#so I said let’s make it a spider web and I had to make cupcakes cause i don’t like pie | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

unmaskedagain · 4 years

Text

Yeah, I’m done

I got in this prompt in November, if I remember right. I didn’t really look at it because… What the hell is a fall out fic?!!! I thought maybe it meant Lila exposed but I’ve done quite a few of those. However, I don’t really think I ever focused on it too much; usually, I stray to all the wonderful things Marinette does without them. This came from someone anonymous so It's not like I can just ask the sender… SO I decided to wing it.

Marinette could honestly say she had waited a very long time for Lila to be exposed as the liar she was. Over a year in fact. A very long fourteen months.

If Marinette was honest with herself, she would also add that she stopped waiting for any reason other than the fact she hated lies about… seven months, three days, and seven hours ago.

Why did she remember that so well?

That was the moment Marinette stopped trying to save everyone. Don’t get her wrong; she was still Ladybug. Ladybug was still a kickass hero. She did her job better than ever before.

However, Marinette decided to take a step back, breathe, and let the chips fall where they may.

Her fellow students, her once friends, had been trapped in the spider web of Lila’s tales; awestruck and utterly hypnotized into believing everything the Italian girl had to say. Even the ones about a girl most had known their entire lives.

A bully, they called her.

A selfish jerk.

A jealous bitch.

Her! Marinette! The girl who had done so much for them; had gone to bat for them more times than she could count, and obviously more times than they could remember.

Slowly, one by one, her friendship with each and every member of the class withered and died until there was nothing left but ashes.

It was then Marinette realized some things weren’t worth saving.

Marinette had no trouble forgiving them; it was who she was. But she promised herself she wouldn’t forget.

And if they could treat her like this, after everything, that she didn’t want to be friends with them anyway. Not now, not ever.

When Marinette stood up and announced her resignation from being Class President at the end of the prior school year, the entire class cheered. Like they did when Chloe was forced out of office. (…That only broke Marinette’s heart a little.)

The bluenette changed her number the day after school officially let out for summer. It wouldn’t matter, she knew. She doubted they’d even realize. Most hadn’t so much as texted her in months. Unless they needed something; a favor.

But Marinette was done with favors. Done with free commissions that no one ever seemed to realize cost her an arm and a leg; the fabric was expensive, art supplies for banners were expensive, designing was time-consuming. She was done with any free babysitting. She was done to bring in free sweets on big test days or when the class had a hard week prior. Marinette was done fundraising for class trips and events Bustier would exclude her from at the behest of the rest of the class for her “poor attitude” and “negative energy”. She was done with planning birthdays, making special presents, when no one in class even bothered to wish her a happy birthday.

And most of all, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was done fighting for people who didn’t fight for her. She had tried for months and months to get them to listen to her and what did she get in return? Deemed a green-eyed Liar! As far as she was concerned Lila and Chloe could have at it; do whatever they wanted.

She didn’t have a single friend in class.

They weren’t her concern anymore.

…

It took about a month into the new school years for the class to really understand that. Lila had originally voted in as class president, and had feigned a few tears while thanking the class for the honor but had declined due to being too busy. So Alya was voted in next.

Alya handled the first two birthdays, Ivan’s and Alix’s, really well; she decorated their desks, gave them a birthday card. However, the usual tray of baked goods that were usually brought in for every birthday never showed.

When Alya inquired if Bustier had forgotten to order the cupcakes, the teacher had looked confused.

Marinette tried not to smirk as she sat in the back of the class, pretending to look over her sketchbook.

“I’ve never ordered any before,” Bustier said. “Marinette always did. She was class president. It was her job.”

The two looked back at Marinette; expectant looks on their faces.

The Asian girl snorted. It was never the class president’s job. Chloe never did it in all the years she ruled the class with an iron fist. Marinette had done it because she had been their friend. And she didn’t order them. She bought the ingredients and made them herself.

“It’s the job for the new class president,” Marinette corrected and watched Alya’s face fall. Normally, at that point, Alya would try to ask Marinette for a favor; for Marinette to do it instead.

However, the glasses-wearing girl had taken to ignoring her ex-bestie as much as she could.

“Fine!” Alya huffed. “I’ll do it myself.”

The next thing the class realized had changed was when Bustier announced, “Maybe it’s time we start planning for any class field trips?”

Alya had nodded earnestly, and started making outrageous plans for all the trips the class could take; one to Paris Disney world, another to England, New York, L.A, and so many other very costly ideas.

Ideas, when Marinette was Class president, she would’ve quickly shot down as being impractical, expensive, dangerous, impossible, and any whatever other reason she could think of so the class wouldn’t get their hopes up.

Alya did no such thing.

Marinette just shook her head, and let her ex-friend dig her own grave.

The announcement happened in the morning. Alya had stayed behind when the bell rang for lunch to talk to the teacher and had blatantly glared at Marinette as she said so

And Marinette knew exactly what Alya was planning on talking to Bustier about.

Sure enough, at the end of the school day, Bustier had made another announcement; in front of the entire class.

Marinette really hated how unprofessional the teacher was.

Bustier made it clear that, once again, Marinette was excluded from the class trips that year until her behavior changed. This caused half the class, specifically Lila and Alya, to send her smug looks.

Marinette had nodded, “I understand, Miss Bustier. I can’t say it won’t be a relief not to have to help fundraiser.” The smug looks didn’t entirely disappear but a few faces looked confused instead as if they didn’t realize that meant Marinette wouldn’t help. “I always hated all the planning it took,” And doing all the work, she didn’t add. “Fundraiser after fundraiser. Coming up with the budget, making reservations, clearing it with the school board, clearing it with the parents, getting chaperones, actually raising the money.” She gave a fake sad sigh. “Oh well. Hope you guys have a blast though.”

Then it came time to plan for the first fundraiser. A bake sale.

Marinette had nearly fallen out of her chair laughing when Alya brought it up. Because the bluenette had always hated doing bake sales as she was the only one who ever brought in any baked goods. It was like the entire class thought that just because Marinette lived in a bakery it would be easy for her to get all the food needed.

It wasn’t. She made most of it herself and bought the rest with her own money.

“So who’s going to bring what?” Alya asked. She looked straight at Marinette and seemed to wat for the bluenette to speak. Only for Marinette to raise an eyebrow as if daring her to ask. Alya looked surprised for a moment before she seemed to remember that Marinette wasn’t going to help out. “We’ll make a list.”

No one said a word.

Marinette leaned back in her seat, with a smirk on her face. Alya had said they needed to raise at least $2,000 for the bakery. A highly unrealistic goal. Marinette had only ever raised $423 from a bake sale before.

“I can bring in cookies,” Alya offered once the silence and confused looks continued. “Anyone else? Nino?” She asked her boyfriend.

Nino’s eyes went wide, “Uh, I usually just play the music.” Alya glared at him. “But my mom has a killer blondie recipe. I can ask her to make some.”

Alya nodded, “Sweet. Rose?” And then, one by one, Alya called on each member of the class to see what she could force them to bring.

Even though all but one person in the class promised to bring something; it still wasn’t enough. It wasn’t a very big class. Theirs were the smallest in the entire school which was why new kids always got stuffed with them. In addition, flyers and a banner still needed to be made to promote the fundraiser.

It was clear as she looked at the list that Alya knew they were in trouble. And again, her eyes went to Marinette, a little bit more pleading now. Marinette just shook her head and started sketching a new dress.

She was done with always coming to the rescue.

Marinette didn’t go the bake sale. However, she heard about how much of a disaster it was from Aurore, her new friend from Mendeleiev’s class.

Half the food was burnt and overpriced. The flyers were terrible. And then it rained halfway through.

Suffice to say, the fundraiser was a bust.

And so were the fundraisers that came after it. Never once did the class meet their goals; though admittedly, their goals were never realistic, to begin with.

Marinette knew for certain by December that there was no way the class was taking any of the “oh so amazing trips, and it’s such a pity you can’t go, Marinette” they had planned. Or any good trip for that matter.

It took months for the school board to approve big trips; weeks to approve small ones. Paperwork needed to be filed with detailed plans ready to present. If a big trip got approved, and then for some reason, they couldn’t go and decided to do a smaller trip instead, new Paperwork would need to be filled out. The new trip would need to be approved. It wasn’t like Bustier could take the class somewhere without permission. And if it wasn’t done in time, there would be no trip.

In late October, Marinette posted a flyer on the class board, and around the school, promoting her new website. It got curious glances but only Adrien asked about it.

Adrien, who was neither enemy nor friend, but a neutral party who refused to get involved. His version of the high road, Marinette guessed.

“What’s that?” He asked. “You starting your own business?”

Marinette nodded, “MDC designs. I designed a bunch of clothes over the summer and got a few friends to model them; Aurore, Marc, Luka,” Juleka looked up at the mention of her brother “Kagami, Ondine, Claude Mireille; and a bunch of girls from the fashion club. People can choose the premade designs already promoted on the site and I can send it to them in their size. Or they can contact me for a custom piece; dresses, scarfs, nearly anything really. That’s a lot more expensive, though. Not at much as it would’ve been, say last year, but now that I’ve stopped doing free commissions, I could lower the price.” She said the last sentence louder than polite but she wanted the entire class to hear.

No one in class blinked twice at her statement. However, Marinette knew they would.

Adrien nodded happily, “Cool, that’s kind of what my dad did in the late 90s when he was starting out. Computers were like barely a thing he said.”

Marinette couldn’t picture a time without computers or her smartphone and couldn’t imagine a life without the internet. She shivered at the thought. “Aurore’s become really well known as an Instagram model. I gave her a few outfits in exchange for her promoting my stuff. She even got a few of her model friends to promote my clothes as well. It’s going really well. If the trend continues; I was thinking of doing a live, online, runway show. I’ve already been scouting places.”

That got some envious looks. Whether it was because Marinette was doing so well or because others would be used as her model, she didn’t know. She didn’t care.

Marinette was done caring about every stupid little thing.

The blond just nodded with enthusiasm, “You’re a great designer. I’m sure you’ll be a hit in no time.

“Hopefully, rather than later,” Marinette smiled. “It’ll go even better when Nadja promotes me on her show. I just have to babysit Manon for free for five random days of Nadja’s request that she could request … any time.” It had been a steep price but Marinette had been willing to pay. “She’ll even promote my runway show if I ever have it.”

The first time someone, Mylene, realized just what Marinette had meant when the drama club inquired to her about getting more costumes for the school play and she had no one to turn to. She took one look at commission prices for local tailors for custom pieces and nearly threw up. Marinette’s website, while still expensive, was a much better deal. Still, Mylene couldn’t afford it.

Nino needed a gift for his mom and remembered how much she loved the scarf he got her last year. He thought it was a good idea to get her something similar. But then he remembered Marinette had made the scarf. And Alya would kill him if he bought anything from Marinette’s website. So Nino settled on something small.

When the school dance came, for the first time the majority of the girls in class would have to buy their own dresses. They came from a store, were cheaply made, and were not nearly as amazing as the ones they previously wore.

All in all, it wasn’t the greatest year for Bustier’s class. Midterms had taken a heavy toll. It tense and everyone was clearly frustrated. So were Marinette’s friends from other classes. So during Lunch, Marinette surprised her table with delicious baked goods as a pick me up. The ones she normally would’ve brought just for her class.

Marinette pretended not to notice the hopeful looks on her classmates faces when she walked by with the iconic light blue Dupain-Cheng bakery box. And ignored the crestfallen looks on their faces when she headed them out to just her friends.

In April, it was clear that the trip to New York had fallen through as they didn’t have enough money. Alya had to rush to get something small approved before the end of the year; a trip to the local amusement park. Marinette didn’t laugh when Alya announced it to the class who looked really bummed all their hard work didn’t pay off. She didn’t even blink twice. It had nothing to do with her after all.

In May, the truth finally came out. It happened on a Thursday.

Lila had forgotten her lunch bag at home. Her mother brought it. Lila’s eyes went wide at seeing her mother and she did everything she could to get her out of the class as soon as possible.

Rose asked Mrs. Rossi, “How the meeting in Achu went?”

To which Lila’s mother replied, “A what now? I’ve never been to Achu.”

Marinette had merely leaned back in her seat to watch the fireworks.

And it was beautiful.

It was an even bet as to who had the bigger meltdown.

Mrs. Rossi: when she learned just how much her daughter had been lying; to her, to the school, to her classmates, and basically everyone she met since moving to Paris. Apparently, it wasn’t the first time and it caused a lot of trouble in the past which was why they had to move to France. Mrs. Rossi was quick to refute any rumors about celebrity meetings, traveling around the world, and ever meeting any royalty. And that Lila had no medical issues whatsoever and didn’t participate in any charity organization.

Lila: she had nearly been Akumatized when her mother started to reveal the truth. Luckily, Ladybug had been nearby to catch the little butterfly. (Marinette had just left to the bathroom, not that anyone had really noticed). The hero refuted ever knowing Lila outside of stopping her akuma forms.

And Finally Alya: who had burst into an angry rant and furious tears at being lied to. It was another near akumatization. Alya had to be physically restrained from attacking Lila once the realization hit her about her blog being discredited for lies.

A lot of the class yelled and made accusations but no reaction was nearly as extreme as the other three. Lila had taken advantage of her classmates for almost two years. They carried her books, remade plans so she could be included, took notes for her, threw parties to celebrate her newest accomplishments.

However, Marinette noted, not one of them mention the friendship they had destroyed because of their belief in Lila. She shouldn’t have been surprised.

The bluenette had long since realized she wasn’t ever as important to her ex-friends she once thought.

The entire class was still angry the next day. Lila didn’t show so vented to each other.

Marinette still sat in the back of the class, content to come up with designs to present to a nice lady who wanted a killer dress to wear to her sister’s wedding, and let the class deal with its own drama.

Unfortunately, some people didn’t get a clue.

“Marinette,” Adrien said brightly. Marinette fought not to look up at the sky and ask god why. “What do you think about the Lila situation?”

“I don’t really care,” The bluenette said. “I was done with the whole thing a while ago.”

Suddenly everyone remembered Marinette was there. Marinette who swore Lila was lying for months. Marinette who they had ostracized and exiled. Marinette who they had ignored. Marinette who had once been their friend.

Rose gasped, her hand over mouth, tears welled up in her eyes, “Marinette! I’m so sorry,” She cried.

“I can’t believe we were so mean to you,” Juleka said.

“Dudette, I had no clue what I was thinking,” Nino said.

More apologies came, each one more heartfelt than the last. Alya had been last. She looked like she had been stabbed from the pain her face. Eventually, the glasses-wearing girl cried, “I’m so sorry girl! I’ve been the worst bestie ever. I should’ve believed you over Lie-La.”

Marinette looked at her classmates, shrugged, and said, “Okay.” Then she went back to looking working.

That was it. However, clearly by the silence that came from the class. They had been expected a bigger reaction. Tears of joy and relief. Happiness to have her friends back. Anything but they got nothing.

Alya frowned, “Didn’t you hear us? We’re sorry. We should’ve trusted you, we know that now. We’ll make it up to you, we promise.”

Marinette sighed but shook her head. “No. Thank you. I don’t need you to make it up to me,” She said. “I don’t want you to make it up to me. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”

“But, but…” Rose looked around for help. “We’re friends again.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said brightly. “It can go back to the way it was.”

At that, Marinette put down her pencil. She gave the class a hard look. “Let me make this clear because I have no intention of repeating myself: we are not friends. None of you,” She gave pointed looks to her ex-friends, the longest to Adrien and Alya. “Are my friends. You were mean. You called me names. You spread nasty lies about me because Lila told them to you. You excluded me from all class activities; despite the fact that last year I did the majority of the fundraising, the planning, and the work. You hurt me. Things will not go back to the way they were. I don’t trust you. We are not friends. And we will never be friends again. No amount of apologies will change that.”

Alya went to protest, “Girl, we’re-”

Marinette interrupted her, “Just move on. I have.” Then put her headphones in until Bustier managed to get control back over the class. As far as Marinette was concerned there wasn’t anything left they could say.

…

That didn’t stop them from trying.

No one in the class seemed to believe that Marinette, their everyday Ladybug, wouldn’t forgive them. Lila had been withdrawn from school and no one knew what happened to her. And without Lila’s presence, the class was sure Marinette would have no problem moving on from the drama the Italian girl had caused.

They never even considered the fact that Marinette had never been angry at Lila. She hadn’t been happy at her lies. But she had been furious that her friends had fallen for them so easily, particularly the ones about the bluenette.

“Hey,” Alya said brightly stopping in front of Marinette’s desk the following Monday morning. She thought Marinette just needed the weekend to calm down. “All the girls are planning a slumber party at Rose’s on Friday, you in?”

“No,” Marinette said firmly. “I’m busy,” She offered politely.

And she would be “busy” every time they wanted her to do something.

Too busy to go to all the parties she had been previously excluded from. Her ex-friends still hadn’t realized Marinette had never wanted to go after she realized they just weren’t worth it anymore.

Too busy hanging out after school. Or go to Adrien’s photoshoot. (Alya just wouldn’t understand that Marinette was so done with her crush on Adrien.)

Too busy to help with the school play.

Too busy to watch Kitty Section preform.

Too busy to go play video games.

Every day, every moment they could; her ex-friends were trying to pressure her into being their friend again, hanging out with them again, forgiving them. They just wouldn’t take no for answer.

Honestly, Marinette was just done with their antics.

Particularly the incessant need to make sure Marinette was on the “big” class trip; as if they believed if Marinette went it would make up for everything.

Marinette made it clear she really, truly was way too busy to go some random beach trip. She really did have plans and she couldn’t back out of them. They were too important.

But her ex-friends kept bringing it up, with Alya leading the charge, over and over again. They didn’t care what Marinette wanted at all. And once more, Marinette was reminded why she was glad they weren’t her friends anymore.

Eventually, once again, they got the teacher involved. Bustier had so “nicely” announced in front of the class, that Marinette was more than welcome to go on the class trip with them and that they looked forward to coming along.

And as far as Marinette was concerned that was the final straw.

“I’m good,” Marinette said. “Seeing as my behavior hasn’t changed. I think its best I don’t go; right Miss Bustier? That was what you said? And obviously to you thought it was a good reason.” She reminded the teacher. Bustier flushed a pink color at being called out. “It wasn’t like you, an adult woman, caved into peer pressure from your students and a childish need to avoid confrontational situations.”

Silence from the class. No one had expected Marinette to react as she did. In their minds, she was still their “everyday ladybug”; the nicest and sweetest girl in school. The idea made Marinette scoff. Where was that mindset when Lila got ahold of them?

The bluenette glared at the teacher, the woman who should’ve never let the Lila issue get as far as it did; never let Marinette be ostracized and bullied. “I mean, you called me out in front of the entire class to tell me I couldn’t go. Not the first or last time, by the way, you did something so… crass. Not the most sensitive way either.”

“Well, I think-” Bustier had tried to say but was cut off.

