#b gestured to me and when i came over she was like 'look i saw these butterflies and thought you'd wanna see- and yeah take pics'

[t-lostinworlds]

Big, Hormonal Heart | Bucky Barnes

》 PAIRING: bucky barnes x pregnant!female!reader

》 TROPE/GENRE: established relationship (marriage), fluff fluff fluff

》 SUMMARY: It'd probably take more than one lifetime for Bucky to list reasons why he was so lucky to call you his wife. He was certain your big heart was one of them. One that grew even more with pregnancy hormones. It was sweet, how you to got so upset when they got his order wrong. Your meal was perfectly fine. But when his wasn't? Oh it was a crime.

》 WARNINGS: pregnancy, a dog named Snow and Alpine the cat, pet names (doll, baby, my love, sweetheart), emotional!r (she cries. like, most of the fic), husband!bucky being the sweetest, domesticity and just overall fluff (pretty tame fic ngl)

》 WORD COUNT: 2.5k+

A/N: this idea was super random. i saw an insta reel of a pregnant woman having mood swings over some food and then everyone was sharing their experiences in the comments and i got inspired so here ya go alksalkss. DISCLAIMER! I'm not pregnant nor have i ever been lol. I did as much research as i could but still, don't count on me to be 100% accurate.

++ ALSO this was written in just a few hours. this isn't my best work. just something i wanted to write as an exercise since i haven't written anything in months. anyways, i hope you enjoy!

📍 BLOG NAVIGATION ✩ B. BARNES MASTERLIST ✩ MAIN MASTERLIST ✩

⊱ ─────.⋅♚ *｡･ﾟ.★. *｡･ﾟ✫*.

Bucky Barnes was one lucky man.

If someone had told him years ago that he was going to live in a quaint home in the suburbs, a lovely backyard space for a dog and a cat to enjoy, and that he'd be married to the absolute love of life, an angel on earth who was now carrying his first child—

He honestly would've stared at them dead in the eye, wondering how someone could make such a cruel joke.

Yet here he was, actually living it, a life that seemed so much like a dream.

Though he was quickly reminded of how real this was as he stood in the nursery, glaring at the manual that came with the crib you two had bought from the furniture store.

It looked simple enough at first—putting together ready-made pieces should be easy, right?

Wrong.

Not when you have countless amounts of screws that more or less looked the same but were actually not because each served a different purpose. 

He was in the middle of figuring out how to install the legs to the main base when you walked into the room with your two bodyguards—Alpine the Cat and Snow the five-year-old Samoyed—in tow.

"How's it going, handsome?" you hummed as you reached his side, arms wrapping around his waist, your warmth immediately easing the frustration he had about this goddamn crib.

"It's…" he sighed, gesturing at the wooden pieces scattered around the floor. "Going."

You laughed at that, kissing his clothed shoulder before standing in front of him.

Bucky held your waist then, pulling you as close as he could given that your baby bump was in the middle of you both.

He honestly couldn't begin to express how much comfort and warmth covered his whole being every time he was met with the absolute love in your eyes.

And Bucky was sure his gaze shined the same.

So many people have pointed it out on numerous occasions, the twinkle in his eyes every time they land on you—his beautiful wife.

"I was thinking," you murmured, resting your hands on his chest, moving up his shoulder and down again in a sweet caress. "How about a quick break while we order some food?"

It was only about an hour after lunch, so Bucky wasn't particularly keen on filling his stomach some more.

But you, on the other hand, were nearing the end of your second trimester. It wasn't out of the norm for you to be hungry at this time, given you were eating for two. Plus, there was an added layer that your little peanut probably had some super soldier serum in their DNA—the baby's appetite could be enhanced for all he knew.

Other than that, the last thing Bucky wanted was an angry and hungry pregnant wife. So it wasn't really a hard decision to make.

"Okay, let's get you something to eat," he said.

Ever the observant person that you were, you quickly noticed his choice of words.

"For me?" you asked, brows furrowed. "You're not hungry?"

Bucky shook his head. "Not really."

Your bottom lip went.

He instantly knew he said the wrong thing.

"But I'm hungry," you murmured, eyes starting to glisten.

He could never explain it even if he tried, but whenever you got upset, your bodyguards always seemed to notice it. The two have always been protective of you and that only grew tenfold when you got pregnant.

Today wasn't an exception.

Snow barked at him, whining his complaints as he put his fifty-pound body between your legs, slightly pushing Bucky back. The furball was well trained though, so his protectiveness never went too far beyond being vocal about it. Alpine, on the other hand, was sitting a foot away, glaring at Bucky—quite the traitor given that she was supposed to be his cat, but he couldn't blame her for loving you, either—as if she knew it was his fault you were upset.

But still, Bucky wasn't quite sure what he'd done wrong.

"I know, sweetheart," he said slowly, a little confused, trying to navigate around Snow who was pawing at his leg as if trying to push him further away. "I'll order some food for you."

"But you're not hungry," you repeated, body slumping with sadness.

"I'm not," he agreed, quickly cupping your face when a tear slipped from your eyes. "But hey, hey, that doesn't mean we can't still order food for you, doll."

"No, I know," you sniffled.

"So, what's making you upset, hmm?"

You buried your face in his chest with a shaky breath as you said,

"I don't want to eat alone."

Bucky paused, pressing his lips and swallowing down a laugh because he couldn't have you thinking he was making fun of you. He wasn't. But you were so adorable it made his chest ache.

"Okay, okay," he hummed, kissing the side of your head as he rubbed your back in comfort. "I'll order something for me, too."

•••

A few minutes later, your little family migrated to the living room. You both were sitting on the couch together, the two furballs sprawled at your feet as a random show played on TV. Various take-out bags covered the coffee table, way too many for two people but hey, that's what fridges and microwaves are for.

Fondness filled Bucky's bones as he watched you settle your food on your lap, doing what he called your Cravings Satisfied Wiggle.

He couldn't contain his chuckle.

You looked at him with furrowed brows, words a little muffled with your mouth full. "What?"

"Happy?" he asked, reaching over to wipe the sauce on the corner of your mouth.

"Very much," you giggled, eyes wrinkling at the corners.

Even after all these years, the sight of your pure joy still made his heart stutter, chest growing warmer when you leaned closer with a pout.

Bucky met you halfway for a short yet sweet kiss.

"Thank you," you hummed, even though there was no need for you to thank him for ordering you food.

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

Reaching over the table, he took the one and only paper bag that was for him, because again, he wasn't that hungry.

"Oh."

"What's wrong?" You turned to him in concern.

"It's not a big deal," he reassured with a smile, shrugging because it really wasn't. "They got mine wrong."

You frowned. "You didn't get the nuggets?"

"No, they give me the burger meal," he said. "They must've misheard me.

Bucky immediately perked up when your lips started to tremble.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly, cupping your face to wipe away your tears.

"You—" you sniffled. "You didn't get your nuggets."

Bucky pressed his lips to stop a smile.

God you were so fucking cute.

"It's okay, baby," he soothed. "I'm fine with a burger, too."

You cried even harder.

Snow and Alpine quickly stood, all alert and concerned as they nudged your leg.

"You wanted the nuggets, Bucky," you insisted, choking back a sob. "But you didn't get it."

He carefully pulled you closer, rubbing your back in comfort as you laid your head on his shoulder. "I know, but it's okay—"

"No, it's not!" you protested, all teary and frustrated, pulling away to glare at him. "You deserve to get what you want. Y-You deserve all the good things after e-everything."

Bucky might honestly start crying too with how sweet you were being.

"Oh doll, come here," he placated, pulling you in for a hug while trying to navigate the food on your lap.

He could take it away for safety, but he'd already learned his lesson the hard way. Taking food away from a pregnant woman was a death sentence.

"I want you to be happy," you sniffled, burying your face against his neck. "You wanted the nuggets and they disrespected that."

It took so much for him not to let out a chuckle. Because as much as Bucky hated to see you crying and upset, he couldn't deny how adorably funny this whole conversation was.

But you'd always had the biggest heart. Whether that was crying over those rescue animal videos, emotional scenes in movies, to feeling upset over something he was experiencing—your empathy was always high.

What more with the pregnancy hormones in the mix?

"How about I ask them to change it?"

Again, wrong thing to say.

He needed to get better at this.

"But they're probably so stressed and overworked already," you sobbed. "A-And it's about to rain. I don't want the delivery guy to get wet in the rain. T-They already don't get paid enough."

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he hummed, rubbing your back. "Will you look at me, my love?"

You lifted your head then, Bucky's heart aching at the absolute distress on your features—pout in full play, eyes a little bloodshot with tear stains on your skin.

He cupped your cheeks with a soft smile, placing gentle kisses all over your face, unrelenting until you let out a whine of protest. He stopped then, thankful to see that you'd calmed down now.

"I promise you, the burger meal is perfectly fine with me. I'm not mad or upset about it. I don't mind it at all," he said.

You took a calming deep breath and nodded. It only took a second for you to look at him sheepishly.

"Sorry I overreacted," you whispered, embarrassed.

"Hey, none of that," he lightly scolded. "All the emotions you're feeling will always be valid."

You smiled, small yet sweet, leaning in and kissing him with as much gratitude as you could muster.

"Besides, it makes me feel so honored to know that you're willing to fight for my chicken nugget rights."

"Shut up, Barnes."

•••

You and Bucky always had a nightly routine and it usually consisted of the two of you getting ready for bed in your own different ways. They were intertwined, but not exactly the same. Like you'd be doing some skin care in the bathroom while he would be brushing his teeth.

But ever since you got pregnant, your routine became more in sync.

It usually started with a bath that he'd run for you. Most of the time he'd end up joining you, the length of said bath varying since that usually depended on what mood you were in. Bucky was always at the service of meeting his wife's needs, after all.

Recently, now that your bump wasn't particularly easy to navigate, he'd helped you get ready for bed. From getting dressed to your skin care, including rubbing some moisturizer on your stomach. That part was one of his favorite things to do.

Then it was the typical things, getting dressed, brushing your teeth—this one you stopped him from doing it for you even though he was more than willing—and overall just getting ready for bed.

Once you’d settled on the pregnancy pillow that Bucky fluffed up for you, he'd sit near the foot of the bed to give your sore feet a massage while you read a book.

Tonight, right when he was in the middle of doing that, he heard you sniffle.

Bucky looked up in concern, catching you already staring at him with tears already in your eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking you over. "Does something hurt?"

"No, I-I'm okay. I just—" You cut yourself off with a sob.

Bucky quickly moved beside you, pulling you onto his lap as he wrapped his arms around your form. You buried your face into the crook of his neck, body shaking as you cried.

"Hey, hey, talk to me," he murmured against your hair. "Tell me what's wrong."

"It's just—" You let out a shaky breath. "You're always taking care of me."

"Of course, sweetheart, you're my wife," he said. "And not only because it's my duty as your husband, but because I love you so much."

That made you cry even harder.

"I l-love you too, so much," you sobbed. "But I haven't been able to take care of you lately and that's not f-fair."

Bucky felt his heart grow as if it wasn't already bursting at the seams.

How could someone be so selfless and sweet?

"You're pregnant, my love," he stated the obvious reason as to why. "Besides, I'm capable of taking care of myself. It's alright."

"No, it's not," you argued, pulling away slightly to face him. "You deserve to be taken care of, too! You deserve to get pampered a-and a break but you're always fussing over me and taking care of me instead. I'm not helping with any of it. I'm just making it harder for you."

"No, absolutely not," he stated firmly, holding your face in his hands, wiping your tears away with his thumbs. "I love taking care of you. It honestly makes me feel so fulfilled and happy when I do."

"Really?" you sniffled.

"Yes. It's the least I could do with everything that you've been going through right now," he said truthfully, adding with a chuckle, "Hell, if I could carry our baby so you wouldn't have to go through all the pain I would."

That earned him a small laugh.

"But I want to take care of you, too," you admitted after a deep breath.

"You already are," he hummed, thumb stroking your cheek lovingly. "You're taking care of our baby and my heart, and those are very important to me."

You scrunched up your nose adorably.

"That was so cheesy."

"But it's true, though."

You smiled, cupping his face. Bucky turned his head to kiss your palm.

"Thank you," you sighed fondly. "For putting up with me and for everything."

"First off, I'm not putting up with anything," he reassured, kissing your other palm before adding, "Second, you never have to thank me for taking care of you. Never."

You nodded, leaning closer to press your lips against his, pouring all your love and gratitude into it. Bucky kissed you back with the same fervor, never needing words to express what you truly feel for each other.

He felt so content—feeling your lips, your fingers tangled in his hair, and your little peanut asking for attention too, kicking the second Bucky rested hand on your bump.

When you let out a soft, needy whine, he was ready to take the kiss even further.

That was until a wet tongue met his cheek.

Bucky groaned in annoyance, pulling away to see Snow giving you a kiss, too. He couldn't be angry at the dog for ruining the moment when your lovely laugh echoed in the air. Alpine jumped on the bed a second later, nudging her head against Bucky's chin before walking over to place a loving paw on your bump.

His smile was as bright as it could be as he watched the scene before him.

A wonderful home, a wholesome family that involved his beautiful, loving wife and two furballs, his family that was only getting bigger in a few months—

Yeah.

Bucky Barnes was one lucky man.

✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ♛ *.

↬ thank you for reading lovely! reblog & leave a comment if you enjoyed! feedback is always appreciated! ++ consider supporting me on ko-fi if you can!

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© t-lostinworlds, 2023 ✘ I do NOT give any permission to repost, translate, & use any of my works (writings, gifs, dividers, etc.) on any platform, with credit or otherwise. Please respect that. Thank you.

#bhh #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes oneshot #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes reader insert #sebastian stan #my writing

[marvelfanfn2187a113]

Daddy’s Girl

Dean Winchester & daughter!reader

Synopsis: your life growing up as Dean’s daughter (ignores cannon)

You were born of Dean’s short-lived relationship with Lisa. When he was forced to leave his family behind to keep them safe, he was also forced to take you with him. He’d wanted to leave you, to keep you safe, but with Lisa and Ben’s memories wiped of him, you got wiped with him.

“I’m sorry,” Castiel said as Dean held you in his arms. “There’s no way to erase you without erasing her, too.”

Despite how much Dean wanted to keep you safe, he couldn’t find it in himself to regret how things turned out.

…

Sam pursed his lips, and Dean couldn’t hold back his laugh when he spotted his brother covered in broccoli.

You started giggling when you noticed your father’s smile, but Dean clamped his mouth shut when he saw you laughing.

“Hey now,” he scolded, trying desperately to look stern despite still being able to see the broccoli in Sam’s hair. “Don’t throw food.”

“Is yucky!” You whined, kicking your feet.

Dean gave you his signature ‘dad glare’ and you gave him the puppy eyes that he was convinced Sammy taught you just to drive him nuts.

Neither of you were willing to give in, far too stubborn for anyone’s good. Finally, Sam broke the awkward silence.

“How about we try a new veggie?”

…

“What are you watching?”

Dean tore his eyes away from the screen to see Sam standing in the doorway.

“Saw, why?”

Sam scoffed, “Do you think she’s old enough for that?” He gestured to five-year-old you, curled up in your dad’s arms.

“She’s out like a light, she has no clue what’s going on,” Dean assured him.

“So what, she’s your new stuffed animal?” Sam chuckled.

“It’s called parenting, Sammy. Now shut up, you’re gonna wake her up.”

…

“Daddy, look!”

Dean rubbed his hands over his face, closing the lore book in front of him when you came bounding into the war room.

“Hey baby, what’s up?” He asked, his voice thick with exhaustion as he lifted you into his lap.

“I maked the Impala,” you grinned, showing off a pencil sketch of Baby colored in with a black crayon. “Uncle Sammy only helped a little.”

Dean could tell from the detail of the drawing that Sam helped more than a little, but he didn’t care.

“This is great!” He praised. “Baby would be so proud, looks almost as good as her.”

You giggled. “Can I hang it on the fridge?”

“I think it’d be a crime if we didn’t,” Dean insisted, standing up with you in his arms so he could carry you to the kitchen.

…

“Dad!”

Dean staggered back in surprise when ten-year-old you launched yourself into his arms the moment he stepped into the bunker.

“Hey kid,” he chuckled, but his smile dropped when he noticed your strangled breaths, and how tightly you were clinging to him. “You ok? We weren’t gone that lon-“

“Someone’s in the bunker,” you whispered, and Dean now also noticed that you were shaking.

“What?” He demanded, lowering you to the ground and grabbing his gun with one hand, keeping his other hand on your shoulder protectively.

“I-I heard footsteps,” you stammered, still trying to catch your breath. “So I ran, and-and I was looking for a place to hide when you opened the door.”

“You’re sure it was footsteps?”

“I know what I heard!” Your stammer left you when your fear turned to annoyance.

“Ok, ok,” Dean soothed. “I believe you. Now, I want you to go and hide in my room, ok? Stay there, and don’t open the door unless it’s me, understand?”

“B-but…” you glanced around nervously, unwilling to let go of your father.

“I need you to do this,” Dean said. “I need you safe, ok? You’re gonna be fine.”

You nodded, but Dean’s jacket was still clenched between your fingers.

“C’mon now, go!” Dean gave your arm a gentle push, and as soon as the two of you were no longer touching you seemed spurned into action. You ran in the other direction, headed straight for your dad’s room.

Once the door was closed and locked behind you, you immediately went to sit on Dean’s bed, your arms wrapped around your knees as you tried hard to stop your trembling.

You assured yourself over and over again that your dad would take care of it; he’d get the intruder out, and it would all be ok. When you heard footsteps echoing through the hall, your heart lifted, sure that your dad was coming to get you.

But then the doorknob jiggled as someone tried to open it. It stopped, but still no knock came, no “hey, it’s me,” from Dean; nothing.

