#i saw a tiktok the other day of a woman who had planned to give her daughter up for adoption

[ultrone]

Can I request a baby blurb about Spider!Lottie x Black Cat!Nat x reader who’s ordinary? I saw a LottieNat spider-woman au on TikTok and started thinking a lil bit about it. Reader has no clue her gfs are heroes works for the school newspaper and finds out somehow.

★🕸️🐈‍⬛ — 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗲 𝘅 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝘁 𝘅 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿

n/a. i know u asked for a baby blurb but by the time i finished writting this i realized that it was too long, i hope u don’t mind 😭 also ty for requesting this, i love marvel and dc but i currently only write for yjs so it felt like two birds one stone 😼🫶🏼

cw. 1.9k

after receiving a low grade on your most recent english literature essay, you faced the risk of failing the class if your grades didn't improve significantly. fortunately, your english professor, who also supervised the university’s newspaper, was in need of additional contributors and offered extra points if you joined. without hesitation, you agreed. although you weren't particularly passionate about journalism, you found it intriguing enough.

however, a few weeks ago, everything changed. an announcement was made regarding a contest, exclusively open to the twenty students involved with the newspaper. only one student would emerge as the winner, with their story featured on the front page—a prestigious honour typically reserved for seniors or professors. additionally, the winning story would be published in the state newspaper, which would undoubtedly enhance your linkedin profile, or so you thought. but what truly excited you was the ultimate reward: exemption from all remaining english literature exams for the semester, ensuring a perfect a+ as the final grade. this meant you could forego the rest of the english lit classes, and it became your primary goal—to craft the best story and secure victory in the contest.

recently, it was discovered that the two superheroes of the moment were, in fact, students at wiskayok university. how the media obtained this information remained a mystery, but its authenticity had been confirmed. you knew that if you were able to expose the identities of these heroes, it would cause a frenzy and undoubtedly lead to your victory. was it ethical to reveal their identities? maybe not. did you want to spend your summer retaking english class? absolutely not. with that in mind, you channelled all your determination and energy into this story.

as the days passed, your obsession with this personal project grew stronger. you had to admit that ever since you were little, you secretly loved superheroes. so, even though your main goal was to win the contest, you also found genuine interest in it. staying late at school, hiding between the bleachers or on the rooftops, became a routine as you searched for any peculiar signs. you even managed to swipe the absences list from the principal's office and kept track of the students with the highest number of absences, considering them as your prime suspects.

your girlfriends, nat and lottie, tried to convince you to stop this endeavour multiple times, insisting it was dumb and a waste of time—especially since it left you with little free time for them. nonetheless, you remained stubborn as ever, even when lottie offered to get you a tutor who could help you over the summer.

it was a tuesday afternoon after class. you dropped off your girlfriends at the field for their soccer practice, promising them that you would go straight home and wait for movie night, something you hadn't done in a while. little did they know, instead of keeping that promise, you had arranged to meet up with two friends. you had paid them beforehand to stage a scene on the street: one pretending to be a burglar, and the other acting as the victim. the plan worked, and now you found yourself hiding inside an empty trash container, straining your ears to catch snippets of distant voices. carefully, you lifted the lid a few centimetres, giving yourself a limited view of spider-woman and black cat as they removed their suits and changed into their regular clothes, which they had stashed in a backpack. unfortunately, your line of sight only reached up to their hips, as lifting the lid any further would risk exposing yourself to their gaze.

that was until a putrid smell reached your nostrils, prompting you to discreetly turn on your phone's flashlight. as the light revealed a dead rat in the corner, you couldn't help but gag, dropping the lid with a loud thud.

"fuck," you muttered, covering your mouth and nose, attempting to stay quiet, praying they hadn't heard you. but it was too late; barely a second later, the lid was forcefully lifted, and the intense daylight flooded your vision, momentarily blinding you.

you were scared shitless, fully prepared to face none other than spider-woman and black cat, and boy, were you fucked. you didn't even bother thinking about making a run for it, already envisioning the worst possible outcomes.

"babe?" you heard, the surprise evident in the familiar voice, pulling you back to reality. in an instant, you opened your eyes and found lottie standing right in front of you. perplexed, you glanced beside her, catching sight of nat, whose arm was lifting the lid.

you rose to your feet, surveying the area, only to discover that the superheroes had vanished. "what are you doing here? you said you were heading straight home," nat questioned, furrowing her eyebrows.

you were about to reply, stumbling over your words as you tried to come up with an excuse when something caught your eye. it was the backpack lottie was carrying—the same one spider-woman and black cat had used to retrieve their clothes just moments ago. shock washed over you, and the realization hit you like a bucket of cold water.

you stared at the backpack in disbelief, still trying to wrap your head around the entire situation. it all made sense now. their sudden disappearances, getting late to almost every single date, the frequent class absences, the mysterious phone calls. you knew they were up to something, but sure as hell you never thought it would be this. they weren’t even on your suspect list.

lottie and nat slowly shifted their gaze toward each other, guilt and embarrassment written all over their faces. it was clear that neither of them had expected you to stumble upon them like this. "we can explain," lottie finally spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper.

"why didn't you tell me?" you inquired, furrowing your brows as you patiently waited for an explanation.

nat shifted nervously from one foot to the other before finally taking a deep breath and replying, "we wanted to, but… we didn’t know how."

lottie nodded in agreement. "we didn't want to put you in danger, y/n, and we also didn't want you to worry," she added.

she began to explain further about her and nat's secret side gig. "we started doing this not long after meeting each other," she said, her voice laced with guilt.

nat stepped closer to you, her gaze apologetic yet determined at the same time. "and we know that keeping this from you wasn’t fair, but we thought it was the best thing for our relationship."

you felt a wave of emotions surge through your body: anger, confusion, worry. part of you wanted to yell at them for lying and keeping secrets from you, while another part reminded yourself that they were only trying to protect you. but if something bad happened to them or even worse—if they died while doing this—you didn't know how you would cope with the guilt.

lottie seemed to sense your distress and quickly stepped forward, her face full of determination. “hey, everything’s gonna be alright,” she said with a gentle smile, taking your hand in hers and soothingly stroking it with her thumb. “i promise.”

you sighed, tears welling up in your eyes. "i just want you both to be safe. i don't wanna lose you," you said, looking at them.

"but you won't," lottie reassured you. "we know how to take care of ourselves," she said.

"yeah, don't worry about us, babe," nat chimed in. "lotts' spidey senses are top-notch, and i have killer claws. see?" she showed her claws off with a mischievous grin, snarling playfully as she tried to make you laugh.

“dumbass," you said with a smile, nudging her shoulder. nat retracted her claws and used her thumb to wipe away your tears. "seriously though, don't worry. we'll be fine. and our top priority will always be to protect you and make sure you’re okay. we love you, y/n, a lot." she moved her hand to your cheek, softly stroking it.

"i love you too," you replied sincerely, hugging both of them tightly. they kissed your head simultaneously as lottie rubbed your back and nat stroked your hair. "but if you ever hide something like this from me again, i swear i'll kill you," you warned them as you playfully tugged their ears simultaneously, making them complain.

"okay, okay, we get it!" nat cried out as you finally let them go.

“owie," lottie said, rubbing her ear with a pained expression.

"you two act all tough in those suits but can't handle a little ear tug," you teased them.

before you could even laugh, one of them lifted you up and carried you away in her arms.

"holy fuck!" you yelled out in fear. "get me the fuck down!"

you tightly held onto lottie's body, closing your eyes shut as she held you securely in her arms. she had put her mask back on and was swinging between buildings with her spider webs. nat was right behind, using her claws and speed to leap from building to building, quickly catching up.

you could feel the wind rushing by your face as you sped through the afternoon sky, the scenery below becoming a blur. just as you were starting to get used to the exhilarating feeling, lottie gently landed on the ground, bringing you to your destination. opening your eyes, you realized you were on your room's balcony.

"what are we doing here? aren't you two going back to practice?" you asked.

"the last thing i wanna do after dealing with some burglar jerk is going back to school and putting up with taissa's annoying-ass team captain attitude," nat replied wearily, entering your room and tossing her backpack on the floor before flopping face-down onto your bed.

"yeah," lottie agreed. "and we thought this would be a perfect time to start movie night," she said as she hopped onto the bed beside nat and patted the spot in the middle, looking at you.

"fine… but we're gonna have a serious conversation about this later," you warned them. nat just hummed dismissively in response. "and you better start installing life360 on your phones," you commanded.

nat and lottie exchanged glances and made complaining faces at each other. "see? this is why i didn't want to tell her," nat muttered, her voice muffled by the pillows as she plopped her face back down.

“if you don’t do it i swear to god i’ll—” you started to say, but your words were cut off as lottie shot a spiderweb toward your mouth, silencing you. you began to mumble angrily, trying to remove it, which caught nat's curious gaze. she burst into laughter at the sight, and lottie couldn't help but join in. just as you managed to take off the spiderweb and were about to scold them, lottie shot another one, this time towards your body, pulling it swiftly and causing you to fly towards the bed, landing right between them.

as soon as you landed, they snuggled up to you and showered you with kisses all over your face, making you giggle and try to stop them with your hands.

"still mad at us?" lottie asked once they stopped.

“mmm, not if you let me pick today’s movie,” you negotiated.

"fair," nat said, grabbing the remote as the three of you snuggled together under the covers.

#𓏲 📂 ⋮ my works .ᐟ #lottie matthews #nat scatorccio #lottie matthews x reader #lottie matthews x you #lottie matthews x y/n #nat scatorccio x reader #nat scatorccio x y/n #nat scatorccio x you #lottienat #lottienat x reader #lottienat x you #lottienat x y/n #yellowjackets #yellowjackets x reader #lottie matthews drabble #nat scatorccio drabble #yellowjackets drabble #yellowjackets x y/n #yellowjackets x you

[late-to-the-party-81]

Pole to Pole

AN: I’ve been planning this fic for absolutely ages and @the-slumberparty week three "Something New" writer challenge was just the prompt I needed. For my trope I have used ‘Love at first sight’ and  ‘major miscommunication’. Also, as this is my first time writing a firefighter AU and my first time writing Curtis, it also serves as my entry to my own Challenge Yourself Challenge. This story is set in the same universe as @sidepartskinnyjeans Sparks and Barks and reader was inspired by this tiktok channel (but my fic reader is race neutral)

Beta’d by the ever patient @yarnforbrains.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics and moodboard/banners by me. 

Master list

Relationship: Firefighter Curtis Everett x Curvy! Female Reader

WC: 5.2k

CW: Angst! Miscommunication! Assumptions about what a fat person can do (fatphobia)!, mention of injured child (who recovers), Fluffy, hopeful, romcom style ending.

“Okay, guys! That’s it! Out!”

At the holler from Steve, Curtis closed the valves on the hydrant and started to uncouple the hoses that had been manned by Bucky, Nat, Jake and Nick. He also saw Sam out of the corner of his eye, talking to the EMT about the conditions in which they’d found the home-owner before the ambulance had turned up.

This job had been a run of the mill house fire. A timber framed building, an elderly home-owner, and a stove left unattended. Luckily the woman had managed to phone 911 herself and exit the property without much incident. It had been a straightforward call out, which Curtis was happy about; any job where everyone (including the animals) walked away without incident was a good one in his books.

He let out a grunt as he hefted the now rolled hose in his arms and placed it back in its designated home in the truck. Bucky appeared next to him, placing the other hose in beside the first.

“I think Cap is already on the phone to James about getting all the cats checked over. That’s if Mrs Jones can get them all rounded up.” He cast his eyes over to where the home-owner was trying to give the EMTs the slip so she could check on the six or more felines that were sitting, nonplussed, on the grass watching the proceedings.

Curtis let out a snort of amusement.

“What’s it like, having the boss-man dating your brother?”

“Weird as fuck, man. Cos like, if he knows about the freckle on Jimmy’s ass, then by extension he knows about the one on mine…”

“TMI, Buck. T -M - I.”

Ignoring the finger flipped at him by his team mate, Curtis swung up into the driver’s seat of the truck. He was glad it was almost the end of the day shift. He ached and was tired. He planned to hit the gym for a quick workout and then it would be home to his quiet apartment. Just the way he liked it.

Picking up his rough towel, Curtis swiped at the sweat on his brow before running it across his close cropped hair and then down his short beard. A hard workout was just what the doctor ordered, and so far, this new gym that had opened two blocks away from his apartment, was ticking all the boxes. All the latest equipment, ideally suited to people who wanted to keep themselves fit in the most efficient and economical way. That wasn’t to say that there weren’t some of what Curtis thought of as ‘frivolous’ or ‘lightweight’ options here as well. He supposed that to be viable the management had to cater to all types, but he wasn’t really sure what jazzercise or fitness pole were supposed to achieve.

When he’d seen the sign-up sheet for the latter it had caused him to let out an uncharacteristic chuckle. Fitness pole. A way to let bored housewives live out their stripper fantasies in a safe environment was all that was for, surely?

As he walked out of the main room and towards the changing rooms he passed one of the side studios. Peering in he realised that this is where the pole-fitness would be taking place. Several slim, chrome-shiny poles, with little ‘stages’ at their base were fitted between floor and ceiling. 

Despite his initial disdain, Curtis couldn’t contain his curiosity and dropped his water bottle and towel by the door before advancing into the room. The mirrors on the three walls were a bit off-putting in his opinion. He walked up to the pole at the front, the instructor’s one, he assumed, and grasped it with his hand. It was a good third slimmer than the station pole, and he wondered how it could bear any weight at all.

“Thinking of joining the class?” A lilting musical voice sounded from behind him, and made him jump - not an easy feat considering both his size and his occupation. Whipping round, Curtis saw who he thought must be one of the class students. She certainly didn’t look like any of the pole dancers he’d seen in his misspent youth. 

That wasn’t to say she wasn’t attractive. In fact, in his opinion, she was stunning. But she was in no way petite or svelte. The outfit she had on also left none of her curves to the imagination, firstly because it was tight, but secondly because there wasn’t a lot of it. Black spandex hugged her hips, stomach and breasts, leaving the entirety of her legs and arms free.

“I… umm…” Why had his mouth stopped working?

“You certainly look strong enough. I bet you’d find it a breeze.”

“Umm..gotta go…” 

Being the tall and often intimidating man that he was, Curtis had never considered that he’d be the type to scuttle out of somewhere, but once back home, in the thunderous silence of his apartment, he had to admit to himself that that’s what he’d done. Run away, blushing and tongue-tied. He couldn’t for the life of him work out why though. He was no green lad, wet behind the ears, and if he were being totally honest, he’d had more than his fair share of dalliances and romps. He’d even had a few relationships as well, but none that ever seemed to last, and when they had ended he hadn’t found himself to cut up about them being over.

He saw pretty women all the time, but none of them had ever turned him mute. Maybe it was because he was so tired? That must have been it. He continued to brood on and off as he ate his dinner for one, drank a beer and watched wild-fire documentaries on the tv.

“You alright, Curtis?”

“Huh?” Curtis lifted his head up at the sound of Val’s voice. 

The assistant chief walked over to him with her usual cocky swagger, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

“It’s just if you try to polish that panel any more I think the red will come off.” She gesticulated with her slim finger towards where Curtis had a cleaning rag in a death grip, pressed against the side of his truck. He followed her gaze to find that the red metal now gleamed under his distracted ministrations. Looking back up he saw the massive grin on her face as she leaned nonchalantly against the firetruck.

“So, are you alright? It’s just normally you’re out-grumping Nick and out-scowling Bucky, but today you’re just staring into space like you got something on your mind.”

“Nah, ‘s’nothin’. Just tired. Stuck in a rut, maybe?” He shrugged, but was taken aback slightly when Val stood straight and placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. She was all business now, her assistant chief game-face in place.

“Well, as long as that’s all it is. I need my best driver at the top of his game.” 

Curtis gave her a brief nod before she walked back to her office. What was wrong with him? He’d been in a funk for several days, since his visit to the gym and his interaction with Curved and Dangerous. He hadn’t even seen the instructor and the rest of the class arrive given how fast he’d excused himself. In his mind’s eye, he’d been imagining peeling the black spandex off of her, exposing the luscious skin underneath, and feasting on her. He’d only heard her voice briefly but he couldn’t get it out of his head. He imagined how she’d sound as she came. Came under his touch.

Fuck!

He hadn’t been this infatuated in someone since junior high and his hormones had been a steamrolling mess. He couldn’t even remember that girl’s name now. Lisa? Lizzy?

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the alarm siren going off. Pulling up his suspender straps he jumped up into the cab of the truck as the others came sliding down the pole. The juxtaposition between what he’d just been thinking about and watching his fully clad team mates gripping the pole between their thighs was suddenly too much, and he let out a guffaw. 

As Nat slid into the seat next to him she gave him a confused look.

“What you laughing at, Ice Man?”

He smiled and shook his head.

“Nothin’, Nat. Nothin’. Let’s get this show on the road.” Turning his head over his right shoulder, he shouted into the back. “Buckle up, losers. I’m hitting the gas.”

Why was he back here? Back at this time? He could easily have come for a workout any other day or at any other time today. But no, he had to be here the same time the pole-fitness was going on. At a time that would mean that he’d finish his normal routine of reps and exercises at the right moment to walk past the studio mid-class.

Curtis supposed he could do a few extra reps and cooldown stretches. Delay his exit.

He should. Because otherwise he’d feel like a creep. Which is why, twenty minutes later, he hadn’t done any of that and found himself walking towards the studio on his way to the changing room,hyper aware of how hard his heart was beating in his chest. He tried to snap himself out of it. Convince himself that his stupid crush would disappear as soon as he saw her inelegantly trying to hook her leg around the pole. Not that he wished her harm, but if she fell flat then it would just prove to his dick brain that she was just a normal, regular human and not some ethereal creature brought to life.

Unfortunately for the burly fireman, the universe decided to fuck with him.

He came to a halt outside the glass wall and peered in at the group of mostly women (he was sure he saw a couple of skinny, muscular guys at the end of a row). His eyes travelled from the back of the class to the front trying to spot her. All the attendees were standing behind their poles, looking towards the front where the instructor…

He froze. 

His heart stopped in his chest. 

Curtis.exe malfunctioned. 

Because there she was. At the front, demonstrating to the class. Upside down, shapely thighs and calves wrapped around the pole, spinning slowly. He gawped. Mouth open, eyes wide and… shit!

He moved suddenly, as fast as he could manage, toward the changing room and the blessedly cold shower he urgently needed.