Marinette wasn’t going to let her have a word in, “I’m so glad I started to record lesson last year, for you know notes? You know after that expulsion incident? I worried about what I’d miss. It made it so easy for my parents to understand why I was excluded from class events because they could watch it. I mean I have months and months of video evidence they just… loved. They got to see exactly what this class is like on an everyday basis, and exactly how you run it. So did our lawyer, who seemed rather interested in my school. It turns out that physically harming, via tripping or pushing them into walls as you walked by just hard enough for it to hurt. Or destroying private property; like a phone, spilling water on a laptop, or sketchbooks filled with work for commissions. Or verbally bullying someone. Or sending horrible texts daily, all of which I saved and printed out, can be considered harassment. Which is illegal and the perpetrators involved could face criminal charges as well as be sued for the destruction of said property and for emotional ramifications I suffered. But a teacher would never let anything like that happen in front of them so it wouldn’t be on any of the videos I have, right?”

She let the words fill the room. Bustier had paled dramatically and looked ready to faint. The rest of the students who had taken to bullying Marinette instead of ignoring her looked sick. Marinette had no sympathy for any of them. They got themselves into this mess.

Marinette shook her head, “I asked them to chill for now because you’re the teacher. You did what you did for a reason. It’s not like you’d shirk your responsibilities on the class representative. Or force some poor student to be a model example and mediator for all class issues. Or god forbid, cater to the bullies and blame the victim; allow one of your students to be verbally and physically harassed daily. The videos I have surely would never show anything like that; let alone prove it in a court of law… No matter what my lawyer says. But again, you don’t have to tell me why.” Marinette already knew why after all. And she was so done with Bustier. “You had to have had a good reason. Otherwise, I would have to take this to the school board. And a judge in a court of law. And see if you can explain it to them. Maybe I’ll even send them to my mom’s best friend Nadja so she can put them on her show and the world can see too. And we can find out what everyone thinks of you and your teaching methods.”

The threat was clear to all.

Bustier better back off. Or Marinette would make her back off.

The teacher only had to slip once, and she was done for.

“Enjoy the trip,” The bluenette smiled cheerfully, in a way that reminded them eerily how she used to smile at them when Marinette was still their friend; still their “everyday Ladybug”. But instead of bringing warmth as it used to, all they felt was shivers. “It might our last one altogether. After all, who knows where we’ll all be in September. May be separated into different classes. Or different schools. With the way Damocles expels students with no procedure whatsoever, you never know. Or have a new teacher. We can only guess. I think its best if we just… leave things alone. With the way things are, if you push, you might get pushed back… right off a cliff.”

Marinette was done playing games.

When the class left for their “big” trip, Marinette had finally let out a sigh of relief. Next, she was so transferring to Mendeleiev’s class.

She was done with Bustier’s class.

While the students of Bustier’s class were playing at the beach and plotting their next move to get Marinette to forgive them, Marinette was fulfilling one of her biggest dreams.

The bluenette did have for her online runway show. She had spent weeks and weeks promoting it on her website. Aurore, some of the fashion club, and other rising Instagram models walked the runway in Marinette’s new line. Jagged hosted. It hadn’t been Marinette’s idea, but Jagged complained to Penny when Marinette turned him down the first time and Penny talked to Marinette.

Chloe made a deal to her mother to watch the runaway show to review in exchange for Chloe being one of the models. Again, Marinette expressed concerns but couldn’t turn down the chance of Style Queen seeing her clothes.

Marc helped designed the runway; to give it an artistic, futuristic, edgy look. Claude brought in a smoke machine and his laser machine that the used for his short films to make everything really pop.

Clara Nightingale let Marinette use her music as the runway music. The superstar performed a song during the show and promoted it on her social media feed in exchange for a few custom pieces and Marinette getting Ladybug to do some selfies with her. (Tikki had to be bribed with an entire tray of chocolate chip cookies, and to be left alone with the TV in Marinette’s room for the night; something about finally catching up on Game of Thrones.) Marinette was quick to agree. Though Jagged had been in a huff until Marinette agreed to let him close out the show.

The world took notice, albeit mostly because of Jagged and Clara. But Audrey, the Style Queen herself, had raved about how cutting edge it was. She claimed that an underground, exclusive, fashion show was the new big thing in fashion. The clothes were marvelous too. All in all, MDC’s runway was exciting, sophisticated, and fresh, just like her new line.

Not long after Style Queen’s review posted, the orders had come flying in on her website. Everyone who was anyone seemed to NEED to be seen wearing the MDC brand.

Marinette had smiled ear to ear for the rest of the weekend. She looked forward to what the future would bring.

It was a new day.

Which was great because…

Marinette was so done with yesterday.

#ml fic #ml salt fic #ml salt #Marinette deserves better #marinette dupain cheng #class salt #alya salt #A bit of Adrien salt

4K notes · View notes

whumpzone · 3 years

Note

Can you write a story where Rowe's cleaning in the attic/closet/basement and he accidentally bumps into a shelf and made a heavy box fall on him and knock him out and Tomas comes running to check on him only to see Rowe unconscious on the ground and takes him back to his room and takes care of him, while Rowe is slowly waking up and apologizing and crying profusely and Tomas is comforting him while dabbing his face gently with a wet wash cloth.

Ohh! Now I've got whumperflies!

thank you for this lovely prompt, anon! it’s not 100% the same, but i really hope you like it!

“Now, you’re sure you won’t get scared? Because I could- I could go up. Instead.” Master Tomas sounded wholly unconvincing. Rowe nodded, and gave him a small smile. They both knew that the attic contained spiders.

“I won’t get scared, Master, I promise,” he said softly.

Master exhaled and put a hand to his heart. “Thank you, Rowe. I know you’re the man for the job.”

Rowe felt his cheeks flush. I’m the man for the job. He held onto the thin ladder and climbed up.

The attic was cramped, barely waist height, but Rowe was small, so he wasn’t overly bothered. The tapes were apparently in a box marked, well, VHS TAPES, and Master hadn’t even asked if Rowe would know how to read it. He just trusted him. It made Rowe feel very proud, although he was cautious to admit that even to himself.

He looked around, shining the small torch Master had dug out for him, and the clutter comforted him. It was empty darkness he hated. Cold, empty nothingness, with no guarantee that his owner would ever come back, would even remember to feed him, slowly losing track of the days and being too dehydrated to cry-

Rowe shook his head and pressed on, shuffling easily along on his hands and knees. He was good at this. A spider hung from an impressive web above him. Beyond it, sandwiched between half a dozen other boxes, sat the one he was looking for. Hm.

Holding the torch between his teeth, he decided to try and wriggle it out. The boxes above it looked heavy, and if he could avoid shifting them all, he would. Besides, this way Master wouldn’t be kept waiting so long. The box was wedged in tightly, so Rowe pulled on it harder, and harder-

. . .

Tomas, who had been idling on his phone, heard the unmistakeable sound of Rowe crying out, and a sickening thud.

“Rowe, pal? Rowe?” he called, not waiting for an answer before going up. He could see the torch, rolling across the dusty floor, Rowe’s body illuminated in the cold light. “Rowe?”

No answer. Tomas kept his eyes firmly on him as he made his way over; it would be too easy to follow the cobwebs up to the roof beams and see something he really didn’t want to see.

Rowe had found the tapes, then. Tomas knew Rowe enough to know that, even with him being knocked out, he’d feel ten times worse knowing he’d failed his task. So he took the one he wanted and tucked it into his back pocket, as he took Rowe under the armpits and hauled him from the attic.

Lying Rowe down on his bed, Tomas softly carded his fingers through his hair, looking for any terrible injuries, but it seemed Rowe had only suffered a bump to the head. He was already starting to stir, so Tomas nipped to the bathroom quickly to get a wet cloth- the best remedy for just about any injury, according to his mother.

. . .

Master Tomas was the first thing Rowe saw when he opened his eyes. In his drowsy, half-awake state, his mind went straight to survival mode. His Master was wasting time on him. He was lying down, when he had chores to do. He couldn’t quite think straight.

The feeling of a damp cloth pressed against his temple momentarily soothed him, but, but it was more kindness! Kindness that he would have to earn. Weakly, he tried to sit up, but his body ignored him.

“Mm, ‘m sorry,” he gasped. Master looked at him with a frown.

“Welcome back to reality, pal. What are you sorry for?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m w-w-wasting your time, I should- I should get up,” he tried again in vain to move, but Master’s firm hand against his sternum kept him still.

“No, stay and lie down, it’s okay,” Master ordered, and Rowe went limp as he submitted. He was stretched out on his- the bed Master let him sleep on. His head was fuzzy. He felt vulnerable, and exposed, and even though all Master Tomas was doing was dabbing his forehead and telling him to stay still, Rowe still felt like a trapped animal.

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry,” he babbled. “P-please forgive me, Master. Please.”

“It’s okay, it’s all okay,” Master said, looking deeply in Rowe’s eyes. Rowe realised he was looking back- making eye contact with Master!- far too late. He quickly lowered his eyes and hoped Master wouldn’t punish him for that, too.

“You had to- had to come and get m-me.”

“Pssh, I was fine. I was brave,” Master flashed him a playful grin. There didn’t… look like there was any malice to it. “It’s you who’s had an accident. You poor thing, Rowe.”

Why did Master care? Rowe couldn’t understand it. “I’m f-f-fine, I can still work, can still b-be useful. Please d-don’t trouble yourself over your Pet, Master.”

Master’s frown deepened. Oh god- was Rowe even allowed to speak? He could hardly remember. Master lifted a hand to Rowe’s face, and he flinched away unforgivably. All that Master did, though, was tap his forehead lightly. “You sure your brain didn’t get a bit scrambled, pal? I’m just making sure your little head’s okay.”

“Hh, n-no, please M-Master, please I h-h-haven’t earned it…”

“Okay, I think you’re a bit confused. You haven’t talked about earning things for a while now. Do you remember my name, pal?”

“Master- Master- Master Tomas.” The words didn’t want to come out.

“Okay, that’s good. Do you know where you are?”

“Home, I’m h-home, Master.”

Master’s face softened as he continued to dab at Rowe’s forehead. “Well, that’s definitely true. I’ll get you a glass of water, I think.”

Master returned with the glass, insisting he had earned it, and held Rowe’s head up as he drank. His hand felt sure against the top of his spine.

A few minutes passed, and Rowe’s head began clearing up. Master never made him earn his gentle treatment, really, did he? Rowe felt ashamed for forgetting so easily. He was allowed to make eye contact. He was allowed to speak. Master wasn’t quick to anger. He was kind, unreasonably so but still, and his kindness was always real. As the confusion left him, so did the fear. It was quite amazing, to feel it melt away so quickly. He was lying down, and Master Tomas was perched halfway down the bed, holding the half-drank glass of water. Rowe looked at him and smiled.

“Master, I tried- I thought I could get the box out, but some of the ones on top of it fell onto me, so I-“

“You didn’t manage to get this?” Master smiled, holding up the tape. “I nabbed it while I was gallantly rescuing you.”

“Th-thank you,” Rowe said, almost breathlessly. “That’s great, thank you M-Master, thank you.”

Master reached over and ruffled his hair, and this time Rowe flinched only a tiny bit. “You were still the man for the job, Rowe. You found them. Well done.”

“What’s on the tape, Master?”

“Me as a little kid. I thought it might make for an entertaining watch. I had even more impressive curls as a toddler, you know.”

Nothing sounded better. Rowe could see what it was like to grow up as a person. What a normal family was like. The thought of sitting on the sofa and watching it with Master made him feel normal, too.

tagging since i’ve judged this long enough to deserve it: @sola-whumping @just-another-whumper @misspelledwitch @looptheloup @briars7 @black-polarf @zipadeedooda-drabbles @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @rosesareviolentlyread @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @jazz-0307 @kestrelsparverius @whumpsy-daisies @whumpersworld @memoriesneverforget @sky-or-something-idfk @ghostcomit @cupcakes-and-pain @frankieswhump @ihaventwritteninsolong @mybrokenlittletoy @kiretto-laorentze @morelikepainsley @lave-e @tears-and-lilies @whump-me-all-night-long @newbornwhumperfly @itaina-anta @whump-it @haro-whumps @simplygrimly @alex-ember @rippedjeansandfadeddreams @mnmlover2002 @thekatastrophic @princessofonward @xmonster-under-the-bed @as-a-matter-of-whump @5boys1house @crystalrainwing @starnight-whump

#pet whump #tomas and rowe #asks #anon #aka rowe has the worlds fastest healing concussion lol

117 notes · View notes

sideblogformindtrash · 3 years

Text

CW: pet/slave whumpee; self-harm; mentioning insects and spiders. Nothing bad happens is just the state of mind and the environment tbh.

I wrote the fluff <3

It’s being a good day. He really liked when Master took him outside, especially when they went to these nature-filled places, where there were no other people, just animals and trees and flowers. He felt like he could breathe in places like these, at least for a moment.

Master liked it too. He was on his cheerful child-like mood today. Haru liked to see him like that, in stark contrast to his usual blank, sad calmness.

So Haru follows Master. The path is long, but Master is walking slowly so he can follow we no trouble. Master is gathering herbs and often stops to get something, so he can even take time to just… Appreciate the world around him.

There so much small, new, beautiful things. So many flowers he has never seen, curious leaves and fungi, and even insects that are nice and colorful and make pretty sounds. He even likes the spiders! He hated them when he was stuck on the cellar, but here, they looked actually beautiful, in their sun-kissed webs.

Speaking of which, he closes his eyes, taking in the fresh air and letting the rays of sunlight that filter through the trees reach him. Sun is normally too aggressive for his skin, but like this, on a place so fresh and shaded, it’s fine and comforting.

Master stopped again, plucking something off the ground. Alright, Haru had some time here then. Tiny pink flowers… A colorful beetle… Mossy tree. And… Oh.

There was a tiny little thing in the corners of a tree root, trembling… So scared and lots. He clutched his hands and scooped the baby bird out of the ground. It didn’t even had proper feathers yet, only soft plumage and eyes so full of fear.

…Alright, baby birds stayed in nests right? He looked around, pressing he baby bird against his chest with one hand and absent mindedly chewing the nails on the other, even forgetting Master had told him not to. He did find it… But it was so high, he wouldn’t reach it…

“Haru?” He clutched the bird, hiding it against his chest by sheer instinct. But wasn’t that Master was after… He gently grabbed his other hand, pulling it off his mouth “Be careful not to chew your nails, dear. Look, it’s almost on the roots… Did… Did something made you nervous?”

He thought for a moment, looking for a threat on Master’s face, but there was none. He seemed concerned. He breathed deeply, and slowly revealed the small bird. He looked up to Master, hopeful.

“Oh… I see. It fell off the nest.” Haru pointed at it, Master followed his direction and frowned “It’s a bit too high up dear… I think we can’t really help it.”

Haru shook his head, lifting the bird a bit, as if to say... Just... Just look at it. He didn’t want to leave it be. It would die on the ground.

“…You know this is just… nature” Master shrugged, with sad eyes “…It’s not always fair. But it can’t be. Things wouldn’t work if it was.”

He looked at it. So small… Fragile and helpless. He couldn’t Just leave it to die! He felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes, the little thing trembling in his hands.

“Oh no, no, no, no please don’t cry” Master said. He sobbed, and swallowed the sadness the best he could. “Alright, alright. I can’t say no to you like this… I’ll put it back on the nest okay? Just please, don’t cry”

He leaned closer, resting his head on Master’s chest, trying to give him his best ‘thank-you’ look. He would later write it, but now he had the bird. Master messed with his hair, cleaned his tear.

“Ok…parkour” Master said, but seemed to be talking to himself.

…Carefully, he climbed around the trees, trying to find a safe path. Once he was on the same branch as the nest, he let his body tumble down, holding himself only with his legs.

“Alright, pass me the bird”

He raised the little thing, Master scooped it with his hands. As soon as Master touched it… It started to scream, as loudly as it could. So far it had been scared, trembling and small… But now, it seemed to go in hysterics, even trying to bite. Haru’s eyes widened… But it took only a moment for Master to put him on the Nest and jump down, falling swiftly on the trail.

“…I hope It’s okay. I’m not sure the parents will come back now that I touched it, but...” he sighs, shaking his hands now full of small red mark “Animals don’t like me very much, as you can see.”

Haru leaned forward, grabbing Master’s hands between his, looking at the red marks. Then… He realized he had just grabbed his Master, and backed away against the mossy tree, gasping. Right after Master had done something for him – and even got hurt doing it…

“Hey, Hey. It’s okay. Don’t be scared. I knew this would happen. It’s not even bleeding, it will be fine soon” Master gives him a reassuring smile “…And look, now that bird will survive, you saved it.”

He messed with Haru’s hair, waiting a second as he just… tries to Breathe. Haru tries to smile, uncertain… But it seems to be fine, as Master smiles back and nods.

“Come, we aren’t far now. There is a waterfall there, I think you’ll find it nice. Have you ever seen one?”

He shook his head and hesitantly followed. Master smiled and offered his hand again. He took it, glancing a final time to the nest. The parents seemed to be back now, cheerfully singing in the branches.

tagging: @whump-me-all-night-long @cupcakes-and-pain @whumpzone @twistedcaretaker

#whump #oc whump #whump writing #orfeu and haru #I dont trust birds at all :)#it seems that they are always judging you

70 notes · View notes

cupcakemolotov · 3 years

Text

Wild Hunt

I think I promised @goldcaught a Klaroline Fae fic years ago. This one has been in the works for a while, let's not talk dates, but 2020 definitely slowed production down. I promise, the second half will not sit languishing in my WIP for too long! The biggest, most heartfelt thank you to Kiry, who has been both a cheerleader and a kick in the pants as needed to get this thing on track to being finished. Kiry doesn't sleep, but I can't complain too much, since they have kindly listened to me complain until the wee hours of the morning. (And also my girl @klarolinedrabbles who saw a super early version of this and was kind enough to be encouraging.)

Edit; And I failed to tag @kirythestitchwitch directly, but you know, today was a trip.

A couple of notes to avoid confusion:

Fae: A word used in this fic to generally reference a type of European mythological beings. Sean O'Connell: Cami O'Connell's Twin.

Synopsis: Killing Tyler Lockwood starts a chain of events that put Caroline exactly where she's always dreaded and longed to be: in the arms of Klaus Mikaelson.

Warnings: Alternate Universe; Alternate Universe - FaeAlternate; Universe - Soulmates; Fae!Caroline; hybrid!Klaus; Minor Character Death; Blood and Gore; Mild Gore; Implied/Referenced; Torture; Psychological Torture; Canon-Typical Violence; Compulsion; Blood and Injury; Blood Drinking

Hand pressed tightly against her side, Caroline took several careful breaths, her lungs burning and her pulse a steady thump in her ears. Her senses were hyper alert, magic straining to catch the faintest hint of a disturbance. All around her, humans slept soft and cozy in their beds, and the night had gone quite. As the silence continued to hold, she allowed herself to relax, letting the cold of the concrete at her spine cool her flushed and fever warm skin. For the moment, she was safe.

Reaching up, she rubbed her breastbone, lips curling into a small, pleased smile at the burn. Her father was angry. If she survived the night, that alone would make the pain of her injury worth it. Thankfully, the knife wound felt like it had finally stopped seeping, and her glamour would hide the blood. It was the iron poison that was going to cause her complications. The black spider web crawling up the line of her ribcage hadn’t made it close to her heart, she was her mother’s daughter too, but it weakened her all the same.

It left her in a magical disadvantage.

Grimacing as her phone buzzed silently in her pocket, she pressed a little further into the concrete behind her and looked around. There was nothing to suggest her cousins had been able to track her, though that was just a matter of time. Thankfully, even suffering from iron, she had enough control of her magic to hide the glow from her phone, though she didn’t quite dare to risk more.

