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kirakiraaa42 · 3 months

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Chapter III - Abrupt friendship

JANUARY 2023

FRIDAY

(PROBABLY OCCASIONAL) TMI

Momo: I ate a lot of candy today during practice this morning and I needed to brush my teeth twice after.

Axelle: Some random stranger asked if I was in college, and I accidentally said I'm a highschooler. I only realized that I said that after I talked to her.

It was almost noon and all TWICE members were still in the practice room, having just finished their dance practice, and then recording a choreography version of one of their songs.

"Chaeyoung, do you have an extra shirt there?" Jihyo asks.

"Yes. You want this oversized one?" Chaeyoung asks Jihyo back, showing an oversized shirt.

"I'm literally sweating right now and you want me to wear an oversized shirt?" Jihyo laughs. "You're so funny, Chaeyoung."

"Oh sorry, unnie, haha! I have a regular shirt that you can wear." Chaeyoung gives Jihyo a regular sized shirt this time.

"Thanks, Chae! You're the best." Jihyo then takes the shirt from Chaeyoung and goes to the changing room.

Meanwhile, the others are just sitting on the sides, having their own little break.

Dahyun and Sana are having their own little bickering on snacks.

"Hey! You're taking away my snack. I was supposed to eat it, unnie..." Dahyun pouts.

"No, Dahyun, I'm just opening it. Mwehehehe." Sana teased.

Meanwhile, Nayeon and Tzuyu are leaning their heads into Jeongyeon's shoulder.

"Hey, do we have recording sessions later in the afternoon?" Nayeon asks.

"Yeah. We're all going to be going into the booth to record. Right, Tzuyu?" Jeongyeon added, asking Tzuyu.

Tzuyu nodded. "Mhmmm. Though I'm not focusing on that right now. I just want to have lunch."

Jihyo then comes back from the changing room, having worn the shirt she borrowed from Chaeyoung. She notices that two other members weren't in the practice room with them. She looks around for a few seconds, then she asks the other members.

"Guys, have you seen Mina and Momo?"

The others shrug.

"Weren't they here with us on the practice?" Tzuyu asks everyone.

"Mina went out to go buy a few things. Momo went out on her own. I don't know where she went, though." Sana answers.

"Should we call them?" Jeongyeon asks Jihyo.

Jihyo then thinks for a few brief moments, but knowing that Mina and Momo are probably doing personal stuff outside of work, she suggests not disturbing them for now.

"No, Jeongyeon-ah. Let's just wait for them until they come back. We'll just alert them if the sessions start."

Speaking of Momo, she is walking on her own again. As it was already noon, Momo felt so hot that even her cap wasn't enough to shield herself from the humid atmosphere.

"Ughhh... so hot." Momo fans herself with her hand. "I need to go to a... an AC-built convenience store or something."

Soon enough, she finds a convenience store with air conditioning inside. She exhales in relief as soon as she feels the cold air of the AC surrounding the entire interior of the store.

Later on, she gets a can of coke for herself and queues up at the counter. She doesn't even realize that Axelle was behind her.

As for Axelle, he's getting himself an iced coffee, as he also felt so hot too, and he needed a drink. He notices Momo in front of him, but Momo doesn't notice him. Yet.

After paying for her coke, Momo then sits down at a table near the glass wall. Axelle then pays for his iced coffee as well. He then thought of an idea to approach her, as he remembers the phrase back when Momo met him for the first time. So he used that when approaching Momo on her table.

"Hello! Is this seat taken?" Axelle points at the seat next to Momo, smiling slightly.

Momo looks up, gasping, as she realizes that Axelle is in the convenience store too. "Axelle! Hi! What are you doing here?"

"Iced coffee. It's hot outside." Axelle says.

"Same. I bought me some Coke." Momo then offers the seat next to her for Axelle. "Well, since you're now here, please sit down with me."

Per Momo's request, Axelle then sits in front of Momo. He then sees her opening her can of Coke. Funnily enough, Momo drinks from it, but the fizziness causes her to squeeze her eyes shut, waving her hand briskly. She exhales in relief.

"Ahhhh! So good."

When Axelle saw this, he chuckled. "What are you doing?"

The idol did the same. "The Coke is too fizzy! This is just how it is when I drink a can."

"You're cute, you know that?" Axelle smirks, sipping his iced coffee.

As she places her elbows on the tabletop and places her palms on her face, Momo turns to face the man and smiles sweetly at him. He even almost choked on his iced coffee because of Momo's sweet yet enticing act.

"Okay, I just said that you're cute, and now you are trying to be one now." Axelle chuckles softly.

"What's wrong? I'm merely just trying to prove your own point to you." Momo teases him.

Axelle then shakes his head chuckling. Momo sips from her can, and teases him again. "I figured you're also here in the convenience store to follow me?"

"No, I wasn't, haha! I didn't even know you were here until I saw you in front of the queue. I also figured you would've noticed me behind you." Axelle says.

"I didn't notice you were right behind me, either! The thing is, I've already established you as the guy who would just show up anywhere as long as I'm also in that place." Momo says.

"Hey. Don't mistake me for a stalker, though. I would never do that." Axelle grimaces.

Momo can clearly see that Axelle is a genuine person and holds no hostility nor threat to her. She shakes her head and chuckles lightly. "Don't worry, Axelle. I don't mistake you for a stalker or a sasaeng. You're just a normal student trying to strive harder for his dreams, and I respect you for that."

The Brit looks down on the table, smiling shyly. "You're just being too nice to me."

"Maybe I'm simply trying to be too nice to you, but there's more to it than that, Axelle. Haven't you noticed that we almost always end up meeting somewhere the same? It's such a strange feeling, but I can't help but not think that it's a coincidence. At least, I think the universe is telling us that we are fated to always see each other."

Axelle scoffs lightly. "I don't mean to offend or invalidate you, but it looks like you've been reading horoscopes or something."

Momo scowls at him. "No, I'm not! I'm just saying what I think from my point of view based on what I believe is happening at this moment. Or maybe I probably shouldn't have said anything..." She then frowns, pretending to be disappointed at Axelle's response.

Axelle must have offended Momo by his previous statement, so he quickly apologizes. "Sorry if I misunderstood you. You must be a person that views things subjectively. I didn't mean to invalidate you like that."

Momo goes silent for a few seconds, then he looks at Axelle with a slightly sad pout. "You're just too polite, Axelle. Fine, I forgive you." Then she drinks her can of Coke again.

"I didn't really think about what I said. I'm sorry again." He would then bow while staying in his seat.

She felt that Axelle was already too polite, so she shook her hand to signify that politeness isn't necessary. "No, no, no, no! Axelle, don't bow at me like that! I've already forgiven you, so please spare yourself the trouble."

"Okay, sorry, Momo."

"I said, don't be sorry!"

"Okay, sor-" Axelle covers his mouth, preventing himself from saying "sorry" too many times. In turn, this made Momo stifle a laugh.

The idol would then end up laughing anyway. She thought it was so adorable and hilarious seeing him struggling not to say the word. The college student would just grin in embarrassment.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You're so cuteeee!!!! Say that again?" Momo teases him.

"Hey! Stop it!" Axelle laughs. "I'm not going to say that word again!"

"Come on! Say it again! Teehee!" Momo laughs.

"No!" He laughed louder.

Momo and Axelle continue to laugh and tease each other, not even noticing that the clock has struck 1 pm. It was clear that these two had already made a connection with each other. Even in a short span of time, it already felt like they have known each other for years, and it was indeed wholesome to see an abrupt, yet astounding friendship forming.

"Oh shoot! I have to go back to the JYP building! We have recording sessions to do!" The Japanese woman said, standing up, looking at the clock.

Axelle stands up from his chair, looking at his watch. "Same. I have to attend the remaining units for my Accounting subject. See you in a bit, Momo."

The two get out of the convenience store, and walk on their own separate paths. Axelle would then recall that he still hasn't got Momo's number.

"Oh, wait! I haven't got your number..."

He looks back, only to find out that she was gone.

"...yet."

The Brit wanted to ask for her number. Much to his dismay, Momo was already gone from his sight. Axelle begins to walk back to his uni, slightly overthinking.

"I should've got her number earlier. Maybe I'll just rely on luck and meet her again sometime, somewhere."

10:00 PM

Momo just got out of practice sessions with the other TWICE members. The schedule was super tight and she wanted to have a little break on her own before she would deal with more hectic schedules for the following days to come. She went to a different convenience store this time and bought some food for herself, including her favorite meal, jokbal 족발 (pig's trotters) and soju. She is having her own little anju 안주 tonight.

She sets all of the food and the soju on the table. "Lucky I brought my own shot glass. I wouldn't have my anju if I didn't have this." Momo says to herself, opening up the jokbal she bought. She then takes a piece using her chopstick. She closes her eyes as she eats it, feeling delight even with just the first bite.

"Mmmmmm~! 맛있어!!! 맛있어!!! Jokbal is the best food in the world~!"

(맛있어 "masisseo" is an informal way of saying "delicious" in Korean.)

She opens her soju with a can opener that she also brought with her, pouring herself a shot.

"Mmm. Ah. Nothing like a good shot of soju in the silent night of Seoul." Momo then takes another piece of jokbal into her mouth, then takes another shot of soju.

One minute later, she would then notice Axelle yet again from a distance. He is in the cashier paying for a little tub of rosé tteokbokki 로제떡볶이. The thought of what Momo said earlier about them being destined to always see each other flashed to her mind. It seemed to be true. At least, that's what she thought when she saw him again.

Axelle heats up his rose tteokbokki in the nearby microwave. He would then soon take notice of Momo having her own anju on her table. Their widened eyes meet each other from a distance.

Axelle would mouth the words "You again?" but in a surprised manner, since he saw Momo again in the same convenience store, after having met him earlier in a separate convenience store at noon.

"Axelle! You again?" The idol mouthed her words as well. She feels the same as soon as she sees Axelle.

Axelle would then point to the microwave, indicating that he is still heating up his tteokbokki.

She responds by giving him a thumbs-up and then mouthing the words, "Come here after! I have soju! Let's have anju together!"

After his rosé tteokbokki has been heated up, he then comes to Momo's table and sits beside her.

"Axelle! I can't believe we have met again after only meeting earlier!" Momo waves her hand excitedly.

"Can't believe it too. It's a bit odd seeing you hours later." Axelle plops down the little tub of rosé tteokbokki on the table. "What are you doing here though?"

Momo looks at all the food and the soju she bought on the table. "I'm having my own little anju. I wanted to get out of the stress of dance practice for a bit. Also I was craving jokbal! I just love jokbal so much!"

Axelle tilts himself slightly and looks at the other food that she bought for herself. "You probably have overbought some food there, Momo. I was afraid that you'd be full after all that jokbal and then you won't be able to eat the other items."

The idol shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll just give the other snacks to the other members once I'm done here." She then takes a shot of soju. "Get that extra shot glass. I'll pour you a shot."

Knowing that he can't refuse a blessing, Axelle gets the shot glass with two hands and then Momo would give a shot of soju to him. He receives the drink and then bows his head. Momo notices this politeness that Axelle is exuding.

"Hey, Axelle. It is okay to not bow after receiving your shot. And you don't need to hold it with two hands. We're close friends now, after all! So just be casual, okay?"

"Oh, okay then." The young man holds the shot glass with one hand now, and then drinks it. "Thank you for offering me your soju, Momo."

"You're so cute, just seeing you all polite with me. But again, just be casual! No need for formalities!" Momo then takes a bite of her jokbal and then she drinks another shot of soju.

"So, Axelle, what brought you here in this time and place?"

"Same as you. I just wanted myself to be out of the stress. I put my homeworks on hold for now."

"That's good! Stress is very bad for your health. And unwinding for a bit won't anyway so..." She said, taking a shot. "Don't be afraid to take breaks once in a while."

Momo would then remember that Axelle had an eyepatch on his left eye four days ago, and now he doesn't have it. It seemed that his black eye had already healed.

"Axelle. Your eye is okay now!" Momo points at his left eye.

"Yeah. You didn't notice earlier when we met earlier at noon?" Axelle takes a piece of rice cake (tteokbokki) and chews on it.

"I didn't. The thought of that never crossed my mind as soon as we met earlier. But I'm glad you're okay now." Momo smiles softly. "But..."

"But what, Momo?"

"You wouldn't mind if I asked you what happened to your eye? Why did you have those bruises few days ago?" Momo asked.

Axelle hesitates for a few seconds. Even though he is now close with Momo, he isn't planning on telling everything about his life, especially not the part about being bullied. So he had to lie, while keeping a friendly demeanor to her.

"I had an accident at my uni, I was almost late to my class and I ended up hitting a few obstacles on the way, like a pillar or something. So that's why I had bruises a few days ago."

Momo tilts her head, narrowing her gaze at him. "Really? Are you sure that you weren't being pursued by someone or something?" She then gives Axelle another shot of soju.

Axelle shakes his head. "No, really. I wasn't pursued by someone. It's just a little accident, that's all. This is just my student life, I guess." He shrugs, taking the shot glass from Momo and drinking the soju. "But like they say, ain't no mountain high enough. I got to class anyway."

"Oh, good. I was a bit worried that someone was bullying you. I'm glad you're okay now."

Momo takes a few shots of soju, but she didn't keep track of how many shots she already did, to the point where she has become tipsy (To clarify, not DRUNK. Tipsy. Those are different terms). She can still handle the alcohol and manage to be sane for a while, at least for now.

"So, Axelle. Mmmm... You are also a footwear designer aside from being a student, right? Can you... like, disclose how much you earn from them..?"

"Yeah, I can disclose it. It's estimated around ₩24,000-₩26,000 per input, depending on the brand that I am designing for. If I could make five designs within a week, then I earn ₩120,000-₩129,000."

Momo was about to drink a shot when she heard how much Axelle earns, causing her to spill her drink and be gobsmacked. "Wait... You earn T-THAT much? Just by designing footwear? But isn't this only a s-sideline of yours?"

Axelle nods. "Yes. Even though I might be freelance only, I always make designs, even though I wasn't even called for commissions. In the end, all of this is for my college tuition anyway."

She ate a piece of jokbal with her wobbly hand. "S-So in that case, have you designed footwear for some big brands like Nike, Birkenstock, Gucci or even O-Onitsuka Tiger?"

"Yeah, even Onitsuka Tiger."

Momo gasps. "Oh! Oh! I was brand ambassador for Onitsuka Tiger! I even wore one of their shoes that I used for a magazine photoshoot. W-Wait, wait! Don't tell me you designed some of the Onitai shoes that I wore?!"

(Onitai is a short form nickname for Onitsuka Tiger. Japanese tend to shorten names sometimes to make it a bit easier to remember.)

Axelle shrugs. "Who knows. Not telling you, though." He then takes a piece of rice cake.

"Oh come on! W-Why wouldn't you tell me?" Momo said excitedly, as she stood up. This is the time where Axelle would notice that she was a bit wobbly. Momo is beyond tipsy now. The alcohol has slowly permeated her entire system.

He stands up from his chair and supports Momo, holding her shoulders so that she wouldn't be able to fall.

"Momo. You okay? You have taken a few shots of soju already. Well, almost a few."

"Axelle! Come on... I'm not that drunk. J-just tell me if you designed those Onitai shoes that I wore...!" Momo says. Her face has seemingly gone red already.

"Momo, you're already drunk. We need you to-"

The Brit pauses, as a few people around the convenience store are now looking at them. He begins to feel embarrassment for himself, as he now had to take care of a drunk K-pop idol in public. He wraps his arms around Momo to support her, as she's losing her balance.

"Ah...! Momo. Please pull yourself together! There's people watching us!"

"Mmmmm?" She drunkenly gasps. "Axieeeee!!!!!! You'we so cutieeeee!!!!!" Momo squeals, hugging Axelle.

"AXIE?" He was taken aback by Momo's sudden nicknaming of him.

"Mmmm! You handsome-looking British boy! You look like a king! You look like Prince Harry the third or something?" Momo looks up at Axelle, sticking out her tongue playfully.

"Momo, what the hell are you saying?"

Axelle then helps Momo sit back in her chair, and notices a rectangular object in her pocket. He pulls it out, and he finds out it's her phone. He turns it on and swipes, showing the password keypad to Momo. "Momo! What's the password?"

"Axie..." She taps her fingers on Axelle's face as if he was her phone. "You know, I-I am... glad that I met you..."

"Momo, your phone should be the one that you are tapping on, not my face! What's the password on your phone?"

"Oh. Zzzsorry. Muehehehe. It's uh... " She then air writes the numbers 9, 6 , 1 and 1.

Axelle types in the numbers that Momo air wrote, and the phone unlocks. He then goes through Momo's contacts, finding the name "Im Nayeon." He then calls her, hoping that the other line will answer.

On the other end, Nayeon picked up the call. "Hello, Momo?"

"Nayeon-nim! It's me, Axelle!"

"Axelle? What? Why are you calling me through Momo's phone? Are you two together?" Nayeon asks, a bit confused.

"Yes! But I'll explain later! Momo is drunk right now and I need help here. She bought a lot of food for herself and I can't carry those AND her at the same time. So I need help, please, Nayeon-nim. We're here at this convenience store in front of the bakeshop, just two blocks to the right of the JYP building."

"Okay, I'm coming there ASAP! Tell Momo to hold on and wait for me!" Nayeon ends the call and starts to run out of her own apartment.

Meanwhile, Momo then stands up wobbling. She goes near Axelle and wraps her arms around Axelle's neck and wraps her legs around his. She's hanging like a koala now. "Axie! Let me hang on to you, pwease! Muhuhuhuehehehehehehehe!"

"Momo, no!"

Luckily Axelle was able to stay intact, so that Momo wouldn't fall from him. She drops her feet onto the ground, then lifts them up once more, wrapping her legs around his midsection, while still wrapping her arms on his neck.

"Weeee! I'm being carried by Axie!" She shouts like a child on a merry-go-round, giggling. "Turn around, turn around!"

Axelle was already annoyed at this point. Eventually, Momo would let go of him, standing up wobbling. The young man eventually helps her sit back in the chair so she could calm down and stay put.

He gently grabs Momo's shoulders, trying to console her. "Momo. Just please calm down. Nayeon-nim is on her way now."

"Nayeon? Yayyyy!" She puts her hands up as if she was on a roller coaster. "I miss Nayeon so muchuu!"

"Wait, stay right here. I'm going to get you some water."

"Nooo! Don't leave me pleaseee!!" Momo reaches her hands towards him.

But Axelle already left their table to go back inside to get a big bottle of water. While on the counter, he looks over at the glass wall to make sure that Momo isn't attempting to stand up.

Once he had already paid for the bottle of water, he quickly goes outside, back to their table, and opens the bottle of water. Momo grabs the bottle of water with her hands and drinks from it.

"Ahhhhh! I n-needed that water so much t-that I wanna take a bath now!" Momo attempts to pour the water over her head, but Axelle quickly takes the bottle away from her and sets it aside on the table.

The idol pouted. "Mmmph. Bad Axie. I will n-not call you 'Axie' ever again. Bad boy." She looks away, folding her arms.

The Brit just shakes his head and pulls his chair towards him. He rubs her back for comfort. While doing that, he looks around the area, hoping that Nayeon would come.

"Mmmmm... You know what, Axie? I g-gotta tell you sum'in." Momo says. She is still drunk and her face is still all red.

Axelle lends his ear to her and listens to what she has to say.

"Y'know, uhuehehehehe. I... uh... I'm glad to have met you, Axie. Like... Our friendship may be abrupt and... q-q-quick... I am so like... vibing with you. I vibe with you. A lot. Uguhehehehehe." Momo declares drunkenly.

"Um... thanks, I guess." He continues to rub her back.

"I also have... sum'in to tell you too..."

"What is it?" Axelle raises his eyebrows.

"I'm just glad... that you are a sweet person and... uh... very friendly towards me. I just thought you w-would... shun me away... b-because..."

"Yes, Momo?"

"Because... I... I..."

Axelle nods, anticipating what the woman will say. He moves closer to her in order to better hear her voice.

"Axie... I-"

TO BE CONTINUED

#hirai momo #twice #twice momo #misamo #twice fanfic #fanfic #original character

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festiveferret · 2 years

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Wipdate!

Wow, okay apparently it’s been a REALLY long time since I’ve done one of these, so here we go! (Sorry there are so many!!)

Posted:

Modern Art - Steve overhears Tony talking about feelings Blue Tide, Graveside - WI, mermaid!Tony, comic collab with @vindemiatrix-moonpies You’re Home - H/C time travelling Steve comic collab with @hundredthousands Hollow - post!Benetar Tony recovering with Steve’s help That Twin Thing - Greg ponders Tony’s growing relationship with Steve (Ults). Collab for STG with @sirsapling and @hundredthousands Double Whammy - Double truth spell for STG with hollyandvice Fallen Angel - Remix for an STG remix chain! Wingfic :D Of Strippers and Snow Shovels by betheflame - podfic! Hold Out Your Delicate Hands by Kiyaar - live podfic performed with @kiyaar! Fuddy Duddy - College AU - Steve might not be the fuddy duddy he seems at first glance Saffron - Stripper Tony and Ults!Steve Best Fansite Ever!! - Tony made a Cap fansite in the 90s... someone finds it White Lies [The True Things Remix] - Remix for STG, Ults! Steve Tony Games Fills - All my fills for STG 2021 Citation Needed - Collab with @elwenyere - Prof!Tony with bonus art! The Journey - Hooker!Steve loses his job Flea’s Company - Stuckony: Steve has a secret... No. - Tony Stark tweets a picture of Steve Blockbuster - WI, gloryhole porn/meetcute Speakeasy; Love Hard - 1920s prohibition AU collab feat. forbidden gay love! Poker! Drinking! BEAUTIFUL ART FROM @thirstinart Beyond Form - Winteriron, vet!Tony & werewolf!Bucky Key Holder - Steve’s cock cage gets stuck on Cows - Meet cute with Farmer Tony and Cap Steve All Day - Stucky porn, FWB turned....?? Peanuts 2 - Sequel to soulmates ficlet ‘Peanuts’ Surprise - Steve hooked up with Tony Stark a few weeks ago and now he has something he has to tell him... Booty Call - Steve doesn’t understand the different between a butt dial and a booty call A Classic - Stuckony - stuck in a safehouse sex is a classic... Snickerdoodles and Cinnamon Buns - WI, bakery, ABO meetcute A Tended Garden - Sequel to Love Match, regency ABO love fluff Gimmie Something Sweet - Sugar Baby Tony Spark(y)s Fly - Dog trainer Steve, single dad and puppy owner Tony

Updating:

A Good Thing - Comic collab with Askafroa - Alpha!Tony and Omega!Therapist!Steve Yet I Will Try the Last - Truck Stop Hooker AU with hooker!Steve and flashy billionaire, Tony Stark. Up to chapter four! Held Remix - A rewrite of Held with Tony as the sub and Steve as the Dom. Up to chapter twenty-nine. (Planning to dive in again in the new year!)

Beta Queue:

Comfortable - A little Stony ficlet post-WS Doorway Omega - ABO Stony AU Abusive Brock - Steve is Tony’s PA. He’s also in a shitty relationship with Brock Do Not Reply - Y’all... I started this fic in 2017 and somehow this month I just opened it and... finished it?? WTF. It’s been sitting at 23k for literal years without a word on it, and now it’s 31k and finished im

Wips:

1) For MTH, I still have 2020′s Band AU to start posting. I have about 1200 words left to write on it, so it should start posting ANY MINUTE!! I also have a Winteriron mechnic!Bucky AU for @rise-up-ting-ting-like-glitter that’s about halfway done!

2) I’m working on an Arranged Marriage ABO Stony fic for my darling @betheflame which is also about halfway done :D

3) Venom 2 has got me in a Venom mood again and I’m trying to finish my Symbrock fic I started to write minutes after seeing the first movie, oh so many moons ago. I still love this fic, but damn, it’s like... too similar to the second movie in some ways, loooool (it’s basically a love letter to @willidothefandango)

4) I have a Twilight AU that’s a fucking BLAST to write, and I’m looking forward to getting some other things out of the way so I can work on it more.

5) Working on some old WIPS, some more stuff for Bday Bingo 2020. Trying to clean up the old hutch before the New Year.

6) Working on a secret sexy collab!

I did Nano this year and won (yay!) so Nov has mostly been writing and not much editing, but Dec will be about editing and getting things posted. I’m hoping to start 2022 with my obligations/promised stuff done or mostly done so I can fly with a little more freeform next year! Thanks for reading <3

#wipdate #wiplist #my writing #ferret life

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wicked-mind · 3 years

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Soulmates: Chapter Six

Summary: Soulmates are connected on a deeper level emotionally and physically. They can feel what the other needs and wants. As hints, the universe grants tattoos on your skin to help you find your soulmate when you’re about to meet them. When Bucky’s soulmate tattoo appears out of the blue, he knows that she is about to come into his life, but the way she does is not what he was expecting.

Word Count: 4.3k

Warnings: Swearing, as usual. Drinking. Nightmares mention violence.

Note: Figured we needed a slightly fluffy chapter before we meet Gemini (;

Bold for Natasha. Italic and Underline for Y/N.

All Writings Masterlist

*gifs not mine

Previously

After Y/N and Bucky finished their shower together and got dressed, they walked out into the kitchen where Sam and Natasha were sitting. Sam had a scowl on his face towards Bucky, “Man, my room is right next to yours. And the shower echoes.” He hissed out.

Y/N laughs a little and rolls her eyes before Bucky could speak, “Hey, I was ready to go in the med-bay. At least we made it to the shower so everybody didn’t get a show.” She snapped back with a smile as Natasha started dying in laughter.

Bucky couldn’t help but chuckle, sneaking his arm around Y/N’s waist and pulling her closer as he kissed her temple softly. Now, Y/N was his and he wasn’t going to let her go. Their bodies were like one, each other could feel everything the other felt physically and mentally. Bucky got what he always wanted, a deeper connection with someone and nobody was more perfect for him than Y/N. For once he found himself thanking the world and all the things it had done to him just to lead him to Y/N.

Chapter six -

It had been weeks since Y/N had finally given into her soulmate bond with Bucky. There had been no new information on Gemini so they had just been enjoying their time together. They were inseparable. Bucky seemed to constantly be orbiting Y/N like he was her sun, which in a way she was. They would train together, eat together, even moved into one of the apartment suites instead of just Bucky’s bedroom due to Sam complaining about how noisy they were. Anytime Bucky wasn’t around her and he found her, he would push her up against a wall or a counter and kiss her like he hadn’t seen her in years.

Y/N released a part of Bucky that nobody had seen before, not even Steve. Sure, he had known Bucky to be a ladies man in the forties as well as a confident, cocky flirt. But it was like a switch had flipped in Bucky due to having Y/N as a soulmate. He was more social to the other team members, came around more which Steve appreciated. Though, there were other things that had Steve concerned. Y/N had brought out a wild side in Bucky. She had him wrapped around her finger and that concerned Steve. Natasha had spent so much time telling him that Y/N was not to be trusted, but that was before the two had made up and it still made Steve feel uneasy. The last thing he wanted to happen was for Bucky to somehow end up hurt or change who he was to match Y/N. He felt the need to talk to Y/N, try to figure out what was her plans. He hadn’t talked to her very much as she was always either sleeping during the day or keeping Bucky all to herself.

Steve managed to find her one night alone by some miracle. Bucky was usually always following her around so Steve would take this opportunity to talk to Y/N and feel out her intentions. She was sitting outside in a chair at one of the patio tables, her legs resting on the tabletop. Steve took a seat in the chair next to her, folding his arms across his chest.

Y/N looked over towards him, raising an eyebrow at his posture, “Can I help you?” She asks him. There was no rudeness in her voice but there also wasn’t anything positive hidden in her tone.

Steve sighs a little, “We haven’t really met or talked yet. I’m Steve Rogers.” He said told her, watching her carefully. He could see all the things Natasha had told him- Y/N did seem like she lacked emotions at times but it also seemed like she was constantly challenging those around her with the way she talked and looked at others.

“Oh I know, I’ve heard all about you. Mr. Captain America. Mr. Stars and Stripes. And also Bucky’s best friend.” Y/N said, her lips twitching into a small smile towards him, “So, what can I do for you, Cap?”

