flash his canines at you in warning. You faltered a bit, but then continued on, the warning rumbles getting deeper as he followed you, pinning his ears back. You came close enough and then shook vigorously, spraying the scrambling Alpha, who returned to wrestle you to the ground, unable though to catch you, the two of you started dancing across the beach again in play. Bowed bodies, slapping forepaws on the ground, high waving tails, barks and yips at each other.

Further away, Sam and Sara sat just out of your two’s sight on a ledge, watching there Alpha do something he never really did with another. Sara's head tilted up to her mate, whining excitedly and nuzzling into his fur, before moving to a stand and she padded away to give their Alpha privacy. Sam watched with a tilt of his head at the courtship dance a moment longer before spinning away to join his mate, the two of them running in a similar manner to the deeper forest. Down below, the two of you sprinted off again, Steve leading you back into another part of the forest, continuing to take you around the lake for the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon, human worries aside. The wolves were enjoying the freedom these forms got to enjoy. You two only returned after exhaustion started to set in from the quick shifts and night before.

You stumbled into Steve once you two reached The Compound. Shouldering you forward and nudging you to go up the steps before him, you push inside the house while he shifts right on the porch, grabbing clothes and stuffing legs into a pair of pants once more, the rest of his clothing hanging off his forearm. Digging the phone out of his pocket, he checked to see if he missed anything while away with You. Sure enough he had a few messages. One from Buck- He's on the move, i’m following behind. I will be sure to let you know where we end up. The tracker must have been traveling by the road, and knowing Bucky he probably stole a vehicle in town. The next was from Stark- Pepper and I will be up with Natasha soon Steve. Steve arched a brow reading the New Yorks Alphas message. He had forgotten the New York Alphas were coming to.

But he wasn't surprised, Steve would welcome him, the two Alphas having made a pact years ago.

She's fine, we're not mated and he has his Pepper. Stop worrying.

Curious to see what you were actually doing, He went inside, calling out your name, and you came out of your bedroom, rubbing at your eyes with a yawn. “Mmmh right here. I'm starving.” Again you were wearing just his shirt, and what seemed to be nothing else, since they fell to mid-thigh, and he groaned softly just seeing it.

<You could go see you know what's under the bottom of that shirt..> The wolf rumbled, and Steves nostrils flared to hold himself back, the wolf snickering at the human's reaction.

Yes, I could... The wolf licked his muzzle, suddenly very interested in this new change, pushing up from where he had been resting to a stand. Pushing, for the Alpha to claim her. Steve inhaled her scent, the sweetness of her committed to memory now, but he really wouldn't get enough of it, and it took away his common sense, no he wanted her in a way Steve had never wanted a she-wolf. Not even Alana could compare to the way you have him captured. And you didn't even know.

Your hair cascaded down over your shoulders as you brushed past the Alpha, sniffing the air for something. You followed your wriggling nose around, opening cupboards and such. Steve leaned on his elbows, watching with a quirked brow as you would go to tiptoes to spin the other way, searching still with closed eyes, the tip of your nose lifted.

“What are you looking for Little One?” Steve chuckled in response when you yanked two cupboards open, scanning boxes.

“I'm looking for... THIS!” You arch up to reach well above your head whining as your fingertips just can't reach the red cereal box with Capn' Crunch on the front. The back of shirt lifting to show the flowered panties you were wearing, and Steve's heart jumped in his chest, the Wolf rumbling at the sight of you all stretched out, trying to catch the box. “Steve can you help me please?” You bit your lip in your efforts. Steve pushed off the counter and wrapped his hands around your hips to lift you, making you yip in surprise while looking back at the Alpha who was smirking. “Go ahead Little One, get your prize.”

Your hand grasped around the box, and he eased you back to your feet, his chest brushing against your back and making your breath hitch in your throat, resisting the urge to arch back into him. The tension rippling between you two makes you swallow, and take a few shallow breaths. You can feel his fingers grasping the curve of your hip a little harder than normal, that maybe his breathing stopped in the moment, waiting to see how you would react. Your Little Wolf stretched, a silent movement in your mind till her yellow eyes snapped on in a glow, rumbling softly. <Reach out for him Y/N...> Your body as if against your will turned to face him, looking up into vibrant blues that were searching your face matching the way yours were, your gaze falling from his eyes to his lips, the plump softness that even though the rest of him was hard masculine, they weren't. You couldn't lie having thought about them skimming down your body while you laid in his guest room in the night, when he was just on the opposite side. To feel his hands as they were now, but not with clothing between the two, just completely bare, skin to skin. To feel the Alpha cage you in so you had to submit to him... Steve’s head started to lower, and yours tipped up, both drawing in deep breaths drowning in each other's aroused scent.

So when the sharp knock sounded at the door, Steves hold on your hips tightened at you tensing and the alpha growled in an aggressive way that sounded nowhere close to human. You immediately pulled back, clutching your cereal box at your chest and the connection was lost. So fragile in it's beginning that it shattered as soon as the knock snapped them both back to there surroundings. Steve's wolf was snarling at whomever was on the other side, and Steve just rumbled when he saw you retreating away from him, and to disappear down the hall towards the guest room. Fuck... Rubbing the tension off his face, he called out “Come in.”

The door popped open to Natasha strolling in, the redhead smirking and her green eyes went up and down the tensed Alpha, cocking a brow. “well hello to you to. Sent you a text message but...” Her nostrils flared and a knowing look simmered in her eyes. “See you've been busy.” Steve rolled his eyes at the she-wolf, beckoning her to come on in, whatever there was, it was done for this moment. “I heard Tony came with Pepper as well?” The Alpha asked her as she settled in a stool, nodding. “Yea, Sam and Sara are with them right now, discussing the broken equipment so you have a few minutes. I told them I would let you know they were here.” Natasha looked around the dwelling, picking up little signs of you here and there. “And your woman. I heard you took in someone off the border.”

“She's not MY woman.” Steve corrected her. “How soon can you join Bucky on the road.”

That's correct I haven't, so she's not mine.

Natasha tapped her nails against the marble countertop, studying Steve. “No... no she's not. Not like you two connected on the full moon run, no one saw you two run as a team. No ones noticed all this mess right here... “ Natasha waved a hand at Steve as if confirming the rumors she's been told. “Or that there was a perfectly good guest cabin at the other end of The Compound set up just for such an occasion. Can't feel the tension in here at all, nope.” Natasha smirked at her Alpha. Why did he send for her again?

<Natasha is one of your strongest wolves and she doesn't just bow down cause your Alpha. Fuck I missed her.> The wolf howled to his packmate, clearly siding with her.

Steve was getting so tired of everyone pointing it out to him, and he rumbled out as he turned away from Natasha and snapped the cupboard you had opened closed. “You didn't answer my question about Barnes.”

“Yes of course Steve, I can probably hit the road in the next hour and meet up with him. I just need the details. Welcome home Natasha, we missed you Natasha” she grumbled.

“Sorry Nat, I missed you since you've been at Starks.” Steve apologized and went back to business, Steve filled her in before he went to go meet Tony and Pepper.

In your room you were sitting on your bed, stuffing a mouth full of Capn' Crunch in your mouth, chewing without enjoying it. Your mind was to busy processing what had happened, those urges riddling through your gut that you never felt before. Your Little Wolf paced back and forth, sniffing the air once in a while to catch the she-wolfs scent in the kitchen. <What is she doing here? Is she trying to take Steve from us?>

“When the hell you get jealous?” you happened to say out loud, and the Little Wolf twisted in your mind, going to lay down, acting disinterested. <I'm not. Besides, you were the one who almost jumped him.>

Another mouthful of cereal and a mumbled. “With your help, what the fuck was that. It's never been... like that before,” you recalled the heat pooling so low, your skin tingling to press closer, rub against him. You, Little Wolf, snickered low in your mind, and you gut clenched at her next words.

Oh shit.... oh shit oh shit oh shit. Your eyes widened and you whine loudly.

“Y/N? I'm headed to go meet with a visiting set of Alphas... “Steve's voice came closer to your door and you rolled off the bed, grabbing shorts and stuffing them on, right when his head popped in the door.

“Be right with you.” you say hurriedly, and his gaze takes in your rushed features.

“Oh, you don't have to by any means, I was just letting you know.” He mentioned, but you shook your head and pulled your hair back into a ponytail.

“I'm ready.” You smoothed your hands down your shirts and fuck didn't you just look cute with his tee all tied up one side again and shorts, getting a bit sunkissed in your skin.

“Okay, we can walk with Nat, so you can meet her.”

Heading out to wander to the garage where Tony was, the two women exchanged greetings, and followed a bit behind Steve, checking each other out. The Little Wolf just stared at Natasha while you shook her hand, you smiled at her. The Little Wolf tilted her head, still checking her out. You weren't sure if that was a good thing out not. Usually the wolf knew right away. After a few moments of silence, the Little Wolf announced to you. <Shes not a threat, you can read it, Steve is like a brother to her, just her Alpha.>

Seriously? That's what that was about?

And as soon as that happened, things just fell into place. That five-minute walk ended with you and Natasa laughing at some story she was telling you, how Steve once fell off his own dock into the lake, you were snorting, Nat was smirking, Steve was looking over his shoulder at the pair of them, hiding a smile, and saying in a much sterner mocking alpha voice. “Do I have to separate you two?”

Natasha looked at you, and snorted in the most unwomanly like way. “He thinks he's tough, Y/N, he's a softy I swear. Alright, if I'm gonna meet up with Barnes, I gotta go. See you two crazy lovebirds around.” Nat shot out as she walked away, you blushing and Steve moaning to himself. Fucking Natasha. From the open doorway, Sara leaned against it, and reached inside to push a button, the main door lifting to show Pepper working with Sam looking over the parts inventory, and Tony was at the workbench, twiddling with the broken part from the other day. “Fixed it! I mean, something any genius can do. Oh hey Steve.” The New York Alpha grinned over his sunglasses at him, wiping his hands clean on a rag. “Nice to see ya, how have you been? We've been GREAT, thanks for asking.”

“Hello Tony" Steve uttered, and you shyly stayed behind him for a moment, not missing the slight aggravation in his tone. But it warmed when he greeted the other woman. “Pepper, I'm sure Sam is making you quite an order list.” The other woman chuckled, tucking her tablet back in her bag. “Its not to bad Steve, about half as much as last time.” She went over to Tony and leaned into him slightly, his arm immediately going around her waist. Steve decided to let you be for now, sensing that you were a bit nervous at the newcomers. He knew you would come around when you were ready for him to introduce you.

“Thank you for escorting Natasha back, it was very generous of you.” Steve reached out his hand and the two men shook, Tony rolled his shoulder in a nonchalant way. “No biggie, Pepper, and I been needing to do something away, and I wanted to check on Wanda and Pietro.”

“Well Pietro isn't here at the moment, he's doing a deal with some investors for me out west at the moment, I sent that email to you, but Wanda I'm sure will be more than thrilled to see you.” Sara already had stepped away to go find her, and Tony nodded. “Yes, but first Steve, we need to talk. Privately.”

You tensed up a bit and Steve let an assuring hand rest in the small of your back instinctively. All is okay Little One... “Of course, how about we go back to my office, Pepper knows her way around well enough. This here is Y/N by the way, she just arrived, so she's not entirely familiar with everything quite yet.”

Sam stepped forward and winked. “Come on you two, let these two have at it. In fact, I think today would be a great day to do a community meal. You two want to help me set up?” Steve was relieved to see you brighten up at the idea, and with a parting look to him, you went off, discussing what needed to be prepped. Tony waited till they were out of earshot.

“Brock and Alanna popped up on the council's radar again. They seemed to have joined a pack, selling unmated wolves off.” Tony started sharing and Steve guy clenched. “I'm aware of the pack... that's actually where Y/N came from. Showed up on the border, running from Trackers. The fuckers actually had the balls to cross into our lands, and into my fucking cabin to remove her. Why I needed Natasha back. She's the only one I trust getting us more inside information.”

Tonys gaze went back to you following his Pepper and Sam, shaking his head. “Getaway? How... I've been told they have that whole pack under the fucking strictest rules by there Alpha, Pierce. He's a real piece of work. In fact, he's part of the reason the council is getting uneasy. They are selling off unmated wolves to human hunters, although we have no proof. Yet. Just a body of a young wolf slaughtered online, bragging. We're trying to look into it... but... “ he shook his head, growling from deep in his chest, the situation obviously had the other Alpha tense.

“Even more reason to dismantle them, Tony, they are disrupting the laws we do have, exposing us to the world that's not ready for us, and basically torturing. Our own kind. It's not like the humans can be blamed in this.” Steve said darkly. “I have no problem going down there myself and taking care of it. Especially if Brock and Alanna are involved. I should have ended Brock that day, but... “

Tony looked at Steve and nodded. “Yes you should, but that was then, and this is now. Look, don't do anything too rash, okay? Council isn't going to want an all-out pack war until we have all the facts. Just have Natasha collect, not assassinate.”

Steves wolf growled at Tony, flattening his ears. <Who made him Alpha of the Mountain Pack?> Steve snapped his own teeth in irritation, and cast the man a sharp blue-eyed glare. “I will do as I see fit with my wolves. Natasha will do as I ask.” With that he pushed off to go back outside, and join the people gathering tables together to bring out to the middle of the compound, Tony stood there for a moment, watching this large family that even welcomed his Alpha partner Pepper as one of his own, and worried for what was to come. As the voice to the packs about what the alpha council issued as law., a council set up specifically to protect the wolves, he couldn't help but feel he was thrown in the middle. Steve had always been against the monitoring of the wolves, but never put up much of a fight cause he saw the benefits it did do. Little did Steve know they were now drawing up new laws, and they would be enforced sooner rather then later if this mess with Pierce wasn't resolved quietly. Tony just couldn't see how that would happen.