Not yet.

Pulling it free from her pocket, she winced at the number of missed calls and quickly scanned the texts that had accumulated.

Bonnie (12:45 AM): Hello???

Bonnie (12:46 AM): You’re not dead.

Bonnie (12:46): Are you ignoring me?

Bonnie (1:10 AM): I swear, I’ll put Enzo on a plane. With the time differences, he’ll be there before dawn.

Bonnie (1:10 AM): Then you’ll have to listen to him complain about airplane food while he tries to kill people.

Bonnie (1:11 AM): I might do it anyway. I could use the alone time.

Wincing, because Bonnie Bennett did not bluff, she hurriedly tapped out a response.

Caroline (1:11 AM): I’m alive.

Bonnie (1:11 AM): What happened?

Caroline (1:11 AM): It was a trap.

Bonnie (1:11 AM): How bad?

Caroline: (1:12 AM): I’ve mostly stopped bleeding and Tyler is dead.

Very dead. She’d made sure of it. There was a lot someone like her father would do with a dead body, so she’d made a point to separate his head from his body so he couldn’t be resurrected. Baba Yaga spells were rare and costly, but if anyone could get their hands on one, it would be her father. It was why she’d then dumped her stash of holy water on the body and then carefully dusted him in iron shavings, rendering his body and his blood unusable.

The little dots below her conversation on her messenger app popped up and died several times, and Caroline closed her eyes, letting her head fall back as she waited for Bonnie’s response. She’d know that coming to Chicago was a risk, for a number of reasons, but even at her most pessimistic she wasn’t sure she could have guessed just what she’d find here.

What could possibly have led Tyler to be so desperate that he would trust her father? Tyler, who was one of the few people who knew the truth of her origin, who had hugged her when she’d said goodbye and told her he would always care about her. Tyler, whose blood she now wore beneath her nails, who had stabbed her with an iron knife and who had died with hate in eyes.

Her phone buzzed and she glanced down.

Bonnie (1:13 AM): Klaus is in Chicago.

Caroline stared at her phone, surprise and a shot of adrenaline leaving her momentarily breathless. Klaus. Here. In Chicago. The city where Bill had set up his most recent plots, where Tyler had attempted to betray everything that had once made him a good man. Sliding her teeth along her lip, she very carefully typed her reply, her fingers shaking.

Caroline (1:14 AM): You said he was in London for the next month. What changed?

Bonnie (1:15AM): I don’t know.

Bonnie (1:16 AM): Do you need an exit?

Bonnie (1:16 AM): He owes me.

Caroline was shaking her head even before she started typing. Being anywhere near Klaus was a terrible idea, and Bonnie knew that. That her friend would never make the offer unless she thought it necessary left dread sitting low in her stomach.

Caroline (1:16 AM): What’s got you spooked?

Bonnie (1:17 AM): Someone is blocking my scrying spells.

Caroline (1:17 AM): Bill?

Bonnie (1:17 AM): If we’re lucky. We both know what it means if we’re not.

Caroline’s fingers tightened on her phone case, her pulse loud in her ears. Bonnie was right. Very, very few things blocked her from seeing what she wanted to see. Bill could do it thanks to the blood bind but it wasn’t easy, and he never managed it for long periods of time. Grams probably could have done it. But the list of powerful witches who remained alive in the United States after the purging of New Orleans was short.

There was only one reason Bill would use the blood connection between them to block out any outside magic from interfering tonight. She hadn’t just pissed her father off, she’d actively disrupted his plans, and thanks to Bonnie’s magical brilliance, he couldn’t track her easily. But there was another way to drag her to a Fairy Court, and she would have to move very quickly to avoid it.

Baring her teeth in a mimicry of a smile, she gave herself a moment to feel a sharp burst of satisfaction. She had a list on her phone of her father’s potential means of retaliation, and Wild Hunt was right there at the top as the worst possible outcome, but it also meant Tyler must have been far more integral to his plans than she’d guessed. Even knowing that her chances of survival had just taken a serious dip, it did little to dim her pleasure. If she was very, very lucky her father’s precious Queen would feel the need to take out his failure on him directly.

A girl could hope.If she survived the night, she was going to find a fancy bottle of wine and pick up a cupcake. Maybe two cupcakes. She deserved the mini-celebration.

Caroline (1:20AM): I spotted half a dozen of my cousins tonight. I don’t know who holds their allegiance but it probably won’t matter. If Bill is super pissed, he’ll call them all.

Bonnie (1:21 AM): Fuck.

Bonnie (1:21 AM): If it goes bad, don’t be an idiot. Use Klaus.

Caroline (1:21 AM): No.

Caroline (1:22 AM): Favor or not, I killed his hybrid. He doesn’t strike me as forgiving.

Bonnie (1:22 AM): He’s not.

Bonnie (1:23 AM): You don’t have to tell him.

Caroline (1:23 AM): Uh huh. I’ll call you when I’m safe. 🤦😘❤️🏃

Shoving her phone back into her pocket, Caroline exhaled slowly at the bite that was her warning that her magic was nearly tapped dry. Giving herself another half-a-dozen heart beats to celebrate her first major victory, she turned her mind to her problem at hand.

Bonnie had good reason to be worried. It had been almost thirty years since the Queens had summoned a wild hunt to drag one of the half-Fae home for punishment. Bill had made a point to tell her in great details the torture that had awaited her cousin, the way the Queen had plucked his body and his mind apart for his treachery.

Caroline doubted she had become enough of a problem that the Queens would send the hunt, which meant that Bill would be expending a great deal of power to collect her. Her lips twisted, finger tapping silently against the side of her phone. Fae magic was powerful, and so was her father, but it could be circumvented. She needed to concentrate on that, put together her plan.

Pissing her father off twice in one night would normally be her highest priority, but instead what she wanted to think about was the message Bonnie had given her.

Klaus Mikaelson was in Chicago.

Anticipation was a tantalizing thrill in her veins. She’d hoped the truth of New Orleans would have helped her grow out of her strange obsession. Instead, it left her wanting to know more. It was a struggle, when all she had to do was text Bonnie and ask for a location. She could then finally indulge in the bone deep curiosity that had been part of her life for as long as she could remember. Maybe figure out the cause of her obsession with a monster she’d never met.

She might’ve, if only doing so tonight wouldn’t put everyone she cared about in danger.

Caroline slid her lip between her teeth, letting the small hurt ground her. If she thought her father hated her enough to call down a Wild Hunt now, exposing the Fae’s secrets to Klaus would make his rage burn even more bitterly. She’d honestly have done it years ago out of spite if such a move would only put her in the crosshairs of the courts, but it wouldn’t.

Bonnie and Enzo would also be marked.

The High Courts currently considered her rebellion to be a family matter, though one Bill was unable to control adequately. She could not risk a Queen deciding she was her enemy in truth, not yet. Not when she was so close to figuring out how to banish her father permanently to the otherside of the Veil.

She’d be thrilled to just killing him, but she long since accepted that might not be possible. Tyler had been right, when he’d called her a monster. When he’d called all of them monsters. He just hadn’t understood that for all of the terrible things in this world that there were worse fate’s hidden behind the veil in between the worlds, horrors lovingly encouraged in Underhill that could break a human mind merely with their existence.

Earth had pushed the Fae back with their iron and religion all those years ago, had sealed the veil with witch magic, and humanity considered themselves victorious. But the truth was all they had done was defer the fight for the territory the Fae claimed as theirs to own to a different day.

The Fae hadn’t forgotten humanity nor had they forgiven them for their defeat. Banished behind magic, the Fae watched and watched and hungered. They had waited for the time that they had truly passed into myth, until the world forgot how to defeat them with a dangerous patience. But the nature of the Fae was as capricious as it was violent, and not all agreed on waiting.

Some had altered their plans and plotted a different course of action.

The Great Experiment.

Caroline supposed she should be grateful for that impatience, it was the reason for her existence, but all she could muster just then was a familiar anger. For six hundred years, members of the High Courts had mingled their blood among humans, hoping to breed children with resistance to both iron and the religion, the tools that had locked them away from the world that had once been theirs. And their plan had produced some success, though not always how they had hoped.

She was one such success.

Elizabeth Forbes had never been comfortable with her half-Fae child, but she’d also refused to abandon her to a world filled with monsters. Instead, she’d taught her daughter the good and the bad of humanity, had shown her the world as it was and what it could be. Her father saw her as a tool, a means to an end. Her mother’s love had been gruff and uneasy, but she’d tried.

She would never, ever forget that.

Or forgive Bill for her death.

Caroline had defied her father and his magic, had pitted herself against his will as she vowed vengeance for killing the one thing she’d ever claimed as her own. Her mother.

Hunting Bill required care and a meticulous eye for detail, and a particular stubbornness she had in spades. His magic was more powerful than hers, but he had always underestimated his only child by Liz, brushed her off as not powerful or clever enough for his schemes. It’s been a deliberate decision of hers to hide what she was capable of, hoping that such a ploy would save her mother. Now, she used her magic against him with the same ruthlessness he had taught her as a child.

But she was just one half-breed among hundreds, and so she’d learned to be careful. She wasn’t even the most powerful of those born on this side of the veil and underhanded ambush tactics had always served her better than brute force. A disruption there, a few dozen murder’s here. Just enough to skew her father’s chessboard while she worked to uncover the truth of his plotting. The fewer of her cousins who were able to carry out the will of her father and his fellow full blooded Fae’s plots, the safer humanity was from a terrible strike.

But she couldn’t kill them all, though she’d certainly tried. Her family did not die easily, and magic lingered in places of terrible violence like fingerprints. Each kill was a risk that could lead to her death. Over the years, it’s become clear that if she wanted to destroy her fathers plots, she couldn’t do it alone. The tie that connected them, the thread that burned so clearly now in her chest with her father’s rage, meant that she’d never be truly safe from him. Blood ties were not easily broken.

But Caroline knew witches, so she’d returned home, to the place where the only people she trusted still lived. Tyler had already been gone by then, lost in his need for vengeance, but Bonnie had been there, lingering in the ashes of conquest almost as if she’d been waiting.

It was then that Caroline had learned that humanity's greatest monster had become its potential savior. That the true potential of Ester’s terrible offspring had finally been unlocked. Klaus Mikaelson had broken his curse.

Her fingers curled into her palms, the strange, bone-deep curiosity that ground her joints together every time she thought of his name a familiar sensation. Klaus had broken his strange Sun and Moon curse in the forest she knew so well, had cut a bloody path through everyone who tried to oppose him, and laid the foundations for the army of hybrids he was determined to build. His perfect army that feared neither sun nor death and were unnaturally loyal.

Hybrids that Bonnie had helped create.

Her best friend rarely spoke of the events that led to the creation of the hybrids, refusing to give Caroline even the smallest detail of how a hybrid was made. Even tucked away in her home in Maine twenty years later, hidden by both Fae and witch magic. Caroline might not have the hows involved, but she knew the whys.

It all circled back to Bill.

Liz hadn’t been the only causality of her father’s hunger for power, just the first in their small town. Murdering Sheila Bennett had been a mistake in that it had set Bonnie against Bill, but it fit the pattern Caroline was starting to see in her father’s plans. Liz had been human, but one whose family had been deeply entrenched in the supernatural for generations. Sheila Bennett had been powerful, but she’d been born of the witch line that had created the Otherside. Gram’s had made sure her death had cost Bill, but it hadn’t been enough to stop his plans as Tyler’s presence tonight had proven.

Sometimes, Caroline wondered why Bonnie didn’t hate her. Bill was a scourge that returned time and time again, because her blood allowed it. Maybe if she’d been stronger they’d have been able to protect their families. But what she couldn’t protect, she could avenge.

Bonnie had agreed to help. Had been working on her own plans for years. The first real foothold into Bill’s master plan had been with the Augustine Society. Bonnie had been watching them for months before Caroline’s return, humans who had relentlessly experimented on vampires. They’d staged a rescue for the vampire that had been imprisoned, and it had been Enzo who had known of Tyler.

Tyler who had been the first of Klaus’ successful hybrids, whose loyalty was a shaky thing despite whatever magic bound him to his maker. Her childhood sweetheart who yearned for freedom from the yolk he had chosen. It’d taken months to go through the society’s notes they’d managed to save, to dig into the texts they had been experimenting with.

They’d known so much but understood so little.

But one thing had become crystal clear.

Bill was trying to bring down the Veil. Not unexpected, as most of the Fae worked to destroy it. But Bill also worked to understand what had led to the banishment of the Fae, so he could break it better.

It had been humans, werewolves and witches who had originally created the veil, blocking the Fae Lords from returning in great numbers after their banishment, forcing them to squeeze through cracks when the veil between worlds was thin or use now defunct gates. When iron had slowly lost its grip on the world, they might have managed more but for Qetsiyah.

Bonnie’s ancestor had been clever. When she’d bound the otherside, trapping Amara in stone and Silas forever out of her reach, she’d sunk the power of those souls into the Veil between humanity and the Fae, creating a second anchor. An additional failsafe to guarantee that no Supernatural would be so foolish as to undo her work.

Witch. Vampire. Werewolf. Hybrid. When they died, they were shuffled into Qetsiyah’s chosen afterlife, and their souls protected humanity. Humans were spared that fate, but their very existence acted a detriment to the Fae, as it was humanity who embraced iron.

The fastest way to destroy the Veil would be to free Silas. For a while, she and Bonnie had worried that he would succeed. But no one knew where Qetsiyah had hidden Silas’ body, and for all of her father’s attempts to restart Silas’ little cult, he’d always failed. The last real surge in members had ended when they’d been slaughtered, setting her father back decades.

The only other way to destroy what Qetsiyah had put into place would be to destroy the Veil at the root. And while no one understood the magic that had cast out the Fae so many years ago, her father didn’t need to understand the magic of the Veil to break it. He just needed dominion over it. But that was no easy task. Humans and witches could be bribed or fooled. Werewolves hovered at the brink of extinction. But the children of Esther, the hybrids that now walked the earth, defied every master but one. And so her father gathered his pieces and worked to subjugate Klaus’ creations in secret.

Caroline had tried to save Tyler.

She’d tried to talk him out of the part that Bill needed him to play. He’d refused. And the betrayal had burned like acid in her gut.

It had been Tyler, who had helped her dig Elizabeth Forbes’ grave. Her friend who had given her his gloves when her palms started to bleed, had said nothing when her tears had made her clumsy. It had been Tyler who sat with her and Bonnie, listening as Grams told them of the dangers in the world after Caroline had announced she was leaving. But her friend had died long before Caroline had killed him.

She shivered in the wind.

She knew Klaus played his part in that. It was impossible not to. It had been because of Tyler that she’d ended up in New Orleans, after all. The whispers of the destruction of the city, of how entire witch lines had been lost to madness and death had not adequately captured the horror of it. She’d seen what Klaus had left behind: werewolf packs left in ruin, the survivors turned and bound to his will. Broken witches and terror ridden vampires.

But rarely death. Klaus was not so kind to let his true enemies escape him in such a way. Instead, his wake left behind living ghosts. At least in this, she had done her best by her old friend. Whatever had driven him, whatever horror he had witnessed that had turned him so fully against her, she hoped he could find peace from it now.

She wasn’t so sure she’d be so lucky. Klaus was a spector in her life that she didn’t know if she could escape. And tonight, she’d killed his first hybrid. She grimaced. Klaus would not take to that news kindly. Best if she was long gone when he learned of it.

She wondered if she could manage it. She already felt the pull in her chest, the need to see, to touch, burning through her. It has always been like this. When Grams had first mentioned his name all those years ago, she’d felt the smallest of pulls, a jolt of curiosity. A tug she couldn’t explain. And everytime she thought his name, every time she heard another whisper of the night terrors he created, the tug to search him out grew stronger.

She’d deliberately chosen to look for those horrors once, hoping the truth of his nature would terrify her into running away. Instead, the monster that she had cultivated since she was seventeen and covered in her mother’s blood had approved. The more she learned, the more she wanted to know.

It was why she’d helped Bonnie disappear. Whatever happened between her and Klaus, she was determined to protect her friends from the fall out of it. But she was not the only Fae who hunted for information about Klaus, and Bonnie Bennet had helped create his hybrids.

Her people would destroy Bonnie, if they learned that truth. That a witch from Qetsiyah’s line had once again worked great magic against them would light the fires of their impotent rage for a long, long time. As long as Klaus and his hybrids roamed the earth, it made their chances of winning a war that much harder.

Fae magic was powerful, but given forced limitations by the rules they had to follow. Klaus and his creations were bound by no such things. And they were swallowing the world.

It had been nearly five years since the first hint of a hybrid returning to the US since New Orleans had raced through the Supernatural community. Over the decades, the US communities had watched from a distance as Klaus had bent Europe to his will, his creations breaking across city after city like a wave, choking out any dissent in their paths.

London, Paris, Milan. They all fell at Klaus’ feet with little more than a whimper.

The first real sign of his return had been when he turned New Orleans into a witches' graveyard, and then his gaze had turned to Chicago. Her father was no fool, he had to have known that Klaus had made this city the seat of his power in the States. Bill was far too cunning to risk catching Klaus’ attention unless he had a plan, and not knowing the exact details of what that plan was worried her.

Though she could guess part of it.

A sharp whistle cut through the air, and Caroline’s gaze cut along the rigid angles and sharply jutting corners of the builders around her, but she maintained her hiding place. She had no intention of being flushed out of cover like a bird they intended to net but she needed to come up with a plan.

Glancing at her watch, she grimaced.

It was nearly two in the morning.

If her father had chosen to call a Wild Hunt, she had roughly sixty minutes until the witching hour of three A.M. struck, and the Hunt was let loose. The blood tie to her father might have eroded to the point that he could no longer use it to force her obedience, but they had never managed to break it entirely. Fae magic was tricky. Blood ties more so. Instead, Bonnie had done her best to cloud it, to thin the connection to a single, potent thread.

A Wild Hunt would cut through the witch magic hiding her and return her to her father. Caroline was certain the only reason Bill hadn’t tried to do such a thing before was because of the cost. Calling a Hunt took a great deal of personal power. She would only have one shot of slipping away, and the risk of being caught by her father’s soldiers was dangerously high.

Klaus was in Chicago.

Her fingers clenched, and Caroline put her phone away. She wouldn’t risk Bonnie or Enzo by going to Klaus, not yet. Not with Tyler’s blood fresh on her hands. But that didn’t mean she still couldn’t use his presence in the city to her advantage. In a game of half-breeds, it always came down to who was the better gambler.

Supernatural cities always had seedy vampire nightclubs and supernatural friendly bars littered throughout. When Klaus had taken over Chicago, he had commandeered several for his own use. But there was one club in particular that she’d pinned down as potentially being part of his stomping grounds; the number of bodies that were secretly removed from the club gave credence to her theory, though she supposed it could just be a place that attracted excess stupidity.

If she was going to have a chance tonight, she needed to go into that club and stay just long enough to let the scent of mingling supernaturals hide her trail so she could slip away undetected and find a place she could hide from the magic seeking her. If she was lucky, Klaus’ potential presence would act as a deterrent.

It was a risk.