“I wanted to know more about you, Y/N.” Steve said honestly, “Nat said some things before you two made up. Bucky is my best friend and I want to know your intentions with him.”

Y/N swung her legs off the table and sat up straight in her chair, tapping her fingers against the arms of the chair gently, “Hasn’t anybody ever told you that a bitter woman can be a real bitch?” She asks with a tilt of her head, “I don’t have any intentions. We are enjoying each other.”

Steve nodded slowly at her words, watching her closely to try and tell if there was any hint of lying in her voice but he couldn’t detect any. Either she was a really good liar or she was telling him the truth, “Bucky’s waited his whole life for his soulmate. He’s gone through more trauma than anybody I know. If you’re planning on hurting him in anyway or just using him for fun or a means to an end with your brother, you should reconsider what you’re doing. You can destroy him, Y/N.”

Y/N rolled her shoulders at his words, her nose twitching slightly in anger, “You want to know a secret, Mr. Stars and Stripes?” She asks, watching as he nodded before continuing, “I’ve met him before. In 2014. I got a gold care to take out Alexander Pierce. I was outside of his house one night all set up ready to snipe him through the window. I watched him shoot his maid. And Bucky was there, sitting at the table. He looked right at me down the scope of my gun and the way he stared was like there were no emotions in his body. He came after me immediately, got really close to getting me too, but I was able to slip away. I was disguised with a mask so nobody could figure out who I was afterwards. I laid low for years, running in fear that the Winter Soldier was going to come after me and also because my buyers were pissed I wasn’t able to deal with Pierce.”

Steve furrowed his brow at her words, confused, “If you were that close to him, why didn’t either of you get your soulmate tattoos until recently?” He asks.

“Because he wasn’t Bucky Barnes. He was the Winter Soldier.” Y/N replied, licking her lips before continuing, “You see, Steve, I could be set on revenge for having to be on the run for a few years because of him. And I am really good at revenge. I know I could ruin him, destroy him as you say. But that is not what I want to do. He is himself again, no longer the man that looked at me with cold, dead eyes. I like him this way and he is my soulmate. If I had any ill will or intentions, he would sense it in an instant.” She stood up, looking down at Steve as he stayed seated, “But if you ever question my intentions with my soulmate again, you and I are going to have a big problem and I have a feeling that’d piss Bucky off more than anything I could do to him.”

As if on queue, Bucky came out of the sliding door to look between Y/N and Steve who seemed to be staring each other down. His brow pulled together in confusion and concern, walking over and placing a hand on Y/N’s waist, “What’s going on? Everything okay?” He asks, looking to Y/N then to Steve. He could feel the anger Y/N felt at this moment directed at Steve and wanted to know why she would be feeling that anger.

Y/N kept her eyes on Steve, “Don’t worry about it, Bucky. We were just having a chat. Just remember what I said about a bitter woman, Steve.” She said before tearing her eyes away from Steve’s and heading back inside to go up to their apartment suite.

Bucky frowned watching her go before looking to Steve, “What happened? Why’s she so mad?” He asks as he sits in the chair Y/N did before.

Steve sighs, running his hand through his blonde hair, “I wanted to figure out more about her. What Natasha said about her concerned me. I’m worried of her intentions with you, Buck.” He said honestly. He never lied to Bucky or kept anything from him. They were best friends after all.

Bucky shook his head at Steve, “I trust her, Steve. I can feel everything she does and I know I can trust her.” He said before letting out a sigh, “You don’t have to trust Y/N. But I do and I know you trust me.”

“Did she tell you that she has met you before?” Steve asks curiously, wondering how much Y/N had told Bucky.

Bucky looked at Steve confused, “That’s impossible. I would’ve remembered her and my tattoo didn’t show up until a few days before I met her.”

Steve looked at Bucky, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his lap, “She says it’s because you weren’t you. It was in 2014, she wore a mask so nobody could identify her. She had a kill order for Pierce.”

Bucky sat back in his chair, processing the information silently. He had managed to piece things together things he had done as the Winter Soldier and he could remember the night he went to Pierce’s house. He had asked if he wanted any milk and it confused him at the time because he was made for orders, not questions. He remembered feeling someone watching him and then he saw the glimmer of a scope rested in the trees. He immediately went into action, chasing the unknown masked person down under Pierce’s orders to kill them but the mystery person had managed to slip away. Bucky gripped the arms of the chair tightly, flinching at the thought of what could’ve happened if she hadn’t been able to get away from him. He would’ve killed her without a second thought and he would’ve never found his soulmate. Silently, Bucky stood up and walked back into the facility. He made his way to the elevator and clicked the top floor where the apartment suites were. When Bucky made it back to their shared room, he found Y/N leaning against the counter of the kitchen, drinking a bottle of beer. He walks over to her immediately, taking the glass out of her hand and placing it on the counter behind her before trapping her, placing his hands on the edge of the counter on either side of her, “Why didn’t you tell me you knew me?” He asks, harsher than he intended for it to sound.

Y/N tilts her head at his question, staring into his eyes. She licks her top lip slowly, his breath hitting her face made her shiver, “Because you weren’t you, Bucky. You were the Winter Soldier. And even though my tattoo has all the markings of your past as the Winter Soldier, he isn’t my soulmate. You are.”

Bucky’s eyes flickered over her face at her words, feeling as though his heart slightly dropped at her words. She didn’t hold anything against him from when he was sent to kill her because it wasn’t him. It made him feel relief, as if the universe was telling him that he wasn’t the Winter Soldier anymore. Bucky leans his forehead onto her shoulder, moving his hands to her hips, “Thank you… for not holding it against me.”

Y/N brought one hand up to run through Bucky’s hair, a small smile coming onto her lips, “Like I said, he wasn’t you. Plus I managed to evade the Winter Soldier which I’m pretty proud of.” She says softly to him, “Now take me to bed, Bucky.”

Bucky didn’t need to be asked twice, he picked her up by her waist until her legs wrapped around his and carried her into their shared bedroom, laying her on the bed as he trailed kisses and his hands all over her body.

A scream awoke Y/N from her sleep. She looked around her room slowly, slipping out of her bed. She gripped onto her purple stuffed bunny, walking out of her room and tip-toeing to her parent’s room. She dropped her stuffed animal at the sight, running over and nudging her mother’s arm as if trying to wake her up but it was too late. Then she heard the screams that she knew was her little brother followed by her older sister. Y/N scrambled under the bed, pressing her hand to her mouth as to not make a sound. Tears rolled down her cheeks slowly as she heard whistling and footsteps approach her deceased parent’s room. Her eyes widened as she saw the door open, watching the black shoes cross the floor and around the bed behind her. Then she screamed as she felt hands wrapped around her ankles, pulling her out from under the bed.

“Hello, sister.” His smile was made of pure evil even for only being thirteen years old.

Y/N gazed up to him in complete fear before kicking his knee and scrambling to her feet, running for the stairs to get outside and away from her twin brother. He caught up to quickly though, tripping her down the stairs and watching her land below on her back with a groan. She opened her eyes to look up at him, “Please…”

Her brother smirked down at her, bending his kneels to squat next to her. He pulled out the hunting knife that had been stashed in a sheath connected to his belt, pointing it at her, “It’s nothing personal. It’s just when a family decides you’re nothing to them… Well there’s no point in a family.” He said with a shrug and a smirk before stabbing the knife into Y/N’s stomach making her scream, “Nothing personal though. You’ve always been my favorite but I’m just the twin nobody wanted.” He pulled out the knife, admiring the blood on it for a moment before walking out the front door, leaving it open.

Y/N watched her twin go and when he was out of sight, she pressed her hands to the stab wound on her hip with as much strength as she could manage. Her eyes focused on the window that showed the night sky.

“I’ll see you soon, sis.”

“Wake up, sweetheart, c’mon… Wake up!” Bucky said, laying next to Y/N. He had seen her nightmare in his own dreams and could feel an emotion he hadn’t felt from her before. It was the slightest ounce of fear. He sat up, placing his hands on both of her shoulders and pulling her up against his chest.

Y/N awoke at the movement of her body being pulled to sit against Bucky’s bare chest, looking at him for a moment, “I’m fine, I’m alright.” She said, pulling herself out of the bed and out of his arms. She ran a hand through her hair before pulling on one of Bucky’s t-shirts over her naked body, “I just need some water.” Y/N said looking over to him as he still sat in the bed with the blankets covering his lap. She turned and left the bedroom, walking to the kitchen and grabbing out a glass before filling it with some water and walking out onto the balcony to allow the fresh air and small breeze to calm her down.

Bucky watched her leave the room before letting out a deep breath. He had felt fear from her caused by the nightmare. He had never felt an ounce of fear in her before and it worried him that it seemed like she was closing off from him again because of it. He pulled the blankets off his body and stood up, pulling some new boxers onto his body. He walked out of the bedroom and to the balcony, placing a hand gently on her back, “Please don’t shut me out, Y/N.” He said gently.

Y/N looked over to Bucky, “I’m sorry. Force of habit.” She said and offered a small apologetic smile before leaning her elbows on the bars of the balcony and fixating on the view in front of her. The sun was threatening to peak into the sky, “Did you see it?”

“I did…” Bucky said softly, watching her face intently as he kept his hand on her back, stroking small circles with his finger tips, “I felt your fear. What scared you?”

Y/N let out a deep breath before bringing the glass of water to her lips and taking a small sip of it, “You saw what happened. It was exactly like that night. Except he never said that he’ll see me soon.” She looks over to stare into his eyes, “That was him. Now him. Telling me he’s coming for me.”

Bucky’s brow pulled together at her words. Must’ve been some sort of weird twin telepathy thing for Gemini to be able to get in her head like that, “You’re safe, doll. I won’t let anything happen to you. Your evil twin isn’t going to take you away from me, I just got you.” He said with a small smile, moving his hand on her back lower to her waist. He stepped up behind her, pressing his body against her’s and kissing down the side of her neck until he reached the hem of the shirt, “Now why don’t you go back to bed? I know you hate the sunrise and we didn’t get much sleep.” He said, grinning crookedly, “After I’m done training with Steve, I’ll come find you, alright?”

Y/N smiles at his touch, biting her lip softly and nodding, “Bed sounds nice.” She said, twisting herself in his grasp to face him and tilts her head, “One day maybe we will get on the same sleep schedules.” She chuckles out before placing her palm on his cheek and giving him a kiss then walking past him back to the bedroom. Y/N was still very much a night owl, sleeping late into the afternoon. Luckily, Bucky had figured out she hated the morning due to the fact that after her twin stabbed her, she had to watch the sunrise through the windows while she waited to be found and made sure to shut all the curtains so she didn’t get disturbed.

Y/N woke up sooner than she usually did but still in the afternoon. She showered and got dressed in some jean shorts with a black tank top and one of Bucky’s dark blue flannels. By the time she was done getting ready it was about four in the afternoon. She figured Bucky was off staying occupied while letting her sleep which she appreciated. A soft knock at the door interrupted her. She opened the door to the apartment suite to find Natasha standing there, “What’s up, Nat?”

Natasha smiled, “Bucky may have mentioned you had a rough time.” She said before holding up two bottles of alcohol, “Figured I’d come cheer you up.”

Y/N smiles and opens the door to let her in, “I feel like he knows me so well - sending my person up with alcohol. What do we have?” She asks, following Natasha to sit on the couch.

“We have vodka for me and tequila for you.” Natasha said, sitting next to Y/N and passing her the bottle of tequila, “I figured it was more of a tequila moment than a whiskey moment.”

“I may have a soulmate but you know me better than anyone.” Y/N said, looking at the bottle, “What did he say?”

Natasha sits back in the couch, looking at Y/N, “He said you had the nightmare about your brother. I didn’t know you still had those.”

Y/N looks over at Natasha while twisting the cap off of the tequila, “I don’t.” She told her, “This one was different. It’s like he was using evil twin telepathy or something. He told me he would see me soon.”

“Creepy.” Natasha replied, standing up and going to the kitchen to grab two glasses before returning to sit on the couch and filling up one glass with a shot of vodka, “You should be safe here. We deciphered the gold card you got from Blake, he was hired by Gemini which we already knew but it didn’t have any other information on where to find him.”

Y/N rolls her eyes in annoyance, “Of course it didn’t.” She muttered out, pouring some of the tequila into the glass, “He could be anywhere, waiting for his opportunity. I can’t just sit here locked in the tower like a damsel in distress.”

Natasha nods slowly, “I know. You’ve never been one to just hide, you’ve always faced your problems.” She said, then holds her glass up, “But right now, tonight, we are going to forget about all your problems with your evil twin and talk about other things.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow, picking up her glass of tequila and clinking glasses with Natasha before taking a sip, “I see why you brought the tequila now.” She chuckles. Y/N may love whiskey, but tequila was her go to when she wanted to let go and feel happy.

After a few drinks, Y/N and Natasha were sitting on either side of the coffee table on the floor staring intently at each other, having some sort of competition about things that had happened in their lives.

“My soulmate went to space.”

Shot.

“My soulmate was sent to kill me.”

Shot.

“Your soulmate shot me and almost killed me.”

Shot.

“I have an evil twin that is set on kidnapping me after he attempted to murder me.”

Shot.

“I haven’t had sex in years.”

Shot.

“…. Yeah, okay, you win."

Just when Y/N opened her mouth to continue, they were interrupted by Bucky walking inside with eyes flickering between the two before landing on the bottle of tequila, “Oh no, not the tequila.” He groaned out. Y/N with whiskey was fine but Y/N with tequila was a whole different challenge all together.

Nat shrugs and stood up, “That’s my cue to leave.” She said, snatching the bottle of vodka and leaving the apartment suite promptly but not before saying over her shoulder, “Have fun with the tequila monster!”

Y/N looks up at Bucky and raises an eyebrow, “Tequila monster?” She questions, picking up the tequila and pouring herself another shot.

Bucky walks over and tries to grab the glass but Y/N held it away, “You get a little crazy with tequila.” He said, “And a third of the bottle is gone which means you’re going to be extra crazy.”

Y/N quickly drinks the shot of tequila and passed him the empty glass before standing up and grabbing the bottle of tequila by the neck of the bottle and running into the kitchen on the opposite side of the counter with a mischievous grin on her lips. She brings the open bottle of tequila up to her lips, watching Bucky who stood in the living room teasingly.

Bucky chuckles and shakes his head at her, “Don’t do it, doll.” He said, starting a slow pace towards her. Y/N loved to test Bucky when she drank tequila which is part of the reason the term ‘tequila monster’ came to light. When he saw her press the bottle to her lips and take a few swallows he quickened his pace over to her, “Oh, you’re in so much trouble now, sweetheart.”

Y/N watched him approach, moving around the opposite side of the kitchen island while teasingly taking a few small sips between laughs. Bucky was giving her that dark eyed look and she was thriving off of it.

Bucky caught her eventually, taking the bottle from her hands and placing it on the counter while his arm secured her to his body. He backed her up until her back hit the fridge, staring down at her with a cocky grin, “You are trouble.”

Y/N smiles up at him, jumping up into his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist, “I know. I’m the best kind of trouble though.” She purred out to him, her fingers stroking through his hair slowly.

Bucky kept that grin on his face, his hands immediately going to hold her up by her thighs when she jumped up onto him. Everything about her drove him wild. He never expected he would have to chase his drunk soulmate around their shared kitchen or that she would bring out a wild side in him, yet here he was with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his arms with her back against the fridge, “You’re the perfect kind of trouble, sweetheart.” He purred out to her before connecting his lips with her’s. He forced his tongue between her lips, groaning as it danced with hers. Bucky takes a step forward, pinning her body against the fridge more roughly so he could feel all of her body against his. He pulls away reluctantly when he heard her whimper, pressing his forehead to her’s, “I love you, Y/N.”

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pixelwisp-archive · 3 years

Text

Itadakimasu!! | Part 8: Stick to What You’re Good At (Written Chapter)

word count: 3.9k - I’m so sorry

Eggplant and Kabocha Miso Gratin?

No. That's a little too much.

Maybe a Cream stew?

No, that's too easy.

"Just make a curry. It's chilly today. I'm sure he'll appreciate the warmth." Kuguri's voice broke through the silence in the small kitchen. You pulled your head up from the depths of the recipe box to look at him, your eyes gleaming at the idea.

"You're a genius, you know that?" A ghost of a smile fluttered onto his face and Kuguri exhaled a mix between a sigh and a laugh as he stopped at the threshold of the kitchen. You watched as his eyes travelled across the kitchen, landing on a seemingly inconspicuous vase placed in the corner, where a few stems of peach blossoms drank in the sun that beamed through the kitchen window. He stared a little too long, you noted, and a grin stretched across your face.

“They’re from Kita.” The pink tint to the tips of Kuguri's ears didn't go unnoticed by you, and you couldn't suppress the giggle that bubbled up and slipped past your lips. He cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from the small vase, walking toward the fridge and pulling out a drink. Tearing open the cap, he took a large gulp and finally snuck a look over at you, your knowing smile making the blush creep up his neck at an alarming pace.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"I'm not looking at you like anything," you teased as your eyes quickly left his figure and went back to the recipe box to rifle through them, this time in search for Baachan’s curry recipe. "There was a note, by the way." Kuguri walked over to the folded card that stood in front of the simple arrangement. He delicately grabbed it and flipped the cardstock open, brows furrowing at the text.

“‘Fascinating’. What do you suppose that means?” You shrugged, fingers dancing across the dozens of small, ivory cards with various family secret recipes from generations before etched in a delicate scrawl onto the face.

“He finds you fascinating, I guess? aha,” a victorious gasp left you as you found the correct recipe, plucking it from it’s home inside the ornate wooden box. A satisfied smirk settled onto your lips as you made a mental note of the ingredients you had, the ones you didn’t, and how much time you had.

“Or you, they could have been for you,” he said. You scoffed.

“I can’t think of a single conversation with Kita that hasn’t ended up about you. They’re not for me, dork.” Kuguri cleared his throat again, slightly more aggressively this time, and took another generous gulp of his aloe drink.

“Changing the topic - Miya is coming over today.” You eyed Kuguri, suspicion evident on your face.

“...Yes, he is.”

“And you’re cooking for him.” That faint smile was back, this time accompanied with a, what, coy? no. Mischievous, expression. “Sound’s like a date.”

He chuckled when you made an exaggerated gag, your finger pointed to the back of your throat. “Absolutely not. He’s just coming to fix the stove. He told me not to pay him so instead I’m feeding him,” you explained, fussing with the recipe box and placing it off to the side. “Can you believe he insinuated I was gonna give him food poisoning? The nerve.”

Kuguri sat across from you and rested his chin onto his palm. “So that’s why you’re obsessing over what to make.” Another scoff left you as you crossed your arms over your chest.

“I’m not obsessing.”

“You’ve been hunched over your ‘super special, super secret’ family recipe box for the better part of-” He checks his watch. “-Two hours.”

Your cheeks flushed as you confirmed the time on your phone. Okay, so maybe you had been obsessing a little, but it was only because you wanted to make sure that whatever you make tonight is so good that it slaps the condescending grin off his face and he has no choice but to bow at your superiority. The thought alone made your lips curl into a devilish grin.

"I just wanna make sure that whatever I make tonight is so good he actually shuts up for once." That made Kuguri laugh, and Kuguri's laugh was always so pretty - it was light, a little breathy, and made your heart feel a thousand times bigger than it was. It directly contradicted your own loud, boisterous sound that resonated across any room. Your eyes crinkled and you giggled along with him as you finished the food list you scribbled on the back of a spam letter and grabbed your keys.

"I'm heading to the market, text me if you need anything, ok?" He nodded and you took that as your queue to leave, his echoes of 'drive safe' fading behind you as you descended the stairwell and out of the shop.

Osamu stood at your shop’s side entrance for what seemed like hours. It was like clockwork: every few seconds, he’d raise his fist to announce his arrival, pause right as his knuckles were millimeters away from making contact with the weathered door, stand there frozen for approximately fourteen and a half seconds, groan internally and let his fist fall limply at his side, only to repeat the action in about ten more seconds.

Was he supposed to knock? Walk in unannounced? You were expecting him any minute now, and he began to feel the beads of sweat on the back of his neck. Walking in without warning seemed rude, but it was going to be a bakery soon, so would it seem weirder for him to knock when its technically a public establishment? Maybe he should just go around the front instead so it would seem less rude to just walk in. No no, that’s stupid, just knock, you dumbass. Osamu raised his fist and brought it down to rap on the bright, Robin’s Egg blue wood when it suddenly opened, revealing you in all your frazzled glory. Unfortunately, his brain didn’t catch up with him and he continued to bring his arm forward, making contact with your forehead instead of the door.

You yelped, more out of surprise than real pain, and reeled back, your hand finding its way onto the crown of your head. He also took a step back in shock, noting the way your mood instantly soured once you recognized him. An uncomfortable silence fell between you and he took the opportunity to take in your appearance; your hair had been thrown up haphazardly and your apron was an absolute battlefield of food stains. The sweatpants you had on had been rolled up, the left one being significantly higher than the right one. He cracked a smile at the flour that was smeared across your cheek and sprinkled in your hair.

Cute.

“What?” Osamu blinked. Did he say something?

“Is there something on my face?” Your hand moved from from your head to your cheek, the wrong cheek, and he had to bring his hand up to his mouth and clear his throat to cover the smile that wanted to make itself known.

“No, no, you’re fine,” he lied. His eyes travelled to the trash bag you had been holding onto, noting the way your grasp had been strained by the weight of it. “I can take that for ya,” he said, and reached out to relieve the task from you. You were having none of it, however, and you pulled it out of his reach.

“I can do things for myself, thank you.” His brows shot up and he shot you an amused grin.

“And yet ya can’t fix a stove.” You grumbled something about him being a smartass, and he laughed as he moved to the side, opening a path to the dumpster. He could see the effort you were making in trying to look like you weren’t struggling with the weight of the bag, but the slight tremor in your arm and unsteadiness to your legs gave you away.

“Are ya sure you’re gonna be able to pick that up over the dumpster?” He couldn’t see your face, but he didn’t need to - he could feel the scowl radiating off you like a force field. As if to prove him wrong, you said nothing, and instead hauled the bag over the side of the dumpster with a small grunt, the clang of the bag hitting the bottom of the bin echoing through the small alleyway. You dusted your hands off, shooting a smug grin his way.

“Told you I got it, now let me through - I’ll show you where the stove is.”

It wasn’t until he stepped into the bakery that he noticed just how good the food you were making smelled. His steps faltered behind you as he took a slow, steady inhale, reveling in the warmth the scent alone was giving him. He knew you were making curry, that kind of dish always had such a distinct essence to it, plus the fresh stains on your apron had been another dead giveaway. Osamu would be lying if he said he wasn’t excited to be able to try some, though the excitement came with a slight bitter aftertaste.

“Here she is, in all her glory.” You gestured toward the ornate stove sitting along the far wall, the gold trim against the iron making it a clear statement piece for the kitchen. Osamu let out an impressed whistle as he bent down and gingerly ran hands across the door to the oven.

“I can see why ya wanna restore.” His eyes met yours and he swore your eyes sparkled when you stared at the antique.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” He hummed in agreement and shifted so he could pull the oven a little farther from the wall to take a peak. “Ah, I have a tool kit, lemme grab it for you.” You scurried off to the opposite corner of the shop, returning moments later with the aforementioned object in hand. He muttered a small thank you, and the smile you gave in return was so cute he had to look away.

“I should be good down here. You should probably check on your curry, might burn.” He heard you scoff in protest, but after a moment of silence, you rushed up the stairs and he couldn’t stop the smirk that crept up his face. Osamu turned his attention back to the stove as he flipped open the tool box.

“Alright Pretty, let’s see what ya got for me.”

“Kuguri, have I ever told you that I’m a fucking god?” You were (sort of) joking, but you couldn’t help the tiny snort that escaped you at the sheer exhaustion on Kuguri’s face when he met your gaze. He sighed and walked over the pot of curry that you had been towering over for the last three hours.

“I take it the curry was successful?” You gestured for him to try it and took a step back. You clasped your hands together in front of your chest as you watch on with bright eyes and an even brighter grin.

There was genuinely nothing more satisfying than seeing someone enjoy the food that you made. The way Kuguri sighed into the bite as his eyes fell shut had you swelling with pride, bouncing on the balls of your feet in excitement as you waited for him to say something. He was quiet for what felt like an eternity, before finally, he put down the spoon and turned to you with an unreadable expression.

“You said you wanted to shut him up?” You nodded, your eyes flitting between him and the pot. “After this, he’ll never be able to speak again.” You cackled in victory and shooed Kuguri out of the kitchen.

“Thank you, thank you, I know I’m a culinary genius. Now shoo, I have to plate everything. You mind letting him know?”

“Sure thing. Oh,” Kuguri whirled back around to look at you “I forgot to mention, I won’t be eating with you guys, I have a meeting with one of the contractors. Save me a plate?” A groan left you and you reached up to clutch his arm, a desperate plea written across your face.

“You’re leaving me here? with him? Alone? Don’t you love me at all?” Kuguri chuckled and waved you off, shooting you a look.

“You’re a grown woman, I think you can manage one meal with Miya alone.”

“Fine, but if it gets ugly, you have to help me dispose of the body.” He sighed, but you spotted the smile he tried to cover up by wiping a hand down his face. You waved goodbye as you turned your attention back to the food to plate the curry and rice. Hands worked diligently, and as you heard the muffled voices beneath you followed by the shop door closing and footsteps ascending the stairs, you swallowed the bundle of nerves that had worked its way into your system.

Your grandmother’s food is always well received; It was the star of every function, holiday, and bake sale from way back when you were growing up in Miyagi to now, with you carrying on her legacy. You had never met anyone who didn’t love something from the recipe box, so you weren’t sure why you seemed especially desperate to garner Osamu Miya of all people’s approval.

You were satisfied with the excuse that it was because you didn’t want to give him any more fuel to act like a condescending shit lord to you.

When the door to the apartment opened, you had just finished placing the prepped plates onto the dinner table. The effort it took in avoiding eye contact was beginning to weigh down on you, and finally, you gave up, looking up from the spoon you were meticulously situating to meet his cocked eyebrow.

“I think that spoon’s still a little off-center,” he joked. You crossed your arms over the front of you and shot him a glare.

“Har Har. How did it go with the stove?”

“I got it workin’. Actually wasn’t too bad of a fix. Just a little finicky,” he said. His voice was slightly drowned out by the sound of the kitchen sink running. Your eyes remained trained on his figure, absentmindedly staring as his shoulders moved along with his hands as he washed them. The sound of the faucet turning off pulled you back and you shook your head, turning toward the table with a grimace.

“Thank you again, I seriously didn’t want to have to gamble any more of the renovation funds,” you said, hoping he didn’t see you staring at him like he was the most interesting being in existence. He sat down across from you and sent a polite smile your way.

“Not a problem.” The two of you stewed in the awkward silence and you noticed that neither of you had reached for the food yet. Did he even like curry? You mentally slapped yourself for forgetting to ask.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t even think to ask if you liked curry. I just assumed,” you admitted, and he shook his head.

“Oh no, that’s not it, I just, uh..” Osamu’s voice faltered, and his brows came together with a frown. “I have a feeling I’m gonna like it.”

The grin that flew onto your face oozed with superiority. The fact that the mere thought of enjoying your food upset him only made your impending victory taste that much sweeter to you. You watched him like a hawk and thrived on how uncomfortable he looked across from you, painstakingly taking his first bite.

As stated before, there was nothing more satisfying than seeing someone enjoy your food, and you thought Osamu would be no exception, but this stingy little asshole maintained an entirely unreadable expression as he closed his mouth around the spoon, popped it out, chewed, and swallowed. You fidgeted in your seat as you waited for him to say literally anything about it, but he remained lost in thought, looking anywhere but at you as he reached for a second bite.

“Well?” Your voiced must have snapped him from whatever he was daydreaming about because he looked almost startled when his eyes finally met your own.

“Oh, sorry...” He trailed off, eyes fluttering back down toward the curry. “It’s good.”

“Just good?”