Until with a loud bang! the door flew free of its hinges.

You scrambled back with a cry of surprise, and your hand found something hard under Dean’s pillow. You snatched it up as the intruder—a tall man with blond hair and a dark suit—stalked towards you.

You lifted the object, surprised when you saw that it was Dean’s gun.

“St-stay back!” You warned. The man hesitated for only a second before continuing his advance towards you.

“You don’t have the guts,” he scoffed. He took one more step—he was only a couple of feet away—and reached out to grab you.

The gun kicked back in your hands as you fired, and you nearly dropped it. A look of morbid shock crossed the man’s face, but it only lasted for a brief second as he slumped to the ground at the side of Dean’s bed.

Your whole body was shaking. Your hands didn’t seem able to let go of the gun. You could feel blood on your face where it had splattered.

“Sweetheart?”

Your whole body flinched at the sound of your father’s voice. He was in the center of the room—you hadn’t even noticed him come in—and his hands were held out towards you.

“Sweetheart, give me the gun.”

Your hands went limp when Dean grabbed the gun. He tossed it onto his bed, his attention never leaving your face, which was turned towards the dead man on the floor.

“Hey, Y/N, look at me,” Dean demanded. Your eyes slowly found your father’s, afraid of what you might find there. But there was no anger, or judgment, not even surprise. There was only comfort, maybe a little worry.

“Let’s go,” Dean said, lifting you into his arms. When he saw you staring at the dead man, he cradled the back of your head in his hand and pushed your face against his shoulder as he carried you out of the room.

“I killed him.”

Your voice came out muffled against Dean’s shirt, and Dean’s heart constricted at the quaver in your voice.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he soothed, subconsciously rocking you in his arms like he used to do when you could barely crawl. “He was gonna hurt you, you defended yourself. You did nothing wrong.” Dean sighed. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. I didn’t want you to have to do that.”

“I killed somebody,” you said again, and Dean’s arms tightened around you. He knew he couldn’t talk you out of this; not yet, you were still in shock. So he’d do the only thing he could.

“It’s gonna be ok, baby,” he soothed. “I promise.”

…

“Where is that girl?”

“You lookin for Y/N?” Sam asked as Dean wandered around the bunker.

“Unless we’ve got another girl living here I don’t know about,” Dean shot back.

Sam just rolled his eyes.

“She’s in the library doing homework.”

“Again?” Dean shook his head. “I think I’ve let her spend too much time with you, she’s becoming quite the nerd.”

“Don’t look at me,” Sam chuckled. “I told her to take a break like an hour ago. That nerdy behavior is all her.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Dean closed the book in front of Sam. “You both need a break.”

“Ok,” Sam shrugged. “Good luck, she’s just as stubborn as you.”

“We’ll see.”

…

“Hey!” You yelped in surprise when your dad lifted you up and out of your chair, Sam watching from the doorway with a grin on his face.

“No more books, you two have spent too much time being nerds this week.”

“But I have a paper to write!”

“You mean that paper you told me is due in three weeks?”

“Well…”

“Uh huh,” Dean said. “You’ve got time, so take a break.”

“On one condition; we watch Lord of the Rings.”

“Sounds good to me,” Sam cut in.

“Oh come on,” Dean groaned. “Could you two be bigger nerds?”

“Don’t pretend that you don’t want to watch it,” you giggled, trying to squirm out of Dean’s hold since he still hadn’t put you down.

“I don’t remember asking for your input,” Dean huffed, setting you down on your bed and digging his fingers into your stomach. You squealed in surprise as your dad tickled you. “And I certainly didn’t ask for your sass!”

“Who-who do you thin-think taught it to me!” You giggled, squirming as Dean didn’t let up.

“Hey now!” Dean scoffed. “Now you’re just asking for it.”

Dean continued to scratch and poke at your sides, your stomach, and your neck until your face was bright red and your laughter was silent.

“Alright, let’s go,” Dean said as he let up, slinging you over his shoulder and making his way towards the Dean cave, Sam following behind.

“Yo-hou’re mean,” you giggled.

Dean just chuckled.

“Love you too, sweetheart.”

Taglist:

@nyotamalfoy @mrvlxgrl

#dean winchester #dean and sam #the winchesters #dean winchester x reader #supernatural dean #dean winchester x you #winchesters x reader #sam winchester #sam winchester x reader #dean winchester x daughter!reader #sam winchester x niece!reader

[antxlss]

can you do #2 w rafe maybe like y/n or reader is secretly fw rafe but he wants more and is obsessed with her and so possessive & gets jealous when she’s w other guys/pouges so he claims her 😖😖😻🧎🏼‍♀️

she’s mine

pairing: rafe x pogue!reader

summary: *see above*

warnings: suggestive comments

words: 1.1k

a/n: i love this idea, it’s so fun to write everyone’s requests. i hope you like what i came up with! it’s not exact, but i think y’all will like it. as always, thank you for reading! if you have any requests, please do not hesitate to reach out! i love you, enjoy! <3

-—————————⋆｡‧˚ʚɞ˚‧｡⋆—————————-

it was a warm friday night. you had been out all day fishing in the marsh with kie, john b, jj, and pope. you guys were starving since you hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so everyone - mostly jj - convinced kie to take us to her family’s restaurant and get us some scrap food.

we are currently sitting at a table in the corner of the restaurant, out of the way of all the real customers. it was a pretty slow night, only a couple of groups occupied a few tables a little further from ours. scattered people coming in and out.

kie comes through balancing plates along her arms. the boys were practically panting as they gawked at the the piping hot dishes. we consider it a luxury when we get to eat at the wreck. it easily tops the grilled cheese and instant ramen us pogues are used to.

kie gently sat down each plate in front of us. “guys, be careful, it’s ho-” she tried to explain.

before she could even finish her sentence we had already stuffed our mouths full. as soon as the scalding hot food touched my mouth, i spit it right back out. immediately i started fanning my tongue. i look over to see the boys doing similar gestures.

“i tried to tell you.” kie stated smugly.

i went back to my food making sure to blow on each bite before i ate it.

not even 10 minutes went by and we had already cleaned the plates. literally. pope, john b, and jj started licking their plates.

“stop you dumbasses. act like we have some goddamn decency.” i scolded.

pope looked over at me quickly dropping his plate. “sorry.” he muttered.

they all straightened up.

“thanks again kie!” i added.

“always. gotta keep my favorite people fed.” she gave me a quick side hug and started picking up plates to take back to the kitchen. i grabbed a few, helping her out. i walked them to the dish room and sat them in the sink.

“hey i’m gonna finish the dishes them i’ll be out.” kie remarked.

“okay, i’m gonna head to the bathroom.”

i walked out of the kitchen and into the dining area, when i saw him walk in. there he was.

rafe cameron.

behind him came his two best friends, topper and kelce. i don’t know why i was surprised, they are here all the time. i guess it’s just different seeing him here now. since we’ve been hooking up.

yeah. me and rafe cameron are hooking up. it’s obviously a secret. if one of the pogues were to find out, i’d be killed. or worse.

like all good relationships begin, we met at a kegger at the beginning of summer. i knew it was wrong. maybe that’s why i did it. for an adrenaline rush, for the thrill? but god was he they best sex i’ve ever had. the only down side is how obsessive he is over me. especially who i hang out with.

rafe has told me multiple times how he doesn’t like me hanging out with the pogues. how they are bad for me. how i would be better off with him. he doesn’t want me to talk to anyone other than him. and we aren’t even official. he’s very obsessive.

i take a deep breath and head to the bathroom. i have to slip past rafe to get there, but at this point i’m just praying he doesn’t talk to me. i can’t risk the pogues finding out about us.

just when i thought i’d gotten past him, i feel a strong hand tightly grip my bicep. it was rafe. he pulled me into the hallway going to the bathrooms. he guided me in front of him, but kept his grip on me as we talked.

“hey, what are you doing here?” rafe asked.

“eating. duh? it’s a restaurant, that’s what you do at a restaurant.” i replied sarcastically.

he pulled me closer to him, dropping his mouth to my ear. “i didn’t ask for that bratty attitude. drop it.” he demanded.

my eyes dropped to my feet. “sorry.” i muttered.

“that’s what i thought.” he smirked. “who are you here with?”

my breath hitched in my throat. i already knew what he would say if i told him the truth. “i’m by myself.” i answered, my eyes still staring at the ground.

“don’t you fucking lie to me.” he growled. “you’re here with those pogues aren’t you.”

i turned my head away from him. i couldn’t take the pressure. he suddenly, yet gently gripped my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes.

“i thought i told you to stay away from them.” his eyes were piercing through mine.

“but they’re my friends.” i complained.

“i’m more important than them sweetheart. you’ll learn that soon enough.” he patted my cheek then let go of his grip on me. “now go back to your table.”

i turned around and started walking back to the group. i had a nervous feeling in my stomach. i knew rafe was possessive, but i thought we were just a hook up. i guess he has different plans.

i sat down in the seat i had occupied before. just as i sat down kie made her way back to the table. the rest of the night we just talked and joked around, but i never to my attention off of rafe. i watched as they ordered, as they got their food, as they ate, and finally, as they got their check. once the trio had successfully paid, rafe sent topper and kelce out as he stayed behind. what the hell was he doing.

he was walking towards our table. holy shit.

it wasn’t long before the others caught rafe in their peripheral and started questioning the same thing i was. “why is he coming over here?”

it felt like hours before he reached our table. he stood directly in front of me. his eyes never left mine as he reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a piece of black fabric. he gently tossed it into the table. i finally got a good view of it.

“you left your panties at my house.” he stated with a straight face.

then, i realized what the black fabric was. the black lacy thong i had worn last time i went to rafe’s. i had been missing it, but i figured i just lost in on my way home. my jaw dropped. my face was blood red. i could feel the heat on my cheeks. i couldn’t even make myself look at my friend’s reactions.

“she’s mine.” rafe stepped back and i watched him walk out of the restaurant.

john b looked around the table. “what. the. fuck. just happened?”

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[zepskies]

Take Me Home - Part 2

Pairing: Beau Arlen x F. Reader 

Summary: You are another lost soul at Sunny Day Excursions. You’re aiming to settle in Helena, Montana, where Beau Arlen is the new sheriff in town. But you’ve both got a past you’re running from. 

AN: Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments on Part 1! I know many of you have questions, and I promise, all will be revealed in due time…

(Also, what do you guys think of new chapters releasing on Wednesdays and Sundays instead of just Fridays? A week is a long time, isn't it? 😂)

Song Inspo: “City Grown Willow” by Radio Company

Word Count: 5,200

Tags/Warnings: Tension, hurt/comfort, major angst, and more comfort of a different sort.

❤️ Series Masterlist

Part 2: It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay

Tensions were running high at Sunny Day Excursions.

Over the next few days, Mary continued to press the issue of you staying in Montana with little passive aggressive comments that got on your damn nerves. You proverbially dug your heels in, and became even more stubborn and taciturn as a result.

Unstoppable force meets immovable object.

However, the entire camp was shaken the night Paige and Luke disappeared on a hike. Buck and Sunny assured everyone that they were doing their best to look for the couple, but come the morning, it was Emily who accidentally found Luke in the woods, bleeding from a head wound, and without Paige.

He claimed that they’d gone their separate ways after a fight, and he hadn’t seen her since. Paige’s suitcase and things were gone from her tent, so Sunny could only assume that she’d found her way back to camp and left for home by morning.

“Look, no one’s a prisoner here,” Sunny had said. “If Paige wanted to go home, then that’s up to her.”

There was still something off about it though, you felt. Emily seemed to share your thoughts; you’d heard her whispering with Avery, and Dan, another camper in his early 40s.

You started to watch Luke a bit harder from then on. As did your friend Mary, if for different reasons.

It was still early in the morning when you caught her flirting with Luke in front of your shared tent.

“A personal trainer, huh?” said Luke. His gaze flit over Mary’s form, and she allowed it with a smile. “You know, I’ve got a pretty good workout routine, but I’ll bet you can give me some tips—”

“Drink lots of water,” you said dryly as you approached the tent. You carried your sketchpad and acrylic paints in your hand, and you pushed into the tent without giving Luke and Mary more than a glance.

You heard Mary’s voice outside the tent, all girlish and flirtatious as she apologized about you, and suggested they could keep talking later. Luke readily agreed. You sat down on the edge of your bed and watched his silhouette walk away from the tent.

Mary soon joined you inside, and she didn’t look pleased. She stared down at you and crossed her arms.

“Are you kidding me with that shit?” you asked, gesturing at the scene you just saw.

“Could you be any more of a cockblock?” Mary shot back.

“Number one, that guy is a little too young for you, Cougar Town,” you reminded her. Luke had to be in his early 20s. It had been a hot minute since you and Mary were of college age. “Number two, he came here with his girlfriend, who he somehow lost in the woods.”

“She left him,” Mary said. “All alone in the middle of nowhere. Then she took off and went home so she didn’t have to deal with what she did. I feel bad for him.”

“No, you’re horny for him. There’s a difference,” you said flatly.

You loved Mary like a sister, but she had the tendency to let guys blind her to good sense. (Ha. Pot calling the kettle black, came your self-deprecation.)

Though you could’ve predicted the way she huffed and walked away, once again leaving you alone. You sighed.

Wasn’t this vacation for us? you wondered.

Mary continued to bait Luke with coy flirtation, while you tried and failed to ride a horse again. Cormack had been kind and encouraging in trying to help you onto the creature, but once you were on its back, you were too afraid to let the horse move.

You felt like you were going to topple off at any moment, even with Beau Arlen’s advice. (Which still made you blush whenever you thought about it.)

So Cormack helped you down, and you went back to the mess tent for a mid-afternoon snack to make you feel better: a giant jelly donut.

You were really getting frustrated with yourself now.

“It’s not so hard,” Emily had said. You could imagine that her dad, the cowboy sheriff, had put her on a horse from the time she was a little kid. You were a city girl, through and through. The closest you’d ever gotten to riding a horse was a plastic one—a carousel at a carnival when you were six. 

While you finished off your donut, you realized that you’d spent the whole day alone. As frustrated as you were with Mary, she was your best friend. And after this week, you would be staying and she would be going back to Chicago. You didn’t know when you would get to see her again.

So with a sigh, you wiped your hands free of donut icing and went to try and find her.

You started with the tent you shared with her. “Hey, Mary? Look I—”

You gasped when, upon entering the tent, you got your eyes seared. Mary and Luke were tangled together under the sheets. He moved off of your friend and rolled onto his back next to her when you came in. Mary uttered your name in shock. Everyone was shocked, really.

You were that, and angry.

“Really?! In our goddamn bed?” you shouted. Your gaze focused on Luke, and you pointed at him. “Get the hell out of here.”

He hesitated slightly, glancing at Mary, but your furious look scared him more. He grabbed his boxers and got dressed under the sheets before he left the bed, and then fled the tent, giving you a wide berth on his way out.

You then focused on Mary, who somehow looked both contrite and irritated at being interrupted. She said your name in a placating way, but you shook your head.

“No. No. Don’t even try,” you said. “That guy’s girlfriend left him in the middle of a vacation! What does that tell you? Please, screw me?”

“You know what?” Mary snapped. She sat up in the bed, making sure to cover herself with the sheet. She leaned over to grab her clothes from the floor and started hastily getting dressed.

“Luke’s actually a nice guy," she said. "You used to know how to have fun. But now you’ve just become this bitter person who can’t relax or let yourself be happy, let alone anyone else.”

That actually struck you—like a physical blow to your chest. You tried to blink past the sting of tears in your eyes.

“You’re a damn child,” you said, steadier than you felt. “You’re not the one who had your whole world imploded.”

Mary’s lips pursed. She still looked angry, but also like she was hiding the sting of guilt. She gathered up some of her things and informed you that she’d be staying at Luke’s tent tonight.

Freakin’ fine by you.

You’d also have to request some new bed sheets from Sunny.

In the morning, you stumbled out of bed after a rough night’s sleep. It was hard for you to sleep in a new place by yourself, especially out here in the woods.

Especially after how you and Mary left things.

You were so tired, you counted it a small blessing that you were able to put on clothes and get your hair into some kind of normalcy before you trekked over to the mess tent.

There you accidentally overheard Avery and Emily arguing; she’d lost her knife in the woods when she’d happened upon Luke, but Avery was reluctant to let her go hiking by herself. Apparently, her mother was due to join them this morning as well.

It seemed like the day of late comers though. A new married couple, Tonya and Donno, had arrived late yesterday to join the trip. They’d requested a tent at the far end of the camp, closest to the woods. Apparently, they wanted to really experience nature.

All you knew was, they seemed a bit weird.

“That knife’s important. My father gave it to me,” Emily said, interrupting your thoughts.

It made Avery quiet, but they both greeted you more pleasantly when you had to walk by them to get to the coffee.

“Hey, sorry,” you gave a little wave in embarrassment. You hated interrupting moments that had nothing to do with you, but you supposed it was unavoidable in this camp.

Once you’d gotten your coffee and filled your plate with some eggs and bacon, you joined them at the table. You pretended not to notice the way they both glanced at you with measures of concern. Did you really look that bad?

Avery wisely didn’t comment. Emily wasn’t as good at curbing her inner filter.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked. You gave her a thin smile.

“Just a bit tired. Didn’t sleep so well,” you admitted.

Of course, that was when the reason for your bedraggled appearance strolled into the mess tent. Mary came in and noticed Avery and Emily first with a smile. It turned frosty when she glanced at you. You gave her a mocking “smile” right back.

She chose to ignore you and went for the buffet table instead.

Right, you thought. You supposed that was how it was going to be for the rest of this damn trip.