Not only because she needed to keep her own blood-lust in check, but because she had never before let herself venture close enough to Klaus to risk catching a single glimpse of him. She was magically exhausted and wounded, the slow crawl of thirst thick in her throat, and her bones ached with the insistent need that made no logical sense.

She would have to be so very careful. Still, for now, her glamour was holding. Setting her teeth, Caroline turned and headed to the heartbeat of the city. Tonight, she’d find a way to live and tomorrow she’d call Bonnie and they’d work out a plan for her to escape. And she’d have to do it without indulging in a curiosity that had no name but was a pulse in her blood.

The rest is here: A03

(I’ll add the link to FFN once I get it posted.)

#my fic #klaroline #klaroline fanfic

48 notes · View notes

multi-fandom-writer · 4 years

Text

Cute Dates - p.p.

My Masterlist

warnings: tooth rotting fluff and a little protective irondad!

word count: 1.5k

pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!Daughter

a/n: so this takes place in its own universe, and I think you’ll understand why once you start reading!

From watching the sunsets on the top of Avengers headquarters to sparring Peter to help him train, you were never bored on your dates with Peter. He was always excited to cuddle up with you on the couch to watch a movie, too, but those kinds of dates were usually saved for rainy days. Unfortunately, Peter was running out of ideas for dates with you. He wanted to make sure you had a good time when he was with you, and he was always open for trying new things.

So far, the two of you had tried karaoke dates, wine and canvas dates (minus the wine), movie dates, and almost anything else you could think of. Even though he was running out of ideas, he had a few more tricks up his sleeve before asking Aunt May or Happy (or Tony if it really came down to that) for help.

The Friday of your Spring break, Peter told you to wear something cute as he would be treating you to date. When he picked you up, he refused to tell you anything he had planned. Happy dropped you two off at one of the strip malls and Peter started leading you through the crowds. As soon as you saw the store, you knew exactly what Peter had planned, or so you thought.

“You’re bringing me on a Build-a-Bear date?” asked, gently squeezing his hand and offering him a smile.

“I thought you might enjoy it. But, don’t worry, this isn’t the only thing we’re doing today,” he replied, walking into the store with you. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as busy as you thought it would be. Memories of your childhood came flooding back to you as you took in the familiar place. “What bear are you going to make?” he asked as he led you over to the selection.

You picked up one that looked like a unicorn, but ultimately decided against it when you spotted the perfect one. Letting go of Peter’s hand, you showed him the Iron Spider bear that you had chosen. “I think I like this one,” you spoke with a cheeky smile. You were waiting for Peter to take you swinging around the city, but he was still hesitant. He claimed he didn’t want to drop you or hurt you. Both you and him knew your father would never let you hear the end of it if you did get hurt.

Peter chuckled and held up an Iron Man bear. “I think we can get started then, Sunshine.” His smile lit up your world. As the two of you started to stuff your bears, you couldn’t help but take in your perfect boyfriend. His hair was messy, but you loved to run your fingers through the tangled curls while cuddling with him. His eyes weren’t a bright blue or a glowing green, but they sparkled when the evening sunlight hit them just right. They were the perfect weapon of his when he wanted to cuddle but you had to finish your homework. Your eyes wandered down to his hands, which seemed to fit perfectly in your own. His skin was always soft, too, and you wondered how that was. The smile that had made its permanent home across his lips was perfect and matched that of a child’s. It lit up the room and seemed to be more than just contagious. It was vibrant and gave you something more than just butterflies; it made your stomach do flips.

You decided to put a beating heart in your Spider-bear as you thought it matched Peter down to a tee. Peter had even managed to convince you to add the cupcake scent. “It’s because you’re my sweet little cupcake,” he said, planting a kiss on the side of your head. After the Build-a-Bear date, Happy was ready to pick you two up again. You noticed his eyes flick to the stuffed bears in your hands before trying to suppress a smile. Happy and May were both very supportive of your relationship, but Tony and Pepper were a little more hesitant with it.

For the life of you, you couldn’t understand why. Sure, Peter was involved in a few dangerous things, but there was no doubt that he was on the right side of the law. He was great with Morgan, too, which was more than what you could say for yourself. Morgan looked at Peter like he painted the stars in the sky for her every single night. In her defense, Peter always loved to make a swing out of his webs for her to play on. He even started trying to make little animals out of his webs for her, but that was a work in progress. He could, however, make a snake and something that roughly resembled a very fat bear (it was closer to being a blob, but Peter was trying his best).

Happy’s voice broke your thoughts, “You two might want to get comfortable, it’s going to be a little bit of a drive.”

With that, Peter was more than happy to rest his arm around your shoulders and pull you closer to him. You gently leaned into his chest with your spider bear still clutched tightly against yours. “This isn’t the end of our date?” You asked, reaching your hand up to Peter’s.

His finger intertwined with yours as he answered, “of course it isn’t, dear.” He placed a gentle kiss on the side of your head. You were still waiting for your first kiss with Peter, but you were patient. You wanted it to be perfect just as much as he did.

At first he was hesitant to kiss your cheek, your forehead, and even the back of your hand. You appreciated how Peter always asked permission before touching you (and your father did, too), but you eventually told Peter to just surprise you when he wanted to kiss you. You had to admit, it was nice being surprised when he peppered your face in kisses to wake you up. Peter was a gentleman that believed that touching a woman without her permission made you the scum of the Earth. It took a little convincing for him to realize that you were comfortable with him doing that, but he was excited to surprise you.

“So where are we going for the final part of our date?” you asked, trying to get an answer from him.

Peter just shook his head, “it’s a surprise, cupcake.” You blushed at his nickname for you. “You’re adorable when you blush, y’know that?” The compliment surprised you. Peter was still learning to break out of his shell, but he was totally comfortable with you. He felt safe to be himself around you, and he was a little cheeky. The smirk on his face told you everything; Peter was proud to make you blush. Nothing made him happier than having you bury your face in his chest in a fit of giggles.

After what felt like an hour, Happy finally pulled the car over. Peter gestured for you to leave the stuffed bear on the seat as he helped you out of the car. You noticed the setting sun was shining beautifully on Peter’s fluffy hair. He was starting to need a haircut; it was falling in his eyes a little bit. However, the dusk light was making his brown eyes look gorgeous. You could almost kiss him. Almost. He led you over to a picnic set up overlooking the city lights, which were just barely shining against the glaring sunset.

You could feel your stomach fluttering as Peter gently tugged you down to sit next to him and wrapped one of his arms around you. “This is beautiful, Peter,” you whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the side of his head.

His cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he looked at you, “all for you, my sunshine.” He slowly reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a container of chocolate covered strawberries. “I know they’re your favorite,” he said, pulling the lid off and setting them in your lap.

“You’re amazing. I love this so much,” you spoke, taking a bite of one of the strawberries.

"Well, I wanted it to be special for my favorite girl," he whispered, gently pulling you closer to him.

You smiled, resting your head on his shoulder. “You mean the world to me, Peter Benjamin Parker.”

“You are my world, y/n,” he replied. He peppered the side of your head in kisses, signalling that he wanted your attention. You looked up at him and you were met with his beautiful brown eyes. He smiled nervously as he leaned slightly closer to you. You felt your stomach fluttering, you knew what was coming. His lips connected with yours, a jolt of electricity running down to your toes. His hand came up to cup your cheek as your lips started to move in sync with his. Your toes curled as Peter’s teeth gently tugged on your bottom lip and he pulled away ever so slightly. His warm breath fanned across your cheeks as he whispered, “how was that?”

You couldn’t help but answer, “amazing, and so worth the wait.”

tagging: @perspectiveparker @mrs-hollandstan

#peter parker #peter parker fluff #peter parker imagine #spidey boy ♥️#peter x stark!daughter #h's imagines

67 notes · View notes

joyful-soul-collector · 4 years

Text

Feels weird to cry with a smile

Summary: Peter spends his 17th birthday in quarantine, so Tony decides to make it a bit more special (TWs: discussion of bullying, financial problems, and very brief mentions of COVID-19)

Irondad Taglist: @phahbiyah @keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars @clevermuffinalmondpeach @stuck-in-a-fictional-universe @canonismybitch @freckledmountain @hold-our-destiny @not-your-housekeeper98 @misskirkstark @iron-loyalty @skeeter-110 @m3ga1nsp1r3d @nazezdha321 @peterparkerspidgeons

(Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the tag list!)

Read on Ao3

“Peterrrrr. Time to wake up sweetie.” The voice sounded rather far away, but when someone put a hand on Peter’s shoulder it seemed to jolt him back and he groaned.

“Aun’ Mayyyy, nooooo,” Peter whined, turning onto his chest and burying his face in his pillow.

“Aww c’mon, don’t you want to celebrate your birthday kiddo?” May said.

“I will celebrate very happily by sleeping,” Peter said into his pillow before turning and opening one eye with a squint. “My birthday anyway, shouldn’t I get to sleep in?”

“Well I suppose if you don’t want this cupcake here, I’ll just leave you to sleep the day away--”

“Fine, fine, I’m up,” Peter said, pushing himself off his belly and twisting around to face his Aunt, giving her a glare. “Since when did you make me cupcakes for breakfast?”

“Since it’s your birthday today and I wanted to do something special,” she said. She held up the cupcake for Peter to see. It was red velvet, with thick cream cheese frosting on top, and decorated with a black spider web. In the center was a single blue candle, which May lit with her lighter.

“Happy Birthday baby,” she said. “Make a wish.”

But Peter was still a little annoyed at being woken up, so he just gave a huff, practically sighing the candle out.

“That was pathetic,” May said, raising her eyebrows.

“That was defiance of society. I will not be peer pressured into blowing out a candle with enthusiasm.”

Peter took the cupcake and plucked out the candle, licking the frosting off the bottom before starting to unwrap it and take a bite.

“Well if you’re defying society now, I bet you don’t want those presents downstairs since society was the one to dictate that people should get presents on their birthday--”

“I take it back, I'm part of society again,” Peter said quickly. “Feel free to peer pressure me into--” But he cut off as he suddenly processed exactly what May said. “Wait… did you say presents? Plural?”

Aunt May smiled a little sadly, patting his knee.

“Well, yeah. A certain someone figured out when your birthday was and decided to come celebrate. He wanted to make it extra special since you’d be spending your 17th in quarantine,” she said.

“Wait what--Is he here!?” Peter said, nearly dropping his half-eaten cupcake in surprise.

“Better come downstairs and see,” May said with a wink, and she stood up walking out of the room and down the stairs. Peter sat in his bed for a moment, staring at where she'd disappeared before quickly shoving the rest of the cupcake in his mouth and jumping out of bed, not even bothering to change out of his pajamas before thundering down the stairs and jumping the last five steps.

“Mr. Stark!” Peter shouted when he saw Tony standing in the kitchen. Tony jumped and whirled around in time for Peter to come barreling right into his chest, hugging him tightly. Tony laughed and wrapped his own arms around Peter, ruffling his hair.

“Happy birthday kiddo,” he said. “And how many times do I have to tell you? It’s Tony now.”

“Oh right, sorry,” Peter said, releasing him.

“No worries kid. How ‘bout we get some more food in you and then we can go open your presents?”

Peter nodded enthusiastically, feeling his belly grumble hungrily for more than just a cupcake. It turns out that May and Tony had been making a large stack of pancakes before waking him up, and Peter wolfed them down happily, laughing at Tony’s jokes between bites.

When they finished they went to the living room where Peter’s presents waited. Peter kept having to remind himself it was presents, not just a present. Peter didn’t usually get more than two or three presents for his birthday; one from May, one from Ned, and as of last year, one from MJ. But he figured since he wouldn’t be having a birthday party this year (stupid pandemic), he would just be getting the one. He was fine with that, but since Tony was part of this now Peter felt almost… unprepared. He had no idea how far out Tony goes for people’s birthdays but based on news reports of how wild his parties tend to be, Peter had a feeling he didn’t exactly limit himself.

And when Peter rounded the corner to the living room, he could see he was right.

The whole room had been decorated with Spider-Man themed decorations, red and blue balloons, a large red “Happy Birthday!” banner that had black webs patterned all over it, even white streamers designed to look like his webs. On the coffee table there was a plate of cupcakes that looked just like the one May had given him upstairs, and surrounding them were far more presents than Peter thought he’d ever gotten in his life.

Some of them were big, some were small, plenty of them were in very familiar looking boxes, but some of them Peter had absolutely no clue what could be inside. They were all wrapped in Spidey themed wrapping paper of course, red with black webs with yellow comic style letters reading “Thwip!” scattered across it.

Peter couldn’t even speak; he was so surprised. His heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears, and he was suddenly starting to feel nauseous. Tony actually had to prompt him before he could get any words out.

“You like it Underoos?”

“I--Yeah! This is amazing!” Peter said, but feeling much less than amazing. Questions and anxiety were overtaking his brain and somehow it was getting hard for him to feel his legs. “This is so cool--I just--I’ll be right back, um, bathroom.”

Peter could tell he hadn’t convinced either Tony or May, but at the moment he didn’t really care. He just walked as quickly as he could to the bathroom and shut the door with the snap.

He practically fell against the sink, holding himself upright with his hands and staring down into it as he started to gasp for air.

It’s too much, that’s way too much--He shouldn’t have--Why did he do that?

When his knees started to get too wobbly Peter turned and sat on the toilet lid, clenching his fists in his hair.

That’s so much money. He spent so much money. Why did he do that? I don’t need all that, why did he do that?

Peter went down this spiral of questions for the next minute or so before a soft knock came at the door.

“Peter? Baby can I come in?” came May’s kind voice. Peter mustered up enough strength to give a short “Yeah.” May stepped in and quietly shut the door behind her.

“Hey sweetie,” she said, kneeling down to meet his eyes. “What’s wrong?” Peter shook his head in frustration, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before he answered.

“That’s so much money Aunt May. He spent so much money on me. I don’t need all of that, I don’t need the decorations or the fancy wrapping paper or the freaking fifty presents in there--”

“I assure you it’s not fifty,” she said. She had that same slightly sad smile on her face that she had upstairs in Peter’s room, and it made him a little worried. “It’s okay to have things you don’t need Peter.”

“I know, I know, it’s just that that’s a lot--”

“I know, it is, Tony uh… well he goes all out with this kind of stuff. It’s how he shows people he cares, he gives them things. And obviously, he cares about you a lot hun,” she said, brushing Peter’s curls out of his eyes. Peter sighed and put his head in his hands.

“Yeah. It’s just that I’m not used to it,” he said. Almost immediately he knew that was the wrong thing to say.

“I know baby. I’m so sorry I could never--”

“Nope, no, do not apologize, don’t you ever apologize for something like that,” Peter snapped, looking up and pointing angrily at his Aunt. “Do not do that.”

May laughed and Peter wasn’t entirely sure if his point had really gotten through, but she ruffled his hair anyway and he decided not to push it. After a minute or so he felt ready to go out again and they met up with Tony in the living room.

He didn’t ask about what happened, just gave him a quick hug before excitedly pressing a gift into his hands, and Peter gave a laugh at the look of glee on Tony’s face. He somehow looked more excited for Peter to open it than Peter was to see it himself.

Peter spent almost the entire next hour opening all his presents, snacking on the cupcakes the whole time. He got several new lego sets, a couple that Tony said he bought for them to do together when he came over to the compound since he was pretty sure they were too big for the apartment. He also got quite a few science t-shirts, some of which he was almost certain Tony had designed himself as he had never seen them in his life. A couple of the presents were Funko Pop figurines since Peter had once mentioned he wanted to start up a collection, one of which was actually a little Spidey bobble-head dressed in his old suit made from a hoodie.

And just when he thought he’d finished all the presents, Tony fished a card out of his pocket, handing it to Peter a little more seriously than he had all the other gifts.

“What’s this?” Peter said.

“Just open it,” Tony said. Peter glanced at him, then carefully tore it open, taking out a white card with the Stark Industries logo on it. Odd birthday card, Peter thought. He opened it up and a folded up piece of paper fell out, revealing the words beneath which read:

“Welcome to the team.

Signed,

Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, Wanda Maximoff, The Vision, Thor Odinson, James Rhodes, and Tony Stark”

Peter stared for a moment before looking down at the paper that had fallen out. He picked it up and unfolded it.

It was a job application. To be an Avenger.

“Now I know you said you wanted to keep being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, but I promise, nothing’s gonna change when you fill this out,” Tony said, seeming to misunderstand Peter’s stunned silence. “You won’t have to live in the compound or anything, I just thought since I pay the other Avengers I should pay you too, but of course we need all the paperwork and stuff in order to do that so--”

“You’re giving me a job?” Peter said, finally finding his voice. “I’m… I’m an Avenger now?” Tony’s smile softened.

“Yeah kiddo. Like we said, welcome to the team.”

Peter practically flew towards Tony, who stood up just in time to receive him, both of them hugging each other tightly.

“Thank you, thank you so much, thank you thank you thank you--”

“Haha, it’s no problem kid really,” Tony assured him. But that didn’t do much to ease the deeply grateful ache that had settled in Peter’s chest.

Even through the rest of the day building one of his new lego sets, watching his favorite Star Wars movies, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. They were on their third movie when Peter excused himself to grab a snack, but realized as soon as he stood up that he wasn’t actually in the mood for one.

He instead made his way quietly up the stairs to his room, where he shut the door and opened his window, climbing onto the fire escape. The sun was beginning to set now, and while the buildings in front of him blocked any view, the sky still looked beautiful and cast a hazy red glow everywhere.

Peter slipped the job application out of his pocket, staring at it. He didn’t even need to open it to feel the relief and elation in his chest swell, to the point where his lungs and throat started to feel tight and his eyes stung. Peter leaned his elbows on the guardrail, staring at the paper in his hands before it became too much and he ducked his head, sobs wracking his body.

He cried for a moment before suddenly he was laughing, laughing at the fact that he was literally crying out of joy, and how he couldn’t remember if he’d ever done that before.

Feels weird to cry with a smile, Peter thought. But the weight of his emotions was making his legs feel like jelly again, so he turned and sat down with his back against the guardrail, elbows resting on his knees instead.

That’s what Peter looked like when Tony opened the door.

“Peter?”

Peter snapped his head up, staring at Tony in surprise.

“Oh, hi Tony,” he said. “Your turn to check on me this time?”

“You bet,” he said. He quickly came over and crawled through the window, but his expression quickly changed to one of deep concern as he got a better look at Peter’s face. “Oh kid, what wrong? Are you okay?”

Peter let out what seemed to be halfway between a laugh and a sob as Tony sat down next to him.

“Nothing’s wrong. Happy tears,” he said, leaning his head on Tony’s shoulder.

“Ah, I see. Happy tears about what?” Tony asked. Peter held up the job application. “Seriously? Kid, that really isn’t a big deal, it wasn’t out of my way at all--”

“I know it’s not a big deal to you, but it is to me. Heh, you’ve given me a lot more with this than you think you have,” Peter said.

“Okay… um, care to explain that?” Tony said with a slightly nervous chuckle. Peter laughed and thought for a moment.

“Aunt May and I uh… we’re not billionaires. Kinda poor actually. Not as bad as some people have it, we’ve always had what we needed. But um… we’ve never really had more than that. I’m at Midtown on a scholarship, and there’s next to no poor kids like me at that school. And honestly that’s not something that stayed a secret for very long. The wrong kid finds out you need free lunches and can’t afford to go to most of the field trips, you’ve got assholes calling you ‘trailer trash’ for the next four years even though you don’t even live in a trailer,” Peter said, gazing down at his toes.

