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#but i did memorize the steps and stances and hand positions
redbootsindoriath · 2 years
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Okay so before I can make my next post I need to make a separate introduction post for my...OC I guess...? who’s called the Messenger.
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He’s not exactly an OC, but he kind of is.  Whenever I’ve read a new book or watched a new movie or whatever, his job is to go to my favorite character (or characters) and give them a button from his coat as a symbol of their rank.  Because I tend to always unwittingly choose characters who die as my favorites, I would imagine that these buttons have become a symbol of death in the entire fictional world.  I’ll put a few comments about his outfit under the cut.
He wears a short black cape and a double-breasted coat with long tails and gold and white trim at the cuffs and collar.  Sometimes he wears gloves and sometimes not.  The mask is to add a sense of mystery, since even I don’t know exactly who he’s supposed to be.
The dagger is for cutting the buttons off his coat.  The rapier is in case any of the characters try to turn down the proffered button and also because I was way into fencing when I first created him.
(And yes I know he looks quite similar to Alkali.  I came up with his design at a time when I could only draw one face shape and two hairstyles.)
So now that he’s been introduced, the next post later this week should make more sense.
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moronic-validity · 5 months
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The Runaway
You guys, I'm updating on time
Holy shit
18+ as always, just bc the rest of the series is.
Simon rushed forward, staring helplessly through the flames that acted as the bars to his cell.
Why did he follow me? He knew what would happen to him…
The guards circled him, waiting for him to wake up.
It took minutes, but it felt like hours.
Winter stirred, his eyes opening just enough to see Simon’s panic, before his attention was brought to the guards circling him.
He moved quickly, rising to his feet.
To Simon’s shock, they let him.
“Alright, what is this?” Winter questioned, still disoriented, but realizing the severity of the situation.
The guards moved quickly, punching the man in the ribs.
Simon cried out as Winter doubled over.
Winter righted himself and swung at the guard, who side-stepped without issue. They used his open stance to strike him again.
He gasped for air, feeling his ribs crunch at the blow.
The guards circled him.
Winter tried to fight back, but three on one is never a fair fight, especially without his powers.
He righted himself again, clutching his side.
One of the guards kicked the back of his knee and laughed as he fell, unable to catch himself.
They began kicking him wherever they could, his head, his face, his chest, his back; if he blocked one place, they would move to one of the others.
He fell unconscious and they continued with the intent to kill him.
Simon moved before he could process what he was doing.
He covered his face and pushed through the pillars of fire, the adrenaline masking the pain.
He grabbed the sword from the belt of one of the guards and, in a blind rage, thrust it through their abdomen.
He swung without thinking, his only concern was the safety of his King.
The guards fell, one right after the other
He looked to the crown on the ground and thought for a moment before grabbing it and securing it to his belt with the paracord he kept in his jacket.
They took his pocket knife, but no one ever thinks to take the rope.
He hauled Winter over his shoulders in an unpracticed fireman’s carry.
His injuries were meaningless to him at this point, he was running on instinct alone.
And then Simon ran, the sword still clutched in his hand.
He was never a strong man, but he pushed forward.
He had memorized the path the guard had taken to bring him to the dungeon and he followed it to get back out.
Flame Princess waited by the gates, watching with amusement as the older man stumbled towards her.
It was the only way out.
Simon stood before her, his chest heaving.
“Just give up Simon, even if I let you out, what will you do? Die in the woods? You can’t make it all the way back to your kingdom and we both know it,” she sounded bored but somewhat genuine.
Simon paused for a moment, caught off guard by her sincerity.
“If you give me the King, I’ll take you to the infirmary and get your arm patched up. You can be my advisor and unlike him, I won’t make you sleep with me to secure your position.”
His gaze hardened.
He never considered that sex was the reason Winter kept him around, but it did make sense. Why else would Winter let a stranger stay in the castle, let alone at his right hand?
“I’d hurry up if I were you, Simon, once my knights come my offer is off the table and I’ll have you both killed,” she examined her nails, awaiting his answer.
Simon dropped to his knees, gently letting the King off his shoulders, resting him on the ground between them.
The Flame Princess smiled as Simon kneeled before her.
Tears formed in Simon’s eyes, he failed him.
He stared at Winter’s bruised face and he tightened his grip on the stolen sword.
He lunged forward and drove the sword into the Flame Princess’ gut.
She cried out and doubled over in a mixture of shock and pain.
Simon grabbed Winter, hauled him back over his shoulder, and shoved past the princess. The injury wouldn’t kill her, but it would keep her distracted and buy them some time.
He couldn’t stop running, not until they made it home.
The wounds on his arm and shoulder had reopened, seeping blood through his beloved jacket.
He couldn’t stop.
His muscles screamed in agony as he forced them to continue at a pace they were unfamiliar with.
He couldn’t stop.
He was so cold, his vision was beginning to go black at the edges.
He couldn’t stop.
He was still deep in the woods, he couldn’t stop.
Not now.
Not yet.
It no longer mattered to him if he lived or died, but he needed to get Winter home. They could help him. He would be okay. He just needed to get him home.
As soon as his feet touched the snow, the world went black and he collapsed, the adrenaline finally wearing off.
His fight was over.
The Ice Scouts found them seconds later.
Simon was bleeding, staining the snow around him a deep crimson. Their King was unconscious, his breathing shallow and his face varying shades of purple.
They moved quickly, bringing both men inside and to the infirmary.
Simon woke up first, screaming in terror until he felt the cold and realized they were home.
They were safe.
Simon walked with his IV stand to help him, and headed to the throne room. He passed by Winter as he left the room and saw that he was still unconscious, the crown now resting atop his sleeping head. The bruises on his face were fading as the powers of the crown healed him.
Simon nodded to himself, satisfied knowing he was going to be okay.
He shuffled to the throne room and sat at his desk, thankful they had only removed his shirt and jacket, chuckling softly at the thought of having to sit on the ice in a hospital gown.
He grabbed his papers and a pen and began writing to the kingdom’s allies.
If the Flame Princess wanted a war, she would get one.
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sillywilly · 2 years
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Batman x Fanboy!Male reader
i fucking love batman guys
makes a batman fic that no one asked for while i still have untouched asks lol
———
You were skateboarding down the streets of Gotham with your friends, having the time of your lives. You had always been a gigantic Batman fan, spending all your money on his merchandise most of the time.
As you were skating, you started feeling a little wobbly on your board so you slowed down. You yelled to your friends to keep going as you leaned down to tie your shoelace.
You moved your hands with a memorized rhythm while you tied your shoes, but you heard a yell down an alleyway near you. Your curiosity got the better of you, so as soon as you finished tying your shoe, you peeked around the corner.
There was…nothing? You could’ve sworn you had heard a man yell. You slowly began to trek into the alley, keeping track of your surroundings. It smelled of mold and wet air, a nearby air conditioning unit buzzing.
Suddenly, you were pinned to the wall, adrenaline rushed through your veins. As you were about to let out a scream, a leathery gloved hand was slammed over your mouth.
“What’re you doing here?” A thick deep voice grumbled. You squirmed but the taller man only pushed you against the wall more firmly. He slowly removed his hand from your mouth and allowed you to speak.
You let out a gasp of air, panic still flowing around in your chest. You trembled in his grasp and looked away from him. Your silence didn’t seem to appease the man so he decided to punch the wall next to your head.
You let out a yelp, which came out as more of a frightened whimper. Tears began to form in your eyes as you looked at the man. You quickly collected your thoughts to be able to stutter out a few words.
“S-sir please I don’t want any trouble. I heard some clatter and got curious I’m sorry. I didn’t see anything I swear on my life! Please don’t hurt me please.”
The man looked at you in deep thought before you made direct eye contact with him. His eyes softened at your orbs filled with fear. The man let you a little loose, but did not let go.
Seemingly lost in thought, the man moved his hand from the wall to brush against your cheek gently. The soft touch almost gave you thoughts of something even worse this man would do to you.
The man backed up into the light, allowing you to see him more clearly in the dark alley. You put your hand over your mouth with a soft gasp, looking the man up and down.
“You’re… you’re Batman!” you whispered.
You took a few steps towards him, your curiosity dragging you further and further near the man who had just had you in a terrifying position. You looked up at his eyes whilst he looked down at you.
You seemed like a enamored puppy, seeing a squirrel for the first time. The man thought your shocked stance whilst observing him was endearing. The Batman spoke, which dragged you out of your thoughts.
“Are you hurt?” The grumble in his voice made your stomach flutter. You shook, “No sir.” You felt as if manners were the proper route to this conversation with the highly known man.
Your neck did slightly hurt though, as the man had put his arm against it when he covered your mouth mere seconds before. You took a step closer and looked up at him.
Without any thought, you shakily looked up at him, studying his features. You winced a slight bit whilst observing his body armor. The man reached out his hand to find a slight yellowing bruise against the front of your neck.
You looked up into his eyes while he tilted your head gently to get a better look at the wide bruise. He slowly ghosted his thumbed over it, sending a shiver up your spine.
“You told me you weren’t hurt.”
“I didn’t think I was…”
The man softly grabbed your shoulder and spun you around to take a better look at you, noticing a small scrape on your elbow. He grabbed your arm and turned you to face him while he inspected it.
You rubbed your neck awkwardly with your other hand as he did. He gently gave two taps on your arm while he reached into one of the pockets on his belt. The man tore out some anti-bacterial spray, a bandaid, and a tissue.
He opened the spray and looked towards you for approval to apply it. You nodded and looked away, ready for the sting. He saw your expression strain as your arm tensed when he sprayed.
“It’s only for a second, be a strong boy for me.”
The pain slowly disappeared and the man was dabbing at your scrape with the tissue. You observed the man while he doctored you, not believing that the Batman was in front of you.
“Are you really Batman?” He gently applied the bandaid and looked at you, his bright blue eyes shining in the light. The man thought you looked like a dazzled fanboy, which only spiked his curiosity about you more.
A soft nod came from him as he muttered, "And you are?” The request almost caught you off guard, he wanted to know your name? A prick of anxiety spiked in your chest, nervously looking at the man.
“(Y/n).” You replied. He nodded, pressing the adhesive to your elbow to make sure the bandaid wouldn’t fall off. He held your arm a bit longer than he needed to before grazing his fingers over it while letting go.
“Well I’m sorry, (Y/n)” The man said softly while looking away. He looked at you, your gaze felt like fire against his skin and he couldn’t figure out why. You smiled at him while picking up your dropped skateboard.
“Be safe.” Batman said before disappearing into the darkness. Little did you know, he continued to observe you as you met with your friends once again.
———
slay lol
no one asked for this fic but i’m rlly obsessed with batman atm lolol
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thewildwaffle · 3 years
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Salted - Part 2
Bet you weren't expecting an update on this, were you? I certainly wasn't! But after I made the animatic of part 1, a lot of people, my fiance included, wanted mooooooooore.... So here we are🥰
You can read Part 1 HERE if you want to refresh. I Will probably do an animatic for this one as well, eventually
*** Garchi carefully rubbed his eyes as he sat back. He needed a break, he'd been at this for so long, he was getting screen strain. Humans sure do love their strange measurements. Teaspoon this, liter that, and then all of the sudden there's something called metric and standard? Why were there two completely different systems of measurement? Why hadn’t humans just transferred to solaric? It made so much more sense! “ Oh hey, Garchi! I thought I'd find you here,” Vera pulled the weary akeno out of his study-induced stupor. Her curly orange hair bounced slightly as she entered and carefully leaned her shoulder against the doorway with her hand behind her. That was a weird position. Was she holding something in her hand back there? “Chris says you've been up here for hours. What are you studying for? I thought you already passed level 5 certification.” “Oh yes, I did,” Garchi sat up straighter and tried to discreetly fix his skewed poncho. “I, well, actually, I'm not studying per se, I'm, uh, well I'm trying to wrap my head around this,” he gestured at the hard-copy book sitting open on the desk surrounded by datapads and notes. “My cookbook?” Garchi nodded for a moment, then his heart froze. “Oh, it’s your book? I’m so sorry! There were a couple in the kitchen area and I assumed they were just stocked by the ship. I didn't realize they were private property!” “Oh no worries, I was just wondering where it went. I couldn't find it and had to use Terri's to bake... this.” She straightened her stance while she pulled out what she’d been hiding behind her back. Garchi stared for a bit. “Is that...?” Vera stepped fully into the room and held out the plate in her hand. On it was a yellow-ish cube that seemed to radiate the most delicious smell Garchi had ever experienced. “It's safe, no chocolate in this one. It's my favorite, so thankfully I had it pretty much memorized. Just a simple sweet butter cake. Well, kind of. I replaced the butter with coconut oil because I know akenos are lactose intolerant. So… sweet coconut cake? I think it gives it a nice flavor, but you tell me what you think.” With that, she handed the plate over. Garchi took the offered cake and gently pushed the cookbook and datapads over to make room to set the plate down in front of him. His heart was racing again as he looked at it. Was this safe for him to eat? Humans loved so many dangerous foods, would this be okay? Vera leaned closer, and for a split tic, Garchi’s heart felt like it was going to beat its way out of his chest as her curly hair fell over her shoulder and briefly brushed him. “Oh, here’s the fork. Nearly forgot.” She set the shiny utensil next to the plate and backed away with an expectant smile on her face. And that was it. It was the smile. Garchi couldn’t imagine letting any hesitation or worry about the cake ruin that smile. Plus, Vera made it for him! She even altered her favorite recipe! He returned a smile and did his best to copy the way he’d seen her eat the terrible chocolate cake he’d made for her only a few cycles ago. The smell of the cake had been amazing, but it did not do justice to the flavor itself. It was sweet and light and warm - not only in temperature but the flavor - the flavor itself felt warm. He didn’t even know flavors could be described by temperatures, but here was this cake, tasting warm! And the texture! It was soft and spongy and felt like he was eating pure fohbra fluff! On top of it all, the frosting was rich and tasted like nectar but it was applied thinly enough that it wasn’t overpowering. “What do you think?” Vera prompted after a few tics. “I usually add a bit of citrus zest to the frosting, especially when I use tropical flavors like coconut, but I wasn’t 100% sure how the citric acid would affect you, so I didn’t want to risk-” “It’s so good!” Garchi blurted out as soon as he swallowed the first bite. He froze. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. It’s just that this is absolutely delicious! It’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten!” And he took another, even larger bite. This slice was not going to
last
much longer. “I’m glad,” Vera laughed. “That’s a relief!” Garchi was torn between trying to eat the cake as quickly as he could or trying to eat it slowly and savor it. Before he could really decide what to do, the slice was pretty much gone. Garchi poked at the last bits and crumbs, trying not to waste a single morsel. Whatever ‘coconut’ was, he decided he really liked the taste of it. He almost had the plate totally cleared when he paused and looked over to Vera questioningly. “You said you used coconut oil instead of butter?” Vera nodded. “Yeah, because akeno can’t eat dairy. You’re lactose intolerant.” She scanned Garchi’s quickly creasing face. “It’s nothing bad, it just means you can’t break down and digest the lactose in milk products. That happens to some humans too.” By the stars, was this lactose stuff some more poison that humans loved to eat?! “It happens to humans too?” Garchi asked. “What happens? Why only some humans?” Vera shrugged as if this wasn’t vital health information. “Yeah, humans, and well, all Earth mammals can produce lactase enzymes that break down lactose and drink milk when we’re babies, but some humans thousands and thousands of years ago started being able to produce lactase into adulthood because of a genetic mutation.” Garchi blinked slowly while listening. “Mutation?” “Yeah, and for some humans back then, being able to get those extra calories and nutrients as adults helped keep them alive and spread those genes. I think the latest study said over a third of the human population can drink milk as adults.” Garchi nodded. He should probably be writing this down, but he still had questions and wanted to ask them more than note-taking. “Wait, so butter is like milk? Only some humans can eat it too?” “Yeah. Same with cheese, cream, yogurt, and all that stuff. It’s all dairy. All made from milk.” “Oh. I thought they were all completely different ingredients.” He gestured to the cookbook. “When they’re in recipes together, they’re all listed separately.” He paused and frowned. “I guess I don’t know much about milk. Akenos don’t do that, and I know only a very few species who do, and even then, each one goes about it so differently.” “Yeah, it’s a pretty specialized evolutionary trait. I will say, making milk is one of the main things that sets mammals apart from the other classes of Earth animals.” She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, though. It’s not like you can eat dairy anyway. It will make your stomach and guts really upset at you.” Garchi looked down at his stomach. Upset? He figured it must be a human idiom for digestive troubles. “I see. Thank you for taking the time and care to avoid that with the cake then.” The beaming smile Vera gave made Garchi’s stomach act like it was “upset,” but in a good way. It was… a weird sensation, but he felt it a lot around her. Vera nodded at the books and datapads that were still scattered on the desk in front of Garchi. “Should I let you get back to studying, or maybe help you clean up so we can go get more cake?” Garchi shot to attention. “There’s more cake?” “Well, maybe,” Vera chuckled, “unless Terri and Chris already found it. I did leave it on the commons table.” Garchi was on his feet immediately gathering loose notes and study materials as quickly as he could. Vera grabbed her old cookbook and the used plate and fork. Soon, both human and akeno were out the door with their arms full and smiles on their faces. “Yep,” Vera laughed to herself quietly as she followed Garchi’s hurried steps, “quickest way to the heart.”
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thebluenoteblog · 3 years
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Chasing After You
Summary: Matthew just can’t let you go, no matter how hard he tries. Unluckily, you have the same problem.
Player: Matthew Tkachuk
Word Count: 2000
Warnings: I don’t know... a lot of drinking. A few bad words.
Authors Note: Be gentle, this is the first thing I’ve written in a really long time. It might be (probably is) a dumpster fire.
You come over when your wine's all gone
Always catch me when I'm not that strong
Then you wind up staying all night long
Ain't nothin' new
Matthew had finally reached rock bottom, he had to admit that, though to no one other than himself. Sitting home alone on a Friday night. No game to play, no practice to keep his mind busy, no friends to hang out with. Just him, a beer, the temptation of something stronger, and nothing on the TV. 
It was really pathetic. The guys wouldn't believe it if they saw him right now. Or maybe they would. Maybe pathetic was his new style, it was certainly starting to feel like it after all.
He grabbed the remote off the couch beside him and began to flip channels, eventually settling on a baseball game. He wasn’t paying close enough attention to the game to tell you the score, he wasn't sure he even knew what teams were playing. 
Just a few minutes into the game that he was sort of watching, there was a knock on his door. He checked his watch, 10:34. You were earlier than usual. 
He pushed himself up off the couch and made his way to the front door of his apartment. He knew it was you. You were the only one the front desk let up without calling him. He still didn't know how you had managed that. Did you sweet talk the workers? Probably. 
He pulled the door open and there you were, bottle of wine in hand. “I finished one already, but I thought you might be open to having a drink with me.”
There were a thousand alarm bells going off in his head, but he stepped aside and let you into his apartment. You kicked off your shoes in the entryway and followed him into the living room. Neither of you bothered with grabbing glasses, you uncorked the bottle and took a sip before passing it to Matthew.
He knew where this was going, he always did. He couldn't tell you why he never stopped it. Or maybe he could. Maybe he knew and he didn't want to admit that even after everything you had done to hurt him over the years, he was still unbelievably, irrevocably in love with you. 
Then I wake up with you on my chest
You got a way of making me forget
Girl, with you the answers always yes
Every time you call
He was warmer than usual. It took him a minute to register you in his arms, head positioned comfortably on his chest. The way you used to sleep almost every night but now reserved for nights that you’d downed your alcohol a little to quickly.
Matthew was afraid to move, he knew that as soon as he stirred you, you’d be out the door just as quickly as you'd walked through it the night before. Just like that you would burst his bubble all over again. Just like you had a hundred times before. 
Eventually your eyes fluttered open and he watched as you scanned the room, taking in where you were. “Morning,” he said. 
You smiled, “Morning.”
The smile gave him hope that he squashed down just as quickly as it appeared. “Stay for breakfast?” He asked.
You shrugged, “Do I have to cook it?”
“I’ll order in,” He laughed softly. He would never let you cook for him again if that was all it took for you to stay. It wasn't, but he could dream.
You nodded, “I’m going to take a shower. What time do you have practice?”
Matthew glanced at the clock on the bedside table. “I’ve got a few hours still.”
You pushed up off his chest and he immediately missed the warmth of your body. He wanted to tell you to come back, just for a little while longer but he knew better. So he let you go, because having you in his shower was better than having you in an uber on the way back to your apartment. 
But I know, yeah I know it's a matter of time
'Till you walk, 'till you walk back out of my life
Leave me standing here lonely feeling like a fool
You stretched up on your tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Matthew’s lips. It was soft, barely there. “I’ll call you.”
He knew you wouldn’t.
He nodded, “Text me when you get home safe.”
You nodded. “I will.”
He knew you wouldn’t.
You turned away from him and he watched as you disappeared down the hallway toward the elevator. When he couldn't see you anymore, he pushed the door closed and made his way back to the living room. 
Here he was again, a fucking idiot with a broken heart and nothing but time to kill.
Every time, every time you say we're done
You come back to the love you were running from
Don't know why, don't know why I let you but I do
Guess I love chasing after you
Matthew glanced down at his phone, tuning out the guys as he scanned the message, What are you doing tonight?
He typed out a response before anyone could realize who he was talking to. Nothing important.
Your response was almost immediate, I’ll be over in an hour.
Matthew rose from his seat and shoved his phone into his pocket. “Hey guys, I’ll catch you later.”