The atmosphere later that night turned into a party, lights strung up around the trees, and a large bonfire, everyone brought more food then even a huge pack could eat, and now people were either dancing or sitting around the fire roasting marshmallows. Steve you watched from the corner of your eye laughing with a group of others he sat with, sharing a beer. You sat with Pepper, Tony and Sara just talking, your feet stretched out towards the fire to warm them. Tony was talking to Sara with his arm hanging around Pepper, about some program he had set up with other Alphas. And you held up a hand as if you had a question. Tony gaze fell on you and he barked out a laugh. “You got a question for the professor, lay it on me kid.”

“Why was Natasha with you in the first place, and Wanda... She's your wolf?” Your brows arched, and from across the fire you could see Steve push to a stand, looking around till he caught sight of you lounging in the grass, starting to make his way over. “Ahh, yes. One of my.. OUR proudest little organizations.” Tony corrected once Steve reached them, the long-legged man falling to sit next to you, leaning back on one hand and nodding. “Yes, ours is correct. It took a while, but Tony was diligent with convincing other Alphas to join in the idea.” Tony grinned all proud of it while Pepper looked at him, parting his chest. “Down boy down.”

“Not what you usually say to me Pep, but we will let it slide.” Tony teased her, dropping an innocent kiss to her cheek, and he returned to the question. “So we take wolves that can easily travel, not have too many obligations in the pack, and play them in an on-hands internship in another pack. Natasha and Clint, have extraordinary skills they learned from being in the human's military programs. Something I have a hand in the human world. In exchange Steve has two of my best more natural magic wolves. All this here, just strengthens there natural abilities, as well as Steve being somewhat really good at managing an industrious business.” Steve shook his head in embarrassment, and you grinned at him, seeing the flare-up of warmth in his cheeks. “You're overselling it Tony.”

“Your logging corporation has reached the top in the area. You choose to keep it small time and you know it.” Tony snorted at the other Alpha. “Anyways, although us Alphas don't get along for long periods of time in each others company doesn't mean we can't work together. So far not too many packs are willing to “loan” out there wolves as they see it, but those of us that do, it's created stronger bonds and our wolves are getting the education they need to succeed in this life. Any questions?”

You shake your head, getting an understanding of what they were doing. “No, I think I'm all set.” You naturally fall into Steves side, your eyes starting to feel heavy. Your wolf is quite happy in this moment, warm from the fire, settled in a loose ball napping in your mind. You try to pay attention to the conversation, but it's becoming harder, cause it's so warm, and Steve smells so good and relaxing. Not the lust-driven like before, but this time it's more of just him. A masculine pine and woodsmoke, a bit of just him that has no other explanation, the desire in your body to curl into him was strong, and instinctively you pressed into his side a bit more.

Steve looked down at you, eyes half shut and curled up into him a bit, he wondered if you knew you were even doing that. You felt different too him, he let his nose brush lightly near your hair, but didn't quite pick up on what it was. And he would keep you like that, even with Peppers and Tony’s gaze falling frequently to the scene while they chatted with Sara, who also was yawning,if he was able to. Sam arriving to check in on Sara, catching her yawn. “Still tired from the Run?” In which Sara nodded and took his hand to stand. “You know what, I know I'm exhausted as well" Steve piped up and you nodded at Tony and Pepper to in agreement. Pulling away from him, Steve felt a bit deflated having to lose you like that. “If you two aren't headed home tonight, your welcome to use that Cabin at the end.”

“Thanks, Rogers, we will probably head out in the morning, see if Wanda is ready to come home or not. See you all later.” Tony sprang up rather quickly and helped Pepper up, the two of them leaving hand in hand. Steve turned his attention to you, but you were already standing and stretching, making Steve groan at that little bit of skin flashing on your belly before you offered a hand to help him up. Steve stretched himself, his back flexing beneath the shirt, and scuffed his boot through the burning logs, scattering sand to kill the fire for the night. You waited till he was ready, and the two of you headed towards the dark cabin by the lake, each saying goodnight and going to your respective bedrooms, both to debate with your wolves and be frustrated. Even after your shower, you could feel your need to breed starting to take effect, your body heating more, and urges long dead inside of you taking hold.

Another state over Bucky stood in a wooded area in a crouch, once in a while pulling out his cell phone and having it on the dim setting, muttering to himself. “Come on Natasha.. where you at?” He had gotten a text hours ago from her saying she was almost there, and he already had time to skirt around at least the northern border of where the Tracker had crossed back into with his fallen brother. It was not quite as large as The Mountain Packs land, but still fairly large. He suspected Pierce didn't visit this end as often as he should from the scent lines. Or there was heavy human traffic, cause the packs border stopped at a tree line edging the town, and there were ATV lines everywhere. Within minutes he was checking his phone again, and sure enough there was no call from Natasha. “Fucking hell Nat... “He moved to stand up, when there was a hot growling breath behind him, and he spun around to almost smack into a slender red wolf, she bounced back before getting wailed, her green eyes dancing in laughter as she sidled back up to the man, licking his face.

Shoving her gently to get away from him, he snapped at her. “Must you do that? Sicko... One of these days I'm really going to hurt you.” The she-wolf flipped her muzzle up at him in a 'bring it’, wagging her tail. Buckys features softened slightly, at Natashas play. “Yea I missed you too. But don't come to close, they know what I smell like. You ready for this?” She bounded to him once more, licking his cheek before disappearing into the brush leading to the border.

“Well answers that" Bucky sighed as he rubbed his cheek dry. From further off, he heard Natasha's sharp howl, holding the White Wolf in him back to answer, Bucky waited, and sure enough another series of howls answered in a threatening tone. Moving to a stand, he wandered closer, staying out of sight to watch what happened. Natasha paced back and forth along the border, throwing her head back now and then to howl, taunting the pack's inability to get to her faster. Then three rather shaggy wolves came trotting up, circling around her, snapping at her face and haunches to try to get her to flinch, submit to them. The she wolf merely yawned at them, waiting for the invitation to cross over. Thats when Bucky saw him. He smelled like an Alpha... Kind of, even though he wasn't nearly the size of Steve, and even the smaller Tony. Bucky was confused for a moment at what he was seeing. But Pierce had a staggering stride, the way his head was held up and even his tail, higher ranking than those skirting around Natasha, trying to get a reaction out of her, they all lowered drastically in his presence.

Once Pierce approached her, the others stopped, all dropping to there bellies, Bucky tensed watching as he stared Natasha down, she slowly lowered, not nearly as the others did, but low enough that she could flash her neck at him, and he accepted. Now she was in, as they started to head further into the terrirotry, she gave a slight wag of her tail for Buckys benefit.

<I don't like this.. > The white wolf growled, uneasy shifting, and Bucky agreed with him. It felt wrong. I know... I don't like it either. Why we're sticking around for a few days, just in case Natasha needs a quick way out.

<Something is not right with them, Pierce is no Alpha, he looks like he's supposed to be a beta. How did he get this pack?> Bucky turned to leave back towards the road when his entire world went black, something hit him right in the head and the man just crumbled. A laughing voice sniggered as they prodded him with his foot. “Now we got both these bitches. Throw a collar on him and let's get out of here.”

Back at Steve’s cabin you tossed and turned in your bed, sweat slicking your body, and your breaths were soft gasps of fear, your eyes screwed tight as you were stuck somewhere in your mind. Flashes of being screamed at, a belt snapping above you in a threat as you huddled on the floor. A hissing voice you were too familiar with. “You will fucking bond with him, he played good money for you!” Your eyes would lift to see a male strut close, his hands fisting in your hair to drag you across the room. “I paid for a willing female, she's already refused both bites. I want a refund. If the bitch ain't gonna submit, I don't want her. ” It all swirled together in a jumble of memories, and your wolf was frantic trying to snap you out of it, pawing and throwing her body against the wall of your mind she was trapped behind. She even tried using her fangs, to break you loose, screaming. <WAKE UP!> and you did, snapping awake you sprang out of your bed, panting, eyes wild as the looked around for an escape.

Then it all came back, you escaped, you were with The Mountain Pack, and Steve was the alpha here. Steve... you don't know what compelled you to do it, but you padded out of that bedroom, the smell of fear following you, and you lightly scratched at his door with a whimper. Waiting for your Alpha to come open it, to let you in, keep you safe from the memories. That was what Alphas did, they were protectors. When the door open and Steve tilted his head curiously, rubbing at his face, he immediately perked. “Y/N? What's wrong?”

Your fear his him first, that acrid stinging scent that mixed with your honeysuckle ferns immediately made his heart jump in his chest, set his wolf on edge looking for danger. You look so small in his doorway, your eyes wide and you voice was so soft he barely heard it.

“I don't want to be alone.” And he inhaled your scent, it was more than that, fuck, she's close to being in heat. It was a risk to Steve, it could send him into a rut, and then there would be no stopping the two of you. No matter what you both actually wanted. But he stood there looking at you, and he knew that he couldn't turn you away. Stepping back, his bedroom door opened further in invite, and you stepped in, this time without hesitation, the door closing out the rest of the world.

Tag List- @what-is-your-plan-today @p8tn0lish @jtargaryen18 @onetwo3000 @princess-evans-addict @patzammit @fckdeusername @alexakeyloveloki @ayamenimthiriel @irishflutiegirl @mery-be @djeniiscorner @irespostthingsiwanttoseelater @rinkashirikitateku @fallenoutofrose @caffiend-queen @southerngracela @titty-teetee @bohemian-barbie @vicky199625 @omega-nicole

#the pack #shifter steve #shifter!steve #Shifter Steve Rogers #Steve Rogers #Werewolf AU #MCU AU #Marvel AU #Marvel Fanfiction #Steve Roger Fanfiction #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x reader #wolf fanfiction #amber writes #sweater writes #steve rogers au

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gladerwolfstarkimagines · 4 years

Text

Azula x female reader series: Part 4

Azula hatches a plan to keep you closer to home than Ozai intended and disrupts her friends lives in the process. Initially happy with her plan as time goes on Azula grows more and more frustrated at what it means for the two of you.

Part One here

Part Two here

Part Three here

Part Five here

Part Six here

Tagged: @saucy-sapphic @justastranger-passing @azulasprincess @888-rising

@sighsam

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Your POV

You were stood in the dining room watching as the royal family and Mai ate their dinner in uncomfortable silence. Your last few hours as Azula’s maid would end tonight and you wondered when Azula would announce who she had assigned you to. As if reading you mind Azula put her cutlery down and sat up "Ive made my decision father". Your breath caught even though you knew this had been coming. You thought back to the conversation you’d had with Azula after you’d accepted her offer to share her bed when she told you her plan and your part in. You understood the reasoning behind who Azula wanted to assign you to but it didn’t make it any easier.

Ozai looked towards Azula with a small frown, probably annoyed she would bring this up when guests like Mai were present, even though Mai was hardly a guest by now. "What decision?" Zuko asked but his father ignored him looking to Azula "Very well...close to the dealine too". You saw Zuko and Mai look at Ozai confused and several of the servants too risked a confused glance with one another. You knew Azula would need you to act like you hadn’t planned this so too put on a mask of open confusion and stared at Azula with the others. Azula ignored Ozai’s snarky comment and smiled aware the whole room was watching "although y/n’s skills are not needed by me I can think of someone who needs it, Zuko". You felt the atmosiphere in the room turn and you pretended to look at Azula shocked. Azula smirked at Zuko who looked as shocked as you, he stared at Azula and then looked to Mai. You followed his eye and couldn’t see any change in Mai’s face but never could anyway. "What..why?"? Zuko asked. "Father said i could choose who to send y/n to and I choose you brother, lets face it you need the most help being kept up to standard and y/n’s one of the best so y/n is your new maid". Zuko glanced to where you stood behind Azula and then to his father as if seeing if this would be allowed, women maids were not often allowed to serve male masters so closely and when they did it was always surrounded by rumours and gossip. Ozai didn’t really seem to care he just sighed "don’t argue Zuko, Azula recommends her, your sister is helping you". Zuko went to argue and Ozai slammed his fists down "I will not waste time arguing over the help at my own dinner table” he yelled glaring at Zuko “y/n is your maid now, fire her if you care that much". You could tell by Zuko’s reaction he would not be doing that, he lowered his head in defeat and Azula smiled catching your eye. Her plan to have you spy on Zuko was now in motion.

As soon as it was possible to be dismissed Zuko and Mai stood to leave and reluctantly you stood up too. Mai glared openly as you followed but Zuko ignored you. You looked back to Azula aware this could be the last time you’d see her for a while as her and Zuko largely avoided each other. Azula looked down as you left and you just wished she’d look back up. You’d do as she asked and spy on Zuko but you couldn’t get the night you’d spent together out of your head or deny how it made you feel. You’d told yourself Azula had given you this mission because it gave her an assoication with you, a reason to keep in contact with you, because she cared...but as you walked out of the room she didn’t even look up. This deal was just buisness that’s all.

