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#i just am so shocked they literally knew nothing other than “the horses can move in an L shape”
dazais-crab-addiction · 8 months
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Tonight I learned that my 20 yr old partner has never played chess and doesn't know how to play chess. This is mind boggling to me. They claim its not weird for people to not know anything about chess so I. I need to see. Please.
Okay so, I made a mistake in not elaborating the meaning of the options. You do not have to be good or know what you are doing in the slightest to pick that you have played before. The middle three options are for your understanding of the game having never played it at all. The reason there's a percentage on the last option is because my partner made a tumblr so they could pick it because they think they are hilarious.
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ray-ray-writings · 3 years
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A Dedicated Pig-Technoblade
#3 and 47 from this prompt list! Check out my masterlist here! This is in the DreamSMP Au. I
This is a Technoblade x GN reader! 
So in this AU I am making it so that your cannon lives are shown on your left wrist. And if someone types something in chat or if someone joins the server, it appears as text on your right arm until you dismiss it! If you are confused feel free to ask me any questions!
Part Two! Part Three! Part Four!
Y/N finally meets the one that everyone has been walking on eggshells over.
Y/N’s POV
I will never forget the gasps, murmurs, and then tense silence that followed the notification that everyone received on their right arm. Technoblade had joined the SMP. I didn’t understand why it was such a big deal though. Of course I had heard the stories. The horrors that he had done. The fights he picked and won. The amount of blood that had been shed at his hands had earned him the title of “The Blood God”. But when push comes to shove, he’s just another mortal man.
Everyone was a little freaked out and on edge because of the new addition to the server. I mean, Schlatt had just banished Techno’s family, his two brothers, from the nation that they created and fought for. Everyone knew that family was everything to Techno and if there was one thing Techno would do anything for it was his family. He would literally go to hell and back if it meant that his brothers and his father were safe. 
Finally after a few minutes of everyone holding their breath, I scoffed, rolled my eyes, and went on with my work, cleaning up the election decorations. All eyes turned to me “Y/N” Niki hissed, “Do you not understand what just happened? He could be anywhere” I let out a joyless laugh as I looked at my best friend, “You really think he’s going to come here right away? With nothing on him? With his brothers on the run? You think he’s going to worry about coming here, where it would be a 1 vs…” My eyes scanned the crowd doing a quick mental count, “15 plus? Come on Niki, think with that big brain of yours.” I claimed, a little annoyed, as I took down a banner. 
Niki let out a shaky sigh but nodded and continued helping me. “You’re right,” I chuckled at her response and bumped her shoulder, “You know I always am”. Soon, everyone went back to their own tasks, forgetting the news we all had just received. ‘See Mr. Pig Man Blood God’ I silently thought to myself, ‘You’re not as scary as you may think’. 
*Time skip*
A week and a half had gone by since Technoblade had joined the server and no one had seen him. Like I had predicted, he immediately had searched and met up with his brothers and had stayed clear of the main part of the server. That being said, I should have known that he would rear his pink head at some point…
When I first joined the server, I had made myself a small farm for food. Well of course everyone found out about it and wanted a part of it. So my small farm grew and grew. When Niki built her bakery, she needed a steady supply of well… supplies. Sugar, wheat, eggs, milk, and all that. I had plenty and I was more than happy to give her what she needed in exchange for baked goods. So once a week I would haul boxes of supplies across the SMP from my farm to her bakery. 
Everyone was aware of this and so on these days everyone would stay out of my way. Which is why I was so surprised to slam into someone while carrying a box of eggs to the bakery. 
I let out a huge gasp as the sound of eggs cracking filled my ears as I slammed into someone. The box fell out of my hands as raw egg covered my hands and body. “What the hell!” I cried out, looking up to yell at whoever had just crashed into me. I was momentarily stunned. There in the flesh, right in front of me, stood the Blood God himself, Technoblade. My surprise  didn’t last long as I remembered why I was angry in the first place. 
“What the hell are you doing here? It’s bakery day, sure you didn’t know that, but you should have taken the hint not to be here when you didn’t see anyone walking this part of the Prime path!” I shouted at the pink haired man. Techno’s brown eyes widened as I verbally attacked him. “And now I’m covered in raw egg! This is not pleasant! It’s gross and sticky and cold and I do not enjoy it! You are sooooo lucky I have a change of clothes at the farm and that my chickens laid a lot of extra eggs this week or else you would have had to explain to dear sweet Niki why she wouldn’t be able to open her cute bakery this week.” I hissed out. 
“I’m sorry,” Techno began with a raised eyebrow, “Do you not know who you’re talking to?” He questioned with a deep voice. I let out a loud scoff at the audacity of his question, “Of course I know who you are, Mr. Blood God,” I mocked. “So. You do know who I am and what I am capable of.” I scoffed at his smug words. “I said I did, didn’t I? And frankly I couldn’t care less about you and your reputation. You’re just a guy. A guy that has ruined my day because I now have egg all over me!” I complained, wiping my hands on my pants. 
I reached down and began picking up the box and the eggs and egg shells that had fallen on the ground.“You know, I could kill you with no hesitation?” Techno claimed as he crouched down, moving his face close to mine. “I’ve done it before to many others. They blink and my sword has entered their chest. I’ve probably slaughtered more people than you’ve ever met in your life,” Techno mused, a smug smirk tugging on his lips. 
I looked up from my box with a blank expression on my face, “Am I supposed to be scared of you? Is that supposed to scare me? Make me shake in my boots?” I questioned, my eyebrow raised. Techno’s smirk slowly slipped off his face. He quickly stood up and stared at me in shock, “Didn’t you hear me? I could kill you!” He explained. I rolled my eyes and also stood up. “So could another human. Literally anyone else. So could a fall from a huge height. So could a dedicated chicken. You’re not special.” I stated, turning on my heel and began walking back toward my farm. 
“So you’re really not scared of me?” I heard Techno question as he began to jog to catch up to me. “Haven’t I made that clear? You may have scary stories and legends surrounding you, but when it comes right down to it, you’re a man. Well, part pig, part man, but a man and mortal all the same.” Techno let out a scoff, “Technoblade never dies,” he claimed. “But you could. You have three cannon lives just like the rest of us.” I concluded. 
Techno silently followed me as I moved through the barn, replacing the eggs that had cracked when we collided. After I filled the box once more, I set it down before stepping into the bathroom I had built. “I’ll be right out. Don’t touch anything.” I commanded. Techno gave me a mock salute before looking around the barn once more. I closed the door and quickly cleaned up. I took off my egg covered clothes, washed my hands and body before putting on the clean clothes I kept here. 
I found Techno where I left him. “You ready to go?” I questioned softly. His eyes trailed from my horses back to me as he gently nodded. I made my way back to the boxes before picking the egg box back up. “Is this going to?” Techno asked. I looked over and found him pointing at the last box needing to go to the bakery. “Yeah, but you don’t have to-” I was cut off by Techno picking up the box. “Let’s go” He said walking out the door. I let out a laugh before following him, being sure to close the door behind me. 
The two of us made small talk about anything and everything on our way to the bakery. Techno told me all about Wilbur and Tommy’s constant squabbles and I told him all about everyone’s wariness ever since he joined the server. Techno helped me put everything away, which caused me to be done a lot sooner than I usually get done. The two of us left the bakery and made our way back outside. We began strolling the prime path and subconsciously came to a stop where the two of us met. 
Our conversation died down and the two of us stood there for a moment, just staring at each other. I finally cleared my throat, “Thank you for helping me today. I really appreciate it.” I thanked, running a hand through my hair. Techno mirrored my actions with a shy smile on his face, “No problem. It’s the least I could do.” There was a slight pause before he spoke again, “Hey. Listen. I’m sorry for threatening you earlier. It’s just… Everyone I’ve ever met has been terrified of me and when you weren't… It really threw me for a loop. So… thanks. Thank you for giving me a chance.” I let out a giggle at his vulnerability, “It’s no problem…. Maybe when this is all over and you and your brothers are welcome back into L’Manberg, we could hang out more.” I offered. Techno gave me a soft smile and a gentle nod, “Yeah. I’d like that. A lot.” 
“Techno!” A voice whisper shouted. The two of us jumped at the sudden interruption and turned to look at who had called the pink haired man’s name. It was Wilbur. “There you are! Where have you been?!” He questioned, marching up to the two of us. Techno made a gesture to me. Wilbur’s eyes shifted to me. I gave him a smile and a wave. “Hey Wilbur. It’s great to see you” Wilbur’s eyes softened as he gave me a smile, “Hey Y/N. It’s so good to see you too. We’ve got to go. Techno was supposed to be on a spy mission, but I see he got distracted…” I laughed at his words and nodded. “Something like that,” Techno claimed, rubbing the back of his head a blush. 
“Well it was great to see you Wilbur. Tell Tommy I miss him and that I say to stop trying to decorate with things that aren’t his, yeah?” Wilbur gave me another soft smile and nod, “Will do Y/N. Tell Niki I miss her?” I returned his smile and nod. I then turned to Technoblade and gave him a smile as well, “It was lovely to meet you. I really hope this is over soon so I can show you my weapons collection.” Techno’s eyes lit up and he nodded. “It was amazing to meet you too Y/N. And I would love that. So much.” I giggled at his response and nodded. “I knew you would. Bye guys.” I gave them both one last smile before turning and headed back to my farm. 
As I was leaving I overheard the next part of Techno and Wilbur’s conversation. “So… Y/N huh?” “Shut up.” “Who knows, when this thing is all over maybe you’ll get together and have pink haired, Y/E/C babies… Oh I would be the best uncle and-” “I’ll give you a five second headstart.” “Oh come on Techno-” “Five” “Please” “Four” “Tech-” “Three” “You know it’s-” “Two” “Oh come on” “One” “OH GOD! RUNNING!” 
I let myself look over my shoulder at the two. Sure enough Wilbur was sprinting down the prime path as fast as he could, but Techno was right behind him. “Get over here!” Techno shouted after Wilbur. “NO!” I let myself giggle at the two’s antics. My eyes focused on the two for as long as I could, but soon enough the two were out of my view and my ear shot. Oh I can’t wait until this is all over. 
There you go! I hope you enjoyed! And I hope I did the anon that requested this justice! If you did enjoy, be sure to leave a like! And maybe even a reblog or reply telling me what you liked about it! Until next time!
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harper-hook · 3 years
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Into The Woods | Harry Hook x Reader
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Request: Can I request a Harry X reader where the reader is Peter Pan's daughter and they hate each other at first but then things get really heated between them and it turns into full on smut?
Warnings: Oral sex
Author’s Note: This almost killed me to write tbh
The familiar scraping of metal on metal made you groan mentally and slam your locker. “what do ya want now, Hook?” You snapped, unfortunately used to your father’s enemy's son bothering you. “Just came to see me favorite little sprite.” He replied with a wide grin, seeing how it got under your skin.
You stopped yourself before you yelled at him and caused a scene. It was the day right before Spring Break and you didn’t want to damper your spirits by earning after school detention as soon as you got back. “Well you saw me. Now back off.” You ordered.
Harry stepped back, faking a wounded look. “My plans don’t involve backing off.” He smirked. “Quite the opposite in fact, seeing as you’re heading back to Neverland.” You groaned and rolld your eyes. This again. 
“If you let me tag along, I’ll make it worth your wild.” He practically purred, getting up in your personal bubble. You sneered at him. “Listen, Hook and listen good.” You poked him chest with your finger. “You will never! Set foot in Neverland if I have anything to say about it!” You hissed.
Harry’s smirk dropped and he adopted an angry glare. You were a bit nervous but you couldn’t back down now. “Then we’ll just have to hope nothing happens to ya!” He hissed. You growled, getting in his face and bawling your fists.
“Hook! Pan!” You snapped out of your rage as Fairy Godmother came bustling around the corner, catching you both. Uh oh...
One long and infuriating detention later, you were finally packing up. “Stupid Hook and his stupid face...” You ranted to Ben over the phone. Ben sighed as you leaned against the side of your car, trunk still open. “Didn’t you think he was cute when he first came here?” Mal asked, joining Ben on the other line.
The good thing about being over the phone was no one could see you roll your eyes. "That was before he opened his mouth." You huffed. “So you’re gonna talk to Tiger Peony about the trade deal between Neverland and Auradon, right?” Ben changed the subject.
“Yeah I’ll do your job while on my spring break, Ben.” You rolled your eyes. "I appreciate it, you know?" He said. "Uh huh. See if you can lower my detention sessions when I come back." Ben sighed, confirming that he said he would see what he could do.
You said your goodbyes and promised to call once you arrived; Ben always the worrier. Hanging up, you quickly slammed your trunk shut and climbed in the driver's side.
Taking one last look at Auradon Prep in the mirror, you pulled out and started on your long 6 hour drive.
-----
The first couple of hours of the drive you didn't mind. Plenty of sunlight and good music made the time fly. But thanks to Fairy Godmother's detention, you'd left 2 hours late and now the sun was going down quick.
Driving at night didn't bother you but driving through Summerwoods at night bothered you. You turned your music down and took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. Now you really regretted turning Herkie’s invitation for a ride. “(Y/N), you’re a fucking moron.” You hummed to yourself.
Then it sounded like a gun shot went off. You let out a small shriek, thankfully not swerving your car off the road. You slowed considerably, still confused and terrified. Then you heard it, what sounded like a horse’s snort, the spluttering of air. Your heart sank, grip tightening on the steering wheel. “Are you fucking serious right now?!”
Slowly limping your car to the side of the road and putting it in park, you practically threw yourself out of the door, mood souring at the telltale signs of a popped tire. You glanced to the right and saw the back tire, flat as paper. 
You groaned, you held your head in your hands. Ok, keep yourself together, you thought. I’m a strong independent woman and I can change a tire, that’s what I keep a spare for, you reminded yourself. 
You ran to the back and popped the trunk open again. “Hiya!” You screamed, stumbling backwards and falling on the ground. You laid there in complete shock, breathing heavily and heart thumping. You could hear Harry wheezing in laughter.
After a few seconds, you sat up, gasping for air. “What the fuck?” You rasped out. Harry climbed out of your trunk, still shaking in mirth. Shakily, you stood to your feet, narrowing your eyes at the boy in front of you.
“What in the actual fuck do you think you’re going?” You screamed, no longer shaking in fear but in anger. “I’m going to Neverland, what does it look like?” He said with a slight eyeroll like you were stupid. This just pissed you off more.
“It looks like you’re some kind of fucking stalker!” Harry stopped laughing, looking at you with a positively poisonous glare. He stomped up to you, clearly trying to intimidate you. You were too angry to care. 
“You might wanna loose the attitude, lass. We’re all alone out here.” He sneered. It was your turn to roll your eyes. “Just get out of my way.” You pushed past him, peering into your trunk. “Where’s my spare tire?” You questioned, looking back at Harry who looked like a pouty kid caught in the cookie jar.
“Was awful cramped in there with that thing.” He muttered. He continued at your deadpan look. “Threw it out at the school.” You took a sharp, deep inhale, fists clenching and unclenching. You turned and slammed your trunk shut, putting your arms and head down on top of it. 
You couldn’t help but laugh. The whole irony and bullshit of the situation was honestly laughable. It would’ve been funnier if it hadn’t been you. “Pan?” You heard Harry call. “What?!” You snapped, raising your head. 
“Ya okay?” Your eyes widened as you spun around. “I’m gonna pretend you didn’t just ask me that when you literally ruined my entire evening!” You screamed at him. Harry marched up to you, forcing you back against your trunk. “I thought I told you to loose the fucking attitude.” He snapped. He grabbed the hair at the base of your neck and practically bent you over backwards on your trunk.
He leaned in close to you, cocky smirk on his face. You snarled and bared your teeth, leaning closer to his face. “Am I supposed to be scared of you? There’s 1000 things in these woods alone that are scarier than you.” You and Harry’s gazes locked. His eyes were so... blue. You really hadn’t noticed before. 
His glare softened slightly and he released his grip on your hair, stepping back. You straightened up, keeping a close eye on Harry. You’d never admit that he scared you a bit. Never.
It was silent now. You looked away into the forest. It was completely dark now. Crunching sounds from the forest made the hairs on your arms raise. You and Harry shared a look to confirm you both heard it. A nearby wolf’s howl made you gasp and reach out, a firm hold on Harry’s shirt. He held your wrist.
“C’mon. C’mon.” He ushered you to the backseat and practically shoved you in and climbed in after you. You sighed and tucked your knees under your chin. Fuck, this was bad. “Call Princey. See what kinda magic he can work.” Harry murmured, like he was afraid to talk too loud. 
“Hey, finally a smart suggestion from you.” You said with a sarcastic smile and leaned forward to your car’s center panel. You had both knees on the middle storage compartment, waiting on the phone to ring. 
“Hello?” Ben answered after three rings. “Ben!” You were instantly filled with relief. “I need some help. My car blew a tire in the Summerwoods.” You explained. “What about your spare?” He asked. You turned to glance at Harry who gave a sarcastic wave. You flipped him off and turned back around. “It was a bad spare.” You lied. “Can you send help?” 
“Uh, yeah. It’s gonna be a couple of hours though.” Ben said. You groaned at the fact you already knew. “Thanks, Ben. I’ll make it up to you one day, I swear.” You smiled at Ben’s laughter. “Yeah, just hang tight.” With that, he hung up and you tossed your phone back into the center console.
You moved to sit back down in the backseat, instead moving into something solid. While you were preoccupied, Harry had slid into the middle seat right behind you. “What are you-” You squeaked as Harry pulled you down into his lap. 
He wound his hand into your hair again and bent you backwards, leaving your neck exposed. His other hand had a firm grip on your hip. You gasped as he licked a stripe up your neck, blowing on it to make you shudder. “W-what are you doing?”
“I can see it, ya know? I saw it earlier. Ya look at me the way I look at ya.” He murmured, low and close to your ear. “You lie and say you hate me but have still fantasized about this. About me.” He placed a kiss on your neck. Your shaking hands found their place on his knees. 
“Say you want this. Say you want me. Or I’ll let you go and we never have to speak again.” Your heart hurt in an unexplained way. This bickering love-to-hate routine you and Harry had fallen into naturally, for it all to stop one day? It seemed Harry Hook had somehow managed to worm his way into your heart.
“Harry...” You murmured, looking up at him. “I want you. Now.” You said with more confidence that you’d anticipated. He looked surprised but quickly adopted his signature cocky grin. “Atta girl.” He helped you turn around to straddle him.
You bent down to kiss along his jawline before planting one on his lips. It started innocent but quickly turned rougher and more passionate. Harry raised his hand and brought it down hard on your ass. You gasped into the kiss and pulled away, looking at Harry with an indignant look. 
“That’s for the fuckin’ attitude you’ve been giving me for the last 4 months.” He growled, voice deep and husky. “You’ll get a lot more later.” He said, his tone of voice making you realize you were in for a world of hurt later.
He tugged on the bottom of your shirt before pulling it off. He grinned and pulled you back for another kiss, slowly grinding his erection against your leg. You scratched his shoulders as you pulled away. 
“I’m not fucking you on the first date.” You said matter-of-factly. He looked at you, confused and a bit annoyed. “Technically it’s not even a date. More of a car invasion.” You crossed your arms, smirking at Harry. He narrowed his eyes before grinning himself.
“Either way, I’m still gonna rock your world, luv.” He smacked your ass in the same spot, making you hiss in pain. You climbed off his lap and leaned up against the door, Harry right on top of you.
You gripped the seat as Harry kissed down your neck, teeth scraping your skin. Your head was tossed back as he moved lower and lower. "Look at me." You glanced down and could barely make out Harry kneeling between your legs.
He started tugging on your jeans and you lifted up to help him. In one fluid motion, your jeans were tossed into the front seat. You whimpered, feeling exposed. Harry shushed you, breathing close to your lower belly. "Trust me."
Your heart lurches in shock as cold metal dragged its way up your leg and hooked into your underwear, tugging them down. You felt like your face was on fire.
You took a deep breath as Harry threw one leg over his shoulder and the opposite leg was pushed to dangle over the floor boards. You flushed again as Harry kissed gently up your thigh. You shrieked as he nipped your inner thigh.
"Fucker..." You stammered. Harry laughed before he leaned down close to your heat. He slowly dragged his tongue up your slit. You moaned loudly, one hand reaching to Harry's head, pushing him down.
You sighed and moaned into your hand as Harry continued his ministrations. "I- I wanna hear you." Harry murmured into your thigh. "I wanna hear how good I'm making you feel." His voice barely more than a whisper.
"Harry!" You moaned loudly as Harry blew cool air over your slit. "That's my girl." And he went back down on you, more aggressive this time. The air in the car felt thick and foggy, just like your thought process.
Harry moved to your clit, clearly tracing a pattern. He used one hand on hold your bucking hips down as he continued. "Are you-" You trailed into a high pitched whine. "Tracing your fucking name?" You shook violently.
You could feel Harry grin against you. He moved up into your face, noses nearly touching. "Yeah. And what are ya going to do about it?" He sneered, attack your neck again with a rigorous fever. "Mine." That one word sent a fire burning through you.
One of Harry's hands moved you your slit, two fingers slipping in easily. "Harry..." You moaned, tears coming to your eyes. He was still sucking and biting at the base of your neck and collarbone, clearly trying to leave a mark. You dug your nails into the back of his neck, making him let out a few curses.
Harry curled his fingers against your G-spot relentlessly, your legs shaking and your hips bucking wildly. "Harry!" You sobbed as you finally came, back arching and world going still.
It was quiet for a moment and the only sound was both of yours heavy breathing. Harry pulled his fingers out and wiped them on his pant, sitting back on the other side of the backseat. You sat up and pulled your legs back to you.
You winced, pain shooting through your body. "What the fuck did you do to me, Hook?" You muttered. Your legs and back were cramped up and it felt like you'd been punched in the neck. He laughed heartily. "Fucked ya up good, huh?"
You rolled your eyes but couldn't help but agree. Between your dried tears on your cheeks and messy hair from rubbing against the window, not to mention all the bruises.
You glanced over at Harry who was looking at you curiously. "What?" He asked. You smirked at him, leaning over him. You ran you hand down his chest and iver the bulge in his pants, making him buck into your hand. "It's my turn now."
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imagine-that · 3 years
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White horse
Pairing: Loki x reader
Warnings: maybe angst? Kind of mentions of kidnapping ig?
AN: this one may or may not have more than one part coming 🤫🤭😉 also it’s too the song White Horse by Taylor Swift and I’ve linked it so you can listen while you read or after or before if you’d like!
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Say you’re sorry, that face of an Angel
Comes out just when you need it to
“Loki get back here! We aren’t done talking about this!” You cry, chasing after the green cloaked god.
“There is simply nothing to talk about. You think leaving is a good idea, I think it is not. Therefore, you are forbidden to leave.” He says bitterly, storming away, back towards the palace.
“Oh for the love of Odin- you’re being ridiculous! You cannot forbid me from doing anything Loki! I am my own person, or am I not now my love?” You ask angrily, picking up your pace to even try and match his.
“Stop! Stop calling me that, stop trying to make it better. I am no longer your love y/n, I am no longer your anything it would seem. But no need to worry, I will be sure to think the same of you and nothing more.” He says coldly, the smirk you so despised playing on his lips.
You groan, smacking his arm. “Would you just listen to me for five minutes?! I-I don’t want to lose you Loki. But I have to get away from here, I don’t want to be contained to only this one place all my life, it’s not enough for me!” You cry, taking his cold, bony hand in your own and holding it tight. “I want to be with you, please.” You beg, your eyes filling with tears.
“Y/n, if Asgard isn’t enough for you, surely I am not either.” He says coldly.
“That’s not true! Do you know how long it took me to finally make this decision for myself? To decide leaving is what’s best?” You ask and he says nothing. “I cried for days at the thought of leaving you. I paced all the time. You’re not the only one having trouble with this choice. Loki- you’re my everything. I can’t bear the thought of losing you forever.” You promise him, squeezing his hand reassuringly.
As I paced back and forth all this time
Cause I honestly believed in you
“Then do not leave. Stay with me, become my princess. We can spend our days by the lake and reading books from the royal library.” Loki argues, taking his other hand and wrapping it around yours.
Suddenly he’s getting down on a knee, pulling out a ring box. You shake your head rapidly, not believing what you’re watching.
