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evien-stark · 3 years

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✧I Need You✧ Chapter 190

The location of choice this time, for such a short but much needed getaway, was a snowy mountain retreat. Large but cozy cabins littered across a picturesque village. Perfect distance from one another. Nobody came to places like these to interact with other people. They were isolated, distant, and perfect. Down to the last detail. That’s what money would get you. And that’s exactly what the both of you needed.

You’d gotten in on the afternoon of the 24th after delegating all your duties that were important enough to be given to someone trustworthy (mostly Pepper), and the rest got put on hold. Everything could wait. You and Tony needed this. He wanted to go. You had too. So you’d gone. And that afternoon that bled into evening was devoted solely to tossing the luggage in a corner somewhere and basking in one another.

But as the next day dawned, finally, the day of your anniversary, you tried to keep your nerves at bay. No matter how it went, you knew you’d already been outplayed. Tony’s proposal had been so heartfelt and real. He’d waited for the exact right moment to give it. Had asked you more than once when he could, and respected your wishes up until that sunset at the lake. When you and he were both ready. How could you compare to that?

It was too much to ask that you did. That you could even try. But… you did have some plans. It was unfortunate, that you had to keep your walls up, just so that he wouldn’t get a good hint that something was up. But even that was a little suspicious. The two of you shared everything. Yourselves included, in that intimate way that only the two of you knew how, you were sure. You tried to soften his curiosity by keeping his attention in other gentler ways. Lingering kisses, long passing touches.

A whole morning passed by that way. Afternoon came. He’d started a fire. The two of you curled up. It could have been then, but it wasn’t. You sipped on cocoa, listened to the snow and the wind outside. Watched something meaningless. Talked about all the important nothings. Just enjoyed the sound of each other’s voices, each other’s company. Uninterrupted. Like it was supposed to be.

But you knew. You knew he could tell something was off. He’d been thinking about it all day. Trying to mull over exactly what it was. And you bided your time. Waiting until the exact moment when it seemed like he would ask. That was just about as the sun was going down. Tit for tat, right? He opened his mouth, brow popped in that signature arch, but you stopped him with a well placed kiss. It soothed his nerves but only slightly.

When you were finished, “I’m gonna go take a shower. Can you get dinner started, please?”

That questioning gaze only deepened. You’d staved him off. But not really for that much longer- ...though you had asked him to do something. And so… “Yeah. Sure, honey.” Looking at you like that for just a few more seconds, thinking you might fess up to whatever it was that seemed to be on your mind if he did.

And maybe that would have worked normally. But not tonight. You left him with another kiss, disappearing into the bedroom. This was probably not a great setup. But…

You hoped with all your heart that the payoff was worth it.

---

She left without another word and Tony sat there a little while longer, watching her go. The sounds of the shower turning on were not far behind her disappearance. Something was up. He wasn’t sure what just yet, but eventually he’d get to the bottom of it. As far as their anniversaries went, this one was extremely tame. ...could it be that she was disappointed?

He doubted it. She’d never been high maintenance. Never had grand expectations or desires for large gestures of love. It was one of the reasons he loved her, in fact. She never expected much, which was why it was so easy to try and give her the world.

So what was she thinking about that had her attention so far away?

...probably everything else. They’d come up there to get away but. There really was no getting away from any of this. Tony hadn’t expected to see Coulson in her office two days ago. But the feeling he’d gotten- like someone had put an ice pick through his ribs- just before rushing up to her, he’d known something was very wrong. Sure, he wanted to get his hands on that book report Coulson had dropped off, but her well being was far more important.

There just was no escaping any of this. And maybe running away was making it worse. A one-step-forward-two-steps-back kinda deal. Maybe she was worried about all the work piling up while they were gone. She was definitely stuck in a hole over… well, everything else. Herself. Something that killed him. He had no way of fixing that. And she’d made him promise to stop investigating. -which was a loose use of the word, and one he treated himself to. Because he didn’t want to remember that day in the lab. What it had done to her.

