#she was a stray on our street for 14 years and finally came inside for good 11 months ago

[bigbigtruck]

Bam just wants to know we’re there

#cats #scrumbly CSP pens #she was a stray on our street for 14 years and finally came inside for good 11 months ago #she’s still getting used to how home works

[supercunninglinguist]

A month ago today, my cat Billy passed on. I keep putting writing this off because there was just so much to do for spring and summer now that my father is in the hospital. Their house still feels a little empty without the dog and the cat. Just one cat left now, Casper. Click the read-more if you want to see photos of him and some of our other pets.

Billy first came to their house when I was visiting Amherst to find housing and to meet my grandmother, Summer 2010. My parents told our neighbour that we had 1 gray cat - named Smoky - and she called me and said that now we have 2 gray cats. When we got back, we searched the backyard for him for a while without success until finally he came out of a rosebush - maybe he was napping - and immediately ran up to my mother, meowing for attention. My mother thought he was so cute. We weren't sure if he was a stray or abandoned, and he had no collar but looked healthy. I checked him for fleas before letting him follow us inside, and he just let me comb him over until he got bored and ran in. My father thought that he was about 10 months old, probably left behind by someone living in a nearby street. I moved to Amherst a month later, so I didn't spend a lot of time with him until more recent years.

This is the earliest photo I have of him, from 2012.

I miss that orange cat, Chester, a lot too. Billy and Chester mostly got along. Chester was already around 10 or 11 when Billy started living here. Chester was well-behaved and a badass adventurous alpha cat, so Billy definitely learned some of Chester's better behaviours over the 5 years that they lived in the house together, including staying out on the porch all night. Billy probably learned the best spots to catch rats from him. When Chester passed on that 2 September in 2015, Billy became the new chief rattenfaenger (Smoky was never much for catching rats). I regret that we never adopted a younger cat or a kitten for Billy to pass on his unique set of behaviours, and it especially stings because he was such an incredibly good cat.

I named him Billy after a friend came over and I asked him if he wanted to help name this cat, since he had helped me pick the name Chester for our new orange cat, back in 2006. He felt that Billy was a friendly name for a friendly cat. Sadly, Billy experienced a rapid deterioration starting in December 2022, becoming noticeable only by the end of December & early January. He went to the vet and recovered for a few months, but ultimately complications from a stroke did him in. After the stroke on 22 April, his recovery stopped and his condition declined quickly. He was so tired and frail at the end. But I cherish his memory, so I'm not going to remember my cat that way.

Billy was mostly friendly with Riley, my brother's dog, and most of the cats in the neighbourhood too. Riley passed in February of this year. Both of them were 14 years old. I tried so hard to keep him alive for the first 5 months of 2023.. but his little body just couldn't take it anymore. So he passed at 09h50, 09 May, 2023. He passed in the backyard, with me by his side.. I had already scheduled his at-home euthanasia for Wednesday. But he didn't even last long enough to reach the vet clinic 2 miles away. Maybe it was selfish of me to think on Monday that I could just have 48 more hours with him. Maybe it was foolish of me to try at all. But I had to. He was a great cat. A great cat is worth fighting for. It's the least we can do to reward him for all the rats he caught over his life. It's been a month and I still miss him. He was with us for 13 years, yet it wasn't enough. All I wanted was for him to survive to the end of summer, because that's a cat's favourite time of year... alas, it was not meant to be.

Even in his old age, Billy preferred to stay outdoors. He was an incredible hunter, primarily of rats, mice, voles, and other small rodents. He definitely caught his share of birds and lizards, but thankfully those weren't his primary targets because there were just so many rats. I estimate that he caught, on average for 10 years, 5 rodents per week. There were many nights that I saw him catch 3 rats in a single evening & night; even ~7 where he caught 5 in a single night. My parents definitely would not have been able to grow a garden or keep the tortoise safe from predation by rats without Billy & Chester staying out most of every evening catching rats. Both of them had outdoor shelters too, or sometimes used the dog's old house. Billy & Chester were both incredible cats. Truly my family has been fortunate to have such wonderful fuzzy creatures.

Billy learned to sit in a chair to eat from Chester, and all the cats since have been doing it. I wish we had more early photos of him, but hard drive space was at a premium. 80% of the 236 photos & videos are from the last 3 years. At some point around 2020, he also learned that he could get attention and better food by banging on the pan, or by tipping over (empty) cups.

Casper, the white cat, came to the neighbourhood some time around ~2013, possibly from our neighbour 2 houses down, already approximately 2 years old. My father was feeding him outside, and he started coming inside and living with us starting in 2019. Billy wasn't exactly fond of him, but they did get close sometimes. He sometiems would steal Casper's dinner. Casper actually came up to cuddle Billy one night when he was sick. Billy also got along with the tortoises too, never really bothering them except for a few sniffs sometimes. Mrs. Slowski liked to try hiding in his fur sometimes when he was asleep, which always scared him. Now that Billy is gone, Casper is the king. The King is dead; All hail the King.

This is the final truly good healthy photo I have of him, from 24 March. I think the only thing keeping him going in the end was love - for me, for my parents, and for this house & neighbourhood. He wanted to stay with us as long as he could because he loved us. And I felt that I had to grant him as much time as possible, because it would be dishonourable to take time away from his life which is so precious to us when he so clearly wanted to stay.

I wish I could tell his original owners - an air force family who received orders to move to somewhere, Colorado, I think - that we loved him so much, that he brought so much joy to this house every day. Right up to the end. I wish I could tell them that when I came home on his Sunday evening, he still tried to run to the car to greet me. I wish I could tell them that he purred and that the sun was shining and the breeze was nice and that Casper and Mrs. Slowski were both there for him during his final moments. And so was I.

Adieu, Billy. I keep telling myself that you're still with me, just in another form. I keep pouring out my spent incense onto your grave, which is near Chester and Riley's graves. You are at peace now. Perhaps I will put together a combination of incenses that I feel represents your memory. I think it would be an eclectic combination of rose, pineapple sage, black pepper, and minty\piney frankincense.

Now, all that's left are his memories, his photos, his impact.. and his love.

If you're reading this, because I want you to depart with thoughts of happier times, here is a short video of Billy slowly sanding me while I scratch his belly - his favourite activity in the world.

#life #pets #cats

[kyber-crystal]

united we stand || s.r

summary: in which you, sam, steve, and natasha are forced to go on the run after civil war. unfortunately, being a fugitive with government officials out for his blood doesn’t seem to stop the great captain america from falling even more in love with you.

words: ~2.5k

warnings: slight angst, sam and natasha being matchmakers, fluff 

a/n: OMG IM SORRY THIS ONE WAS SO POORLY WRITTEN ADLFJDSF

It doesn't have to come down to this, Tony. Look what you're doing. You're tearing the Avengers apart."

"You did that when you sided with Cap, Y/N."

"What do we do now?"

"We fight."

"He's my friend."

"So was I."

"He killed our parents, Y/N. And you're still willing to take his side? I thought I could trust you. But I guess I can't even rely on my own judgement anymore to make decisions, can I?"

Your heart hammered against your ribcage as you jumped from rooftop to rooftop, a dull ache forming at the edges of your skull due to all the thoughts rushing around in your brain and narrowly escaping a flurry of over two dozen of General Ross's men.

Guilt settled in the pit of your stomach, making your insides churn. You turned against the last family you had left, and now you were paying the price.

You're one hundred percent sure that Tony hates your guts at this point. Leaving your brother for someone else; what had you become?

"What now?" Sam asked, looking around and sending Redwing out to survey your surroundings for any other agents that could be approaching. "What's our next step?"

"We gotta catch a train. Belfast's no longer safe for us," Steve panted as he slid his shield over his back, trying to catch his breath. "Our safety's already compromised as it is."

"Nat's gonna go get the tickets, I'll buy us some disguises. We're less likely to be recognized because you guys are all suited up with your wings and shield," you explained. "Wait here."

A few minutes later you were all dressed inconspicuously in your new disguises, looking like the other civilians that were walking around. You didn't have enough time to check the sizes of the clothing, so Steve ended up wearing some jeans and a light grey T-shirt that was about a size too small for him, outlining every inch of his toned torso.

You quickly tore your gaze away before anyone noticed you staring. Sam caught this, however, and sent you a little wink. You glared at him in response.

"The next train to Glasgow leaves in nine. We gotta hurry," Natasha said as she handed you your tickets. "Come on."

Luckily you weren't recognized as the ticket holder came around, though you tried to keep your heads down low when she passed by.

"It's a 14 hour ride. You fellas might wanna relax, take a nap or something," she said, reclining her seat back and closing her eyes. "We won't be arriving until early tomorrow morning."

You relaxed in your seat, the tension in your muscles loosening a bit. But Steve saw the distressed look in your eyes and placed a gentle hand on top of yours.

"You alright?"

"Could be better, I mean, it's not like I chose to be a fugitive on the run from the entire world," you joked, but the smirk on your face quickly fell. "No. I'm not."

"It's going to be okay, you know. Things'll work out in the end."

"I sure hope so."

You fell into an awkward silence after that, resting your chin on your hand as you stared out ahead, watching the rolling hills whiz by in a blur, the vibrant green a sharp contrast to the powdery blue sky. Ireland was a beautiful country, really. You wished you could stay longer purely for the sake of admiring all the lovely scenery.

"You know, if you just want to talk about anything, we can do that. 14 hours is a pretty long train ride," he finally spoke up about an hour later. Sam was fast asleep at this point, mouth opened slightly as his head rested on Natasha's shoulder, who was sleeping as well.

"Yeah, it is. But we've had worse days, right?"

"We have," Steve agreed.

So you just talked, about whatever came to your minds. Your childhood, your past before joining the Avengers Initiative where you'd previously served as one of SHIELD's top agents for several years, Steve's life back in the 40's before becoming a super-soldier, how much things changed over the years. About past missions.

Soon enough you felt your eyelids droop heavily from fatigue. He noticed your tiredness and reached out his right arm, gently wrapping it around you and pulling you towards his side, encircling you completely in his warm embrace. Slowly but steadily, your muscles began to release the tension in them and you leaned into his touch.

"Why don't you get some shut-eye. We have plenty of time to talk when we arrive."

"Mhm," you mumbled sleepily. He smiled, brushing a few stray hairs away from your face as you drifted off.

...

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, this is our final stop. We have arrived at Glasgow Central Station," the conductor's voice announced over the intercom as the train began slowing down. "The weather is currently 59 degrees, and it is 5:27 a.m."

"Wake up, lovebirds," Natasha clapped as you stirred slightly, looking confused as you raised your head from where it rested against Steve's chest. "Time to get going."

You yawned and stood up, stepping off onto the platform into the station, surprisingly busy at the crack of dawn. You really just wanted to curl back up into a ball and sleep. Talking for four hours straight with Steve had knocked you out completely.

After getting new SIM cards, Sam quickly created an account to get you checked into a hotel.