“Its really good?” He offered, and you scoffed, grumbling something about ‘it should be the best damn curry you’ve ever had,’ as you dug into your own plate, melting as soon as the spices touched your tongue. The beef had become so tender that you swore it would fall apart if you so much as looked at it a little too long, and the vegetables had just the right kind of consistency and complimented the beef perfectly. The ginger and curry were so warm together it reminded you of a time during winter break, snuggled with your Grandmother by the old brick fireplace, the vibrant orange glow of the flame illuminating her frail figure as she regaled you with exaggerated stories of her youth. She always made sure to end each tale with a lesson, and a challenge: to never settle until you could say with confidence that you were irrevocably happy.

Osamu cleared his throat, effectively bringing you back to the current moment. Your eyes flickered over to his plate and you noticed it was empty. He took the napkin and quickly wiped at his mouth, but you still caught a glimpse of the pout that he was clearly trying so hard to hide. A smug grin stretched out across your face and you tilted back down to take another bite.

“You can get more, if you’d like.” He grunted in response, but got up nonetheless, helping himself to a second plate as he pointedly ignored the pride that oozed off of you.

“It’s okay, you can say it, the curry is amazing, stupendous, out of this world-”

“It’s delicious.”

You blinked. To be honest, you weren’t expecting him to admit it right off the bat, especially since he made a point to say it was just “good” earlier. Whatever snippy reply you had stored died immediately in your throat, and you found your pride shrinking as a new bashfulness took over instead.

“Oh. Thank you.” Osamu nodded in response, and suddenly it was like a gateway opened - for the first time, you guys conversed with relative ease. It was hardly anything more than history and business, but the fact that you weren’t considering stuffing his body into a trash bag was certainly saying something. It was...nice, being able to talk to him like this, and you had to admit you’d take this over the usual pissing match any day.

Osamu mentioned how Kita was a rice farmer and was his supplier as well as business partner. He spoke about how they were old teammates who decided to go on similar lifepaths which led to them working together once Osamu opened up his shop in Osaka. You learned that they originated from Hyogo, and that Kita still lives there and makes the hour long commute to the shop a few times a week just to help Osamu out with the shop.

You told him about how you managed the volleyball club back in high school. (He joked about showing you a few moves, and you joked back that you bet you could destroy him since the Wakatoshi Ushijima taught you well enough that you can hold your own in a match any day of the week.) You talked about moving to Tokyo with Tendou after graduating, and how you guys decided to open up the bakery together as business partners. You gushed about the hopes you had for Paradis, the dreams that had spent so much time buried in your notebook finally getting a chance to come to life with this new location. Your eyes sparkled as you babbled on about all the plans you had for Paradis.

“I just...I always intended for Paradis to be more than just a bakery.” Both of your plates had been long finished and were set off to the side. You sat cross legged on the dining chair, your hands fiddling with each other in your lap. Osamu had his chin resting on his hand and he listened so intently it sometimes made you feel a little too seen.

“How so?”

“Well, for one, I’d love to expand the menu,” you explained, and you saw his face fall with furrowed brows and a deep frown. “What’s wrong?”

“Why would ya expand the menu?” There was a sharpness to his voice, and you were taken aback. You shrunk back in your seat as you chose your next words carefully.

“I want people to enjoy all of my food, not just the sweets...why?” His face hardened, eyes trained anywhere but your face as he stood up abruptly. He reached for both dishes and made his way to the kitchen wordlessly.

The two of you had a habit of having this uncomfortable silence fall between you, and you hated it, because the tension was always so thick it felt like you were suffocating. You wondered if he hated it too, or if he thrived in it, like some sort of deranged villain reveling in the suffering of his underlings. You found yourself glaring at his back as he washed your dishes, drying them and putting them off to the side without saying a word.

Eventually, he turned around, and the frown that had been evident on his face deepened once he made your irritated gaze. “What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? What the hell did I do to piss you off?”

“There’s no reason why you should expand the menu.”

“I just gave you a reason. Plus, you seemed to like my food enough to have two helpings, it’s not like I can’t cook. Why shouldn’t I?”

“The curry was fine, it wasn’t anythin’ to write home about. I was just starving because I missed lunch.” You scoffed.

“That’s a load of bullshit. You know you loved it.”

“I told ya it was better than it was because ya would’ve had a hissy fit otherwise.”

“Oh, fuck you, Miya. I can’t believe I was actually beginning to enjoy your company for once.” He rolled his eyes and made his way to your apartment entrance. He paused at the threshold of the open door, looking straight ahead and most definitely not at you.

“Don’t bother expanding. Stick to what you’re good at if ya want any chance of success here.” With that last remark, he ushered down the stairs and back home, leaving you frozen in the kitchen consumed with rage, shock, confusion - and you didn’t move until Kuguri came through the door and gasped in surprise at the sight of you still in the kitchen.

“Jesus, y/n, you scared the hell out of me. What’s going on? Are you okay?” The frustration bubbled up inside you and you felt hot tears tickle the back of your eyes. The shock of Osamu’s sudden animosity toward you settled into your bones, leaving behind a residue of white hot anger. You willed the tears away and looked over at the curry, then at Kuguri.

“I hate him, Kuguri.”

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Fun Facts -

no fun facts today, My brain is fried lol. Might add later!

A/N: Long boi today, I’m so sorry for the long wait for this chapter!! I hope you guys enjoyed the holiday if you celebrated and I hope you enjoy the chapter - I feel like I should have definitely split this up into two parts, let me know if you’d prefer smaller chapters or if this is more preferable lmao thank you ok bye

Taglist (shoot me an ask if you’d like to be added!) -

@larkspyrr @oikawaandkuroostan @fucktheworlddude @doctorspencereid @keiarma @cherriechurros @halesandy @k3nma-fairy @jewlmin @tabipleats @kaleidoscopekai @confusedturtle @vintagexparker @hoeevern @syaziahvg @hallothankmas @lilith412426

#is this a terrible time to post #probably #no one is active rn usually lmao #but its fine #Itadakimasu!!#osamu smau #osamu x reader #osamu miya #osamu miya x reader #osamu miya smau #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu smau #h #haikyuu!! smau #hq!! smau #hq!! x reader #haikyu!! x reader

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neproxrezi · 3 years

Note

Are you participating in the proposed dbd boycott to get them to do a game health update?

yeah, i wasn't sure at first caus "dont play the video game for a brief period" isn't going to work but "this company has put all its eggs in one basket and they are frankly quite neglectful of said basket, everyone stop buying anything ingame for 3 months" has me interested

more than 'fix the bugs' or anything else like that what i want to see out of the game is them being less god damn stingy with cosmetics (you should not have to pay $10 for ONE FUCKING COSMETIC) and addressing the grind. holy shit the grind in this game is so rough and it could be fixed fairly simply (i'm in favour of removing perk tiers, to cut a long post short)

hold on im gonna complain about dbd under a cut caus itll get long, i love this game so much but oh boy it has issues

it's been said a million times already but dbd's grind made more sense when there were like 4 or 5 characters per side, there are now over 20 and each new one introduces 3 perks to each side

I want to write about the grind in this game for a moment. There are 95 survivor perks in DBD. Every perk has three tiers. Some of them are great, and many are kind of pointless. Realistically, I'd bet you're only going to see about 15 of those perks in action in most of your games. However, if you unlock a perk to be taught to other survivors (which I tend to do even if I don't particularly want it, out of a mix of completionism and a 'may as well get it out of the way' kind of thing), you can't get rid of it. It's in your bloodwebs forever. 95 perks. 285 perk tiers. Let's talk about how long that takes to claim.

You buy a new character in the next chapter. You have every teachable perk unlocked. The new chapter really excited you, and you want to claim every perk on the new character (who I am going to name... Doug), so you saved a lot of bloodpoints in advance. In fact, you played for days and days and saved the cap, which is a million bloodpoints. You buy Doug, after much excited testing him out in the PTB. You spend all million points on Doug. Doug is now about level 35 to 40, out of 50. Hm. Well, time to keep playing. The bloodwebs kind of gave you a bunch of crap stuff on Doug, and you don't feel like running Power Struggle, Ace in the Hole, Babysitter and Breakdown, so you can't play Doug yet. You go play someone else.

Solo queuing as survivor is a mixed bag, and your games range from getting 10,000 bloodpoints (pretty rough game where everyone got wiped) to 27,000 (a great match, maybe with a bloodpoint offering). You save enough to get Doug to level 50. In the later levels, you start being able to get two perks a level instead of one. Let's say from level 1 to 50, you collect a total of 65 perks, because I don't remember exactly when it starts offering 2 per level. Okay, there are 220 perk levels left. Because of the game's propensity for giving you the same perk over and over to get you lots of perks at level 2 out of 3, of those 65 perk tiers you've probably got something like 20 to 25 actual perks. You're missing like, 70. Best case scenario, the ones you picked up include a lot of what you want. Most likely, you've got like half a good build and some gimmicky crap to slot in alongside it. Worst case scenario, which has happened to me plenty of times, you have like maybe one good perk and a pile of gimmicky crap. So. How long is it going to take you to get what you want?

There are 220 perk levels to go. After level 50, the webs are all the same size. It costs about 50,000 points to level up, and you get two perk levels per bloodweb. That's going to be 110 webs to get everything for Doug. Which is 5.5 million bloodpoints. Oh no. How many points were you earning per game again?

If you play with friends, you're probably going to do better. I find this to be true even if me and my friends are playing without voice comms or anything, because I just sort of know these people a bit better. I know my friend who mains Lisa Garland is a hook-diving bastard, so I don't need to go rescue anyone. Ace, god bless him, makes batshit altruistic plays, so I certainly don't need to go protect my teammates when he's out there doing things like this. I think I'm just going to sit on generators in the distance, think about our final gen spread, and try get us out of here. I'd say if I'm playing well, and accounting for offerings and WGLF stacks, with friends I average 30,000 a match and by myself I average 20,000. Playing killer I average more like 60,000, but playing killer is a bit stressful sometimes and I'm very indecisive about actually queuing up for it, so I probably actually get bp faster as survivor. I'm going to call the average per match across everything 25,000, because for every good game there are plenty where you underperform, or things just go drastically wrong. To earn 5.5 million points like that, you're going to have to play 220 matches. A game, including queue times and whatnot, can take ten to twenty minutes. That's... that's going to take a while. And that's ONE CHARACTER.

Now, on the survivor side you only really need to do this once. They're all just reskins of the same gameplay loop. On the killer side, you need to re-earn those perks for every new character you want to try out, because they're all different. Miiiiillions and millions of points. Hundreds of games. I have no problem with the game having a grind, but at this point it's absolute insanity.

In my opinion, removing perk tiers would cut the grind down to a reasonable level. There'd still be a grind, which I'm completely comfortable with existing, but it wouldn't be excruciatingly long, and you wouldn't have to spend as long dealing with bad perks.

HOWEVER, on top of that is the fact that they just. Holy shit the game updates slowly. I don't want to blame them for that in a way of like "these developers are incompetent and lazy", I really do love DBD to bits and I'm sure they do work very hard on it. That said, its update cycle is really slow. Reeaally slow. I wish they either had a bigger team, made balance updates faster (a handful of perk adjustments once every six weeks is... very very slow) or something to just try make the changes faster. Even when things do change it always feels so anxious and tentative, I wish they'd experiment more often. The time they disabled bloodlust to see what happened was really cool!

Yeah in short I just hope the grind gets addressed more than anything else, caus that's the part I actually think there's a relatively straightforward solution to. Also, I never got to play the older events where you could do shit like earn cosmetics, but they sounded way fucking cooler than the new ones. The halloween one last year was absolute shit, it's weird that their special events would get worse over time rather than better.

Buuut I agree with Scott Jund that the Resident Evil chapter was bad news for DBD's long term health because the one thing that would really give BHVR a kick up the ass is competition, and every time they land an amazing licensed chapter they become harder to compete with. They have an absolute monopoly on asymmetrical horror, and I honestly think the game would be in a better state right now if they had some competition >:[

#dibi #dbd #long post #i love dbd to bits i really do #but UGH it has issues

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pinkhairedlily · 3 years

Text

Chapter 7 - Student Council President Sakura

SCPS AO3 | PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Sakura went to her shift a little bit giddier than usual for a variety of reasons despite the busy holiday season; it was nearing Christmas after all. The first one – having finally tied with Sasuke in their recent exams, and the second – the approval of her personal project. There was also a third reason, but she was unresolved of what to feel.

Kakashi met with her alone after their monthly council meeting. It was the usual talk, the heavy administrative concerns they do not bother other council members with, reminders about problematic behaviors among the student body or personal problems that faculty or students were plagued with that needed intervention. He said an apology just as she reached the door.

“Sakura?” Kakashi asked, turning in his chair.

She looked back at him with a neutral expression. While she knew she wasn’t overtly passive aggressive in her actions, he might have noticed a change in her cheerful disposition towards him. Her clumped fingers anxiously fidgeted with the rubber band on her wrist, his rubber band that she didn’t use anymore to tie her hair. “Yes, sensei?”

“Were you offended with what I said during the school trip?” he asked, but his expression already seemed to know the answer.

Her eyes downcast, she turned the knob of the door, knowing that she was free to leave without replying, but as the door stayed ajar, she decided to come clean. “Yes.”

“I thought as much. I’m aware that I belittled you like a child. Your money is yours to spend however you want. Please know that I only have good intentions with what I’ve done,” her sensei told her. “But isn’t it also unfair for you to shoulder that much problem? I’m a paid employee and before that, I am your adviser. I have a responsibility just as much as you do. Next time you are presented with that, learn to ask for help.”

Sakura didn’t see the expression he had on his face. She was too flustered to compose a comeback and she can only settle for a meek nod before shooting out of the room like her tail was on fire.

“Girlie!” Her coworker’s voice brought her back to reality – a reality of a long queue of customers waiting for their to-go coffees, mini-cakes, and boxes of pastries to share with loved ones in this cold night while she’ll be likely stuck in shift well past beyond midnight, tolerating the café uniform, the itch of her black weave on her scalp, and the heavy makeup she wore for tonight. She flashed an apologetic (yet charming) smile to the other person, and they gave her a thumbs up.

The queue has thinned out by eleven, to be replaced soon by stragglers hoping to catch a last dose of caffeine pump. She stretched her neck and stifled a yawn, forgetting to say Welcome to a customer that walked through their doors.

“Your sweetest drink please and a half dozen of hazelnut cookies,” the customer said. “Thanks, Sakura.”

She almost broke her already strained neck when she raised it up quickly to meet the owner of the voice. No gel blonde hair Naruto with black circles under his eyes. Rookie MVP looked shit as hell.

She barely formed an excuse in her head when he waved his hand in front of her. “You can drop the act with me. I already knew the week you got discharged from the hospital. I just passed by after dinner with the team when I saw a girl manning the cashier with the same band-aid on her nose which I gave you a day before.” Naruto grinned at her in the off chance that it would reassure her.

“Will this be to-go?” Sakura asked as she busied herself with Naruto’s order, unsettled with her carelessness. At the back of her mind, she was yet to answer herself why she was adamant to use a disguise while working.

“For here. Apartment’s kinda bare during these times.”

As what she expected, Naruto was still seated when they were about to close, and ironically, he chose the corner table with no windows, contrary to what his other friend would have chosen. Like those usual nights with Sasuke, she slid in front of him, her disguise gone.

“Let’s go see the amusement park tomorrow?” It was as if she saw sadness being lifted from his shoulders the way they transitioned from slouching to an alert stance.

She found then that Naruto was always that person that found happiness at the simplest things.

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

“A horror house!” Naruto pointed at the very moment they stepped inside the park. He somehow absorbed his captain’s fashion persona, undercut prominent with his baseball cap, loose plain black shirt, and gray cargo pants.

“All right. Treat me if we reach the other end with you clinging to my arm,” Sakura teased. She was dressed in a mauve smocked crop top with high rise flared jeans and platform white sneakers that allowed her to reach Naruto’s shoulders. She wondered if her getup was too much what with the number of heads that turned her way as she littered in the entrance earlier.

Sasuke begged off through their group chat, saying he was unavailable. He was yet to explain that group hug last time, but he was evasive every time Naruto brought it up while she simply cannot find the right timing.

She guessed she was still taken aback by how warm his hold felt like. If she was right, whatever defenses he had around them were toppled down by himself that day. But what triggered it – she’d probably never know.

Naruto placed a fist on his chest. “This is one bet I’ll never lose.”

And he lost – spectacularly. His baseball cap was long gone thanks to a zombie who panicked when he almost punched it. He was also hyperventilating and sweating out of his wits, his throat may have gone hoarse by now with all his screaming inside.

Sakura cannot get rid of the long string of laughter that bubbled. “Come on, let’s cool off for a while.”

To help calm Naruto down, they had to line up with all the other kids in the merry-go-round, then off to paddle a swan boat on a manmade lake. She went all out in the shooting range and won Naruto a frog plushie while he blitzed through the basketball hoops, sneering at the kids beside him who were waiting for their turns.

They capped off the afternoon with a ride on the ferris wheel. They sat opposite each other, and Sakura suddenly felt queasy. She remembered she was apparently acrophobic, and so she focused instead on Naruto who was still in awe of the scenery. The park had a busy crowd today – it was the holiday season after all and families, friends, and lovers were up and about. She just hoped Naruto didn’t catch on yet.

“So why are you stuck with me instead of your family, Sakura?”

Ah he caught on. “They’re busy,” she simply replied. “Besides I’ll see them later in the evening.”

Naruto smiled at her, a smile that knew she was hiding more but he chose not to prod further. Sakura silently conveyed her thanks.

“I don’t know how to thank you. I was really in a slump when we lost, but this day made me recharge my drive and gave me a newfound resolve. You, Pres, is the first to hear it!”

Sakura can only grin, urging him to go on.

“I will bring our school team to the nationals and we will win.”

Sakura clapped her hands and gave him a thumbs up. “Of course, you will. I know you’ll do it.”

“I just wish I told Captain Haru before he left town for vacation.” Naruto slid lower in his seat. “Apparently, he and Hinata broke up. You’re friends with both of them, right?”

Sakura shook her head, shock at the news. She had an inkling from her previous conversation with Haru, but she didn’t expect it would come this early. “I am, but I haven’t really heard from both parties lately.”

“Well, Hinata’s father offered an athletic scholarship to Cap, but he turned it down, saying he was undeserving, and it might just be because of Hinata’s prodding.”

If she recalled correctly, Hiashi Hyuuga was the chair of the Sports Council that spanned all districts of their state. She could see why Haru was angry and disappointed enough to break it off with Hinata. “But they were so good together. Did he ever tell you how they first met?”

Naruto rubbed his hands together and leaned forward. “Do tell please!”

“There was a student exchange of some sort and Hinata ended up in our class for a month. Of course, she was the takane no hana and this immediately gathered a bandwagon group of shallow admirers. Haru, oh Haru, he found pretty people depth-less, but he was the class representative that time – “

“And you were?”

“Of course, a student council president. But wait pay attention Naruto!”

“Okay I am paying attention! But you really are an overachiever!”

“Yeah and what about it!” Sakura almost chuckled in exasperation. “So anyway, he had to escort Hinata back and forth at the school gates because of the unreasonable crowd. He would ask her random things, but most especially on archery since he was so bad at it. And they found a common ground and the topics expanded beyond the arrow and bow. The guy had the nerve to cover it up from me at first, saying they’re fake dating and it was just an arrangement to keep creeps at bay.” She sighed, suddenly saddened by the breakup. “I thought it would last forever.”

“But Hinata never introduced him to her family, did she?” Naruto asked. “Because Cap also told me that when Hiashi called him up for the offer, he didn’t know he was the boyfriend, he was simply a person her friend referred.”

Oh Haru. You must have known what family you were entering when you loved her.

“Hey? Time to get down,” the operator said. Their turn was already finished.

As they walked to the gates, Naruto asked her. “Love is too scary. You’ll never know if you’ll end up hurt or happy despite everything. Besides, can you even say it’ll be worth fighting for?”

Sakura’s fingers immediately went to the rubber band on her wrist, “It’s always a mix of everything, all the good and the bad, and somehow it’s all convoluted into one hodgepodge of memories that will be a part of you forever. It’s your decision what you want to do with it, and in between all of those, you’ll know. Like one big realization in your head that lights up like fireworks and splayed in big capital letters.”

Her eyes met Naruto’s gaze and his eyes slightly widened at her response.

“I talk vague, don’t I?”

“Not at all,” he replied.

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

January couldn’t come fast enough, and Itachi was out of the country just as quickly as he entered his apartment unannounced on Christmas Eve. A holiday break, he said, but if he wasn’t annoyingly checking up on him in the evenings, he was otherwise holed up in his hotel. The truth was, he had a conference and a simultaneous workshop with the state hospital. Sasuke was just a side trip, an obligation that his brother didn’t want to take care of.

He could have told him about Naruto and Sakura and how he now knew all the technicalities of baseball because of the former and that he can consider calling them as friends, but their brotherly bond was too frayed to bridge all of those thoughts.

It was a week before the start of the spring term, and he found himself re-reading Naruto’s texts over and over again.

Grumpy.

So how was your date?

AHHHHH SO IT WAS A DATE. I NOW FEEL SO SHY.

Idiot.

SHE LOOKED SO BEAUTIFUL IN HER GETUP.

Yeah as if you two didn’t already spam the group chat with your pictures.

HEY AT LEAST WE EDITED YOU IN.

Why are you typing in all caps? Your phone broken?

GRUMPPPPPPYYYYY. Grumpy, I have something to tell you. I think I like Sakura – not the ‘like’ like others have for her. It just came to me, like fireworks in big capital letters. I LIKE HER.

Sasuke wasn’t able to reply. He didn’t know what to reply or what to feel, really. These recent nights, his mind only brought him to the first moment he saw her in the café, and there was an unfamiliar pang he couldn’t name.

Then, suddenly he was in front of her in the café itself, ordering an iced americano and bruschetta with tomato and basil. Her eyes lit up in recognition; today she wore her black hair in low pigtails and a light dab of tint on her cheeks and lips.

She sat across him when it was her break time, cheery and still in disguise, the winter cold making the blush even more prominent. “I’m gonna bounce some ideas to you.”

Sasuke kept mum, relishing the sacred combination of tomato and basil in his mouth, but let his stare level with hers.

“The school board approved my personal project. I proposed to set up a mental health committee since our infirmary – get this – and guidance office don’t actually have a psychiatrist. The school will be asking a medical professional to come in for monthly guidance counseling and will be an official partner for outpatient concerns.” With her face on her palm, she leaned forward, seemingly surveying Sasuke’s minute expressions.

“That’s tricky,” he remarked. “How will you encourage them though?”

“I think just the mere availability and accessibility of it is enough to encourage students.”

“Hmm.” He took a sip of his coffee.

“Aren’t you gonna ask me why I did it?”

Sasuke knew that he already broke his resolve to remain uninvolved in the remaining years of his life here in this town. He knew that sometime ago, the walls he built up since the accident broke down in the constant presence of her and the blonde idiot. But in spite of, he knew that there was another layer of wall that withstood the recent onslaught. Unfortunately, something has started to leak from its crevices. Something that made him understand the overwhelming emotions that raged behind such walls.

He missed having her all to himself, like a little secret, a safe abode he could always retreat to – her with her black hair and makeup, her with her bouts of vulnerabilities laid out in front of him in rare moments, her with her emerald eyes and tufts of rose hair that peak from the weave, her in this table in front of him and the world outside divided by a glass window.

If he could name it, it was a feeling of loss, a loss he stole and a loss he never had the privilege of feeling in the first place.

“Because you’re a good person and you always think of others,” Sasuke started, still holding her gaze. “And I think you want it because you might need it more.”

Sakura was the first to break off. She soon excused herself and resumed her shift. By the time Sasuke finished his coffee and bread, it was almost closing time. His words may have struck a chord so he decided not to wait for her. Maybe he’ll talk it through with her next time, if she allowed him to. He was almost out of the doors when the new pair of customers passed by.

A glint of silver hair.

“Oh, hello there Sakura.”

And a brunette on his arm.

Sasuke never saw color drain as quickly as the blush did from Sakura’s face.

AO3 LINK | NEXT CHAPTER | CHAPTER 8

#SCPS #student council president sakura #sasusaku #narusaku #kakasaku #uchiha sasuke #haruno sakura #uzumaki naruto #hatake kakashi #team 7 #lots of narusaku in this one hihi

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wiypt-writes · 3 years

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Riding High

Ch25: Keep it Simple

Chapter Summary: The events of Boston behind them, Frank, Fliss and Mary look forward to Christmas…and Frank has a big surprise planned.

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut…NSFW and NO UNDER 18s!!!