Never again, he’d made that promise, and he was sticking by it. But what could he do now that he had? How could he solve her if he’d told her he wouldn’t do that? How could he make this better for her? It pained him to his core that he just… he couldn’t. By her own will. And his.

He didn’t want to think of running off together for their anniversary as a mistake. It wasn’t. But-

“Tony. Could you come here, please?” He had barely noticed the sound of the shower turning off. In fact, he’d been so far in his own thoughts, only the clock on the oven he was standing in front of tipped him off to the fact that he’d been on physical auto-pilot for far longer than was okay. She’d probably been out for a while.

“Yeah-” A clipped answer in response as he turned off the burners and slid a pot lid atop his current offerings. He wiped his hands clean on a dishtowel before throwing it back on the counter and then turned around to make a straight line for the bedroom. They’d talk about this now. Get it all out in the open. He’d assure her everything would be okay. Promise, if he had to. And then-

...and then-

He was about two steps into the bedroom when he realized he’d been bamboozled. Which was a hard thing to do to him. Almost impossible. But he hadn’t expected she’d planned for anything- no, instead he’d just been worried about her- so…

It was nice to see that she was okay, and had just been being sneaky. In fact, it eased him rather immediately to see her standing there in some long, slinky, black mesh robe. Fur around the cuffs and hem. Lingerie expectly picked to his tastes. He was sure there wasn’t a more beautiful woman in this entire galaxy. Not with the way she smiled at him- yes, in just that way, as their eyes met. The way that made his muscles go slack and his heart pick up double time.

She was backlit by what had to have been two dozen candles. The shower had been a ploy. She’d just been doing setup. Which was fine by him.

He put his hands on his hips. “Now- wait- don’t tell me. If this is my anniversary gift… there must be a marriage certificate in those robes of yours. Aaand… an officiant hiding in the closet? In which case I’m very sorry about our morning escapades.”

Her gentle smile turned his heart into a puddle. “You’re one step ahead of me. Like always.”

“Okay. Allow me to get back in line.” Excited very suddenly. She’d planned this all out- for him? He wasn’t worth all this trouble. That was for sure.

...which was why when she produced a little black box his brain short circuited. Just a little. Yet another impossibility that only she could produce. He very suddenly wasn’t sure what to make of any of this. He no longer knew what was going on. That was… sort of exhilarating, in its own way. Because it wasn’t the usual terrifying unknown-

It was her unknown. Something she was gifting to him. And if he was just patient for a few moments longer, all would be revealed. ...he was just a little bit dizzy suddenly. And very hot. One stupid sound escaped him as he pointed uselessly, “...uh?”

Then that smile of hers turned into a sunny grin and even in the low light he could see the heat touching her. Or- actually- he could feel it. Wrapped up in her. The way she felt. Soothing, calming- just… inexplicably the feeling over deep unfathomable love. “We got lucky, I think. The sixth anniversary is the iron anniversary, you know.”

Despite himself, “Gotta love it when things line up just the right way.” And he was noticing- now at least- as he zeroed in on that box- it was brushed iron, in fact. Maybe it had… what could it even be? Cufflinks? A watch? -no, too small for a watch. What would she give him on their anniversary? ...because it was her it wouldn’t be either of those things, actually, now that he was thinking about it.

That was too ordinary. She was too clever and too sentimental to just give him a random object- even though he’d treasure anything she got for him. But if not those then-

He felt the little roundabout turn of his head, the squinch of his brows, the little hang of his mouth as she opened it.

Inside was a ring.

A ring.

And finally it made sense.

She turned just a little bashful, and that touch she lent to him of that feeling, probably not intentional, had a blush rising in his cheeks, and stars opening up in his eyes. They weren’t there, he was sure. In a bedroom in an overly expensive cabin backdropped by a snowy mountain. They were… somewhere else.

Far away.

Just the two of them. The only people that mattered, at present moment.

“Maybe it’s silly, and- sure, you proposing to me obviously means you’re ready to get married. You want to get married. And I already said yes, so I do, too. But. We never do anything halfway. I don’t wanna start now. And it’s not just for imagery, but it’s because you deserve it. You deserve to know that I love you as much as I do. You deserve to know how much you mean to me. -that you’re everything to me. And that I love you. With everything I have. Everything I am. And that I can’t imagine life without you- and that I’m ready to not just be your wife but for you to be my husband.