"It's a half hour walk. We should probably limit public transportation as much as we can," he stated as he slid his phone into his jacket pocket. "Managed to snag a 40% off deal including a free night, so we're good for the next few weeks until we get an actual apartment."

"You know," Natasha commented, adjusting her baseball cap and aviators as you made your way outside down the bustling street, "if we weren't currently trying to flee from the government's grasp, I'd say I'd wanna come back here for a vacation. And that's on nice architecture."

"With us?" you raised an eyebrow.

"Why not? You're pretty good company. I wouldn't wanna hang out with anyone else."

"Well, what can I say?" Sam puffed up his chest. "I'm smooth with the ladies."

You simply laughed. "Yeah, sure you are."

Glasgow was a breathtaking city. With sprawling Victorian style buildings and cobblestone roads, brightly labeled bars and restaurants, it appeared as if it was pulled straight from a rustic 19th-century painting.

You checked into your hotel after grabbing some food from the nearby bakery. For a cheap price, your room was surprisingly simple but large: a king bed in one room, a pullout couch, and a small balcony so you could stand outside and take in the view of the city.

Despite having no time zone difference between Ireland and Scotland, you were still extremely jet-lagged, most likely due to the flight you'd taken over to Berlin not long ago. After binge-watching reruns of some sitcom for the rest of the day, you fell asleep, clutching your pillow tightly.

Natasha and Sam had good eyes, and could clearly see something was going on between you and Steve.

The truth was, you wanted something to happen but both of you were too chicken to make a move, thinking being in relationship while on the run was inconvenient and unnecessary.

The first few days passed by relatively quickly. You only really went out to buy groceries, and even then you went two at a time to avoid drawing unwanted attention to yourselves. Once, you treated yourselves to a night out at a nice restaurant, enjoying each others' company. It was a way to forget about your currently unfortunate situation.

...

But then the nightmares began.  

You swung your legs over the edge of the bed after waking up in a cold sweat, heading over to the bathroom. Everyone had already gone to sleep long ago, and you envied people like Sam as he could knock out cold almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Staring at your ghostly reflection in the mirror, you squeezed your eyes shut, releasing tears that cascaded down your flushed cheeks in a hot flood. You ran trembling fingers through your messy hair in an attempt to tame it, taking a brief look at your disheveled appearance. The heavy dark circles underneath your bloodshot eyes that were a result of hardly sleeping over the past week were clear, as well as your sunken cheekbones and deathly pale complexion.

You studied the woman that looked back at you, with the same unnerving and hollowed out gaze that she'd worn for years; a façade she learned to develop so that nobody could see when she felt weak; helpless. 

Ten days. 

Only ten days had passed since you arrived in Scotland, yet it seemed as if you aged ten years during that short amount of time. Small creases in between your brows indicated stress and anxiety from leaving everything you knew behind, for a future you could barely see ahead of. For a life that held an endless amount of consequences if you took one misstep, one wrong move.

Your body felt heavy, weighed down as if you carried the weight of a thousand men upon your aching shoulders. You didn't know what to do; what to think anymore.

You didn't look thirty-two anymore, you looked older. Almost as old as Tony. And there was a 10+ year age gap between you and him.

God, Tony.

You betrayed him. The last living member of your family on earth, and you betrayed him.

Turned your back on him, because you didn't believe in the same ideas. Was it really worth turning your back on your own blood just because of a disagreement?

I thought I could trust you.

I thought I could, too. But I guess things don't always work out as planned, do they?

They don't. I don't even know what I can say to you anymore. Hell, I can't look at you without seeing a traitor. You turned your back on all of us, and that's unforgivable.

The Accords, you know I couldn't sign them. It isn't right. I'm fighting for what I believe in.

No, you're fighting for Steve, not yourself. Always running over to precious Cap even if it costs you your safety, if it costs you everything and everyone you ever loved. Because you think that you can rely on him and him alone, to get through this. You won't get very far by keeping this act up, you know.

News flash; the world doesn't revolve around you, Tony. Just because someone doesn't agree with what you believe, doesn't mean you have to tear their team, their family, apart for it.

You're blaming me?

Maybe I am.

"What are you doing up this late?"

Steve's voice jolted you from your train of thought, and you looked up to see him leaning against the doorframe dressed in sweats and another tight-fitting T-shirt, his blue eyes scanning over you worriedly.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm fine, if that's what you're wondering. I'm just a bit jet-lagged," you muttered, hastily wiping away another stray tear that escaped. He pushed himself off the wall and caught your wrist as you were bringing your hand down, tugging you towards him slightly.

"Tell me what's going on."

"I'm fine!"

"No, you're not. What's wrong, Y/N?"

"I..." your voice faltered. You didn’t even realize you’d started crying until you felt your face grow wet from the salty tears that rolled silently into your cracked lips. "I don't know. Everything's wrong."

"Everything?"

"I made a mistake."

"What do you mean, mistake?"

"I turned my back against Tony. My family. I betrayed my own family, Steve." Your voice cracked. "And now I can't even guarantee that I'll ever see him again."

"You did what you had to do," he said softly, placing a hand on your shoulder. You felt your skin burning up under his touch. "You were just trying to do what you felt was right."

"Yeah, by teaming up with the side of the man who killed my parents. I can't imagine what he even thinks of me right now."

A look of hurt briefly passed over Steve's face at the mention of Bucky.

"...But I know their deaths were out of his control, so I don't blame him," you continued. "Still..I hurt him. And now, I have to live with knowing that fact." "Look, I'm sorry."

"What?"

You looked up and met his gaze, feeling his bright blue eyes boring into yours. He didn't seem upset or angry at all; there was an eerie softness and calming feeling about the way he looked at you that made you relax a bit.

"I shouldn't have dragged you into this mess. I never wanted you to have this kind of life; where you're always living in uncertainty. You deserve better than that."

"It's not your fault at all," you swallowed hard. Talking and breathing grew increasingly difficult with the sob that was building up in the back of your throat, that you tried desperately to conceal for so long, "it's mine. I made that decision to side with you, not only because I couldn't stand the idea of signing the Accords. So it's...it's on me. God, I don't know what to do anymore, I can't—"

A wave of grief suddenly hit you from all sides, causing you to keel over, sliding down against the cold wall with a hand clutching your stomach as an agonized scream tear itself through your body and out of your throat. And you were drowning; suffocated by your own tears as you struggled to breathe. You tried desperately to stop them but nothing could seem to hold back the heavy sobs that wracked your body, clawing at your lungs and heart. 

Steve crouched down in front of you and pulled you against him, arms tightening around your body with each cry that escaped your lips. In that moment he wanted nothing more than to take all your sadness and frustration and grief and put it upon himself, to carry the weight on his shoulders so he wouldn't have to watch you endure the pain. He'd much rather have to suffer himself than watch you try and bear the burden and fall to pieces in the process.

Seeing you breaking down before him with your gut-wrenching cries that echoed across the small space, more vulnerable than you'd ever been in front of him before, made it feel as if someone was directly ripping his heart right out of his chest and tearing it into a thousand pieces with their bare hands. 

"Hey, it's okay," he whispered soothingly as he pressed his lips to the side of your temple, "it's okay. I've got you. You're gonna be okay."

Despite how you felt as if your heart was twisting itself into knots, there was something comforting about the way he held you ever so gently in his arms, the way his warm breath fell against his neck as one arm was firmly hooked around your waist, running his free hand through your hair.

So for a moment, you allowed yourself to believe that there was no one else in the world except for just you and him, holding you close, and that everything was fine, even if the feeling only lasted for a second.

#steve rogers x reader #avengers x reader #captain america imagine #marvel fic #avengers fanfiction #steve rogers one shot #captain america one shot #captain america fanfiction #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x you #captain america x reader

[multiple-fandom-imagines]

Summertime

Alive!Ben x F!Reader 

 Peace, Silence and not being forced to use his powers, Ben thought it would be only dreams for him. Well it was until he met you one night when Klaus and him snuck out of the academy and went to Griddy’s and saw you with brick in hand, scraped up knees and a lip gloss smile. He was hooked from day one.

Ben was interrupted from his thoughts when he felt stirring from his bed beside him, he looked down to see you his wife, stirring beside him. He put his arm around you pulling you close to him, he smiled as he watched you cuddle into his chest. He watched you for about 5 minutes before planting lil kisses over your face. Ben let out a small chuckle as your face scrunched up from the invasion of kisses, you let out a yawn, stretching your limbs before giving Ben a sleepy smile. “Morning’ love.” You said sleepily, Ben planted a long kiss on your lips, he pulled away inches from your lips whispering “good morning beautiful.” He pushed his lips against yours again, slowly the kisses became more intense, Ben moved on top of you, his hands slowly trailing up your stomach…..

BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG! The front door went. Letting out a loud groan, Ben gave you one quick kiss before getting up, pulling on some PJ bottoms he walked out of the bedroom towards the apartment front door. Swinging it open stood one happy man, as posed out dramatically, leaning on the door frame. “Ben! How I missed that face of yours.” The man came forward slapping Ben’s face lightly before hugging him Ben let out a chuckle hugging the man back. “I missed you too Klaus.” Ben brought Klaus inside to the kitchen where you were now dressed in your PJs making Ben coffee when you saw Klaus you ran to him hugging him tightly making him laugh. “Looks like I can still pull the ladies.” He said wiggling his eyebrows at Ben. “when did you get out Klaus?” you asked him. “Ohh, Last night…I wanted to pop in to see when your heading to our dear father’s house.” Ben and you looked at each other confused “Why would we be going to father’s house, Klaus.” Ben asked folding his arms, Klaus looked between the both of you, “You haven’t heard…” he paused for a moment “Well judging by Y/N’s fresh Hickies you were busy last night...” Klaus wiggled his eyebrows at Y/N who responded in punching his arm. “Ow! Ok, OK.” He said before looking ben in the eyes. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news baby bro, Dad died last night.”

Ben never thought he would be standing in the house again, it was like a house of nightmares to him. Walking around the house aimlessly, greeting Diego and Allison when he walked into them, it was like every bad memory he had forgotten was creeping back to him. Every training session, every time he was forced to use his powers. He felt depressed thinking about it, he walked to his old bedroom to see you and Klaus cuddling talking about random shit. Seeing you smiling and laughing made things easier already, he has always been thankful because if it wasn’t for Klaus, he wouldn’t have met you.            

