#started this on a whim last night and it makes me very happy because it has a similar vibe to the stuff i used to paint back in 2021-22-ish!

[robinfollies]

caught in the rain 🌧️

#started this on a whim last night and it makes me very happy because it has a similar vibe to the stuff i used to paint back in 2021-22-ish! #this was very very fun…. returning to my roots of funny glowy nighttime forst scenes or something. also arthurstotle hand holding #robin’s art #billie bust up #2024 art #bbu aristotle #bbu arthur #arthurstotle

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not having time to read my mutual's writing?

Met a mutual on here, bonded through fanfic, have been tight with them for a few years with pretty much no bumps in the relationship, just overall had a really good time hanging around them when I could. We both write a lot and share our writing, and occasionally we talk about that writing/workshop it in passing.

In the past few years I've gone through a ton of life changes. Most notably I went from a multi-person household to a single-person one, and I've been living alone in a prohibitively costly city for a while now working 40 hour weeks and barely scraping by. As soon as the transition started I spent the last of my free income on a shitty little laptop so I could still write, putting down words on my bus/train commutes in the morning and quite literally writing on my breaks at work because I feel insane when I can't create. I bring this up to really stress that I don't have the time for the hobby, I force myself to make the time and even then it never feels like enough.

The only thing I can really stand to do with my 3 hours of free time at night is hang out with my moots online. I'm an extrovert so being around people recharges me. If I don't have designated social time I get super depressed and can pretty much feel my soul withering away. I also feel like I should probably mention that I kinda have a slew of mental issues, personality disorders and PTSD and AuDHD and the works. Point being, shit is rough my dude, but I am a person who likes to work hard and face challenges head on and even though we strugglin, we doing it with a positive outlook.

But! I am an incredibly solution-oriented person and I have found what I personally believe to be a good balance. No one should have to live like this, but I do, and I have found a way to be happy. My writing and my social time is all load-bearing. It is not something I just choose to do on a whim, it's all planned and scheduled and I adhere to those routines very strictly because, I cannot stress this enough, I will go fucking bonkers if I don't.

I'm mutuals with a lot of writers obv, and I sadly don't have time to read their work anymore, unless I get some extra time on my days off or something gets cancelled or like, I end up taking a vacation. I carry a great amount of guilt for this, though, even though I logically know it's reasonable. I try to support them where I can, cheer them on when I see them writing and tell them how cool their ideas sound, hype them up even when I can't actually read & review.

One of the things I do is sometimes I leave a kudos on fic I haven't read. I'm not trying to be ingenuine, and if they asked me I'd tell them like 'Oh I didn't read it yet, just wanted to show support!' but to me it's kinda like ripping a paper tab off a poster so that other's feel inclined to do the same. Plus my pals get a little email and a hit of serotonin.

Except one of my acquaintances, the one I mentioned at the start here, saw that I left kudos on a couple pieces another mutual of mine wrote this year. They more or less blew up my DMs with a ton of accusatory (like, literally presented like a 'GOTCHA!') stuff about how I was selective in who's fic I read, more or less implying that I secretly held some sort of grudge or negative feeling toward them and was making the conscious decision not to read or interact with their writing because of. Something, I don't actually know what they were trying to say. They also told me they vented to their friends about this MULTIPLE times, but they never once approached me to let me know they were feeling paranoid or neglected, they literally just took the most bad faith reading of it possible and then presented that to me like it was something I intentionally did, while the whole time I was unaware.

I tried to explain to them the kudos thing, that I didn't do it to every story, just ones I caught/noticed in my busy schedule. And I laid all this out and asked, multiple times, what free time am I supposed to read with? They didn't answer, and doubled down, kept trying to show me 'proof' that I was shorting them and no one else. Once they started to realize how wrong they were they backed down, but they didn't really apologize, or admit they were wrong, and they tried to end our relationship and left every single server we were in together. Because of some other unrelated stuff going on in my life, I didn't really consider them to be a close friend, but they were someone I really held dear and would've walked through hell for if they'd asked.

I still feel like there is something I'm missing here, and that's why I wanted to ask if I'm TA. I'm a pretty good communicator but one of the things I told myself when talking down my disordered thoughts (guilt about this prior) was "no one in their right mind would use reading fanfic as a metric for friendship." Now that I've had that exact thing happen, I'm starting to think maybe those thoughts weren't so disordered. Maybe this IS a big deal, and I should think about it more, but I don't even know what the solution to that would be. I just. Don't have time to read something lovingly crafted and appreciate it for what it is. All the hours in my week are used up, I'd have to lose sleep for this and with my mental health the way it is that is not an option.

Feel free to be a brutal, my skin is thick. Thanks!

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

[strawberryblue-blog]

She's mine too —Mason Mount.

summary: annoying days of pregnancy with mason

warning: none. pregnancy, vomiting, discomfort.

words count: +1.5k

#SEXYNOTE: Merry belated Christmas and early happy new year y'all 💌 thanks for the support, i hope you are well. love youuuu 🩵

You hugged the toilet after spitting up all the dinner of the night between sobs, you sighed taking a big breath of air, feeling your stomach churning again. It was the fifth time you had gotten up to vomit in the night and you were really exhausted. For at least a week you had been feeling this way but in the last two days, it had gotten worse and you couldn't even feed yourself properly as you ended up vomiting.

Did your son or daughter hate you? It was practically thanks to you that he or she was coming into this world, and this is how he or she thanked you? By making you spit out everything you ate? By making you feel so fragile and silly at the same time? You wanted to stay cheerful, positive and full of energy but your baby was slowly consuming you. This was nothing like what you used to hear about pregnancies.

You had never been through anything before and it really scared you. The doctor had said it was normal as long as you had constant checkups and you just had to put up with it, even though it was very hard for you and especially for Mason. Sometimes he felt that what he was doing for you wasn't enough and he hated to see you suffer but it wasn't his fault and it would pass. You sighed whimpering a little, anyone would say you were exaggerating a little (and maybe you were) but you were really suffering. Since four months ago your body had changed, your fears had become constant, dizziness, mood swings, tiredness, breast pain, you had even become irritable. Sometimes you felt guilty but it was inevitable, the baby was running your life (Not really).

But you had no regrets.

Being a mother had been one of your dreams growing up, you used to say you wanted to be like your mother and you really hoped you would be for this child. You were discovering this whole new world and you have to admit you thought it would be something else, at least you had a great man by your side. Mason used to make your endless days, the best experience of your life. He would massage your feet, fulfill your every whim, pamper you and take care of you like you were a princess.

You couldn't complain, you were perfect together and starting a family with him was another one of your biggest dreams. Because you loved everything about him, about the relationship, the respect and love you had. Because you admired how strong and respectable he was and how he behaved with you, your family and friends. Because you were in love with him and that your son had him for a father, it was the biggest pride you could feel.

A hand on your back caressed you, pulling your hair back into a makeshift bun. Mason held your hair and calmed your nerves as he appeared behind you. You hated waking him up in the middle of the night with your retching, especially since you knew he'd have to get up early in the morning but Mason was always with you.

"Don't tease me like that" you laughed exhaustedly after a while. "That's the reason i'm here, puking up everything i ingest."

Mason hid a chuckle behind his smile, trying not to laugh at your funny comment because of the situation you were going through. But it was inevitable, even in misery you were saying funny things to him.

"You suggested doing it, honey. If you had stuck it out, we wouldn't be here," he replied, earning a pout from you.

And it was true. Maybe if they hadn't had too many drinks that night and you hadn't been so horny, nothing would have changed and you wouldn't have found yourself right now. But you wanted this as much as he did, because you were talking about this and about the future, and this was the future, you becoming parents.

After a while without nausea, Mason took you in his arms, slowly carrying you toward the bed. He handed you a glass of water and when you drank some, he helped you lie down on the soft sheets, arranging the pillows on your back to make you comfortable.

"I must look terrible" you whispered a little shaken. Your cheeks were red, your forehead sweaty and you sure looked gross right now. Mason quickly denied.

"You are the most beautiful woman in the world" he murmured with his eyes sparkling. "You'll bring our child, you could never look terrible" his fingers caressed your face. A smile appeared on your lips as he kissed your forehead softly.

He took his place beside you, resting his head on your belly as he wrapped his arms around you. One of his hands caressed the protruding bump, which was growing bigger and bigger every day. You didn't know the sex of the baby yet but everything was within the norm for a pregnancy, something you were grateful for, and they were supposed to have news about the baby by the next visit.

"Baby, leave mommy alone for a while, okay? She's mine too" he whispered towards her son or daughter, drawing a smile from you. Your fingers tangled in her hair, stroking her chestnut locks. Your chest overflowed with feelings seeing him there and your heart filled with happiness at the image.

Mason on top of his baby, caressing your skin with his warm fingers, his eyes shining in his wonderful gaze. The reason for your happiness in front of you, your whole world. Your eyes filled with tears and you try not to cry but you were sensitive, everything hit you double, more when it was about your son and your boyfriend.

You were both terrified, you weren't going to lie, but since the test had come back positive and after a few months of waiting, you were ready for what was to come. You had learned to love each other, you had each other, you trusted each other and you were walking on the same side. Everything had been easier, since you knew Mason, you were always supporting and loving each other.

"The boys want it to be a boy to teach him to play football but honestly i want it to be a girl" Mason whispered turning back to your chest, still her hand held on the baby, caressing it.

"Is that what you want?" you asked with a giggle. Mason nodded. "Even Summer would take care of her and teach her" you mentioned and your heart fluttered with love as you imagined your boyfriend's niece with your daughter or son.

Mason smiled hugely.

"I want a boy too, of course. But we'll have time to bring him along after the baby girl" he joked with a grimace. You laughed out loud.

You were excited for the arrival of their son or daughter, they were counting the days since they had found out and memories were piling up in their memories of this special time. The wait was going to be hard but it would definitely be worth it when you had him or her with you.

#football imagines #football one shot #imagine #mason mount x you #mason mount x reader #mason mount imagine #mason mount #manchester united

[purplephloxpress]

It's August 21, which means: Happy Fanfiction Writers Appreciation Day! If you are a writer of fanfic, please know just how appreciated you are!! Fandom would be such a different space without your creativity and labors of love. 💜

In celebration of this most glorious holiday, @renegadepublishing ran an event where we bind copies of fics to gift to their authors, and I had the joy of binding The Tranquility of Water for @noppoh! It's a truly fantastic post-canon story and I love the exploration into the effects of the main story on its characters after the fact. (This is a story I love so much that I wrote up a page and a half crash course on The Untamed so I can try to force my sibling into reading it as well. Take that as you will)

The walls of the Hanshi creep in on him and so Lan Xichen leaves. He leaves Cloud Recesses and his seclusion, stealing away in the night with no-one the wiser that he even left. His feet bring him to Lotus Pier where a surprisingly kind Jiang Cheng seems determined to help him heal.

With a title like "Tranquility of Water" and the story largely taking place at Lotus Pier, I may have been a little heavy handed with the lotus imagery throughout the book, but it felt very fitting! The lotus on the cover was a last minute addition, but one that turned out so lovely. Just, you know, to tie everything together lotus-wise. (Another one of my favorite design details in the typeset is that both title fonts from the chapter headers and title page get repeated within the text of the story as the main characters handwriting fonts!)

I started the physical binding process of my copy while at the Renegade Retreat in April (and decided the week before that I wanted to change my body font... can you say formatting speedrun?) and up until that point I hadn't actually figured out what the cover and endpages were going to look like. Special thanks to everyone who contributed pieces to this binding (and who moral-supported me along the way -- my copy holds so many fun memories now) because it LITERALLY would not look like this without you all. I really love the way the color transitions worked out, with a predominantly blue/green case, fading into green, into pink, into the title page, and then transitioning back out at the end of the book.

And these endbands!! Friends, that is SILK embroidery floss that a friend brought to the retreat especially so I could experience the decadence of silk endbands. I will never be the same. (They're so smooth... so shiny... so slippery to work with, but SO WORTH IT)

(Binding details under the cut)

The pieces that went into this bind:

Fandom: The Untamed/Mo Dao Zu Shi

Pairing: Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin / Lan Huan | Lan Xichen

Bookcloth: Renegade Retreat Swap Table Special (I have no idea what it is, but it was just enough to make a copy for myself and the author and the color worked PERFECTLY!)

Cover paper: Opal Momi paper

Cover paper: Opal Momi paper

Endpapers: from the Craft Consortium Ink Drops - Dusk paper pack

Titling: foil quill

Endbands: leather cording core, silk embroidery floss for the bands

Body font: EB Garamond

Title fonts: Wintersoul and Bastian

Handwriting fonts: Bastian (Lan Xichen), Richardson Script (Lan Wangji), and Wintersoul (Jiang Cheng)

Tumblr insists on eating and doubling text in this section at its own whim, so if there's something missing that you're curious about, feel free to DM me an ask!

