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emperor-palpaminty · 3 years

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CAN WE PLEASE GET A PT 2 FOR THE 41 KISS PROMPT W REX OML I CANNOT IT WAS GETTING SO GOOOOODD 😭😭😭😭

ISKSKS I AM SO GLAD YOU LIKE IT

i will most defs do that for you love! am glad you've enjoyed it! I don't remember the exact dialogue so I just... Made it up???? Whoops

Part one is here!

You felt Rex's attention shift to you but you stood your ground, eyes pinned on Krell, the brilliant green shifting against the ever-present darkness rolling around your former master. You could feel it now- the haze of evil, the fog of the Dark Side rolling around him like a mist in a wood.

The captian's blasters were out in his hands and he stood even with you, voice calm but authoritative. "General Krell," He said, calmly. "You're under arrest."

Krell took in the sight of it all- you with your saber resting easily in your hands, Rex standing next to you with his guns drawn, the soldiers moving around you. "Under what charges?"

"Treason against the Republic." Rex moved closer to you, and you shifted your saber, feeling the comforting hum in your fingers.

The men closed in, eyes only on the traitor. Krell's lips pressed into a sneer, and his fingers flexed. "I feared you would say that-" You heard the Force stir before you felt it. "Clone."

The men tumbled back, Krell's sabers whipping out, pushing troopers away. The clone closest to the window crashed through, shattering the glass, and tumbled out, screaming.

You grounded yourself, skidding backwards as the pressure of the force pushed you back. Your head lifted long enough to catch Krell jumping out the shattered window. You stood, running to the ledge and glancing down, Rex behind you. "Kriff," You breathed, starting down. "I'll go directly after him. You take the elevator-"

"Hey," Rex reached out, bumping your arm with his fingers. You turned at looked at his visor, trying to discern some expression, some emotion from that emotionless helmet.

Instead, he drew his hand back, nodding. "Turn on your comm. The second you see him, tell me and wait-"

"No more of your brothers are dying today, Rex." You exhaled, moving back towards the ledge. "Not under my watch." Your breath caught, and you jumped back, tumbling, feeling the air whiz past your ears. You landed heavy, ankles screaming, the impact absorbed by the Force that dwelled around you.

You stood and ran, activating your lightsaber. "Men!" You yelled at a group of 212th troopers. "With me! Don't leave my sights."

You led them into the forest, thick with fog, the plants casting a dim glow on the breath of the twilight. You led the mem, stepping slow, your senses muffled by ringlets of the force around you. "Rex," You said, softly to your comm. "He's close. I can feel him."

"Hang on, General. We're close to you."

You exhaled, softening your voice. "I'll take care of your men. Just get here quick." You tugged your wrist away, saber humming with life.

A man screamed in the distance. You turned, eyes scanning for the familiar haze of blue and green. The sabers moved in violent arcs, aggressive, just as terribly powerful as you remembered him being when you were his padawan.

You ran ahead of the men, who were close to your tail, and you lept upwards, feet planting against foreign fauna, saber swinging. You struck down, just as violent as you had been taught, and two blades rose to meet you.

He swung, the duo of blades moving brilliantly, and you danced between them, twisting and rolling. The clones were yelling at one another in the comms, debating to fire or not, to shoot or not, in lieu of hitting the Jedi that they didn't want to hit.

You tumbled back, your blade still humming, and you glanced up at him, the grey dirt coating your vision. You stood, shakey, hands readjusting.

"My Padawan," Krell sighed, moving towards you. The words suffocated you, and you exhaled, feeling in the force for him- that betrayal earlier, your Captain, was replaced with worry. "You could have been a great service to the dark side." He walked towards you in an arc, and you mimicked it, circling each other slowly. "Instead, you chose some lab-created flesh droid with a hive mind. Does he even feel? Does he know the... Love?" Krell laughed, the sound grating your ribs. "You love him? My padawan is stupid. How unfortunate."

You spun the saber, stopping mid-circle. You began approaching him, head-on, each step a pump of your heart for him, his brothers- Rex. Fives. Jesse. Hardcase. Tup.

You sprinted, hearing Rex's voice in your comms, but the wind rushed past you and blocked his words. Your sabers clashed, and you snarled. "And my master has forgotten one thing-" The presence of Rex closened, pulsed, the fear filling as he heard your blades, your voices.

"And what is that?" Krell leaned in, his blades locked against yours.

You smiled as Rex and his men pushed into the clearing, their voices talking about the many aggressive living plants around the two of you. Your boot hit the rubbery root, and you stepped on it harder, feeling the hiss of the plant under you. "You taught me everything I know."

You shut off your saber and ducked, rolling away from him, and the vines rushing to meet you caught Krell's leg and yanked him up.

The men shot, firing, as you moved back, watching the Krell seeing wildly. You moved back towards Rex, watching him especially, and you get the fear transition to pride, admiration, even, as the General's sabers fell and he hit the ground, unconscious.

"Brilliant, General," Rex exhaled to you, watching his men hurry to cuff Krell.

You nodded, knees shaking, and you deactivated your saber, hand pressing to your thigh. A slow groan escaped your throat, a subtle burn spreading. "Rex-" You hissed, collapsing.

Rex turned instantly, body stiffening as you fell. He ran to you, rolling you over and looking at your thigh. "Kriff." He hissed. "Medic!" The pain in his voice was physical, wet, thick, more so than the pain in your body.

You felt him tug your head onto his arm. "Rex," You mumbled, the pain coursing rapidly in your muscles. "I think- when I-"

"Shh. You're going to be okay- Medic!" Rex stood, tucking you to him, and running to the straggling group of clones. "She's been hit."

Your leg stung, and your head lulled back, eyes catching the blue blurs of Rex's helmet before darkness consumed you.

___

When you came to, you had a very strong craving for tea. Your body felt sticky, thick, and you groaned and sat up. You glanced around at the pristine setting- the medical ward, you presumed, still on Umbara.

You kicked your legs over the aide of the bed and grimaced, knees popping at the use. Your upper leg felt mended, but the sutures were bruising your skin. You settled weight on it and emitted a hiss, shuffling towards the shower.

"You're up," Kix called. You turned, glancing back at the irritated medic. "If the Captain knew you were up-"

"Kix," you whined, leaning heavily on the closest bed frame. "I'm fine."

He gave an irritable grunt, holding out a folded pile of clothes. "You'd better be. Go shower. Do not-" He tugged the fabrics from your hands and you hummed, reaching for them. "I repeat, do not pull at the bacta pad or get it soaked. Damp is fine. Wet is not. Good?"

"Loud and clear." You snatched the clothes away.

"I'd better tell the boys you're up. They've been anxious. Especially-" The medic stopped, stumbling on his words

Your feet bumped into the doorframe of the refresher. "Especially... Who?"

Kid glanced up at you, eyes almost mirroring the Captian you hoped for, and he said, gently, with a grin on his lips, "I think you already know who."

___

When you emerged from the refresher, toweling off your hair, you heard a sharp intake of breath. "You're awake."

Your eyes snapped up, towel abandoned in your hands. "I am." Rex's voice held the same tenderness that had planted in your heard since the most recent tea ritual, rubbing your heart raw with the coarse affection that was running you over, again and again. "Are you alright?

Rex started towards you, eyes blazing with a compassionate intensity. "You need to be in bed."

You smiled gently, raising your hands in mock surrender, fighting to keep the searing pain of your wound at bay. "I'm getting there."

Rex met you halfway. He stooped and scooped you up, gently, far in less of a rush than he had been when you were openly injured and walked you towards your bed. "You know better, general." He scolded, softly. You didn't complain, opting to wind your fingers behind the nape of his neck and press your face softly against his jaw.

The captain exhaled a shaky breath. His hold tightened momentarily as he stopped by your cramped cot, turning his head and lowering his cheek against your skin. Your fingers intertwined and you pulled back, looking up at his face. The rolling surprise spread on his lips, his eyes, as he turned his head more against you, sitting down on the cot, simply cradling you.

You threw your arms around him entirely and allowed Rex to hold you- you shook, quietly, sobbing softly. "I'm so sorry, Rex, if I had sensed Krell-"

"No, no," Rex squeezed you gently, rocking now, smoothing a hand in your still-damp hair. "The Jedi Council didn't sense it. General Skywalker or General Kenobi didn't sense it, either. You can't blame yourself." The hand in your tendrils of hair moved to your cheek, the gloved fingers smoothing over the war-roughened skin. "You have done-" A crack in the foundation of his words, and his shoulders heaved. "More. More than I could ever ask anyone."

You bumped your forehead to him, holding his jaw in both your hands. "And I would do more." Especially for you.

Rex nodded, his hold tightening as he pulled you in again. The two of you sobbed- perhaps because of the losses, the shame of that responsibility, or perhaps you realized the unconditional depths of your love for the other, and it was something- even worse, someone- you could never truly have.

#captain rex x reader #clone wars reader insert #clone wars #rex x reader #captain rex x you #captain rex imagine #part 2 #jedi!reader #minty writes #rex #captain rex

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yoddream · 3 years

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You and Jeno were the best of friends. Growing up together, you saw each other’s good and bad moments, learned every flaw, and knew every fact. It was hard to separate the two of you, even in high school. You even started attending the same college. There wasn’t a single friend one had that the other didn’t.

Then, Jeno got a girlfriend.

There was nothing wrong with Yeeun. She was an absolute sweetheart and was always so nice to you. She made Jeno really happy, which was all you ever wanted. The problem was that Jeno seemed to give her all his time. It started out small, with him ditching you some days for lunch to have it with her instead. Then, he wouldn’t be able to make it to a hangout with your friends because he was taking her on a date. That turned into him canceling at the last minute. Soon, every lunch was spent with Yeeun. He stopped responding in the group chat as much. Sometimes he would leave you on read.

The last straw was him not showing up to movie night anymore, only to show up the next day with a bunch of hickeys on his neck. Movie nights started when you guys were toddlers. They were sacred and only canceled for emergencies or an illness. If anyone was on vacation, you would FaceTime and watch together. There was no excuse for him to miss movie nights.

That one broke you.

You couldn’t count how many times Jaemin held you as you cried yourself to sleep, knowing you’d practically lost your best friend. You hadn’t hung out with him in a long time, and it felt like a part of you was missing. It was obvious the others were worried about you, but they felt helpless. The bags under your eyes refused to disappear. You ate, but it wasn’t very much. You fell into a deep depression, and they did everything they could to get you out of it.

Were you too reliant on Jeno? Probably, but this wasn’t somebody you’d met recently; this was somebody you’d potty trained with, someone who gave you his stuffed dog when an older kid pushed you off the jungle gym and broke your arm, somebody who knew every secret you had. He was very special to you, and just like that, he was gone.

///

Jeno: hey, wanna get ice cream?

The text stared back at you. You rubbed at your eyes to make sure it wasn’t a dream, and sure enough, it was still on your screen, waiting for a response. You hadn’t showered in almost a week, which you knew annoyed Haechan because he had to smell you all the time since he was your roommate, and your face was covered in acne. You looked like this, and he suddenly wanted to hang out? Normally, you didn’t care how you looked when you hung out with your friends, but this was different. Jeno could see that you weren’t doing well, and you didn’t want that.

Wait.

You knew why he wanted to hang out.

He and Yeeun broke up.

That was the only explanation. Why else would he try to make plans? The last time you hung out alone was almost three months ago. You really only saw him when the group made plans and he wasn’t canceling to be with Yeeun. Why you, though? Why not the whole group?

You: yeah gimme an hour

When he sent a thumbs up emoji, you threw your phone down and raced to the bathroom. You took extra time in the shower to make sure everything was washed and fresh before getting out. Once you were dressed, you put on makeup, making sure to cover all the acne on your face. After deeming yourself presentable, you texted Jeno to ask where you were going for ice cream. He suggested the place near your apartment, so you grabbed your things and headed out, glad that Haechan wasn’t there to question you.

The ice cream place wasn’t far, but Jeno still managed to get there before you. As you approached him, you debated giving him a hug or not. It’s been so long, you didn’t know if it was okay anymore. It sounded insane, but his change in behavior made you question every action.

“Hey!” Jeno greeted you with his bright smile. It didn’t quite reach his eyes, but he still looked adorable. You waved to him and reached for the door, but he beat you to it and held it open for you.

The inside of the ice cream shop was cute, with pastel walls and cartoon cows painted on the counter. The tables were a light pink with white legs, and same with the chairs. It was small, but you two loved going there. You ordered and paid before bringing your cups to the table Jeno chose. He thanked you and dug in, not hesitating to eat his feelings.

“So, you and Yeeun broke up?” you asked.

He stopped eating. “How did you know?”

You paused. How could you explain it without either hurting his feelings or getting into an argument? Telling him the truth would surely change the vibe, and not for the better. “...Lucky guess.”

“Huh. Well, yeah. She broke up with me. I don’t even know why, though. She refused to tell me,” he explained, stabbing his spoon into his ice cream. “Like, was it something I did? Is it something I need to work on so that my next relationship lasts?”

“You think you won’t get back together?” you questioned.

He shrugged. “I mean, if she wants to, then I will, but that’s also if I still want to date her by the time she decided. It just sucks, because I thought things were going well. The sex was great, we got along really well, and we never fought. To be dumped just like that is just very strange.”

You winced at the comment about their sex lives, not really wanting to know in the first place. It did seem very out of the blue for her to break up with him, but you tried not to dwell too much on it. It would only upset him more.

The two of you caught up, but it seemed like he didn’t realize just how absent he was from your life. He asked about your classes and your family, wondering how they were doing since he hadn’t seen them in a while. You asked the same and also questioned if he’d made any friends, which he hadn’t. So all his time was spent with just Yeeun, it seemed.

When it was time to head back to your apartment, Jeno hugged you goodbye before heading the opposite direction. Your feet dragged, your body screaming for you to return to Jeno and get as much attention from him as possible, but you had homework you needed to work on, so you continued home.

///

“Jesus, just like that?” Jaemin asked Jeno.

The two of them were hanging out at Jaemin’s apartment, playing video games and talking about the break up. When Jaemin found out, he immediately called the other man and invited him over. They were catching up on things when Jaemin had asked about the break up, and Jeno told him everything.

“Just like that. No explanation. How the hell am I supposed to feel about that? Angry? Sad? I need something so I know how to process it,” Jeno ranted.

“Who else knows?”

“Well, Y/N figured it out when we went out for ice cream.”

“Wait, you hung out with Y/N?” Jaemin asked.

“Is it really that surprising?”

“Considering you practically dropped her, yeah.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dude, ever since you and Yeeun started dating, you’ve bailed on all your plans with Y/N. We tried to get her to give up, but she still had hope.”

Jeno’s heart started to race. Surely he didn’t do that to his best friend, right? Pulling out his phone, he opened his texts with you, and his stomach dropped at all the times he canceled on you, said he already had plans, or just left you on read. For months, you put up with it without saying a word to him. For months, you tried to keep your friendship going, and what did he do? Nothing.

“I’ve gotta go,” Jeno stated as he ran towards the door.

“What? Where are you going?” Jaemin called out.

“I need to fix this.”

Without elaborating, Jeno left the apartment and ran down the stairs. When he got outside, he hopped into his car and sped to your place. He couldn’t believe he did that. No wonder you seemed a little uncomfortable the other day. You didn’t know how to act around him anymore. He really fucked up.

Before he knew it, he was knocking on your apartment door. It took a few seconds, but then you were looking at him with wide eyes, clearly not expecting him to be standing there. He took in the dark circles under your eyes and the stress acne he knew you got whenever you were depressed and said, “I’ve been a really bad friend, haven’t I?”

The tears fell before it even registered that your eyes were watering. Soon, you were sobbing into Jeno’s shoulder as he stepped in and tried to soothe you. You started to hyperventilate, the emotions overwhelming you.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Y/N. It’s okay, though I’m here now,” he stated, repeating his words softly.

He managed to move the two of you to your room, lying on your bed with you wrapped in his arms. You continued to cry, and it surprised you that you had any tears left. He rubbed your back and pressed kisses to your hair, just like he did whenever your depression got really bad. He felt extremely guilty for being the cause of your tears and sadness.

“I missed you so much,” you whined.

“I missed you too I’m so sorry I ditched you. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you.”

///

Dreamies (plus Y/N)

Haechan: (picture of you and Jeno sleeping in your bed with Jeno wrapped around you like a koala)

Haechan: all is right in the world again.

Jaemin: oh, that’s where he went.

Mark: Finally! I’m glad they’re working things out

Renjun: Good. I was really concerned about her

Chenle: look at Renjun having feelings

Haechan: gross

Jisung: seeing her cry made me cry so i’m glad they’re talking again

Chenle: you big baby

part two is here

#nct #nct dream #jeno #lee jeno #nct imagine #nct dream imagines #nct imagines #nct dream imagine #nct jeno #nct dream jeno #jeno imagines #lee jeno imagines #jeno scenarios #lee jeno scenarios #nct scenarios #nct dream scenarios

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kaalogii · 3 years

Text

— sleepless (bakugo x reader x todoroki)

the night is young, let’s start a fire.

warnings: angst + implied cheating + language

“Cheap ass sheets!” Katsuki sneered as he attempted to locate a cool spot atop the sheets for what seemed like the millionth time tonight.

He had about gotten tired of his skin sticking to the newly bought sheets that had promised him a “cool nights rest.” Though he knew his lack of sleep had more to it than false advertisement.

After a few more tosses and turns, the blond had given up and threw himself out of bed. Katsuki had gotten himself to the kitchen to get a glass of water. He chugged the water until it was finished, setting the empty glass onto the counter. He eyes the keys he had earlier set on the counter next to him, debating his next move.

He knew he wasn’t known for being level-headed, but this topped everything he has done in the past. Though there is one exception to the statement.

Katsuki was aware that he was in the driver’s seat of his car, but it was a surprise when he found himself driving down the familiar neighborhood he swore he had driven down about a million times now. He stopped across the street, staying parked under the dimly lit street light he had complained about after each visit. It was always something about your safety.

Katsuki watched the window of the darkened apartment located across the street he was parked in, hoping and waiting for any type of movement. He knew it was hopeless. He couldn’t control the sobs breaking from his throat while clenching the steering wheel as an attempt to ease his outburst, but he knew it was already too late.

As his loud sobs softened, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. With semi-shaky hands, Katsuki unlocked his phone and searched through the contacts. His thumb hovered over your name, hesitant as he tried to get himself to think clearly.

He couldn’t.

The phone had rung a total of three times before Katsuki decided the best option was to hang up, until the call had been answered before he could.

“Hello?” The voice, unexpected to be heard by Katsuki had sleepily answered. Katsuki froze, not realizing he had been taking too long to respond. “Goodbye-“

“No,” Katsuki muttered into the phone. His knuckles turning white as he clenched the steering wheel. “How is Y/N?” He choked out. Katsuki could hear shuffling from the other end of the line and a few seconds later, a door being gently closed.

“It’s been years, Bakugo. I wouldn’t have thought someone like you would still be trying to find a way back into Y/N’s life. Not after what you’ve done,” Their response had Katsuki bite his tongue. The guilt he had felt years ago had began to overwhelm him. He punched the steering wheel in frustration.