 “Come on Ben, we’ll just get some donuts and chill at the park. I really need outta this shit hole a while.” He and Klaus snuck out, getting some donuts at Griddy’s, they both walked down the street towards a nearby park nearby when they heard a loud smash and a laugh come from the alleyway across the street in an alleyway. Ben and Klaus looked at each other for a moment before rushing over to see what was happening, they looked in and saw a girl stood there with her H/C in a scruffy ponytail, admiring her work on a car with a now broken windshield. She looked about 14, the same age as them. She turned around running out of the alley past them. She stopped for a moment turning to them with a brick in hand, her scraped up knees and lip gloss smile. “I wouldn’t hang here, don’t want you boys to get the blame.” Your words were like honey to Ben, he couldn’t help but blush that a pretty girl like you were talking to him. “Come on I know a place.” She dropped the brick before grabbing Ben’s and Klaus’s hands pulling them with her. The three of them talked for hours, they learned she was like them, her powers was invisibility and she lived across the road from them. As the three of them walked back, Ben felt your hands brush against each other’s as you walked. Ben felt your pinkie interlock with his, he looked at you with a blush to his cheeks and a shocked look, you just gave him a smile making his heart flutter. Even if it would kill him, he just wanted you to be his.

“Ben? You ok.” He heard you ask snapping back to reality, Klaus was gone and you were in front of him with a hand on his cheek stroking his cheek. He gave you a smile putting his hands on your hips, his thumb rubbing your stomach “this place, just bringing back some memories. That’s all.” You reached up planting a kiss to Ben’s lips. “Hopefully not all bad.” You asked, “With you, nothing ever stays bad for long.” Ben pulled you close leaning his head on your shoulder closing his eyes.    

“Ben? Ben I got your message….hey you ok?” Ben heard you ask, he had to do a mission, he almost died, well he did for 5 minutes. He was in their spot, it was in an abandoned building, on the top floor, their own lil hideaway. Ben was sitting in the nest of pillows curled into a tight ball. Ben felt something soft wrap around him, he felt himself being pulled into your arms. You didn’t question him when he broke down in your arms sobbing. It felt like hours until he calmed down but even then you didn’t push him to talk, you just held him. When he finally told you about the mission, how he died, he saw silent tears falling down your face from the story. He wiped the tears from your face saying “I guess I wasn’t dying until I told you that I love you.” You looked at Ben stunned, Ben actually loved you. “I love you too Ben.” Ben pushed some stray hairs from your face before his lips met yours softly for the first time but definitely not the last.

One thing Ben loved about you, you never judged anyone. You took the time to get to know all his siblings. You bought them gifts for their birthday every year, you were an ear for them if they needed someone to talk to. When Diego left the Academy without a word saying where he was going, you were afraid he was hurt, but you found him within a few days. Ben watched as you hit him for scaring them before hugging him. You were friendly with them all but strangely enough, you got very close with Five so when he disappeared, he held you as you broke down. So, when Ben couldn’t find you in the house he knew where to find you. Ben walked to Five’s room and found you looking at his things. “It’s been years but I know he’s out there Ben. I-I can feel it in my bones.” You turned to Ben “I just hate not knowing you know. I-I just miss him. “ Your emotions have been on a high recently so being back at the house was just as difficult for you as it was for him. He pulled you into his arms, your face buried into his chest, clinging to him, He came to find you after Luther accused one of them of murdering Dad but he wasn’t going to mention that to you. He didn’t need to make things worse for you. “Later were scattering dad’s ashes if you want to come. I know this is all a lot for you.” You hummed in response not really sure “let’s go lie down and I’ll make you some food ok.” Ben said before he brought you to his room.

The day went on without any problems, you were fast asleep when the ashes were scattered, Ben didn’t want to disturb you and you thought it should be just them as you didn’t have any sort of relationship with him. When they were finished ben came back to you, he took off his jacket and shoes before climbing into the bed beside you, you instantly curled into making him chuckle. He fixed the blanket over the both of you before falling asleep with you safe in his arms.                    

 I could do a part 2 when Five returns if you like.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

#multiple-fandom-imagines #the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy five #the umbrella academy imagine #klaus hargreeves #luther hargreeves #allison hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #diego hargreeves imagine #diego hargreeves #klaus hargreeves imagine #vanya hargreeves imagine #allison hargreeves imagine #luther hargreeves imagine #five hargreeves imagine #five hargreeves

[harlequinlaw]

The Unknown Original

So this story is older. I wrote it in late 2016, so it doesn’t fall in with the current storyline. I lost my motivation to continue it, but thought I would share what I did have. Maybe I’ll pick it back up and finish it soon.

The storm had quickly crept across the early morning sky, invading New Orleans before most of her patrons had awoke. Ominous clouds blocked out the sun, bringing crashing thunder and flashing lightning as buckets of water were released onto the city below. Along with the storm, a new figure graced the streets, wearing an odd combination of flip flops and a white, ankle length coat with an oversized fur-lined hood.

As the figure approached the quarter, the presence of the people they had been searching for became crystal clear. Childish glee began to build as they made their way to the courtyard of the Mikaelson compound.

As per usual, big things are going on among the original family and those closest to them. A meeting had been called to discuss matters and currently Elijah, Klaus, Freya, Hayley, Marcel, and Camille were present. However the group ceased their heated discussion, turning as a petite figure entered the room barefoot, while water dripped from their coat.

Suddenly, the coat hit the floor, a cry of “Eli” echoed through the room as the figure had moved, the sound causing everyone in the room to cringe at its intensity and then there was a young woman standing before Elijah. She had quickly unbuttoned his jacket and slipped her arms inside to encircle his waist as she buried her face in his chest, a content sigh escaping her. Surprise flashed across Elijah’s face, quickly being replaced by a soft smile as he wrapped his arms around her back. Everyone looked to Klaus to see him frozen in place, and as the scent that had hit him finally registered, shock and then surprise flew across his face.

Everyone else present stared at the back of this girl who appeared to be very familiar in the company of Elijah. She was a tad on the short side, roughly 5’ 2"-3", dark Auburn hair in a flipped out bob, with longer pieces hanging down that were braided and colored in a variety of bright shades. The strange girl turned towards her audience bringing bright green eyes that peered out of a freckled face into their line of sight, watching as they worked their way down the line of people before settling on Klaus. Her scrutiny left everyone else feeling uncomfortably exposed even though her inspection of each of them was no more than a few scant seconds. A bright smile stretched across her face before she launched herself at Klaus, wrapping her arms around his neck, and burying her face there as her legs wound around his waist. “Nic, it’s been far too long! Honestly, I’m so glad I found you though. I’ve been searching for a while…cause I need your help.”

A smile appeared on Klaus’ face before his expression turned pensive, “What seems to be the problem, Breán my love?” The others in the room recognizing his tone for what it meant for whoever caused this girl to seek him out. The girl brightened at the familiar name before she noticed the stare of the others in the room and turned to them with a slight glare, “What? Have you never seen a family reunion before? Are you all newbies?”, she looked between the brothers, “Can you boys not find anyone your own age to spend time with?” Her serious face then melted into a grin as she erupted with laughter that seemed to bounce off the walls and vibrate the glassware, “Of course not…when there are so few that are remotely close to your ages. Even still, none of these people are more than a few centuries old, well excluding the witch. How do you interact with people who have such a minuscule season?”

Elijah spoke up before the girl could continue, “Don’t you think it would be easier for the others to understand the situation if you at least introduced yourself?” The girl looked slightly admonished before she straightened up, giving a formal bow before she continued, “Oh…where did I leave my manners. My given name is Aibreán Rhysia Mikaelson, though I go by April these days. I am the original chimera. It’s intriguing to see several sire lines represented here, as they tend to not get along for whatever ridiculous reason…along with having vampires, hybrids and witches in the same room.” She turned to look at Klaus, “You all picked an interesting place to call ‘home’. None of the witches in the quarter seemed happy with my being here. What have you done to the witches?”

A teasing smile broke across Klaus’ face, “My love, that is a long story for another time. Now, what did you come to see me for?”

As said girl untangled herself from Klaus, the others finally got a good view at what she was wearing. Black lace tank top with baggy cargo capris and gloves that went up past her elbows. “Could you pull the gloves off, Nic? Be quick about it, please.” Klaus nodded before grabbing the fingers of both gloves and quickly pulling them from her arms, revealing a couple werewolf bites. Klaus grasped her arm and brought it closer for inspection, “Some of these are well advanced. How long has it been since you were first bitten?”

“Oh, um. I’m not sure, a few weeks maybe? The first bite is on my back and I’ve been on the move since, so I haven’t seen it.” Elijah had stepped up behind her and pulled her shirt up until the wound was visible. Elijah’s eyes widened at the severity of the bite. A smile that reminded them all of Klaus appeared on her face as she spoke, “They tried to tear me apart, but I ruptured all their eardrums and they let me go so they could lick their wounds.”

Suddenly, her legs gave out and both men moved to prevent her from hitting the ground. Her body started shaking as she broke out in a sweat. She started to close in on herself as the brothers tried to comfort her. The girl pulled what appeared to be an epinephrine pen from her pants pocket and handed it to Elijah. “I need a dose, brother…in the back of my neck, please.” Elijah followed her instruction and whatever was in that dose seemed to take the edge off as she visibly relaxed. Klaus had poured a glass of blood and had her drink it down as soon as she was able. Her wounds started healing immediately and within a few minutes, she had passed out in Klaus’ lap. Klaus picked her up before addressing Elijah, “Brother, I’m taking her up to my room. You should finish things up here before you join us.” Klaus was gone before anyone could question the meaning of his comment.

Marcel stepped forward, “Okay, I’ll bite. Who was that and how is she still alive after that many werewolf bites?”

Elijah straightened up his jacket before he spoke, “That Marcellus, is essentially a collective child of the Mikaelson originals. Roughly 925 years ago we found Aibreán alone alongside the road, during our century stay in Italy. She was somewhere between 2-3 years old at the time and Rebekah insisted that we bring her with us. We named her, raised her and masqueraded her around as another sibling until she became one of us…each working to educate her from our personal strengths. We discovered a few years after taking her in that she was a gifted witch, we believe she was an Irish immigrant whose family perished shortly after their arrival. She became headstrong and daring as she grew older, often spending time getting into mischief alongside Kol…I suppose that is a side effect of being raised by vampires. We all spoiled and doted on her.

Kol and Finn had concocted a plan to create a block that would prevent our father from finding us and Aibreán was the one who tested their ideas. During her 14th summer among us she was out in the woods gathering ingredients when she was accidentally hit by a stray arrow. The boys who shot it came upon her, panicking when they saw all the blood and they took off, leaving her to die. Aibreán had been planning to test a blood spell that day and had a jug containing a mixture of blood from each of us. She was aware of the healing ability of our blood so she removed the arrow and drank it before returning to the village. The boys saw her and quickly told their parents what had happened. They immediately hung her as a witch and later Rebekah found her in the town square when she came to look for her. In our anger and grief we razed the village, Finn recovered her body and brought it back to be buried before we moved on.” Elijah had poured himself a drink before he continued. “Aibreán woke up in the middle of the night, having no clue where she was.”

Freya spoke up before Elijah could go on, “Don’t most vampires reawaken in a state of confusion?”