He was getting on his own nerves now. He was fine alone. Always had been and always would be. And seriously, he’d barely spoken to the woman and seen her only twice, but thoughts of her filled nearly every waking moment. He’d never believed in love at first sight, and he wasn’t going to start now.

 “Curtis!” He snapped out of it with the bark from Steve and turned toward his Captain.

“Take over for Sam! Bucky’s coming out with someone, and EMTs are still 5 minutes out.” With a curt nod, he jogged over from the hydrant to where Sam was tackling the blaze on the south-east corner of the building, taking hold of the high pressure hose and digging his heels in to absorb the recoil, allowing the team medic to rush over towards their team-mate who had just cleared the doorway, a small body over his shoulder. 

When Sam reached him, Bucky carefully placed the inert child on the grass and started to assist Sam with the CPR.  Curtis kept one eye on them whilst trying to keep his portion of the blaze under control. He hated call-outs where there were kids involved. 

Bucky and Sam were still working on their charge when the ambulance turned up, all sirens and lights. The EMTs took over,and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when there was a small cheer and a load of coughing. Curtis let go of some of the anxiety he hadn���t realised he’d been holding and turned his attention fully back to the fire. 

Pounding stuff was good.

Jab. Jab. Uppercut.

He’d foregone his usual workout routine today, needing stress relief after the near miss at the fire earlier on. The crew all had their own ways of dealing with days like this, and punching sandbags was his.

“I’m glad that’s a sandbag you’re punching and not a person.”  As soon as the voice reached his ears, Curtis’ body went on high alert. 

Her.

He heard the click-click of the heels of her shoes across the floor as she came closer, and he tried to maintain his composure and his rhythm. She appeared in his field of vision from the side, dropped her bag to the floor and went and stood behind the sandbag, steadying it with her hands.

“I thought it only fair that I come watch you after you were watching me the other day. You seem awfully fascinated with the poles.”

Curtis raised his head to look at her fully and tried to steel his face into a neutral expression, all the while his brain was short-circuiting due to her close presence. God, her eyes. He could get lost in those eyes and never worry about returning home.

“I… umm… use them everyday. Well, one. Umm…” For fuck’s sake. He stopped and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the twinkle in her eyes as she watched him flounder. Pulling off his gloves, he swiped his sweaty hand down his gym shorts and thrust it out in front of him.

“Curtis Everitt, New York Fire Department, Brooklyn Station House. At your service.”

She took hold of his proffered hand in her own smaller one and smiled as she shook it, chuckled and gave her own name.

“That explains an awful lot. So it was professional curiosity that led you into my studio the first time? And the second time? Before you ran away like someone had set your ass on fire? ‘Cause it seemed to me that you liked something you saw.” She waggled her eyebrows in amusement, and God - Curtis didn’t know whether he should just run away in embarrassment or kiss the knowing smirk off her face. In the end he chose a third option.

“Yeah, um, sorry about that. For some reason I didn’t expect you to be the instructor.” He felt the flush creeping up the back of his neck and rubbed at it, as though trying to erase the pink hue suffusing his skin.

Her expression soured, and Curtis’ heart sank. “Mmm-hmm. I wonder why? I get that a lot. No-one expects this,” she grabbed a handful of her flesh through her leotard and jiggled it, “to swing around a pole with grace and talent. Well, now I know the reason for your stares, I’ll say my good-byes and not bother you any longer.”

She turned, dejected and Curtis was filled with a sense of panic. His hand flew out and snagged her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

“Wait, please. That didn’t come out right. Well… okay, it was right when I said I didn’t expect you to be the instructor, and yes it was because of your size, and I’m ashamed that I thought that. But I… well…I think you’re stunning. And when I saw you, you know, doing your thing, my mind was blown and…”

She was looking at him, still unimpressed, but not making any further move to leave, which gave him a flicker of hope to salvage the situation.

“Look, I’m not expressing myself properly. I was surprised, yes, but like I said, you’re gorgeous and I didn’t expect to be so… so enamoured…”

“Why? ‘Cause I’m fat and you don’t normally like fat women. Or is there something about me that allows you to ‘overlook’ the extra pounds?”  This time she did pull her hand free.

Fuck fuck fuck.

“Goodbye, Curtis. See you around.”

She turned and walked out without a backwards glance, the sound of her heels in time with the thudding of Curtis’ heart.

If the others at the station house thought that Curtis had been acting strangely before, it was nothing to how he was acting now. And the worst part was, he knew it, but he couldn’t get out of the funk. He clattered around, grumpier than usual and snapping at the others. It therefore didn’t come as much of a surprise to him when he was called into Steve’s office.

“Sit. Talk.” Steve gesticulated with his pen, and his tone prevented any disagreement. With a sigh, Curtis threw himself into the chair opposite the large wooden desk. He stared at the grooves on its well weathered surface, his thoughts swirling as he tried to work out what to say to his commanding officer. Unfortunately for him, Steve wasn’t in a patient mood. 

“You do realise that in order to talk you have to open your mouth and let words come out? Even without Val coming and telling me something was eating you, it was obvious. You’ve gone from more quiet and sullen than usual to crankier than usual. So, come on, man, spit it out for Christ’s sake.”

Curtis took a deep breath. “It’s personal, sir. But I’m sorry my mood has been affecting the team. I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

It was Steve’s turn to sigh. He closed the document folder in front of him and leant back in his chair.

“Don’t shut me out, Curtis. I might be your boss, but I’d like to think we were friends too. I’ve never seen you like this, in all the years I’ve known you, so I know it’s something big. Spill.”

Curtis could feel the blush rising up his neck. Fuck, he was warm and uncomfortable. All this ‘feelings’ bullshit was new to him. He was hard and tough. Not to say Steve wasn’t, but the Captain had always had a softness to him too. A pureness. And since he’d started dating James, it had only got more pronounced. And Curtis wasn’t like that. 

Didn’t think he could ever be like that. It just wasn’t him. 

For a moment he’d thought he could have it; a relationship that had meaning. If it had been with her. But he’d royally fucked up.

“I made my girl feel bad. That’s what’s up.” His admission came out as a soft growl.

Steve’s eyes widened.

“You, gotta girl? Like a girlfriend, girl? Mr. “Thank you, next” has a girlfriend?”

“Hey! Don’t say it like that. Although, she wasn’t my girl. Not really. But I think I wanted her - no, want her to be. But it freaked me out, and I couldn’t say what I meant and what I did say insulted her. And I don’t know how to make it right, or whether she will even look at me again.”

Steve swiped his hand over his eyes in disbelief. 

“Well, I can’t help you there, bud. You’ll have to work out what you can do to make it up to her by yourself. And she might not accept it, and then you’ll have to accept that. It’s hard, man, this love thing, but I can tell you, it’s worth it. Have hope. What would get her attention long enough that you can say your piece? Think on it. But not when you’re working. Now scram. I got paperwork to finish and you’ve got a truck to maintain.”

Curtis pushed back his chair, the legs scrapping loudly on the concrete floor before nodding brusquely at his Captain and making his way to the door. His hand had just gripped the doorknob when Steve’s voice sounded again, making him stop.

“And Curtis… Good luck. I’m rooting for you. You deserve a bit of happiness.” 

The corners of his mouth twitched, an unusual occurrence.  “Thanks, Steve.”

Confidence renewed, Curtis just had to come up with a plan. As he used the leg press machine, and tried not to throw sideways glances towards the door of the gym room, wishing he could see through it to the studio beyond, he ran through different options in his head. Unfortunately, as soon as he had an idea, he discounted it. Too cheesy, not classy enough, too frivolous. There was something wrong with all of them.

He glanced up toward the clock on the wall. He’d come a little later tonight, and should be finished after the pole fitness class finished. The digital display confirmed that the studio should be emptying about now, leaving it clear in about 5 minutes. He pushed down the metal plate under his feet twice more, before letting it come back into place, the weights letting out a clang as he did so.

Curtis stood, wiped down the machine and then himself before striding towards the double doors. His pace slowed when he reached the studio as his nerves tried to get the better of him. He peered around the door and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was empty. Yes, he wanted to see her again, but he needed to know what he was going to do first. For now, he just wanted to feel some kind of connection. 

As he walked up to the pole at the front of the studio, he studied it as if it might reveal its secrets. He reached his hand out and slid it up the smooth surface. Was he imagining that the metal still held some of the warmth from her skin? He couldn’t believe that he’d been so stupid - made that ridiculous assumption of her abilities, based on stereotypes and social conditioning. He knew better than that. He’d never judged a woman’s intelligence or professional abilities due her size, so why had he judged her physicality? It wasn’t as though he was some small, delicate flower, and he knew how powerful and flexible he was…

It was as though a lightbulb had come on over his head, like in the cartoons he’d watched as a child. That was it! He knew what he needed to do. Hopefully, she’d be so dumbstruck by his display, that he’d have the chance to get his words out. But he’d have a lot of planning and practise to do.

Turning on his heel, Curtis practically jogged out of the gym, a grin splitting his usually stoic facade. This was going to work. He was sure of it.

Curtis spent the whole walk home on his phone, researching. As soon as he got inside his apartment he went straight to his tool box, intent on finding his tape measure to make sure his plan was feasible. He may or may not have let out a small ‘whoop’ of excitement upon discovering it was. Straight back to his phone, he ordered the item he needed, having decided upon the best retailer during his research. He’d even paid extra for priority shipping, but the 2-3 day wait was still going to feel like too long. However, there was other stuff he could do in the meantime like watching tutorial videos and shuffling his furniture around.

“Hey, Curtis, my man! How’re ya doin’? You gotta smile there!” 

Curtis couldn’t hold back the little chuckle that escaped him as he breezed in past Jake and Mickey where they were leaning on the reception desk, joking with the sweet girl who kept them all on track.. Normally the goofy pair got on his nerves, but he was in a good mood, full of confidence. His plan was coming together; his delivery had come and been installed, and he was making progress with the help of various videos. 

“It’s a good day, Jake!” He smiled at the bleach blonde computing nerd and then gave a sideways nod to his somewhat frivolous bestie. “Mickey. Stay outta trouble guys. See you in the break room later on.” He then turned his attention to the station house sweetheart. “And don’t let these two give you any sass. Tell ‘em to fuck off if they get too annoying.” Her eyes went wide at the thought of talking back to the two flirtatious men and telling them to go about their day. Curtis chuckled again, gave her a wink and made his way through to the garage.

A week later and his confidence was a bit more shaky. Alright, a lot more. Because now it was crunch time. He once again felt like a creep, hanging outside the studio, but this time he’d deliberately hung back so he couldn’t see through the windows, although close enough that he could see when all the class were leaving. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, psyching himself up. When he heard the creak of the door hinges and the wall of sound that escaped as the class walked out, he opened his eyes. It was now or never. 

Stepping forwards he held the door for them, marvelling properly at the different range of folk who’d been taking part. Different ages, races, sizes and genders. It made him feel stupid all over again.

As the last one walked out, a leggy brunette who gave him a coy smile, he walked into the studio and closed the door behind him.

“Ummm. Hi.”  His voice echoed slightly in the near empty room. He saw her stiffen for a moment, before she turned, a neutral expression on her face.

“How can I help you, Curtis?”

“Look, I was hoping that I could apologise to you again. And try to explain myself better.”

She crossed her arms in front of her, cocked her hip and raised an eyebrow.

“You think you can do that without digging yourself a bigger hole? And this better be good. I don’t have the time, or the energy, to deal with fuck-bois who think they are doing me a favour by deigning to be interested in me, despite my size.”

The emphasis she put on the word made him wince, but she hadn’t told him fuck off, so he took a step closer, although still mindful of her personal space.

“Firstly, I want to say I’m sorry again about being surprised you were the instructor. It was stupid and narrow-minded of me. I thought I was better than that, and I should be better than that. And that’s a me problem. Something I have to work on. But I really hope that you’re able to accept my apology.”

She didn’t relax her pose, but her lips twitched minutely.

“You said that was ‘firstly’. What’s ‘secondly’?”

“The second thing is about how I expressed my attraction to you. When I said I didn’t expect to be so enamoured that had nothing to do with how you look and everything to do with me and my history, or lack thereof, of relationships. I didn’t expect to feel the way that I feel, because I’ve never felt that way. I’ve never had a relationship last longer than a few months, and it was always me ending them because I was bored, and obviously not feeling what I thought I should be feeling.” He stopped, running back over what he’d just said in his head. “There’s a lot of feelings in this…”

She cracked a smile at that, and Curtis felt lifted.

“What I’m trying to say is that there is something special about you, about who you are, that for some reason makes me sit up, and notice, and want things I’ve never wanted before. And it has nothing to do with your size. You could be a size 2 or a size 22, or anything, and I’d still think you the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I’d still want to see your face every day and want to make you smile. The thought that I’d hurt you with what I said last time, with my inability to articulate my thoughts… well it messed me up, and all I’ve been trying to do is find a way to say sorry and show you that, despite how few interactions we’ve had, I think you’re special.”

Was that a softening of her posture he saw? He had to hope so.

“You got something to show me, Hot Stuff? What is it? Better not be your dong though.”

“What? No!” 

That’s when she laughed, and as she did, her face lit up. Curtis’ heart surged, despite the embarrassment he was feeling.

“Oh! Your face, Curtis! I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. Okay, okay. What is it you wanna show me?”

He smiled back and walked towards her, only to cause confusion to cross her face when he actually passed her. He stopped by her pole and looked it up and down. He toed off his sneakers and whipped his gym shirt off over his head.

“Erm…what are you doing?” 

Curtis looked back over his shoulder “At best? Impressing you a bit. At worst? Making you laugh. Either way, I hope it works out well for me.”

Curtis took his phone out of his shorts pocket, tapped the screen to start up some music, grabbed her bottle of dusting powder and tapped some onto his hands before he took hold of the pole in his right hand. Lifting his right leg, he went into a back arch, then bent further into a backbend. He flashed her an upside down wink before standing, sashaying around the pole to face her, and doing a back slide down the pole. He slid back up, and still holding the pole he dropped his body weight and moved around it, building momentum until he grasped it with his left hand too, going into a carousel spin. He continued to spin and grind against the pole in time to the music and he watched as she brought her hands up to her face, but didn’t stop watching, and continued to smile and giggle.

He danced and glided, swinging up into a fireman spin, before coming back down to terra firma, on his knees in front of her and bending back on himself into a knee bridge, one hand on top of his head and his firm chest and abs on display. He was breathing hard, and smiled up at her hopefully. That had been far more exhilarating than he thought it would have been.

“Alright, Magic Mike. I had a hunch that you’d be good at this, but color me impressed.”

Curtis sat up on his knees.

“Impressed enough to maybe give me a second chance and let me take you out on a date?”

“Yes, you goober. Now get off the floor.” She extended her hand and Curtis took hold, allowing her to help him to his feet. “One condition though; you join my class. Your forward spin was a bit sloppy. Oh! And please tell me that you practised at work…”

Curtis grinned, the flush of exertion hiding the flush of embarrassment. “Might have just done a little bit when no one was around…” She threw back her head and laughed.

“I’d have paid good money to see that.”

“If I play my cards right with you, then maybe you will…”

“Maybe, indeed. And Curtis… never doubt me again.”

“Never.”

Tag list: @jobean12-blog @tuiccim @flordeamatista @krissy25 @bodeckersdiamonddoll @goldylions @luxeavenger @wheezy-stucky @doasyoudesireandlive @chemtrails-club @seitmai @marvelstarker-mha98 @talia-rumlow @peaches1958 @pono-pura-vida

#curtis everett x female reader #curtis everett fanfic #curtis everett #navy and roo's sleepover #late writes

[cobycobsy2k]

Things from the 2000s that have returned and could return

Well guys, you know that I LOVE everything that has to do with the 2000s, the 90s and the 70s. I had planned this blog for several months but for reasons (Breakdowns, school, exams and etc...) I couldn't do this blog,

 So let's look at some trends from the 2000s that have come back very quietly and others that could come back faster than you think!

1.- The iconic Highlights of the 2000s:

If there is one thing that came back from the 2000s with a pretty big improvement it would be The Highlights, this style was worn by girls like Christina Aguilera (Especially in 2000 and 2002), Kelly Clarkson (in her American Idol and Debut Era), Shakira ( During Laundry Service Era). Well this style is back, the other day a girl at my high school was wearing them and they looked great on her, and this post leads me to the next one.

2.-The Pouf hairstyle:

The most iconic hairstyle of the mid to late 2000s, was worn by almost everyone from Britney Spears, Xtina, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Scherzinger, Hilary Duff and etc... (The greatest heyday of this hair style could be said which was the years 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007), well, what if I told you that this style is making a comeback so to speak? I have seen several people wearing this style, including a friend. (I think the girl in this picture is Addison Rae):

3.- The Gladiator Sandals:

Gladiator sandals or as I like to call them: Roman sandals, I wouldn't know very well if this is very mid 2000s or early 2010s (But investigating well, it could be said that these sandals began to be worn in 2004), this type of Shoes were very essential for boho chic (very characteristic aesthetic of the mid 2000s), Kate Moss and every girl who had the boho chic style wore them. Well, it turns out that when I went on vacation to the beach, I saw a woman with gladiator sandals, would you wear gladiator sandals?

4.-Thin eyebrows:

One of the most hated trends of the 2000s (having its origins in the 20s and 30s), thin brows are making a somewhat chaotic comeback, Doja Cat, Bella Hadid, Rihanna, Barbie Ferreira and other celebrities are embracing this trend. . In my honest opinion, thin brows would look good If only they looked a bit thick plus the brows of the moment would be Fluffy Brows (Which I find pretty unlike Instagram Brows, which scare me a bit as they give a feeling of anger)

5.-Jewelry:

Jewelry in the 2000s was so varied (from hoop earrings, pearl necklaces and rings) it's making a big comeback, I've seen a lot of guys wearing rings on almost every finger on their hands and I've seen a lot of girls with the earrings from earrings, One of the celebrities who is embracing y2k fashion with a lot of style is our dear Riri, I find her outfits super cute, especially this one with jewelry:

(By the way this Outfit reminds me a lot of this outfit of Britney in 2003):

6.-Emos?:

The emos were the most iconic subculture of the 2000s, after their disappearance, a great return was expected and precisely with the return to the mainstream of Pop Punk, the subculture could also be returning. Honestly, I have a somewhat conceptualized idea of ​​the possible emos of this decade: Smokey Eyes like Damiano David or Victoria de Angelis, Wearing dark lipsticks or glosses like Willow, Copying MGK's style in a certain way

7.-Scene Kids:

The same as the Emos, only that the scene Kids are characterized by the use of bright colors, the celebrity that is imposing the possible return of the Scene Kids would be Avril Lavigne, who with her album "Love Sux" showed an image more similar to a Scene Kid:

8.-Gaucho Pants:

One of the trends of the 2000s that I personally find great, Ashlee Simpson and Nicole Richie were some of the celebrities who wore this style in the 2000s. This year the Gaucho Pants are beginning to be seen again thanks to some models and TikTok, although Dua Lipa has also worn them

9.-French Tips:

The French Tips were the most iconic nail style of the 2000s (especially if they were a bit small and checkered), they looked simple and pretty, and that's why for their return, they decided to adapt to the tastes of each person (Now the line white can be painted the color you like the most or you can even make some different designs), I like this return of french tips! And you?