#ffwad #renegadelovesfic #fanfiction writers appreciation day #renegade bindery #ficbinding #fanbinding #purplephloxpress #adventures in bookbinding #the untamed #mdzs #xicheng #noppoh

[livin4mybabes]

We're a team baby, we're in this together // Mason Mount

request: yes thank you for you request ❤ summary: Mason stopped being the hands on dad so when you leave, he started to understand what he lost and what was happened to him. pairing: dadmason! x reader warnings: fights, angst, mention of depression but there's a happy ending words count: 2.01 k author note: My first fic with Mase and im happy with the result -ngl, i'd have liked to make Mason suffer more-, i hope you like it too

" Leave Mason, just leave. You haven't been here for me even less for your daughter when we need you the most. It's not like, if you want to help me or not, it's your fucking job since I got pregnant because you got your fucking dick in me with no protection."

" y/n, please..."

"I'm sorry Mason, but I really need to figure things out."

Several things have happened to get to the point of that fight.

You and Mason have been in a relationship for several years now -you started dating at 17- You've been through many adversities, yet you've stayed together. You moved in together, got engaged and now, you were parents to a beautiful baby girl. A baby girl that you had created with so much love.

Since you found out you were going to be parents, you couldn't help but feel a little insecure about it, taking care of a little one; however, the happiness was bigger. That subject you used to talk about in the evenings had become a reality.

Anyway, Mason was over the moon about it, he was going to have a little princess to take care of. He would fulfill your every whim, and he tried to go to as many doctor's appointments as possible. Not to mention the last few months of your pregnancy, he was practically glued to you the whole time.

The day you welcomed your little baby girl, Riley, Mason was holding her in his arms the whole time, they were attached to the hips.

When you arrived home after leaving the hospital, he was no different, he would change your baby's nappies, while you were breastfeeding, he would sit next to you while holding you around or caressing your little one's cheek. Also, as you could hardly make much effort, he would do the laundry, cook, etc.

Finally, when he returned to training, he would come home as soon as possible so he could help you with everything related to your baby. However, that lasted a few months before it got to the point mentioned at the beginning.

Mason started hanging out with his friends —not that it bothered you because, of course, you can't not let him do that and he deserved a break after the months he'd spent with you— but, suddenly, he started going out frequently, sometimes arriving late, and you hardly saw him anymore because when you woke up, he had already left for training.

He didn't even come home for lunch anymore, you didn't even get calls from him asking about Riley, about you, it seemed like you were on your own.

Riley was sick, she had caught a cold. All night she was hot, her nose was stuffy, she was crying a lot and you really didn't know what to do and Mason, even though he had heard everything in the early morning, didn't even stop to ask you what was going on. As a first time mum it is sometimes very difficult, you had called your mum to let her know that you were going to stay at your old house for a few days, she had asked you the reasons but you told her you would explain later.

First you would take your daughter to the doctor.

You had tried to call Mason but he didn't answer, so you decided to call Ben, maybe he could make him know.

To your misfortune, Ben didn't know where Mason was. He only mentioned to you that he left the club as soon as training was over. That caught your attention as he hadn't even stopped by the house.

You grabbed your house keys and headed to the doctor's, you'd do it without Mason.

It was 7pm when you returned home, no surprise to you, Mason hadn't made it home. You took Riley to her room and then went to the kitchen to get some dinner. When you were done, you went to your room and grabbed a couple of changes of clothes for you and Riley and other essentials things —nappies, dummies, wet wipes—. You'd had enough.

Finally, Mason had arrived home around 9 pm. He left the car in the garage and went into the house and started checking his phone call log, and then he found a lot of missed calls from you, from Ben, from Kai, from his mother.

Had something happened to you?

Mason ran to his room and you got up to confront him.

"Where have you been? Have you just been looking at your phone?" You said as you approached him.

"I couldn't, I've been busy. I went to Ben's, but I just saw that you called me." You couldn't believe it; he was lying to your face.

"Don't lie to me Mason, I've spoken to Ben and he never mentioned you were with him" You pointed at him angrily.

"So now you want to control me and watch me..." "I would never do that Mason! I was looking for you because I needed you, your daughter needed you and you didn't even care! I'm tired."

"What happened to Riley? Is she okay?" Mason said concerned.

"Now apparently you do care" You laughed as you shook your head, you couldn't believe it.

"She's my daughter, of course I care" "No, you don't. If it were true you wouldn't have left us alone all this time."

"But, I- " You cut him off.

“You haven't been here for me even less for your daughter when we need you the most. It's not like, if you want to help me or not, it's your fucking job since I got pregnant because you got your fucking dick in me with no protection."

"Riley, she got cold. Maybe it's not that bad, but you didn't even bother to ask about her like you used to do every day. I can't Mase, not anymore."

"y/n, please..."

"I'm sorry Mason, but I really need time to figure things out and you, to sort things out and be the father that Riley needs." You told him as you cried, he tried to come closer but you pulled back.

"Y/n, baby. Please," Mason said, his voice breaking.

"If you don't go, I'll go. I really, really need time. I'll go to my parents."

With that, you left the house. Your house that held so many memories, but it was a house that was now broken.

A couple of weeks had passed, Mason had come home and found it completely dark and silent as it had been a few weeks since you left. He missed you, so he tried to call you, but he regretted it, maybe you wouldn't answer.

He needed to talk to someone, so he called Ben.

"Mase? Everything ok?" Ben said as he answered.

"It's my damn fault, I've been an idiot these last few weeks, I let them down when they needed me. When it's my responsibility to do it." Ben heard how Mason's voice had cracked.

"What are you talking about? Y/n and Riley are okay?" Ben said worriedly. He had really noticed Mason acting weird a few weeks ago, but he had noticed some recovery in him, but he had never said anything to him, even when he had asked him.

"Mate, mate calm down" Ben was trying to calm his mate down.

"I'm a fucking prick, argh!" Mason said as he sat down on the ground.

""Mate, I know it's none of my business but is everything alright with you guys?"" Ben couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, well... I don't know, I've been a dick. Y/n probably hates me; I've been really absent at home but I'm working on it."

"But why..." "It's a situation that I had, that I had to work on myself" Mason cut Ben off.

"Mason, I didn't know. I hope you're better," Ben told him.

"I am".

"Go to her house. Go and get them, you can't lose them, they're your family. Try to fix it or you'll regret it, believe me. 'I know you're better now, be the father Riley needs, the fiancé that y/n needs."

"Thanks mate, I will" Mason said, with that, Mason cut the call and headed to your parents’ home. He would fight for you guys; he would fix the bullshit he did.

You were lying on the bed in your old room, resting after a hard day. You were exhausted, being with a little girl who kept crying and you didn't know why. She wasn't sick anymore —you knew because you had taken her to the doctor again and he said there was nothing wrong with her, she was healthy— you didn't know what to do. Maybe she needed and missed her father as much as you did, " shame he's an idiot" you thought.

By now your little girl was asleep next to you in her co-sleeper. You were about to fall asleep when you heard a knock on your door, it was probably your mother asking if you wanted some dinner.

"Come in," you replied, sitting up. When the door opened you expected to find your mother, you were wrong, who was at the door was Mason.

"Mason, what are you doing here?" you asked.

"I came to fix the mistakes I made. I don't want to lose you" Mason approached you.

"Mason..." You said in disbelief.

" y/n, baby. Let me explain please." He said as he looked into your eyes, and you saw his regret. You nodded.

"Well, since Riley was born I've been the happiest man but, these last few months I feel like I'm not enough. That you and she deserve better. And I know this has affected our family, our relationship and I'm sorry I didn't tell you how I felt before. But, somehow, I preferred to avoid it and go out with my friends, because I thought it was stupid.

I want to tell you that I have worked on myself, I have gone to the psychologist and he has told me that it is probably depression, although it is not very common, there is post-partum depression in fathers and apparently that is what happened to me. I am better, I understood what was happening to me, it helped me to seek help, to talk to Ben, and I promise you that I will give you the best version of me". By this time, you were already crying.

"Mase, I'm sorry for everything you've been through. I want you to know that you can always tell me anything you want. We're a team baby, we're in this together.

I'm not going to lie to you that I was angry, disappointed that you acted like that, you left us. And you left me with all the responsibilities because a mother never has time to take a break Mason. It hurt, but, we miss you, even Riley has been crying a lot, I think that's the reason for that," you tearfully told him.

"I apologize too for what I put you through. And it's true what you say, that was selfish of me but believe me I won't hide anything from you, we'll tell each other the way we feel. We can't let this happen again". Mason said that and just Riley started to cry, and the two of you approached her.

"Hello baby, how are you" Mase said as he held her in his arms, she stopped crying.

"See, she missed you, didn't you baby?" you said looking at them.

"I missed you too. I'm never going to leave you, I promise."

"You better Mason" You said pointing at him angrily, but laughing at the same time.

" We shouldn't make mommy Ri mad" Mason said with a sly laugh.

"No, you don't make me mad," you said.

"Okay, okay... Let's go home, we will not be separated again."

With that, you packed your things and returned home, together and with the whole situation sorted out. Finally, your family was back where you belonged.

#mason mount x you #mason mount imagine #mason mount x reader #mason mount x y/n #football imagine #football x reader #football x you #mason mount angst #mason mount fanfic #mason mount request #football imagines #fotballer x reader #chelsea #ben chilwell imagine #mason mount

[axelsagewrites]

How the HotD boys act on your birthday

Includes: Jace, Aemond, Aegon

Word count: 562

Masterlist Here

Jace

Jace is a very forgetful boy but as soon as he remembers he goes into planning 100

A week before your bday he’s ordering you 15 gifts with next day delivery

Putting hand written notes on every gift and desperately trying to wrap them nicely

However is terrible at wrapping presents but his happy smile when he presents them is too adorable to care

Prides himself on being a good gift giver

Your birthday, your rules

He would carry you to the car if you asked

Orders you breakfast to your house from your favourite place

Picks you up for a picnic in the park for lunch

Then drops the bomb that you and your whole friend group is going out to dinner together

He thinks he kept it a surprise

He did not

But he tried

Showers you with compliments the whole day and doesn’t let you spend a time

Posts you on his story to Taylor Swifts Mine

Aemond

Aemond has been planning your birthday since the day after your last one

Constantly trying to out do himself but refuses to admit it

Tries to play it cool as if you can accidentally plan a surprise limo party  

Wraps his gifts like a commercial grade wrapping

Spends the whole year noting down everything you like to find the perfect gift

Then spends weeks coordinating with a bakery for your birthday cake

He doesn’t have social media to post you on but allows you to post a couple picture on yours

Takes you out for a private romantic dinner

Refuses to admit to anyone outside your relationship he’s a softie

Writes basically a novel of how much he loves you on your birthday card

But hides his face while you read it

Takes you out the week before your birthday to buy your birthday outfit

Plans the whole day down to your breakfast to your bedtime

Takes all the stress out the day for you and you love it

Pampers you all day from massages to candles lighting the apartment

Aegon

Aegon defiantly did not forget he just did not remember

He only starts planning a few days before but feels so bad he basically buys the whole shop

Prefers to stay in with you on your birthday and cook for you

he tried to make a proper three course meal then ends up ordering your favourite takeaway

insists of baking the cake though and shockingly comes out good if maybe a bit missshapen

Makes you a Spotify mix tape playlist for your birthday

Calls you at midnight to scream happy birthday down the phone at you

Shows up with balloons and the biggest card he can find

His snap story is 20 snaps long and all of you

Gives you a coupon book of tasks he’ll do from sex favours to massages which you cash all in on night one

Will do whatever you tell him to do the whole day

Buys you a birthday crown and sash and forces you to wear it everywhere

Dramatically proclaims himself your servant and bows to your every whim

Puts gifts in gift bags because he just knows he wont be able to wrap it properly

Despite the rush to buy he always seems to find the perfect presents even if a little odd but  who doesn’t need a burrito themed blanket?