“All righty! Good mornin’, folks,” Sunny said, entering the mess tent. She surveyed all the faces gathered—some relaxed and jovial, and then your table, a bit awkward, a bit tense.

She moved on with a smile that matched her name and her shiny red hair.

“Just lettin’ you all know as a reminder, we’ve got a bunch of activities for you all if there are any takers. Archery, kayaking, it’s gonna be a great time,” she said. “But if you prefer, you’re welcome to keep to the camp have a more relaxed day. It’s your vacation, so it’s up to you how you wanna spend it.”

You all nodded in understanding.

It’s your vacation. You choose how you spend it.

That, you could get on board with.

You spent the rest of the morning alone, as usual. Either you were reading in the outdoor lounge area, taking in the sunshine and the fresh air, or you were painting, taking in the landscape of the tall trees and the great, big mountains peeking out from behind them.

You earned yourself some peace today, one that let you breathe and try to tune out your frustrations with Mary, and your worries about the future. You hummed along to a melody in your mind as you painted. Completely at peace…

Until a hand tapped on your shoulder, making you yelp and sending your paintbrush high in the air.

Cormack came into your line of vision with a barely stifled laugh and placating hands. While you took out your earbuds (and calmed your breathing), he grabbed your brush and handed it back to you.

“Sorry about that. Just wanted to let you know that lunch is served,” he said, though he took a glance at your painting. “Hey, lookin’ real good there. Nice landscape.”

You let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Aw, you don’t have to be so nice. I’m still learning.”

He crossed his arms. “Well, if you’re interested in taking classes, I know someone who runs an art studio in town. Miss Peggy. Nice lady. Not too harsh.”

You laughed more genuinely.

“Good to know, thanks! Send me the address and I’ll check it out,” you said. Cormack agreed with a smile, and he helped you up from the long couch you were sitting on. The two of you walked back together to the central part of the camp, where the mess tent was.

There you met Emily’s mother, Carla, who’d just joined her family at the camp. She wasn’t exactly dressed for camping in her pressed blouse and pencil skirt; professional and smart, her long dark hair a perfect coil.

This woman was immaculate. As you soon learned, she was also a lawyer. You didn’t often feel intimidated by other women, but she could fit that bill, considering you were sweaty and dusty in your plain V-necked shirt and jeans.

And especially knowing that this was Sheriff Arlen’s ex-wife. Avery seemed like the “wealthy businessman” type—the kind of man you’d expect a high-powered lawyer to be with. You found yourself wondering how she’d met the sheriff.

That’s none of your busineeeess, you sing-songed in your mind, while you speared more salad on your plate. As if that could disguise the juicy brisket burger right beside it.

After lunch, you returned to your tent to finally find Mary. She was lying on the bed, looking a bit listless.

“I’m surprised you’re not attached to Luke’s hip,” you remarked, setting down your backpack and paint supplies on the floor. “Or his face.”

She shot you a peeved look. “He keeps ditching me for that weird new couple. Tonya and Donner or something.”

“Donno?” you supplied. “Yeah, he’s weird. He stole the ketchup bottle from the breakfast table this morning. He told me, ‘You shouldn’t ruin good eggs with sugary tomato paste.’”

Mary raised a brow, but she turned to you when you sat down beside her on the bed. There was a moment of tension between you, even though your gazes were softer to each other. The truth was, you missed your friend today. You guys didn’t fight often, and it had you hurting. Maybe she felt the same way.

“Listen,” you said with a sigh. “I’m not sorry for throwing Luke out of our tent. That was gross as hell, and I didn’t appreciate that. But I don’t want to fight with you. I want to enjoy our last few days together before you go back to Chicago.”

Mary’s lips pursed, but she seemed to relent.

“Yeah, that was a bitch move,” she admitted. She knew full well that her tryst with Luke could’ve happened in his tent, not the one she shared with you. She met your gaze with more resignation, as well as apology.

“You’re really staying here, aren’t you?” she asked.

You nodded. “Yeah, I am. I’m not saying there’s nothing for me back home. Of course I’m going to miss you, our friends, the rest of my family…but I need to do this. I need a fresh start.”

It took her a moment, but Mary nodded. She reached over and hugged you. You held her back tightly.

After a beat, she let you go and slid out of bed.

“Okay,” she sighed. “I need to do something. I’m going stir crazy in here.”

“Where’re you going?” you asked.

“Just for a run,” she replied. “I should be back by dinner.”

“A run?” you repeated, your brows furrowing. “In the woods by yourself? Don’t you think that’s dangerous?”

“Well, you could come with me,” she offered. You grimaced. You and running didn’t mix. You were more of a yoga girl.

Mary laughed and finished changing into her activewear and sneakers.

“That’s what I thought,” she said. “No worries, I’ll have my phone if anything. I’ll be okay.”

“But your cell won’t have service out there!” you said.

Mary was already leaving. She blew you a kiss goodbye, though she did stop in the tent’s entryway. Her face sobered with a sincere apology.

“Look, I’m sorry for everything, okay?” she said. “I know I can be a brat sometimes…but we can talk more when I get back, clear my head.”

You were reluctant to see her go, but you nodded.

“Just be back in time for dinner!” you called after her.

Mary wasn’t back for dinner. Even after the sun set, she hadn’t come back from her run. You were really beginning to worry.

All the other campers were gathering up at the edge of camp for a Night Hike. It was an idea Buck and Sunny surprised you all with a few hours ago. You wondered if they were trying to make up for the strange way Paige left the camp.

“The moon’s full tonight,” as Sunny had said, with a slightly too bright smile. “Should be a beautiful time.”

You asked some of the others if they’d seen Mary, but they all replied negatively. Even Luke was nowhere to be found…but someone else was missing too.

“I still can’t believe you let her go into the woods alone,” Carla snapped at her husband.

Avery’s frown deepened. “I had no idea she went off by herself. You know your daughter. She’s headstrong—”

“Yeah, just like her father,” Carla muttered, turning away from him. Avery sighed.

You couldn’t help but approach them.

“Emily’s missing?" you said in concern. "Mary is too. I’ve been waiting for her to come back all afternoon.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Carla said. She frowned as anxiety continued to well up in her eyes. “Maybe they found each other.”

You touched her arm in comfort. “Either way, we can all look for them now.”

Sunny came up to the group with a flashlight and a smile.

“Everyone ready?” she asked.

“Mary’s missing,” you told her, “And so is Emily. Mary went on a run this morning and hasn’t been back since.”

Sunny inclined her head. After she surveyed the rest of the crowd, she settled back on you.

“I see Luke’s not among us either. Maybe they’re together?” she suggested, in a leading tone. You frowned.

“No, she left alone,” you said firmly.

“Don’t mean she stayed alone, darlin’,” Sunny replied, with that Oklahoma twang that so often made her words more charming. “But we’ll be sure to look for her and Emily while we’re out there.”

Carla shook her head and said to her husband, “That’s it. I’m calling Beau.”

“Darling, you don’t need to,” Avery replied, shaking his head. “Emily’s a responsible girl. She knows what time we’re meant to leave—”

Carla shook her head and walked past him and Sunny—towards the hotspot for cell service. You agreed with her; calling the sheriff couldn’t hurt, especially if you all couldn’t find Mary or Emily on this hike.

You still went with the rest of them to start your own search. You tried to keep with the group, but after lingering in certain spots to call for Mary, you eventually realized that you’d lost the trail—and everyone else.

The trees were tall and dark now. The moon was filtering through them like the sun had during other day hikes, but it was much more ominous at night.

“Shit,” you muttered. You gripped your flashlight in worry as panic started to well up in your chest.

Now you were lost.

You jumped with a start when the hoot of a bird passed by overhead.

Shiiiit. This was very bad.

You kept moving forward on what you thought was the trail. That was all you could do, keep moving forward. You made a few turns around some trees, occasionally calling out for Sunny, or Mary, or anyone to hear you.

The panic was back now, full force, and you felt the sting of tears in your eyes. And when you turned another corner, you screamed when you bumped into someone.

A girl’s scream echoed just as loudly as yours in the big, empty wood, but you got ahold of yourself, literally with a hand over your wildly beating heart when you realized who you’d run into.

“Emily!” you uttered. The girl let out a breath of relief to see you too. You went to her and pulled her into a hug, and she hugged you back.

“Thank. God,” she said. Her voice sounded tight with emotion, and you held her a bit tighter.

“It’s okay,” you rubbed her back. “How long’ve you been out here?”

“I don’t know,” she shook her head, pulling away from you. “Couple of hours? Maybe longer.”

You nodded and expelled a breath. Poor thing looked tired. She didn’t even have any supplies with her. You gave her a protein bar from your backpack before you two started walking.

“So the good news is, we found each other. The bad news is, we’re still lost,” you said, counting each item on your fingers. “But the good news also is, I’ve only been walking for about…half an hour or so. I’m thinking we can mark trees or other landmarks as we pass them, like checking them off, so we know where we’ve been.”

Emily glanced at you with a smile. “You’re a checklist person, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely!” you agreed. “Checking things off is satisfying. But it’s also good just to take an inventory of where we’re at.”

You two kept walking for a while. Emily explained that she’d been following Luke, who took off by himself after giving her an ominous warning.

“There are some bad people on this trip. Want my advice? Get the hell out of here,” he’d said.

You frowned in concern. You’d felt that there was something fishy about that guy, pretty much from the moment he and Paige disappeared on that hike. Those newcomers he’d been hanging out with ever since, Tonya and Donno…maybe they had something to do with it.

They’d left camp today to go into town, claiming to check on the restaurant they owned and ran. But with everything now starting to come into perspective, you couldn’t take any piece of information at face value around here.

Suddenly, Emily stopped short.

“What’s…” Your words trailed as you followed her line of vision. There was a frilly pair of underwear on the ground.

That led to a hoodie strewn in the dirt and dead leaves. You continued on, until you found Mary, lying on her back on the cold ground. You and Emily gasped her name, but you moved first, dropping to your knees at Mary’s side. You pressed a hand to her cheek and found it cold.

You moved two fingers to the pulse point at her neck, but there was nothing. No life in her. Your mouth fell open in a silent, shocked cry.

“Mary? Honey, can you hear me?” you tried, shaking her shoulders. When she remained unresponsive, tears burned in your eyes and blurred your vision. You finally saw a dark patch of wet pooled out from under her body.

“Oh my God,” Emily said, voicing your thoughts. She was panicked. “Oh God, she’s…she’s…”

You turned to her and wanted to say, Don’t look.

You had briefly taught highschoolers before you became a college professor. You were used to looking out for your students, and as the adult here, you wanted to shield the teen from the sight of this, no matter how much your mind was spinning.

Before you could say anything, Emily fled the clearing with a scream.

“Emily!” you shouted after her. You glanced back at Mary in desperation, but you forced yourself onto your feet and ran after the girl.

You had slightly longer legs, but she was fast. You only caught up to her because she screamed louder, after running into Buck leading a horse through the woods. She grabbed onto him while you caught your breath behind her.

“What? What happened?” Buck asked. You laid a supportive hand on Emily’s shoulder, and she turned back to you with tearful eyes.

“Mary,” you managed, despite the coarseness in your voice. “She’s…”

This isn’t real, you thought. It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real.

“She’s dead,” Emily finished for you. “Someone killed her.”

Buck’s eyes widened in shock. All he could say was…

“Show me.”

Buck brought Mary’s body back to camp on the back of his horse. The three of you walked in silence all the way there. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at her lifeless body. It was wrong. And if you did, you knew you’d collapse.

Emily was likely in shock as well. Her arm was looped through yours, though you weren’t sure who was steadying who.

Thanks to Carla, the police were already on the way to Sunny Day Excursions. When you reached the camp, Carla beelined for her daughter. Despite how happy she was to see her mom, Emily was a bit reluctant to let go of you, seeing how shaken you were, but you encouraged her wordless to go to her mother.

Carla pulled Emily into a tight hug, kissing the side of her head, and asked if she was all right. Emily just shook her head and pressed her face into her mom’s shoulder. Carla looked up at you with a relieved sigh.

“Thank you,” she said.

You gave her teary smile of your own. You couldn’t speak though, especially when Buck passed by with Mary still on the back of his horse. Sunny gasped and grabbed a blanket to cover the body with.

She then went to you, whispering, “You poor dear. Come ‘ere, sit by the fire.”

She covered your shoulders with another blanket and steered you to sit by the bonfire in the center of camp. You stayed there and stared at the flames. All the while, you didn’t feel the warmth. You didn’t feel the silent tears that slid down your face and dropped into your lap.

“Where’s Luke?” you heard Avery ask.

“That’s a good question,” said Sunny. She turned to her husband. “Buck?”

“I don’t know, but somebody better find him,” he replied grimly.

It was another hour before the police arrived.

You still hadn’t moved from your spot in front of the bonfire on a hard bench, but it was Cormack who gently asked you if you wanted to go back to your tent to relax until the police got around to talking to you about what happened.

You’d agreed, silently, and he helped you up. But you found that you could go no further than the couple of steps that brought you onto the platform outside of your tent. The tent you’d shared with Mary.

You couldn’t go in, and Cormack seemed to realize that. He helped you lower down to sit on the platform, with your dirty sneakers planted on the step below. He gave you a cup of hot tea as well, which you held with both hands and sipped slowly.

You only raised your head when you heard Emily’s voice exclaim in happiness. You watched her run to her father, the Sheriff. He welcomed his daughter into his arms and held her tight. Relief was painted all over his face. You heard the rumble of his voice asking her if she was all right. She just burrowed closer in the safety of his arms.

A blonde policewoman had come with him, along with a whole unit of officers. She went to question Buck and Sunny first, while Beau handled Emily, then Avery and Carla. It didn’t seem like a pleasant conversation, between the two men especially.

Don’t stare, you reminded yourself. You lowered your gaze to the dusty bottom stair between your feet. Your vision started to glaze over the longer you focused on that spot. You weren’t lost in thought. You were just…blank. This entire night still didn’t feel real.

Mary’s last words kept ringing through your mind…

“Look, I’m sorry for everything, okay?” she’d said. “I know I can be a brat sometimes…but we can talk more when I get back.”

You were interrupted from your reverie when two brown boots entered your line of vision. You looked up, and Beau Arlen was there to greet you with a look of sympathy. And yet, there was a professional set to his face that let you know you were about to be formally questioned about Mary’s death.

“Is that spot taken?” Beau asked, pointing to the space beside you on the platform. You shook your head and scooched over, so he could sit down. He sighed on his way there, greeting you with polite familiarity.

“Sheriff,” you nodded back. You set aside your mug of tea and crossed your arms, holding yourself against the chill.

You’d left the blanket by the bonfire, and your sweater had been stained with blood, after helping Buck set Mary’s body on the horse. You’d ripped the sweater off as soon as you got to camp, leaving you in just your undershirt.

“You need a jacket,” Beau remarked. He glanced back at your tent, as if he was wondering why you hadn’t gone inside to grab one. But his gaze was perceptive. Instead of asking, he shrugged out of his faux fur-lined leather jacket and draped it around your shoulders.

“Here, you can borrow this for now,” he said.

“Thank you,” you spoke in a small voice. You grasped one edge of the jacket and pulled it closer around you. It smelled like musky cologne and old leather.

Beau waved off his gesture of kindness.

“I hear you found my daughter in the woods and tried to get her back to camp,” he said. “Thank you for that.”

You glanced over at him, and tears once again shone in your eyes.

“I’m sorry she had to see…”

Beau’s gaze was heavy as he sighed and nodded again in agreement.

“I’m sorry you had to see it too,” he said. “And I’m sorry for your loss. For your friend.”

You took in a shuddering breath. New tears found familiar paths down your cheeks.

“Best friend, since college,” you said.

Beau took that in, before he asked you about the day’s events. You had to explain about Mary going missing first, then Emily, and finally Luke, who still hadn’t been found. You told everything you knew from your perspective.

When you were done, Beau reluctantly asked about the Mary and Luke situation. Your lips pursed, but your upset wasn’t at the sheriff. You knew he had to ask these questions.

“We argued about it,” you admitted. “Me and Mary. I warned her not to get involved with him, and the way Paige left camp was just one of many…but still, I should’ve been there. I shouldn’t have let her go into the woods alone! I should’ve gone with her!”

By the end, your whole body wracked with sobs. You covered your face with your hands to try and get some semblance of composure, but you just couldn’t keep it together.

“Okay, okay,” Beau said gently. He laid a hand on your back and rubbed back and forth. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I am.”

You sucked in a few tremulous breaths, sniffling. You looked up at him with red, watery eyes. He gave you a half smile. 

“Sorry,” he repeated, this time for the endearment. “Like I said, got a bad habit of doin’ that.”

You shook your head with a weak curve of your lips, despite how your lower lip wobbled. 

“It’s okay,” you said. 

But it wasn’t. Nothing was. 

You didn’t think you’d ever be okay again.

AN: 😥 I'm sorry about Mary, but I promise, it's all for a purpose, besides following canon. But let me know what you think! There will be much more of the reader and Beau in the next chapter, though you may not expect how their next meeting comes about...

Next Time:

“We’re gonna start here in a few minutes, but until then, you can take a seat,” said Tom. “There’s also coffee and cookies over there, if you like.”

Coffee. Coffee was warm, and it might settle your nerves and help you perk up a bit. You thanked him and went for the carafes on a small table in the back. You poured some coffee into a Styrofoam cup and poured a little sugar and creamer into it, but after you took an experimental sip, you immediately regretted it.

Tastes like damn soil water! You made a grossed out sound and spat it back into your cup.

“Yeah, wouldn’t recommend the joe,” drawled a familiar voice. 

You turned sharply to find Sheriff Beau Arlen.