“Y/n, you are my princess, my soulmate and my other half. This kingdom would be unbearable without you, it would be the most boring place in the galaxy. I see colors brighter, feel things more clearly and feel like a better man than I am when you are around me. Please, do me the greatest of honors and marry me.” He gives his little speech, smiling up at you with the look of lust and love in his eyes.
“No.” You breathe, staring down at him.
“W-what?” Loki asks, a frown etched on his face.
“I said no! You cannot... guilt trip me into staying here, nor can you just propose to me to prove a point or to distract me for my choices. You... you can’t just tie me down like this. I’m not going to give up on my hopes, nor on my dreams to suit you.” You scoff, stepping back from him.
“You have to! You have to because I say so and as I am crowned prince of Asgard, you must obey!” He cries angrily, getting up off the ground quickly and moving closer to you.
You stare at him with pure disgust and disbelief in your eyes. “You may be the crowned prince but you cannot force me to obey you by any means!” You shout back in his face, breathing heavy with fury. “If you insist I must then you’ll have to throw me in the dungeons because I’d rather rot down there for the rest of my life than marry the man I’m seeing before me right now!” You snark again, tears burning your eyes.
His face contorts into a sickly grin, one that sends horrible goosebumps up your spine.
Holdin’ on, the days drag on
Stupid girl, I should’ve know, I should’ve known
“You truly mean that, do you? You would rather die without a smidge of dignity, stripped down to nothing but a caged animal in the deepest part of Asgard’s darkest, coldest dungeons than marry your beloved?” He asks, inching closer to you.
“You are not my beloved. It would seem you have killed whatever’s left of him.” You growl coldly, turning your back to him.
He laughs a cold and hollow laugh. “You do not get to walk away from me!” He bellows and you remember exactly where his temper came from.
“Yes I do and I will.” You say calmly, your stubborn nature kicking in.
“Trust you to act like a coward in a time of need for bravery.” He sneers.
You swerve back around, snapping your head in his direction.
“Continuing this useless argument with you has nothing to do with bravery Loki. It’s stupidity. And you are being irrational. I can’t talk to you like this. So yes, I’m walking away. But believe me when I say that that is the brave choice in this situation.” You explain, staring straight into his steely grey eyes.
“You said you loved me! You said we were meant to be! You said we were soulmates the universe and the gods decided were meant for each other and only each other. Did you mean one word of it?” He asks, a sad and desperate smile on his lips.
“I- of course I did Loki. I meant every word of what I’ve said to you.” You promise, tears streaming down your own features. His slender and delicate fingers gently reach up, brushing them away with his thumb, his fingers lingering on your cheek.
“Then why are you insisting on leaving me?” He asks, his voice more broken than you’d ever thought possible.
“I don’t belong here Loki. I’m destined for other things and meant to be or not, I cannot truly commit myself to being your princess, to being your forever if it means not exploring that destiny.” You say softly, resting your forehead on his chest longingly.
It’s taking all of your strength to fight the urge to wrap your arms tightly around him and agree to what he’s asking just to see his smile return but you manage.
You know this relationship could never be healthy if you couldn’t commit to it with all of your heart and soul. And if it couldn’t be healthy, you didn’t want to put either of you through that. You couldn’t handle that pain.
That I’m not a princess, this ain’t a fairytale
I’m not the one you’ll sweep off her feet, lead her up the stairwell
“Loki. You have to let me go my own way.” You sigh, glancing up at him.
He says nothing, turning himself away from you.
“I cannot do that. I literally cannot bring myself to do that. Either you stay or I am merely nothing to you. That is how it will be.” He states after taking a shaky breath.
“Loki you can’t possibly expect me to make that decision!” You cry out, mouth agape in shock.
“It is the decision that must be made. If I mean anything to you at all, you would stay and rule by my side.” He says.
“It isn’t that simple Loki! I can’t just choose you because I love you.” You groan, throwing your hands up in frustration.
“And why not? Because it is easier to run away from me, run from what it is we have than to be with me? I am fully aware of that fact y/n, it has burdened me all my life!” He bursts out, his eyes glazed over with unshed tears.
“No! You do not get to play the left as a baby card right now Loki because you know it is not like that at all! You know I harbour nothing but love for you! It is not a simple choice I’m making right now!” You argue, shaking your head.
“What did you expect me to say exactly y/n? I am not going to stand here and blatantly lie to your face and say I agree with your choice in departure nor that I am ok with it!” He shouts louder. “I refuse to let you leave! I refuse it, ok? You cannot leave Asgard, I will forbid Heimdall from allowing you to go if that is what I must do but you will not leave me like this!” He snaps, his face one of rage and possessiveness as he makes his way to the doorway and out towards the bridge to the gate to the realms.
“You can’t do that to me!” You cry, racing after him to stop him. You scramble to get in front of him, laying your palms against his chest to keep him from moving any further.
“Remove yourself from my path darling.” He warns, staring you down. Still, you remain in your spot.
“Not a chance dearest.” You growl back mockingly.
This ain’t Hollywood, this is a small town
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down
He picks you up carefully by the arms, moving you behind him effortlessly.
“If you do this I will never forgive you! I will not only leave you, I will never speak to you again. Not even if you hold one of your swords to my throat to force the words out yourself.” You shout after him, your voice void of any emotions other than pure, white, hot rage.
He pauses in the middle of the bifrost, looking at you, testing the truth behind your words as he analyzes your stance.
He meets your eyes, your big y/e/c showcasing every bit of vulnerability within you in that moment for him to see. He had a knack for that it seemed, seeing everything about you no matter how much you tried to hide it.
He knew you like the back of his hand. Normally, you felt safe and protected with that.
Now you just felt hatred for the eyes baring into your soul.
“You will forgive me someday. I am sure of it.” He says quietly, smiling softly at you.
He leaves you there on the bridge, falling to your knees with a small sob.
Deep down you knew he was just scared. Scared you would somehow be hurt or taken or used as a weapon of some sort and he wouldn’t be there to come to your rescue.
But that didn’t matter. You didn’t want your knight in shining armour. You only wanted to be free.
Now it’s too late for you and your white horse
To come around
————————————————————
A few nights later...
You couldn’t take it anymore. You had paced back and forth in your room, biting down your nails out of stress and anger and the need to concentrate. Your hair was a mess, you refused to change into any of the clothes you were given, staying stubbornly in your outfit from the few nights ago instead.
Since your meltdown on the Bifrost, Loki had brought you back to the palace, stroked your hair as he tried to talk you down, calm you. It had worked, much to your dismay. You’d woken up in a foreign room and upon an attempt to leave, you found that you were being kept there.
Loki was treating you like a prisoner. He was being true to the Midgardian fairytale Rapunzel he’d once read to you in the gardens, you’d thought to yourself the first day.
“Loki, let me out of here!” You screamed desperately that day, pounding on the door until your fists ached. Crying and shrieking in hopes someone would help you.
He again, came and talked you down, holding you as you sobbed. You were a wreck, you couldn’t comprehend how your sweet, kind eyed Loki had become this monster who kept you like a toy or trophy rather than his equal, his true love.
Somehow though, you believed he was in there, crying to get out and be the one to hold you in his arms and let you go. You imagined staring into his eyes, kissing him, promising you’d be there for him no matter how far you were. It was driving you crazy, trying to flip between the Loki you’d known all this time and the one you were with now.
Maybe I was naive,
Got lost in your eyes
You’d managed to calm yourself most of the time, you’d managed to talk him out of the crazy idea of keeping you under lock and key. Even this new Loki seemed to realize it was too much, too inhuman and cruel. He apologized for having done it in the first place and you merely nodded, staying true to your promise to him. You weren’t speaking to him anytime soon, if at all.
You instead stayed in his room, staying by his side when he wasn’t taking care of his duties.
You knew he was wrong. You knew he was being awful and possessive and downright toxic but still, you couldn’t imagine not being with him. You couldn’t imagine it but you knew it was a terrible idea to willingly stay. It wasn’t what was right for you.
You stayed in bed most of the day, trying not to feel the ache for his touch in your chest the way you were now. And when you weren’t, you were standing on the balcony, watching out at Asgard. You may not love living there but you still believed it was beautiful regardless.
That was how Loki found you that evening, in a robe on the balcony, staring down at the city.
“It is beautiful with the sunset is it not?” He says calmly from the doorway, leaning against the doorframe.
You nod a bit, not bothering to turn around to face him.
You hear him moving closer but you pay no attention, crossing your arms over your chest.
“You are truly not going to talk to me?” He asks with a sigh.
You shake your head, resting your chin in your palm as you watched the sky become as golden as the palace itself as the sunset.
He sighs, running a hand through his hair from what you can see in the corner of your eyes.
You were taking your time, balancing your options on the invisible scale in your mind. You wanted to be held by him and trust him again but you couldn’t bring yourself to let him have it all. Not after what he’d done. You silently decided that letting him struggle, torturing him with your silence was your best play.
And never really had a chance
My mistake, I didn’t know to be in love
You had to fight to have the upper hand
Your long term plan for yourself was yet to be determined. Loki’s kindness and love for you was blinding you, making it impossible to concentrate on your thoughts, much less make them coherent.
You brush past him, ignoring his begging gaze as you go into the bathroom and shut the door behind you, getting in the shower. You let the water run down your hair, getting it wet while your mind starts to clear up a bit and you finally know exactly what you have to do for your sake.
You finish, getting redressed before going back into the room, ignoring the princes longing eyes as you climb into the bed, facing away from him.
“Alright, that is enough already y/n.” He sighs, pulling the blankets off of you. You jump up in shock, staring at him blankly. “I know you are mad at me however I only did this for us, my love!” He insists.
You scoff, abandoning your former decision completely. “You did absolutely NOTHING for us here Loki. You did this for you. You did this because you’re scared.” You argue back, your days of pent up anger at him thankful for a release.
“I did not! I did it to protect you, to keep us from falling apart!” He shouts.
“Please! Loki I am begging you to at least admit to yourself that you did none of this for my protection!” You cry, staring him right in the eye.
His breathing is heavy and jagged, he’s panicking, this much you knew. “I-I would never do anything regarding you for my own selfish gain.” He says calmly.
“But you did Loki. You did everything to do with this for YOUR gain.” You sob, tears covering your cheeks.
“I-I love you Loki. I truly, painfully do. But I cannot be with anyone who would regard me as some sort of trophy. I will not do it.” You continue, your lip trembling as you speak.
“I never- I never meant for it to get this far... I merely wanted to keep the one thing I’ve truly loved in my life safe. I wanted us to spend forever together, side by side.” He says, his voice so low and quiet you have to strain to hear it properly.
“I-I know.” You stammer, gulping in a breath between tearful gasps. And you did know. He was your other half, there was no way you didn’t think of the future with him in the same way he did. You just didn’t always treat it the same.
I had so many dreams
About you and me
“Please- please forgive me darling. I cannot apologize enough for the chaos and- and the harm and trauma I put you through these past few days. I was no better than my father himself. I was truly a monster.” He says, his eyes once again filled with unshed tears.
You nod lightly. “Okay.” You say quietly, meeting his eyes.
“W-what?” He asks, his eyes wide in disbelief.
“You heard me. Okay. I forgive you.” You say simply.
“J-just like that?” He says, still not convinced.
You force a laugh, continuing with your small charade. “Yes just like that. You’re my true love, I could never stay mad at you for too long Loki.” You say with a small smile.
He smiles back, pulling you into a hug. “Oh my darling you have no idea how grateful I am for your forgiveness.” He murmurs into your ear. You hesitantly hug back, wrapping your arms tightly around him.
“Always.” You promise quietly. “As much as I love sharing a room with you though Loki, I think I’d like to sleep in my own bed tonight if that’s alright.” You ask, blinking at him innocently.
He nods repeatedly in agreement. “Of course my love. Whatever you wish.” He promises, standing and offering you a hand. You take it in your own, getting to your feet yourself.
The two of you walk around talking for a few hours, making you glad for the fresh air and mind numbingly silent atmosphere. He holds your hand tight, almost as if he’s scared you’ll disappear if he lets go.
“I think I need some sleep my love. I’m feeling kind of tired.” You say with a small yawn. Without hesitation he walks you to your room, making sure you’re good for the night and that everything is to your likings.
“Loki, everything is fine. Go. I’ll be fine.” You groan exhaustedly. He sighs in defeat, standing in the doorway.
“Ok but I will be here in the morning in case you need me. Goodnight my love.” He says, pressing a gentle kiss on your cheek.
You nod with a tiny smile, knowing that by morning you wouldn’t be there for him to help.
Once he’s finally gone, you change into something more comfortable and a little more inconspicuous, grabbing a few of your things and tossing them into a bag. You scramble to write a quick note to your family so they aren’t left entirely in the dark with all that’s happening and you ensure that the door is locked to buy yourself more time.
You climb out the window, gulping as you feel yourself dangling from so high up but making your climb down to the ground floor of the castle.
You felt guilt for leaving Loki so quickly and hastily but you knew it was for the best. You weren’t meant for any kind of fairytale life and staying with him while he was so controlling and had become so dark wasn’t a valid option for you. You wanted to live life, not struggle through it.
And so, you made a small jump to the ground and ran down the shimmering bifrost, running to the gates and off into the night alone.
Happy endings
Now I know...
105 notes · View notes
bamf-jaskier · 3 years
Text
I’m reading a non-canon short story written by Andrzej Sapkowski about Geralt and Yennefer’s wedding called Something Ends, Something Begins and my heart is literally so full. Even Asaps has to get tired of having so much angst so this short story is a literal fluff-fest and I love it so much. 
So I thought I would share some of my favorite quotes from the story and if you all want to read it, here is the link. 
"One day she'll break her neck," growled Yennefer, watching Ciri galloping in the splashing water, bent, firm in the stirrups. "One day your crazy daughter will break her neck."
Geralt turned his head and without a word looked into the sorceress's violet eyes.
"All right, then," smiled Yennefer, without averting her eyes. "Sorry, our daughter."
She hugged him again, pressing herself against him firmly, bit him in the arm again, kissed him, and bit him once more. Geralt touched her hair with his lips and carefully pulled her gown over her shoulders.
I am literally...I swear, we finally get domestic Yenralt and it isn’t even in the canon universe. I am literally going to fight someone. This is so damn cute and the way Yennefer is like “our daughter” my goddamn heart. 
The list of the guests wasn't that long. The engaged couple compiled it together and charged Dandelion with sending the invitations. Soon it turned out that the troubadour lost the list before he could even read it. Because he was ashamed to confess, he used a cheap trick and invited whomever he could. Of course he knew Geralt and Yennefer well enough that he didn't miss anyone important, but it wouldn't have been him if he didn't enrich the list of the guests by an admirable number of quite random persons.
Why does it just make sense that Dandelion would fuck this up? It’s so in-character, putting him in charge of the guest list was the first mistake. 
No one invited the golden dragon Villentretenmerth, because no one knew how to invite him and where to look for him. To the general astonishment the dragon turned up, of course incognito, in the form of the knight Borch Three Jackdaws. Of course, where Dandelion was present, one could not speak of any incognito, but even so few believed when the poet pointed at the curly-haired knight and claimed it was a dragon.
The image of Dandelion just pointing at this dude and yelling “He’s a dragon!” is fucking hilarious, especially when you consider most people don’t know dragons can shapeshift. 
"Was it you who invited
Triss Merigold?
"No," the witcher shook his head and silently praised the fact that the mutation of his blood system didn't allow him to blush.
"Not me. I think it was Dandelion, even though all of them claim to have learned about the wedding from the magical crystals."
"I don't want Triss to be present on my wedding!"
"But why? She's your friend."
"Don't make a fool out of me, witcher! Everyone knows you slept with her!"
"That's not true."
Yennefer's violet eyes narrowed dangerously.
"It is true."
"Is not!"
"It is!"
"All right," he turned around angrily. "It is true. So?"
The sorceress was quiet for a moment, playing with the obsidian star on the black velvet ribbon around her neck.
"Nothing," she said at last. "I just wanted you to admit it. Never try to lie to me, Geralt. Ever."
I love the little bickering. Also, like, even though Triss and Yennefer are friends try valid of her to not want her at the wedding. She slept with Geralt!! Love how Geralt tries to deny it at first but gives up ten seconds later. Geralt really tried to pull the “just friends” card and Yennefer was having NONE of it. 
The doppler accused Villentretenmerth of racism, chauvinism and lack of knowledge on the discussion's topic. Therefore, the insulted Villentretenmerth changed for a moment into his natural dragon form, destroying several pieces of furniture and causing a general panic. When the situation calmed down, a fierce quarrel began, in which humans and non-humans accused each other of lack of open-mindedness and racial tolerance. 
A quite unexpected twist in the discussion came from the freckled Merle, the whore who didn't look like a whore. Merle announced that the whole debate was stupid and pointless and didn't concern true professionals, who don't dinstinguish between such things, which she was willing to prove on the spot (for an adequate reward, of course), even with the dragon Villentretenmerth in his natural form. 
In the silence that fell abruptly in that instant they heard the female medium proclaim that she's willing to do the same, and for free. Villentretenmerth quickly changed the topic and began discussing safer topics, such as economics, politics, hunting, fishing and gambling.
Everything about this sequence is perfect, absolutely prime. Dragons and Dopplers fighting, Merle saying she would fuck a dragon in dragon form. This has EVERYTHING. 
"I'll get going right after the feast," Ciri repeated. 
"I want... I want to feel the wind in my face on the back of a galloping horse again. I want to see the stars on the horizon again, I want to whistle Dandelion's ballads at night. I'm longing for a fight, the dance with a sword, I'm longing for the risk, for the delight victory brings me. And I'm longing for solitude. Do you understand me?"
"Of course," Geralt smiled sadly. "Of course I understand you, Ciri. You're my daughter, you're a witcher. You'll do what you must. But I must tell you one thing. One thing. You can't run away forever, even though you'll always try."
"I know," she replied and cuddled herself closer to him. "I still have hope that one day... If I wait, if I'm patient, then I, too, perhaps will live such a beautiful day like this... Such a nice day... Even though..."
"What, Ciri?"
"I've never been pretty. And with that scar..."
"Ciri," he cut her off. "You're the most beautiful girl in the world. Right after Yen, of course."
"Oh, Geralt..."
"If you don't believe me, ask Dandelion."
"Oh, Geralt."
Ciri telling Geralt she wants to travel and move on is just heartbreaking but it makes sense. She has more adventures to go on. Geralt’s story is ending. Hers is beginning. Also Ciri feeling insecure about her appearance and Geralt being a good dad and comforting her? Amazing. 
"I have unfinished business there," she hissed. "For Mistle. For my Mistle. Even though I avenged her, but for Mistle one death is not enough."
Bonhart, he thought. She killed him out of hatred. Oh, Ciri, Ciri. You're standing on the edge of an abyss, daughter. Not a thousand deaths would avenge your Mistle. Beware of hatred, Ciri, it consumes like cancer.
"Watch out for yourself," he whispered."I'd rather watch out for others," she smiled ominously. "It pays off more, it works better in the long run."
I will never see her again, he thought. If she leaves, I will never see her again.
"You will," she answered unexpectedly and smiled with a smile of a sorceress, not of a witcher. "You will, Geralt."
When Geralt asks what Ciri plans to do on her travels she literally says: I am going to avenge my dead girlfriend and murder some people. Which is not a healthy coping mechanism but damn if the idea of a gay revenge story doesn’t sound good to read. 
The priestesses Iola and Eurneid also sobbed, when Yennefer refused to put on the white wedding dress they had made for her. Not even Nenneke's mediation helped. Yennefer cursed, threw around hexes and dishes, while repeating that she looks like a fucking virgin in white. 
The enraged Nenneke began yelling, too, and told the sorceress that she behaved worse than three fucking virgins at once. Yennefer responded by conjuring a ball of lightning and demolishing the roof of the corner tower, which had its good side, too. The crash was so terrible that Caldemeyn's daughter got shock from it and her diarrhea stopped.
Once again, this scene has EVERYTHING. Yennefer getting so pissed it demolishes a tower. The shaking being so bad it stops diarrhea. Also, why does Asaps use diarrhea so often in his books? You know what, I don’t want to know. 
Triss Merigold and the witcher Eskel from Kaer Morhen, were seen again, sneaking, arms linked, into the garden summerhouse.
Is that...IMPLIED TRISSKEL?? OKAY THEN. All the Trisskel friends out there: They hooked up at Geralt and Yennefer’s wedding I don’t make the rules. 
"Yen..."
She looked breathtaking. Black wavy locks, curled up with a golden tiara, fell in a shining cascade over her shoulders and the high collar of a long white brocade dress with black-striped sleeves, pulled together on a bodice with countless drapes of lilac ribbons.
"Flowers, don't forget the flowers," warned Triss Merigold, all in dark blue, and handed a bouquet of white roses to the bride. "Oh, Yen, I'm so happy..."
"Triss, darling," sobbed Yennefer all of a sudden, upon which both sorceresses embraced and kissed the air around their ears and diamond earrings.
"Enough of those endearments," ordered Nenneke, smoothing the folds on her snow-white priestess dress. "We're going to the chapel. Iola, Eurneid, hold her dress, or she'll kill herself on the stairs.
Triss and Yennefer’s friendship is so sweet sometimes. Like, they would literally murder each other but they would also murder FOR each other too. 
Yennefer approached Geralt and with a hand in a white lace glove she straightened the collar of his black cloak, embroidered with silver. Geralt offered her an arm.
"Geralt," she whispered into his ear. "I still can't believe it."
"Yen," he answered her in a whisper. "I love you."
"I know."
I don’t know is Asaps is purposefully referencing Star Wars here but either way this had me tearing up. Geralt and Yennefer deserve a happy ending and even if it’s not officially canon the author wrote it so this is canon in my head. 
The wedding was splendid. Ladies and maidens cried collectively. Herwig was the master of ceremony, a former king, but still a king. Vesemir from Kaer Morhen and Nenneke stood in as parents of the betrothed couple, Triss Merigold and Eskel as witnesses. 
Okay but why is Asaps sneaking in the Trisskel? I want more of it and this pairing definitely intrigues me. Also Vesemir and Nenneke as their parents? That’s so damn sweet. I swear to fuck this entire short story is too damn cute and I want more of it. 
I cannot stress how much I love the energy Merle brings to the table. Saying she would straight up fuck a dragon. The power of it all. 
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mandowh0re · 3 years
Text
Remember Me
Chapter 2
Summary: While cleaning up the timelines that he broke, Loki meets and inevitably loses the one person that’s understood him in life. But he’s not losing you without a fight.
A/N: Another chapter within a week?? More likely than you think! Beta'd by the ever beautiful @edgyvege. Go show her some love!
Warnings: None
Word Count: 2303
Happy Reading!
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Loki’s lying in his bed, clutching the book you had loaned him close to his chest.
He finished the book the first night of having it, and he regrets not pacing himself because he still has six days before he can see you again and isn’t sure how to keep himself sane until then. He doesn’t have much to his name anymore, having missed eleven years of his life and his home having been destroyed. So it’s not like he can turn to his favorite books or activities.
The Avengers had reluctantly agreed, mostly out of guilt because of Thor’s previous loss, to let Loki stay in the compound under the condition that he did not leave, did not use his magic unsupervised, and did not cause chaos. It had been an incredibly difficult adjustment, especially on his part, but he was willing to do whatever it took to see you again. So he did not complain even once.
When Loki had returned from timeline 656, the timeline in which he first met you, he was broken but determined. He was on a mission and refused to get distracted until his job was done. He had to find you again. He didn’t know what he was going to do if he didn’t.
So when Mobius agreed to bring Loki to this point of the timeline, he had given Loki the information to be able to find you.
You were his insurance, a way to make sure Loki stayed in his place.
So after two weeks of near perfect behavior and constant sulking from the trickster, Steve and Tony agreed that Loki could leave the compound, though only under Thor’s supervision.
When he first saw you again in that tiny bookstore, he felt like he had been hit in the chest by Thor’s hammer. He thought he was prepared to see you again. Your bright eyes and soft lips were all he could think about the past several months. But apparently, he wasn’t prepared in the slightest.
But you being you, you gave him a sweet smile and kindly helped him find the book you had told him about when the two of you had first met back in timeline 656. Because no matter the timeline, you were always one to help others.