I need that, too, I think. Because I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I need you. You make life so much easier- and that’s saying a lot. You’re my rock. You’re my steadiness. You always put me first and I will never stop putting you first, either. I love you. I love life with you. I love knowing without a doubt that you’ve always got my back. And I love having yours. I love that we’re always a team. So- sure- we’ve already done this once but… I want to do it again.”

She wedged the ring out of the box and then tossed the box onto the bed. Stepping closer to him, he felt like she was encompassing all of him as she moved into his space. His heart was thudding in his chest, and he was mostly sure he was still wearing that completely stupid, dumbfounded look. Brows now raised far up, eyes just a little wide.

But her smile then set a calmness in him, and while he’d already been sure, more than once now- he knew he would never love anyone like he loved her. She was it for him. His home. His partner. His once-in-a-lifetime thing.

...how could she not be, when she was proposing to him?

“Tony Stark, will you marry me?”

Because he’d asked her. He’d asked her if she wanted to get married to him, if she wanted to continue this crazy life with him, take it one step further, and she’d said yes. Now it was her turn. She was asking and so-

There was no way yes would do it justice.

He cradled her face in his hands, carefully but swiftly, tilting her up so that his lips could find their rightful place against hers. He held her like that. Really held her. Every part of her, he knew in that moment. Responsible for so much, yet gratefully so. They were trading hearts.

He couldn’t have asked for a better one.

“I love you.” Murmured against her when he finally found something important enough to say. Yes- important. Maybe one of the most important truths he knew. So he needed to say it again. “I love you.” He felt the wash of tears, not just his own, but hers, too. She mumbled something with a choked laugh and he didn’t catch a single word of it, but he knew what she was asking regardless. Leaning in, he pressed his forehead against hers, resting the weight of his world against her so easily. Laughing then as he managed- “Yes. Absolutely, yes.”

As if there were any other way to answer that question.

When happy-tearful kisses turned more towards happy-tearful laughter, he found the strength to peel away. But only so he could hold his hand up. “If we’re doing this, we gotta go all the way with it.”

She gave him a strong nod. “Oh. I agree.” They were bathed suddenly in that light. The one that belonged to her. Ethereal and odd. Beautiful and incomprehensible. The one that seemed to burst forward from her heart.

It was probably strange. The way he felt as she slid that ring into its rightful place. There was a wholeness- the same kind he got in those moments where they seemed to blend together. Just belonging to one another so fully. But then once it was seated, he couldn’t help but hold his hand up and really look at it- though the low light of the room made it hard. “Iron, I imagine? If we’re going with the theme here?”

Her feline-like grin was almost a little too telling as she peered up at him. “Well- actually- it’s a gold titanium alloy…”

Alright. She’d already been gunning for perfect woman award. But this? This was just over the top.

...she really did own him, didn’t she? He just belonged to her so completely. And he was very fine with that.

It was an elegant, slim black band with a gold stripe in the center. And swimming in that gold was what looked like a red line- almost like a heartbeat, but he recognized it soon after- “Sound wave?”

“Matches the inscription on the inside.” She was daring him with this.

Maybe he’d rushed to put it on. Maybe he’d have noticed the words she’d carefully chosen had he taken his time. But a file like that? Maybe not embedded in the ring itself- but- “FRIDAY, a little help here?” Figuring she’d been up to all this- she must have taken it that far, too.

“Yes, boss. Playing for you now.” Suspicions correct.

The sound of her voice took over the room. Soft but sure.

I need you. Then. Now. Always.

That was his. That was his to keep forever. No one else would ever have access to that. No one else would ever know about it. No one else would ever hear it. Because those words belonged to him. That promise belonged to him.

She belonged to him. Just as much as he belonged to her.

If luck existed in this universe, he’d burned out all of his the day he’d met her. But so long as he held on to her, everything else would be okay. So long as he had her… he would be okay. Life would make sense as it continued to pull apart at the seams in ways he’d never imagined. But it was fine.