▶️ Keep Reading: PART 3

Ko-Fi Me ☕

Series Masterlist

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[skymoral]

Bi-Han x B!F Wife Reader

TRAINING

Summary: Bi-han was having the clan train, Kuai Liang monitoring it and Y/N wanted to join. But one of the Lin Kuei’s went a bit to far, and Bi-han was not accepting that.

Tags: Fluff/protect, slight drama, over-protective

A/N: Bi-han does not play about his woman

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

You just had finish treating yourself of earthrealms female activities, Sonya took you for a girls out to explore earth.

With a hard push to have Bi-han approve of you going, so you had body guards as if you couldn’t defend yourself… well to a certain extent.

Y/N bid her friend Sonya farewell, as you were headed to back to your room to show it off to your husband. You passed where the Lin Kuei was training.

Y/N saw her brother-In-law Kuai Liang, he was showing his clan new skills. You watched standing between the threshold.

“What are you doing woman?” A cold tone came from behind her. There was only one man that talked with such coldness.

“Beloved! Ooh look!” You ran up hugging his arm, and putting your hand in his face.

“You like my nails, there blue and light blue. I know how much you love it when I wear your color. Ooh, and I let my braids out!”

Y/N stepped back not to far shaking her big fluffy curly Afro. It was literally touching your shoulders. He left your hand kissing the back of your palm.

“It is Beautiful, I am pleased to know you enjoyed yourself.” Bi-han gave a small smile, that was quickly gone as he entered the training spot.

Of course you followed behind, as you love watching the training sessions and little spar.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

As the training was continuing, you heard Kuai Liang ask anyone if they would like to spar with one of the Lin Kuei warriors, who went by the name “Lu Min”(A/N: don’t judge me about the name lol). Who was there most skilled warrior

“I can spar with them!” Y/N volunteered herself happily. Kuai Liang gave you a shocked expression, then turned to his brother. Who only waved his hand giving his approval.

You stood up and put your hair into two big puffs. “It is an honor to be able to spar with the grand mistress herself.” Lu Min bowed.

“Likewise.” You returned the gesture. You got into a fighting stance. You were lucky you didn’t have to change. You had a comfortable attire on, that was suitable for fighting.

As you both spar, you earned a couple impressed reactions.

You’ve been doing some training of your own and sometimes practice with your husband.

But you wanted to show off something you learn, which was a double aerial kick before you kicked him down.

“A little something ya girl learned on her own.” You noticed an impressed grin from Bi-han. He expected nothing less from you, as he does not marry weak women.

“We’re not finish yet.” Lu Min said a bit more agitated. You noticed but brushed it off.

He charged at you, but you blocked his punch, then he swepped his leg under her making her fall.

Before Y/N could block, he punched her hard in her chest. Knocking the wind out of you, you grunted slightly.

Trying to get up, then he kicked you hard against the wall and punched you dead in your face, but used your hands to protect it slightly, which didn’t do much. Earning a whimper out of you, your face bruised.

Before it could continue, Kuai Liang ended the fight. Standing between you both, Y/N thanked the gods for the intervention. Because she be damned if she tapped out.

Not wanting to seem weak, but was boy fighting as if it was a real Mortal Kombat. The pain was getting to you, and he just fucked up the nails you just got did.

You felt the aura of the room changed, Bi-han kneeled in front of you. Gripping your face and looking at your wounds

{You wondered to yourself on when you had got on the ground}

“You are bruised but not broken. We will end this little sparring session.”

You could tell Bi-han was pissed that one of his men went overboard, “I-It’s fine Bi-han, I was just caught off guard I’m alright babe… Well, except my nails.” You tried to play off jokingly, but he was in no joking mood.

Bi-han called one of the medics and asked them to tend to your wounds in your shared room with Bi-han.

“You will finish your sparring lesson with me.” Bi-han pointed at Lu Min, who was already apologizing and begging for mercy.

You were taken away before you could see an outcome

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

You were laying in the bed, leaning against the headboard. Looking at what was your newly blue and light blue nails.

Fingers bandaged, some broke off fully(which hurt like a bitch) and others half broken but still sore as it was new.

Then you heard Bi-han entered the room, he sank the bed as sat on the edge. Pulling your hands to his lips kissing it.

“You didn’t kill the poor boy did you?” Y/N asked worryingly, you didn’t want to get anyone killed.

“Why does it matter.” Bi-han bluntly responded settling in the bed and pulling you close to him.

“Bi-hannnnn.” You whined, Bi-han was kissing your neck then bruises.

“He’s lucky Kuai Liang was there.” Bi-han, would have killed him if it weren’t for his brother holding him back. As he was already taught a lesson and made as an example to the others if they ever felt like being bold. How dare anyone ruin his wife’s beautiful face.

Y/N was alright with that response, at least he was alive. You gave him a sweet kiss on the lips before confirming to him that you’re alright and you will live and heal… except your nails.

“I’m sad about my nails though, they were so cute and nice… After all that money I spent on it.” You pouted.

“Money is no issue my dear wife, you can go again tomorrow.” Bi-han told you, giving you a smile. Your the only person he shows this too.

“THAT MEANS YOUR TAKING ME DADDY!?” You sat up excitedly. Bi-han huffed with a smirk before getting out the bed and heading to wash himself up.

“I never said that, it means you can find your own way again.” Bi-han told you before disappearing in the bathroom.

“BI-HANNNNNNN!” You whined loudly.

A/N: These are what your nails looked like, also hoped you enjoyed this story as well

#bi han x reader #bi han sub zero #bi han mortal kombat #bi han x you #bi han fanfic #black reader #mk1 2023 #mk1 x reader #bi han mk #reader insert #black women #fem reader #readers community #sfw fanfic #fandom

[holdmytesseract]

moodboard by @mochie85 | divider by @fictive-sl0th <3

a/n: The majority of you voted for a lil' sneak peek... And here it is! Enjoy! 💚 It's not proofread yet, so... 🙈

Smol sneak peek...

The pâtisserie was bustling with people - of course. After all, it was the best in downtown; yes, probably in whole New York City.

With your hand was snugly wrapped up in Loki's bigger hand, you waited patiently in line until it was your turn. "Hi, we have an appointment for a wedding cake tasting," you explained to the friendly looking young man behind the counter. His eyes widened when he looked at you and Loki; recognising the both of you for sure. "Oh, uh, yes, give me a second, please..." He said nervously, looked down and seemed to search for something, until- "Ah, yes. Please follow me." You nodded with a smile. The young man's cheeks reddened and he smile bashfully back at you.

You and Loki followed him then to a little back room with two doors, a small grey sofa, white counter and some bar stools. The wall was painted in a beautiful shade of pastel orange and a few art pictures hung here and there. It looked quite neat and cosy.

"Have a seat, please." The man gestured towards the sofa. "Riley will be with you in a minute." You smiled, "Thank you." while your fiancè gave him a nod. Once more the young guy smiled shyly and fumbled nervously with his fingers. "It's an honour to have you here, Ms. Y/L/N and Mr. Laufeyson."

For the first time since you entered the pâtisserie, Loki spoke up; leapfrogging you. "Well, it's a pleasure to be here." You silently agreed with the god; who still held your hand in a snug grip and made sure you were standing close to him.

Even though you were about to be married, he still showed the people who you belong to. _Guess some things never change,_ you thought with a smile; looking at your engulfed hand. You didn't care, though. Quite the opposite... Loki's slight possessiveness was attractive and admittedly sexy in your eyes.

The man opposite you blushed in a dark shade of red, "That's great to hear." before shuffling his feet. He was on the verge of leaving the room, but before he did, he turned around to face you and Loki once again; seemed now to have scratched all his bravery together and ask: "I-I know this is p-probably inappropriate to ask, b-but may I get an autograph l-later?"

You smiled brightly. The guy was kinda cute, you couldn't deny that. "Of course. Just hit us up before we leave again."

The young man's eyes twinkled with happiness - and relief. "T-Thank you." Then he left the little room and you and Loki alone.

About five minutes later, the other door at the side wall opened and in came a woman in 'workwear', bright pink hair, glasses and quite a few piercings.

You and Loki were sitting on the sofa - like instructed; hands still intertwined and resting in your lap. Your free hand was on Loki's thigh, close to his knee. When you saw the woman, you both stood up.

"Hi there!" She said in a happy, enthusiastic tone and crossed the distance to meet you and shake your hands. "I'm Riley, we talked on the phone. Nice to meet you." You shook her hand, smiling. "Y/N and Loki." The friendly woman winked, "I know." shook Loki's hand as well and gestured for the counter with the bar stools. "Shall we move over?" "Sure." You and the god followed Riley. She went behind the counter and you both got comfortable on the stools.

Baby Fever Crew: @lady-rose-moon @muddyorbsblr @chennqingg @smolvenger @alexakeyloveloki @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @jennyggggrrr @stupidthoughtsinwriting @eleniblue @loz-3 @mishkatelwarriorgoddess @fictive-sl0th @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @lovingchoices14 @glitchquake @lokidbadguy @icytrickster17 @mandywholock1980 @november-rayne @xthatpottahfanx @simping-for-marvel @lou12346789 @aagn360 @anukulee @multifandom-worlds @hisredheadedgoddess28 @vbecker10 @jaidenhawke @km-ffluv @lokiforever @crimson25 @kimanne723 @cakesandtom @buttercupcookies-blog @salvinaa @javagirl328 @noideakitten @zombiesnips-blog @dustychinchilla74 @frzntrx @princess-ofthe-pages @coldnique @asgards-princess-of-mischief @lokisrealpurpous @huntedmusicgardenn @lokischambermaid @mochie85

#the baby fever wedding #the baby fever au #loki x reader #loki laufeyson #loki #loki x female reader #loki x you #loki fanfiction #tom hiddleston x reader #loki fluff #loki x y/n #loki laufeyson x reader

[underoospeterparker]

OMG OMG PRI CONGRATS ON 600! SO HAPPY FOR YOU. YOU DESERVE IT MWAH 💋

I have a coral for you 🪸!

what about jj Maybank x Spider-Man au?

AAH OMG I LOVE UR WORK <3

ily!! thank u for requesting!

join the celebration

jj maybank x spiderman!au, 1k words

hurt/comfort, angst to fluff, swearing

You sat on the sofa in the Chateau, surrounded by Kiara and Sarah while you drank from your beers and chatted. A realisation struck you suddenly and you turned to Kiara.

"Kie, where's JJ?" You asked her, slightly worried that your boyfriend hadn't shown up yet. He was normally always at the Chateau and if he wasn't, it meant something was most likely wrong.

Kiara shrugged, then turned over on the couch to face you and Sarah, beer on her lap. "Dunno," she replied, "but I heard him telling John B he had to go home for something."

"Shit," you whispered. Sarah nodded along with you. JJ's dad was violent. Violent enough that he would beat up his son and not feel even slightly guilty about it. "I'm gonna go check up on him," you said, placing your unfinished bottle on the table, "is that okay?"

Sarah smiled. "Go ahead." You looked to Kiara for confirmation. She rolled her eyes and gestured to the door playfully.

Once you were outside, you let out a breath that you'd been holding in your lungs for far too long. "(Y/N)!" John B called to you from the porch steps. You turned around, and he asked, "where're you going?"

"Need to find Jayj," you replied, a grim look on your face. John B nodded. "Can I take the Twinkie?" You gave him and Pope your best puppy dog eyes, and John B finally relented, throwing you the keys. "Thanks, JB."

He smiled at you. "Don't thank me. Just go find JJ, okay?"

Even Pope looked worried, lip caught between his teeth, no matter how much he tried to hide it. "Tell him hi for us," Pope yelled to you in the distance, and you gave him a thumbs up.

-

"JJ, you come back here right now!"

He slammed his house door shut, ignoring his father's angry shouts as he jogged to an alley out of view. He slung his backpack off his shoulder, and unzipped his bag, changing into his suit as quickly as possible.

JJ hid his bag behind a dumpster with his mask in hand. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop while trying to put his mask on with one hand, the other shooting webs as quickly as the tiny device would allow him.

People on the streets stared, pointing up at him as he moved quickly on top of the buildings. Many pulled out their phones from the pockets to record him as he swung past, and JJ grinned under the mask, even throwing up a peace sign in one of the selfies.

He made his usual rounds, but nothing very interesting was going on. JJ started to head back to his house, but stopped when he saw the Twinkie parked outside and you walking up to the porch steps, hesitating and looking around with a worried look at your face.

"J?" You called, a frown tilting the corner of your lips down. Your boyfriend watched as his dad swung the door open, cigarette between his lips, staggering down the porch steps. You retreated, stumbling on your shoelace before you steadied yourself.

You nodded. "Luke," you acknowledged him, "you seen JJ?"

Luke frowned. "No, I haven't seen the little shit." He looked confused. "You know where he is," he came to the conclusion, reaching towards you.

"No, I don't, dumbass," you replied, clearly not scared of him. "Why the hell else would I come to you?"

JJ's dad's hand reached for your throat, tightening until your airway was completely blocked up and you were gasping for air. He squeezed your neck.

"You know where he is," he repeated dumbly, a psychotic grin spreading across his face, his hold faltering, "and you'll tell me right now, or-"

Out of nowhere, Luke was kicked straight into the dumpster, and his hold on you released. You collapsed to the ground, desperately trying to get air back into your empty lungs.

From the corner of your eye, you realised it was none other than Spiderman who had come to your rescue. The masked vigilante that had been swinging across Outer Banks ever since John B's dad had disappeared.

With one of your hands braced against the ground, your other came up to your neck to gingerly touch at the bruise. You let go, wincing, as you heard a soft thwip and Luke was tied up, unconscious.

Spiderman knelt in front of you, the black triangles that resembled his eyes peering at you, almost concerned. Then, he reached up to his head and pulled the mask off entirely, and it was none other than JJ.

You gasped in both shock and pain when he pressed at your neck gently, tilting his head so he could inspect the bruise. "'m sorry, sweetheart," he murmured, his voice soft. "You doing okay?"

You looked at him, mouth agape in shock, unable to form words. "What the hell, JJ? You're Spiderman?" You managed, stuttering, your words unfinished.

JJ's face softened even further, if that was even possible. "Yeah," he said, sheepish. "Couldn't tell you, honey, or it would put you at risk. Needed to keep my girl safe, alright?"

At this, you relaxed, and he pulled you into a hug. You rested your head against his chest, his heartbeat a soothing sound to your ears. JJ stroked at your hair gently, scratching at your scalp until you went lax in your arms. You heard a grunt, but it wasn't from JJ. You pulled back, both of you turning your attention to Luke.

JJ's dad blinked his eyes open, his gaze going straight to JJ. He sighed. "Now, what the actual fu-"

#underoospeterparker's 600 celebration! #spiderman!jj maybank #spiderman!jj #jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank imagine #jj mayback x reader #jj mayback imagine #jj obx #jj x you #jj x reader #jj x y/n #jj maybank x you #jj maybank x y/n #jj maybank x oc #jj maybank fluff #obx fic #obx fanfiction #obx cast #obx x reader #obx #outer banks #outer banks fanfiction #the pogues #outer banks imagine #spiderman x reader #fluff #comfort #hurt/comfort

[lokidokieokie]

Love's Debut

Summary: In an actor AU, Loki Laufeyson is a world-famous actor; and you, his humble assistant. What happens when years of unreleased feelings rise to the surface...during the middle of his movie’s première.  

Pairing: Actor!Loki x Assistant!Reader

Warning(s): Kinda fluffy, kinda angsty, large crowds, declarations of love, Loki is definitely OOC (but it’s my AU, so deal with it 😊)

Note: italics is a flashback

Loki Laufeyson was at the height of his career as a world-famous actor. He had starred in countless blockbuster hits, had legions of adoring fans, and was constantly on the go. It was no surprise that he was in need of an assistant to keep his life organised.

That's where you came in.

"Excuse me, Mr. Laufeyson?"

He looked up from his desk to see a woman standing in his doorway. It was safe to say that he was entirely gobsmacked. There she stood in a lilac blouse and a black skirt, her h/c hair sitting in a tight bun on the side of her head.

"I'm sorry to bother you," she said, her voice slightly hesitant. "I'm your new assistant."

He smiled warmly at her, feeling a sense of relief wash over him as her honeyed voice clouded his senses. He had been without an assistant for weeks, and the workload was continuing to pile up.

"Of course, please, come in." He said, gesturing to the empty chair in front of his desk.

She sat down, pulling a notebook out of her bag.

"My name is Y/n, as I'm sure you read in the email," she said, introducing herself. "I'm so excited to be working with you."

"I'm glad to have you on board," he said, smiling at her. "Is there anything that you require from me at the moment?"

Y/n shook her head, her eyes bright.

"No, I'm all set. I've read up on your current projects and I've got everything organised."

He raised an eyebrow, impressed.

"That's quite efficient," he said, feeling a weight being lifted from his shoulders. "I'm glad to hear it."

For the next few weeks, Y/n proved herself to be an invaluable asset. She was organised, efficient, and always one step ahead of him. But as he spent more time with her, he couldn't help but feel that there was something more there--a connection that went beyond just professional admiration.

Ever since the beginning you had kept him grounded. When we was stressed out over a tight schedule for a particular film, you were there waiting for him with a cup of tea and soothing words. When he was freaking out over forgetting to buy his brother's birthday gift, you surprised with him with a present of his own--the item that he was looking to get Thor.

And as the weeks turned to months which turned into years, that feeling of admiration never left him. They continued to grow as every day flew by.

It wasn't until the night of his latest movie premiere, as he stood on the red carpet with you by his side, that he realised what it was.

So Loki turned to face you, his eyes filled with emotion, "I can't do this," he whispered. "I can't pretend anymore."

He saw you look at him with confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I mean this," he said, taking your hand in his. "I mean us. I've been in love with you for years now, and I can't keep it inside any longer."