“Yes, and that is probably one of the only things she has in common with typical vampires. The circumstances behind her change is what makes Aibreán different from other vampires, even unique from us originals. She is not sired from any single one of us, but from all of us simultaneously. When a newly made vampire first awakens, they tend to be overwhelmed by their heightened senses, which is due to receiving the blood of one vampire line. However, Aibreán received the blood of all five of us.” Elijah glanced up from his glass to see that his explanation wasn’t really explaining anything if based on the look of the faces looking back at him.

He thought for a moment before he spoke, “We all cringed when she first spoke earlier…cause her voice can cause disturbances in sound pressure at varying levels, she is physically stronger and faster than most vampires, her thought process rivals a computer and she can throw tantrums that make Klaus seem like a choir boy. Her emotions intensify everything, whether her feelings are positive or negative. She can sense auras that allow her to tell humans from supernatural beings and has an interconnected blood bond with all of us. Her hearing and sense of smell are heightened to a point she has trouble sleeping and being among groups of people and other simple everyday things can easily become overwhelming. It was practically impossible to help her conform to life as a hypersensitive vampire. It would be similar to imagining all of us mixed into one person…powerful, intelligent and highly unstable emotionally. Unfortunately, about a decade in she overheard us discussing her condition and Finn made the suggestion that it might be an act of mercy to kill her. She disappeared a short time later and we haven’t seen or heard anything from her since.”

“That’s terrible! Did you all not search for her after she disappeared?”, Hayley spoke up in April’s defense. Elijah looked affronted as he responded, “Of course we did…but don’t forget that she grew up during a time when we were running from our father, so she is an expert at making herself vanish. We searched for her until a time came when it was safer for her to not be with us. We were soon confronted by the first hunters and then our father not long after.”

“How she survived so many bites for so long? Well, she can’t be killed by normal means, so I would speculate that whatever was in that dose I gave her, mutes her abilities and that she must have been withholding the dose to exert her full will to fight the spread of the venom through her system.” Elijah placed his glass down as he made his way to the staircase.

“That’s enough for now. If you don’t live here, you need to leave. Marcel…Camille, someone will contact you to let you know when you can return. Freya, could you be so kind as to put up a sound barrier around Niklaus’ room? It will aid Aibreán in sleeping. Don’t expect to see either of us until tomorrow unless it is an absolute emergency. Hayley, why don’t you and Freya take Hope out for the day? No business is going to get done until we get Aibreán settled in.” Elijah turned and made his way up the stairs to Klaus’ room.

Klaus carried April upstairs, laying her down in his bed before looking over her bite marks again. The more recent ones had healed, but a couple of the older ones seemed to be taking longer. He supposed he should give her some more blood in a few hours as a booster. Klaus changed into some pajama pants before pulling all the curtains, which helped block out the lightning. He could faintly hear Elijah recounting April’s life story downstairs. He lit a single lamp and set it on the far side of the room before he climbed into bed with April. Almost immediately, April turned towards him in her sleep…tucking her face in his neck, breathing deeply before all the tension left her body. Klaus found himself focusing on her irregular yet familiar heartbeat and dozed lightly till Elijah arrived. He watched as his brother removed his jacket and tie before going to the adjoined bathroom to change into pajama pants, having left his undershirt on, before he returned and climbed in the bed behind April. April’s hand found Elijah’s, intertwining their fingers before she pulled his arm around her waist. As the sound barrier went up, the three fell asleep.

A few hours later, Klaus untangled himself from April’s limbs before turning her towards Elijah. He watched as she settled against his brother, then rose from the bed to get a glass of blood for April. Feeling the bed move stirred April from her nap, sitting up to see where Klaus had took off, eyes half-lidded as sleep tried pulling her back into the warmth of the bed. “Nic, where is Bekah? Who were those people downstairs? You two are going to show me around the city soon, right? Oh, when can I meet Hope?” At this point, the rapid fire questions had woke up Elijah who was watching Klaus in smug anticipation of his responses. “Alright my love, let me answer these questions before you move onto more. Rebekah is away on holiday for a while…Elijah and I have some things to sort out here and it was better for her to be gone for now. Sure, we can escort you around New Orleans tomorrow if you are feeling up to it. Perhaps you can meet Hope later in the week, young ones tend to be all over the place…fairly unpredictable. The people downstairs?” Klaus and Elijah shared a look before Elijah took over the explanations while Klaus went to get drinks and then returned to the bed. “Well Breán dear, the witch is our elder sister Freya…the one we had been misinformed about having died. We were all recently reunited. The hybrid is Hayley, Hope’s mother and the alpha of the crescent wolf pack. I think you will get along well with her, Rebekah does. The blonde vampire Camille, was Niklaus’ therapist before she became a vampire and his most recent estranged lover. Now she is trying to sort through her own baggage since her transition, by driving us insane. That leaves Marcellus, who Klaus picked up off a plantation about 200 years ago. He’s the current leader of the Strix, a long standing organization that I created several centuries ago.”

“Is Kol really gone? I get pulses every once in a while, but he disappeared for a long time a few years ago. What about Finn? It’s all felt very strange.”

“Yes, Kol is in a magic induced sleep and Finn was killed again recently.” April’s eyes grew big at the new information.

“Oh, no! I hope Kol can be woke up soon and I wish I had made it here to see Finn. I hope to see Bekah soon, too. Getting into trouble is so much more fun with Kol. The rest of you take things too seriously.”

Klaus handed April her glass before refilling his own, “It appears you’ve found a way to manage your unique abilities?” She handed him the empty glass before she stretched and hopped out of bed and to the closest mirror. April pulled her shirt up and tried looking at her back before she pulled both her pant legs up to see the remnants of the spots on her legs disappear. In her excitement, she had began bouncing on the balls of her feet. She caught herself though and took a deep breath before she started inspecting the room as she began her explanation.

“First, I went to your homeland of Norway after hearing the stories you all told me that were passed down from your mother…I wanted to see it for myself. I ended up isolating myself away in a cave system there for a few hundred years. I finally decided the best solution to my problems was coming up with a way to dilute the effect of the world on my senses. The world is moving at a much quicker pace than it did in the middle ages. I finally tracked down a witch who was able to give me a spell to enchant a mixture that I use once a month. I’ve also learned a bit of self control through meditation, doing what I can to keep from affecting the environment and drawing attention to myself.” April turned from her spot across the room and returned to the bed, jumping and sliding into the headboard…the impact causing the bed to bounce off the wall. “This room is fabulous! Freya put a spell on it, right? Everything about this room is soothing. Can I sleep here sometimes Klaus? I want to see your room to Elijah. Can we sleep there tonight? Will I get my own room too?” Just as she finished a yawn broke across her face.

“April, why don’t you lay back down for a bit. Niklaus and I have some things to discuss, but we’ll remain in the room until you awake. Then maybe we’ll see about a bath and some food?” April nodded before giving each brother a hug and a peck on the cheek before snuggling back down in the bedding.

The sound of running water woke April a couple hours later. She could sense a people outside Klaus’ room and knew that the brothers were milling about. As she sat up, she noticed that Klaus was sitting in one of the chairs reading a book, while Elijah was moving in and out of the bathroom. “Breán, I’ve got the bath running and I’ll see if we have some clothes that you can change into until we purchase some”, and with that he left the room to inquire with the other women in the house. “So, are you feeling up to eating something? I thought that ordering in would be ideal tonight since we’ve all been preoccupied today. Anything specific you have in mind?”, Klaus looked up from his book waiting for a response. “Oh, well you know my tastes Nic. Though, I’ve never ate food from around here before so if you’d get a variety of things so I could try them out, that would be fantastic!”, April replied…becoming more excited at the prospect of eating as she spoke. “Very well. I’ll get that ordered and we can eat in here when it arrives. Freya and Hayley will be eating with us, since they live here I think you should become accustomed to them as quickly as possible.” April looked thoughtful for a moment, “That’s a fabulous idea, Nic! I’ll see you when I get out of the bath…and let Eli know that the door will be unlocked in case he comes back with some clothes before I’m done”, turning to go into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Elijah came back into the room sooner than Klaus had expected. He was packing a few bags, “Seems like our sister and Hayley were thinking ahead of us. They bought some clothes for Breán so she would have something until we are able to take her shopping.” Klaus looked over the bags before speaking, “Breán wanted to let you know she left the door unlocked so you can set the bags inside. I ordered out for supper tonight, so it should be arriving shortly. We decided to eat in here and invite Freya and Hayley so that Breán can get accustomed to them.” Elijah moved to place the bags in the bathroom before returning to sit across from Klaus.

An excited squeal reverberated from the bathroom…cracking every piece of glass in the room. It suddenly stopped and then a muffled 'sorry’ followed. April emerged from the room a few minutes later wearing black tights with a mid-thigh black skirt and a bright blue, bell-sleeve top. After taking a few steps into the room, April stopped and looked around before bowing and apologizing again when she noticed the cracks in the bedroom glass also, “Awww no! I hope I didn’t mess up all the glass in the house. I’m so sorry. The clothes are amazing and I got excited over having something new.” Elijah walked up to April and she hugged him, “Breán, don’t worry about it. We can’t expect you to never be happy or express yourself. Things happen and we’ll deal with them accordingly. Why don’t we set up the table to eat while Niklaus gets the girls and the food?”

Soon everyone was sitting around the table with crawfish etouffee, muffulettas and beignets spread out before them. “Oh, Nic the food looks fabulous. You’re the best! Freya, Hayley thank you so much for thinking of me today while you were out. The clothes are fantastic! Eli, is there a television in your room? I’d really like to watch a movie or something before we go to bed.” At this point, everyone was looking at April as she had finally quit talking and was beginning to eat as she waited for someone to continue the conversation. “Breán dear, there is a media room downstairs, so we could watch a movie there before bed. We don’t use it very often…do you have a specific movie in mind that you would like to see?” April was so pleased by the answer, you could see it in her eyes. “Oh, I’ve been wanting to see Deadpool. I’ve heard that it’s hilariously inappropriate.” “That’s one of those movies that is based on a comic book, right Breán?” “Yes! He has a complete gutter mouth and constantly breaks the 4th wall. He’s insane, but it’s okay cause he does it all for love.”

“So Breán, what have you been up to since you managed to harness some control over your abilities?”, Elijah inquired. “Well, I’ve been traveling the world! Growing up in Italy and then spending over 300 years in Norway left my world view immensely skewed. Plus, I think it was easier to adjust to the times while on the move. I really enjoyed Asia and Australia…such unique cultures. I was working my way across Canada when I was attacked and I had heard about you all being here in the states, so then I started my search.” By this point, everyone was finishing up their meal.

Freya took a drink of water before speaking, “Alright Klaus, Elijah…why don’t you two head downstairs to get the movie ready and we’ll hang out for a bit and have some girl time.”

“That would be nice, Freya. Okay, guys! Here are the rules for the movie room. No ties, no zippers, no dress shirts…uh, no shoes, no phones, all baggage and worries stay at the door. Jaded Elijah and Niklaus stay out…I just want MY brothers tonight, alright?”