Johnny sighed, “Don't do it man, you're going to regret it.”
Matthew shook his head, “You have no idea what you're talking about.”
They looked at each other before turning back to him, “Man, this is getting ridiculous. She isn't good for you.”
“How do you know what's good for me?” Matthew asked, crossing his arms and widening his stance. “I think I can protect myself, I'm a big boy.”
Johnny sighed and waved a hand in his general direction, “Whatever, do what you want. Just don't come whining to me when she disappears again.”
Matthew snorted, “I don't plan on it.”
Then he was gone, phone in hand calling an uber.
Listen
Wish I could quit you but it feels too good
If I could turn it off, you know I would
But somethin' 'bout you makes me think we could
Make it after all
There was nothing in the world that made you angrier than your inability to walk away from Matthew. After everything the two of you had put each other through, there was no reason to keep going back. Yet… here you were. Standing outside his apartment after what was essentially a booty call.
You almost wished that Matthew would tell you to fuck off just so you could move on with your life. He wouldn't do that though, you knew Matthew too well and he knew you too well too. That was the problem. You had been with each other on some level for so long that you couldn't remember what it was like to be apart.
You hadn’t knocked yet, you could still leave. Go home and do the responsible thing for once. 
“Y/N.”
You turned toward the elevators, and there was Matthew. He looked amazing, t-shirt tight over his chest and shoulders, hair just a little bit in his eyes, the way you loved. There was no chance that you were leaving now. You were in this for the night now, not that this was bad news. You had never intended on leaving without seeing him.
“You’re early.” He said, running his hands through his hair.
“Yeah, I know,” You said, “I was bored.”
He nodded, “I can fix that.”
But I know, yeah I know it's a matter of time
'Till you walk, 'till you walk back out of my life
Leave me standing here lonely feeling like a fool
Why did he always think it would be different? Why was he always so determined to let himself think that there was a chance things would work out this time or next time or the time after that. There was no logical reason to believe that after all this time, anything would change, yet here he was, once again, surprised on some level that you had left him high and dry.
He closed the door, you had long since disappeared into the elevators, and he collapsed onto the couch. There was no way he would be hearing from you again for a while, so he buried his face in the throw pillow and decided to take a long nap.
After all, he had gotten no sleep the night before.
Every time, every time you say we're done
You come back to the love you were running from
Don't know why, don't know why I let you but I do
Guess I love chasing after you
You were always the one to end things. You had never, in your life, had your heart broken. You never let things get that far. You loved love, but you hated the idea of being hurt. So you kept everyone who tried to love you at a distance. Matthew was no exception, in fact he was the blueprint. There was no way you could ever give him your whole heart, there was no way you could ever trust him with a part of you that you had never given to anyone.
Oh, but you wanted to. More than anything, you wanted to give him every part of you in every way. You knew he loved you, on some level you knew that he would never hurt you, but here you were, three years into a mess of your own creation with no idea how to fix it.
“Y/N, I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”
You glanced up from your hands, eyes scanning the massive wall clock hanging above your therapists desk. Your appointment would be over in twenty minutes and you had yet to say a word to her. “I don’t know where to start today.”
She nodded, “What is bothering you today? Let's start with that.”
You sighed, “Matthew.”
“What about him?” She asked, tapping her pencil on the notepad that rested on her crossed legs.
You resisted the urge to sigh again. “I just…” You looked down at your hands, “I wish that I could let myself be happy with him.”
You come over when your wine's all gone
Always catch me when I'm not that strong
Then you wind up staying all night long
Ain't nothin' new
Two firm raps on the door had Matthew freezing as he poured his drink. He set the bottle down and made his way to the living room. He pulled the door open and there you were, beautiful as ever. Hair pulled up in a messy bun, hands in the pocket of your coat. “Hey, Matthew.”
Matthew smiled his eyes wondering over you, memorizing every inch as he stepped out of the way to let you into the apartment. “No wine this time?”
“No, no wine tonight..”
He laughed as he pushed the door closed behind you. “It's okay, I have some.”
You kicked off your shoes by his front door before turning to face him. “Actually, I was thinking maybe we could try this sober tonight.”
Matthew stared at you, his expression some strange mix of confusion and hopefulness. “Why?”
You opened your mouth to respond, but no words came out. You wanted to tell him that you were working on your shit, that you were trying to be less scary and damaged, but you couldn’t find the words or the courage to share that with him. Instead, what came out of your mouth was a joke, “What, do you have to be drunk to enjoy my company?”
The corners of his mouth slowly turned up, “No, not at all.”
He followed you into the living room and took a seat beside you on the couch. Like always he gave you space. This time you scooted closer to him. His eyebrows rose for a split second, then he put an arm around your shoulders and grabbed the remote from the end table. “Want to watch a movie? I hear there’s some new Netflix original thats really good.”
You nodded and sank into his side as he scrolled through the selections.
Maybe this wasn't so scary.
Maybe you could get used to this.
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soobasaur · 3 years
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「 jisung as your skater boyfriend 」
i used to see you on the sidewalk, standing in your high tops
han!jisung x gender!neutral reader
a/n: i saw this photoshoot of jisung with a skateboard and my mind just shortcircuited and now i have a pinterest board full of skater boy jisung so here we are,,,if u see any skater fics tAG ME
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you didn’t think you’d ever take up skating, after falling the moment you put on roller skates when you were younger you thought it was hopeless to even try
but that was before you saw him.
it all started when your friend jeongin took on a new obsession with skateboarding and you took on a new obsession with the boy at the skate park
you only tagged along to hang out with jeongin and for the ice cream stand that was right next to the skate park
and jeongin always offered to buy you some so why would you say no to that (n˘v˘•)¬
but your obsession started when you watched jeongin start talking to some boys you didn’t recognize, when you later asked he said he met them from the park
one of them in particular caught your eye
he almost always had on a some sort of hat and band tee on, his hat usually falling off when he was halfway through with his tricks
you had been trying to build up some courage to talk to him but didn’t know what to say since you didn’t skate yourself :((
cute boys made you nervous !!!
especially ones who could do cool tricks on their boards !!!
jeongin picked up on your little crush since whenever he asked you to watch him do a new trick your eyes always wandered off to him
he teased you about it but ended up telling you his name and a bit about him
han jisung, he was around your age and went to a campus not far from you, which is why you had never seen him around
one day, when you were actually paying attention to jeongin for once, you saw a hat lying forgotten in the middle of the park and immediately recognized it as jisungs
you were to the point where you could recognize what brands he wore shjdjf
you rushed over to pick it up, dodging jeongin’s board as you did so, and made your way back to your table, clutching it protecting in your fists
after scouring the park for a tuft of his brownish hair you came up empty, deciding to pocket the hat until the next time you visited
when you offered to come to the park the next day without jeongin begging you to do so, your best friend knew something was up
he pestered you until you finally surrendered and showed him the hat, your ticket to starting a conversation with jisung
“i could just introduce you two,” jeongin chastised, rolling his eyes playfully
“that wouldn’t be memorable though! i want him to remember me as the person who saved his hat!”
“....imma just pretend i don’t know you.”
〴⋋_⋌〵 “jeongin !!”
you eventually spotted him waiting in the shade for his friends to skate and mustered up enough courage to walk up to him
“...hey?”
why did that come out like a question (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)
he turned to you after realizing you were talking to him, “hi?” he sounded startled, but you didn’t miss the way he quietly checked you out
“uhm so i’m y/n and you dropped your hat the other day? this is yours right? i notice you wear this brand a lot and uh, anyways! i just wanted to return it to you—,” you held out the hat and shut up before you started rambling and embarrassing yourself even more
you say his eyes flash in recognition as he reached out to grab the hat, then took his hand back just as quick
“actually...you can have it. keep it as a gift! i’d rather you give me your number instead,” he winked, before taking out his phone to hand to you
( ・_・) snkdkfkfkgovkovijskd wHAT
you somehow managed to grab the phone with shaky hands as you typed in your number, saving yourself as “y/n ❤️” and handing it back before you could stop yourself
you saw him smile at the contact name, pocketing it before looking back at you
“i’m jisung by the way...do you wanna get some ice cream?”
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) was this perhaps...a date?
“sure...oh! what about your friend?” you asked, gesturing to the boy he seemed to be waiting for
he waved them off, “we can join them later, come on, my treat...i’ll race you there.” and he threw his board down and skated off towards the nearby ice cream stand as you ran off after him, yelling at how that was unfair
true to his words, jisung bought you ice cream and you guys sat down at a worn down bench
unfortunately, it was right out in the sunlight so you kept squinting to lick your ice cream
after seeing your suffering he took the hat he gave you from where you placed it on the table and plopped it on your head, adjusting the straps to fit you
“there, now the sun won’t bother you and we can twin!” jisung smiled, pointing to his current hat which was the one you were wearing in a different color
your little date was soon interrupted with his friend running over along with jeongin, who kept giving you suggestive faces as he stood behind jisung
“cant belive you buy your new partner ice cream and not your friends!! removing you from your best friend position!” his friend whined, he had long blond hair and you didn’t miss how jeongin eyed him discreetly
“shut up hyunjin,” jisung glared, a fond smile on his face as he handed over his friend some bills from his wallet and ruffled jeongin’s hair, “i might as well be your guy’s sugar daddy.”
you couldn’t help but notice how he didn’t deny the part where hyunjin called you jisung’s new partner (ᗒ//ᗕ)
hyunjin and jeongin took the table behind you guys as you continued to talk to jisung
you found out where he went to college and his current major (music production ?/$:&:&) and how he minored in dance so he could have a class with hyunjin, who begged him to join
that made him ten times more attractive and you felt a little shy telling him you were an art major, and the only instrument you could play was the piano due to lessons as a kid
but he thought it was cool and let you rant about your annoying professors and dumb projects you had to complete
in return, he showed you some of his songs and let you watch a couple of his performances before getting bashful and hiding his phone away
jisung rapping made you feel butterflies shkddndj
you two hit it off and bounced off of each other as the conversation went on
after a while jeongin pestered you to go home with him to help him on the project he procrastinated on
it was getting late though so you agreed
jisung asked where you guys were heading and offered to walk you both, since hyunjin didn’t seem keen on leaving jeongin either
hyunjin and jisung instantly put down their boards to start skating to you guys’ dorms before you admitted you didn’t skate
jisung looked pretty shocked at the revelation before kicking his board back up
“hmm, why do you come to the park then?” he asked as you guys ended up walking back, hyunjin and jeongin ahead of you as they decided to skate back
“jeongin bothered me to come with him before he met you guys, then i just started tagging along to see you—, to just hang out.”
he waggled his eyebrows at you as you jogged ahead of him, “to come see me?- hey get back here!”
the four of you finally ended up home, hyunjin walking jeongin to his place a little further from yours as jisung took you to your dorm building to send you in
“oh, before you go, take this.” he mumbled, handing you his board
?????????
why was he handing you his board ಠ_ಠ
“isn’t this yours? why are you giving it to me?” you asked all confused
“i have a ton at my apartment, and this one has a cute design on the back,” he turned the board around and pointed at the art, “you said you like this style of art so i thought you’d enjoy it, and next time you come to the park bring it with you so i can teach you how to ride it”
he shyly scratched the back of his neck as he handed it to you, “take care of it, yeah? i’ll call you later y/n, bye~,” he shot you some finger guns before lamely moonwalking off your porch and running off towards where hyunjin was waiting for him
you carefully clutched the board and made your way inside, your heart beating at the thought of jisung remembering something so minuscule like your favorite art style
you and jeongin didn’t end up finishing his project that night and ending up screaming about your new crushes
true to his word, the next time you went to the park you brought the board with you and he taught you how to ride it
he took you to some smaller ramps in the back and placed the board down, holding out his hands for you to step onto it after noticing your hesitancy
you grabbed ahold of his palm and stepped onto the board, the wheel skidding as you felt like you were gonna tumble off
jisung kept you steady though by placing his free hand on your lower back as he let you find your balance
“make sure to angle your feet a little more that way—yeah like that! keep the board near you at all times.”
he watched as you pulled the board towards you and adjusted your stance a little, looking towards him for guidance
he gave you a big smile in return
“okay now imma pull you around a bit so you get comfortable,” he removed his hand from your lower back, (which you were a little sad about) and started to slowly pull you around
you started to death grip on jisungs hand and screamed how you were gonna die when jisung started pulling a little faster
“i got you,” jisung said fondly, as he pulled you in a little circle
“great, now imma let go for a second,” he let go of your palm before grabbing his other board and stepping his right foot on it
“now your gonna put your dominant foot on the board and push off, like this, and just let it take you to the end of the park.”
he pushed his board away before gesturing for you to push
you gulped before letting loose and pushing your foot off, you stumbled a bit before you felt jisung straighten you up, and then you were off
jisung started to jog beside you as you skated towards the other end of the park >///<
he stayed alongside you until you slowed to a stop and you jumped off, a little shaken from the experience
“you did so well!” jisung cheered, hopping over to give you a short hug, before pulling away with flushed cheeks
“thank you,” you mumbled, your own cheeks dusted pink
you guys walked over to where jisung dropped his bag and he tossed you a water bottle, before plopping onto the curb
“you did so much better then me when i first started, i fell off and twisted my ankle, i’m surprised i decided to get back on the board after that...”
“if you never went back to skateboarding, we never would’ve met.” you joked, downing half of the bottle before handing it back to jisung “and i’m only doing good cus i have a great teacher,” you winked as you adjusted your hat
“us never meeting is a sad thought,” jisung mused before drinking from the same bottle, “hey we just indirectly kissed.” he laughed, before looking down sheepishly
why was he so confident and shy at the same time shdjkkffk
“what if we directly kissed?” you asked before you lost all confidence, which you didn’t have much to start with anyways
you saw jisung shortcircuit before turning back towards you, and after getting a nod from you he leaned forward and captured your lips with his own
he tasted like chocolate ice cream and it made your heart go beserk
when you pulled back to breathe he chased after your lips and brought you back in again
your brain rn: sbjdkfklck
after a little make out session he took you back out until you were able to skate a little by yourself and even do some turns with jisung’s help
and if he gave you little kisses for every time you didn’t fall off that was for the two of you to know
bonus headcanons:
it didn’t take long for jeongin and hyunjin to get together after the both of you set them up
which meant double dates at the skate park!!
jisung made it his new life goal to teach you how to skate enough to go a long time without his assistance
:(( he wanted to go on skate dates with you in the nearby city
your favorite thing was to watch jisung do cool tricks you didn’t know the name of on his board, you were scared he was gonna crack his skull open with the stungs he was pulling (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞
jisung mentioned in passing how he wanted a board with this specific design but he couldn’t find one anywhere and gave up
so for his birthday you painted a custom design for him and got it printed onto a skateboard
to say he cried was an understatement he started bawling when he unwrapped it
he almost didn’t wanna use it cus he was scared of scratching it, but you assured him it could be repaired and he took it out for a spin
you eventually got the hang of skating, (you couldn’t do any tricks and had a trouble coming to a stop but hey it was progress)
which meant skating through the city dates !!!!
jisung would give you his other airpod and you guys would skate around the city at night listening to your shared playlist
you loved it when he gave you an enamoured look whenever a girl group somg came on and you started belting out to a loona song
jisung could play almost any instrument and he often sang to you whenever you came over
you could just be lying in bed half asleep and he’d sing to you
you even started to pretend to fall asleep just to hear him softly sing to you and play with your hair
you ended up just using his old skateboard for the time being until jisung bought you a new one
he said he wanted to paint you one but wasn’t sure of his abilities so he got one that matched the design with your old one but was brand new
you also cried <//3
he couldn’t paint, but he could write songs!
he would write songs after you all the time and sing you cheesy love songs to embarass you
you would even draw him if he stood still long enough, and seeing the happy expression on his face whenever he took a look at your sketches was worth it
he gave you a lot of his hats so you guys could match together
he liked being the cliche matching couple !! so sue him !!
it was just the cutest relationship and jisung took good care of you and vice versa <33
jisung best boyfriend !!
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thanks for reading ⁂
(gif by user hyunjins)
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shlutnutt · 3 years
Text
make it hurt
sum: punishing tate for being a bratty bitch lol
w: dom reader x sub tate, vibrator usage, handjob, oral(female recieving), overstimulation, edging, 69 kinda?
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Your beloved remained silent, more than well aware of the small deep-colored vibrating toy you fidgeted around your palm. Not a single word escaped his lips nor a muscle seem to have shifted for comfort. He only layed on your guys' shared bed, the black latex suit he had on delighfully reflecting against the bright slightly orange-tinted lamp that resided just a few feet away from him. You would've believed he'd fallen asleep in his pretty boy fuck suit until you suddenly heard him voice
"i want it to hurt.."
Ignoring his neediness, you watched how Tate quickly returned to his dimming silence, filling in the quietness from his commentary and unzipping the black mask, removing it from his head roughly, just for you to encounter nothing but obvious sweat spots on his forehead, under eyes and his shaggy hair, giving it a beautiful slight wet look, whilst he only breathed heavily, attempting to inhale in the cool air that explored the bedroom.
"Im not satisfied with you behavior today, you nee-"
"yes! yes i know, please.. punish me, please. i deserve it~.."
Tate's neediness only made your insides crumble, the way he patiently waited for your arrival in his fuck toy suit, how he was positioned and ready for you. You only allowed your cunt to form those bitter-sweet juices you'd let out of whenever you were excited, whenever Tate excited you. How he'd ever so often give up his need of showing dominance and fully submit to you, never failed to drive you over the edge.
"Tell me what you want, my pretty toy?" you firmly questioned the man, observing how his eyes scanned through your body, in which you only snapped once, catching his gaze by surprise.
"I need you to touch me.. to make me yours, tease me, bite me, kiss me. I want it all.. p-please, y/n~" Tate was quick to reply, shifting his gaze from your own down to his enlarging crotch, in which's sight you hummed to, him softly whimpering under his breath from the lack of touch.
Langdon knew how much you hated when he had an attitude with you, like today, how he continuously rolled his eyes at you whilst you tried to explain why you were in such a hurry to leave for work. Obviously even after apologizing a counted amount of times, you were aware of how much he wanted to get on your nerves again, now it being knowingly known that he was aware of needing a well taught lesson as well.
You, though only looking over at his needful self, you continued to toy around the buzzing object you had in hand, deciding between which level were to be the day-maker for the both of you.
Now taking a few leepful steps towards the man, you managed to delighfully remove the lace underwear you wore under the silk pyjama gown that hugged your form nicely, standing brief-less beside Tate, his eyes becoming needier to the minimum movement.
"i ne- oh~" you heard Tate get rudely interrupted, by the feeling of your kneeled leg applying pressure onto the bed, sinking down slowly you decided to include your left leg now, lifting and accomodating it by his toned side, you straddling his suited form now.
"what was that?" you only leaned down to whisper, the feeling of your dampened cunt leading you to the thought of skipping the teasing procedure and going straight to what you came for.
Tate only breathed heavily, holding aback those sweet little moans, as you glided the powered-off toy up and down his upper chest, tapping it smoothly across his pink-tinted clothed nipples. "baby.. please. please.." he only proceeded to beg, as the little sweat that rested on his forehead multiplicated with each and every tap you'd gift him with. "m-mommy!" Langdon yelled out now, the twitching of his cock speeding up under you, more than prepared for it's release from the slight bit of sexual affection you shared with him.
"don't cum until I tell you, okay?"
"mhmm~.."
"use your words."
"yes. yes, okay? yes!"
His urgent response was what drove you over the edge, what made you quickly switch your position from regular cowgirl to reverse cowgirl ontop of his upper chest, your bare cunt only being a few inches away from his face, making him whimper to himself, his member only being a few inches away from yours, making those sweet-bitter juices now drip out of your cunt.
"are you gonna be good for me?" you questioned with need.
"i p-promise i'll be good.." hesitated Tate, knowing how difficult this task was going to be due to how bad he wanted to cum already.
Unzipping his crotch zipper now, you set his pre-cum dipped cock free, bits and bits of little juices leaking out of its reddening tip. The view only being mesmerizing and needful, you were quick to turn on the vibrator on the lowest level available and rapidly attaching it to the very tip of his cock, smoothly gliding it down to the base, lower to the balls and back up right behind the tip, memorizing how this sweet spot drove him crazy, his moans increasing suddenly to the gesture.
Enjoying his struggle you soon turned up the toy to its higher setting, now starting with the balls and back up. Adding extra pressure onto his tip you notice how his toes curled and his thighs shook repeatedly, his release not being too far from nearing.
"remember what i told, Tate." you reminded as you felt him become uncontrollable by the second, you continuing your work.
Tate was more than eager for your approval to his release, so he found a quick distraction. With your pussy being ever so near to his face, he stuck his tongue out, it surprisingly reaching your clit. Him toying around with it as you toyed around with his tip, you couldn't help but to give in and push yourself further onto his face, his cock not for once not being your main focus point at the moment.
As the toy buzzed onto his, you proceeded to gift him with his request, for it to hurt.
You only powered off the toy and threw it to the side, retracing your concentration onto what you had infront of you, you elbowed on either side of his thighs, your cunt still being devoured by the man.
Carefully utilizing his pre juices as lube you begin to jerk him off, his moaning becoming unstoppably loud onto your pussy, the humming sensation making your legs tremble. You guided your hands to firmly grip on his bulge, making your way up to his tip and down to his balls repeatdly, increasing the speed with each and every moan he let out.