“Jeez kid, I’m sorry, that’s awful,” Tony said.

“Heh, that’s not what I care about though. I don’t really care what they call me. It’s just that… when you’re poor, you miss out on a lot of stuff. I can’t go to most of the field trips they have at school cuz most of the financial aid requires me to sell things to people and who the hell has time for that? I’m in highschool and I’ve got AcaDeca and Spider-Manning to do, I don’t have time to raise money to go to a science exhibit, no matter how much I want to. And there’s so many times where I’ve said no to going to the movies or an amusement park because I was too embarrassed I couldn’t afford my own ticket.

“My point is, with this job, I can do all that now. I can go on the field trips, I can go to the movies and the parks, I can get Aunt May something other than a card and a cheap necklace for her birthday, maybe we could even take a trip over the summer now, and I just--” Peter cut off, wiping tears off his face as he gathered his thoughts. Tony reached back and started rubbing Peter’s back, giving him all the time he needed.

“You’ve given me so much today, legos, cool shirts, Funko Pops… but this? This feels like you just gave me the whole entire world.”

Tony didn’t say anything for a moment, just nodding and continuing to rub Peter’s back.

“So… is that part of why you ran away a little earlier? Right before we opened your presents?”

“Yeah. I’m uh, used to getting more like two or three, one each from Aunt May, Ned, and MJ. And when I saw how much you spent on me I just… I panicked. I’m sorry about that, I didn’t mean to seem ungrateful.”

“Heh, don’t worry, your face when you opened that five foot tall Disney Castle lego set definitely assured me you were quite beyond grateful kiddo,” Tony said. “I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.”

“It’s alright, it’s not like you did it on purpose. You didn’t know the reaction I’d have. That’s just how you show people you care about them. I just gotta get used to it,” Peter said with a laugh. Tony chuckled along.

They sat in silence for a moment, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun before Peter suggested they go back inside and finish the movie with his Aunt.

The last thing Peter thought before going to bed was Best. Birthday. Ever.

#irondad #irondad fanfiction #peter parker #tony stark #marvel #iron man #spider-man #fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #spider-man fanfiction #fanfic #mcu fanfiction #MCU #happy birthday peter parker #peter parker's birthday #Happy Birthday Peter Parker!#Marko's Fanfiction

52 notes · View notes

sheerfreesia007 · 3 years

Text

Happy Halloween

Title: Happy Halloween

Fandom: Kingsman

Pairing: Agent Whiskey x Reader

Author: @sheerfreesia007

Words: 981

Warnings: Fluff

Permanent Tag List: @paintballkid711, @fioccodineveautunnale, @phoenixhalliwell, @synystersilenceinblacknwhite

Author Notes: I loved writing this. Actually listened to a Halloween playlist to keep myself inspired. This was a fic request for Statesman Halloween party.

Gif Credit: Pinterest and Google

Setting the last bowl of Halloween themed snacks on the purple and black table clothed table you smiled as your hips swayed to the song Jump in the Line playing in the background. Your eyes surveyed the laid out tables of snacks and drinks. There were pumpkin rice krispie treats, Halloween themed chex mix in a large bowl, witch finger pretzel rods, bloody white chocolate apples, candy corn fruit cocktails, mummified hot dogs, pumpkin patch pudding, Halloween punch, witch’s brew punch, boonilla milkshakes, and other various treats. Not to mention the actual food that you had called Ginger in to help you make.

Your hands came up to smooth down your black and multicolored floral dress over your hips as you stood proudly looking at your work. Champ had given you the okay to go and coordinate a Halloween party for Statesman to be able to relax a tiny bit since it had been nothing but mission after mission for the past two months. With Halloween being your favorite holiday you had gone all out. Along with the food there was Halloween themed decorations all over.

Spider webs hung in corners and over the tops of windows, there were ghost lanterns hanging from the ceiling, you had managed to convince the storage clerks to let you use the fog machine and strobe lights that had been confiscated on an old mission and stored in the storage locker. You had also put out pumpkins and jack o’ lanterns that you had asked Tequila to help you carve out and there was an ode to Dia de los Muertos with the colorful banners that hung over the food tables.

A Halloween playlist played in the background and you felt the excitement grow inside of you as you waited for the rest to show up. You had hoped that Whiskey would make an appearance he had told you that he would love being at the party when you had told him what you were planning.

Just then Ginger walked into the room and you smiled brightly over at her as you spotted her dressed up in her black cat costume. She grinned over at you as she held her hands out.

“You’ve out done yourself! This place looks amazing and your costume is so hauntingly beautiful. You did a really good job.” She greeted you with a warm hug.

“I couldn’t have done it without your help, thank you so much for helping me.” You responded as the two of you stood close to each other near the food tables. Soon more and more agents and employees at Statesman began filing in.

“There you are. I was wondering when I was going to find you.” Tequila said as you turned from your conversation with one of the communications tech. He wrapped you up in a tight hug and swung you up into the air your costume swinging out in an arc. “You look fantastic. It’s a bit jarring to you see painted up like a skull but really well done.”

“Thanks. I’m dressed for more Dia de los Muertos but it’s fitting for Halloween too.” You said as you looked down at you black lace and crocheted multicolored floral dress. You had painted your face to look like a skull with colorful designs on it; there were large flowers in your hair and a head scarf that covered your loose hair.

“You look really good.” He says in appreciation and you smile at him with thanks. “Whiskey hasn’t shown has he?” he asked softly and you shook your head.

“It’s fine, I heard he was on a mission so he’s probably not back yet.” You say with a shrug of your shoulders. You look around the room and smile as you see everyone dancing, eating and enjoying themselves. Champ is dancing on the dancefloor with the other agents and there’s steady chatter that fills the room around you. You were happy that you were able to get this together for everyone to relax and enjoy themselves but there was a cowboy that you were surely missing.

It’s hours later and you’re finishing up cleaning up the space that you had kicked Tequila out of only an hour before. He had stayed and helped clean up the room with you saying that since he wasn’t around for the set up he’d be around for the clean-up. I’m tying up the last of the large black bags that I had filled with the trash that we had accumulated when I hear the soft thud of boots behind me.

Turning with furrowed I’m surprised to see Whiskey walking into the room and over to me with a sheepish look on his face. In his hands he’s holding a purple cake box and he looks a little ragged as he comes to stand in front of you.

“I’m sorry I late. The mission ran a little longer than expected.” He said softly as he held out the purple box for you. You shake your head and flip the box lid up to see a large chocolate cupcake with purple and white icing in a spider web design.

“When I heard you were still on mission I figured you wouldn’t be able to make it. It’s no big deal.” You said softly with a smile. “But this is a nice apology.”

“Wanna share it?” he asked with a smile and you nodded your head guiding him over to the table so the two of you could sit and eat it. Though he wasn’t here for the actual party you were quite happy with him being here now. You pulled the cupcake out and smiled as he produced a pair of plastic forks for the two of you with a grin.

“This is perfect.” You said softly as you took a bite of the cupcake grinning widely over to him.

#my writing #kingsman the golden circle #fic request #agent whiskey #agent whiskey x reader

17 notes · View notes

missnxthingg · 4 years

Note

Hi beautiful! You're amazing and I love what you write. Pls, continue what you're doing. 🖤 Can you do something for Peter, like him knowing he's gonna marry the reader since they first got together until they finally do it? I think it will be pretty cute. Thank uuuu!

Summary: Peter told his best friend, Ned, he’d marry the girl back when they started dating. Even though some things got in their way, they finally got where they always wanted.

A/N: I’m sorry I took a little while to get to your request but considering that I always take forever to get to your requests, this was actually okay. And I LOVED that I got a wedding request because tbh I’m in such a mood to write/read about it (send me your fic recs to read about it). I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did.

Also, I’ve been kind of bummed out that I haven’t got much feedback on my fanfics lately. An anon left me a pretty message and thank you for that one. I dedicate this one for you (idk if you’re also the one who requested this one haha).

Words: 5.5K (a biggie)

Pairing: Peter Parker x Female Reader

Warnings: Swearing, a little angst, crying, mentions of death, Endgame spoilers (?, dude it’s been more than a year).

masterlist | main blog | gif source | quarantine playlist

MARRY ME

“Peter, I think you’re rushing into this.” Ned was helping Peter sat the table for their traditional movie night with a bunch of snacks. “You just met her and you’ve been dating for less than a month. You’re already inviting her to our movie nights.”

“Look, Ned. She’s cool and I really like her. You’re gonna like her too.”

“But this is our thing. Do you really think she’s gonna like sticking around us, watching Star Wars and eating extremely unhealthy food.” Ned showed some salty pretzels he just poured in a pot. When the doorbell rang, Peter rushed to the door.

“Just… be nice to her, okay?” He opened it and found you just standing there, the prettiest girl in the whole world - under his eyes. You were looking so cute wearing your jeans, a big hoodie that probably belonged to him and a slight blush on your cheeks, that only increased once Peter opened the door. He gave you the biggest and shiniest smile in the world, enough to warm her heart.

“Hey, I’m sorry I’m late.” You glanced down to your hands a big pink box. “I went to get some cupcakes in our favourite store in Manhattan and got a little late.”

“Totally worth it.” He cupped your cheeks and softly pressed his lips against yours with a foolish smile on his face. “Come in.” He gave you space to come in and took a good look around the room.

Peter’s apartment was cosy. You loved to hang out there because it was always so good and you loved it since the first time you even set foot inside it to meet his aunt and have dinner with them. Right now it was a little different because May wasn’t home and the whole living room was a mess, full of blankets, pillows and snacks. Ned was sitting in the corner making himself busy with salty pretzels.

“Hi, Ned.” You greeted with a smile and he smiled back.

“Hey, (Y/N).”

“Sorry, I’m late. I hope you like cupcakes because I brought many of them.” You opened the box and Ned’s eyes shinned.

“You brought blueberry lemon? It’s my favourite!” He grabbed one with such excitement, making you giggle.

“Pete told me which one you liked it. I brought everyone’s favourite.”

“Pinneaple cream.” Peter picked his cupcake and gave her a pick kiss on the cheek.

“Also May’s red velvet cupcakes and my chocolate ones.”

“You need to hang out with us much more.” Ned said, making you giggle even more and rest your box over the table. You pulled the pretzel pot over and sat on Peter’s lap, resting your head on his chest. He involved you two with a blanket, making you both comfortable.

“What are we watching today?” You asked and the boys shrugged.

“We usually spend a full hour looking for something new to watch, but we end up watching Star Wars again.”

“So let’s skip straight to Star Wars.” You said chugging a bunch of pretzels on your mouth.

“You like Star Wars?” Peter frowned and you chuckled.

“Babe, we’ve been dating for almost a month and you don’t know my favourite movie?” His mouth fell slightly opened and Ned got excited, getting up to start the movie.

“So Star Wars it is!”

Peter couldn’t be happier than his girlfriend and his best friend were getting along. He loved to have you in his arms during the whole movie, just to feel you a little bit because you haven’t been this intimate in more than a week and he missed you. He loved when you and Ned started to argue about the movie and just rambled for some minutes and falling into laughter after a long discussion. It was a long night and they had a great time together.

“I have to leave now. My mom’s downstairs to take me home. But I had a good time with you guys today, I’m sorry for ruining the guy’s movie night.” “You’re invited to every single following one, (Y/N).” Ned said and Peter smiled to see that he changed his mind.

“Thank you, Ned. I left some cupcakes, and please don’t eat May’s.” You pleaded and they both nodded. “Good night boys, I’ll see you in school.”

“Nigh, (Y/N).” Ned said walking to the living room to give them some privacy.

“Good night, my love.” Peter said leaving one last kiss on her lips, making her smile widely. “Text me when you get home.”

“I will.” You waved at him and he waited until you disappeared from his sight to close the door. He returned to the living room with a stupid smile on his face, sitting next to Ned who was enjoying another cupcake.

“Oh, I love her so much.” He mumbled looking up to the ceiling. “Ned, I’m gonna marry her someday.” “Dude, how can you be so sure?”

“Because if it isn’t her, I don’t want to get married at all. She’s my everything, she’s perfect.”

“Aren’t you rushing into things? The last time you went this fast it ended up with Liz Allen breaking your heart.”

“This time it’s different. She isn’t Liz Allen. She’s my angel and I’m gonna marry her someday.” Peter smiled own himself and thought about how much he loved that girl and how special she was to him. He wanted more than anything to be with her forever.

“She’s just a High School girlfriend, Peter. Those relationships never last.”

“Wow, Ned. Very nice, uhm? I thought you liked (Y/N).”

“I do like her, but I’m being realistic.”

“Well, I don’t know. I hope you’re not right. I love her so much it hurts.”

“Whatever. Let’s play Dungeons and Dragons.”

(...)

“Uhm, you smell good.” You mumbled against Peter’s neck. He smiled and pressed a kiss on top of your head. You were cuddling together on a small seat back in the school bus coming back from a field trip. You were holding onto Peter’s arm while your legs rested over his and you gently rested your head on the crook of his neck, with his resting on top of yours.

“You sound tired.” He mumbled and you nodded.

“I’m very tired. And starving.” You looked up to him and he pressed a small kiss against your lips.

“Why don’t we go over to my apartment? We can buy a couple of Delmar’s along the way and just cuddle for the rest of the day. Maybe you could sleepover…” He suggested, blushing slightly since he never invited you to a sleepover before.

“I’d loved that.” You rubbed circles on his face and gently kissed his lips again. Once you pulled away, you got your head back in the crook of his neck and closed your eyes to get a little nap since you were so comfortable that way.

You and Peter have been dating for several months now, you weren’t sure how many, but you knew it’s been a long time. And you were glad that you were finally growing into a more mature relationship and you were proud of what you’re becoming. You couldn’t wait to see where you were going next and it was exciting.

You were almost snoring with Peter’s arms involving you into a comforting hug and slightly rocking you, but you felt his arms tense up and you shot your eyes open to look at him. Peter was staring outside the window with a worried expression and you sat straight to meet what he was looking at. A giant circle was flying over New York and you could feel he knew something was wrong.

“I guess we’re not doing Delmar’s and sleepovers tonight.”

“I am so sorry, baby.” He kissed your lips and you nodded.

“Go get ‘em, tiger.” You whispered against his lips and he nodded, turning around to see Ned sitting next to MJ, who was too distracted reading a book.

“Ned, I need you to cause a distraction.” Peter pointed his head to the circle and Ned’s eyes widened.

“Holy shit. WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE, THERE’S A SPACESHIP…” Ned ran for the back of the bus making everyone follow him to see what was going on. Peter gave you one last look while putting his web-shooters on and opened the window before grinning to you with concern.

“I love you.” He said and your heart ached because something about it seemed wrong.

“I love you too.” He shot the window and got out of it, disappearing in the New York skyline. You leaned against the window and watched him go again with a sharp pain in your chest.

“He’s gonna be okay.” Ned mumbled standing next to you in the hallway and you nodded, too worried to say anything. He sat next to you and rested a hand on your shoulder. “You could stay in my apartment for a movie night until he gets back. We can watch Star Wars.”

“That would be great, thank you. I could use a distraction.”

“He’s amazing and you know that. He’s gonna be back home in time to join us for the movie.”

But he wasn’t and you were starting to get concerned. You managed to get quickly to Ned’s apartment and not get any harm. You parents were still at work and stuck there, so they were glad you were with someone to make you company. He tried to cheer you up, even made snacks and got a new Lego for you to build, but you were too worried about Peter.

You sat down and watched the chaos on TV and there was even footage of Spider-Man, Iron Man and some other heroes fighting bad guys and it made your heartache to see your boyfriend in such dangerous situation. So you cried over a pot of ice cream offered by Ned and just rambled on to him about every concern you had until he managed to make you calm down with funny movies and some snacks.

“We ran out of salty pretzels.” You said once you realized it was all gone.

“I have chocolate pretzels if you want it.” He suggested and you nodded.

“Pretty please.” He chuckled and went to get some in the kitchen. You kept on watching the movie until you heard a shattering glass sound as if he dropped the bowl on the floor. “Ned, are you okay?” You stood up and went to find him in the kitchen, meeting nothing but a broken bowl, chocolate pretzels all over the place and a pile of dust lying next to it. “Oh, God.”

You tried to reach for your phone but it fell from your hand as you watched it turning to dust. Your eyes widened and even though you wanted to scream or say something, you couldn’t. All your mind was thinking of was Peter and all you could do was pray that he was okay. And suddenly you were gone.

(...)

When you woke up you felt a little dizzy. Your vision was blurry and you could throw up right there if you had anything on your stomach. You head was in such a huge pain and your muscles were all tensed up. You were very confused and you just lied until your vision was okay again and you could sit up, finding a very strange place. An adult woman was standing in the living room with a shocked face, a glass up water broken on the floor. You frowned, trying to recognize that woman or the place you were, which were not unfamiliar. This was Ned’s house.

And then you remembered everything. The field trip, Peter, being in Ned’s apartment and turning into dust. Your eyes widened and you stirred in your heels to look around the room, finding Ned sitting on the floor, rubbing his eyes, just confused as you. Nobody dared to say a word until Ned himself said.

“Holy shit!” He cursed and shot up quickly. “Mom?”

“Ned! I thought you were dead.” The woman ran across you and hugged her son tightly, sprinkling kisses across his face.

“What happened?” He asked and the woman was soaked in tears.

“They called it The Snap, at least that’s what the Avengers told us when they came back. And half of the population of the universe turned into dust, including you and your father. I was the only one left.”

“(Y/N).” Ned said and got off his mom’s embrace to meet you in the living room, pulling you into a tight hug. “Are you okay?”

“I guess so. I’m a little dizzy, though.”

“I’m gonna get you something to eat and some medicine to take.” The woman said and you followed Ned the living room, where he changed channels to the news one, showing that everyone was back. You sat there, trying to process the whole thing and trying to remember what happened until you remembered the most important thing.

“Peter…” You whispered and looked at Ned. “Where’s Peter, is he okay?” He shrugged a little hesitant and his mother came back with two sandwiches.

“Peter died with you all when it happened. But since you two came back, maybe he’s back too.” She said and you nodded, taking the sandwich.

“Thank, Mrs Leeds. But I should go home, my mom must be looking for me.” You said and she nodded. “Ned, if you hear anything from Peter, call me.”

“I’m sure he’s gonna get to you first.”

“Don’t care, bye!” You ran out of the apartment and quickly walked to your own, which wasn’t so far away from Ned’s.

The street was chaos, people appearing out of nowhere and reuniting with their loved ones, it was almost getting in your way home. You ran on the streets, trying to get there as quick as possible, even though you were eating a sandwich and your head was hurting a lot. Your mom and dad were standing in front of your building and you ran for their embrace.

“Sweetheart, you’re okay!” Your dad said, pulling you tightly into a hug.

“I am, dad.” You said hugging them ever tighter. “What happened to you guys?”

“We stayed alive, you were the only one who was snapped and we were… devastated.” Your mom started to say and she was crying more than anything right now. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“What about Peter? And May?”

“They both snapped sweetie.” Your father said and you were lost in tears. “But I’m sure they are fine now, just like you are.”

“God, I’m praying for them to be.” You said and your mom nodded.