And then you did something he wasn’t expecting. The possibility wasn’t even on his radar. You gave him your own copy to read, telling him it was so he had to come back and see you. He felt his chest constrict in that moment, yet at the same time a spark of hope exploded inside of him. It was something that he hadn’t felt in a long time.
Then when you asked him for his name, his heart broke again.
He had forgotten to even give you his name, because he had already known yours. Your name, your scent, your favorite laugh, your body.
He knew it all.
Yet you knew nothing about him. And after telling you his name, he was afraid you’d remember what he’d done to your city all those years ago. That you’d be afraid of him and reject him, just like most everyone else in his life. He wouldn’t blame you. He believed himself a monster, just like everyone else did.
But he kept himself from spiraling into his dark thoughts with the sole knowledge that the version of you in timeline 656 wasn’t scared of him. Not even before he explained to you what had really happened.
No, you had accepted him, helped him, and eventually loved him.
He could only hope that this version of you could do the same.
***
The day you met Loki, you were a bit shell shocked.
He left almost immediately after telling you his name, and you watched as he met up with a much larger blonde man before walking away. It took your brain one too many seconds to realize the blonde was Thor, making Loki the actual Loki. The Loki that reigned chaos and destruction to your beloved city all those years ago.
A few pieces of information struck you throughout the day, startling you each time:
Number one; you had actually hit on a literal god. The God of Mischief, no less.
Number two; he actually flirted back! What the fuck?
Number three; he never asked for your name.
And number four; you weren’t scared of him. More than that, you weren’t even angry with him.
You couldn’t for the life of you figure out why. Why he didn’t intimidate you. Why you felt as if you understood him. Or why you felt like you knew him, more intimately than just having heard of him. You had only spoken to the man once, for crying out loud.
The week passes by incredibly slowly, and every time you think about your interaction or of seeing Loki again, butterflies come to life in your belly and a smile slowly comes across your face.
But today is finally the day.
It’s a quarter past eleven when the door to the shop opens, the small wind chime signaling someone had entered. You look up from your current read and see Loki taking a few short steps to the counter. He’s dressed to the nines again, wearing a dark grey suit with minimal green accents.
He looks positively delicious, and you curse yourself for letting that thought slip. You slide your bookmark into your novel before setting it on a small shelf behind you.
“Hey! You came back!” You say, your voice a few pitches higher than usual. You really weren’t expecting him to actually return the book himself. In fact, you weren’t sure what you expected at all.
He nods, “Of course, darling. I wanted to see you again,” his voice is deep and his eyes are trained on yours, “And discuss the book, obviously,” He lifts the loved copy in his hand, held between his nimble fingers.
Warmth blooms in your chest and you smile shyly. Your eyes flicker to the window where you saw Thor waiting last week.
“Where’s your chaperone?”
Loki raises a brow, glancing to the window next to him.
“I saw Thor meet you when you left last week.”
Realization dawns on Loki’s face, “Ah, yes. I must be accompanied by my brother at all times outside of the Avengers Compound. It is a term of my arrangement.”
“Arrangement?” You ask, cocking your head slightly.
For a moment, Loki falters. He’s said too much, explaining his situation could cause more questions to arise, and he did not need that right now. Because how in the nine realms would he answer them?
So instead of answering, he sets the book on the counter in between the two of you and smiles, “Nothing for you to concern yourself, dear. I would much rather talk about the blatant misinformation contained in this book.”
His tone is light and playful, so you laugh and pull the book closer to you, “Misinformation? You mean to tell me that you didn’t give birth to a horse?”
Loki rolls his eyes, “Gods, no! I did no such thing. Nor am I the father of Fenrir, Jormungandr, or Hela.” He makes a disgusted face.
“That’s a shame,” You fake pout, “You just ruined my favorite book for me.”
He scoffs, “Darling, I am the living, breathing version of the character in your book. How could a novel be more interesting than the real deal?”
You look at him, a mischievous glint in your eye, and Loki feels his heart jump in his throat. He’s seen that look before. The way your nose crinkles just slightly, causing your eyebrows to scrunch, barely noticeable. There’s a sparkle in your eye, one that tells Loki every time that you’re up to no good.
It was one of the many reasons he fell so hard for you.
“You’re very handsome, I’ll give you that. But I just think Book Loki has more layers. Ya know?”
Normally, if you had made a comment like that, Loki would have pinned you against a wall and put you in your place.
But that was another time. One that Loki desperately hoped would come to him once more.
“Well, I think that if you come to know me better, you shall see I am much more… Complex than you humans have made me out to be.” His voice has lowered a few tones, sweet and smooth like honey.
He’s closer now, leaning over with his forearms on the counter, and you feel a warmth spread across your belly. You curse yourself and discreetly press your thighs together.
But unbeknownst to you, Loki knew every single one of your mannerisms, quirks, and habits. And by default, he saw the little movement you made, and had to use his glamour to hide the way his body reacted.
Conversation flowed from there, banter flying back and forth, your quick wit almost matching his.
It somehow felt normal to you. Comfortable. It was bizarre and pleasant at the same time.
But for Loki, it was just a painful reminder of what he lost so many months ago.
Before he knew it, there was a single knock against the front window, signaling that his time was up. The both of you glanced up to see Thor, dressed in jeans and a casual cotton jacket, peeking inside.
Loki sighs, “While I wish I could stay longer and chat, I fear I must take my leave.” He stands from the chair you had pulled up next to you and straightens his jacket.
Your heart drops slightly, not wanting him to leave, and you stand with him.
“Well, how about I give you another book to read?”
“I was already planning on coming back,” He smirks, tilting slightly downward, “But I shan’t turn down a chance to read a book.”
“Good, because I love this one too.” You tell him, grabbing the book from your stash. You rip a piece of receipt paper from the small printer and quickly scribble on it, then tuck it into the front cover.
“And my name is Y/N, by the way. I didn’t get a chance to tell you last week.”
Loki smiles and takes the book from you, walking towards the door.
“Well, Y/N, it has been a pleasure. I shall see you again next week.”
***
“Brother, I see you have another book.” Thor says as he moves to walk alongside Loki, who was already reading the book summary.
Loki only makes a hum of acknowledgment, but doesn’t say anything.
They walk in silence towards the secluded alley where Loki can transport them back to the compound without curious eyes.
The silence is comfortable, yet eerie. Thor is still recovering from the shock of having Loki back, though it wasn’t the same Loki he lost on that forsaken ship.
And Loki… He’s just trying to wrap his head around everything that has happened. Everything he missed because he jumped from 2012 to 2021. He didn’t get to say goodbye to Frigga. He didn’t get to have a last look at Asgard. And now the one woman Loki is sure he cannot live without, doesn’t remember him.
They get back to the compound without incident, and Loki heads back to his room like he always does, choosing to interact with the Avengers as little as possible, lest there be a fight.
He tilts his head up slightly, eyes screwed shut and fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, “Friday, is it? Where is the spider child?”
“Peter is in the penthouse. Would you like me to relay a message to him?”
Loki bites his lip. Is he really going to do this?
Yes, he supposes he is.
“Can you ask him to come to my quarters?”
“Of course.”
Loki paces, waiting for Peter. After several minutes, there’s a tentative knock at the door.
“Come in.”
It opens slowly, revealing a confused Peter.
“Hey, Friday said you asked for me?”
“Yes.” Loki nods, then hands the boy a small piece of paper.
The same paper you put into the book earlier in the day.
Peter, now fully in the room, takes the paper and shoots a curious glance at Loki, before reading.
~
I don’t know if you have a cell phone, or even know what one is.
But if you do, feel free to text or call me :)
555-555-5555
-Y/N
~
“If you tell anyone about this, I shall have your head.” Loki hisses, but there’s no heat behind it. Peter is one of the few humans Loki cares about dearly. The little shit had somehow managed to weasel his way into Loki’s notoriously cold heart within the first week.
And Peter knew this.
“Yeah, yeah,” He smirks, “Why are you showing it to me in the first place?”
“While I know what a cell phone is, I am unsure about how to acquire one. That is where you come in.”
Peter’s eyes light up, “Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”
Loki crosses his arms, fearing he may come to regret this.
***
“What do you want?”
“It’s been a while. Nice hearing your voice.”
“The feeling isn’t mutual.”
“Ouch.”
“Answer my question.”
“I want you to join us, of course. Thought that was clear by now.”
“Fuck off.”
“Well, figured I’d try... Anyways, I received word that Loki is back on Earth.”
“Not sure why you think I care, or how this concerns me.”
“I would like for you to bring him in.”
“I don’t work for you. Use your own goons.”
“He’s protected by Thor, and the Avengers by default. But you could easily-”
“Like I said. I don’t work for you. Why don’t you try intimidating one of your other experiments?”
“Star-”
“That’s not my name. Goodbye.”
***
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Will They Won’t They | Part 2/4 [Reggie Peters]
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Pairing: Reggie Peters x fem!reader
Words: 7.5k
Summary: Reggie and reader were the best of friends up until middle school where they drifted apart and decided never to speak to each other again. What happens when a shared algebra class and a resulting detention force them to spend and increasing amount of time together. Will it be enough to overcome the mutual hate? Or was the relationship doomed from the start.
WARNINGS: swears & ANGST
A/N: hey babes it’s drea posting :) i hope you enjoy this part as much as mimi and i did writing it! again, if you enjoy our writing, please like, comment, and reblog! and if you want to be updated, dm us to join our taglist! sending my love - drea :) 
“Come on, let me take you out! We need to get you a new outfit for the gig coming up,” Rose insisted, dragging you to her car. 
“Who said I was coming?” you frowned stubbornly, tugging your arms back but to no avail. 
“I did, now let's go,” she strongly urged, pushing you into the backseat while she hopped in the passenger side and Luke hopped in the driver’s seat. 
“Rose, he’s coming too! Oh, hell no!” you refused, giving the boy a pointed look. 
“Sorry (N/N), I can’t drive this car, it doesn’t have learner’s insurance,” Rose apologized. 
“Nice to see you Lady Bunny,” Luke grinned with a wink and you sighed. 
“Okay, let’s just get this over with, okay?” you prompted and Luke nodded turning the keys in the ignition. 
“Whatever you say bunny, you’re the boss.” 
“Would you stop calling me that Patterson, it’s worse than when Reggie calls me Cookie,” you grumbled, your nose scrunching up in disgust. 
“Oh lighten up, at least you’ve got some cute nicknames,” Rose chuckled and reached a hand back to hold yours. “We’re gonna have a blast (N/N), just trust me.”
Walking past countless amounts of stores, it seemed as though Rose’s plan to find you something nice to wear was pointless. You and Rose had very different ideas of fashion, ideas that clashed far too much for Rose’s liking. 
“There’s no way I’m wearing that!” you exclaimed, eyeing the brightly colored jacket in Rose’s hand. 
“It’s so pretty though!” she insisted. “The texture, the color, the price? It’s a bargain, (N/N)!”
You rolled your eyes. “Then you buy it for yourself,” you told her, pulling out a simple knit sweater from the rack.
“You know what, I will,” Rose settled before looking at the sweater in your hand. “Oh you can’t wear that! You’ll look like a grandma who got lost at a rock concert!”
You frowned at your friend, holding the sweater to your chest. “I always wear things like this,” you pointed out, slightly hurt.
Rose tugged the sweater out of your hand and shoved it back into the rack. Luke popped his head up from the other side of the rack. “Yeah, but at a rock gig, you can’t go as your typical self. A poor little bunny like you would never survive a place like that,” he explained with a pout. 
“Lord, have mercy,” you grabbed your necklace pendant and kissed it, frowning when you realized you weren’t wearing your normal silver cross. 
“Is that like some white person good luck thing you picked up?” she asked suspiciously and you chuckled. 
“No, I just thought I was wearing a different necklace. I don't know how I could have mistaken it.” 
“What is it?” Rose inquired further, taking the pendant from your hands and looking at the details. “A horseshoe? I didn’t take you for a horse girl.” 
“Yeah- no, I’m not… Reggie gave it to me in middle school, he won it at a county fair or something, I can’t remember,” you explained. 
“Reggie gave it to you?” Luke inquired. 
“Thought I said that already Patterson,” you shot back with a roll of your eyes. 
Luke fought the urge to say something sarcastic back to you. “No, I’m just- Reggie?” he repeated. “I thought he...hates you, and vice versa.”
You walked down the aisle, skimming through the various articles of clothing. “And you’d be correct,” you told him. 
“It was before you moved here,” Rose explained. “She and Reggie used to be best friends up until middle school,” 
“Yep, but that’s in the past and we’re in the present so let’s focus on that,” you rushed, already feeling uncomfortable about the topic.
“No let's not,” Luke rested his forearms on the rack in front of you, resting his chin on top of them. “Tell us more,” he pleaded, pouting like a child.
You glared at the boy, tossing a sequined shirt at his face, making him stagger back. “And why should I, it’s none of your business, no offense Rose, and I’ll probably tell you at some point anyway,” 
“None taken cariña,” she chuckled and continued looking for some clothing that would be appropriate for the gig. 
Luke sighed, following close behind you. “But why can’t you tell me now?” he whined like a child. “I adopted you-”
“Against my will,” you cut in, flicking his forehead.
“Details,” he insisted. “I’m just saying, shouldn’t we be close now? Don’t you trust me?” 
You took a deep breath. “Of course I do, Luke,” you reassured him, your patience thinning. 
“Then why not tell me?” he pressed.
“Because it hurts!” you finally broke. 
The two friends seemed to freeze at your sudden exclamation. The quiet small girl was cracking and revealing the broken china doll inside. 
“It hurts, okay?” you repeated. “And having to tell the story of how I lost my best friend for some stupid reason that I don’t even know...it hurts beyond belief. The worst part is that he probably doesn’t even care. I loved him, okay? I loved him because he was my best friend. Even when I had no one I had Reggie and I used to think that nothing in the world could ever tear us apart.” you admitted. “When we stopped talking, he took a piece of me with him. And I know that I am never going to get that back.” 
Luke quietly moved over and past the racks of clothing pulling you into his chest and giving you a tight squeeze. 
“Bunny I’m so sorry. I had no idea,”
You let out a humorless laugh. “No one knew,” you told him. “It’s not your fault, Luke, you were just curious.” 
“Still,” Luke said. “I feel so bad. Maybe I could try and talk to him and-”
You shook your head repeatedly. “Maybe let’s not,” you countered. “It’s in the past now. There’s nothing I can really do about it and the last thing I want to do is rope my friends into this, too.” 
“Well then how about this,” Rose suggested, giving you a prompt to change the topic while holding up a long sleeved white turtleneck along with an oversized black shirt sporting the album art of a famous rock band.
“I actually think I might be able to tolerate that,” you let out a soft chuckle. 
“I’m hoping you have some ripped jeans at home, maybe some converse?”
“Yeah don’t worry, I’m not entirely hopeless,” you assured them and Rose laughed while Luke just pulled you in tighter for a brotherly hug. 
“Look at you being mature! We love you, bunny,” he told you, swaying as he held you tight in his arms. 
“Love you, too, I guess, Patterson,” you laughed. “Let me go, you’re crushing me!”
The second Luke pulled away, he leaned back in to ruffle your hair. “Now come on, Bunny, the gig starts in three hours. You all down for lunch?”
Shrugging your shoulders, you nodded. “Why not?” you replied. 
Rose wrapped an arm around the both of you. “Anything but hotdogs,” she giggled. 
“Agreed!” you quickly vetoed any other option and ran giggling with Rose to grab lunch leaving Luke to pay for the clothes. You were lucky he adopted you otherwise that would be a tricky one to get out of. 
“I feel like this is an illegal number of questions to have on a test, it’s literally taking so long to mark these,” you grumbled to yourself, scribbling notes with red ink on the margins of the freshman biology test. 
You had lost count of how many detentions had passed and lost track of how many were still to come, at this rate they could go on until the end of the year and in all honesty you probably wouldn’t notice. 
You looked over at Reggie who was marking some short answer questions on a test, seeing his bright red check mark where there clearly shouldn’t have been one. 
“That’s wrong”, you said, looking back down at your paper. 
“What do you mean?” 
“That. You marked it right, it’s wrong,” 
“Why?” he asked curiously, putting his pen down so he could listen to you. 
“Because,” you sighed exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of your nose. “the mitochondria is not the party house of the cell,” 
“Well I say the mitochondria can do whatever it wants,” Reggie proclaimed, adding another check mark to the test. “Because it’s the boss,” 
“No that’s the nucleus,” 
“The what?” he formed and you banged your head on the desk in front of you, 
“How in the world did you pass freshman science,”
“Like the rest of us, I cheated,” he countered and you looked at him with a shocked expression on your face. “Oh my God, lighten up Cookie, I was kidding, it’s been four years and I’ve barely taken any science classes since I just forgot,” he rolled his eyes. 
You moved your head back to your work, only to toss the pen down in frustration moments later to try and massage a hand cramp. 
“Stupid pen, stupid tests, stupid detention,” you grumbled under your breath, honestly feeling like you wanted to cry. 
You pinched the bridge of your nose and sat back in your seat, debating whether you should fake an emergency so you could just go home. 
Reggie silently reached over to your pile of tests and eyeballed splitting it in half, taking the unmarked tests and placing them in his own pile. 
“You didn’t have to do that,” you said flatly. 
“Sooner we finish the sooner we can go home and it didn’t seem like you were going to go any faster,” 
You stayed silent for a moment, carefully reaching for your own again before whispering, “Thanks,” to which Reggie only gave you a nod. 
The silence between you both was excruciating. It shouldn’t have been this way, it should have been easy to talk to him like it always used to be. 
So, you took a deep breath and unclenches your jaw, casually continuing to write while asking, 
“So how’s the band?” 
There was a short silence, probably due to his slight shock in you even asking or trying to have a civil conversation and his first instinct as usual was to block it. 
“Why do you care?”
You rolled your eyes and continued to do your work, at least you tried that was all you could do. The ball was in his court. 
When he looked up and saw your tired expression he realized there really didn’t seem to be an ulterior motive at this point so with an audible sigh he answered, 
“It’s great, we’re working on writing songs for our demo CD,” 
You nodded and checked off some multiple choice questions before you heard Reggie clear his throat and spoke again, 
“How about you? How’s the family?” 
“They’re alright,” you said, your lips pressed in a thin line. “I mean as good as they can be. Things haven’t changed much.” 
Reggie nodded in understanding, aware of your family’s financial situation. 
“Is that why you push yourself?” he asked again. You froze, your hand holding the grading pen not moving. “Hours in the library, studying until your brain practically explodes with information.” You raised an eyebrow curiously at him, making him blush sheepishly. “I just know from uh, Mr. Mallard. He likes to talk, you and I both know that.” With a small smile on your face, you nodded. 
“I guess you’re right,” you finally answered. “If I get a scholarship maybe I can at least make my way through a degree without plummeting further into debt.” You kicked aimlessly at the floor. “I just feel so guilty. Like...if I don’t do the right thing or make one stupid mistake I’ll disappoint my parents.” 
Reggie frowned, setting the testing papers down. “You know you’d never disappoint your parents, Cookie” he told you. Chills went down your spine upon realizing he didn’t have the usual malice and sarcasm behind his name for you. “They would never be upset with you.” 
You laugh humorlessly. “Right again, Flicka,” you sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe the better term would be I would be disappointed in myself? I don’t want to fail them or anything by slacking off. They’ve already done so much for me.” 
“But that shouldn’t stop you from just-” Reggie drummed his pen against his thigh as he thought of the right words to use. “living? Cookie, we’re still kids. The point of high school is to just let loose and have fun, not drown yourself in schoolwork and scholarship essays.” 
You playfully flicked a paper clip in his direction. “I bet you’d know all about letting loose, wouldn’t you?” you teased. 
Reggie grasped his chest, gasping in feign hurt. “You wound me, Cookie,” he dramatically exclaimed, making you giggle and roll your eyes. 
As the two of you continued your light banter, you were reminded of the days you and Reggie would spend at the park, competing to see who could swing the highest between the two of you. The weight on your back lifted slightly as you started to sense a bit of normalcy, no longer at each other’s throats for any reason you could find. It felt good to talk like this with Reggie, to “let loose” as he said and finally set down all the baggage you’ve been carrying since you two stopped being best friends. Everything in that moment felt right. Stress, detention, and ungraded biology tests long forgotten. 
After what seemed like hours passed, Mr. Siezlio came back to the classroom, announcing that you were done for the day. You and Reggie surprisingly continued your conversation outside of the classroom, Reggie sharing more stories of the band as you giggled with every shenanigan. However, the moment you stepped foot outside, Reggie’s composure changed. 
“Alex!” you exclaimed, running over to the boy. Alex had his arms outstretched, pulling you into a friendly hug that Reggie considered far too chummy. He narrowed his eyes at his best friend, watching and making sure his hands were where he could see them. 
Reggie walked over to the two, a scowl forming on his face. “Alex, what are you doing here?” he asked, bitterness visibly clear in his tone. 
The blond drummer raised an eyebrow in confusion at Reggie’s attitude, but decided not to address it. “(Y/N) and I have an AP chemistry project coming up so she’s going to sleep over at my place so we can work on it.” 
You grinned up at Alex. “We’re probably going to have to pull an all-nighter to get it all done tonight,” you told him, making him groan. 
Reggie’s lips fell to a thin line. “Good luck trying to do that,” he muttered. “Alex falls asleep before eleven o’clock. I’d pay to see him stay up past that.” 
Alex rolled his eyes playfully. “When my grade is on the line, I think I can manage,” he said. “Especially after that one experiment in class you left me to do, I think we both definitely need that A.” 
“Yeah, Alex can’t do titrations for shit,” 
“I tried my best,” Alex fought back. 
“And what did that get us?” you pressed. 
Alex’s head hung low. “Erm, a B,” he muttered. 
Reggie stared at the two in disbelief. He couldn’t comprehend this ‘nerd talk.’ “A B?!” he exclaimed. “You were disappointed with a B? I would have been happy with C-,” he shook his head and pulled his bag up higher on his shoulder, preparing himself to part ways. 
You shuddered at the thought of such a low grade. “I’d never even begin to imagine a C,” you said aloud. 
Reggie smirked at you. “Well, you are a nerd, Cookie,” he teased, making you shove him. 
“Ass,” you shot back. 
“(N/N), we gotta go if we don’t wanna stay up all night,” Alex said anxiously. 
You nodded, taking Alex’s hand in yours and squeezing it. Reggie glared down at your intertwined hands, anger bubbling rapidly in his chest. 
“Bye, Flicka,” you cheerfully waved goodbye. 
Reggie didn’t look you in the eye, only staring down at the sidewalk with his hands shoved in his pocket. “Whatever, Cookie.” 
Band practice the next afternoon -to say the least- was probably the shittiest the band had ever played. Luke and Bobby were incredibly confused why Alex continuously dropped his drumsticks and refused to make eye contact with anyone and why Reggie looked so angry that he could snap the strings of his bass. 
“Okay, guys, guys! Come on we have a gig in like a week! We can’t go out there playing like this!” Luke insisted and Bobby nodded in agreement. “Alex I haven’t seen you fumble this much since we tried to play football and Reggie you currently have negative three hundred and forty-five dollars and seventy-three cents in your bank account so I would recommend loosening up on the strings because none of us can afford more.” 
“Yeah, what the hell is going on with you two?” Bobby added and Reggie sent a cold glare towards Alex that didn’t go unnoticed by anyone. 
“What was that?” Luke asked, pointing in between the two boys. 
“What was what?” Reggie asked, his head snapping back to send the same glare to Luke. 
“Okay you two clearly have things you need to settle so get it out there,” Bobby nodded, motioning to the floor, metaphorically saying it was open for one of them to take. 
Alex took a deep breath and nervously started, “Well I think it’s pretty clear Reggie is mad at me it’s just I have no idea as to why,” he shrugged his shoulders. “D-Did I eat your sandwich or something? A meatball sub maybe?” 
“That’s not it, but did you? Because if you did you are dead to me,” Reggie said venomously. 
“No! No, I didn’t,” he insisted quickly, very much so wanting to stay alive and not murdered at the hands of his best friend. “But what the hell is making you mad Reggie, I’ve never seen you like this,” 
Luke and Bobby seemed to nod carefully in agreement and Reggie swung his bass around the strap so it was hanging from his back. 