You followed Mai and Zuko a respectful distance away. They headed towards the royal wing before stopping near the exit for Mai’s house. You hung back so she and zuko could say goodnight and lowered your eyes blending in like you’d been taught. Mai turned and walked towards you glaring right at you, she barged your shoulder as she passed and disappeared out of the palace. You righted yourself and followed Zuko. He reached his room and allowed you inside after him but was clearly uncomfortable. The door closed and he looked at you and then away again unsure what to say or do. He kept going to speak and then stopping so you took over "Prince Zuko shall i help you prepare for the night?". Zuko coughed blushing "Well I can do that myself". “It’s my job” you told him "I am your maid now”. Zuko rolled his eyes “thanks to Azula, this is all part of her plan to screw with me I know it”. You didn’t react or comment on Zuko’s speculation you just stared at him. “Still that’s not your fault” Zuko shrugged and you looked away. Silence fell again and you hated the tension so tried to make it less awkward “Shall I do what I usually do and tell me if there’s anything you wish to change?". Zuko nodded and you readied the room as you would any room and then turned to him. "Is there anything else you require Prince Zuko?". He shook his head looking at his room "no thank you y/n you are dismissed". You bowed "goodnight Prince Zuko I will return in the morning" and left the room.

Azula's POV

It had been 3 days since Azula had assigned you to Zuko on your mission and four more days before the date you’d agreed to meet to discuss what you had found but Azula was growing impatient. Azula had felt uneasy since you’d left with Zuko and she hadn’t seen you since, it was as if her brother was hiding you, she thought bitterly. Azula had thought assigning you to Zuko was a clever plan, she trusted you and now had a spy in her brother own staff who would report on anything and everything she wanted. It was a good plan so why did she feel so restless? Azula pretended maybe it was because after having you serve on her for years you were gone and it was just the change in scenery that disturbed her but she knew it wasn’t, it was specifically because you were gone. In the deepest parts of her mind Azula acknowledged a care or fondness for you but Azula figured all she felt for you came from physical attraction. Sure you’d been nice and kind to her but Azula had felt an attraction to you long before she trusted you so it must just be a physical fondness. Azula had been aware of her growing want and attraction of you that’s why she gave you the offer to share her bed on your last night. She thought one night with you would satisfy her curiosity and solve all her problems surrounding you. She figured afterwards, her thoughts and ideas finally fulfilled, she’d send you on your mission and no longer think about or admire you, the fun chase of the unknown would be over and so she’d no longer have a want or need of you. She had it all planned and it should have worked but why didn’t it? Why did she still want you around?

"Azula!" Ozai snapped and she jumped "what? Im listening"? "You weren’t!” Ozai spat and Azula gulped. She’d been thinking about you again for what felt like the 100th time today but this time in the middle of Ozai’s war meeting. The fact she hadn’t been able to think of anything apart from you since you’d left her company drove Azula crazy, how could it be physical if even after spending an amazing night with you Azula still wanted more?

The door opened saving Azula from another rant from Ozai who noticed her staring off again as Zuko came into the room. "Sorry I’m late" he said bowing and Azula shot up in her seat as if zapped by lightning. You were there behind Zuko, head down eyes low like you’d been taught but Azula desperately wanted you to look up, to look at her. But instead you followed Zuko and came to stand at the back of the room with the other servants. Azula felt a twinge of anger as you stood obediently near Zuko and not near her as you used to, just another reminder you were his now and not hers. Azula knew this was her own fault, she'd assigned you to Zuko and failed to see this potential problem but Azula never admitted when she was wrong and she wasn’t going to start now. Her plan to have you spy on Zuko gave her a good advantage and besides she could hardly undo it now, she’d just have to see it through and endure the anger she felt seeing you follow Zuko around. She just had to remind herself no matter who you “served” you were still hers, you still reported to her! You were still working for her, zuko was just a cover nothing more. Azula told herself this and found it brought her some comfort and appeased her anger. Azula glanced to where you stood and an idea formed in her head. She would come see you tonight, your meeting wasn’t due yet but so what? She was in charge, if she wanted to push the date forward she could. This way she could assess you and Zuko and use the excuse to see you again, see how she felt in your presence and if it made her feel better...if it did, well she’d take it from there. Yes she would do that, comforted she say back and began to finally listen to what Ozai was saying.

Your POV

You were woken up by someone shaking your arm. You groaned opening your eyes and jolted to see it was Azula. "Princess" you gasped flushing, the Princess was here in your room. She had come here in the middle of the night to see you. You were furious at yourself for not tidying your room before you’d gone to sleep or for wearing better quality night clothes but Azula didn’t seem to mind. She smiled and sat next to you on the edge of your bed "yes it’s me y/n, have you forgotten what I look like already?". "Of course not" you replied and she smiled again "good, i came to see how your time with zu zu is going?". You felt disappointed, that’s why she was here but what else did you expect? Just because your mind hadn’t left Azula since the moment you’d been seperated didn’t mean hers hadn’t either. You frowned and answered her question "it’s going as you said it would, he is very awkward at the moment but polite and kind I suppose". "Does he trust you yet?". You shook your head "no I think it will take more time". Azula frowned but then nodded "yes that is to be expected..but I’m sure considering it is you it will not take long". You frowned unsure if this was a compliment “may I ask why you think that?” you asked seeming to catch Azula of guard. She looked up at you before shooting her eyes away, she looked conflicted. “Well my brother has shown preference for you before, he chose to flirt with you at the Ember Islands over anyone else, there was a whole room full of potential girls but he chose you to make Mai jealous”. You paused as many argument sprung up in your head to counter Azula’s claim but then stopped noticing Azula seemed angry, she spat the statement Zuko liked you and was glaring at the floor. Even if she was wrong about Zuko liking you that didn’t mean she knew that, she honestly believed he liked you and that angered her. It was ridiculous but you wondered if that belief was why Azula chose you to assign to Zuko. “Azula you told me you wanted me to get close to Zuko how close?” you asked warily. Her eyes narrowed and she wringed her own hands at the comment “I’m not sure y/n” she admitted “for you to learn his secrets I need him to trust you, to be fond of you and to let you in” she explained and you nodded “I understand Princess”. “But the two of you will be nothing like how our relationship is” Azula said fiercely and you smiled slightly. “Or was I suppose” Azula trailed off and you frowned. “How have you been?” you asked “I have wanted to enquire about you to the other servants but didn’t want to ruin my cover”. Azula smiled slightly “I am fine, your replacement is a complete idiot however” Azula cried “she has no idea of my schedule or how important is it for me to be punctual! She gets my food orders wrong and booked my training rooms for the complete wrong days! And she doesn’t arrange my room the way you did!” Azula carried on and you grinned. Azula blushed and looked down “I suppose you can say I’ve noted your absence”. You smiled sadly and hardly thinking place your hand on top of hers “I’ve missed you too Azula”. You expected her to yell at you for touching her or for insinuating she missed you but she did neither. She shifted and you moved your hand away but Azula didn’t move away “If you have missed me as you put it” she said looking down “you may like my proposal”. You watched Azula waiting for her to continue and nodded when she looked up “I am listening”. “The last night you were my servant...the deal I offered you”. You sat up now fully alert and stared at Azula noticing the slight blush on her cheeks. "I know I said it was a one time thing but..." Azula trailed off and you stared at her, willing her to continue with what she was saying but she seemd to need encouragement. "Pri...I mean Azula...". Azula looked up as you corrected yourself and she smiled. "Azula" you carried on "if you wish to do what we did again, I wouldn’t object". "You enjoyed it?" Azula asked smirking smugly, her nerves now apparently gone and her voice alone sent shivers up your neck. "Of course" you nodded "I haven’t stopped thinking about it honestly". Azula felt excitment but also intrigued, you hadn’t been able to get her out of your head either? She shook away the leaping thoughts and smirked "so really I’d be helping you focus on your duties? If I did this you’d stop daydreaming about me and do your work?" She asked tilting her head to one side as she leant backwards on her arms. You looked up at her and saw how cocky she was, she oozed confidence and ease and you loved it. "Yes princess" you gulped out of habit and she tutted "Azula" she corrected you before kissing you. The sensation was soon becoming familiar and you smiled as azula pushed you to lay down, if this became a regular thing like Azula said you’d be the happiest servant alive,who cares if you got caught?

Afterwards you both lay recovering in comfortable silence before Azula spoke. “Your room needs redecorating” Azula commented and you looked to where she lay beside you staring up at your ceiling. You were still in a daze and weren’t sure you heard her right “I’m sorry?”. Azula sat up and smiled at you over her shoulder ”Your room, It is plain and ugly”. You shrugged “It’s the same as all the servants rooms” you replied and Azula smiled “yes but you are not just any servant are you? You are my servant” making you blush. Azula smiled and continued “and if I am to be spending more time here I would have it look nice”. You paused as Azula surveyed the room “I think some nicer drapes, new furniture and of course some softer bedding” she smiled making you blush. “I will see what I can find..” you started and Azula shook her head “No i will have it all sorted” she told you getting back dressed “I will show you the plans before I do anything of course but I am sure you will like my taste”. You redenned again but smiled “whatever you wish”. The room had never bothered you before, you didn’t care if Azula changed it, if it meant Azula would be visiting more you’d install a hole in the ceiling. Azula nodded “I will have it all ready by my next visit, now I must be leaving”. You nodded and rushed to stand, it was stupid you just done things that definitely went against the formalities required of a servant but now out of the moment you were back to formal mode and the thought of Azula showing herself out was preposterous. Azula seemed the find it amusing too and smirked as you rushed to escort her to the door “this was most enjoyable” Azula told you stroking your cheek “you thought so too?” she asked. “Definitely” you nodded “you are welcome any time”. Azula’s smirk wavered and was replaced with a genuine smile and her eyes softenned “thank you y/n” she said quietly and you smiled, making sure not to make a big deal of this and scare her off. Azula coughed looking down and removed her hand from your cheek “I will see you again in 2 days time, same place and time”. “I look forward to it” you smiled and Azula smirked “good night y/n” and exited your room.

You weren’t sure if anyone else noticed it but you thought both you and Azula changed after that night. When you saw Azula in the throne room or the coridoors of the palace her gaze always lingered on you when nobody was watching and when you looked at her she’d smile slightly. Just a twinge of her cheeks but you knew Azula well enough to read those minute movements all her family didn’t notice. You were sure you were actually making Azula happy and not like how winning a war or humilating a person made her happy but purely happy, innocently happy. All you had to do was trick Zuko into trusting you, cover up Azula’s visits to your room, avoid the suspicion of Mai, Ozai and your fellow servants all while doing your daily jobs! Shouldn’t be too hard.

----

I know it’s over used but I had to play on the jealousy between Azula and Zuko, I think Zuko defo brings out her jealous side more than anyone and would make her finally realise her emotions for the reader. I kind of felt like this was a awkward part storywise as it didn’t really advance too much but I tried to make the relationships Azula and Zuko have with the reader progress naturally. I’m planning on only making two more parts so don’t worry the story will esculate and be much more fast paced from now on!

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thespianbooks · 3 years

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A Court of Nightmares and Starlight //Chapter 24//

Masterlist

(tags: @thron3ofbooks, @df3ndyr, @courtofjurdan, @art-e-mis, @herondamnn, @the-third-me, @im-still-trying-here, @emikadreams, @paytin77, @mis-lil-red, @sleeping-and-books, @lucieisabooknerd, @amandaraey-sunshine, @easy-p-lemon, @azymondias05, @dagypsygirl, @makeshift-utopia) *bold tags don’t work ;-;

I hope this chapter finds you well, and thank you for your patience while I took last week off from posting! Enjoy! ❤️

XXX

I was beginning to feel like this pregnancy would never end, and that I would never sleep again.

As the days stretched on, so did my belly, my skin, and, what felt like, the rest of my body. Along with my middle expanding to a depth I hadn't thought possible, so came the restless nights. From the beginning of my pregnancy, Sebastian had been a gentle glimmer, a beautiful heartbeat that pulsed between my mate and I. After a time, that glimmer was accompanied by light kicks and punches. Now, after a fitful two months filled with little hours of sleep and only growing increasingly uncomfortable by day, my once gentle and calm baby had grown boisterous—especially at night.

"He does hail from the Night Court," Rhys tried to reason as we lay in bed together—another sleepless evening looking to be ahead of us.

"That doesn't mean we never sleep," I complained as he caressed the large expanse of my belly.

His smile as apologetic as he pressed a kiss to my brow, lowering himself down to be eye level with my stomach. "You mustn't be so hard on your mother, Bash. You don't want to be on her bad side before you're born," he said.

I sighed as our son kicked in response, a glimmer flickering through our bond as Rhys watched my stomach; mesmerized as my skin stretched with Sebastian's movement. "I think that was his elbow I saw," he said, touching the spot gently.

My heart warmed at his reaction. "It was," I said. "But you addressing him directly isn't exactly enticing him to settle down in there."

"Right," he said, coming onto his elbows as if he could see our son through my shift and layers of skin and muscle. "Maybe some tea would help you sleep, it could settle you both."

I nodded. "Elain did mix together a new brew for me earlier, and I was able to nap right after...maybe it'll help again now," I said, pushing myself carefully.

"I'll get it for you, my love, you rest here," he said before pushing off the bed-still clad in the black clothes he wore during the day.

I watched him leave and stared down at my stomach, running my hands over it in a gentle caress. The growth I'd experienced in the last couple of months had been exponential, and I was delighted at every check in with Madja when she deemed both of us to be in good health. The midwife, the healer's sister, also regularly attended for my evaluations. She performed her own examinations, using her specialized magic to check on the baby's position and other attributes, like his size and weight—all within the expected range at this stage. At our last appointment earlier in the week, both the midwife and Madja declared that Sebastian had dropped low into my pelvis, head down, which was the correct position for birth. With that assessment, they also determined that I could now go into labor at any time. Although fae pregnancies tended to last up to five weeks longer than a human pregnancy, they assured us that females typically gave birth anywhere in between those weeks—depending on the development of their babes. Sebastian was now fully developed, healthy, strong, and ready to enter the world. Soon my period of nesting would begin and then I'd become reserved in preparation for the undertaking the birthing process would put my body through.