Hearing Tate shout out, "i c-can't.. im close!", hinted you that you were doing more than good, so you of course had to make it better. You stopped giving him his pleasure, edging him to making him near on cry in frustration. His begging and loud raspy whimpers feeling your heart with desire and pleasure, you slowly resumed your work, feeling his hot breath fan your cunt with the satisfactory sigh he let out.
"..hmm~.. can i cum now?" Tate was hesitant to ask, his tip now turning purple from overstimulation.
"think you deserve to cum?"
"y-yes!"
In no time you felt his release shoot up, landing on you and himself, you observing as his member returned to its natural pale-pink shade.
"i don't remember giving you permission.." you looked back at him, his eyes tighly shutting closed as you got up from your stance to pick up the toy you threw out of the way previously.
Turning on the toy to its higher setting once again you decided to involve your tongue with your work now, you licking at the base of his cock whilst the vibrator did its work on his overstimulated tip, his whimpers and uncontrollability just boosting you to keep going.
"i'll make it hurt, my pretty boy."
tags// @divineruler @copy-of-a-cheeto @evanmybeloved @billyhxrgrove @sinnersblood @crssjjh @myriadofcranes @mossybank @the-hotel-cortez
(dm to be in taglist! :) )
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ghirahimbo · 3 years
Note
"2. Suddenly pulling them in for a dance." - Ghiralink, perhaps? (Sorry incase that's not really your thing anymore! Feel free to pick another ship <3)
Yeah… yeah, that’s still my thing T-T lol, thanks for the prompt! This one was fun 😊
Post-canon, vague master/sword AU, ghiralink-ish
The spirit maiden danced with a grace befitting her divine origins, little though Ghirahim liked to admit it. Moving so lightly through the lively steps that her feet might have been floating, he could almost believe that she still bore Hylia's feathered wings on her back, tucked somewhere outside of physical sight. Link danced like a log in comparison—though on second appraisal, Ghirahim had to give him more credit than that. The boy wasn't stomping on Zelda’s toes, after all, unlike Fledge dancing nearby with poor Karane. Link's style consisted of accuracy without artistry, though with enough enthusiasm to almost make up for it. How odd that all his light-footedness seemed reserved for the more violent dance of swords, where he moved nimbly enough to keep even Ghirahim on his toes… a nod to his true calling, perhaps?
Privately savoring the notion, Ghirahim lounged against the wall of a newly erected building, only half noticing the wary looks he received as he watched the festivities unfold. These Skyloftians-turned-surface dwellers still feared him, despite the months he had served already as their hero's sword—a primal fear, perhaps, unless that fool Groose had secretly run off at the mouth. Link and Zelda had agreed from the start that certain aspects of Ghirahim’s past were best kept hidden, his previous master and role in Zelda’s disappearance highest among them. He had certainly not done anything overtly threatening to the residents of this tiny, budding village—and yet, they feared him.
The whole situation fell well beneath his notice, though he’d caught Link frowning over it more than once. Link was frowning at him now, Ghirahim realized, directing it over Zelda’s shoulder as they turned in sync, and he met it with a scornful expression of his own. What had Link expected him to do here tonight? Mingle?
The music finally paused as the lively song wound to its end, prompting the dancing couples to bow and switch partners (in Karane’s case with remarkable alacrity). Link leaned in towards Zelda, whispering something in her ear before vanishing into the milling throng, and Ghirahim half raised an eyebrow. Likely he'd just gone for more food, though Link might have finally tired of this tedious celebration. Compared to the more demonic gatherings Ghirahim knew, this less raucous human affair contained a disappointing (if expected) lack of bloodshed—though of course, those had often erupted haphazardly in the throes of battles won. Not like this one, which commemorated nothing more than the laboriously slow growth of food and its eventual harvest.
Another song started up, slower than the last but no less cheerful. Fledge had moved on to his next victim, some girl in a bandana and horrifically flared pants whose name Ghirahim had never bothered to learn. Zelda had produced a harp, wandering to join the musicians with plucked out harmonies that flowed from her fingers with ease, and Link…
Ghirahim frowned when Link’s bobbing green hat still had not emerged among the dancers. The food tables remained conspicuously absent of green, as well. If Link thought he could escape on his own while leaving Ghirahim here waiting—
A hand grabbed his arm, pulling him from his perch by the wall, and if he hadn’t had that hand memorized from the hundreds of times it had gripped his hilt, Ghirahim might have expressed his surprise in regrettably drastic fashion. Instead he let it pull him through the crowd until they reached their apparent destination, and it slid down his arm to grasp his own blackened hand, while another reached up to rest lightly on his shoulder.
Ghirahim blinked. Link smiled blandly up at him.
"Care to dance?" he asked, a bit too late for etiquette's sake considering that the dance had already started. Link's cheeks shone pink from the exertion of tromping around with Zelda, and his messy hair, mercifully absent the hat that always covered it, felt deceitful in how easily it had disguised his presence. Sweat clung to the base of those dark blonde locks—the reason for the hat's removal?
Ghirahim's legs moved automatically through the simple steps as he considered his young master, who made a brave attempt at leading with that unfortunate portion of his usual grace.
"Presumptive of you," he murmured, just loud enough to be heard over the din of laughter and music. "Any particular motive for such impertinence?"
Link had the nerve to look confused.
"You like to dance," he said, as if that was answer enough. Perhaps it was. Link wore his cheerful naiveté like a cloak sometimes, and even Ghirahim couldn't always sort out how much of it was real, and how much artifice. "Someone had to ask you?"
The hint of a question?
A number of potential reactions ran through Ghirahim's mind, considered and discarded in quick succession. He could extract himself easily enough, leaving Link clutching nothing but vanishing diamonds. He could also stand stubbornly still, refuse to dance, and let Link discover just how easily he could drag around a sword that didn't want to move. He could reject Link quietly—dramatically—at knifepoint, even—but…
A quick glance around revealed their audience. Though most had the sense not to stare openly, nearly every couple surrounding them shared the same nervous, almost scandalized smile, as if they feared the consequence of making their amusement too obvious. The spirit maiden in particular watched him closely, keeping a pointed eye on him over her harp though her lips shared the same bland smile as Link.
There would be no consequence, of course—Ghirahim wouldn't risk this precarious arrangement with Link simply to save face in front of some humans—yet neither could he let anyone think him scared off by something as innocuous as an invitation to dance. The steps themselves were straightforward enough, easily gleaned through his brief time spent observing… and as Link had pointed out, he did enjoy it.
His lips curved into a grin.
"I accept your request," Ghirahim said, and the moment Link started to relax, added, "but I will not be led."
Link's eyes barely had the chance to widen before Ghirahim spun him around, reversing the position of their hands.
Backpedaling to match Ghirahim's smooth advance, Link's startled face swiveled between watching Ghirahim and his own two feet in a desperate attempt to avoid being trampled. Lack of practice in this secondary role made him even less sure of his steps than before, though Ghirahim managed to steer them without incident through the greater pattern of dancing couples, humming in amusement as Link fought with surprise against an unexpected dip backwards.
"Come now, Link, have I ever allowed you to wield me with so little poise?" he hissed, the tip of his tongue whipping out mockingly as he raised Link back up. "If you favor only my sword with your attempts at finesse, I will begin to be jealous of myself."
Face red now from more than mere exertion, Link opened his mouth as if to protest—and closed it again, his lips forming a thin line of determination. An abrupt change swept over him, as drastic as if a switch had been pressed, and his stance shifted along with his center of gravity. Back straight with just a hint of fluidity, eyes blazing with the same defiance that had caught Ghirahim’s interest from the very start, Link danced, the superior reflexes he showed in battle at last made manifest.
Ghirahim's own eyes glowed. So Link had finally remembered that he held a sword.
"You've been holding out on me," he whispered, uncertain if Link could hear him or not. Experimentally, he directed Link with a light hint of pressure through a gliding spin, and found him as responsive an opponent as ever. "I should punish you for that."
Except that Link had held out on the spirit maiden first, and only for Ghirahim revealed his true potential. There was a pattern to that, he decided, glancing once more at Zelda and relishing in her look of surprise. Her chosen hero could never have defeated Demise without trying himself again and again on Ghirahim's sword first, and he hoped at times that his necessity haunted her.
The music picked up in pace and volume, the steps coming quick and intense. Link said nothing—he never did in the midst of battle, as silent as stone and just as unyielding—but perspiration broke out in beads along his face, trailing down the edge of his jaw. His hair swept and stuck in strange patterns across his forehead, disheveled but not wholly unappealing. Link might still have lacked a certain flair to his movements, too direct and to the point for Ghirahim's taste… but style could be taught. Idly, Ghirahim considered other dances he might teach this man if he was amenable, of perhaps less wholesome origins—dances whose quick, subtle movements pushed the bounds of even his own abilities, requiring strength in muscles Link likely didn't know existed. What was a dance without challenge, after all… without something a little more physical?
For now they moved through this tamer dance of Hylia's people, both withdrawing and rejoining as the pattern of steps demanded. The outer world fell away as their attention narrowed in on small details—the clash of eyes and brush of skin—blue on black and flushed tan on cool, steely gray—
And the music ended in a moment of silence that rang out unexpectedly. Laughing chatter burst to life, as abrupt as it was unwelcome, and the spell between them broke. Panting, looking slightly dazed, Link gave Ghirahim a bow that he returned with almost his usual smoothness, convincing himself that he had not been nearly so affected.
"Satisfied?" he asked softly, with the hint of a smirk—and was taken aback by the positively sly look Link gave him in response.
“Well…”
Brushing his hands together and placing them on his hips, Link gave a show of looking around meaningfully, and only then did Ghirahim realize how the tenor of the voices surrounding them had changed. Those glances sent his way felt more curious now than wary, and the bubble of instinctive fear surrounding him had all but vanished—his presence made human in their eyes at last by his part in the harvest dance.
"It's a start," Link decided, wiping sweat from his brow and settling his pointed green hat at a jaunty angle on his head. "I’m done dancing for the night, but you keep going if you want. You looked like you were having fun.”
With a wink, he turned to leave, and Ghirahim couldn't help but admire his exit. Link really was as conniving as any demon he’d ever met at times, though to completely different ends.
A nervous cough caught his attention, and he glanced down to see Fledge looking up at him anxiously. From the flurry of motion around them, it was time to switch partners for the next dance.
“U-um,” he managed to squeak out. His face, torn between pale white and deep red, had settled on both in splotches. “Everyone else is, so do you… I mean, are we supposed t-to…?”
Ghirahim snapped, leaving Fledge gaping at vanishing diamonds, and as he left caught the edges of Link's laughter. Conniving indeed, he thought, though at least in that as in so much else they were equally matched.
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batarella · 3 years
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3 birds 1 stone - BLUE
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From a world once so cruel, that never seemed to have granted them the time enough to be together, it’d never built up into anything more perfect.
WORDS: 7785 WARNINGS: Sexual Content
MASTERLIST | 3 BIRDS 1 STONE MASTERLIST | RED | YELLOW
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Dick:
It was concerning how at the moment he stepped into the narrow elevator, he wasn’t the least bit surprised at the pile of animal shit at the corner. It wasn’t until the doors closed when he noticed it, or rather his nose did, and he had to clog his nostrils just so he doesn’t pass out on the floor.
“Gar!?” he yelled just as the doors opened. No one was there, save for Raven with a book sitting at the couch. She didn’t glance at him. “Gar, I swear if you took a shit in the elevato-“
“That wasn’t me!”
Gar’s voice came from the kitchen, panting and occupied with something unruly. Then he heard plates falling to the floor, breaking, then there was a whimper. Not one that came from a human.
“Then who was it!?”
His question was soon answered, when a dog, a brown-furred mutt, sprinted out into the living room with a strip of bacon lodged in its teeth. “Gar!”
“I told you!”
Gar came out of the kitchen with a leash that had been ripped. “It wasn’t me!”
“You brought a dog into the tower?!”
“It was hungry!”
The mutt had finished off the bacon and headed straight for Raven’s lap. She gave it a scratch under its ear.
“Not on the couch,” Dick said.
“But Dick-“
“You’re not allowed on the couch either,” he told Gar. The boy murmured something Dick couldn’t hear, and after a second, no longer was he a boy but a green parrot. It squealed against Dick’s ear before it flew to Raven’s book.
“Jesus-“ he rubbed his ear. “I’m not in the mood.”
“SQUAWK-,” the parrot said. “WHAT’S UP WITH YOU?”
Having some coherent answer to that would only cement it as some grueling reminder. Hell, even thinking about it hurts more than the coward’s way out of pretending the past year never even happened. But then again, here he was, back in the Titan’s Tower to escape from the love of his life he could never be with and force himself into this infernal damnation of having forever to get over her. Here. Thousands of miles away. Where he’d only have his thoughts to battle and nothing else.
But all he said was: “Nothing.”
Dick should have told her, at least. Given her that kind of closure instead of his current disappearing act without so much as a note or a text or even a notice memo at the manor’s announcement board, which Alfred insisted with there being eight kids around.
But being away will be good. For her. For him. The first step to moving on. And with that, cutting all ties. Make it hurt less for both of them.
Maybe not all ties. He’ll have to go back to Gotham soon enough. But at least he was trying something. Not like the past five, six, seven years. God, has it really been that long?
She was probably over at Tim’s office, or Jason’s apartment doing whatever. Thinking about it won't do him any good. Doesn’t mean he subconsciously won’t.
It was apparent, and out into full consciousness, when he pulled out his phone and saw her name in five missed calls, with voice messages she’s left behind. A whole lot of minutes of them, too, it seems. She’d called while he was on the plane.
He could listen to them. Hear her voice one last time. Let his mind trail away. God, he was pathetic.
Dick put it up to his ear, his other hand stuffed to his pockets as he went out to the tower’s highest balcony so at least the air wasn’t so stuffy and he wouldn’t choke so much.
He wasn’t even nervous when he heard her speak. “Hey, Dick.”
A plane. A helicopter. Some folks over at the apartment building nearby partying it out. At least he’d have something to look at. He was exhausted, too. It was eight am over at Gotham. Shouldn’t have taken the overnight flight.
“You weren’t at the manor. I tried calling there first. I wanted to see you. Call me when you get this?”
He might. After he listens to the four other messages she’d left behind.
“Hey. I know it’s only been an hour. But please call me.”
Another one.
“Dick, where are you? I hope you didn’t change your phone. or I’ll look stupid leaving all these messages behind, which I’m not about to stop doing. Call me. Please. No one knows where you are but no one’s panicking either. It’s worrying me.”
Next one. From another hour after. He’d been gone a little over ten hours since he left. If Bruce didn’t have a tracker on him, they’d have called the police by now. But he highly doubted Bruce would take the time to announce his little trip to the West Coast to everyone in the house.
“Dick, if this is you ignoring me, you’re doing a hell of a good job at it. Did I do something?”
He heard her huff over the phone. No one else seemed to be around her.
“Please, I just wanna talk. Call me.”
The last one. Sent just four hours ago, which meant she’d been awake at four in the morning.
And, on top of that, the last one was five whole minutes long.
A call to tell her she was dating Tim again? Explaining how there are no hard feelings? Catch a movie sometime? An ass of him to think she’d be that cruel, but he was jetlagged and exhausted and the smell of dog shit still hadn’t left, which could be explained because that mutt had made a home just a few feet away from where he stood.
Dick played the message despite all that. Even if she called to tell him she’s getting married. He’d answer it.
“Dick…”
He could hear the rain, sheets shuffling under her feet.
“I’m sorry…” she said. “I… I probably took too long… I guess, if you’re ignoring me, you still deserve to know. I hope you get this message. I’ll tell you now, I guess. So you won't have to respond if you don’t want to.”
Tears. He could hear her wipe them off her skin.
“I kept you waiting for… I wanna say months but it’s a lot longer than that. Years… God, and I didn’t even see it… I took too long trying to figure this all out for myself, and you just kept waiting for me. No one should be worth waiting for that long.”
He was laughing as if it were one of her god-awful jokes. Funnily enough, it was worth it. Even when it sent him nowhere in the end. All that waiting was worth it. Somehow.
“Which is why I don’t blame you. Because you shouldn’t have taken this long. I thought even if I took another few weeks before I’d have enough courage to finally ask you to be mine, you’d still be there waiting for me. Selfish as it is, but I guess that’s your fault, too. Spoiling me and whatnot. Now my expectations for men are out of hand. Sorry.”
She even fucking laughed all the while he could hear her biting back her sobs. If he were there, he’d hold her by the shoulders and squeeze the fucking sense back into her and tell her yes, I did wait for you, and I’d wait for you for a hundred more years if I had to but I know you love someone else and-
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
Backtrack.
What the hell did she just say!?
“I mean, I’m…” she continued, completely ignoring his panic. Was there a rewind on this thing??? “The past two days all I did was read your letter. Over and over again, trying to find something I could have missed. I memorized it by now. I’m a wreck. I’m sorry. I know it’s all so complicated, but I can't stop thinking that if the timing had just been good to us the past few years, all this would have been so different.”
Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT, is she actually saying she-
“I’m so sorry, Dick…” she sighed. “I kept you waiting. But even if… even if you’re not anymore, I already made up my mind. I’ll be here. It’s my turn to wait for you. As long as it takes. I love yo-“
Something hit the back of his knees.
Which, unfortunately, with him not in some defensive stance, caught him in a rather vulnerable position.
And with that, Dick tumbled off his feet, almost fell off the railing, and failed to catch his phone from slipping right off his hands.
“NO!”
“DOWN BOY-SQUAWK!” Gar the parrot cried and followed the obnoxiously unruly dog running around the terrace. “SORRY, DICK!”
The dog kept running around and almost crashed to his feet twice with it being too fast even for Gar's supposedly swift wings, and if he wasn’t so frozen and horrified, watching his phone descend from almost a hundred stories above ground, he would have grabbed that mutt by the neck.
“GAR, I SWEAR TO GOD-“
“I’m sorry!” He turned back into a human and caught the dog. “It was him!”
“My fucking phone just fell over the railing!”
“Want me to go get it-“
A car alarm. He could hear it even from above. Or Gar did. Because he went to look over and caught sight of his phone breaking a car’s windshield below. He scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry.”
“I have to…” Dick pulled on his scalp. “I have to go call her.”
“Call who?!”
“Give me your phone!”
“I don’t have a phone!”
“Give me Raven’s phone!”
“She talks to people with her mind,” Gar twirled his finger against his temple. “She doesn’t need a phone!”
“Just get- UGH!”
He stormed back into the building. “Where the hell is everyone else!?”
“They’re all out of town!”
“So it’s just you and Raven in here?! Without adult supervision!?”
“Why do you think we got a dog into the building?!”
Said dog stuck his tongue out at him like it was just so awfully adorable.
“Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok.” He can do this. He can calm down. “I have to go back. Or call her at least.”
“You’re going back to Gotham now?!”
She said she’ll wait. But to hell with keeping her waiting. “Yes. I do. I’m going back now. As soon as I can call her and tell her I’m on my way-“
“I wouldn’t do that.”
Raven didn’t even look up from her book, legs up on the couch as seemingly relaxed as if the whole wreck of a home they lived in wasn’t a mess at all.
“Next flight to Gotham’s in an hour.” She levitated an apple to her mouth and took a bite. “And the one after that’s in two days.”
“Two days!?”
“Airline shutdown. Some strike is happening,” she pointed at the TV playing the news. “I’d hurry if I were you.”
“God fucking dammit-“
“Good luck.” Raven took another bite.
Of course. Of course, this would fucking happen.
But, fuck, he didn’t know if he should just leap out the window to keep up now that everything he’s ever wished for had finally come to be. Because, to his own beliefs up in the clouds, he could probably fly with just the flap of his measly arms.
Y/N chose him.
He left for the elevator, just before Gar stopped him for leaving his wallet, then he was sprinting his way back to the airport.
.
You:
“I already made up my mind,” you said to your phone as if there were anyone else on the other line. As if he was there, listening to you. And that in a few seconds, he’d respond.
“I’ll be here. It’s my turn to wait for you. As long as it takes. I love you, Dick.”
Quite haunting how easy it was for those words to just roll off your lips, because as much as you thought all this to be so complicated and difficult, it was the easiest thing you’ve ever had to say.
At four am, alone in your studio with all your lights off and your sheets in an unkempt mess. You stuck your knees so close to your chest, trying to conceal at least some kind of warmth against you. But even with it so easy, it didn’t mean it wasn’t hurting.
“I can't,” you stuck your palm to your forehead. “I know things are so hard between us… and this past year is just…”
You breathed, longer than you’d hoped, just to get enough air into your lungs just so you wouldn’t collapse.
“God, I don’t even know what to tell you anymore. It all just… It feels like it’s too late. Everything went so wrong between us and I can't stop but think maybe it’s the world saying we’re just not meant to be,” you swallowed. “And the scary thing is… I don’t even care.”
The blue rose you painted, staring back at you once so bright, but as the passing days of you still wondering if were brave enough to do this at all, it had dried up and was now blank, patronizing even, that maybe it just wasn’t right, even when you wanted it to be.
“I don’t care if it’s so complicated, I want you…”
On the bed, just by your feet, you locked your eyes onto Dick’s beautiful handwriting, some that had been smudged with the sweat from your hands with the paper now crumpled up after all those months of reading and rereading.
You closed your eyes.
“You sent me an awfully painful, heart-breaking letter,” you said. “This is my awfully painful, heart-breaking reply.”
.