#the originals #writers block #oc #mikaelson family #fanfic

[mirkwoodshewolf]

A Lost stay pt. 2

When Bucky stopped a few feet from the truck, he watched from the gate as Crossbones carried Alex in his arms into an old warehouse. Bucky whimpered softly and said to himself.

'Okay its 7 miles from here to the junkyard, there's just not enough time to get her team here even if I run. I guess it's all up to me. But I'm a dog, and my metal arm is useless for once'. Bucky carefully walked towards the truck then crawled till he got to the window and notice the window could be open from either side. 

He carefully hopped over and landed along the catwalk and trotted onward panting softly till he looked down and could see Alex being strapped into a chair by her arms.

'What is Crossbones going to do with her?' It was then he saw Alex beginning to stir.

*My POV*

When I opened my eyes, I felt my arms pinned down and I was in a metal chair. I struggled trying to free myself when a familiar voice said through the darkness.

"It's no use princess. You can't escape those bounds, not even the Winter Soldier could break them whenever we had to erase his memory". Coming out of the darkness was Rumlow now known as Crossbones ever since the DC incident.

"Rumlow you son of a bitch".

"Long time no see kid".

"Yeah, say why don't you show me that pretty mug of yours that you always claimed to have, I bet Captain America gave you some class for a change". He slapped me hard across the face and he sneered.

"Always with the fire Alex, you always had that in you. For someone who works in the dark, and yet she's just a frightened little kid inside". He mocked as he turned me towards him.

"How did you find me?"

"We never lost you little birdie, we've always known where you were, we just bide our time to finally get you alone". My eyes widened as I muttered,

"Butch".

"Ding, ding, but now that he's served his purpose we don't need him anymore, all we want know is for our little canary to be back in her cage once again, or else".

"Or else what?" I mocked. Rumlow backed away from me and one of his men handed him a book and Rumlow opened it to a certain page and said in Russian.

"Noch'". My eyes widened in fear.

"No" I whispered.

"Smert'".

"Please". I begged.

"Koshmar". My automail arm began trembling. My heart raced erratically and my breathing deepened.

"Stop, please". I begged to Rumlow but he continued.

"Kladbishche!" I threw back my head screaming in fear and agony. Like the Winter Soldier, Hydra had given me my own trigger words to bring out my alter-ego. Their deadliest weapon that could rival that of the Winter Soldier.

The Raven.

"Nindzya!" Flashbacks of when I was forced to hear these words by my Hydra handlers for years ever since I was 7 years old came flashing through my mind. All the things I did as The Raven, all the people I've killed, the day Hydra decided to get rid of my human arm and force this automail arm upon me. I kept screaming and sobbing begging for him to stop before he reached the 10th word.

Suddenly I began to hear mad barking and Rumlow suddenly stopped as he was pounced on by a dog. I was then released from my bounds as the dog seemed to hit a button on the computer forcing the chair to release me as I just collapsed onto the floor.

"You damn bitch! You're gonna pay for that!" Rumlow snarled as he trudged towards me but the German shepherd stood over me protectively. The dog then lunged for Rumlow's and began attacking his face. Knocking the mask off of him and going for his throat ripping out his vocal chords. When Rumlow was down, the German shepherd then turned his attention towards me.

I was shaking on the ground trying to block out all the flashbacks that I was having. Flashes of what Hydra did to me and what I was forced to do, if I had done that to my team I....... I would never forgive myself. My mind wasn't aware of what was going on around me and I thought Rumlow was still coming after me, but it wasn't until I felt a soft nudge at my automail hand. The German shepherd then slowly and cautiously nudged under my arm and cuddled up close to me.

Then for the first time in over 13 years, I slowly broke down crying. I held onto the closest as tight as I could and sobbed. I felt a warm soft tongue gently lick my tears and soft whimpers coming out from him.

*Bucky's POV*

Oh god, if I hadn't been interfered when I did, and Rumlow did succeed in bringing out forth "The Raven", I don't know what we would've done.

Poor Alex was in complete shock and I could tell with her being so strong towards her gang of Misfits she wouldn't allow herself to show weakness but now—the strong leader was reduced to a mere child crying and begging for the pain to stop. No wonder why dogs were used more to comfort PTSD soldiers or were used to comfort people and children in pain, my instincts were telling me exactly what she needed and how to do it.

I nuzzled her and softly licked her tears away. I kept my body close to her to warm her up and to comfort her letting her know that I was here and that no one was going to hurt her ever again. I nuzzled my face against hers gently and kept softly licking her.

I knew we weren't going anywhere for a while until she was better, but I didn't care if we moved now or a week from now. All I wanted was to comfort Alex. She needed me and I wasn't going to leave her, so I stayed with her, took care of her.

When morning came around, Alex woke up and slowly stood up and walked towards a table and got some rope and weakly began tying it up until the top part became a collar sized that would fit around my neck. She then put the rope around me gently, feeling her trembling hands and lowered my head and licked them comfortingly and once I was latched on, I then quickly found her an old sheet and covered her shoulders with it, somehow knowing that no one in the gang knows about her arm. It was then I guided her back home.

Once we got to the junkyard, her whole gang was surrounding her talking all at once making Alex shrink back in fear. I barked at them protectively.

'Get back all of you! Can't you see she's traumatized! Give her some space!'

"Guy! Guys enough! Give her some room to breathe!" Her second in command Mindy proclaimed shutting everyone up as they got a good look at their leader. Once the gang backed up, Alex ghostly walked towards a fort-like structure and pulled the sheet down to hide herself from the rest of the world. Worriedly I walked towards the junk fortress and entered inside to see Alex laying on her chair broken and empty.

I walked towards her and placed my head in her lap and waited for a response from her. I then felt her place her left hand on my head and she gently stroked it. I then heard the flaps from the sheet open and there stood Mindy. I turned to her then back down and allowed Alex's petting to sooth me.

"It was them, wasn't it?" She asked. I titled my head in confusion did she know about Alex's story? Either way Alex stayed silent and still. Mindy looked down at me and said. "Aaron and Amy said that you saved them yesterday, and now you've saved our leader from returning back to that hellhole. You're now an honorary member of this gang, Alex could still use you though. I haven't seen her like this since I met her. You'll take care of her, won't you?" I nodded once then Mindy ruffled my head and walked right out leaving us alone once again.

I turned back to Alex and once again rested my head on her lap and then for the first time she finally spoke out.

"I was 7 years old, when I was taken by Hydra. They called me the Raven because of how I could easily maneuver in the darkness and kill quick and swiftly thanks to all the Asian styles of Karate that I was forced to being taught. To bring her out, like the Winter Soldier all they had to say were the goddamn words and then ask me "What does the Raven say?" "Nevermore" I would respond to them and then they would give me my task. I was tortured whenever I messed up and one time I was just sitting in my cell when the scientists knocked me out and I woke up strapped to a metal table. They then proceeded to cut my right arm from its socket and no there was nothing wrong with it, they just wanted to replace it with this automail one to make me an even more dangerous weapon, like their Winter Soldier". She took a shaky breath and choked out, "and do you know what the worse thing about my time there was? It was my own parents who sold me to Hydra in the first place, they were both members of Hydra's scientist dept. they sold me to them and even came up with the idea of making me this arm. They just stood there watching as I felt every. Single. Bit of pain as my arm was being cut off and forced into being connected to this thing" she gestured to her arm.

I could not believe what I was hearing. Her own parents? Her own parents did this to her? I hope they're still alive so that way I can look them in the eyes and slowly watch as I took their lives so that they knew every bit of pain that their daughter felt.

"I managed to escape when I was 14, it was then I met Mindy out in the streets stealing from a Mini-mart. Soon the two of us joined together to help other kids like us. Only she knows the truth of what happened and she alone is the only one who knows about my arm. That's why I wear long sleeved jackets around the gang all the time". She scoffed out a cold chuckle and said as she then looked at me. "God look how far I've stooped, I'm talking to a dog for fuck's sake. But at least you sorta know how it is. Being looked at as trash, especially with that arm of yours, I guess—this was fate that you were brought to me. We're the same, treated like lowlife strays that belong out in the streets. And since you saved Aaron and Amy this morning as well as saving me last night, that gives you even more right to stay and be one of us".

I took my chance and hopped up into her lap. She bent back the chair allowing more room for us as I now placed my head on her chest and deeply sighed out through my nose.

"Good dog" she whispered tiredly as I felt her gently scratch behind my ears before finally falling asleep.

Now I know why Loki did what he did. He was the cat Alex had called "Little Thief" and he must've heard or even seen Alex's story by reading her mind and knew that if he tried to tell the rest of the Avengers about her and these other kids, they'd never believe him (I mean would believe a story like that if that very same person was responsible for killing hundreds of people trying to take over the world?) I then shut my eyes and fell asleep in Alex's arms.

A few hours later I woke up to a familiar scent, my ears perked up at a sound and then I saw a black dog carrying a long tattered bedsheet in its mouth. This black dog looked more like a wolf with green eyes I then knew who it was. I gently hopped off of Alex and took the sheet from the black wolfdog and put it over Alex then I followed the wolfdog out of the junkyard and the two of us ran as fast as we could towards the nearest abandoned alleyway.

He turned towards me and in a shimmer of green and gold light Loki appeared before me and he said.

"So now you know?" He raised his hand and soon I was surrounded in the same light and I was now back to normal.

"Yeah. So that's where you were all that week, you were Little Thief as Alex called you".

"The young Midgardian definitely has some fire in her, that's why I stuck around her and the gang. But I knew her strength could only go so far".

"You're right about that, and I must thank you Loki. If you hadn't had turned me into a dog and sent me to find them, Hydra would've gotten their hands on The Raven for sure and she would have to relive all the torture and pain she's tried so hard to escape from". Loki nodded his head once. "But it's not just her, it's all those kids, who knew society had given up on so many children?"

"Indeed. It's one of the reasons why I dislike you Midgardians. You give up too easily when something gets too hard to accomplish, especially when it comes to helping others weaker than yourselves".

"So the Coldhearted Frost giant does have a warm heart". I mocked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" he tried to state as calm and collected as he could but I could see a slight smirk on his face. "So soldier, what do you plan on doing now?"

"Where's Steve?" Loki then raised his hand and we soon disappeared from the alleyway in a flash of green and gold light.

*My POV*

When I finally woke up the second time in a row I took notice of a sheet wrapped around me and the dog was gone. I scoffed and muttered.

"I knew it, even strays run from strays. I should've known better". I then heard the sound of cars pulling up towards the junkyard. I got out of my fort still holding the sheet close so no one not even the young ones could see me arm. Soon my whole team gathered around as we saw cars pulling into the junkyard and dozens of people coming out, some of those people included the Avengers.

They came up to us and Captain America said.

"Which one of you is Alex Pickett?" I stepped forward and stated strongly.

"Why are you here?"