“You need to stay away from (Y/N),” Reggie said in a cautionary tone, pointing directly at Alex. 
“Lady bunny?” Luke asked curiously with furrowed brows and Reggie just looked at him back with confusion before remembering the nickname. 
“Yeah, I guess, but seriously Alex, you shouldn’t be with her,” 
“What do you mean I shouldn’t be with her. (Y/N) and I are just friends! We’ve been lab partners since freshman year,” Alex insisted. “And in case you forgot I’m kind of really gay?” 
“That doesn’t change the fact that you shouldn’t be spending time with her!” Reggie exclaimed furiously. Was he mad that you were spending time with his friends or that you seemed to be getting just as close with them as he once was with you. Right now, that was all a muddled mess in Reggie’s mind and heart so naturally, he started spewing out words that probably didn’t even have meaning at that point. 
Bobby discreetly made his way to Luke. “Hey Luke,” he whispered. “I can go ask Rose to make some popcorn,” he shrugged. 
“Oh yeah, for sure, and tell her to come in, she’ll wanna see this,” Luke added, equally invested, as their two other bandmates seemed to really be going at it.
“Reggie, you need to calm down. (Y/N)’s my friend, too. I don’t know any of your past, but you can’t tell me I should just drop her completely,” Alex said in a level toned voice. 
“Oh don’t act like you know (Y/N) better than I do,” Reggie snapped. “I know her like the back of my hand, and I know she’s bad news.”
“Do you really even know her?” Alex pressed. 
“Of course I do! Who was there when she broke her ankle? Me. Who was there when her fish died? Me! And who was there when everyone else wasn’t?”
“Not you anymore,” Alex cut in softly. Reggie's rant stopped short. The teen stopped pacing to look his friend in the eyes. “Reggie, I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but you have to admit to yourself, you still care about her.”
Reggie fumed silently. “I don't know what you’re talking about.”
Alex pressed his lips together. “I think you do, Reggie.”
“Alex you don’t get it! (Y/N) and me, that’s over!” his anger had sent him over the top. “Stop trying to say something’s there! It’s not!” 
“Listen to yourself Reggie, just listen to yourself talk! If you heard what I’m hearing I think you’d have a different opinion,” 
“Just-Just!...” Reggie pursed his lips and grabbed the neck of his bass pulling it back in front of him. “Can we just take it from the top,” 
“Y’know Reggie I think Alex has a point,” Luke butted in, remembering his previous conversation with you, realizing how much losing Reggie had actually affected you. 
“Oh joy,” Reggie sighed. 
“Just hear me out,” Luke continued, regardless of Reggie’s reluctance. “Why did you get into music in the first place?” 
“Because I loved it,” Reggie scoffed as if it was obvious. 
“No really Reg, be honest,” Bobby added. “Specifically when did you start playing music more seriously?”
Reggie bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood, tasting the metallic liquid in his mouth he shrugged his shoulders and flopped onto the couch. 
“I got into it after I stopped talking to (Y/N),” he admitted. “But what’s your point?” he asked. 
“You don't confront your problems Reggie,” Alex explained. “You came to music because it helped you block out the fact that losing her tore you apart.” 
“Well if it tore me apart then why am I still here, huh? Why am I happy? Why am I even alive? If she was my everything then how the hell am I still here?!” 
“Because she’s keeping you here,” Luke whispered. Reggie turned to Luke, at a loss for words. “Because even though you two had a falling out, you know that seeing her everyday at school...you’re glad she’s okay.”
Reggie ran his fingers through his hair. “You don’t know me,” he snapped back. “You don’t know what I think, or who I-I care about. You just don’t, so you can’t stop playing “mom,” Luke.”
Luke slowly approached him. “I don’t understand you,” he said truthfully. “You never open up or tell us anything. You say we don’t know you, you won’t even tell us anything. If no one knows you, then who does-“
“(Y/N)!” Reggie finally broke. The boys froze in their spots, only staring back at their struggling friend. “(Y/N), okay? She’s the only one who listened to me, the only one who cared. And now she’s gone because I pushed her away. All because I was so stupid and my pride got in the way. It’s my fault the best thing in my life is gone.”
Reggie realized what he had said and quickly pushed himself up and away from the couch. 
“I’m sorry, I have to go,” he shook his head and tried to make his way out of the studio. 
“Reggie wait!” his friends called back for him, but he shook his head and pushed his way out of the door just as Rose was heading into the studio. “Reggie come on! We’re sorry!” 
Biting the inside of his cheek he cursed under his breath, knowing that they were right. He did push people away before they got too close and right now he didn’t have the strength to blame himself so he blamed you instead. 
Reggie stormed into the almost empty library on Saturday, having had to walk to his detention from his home by the beach which was not close to say the least. 
When he pushed on the door to come into the library with such force it startled you as you organized the books and put them back on the shelves. 
Reggie didn’t speak to you as he tossed his things to the side and grabbed a cart, going to his designated spot in the library. 
You were careful to not try and push any buttons, knowing he was in a fragile state, it was kind of obvious, but it was even harder not to address. 
“Hey Flicka?” you said gently, trying to be as compassionate as possible. 
“What,” he spat, shoving some books onto the shelf without much care. 
“What’s the matter?” you asked, expecting to be met with barriers, that seemed to be all that comprised your relationship now. Walls, fences, barriers, and barricades. 
“None of your business,” he said, his breathing slightly heavier as the tears burned in the back of his eyes and the lump grew in the back of his throat. 
“I-I mean are you sure, you seem really agitated,” you noted and he didn’t respond. “Reggie you don’t have to hide anything. It can be my business if you want it to-” 
“No it can’t!” he snapped, throwing the books that were in his hands on the table. You flinched at the loud noise the impact made. “It stopped being your business the second we stopped talking to each other so just leave it Cookie,” his voice carrying the same hostility it did weeks ago. 
You paused for a moment, looking down at your pile of books before whispering, 
“They’re fighting again… aren’t they?” 
Reggie’s throat was burning, he wanted to scream into a void, empty himself of the pain because you were right, you were always right. Even when it felt like you didn’t know each other you were always there proving him wrong. 
His hands started to shake and he dropped the books he had just picked up again, turning around so you couldn’t see him. Reggie didn’t know if it was because he was embarrassed or if he just didn’t want you to worry. 
You wanted to reach over to your old friend, offer him some sort of comfort because you knew Reggie’s family and you knew how hard it was on him. 
So you did the next best thing. Pulling out your MP3 player from your pocket you went over to Mr. Mallard’s speaker system and plugged it in, turning up the volume to the max, letting the soft plucking of guitar strings fill the library and the hallway surrounding you. 
You went back to your pile and turned your back to him, giving him some sort of privacy, what you thought he needed. 
Reggie wasn’t sure if there was another time in his life where he had listened to this song and related to it more. 
So when he wiped his nose on his sleeve and turned around and saw you, he realized he didn’t want to be far away from you, he didn’t want to yell at you, he didn’t want that distance. 
So he quickly pushed the chair and table with wheels out of his way before stopping right behind you, carefully reaching for your hand that was resting by your side. 
When you felt his long slim fingers wrap around your own you turned around to look him in the eyes. They were still the same beautiful shade of blue and green, but unlike the last time you really looked into those eyes, they carried so much hurt. So much hurt and sadness that should never have been there in the first place. 
But through it all they said I’m sorry. I’m sorry for yelling at you, I’m sorry for all of this. 
And you nodded, back, accepting that apology. 
So he didn’t hesitate a moment, wrapping his arms tightly around you and burying his face in your shoulder. You nearly gasped in surprise as his grip around you tightened. It was as though he was afraid of losing you, and didn’t want to let you go. Lucky for him, you felt the same.
Slowly, your hands found their way around his neck. You could feel Reggie’s tears dampen your shirt, but you couldn’t care less. 
“It’s going to be okay, Reggie,” you whispered. 
Reggie sniffled quietly, shaking his head. “Don’t say that,” he murmured.
“Say what?” you asked.
“Say that everything’s going to be okay,” he continued in a hushed but angry voice. “Say that everything is all sunshine and rainbows when at the end of the day my parents will still fucking hate each other while yours struggle to keep their home.”
You stiffened under his touch. His words struck a nerve in you, but you pushed down the anger in you. He was hurting, and what he needed was a friend, not a fixer.
Instead, you squeezed him tight against you. “Then, don’t think,” you said. “Clear your mind and- and forget everything. Forget your parents, forget this stupid detention and the musty smell of these ancient books, forget me.”
Reggie dug his head deeper into your chest. “I don’t want to forget you, Cookie,” he murmured. “I-I don’t want you to leave me again a-and-“
You shushed him. “I’m not leaving, Flicka,” you reassured him. “I promise.”
Reggie let out another broken sob. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I-it’s just that we both don’t have a good record with those. Promises, I mean.”
“Let’s clear the slate,” you suggested softly. “Start over to a point where all broken promises of the past are nothing but a mere memory, okay?”
Reggie nodded, placing his hands over yours. “I’d really like that Cookie,”
You smiled, removing your hand from his cheek and linking your pinky with his. It was just like when you were kids, but slightly different. This time, it had so much more meaning of hope and love. “Then take my promise to your heart, Flicka, because I’m not leaving. No matter what.”
Reggie rested his forehead against yours, closing his eyes and letting whatever tears had gathered to fall down his cheeks. You lifted your head slightly, pressing a soft kiss to the spot right in between his eyes, letting your lips linger there a moment longer than they should have.  
“Dance with me Cookie?” he whispered. 
“Flicka, you know I suck at that,” you laughed quietly, ducking your head as your cheeks tinged red. 
“Don’t worry,” he sniffed as you wiped a few of his stray tears. “I won’t leave you hanging,” 
“Okay,” you breathed, allowing his hands to gently hold your waist while yours were wrapped around his shoulders. 
As you gently swayed in the library you could vividly see two young teenagers in a brightly lit room dancing to the same song. 
You could hear Reggie softly humming along with the tune, but when you opened your eyes and looked at him you were brought back to reality and realized what you needed to do, 
“I’m gonna call the boys okay?” you said gently and Reggie winced. “I won’t tell them. I was just going to stay over at Rose’s place tonight so maybe we could all stay in the studio.” you suggested. “So you don’t have to go home.” 
“Y-You’d do that?” he asked, a certain tone of surprise in his voice. 
You pressed your lips together and nodded, pulling away from him. 
Making your way to the phone behind Mr. Mallard’s desk, you dialled Rose’s house number first to ask if it was okay to have everyone over, before making the subsequent calls to Alex, Luke, and Bobby. 
After dealing with the phone you checked the time. Technically you still had an hour of your detention left, but for today Mrs. Hillside just swore you to honesty. 
As much as it made you anxious to do so you looked over at Reggie and raised a brow. 
“Should we call it? We can walk over to Rose’s place. I told Luke to bring some comfortable clothes for you,” 
“Sure,” he nodded and you hesitantly let go of his hand. For some reason it felt like it was too much at once. You just needed a few moments to yourself. 
All you ever wanted was for things to go back to the way they were, but now that it seemed to be happening it was a lot to take in and Reggie sensed that so he didn’t push farther, only grabbing his bag and walking quietly by your side as you left the school through a backdoor that was locked from the outside. 
The situation for you both might have been one to cause panic or worry, but right now you both relished the fact that your friends were sure to provide a wonderful distraction. 
“Lady bunny, you’re wearing your pyjamas already?” Luke chuckled from his spot on the couch while you walked out of the washroom, day clothes folded in your arms. 
“I intend on relaxing today, kidnapper, thank you very much,” you said in a matter of fact tone. 
“You still wearing my shirt to bed, Cookie?” Reggie teased and you stuck your tongue out at him before retorting with, 
“Still wearing that Star Wars underwear Flicka?” 
“Yikes,” Alex scrunched up his nose and Reggie’s cheeks went a darker shade of red than they usually were. 
“They still fit okay, it would be a waste,” Reggie fought back. 
“No one wants to hear that,” Bobby grimaced while you and Rose laughed together, relaxing on the futon. 
“Why don’t we play a game or something?” Rose suggested. “Just to pass time, I mean this is a sleepover isn’t it?” 
“That sounds like a good idea,” you nodded. “Any suggestions?” 
“We could play would you rather?” Bobby said, “I mean that’s a favorite right?” 
You nodded in agreement. “I haven’t played that game in a while, but I’m down.” Everyone gathered around the coffee table. Prepared to sit next to Reggie, you felt someone’s hand grab yours and tug you down. Looking to your right, you saw Luke smiling giddily at you. 
“As your parent,” Luke said in a motherly tone. “I need to sit by your side in case any inappropriate language is used.” 
Bobby rolled his eyes. “Fuck off, Luke,” he said. 
Luke gasped, covering your ears and pulling you to his chest. “Language!” he hissed. “We have a bunny here and I don’t want you to taint her mind with your demon words. No fucks, no shits, no dicks.” You shot the boy a look before pushing him off you. 
“Would someone tell this guy I’m not five?” you rolled your eyes only to have one of your cheeks pinched by Reggie while he snickered and said, 
“You sure look like it,” You threw an empty solo cup at him. 
“Who wants to go first?” Rose asked with a wide grin. 
“Oh me!” Luke exclaimed, raising his hand and waving it around wildly. 
“Sometimes I don’t know what you’re on,” Alex sighed and the rest of the group laughed. 
“Okay, okay, um, Bobby would you rather smash your guitar or have it run over by a semi?” 
“That’s just cruel,” Bobby looked at Luke wide eyed and he just gave him a smirk in return. He sighed heavily before saying, “I’d like to think if I smashed it, it would be from rocking out so hard so I’ll go with that one,” 
“Okay now it’s your turn,” you raised your brows at Bobby.
“Alright, (N/N), would you rather be locked in a room with Reggie or Luke?” 
You scrunched up your nose. “Both are horrible options,” you began, making the boys yell out in response. “But the real question is: would I rather be babied to oblivion or be murdered?” you thought for a moment. 
“I wouldn’t murder you!” Reggie exclaimed. “That’s too easy,” he smirked and you gasped, slapping his arm. 
“Hush you!” 
“What would you do to torture her then?” Rose asked curiously, knowing exactly what buttons she was pushing. 
“Well see if you really want to get someone you make them fall in love with you and then break their heart,” Reggie explained casually.
“Oh that is cold Reggie,” Alex said with wide eyes. 
“But I wouldn’t do that to (N/N), I think she deserves a murder,” Reggie shrugged his shoulders, taking a sip from his cup.
“Put me out of my misery,” you nodded. “Alright, I’d go with Reggie,” 
Luke pouted, leaning his head on your shoulder. “But we’d have fun, Lady Bunny,” he whined. “Don’t you love me?” 
You scoffed, flicking his forehead. “Barely,” you joked. Luke just grabbed you by the arms and brought you up to him, pressing a smacking kiss to her cheek. 
“I’m your mom you have to love me,” he poked and you made a face, wiping your cheek after he had kissed you. “Hey! That was a sign of motherly love, how dare you!” You smirked, flipping him off before continuing the game. 
After what seemed like hours passed, you and your friends got bored of the game once you started to run out of ideas. 
Alex was nearly passed out on the floor, but Bobby nudged him awake. “Can we play a new game now?” Bobby sighed. “I know would you rather was my idea, but I’m kinda tired of it.” 
You nodded tiredly, before your mind clicked with an idea, 
“Wait how about MASH?” you asked curiously. “Reggie and I used to play it all the time,” 
Reggie’s lips quirked up to a smile. “Yeah!” he exclaimed. “I’m still hoping I get that mansion and forty horses.” 
“I don’t understand how you play rock music. Were you born in Montana or something?” Rose chuckled. 
“Pfft,” Reggie scoffed while you laughed. He sighed and finally conceded with a nod. “Yeah okay, I’m not from here,” 
“Wait you’re not!” Luke exclaimed and Reggie shook his head. 
“I’m from Wyoming,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I moved here when I was like...four.” 
Bobby’s face turned sour. “Wyoming doesn’t exist,” he said stubbornly. 
Alex coughed, “Wait you don’t actually think that do you?” 
“It’s a joke Alex, and you ruined it,” Bobby rolled his eyes. “But seriously Reg, Wyoming?” he frowned. “Like what do you even do there?” 
“Live on a ranch,” Reggie sighed longingly and you tried to stifle a laugh, prompting him to put you in a headlock and ruffle your hair. 
“You’re laughing right now, but no one knows where you’re from,” he smirked. 
“Oh Reggie, you’re a dick.” 
“Language!” Luke exclaimed, trying to cover your mouth while you protested and Reggie explained that you also were not a California native. 
“(N/N)’s not from California either, she moved here when she was five,” Reggie explained. 
“From where?!” Alex asked, completely invested. 
“I thought we were gonna play MASH?” you tried to interject, but no one was listening to you and Reggie still had you locked under his arm. “Flicka don’t do this!” 
“She’s from Canada!” he grinned and you groaned. “And the town she lived in is called Saint-Louis du Ha!-Ha!” 
“Reginald!” you protested, finally wrestling yourself out of his grip while he laughed uncontrollably. 
“The city has two exclamation marks in its name!” 
“Guys,” Luke started seriously and Reggie’s laughter faded to silence as you listened to the band leader. “I-I have a confession to make. I’m also not from here,” 
“You’re not?!” Bobby was coming close to losing it, having not known about his friends. 
“I’m also from the Great White North,” 
“Wait really?” you asked.
“Yeah, I’m from Fredrickton,” Luke grinned. 
“No way!” you exclaimed giddily. “So are you Acadian?” 
“Proudly so,” he nodded and you gave him a high five. 
“Canucks unite!” you laughed, not noticing the pointed glare Reggie was sending Luke. 
Bobby pulls his hair in frustration. “Okay, who else isn’t from California here?”
Rose sheepishly raised her hand, much to Bobby’s disbelief. “Puerto Rico?” she answered, more so like a question. 
“Dude,” Alex said, shaking his head. “She has a strong Puerto Rican accent.” 
Bobby stood up abruptly, storming off. “I’m out of here!”
You stifled back a giggle, calling out, “Bobby! Where are you going?” 
“TO THE FUCKING GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE,” he yelled back. “MAYBE I’LL FIND ACTUAL CALIFORNIANS THERE.” You rolled his eyes at his dramatics. You knew he would probably make it out the door before coming back in. The boy was far too lazy to make the drive, anyway. 
“I wonder if he realizes that I’m from California, too?” Alex pondered aloud. The entire group burst into laughter.
“Let’s just start the game without Bobby,” Rose suggested. “Who wants to go first?” 
“I can go,” Reggie nodded, grabbing a scrap of paper and writing down the things for each category.
“Okay hit me with some career options,” 
“Stripper,” you said, slapping his back and he rolled his eyes, but still followed the rules and wrote it down under occupations. “You’d be a terrible stripper though, you can’t dance and you have terrible balance,” 
“Okay I’d be an amazing stripper, but that’s besides the point,” Reggie countered and continued writing all the names and places his friends wanted thrown in his options. “Alright numbers now right?” You hummed in response. 
“Do five,” you said with a toothy grin. “That was how old we were when we met.” 
Reggie nodded, starting to go down each list and circling whatever he landed on. At one point as he counted, his face turned red as he hid the paper from you and everyone else’s view. Once he was done, you tugged on his arm. 
“Come on, Flicka,” you teased. “Show us what you got!” 
Reggie cleared his throat, “I mean is that really necessary?” he asked cautiously. 
“Come on it can’t be that bad,” Alex insisted. 
“Um, well it’s not bad perse,” 
“How do you know that word?” Luke teased and Reggie rolled his eyes. “Just tell us,” 
“Alright well I got a house, a music teacher, two kids, five horses and I’ll live here,” he nodded, trying to avoid a certain topic. 
“Who do you marry?” Rose asked curiously. 
“No one?” he answered unsurely.
Rose rolled her eyes. “That wasn’t an option,” she reminded him. “Come on, it’s just a game, Reg. Just show it.” When Reggie refused to move, Rose resorted to snatching the paper from his hands. 
“Rose!” he cried out, reaching for the paper. 
The girl only held the paper far away, squinting her eyes to read the circled mark. “It’s (N/N)!” she squealed. Rose and Alex high fived each other while you dug your into Reggie’s chest, completely flustered. As a response, Reggie wrapped his arm around your waist and rested his head against yours. 
“It’s okay (N/N),” he said loud enough for the rest to hear. “We can just murder them,” he smirked and they all burst into a fit of outrage, during which Reggie leaned in closer to you, his lips coming close to your ear while he whispered, 
“It’s nice to take a break every once in a while, right?” 
You nodded with a smile. 
“Yeah, Cookie can let loose,” you joked.
“Of course she can,” he smiled, lifting his head and pressing a kiss to your temple before resting his chin on the top of your head. 
“Oh my God did you see that!” Rose pointed to you and Reggie and he stuck his tongue out at her. 
“What can’t a guy hug a gal?” he countered and you just placed your hand on Reggie’s mouth before he made it first, prompting him to teasingly bite your finger. 
“Flicka!” you complained while Luke immediately came to your rescue. 
“Guys! You gotta leave at least a foot for Jesus, come on this is beginner stuff,” he poked. Luke swatted Reggie’s hand away. “Get your hand off my daughter. I’m not ready to be a grandmother just yet, Peters.” 
“Luke,” you whined at his extra comment. 
“If they think this is bad they should’ve seen the dance Mrs. Leona made us do,” Reggie nudged you and you agreed with a chuckle. 
“Since when are you guys in the dance class?” Bobby asked, coming back into the studio with more snacks. 
“We’re not, Mrs. Hillside assigned under Mrs. Leona’s care for a day and we helped choreograph a dance for the sophomores next semester,” you explained, totally not realizing the implications of what you had said. 
“You know they’re gonna make us dance now right?” Reggie sighed. 
“Shit, they are, aren’t they,” 
With a loud groan you both stood up and Reggie took your hand. 
“From the top Cookie?” 
“From the top,” you sighed with a roll of your eyes. 
Rose reached for the speakers, connecting her MP3 to them and playing the song. 
“Swing those hips, Reginald!” Luke whooped, reaching for the bowl of popcorn in the middle of the coffee table. Reggie mouthed a swear to his friend as his hands found his place on your hips. 
“Watch where you’re putting those hands!” Rose warned. Rolling his eyes, Reggie teasing dropped his hands lower, only for you to swat them away. 
“I’ll still bite you,” you hissed playfully. 
“Promise?” he shot back. 
Once the music started to play, you felt Reggie’s hand trail down your arm. Every move was burned to your memory as you danced along with Reggie. The comments of your friends -either cheering or teasing- escaped your mind. 
And all that you wanted was for the night to never end. 
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fanficshiddles · 3 years
Text
Trust, Chapter 26
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Not long after Loki had left, Darcy saw Jane dragging a large suitcase down the corridor towards the front door.
‘Jane? Where are you going?’ She asked, confused.
‘I’m leaving!’
‘Well, clearly. But why? And where?’ Darcy folded her arms over her chest.
‘Thor dumped me. Alright?’ Jane snapped.
Darcy’s eyebrows went flying up. ‘Oh… Sorry to hear that.’
‘No, you’re not!’ Jane snapped at her again.
‘Hey, I don’t know what the hell your problem has been with me for this last year. But don’t take it out on me, I’ve done nothing wrong to you. It’s not my fault if Thor has dumped you.’ Darcy said firmly.
Jane sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. ‘It is your fault he’s dumped me. He said he was jealous of what you and Loki have. That we aren’t as fun as you two are. You aren’t even a couple! It’s ridiculous!’ Jane screeched.
Darcy was surprised to hear that.
‘I… wow. Well, again, not my fault that I’m such an ace friend.’
‘Piss off, Darcy.’ Jane said, having had enough she continued on.
‘Fine, be like that!’ Darcy shook her head and headed off.
But then she realised, would The Avengers still want her here if Jane wasn’t working here anymore? She was technically still her apprentice.
She came across Tony and Natasha in the lab.
‘Do you guys know that Jane has just stormed out with her suitcase?’ She asked them, pointing over her shoulder.
‘Yep.’ Natasha nodded. ‘We witnessed the whole thing before Thor left, unfortunately. Thor telling her it was over, it was… brutal.’
‘Wow… Okayyy…’ Darcy didn’t know where to go from there.