“I know I fucked up, Todoroki. Okay? I fucking know that. I’m reminded about it every single damn day. They don’t say it, but I can see it in their eyes that they resent me for hurting their friend. Especially my best friend— shit he’s been disappointed in me since that day,” Katsuki clenched his jaw.

“That’s your fault,” Shoto spat out, becoming irritated with the blond he currently had been speaking with on the other line. “You should be used to living with that type of guilt now,”

Katsuki shakily breathed in as he tried to contain the bubbling anger rising in him as well as the sobs surely trying to fight their way out. “I said I’m sorry. I know my apology is never going to be enough, but I just need to know if there’s a chance Y/N won’t hate me anymore in the future,”

Shouto sighed. He gently pressed his ear to the closed door, walking away as soon as he heard your soft snores continue in the night. “Y/N never hated you and doesn’t, even now. Y/N’s just hurt. You not only were unfaithful, but you degraded Y/N once Y/N was aware of your actions,”

Katsuki choked back a sob, the memory forever etched into the only thing he’s ever regretted in his life. The memory he continuously dwelled on had taken place years ago where he had been in one of the darkest places since becoming a hero. Not only did he feel stuck at his current seat in the hero ranks, he knew there was little hope that he could climb to the top. Knowing this, he had become obsessed with finding ways to reach the highest rank. Then at last, he had found a way; he had thought. Katsuki’s vision had blurred, his thoughts only filled with the promise of the top rank as he pleasured the individual who had given him a false promise.

“If I could take it all back. I fucking would without a second thought. You have to believe me Todoroki!” Katsuki had sobbed, the memory of the event had pushed him over the edge. “I love Y/N. I’ve always loved Y/N and I always will,”

“This is the last time you’ll be able to attempt communication with Y/N. I’ll give you the privilege of knowing that Y/N and I will be moving,” Shoto closed the blinds he had been peeking through. He almost pitied Katsuki while he watched his meltdown across the street from his and your shared home. Shoto ended the call, ignoring Katsuki’s pleads. Following the action, he blocked the number.

“Baby? Shoto?” Shoto glanced over to the figure walking out of the shared bedroom. Your face still holding full exhaustion as you only managed to peek at Shoto with one eye. You yawned, rubbing your eyes gently to get a clear look at Shoto.

Shoto sweetly smiled at you, walking toward you. “I got thirsty,” you nodded in response as Shoto grasped your hands within his own before leading you back to bed with him. Shoto ensured you had been comfortable when you had gotten in bed. He had placed his arms around you and played with your delicate fingers until your soft snores had sounded once more.

Shoto had been grateful to Katsuki for one reason. Without Katsuki’s fuckup, Shoto wouldn’t have had the privilege to be loved by you. He kissed the top of your head as he gently ran his thumb over your ring finger, feeling the ring he had placed upon your finger months prior. Without Katsuki’s fuckup, Shoto also wouldn’t have the privilege of marrying you in a few days.

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tatooedlaura-blog · 3 years

Text

Five Words

I’m back again ... this time with a requested ‘Leonard Betts’ follow-up ...

this tried to kill me a little bit ... not lying ...

@laurenclare88 @today-in-fic

&&&&&&&&&&

No surprise to either Mulder or Scully, he was awake when she called, “hey, it’s me.”

“Hey, me, you okay?” Twisting his head back to see the clock behind him, “it’s almost midnight.”

“Feel like getting some hot chocolate? Coffee? Platter of waffles the size of your head?”

He heard something in her voice, and not sure if she’d been crying or sound asleep until five seconds before she called, he sat up, “well, Waffles and Stuff is open and in the middle so we can meet there, if you’d like, or if we hit Rolls and Holes, I’ll come pick you up.”

It was actually called Benny’s Café but they specialized in homemade cinnamon rolls and peanut butter donut holes, hence Mulder’s highly inappropriate, yet completely fitting, nickname.

She didn’t laugh like she normally did, juvenile as the nickname was, and he headed towards his shoes, wondering what could have happened since he left her yawning, at her front door, two hours ago, “Waffles and Stuff is fine. See you in ten.”

She must already be in the car because it took ten minutes to get there. Hurrying now, he tossed on a sweatshirt, then his jacket, heading out the door a minute later, turning left for the stairs instead of right to the elevator because hoofing it would be faster. The car ride there was quiet, traffic light, pavement dry.

Waffles and Stuff was empty this time of night, and as he parked, he spotted her already in their booth in the corner, having graduated from the counter a year or so back. Waving to both the cook and lone waitress, Max and Catherine as they had learned some time ago, he slid into the bench across from his partner, “fancy meeting you here.”

She didn’t feel like banter tonight, heavy burden weighing but not forming concrete thoughts able to be spoken out loud just yet. Instead, “you want to split the waffles or fly solo?”

“Scully.”

Hands on the table, she raised one in his direction, fingers waving absently, wrist bobbing in a ‘give me some time’ gesture, “I think I’d like to split a set of Belgian with extra butter and get bacon and sausage on the side. How’s that sound?”

Now she was just freaking him out. Stopping her flopping hand, “Scully? What happened? Is it your mom? Bill? Talk to me, please?”

She jerked her hand away from him, nearly taking out her water glass in the process, “just … they’re fine … I just …” frustration made her words stutter, nostrils flare, jaw tighten for a moment, “I haven’t …”

Not pushing in the moment, he leaned forward, holding his pointer finger up to stop Catherine’s approach, “do you want to eat here or get it to go? We can share in the car if you want.”

Eyes shutting, she took a deep breath, palms flat on Formica. Exhaling slowly, she found her center for a brief second, “just some hot chocolate for now.”

Mulder called the order to Catherine, adding a ‘thanks’ before returning to Scully, speaking slowly again, “are you okay?”

Her head shook a ‘no’, eyes glued to the table, fingers white. Mulder’s stomach tightened but venturing a guess that she’d had a nightmare about Betts and couldn’t form the words yet, he nodded, trying again to touch her, tracing his fingers over the cold knuckles on the back of her hand, “you’re fine here, okay? We can stay as long as you like.”

Caught between crying and screaming, she let him run his fingers over her for another moment before sliding back, hands dropping to lap as eyes bounced from his chin, then to his chest before landing on his still extended hand, “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

She knew damn well she didn’t wake him up, but both realized she needed to steer them back to middle ground, neutral conversation, “you didn’t. I was watching ‘Golden Girls’.”

Not knowing this particular vice, she met his green eyes, almost smiling, “who’s your favorite?”

“Um, Sophia. What kind of asinine question is that?”

Hot chocolate arrived amidst the debate of Sophia vs. Rose and ordering their smorgasbord, things stayed light through another side of bacon and a second helping of hot chocolate. Stuffed by 1:15am, Mulder saw her drifting away again, heaviness settling where frivolity had been moments earlier. Tapping her ankle with his shoe lightly, she didn’t startle but refocused on him, “that better be you.”

Continuing, “it is.”

“Good. Otherwise, we’ll never be able to come here again.”

Catherine somehow managed to clean their table without disturbance, in, out, feeling the odd pall over them. Neither so much as glanced her way.

Subtly lifting his leg, he set his foot on the booth beside her, preventing any escape from his next questions, “what happened? Did you have a nightmare about Betts? Did you see something? Hear something?” He felt microscopic pressure against his ankle as her thigh muscles tensed to move but he held steady, not letting her leave. Voice dropping to a whisper, he leaned forward, “you’re starting to freak me out.”

Her face crumbled for a moment, then snapped back to normal 1 am, shifting gears a third time when her eyebrows crashed together, lip curling, chin wobbling in an instant, then back to normal. The gambit of emotions that crossed her face in under four seconds was heart-wrenching and Mulder followed along, panic about to overrun control.

Moving his foot, he shifted in beside her, arm around her shoulder, fear growing exponentially, his voice wobbling quietly in her ear, “what happened?”

“Betts told me I had something he needed.”

With the speed of a fucking bullet, realization froze his heart, and his other arm completed the circle around her, pulling her into his shoulder, burying his face in her hair, “Betts in a psychopathic fucker.” She couldn’t quite find words to tell him about the bloody nose that had sent her spiraling so she tried to move closer instead, wishing for a way to crawl into his lap without rebuke or reprisal. Ice still coursing through his veins, he choose denial mode as opposed to depths of despair, comfort instead of chaos, “he’s certifiable, Scully, why would you give him a second thought? A first thought, even?”

When she didn’t respond, he let go of her, standing, tossing money on the table and taking her hand, “come on.”

When he pulled away from her, she nearly sobbed, missing him in that second more than she’d missed him in … well … possibly ever. Seeing his extended hand started the roller coaster all over again and shifting, she followed in silence, little hand wrapped in big, not waving goodnight to their hosts, not seeing anything but his jacket inches from her nose.

Her nose.

And the slightest headache thrumming behind it.

She stumbled over the curb, running into his back, catching herself before hitting the ground. Her control was gone, her walls blown to hell, her mind focused on five words, four years, three drops of blood, two people, one soul and the suddenly ticking timebomb of a six-letter word.

She couldn’t say it.

Mulder had her face in his hands, trying to comprehend the unimaginable, eyes darting between hers, betraying any kind of cool exterior both knew he didn’t have, “you’re fine, Scully. You are going to be fine. Betts is … was … and ever shall be … nothing to us. He wanted to get under your skin and he knew how and he did it and he’s burning in hell right now and you can’t listen to anything he said. Do you hear me?”

Held still by large palms and calloused fingers, she let the tears escape, her voice reaching his ears in a wet, spitty, stilted stutter, “you … you didn’t hear … how he said it … Mulder. He … he had sympathy in his words, the look …” eyes closed for a moment, swallowing hard, “he looked genuinely sorry.” Choking inhale in, one sob shook both to their core, “he wasn’t saying it to be cruel. He was saying it … to be kind … and he’s dead and he can’t … he could have …”

Shaking his head, he finally pulled her into a hug, most of her upper body disappearing into his embrace, “he couldn’t have done anything, Scully. He removed tumors because he needed them. Doctors do the same thing. He didn’t cure, Scully,” he kept saying her name, needing to hear it out loud, prove she was still standing in front of him, his denial in place but his fear still winning, “he removed. Doctors cure, he mangled, he cut, he … he couldn’t have helped you but Leonard Betts doesn’t matter anymore because your fine and he’s gone and he was just fucking with your head because he could. He would have said the same thing to me had I been in the ambulance with you. I know enough about these people to know it would have ended with that phrase regardless of who was in the truck.”

Neither was sure who he was trying harder to convince and neither dwelled on it.

Instead, she stayed up on the curb while Mulder was one notch below in the gutter, hug evened out, height difference conquered with concrete and asphalt. A cone of silence enveloped them, traffic noise, barking dogs, airplanes overhead, all fading away, until, Scully, mess of emotions somewhat in check, spoke quietly into his chest, “will you take me home?”

“Of course.”

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Leaving his car behind, he drove hers to her apartment, both climbing stairs and locking doors behind. Her microwave clock now read 2:09am as she held out her hand to take his coat, walls still down, mind and heart exhausted, “would you mind sleeping in with me tonight? I wouldn’t normally ask but …” sentence running off to nowhere, she waited, eyes pleading in that Scully way.

“You got any sweats for me?”

Once in bed, not as awkwardly as either expected, they remained a civil distance apart but facing each other, eyes tired, eyes burning, eyes not breaking contact for fear the other would disappear in the time of a blink. Mulder, desperate to reach out to her, kept his hands to himself, “you’re fine. You will always be fine. You’ll go to the doctor if you need to tomorrow and he’ll tell you there’s nothing to worry about and then we’ll go ride roller coaster somewhere or run through the fountains of DC naked in celebration that I was right and you were wrong.”

She had already planned the following morning in her head but staying silent about that, she instead flashed him a small smile, trying her best to make it look genuine, to force her eyes to sparkle in amusement just enough to allow him to fall asleep in peace, “naked, huh?”

He saw through her bullshit like she was a plate glass window, “not on the roller coasters.”

“Oh, no. Definitely not on the roller coasters.”

Trying to keep his voice steady, “you’re going to be fine.”

Finally reaching towards him, his hand met hers halfway, “I know.”

&&&&&&&&&&

Sleep eluded him, preferring to listen to her stuffy inhale than to drift into slumber but even the great Fox Mulder eventually had to give in to sleep, drifting off around 4:15. Scully, faking until 3:30, woke at 5:45, slipping out of bed, five-minute shower, out the door by 6:30, leaving her partner behind.

Three favors later, she was trying to hold herself together in the MRI tube, magnets banging, head aching, muscles tensing with each new sound. How could that machine capture anything when her mind was racing so fast the images should just be a blur of thoughts, smudged terror captured in black and white, brought to you by the marvels of science?

She wished he was there so she could hold his hand.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Mulder could fake a few things as well. He woke when she left the bed, stayed still, eyes shut, while he listened to her shower. He heard her come back in, sort through her closet, open dresser drawers, felt the air in the room change as she did, donning armor for her day ahead. She was at the foot of the bed so not in his possible waking view but to know she was comfortable enough to do her routine with him asleep five feet away made him quake inside. He held it together, even as she returned to the room, keys lightly clinking in hand, to give him a lingering kiss on the cheek, to brush his hair back as her thumb ran over his forehead.

He waited five minutes after he heard the front door lock before rolling over, stretching, missing her beating heart and radiating heat. Staring at the ceiling when done, he refused to ponder, instead, two grunts and a back crack later, he was up, standing, heading to the shower.

Problem was, the warm water, the smell of her soap, the view of damp towel on rack and dry one beside, just for him, caught him off-guard. Halfway through soaping up, he broke down, standing under the water, sobbing tears covered by loud water pinging off the walls. He gave himself what felt like five minutes before straightening back up, finishing his shampoo and wash, ending with a steamy-mirrored pep talk during which he convinced himself Scully would be just fine.

Making the bed, he headed out, calling a cab to get him to the diner, then driving himself home, waiting impatiently for a phone call he knew was inevitable. He could have heading to the basement, he could have taken a nap, he could have stared at the wall and had a panic attack the size of Montana but instead, he read his email, his phone never far from his hand.

&&&&&&&&&&

Scully saw the mass, a bright white spot of dread in her sinus cavity, doctor explaining, in the background, diagnosis and treatment options, but most of her attention was filled with it.

It.

IT.

That thing settled comfortably next to her brain.

IT.

Mesmerized, she nodded when they asked if she’d like to be alone for a minute; if she would like to call someone.

And then it was quiet, the snick of the shutting door the only noise in the room.

Leaving just her and the bright white mass on the light board.

“Mulder. Could you come down to the hospital, please?”

She could hear it in his voice as he said, “which area?”

“Oncology.”

The sound of a fight building. The sound of defiance taking root.

Or denial.

“I’m on my way.”

#msr #MulderNScully #leonard betts #x-files fanfic #My writing #five words #four years #three drops of blood #two people #one soul #and the sudden ticking timebomb of a six-letter word

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whisperingexecutioner · 3 years

Text

‘Storm’ | Stitch mini fic

____________________________________________________

Fandom: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty

Character: Vikhor “Stitch” Kuzmin

OC: N/A

Inspiration: Father’s Day -which is actually when I started writing this but, got waaaaay delayed lol. I personally, can easily picture Stitch as a family man, and would love to see his softer side around children.

Prompt: N/A

Theme: Fatherhood, Storms, the Ural Mountains (Russia)

Rating: General - Safe

____________________________________________________

Deep within the Ural mountains, in a cozy, privately-owned cabin, a man sat contemplating his newfound peace. Vikhor sat in his usual place relaxing by a large living room window, watching the storm as it raged on outside. Spring nights in the Urals were usually calm; this particular night however, a thunderstorm had been brewing since mid evening. Only after nightfall did the rain finally arrive - along with jarring thunder and fierce lightning.