Because he had her. And they were getting married.

He loved her with every atom in his body. Every inch of his being. If souls were real, she’d long ago dipped her hands into his and just taken residence inside him.

His hands had found her again. Just hanging on. “I love you. I love you. I love you.” Each declaration paired behind a kiss and another and another. He was positively drowning in her. But that was fine. That was right where he wanted to be.

#Tony Stark #Tony Stark x Reader #INY Chapter One Hundred Ninety

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shadowofthelamp · 4 years

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Venus and Bella Reference

So I drew up a basic bios for Venus and Bella, Twix and Tulip’s daughters! For reference, Kit (their uncle, Zim and Dib’s son) is a year or so younger than Bella.

First up, Venus. Images from Monster Girl and Lily Story apps. (Bella’s are the same.)

Name: Venus Felicia Membrane

Age: 16

Personality: Adopted at age 2, Venus has a lot of love for the world, particularly when it comes to animals. She’s often seen smuggling small mammals or insects in her backpack and knows how to treat almost anything if you bring her something that’s injured. She wants to be a vet when she grows up. She’s overall a friendly person (almost to a fault, as she’ll offer a hand to anyone who asks or that thinks needs it whether or not they actually do, sometimes sticking her nose in other people’s business in the process, she’s not great with boundaries if she thinks she can help) but she’s also got a pranking streak a mile wide and creates videos with her little sister. She’s the voice of reason that helps to keep the pranks to something that will confuse people but they’ll laugh afterwards instead of being spiteful or mean Often she’s seen trying to drag Bella outside to ‘just enjoy nature!’.

Venus also loves camping and stargazing, although her family has to always double-check her bags when they come back to be sure she isn’t bringing back any unwanted guests. (Whenever she goes with Grandpa Dib, she tries to convince him to just take pictures of his cryptids, not pelts.) She has about six pets already, none of them adopted legally and all earned their place in the house with a pair of puppy-dog eyes that her Mama just couldn’t say no to. She takes good care of them, at least, and to her credit if they’re injured and she helps fix them up, she’ll sometimes let them go if they haven’t imprinted on her, although that’s usually if they’ve made a mess and her Mom put her foot down. She’s probably vegetarian at least.

Name: Bella Donna Membrane

Age: 13

Personality: Bella is shrewd, sarcastic, and can take apart and reassemble an entire computer faster than you can shake a stick at. A nerd through and through and an expert sniper in any game you throw at her, Bella’s perfectly happy spending her time figuring out how to get her rig to run faster and how to make sure she gets a recording next time Kit accidentally walks into the wall to mock up a video of it. She’s a huge fan of prank/fail videos- the more setup, the better the payoff. She does the videography and editing work for the YewTube show she makes with Venus, although they both plan the pranks together. Their cousin Kit is equally likely to be part of the planning as he is the victim, but it’s always in good fun, so he’ll usually laugh along with them in the end.

Bella’s a bit of a know it all and her somewhat abrasive sense of humor doesn’t win her many friends, but those she does have she’ll go above and beyond for, often crafting elaborate inventions as gifts and being there to support the people she cares about- or at least point out how rude and dumb the people that hurt them are and how that friend is better off without them.

#bella #venus #iz #aip #momtwix #kinda counts it's her daughters #shadow says stuff #character reference #iz blogging

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revwinchester · 7 years

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BattleXoom

Summary: The Reader and Charlie spend a night playing their favorite online video game.

Pairing: Charlie x Reader

Word Count: 1464

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: a little bit of cursing, allusions to sex/sexual activities

A/N: This is for week 6 of the SPN Hiatus Writing Challenge hosted by @thing-you-do-with-that-thing! There are 2 prompts in here, a line of dialogue, which is bolded, and a gif, which is inserted when it becomes relevant. Thanks for hosting the challenge this summer, Kari! Also, I made up the video game in this fic and any similarity to a real game/games is completely coincidental. I’m more of a single player, first person shooter with a solid story line kind of gamer myself (Fallout 4 is my jam right now).