10.-Navel Piercing:

This trend was obviously going to come back yes or yes thanks to the revival of Low Rise jeans and the whale tail, I have always liked this trend and I feel that it can shine with a Mid Rise and a Low Rise (I plan to do navel piercing before the end of August)

11.- Uggs:

I saved the best/worst trend for last, yes folks... Uggs are making a comeback (In their original form)I've seen several guys and girls wearing uggs (very similar to the original ones from the 2000s), honestly I wouldn't use that trend, but since I live in a bit of a cold place, some uggs wouldn't do me any harm haha

Which of these trends do you like? I hope to hear your opinion!😁❤

#cobycobs random #y2k fashion #2000s trends that returned

[pbandjesse]

Today was a pretty good day off. I did a lot and that was nice. I then had an intense allergy attack and now I feel pretty exhausted. But it was still a good day.

I woke up this morning to say goodbye to James. And then slept until 9. When I got up I had texts and emails that stressed me out. First it was Mike asking me if I could come give a tour this afternoon. I immediately said I could not. This is now the third time I have said no to working today. Which is frustrating. And then I felt guilty for saying no. Then I had emails for a commission I'm doing for the wedding tomorrow that was confusing. Thankfully that was handled pretty fast. And then it was just someone not answering my questions at awah that had me stressed out. But I just had to leave it. There was nothing else I could do.

I stayed in bed for a while. But once I got up I would feel fine. My hair is bothering me right now. Like it looks fine but also it's not curling or really doing much of anything. I want to grow it out for the summer so I'm trying not to be annoyed with it but it is hard to not just go and chop it.

I would do a little vacuuming. But soon I decided I would go out.

I drove to Canton to go get a bagel. I struggled with ordering because I couldn't figure out how to tell them I wanted my bagel toasted. But I asked someone and they said it's standard now. Neat. So I got a bagel and a soda. And I got James two bagels for them to have for breakfasts this week. They had old bay everything bagels which smelled nice. The bagel place was surprisingly busy for 1030 on a weekday. But it didn't take long, though other people were acting like waiting was the worst thing to ever happen to them.

I had my bagel outside and enjoyed watching the water for a little while. And then I headed to target.

I had a few things we needed. And a few things we didn't. But I mostly stuck to the list. I didn't even look at clothes, was proud of myself there. I was annoyed with myself for forgetting my soda stream canister but it's fine. It'll get it replaced soon.

I went to the car to drop everything off. And then walked to five below to walk around. I did get a Tshirt there, I saw someone wearing it on TikTok and thought it was cute. It is just a grey Hanes Tshirt that says "wellness club" in rainbow letters. No idea why I like it but I think it'll be good for camp.

I went to Michaels next. I needed a few things for my anniversary project I'm working on for James. And I had fun looking at the clearance section. I chatted with a woman about the clearance totebags I found. A really good price. And then I headed home.

I had purchased dunkaroos at target. And ate those while I drove home. When I got back here I brought my stuff inside and then got start working on my gift.

I spent about 3 hours organizing and planning and then executing my ideas. And I'm thrilled with how it came out. I don't want to share much just in case but it was a big labor of love. Also used almost all of our picture paper. But I'm super proud and I'm excited for next weekend when I can share it.

It was late in the afternoon at this point. James wasnt home yet. And my allergies were starting to bug me. I had a snack and laid on the couch with Sweetp. Who has choked on a treat I gave them and I was feeling some kind of way about it. My poor baby.

James got home and my allergies were popping off. They would get me some medicine and would just chill on the couch with me. Eventually they would go for a walk and I would take a bath.

James made us a little dinner. And now we are just chilling in bed. I am tired but I feel happy. It was nice to just be by myself today.

Especially because tomorrow is going to be really busy. I am running the market tomorrow. And then I have the print commission for the wedding. And then I'm working the wedding! So I am assuming I won't have time to sleep in the afternoon. But we will see what happens. Maybe I'll still make it happen. I hope it's a fun day.

Goodnight everyone. Take care of yourself! Sleep good!

[donnabroadway]

Hypergamy

I was recently watching a show where a billionaire tech guru was accused of having an affair and murdering one of his subordinates and one of the controversies was that he was like many successful men, he had a white wife. In one of the scenes with his black female lawyer, he said he knew of the criticism and his justification is that she was with him when he had nothing. I noted that but left it on the backburner. Today, I was scrolling through TikTok and someone who is regularly known for speaking on relationships and how many people settle for subpar partners and are unhappy, answered a question where the person stated many of the attractive men in our community, and I mean black because she and I are both phenotypically and culturally black, were hood men and she agreed. I immediately tied the two together. The hood men have a certain swag, they fast talk, look good, smell good, and they actually talk to women but aren’t good people overall. The nerdy men often say they got with white and other women outside their race because black women weren’t checking for them before they became successful. It got my wheels to turning. I see many men who claim to be good men complaining about women not checking for them but when you dig deeper, their idea of flirting or asking out was to put themselves in the friendzone, have random run ins, or stare at the woman they liked or dream about her, everything but ask her out and they become so hurt and slighted when someone, who they perceive as not as good as them, actually asks her out and she accepts. It doesn’t matter how good of a man you are; most women aren’t mind readers and most black women are taught not to pursue men because religion says that your husband will find you and pursuing a man is out of order. Tell that to the future hypergymists. They see a man with million, billion, or even hundred thousandnaire potential and dig their claws into him and hold onto him for 10-15 years because they know that swag can be bought or developed but talent and the ability to actually use their potential to its full capacity is rare. They often learn how to spot future high earning men very early on from the women in their families and they use those skills to land a future baller very early on and they don’t let go until it is the ultimate end or they are walking away with half his earnings, several luxury cars, and several big homes all while never working a day in their lives and having no immediate plans to ever get a traditional job, even after divorcing.

There is a quote that says most people miss opportunities because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work. We often miss the future gems because they are nerdy, can’t dress, don’t look good on the outside, may not have the best social skills but they have potential to give you a good life. They are trained to spot the diamond in the rough and subtly polish him off. Think about it. There have only been 4,000 NBA players in the 50+ years that the NBA has formally been the NBA, which means although there are millions of young men wanting to have one of those spots, only  60 men get them every year. There are tens of thousands of D1 college hoop players who will never professionally touch a basketball on American soil. What makes these 4,000 men different? I believe a lot of luck but also hard work and dedication, which often means not having as much of a social life but many of them have had a high school or college sweetheart who was there before he started getting attention because she saw the potential. If you see someone who is shooting 60% efficiency from the free throw line and is starting to get some media attention, but the girls aren’t on him because he’s not “fine,” why not get in on the ground floor? If you see someone who codes in their free time and is very smart, why not get with him before he has anything? What I’m saying is many women who have successfully leveled up did so by getting in on the ground floor. They recognized the potential and stuck around. Does this always work? No but it is more likely to work when you have someone who has never had a girlfriend and you were his first. Men are still men in spite of the money and status. Let’s not pretend the women supporting their future doctor, lawyer, engineer, businessman, NFL or NBA player don’t see the future payout. It doesn’t matter if they support him for 5-10 years while he gets his degree or affairs in order, they know once he’s settled and he gets his first big boy paycheck, she will be on easy street and she will never have to work again. It is the long game. If she says she put in the work, she is entitled to payoff from the sacrifice she made so he can become who he is. Vanessa Bryant famously never shot with Kobe in the gym but is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars from deals Kobe made before he passed. Their marriage wasn’t easy with his very public infidelity and them almost divorcing, but Vanessa got married when she was 18 and even Kobe said all she would do is sleep all day while he went to two a day practices, so besides being a mother, Vanessa’s job was to sleep all day and manage their home. This is a woman who has never had a job a day in her life, do you think she was really going to divorce Kobe? Many of them are taught to turn a blind eye to the infidelity and embarrassment because having access to his millions, or even billions, is a lot better than alimony and child support.  They are not stupid. They know it is a business arrangement and mistresses, sugar babies, IG thots, and even outside children be damned. They are not leaving that million-dollar lifestyle for anyone. They may live in a different multimillion-dollar home in a different city but they are not giving up the lifestyle, the title, and benefits simply because their husband’s penis slipped into another woman or he paid $60,000 bills and benefits for his sugar baby. She spends that much in two days. Who cares? Many wives know and they don’t care, which is why they laugh in the mistress’s face because, again, she put in the work and she’s not giving up her lifestyle for anyone. She earned it.

The problem is many of us choose men with potential and no drive, men with no potential, or we get pregnant too early in process and we derail everything because instead of getting 18 years of child support payment, he may  marry them but now he has a family to support, which means putting his dreams aside and getting a real job that pays significant less than his potential earnings, had he stayed the course or even worse, he may not want the responsibility of fatherhood and now you are a single mother who is fighting for the minimum child support payment.

I know we like to make women victims and mean the criminal masterminds, but women aren’t stupid. I would be very surprised if Ned Fulmer’s wife, Ariel, went anywhere. She has been with him for many years and his infidelity was an open secret. She may not have known known but she knew. He may be fired but he’s good financially. The Try Guys had to buy him out because his home and money was used to film the first few Try Guys video and all of the other members claim he did a lot of the groundwork  of building the brand but Ned will be fine. He helped build a million-dollar brand, which means even with the public disgrace a company, or some aspiring social media star will ask for his help and he will be making six figures a month again very soon. He’ll eventually do a public reconciliation with the Try Guys, make a series of apology videos, they will talk about what happened and Ned may recover a lot better than the Try Guys because it seems as if he was the business mastermind and Ariel has to consider if she wants to be a broke, single mother or if she wants to stomach the temporary embarrassment but take advantage of the fact she has Ned by the balls and can get whatever she wants. These are the real decisions made in a marriage where there are a lot of assets.

#hypergamy #reasonabledoubt #ned fulmer #kobe bryant #vanessa bryant #savannah james

[exploringislamjourney]

Why I started researching

I'll be honest: it was this most recent bout of attacks against Palestine (2023).

Whether you see it as an opportunity for people outside of the faith to learn, or as another trend/personality type for people all over the internet, is your perspective. As for me, having grown up with the images of the Middle East that my country's media has shown, I decided it was high time to get the other side of the story.

I've never hated Muslims, or Islam, or Middle Eastern people as a whole. I was in 4th grade when I witnessed 9/11 on television, and grew up in a school system that showed documentaries and played audio in subsequent years, as if I could ever forget the imagery from that day. I didn't have access to the internet at home, nor did I have reason to look further into what was going on. I'm not even sure I would have been able to find an unbiased source of information at the time (i.e., not favoring the Western depiction of the Middle East). All I had was the tragedy, the empathy to know that the Islamophobic attacks in the US and elsewhere were wholly undeserved, and the information given by local and national news.

I'll be honest: when I first read an article about October 7th, I sighed. "Here we go," I told my husband, sensing an incoming something of horrible proportions. Soon after, though, I searched up Palestine on TikTok, and I saw just how flippant my weary phrasing had been. Left and right, I saw horrible images and videos---things that should never happen to anyone, ever. But I kept watching, because I could see the censorship, the redirection of the Western narrative to favor their allies and not address the heinous things that the US, among others, have contributed to during this time. I educated myself on a history I should have looked into sooner, and realized what many have known long before me: this began before October 7th, 2023, no doubt about that.

It wasn't long before I saw a TikTok wherein a young woman (Catholic, I believe?) marveled at the faith of the Palestinians in Gaza, even as they lost everything and everyone. She said something to the effect of, "I know I wouldn't be able to handle it, if I lost what they did. I would lose my faith." It was then that I realized that, for all the Bible reading I did while growing as a Christian (from elementary school, up to my second year at community college), I never touched the Quran. I couldn't ever recall seeing one at a bookstore, either. Out of curiosity, and an honest effort to understand a different experience to my own, I found a site that offered a free English translation of the Quran (it actually started out as a search to see if any existed, and ended in me filling out a form on the "Why Islam?" website). A few weeks later, I received said translation, along with a handful of informational pamphlets.

Alongside starting to read this English translation, I started watching videos of people who had reverted. I was specifically curious about those who shared similar backgrounds to myself, to hear their reasons for reverting to Islam. But I soon found myself leaning so far into the good feelings I got, I lost sight of figuring out things for myself. So, I stopped watching those videos, because my first mistake would be listening to other people and not to God. (Keep in mind, I'm still very on the fence at the moment. Years of believing there is no god, let alone God, makes a stance pretty steadfast.) Since I kept hearing in those videos that reading the Quran was how God speaks to those who read it, though, I decided that would be my first step.

Since one of the claims of Islam is that the Quran is not self-contradictory, I wanted to see what kinds of potential contradictions others had put forward. I found a list, and I've been going through it slowly but surely, and plan to post my findings on this blog. Mind you, they're initial impressions in which I give my opinion on what I've read as potential proofs of contradictions within the Quran, as well as whether I think there is a contradiction present. I've had several times when I haven't found contradictions, some that I think could be answered by the original Arabic, and others I'm still on the fence about. And while it's risky to ask this on the internet, I would ask for any kind individuals willing to be patient and help me to understand the Quran from an Islamic point of view. I welcome engagement, and will do my best to engage as frequently as I am able.

I also have questions about the religion in general. I've been toying with the idea of filling out an outreach form to connect me with a Muslim who can do this, as well as thinking about visiting a mosque to see what it's like. But I'm putting this off until I finish reading my translation (currently about to start Surah/Chapter 17 as of 1/5/2024), so that if I still want to reach out in this way, I will know better then than I do now.

I decided to put all this into a virtual format, not only for personal outreach in the name of research, but maybe also for those who can't (for one reason or another) pursue this research for themselves. All that I hope for is that I'm not the only one who benefits from this, and that through my journey, I may be connected with those who ask and those who answer, alike.

#islam #quran #research #questioning atheist #religion

[riceybaby]

all about you #4 🤍 - spill your guts or fill your guts

synopsis: a game on a late night talk show leads to the world finding out a little more about you and mason

notes: italics indicate a flashback

“If I get asked about him I’m gonna scream the studio down”

You’re sat on the floor next to Lia, who’s in the middle of a slight mental breakdown it’s safe to say. The five of you are scheduled to appear on the Late Late Show with James Corden later this evening for a one off show in London, but one of the showrunners had just been to your dressing room to tell you the games you were going to play had changed; rather than doing some singing game like you had planned, you were now going to play Spill Your Guts, Or Fill Your Guts, which was just about everyone’s worse nightmare.

She was fresh of a breakup from a famous actor, and all anyone wanted to know was of how it went down. While Greg called it ‘perfect timing’, Lia called it ‘the most awful thing to ever have happened to her’ (although the tabloids somehow translated that to ‘woman can’t hold down a relationship, there must be something wrong with her’, Taylor Swift style).

“Babe, it’s fine. You know what, you probably are gonna get asked about him. But one - you don’t have to answer, and two - if there’s one thing I can bet on more than you being asked about him, it’s me being asked about Mason, so don’t worry we’re in it together.”

Mason. Greg sure as hell wasn’t lying when he said the two of you would be dynamite for the tabloids. It had been just two days since your staged dates and everyone had fell for it quicker than lightning. On every newsstand you walked past, every Instagram post you saw, every tiktok you scrolled upon was of those two now infamous shots of you making out outside a restaurant. Everyone was lapping it up and just wanted to know, what were the two of you going to do next. The pressure had been put off Mason and his club drama, and instead people were invasively interested in his love life, which was exactly what you were aiming for. And for you? It was like kaleidoscopes of rumours were booming around you, from how many songs about him were going to be on the new album, to if you had already wrote another one about him.

As Lia nods and takes a shaky sip of water, the showrunner pops his head back through the door. “Girls, you’re on in 5.”

——————

“Ok! Let’s see what we’ve got here” James says, spinning round a table of foods that just looking at wanted to make you throw up. “We’ve got cows tongue, bull penis, blood jelly whatever that is, bird saliva, hot sauce, beetle juice, and fish eyes.” A groan from the audience matches your own thoughts, however you had watched this segment before and knew there was a very high chance the questions would lead to you eating some of these foods.

“Ok Ellie you’re up first. So Rory do you want to pick a food to ruin the friendship with.”

“Hahah, I think cows tongue is the least worse one so I’ll be nice and give you that babe.”

Ellie’s face is green, and you can’t blame her. All you want to do is hear her question to know just how bad these are going to be.

“Ok Ells,” Rory says, chuckling when she reads the question, “is it the rumour that you hooked up with Andrew Garfield at last years Met Gala true?”

The other four of you let out laughs upon hearing that too, finding the rumour ludicrous when you knew that Ellie in fact spent the whole of the event going round and finding all the free champagne flutes she could find.

“No! No it’s not. I mean I would have loved it was was, but it’s not. So does this mean I don’t have to eat..that?”

A few more rounds take place, causing Lia to eat a fish eye instead of answering if she has spoken to her ex recently, Rory downed the hot sauce instead of telling who the rudest celebrity she’s ever met was, and Lottie spilled that the place she and Reece most recently had sex was the back of his car after training. Well, they’ve gone through everyone else, so it must be your turn.

“I’m sorry Y/N” Lottie laughs, spinning the table round to the bird saliva, “I think this should be good”

“There’s no way in hell I am drinking that. How do they even get it?”

However as she goes to answer, Lottie falls silent, gives you a look as if to say ‘good luck’ and then reads the question. “How serious is your relationship with footballer Mason Mount?”

Well fuck. You’re an awful liar, everyone knows it. You’re a musician, not an actress. But it’s time to put on your best performance.

“I mean, we’ve obviously been on a couple of dates as the entire world has seen it seems like” you give a shy laugh as you say this, carefully calculating the next answer you may have to give.

“No trying to squirm away from the question Y/N” James says, giving you a smirk. PR relationships are well known within the industry and it’s clear he already has his suspicions too. “So those two dates, the first one was a double date with you right Lottie?”