Storms such as these are something that Vikhor can truly appreciate. This type of weather gives him peace of mind and breaks up the occasional monotony of his thoughts. It puts him in a mood; gives him time to reflect on his trials and accomplishments - both past and present. Russell Adler was one of those 'trials'. That very name used to haunt him, plaguing his every moment. In the years since they first, he'd had many a chance to end Adler's life - and yet, for reasons only known by him, he chose to let him live. ''America's monster'', he thought to himself, as Russell was sometimes referred to amongst certain militant (and CIA) groups. He can't help but wonder where that man is now. ''Taking care of his own livelihood no doubt'', he muttered lowly. Whatever the case, he didn't have the time to dwell on such things anymore. Adler torments him no longer, and things were.. different now after all. He squints as the lightning flashes brighter accompanied by booming thunder that marks the start of a torrential downpour. Seconds later, he hears the rapid footfalls of a frightened child rushing down the second story stairs. Vikhor promptly lifted his head from where it was previously propped against his hand, and turned his attention from the window just as a young boy came running over to him. Soft whimpering filled the room as the five-year-old squeezed against his side. ''What is the matter little one?'', Vikhor spoke softly in his heavy Russian accent, adding a calm tone to his voice. His question was met with light sobbing of the now shaking child. A soft groan left his lips as he bent to retrieve his young son, wrapping his strong arms around the small boy and pulling him into his chest. He smiled to himself. Even as he sat here rocking the little boy, his wife and younger son were sleeping peacefully upstairs. ''Shhhhhhh....It is alright'', he whispered reassuringly, brushing a hand up his small back, ''You will be okay, it is only a storm.'' He took a moment to unstrap and remove his mask, setting it on the window sill, then tucked the boy under his chin and began humming softly - a very soothing method to calm someone that he himself even enjoyed. The warmth emanating from the small body cuddled against him, put him immeasurably at ease. ''Look there,'' he pointed, motioning to the streams of water running down the large window panes. The boy spared a tentative glance in the window's direction. ''This good land is sustained by the very rainfall you see before you now'', Vikhor stated in that proud voice that all fathers share when teaching their children something new. ''Without water, these forests would cease to exist; they would die out - and so would we. Humans depend on water to survive just as much as these trees do. In a sense, you could say that, storms such as these are a necessary part of our lives,'' Stitch always becomes somewhat lost in these little moments they share; he cherishes them very deeply. ''Even the thunder?'' his son inquired curiously. ''Even the thunder.'' Vikhor replied, smiling down at the small upturned face, then, resting his cheek against his sons', began lightly rocking him once more. As the storm continued to rage on outside, the young boy remained content; comforted, safe in his father's loving arms.

~~~

Notes: Welp, this was at least a good first attempt I would think (and hopefully enjoyable) though I may -possibly - end up reposting an edited/longer version of this later. I also have several more planned that I am slowly working on. X3

Debatable but, I may eventually start doing short written prompts.

...

...If anyone finds any spelling/grammatical errors please let me know; they are the bane of my life...

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the-awkward-outlaw · 3 years

Text

Arthur as a protective Dad

Alrighty friends, I know I haven’t really touched my writing requests in sometime. I have been having to deal with some pretty complicated family issues and other things in my life, and I just haven’t had much time or energy to write. But it really is all your support that keeps me going!

This request is from a user on AO3: arthur dealing with micah after he sees him being a creep and harassing his teenage daughter. I know that sounds dumb but i just love protective and angry arthur (that kind of angry from him feeds my soul)

Masterlist

Read on AO3

Everyone knows that Arthur is the ultimate definition of protective. He’ll put himself between a bullet and any of the girls in camp. With you, he’d do even more. However, none of that comes close to what he’ll do for his daughter. Whatever she asks of him, he’ll do his best to find a way to make it happen.

When it comes to keeping her safe, no one dares to mess with Arthur’s daughter. Not in camp, not in the town camp is closest to. A man had once tried just flirting with her in town once. She’d politely asked him to stop but he hadn’t taken the hint. Arthur had walked in and seen not long after. The man ended up with a broken nose and shattered cheekbone. No one harrasses Arthur’s daughter.

Which is potentially what drove Micah to try.

Micah is well known for ruffling everyone’s feathers. Even Dutch’s on occasion, but only when Micah is feeling rather confident. But Arthur is his favorite person to upset. Micah has tried to get to him by antagonizing him, but Arthur usually would just tell him to stuff it and move on.

Micah has tried bothering you to irritate Arthur, but you were too good at handling yourself. Arthur would usually watch just in case he needed to step in, but he personally found it incredibly sexy how you’d whip around to Micah and verbally attack him. It didn’t take long for Micah to realize that to make you mad would end up in getting his ass whipped. The honest truth is that Micah is scared of what you’re capable of if he really pissed you off.

So that left one last resource to bother Arthur. His teenage daughter. You and Arthur have been together for longer than she’s been alive. If it had been modern day, you’d be described as high school sweethearts. You’d gotten pregnant when you were 19. While it was difficult for both you and Arthur to be parents at such a young age, you couldn’t ask for a better father.

Arthur says that your daughter is a miniature version of you, except she has his eyes, but you see so much of him in her to believe that. She’s strong, she’s had to be with this life. You and Arthur had debated at first of breaking out of the gang when she was little as the life really wasn’t good for a child, but the problem was that both you and Arthur were too loyal to leave. However she toughed it out and turned out to be a relatively average girl. You couldn’t be more proud.

It’s been especially tough for her these past few months, but it has been for everyone. Blackwater changed everything. You have to give Abigail credit, if your daughter was as young as Jack is, you would’ve tried convincing Arthur to leave. Then again maybe not. After all, you have just as big of a bounty on your head as he does. But it doesn’t change the fact that right now, things are tougher than ever. Especially now that Sean’s dead.

You’ve lived in a lot of unlikable places, mostly out west. Shady Belle is probably one of the worst you’ve been in. It’s hot and muggy all the time. You prefer the dry heat of the desert. At least your clothes dry out there. Not only that, but out in the west, you don’t have to be afraid of the water for the most part. Here, monsters dwell beneath the surface.

Micah has been getting more and more cocky these last few weeks. You haven’t liked it as it seems like he’s getting more under Dutch’s skin, but you’re sure Dutch will wise up. After all, he has Hosea to help him and Hosea surely doesn’t like Micah.

Arthur has been getting slightly suspicious of Micah lately too, but he’s been so busy running around to really do much. Your poor husband. You’ve done everything you can to help him, but there’s no denying that most of the camp rests on his shoulders.

It’s a few days after Jack has been returned. You’ve insisted to Arthur that he stay in camp for a while as he’s been running around like crazy since Jack went missing. It’s clear he’s exhausted. It’s a good thing too because Micah has been keeping his eye on your daughter, and not in a good way.

Micah really is growing too confident out here. He’s never dared bothering your daughter before because you and Arthur are the people he’s frightened of getting truly angry. However, it’s almost like he’s trying to absolve that.

The first few days, Micah has tried to tease her but subtly so that you wouldn’t stab him. He knows that unlike Arthur, you won’t care about keeping the peace within the gang if someone really makes you mad. You’re easier to control when Arthur is around as he seems to be the only person who can calm you down.

Now that Arthur is here and taking a break, Micah has been much more confident. There was one day when your daughter had been reading in the gazebo. Micah had gone over to her and tried to flirt with her. It was clear she was creeped out, but being a teenager she didn’t really know how to push him away. Arthur had seen her face though and he’d marched over.

“You leave my daughter alone, you creepy bastard,” he’d growled inches from Micah’s face.

“Relax, big man, I’m just having a friendly word with her.”

“I catch you near her again, I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

Micah wasn’t foolish enough to stick around then, though it did make him chuckle (mostly he did it to try and continue bothering Arthur). However, he’s been continuing to do things like this. You certainly haven’t liked the way he looks at your daughter. Of course he tries to do it when he thinks you can’t see, but certainly when Arthur can.

You’re standing next to Pearson, listening to Hosea talk about the potentials of Saint Dennis. Arthur’s over next to the fire, talking with John. Just as you’re about to go over to him and talk about things, you see your daughter running into camp, tears streaking down her cheeks. She’s sobbing. Arthur stands up and walks briskly over to her.

“Sweetheart, what-” he starts.

“Micah, papa! He… he tried to touch me!” she sobs into his shirt.

His face immediately goes red, so does your vision. “That son of a bitch!” you holler. You’re about to stomp over to the edge of camp where that bastard is. Arthur holds out a hand and stops you, his other arm wrapped tightly around his daughter.

“Let me handle this, darlin’. I ain’t given’ that bastard any more reason to hurt my family.” Normally you’d ignore him and go marching off, but something in his eyes tells you to listen. It’s that look you’ve seen only once or twice, but it’s the look that even made you nervous in the past. It’s the look he reserves for only those who he truly plans to kill.

He holds onto his daughter for a few more seconds, trying to calm her down. Then he gently pries her off of him and guides him over to you. “Stay with your mama, okay? I’m going to take care of things, sweetheart.” He kisses the top of her head and then pats your shoulder. You nod and fold your arms around your girl. That look comes back to Arthur and then he turns away, marching over to where Micah is.

“Come on, honey,” you say to your daughter. You guide her over to the barrel of water near Pearson’s wagon to get her a drink to calm her down. If you weren’t so confident in Arthur’s ability to protect his family, you’d be pulling out your revolver and shooting that asshole right now, but you know you don’t need to.

Arthur’s marching over to where Micah was last seen. As he passes his horse, he spots his repeater. It won’t be needed, not for this. He’d prefer to do it with his bare hands. Micah has been a growing problem that he’s tolerated, but he will not accept that man putting his hands on his little girl.

He reaches the spot his daughter was, but of course no one is there. After looking around, he spots Micah standing near the river on the outskirts of camp. Good, it will make cleaning up his corpse easier.

As Arthur stomps over to him, Micah turns around and gives him a cocky grin. “Morgan, what are y-” He’s interrupted by Arthur’s fist slamming into his face, breaking his nose. As Micah buckles down, clutching his bleeding nose, Arthur grabs his shoulders and thrusts his knee into his gut.

“You put your filthy hands on my daughter!” Arthur roars as he continues to beat Micah to a pulp. Micah tries to fight him off, but he’d been caught off guard by Arthur’s ferocity.

“I didn’t do nothing to your daughter!” he howls as Arthur kicks him. “She’s lying!”

“Bullshit! You been harassing her for days!”

Arthur kicks and punches him a few more times before he straightens up and pulls out his revolver, standing over Micah. The man below him puts up his hands, trying to make Arthur see reason.

“You ain’t gonna kill me, Morgan. You can’t. Dutch would… would never allow it.” He spits blood from his mouth.

“Oh Dutch ain’t got nothin’ to do with this, you creepy bastard. No one touches my daughter and gets away with it.”

Micah tries to chuckle. “Dutch ain’t gonna like you shooting someone in camp.”

Arthur smirks at him and puts his revolver back. “Oh I wasn’t plannin’ on shootin’ ya, Micah. Just wanted to see you squirm. Nah, you ain’t worth wastin’ a bullet on. But don’t mean I ain’t gonna kill ya.”

Arthur kicks Micah again to keep him on the ground, then he kneels onto his chest and wraps his hands around Micah’s throat. Arthur rarely likes watching people die, he hates seeing their blood on his hands. But Micah is different. Micah personally wronged him and his family. He will not tolerate anyone touching the most precious thing in his life.

After a few moments, Micah finally lies still and Arthur releases his grip on him. Arthur stares into his glassy eyes. “That’s for my daughter, you son of a bitch.” He then drags the body into the river, not wanting it to be seen anymore.

As he walks back into camp, massaging his tired fingers, your daughter breaks out of your grasp and runs over to him, burying herself into his chest as his arms wrap around her.

“Papa,” she sniffles into his shirt.

“You’re okay, pumpkin. That bastard ain’t gonna bother you anymore.” He knows, as he holds onto his daughter, that he will have to go and explain things to Dutch. He��ll do that later though. All he wants to do is take care of his child. You can’t help but smile. Arthur doesn’t usually cuddle with you in camp, mostly in thanks to the teasing from other people saying he’s a big softy, but he’s never pulled back from cuddling with his girl. He’s proud to show people how much he loves her. You walk over and wrap your arms around her as well, pinning her between you and Arthur. One of his hands slides over your side, showing you how much he cares about his family.

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan x female reader #arthur as a dad #red dead fanfic #awkward asks

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hana-bean · 3 years

Text

Close to you (7/7)

And I will walk on again To meet you

---

Rei trudged to her closed bedroom door, her eyes halfway open and hair disheveled due to the incessant knocking waking her up at the ungodly hour of nine AM.

She opened the door to a panicked and out-of-breath Serenity.

“I’m pregnant.”

“Really?” Rei yawned. “That’s great, Serenity—”

“It might be Seiya’s.”

That statement made for the best wake-up call, causing her violet eyes to widen. “What?”

Serenity barreled over Rei to get inside the room and pace in a distressed sweat. The latter closed the door then placed her hands on her hips to process the news.

“Are you sure about that, Serenity?”

“No… not really. But I mean, Mamo and I have tried for four years and nothing. But then I sleep with Seiya and then, boom, it happens!”

“How many times have you done it with Seiya?”

“Just once. It’s been busy lately for me and on top of that, they’re still looking for their princess.”

Rei tutted. “The burner didn’t come through, huh?”

“Not at the moment.”

“So you only did it with him once and you’ve been with Endymion a few times since he’s been back, yes?”

Serenity nodded.

She bobbed her head while shrugging. “Well, I’m no rocket surgeon, but I would bet the law of statistics says it’s most likely Endymion’s.”

“I do feel Chibi-Usa’s energy…” Biting her lip, Serenity rubbed her flat stomach.

“There you go!” Rei perked up. “Chibi-Usa is definitely yours and Endymion’s daughter, so you're in the clear!”

Looking away almost shamefully, Serenity hugged herself. “Well… maybe.”

“What do you mean, ‘maybe?’” She shook her head, anticipating an explanation.

“I saw a picture of Seiya’s mother a while ago. She had pink hair and red eyes, just like Chibi-Usa. She reminded me so much of her, but I was too dumb and horny to think to connect any dots.”

“That’s totally a coincidence!” Rei waved a dismissive hand. “It’s a huge universe out there. There are lots of people with that color combination.”

“But for his mother to have that exact combination that Chibi-Usa has? We all know she didn’t get it from me or Mamo!”

“Serenity,” Rei approached her best friend, resting her hands on her shoulders. “You have nothing to worry about. Chibi-Usa is yours and Endymion’s child, you both were destined to have her. The whole destiny energy around you would ensure that happens.”

“But how do we know Seiya wasn’t part of destiny?” The queen stared Rei deep and desperately in her eyes. “We didn’t get to see much when we went to the future back then, just that time when the Black Moon invaded. We only knew what Pluto and Chibi-Usa showed us. There was basically a whole eternity before and after we didn’t see.”

Rei opened her mouth to debate, but then her brain stopped her so it could dwell on that statement.

“Shit, you’re right. Maybe she is Seiya’s.”

“Fuck! Don’t tell me that!” Serenity groaned and resumed her pacing.

“It’s okay!” Wanting to eat her words, she grabbed handfuls of her dark hair by her scalp. “I mean if it is Chibi-Usa that comes out, nothing will be questioned. You’re positive it is her?”

Her highness nodded, her hand rubbing her stomach again. “I don’t know how I know, it just feels like her.”

“Good. Technically everything is going to plan. So stop stressing—the baby doesn’t need it, you don’t need it, and I don’t need it.”

“I just worry about Mamo finding out that she’s not his.”

“Well, it was destiny, wasn’t it? Whether or not she is Seiya’s, it was supposed to happen. Endymion can’t argue with that.”

“He would be so heartbroken…” Serenity sniffled as tears began to form.

“But we don’t know that yet. She could still be his.” Rei approached her once again, wrapping her arms around her shoulders in a supportive hug. “I hate that you’re so stressed out. This is supposed to be a happy moment. Chibi-Usa will finally be born like you’ve been wanting for so long.”

“I know,” she sobbed as she returned the embrace. “And I am happy, I just started thinking and—”

“No, no, none of that. No more thinking.” Rei patted her blonde head. “Everything is happening as it should. Chibi-Usa is in you as it was supposed to happen. So the only thing you should be thinking about is keeping yourself healthy and relaxed for the next nine months.”

“Right… you’re right.”

“Yes, I know I'm right.” Rei pulled away to look into Serenity’s face with a smile. “Trust in destiny. She will not lead you astray, and She hasn’t.”

---

Serenity turned around from her position at the nursery window after she heard a soft knock.

“Come in.”

Star Fighter slipped in, quietly closing the door as she kept her eyes on her queen.

“Is she awake?” She whispered.

“Yes,” Serenity turned around to reveal herself holding a bundled month-old infant. “She’s been squirming a bit.”

With an open-mouth smile, while removing her leather gloves, Fighter crept up to the pair and stroked the pink fuzz atop Chibi-Usa’s head with her fingertip.

“She’s so cute and small,” she squeaked with twinkling eyes. “But she has grown a lot since she was born.”

“Did you want to hold her?”

“Yes. Give me the nugget.” Fighter immediately grabbed for the bundle and rested her on her chest, giving her head and cheek multiple kisses all the while.

“How was the trip?”

“Long.” Fighter rolled her eyes. “Uranus and Neptune got in a tiff and then Uranus and Healer did, and then couldn’t be in the same room together… it was a mess.”

“Any sign of your princess?”

She shook her head while twisting her mouth in disillusionment.

Serenity sighed. “I’m sorry, Fighter. I thought for sure we found her with the burner Mamo found.”

“Me too. What probably happened is that the castle was looted and people sold or traded it.”

“But you said you felt her energy…”

“Well, stars leave a trail and what I felt could have been and most likely was residual energy. The burner was definitely hers and she’s definitely been in it, so it makes sense.”

The queen rubbed her hand down from her neck to her shoulder. “I was hoping she was just really shy.”

Fighter smiled. “She is quite reserved but she would have shown herself by now.” She then began pacing the room as she rubbed baby Chibi-Usa’s back.

“Oh wait, Fighter!” Her first-baby neuroses came out as she apologetically spoke her request. “Could you take off your boots before walking with her? Your heels are pretty tall and I don’t want anything to happen…”

“Yes, of course…!” The guardian looked around. “Did you want me to give her back to you while I do that or…?”

“Actually, sit down and I’ll take them off for you,” Serenity beamed.

“Thanks, Odango.” She located the nursing chair by the bassinet, being extra careful in her steps, and took her seat.

Serenity sat on her knees, slowly pulling down the zippers of Fighter’s boots and removing them, revealing her over-the-knee trouser socks.

“Ooh, these are sassy,” she traced the hems around her lower thighs with a giggle. Fighter blushed, trying hard to suppress her ticklishness.

The queen then turned her gentle grazing into gentle massages, resting her head on the guardian’s lap as her hand moved down her calf.

“The DNA results came in last week.”

“Really?” Fighter’s stomach couldn’t help but drop.

Serenity nodded and pointed. “Yes, they’re on the desk.”

She looked over in the direction of her finger, finally noticing a white envelope sitting open in the middle of the table. Her nervousness formed a lump inside her throat in which she tried to gulp down.

“What did it say?”

Her highness turned her head to rest her chin on Fighter’s thigh, a smile curled on her face.

“Congratulations. You’re a father.”

Fighter didn’t know how to react, or which emotion to show, for she was both excited and scared. Though she was overall touched by the fact she helped create this new bundle of life sleeping on her chest, and she placed a small kiss on Chibi-Usa’s head while a silent tear escaped down her cheek.

“That makes me so happy,” she sniffled.

Serenity kissed her knee. “It only means that you were meant to be here. Out of all the planets in the universe, you were meant to come here… and get in that bar fight… just for me to find you.”

Fighter laughed through the waterfalls of joy while squeezing Serenity’s hand.

For several moments, both women sat in silence, rubbing hands, legs, and feet and giving more gentle kisses to the sleeping Chibi-Usa. Eventually, Fighter stood up and placed her in the bassinet before walking over to the desk to grab the envelope. She removed the paper from inside and studied its contents for a couple of moments.

Serenity was confused initially to then see Fighter saunter toward a lit candle on the mantel and set the paper on fire before tossing it in the empty fireplace. The guardian never took her eyes away from the burning document, even as the queen joined her, hugging her waist from behind.

“I hope you know I plan for you to still be a part of Chibi-Usa’s life.”

"I know,” Fighter grabbed Serenity’s hand. “And I will. That baby will have lots of love.”

Serenity reached around Fighter to turn her around to face her, then gently grabbed her jaw to steady herself for their lips to meet.

“Thank you, Seiya. You’ve given me the most wonderful gift.”

Fighter chuckled, snaking her arms around the royal waist and bringing her closer for more kissing. “Did you want to make another one?”

“No.” She stated the complete sentence with a hundred percent seriousness. “But I thought we could maybe have our fun with you like this…” She palmed her breast as her thumb grazed the blue outline of her bra while she placed small pecks along her neck. “Way less risk.”

“Are you… okay with me like this?”

“Of course." She kissed her ear. "You’re still you, and it’s the real you.”

As Fighter’s heart melted, filling her whole body with warmth, she smiled before taking the queen’s lips captive with hers.

Fuck yeah, we’re done! Hope y’all enjoyed it!! I love you all!! Happy SeiUsa week 2021! Wooowowowowoo! Rock 'n' roll!!

#hana bean closetoyou #hana bean close to you #hanabeanclosetoyou #hanabean close to you #hana-bean close to you #hana-beanclosetoyou #seiya x usagi 4eva #seiya x usagi fanfiction #seiya usagi fanfiction #seiya kou fanfiction

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hockeylvr59 · 4 years

Text

It Started with a DM || Jake Debrusk

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no

Authors Note: Just another little something that demanded to be written. I was honestly debating on whether or not to write it and then JD went live today and obviously it was a sign.

Warnings: features quarantine as a setting, some cursing.

Word Count: 3,828

~~~~~~~~~

Being quarantined alone was well, to put it simply, lonely. As a freelance photographer, you were for the most part out of work. You didn’t have a significant other to keep you company, there wasn’t space at your parents’ for you to go home, and your apartment didn’t allow pets. On top of all of that, sports were canceled. Specifically hockey.