Initially, Rhys and I expected it to happen right away, causing my mate to go on high alert as he remained at my side for every second of the day. According to everything we had been told, as my mate, he would be the first one to sense the change in me. As the days passed, however, they went on as normal with no sign of my diffident state on the horizon. Instead, we followed the new routine and schedule Clotho created for us; meetings and usual court business officially taking place in Rhys's office where I could rest as needed in between work. After matters were settled with the Illyrians, and Mor officially taking her father's place as ruler of the Hewn City, all previous hostility in the Night Court dissipated.

"Elain had the tea ready for you." Rhys said as he re-entered our room, interrupting my thoughts, carrying a tray with a teapot, mug, and covered plates of food.

I pushed myself up with a grunt of effort, eyeing the tray. "What's all this?" I asked as he set the tray on the bed before coming to help me sit upright.

"Well, dinner was hours ago, and based on the past week alone, this is around the time your cravings start." He replied, uncovering the plates filled with an array of fruits, pastries, and a jar filled with pickled herrings.

I beamed. "You brought all of my cravings?"

He nodded. "Even the less desirable one," he answered with a glance at the container of herrings.

Rather than glare at him for his disdain for my cravings, I immediately grabbed the jar with glee. "It's not my fault your son demands I eat these," I countered.

"It's hard to argue that" he said with a smile, his violet eyes sparkling with adoration even as I ate one.

I sighed in content as I ate the entire contents of the jar, Rhys sitting adjacent to me and bringing my legs to rest over his lap as I leaned against the headboard for support. My sighs turned to groans of relief as he began to gently massage my ankles and feet, which had grown swollen recently thanks to walking around with my extraordinary weight.

"Don't worry, they'll shrink back to normal," Rhys assured me, making me realize my mental shields were left wide open for him.

"It's getting harder," I confessed with a sheepish smile. "To keep my shields up, concentrate on work, and lug around this belly."

Rhys nodded his understanding, still rubbing my feet. "You're allowed your discomforts right now my love. In your condition it's impossible to keep up the stamina all day," he sympathized.

"Which is why I need sleep," I said with a frown.

He reached over to the tray, pouring me a cup of the brew Elain had mixed together for me, having found the recipe and ingredients from an apothecary she found at the Palace of Bone and Salt. I eagerly took the steaming mug as he handed it to me, praying to the Mother it would settle my wriggling unborn child enough to afford me a good night's sleep.

"Hopefully with your cravings satisfied and this tea combined, you'll be asleep in no time." Rhys mused, voicing my thoughts aloud. "We wouldn't want you to be cranky during your surprise tomorrow afternoon."

I blinked. "What surprise?"

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise."

Prick.

He laughed outright. "Regardless, my lips are sealed. Your sisters and Mor have been planning this for months, and I won't spoil it."

I sighed. "I don't actually have to go anywhere do I?"

Rhys chuckled as I sipped at my tea. "No, the surprise is right here in our home," he reassured as he came to lay on his side, setting my feet back onto the bed and propping himself up on an elbow as his other hand caressed my stomach.

"Is the surprise actually for me, or for Bash?" I asked.

"My lips are sealed," he repeated before pressing a kiss to the hand lying idle on my belly. "But I have a feeling you'll enjoy it regardless."

I sighed in mock exaggeration. "I guess as High Lady I have no choice but to attend," I hummed.

"It would be strange not to, especially considering the location," Rhys added in his own playful tone.

"But I expect some recompense," I motioned to my large belly. "For my gallant efforts."

He returned with a roguish grin, "More foot rubs? Or maybe a back massage?"

I pretended to consider for a long moment, dragging it out as I sipped from my tea, before I finally nodded. "Both will do," I agreed.

His dark chuckle reverberated through the room, through me, as he moved onto his hands and knees to level our gazes and pressed a kiss to my brow—staying there for a minute. Setting my now empty mug aside, I brought my hands up to hold either side of his face; both of our eyes slipping shut as he remained hovering above me, breathing in each other's scent. After a minute of relishing each other's warmth, I couldn't help the yawn that broke from my throat as Rhys pulled back with a smirk.

"Let's get you to sleep," he said softly.

I nodded, my eyelids actually feeling heavy as he helped me into a side-lying position; using his magic to wave away the tray of leftover food as well as his day clothes, leaving him in only his undershorts as he lay beside me. It was here, in his continued warmth and lingering scent that I finally succumbed into a much-needed sleep.

XXX

I could still pick up on the residuals of Rhysand's scent when I awoke the next morning—or rather, the afternoon, judging from the way the sunlight shone through the gossamer curtains in our room. I stretched onto my back slowly with a yawn, a new tray of food showing up on the space beside me and a note popping up alongside it. I smiled as I grabbed it, reading the quick words my mate had written.

Have some breakfast my love and come join me in the nursery.

My smile warmed before I slowly pushed myself upright, my stomach growling—a not so subtle indication from Sebastian at how hungry we both were. I took my time eating through the assortment of food Rhys had picked out for me, knowing whatever awaited me in the nursery had something to do with the surprise my sisters and Mor had for me. Once we had returned from the Illyrian camps, following the coup, Elain finally completed all plans she had for the full reconstruction of the nursery, once our sitting room, and recruited Nesta and Mor to see to its fruition. For the last two months it was their project, one they made sure to exclude me from with the promise that it would be ready in time for the baby's arrival. Elain claimed it was an "aunt's only" venture, which I was happy to oblige to thanks to my continued exhaustive state.

Once my appetite had been sated, I tried using the momentum of my legs swinging over the edge of the bed to push myself up to standing...only to have my large belly prevent me from actually being able to sit up at all. I sighed in frustration, but before I could call Rhys through the bond, he was in the room and at my side in seconds.

I scowled as he took both my hands, hauling me up to my feet. "I officially can't even climb out of bed without help," I grumbled.

"Yes, well," he glanced at my stomach with a feline grin. "We saw that coming."

I sighed and ambled towards my armoire. "If you hadn't come, I would've been stuck there and never would've been able to join you for my surprise."

Rhys laughed. "I wouldn't have left you here all day, I promise," he said as he came to my side, grabbing a gown I didn't recognize from the far end of the armoire. "How about this?"

I stared at it as he hung it on the door of the armoire for display. It was a floor length, midnight blue maternity gown with off-shoulder long sleeves. The bust ruched in elegant pleats, creating an elegant sweetheart neckline, and would allow the rest of the soft fabric to fall and hang over my belly delicately.

I smiled at him. "Is it another gown your mother made for me?" I asked softly.

He nodded. "I've been waiting to pull it out for you. I think today would be the perfect opportunity."

"Will you help me into it?" I asked by way of agreement.

Rhys smiled, the rare and soft smile that always warmed me to my core. "Of course, Feyre darling."

After another half an hour spent helping me wash up in the bathing room, changing, and arranging my hair in a simple braided crown, I was ready. I laughed as I caught my reflection in the mirror.

"I look like I'm going to a party," I admitted.

"You are," Rhys confirmed as he looped his arm with mine, escorting me to the other end of our suite and to the double doors that led to the sitting room-now nursery.

Before I could question him further, he opened the doors to the nursery where all of our family awaited us. I barely noticed the smiles on their faces as I took in the transformed space. The once creme colored walls were now painted in a soft baby blue hue, a few clouds painted throughout. A dark-stained wooden cradle decorated with matching soft blue and white blankets nestled inside sat in the middle of the room, a plush carpet underneath and a weaved basket overflowing with stuffed toys sitting beside it. Hanging above the cradle, draped open delicately on either side of it, was a light grey canopy. Tears I hadn't realized gathered in my eyes fell when I blinked at the sight before me.

"What do you think, Feyre?" Elain asked as she crossed over to me, taking both of my hands in hers.

I nodded with a wet laugh, observing the other details of the room—all beautifully and meticulously decorated. "It's beautiful Elain," I said.

"Just wait until you see his closet full of clothes," Mor said with a grin as she came to my side and embraced me. "Nesta and I have been collecting clothes for months."

I looked at Nesta, surprised, but she waved a hand. "It was mostly her and Elain. I organized them according to size," she explained.

"She really doesn't want to admit to the two outfits she actually found because she's worried you'll think they're ugly," Cassian teased from beside her, earning a deadly glare from my sister.

I had been surprised to see both him and Azriel in the room with the others, both clad in the casual clothes we rarely saw them wear.

They wanted to be here for your sister's and Mor's unveiling. Consider this one of the last gatherings we'll all have together before Sebastian arrives. Rhys said through the bond.

I smiled briefly at my mate, squeezing the hand that held mine and turned back to the others, when suddenly the Night Court insignia caught the corner of my eye from the wall to my left. I paused before walking over to it, taking in the tapestry woven from the deepest black to exist and the iridescent silver thread shining like liquid starlight as it shaped the Night Court's insignia.

Void and Hope.

I touched it gently, marveling at the feel of the velvet texture—remembering how it felt exactly as it had that day I saw it in the weaver's gallery. Back then I had no idea where I would hang it, but seeing it here now, recalling the emotions it stirred in me then—the realization of just how lucky Rhys and I were to both return from the war with each other and how far we had come since; the realization of wanting, more than anything, to start a family with my mate as soon as possible. I couldn't think of a more perfect place for it.

"It was Rhysand's idea to hang it up here. What do you think?" Elain asked with a gentle smile, remembering the day she had been with me when I bought it.

I nodded and turned back to my mate, my eyes burning as I rested both hands on my belly. "It's perfect," I repeated, knowing he heard the initial sentiments in my thoughts.

"You're welcome, Feyre darling," he purred in my ear as he returned to my side and pressed a kiss to my temple.

Mor clapped before I could get lost in his warmth, and grinned. "Alright, now it's present time!" She declared.

I blinked. "Present time? It isn't my birthday." I said, confused.

"No, but it's almost his," Mor said as she rubbed my stomach affectionately. "So, we're having a little celebration in honor of his arrival," she explained.

I looked at Rhys, but he simply shrugged. "It is a tradition among the fae, much like the parties thrown for a mated pair."

"We didn't have a party when I accepted our bond," I argued, my face flushing as I realized just how much I had become the center of attention.

"Which is why we all get to celebrate you now," Mor countered with a grin. "It's not every day a High Lady gives birth to a future High Lord."

I opened my mouth to argue the case of Viviane, but was surprised when Amren was the one to cut in. "The Winter Court does things differently than we do, girl."

I surveyed all their faces; Mor, Elain, and Cassian looked the most eager, but even Azriel, Amren and Nesta seemed earnest in wanting to commemorate this moment—one of the last we would all have together during my pregnancy, before Sebastian was born. Given the last arduous several months we just endured, unable to really relish in welcoming his arrival or spending that much time together in a casual setting like this, I knew now our chance.

With another glance at my mate, who dipped his head in approval, I sighed in mock exaggeration before I nodded at Mor with a genuine grin. Her face lit up with delight before leading me over to the rocking chair on the other end of the room.

"You too, Rhysie," Cassian said as he nudged Rhys forward. "You're the dad, so we have a few things for you too."

"Feyre is the pregnant one. She's been doing all the hard work, and I've just been watching," Rhys avowed.

"You've done more than that," Nesta claimed, and Elain nodded in approval as they both began gathering the presents that had been hidden in the closet.

Azriel came and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Technically, as the expectant parents, all of these gifts are for both of you, as well as your son." he reasoned.

"Yeah, so come sit with Feyre and let us shower you with gifts," Cassian insisted with a crooked grin as he pulled up a chair and placed it next to mine.

Rhys looked taken aback by his brother's words, and even Nesta's, as he glanced in my direction. He was the one used to indulging the others, as High Lord he saw it as part of his duty—to accommodate his friends, his family, but now he was the one being tended to.

I smiled as I reached a hand out to him, the other resting on the apex of my belly as I sat in the rocking chair. "If I have to endure this, so do you," I teased.

He half-heartedly rolled his eyes, a feline grin on his face as he took my hand and came to sit beside me. I squeezed it gently, glancing at my stomach as that once-gentle glimmer flickered through us both and down the bond.

XXX

The sleep I had found that night was short-lived. While the tea I had drunk the night before had done wonders at calming down my lively babe and had helped me once again succumb to the embers of slumber, I felt a strange sensation in my nerves.

It wasn't like the panic or fear triggered by nightmares, but rather a gentle buzz that thrummed under my skin. I couldn't place the name for what exactly I was feeling, but it felt reminiscent of Calanmai, or when I had felt the early traces of the bond between Rhys and me. I felt that tug on the bond now, despite Rhys sleeping peacefully at my side, and felt it over and over until I slowly and carefully hoisted myself out of bed. In spite of the effort it took, I didn't struggle as I had earlier, the gentle buzzing seeming to cause a light adrenaline rush. I padded across the room as quietly as I could manage, as to not disturb my mate, and over to the double doors that lead to the nursery.