Chapter Pairings: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N: So here it is, the last in the series Riding High. Thank you to everyone who has helped and re-blogged and commended in any way. Do not fear, Frank and Fliss will be back in the next instalment of their adventure Riding On

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding High Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 24

If you should ever leave me, thought life would still go on, believe me, the world could show nothing to me, so what good would living do me? God only knows what I’d be without you…

"Mary can you just hold on a second, please!" Frank sighed, grabbing the back of her coat to stop her shooting off into the crowd that streamed down the busy Manhattan sidewalk. "But Frank!" she turned and looked at him, her woollen hat jammed down over her ears "I just wanna see the stall!" "Yeah but you can't just run off!" He grumbled and beside him Fliss gave a chuckle. He turned to look at her "who gets so excited about damned wooden tree ornaments?" "Oh hush!" Fliss leaned up to give him a pack, her cold nose brushing his. In retaliation he pulled the front of her baby blue sparkly bobble hat down over her eye and she shoved him in the chest, laughing. "Fuck you!" "Chance would be a fine thing" he grumbled, taking Fliss’ hand as they headed after Mary. "Awww is that why you're grumpy?" Fliss grinned as they walked "Coz you haven't had any in nearly 3 days?" Frank pouted "No." "Liar..." "Ok, look...Frankie has needs..." he whined "I completely over looked the fact hanging out with an 8 year old in the room would be a cock block." "Always the shower..." Fliss teased and Frank snorted. "Yeah, right. Can you imagine? I give it 3 minutes before she came looking for us." "We go home tomorrow. I'll make it up to you then." Fliss grinned and he sighed. "What?" She laughed. "It’s just...you look so hot in all this winter clothing." Frank grinned. And he meant it. Seeing her wrapped up in a coat, hat and scarf had made her look all cute and cozy...and it had done inappropriate things to him for some odd reason. "Hmmm, you know most men get more turned on the less clothing their girls wear." She teased and he grinned. "Yeah, well, I'm not most men" She gave him a smile which he returned with a soft kiss as they stopped by the stall where Mary instantly dived into looking at the array of ornaments. After a few moments of looking she handed Frank one in the shape of a reindeer stag, and a doe for him and Fliss before selecting a robin for herself. "I think they're so pretty." She looked at the bird in her hand "I saw one at Evelyn's over thanks giving." "Ever heard the saying robins appear when loved ones are near?" Fliss asked. Mary shook her head. "No" "Well, I don't know about here but certainly in England we say it because there is an old belief by some people that a robin is a message from heaven, that a loved one is watching over you." "Do you believe that?" Mary looked at Fliss. Fliss hesitated "Well when my Dad's dad died I was 20 and I remember getting up the morning after he died and there was a robin on the fence of the back garden. Bill told me it was my granddad Alex come to check I was ok." "Do you think it was? Really I mean?" "I dunno sweetheart." Fliss sighed "I'd like it to be true..." "Then you should believe it was." Mary said, looking at her "Because isn't that what faith is? Believing something you want to be true?" Fliss looked at Frank who smiled and gave a small shake of his head. She turned back to Mary, smiling softly as she dropped a hand to the back of her head. This kid was unbelievably wise, but with such an innocence behind it all. "Yeah, I suppose it is." Fliss nodded. "Do you think the robin I saw could have been my mom?" She asked, her eyes wide. Frank at that point stepped in, carefully picking an answer that was ambiguous so as not to say yes, but also not dampening her spirits. "If your mom could I'm sure she would come and see you, make sure you're ok." Mary gave a nod, before she turned back to the stall, her attention back on the ornaments. "We need a dog for Thor, and a cat for Fred oh...and a pony for Monty." "What about Cap and Heidi?" Fliss asked, moving to inspect the selection of decorations. "Oh, yeah!" "This is gonna bankrupt me." Frank grumbled, his hands on Fliss' hips, chin resting on her shoulder as he observed the two of them. "Scrooge" Fliss shot back with a smile "Do you think Verity and Bill will like this one?" Mary held up a snowman. "Absolutely" Fliss nodded. "And can I get one for Evelyn?" She asked, selecting a snowflake. Despite the fact that they were now well into the fifty buck range for fucking tree decorations, Frank couldn't help but want to smile at Marys face. She was so thoughtful, the purity behind it all was, as usual, humbling. So he nodded "Sure she will appreciate it." He smiled. He moved to lift her up so she could hand the ones they had picked over to the guy behind the counter who asked Mary what names she wanted on each one. As she told him, he allowed her to sit up on the edge of the little surface, held in place by Frank to watch as he burnt the names into each ornament before he bagged them up and she took them with a thanks. "Our first family tree stuff!" Mary grinned and Fliss smiled, bending down to give her a hug. They set back off towards the hotel, stopping by a burger joint for dinner before they dumped their bags and returned back out for their final evening in the City. Frank had loved every second of their trip, and so had Mary and Fliss. Seeing Mary's reaction to snow and the Christmas lights had been amazing, along with all the bands on street corners, people walking around dressed up. It was magical and he wasn't afraid to let his inner child come out to play either, as Fliss had just found out. "Whose idea was this again?" He asked as Mary was bouncing up and down in the queue. "Yours!" Fliss scoffed as he took Mary's hand in his right "I seem to recall the very visible horror on your face yesterday when I told you I'd never done it before..." "That’s because it's an abomination that someone who's 34 has never been ice skating." "I was a professional athlete." She shrugged "I was banned from doing anything deemed dangerous " Frank looked at her "What do they consider more dangerous than flying a half tonne animal almost 2 meters into the air?" "Bungee jumping, sky diving, jet skiing, water skiing, ice skating.." Fliss shrugged "just to name 5" Frank shook his head as the queue shuffled forward a little. It wasn't too long now, luckily they had timed it right by arriving 20 minutes or so before the next lot of General Admission to the famous Rockefeller rink opened so there weren't too many people ahead. After another 10 minutes they got to the front and Frank nudged Fliss out of the way as she tried to pay. She scowled at him and he simply rolled his eyes and handed his card over. It wasn't cheap but then, he was in New York. What was? Together they headed onto the ice. Frank, having done it a few times as a kid found his legs fairly quickly and didn't stop himself laughing as Mary's completely went from under her and she landed with a thump on her ass. "Here..." he chuckled, offering her his hand. He pulled her up and moved her in front of him. "Give me your hands..." Mary extended her arms to the side and he took her mitten clad hands in his, holding her in front of him. Fliss was moving tentatively behind him, using the sides for support a little. "Ok slide your right foot forward, like on your roller skates..." Frank said. Mary did as she was told "now left...right...left...right..." He continued his chanting and glanced over his shoulder to see Fliss was concentrating on her feet, her tongue poking out slightly. "You good?" "Yup." She said, raising her hand to give him a thumbs up before she skidded slightly and went down in a tangle of limbs. Letting out a laugh he gently pivoted Mary so she could hold onto the side and offered Fliss his hand. Pulling her up into his arms he held her steady for a moment whilst her laughing subsided. He watched her for a second, her face creasing up into those adorable dimples, eyes crinkled so much they were almost shut and her shoulders shook with the force of her giggles. "I fuckin' love you..." he grinned and she smiled at him. "Back at ya sailor" After another few laps Mary and Fliss had managed to get the hand of it which meant Frank could leave them a little bit as he went off for what he called a proper skate. The girls watched calling him a show off as he crossed his feet and turned, skating backwards a little. Both of them debated sabotaging him and tripping him up but they decided not to, instead they simply pretended they didn't know him, resulting in him grabbing Fliss from behind just beneath the large tree, and spinning her round to face him. "Can I help you?" She teased and he gave a snort. "Yeah, you can... Mary?" He called to her where she was trying to perfect a turn and failing as she almost stumbled again. She looked up and headed over. "Can you take our photo?" "Only if you're gonna kiss..." she replied, making smooching noises. "Well we can’t disappoint her..." Frank shrugged and Fliss grinned, her smile turning into a shriek as Frank quickly grabbed her hips before he took one hand, keeping the other round her back and dipped her so she was bending backwards, planting a sloppy kiss on her lips. She laughed against his mouth as he gave her a wink, before kissing her a little deeper and then setting her upright, his eyes boring into hers which were shining in the Christmas lights surrounding the rink. "Oh that was great!" Mary howled and he turned to face her as she handed his phone back. Frank checked the photo and had to smile, it was a dammed good shot. He showed it to Fliss and she beamed. "A framer?" She asked. "A framer." He agreed. It took them ages to get Mary to finally leave the rink. Even a bribe of hot chocolate, marshmallows and cookies wasn't doing it. Eventually Frank put his foot down and told her it was time to go as it was almost 9pm and they still had that tree to go see before they headed to Central Park for one last walk in the lights. After handing their skates back and retrieving their belongings from the lockers they followed the path to the tree. As they round the corner Mary gasped. "It's huge!" She turned to look at Frank and Fliss, her eyes wide "Oh my God!" Frank smiled kissed Fliss' cheek as Mary walked slightly ahead of them down the walkway that was flanked with smaller trees and the famous lit up trumpeting angels . As they caught her up he slipped his spare hand in his pocket, his fingers curling round the small, leather box inside. The damned thing had been burning a hole in his pocket since he had bought it in Boston just after Thanksgiving. Fliss, Verity and Bill had all stayed for a very pleasant week rounded off with a damned good proper Thanksgiving dinner and the three of them had flown home on the Friday, as Fliss was starting to stress about her business. He and Mary followed on the Sunday after she had been given the all clear to fly after a week’s check up at the Hospital. On his spare afternoon, he'd taken a trip into the city with one goal, and it had been surprisingly easy. The first jeweller he has walked into had a perfect ring, and despite the fact he had visited several others none of them caught his eye like that. So he had gone back and asked the assistant for a closer look. It wasn't a huge rock, white gold and emerald cut with in a pave setting, but everything about it had screamed Fliss. It was delicate and feminine but with a wonderful sparkle just like her. He knew that sounded so lame when he had told the assistant but she has just smiled and told him that if he had that much conviction, it must be right. He had been lost when she asked him what size, but in a sudden inspiration he had remembered the Pandora ring he had bought her when he had gotten his first new pay check as supervisor. He mentioned this to the assistant who beamed and said she could easily size it from that by using a simple conversion chart and told him to come back the following day. His sudden good spirit had fallen as he explained he couldn't do and asked her to see if here was anything she could do, even contemplating taking it and having it sizes back in Florida. But, after the shitty run of events over the last week, his luck was in after she returned 5 minutes later with a slip of paper, informing him it would be ready by the end of the day. When he had told Mary he was going to ask Fliss to marry him, she'd been so excited. She'd asked when, where and when he said he didn’t know she'd given him the most exasperated look on the planet. The only one of his friend who he had confided in, Greg, hadn’t been much help either, simply telling him to do it in a way that meant something to them both. Simply put he just hadn't a fucking clue. He had agonized over how to pop the question. On the boat? Or maybe a sunset on their favourite spot at St Pete's beach? Did he wait for New York? As such, Frank had taken to carrying the ring around with him, waiting for that moment when it felt right. So far it hadn't happened at home and as it stood New York wasn’t faring any better. He had thought about it at the top of the Empire state, but it had been too busy. Then there was a moment in Central Park after they had been snowman building that might have worked...until Fliss had nailed him in the face with a snowball. So they'd had a snowball fight instead. Then when walking over Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline behind them… then when they walked back to the Hotel after seeing the Lion King on Broadway, going the long way round to see the display in Macy's window all lit up...and then that moment before when Mary had taken a picture of them kissing under the tree on the ice rink... but none of it felt right. It didn't feel like the moment for them. But now something stirred in his gut. This could be it. It wasn't too busy, the place was gorgeous, right in front of the tree Fliss had been so desperate to see... Ok Adler, you can do this. Taking a deep breath he pulled the box from his pocket when he heard Mary give a squeal. "Oh...wow! Frankie look..." Fliss' voice was a whisper and she nudged him, pointing to the base of the tree. He followed her gaze to see a blonde haired man down on one knee, presenting a ring to a dark haired woman who had her hands clasped over her mouth. Frank slipped the box back into his pocket and stared at the man as he placed the ring onto his now fiancés finger and did his best to look like he cared when Fliss let out a soft "Awwww" The man looked around excitedly, his eyes falling on the three of them before he asked Frank if he or Fliss would mind taking a photo for them. "Course not buddy, congratulations." Frank smiled. Fucking prick... ***** "It was AMAZING!" Mary gushed to Verity as they walked to the car, Fliss' parents having come to pick them up from the airport. "we saw so much stuff but nowhere near all of it but Frank said we could go back next year in the summer maybe and do a bit more." "Looks like someone else had a good time too." Bill smiled, nodding to Fliss who let out a loud yawn. Frank chuckled "She was up all night, I told her not to have more food so close to bed time." "I wanted a hot dog and a pretzel." Fliss mumbled, "Besides, it's nothing to do with the food...we did a lot of walking." Bill gave a snort "You ride horses for a living, you should be fit enough to walk round New York" "I probably skated about 4 miles too..." Fliss said looking at Mary "Someone wouldn't come off the ice rink" "You been sleeping ok otherwise?" Verity looked at her "I'm fine mum." She smiled "No anxiety?" 'V, she said she's fine so leave it" Bill said gently and Fliss shot a grateful look at her dad. She knew her mum was only concerned but she was fed up of assuring people she was fine. After the attack from John she had suffered a bout of delayed shock which had manifested in a few panic attacks, nightmares, and restlessness at night and on one occasion nausea. Luckily Frank had been brilliant at keeping calm when she had an episode, helping her work through it and the last incident she had suffered had been over a week ago. Once they were all in the car, Frank took the passenger seat after Verity offered it to him, Mary continued to chat all the drive home about New York, Fliss and Frank butting in here and there. They arrived home little after 30 minutes later and Fliss headed up the steps with Mary, Thor almost sending the pair of them flying when they opened the door. "Oh puppy I missed you!" Fliss smiled as she gave him plenty of attention and he kept licking her face, whining and emitting quiet little barks. "Did you miss me? Did you?" "Yerress" Frank did his best Scooby Doo impression as he walked past and Fliss let out a laugh, as she stood up and headed into the living room behind Mary, bumping into the girl as she stopped dead, giving a squeal as she saw the Christmas Tree in the corner. "Mum, Dad?" Fliss called, smiling "I take it you did this?" Frank appeared behind them both, smiling as Fliss and Mary exchanged a glance before they all turned to Bill and Verity who were stood in the doorway. "Well we know how much you like to get your tree up as early as you can and, well we were picking one up for ourselves so we got you one. You don’t mind do you?" Verity, looked at Fliss then Frank. "No, of course not!" Fliss grinned. "Saved me a job." Frank nodded "Thanks guys." "Can we decorate it tonight?" Mary asked "Pleeeeeeeaaaasssseee Frank!" Frank glanced at his watch before giving a sigh, he knew she wouldn't go to bed if he said no anyway so what was the point? Plus she was at the University tomorrow which didn’t start until 10 so... "Ok, but if you so much as grumble tomorrow morning when I get you up you'll be in deep trouble." He looked at her sternly as she stooped to pick Fred up. "Cross my heart, hope to die, we all know Fred's got one eye..." she chanted off, nodding. "We brought your box of decorations from the annex." Verity smiled at Fliss, nodding to the box on the floor. "We thought you could pick what you want to keep now you're combining."

“Speaking of decorations…” Frank said, looking at Mary.

“Oh…yeah…hang on…” She said, running to the sofa where she had dumped her little pink rucksack. She fished out the paper bag they had gotten from the stall and found the Snowman they had bought. With a smile she handed it to Verity who looked down at it, her face curling into a smile as her eyes started to prick with tears.

“Fliss said you wouldn’t mind the names Mary wanted on them.” Frank said, watching carefully.

“Of course we don’t mind!” Bill smiled, picking Mary up to give her a hug “We are Nanny V and Poppa B ain’t that right kiddo?” “Yep!” she grinned, hugging him.

“We’ll save it to hang tomorrow when you come over after school.” Verity said as Bill set Mary on the floor and she hugged her tightly.

After a little more chat Verity and Bill left and Frank instructed Mary to change into her Pyjamas before they did the tree. Deciding that was a good idea, Fliss did the same and before long they were all in the living room. Fliss and Mary going through the boxes of decorations, Frank wrestling with the tangle of fairy lights. How they managed to get so fucking knotted up after simply being in a box for 12 months was beyond him.

He had just about managed it when Thor came over to inspect what he was doing, and dropped straight onto his back on top of the string.

“Thor…get out of it…” he grumbled, pushing the dog who simply rolled over, taking half the lights with him, tangling them round his legs and his tails. “Jesus Christ…stand still…for fucks sake…”

Thinking this was a huge game, Thor started to bounce around, barking, and Frank shook his head. “Fliss, sort this mutt out….” Fliss gave a laugh and dropped off the sofa, calling Thor to her. He sat down, allowing Frank to remove the lights before he stood up, shaking them out. Together the 3 of them wound them round the tree before they made a start on the decorations.

“Frank got me this for my first Christmas.” Mary said, hanging a red bauble which had her name on it. “The glitter has all fallen off it now.”

“We can add more if you want.” Fliss looked at her and Mary shrugged.

“I kinda like it.” It didn’t take them long, and their wooden trinkets from New York were the last ones they hung, Mary ensuring they took pride of place. Frank then lifted her up so she could place the star at the top before they stood back.

“Ready for the big turn on?” Frank asked, grinning. Mary and Fliss cheered and began a countdown from 5. When they hit 1 Frank hit the switch and the lights on the tree came to life. He stepped back, looking up at it, his arm curling round Fliss’ shoulder, his other dropping to Mary as she grinned.

“Best Tree ever.” she smiled.

“Yeah, and now it’s time for the best bed ever…” he looked at her.

“Seriously?” Mary complained

“No moaning, remember?” Frank instructed her. “That was in the morning.”

“Well I just extended it to now as well.” he said, shrugging “Because I can, so get…” “Fine, fine, I’m going…” she grumbled. “Night Fliss.” “Night sweetie.” Fliss dropped a kiss to her head before Mary shot a filthy look at Frank who met her with a passive one of his own.

“I’ll be in in a second.” Frank shot after her, watching as she headed down to the hallway. He turned back to Fliss who was watching the tree, a smile on her face.

“Not exactly up to Macey’s standards…” Frank chuckled and she shook her head.

“I love it.” “It looks like an Elf threw up on it.”

“All trees should be like that.” Fliss shrugged, before she gave his cheek a peck. “Now, you go sort Mary and I’ll get us both a beer.” “Actually…” he said, looping his arms round her waist. “I believe there was something else you promised me tonight…” “Oh, yes, of course, Frankie has needs…” she replied with an almost uncanny impersonation, which made him snort. “Does that mean no beer?”

“No beer.” “You want me to wait in bed.” “Yes I do.” he nodded “Go, I’ll let Thor out and lock up.”

Grinning she accepted his kiss and smiled as she turned around, casting him a quite frankly sinful look over her shoulder which almost had him hard right there and then. Not wanting to wait a moment longer he sorted the dog, locked the door, poked his head into Mary’s room to wish her goodnight, and headed into their bedroom. Fliss was hanging her jeans in the closet after having simply discarded them on the bed earlier, and wasting no time Frank pulled off his T-shirt, tossing it to the side before he stepped up behind her, spinning her round to face him. He pressed his lips to hers, deepening the kiss as he slid his hands down to cup her ass and she smirked into the kiss.

“I like your ass.” he muttered. “I like yours too” she said back, “And your arms”

He laughed and pulled back to look down at her as her fingers trailed up his biceps. “My arms?”

“Yeah, your big, strong arms, and your big, broad shoulders and your stupid, handsome face…” she muttered, pulling him back down to her. In between the dizzying kisses Frank steered her towards the bed, and as her legs collided with the edge he stopped to gently trail kisses across her bare collar bone. His lips found her jaw and then, with a wicked quirk of his eyebrow he reached down for her thighs, and grabbing them he pulled them forwards, causing her to fall backwards as he pitched them both onto the bed. As she laughed he chuckled slightly before he kissed her again, and then it was a scramble to get out of his clothes as fast as he could before he fell back on top of his girl, his hands pulling up her camisole top, lips kissing at the spot just below her ear before he slid down her shorts, his mouth gently kissing a trail up from her belly through the middle of her breasts, up her neck and finally back to her mouth.

Fliss was utterly lost now, in the usual whirl of love, and lust and passion and kissed him back, hard as his hand gently dropped between her legs and he felt her slick against the tips of his fingers as he gently coaxed at her clit, continuing until she was nothing short of a writhing mess clawing at his back, aching for him. They locked eyes as he took her left hand in his, and slowly worked into her, both moaning simultaneously at the sensation, Fliss’s eyes rolling back at the exquisite stretch inside. Frank began to move his hips slowly, deeply, his thrusts weren’t measured in the slightest despite the fact he was absolutely aching for her. He wanted to take it slow, end what had been an amazing trip in the same mood it had started in, absolute pure love.

His mouth moved back to Fliss’s neck, nipping gently at her skin and she let out low moan as he picked up the pace ever so slightly, his spare hand kept hold of her hip, keeping her as close to him as she could possibly be.

“Fuck, Frank, right there…” she groaned as he hit her spot and he smirked slightly, he loved the way she got like this with him, ever so demanding at times, such a far cry from the timid woman he had fallen for the previous year.

“Yeah?” he panted as she gave a soft cry, her body tensing underneath him “Good.” “So good…” she moaned, arching her back. His mouth found hers again and his hand slid from her hip to gently tease her nipple and she rolled her hips to grind up against him, changing the angle slightly causing him to go deeper.

“Lissy…” he panted as he drove into her deeply, slowly, and then again and again, his pace increasing ever so slightly. Every single sense Frank possessed was on fire and he broke the long, lazy kiss that they were sharing to stifle a moan against her cheek when he felt her clench around him, a tell-tale sign she was nearing her release. The sheets rustled underneath and around them both as his hips pushed up against hers, and Frank saw Fliss’ head tip back, her throat bared to him in utter bliss as she came hard, her moans soft and breathy into his ear. Frank picked up his pace slightly, chasing his own end as he pushed her through hers, and when he felt that snake in his belly beginning to unravel, he gave a low grunt which morphed into a gasp as he clung to Fliss, spilling himself into her, his hips slowing to a stop as he collapsed forward. Fliss gave a soft chuckle as her hands gently slid up his back and into his hair, as she moved and pressed a soft kiss to his head.

“I know I keep saying it but I really do fuckin’ love you Cowgirl.” he said, voice muffled as his face pressed into her neck.

Fliss gave a chuckle “I’ll never tire of hearing it Sailor. “

He moved to look at her, flashing her a grin before he caught her mouth in a sweet kiss. **** "You still not managed it?" Greg asked as they stood at the bar, waiting for their drinks. Frank sighed and glanced at Fliss who was sat with Bonnie in the booth, the pair of them sniggering at something. "Do you see a ring on her finger?" He looked at Greg. "No" "Well there's your answer." "What's the hold up, man?" Greg frowned. "Nothing has felt right." Frank sighed "she won’t want a huge fuss in front of people so that basically ruled out all of New York...bar one moment when I thought it was time, in front of the tree at Rockefeller...and then some douchebag went and beat me to it, proposing to his girl whilst we watched..." "You're over thinking it." Greg said, looking at Frank "Take a step back. When are the pair of you at your best? The time you enjoy most, I mean" "Honestly?" Frank shrugged "at night when Mary's gone to bed and we finally sit down and just watch TV or joke around." "Well there you go." Greg shrugged "What, at home?" Frank frowned "Why not?" Greg looked at him "the point isn't to be showy or flashy but to show her you wanna spend the rest of your life with her." Frank pondered this for a moment. Greg has a point. They were at their happiest doing the simple things, spending quiet time together, being fucking normal. Fliss loved it when they curled up and Frank would simply cuddle her close and kiss her head, easy signs of affection that she had craved all through her wreck of a marriage. And Frank loved it too, because it made him feel grounded, time for him to simply be Frank in his own right, the very thing he used to use his Friday night drinking sessions for. Now he could feel it every night, thanks to Lissy…

And then, suddenly an idea came to him, out of nowhere.

Oh, it was perfect! "Greg..." he smiled, slapping the man on the back "you are a genius." "Glad I could be of service." Greg smirked "This means I get best man duty, right?"

Frank smirked at him, shrugging, not giving anything away. His eyes flicked back to Fliss who had now stood up, Simon having returned to the table sliding in next to Bonnie. Frank’s eyes travelled up her bare legs, from her high-heels up to the short little pink playsuit she was wearing, which was printed with black palm trees and other patterns, the small straps settling on her tanned shoulders, the front showing him just enough cleavage. She was wearing a black butterfly necklace that she had bought in New York and her hair was loose, falling over her shoulders in soft curls. Her brown eyes locked onto his and he smiled as he remembered the last Circle Of Truth Christmas outing the previous year, when he had told her he loved her for the first time. And here they were, now 5 days away from their second Christmas together.

“Hey beautiful” he smiled as she reached his side. His arm curled round her and he pressed a kiss to her cheek “You ok?” “Yeah, just thirsty.” she smiled. “Can I get a water as well as my gin please?”

“Sure…” he turned to look at the bar tender who was pulling their drinks together. Once he had attracted his attention and added a bottle of water to the order he turned back to her as Greg spoke up.

“Frank said you enjoyed New York.” “Oh, it was fantastic.” she smiled “Every bit as magical as I thought it was going to be.”

“Good, I’m glad you all had a good time.” Greg smiled “You deserved it after everything that went down.” “Yeah well, he’s banged up now. His brother is going to go down for Endangerment or whatever it is you call it, its’ done, it’s over.” Fliss smiled, “We got the rest of our lives ahead of us now.” “Well, if that doesn’t call for shots then I don’t know what does…” Greg smirked as the bar tender placed their drinks in front of them.

“No, Greg…” Fliss started to protest but Greg cut her off.

“Yes Greg!” he smirked, turning to the bar tender, “Can I get a bottle of Tequila pal and 8 glasses.” Fliss groaned “I’m teaching at 9 am!”

“Dumbass…” Greg looked at her and Frank gave a snort.

“I told you to switch them out…”

“I can’t!” she pouted “I already did for Boston and New York…” “Well…” Greg smirked as the bar tender set the bottle and glasses down in front of him “Looks like you’re doing it with a hangover honey.” “Fuck my life…” **** Fuck my life indeed. Fliss spent the following morning throwing up, groaning once more that she was never drinking tequila EVER again. Frank reminded her of how many times she had said that over the time he had known her and she’d simply let out a huge fake sob and thrown herself face down on the bed again declaring that she didn’t want to adult anymore as it sucked.

The days before Christmas passed in the usual chaos. Presents were wrapped and stashed under the tree, more drinks were had with Friends. Evelyn visited for a few days, which had actually almost pleased Frank a little. She wasn’t staying for Christmas, her arrangements having already been made, but she had hinted that maybe next year she could, to which Frank and Fliss had both agreed. She had been taken with Mary’s gift to her and had laughed out loud when Bill and Verity had presented her with a case of Malbec, the same Malbec she’d smashed a bottle of over John’s head. Her gifts to them both had been a substantial chunk of money, in the thousands, and when Frank had protested at the amount on the cheque she had waved it off as 8 years of owed presents. Mary’s was wrapped so it was placed under the tree for Christmas morning. Evelyn headed back to Boston on the morning of Christmas Eve, Frank and Mary driving her to the airport instead of her driver, where they had both bid her a Happy Christmas and waved her goodbye as she headed off to spend it with her friends in Newton.

After the final preparations were made Frank, Fliss and Mary collapsed onto the sofa for a Marathon of Christmas Films. Mary was, as usual, excited and the copious amounts of chocolate and candy she was shovelling down weren’t helping either, but what the hell, it was Christmas after all.

"You ok?" Frank glanced at Fliss as she sat on the other side of the couch. Love Actually was playing, the final film of the evening before Mary went to bed. Fliss, however didn't look like she was paying attention. "Huh?" She looked at him, blinking. "I said are you ok? You look like you were miles away"

“Yeah, sorry, I was errr…just running through things in my head, making sure nothing was forgotten.” Frank smiled. They were hosting Verity and Bill tomorrow as Steven and his family were at his wife’s parents for this year, flying out instead of the 28th to spend New Year’s with them all. Fliss had asked Frank if they could host, as she’d never had the chance to do that before and of course he had agreed, not least because of the excited look on her face when she had asked.

“The table is set, food and everything is ready to go…” he chuckled, looking at her “Just relax…”

He reached round Mary, his hand gently rubbing at Fliss’ back and she smiled at him, turning her attention to the TV.

20 minutes or so later the film finished and Mary jumped up, grabbing Frank’s hand to make him dance to God Only Knows as the final closing scenes played out. He smiled and picked her up, resting her on his hip as he twirled her round to the song, the pair of them laughing before he eventually dropped her down and told her it was bed time. She scooted off, Fred trotting behind her, his tail swishing as she skipped and Frank headed in about 5 minutes later to tuck her in, before he came back to the living room.

“She wants you to go and say goodnight.” he smiled,

Fliss nodded and stood up.

“You sure you’re ok?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, honestly, I’m just tired.” she assured him. Giving him a kiss she headed up the hall and Frank watched her go before he smiled to himself, and set about quickly putting the last touches to his plan.

She came back about 10 minutes later and he smiled at her as she walked into the room.

“OK, now she’s out of the way…I got something for you...” Frank smiled.

Fliss looked at him before she shook her head, chuckling a little “I got something for you too…Frank, I have-” “Me first.” Frank cut her off.

She looked at him for a second, his bright blue eyes were shining as he grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

“Fine…” she smiled, “Ok, you first.” He grinned and then folded his arms “You gotta find it.” “What?”

“It’s hidden, on the tree, and you gotta find it.” Her face lit up as she gave a laugh “You are such a dork!” “Yeah, I know…” Narrowing her eyes playfully she moved to the tree, glancing at it. “Ok so it’s not very big then, seeing as I can’t see it straight away.” Frank shrugged as she continued her search.

“I haven’t put it high up, seeing as you’re a short ass…” “I’m perfectly average for a woman thank you.” “Trust me baby girl, nothing about you is average.” he winked and she let out a snort.

“Charmer.” she grinned, turning back to the tree.

“Ok, you’re miles off…” he said, and she moved to her right “Gettin’ warmer…warmer…ok, yep, nearly there…” Fliss continued to search, and then something caught her eye. There was something shiny handing from the nose of her Doe ornament. She stepped forward slightly, and when she realised what it was her right hand flew to her mouth. Frank’s breath caught in his throat as she spun to face him, her eyes wide.

"You, me and Mary have been hanging out together since August last year now...” he said, clearing his throat slightly “How do you feel about hanging with us forever?" He watched, holding his breath as Fliss' chest heaved with emotion as she looked at him, those brown eyes he could happily stare at all day were full of tears, the hand which had flown to her mouth in surprise was now shaking as it slid to the spot beneath her throat, that dip in her neck that he could nuzzle at forever. "I'll hang with you for as long as you'll have me..." she whispered, taking a deep breath. "Is that a yes?" Frank inhaled sharply and a watery laugh burst through her tears. "Yes. Yes, a thousand times yes!" Frank's face split into a huge grin "shit..." he sputtered before she threw herself into his arms and he lifted her up easily, her legs wrapping around his waist as he held her close, kissing her neck. She pulled back and placed a kiss to his lips, long and short pecks being shared as she laughed and he laughed, the pair of them simply lost in the moment until eventually he set her down and with a shaking hand he reached out to retrieve the ring from where it was hanging. Taking her left hand in his, with a deep breath he slipped the diamond onto her finger.

Fliss looked at it, admiring the way the delicate band sat underneath her knuckle, the beautiful diamond twinkling in the lights of the tree.