“Let’s get you upstairs, you look horrible, we’ll take care of you.”

Thank God your father was a doctor and had everything you need to be okay. He got you an IV access for serum and medicine, lied you down in your bed and had your mom making you something to eat.

“I want burgers. I’m so hungry.” You said and she smiled nodding.

“I’m gonna make as much as you want them. I’m not sure if they are delivering food today.” Your mother winked and you chuckled.

Right after she came back with two burgers, they just filled you in with everything. Five years had gone by and half of the universe was wiped from existence and they even had a funeral for you, a small one since there weren’t many people left, but they never got the courage to pack all your stuff and give it away. Your mom was three months pregnant because, after years of mourning for you, they decided they needed to try having kids again and now you were gonna have a sibling. And they told about the battle and the day Steve Rogers came to television to clear everything up for everyone. You found out that now your parents knew about him being Spider-Man, that they met Tony Stark because he visited them to meet the family of Peter’s gorgeous girlfriend and he made them swear they wouldn’t give Peter’s secret away. Oh, you missed him so much and you wish he was there so you could take care of each other.

After a long night catching up on each other’s life, your parent’s decided you needed some sleep because even though you were gone for five years, you must be tired, so they removed your IV and left the room. You tried to phone May, but she wasn’t getting your calls, neither was Peter and you started to worry. That’s why you didn’t sleep at all when your parents left, you stood wide awake, worried about your boyfriend and trying to reach him somehow. You gave up when tiredness started to hit you and it was almost four in the morning, you needed some sleep. That’s was when you closed your eyes and seconds after it, you heard a noise on your fire escape.

Spider-Mans suit was much different from the last time you saw it, since before it was much more subtle and now it is an iron suit, just like Iron Man’s. Peter looked just the same from the last time you saw him, except that he had many bruises and dry blood all over his face. He looked tired and hurt, but especially sad, with tears in his eyes. You stood up in a heartbeat and ran for his arms without even saying a word. Peter relaxed one you held him and it felt like the whole world’s weight left his shoulders.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re here.” You whispered in his ear and he gasped. “I thought I had lost you.”

“Me too.” He leaned back and cupped your cheek, rubbing it with his thumb and taking in every detail of your face. He kissed you and it was… magical. So needy and the only thing that mattered right at that moment. Peter leaned against the wall and pulled you by the waist. He pressed a button to contract his suit so he could feel your skin, making him moan in your lips. “Baby, you have no idea what happened.”

“You can tell me about everything. Just let it all go.” You rubbed his back and he started to cry even harder.

“Tony died. He died saving all of us.” He started to sob and you pulled him into a tight hug. “He died right in front of me and I did… nothing.”

“I’m so sorry Pete.” You could feel his pain exhaling to your body and you wanted it more than ever to go away.

“All I could think about was you, from the second I came back. I fought for you, to get back to you.” He moved some strays of hair from your face and kissed you again, with much more intensity. “Marry me.” He whispered against your lips.

“What?” You were drunk in his kisses and he kept them happening.

“Marry me, (Y/N) (Y/L/N).” He whispered again between kisses and you broke them off.

“Peter, we’re still in High School.”

“I don’t care, I just wanna be with you for the rest of my life.” He said it again, initiating another kiss. “All of this only made it more clear, that you’re the love of my life and the universe gave us a second chance to be together and I don’t wanna waste even one second of it. I wanna be with you forever because if it isn’t you, there’s no point at all. I wanna marry you, (Y/N). And I’ve never been so sure of everything before in my life.”

“Then marry me, Peter Parker.” You smiled and pulled him into another kiss. “But can we at least wait until we graduate?” He nodded with a small grin on his face.

“We don’t need to rush. I’ll just keep asking you every day until the wedding.” You laughed and pulled him to bed.

“What about May? Is she okay?”

“Yes. She’s in the hospital, a little dehydrated. Uhm, we lost the apartment and we don’t have a place to stay right now, so I guess she’s fine there. I’ll just crash at the Stark Tower in Manhattan.”

“Hell no! We haven’t seen each other in five years and we just got engaged. You’re gonna stay here and I’ll get you something to eat and take care of you.” He smiled softly and you left the room to get some things to take care of him.

Eventually, your parents woke up and your father took care of Peter’s wounds and got him an IV just like yours. You all filled in each other’s lives and now everyone knew what had happened during this time you were gone. Peter got so happy when he heard that your mom was pregnant and he was happy that at least in your life everything was okay. He didn’t know how he’d recover from this, but he knew there would always be someone to help.

“Oh, Peter. We have a spare bedroom that soon is gonna turn into a baby’s room. But there’s still furniture left in there and we can keep it that way for some more months. Why don’t you and May stay with us until you find somewhere to stay.”

“That would be great.” He smiled and nodded. “I hope it doesn’t bother you.”

“Not at all! You’re family Pete.” Your mother caressed his face just like you do. “I guess you’re gonna need some rest. No funny business you two, but you can share the bed tonight.”

“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. (Y/L/N).”

“Good night, kids.”

“Good night.” They mumbled watching them closing the door.

“Feeling better?” You asked and he nodded, pulling you closer to lie with him.

“I love you more than anything in the world.”

“I love you too.” You pressed a kiss on his nose and turned around to be spooned.

“Good night, future wifey.”

“Good night, future hubby.”

(...)

You wanted more than anything to just shut your computer down and do something else to relax, but exams were close and you needed to study harder than ever. You knew college wasn’t easy, but you didn’t know it was that hard. After many years of struggling with the end of semesters and many essays to do, now you had your apartment instead of living in a small dormitory on campus. Taking care of it and having to deal with college stuff was hard, but that was just being a grown-up.

First, it was easy because you shared the apartment with your boyfriend Peter. You decided to move in together since you were in Harvard, he was in the MIT and maybe moving in together would make you guys see each other more often, which was a big lie. Peter stopped doing his Spider-Man duties when he wasn’t in New York, but still was working on Stark Industries inside the MIT and it was consuming most of his time, so he was never home.

After a while fighting tiredness, it finally won and you decided to stop studying to lie in front of the TV, maybe drink some alcoholic drink and order pizza because you were too tired to do anything other than procrastinating. You missed Peter more than you could express and you wish he was there to lie with you and just watch a full season of Parks and Recreation with you and doing silly Ben Wyatt impressions just because he knew you liked it. But the door never opened and he never came back home.

“Hi, darling. I’m so sorry I’m late.” Peter entered the apartment holding a big pizza box. “I ran into the pizza guy when I got here and got it for you.”

“Uhm, my hero.” You opened your arms to hug him and he pulled you up into a koala hug, one you very much appreciated. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” He kissed her temple and she leaned back to analyze his face, grinning. “What is it?”

“You’re so beautiful.”

“Oh, baby. You’re beautiful too.” He kissed her again and settled her back in the couch. “Did you have a nice day?”

“Uhm, not really. Kind of tiring, I spent the whole day studying. And you?”

“Well, I’m not exactly thrilled today.” He said and leaned back into the couch, taking you with him.

“What’s wrong baby?”

“It’s Tony’s death anniversary.” You nodded, knowing how hard this was for him.

“Oh. It’s okay, I got you.” You said and he smiled weakly.

“I don’t know. I just spent the whole day working and suddenly that whole day couldn’t get out of my head. I know it’s been years, but I remembered every detail of it, the battle, seeing him dying in front of my eyes. And then I remembered coming back to you.”

“The night we…”

“The night we got engaged.” He finished your sentence and you nodded. “I’m just kind of bummed that I keep asking you to be my wife over the years, but we were too young, and then we didn’t have money. But now I have a job, we’re almost out of college and I think we’re old enough to get married now.”

“Babe does this means…”

“I want us to finally get married.” He said and you widened your eyes.

“Oh my God, are you sure?”

“Yes! But I want to do this right, you know… Buy you an engagement ring, find a new place for us in New York, get that big wedding we’ve always wanted.” He said and you nodded excitedly.

“Are we really doing this?” You asked and he nodded with a big smile on his face.

“Only if you want to.”

“Of course! I want this more than anything in the world.” You jumped into his arms and kissed him hungrily. “Ugh, I love you so much. You sure know how to make my day.”

“I love you too, bubs.”

(...)

“Hey, everyone’s waiting for you. Are you ready?” MJ knocked softly on the door and found you checking yourself out in the big mirror in your room.

“I don’t know. Do I look alright?” You turned to check the back of the dress and MJ smiled.

“You look amazing, as always.” She chuckled and you smiled at her. “So I think you’re ready.”

“I think I am.” You were shaking and nervous, which MJ noticed and rested a hand on your arm to calm you down.

“Your father is waiting for you.” She left after she said those words and you glanced at yourself in the mirror to breath deeply one last time.

“Let’s do this.” You whispered to yourself and walked out of that room, nervous as fuck. Your dad was fixing his tie by the time you got there.

“Oh my God, sweetheart. You look… stunning.” His eyes watered once he saw you. “I loved the dress.”

“Thank you, dad.” You smiled at him and gave him a big hug. “Do you think Peter’s gonna like it?”

“He would like it even if it was the worst dress in the world. The only thing that matters to him is the girl wearing it.”

“So, you’re not giving me a ‘don’t get married’ speech like every father?”

“No.” He smiled tenderly and kissed the top of your head. “I trust Peter and I trust you. And you belong together.”

“Thank you, dad. I love you.”

“I love you too.” You entwined your arms and the music started to play. Making your heart beat faster and you swear you could just throw up right there.

You and Peter decided to have a wedding over the Starks lake house once Pepper offered you the place the day you both visited her and told her the good news. You were both thrilled to have an outdoor wedding facing a pretty lake. It was the perfect place to make everything official and you couldn’t be happier.

“Okay, let’s do this.” You said and they opened the front door so you could step out in the porch and meet everyone waiting for you.

Peter was waiting down the aisle and his eyes watered to see you wearing a wedding dress and he was the lucky guy you were getting married to. He just couldn’t believe how lucky he was to get the girl of his dreams. You cried too, he looked to beautiful as well and it was like everything around you disappeared when you were both in the room and that was all you needed. Your dad shook his hand and walked to join your mom in the front row. Peter smile was bigger than you’ve ever seen before. He leaned in and kissed your forehead before pulling you to the small stage.

You got to finally take a good look at the crowd. Lots of superheroes and their families, some friends you made over the years, a few families, including your mom and dad sitting next to May, Morgan and Pepper. Your best friends were also sitting in the front, always giving you the biggest support. You smiled to see everyone there, in the most important moment of your life. The ceremony started and the minister got to say a few words before you could start your vows.

“(Y/N), my pretty girl. I don’t think you remember this, but years ago, back when we started dating, I invited you over to my apartment for a movie night with me and Ned. You brought cupcakes and watched Star Wars with her. We already knew you were the coolest person in the world and that we had a great time that night. But there’s one thing you don’t know. That was the night I first said that I was going to marry you someday, and I kept that promise. We got engaged when we were only 17 and I kept asking you to be my wifey over the many years that followed. Thank God we finally got here.” He was holding your hands and looking directly in your eyes, that were watering with every word he was saying. “I had long nights awake thinking about what to say to you when we started to plan the wedding and to be honest, I still don’t know what to say. “ You all chuckled, but you squeezed his hands to comfort him. “I guess I just wanted you to know that you’re the prettiest girl in the whole world and that I love you more than life itself. It’s been years since I first said I wanted to marry you and nothing ever changed. I love you with every cell of my body and I will love you through all eternity.”

“You dummy.” You chuckled and he took a deep breath.

“Life tried to tear us apart and when we finally got a second chance after the snap… I just knew it was meant to be and I’m really glad we’re doing this today. I vow to always take care of you, just like you have taken care of me through all these years. And I promise to try making you happy every day and to always be by your side when you need me. I love you, wifey.” You mouthed an ‘I love you’ back and he smiled.

“(Y/N), your vows…”

“Pete. I don’t even know where to start. Okay, let’s just start with our first date. We were so raw and we talked about a lot of intimate stuff on the first time we went out and I just knew I trusted you with all my heart and you trusted me back. You told me you wanted to start a family of your own someday because you wanted to make a kid have a good life with their parents like you never had. I was already so head over heels for you that in already knew I wanted to be the person you created your family with.” He was crying much more than you were at that moment. “I thought I had lost you many years ago and thank God we got a second chance because I wouldn’t know what I’d do without you and our little family. I love you since that one, and I love our story, how we got here and the battles we fought together. They are just as important to me as you are. And I’ll love you until my last breath, just like I did some years ago, and just like I will when the time comes. I’ll love you through all eternity, hubby.”

“Peter, do you accept (Y/N) as your wife?”

“I do.” He said looking you in the eyes and you couldn’t be happier.

“(Y/N), do you take Peter as your husband?”

“I do.” You repeated his words and if he could, Peter would have just kissed you right there. You slipped your rings in each other’s fingers and kissed your hands.

“I now declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Peter took you in his arms and kissed you as he had never done before, and to be honest, it was the first time you kissed as a married couple. You were over the clouds and proud to be right there with him, you couldn’t be happier after all those years trying to get to that place. It was the perfect timing and meant to be.

“I love you, hubby.”

“I love you, wifey.”

…………………

ADD YOURSELF TO THE TAGLIST!

bold means i can’t tag you (send me a message to solve it!)

Permanent taglist: @missmulti , @zabdisamor , @cmon-peter-tingle , @lifeisabitchandsoareyou , @tinyplanet-explorers , @spideyyypeter , @princezzariel , @pastyoverlord265 @dumandbass, @lilgaga98, @chatnoirfangirl1624 , @heartofholland, @big-galaxy-chaos

P.P./T.H taglist: @tomshufflepuff, @deathofthethrones, @unicornslothfish, @coonflix, @itsjustahuman, @legendsofwholock, @emistrash, @starlightfound, @sandran04, @paaaam97, @pure-ghost, @unconditional-love-and-support, @janieavalos, @seutarose, @tomsppsleeve , @cosmicholland , @thewayilookatbacon, @spiderbibby

55 notes · View notes

yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy · 3 years

Text

Why So Jaded? Chapter 9

FFN, AO3, Enjoy.

Why So Jaded

Chapter 9

Saturday morning Violet happily got dressed in a gorgeous floral dress that was tea length with a cardigan and beautiful comfortable sandals and did her hair and makeup to reflect a more- sweet, non threatening and likable look as she could, before she went to the florist to pick up the flower arrangements she had ordered for Beth, Tammy and Lisa and had ordered them to look like centerpieces because surely every woman enjoyed getting flowers and was happy when they came out looking and more importantly smelling- divine.

Then she went to the bakery, The Merry Cherry, to pick up the cake and the cupcakes, because Buddy and her had decided, especially since everyone was bringing their kids that they should make the cake tempting enough to encourage the kids to eat all of their dinner, so they got a galaxy cake and galaxy cupcakes which did look really awesome. Then she went to Chocolacier- a boutique chocolatier that was right around the corner from the Merry Cherry, to pick up her huge case of chocolate covered strawberries and four big cases of chocolates, one for each family to take home with them and the last one for Buddy and his guests to enjoy after dinner.

She had spent the night before with Jack who helped her get little gift bags together for all the kids at Party City, a party supply place which went with the galaxy theme because it was gender neutral and age appropriate for all the kids involved and Jack had been invaluable in making sure each child would receive something special, yet age appropriate and more importantly - super cool, before she made another stop across the street from Chocolacier, to Linster Rivera which was a very high end delicatessen and charcuterie bodega to get all the charcuterie elements because she was bound and determined to have a proper cheese and charcuterie board and even bought a huge authentic charcuterie board and a set of cheese knives because she had already gotten some cheeses and crackers at the liquor store’s market but she needed more to round everything out along with some last minute items before she drove into SEB to deliver everything.

Buddy frowned when he heard a thudding at his apartment door before he came and opened the door to see a pile of things so tall, he couldn’t see Violet’s head and knew she must have been “knocking” with the toe of her sandal but the flowers covering her head were breathtaking.

“Hi,” came Violet’s muffled greeting from behind the pile of things as her head had been nestled in the bouquet itself as everything else was precariously stacked within her arms, threatening to overflow them.

“Oh my goodness, here, let me help with that.” Buddy laughed as he took as much from her as he could manage but nearly dropped what he was carrying when he saw her. She was so beautiful. She was always beautiful but today, she was extra gorgeous and disarmingly bewitching that had him swooning, it was like seeing her for the first time all over again as the butterflies once again fluttered almost thunderously within his belly and his heart skipped a beat or two.

“Have you ever heard of taking two trips?” Buddy teased with a chuckle as he did his best to be as unaffected by her as he could and felt he was failing miserably.

“Well that’s the thing, I have another load down there, probably two or three.” Violet answered honestly as she organized what was left and avoided his gaze as she did her best to stamp down her own bashfulness as her cheeks flushed rose.

“Load of what?” Buddy asked as he tried to think of what else she could have possibly brought that he hadn’t prepared for.

“Well, I got Jack off the bus yesterday and he asked about today and I told him about it and he suggested that we make gift bags for the kids and since we got a galaxy cake, we got galaxy themed gift bags and stuff because they’re age neutral and gender neutral and would be inclusive for everyone. And so we went to Party City and we kind of went a little nuts and then it snowballed from there. So I have gift bags for all the kids, and the baby.” Violet confessed because she had also drug Jack to Target to get together some things for Beth's baby- Roman, and Buddy’s heart melted that she was being so thoughtful and doubted Jack would really do such a thing and figured she was using her little brother as an excuse to do something nice and inclusive for the kids. Which was incredibly sweet.

“Aww, you didn’t have to, it’s just a dinner, not really a party. Very sweet of you to think of them though.” Buddy noted as he put his own stack on his kitchen island and started to unpack what she had gotten, impressed when he saw all the deli stuff as his stomach reminded him it was going to be lunch time soon.

“Yeah Jack, with his silver tongue, justified it as a mini SEB public relations stunt and I have extras just in case any of the kids end up bringing a friend or two.” Violet explained with a chuckle which got Buddy to grin, as he reconsidered his previous thought about Jack but also knew that Violet wasn’t one to be talked into something she didn’t want to do.

“So yeah, I have a big tub with gift bags in the back of my SUV.” Violet informed him bashfully and Buddy could tell she was nervous and anxious and obviously trying so hard to gain approval.

“Well let me help you unload the rest of it.” Buddy insisted as he slipped his own shoes on real quick as Buddy went with her to her SUV in the parking garage.

“How are the spider’s in here?” Buddy asked in a whisper as they walked side by side in tandem.

“Not nearly as bad, just watching, not listening.” Violet answered.

“Well let me know when their webs aren’t in the way.” Buddy said before Violet suddenly pulled them to be between huge SUV’s and Buddy didn’t even ask, he just pulled her into a tight hug and smiled sadly when she hugged him back just as tightly.

“Are you nervous?” Buddy murmured.

“I know I have no reason to be.” Violet answered with a defeated sigh.

“Do you by any chance feel the need to overcompensate?” Buddy guessed gently.

“I still feel like I’m intruding and I gotta make up for that.” Violet confessed.

“You’re not intruding. You’re just as invited as everyone else. They’re all cool with you coming. They were excited about it actually. Keith most of all, which is kinda creepy with how enthusiastic he was.” Buddy teased and smiled when he felt her smile into his chest.