I stepped inside and admired the sight as I had earlier, touching the cradle gently as I approached it. My chest tightened a bit as I tried to imagine a swaddled and sleeping Sebastian laying in it. I often saw the baby version of what the Bone Carver had shown me in my dreams; of Rhysand holding and cradling him in his arms—a miniature version of himself with some of my own features mixed in. I sighed contentedly as I grabbed a soft blanket thrown over the edge of the cradle, folding it neatly before placing it on the bedding. I surveyed the rest of the room, suddenly finding a few imperfections in the decor, or in the supplies that had been laid out, and before I knew it, I was rearranging the different areas of the room. I started with the cradle, folding the different types of blankets according to size and type, before moving onto the changing station and began organizing the different creams and ointments we might need for that messy business. With the words and lectures of our healer and midwife in my head, specifically on how we would care for and tend to Sebastian once he arrived, I now felt compelled to make sure that I was adequately prepared.

"Look who's being a mother hen now," my mate said from the doorway, his voice a husky mixture of sleep and amusement.

I turned to look at him, a stuffed toy in hand from my work of rearranging the basket of toys sitting beside the changing station. I felt another flush return to my cheeks as he came to my side.

"I couldn't sleep," I admitted as I looked at the toy; a bear with cloth wings Nesta claimed had been hand-sewn by the clothier shopkeeper Emerie, from the Windhaven camp.

"I see that," Rhys said softly, hands coming to hold my stomach. When he felt no answering glimmer or movement in response to his touch, he smiled. "But it wasn't because our little one kept you awake, it seems."

I paused, realizing he was right. Sebastian had remained still, asleep, despite my movements and the tug I had felt on the bond. "No. It was...something else, I think. I fell asleep earlier, but then I woke up with this overwhelming urge to…" I looked around the room, trying to voice exactly what I felt. "Clean?" I tried.

Rhys's violet eyes warmed, starlight smoldering as a hand touched my cheek gently. "Feyre, darling, you're starting to nest," he said.

My eyes met his, astonished, realizing what this meant. "Oh," I whispered and looked down at my belly.

Nesting was the first indication of my body readying for labor. It was an expecting female's first instinct, the midwife had told us, because she would want to make sure her home was aptly prepared for the arrival of her newborn. This period could last anywhere between a few days to a week and would follow with all other instincts cooling into a withdrawn state; a necessary final stage before the laboring process began.

I let out a shaky breath as Rhys caressed my stomach, his brow coming to rest on mine as those sparkling violet eyes stared into mine. "It's okay, Feyre," he reassured. "If you're nervous."

"I'm a little nervous," I confessed. "Not just because I know there will be pain, but because...we'll finally get to meet him."

I stroked my stomach gently as I went on. "After all these years of trying, after the last several months we've had...we're finally going to hold him in our arms. He won't just be what we've imagined him to be, what the Bone Carver showed us...he'll be real."

Rhys brushed away a stray tear as it fell down my cheek and held me as closely as he could, my large belly pressed against the hard planes of his, resting between us.

"Yes, he will," he whispered before claiming my lips with his in a lingering and sweet kiss as my eyes fluttered closed.

"We're having a baby," I whispered after a minute, my lips still lingering on his.

I felt him smile and he pulled back to meet my gaze as I opened my eyes again. His thumbs stroking my cheeks as he held my face.

"Yes, we are, my love, and I don't know how to thank you for this...this gift, this life you've grown inside of you," he said, his violet eyes now lined with silver.

My hands came to take his wrists gently, bringing his hands to my lips in a brief kiss before letting them go so he could hold my waist. "You can start by helping me organize this room...and bringing me some more pickled herrings?" I asked with an abashed smile.

Rhys threw his head back in a laugh, pressing another quick kiss to my lips as he nodded and sketched a quick bow. "As my Lady wishes," he said with a wink.

I laughed along with him as I looked down at my stomach, giving it a gentle touch as I wondered just how much longer it would actually be before Sebastian occupied this room.

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angies-aesthetics · 3 years

Note

hello there!! if possible, do u think i could have a general tarot reading for how my dave miller dsaf timeline went? im looking for any answers! anything helps!! thank you so so much<33 i hope ur staying safe n taking care of urself!! remember 2 take ur time!!

[ keyboard smash ] aaa! You’re so kind, thank you for that! ; w ; Really needed that to get going this morning!! Hehe, anyways, I’m going to be using the nine-card spread for a timeline, three for the beginning, three for the middle, and three for the end.

Beginning spread: These cards will highlight people, situations, or influences from the past that still affect you. These cards may also show you a learned lesson in your past that was effective to your later.

Queen of Swords: A card of guarding. You had to use your mind keenly to assess situations and make the most of them. You had to think through situations, and not give away your thought-processes and did not make decisions too easily. Back then, it was impossible to wear your heart on your sleeve, because you felt that you needed to be protected from something. Considering this is the first card, in the beginning of your timeline, you were not able to be very vulnerable.

Death: Okay, so, this card isn’t as bad as it seems by name alone! Something has ended, whether it was a bad thing or a good thing, it is not totally clear. It can be hard to overcome what has ended, but it was definitely one of the biggest points in the beginning of your timeline.

Six of Cups: A card of longing. This makes me think the thing that ended was either a relationship or someone’s life. Six of Cups is a card in which you feel that you should work to have something back in your life. You might have taken steps to try and reciprocate what was lost previously. It seems that you were absolutely in grief over whatever it was...

Middle spread: These cards will highlight people, situations, or influences from the past that you found during the middle of your timeline, possibly offering that solution to the beginning spread.

The Devil: Something had a powerful hold on you. Considering the previous cards, it might be that sense of grief or loss that we discussed earlier, but it seemed impossible to escape from. But, you knew what you were dealing with, you knew what you needed to do – you were not facing an unknown demon, and you did have the power to overcome this.

Two of Wands: A card of opportunity. It seems that you may have reached a pause within your troubles. There was something you began to look forward to, something that drove you to do better things and not linger in the past!

Ace of Pentacles: Another card of opportunity! You became aware of something beneficial to you and wanted to seize it. I can definitely see this playing off positively with the Two of Wands.

Ending spread: The natural follow on, or outcome of the previous spreads.

Justice: “The scales of Justice are about to fall!” Seems like something changed massively. If you were on the side of “good,” it was likely things began to change for the better; however, justice falls to those who deserve it, so this could also be a punishment card depending on the alignment. Either way, it’s a card of big change!

Ten of Wands: A card of burden. Some sort of stress became known to you and you had to begin to let things go or delegate them to others.

The Hierophant: A card of reconciliation. If you are sensing feelings of discord about things that you were completely happy about before, it came as no surprise that you were seeking alternative information, or beliefs, that better suited your needs. It’s a card of truth, meaning that something became known at the very end of your timeline, but this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Hoo, what a timeline! I hope this serves as some help to you. I wish you the best of luck and take care! Feel free to send in any follow-up questions you might have!

#mod angie; divinity!

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shurisneakers · 5 years

Text

espresso [11]

Summary: In which your best friend’s brother begins to set you up on dates when you mention that you haven’t been in a relationship in years, but things don’t go as expected.

Warning: mentions of past cheating, angst, anger, family problems, homophobia, sadness,

Word count: 4.8k

A/N: im returning after 2 months again oops im sorry does anyone still read this anymore, also this is the longest chapter of espresso so far go us!! this is my entry for @viktordrago‘s writing challenge. listen this chapter seems to be @samingtonwilson approved so i think y’all will like it too. also give her some love, she deserves it

here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333

Previous part- Part 10 || Espresso Masterlist

“Y/N, I’m glad you could make it!”

Stepping into Becca's house cautiously, you sent an awkward wave to Bucky’s mother who beamed at you in disproportionate reciprocation, rushing to help you with your coat and giving you a quick hug in the process.

“Hey Mrs. B." You tried your best to speak through the thickness of your throat, forcing yourself not to stiffen in her embrace. “How ya been?”

“Exhausted,” she laughed, shaking her head gently. “Ain’t easy getting all of them to get along for three days.”

You felt that. You were tired too.

You offered her a sympathetic smile and followed her lead to the dining room, scanning your surroundings for any sign of her son and not engaging in her spirited chatter.

The house smelled like pine scented candles and vanilla essence, the same as it did every year without fail. Since you were last there two days ago, a large tree now sat in the living room, too tall to stand upright with the top pushing against the low ceiling at an odd angle. It wasn't a real tree but, in your experience, was considered a part of the Barnes family and decorated to the nines.

You quietly slid into the seat next to Rebecca who only then seemed to pick up on your arrival, looking away from her phone. A quick glimpse of surprise flashed over her face, and understandably so.

“I remembered all your favorites,” Becca’s mom proudly gestured around the countertop where dishes were stacked, covered with lids or sheets of foil.

“It smells great.” It wasn’t a lie; it really did smell like a feast, but your wide range of junk food and Netflix at home was just as appealing, if not more.

Still, you forced a tight-lipped smile at her, thanking the heavens that she bought it a second later without so much as a question.

Eyebrows drawn together, you took a closer look at Becca’s mom. The bags under her eyes were more pronounced and her steps were heavier as if carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders was finally getting to her.

She seemed distracted, distant almost. You knew she had learned to detach herself from a lot of the negativity around her over the years but it was beginning to feel like she was tuning out altogether.

You felt Becca lean in to whisper to you, asking for your attention but never once taking her eyes off her mom who had turned to double checking everything she made while giving a brief rundown on each dish. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“How you holdin’ up?”

“Fine,” you answered shortly.

She spared you a brief glance to raise her eyebrow. “Really?”

“Always.” Becca didn't say anything but you didn't miss the slight twitching of her jaw as she looked ahead.

You know she hadn’t expected you to show up after the call you’d shared the night before. It lasted well into the late hours, and you weren’t sure when it had ended since you’d fallen asleep from the emotional toll the evening had taken on you. Obviously, you had left out the parts about Bucky, figuring that it was something you both had to talk about yourselves, whenever time demanded it.

Speaking of whom, he was nowhere to be seen. It was a good thing. Longer the delay, the better.

“How’s your vacation going so far, Y/N?”

You hesitated but quickly recovered. “Good as it can get, Mrs. B.”

She smiled at you before she looking to the clock, “George and Bucky are at the store, they’ll be home any minute.”

“Tell them to take their time, we’re in no hurry,” Rebecca drawled in a dry deadpan, eyes narrowed at her nails to avoid her mother’s glower.

“Please try to be civil tonight.” She sighed, rubbing at her temples. You couldn’t imagine how the last few days must have been for her, stuck in the middle of the endless anger and pettiness from Becca and her dad’s feud.

“Me? Be an intentional pain in the ass? I would never.”

Her mom didn’t bother refuting the statement. She just absentmindedly untied the well-worn apron from her waist and, for a second, you thought she might strangle your best friend with it.

Instead, she hung it on the handle of the oven and exited the room to change into something that wasn’t covered in flour, leaving you both alone.

Becca waited until she was out of sight to spin around in her seat and face you. “Listen, you don’t have to stay here if you don't want to be around people right now. They'd understand.”

“I’ll get through,” you mumbled, shutting your eyes and leaning back in your chair.

“You don’t have to. Don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with just because of some dumb tradition.”

“It’s just one evening, Becks,” you muttered as you wrapped your arms around yourself. “Besides, I promised.”

She mulled over your words. Her teeth gently nipped at her bottom lip. “You wanna talk about it?”

“Not really, no.”

“Now or ever?”

“Right now it feels like ever, but we’ll see.”

“I knew I was right to spill my drink on Ronald McDonald.”

“That’s a new one,” you said, cracking one eye open to peek at her.

“It’s the hair,” she huffed as she gestured to the top of her head with a roll of her eyes. “I’m running out of characters, we need to eliminate her soon.”

“If it helps, I don’t think she-“

The reverberation from the loud slamming of the front door interrupted you mid-sentence. Becca stiffened at the boisterous laughter of her dad, and you were about to reach out a hand to comfort her but stopped when you realized it was accompanied by the more subdued chuckles of Bucky.

Fuck.

“Y/N!” Her dad’s voice made you jump from your chair instantly, knowing from years’ of experience that he was an old fashioned man, and sometimes not for the better. “It’s good to see you! How are you?”

“Hey, Mr. Barnes.” He had his hand out for a handshake and you remembered to comply firmly, a satisfied grin growing on his face at your actions. “I’m okay. How are you doing?”

“Clinging to life by a thread at this point, I’m afraid.” He shrugged off his coat and slightly ruffled his neatly combed back hair to get rid of the water droplets that had accumulated there.

You could hear the rustling of a paper bag as Bucky handed something over to his mom but you didn’t spare him a look, instead choosing to keep your eyes trained on his father.

“George!” Bucky’s mom scolded, joining in on the conversation as she placed the bag Bucky handed her on the counter.

“What?” Bucky’s dad laughed. He removed the scarf from his neck and took the place opposite to you at the small rectangular dining table.

You took a second to quickly assess Becca, only to find her mostly unfazed except for the slight edge in the way she was looking at her father and the way her leg was bouncing under the table, a habit she had been asked to get rid of multiple times but never really paid consideration to.

You could see from the corner of your eye Bucky standing awkwardly to the side, trying to find a place to sit down. His issue must have been that the only place left was next to you.

You focused ahead and prayed he would just sit down instead of drawing attention to himself and the glaringly obvious tension between you both.

He appeared to have the same thought, taking the seat but not offering a word of greeting or acknowledgement to you.

_________

You quickly found that your attention wasn’t very missed during the evening as long as you supplied occasional laughs or nods, whichever seemed appropriate given everyone else’s response. Most of your time was spent watching Becca bounce her leg under the table.

“That’s basically how I started a Steve Buscemi fan club in my first year and didn’t realize I was president until like, six months in.”

“It’s not a club if you were the only member.”

“False, Y/N joined.” You perked up when you heard your name, taking a moment to register what had just been said. Up until then, you’d been playing around with the food on your plate, pushing around any vegetables in your path.