Taglist @clairacassidy @starkleila @valeskafics

A/N: i need to find more harry collette gifs cause it keeps giving me harry styles ones

#jace velaryon x reader #jace velaryon imagine #jace velaryon #modern jace velaryon #aegon targaryen imagine #aegon targaryen x reader #aegon targaryen #modern aegon targaryen #modern hotd #modern house of the dragon headcannons #modern house of the dragon #jace velaryon headcannons #aegon targaryen headcannons #aemond targaryen imagine #aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen headcannons #house of the dragon preference #house of the dragon headcannons #house of the dragon imagine #house of the dragon #hotd headcanon #hotd hc #hotd #hotd x y/n

[archiveikemen]

'Black Wedding' Story Event: Chapter 1

Harrison's Route

I do not own any of the Ikemen Series content being uploaded on this blog, everything belongs to CYBIRD. Please support them by playing their games and buying stories. Not 100% accurate, expect mistakes.

read this before interacting with my posts

Harry, my boyfriend, is not very good at waking up in the mornings.

Waking him up every morning has become my job.

(Ah… I knew it. He’s still asleep.)

Laying on the clean sheets was a mystery novel left open, which showed that he had been reading till late at night.

I looked into his sleeping face that appeared more youthful because his eyes were closed, and I couldn't help but keep on staring at him.

Kate: … Harry? Good morning, it’s time to wake up.

Harrison: … zzz.

Harrison: … Hm?

(Ah, he’s awake.)

— Or so I thought.

Kate: Wah…!

He stretched out his arms and pulled me into a tight hug, nuzzling his face in my shoulder.

Harrison: … Let me sleep a little more.

(He’s still not wide awake. But…)

It made me happy that Harry was being cuddly with me, because he wasn't the type to show this kind of affection.

Harrison: Your body is so warm and cosy…

(I guess it's alright to stay like this a little longer—)

Victor: Good moOoorning, Harry! Oops, Kate seems to be in a very nice spot.

Kate: V-Victor!

Victor: I did knock, but there was no response so I invited myself in…

Victor: The two of you are as chummy as ever. Let me join in!

Victor: BED DIVE! WOOO!

Harrison • Kate: UWAH!

Harrison: Hm…? Why are the two of you in my bed?

I explained the situation to the still half asleep Harry and turned to Victor.

Kate: So, Victor. Did you come here because you had something to talk to us about?

Victor: Right, right. I want you two to get married. YAY, a round of applause!

Harrison • Kate: Get… married?

We had long gotten used to Victor’s whims but this one left us baffled.

Harrison: There’s a reason why you’re saying that. I know you too well. Explain it in detail.

Victor: There’s this organisation called “Amour”, and their motto is “we can make your love last forever”.

Harrison: Oh, I remember hearing something about couples being able to be granted eternal love if they hold their wedding ceremony there…

Victor: You’re very well-informed, Harrison.

Victor: There have been many cases of the couples who went there ending up being killed.

Kate: … Do you know who the culprit is?

Victor: Yes, William and I have done our investigations.

Victor: The culprit is a man who calls himself the “Founder” and runs the organisation.

Harrison: Did he kill them for money?

Victor: — Yes. All of his victims were couples with plans to tie the knot. It appears that he killed them with the intention to steal the money they saved for their new homes and future children.

(How could he take the lives of those innocent couples?)

Kate: If you’ve found out this much information already, what’s the reason why you can’t contact him?

Victor: Only couples who are acknowledged to be genuinely in love are allowed to have their wedding ceremony at Amour.

Victor: During the wedding ceremony, there will be a ritual held to grant them eternal love. That man only shows himself during the ritual.

Harrison: … It’s difficult to infiltrate them if you’re not a couple. That’s why you think we’re suited for the job?

Victor: That’s right! But it’s not a bad thing, you know.

Victor: Even though it’s only pretend, you get to wear a wedding dress and hear Harrison say words of love to you!

(Marrying Harry…)

Some sweet imaginations started to form in my mind.

Kate: It’s only for a mission, but I must admit that the thought of it does make my heart dance.

Victor: I know, right?

Harrison: …

Harrison: Are you okay with it, though?

Kate: Huh?

Victor’s words made me imagine a future where I was married to Harry and I was getting excited, but—

Harrison: If you’re positive about doing this mission, then I suppose it’s fine.

Harrison: Besides, since the matter has already been brought up to us, that means it’s already been decided in the first place, right?

Victor: Yes, it was Her Majesty’s decision to have the two of you complete this mission.

Harrison shrugged.

Victor: — Now, devote yourself fully to your wickedness.

…

We rode in a carriage, on our way to the church Amour was based in.

Harry’s words from earlier replayed in my mind.

(“Are you okay with it, though?”)

(... Was I getting too excited?)

Harrison: Why are you spacing out? I might kiss you if you keep your guard down like that.

Kate: Wah…

Seated next to me, Harry teasingly played with my hair, wearing a cheeky smile.

Harrison: Nothing wrong with spacing out, but shouldn't we act more lovey dovey than usual?

According to what Victor told us, we might be turned away if we weren't acknowledged as a couple genuinely in love, and we wouldn't be able to hold a wedding ceremony.

(I’m a fairytale writer, I can’t let myself get in their way.)

(Okay, I’ll give it my all.)

…

Cultist: Welcome to Amour!

(These people are…)

Everyone who was there to welcome us were dressed in the same white clothing, and wore gentle smiles.

Cultist: What is the purpose of your visit?

Harrison: We heard that we’ll be granted eternal love if we hold our wedding ceremony in this church.

Harrison held me by the waist and pulled me closer.

Harrison: Ever since I fell in love with her at first sight, I had to confess to her countless times before she agreed to date me.

(Huh…!?)

Harrison: I can’t imagine myself being in love with anyone else. I never want to part with her…

Harrison: And that’s why I’m here, hoping for such a miracle.

As I was astonished by his extremely loving attitude, all eyes turned to look at me.

Cultist: I see. What about you, lady?

(E-Erm!)

Kate: I- I uh… I love him too, and I want to be with him forever and ever.

(Ugh… my voice was shaking too much.)

Harrison: I’m happy to hear that… . Our feelings are always mutual.

Harrison: Come here, Kate.

Kate: Wah…!

#ikemen villains #ikemen series #cybird ikemen #cybird otome #otome #ikevil story event #niki translates

[girl-next-door-writes]

Make My Wish Come True

Characters: Steve Rogers x reader

Summary: After the events of the previous evening, Steve is left wondering if it was a one off or if it was the start of something amazing.

Word Count: 1138 words

Prompt: #14: A and B share a bed to “conserve body heat”

A/N: The fantastic @farfromjustordinary asked for this prompt and I am happy to give my Stevie boy some cuddles in the name of keeping warm.

Steve woke up with a strange ache, his face muscles hurt for some reason, and he had no clue why. His cheeks hurt, but there was no explanation he could think of as he lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. Memories of the previous night swam into his mind and his lips curled up, pushing his cheeks, and suddenly the ache was entirely understandable because he just could not stop smiling.

You had kissed him! You had kissed him at the door to the compound and then again when he had walked you to your room. His fingertips traced over his lips as he remembered the gentle pressure of yours, his heart fluttering with the anticipation of future contact. All he could think about was your eyes, your smile, that soft noise that had escaped you as he pressed you up against your door, and he knew he just needed to see you.

Rolling out of bed, he felt the chill in the air. Frowning, he checked in with F.R.I.D.A.Y and discovered that the heating was out throughout the compound. Some freak accident that would probably end up being Tony’s fault, but that didn’t matter right now. No, right now Steve just wanted to see you, to make sure you didn’t regret what happened last night, to make a start on whatever this was between you.

Pulling on some sweats, he bundled up against the cold and headed on down to the kitchen. If you were still asleep, then he didn’t want to wake you up empty handed. No, a warm drink and something to eat would go a long way to getting you to forgive him if he interrupted your sleep.

Standing by the stove, he warmed some milk, stirring it absentmindedly as he smiled to himself. Everything had changed. One night and suddenly everything was different, clearer, brighter. He was reminded of that movie, The Wizard of Oz. He’d been wandering through life in the weird sepia tones and now everything was bright technicolor. You were his, at least he hoped you were his.

His smile faltered a little as doubts began to seep in. What if you regretted it? What if it was a one time thing, a mistake, something that had solidified in your mind that he was nothing more than a friend?

“Steve?” Your voice was thick with sleep, a little gravel to it that made his body react in ways he really hoped you were unaware of.  You simply saying his name wiped all the fears away and he turned to smile at you, a smile that only grew when he saw that you were bundled up in a blanket.

“Hello.” He grinned, unable to take his eyes off you.

“Hi.”

“I was just making you some hot chocolate.”

“Thank you, that would be very much appreciated.”

“You making hot chocolate?” Bucky appeared in the doorway, looking expectantly at Steve.

“I am, but only enough for two.” Steve said rather pointedly.

“So, that’s for me and you then.” Buck grinned.

“Maybe you should get your boyfriend to make you some.” You sassed from the depths of your blanket cocoon.

“That’s what I am doing, isn’t that right, babe.” Bucky turned to Steve who simply rolled his eyes.

“Hey, this one’s mine, you traded him in for Wilson. Not my fault Sammy boy isn’t the type to cater to your every whim.”

Steve froze mid stir, had he heard you right? Had you just basically referred to him as your boyfriend to Bucky?!? It seemed as if the super soldiers had the same thought because Barnes’ jaw dropped.

“No way! He finally made a move? Oh, man, this is great! I’m so proud of you Stevie, only took you about a year. This means you two wouldn’t mind sharing a hot chocolate so I’ll just pour this one for me…” he took the pan from Steve and poured some warm milk into a mug and stirred in the chocolate before his friend could protest.

“Hey, you okay there?” You asked quietly when the two of you were alone, peering cautiously out from beneath your blanket hood.

“That little shit stole my hot chocolate.” Steve huffed a small laugh, turning to pour the rest of the milk into a mug for you.

“You could always have that one. Seems only fair since you made it.”

“Nah, I made this one for my girl, she’s looking kinda cold.” He hummed, handing over the mug.

“Thank you.”

“Hey, wanna hang out? We could watch some movies or something. I could bring extra blankets.” There was a hint of nerves in his tone, a hopefulness that made him feel like a teenager again.

“I just wanna head back to my bed, it’s warm there.”

“Oh. Yeah, sure. Okay.” He nodded, trying and failing to hide his dejected expression.

“You coming? I mean, it makes more sense to conserve body heat, right?” You raised an eyebrow and gave him a lopsided smile.

“Yeah, yeah it does.” And just like that his face achingly wide smile appeared.

The two of you spent all day in your bed and as time passed Steve grew bolder. At first it was the old ‘yawn and stretch as you put your arm around your girl’ trick, then pulling you to sit between his legs as he leaned against the headboard, wrapping himself around you to keep you warm.

As Netflix asked if you were still watching, the dim glow of the screen the only light in the room, Steve lay beside you, limbs tangled together as your chest gently rose and fell with your sleeping breath. This was everything he had ever wanted, being this close to you, falling asleep beside you and waking up with you right there in his arms.

“You’re staring again.” The corners of your lips twitched upwards, but you didn’t open your eyes.

“Can’t help it, doll. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever known. I’m worried if I close my eyes then all this will just have been a dream.” He hummed softly, his lips grazing your forehead.

“If this is a dream then you have really boring dreams, Steve.” You chuckled, opening one eye lazily.

“Well, I’m really a very boring person.” He said earnestly, earning a bright peal of laughter from you.

“You’re a very warm person, my personal heater, so dream or not, you’re stuck here until Stark fixes the heating.”

“And then?”

“And then we might move this to your room because you have a better view.” You teased, causing Steve to laugh, his head rolling back as his hand clutched his chest. This was perfect, like all his wishes had come true, although he did hope the heating issue was solved soon because you were wearing far too many layers.

#Steve Rogers #Steve Rogers x reader #Steven's Greetings #gndw fic

[bippot]

Summary: When the new government issued 11th Street Kid arrives, the team soon finds out why Waller picked her. They don't really know how Adrian pissed off their boss so much, but he sure isn't happy with their new colleague.

Additional Tags: Manipulation, Past Relationship(s), Co-workers, Angst, Secrets, Canon-Typical Violence, Broken Engagement, Double Agents, Emotional Hurt, Betrayal, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Family Drama

Music Recommendation: I Knew You When by Marianas Trench

Peacemaker, Adrian Chase Masterlist - here

└─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────┘

Chapter 1

Economos, Peacemaker and Vigilante were too male. Harcourt too thin. Leota too curvy. So, that left Y/N. It was literally her job description. Why would've it been anyone else?

Henry Blaghart was rich enough that the butterflies had been after him for a while. He'd also always been a sucker for a pretty woman who'd go along with his every whim without complaint. After hearing through the rumour mill that he was the next target to be 'flied', the squad soon found out everything about him.

There was a fancy bar that he frequented every Friday night and that's when they would strike.