“And even if they don’t like you, I can always get new friends.” Buddy offered which got Violet to snort a laugh.

“That’s ridiculous.” Violet murmured as she finally seemed to relax in his arms though as Buddy smiled happily when she finally did.

“Yeah but I like you better than I do them.” Buddy reassured her.

“You shouldn’t though.” Violet argued softly as Buddy felt her shoulder’s sag which got him to frown.

“Yeah, but I do, it’s too late to go back now, besides it’s going to be ok. It’s just a group of friends hanging out. That’s all it is and the moment they come into my place, you won’t have to be Ms. Parr for the rest of the day, all you need to be and should be is Violet. And that’s more than enough.” Buddy reassured her.

“Ok.” Violet finally caved as she nuzzled her face into the crux of his neck and shoulder before she got a call which caused them to part reluctantly.

“Hey,” Violet answered when she saw the caller ID.

“Hey, what time is your thing today?” Violet’s mom Helen called.

“Uh, kind of an all day thing, but it technically starts at five, why? What do you need?” Violet asked.

“Could you get Jack, he spent the night at his friend Jaxon’s house and he was supposed to be spending the weekend with them and your Dad and I are already out of town on business and Dash is at Ashley's or Amy’s or I forget which girl he’s going out with now, but Jaxon’s parents have plans tonight at someone else’s house and they don’t want to be rude to that host by having Jack tag along, so could you pick him up?” Helen asked hopefully as Violet scrunched up her face which Buddy thought was beyond adorable.

“Yup, I got him, I’ll give him a call.” Violet agreed.

“Thanks Honey, Jack will give you the address.” Helen answered.

“You’re welcome, have fun and be safe, bye Mom.” Violet bit her mom.

“You too Sweetie bye.” Helen thanked her.

“Well, it seems Jack needs me to go get him. I’m sorry, I really wanted to stay and help out more.” Violet began to apologize.

“Well if it’s not too weird, Jack could just hang out with us, he’s more than welcome to and he can stay the rest of the day if he wanted to too, it’s not like he’s going to be the only kid around here.” Buddy generously offered.

“Really? You don’t mind?” Violet asked.

“Not one bit, as long as he’s ok with it.” Buddy answered before Violet reached up on her toes and kissed his cheek sweetly.

“Thank you.” Violet thanked him before she got back on her phone and called her brother.

“Hey Vi,” Jack greeted.

“Hey, so here’s the deal, Mom and Dad are already out of town, and Dash is still screwing his way through a model catalog…” Violet began before Buddy snorted a laugh before he quickly covered his mouth with his hand so he wouldn’t make any more noise as he and Violet shared a meaningful look.

“And I’m still here at work but I’m helping set up for the thing tonight, now my host has offered for you to just hang out with us…” Violet began.

“Yes! I’m ready now, you can pick me up now.” Jack eagerly insisted.

“Oh, ok then, text me the address. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Violet replied before she hung up.

“Hey, by any chance, did you ever have any other nicknames besides Buddy or Bud, because Bartholomew is a mouthful?” Violet asked Buddy thoughtfully.

“Yeah, why? Were you looking for one?” Buddy asked curiously.

“Yeah, because you have the distinction between Violet and Ms. Par and Invisigirl, I was hoping you had another distinction between Mr. Pine.” Violet explained as she self consciously put her hair behind her ears.

“Uh, well, Tali called me Tully, so that’s out.” Buddy realized as his brain was spinning into a tizzy at the possible implications of what this could mean for them.

“Uh, otherwise, I’ve been called any number of things…” Buddy tried to think of something to give her but was coming up with a blank.

“What about Barret?” Violet suggested hopefully and Buddy was ready to go down to the courthouse to change his legal name to that because the way she said it was making the butterflies flutter again, like they usually did whenever she was around but now they were about to become a hurricane in his stomach.

“Barret totally works, honestly I could just answer to ‘hey you’ if you wanted.” Buddy answered as he tried not to giggle. Because Violet having her very own private nickname just for him? Sign him up.

“Well, cause I’ve been thinking about this since Wednesday, and it would be a nice way to cut through all the Ms. Parr, Mr. Pine stuff with, but wouldn’t set Phillip off, like a pet name but I guess, not a pet name?” Violet carefully worded as her cheeks flushed cherry and Buddy was about to squeal in delight. She wanted an intimate pet name for him without tipping off the sensors or anyone else. So she did feel the same way! Oh how sweet the vindication and validation.

“Yeah, Barret totally works, Barret and Violet, Violet and Barret. Winning combination.” Buddy blathered off, trying to keep his excitement to a reasonable level.

“Thank you. Will your friends look at me crazy if I call you that in front of them though?” Violet posed.

“They shouldn’t care honestly.” Buddy shook his head no with a shrug.

“Ok, well help me with the tub and then I’ll go get Jack before he tries to portal here.” Violet urged before she turned and nearly ran into the SUV on the side of her which made them both erupt into laughter.

“Wow, so smooth.” Violet chided herself as she led the way to her SUV and popped the back hatch to reveal a big clear plastic tub full of gift bags, with all the kid’s names on the tags and yet even more things as she grabbed the big case of chocolate covered strawberries and put all she could on top of the tub's lid in Buddy's hands before she got the remaining flower arrangements before they walked back into the building as Violet made sure he was squared away in his ‘gilded cage’ before she left to go pick up Jack.

Violet was barely parked in front of the house before Jack came running out of the house and practically leapt into her SUV with his backpack.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Jack insisted.

“What is going on?” Violet asked as she waived to Jaxon’s mother before she pulled out of the driveway.

“We don’t have much time. Step on it.” Jack insisted.

“Much time for what?” Violet asked as she got back on the road.

“Are the spiders awake?” Jack asked.

“No, they’re sleeping.” Violet answered.

“Ok, so I was up really late last night and I think I have a breakthrough on Phillip. But I need a lab and hopefully Mr. Pine’s genius will do the rest.” Jack explained.

“You...Do you mean to tell me- that Jaxon’s parent’s really don’t have other plans that they couldn’t drag you along with? And that you literally called Mom and Dad to pick you up, knowing they were out of town and Dash is busy so that left me to get you so that I could watch you myself because you wanted to get one on one time with my asset?!” Violet demanded angrily.

“Yeah, look, you told me that you told him about Phillip’s powers and the fact that he picked up on the fact that Phillip has them, and he was cool about it and he’s been really awesome about everything. If he likes you as much as you make him sound like he does, that gives him- opportunity, motive and availability, the magic trio to work miracles. Because I have a really bad feeling we are running out of time. Like I want this done before you leave for Hong Kong, Tokyo at the latest.” Jack insisted.

“You...manipulator!” Violet growled as she threw her phone at him before he let it phase through him and her phone hit the passenger door.

“You said that he said that he’d do anything for you right? Let him prove it.” Jack pleaded as he got her phone and handed it back to her.

“God damn it Jack, I also told you I could be reading in between the lines and going out on a limb there.” Violet groaned.

“Yeah, I doubt it, come on, plus you know Phillip agreed that the moment anyone from your family is on SEB property that he’d promise to turn off all the cameras and listening devices. This way we get most of the day without Big Brother watching us and listening to us the whole time. Look Edna and I have been hitting our heads against a brick wall here and we’re out of ideas. And with the pictures that came up when you went to Vegas, Phillip isn’t making it hard for anyone to guess what his intentions with you are. And if we can’t find a way to stop him- you’ll be trapped as Mrs. Sebastian for life, however long or short that would be. You’re already miserable being his handler. I can’t imagine how awful you would feel being his wife.” Jack appealed.

“Jack this isn’t your problem to solve.” Violet answered.

“Well your way of handling it isn’t working, it’s just making it worse. If you told Mom and Dad half of what you’ve told me, then you know Dad would beat Phillip into a pulp but we both know Phillip would plant a suicide seed in his head before the first punch could be thrown. Same thing with Mom, that’s why you haven’t told anyone but me.” Jack explained and Violet couldn’t argue with that.

“But you said it yourself that whatever Buddy puts his hands on- he improves. Let him put his hands and his brain on this and the worst that can happen is he can’t come up with something. The best that can happen is he solves this. We just need to give him a starting point. Give him what we’ve come up with so far and have him do his genius thing. He's already been solving your medical stuff and you said you trusted him. So trust him, take the leap of faith Vi.” Jack pleaded.

“How am I going to explain to Phillip that you and Barret are working on a way to expose the very powers that he has killed -who knows how many- for even talking about?” Violet asked.

“Ooh, Barret, so he did go for the pet name that is so not a pet name .” Jack grinned cheekily.

“He did,” Violet confided.

“Well that and Barret is a good way to talk about him to Mom and Dad and get them to like him before they meet him face to face and freak out that you’re hot for the guy who tried to kill the family a decade ago.” Jack said with a shrug.

“Who said I’m ever going to let them meet?” Violet asked.

“As soon as you’re free from Phillip and you can hook up with him and go steady for a while.” Jack answered like it was the most obvious answer.

“Yeah, every day I’m little less and less certain that’s ever going to be a possibility and you’re almost making me regret ever telling you about any of this.” Violet confessed.

“You’ll be thanking me once this works, now call Phillip so he can turn off the cameras.” Jack prodded.

Violet begrudgingly called Phillip and told him that she needed to watch Jack and take him back to Mr. Pine’s floor because she was assisting Mr. Pine with the party which he agreed that the moment that Jack showed up on the cameras, they would all be shut off to protect Jack’s secrecy and privacy and they would remain that way until Jack went home. Even to the lab because he knew how Jack had a fondness for science equipment and Jack practically yelled into the phone that he had a science project that he wanted Mr. Pine’s assistance with which Phillip agreed to as well.

“Perfect.” Jack beamed when Violet got off the phone.

“You’re lucky he still thinks he has to charm you.”

“And you’re lucky I’m immune so far.” Jack responded.

“It just sucks that Dash isn’t.” Violet grumbled.

“You really think he has a suicide seed planted in his head?” Jack asked worriedly.

“At this point, I assume everyone within a 500 foot radius has it, hell make it a thousand feet including and especially me, and especially Barret.” Violet confessed before Jack reached over and held her hand.

“Well then we have to find a way to find it.” Jack comforted her as she squeezed his hand back.

True to Phillip’s word, Violet could feel all the camera’s shut off and the listening devices get disabled as soon as Jack was seen by the cameras.

Meanwhile Buddy anxiously tried to get lunch prepared, he had to charm Jack. It was clear that Violet favored Jack and was especially close to him, more than anyone so if by a longshot, he could make a good impression with Jack, despite the history, maybe he stood a chance and just as he was getting things together, Jack burst into his apartment with a very irritated looking Violet behind him.

“Hey, Violet said I could call you Barret, you know I’m Jack, we got Phillip to put the spiders to sleep while I’m here, we need to get in the lab, we only got about six hours before your other company comes and we need your help.” Jack said quickly as he practically bounded up to Buddy eagerly.

“Help with what?” Buddy asked as he was completely but pleasantly surprised by this development.

“Help to expose Phillip as a Super, and save everyone who has to be around him, especially Violet.” Jack said as Buddy looked from Jack to Violet who seemed defeated and resigned as she leaned against the counter in the kitchen and looked apologetically from Jack to Buddy.

“Who else have you talked to about this?” Buddy asked them.

“Everyone else we can trust. Violet told me she trusts you. At least look at it.” Jack pleaded as he held up a case that had all the flashdrives of data in it.

“Please? Because I’m out of ideas and options and so is he and everyone else.” Violet finally spoke and the heartbreak in her voice was heart rendering.

“Violet? I really hate to do this to you, but, if you’ll finish cooking lunch, and follow this recipe, that’ll give me a head start on..” Buddy immediately decided.

“Let me clear your lab first.” Violet smiled in relief before the three of them went into Buddy’s lab and Violet pulled up the two computers side by side and started to put in two separate codes with each hand on two separate keyboards as she closed her eyes and focused on her finger movements, coordinating both hands to do separate things before she got two spare key cards and put them into the programmer and then went into The Agency’s database and brought up all the research she had been able to do in the last year and brought up everything every other agent had discovered in their post before the keycards finished programing before she handed one to Buddy and one to Jack.

“Ok, so the key cards are a shortcut to this project and they should disable all other eyes and ears when working on them and this way all three of us can work on this together and Jack I trust you’ll let Edna use yours when you’re not using it, all of this is encrypted, and if Phillip ever gets to see any of this, he’ll assume I’m working on someone named Dragon Eye who is actually a real guy in China who does have similar powers but he’s not nearly as dangerous as all this makes him to be, all the intel is on Phillip, but Phillip has clearance at The Agency and we had to make something he wouldn’t notice or suspect. Here’s how far I’ve gotten, Jack, your turn.” Violet offered before she left the lab and Jack immediately plugged in all the flash drives he kept for this into the computer as Buddy focused on reading all the could as quickly as he could.

“My sister really likes you.” Jack murmured to Buddy as he keyed in his own passwords to get to the contents of the drives.

“She shouldn’t.” Buddy blurted before he fully let what Jack said sunk into his consciousness. Holy shit, Violet really liked him?! Yes!

“But she does. Violet doesn’t trust people as far as she can kick them. She’s been doing the wrong kind of Super work for way too long and it’s changed her, but not for the better. She has no faith in people, much less humanity. She’s incredibly jaded and guarded. So for you to get through all that- says a lot about you.” Jack noted as he pulled up everything for Buddy to see.

“All I’ve been doing is just being myself.” Buddy muttered.

“And that’s all you needed to do. Violet has every reason to believe everyone she knows is in danger and can be used as leverage against her and despite everything that’s happened to her and everything else she’s done- she’s still a good person. And she will sacrifice herself to save others.”

“Even when those others aren’t worth saving.” Buddy finished as he carefully looked at everything.

“If she deems someone worthy of being saved, then they’re lucky to have her view them as such. And it means that they should respond in kind.” Jack insisted.

“This is true.” Buddy had to admit.

“I like you.” Jack grinned at Buddy as he watched Buddy get to work.

“Why? You don’t even know me.” Buddy frowned.

“Violet does, and that’s more than enough for anyone, even me. And don’t worry about everyone else, they’ll come around. Just keep having her back and do everything you can with helping us with this. It’ll work out, I got a good feeling about it.” Jack advised.

“There, now that’s everything.” Jack said once he was finished and once Buddy read over everything, his spark lit up like lightning again before he started to link things together, like taking two halves of a sweater and finally threading and knitting them together on both ends to make a whole and complete work as Jack simply sat back and watched on with proud excitement just as Violet came in several minutes later with two big bowls of chicken carbonara Buddy had started as she handed the first to Jack and then simply placed the second one into Buddy’s hands since he was preoccupied and already jumping down the rabbit hole.

“Thanks Vi.” Buddy answered a little bit distractedly as he blindly reached for the fork before he started to feed himself before Violet leaned over and kissed his cheek sweetly which did give him pause as his head skipped a beat or two.

“Thanks Barret.” Violet couldn’t help but coo before she left as Jack did his best to pretend he didn’t see it.

“You-you’re welcome.” Buddy replied before Violet retreated as she left and got her own lunch and before Buddy knew it he had already dived right in again with renewed vigor and enthusiasm and Violet was grateful Buddy had written down a ‘to do’ list on when to start what and already had all his recipes pulled up and Violet happily picked up where he left off while she happily danced away in the kitchen once she synced up her phone with the kitchen sound system so Buddy could focus on her own problem as Jack seemed to float back and forth between the two all afternoon.

“How’s he doing?” Violet asked Jack as she put two of the dishes into one of the ovens while the main course braised in the other.

“Oh he hasn’t barely come up for air, I’ve had to hand him- like two water bottles and a brain superfood bar so far. He’s dove in head first and he’s threading everything all together and making a proper spider web. It’s awesome. He’s even redesigning your suit. Because we’ve narrowed it down on which particular bandwidths that Phillip is “broadcasting” off. Like a radio tower. So the suit, as long as it can cover your head, can, in theory- protect you and he has already designed like a dozen more features that Edna would be drooling if she saw them and every other Super is going to want their own set of them. It’s working perfectly.” Jack informed her proudly as he got into the fridge to see what Buddy had in the way of afternoon snacks.

“I can see what you see in him. For once you have really good taste in men.” Jack teased before Violet mused his hair.

“You keep that quiet.” Violet urged.

“He’s actually a really good guy though. And he clearly cares about you enough to take all this on with just a single ‘please’ from you and if I had to bet, he’s clearly way beyond head over heels for you. And I think you’re in just as much danger of being the future Mrs. Pine that you are being Mrs. Sebastian.” Jack hinted with a scheming grin.

“My love life is also not a problem to be solved, much less by you.” Violet tried to argue but the little excited grin that she immediately tried to swipe off her face was pretty telling to Jack especially.

“I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing. You’d two be a cute couple. Whereas in the other one you’d be a hostage.” Jack shrugged as he found a string cheese and started to eat that for a snack before dinner which Violet had been doing so well at following the directions Buddy had left for himself.

“That’s true.” Violet admitted- as she got a blackberry yogurt from Buddy’s fridge and ate that as a snack herself.

“And the moment you pop out a kid, and give Mom and Dad a legitimate grandbaby they will be all on board.” Jack reminded her.

“What about the two they already have?” Violet argued, referring to Dash’s kids.

“They’re from two different baby mama’s and he’s not even with either one of them right now and he’s probably on his way to making a third as we speak.” Jack retorted as Violet did nod in agreement to that as she did her best to hide her own guilty expression.

“Maybe after Barret solves this, he can tackle a way to put a permanent condom on Dash.” Violet muttered sarcastically.

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Jack offered.

“No it wouldn’t be.” Violet agreed as she wrapped her arm around Jack and gave him a side hug.

“Do you really think Barret can do it?” Violet asked softly.

“I do. He’s working like over a dozen angles simultaneously and is using his entire lab to work on all of it. He really is a genius. Like a savant level of genius. Almost makes me wonder if he’s actually a Super himself.” Jack answered.

“He probably is a low grade one, but one that there isn’t a test for yet.” Violet mused. “Either that or one hell of a gifted normal.” Violet shrugged.

“Either way, good brother in law material.” Jack muttered.

“That’s if we can survive Phillip’s best efforts.” Violet murmured with a grimace before she could stop herself.

“Well Barret gave Phillip the blueprint about how to come clean with you and how to move his relationship with you from asset and handler to genuine and legitimate and Phillip has yet to take him up on it or follow any of it. All Buddy is doing is following his own blueprint and it’s working out for him. That and your chemistry is pretty good if one kiss on the cheek from you sent him into a mini tizzy, I can’t imagine what he’d do if you actually kissed him- kissed him.” Jack teased and cackled when Violet smacked him upside the head.

“Get back in that lab before I hurt you.” Violet ordered.

“Ok, ok, I’m gone, one more string cheese and a Coke.” Jack said before he grabbed the can and another snack before he retreated into the lab again as Violet set everything up for the company and artfully arranged all the snacks on trays. Making not just a cheese and charcuterie board but also a tray for the remaining cheeses and fruits and nuts and of course the chocolate covered strawberries and even wrapped the cases of chocolates and made sure to fill the cards out for each of the families before putting the snack trays back into the fridge and even made an extra dish for the dinner because Buddy had the ingredients and did her best to keep her dress clean with the help of the apron but was all too happy and comfortable to be barefoot in the kitchen and out of her heeled sandals as she continued to dance around the kitchen, listening to her music and feeling right at home for some reason. Violet even had time to take a leisurely break and watch some TV as she waited for everything to finish cooking in the ovens before she set the ovens to be warm for most of the food so it wouldn’t overcook while the main course finished braising and arranged all the bottles of wine and beers before it was time for her to go greet her guests if they decided they would be coming early.