"Oh Frankie...it’s gorgeous..." she whispered, before she looked at him, taking his face in both his hands and pulling him down for a deep kiss. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He smiled, kissing her again before he pulled away, his hands linking behind her back.

"I err, got us some champagne." He smiled, "I know it was presumptive of me but figured we could have it tomorrow if you turned me down." Fliss looked up at him, blinking before she took a deep breath “First I need to get you…just wait here…” He released her from his hold and she turned and headed out of the room, Frank watched her go, blinking for a moment before he shrugged and headed to the fridge, the smile still plastered on his face. She said yes!

Not that he had doubted she would, not really, but there had always been that little bit of fright she may have done. But that was all gone now. As he popped the cork on the bottle he found himself thinking about how he would be doing that soon enough on his wedding day. He poured 2 glassed and headed into the living room with them wondering if maybe a late Autumn wedding next year would be nice, October perhaps when it started to cool off slightly. They could do the beach wedding she always wanted, hire a marquee... Lost in his thoughts completely he jumped a little when Fliss spoke his name and turned to look at her as she stood in front of him, the back of his thighs brushing against the sofa slightly. He noticed her hand was in her pocket, clutching something. Playfully he nodded towards it “I assume that’s not a spanner." He chuckled, referencing the joke they often shared and Fliss shook her head, biting her lip. "No it’s a bit bigger than that" With a shaky hand she pulled out a small, white stick of plastic and held it towards him. It took Frank a moment to understand what it was and as soon as he did his eyes widened and he looked at her, then it, then back again.

"You're...we're...no!." he stuttered, reaching out to take it from her. "I found out this morning." Fliss whispered, watching his reaction carefully "I suspected last week but thought it might all be down to stress and stuff but..." "How, I mean..." "I should have started a new pill packet when we went to Boston but I forgot to take it with me. I thought I'd be ok if I started as soon as I got back but..." "There's a baby in there?" Frank cut her off as he stumbled over his words, nodding to her stomach "Yeah" Fliss nodded. "You put it there." Frank's legs grew shaky and he dropped onto the sofa, staring down at the test in his hands.

2 blue lines. 2 blue lines that had just changed his world forever. "I'm sorry, I know this is sudden and I should have been more careful..." Fliss took a tentative step towards him and he reached out, his hands on either side of her hips, gently pulling her t-shirt up. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to her belly, his forehead resting just above her navel. "I'm gonna be a dad." he pulled back, his eyes watering. "Frankie, you already are." Fliss said, her own tears once more springing forth. "I know you hate it when I say that about Mary but it's true." He looked at her, a dazed smile split his face into two as he pulled her onto his lap, where she straddled him, and he kissed her, hard, leaving her slightly breathless before he rest his forehead against hers. "Fuck, Lissy." he whispered, his eyes closed "You're cooking a little person..." She spluttered a laugh, nodding, her forehead brushing his as she did. "Was it made in Boston...is that the right word?" He pulled back to look at her and she laughed, brushing her hand through his fluffy hair as his gently reached out to rest against her stomach. "Yeah and most likely." "It's a little Boston Bean" he grinned and she laughed again, pressing her lips to his. "You're ok with it then? I know it's probably not what you would have planned but..." "Ok? Of course I'm ok!" He smiled "I love you and the thought of us making a little person that's half me, half you...fuck, it's amazing." She smiled and nodded, her voice a whisper "I know..."

"There is one problem." Franks said, his arms wrapping tightly around her. "What?" "You just ruined Christmas forever...because nothing is ever gonna live up to this ever again."

****** Fliss, Frank and Mary’s adventure continues in RIDING ON

#riding high #frank adler #frank adler x ofc #frank adler x original female character #gifted #gifted fan fic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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the-hidden-writer · 4 years

Text

An Odd Family Tree

A series of snippets from the lives of the FitzSimmons family, set post 7x13. Also, the series of events that leads up to the birth of their grandson.

Available to read on AO3 and FF.net.

Comments make my day!

Chapter 1: Owen

It’s Fitz that first bumps into Owen. Obviously he doesn’t recognise him, but he immediately stands out since there aren’t that many Americans in Inverness.

He’s arguing with the shop lady, of all things.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” The man exclaimed from his position in front of him in the queue. “If you put vegetables outside the store, then someone might get the wrong idea! That someone being me!”

There was something strangely familiar about his tone, but Fitz couldn’t quite place it.

“Look lad,” sighed the nice shop lady, “any other time I would give you the benefit of the doubt. But I’m having a bad day and I really don’t want to deal with bloody Americans right now.”

That’s when Fitz decided to step in, having some experience with bloody Americans. “Is there a problem, Rachel?”

He tried to look intimidating, but he knew he was getting older and that he’d let himself go quite a lot since Alya didn’t require him to constantly play with her. And that had been a good decade or so.

“Oh, Leopold.” Fitz winced at the name. “Would you mind? I’ve had a rough day.”

“Of course.” He answered, because you couldn’t say no to Rachel the shop lady. He glared at the young American and raised his finger like he used to do with Alya. “You come with me, outside, now.”

To his credit, the guy looked kind of sheepish as he followed him outside of the little shop.

“I’m sorry. I really didn’t know.” He paused. “Well maybe I had a feeling but I thought I might get away with it.”

Fitz sighed. “At least you’re honest, but trying to take advantage of nice Scottish shop ladies? Really, son?”

“Well I’m sorry Leopold. At least you can tell the guys at bingo that you tried to defend her.” The lad paused again. “I’m sorry that was rude.”

“That’s okay,” Fitz replied, grateful that there were at least some manners left in the world. He outstretched his hand. “Call me Fitz.”

The guy shook his hand with a surprisingly strong grip. “Owen. Owen Shaw.”

And that’s when it hit Fitz like a truck. A truck that, after hitting him, decided to come back and run over him a second time. And then the driver decided to hop out and jump on his mangled body just to make sure he felt something. And boy, did he feel it.

“Shaw?” He managed to whisper, his throat tight and his face as white as a sheet.

“Yeah.” The young man affirmed, and only then did Fitz bother to take a good look at him. He was relatively tall, slender, and had a mop of scruffy dirty-blond hair on his head that was mostly hidden by a cap. He had a sorry excuse for a beard that was really nothing more than long stubble. Honestly, now that he was looking and from what he could remember, he could see the resemblance.

And that's when Fitz went into panic mode, because the universe was miraculously being kind to him, and he didn't want to risk passing up this opportunity.

"Listen, are you here with anyone?" He asked suddenly.

"What, you mean like in Inverness?" Fitz nodded. "Oh uh… nah, my parents are across the pond. My dad's a Brit and told me to go explore good old In-ger-land. I felt like pissing him off so I came to find the Loch Ness Monster instead."

It was at that moment that Fitz realised that the universe had never actually been kind to him. He felt strangely comforted by that fact.

"Well if you're feeling lonely here, why don't you come and have dinner at my house?" He offered, immediately regretting his decision but knowing that Jemma would kill him if he didn't give him a chance. "It's just me, my wife, and my daughter and we'd love to have you. Keep you company and tell you the best tourist sites and stuff."

Owen looked skeptical. "Is being this forward a Scottish thing, or..?"

Fitz put on his sweetest smile. "Yes, absolutely." It was not a Scottish thing, but if it fooled this goon then it was worth the lie. He hoped it would be enough.

"Okay in that case, sure! I've got nothing better to do tonight."

Fitz felt his tense body relax. Was he really that worried about setting his daughter up with this dude?

"Cool." He said. "Come with me then."

As soon as he returned home he rushed into the kitchen to find Jemma peering out of the window at Owen, who was busy admiring the many flowers in their front garden.

“Who’s that?” She asked, nodding towards the man in the garden.

Fitz took in a deep, shaky breath. His eyes wide, he gently took the carrot and peeler from his skeptical wife’s beautiful hands and put them on the marble counter so that he could put his hands in hers.

“That’s Owen. I invited him round for dinner.”

Jemma let out a scoff of disbelief. “Since when are you being social? We don’t know him, and Alya’s never mentioned an Owen.” Her face then hardened and she pulled her hands back so she could place them on her hips. “Are you trying to set up our daughter with a stranger? Because Alya’s old enough to find someone herself, and we can’t look after her forever.”

Trying to calm his nerves, Fitz flapped his arms around as if they would convey what he was trying to say. Sadly, in this case, they didn’t and he would have to actually say what he was simultaneously excited for and dreading.

“No, Jemma, you don’t understand. Th-This is Owen Shaw.”

A beat. Then Jemma gasped.

“Shaw?” She whispered, her face paling. “As in… Shaw, Shaw?”

“Shaw, Shaw.”

And then his wife’s eyes steeled with a determination that he had grown so accustomed to, yet never failed to impress and scare him. She grabbed him by the arm and started to march towards the front door, yelling: “ALYA!”

She then leaned into a speechless Fitz’s ear and whispered “Come on, that man is marrying our daughter.”

“Uh, hi Mrs Fitz?” Owen asked as Jemma dragged him into the garden, smiling a smile that was equal parts friendly and threatening. “I’m Owen. Your husband invited me over, I hope that’s not a problem?”

“Not at all! And please, it’s Jemma.” She said. “The casserole might take another twenty minutes though, so why don’t you go and talk to my daughter? She’s about your age, and I think you two would get on rather well.”

Fitz cringed. His wife was very subtle.

As if on cue, Alya emerged from the front door. “You called, Mum?” Then, after catching sight of the stranger in their garden, “who’s this?”

He sighed. “This is-”

“I’m Owen.” Owen interrupted, leaping towards her. “I’m travelling the world and got called over by your Dad.”

Fitz turned to look at Jemma, mouth gaping open. Jemma whacked him on his arm.

“I’m Alya. I’m a marine biologist.”

Owen’s face lit up. “Oh, like a scientist? That’s so cool! Have you seen the Loch Ness Monster?”

Alya laughed nervously, as unsure as her parents at whether he was being serious or not.

“Alya, why don’t you take Owen inside?” Jemma asked, somehow managing to steer the conversation away from awkwardness. “Keep him company while your Dad and I make dinner.”

“You don’t need two people to make a casserole-” Fitz tried to mumble in protest, but he only received another playful whack on the arm for his troubles.

Their daughter skillfully managed to hide a sigh. “Sure, Mum. This way, Owen.”

Once the pair were out of sight, Jemma immediately turned to Fitz. “Where did you find him?!” She quietly exclaimed.

Fitz shrugged. “He was bothering Rachel the shop lady, and then he told me his name and I panicked and brought him home.” He paused as the adrenaline of first hearing the name wore off and doubt started to softly trickle into his brain. “Oh god, should I have left it alone? What if they were supposed to meet by themselves and I’ve screwed everything up? I-”

Jemma interrupted his rant with a gentle hug.

“Don’t worry,” she assured, softly squeezing his shoulders, “if I’m being honest I’d given up hope that we would ever meet him since the world isn’t ending.”

“Oh yeah, I’d forgotten about that.”

She kissed his cheek. “You might’ve just introduced Alya to her soulmate.”

Fitz snorted. “Are we sure that soulmates would be able to create Deke?”

All of a sudden, the couple froze. They hadn’t said that name aloud in years. It was like an unspoken agreement between them, that they would both lock that name and the memories associated with it in the deepest, darkest corner of their hearts. It stayed that way for just over twenty years. They had moved on and had tried to forget.

The worst part was that they had forgotten, and they knew that, from this moment on, they would never be able to forgive themselves.

Jemma sniffed, her eyes beginning to well up with tears, and Fitz pulled her close. They could worry about Owen and the casserole later. For now, they needed to mourn their grandson.

#agents of shield #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d.#aos #aos spoilers #fitzsimmons #fitzsimmons fam #leo fitz #jemma simmons #alya fitzsimmons #owen shaw #deke shaw #fanfic #an odd family tree

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what-is-your-plan-today · 4 years

Text

Riding High Ch 25: Keep It Simple

Chapter Summary: The events of Boston behind them, Frank, Fliss and Mary look forward to Christmas…and Frank has a big surprise planned.

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut…NSFW and NO UNDER 18s!!!

Chapter Pairings: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

And yes, I know it ain’t Christmas but…well, in my mind it should be Christmas every day!

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter Song: God Only Knows by the Beach Boys

If you should ever leave me, thought life would still go on, believe me, the world could show nothing to me, so what good would living do me? God only knows what I’d be without you…

"Mary can you just hold on a second, please!" Frank sighed, grabbing the back of her coat to stop her shooting off into the crowd that streamed down the busy Manhattan sidewalk. "But Frank!" she turned and looked at him, her woollen hat jammed down over her ears "I just wanna see the stall!" "Yeah but you can't just run off!" He grumbled and besides him Fliss gave a chuckle. He turned to look at her "who gets so excited about damned wooden tree ornaments?" "Oh hush!" Fliss leaned up to give him a pack, her cold nose brushing his. In retaliation he pulled the front of her baby blue sparkly bobble hat down over her eye and she shoved him in the chest, laughing. "Fuck you!" "Chance would be a fine thing" he grumbled, taking Fliss’ hand as they headed after Mary. "Awww is that why you're grumpy?" Fliss grinned as they walked "Coz you haven't had any in nearly 3 days?" Frank pouted "No." "Liar..." "Ok, look...Frankie has needs..." he whined "I completely over looked the fact hanging out with an 8 year old in the room would be a cock block." "Always the shower..." Fliss teased and Frank snorted. "Yeah, right. Can you imagine? I give it 3 minutes before she came looking for us." "We go home tomorrow. I'll make it up to you then." Fliss grinned and he sighed. "What?" She laughed. "It’s just...you look so hot in all this winter clothing." Frank grinned. And he meant it. Seeing her wrapped up in a coat, hat and scarf had made her look all cute and cozy...and it had done inappropriate things to him for some odd reason. "Hmmm, you know most men get more turned on the less clothing their girls wear." She teased and he grinned. "Yeah, well, I'm not most men" She gave him a smile which he returned with a soft kiss as they stopped by the stall where Mary instantly dived into looking at the array of ornaments. After a few moments of looking she handed Frank one in the shape of a reindeer stag, and a doe for him and Fliss before selecting a robin for herself. "I think they're so pretty." She looked at the bird in her hand "I saw one at Evelyn's over thanks giving." "Ever heard the saying robins appear when loved ones are near?" Fliss asked. Mary shook her head. "No" "Well, I don't know about here but certainly in England we say it because there is an old belief by some people that a robin is a message from heaven, that a loved one is watching over you." "Do you believe that?" Mary looked at Fliss. Fliss hesitated "Well when my mum's dad died I was 20 and I remember getting up the morning after he died and there was a robin on the fence of the back garden. Bill told me it was my granddad Alex come to check I was ok." "Do you think it was? Really I mean?" "I dunno sweetheart." Fliss sighed "I'd like it to be true..." "Then you should believe it was." Mary said, looking at her "Because isn't that what faith is? Believing something you want to be true?" Fliss looked at Frank who smiled and gave a small shake of his head. She turned back to Mary, smiling softly as she dropped a hand to the back of her head. This kid was unbelievably wise, but with such an innocence behind it all. "Yeah, I suppose it is." Fliss nodded. "Do you think the robin I saw could have been my mom?" She asked, her eyes wide. Frank at that point stepped in, carefully picking an answer that was ambiguous so as not to say yes, but also not dampening her spirits. "If your mom could I'm sure she would come and see you, make sure you're ok." Mary gave a nod, before she turned back to the stall, her attention back on the ornaments. "We need a dog for Thor, and a cat for Fred oh...and a pony for Monty." "What about Cap and Heidi?" Fliss asked, moving to inspect the selection of decorations. "Oh, yeah!" "This is gonna bankrupt me." Frank grumbled, his hands on Fliss' hips, chin resting on her shoulder as he observed the two of them. "Scrooge" Fliss shot back with a smile "Do you think Verity and Bill will like this one?" Mary held up a snowman. "Absolutely" Fliss nodded. "And can I get one for Evelyn?" She asked, selecting a snowflake. Despite the fact that they were now well into the fifty buck range for fucking tree decorations, Frank couldn't help but want to smile at Marys face. She was so thoughtful, the purity behind it all was as usual humbling. So he nodded "Sure she will appreciate it." He smiled. He moved to lift her up so she could hand the ones they had picked over to the guy behind the counter who asked Mary what names she wanted on each one. As she told him, he allowed her to sit up on the edge of the little surface, held in place by Frank to watch as he burnt the names into each ornament before he bagged them up and she took them with a thanks. "Our first family tree stuff!" Mary grinned and Fliss smiled, bending down to give her a hug. They set back off towards the hotel, stopping by a burger joint for dinner before they dumped their bags and returned back out for their final evening in the City. Frank had loved every second of their trip, and so had Mary and Fliss. Seeing Mary's reaction to snow and the Christmas lights had been amazing, along with all the bands on street corners, people walking around dressed up. It was magical and he wasn't afraid to let his inner child come out to play either, as Fliss had just found out. "Whose idea was this again?" He asked as Mary was bouncing up and down in the queue. "Yours!" Fliss scoffed as he took Mary's hand in his right "I seem to recall the very visible horror on your face yesterday when I told you I'd never done it before..." "That’s because it's an abomination that someone who's 34 has never been ice skating." "I was a professional athlete." She shrugged "I was banned from doing anything deemed dangerous " Frank looked at her "What do they consider more dangerous than flying a half tonne animal almost 2 meters into the air?" "Bungee jumping, sky diving, jet skiing, water skiing, ice skating.." Fliss shrugged "just to name 5" Frank shook his head as the queue shuffled forward a little. It wasn't too long now, luckily they had timed it right by arriving 20 minutes or so before the next lot of General Admission to the famous Rockefeller rink opened so there weren't too many people ahead. After another 10 minutes they got to the front and Frank nudged Fliss out of the way as she tried to pay. She scowled at him and he simply rolled his eyes and handed his card over. It wasn't cheap but then, he was in New York. What was? Together they headed onto the ice. Frank, having done it a few times as a kid found his legs fairly quickly and didn't stop himself laughing as Mary's completely went from under her and she landed with a thump on her ass. "Here..." he chuckled, offering her his hand. He pulled her up and moved her in front of him. "Give me your hands..." Mary extended her arms to the side and he took her mitten clad hands in his, holding her in front of him. Fliss was moving tentatively behind him, using the sides for support a little. "Ok slide your right foot forward, like on your roller skates..." Frank said. Mary did as she was told "now left...right...left...right..." He continued his chanting and glanced over his shoulder to see Fliss was concentrating on her feet, her tongue poking out slightly. "You good?" "Yup." She said, raising her hand to give him a thumbs up before she skidded slightly and went down in a tangle of limbs. Letting out a laugh he gently pivoted Mary so she could hold onto the side and offered Fliss his hand. Pulling her up into his arms he held her steady for a moment whilst her laughing subsided. He watched her for a second, her face creasing up into those adorable dimples, eyes crinkled so much they were almost shut and her shoulders shook with the force of her giggles. "I fuckin' love you..." he grinned and she smiled at him. "Back at ya sailor" After another few laps Mary and Fliss had managed to get the hand of it which meant Frank could leave them a little bit as he went off for what he called a proper skate. The girls watched calling him a show off as he crossed his feet and turned, skating backwards a little. Both of them debated sabotaging him and tripping him up but they decided not to, instead they simply pretended they didn't know him, resulting in him grabbing Fliss from behind just beneath the large tree, and spinning her round to face him. "Can I help you?" She teased and he gave a snort. "Yeah, you can... Mary?" He called to her where she was trying to perfect a turn and failing as she almost stumbled again. She looked up and headed over. "Can you take our photo?" "Only if you're gonna kiss..." she replied, making smooching noises. "Well we can’t disappoint her..." Frank shrugged and Fliss grinned, her smile turning into a shriek as Frank quickly grabbed her hips before he took one hand, keeping the other round her back and dipped her so she was bending backwards, planting a sloppy kiss on her lips. She laughed against his mouth as he gave her a wink, before kissing her a little deeper and then setting her upright, his eyes boring into hers which were shining in the Christmas lights surrounding the rink. "Oh that was great!" Mary howled and he turned to face her as she handed his phone back. Frank checked the photo and had to smile, it was a dammed good shot. He showed it to Fliss and she beamed. "A framer?" She asked. "A framer." He agreed. It took them ages to get Mary to finally leave the rink. Even a bribe of hot chocolate, marshmallows and cookies wasn't doing it. Eventually Frank put his foot down and told her it was time to go as it was almost 9pm and they still had that tree to go see before they headed to Central Park for one last walk in the lights. After handing their skates back and retrieving their belongings from the lockers they followed the path to the tree. As they round the corner Mary gasped. "It's huge!" She turned to look at Frank and Fliss, her eyes wide "Oh my God!" Frank smiled kissed Fliss' cheek as Mary walked slightly ahead of them down the walkway that was flanked with smaller trees and the famous lit up trumpeting angels . As they caught her up he slipped his spare hand in his pocket, his fingers curling round the small, leather box inside. The damned thing had been burning a hole in his pocket since he had bought it in Boston just after Thanksgiving. Fliss, Verity and Bill had all stayed for a very pleasant week rounded off with a damned good proper Thanksgiving dinner and the three of them had flown home on the Friday, as Fliss was starting to stress about her business. He and Mary followed on the Sunday after she had been given the all clear to fly after a week’s check up at the Hospital. On his spare afternoon, he'd taken a trip into the city with one goal, and it had been surprisingly easy. The first jeweller he has walked into had a perfect ring, and despite the fact he had visited several others none of them caught his eye like that. So he had gone back and asked the assistant for a closer look. It wasn't a huge rock, white gold and emerald cut with in a pave setting, but everything about it had screamed Fliss. It was delicate and feminine but with a wonderful sparkle just like her. He knew that sounded so lame when he had told the assistant but she has just smiled and told him that if he had that much conviction, it must be right. He had been lost when she asked him what size, but in a sudden inspiration he had remembered the Pandora ring he had bought her when he had gotten his first new pay check as supervisor. He mentioned this to the assistant who beamed and said she could easily size it from that by using a simple conversion chart and told him to come back the following day. His sudden good spirit had fallen as he explained he couldn't do and asked her to see if here was anything she could do, even contemplating taking it and having it sizes back in Florida. But, after the shitty run of events over the last week, his luck was in after she returned 5 minutes later with a slip of paper, informing him it would be ready by the end of the day. When he had told Mary he was going to ask Fliss to marry him, she'd been so excited. She'd asked when, where and when he said he didn’t know she'd given him the most exasperated look on the planet. The only one of his friend who he had confided in, Greg, hadn’t been much help either, simply telling him to do it in a way that meant something to them both. Simply put he just hadn't a fucking clue. He had agonized over how to pop the question. On the boat? Or maybe a sunset on their favourite spot at St Pete's beach? Did he wait for New York? As such, Frank had taken to carrying the ring around with him, waiting for that moment when it felt right. So far it hadn't happened at home and as it stood New York wasn’t faring any better. He had thought about it at the top of the Empire state, but it had been too busy. Then there was a moment in Central Park after they had been snowman building that might have worked...until Fliss had nailed him in the face with a snowball. So they'd had a snowball fight instead. Then when walking over Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline behind them… then when they walked back to the Hotel after seeing the Lion King on Broadway, going the long way round to see the display in Macy's window all lit up...and then that moment before when Mary had taken a picture of them kissing under the tree on the ice rink... but none of it felt right. It didn't feel like the moment for them. But now something stirred in his gut. This could be it. It wasn't too busy, the place was gorgeous, right in front of the tree Fliss had been so desperate to see... Ok Adler, you can do this. Taking a deep breath he pulled the box from his pocket when he heard Mary give a squeal. "Oh...wow! Frankie look..." Fliss' voice was a whisper and she nudged him, pointing to the base of the tree. He followed her gaze to see a blonde haired man down on one knee, presenting a ring to a dark haired woman who had her hands clasped over her mouth. Frank slipped the box back into his pocket and stared at the man as he placed the ring onto his now fiancés finger and did his best to look like he cared when Fliss let out a soft "Awwww" The man looked around excitedly, his eyes falling on the three of them before he asked Frank if he or Fliss would mind taking a photo for them. "Course not buddy, congratulations." Frank smiled. Fucking prick... ***** "It was AMAZING!" Mary gushed to Verity as they walked to the car, Fliss' parents having come to pick them up from the airport. "we saw so much stuff but nowhere near all of it but Frank said we could go back next year in the summer maybe and do a bit more." "Looks like someone else had a good time too." Bill smiled, nodding to Fliss who let out a loud yawn. Frank chuckled "She was up all night, I told her not to have more food so close to bed time." "I wanted a hot dog and a pretzel." Fliss mumbled, "Besides, it's nothing to do with the food...we did a lot of walking." Bill gave a snort "You ride horses for a living, you should be fit enough to walk round New York" "I probably skated about 4 miles too..." Fliss said looking at Mary "Someone wouldn't come off the ice rink" "You been sleeping ok otherwise?" Verity looked at her "I'm fine mum." She smiled "No anxiety?" 'V, she said she's fine so leave it" Bill said gently and Fliss shot a grateful look at her dad. She knew her mum was only concerned but she was fed up of assuring people she was fine. After the attack from John she had suffered a bout of delayed shock which had manifested in a few panic attacks, nightmares, and restlessness at night and on one occasion nausea. Luckily Frank had been brilliant at keeping calm when she had an episode, helping her work through it and the last incident she had suffered had been over a week ago. Once they were all in the car, Frank took the passenger seat after Verity offered it to him, Mary continued to chat all the drive home about New York, Fliss and Frank butting in here and there. They arrived home little after 30 minutes later and Fliss headed up the steps with Mary, Thor almost sending the pair of them flying when they opened the door. "Oh puppy I missed you!" Fliss smiled as she gave him plenty of attention and he kept licking her face, whining and emitting quiet little barks. "Did you miss me? Did you?" "Yerress" Frank did his best Scooby Doo impression as he walked past and Fliss let out a laugh, as she stood up and headed into the living room behind Mary, bumping into the girl as she stopped dead, giving a squeal as she saw the Christmas Tree in the corner. "Mum, Dad?" Fliss called, smiling "I take it you did this?" Frank appeared behind them both, smiling as Fliss and Mary exchanged a glance before they all turned to Bill and Verity who were stood in the doorway. "Well we know how much you like to get your tree up as early as you can and, well we were picking one up for ourselves so we got you one. You don’t mind do you?" Verity, looked at Fliss then Frank. "No, of course not!" Fliss grinned. "Saved me a job." Frank nodded "Thanks guys." "Can we decorate it tonight?" Mary asked "Pleeeeeeeaaaasssseee Frank!" Frank glanced at his watch before giving a sigh, he knew she wouldn't go to bed if he said no anyway so what was the point? Plus she was at the University tomorrow which didn’t start until 10 so... "Ok, but if you so much as grumble tomorrow morning when I get you up you'll be in deep trouble." He looked at her sternly as she stooped to pick Fred up. "Cross my heart, hope to die, we all know Fred's got one eye..." she chanted off, nodding. "We brought your box of decorations from the annex." Verity smiled at Fliss, nodding to the box on the floor. "We thought you could pick what you want to keep now you're combining."

“Speaking of decorations…” Frank said, looking at Mary.

“Fliss said you wouldn’t mind the names Mary wanted on them.” Frank said, watching carefully.

“Of course we don’t mind!” Bill smiled, picking Mary up to give her a hug “We are Nanny V and Poppa B ain’t that right kiddo?” “Yep!” she grinned, hugging him.

“We’ll save it to hang tomorrow when you come over after school.” Verity said as Bill set Mary on the floor and she hugged her tightly.

He had just about managed it when Thor came over to inspect what he was doing, and dropped straight onto his back on top of the string.

“Frank got me this for my first Christmas.” Mary said, hanging a red bauble which had her name on it. “The glitter has all fallen off it now.”

“We can add more if you want.” Fliss looked at her and Mary shrugged.

“Best Tree ever.” she smiled.

“Yeah, and now it’s time for the best bed ever…” he looked at her.

“Seriously?” Mary complained

“No moaning, remember?” Frank instructed her. “That was in the morning.”

“I’ll be in in a second.” Frank shot after her, watching as she headed down to the hallway. He turned back to Fliss who was watching the tree, a smile on her face.

“Not exactly up to Macey’s standards…” Frank chuckled and she shook her head.