"We've received word on your conditions and checked all of your backgrounds and came to a decision," my eyes widened and I sneered at him.

"How dare you!? You think it's okay to just waltz in here, state you know everything about us and try to put us back in the system that gave up on all of us or didn't even try to do a damn thing to save us and give us the protection we needed!"

"We're not here to take you into Child services or women's/men's services for domestic abuse. We're taking you all to Avenger's tower to be trained in combat, to train you kids and give you all a home, with us". Natasha stated. Some of my gang looked at each other then Tony Stark came forward and said.

"Everything you children need I can provide. Good food, fresh water, and a warm bed to sleep in without it smelling like old dumpsters". I turned to Mindy who just looked at me like it was all up to me. I also looked at the young ones who all had the same look of wonderment at the sound of warm beds and fresh food. I turned back to Captain America and said.

"How did you even find out about us?"

"Two of our Avengers had come here and saw for themselves at what society had done to its future leaders. We want to make it right, that's all we want. Now you can freely accept or deny yourself Miss Pickett, but if some of your group wants to they can gladly come with us". I looked at all my children and they all looked at me with sad eyes, I remained silent for a while until I finally sighed and stated.

"That's my problem, I'm just too nice. Alright we'll go with you". The kids all cheered and the teens all smiled and hugged each other like they were relieved to finally leave the junkyard. I on the other hand was still skeptical and based on what Steve had said about checking backgrounds, they probably already knew who I was and wanted to arrest and incarcerate me for my crimes tied to Hydra.

We were soon all loaded into the backs of trucks and we drove off towards Avenger's tower. But while my hands were softly trembling and my leg was shaking, I saw a metal hand being placed over my right automail one. When I looked up I saw the Winter Soldier sitting right next to me looking at me with reassurance and comfort.

Throughout the day, we all were given new clothes provided by Stark himself, food, and our own rooms. I specifically was given a room at Bucky's request to be on his level. And just as I feared, I was taken into an interrogation room and was forced to share with Natasha and Steve all Hydra Intel I knew during my time there. For hours I was forced to tell them everything I did and what my parents did to me and I hated every second of it.

When it was all over, I was then forced by Stark and Dr. Banner to go to their lab so that they could study my automail and see how it worked and how they made it. Just even allowing other people to see my arm just broke my pride and forced me to age drop back to that frightened 7 year old, I would try to hide it but sometimes it slipped out through hidden tears.

But through all the mental torture, Bucky was there by my side and came to my rescue and told anyone to back off. Something about him just seemed familiar in the way he protected me, like a loyal dog. One day I saw him in the training room punching one of the punching bags and as he wiped the sweat from his brow he took notice of me and said.

"Alex, what is it? Did Stark and Banner force you to see your arm again?"

"No, no. I just—wanted to ask you something" I said nervously.

"What is it?"

"It was you, wasn't it? The dog? You saved the twins and me that day didn't you?" Bucky softly smiled and said.

"Forcefully turned into a dog by Loki aka Little Thief. He was the one to find you guys first, then he turned me into the German shepherd to find out about you and your crew. And I'm glad he did". He stood up and placed his hands on my shoulders and continued, "I know what's going on through your mind. I've been there before. But you'll be safe here, you and your crew. You've got the best people in the world looking out for you, especially you Alex, you're not alone kid. And even if the team isn't then know that I'm always with you till the end of the line, one Hydra stray to another". Then for the first time in my entire life, I received a kiss to my forehead as a sign of affection then Bucky left me alone in the gym.

The next few weeks my crew had grown really fond of being a part of the team of superheroes and some of them even became like children or younger siblings to the Avengers. We'd join in on dinners and parties, we'd joke around and prank one another, it was like my crew and I were "The Young Avengers" the next generation of the team and soon we'd be able to do on assignments and save the world.

One night we had all just gotten done with "Avengers movie night" watching "Spy Kids" and once it was done we all called it a night and all went up to our rooms. When Bucky and I reached our floor and I got to my room Bucky said to me.

"Goodnight Alex".

"Night Bucky". We then entered our separate rooms and I got changed into my pajamas and fell fast asleep.

But not long after I had shut my eyes, the nightmares came flooding back in. All the screaming, the blood, the darkness and reliving the day I got my automail arm while my parents just stood there with gleams in their eyes and sadistic smiles. I shot up screaming and panting heavily. I quickly turned on my light to see that I was in my room at Avenger's tower but that didn't stop my fear and my sudden age drop. I quickly ran to Bucky's room and opened the door only to see that he wasn't there.

I quickly ran to the elevator and pressed the down button and tried to steady my breathing and when the doors finally opened I quietly walked through hoping that no one would hear me walking in case someone was down here and there I saw two figures. One of them was Bucky sitting on the couch watching TV and Loki sitting on one of the chairs closest to me reading a book.

I nervously looked down at my feet then towards Bucky and I took my chance. Holding myself together I quietly ran towards Bucky. Loki noticing my figure running past him, looked up from his book and kept his eyes on me as I finally reached the couch. I took notice that Bucky was actually sleep so I carefully sat beside him then scooted close to him and wrapped my arms around him and buried my face into his chest.

His eyes opened and when he saw me clinging onto him like a frightened child, he smiled softly then turned to Loki who got the message and disappeared leaving the two of us alone. Bucky got a blanket he was using earlier that had fallen onto the floor and covered me up and brought me close to him whispering comforting words as he gently rocked me, rubbing my back and giving me loving kisses all over my face telling me it was going to be okay, it was okay to cry, he was there and he wasn't going anywhere.

The two of us shared an unbreakable bond, we were both forced to be Hydra's dogs, managed to escape when we could and become strays but at the cost of our sanity. But when we found each other we somehow managed to understand each other's pain and just being there for each other seemed to calm us down.

Soon we both fell asleep our metal hands intertwined with each other's.

_______________________________________________________

*Translation* If these are wrong I apologize I found them through goggle translation.  

Noch: Night 

Smert': Death

Koshmar: Nightmare

Kladbishche: Graveyard

Nindzya:  Ninja

Taglist:

@evyiione

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x teen reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x oc reader #fluff #feels #major feels #angst #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes oneshot #bucky imagine

[harrysmeadow]

HELD - CHAPTER 1

I suddenly became aware of my trailing thoughts and turned my head to meet his eyes that were still full of concern. Shooting him a small smile I nodded again, reassuring him before he stepped away and closed the door behind him.

I took a few deep breaths to calm down my rapidly beating heart and Izzy placed a reassuring hand on my thigh, squeezing it gently before asking me if I was ok too.

“Yeah I’m ok” I breathed. “I think I’m just in shock”. Izzy didn’t need to know that that was partially due to the size of Harry’s biceps.

STORY PAGE 

The sense of overwhelming relief I felt when the car finally rolled onto my grandparents street was a welcome one. The hour and a half journey from Leeds to Holmes Chapel had quickly turned into a three hour one after getting stuck in holiday traffic on the M62. I usually didn’t mind car journeys but those three hours seemed to have dragged on forever when my sister Evie spent at least half of the time asking ‘are we nearly there yet?’ when she knew full well we weren’t even close.

For as long as I can remember we always spent the Christmas holidays at my Grandparents house. My Dad’s sister and her family still lived in Holmes Chapel so it was always more a thing of convenience that we came to stay here rather than the other way round. But I loved being able to get away from the city for a while and escape to the country. I loved spending time with my family too, I didn’t get to see them as much as I’d like.

I smiled to myself as the house came into view over the hedge row as the car turned down the driveway. The house was a good size, not too big and not too small. It was Georgian style and painted white with slashed windows on both floors. Two chimneys on the roof that connected to original coal fires inside always made the house feel cosy. A small brick porch was built at the front in the centre of the building, sheltering the door that opened into a small hall which then led to the living and dining rooms inside the house. In front there’s a long driveway, but no garden, just a fenced paddock that some of the cows grazed in during the day.

When the car finally stopped I sat up in my seat stretching out my back as I pulled my headphones from my ears promptly dropping them into my bag. I tugged on my boots (I hate wearing shoes in the car) as the rest of my family got out and made their way to the house.

It must have been raining here earlier, as when I spun in my seat and let my feet drop the floor outside I heard a squelch. Oh the joys of British weather. I slammed the door behind me in annoyance and went to the boot to help lift out some of the cases since I knew my Mum and sister wouldn't be helping. I decided to grab a case that was already on the ground as my Dad had handled the rest.

When I got to the porch and the door was locked I realised my Mum must have gone round the back. She wouldn't want us walking through the front way with dirty shoes on... I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes before stomping round to the back entrance. I could already see my Mum through the window pulling pots and pans from the kitchen cupboards.

“Gran said she’d put leftovers from earlier in the fridge Mum" I said flatly to her as I walked through the door. We’d missed the dinner Gran prepared for everyone because of the traffic.

“Yes Erin I’m well aware thank you but there’s not enough for the four of us" She said without even looking at me, now pulling out ingredients from the fridge.

I trudged into the hallway and set the case against the wall, I couldn’t be bothered to heave it upstairs to my room, I didn’t have the energy. When I walked back into the kitchen Evie was sat at the table on her iPad scrolling down her newsfeed. She saw me looking and immediately pulled it into her chest.

"Got something to hide?" I asked with a smirk.

"No!" She exclaimed defensively "It's just none of your business"

"Oooo someone's a bit touchy today..." I teased.

"Erin, leave your sister alone, all she’s doing is sitting there minding her own business." My mother snapped, and just before I could say something my Dad stumbled in.

“Take those upstairs will you Michael?"  She chirped. I pulled out one of the wooden chairs from underneath the table and sat down, I put my bag on the floor and bent down to pull off my shoes before she had a go at me for leaving footprints round the house.

“There’s my favourite in-laws” a deep bellowing voice shouted from the living room door. I shot up, startled, whacking my head on the corner of the table in the process.

"Bloody hell" I cursed under my breath rubbing my head as I sat up more slowly than before.

“Uncle Chris we are your only in-laws” Evie said flatly as she made no effort to get up and greet him. He laughed to himself as he walked into the kitchen to welcome us all back.

“I see she’s still going through the moody teenager phase?” He chuckled lightly to my Dad as they shook hands before I gave my Uncle a hug hello.

“I don’t think you can count it as a phase when it’s dragged on for at least three years.” I laughed as I looked over at her. She was completely oblivious to anything being said about her. Which was probably for the best considering I didn’t really want to start World War Three. I turned back to my Uncle quickly. “Are Iz and Sam still here?” I chirped.

“Yeah they’re upstairs I think.” He replied with a smile which I happily returned.

I practically sprinted up the stairs and down the hallway to my room at the end of the landing. I slowed myself down just before reaching the door and I pressed my ear to the wall. They must not have heard the car pull up outside because sure enough I could hear my cousins on the other side talking between themselves. I smirked to myself as tiptoed forward quietly before bursting open the door, jumping out and shouting ‘BOO!’ at the top of my lungs.