“Yep” she nods.

“Ok so what happened there.”

“Mason, Y/N. Y/N, Mason.” Reece says, pointing between the two of you. You’ve been told by your publicists that all you needed to do was order a drink, and then have the four of you seen walking outside. You were told this was more of a ‘warm up’ before tomorrow night, when you would truly have to be on a date alone with Mason. Reece gets up with Lottie to get their drinks, leaving the two of you alone.

“So uh, hi.” you mumble, not entirely sure what to do. Do you act like you’re in a relationship, or do you only do that when you can feel the incessant flashing of a camera lurking somewhere nearby?

“Hey” he chuckles, flashing you that smile you’ve thought about maybe one time too many since to say it was professional. “Can I get you a drink?” he hands you the menu.

“No no don’t worry, I can get it”

“Well if I’m gonna act as your boyfriend I might as well play the part, right?”

“Alright then, I’ll have a sex on the beach please”

“One sex on the beach coming up” he winks at you, getting up from his seat and walking over to the bar. You hate the way he makes you feel, while yes everyone else is supposed to believe you’re madly in love, this is a strictly professional act you have going on but all you want to do is let him take you to the backseat of his car and have you in any way he desire.

You see the paparazzi in the bushes lingering, getting every shot and angle they possibly can from outside the building. The four of you get along like a house on fire, spending the rest of the evening telling stories about each other’s partners that no one else would have ever heard. After a couple of hours of eating and chatting, you figure you must have given the media the first sparks to ignite the wildfire of attention that’s about to come your way. You all make your way outside, hugging goodbye to your friends leaving you and Mason stood in a bubble of awkwardness and heart-pounding nerves.

“So? Same time tomorrow?” he jokes, knowing full well the two of you were already scheduled to repeat tonight tomorrow.

“Can’t wait loverboy” you tease, gaining a laugh out of him. It was different to the rest you had heard so far that evening, a shyer tone masking the rose coloured haze fogging his brain.

“Well I um, I guess I should be going. I’ll pick you up at 8 tomorrow?” He put his hand on your head at this, toying with the cameras but also was using this as an excuse to touch the hair you had nervously been twirling all night.

“See you then Mount”

“You know, the four of us just went out for dinner. We had a meal and drinks, a really good time.”

“Aw that’s lovely! Isn’t that lovely?” James says, more to the crowd than you, “and what about the second one?”

“He’s gonna be here in a minute”

You’re on the phone to Ellie, applying the last coat of lip gloss you can before Mason is supposed to arrive. Tonight you were going to a very fancy restaurant, and so you had dressed up to the nine’s. Your hair was curled, and you opted for a gorgeous little black dress, one that perfectly highlighted every one of your favourite aspects of your body.

“So what’s he like?”

Absolutely fucking perfect. And you had spent only three hours with him. You kept telling yourself that you couldn’t let yourself get involved with him; you’re not over your ex yet and plus, Mason’s not interested in you! He’s only in this for his personal gain, just like how you were supposed to be. But you couldn’t deny the way his eyes on you made you feel, like he had you wrapped around his fingers on strings making you want to say and do things a week ago you would have never dreamed of.

“Yeah he’s nice, very gentlemanly.” You were about to explain the way he had opened your car door for you the night before and given you a kiss on the cheek, but your doorbell started ringing.

“Oh he’s here, gotta go Ells, speak to you tomorrow”

“Bye lovey”

You quickly make your way downstairs, giving yourself one last look in the mirror to make sure you were looking your best before opening the door. There he was, stood in black trousers and a white shirt, leaning on the doorframe. In his hand were a bunch of red roses, ones you could tell just have been outrageously expensive.

“There’s no cameras around now you know, you didn’t have to bring me these”

“I know I just wanted to” he says, giving them to you with a hopeful grin, “I thought they would go well in your kitchen from that picture you showed me last night. If it’s weird then I can take them back or-“

“No, no that’s really sweet, thank you”

“No worries. Ready to go?”

The two of you get in his car, making small talk about how you were going to make this performance believable. You decided to discuss what you were both ok with, settling with that you would cuddle in the booth, kissing on the forehead at most, and then you’d have your big kiss moment outside after the meal. He pulls up outside, parks his car and turns to face you. “Let’s go make you the most talked about topic in the world.”

It’s killing you that he’s doing everything right. He holds open the door for you on the way in, pulls out your chair for you and tucks you into the table, orders your drink for you. Although you have to keep reminding yourself it’s all an act. You know he has to come across as the best boyfriend ever, and that’s what he’s doing. But for god’s sake is he good at it. Little do you know it’s not an act at all, he’s just genuinely lovely and chivalrous and from his perspective, if he’s going to have to go along with this lie he might as well be the best fake boyfriend you’ve ever had.

After having scanned the menu for what felt like forever, you just cant’t decide between two meals. On one hand you are desperate to try the pasta special, and on the other you really wanted the steak. “I tell you what” he says, locking eyes with you “you get the pasta, I’ll get the steak and then we can split it between us.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal there Mount”

“Are you ever gonna call me Mason? Or is it always gonna be Mount with you, Y/L/N”

Your hands come to rest under your chin as you give him your proposition. “You make this the best fake date I’ve ever had, and then I’ll call you Mason”

He looks at you, eyes sparkling brown and crinkled, his grin so sickly sweet you can feel yourself melting just looking at it. “You’ve got yourself a deal there Y/L/N.”

The two of you spend your time waiting for your food getting to know each other, you finding out the story of the time him and his best friend Declan got lost in the middle of the sea in Dubai, while he would end the night being able to name all your family members and your favourite memories of them. He well and truly was charming the socks off you.

“Your pasta?” The waiter has come along with your food, placing the two meals in front of you both. Immediately you get stuck in, but are met with a bitter disappointment when the idea of the pasta ends up being miles away from the actual taste. As much as you try to pretend you’re liking it, the grimace on your face doesn’t go unnoticed by Mason.

“Hey, don’t worry I’ll just have that, you have the steak” he says, putting his half of the meat on your plate and taking your pasta for himself.

“No you wanted the steak too it’s fine I can just eat half”

He shakes his head at you, letting you know that while he doesn’t want to be pushy, you’re not going to win your first argument as faux boyfriend and girlfriend. “Enjoy your steak” he laughs.

The complete nonchalance with which he swapped your food, even though you could tell he didn’t enjoy the pasta all that much either made your heart pound a little faster than it already was. “Thank you” you almost whisper, hoping the genuine nature of your words shone through. After more eating and laughing, an alert pops up on his phone, and you notice the little girl he has as his lockscreen.

“Who’s that?” you point down, showing him you meant the picture and not the message.

“That’s my niece, Summer.” His entire face lights up like you haven’t seen before, the sparkle that was in his eyes earlier now illuminating. “She’s the sweetest little thing”

“You seem to really love her”

“Yeah, she’s the best” he chuckles, “I set up an Easter egg hunt for her the other day, and she was so excited running around dressed up as a little bunny, her face when she found the eggs was just hilarious.” You let him ramble on a little more about her, becoming slightly infatuated with the way you could radiate his love for her in every word he said, it was clear he was a family boy.

Before you know it it’s 10pm, and you know you need to be seen kissing soon before the paparazzi get bored and leave. Despite your protests, Mason pays the full cheque for you both saying that it was nothing.

“So how do you wanna do this?” he asks, moving his body closer to yours. You place your hand on the back of his neck, slowly playing with the hairs on the back of his head. “Don’t make me ask you to kiss me, Mount.”

And with that, he leans in. The moment his lips touch yours it’s like the sparks have exploded into electricity running up your spine. He’s rougher than you expected, moulding yourselves together with more force than you knew he would be willing to. His tongue licks your bottom lip, the two of you giggling into each other like teenagers as his tongue meets yours, sucking it once or twice so he can hear that noise again. His right arm comes round your head to meet the right side of your face, until you physically cannot be any closer. You keep at it for the next couple of seconds, stopping only once he’s stolen all the air from your lungs.

“Was that a good enough show for them?” he croakily huffs, slightly out of breath.

“It was perfect, Mason”

“Was that a Mason I heard?”

“It just might have been” you say, sticking out your tongue at him as you make your way to the car.

“I don’t know what to say! We went out and had a really good time and he means a lot to me.”

“And was that date with..your boyfriend?” James asks, pushing you to label it for everyone.

“Quite possibly” you lure, sipping on the straw of the drink placed next to you to distract you from the cheers of the audience. So there it was. To the world, you and Mason Mount were officially boyfriend and girlfriend, and it was only about to get crazier.

#mason mount fanfic #mason mount fluff #mason mount fic #mason mount imagine #chelsea fc fanfic #chelsea fc imagine #england nt fanfic #england nt fic #england nt imagine #mason mount

[oreosmilkshakes]

Mine

Summary: Y/N has always wished to meet her soulmate and have the ability to see colours. When it happened, she wasn’t expecting it to be HYDRA’s famous assassin and boy, she was in real trouble now Pairing: The Winter Soldier!Bucky Barnes x Reader Word Count: 2.2K Warnings: Violence, The Winter Soldier acting possessive A/N: Originally, I didn’t fully like how this went but here it is! Inspired by a tiktok I saw and I was like ‘Let’s show The Winter Soldier some love’. I also don’t think anyone has done this before so here it is! Edited and checked by @thebestdecoder​ . Please comment on how it is! Thank you for reading :D

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In the world Y/N lives in, soulmates exist. As lovely and fairytale-like it sounds, there is a catch. Until you meet your soulmate, everyone sees black and white. Y/N was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, one well trusted by Fury. She wished every day that she might run into her soulmate on the streets or that someone she knew was her other half. For years, nothing. Still black and white. Y/N was on the verge of giving up but Steve and Natasha were constantly with her, reminding her that her other half will come. Little did Y/N know that that time would be sooner than later.

Right now, S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised by HYDRA. Steve and Natasha were hunting down one of HYDRA’s agents for information with the help of Sam and Y/N.

The highway was filled with cars, Sam driving towards a safe house far away from HYDRA’s eyes. “HYDRA doesn’t like leaks,” Sitwell stated obviously.

“Then why don’t you try sticking a cork in it?” Sam commented. Natasha peered over Steve’s shoulder. “Insight’s launching in 16 hours. We’re cutting it a little bit close here,” “I know. We’ll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the helicarriers directly,” Steve planned. Y/N’s eyes widen. “Are you crazy? That’s suicidal! There’s no way we’ll survive. It’s us against HYDRA’s army,” Sitwell leaned forward. “Exact-,” A loud thud dented the roof of the car slightly, The team looked up, only for Sitwell to be dragged out by a metal arm and thrown onto the oncoming side of the freeway. “Shit!” Y/N cursed. Natasha immediately moved onto Steve’s lap, pulling his head down. Y/N stayed low as gunshots pierced the car’s roof. “Who the hell is on the roof?!” Y/N screamed in fear. “If I knew the answer to that, I would tell,” Steve grabbed the gearshift and pulled it back, causing the car to screech to a halt.

The heavy figure was thrown forward by the sudden stop, rolling on the tar, and skidded to a halt with his metal arm. Y/N gasped, eyes widening at the menacing man. Perhaps it was much scarier to witness all this through a black and white perspective. It made Y/N’s heart race and mind question her decision of following the team on this mission.

(gif credits to the owner)

The Winter Soldier stood up, covered eyes looking in the team’s direction and Y/N could have sworn she felt eyes on her specifically. Could it be..No! Definitely not. That would be insane.

Y/N snapped out of her thoughts when she was lunged forward by a sudden impact behind. An armored truck had slammed against the boot of the car and pushed the vehicle forward towards the direction of The Winter Soldier. Sam struggled to control the car as the vehicle got closer to the assassin. The assassin jumped on the car, punching through the windshield, and effortlessly pulled the steering out. “Shit!” Sam cursed. Natasha grabbed the gun off the floor and shot the roof. The Soldier jumped to the armoured truck.

With no steering, the car was practically driving towards its doom. The truck slammed into the back of the vehicle again, causing the car to drive towards the partition beam. Steve grabbed Sam and Sam grabbed Y/N. “Hang on!” Steve slammed the door with his shield, narrowly escaping the flipping car as they skidded on the road. Y/N received the most impact, knocked out cold the second her head slammed onto the tar. “Y/N!” Steve screamed and that was the last thing Y/N heard before blacking out.

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Y/N felt hands on her. “Y/N! Y/N wake up!” The voice was merely an echo or at least it sounded like one. Slowly, Y/N came to be. A soft moan escaped her lips, moving a hand to the side of her head. “Sam..? What happened?” Sam sighed in relief. “All sorts of shit is happening, Y/N. Right now, Steve and Natasha need our help. Can you fight?” He helped Y/N up, the woman nodded. She shook her head slightly, forcing the blur from the vision, and looked around. Gunshots were fired below the freeway and Y/N gasped. “Sam, you cover us from above. I’ll get down there,” Y/N rappelled down, pulling her knife out. She moved quietly, using the stranded vehicles for cover, and got closer to The Soldier.

The Soldier’s eyes scanned the area for Natasha, hands gripping his assault rifle. In the distance, he heard a call for help and proceeded to investigate. Y/N followed from behind quietly, watching his movements. An explosion nearby caused Y/N to flinch a little but she was quick to recover. “Hey!” She called out. Y/N jumped on the car, running over to The Soldier, and slammed a foot to his rifle. She grabbed him, wrapping her legs around his neck, and got his neck in a chokehold. Y/N was winning, forcing her arm to dig deeper into his neck. However, she was so very wrong. The Soldier stepped back, slamming Y/N against a car. This caused her to loosen her grip, just enough for The Soldier to grab Y/N off his back and throw her to another vehicle. The air was knocked out of Y/N upon impact. Her back was hurting and she was gasping for air. The Soldier picked up his gun, aiming to Y/N when a disc etched to his metal arm, and electrocuted The Soldier. He grunted, taken aback by the attack. “Y/N!” Natasha called out, grabbing Y/N off the car and led her away from the Soldier, who had broken free from the disabling attack. The Soldier flexed his metal arm, swinging it over to ensure it was still functioning.

Y/N and Natasha ran away from The Soldier, urging the crowd to get to safety. A single gunshot rang out and Natasha yelped in pain. “Nat!” Y/N gasped, holding onto Natasha and leaned her against the side of the car. Y/N struggled to see the blood. Fuck! Why did everything have to be black and white? “Put pressure on that,” Y/N instructed quickly before peeking out from the side of the car. Her eyes widened in horror, The Winter Soldier had his gun trained on her. “No!” Y/N screamed, covering her eyes to await the impact. But it didn’t come at all. When Y/N’s eyes fluttered open once more, The Winter Soldier was going head to head with Captain America in a tough fight.

“Nat? Nat? Come on, we have to get you away from here,” Y/N carefully picked Nat up, heaving her arm over her shoulder and led the injured assassin away from the fight. Y/N kept on glancing at the duo and could see that Steve was struggling to slow the assassin down. ‘Shit! I have to do something’ Y/N thought, setting Natasha down by a truck. “I’ve got to help Steve. Stay put, alright?” Nat let out a shaky breath, nodding. She grabbed Y/N’s wrist before the agent could leave. “Be careful, Y/N,” The agent nodded, running towards the two.

“Steve!” Y/N called out. The Winter Soldier had Steve pinned against a van, a knife dragging over so quickly by the blonde’s head. “Get away from him!” Y/N grabbed The Soldier, forcing the assassin’s attention on her.

The Soldier did not hold back, Y/N narrowly dodging his punches. Each punch she landed on him seemed like it didn’t do anything and that scared the woman a lot. The Soldier pinned Y/N to the floor, his metal arm raised and about to lay the final blow when Steve pulled him off the woman. Y/N let out a shuddered sigh, standing up and watched as Steve ripped the mask off The Winter Soldier’s face.

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The Soldier caught himself, cool air pierced his now exposed face. As he turned to face his enemy, colors burst from his vision. He...He was finally seeing colors? His piercing blue eyes landed on Steve and Y/N, specifically, Y/N.

Y/N’s jaw slacked as her own vision burst with colors. She gasped, a hand on Steve’s arm for support as overwhelming emotions took over her. ‘N-No...It can’t be!’ Y/N’s mind screamed. She parted her lips, a question on the tipping end of her tongue when Steve cut her off. “Bucky?”

The Soldier’s eyes moved on from Y/N’s shaking figure to Steve.

“Who the hell is Bucky?” The Soldier stepped forward, moving in Y/N’s direction. Right now, he didn’t care about Steve or the situation. He cared about his soulmate. There was a light pull The Soldier felt and Y/N felt it too. Her eyes never left the assassin, taking a small step towards him.

“Soulmate,” The Soldier called out darkly. Steve’s eyes widened, looking down at Y/N who looked like she was ready to run into the arms of his seemingly dead-now-alive best friend. “Y/N, no!” Steve grabbed Y/N, pulling her back.

A grenade whizzed past Steve’s form, blowing up between both parties. Y/N was pushed away from the impact, coughing heavily as the smoke entered her lungs. The Soldier had a new task: to get to his soulmate. “Soulmate!” The Soldier called out, walking through the smoke and fire like it didn’t affect him at all. Y/N gasped, The Soldier turned his head to the sound of the gasp. “There you are,” Y/N’s eyes widen, moving away from The Soldier. “Hey!” Sam yelled, slamming his foot against the assassin’s towering form. His body flew but he caught himself easily. Sam made another flyby. Thank god for Sam! Y/N scrambled to her feet, running from the situation. “Soulmate!” The Soldier screamed out, anger and something else laced his tone. He sprinted in her direction but was stopped by Steve and Sam, leading another fight to break out.

The Winter Soldier was motivated and when he was motivated, nothing could stop him from getting what he wants.

Y/N had light tears in her eyes, spotting Natasha in the distance and ran to her. “Nat, Nat, this can’t be happening!” Y/N panted, tears threatening to spill. Natasha held Y/N’s shoulder with her good hand, forcing the woman to look at her. “What happened? Y/N, calm down and tell me what happened,” The redhead urged, guiding the hysterical woman to sit down.

“He...He’s my soulmate! Nat, the enemy! I-I heard Steve say his name. Bucky...He’s my soulmate!” Natasha was taken aback by Y/N’s words. Their enemy was her soulmate? Y/N sobbed, Natasha wrapped an arm around her head and hugged her. “It’s okay. Hey, trust me, it’s going to be okay,” Natasha comforted softly.