‘You’re not gonna leave us too though, are you kid?’ Tony asked, looking worried.
‘No! No… I mean, not unless you want me to go?’ Darcy asked.
‘Hell no! You’re too much fun having around.’ Tony went over and ruffled her hair, she whacked his arm and laughed.
‘Well, as long as you’re not chucking me out, I’m staying.’ She smiled.
‘Blake is welcome to stay, too. I know he doesn’t live here, but he’s smart. I wouldn’t mind taking him on as my apprentice if he wants.’ Tony offered.
‘Oh, cool. I’ll see what he says, I’m sure he would love it.’ Darcy smiled.
She then went to find Blake, he was in the library getting some books for research. Darcy told him that Jane wasn’t here anymore, so he didn’t need to get the books now. She then told him about Tony’s offer and he was so excited about it.
‘So, is Loki gone?’ Blake asked as he went with Darcy back to her room. They decided to have a movie day.
‘Yeah, he’s off to get married.’ Darcy said, trying to keep happy.
But she felt a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t get rid of.
-
‘You used to hang out with Loki a lot.’ Blake commented later in the day, when he and Darcy finished their second film.
‘So?’ She looked at him.
‘Well… It’s a bit weird, isn’t it?’ Blake asked.
‘No… How is it weird? People hang out with their friends all the time.’ She frowned.
‘I know. But, is he just your friend?’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Darcy sat up straight and glared at him. ‘He’s my best friend.’
Blake’s eyes widened a little. ‘I just mean… You seem to spend a hell of a lot of time with him. And you’re always laughing with him, way more than with me. You seem most comfortable around him.’
‘Are you jealous of my friendship with Loki?’ Darcy stood up and put her hands on her hips. ‘I’ve known Loki a lot longer than you, and been through a lot with him. He’s literally saved my life. He’s not a bad person like people think. And the one time I slept with him was a one-night stand when you weren’t even in existence in my life!’
‘You’ve slept with him?’ Blake asked, shocked.
Darcy frowned. ‘I’m surprised the others didn’t tell you already. It’s no big deal, I wouldn’t do that now I’m with someone. We were both single, feeling good after a party with alcohol, both horny.’ She shrugged. ‘It’s not exactly a big secret, everyone else knows.’
Blake ran his hand down his face and sat forward on the bed.
‘Where has all this come from? You know I like you, Blake.’ Darcy sat down again.
‘Do you love me?’ He asked, turning to face her.
‘Wh… what?’
‘Do you love me?’
Darcy sighed. ‘It’s too soon, Blake. You know I don’t bond easily, I’ve told you this. I really like you, and could I see myself with you in the future? Yes. Do I love you right now? Not in the way you want, not yet. It takes time.’ She tried to be as sincere as possible, she knew Blake loved her quite early on in their relationship.
‘Do you love Loki?’ Blake asked and looked directly at her.
She frowned. ‘Well… I…’
‘It’s a simple question, Darcy. Do you love Loki?’
‘Of course I do, but not romantically. He’s been in my life a long time, I trust him with my life. As I said, he’s my best friend.’
‘Why do you not love him romantically?’ Blake asked.
She paused for a minute, thinking. Why didn’t she? Or… did she? Was that what all these feelings were lately, coming to a head?
‘Because… I’m with you, and Loki is getting married, probably right now as we speak.’
‘But if you weren’t with me, and he wasn’t getting married… Would you be romantically involved with him right now?’ Blake asked seriously.
‘No… why are you being like this? You’ve never said you’ve had an issue with him before?’
‘Because you’ve been so distracted today. I know you’re thinking about him getting married.’ Blake sighed.
‘Yeah, cause he’s my best friend and I’m not able to be there.’ Darcy shrugged.
‘Stop with the crap, Darcy. You’re just lying to yourself now, not just me. Go and stop him. I’m sure it’s not too late.’ Blake smiled softly and put his hand on her shoulder. He knew he would never have her true love.
‘Wh… What? I’m… I’m with you, Blake.’ Darcy’s eyes widened.
‘You’re not a bad person, Darcy. But your heart belongs to Loki, not me. You just need to admit it to each other, before you both get in too deep with someone else.’
Darcy felt her heart pounding against her chest as the realisation washed over her.
She didn’t love Blake. She never would, when all she wanted was what she had with Loki. Whether that love was romantically? She wasn’t entirely sure, but she knew that she didn’t want to live without him. She loved him, as a friend. Maybe more…
-
Darcy ran as fast as she could through the compound. Natasha and Clint tried to stop her, but she just barged past them without stopping. ‘Can’t stop! Need to stop the wedding!’ She yelled as she kept running.
By the time she got outside onto the green, she was exhausted. She was not a runner.
‘Come on, think think think. What’s his name?’ She muttered as she looked up to the sky. ‘Himding? No… Himdill? Agh fuck!’ She hit her forehead a few times, trying to think. Then she suddenly remembered.
‘HEIMDALL!’ She shouted up to the sky.
Suddenly the bifrost opened up over her and she was whisked through space to Asgard.
She quickly stumbled into the observatory and looked up at Heimdall.
‘That is not as smooth alone… Thanks for getting me here! I wasn’t sure if it would work without Loki or Thor.’ She said sheepishly.
‘The Allmother told me to keep an eye on you.’ Heimdall smiled slightly.
Darcy’s eyes widened. ‘I… I don’t know where I need to go now.’
‘There is a horse waiting for you.’ Heimdall tipped his head slightly to the side.
Darcy rushed outside and there was indeed a horse waiting.
After many attempts to get on, one of the attempts included her falling straight off the other side. But eventually she managed to scramble on and get the horse moving into a trot. She bounced around all over the place but managed to remain on until she got to the palace.
There was a guard outside, Birger. He rushed over and took hold of the horse’s reins, holding him steady as she slid down.
‘Miss Lewis. Nice to see you again.’ He said politely with a nod.
‘Oh, hi Birger. I’m sorry, I need to find Loki! To get to the wedding. Am I too late?’ She said in a rush as she blew at her hair to get it out of her face.
‘The wedding? It’s too late... They already left for Vanaheim, where it’s being held. The ceremony will likely be over, onto the celebrations now.’ His face dropped when he saw how sad Darcy looked.
‘Oh… I’m too late.’ She looked down and then behind her. ‘Well, I suppose I better go home again then.’
‘I’m sorry, Miss Lewis.’ He said sadly. ‘I will guide you back to the Bifrost.’ He offered.
‘It’s ok. I will just walk, I don’t think my butt could take anymore riding.’ She joked, smiling, but it wasn’t her usual smile that reached her eyes. ‘Thanks, Birger. Maybe see you again soon.’
‘Take care, Miss Lewis.’ Birger nodded to her again.
Darcy slowly made her way back to the observatory. She was half regretting not riding back, it had been quite a trek.
‘Can you uh, get me back home?’ Darcy asked Heimdall.
He nodded once. ‘If that’s what you wish.’
‘Yeah. I was too late. As always, Darcy Lewis is never on time!’ She said as she flailed her arms up. ‘Tell Loki congratulations when he gets back.’
Heimdall said nothing as he unlocked the Bifrost and sent Darcy back home to Earth.
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scripts4dreamers · 4 years
Text
I literally JUST sat down, pt. 6
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Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Seven
AN: Alone time with Spencer Reid isn’t something you’re ever willing to pass up.  Characters: Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia, Derek Morgan, Aaron Hotchner, Jennifer Jareau, David Rossi. Pairings: Spencer Reid x reader Spoilers: None Warnings: Mentions of crime and violence, alcohol
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“I could eat a horse,” Emily grumbled, collapsing into her seat on the jet, “when’s the last time we had solid food?”
JJ shook her head, “God, I don’t know. Maybe yesterday?”
“18:43 yesterday,” Spencer agreed, shooting you a tired smile as he took a seat beside you, “that’s when the call from Martin came in.”
Everyone nodded, remembering the frenzy that followed the call, everyone rushing to gather SWAT units, interviewing witnesses again, formulating a plan of attack and a de-escalation strategy. It had been a blur of movement and activity and that, combined with the nearly 10 hour standoff that followed had carried you for well over 24 hours, and left everyone hungry, tired and in desperate need of a shower.
“Ugh, I did not miss this part of the job,” you whined in time with a loud grumble from your stomach, “do you have any idea how many meals I missed when I was working at the bookstore? None! Not one. I had three meals a day and as many biscuits as I could eat,” you sighed nostalgically, “those were the good days.”
Emily moaned, “Ah, biscuits. Tell me more.”
You chuckled and shot her a fond look.
“You’ve got no idea what you’re missing, Emily,” Spencer cut in, “the biscuits Y/N makes are heaven. The ‘better than sex’ ones?” He rolled his eyes and groaned, a noise that made your cheeks flush and sent a bolt of surprise straight through you, “I dream about them.”
JJ hummed her agreement, closing her eyes as she reminisced, “I remember those, they’re Will’s favorite too.”
“That’s because Will has excellent taste,” you joked, shooting her a flirty wink, “in all things.”
Emily frowned, “Hey! Don’t flirt with her, keep telling me about these Better Than Sex biscuits.”
It had been nearly two weeks since the last big break in your case and, honestly, it was starting to grate on your nerves. No matter what you did it was like there was this massive clock counting down the days until another body would be dropped in your lap, probably with some other creepy detail on it; like your first pet’s name carved into the victim’s forehead. Garcia had been tracking down security camera footage from the shopping center you’d visited to buy your perfume, but there hadn’t been too much luck. A lot of the shops had already taped over their footage, and the ones that hadn’t had been grainy or awkwardly placed. All that they could reliably see was a tall man in a dark coat with a baseball cap on mirroring your movements in a few different stores.
Garcia was trying her best to enhance the images but, until she could, they were stuck. The only thing that helped your nerves was being on cases, and the fact that you almost always had someone with you to help keep you distracted.
“Well, they’re biscuits,” you smiled.
“And?” Emily pushed.
“And they’re better than sex,” you finished.
Emily rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she did it, “That so?”
“I guess it depends on who you’re having sex with,” Spencer offered, meeting your eye for just a second, “in my experience they’re definitely better than casual meaningless sex, like a one night stand, but maybe not better than all sex.”
Your eyes widened and, much to your embarrassment, you felt yourself flush again. Spencer Reid and sex were two things that you worked very hard to keep separate in your mind. If they ever overlapped it happened in private and late at night, when no one was around to see your pupils dilate. You were a profiler. You were surrounded by profilers, and you’d learned long ago that the only way to keep secrets from a team like that was to make sure that your body language was stable and consistent at all times. Spencer Reid made that difficult. Spencer Reid casually talking about sex while his thigh was brushing up against yours made it damn near impossible.
“I need to try these biscuits,” Emily declared, “Y/N/N, will you make me some? Please?”
You snorted, “When? My shop’s closed indefinitely.”
“You can make them at my place,” Spencer said softly, just to you, “I haven’t used the oven in my apartment since...ever, I think, but it should work.”
“I’m-I’m staying at your place?”
Spencer shifted in his seat, “Yeah, it’s my turn. Garcia didn’t tell you?”
You made a mental note to shave Penelope’s eyebrows off at the earliest possible convenience in retaliation, but you kept your face neutral.
“No, she didn’t. Are you sure you’re okay with this, Spence? I don’t want to be a burden, and I know that you really value your privacy.” You asked, keeping your voice low.
Spencer smiled, something soft and fond glimmering in his dark eyes, “Of course I’m sure, Y/N. This is about keeping you safe.”
“I know but-“
“No!” Spencer interrupted with a laugh, “No buts. You’re staying at my place. Okay?”
You pressed your lips together, a million different arguments fighting for prominence in your mind.
“Okay?” Spencer repeated.
You deflated, “Fine. Okay.”
He leaned back in his seat and gave you a smug smile as he opened the book he’d brought with him. War and Peace, in the original Russian of course. It was a painfully nostalgic image and you felt your eyes start to droop with exhaustion.
“You’re impossible,” you yawned, “you know that?”
He smiled, “Yeah, yeah I know, Y/N. Get some rest, I’ll still be impossible when you wake up.”
You hummed, feeling a rush of comfort and warmth as you let sleep drag you under.
“Night, Reid,” you mumbled.
——————————-
Spencer was weirdly nervous as he fumbled for his apartment keys. It was stupid, of course, you’d been to his apartment before. Hell, you’d practically lived there in the weeks after Maeve’s death, but something about this felt...different. Maybe it was that he knew that you were in danger, and because of that you being there felt like an act of trust. Maybe he was nervous that he hadn’t cleaned up enough, or that you’d spent the entire flight with your head on his shoulder. Maybe he was worried that his oven actually didn’t work and he’d gotten your hopes up for nothing. Maybe it was-
“Spencer,” you said with a gentle laugh, “I can hear the cogs in your brain whirling. Calm down, everything’s going to be alright, I’ve seen your place before.”
Spencer smiled and he felt the tension start to ease out of his shoulders. Maybe it was just because it was you. The key finally slid into the door and he welcomed you in, grabbing your suitcase with one hand as he went.
“Welcome to Casa Reid,” he said, “ignore the books, unless you want to read any of them of course. You remember where my room is, right?”
You shot him a look, “What? No! Spence I’m already intruding on your fortress of solitude, I’m not taking your bedroom too.” You flopped down onto his couch, crossing your legs on the cushion and your arms across your chest with a determined glint in your eyes, “I’ll be right here if you need me.”
He rolled his eyes fondly, “Really, Y/N/N? This is the hill you want to die on? I know you’re as tired as I am. Wouldn’t it be nice to just collapse into a soft bed?”
“I’m sure it would be,” you agreed, “you’ll have to tell me all about it tomorrow morning.” You pushed yourself up and grabbed your suitcase from his hands with a sweet smile, “I would love a shower though. Maybe when I’m done you’ll have thought of a clever comeback? If not,” you shrugged, “we’ll get dinner.”
And with that you strode off in the direction of Spencer’s bathroom, shooting him one last playful smile as you went. As soon as you were out of sight Spencer sighed happily, collapsing onto the couch you’d just vacated and listening as the shower switched on. He was tired, bone tired; he was starving, he was thirsty and there was a dull sort of pressure in his temple that might have been the start of a headache, but despite all that he didn’t care. He was happy, almost giddy really, and that was enough. While the sound of the shower echoed through his apartment, Spencer let himself start to drift off.
-------------------------
The moment you were done talking Spencer’s world went quiet. All around him he could see his friends’ mouths moving, their shocked faces burned into his mind as they begged you for answers, but it was like they were on the other end of a really long corridor and he couldn’t quite make out their actual words. Instead there was just this rushing in his ears and the pounding of his heart, just a little too loud, as he tried to process the idea of his world without you in it.
“I’m leaving,” he heard you say again and again, like a stuck record in the back of his mind, “I handed in my resignation a while ago. I’m just here to pack up my things.”
For some reason that didn’t seem right. It didn’t seem right that you could be “leaving” and then be gone for good on the same day. It was too fast, Spencer hadn’t had time. Time to process, to think, to convince you to stay, to come with you, to tell you how he felt, to cry, to yell, to throw things, to laugh to-
“We’ll still see each other,” you lied through a sheepish smile, “this doesn’t have to be goodbye forever. Just goodbye for now.”
Spencer shook his head, his eyes trained on the patch of floor just between your feet like if he stared long enough it might give him the answer. The answer to what? It didn’t matter. He vaguely heard Garcia complaining in her own way, and JJ asking you to reconsider but, still, it was like it was happening to someone else. You’re dissociating, the rational part of his brain supplied, you’re dissociating because you can’t cope with losing someone you care about, you can’t cope with losing Y/N. He pushed the thought away, forcing it into a box somewhere in the very back of his mind as he fought to stay in control in the moment. Oh wow, Spencer Reid has abandonment issues, he thought to himself, how original.
“Excuse me,” he muttered, hoping it was too low for anyone to hear as he turned on his heel and walked straight out of the conference room.
As he went he could feel the sets of eyes on his back and the heavy weight of a mixture of confusion and pity they brought with them. For once he didn’t care. All that mattered was that his eyes were stinging and his chest was tight and, no matter what happened you couldn’t see him cry like this. He couldn’t let you see him break down because, the second that you did, he would be found out. You would put your arm on his shoulder and say something kind and he would look into your eyes and….you’d know. You’d see all the pain and the fear and the betrayal and you’d know in an instant how desperately and completely Spencer had fallen for you. And that couldn’t happen, it just couldn’t.
——————————-
Spencer sighed, shaking his head to snap himself out of the sad reminiscing. His heart was strangely heavy at the memory and he swallowed hard past the growing lump in his throat. That had been a hard day, but it had been nothing compared to what had come next. Showing up at work everyday and being met with your empty desk, the suffocating absence of your laughter, your voice, Derek and JJ trying desperately to compensate, Emily’s sullenness, even Garcia and her constant little check ins. Everything they did just made it more obvious that you weren’t there, that you’d really left, and that you were never coming back.
He looked towards his bedroom without meaning to, subtly reminding himself that you were there and that he wasn’t on his own anymore.
For now, the cynical voice in the back of his mind whispered. Until this case is solved and she packs up and leaves again like nothing happened. Then it’ll be just like it was before. Except that that wasn’t true. No, this time it’d be worse.
------------------------------
Spencer fiddled with the strap of his satchel, working his jaw as he tried to get up the nerve to either walk into the bookshop or turn and leave for good. It had been nearly four months since he’d last seen you, but you still texted regularly and sent him pictures of the store whenever you could. Not that it ever felt like enough. Four months of fighting himself and trying to figure out what the right thing to do was. Should he chase after you and beg you to come back? Should he offer to help around the bookstore in his free time? What did he want from you? What was his endgame here?
For a long while Spencer just watched you through the glass as the questions whirled around his head like a hurricane. You looked happy, he noticed as you laughed at something one of your employees said, like you were in your element. There was a peacefulness about the way you moved here too, like there was no hurry, like you had all the time in the world. It had been a long time since he’d seen you that happy. Not since that night, the one he wasn’t supposed to think about anymore. Not since he’d ruined everything and set your friendship on a collision course with disaster. You’d never said so, but Spencer knew that that night was why you left. He knew it was his fault, even if you didn’t want to admit it.
He sighed, fighting down a sudden rush of bitterness that tasted like ashes in his mouth. Something about seeing you, really seeing you again,brought all the hurt and confusion of that night back to the surface. Maybe it was just that it felt real now, final, like something that was always meant to happen the way it had. Something he had no control over. But you were happy, he reminded himself, and that was all he really wanted, right?
Spencer felt something in his chest splinter and, while his resolve was still firm, he turned on his heel and walked away. It wasn’t his place, he told himself again and again as he walked, he had no right.
-------------------------------
“Spence?” You asked, your worried voice cutting straight through his daydream like a knife, “are you okay?”
His head whipped around and he felt the knot of anxiety in his chest loosen as he took you in. Your hair was wet from the shower, your skin dewy and soft-looking beneath your pajamas. You looked calm and strong, and so painfully familiar that Spencer felt something near his heart swell with appreciation. So he brought his attention back, leaving the mistakes of the past alone for the time being so that he could better enjoy the present. He was home, and you were safe and for a moment everything was right in the world.
“Yeah,” he answered with a smile, “yeah I’m good. I-uh-I didn’t want to order dinner before you were finished because I didn’t ask what you wanted.”
You relaxed ever so slightly, “Hmmm,” you started, making your way over to the couch and plopping down next to him like it was the most natural thing in the world, “how about pizza?”
Spencer smiled, “I could do pizza. What kind do you want?” he asked, pulling out his phone to place the order.
“Ohhhh no,” you replied, shaking your head, “no, no, no. I’m not falling for that one again, Doctor Reid,” you joked, “I will not have you topping shame me in my own home.”
“In your own home?” Spencer laughed, “Oh, so this is officially your home now?”
“For the next few days yes, it is,” you shot back smugly, followed by, “I’ll have whatever you’re having, but no mushrooms.”
“Since when do you hate mushrooms?”
“Since now, duh,” you replied with a shrug, “seriously though, so long as it’s warm and filling, I really don’t mind.”
“Two warm and filling pizza’s coming right up,” Spencer said, “Garcia leant me some movies to watch as well if you want.”
Joking around with you the way he always had was an equal measure of comforting and bizarre, but Spencer wasn’t going to question it. As you bickered back and forth about whether or not Legally Blonde was the best courtroom film ever made, he tried to shake off the slight sadness in his chest. It was impossible. Every time he made you laugh or saw the edges of your eyes crinkle with a smile he was reminded of that empty desk, and the hole in his chest, and the way losing you felt like losing an arm. It wasn’t your fault, you were being your usual incredible self, but that was sort of the problem. Small acts of kindness to you, like grabbing a blanket and throwing it over both of your legs without a second thought, were just that, small acts of kindness. But to Spencer they were like patches of warm sunlight when he’d been expecting cold weather. It was painful. By the time the pizza had arrived, he’d changed into pajamas and you’d convinced him to watch Legally Blonde, he thought he had it under control. Or at least under control enough that you wouldn’t notice. He was wrong.
Less than fifteen minutes into the movie you pressed pause, turning to face him on the couch with a determined look on your face.
“Okay, spill it.” You demanded, “What’s wrong?”
“What?” he asked, heat creeping into his cheeks, “I don’t-what?”
“You went somewhere,” you explained, “somewhere in your head. You only do that when something’s bothering you.”
“Nothing’s bothering me, Y/N, I just-”
“Spence,” you interrupted, scooching closer and staring into his eyes pleadingly, “please don’t lie to me. I know you too well for that to work. Just tell me what’s wrong, is it me? Did I do something?”
“No.” Spencer said quickly, desperate to wipe that sad look off your face “No, Y/N/N you didn’t do anything I’m just-I’m not-” he took a deep breath in, thinking through his words, “I’m not sure...how to do this, exactly.”
You tilted your head, confused but, to his relief, didn’t shut him down.
“How to do what?” You asked sincerely, “Watch Legally Blonde? I know it’s not exactly your style but-”
“No,” he laughed softly, “no, not the movie. I don’t know how to be here, with you,” he admitted, “like this. Everytime I think I’ve got it, I remember what it was like without you and I just-” he shook his head, “I shut down. I pull away, and I don’t want to, I want to be here because you’re my friend and I care about you. It’s just that everytime I try….”
“You imagine what it’ll be like to lose me,” you supplied, sadly.
“I don’t imagine it, Y/N, I remember it.” He said, “All those years of seeing you every single day and suddenly you were just gone, and I couldn’t handle it. I kept expecting you to just walk back in one day, or that I’d wake up and the whole thing would just have been some weird fever dream, but it never did. The months just stretched on and on and on and-” he met your eye, “and now you’re back, and everything’s great again, but it’s been more than a year and, I don’t know, I guess I just don’t want to get my hopes up.”
The admission made Spencer feel lighter, like a weight had been lifted from his chest but, when he met your eye, his heart sank just a little bit. You pressed your lips together into a thin line, sniffing as you fought back tears. But they were angry tears, Spencer realised. You were sad, but you were also furious, and it made him swallow hard.
“Spencer, I don’t know how many times I can apologise,” you finally started, “I should’ve given you more warning, I shouldn’t have kept how I was feeling a secret, I know that now,” you continued, “but you didn’t lose me. Nobody lost me. I lost you. I lost my family, my job, my second home, the entire community of people I’d built up, all of it. I was alone, really alone, and starting from scratch in a city I barely recognized because I’d spent the last however many years flying around the country and completely neglecting most of the city I actually lived in. I also discovered that, outside of the BAU, I have exactly two friends, neither of whom live in the state so, at first, I spent 99% of my time just sitting in my apartment crying over what a huge terrible irreversible mistake I’d made and eating cookies.” You explained. Spencer opened his mouth to interrupt but, before he could, you shot him a pleading look, and he let you continue, “And I know it must’ve sucked, not having me around. I know you must have felt completely hurt and betrayed and confused, and I swear to you, I’m not trying to minimize that at all. All I’m trying to say is...it wasn’t easy for me. I didn’t just step out of those doors into some sunny, perfect idyllic life where all I did was bake cookies and read books. It was hard. I worked hard, and I don’t want to have to feel bad about that.”