As quickly as Loki declared those words, he pulled away from you. The realisation of what he had just done hitting him like a 3am wake-up call.

"I'm sorry," his voice barely a whisper. "I- I shouldn't have said anything. I just... I had to tell you."

And with that, he turned and walked away; leaving the woman he loved in the middle of the red carpet, with cameras flashing all around her.

~~~

He didn't return to the theatre, nor did he make an appearance at the after party. He was disappointed with himself; declaring his feeling for you in the middle of a public event was not the right way to approach this.

So there he was, sitting on his couch, a glass of whiskey in hand; trying to drink his sorrows away.

And then someone knocked at the door.

Reluctantly, he made his way to the door and opened it, only to be greeted by you.

You had a frown on your face, and your eyes were red-rimmed. This is it, he thought, she's here to give in her two weeks notice.

"I'm sorry," he said, refusing to look at her any longer. "I shouldn't have said anything."

He heard her heels clink on the wooden floorboards as she made her way closer.

"You don't have to apologise for anything, Loki."

His red eyes shifted to look at her, "I've ruined everything. I've made everything awkward, you're here to give me your two weeks notice. What don't I have to apologise for?"

As he turned away, he felt her grab his hand, "There's nothing to apologise for, because I feel the same way."

His head shot up, his eyes wide.

"You what?"

"I've been in love with you for years," you said, a smile gracing your features. "I just never brought it up because there was no way that you felt the same way about me."

He cupped the side of her face, "But I do, Y/n. I love you more than anything this life has to offer."

And with that, all the years of unreleased feelings rose to the surface in the form of a passionate kiss.

It was a moment that the two of you would never forget; a moment that would changes your lives forever.

A/N this has been in my drafts since October, and I finally had the motivation to finish it :)

Taglist! Everything: @thewaithfuckingannoyme @evelyn-kingsley @moonlight-ee  Loki: @dryyoursaltyoceantears 

#loki #loki x reader #loki laufeyson x reader #loki laufeyson #loki odinson #loki au #marvel au #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston character #fluffy #angsty #actor au #actor!loki #assistant!reader #loki x you #loki laufeyson x you #happy ending #loki fanfic #loki marvel #marvel loki

[bleucaesura]

STOLITZØ - ELEVEN

While Loona stormed around the apartment, tearing drawers open, rifling through papers, and swearing, Octavia was in the tiny kitchen boiling water for tea. Stolas stood awkwardly rooted in place where he’d come through the portal.

He felt unsure of how Blitzø would feel to find out that he had been in his home. Especially when Blitzø hadn’t been there himself.

I’m here out of worry. Anyone would do the same. It’s not weird…. It’s NOT weird.

Stolas allowed himself a peek around the room. He noticed the photos on the walls.

He almost forgot he wasn’t alone until Loona slammed her bedroom door - as indicated by the “do not enter” and “Loona’s Room” signs on the door - and started screaming at someone on the other end of the phone. Stolas hazarded a guess it was Blitzø’s colleague Moxxie.

Octavia handed her father a “Boss B*tch” mug with hot tea inside.

“Loona says Blitzø had a hard childhood”

Stolas was startled and looked down at Octavia.

“What do you mean?”

“I asked about the pictures because I was curious too.” Octavia gestured to the photos. “Why he’s scribbled out of every image.”

Stolas’s heart clenched. He looked back to the photos on the walls.

Why would anyone want to destroy his beautiful face like this?

Stolas didn’t notice Octavia watching him closely.

“Loona hasn’t told me much. But I guess he had a sh*tty dad and lost his mother when he was a teen.”

Stolas felt his heart break for Blitzø. He desperately wished he could hug him at that moment.

“He’s the one who took himself out of all the pictures”

Stolas nearly spilt his tea.

“What? Who did?”

“He did.” Octavia pointed at Blitzø’s blacked out face next to Loona’s in a frame.

Stolas stared at his daughter in horror.

“Bli… Blitzø defaced himself in all these photos?” Stolas stammered.

Octavia nodded.

But why?

Stolas didn’t have time to wonder before Loona came thundering out of her room

“Can you portal us to I.M.P? Mox and Millie will meet us there.”

“Yes. Of course”

“I just gotta grab some sh*t and we’ll go.” Loona stormed off.

“Dad?”

“Yes Via?”

“I hope he’s ok.”

“Me too sweetheart. Me too”

“Here” Loona tossed a cellphone at Stolas. “When we find the sh*thead he may need ANOTHER phone, so here’s one of his backups. It might also be helpful in finding him.”

Stolas looked at Loona confused.

“Go through it?” She and Octavia looked at each other as if they were silently saying “I mean DUH!” between the two of them.

Stolas turned a bright shade of red and started to bluster “I couldn’t possibly! That would be such a violation of his privacy!”

“Come on, Dad!” Octavia snatched the phone out of his hands and started swiping through it. “Get over it already.”

Stolas squawked in horror and tried to grab the phone back from Octavia. But this quickly turned into a very fun game of keep-away until Stolas was face down in the carpet, legs in the air and out of breath.

“Dad?”

“Mmf?” Stolas mumbled from the floor as he fumbled to get himself upright again.

“You really should look at this”

Octavia handed Stolas the phone. She pointed at the photos app. Stolas saw there were very few photos inside, maybe only two dozen or so. He was surprised.

Stolas opened the app. And then he almost dropped the phone.

Octavia cupped Stolas’s hands as he held the phone, making sure he had a proper grip on it before letting go. He smiled at her through tearful eyes and thanked her.

Stolas looked at the first photo in Blitzø’s album. The first photo of so few photos. And Blitzø had even favourited it…

It was a selfie of the two of them in bed. Stolas was fast asleep curled around Blitzø and Blitzø had taken a photo of them without Stolas’s knowledge. But what made this the best photo Stolas had ever seen of Blitzø, was Blitzø’s smile. Small, drowsy and genuine… A smile he’d never seen on Blitzø before. Stolas’s heart was doing crazy flips inside his chest.

I didn’t know he could make this sort of face around me. Is… Is it BECAUSE of me?…

“You see it now?” Loona asked. Arms crossed, eyebrow cocked and lips pursed.

“I.. I uh” Stolas was flustered. “I’m sorry… But, see what?… Exactly…?”

“The f*ck?…” Loona looked at Octavia. “How the f*ck are you so smart and your dad is such an oblivious dumba**?”

Loona immediately turned heel to face Stolas and threw up her hands after realizing what she’d said. “Ah… Ha! Yikes… Yeah… All due respect and all that Your Majesty.”

“Loona. Dear. Call me Stolas, please.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “And I'm pretty sure I can be an oblivious dumba**, can’t I Via?”

“Keep me out of this, please!” Octavia called from the kitchen.

“Well. Enough of this. Do you have what you need Loona, dear?”

She nodded.

“You're ready, Via?”

“Yup”

Stolas clapped his hands together and opened them wide to reveal a portal.

“Ladies first”

*****

#helluva boss #stolas #stolitz #blitzø #blitzo #fanfic #vivzieverse #vivziepop #vivienne medrano #brandon rogers

[willow-tree-writes]

✾Why Her, Not Me✾

Tyler Galpin x Reader

Summary: You confront the boy you like. He rejects you. He then tries to get you back with force.

Request: No one, I just finished watching Wednesday a few days ago and wanted to write something for him

Author’s Note: I got nothing

Word Count: 1.1k

Warnings: Mild Cursing, Mild Violence, Angst

!I don’t own this gif!

I feel your ghost, smell you all over my clothesOh, your smoke’s stuck in me longer than you did

When you saw him standing, looking around, in that suit, your heart dropped. You thought, just for a moment, that he was here for you. That he somehow knew you were going to the Rave’N, even though he didn’t go to Nevermore, nor even knew you went here.

But he was alone. He had to be here with someone. Or for someone.

And somewhere, deep down, you knew he wasn’t here for you.

But that didn’t stop you from approaching the boy you’ve known since arriving to Jericho.

I had my doubts, I had to check it all outAnd now I see that you’ve run back when I thought you’d quit

“Tyler?” You asked as if you didn’t know it was him. “What are you doing here?”

His eyes widened slightly at the sight of you, his surprise surmounting your own. “Y/N? I-I could ask you the same thing…”

“I asked you first.” You state, slipping your hands in the pockets of your dress to act all nonchalant. Act like your heart wasn’t about to beat right out of your chest at the mere sight of this boy.

He glanced at the punch bowl before gesturing over to the girl that was there. The only girl at the whole dance that wasn’t wearing white. “I was asked out.” A small smile graced his lips at the mention of being asked out. Or maybe by the mention of the girl.

Your heart stopped beating and threatened to drop out as you looked to see who he was with. “Wednesday Addams? Your date is Wednesday Addams?”

He shrugged and nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, perhaps ask a similar question, but you quickly cut him off.

“Why in the world would you go to this dance, let alone with Wednesday Addams?” The question came out faster than you could even think. “I mean, the two of you are completely different people.” You add soon after, realizing how harsh your prior question was.

He looked at you with confusion, as if unsure of what you were asking. “What? Why does that matter? And what are you even doing here?”

You ripped your hands out of your pockets, grabbing his arm and pulling him off to the side, away from the entering people. “If you know what’s good for you, you’d leave her alone, Tyler.”

You had nothing against Wednesday. Sure, she was weird, even for an outcast, but that wasn’t really an excuse for anything. What you point was that, from the time you’ve known her, she seemed incapable of feeling any emotions. Especially that heart wrenching one that you couldn’t help but feel towards this normie before you.

“I mean, there are so many other people in this world, both normies and outcasts, that are better for you.” Like me, you thought.

It looked like he took offense to that. “What makes you think you can determine something like that for me?”

“B-Because…” You stuttered a moment, thinking of what you could say to that. “Because I’m your friend!”

He scoffed, appearing to hold back an eye roll. “Friends? We haven’t talked in a year, Y/N. We haven’t talked since you threw me under the bus!”

“I didn’t throw you under the bus!” You didn’t realize how loud you were until a few eyes glanced your way. “I just tried to make you see that the friend group you were running with wasn't right for you.” You said after lowering your voice.

This time he did roll his eyes. “So I need better friends and a better girl to go out with. Well then, if you know what’s good for me, who do you suggest? Hmm? Yourself?”

It might have been what you were thinking, but the way he said it stopped you dead in your tracks. Anything you might have said to answer him was completely gone.

He didn’t see you as a friend anymore, let alone anything more than that.

You took my air out of your lungsSo you could breathe with another one

You took a small step away from Tyler, before beginning to back away. You turned away from him, needing to flee from this situation.

He didn’t stop you. He didn’t try to backtrack on what he said.

You two had been friends for years. Friend since you were sent to this school. You had caught feelings for him halfway through all that time. And he could care less about you.

Oh tell me, why her, not me?What did I do for you to wreck it all?

In your attempt to flee, you bumped into none other than Wednesday Addams herself.

“Shit, sorry…” You mumble, pushing past her quickly. 

You needed to get away from all this. Everything felt like it was closing in. Everyone was staring at you, you knew it. You wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing you cry.

Oh Lord, it's not my faultWhy her, not me?Why did you have to build the walls so high?Oh no, I'm not done climbing.

“It was all a ploy, Y/N…” Tyler took a step towards you as you took one away, your back hitting a tree. “Don’t you see? I never cared for Wednesday the way you think.”

The space between the two of you was completely closed as he put his hands on your cheeks.

“Come on,” he whispered, leaning in so his face was inches from yours. “I need you, Y/N. I’ll get Laurel to spare you, and we will be the only outcasts left.” He lightly caressed your cheek. “Together, we’ll be unstoppable.”

He didn’t know your standing. He shouldn’t have known. But seeing as he was working with Thornhill, it didn’t surprise you.

You tried to turn your head away from his hand, taking in a sharp breath. “You’re killing innocent people, Tyler.”

He grabbed your face and forced you to look at you. “No one is innocent in this.” He practically snarled. “You either come with me, like you’ve always wanted, or you die with the others.”

Looking directly in his eyes, you knew all of the boy you once hung out with was completely gone. He was different. Truly a monster.

“This isn’t you, Tyler…” You choked out, sounding it more like a sob than words. “Please, you don’t have to do this.”

He shook his head, letting out a fake, dark laugh. “Yes, yes I do.” His hand slipped from your cheek to your neck. 

Your airway was slowly obstructed as his grip tightened and tightened. “I’ll make sure everyone knows you died due to your love for me.” He smirked as his eyes enlarged and he changed right before you.

She heard about me, and all your history I'm not tryna burn myself but I can let it go Piece by piece uncovering dishonesty Never been truth in anything I've ever known.

#wednesday #wednesday x reader #wednesday fanfic #wednesday netflix #netflix wednesday #wednesday x you #wednesday x y/n #wednesday fanfiction #wednesday one shot #wednesday imagine #wednesday angst #tyler #tyler galpin #tyler galpin x reader #tyler galpin x you #tyler galpin x y/n #tyler galpin fanfic #tyler galpin fanfiction #tyler galpin angst #tyler galpin one shot #tyler galpin imagine #wednesday tyler #tyler wednesday

[kookygranger]

Hi!

I'm so late!

But I'd love to know about HF!E

for the wip game!

Thank you, Betty! ✨

HF!E stands for High Fidelity!Eddie. It isn't a HF au it just takes place in a record store and I didn't have a name for it. It was an idea for a one-shot inspired by this playlist featuring gothic/spooky songs before goth was a genre.

It made me think about Eddie who just moved to Chicago with Corroded Coffin and is slowly being accepted by the scene. Reader works at a record store and is playing this mixtape over the speakers and Eddie very much falls in love.

I started writing it and then didn't really like it but here's a lil' snippet:

“What the fuck are you listening to anyway?”

“I made a pre-Halloween mix. Music that lead to goth before goth was a thing.��� You frown as you try to unstick a bright red sticker from the price gun you’d been tapping on the pile of vinyl.

Eddie smiles to himself as he continues to pretend he’s browsing and not tuning into your conversation.

“Are you going to The Allied tonight? There’s some new band from Indiana or something playing, apparently they do a sick cover of Master of Puppets.”

Eddie pauses in his faux perusing for a second as he awaits your reply.

“I wasn’t really planning on it, no.”

The guy huffs, “No? What was your plan, going home to sulk to The Velvet Underground?”

“I don’t sulk–“

“You do when you listen to The Velvet Underground.”

“What do you want me to do? Pogo to Heroin? Anyway, I was gonna work on an article actually.”

“Why don’t you write about this band tonight? Tim says they’re pretty good. He saw them a couple of weeks ago at the Metro.”

“Tim said that about that god awful noise band that played at De Salle’s. It was the worst four hours of my life. I thought my ears were actually going to bleed.”

“Whatever, you say that like you’re not currently playing the most depressing German synth music that nobody in their right mind would listen to.” He points out the new song playing from the speakers behind you.

“First of all, this is David Bowie’s Low. And if you knew as much about music as you claim to, you’d know that this was his seminal work in his Berlin era and an ambient soundscape masterpiece. Secondly–“

“I like it.”

Both of your heads shoot up at Eddie’s interruption. He blushes and clears his throat as you catch his eye and the corner of your mouth quirks up. “Sorry, I just–it’s a good mixtape. I like the theme.” He frowns and shakes his head at himself, he doesn’t know what came over him. Who is this guy that’s bothering you, anyway? You have amazing taste and he’s pretty sure you’re the most angelic thing he’s ever seen. You gesture in his direction and look back at the guy that’s teasing you.

“The customer is always right, Simon.”

Eddie moves quickly to the B section and finds the album you were talking about before heading over to you.

“Did you find everything you need?” You smile at him sweetly as you hop off the counter and take the record from him. “I’m sorry, I should’ve asked before. Customer service isn’t exactly my strongest skill.”

The guy, Simon, snorted. Eddie couldn’t take his eyes off the way your face lit up quietly when you realised what album he picked.

“What are your strongest skills?” That was such a weird question Munson, what the hell?

You looked up at him a little taken aback, before a small smile crept up on your face.

“Talking about music…or” you shake your head in contemplation, “writing about it actually.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Maybe it’s not so much a skill, more like an obsession.”

“She’s actually kind of good.” Simon butts in with a shrug and you roll your eyes.

“Such a high compliment cuz.”

You were cousins. He still had a shot.

“You write for magazines?” Eddie asks.

“Zines mostly,” you point to a stack of xeroxed pamphlets on the counter, “but I’ve published a few reviews with Spin and The Face.”

Eddie raises his eyebrows, “That’s pretty cool.”

You breathe out a laugh and take the cash he hands you, collecting his change. “Thanks.”

“Wait, you're Eddie, right?” He turns to Simon, almost forgetting he was there. “Your band’s playing at The Allied tonight? I met your drummer Gareth at a show last week.”

“Uh yeah that’s me. We’re called Corroded Coffin.”

“Cool name.” You smirk and hand him his record wrapped in paper. Eddie tucks it under his arm, his dimples showing as he smiles back at you.

“Thanks.”

“You’re from Indiana then?” You call back to Simon’s earlier statement, as Eddie doesn’t make a move to immediately leave.

He rubs the back of his neck as he nods, “Yeah. Just moved here a couple of months ago with my band.”

“Welcome to Chicago, Eddie.” You smile and introduce yourself, “Let me know if there’s ever anything I can do for you…vinyl wise I mean.”

“Thanks,” he scratches the stubble on his jaw before stepping away from the counter. “Maybe I’ll see you tonight at the show?” He tries to keep his voice casual, but there’s a hint of hope in there.

You bite your lip and shrug, “Yeah, maybe you will.”

Eddie nods and takes his queue to leave, the bell jingling again as he steps back out into the cold.

“Yeah, maybe you will.” Simon mocks you in a breathy imitation and you roll your eyes. “So now that you know the singer is cute are you coming?”

“Obviously! You better get me on the door list, or I swear to god I’m telling Aunt Carol about the stash in your underwear drawer.”

Okay, there were a lot more High Fidelity references than I remembered. Fun fact: I have read the book and watched the film and HBO reboot so many times I could quote word-for-word. I also dressed up as Zoe Kravitz's Rob for an office Halloween party once, complete with the Wings Over America live album that she talks about in that scene with the misogynistic cheater. Only one girl got it because she was a fan of Zoe Kravitz lol.

#wip game #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x you #she writes

[cosmic-kaden]

Noise Complaint

Ship: Ronnie x Kaden

words: 1,334

cw: none! :D

Summary: Another noise complaint (Ronnie's P.O.V It's self care b a b y!)

Okay to rb || If you aren't a self shipper please dni, nothing against you. I have anxiety lol