"Ade, can you zip me up please?" Y/N asked as she managed to catch him as he passed the room where she was getting changed into her dress.

"Still looks so good on you."

His fingers found the zipper of the only fancy enough dress she owned - the green one he'd bought her when they were younger - and slowly tugged it up.

The fabric felt so smooth against her skin as his rough fingers brushed against hers, making goose bumps form. He grinned mischievously as he caught her eye in the mirror before them and leaned down to press his lips to the bare skin of her shoulder.

"I'm surprised it still fits," she breathed, pinching at her tummy self consciously, as he started to stroke circles on her hips. "I've put on a few pounds since the last time I wore it."

"That only means there's more of you to love."

With that, he continued to brush the pads of his fingertips against her curves as he nuzzled his face in her hair, taking in her fragrance once more. It took all of her willpower not to melt under his attention. And if she let her mind wander a little farther than usual, well, they would never get this mission completed, would they?

Their eyes met in the mirror and she gave him a soft smile, letting his actions and words wash over her like a wave, washing away any worries she might have. He grinned back sweetly, pressing a light kiss against her cheek before turning to face the door.

"Alright. Let's go kill this guy," he mumbled, walking towards the door.

"We're not killing him yet."

"I hope Harcourt knows that if he touches you in a way you're not comfortable with, I'll shoot his dick off."

Y/N burst out laughing as she followed him out of the room and closed the door behind her. She shook her head fondly at him, grinning as he linked her arm with his. They walked side by side in silence, their hearts heavy but somehow filled with determination.

If he was forced to observe her flirt with another guy, Adrian made it his personal mission to have her attention until they had to part ways. If they were going to do their job, he had to wait in the wings whilst she performed, and if she needed him, he would step in to execute the target in a covert and calm manner. For her safety.

Because he didn't want anything to happen to her because of some dumb, racist (probably) sexist asshole who was only involved in this shit since he was born rich.

"Your tie is wonky." Her hands came up to fix it for him, but soon realised that he'd managed to do it completely wrong yet, somehow, it looked fine from the outside. She undid it and re-tied it properly before she glanced up, catching sight of the smirk that curved his lips. "You look very handsome tonight."

Decked out in the only suit he owned - which, sadly, was the one he'd originally bought for their wedding - Adrian looked suave and debonair. His hair had been nearly styled into an elegant and sophisticated style and his deep green eyes shone brightly against his pale complexion. He had the most dazzling grin that made Y/N swoon internally whenever she thought about him.

"Not half as good as you, angel."

"Nonsense. Maybe ol' Henry will take one look at this absolute stud and realise he'd like to try sodomy."

He laughed as she wrapped her arm around his waist, playfully nudging his side as she spoke. A flicker of annoyance flashed through his eyes, but it disappeared as he smiled down at her in adoration. The rest of the drive to the bar was taken in companionable silence, the car ride punctuated only by music that played faintly through the speakers.

Neither wanted it to end. But, alas, they had a job to do. Y/N was quick to exit the vehicle, bidding her partner goodbye with a smile as he watched her walk away before following after a considerable enough gap. The night air nipped at the skin of his cheeks as he made his way inside, his eyes scanning the crowd eagerly for any sign of Blaghart.

Y/N was at the bar waiting patiently for their target to order a drink, her hands resting lightly on the cool surface. When she saw him appear from the direction of the dance floor, she gave him a faux coy glance over her shoulder before turning her attention back to the bartender, her eyes glued to her drink.

A couple of moments later she heard him approach her, sitting in the bar stool beside her with a loud thud as he rested his arms on the table. He gazed up at her through half lidded eyes, a cocky grin playing upon his lips.

"What are you drinking, doll?"

She smirked and leaned forward, whispering to him in a husky tone, "Whatever you buy me."

"Oh, that's bold."

She shrugged, reaching forward to grab her glass and holding it close to her lips. Her eyes met his as she tipped the glass and took a sip, feeling the alcohol coat her tongue as it slid across her bottom lip. When she looked back up at him, Blaghart's eyes were locked firmly onto her mouth and she couldn't help but smirk wider at how blatantly lustful they appeared.

The thing about seduction is that you have to alter the approach depending on the target. Someone like Adrian would need to be eased over time to appease him because he was hard to know, hard to categorise. It would take a while to gain his affection truly. Lust was fleeting for him, yet often entirely superficial. Deep down, he sought companionship.

A target like Henry Blaghart was entirely non-committal. He wanted the prettiest toy he could find in his life but no further than that. He would fall prey to any girl in an instant, especially since Y/N already possessed the best attributes to lure someone into becoming entranced by her - a willingness to say what they wanted to hear.

"Are you gonna order something?" She asked him as the corners of her lips turned upwards ever so slightly into the faintest of smiles.

Henry hummed thoughtfully as he tapped the edge of the counter, "Let's see..." He pulled out his wallet and dug through it for a moment before he settled on a card and slid it towards the bartender. "Get us two bottles of whatever's strongest that you've got here."

"On it."

As soon as he heard the sound of the cash register chime, Y/N turned to meet his gaze again and raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to impress me...sir?" she questioned him teasingly.

"Is it working?"

"It is now."

Adrian watched from the sidelines with his jaw clenched tightly, his chest tightening when Blaghart suddenly leaned forward to whisper something to Y/N, who giggled in response. He could feel the blood running through him like fire as he tried to keep himself from throttling the target right there and then. Instead, Adrian narrowed his eyes as he stared back at the man with pure hatred radiating from each pore on his skin.

How quickly she guided Henry to suggest they should go to his hotel room was a testament of how good Y/N was at her job. Less than twenty minutes of flirting was all it took for the pair to get up off their barstools and make their way out into the hotel next door. As she stood, Y/N subtly caught Adrian's eye and gave him a wink to show that everything was going according to plan, before slipping out of the room in pursuit of Henry.

He was sticking to the shadows when following the pair, giving Harcourt updates through comms when needed.

Once they made it to Henry's room, Y/N waited until the door was fully closed behind her before she reached into her bra and retrieved the nanosecond electrical pulse device (which is basically an optimised taser but Economos hated when someone called his invention that). While Henry had his back turned, Y/N jabbed the device against his neck and he fell unconscious in the blink of an eye.

"Target is unconscious. Vigilante can enter now."

"Outside the door, Angel."

Y/N opened the door, put on the gloves Vigilante handed her from his jacket pocket and the pair hoisted the unconscious dude onto the bed before they ransacked his belongings in search of any information possible about the butterflies. They found a folder which contained some documents and maps that told them exactly where they were going to relocate the water buffalo that they'd managed to 'fly' after the previous mission was cut short.

"Please let me put a bullet in his head."

"Siren, under no circumstances should Vigilante shoot the target," Harcourt warned sternly. "This is too important to jeopardise."

"Please, baby."

"No. We've got the documents, let's go."

She gently pushed Vigilante towards the door, but as soon as he went to turn the handle, there was someone standing directly on the other side of the wood. Fuck, they had to come up with a distraction.

"Oh fuck, Henry!" Y/N moaned loudly, making a show of doing the most pornographic noise she could make. "Right there, baby!"

"What are you doing?"

"Just go with it."

So, he did. Two grown adults were making sex noises at each other, both of them getting whinier as time went on. The man outside the door got the memo that whoever was inside clearly needed some privacy and they no longer could see the soles of his shoes at the bottom of the door.

"Thank god for that."

"Is it weird that I'm hard?"

"Do we need to wait a minute for you to calm down?"

Unknowingly, their little performance had caused the once unconscious man on the floor to not be that anymore. He was awake and managed to swipe the taser from Y/N before she even had a chance to face him. His hand swiftly grabbed her wrist and tugged it so he'd have the perfect line of sight on her neck, zapping her and letting her body fall without a second thought.

Vigilante rushed to catch her once he'd snapped out of his boner daze, placing her gently on the ground before he dealt with her attacker. "That was a big mistake, dummy," he taunted as he approached Henry, glaring daggers at him. Usually, his menacing stare was covered by his visor, but today, this victim was going to see every movement on Adrian's face as he killed him.

The man didn't answer, instead opting to stand his ground, his eyes locked on Vigilante in defiance. "My name is Adrian, by the way... actually, I'm better known as Vigilante so that's probably more appropriate in this situation," he introduced himself with faux politeness, his voice dripping with venom.

"V-Vigilante?" the man stammered, staring wide eyed as he realised how deep of shit he was in. Adrian smiled, enjoying watching the fear grow within the stranger's eyes as he slowly backed away, trying to flee the scene in hopes of being successful, only for Vigilante to reach forward and wrap his fingers around his throat just before he got out of Adrian's threatened area. The guy gasped for air and clutched at his throat, trying to pull free but to no avail.

Adrian continued to chuckle darkly as he squeezed his grip tighter around Henry's neck, watching him struggle to breathe. "Knife, taser or choking, how would you like to die?" he mocked. "Any preference?"

Henry couldn't answer. His hands had moved to claw uselessly at Adrian's wrists, trying desperately to pull his hands away from his windpipe. His feet scrambled against the carpeted floor trying to locate something to use to defend himself but found nothing. He had nowhere to run to and he was utterly terrified and completely unable to speak a single word.

It seemed as if Adrian was forced to choose for himself. He was in a choking mood; his mind was set on killing the man, and he wasn't about to be denied his satisfaction. With rough squeezes of his hand, Adrian made sure Henry Blaghart could never be the butterfly's puppet anymore.

As soon as that horrid business was done, Adrian rushed to take Y/N into his arms and get the fuck out of there with all the documents.

Now, carrying an unconscious woman out of a hotel looks sketchy and suspicious, but tried to look as nonchalant as possible when they emerged from the elevator into the lobby. He held her tightly as they headed for the doors, ignoring the stares of people as they passed them.

Honestly, if he wasn't stopped, his faith in people would drop even more.

Unluckily for them (but luckily for society), the bouncer at the door held out their hand, palm up for Adrian to stop walking. He did as he wanted him to.

"My wife has had far too many drinks," Adrian lied, keeping a straight face but his voice got significantly higher pitched as he said the word 'wife'.

The guard narrowed his eyes at the couple. "Your wife?" he repeated sceptically, looking down at the woman being carried bridal style.

"Ma wife."

"Was that a Borat reference?"

"Yes it was, sir."

At that moment, Y/N began to come to. She groaned softly as she woke up to a very soft pillow beneath her. Opening one of her eyes to check what was happening around her, and even in her dazed state, Y/N could tell that she needed to play her part.

With a yawn, Y/N rubbed her eye lazily with the palm of her hand, cooing, "Hey, baby. We going home?" Adrian looked down at Y/N, nodding and smiling warmly at her, before turning his attention back to the guard, who still eyed the pair suspiciously for another second before he shrugged his shoulders in acceptance and allowed them to pass.

Once they were safely out of the hotel, Adrian took the opportunity to put her down on her feet. "Can you walk?" He asked, concerned as she blinked up at him.

"Just give me a few moments to regain my bearings."

Adrian nodded in agreement and helped Y/N to lean against the building wall beside her for support, holding her up as if she weighed less than a feather. After taking a couple of shaky breaths, the two of them were ready to get the fuck back to HQ and report to Harcourt.

"How many times did we tell you not to kill the target?" Harcourt yelled when he saw Y/N and Adrian walking through the front door of the headquarters.

"You killed Blaghart?" Y/N asked Adrian before turning her attention back to Harcourt.

"He saw our faces."

Harcourt sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. "Also, why did you go fucking radio silent as soon as you found the documents?" she added, folding her arms across her chest in annoyance.

"Siren was unconscious and we needed to look as normal as possible when leaving. Talking to myself and carrying a sleeping woman out of a hotel isn't a good combo, boss lady."

He had a point. But now that the danger was over and everything was fine again, Harcourt couldn't really blame Adrian for reacting in such a way. So, instead of yelling at him, she simply shook her head in defeat.

The documents were handed over and the pair were sent home. The mission was mostly a success, so Y/N nudged Adrian and offered, "I was planning on buying a bottle of wine to drink and watch Will Ferrel movies till I pass out, want to join me?"

"As long as I get a whole bottle to myself."

"Looks like I'm buying two bottles then."

"Are you supposed to drink alcohol after being tasered?"

"Probably not."

Y/N winked at him before she started off towards the liquor store. A small smirk appeared on Adrian's lips as he followed her, his heart warming as he caught a glimpse of her in the dim light of the streetlamps, swaying her hips and swinging her hands as she walked, all signs of worry and stress gone from her face.

They were back in her cold hotel room and opening two large bottles of cheap wine whilst laughing loudly at Stepbrothers in no time flat. Now that was like old times.