The combination of all of this left an empty hole in your heart and lots of time on your hands. Missing hockey was the whole reason you started watching twitch streams. If you couldn’t have hockey at least you could have hockey players playing video games. You’d started with Zach Hyman and Mitch Marner because Toronto was on a shortlist of teams you were fairly indifferent about. But after a week or so you found yourself watching David Pastrnak because he was on almost daily around dinnertime and it gave you something to listen to while you cooked. Watching Pasta’s streams had led to your introduction to Jake Debrusk and it was silly how the sound of his voice and his laugh brought a smile to your face. It was even sillier because you were absolutely not a Boston fan. Especially not after they knocked your Hurricanes out of the playoffs last season.

Still, each time that your phone received a notification that Jake had come online you immediately stopped whatever you were doing to watch. You weren’t part of the group that regularly played with him and Pasta, nor did you even really participate in the chats, you just watched. And for a couple hours each time, you felt a little less alone. For weeks this continued, with you only popping in to chat to wish Jake’s sister a happy birthday when he let her take over his stream for a little bit. To be honest you were just grateful for something to do. Never did you expect to log on one day to find a whisper sitting in your inbox.

Jdebrusk: Hey. Saw you’ve watched quite a few of my streams. Just wanted to reach out and say thanks.

You weren’t shocked by the fact that he could see a list of viewers, you kind of expected that. What shocked you was the fact that he actually cared enough to reach out to some stranger who he had never actually interacted with before. You weren’t sure what had pushed you to respond, maybe it was the Southern friendliness or maybe it was something else but after typing and deleting a response multiple times you finally pressed send and then immediately closed your browser in a failed attempt to not freak out.

Yourusername: Pretty sure I should be thanking you for sharing your time with us and making things a little easier.

____

With no one you followed coming online to stream for a few days, you didn’t even check the site to see if Jake had responded. But when you next logged on and saw a message notification once again you found yourself getting nervous for no reason as you opened it.

Jdebrusk: Well you’re welcome. Feel free to join in the chat anytime. Streaming has helped keep my family from driving me insane.

Yourusername: I’m more of a lurker. It’s just easier. And family can be a lot but be grateful you aren’t just staring at 4 walls every day.

Stepping away from your computer you grabbed your camera and attempted to go for a walk to take some aesthetic shots. As you slipped your memory card into the computer a while later, you noticed another notification.

Jdebrusk: Fair enough. You quarantining alone?

Yourusername: yep. But I guess it could be worse. I could live where it’s snowing in May.

Jdebrusk: Can I ask where you’re at?

For a split second you debated giving up this information but it didn’t seem like giving away your state could hurt.

Yourusername: North Carolina.

Jdebrusk: Nice! Cool state. Been there a few times.

Yourusername: I’m aware. No need to rub in sweeping my team, Debrusk.

Jdebrusk: And she’s got a sense of humor ladies and gentlemen. Well, or he...I guess I don’t even know that. AWKWARD.

Yourusername: She works.

Jdebrusk: Cool cool. So a hurricanes fan huh?

Yourusername: Yeah. My family would probably disown me if they knew I was talking to a Bruin.

Jdebrusk: Yowza.

Yourusername: So if anyone asks I’m only here for Rocky appearances. ;)

Jdebrusk: She’s only here for my cat. Got it.

You couldn’t explain why talking with Jake felt so easy but it did. When he came on to stream next you chirped him through whispers the entire time and seeing his reaction in real-time as he read them had you giggling uncontrollably. By the time he got off, you were just waiting for his comments to come streaming your way. Instead of some long-winded rant brushing off all your jabs you just got a single comment in response.

Jdebrusk: It’s not fair that you can chirp me and I don’t know anything about you.

Yourusername: What do you want to know?

Jdebrusk: I mean your name would be a good start. Age might also be important...you’re not like 12 right?

Yourusername: Would I be quarantining alone if I was 12? I’m 24. Y/N.

Jdebrusk: right. Right. Y/N from Carolina. Who likes cats. Got it. Are you a student or…?

Yourusername: Freelance Photographer.

Jdebrusk: Alright. Nice. Do you do like weddings or nature stuff or what?

Yourusername: A little bit of everything. @wildflowerphotography is my company name if you want to go on insta and see some of my work.

No reply followed and you tried not to dwell on it. Instead you poured a glass of wine, lit a few candles, and settled into your bathtub, trying to relax for bed. Still nagging thoughts lingered in your brain. Was sharing your company page too much? He probably wasn’t asking for you to promote yourself, he was just being polite right? Though you hated yourself for letting it bother you, you were the type of person who overthought everything...which thinking about it was probably why you were still single.

Your anxious thoughts lingered and you tossed and turned all night before finally pulling yourself out of bed the next morning. It was only as you dug through your company dms, responding to a few potential clients that wanted you to take socially distant photos for them that you stumbled upon a familiar username.

Jdebrusk: You took all of those? Holy shit that’s talent.

The timestamp showed the message was sent only twenty minutes after you gave him the username and you sighed to yourself before chuckling at the fact that Jake was too lazy to switch back to twitch to respond.

Wildflowerphotography: Thanks. I’m really proud of them all.

It was still early in the morning so there was no way he was awake with the two hour time difference so after making yourself some breakfast you took another short walk, trying anything to get your mind off of the loneliness that felt worse today than most days. Your mood had definitely been a rollercoaster recently with higher peaks and lower lows than normal. It was something you were trying to manage the best you could but sometimes it was just hard.

With the rest of your afternoon spent binging a random tv show you didn’t even look at your phone until dinner time, but waiting for you was another dm from the Canadian hockey player.

Jdebrusk: You should be.

Jdebrusk: So listen...this is probably weird but can I get your number so I can stop wading through a bunch of dms and whispers I don’t care about and just talk to you?

It was a fair question but to be blunt, today was probably the worst day for him to ask because your anxiety-riddled brain kept wanting to know why he even cared about talking to you. You didn’t know what he was looking for from all of this but your mind immediately assumed the worst. So instead of just being open with him, you blew him off, completely ignoring his message. And when he logged onto twitch next, though you wanted to watch, you forced yourself to avoid that as well.

Three days passed before another message appeared.

Jdebrusk: You okay? You didn’t watch the last stream. I’m sorry if I fucked up. I’ll back off if you want...I just want to know that you’re okay.

The concern he was expressing was honestly something you didn’t expect and you found yourself crying as you read it over and over. Jake was nothing but a joyous person and the last thing you wanted was to bring him down with the mess of your own mind.

Wildflowerphotography: you didn’t fuck up. I just...this is all on me okay.

With your phone left open to your message string with him you watched as little dots appeared before vanishing repeatedly. Eventually a new message appeared simply containing a string of numbers composing a phone number. Jake was putting the ball in your court and a few minutes later the part of you that was aching to hear his voice won the mental war and you found yourself dialing the number.

“Y/N?” Jake questioned the second he answered and a shaky sob slipped from your throat at the sound of him speaking your name for the first time. “What’s going on?” He murmured and by his tone you could tell he was both confused and concerned. You wanted to speak, wanted to pretend everything was fine but you’d already gone over the edge and it was too late for that now. Another sob spilled through your body and you faintly heard Jake mumble a curse. “Do you want me to just talk to you? I’ll just keep talking okay and you can hang up if you want.” He offered. And talk he did, you weren’t even sure what he was telling you, you were more focused on the grounding sound of his voice itself rather than the content of the words he was speaking. Eventually your breathing steadied out and the elephant sitting on your chest lessened allowing you to murmur his name.

The second he heard your voice he paused mid-story.

“Thank you.” You whispered into the phone.

“Are you okay?” He inquired, his voice tentative like he was worried anything he said would push you back over the edge.

“Better.” You admitted. “Not great but better.”

“I’ll take better.” He insisted. “It’s nice to actually hear your voice.” He added, causing your cheeks to flame up unconsciously. You opened your mouth to apologize again for your breakdown only to be stopped as he insisted you not do so. “But really...are you okay?” He repeated his question and you sighed.

“It’s been a rough few days mentally for me.” You admitted. “But I will be okay.” You added.

“Okay enough to stop ignoring me?” He teased and when you let out another shaky breath he backtracked. “It’s okay, I get it. I was just worried. You don’t have to talk to me ever again if you don’t want to.”

“I do want to.” You breathed. “Talk to you that is.” As if he sensed you had more to say, Jake remained quiet, only the sound of his breathing coming through the phone.

“I guess...you should probably know that I tend to overthink things. I want to talk to you. Hearing your voice makes my entire day. I just...I guess I’m just confused on why you want to talk to me. What your intentions are, etc. And you...you don’t have to answer that just...that’s where my head is at.”

Jake was silent for a minute before his voice reached back through the phone.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t know what this is either. But I’m intrigued by you and I guess my intention is just to get to know you better if you’ll let me.” Jake’s honesty was refreshing and you nodded even though he couldn’t see you. “And if I can make your day just by talking...well that’s a pretty sweet bonus.”

______

Quarantine continued to drag on, paused only by some carefully planned photo sessions with your distance lenses getting extra abuse. You continued talking to Jake, mostly through text but with the occasional phone call. He’d whine about the crap he was getting from his sister when he’d disappear to talk to you but he’d insist that it was worth it in the next breath. Between the streams, the phone calls, the texts and the memes he’d send you, suddenly you felt a lot less alone, at least emotionally.

A month since your first phone call had passed before Jake sent you a text that made your heart stop.

JD: So how come I send you pictures all the time and yet I still don’t know what you look like?

For weeks he had been sending you photos of him snuggling with Rocky or hanging with Jordyn and there had even been a shirtless workout pic or two which had left you debating whether a cold shower was appropriate. At the same time, you hadn’t worked up the courage to send him any photos in return other than ones you took of nature on your walks or snippets from photoshoots you’d done. Trying to downplay it all you sent back a teasing response.

YN: What can I say I’m a behind the lens person.

JD: Y/N...c’mon I just wanna see how beautiful you are.

Leaving him on ‘read’ you sighed and bit your lip not sure how to respond. You were afraid if he knew what you looked like that he wouldn’t want to talk to you anymore and you weren’t sure what you’d do if you lost something that had sort of become a saving grace in this crazy time.

JD: Is this one of those insecurity things? Is that why I haven’t seen you yet?

It was starting to amaze you how well Jake could read you. It had been a long time since anyone was able to see through the walls you put up, see behind the camera that you hid behind, but it had only been a month or so and already Jake was starting to read the silences between the words.

JD: Do you want me to get Jordyn to pump you up? A picture isn’t going to change what I think of you…

YN: You don’t know that.

JD: C’mon YN give me a little more credit than that. You know I’m not that shallow. I like you okay. I like the woman that chirps me. I like the woman that listens to me and always knows what to say. I like the woman that sees me as Jake and not Boston Bruin Jake Debrusk. And since none of that is based on your physical appearance I’m going to like you no matter what you look like.

YN: Promise?

JD: Yeah Y/N, I promise.

Scrolling through your camera roll you attempted to decide on which of the few photos of yourself made you look at least somewhat pretty before biting the bullet and attaching it to the text conversation. The moment you hit send you winced and your anxiety didn’t ebb until your phone rang in your hand.

“You’re stunning.” Jake’s voice breathed lowly the second the line connected. “Just as beautiful outside as you are inside which I wasn’t sure was even possible.” By now you knew when Jake was trying to play something up versus when he was being genuine and his voice now was 100% the latter. But taking compliments about your body was never something you’d been good at so you didn’t know what to say in response.

“I hope you believe me.” He added. “I knew you wouldn’t believe a text even if I sent it 100 times so I hope you can believe me, hearing me say it.”

“I...thanks Jake.” You finally mumbled. You did believe that he was being honest, he had no reason not to be with you living thousands of miles apart, but at the same time, you still felt uneasy about it for reasons you’d never fully be able to explain.

___

Tearing down the last barrier of anonymity seemed to open up a new world between you and Jake. If it was even possible you communicated more frequently, adding facetime calls to your usual methods. Seeing the way he looked at you while you talked sent heat flooding through your body and you quickly came to the realization that you were falling hard for him.

That knowledge was terrifying and once again you wanted to pull away, protect yourself from getting hurt. But then Jordyn stole her brother’s phone and called you, raving about how when all of this was over you had to agree to meet her brother in person because she had never seen him like this over anyone. Talking with Jordyn reminded you that Jake didn’t have to go to all of this work, didn’t have to deal with your crazy emotions if he didn’t think you were worth the time and effort. It may be a pandemic but surely there were women in Edmonton willing to break social distancing rules if it meant scoring someone as wonderful as Jake. But yet each and every night he was on the phone with you, taking the time to get to know all of the things that make you tick, your likes and dislikes, your hopes and dreams.

And it wasn’t just Jordyn that knew about you. You’d been on the phone with Jake when both of his parents came outside and when he’d asked them to come back in a minute because he was talking to you, they just called out your name in greeting and waved.

“Your parents know my name?” You’d asked and Jake ducked his head shyly before replying. “I mean yeah…” He stated. “My mom can’t wait to meet you.” You were sure from Jake’s point of view that it was probably comical how wide your eyes went at his statement.

“Jake what...what is this...are we just friends or…?” It wasn’t a question that you ever anticipated asking but it was out there now. From the other side of the screen, you watched Jake adjust his ball cap over his overly long hair.

“Fuck...Y/N…” Jake started and you opened your mouth to assure him that friends was fine, that it was what you wanted too because if you didn’t put your heart out there than you couldn’t get hurt. Before you could speak though Jake continued. “No...we’re not just friends. I think you know that as well as I do.” He admitted. “I don’t know exactly what we are. I...I was hoping to meet you in person when I asked if you wanted to be my girlfriend. I know...I know that none of this is ideal because even when this is over there’s going to be the whole long-distance thing but...I can’t deny that I have feelings for you y/n. I don’t want to deny it.”

“I don’t want to deny it either.” You said softly, fingers tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “I mean...if you’re willing to put up with my emotional baggage…” You shrugged.

“You have feelings for me too?” Jake questioned, his normal confidence suppressed. “I have no problems supporting you through dealing with your baggage if you’re willing to do the same with mine. I know I’ve fucked up in the past as a boyfriend and I don’t want to do that to you.”

“I think I’m kinda sorta falling for you.” You stated anxiously, unable to meet Jake’s gaze through the screen until he breathed your name.

“So can we agree we’re something more than friends and that we’ll figure out the details as part of returning to the new normal?”

“Yeah...we can agree to that.” You nodded.

_______

The new normal had finally arrived and that meant that you were going to see Jake in person for the first time. The two of you had been “more than friends” for what felt like forever now but had realistically been a few months but with each passing day you knew you wanted more. You still didn’t know how it would all work with him playing in Boston and you owning a company in North Carolina but you were ready to figure it out together if it meant that you could finally have him for real.

Jake’s plane was scheduled to land in ten minutes and you were running so far behind. Your senior picture photoshoot had run over and traffic was a mess. You’d texted Jake apologizing but upon getting your text he’d quickly waved your concerns off declaring that he’d just get an uber and meet you at your apartment. It would be a better first meeting anyway because you wouldn’t be time-restricted by parking or pick up zone rules.

When you finally pulled into your parking lot you checked your phone to see if Jake had arrived yet. It wasn’t until you reached the front steps of your building that you noticed someone sitting there, bags beside them. He looked up at the same time that your brain processed that it was him and he was really there and tears instantly prickled in your eyes. As you rushed to close the distance, Jake stood to catch you as you threw yourself at him.

No words needed to be said as you tugged his mouth down to your own, kissing him for the very first time. It was nothing like you had expected but at the same time it was everything and at that moment you knew that this was it, you were in love. It had been such a long wait, but the feeling of his arms wrapped around you, his lips against yours was well worth it. It was cheesy but you knew that the physical chemistry was only this strong because you already knew each other inside and out and now that he was here, now that he was finally yours, things could only get better.

Being with Jake despite the distance wouldn’t be easy but now that you knew the way he felt, the way he tasted, the scent of his cologne, you were willing to do whatever it took to make it. If you could fall in love during a global pandemic, you could do anything and it would make a great story to tell the grandkids one day about how they only came to exist because of a direct message on a streaming site while the world was quarantined.

#jake debrusk #jake debrusk imagine #boston bruins #boston bruins imagine #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #hockey imagine #hockey imagines #bbruins #030 #tw: quarantine

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slutforben · 3 years

Text

au! ben’s your dad now lol

Okay so when I used to have a wattpad account I wrote some parent scenario things, here’s one that I wrote for BEN. Will I be continuing this? no lmao anyways enjoy

word count: 1708

KEY:

(Y/N) = Your Name

Him/Her = Your pronouns

Line of ~~~ = Time Skip

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I gazed at the teenage girl through the screen, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

A teen mother? She only looked to be 15 or 16, but she held a child in her arms that looked like a mini copy of her. I only made a quick connection.

The mother, a blonde with hazel eyes and light freckles and wet cheeks, looked like any other girl. The child in her arms cried loudly as crashes came from downstairs. Loud footsteps and banging of cupboard doors were heard, and the mother was sobbing quietly.

From where I watched, safely within her small computer screen, I watched her bundle up her young child and hide them inside her closet. She locked the doors quickly, then went to her dresser. Her room was in pristine condition, and the dresser had a small pocket knife on it.

I could hear footsteps barging up the stairs now. Though, they weren't just one pair. There had to be at least two or three people charging like bulls. The girl sobbed and her child cried through the closet door. Terror echoed through their cries, and to be honest, I'd be terrified if my home was barged into as well.

The clock below me ticked, and wires buzzed. It being 4 am, I didn't expect my victim to be awake, or even to be home alone and in the process of being robbed like a homeless man.

But that's exactly what was happening in front of my eyes.

I shivered as three large men broke down the bedroom door. The mother was huddled in the corner, tears of fear dripping down her cheeks and a small pocket knife held in her hand. Her young child cried and screamed, but the mother was unable to do anything.

I started to back away as the men advanced on her. Ski masks covered their faces, and they held large rifles. Those could do massage damage to a human, and even a ghost like myself.

But as the men advanced and the underage mother cried, I backed away from the screen, and back into the portal leading to the Mansion.

Her screams quieted down as I pulled myself away from the computer screen. I fell back in my small frenzy and landed back inside the living room of the Mansion. I looked around quickly, my blond hair flipping around and ruffling itself up. Looking around, I realized the living room was empty and smelled like something had burnt itself to a crisp.

I sat, the upper half of my body hanging out of the television, with actual fear plaguing me.

Why the hell was I afraid? It was just a simple robbery.

I thought about the girl and her child. It pained me, actually, to think about them. What would happen to them? I debated on going back for a little while, until giving up and pulling myself out of the small television, then dragged myself up to my room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can't believe that I'm back in this house.

I kept telling myself that as I walked around the now trashed house. Some things from before were gone or broken, or thrown around. The living room was thrashed and missing some furniture. The house was quiet, which gave me the chills along with an eerie feeling. The television was left on in static, and what was left was thrown across the room. As I continued to explore the house, I noticed that I could no longer hear the child's cries from earlier.

As I finally reached the staircase, I stopped.

What would I find up there?