After years of trying to find her soulmate, Y/N had found hers. But at what cost? Him being the enemy. Despite that fact, Y/N was glad she could see colors now. Everything was so vibrant and so beautiful. It never occurred to Y/N how bright and lively the world was. She felt happiness as she studied her colored surroundings, seemingly forgetting about the situation.

Until a loud scream pierced the air.

Y/N gasped, snapping out of her temporary trance and looked over the hood of the car. Sam was on the floor, unconscious and Steve was on his knees in a chokehold. “Y/N! Run! RUN!” Steve strained out, struggling to break free out of The Soldier’s strong hold.

Y/N watched in horror as Steve passed out by Sam. The Soldier stood slowly, raising his head to face the woman.

“Mine,” The Soldier stalked slowly towards the woman, like a wolf ready to strike its prey. Natasha grabbed Y/N’s hand.

“Get out of here! I’ll try to stop him!” Natasha stood, running to The Soldier in an attempt to try and slow him down but her efforts were futile as The Soldier simply knocked her out like she was nothing.”Nat!” Y/N screamed, backing away as The Soldier had his eyes on the woman immediately. “No..No!” Y/N took off and ran, sirens in the distance were fast approaching.

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Y/N felt like she had been running forever, finally slowing down when she turned to an alley. She panted hard, a hand on her chest as she did her best to calm her racing heart down. A tall figure quietly approached Y/N, a cool hand covered her mouth. The Soldier leaned in, breath hot as he spoke. “I found you,” Y/N screamed, struggling against The Soldier’s grip on her even though, clearly, it was useless to do so. “You’re my soulmate, princess and you’re not getting away that easily from me,” The Soldier growled, landing a blow on the side of her head.

The last thing Y/N knew before the darkness swallowed her was hearing his voice.

“Mine.”

#bucky barnes x reader #sebastian stan #fatws bucky #bucky fic #bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky x female reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barns x y/n #bucky barns x you #bucky barns fanfiction #bucky barns imagine

[shirophantomvox]

How Illumi, Hisoka, and Chrollo would react to their S/O in the hospital

Hi, anon! You are welcome to join my Discord Server if you are a fan of Hxh, Voltron, or both! I promise this is a safe environment! This is an interesting topic for sure! To the other anon(s), I am working on your request! This will contain both fluff and angst. I forgot to include Leorio in this, so I’ll include him in the next HxH post. You’ll have to forgive me, I have 2 more requests in my inbox and I am not feeling the best. I just got my second Covid shot and it is hurting like hell. Nevertheless, I encourage you all to get your shot if you can. I will be on this site one and off and I should be on it for real next week. I have run out of ideas to write and I began to think I was annoying people with my HxH content (no one said this I just assumed). This post has 1974 words. After these requests are finished, I plan on doing a character analysis for Leorio.

Anyway, let’s get into the post!

We’ll start with Hisoka this time.

Hisoka

In all honesty, this man has heard of a hospital (since he sends a lot of people to it after fights) but has never been in one.

The signs, floors, staircase numbers, and elevators all confuse him. He has only been in one once when he was a kid and has never been again.

He isn’t a social butterfly in this setting because this is a professional establishment and not a college party. Asking for directions takes quite a toll on him because of his established pride. You know guys act when they want to find a destination on their own and will go miles out of the way instead of just asking for direction.

He doesn’t talk to anyone; all he wants to do is find you and make sure you are alright.

He is the tallest person in the freight elevator. So tall that everyone at turns to look at him at once for at least 10 seconds and turn back around surprised.

“How tall is he,” one of the nurses ask.

“Tall enough to be my house!”

This annoys him. He takes out the Joker card and lays it against his thigh but realizes he cannot make any hasty decisions. His bloodlust was activated merely out of irritation and not by threat. You were on his mind and destroying these worthless humans wasn’t an option for today.

He approached the guest desk and waited for about 2 minutes before he was acknowledged.

“May I help you,” a smug receptionist asked. Wow, these people do not know who they’re talking to.

“I’m here to see y/n.”

“Y/n is in room 345. Go down the hall and to the right all the way down.”

This man nearly ran with a quickness! His jester shoes somehow made the floor shake as he ran.

You were awake, eating the horrible food the hospital provided and watching TV. It seemed like you were doing ok, but you had just been in a car accident. Your arms and right leg were still sore. It was so bad that you’d be fine with Hisoka carrying you everywhere.

When you two are alone in serious public places, he doesn’t play games or tricks. He is often portrayed as a ruthless man, but in settings like this, he places the jokes and games aside for later. When he enters your room, he is silent for 30 seconds. Much too long. He was shocked; he walked around your hospital bed, pulled up a chair, and stared at your cast. It had many names written on it.

“Yes, I am ok.”

“I apologize for not being there for you,” he began to say.

“Shh… it’s ok. This is life. It hurts like hell, but I’m a trooper!”

Admiring your cast and its multiple fonts of handwriting and messages, he grabbed a sharpie marker, wrote his name, with a heart and spade next to it. Surprisingly, his cursive was very neat and legible.

“I didn’t know you knew how to write in cursive! Why don’t you write me letters?”

“I see you every day and it hurts my hand.”

The doctor wouldn’t be in for another 1 ½ hours, so Hisoka used your thigh as a pillow as he took a nap. He had been up for countless nights thinking about you. He was screwing up so bad, Chrollo let him leave early.

“As soon as your better, we will fight again. I won’t go easy on you. You won’t be in the hospital but you get the jest.”

Illumi

Illumi isn’t the type of man to overreact in these types of situations. When you both agreed to date each other, you knew you all were tough cookies. You were aware of the dangers of dating an assassin and he knew about the dangers of dating a bounty hunter. People hated you both and you targeted.

One night you both were caught in a vulnerable state. While you both enjoyed chocolate milkshakes at a laid-back 1950’s styled diner, two men were previously thrown out for fighting. While your back was turned one of those men shot your arm, causing you to carelessly throw your body to the ground due to impact.

While everyone else was screaming, Illumi jumped to the ground and tied his hair tie around your arm to temporarily stop the bleeding.

“Illu, why does it feel cold in here,” you managed to breathe out.

His heart dropped to his stomach for the first time in history.

“Don’t say things like that!”

Illumi is already horrible at displaying emotions, but all he could do is frown in fear. Once the EMS came barling in, he demanded that he ride with you.

Illumi hadn’t experienced anything like this since Killua had been injured when he fell from a tree.

You and he were separated when you were rushed into surgery leaving him alone in the waiting room.

When Illumi is stressed and cannot properly display how he feels, he tends to act in “odd” ways.

He begins to furiously turn pages in magazines or bother the receptions every 2 minutes about the status of your surgery. When the woman finally says that you’re still alive, he tones it down a little.

Illumi is open to conforming advice from strangers; he has been receiving it secretly from strangers. Since Silva was busy abusing him, he often found comfort from “the streets”.

He has a bad habit of pacing back and forth and fidgeting in his seat while horrific images fill his mind. All he has seen is pain and even though he was used to it, he didn’t want you to go through it as well.

While sitting in his seat (finally!) and head in his lap, doubled over indescribable sorrow, a little girl walks up to him with her hands folded and a doll under her arms. Illumi feels her presence and looks up. The girl’s curly hair covered her endearing eyes and her smile is wide.

“They’ll be alright. I just know they will,” turning around returning to her mother, the girl said with confidence.

On cue, Illumi placed his hand over his heart, smiling just a little.

He walked quickly to your room once you were out of surgery.

His speed walk mimics one of a soldier; his left arm in since with his right leg. His shoes echoed throughout the hall.

As soon as he enters the room, he shuts the door harder than usual and gives you a tight embrace. This surprises you! You’re lucky if he lays his head on your shoulder!

Illumi had been working out lately. He wanted to beat you in the “squish the melon” contest. He is very competitive and even if he lost, that doesn’t hurt his ego. Not in the slightest. Since it was just the both of you alone, he bends down to hug you tight, so tight that your face is squished against his.

This behavior is only surprising because he usually doesn’t coddle you even when you get hurt, but this time he realized that you could have died from the gunshot wound.

After that he kissed your forehead and almost simultaneously the doctor barreled in just missing the sweet moment between you and your beau.

Chrollo

When Chrollo is holding meetings with the Phantom Troupe, he always appears to be neutral. That is very important. A leader has to show strength even through the worst/hurtful times of their lives.

Chrollo had gotten a call from Nobunaga that you had gotten hurt on a mission and had actually gotten captured by the enemy. Phinks was able to get you back but you suffered horrible injuries.

This is protocol; they do this for any of the members. The troupe was oblivious to the fact that you and Chrollo were dating. They thought you were here to replace Uvo.

In situations like this, he is calm on the outside but screaming on the inside. Common sense will tell you if you are startled by the news you’ve just received and you begin to drive, you could cause more harm on the way to your destination.

Chrollo is very silent; he doesn’t call to check on your status or anything; he would rather see it for himself.

You were a trooper! After all, you are dating a dangerous robber.

Chrollo already knew what room you were in so he just went.

“I knew I should have kept y/n by my side. Y/n insisted on doing my dirty work that they almost died! How foolish could I have been?” He constantly cursed himself for letting his guard down with you.

He always gave you room to think and complete your own tasks but he can’t help his protective nature; one he has for the troupe but times 10.

His childhood friends had been shot by law enforcers, his home was horrific, and the last thing he needed was for you to be gone. You were keeping him afloat in society.

When he opened the door, Phinks was sitting in a chair, one leg over the other, laughing at a TikTok video.

Nobunaga on the other hand was watching the world news and seemed invested that he didn’t hear Chrollo enter the room. Once they both saw, they stood to their feet.

“Y/n is ok boss. They suffered a few cuts and burns, but they're breathing.”

Chrollo’s straight face remained as he stared at you.

Chrollo’s silence is something the troupe has internalized as a sign of anger, rage, or both. When he didn’t speak and just stared, everyone knew that their next mission was going to be a brutal one.

Chrollo is a man that isn’t afraid to express how he feels. He could cry right now if he wanted to and no one would dare laugh at him or insult him. After all, Nobunaga cried when he realized Uvo was dead.

Nobunaga and Phinks excused themselves as they saw him place his hand over his mouth.

Once the door closed, He pulled up the chair, grabbed your hand, and gently squeezed it. His warmth woke you up instantly and you turned your head. You winced in pain causing Chrollo to jump from his seat, moving to your right side so you wouldn’t turn your head too much.

“I’m glad you're alive, darling. What were you doing putting yourself in danger? Feitan could have handled the beast!”

He isn’t trying to doubt your ability to fight, he’s just concerned for your safety. Even so, why would he insist that you join the spiders?

A tear dropped from his face as he silently kissed your hand three times. You smiled warmly and placed your right left hand on top of his.

“I am fine, boss. You need not worry. I’m a trooper, remember?”

He placed your hand against his dry cheek and continued to kiss it. You were his lifeline and he wanted to spend every moment with you.

#hisoka morow #hunterxhunter #hunter x 2011 #hunter x hunter #illumi zoldyck #hxh 1999 #hisoka #chrollo lucilfer #chrollo #hxh illumi #illumi #hisoka morrow x reader #hunter x hunter x reader #hunter x hunter x you #hunter x hunter x y/n #illumi x reader #illumi x y/n #illumi x you #chrollo x y/n #chrollo x oc #chrollo x reader #chrollo x you #hxh headcanons #hxh imagines #hxh chrollo #hxh x reader #hxh 2011 #gon hxh #hxh fanart #y/n

[juminsmysticmc]

Hii☺️So, we have RFA+Minor trio being single fathers after Mc's death, what about reversing it?So that Mc is a single mother after they died(

I waited really long to finally make a request and I am very excited right now, especially since it's you.I really love your writings and I read all of them for like a dozen of times and I can't get enough of them😍Thank you so much for your work and stay healthy 🙏����

Mc being a single mom after the RFA + Minor Trio died    ( Trigger Warnings! ) 

Trigger Warnings, mention of death, parental death

RFA + Minor Trio as single fathers after Mc’s death (Parental death/ Trigger Warnings)

Did I mention that I like drama? Enjoy! 

Jumin

You pressed your lips together as tears went down your cheek. The baby you just gave birth to was sleeping in Jaehee‘s arms as you sobbed into Zen‘s embrace.

,,It‘s as if he planned everything,“ you sobbed, making your red haired friend shake with his head.

,,When he found out you were pregnant, he made me do all this. He didn’t plan to die a month after the birth of your baby, really, he just feared that if something happened to him, his father would have acted the way he did,“ Seven explained.

The reason why you were currently staying over at Jaehee‘s place was that Jumin died a week ago. One day you let him go out of the front door, still smiling as he kissed your newborn, and not even half an hour later, you found yourself in the hospital.

Someone shot him.

And as if it wasn’t enough, your father in law tried to take away your baby, saying that he had to give his grandchild a better life.

But Jumin, even in heaven, saved you once again, saving a lot of money and having an external saving method thanks to Seven.

He even left behind a letter to his father filled with lies, explaining that the baby wasn’t his child.

Of course everything was a lie, but this lie made it possible for you to see your baby grow up.

,,I can’t even go to my husband’s-” your words died in tears.

,,He will always look over you, Mc, and we’ll help you. It will all be better soon…“ Zen patted your back. He too was mourning for his friend.

Zen

,,Mommy, do I really look like daddy?“ your youngest girl asked you as she brushed her long white hair.

You gulped as you looked over to your oldest daughter.

Her eyes were again filled with tears.

Zen died two years ago, leaving you behind with three wonderful children.

You had to give up your job as manager and instead began to work part time in a restaurant at night and other little jobs while the girls were at school.

,,Daddy… I don‘t even remember him,“ your middle child hissed as she entered the room.

,,I don’t even know him, that’s worse!“ your youngest began to sob.

She indeed looked like Zen. He would have been proud to see her beauty.

Well, he was proud of every daughter he had. He loved them with all his heart.

,,Trust me, I would rather not remember him than live with memories,“ your oldest daughter Mina hissed as she put down her lipstick and rushed out.

You sighed as you looked at your little family.

You were all sleeping in one single room. No one had their own space and instead they all argued with each other whenever they had the chance.

,,You’re always so negative, MINA!“ your middle child Hana hissed, followed by the youngest, Sera.

,,I HATE YOU GUYS! HE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU!“ she screamed, making your heart stop.

Mina glared at her and fell on her feet as she began to scream a loud, high pitched scream.

,,SERA RYU!“ you screamed.

The house died down as only sniffles were heard.

,,Your father died when the three of you caught a virus. He was trying to go to the shop for some medicine, but that doesn’t mean that one of you is at fault, understand?“ you hissed.

You sat down and began to cry yourself as you called them over into your arms, ready to embrace your crying children.

,,No one is at fault. Please, please don’t fight, girls, your father would be devastated to see that,“ you begged.

,,Sera, you do look like dad,“ Mina sobbed and smiled, making your youngest smile brightly.

Yoosung

Your son finally fell asleep after a long crying session.

Nothing hurt you more than consoling your son who was in deep pain because he got bullied at school for not having a father.

Yoosung died six months ago, making you move into a tinier apartment which led to your son attending another school.

However, you regretted every single decision.

You pulled your phone out as you tried to dry your salty tears.

You entered a new chatroom as you asked for help.

,,What happened? Shall I come over?“ Jumin responded, being the first one online.

,,I can come quicker, I‘m omw,“ Zen shortly afterwards responded.

,,No no, I just…

Can you please bring Jinyoung to school tomorrow? He got bullied… I think if other children see him with you guys, they will respect him more,“ you wrote.

Of course Seven jumped in and wrote six lines about how happy he would be to play ⅓ of a father, making you actually choke on your tears.

,,Thank you,“ you typed and decided to bring your son to bed.

Indeed the three boys kept their promise, making him laugh like never before.

Jaehee

,,And that‘s how we met,“ you laughed as you told your son about the meeting between you and Jaehee.

He nodded as he looked at the picture over the table.

It portrayed you, him, and Jaehee on his first day of school.

Jaehee died a year ago from an illness.

It all went so quickly. One day she got diagnosed and a few months later the two of you prepared the funeral for her.

As if it was yesterday, you remembered picking up your son and driving him to the hospital to give Jaehee the chance to see him one last time.

And indeed, it was their last goodbyes.

Jaehee would never see him finishing school, university, or begin a job, fall in love, or try to cheer him up while being lovesick.

She would never see him get married or have his first child.

It hurt your heart to know that you were the only one left for him.

On the other side, Jaehee was happy that at least he had you. ,,How did your favorite TikTok go?“ she groaned.

,,Take him to the moon for me,“ she whispered.

,,Mom was a strong woman,“ you told your son as a tear left your eye.

,,You too, Mommy, you too.“

Saeyoung 

You sighed as you turned off your alarm to get off the bed.

It was still dark outside, but you had to wake up with the last strength you had. You pulled yourself together and walked back to the kitchen where you prepared some breakfast for your child.

Like every morning, reality hit you as you silently sobbed while putting some rice into the bento box.

Your hands trembled as you looked up, just to gasp for air and keep going.

It was hard ever since Saeyoung died. Things weren’t going well for you.

You thanked God daily for the remaining person you had, that you had friends and family who supported you.

But you also begged God to make this bad life end. Even though it was selfish, you just wanted to see your family again.

Even if Jaehee often tried to make you understand how lucky you were, even at the times where Jumin promised to help you with the medical expenses, even at those times when Yoosung came over to cook dinner, and even at those times when Zen promised to go with your and your child to the park, you just wanted this to end.

You inhaled again and dried your tears as you made yourself a cup of coffee.

,,Good morning, baby,’’ you whispered as you turned on the lights of your son’s room.

,,Mo….m,’’ the boy groaned, probably in pain as you helped him get up to sit on his wheelchair.

,,Wet…’’ he gasped as you noticed that he wet his bed again.

,,It’s okay, baby, don’t worry,’’ you smiled, pushing the chair through the door, passing at the picture of Saeyoung, Saeran, and your two perfectly healthy children.

That day, Saeyoung didn’t just die in a car accident from speeding, he also took his brother and one of your children with him, leaving you with your second son disabled by the accident.

,,It’s okay,’’ you whispered.

Saeran

You looked up to the ceiling as you felt a warm, little hand on your chest.

Turning your head, you could see how relaxed the face of your daughter was as she slept safely and soundly, not worrying about anything or anyone.

You smiled as you saw how much she resembled Saeran, her father.

Your hand moved to stroke her head as you remembered the day you told him that you were pregnant, how he cared for you and his daughter in the pregnancy, how hard labor was, and how emotional it was when he once again decided to save his brother after seeing his own daughter.