‘I usually just say all this in my head. That’s when I get poetic. Sometimes I write it down. Most of the time, I try to paint them. I think of galaxies and meadows and skies and flowers and all that, metaphors as they are, but I’ll say everything I’ve got. Right now. Because you deserve to know that all those years of you thinking nothing could ever go how you wanted, that it could end being just that.
.
Dick:
“Hey.”
Hands on the counter, the attendant looked startled at the least.
“I need a ticket for the next flight to Gotham.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” she said, after taking a while to look at Dick’s handsome yet frantically uneasy face. “You just missed it-“
“I know, I know, I missed the last one.” The one that left just five minutes ago because of fucking California traffic. “But I need to get on the next one. Please.”
“All flights from San Francisco after the next hour are canceled I’m afraid.”
“Any connecting flights? Anything that leaves before that?”
“Sir, I-” she stretched her fingers. “I’ll look for something.”
His fingers, tapping onto the counter until the tip of his nails started to hurt.
“The best option’s a connecting flight to Denver, then to New York.”
“New York!?”
“Then there’s the railway transits to Gotham. I can book you a ticket for that, too.”
From a seven-hour flight to a seventeen-hour trip with layovers and a crowded train.
But as soon as he heard best option he pulled out his wallet quicker than when they told him his rent was three months overdue and that if he weren’t to pay the doorman that very instant they’d evict him.
He rushed to the first plane, closed his eyes, and prayed she hadn’t said anything in her voice message too important for him to miss out on.
.
‘The universe, or whatever it is out there that has a say in all this, they didn’t make it easy for us at all. If they did, we would have met long before we went too far into this mess. We were friends, sure, and you have no idea how much I value our friendship.
But I guess not even that friendship’s strong enough for us to deny what’s really going on. And that’s why it’s all so hard. I can't even look at you without thinking about kissing you, or holding you, or touching you. I can't hold your hand without wanting to never pull away. I can't even be in the same room with you and not stare, even when you’re just reading a book or talking to someone else. You are… you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and you’re just as beautiful within, which is why it was so easy to love you, and so hard to keep it in.’
.
You:
Morning. Eleven am at that. You slept before the sun was up, at least. But you were up all night.
Nothing. Not a call, not even a text from him.
Everything shattered, and you were still half asleep. The next thing you did, and the next thing to do, was wrap yourself up with the thickest layer of your blanket and hide in the dark, even with it such a lovely day.
Another message wouldn’t be such a good idea if he still hadn’t opened the last five, which seemed highly unlikely with him gone for almost a day now.
A day. It had been a day.
But nothing on GCPD’s notices reported a missing person’s file of an utterly gorgeous, half-Romani hunk of a man in any of their websites. You called the manor, again. Still, there was nothing.
Twelve at noon. All you had for lunch was a bagel from three nights ago. It stuffed you, at least.
You sat at your dining table and stared at your phone.
If there was a moment for so much love to come crashing at once, it would all have been too great for that to be possible.
But the moment you realized it was there at all,
A few weeks ago. Steph’s birthday.
A party at the manor. It wasn’t much. Just a little get together with everyone at the parlor.
Everyone was talking, laughing, and frankly you wished you’d joined them. It looked like fun.
But instead, you were looking out the window, at the gardens white with melted snow and winds strong enough to knock the leaves out the branches. But you couldn’t hear any of that, which made it peaceful. It was the trees that danced, birds instead of planes that hovered over the sky, not a star above but perhaps it was because it was so full of clouds. It looked cold. Cold always looked so beautiful when you were looking out from the warmth of the inside.
Dick walked up to your side, just a reasonable distance away so he wouldn’t touch your shoulder, but close enough that you’d smell the jasmine from his neck.
“You’re just gonna stand out here and watch the glass fog up?”
You remembered laughing, probably at something else he’d said after that.
“It’s pretty when you look hard enough.”
And all the while, he didn’t pull your arm and drag you over at the crowd. He didn’t tell you to join them, to loosen up and have fun or have a drink or in any way stop you from what you were doing.
He just stood there and joined you, instead. Ditched his family. Didn’t even speak much.
He stood there because he wanted to. Because you staring out the window was more interesting to him than a whole crowd of kids doing whatever.
When he balled up his fist, covered it with his sleeve, and wiped the window right in front of you to rid it from the fog so you could see the gardens clearer, you knew you loved him.
Such a small act that was, but it was the finality of everything else that built up to that moment.
Then, you remembered what you told him last night, in a voice message that lasted way too long and sounded far too painful.
.
‘I don’t regret what I had with Tim… but I do regret not saying anything the past four years when I had the chance. You were there. You were there and I could never have had it any other way. When we’re not trying so hard for everything to be alright, everything’s at its best. I’m not even your girlfriend, and already I think about every minute I spend with you and laugh before I’m off to bed. I think about your jokes way too long than they should ever last. And your smile, god your smile, saying that that it’s all I could ever think about wouldn’t do it any justice. You have drawn out the ugliest laugh out of me that never should have come out of any human in existence. And frankly, I’m glad you do. Because just when I thought I could never smile again, you made me the happiest I could ever be.’
.
Dick:
Of all days. Of all times.
His survival rate at that point, rushing through Denver Airport with just a fifteen-minute layover period, with his shoelaces undone, probably wasn’t one he should have relied on. He was starving, but he had the appetite of a mammal in hibernation with the horrible airplane food costing a hundred dollars and everything else taking too long to prepare.
With just thirty seconds to spare, he fell to his too-narrow coach seat, shuffled along so his large ass-damn this cursed asset-would fit through the aisle and breathed just as the air hissed into the cabin after they closed the service door.
Head against the back of the seat, eyes up the ceiling, at the smoke that blew in through that gap outside the overhead locker, he ignored his dried skin, his dry mouth, his feet that were close to standing on a thousand knife tips, his eyes so close to just shutting out, his wallet painfully thin with this whole trip costing the equivalent of a round trip to Shanghai, and his whole body about to collapse. He hasn’t slept in twenty-four hours. It didn’t look like he was ever going to sleep at all.
And he hasn’t even called. God, what was she doing at home? Is she okay? Is she eating okay? Is she worried about him, staring at her phone wondering what she did wrong when she was nothing less of a perfect creation of all the gods that existed, an angel the earth didn’t deserve?
He really, really had to call.
Someone just sat next to him. A child. And next to him was his mother, who just put down her phone from a call.
“Excuse me.” Dick put on his award-winning smile, pretended he wasn’t sweating his balls off or that he was in any way close to psychological death, and hoped he looked the part as well.
“Yes?”
“Is it okay if I, uh, borrow your phone? I have to make a call. It’s sort of an emergency.”
“The plane’s about to take off.”
“It won't take long. I promise.”
He probably didn’t look as charming as he’d hoped. His hair was a mess not even a bird would settle into. The woman looked at him quizzically, up and down, and shrugged. Like it was handed to him on a silver plater, she gave him her phone.
The aircraft was about to take off. He only had so long.
He called Y/N’s number that he didn’t even know he memorized and settled back. It started ringing.
“MOM!”
The kid beside him. He was tugging on his mother’s shirt.
“MOM, I’M BORED.”
“We’re in a plane,-“
“I’M BORED. I WANNA PLAY ROBLOX-“
“Not now, we’re in a plane. Sit down.”
“GIVE ME YOUR PHONE-“
“That man has my phone.”
Fuck.
Y/N, fucking pick up.
“HEY, GIVE ME MY MOM’S PHONE BACK-“
“Kid, I hear ya. But you have to give me this one-“
“GIVE ME THE PHONE-“
That kid, a chubby one not older than six, stood up from his chair and was wild enough to grab Dick’s hand away from holding the phone up his ear. If he weren’t so desperate, he would have let him have it.
But god almighty, he’s never been as desperate as a starving man in a desert.
“Kid. Just one minute.”
“NO, GIVE ME!”
The mother put on a sleeping mask and faced the other way.
“KID-“
“GIVE ME MY PHONE-“
Back and forth, both grabbing onto the phone and the kid having the strength he did not at all expect, they ended up wrestling it out in the cramped-up economy seats until the kid was screaming out his ears.
He’s never looked so ridiculous but jokes on everyone else if they thought he could care less.
“Excuse me.”
An attendant, bags under her eyes and giving both of them, not just the kid, a dirty look.
“I’m sorry, sir, but the other passengers have complained about the noise. I’m gonna have to ask you to take your seat.”
“NO!” the kid screamed.
“DID YOU JUST BITE ME!?” Dick cried out.
“GIVE ME THE PHONE!”
“I NEED TO CALL SOMEONE!”
Dick grabbed the phone off his hands, palm to the kid’s face to stop him from reaching out to his outstretched arm. “Don’t you have some kind of coloring book you can give him?”
The attendant smiled, albeit forcefully, and walked back over to the back of the cabin. The kid did not stop trying to grab it off Dick’s arm.
She gave the kid a bag that probably had books and crayons and whatever stuffed inside. It looked so old. It had to have been in storage for the past ten years.
But as if some miracle heard him, the kid shut up, took the bag, and settled on his seat. Then he was as quiet as a mouse.
Fucking finally.
He held the phone up his ear and closed his eyes, fingers easing the tension on the nerve on his forehead.
“And sir?”
The attendant smiled at him. It didn’t look so much of a smile as it was a death threat.
“I’m gonna have to ask you to turn off your mobile device.”
To say he wanted to squeeze the life out of everyone in the whole aircraft, including himself, wouldn’t cut it.
And he didn’t even have it in him to protest.
“Hello?”
Her voice. At the other end of the line. That word was all there is to it, the only thing he heard.
Dick sighed, closed his eyes, counted to three, then ended the call after just two seconds.
The next thing he heard, for the next three hours, would be the screams of the child at his side, kicking on his seat like a fucking soccer ball.
.
‘That call from a year ago. The one about Kori. Fuck, I don’t even know where to begin. I overreacted. By a mile. Did some stupid shit to make up for that guilt and masked it over as another heartbreak when really, it was me refusing to have to go through all that again. I had to see you with that woman when I was in love with you for three years. Of course, it hurt. But I shouldn’t have an excuse. It was so stupid. Just thinking about it makes me want to break. I’m so sorry about that, Dick. I know we’ve already been over that months ago, but I just want to clear everything while I still can. God, I don’t even know if you’d listen to all this. I’m rambling. I’m sorry. I put all the blame on you when I had my share of mistakes. A whole lot of them. I’m sorry. I love you. And I’m sorry.’
.
You:
Hung up after two seconds. All you heard on the other end of the line was breathing and huffing, and nothing else. Whoever it was, they’ve been calling the past two minutes, just as you stepped out of the shower. And you almost cracked a rib flying from your bathroom to your kitchen table with just a towel around you, hoping to see his name on the screen. But alas, your luck just wasn’t at its peak.
You put your phone down, still with nothing to do, nothing else you could think of doing, than to just wait on that seat, stare at your phone, and hope Dick hadn’t hurt himself going after some goon alone the night before. Still no missing persons report. Nothing from the rest of the team, either.
Maybe just once more. You could call him. It wouldn’t annoy him too much. It had been hours since the last one.
You called, put the phone up your ear.
No ringing. It went straight to voice mail.
You opened your mouth, thinking you had something to say.
But you didn’t have anything to say. Not anymore. Not after you poured your whole heart out on the last one and now your throat was as dry as your palms were sweating.
You put your phone down, facing away from you, then you sank to your arms, burying your crumbling face away even with no one to see you.
.
‘That’s why I hate myself for not caring if this was difficult. Because I know, somehow, that’s it’s all still gonna be worth it. With you. Just thinking about the things we’d do, you’ve been the light of my life, the one person I look for not just because I need it, but because being with you makes so much of my day, every day that I see you. I look for you in crowds. I turn to your face when I want to look at something pleasant. I stare at doors, constantly hoping you’d be the one to walk in. I seek out for your voice, call you even when I know it’s a bother, find the most ridiculous excuses and the most stupid questions just so I’d have a reason to stand close to you, to have you talking to me, wanting all that everyday. I’ve never met anyone like you, Dick. I’ll never get used to you, and there’s no way in hell that I’d ever get tired of you. And maybe that’s the price to pay with all this being so hard. As complicated as it is, the troubles aren’t half the worth of the happiness it comes with.’
.
Two flights, three within the past thirty hours, jet-lagged far beyond a night’s repair, and his stomach in so many knots that even the bag of peanuts from the plane was too much to digest. And it wasn’t from poisoning or hunger or whatever it was. Everything in a whirlwind, one he can't even track.
He got to New York before it was dark, and he wanted to kiss the floor.
But he wasn’t at Gotham yet. This trip wasn’t over.
And if it weren’t for the half a million people crowded over at the airport, he would have been in Gotham right at that second.
Past the crowd, fumbling and running for whatever life he had left that wasn’t a spirit descended into something infinitely better than this, he made it over to the other side of the terminal, with his pits sweating his shirt off and his legs made of cooked chicken drumsticks and dough.
He got to the railway station, over at the attendant behind the counter.
“Excuse me,” he panted, and just like the one at the San Francisco airport, it startled her. Except now, there was no using his charm or his looks when he looked like he crawled out of a swamp.
“To Gotham,” he said.
“Ticket?”
He reached for his wallet, hands shaking so horribly it was worrying if he hadn’t known it came with his mind being as much of a mess as a wrecked ship from the 1800s.
And all the more did they tremble, down to his sorry knees, when he opened every flap there was on his wallet to find every pocket empty.
No.
No. no. no. no. no.
He searched his pockets. His jacket. His pants. His fucking shoes. If he had a hat he’d probably look into that too.
Nothing. Not a stub. A tiny stub that would have easily been blown by so much as a gust from a fan, let alone running a marathon in three airports in a single day.
“I,” he swallowed. “I seemed to have lost my ticket.”
Yeah. He wasn’t getting out of this one. The attendant looked at him and snarled like the annoyance he was.
“All the trains are sold out. And I’m afraid you can't board the train without a ticket.”
“Ma’am, I really, really, have to get to Gotham-“
“I’m afraid you’re gonna have to step out of the line.”
Like every force in the universe was out to get him.
“Do you have a phone? A payphone at least? I really need to call someone-“
“Sir, please step out of the line.”
“Please, ma’am, there has to be some way you can squeeze me into one of those trains-“
The attendant waved at someone behind him.
Two security guards were at his side before he could even turn around.
“Alright, alright, I’m leaving,” he huffed. “You guys don’t happen to have a phone I could use?”
Both guards ignored him, set him aside against a pillar.
And, with the excruciating exhaustion finally crashing into this one blow to the face, he stuck his back against the column, head up to the ceiling, then fell on his ass.
God, what does he even say to her after this?
If he actually gets to talk to her, that is.
“Final call for boarding!”
That light. One, single light. Or two, if he focused his eyes. The headlights from outside the revolving doors, from a bus that just opened its doors. It was a light, because it had GOTHAM in bold letters pasted onto its windshield.
And a line of people stepping inside. Kids and adults, old people alike.
He sat up from the floor, hungry, tired, and in pain.
But this was all going to be worth it. Every minute of this.
He just knew, that one last push, after this tormenting, inferno of a day, would all come to an end he’d dreamed about since he first laid eyes on her that day at the Wayne Manor’s library.
Dick got in line outside the bus, told the conductor he’d pay when they get inside. And after he did, he had just a quarter in his wallet to spare. No one sat beside him. The others were at the back. The one across was fast asleep. He couldn’t call her.
He’ll just have to hope, that whatever worries she had waiting for him to come up, that she’d forgive him enough for all this to end the way he hoped it would.
Three hours on a bus.
Didn’t even sound like it was remotely a long time.
The moment he took his seat, the bus doors hissed closed, and the air so silent, so did everything else calm.
He’s waited so long.
But he just had to wait for another three hours. In a bus. Then he’ll see her.
He closed his eyes.
.
‘I don’t even know why I rambled so much about all this being so complicated.
Because even if I had to walk up to the sky, I know there’s a galaxy waiting for me at the end. You are worth it. You are worth everything. I’ve never been so obsessed with anyone my whole life. You are, with my whole heart, my greatest love. And you are so beautiful that I never want to look at anything else ever again. And I never thought I’d get know beauty the way I do when I talk to you. You are everything I could ever want. And so much more.
And that pain, that hurt we both had to go through after all those years. That pining and waiting, and the heartbreak just because I was too stupid to understand that it didn’t have to be so hard after all, it doesn’t even matter, when at the end, I get to be with you.
I’d go through all that again if it means I can be with you.
You are the man I’ve dreamt about since I could first dream, and I’m lucky enough to have you in my reality. It’s you I want, Dick.
So I’ll wait for you. As long as I have to.
I love you so much.
Please, for the love of God, call me.’
.
You:
That message.
The longer you stared at your phone, the more you wondered if it was the right thing to do at all.
It was four am. You were tired. And worried.
And it was four am now, a whole day after.
Not a single call.
You’ve done it this time. You tripped at the finish line.
You were selfish enough to keep that man waiting for so long hoping he’d keep going, just as he had been for years.
And now, this is what you get.
You have yourself alone, in your apartment, one you haven’t cleaned in a week, and your heart in the same shatters as it often had been.
Your phone rang. You weren’t so excited to pick it up. Rightfully so when you saw it was just Bruce.
“Hello?” you said, your weight against the table’s surface, also surprised that it hadn’t broken.
“Y/N,” Bruce said. “I heard you were looking for Dick.”
“Mhm?”
“Sorry I haven’t called. Anyways, the last location I can point him to was at the Titans Tower in San Francisco.”
Okay.
You’ve had your heart broken before.
But it wasn’t just that that had broken right then.
Everything else, every bone, every bit of flesh there was, it was this numbing buzz you couldn’t even fight.
“What?”
Just then, someone knocked on your door.
And it wasn’t just a knock. They were pounding against the wood.
The ringing in your ears hadn’t even subsided, and you were breathless, muscles stiff. You just let the pounding go on until you heard Bruce hang up on the other line.
Life didn’t even give you so much as a second to process all that, of what he could be doing there, who he was with.
Your walked to the door, and without looking into the eyehole, you unlatched the lock and opened it.
Some glitch there was if all this were nothing but a simulation.
But it was as if the last five minutes-no-the last two days hadn’t happened at all.
Dick never looked like such a mess.
But, nonetheless, the way you stared at him was as if he was as beautiful as he ever was.
Everything that had broken, the moment you looked into his eyes, had fallen right back into place, into an entity far stronger than any quake could knock it out of.
Dick shut the door behind him.
He grabbed your face.
Then he kissed you. Without words. Without letting so much as a speck of time, however it worked now that it’d stopped, pass and waste away.
.
Dick:
Whatever she told him in that message he never got to hear, everything she ever had to say, the instant he felt her kiss him back, it was like every word flew out of her lips. How she wanted him. How she chose him. How in love she was with the mess of a human being he could be. How all the trials they’d been forced to go through, all the misunderstandings and the fights and the long months of this troubling, awkward place they wanted nothing more than to climb out of. He got all that with the way her lips molded so wanting and harsh, pressed so hard against his dried, chapped pair that have never witnessed anything more beautiful and so awfully perfect.
No more time to be wasted.
Not another second.
He had her. He finally had her.
He got the girl.
Not a chance that he wasted so much as another second.
He pushed her against the wall and the gasp that came out of her wasn’t at all out of pain, but at the sheer desire that had sparked at such impact that only knocked her into the same place he’d long settled in. And he could just feel, how much she wanted so badly to speak, to tell him what was raging in her head that was as much of a mess as his. But they’ll talk. Eventually. After.
All he wanted, right then, was to have her. Love her. Love her. To send her off to some paradise that long surpassed oceans and mirages and heavens that stood on clouds, to culminate that seemingly endless torture into a reward so great, that to say it would have been worth it would be so much an understatement. To play every instrument there was and let the song resonate into her body, and make it last for the rest of his life for so long as he could touch her. All that, he was going to give her tonight. Tonight. Right then and there.
Grabbing her legs up to his hips, her hands pinned to the wall above her head, it was too much of a flash for him to rush into this beautiful thing that shouldn’t be rushed at all. But he couldn’t slow down if it meant that he lives. Even if he died right after, he just couldn’t hold back.
He was pushing himself into her and the sounds that he earned out his lips were more than any songbird could cry out. After just having her against that wall, he finally got the sense to take it to the bed. It was dark. Not a light was on. And it was raining outside the one window she had near the bed and just the streetlight outside was enough to make him see her face. Dick placed her on top of his lap, on which she enjoyed herself to her own pace. Her hips were like waves, the ocean that rocked about, and the stain on his pants that she’d left behind was just as wet as so.
At that moment even she didn’t want to wait and talk any longer.
He took off her clothes, lied back.
Then he hoisted her up so the sweetest part of her body was just hovering over his mouth, her strong, beautiful legs, one of skin and the other of metal, on either sides of his head.
.
You:
You were made of gemstones. You were shimmering.
Of diamonds and rubies and emeralds, of the most precious rocks that could be found on every soil on earth.
Everything. That pain. That darkness. All the troubles and hardships, the disputes and every tear you’ve ever had to shed. Gone. Gone when he drew out this wonderful melody of sensations from his sweet, sweet tongue quivering you to every core. You were rocking, shaking, trembling, barely keeping yourself up. Not long after you screamed, and like the skies heard you it screamed back with a thunderous roar.
Then Dick shed his own clothes and moved inside you, rolling your hips with your two bodies now this one, beautiful entity, like you were holding his hand, just as you did right then, as you both ran through the darkness of a cave that has long haunted you, with creatures and bats and ghosts flying about, just to reach the end that was a light so close and so bright, you chased yourselves, chased that very light.