Sure, I was a murderous virus that slowly ate away at my victims, and who had no sense of fear other than water, but this actually scared me a bit.

I took a deep breath and slowly crept up the stairs. They creaked under my lightweight, but they were relatively quiet. As I slowly climbed them, my breath started to quicken.

" What the fuck, " I whispered to myself. Why was my breath quickening? And why was I fucking whispering? I have no reason to.

I shrugged and continued to climb the stairs, reaching the second floor.

The second story of the house was just as disastrous as the first. Broken furniture littered the floor, vases were smashed, ripped paintings hung from the walls by a single tack, and the doors were all thrown open. Looking closer, I realized that small bullet shells were thrown across the floor.

" Oh my God, " I sucked in a breath at the sight of them.

I immediately looked back up and ran to a random room, looking for the mother and her young child. I tucked inside random rooms until eventually finding her closed bedroom door.

I wiggled the knob, but it didn't budge. I tried again, but the door seemed to be locked.

Had the girl somehow locked herself safely into her room?

That's what I hoped had happened.

I wiggled the knob again until backing up. I backed up against the wall opposite of the door, then ran at full speed and threw myself into the door. It worked in the Mansion, hopefully, it would work here.

The door stayed locked. I fell backward onto my ass, with a now sore shoulder.

" Fuck! " I yelled loudly as my shoulder ached. I looked up at the door, still in the same condition as before.

" Alright, door. Let's try this again, " I hissed and stood up with the help of a cabinet near me. I stood up again and faced the door again with grim determination. Hell, I haven't felt this way since first entering Majora.

With a yell, I ran at the door again, throwing all my weight against it loudly.

The door crashed down loudly as I somehow managed to knock it down. The door broke and crashed to the floor, closely followed by myself. I fell with a loud thud and layed for a second on the now broken door, clutching the shoulder I landed on.

"Ahh, shit, " I said, sucking in a breath. I sat up slowly and looked around. I was back in the room I was in before, only this time it was thrashed, being in the same condition as the house. Furniture was knocked over and items were thrown, and the room was strangely quiet. Looking around again, I realized that the teenage girl was no longer in the room and that her window was smashed.

I sighed sadly at that sight, but I didn't let myself dwell on it. I wanted to see if her child was still here, and hopefully not abducted.

I stood up, remembering that in a hurry she hid her kid in the closet. That was the first place I wanted to check.

I made my way over to the closet door. It was cracked open and had small items in front of it, and sent shivers up my spine for an unknown reason. I got on my knees and cleared the debris in front of the door, then opened it slowly.

The young boy/girl sat all alone in the closet. They were somehow asleep, and was bundled up in a small green blanket. His/Her cheeks were red and stained from crying, and they clutched at the blanket they were wrapped in as if they were having a nightmare.

I gazed at the small child as they slept and picked him/her up carefully. They snored softly and seemed so innocent in my arms that had killed hundreds of people.

I couldn't just leave him/her here. He/Her would starve, or the robbers would come back, or a fellow Pastas might find this house and end their miserable life. A bunch of different scenarios played in my head of what could happen if I left this child here, in this house.

I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I've was holding and looked at the puny child.

" Ya know kid, you don't deserve this at such a young age, " I whispered to them. " I really want to help you, but I can't unless I took you back. " I spoke quietly to the sleeping child. " Slender will kill you, then me. " I said with a frown. " I mean, maybe I could, but even if Slender allowed it, Jeff would get his hands on you and... do things... " I shuddered at that thought.

" But I can't just leave you here. Heh, Slender has been wanting me to get more responsible, but maybe this is a little too much... " I trailed off at that thought.

But, as I gazed down at the small child asleep in my arms, an idea formed in my head.

Maybe I could take the child.

Maybe they'd survive, and become a psychopathic killer like me and the rest of us.

Maybe I could be a parent to this child.

I looked back down at the child and let out another breath. I stood up and turned back to the girl's room and walked back to her queen-sized bed. The television that stood here before was now gone, along with her laptop and cellphone. My options were either walk or get a lift.

I frowned at the thought of walking back to the Mansion and pulled out my phone. I searched for Toby's contact and called him. I put it on speaker as the phone rang loudly. I was surprised it didn't wake up the kid, who I put in my lap and slowly rocked back and forth.

After a few more seconds, Toby answered my call.

" Hey BEN! What's-what's up? " He asked. In the background, I could hear the scream of a girl, so I guessed that he was busy.

" Is this a bad time, Rogers? I can call someone else. " I told him.

He chuckled. " I'm kinda-kinda bus-busy right now, but it-it's fine that you cal-called. What's up-up? "

" Well, Toby, it's kind of a long story... "

#hhhhh fifth grade writing #or something like that #i cant remember when i wrote this #ben drowned #creepypasta #creepypasta scenarios #parent scenario #daddy drowned

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wizardofrozz · 3 years

Text

The Perfect Pair

Warnings: swearing, violence, angst

Pairing: Loki x OFC

____________________________________________________________

Chapter 6: Without You

(Loki POV)

I watched her slump down as she returned to her body; I ached to touch her, to feel her soft skin for just a moment. Months of only getting to see her have been torture, and all I wanted was to hold Violet, and it physically pains me not to sometimes. “That was surprisingly beautiful, brother,” Thor’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. “I’m not surprised you were listening,” I grunted, keeping my eyes on the floor. “It’s horrible to lie to her brother,” Thor said smugly, pacing outside my cell. “I’m not surprised you think I’m lying. At the same time, I don��t care if you believe it or not,” I shot him a dirty look. “Clean yourself up; we are leaving,” Thor sighed, crossing his arms. “I want to see her before we go,” I locked eyes with my brother. “Loki –“ Thor huffed but stopped talking when I raised a hand. “I don’t care; I want to see her once. End of story,” I got to my feet, blinking away my disheveled appearance. “2 minutes,” Thor sighed, irritation dancing through his eyes. Thor nodded to the guards, and a break in the orange barrier appeared; I met Thor at the entrance, turning towards Violet’s cell. The guard hesitated, but Thor nodded again; the barrier opened enough for me to slip in. Violet was passed out; the energy it took for her to sit with me was taking its toll. Her body tensed momentarily, a soft sigh escaping her lips. “I do love you, darling, in my own twisted way. I’ll find my way back to you,” I mumbled, pressing a tender kiss on her forehead. My legs carried me to the door of her cell, away from the feeling of being home; I glanced at her one more time before joining Thor again.

***

(Violet POV)

“I do love you, darling, in my own twisted way. I’ll find my way back to you.” Loki smiled down at me; a gentle breeze tousled his hair, the sun reflecting off the striking green of his eyes. My eyes fell shut as his lips pressed to my forehead, a content feeling washing over me.

My eyes shot open instantly, and tears stung the corners of my eyes. It felt so real, and it felt like Loki was right here; I quickly turned my head, seeing his cell empty. Tears rolled down my cheeks, the sinking feeling that I may never see Loki again was flowing over me in waves. I sunk down in my bed, letting the pain loll me back to sleep, dreaming of a time when Loki was at my side. /// I listened to the low hum of the orange barrier around me; what seems like days had passed since I had seen Loki or Thor. The empty feeling engulfing me never subsided; one day, it got so intense, it felt like someone rammed a blade through my chest. My hours consciousness consisted of thinking about how I could escape while my dreams were filled with memories of Loki; I woke up feeling lonelier every time. “Violet?” I jumped at the soft voice. My eyes found Thor standing outside my cell a few seconds later; pain etched all over his face. The orange barrier opened, letting him slide into my cell, his towering form making me feel even smaller. “Hello Thor,” I hesitantly said, moving to a sitting position. “Hi,” he muttered, shifting his weight awkwardly. “Where’s Loki?” I whispered, already knowing I wasn’t going to like the answer. “...he’s gone,” his voice cracked, a single tear rolling down his face. It felt like someone punched me in the stomach; I doubled over, my lungs tightening like someone squeezed the air out of them. “I’m sorry,” Thor whispered, moving to sit on my bed. He lifted his arm, hesitating before pulling me to his side; the small gesture broke the dam, tears started flowing. “How?” I croaked. “Don’t dwell on that. It’s not important; just know he loved you,” Thor mumbled, rubbing my arm. “You didn’t think he actually did,” I snorted, but it sounded more like I was choking back a sob. “He changed my mind. He died saving my love. He sacrificed his happiness for mine.” Thor’s voice cracked a few times, his head falling forward. “I always knew there was good in there somewhere. He isn’t...wasn’t, as evil as he insisted,” I mumbled, a sad smile tugging at my lips; tears falling onto my hands. “His funeral is tomorrow. I’ll come to get you before so you can get ready,” Thor sighed, squeezing my shoulder. “I’m allowed to go?” I looked up at him finally, his face a few inches from mine. “Yes, I convinced Odin to let you come. He wasn’t too happy, but he agreed,” Thor smiled slightly. “Thank you.” I smiled back at him, appreciating his kindness. “You deserve to say goodbye to your love,” he tried to smile again, tears rolling down his face again. “I don’t know how,” I whispered, leaning my head on his shoulder. “You may have helped with the incidents in New York, but I don’t think you’re as bad as you make yourself out to be either. I’ve seen a softer side to you the longer you’ve been in here. I saw a softer side of my brother that you brought out of him. I may not have always been kind to you, but my brother loved you. I want to grant his dying wish,” I felt the vibrations of his words through his shoulder. “What was it?” I asked, staring off into space. “He wanted you to be happy,” Thor sighed. “So I was hoping you would consider working in the castle. Although Odin insists you have to wear something that cancels your magic. I know it’s not ideal, but it’s the closest I can come to granting his wish. It’s better than being stuck here.” Thor’s breath hit my forehead as he spoke. “There’s no point. I’d rather you just kill me,” I stammered as another wave of sadness ran through me. “I can’t do that,” Thor sighed again, squeezing me closer. “Please, it’ll hurt less than this,” I stuttered, my voice breaking as my body slumped into Thor again. “I’m sorry,” Thor whispered again. We sat in my cell for what felt like an eternity, crying, hurting; Thor kept me pressed to his side the entire time, quite literally holding me together as my heart broke, something I never thought possible. “Get some sleep,” Thor whispered sometime later. “I guess I’ll take it. Working in the castle,” I breathed, a numb feeling settling around me. “I know,” Thor stated. “I’ll be back for you in the morning,” Thor whispered; he pressed a gentle kiss in my hair, surprising me. He squeezed my shoulder one last time before slipping out of my cell, heading back to the surface. I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling, feeling like I was trapped underwater, struggling to pull air into my lungs as I drifted to sleep.

///

Loki’s funeral was short and straightforward; his body was missing, so it didn’t really feel like a proper funeral. I could tell Odin didn’t even want to have a funeral, but he couldn’t get away with ignoring Loki’s death. My soul ached as I watched the ceremony, unshed tears catching the flicker of the lanterns nearby. After Loki’s funeral, Thor brought me to a small room in the worker’s wing of the castle. “This is your room. Clothes are in the dresser, and please don’t try to take the bracelets off. Odin will throw you in a cell again if you even try,” Thor sighed, eyeing the metal clasped around both of your wrists. “Actually, I don’t think you can take them off yourself,” Thor mumbled to himself. “Thank you, Thor. You’ve been nicer to me than I deserve,” I sighed, giving him a tight smile. “Probably, but I don’t see the evil in you. Please let me know if you need anything,” Thor said before walking out, closing my door behind him. I changed into a simple maid’s dress, pulling my raven black hair into a tight knot on top of my head before finding the woman I was to report to. Before I could leave my room, a quiet knock pulled me from my thoughts; a small, frail woman entered a few seconds later. “Hello dear, you must be Prince Loki’s beloved,” she smiled warmly at me. “Yes, was,” I dryly stated, everting my eyes. “I’m sorry for your loss, dear; I know how hard it is. My name is Frode, you will report to me for your duties. I can also be a good listener if you need to talk. I lost my husband a few years back,” she gave me a half-smile, reaching for my hand. “Thank you. Where am I to start?” I asked, meeting her kind eyes again. “We are going to set up for dinner tonight,” she pulled me towards the door and into the hall.

***

(Loki’s POV)

Suddenly air filled my lungs; I shot into a sitting position, gasping raggedly, clawing at my chest. As my breathing evened out, I look around the Dark World, seeing a single Asgardian guard searching for something; perfect. The guard had his back to me as he shifted dirt around; I materialized a small dagger as I stepped closer. I slammed the dagger into the guard’s neck, twisting for good measure; the guard slumped forward, dying before he realized what happened. I waved my hand in front of myself, feeling the magic waft over me as I took on the likeness of the guard; I looked down at my arms, admiring my handy work. A smile pulled at my lips as I grabbed the guard’s weapon, calling for Heimdall to bring me home.

***

(Violet’s POV)

1 month later I finally collapsed on my tiny, lumpy bed; my muscles still ached from the sudden increase in activity. Sitting in a cell for months left me feel the effects of the lack of exercise; I groaned as I sprawled out on my bed. “Yeah, death would be better than this,” I grumbled at the ceiling. “I think you’re being dramatic,” Thor’s voice caught me off guard. I lifted my head slightly to see his imposing form leaning against the door to my tiny room, his arms crossed over his chest, golden hair hanging in his face. “Debatable. I went from sitting in a cell to suddenly working all day. My body hates me,” I said with a sigh, pulling myself up to sit against the headboard. “It will get better,” he snickered, stepping farther into my room. “How are you feeling?” he asked, his gaze moving to the floor. “Why are you asking? Thor, you don’t have to act like you care what happens to me. I did a lot of shitty things, just because Loki’s,”- I swallowed around the lump in my throat- “gone, doesn’t mean you have to care for me. I don’t deserve it, and you aren’t responsible for me,” I finished, my face emotionless. “Am I not? My brother loved you. I can see you love him too. But, in the end, he’s dead because of me; the least I can do is look after you. As I said before, you’re not as horrible as you try to make yourself out to be,” Thor had moved to sit on the edge of my bed. “Honestly, I thought we were getting along better too.” “I’m not that bad? I’ve killed more people than I can count, all over the galaxy, because they were in my way. I brutally murdered my father in New York, on top of helping Loki kill all those people in New York. I’ve almost killed your brother more times than I can remember, and I feel nothing. I don’t feel guilty. I don’t care,” I stated plainly. Thor had turned his face to look at me, his eyes locking with mine as I spoke; amazingly, I saw nothing, no fear or disgust. “Am I supposed to be scared? Do you know how many people I’ve killed? It doesn’t mean you’re evil,” Thor said, raising his eyebrow. “Ah, that’s where you’re wrong. You did it to protect people. I did it because it’s easier, and I enjoy it,” I smiled slightly, raising my eyebrows. “So do I,” Thor said softly. I couldn’t contain my surprise at Thor’s admission; he looked away from me, but I could see the shame etched on his face at admitting his darkest secret. “Stop beating yourself up and work at being a better person if you want. Pity isn’t very flattering,” Thor said suddenly, quickly standing and heading for the door. “Thor?” I called before he left the room. He turned so I could see the side of his face. “I appreciate you telling me that; I could see it wasn’t easy. Thank you,” I whispered. “I told you we were getting along better,” he laughed dryly. “Get some sleep,” he said, a tight smile on his lips as he pulled the door shut behind him. I fell back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling until sleep engulfed me, a dream pulling me in.

///

I sat on a bench in the castle’s garden, sighing at the warmth from the sun spreading over my cheeks. I heard the sound of soft footsteps coming closer; I already knew it would be Loki, but this was different. We didn’t spend time at the castle together, so this couldn’t be a memory; maybe my brain was just making up scenarios now. “Darling?” I heard Loki’s smooth voice to my right. I turned my head to find him; he stood at the end of the path, the sun bathing him in a soft golden glow. “Loki,” I sighed happily. My chest tightened at the sight of him; real or not, seeing him made me feel better. “I miss you,” I whispered, turning away from him. “I miss you too, darling,” his voice was closer this time. “I don’t have anyone to fight with,” I chuckled sharply, keeping my back to him. “Thor is always up for a good argument,” Loki laughed softly as he sat at the end of the bench. I looked up at him finally, locking eyes with him. “I never thought I’d know what heartbreak felt like. You fucking ruined that,” I grunted; Loki’s musical laughter washed over me. “Well, it won’t plague you for much longer,” Loki said, a smile spreading across his lips. “What?” I snapped my head towards him, but he was gone, and I started to shake violently.

“Lady Violet!” someone yelled, shaking me. My eyes shot up, falling on Thor’s face hovering over me, concern swirling in his blue orbs.

“What happened?” I asked; Thor moved aside so I could sit up. “Frode heard you yelling for Loki,” Thor said softly, sadness creased around his features. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I whispered, rubbing my hands over my face. �� “Do you need anything?” Thor asked, resting a gentle hand above my elbow. “No, not unless you want to put me out of my misery,” I laughed sharply. “Hilarious. Try and sleep again, and if you need anything, you know where my chambers are.” Thor squeezed my arm, smiling softly before leaving my room. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my reeling mind; that dream was so odd. So many things were off, and it was just making my head hurt; I slumped back in bed. After a while, I heard my door slowly open again; I sighed, glancing up to see Thor walking in. “Thor, I’m fine,” I grunted. Thor didn’t answer, so I pushed myself up on an elbow to look at him; he stood away from the door, just staring at me. “Thor, what are you doing?” I asked, my face pulling into a scowl. Thor still didn’t move or say anything, and now it was making me uncomfortable and, honestly, a little scared. “Hello, get the fuck out,” I said this time, hoping he’d leave. But, aside from his sudden silence, something else was weird about Thor, something that kicked up a deep pull in my chest, only making my head spin more. Thor stayed rooted in place, continuing to unsettle me; Thor has spent more time trying to get to know me over the last few weeks, but this new, weird behavior was making me uneasy. “I’m sorry, darling,” he finally said, his eyes falling to the floor. “Thor, don’t call me darling,” I shot back, ready to physically kick him out. What the fuck is wrong with him?? His eyes snapped up, meeting mine again; I gasped at the sudden striking green of Thor’s eyes. Seconds later, a green mist surrounded him, and Loki stood in his place. “Vi,” Loki whispered, his eyes looking into my soul. I almost collapsed at the sudden sight in front of me; I stumbled back, almost falling into my nightstand. “What kind of sick joke is this?” I spat, not believing he was alive. “No trick, darling. I had to make Thor believe I was dead,” he said, taking a step towards me. “No, no, stay away from me,” I stuttered, closing my eyes. This can’t be real, can it? I tried to clear my mind and take a deep breath; if this was some horrible joke my mind was playing, it should be gone. Then, finally, I opened my eyes, and the handsome trickster still stood in the same spot; pain etched on his face as he looked at his feet. “Loki?” I mumbled; his head shot up. “It’s me,” he smiled at me, taking a step forward again. Loki put his hand out towards me tentatively; I stumbled closer, being pulled towards him by some unseen force, until my fingers grazed his. The second I felt his slightly cool skin, I threw myself at him; I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. Loki stumbled at the sudden force but quickly recovered, hugging me to his chest. For the first time in weeks, I felt whole instead of feeling like a shell of myself, trudging through the day. We stood like that for a long time; I wasn’t ready to let go, but he slowly pulled away, holding me at arm’s length. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Loki said, his lips pulling into a tight line. I clenched my fist, trying to refrain from hitting him but suddenly changed my mind. My fist connected with his face sending him stumbling a few steps; his hand came to his cheek, where I hit him. “You better be fucking sorry,” I growled, shaking my head. Loki stared at me in shock for a few seconds before a smile spread across his face, and he chuckled, standing up straight again. “Thank the gods you didn’t lose your edge, darling,” Loki snickered, rubbing his jaw. “I could kill you myself. Do you have any idea how bad that hurt!” I harshly whispered at him. “I never gave a shit about anyone after my mother dumped me on my own. I find myself caring about your stupid ass, and then you fake your death. If I weren’t so relieved that you were alive, I really would kill you,” I growled at him, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “I will make it up to you. Now, if you’re done yelling at me, can we go?” Loki sighed, rolling his eyes. “Where the fuck are we going?” I grunted. “You’ll see in due time,” Loki mumbled, picking at his nails in boredom. “Well, I can’t do anything with these on.” I raised my arm towards him, showing him the metal band around my wrist. Loki reached out, running his fingers over the smooth metal; with a twitch of his fingers, he snapped the metal, it fell onto my bed. “You can’t break them, but I can,” Loki smirked, looking at me through his dark lashes. He grabbed my other hand, breaking the band with ease before pulling me towards him again. “Now, one more thing before we go,” Loki whispered. Loki pulled me against his chest, his face only a few inches from mine; his lips descended on mine softly. I was taken back by the tender nature of the kiss, but I kissed him back; I didn’t realize how much I truly did miss him. “Let’s go, darling,” Loki whispered against my lips. The air around me changed; Loki blinked us away with ease.