Half a bottle in and Adrian couldn't help but tuck his head against her shoulder and wrap his arm around her waist. Y/N leaned her cheek atop his head as she ran her fingers through his hair in slow, soothing strokes. It felt nice to forget for a brief moment everything else surrounding them...

Until the phone rang. Y/N jumped at the sudden noise as she pulled away from Adrian, looking frantically in search of her phone. Her fingers finally grasped onto her phone and she saw the caller ID. "I, uh, I'll just be a second-" she said hastily, hurrying into the bathroom before he'd even had a chance to respond.

Yet, she hadn't managed to close the door quick enough and he heard as she greeted, "Hey mush. How are you doing, baby?"

His eyes widened before narrowing dangerously at the sound of her words. Who was this person? Questions raced around his head as he watched the bathroom door click shut and tried to work out exactly what that meant. Was she talking to some other guy?

All Adrian could do was listen.

"I know, I know. I've got a surprise for you. It will arrive on Monday." The person on the other line spoke for a bit. "Well, telling you would ruin it, wouldn't it?"

Adrian slid off the bed and creeped closer to eavesdrop further. This new conversation intrigued him. He wanted to know who she was talking to and who this mystery person was. He felt a little uneasy with how friendly they sounded.

Maybe it was another guy...

"No, I refuse. No hints. I want it to be a total surprise. You have to trust me, mush," she laughed, sounding so happy.

Another pause followed, causing Adrian to tense in anticipation as he waited to hear more.

"I love you, baby."

Just like that, his heart broke in two again.

"This is where you say it back, you know."

Oh no...he thought in utter shock as the realisation struck him like a brick. She loves this person...and they're not him. What kind of twisted game was this woman playing? She didn't love him. Not any more at least. Not like she used to.

Someone had taken his place. Someone had taken his love away from him. Again.

Suddenly, without warning, the bathroom door swung open suddenly. Adrian jumped as Y/N stepped through, a shocked expression plastered on her face as she almost walked straight into his chest. For a moment, neither one dared move or breathe.

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough." He didn't bother hiding his disdain, his eyes staring daggers at the girl who had once loved him.

The hurt that crossed her features almost tore him apart. Almost. A bitter smile curled on Y/N's lips as she raised an eyebrow at him, challenging his glare. His gaze dropped to her lips for a split second and he just went for it, crashing his lips onto hers. He tasted bitterness and something sweet at the same time, and he immediately became distracted by the feeling of Y/N pressing herself to him with a sigh, her hands moving to hold his cheeks as she kissed him back fiercely.

It felt different, though. Before, there had been heat and passion, but now there was something completely different. There was hate there.

Pulling back, he trapped her chin between his thumb and forefinger and forced her to look into his eyes. She refused to meet his gaze, however, only letting out a small whimper when he pressed harder against her jaw.

"Gonna tell your boyfriend about how you've been leading me on for the past couple of months?" he sneered.

Boyfriend? Well, that was easier than the truth. She could work with that.

"I wasn't planning to."

It wasn't a lie. Why did it feel like one?

A frown etched itself onto his forehead, making him furrow his brows even more tightly together. The silence that followed gave Adrian ample time to search her face once again, looking for any trace of a lie in her eyes, yet finding none.

"Tell me that you still love me," he demanded, his voice coming out hoarse as his emotions overwhelmed him, and he began to panic slightly when he realised that she didn't seem to have his best interests at heart anymore.

Forcing the corners of her mouth into a wicked smile, Y/N slowly removed his hands from her with ease - he could easily overpower her, yet he didn't even try - and cradled his face in her hands to lean in for a kiss. Like always, he was at her mercy. Like always, she knew exactly what buttons to press.

Getting closer to his ear, she whispered, "I mean this with one hundred percent certainty, I wish I had never met you," and pulled away as soon as her sentence was over. Adrian stared at her in horror, his lips trembling slightly as he attempted to form a single coherent word, his mind struggling to make sense of the situation.

The tears that pricked the corner of his eyes threatened to spill over as Y/N leant back against the headboard and grabbed her bottle, taking a long swig of the amber liquid inside as if it could cure the pain that was currently radiating through her entire body. She hated having to say those things to him.

"You...you don't mean that. You love me..." he croaked, barely able to form complete sentences. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he tried to convince himself otherwise.

It took everything in her to retort, "Why'd I leave you then?"

And before Adrian even knew what hit him, his cheeks were wet. Hot angry tears fell down his face, burning his skin as they dripped down. His throat tightened, closing up his airways for a few seconds before he let out a sob as he wrapped his arm protectively around himself.

"I don't fucking know why you left!" he screamed in frustration, tears blurring his vision. Everything was starting to fall apart again. He had just come to terms with her being back, but now that he was finally starting to accept it, reality was beginning to sink in once again.

He was still stuck in a world of darkness; nothing could change and he might as well accept the fact that he was destined to be alone forever. Even if he did have Y/N back in his life, it wasn't as simple as it seemed.

"Why'd you give me up, huh?!" he continued, ignoring the way he was shaking, and instead raising his voice and slamming his fists down on the mattress. "I never stopped loving you! Every day, every night, every hour, every second, I love you...and you just..."

Y/N gulped down the contents of her bottle as silence enveloped them once again. They stared at each other, unable to speak because all that was left to fill the space between them was the deafening silence. Neither had anything to add to this, both too lost for words. Both were too scared to admit it. But the fear had already won out.

And with that loss came another wave of anguish as Y/N remembered that there was no longer any hope. Nothing would ever go back to the way they used to be. Nothing would ever be the same. And yet, despite the painful ache within her chest, she once again forced a smile onto her face.

Pitifully, he got to his knees by the side of the bed and reached a hand towards her, hoping that, somehow, he could persuade her to open up to him. To talk to him. Just to see if she still loved him, to find any hint of a spark that still resided inside her heart. Maybe then she'd be willing to come home.

"Baby please...please tell me you love me." He begged quietly, desperately reaching forward with one shaking finger, hoping it would be enough to prove to her that he really was worth her affection.

Y/N blinked in shock as she gazed into his sad eyes, her lips pursing into a thin line. It was true. Her heart still belonged to him. However, she pushed all that down.

"I can't."

Adrian's hand instantly fell back to his lap with a thud and he let out another heavy sob before bolting out of the room. The door slammed behind him and Y/N finally broke. With a loud cry, she buried her face into her pillow, pulling the covers up over herself, blocking out the rest of the world, including the tears streaming down her face, staining the white cloth underneath her.

└─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────┘

Weekly, Adrian made sure to visit Chris' house. When Peacemaker was in prison, he still did it. Saturday. 12pm. One sweep around the perimeter before a swift knock on the door.

And, it was his time to check up on his buddy.

Y/N knew that too and made sure she arrived at Peacemaker's at 11.40 am. She ubered so it wasn't obvious that she was there and roughly knocked on the door. When Chris opened the door, his bright smile immediately faded, morphing into a worried frown as he took in the sight of her.

"Got booze in there, pissmaker?"

She didn't wait for his response and walked inside quickly before Chris could protest. The door shut closed behind her and she heard Chris curse loudly as he followed her.

Chris frowned once more and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's midday," he pointed out as they stood in the kitchen area.

"That's never stopped you before."

He snorted. "Well that's true."

Silence settled over them. Y/N leaned casually against the counter top and watched Chris walk slowly towards the fridge, rummaging through it until he found two beers. He opened them and handed one over to her, eyeing her sceptically as she took a sip.

"You know, Chris, I want to thank you," she started suddenly, turning to glance at him. His lips twitched upwards but he didn't reply. He simply tilted his head curiously waiting for her to continue. "Did you know that you're part of the moment I realised I had more than friendly feelings for Adrian?"

His expression softened, though he couldn't help the amused smirk appearing on his face. "Oh yeah?"

The corners of Y/N's lips turned downwards into a frown. "Remember our prom?"

Why would he remember their prom?

Well, because he'd ruined it.

Adrian had been so excited to have one night where he wasn't Adrian Chase: the nerd. He was the guy who finally got a girl to go to a school dance with him, and to make it even better, he got the girl he'd been drooling over since he'd met her to go with him.

So, he was all dressed up in his fancy clothes. His father had helped him pick out a suit that was so nice and made his confidence had a little spike, which was a rare thing at that time of his life. And his mother had guided him on what flower Y/N would like. He was on cloud fucking nine and, as he parked up on Y/N's driveway, he thought nothing could dampen his mood.

Then Gut and Chris ruined it like they always did. Adrian's mix of bad eyesight and focus on meeting Y/N's father completely blindsided whilst walking up to her door as he was shot with paintballs. His lovely suit was splattered in an array of colours before he'd even registered what had happened.

Plus, they had shot him at a close enough range that he'd definitely have deep purple bruises appearing across his skin in no time.

"Your face, dude!" Chris teased, pointing a thick finger straight at Adrian's cheek, not trying to hold back a laugh.

"Good luck with your date, loser," Gut joined in with a mocking grin on his face, and he slapped Adrian on the back.

When he reached back, Gut's hand was covered in paint, so to make it even more difficult to get out, he rubbed his hand all through Adrian's hair.

All the noise had alerted Y/N and she opened her front door wide. Her eyes widened as they fell on Adrian's dishevelled form, her mouth agape as she gaped at him in disbelief.

As she saw Chris out of the corner of her eye, she called back inside, "Dad, get the gun: the White Dragon's son is on the driveway!" and smiled as Chris and Gut ran away.

Her eyes softened. "Let's get you cleaned up, mush," she cooed gently, taking a hold of his hand to lead him inside.

Mrs L/N immediately rushed up with a thousand and one questions for Adrian, but Y/N quelled them by asking, "Mom, do we have some spare clothes?" The woman nodded before rushing off to fetch something while Y/N led Adrian to the bathroom.

"They came out of the bushes," Adrian mumbled as he sat on the edge of the bathtub and peeled off his jacket and shirt, tossing it carelessly over the toilet seat. He was starting to feel nauseous just looking at himself.

Gut was right. He was a loser.

Y/N could see the self doubt forming in Adrian's eyes, and she sighed softly, making her way over to him and kneeling between his legs.

Without saying a word, she began untying his shoelaces and removed his shoes as she went along. Adrian didn't say anything as he watched her, allowing her to take control of his clothes and actions. She could only imagine how uncomfortable he felt in those clothes.

After undoing his tie, she pulled the buttons undone and left him in his undershirt. "Prom wasn't our scene anyway," she said simply as she grabbed a washcloth and started running it under warm water to wipe away any paint from his face and glasses.

Not so subtly, he glanced down at his hands as she continued wiping at his face. They were shaking slightly. He tried to suppress his nerves. And, like usual, she noticed. Her non-dominant hand conjoined with one of his as she continued cleaning his face.

"I'm sorry," he murmured quietly as he looked down at their hands. His breathing was coming out heavily. He tried to calm his heart rate, hoping she wouldn't see how much it had thrown him.

"No need to apologise. You don't have anything to be sorry about," she replied, standing and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Wasn't your fault. Far from it."

Slowly, Y/N assessed his hair; his curls were tangled and messy, his dark brown hair sticking everywhere and globbed together with clumpy paint. "Should wash away, I think. I'll bring you a towel and some dry clothes, okay?"

With that, she got up and moved out of the bathroom. A few moments passed and Adrian stared blankly at her bathroom wall. His gaze eventually travelled to his hands, now resting limply on his lap.

How pathetic.

"Hey there, handsome." He jolted as he saw Y/N's familiar smile appear next to his head. She held a pair of grey sweatpants, a plain black t-shirt and a towel in her hand, smiling kindly at him as she handed them over. "Here. Take a shower."

A shower sounded good. It sounded better than sitting around feeling awkward in a ruined tux. As soon as his head hit the cool, soothing spray, he felt some tension leave his shoulders and he let out a soft sigh. He needed this. He stayed in the shower for longer than necessary and when he dried himself off, he noticed all the bruises once he looked into the mirror.

His lip trembled slightly as he looked at his battered reflection, a look of pain crossing his features. What a horrible night he'd had. All because...?

Gut and his friend didn't want him to have one fun night? Why would they do that? Was it really such a big deal? Or were they trying to humiliate him or push him into freaking out? Or maybe they wanted him to cry? He sighed again as he looked into his own tired eyes and brushed back his wet, unruly curls as he thought about the fact that he would never, ever have a chance with her now.

Not after this, that is.

There was no point in him trying.

Not anymore.

"You changed, mush?" Y/N called out from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Just a moment."