,,He would be happy to see her,’’ he said after she was newly born and he was finally allowed to hold her in his embrace.

As if it was yesterday, you remembered how he taught her to walk, how he stood behind her while going to the park and how much he loved to feed her.

This all disappeared one day.

In the morning, he told you that he might have found Saeyoung and in the evening he came home, beaten up with a shotgun wound, collapsing in front of your porch.

It was your worst nightmare and you were honestly happy that this all happened at night, knowing that back then, your three year old daughter wouldn’t have seen anything.

Ever since then, life became harder.

You moved, fearing the Prime Minister or the agency Saeyoung was in would track you down and kill your daughter. The RFA kept helping you guys, but questions like, ,,Where is Dada’’ weren’t always easy to respond to.

,,Mommy,’’ she mumbled and opened her eyes, smiling brightly at you and rubbing her eyes to wake up.

,,Mhhh?’’ you asked her.

,,Daddy visited my dreams…’’ she giggled and fell asleep again, making you wander back to old memories too.

Jihyun

,,Mom, I don’t understand my homework,’’ Lucy said, whispering as she entered the room as quietly as possible.

You looked back to her and nodded as you looked back to the little bed your son was in before you walked away, your hand on Lucy’s hair as you smiled at her.

,,What topic?’’ you asked her.

You noticed that she was hesitating so it was probably art since it was related to her father.

,,Art?’’ you asked her to make it easier for her. She had a pretty hard time ever since Jihyun died, well, you too. You all had a pretty hard time.

Jumin wasn’t the same person anymore, or so Jaehee said. Yoosung seemed to regret a few things, and Saeran and Saeyoung were grieving, just like Zen.

Everyone was in pain after the painful death of that one special person.

,,Our teacher told us to draw a painful happy moment but… how am I supposed to make something happy if it’s supposed to be painful?’’ she asked you.

You nodded. ,,Well, describe something painful. What is painful?’’ you asked her.

,,Getting hurt is painful, falling is painful, getting hit is painful…’’

,,How about losing someone?’’ you asked her, making her think about it for a few seconds before she asked you if it wasn’t something sad instead of painful. 

You nodded. ,,When I told you that daddy wouldn’t come home anymore back then when you were younger, do you remember how you felt?’’ you asked her.

,,Did your heart hurt? Did you feel scared and suffocated? Wasn’t it painful?’’ you asked her and even though you could see that she was tearing up, you knew that this was something the two of you had to talk about.

Indeed, Lucy closed up about her feelings ever since then, but this was also a good opportunity.

,,Now, think of a happy moment with your father. Isn’t it something painful but a happy moment as well?’’ you asked her and got up, knowing that she knew what to do.

A week later, you were invited to see your daughter receive a prize for the most beautiful portrait of Jihyun as an angel looking down at the world, a painful and happy moment for everyone who knew him.

Vanderwood

,,Mommy,’’ your son asked you, pulling at your shirt as you stood in front of the stove.

,,Mhhh?’’ you asked him without looking as you were cooking.

,,Why did Daddy leave us?’’ he asked you out of the blue, making you stop everything and look at him.

,,The fish is burning,’’ he suddenly said as he saw the flames, making you shriek and quickly take care of everything.

After everything was taken care of, you took him in your arms and showed him a few pictures of his father.

For now, you never showed him his father. You never dared to speak about Vanderwood, fearing that your son wouldn’t understand your words, but by now you learned that he was much stronger than you ever thought.

,,This is your father, Vanderwood. He didn’t leave because he wanted to, he was kind of forced to,’’ you told him, gulping down the bad feeling you had as your heart began to beat quickly.

,,And why is he gone?’’ he asked you, softly touching the picture of a cool looking brown haired man.

This was on the day you two went to eat after you craved a salad and ice cream.

,,He had an important job to do,’’ you explained. Of course you didn’t tell him that the agency tracked him down and killed him brutally while he tried to keep you, his heavily pregnant, hidden.

,,And what is he doing now?’’ he kept asking you as you remembered the day, as if it was yesterday, when he pushed you into the closet, begging you to close your ears and never come out until called you.

However, that call never came. Instead, Saeyoung pulled you out moments later. You didn’t remember how much time passed.

You just knew that he asked you to keep your eyes closed as he led the way out of the room.

,,He is now protecting you, me, uncle Saeyoung, uncle Saeran, uncle Jumin, uncle Zen, uncle Yoosung and aunt Jaehee,’’ you answered with a smile.

How much he would have loved to meet his son, you were sure.

He was your happiness after all, the last memento of Vanderwood.

MASTERLIST 1

MASTERLIST 2

MASTERLIST 3

26.07.2021// 00:13 MEST

#Trigger #trigger warnings #death #parental death tw #jumin han #zen hyun ryu #yoosung kim #jaehee kang #saeyoung choi #luciel choi #saeran choi #jihyun kim #Vanderwood #jumin x mc #zen x mc #yoosung x mc #jaehee x mc #saeyoung x mc #luciel x reader #saeran x mc #jihyun x mc #vanderwood x mc #jumin x reader #zen x reader #yoosung x reader #jaehee x reader #saeyoung x reader #luciel x mc #saeran x reader #jihyun x reader

[didsomeonesaydaddydraco]

Drive me crazy | Tom Felton one shot (smut)

Request: yes, by anon. 

Word count: 3,017

Pairing: Tom Felton x reader

Warning: sexual content, PDA, daddy kink, swearing, oral sex (female receiving)

It started as a stupid bet, and neither of us would have thought we would make it so serious. A month ago, Tom saw a stupid video on TikTok, where the couple wanted to see how long they can go without having sex. And of course he wanted to try it too. We both found it stupid, and thought we’d break after a week, but after eight whole days, we found a way to make it a little bit more spicy. Tom would come up behind me and kiss my neck while I was making breakfast, or I would go and sit on his lap in nothing but one of his tank tops. Small little things that we knew would drive the other crazy. We both tried to break the other and win this foolish bet. At first, I was actually glad that he found something that could make the quarantine life more interested, but when we reached the one month milestone in the bet, I knew we were both at the edge of madness. I had to do something. My body missed him, and I wanted to catch on fire when we were in the same room, yet alone in the same bed every single night. I would have gave up everything just to get my internal organs rearranged by Tom.

“Babe?” I called out his name. I heard the calming melody of the piano, and knew where I had to find him. I went to his little music room and watched how his long fingers ran on the keys. Tom always knew how to use those beautiful fingers of his. He looked up from the sheet music that was spread open in front of him and smirked at me. He knew very well what he was doing and he enjoyed seeing me suffer.

“Yes, darling?” His voice was low and he stretched his words. I had to bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from moaning. My eyes wandered back to his fingers that were playing a faster song now. 

“We need to go grocery shopping and I thought we could go to the mall real quick” I walked up to him and hugged him from behind. I slowly slid down my hands on his shoulder blades, down on his chest and leaned to his ear. My lips brushed his ear as a whispered in his ear “I’m in the mood of a little bit of shopping” I kissed the thin skin behind his ear and gently scratched his chest with my nails. I felt his whole body tensed under my touch. I smiled to myself, knowing that he was as famished as I was. He was in my hands, and I wasn’t going to give him any mercy.

———-

We were walking hand in hand in the mall, enjoying that we were finally out of the house, even if we had to wear our masks. Tom was talking about a new trick that he wanted to teach Willow, and I tried not to pour cold water on him by telling him Willow hated to learn new tricks, because she preferred play time and naps with her Daddy. My eyes were scanning the shops and the shopwindow, trying to find something that I actually liked, but all my previous plans about buying some new clothes for spring, and some new hoodies for Tom were long forgotten when my eyes caught a glimpse of my favourite lingerie shop. 

“Come” I dragged him with me. I knew all his weak spots, and one of them being Italian lingerie. Lord knows how many of it ended up in the bin just after hours of purchasing them. They made Tom go crazy and brought out the raw caveman in him, which always left me shaking in bed and not being able to walk properly for days. 

“Didn’t you buy this stuff last month?” He asked me with tilted eyebrows. He could be so daffy sometimes “Or did they end up in pieces?” I laughed and walked in to the store, with Tom closely following me. I knew what I wanted and what I had to do to get it, and I wasn’t planning to play a fair game with him. 

I walked around the store, looking for the most beautiful, most revealing lingerie that I could find. I was playing with the different kind of fabrics, showing Tom, asking him to feel it himself and imagine how good it must feel against my skin. With each set, his patience was getting smaller and smaller, and his actions became possessive - always blocking me from other male costumers who were there with their partners. I was dancing on very thin ice, but I wanted to break the ice. 

“I’ll go and try these on” I kissed his cheek sweetly, dangerously close to his lips. I went to the changing rooms with a few new pieces of lingerie and waited for him to catch up with me “Be a dear, and hold my bag in the meantime, yeah?” I smiled at him innocently and closed the door of the changing room. I hesitated about my choice, but I finally settled with a black, lacy set with a suspenders attached to the bottom. I let my hair out of the messy bun and checked my reflection. I was more than satisfied with what I saw in the mirror. The lingerie fitted perfectly, my hair was wavy from the bun and it covered my shoulders. My face was glowing, I had a little red colour in my cheeks and my eyes were dark from lust and the fire in them made them look like they were shining like stars on the pitch black sky. I slowly opened the door, and leaned to the frame, playing with the ends of my hair as a looked at Tom, who was sitting on the sofa, placed right in front of the changing rooms. He was doing something on his phone, but he dropped it the second he looked up and saw me. His eyes turned black from icy blue in just a second, and he was on his feet. 

“So” I smirked at him, straightening up and turning around so he could get a better look at my chosen set “What do you think?” As a response, he pushed me back to the changing room and closed the door behind him. He threw my bag to the corner and pushed me against the wall behind me. His hands were gripping my hips and his face was inches away from mine. I could feel his heavy breathing on my skin and the burning of his gaze on my body. This was the exact reaction I wanted from him. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer to me. His chest was pressed to mine and his thigh was between my legs, brushing against my aching core. 

“You drive me fucking crazy, woman” he growled in my ear and aggressively bit my skin on my shoulder. He was clever. He knew this game very well, and he still tried to win even though we both knew he lost the second he pushed me back to the changing room. Game was over, and I won our bet. And I knew my price was going to leave me shaking, screaming and unable to walk for days after this but it was so worth it “I want to taste you so bad” 

“Fuck this” I said and pulled him down to me. Kisses weren’t banned throughout the bet, but this definitely felt different than those. We didn’t care about it anymore, we just wanted to feel each other again. 32 days of abstinence was in that kiss. I felt his love, his lust, his struggle, his hunger and his desire. Tom’s grip got tighter and his kiss got deeper and more demanding. His hands wandered from my hips to my backside, smoothing his palms on the shape of it and grabbing it with such force it made me moan into his mouth. With this, he had the perfect chance to slip his tongue into my mouth and find its partner and ask it for a dance. I let go of my grip on his shirt and slowly slid down my right hand on his chest, his stomach and even more slowly on his abdomen until I reached him. He was already rock hard under my touch, and that deep groan that I loved so much broke out from him when I gently palmed him. With my left hand, I dig into his hair and pulled it slightly.

“Darling” he moaned and kissed alongside my jawline, his arms holding me closer than ever. I felt like a goddess under his touch. Tom’s hands left my backside and ran up on my back, straight to my hair. He pulled my hair with his left hand to tilt my head back so he could look into my eyes “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?” His voice was deep and raspy, it was enough to push me into another dimension. Tom’s right hand grabbed my neck and held me in my place. He ran his thumb across my bottom lip and squeezed my neck gently, just how I liked it “You’ve been such a naughty little girl”

“Babe, please” I whispered and kissed his thumb, never breaking the eye contact. He was in my hands and I wasn’t letting him go so easily. Tom tilted his head to the side, his dark and dangerous side showing a little.

“Please what, princess?” He looked at me like a predator looks at its prey. My blood froze in my veins but blew up in just a second, under his gaze. I felt the heat rising between my legs and my knees seemed to be too weak to hold me any longer. Tom helped me to stay steady by locking my body between the wall and his body “Tell me what you want”

“Don’t be gentle” my voice was shaky. Tom cooed at me and brought his thumb to my lips, forcing it between my lips. I gently sucked on it and closed my eyes, imagining all the things I wanted to do to him and all the things I wanted him to do to me right there and then. 

“What else do you want?” His lips were on my neck, leaving wet kisses and bite marks all over my skin. He was trying to push me to my edges. He was controlling me, and I was happily obeying him, which turned him on even more. He lived for being in control and being dominant in the bedroom, and I was perfectly submissive for him “Say it, baby girl”

“I want you to push my knees apart and paint my thighs with purple kisses” my eyes were begging him. Begging for him to ease my pain and make me feel fully alive. I wanted to scream his name and hold onto him while both of us came down from our highs. 

“Such a good girl” Tom was satisfied with me. And when he was, he always rewarded me with something “Daddy fucking loves you” he whispered in my ears and let go of my neck, sliding down his hand on my chest, grabbing my breast, massaging it while his lips kissed me with passion and hunger. Tom’s hands were exploring my whole body, they were everywhere where I wanted him the most. 

“Tom” I whimpered under his touch. I was craving him and I had enough of the teasing. I was burning inside and needed him to let me cool down “Do something, damnit” he looked amazed by my sudden demanding and bold tone. His fingers finally found my genitalia and hummed at how wet I was already. He slid his finger in the black lace thong and stroked slowly between my folds, pushing on my clit to make me go crazy. He started moving his finger painfully slow on my clit, pushing on it harder  after a few strokes. He was fast to cover my mouth with his free hand to dim my moan when he suddenly pushed two fingers in me. Tom moved his fingers in a steady pace, not letting me to close my eyes. 

“Quiet, baby girl. We don’t want anyone to find out what we’re doing, do we?” He whispered in my ear and bit my earlobe gently. I nodded slowly, my eyes shutting at the pleasure of finally feelings his hands on me again. Tom pulled his finger out and brought it to my mouth, touching my lips with it “Now suck” he ordered and my lips parted automatically at his tone. He pushed his finger in my mouth, watching with a satisfied look on his face as a sucked on it “That’s it, darling. Now be a good girl for daddy and stay quiet”

“Yes, daddy” I whispered and leaned my head on the wall, closing my eyes and enjoying the wet kisses on my skin what Tom left on me as he slowly moved down on my body and kneeled in front of me. He pulled down my soaking wet undies and threw it to the other end of the changing room. He slid his hand up on my calf and grabbed my right leg and placed it on his shoulder. My hands found their way to his hair and pulled it softly when I felt his lips on the inner side of my thigh. He planted open kisses on it, biting on the thin and sensitive skin, sucking on it to leave his mark on my body for him to admire his work of art later. 

“So soft” he spoke in a low voice and kissed along my bikini line “And so wet” he blew on my clit which made me shiver from pleasure “All for me” Tom’s praising was melody to my heart and soul, and it just made me want him even more if it was possible. His lips pecked my skin, slowly finding their way to my core. I had to bit my bottom lip to stop myself from screaming a little when I finally felt his warm tongue flicking my clit and diving inside of my fold while his lips closed up on my clit. His hands were grabbing my thigh on his shoulder, and the other pushing my hip to the wall, forcing me to stay still. My back arched at the satisfaction and my fingers were tangled in his hair, pulling on it with every gentle stroke he left on me. 

“Look at me” I almost sobbed when Tom stopped for a bare second just to order me and bite on my skin again “I want you to look at me while I’m eating you out” I obeyed his order, knowing very well if I didn’t, he would have stopped “God, you taste so fucking good, princess” 

“Don’t stop” I whimpered and pushed his head back which made him chuckle darkly, but chose to give me what I wanted. He let go of my leg and teased my slit, drawing small circles, before spitting on it and pushing them inside without any warning. His fingers were hitting the right spot every time and he double my pleasure and joy with moving his tongue on my clit quickly. My breathing became heavier and quicker as I was getting closer and closer to reach my high. It was impossible to stop myself from shaking and pushing my lower parts to his face. He looked perfect between my thighs, with his fingers deep inside me and his tongue spelling the most beautiful poems on my clit, while his dark eyes drowned me in “Fuck, Tom” I hissed. He sped up the movements of his fingers and gently bit on my clit. The suddenly came slight pain pushed me to the very edge and my eyes rolled to the back of my head. I covered my mouth from moaning his names loudly. It was a torture, not being able to show how amazing he felt. 

“Come on princess, come on my face” his breath tickled my pussy as he spoke “Be a good girl and come for daddy” he bit my skin above my Venus mound. His fingers curved inside me, making me see stars from pleasure. He harshly sucked on my clit, pushing his warm and strong tongue on it to give me the full satisfaction. His voice, his look, the way his fingers literally conjured me and a month without having him inside me was enough to completely destroy me and push me to the land of pleasure. My leg gave up and Tom had to hold me while I rode out my high on his face. I felt his smile on my skin and he cleaned me up with his tongue, enjoying the taste of me. He slowly pulled out his finger and brought it to his lips, licking my juice from them and smiling at me darkly. 

“Get dressed” he kissed me sweetly, but I could feel the hunger in it “We’re going home. I’m not finished with you yet” he said and tucked my hair behind my ear “I want to hear you scream my name” he whispered in my ear “I want you to shake under me and beg for me” I swallowed hard, already feeling myself getting hot just by his words. He gave me my clothes and turned around to leave me alone to get my clothes back on, but he suddenly turned around before he exited the changing room “And I’m buying all of these” he said and grabbed all of the lingerie that were still untouched and hung on the clothes peg. By the time I was ready, Tom already paid for the different coloured and different styled lingerie and was waiting for me impatiently in front of the store. It was safe to stay, we didn’t left our bedroom for the rest of the weekend. 

#tom felton #Tom Felton request #Tom Felton one shot #Tom Felton imagines #Tom Felton smut story #Tom Felton x reader #Draco malfof #Draco Malfoy one shot #Draco Malfoy imagines #Draco Malfoy smut #smut #Draco Malfoy x reader

[lady-une]

They Always Leave

This is something I wrote just to process my feelings about a guy. Nothing fanfic related at all. Honestly probably just a pile of emotions horribly written. But if you read it enjoy. It made me cry.

Trigger warning that this does mention drug use but honestly this stuff isn’t a drug.

Loud laughter and music could easily have been heard by anyone who happened to drive by or park near the crazy looking Toyota. For inside the Toyota held three friends, who were just doing their normal Scooby gang shit of smoking and listening to music. Their bellies were full having just engorged themselves on wings, cheese curds, and waffle fries.