____________________________________________________________

Series Masterlist | Chapter 7

Taglist:

@criminalyetminimal @marvelfansworld

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silverdecepticon93 · 4 years

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Wally x a SuperIntelligent! villain! reader? maybe she lets herself get captured by the OG team but breaks herself out of the cell and they walk into the kitchen and she's just there, eating Wallys chips and complaining about the serious lack of sour candies. and she ends up talking with Wally when the rest of the team is out chasing leads, about why she was forced to become a villain and he convinces her to join the team?

Sorry, it took so long! Also, there is a lot of sexual tension but it is supposed to be very fluffy.

Promise?

Artemis Fowl, the questionable protagonist of a book series, he was a boy who was much to smart for his own good and used his talents as a child prodigy to pursue a life of crime. While he might’ve existed in the pages of a book, you were real, as was the trouble and havoc you caused. However, like Artemis Fowl, you had a moral code.

So when you thought that the Light’s latest plot was too extreme, even for your tastes, you knew you had to shut it down. Except you couldn’t do it by yourself, there was no way, so you had turned to the people who often spoiled your fun for help and while you may have put your own feelings aside for the greater good, heroes seemed to like to dwell on the past.

“How did you get out of your cell?” Robin demanded the moment he saw you on the kitchen counter. You popped another chip in your mouth before looking at him with an eyebrow raised, “C’mon, Chickadee, it was rather simple. I felt rather insulted you thought that that over-glorified cage of yours could keep me contained.”

You felt a breeze whoosh past you, it didn’t startle you but you suddenly felt the bag of chips in your hand disappear. You looked over your shoulder to see Kid Flash holding the bag upside down only to see a few small crumbs fall to the ground.

“You ate all my chips?” He growled as he turned back to face you. You shrugged nonchalantly, “Don’t blame me, Skids, you didn’t have any of the sour candies I liked so I had to resort to the next best thing.”

“Skids, Chickadee?” Artemis repeated as she looked at both Robin and Kid Flash. You brightened up and looked at Kaldur, “Oh! And Gills! We don’t want Kaldur feeling left out, now do we?”

Superboy crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at you, “Who exactly are you?”

You leaned your head on your hands before looking expectantly at the three former sidekicks in front of you to introduce you to the Team. Kaldur cleared his throat with a cough, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

“This is (Y/n) (L/n), she’s one of the smartest people in the world, and she’s incredibly dangerous,” Aqualad explained. Artemis only scoffed and eyed you skeptically, “You don’t look dangerous.”

You grinned devilishly, “That’s exactly what makes me dangerous. However-” you jumped off from the kitchen counter before taking out a flash drive from your pocket- “I’m not here to discuss how much of a threat I am, I’m here to help you.”

“Help us? yeah, right.” Kid Flash snorted. You turned back to look at him before putting your hands on his shoulders and leaning close to his ear, “Aww, someone still bitter about a month ago, Skids?”

Kid Flash’s eyes went wide before he moved away from you, making your grin widening in amusement, while Robin snickered and Kaldur smiled ever-so-slightly. The rest of the Team looked at each other in confusion before turning to look back at Kaldur.

“What happened a month ago?” M’gann asked. Kid Flash sent Robin a warning glare but the raven-haired boy chose to ignore it as he turned to face the other three members, “We were chasing down (Y/n) but she got away cause Skids, here, got distracted when she faked a love confession to him.”

You only looked at the red-haired speedster and shot him a wink, “I wouldn’t say I faked it but it was cute seeing you all hot and bothered.”

Wally blushed before sending you a severe stare, “I wasn’t all hot and bothered, You just caught me off-guard.”

You hummed playfully before walking past him towards Kaldur, the shiny flash drive in your hand, “All nostalgia aside, I am being serious right now. The Light is planning something big and I need your help.”

Kaldur took the flash drive from your hand before looking at you with a hesitant glint in his eyes, “Forgive me for having my doubts but why ask us? If the Light’s next plan is so big, wouldn’t be more fitting to ask the Justice League?”

You bit your lip nervously as you debated whether or not to explain your reasoning to them, after all, if you gave them too much information then the Light could easily trace it back to you. You shivered at the thought of what might happen if they found out you were snitching on them behind their backs, even your genius was no match against the Light.

“The less you know, the better it is for both of us,” You answered, “plus, I trust you three more.”

Kaldur was thinking about your words and searching your face for any hint of an ulterior motive when he couldn’t find one, he sighed and went to the main computer in the Cave. He was about to plug in the USB chip before Wally grabbed his hand to stop him, making the Atlantian look up at him in surprise.

“What are you doing? You remember who this is, right? (Y/n) (L/n), a supervillain who can’t be trusted. She probably put a virus in there or is gonna use it to steal information for the Light!” Wally listed off. You indignantly scoffed before walking up to him, “I may be a supervillain but even I know when to see the line drawn in the sand, as for the Light, they already know a lot more about you all than you think.”

Wally looked shocked, not because of your words, but more because of the way you lost your temper. You were usually so calm and composed no matter that situation, something that always got on the speedster’s nerves, however, to see you so emotional about something was alarming to him. His green eyes were still locked onto your (e/c) ones as he let go of Kaldur’s wrist, allowing the leader to insert the flash drive holding the Light’s oh-so big plan.

The Team had gathered around the screen, watching and inspecting every blueprint and idea, and it wasn’t long until their skeptical faces became expressions of horror. Even you had one on your face despite having already seen it at the meeting.

“(Y/n)’s right...this...is alarming.” Kaldur finally said. Robin nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I’m feeling...overwhelmed.”

When Robin said that, using the word ‘overwhelmed’ instead of that irksome ‘whelm’, the gravity of the situation hit hard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You nervously fidgeted with your mask, staring into the holes where your eyes were usually covered, with a guilty look on your face. For once in your life, you were actually worried about the group of heroes. Because if they failed, it was game over to half of the Earth’s population, and possibly even the galaxy.

A loud ‘thud’ made you jump and pulled you out of your thoughts. You looked up to see Kid Flash, leaning on the table you were sitting at with a bag of Toxic waste in front of you. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion before looking up at him.

“You like sour candy, right? I decided to pick some up for you on my way back.” Wally explained a bit nervously. You smiled timidly at him, “I’m assuming you got stuck with babysitting duty, right? To make sure I don’t do anything bad while everyone is away?”

He shrugged and sat next to you, nodding his head to the bag of sour candy to show that it really was for you. Hesitantly, you grabbed the bag and opened it up, ripping the wrapper off and placing the sour candy in your moth. The sweet yet overwhelming sour taste sending a wave of relief throughout your body.

“Thanks, Skids.” You mumbled. He smiled softly, “Don’t mention it, (Y/n).”

Silence fell between the two of you before he looked at you, once more you’re gazing down at your mask. The one you wore during your crimes, the one you wore to cover your weakness, and while Kid Flash found you to be a pain, he also found you to be something of a frenemy to him.

Seeing your face without the mask was also changing his opinion on you, watching as your eyes leaked with emotion, and the way you stared at your mask with disdain.

“Why’d you become a villain?” He asked, breaking the silence. You looked up at him in slight surprise but also out of slight amusement, “We’ve known each other for five years and you’re asking me that now?”

“Yeah, I guess I am.” He answered and watched as you popped another candy into your mouth.

You sucked on it nervously, trying to ignore the speedster’s emerald gaze, however, you finally caved in and held up your mask.

“I’m afraid I don’t have a tragic backstory to excuse my actions,” You laughed sadly, “It’s...actually the one dumb decision I made in my life...I was young but I was smart, smarter than Lex Luthor or T. O. Morrow, and I let that get to my head. Villainy was exciting, to hatch a plan and defeat a hero, and it was challenging. Except...it’s just…”

“It’s all fun and games until people get hurt.” Wally finished. You looked at him and nodded, “and I hurt a lot of people, Skids.”

Wally watched as tears began to well up in the corner of your eyes, making him cup your face and force you to stare into his green eyes. You were taken off-gaurd but then you gripped his wrists with your hands before leaning your forehead on his, tears now falling down your cheeks as you started to sob.

“It’s not a game, anymore, Wally. It’s not fun,” You whimpered, “but I’ve played for too long and you can’t just quit in the middle of a game. That’s how you lose.”

Wally smiled in amusement before using his thumb to wipe away one tear from your eye, “Sometimes, the best way to win a game, is to know when to quit.”

You stared up at him, your eyes red and puffy and your bottom lip quivered, “What if I don’t know how to stop, Wally? What if I can’t?”

He grinned at you comfortingly as he leaned his face closer to you, “Then I’ll help you.”

“Promise?” Your voice pleaded silently as you began to lean in as well.

The two of you pressed your lips together, Wally was able to taste the sour candy you previously had in your mouth, while you wrapped your arms around his neck like he was a lifeline. When you two pulled back, there were soft smiles on both your faces.

“Promise.”

#DC x reader #young justice x reader #Young Justice Kid Flash #Kid Flash x reader #Kid Flash x you #Wally West x reader #Wally west x you #YJ #Yj x reader #Yj x you #Wally West #Kid Flash

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freddiesaysalright · 4 years

Text

The Most Dramatic Season Ever - The Men Tell All

Summary: It’s your time now! You are ABC’s new Bachelorette and this is your journey! All these men (including our fav BoRhap boys and then some) are competing for your heart! Will you find love? Will you get engaged at the end? Or will you end up heartbroken? Find out, on the most dramatic season ever!

Word Count: 7.2k

Tag List: @psychosupernatural, @someone-get-a-medic, @bensrhapsody, @deakyclicks, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession, @minigranger, @crazyweirdocalledfriday, @the-moving-finger-writes, @assembledherethevolunteers, @rose-writes-prose, @queenlover05, @moon-stars-soul, @danadeacon, @deacyblues, @thesundrop, @cupidben, @lostlittlenerd, @delilahmay39, @timmvrphy, @queenmylovely, @loveandbeloved29, @free-pool-trash, @fairestkillerqueenofall, @local-troubled-writer, @percussion-chick, @littlecarowrites, @allthethingsicant, @im-an-adult-ish, @mirkwoodshewolf, @squishy-gay-astronaut, @sherlollydramoine, @butlegendsneverdie, @dogmom2014, @rocketrhap917, @26-7-49, @lelifesaver, @frozenhuntress67, @drowsebaby, @mrhoemazzello, @lookuptotheskiesandsee If you’d like to be added, let me know!

A/N: Alright, it’s the Men Tell All! Don’t worry, you’ll find out what happens with Y/N and Gwil before we get into the drama ;) ALSO thank you all for the love and support since I lost my grandfather. Today, I was at work and had lots of time to write, so I was able to finish up this chapter for you. You’re all so sweet about this story, and to me in general, and I appreciate it so much :)

Warning(s): Mentions of racism, mentions of bullying

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The Men Tell All let’s go!!!

Chris: Hi. I’m Chris Harrison, and welcome to The Men Tell All. A live show where we revisit the most talked about guys on TV for the past few weeks. But before we get into all that, last week, we left off with our Bachelorette Y/N and her final three men in New Zealand. Y/N told not one, not two, but all three men that she is in love with them. An unprecedented move for a Bachelorette. She had two magical nights of romance with Ben and with Joe, who have both said they are in love with her as well. But when confronted about his feelings, Gwilym confessed to Y/N that he’s not ready to say ‘I love you’, and he won’t be unless he’s the one down on one knee at the end of this journey. Y/N told him she needs to know if he’s in love before she could accept a proposal from him. But - will they even get that far? Find out what happens next, right now.

The studio audience applauded and watched the screen.

***

“I dunno, Y/N. I just don’t know.”

You sighed heavily and looked at Gwilym’s troubled face.

“Well, I know where I am,” you said. “This is the first time we haven’t been on the same page.”

“You know how tough this is,” he said. “Being on this side of it. Having to wonder.”

“You don’t have to wonder!” you argued. “I just told you that I love you! How can I make it any more clear how I feel about you?”

“But you’ve also said your heart is with the other two,” he protested. “How can you love me properly if….” he trailed off. “If you love them too?”

“You don’t think it’s possible for me to love more than one person?” you questioned.

“No,” he said. “Not truly.”

You felt like walls were closing in around your heart. Walls to keep this hurt out. To keep Gwilym out because you felt like he was destroying you.

“Excuse me,” you said, taking your hand away from him. “I need a minute.”

You got up, shoving your chair back, and walked away from the table. Your feet led you outside onto the patio. The salty breeze and the sound of the water didn’t calm you down at all. Tears stung your eyes, and you blinked, letting them fall freely down your cheeks.

“I don’t know what to do,” you sobbed to your producer. “I can’t let him go, but I can’t go to the fantasy suite either, not like this.”

You took a deep breath and tried to gather yourself.

“But if he doubts that my feelings are genuine, then maybe we…” you swallowed the lump in your throat. “Maybe we aren’t right for each other.”

Back at the table, Gwilym was trying - and failing - to hold in his emotions. A single tear slid down his cheek, which he wiped swiftly away as he drew a deep breath in.

“How are you feeling?” asked his producer. “What’s going through your mind right now?”

“I dunno, I feel sort of numb,” he said. “I don’t want to hurt her, but I’ve got to protect my heart too, right?”

“What do you want from Y/N?” she asked.

“I want her to be patient,” he said. “I need time to get where she is, but I know I can get there.”

“Maybe you should tell her that.”

Without another word, Gwilym got to his feet and followed you out to the patio. He found you, looking out at the shore, arms folded across your chest. He saw your face, and the mascara that was smeared under your eyes.

“Y/N,” he said. “Please. I just need time.”

“We don’t have any,” you replied, turning to face him. “If you’re going to propose to me next week, I need to know that you’re in love with me. And if you’re not, then...then that’s it.”

“This can’t be it,” he said, voice cracking. “This can’t be how this ends.”

“It has to be,” you said. “We need the exact opposite things from each other right now. Neither of us are able to give them. I can’t stand here and tell you that you’re it and this is over. And I don’t have the time to wait for you to catch up to me. I don’t see what else we can do.”

“We can try,” he said. “We can try to make it work.”

“How?” you countered, throwing your hands up with exasperation. “How can we reconcile this?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “But the night is not over. We can talk it out.”

You shook your head. “I just don’t see a solution, Gwil. You need something I can’t give. And I need something you can’t give.”

“Well, if I told you now that I’m in love with you, you wouldn’t believe me,” he said. “You’re much too clever for that.”

“Because you told me that you’re not,” you said. “It would seem like you were just telling me what I need to hear in order to stay. And you’re much too kind for that.”

A long moment passed as you looked at each other. The air around you was charged with the tension. The impending goodbye.

“That’s it, then,” he said.

“Yeah,” you said. “That’s it.”

He reached out and pulled you into his arms. You buried your face in his chest, letting yourself feel his embrace for the last time. You couldn’t say how long you stood there. The moment seemed suspended outside of real time. You and Gwilym were just existing together. Soaking up what you could before you parted ways.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry it’s ending like this.”

“I’m sorry too,” you replied. “But...it is ending.”

You pulled away, unsure where your strength was coming from.

“Can I walk you out?”

“Sure,” he agreed.

He took your hand, and you walked back through the restaurant and out the front door. The walkway led to the street. A car was already pulling up. You stopped at the end of the path and looked up at his face.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

You nodded. “I’m sure.”

He sighed. “I’m going to miss you.”

You held his gaze steadily. “I know.”

He cupped your cheek in his hand, his expression softening. Then he pulled you toward him and kissed your forehead.

“Goodbye, Gwilym,” you said.

“Goodbye,” he returned.

You stepped away from him. Your eyes were trained on his back as he opened the door, slid into the seat, and closed it again. You watched as the car disappeared down the road. Your bottom lip began to tremble and you buried your face in your hands. Then you let out a sob.

In the car, Gwilym was also in tears. They streamed slowly down his face, and he wiped them away with the back of his hand.

“It’s terrible,” he choked out. “My heart is just...broken. I can’t believe this is happening, but at the same time, I’m just...I dunno. I’m going to miss her. I wish so much that I could give her what she wants. But...I can’t. So, I wish her the best. Truly I do.”

You went to bed that night, still crying. You wondered if you could survive this kind of heartbreak. You debated telling production you changed your mind and you wanted Gwilym back. But you decided against it. What would bringing him back do? You would only circle around to the same argument. But still, it absolutely broke your heart to say goodbye.

The next day, you had a rose ceremony. It was in the afternoon, on the beach close to where you’d had your last date with Gwilym.

Joe arrived first and took his place on the little stage that production had set up for you all to have the rose ceremony on. The table was already out, the two roses on a tray, fluttering in the wind. Joe looked at them, hoping he would be receiving one.

Ben arrived shortly after. He smiled at Joe and they shook hands before Ben took his place on Joe’s right. He looked at the roses and then at his friend.

“Where’s Gwilym?” he wondered.

Joe shrugged. “No idea.”

When they looked out and saw you approaching, looking beautiful in a green silk gown, they grew especially worried. Chris Harrison helped you onto the platform and you looked at your final two men.

“Hi,” you said meekly. Your voice was hoarse from crying. “As you can see, Gwilym’s not here. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye last night.” You choked up just saying it out loud. “I don’t want to dwell on it, so, uh...let’s get started.”

You picked up the first rose. You saw that both Ben and Joe had visibly relaxed at the announcement. This was the one rose ceremony where they truly didn’t have to worry.