“Hey guys, we got about 25 minutes before our company should be coming. So try to wrap up what you can and just set things to process for a while.” Violet reminded them.

“Ok.” Jack agreed from his spot at one of the pieces of equipment from the other side of the lab.

“Yeah.” Buddy answered but Violet could tell by that tone that he was still super distracted with what he was working on before she simply shook her head and walked across the lab and purposefully sat in Buddy’s lap and placed her arm around his shoulders as the touch completely yanked him out of his hyper-focus.

“Wha- huh?” Buddy asked as he suddenly realized she was not only next to him but obviously in his lap and the serene but expectant look she gave him as she simply reached up and gently threaded her fingers through his hair and grinned when he seemed to melt at her touch.

“Did you hear what I just told you?” Violet asked sweetly but thoughtfully.

“Uh...something about the time?” Buddy asked before he noticed what time it was.

“Oh shit, the dinner…” Buddy realized.

“Nope, I took care of it. I just followed the to do list you left yourself and followed the recipes you had pulled up on the tablet in your kitchen. It’s all done, it’s all ready to go. The main course still has about thirty minutes left, but everything else is done. All the snacks and cold appetizers are in the fridge, already on the trays, all you have to do is pull them out of the fridge and set them on the breakfast bar. I’m just letting you know, you now have about 23 minutes before your guests arrive. So that gives you 15 minutes to wrap things up and set things to continue processing while we socialize. Can you handle that?” Violet reassured him in one of her more calming, soothing tones and Buddy was ready to propose to her in that instant as he readily held her steadily in his lap and was ready to break at least one chair if it meant she’d have nowhere to sit but his lap for the evening.

“Yep, I can do that.”

“Good, give me your phone so I can set an alarm, just in case and then I’ll go down and see if anyone ends up being early. Ok?” Violet posed before Buddy freely handed her his phone as she put an alarm that would sound in 15 minutes.

“Thank you Barret, see you in a bit.” Violet thanked him and gave his temple a quick kiss she offered before she got up and sauntered away and left as Buddy was hopeless but to watch her leave. God was he falling hard and fast for her.

“Someone’s gonna be Mrs. Pine.” Jack teased in a sing-song tone from across the lab once the door was closed behind Violet.

“Shh! Don’t jinx it Man.” Buddy shushed him.

“Violet didn’t have any aversions to it when I said something about it to her earlier.” Jack added temptingly and nearly fell out of his chair laughing when Buddy reacted to that revelation.

“Wait what?” Buddy pressed as he nearly fell out of his chair as he leaned as far back as he could so he could see Jack clearly from across the lab.

“Look, with Phillip, she’s a hostage, with you she’s happy and more like her old self before she did so many missions as a spy. It’s just an observation.” Jack answered as he put his hands up in defeat.

“Really? She’s happy with me?” Buddy pressed.

“You really need to ask that? I thought you were a genius?” Jack teased with a shit eating grin.

“Yeah with computers I am, to women and most social situations, not really no.” Buddy confessed.

“None of us can have it all Man.” Jack shrugged. “Come on, we only have like 12 minutes left.” Jack reminded him before they went back to work trying to get as many processes starting as they could before they ran out of time.

Meanwhile Violet waited anxiously at SEB’s entrance, having brought the tub of gifts down and set them up on a table on the other side of security so she could hand them to the kids once they came through the metal detectors before Greg and Tammy and their kids came in and Violet put on a bright, welcoming smile.

“Well hello guys! Welcome to SEB Industries. I’m Miss Violet Parr, acting head of security. And I’ll need all of you to come through the metal detector and then I just have some really quick paperwork for you.” Violet said sweetly as Greg’s little boy Alex, who was 4 smiled brightly at her.

“Hi!” He greeted.

“Hello, what’s your name Handsome?” Violet cooed as she turned to him from the other side of security.

“Alex!” He greeted.,

“Well come on through Alex,” Violet invited as she waived him through before his parents followed him through security as Violet got their paperwork in order.

“Ok, so in exchange for the cameras to be turned off so we’re not in a complete fish bowl, I need both of you to sign these. And while you’re reading these over and signing them. I have these for Evan, Alex and even Kaely, I didn’t know if they would be jealous that you guys got to sign paperwork and they didn’t. So I wrote up something they could “sign” too.” Violet informed them as she showed Greg and Tammy the “contracts” she had written that basically had big check marks next to the things she thought would be appropriate for each kid. Kaely’s paper just had pictures with check marks on. Which Tammy and Greg thought was super cute and agreed to let her show their kids as Evan took his “contract” and snorted a laugh but agreed and signed it while Kaely happily sat on the floor and did the same with hers, choosing to scribble on the pictures while Violet helped Alex with his.

“Ok Alex, while your mommy and daddy are signing their paperwork, you have the most important paperwork. Let me read it to you. Objective number 1, so think of this like your mission, should you choose to accept it- is you will have fun while you’re here. Do you agree?” She posed.

“Yes.” Alex eagerly answered.

“Awesome, so put a check mark right here.” Violet directed as she handed him a pen which he happily did.

“Ok, now, objective number two, you will eat all your dinner so that you can have dessert? Which there is an awesome cake up there, it’s super yummy. Do you agree?” Violet posed.

“Yes.” Alex giggled as he checked that off.

“Number three, most important, there are other kids coming tonight and a limited number of toys, so that means that you have to share what’s up there and do your best to get along, do you agree?” Violet posed.

“Yes.” Alex answered as he checked that.

“Ok, now all you gotta do is sign your name, which if you don’t know how to write your name, you can totally just scribble it in.” Violet reassured him before Alex scribbled excitedly.

“Now we gotta stamp this, can you stamp it for me?” Violet asked as she handed him the “Approved” stamp and had him stamp it which he did, like five times, all over the paper before Violet could get the stamp back with a laugh.

“Super duper approved! Awesome. Ok, so now we put the stamp back and we give this to your parents so they can keep it.” Violet urged as Alex took the paper and eagerly showed his parents who had just gotten done with their own paperwork as Violet traded and made sure that they had initialed, signed and dated it before she did the same and stamped the paperwork herself quickly before she directed them to the gift table to pick up the kids’ gift bags along with the family’s gift case of chocolates to take home which the wives all eagerly took and held onto as the others came and she repeated the process, all the parents thinking it was super adorable that Violet would include the kids and be as awesome with them as she was and Greg, Keith and Scott along with their wives were happy to see this soft side of Violet and the kids were super happy about the gift bags and had already looked through them a little and had found all kinds of goodies and even the "older" kids thought it was awesome that she made theirs different than the little kids.

“Ok, is everyone here and accounted for?” Violet asked as she did a head count and double checked her paperwork to make sure she had everyone.

“Awesome, well follow me guys,” Violet said as she led the way to the freight elevator that would be big enough for all of them before they all squeezed in and Violet hit the floors with her passkey that she had on a lanyard on her neck.

“So how come he doesn’t have an actual floor on the elevator?” Evan asked.

“Oh it’s a safety precaution. SEB is not immune to corporate espionage and the last thing we need is for Mr. Pine to be subjected to any while he’s here with us since all the projects he works on are all the intellectually property of SEB.” Violet answered politely.

“But I thought that’s what you were here for as head of security?” Scott posed.

“I’m only one person. I can’t fight off everything and everyone.” Violet shrugged before they came to the floor and Violet led the way to Buddy’s apartment and walked in to see Buddy thankfully in the kitchen, putting out the trays of appetizers on the breakfast bar like Violet had suggested.

“Hey guys! Thanks for coming, take your shoes off, stay a while.” Buddy warmly invited as he came over and did the handshake hug thing with everyone as the kids eagerly went over to where the cake was set up to look at it in awe as they realized it was a galaxy cake as Violet simply slipped away to change out of her dress and into more casual attire before she seemed to reappear just as the adults were gathering around the breakfast bar to dig into the snacks provided before Jack came out of Buddy’s lab and into the apartment.

“Well hi.” Greg greeted Jack as he looked from Jack to Buddy curiously.

“Hi,” Jack replied before he soon took refuge next to his sister.

“Is this your son?” Greg asked Violet but he was struck by how ginger Jack was, almost like he could be Violet and Buddy's son if they ever got to have kids.

“No, I’m her little brother, Jack, nice to meet you.” Jack immediately countered.

“My parents are out of town for the weekend so I’m staying with Violet and Barret agreed to help me with a school project.” Jack informed them casually as all the adults blinked in surprise as they looked from Jack to Buddy excitedly.

“What’s the school project about?” Tammy, Greg’s wife asked.

“Radio waves.” Jack answered.

“Oh, cool, well if there was anyone to help you with that, it would be Bud, or uh, Barret, rather.” Tammy nodded as she looked at him and tried to think of where she had seen him before Tammy’s son Evan came around his mom to grab another handful of snacks himself, mostly a handful of blueberries and another chocolate covered strawberry.

“Hey! I know you! You play at Millwood Park a lot.” Evan noted to Jack.

“Yeah!” Jack beamed in excitement because low and behold, he had a friend at this shindig after all before he happily left Violet’s side to go over to Evan before the two went back with the rest of the kids to play among themselves in Buddy’s living room while Jack happily got to have his own gift bag from among the extras.

“Wow Bud you really went all out.” Beth, Keith’s wife noted as she appreciated the spread.

“Actually, this is all Violet’s doing. Jack and I went down a rabbit hole for his school project so Violet is the one that put this all together. Didn't she do a great job?” Buddy proudly answered as he marveled at these snack trays and happily started putting a little bit of everything together and marveling at the amazing quality of it all, being immensely proud of Violet for putting all this together and saving his bacon to speak.

Almost like a real couple should.

“Well I wouldn’t have done half as good if you hadn’t left a pretty good plan to follow, I just followed your ‘to-do’ list that had all the instructions on what and when to start all the elements. It was a piece of cake because of that.” Violet returned with a little shrug but her pleased grin shamed the sun at the praise, being ever so happy he pleased with it.

“Well now that you mention it, yes it’s obvious you did it because there’s no way he would have thought to include flower arrangements or half of these snack trays and look at that cake and those cupcakes, and this wine selection is flawless, I mean come on, all this does scream feminine touch.” Lisa praised as she gestured to everything as she even noticed Buddy’s table was set up beautifully too before they dissolved into idle chit chat before the oven beeped which signaled that dinner was ready before all the adults got a place around the table and all the kids got to sit around a second table that Violet had set up for them, complete with galaxy paper plates and napkins and cups as all the adults seemed to grab a dish and put it on the table before Buddy said grace and all the mothers got their kid’s plates ready and squared away before all the adults dug into what was left and even Buddy was pleasantly surprised to see Violet’s added dish and thought it complemented the meal perfectly and he was ever so grateful that Violet had just picked up where he left off so he could do the same for her and they had done it flawlessly together and with him sitting at the head of the table and her sitting to his immediate right, he was all too pleased about this and thought she fit in flawlessly, if anything she was the integral part to all of this and with the way they were kind of smooshed around the table, his knee was happy to rest against hers.

“So, where are you from Violet?” Beth asked.

“Uh, well my parents are originally from here but then they moved around a lot when I was little but when I was 14 we settled here back here in Metroville and my family has been here ever since.” Violet answered.

“Oh, so you’re just a hometown girl who’s made it big then?” Beth surmised.

“Well, yeah, I guess you could say that.” Violet mused.

“Where did you go to college at? I mean I assume you’ve been to collage if you’re head of security.” Beth furthered.

“Actually I didn’t go to collage, although I did have internships.” Violet said simply.

“Oh that’s nice, how did you manage that was the application process hard?” Beth guessed as all the guys looked a little worriedly from Violet to Buddy who looked tense who kept looking from them to Violet to gauge her reactions at being poked and prodded.

“It was really a case of who I knew and developing the right skill set.” Violet tried to explain delicately.

“But what about you guys, since you brought up college, where did you go?” Violet returned, trying to keep the focus off of herself which Buddy and Violet were grateful for which worked for a little while before the conversation came right back around to her.

And then when they learned that Violet was "single" then all the girls seemed to try to make Buddy out to be this amazing catch of a guy. Which Violet thought was adorable because Buddy was getting a little flustered by it but when her hand went under the table to gently squeeze his knee, that had him relax a little and then to hold his hand under the table had him relaxing even more and taking it all in stride.

Then once dinner was eaten and the cake was cut and all the kids eagerly taking a cupcake before Violet put on a movie for them, the adults happily cleared the table and moved the snack trays to the table so they could sit and continue to snack as Violet opened Buddy’s case of chocolates to enjoy with them as Buddy eagerly and happily went through the case of chocolates to find his favorites as his friends gently poked and prodded Violet some more to try to get to know her better which was an easier feat with Violet happily drinking her favorite wine and with Buddy’s hand and hers both seemed to be drawn together under the table and before Violet knew it she was happily holding his hand under the table since they were still kitty corner to each other as they ate and drank happily with their free hand and Buddy was so unbelievably proud of Violet for staying Violet and it really was- for a few blissful hours- just a group of adults hanging out for a dinner.

It wasn’t until after the second movie that Violet put on for the kids, that the group heard the tell tail signs of little ones snoring as they had all snuggled up together on the couch with a couch throw over them and had fallen asleep since it was now almost midnight. But the adults had had too much fun just talking and catching up and getting to know each other better and Violet was very happy when all the women invited her and Jack to their kid's birthday parties and slumber parties and even to out to brunch and stuff which Violet was thrilled to have because she didn't really have any close friends besides other Supers and Tammy, Lisa and Beth were really fun actually as Buddy was grateful that they had eagerly accepted her into the fold.

“I think it’s time we better go.” Beth encouraged them before they all murmured their agreement and Violet happily, yet sleepily let them out.

“Please be gentle with him. Tali did a number on him when she left him, granted he’s changed quite a bit since then, but still. To see how you are with Phillip in the tabloids, I’m worried about how messy that could get.” Beth murmured to Violet as Violet carried Beth’s daughter Riley out to their van while Beth carried her newborn, Roman on her chest, covered in a thick baby blanket.

“I’m aware,” Violet nodded in understanding. “And I’ll do my best to do what I can.” Violet reassured her.

“Thank you Vi.” Beth thanked her.

By the time Violet got back into Buddy’s apartment and to see Jack still zonked out on the couch, she wanted nothing more than to just crash as Buddy was loading up the dishwasher and setting the pots and pans to soak in the sink overnight and noticed Violet was beyond tired herself.

“Why don’t you stay?” Buddy finally spoke up which caused Violet to turn her head to consider him.

“Oh, no uh, I really should get home.” Violet tried to refuse even though the thought of just crashing in Buddy’s bed sounded particularly fantastic.

“Vi, it’s late and you’ve been drinking, please, I’ll move Jack to my bed and you can sleep in it with him and I’ll take the couch. I don’t want you to chance you driving like this.” Buddy gently argued, even though Violet was far from drunk or even tipsy. He was more worried about her driving exhausted more than sober.

“Ok fine.” Violet easily caved before Buddy washed his hands from handling the dirty dishes and then happily came over and picked Jack up and carried him to his own room as Violet happily got her own bag and realized she had actually packed it for staying over which she thought was interesting that she had either consciously or subconsciously done that before she went into Buddy’s bathroom to wash the makeup off her face and brush out her hair and braid it so it wouldn’t tangle before Buddy simply knocked on the bathroom door and when Violet had opened it, he was holding an old tshirt and held it out to her so she had something to sleep in which Violet happily took, even though she technically brought pajamas, she readily accepted his offering, preferring his super soft, oversized shirt.

“Thank you Barret.” Violet cooed tiredly as she took and when she emerged, she noticed that Jack had already been tucked into the bed and a set of Buddy’s spare set of bedding had been taken out of his closet and when she had peaked into the living room Buddy was taking the pull out bed from his couch and setting up the bed and she was able to walk up behind him and hug him from behind and nuzzled his back with her face, letting his scent settle deep into her lungs and happily welcomed the comfort it brought which gave Buddy pause as he simply hugged her arms in turn.

“You’re welcome.” Buddy returned.

“Goodnight Barret.” Violet murmured.

“Good night Vi.” Buddy replied before he felt her pull away and retreat as he looked over his shoulder to see her go and blushed when he noticed she wasn’t wearing pajama pants or shorts or anything and took a moment to appreciate her amazing legs even though she was drowning in his shirt- just enough to be super adorable before she disappeared down the hallway to his bedroom before he finished making the bed and just as he was about to get into it , he heard a beeping sound in his lab which woke him up fully and got him to go into the lab to see what processes had finished before he once again happily plunged himself down the rabbit hole.

An hour and a half later, Violet woke up, having to go to the bathroom and decided to check up on Buddy before she noticed that the lights were still on and his bed was untouched which made her frown before she went around the apartment and turned the lights off before she opened the door to the lab to see Buddy still working on stuff.

“Barret?” Violet called out sleepily which got him to jump before he turned to her and was relieved it was only her.

“Hey, you should be in bed.” Buddy softly encouraged her.

“So should you,” Violet returned as she walked up to him.

“Sorry, I got caught up in…” Buddy gestured to what was in front of him which got Violet to hum and nod sleepily before she straddled his lap in his chair before she laid down on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders.

“You got two minutes to set things to process overnight, then you’re getting in bed.” Violet warned.

“But…” Buddy tried to argue but once Violet lifted her head and fixed him with a look, that even though she was beyond tired, still conveyed the seriousness of her request.

“Do it or I will use my secret weapon on you.” Violet threatened and Buddy was both scared yet intrigued to see what exactly she would do before he simply reached around her and did as she asked before she let her head rest on his shoulder once again and for the last fourth minute it took him to get everything squared away, his heart was hammering, wondering if she was noticing it was taking longer than she told him to take and once he was done, he blew out a breath of relief.

“Ok, I’m done.” Buddy informed her.

“Good, come on, bed.” Violet insisted and got up but pulled him after her and got the lights to the lab on her way out before she led him to the pull out bed and practically pushed him into the bed before she got into the bed with him and pulled his head to rest in her chest as he readily gathered her into his arms and when she started petting his head , her fingertips lazily scratching his scalp as her other hand softly and comfortingly smoothed over his back.

“Is this your secret weapon?” Buddy asked, his words muffled by his own t-shirt she was wearing.

“Yup, works on babies and grown men alike.” Violet answered, refusing to open her eyes and smiled softly in the darkness when he felt her relax and in 5 minutes flat, he was out like a light as she stopped her motions and simply wriggled down so she could cuddle with his chest and go to sleep herself.

But that wasn’t until Violet heard Buddy murmur something in his sleep.

“Hmm?” Violet hummed in question.

“I love you Violet.” Buddy answered, even though he was completely asleep.

“I love you too Barret.” Violet murmured back, a pleased, but happy smile on her face as she fell asleep in his arms.

#Why So Jaded?#Why So Jaded? Chapter 9 #Synlet #Buddy Pine #Violet Parr #Bartholomew Pine #Corporate espionage AU #Modern AU

8 notes · View notes