You looked so sad in that moment that Spencer wanted to cry. He had never truly considered the implications of leaving the BAU, of how hard it must’ve been starting over when being in the FBI had always been your dream. Instinctively, he reached out and took your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, just so you knew he was there.
“I don’t want that either,” Spencer promised, “I’ve only ever wanted you to be happy, Y/N.”
You nodded, wiping your eyes as a few stray tears slipped down your cheeks, “I know that, Spence, I do. I just-” You let out a deep breath and seemed to pull yourself together, squeezing his hand in return, “it felt like the only person who cared about me was Garcia,” you admitted, “and so, coming back, I was really scared. I didn’t quite know what I was walking into. I thought I knew, but I wasn’t sure so I just-” you shrugged, “acted like nothing had changed. And maybe that’s my fault but-”
“It’s not your fault,” he interrupted, feeling a swell of protectiveness ballooning in his chest, “none of us knew how to handle a situation like this.”
“But I should’ve considered how weird this must be for you,” you insisted, “I should’ve known that you-that you’d need more time, or more space from me than the others.”
“I don’t want space,” he said earnestly, “I promise you, Y/N, the last thing I want is to be away from you again. I’ve made that mistake once and it didn't work out too well.
You gave him a watery laugh and Spencer felt his spirit lift just a little. It was crazy how simple everything became in Spencer’s mind when you needed him, how easily he could be open and vulnerable without fear. It was you, he’d do anything for you, even bare his soul to make you laugh.
“I guess, what I’m trying to say,” You continued, “is that I’m scared. I’m so scared that, the minute this case is over, I’ll be alone again, starting from scratch, with nothing but two Murder Storefronts that no one is going to want to come within one hundred feet of, and you guys will just go on without me.”
Spencer smiled and tugged you close, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you into a tight hug.
“That’s not going to happen, Y/N/N,” he promised.
“How do you know?” You whispered into his hair.
“Because,” he replied honestly, “I won’t let it.”
-----------------------------------
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snlhostharry · 3 years
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to be determined / one
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harry styles x reader friends with benefits au
soon after moving to new york, you meet harry styles at a party. you convince yourself that there’s nothing between the two of you until it becomes too intense to ignore. if you keep telling yourself that he doesn’t mean anything to you, does that make it true?
a/n: hi everyone! welcome to my first harry styles series. This originally started as a challenge for myself to try and write a harry fic inspired by taylor swift songs so that’s where the chapter titles come from, it’s kind of become something bigger than that but I figured I would keep the theme anyway 
chapter 1: welcome to new york
The story starts in New York City. 
A place written about in countless stories, about love, about heartbreak, about giving up, about standing tall, and about putting broken hearts into drawers and slamming them shut. It’s easy to say that writing another story about New York is beating a dead horse, throwing characters into the same tired old setting and letting them live out the writer's wildest daydream. But it’s never been about the city itself, it’s always been about the people. Something about the city always manages to be the perfect stomping ground for people, for characters to find each other in a  whirlwind of A list parties and harsh billboard lights. 
Speaking of which you are suddenly very sick of said harsh billboard lights in the middle of times square. As someone who has read (and written) countless articles describing times square as a flurry of activity but also with some kind of inherent magical appeal, the center of everything it’s own small utopia, you know that everyone who wrote that had to be aware of their own bullshit. It’s a nuanced way of tourist trapping, smart, albeit annoying on a variety of levels. A gimmick to get wide eyed little girls to stand in the middle of chaos and think that maybe they could carve out a place for themselves here. 
You’re not trying to carve out a place for yourself, you’re trying to get to a stupid party. That and manage to not get any mud or other stains on this very nice dress you’re wearing. After what seems like forever of looking around and then suddenly looking back down at your phone just in case anyone wanted to even try to make eye contact with you, familiar faces appear out of the sea of people. 
You greet them with a look of disappointment, “Two questions: why did you want to meet here-” a tourist elbows there way past you mid sentence, inadvertently proving your point, “-and why aren’t we just taking an uber?” 
Molly, a tall black woman with objectively perfect hair (which is somehow gorgeous at all times), smiles and pats your shoulder like a kindergarten teacher, “I thought you would want to see Times Square.”
“I’ve seen it,” You shoot back, squinting again at the bright light coming from directly behind her head, and adjusting your jacket over your shoulders. 
She squeezes your shoulder quickly, “And also to teach you that any time someone asks you to meet them in Times Square  they’re fucking with you.”
“I figured you were fucking with me,” You tell her, “But thank you, god forbid the midwestern girl gets lost in Times Square waiting for someone to meet her who is obviously not coming.” 
Molly laughs, and so do you. She looks down at her phone briefly, and then back at you, “To answer your question, why would anyone ever try to get an uber in the city at seven?” 
You shrug, “What kind of self respecting party starts at eight?” 
Fletcher, who’s name admittedly sounds like it should belong to anyone but him, finally stops staring at the large elmo mascot a few feet away and jumps into the conversation. “The kind with an age range, twenty somethings to late thirty somethings, who no longer have the energy to go from nine to six am.” 
You sigh, “So boring then or-?”
“It’s about networking,” Molly says, “And also drinking, but mostly networking.” 
“One of those unique business opportunities where you get free food, and possibly run into celebrities, singers mostly.” 
You roll your eyes, “Wow you had me at various singers.” 
“Says the woman who did an interview series with Tik Tok kids who all live in the same house,” Molly snips, half joking. 
You shiver, half from the memories of that objectively terrible experience and half from a sudden breeze. Needless to say a significant portion of the reason why you’d left LA, was because their entertainment section was suddenly drifting away from profiles on actors and towards compilations of one minute videos made by sun tanned twenty somethings that somehow made them millions a year. That and after you’d spent two weeks semi living with ten of said twenty somethings for a story that had gotten a lot of buzz you never wanted to see anyone connected to the app ever again. 
You give Molly your best ‘I’ll kill you’ smile, “You have to decide what you’re going to make fun of me for, is it the midwestern thing or is it the Tik Tok thing because one of those involves you admitting that I lived in Los Angeles for a year which means I’m perfectly capable of handling Times Square in all of it’s elmo public urinating glory.” 
Fletcher looks again at the mascot who is not in fact publicly urinating, but honestly if it did suddenly start none of you would be surprised. 
Molly looks at you for a second and says, “Both,” She looks at Fletcher. 
He looks at you then back and Molly and nods, “Yeah. Both.” 
You roll your eyes, “So can we get going now or-?” 
The ride to the location Molly had all but refused to tell you was filled with talks of the impending deadlines on Monday for pieces that were anywhere from fifty to seventy percent finished. (your’s is at the lower end of the spectrum because there is only so much one person can write about an art installation that you found less insightful and more literal in the sense that the sculpture was literally just large amounts of clay pressed together in something that shouldn’t even be considered a shape with no metaphor or meaning behind it). 
Soon enough you’re standing in what looks like mostly a residential neighborhood, with one precariously nice building in the middle of the block. You turn to Molly, “What the-?” 
“Don’t finish that, just be patient,“ She interrupts as a response. “You are very impatient, you know that?”
“I’m a journalist,” You say, “I need to know all of the facts, including what the-” You take a breath, “-heck we’re doing in the middle of a nice little neighborhood, I was expecting something more Gossip Girland Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” 
“You’re definition of journalist is a lot looser than mine,” Molly says.
“Have you ever watched Gossip Girl? And isn’t Brooklyn Nine-Nine set in a precinct?” Fletcher adds. 
“No, and Jake and Amy live in an apartment.” 
“Beyond the fact that you’re a TV writer who has never watched Gossip Girl-” Fletcher sighs, even though you know he hasn’t watched it either beyond random snippets for a hit piece he wrote on it a few months back (not received well by the way), “The top floor of that building-” He points to the precariously nice building, “isn’t apartments its a loft, the floor is huge and only one house.” 
You squint your eyes, “You’re kidding.”
“And the rest are offices?” 
“How did they get zoning for that?” 
They both shrug at the same time. 
“Guys I want to know that if the police bust up this party, speaking of loose terms, I’m going to say that you dragged me here against my will.” 
“I always knew you had good survival instincts.” 
Molly turns to you, “Look when you’re getting special press access to the inside of the met gala you will be saying thank you Molly for bringing me here to catapult my career.” 
“I have catapulted my own career thank you, the Tik Tok thing-” You shake your head, “Nevermind can we go in and stop loitering, then we’ll really get arrested.” 
Party is a loose term but you learn that's not necessarily a bad thing. It’s not a rager with strobe lights and pumping bass but there is music playing albeit classical. People mill around at tables talking to one another, both twenty somethings and thirty somethings, you recognize a few faces from the media mostly. Fletcher was right about the food, and Molly was right about the drinks. You talk to a few people just to introduce yourself, a couple of them have heard of you, if only because your sudden cross country move to newspapers that aren’t necessarily competitors but might have a bit of a rivalry was something that people talked about. You’d made a couple thirty under thirty lists (no not the Forbes one) while in LA, which meant nothing to you if you were being completely honest but apparently meant things to other people which is fine.
When you’re finally exhausted at putting on a smile and nodding like you’re actively engaged in conversation and not thinking about something completely you hang out by the bar, not even drinking, just watching the room and all of the people there. You never wanted to get a reputation for being the quiet girl in the corner who just watched and listened because those kinds of people are always seen as weird or doormats or both but if you’re being honest this is where you’re the most comfortable. Making small talk just to get some opportunity down the road has never quite been your style. 
You turn to go and find Molly when you suddenly come face to face with someone you recognise right away. 
In that moment you realize that Taylor Swift was in fact onto something when she said, “Didn’t you flash your green eyes at me?” As weird as it is, the first thing you think when you meet Harry Styles is how that song is definitely about him, because those green eyes are striking and they are staring right at you. 
“Hi,” He says, quick to the draw. 
You take a step back just because of how close you are and say, “Hello.” 
He looks at you like he’s thinking about something, and then holds out his hand, “Harry.” 
“y/n,” You shake his hand. You recover from your initial shock quickly, and plaster on that fake conversation smile again, ready for whatever it is he wants to say, if anything. You came here to ‘network’ and you’re not sure what kind of advantage talking to Harry Styles could possibly give you, but for some reason you want to talk to him. 
“What brings you here?” He asks you. 
“My co-workers,” You shrug, “I would much rather be at home watching Succession on HBO and listening to the Beatles on my record player, like true people of culture would.”
He looks at you for a second, as you try to keep a straight face. Then he laughs, “Seriously?”
“Fuck no,” You say, “That’s my impression of the girl who meets Harry Styles at a party and has to convince him that she is not like all the other girls, she is the one for him.” You smile, “Was that good? Or should I try again?” 
He thinks about it, “I think you should try again.” 
“Because you think it’s wrong or because you think I’m funny?”
“What do you think?”
“Well if you think I’m funny, then I’ve already won, I’ve tricked you into thinking that I’m not like all the other girls with reverse psychology .”
“Are you screwing with me?”
“Of course I’m screwing with you,” You take a sip of your drink. “If I were home right now I would be playing Lizzo on my record player, and drinking something with a medically unsafe level of caffeine.” You pause, “What brings you here?” 
“Honestly,” He looks out over the room, “I thought that this was going to be a much cooler party. Instead it’s just a bunch of reporters, and editors and media people.” 
“Who are inherent mood killers?” You ask. 
He narrows his eyes at you, “Am I allowed to say yes to that?” 
“You can do whatever you want,” You tease him, “You’re Harry Styles, who am I to tell you what to say?” 
“I feel like it was a trick question, which means that you are also a reporter.” 
You laugh again, “That was funny, I’m going to write that down for my story. ‘Harry is genuinely funny which he tries to use to make up for the lack of small talk abilities’.”
“You’re screwing with me again.” 
“Of course I am,” You say, “I work in the arts section of the Times, well not the actual art anymore but the movies and television.” 
“TV critic?” He says, “So you’re harsh.” 
“TV critics are just harsh for attention, I don’t need to be because no movie snob or well meaning director is going to go to the Times to see what we thought of any given movie. I write honestly, sometimes under the influence of caffeine and try to contain my excitement at narratively unnecessary plot twists.” You explain, “That and I get paid to watch TV, and usually private screenings of movies.” 
He leans against the bar a sign that he doesn’t plan on moving anytime soon. You’re not going to say that you’re so awestruck by a celebrity that you have no idea what to say, or that he’s intimidating you but your hand shakes just a little as you clutch your fingers around the glass because he’s objectively attractive. Objectively attractive in the way that if he were on a dating app you would swipe yes and then put a lot of pressure on yourself to be funny and relatable even though you know that you don’t need him. 
“What did you think of Dunkirk?” 
“Oh!” You forgot that he acted, “That was before my time. I was working at the LA Times doing the music section then I think.” You know what he’s going to say next, “And before you ask yes there is a piece still posted of me reviewing your debut album. I think I reached out to get an interview with you, but I was suspiciously declined.” He looks embarrassed, “I was like under five years out of college I would’ve declined me too. They only gave me the story because it was the time where people weren’t sure that ex boyband members could make objectively good albums that meant something.” 
He tilts his head to the side for a second, “And? Can they?”
“I’m in no place to make a generalization,” You say, “But I think you did. Admittedly that album was something, very intimate.” 
“I don’t know if I should be taking that as a compliment.”
“I don’t want to give you a compliment because some people have a hard time with them, and this will get very awkward very fast. No shame, personally I have no mechanism to take compliments on my writing.” 
He laughs, “I think I can take it.” 
“Hmm.. okay,” You take another step back, “Okay are you sure you're ready?” 
“Yes.” 
“I think the entire album was very good, very unexpectedly good or at least I didn’t expect it to be. It was very open in that way that songs are vulnerable but still leave enough mystery that your fans don’t think you're a shitty person and I really like meet me in the hallway,” You say quickly, “In fact I listened to it just yesterday when I was working.” 
He doesn’t say anything for a minute, and then fake sighs, “See I don’t think that counts because it was more of a backhanded compliment.” 
“What?”
“You said you didn’t expect it to be good, that’s not really a compliment then-”
“I was saying it pleasantly surprised me,” You say, throwing your hands in the air in mock annoyance. “You surprise me, Harry.” He doesn’t say anything, and for a minute neither do you, but you snap back to life just in time to say, “Is that compliment enough to embarrass you?” 
He shrugs, but you know he’s messing with you. “It’s something but I don’t know if it’s really doing it for me.” 
“You are impossible, just another out of touch celebrity, is nothing ever good enough for you people?” It’s by now that you realize that you inadvertently closed the gap between the two of you, and you’re standing very close. 
He seems to realize this at the same time as you, “I-”
“Are you going to ask me to have sex with you?” You deadpan. 
“What?” He looks offended for a second, “No.” 
“I had to ask,” You tell him, “It’s happened before.” 
“I was going to ask you for your number.”
“See usually when a guy asks me that they’re asking so-” 
“It’s not for that.” 
“Then what’s it for?” 
He looks at you with something in his eyes that you don’t know the meaning of, “In case you want to do an interview, so that they don’t reject you this time.” 
You know that’s not it, but you give it to him anyway because he’s Harry Styles (which yes is not a valid reason but this ‘party’ is very boring and this is the most interesting thing to happen to you in at least the past week). It takes you a minute to remember which one is your real number and which one is the fake number you give off if a guy is asking because he wants a booty call, but you eventually give it to him. Then you scurry off with a quick goodbye when you realize how late it is, and how you do have work to do. There’s a new episode of Big Little Lies out tomorrow and you don’t understand why but people are very into the show, and very into your episode recaps. 
You corner Molly away from some guy you think might have actually been able to get her press access to the Met Gala and remind her that she also has a deadline tomorrow. The two of you go off to look for Fletcher and find him very close to sealing the deal with an objectively pretty girl, but you politely remind him that he has work to do and is very busy. The girl looks sad but let’s him go without much whining. You would’ve understood if she tried to get him to stay with her, he’s a little bit shorter than Molly but to be fair Molly is above averagely tall, and is nice and fit and has brown curly hair which you know from personal experience is sometimes just kryptonite. (you’ve kissed Fletcher before, long story, and can also say he’s on your top list of good kissers as well right up there with a guy you hooked up with in LA only to realize later that he was Robert Pattinson). 
Somehow the three of you are only able to make it back to your apartment. So the night ends with Molly and Fletcher in the living room on the couch and in a sleeping bag respectively, and you are comfortably in your bed. Your phone sits on your nightstand, suspiciously silent. You’re not waiting for Harry Styles to call you, nope, definitely not. 
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imagine-loki · 3 years
Text
Trust, Chapter 26
TITLE: Trust CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 26 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki kidnaps Darcy Lewis, in hopes of getting the tesseract in return for her. Imagine his surprise when he grows rather fond of the mortal, finding that she understands him better than anyone else ever has.  RATING: M
Not long after Loki had left, Darcy saw Jane dragging a large suitcase down the corridor towards the front door.
‘Jane? Where are you going?’ She asked, confused.
‘I’m leaving!’
‘Well, clearly. But why? And where?’ Darcy folded her arms over her chest.
‘Thor dumped me. Alright?’ Jane snapped.
Darcy’s eyebrows went flying up. ‘Oh… Sorry to hear that.’
‘No, you’re not!’ Jane snapped at her again.
‘Hey, I don’t know what the hell your problem has been with me for this last year. But don’t take it out on me, I’ve done nothing wrong to you. It’s not my fault if Thor has dumped you.’ Darcy said firmly.
Jane sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. ‘It is your fault he’s dumped me. He said he was jealous of what you and Loki have. That we aren’t as fun as you two are. You aren’t even a couple! It’s ridiculous!’ Jane screeched.
Darcy was surprised to hear that.
‘I… wow. Well, again, not my fault that I’m such an ace friend.’
‘Piss off, Darcy.’ Jane said, having had enough she continued on.
‘Fine, be like that!’ Darcy shook her head and headed off.
But then she realised, would The Avengers still want her here if Jane wasn’t working here anymore? She was technically still her apprentice.
She came across Tony and Natasha in the lab.
‘Do you guys know that Jane has just stormed out with her suitcase?’ She asked them, pointing over her shoulder.
‘Yep.’ Natasha nodded. ‘We witnessed the whole thing before Thor left, unfortunately. Thor telling her it was over, it was… brutal.’
‘Wow… Okayyy…’ Darcy didn’t know where to go from there.
‘You’re not gonna leave us too though, are you kid?’ Tony asked, looking worried.
‘No! No… I mean, not unless you want me to go?’ Darcy asked.
‘Hell no! You’re too much fun having around.’ Tony went over and ruffled her hair, she whacked his arm and laughed.
‘Well, as long as you’re not chucking me out, I’m staying.’ She smiled.
‘Blake is welcome to stay, too. I know he doesn’t live here, but he’s smart. I wouldn’t mind taking him on as my apprentice if he wants.’ Tony offered.
‘Oh, cool. I’ll see what he says, I’m sure he would love it.’ Darcy smiled.
She then went to find Blake, he was in the library getting some books for research. Darcy told him that Jane wasn’t here anymore, so he didn’t need to get the books now. She then told him about Tony’s offer and he was so excited about it.
‘So, is Loki gone?’ Blake asked as he went with Darcy back to her room. They decided to have a movie day.
‘Yeah, he’s off to get married.’ Darcy said, trying to keep happy.
But she felt a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t get rid of.
-
‘You used to hang out with Loki a lot.’ Blake commented later in the day, when he and Darcy finished their second film.
‘So?’ She looked at him.
‘Well… It’s a bit weird, isn’t it?’ Blake asked.
‘No… How is it weird? People hang out with their friends all the time.’ She frowned.
‘I know. But, is he just your friend?’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Darcy sat up straight and glared at him. ‘He’s my best friend.’
Blake’s eyes widened a little. ‘I just mean… You seem to spend a hell of a lot of time with him. And you’re always laughing with him, way more than with me. You seem most comfortable around him.’
‘Are you jealous of my friendship with Loki?’ Darcy stood up and put her hands on her hips. ‘I’ve known Loki a lot longer than you, and been through a lot with him. He’s literally saved my life. He’s not a bad person like people think. And the one time I slept with him was a one-night stand when you weren’t even in existence in my life!’
‘You’ve slept with him?’ Blake asked, shocked.
Darcy frowned. ‘I’m surprised the others didn’t tell you already. It’s no big deal, I wouldn’t do that now I’m with someone. We were both single, feeling good after a party with alcohol, both horny.’ She shrugged. ‘It’s not exactly a big secret, everyone else knows.’
Blake ran his hand down his face and sat forward on the bed.
‘Where has all this come from? You know I like you, Blake.’ Darcy sat down again.
‘Do you love me?’ He asked, turning to face her.
‘Wh… what?’
‘Do you love me?’
Darcy sighed. ‘It’s too soon, Blake. You know I don’t bond easily, I’ve told you this. I really like you, and could I see myself with you in the future? Yes. Do I love you right now? Not in the way you want, not yet. It takes time.’ She tried to be as sincere as possible, she knew Blake loved her quite early on in their relationship.
‘Do you love Loki?’ Blake asked and looked directly at her.
She frowned. ‘Well… I…’
‘It’s a simple question, Darcy. Do you love Loki?’
‘Of course I do, but not romantically. He’s been in my life a long time, I trust him with my life. As I said, he’s my best friend.’
‘Why do you not love him romantically?’ Blake asked.
She paused for a minute, thinking. Why didn’t she? Or… did she? Was that what all these feelings were lately, coming to a head?
‘Because… I’m with you, and Loki is getting married, probably right now as we speak.’
‘But if you weren’t with me, and he wasn’t getting married… Would you be romantically involved with him right now?’ Blake asked seriously.
‘No… why are you being like this? You’ve never said you’ve had an issue with him before?’
‘Because you’ve been so distracted today. I know you’re thinking about him getting married.’ Blake sighed.
‘Yeah, cause he’s my best friend and I’m not able to be there.’ Darcy shrugged.
‘Stop with the crap, Darcy. You’re just lying to yourself now, not just me. Go and stop him. I’m sure it’s not too late.’ Blake smiled softly and put his hand on her shoulder. He knew he would never have her true love.
‘Wh… What? I’m… I’m with you, Blake.’ Darcy’s eyes widened.
‘You’re not a bad person, Darcy. But your heart belongs to Loki, not me. You just need to admit it to each other, before you both get in too deep with someone else.’
Darcy felt her heart pounding against her chest as the realisation washed over her.
She didn’t love Blake. She never would, when all she wanted was what she had with Loki. Whether that love was romantically? She wasn’t entirely sure, but she knew that she didn’t want to live without him. She loved him, as a friend. Maybe more…
-
Darcy ran as fast as she could through the compound. Natasha and Clint tried to stop her, but she just barged past them without stopping. ‘Can’t stop! Need to stop the wedding!’ She yelled as she kept running.
By the time she got outside onto the green, she was exhausted. She was not a runner.
‘Come on, think think think. What’s his name?’ She muttered as she looked up to the sky. ‘Himding? No… Himdill? Agh fuck!’ She hit her forehead a few times, trying to think. Then she suddenly remembered.
‘HEIMDALL!’ She shouted up to the sky.
Suddenly the bifrost opened up over her and she was whisked through space to Asgard.
She quickly stumbled into the observatory and looked up at Heimdall.
‘That is not as smooth alone… Thanks for getting me here! I wasn’t sure if it would work without Loki or Thor.’ She said sheepishly.
‘The Allmother told me to keep an eye on you.’ Heimdall smiled slightly.
Darcy’s eyes widened. ‘I… I don’t know where I need to go now.’
‘There is a horse waiting for you.’ Heimdall tipped his head slightly to the side.
Darcy rushed outside and there was indeed a horse waiting.
After many attempts to get on, one of the attempts included her falling straight off the other side. But eventually she managed to scramble on and get the horse moving into a trot. She bounced around all over the place but managed to remain on until she got to the palace.
There was a guard outside, Birger. He rushed over and took hold of the horse’s reins, holding him steady as she slid down.
‘Miss Lewis. Nice to see you again.’ He said politely with a nod.
‘Oh, hi Birger. I’m sorry, I need to find Loki! To get to the wedding. Am I too late?’ She said in a rush as she blew at her hair to get it out of her face.
‘The wedding? It’s too late… They already left for Vanaheim, where it’s being held. The ceremony will likely be over, onto the celebrations now.’ His face dropped when he saw how sad Darcy looked.