For some reason, he took that as his cue to scramble his clothes on, attempt to tame his hair and get out of the bathroom as fast as he could. She was waiting patiently outside the door when he emerged, her expression softening as she caught sight of his appearance.

"You've changed too?" he asked curiously as she guided them to her room. "You could've gone without me, angel."

"I could've, but it would've been so fucking boring without you."

Back in those days, she always knew what to say to make him feel better.

"Besides, I've got a new plan. Wanna hear it?" He nodded. "You. Me. Your dad's car. We buy overpriced takeout for the fun of it. We drive to the lookout and completely stuff our faces and talk and hang out till twenty minutes past our curfew when we realise 'Oh shit, we should be back by now' and we get in a little bit of trouble but it's quickly blown over."

She took a breath. "What do you think?"

He couldn't help a chuckle slipping out. "Sounds pretty cool."

That's what they did that night.

Taking a sip of his beer, Chris chuckled, "Oh, you had to see his face. Fucking priceless," and Y/N's jaw clenched. That wasn't the response she wanted, but it had been the one she was expecting.

Her expression was one of pure anger as she glared daggers at Peacemaker and his lack of remorse at the situation. If looks could kill, he'd have been burnt to a crisp already.

Though, she kept her voice steady as she explained, "Years later he told me that he'd been trying to gather the courage to ask me for weeks. Every day when he thought he'd finally worked up the nerve, he'd try and somehow you or Gut would do something that made him rethink everything."

Chris grinned. "That does sound like us alright."

"Eventually, he did. To his and only his surprise, I said yes. He was so excited. You know how he gets," Y/N sighed fondly and shook her head, musing out loud, "The same happened after our engagement but multiply it by ten. He would've been insufferably excited after the wedding."

"He would've been," he agreed. "You know when he gets so overwhelmed that he starts vibrating? I swear he would've internally combusted as you walked down the aisle."

Y/N let out a dry laugh as she sipped her drink, nodding in bitter agreement as she thought about the possibility of that day.

That day could've been the happiest day of her life if it weren't for Gut.

"Anyway," she continued, shaking herself free from these memories as she refocused her attention onto their surroundings, "My, um, reminiscing has a point. I want to thank you, which is a sentence I never thought I'd say. Thank you for - somewhat - looking after Adrian while I was gone."

Both of them knew for a fact that Chris had barely tried. If anything, he urged Adrian to go deeper into the whole Vigilante side of his life. She had been so mad, so furious when she found out about all of the crimes Vigilante had committed when she was allowed back into society.

"He's going to need you again, just to let you know."

It sounded like a threat.

That's because it was.

A familiar sounding Sebring could be heard pulling up on Chris's drive. He was five minutes early. Y/N noticed. Chris did not.

She moved closer to Peacemaker. "I want you to actually care for him this time, and to be honest I'm worried that he might not be able to bounce back from this one," she confessed, lowering her voice. Chris remained silent as he gave her a confused expression. He didn't understand but he soon would.

Seeing Adrian out of the corner of her eye, Y/N slid her hand to the side of Chris's face in a faux loving manner and placed her lips against his. He stood still, shocked at first, but because he was actually getting some action and he was never one for turning that down, Chris kissed back almost instantly.

Adrian watched as the two people he loved most in the world shared a kiss and it left him speechless.

No words came to mind as he glared at the love of his life and his best friend. The people who had broken his heart and had stolen away his happiness for years and years. The people who hurt him more than anyone else ever did.

Without another word, Adrian stormed back to the Vigilante-mobile, climbed inside and slammed the door behind him, glaring out the window and gritting his teeth. He was seething. He was so, so mad. The mere idea of that person touching his Y/N again angered him so deeply that he felt tears forming in his eyes.

This wasn't fair. This wasn't right.

Had it always been Chris? Of course it had been. If someone had to pick between cool, muscly Chris Smith and nerdy, weak Adrian Chase, there was an obvious winner.

Shit. How long had it been going on? Maybe years? Who knows? Did this start when they were still together? Did Adrian ever hold Y/N's heart?

Or had she always preferred Chris?

Chris must've been the man on the phone the night before.

Pulling back from the smooch, Y/N let a tear fall down her cheek. "Thanks for help, pissmaker. I hope we never see each other again," she muttered sadly, wiping the tear away with her sleeve as she turned around. "Please, just make sure he doesn't blow his brains out. I'm not worth it."

Still, Chris was beyond confused.

"Y/N, what the fuck? You can't just say shit like that," he yelled angrily, grabbing her wrist in an attempt to keep her from leaving. Y/N struggled to break free but gave up almost instantly. Pulling a frustrated sigh from her lips she turned around once more, staring straight into Chris's eyes.

"I thought you guys would have put it together by now. I disappear and Gut is found dead the next day. Hardly seems like a coincidence."

Silence.

Chris's breathing became heavier as he tried to process what he'd just heard.

"Wha...?" he mumbled, unable to speak clearly due to the shock of hearing all of this.

"Did you know he was dealing? I didn't... until I happened to kick a criminal a little too hard and send him flying into a brick wall."

Her face contorted into a grimace as she recalled how Gut had screamed out in pain upon impact as his client bolted in the opposite direction. She laughed sadly under her breath.

"The ambulance couldn't save him in time."

The atmosphere grew heavy after her statement. Neither spoke for a long, painful moment as Chris processed everything Y/N had just dumped on him. Y/N's words reverberated around his skull as he let her go. She left silently as he tried to figure out how to respond to what she'd just told him.

What was he supposed to do with any of that information?

All this time, Y/N had been the one who killed Gut. Why she left made sense now.

Who knows how much time passed before he was startled by Harcourt's icon appearing on his phone and Chris hesitantly answered the call. "What have you done? Where is Y/N?" She exclaimed on the other line. His brows furrowed as he sat down on the floor.

"Y/N? She-" his voice trailed off as he glanced up at the clock. 12:24.

Adrian hadn't arrived yet...

There was silence from the end of the phone before she spoke again, her voice filled with rage and concern all mixed together. "Why has Vigilante just insisted that we never contact him again?"

Chris swallowed hard, feeling the dread rising in the pit of his stomach. Only then he understood why Y/N had come to see him today.

"Fuck."

As Y/N drove to the only place she knew would help her calm down, her mind continued the rest of the story she'd told Chris. It was hard to drive with tears in her eyes but despite all that, she managed.

Sat shoulder to shoulder on the hood of Adrian's fathers car, the teenagers shared a huge pizza that there was no way they were going to be able to eat it all. The car radio could faintly be heard as they gazed out into the night sky. The stars above seemed incredibly bright compared to the city lights below.

Despite the day he'd had, young Adrian was happy to spend his night with a regular clothed Y/N. "You looked really pretty in your dress, by the way. Sorry I didn't say it earlier," he admitted nervously, scratching at his neck with a grin spread across his face.

"I did?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! You look great. I mean, you're beautiful, y'know. You always look pretty, but that dress was, like, bam!" He paused. "You're the prettiest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Y/N smiled softly before turning back towards the starry night, her cheeks flushing pink. Adrian let out an embarrassed chuckle as he leaned back on the hood, stretching himself out as he did so. The wind whipped through his hair as he let out a sigh.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Adrian hummed in response, shrugging lightly as he turned his head towards her.

"Honestly? Yeah. I'm okay," he answered, his gaze falling downward as he stared at the ground, fidgeting slightly. His hands reached up unconsciously, running them through his hair in nervousness.

After a few moments of comfortable quiet between the two teenagers, Adrian broke the tension. "They did a shitty thing, I know that. It's not gonna change if I get angry or something, though. But..." He took a deep breath, finally raising his eyes to meet Y/N's once more. "Thank you, by the way. For taking care of me."

"Oh mush, I'll always take care of you."

"No! I don't want it to be like that anymore!" he protested. "I... I mean I appreciate it but I wanna help you out in return! Y'know?" Y/N smiled softly at Adrian and nodded her understanding.

There was a minute of silence, then Adrian reached over and grabbed Y/N's hand with his, lacing their fingers together. It was a bold move in his head but for some reason, Adrian felt confident that it would work. Her cheeks flushed pink as she shyly raised her eyes toward his as well, giving him a tiny smile and squeezing his fingers gently.

And he felt comfortable enough to say, "All I wanted was to have one, like, movie prom night. Somebody spikes the punch. The one weird girl - maybe Stephie Andrews or one of her friends - catches the eye of one of the jocks. Two of the teachers spark up a romance.... I don't know, maybe... the nerd finally gets the balls to ask the girl he likes to dance."

At least, that was his plan.

"I knew it wouldn't be perfect. Nothing ever is. I... I just wanted to be a guy. One night where I'm a normal dude and not some idiot that people laugh at."

When he finished his confession, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't dare to look at Y/N for fear that she'd think that he was just being ridiculous. Instead, he focused on their intertwined hands instead. The longer he stared, the more he began to blush and his heart rate skyrocketed.

His body tingled and buzzed with excitement and butterflies danced in his stomach, making him feel giddy. It wasn't often that he felt such overwhelming emotions and the thought of confessing his love and getting rejected made him extremely sad.

However, with Y/N there, he felt safe and happy. As long as he was with her, he'd never feel alone again.

Then, she let go of his hand and he was preparing himself for the worst. But no, she hopped off the hood of the car and rushed to turn the radio up.

"Adrian Allen Chase, I've been dying to dance with you all night - would you do me the honour?" she begged with a wide smile. He grinned widely before hopping off the hood as well.

They began dancing slowly, both smiling widely and laughing as they held each other close. They swayed awkwardly back and forth, giggling like children as their bodies brushed against each other. Their hearts thudded loudly in their chest as their eyes locked onto each other.

The dancing itself was as awkward as two teens who had never done it before had expected, but they didn't mind in the slightest. There was nothing wrong with stumbling around like fools and holding each other.

All that mattered was that they were together.

"So...you asked the girl you liked to the dance, huh?" she teased gently, causing him to groan and roll his eyes.

"You picked up on that?"

Before Adrian could reply, Y/N raised her hand to his cheek and gave him a kiss on the other one, which caused his mouth to open in astonishment. He blushed furiously as she rested her head against his shoulder and looked up at him with a twinkle in her eyes, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips.

"Hey, it seems like our feelings are mutual."

He couldn't contain the giggle that escaped him when he realised what she meant. With an astounded shake of his head, he closed the distance between them and went in for a kiss.

On the first try, he was too excited and bumped their foreheads together.

The second try, she forgot to turn her head and their noses squished against each other.

They finally got it right in their third try.

Slowly, the pair pressed their lips against each other for the first time after years of waiting. It was experimental at first - the need to take things slowly with each other overwhelming both of them - but quickly grew more confident as they lost themselves within it. It didn't matter where or how they touched each other; their entire being was consumed by pure adoration.

As the passion increased, Adrian had no idea what came over him as he walked Y/N back over to the car and pressed her up against the bumper. Her soft gasp of surprise was all he needed to hear to know that he'd done something she liked. He kissed down her jawline and across her exposed collar bones. He could feel himself growing more aroused and desperate to taste her skin, to breathe her scent.

It was all too much - the hunger he was feeling, the desperation, the warmth, the pressure.

All of the feelings coursed through him. He wanted her, needed her. Adrian didn't know whether he should break the kiss to pull away or continue kissing down her neck and collarbones - his hands wandering everywhere as he explored her body.

"Sorry! Sorry, got carried away. Should've asked," he mumbled apologetically, resting his forehead against hers. Y/N shook her head slowly, her breathing still heavy as she tried to catch her breath.

"I liked it." He looked up at her with shock on his face as a faint blush crept up his cheeks.

"What? You did? Really?"

Y/N couldn't help but laugh softly as she leaned up on her toes to press another gentle kiss to his lips.

Adrian felt like his brain was short circuiting. He was sure that this had to be the happiest moment of his life. He wrapped his arms tightly around Y/N, pulling her closer to him as he peppered her face with kisses.

"Oh angel, you're never going to be able to get rid of me now, you do know that, right?" he asked quietly, nuzzling into the side of her neck gently.

"Wouldn't want to."

More and more smooches were given and received. It didn't take long before the couple found themselves in the back seats and giving and receiving other things too. Prom night things. Things neither of them were entirely sure about how to do, but tried their best at nonetheless.

└─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────┘

Parking up in the same spot from her memory, Y/N let her gaze fall on the horizon, which looked a lot less vibrant and hopeful now she'd grown up. It was almost scary seeing the familiar landscape that she had come to rely on to comfort her now seemed bleak and empty.