BattleXoom -

“Hush woman and let me choose!” you playfully shouted at Charlie as you scrolled through the available characters on your screen, reminding yourself of the pros and cons to each one. It had been so long since you’d played anyone but Torrex and you were determined to branch out this time. It’s not like the two of you were playing for tournament points or anything, you were logged into your “just for fun” accounts so that you could mess around in game without fear of ruining your stats or reputation.

“If you really loved me there wouldn’t be a choice,” Charlie replied and you could practically hear her pout through the headphones you were wearing. She had already selected Raven, her usual character, and was waiting rather impatiently for you to make your character selection. “You’re already making me play on the laggy server because you’re stuck on hotel wifi. At least let me destroy some bitches tonight!”

You sighed into the microphone. “Fine,” you acquiesced, scrolling back to select your usual character, “but remember, the last time we played as Raven and Torrex on these accounts, someone recognized our style from Twitch or a tournament or something and called us out.”

You and Charlie were one of the highest ranking partnerships worldwide in BattleXoom, a video game that you both loved. After realizing how well you worked together in game, the two of you started competing in tournaments and eventually worked your way into bigger and bigger competitions, most recently coming in second at an invitation only tournament hosted by the game’s publisher at a major video gaming convention.

You had first met Charlie in an online forum for people looking for a partner to game with and, after playing a few rounds together, you realized that you lived two towns away and had decided to meet for coffee. You had been a little hesitant at first, you used an androgynous username because girl gamers aren’t all that accepted in the gaming world and neither of you had spoken to the other over anything but typed messages at that point. However, you had found instant chemistry on the game and hoped that, whoever this CharlieCodex dude was, he wouldn’t throw that away because you were a woman. You were pleasantly surprised to learn that Charlie was also a woman, that her name was short for Charlene, and that your chemistry carried over into real life.

The one thing you loved more than the game was Charlie and you knew she felt the same way about you. Sure, the game was was the thing that had brought you together - as well as bringing you a modicum of internet fame - but you were certain that the two of you would last well beyond BattleXoom’s height of popularity.

Normally, you and Charlie would spend a Monday night side by side in your home office, engaging in battle together before retiring to your bedroom and engaging in a different kind of activity together but your job had sent you out of town for the week and you weren’t due to return home until late on Thursday. So, instead of settling into on your comfy chair at home with your custom setup, your multi-screen display, and your girlfriend, you were sitting in a wooden chair, hunched over a tiny desk, and playing on your laptop with shitty graphics, all while using the hotel’s internet to connect to the only BattleXoom server that would support the casual gamer that you appeared to be this evening.

As soon as you and Charlie both selected characters you were transported into the game where you would have to battle against other teams of two for control of the map. The graphics didn’t move as smoothly as you were used to but you soon got the hang of things, systematically taking out your opponents as you and Charlie worked your way towards the center of the map over the next 30 minutes or so.

It was your signature style, one that Charlie had come up with, and, although many had tried, no one had really been able to replicate the way the two of you played the game with the same amount of success you had found. It worked for the two of you, though, and that was all that mattered as you took out one of the two remaining teams on the map. The last team was all the way across the island and you and Charlie directed your characters through the jungle towards them.

“I’ve only got the one screen tonight, Char. I’m gonna need you to tell me what you’ve got on these guys,” you requested.

BattleXoom worked in such a way that one half of the screen could display stats about the game and the players, giving you some info about your opponents’ statistics as the game progressed. You and Charlie had gotten pretty good at reading into those statistics and being able to extrapolate play style and experience level from the information the game provided. Without your dual monitors that you had at home, though, you had decided to disable that feature so you could have a better view of the game itself, trusting Charlie to tell you everything you needed to know throughout the melee.

Charlie filled you in on what to expect when you met the other pair that remained on the map. They seemed like a pretty good team, considering which server you were playing on and you were looking forward to the fight. You were lost in listening to her analysis and not paying as close of attention to the screen in front of you as you should have been and you ended up paying the price for that.

“Shit,” you heard Charlie say just as your health meter took a major hit.