And once you reached it, that blinding, flashing white light that shone with this painful, glorious sting to every bit of your flesh, to say you found that end would be wrong. It wasn’t an end. It was this continuous, tantalizing aroma that would last a lifetime. It was beauty. You felt beauty. And it was in ripples you couldn’t see. A blur you couldn’t comprehend.
You had so much to tell him and ask him about.
But just as that wonderful night showed you, you had the rest of your life to do just that.
.
Epilogue
Dick:
Life could only ever be so cruel.
But life gives its niceties. Sometimes, to the people so used to it that they take it for granted.
But it’s even more so of a nicety when it’s the people who’ve long deserved it.
Not to say he deserved the world, but it was just that he’d gotten. From a world once so cruel, that never seemed to have granted them the time enough to be together, it’d never built up into anything more perfect.
Watching her from his car’s driver seat, from where he had a perfect view of her looking at the wondrous scenes flash by outside the window. It was even more beautiful, more than ever before, now that he could take just a second off his time from the steering wheel just to kiss her.
Just a little over six months together. Never has there been anything so rewarding in his life. A rainbow, ten of them at least, that filled what was once this depressingly grey sky. He always knew it’d be worth the world. But even he surprised himself.
When they parked the car, got out into this wide, orange field, a farmland just outside of Jersey with a valley at the farthest end, the only thing that battled the brightness of her smile was the sun itself.
“It’s beautiful, Dick.”
Her voice, even more so.
He set up her canvas, all her paint, and her brushes. They found a spot on the grass that was clean enough for them both to sit on. She didn’t use her easel. Instead, they both laid on this plaid red and white sheet over the grassy soil, her using her own knees to hold it up. And Dick sat beside her, watching her as the hours ticked. Without looking away, no longer ashamed when she’d catch him.
Just before the last of the sun had set, he pulled out from his pocket a ring, one with a diamond a shape of a white rose on top.
He got it a week after they got together.
Her face, her lips wide open as she realized what came in front of her, then he asked her to be his. Forever.
She said yes, just as the sun fell.
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MASTERLIST | 3 BIRDS 1 STONE MASTERLIST | RED | YELLOW
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caker-baker · 3 years
Note
I love your super speed vs. telepathy snippets so much! Well, actually, I love all of your writing but I was really hoping you might continue it please? I would be very grateful!
The faces of the hero’s friends, cohorts, whatever one should call them, were clear in the villain’s mind, the hero had each memorized quite well.
They once again pulled at the mental track, letting go once they knew their hero was far away from whatever this place was.
Heroes didn’t always get the luxury of nicer headquarters, the villain had to admit that. If they couldn’t steal money, they must get it from their day jobs, or wherever they disappeared to when they weren’t fighting.
The clearly used pin pad showed wear on the numbers the hero had in their head, the passcode could’ve been figured out even if the villain didn’t go through their mind.
8, 5, 18, 15, 5, 19.
It corresponded with the alphabet, spelling ‘heroes’. A stupid name, a stupid passcode, even the hero thought that.
No matter.
The villain was able to walk right in, hands shoved in pockets, a grin on their face.
It was quiet in the talking sense, not extraordinary by any means. Four people in total lounged about.
Only one hero took immediate note at first. If the hero’s, now the villain’s memory served, this hero had no particular powers, but she was a skilled fighter.
And loud.
It’s the crazy villain. The others haven’t noticed. Where are their weak points? Attack first or wait?
So unorganized, this hero’s thoughts.
“Personally,” the villain began, slowly taking their hands out of their pockets. “I would attack first. It makes it easier on me.”
“Guys.” The unorganized hero said, voice stern. Her words were of no use, though, as the three others had already stood.
A thousand thoughts hit at once.
That’s not Hero.
Why hasn’t Hero come back yet?
They knew the passcode.
What did they do to Hero?
It didn’t work.
Did Hero betray us, or did Villain use them?
Not this one. Anyone but this one.
Its three against one this time.
The villain winced slightly, while the heroes had taken their fighting stances.
“Is it too many at once, Villain?” One of them taunted. Their words were brave, albeit foolish, yet their mind betrayed them.
“No point in putting on a brave face.” The villain said. “Not when I know how you really feel.”
The first attack came directly from the villain’s front - the fighter.
They knew they weren’t as good as her in physical fighting, but her strategizing skills needed polishing, especially considering the villain could hear where she planned to attack.
What was meant to be a surely vicious punch to the jaw ended up as an arm twisted behind her back.
The villain heard the next move before this fighting hero did.
Even if she didn’t realize it, she was thinking about how to get out of this on a subconscious level, her body just recognized it before her mind.
With no remorse, the villain pulled her closer, fingers on her temple, vaguely wondering why they hadn’t used this trick more often.
“Sleep.” They commanded, watching her fall to the ground.
Three other heroes had stood in silence. According to their thoughts, what she just did was incredibly reckless, incredibly unplanned. The same question did find its way to all of their minds - Will she ever wake up?
“She will.” The villain answered the unspoken worry. “Just in time to see your ruin.”
Two of the others seemed much more cautious, brute strength and the force of wind is what they had to work with. The third lingered back, not the fighting type, it seemed. They looked to be the whitecoat the villain had seen, strangely unfamiliar in an unprofessional setting.
“Where’s Hero?” The wind hero asked, slowly circling the villain along with the strong one.
“Ah, here and there. I don’t presume to know their whereabouts.” Well...
“What did you do to them?” The strong one demanded, much more hotheaded than their counterparts.
“My, oh my.” There was a strange look on the villain’s face, one the heroes didn’t care for. “I’m not using them for any ‘sick experiments’, as you are thinking, it’s not quite my style. You, however-”
An arm was wrapped around the villain’s neck, who took the opportunity to elbow the strong one in the gut. It didn’t really work, it wasn’t really meant to work, the villain just needed some sort of physical contact they initiated.
“Sleep.” The commanded, and though this one’s grip faltered they didn’t entirely let go of the villain.
Fine enough.
The wind one rushed forward, the strong arm still holding the villain, who used the anchor behind them to kick the oncoming hero.
“Sleep.” The villain commanded more harshly, feeling the grip around them weaken and fall.
At this point, the villain had to remind themselves of their strengths, the effort it took for the strong arm nearly draining them.
Still, there was only the wind one left before they could get to the whitecoat.
“You’ve seen what I can do.” The villain said, eyeing the hero who was doubled over from their kick.
“But you haven’t seen me.”
The silence of a building turned into the whistling of the winds, gusts of air flowing about in harsh and rapid movements.
“I wonder,” the villain spoke over the roaring. “if the others know of the little sordid affair you and the strong arm are having, how far you would fall from the fighter’s good graces.”
The winds died suddenly.
“You’re lying.” An aghast hero muttered, their confidence waning . “We aren’t..I wouldn’t-”
“Ah, lying to a telepath,” the villain chuckled, slowly closing the distance between them. “You know, Hero tried the same thing. Remind me where they are again?”
The wind hero staggered slightly, but was caught by a cold hand clutching the back of their neck.
“It’s much easier to do this when one is mentally beaten down.” The villain grinned. “Sleep.”
Onto the ground they went.
“Then there was one.” The villain said ominously.
The building now seemed to lack a whitecoat the villain was keen on finding, although that wasn’t really the case. The case was a scared tag along ‘hero’ used for medical expertise was hiding somewhere.
“I can hear your thoughts. Please don’t concern yourself with such fears, I just want to talk.”
The villain thought they would be kind, and wait for the whitecoat to reveal themselves before dragging them out by the collar.
It didn’t happen.
Without making a sound, the villain made their way to a small door, one meant to hold who knows what, but also one being used to hide in.
“Boo.” The villain said, opening the door.
While the whitecoat shrieked, the villain tutted.
“I told you.” They said, taking hold of a trembling collar. “I just wanted to talk.”
The second the whitecoat was heaved upward, they tried to make a dash for it, only for something hard to hit them, mentally.
“You are much easier to keep still.” The villain admitted. “You, like everyone else, are noisy. There’s more of you to take hold of. Every room I walk into is filled with people thinking bigger than life. It’s exhausting, it’s rude.”
“I-” they stammered, frozen limbs incapable of shaking. “I-I’m sorry. Is there-is there some-something I can do for you?”
The villain cocked their head. “Everyone seems to be afraid of me. There is only one who managed to keep calm throughout their fear.” They looked the whitecoat up and down once, unsatisfied with whatever they saw.
“You are smart.” The villain commented.
“Tha-thank you.”
“But so easily you yield to the voices of those heroes.” The disdain in the villain’s voice would have made the whitecoat flinch, if not for their being kept in place.
“Do you know what they felt?” The villain continued, fixing a glare on their target. “I know. I was in the hero’s head, and all they wanted was peace. Peace you denied them. It was well enough of you to send them to me, they would have died otherwise.”
“The-” the whitecoat made to defend themselves. “There was-wasn’t a ch-choice.”
“Oh, spare me your ramblings.” The villain scoffed. “No choice, it’s your job, the hero was fine with it, every pathetic excuse on your tongue is useless. Tell me, would you prefer I put you to sleep before the place blows?”
“P-pl-please, no.”
“You would rather stay in place?” The villain smiled. “How brave.”
“Villain?”
Damn, they hadn’t been paying attention to the mental track.
“Hero.” The villain greeted, not turning around to face them.
“This is why you wanted me away for a while.” The hero muttered, pieces of evidence coming together. “It would give you time to do...”
The villain still hadn’t turned to face them, but could hear the hero’s thoughts while investigating their sleeping teammates. Mainly, they were relieved none of them were dead.
Yet.
“H-hero.” The whitecoat managed to bite out.
With a withering glare from the villain, the whitecoat shut their mouth again.
“You have me in an awkward position, pet. Didn’t you promise to stay away?”
“I forgot a status report, they needed to know I was alive.”
“This one knows.” The villain said, turning their head slightly. “You should go now, pet.”
“I think I should stay.”
“I enjoy being on amicable terms with you. For the sake of staying so, I suggest you leave.” As an afterthought, the villain added, “Please.”
The whitecoat’s cogs were turning rapidly, the villain knew so, the villain hated it.
“I suggest you quell those thoughts, and quickly.” The villain snarled.
“Why are you doing this?” The hero asked, taking a slow step toward, eyes flicking between the whitecoat and the villain’s back.
“I wouldn’t try it, pet.”
“I’m not.”
“That’s a lie.”
The hero took a sharp breath. “Ok. Ok. We’re at a standstill-”
“Your speed, my mind, evenly matched throughout the passage of time. Either that, or you get lucky.” The villain sighed. “How frustrating it is.”
“So what if we just leave each other alone?”
The villain turned, quick and sharp.
“You are serious?” The villain squinted. “You are serious.” Their laugh was a horrible noise, short, taunting. “No, pet. I never fully planned on letting you be.”
“That’s fine.” It was only kind of a lie. “Just leave the rest of them alone.”
A sort of glee shone on the villain’s face. “But now they know me. I can’t quite let them live.”
The hero was slightly desperate at this point.
“Once you told me I was the only one who knew of your telepathy, it was because you took away everyone else’s memories. Do that now.” The hero’s beg was silent, the thought only meant for their head, but the villain still heard it.
The villain’s original plan was derailed, but this one was just as sweet. “Therein lies yet another problem, pet. They know you, and you know me. After each encounter, you’ll go running back to them.”
“I won’t. I won’t tell.”
“Liar.” The villain whispered, smiling.
“Then take me from their memories, too.”
There it was.
“Hero!” The whitecoat protested, their voice turning firm. “Hero, no.”
“You,” the villain rounded on them. “Stay quiet.” They turned back to the hero. “You’re sure that’s what you want?”
With pursed lips, the hero answered. “I have a feeling there wasn’t much of a choice to begin with.”
“Very well.”
The whitecoat felt the invisible hold on them release, but that freedom didn’t last long. The villain was on them, and with a single word, their consciousness faded.
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iamdunn · 3 years
Text
Miraculous Flash Forward Part 15: Twinning 
A Miraculous Fan-Fic
Written By 
AJ Dunn
Adrien shook the door knob to his bedroom. It was late and he was tired from the day’s activities. Kung Fu lessons, two which the girls were now a part of, plus tutoring them. It had been a long day and he wasn’t in the mood for this, again.
“Plagg.” with no answer. “Plagg, open this door will yeah, I swear I will go buy you some Camembert even if I have to fly to Paris tomorrow to get it.” Still no response.
“What’s wrong?” Marinette yawned out her bedroom door. Adrien shook the door knob again with a scowl. “Again?” She sighed. “No wonder Plagg decided to spend the night in the box.” 
“Great, it’s one thing they locked me out last time, now they are teaming up with the Kwami’s.” Adrien sighed and turned for the stairs.
“Wait, what are you doing?” Marinette called, “It’s too late at night to get a key here.” She stepped back into her room holding her hand out to him. His heart skipped a beat at the invitation but hesitated. It was so exhausting and the couch wasn’t as inviting as her bed. He could hear giggling coming from their room as he stepped into Marinette’s room and closed the door behind him. It’s not the first time they had shared a bed, it was however the first time in her bed. Which somehow made it more alluring. 
“Do you think this was their scheme all along?” He asked as he pulled the blankets over them. “Do teenage girls actually do stuff like this?” He couldn’t see very well in the dark of the room but as the moon cast it’s glow over her face he could see how red it was. 
“You have no idea.” She giggled. 
“Oh, so did you pull pranks on your parents too.” He asked filled with curiosity despite his weariness. 
“Not… my parents but someone else… and it wasn’t like…” She began to stammer as she had as a teenager.
“What did you do?” he asked. “Other than sneak into the pool to see me in my speedo.” She buried her face in her pillow. He pulled her onto him as he rolled to his back. She covered her face with her hands as she sat up on his waist. 
“There’s a lot of things.” she said. “Like the letter I was supposed to give you instead of the prescription. The various random run-ins around town during your photo shoot…” He laughed.
“I take it they weren’t by chance.” He pulled her hands away from her face, holding them to his chest. “You really had it that bad for me?” she nodded still flushed red. “You didn’t help the girls with this scheme, did you?”
“NO.” she said, more flushed than before. 
“Because if you wanted me to sleep with you all you had to do was say something.’ He pulled her face down to his as he pressed his lips to hers. His heart raced inside his chest as her hands slid from his chest to his hair. Her kiss was more passionate and hungry than it had been before. He rolled her over until he was on top of her. He trailed his kisses to her cheek then to her neck. She squealed quietly as his lips parted gently biting her neck before he sucked on it gently. Her legs tightened around his waist as he let up and rolled off of her. She was frozen in that position until he rolled her on her side back facing him and pulled her closer to him.
“Think about that the next time you want to scheme about getting me into bed with you,” he teased.
“I didn’t…” she whimpered but didn’t argue anymore. 
The girls were sitting on the stairs whispering to themselves when Adrien left Marinette’s bedroom. He crossed his arms as he gave them a ‘seriously?’ expression. They laughed at him. His face softened as he smiled at them then gave them a thumbs up before going into the bathroom. 
“Keep laughing like that and you’ll wake Marinette then she’ll make you try on more outfits.” He said as he closed the door. The girls followed him downstairs.
“What are you going to do with the rings?” Stasia asked. 
“Well that’s up to Marinette.” Adrien said as he scooped pancakes and eggs onto their plates. They were seated around the table in the dining room next to the kitchen. 
“But she’s not even a Graham De Vanily.” Anna complained. 
“Not yet.” Adrien looked up at them. “And Technically neither are you.” 
“Well, I mean, now we are right?” Stasia spoke up. 
“Only because I changed my name and the paperwork isn’t finished yet, Gabriel has to sign over his rights first.” Adrien scowled at the thought, wondering if his father would actually sign them over. He saw their faces go south. He could feel the tension in their air between them. He didn’t know the same father they did, they had described him as loving and caring he had adored them, but ignored him. 
“Smells good.” Marinette said coming into the dining room. The sun shone brightly through the wall length windows. The patio outside of the dining room held many flower planters and several lounge chairs. Marinette and the girls would spend hours enjoying themselves reading books and just hanging out there. It was the only window not covered with the electric blinds, also the only place the Kwami’s didn’t go unless they were hidden. 
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought him up.” Adrien said as he sat down to Marinette’s right. “But Ladybug is our leader, and we all trust her to know the right thing to do.” 
“What’s this?” Marinette asked. 
“We were just asking about our family's rings.” Anna told her. 
“Well, they will stay in your family of course,” Marinette started. “As soon as I know you won’t be using them to pull pranks and stuff.” she gave them a wink as they laughed at her. 
“We have NO idea what youre talking about.” They said in sync. 
“Plagg already told us everything.” Adrien scolded. “By the way, where did you guys find Camembert?” the girls laughed. 
“Uncle Cheng ordered it for us.” they said together.
“Well, that doesn’t surprise me.” Marinette said with a chuckle. They worked on their breakfast and began to get ready for their day of kung fu and tutoring. The twins had been out of society for so long that, even though it only felt like days to them, it had been years and society moved on leaving them in the cold. There was a lot for them to catch up on. 
Adrien was glad he had Marinette to handle the more feminine side of things as he was socially hindered to begin with, trying to understand teenage girls was a challenge he was not prepared to face. Not to mention, his older sisters who were now younger than him. A dynamic that was hard enough to explain let alone live with . The girls hadn’t mastered Mandarin so it wasn’t going to be possible to enrol them in school here in China. 
Adrien arrived at the temple and found the first class of students were ready for their lessons. The girls took their places giggling to themselves as if Adrien had a kick me sign on his back. He had to check casually just in case. He walked around calling out stances and watching the youth change their stances moving in sync with one another. He monitored their movements making them hold their position until he was sure everyone was ready to move on. 
Occasionally, he would have to form the stance himself to demonstrate but otherwise he simply walked around. After the initial exercises he moved on to demonstrate a few new techniques. Each new technique would be added to each day's drills. Until the movements were memorized by their muscles so they wouldn’t even have to think about them before performing them. 
The first class was over and the kids ran off to school, while Adrien took the girls into the temple for their lessons in Mandarin and history. Before he could get started with their lessons his phone ran. It was from Paris, from the Paris branch of the G brand. 
“This is Adrien.” he said, assuming it was Felix as he hadn’t heard from him since the battle with Tempest. 
“Adrien, it’s Margaritte, I am Felix’s assistant and I was wondering…” She paused with a worried sound in her voice. “If you knew where he was?” 
“Wait, so he’s not there?” Adrien said confused. 
“We haven't seen him in awhile now. And I am afraid the board is afraid…”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can, try to hold the board until I get there.” Adrien said. He really didn’t want the company but he couldn’t let the board take over his company because his brother went MIA, he would rather give the company to Marinette. He hung up the phone and looked at the girls, how had that idea never occurred to him? She wanted a job based solely off her skills not because she was dating the owner of the company. 
“Girls, we’ll put your studies on hold for a little while, go outside and spar.” The girls ran outside pushing each other playfully. Adrien dialed up a Shanghai number, one he only used in an emergency. 
“Fei. I need your help.” Fei had become like family to Marinette after the first time she visited Shanghai and got lost. She had no family so Wang Cheng took her in, though her passion and her primary job was protecting Shanghai with her own Miraculous powers. “I have to leave town and I need someone to stand in for me with my students,” he told her. 
“I would be honored Xiongdi. ”She said “I will be over in a few hours.” 
“See you then.” He hung up the phone then watched the girls spar. His mind was far too preoccupied with the now confirmed disappearance of his brother to even think about tutoring his sisters. His phone rang again.
“Mr. Agreste would like to meet with you to discuss the petition of guardianship.” the voice spoke before Adrien could respond. It was Gabriel’s lawyer. “He also demands visitation with his daughters.” 
“Funny, he never asked for a visit with me.” Adrien said coldly. “I don’t think that is going to happen.”
“Considering he still maintains his parental rights, you don’t have a choice but to comply.” the lawyer said
“You can discuss that with my lawyers, from now on, you contact them not me.” Adrien said then hung up. ‘FUCK’ he mutted to himself. 
“I’m not sure what’s going on but it sounds like you could use some cheese.” Plagg offered him a chunk of Manchego. Adrien waved him away placing his hands on his hips. He looked back out the window to find the girls were gone. He rushed out to search for them. He searched all over the grounds with no sign of them. 
He heard giggling coming from a room in the basement of the temple. He headed for the stairs then heard another giggle coming from outside. 
“Plagg, head downstairs, I’m going outside.” Adrien said. 
“It’s not like I can throw her over my shoulder.” Plagg said. Adrien scowled then through his hands into the air slapping them hard against his sides in exasperation. 
“What’s wrong?” A voice came from the doorway. It was Fei.
“Great you're here, help me find my sisters please?” Fei laughed at him.
“Their playing hide & seek.” She leaned against the door frame folding her arms over her chest. “I already found one and froze her to stone.” She laughed. Adrien’s mouth twisted into shock as he rushed past her. How could she use her powers on his little sister. He saw her in the front courtyard standing still. He sighed when he realized she wasn’t frozen just standing in a running away pose. 
“It’s part of the game.” eie laughed at him. “Shall I go find the other one?” Adrien nodded. He was in over his head with these two. Stasia tried to hold her pose, but gravity gave in and she collapsed to the ground laughing. Adrien smiled as he allowed his body to relax, crossing his ankles and dropping into a seated position on the deck. A few minutes later Fei retired with Anna over her shoulders pretending to be petrified. 