“I love it.” “It looks like an Elf threw up on it.”

“No beer.” “You want me to wait in bed.” “Yes I do.” he nodded “Go, I’ll let Thor out and lock up.”

“I like your ass.” he muttered. “I like yours too” she said back, “And your arms”

He laughed and pulled back to look down at her as her fingers trailed up his biceps. “My arms?”

“I know I keep saying it but I really do fuckin’ love you Cowgirl.” he said, voice muffled as his face pressed into her neck.

Fliss gave a chuckle “I’ll never tire of hearing it Sailor. “

And then, suddenly an idea came to him, out of nowhere.

Oh, it was perfect! "Greg..." he smiled, slapping the man on the back "you are a genius." "Glad I could be of service." Greg smirked "This means I get best man duty, right?"

“Frank said you enjoyed New York.” “Oh, it was fantastic.” she smiled “Every bit as magical as I thought it was going to be.”

“No, Greg…” Fliss started to protest but Greg cut her off.

“Yes Greg!” he smirked, turning to the bar tender, “Can I get a bottle of Tequila pal and 8 glasses.” Fliss groaned “I’m teaching at 9 am!”

“Dumbass…” Greg looked at her and Frank gave a snort.

“I told you to switch them out…”

“The table is set, food and everything is ready to go…” he chuckled, looking at her “Just relax…”

He reached round Mary, his hand gently rubbing at Fliss’ back and she smiled at him, turning her attention to the TV.

“She wants you to go and say goodnight.” he smiled,

Fliss nodded and stood up.

“You sure you’re ok?” Frank asked.

She came back about 10 minutes later and he smiled at her as she walked into the room.

“OK, now she’s out of the way…I got something for you...” Frank smiled.

Fliss looked at him before she shook her head, chuckling a little “I got something for you too…Frank, I have-” “Me first.” Frank cut her off.

She looked at him for a second, his bright blue eyes were shining as he grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

“Fine…” she smiled, “Ok, you first.” He grinned and then folded his arms “You gotta find it.” “What?”

“Charmer.” she grinned, turning back to the tree.

Fliss looked at it, admiring the way the delicate band sat underneath her knuckle, the beautiful diamond twinkling in the lights of the tree.

"Oh Frankie...it’s gorgeous..." she whispered, before she looked at him, taking his face in both his hands and pulling him down for a deep kiss. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He smiled, kissing her again before he pulled away, his hands linking behind her back.

Not that he had doubted she would, not really, but there had always been that little bit of fright she may have done. But that was all gone now. As he popped the cork on the bottle he found himself thinking about how he would be doing that soon enough on his wedding day. He poured 2 glassed and headed into the living room with them wondering if maybe a late Autumn wedding next year would be nice, October perhaps when it started to cool off slightly. They could do the beach wedding she always wanted, hire a marquee... Lost in his thoughts completely he jumped a little when Fliss spoke his name and turned to look at her as she stood in front of him, the back of his thighs brushing against the sofa slightly. He noticed her hand was in her pocket, clutching something. Playfully he nodded towards it “I assume that’s not a spanner." He chuckled, referencing the joke they often shared and Fliss shook her head, biting her lip. "No...it’s...a bit bigger than that" With a shaky hand she pulled out a small, white stick of plastic and held it towards him. It took Frank a moment to understand what it was and as soon as he did his eyes widened and he looked at her, then it, then back again.

"You're...we're...no...that's..." he stuttered, reaching out to take it from her. "I found out this morning." Fliss whispered, watching hair reaction carefully "I suspected last week but thought it might all be down to stress and stuff but..." "How, I mean..." "I should have started a new pill packet when we went to Boston but I forgot to take it with me. I thought I'd be ok if I started as soon as I got back but..." "There's a baby in there?" Frank cut her off as he stumbled over his words, nodding to her stomach "Yeah" Fliss nodded. "You put it there." Frank's legs grew shaky and he dropped onto the sofa, staring down at the test in his hands.

2 blue lines.

2 blue lines that had just changed his world forever. "I'm sorry, I know this is sudden and I should have been more careful..." Fliss took a tentative step towards him and he reached out, his hands on either side of her hips, gently pulling her t-shirt up. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to her belly, his forehead resting just above her navel. "I'm gonna be a dad..." he said, pulling back, his eyes watering. "Frankie, you already are..." Fliss said, her own tears once more springing forth. "I know you hate it when I say that about Mary but it's true." He looked at her, a dazed smile split his face into two as he pulled her onto his lap, where she straddled him, and he kissed her, hard, leaving her slightly breathless before he rest his forehead against hers. "Fuck, Lissy..." he whispered, his eyes closed "You're cooking a little person..." She spluttered a laugh, nodding, her forehead brushing his as she did. "Was it made in Boston...is that the right word?" He pulled back to look at her and she laughed, brushing her hand through his fluffy hair as his gently reached out to rest against her stomach. "Yeah and most likely." "It's a little Boston Bean" he grinned and she laughed again, pressing her lips to his. "You're ok with it then? I know it's probably not what you would have planned but..." "Ok? Of course I'm ok!" He smiled "I love you and the thought of us making a little person that's half me, half you...fuck, it's amazing." She smiled and nodded, her voice a whisper "I know..."

"There is one problem." Franks said, his arms wrapping tightly around her. "What?" "You just ruined Christmas forever...because nothing is ever gonna live up to this ever again."

#riding high #frank adler #frank adler x ofc #gifted #gifted fan fic

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hedwigstalons · 4 years

Text

High Expectations - Ch19

Sorry for the two week delay - life, work and insomnia combined to make writing a bit of a slog. Anyways, on with the show.

Thanks (maybe) to @willow-salix who has been helping with the direction this is taking. She is far too under the thumb of Scott though and now I have rather more chapters lined up to write. Also thanks to @gumnut-logic who popped up as a cheerleader when I was having a wobble over last lines. I’m still not totally happy but it gave me the confidence boost to at least get something set down.

Earlier parts: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen

AO3 chapter link

Chapter Nineteen

The temperature at Marineville was a solid 15 degrees lower than Los Angeles with a weak sun that bathed the parade ground in a pale and washed out light. The chill January air had a bite to it as it blew across the square but Jeff sat straight and unflinching despite those around him shuffling and wrapping themselves up tighter in their coats.

The formal part of the commissioning ceremony was nearly over. There had been speeches, the inevitable demonstration by the Marineville drummers and all that was left was for the latest cohort of the WASP officer training school to march past their assembled families before moving inside for the more informal reception.

This was the culmination of six months of hard training. Six months of commitment and dedication that not all had managed to complete despite WASP’s rigorous selection process. When he had said his goodbyes to Gordon he had done so with confidence that his son would make the grade but Jeff reflected with some shame that this hadn’t always been the case. I8 months ago he had been adamant that Gordon needed to go to college, even a year ago he’d harboured some doubts over his fourth son’s suitability for military life though he had done his best to keep those doubts hidden.

The commands were shouted out causing the newly minted officers to snap to attention with regimented precision. The ranks of men and women in immaculate grey marched past their loved ones with a uniformity that Jeff found himself unable to find fault with. The display was in stark contrast to the march past of the Olympics; for a start the emotions of the WASPs were unintelligible, locked away behind expressions schooled to careful neutrality. Jeff hoped that some of the happiness that Gordon had displayed so freely at the Olympics was still being felt by his son now.

The contrast didn’t end at the bearing of the participants. The Olympic opening ceremony had been all bright colours and beaming smiles, spotlights and camera flashes. Today was still celebratory but with a slightly sombre undertone. The speeches of those two events had shared the common themes of honour, glory and self-sacrifice but in the background every family present at Marineville knew there was a chance their son or daughter might not come home. Military service always came with a risk. It was a risk Jeff himself had taken, a risk currently being taken by Scott, and now Gordon had stepped up to serve too.

He had watched with pride as Gordon had sworn an oath to protect the world. It was an oath that Jeff hoped his son would continue to live by beyond the scope of his military life as the rescue outfit plans moved closer to fruition. If Gordon should consent to join them as an aquanaut, and add his soon to be acquired skills to the operation when the time came, it would extend the scope of the services they could offer to humanity, enhancing their ability to save lives. It was a conversation Jeff was yet to broach with his fourth son but he had confidence that Gordon would see the sense in his plans and join the rest of the family when he made the offer.

Almost the rest of the family.

Scott was still being difficult and Jeff couldn’t help the tremor of a frown that flitted across his features at the thought of his eldest son. Scott was meant to be his field commander and pilot of the organisation's flagship craft. He should have leapt at the opportunity to take control of the rocket plane. He should have wanted to join their cause to help save lives and prevent other families from experiencing the grief and trauma they themselves had gone through. He couldn’t understand Scott’s reluctance to resign his commission in the Air Force and swell the familial ranks. It wasn’t even as if he was asking Scott the step away from his military career right away; his plans were still a year or two off completion, although he would need Scott on site sooner than that in order to familiarise himself with the aircraft that was to be like no other on the planet.

A tug on Jeff’s sleeve brought him back to reality. “Uh, Dad? Time to get moving, Gordon will be waiting for us at the reception.”

The stands around them were almost empty as spectators hurried to get out of the cold. There was no sign of Gordon or the other officers who had marched off to the hall ready to meet up with their families. Jeff nodded his acknowledgement to Virgil and followed after the crowds heading off to be reunited with their loved ones, Virgil and Alan trailing along behind in his wake.

It didn’t take long to find Gordon in the reception hall, or rather it didn’t take long for him to find them. He had been eagerly watching the doors as the relatives arrived in small clusters and barrelled up to his father and brothers the moment they had deposited their coats on the racks.

“So, what do you think?” He spread his arms to better show off the uniform.

“You look great, son. I’m proud of you.” It was going to take some getting used to, seeing Gordon in military garb. The shoulder detailing, complete with the shining new rank slides of an Ensign, emphasised his swimmers physique but the cap looked a touch too large and reminded Jeff of just how young Gordon really was. Scott had worn his uniform like a second skin from the outset but then he had let the family know from an early age that the Air Force was his chosen path, conforming to expectation. He had also been that much older when he had followed the call to arms. WASP was a path that had appeared out of left field and, while he’d had plenty of time to reconcile himself to Gordon’s choice, it still felt a little surreal seeing his son in the garb of an aquanaut.

Gordon felt his arms sagging slightly as the weight of those words hit him. Pride was a feeling more usually directed towards one of his older brothers. It still felt unusual to hear those words aimed at him at himself without a medal in his hand as a focus for that feeling.

“Thanks Dad.”

“Y’know, it’s going to take some getting used to, seeing you in uniform”

“I’ve worn a uniform before, Virg.” Gordon rolled his eyes in response.

“Technically true, if you count team colours as a uniform, but I mean on dry land. You’re going to be wearing this a bit more full time than your trunks. I never had grey down as your colour before but you look good.”

“You’re not doing so bad yourself. Finally got some dress pants that fit then?” He aimed a dig at Virgil who shuffled uncomfortably at the reminder of his birthday faux pas.

“Dad insisted we both get new suits” Alan grimaced, clearly uncomfortable in the stiff outfit that was far removed from his usual jeans.

If Alan and Virgil looked uncomfortable in their suits, Jeff was a complete contrast. He had opted for his own dress uniform to mark the occasion and wore it with his habitual confidence. No longer hidden behind an anonymous winter coat the brothers could sense the stirrings in the room that always happened whenever their father was in attendance. It didn’t help that the senior officers from WASP were by now well aware of who was in their latest cohort and were beginning to circle in order to congratulate their honoured guest and extol Gordon’s virtues; they weren’t to know that such flattery rarely worked on Jeff but Gordon decided to make himself scarce before being subjected to the embarrassment.

Grabbing Alan and Virgil by the arm, Gordon led his brothers away on the pretext of finding some refreshments, leaving their father to handle the military small talk. They joined the long queue waiting to order drinks.

“So, how was it, really?” Virgil asked, the ever present concern for a brother clearly evident.

“It’s great, Virg. Honestly it is.” He took in the skepticism in his brother’s eyes. “This is the right choice for me. I know you’re not sold on the whole military thing but this is where I belong. And now I’ve got the basic training out the way it’s going to start getting really interesting. In two days I get to start my pilot training on the Merlin class subs.”

“Two days?” Alan let out a devastated wail, “So does this mean you aren’t coming back with us? I thought you got some leave after basic training? We didn’t see you at Christmas and I barely got three days with you at Thanksgiving. You’ve had even less time off over the last six months than Scott has.”

Gordon felt the guilt rise up in him. Graduating cohorts generally did get a week of leave before going on to their advanced training but he had volunteered to forgo this in order to get his hands on the Merlin. The small patrol sub appealed to him far more than some of the larger vessels in WASP’s fleet which is where he would likely have ended up if he had taken advantage of the standard vacation. He hadn’t really considered how this decision would go down with his youngest brother when he stepped forward to claim the opportunity.

“Uh, sorry Al. But the good news is that my break gets shunted to when your birthday is so I’ll be home for your 16th.” His brother brightened up considerably at this prospect. “I thought that would be better than taking it now while you still have Virg and John for company. Where is John by the way? I thought he was going to be here.”

“You aren’t the only one making the most of advanced training” Virgil explained. “John got specially selected for a stint on one of the orbital communication posts so he’s currently in quarantine.”

“Already? I didn’t think you guys actually got to leave the ground until at least Easter?”

“This is John” Virgil shrugged, as if that explained everything.

“At least there was no chance of my school getting in the way of me being here” Alan smirked.

“Yeah, how’s the whole online gig going for you?”

“It’s good, I tell ya I don’t miss the High School at all.”

“What, not even your friends? It can’t be that great being stuck on your own all the time.”

The snort Gordon got in response did not fill him with confidence. The High School might not have been great but he worried how isolated Alan now was with the move to online school. Looking back, however, he realised Alan had always been pretty isolated. His brother, like the rest of them, had never had many friends outside of the family. It was the curse of being a Tracy. Each of the brothers had one or two bad experiences etched in their memory, friends that proved false as the other party was exposed for being after money, power, influence or a combination of it all. Alan had watched his brothers get hurt, and been hurt enough times himself, to have decided fairly early on that sticking with family was safest. The problem was there was no longer any family left at home for him to stick with.

“Don’t worry Gords, Alan isn’t alone that much. John and I get a visitor pretty often. If I wasn’t only there on a short course we’d see about renting a bigger apartment so we could have a guest room. As it is, there’ll be a spare room anyways once I finish at Tracy College. Actually,” Virgil turned to his littlest brother, “seeing as John’s heading topside and Gordon isn’t coming back, how about I take you back to Kansas for a bit after this shindig is over.”

“Sounds great. Does this mean I get John’s bed rather than the sofa this time?”

Gordon quirked an eyebrow at Alan who flushed slightly with embarrassment. The two brothers had spent enough of their lives with just each other for company that they didn’t always need words to get their point across. Alan knew exactly why his brother was getting at. The vile accusations of Virgil taking on charity cases and pity projects rose in his memory, accusations that he had known deep down were unfounded but that he had still flung out in a fit of rage and heartbreak. Virgil, however, seemed oblivious to the silent exchange.

“Sure, as long as you don’t mess up his room. You can do your school work while I have class and then maybe I can give you a few more flying lessons.”

Gordon felt infinitely reassured that things had been patched up between Alan and Virgil. If Alan was regularly spending time in Kansas then he has every confidence that the youngster was being looked after. Virgil and John would keep an eye on things and make sure he wasn’t becoming too insular or crushed under the pressure of being the only one at home with their father. He also knew that Alan would not be permitted to slack off his school work during these trips. Perhaps the move to online school, which had worried him so much when Alan first told him the news, was for the best after all. It certainly had to be better than Alan bunking off for weeks on end.

The brothers had finally reached the head of the queue and stood in front of the urns debating what to get. The smell of scorched grounds assaulted Virgil’s nose and mortally offended the coffee connoisseur.

“Sorry” Gordon shrugged, “no single origin blends here. Just count yourself lucky that the cream is fresh, the preserved stuff they serve on the subs is particularly nasty. The best you can say about the coffee we get given is that it’s hot and wet.”

“I suppose one cup won’t kill me” although Virgil’s tone suggested he doubted the truth in that statement. “I’ll grab mine and Dad’s if you two can sort yourselves out and maybe grab a couple of those cake slices.”

The brothers loaded themselves up and made their way back towards their father.

xoxoxox

Scott had been like a bear with a sore head all day. Those in his unit had discovered very early on that the young Captain, normally so amenable to those around him, was not in a mood to be trifled with. Anything that could be found fault with was picked over and many of the airmen under his command found themselves on the receiving end of harsh words. It was out of character and had the whole unit on edge.

There had been a lot of change in the unit lately and it was taking a while for the new status quo to be found. His well deserved promotion to Captain had coincided with some retirements further up the rank structure and the whole chain of command had been reorganised. Superiors that he had respected were no longer in place and those he now reported to seemed to have a dislike for the Tracy name. He had spent so long proving himself as his own person, determined not to play off his father’s reputation, but the sneer he had received upon meeting his new commanding officer showed that the man did not believe he had reached Captain off his own merits. He had tried not to let it affect his performance, to remain professional, but today he was seething. Today he should have been at Marineville watching a brother receive his own commission but instead he was stuck on base, his request for leave denied seemingly for no other reason than that he was a Tracy. Scott found himself thinking distinctly uncharitable thoughts towards his new commanding officer.

The end of the working day, which had been filled with trivial and meaningless tasks, saw Scott hurrying back to his quarters. Once inside the sanctuary of his own space he dug out his phone, not even bothering to change out of his uniform first; some things were more important. He had been filled with worry, imagining scenarios in which their father belittled Gordon and the service he had fought so hard to join. It only took 2 rings for the call to be answered by the brother that had been in his thoughts all day.

“Hey Gords, how’d it go today?”

“Great, Scott, just great. Absolutely freezing out on the parade square but can’t have everything.”

“So you’re a proper squid now.”

“Yup, got the hat to prove it and everything.” He grabbed his cap from where he had thrown it on the night stand and waved it in front of the camera.

“I’m surprised I caught you. The night of my commissioning ceremony the base bars pretty much ran dry.”

“Actually it’s pretty quiet here, most folks have gone off for a week and the barracks are near enough deserted. Y’know, I get a room to myself tonight for the first time since I went home at Thanksgiving. The only snores I have to deal with tonight are my own.”

Memories of shared dorms flared in Scott’s mind. He’d always appreciated having his own personal space meaning the communal living element of basic training had in some ways been more of a challenge for him than the Air Force training proper.

“So you’re not out celebrating?”

“I might wander out later, see if this place has any night life. There hasn’t really been any opportunity to explore before now, training was pretty full on.”

“I can imagine. Well take it easy, I keep forgetting you’re still under age so stick to soda, the military police are not to be trifled with. Getting a DND is bad enough, getting one as a minor will see you out of WASP quicker than you can say submarine.”

“Yes, Dad.” Gordon responded with mock sincerity and a half-assed salute. The mention of Dad reminded Scott of just why he had been so on edge.

“How was he today, anyway? Cos if he gave you any grief…”

“Relax Scott” Gordon could almost feel the tension vibrating though his older brother “Dad was fine.” He received a single raised eyebrow in response. “Honest, he was. You can check up with Virgil if you want. He...he said he was proud of me.”

Scott felt his heart ache at the slight crack that had appeared in Gordon’s voice. At least their father seemed to have held off with the criticism he was normally so quick to dispense in Gordon’s direction. “Well he has every reason to be proud of you. Seriously, there’s not many that make it into WASP at your age, let alone as an officer. I wish I could have been there today. I should have been there.”

“Chill Scott, it’s fine. I never made it to your commissioning ceremony either. Call it even.”

“Gords, when I got my commission you were about twelve and off swimming in Europe somewhere.”

“Thirteen and Singapore.” The instant response had Scott widening his eyes in surprise. Gordon just grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “You aren’t the only one that keeps tabs on the important stuff.”

This surprised Scott and he wondered just what else Gordon was hiding below the surface. Growing up Gordon had only ever seemed to care about his swimming, an athlete with a focus that was single minded to the point of being selfish. It was an impression that Jeff had done nothing to disabuse him of over the years. This perception had come crashing down with the exposure of Gordon’s role in Alan’s life and now it would appear that the fourth Tracy had also been paying attention to those above him in the age hierarchy. Scott felt a gnawing guilt at the past wrongs he had heaped at his brother’s door.

“I still should have been there today. Christ, Gords, you’ve worked your ass off to get to this point. It’s been killing me today, not being able to be there with you. It’s not just Dad that’s proud of you, I am too.” The guilt only intensified when he realised Gordon wasn’t quite meeting his eye, still unaccustomed to the praise that flowed more freely now.

“Yeah, well, I’m just glad I didn’t let you down. You took a risk, standing up for me against Dad. Thanks for that.”

“You couldn’t let me down. I know whatever the outcome you would have tried your best, it’s what you do. I always used to think John was the single-minded one but when you get an idea in your head you can blow him out the water for focus. So anyway, how come you aren’t heading off on leave like everyone else?”

“Got a chance to get my hands on a Merlin. I know they are being phased out but those of us signed off on the Merlin will be the first to get trained on the Stingray when it comes in and I’m gonna be putting myself firmly in that queue.”

Scott grinned at the enthusiasm pouring off his little brother, although as a commissioned WASP officer perhaps Gordon wasn’t so little any more. He remembered that feeling of excitement about getting his hands on a new craft, in his case it had been planes rather than submarines, but the thrill was still the same and from what he could tell that Stingray was going to be one hell of a craft. He listened happily as Gordon prattled on, regaling him with tales from basic training and thoughts on the opportunities about to come and when they cut the call nearly an hour later he did so with the confidence that Gordon really was happy with his choices. The family fish had taken to WASP like, well, like a fish to water and Scott just knew Gordon would make a success of it.

Scott wished he could summon up that same enthusiasm about his latest assignment. With the call to his brother over he turned to the mission briefing he had brought back to his quarters. The details in it were scant and the intelligence it was based on looked questionable but his earlier attempts to raise his concerns with the new CO had been meant with a swift reprimand for daring to question authority.

With an audible sigh he examined the paltry file in as much depth he could, liking what he saw less and less as he read between the lines of the report. He had enough experience to know that casualties were likely to be high on all sides. The weight of command sat heavy on him; soon enough he would be expected to brief his unit then lead them out on this mission that in all honesty he could not bring himself to support.

#High Expectations #thunderbirds #Thunderbirds fanfiction #Gordon Tracy #Scott Tracy #military brothers

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brokasteltranslations · 4 years

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Fate/Requiem: Chapter 4

Several days had passed since I had been relieved of my duties as the Reaper. No more work had come in from my master, Caren Fujimura, since the Kundry case, and I no longer received information on a preferential basis over the municipal network. I had been barred from the critical point where the Akihabara district barrier was located, and my access to Kanda Shrine and Yushima Temple, where multiple ley lines converged, had also been restricted. Stripped of my rank and duties, I was nothing more than another truant – and one dragging a nameless, powerless, useless Servant in tow to boot. A lone wolf not even worth employing as a guard dog.

Fortunately, Akihabara was a prime tourist destination, and as long as I wore my usual swimwear and windbreaker I would more or less blend in with the usual clientele. However, that did nothing to help me feel less out-of-place. Whatever I did, I just felt like running away and hiding in a hole.

I had received no more information on the Command Seal Hunter. It was worrying that the case had not yet been publicly acknowledged. My gut told me that it had not been quietly solved and faded away. It was merely biding its time.

Whispers of the “Woman with the Missing Hand” circulated Shibuya. It had become something of an urban legend among students.

Don't you know better than to cut that out? Keep repeating it and it'll become real, and then who'll have to deal with it? It'll be... actually, I suppose it won't be me. Not any more.

----

As a consequence of my newly-imposed freedom, I had taken to wandering the town aimlessly with Pran on a daily basis. Wherever we went, we found faint traces of Chitose's presence. It crossed my mind more than once to quit Akihabara for one of the other wards.

–

There were many things that seemed to draw Pran's interest, but over time I started to notice a broad pattern. It was live experiences that he seemed to enjoy - street performers, buskers, speed painters and the like were what most often caught his eye.

Thinking back to the episode with Kuchime, I tried taking him along to a shop geared towards those 'otaku'. It was crammed to the rafters with endless figurines of buxom girls, male-oriented toys and all manner of merchandise, to the point where I was almost sick of looking at it. However, none of it particularly seemed to resonate with him.

Maybe it's because they're all manufactured goods. Perhaps it's originality that appeals to him?

He stood by, a little sleepily, gazing into the distance as though squinting into the sun, watching faraway strangers. Only when we passed a shop selling astronomical telescopes did he exhibit a different reaction. He squatted down in front of a poster of the planets – clearly not hand-made – and stayed there for well over a minute.

“Do you know Jupiter?”

“This eye... it follows me.”

“Eye? Oh, you mean the Great Red Spot?”

“This planet's so big. It's so big...”

He shivered, then pulled the goggles resting over his head down over his eyes, and peered at the poster once more.

“A planet, huh? I'm surprised you know that word.” Had he picked it up from when I read The Little Prince to him? He had initially talked about coming from somewhere far away – perhaps he wasn't just making it up? Or maybe... no, was that even possible?

I chose my words carefully. “That's a very old photograph. From before the war. The Great Red Spot on Jupiter isn't there any more. It got smaller and smaller, and then it disappeared.”

He smiled gently at the poster.

“Maybe it went to sleep. I hope someone comes to wake it up.”

–

Before I knew it, the day of the Grail Tournament had arrived. I hadn't exactly been waiting with bated breath, but still I found myself in front of the Colosseum.

The colossal stadium was located on the outskirts of Akihabara, bordering the ocean. Its enormous silhouette threatened to overwhelm the surrounding cityscape. Towering arches, each easily the size of a skyscraper, rose high in three, four levels to form the thick exterior of the cylindrical structure and enclose the arena within.

This was a place of pure competition. The poets once spoke of the ancient Roman emperors giving their people bread and circuses; here was the circus reborn for the modern age, the manifestation of the people's right to entertainment.

–

I had ended up accompanied to the Colosseum by Pran and Karin. Koharu had, to my great chagrin, seen fit to furnish me with not one, not two, but a whole four reserved tickets – two Master-Servant pairs. Technically Servants had no need for tickets – after all, they could just assume their spiritual forms – but no-one willing to come to see the Grail Tournament in person could reasonably be refused a seat, and they were provided in pairs as a matter of course. That being said...

“How long's it been?”

It had been twenty minutes since the stadium had opened, and we were still waiting.

Enormous lines snaked from each and every one of the Colosseum's myriad entrances. At this rate, the tournament would probably have started before we got to our seats. Personally I hardly minded, but it must have bothered Karin, because she suddenly yelled out at the top of her voice.

“All right, fine! Flake out on me, see if I care! We're going in, you hear?”

“You really want to go in? You sure you don't want to wait a bit longer?” I did my best to keep my voice neutral.

“Damn right I'm sure! Never should've invited you anyway, you lousy no-show son of a...”

None of her messages had prompted a response, it seemed.

–

The individual keeping us waiting was the weary-looking guitar player, Kuchime.

Unsure what exactly to do with my four tickets, I had decided to start by offering them to people I knew. Karin herself had snatched the chance with typical zeal, but her partner Kouyou had been reluctant to join us, leaving me with one left over. However, a few days later the two of us had happened to stumble across Kuchime in a side-street in Akihabara, strumming away with his usual gloomy air and being flatly ignored by every passer-by. Karin had called out, probably taking pity on him.

“Hey, Kuchime, was it? Ever thought of checking out the Grail Tournament? Maybe the halftime show'll give you some tips on how not to make your customers run a mile.”

“Ain't got no need for that, little missy. I'm happy as long as I'm getting' through to people with ears to hear.”

“Think you're some kinda auteur, huh? Keep dreaming, idiot. Why don't you just go the whole way and die young while you're at it!”

I had watched blankly as she exploded at him unprovoked. Her tirade had ended with her snatching the ticket from my hands and thrusting it squarely into his unshaven face. Had she done it in a spontaneous surge of pity for this dishevelled musician, or had she been planning it all along? I may have been the Reaper, but even I wasn't so insensitive as to probe any further.