She bit her lip as the sobs started in her shoulders, tears streaming down her face as she struggled not to cry harder. She wiped the tears off her face harshly as she sniffled and blinked rapidly to keep herself composed. Her vision was blurry as her breaths hitched painfully. Her chest tightened and her throat burned as she fought to choke down the lump that had begun to form. She didn't want to be here anymore, she didn't want to be thinking about everything that she'd gone through. Everything that she'd sacrificed. She had to get out of here.

"Hey Mom, can you put Eowyn on the phone for me?" Y/N pleaded as her mother picked up her call, her voice slightly shaky. Her mother was quick to oblige and handed the phone off.

Though it was quiet at first, Y/N heard her breathing before she said anything. Then came the excited "Hi mommy!"

"Hi baby. How are you, my lovely?"

The little girl replied by talking about everything she had been doing and asking her mother all sorts of questions. After a while of hearing Eowyn talk about what fun she was having, Y/N managed to compose herself and stop crying.

Even though she couldn't see her daughter, she smiled fondly at the image of how she always spoke with her hands. How'd she pushed her glasses up, but very frequently missed and poked herself in the eye. How her green eyes sparkled whenever she spoke about what toys she played with that day. She always made Y/N proud.

That was what mattered most. Even if she wasn't there physically, Y/N was always thinking about her, looking forward to spending time with her and talking with her.

Everything Y/N did, she did to ensure her little girl never found herself in Waller's clutches. To prevent her from losing any of her innocence. To make one hundred percent sure that she never followed her parents' illegal ways.

"Are you ready to start school soon, mush?" Y/N questioned, getting out of the car and sitting down on the dirt with her back resting against the bumper of her car.

"I'm ready for you to come home," her daughter pouted cutely, causing Y/N to roll her eyes playfully despite the fact that Eowyn couldn't actually see her. "I miss you," the girl added in a quieter tone, causing Y/N to feel her heart swell with affection.

"Don't worry, baby. I'll be home sooner than you think," she promised her daughter before adding softly, "I'm ready for me to come home too."

Once again, the sound of a familiar sounding Sebring was getting closer and closer to the viewpoint. Recklessly, Adrian pulled his car next to Y/N's - not even realising she was there - and slammed his car door. He mirrored his ex-lover and sat against his car.

"Hey little one, I better go. Okay? I'll see you soon," she cooed into the phone lovingly.

"Okay momma, I love you lots. Bye bye!"

"Love you too. Tell Nana that she'll hear from me soon."

With that, Y/N ended the call. She sighed quietly, staring down at her knees while she listened to the sounds of the music drifting towards her ears once more. She didn't move at all, didn't speak. She knew this conversation wouldn't go anywhere.

Looking up, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she saw Adrian had decided to come over and sit next to her. Though his expression remained stoic and distant, she could tell that he was nervous as hell. His leg was bouncing underneath him and his knuckles were white as he gripped onto his cardigan.

"Why?"

Now that was the question that had been swimming around his head since the night before.

Letting out a deep huff, Y/N simply said, "I need to get out of my contract with Waller." Her face scrunched up in distaste as she thought back to how she found herself at Waller's beck and call.

As much as she hated being indebted to someone like Waller, it had to be done. Pregnancy and prison don't go together, even if you are a crime fighting vigilante. Y/N made that decision to ensure her daughter would be born in the comfort of Y/N's mother's home, without the presence of shady doctors that could do tests on the newborn or the menacing glares of her fellow inmates.

What Y/N never could've guessed was the sneaky clause Waller added in the small print. "Amanda Waller owns my body and anything that it produces. I didn't know that when I signed."

There was no hesitation in her tone and no fear that she might have upset him by saying this. If anyone deserved to know the truth, it was Adrian. After all, they'd gone through hell together and she wanted nothing more than to give the puzzle pieces to why she'd messed his brain up. She owed him at least that much after what she'd put him though.

A heavy sigh escaped from his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck. This was one conversation he really wasn't looking forward to having but there was no avoiding it now. At first, he came to the look out to be alone yet, clearly, they both had the same idea. That thought gave him a small amount of hope; maybe things could work out.

"Anything that it produces," he repeated her words. The phrase sent a shiver down his spine because he knew exactly what those four words meant. Releasing a deep groan, Adrian buried his head in his hands as he cracked the case.

Chris wasn't who she spoke to on the phone. She'd never spoken softly to him before, never in her entire lifetime. Once Adrian realised, 'Oh shit, Y/N has been manipulating me', he knew that Peacemaker was just a buff pawn of hers. A stupid pawn at that.

Weirdly, it felt like his world was coming together, slowly but surely. The clues he'd picked up on and thought, 'huh, weird', made sense. Every time the pair got too close and things seemed too real for Y/N's liking, she'd either tell him it was getting late and he should get home or she'd hurry into the next room where he could hear her muttering to herself about breathing exercises.

Every time she was reluctant to kiss him.

Or hug him.

Or talk about her personal life over the past five years.

Or that time she was inconsolable for days when the team was instructed to assassinate a flied four year old girl with green eyes and pigtails.

"You have a kid." He pointed out, breaking the silence. His eyes were trained on hers, watching for any hint of a lie, any sign of deceitfulness. But the way she looked away and fidgeted with her fingers told him everything he needed to know.

Her eyes fell to the floor, her cheeks flushed pink as she murmured, "Yes." She looked so vulnerable right now, almost afraid. And that scared him.

For a second, he actually wondered whether he could love another woman. Whether he could love anyone else but Y/N because that would be a whole lot easier. Then reality hit him square in the gut and he realised just how ridiculous such thoughts were. Y/N was Y/N and he loved her, always will love her.

No matter what kind of baggage she carried with her, or if she was under the thumb of an evil mastermind like Waller, she was still Y/N underneath it all. Despite how many masks she wore, her heart was still there to remind Adrian that she was still the same girl who cleaned him up on prom night, the same hero that he fought beside, and the same woman he'd proposed to.

In the end, no matter what Waller tried to pull, he wasn't letting that bitch win.

"How old?"

"Wynnie will be five on Monday."

Strange. Five. It may have been a coincidence but Y/N and Adrian had been together around the same time as the conception...wait a minute.

It took every bit of willpower not to reach over and hold her hand; to pull her closer and wrap her in his arms. Instead, he kept his arms folded across his chest, refusing to let anything show in front of her. Even then, his hands twitched slightly, wanting desperately to feel her soft skin beneath his own.

"Her full name is Eowyn Grace L/N."

Oh, how he could start sobbing and never stop. "G-Grace? Like my mom?"

"Your mother was a very nice lady."

Tears brimmed the corners of his eyes as he stared intently at Y/N, but he sniffed and blinked them away, forcing himself to stay stoic. He wouldn't show weakness in front of her, not when she could so easily use it against him.

Before he could ask the question on the tip of his tongue, Waller decided to do her daily report with her employee early. Y/N shot up her finger to stop him from speaking before answering.

"Mission achieved, my little Siren. Vigilante has officially been kicked off the team."

The words felt like a dagger going straight through Adrian's stomach. Especially the phrase 'my little Siren' as Waller seemed to take pride in her acquisition of Y/N's being. In that moment, he couldn't bear to watch anymore as Y/N's gaze met his. Her beautiful eyes were glassy, rimmed red with dried tears as the pain etched itself upon her face. Adrian couldn't stand seeing her like that.

Still, Y/N held her forefinger to her lips and placed the phone down, putting it on speakerphone to be completely transparent.

"I did as you wanted me to."

"Yes you did."

"Now I've fulfilled all my requirements, have I not?"

Waller laughed. She actually laughed. And not only did that make Adrian's blood boil but he couldn't help the anger that welled up inside him. "Well, there was this mission in Arizona that I put your name down for, but after that? I'll think about it," Waller explained, her voice oozing with smugness.

"I was told that this would be my last mission," Y/N protested, trying hard not to stutter as she clutched tightly onto her shirt.

"By who?"

"By you."

"Oh, did you get it in writing?"

Y/N's bottom lip quivered as she shook her head and closed her eyes, feeling her shoulders sag. How could she've been so stupid. Of course Waller wouldn't let her leave. In anguish, Y/N hit her head against the bumper behind her causing her hair to fall into her face. She quickly brushed it away as she heard Waller chuckle on the other end of the line.

"Without any physical evidence, it's your word against mine." Y/N let out a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose as she stared out into nothing. Waller spitefully added, "You know, I distinctly remember you agreeing to let young Eowyn join our minor unit during our last talk."

Amanda could practically be seen smirking, knowing full well Y/N was just seconds away from snapping and punching her through the phone line. It took all her effort to stay calm.

But Waller wasn't done yet. "Or did I put you down for two missions? Could've been five for all I know. Maybe you'll be booked up for the next year."

Swallowed thickly, Y/N was fighting hard against the urge to slam her fist through something. She hated the smug bitch, she hated what she stood for and the power Waller held. But more than anything, she hated the way she treated those who she felt owed her, especially Y/N. The feeling of resentment towards someone like Waller who used them as tools to achieve her own goals was one that would ever go away.

And so, she bit back the retort that had formed on the tip of her tongue and instead opted to remain silent, hoping to avoid provoking her.

Silence hung heavy in the air, filling the space between the pair until finally Waller broke it by sighing dramatically, "Look, kid, you know your options. You. That brat of yours. Or that third option that I think your friend sat beside you would love to hear."

Shit. Of course Waller would track Adrian's phone and know that it was right next to hers. How stupid of them.

Almost comically, Adrian's eyes widened in shock. "What's the third option?" he asked, whether it was to Y/N or Amanda he had no idea.

"You want to tell him or do you want me to?" Waller questioned in an almost teasing manner. Adrian swallowed dryly, suddenly becoming anxious.

The words wouldn't come out of Y/N's mouth.

"Siren's taking too long. Option three is to blow your brains out, Chase."

Adrian visibly flinched. His mind went blank, unable to think of what to say. He wanted nothing more than to break the call off, he didn't want to hear anymore. He couldn't breathe. He felt trapped. Waller didn't seem to care, didn't care at all about anyone but herself.

Then, something overtook every rational thought that occupied his mind. "What about an option four?"

"Illuminate me with your idea, Vigilante."

"I serve the rest of Y/N's contract. Full contract. That's another five years, right?"

"Correct," Amanda confirmed, intrigued by what he was offering. Waller wasn't surprised, they could tell just by her tone. He gulped loudly, his breathing becoming quick as he prepared himself for the inevitable outcome of his decision.

"I'm an excellent marksman and fighter. Although I'm not as... socially experienced as Siren, I can kill and I can kill with ease."

Beside him, Y/N was furiously shaking her head. This was a bad idea. It was her sentence to complete, not his.

"Strange that you'd offer to serve in her place after what she did to get it in." Waller paused. "Did you ever tell him what you did, Y/N?"

"She killed my brother."

Over time Adrian had noticed that every time Gut had come up in conversation, Y/N would get quieter. Her eyes would begin to water slightly before she excused herself to the bathroom. He would always watch her leave, wishing to follow after her and comfort her, to hold her and hold her tight, but he knew that she would brush away his help.

The timing of her departure and Gut's death had always seemed off. The coroner had ruled his death accidental and, while the police claimed it was due to some form of drug deal gone south - which was sort of the truth - Adrian had always had his suspicions.

At his admission, Y/N's hands were trembling as she brought them to her face and covered her cheeks. Without hesitation, Adrian reached over and grasped her hands between his, rubbing soothing circles into her skin with his thumb. With her eyes still firmly shut, she leaned forward, resting her forehead against Adrian's shoulder, hiding her face once again.

"Five years and then we're both out," he spat down the phone. He could feel the blood running in hot torrents through his veins and the pounding of his heart in his ears. He could feel the weight of Waller's gaze from the other line. "I would like time to go over the contract once you send it."

"We have a deal. Good luck, Vigilante."

Click. Waller hung up.

After hanging up the call, Adrian huffed, "Wow, she's so scary!" He let himself smile for a brief second before it faltered again as he looked down at Y/N, worry etched across his features.

"Sorry. Sorry, I got snot all over your cardigan and I-"

Adrian lifted his hands to cup the side of Y/N's face and caressed her cheekbones, trying his best to distract himself as he watched as the colour drained from her face when his deal finally sunk in for her.

"You didn't have to do that," she whimpered, placing her hands on top of Adrian's. "I'm not worth it."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it doesn't matter. Let me look after you for once."

Y/N let her forehead drop onto Adrian's chest as a soft sob escaped her. Adrian wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against his body as he kissed the top of her head. He rubbed small circles in Y/N's back, gently swaying side to side, comforting and consoling his girl in the very place they'd originally got together.