“I have to go back to Paris, and I think it will be more of a permanent situation.” Adrien said as Fei sat down next to him. 
“Does this have anything to do with them?” She whispered nodding towards the two girls who were now sparring. Their actions moved in sync as they faced each other. Their movements timed just right as they dodge and kicked, punch and swerved into a martial arts dance. 
“Partially.” He said. “I have to talk to Marinette, I have uprooted her once already to bring her here.” 
“I’m sure she would be happy to return home.” Fei said. 
“I called her, she’ll be here for lunch.” He looked at his watch. “Any minute now.” He felt anxiety rise up in him as he recalled how she had always been late as a teenager and she must be really busy, but he needed her right now. Adrien got up and walked over to the girls. He needed a distraction. 
“Now for your punishment of locking me out of my room.” He said taking a defensive stance. They knew exactly what to do. They both jumped on him tackling him to the ground then began to tickle him as he tried to fight them off. He could hear Fei laughing at him. 
“Well, I think I should be recording this.” Marinette said from the gate as she walked in carrying a bag with the Thousand Delights logo on it. 
“Adrien pulled himself up with the girls still attached to him as he ran to her pulling her into a hug. The girls hung off his back like monkeys trying in vain to defeat him. 
“I think we should have those growths on your back checked, we may need to have them surgically removed.” Fei teased coming up behind them to tickle the girls into letting go of Adrien. Marinette frowned as she watched Fei. Was it jealousy?
“Fei, what are you doing here?” Marinette said with an obviously forced smile. 
“Adrien was just telling me he needed my help with the girls.” Fei decided not to tell her the whole reason he had called her over. This seemed to make Marinette’s face tighten more as her face blossomed into hues of red. 
“We need to talk to Marinette.” Fei can you watch the girls for a minute while I take her inside to tell her. Marinette stiffened. She looked up at Adrien, his clenched jaw now a look of horror as she allowed him to lead her inside. He took a seat at the table he used for the tutoring sessions and motioned for her to sit too. She just set the bag on the table and crossed her arms. Adrien looked down at his hands folded together in his lap. 
“Marinette, we have to…” 
“Don’t…” Marinette interrupted. He looked up at her, tears began to stream down her face. 
“What.” he got up moving around the table to grasp her arms. He turned her to face him but she looked away. He lifted her face to meet his eyes. “I was just going to say, we have to go back to Paris.” Her face changed to a look of surprise as she reached up, wiping her tears from her eyes. “Why are you crying?” He was dumbfounded. What did she think he needed to talk to her about. Her eyes darted to the window looking out over the front courtyard as Fei sparred with the girls. 
Adrien pulled her into a hug, suddenly realizing how this might look to Marinette, she had been so sensitive about their relationship for so long of course she expected him to leave her for someone else. He sat her down and explained the phone calls he got and what he was thinking would now require them to move back to Paris. 
“Marinette, you were the first girl I ever loved, and the second all rolled into one.” He kissed her lips. I loved you for the amazing woman you are, you're a superheroine with or without a mask, and I couldn’t replace you with anyone else.” He said. 
“She is too, and she has more powers.” Marinette choked back more tears. He watched her eyes look out the window again. 
“She also stole from a girl I love, left her stranded in a foreign country where she didn’t speak the language, and played her for a fool.” Adrien said. “I could never abide in someone who could lie and be deceitful for the sake of her own gain.” 
“I’ve lied.” She whimpered.
“Not to hurt someone.” He said. She sighed. 
“I guess the only way to save you from this fear of losing me is to just simply do it.” He said sliding out of his seat to his knee. 
“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you Marry me?”
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purrincess-chat · 3 years
Text
Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s Spite Playlist: Remix CH3
It’s akuma time! This chapter hurts worse down the line, if you can believe it. I have a lot up my sleeve for Alya and Marinette this go round ;)
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Chapter 3: Ignorance
Nino entered the locker room, nodding his head to the beat playing in his headphones. Alya was taking the whole Marinette situation hard, so he wanted to make sure she was okay. Maybe they could go out for some ice cream to cool off, then try talking to Marinette about what happened. Surely, there was an explanation for it.
As he rounded the corner of lockers, his eyes widened with terror. Red lips upturned into a sinister smirk, and Hawkmoth’s newest creation stared back at him with a set of familiar hazel eyes.
“Alya?” he gasped.
“Not anymore.” She trailed her thumb over the small pitchfork in her hands. “I’m Backstabber, and I’m going to get revenge against my so-called ‘bff.’”
Nino turned to run, but Backstabber launched a pitchfork straight into his back where it disappeared with a spark. She paced over to him, lifting his chin as tiny devil horns matching her own appeared on his head.
“Now,” she cooed. “Isn’t there something you have to say to your best friend?”
♪♫♪ Let It Die ♪♫♪
Across the street, Adrien and Marinette sat in her living room, picking away at their homework. Adrien was in her living room. Sitting on her couch. Drinking her tea. He was too beautiful for words, his gorgeous green eyes scanning over his maths problem. His face alone made her regret ever leaving Francoise-Dupont. How was she going to survive without seeing his radiance every day?
Marinette was too busy memorizing the rhythm of his breathing to focus on her work, the memory of his arms wrapped around her still fresh. He’d cradled her in his arms. Of course, it was because she was ugly crying, but she would ignore that detail.
Adrien was too perfect for words. How did she ever think that he would abandon her when she left? Their friendship meant a lot to him. She meant a lot to him. It was a fact that she’d spend hours dreaming about. One day he’d hold her in his arms and whisper those three beautiful words. Then they’d get married, have 3 kids and a hamster named-
Adrien’s phone rang, snapping her from her trance, and her heart sank. It was probably his father demanding that he come home like normal, but to her surprise, Nino’s picture flashed on the screen.
“Hey, Nino, what’s up?”
“Ya know what, Adrien? I’m tired of your goody-two-shoes act, pretending you’re all innocent,” Nino said.
Adrien’s eyebrows raised. “What are you talking abou-”
“I’m gonna tell your dad to start homeschooling you again so the rest of us don’t have to put up with you anymore.” Nino hung up with a maniacal laugh.
“What was that about?” Marinette asked.
“I don’t know,” Adrien said, staring down at the screen, “but it can’t be good.”
“You don’t think he was akumatized, do you?” She reached for her purse.
“If not him, then probably someone else, I should get home before things get too crazy. I’m sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will handle everything soon, so stay inside where it’s safe, okay?” He shoved his tablet and textbook back into his school bag quickly. “See you around, Marinette.”
“Uh, yeah, see ya…”
Marinette reached for her purse the moment the door shut behind him. “Let’s get out there and capture this akuma before Nino gets to Gabriel Agreste. Tikki, transform-”
Before she could finish the phrase, the front window of the living room shattered, and Marinette shielded her face from the debris with a yelp. Her purse tumbled under the coffee table out of reach.
“Hey, Marinette.” A familiar face loomed over her with a twisted grin. “Remember me? Your bff?”
“Alya?” Marinette gasped, stumbling over the side of the couch. “What happened to you?”
“Don’t play dumb with me.” She readied another pitchfork. “I’m not Alya anymore. I go by Backstabber now, but I bet you know all about that sort of thing.”
Backstabber tossed a small pitchfork and caught it again as Marinette inched toward the stairs.
“What are you talking about?” She needed to reach her purse, but Backstabber was closing in.
“You know what you did,” she snarled. “I’ve got a pretty pitchfork here, how would you like to shove it into my back? Oh wait, you already did!”
Marinette turned to dash up the stairs, narrowly dodging the pitchfork as her parents burst through the front door.
“Marine- Oh!” her dad gasped before taking a defensive position between Backstabber and the stairs. “I won’t let you hurt my daughter!”
“If you knew what she was really like, you wouldn’t bother protecting her.” Backstabber’s eyes narrowed as Marinette’s mom entered the room. “But tell me, daddykins, can you protect your wife and your daughter?”
With a flick of her wrist, Backstabber launched another pitchfork at Marinette’s mom. Her dad jumped in front of her, turning his back and taking the attack himself.
“Dad!” Marinette gasped as two horns appeared on his head before she retreated through the trap door into her room.
“Tell me, Marinette,” Backstabber continued, pursuing her calmly as Marinette scrambled to the loft stairs. “Did you ever consider me a real friend?”
“Of course, I did!” Marinette paused halfway up.
“Then how could you abandon me?” Backstabber palmed another pitchfork. “How could you leave without telling me?”
“How could you abandon me?” Marinette shot back, eyes stinging. “How could you take someone else’s side over mine? How could you put me in the back of the class by myself and not even apologize?”
“Lila was right about you. You really are just an attention-seeker, always playing the victim,” Backstabber said.
Marinette clenched her jaw before crawling over her bed and through the skylight onto the balcony. She climbed over the wall, wobbling as she made her way out onto the rooftops.
“You know what I think?” Backstabber called, and Marinette spun around to face her. “I think you’re the real liar. Always running late, making up excuses, disappearing suddenly, so what secrets are you hiding, Marinette?”
Before Backstabber could attack, Chat Noir smacked the pitchfork from her hand with his staff. “It’s dangerous to play on the roof. Someone could fall,” he said with his usual taunting lilt.
“I don’t think Marinette can sink any lower.” Backstabber glared through her. Marinette’s hands clenched into fists at her sides.
“What happened to you two? I thought you were best friends,” Chat Noir asked, taking a defensive stance in front of Marinette. “Not too long ago you were putting your neck on the line to save her, and now you’ve turned your back on her?”
“She turned her back on me!” Backstabber shouted.
“Only because you were being a bad friend!” Marinette shot back.
Backstabber flinched, squeezing her eyes shut before she unleashed a slew of pitchforks with a growl.
Chat spun his staff to deflect them as Marinette cowered behind him. She needed to find a way out of this to transform. Maybe Ladybug could talk some sense into Alya, but her purse was still down in the apartment.
“Ah!” he hissed as a pitchfork grazed his arm.
Marinette cupped her hands over her mouth in horror, but nothing happened. “Why didn’t it transform you?” she asked, closing her eyes and picturing her dad. “Of course! Her attacks only work if they hit you in the back.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to keep this battle face-to-face,” he said, wrapping an arm around her, “but first I should get you to safety.”
“Not so fast, kitty!” Backstabber growled, charging in, but he dodged out of the way before she could strike.
Landing in the street, Chat Noir set Marinette down and brandished his staff once more.
“Go! I’ve got your back,” he shouted as Backstabber gave chase. “Cataclysm!”
As Marinette ran up the street, Chat Noir touched his palm to the concrete, opening a crater to the sewers to distract Backstabber while Marinette escaped. She needed to meet up with Tikki before Chat Noir changed back.
Ducking back into the bakery, she tiptoed around the counter and pressed a hand to the side of her mouth. “Tikki?” she called in a hushed tone, creeping over to the backdoor.
“Marinette!”
She jumped as her kwami phased through the floor and flitted into her face.
“Thank goodness.” Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. “Come on, let’s go before Backstabber gets the best of Chat Noir. Transform me!”
Chat Noir’s cries echoed between the buildings as Ladybug stepped out of the bakery, and with a practiced toss, she created a net between two light poles with her yoyo to catch him.
“I see this battle is really flying by,” she said as he climbed down.
“Yeah, and we need to move quick. I don’t have a lot of time left.” He held up his ring finger where three pads flashed.
“Oh look, the cockroach has joined her mangey stray,” Backstabber cooed.
“And she’s about to kick your butt.” Ladybug charged in.
With each strike, Ladybug scanned her person, trying to figure out where the akuma could be hiding. Nothing stood out besides the intricate brooch embedded in her suit. Alya never wore jewelry, and Ladybug couldn’t fathom why the akuma would be there. As she dodged another swing, a familiar photo of the two of them nestled inside the jewel stood out. Back flipping out of the way a few times, she pressed her hands to either side of her mouth.
“Chat Noir! The akuma is in the photo in her necklace!” she called as Backstabber crossed her wrists to block his staff, forcing him back a few paces.
“What’s the plan for getting it because I’m running out of time,” he said urgently—his last two pads flickering.
“Lucky charm!” She caught the two necklaces as they fell from the sky, turning them over in her hands to read the two halves of a heart together. “Best friends forever… What am I supposed to do with this?”
She glanced around with a pensive frown, singling in on the photo in Backstabber’s necklace and the tears bubbled in the corner of her eyes.
“M’lady?” Chat Noir dodged another pitchfork.
“Go! I’ve got this.” She ordered, but he eyed her skeptically, his ring flashing.
“Are you sure, m’lady?” he asked.
“Positive.”
Chat Noir glanced between them with a conflicted frown before vaulting himself into the rooftops.
Ladybug took a stance in front of Backstabber in the middle of the street. “Just you and me now,” she said with a gentle determination.
“How do you expect to beat me with that?” Backstabber scoffed, cocking a hip to one side.
“Not with this.” Ladybug shook her head. “With words. You’re upset that your friend abandoned you, right?”
Backstabber seemed taken aback. Her jaw clenched as Ladybug held up the necklaces.
“She’s your best friend, and right now you’re hurt and confused, but have you considered that maybe she’s feeling the same way?” Ladybug continued.
“She left me!” A tear rolled down her cheek. “She didn’t even say goodbye!”
“Don’t you think she has a reason? Best friends don’t just abandon each other.”
Backstabber weighed it before shaking her head. “What reason could she possibly have had?”
“There’s a lot you probably don’t know about your friend. Secrets that she wishes she could tell you but can’t…” Ladybug averted her gaze. “I’m sure you’re both hurting, and Hawkmoth took advantage of that, but you’re stronger than he is, Alya.” At the sound of her name, Backstabber flinched, and Ladybug paced over to place her hands on her shoulders. “I know you are.”
Backstabber searched her gaze, lips quivering, shoulders shaking. She hugged her sides as hot tears spilled down her cheeks, sinking to her knees. Ladybug crouched beside her, fastening one of the necklaces around her neck before opening the clasp of Backstabber’s locket and removing the picture inside. Ladybug stared at it with a frown before ripping it down the middle, separating the two smiling girls and freeing the black butterfly from inside.
“No more evildoing for you, little akuma.”
♪♫♫ Miserable at Best ♪♫♪
When the doorbell rang, Marinette stood up from the couch and straightened her blazer. She took a deep breath before striding over to answer it. Miraculous Ladybug set everything back to the way it was, but there were some things that her superpowers couldn’t fix. This time she would have to face them herself.
“Hey…” Alya gave a half-wave when Marinette opened the door.
“Hey,” Marinette replied.
“Sorry about earlier,” Alya said with a wince. “I was upset about you leaving, and I guess Hawkmoth could sense that.” When Marinette remained quiet, she bit her lip. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Marinette averted her gaze. “I didn’t want anyone to make a fuss because I’d already made up my mind.”
“Why did you leave?”
“Because-” Her words caught themselves on the tip of her tongue.
What was she supposed to say? That it was because her friends abandoned her? That her friends trusted a stranger over her when she’d proved to them time and time again that she was trustworthy and honest? That she didn’t say anything because her friends would have tried to guilt her into staying because she couldn’t provide them a believable answer for why she was leaving? Even now she couldn’t think of a viable way to prove to Alya that Lila was lying, since she was so insistent on Marinette having evidence. Alya wasn’t one to take her word without proof even though she seemed to have no trouble doing that for Lila. Marinette wasn’t sure which was worse: Alya’s lack of trust in her or her overabundance of trust in Lila.
“Because of Lila?” Alya asked, and Marinette fixed her gaze on the door handle. “Why are you so bothered by her? She’s never done anything to you, and all you’ve ever done is accuse her of lying about everything.”
Marinette wanted to tell Alya the truth more than anything, but given her track record, she didn’t think it would do any good. She couldn’t prove that Lila had threatened her, and even mentioning it would seem like another vain attempt to defame her. As much as it pained her, Marinette didn’t have an answer for Alya. If she was so bent on having concrete evidence, then there was no point in trying to come up with one, so she simply shrugged.
“I don’t know what has gotten into you, girl, but it’s not healthy,” Alya said. “If you’d just give Lila a chance, you’d see that-”
“No,” Marinette said firmly, and Alya’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Sorry, but I won’t play along with her.”
“Play along with- this isn’t a game, Marinette! She’s just a person with an exotic life,” Alya chided, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Honestly, it won’t kill you to try.”
“I can’t be friends with her.” Marinette shook her head.
“Why?” Alya asked. “Give me one good reason why. I’m sure if you tell her about Adrien-”
“It’s not about Adrien.”
“Then what?” Alya held her arms out. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous of her getting attention from everyone.”
Marinette recoiled at that, eyes stinging. The fact that Alya even mentioned that proved that Lila had her hooks in too deep. Alya couldn’t be saved. As much as it pained her, there were some villains out there that even Ladybug couldn’t defeat.
“I’m not jealous of her, but I am a little hurt that my best friend is siding with someone she barely knows over me,” she said with more bite than she intended.
“Can you blame me with how sketchy you’ve been acting? What proof do you have?” Alya shot back, hands balling into fists when Marinette shifted her weight. “Lately, I feel like I don’t know you as well as I thought I did, girl.”
“I’m starting to think the same,” Marinette said.
“Then I guess we shouldn’t consider ourselves bffs if there’s so much we don’t know about each other!” Alya retorted. “Maybe we shouldn’t even be friends at all.”
Marinette suppressed a sigh, heart sinking as she held Alya’s gaze before three of the most painful words passed her lips. “Maybe we shouldn’t.”
Alya took a step back, jaw dropping. Her eyes burned into Marinette’s, fresh tears bubbling in the corners. Marinette wore a steely mask, relaying no emotion despite the hammering in her chest. She bit her lip to hide how it shook.
Alya finally flicked her gaze to her feet, rubbing at her cheek before a tear could escape. “Well, I guess that’s that then,” she said. Alya turned and stormed down the stairs.
Marinette closed the door, lingering with her hand on the handle. Her shoulders shook, and she sank to the floor with a whimper, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. As it turned out, the high road was far lonelier than she’d ever imagined, but there was no going back now. She’d made her choice.
116 notes · View notes
lucyhalearchive · 3 years
Text
Goodbye (N.R.)
Will I ever write a happy Natasha fic? Probably not. I’ve been gone for a while because I got into my dream school, and I’ve been moving in, buying supplies, and just a few other things. 
I’ve also been saving a few drafts of fics so that way if I am busy this semester, I can still post for you guys. We’re really close to 100, too!!
Thank you so much, everyone <3
Warnings: descriptive injury, mentions of disassociation, depression, blood, death??? (I put quotes because this may or may not end on a cliff hanger).
Word Count: 1.6k 
Summary: You need to tell Natasha goodbye before leaving
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You wake up to the same white ceiling with the same brown trimming, and you wonder if it will ever be different one day; when you open your eyes, it’ll be a brown, wooden ceiling instead of the dotted popcorn currently resting there. You refuse to push yourself out of bed, so instead you turn to your side to make eye contact with your alarm clock missing: Natasha. A group of you were out on another scouting mission trying to find another stolen piece of technology, and you had been bunking with her whenever you decided to settle down from traveling. 
You ponder on the idea of just staying in your bed until someone realizes that you’re not present. Then again, would they? You begin to dwell on the swarming negativity that planted itself in your mind. Would your team notice your absence, and would they even care? Would they come out and look for you? Would they mourn you?
You sit up in the bed hurriedly, trying to push the thoughts away. Usually when you spiral like this, you can quite literally shake them off of your skin, but you know they will come back later to bite you in the ass. The breeze pushes past the small, shortened curtains on the windows on either side of a wooden door that leads out into the neighborhood street, and you start to pull the light brown sheet closer to you when you see Steve run past where you reside. 
“Time to get up. We have to get moving.” He says in passing, hand hitting against the doorframe, and it causes you to flinch. Maybe they did notice after all. The second your legs swing over the bed and hit the floor, everything seems to move in slow motion; almost as if you’re walking through sludge. You believe that if Steve were to run by again, his voice would become distorted. 
Walking out into the field nearby, a place you all were using for meetups, sparing, and anything that could be useful in your current situation, you bask and relish in the softness that the air holds. The sun still hits your skin and warms it like a blanket fresh from the dryer, but the wind cools you down immediately after. In the distance, you can see Steve and Sam talking while pointing over the horizon as Natasha simply stands closer to a cliff, seemingly deep in thought. 
“Good. You’re here. We’re heading out in about five minutes, so get ready.” Sam fills you in the rest of the way, but your mind keeps wandering to the dangers that have stumbled upon you; how you’ve kept yourself alive. Alive for your mother. Alive for the cat Bucky is currently watching over. Alive for Natasha. Speaking of which, you give Sam a curt nod and head over to her. 
“You alright?” You question, placing yourself right beside Natasha, staring out onto the horizon. Sheep graze, never stopping, and birds circle the sky looking for any stragglers. Natasha takes a deep breath before turning her body to you slightly, never taking her eyes off the sheep. 
“I’ve just been thinking about the future recently, but the past still finds its way in there.” She pulls her hands behind her back and lays one arm on top of the other, a military stance, almost. 
“Our future?” You ask, full of hope because you often thought of what life would be like if you knew that Natasha would be there forever, in every waking moment. She shakes her head. 
“What my life would be like if I went back and changed the past.” She finishes, finally looking at you. She slips her hand over your left cheek, and her thumb glides over the surface. You know of her past. You know that she wishes a million choices could be reversed or changed. You know how horribly it pains and haunts her sometimes, and you wish you could fix it. You put your hand over hers and smile; a sad grin flashes over her face, and you wonder what she’s planning. 