However, in the end, the chance she had taken came to nothing. She stalked towards the arena, fuming. I followed her, leading Pran by the hand.

–

Eventually, we arrived at our designated seats. The interior of the Colosseum was spacious, tall, and delightfully modern.

I now understood why the queues today had been particularly bad: the staff were conducting unusually extensive baggage checks and body searches on all attendees. I had even seen staff members flagging down particular individuals for Command Seal checks, and it was hard not to notice the guns at the hips of a number of security personnel dotted around the stadium.

I'm glad they didn't try to check my Command Seals. Maybe the reservations got us through...

In any case, it was gratifying to see that my warning to Hannibal hadn't gone unheeded. Although there was always the possibility that the organisers had gotten wind of the serial killings themselves, and acted of their own accord.

“Yo! Sorry we took so long.” Karin reappeared with Pran in tow. Both of their arms were piles high with soft drinks, packets of peanuts and other junk food. She tossed me a freshly-grilled hot dog.

“So this is the bread part, huh? Shouldn't be long until the circu- Yeowch! Aah! My tongue!”

“Circus? You mean the halftime show, right? Oh yeah, there was a stall selling some kinda porridge too if you want some. I tapped out though, seemed pretty weird.”

“Porridge, huh? How odd... Hey, who gave you those?!”

I suddenly registered Pran was decked from head to toe in tournament merchandise, complete with a little paper cap and a megaphone. He was ready for the show.

I couldn't stop myself from bursting out laughing, and soon both me and Karin were clutching our sides. She was so engrossed in the tournament now that it was hard to imagine she had been furious not twenty minutes ago. I could probably learn a lot from how quickly she rebounded.

Next to our seats on the very front row was a space to be kept open in case of emergencies. Fortunately, it was just large enough for Kouyou to squeeze in. Accommodating larger Servants was probably half of the reason it was there.

–

After a minute or so, the music playing throughout the stadium increased in volume and a rousing melody began to play. It seemed we'd timed our arrival perfectly.

The music faded away, and for a moment, the entire arena fell silent. Then, as if on cue, a voice rang out across the stadium. Below us, eldritch lights began to dance across the very front row where the patricii would have sat in the original Colosseum. A diminutive figure strode down to the aisle, and unfurled a pair of feathered wings. At the same time, the main screen cut to a close-up of a girl - a woman? - dressed in a plain white Grecian tunic.

“Good evening, my lovely little piglets!” Her greeting echoed around the Colosseum at amplified volume. “Welcome, one and all, to the ocean stage of the Grail Tournament! That's right! We're all setting sail for Okeanos, and I, the great witch Circe, will be your guide!”

She stoked the crowd's excitement, and they answered with a deafening roar… although I did pick up some rather crude jeers mixed in with the cheering.

“Thank you, thank you, my little piglets! I love you too! Now, before we meet all our brave warriors, I'd like to introduce our commentary team!”

Two burly men strode down the aisle to join her, waving to the audience.

“First, for the Ottoman Corsairs, we have a scallywag among scallywags! The Gentleman of the Caribbean! The one and only Blackbeard, Edward Teach!”

“That's me!” Blackbeard was greeted by deafening boos. He did not seem to care a jot.

“Sounds like you know him well! Let's move swiftly on!”

“Wait, that's all I get?!”

“Next, for the Carthaginian Alliance, we have the king of admirals! The man who saved the Roman Empire from the Ptolemaic Dynasty! Friend and advisor to Emperor Augustus, I give you Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa!”

Agrippa! The commander who led the Romans to victory at the Battle of Actium!

I expected him to bask in the applause of the crowd, but instead he rounded on the emcee.

“What is this? I never agreed to this! First you invite me to attend nigh on midnight last night, and now you expect me to commentate?! Explain yourself!”

“About that... Honestly, we wanted Eukleides of Alexandria, but he cancelled at the last moment. What are Foreigners like, right?”

“Some nerve on you, girl! You expect a general of Rome to commentate on the Carthaginians? And you! Yes, you, the Servant with the easel! You think capturing my face is funny, do you?!”

The sight of the irate Agrippa slowly being talked down by the witch emcee, and eventually taking a reluctant seat at the commentator's desk, drew no small amount of laughter from the audience.

“All right, everyone, make sure you have your channels all set to your favourite team! If you're feeling peckish, why not try some delicious kykeon?”

–

“Well, that sure was something.”

Karin was grinning next to me. I, for my part, was aghast. This was grotesque, a vulgar display that made a mockery of Servants' pride and nobility. It was difficult to tell how much was real and how much was acted, but the tastelessness of the ambiguity only made me feel more disgusted. The tournament itself hadn't even begun yet, and I had a feeling it was only going to get worse.

I guess the least I can do is watch it through. I probably won't be getting another chance.

My reasons for being here were twofold. Firstly, I wanted to see what I could learn about Koharu's mysterious Possession ability. I had also been deeply impressed by the way that, despite being aware of her naivety, she disapproved wholeheartedly of any wrongdoing, and the evident admiration with which she viewed her companions.

My second reason was that I wanted to see for myself the incredible power that Servants were permitted to wield here. I felt both awe and terror for Noble Phantasms. It was baffling to me that abilities so destructive might be allowed to be used freely.

The citizens of Mosaic City were different to Masters in the true sense. They were no magi, with magic circuits passed down from previous generations or developed through special training, and it went without saying that none of them possessed a Magic Crest. The mana that powered their magecraft originated from the Holy Grail, and was distributed throughout the city via ley-lines. This mana was more than enough to sustain a Servant in everyday life with no discomfort. However Noble Phantasms, which employed magecraft on a much larger scale and consumed vast amounts of mana, were another matter entirely. Activating them was highly challenging, and they could kill a Master unless attempted with extreme care.

Broadly speaking, the most common foes I encountered in my work were Masters who fought with little regard for their own lives, because they had found something they valued more.

Had the combatants in this Colosseum all reined their latent magical abilities to extraordinary levels? Or had the footage I had seen simply been enhanced in some way after the fact? I had come to determine the truth.

“Oh, there you are, Kouyou.”

In the formerly empty space in the midst of the cheering crowd, the enormous bulk of the Ogress had appeared. She sat with her belly pressed to the ground, trying to make herself as small as possible. Occasionally her eyes glanced sideways to meet with Pran's.

–

Feeling a little relieved, I turned back to the arena. The battlefield was enormous: a huge rectangular arena, two hundred metres on the larger side. Above each of the spectator seats floated semi-transparent screens that provided a closer view of the action.

Finally, the battlefield began to change. Cracks ran across the centre, and the stage began to fold in on itself with mechanical precision, forming a deep, wide basin. Water swirled in to fill it, and rocks rose from beneath its surface to form a maze of crags in the open water. Two galleys burst from the canals at either side of the stage, defying the current. They hung in the air for a second, like salmon poised mid-leap above a waterfall, and then crashed down into the water below with a mighty splash. A host of smaller boats and schooners followed them out, and quickly organised themselves into two fleets.

There was no magic in this, only the most cutting-edge stage equipment... although perhaps it was best not to think about the enormous, ominous shadow circling beneath the water's surface.

–

“Now, my little piglets, I think we've kept you waiting long enough! Let's get this naumachia started! We know you're tired of the same-old same-old, so this year we thought we'd change things up a little with a large-scale team-on-team battle! Which of our brave teams in Akihabara today will be crowned the conquerors of the high seas?

“First, we have the Ottoman Corsairs! For these terrors of the Mediterranean Sea, this man once more takes up the rank of Pasha! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the great pirate of Barbary, the Redbeard, Heyreddin Barbarossa!

“And that's not all! Next we have his second-in-command! There's not a man west of Austria who doesn't know his name: the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Jacques de Molay!”

The witch introduced each of the competitors one by one, stoking the crowd's excitement. Illustrious admirals and infamous pirates lined up upon the deck.

“And now, last but not least, someone you know very well! The mightiest commander of the navies of the far east - can you say “Hassou-tobi”? Our favourite natural-born Heike-killer, Minamoto Kurou Yoshitsune!

“Could this samurai be the most dangerous competitor on the field today? I'm sure the other side won't be showing much quarter, so look forward to some spectacular acrobatics!”

–

The pretty young warrior looked a little uncomfortable in responding to chants of “Ushiwaka!”, but eventually gave in and began to wave to the crowd. The sight broke me from my trance, and a young girl standing nearby caught my attention; she hadn't been introduced.

Could that be Yoshitsune's Master?

She was dressed in elegant traditional Japanese robes and heavy facial makeup, matching Yoshitsune, but she herself appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary citizen. Behind or beside the other Servants stood similar unassuming figures. More than a couple of them were wearing masks that obscured their faces.

Eventually, the oriental arrangement of Mozart's Turkish March playing throughout the Colosseum drew to a close, and was replaced with an unsettling, savage, African-style drumbeat. The Grail Tournament was as tasteless as ever.

–

“Now swivel your heads the other way, my adorable piglets! Little corkscrew tails to the east, and snouts to the west! Please give it up for the mighty heroes of the Carthaginian Alliance!

“Cast your eyes upon Rome's worst nightmare! At his back, the souls of three war elephants with whom he crossed the Pyrenees and the Alps! Ladies and gentlemen, the Lightning Commander, Hannibal Barca!”

The sight of Hannibal, cross-armed on the deck in traditional battle garments, was so wildly different from the garrulous old tourist I had met in Cafe Borges that I could hardly believe it was the same man. The mighty cheer from the crowd put not so much as a crack in his stern expression, and he harboured a menacing aura.

“And not to be outdone, his second-in-command: The Firebrand of Castile, El Cid!”

The witch continued with her introductions, each one punctuated with thunderous applause. I tuned them out. My attention was absorbed by a small figure on the deck, with a white coat draped across her shoulders. I followed her with my augmented vision as she stared keenly into the enemy ranks.

He stood a short distance behind her, head askew, hands on his hips. He seemed devoid of tension, as though this were nothing more than a routine warmup.

“And taking up the rearguard is someone I'm sure you all remember! None other than the warrior who took the Newbie Tournament by storm! Our proud Knight of the Round Table, Sir Galahad!”

–

With the introductions concluded, the galleys began to slip forwards, and each team assembled into their respective formations. Karin rapped on my knee with her megaphone, unable to conceal her excitement.

“I told you it was gonna be awesome! Dunno much about the pirates, but even I know Yoshitsune!”

“You expecting me to be impressed or something? You could hardly call yourself Japanese if you didn’t.”

I could not imagine it would be easy for this collection of pirates, outlaws to the bone that they were, to assimilate cleanly into everyday life in Mosaic City - although, of course, there were exceptions. Perhaps it was for the best that there was a place for them here, where they could put their talents to use while also entertaining the populace. However...

“I know it's just a mock battle, but don't you think this seems really one-sided? The Ottomans are obviously better at sea. Hannibal's famous for his war elephants, but he can't even use them on the water.”

“Haven't been reading up, eh Eri? Here's a flyer for you. See? Says right here the field will change halfway through, and turn into a land battle. There's your Carthaginian advantage.”

“Ah. I get it.” This was never supposed to be a fair battle, but a dramatic turnaround against overwhelming odds. The perfect script to drive the audience wild. I myself had to confess, I was looking forward to seeing Yoshitsune and Galahad face off – so much so that a part of me wished this were a real Holy Grail War.

“Yeah. Now I see.” I gazed around at the nearby spectators with dawning realisation. I felt as though I'd grown a little closer to understanding how these competitors could wield such extraordinary power, and the system that supported them in doing so.

----

“Eh?”

The back of my neck prickled. Someone, somewhere, was watching me.

I slid my gaze slowly around myself, careful not to let my reaction be noticed, but my stalker was impossible to discern through the interference of the crowd around me.

I'm being watched. No doubt about it. There's something else, too. A familiar, maybe?

The Borgia siblings' warning came to mind. Someone I'd previously crossed, out for revenge. As I looked around warily, hoping to forestall some impending attack, I noticed something strange: dotted throughout the crowd were spectators standing motionless, seemingly blind to the excitement around them.

Victims of the Command Seal Hunter? No, that doesn't seem right...

I focused, filtering out the auditory noise, following the sense of wrongness back to its source... and happened to catch a snippet of conversation from the row in front.

“You serious? A fire in Shinjuku?”

“Where? Tsunohazu? Kashiwagi?”

“Seems like it's around Hanazono way.”

Hanazono?

My old house was in Hanazono. Which was to say, Chitose's house was in Hanazono. I leaned forward a little, and stared at the woman in front's phone from over her shoulder.

“Eri, the hell are you doing?”

On the screen was a video someone had uploaded to the municipal network.

“What on earth...?”

A video of a building on fire. In real time.

A row of old wooden houses in Shinjuku wreathed in smoke. A human figure appeared from the billowing grey curtain, aflame from head to toe. However, they did not run or drop to the ground, but continued calmly into the next building, and even as their blood boiled and their skin charred with the flames' caress, began to feed the flames.

The video cut short - interrupted by a new upload of a public train brought to a standstill, flames licking at its roof.

As I watched, a buzz of concern began to spread throughout the crowd. It was hardly surprising; there were probably no small number of spectators here from Shinjuku. I turned around to see that Karin, too, was transfixed by her phone.

“What's wrong?”

“They say there's been some kinda 'pedestrian accident' in front of Shibuya station. A tram derailed and went across the cross... Oh. Ew. I'm not looking at that. Trains are stopped too. The hell's going on?”

Simultaneous incidents, all across Mosaic City.

“Ugh...”

I gripped my arm as a dull pain blossomed inside it. The stench of death was agitating the spirits. Black blood oozed out from beneath my hand, as their ire turned on my own body.

Just when I thought I'd gotten them under control...

This arena was no longer a place I should be. I was the greatest threat here, to the tens of thousands of spectators present and the partners by their sides. Right now, these simultaneous incidents concerned me.

Security here was tight, and more to the point, greater warriors than I could ever hope to be now thronged the main stage. This was perhaps the safest place in all of Mosaic City. My place was not here – as much as I had wanted to see Koharu fight, I no longer had time to worry about that.

“Eri, wait.”

Karin must have guessed my intentions as soon as I stood up.

“You're going? Just like that? Without me, again?”

“Sorry. I know I invited you out here and everything, but... there's something I need you to do.”

“What is it?”

I stared back at Karin for a moment, then looked down to the boy by her side.

“Kouyou, do you think you could take care of Pran?”

The ogress looked to Karin questioningly, then gave a slow nod.

“Consider it done. Just leave it to us, Eri.” Karin flashed her newly-recovered Command Seals, alongside an irrepressible grin. Just as I made to leave, Karin's phone buzzed with a notification, and she pulled it out.

“Who's texting people at this kinda time?”

She checked the screen and sighed.

“It's that Kuchime asshole. He says “Sorry.””

“That's all?”

“That's all.” She smiled, resignedly and a little sadly.

----

I left the seats behind and made my way to the outer hall. While still indoors, this was an airy, open space, with high arches modelled meticulously after Roman architecture. It extended far away in both directions, curving gently to match the shape of the arena. Shops lined the outer wall, still milling with a fair number of late customers. Here and there people clustered around screens outside the storefronts, drinking as they watched the matches unfold.

What's even the point of coming here?, I thought. You could be doing that at home!

–

As I hurried towards the exit, I organised the idea I'd hit upon earlier in my head: to whit, that the competitors in the Holy Grail Tournament were taking their mana from the crowd itself. Tens of thousands of pseudo-magi, all pouring mana into the Servants doing battle below. That was my hypothesis.

This Colosseum was not a post-war addition to Akihabara. It had been a part of this town since long before the world was restructured, and it was far too large an anomaly to be permitted to exist without a reason. And in ancient Rome, the battles that took place in the colosseums had been sacred acts; offerings made to the gods.

Heroic Spirits take on all of our thoughts, hopes and dreams. They draw power from them.

The greater the mark a Servant had left upon history, and the more fame they had earned, the more power they drew. Such was their nature – and as an unintended and tragic consequence, Servants were occasionally summoned with the strange and cruel skill, “Innocent Monster”.

How much of this do the Riedenflaus family realise, I wonder?

I couldn't help but wonder just to what extent thaumaturgical systems might be entwined with the structure of the Colosseum itself.

An unexpected voice called me to a halt.

“Erice, we need to talk. It's important.”

It was the first time I had seen Ms. Fujimura in several days. I wheeled around to find her standing in the dimly-lit outer hall, dressed like a librarian as always.

Why is she here? What could she possibly want to talk about?

I strode towards her, with the intention of grilling her on the events in Shibuya and Shinjuku.

As I opened my mouth, I heard an odd sound from the broadcast. As the camera focused on the Carthaginian flagship, the witch performing the commentary had yelped in shock. I spun around to look. Ms. Fujimura, too, focused on the screen.

What I saw defied comprehension.

Regardless of the fact that the enemy was still distant, Hannibal, the Carthaginian commander, whipped his blade from the sheath at his belt, and without a moment's hesitation thrust it deep into the chest of his second-in-command, El Cid.

“Gah!”

El Cid's face froze in an expression of disbelief. His Master rounded on Hannibal in his confusion. The Carthaginian pulled his bloodstained sword from his ally's chest, and without a care for the man's protests, swung his sword crosswise in a vicious slash.

Both El Cid and his master collapsed. Two heads flew from the boat, to splash down unceremoniously into the artificial sea.

#Fate/Requiem #Fate #translation #light novel

88 notes · View notes

bepoets · 3 years

Text

Review for Trish’s Dream Fic

Trish ( @couragedontdesertme ) said she’d write an epilogue of the elsarik dream Fic if I made a Formal Review of the elsarik dream fic. So here we are.

Please note review should be taken VERY LIGHTLY this is more or less me re-reading the Fic and loudly yelling about things with too many exclamation points. Enjoy Trish.

Ch1

First of all imagine my fucking surprise I didn’t even know you had gotten work done on the dream fic???? Here I was thinking the link you sent me was the next chapter of city of ice and then I click on it and it saYS DREAM FIC???? E X C U S E M E oh my goodness

The first section is just so entirely domestic and beautiful and you can tell how lived in and content they are in their life as roommates. ALARIK (listen my phone autocorrects ALARIK to be in all caps and I’m too lazy to fix it so y’all are gonna have to deal with reading ALARIK’s name as if I’m yelling it every time I type it) anyway ALARIK just bringing her the chocolate croissants she loves so dearly and Elsa curling up with a book and him fretting and worrying over her being there alone all day and later... it’s just SO DOMESTIC. it’s such a small short moment but it’s so domestic and a perfect opposite of the PAIN THAT HAPPENS AFTER!!! And we al know I LOVE READING PAIN

The fact that ALARIK was only home late because he was doing tutoring to earn more money to by Elsa A PRESENT????? Shut up no one speak to me that’s true love but also PAINFUL the guilt he must feel oh my god

Elsa...stops struggling... because she doesn’t want ,,,, ALARIK ,,,, to get hurt. Because she cares for his safety more than her own because he has protected her and he is her friend and she loves him I am going to SCREAM

The fact that you use the phrase ~marching her out of the warmth of the room~ when she just used her magic to like cover the walls in frost makes my Heart burst cause idk if it was intentional or not but I just love the thought that this room has become Home to her it’s become safe and beautiful and lovely and WARM because it is full of love and friendship and companionship rather than the cold loneliness of say her ice palace of her locked room as a child. I like to think Elsa could have covered the room entirely in ice and snow and frost and it would still feel warm to her because of the love that’s developed there thank you for coming to my tedtalk

Ugh fuck hans

I have literally no words other than fuck hans for any section with hans in it I DONT even want to RECOGNIZE THAT HE EXISTS !!! Making Elsa feel like she’s nothing I am going to punch him in the eye

~ALARIK weeps over smushed chocolate croissant. End scene~

I know that it’s such a heartbreaking sad ending for that first chapter but also I really can’t stop laughing about him crying over a stepped on croissant since I know that your like planning note for that last scene was literally just some variant of ALARIK cried over a smushed croissant and that’s just such a funny IMAGE TO ME EVEN THOUGH ITS SAD

I just like to imagine ALARIK cradling the chocolate croissant in his arms like a bébé as he sobs

Ch2

I’m fucking S A D

ALARIK having like NO MONEY and just thinking about that the money he has was going to go to a gift for Elsa and the guard LAUGHING AT HIM LIKE THATS IT THATS ALL YOU HAVE?? Like shut UP HES TRYING TO SAVE HIS BELOVED

P e t t y c h a n g e HE IS TRYING MR GUARD I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW HE WORKED EXTRA TO GET THAT MONEY

ALARIK is so fucking DEVOTED I’m going to run through a goddamn wall I cannot cope. Willing to sell the clothes off his back have you ever seen an idiot more iN LOVE

ALARIK just going willingly cause he has no fight left in him and he just wants to see Elsa even if it means he gets imprisoned too oh my GOD

THE SCENE ITS THE SCENE!!!!!!!!!

STRAIGHT FROM TRISH’S SUBCONSCIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT STARTED IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!

ALARIK wanting to hold her hands when her hands are what are chained up and seen as dangerous and what ~make her a witch~ the absolute love and power that holds.

LET ALARIK AND ELSA HOLD HANDS

“I promised to keep you safe” the pain I feel oh mY GOD

“They’ll KILL you” they’re really out here trying to protect each other at all costs oh my god nothing matters more to the other than keeping the other safe and for that I want to cry and love them and also I want to ram their heads into the wall because wHY WONT THEY JUST PROTECT ESCH OTHER TOGETHER

The PARALLEL OH MY FUCKING GOD

the P A R A L L E L of ALARIK stilling and no longer struggling when the guards threaten Elsa’s death in the same way that Elsa stilled and stopped struggling when they threatened ALARIK’s death oh my god that broke me right there

U g h hans fuck that guy

A N N A !!!!!!!!

When I first read this,,, I DONT know why??? But for some reason??? I didn’t think Anna would be in it???? Which like thinking back on that it makes no sense of COURSE Anna would be in the FIC why would I ever think otherwise. But anyway I was so surprised when she showed up I literally gasped and went ANNA??? Out loud because I was so shocked

ALFAFA GERANIUM

ALARIK really is just so bad under pressure who thought this was a good idea

AG FOR SHORT wink wink nudge nudge cough cough

I’ll be thinking about ALARIK shouting alfafa geranium on my death bed let us never forget

“No harm, no foul” is literally the most fucking Anna line I’ve ever heard. She absolutely would say that to someone who was being question for a crime she’d be like “it’s not biggy”

Why is it that when hans says “BUT ANNA!!!” I hear it like he’s wining like a petulant child I read it like “bUT annNNAAAAA” ugh I hate him

“Don’t scream” *ALARIK’s inner monologue* “this ,, is the story of how I died”

ILL HELP YOU HELP HER ESCAPE!!!!! HELL YEA YOU WILL ANNA HELL YEA YOU WILL

Ch3

My dumbass really went “why are none of the children named neta” before remembering that is the child of Anna and Kristoff and these...are the children of Anna ,,, and .... ugh please don’t make me say his name

I would die for these kids though I love them and I want to protect them at all costs

Johannes at 5 (and a half!!!!) being a fine soldier GOOD FOR HIM

Isak owns my entire heart from the moment he started fake crying for his mother what a star performer a true Actor he’s too good

Arendellian Royal Guards, are they guards? Or are they simply baby sitters? The world may never know

JOAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One of the babies being named JOAN!!! Hang in there Joan!!!!!!!!! That made me cry oh my god J O A N

Bébé Isak lookout supreme with his big eyeballs and smile and goofy lil salute I love him

The fact that Elsa says she felt stupid for being lured into a false sense of security means she felt secure and safe for literally the first time since she was a child when she was with ALARIK and I cannot properly articulate how much that made me cry I love that so much that has to mean sO MUCH TO HER oh my god

“You have to get out!! Do the magic!!” NO ONE SPEAK TO ME ABOUT ANYTHING EXCEPT THIS LINE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS I LITERALLY WEPT

the use of DO THE MAGIC oh my god AND ELSAS HEART LIKE BREAKING BECAUSE SHE FEELS LIKE SHE CANT

DO ! THE ! MAGIC !

Brave little boy with his mother’s determination saying “be brave. That’s what mama said to tell you” oh my GOD THESE CHILDREN HAVE MY WHOLE HEART OH MY GOD

A rooster crow for the signal COUKD they be more obvious I love these kids they’re ridiculous they are truly the children of Anna

Elsa!!! Chose!! To be!!! Brave!!!

IF SHE TRIED TO SAY GOODBYE TO ELSA!!! SHE MAY NEVER LET GO!!!

SHE HAD NO WHERE TO GO!!! BUT SHE DOES BEVAUSE THERES ALARIK WAITING FOR HER BECAUSE GUESS WHAT

ALARIK IS HER HOME !!!!! HE IS HER HOME !!!! SHE CAN GO TO HIM!!!!

Queue another one of my shocked and delightfully surprised screams as I shouted KRISTOFF????? Because blonde dude driving a reindeer cart

Let’s get you somewhere safe I’m going to cry THEYRE finally together again and they can keep each other safe together as. They. Should.

They are cuddling and my heart is exploding oh my god ALARIK seems so surprised like you big dumb idiot you’re both in love with each other it’s a mutual thing get with the program

SLEEP ELSA! ITS GOING TO BE OKAY! AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PROBABLY FOREVER! IT WILL BE!

Ch4

*queue another gasp* there’s only one bed?????

Yea I saw it coming yea I was just as shocked even so yea I got very excited about it wHAT DID YOU EXPECT

They’re cUDDLING and he went to move away and she DOESNT WANT HIM TO they could’ve been sharing a bed THIS WHOLE TIME AND I JUST WANT TO SCREAM BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY

ALARIK laying all the credit on kristoff and the kids when he’s kind of the one that steamrolled the whole plan into happening because he’s the one who showed up ALARIK please give yourself more credit

“You came back” “of course I came back... I couldnt ...” “why?” And then ALARIK refusing to meet her eyes has me absolutely weeping this is the kind of shit I THRIVE ON this is truly a gift to us all everyone say thank you Trish for these three bits of dialogue I will be thinking about them for all my days

ELSA KISSED HIM!!!!!!!!!

Yeah I do lose my shit anytime Elsa is the one to make the first move you go girl you go

THE SPICE VENDOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bringing in all my favorites I am going to cry thank you Trish I love Darius

I SUPPOSE YOU TWO HAVE FINALLY GOTTEN MARRIED

listen I SCREAMED WHEN HE SAID THAT I SQUAWKED!!!! MARRIED!!!!!!

I had been observing you two and just assumed!!!!! You would assume right mr spice vendor sir if they WERENT so stupid for so long it’s okay we understand

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ??? And Elsa says MARRY US? And ALARIK is going to PASS THE FUCK OUT

He literally got to finally kiss the woman he’s in love with for the first time last night and now they’re getting married poor boy is going to get WHIPLASH from how fast things are progressing but it’s okay im sure he is happy

Elsa’s little vows of just needing each other and keeping each other safe and keeping company and not needing gold or silver ugh TRUE LOVE

And ALARIK hopelessly devoted to her being like I PROMISE

“just you being there no matter what is enough” peak romance true love the devotion the dedication I’m a wreck

LE SMOOCH! LE MARRIAGE! INCREDIBLE I LOVE THEM

~end review~

Okay where is my epilogue please and thank you

#shards of shards #couragedontdesertme #Trish’s fics #shards #shardsverse #elsarik

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coffeecomicsgalore · 4 years

Text

25 Days of Adrien (+6 of Marinette)

Santa's Village at the Trocadero leads to a funny encounter with reindeers.

Ao3

Chapter 13 – Reindeer

It was a blustery Saturday morning; a dusting of snow had fallen overnight coating the sidewalks with a thin layer of frost. There was a market event called Santa’s Village taking place at the Trocadero Gardens that Adrien, Marinette, Alya, and Nino had wanted to go check out. Crafters, farmers, and herders all participated in the event, allowing Parisians the opportunity to enjoy some delicious handmade treats or purchase any last-minute handmade Christmas gifts for their loved ones.

Tom and Sabine always participated at this event. It was one that they particularly loved as they were able to get away from the bakery for a day all while enjoying the crisp chill air (according to Tom at least; the bakery could get quite warm at different points of the day). They also enjoyed handing out treats to all the shoppers that perused the grounds. It was also an opportunity for Tom to bring new flavor offerings that everyone could sample and comment on.