The night was setting up to be a normal night for the trio, nothing to crazy. The only thing out of the ordinary was that a special appearance was to be made by a man who once partook in these normal nights. A man who’s laughter lifted one of the girls spirit. A man who did stupid shit all the time just to make people laugh. A man who’s darkness matched Alice’s. He was everything she wanted all rolled up in one stupid motherfucker.

When Alice had first met Caleb he was just some random guy who had tagged along with another guy her best friend had been seeing. Everyone knew of him as alibi, he was just some stupid redneck man. Not at all what Alice was attracted to. Yet the more time she spent with him the more that stupid redneck grew on her. She told herself it was nothing, chalked her emotions up to him just being a challenge. She knew he didn’t like big girls, he preferred his woman small and red headed. It was fine, everyone had their preference in a mate. Hell Alice had her own and this man didn’t hit any requirement.

But something changed. The playful teasing and remarks changed. She started to see him differently. An attraction started to slowly build deep in her gut. Small little hugs became more. Being so close to him that she could feel his breath on her cheek as they spoke silly things to one another about what they were doing. The urge to kiss him started to grow. The day dreams of him professing his attraction started to become recurring. The way he looked at her, it made her second guess everything. Was that smile different? Did he always follow me with his eyes? She started to ask around to see if anyone else had noticed anything or if it was all in her girly imagination. Some said he was just being friendly and a few said he probably had feelings too.

Alice had a way of showing her affection. Some call it a love language but in all honesty it was just childhood trauma and her way of trying to buy affection. To keep someone from leaving, because Alice knew they all left in the end. She had slowly started to gift him things. It started out small, a sex toy since he had been in a two year dry spell. She had taped it up with two containers of gorilla tape. She had joked saying it was to mimic being at a bar and having to work for that piece of ass. Then she had found out his favorite beer. Of course it would be a seasonal one, just like her who had a love of a hard to find seasonal liquor. She checked daily for the beer to come in stock and finally when it did she bought 3 cases knowing it wouldn’t last long but it would put a smile on his face.

For his birthday she had requested the day off work. The idea had formed to drive the hour long drive to his job and tape his truck up with clear wrap and then attach birthday balloons. Then meet him and his friend Greg at the bar for a birthday lunch. There she would give him his gift, a shirt. Nothing extravagant, just one from his favorite online brands that supported the troops. Yet that whole plan had been lost. Gone in an instant. Lies and deceit had caused her to part ways with her once close friend Greg. Caleb was a causality as her best friend had called it. Alice hated it, she didn’t want to part from Caleb.

The birthday shirt had sat days in her room at the end of her bed. Still in the delivery packaging. Alice would have just dropped it off in the bed of his truck had she known his address. Instead after a night of smoking and drinking she had finally texted him. Letting him know she had his gift, letting him know how much she missed him. With the dawn of the next day came sobriety and realization of how stupid she was. Quickly opening the chat she saw he had not seen the messages, this was her chance to right the wrong. With a click of her finger she unsent the messages to Caleb. It wasn’t until later in the day that Caleb had finally opened the chat up and saw that she had unsent the messages and called her out on it.

Alice confessed that she had texted him some stupid ramblings about the boxing match she had seen. A bold face lie but there was no way in hell she would confess her feelings to him sober. Instead she lied and then asked to meet so she could give him his birthday gift early. He had agreed to meet her while she was out with her friends. A quick drive by and it would be fine. Or that’s what Alice had told herself.

The margarita she had in the restaurant had calmed her nerves. The devils lettuce she was smoking had made her even more calm. This would be fine, she repeated her mantra “it’s fine” over and over in her head. A quick in and out.

It wasn’t long before she received the text that he was pulling up and asked where to park. She told him to look for the Yoda mobile and loud music. He replied back with a simple “LOL” and then she heard his loud truck before she saw it. Looking at her friends she smiled before getting out of the car with the gift. Caleb had parked two spots to the left of car and was climbing out of it by the time she reached him. The man wore his standard wranglers and brown boots with his KORN t-shirt and hat.

Alice laughed before nervously saying, “I should have bet on KORN instead of the fuck your feelings shirt.”

“That shirt was dirty, this was the nearest shirt.” Caleb replied with a half smile on his face.

Alice looked up at him trying to decipher what his eyes were possibly saying behind his dark sunglasses. A memory of a time earlier that summer where she yelled at him to take those damn shades off so she can see that he was looking at her while she talked to him popped in her head. To an outsider it would look like she was being mean to him but that was how they were. They would loudly bicker and cuss one another out with a smile on their faces.

“Well now you have a new shirt. Sorry I didn’t get you those jeans you wanted, you know shit just got weird and I felt weird texting you to ask about the jeans.”

“You didn’t have to.” Caleb replied as he took the colorfully bright pink Disney princess bag from Alice’s outstretched hand. He looked at the bag and back to her with a smile.

“Don’t give me that look, I saw it at target and the damn thing screamed ‘Caleb’ so I had to buy it. Now go on and open it!”

Caleb shook his head as he opened the bag up, sifting through the pink and blue tissue paper Alice had stuffed into it. When Caleb finally had the shirt in hand he tossed the princess bag into the bed of his truck and unfolded the shirt to hold it up and inspect it.

“I fucking love it Alice!” He shouted as he looked at the shirt that had bullets in the shape of a hand flicking you off.

“I wasn’t sure if I should get that one or the one with all the fish on it that said size matters. But Greg said to get this one.”

“Well I love it, thank you!”

Caleb opened his arms and Alice fell right into them wrapping her arms around his back and taking comfort in his hold. It had been too long since she got to hold her favorite person. She often dreamt of him holding her and it felt just as good as her dreams.

“Come on Alice, say your goodbyes. He is a casualty.” Yelled out Alice’s best friend from the back of the Toyota affectively killing Alice’s moment with Caleb.

“Casualty?” Caleb asked.

Alice pulled away but held on with just one hand to his KORN shirt, “Just ignore her.”

“Mmmhmm. How are things going with that?” Caleb inquired.

Before Alice could give him an answer her other friend yelled from the driver seat in his Yoda voice “Say your goodbyes and lets go.”

Alice looked from Caleb to her friends in the car and stomped her foot as she yelled “I wanna keep this one!”

The car of friends broke out in a laughter knowing that she was referencing a TikTok they had all seen hundreds of times. They thought she was being funny, they knew she had a crush on Caleb but she had meant it. She didn’t want him to be a casualty. She wanted him to stay in her life.

“You should probably get going, I don’t wanna hold you up.” Caleb said with a slight chuckle.

“I don’t want to. Can’t you stay awhile?” Alice asked looking up at him through her sunglasses. She could feel the tears wanting to come but held them back.

“You know I cant.”

“Please.” She begged.

“I have to get home.”

“Live a little.”

“I do live a lot but just not with you.”

“Same excuse every time.”

“Get going now before they leave your ass.”

Alice grabbed on to his shirt with the other hand. “I don’t want to.”

The tears were welling up inside her eyes, she didn’t know how much longer she could hold off. She hated crying in front of people. She saw it as a weakness. The many years as a child being told to stop crying or she would be given a reason to cry. Then as an adult being told by the man she was seeing that crying was a weakness and that she need to toughen up and that she wasn’t allowed to cry and be weak. She knew it was perfectly fine to cry and it was not a weakness. It was something that she told her kids all the time when they felt sad. That it was normal to cry and that you should cry and work through your emotions. Yet it was something she preached but never practiced herself. She had four kids at home to watch over, she didn’t have time to be weak.

“Thank you for the gift Alice, I really do like it.” Caleb said as he held onto one of her arms.

“I’m glad you do.” The first traitorous tear slip passed her eyes and she knew the instant Caleb saw it because his face lost all playfulness.

“Alice…” he gently called her name.

“I know its stupid. You don’t gotta tell me that. But I know the minute I let go and you get in your truck I wont see you again. All those plans we had will be gone. Who will take me to the gun shop to buy my first gun? Who will make sure that the sales man doesn’t take advantage of me? Who will help me learn to shoot it correctly? Why couldn’t you like me? God I sound like a stupid female right now. But we would have been great together you know. You matched my level of darkness, we matched each other in so many ways.”

“Alice..”

“You know it. They know it. Everyone knows it. Everyone always said that we should just get together but we both would just laugh but deep down I wanted it. God did I want it but you just couldn’t get past that I was a bigger girl. Boy do I feel fucking stupid on an epic proportion right now.”

“Alice everyone has their preference, you always said we were friends because you knew I didn’t like you like that.”

“Of course I did because I didn’t wanna lose you. Better to be friends then not have you in my life. Funny how now I wont even have that.”

The tears were freely falling at this point. Alice could no longer hold her head high, instead she looked down at the ground. She couldn’t look at that stupid face of his, that face that she knew would haunt her dreams for many days to come.

“Alice you will find someone so much better then me. My stupid ass wouldn’t make the best partner for you.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. Look at me Alice.”

Alice shook her head, how could she look at him she was feeling pathetic at the moment. Crying because a man doesn’t want her. Caleb didn’t give her a chance to wallow in her own misery, he put his new shirt on the side of his truck bed and grabbed her face lifting it up to his. He lifted her sunglasses and looked at her tear stained face.

“Don’t cry Alice.”

“Shut up you don’t get to tell me what to do.”

Caleb took his thumbs and brushed the tears away from her eyes. “I’m not someone to cry about.”

“To me you are.”

“You gotta let me go Alice. Move on. It was fun while it lasted and we will always have our memories.”

“Do they teach you these bullshit excuses when you guys are in school? I swear it’s the same fucking thing just said by a different guy.” Alice yelled angrily through her tears.

“Don’t be mad.”

“Don’t tell me what to feel.”

“Then don’t act like a spoiled brat.”

“Then don’t act like an ass who is un-attracted to fat women.”

“We aren’t going to get anywhere on this. Please don’t be mad and please don’t cry over me.”

Alice knew she was being mad because she was hurt and that she shouldn’t be. She knew she should be enjoying these last few moments with Caleb. With shaky hands Alice reached for Caleb’s sunglasses and lifted them up to see his face. Caleb was an expert at hiding his feelings, years in the military had made him hard.

“Why did you do it Alice?” Caleb quietly asked.

“You act like I did it on purpose. I didn’t plan on falling for you. If you weren’t so fucking perfect and if your darkness didn’t call to mine we would be safe.”

“I’m sorry Alice.”

“Me too Caleb.” Alice whispered as more tears fell down her face and she stood on her tippy toes to give him a chaste kiss at the edge of his lips.

Alice tried to smile through her tears and pulled away allowing him room to get back into his truck. With him seated in his truck Caleb rolled down the window and said goodbye before pulling away. Alice watched as the man she wanted nothing more did what all men do…..leave.

#Emotions #heart ache #broken heart #dating

[headcanonsandhijinx]

Breaking Point

Edit: this was originally called ‘Wild Angst Oneshot’ as I couldn’t think of a name, but due to a great suggestion by Narutofan8762 on AO3, it’s now titled ‘Breaking Point’.

I was scrolling on tiktok and saw an acting video with an audio that was from Supergirl, basically yelling at someone who had abandoned her and my brain immediately went ‘Wild yelling at Hylia!’ So I had to try and write this, and then I turned it into a Linked Universe fic because I’m kinda obsessed.

Under the cut, because as usual, my oneshots tend to get pretty long, pretty quickly...

***

She was cold.

That was all he could think as his heart thundered in his chest. She was cold in his arms.

He had finally defeated Calamity Ganon and as the beast finally disappeared from the land that it had long tormented, she had appeared. Zelda was finally free.

He had been running towards her before he even realised and had pulled the princess into a hug with repeated apologies falling from his dry, cracked lips.

Zelda had wrapped her arms back around him and managed to speak into his ear before she went limp in his arms. He had let his body move down to the ground to keep her cradled in his arms, but it was too late.

As soon as he took her face in his hands, the light left her eyes and she breathed her last.

That was how he stayed for hours. In the middle of Hyrule Field, with the body of the woman he was supposed to protect as he cried and her final words repeated over and over in his mind.

“You have nothing to apologise for, Link. You saved us all”

***

Several hours later, found her body draped across his lap, with one of his hands gently holding the back of her head and the other wrapped around her back, while he rocked back and forth as he cried out his grief to the world. He had sat there and screaming and crying for hours over her body.

Then when morning came, he picked up Zelda’s body, called over his horse and began the long trek back to Kakariko Village.

***

Impa had been distressed to see the princess’ body, and it wasn’t helped by the state of Link’s injuries that he had neglected in his grief. A broken arm, 4 cracked ribs, scrapes, bruises, and a concussion.

Impa had insisted that he stay in Kakariko while he healed and the funeral was planned. The time seemed to go by in a blink and before he knew it, the day of the funeral arrived. In a strange turn from the blur of the past few days, the ceremony seemed to last longer than the hundred years he’d slept as Link watched the body of the one he swore protect be laid to rest.

Link was just thankful that the gravesite had been moved from the original plan to bury her near the remnants of the castle, but he couldn’t bear to lay her body to rest in the place where she’d been trapped for a hundred years. She was being buried by the pond atop Satori Mountain. Link had regained a memory of visiting it with Zelda and she’d been amazed by it, so he had brought up the idea of burying her there with Impa, who had agreed to his signing and changed the plans.

Once the ceremony had concluded, Impa had invited Link stay in Kakariko and after a while, he had surprisingly accepted the offer. However, Impa didn’t tell him that she was scared he may do something drastic and he did, just not in the way anyone expected.

He just stayed in the spare house he was staying in, seemingly okay with secluding himself away from the rest of the world. Thoughts of his failure and weakness became his only constant companion as he wouldn’t leave the house for anyone. No matter who came to see him, he wouldn’t answer and if someone journeyed inside, he wouldn’t reply to any questions. And the more they tried to help, the more he pulled away. Eventually, Impa had to ask everyone to keep monitoring him but to leave him alone, out of fear that he may run away and never been seen again if they pushed too much.

They still tried to help, but in little ways that included minimal interaction, if they even saw him. Food would be left outside the door for him and it would be eaten, but only just enough to keep himself alive. He would train and practice constantly during the day and the nights where he couldn’t sleep for fear of failing Hyrule again, often passing out in the middle of the floor sometimes for desperately needed rest.

And that was the way it stayed for six months. A constant cycle of self-loathing and punishing himself for not being good enough.

Until a gang of travelers had walked into Kakariko.

***

“We’ve been walking for ages.” Wind complained as he panted with his hands on his knees and he wasn’t the only one. The group had been walking for almost an entire day and still hadn’t found a settlement or village to rest at, and they’d found this Hyrule’s Beadle who had given them directions, but the group was questioning how accurate they were.

“Well Beadle said Kakariko was this way and he said it wasn’t far, but I think he was just trying to get rid of us before Sky bought all his bugs.” Warrior joked as he stood beside Sky, who elbowed him in the side.

“Come on, he said we should be there by midday if we were quick enough and then we can rest there.” Time chimed in from his place walking at the front of the ground. There were several groans but no more complaints as they continued walking.

It was around two hours later when they finally saw the entrance to this Hyrule’s version of Kakariko Village and upon seeing it, the groups let out several sighs of relief as they journeyed inside.

There were only a few people around the village from what Twilight could see. As he walked in, he spotted a man painting, a little girl sitting by a fire, another younger girl running around and some guards standing in front of a set of stairs that lead up to a building.

“Okay, we should ask later and see if we can find this Hyrule’s hero.” Twilight suggested as he turned around to face the rest of the group, who were all surveying the village as well.

“You’re looking for the hero?” A small voice came from behind him and as he turned, he saw the little girl that was running around a moment ago.

“Yeah, we are. Do you know where he is?” Wind asked the girl.

“Yes, but daddy says he’s ill so he never leaves the house.” The little girl answered before they heard another voice and a man came over to join them.

“I’m sorry sirs, I hope my daughter wasn’t being any trouble.” He said as he looked down lovingly at the girl.

“Oh no sir. She was just telling us where we could find someone that we are looking for.” Time replied.

“Well, perhaps I may be able to offer you some more assistance. Who are you looking for?” The man asked kindly.

“We’re looking for the hero, presumably goes by the name ‘Link’.” Legend spoke up and it was quite jarring to see how quickly the smile left the man’s face.

“You should all come with me.” The smile didn’t return.

***

They’d been herded into a house at the top of a long staircase after that and introduced to this Hyrule’s Impa. She had quickly filled them in on the situation as much as she could and it was a lot to take in.

The land had been decimated by this Hyrule’s Ganon and had suffered for a hundred years, until Link could finally defeat him. (she hadn’t told them about Wild’s death. That would be something for the boy to explain on his own terms. Impa tried to give him control over the very little that he had a say in. She wouldn’t take this explanation away from him too.)

They’d then been left alone in the room and were trying to think of how to approach this new Link when Legend spoke up.

“You heard how they talked about him! How are we supposed to break it to him? Huh, just dump it on him when these guys have said that he’s ill.” Legend snapped. “Hey, we’re all reincarnations of the hero and we’ve all defeated some kind of evil that has threatened our Hyrules. Now Hylia is grouping us all together on a new quest so we can figure out who is behind all these black blooded monsters and stop them. If she’s brought us here then we need you to help us. You’ll probably need to say your goodbyes because she’ll make you join us whether you want to or not. How does that sound?” He snapped sarcastically, already done with the situation.

But nobody spoke, not even to scold him for his outburst and Legend turned around to see this Hyrule’s Link standing in the room’s doorway, presumably having just heard his rant about their quest.

Fuck.

But that wasn’t the worst part of the situation. The worst part of the situation was this Link’s appearance.

The group didn’t know what was worse about it. The painful looking scars that covered part of his left cheek creeping up to cover his ear and snaking down his neck to presumably cover his body as well, or the blank look of numbness on the boy’s face. He had walked in with Paya as he stared into the distance at nothing, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings as he stood there. Warriors had been closest and he recognised the look in this Link’s eyes. It was the look of someone who had completely given up and retreated from the world. He’d seen it on lots of fellow soldiers on the battlefield and off it. Men who’d retreated into their heads because the war was too scarring.

That was when the new Link had pulled something from his belt and vanished in shards of glowing blue light, teleporting away before anyone could even say anything.

“Great. Now what do we do?” Wind questioned, unsure of how to precede.

“I fear there is nothing we can do, apart from wait for his return.” This Hyrules Impa spoke up. “Link knows how to hide when he doesn’t want to be found and the more we try to force our company into him, the more he resists it.” The group were reluctant to accept this at all, but eventually conceded after Impa told them that he would probably return soon, once he got his head around what was going on and came up with a plan. (She didn’t tell them that she was even more worried about Link then they were.)