“I did?” you asked when it finally clicked in your brain what had just been said. It was safe to say you had no idea how the conversation ended up there, but you didn’t bother figuring it out.

“Yeah, I gave you a badge and everything.”

“Does Y/N even know she was a part of the club, or…” her mother asked, a good-natured smile on her face as she took a sip from her glass.

“I very much did not.”

“Excuse me, what?” Becca dropped her cutlery incredulously. “I just- okay. Fine. I see how it is.”

Another pretend laugh and you were out of the conversation again, for which you were thankful because it was taking all your energy to talk and your social battery was practically drained to begin with.

You’d forgotten Bucky was next to you until he reached over to fill your glass again, startling you. You had seen his hunched shoulders and a thousand-yard stare on his face make an appearance quite a while ago and it hadn’t changed since then. He looked like he would rather be anywhere than here.

You subtly nodded in thanks, to which he just went back to looking down at the plate. Guess he didn’t see it.

“College was different back in my day,” Bucky’s dad smiled reflectively, placing his fork and knife down to talk, his eye catching yours.

“Is it very different from what it is now?” you asked in response to his nonverbal cue to. You hoped he would launch into one more of his long tirades to pass the time.

“It was a smaller community back then. Most kids you went to school with ended up at the same college as you so y’didn’t make a lot of friends but you sure kept the ones you did.” He sounded wistful, nostalgic. “It’s one of the reasons I tried to get these two to stay here.”

“Oh?” Becca swallowed what she was chewing, her tone challenging. Her eyes were narrowed. Uh-oh. “I thought it was so that you could have complete control over me and my love life.”

A silence that could only be described as awkward ensued. The only sounds were of Becca’s fork and knife scraping against her plate as she ignored the surprise she elicited from her words.

“I wouldn’t have to if you didn’t get yourself mixed with the wrong crowd, Becca.” Her dad laughed but you could tell that it was dry and forced as he picked up his silverware, pretending like nothing out of the ordinary had been said.

“The wrong crowd- alright.“ she scoffed, single eyebrow skeptically cocked.

“Y/N-” he turned his attention to you, expression unaffected. “How did your semester go?”

“It certainly… went,” you tried at a poor attempt to diffuse the tension in the room, which was surprisingly well-received by him. Though at this point anything would be a saving grace for him.

“Ain’t that the same for all of us. Don’t think I ever learned what I paid for.” He shrugged. “What about you, James?”

“Huh?” Bucky only just seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was stuck in, looking around wildly for a second. “Oh, yeah, semester went okay.”

“And Becca?”

“It was okay,” she replied curtly.

“Only okay?” He raised his eyebrow at her. “Is there a specific reason for that?”

“Nope.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” She flashed him a big smile and you could see the look of utter distress begin to set in on her mother’s face.

“Fine.” He cleared his throat. “Because I hope you don’t forget why we’re sending you to college.”

“To fuck girls and make bank,” she muttered under her breath.

You had to suppress a snort and disguise it weakly as a cough. Real smooth.

“What did you say?” Oh shit.

“Hm?” she asked, feigning surprise.

“I want to know what it is you said to yourself.” His eyebrows were knit together in brewing anger, jaw clenched and eyes cold.

“Alright,” she said easily, fearlessly. Putting her fork and knife down, she leaned forward, her chin on the palm of her hand. Her stare was bold. “I asked why you weren’t asking Bucky all of this.”

“Becca, don’t-“ her mother started, only to be interrupted by Becca’s dad’s response to her question.

“Oh please,” he scoffed as he looked away in annoyance.

“No, seriously. Why aren’t you telling Bucky these things? He didn’t say his semester went all that great either.”

Bucky coughed and sunk back into his chair as if to move away from the conversation. You looked at him, tilting your head in a silent bid for him to intervene and put a stop to it before it got out of control.

He bit his lip and remained silent. He didn’t seem to notice your action.

Their dad’s response was defensive. “I’d tell him the same things if I was concerned about him.”

“No, you wouldn’t. We know that.” She shook her head and you could see her leg stop bouncing under the table. “What’s the real reason, huh? You worried I’m gonna go get hitched to the first person I see?”

“Absolutely not.”

“I’m sorry, I should have specified.” She cleared her throat. “To the first girl I see?”

You could see his posture straighten further, something you didn’t even think was possible. His Adam’s apple shifted as he swallowed thickly, remaining speechless.

Becca hadn’t moved an inch.

“Did you tell him about Natasha?” She looked at her mother, who was as still as she could be other than a slight shake of her head.

“Who’s Natasha?” Mr. Barnes’ voice cut through before their exchange continued, alternating glances between his wife and her.

Becca leaned back in her seat with a subtly smug expression, arms crossed over her chest. “My girlfriend.”

You inhaled sharply, dreading what was to come.

There was complete silence for a moment before her dad laughed nervously. “I can’t be expected to know every new friend-“

“Not friend. Girlfriend.” She clarified. “Two very different things.”

“Maybe we should discuss this after dinner, hm?” Her mother looked around the table, giving everyone a shaky smile. “Does anyone want anymore-“

“Why? Isn’t this normal dinner talk?” She tightened her arms over her chest further, defiantly. “I tell you about what’s going on in my life, give you a little background on who I’ve been seeing-“

“Not now, Becca.” Her dad’s voice was lower than usual and he was avoiding her stare.

“She’s Russian, by the way. Met her at a party-“

“Rebecca.”

You looked back at Bucky, unsure of what to do.

For the first time that night you met his eyes, only to find him as uncomfortable as you. You could tell he’s biting the inside of his cheek, but he hadn’t said anything yet.

“Been together a couple of months, she’s got a big family-“

“Enough!” Her dad brought his hand down harshly on the table, making you jump and gasp. His fists were clenched to the point of whitening his knuckles, a vein was prominent against the skin of his neck.

Rebecca didn’t bat an eye. “No.”

“Becks-“ Bucky finally tried, snapping you from your daze to reach for her hand. She gripped onto you tightly.

“Stop,” she said to him making him shut his mouth as quickly as he opened it. You could see red rimming her eyes. “Just stop. He needs to hear this.”

She looked back at her dad, a slight quiver almost unnoticeable in her otherwise strong voice. “My girlfriend’s name is Natasha, and I love her. I won't let you erase her existence like how you did with all my ex-girlfriends.”

“You didn’t have ex-girlfriends, this is just one of your-“

“What? Phases?” She paused, waiting for him to agree with her. “It’s not. And even if it was, so fucking what?”

You could see her mother flinch at the curse word but maintained her silence. She looked like she was dissociating from the situation again.

“I’m a lesbian, dad. My girlfriend is bisexual. We’re together,” she emphasized the last part. “It’s about time you accept it or learn to live with it.”

Her chair scraped behind her loudly as she stood up, her hand letting go of yours.

“Dinner was delicious, Ma. Thank you.” She flashed her a shaky smile before spinning on her heel and leaving the room.

Bucky and you shared a nervous glance before you broke it to look at his mother.

With a subtle tilt of her head in the direction Rebecca had gone in, you knew you had her permission to leave so you just quickly stacked your plate on top of Becca’s before taking off behind her.

“Becca!” you called after her, taking two steps at a time to catch up with her.

“M’fine,” she grunted, shoulders stiff as she walked into her room, slamming the door behind her.

“Let me in, Rebecca.” You hastily knocked on the wood.

You could hear loud arguing in the dining room, but you chose not to discern its content. You figured it wasn’t your place to listen in.

“Everything’s fine, Y/N, don’t bother.” Her voice was muffled. You couldn’t tell if she was crying, which only stressed you out more.

You leaned your forehead against the door, hoping your words would be clearer. “You know it isn’t. Just open the door and we can talk about it.”

The door swung open and you staggered back in an effort to not fall face first to the ground. Becca had pulled on a hoodie and had changed into sweatpants, hair in a loose ponytail.

“Y/N,” she began, “I’m fine. Seriously.”

“Becca, you don’t have to-“

“I just need to clear my head.” The redness around her eyes had reduced significantly, but was still present. It gave you all the more reason to believe she wasn’t being completely truthful. “Really. I said what I had to say, I just got overwhelmed while doing it.”

You remained silent, lips pressed together in a tight line, waiting for her to go on.

“I just need to be alone for some time, to think some things through. I’m-“ Becca lingered, letting her shoulders relax. “I’m okay. I got this, I promise; just… trust me.”

You stared at her, trying to formulate your next move. Would you be a shitty person if you left her alone like this?

“Tell me if you need anything, and I mean anything. I’ll be right here.”

She nodded, slipping you a small smile before closing the door softly. You heard the click of her lock, indicating that you made the right choice.

You sighed, sinking to the floor adjacent to her door. You could stay there for some more time, just in case.

You were probably just being too paranoid, but just in case.

You weren’t sure how long you sat there to see if she’d rush back out, but you stopped keeping track after a while.

Someone’s heavy footsteps alerted you of their presence as they paced down the hallway where you were perched. You didn’t have to look up to know who it was. You didn’t spare him a glance even as he paused for a second next to you before joining you on the floor, crossing his legs in front of him.

“She doin’ okay?” Bucky sounded out of breath and you wondered if he ran up the stairs like you had.

“She said she was,” you mumbled, picking at your cuticles. “She isn’t leaving her room though.”

He exhaled, followed by the dull thump of his head falling against the wall behind him. “Beck’s strong. She’ll pull through. Just gotta… just gotta give her some time.”

You closed your eyes. You just wanted to sleep. It was just so tiring; everything was so tiring.

“’m sorry you got caught up in this.” He pulled his knees up so they were tucked against him. “It shouldn’t-“

“Why didn’t you stand up for her down there?” you cut him off and opened your eyes to look at him. “You’re her brother. She needed support and you-“

“Think of what just happened. Would that have helped?” he asked coolly.

“It sure would have helped her-“

“This isn’t the first time it’s happened, you know that.” He turned his head towards you. “We’ve been through this before, I’ve been through this before. I’ve tried to help, so many times. It ends up with either Becca or my dad despising me. It’s just… it’s exhausting.”

You bit your tongue and forced yourself to calm down before your anger got the best of you. You knew about this, Bucky himself telling you about his involvement. How you let yourself forget it so carelessly was beyond you.

“You’re right, though.” He shrugged, surprising you. “I told my dad this time that if he cuts her off, he can- he can do the same for me. ‘M sticking by her side.”

He let out a shaky breath.

“I’m sorry,” you said softly.

He shrugged again, looking straight ahead at the wall. He was chewing on his lip, eyebrows pulled together as he toyed with what you just noticed were bandages on his left knuckles. You wondered how the hell he managed to get those within two days.

It was close to nine thirty. You were beginning to question if you should pack up and go since there was no sound coming from Becca’s end. She had probably gone to sleep.

“I’m gonna-“ you began to tell Bucky that you were leaving, only to be interrupted.

“I didn’t do it, y’know,” he said quietly.

You stop for a moment before you finally look at him. “Do what?”

It was a dumb question. You knew exactly what he was talking about. You just weren’t sure if this was the time or place to talk about it.

“Set you up like that. I had no idea he was going to be there.”

“I know, I shouldn’t have said that.” You didn’t bother hiding that you knew it was plain overreaction on your end. It would be completely out of his nature. “But it doesn’t mean you didn’t know about him and Dot, or that you didn’t pair me up with people you knew I wouldn’t like.”

“You really believe that I wouldn’t tell you about Dot and Rumlow if I knew?” He twisted his body to face you. “That I’d spend even a second with her if I knew she was the girl he cheated with?”

“Rumlow and you spent too long together for me to not believe you had not even the slightest clue, Bucky-“

“But I didn’t. Rumlow and I- we never got along. Never spent any time that I wasn’t forced to with him. Couldn’t stand the guy, especially since-“ Bucky hesitated, before clearing his throat. “Doesn’t matter. The point is I wasn’t aware at all.”

“Especially since what?”

“What?”

“You said you didn’t like him especially since what?” you pressed on it, your curiosity too eager to ignore even though it was probably insignificant anyway.

“It’s nothing, doesn’t even matter now.” He scanned you for a second. “He just had a chance at something I never did.”

“At what?”

“Nothing, Y/N, just drop it.”

“Fine.” It didn’t make sense to dwell on it further if it just meant you getting riled up on something small that didn’t even matter. “What about the others?”

“Who?” He squinted, trying to find a connection to what you were talking about.

“Vision. Tony. I don’t even remember the others.”

He sighed and rubbed his temples. “If you’re asking whether I handpicked people you’d hate just to make you waste your time and energy, the answer is I didn’t.”

You crossed your arms over your chest. “Well-“

“But-” he continued at the same time as you, in all seriousness. You both went quiet at the same time until he clenched his eyes shut and shook his head. “Nevermind.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing, it’s bullshit.”

“I didn’t care about the last one, but this clearly includes me so speak up.” You narrowed your eyes at him.

“Both of them include you,” he said under his breath, almost inaudible expect for the fact that you were sitting right next to him and you could even hear every breath he took.

“Wait, what?”

He stared at you, panic written on his face. “I didn’t think you’d hear that.”

“I did, so explain it.”

“I told you, it’s nothing-“

“Why are you being so secretive all of a sudden?” you exclaimed, throwing your hands up. “I don’t get it, what’s your issue here? Why do you keep hinting at things like you expect me to understand everything?”

“I don’t expect you to understand any of it, Y/N, because you haven’t all these years,” he snapped, making you tilt your head in confusion.

Your eyebrows were raised so high you thought they might touch your hairline. “Excuse me?”