Another dull evening, it was quiet like always, the only sound was the ticking of the large clock that hung up on the wall. The phone rang and Mindy and Ronnie looked at one another. It was almost time for them to clock out and Mindy gestured towards the phone.

"All yours" she stood up, looking at her watch. She wanted to get out of there, she hated days like these.

Ronnie grabbed the phone, putting the receiver to his ear as an unfamiliar voice rang out through the phone.

"Can you get someone to Moonlight Inn, please? Someone doesn't know how to keep it down and it's disturbing me."

"Uh- yeah, yeah sure what's the room number?" Ronnie asked, his heart practically skipping a beat as the person on the other end told them which room it was. This seemed to be more than a one-time thing.

Ronnie hung up the phone and stood to his feet, he grabbed his jacket and slipped it on while Mindy raised a curious brow. "Who was that?"

"Someone has a noise complaint."

"Moonlight Inn perchance?" Mindy's lip tugged into a small smirk and Ronnie felt his heart sink.

"Yes." his face held its usual stoic expression as he turned on his heel to walk out the door.

"Say hi for me~" Mindy smiled.

It didn't take long for Ronnie to get to the inn and it also didn't take long for him to hear the loud music. he stepped out of the car, looking up to the second floor, his eyes drawing straight to the room 104. The windows were open and Ronnie swallowed thickly as he trailed up towards the stairs.

It's been about a month and a half since they came into town and there wasn't a day that went by that Ronnie had not thought about them, ever since they first met in the comic shop and bonked heads. All he ever thought about was their eyes, their smile, their voice. It confused him at times, he had never felt so intensely over another person before. Thankfully for him, he was pretty good at hiding his emotions from unsuspecting eyes but when it came to his close friends and co-workers, it was pretty easy to tell.

They saw each other every day even if for the briefest moments and each moment Ronnie secretly treasured, he liked being near them, to have them smile in his direction and talk to him, his heart fluttered and his stomach filled with butterflies. If only he could get the courage to just ask them out on a date or something…

These stairs felt like they were miles long, each step felt like it was echoing his own heartbeat. His heart raced, not just because of the exhaustion from the climb up the stairs but from his own feelings, anticipation and anxiety with each step. His mind races faster than his pulse from the climb, playing out a million scenarios and rehearsing words he wishes he could just come out and say.

Ronnie reaches the top of the stairs and there is a sense of urgency and desire to turn back and retreat but he is working, he knows he can't- he walks over to 104 and raps on the door. Of course, nobody answered, the music was too loud, Ronnie knocked again, louder this time. Still nothing. Ronnie reached for the doorknob and gently twisted it open, peaking his head into the room and his heart sank, anxiety and anticipation.

Ronnie's eyes fell on Kaden, it was as if the rest of the world fell into a hush despite the loud music, details blurring into insignificance, there amongst the mundane, a person who seemed to carry a light within them, casting everything else into shadow. Seeing them even from a distance sent a thrill through his veins, a mixture of exhilaration and nervousness that tingled at his fingertips.

Kaden was sat back in their chair, balancing on the two back legs as their feet were planted against the wall as they rocked themselves to and frow, they noticed the change in lighting and looked towards the door to see Ronnie and they sprang forwards, standing to their feet and reaching out to turn the dial to their stereo.

"Ah! Ever heard of knocking!?" Kaden huffed.

"I did. Your music is too loud. We got another complaint." Ronnie crossed his arms over his chest.

"I can't help it, I like it like that… and it's not like I have it blaring in the middle of the night, it's not even.." Kaden looked at the digital clock that sat beside their bed. "not even 6:00…"

"you know.." Ronnie began, swallowing down any anxiety he was feeling. "most people when they get told to keep it down they never do it again-" Ronnie couldn't help but smirk a little at the thought that maybe these complaints were more than just normal noise complaints. "You've done this five times already- If I didn't know any better I'd say you were purposefully doing this just to see me."

Ronnie caught it, they caught the change in Kaden's face. their usual happy carefree expression turning to shock and..were they blushing? Ronnie's heart rate quickened when Kaden walked over to him, they looked up at him and their gazes met as Kaden's expression changed once more, the shock turning to confidence, a hint of mischievousness in their eyes.

"Oh? I suppose Cliff or Mindy would show up too sometimes but no, it's only you. It's always you. Why is that?" Kaden snapped back quickly as they raised a brow, their face was flushed but they refused to falter.

The air crackled with electricity and anticipation and Ronnie could feel a blush of his own creeping up his neck. It was true, usually Mindy or Cliff would come along or take up the complaint and they usually did but eventually, Ronnie started to tell them he'd check it out himself, he was using their music just as much of an excuse to see them as they were to see him, that much was apparent now.

"Hey, do you…" Ronnie started, feeling that anxiety bubble up in his chest again. He had that fluttery sensation again and his heart was racing a bit faster. He hesitated for a moment, pondering the what-ifs and the vulnerable thrill of the possibility of a "yes" mixed the the fear of rejection, it was exhilarating and daunting all at the same time.

"Absolutely." Kaden chuckled softly which made Ronnie blink in confusion.

"you didn't even know what I was gonna say.."

"I don't need to. I can see it on your face." Kaden smiled sweetly. "Want to go to the diner? I'm your last work-related thing tonight aren't I? Want to go for a drink or eat something?" they looked over to the clock, Kaden was close to Ronnie and the others so for them to know when everyone got off work wasn't something strange.

"Uh. Yeah..well….yeah-" Ronnie tripped over his words and Kaden grinned.

"You know, you're kinda cute when you're flustered." Kaden chuckled softly walking past him and out the door.

Ronnie stood there stunned for a moment, he was unsure if he had just heard that or if his mind was playing tricks on him. He felt a mix of relief and a warmth spreading across his cheeks, unable to hold back a shy grin.

"Coming~?" Kaden tilted their head as they stood at the top of the stairs.

Ronnie smiled softly and nodded his head, closing Kaden's door and following after them. He was proud of himself, he managed to do the one thing he's been wanting to do for the past couple of weeks. Even though he didn't fully ask he was happy that Kaden was willing enough and the fact that they mentioned he was cute sent a wave of new what-ifs and anticipation for what the near future would bring for them. for the first time in a really long time, Ronnie felt happy, overwhelmingly happy.

Taglist: @heatobrienswife || @dragonsmooch || @kylars-princess || @lysandreslittlechatot

Lemme know if you want to be added to my list and I will add you~! :D

#THIS TOOK ME 5 MILLION YEARS TO UPLOAD BECAUSE MY LAPTOP IS SO SO SOOOOOO UNGODLY SLOW/LAGGY LMFAO #my writing #ronnie 💞 #those who slay together stay together

[futuristicpenguinwizard]

Can I have some wimp of one of your Lucemond’s fic?

Aemond was severely sick. All the maesters that saw his condition said the same thing. 'The boy is with the flower sickness' which Aemond found to be another name for hormonal problems. But he didn't know why it was so bad, or why it hurted so much. He was five days straight in his bed, he couldn't even get up due to sickness. And on the seventh day it was when they started to think that it might not be a simple sickness condition. What could have caused such a thing? Nobody knew. Queen Alicent refused to let anyone but Aemond's maesters and personal servants into the chamber. She refused to let anyone see him. On the eleventh day in confinement, the whispers began, saying that Aemond had some kind of illness, an illness that can be passed from person to person and therefore the queen would not let anyone, not even her own children, into Aemond's room. And over time, when the servants began to hear the sound of ghostly steps next to the young prince's chambers, up and down the halls, always after lunch and before dinner. Many thought that perhaps the prince had an illness brought on by one of the ghosts of Red keep, but the truth was much simpler than that, Aemond received regular visits from his nephew, Lucerys. 

On that particular afternoon, the steps were tighter, faster, as if someone was in a big hurry. And indeed, Lucerys was in a hurry that day. He wouldn't stay for lunch, he would have to go traveling with his grandsire, Corlys. He was willing to see Aemond before the day after tomorrow, which was when he would finally return. Aemond heard the soft knocks of the wall. The secret knocks between him and Lucerys. He'd be lying if he said the highlight of his day wasn't waiting for Lucerys. He didn't have much to do while confined. Aemond rose from his bed and walked barefoot to where the passageway's door was. The omega then pulled up a chair, a heavy chair that made a squeaky noise when dragged across the floor. The chair stopped along with its feet in front of a wall sconce, he made a point to climb carefully onto the chair and when he stabilized himself in the chair that was shaking from the unevenness of the floor, he pulled the sconce with both hands. 

"Aemond." Lucerys's cheerful voice was quickly present in the chamber as soon as the door was opened.

"Luke, what are you doing here?" Aemond carefully climbed down from his chair. He broke away immediately in a short laugh when he saw Lucerys' smile, who was missing one of his front teeth. Aemond found it funny, especially when he whistled through the hole accidentally.

"I came to see you." Lucerys said "I brought you lemon pie." Aemond looked down at the plate in his nephew's hand. Aemond was confined within the walls of not only his room, but also of the castle, his own walls. He was a stranger to everyone, to himself, but somehow he found comfort in Lucerys, from his jokes and his small gestures. Aemond knew his mother disliked him spending too much time with Lucerys, but he felt very close to his nephew. He felt like he belonged somewhere when they talked, when they spent time together.

"We can't be alone in the room, I'm still in my nightgown."  Aemond said, taking the plate from Lucerys' hand with an almost imperceptible smile. "Give me the fork." He extended his right hand towards the boy who was just watching him carefully. Lucerys with no second thoughts gave him the fork "Thank you." Aemond walked to the couch in his room carefully, staggering a little, due to dizziness. 

"Are you alright?" Lucerys asked. It was obvious that Aemond wasn't well, but nobody told Luke how his uncle was, if he was fine, if he was eating right. People just said Aemond couldn't play with him and Arrax, which made Lucerys sad, not only because he wanted to be close to Aemond, but also because he knew that Aemond liked to be close to Arrax, he knew the boy fantasized about having a dragon, that none of his eggs had hatched so he blamed himself. Lucerys hated to see Aemond sad, maybe that was the worst part of being friends with his uncle. Aemond always carried guilt with him, he felt like he was not enough, and even Lucerys being young he understood that, and that made him as much as sad as Aemond.

"No." Aemond was simple. "My mother said I'm sick with a terrible disease." For a few seconds, Lucerys was afraid this meant the imminent death of the person he considered to be more than his best friend.

#aemond x lucerys #lucemond #lucemond au #lucerys x aemond #house of the dragon #top Lucerys #bottom aemond

[cartoon-lovers-world]

Alright, so, I noticed I'm not the only one who wants Velvet to apologize, because she's not that bad, alright?

She is NOT evil! She is just WILDELY MISUNDERSTOOD!

Anyway, I tried to handle her character, hope it came out well

Redemption arc

"What's with her?" Floyd asked, gesturing towards the green-haired girl slumped over the jail's wall.

Veneer looked at her and shrugged, smiling slightly. "It's nothing," he said simply. "She thinks orange isn't her color."

Viva and Poppy exchanged glances upon hearing Veneer's words, and they took a step closer, Viva clearing her throat to get some attention.

"I don't know who told you this, but orange looks fantastamazing on you."

Poppy nodded. "Yeah, it really suits you."

Velvet rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

Her twin sighed, then turned to the others with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about her, she's just feeling…off, you know?"

"It's alright, really," Floyd said. "She can be a lot sometimes."

"Hey." Veneer's voice came out as a whisper, his tone carrying a hint of warning only Branch seemed to notice, given the way he looked terrified from the former-pop star for a second, before he continued, his tone softer, "I know she can be a lot, but she's my sister, and I know her more than anybody else, so trust me when I tell you that she is sorry."

Floyd was speechless. Velvet? Sorry? Now, these two words never went together in one sentence, unless it was negative. He wouldn't lie, he didn't hate her, not entirely. Maybe he was just…mad? He didn't know for sure. He peeked behind Veneer, hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy's twin, and he did.

Velvet seemed distressed, to say the least. Her arms were crossed, and her finger tapped against her arm in a pattern he couldn't quite pick on, and he could swear she looked slightly guilty for a split second, before she finally noticed his gaze, and her expression shifted to annoyance.

"What are you looking at, Floyd?"

The red-haired troll froze. "N-Nothing!"

Did she just call him by his name?

"That's what I thought," Velvet replied coldly.

"So, how have you been, Veneer?" Branch interjected, sensing the air growing tense.

"Oh, yeah, everything's been good," Veneer replied, beaming. "The food is edible, we're not getting as much hate as we used to, and…i feel real."

"I'm really happy for you, Ven."

"Thanks, Flo."

"Wow," Branch said skeptically, not bothering to hide his smile. "Nicknames already?"

His older brother looked at him and ruffled his hair. However, Branch didn't shove his hands away, instead, he chuckled.

"I'll have you know, B, me and Veneer actually used to talk a lot during those two months."

"Yeah!" the boy nodded. "We talked about, like, everything!" He approached the glass barrier between him and the trolls, lowering his voice as he said, "Especially about Velvet's bad hairstyles."

Everyone burst into laughter, except, of course, the troubled Mount Rageon in the background, who just groaned, a clear sign of a soon-to-come breakdown.

Everyone seemed to have missed her distress. How could they notice? Why would they? It's not like they cared about her, did they? No, of course not. She wasn't the kindest person, she knew that, but she was sorry, as much as she hated to admit it. The more time she spent trapped between these walls, her freedom taken from her, made her realize just how cruel she was with the Pop troll.

She didn't mean it. Okay, maybe she did a little bit. But it did trouble her at times when she went to bed at the end of the day. People only saw her as the meanie, arrogant, spoiled girl ever since first grade. Thinking about it, she never had real friends, and neither did her brother, did they? So how did he turn out like this, when she turned out like…this? She was just being a good older sister. She just wanted Veneer to have friends, something she never grew up with, nor even knew how it felt.

All Velvet wanted was someone who can talk to her without being worried about her reactions. Someone who wouldn't judge her silly dances. Someone who would listen to her, understand her.

She looked up, and, she's been bossing that person around. She hasn't been the sister he deserves, yet he never stopped loving her. What did she do to deserve him? Nothing. And how did she repay him? She got them both in prison. Both of them.

"I'm sorry."

All heads turned towards Velvet.

"I'm sorry, alright?" she repated, unsure of what else to say. She turned to her brother, who nodded, encouraging her to go on.

"Look, Floyd," she started. "I know you'll probably never forgive me, and I don't blame you, but just know that I'm sorry, okay?"

The room went silent. Velvet was actually apologizing?

"It's okay-"

Velvet interrupted him, defending herself, "Besides, you should know how fame can make you do stupid things, you're famous."

Floyd looked at the trio behind him. Viva had a confused yet suspicious expression, Poppy had a 'I believe everyone can change' smile, while Branch seemed unsure of what to do.

The troll took a step forward, "I understand-"

But again, he was interrupted by the female twin. "I mean, don't tell me you didn't do anything stupid before."

Branch. That's the first thing that crossed Floyd's mind when the words escaped her lips. Stupid decisions. He was no new to the word. Branch had crossed his mind every. Single. Day. Yet he never showed up. He did do something stupid, something he couldn't forgive himself for doing, even if it seemed like the victim in this scenario was surprisingly welcoming, as if he's been waiting his entire life for this moment. And unknown to Floyd, he has.

"I'm not mad, Velvet," Floyd finally managed to say. "And…i really appreciate your apology."

Velvet shot a glance to her brother, whose smile widened as he gave her a thumbs up, mouthing a sincere 'I'm proud of you'.

"So, uh…where are the rest? John Dory? Spruce? Clay?" She asked hesitantly, trying to get the attention away from herself for a while.

Floyd smiled. "Oh, John Dory and Clay are in the book club, and Bruce is in Vacay Island."

"Bruce?"

"How do you know their names?" Branch cut in, his tone gentle and somehow demanding.

"I just do-"

"It's not like Floyd will just give our names," he pointed out, and his brother nodded.

Veneer leaned forward. "She's a big fan of Brozone!"

His twin's eyes widened. "I am not-"

"She knows all the songs!"

"She does?! We too!" the Pop sisters exclaimed in unison, jumping up and down.

"I do NOT-"

"We know, like, every song they've ever sung!" Viva said excitedly. "We have all of them!"

"We can throw a party when you guys get out!" Poppy added.

"And we'll get Brozone to sing!"

"And invite Brandy! And Bruce Jr.! And-"

"Poppy!" the dark-haired troll interjected gently, taking his girlfriend's hand in his.

Poppy took a deep breath, looked into her boyfriend's eyes, then turned to face the twins, saying softly, "We can't wait for you guys to get out."

"Yeah…whatever," Velvet stammered, struggling to hide the blush that painted her cheeks.

"Time's out!"

Veneer, Floyd, and the pink duo pouted, staring at the source of the sound with disappointment. It was time for another temporary goodbye, much to everyone's, silently including Velvet's, dismay. However, just as they were about to make their way out, the Putt-Putt trolls leader stopped in her tracks and rushed to Velvet, shoving an almost-microscopic piece of paper into her pocket without a word, before rejoining the others.

—------------

"What is that?" Veneer asked eagerly, reaching for the tiny piece of paper in his sister's hand.

She quickly crumbled it, trying to suppress a smile. "It's nothing!"

The boy chuckled. "If you say so, Vel,"

Velvet nudged him, returning the piece of paper back in her pocket.

—------------

'Dear Velvet, I didn't want to admit it back there but your hair looks so fantastamazing. Maybe we can have a sleepover when you're out? We'll spend the whole night braiding each other's hair. Can't wait to visit you again.

Love, Viva and Poppy'

#Trolls #Poppy #Branch #Velvet #Veneer #Velvet's redemption arc #Trolls fanfiction #Fic #Hope you like it people

[allthingsfangirl101]

Blue Shirt Girl–Keys

"I have three words for you: Blue Shirt Guy. BFG is leveling up and at a record pace by playing the hero. It's got people all over the world asking 'Just who is this guy?'"

Click.

"This colorful character is the video game, Free City, has been turning heads by being the good guy. Piper?"