***

Link walked through Hateno Village as he headed towards the house he had bought almost a year ago, hoping that one day he may be able to take Zelda there. However, that would never happen now.

The wooden bridge beneath him creaked as he moved across it. His eyes now set on the item before him that was his reason for coming here at all. He strode fowards and wrapped his hands around it before it vanished in streams of blue light into his slate. He opened the map, selected his next location and disappeared.

Leaving Bolson and Karson behind as they looked at each other worriedly. They hadn’t seen him in months and he hadn’t even seemed to hear them calling his name.

***

He walked inside with the sledgehammer he had taken from outside his house as he set his sights on the aim of his journey.

The statue of the goddess Hylia, in the Temple of Time.

The goddess who had ignored her peoples suffering. Who had left her people to die. Who had let everyone he knew die. Who had ignored Zelda’s prayers and pleas for her help with her dormant powers, and had ignored his silent pleas for years.

Who was now demanding his help again, threatening to rip his world away from him once again if he refused.

Walking to the base of the statue and shifting his stance, he swung the hammer into the side of it. Before pulling it back and hitting it over and over and over again, parts of the ancient statue crumbling to the ground as the hero released his fury.

“You were supposed to protect us! You were supposed to protect your people! Protect the land and people you created!” He screamed the first words he had said in months, his voice hoarse and rough in his throat. “You were supposed to protect her! She trusted you, she believed in you!” His voice cracked and his throat ached as he yelled, unused to being used at such a loud volume.

Then he stopped and let the head of the sledgehammer rest on the floor as Link realised something.

“I... I believed in you.” It was practically a whisper.

“I trusted you.” It was louder now.

“I trusted you! I thought you’d help us. I thought you’d help me, but you abandoned us! You just left us all to die! You let me die!” He couldn’t breathe because he had trusted her and look where that trust had gotten him.

Nowhere.

“I lost everything.” He thought outloud.

“Do you hear me? I’ve lost everything because of you and your stupid quest!” His ears were ringing as he started screaming again as the hammer was back striking at the statue of the goddess even harder then before.

“I lost my family!” A family he couldn’t even remember.

“I lost my home!” Another place thats memories were lost to him.

“I lost everyone I’ve ever cared about!” That was something he could only assume. He must of had a family at some point, maybe even some friends? He just didn’t know.

“Daruk” His back throbbed with phantom pain in memory of how hard his congratulatory back ‘pats’ were. How loud his voice was, even when he was trying to be quiet.

“Revali” Even though they had mainly been at odds with each other, Link still remembered a few things. The way he would preen whenever he got any amount of attention, or the sound of his wings gliding through the air.

“Urbosa” The sound of her voice rang through his ears, how she’d always sounded so confident and sure of herself. How proud she was of her people and her culture.

“Mipha” The girl he was supposedly in love with, and he could barely remember anything about her. He could remember how soft her voice was but how she was also incredibly fierce in battle when defending those she loved, but that was it. There was practically nothing left.

“Ze-Zelda!” He hit the statue so hard that his hammer shattered into pieces, as he thought of the few things that he could actually remember about her. The way her eyes light up when she talked about the Shiekah technology or a rare species of animal or flower. The way her nose would slightly scrunch up and her eyebrows would furrow when she was annoyed at him. The way her hands shook when she held him as he died in her arms.

“I’ve lost everything because of you! I have nothing left anymore! I’m done. Do you hear me? I’m done with you!” He was no longer screaming, but he wasn’t done yet.

Looking up at the partially ruined statue before him, he dropped to his knees among the stones that now littered the floor. And dropping his head into his hands, he took a deep breath, before he threw his head back...

And screamed.

It was long and loud and every time he ran out of breath, he just took a deeper one and started again. The screams were haunting, heartbreaking and full of grief because Link, after years of mounting pressure, trauma and incapacitating grief, was finally breaking down.

***

When Link awoke he hadn’t realised that he’d fallen asleep, or more accurately, that he’d passed out after screaming for hours. His throat was sore and he felt like he was drifting in that weird feeling numbness that usually occurred when he had a breakdown, although they had never been this bad before.

He looked at the destruction around him and to his surprise, he didn’t feel guilty about it. He’d expected to feel guilty like he always did these days, blaming himself for everything that went wrong. Even if he knew that, logically, there wasn’t any possible way that he could be responsible for it.

But this? This left him feeling hollow instead. Because there was nothing left of him anymore.

He was tired and emotionally drained and he wanted to stay here in his Hyrule. He didn’t want to be forced into being the Goddess’ pawn again, and yet he had no choice. He never had a choice when it came to the Goddess and her will, that was a lesson he learned a long time ago.

He took a moment to breathe and took out the sheikah slate to teleport back to Kakariko.

‘Time to face the Goddess’, he thought as he tried to prepare himself to once again succumb to the Goddess’ wishes and relinquish any thoughts of freedom.

It wouldn’t do any good to imagine a luxury that he would never be granted.

#link #legend of zelda #loz #wild #linked universe au #linked universe #I hurt wild #…again #legend of zelda breath of the wild #botw #legend of zelda wild #angst #time #sky #wind #legend #warriors #Hyrule #four #twilight #linked universe fanfic #fanfic

[dork-empress]

Singing in the Dead of Night

Damian Wayne meets a new masked persona in Gotham, and everyone has to adjust to her.

AKA I have a lot of headcanons about Lucy Quinzel and I'm making it other people's problem.

I want it up front that I haven't read these comics, just a lot of wiki pages and tiktoks. If there's a fun thing in the comics you can tell me, but this is my own version of this universe and these characters.

This is going to be the main story, but I may do some offshoots. If you want to subscribe, chapters are also posted on my Ao3 (link in my description).

“You need to take things less seriously.”

Damian looked up, looked down, and then looked back just to be sure it was really his father who asked. It was hard to tell sometimes if your superhero father had been replaced or possessed or something. “Are you serious? YOU’RE telling me that?”

“That should enforce to you how dire the situation is.” Bruce said, leaning back in his chair. “You’re still a kid,”

“I’m 15,” Damian said, then thought about his varied adventures, “Technically…”

“My point exactly,” Bruce said, turning a page on his crime reports, “You should enjoy being a kid, for a while.”

“Oh, did you enjoy being 15?” Damian said, and maybe that was a low blow, but if Bruce wasn’t ready for him to call him out he...shouldn’t have made him upset. Hmm.

Bruce looked up and stared into his soul, and Damian worried he might have stepped in it a bit. He backed up a step in case. Bruce took a deep breath, looking at him. “My childhood was stolen from me, but I at least had one. As did all the other Robins. You’re not responsible for what happened to you,but I think you could use some time. I couldn’t offer you a childhood then, and I can hardly do that now, I know, but I can do what I can.”

“And what are you doing?” Damian asked, narrowing his eyes.

“You’re suspended from Robin duties.”

“WHAT?!” Damian exploded, getting in his face. “What are you talking about?!”

Bruce didn’t flinch, “Until the Wayne Manor Christmas Party,” Bruce said, “I’ve called Tim and he’s willing to cover for you until then.”

“He doesn’t NEED to cover me,” Damian snarled, “I’m right here! I’m not injured, or dead, or ANYTHING I just--WHY?”

“I told you,” Bruce said, “You need to find other...hobbies, or form connections or SOMEthing. Anything other than the lifestyle. You have two months, you’ll live.”

Damian curled his fists, shaking, but had no more arguments. “You’re the WORST!” He said, and went off to his rooms.

The room was left in stony silence for a moment. Alfred came in, changing out Bruce’s cup of tea. “You don’t actually expect that to work, do you?”

“Not really, no,” Bruce said, “But he’ll be out of my hair for a little bit.”

Alfred was very dignified and so did not snort. But it was close.

Damian went out at night, saying he was off with a friend. Best to keep things vague, but if Bruce pressed, he’d say he was with Jon, and could probably bully Jon into vouching for him.

He dressed all in black, jumping from the rooftops, looking for trouble. There was usually plenty of it in Gotham. He just had to avoid the Bat Signal hanging in the sky and he’d be fine.

He heard a crash and looked down. Jewelry store robbery. Perfect.

He jumped down to ground level and approached the broken in window, taking out his sword. “Anyone in here, it’s better to surrender now,”

Of course, because it was Gotham, he wasn’t met by a normal jewel thief. No, instead, what approached him was a small walking orange balloon animal dog.

Because of course it was.

With an act first, think later attitude, he stabbed at it. He regretted it instantly as it let out some sort of opaque gas, the effects of which he didn’t want to find out. He pulled his shirt up over his mouth in hopes of preventing himself breathing too much in.

“Oh wow,” a voice said behind him, “Are you Robin?”

Damian whipped around and scowled. The gas was obscuring whoever was there, but the silhouette seemed like something of a ballerina. Why couldn’t one criminal just be normal?

He jumped back, ready to attack, but she didn’t fight him. “I’m not Robin,” he said, “I’m…” he didn’t think of another name. Ugh, this was more complicated than it needed to be.

“Huh,” she said, heading over to the display case, “This city sure has a lot of teenage ninja fighters, doesn’t it? Is ninja appropriative? Hmm, will have to think on that.”

She picked up a diamond ring from the display case and headed for the door. “Put that down!” Damian yelled at her, lifting his sword up.

“What, are you going to kill me for one ring?” She said, holding it, “Kinda overkill, don’t you think, Blackbird?”

Damian put his sword up to her, blocking the exit. “I’m not going to kill you, I’m just going to stop you,” he said, determined, but then her words sank in. “Blackbird?”

“Well, I’ve got to call you something, isn’t that how these superhero fights all go?” She stepped forward out of the fog, a girl about his age with a white painted face, lips painted into a heart, and bright orange and pink eyeshadow. “I’m Commedia, the hero of funny, the dancing clown, the laughing knight, etc etc.” she said, “im still working on my name too.”

She did a fancy twirl, getting out of range of Damian’s sword, which he countered to block her from the entrance again. “Oh, you like to dance?” she said.

“Clown, huh?” he said, staring her down, “You work for the joker?”

She laughed, high pitched and sweet, “Very much no,” she said, twirling again through the store, “Though I understand the confusion. No, Joker is...well, a joke. He’s not even registered in the clown registry.”

“There’s a clown registry?” He swung his sword.

This time, it came to a stop, with a matching jingle. He frowned, and saw it was a tambourine that the woman had lifted and stopped the sword like a shield.

He stared at the girl, Commedia, in stunned silence. She smiled brightly at him. “Well, this has been fun. But I really ought to head out. Raincheck on that dance, Blackbird.”

With a spin and a jump, she made it past him and rushed out the door, throwing a pink flower behind. A gas filled up the room in her wake, obscuring the view. Damian unfortunately got a whiff before he could block his nose, but he knew a simple fog cloud scent when he smelled it.

Damian went back into the shadows before the police inevitably arrived. It did seem below his paygrade, fighting someone who only stole a single diamond ring. But it was even stranger for that fact. A strangely dressed clown woman engaging in very strange and specific crimes in Gotham screamed “beginning of a dangerous plot.”

He wanted to go in swinging as usual, then remembered that if his father heard anything about a young person with a sword threatening police, he might catch onto the fact Damian went out that night. So, he went with the subtle approach. Breaking into the jewelry store’s records.

He was glad he did. It turned out that ring in particular had a history. It had been bought, returned, bought again, and returned once more, all by the same man, a Matthew Crenshaw. A quick records search brought up that he was a simple caller at a center. Nothing special about him. But, he was tied to the ring, and that tied him to the girl, so that was his first stop.

He tracked down the apartment to find Matthew Crenshaw in the middle of a very strange day. Damien watched through the window as Matthew lay on the floor of his meager living room, looking up at Commedia herself. She held the ring out to him, offering. “Well come on, man! Take it!”

“I don’t…” he mumbled, “Who...who are you?!”

“Just call me your fairy godmother,” she said. “Come on, you said you wanted it! So take it!”

“That’s…” Matthew said, “That’s the ring that Jenny liked...that she…”

“That you said would make the perfect proposal!” She said, dancing around, “So? Here it is! Now you can propose for real!” she said, giving it to him.

He juggled it, nearly falling over. Commedia came rushing over, jumping through the window and onto the fire escape. “Alright, hands up,” Damian urged her.

She turned, smiling. “Why, Blackbird? We going on roller coaster?” She put her hands high in the air and swung around the fire escape ladder, “Weeeeee!”

Damian followed her, pointing his sword tip at her chest. “Stop,” he said, “What are you planning?”

“Well, I’m planning to go sneak up to that window up there so I can look in and see what Matty and Jenny have going on,” She said, “Wanna join--OH!”

Damian pressed his sword up to her neck. “Cut the games,” He said, “You’re up to something, I know it. So tell me.”

Commedia sighed, giving in. “Matthew doesn’t want to get married.”

“I...what?” Damian said, confused.

“Matthew Crenshaw, the guy up there,” Commedia said, “He’s a nice guy, and he cares for his girlfriend Jenny, sure. But she’s been pressuring him about getting married, even though he doesn’t really like the idea of getting married. He’s talked himself into saying that he needs the perfect ring, but when he bought it, he decided he couldn’t afford it, and gave it back. So, I got it for him.”

Damian’s scowl only deepened as she kept talking. “Who’s he to you?”

She tilted her head, confused. “He cold called me to try and offer me a deal on car insurance.”

Damian put down the sword. He just. She said it so sincerely. “Who ARE you?” He demanded, now out of confusion more than anger.

She smiled brightly once more. “Why, I’m Commedia! The hero clown, the dancing--”

“Yeah, you said all that before, but like,” He sighed, “Why?”

Commedia’s smile fell down to something simple and kind. She offered a hand to him.

Hesitant, curious, and just...confused, he took it.

She led him to the other window, where they saw Jenny walking through the door. She gasped and ran to Matthew. “Oh, Matt! Matt, yes! Yes, I do, I do, I never thought this day would come! Oh gosh, I gotta call my mom, I’ve got a few dresses all picked out. You’ll see, it’ll be a huge party with everyone we know and-”

“Jenny,” he said, “Jenny wait, I...you know I don’t...I’m not comfortable with crowds and...and I don’t--

“But it’s MY DAY!” Jenny wailed, “You wouldn’t take MY day from me, would you?”

“C’mon,” Commedia muttered.

“Please, Jen,” Matt continued, “Look it’s just...if, if we did get married, shouldn’t--wouldn’t it be my day too?”

“Oh come ON, Matt,” Jenny said, walking to the counter, “We both know I’m the one who knows what’s best for you. It’ll be good! You’ll finally get to shine, and if you don’t like it, you’ll have ME there to take the rest of the spotlight!”

Matt’s hands balled into fists, and his face set, “No.”

“What?” Jenny said, incredulous.

“I’ve had it! I’m tired of-of you telling me what I like and what I don’t!” his lip trembled as he stood up. “I knew I was hesitant, but I didn’t know why! Now I see it’s becasue I didn’t want you in the rest of my life!”

“Hey now,” Jenny said, “Matt, calm down--”

“Get out of my house!” Matt went to the open window Commedia left behind and tossed out the ring.

“Whoopsies,” Commedia said and dropped away. Damian, confused, dropped down after her.

She picked the ring up from the ground and held it out to Damian. “I trust you can get this back to the jewelry store.”

“So, all of that…” he said, “was to help a guy get out of a bad relationship? That you barely knew?”

“He sounded sad on the phone,” Commedia said, “Made me curious.”

Damian scoffed, staring at her. “Who ARE you?”

She chuckled. “My guess is you’ll find out sooner or later,” she said, “So I’ll pick later, for now. But I’m sure I’ll see you again soon, Blackbird.”

She took out another flower. This one shot off into the distance like a grappling hook, and pulled her twirling into the night.

Damian could have followed her, maybe. But, holding the ring in his hands, he didn’t see much need to.

Across town, Batman was called to a bank robbery in the middle of the night. Inside, however, he didn’t find the vault broken in, and nothing stolen, other than a number of complimentary lollipops. “You know there are easier ways to get my attention.”

“Aw, Come on Bats!” Harley said, swinging from the ceiling with one of the lollipops in her mouth, “Ain’t this a classic? Brings me back to the old days.”

“Oh, you’ve stopped doing crime then?” He said, leaning back and looking up at her, “News to me.”

Harley flipped down in front of him. “Batsy, you know I’m tryin’! I do good, is it a crime to have a little fun while I do it?”

“If you hurt people, yes.” Batman said.

Harley deflated. “I haven’t done that in a while now. I’m goin through some life changes.”

Batman hummed, staring down at her. “I’m guessing this is about the small clown that has been reported around town recently doing strange acts of minor crimes to help people?”

Harley brightened again, balancing on the teller counter. “She’s my new apprentice! A bit of a goody-two-shoes, but I’m doing my best to train her.” She did a handstand, “I came to ask for some advice at raising child soldiers, considering you have so much experience.”

Batman always scowled, but it seemed his scowl deepened on that. “I help some people come to terms with terrible things that have happened to them, and teach them to be a force of good in the world instead of falling to the world’s darkness.” He thought back on his children, “It doesn’t always work.”

Harley laughed, “No kidding,” she said. She sighed, thinking. “To be honest, Commedia is already pretty good. I can’t claim credit for that.” She rocked back and forth, feeling uneasy.

Batman approached, slow so as not to scare her. “Well, we both know she didn’t get it from her father.”

Her face was already white, but she blanched further. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, “She’s my niece, she ran from home so I’m taking care of her and-”

“Harley,” Batman stopped her rambling, “I’m a detective, remember?”

She frowned, shaking at him. “He doesn’t know,” she said, “No one knows, she...she’s never met him and I don’t want her to I--”

Batman held up his hands, stopping her again. “I know,” he said, “I understand, really. And I’ll help.”

She blinked up at him, smiling. “Really?”

Batman nodded. “I’ll help you protect her. As for advice....if you ever figure out a perfect way to raise masked vigilantes, let me know. I mostly just do the best I can, and make sure they can do a proper spin-kick if they need to.”

Harley snorted. “I’ll make a note of that.” She grabbed the box of free lollies on the counter, “I am going to be robbing these though, and you can’t stop me.”

She headed for the back entrance and away. “Harley,” Batman called her again, and she froze, “The year you were gone, when you disappeared and suddenly your sister had a child she wasn’t pregnant with. I want you to know, I noticed.”

Harley smiled, turning, “Thanks Bats-” When she turned, he was gone. “And people call me a drama queen.”

#lucy quinzel #batman #damian wayne #harley quinn #batfamily #joker