Realizing that the other team had set a trap that you then walked right into, you both sprang into action, defending yourselves and lashing out with attacks whenever you were able. Eventually, you regained the upper hand, your experience with the game becoming exceedingly useful and increasingly evident.

“Should we do it?” you asked Charlie.

She knew what you meant immediately. “It” was a move that even some of the top teams in the world had trouble executing. Each character pairing in the game had their own signature “double down” move, as the game called it, and the level of difficulty varied depending on the pair you picked. Torrex and Raven had the most difficult double down to get right but the payoff was huge and you and Charlie had mastered it, though you seldom used it in free-play situations like this. However, after the trap the other team had laid, you were willing to make an exception here.

“Hells yeah!” Charlie exclaimed as she set herself up, counting on you to get into position as well. “On three!”

You both counted together, it was imperative that you both hit the right buttons at exactly the right time or the move wouldn’t work.

“One… Two… Three!”

Your fingers mashed the buttons in quick succession and you hoped that Charlie and you would be in sync even when separated by hundreds of miles. You were and you smiled as you watched the screen. Your character, Torrex, lifted Charlie’s into the air, holding onto her shoulder and her waist as he swung her in a wide circle. Raven kicked out and knocked your opponents onto their backs, killing one of them and seriously damaging the other.

Once Raven was back on the ground, it only took two or three more basic attacks to win the game.

After your victory was announced, you were transported back to a menu screen. “You want to play again?” Charlie asked you through your headset.

“I’m sorry, Char, I’ve gotta get up early tomorrow morning so I should probably call it a night,” you apologized. “I’ll make it up to you when I get home, though. Promise.”

You and Charlie said your good nights and signed off of the server and you shutdown your computer, putting it away before you got ready for bed. As you were brushing your teeth, your phone rang. You looked at the name on the screen and quickly spit out the toothpaste and rinsed your mouth quickly.

“Hey, babe, what’s up?” you greeted Charlie through the phone.

“Nothing,” she responded simply.

Charlie wasn’t usually one to call just for idle chit-chat. That was what texting was for, you had heard her tell someone once. “You know I love you and I love to hear your voice but why are you calling, then?” you asked.

“Victory phone sex. Duh,” Charlie replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

ALL THE TAGS! (forevers): @deathtonormalcy56 @supernaturalyobsessed @roxy-davenport @sumara62 @ginamsmith @gallifreyansass

Charlie Tags from @mrswhozeewhatsis: @mrswhozeewhatsis @vintagevalentinexx @thinkwritexpress-official @itsemmyb @beriala @crzcorgi @ellen-reincarnated1967 @deerlululucy @growleytria @thegleegeneration @SinceriouslyAmellPadalecki @sis-tafics @meganwinchester1999 @kittenofdoomage @prettyxwickedxthings @lilyoflothlorien @myfand0msandm0re @olitzisbae @iridianuniverse @shortandlongstories @ackleslaugh @roxy-davenport @chrisatplay @faith-in-dean @kreborn17 @for-the-love-of-dean @zanthiasplace @gadreelsforbiddenfruit @curliesallovertheplace @not-so-natural-spn @skybinx-blog @feelmyroarrrr @beachy2014 @deansleather @jotink78 @lucifer-in-leather @notnaturalanahi @howmanytuesdaysdidyouhave @babypieandwhiskey @mysaintsasinner @klaineaholic @supernaturalismalife

Pond Charlie Tags: @manawhaat @notnaturalanahi @bkwrm523 @roxy-davenport @jelly-beans-and-gstrings @deansleather @whywhydoyouwantmetosaymyname @mrswhozeewhatsis @wi-deangirl77 @deantbh @deanwinchesterforpromqueen @chaos-and-the-calm67 @memariana91 @teamfreewill-imagine @your-average-distracted-waffle @deals-with-demons @faith-in-dean @winchestersmolder

#spn hiatus writing challenge 2017 #hwc - week 6 #supernatural fanfiction #spn fanfic #Charlie Bradbury x Reader #Charlie Bradbury #reader insert #fluff #girl gamers #fics by Rev

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