‘Oh… I’m too late.’ She looked down and then behind her. ‘Well, I suppose I better go home again then.’
‘I’m sorry, Miss Lewis.’ He said sadly. ‘I will guide you back to the Bifrost.’ He offered.
‘It’s ok. I will just walk, I don’t think my butt could take anymore riding.’ She joked, smiling, but it wasn’t her usual smile that reached her eyes. ‘Thanks, Birger. Maybe see you again soon.’
‘Take care, Miss Lewis.’ Birger nodded to her again.
Darcy slowly made her way back to the observatory. She was half regretting not riding back, it had been quite a trek.
‘Can you uh, get me back home?’ Darcy asked Heimdall.
He nodded once. ‘If that’s what you wish.’
‘Yeah. I was too late. As always, Darcy Lewis is never on time!’ She said as she flailed her arms up. ‘Tell Loki congratulations when he gets back.’
Heimdall said nothing as he unlocked the Bifrost and sent Darcy back home to Earth.
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sloppy-butcher · 3 years
Text
here it is folks - my self-indulgent, feel-better fic. my great magnum opus. 
 this is a reader insert story that i have written involving the Hillbilly (Max Thompson Jr.). It will consist of multiple chapters and is subject to random additions and changes. The reader will be female, unfortunately, but other than that everything will be pretty ambiguous.
no one asked for this. no one wanted it. but  life is too short to not write what i want to. i hope that someone out there will read this and enjoy it. i certainly did enjoy it when i wrote it :) please be aware that there has been little to no proof reading. i literally just raw-dogged it and wrote from my horny lil heart. 
so without further ado, presenting:
Waitin’ On a Superman - 
Chapter 1 : Putting the Dog to Sleep
(The Hillbilly (Max Thompson Jr.) x female!reader)
Next
There’s a dog loose in the fields.
You can hear its arduous breathing all around, exhausting and loud like the grumbling of an approaching thunderstorm. Inevitable in its eventuality but far enough away to feel untouchable. It lies there waiting, hidden from your view beyond in the sea of yellow corn stalks, always just a turn of your head away. In the beginning, the constant state of hyper-awareness that the beast had over you nearly drove you insane. The hairs on the back of your neck never once sitting down. To know that something is hunting you, biding its time for you to only sleep so that it could finally close its teeth around your neck and feast - is a fate worse than death.  
But you were already dead, that much you knew. You were dead and this place was waking purgatory. And that dog was just chasing an empty scent trail. 
For what felt like hours you had been walking through the endless corn field. You had lost all sensation in that engulfing ocean of yellow and brown, moving as if through a thick dream. Not only did you forget yourself in the field, you also could not remember how you had ended up there. The exact details that lead to your confusion are all a blur in your head. You remember wanting to go for a private walk, help clear your head, then you remember the corn and that is all. It was the most peculiar situation, to be so completely absent in mind and in physical awareness that you did not even feel real anymore and in this translucent in between world you realized that nothing really mattered. What fear did you have for a dog when you were already dead?
In an odd way, it was refreshing to drown. The vibrate colors and smells of the plants were all a stark contrast to what you had been calling a life before. For the past few months all you knew was blood, your existence a meal for some eldritch monster and its many toys, food stuck in its grinding teeth.There were others, people like you who wore similar masks of pale panic, all of which perished and died in a horrific and cosmic game of cat and mouse. Though there was safety in numbers, a flock mentality that you found most disdainful, the lonely hours spent walking that field brought with it strange peace. The whoosh of a slow wind through the fingers of corn, the gentle rustle of a dead leaf against another, were as comfortable to you as the uneasy conversation with a fellow human. It was only when you heard the loud crunch of heavy footsteps to your left that you were reminded of the dog.
You feel your feet come to a hesitant stop and your breathing quieten to that of a whisper, your heart also slowing in an attempt to offer the outside world a better audience. The footsteps stopped with yours. You could hear the dog panting, licking its dry lips eager for the conclusion of its long hunt. It had been following you for a while by now, stalking right behind. Yet never had it attacked. Barely had it made its presence noticed. And even as it became blatantly apparent that you were aware of its closeness, it remained hidden. Waiting. Holding its breath for you to do something - speak, run away, fight or simply give in to the inescapable fate. 
You too waited for your reaction, sitting as if a spectator to your own life. Eventually you felt the stillness stretch on into an uncomfortable length and you knew that it could no longer sustain itself lest something dare break it. Something had to happen. The dog had to attack. 
“I know you are there,” Your voice spoke strong against the world, twirling with the mindless wind in a sort of soulful, last reunion. It surprised you to speak so suddenly and clearly, your words sounding without cracks or hesitations. Again it was like you were in a dream, like all that was happening was but a faint memory, its consequences a hollow threat. It would hardly be a fight, you were no match for whatever beast you had given yourself up to and you lacked the motivation to try. You just hoped it would be over soon. 
“Be quick.” You paused, nothing moved, not even the wind dared to interrupt your final request. “Please.” This was the breaking point, the chip in your otherwise impervious composure. It was a sad and desperately bitter plea, so breathless it was hardly even said. For the second time that evening, the universe held its breath.
“You ain’t meant to be here. Pigs’re meant to stay in their pen.” It was a man that spoke. Not a dog. His voice, a course and congested rumbling using words that did not sound practiced or fully-formed, grabbed at your chest and squeezed the air out leaving you helplessly gasping in shock. You felt the dream shatter around you, glass shards falling and cutting you awake with their sharpness. Where were you? What was happening? Was this all real? “It don’t like it when pigs get out. Don’t like it when Donny gets out.” 
In a spontaneous explosion, everything came back to you. You were lost, alone in this corn field with a strange man. You felt familiar fear bubble up in your stomach and threaten to make you vomit. Yet through this epiphany, you remained still, your feet planted sternly in the same spot, your eyes focused forward.
“And who is this Donny?” You cursed yourself for speaking again, cursed your stupidity for walking alone, cursed your naivety for allowing the fields to swallow you completely and cursed your entire life that led you to this exact moment in time. But, since you were already digging your grave, you did not see the sense in stopping. In this nightmare of a world, encountering strange men was not an uncommon thing and the events that occurred after such interactions were equally unexpected. But never had one spoken so openly to you before and, though the voice in all its roughness scared you, there was a noticeable absence of malice. It’s oddity being the cause for your willingness to pursue the conversation regardless of what trouble it may create.
“One of ‘em prized pigs.” The man growled then coughed and spat something into the dirt in a show of disgust. You blink your eyes and tilt your head, ignorant to the troubled temper of the person standing in the corn.
“That's not good.” Your mouth was running wild, speaking without a commander and without a thought for the repercussions. “There's a dog loose in these fields. You should find Donny before the dog does.” The man scoffed, a deep and painful sound from a throat that did not seem normal or healthy.
“Ain’t no dog here. Just... Boy.” You frowned at the way he said ‘boy’, though choose not to look the gifted horse in the mouth. You did not want the fragile politeness that sat between you and him to break by sticking your nose in places it should not be. You were already way over your head just by standing there in the corn, poking the bear would most definitely seal your doom. For now, everything was fine and you were content to maintain this for as long as possible. The man shuffled uneasily and for a moment you debated turning to face him before catching yourself and reinforcing your stern guard. 
“Best be on your way.” He commanded, sounding further away and distracted. “Out. Get out. Out. Get out.” He started rambling, repeating again and again the phrase with each utterance getting quieter and more hurried than the last. 
Out - what a fantastical idea. Was that not the very thing you had been searching for all this time? A way out of not only this godforsaken corn field, but this entire nightmare vision that dared to call itself a world. It was always fighting for you, always looking, always pushing forward. Out, he said, as if the concept was as easily obtained as it was said. 
“I- '' It scorned you to interrupt his talkings, feeling almost unnatural to impede. ”I don't know the way out. You see, I think I am lost.” He calmed down at your revelation, sputtering out like an old car struggling to get up a hill. The breeze blew and danced gently over your face, bringing with it the scent of plants and dust. There was something else in it, a musty smell familiar in a way, but your nose was not strong enough to fully define the strangeness and by the time the breeze had passed you had pushed it out of your mind.
“Boy will be here soon.” It seemed that this statement was not directed to you for he spoke it over his shoulder, head turned away. He was, however, more controlled in this response and before you could react he had started to move. You heard him begin to walk off to some place to your left, stalks of corn pushed to the side or stomped on by his heavy feet. You buckled and finally turned to look in his direction and saw only the faintest glimpse of a dark shape drifting further and further away in the yellow. You swayed in his direction, not sure whether to follow him or not.
“Come.” The man answered your unsaid question, “Boy won’t find you this way.” And in an instant you were after him, pushing through the corn with determination and desperation to keep his fast pace. Try as you might to run, the man remained only but a dark visage, always just fast enough to stay out of your line of sight. 
You chased after the shadowy figure for what felt like 10 minutes when suddenly he stopped. You slammed on the breaks, doubling over and panting from the long jog and relentless speed. In your exhaustion you did not manage to find the man for he had sunk back into his cover or plant before you could catch your breath and stand up straight again.
“There.” He said, speaking loud enough for you to hear him over your gasps. It irked you that there wasn’t so much as a wheeze when he spoke though you chalked that up to how his ordinary breathing already sounded so labored and difficult. “Boy don’t go in there. Stay till he leaves then go. Get out.” 
“T-Thank you.” You gushed to the open air as the man took off into the night. You waited in his wake for a moment, mind racing in a futile attempt to try understand what exactly had just occurred, before turning and stepping out of the field’s border. Erected in a clearing was a dingy, old, red barn, its doors open and swinging on broken hinges, its paint dull and peeling. It was a most unappealing sight that made you inwardly cringe - if your situation was not so dire you would never dare step a foot inside such a place. 
The interior was no better, the ceiling occupying a gaping hole in the middle and the walls a crumbling mess. However, in the center was a great pile of dry hay. Its aroma was alluring and within seconds you had collapsed on it. The pipes of dried grass poked you in the most uncomfortable areas, you had no idea how you were ever going to fall asleep on such a horrible and most unfavorable bed. Yet as you buried you face deeper into the straw, swimming down into the origin of warmth, dryness and the smell of earth, sleep found you in no time at all.
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purplesurveys · 3 years
Text
1167
surveys by emptyliketheocean
Brand of cigarettes you smoke? I don’t smoke cigarettes, or at least I never buy my own packs.
Should you be trusted with a person's life? Idk, that’s for them to decide.
How's your life in general? I lost two relatives from Covid this week alone. So, not very dandy. Still in shock. Waiting for it to all finally crash down so I can grieve and mourn properly. Scared of more losses and hoping there aren’t any more to come.
Have you ever put lipstick on anything besides lips? I don’t wear makeup, but when my friends have put some on me in the past there were a couple of times they dabbed lipsticks on my cheeks.
Have you ever picked a fight you knew you would lose? Metaphorically speaking, yeah. I don’t get into physical fights.
What's something you think is crazy about the world? The concept of centibillionaires and the fact that there are multiple ones who exist.
What do you think about religion? I think the only upside to it is how it has helped save lives for some and how it serves as a guide for others to spread good in the world. Like if your religion has given you purpose and strength, that’s great. But ultimately, I’m not a fan and I most definitely don’t think religion is necessary to be a kind person. In fact, I think it works the opposite...most of the homophobes, misogynists, pro-lifers, and sexists I know are from the Christian faith. Cringe.
What about when religion causes violence? Well I definitely have a bone to pick with this lol. The only reason the Philippines is predominantly Catholic today is precisely that when the Spanish arrived, they used violence to forcingly convert Filipinos - who were then living in peace with their own culture, government, and religion system - to Christianity. And now we’re ‘celebrating’ 500 years of Christianity in the country this year, which was always so off to me because why are we celebrating colonization lol????????????? But anyway, yeah, that is another issue I have with religion. I want nothing to do with it.
What color is one of your hats? I have an off-white summer hat but I have literally never used it in public because it’s huge and it’s 100% going to draw attention.
How do you feel? My shoulders are sore and I’m feeling slightly irritated because of them. I’m also starting to get a bit hungry.
Have you ever gotten in trouble for laughing? A few times.
Something that makes you smile: Free food.
What do you think about surveys with lyrics as the title? Surveys with random lyrics usually end up being the ones with interesting questions, so I actually am more likely to check it out.
Do you have any clothes with small holes in them? Maybe one or two.
Do you think the way you live is really okay? I think I am already quite fortunate with what I have considering what others don’t, so it’s definitely been a while since I have complained about anything during this whole Covid situation, living-situation-wise. Even though we’ve lost a few things, like having to sell one of our cars and with my mom being retrenched, we still get by and have a roof over our heads with working water and electricity and a stocked pantry; and I make enough money to hand a portion of it to my parents twice a month and still treat myself with things I want. There is nothing to bitch about.
Do you know anyone other than a cop who has ever owned a cop car? No.
Have you ever felt fire? No, but electricity, yes. I’ve been shocked before but that was also my own fault lol.
Have you ever seen a person light themselves on fire? Jesus no.
Have you ever used crutches when you didn't need them? Yes. I used to horse around with Katreen’s crutches when she injured her legs in 3rd grade, when she wasn’t using them.
If you had 15 beers you would be: Dead.
Are you as bored as I am? No, I’m good.
Why are you taking this survey? I feel like it.
What would you say if a person asked you why your face was so messed up? “How do you want me to react?” Easiest way to shut a person up and passive aggressively tell them to watch what they say.
What would you do if your first love asked you back out? Be very confused and ask why the sudden decision.
What's your home life like? It’s very routine, due to having to stay at home. I work a 9–6 on weekdays, follow that up with dinner, and use a few hours to scroll through social media until it’s time to sleep. Then on weekends I use the free time to recharge by taking surveys and watch videos of whoever and whatever I’m interested in at the moment. Just waiting for all of this to blow over so I can finally do the things I’m meant to be doing.
Do you have a talent that you don't do anything with? I don’t write a lot for myself these days. I do write frequently for work, which is great - press releases, event scripts, all your PR essentials - but I don’t get stimulated enough since everything is written in the same tone. I really should pick up a notebook and pen soon...
Do you know anyone that is a lesbian? Yes. Not that she’s in my life anymore.
What do you think about your mom? I think she tries her best. But I wish she were more emotionally in touch. And that she starts being politically correct.
What do you think about your dad? He’s worked hard and continues to, and I appreciate all his efforts; and I can’t wait to be able to buy him all the things he wants.
Which parent do you respect the most? Who do you think? Hahahaha.
Is there anything someone could lie to you about that you couldn't forgive? I suppose, like cheating.
--
Who do you love unconditionally? My two best friends.
Pick an element. Oooookay? Zirconium.
Have you ever wasted a great amount of time and felt horrible about it? It always feels that way on weekends these days because there’s only so much that can be done while stuck at home because of Covid. But I do try to justify it by telling myself I already work too hard during weekdays so it’s ok to bum around at home and do nothing, because using the time to recharge is still productive. 
What is something that's been said about you that isn't true? My mom has said a lot of hurtful things directed towards me that I internalized for a very long time, but I’ve since gained the strength to no longer let those words get to me.
Who do you want with you when you're scared? Anyone who can be calm while I’m not.
Know any bands that not many people have heard of? Many of the punk bands I listen to are virtually unknown on this side of the planet.
Do you have any advice for people in general? Don’t be racist.
What's something you like to do in the summer? Complain about the heat.
What's something you like to do in the winter? We don’t get winter here, but I’ve always thought I would love snow if I ever saw it, and that I would probably make a lot of snow angels and play snowball fights.
What do you think about marijuana? I don’t have a strong opinion on it as it’s still a very taboo topic where I’m from and I’ve also been lacking on research. I do know people who use it for recreational purposes and I’ve never been against that.
Do you wish anyone death? Just politicians.
Have you ever felt like you weren't getting anywhere with a person? Yes, it felt that way for a long time. I just was too afraid of confrontation to do anything about it.
What do you feel for the person you first fell in love with? Resentment and a whole lot of nothing.
Where are you? I’m in my bedroom.
Are you waiting for something? Hmm, not necessarily.
Who is someone you just think has a hole in their brain? People who still think Covid is a hoax.
A candy you like? Gummy anything.
Does any part of your body hurt at the moment? My shoulders and neck, hence the neck pillow I’ve since put on while taking this.
Explain how you got the last bruise you had. I honestly have no clue. I currently have a big black circle on my right thigh that just suddenly showed up, and I can’t recall a time I must’ve hit it somewhere.
Are you tired? A little bit because I got up as soon as I woke up, but I wanted to maximize my free time this Sunday before another work week starts. Last Friday would be our last non-working holiday in a while and we’re not getting another one until August. :(
Explain how you got a scar you have. A distant cousin hurled a glass jar towards me when I was 3, during a family reunion. He initially went for my eye because I guess he wanted to blind me, but he missed and ended up hitting my eyebrow instead. My mom has since banned him from talking to me ever since, and I don’t think I’ve ever even seen him since the incident.
Have you ever owned anything illegal? Illegal copies of movies I’ve torrented, sure.
What do you dream about? The most random scenarios. I’ll get the occasional nightmare, but those only happen when I’m going through a period of depression.
Do you ever daydream? Not anymore these days.
How do you feel about vegetarians? I don’t really think anything of them. There are days I’ll particularly feel for them because there aren’t a lot of restaurants with good vegetarian options where I live, though.
A fruit you like: Avocado, in very limited options.
Have you ever seen a person eat a bug? Only bugs that were already prepared a certain way and meant to be eaten; but I’ve never seen a person that just picked up a bug off the ground and went straight to chewing. I imagine I would freak out and gag.
Something you worry about too much: How much is in my bank account.
How do you feel about smoking? I hate how the smell clings to your clothes and all your things when you’ve been smoking or when you’ve been around people who smoke. I also wince when people pose with their cigarettes just to look badass and cool; but as someone who’s since picked up vaping as a habit, my once-intense hatred for smoking and smokers has since changed lol.
If you had to move out of state, where would you go? I would move to a big city. Somewhere noisier and with a lot of lights and foot traffic and general activity.
What is your favorite vampire-related movie? The Twilight Saga hahahahahaha
Is there a person you keep coming back to? My best friends, I guess?
If you're listening to music...Give me a lyric from the song you're listening to. I’m not listening to anything.
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iwrestlenow · 3 years
Text
Many More To Die, Chapter 15 (Epilogue)
TITLE: Many More To Die (Chapter 15, Epilogue)
FANDOM: Sanders Sides (Necromancer AU)
SUMMARY: Logan goes home for the first time in ten years--and ends this story so he can start a new one at Roman's side.
SHIPS: Logince (Logan/Roman), Moceit (Patton/Janus) and Dukexiety (Remus/Virgil)
WARNINGS: implications of violence, but mostly schmoop
This story is over, but THE story is just beginning. Still, I want to thank literally everyone that's been reading and enjoying this. Your kind words and comments, your support and kudos and encouragement...
For a while now, I've lost my passion for writing. This lit a fire under my ass. Thank you for helping to fan the flame.
I am your biggest fan. All of you reading this. Every single person. <3
Oh also this is unbeta'd so if it sucks it's on me, hope you have fun reading anyhoodle. :P
NOTES: This is based on the gorgeous piece of art by @gretacticdraws that can be found here. I ended up writing a ficlet for it, and then my brain got swallowed up. Breathe at me wrong, and I’ll write more…hell, who am I kidding? I’ll write more anyway because this? Is self indulgent drivel. XD
Also located at AO3 over here.
“You're nervous.”
“Falsehood.”
“I'm the one that's supposed to be nervous.”
“Roman, I am warning you...”
Roman's mouth was abruptly on his, warm and sweet and firm. His arms were secure around Logan's waist, pulling Logan's back against his chest, and Logan was helpless in the face of liquid golden warmth trickling through his limbs and pooling sweetly somewhere low in his belly as he leaned back into Roman's embrace.
It had been a week, and technically, Logan and Patton were still prisoners until a vote could be put to the people. As prince regent, with the king convalescing, Roman was already spreading word of the events in the castle, and the fact that necromancers had defended the life of the royal family.
Thomas, despite being alive, seemed hell bent on abdicating, claiming Roman was ready. Logan was in full agreement, but Roman refused to even consider it.
Not until he made sure his reign would be welcome.
Logan forced himself from the blissful reverie of Roman's embrace just in time to open his eyes and spot a figure on the horizon. People were appearing, but one towered above all the others.
Grandpap. Logan blinked hard against the sudden burn behind his eyes. Roman must have sensed his unrest, because a hand smoothed up the length of his spine.
The closer they drew, the more restless Logan became. His stomach was tightening, his chest compressing, a strange chill causing him to shiver when the air was perfectly pleasant...
Logan wasn't nervous. Logan was afraid.
Roman brought the horse they were riding to a stop once they were there—a dozen feet from the line of people that had formed to wait for their arrival, just at the boundary of the settlement.
Grandpap towered over them, but among the throng were Logan's parents—and endless others, so many he'd grown up with and around...
Roman gave him one gentle squeeze before he carefully dismounted and reached up to help Logan down. Taking one last breath, Logan walked up to face his grandfather as calmly as he could, where he stood, flanked by his child and goodchild—Logan's geni and his pari, Elliot and Talyn..
“Who claims this Weaver?” Josiah called out, raising his voice to be heard by the people around him.
“We do.” Elliot replied, their eyes too bright as they stared at Logan with a ferocity that made it hard to breathe. “We claim this Weaver, and grant him--”
“I will take no Name.”
Josiah regarded Logan sharply. “Scuse me?”
Logan took a deep breath. “I will take no Name, for I already have one.”
A gasp went through the group, and Talyn's hands flew to cover their mouth, tears slipping from their eyes.
“I am Logan Berry.” Logan continued, emboldened by the weight of a hand on his shoulder from behind. “Son of Elliot Crofter. Fruit of Talyn Crofter...heart-name of Starlight, recalled to life by the power of the Lazari.”
Logan paused, turning to face Roman.
“And I am claimed by the keeper of my soul.”
Roman smiled at him, bending to kiss Logan's cheek before he faced Josiah.
Only then did Logan realize Roman wasn't wearing it.
“Roman!”
Ignoring Logan, Roman stepped forward—and then dropped to one knee in front of Logan's grandfather as he drew his sword, offering it to him pommel first.
“To you, Lord Father, I submit my fate. If you have not the care to look into my soul, then it is better that you should run me through with my own sword and claim me as your thrall lest you believe me incapable of pure intent.” he declared without hesitation, his voice clear and strong. “What say you?”
Logan stood, breathless, as Grandpap gaped down at Roman with shock and anger in his face. His gaze flicked up to Logan, as if he couldn't help it--
Before he took the sword from Roman and hefted it into his hand with an ease that was unnerving. Logan had never seen his grandfather wield a blade, always fighting with bare hands and sharp words...
For the first time, he could see it: the blood of kings, the head that bore the weight of the crown, the noble blood that had passed from him to Geni and into Logan's veins.
Josiah used the flat of the blade to lift Roman's chin to meet his gaze.
“You know what you're askin', son?” he replied quietly.
“Yes, Lord Father.”
“To walk the grave and call it home?”
“To walk the grave, and call it home.” Roman replied, then continued with an ease that made Logan's chest tight with pride. “To give the dead my voice, to speak their will, to care for the lowest of the low as gods and as kings, for I seek no greater honor than to humble myself as a steward of the dead.”
“And why is that?” Josiah asked.
“For it is in the stewardship of death that we understand the blessing of life.”
Josiah slid another look up at Logan, raising an eyebrow. Logan had to bite back a smile—it was the same look Grandpap gave him whenever Logan asked for another new book or telescope or a third helping of jam with his breakfast as a little boy.
“You ask for death and resurrection as one of the tribe—what gift would you deliver for the honor of death and slavery?” Josiah asked, refocusing on Roman.
“The throne of the Kingdoms, and the crown that goes with it.”
Josiah blinked, the people around him dead silent with pure shock.
“Lies kill among this tribe, little prince.” Josiah warned.
Roman held steady, his breathing even, his voice colored with a softness that Logan knew meant he was smiling.
“Only a fool would come to the Lord Father of the Necromata with a lie on his lips—and while I am a fool many times over, I am not a fool in this.”
There was a startled, barely there ripple of tittering through the people at Grandpap's back—including the familiar roll of thunder that was Josiah's quiet chuckle.