“I couldn’t make it more obvious at this point.” He sounded annoyed, but it didn’t seem directed at you. That didn’t make it less infuriating though.

“What the hell are you talking about, Bucky?” you were amazed at how cryptic he could be.

“If you still haven’t gotten it, then-“

“Is this about the cups?” you interjected, mouth moving faster than your brain. “Because I know about them.”

He froze midway running his hand through his hair in frustration. “The what?”

“I know you write stuff on them,” you continued calmly, realizing you had hit some kind of a spot. You didn’t tell him you didn’t know what exactly he wrote on them because no one had told you yet.

“Oh.” He choked out. “For how long have you- have you known?”

“A month or so.” You shrugged. “So if that’s what you’re referring to then-“

You trailed off, not knowing what to say next. He had gone still. An uncomfortable silence blanketed you both.

He swallowed thickly, jaw clenching. “I guess I have my answer then.”

He wordlessly got to his feet, shoving his hands deep into his pockets and began walking towards his room two doors down, leaving you utterly confused.

“What?” You scrambled to your feet to follow him. “Where are you-“

“Listen, Y/N, I got it,” he murmured, “I’m sorry I brought it up. You don’t have to explain anything.”

“Yeah, you might be the only one here who got anything, buddy.” You grabbed onto his shoulder in an effort to get his attention. “Will you please just stop-“

“I got your message,” he said quietly, stopping in front of his door. “Loud and clear.”

“James-“ You frowned because suddenly this felt way bigger than what you previously thought it to be. It was just a disagreement; you didn’t expect to see yourself losing a lifelong friendship over it.

“I’m, uh, sorry about the dates. I know you won’t believe me, but I truly didn’t mean for them to turn out like that.” He twisted the lock to his door open and walked in.

You chose to stay at the doorway, not wanting to intrude on his personal space without asking him if he was alright with it. You didn’t know what to say, he just seemed so dejected for some reason he wasn’t letting on.

He went to his table, pulling open a drawer and shifted some books from it before retrieving something else. He wiped at it with his sleeve, briefly looking at it while returning to where you were standing.

“This is yours,” he mumbled, handing it over to you. “As promised, since I didn’t keep up my end of the promise.”

It was a white envelope, frayed at the edges but still fairly surviving the years of being kept in the drawer. It didn’t take you more than three seconds to realize what it was.

It was the letter he promised you at the beginning of your deal.

“I’ll see you later. Have a good Christmas, Y/N.” He forced a small smile on his face before gently closing the door, leaving you alone in the corridor.

You flipped the envelope over to the front, fingers scrabbling to open it. After a few seconds of tripping over your own impatience, you tore the top open. You pulled out the paper, stomach lurching at the sight of his handwriting.

Dear Dolores:

Part 12

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #mcu fic #bucky fic #bucky barnes fic #bucky fluff #bucky barnes fluff #bucky angst #bucky barnes angst #college!bucky #college!au #college!bucky x reader #kumis5kchallenge

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silver-greedling · 5 years

Text

A Princess

Ray (Saeran) x Reader (takes place during your stay at (what i believe is) mint eye in Another Story (i havent finished the route but im 10338299% sure thats where we are, right?)) Spoilers for parts of Another Story

SPOILERS (kinda)

I placed my phone back onto the bed, staring around me at the room. It was...very pink.

My eyes travelled to a vase of flowers on the table in my room, but they didn't seem to get enough sunlight. No, the vase was too far drom the windows for any natural light to hit them.

With a determined mind, I stood from the bed and walked to the table. Carefully, I removed the vase, setting it on the floor, before I quickly dragged the table to the window.

"Looks perfect," I muttered to myself, smiling. I returned for the vase, but frowned. "Has the water been changed lately?"

When I took the flowers from the vase, I was unsurprised to find that it had not. Dead leaves and petals floated within the water, which was no longer completely clear. I placed the flowers onto the table, taking the vase with me to a connected bathroom. I drained the water, put the leaves and petals in the trash, then filled the vase up once more.

As I left the bathroom, I was greeted by a familiar figure.

"Ray!" I smiled at him. "Hi! Didn't expect to see you there!"

He returned my smile, an anxious look quickly fading from his face. "Hello," he greeted in his calm voice. "I knocked on the door, but you didn't answer, so I got worried. I'm glad you're alright."

I shrugged. "The flowers just needed new water is all," I told him, walking over to the table by the window and setting the vase and flowers as they should be. "Ta-da!"

"If you like them so much, I'll be sure to get you more flowers when I get the chance," he informed me, making my face flush. I couldn't really think of a response, so he took charge and changed the topic.

"You redecorated," he noted, looking at the table.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind," I said, suddenly aware of myself. "I didn't think it would be a big deal, but the flowers didn't get enough sun in the middle of the room."

He chuckled and shook his head. "It's no big deal," he told me. "If anything, I hope this helps you become more comfortable here."

"How could I be uncomfortable?" I asked rhetorically. "God, I feel like a princess! Huge bed? Getting to eat in my room? Fancy chairs?" I pointed at the ceiling. "Fancy chandelier?!"

Ray's smile seemed to grow a little bit as I spoke. "I feel like I'm getting pampered," I finished, sitting on the bed and fiddling with my fingers.

"I...want you to have every luxury," Ray told me. "I want for you to be as comfortable as possible during your stay here."

He walked over to me as he spoke, taking my hands in his own. When I met his eyes, he was giving me a warm look, full of so many kind emotions. It made all of my worries ease a little bit.

"Uh, Ray?" I asked, still slightly nervous. I looked at our hands and messed with our fingers for a moment. "Well, I...I, uh, have something...I wanna ask for. I mean...there's something I want."

"Anything," he told me, calming me even more with a single word.

"Ray, I want you to kiss me."

He tensed, and his hands squeezed mine seemingly involuntarily.

"K-Kiss?" he stuttered. "Me?"

I stood up, trying to get to the same level as him, though I was a little shorter. My hands went to his shoulders, and I did my best to meet his eyes.

"Yes, you," I responded, searching for his reaction.

I couldn't look long, for as soon as the words passed through my lips, his own cane crashing down onto them.

There was no helping my smile as he kissed me. His hands gripped my waist tightly, and his lips moved against mine so perfectly.

When he moved back, I opened my eyes to see him smiling just as much as I was, and it reassured me. He really, genuinely wanted to kiss me, too.

Before I could do anything, Ray took a step forward, causing me to move back. One more step had me lying back on the bed, Ray hovering over me with one hand on either side of my head.

"Did you only want one?" he asked me softly, putting one hand on my cheek and balancing his weight on the other. "If you want, I can give you as many as you desire. You just have to tell me."

I put both of my hands on the back of his head, threading them through his hair. "I want more. So much more, Ray."

He complied only a moment later, putting his hands back on the bed and moving down to kiss me once more. I didn't know it, but there were so many wheels turning in his brain, trying to assess every little detail of the situation.

'This is what you really wanted,' he thought. 'No game bullshit. No RFA. Hell, not even Rika.'

He pulled back from me once more, relishing in the look of pure satisfaction on my face.

'You wanted her since the moment you saw her.' He scoffed inwardly. 'Maybe even from the moment she agreed to come here.'

He saw the expression on my face change, and his changed, too. "What's wrong?" he asked, wheels turning even faster than before.

"This isn't..." I smiled a little. "You're not trying to seduce me into giving your game a good rating, are you?"

He took a moment to process the statement, then a grin broke out across his face. Another moment passed, and he started laughing. He turned away from me, like he was trying to stop himself, but I smiled, too.

"Ah, you had me worried," he told me, sitting on the bed. I sat up, letting him grab my hand and squeeze it gently.

"You don't have to always worry about me," I said. "I mean, it's okay to want something for yourself."

Again, he stiffened at my words. "And...if I wanted you?"

My heart fluttered. "Well, it would be awful rude of me to say no at this point," I joked once more. He smiled, possibly the widest grin I'd seen yet, before kissing me again.

"Then it's settled, right?" he asked me. "You will be mine, and I will be yours."

#mysme #mysme ray #saeran #saeran x reader #ray x reader #mystic messenger #mysme fanfic #mysme saeran #another story #mysme another story #mystic messenger another story #ray's route

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emybain · 5 years

Note

can you write "dying kisses" for nodrian? I'm sorry omg

i flipped a coin to decide on who was finna die

context: final battle for gatlon, they know of one another’s identities, and they pretty much hate each other ngl.

based off of a kiss text post

I refuse to edit and for that i have no regrets fight me

“Nova?”

Nova looked up at Adrian, unmasked in her Nightmare uniform. Then, she looked back down at the knife driven through her middle. Slowly, she grabbed its hilt as her knees buckled from underneath her. Adrian jumped forward, using the springs under his feet, and caught her before her head could hit the ground.

“That’s what traitors get,” her attacker, a filthy sewer dweller that pledged allegiance to the Anarchists, spit out, right as a bullet went through their head. Adrian whipped his head around. Danna lowered the gun.

Nova gripped his arm tightly then, and he looked back down at her. Her chest was rising and falling unsteadily. She moved her mouth, speaking, but the roaring in Adrian’s ears prevented him from hearing her.

“You’re going to be okay,” he found himself saying, eyes frantically assessing her wound, knowing better than to remove the knife. He looked over his shoulder at his team, all staring in shock. “Danna, get help! Ruby, Oscar, come help me!”

Even as he yelled, even as they did as they were told, Nova touched her hand to his cheek. There were unshed tears in her eyes that didn’t match the quivering smile on her lips.

“I’m going to hold my sister again,” she breathed. Her chest shook with each inhale. “See…my parents.”

Adrian shook his head. A tear fell from his cheek. “No, stay with me, okay, Nova? A healer is coming. You’re going to be okay.”

Oscar and Ruby appeared beside him, although there wasn’t much they could do. Not with the knife still embedded in her. Not until they had a healer.

Her eyes, which had previously been pointed at his shoulder, met his. They were the eyes of the girl he knew, of the girl he knew before she betrayed him. But none of that mattered now. She had taken the knife meant for him. His enemy had saved his life, sacrificing herself in the process.

But Nova was never his enemy. Not really. Even though they were on opposite sides of the war.

“I’m sorry.” She gasped for air, blinking rapidly. “For…for hurting you. I really…really did care…for you, Adrian.”

Adrian held the hand against his cheek, clutching it. “Just a few more minutes.” He didn’t want to answer, afraid of what he might say. Too much said too late.

“Adrian.” Nova tugged at his hand, surprisingly strong. Upon her request, he leaned down. She pressed a kiss below his eye, then kissed his lips. He responded immediately, gentle in his caress, but pulled back just as quickly.

“You need to save your air.” Adrian gulped. His lips tingled.

Despite the circumstances, Nova managed to roll her eyes.

“Tell the others I’m sorry.” Her voice dropped in volume, eyes flickering to Oscar and Ruby who watched helplessly, holding one another.

“Please, don’t go.” Another tear fell from his face, and Adrian let it fall shamelessly. “Please, stay with me.”

Nova shivered and huddled closer to Adrian’s body. “Don’t…let things go back-go back…back to the way they were,” she whispered to his chest, barely audible.

She went still in his arms. He shuddered when he heard her last breath. Throat closed, head on fire, Adrian raised her face to his and kissed her forehead.

Then, as the battle raged on around them, he closed her eyes.

They were the first thing he noticed about her, months ago at the parade, and they were the last thing he would see as he said goodbye to his enemy, who was so much more than just an enemy.

#asks #renegades #archenemies #supernova #nodrian #nova artino #adrian everhart #my writing #im not sorry #bc i could do better #but idc anymore #dabs into space

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todorodeo · 5 years

Text

fireworks - k.b.

warnings: fluff, so much fluff, also cursing? it’s bakugo what do you expect word count: 3.4k oops my hand slipped a/n: i wrote this for a friend so here you go tam ily && idk how to format this im sorry also if there's mistakes its a common occurrence what else is new Bakugo knew from the way your knuckles rapped on his door that it was you. He grunted loud enough for you to hear and looked up from his desk to watch you stumble in closing the door and falling against it, the only sounds in the room being the fan in the corner and your sigh of relief. He assumed something annoying occurred with you by your demeanor, it was probably some stupid extra keeping you from getting to his room sooner than later. The sun had started its descent, the beginnings of a sunset were painted outside Bakugo’s window. When you finally looked up and met his eyes, you couldn’t help but smile at his silhouette against the fading sky. He was unamused, his lips were pursed, and his eyes were uncharacteristically gentle looking at you. You caught him in a relaxed mood. A rarity.

“Hey..” His voice snapped you out of your thoughts, and you were once again caught in his gaze, still gentle, but waiting for a response.

“Hey.” You smiled back brightly, you didn’t get a smile in return, but you could tell he was happy you were here. He just showed it differently. He turned his head back to his papers and continued to write, you took that as your cue to make yourself comfortable. Sitting on his bed, you took out your phone and secretly snapped a picture of him, adding it to your album of candid bakugo photos. He had no idea. Or so you thought.

A smirk found its way onto your lips when you took the hair tie off your wrist and slingshot it at his back, making him jolt up and shoot you a glare.

“The fuck?”

“Sit up straight you gremlin.” This made him growl, only making your smile wider. You had gotten to the point with Bakugo where his outbursts and overall explosive attitude didn’t phase you. If anything you were more of a catalyst for him, while also keeping him at bay. At first he found it weird, you supported him and let him loose, but you also managed to calm him down and.. make him better. Calmer, more genuine. They were the tiniest of steps but they were steps nonetheless. That’s one of the things he loved about you, though he’d never admit it out loud, you let him be himself while also making him a better person. You didn’t hold him back, but you didn’t sugarcoat things. He appreciated that. Honestly he’d be pissed if he found out you were just playing with him. But that wasn’t the case.