“Joe,” you said.

He stepped to you.

“Joe, will you accept this rose?”

“I will,” he assured you.

You pinned it on. He kissed your cheek before taking his place again. You picked up the second rose.

“Ben,” you said.

Ben strode over.

“Ben, will you accept this rose?”

“Always.”

You pinned it to him. He started to walk away, but you grabbed his hand. He stopped, turned toward you, and gave you a questioning look. You reached your free hand toward Joe, who stepped forward and took it.

You looked at them.

“This is it,” you said. “The last rose ceremony. I want to thank you both for going through all of this with me. I’m so happy to be your Bachelorette.”

A tear leaked out and rolled down your cheek. Joe wiped it with his thumb. Then, both men wrapped their arms around you. Sandwiched between them, you smiled at last. Hope was not lost.

***

“Welcome back to the Men Tell All!” Chris said with a clap.

The audience was still recovering from watching what they had.

“We just watched Y/N say perhaps the most heartbreaking goodbye of her season,” Chris continued. “I’m here now with all the guys, and we’re going to talk about all the drama, including what we just saw. But first, let me introduce the men!”

He went through each of the guys sitting up on the platform, introducing them one by one. They went in order of elimination, so the further he went, the more cheers they got from the audience. Luke got a lot of boos. Then, when he got to Taron, Allen, Richard, and Rami, the crowd was booming. Gwilym was the last one to be introduced, and he laughed as people screamed for him.

“Well,” Chris chuckled as it all died down. “We can see who the most popular guy is.”

They cheered some more and Gwilym offered a small wave.

“Gwilym, I do want to start things off with you,” Chris said. “Come join me in the hot seat.”

Gwilym stood up, amongst more cheers, and joined Chris on the stage, taking a seat on the two-seater couch across from Chris’s one-person couch.

“What was it like, watching that back?” Chris asked.

“Ahem,” Gwilym cleared his throat. “It was difficult. Extremely difficult. I knew how I felt about Y/N and I knew I could get where she needed me to be, but we just didn’t have the time.”

“Do you regret not telling her that you love her?” Chris pressed.

“I don’t actually,” Gwilym said. “You know, I was being honest. I’d never tell her that if it wasn’t true, and at the time, it wasn’t.”

“At the time?”

Gwilym laughed uncomfortably. “Okay, that didn’t come out right. I didn’t realize it later on or anything. As much as it hurt me, I realized that I’d told the truth, and so had she. So she made the right decision. Even if she’d kept me around for the night, I think she would have sent me home at the rose ceremony.”

“So, you feel like you were going home no matter what?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, I do.”

“You don’t think you could have changed her mind?”

“No, nor could she have changed mine,” Gwil said. “We were at different places in the journey, and - devastating as it was at the time - we had to part ways. I’m grateful for knowing her.”

“You know, she’s here,” Chris said. “She’ll be coming out in a little bit. Have you two spoken since filming ended?”

Gwilym shook his head. “We haven’t.”

“Are you ready to face her?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Gwilym said. “She’s not coming out now, is she?”

“Not yet,” Chris said with a chuckle. “But I’ll definitely give you two the opportunity to talk when she does.”

He turned to the camera.

“We’ll be back in a little bit to talk to the rest of the guys and air out some of the drama of the season,” he said. “Y/N will be here to confront the men she rejected. Gwilym, thanks for sharing, man.”

They shook hands as the show went to commercial. When they were clear, Gwilym went back to his seat. A few minutes passed before they started again.

“Welcome back to The Bachelorette: the Men Tell All,” Chris said. “I’m here with our live studio audience and the men from Y/N’s dramatic journey as the Bachelorette. She’ll be out here pretty soon to face the men whose hearts she broke. But first, we’re going to discuss some of the most dramatic parts of the season.”

He turned to the men.

“Lee, let’s start with you,” he said. “Night one, and you had already caused a stir. Take us back to that night, and what was going through your mind.”

Lee took a deep breath.

“I wanna start by saying I’m not racist, okay?” he began. “The pressure was getting to me, I’d had a few drinks, and I said something I didn’t mean.”

“Dude,” said Mike rolling his eyes. “If you have to tell everybody that you’re not racist, it means you’re definitely racist.”

“Yeah, and what do you mean the pressure?” Eric chimed in. “It was night one!”

“You called a man of color a diversity rose,” Kenny reminded him. “To refer to one of us as something token is super racist, and the fact that you can’t take responsibility and just apologize shows that you still don’t see why it’s wrong.”

Lee opened his mouth to respond, but Chris held up a hand to stop him.

“Rami,” Chris said. “You were sort of at the center of all this, I wanna get your two cents.”

“Well,” Rami began. “It’s funny you say I was at the center of all of it, when at the time I really had no idea what was going on. I didn’t know until Y/N came in and yelled at him.”

“What were you feeling when you heard the term ‘diversity rose’?” Chris asked.

“I mean…it didn’t exactly shock me,” Rami said. “Guys like me and the other men of color - Mike, Eric, Kenny, and John - we’ve all heard much worse. He didn’t use a slur or anything, so at first I told myself it was dramatic to be upset about it. But then we all got to talking about it, and I realized that it’s okay to be upset about microaggressions too. And that’s what it was.”

“A microaggression?” Chris questioned.

“Yeah,” Rami said. “Because it wasn’t overt, he didn’t think it was racist. But it shows a divisive mentality at best and a racist one at worst.”

“Very eloquently said,” Chris remarked. “Lee, anything else you want to say?”

“Rami, I’m sorry,” Lee said. “I’m sorry to all of you. I know ignorance isn’t an excuse...but, I messed up. I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted, man,” Rami said. He turned in his seat and extended his hand. Lee shook it.

“Look, man, if ignorance is the problem, you have to listen when you’re told you’re wrong,” Mike said. “Educate yourself. I’ve got no problem with people who don’t know any better. But I’ve got a big problem with people who don’t want to know better.”

“I understand,” Lee said. “I’ll definitely do that going forward.”

“Glad to hear it,” Mike said, shaking his hand as well.

“Well, I’m glad to see this talked out civilly,” Chris said. “Not that we’re looking to solve big issues like this on our show, but I’m happy to start a discussion.”

He took the show to commercial once again. When they came back, Chris started fresh.

“Welcome back to The Bachelorette: the Men Tell All,” he said again. “We just spoke with Lee and Rami about Lee’s sudden elimination night one. Now, I want to talk to the man who was the top trending topic on Twitter for three weeks straight. Luke.”

He looked at Luke, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Luke, why don’t you join me up here?” Chris said.

Luke, among some heckling from the crowd, got up, and took the seat Gwilym had occupied minutes ago. He straightened his jacket and then sat back.

“Welcome,” Chris said. “Before I let the other men address their issues with you, I want to give you a chance to defend yourself. But first, let’s take a look at your journey on The Bachelorette.”

Chris gestured toward the big screen, and all eyes fixed on it. The whole studio watched Luke’s emerging from the limo and meeting you for the first time. Then it was a highlight reel of the crazy things he said throughout. His arguments with you, his disagreements with the other men - especially pertaining the naked bungee jumping - right up until his elimination and sudden return at the rose ceremony. When the screen faded to black, Chris looked at Luke.

“Okay,” Chris said. “Thoughts?”

“I mean, I could have handled things a lot better,” Luke said. “But I was being genuine. I really believed myself to be on a mission to save Y/N’s soul. That it was my duty to love her and protect her.”

“You really felt like you were there to convert her to your faith?” Chris questioned.

“I think so,” Luke said. “I definitely could have gone about it in a more subtle way, but that’s just not who I am.”

“What was your goal when you showed back up at the rose ceremony?” Chris asked. “After she’d already sent you home. What did you hope to accomplish?”

“I wanted to propose to her,” Luke said. “I had a ring, actually, in my pocket.”

A shocked gasp went through the crowd. Chris blinked.

“You were going to propose?” he repeated. “Even though you knew she felt differently than you?”

“When God puts something on my heart, I chase it with everything I have, no matter the obstacles,” Luke said. “That’s how I saw it.”

“Okay, I’m gonna open the floor to the other guys now,” Chris said. “Who would like to start?”

“I’d like to,” Allen piped up. “I felt like we didn’t have a problem before, and then during the football game, you became so aggressive. My question for you, Luke, is - did I do something to offend you?”

“No,” Luke said, shaking his head. “I actually really regret that game. It’s probably my biggest regret of the show. I got really competitive, and I felt isolated from the other guys, and I think I just took it out on you. I’m sorry.”

“Alright then,” Allen said, surprised. “Apology accepted.”

“Hold on,” Taron interjected. “It’s all well and good that you’ve apologized to Allen, but I don’t think it’s fair to place blame on us for any of your actions. You alienated yourself, Luke.”

“How could I have alienated myself?” Luke challenged.

“When this all started, we tried to include you,” Taron said. “We tried being nice. But everything turned into something to evangelize us, and that’s exhausting to put up with. Then, you lied about Joe and Ben saying they weren’t there for the right reasons. How could you expect us to warm up to you when we saw you would blatantly lie to get ahead?”

“Look, I didn’t make it up,” Luke said. “I know what I heard and -”

“Luke, I’m gonna stop you right there,” Chris said. “The producers and interns looked through hours and hours of footage and audio - you guys are mic’d up all the time - and no one heard any conversation like what you described to Y/N. Not between Ben and Joe or any of the other men.”

“You sure you didn’t hallucinate it?” Richard said. “You f***ing psycho?”

“Hey!” Luke cried indignantly.

“Or were you just trying to get those two eliminated?” Taron added. “Because look how well that turned out.”

The audience laughed.

“All I can really say is,” Luke went on. “God told me everything I needed to do throughout this journey.”

“God spoke to you?” Chris questioned.

“Yeah,” Luke said.

Gwilym snorted in his chair and the two on stage looked at him.

“I’m sorry, that’s just ridiculous,” he said. “God spoke to you? Come on, Luke. It’s one thing to be sexist and a liar, but are you actually now claiming to be a prophet?”

“What does God’s voice sound like?” Rami chimed in.

The rest of the men snickered and then Chris interjected.

“Before we get carried away with this, Gwilym brought up a big point,” he said. “Sexism. Luke, did you feel like your attitude toward Y/N was sexist?”

“No, not at all,” Luke answered. “With the whole bungee jumping thing, I was just asking her to be respectful. Y’know, be considerate of the other men and how they might feel about someone else seeing her naked.”

“Now, I know Joe isn’t here to defend himself,” Chris said. “But he said to you that he didn’t really see anything. Do you think that matters?”

“No,” Luke said. “She still willingly took her clothes off for a man who isn’t her husband.”

“Luke, that’s nonsense,” Taron said. “Very few people wait for marriage anymore - yourself included - and yet you judged her for something that was actually pretty innocent.”

“Her past wouldn’t matter if she chose to wait from here on out,” Luke said. “And I wasn’t judging her. Like I’ve been saying, I just wanted her to be respectful.”

“But she couldn’t take it back once she’d done it,” Allen said. “What was the point in getting upset?”

“Weren’t any of you guys upset?” Chris wondered, addressing the group. “Did it bother you that she’d had this experience with Joe?”

They looked around and saw each of them shaking their heads.

“None of us cared that much,” said John Paul Jones. “We all just kinda wished it was us on that date, y’know?”

They all chuckled in agreement.

“Luke’s reaction was about controlling Y/N,” Rami said. “To claim her respect for him is based on what she does with her own body is sexism.”

“You guys are ridiculous,” Luke said, shaking his head. “It really wouldn’t bother you to know your wife was naked with another man?”

The guys exchanged confused and annoyed glances.

“Okay, let’s answer this totally different question,” Richard said. “Of course it’d be different if she was already with one of us. But she wasn’t. She’s the Bachelorette. She’s no one’s wife at that point.”

“But if her goal is to be a wife, she should act like one,” Luke argued.

“I don’t think we’ll ever get through to you how wrong you are for that attitude,” Gwilym said. “Arguing with you is pointless because you’re so rooted in the argument itself, you don’t even care if you’re right or wrong, you just want to be opposite of us. And honestly, watching the season back was frustrating. You constantly tried to bring Y/N to a faith she doesn’t believe in. You belittled her when you got upset, and when she called you out, you relied on gaslighting her and lying to her. You don’t know anything about forming a relationship because you’re so narrow minded, and relationships take compromise. If you can’t open yourself up to different people, then you are never going to be happy, Luke.”

The audience went wild at this speech, clapping, cheering, and whistling their approval. Luke shifted in his seat.

“Is there anything else you’d like to say?” Chris wondered.

“There’s not,” Luke said.

Without waiting for Chris, he got up and returned to his seat amongst the men. A beat of silence passed, then Chris looked into the camera.

“We’ll be right back to talk to more of the men from Y/N’s season right after this,” he said.

The show went to commercial. During that time, Chris had Richard and Allen come up to the stage and sit on the couch. As he welcomed the audience back, he re-introduced them.

“I’m here now with Richard and Allen, who I wanted to talk to together because you two had an interesting week in Ireland,” he said. “Y/N said that you were both not far enough along to go to hometowns. Let’s take a look at your journeys with her.”

He indicated the big screen, and everyone watched as they cut between Allen and Richard’s introductions to you, their dates, the romantic moments, and then finally the goodbyes on the same day back in Ireland. Both men smiled fondly at the memories.

“So, I can see you’re both happy,” Chris said. “Tell me what’s going through your minds.”

“I dunno,” Allen began. “I had a wonderful time getting to know Y/N. I don’t regret it at all.”

“Richard?” Chris offered.

“I’m the same,” Richard agreed. “Things ended the way they did, and I’m alright with it. No regrets here either.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Chris said. “You two were pretty strong contenders at the beginning. Many even felt you were ahead of the two remaining men at times. What happened, do you think?”

“I don’t think anything in particular went wrong,” Richard said. “The relationship was solid, but we weren’t progressing at the right rate to feel like a commitment was the right choice.”

“That’s true,” said Allen. “I think in Richard’s case, she realized it before he did, and in my case, I realized it before she did.”

“Well, you’ve both been joys to watch all season and you’re Bachelor nation favorites,” Chris said, which the audience agreed with loudly. “So, if you’re open to it, I’d like to invite both of you to Mexico for Bachelor in Paradise.”

Bachelor in Paradise was the show where the men from previous seasons of the Bachelorette and the women from previous seasons of the Bachelor went to meet each other and try to make connections.

The audience cheered wildly as Allen and Richard looked at each other and laughed. The other men were also encouraging them to do it.

“I’m always down to take a shot at love,” Allen said. “I’ll go.”

“I’ll go as well,” Richard added. “I don’t have anything to lose, y’know?”

Chris beamed. “That’s great news for the women who have already signed up.”

He let them return to their seats, and then invited Rami up to the couch. Rami was met with applause from the crowd as he made his way to the couch.

“So, Rami you were a fan favorite who made it all the way to hometowns with Y/N,” he said. “Before we get your side of things, let’s take a look back at your love story.”

Everyone looked at the screen again. Rami had a small smile on his face as he watched himself get out of the limo and approach you for the first time. How he spoke Arabic to you. Then all the dates he went on, the moments he got you during a cocktail party, and his one on one date in Ireland. Then, they showed the hometown date, the things that Jasmine had said, and the breakup afterward. Rami’s smile faltered. The screen went dark.

“So, tell me what it’s like, watching that back,” Chris said.

“Like Gwil said, it’s difficult,” Rami replied. “I felt like I really had fallen in love with her, and to have her say goodbye after that was just...painful.”

“Do you think the problems your sister brought up were there or do you think she got in Y/N’s head?” Chris asked.

“Honestly, when I watched the episode, I realized that Jasmine was right,” Rami admitted. “I don’t think she necessarily got in Y/N’s head, I think she just brought things to light that we had been kind of sweeping under the rug and not really dealing with. I’m not angry at my sister - though I was for a little while - and I know that it worked out for the best.”

“How have you been doing since the breakup?” Chris wondered.

“I’ve been okay,” Rami said. “I’ve been working and spending time with family and focusing on what I want.”

“Are you still in love with Y/N?” Chris pressed.

“No,” said Rami, shaking his head. “I’ll always have love for her, but it’s safe to say I’ve moved on.”

“Are you still looking for love?”

Rami paused a moment before answering. “I’m not not looking for it. If it comes, I’ll be happy, but I know now I’m not quite ready to get engaged or married.”

“So, I can’t interest you in Bachelor in Paradise?”

Rami laughed. “No, I’m afraid not. Even if I wanted to, I actually just accepted a lead role in a movie and we’ll be shooting at the same time Paradise is filming.”

“Hey, congratulations!” Chris cried, as the audience erupted with cheers and the other men whooped from the platform across the stage.

“Thank you!” Rami called over the din before it died down. “I can’t say much about it right now, but more information will be released later on. I’m really excited.”

“We’re all happy for you, man,” Chris said, shaking Rami’s hand. “That’s awesome.”

He allowed Rami to return to his seat. Then Chris looked at the camera.

“We’ll be back with Y/N right after this,” he said.

The show went to commercial for a few minutes. A few of the men shifted in their seats. The anxiety of seeing you after weeks apart was making them fidgety. Most of them were fine, but the ones who had made it as far as Ireland were more uncomfortable.

Chris took a hurried sip of water before bringing the show back.

“Welcome back once again to the Men Tell All,” he said. “I’ve got the guys of Y/N’s dramatic season here with me, and now, she’s about to face them all for the first time since their incredible journey. So, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Y/N!”

The whole studio went wild. You started toward the stage, legs a little shaky with nerves. You beamed and waved at the crowd to try and cover up how anxious you were. You walked up to Chris first, hugged him tightly, and then smoothed your dress out before taking a seat on the couch. The noise quieted and you took a deep breath.

“How are you feeling?” Chris asked.

“Nervous,” you said. “I’ve never been in a room with so many exes before.”

Laughter filled the room and you turned toward the men, looking at their faces for the first time in months.

“Hi, guys,” you said with a little wave.

Most of them returned with one.

“So, we started the show witnessing your breakup with Gwilym,” Chris began. “Can you tell us what that was like for you?”

You rubbed your hands along your thighs, looking down at your lap.

“Oh, yeah, that was…” you trailed off. “That was a tough one. Watching it backstage just brought all those feelings back up and I’m not gonna lie, I got a little emotional.”

“Why emotional?” Chris wondered.

“Because that moment was so...raw,” you said. “I wanted so badly for that night to go differently and for us to move forward. I remember lying in bed after sending him home and I literally cried my false lashes off. I went back and forth for hours wondering if I’d made a mistake. I don’t think I slept at all. It had just….completely destroyed me.”

“Do you still question that decision?” Chris pressed.

“No,” you said, shaking your head. “Watching it back reminded me that it was the right call. I don’t think I would handle it any differently if I had to do it all again.”

“Well, I’d like to invite Gwilym up so you guys can talk,” Chris said. “You ready?”

“Yeah, of course,” you assured him with a nod.

Chris looked over at the men. “Gwilym, come on over.”

Gwilym got up, straightening his jacket, and walked over. You had gotten to your feet as well. You smiled widely at him as he got closer, and then opened your arms for a hug. He gladly accepted. You took a moment to enjoy the feeling of him once again, and then you sat down together on the couch.