“And the compensation you would ask for the soul you've gifted to my grandson?”
“I would ask for nothing, and accept only that which you would offer, Lord Father.”
“...then I offer you the throne of the Kingdoms, and the crown that goes with it. Didn't wanna be a king in my youth, and that ain't changed.”
“Grandpap--”
“Logan, hush your mouth.”
“But Grandpap, he's not--”
“Starlight, hush yer mouth.”
Logan's mouth snapped shut at the use of his True Name by his grandfather. Josiah watched Roman as he set the point of the sword against Roman's throat.
Roman was asking for the right to be with Logan not as a suitor or a spouse, but as a rightful member of his tribe. Such initiation required a blood sacrifice, usually represented with the symbolic slicing of a red thread or mutilation of a piece of red fabric.
And Roman wasn't wearing the thread Logan had knotted around his neck.
“It is done.” Josiah declared flatly, launching Logan's heart into his throat.
There was a soft twitch, and Roman's deep red travel cloak slipped off his shoulders to pool around him.
“The king is dead—and the king is reborn unto the tribe.” Josiah declared, lowering the sword and offering Roman his hand. “Rise, son of Shadow...and next time, wear the damn thread 'stead of showboating.”
Roman shrugged as he stood up. “I didn't want to give myself an out. I wanted you to know I meant it, I...I'm willing to die to be with your grandson, sir.”
“Well, now you are.” Grandpap replied, glancing at Logan again. “Provided this ain't an act?...”
Logan shook his head, then reached into his pocket and pulled the Soulstone free with shaking fingers, moving to Roman's side and handing it to Josiah.
“I apologize for stealing it, but I felt I had no choice.” he confessed. “For what it's worth, it protected me from the Cleansing—and likely protected Roman from far worse. Has news reached here?”
Josiah nodded, fingers curling around the Soulstone. “It has.”
“Then you know that Roman has had little memory of what led me to steal that ring—had the Soulstone not been present and working, the Animator might have done Roman harm much sooner to ensure he could successfully wipe out the royal family...and, without the king's protection, ours as well.”
Josiah just nodded, looking between the pair.
“So that's it? You two show up just to make the little prince Necromata and get my blessing? Where's your damn brother, and if the king lives why the hell did your soulmate just try to offer me the throne?”
Logan smiled, leaning into Roman's side. His arm came to settle around Logan's shoulders, the line of heat and pressure doing worlds to calm his nerves.
“It's a long story, Grandpap,” Logan offered, “but I think there's finally time enough to tell it—not just to you, but to everyone.”
Josiah smiled at that—a real smile, slow and broad and warm as fresh bread.
“I hope you mean more 'n just the Necromata, son...c'mon, let's go inside.”
With that, there was chaos, joyous and enveloping—and that word, once again echoing in Logan's head.
Necromata.
Once upon a time, Logan had nothing but that word to hold onto, alone in a dungeon cell, in pain and afraid.
Then Roman found him, for a second time, and saved him. Now, Roman had a future as king, and Logan...
Logan had that word again, but now that word also meant Roman. It meant his family, it meant his future...it meant real and lasting hope.
Necromata. It no longer meant the necromancers, or the legions of the Animator.
It meant his geni and pari, who chose that moment to leave Josiah's side and fling themselves at him.
It meant his Grandpap, snickering at them over his shoulder.
It meant Roman subjecting himself to the curious onslaught of questions from Logan's parents, not as a ruler but as Logan's future husband.
It felt like a Name now—a Name, freely accepted and made his own.
A life, restored.
For the first time, Logan could allow himself to have hope, because he had the power of the Necromata at his fingertips—and it was only a matter of time before that power and that hope brought the world back into balance once again.
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gravelgirty · 3 years
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Hi could you talk more about caves what you said on that post is really interesting
Sure thing!
First of all, it was an amazing cave I worked in. You never forget that. I'll pick one of my favorite topics,
the FALLOUT SHELTER AGGRAVATION TAX.
Clears throat.
Limestone caves are literally stone libraries in the geologic record of the world. Twice a year the airflow would change and then you'd smell smoke from decrepit old torches dating as far back as 1812. People made saltpeter in these caves, they were natural mines for things that went boom, and one of those 'requirements' meant airflow so you wouldn't suddenly and embarrassingly, drop dead of too much Underground. This is why the coal miners were eternally bemused and asking us questions like airflow. Sometimes you gotta canary. Sometimes you are the canary. This often led to predictable questions that was these old gents trying to be polite, but what they really wanted to know was,
'why the hell are you being paid $10 a trip plus tips to walk us 1.1 miles underground up to 3 times a day and no one has a mortgage gun aimed at your head?'
To which I would say, 'it wasn't quite that bad. If no one shows up at all we get paid $10.' ...Dear Saint Barbara, Chango, and the Gods of Deep Mystery, the things we tell ourselves. $10 a day. Crap. Thank goodness I had Granny's House, dad was paying the property tax, the water was on a well, and garbage was less that $20 a month. A shame we can't afford a TV, but hey, we can stay busy digging up that quarter-acre garden that will keep us fed plus the road kill Deer in the fall.
But the conditions that created saltpeter (I'll go into depth on that later if people are interested) also convinced some weird-ass people in Washington DC that caves were the perfect place to do a DR STRANGELOVE and people could go hide out in the caves, free of...well, nothing, really, because radiation = straight lines +caves, air, irradiated air and water, and everything goes down into the caves...
Look. It made people feel safe, ok? And it wasn't the worst decision the Pentagon ever made, considering they were telling the scientists working with HOT RADIOACTIVE MATTER to stay safe by sticking the stuff on a long pole so they wouldn't have to touch it.
Everybody knows about the bomb shelter President Kennedy was prepared to run to with his family in case of Cold War. It was in the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs (I prefer to think of it as the HIDDEN FIGURES birthplace). FYI everybody who lived here knew where it was. There are only so many power stations one measly little resort that cries that it can't afford to pay for its own water bill can keep.
[insert sniffle boohoo sobbing of the pro-confederates who run that place and while I can't be there for you, try to imagine the joy I am stockpiling for the day when we have another traitorous uprising and this time, the resort doesn't get a GO PASS GO by dangerous romantics and is finally burned to the ground.]
Anyway, the important people like the President, his family, his Secret Service, his staff, cook, maid-in-waiting, bootblack and et al got to go bunker down in the luxurious bomb shelter at the resort, which probably wouldn't be very resort-y after a certain point of Castro going, 'fuck you, you whippersnapper Irish Dog' or Khrushchev throwing a little more than his shoe around. I'm not convinced it was that great of a place to hide, really. I mean...they have lightning rods on the trees over there, and believe it or not, cavers in that country have been hit by lightning while underground. Because. Lightning. If it can bake entire acres of potatoes in the field, two subterranean surveyors with metal measuring tape haven't got a prayer.
I want you to know that I can't at this point go into detail (space restrictions) on the importance of all these caves to Union Sympathizers, slaves on the Underground Railroad, and the Far-Righter MAGAS called Confederates. Trust me when I say, if you didn't know where these caves were, you had absolutely no right to know.
In Appalachia, limestone caves were listed on properties and handed down because of their value. Thomas Jefferson made a point of making sure there were lots of caves to provide nitre for the Gunpowder Committee. I don't know if landowners had to pay taxes for having saltpeter caves (probably), but when the Cold War came around, they definitely and cheerfully sold the access rights to the government because...it was the government. I am not in the least bit joking when I tell you there are people over there who are still pissed off over George Washington's Whiskey Rebellion.
If you really want to get into the psyche of Appalachians, go read up every scene Terry Pratchett ever wrote about Lancre in his Discworld books. Just give them more libraries and a LOT of coffee stations.
Oh, dear. I forgot all about the owling and the Prohibition.
Owling = the practice of moving your herds of cattle from one ridge to the next to avoid a higher payment when the taxman came a-calling.
Prohibition = The Second Oldest Profession.
These days, many of the Fallout Shelter caves are being used for...modern needs. Meth labs, if you're a sensationalist, but if you aren't, bear in mind that hiding out stolen cattle and horses still requires big places out in the middle of nowhere. But when Mr. Gov't Man came around and offered cash for the access rights to grand-daddy's old saltpetre cave? Goodness gracious, we know we aren't supposed to take people's money from them because that's a sin, but...taxes...you know how it is... (most of the mountain folk had no real quarrel with Kennedy despite his heathen dog Catholicism because it wasn't his fault he was brought up Catholic, but when it came to the government...well, it was the principle of the thing).
In short order papers were drawn, and shelters were built and good god, they were ugly. Clapboard shantytowns, I swear. They were stockpiles whacked together with off-brand plank and tenpenny nails for where the selected few could bunker up in the cozy, damp, dripping, chilly, dusty, sneezy, probably-warm-from-stray-radiation environs. I have no idea who the Pentagon hated enough that they would send them to these caves. They had a bottleneck opening for easy defense, yes, but there was no defense against puking yourself to death or accidentally taking off your own skin with your uniform at the end of your shift.
YOU THINK I"M KIDDING?? YOU THINK IT IS A COINCIDENCE THAT CLASSIC DR WHO SHOWS DALEK HISTORY IN AN OLD STONE QUARRY? WELCOME ABOARD!
A fallout shelter's stockpile generally consisted of
*High-quality medical equipment, even though some of that stuff had a shelf life of three minutes.
*Radio Equipment. Which was probably a real belly laugh to the folks running the NARO satellite dishes up in Green Bank, because families in the most rural portion of WV (Pocahontas County) spent their evenings parsing Latin and teaching the young lads and lasses the wonders of shortwave and how to rig up your own crystals in case you needed to jackleg your own.
*Food. God. Awful. Food. It was designed to keep you alive, but you can't say anything more charitable about it. Honestly, I'm surprised nobody tried to corner a government contract on dehydrated water.
*Water. Potable water for drinking, but, I should say, I couldn't find any means with which you could make a potable distillery. Or, how much of this potable water was going to be used to rehydrate the ghastly awfulness of the dehydrated food, or the canned goods that included stuff the military couldn't wait to forget. Go ask your grandparents how much canned horse Circa WWII they ate while they served, m'kay?
*Candy. High energy, easily digestible candy. Flavor optional, at the discretion of the same government that made the WWII Chocolate Bar.
*The containers themselves. Yep, they counted. They were heavy metal barrels and tough buckets or small drums, plus the amazingly dense metal and plastic containers for medical kits, candy, and misc. I'm not sure if they had a requirement other than impervious, waterproof, and on sale. In fact, the smaller drums/buckets were supposed to be lined with the plastic used to wrap the other goods, and convert into a toilet.
Cold War comes and goes. I'm sure what happened next is shocking:
1) medical supplies goes missing in the dead of night.
2) Electronics follows. That probably makes the electricians feel good, because...what good would they have done in the wet, dust-filled atmosphere of the caves?
3) Candy. Candy, did you say? I don't remember seeing any candy..?
4) The gradual disappearance of the food rations is mysteriously in proportion to camping trips multitasking with double-dog-dares. Who needs a frat pledge if Freckles here has never been introduced to the joys of Dehydrated Ketchup?
5) If you think the backyard blacksmiths are making forges with tire rims, do you think metal containers stand a chance?
This leaves the barrels of water, but who would want to drink that stuff? It's been sitting around for how long? Ew. And the boards for those shelters...cripes.
This inadvertently makes up a tiny little side bonus for the hard-working tour guide. Because these shelters are usually ridiculously close to the entrance of the tour caves. You have to take your tour group in stages, see, and once they finish gasping and wheezing their way through the first 300 steps, you have to take their minds off how miserable they are and pause at the shelter with your flashlight, and describe this little chapter of history. By this time the bats are hanging off the boards (your chance to remind them of the exorbitant federal fines for hurting these little mosquito-hunters), the occasional lost salamander, and the beginnings of the Dreaded Cave Cricket (ten minutes with these little monsters and you'll never think pink is an effete color ever again).
And the mold. There are patches of mold the guides have been watching for YEARS. Some of them have even bothered to look them up, because...tourists. They love to stump the guides and use it as an excuse for not tipping you because you haven't taken a Master's in The Encompassing Topic of Karst Everything and are clearly a dumbass, hah-hah I'll spend my money in the overpriced gift shop, peasant.
But no, folks. If you ask them one more damn time if they're sure all the candy and drugs are gone...we're too tired to take your bleeping bleep bleep tip anyway.
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imreallystressed · 4 years
Text
nothing is okay /j (pt. 3)
word count: ~2,200 pairings: it’s literally just platonic (obviously) creativitwins, some angst some comfort warnings: angst angst angst, with the comfort being a slightly-more-cathartic-than-usual-bandaid. roman and remus both have what amount to identity crises. buildings falling apart? mention of puking. general creepy language (both in the remus way and like horror-esque). swearing! notes: oh boy. i’d say i’m sorry but i know exactly what i’m doing. my favorite part is literally just “whimsy-twinsy”, which should surprise no one!! also apologies for procrastinating this for so long!!! first! - prev! - next! AO3 LINK
Roman was fairly sure he was going to pass out. He probably could’ve communicated this to Remus, who was definitely talking to him, but he couldn’t actually hear anything over the blood pounding in his head. 
He suddenly wished fervently that he hadn’t closed the door behind him. Or agreed to this. Or gotten out of bed at all.
“Roman, for fuck’s sake, are you even conscious?” Remus shouted, loudly enough to snap Roman out of his trance.
“Uh- yeah, yeah! What’s up?” Roman said. Remus raised an eyebrow, and he sighed. “I didn’t believe that one either.”
“What the fuck did you do? Honestly, if this was on purpose, I’m impressed, but judging by the fact that you just went catatonic as a dead rat I’m going to have to assume this was a mistake.”
“Can we just go?” Roman snapped, yanking his hand from Remus and forcing himself to face the landscape before him. His beautiful rolling hills, filled with secrets from his subconscious and little reminders of Thomas’ life were gone, replaced with a forest that ached of too many thunderstorms and loneliness. The trees were hunched over the path like they were ready to reach out and grab whichever unlucky traveler dared head through the woods.
Roman steadied himself, which basically meant firmly shoving his racing heart to the back of his mind and starting down the path. Remus followed, uncharacteristically silent.
The further they got in the suffocating atmosphere, the more off-balance Roman felt. The forest really did feel like it was pulling at them, vines unfurling in his face and weeds curling around his boots. Every ounce of the environment screamed unstable, it felt like some kind of apocalypse had once flattened it.
Roman wished Remus would just say something, anything, but he clearly wasn’t in the mood, walking a few steps behind Roman and keeping his head down, glowering through his bangs.
He was fully aware his breathing was far too erratic for a stroll in the woods, and immediately felt a pang of guilt as he wondered if it was affecting Thomas. That train of thought lead him directly to Virgil, and then he had the fleeting thought that maybe it was Virgil’s panic affecting him.
He looked up and saw some kind of eyeless creature watching them through the branches, and there went that thought.
Roman danced through old daydreams in his head, trying to settle on something to think of other than the possibly perilous danger he was in, but after fifteen minutes of failing every idea he thought of, he gave up.
This was conveniently when they came to a crossroads and he was forced to pause. Remus stood beside him, the maybe-six-inches between them like a gaping chasm.
“Do you remember the way?” Roman asked quietly.
“I haven’t been since... yeah,” Remus trailed off, peering around the corner. “You’d know better.”
“You think I’ve been since then?”
Remus looked up at him with a hint of shock in his eyes, and Roman’s heart ached. “You haven’t?”
“What, you think I enjoy literally and empathetically lo-jacking my friends every day?” Roman asked. He’d intended for it to come out jokingly, but the tremble in his voice dashed that dream instantly. Remus gave him an incredulous look.
“You could know everyone’s deepest secrets.”
“I don’t want to know everyone’s deepest secrets!” Roman said, equal parts upset and offended that Remus would think he’d spy on them like that.
Remus turned away, looking down the path to their right, clearly uncomfortable. “Well, then I guess we just have to try each one, right?”
“What if the path doesn’t even lead to the fountain?” Roman blurted, before he could stop himself. “What if this is all some wild goose chase?”
“Geese are pretty fun!”
Roman smacked Remus gently on the shoulder. “I mean it.”
“I know. I’m trying not to think about it.”
“You of all people should know that that doesn’t work,” Roman said, trying for levity and falling somewhere between ‘miserable’ and ‘actually offensive’.
Remus frowned at him. “You sound like Logan.”
Roman blinked. “Oh my god, I do. What’s happening to me? Is this the mom instinct?”
Remus began cackling, and Roman started giggling a little deliriously.
“And stop with the what ifs. That’s Virgil’s thing. The fact that you’re even saying that means we’re almost certainly on the right path. Now c’mon, we’re racing. Last one there has to suck a horse dick!”
“No-”
Roman did actually beat Remus there, who seemed far too comfortable with his fate, and both turned to look at the scene before them.
Roman’s heart dropped a little further.
“That’s - well. At least that’s it, right?” Remus said, his voice pointedly cheery. Roman nodded woodenly, staring at the entrance. He could already feel his hands start to shake.
“That’s it.”
“You did a good job sealing it.”
“I guess.”
“Real fucking helpful now,” Remus said, and Roman snorted. Careless of the wild plants, many covered in menacing thorns, Remus stalked forward to the entrance and heaved one of the rocks to the side, creating an opening big enough for them to get through.
Remus didn’t hesitate a second to dive through, and his awed “woah” echoed back to Roman.
He picked his way across the plant life, and crawled through the hole, significantly less elegantly than he meant to, and stood beside his twin.
The inside of the spring was covered in plant life, and the air hung humid enough to make breathing just a touch more difficult than it needed to be. Remus was looking around like he was thrilled, but Roman felt a clawing sense of dread pooling in his chest.
Some kind of lizard scuttled across a nearby rock, and he shuddered.
“Okay, creepy water time?” Roman said, interrupting their reverie. Remus grinned brightly in his direction and turned to the pool in the center of the cave.
“Be my guest!”
“This is my side of the Imagination.”
“Okay, die then.”
Roman took a step forward, and instantly regretted it.
If he had had an orchestra playing a score for his life, now would have been the time for the violin sting.
The entire cave rumbled to life, vibrating around them. Pebbles began to cascade off the walls and ceiling, throwing clouds of dust as they rained a twisted hail upon the brothers.
Cracks started to web across the ceiling, larger plates of rock collapsing onto the ground, crushing plants and moss and ripping vines as they fell.
“Uh, Rem, I didn’t think you meant that literally-”
“See the thing is that I didn’t, I’m not doing this, which is surprising because I’m me - move!”
Remus dove, slamming Roman to the ground as a massive boulder careened into the spot where he was standing.
And just like that, the earthquake stopped.
Remus shoved himself off of Roman, but Roman caught his shoulder.
“You saved me?” he asked, eyes wide.
“Uh, yeah. The only person- er, rock- who gets to knock out my brother is me.”
Roman fairly beamed in his direction, and Remus shook his head.
“Less sentiment, more sentient! Water!” he griped, gesturing wildly in the direction of the pool.
“Right,” Roman said, and Remus found himself missing the bright smile.
Roman walked heavily over to the water, resigned, and plunged his right hand into the just-a-little-too-blue water, squinting against it and trying to brace for whatever he was about to see.
Turns out that was just water, because nothing happened.
Remus sat beside him, glancing between him and the water expectantly.
“Uh, no offense, but that doesn’t look like Virgil.”
“It’s not working.”
“I can tell. Are you doing something different, or...?”
“I never really knew what I was doing. Oh my god, this was just a waste of time. I was worried about not finding it but we found it and it’s not even going to work because I’m just a fucking failure-”
“Roman,” Remus tried, a little taken aback.
“It doesn’t even matter if I could make it work, even if I can’t, because no matter where he is he won’t even listen to me because no one ever does, and they’re right, they shouldn’t, because everything I say is useless or wrong or-”
“Roman!” Remus yelled, grabbing his brother’s shoulders and yanking his hand out of the water. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I told you! I fucking told you everything, the one correct thing I’m ever going to say-”
“You’re wrong,” Remus interrupted, shaking Roman just a little bit. Roman froze, his glassy eyes staring back at Remus. “You’re wrong.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do, Roman, you’re wrong,” Remus said, practically clinging at this point. “You’re the good twin. You’re not useless, you’re not wrong. I mean it, Ro.”
Roman blinked at him. “What do you mean by good twin?”
Remus jerked away suddenly, clasping his hands in his lap. “I mean- well- all that stuff you said. It’s - that stuff doesn’t apply to you. Because you’re the good twin.”
“You’re saying it applies to you.”
Remus stared into the water.
“Remus.”
“Roman.”
“It’s not a big deal. I get it, hell, I’m proud of it. I’m evil.”
“But you’re not,” Roman insisted, trying to make Remus look at him.
“But I am, Roman! That’s my whole thing! People shouldn’t listen to me because it’s my job to not be listened to!” Remus retorted.
“That doesn’t mean you’re evil!”
“Well that doesn’t work, does it? Two twins, good creativity, bad creativity. White and black. Good and evil, Roman.”
“But-”
“We split for a goddamn reason. Now would you just make the fucking water work?”
Remus finally turned, and wished he hadn’t. Roman was sitting with his knees pulled to his chest. His voice hadn’t shown it, but there were tears streaming down his face.
“Roman-”
“Fine.”
Roman plunged both hands into the water, and in the ripples Remus could almost see it, so close to their goal - but there was nothing there. It was just water.
Roman pulled his hands from the spring, set his head on the rim, and sobbed.
“We’ll- it’s fine. We’ll find Virgil the old fashioned way.”
“If he doesn’t want us to find him, we won’t,” Roman said miserably, and Remus took a moment to be extremely offended that he was right.
Remus sighed. “Look at us. Two idiots who don’t even know how to do their own jobs.”
Roman’s head shot up, and he whirled to face Remus.
“Say that again,” he said, and his voice bordered on manic but he was starting to smile, so Remus repeated himself.
“Two idiots who don’t even know how to do their own jobs?”
“That’s it, oh my god, Rem, you’re a genius, why don’t I listen to you more often-”
“Slow down, whimsy-twinsy! What’s this genius idea I apparently came up with?”
“It’s just like Janus said-”
“Wait, what?”
“-we’re nuanced now, but we weren’t back then. So the spring is powered by quote-unquote ‘good’ creativity, but since we’re not black and white anymore, we need both of us to power it.”
“You lost me at nuanced.”
“Rem. Come on!” Roman begged, holding out his hand.
“You’re nuanced, I’m not, it’s not gonna work.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that and can’t we at least try?”
Remus was about three seconds from either standing up and running or straight up puking at the obvious emotional display happening, but Roman looked genuinely pleading and well, Remus wasn’t going to examine his motivations any further than that.
“Fine,” he said, taking Roman’s hand and pretending he didn’t blanch at the answering smile he got.
Roman tugged their hands into the spring.
“Okay, now do I imagine plum fairies and sweet little birds?”
“No, dumbass, you think of Virgil.”
“Oh. Right.”
Remus wrinkled his nose and tried his best to think of positive memories of Virgil, which worked up until a certain age, but Remus had a very good memory, so it wasn’t a problem staying before then.
Achingly slowly, colour began to spread from their hands, and the pool reflected an image of Virgil, pacing back and forth somewhere Remus didn’t recognize.
“Uh, where is that?” Remus asked, glancing at Roman.
“I... don’t know.”
“Can we like, pan around?”
“I don’t know if it works like that,” Roman said, but it apparently wasn’t necessary, because Virgil chose that moment to walk in the opposite direction.
Their view shifted, and Remus felt his heart sink.
“He’s in the otherscape.”
“What?”
“The dark side, basically. Like your mindscape but... y’know. Ours. Er, mine.”
“Huh?” Roman said, puzzled. “Why would Virgil go there?”
“I’m more interested in the how. You light sides can’t rise up into it, and the door disappeared after Virgil left.”
“Wait, what?”
“I’ll explain more on the way back. We’ve gotta get the others, because I am not breaking into my own house without everyone there.”
“You’d break into your own house any day. You just like breaking into places.”
“Yeah, well. Usually I do it for more fun reasons.”
Roman sighed, squeezing Remus’ hand, and they both took off running.
Behind them, the pool began to drain.
( taglist [which i have now apparently?? tysm :7!!]: @glitchybina )
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