“Let’s move.” Sam shouts out from his position, and before Natasha even begins to move to meet up with them, she places a long kiss on your forehead. Almost as if she is savoring the kiss. 
You give one last look to the long fall from the cliff to the plains beneath, and a familiar urge bubbles up from your chest. However, you four don’t have to worry about traveling far because a group, or a small army, really, shows themselves as they push above the hill, and Steve clenches his jaw. 
“I hear that you four are trying to find this.” The thief reveals Tony’s device that you still had no idea what it was. It’s a small, spherical device that lights up when touched. 
“We don’t want any trouble. We just want the device.” Sam steps forward slightly in front of Steve, much to his displeasure. Natasha copies his movements and places herself in front of you. 
“Yes, a device that I intend to keep safe and away from you.” The accent slips through to your ears, and he sends his followers after you all. Usually, you’re calm in moments such as these, and not long ago, you were begging Steve to let you go out on missions such as these. Now, your body is tensing at the sight of the large army barreling towards just the four of you, but you know that you could all fend them off easily. 
As you quickly snap the wrist of some poor soldier who tried to sneak up behind you, your eyes shift to your friends, checking in on them. Steve and Sam are holding their own, but also helping each other out, and Natasha is effortlessly taking down a few soldiers. Nonetheless, you notice a few of them preparing to team up on her, so you rush over, pushing yourself in front of Natasha. 
Again, everything around you became distorted, walking through sludge. The piercing, burning pain of a sharp, metal spear pushes through your skin and onto the ground beneath, holding your body in place; you don’t let out a scream, just a grunt of displeasure. Every alarm bell that is supposed to be ringing is silent, and your life plays in front of your face despite Steve standing in front of you asking questions. 
You can see his younger self flash beside him, and you wonder if you’re going crazy. If you were, would you even realize it? Would anyone even know? You remember the first day you met Steve all those years ago at one of Tony’s parties. You had a bet on who would get drunk first, but the bastard didn’t tell you that he couldn’t really get drunk. You were swaying and slurring while he was standing upright. 
You start to believe that the burning sensation rising in your back and stomach will never end. You cna faintly hear Sam and Steve arguing over if they should remove the spear at all from you or the ground, but you could care less. Your eyes shift to Natasha, and the rest of the world becomes blurry. Maybe it’s because of the blood loss, but you can see her just fine. You’re trying to memorize the way her hair sits on her forehead after a battle. The way her eyebrows are creasing as she tries to decipher what you’re thinking. The way the sunset creates a glow on her face. 
I should’ve stayed inside. 
Steve grabs your face as your head begins to lull backwards, now looking at the sky, and your eyes fight to stay open. When you meet his eyeline, you try to reach out to place and hand on his shoulder, and maybe get out a few words of sentiment. 
“Save it. You’re going to be just fine. We’re going to take the spear out of the ground and lay you down, okay?” You try to nod back, but everything is moving too slow for you. The wind no longer helps cool you down, but it feels freezing. 
“Are you serious? That’s going to cause serious bleeding, and we’re already losing too much!” Natasha interjects which causes a fight between her and Sam. Steve tries to ignore them. As the sun hits Steve’s blonde hair, you laugh. He looks up after sitting you on the ground, spear at and angle. It hurts a little more, but at least you aren’t trying to keep yourself up. 
“What’s so funny?” He raises an eyebrow before looking away from your eyes to plan what to do next. 
“You were always the golden boy, Rogers.” You mention while raising a hand to point out the golden hue the sun gave him. Should you really be cracking jokes now?  Natasha looks away from Sam to sit by your side. She pushes your hair away from your head and stares at you. 
“Don’t close your eyes. We’re going to get you home. We need to get you home.” Her voice falters towards the end, but you don’t mention it. It would only make her more upset. She continuously strokes your hair, and it removes your thoughts from Sam and Steve working to remove the spear without causing too much blood loss. 
“Do you think Bucky is taking care of my cat?” You ponder aloud, and she laughs sadly. 
“I think Bucky stole her by now.” She leans her forehead down to meet yours, noses brushing. 
“Natasha, if I make it out of here-” You try to start, but her head snaps back as she looks at you in bewilderment. She takes both of your hands in hers. 
“Which you will.” She quickly interjects, but it doesn’t give you hope; you give her a stern look. 
“I want to marry you.” You flatly state. You have wanted to ask her for a while, but fear got the better of you. It is now or never. Literally. She stays quiet, seemingly debating with herself again, and you finally slip out of consciousness. 
---
I rearranged my room today, so I am beyond tired. I hope you loved it <3
Again, thank you all for the support! I can not believe how far we’ve come. Another thing before I go: if I were to write a series, what would you like to see? Let me know!
-Lucy 
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heychangbin · 3 years
Text
Ten Rounds, All Bullseyes
Wordcount: 1963
Warnings: None really.
A/N: so this was another writing exercise that kinda got away from me and thought was good enough to post. 
Billy picked up the rifle, the pressure of the butt against his shoulder and the feel of his index finger of his right hand resting against the trigger guard felt effortless, second nature, like breathing or coming home from a long day and plopping down on his couch. He lowers his head, the slight tension he had felt dissipating as the apple of his cheek presses against the cool metal of the safety mechanism housing. He grips the forestock, elevating the barrel as he lines the sight at the end with his target.
He feels his military training kick in as his eyes zero in on the center of his target, his mind blocking out everything around him, the sound of blaring sirens, kids laughter, grown up chatter, and the hot sun hitting the back of his head and neck; nothing else exists in this moment, nothing but the bright red center at the end of his barrel.
He takes a breath, then another for good measure and takes his finger off the trigger guard, the edge of the thin metal scraping against the callous that never seems to completely fade as he slips his finger between the guard and trigger, then pulls. 
His eyes darted to the next target and with practiced ease lockson and fires again. He could faintly make out a scream but the sound is too far away and there are more targets he needs to take out. With lighting speed he shifts and adjusts his stance, rising and lowering his aim before firing again. And again, and again. 
Billy aims and fires until there aren’t any remaining targets and it's only then that he allows his senses to come back, the space around his erupt in a cacophony of sound, screaming children, too loud music, blaring sirens and vendors calling out prizes or taunts. The air once again has the scent of deep fried foods, butter, too sweet lemonade, burnt bread, boiled hot dogs, spilled beer and he could make out the acrid smell of vomit in the air, making him wince as he feels everything wash over him.
“That was some nice shootin’ there son,” says the man behind the low wooden bar, walking over to the back of the stall, gripping and rising the top of his black pants through his light blue t-shirt  before reaching for one of the larger bears prizes he has hanging on the back corner of his game stall. “Hang aroun’ the shootin’ rage a lot?” he asks as he plops the bear down in front of him. 
“Not really, no.” Billy says with a small chuckle as he gently lowers the rifle but the smile on Billy’s face disappears when he picks up his prize, the back of the bear is slightly faded on one side, the tails of the red ribbon around its neck fraying, and the black bead that serves as its left eye looks like it’s hanging on by a single thread.
He lifts his head and the glare he shoots at the vendor has nothing to do with the reflection of the sun on the small laminate IDing him as Jeff hanging around his neck. 
“Pay for another round or take your prize and walk.” he says, crossing his arms as his eyes looking out at the crowd that's passing behind Billy
Is this guy really tryin’ ta …. Billy scans the prizes hanging around the small game stall, zeroing in on a pristine giant multi colored monstrosity that he would never give a second look at, let alone walk around a fair with for five minutes let alone the next two hours, but you, you might like it and that was enough for him.
“How much for that one?” he said, nodding in the direction of the giant prize.
The vendor looked in the direction that Billy’s eyes were trained on and chuckled, shaking his head before looking back at the passersby.
“That one there is ten rounds sonny, all pellets hittin’ the bullseye.”
Billy felt his nostrils flare,he knew the guy was trying to scam him, he had been to the fair with the Castles and won his fare share of prizes for Lisa, Frank Jr., Maria, and, on one memorable birthday weekend, for Frank to know the guy was pulling something. He tossed the bear on the low counter and reached for his wallet, taking out a few bills and slapping them on the counter, just out of the man's reach before picking up the rifle and positioning it loosely against the crook of his shoulder again.
Jeff looked at Billy for a moment before uncrossing his arms and walking over to where Billy was standing and picking up the money Billy had tossed on the low partition before fiddling with the chain that kept the rifle linked to the game stall.
“You gotta walk back the length of the chain.” he said before turning and walking to the side of the cut out wall that had the little targets.
Billy arched his right brow questioningly as they stared at each other for a beat before Jeff raised his hand and made a waving back motion.He grit his teeth and took a deep breath before taking a careful step back, then another and another. He was more than a couple feet away from where he was standing originally before the thin chain tensed and the guy nodded and flipped a hidden switch, starting the game back up. 
Lights flashed and an annoying western type tune began playing making Billy pick up the rifle and press it against the crook of his shoulder, his senses focusing and zeroing in when his eye aligned with the sight at the end of the barrel, 
As soon as the first target popped up, Billy took aim and shot it down, his eyes darting to the next bullseye, pulling the trigger and the target going down with a dainty clink, the next popping up almost instantly. Targets continued to pop up and Billy kept shooting, each going down with a clink that made Billy smile internally.
He was halfway through the third round when out of the corner of his eye he saw Jeff’s hand flip a switch making the targets pop out two at a time, he was expecting it and if he was being honest he had been expecting it sooner.
He quickly adjusted his speed, shooting the targets just as quickly as they were coming up, vaguely aware of the small crowd that was forming around him. 
When the last clink sounded Billy couldn't help the self satisfied smile that spread across his lips when he saw the look of defeat cross Jeff’s face and a few people clapping behind him and commenting on his shooting skills as he lowered the rifle and strutted back to the edge of the bar, placing it on the bar and nodding in the direction of the giant prize he was going to be walking around with until he meet back up with the Castle brood. 
Jeff scratched at his chin for a beat, staring at Billy the whole time but Billy just continued to smile and wait going as far as bouncing a few times on the balls of his feet.
“I can wait for my prize for as long as you want Jeff.”
It was then that Jeff moved and plucked the giant multi colored mess and handed it to Billy, it was heavier than he expected and the bright colored fur felt softer than it looked.He said a quick and polite thanks before wrestling the stuffed animal under his arm and started in the direction of the burger stall he knew he’d find the Castles and you.
He smiled at the thought of the look that would cross your face when you saw him walk up with this thing under his arm and hand it to you. 
He spotted you and the Castles a few minutes later, gathered around a ring toss game, throwing the small red rings half haphazardly at the different colored glass bottles, the majority of them bouncing off the lip, others missing their mark completely. 
He watched you from afar for a second more, wincing when one of your rings bounced off the single dark blue bottle at the very center of the table. 
He saw you take the last of your rings, aim and toss, the ring bouncing off the lip of a yellow bottle and land around the neck of a clear one. He chuckled at your excited squeal at having won, you and the kids jumping as you pointed to your ring, your hands shooting up to catch the large dark sunglasses resting atop your head  as they fell onto your face in your excitement.
He walked over just as you pointed at and claimed your prize, a small lion you handed to Lisa as soon as it was in your hands.
“Where’d you get that Bill?” asked Frank when he turned and saw Billy a few steps away, his face barely containing the teasing smirk that pulled at the corners of his lips as everyone turned in his direction, eyes going wide as they took in the stuffed animal he held.
“Won this bad boy doin’ what I do best Frankie.” 
“Talkin’?” sassed Maria from beside Frank, making everyone chuckle
“Oh, ha ha.” he deadpanned back at her.
“Alright, come on guys, lets go get some lunch.” said Frank, tossing his arm around Marias shoulders, bringing her close to his side, turning them around and heading towards the carousel at the center of the fair that was in front of their favorite burger stall; Lisa and Frank Jr. looking at each other and saying a quick “race ya!” before going around them and breaking out into a run, leaving you and Billy behind to catch up.
Billy smiled as he took the few steps needed to stand in front of you, taking the stuffed animal from under his arm and held it out for you, you reached out your hands and took it from him, letting out a little “oof” when you felt the complete weight of it in your arms.
“More of a big boy than a bad boy.” you said, raising it enough so that its face was in front of yours, “how many games did you have to win to win this?”
He smiled as you brought the stuffed animal closer, hugging it close to your chest with a muttered so soft as you rocked your body from side to side.
“Not nearly enough,” he whispered as he looked at the smile that threatened to split your face in half. He tucked his hands in the pockets of his jeans as the reality of his words sank in, there wasn’t anything Billy wouldn’t do or no amount of money he wouldn't pay to see your eyes light up with happiness.
“Thank you Billy, I love it.” you said, turning your body just enough so that the stuffed animal was out of the way, rose on the balls of your feet and pressed your lips to his for a quick kiss that ended sooner than he would have liked. 
You lowered the heels of your feet to the ground, shifting the stuffed animal under your arm, freeing your right hand and holding it out to Billy.
“Come on Russo, we better catch up to Castle and the rest of them before Frankie eats all the fries they have. It’s the only thing the kid’s been talking about for the past hour.”
Billy smiled as he took your hand, his fingers slotting between yours as you walked in the direction of the burger stall.
Gen Taglist: @juguitos @something-tofightfor @suchatinyinfinity @the-blind-assassin-12 @its-my-little-dumpster-fire @bts-smolarmy @elanor-of-imladris @pheedraws @obscurilicious @fific7
Billy Russo Taglist: @nananananananananananabatman @shinebrightlikeafanbase @emyyjemyy
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mimssides · 3 years
Text
Nerver Met You
Chapter 2: First Steps
The hardest steps to take are the first ones. The ones which will take us away from our past, away from our pain but also our love.
“You may stop,” Janus said as the man fell back into a defensive stance to fight off yet another soldier.
The soldiers retreated and the man looked over to Janus, his gaze filled with anticipation and a considerable amount of exhaustion. Janus had had him fight for a good hour after letting him unload the flour carriage, cleaning the stables and run the training course of the military recruits. He had been up since five in the morning and between the chores he had questioned him about his past.
The man, he still had not given him his name, not even an initial, was in his early thirties, born and lived all his life in Theana and knew far too much about their political situation for a usual commoner. Janus had also let his men run a background check over the stranger but there was no one who seemed to know or even recognize him in the slightest. Which was very weird considering how memorable and eccentric the man spoke and presented himself after Janus had gotten him to talk a little more.
With a wave of his hand Janus motioned him to come closer. With light steps, not showing how much his legs must be aching and the straightest posture Janus had ever seen, the man walked towards him and halted right before him with a curious look.
“Yes, you may speak,” Janus said without thinking why he knew that the man wanted to say something.
He wiggled his eyebrows, shimmied his shoulders and said: “What’s next, chief? Wanna see me sweat and bleed some more? I can lose some layers if you'd like.”
“Yes, because you have so many layers to lose,” Janus deadpanned looking at the tunic with no signs of an undershirt beneath it and the loose pants the man was wearing.
The man snickered and let the wooden staff he had been fighting with rest on the ground as he held himself upright with it. The view was oddly endearing even though Janus was a little annoyed.
The mysteries around this odd man really intrigued him at this point but he had no way to find out more. It was not that the man did not want to cooperate, he simply couldn’t. Several times Janus had asked him personal things and he had tried to answer just to begin to cough and hold his throat again. Which most likely meant that this man was cursed.
Which should have been enough. Which should have meant that Janus would send him on his way and not truly consider Logan’s silly request of making this man the king’s personal guard. And yet Janus was looking at this odd man once more and let himself consider it.
The picture of Patton cradled in the man’s arms reappeared in Janus’s mind and he decided to dig one last time in the man’s past for now.
“You were well-versed in calming the boy. Did you work with children in the past or how does it come that you knew exactly what to do with him?” Janus asked hoping that this was vague enough so the man could answer it.
The man’s grin disappeared and he straightened up again. Alerted Janus watched as he for the first time didn’t meet his gaze and looked down to the side. He was biting his lips and clenching and unclenching his fist before he stretched his fingers and looked back at Janus again.
His voice was rather raw as he said: “I didn’t work with children but I was a kid once too and – I've seen some shit as a kid. I’ve been through trauma and I remember how hard it was a s a kid to deal with it, so I tried to help him the way I wished someone would have helped me.”
Janus gulped. Something twisted in his stomach as he forced his expression to remain neutral and told him: “I apologize that I had you revisit those memories. And for the record, I am sorry you had to go through this alone. You might not know it but despite my untrusting nature I do believe that every person deserves support in their times of need.”
The man faintly smiled.
“I did know. And thank you for your compassion but I wasn’t alone. I had my -”
***
 Today was a mournful anniversary for Theana. It had been a year since the assassination of the king and queen and Janus was walking towards Crown Prince Roman’s quarters, since he had rung the bell for him. He needed to get there quickly; Roman was not one to send for him or anybody for the matter.
 The Crown Prince had been reclusive and antisocial during the year of mourning and had not spoken a single word with anybody since that day. Janus had tried to get him help, had asked █████ to help him with it but █████ had denied him. He insisted to give Roman space and leave him be despite it breaking his heart.
 Janus frowned. █████ was suffering under his ███████’s silence. Roman was the only blood family had been left and his previously so sunny and loud personality was lacking immensely within the castle walls. As the Royal Advisor, Janus knew he had to get Roman back to health again, since █████’s psyche would otherwise decline even more. This first year as a child ████ had been so hard on him and he needed some semblance of hope. And he needed it soon.
 Janus forced a neutral expression on his face before he knocked on the door and waited for the small bell to chime once which meant one could enter. The bell chimed and Janus entered.
 On the cushions on the bay window Roman sat and stared outside. As Janus approached, he turned his face towards him, without meeting his eyes, and slowly got up. Just like █████ he had had a growth spurt and no longer looked like a child but like an adolescent. He was tall for a thirteen-year-old, rather slim and was wearing a black tunic and pants, as every day since his parents’ death.
 Patiently, Janus waited. It usually took some time until Roman made known what he wanted and Janus dared to wait as long as needed. Then Roman lifted his hand and brought it up towards his lips with a small gesture. Janus nodded and asked to confirm: “You wish for some water, Your Royal Highness?”
 Roman nodded and Janus got the water carafe from the tray in corner of the room. Quietly, he filled it with water and gave it a short once over with his eye of truth to make sure it wasn’t poisoned and then handed it Roman.
 Graciously, Roman took it and sipped a few tiny sips as Janus stepped back and watched him intently. The work he did here was not the one of the Royal Advisor but one of a guardian or a servant. But then again, Janus was still a child himself, many of his more complex duties were still taken care of by his father.
 Because Janus still had a father to take care of the complicated and dangerous tasks the court had in stall for him. And while Janus felt grateful for it, he also felt guilty the longer he looked at █████ and Roman in their his position. Especially on a day like this. And thinking of the many things he still had to do, he was about to bow in front of his Crown Prince and excuse himself to leave when Roman raised his hand as a sign for him to wait.
 And so, Janus waited. He watched as Roman opened his mouth, quietly cleared his throat and took again a sip of water before he at once looked up and for the first time in a year met Janus’s eyes.
 A shiver ran down Janus’s spine. There was a force and might behind the gesture that was inexplicable to him.
 “I will attend to the speech and the mourning festivities. Tell my ███████ I will stand by his side,” Roman spoke with a voice far stronger and slightly deeper than Janus had remembered him speaking before.
 Never had Janus thought that on this terrible day something good, no something so wonderful, could happen. He didn’t even care that tears were rolling over his cheeks and that his whole body was shaking in front of a member of the Royal Family. He especially didn’t care as Roman’s pulled his brows slightly upwards and a faint smile decorated his lips.
 Quietly, Roman walked up to Janus and put his hand on his shoulder. A gentle squeeze and a deep breath.
 “Am I understood?” Roman said ever so softly.
 Eagerly, Janus bowed his head and excused himself as Roman turned towards the window again. The moment Janus had left the room, he began sprinting down the hall towards █████’s quarters. With tears of joy still dripping of his cheeks he passed by the guards and ignored their calls to stop and stormed into █████’s room, where he was preparing his garments for the festivities.
 With furrowed brows █████ eyed Janus and stepped away from the tailor who had been making the last adjustments for his outfit. He waited for Janus to catch his breath and the young Royal Advisor sloppily wiped his face and tried to compose himself.
 As Janus took his time, █████ grew antsy and eventually asked him before he could stop himself: “What happened?”
 Janus looked up. There stood his ████ in a black tunic and black pants just like Roman had worn this morning as well. His hair was just as curly, the eyes just as green, even the face was just the same. And yet Janus had never mistaken him for Roman.
 “Your ███████-” Janus panted and saw █████’s face fall and added hastily - “He spoke! He said he would attend to the festivities and be by your side.”
 Janus did not complain as █████ simply stormed out of the room. He followed despite his burning lungs and more guards shouting. And he knew it was all worth it when he watched █████ reaching Roman’s room and enter without knocking. He knew it would be alright when █████ flung himself in Roman’s arms and cried into the nape of his neck as Roman quietly told him that it was okay.
***
A coughing fit, far worse than those before overcame the man and Janus stepped to his side to stroke his back in a calming manner. The man quickly put on hand on Janus’s shoulder to steady himself as the coughs slowly subsided and he found himself breathing normally again. As he finally had finished, Janus let one of the guards bring him some water and the two of them walked to the edge of the training ring and sat down on a bench.