They both screamed as they clung to each other for dear life, eyes wide with shock before they turned to pure rage. Suddenly I was being pelted with pillows, cushions and poor innocent teddy bears amid screams of “YOU LITTLE SHIT”, “YOU DO THIS EVERY SINGLE TIME”, “I FUCKING HATE YOU OH MY GOD”. At some point during their attack I had dropped to the floor, with tears streaming down my cheeks and struggling for breath from laughing too much. Once they decided between themselves I had been sufficiently punished for my prank Sam put out a hand to help me up off of the floor and pulled me into a hug.

I was still giggling and wiping the tears from my eyes once Sam let me go. Izzy stood in front of me with her arms folded across her chest her deep hazel eyes giving me a death glare. I walked towards her slowly then wrapped my arms around her, she let out an annoyed sigh and I knew she was rolling her eyes. I squeezed her even tighter for that. “Awww did my little cousin get scared?” I cooed at her sarcastically as she grabbed for my wrists to pull me off her.

“Excuse me, one, I am not little, I’m 18, 19 next month and two, you are literally one year older than me so get off your high horse”. I stared at her with wide eyes before both Sam and I burst into more laughter.

Her chocolate brown hair tickled my shoulder as she pushed past us both and stomped round to my wardrobe on the other side of my room next to the door. I stood up straighter then as she pulled out my favourite pair of brown, leather, knee high boots and started to put them on. I wasn’t laughing anymore.

Sam seemed to notice the sudden tension change as he suddenly stopped laughing too and quickly made his way out of the room without saying another word.

“Erm Izzy?” I asked sweetly, trying to hide the more sinister tone that was trying to escape me.

“Yes?” She replied equally as high pitched, avoiding my gaze as she plonked herself down on the edge of my bed pulling my shoe on her other foot.

Izzy and I were the closest in age of all my cousins, growing up we were the best of friends. Our parents put it down to the fact that we didn’t actually see each other very often, so when we did it was kind of a novelty. We loved spending time together when we could, but when we refused to be separated from one another there inevitably came a time where something went wrong and the arguments began. However it would usually be such a long time before we saw each other again, so when we did, all was forgotten from before and the cycle re-started.

Luckily we had grown out of the petty bickering around the age of 14/15. But Izzy still knew what buttons to press when she wanted to piss me off. It seemed like now was one of the times she felt that was necessary.

“What are you doing?” I asked making sure I held her gaze as she stood up from the bed.

“I’m going to pick up my friend from the airport.” she replied casually, I could feel myself scowling. Tucking some stray pieces of hair away from her face she began to rummage around the room in search of her purse and keys. Once she had located them she turned to me again, a small, if not slightly twisted smile appeared on her lips, “You’re more than welcome to come if you’d like.”

She knew how to play this game well. Normally at this point I’d be racking my brain trying to think of secrets to blackmail her with, but I figured since I’d only been in the house no longer than 20 minutes I probably shouldn’t start an argument already.

I took in a deep breath before shooting her a smile. “Ok, I’ll come”.

Well she didn’t see that coming.

“Wait what? Oh..ok I mean… you don’t have to… but yeah.. you can come… if you want” she sputtered finally getting out a sentence that somewhat made sense. She looked at me shaking her head slightly as she left the room. I followed behind her giggling, I’ll have to remember that one. The next time you argue with Izzy, be nice. She doesn’t understand it.

*****

The half an hour drive to Manchester Airport luckily didn’t result in any more arguments between Izzy and I. I think she was still slightly in shock that her plan to piss me off hadn’t had the usual effect.

It had started raining again by the time we pulled up to the drop off/pick up point by Terminal 2. I stared out the window watching the chaos as people clung to their hoods  while trying to navigate their way through the crowds and simultaneously hoping to avoid dragging their suitcases through the ever deepening puddles.

“Who am I looking out for?” I asked Izzy while wiping away the condensation on the window with the back of my finger making sure I had a clear view of the doors.

“Just Harry.” She explained as her eyes scanned the crowds of people making their way in and out of the building. “You remember Harry don’t you, it’s been awhile since you’ve seen him?”

“Yeah I know who you mean” I replied still peering through the glass. I remembered Harry. He had been Izzy’s best friend since they were toddlers. He often made an appearance at our family gatherings when Izzy had invited him to come along. She was right though I hadn’t seen him in a long time, a good five years at least. It would be easy to spot his curly hair and green eyes in this crowd I thought.

Another few minutes passed by and there was still no sign of Harry. Izzy was beginning to get agitated, convinced she wasn’t allowed to stay in the pick up zone for more than 15 minutes. She had already sent a thread of angry and slightly aggressive messages to Harry telling him to hurry up otherwise she was going to send the parking fine she would inevitably get to his address.

Once I had given up staring out the window, I leant my side against the door and reached to pick up Izzy’s phone to change the music in the car. A manly shout of “Oi oi!” filled my ears and suddenly there was nothing supporting my back and I was falling backwards out of the car. I didn’t have time to scream as I grasped for the dashboard, Izzy grabbed my wrist to pull me back in, and a pair of hands gripped my sides from behind and pushed me back up.

My hand came over my chest as I tried to steady my breathing. Izzy let go of my hand once I was sat upright and sent her infamous death glare to the poor idiot who had opened my door thinking no-one was sat there.

“Harry! What the fuck was that for!?” she screamed at him. I turned to look at him, his green eyes filled with worry were set on me.

“I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed with sincerity, he eyes then meeting with Izzy’s as he looked away from me. “She didn’t tell me anyone else was in the car!” Izzy scoffed behind me in response. Harry placed a hand on my shoulder lightly and looked back down at me. “Are you ok?”.

I nodded lightly. That was all I could manage. I wasn’t sure if that was because of the almost fall to my death or the fact that the Harry I had previously sought, looked nothing like the one stood before me now. And I couldn’t stop staring. The once wildly untamed curls that I remember used to drag across his forehead into a sweeping fringe, were now longer and pushed back away from his face and tied with a head scarf. He was still leaning down to make sure I was alright but all I was thinking was how he had to be six foot tall at least. My eyes trailed from his broad shoulders that almost took up the entire space of the door, to his muscles that were straining against the sleeves of his t-shirt from the tight grip he held on the roof of the car.

I suddenly became aware of my trailing thoughts and turned my head to meet his eyes that were still full of concern. Shooting him a small smile I nodded again, reassuring him before he stepped away and closed the door behind him.

I took a few deep breaths to calm down my rapidly beating heart and Izzy placed a reassuring hand on my thigh, squeezing it gently before asking me if I was ok too.

“Yeah I’m ok” I breathed. “I think I’m just in shock”. Izzy didn’t need to know that that was partially due to the size of Harry’s biceps.

I clicked my seatbelt back into place thinking to myself how I could have avoided the previous situation if I’d just left it on in the first place. Harry clambered into the backseat still muttering apologies to me and making snarky comments at Izzy, she gave him the finger before putting the car in first and pulling out of the pick up bay.

I shifted in my seat to turn and face Harry behind me. He was rummaging through his carry on bag obviously searching for something, his brows were furrowed deeply as he moved the contents around inside before finally pulling out his phone. He rolled his eyes as he straightened up in his seat and stared down at the screen.

“Izzy for fucks sake, 11 missed calls and 18 messages you’re an absolute psycho” he exclaimed, shaking his head before he dropped the phone back into his bag.

“Well you’re the one who was late” she retorted locking eyes with him in the rear view mirror. I watched him try to fight back a smile, he obviously found Izzy’s angry bursts as amusing as I did.

“Sorry pal, it took ages for my luggage to come round on the belt, but I did speed walk all the way out once I had it, just for you.” He flashed a toothy grin as he angled his face up making sure she’d see him in the mirror's reflection. When he sat back in his seat he shot me wink and I’m pretty sure I forgot how to breathe for a good few seconds. He tipped his head back against the leather seat when Izzy began directing an onslaught of abuse at him. He folded his arms across his chest and let out a puff of air from between his lips as he just sat and took it.

I realised that I was still staring and I had yet to say anything to him so I cleared my throat  once Izzy had stopped talking, and stuck out a hand towards him. “Hi Harry, I’m Erin, cousin of the physco.” I giggled, which earned me a light slap on the arm from Izzy which just caused me to laugh more.

I stopped laughing when Harry took my hand in his and shook it gently. I couldn’t help but notice how his large hand engulfed mine but yet held it so lightly as if it would break. “Oh yeah! I remember you! Well hi Erin, I’m Harry, best friend of the psycho, for some reason.” he said with a cheeky smile which I happily returned before we both burst out laughing at Izzy’s expense.

“If you two are going to continue to verbally abuse me then I’ll pull over and you can both walk” she threatened.

“So Harry where’ve you been jetting off to?” I chose to ignore Izzy’s comment for everyone's sake.

He shrugged his shoulders before pulling out his phone again. “Oh nowhere exotic” he chuckled lightly. “I’ve just been to see my mate in Ireland before Christmas”. My back was beginning to ache from being sat in an awkward position for so long so I turned back in my seat and stretched out my legs in front of me.

“Oh that’s nice” I offered politely, while I fought an internal battle in which my brain told me to turn back round and keep staring at Harry, but my back muscles said for the love of god please don’t.

The rest of the journey was spent making light conversation about what Harry had been up to in Ireland, and Izzy filling him in on the latest Holmes Chapel gossip. I laughed along with them both when Izzy told us a story about one of Sam’s friends in sixth form being kicked out of a club in Manchester for accidentally falling asleep in the photo booth.

***

Unfortunately it hadn’t stopped raining by the time we pulled up outside Harry’s house. Izzy and I hopped out of the car and quickly huddled together for warmth while we waited for him to collect his things from the boot. It was dark now, the sun just on the verge of setting, the hazy orange glow from the street lamps cast long dark shadows along the pavement. My eyes followed the twisting shapes along the ground and up to Harry’s house in front of me.

I remembered coming here once during the Easter holidays when I was maybe eleven or twelve. Sam had left his football at Harry’s earlier in the day and had refused to even contemplate the thought of going to bed without knowing it was safe. I, being the responsible older cousin offered to walk Sam back over to Harry’s to retrieve it. During the 5 minute walk down the lane, Sam told me how I had ruined his plan. See, Harry and the other older boys were allowed to play outside for longer than Sam was. So he’d thought if he left his football on purpose he could go back to ‘collect it’ and play a few more games before his Mum called him in again. I told Sam how sorry I was, but insisted if he didn’t come back with me then, we’d both end up in more trouble than it was worth. He’d nodded his head reluctantly as we reached Harry’s garden gate. The screams and shouts of the other boys still playing in the back garden filled my ears as Sam ran off down the path shouting Harry’s name.

Harry looked up from across the small homemade pitch just as the ball rolled through the goal which had been marked out with spare jumpers on the ground. While the other boys celebrated the score, he made his way over to Sam and I. He had a big grin plastered across his face, a little dimple making an appearance on his cheek. His happiness suddenly changed to confusion when he asked why Sam was back when he had only left half an hour ago.