“It’s wonderful to see you,” he said.

“You too,” you returned earnestly.

“I can’t tell you what a relief it is to hear that you don’t question your decision,” he said. “Because I don’t either. I think if we’d gone forward, there would have been more trouble and just...disappointed hopes.”

“I agree,” you said. “As painful as our goodbye was, it had to happen.”

“And you should know, I was equally destroyed by it,” he told you. “It broke my heart, and I’ve missed you terribly.”

“I’ve missed you too,” you returned. “As I’ve been watching the season, I was remembering all the moments where I thought, ‘okay, I think I love this guy’ and it was a bit painful, but I just hope you’re happy.”

“I am happy,” Gwilym said. “I know you can’t tell us how your season ends, but I hope you’re at least that.”

You beamed. “I’m very happy.”

“That’s great, cariad.”

Your smile grew impossibly wider at the old endearment. He grinned back.

“So, how are you two feeling about each other?” Chris asked.

“Similar to what Rami said, I think I’ll always have love for her,” Gwilym said. “But things feel...friendlier now.”

“I agree,” you said. “I will definitely always care about him, but in a way that’s platonic. Like, I know we’re always rooting for the best for each other.”

“Exactly,” said Gwilym.

“I’m glad you two got some closure here,” Chris said. “Gwilym, you can head back to your seat, and I’m gonna open it up to the other guys. Anything you all need to say to Y/N?”

Gwilym squeezed your hand and returned to his chair, and you looked over at the men. They took a moment, but then Rami spoke up.

“I just wanna say, I’m sorry that things turned out the way they did between us, but I’m grateful for your choice,” he said. “Looking back, my sister was right, and I think we might not have stayed together if we had gotten engaged.”

“Yeah, I think so too,” you agreed. “I’m glad we’re on the same page there.”

“There is something I wanted to ask about you two,” Chris chimed in. “When you were breaking up with Rami, you told him you loved him. Was that to say you were in love with him?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” you answered. “I had fallen into something very deep with you, Rami, and I’m sorry if saying that confused you at all. I just knew that my heart was hurting so bad to say goodbye, and I didn’t know any other words to convey how much you meant to me.”

“I kinda guessed that,” Rami said. “I thought about it for a little while, but let it go.”

“Thank you for understanding,” you returned. “And hey, congratulations on the movie!”

“Thank you!”

“Now, I wanna talk to you, Y/N, about the most controversial part of your season,” Chris said. “And that was your fight with Luke about the bungee jumping. Tell us about what you’ve experienced regarding that.”

“Yeah, um,” you began, but you started to choke up. “Well, turns out more people think like Luke than I thought. Since that episode aired, social media has been kind of a nightmare. The night of the episode, I got so many Tweets and DMs calling me a slut, saying I was behaving shamefully, and that I was the most disrespectful Bachelorette ever. And those were the most tame comments I got. I was also called a selfish bitch, stupid whore, and a lot of other words that I can’t say on TV.”

You wiped away a tear that had fallen down your cheek.

“I can see you’re getting emotional,” Chris said. “What is it about these people that makes you so upset?”

“It’s the injustice of it,” you said. “Like, no one tweeted at Joe and called him a slut even though he did the exact same thing I did! Not that they should say that to him, but - y’know - it’s - it’s -”

“It’s the double standard,” Chris finished.

“Exactly!” you cried. “Yeah, it was fine for Joe to expose himself to a woman who isn’t his wife, but for me - a woman - I was suddenly a slut. It was driving me crazy, because people still like, gave him so much love and support when Luke came for him, but for me, they joined in the attack. And then -”

You stopped, emotion welling up in your throat. You took a deep breath as your chest got tight.

“The night I sent Taron home,” you sobbed. “I was totally bombarded by this one group of women. I think they were having a watch party or something. And they all got on Twitter and were telling me to kill myself because I was so stupid to not give him a rose. They were actually telling me I should die because I didn’t pick their favorite. That...that really, deeply upset me.”

“How do you respond to things like that?” Chris asked gently.

“I try to ignore it because I know that engaging them won’t do any good,” you said. Then you turned and found Taron’s eyes. “I actually wanted to say thank you to you, Taron. You have been my biggest defender online, and you actually responded to a lot of those comments to protect me. So, I did want to let you know how much I appreciate it.”

You sniffled and offered him a watery smile. Taron returned it.

“Those comments really upset me too, Y/N,” Taron said. “I think I speak for most of the men here when I say, we adore you. You’re an outstanding woman, and we’re all incredibly grateful that you were our Bachelorette.”

More tears stung your eyes at his words. The other guys began clapping their agreement, and then, before you knew it, the whole studio audience was on their feet applauding you. The men continued as they joined in a standing ovation. You laughed through your tears and offered a quiet “thank you.” You blew Taron a kiss.

When they all settled down, you were even more emotional.

“I don’t think there’s a person in this room who disagrees with Taron,” Chris said. “I certainly found you to be an exemplary Bachelorette. You were fair and honest and gave it all of your effort. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Thank you, Chris,” you said. “I just want to remind everyone that the people on this show are real people. Not characters that are completely unaffected by what you say. We do read the comments and the DMs and they do hurt us. I don’t want to dwell on the negatives - because I also get a ton of lovely people sending me messages of support - but this bullying online has got to stop. Not just for me. But for every person who takes a chance like this.”

“Well said,” Chris agreed. “I’m gonna turn it back over to the guys. Anything else you all want to clear up with Y/N while we’re here?”

Nobody spoke up, so he looked back at you.

“Anything you want to say to them, Y/N?” he offered.

“Yeah,” you said. “I just want to say thank you to all of you for taking this chance with me. It didn’t work out for various reasons, but I’m really glad to have met you. I wish you all love and happiness in your futures.”

They murmured their thanks in return, all smiles.

“That’s sweet,” Chris said. Then he looked at the camera. “We’ll be back soon with a sneak peek of next week’s big finale of The Bachelorette.”

The show went to commercial, and Chris placed a comforting hand on your knee. You thanked him again for his words. For the few minutes of the break, you went over and chatted with the men some more, without the pressure of the cameras. It was really nice to see them all again. Then all too soon you were being called back to the chair.

“Welcome back to the Men Tell All,” said Chris. “We’ve reached the end of our show, but before we go, we’re offering you a little taste of what’s to come in the dramatic season finale. Take a look.”

For the final time that night, all eyes went to the screen.

***

“Coming up next week on The Bachelorette,” said Chris in a voice over.

“I am in love with two men,” you said to the camera.

They cut to a date with Joe and the two of you kissing, followed by a similar shot of you and Ben.

“I’m in love with Y/N,” Ben said to the camera. “I’m ready to propose to her. I know she’s the person I’m meant to love forever.”

“What Y/N and I have is so amazing,” Joe said in his interview. “I love her so much. I just want to get down on one knee and propose already!”

The next shot was a close up of you in tears, mascara raccooning your eyes as your bottom lip trembled.

“It’s not you,” you sobbed.

They followed with a shot of Neil Lane opening a case of diamond rings. A hand reached out and held one up. It glittered in the afternoon New Zealand sun.

Three shots flashed by: the first, you sobbing. The second, Joe crying and walking out of an interview. Then Ben holding his face in his hands and weeping openly.

The final shot was you, standing on a street in the dark, struggling to draw breath.

“I can’t do this,” you were fighting to say. “I can’t breathe...I can’t…”

The screen went blank as a producer’s voice shouted “Y/N! Oh, God, someone call an ambulance!”

***

The audience in the studio were shocked to silence by what they had just seen. Chris looked over at you and smiled.

“Well, we all have something to look forward to with what might be the most dramatic season finale ever,” he said to the audience. “Find out what happens next week. Until then, good night, Bachelor Nation!”

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cordytriestowrite · 5 years

Text

Cupcake

Bucky Barnes x Reader

One Shot

Summary: All it takes is time and cupcakes (post-Endgame)

Cupcakes. You had awoken well into the night with the urge to bake cupcakes. This wasn't the first time you had shot up from a dead sleep with a rapid heartbeat and the need to whip up something sweet for the others to rise to. Sam said it was your way of processing everything post snap and as you pulled yourself out of bed and slipped into your slippers you thought about just how ridiculous that sounded.

No one else was awake, though there weren't many of you anymore. Your sleepy shuffle brought you past what had been Wanda's room up until two days ago when she had solemnly packed her bags and bid you farewell. You used to hear her around this time, gut wrenching sobs that would make you rush past her door lest you break down with your own despair. You still hurried to pass her open door and empty room. Your heart still squeezed with her sadness.

The other doors were closed, as they always were at this time. You didn't know if the people behind them were asleep or awake but you compiled your ingredients as quietly as possible. Mixing bowls and pans you found easily by the light of the open refrigerator. Measuring spoons and cups sat clean in the sink, never put back to their shelf after you had made a bit too much noise bringing them down the first time.

Eggs, milk, flour, sugar, and then a debate of flavor: strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, pumpkin? This was the part that didn't make sense to you when Sam said you used this time to process grief. Your thoughts never strayed to the five years you missed and if your mind ever even tried to dwell on Tony or Nat or Steve-

Pumpkin, you resolved with a firm nod. Pumpkin was in season and with the distinct lack of seasonal cheer within the house the smell of pumpkin cupcakes in the early dawn could be perfect.

Cream cheese frosting too. Sprinkles perhaps, if you had any appropriately colored sprinkles. You could feel a bloom of energy open below your breastbone and flutter like wings at the base of your throat tickling you to smile.

You followed no recipe, having done this so many times now the ratios came naturally to you. You dipped a clean finger into the batter, curious to taste the pumpkin flavor and spontaneous pinch of cinnamon. Just as your lips were to close upon your batter covered digit you noticed a glint of metal in the weak light of the still open refrigerator door. Your body involuntarily spasmed with surprise, sending your finger across your cheek instead of into your mouth. Instinct brought your other hand to your hip to grab a weapon that wasn't there.

The overhead light flicked on and your eyes clenched closed at the onslaught. It felt wrong to have the room so bright at this hour and once you took in the intruder you plunged both of you into darkness once more.

"Jesus, Bucky, you scared the shit outta me."

Your words came out as a whisper as your eyes darted in the direction of the closed doors, except you couldn't see them in the dimness.

Bucky was silent, his chin rested heavily in his metal palm. He looked tired, which made sense due to the hour, but it didn't look like he planned to move from the stool he now occupied on the other side of the counter. You shrugged and turned away wiping desperately at your face, then pouring the batter into tins once you were sure your cheek was batter-free.

The process went all too quickly from there. As you slid the pan into the oven you felt a sudden drop in mood. Eighteen minutes you would have to wait for the runny batter to rise and thicken into a dense, moist cupcake. Eighteen minutes you would sit in silence and watch the clock, counting the seconds in your head as if you and the digital clock on the oven were competing for best capture of each minute. It was either that or falling asleep in the silence of the still hour and subsequently burning down the only home you had.

You turned around, intending to sit yourself on a stool and begin your competitive time-keeping only to be suddenly reminded there was someone else in the room with you. Bucky had not moved an inch since you had acknowledged him. His bright blue eyes pierced through the darkness with an unsettling alertness and you shivered at the vulnerability he had thrust upon you. The hand that had shot to your chest was resting over a decelerating heartbeat. There was something instinctively you still feared about Bucky due to the lack of time you'd spent with him. It was in his eyes, you thought, or maybe the slight frown his lips came to rest in naturally. Maybe it was all in your head, your mind unable to separate the man before you with the Winter Soldier of HYDRA.

Time did not stop even if you had your back turned to it. The stare that had you locked in place allowed you passage as Bucky glanced to the clock behind you. Your breath came out long and heavy and your lips tingled in gratitude at the influx of oxygen. Looking at the ground you crossed kitchen and around the counter to the stool beside him. Lips mimed the counting of seconds.

"How long?"

You lost count and the question sounded too loud in your ears. You glanced over to Bucky and quickly turned back to stare ahead, fidgeting in your seat as another sensation of unease rolled down your spine.

"Seventeen more minutes."

It was too long. Too long to be spending with the man next to you. You swallowed and drummed your fingers against the counter. This minute was lost to you and you would have to wait for the next one to start counting again. The muscles in your neck cried for movement but you didn't dare spare yourself to turn your head in his direction.

You wondered if Bucky knew you were afraid of him, if he knew how your body filled with adrenaline at his very presence. You wondered how it made him feel, if he cared at all. After so many sleepless nights alone in the kitchen you could not come to any conclusion as to why he was here with you this time. Unless you had made too much noise.

"Sorry if I woke you."

Your voice cracked. In your attempt to keep your voice low you had lost it all together. Despite this Bucky seemed to have caught the essence of your statement. You allowed yourself a quick glance of him. With his head down and eyes averted you felt safe to actually observe him.

His hair was short now making him look more handsome than feral. His strong jaw was on display to you now, clean shaven and marking an appealing path to his cleft chin and pouty lips. Bucky's profile sent a jolt through your system of a different kind, one that warmed you from belly to cheeks. He turned his unreadable eyes to you and that warmth abruptly faded.

"Spent too long sleepin' anyway."

He might not have meant for the words to sound so ominous but the weight of them brought a cold sweat to your brow. The urge was there to comfort him, to wrap your arms around him and feel something from him other than wave after wave of detachment and disinterest. You stood slowly and like an out of body experience you felt you had no control over your actions. You watched your feet hit the floor between you and bring you ever closer to Bucky Barnes and in a last minute shuffle felt your mind gain back control.

"Want to help me make the frosting?"

Your voice was too loud again, the words said by you but not the way you intended. You were going to say 'I should make the frosting' with no 'we' involved.

Bucky's eyebrows rose and with it the veil of intimidation. His eyes seemed brighter now that they weren't hidden under furrowed brows and the way his mouth parted in what could only be disbelief let the hard lines around his lips relax. With a single question he seemed younger and, with a sigh of relief on your end, less terrifying. The kitchen had shifted on its axis with both of you trying to right yourselves and adapt to its new position and maybe that's why Bucky decided to shift it all again and throw you both back to the ground.

"Sure."

He's off his stool, standing in the not-enough-space-for-the-two-of-you spot you were already occupying. Your chests were brushing, breaths mingling, eyes glancing then looking away again. You had no control and Bucky's eyes were so different now. So open and blue with a hint of astonishment pushing through anguish and anger. And those eyes, when they landed on you, it's like they were seeing you for the first time. It was all too much, making your breath swell in your chest like a balloon on the verge of bursting and you were afraid the loud pop of it would wake the house.

"Ten minutes."

Air rushed from your lungs with Bucky's words and suddenly you felt very empty and stretched with exhaustion. You let out an undignified noise of confused to which Bucky reacted in a way so uncharacteristic of him your jaw would have dropped if it wasn't cradled in his hand.

He was pointing your chin in the direction of the clock set into the stove. Ten minutes until the cupcakes were done. So much had changed in seven minutes making you momentarily suspicious that the clock had stopped. Nine minutes and everything was real again, including the fingers against your skin. You wanted to look at him, to see his expression and let him see yours, wanting him to see the confusion written on your face and receive an answer to how you had gotten to this point in seven minutes. Instead you kept your eyes trained on the clock and counted down another minute.

"We should get started."

You could hear the humor in his voice, a foreign lilt to your ears but a welcome song nonetheless. You smiled and nodded loosening what little grip he had on you. He moved away first and rounded the counter, standing to the side of it and allowing you to walk before him and take the lead. You tactically removed a mixing bowl from the crowded cupboard and grouped your ingredients to the side of it.

You were used to working in silence and not so much used to giving instructions so you measured and dumped ingredients in without explanation, but Bucky didn't seem to need any. He stirred the contents of the bowl as you added more to it, working in a silent but effective tandem to create the smooth and fluffy frosting. With Bucky left to his mixing you glanced at the clock and excitedly donned the oven mits. You thought you might've heard a soft exhale of air behind you but paid it no mind as you opened the oven door.

The scent of pumpkin wafted in swells of heat and you breathed in deeply as you pricked the top of a few cakes with a toothpick which came out clean each time. With pan in hand you closed the door to the oven and turned it off, then set the pan on the stovetop. Smiling you turned to your unexpected, but not unwelcome, baking companion.

"Those will need to cool before we can- fingers out of the batter mister!"

Too loud, too demanding, too playful. If you could you would catch those words on your fingers and pop them back into your mouth the way Bucky was doing the frosting. His eyes were wide again and hopelessly blue but streaked with deviousness and guilt giving them a dimension you had never seen. His index finger pulled from his lips to give you a knee-weakening smile.

"Sorry. Couldn't help myself."

He sounded anything but sorry. The smirk on his lips and the way his tongue darted out to gather a bit of frosting smeared across his bottom lip told you it wasn't safe to turn away from him again. You were afraid of him, but not for the reasons you were before. This wasn't the Winter Soldier who stared at you with empty eyes somehow seeing you and seeing through you. This was Bucky, the Bucky your Captain used to talk about, who flirts with all the dames and drags you on vomit inducing rollercoasters and is with you 'til the end of the line. He was there this whole time, under months of grief and mourning he was there, uncovered in only seventeen minutes, and you felt like a fool for not finding him sooner.

You felt it in your throat first. The bulge of a sob against your larynx that traveled up and out of your quivering lips. Too loud. Bucky was in front of your before the tears could spill so when they started to his thumbs were in place to wipe them away. Too loud. You were wailing like a lonely spirit, like you were watching it all over again on the battlefield, like the weight of your loss had finally slammed against your heart and cut it up, leaving it hurt and bleeding and expected to still beat.

"I'm sorry, Bucky. I'm so sorry I didn't see you before."

He was shushing you, holding you. His heart torn and bleeding with yours. You could feel it in the way his chest convulsed with the sobs he was managing to keep at bay.

"I miss them so much. I've missed so much."

Bucky guided your head to his shoulder but it was too late.

Too loud. Too bright. You weren't just wrapped in one pair of arms anymore. You couldn't see with your face buried in Bucky's shoulder but you could feel them holding you tight, sniffling, whispering.

"Let it all out." Sam's voice cut through it all.

"You're finally letting it all out."

There was no clock to tell you how long you all stood together, no room in your brain to count the seconds. It was lighter outside and brighter inside, noises weren't too loud and voices weren't lowered. Your cheek rested against the tear soaked fabric covering Bucky's shoulder; he was the only one who hadn't drawn away from you yet. With tired eyes you watched Bruce pluck the edge of a cupcake liner in his large green forefinger and thumb. With his one good hand he maneuvers the cupcake upside down and proceeds to dip it into the bowl of frosting. You let out an indignant squeal as he raises it back up messy and dripping. A soft chuckle flutters the hair above your ear while a gentle palm stokes the back of your head.

"That's not how the frosting - oh forget it."

Arms squeezing a little tighter around Bucky's waist you rest your chin on his cold, wet shoulder, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and begin to count the seconds that you began to feel okay again. You knew you'd lose count soon enough, especially when you could feel the man wrapped around you extend a hand to dip into the mixing bowl again.

"Bucky, don't you dare!"

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