Luckily, Marinette did not need to assist her parents in the event until part way through the morning. This event became a little busier when the day warmed up a bit and the shoppers that disliked the cold could walk around. This allowed her to be with her friends and enjoy the event before saying goodbye to her friends to assist. This year, Adrien was also asked to help if he was available. This only made him reschedule any afternoon plans just to help out her family.

Adrien arrived at Marinette’s home early, hoping the late sleeper was actually awake. Her maman and papa had already left to set up their booth leaving Marinette to wake up on her own. Ultimately, this meant that she was either awake working on some design or that she was still sleeping the morning away.

Not waiting to see what she could be up to, he knocked loudly on the door to the home and waited for any sounds of life. Finally, he could hear some ramblings, a squeak, a sudden thud with a quick ‘I’m okay!’, before hearing the door unlock. Adrien could only laugh when the door opened to the blue-eyed girl with disheveled hair and a sleepy look to her eyes.

“I’m awake,” she stated with a yawn.

“Sure, love, and I’m the king of France.”

“Ha. Ha.” Marinette said, deadpanned. “Come on in. I’m just in the middle of getting ready.”

Adrien could only look up and down at his sleepy girlfriend, noticing she was still wearing her pajamas, wearing only a sock on her foot. Her hair wasn’t combed, but he could see that she at least brushed her teeth – little remnants of blue toothpaste left on the side of her lips.

Moments like this make him love her so much more. She was completely comfortable around him now, not allowing this funny look to embarrass her. He remembered all those moments where her frustrations got the best of her so long ago. The cute events that made him realize how much she really meant to him. He was so oblivious back then, but not anymore. He adored this.

Marinette pointed to the kitchen counter, a pile of pastries waiting for the two to enjoy together. “I’m going to finish getting ready. There’s coffee on the pot if you want some, and you are welcome to any pastries.” She kissed his cheek. “I will be right back. Alya and Nino will meet us here. Could you let them in when they get here?”

“Sure, love. I’ll take care of it. It’s cold out, so dress warm.”

She could only pout. She really hated the cold. It only got worse as the years with the miraculous gave her more of her kwami’s tendencies – meaning: bugs can’t handle the cold, and that meant neither could she.

Adrien was enjoying a bite of a croissant when Nino and Alya arrived. Soon after, Marinette bolted down the stairs greeting their friends with content. “Grab a pastry. My parents left plenty!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Alya stated while Nino grinned as he grabbed a strawberry danish.

Soon enough they were all bundled up, ready to head to the event.

-----xoxox-----

The four friends arrived to the Trocadero, stopping to soak in the view. The entire garden was filled with decorated booths and countless little makeshift homes, each resembling a space an elf could live or work in in the North Pole. Everything was breathtakingly beautiful and the dusting of snow only contributed to that effect.

Conversations filled the air as they walked up and down the many rows. Alya and Nino needed to purchase a few items for their families and were able to mark those items off their list rather quickly.

“The makers here are so talented.” Alya said excitedly. “I’m so glad we came. Everything here in one spot was a perfect idea.”

Nino and Adrien nodded in agreement, also holding bags of their own purchases. Marinette smiled, her mind wandering due to the cold. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a pen with particularly cute animals eating bales of hay.

Adrien noticed the loving smile; the same one she gets when she notices something adorable. He wraps his arm around her, both to warm her up and to gesture her towards the animals.

Alya and Nino followed them, awing at the cuteness in the pen. There were some sheep, a horse, and a donkey just minding their own business. Every once in a while, the horse turned to the bystanders hoping that someone had a delicious apple to chew on. Hiding in the corner were two reindeer snuggling together as they ate some straw.

Marinette had meandered over to them ever so slowly, not wanting to scare them with her presence. They looked to her without being afraid, allowing Marinette to pet their snouts. Adrien took the reindeer’s comfort in the action as his queue to do the same.

Nino looked at the reindeer before crouching down to bend the stiffness of his legs from standing too long. Before he could get up, he could feel something uncomfortably heavy sitting on the top of his head. As he tried to look up to see what it was, coldness reached his ears as he realized the creature had stolen his hat.

“Dude!” Nino could only stare in shock, his hands covering his head. He quickly grabbed the cap from the reindeer, merely avoiding the precious hat from being ruined. “Not cool, my man.”

The three friends laughed hysterically at the interaction.

Marinette looked at her watch to see that they would need to part ways soon. As they finished the last row of homes, they noticed a small line to the jolly old man sitting on the large chair.

Marinette smiled as a thought crossed her mind. “Anyone want to take a photo with Santa Claus?”

Adrien furrowed his brow at the question. “Aren’t we a little old for this?”

“Come on. It would be fun! Haven’t you ever taken a photo with Santa before? Anyways, I would like to have one taken with my three best friends.”

Adrien frowned a bit. “Actually, no. Father never allowed me to do it. Didn’t work for his ‘brand’.” Adrien grumbled a bit as he air-quoted the word “brand”.

Alya, Nino and Marinette looked at each other with mutual determination.

“That settles it!” Marinette grabs Adrien’s hand before heading towards the line. “We are all taking a photo. And you will be sitting in Santa’s lap. No exceptions!”

Adrien laughed at her excitement. So he felt a little old doing this, but she’s right. He has never had the opportunity to do this.

When they reached Santa Claus, the couples took turns sitting on his lap before taking a group photo. Adrien sat on Santa’s lap in both photos, Nino mirroring him in his own photos. They all enjoyed the interaction, Santa included with a boisterous jolly laugh. “Merry Christmas!”

When they received their photos, Alya and Marinette hugged while Nino and Adrien fist bumped their goodbyes.

“Alright, so that was fun.” Adrien laughed as he thought of the photos.

“I told you!” Marinette gleamed. “Now let’s head to Maman’s and Papa’s booth. They want us to pass out their newest flavor of hot cocoa!”

“Mmmm.” was the only thing Adrien could muster up before being dragged by Marinette.

#mlholidays2k19 #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic #ml fandom

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festiveferret · 5 years

Text

Wipdate

Posted:

Choose - A Held where Steve has to choose between too much and too little Bottle Cap - A Little Bit where Ant finds something he shouldn’t Sound - A Held: sounding (yum) Possessive - A Little Bits: After Dark, where Tony finds some possessive energy

Updating:

Triple Espresso - Stuckony coffee shop au with relationship drama (MTH, updates Tuesdays and Saturdays) These Memories Have Teeth - WinterIron with vampire!Bucky and Dr. Stark! Falling For You (Hook, Line, & Sinker) - ID PORRNNNN LDRRR ACTUAL PORNNNN (MTH - updates on Sundays) Yet I Will Try the Last - Truck Stop Hooker AU with hooker!Steve and flashy billionaire, Tony Stark. Up to chapter two! Hypothesis - Absolutely shameless tentacle porn. With @franzwantscoffee Up to two chapters of fic and two of art!

Beta Queue:

The first few chapters of my pride and prejudice au One Held

Wips:

1) My Stuckony coffeeshop AU for MTH is now posting, but I do have some more chapters to write before it’s all the way done, so I’ll mostly be focusing on this until it’s done.

2) I’m a little more than halfway through a modern pride and prejudice AU, with Darcy!Tony and Elizabeth!Steve. It’s based on the book, with a bit of the Firth/Ehle series thrown in and a sprinkle of Bridget Jones. I’m adoring writing it - one of my very fav books ever and I’ve been wanting to do an AU for a while!

3) Bday prompt party 2019 prompts are amazing, but I’m waiting to start on them until I’ve cleared the load a bit more. There are also still one or two I’d really like to do from last year.

4) @ashes0909 and I are still working away at Held Season Two! We also have our Firefighter AU, though that has been slow going. She’s coming to visit me next week, and this will be on our to-do list, of course!

5) I won’t give up on Yet I Will Try the Last, Fangbait 3, or Sugarverse. I want to try and get out at least one chap of Yet I Will Try by the end of the year.

6) My wilderness survival, abo, kidfic idea calls to me, as well as Band AU. I’ve also had some new ideas, as one always does...

7) I came up with an alternate ending for These Memories Have Teeth, that diverges at the end of chapter four. I like it as much (if not more) than the original, so I might be writing that one too and posting is as a separate story. We’ll see if I have time!

8) I have a very exciting collab with @chibisquirt that features FOOD, POUNDING, DRAMA, and the two of us being nuts in a gdoc. Still on the list but we’re both busy busy! My new Fall work schedule has begun (FINALLY) and I expect to be a) less busy and b) saner. Thanks for bearing with me through the crazy summer! Ashy is coming to visit next week and we’re going to have an amazing time. Just celebrated (or... forgot to celebrate until the last minute) my 8th wedding anniversary! :D Thanks for reading <3

#wiplist #wipdate #my writing #ferret life

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emeraldwaves · 5 years

Text

Title: Start of Something New Chapter 4 Pairing: Todomomo, side Kamijirou Rating: T Word Count: 3,916 Summary: Momo is thrilled to be spending her winter break on her family ski vacation. Even though she’s anxious about graduating in the spring, she’ll have time to relax, enjoy the slopes and hang out with her best friend. Shouto is not thrilled to be stuck with his father for the entirety of his winter break. It’s anything but a vacation. Even with his siblings there, everything reminds him of his past and he just wants to get back to finishing school and moving on. When the two continuously run into each other at the lodge, both of them realize their vacations aren’t going to be what either of them expected. Read on AO3 Thanks to @liziscribbles for reading this ahead, full fic under the cut!

Momo stood at the top of the mountain, the cool air brushing through her long dark hair. Her pony tail stood up high on her head, her dark hair flowing behind her. Her eyes were covered with her red ski goggles, matching her red ski jacket and skis.

She was officially ready to take on the mountain. It was a new day, and though it was cold, the sun shone bright against the powdery snow. Actually, Momo felt a little warm underneath her comfy jacket.

She stared out at the view overlooking the mountains directly in front of her. The peaks were capped with ice and snow, the colors soft, like brushstrokes from a painting. A scene she was familiar with, but never tired of.

Determined to put her dinner with her parents behind her, Momo turned her attention to the trail in front of her. The whole point of this trip was to enjoy skiing and her friends, not to worry about her future or school. Currently, it seemed a little impossible, given how loud the anxious voices in her head were. Her parents didn't help much either, with their questions and implications at dinner.

She shook her head, forcing the thoughts from her mind. Her parents had already started down the trail, her mother moving slowly as she daintily planted her poles and turned, her body following the slow movement. Her father was a bit faster, already making his way down the trail. If she took much longer they would most likely worry about whether she'd fallen.

Pushing off, Momo began to zip down the hill. She was far faster than both her parents, her knees bending gently as she sped through the snow. She loved the scraping noise of the skis cutting against the packed powder and the way her hair whipped through the wind. It was such an exhilarating feeling, one of the only times she enjoyed the nervous beating of her heart as adrenaline rushed through her veins.

She curved to the side, powder flying up as her skis cut through a small patch of snow. She loved the feeling more than anything else.

She made her way to the bottom of the hill, back towards where the chair lifts were. A few more runs with her parents and then she would be meeting up with Kyouka for an afternoon of more skiing.

Admittedly, Momo preferred skiing with Kyouka because the girl challenged her. Kyouka zipped down the trails so fast, Momo could've blinked and missed her. She also was more daring when it came to jumps or racing, something Momo never tried until she met her best friend.

The runs with her parents were tame as always; still enjoyable, but not as thrilling.

When lunchtime came around, Momo was ready to say bye to her parents. She felt guilty for leaving them to see Kyouka, even knowing they enjoyed their alone time as well.

The outside of the small cafeteria was lined with ski racks and fire pits to relax and enjoy what most people considered the best part of a skiing day, après-ski. When she stepped into the basin lodge, she was hit with the smell of fried food and wet snow, an oddly comforting scent.

"Momo!" Kyouka immediately spotted her, calling out and waving as Momo weaved through the tables. She trudged over, her ski boots still tight around her ankles. "We have a problem," Kyouka hissed, pulling down on the purple pom poms on her winter hat. The wool slowly moved down over her friend's eyes and she let out a soft groan.

"What kind of problem!?" Momo asked, glancing around the room. Had something happened she didn't know about? Was Kyouka not going to be able to ski?

She raised her hand up, gesturing toward the food line.

"Are you hungry?" Momo asked, glancing at the queue for those waiting to pick up their food. Nothing seemed wrong or out of the ordinary until...

"Why is he here!?" she groaned.

Momo's eyes caught the blond boy ringing people out at the counter. Kaminari, the boy from the cafe obviously worked here too.

"Oh!" Momo smiled, clapping her hands together. "Great! Now you can go talk to him again!"

"No," Kyouka said flatly, peeking out from underneath her winter hat.

"You have to eat, Kyouka!" Momo giggled. She'd never seen Kyouka so flustered over a boy; it was cute.

"Nah, I'll survive," she shrugged, turning away from the cafeteria line. "You can get me something."

"Hm," Momo hummed, shrugging her shoulders. "But I don't have enough hands to hold my food and whatever food you plan on getting."

"Yaomomo, you have plenty of hands," Kyouka snorted. "You can put your food and mine on your tray."

"Oh come on! Don't you want to say hi!"

"No," Kyouka repeated. "I'm starting to think he might be a robot clone, and the lodge mass produces him to work at all their various locations."

Momo turned to look at the blond, who was happily laughing as he rang some customers up. "Mmm... I don't know, he seems too alive to be a robot," she said, covering her mouth as she laughed.

"Look, Momo," Kyouka sighed heavily. "I don't want him to me all... all... ski sweaty!"

"Kyouka," Momo smiled gently. She was obviously very distressed about this, and though Momo still didn't quite understand why, she wanted to help her. "He works at a ski lodge. We all look like this, and I'm sure he skis plenty himself."

Groaning, Kyouka pushed herself up from the table. "Okay, okay. I will suffer."

"Good. You need to eat," Momo nodded, allowing her friend to head there first so she could be sure she actually went.

As the two of them walked around the cafeteria, Kyouka sighed and tentatively made her way towards the check out.

"Hey! Jirou, right?" Kaminari smiled wide, leaning towards her with excitement.

"Uh, yeah," she said, shoving her hands into her pockets as she rocked back and forth on her large ski boots. "I... didn't realize you worked here too."

"Oh! Yeah, they rotate us around a lot." He began to punch numbers onto the screen in front of him. "I kinda prefer the cafe, but seeing people excited about skiing and taking their breaks is cool! I mean seeing you... is especially great!" he laughed and Momo watched as Kyouka's face turned bright red.

"R-Right," she said. "Uh... anyway... how much do I owe?"

"$13.54," he said, still cheerful even after Kyouka seemingly ignored his compliment. "I hope you're enjoying the slopes today. Wish I could get out there myself," he sighed longingly, glancing back towards the large windows.

"Yeah it's a good day," Kyouka muttered, stroking down one of the pom poms. "So you, uh, ski?" she asked.

"Snowboard," he nodded, swiping her card.

"Oh, an asshole who ruins it for the rest of us then?" Kyouka blurted out.

Kaminari pouted. "What!? No! Snowboarding is cool! I-I mean so is skiing but... snowboarding is badass!"

"Sure," Kyouka smirked, taking her card back from him. "Snowboarders always push the powder away, making us skiers slip on ice hidden underneath," she teased.

"See, you're looking at it all wrong. We're making it more challenging for you! Without us, skiing would be boring!" he nodded, as if he explained the ultimate truth.

"Oh yeah, so boring," she snorted, chuckling softly.

"Well, hopefully I can ruin the slopes for you one of these days," he smirked, pointing his fingers at her.

"Keep dreaming," she retorted quickly, and briskly walked away.

"Bye!" he called out after her, and turned towards Momo. "Oh! Hey! You're Jirou's friend right?"

"Mhm, Yaoyorozu Momo," she said, re-introducing herself, since the blond seemed to have forgotten.

"Right, Yaomomo," he said, swiping her card. "I, uh, I hope Jirou didn't think I was kidding about joining you guys! I-I mean... if you don't mind a third person one of these days."

Momo smiled. It was so funny how quickly he changed his attitude upon talking to her versus Kyouka. He obviously was crushing just as hard as she was, and honestly Momo couldn't blame him. Kyouka was adorable, and around him she always acted a little nervous and flustered. It made her extra cute.

"Don't worry," she giggled, taking her card back. "I'll let her know."

"Hey, thanks!" he laughed. "You're a real bro!"

Momo couldn't help but snicker to herself as she made her way back to the table. She'd never been called a bro before.

"Well that was a complete and utter disaster," Kyouka sighed, shoving one of the french fries into her mouth. "Should've gotten more of these to drown my sorrows in potatoes."

"Kyouka," Momo laughed, "You were fine!"

"I told him he ruined skiing for us because he's a snowboarder!"

"Well, snowboarders do make things more difficult..." Momo nodded.

"I know," Kyouka snorted. "But... I shouldn't have said that!"

"He didn't take it poorly, he told me he wants to spend time with us if he's not working," Momo shrugged.

"What?! He said that!" she said, practically choking on one of her fries.

"Mhm!" Momo laughed. "You shouldn't have run away so quickly."

The two girls continued their lunches, Kyouka groaning about her inability to talk to Kaminari Denki, a strange phenomenon she didn't quite understand.

"And what about your boy?" Kyouka asked. "Have you bumped into him again?" Casually diverting the subject away from herself was Kyouka's specialty.

"Kind of," Momo answered tentatively. "I saw him last night at dinner and we caught eyes, but... that was it. I think I need to push him from my mind."

"Why?" Kyouka asked. "He's cute."

Momo shrugged, not wanting to think about the awkward conversation with her parents from the night prior about distractions. "I just... I don't really have time for distractions right now," she said.

"Yaomomo, you always work way too hard. You're allowed to have a crush, you know!" Kyouka teased.

"I-It's not a crush! I don't even know him!" she said, waving her hand back and forth quickly.

"And you give me crap about Kaminari..." Kyouka shook her head.

"You've had longer conversations with him!" Momo urged.

"Whatever you say," Kyouka said, taking the last sip of her drink. "Let's get skiing."

"Yes! Let's!"

Momo was thankful Kyouka was quick to let it drop. She supposed it was hypocritical of her, to want to see Kyouka enjoy her time with Kaminari but avoid spending time with Todoroki. For some reason it felt different. Maybe because it involved Momo herself. Or maybe because she didn't think she'd ever see him again.

The two girls snapped their skis back on, taking the lift up the mountain. Momo gently swung her legs back and forth, brushing the snow off of her skis. With Kyouka, they usually went straight to the top, ready to take on the whole mountain, as opposed to her parents who slowly made their way up to the top.

"We gonna race, Yaomomo?" Kyouka asked, pulling her goggles down over her eyes.

"You know it!" she giggled, following suit.

The two girls stood at the top of the trail and Kyouka held up her gloved hand. "Three, two, one, GO!"

They pushed off, zooming down the mountain. Kyouka was fast, far faster than Momo, and she honestly didn't know why they raced when she knew Kyouka was going to win. The purple-haired girl zipped forward and zoomed over a small jump on the side of the path. "Woohoo! You'll never catch me Yaomomo!" she laughed, calling behind her.

Using her poles to propel her forward faster, Momo tried desperately to catch up with Kyouka, though she smirked as they both moved over the hill. The trail split off here into two paths, and Kyouka had already zipped down the left path, technically the longer of the two. If she could head to the right there was a possibility she could win.

She leaned into her skies, crouching down as she turned towards the right side of the path, cutting across. Kyouka would never expect Momo to split off-

When she turned her direction, she didn't hear the yell but she saw the speeding figure out of the corner of her eye with barely enough time to stop. She swung her body to the side, attempting to parallel stop on the skis, but her fast momentum made her fall, knocking into the person who was now directly in her line of sight.

Shouto tapped his ski pole against the edge of boot, feebly attempting to remove the snow before snapping himself into his skis.

It felt strange to wear skis again after years of staying away from it. He felt heavy, weighted to the earth and his knees leaned forward, his calves pressed against the ski boots. He'd forgotten what it was like to wear them, how awkward of an angle it was.

"Lookin' good, Shouto!" Natsuo said, saluting Shouto with his pole.

"Natsuo!" Fuyumi scolded. "Don't swing your poles around like that. Remember how Mom always said you'd take someone's eye out!"

At the mention of their mother, all three of them went silent. Slowly, Natsuo lowered his pole back down. "Y-Yeah..." he chuckled, trying to keep the mood as light as possible. "She would've yelled at me so fast!"

Shouto stared at his skis. It felt weird to be at a place like this without her. Sure, she'd never been to this particular resort, but Shouto was certain his mother would've loved it.

"Does everyone have their equipment together?" Their father's voice all made them jump. The last thing they wanted was to continually bring up their mother around him; his least favorite topic. "We'll be taking the double chair up first for a practice run and then the quad to the top. One run should be plenty enough time for you to be used to your skis once more. Let's go."

He pushed off, heading for the double chair, with Shouto and his two siblings following. Fuyumi rode with their father, and Natsuo and Shouto rode the chair behind them. Shouto leaned his elbow against the bar, watching as the slope moved beneath them while the chair carried them up the mountain.

Already the sun was high in the sky. Their father decided they would start in the early afternoon since he had work to get done in the morning.

"I think skiing is like riding a bicycle," Natsuo said, tapping one of his poles against the tip of his ski. "You never really forget how to do it."

"I guess," Shouto said. Perhaps there was a part of him that wanted to forget. His feet felt heavy, and even sitting on the chair, he wanted to slip under the bar, fall into the snow, and zip away. He wished his father would let him sit in his room and enjoy vacation in bed or something. Anything but this...

It just... didn't feel right without her.

He pushed off of the chair and turned to follow his father and his sister to the top of the trail. "Don't do anything crazy, Natsuo," their father said, pulling his goggles down over his face.

"What!? Why did you only say that to me?!" he sighed.

"Because you're the only one who would actually do something crazy," Fuyumi teased playfully.

"What? Shouto is a total wild card!" Natsuo said, gesturing to Shouto purposefully.

"Don't drag me into this," he snorted, pushing off with his poles as he started down the trail.

"Shouto! I didn't say we were going yet!" He heard his father call out behind him but he didn't stop casually going down the mountain. He wasn't going to allow his father to control when they started going down the slope. This trip was already ridiculous enough.

The trail his father picked was shockingly easy, though for all his bragging, Shouto knew his father wasn't the best skier. It had been years since any of them had done this, but Natsuo was right. They didn't forget.

Shouto would never forget.

Making his way down the slope he could almost picture his mother in front of him; her long gray hair splayed out behind her, blending in with the snow. She always smiled wide as she made her way down the mountain, full of exhilarating, contagious energy. She taught Shouto to love skiing and love the snow.

This trail wasn't challenging, even if this was a new mountain for Shouto. He made it to the bottom with ease, watching as Natsuo zoomed down behind him, spraying him with snow when he stopped at the bottom.

"I hate you," Shouto scoffed, brushing off some of the melting snow off of his body.

"Next time, I'm gonna win! Just you wait!" he smirked, leaning forward on his poles while Fuyumi and their father skied up next to them.

"You should've waited, Shouto," his father scolded, clicking his tongue.

"Mmm. It was fine."

"This is a family trip. I want us to stay together," he snapped.

"And we did. I just went first," Shouto shrugged.

His father let out a heavy sigh. "Next time, do as I say. We're off to the quad chair now."

The quad chair sat all four of them on one lift and it took them directly to the top of the mountain. Shouto sat on the end, far away from his father, while Natsuo rambled on about something that happened to him at school.

The wind whistled by Shouto's ear the further up the mountain they got and he wondered if he could beat Natsuo down the mountain again. It would be pretty funny if he did, since Natsuo often bragged about being the fastest of them. A small of competitive energy warmed his heart. Plus, if he went ahead again, it would piss his father off for sure. Shouto was eager to do just that for the entire goddamn trip.

They pushed off of the chairlift when they made it to the top of the mountain and Shouto stared at the incredible view. They were higher up from the restaurant the night prior, and he could see the tops of the mountains directly across from them. In the distance, he could see ranges of mountains, capped in snow, covered in trees. It was stunning and his heart tightened in his chest. He could imagine his mother would love this. She would probably make a comment about how beautiful it was.

'Paradise.'

It was what she called the mountains. While most people thought paradise was a warm beach lined with palm trees, Shouto's mother found the most joy surrounded in snow. She loved cuddling up by a fire with hot chocolate after spending all day rushing down the mountain with the wind kissing her cheeks. That was her dream vacation.

And views like this made Shouto understand why.

"She would've loved this, don't you think?" Shouto heard Fuyumi's soft voice next to him and he swallowed the small lump in his throat.

"Mmm... yeah..." he said.

"Fuyumi! Shouto! We'll be taking this trail!" their father called for them, waving them over to a trail to the right. Shouto stared at the mountain one last time. Though he was certain this wouldn't be the last time he saw the view, he wanted to take it all in.

"Alright Shouto," Natsuo said, wiggling his butt as he set himself at the top of the slope. "This time I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Tch. Okay," Shouto snorted, pulling his goggles down as he glanced towards his brother,

If he was going to do this, he might as well try and be better than Natsuo. At the very least.

The two boys pushed off before their father could stop them and they began to zoom down. They crossed in front of each other various times, though Shouto stuck more to the right, following the trail.

Natsuo was ahead for now, but he was going to get cocky as he always did. Shouto expected him to go off makeshift jumps on the side of the slope and fall or something stupid like that. He smirked at the thought of beating his brother yet again.

However, as focused as he was on his brother, he didn't notice his surroundings and he only saw the flash of red attempt to stop as he tried to halt himself too. It wasn't fast enough to prevent them from colliding into each other.

Both of them toppled to the ground, a mess of skis and bodies. Thankfully the person had stopped faster than Shouto, saving them from making a higher-speed impact.

While he fell to the ground and rolled ever so slightly down the mountain, his skis popped off and poles were left behind, strewn about in the snow behind him. His arm hurt slightly, but thankfully, since they had tried to stop themselves, the damage wasn't so bad.

The girl in front of him also had been detached from her skis and she groaned, slowly pushing herself up.

Shouto blinked when he realized it was Yaoyorozu of all people.

Just his damn luck.

"T-Todoroki!" she gasped, awkwardly running towards him in her ski boots. She fell to her knees in front of him. "O-Oh no... Oh gosh! I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?"

For a moment, he stared at her dumbfounded, shocked it was her. Even in her ski outfit she looked absolutely stunning. Her dark, concern-filled eyes were focused on him, her cheeks red. Had he really just run into her of all people?

"I guess we just... keep running into each other," he stated finally. Probably not the time for a lame joke. Hell, it wasn't even funny. She probably thought he was an idiot.

She bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm... so sorry! I didn't see you! I-I was racing my friend and I wasn't paying attention... which is so bad... so so bad. You could've been seriously hurt or killed! Skiing isn't a joke and I should never have-"

"Yaoyorozu," he said, gently touching her shoulder. The way she rambled was honestly cute, and Shouto couldn't stop staring at how fast her lips moved. He also felt a little guilty. He hadn't seen her either. He was far too focused on Natsuo. "I'm fine. I was... racing my brother. I didn't see you either-ah!"

He blinked, noticing a small dribble of blood trailing down a small cut on her forehead. "You're hurt," he said, pulling off his glove to gently brush some of the blood from her forehead. Her breath hitched, her cheeks flushing even more.

He was so close to her now, worried he'd actually injured her.

"I-It's just a cut! I'm fine!" she said.

"No. You could've hit your head. Is... there a first aid station at the basin? We should go there immediately. I'll take you," he said, forgetting all about his father's schedule.

"R-Really! You should stay with your family. I'll ski down and get a band-aid!" she said, shaking her head. "I-I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

"Please..." he muttered. "It would feel strange if I didn't at least make sure you were okay after colliding with you on the mountain."

She looked down once more and slowly nodded. "Okay..."

Shouto sighed, smiling in relief. "Great. We'll ski down together then."

#todomomo #todoroki shouto #yaoyorozu momo #bnha #Boku no hero academia #jirou kyouka #kaminari denki #side kamijirou #todo fam #ski lodge au #no quirks

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