Sam slumped his shoulders and let out a breath through his nose. “I left my football” he droned, pointing at the object on the other side of the garden “Erin came back with me to pick it up, which means we have to go straight back home.” he huffed in annoyance before spotting a break in the game and using the chance to run across the pitch to grab the ball.

“Hi Erin” Harry smiled brightly at me, ignoring the shouts from his teammates to get back in the game.

“Hi Harry” I replied.

“Do you...um...do you maybe want to stay for a bit?” he asked reluctantly peering up through his long lashes. “To play I mean, do you want to play footie with us for a bit?” he added before I had the chance to answer.

“Oh I don’t think so, I promised my Auntie Josie and Uncle Chris that I’d bring Sam straight home, thanks for the offer though!” I grinned trying to let him down lightly. He gave me a small smile which I could tell was slightly forced. Sam reappeared at my side with his football tucked under his arm and I draped my arm over his shoulders as we started to walk away.

“I wish you could stay” Harry muttered, both Sam and I turned to face him again, but it was my little cousin who spoke first.

“Me too Harry, but Erin said we’ll be in trouble if we don’t get home, so I’ll see you later, bye!” He waved enthusiastically at his friend and ran off towards the gate.

Harry held my gaze as I shrugged my shoulders and offered an apologetic smile and a wave. I spun on my heels quickly and made my way along the garden path and down the lane back to Izzy and Sam’s house. All the while trying to figure out who he wanted to stay.

His deep voice pulled me from my thoughts and I stood up from where I was leaning against the car. “Thanks for the lift Iz, and I’m sorry I kept you waiting” I couldn’t quite define the look that graced his features as he pulled her into a hug and pressed a kiss into her hair while she held him tightly. A small smile tugged at my lips as I watched the two of them say goodbye.

They released from each others embrace and I gave Harry a small wave as Izzy rounded back to her side of the car and I opened my door to climb back in. Harry’s voice startled me again, when I looked over my shoulder he was halfway down the garden path holding his jacket over his head in place of a hood.

“I’m really sorry Erin!” He cried over the sound of the heavy raindrops bouncing off of the pavement.

“Honestly Harry, I’m fine don’t worry about it!” I shouted back with a grin, which only grew wider when a smile broke on his face too.

****

Soooo?? Is this good? I’ve never written fic before, but I’ve had this idea for ages and I finally had time to start writing it. So I did. Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

#held #harry styles fan fiction #harry styles au #harry styles ff #please let me know what you think #this is the first thing i've ever written #chapter 1

[kowsdontski1]

In honor of Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which officially begins at midnight, November’s Cousin Connection comes one day early. Coinciding with the the Catholic All Saints Day, and incorporating garish costumes resembling skeletons, Dia de los Muertos is not Mexican Halloween, but a much more elaborate version of Memorial Day in the U.S.

In Mexico, this year’s commemoration began a few days ago with a large parade including a salute to rescue workers who worked tirelessly to save family, friends, and fellow countrymen from the rubble of recent earthquakes. When Pete, a Mexican friend from college, entered a Facebook post celebrating his recent connection to cousins he never knew he had, I decided that this week’s holiday is the perfect time to include it.

Pete’s mother abt. 4 years old

Gonzales grandparents

Pete at 15

Pete tells his own story:

I have become obsessed with making a family tree. It did not just happen out of nowhere. It started when I submitted my son’s DNA to Ancestry.com. I wanted to show him his multi-ethnic background. We were not disappointed. He is from all over the world–every continent except Antarctica and Australia.

Ancestry told us that he is mostly Native American from the area of Zacatecas and Aguacalientes. His ethnicity estimate is also 24% Great Britain with Western Europe, the Iberian Peninsula, Scandinavia, Ireland, Finland, European Jewish, Polynesia, the Middle East, Senegal, and Africa North all vying for a slice of the genetic pie.

But this smorgasbord of the world is not what compelled me to create a family tree. It was a feature of Ancestry that I did not expect. Our DNA was matched with other people who submitted their DNA with Ancestry.

There was a small group of people who were listed as close relatives. Some of these were easy to figure out. They were: a sister of my wife, a first cousin of my wife and his daughter, and a first cousin of my son. Then, there was a man and a woman who had a majority of Native American ethnicity in their report. They had to be related to my side.

But how?

My father was the only member of his family who came to this country. That was in 1948. How could he have close relatives in this country? My mother was raised as an only child. I was the only Mexican in the world who did not have a cousin, an uncle, or an aunt. We held our family reunions inside a closet. But, on the bright side, there were more tamales for us during the holidays. We did not have to share them with relatives.

But who are these people that Ancestry claims are closely related to my family?

Did my father stray, and now the evidence is coming back Maury Povich style to say that “The DNA evidence is in, you are the father?” Did my mother’s parents have a secret child? Did I have a close relative from Mexico who came unannounced to Chicago in the 1930s?

I did some research and found that these two people listed on Ancestry are from Chicago. One was 73 years old. The other was in her 20s.

The older man eliminated my father. My father was not here 73 years ago. He was still in Mexico.

Was my mother’s lingering doubt that her parents are not her biological parents more than a doubt? Could she be related to this 73 year-old man?

I found records for the younger woman. She had been arrested a couple of times in her early 20s. We have to be related and share the arrested development gene. My line has proven that this gene exists. It lingered in me into my twenties.

She lives in a northern suburb of Chicago. The older man lived in an adjacent suburb. They lived near each other.

I went to Facebook. I found a connection between the two people. I began to develop a hypothesis. These were the biological relatives of my mother, who was adopted in 1934. Now, I need to apply science to prove my hypothesis. I need evidence.

I sent messages via Ancestry to both people. I did not receive a response. I tried again. I received the same result-no reply.

I began to create my tree. I spent about 200 hours in September researching for my tree. September is our month off for home school. I needed to make progress and uncover these connections in one month before I started in October with Geometry, U.S. Government, Spanish, and Language Arts for my 13-year-old son. He takes three other classes in the regular school system.

I was obsessed. I searched every clue. I looked under every rock. Researching my family is not an easy thing. My name is not Gonzalez. Anyone researching my family will come to an instant dead end.

Our real family name may go back only a few generations. It may not be our real family name. Family legend has it that someone in the family line helped a gang rob a Zacatecas silver mine payroll. He then disappeared into another Mexican state with a new name and a richer, new life. I found nothing to prove or disprove that legend.

I did hit a dead end with the family lineage in the mid 19th century.

If my mother was adopted then there is another instant dead end. Could these two people be the key to answering the question about my mother’s biological parents?

Maybe my mother was not adopted although I have always believed in that theory. My grandparents resemble no one in my family. None of them look like any of the ensuing offspring. I look like my dad. My son, Pete, looks like me.

Did I really want to go down this road?

In my mind, my grandparents will always be my grandparents no matter what I find out. My grandmother, in her late-60s, would take her rug muffin [sic] grandchildren to the movies and to the 12th Street beach. She had a folding chair, and she would sit and wait with us at the Roosevelt Street bus stop. She did a lot for us.

I loved swimming in the 12th Street Beach. I never would have had that experience if not for my grandmother. She cared about us.

I loved the movies except for a horror movie that was in Spanish. I was afraid for about a week after watching it. I was about six years old.

She fed us when we visited her apartment down the street on Peoria. She fed me my first jalapeno when I was about five. She and her husband laughed about it. It was a rite of passage, and one of my dearest memories of them. She was performing an important ritual. I cannot live without jalapenos and spicy foods.

I searched census forms from the 1930s, line by line, of every residence in the Taylor Street area. I looked at immigration records, marriage records, death records, and I sent out a few smoke signals and gave offerings of fried bread and jalapenos to the family tree gods.

I made flowcharts comparing the DNA evidence and the relationship between these two people and me. I developed a hypothesis that the older man had to be either the first cousin of my mother or her brother.

I hit dead ends in my search for more information. I felt hesitant to call to contact the man. What does one say?

“I think that your mother or your aunt gave up your older sister/cousin for adoption. I have no evidence, it is just a hunch.”

I do not think so.

There was one other person who was listed as a close relative. She had a family tree with about 3,000 people listed on it, but it was private. I contacted her and asked for permission to look at her extensive family tree. I explained that we probably shared a common ancestor from one hundred years ago. I was hoping that her family tree would provide some vital clues to help me determine how we are related. She granted me permission, but she added that she doubted if we were related. She said that she had no Gonzalez in her tree.

Neither did I.

Looking at her tree was an eye opener. I immediately found a link between her and the two people who are closely related to me. I asked her about the two. One was the granddaughter of her aunt. The other, the 73 year-old man, was her first cousin.

Let’s call her aunt Aunt Zuzu.

If he was my mother’s first cousin, then this woman with the family tree was also my mother’s first cousin. I was on the right track.

She said that all her family lived in the Taylor Street area. She was not sure if we were related.

Her grandparents had one daughter who possibly could have been the mother of my mother. All the DNA evidence would fit if she was. There were two daughters who possibly could be the biological mother of my mother. One was pregnant with another child when my mother was born. It could not be her. The other would have been 14 when she was pregnant with my mother. I think it was this teen who gave birth to my mother.

I asked my mother if she knew this Aunt Zuzu. My mother’s voice picked up with excitement when she heard Zuzu’s name. She said that Zuzu was her cousin.

Cousin? But she had no relatives in Chicago. How could she be related? She said that my grandmother wanted her to address Zuzu as her cousin Zuzu and to call Zuzu’s mother dia Maria.

I asked her the name of Zuzu’s mother. She answered. It was the exact name of the mother of the person who I hypothesized was the biological mother of my mother. Dia Maria most likely was my mother’s grandmother.

It was a tangled web.

Zuzu’s mother was a close friend of my grandmother. Who else would you trust with your grandchild but your good, trusted friend?

It made sense. Was Aunt Zuzu my mother’s biological aunt? Was her sister the teen who gave up her daughter, my mother, for adoption? It was during the Great Depression. She came from a large family. She was only 14 when she became pregnant.

Was I solving this puzzle that I thought was unsolvable? I had thought that anyone who would know the truth about my mother was long deceased. But here I am, on the cusp of putting in the last few pieces of this puzzle.

Her mother was right there all the time. It was the older sister of her friend, Zuzu.

The owner of the huge family tree confirmed that her aunt had given up her child for adoption. She had heard that family story.

My mother is 83.

Her parents will always be her parents.

She finally found out the truth and received the answer to her doubt. It all fell into place like it was preordained. We were meant to know the truth while she was still alive.

In her last response. the woman with the huge family tree addressed the message to cousin Pete. I smiled when I read it.

I finally have a cousin. I am no longer the only Mexican in the world sin primos.

Cousin Connection #5: Family Lost and Found In honor of Mexico's Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which officially begins at midnight, November's…