The man was breathing heavily and his hands were shaking from the coughing fit. Almost Janus reached over to him and help him drink from the glass so he would not spill the water but stopped himself in the last moment. This was ridiculous. He didn’t know this man, he was a stranger and a potential threat. He was not supposed to care about him and help him out on a whim, Janus reminded himself and shook his head.
“I think this is enough for now,” Janus said and stood up.
The man wanted to follow suit and but Janus stopped with the words: “You have deserved a break after the assessment. I will talk with the king about your position and will let you know what we decided soon after. You may now return to your quarter and wait there for the next orders.”
The man gaped. Janus could imagine why; he was not known to be merciful or kind. He had always been harsh and demanding unlike Roman, who he had supported during all of his life and had always been warm-hearted and forgiving despite the lessons life had taught him. Janus had needed to protect the too pure man and it had made him cynical and cautious. But there was something in this stranger that awoke just the same protective instinct which usually kicked in when Roman was around.
“Seize this moment of my sentimentality, stranger,” Janus said sharply under his breath knowing fully well that his left eye was glowing golden, “for it will not come upon you again. Enjoy your break and make sure that I won’t have to regret this. Otherwise, you will pay for it.”
A nod followed and Janus left the training grounds. The man watched as he instructed a few guards to bring him back to his quarters and he followed as the led him back there. Not that he needed their guidance to find the place.
Quarters was a generous name for a square room with a kitchenette, a table with a chair, a closet and a bed. There was a small bathroom with a toilet and a water faucet where he had freshened up last night. Judging his sweat drenched clothes, he would need to go to the baths for the soldiers which would be an interesting experience for him.
With a sigh he sat down on his chair and ruffled through his curly hair. What was he doing? Why did he come back to the castle? This was torture to him and it wouldn’t do him any good to stick around here any longer. He should leave. He really should leave before the prince would come to the castle. After that he would be hopelessly lost.
Tock, tock.
The man listened up. With furrowed brows he stared at the door.
Tock, tock.
Now it sounded like a question somehow and the man decided to answer and got up.
“Yes?” he asked and opened the door to not see anybody stand in front of it.
A tiny cough sent the man’s eyes looking downwards and there he found Patton standing in front of his door. The little boy looked up at him with a shy smile and before the man knew it, he crouched down to his eye level and returned the smile brightly.
“Hello Patton! It’s so nice to see you again,” the man said softly and Patton giggled a little.
“It’s nice to see you too! I was looking for you in the whooooole outer courtyard! It’s very big, and my legs aren’t very long so it took me a while to search it all,” Patton whispered quickly and leaned forward as if he was telling a secret.
“I see,” the man stage whispered back to Patton’s amusement. “How did you find me?”
“I asked one of the guards! She was very nice and said it was very nice of me to come and thank you for saving me.”
The man’s expression shifted. He looked surprised and Patton furrowed his little brows at that. Why was his saviour surprised? Was it that unusual to ask guards for help? Didn’t grownups ask for directions as well? How did they not get lost all the time?
“You want to thank me?”
Patton was very confused now. Why was this grownup so confused that someone would thank him for helping them? That didn’t make any sense!
“You don’t make any sense! Of course, I want to thank you!” Patton said and put his hands on the man’s knees causing him to look at him with big eyes. “You were very nice to me and saved me and are very cool and I didn’t thank you and you’re supposed to thank people for helping you and I forgot because Sir Will Suffice told Ms Anouilh that we can go and I was still a little scared from suddenly being no longer on the street and that’s why I came now to make it right!”
The man still looked a little surprised but now he seemed more relaxed and he was smiling and Patton really like this man’s smile. He really, really liked him.
“That is very kind of you, Patton. I feel honoured that you came all the way to my tiny quarters just to thank me,” the man said and Patton beamed at him.
Happily, Patton jumped on the spot and told the man: “It’s no problem! And I didn’t even thank you yet!”
The man chuckled as Patton stepped back and bowed before him and said: “Thank you very much for saving me yesterday, Mr …”
Patton looked up and frowned. The man tilted his head in question until he suddenly got what was most likely the problem.
“I have not even asked for your name! That’s very not polite of me!” Patton whined tears forming in his eyes.
Reacting quickly, the man shot forward and put his hand on Patton’s shoulder. He smiled at him and wrecked his brain of how to console him most efficiently and how he would explain to him that he was unable to tell him his name without upsetting the emotional kid any further.
Eventually the man settled: “It’s alright, Patton. I’m not hurt that you didn’t ask for my name. You had other very scary things in your mind and if I was you, I might have forgotten to ask something like that as well.”
Patton calmed a little and rubbed his eyes dry. He didn’t see it but the man gave him a proud look for calming down so quickly. Patiently, he waited for Patton to finish collecting himself until he was ready to finally ask: “So, can you tell me your name now, mister?”
The man bit his bottom lip. He could not lie to this child. He simply couldn’t give him a fake name.
“I really want to,” the man said a bit shaky, “but I can. Like I really, really can’t.”
Patton frowned adorably and shook his head.
“Do you not know your name then?”
“I do know my name.”
“But you cannot say it?”
“No, I cannot say it.”
Patton mused for a second.
“Can you write it down?”
The man thought for a moment as well.
“I don’t think so. Can you already read?”
“Not well, but I can read the letters of my name! There is a P, an A, two T’s, an O and an N! That's six letters because there are two T’s!” Patton explained excitedly and the man giggled.
And as the man giggled Patton had an idea.
“We could make up a name for you! Because everyone should have a name and making up things if fun!” Patton exclaimed and the man’s expression grew even softer.
“That’s a great idea, Patton. What name would you think should I have?”
Patton pressed his pointer finger against his forehead to make the thoughts come faster. With a serious expression he looked all over the man to find his first clue.
“You’ve got curly hair like me but it’s brown, which isn’t super rare though. So, we can’t call you Curly or Brown, I think.”
“Very well deducted.”
“Mhm. Soooo -” Patton looked into the man’s eyes and for the first time noticed their colour - “green! You’ve got very pretty green eyes! I like green second best after pink, so that would be a very good name, I think!”
A smile spread on the grownup’s face and at once he pulled Patton into his arms and quickly jumped to his feet, eliciting a joyful shout from the boy. With a big smile he tickled Patton’s belly and the boy giggled hysterically. Eventually, the man stopped torturing Patton and safely placed his arm under his butt and the other over the little boys back to hold him securely, as Patton slung his legs around the man’s waist and his arms around his neck.
“I really, really like that name, Patton. Thank you so much for giving me such a pretty name,” Green said and watched Patton look at him with stars in his eyes.
“You are welcome,” Patton said proudly. “And thank you for saving me yesterday Mr Green.”
Green pushed some of Patton’s curls out of his face and simply smiled. Something about this little kid in his arms made him inexplicably weak and he wanted nothing more than hold him tight in his arms.
“You don’t smell very nice.”
Green could not help but chuckle as he looked in Patton’s displeased little face and ruffled his hair. With a playful brow wiggle Green shook the boy before he put him back down on the floor.
“Well, apparently you were saved by a stinky old man, huh? What a bad luck you’ve got, kid!” Green joked but Patton did not look very amused.
In fact, Patton looked almost like he was going to chide Green any second now. And then he actually did chide him: “This is not funny Mr Green! You want to smell nice and look nice! It’s very important! You need to look after yourself!”
“Oh, it’s very important?” Green gently said and Patton nodded intently.
“Yes, it is! Mrs Rose, she takes care of us in the orphanage, always says that! It’s because people will like us better when we look proper and take care of ourselves and then we get a new home and maybe a softer bed and maybe, maybe goodnight kisses and hugs, so you need to go to the baths and clean yourself! It’s super important!”
Green blinked. He pressed his lips into a firm line, brows furrowing and inhaled slowly. Then his face relaxed again and he let himself sit down in the door frame while still looking down at Patton. At once Green was very tired and it took a toll on him to keep smiling but he did it anyway.
“I see, but I’m not supposed to leave this room, kid. Also, I haven’t been to a – the bathhouse here, so I don’t know where it is and what rules to follow,” Green explained patiently.
That statement did not seem to satisfy Patton. Before Green could ask what he was thinking, the little boy had turned around and ran towards one of the guards close to the stables and talked with them as he pointed towards Green. And just moments later Patton turned back around and ran to Green with very determined look in those little eyes.
“Get some spare clothes and your towel! Mrs Guard has allowed me to show you the baths because you are stinky and need a bath and because she trusts me because I am very reliable,” Patton announced.
Green gaped. He simply gaped at the audacity from little Patton. From this boy that was looking at him with the biggest eyes and more certainty than Green had felt in the last 48 hours combined. And in his surprise, he went to grab some clothes he had been given, a towel and then took Patton’s hand, who led him happily towards the baths. Idly chattering Patton talked to him and greeted whomever was passing them until they reached the bathhouse.
Green stopped. He didn’t know what to do next. He had seen this place many times from the outside but never from within. Everything was a lot right now and he felt overwhelmingly lonely and clueless in this moment.
“I can come with you if you want.”
The voice he heard came from his side and finally Green remembered Patton who was still holding his hand and looking up at him with these trustworthy eyes. This most likely should be the point where Green should have told Patton that it was fine and that he should go back to Ms Anouilh in the weaving mill. But he didn’t.
Instead, he squeezed Patton’s hand and said quietly: “That would be very nice of you, kid. I’m - I’m a bit lost on my own right now. But you don’t have to if you don’t want.”
Patton smiled and pulled Green behind himself while he answered and led them to the dressing room before the baths.
“Oh, I don’t like bath time a lot, but it’s always much funnier with others around and you are fun and I like to help, so this is fun too!”
The bath was mostly empty as it was early afternoon and most soldiers didn’t shower during that time, so Green and Patton could take their time. And they needed that as Patton explained exactly how Green needed to get in line, when many people wanted a bath and how to put away his dry clothes in one of the lockers so they didn’t get wet. He did all of it with much passion and Green had a good time as the kid and he undressed and went inside. Quietly, he made sure that Patton washed all the soap out of his hair when they had finished and helped him dry himself once they got back to put on their clothes.
Not once Patton stopped talking and not once Green felt alone again. It was no surprise to him anymore, when he asked Patton if he wanted a snack after helping him out, that the little boy agreed with a bright smile. And so, they went back into his little quarter and he found some eggs, salt, milk and pepper in his kitchenette to make them some scrambled eggs. Patton at first insisted that this was only breakfast food but came around quickly, when Green allowed him to turn on the stove and help him make sure that the frying pan got hot enough before they put the eggs inside the pan.
A couple of minutes later Patton and Green could sit down and eat their meal. Patton talked the whole way through, Green not thinking of reminding him to close his mouth when he was chewing. This kid seemed to have so much to talk about and he was more than willing to listen. And Green liked how his words filled the room and his head and his heart. He liked how he didn’t feel so forlorn with Patton around and he hoped that he did a good job of taking care of him in return. He did not want him to get used by him. He just wanted to see this tiny face be happy and the boy being save. It’s all he wanted. At least in that very moment.
As they finished, Green put their plates away and then went to wipe Patton’s face with a napkin he found in one of the drawers. Patton wasn’t that happy about it but soon forgave him, when he scooped him up from his chair and let him sit on the table as he hugged him tightly. For a moment Green was close to cry but it passed and he relished in the embrace Patton clearly enjoyed as well.
Tock, tock.
Green frowned and softly pulled out of their hug which caused Patton to whine a little. He shot him an apologizing look and went to the door. Subconsciously, he fixed his posture and opened it to meet the gaze with the guard, who had let Patton bring him to the bathhouse. He bowed his head and kept his mouth shut waiting for her words.
“I was sent by the Royal Advisor. I am here to inform you that you have passed your evaluation and will be instructed to your new duties first thing in the morning, if you wish to pursue the position,” she said firmly but not unkindly.
It took a moment for the information to settle. Janus and Logan had spoken and agreed to keep him around. It left him feeling so many things at once yet his face remained blank. He licked his lips slowly and nodded his head.
“Thank you for this chance. I will be ready in the morning to receive my instructions,” Green answered dutifully.
The guard raised her eyebrows and angled her head slightly. He mirrored her not quite knowing what her in thoughts were in the hopes he might maybe understand her through mimicking.
But it didn’t help him to anticipate the next thing she said: “So, you accept?”
“I- I don’t have much choice, do I? With no permit in a time where King Gerogy is a real bitch I have to accept any leniency that is shown to me.”
Green’s hand shot in front of his mouth. That was too direct. He shouldn’t have said that. Jan was right, he really needed to watch his words better, this would cost his head. This would mark the end of him.
And then it didn’t.
The guard laughed and she shook her head.
“You were given a choice without any attachments. You can deny or accept and will not face any form of punishment. It’s the king’s will.”
The king’s will.
How had Green ever doubted Logan?
Green bowed his head and felt Patton hold onto his leg as he came from behind. There was so much he needed to protect. So much that meant the world to him.
“Then I will be honoured to accept this position,” Green said and bowed deeply.
___
Link for AO3, Taglist, Masterlist, and next Chapters are in my first reblog!
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theinfinitybucky · 4 years
Text
Undercovers (Bucky Barnes x Reader) - Part 1
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Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader
Request: can you do an enemies to lover fic with bucky where the reader saves him or something and he's all like "why'd you do it? i'm awful to you." and she's like "i would never let anyone die. You might drive me insane, but I see that there is good in you" thanks!
Author’s Note: Okay, I loved this request and got super carried away with it so I had more than one part. I hope you like it.
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“I swear to God if you do not back off right now I will flip you on your ass.” You sneered at Bucky.
“Like you could.” Bucky took a step closer to you and growled in a viscous but sarcastic tone. As you stepped up to make word on your promise, Steve jumped up to split the two of you apart. Your hate for Bucky never seemed to lessen as you spent more time with him. It actually seemed to be growing into a larger problem. Every time he was around you, it was his goal to make your life miserable. Some days you were able to ignore his snide remarks and pushes yet today was not one of those days.
“Y/N! Bucky!” Steve scolded both of you. “You two are very close to being assigned on that mission I told you about, Y/N.” Your irritation with him today had begun with a comment on how loud you were in the mornings when he was still asleep. That wasn’t what had started the argument between you though. You had told him that he never slept anyway. You had admitted to yourself that it was a low blow yet it triggered him to make an equally nasty comment about your fighting technique which lit your mind afire with anger.
“You would not dare!” You stepped away from Bucky who was nearly chest to chest with you. He had never ceased to drive you insane. His hobby seemed to be: what can I do to piss Y/N off today? The daily bickering and arguments began to get to Steve. He was tired of listening to the two of you. One day when you and Steve were training he mentioned an idea to you.
His “idea” disgusted you in every sense and you begged him to never implement the mission. Steve had told you that you were going to get someone on the team killed because of the workplace dysfunction. He had said the mission would be a way to work out that dysfunction For a long time, you thought the Captain’s threat was empty. Perhaps that was true until today’s argument. 
“Well, I’m about to.” Steve responded strongly.
“What mission? What is he talking about?” Bucky questioned you and Steve.
 You completely ignored Bucky and begged, “Steve, please. I’ll do better; I’ll be more agreeable!” It was no use though. When Steve Rogers made up his mind, he made up his mind. The man was as stubborn as a cattle. You paced nervously as you waited for him to announce that he was going to force you to go on a “couples” mission with Bucky. Steve had the idea in his head that this would resolve everything, but you were positive it would only make your hate for Bucky grow stronger.
“Y/N, you’ve both had your chance. I’ll have the mission prepared for tomorrow.”
“Steve!” You cried out as he walked out of the room. 
“Okay, what is he talking about?” Bucky attempted to ask you. The only response he received was a glare from you before you exited the room. You could not believe that Steve was actually going to find a mission to make you act like a couple with Bucky. The jokes about it were over now. It was actually going to happen. You were disgusted by the thought of having to be around Bucky, let alone touching him intimately whether it was for a mission or not.
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“You’re insane,” Bucky said to Steve while shaking his head.
“Maybe.” Steve weighed Bucky’s opinion for a second.
Bucky paced the room anxiously after what Steve had just told him. Y/N already knew of Steve’s plans to send him on a mission as her husband. She had already been read in on the whole mission months beforehand. Y/N’s mission so far had never required much interaction with the young nuclear weapons entrepreneur she was tracking. Her days sitting in restaurants and overhearing conversations were over. She now had enough information to be able to dive into this man’s world. Steve shifted her plans slightly and Bucky was not glad that they now included him.
“Steve, this is not what I had planned!” Bucky sighed as he ran his fingers through his long hair. He had liked Y/N for a long time. The feelings were not at all reciprocated obviously. He knew that Y/N was not his biggest fan since he arrived. He tried to interact with her, but since they got off to a rough start every little thing he did seemed to get under her skin.
Steve was just trying to help Bucky by setting them up on a mission like this. Y/N wanted nothing to do with Bucky. Steve hoped that this would change how he felt about his fellow soldier. Y/N was headstrong and there was the possibility of her not changing her mind. That is what scared Bucky the most. Y/N could reject him and he would be heartbroken. The thought wasn’t an outlandish possibility anyways. He would just have to wait and see.
“Just give it a chance, Buck.” Steve pleaded.
Bucky shook his head once again, “I have to because you already told SHIELD.”
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“Remind me again why you hate him so much?” Natasha questioned you as she went through your closet. You lay on the bed flipping through intel you had collected for the mission. You wanted to be ready for diving into this head first. You knew that Bucky was somehow going to screw up the single largest and most pressing mission you had ever been assigned and only because Steve wanted to prove a point. 
“Nat…” You scolded her as you continued to turn pages. You looked up for a second to shoot her a glare that was intended to mean stop. To Nat the glare just meant full force ahead. Your eyes flickered back to the page full of boring text. You had already memorized all of this. Nat flopped down on the bed beside you.
She was silent for a second before she smirked, “You know, I think you and Bucky would make a great couple.” 
“Haha, very funny.” You threw the folder on the bed and got up. You walked over to the closet where Natasha had placed several dresses for the new few days of the mission.
“I’m not joking!” Natasha sat up quickly with a mischievous grin on her face.
“It’s a mission, not real life. Besides, the man drives me insane.” You mumbled as you sorted through what she had picked out. Not a single one of them suited your toned down style. You sighed and glanced back to her.
“Oh, come on!” Nat hopped up and stalked over to you. “I know you think he is attractive.”
“Nat!” You chidded her again. You mulled  it over in your mind for a second. His blue eyes and jawline were attractive… You hated his long hair though because it hid his face. You thought it made him look unhinged. He never smiled either. It was none of your business what he looked like. You shook off the thought. Nat did catch that you were considering whether you were attracted to him. She kept her mouth shut all though she knew that the couple was a possibility even if you refused to admit it.
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Bucky walked out of the briefing room and your jaw dropped for a split second. He had cut his hair short and damn was it attractive. You brushed off the thought and began walking towards the elevator. Bucky had noticed your expression when you saw him though. He tried to ignore your surprise and act like it hadn’t affected him. Truthfully he was hurt that you didn’t make a comment.
“Okay, our target is-.” You began to Bucky as you walked the halls of SHIELD with your heels clicking on the marble floors. You wore a black dress with a scalloped neck that barely covered your shoulders. You and Bucky would be leaving for the hotel where the nuclear weapons CEO was having a conference soon. You were not pleased about Steve’s plan and how it altered your own for the mission. You remembered Steve had read you in on it in the first place because he planned to force you to do this with Bucky. He did it to make you know that his threats of forcing you to be a couple were real.
Bucky cut you off, “-Marcus Whitaker. I’ve already been briefed, Y/N.”
“Then what is the company he is CEO of?” You asked inquisitively.
He answered quickly, “Biotelligence Incorporated.”
“Home address?”
“905 Walton Street.”
“Best friend’s name?”
“Eric Miller.”
You sighed, you weren’t going to win with this one. A smirk grew on his face because he knew that your release of a breath meant he had won. You continued to walk with Bucky as unhappy thoughts flowed through your mind about the mission beginning. You knew the rest of the team was going to tease you eternally about your relationship. You tried to talk Steve out of it and he said no.
“Oh!” Bucky gasped and pulled on your shoulder to stop you from walking away. You stumbled back and turned toward him.
“What!” You snapped at him. 
“I almost forgot this.” He pulled a shining diamond ring out of his pocket. He picked up your hand from your side easily. His warm hand held your own and time seemed to slow. Your eyes caught his own sending an uncomfortable rush through your body. Why had that happened? You had no feelings for him. Not in the least of the sense. You spread your fingers so he could slip the ring on. You watched as he slipped it onto your finger sealing both of your fates.
His lips parted to say something when Steve called, “Y/N!” This triggered you to jerk away from Bucky’s touch. The cold metal of the ringing rested on your finger as a reminder of the next few days. You twirled the ring on your finger mindlessly. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Yes.” You walked away from Bucky to go talk to Steve.
“There’s been a slight change in plans. Um… How do I tell you this?” Steve looked at the floor nervously. His unsure voice gave you even more anxiety. You shifted your stance as you waited for whatever bad news he was going to bear. “Every single hotel room is bugged.”
“What!” You gasped. No, this couldn’t be happening. You were not only going to have to share a room with Bucky, but you were going to be stuck in the same bed with him now. The desire to puke came over you in a wave. There were no chances of pulling out now, plus, lives were at stake. This was about to get way more complicated than you had intended.
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Thank you for reading. Please give a like, reply, or reblog for more content in the future. I also am taking one shot requests go ahead and send your idea in to see it brought to life!
Part Two
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