"Who is Blue Short Guy?"

"You're absolutely right. Blue Shirt Guy. Who is he or she, indeed?"

I rolled my eyes as I turned off the tv. When I did this, I didn't think Blue Shirt Guy would blow up the way he has.

About a year ago, my best friends Walter and Millie sold their game Life Itself to Soonami. That douchebag Antwan claimed to have shelved their game when he actually turned it into Free City.

Now I just have to find their code to prove it.

I've tried talking to them, but neither one of them believes me. At first. As time went on, Millie slowly realized I was right. I tried to help but since I was just an art student and not an MIT graduate like her, she didn't think I could help her.

Since Walter works for Soonami, I didn't include him in this. He could get fired if Antwan found out what he was doing. Millie didn't care about that part.

After my third failed attempt to help Millie find their code, I decided to do it on my own. I hacked into the game and took over some bank teller NPC. I didn't do anything for a few days so the people at Soonami wouldn't notice something was wrong.

When I did start playing, I befriended Molotov Girl. I was well aware that Millie was Molotov Girl but her account is unhackable. I should know. I tried.

As I've played, I've gotten close to finding Walter's code. I rolled my eyes when Blue Shirt Guy started his day the way he always starts it: waking up, saying 'Good Morning' to his fish, eating cereal while watching the news, and the weird habit he has of opening and closing the blinds.

My eyes widened as I scooted closer to the screen. When the blinds were half-closed, I paused the game.

"Holy. . ."

I jumped when there was a knock at the door. I hesitated before standing up and walking over to the door. The second I opened the door, my breath got stuck in my threat.

"Walter?" I stuttered. "What are you doing here?"

"I know what you're doing."

"What do you mean?"

"You hacked into Free City," he explained. "You hacked into Blue Shirt Guy and have been leveling up by being the good guy."

"That's not what I was doing," I sighed. I opened the door and gestured for him to walk in. He studied me for a second before walking in. When I followed him into the other room, he was pacing back and forth.

"If that wasn't what you were doing, then why did you go through the trouble of hacking an NPC?" Walter asked as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I mean, did you hire someone to hack into the game? Did Mouser help you?"

"No," I sighed as I sat on the couch. "I did it myself."

"You hacked Free City?" Walter asked. His eyes widened when he heard how that came off. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I just thought. . . Well, I didn't think that you were into coding."

I cleared my throat and nervously started picking at my nail polish that was already chipping.

"I wasn't," I said, still looking down at my hands. "But you went off to MIT and when we talked, you always talked about it. It never made sense to me, so I started learning how to do it. Turns out, I'm pretty good at it."

"You learned how to code for me?"

I looked up, my heart jumping into my throat when I saw the way he was smiling down at me.

"Maybe," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I started to feel like. . . like I was losing you."

I couldn't take how he was staring at me so I looked back down at my hands. Walter walked over and sat next to me. He reached over and put his hand on top of mine.

"Why?" He asked, his voice soft. "Why would you go through the trouble of learning how to code, hacking into the NPC, and basically messing with the entire game?"

"For you," I blurted out. I quickly added, "I mean. . . For your code. Millie and you kept saying that your build was buried in the game, so I've been searching for it. And I think I found it. Every day, for no reason, Blue Shirt Guy opens and closes his blinds. It turns out that Antwan never. . ."

Walter cut me off and pressed his lips to mine. I was too shocked to really kiss him back. He slowly pulled away with a big smile on his face.

"You amaze me," he whispered, giving me goosebumps.

He reached up and gently cupped my cheek. The butterflies in my stomach went crazy as he rubbed his thumb on my face. He cleared his throat before finally lowering his hand.

"You were saying you found something?"

"Yeah," I stuttered. "Every morning, Blue Shirt Guy opens and closes his blinds. It turns out that Antwan never scrubbed the reflections. Your original build is past the barrier at Hitman's Beach. All we need to do is build a bridge and cross it. That should break down the barrier and reveal your build. And if we stream it live, even Antwan can't lie about stealing it anymore. Do you think you could build a bridge? If Blue Shirt Guy jumps through the barrier. . . What?"

"I still can't believe you did all of this. Learning to code, hacking into the game. All of it to reveal my build."

"I'd do anything for you, Walter," I blurted out.

Walter smiled as he reached up and grabbed my face. When he pressed his lips to mine, I kissed him back this time. Our lips moved in sync, slowly getting more and more heated. We finally broke apart when neither one of us could breathe.

"You know," he whispered as he leaned back, "you're the only one who calls me by my real name."

"You've always been Walter to me."

#Walter Keys McKeys #free guy imagine #Free Guy #joe keery imagines #joe keery #joe keery x reader #joe keery POV

[sparkplug02]

This is the Best Part to Play (Lokius fic)

Word Count: 6,393

Lokius Oneshot

Diverges from Season 2, Episode 4 of the Loki (2021-?) series. Some backstory:

After the Time Loom destroyed itself, Loki came to with six Avengers in his face in New York, 2012, after the Temporal Loom overloaded. He panicked, spilled the beans about Thanos, and realized he had just set his timeline on a crash course to branching without the Endgame time travel even interfering yet. Sure enough, the TVA came to prune the branch, but B-15 was one of the hunters again. Loki restored her memory and got the other Minutemen off their backs, but Loki realized that if he wanted to go back to the TVA and try to stop He Who Remains again, his timeline has to be pruned. He did so, warning the Avengers to take the Tesseract and run from Alioth, then left with B-15 who set a reset charge.

Back at the TVA, B-15 bypassed him through processing and made up a lie about Loki being so uncooperative that she just pruned him to save time. During a more proper reunion, B-15 explained that she essentially went through the same thing: she woke up in her timeline, right before it branched, was arrested, had her memory wiped, and was made into a TVA hunter.

Loki and B-15 find O.B., whose memory was left intact, and Casey, who was grateful that he was brought back. O.B. and Casey are working on crafting new tech so they can try again, and B-15 is making sure that no one has caught onto them. Sylvie is unaccounted for. Now it's time to get Mobius back.

"Excuse me?"

Excuse? Like Mobius needed an excuse for a break. He had been staring at paperwork for too long. 

He looked up and saw a tall man peaking around the walls of his cubicle. An analyst, but not one Mobius recognized. 

"Agent Mobius, right?"

"That's me," he affirmed, letting the file he had been reading fall to his desk and facing the analyst. "Something wrong?"

"I was wondering if I could... run something by you," the analyst requested, gesturing behind him away from the desk. "I was just transferred here, so I'm still new to this sector, but I've come across something that I'd like to take higher up. Before I do that, though, I'd really like to get a second pair of eyes on this. I've been asking around and everyone says you're the person to go to."

If Mobius could hear the voice screaming in his head, he didn't pay attention to it. "Well, I'm flattered. Not sure if I'm your guy, but I can take a look." He rose from his chair and went with the analyst back down the aisle. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Loki, Agent Loki." He held his hand out to Mobius to shake as they walked.

Mobius didn't hesitate to shake it. "Huh. Nice to meet you. You know, there's this guy on the Sacred Timeline with the name 'Loki,' too," he said, tilting his head. "A real troublemaker. You heard of them?"

"A couple times," Loki said, glancing over his shoulder behind them. "A real piece of work, if you ask me. We've gotten so many of their Variants recently."

"I know, that's what makes it cool. I mean, come on. How crazy do you have to be to keep branching like that?"

"Pretty crazy."

"Yeah." Mobius wondered why he hadn't met this analyst yet. He seemed like a nice guy. Easy to talk to. It was like they had already known each other for years or something. "So what's this thing I'm looking at?"

"It's, uh..." he looked around again. Mobius couldn't tell what he was looking for, but he didn't ask either. "I think there's a weakness in our strategy."

"A weakness? Like what?"

"A loophole. A way for Variants to hide on the Sacred Timeline without being detected. This way," he said, pointing Mobius down a hallway that was less crowded. 

"That's, that's impossible," Mobius argued. "Variants set off a Nexus event everywhere they go. You can't take five steps without creating a branch down there."

"Unless you know where to go," Loki explained, "and more specifically, when to go there. I know it sounds crazy, but I promise this will make sense."

Mobius shrugged. He wasn't sold on this yet, but that's why he was here, right? "Okay, so... what am I looking at?"

"I think it'd be easier if I showed you." He pulled a TemPad from his pocket and held it up. "May I?"

Well, that certainly didn't clear anything up, but he didn't object. Loki opened a time door and held a hand out. "After you."

"Do I need a field vest for this?"

"No, no need for that."

"...alright." This new guy was... interesting, to say the least. Maybe that's why he got transferred. Mobius walked through the door with no idea what to expect on the other side. 

He tried to ignore the growing headache he felt. It was like there was someone trapped in his head, banging on the wall separating them, screaming to be let out. To do something. It was all... muffled, and if Mobius was honest with himself (which he didn't let himself do) it had been going on for a while. It hadn't been this annoying until now, though. Maybe he needed to get it checked out. 

On the other side of the time door, Mobius found himself standing in Pompeii in the year 79 AD. He took a look around at the people milling about, all of whom were calm and unbothered and, most importantly, alive. Mount Vesuvius hadn't blown yet, but Mobius had a feeling it would soon. After all, there's only one reason why Pompeii was so important in the grand scheme of history. 

"I'll say this much, you definitely know how to pick tourists spots," Mobius said. Behind him, Loki stepped through the time door right before it closed. "Not sure what this has to do with your loophole theory, but-"

A hand grabbed his wrist. Anyone standing in front of Mobius would have seen his eyes begin to glow green. 

Loki exhaled, breathing a sigh of relief. Getting Mobius away from the TVA had been the risky part. Now that they were in an apocalypse, they were undetectable, but he could still feel his heart racing in his chest. Restoring B-15 and Casey's memory had been quick and easy, but for some reason, Loki couldn't just trust that it would work a third time. As long as he held on, though, as long as he didn't let go, there was hope. As soon as he retreated out of Mobius's mind, there was a chance that Mobius would still not know him and everything was about to fall apart.

But not yet. Not yet.

"Mobius," he said, his voice low despite the lack of present danger. "I hope you can hear me. I hope you're still in there, somewhere."

No response. There wouldn't be a response until Loki let go, but he couldn't yet. He couldn't let go of his hope yet.

"I don't know what they did to you," he went on, lowering his gaze. "I don't know how long it's been, but I'm almost sure it's been longer for you than it has been for me. All I know is that I found my way back. I'm back, Mobius." Loki let out another shaky breath. "We can try again. I don't know what we did wrong last time, but we can figure it out and fix it, but we need you back, Mobius. The others are back, too. B-15, Casey, O.B., they're all back again. We have another chance."

All he could do was stare at the back of Mobius's head, but it was better than looking him in the face and risk seeing an empty, blank, unrecognizing stare in return. "I hope you're still in there, somewhere. We need you back, Mobius." That wasn't it, though, was it? Not all of it. "I need you back. Please," he whispered closing his eyes. "Please, come back."

Moment of truth. Either pruning his own timeline was worth it for this exact moment, or everything was about to fall apart again, except maybe even worse than the first time.

Loki let go of his mind. He felt Mobius relax and regain control of his body, and he heard his breathing quicken and stagger. He couldn't look. If Mobius turned around and still didn't know him, he didn't know what he was going to do and he wasn't ready to face that reality yet. Loki looked down instead, and he slowly released Mobius's wrist.

Except Mobius was quicker than him. Just as Loki was about to pull his hand back, rough fingers caught his and clutched onto them. 

His hope was back, and it was shining all the brighter now. He looked up, daring to take a chance on hope.

He saw Mobius staring back at him, staring like he had just woken up from a nightmare. Staring like he was afraid. Staring like the world was crashing down around him (and in his head, it might as well have been) and he was looking at the last thing still standing. "Loki?"

"Mobius!"

And then everything was okay. It was impossible to tell if Loki pulled Mobius in for a hug or if Mobius pulled in Loki, but it didn't really matter in the end, did it? 

The wall separating Mobius's memory from his consciousness had been shattered the moment Loki enchanted him, but that also meant the screaming voice was let loose too. Along with a flood of memories crashing into place came the gut-wrenching realization of what all of it meant. His Nexus event. His sons, who were both gone along with his timeline. The memory wipe. The transition to being an analyst and... Mobius's eyes shot wide. The work. The targeting. The pruning. Hundreds of years of it.

"Mobius?"

I did that. I did it all over again.

His legs were buckling underneath him, and the only thing keeping Mobius upright was Loki, dropping to his knees so he could catch Mobius as he lost the ability to stand. Somehow, his hands still worked, and now he was gripping Loki's jacket in his fists so tightly he was half-dragging Loki down with him.

"Mobius, are you alright?"

"Oh, god," he mumbled, but it was only just beginning. "It happened again. All of it, all over again. The Sacred Timeline... it's back. It's all back, and nothing- nothing happened, we're all back at the beginning-"

"I know, it's okay-"

"They didn't do anything! They didn't even know and we just sent them to the End with nothing and we didn't care!"

"You couldn't have known, this isn't your fault-"

"I did."

The screaming was only getting louder. It wasn't just Mobius panicking internally (though that was certainly happening as well).

No. No, that was too easy.

"I knew," he said, just barely above a whisper. He pulled back off of Loki just enough so he could think. "I knew when I got back. I was punted right back to my Nexus event, right before it, and I knew it was coming. The Minutemen came in and I knew who they were, I knew what they were going to do."

The screaming wasn't just because Mobius realized what horrors he helped the TVA commit. It wasn't just because his mind was being flooded with memories of the previous loop. It wasn't just because they failed to modify the Time Loom before it overloaded and the TVA had been destroyed.

"They wouldn't listen. I tried to tell them we were all Variants but they wouldn't listen. I was trying to get back but I didn't know how and I didn't know where you were, nobody would listen to what I was saying, they wouldn't listen-!"

His only comfort in that moment was Loki, hugging him tightly and blocking out everything else, but not even that could silence the storm in his head. He knew. He knew what was happening as he was dragged before a judge-before RENSLAYER-and there was nothing he could do about it. The voice in his head wasn't just screaming.

It was mourning.

It was finally giving a voice to the last remnant of Mobius who knew what he had lost, who knew what the truth was, and who knew what was coming. It had been silenced for so long, but now it demanded to be heard.

I LOST MY FRIENDS! it shouted to the wind. No one heard it, but better to shout at nothing than to be eaten alive by it. I LOST THE ONLY CHANCE WE HAD TO SAVE THE MULTIVERSE! I LOST THE ONLY THING I KNEW, THE ONLY THING I HAD LEFT! I LOST MY BOYS AGAIN! MY SONS, THEY WERE SENT TO THEIR DEATHS AND ALL I COULD DO WAS WATCH! I LOST EVERYTHING I KNEW ABOUT THE TRUTH! I LOST MY MEMORY! I LOST MY COMPASSION FOR VARIANTS, I FORGOT THAT I WAS ONE! I LOST EVERYTHING I WAS FIGHTING FOR! I BECAME PART OF THE PROBLEM AGAIN AND I NEVER WOULD HAVE REMEMBERED BUT! I! KNEW!! I KNEW AND I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!

Vesuvius might have blown up then and there but Mobius wouldn't have been able to move. His guilt gutted him, leaving his chest hollow like there was something missing. The TVA didn't just take his memory. It took away his understanding, his autonomy. It took away the fight from inside him, the desire to fix what was broken and hurt. I wasn't ME, Mobius finally realized. That was the worst part of it all. He had become a shell of the person he had become when the Time Loom overloaded.

What did I do?

The voice in his head, having finally been able to have their say, fell quiet, but the memories didn't. Everything he had done came back to him. All the Variants he had seen pruned, all the cases he had analyzed, all the timelines that had been destroyed... he saw all of it. 'I've seen the horror waiting for people when they get pruned, and there's nothing necessary about that.' Hadn't he said that? How could he have forgotten that? How could he... how could he have stood by and let that happen to anyone?

It was too late now. They were gone, or at best running around with a bunch of Loki Variants trying to dodge Alioth. Everything was back to the way it started. The TVA, the Sacred Timeline, and probably the Loom, it was all where it had been when they started putting the pieces together. All their work, all their sacrifices and their risk amounted to nothing in the end. Nothing had changed, no one had been saved.

Until now.

Loki had found his way back. No doubt, he had caused some mischief in order to retain his memory and masquerade as an analyst long enough to get Mobius here where the TVA couldn't detect them. They couldn't detect that Mobius had his memory back, and they definitely couldn't detect that Loki was hugging him, shielding him from the rest of the world.

He didn't know what Mobius was thinking, but he didn't have to. Mobius was shaking so hard that, if he hadn't been clinging onto Loki so tightly, it felt like he might fall apart at the seams. It was as if Loki was the only thing keeping him in one piece. Loki held still, grounding him like an anchor at sea (that was, if somehow the ocean could be inside the ship).

If he was honest, he needed to hold Mobius together as much as Mobius needed him to do the same. The TVA couldn't possibly notice them here, but that didn't alleviate the fear that someone would barge into 79 AD and rip the two of them apart again. If that happened, who knew how long it would be before they could regain their memory and find each other again. Loki didn't want to think about it, so he cradled Mobius's head with one hand and held him closer, hiding him from the powers that be. Don't take this from me. Not now. Not when I've just got him back.

Slowly, the shaking slowed. Mobius was still holding on, but it was less like a drowner holding onto a lifeline and more like a sailor hanging onto a mast. "It's okay," Loki whispered, hoping his voice would further ground Mobius in the present. "It wasn't your fault. They took that choice from you. This isn't your fault."

"But I knew," he cried, blinking away tears. "I knew it."