“My posture’s fucking fine.” The tiny voice in the back of his head knew you were right, but bickering with you always made his pulse quicken just a bit, interacting with you gave him minuscule butterflies in his stomach, a fact he would take to his grave, but a fact.

“You know I’m right, do you want proof? I have evidence.” You challenged him, holding up your phone. He scoffed at your rebuttal, annoyed again that you were literally- taking pictures behind his back. He knew you snapped pictures all the time, at first it was annoying, and he almost forced you to delete them but he decided he’d let you keep this up when he saw you beaming over them. Happy (Y/N) = Happy Bakugo.

Bakugo mumbled something under his breath and turned back to his work, this time with a straighter spine. Your ears couldn’t quite pick up what he said, but you smiled as he accepted defeat and straightened his back. You loved teasing him and he did the same all the time, but you also loved that he was letting you. You both were constantly trying to have the upper hand on each other, some kind of power play, but even others in the class could attest to how compatible you were for each other.

You snapped another picture, this time with the better posture and smiled to yourself. At this point the sunset was almost at it’s apex and the orange and yellow hues on Bakugo’s skin made you wish you had your real camera. It was left in your room, and if you went to get it your golden window of opportunity would be gone in a second, so a phone photo would do.

You sat in silence and listened to the fan and watched the movement of his writing, noting his leg started to bounce. He was content with you just being here with him, but in truth he wanted to finish his work badly. He wanted to go over and sit with you, hold you, play with your hair. He knew you’d be patiently waiting until he was done, because you knew he needed to get his work done before anything, but that didn’t stop his leg from bouncing in slight anticipation. He was exhausted and all he wanted right now was your arms around him, the scent of your shampoo in his nose, your soft tendrils brushing against his skin. Almost done.

Bakugo stole a glance behind his back and saw you had gotten more comfortable, head hanging upside-down off the bed, the latest hero magazine cover blocking your face. You felt his gaze and lowered the magazine to show only your eyes. Bakugo didn’t know how you smiled with your eyes but you did, his leg bouncing faster as he turned to finish his work.

Only a couple of minutes had passed but Bakugo was getting restless, and when he finally put his pencil down and closed his book, he swiveled around and looked at you again, still reading the magazine. He stood and walked over, plucking the magazine from your hands much to your dismay.

“I was reading that!” You pouted, looking at him standing over you, an unamused expression gracing his features.

“Does it look like I care?” His expression said no, but you knew the right answer was yes. He wanted your attention on him, not a fucking magazine.

“I was waiting for you to finish.”

“I’m finished.”

“Then come here asshat.” He scoffed at your lame insult and pulled you up as he situated himself on the bed. He leaned against the headboard on his pillow and wrapped his arm around you as you snaked your arms around his middle, burying your face into his neck. Finally breathing out a sigh you followed suit, relishing in the silent ease. He closed his eyes and hummed to himself, finally content with you in his arms—

The moment was immediately broken with the slam of the door. The both of you startled and alert.

“There you are!- Oh.. Caught you guys in a moment huh?” Kaminari winked and settled his hands on his hips. His smile quickly faded at Bakugo’s glare. He had quickly sat up and half shielded you with his arm that was wrapped around you, you weren’t indecent in any way, still your privacy was just violated. Hm what a gentleman.

“WHAT THE FU-“

“Hey! Are you guys ready-“ Mina came in from behind Kaminari, witnessing the scene and quickly assessing the situation, “Ohmygooooooooosh you guys are so cute!”

“Get out. Now.”

“Okay dude hear us out-“

“GET THE FUCK OUT RIGHT NOW!” Your hand on his bicep stopped him from getting up and kicking their asses which you knew was inevitable. Your touch immediately calmed him enough for you to stare him down and make him calm down, you wanted an explanation first before you let him loose.

“Let’s hear ‘em out.”

“No it’s probably some stupid shi-“

“What do you guys need?” You blatantly ignored him, raising your voice over his and pointing your attention at the two intruders, slightly annoyed at the interruption of your perfect cuddling time. Kaminari was at a loss of words, he was scared he’d say something to piss Bakugo off again. Mina stepped forward, a newfound glee in her aura.

“Fireworks!” Hah? Fireworks. Both you and your boyfriend had confusion written over you faces, frozen in place trying to process what that meant.

“You want.. fireworks?” Gaze still holding Mina’s you held your arm in front of Bakugo who had obviously had enough, keeping him from making another mess you didn’t feel like cleaning up.

“No, no! The class is going to go to the river and watch the fireworks show together! We thought it would be a nice ‘hurrah!’ to the end of summer break!” Mina said enthusiastically, Kaminari smiled with her at the idea.

“No-“

“That’s a great idea!” Bakugo scoffed at your interruption and now it was your turn to be glared at. You didn’t pay him any mind, smiling back at Mina and Kaminari. They eagerly celebrated your affirmation while Bakugo was still steaming.

“(Y/n) what the fuck, no we’re not going.” His voice was rougher now, he was upset and he was unable to hide it. He wanted to be alone with you and cuddle. He wasn’t going to say that but you knew what he wanted. But what fun would you be if you gave him everything he wanted? Even if the idea of cuddling and dozing off in each other’s arms sounded amazing, seeing him amongst the night sky as fireworks lit up around you seemed amazing as well. Also you may or may not have this crazy romantic wish list, and kissing your boyfriend during fireworks may or may not be on that crazy romantic wish list.

“Yes we are.” You gave him a smirk and got up, the loss of your warmth only making his grimace worsen. “We’ll be right there guys, just give us a minute.” At that Mina and Kaminari left with smiles on their faces, and you with an angry Bakugo. A common occurrence.

You went to stand and get ready when a hand grabbed your wrist and pulled you back down and in mere seconds you were face to face with a very upset boyfriend obviously wanting an explanation to your behavior. He ground his teeth and huffed out his nose, not having to say a word to show his thoughts.

“You’re cute when you’re angry.”

“You’re ugly when you ruin our alone time.”

“Oof, try again, the comeback was terrible.” You were thriving off of Bakugo’s discontent, but eventually you had to give in before it turned into a screaming match. A small sigh left your lips, “I’m sorry for ruining the moment but we can have as many as you want later. We are going out with the class because this is our last year at U.A, this is our last summer together. And I know you’re going to miss your friends once this is all over, so making these memories now are worth it in the end I promise.” Your words seemed to soften his glare, and he realized you were making solid points, as much as he hated to admit it. He was headstrong but he had gotten comfortable with the class and he’d managed to tolerate just about everyone to an extent.

Admitting defeat he groaned and dropped his head into your neck, your hands instinctively carding through his hair. He didn’t say anything which meant he agreed. You patted his back asking him to get up and he did reluctantly. Sitting up and standing you offered your hand in silence and waited for him to grasp it before hauling him off the bed and out of his room. When you met everyone in the common area you were greeted with smiles and hello’s, everyone seemed ready to be off.

“Sorry for holding you guys up..” You apologized to the class but it was brushed off and you followed everyone out of the dorm. At this point the sun had said adieu and the moon started to shine through the littered clouds. It was a beautiful evening, you thought. You looked over to Bakugo also admiring the sky but still fashioning his trademark scowl. For a small instance, he was glad you dragged him out of his room. His hand around yours tightened just a smidge. It wasn’t a far walk to the river, by the time the class arrived there was a small crowd on the bridge and along the bank.

When you found a nice area for everyone to sit, you found a spot on the grass in the throes of the people waiting for the show. You let go of Bakugo’s hand to which you exchanged a look of “are you okay?” and you both nodded to eachother, Bakugo’s attention being drawn away by Sero and the rest of the gang and you by Ochako and Tsuyu. You smiled and joined their conversation while your boyfriend was in his own.

That was another thing. Your relationship was a perfect balance of being each others rock and also letting each other breathe. You had your own friends and he had his, and there was never a problem with trust. You trusted him with your life and vice versa. You’ve been together for a little over two years now, having cultivated so much appreciation for each other while also learning so much. The class got along really well and you were glad to have had such wonderful people to grow with. Including him. He knew that. You made sure of that. You hadn’t said it yet but you loved him. Maybe there just hasn’t been the right moment for you to say it but you were both aware of each other’s feelings. It wasn’t said through words, and honestly you didn’t really need to hear it, you knew. He made sure of that.

The sky was a dark midnight blue and the clouds in the sky were scarce, meaning the display of fireworks would be easily seen. Hagakure noted that it was almost time for the fireworks to start and everyone started to sit down on the grass, thankfully the weather recently had been decent and the dew wasn’t so obnoxiously wet. You picked a small daisy at your feet and twirled it in your fingers, noting the familiar warmth that sat next to you. Bakugo sat with one leg up, his arm draped over his knee, “When are these damn fireworks gonna star-“

The booming sound of the first firework cut him off which made you laugh, looking up and watching the array of colors explode and paint the sky in streaks. You squint your eyes at first, adjusting to the bright flashes while also getting used to the loud sounds that rang out over the town. Now that you think about it, it was kinda like Bakugo’s quirk. Big, boisterous, and loud. Hm, how fitting.

“I bet you could make some awesome fireworks with your explosions.” You challenged while simultaneously stroking his ego, something he loved.

He scoffed while trying to hide a smirk, “That’s not how it works dumbass.” You were just playing with him and you had no idea how it actually worked, but you basked in getting a reaction like that out of him. At first he was so reluctant and even upset at the prospect of fireworks with the class, now, not so much. He seemed.. happy even.

Bakugo looked back up at the sky, his expression wasn’t negative, or positive, but more mutual. Casual. The fireworks lit up in his irises, and as cheesy as it sounded, you couldn’t look away. Just like how the sunset stood against his profile, lighting up his skin, the light from the moon and the colorful explosions in the sky did the same, only this time you had a better picture. You were front row and center and you desperately wished you could capture the moment, instead settling to burn the image in your mind. Beautiful.

It didn’t take long for him to notice your staring, scrutinizing you and asking, “What are you looking at?” You, silly.

You didn’t even process the fact that your thoughts were said aloud but by the sudden color in his cheeks and on the tips of his ears, Bakugo was cracking under the icky romantic feeling you were displaying. This caused him to abruptly put his hand over your face and push you away, scoffing, to which you giggled and let your eyes find the fireworks again. Yes you were both hard-asses, but you also had romantic moments. Granted they were usually in the privacy of his room and included you two, but you didn’t forget when he first held your hand /outside/ his room, letting everyone see. He was confident with you and your relationship, but you were mostly happy in the confidence he had himself.

He managed to stay true to who he is but also let himself grow and become a more genuine person, even if the original thought made him laugh. He wouldn’t tell you, at least, not anytime soon, but he believes a major reason why he is the way he is today is thanks to you. He thought back to when he finally decided to ask All Might of all people for relationship advice, feeling like he had no one else to go to. When he mentioned you, All Might only encouraged him but reminded him, /your partner is supposed to lift you up, make you a better person while letting you still see the world through your own eyes./ Yup, you fit that description pretty perfectly. God he was such a sap. What did you do to him?

Now it was his turn to watch you under the fireworks. He watched as the flashes perfectly lit up every inch of your profile, inwardly scoffing at the memory of you saying how bad you looked in the mirror. He had said you had shit for brains which was his way of calling you beautiful.

A sudden breeze came and your hair was blown into your face, momentarily blinding you and causing you to spit your hair out of your mouth. You managed to control your hair and heard your boyfriend laugh at your moment of annoyance, earning him a glare and a hard punch to the shoulder.

“Ey!” He punched back playfully which made you fake a gasp and rub your shoulder. Your lips quivered as if on the verge of tears; you pretended to play the victim all the time but at this point Bakugo saw past it and rolled his eyes at your mediocre performance. The act was this; play the victim and make him feel bad, and then hit him back twice as hard. You never failed to challenge him when you felt like it, and you weren’t a dainty flower. Yet another attribute he appreciated.

“You’re an asshat, you know that?”

“But I’m your asshat.” You cuddled up against his side, leaning your head on his shoulder, putting on your best sappy smile.

“Ew shut up.”

“Make me.” Is that a fucking challenge? Your stare down lasted mere seconds before you raised your eyebrows as if saying well? and suddenly his lips were on yours. Your eyes closed and the light from the fireworks along with the butterflies raging in your stomach made your head dizzy. Somehow you managed to kiss your boyfriend while watching fireworks. It was beyond cheesy but you could not give a shit. Soon enough your lungs were starting to ache and you had to part to breathe but were pleasantly surprised when he went back for another. The fireworks long forgotten.

“Get a room lovebirds.” You could hear the smirk in his tone. Kaminari just loved ruining your moments didn’t he. The sound of your lips parting made you blush harder than you thought it would and Bakugo immediately turned to look behind him.

“Eat shit Pikachu.” This caused everyone around to chuckle at the exchange, making Bakugo jump back to reality and realize he was in public. You watched as his blush lit up his face and he turned and faced away and towards you, embarrassed and annoyed. You chuckled and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight, letting him know it was okay. He looked up and found your assuring gaze, forgetting about the fireworks and forgetting about everything else. You were there and that’s all that mattered. He squeezed back, letting a huff out and looking back at the sky, the fireworks going crazy in the sky as a finale. He was glad you made him come out for the fireworks. Glad that he got to make this memory with you and his class. He was glad you were his. And he was unconditionally in love with you, and he didn’t need to say it out loud. You knew. He made sure of that.

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