Loki wanted to erase all of Mobius's guilt, to relieve the pain of the truth, but he would have to take Mobius's memory again and he refused to do that. "I wish it wasn't true. I wish I could wipe it all away and tell you something better, but I can't. We couldn't stop it."

We couldn't stop it.

Saying it out loud made it real and irreversible, but it also made it seem a little smaller. They didn't do this. Mobius and Loki hadn't brought this to the multiverse willingly, and neither had any of their friends. They failed to stop it, but they tried. Oh, how they tried, and it hadn't been enough. Somehow, putting into words made it an easier reality to face.

No, they couldn't stop it, but now they knew. Now they could confront their failure and maybe, just maybe, do something about it.

Finally, finally, Mobius seemed to find some peace. The tension in his body slowly released, and he melted into the embrace. Loki bowed his head, shutting his eyes and just enjoying the touch, nothing else. Mobius was back. He was hurting and shaken, but he knew Loki again and that was enough for right now. Loki leaned his head against Mobius, and if he noticed that Loki's lips were brushing the side of his head, Mobius didn't say anything about it.

~

The solution to all stress was food. It was foolproof.

Pompeii fast-food restaurants looked nothing like their twenty-first century equivalents, but the owners let the strange men in strange clothes order and take a seat with only mild suspicion. It was the best Loki and Mobius could hope for, really.

The soup was decent too.

It kept them busy so speaking wasn't really necessary. The volcano still had a while before it was set to erupt, so neither of them were in a rush. Sitting together again felt so familiar, so mundane. How many times had they done this before?

Mobius was nearly done with his bowl when he finally asked, "I'm guessing you enchanted the Minutemen when they came to your timeline?"

Nodding, Loki scraped up the last of his soup. He had eaten fast than Mobius had. "B-15 was one of them again. When I saw her but she didn't recognize me, I realized what was happening. It was a last-ditch attempt. I still can barely believe it worked."

"So she's back too?"

"Yes. She's covering for my case. I assume she's going to make something up about how I was an unruly prisoner and she decided to prune me to save everyone the trouble."

"Did you manage to salvage your timeline?"

His face fell as he shook his head. "There was no way to protect it without raising suspicion. Of course, by that time, I had already done too much."

"What do you mean?"

"I panicked. I tried to explain what was about to happen to the Avengers before I realized what I was doing. Just telling them about the TVA and the multiverse was enough to cause a branch." Loki's eyes unfocused as he looked at the ground. "I gave them the Tessaract before we set the reset charge. Told them to stay away from Alioth. It was all I could do."

Mobius's face quickly adopted the same glazed-over look. "Yeah. I mean, who knows? It might be enough to give them a fighting chance."

"We'll know soon enough. If they do survive, I have a feeling we'll see them before long."

They fell into silence again. Loki was done with his meal, but he didn't make any motion to rise from his seat.

"I had kids."

Loki stared at Mobius, but his eyes were unfocused, staring off into space. "Two boys, little kids. Their mom was long gone, it was just us, and..."

He didn't need to go on. They were variants. They knew perfectly well what had happened to their timelines and everyone in it. If those children were pruned, they were gone.

"Did they understand what was happening?"

Mobius shook his head. "I told them to go in the house and close the curtains. Didn't want them to see it, but the Mintutemen said they were under arrest too."

"Even if you were the Variant?"

"That's what I tried to tell them. They were just kids, they had no idea what was wrong. They didn't even do anything. It was my Nexus event, not theirs, but they still..." Mobius sighed, shoving away the rest of his food.

They sat there for a moment, until suddenly, Mobius stood up without warning and walked off.

Loki blinked, then rose and followed him. "Mobius?"

No response. The restaurant staff, who had been trying to learn more about their strange guests but couldn't understand their language, watched one lead the other down the street, away from the center of town and out of sight. Oh, well. There went their free entertainment for the day.

"Mobius!" he called again, weaving around other people passing by. "Mobius, where are you going?"

"I don't know, anywhere!" he said defeatedly, throwing his hands up. "Not like it really matters, does it? Nothing matters in an apocalypse!"

He knew he wasn't going to get away from Loki, he could catch up eventually, but he needed to get away from... something. He had to. He couldn't bear to sit still because if he did that, he could hear his sons screaming for him to help them all over again.

Just as quickly as he had started, Mobius abruptly stopped walking in the middle of the street, his head hanging low. Loki just barely stopped in time, nearly plowing right into Mobius.

Pompeii moved all around them like a river coursing around a stone in the middle of the current. Smoke was rising in the distance. Loki and Mobius were in this world but not part of it, and if their suits didn't give that away, the distance between them and everyone else did. You might have thought they were on fire by how no one else was willing to come close to them.

Loki reached out and touched Mobius's arm lightly, just to tell him he was there. It helped. Mobius made half a turn, then finally spoke again: "How many times do you think we've done this?"

No answer came, but Mobius didn't wait for one. "How many times do you think I was held back while I watched my sons get pruned? How many times has B-15 pruned you? How many times has someone, maybe us, found the truth about the Timekeepers and He Who Remains?"

"You think it's a loop?" Loki asked. "Time isn't supposed to exist in the TVA."

"Then how did we end up back here?"

"Maybe when the Loom overloaded, it reset everything."

"How many times?" Mobius asked. "How many times has the Loom overloaded? How many times did the people who figured out the truth get reset and wiped? Or worse, pruned?"

"We can change that," Loki said, infusing as much certainty into his voice as he could. "You're back, I'm back, B-15 is back, and we'll find the others before long. We can skip the bit with the Timekeepers and be one step ahead this time."

"And then what? I mean, should we kill He Who Remains again, or will that just reset the loop again?"

"I don't know, but we'll figure it out."

"How? And what if we get it wrong?"

"We'll try again!"

"And then what?"

Loki searched his eyes for an explanation. "What do you mean?"

"What if we try again, and again, and again?" Mobius asked. He looked around at the street surrounding them, his shoulders falling. "What if this is it? What if there is no way to break the loop?"

"No," Loki said, mostly just being stubborn at this point. "No. I don't believe that. There is an ending to this, one where the multiverse is set free, and we're going to find it."

"But what if we don't?" Mobius asked. "What if you keep saying that we're going to find it and we keep coming back together and we keep trying something different but it ends the same every time? How long before something goes wrong?"

Loki grabbed Mobius and pulled him gently but firmly to an alley between two buildings. No one was watching them, but this wasn't for these people to see. They didn't need to listen to them worry in their last minutes.

"This has happened before," Mobius went on. "Maybe not with us, specifically, but this can't be the first time someone has gotten to the bottom of this whole mess. They probably tried to the same thing we did."

"But they're not us," Loki argued. "We were close. We were so close! If we can just figure out where we went wrong-"

"What if there is no right way?"

"Don't say that!"

"If it all gets destroyed anyway, then nothing matters, right? Just like in an apocalypse. One way or another, it all gets destroyed in the end. We get destroyed in the end. We're just going to lose over and over again, and I can't do it!"

"Mobius-"

"Losing the kids twice was bad enough. Losing you and all the others at the Loom was bad enough! How are we going to just keep doing this if we can't-"

Loki grabbed Mobius's shoulders and stared him straight in the face. "Maybe you're right!"

It was the only thing that stopped Mobius's spiral. Loki only said it so he would listen. Mobius couldn't give up, not now. Not when Loki had given up everything just to get him back.

"Maybe we're in an endless loop," Loki admitted. "Maybe we're trapped in this game with He Who Remains and we can never win and we're doomed to repeat this over and over and over again. I don't believe that," he said, pausing to make sure Mobius knew that much. "I don't believe it. There is an end to this and I'm going to keep fighting until we find it, but if this is a loop..."

Mobius was calm enough to listen now, but he was clinging to every last word Loki said. Was there any good in this? If anyone could find the light in a loop this dark and this terrible, Loki could, but was it even there? Had he found it?

"If this is a loop," Loki repeated, "if all we can do is resist but never win, if the Loom will overload and send us all back to the Sacred Timeline every single time, if we have to do this again, then this is the best part to play."

He tried to think, tried to find the words to say exactly what he meant, because without any explanation, it was insane. How could any part of a loop this horrific and constricting be 'the best part?'

Loki couldn't think of what he needed, and he was about to just blurt out something, but he looked at Mobius first, and that stopped him. This is the best part to play.

"It matters," he said. It was such a simple way to say something so important, but it was true. "It matters that we want to give people a chance to escape the fate of the Sacred Timeline. It feels pointless, because if all of this is just a loop, then it doesn't feel like anything we do will change the outcome, but it's not about that. It's, it's like an apocalypse. Nothing matters, right?" Somehow, Loki found himself echoing the same words he told Mobius the first time they came to Pompeii, but oh, how time had changed the meaning. "In a few minutes, all of this will be gone. All of these people, everything they care about, all gone. That's what every apocalypse does, and that's why the TVA can't detect anything that happens here, so nothing matters."

"Yeah, except when someone finds a way to use an apocalypse as a smoke screen for something bigger," Mobius pointed out. At least he was calm enough to make quips again. "It doesn't stop the apocalypse, but it mattered to us."

"Exactly. It was still destroyed in the end, but it still mattered."

He looked down. He didn't know how to make this make sense, but it did to him. Loki relaxed his arms, but he didn't let go of Mobius's shoulders. Mobius didn't seem to mind that.

"If this is all a loop," he started again, "if nothing we do can stop He Who Remains, and if all we can do is delay the inevitable, then we're just cogs in a machine we can't change. There are parts to play, and if we don't try to do something, someone else will eventually, and it will all just happen anyway. Either we can pretend like we don't know anything and hope for the best, or we can fight the hopeless fight. We can resist He Who Remains and try to give people free will and a chance to live outside the Sacred Timeline, and we can fight for the TVA agents who have already lost everything. That fight, even if we can never win it, matters. It matters," Loki insisted. "It matters that we choose to fight for something better than what is. If we have to be part of this loop, then I would rather be part of the side that stands for hope and freedom. I would rather go through this loop a thousand times and lose over and over again than be part of the problem."

Mobius let his gaze fall. He had been part of the problem. Not willingly, but he had, and so had B-15, and Casey, and everyone else at the TVA. He could go back and just go through the motions again, but what kind of person would that make him?

Loki wasn't done. "I would rather us be sabotaged by Renslayer than to follow her. I would rather us take chances on Variants like Timely than trust He Who Remains. I would rather us brainstorm and plan and fail than to not try at all. I would rather us work together, knowing that we trust each other and that we're fighting for something worthy of a fight, and lose it in the end than not have it to begin with. I would rather risk coming here to get you back, and to get all our friends back again, and watch that Loom overload and start all over again than to not have come back again. This is the best part to play," he said, and Mobius looked up again. "Our part."

Our part. The part where they cared more about actual, real people than they cared about a bureaucracy and fake gods. The part where they had their real memories and real friendships and were allowed to mourn those for the lives that no longer were. The part where, even if branches were dying, their conscience was clear. The part where they were allowed to choose which side to stand on in this war on loop. 

The part where they faced the death of hundreds, if not thousands, of branches together. The part where they hunted down traitors like X-5 and Dox together. The part where they faced the destruction of the TVA together. The part where they knew what was coming but at least they would do it together.

Maybe that last bit wasn't what Loki meant, but it was reason enough for Mobius. That screaming voice in his head was out now, content now that it knew Loki knew he knew who Loki was. Everything was set right again. Loki was back, having managed to evade the TVA's attempts to prune him in true Loki fashion, and Mobius was his entire self again. Sure, if the Loom blew again, they'd have to start all over, and everything hinged on the hope that Loki would find a way to restore Mobius's memory before something bad happened, but that wasn't going to happen yet, right? They had time. It was running out, but it wasn't gone yet. 

He breathed out, just barely nodding. It would be one thing if Mobius didn't remember what happened before the Temporal Loom destroyed itself, or if he had been captured or killed or something worse. This was an entirely other thing, though. They had a chance to restore the Multiverse, to free the timelines, and protect billions of innocent lives. Doing anything else now wouldn't just be ignorance but malice. Mobius wasn't malicious, and he wasn't heartless either. He was going to fight this fight, pointless or not. He couldn't, in good conscience, do anything else. The slim hope that maybe it would work this time was enough reason to try.

But damn it if the friends he made along the way didn't give him more reasons to do something pointless anyway. 

It hurt. Knowing he couldn't save his timeline hurt. Knowing he had condemned his world by intentionally causing a Nexus event hurt. Dooming his sons to a terrifying death hurt. Knowing he could yell and shout at the other TVA agents that they were Variants too to no avail hurt. Having his memory erased really hurt. Realizing what he had done after the mind-wipe hurt worst of all. He hung his head just thinking about it. 

The other memories, though, the kind, warm memories of light banter and soda-drenched salads and running from cloud monsters and supporting each other through tense meetings and troubleshooting time-slipping and crashing movie premieres and key lime pie and mischievous plans and Cracker Jack and arguing over tiny little figurines... that was worth it. Even if they couldn't win a doomed war, wasn't it all worth it for moments like that? They had already lost their timelines. If for nothing else, didn't they have to fight for the one life they had left? 

He ought to say something. Loki was right, even if it was such a bleak destiny to resign to. Mobius opened his mouth to say something, but before any sound could come out, he felt Loki's forehead touch his, just barely. He could have just bumped it by accident if neither of them knew better. 

Mobius pressed his forehead into the touch, and that seemed to say whatever it was he was thinking for him. I'm in this,he might have said. It's going to hurt, but I'm not backing out. I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but as long as I can hold your hand in the dark, I'm in this.

That was a good place to stay for a while. 

The bustle of Pompeii seemed to quiet around them, like someone was turning down the volume control to the world. The quiet assurance that they were going to face whatever waited for them back at the TVA together made it easier to accept. Mobius still had a gut-wrenching fear that everything was still doomed to fail, but it didn't seem so intimidating right now. They had faced it once before, after all, and so had others before them in previous loops. He had been arrested and memory-wiped and conditioned and persuaded and pruned and betrayed and nearly had his skin ripped off and provoked to lose control and blown back to the Sacred Timeline only to repeat at least part of that process, but he had still made it this far. If he had to chose, he'd rather go through it all again with Loki than by himself. If he was doomed to be part of this loop, then he wasn't going to play his part alone. 

Somehow, Loki still had shining hope that there was an end to this. Mobius didn't have that hope, despite all that he wished he did, but he did have Loki. As long as they were still willing to try, whether it would change the outcome or not, this was the best part to play. Their part. "Our part," he finally said out loud. 

A deep rumbling in the distance interrupted the moment quite rudely. Unfortunately, they were still in Pompeii, and unfortunately, Mount Vesuvius was still set to erupt right about now.

"I think that's our cue," Mobius said, if not a bit disappointed.

"B-15 is going to grab Casey, and then we'll all go downstairs and find O.B.," Loki explained, but he didn't pull away. The Pompeii residents were beginning to scream and run, but the two of them still hadn't moved.

Right, the others. Mobius's friends. All of them. "Okay, and then what?"

"Then we do whatever it takes to stay under the radar until we can come up with a plan," Loki assured him, "preferably one that Renslayer doesn't know about."

"Oh, shit."

Loki smiled. "I see you remember that as well."

"I do now. What about Miss Minutes?"

"We'll figure it out," he promised. "We have another chance at this. We have time."

Mobius nodded, and they really had to go now. Loki finally let go of his shoulders, reaching into his pocket for a TemPad. His other hand drifted down, prepared to keep Mobius in front of him just in case the volcano blast moved faster than they wanted, but Mobius grabbed it instead.

They had time. They had time to come up with a plan, they had time to do it right this time, but they also had time for them. Mobius was sure there was more to say, more they hadn't quite gotten out before Vesuvius blew, but they would have time for it later. Explaining why they had become such good friends in such a short period of time would be interesting to say the least, but that was their part to play.

With one last look behind them, Mobius and Loki walked through the time door Loki had summoned, back into the hallway they had left not long ago.

"Well, I'd say you're definitely onto something," Mobius said, half-startling Loki. "We're gonna need a lot more evidence though. Something this big needs proof."

Oh, right. Their cover. "I know you must be busy with other cases, but can you spare some time for this?"

"Yeah, I think I can make that work." For a split second, Loki saw a knowing, dare he say mischievous, smile return to Mobius's face. In that moment, it was rather easy to pretend they were back at the beginning again with no knowledge of a greater plot or a Time Loom or fake Timekeepers or anything beyond the TVA and the Sacred Timeline.

Hopeless as their part might be, but that didn't mean they couldn't get their fun where and when they could. Mobius was still holding onto Loki's hand, not willing to separate again so soon.

I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but as long as I can hold your hand in the dark, I'm in this. This is our part, and this is the best part to play.

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