She opened her eyes to him, her expression blank as the memories of everything she had seen flashed across her mind. All the missions she'd gone on. All the horrid targets she had to seduce. All the nice people she'd tricked and manipulated on Waller's behalf.

"I'm so sorry. I've ruined your life."

"See that's the thing, without you? I don't really have a life. Not one that I want to lead," Adrian pointed out calmly, a slight smirk gracing his lips. "I'd much rather have you in my life and things be a bit rocky than to go without you and angrily jerk off into your underwear every night."

A snort left her throat as she pushed herself upright again and ran her fingers along Adrian's jawline as she stared into his eyes. There was a lightness to them now, almost mischievous even. "You kept some?"

"Yep, burned a few but I still have my favourites collection. You remember the ones with Garfield on? Yeah, let's just say he's skipped out on lasagna and had a healthy diet of my cum for way too long."

"Gross!" she laughed. A grin tugged at the corners of Adrian's mouth and his dimples reappeared. Y/N couldn't believe how easily her laugh was coming back to her. It was still so foreign to hear it again.

They remained in each other's arms for a long period of time before finally pulling apart, Y/N reluctantly breaking away. After clearing her throat softly, she tried her best to sound composed as she looked up at Adrian, "Would you like to come on a road trip with me? I promised to surprise Wynnie and it's a long drive. I understand if -"

"She's my daughter, isn't she?" Adrian's voice was soft, but she understood. There was a look in his eye that screamed of hurt and frustration at the fact he'd missed the first years of his kid's life. She reached forward, gently taking his fingers in hers and intertwining their hands together.

"Yes. Yes she is."

"Alright then."

Y/N's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "... Alright?"

"Well, obviously I would want to go with you. I want to meet her, obviously." Adrian smirked as he let out a breathy chuckle, running a hand through his hair. "What's she into? I want to get her a birthday present."

Like her father, the answer was "Dinosaurs."

"Oh, fucking sick!" Adrian yelled gleefully, startling Y/N a little as she jumped a little at the sudden outburst. He'd never liked being quiet. But now? Because, honestly, the fact that he got to see his daughter, to spend time with her, made him want to scream from the rooftops in delight.

The ride to Y/N's mother's house was long but the pair didn't waste a single moment. They spent the entire time going over everything. Y/N divulged everything that had happened during the past couple of years, giving detailed descriptions of Waller's treatment of her, her coercion, and even the times she'd threatened to hurt Eowyn.

Obviously, Adrian was outraged by the mere mention of it all. He swore revenge. He vowed to protect his child, and if anyone dared to lay a finger on her again, he'd end them. No doubt in the fact that Waller would pay dearly for insinuating that she'd hurt his child.

"I don't know if you want to know this -"

"I said to tell me everything, so tell me," Adrian cut Y/N off, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

"You were both my easiest and hardest target. It's easy to fake love if the love is real, but because I love you, every single move was like twisting the knife in even further." A bitter chuckle escaped her lips. "I can't apologise enough, especially for all those things I said that made you cry."

Honestly, he was still hung up on the mid part of her little speech. "Say it again," he demanded, his jaw set firmly and determination swimming through his eyes.

"Say what?" Y/N asked in confusion.

"That you love me."

For a split second, Y/N hesitated. The words felt heavy in her mouth. But there was no going back. If he didn't hear her say those words, she would never be able to let them go again. As far as she was concerned, they belonged to him. "I love you, Adrian," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper as she watched as a grin began to creep up on the corner of his lips. "So much that sometimes I can't stand it."

He chuckled slightly and squeezed Y/N's hand. "Then make sure you keep saying it every day, or else I might forget." He bent forward and planted a kiss to Y/N's temple. "I don't trust you at this moment, but I do love you."

That was fair. That was completely fair.

With a happy sigh, she turned her body towards him so she was completely facing him. "I love you." Her words were slow, careful. "I always have. I always will." She watched the light flicker on in his eyes before leaning over the gearstick to kiss his cheek and muttering the same words over and over again. "Love you so goddamn much."

One declaration of her love then a kiss. This action was repeated until a small smile appeared on his face. "Did I say you could stop?" he mumbled when she went to pull away and she gave a quick chuckle before resuming the cycle. It was so simple but it worked wonders as his smile grew wider and happier and the tension in his shoulders slowly eased away. He held onto her hand and placed a kiss on it, before forcing himself to focus solely on driving.

"Wake me up in an hour so we can switch," Y/N murmured drowsily before closing her eyes and letting sleep overcome her.

What would be considered a grateful grin rested on Adrian's lips as he watched Y/N fall asleep against the passenger seat window, the steady purr of the engine lulling her to rest. His heart swelled and ached at the sight of her; she truly was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Even if she had been a scheming little bitch recently, she was his scheming little bitch.

Once they'd switched, Adrian managed to get some sleep before they reached their destination. He wanted to be as prepared as possible for the biggest moment of his life. Making a good first impression on his daughter was paramount. And if he was being honest with himself, the idea of it was making him feel rather nervous.

In no time, he was being woken up to a gentle nudge on his shoulder. "We're here," she whispered, gently rubbing the nape of his neck to help soothe away the anxiety that was bubbling inside. It took him a while to collect himself.

"Baby, she's a miniature you. Seriously, you have nothing to worry about," Y/N reassured with a smile when she noticed the slightly apprehensive look on his face.

"Need a good luck kiss?"

A scoff slipped from her lips as she rolled her eyes, but leant in to place a soft peck on his lips nevertheless. Well, it initially was soft. As soon as their lips touched, Adrian quickly deepened the kiss. He pulled Y/N closer towards him as his hands travelled under her shirt and found themselves tracing up and down her spine as he moved their mouths together with renewed passion.

She moaned quietly at the contact, allowing herself to melt into his touch, her mind going numb for a moment as their kiss became more passionate and heated. It wasn't long before he broke the kiss. He looked down at Y/N as she blinked rapidly, looking somewhat dazed, though her cheeks were flushed red.

He was instantly transported to all their teenage rendezvous'. All of the times they'd kept their romance to the inside of whichever parent allowed them to use the car for the night. Mr L/N would be turning in his grave if he knew how many times the young couple defiled the backseats of his old car.

"Ade, I think you're trying to distract yourself," she mumbled between kisses, giggling when his hands squished her hips playfully in response. She ran her fingers through his messy brown curls, feeling how they stood on end beneath her palms. "And I think we should probably go inside before the neighbours start talking."

A mischievous smirk came across his face. "I don't really care about who sees us right now," he replied huskily, his hot breath fanning across her skin and sending shivers of pleasure throughout her body. "Let's give them a show, huh?"

"As fun as that sounds, the neighbours probably aren't too fond of loud noises," she smiled, her hand resting gently on his chest to push him away. Adrian pouted, but relented. He couldn't fault her reasoning - he was a loud boy. And while it wouldn't be terribly surprising if the whole neighbourhood heard them, he did not feel like dealing with that.

"Okay okay, fine. Let's go." Adrian sighed, reluctantly pulling himself away from her. The two got out of the vehicle and started walking towards the house.

Due to all of Waller's threats, the front door looked like a fortress. There was a keypad that Y/N showed him the password to and unlocked the door with ease, leaving them standing in the entrance hall where he turned and looked at her.

"You'll have to write the password down for me."

"Will do."

Usually, the sound of the door alerted the occupants that a certain someone had returned home. Since it was her birthday, Y/N guessed that Eowyn was too busy with her presents to hear it.

"Miss Wynnie, I think you have another gift at the door," Y/N's mother told the little girl who had suddenly stopped playing with her toys and looked up at her curiously.

Eowyn's excitement skyrocketed when she neared the door. "Mommy!" she exclaimed happily, jumping on her feet and running toward Y/N without hesitation. In a heartbeat, she ran straight at Y/N's legs with her arms extended outwards, gesturing that she wanted to be picked up.

Y/N grinned as she scooped Eowyn up into her arms. "Hey baby, did you miss me?" She pressed a kiss to her forehead and bounced her gently in her arms, her laughter escaping her lips at Eowyn's happy giggles.

As she looked up at Y/N with wide eyes and a huge grin plastered on her chubby face, the little girl suddenly froze. "Who are you?" she blurted out, her little face scrunching up in confusion as she saw the stranger standing beside her mother.

Adrian had no idea what to say. 'Hey, I'm your father. Sorry I haven't been around, but I had no idea that you existed until yesterday.' seemed far too blunt, and quite frankly, he couldn't think of anything better. But before he could say anything, Y/N beat him to it.

"Mush, you know the photo on the coffee table? The one of mommy and daddy?" Wynnie nodded. "Can you go get it for me?"

Without a single moment of hesitation, Eowyn took off running in the direction of the living room. Moments later, she returned holding the picture frame, her cheeks tinged pink due to exertion as she handed it over. "Thank you very much," Y/N smiled as she lifted the girl back in her arms so they could both look at the photo together.

Pointing to herself, Y/N asked, "Who's this, baby?"

"Mommy when she was younger."

Then she pointed to Adrian. "And this?"

"Daddy when he was younger."

To put the pieces together, Y/N held the photo next to Adrian. The little girl looked suspiciously between the photo and the real thing until she realised. Her eyebrows to knitted together in concentration, but as soon as the penny dropped, they relaxed and her eyes widened considerably. And to check, Eowyn looked back at her mother for confirmation that she didn't make a mistake. "Is that really Daddy?"

The question made Y/N smile. "Yes."

"Wow," was all the child said as she reached out to poke her finger at his nose, before moving to pinch his cheek. It was almost as if she was checking if he was real or not. If it wasn't for Adrian's chuckle, which made the little girl pause, Eowyn was just about to try and jab her finger under his glasses and into his eye.

Luckily enough, she decided against it, deciding instead to wrap her tiny arms around her mother's neck, burying her face into Y/N's shoulder. She sniffled quietly, clearly overwhelmed by the whole situation.

"Hey Eowyn?" Adrian spoke up, causing the little girl to lift her head up and glance back at him. "I've got this birthday present here, but I can't remember whose birthday it is."

"It's my birthday!"

"It is?" Adrian asked in faux surprise. Eowyn giggled and nodded enthusiastically, her momentary dip in energy forgotten by the promise of gifts. "Do you want this present then?" Adrian inquired, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

Bringing out the hastily wrapped present that he'd been hiding behind his back, Adrian held it out to his daughter. She let out a gasp in response and eagerly crawled out of Y/N's embrace to sit on the floor and unwrap it carefully; her big, green eyes never left the gift as she peeled away paper, revealing its contents.

"Oh! Ohhhh!" Eowyn yelled, showing off the dinosaur onesie that she received. "Fucking sick!"

For the past couple of months, one of the children's clothing shops in Evergreen had the green t-rex onesie in the window and every time Adrian passed it he thought, 'Wish I was small enough to fit in that.' And now, he had a reason to buy it. Sure, it wouldn't fit him, but it would be perfect for his little girl.

"Wynnie, what did I say about swearing?" Y/N's mother chastised as she came to see what all the fuss was about. Now, had she expected Adrian to be there? No. Was she surprised? Also, no.

"Sorry, grandma."

Eowyn couldn't help but giddily stare at her new clothes, hugging them tightly as her little heart swelled up from her happiness. Just as she'd done to Y/N, she barrelled herself at Adrian's legs and hugged him tightly, pressing her tiny cheek against his pant leg. He chuckled softly and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Happy birthday, pumpkin," he muttered as he bent down to lift her up in his arms, swinging her side to side slightly so she squeaked with delight, her smile reaching her ears as well. He placed a quick peck to the top of her head and rested his cheek against her hair.

There was no denying that he now understood one hundred percent of why Y/N had done what she'd done. If given the chance to protect Eowyn in any way, he'd throw himself into any danger he possibly could to keep her safe.

"Baby, why don't you go and put your onesie on while me and your dad go unpack the car?" Y/N cooed, smiling down at the little girl lovingly. Eowyn nodded enthusiastically and scampered off towards the bedroom, already looking forward to wearing her new outfit.

By the time the dinosaur outfit had been thrown on, Y/N and Adrian had brought their bags inside. The couple had just sat down on the couch when they heard a very cute "Rawrrr!" coming towards them followed by a pair of small footsteps.

"Hi princess."

"Not princess - I'm a vicious dinosaur." Eowyn replied matter of factly, staring at Adrian with narrowed eyes. Her words were met with a chuckle, which soon turned into a soft 'oof' as Adrian was hurled into the back of the sofa with the sounds of a battle cry in his ears.

Y/N, however, laughed out loud as she watched the scene in front of her unfold. When the little girl jumped onto Y/N and tried to get her in a headlock, Eowyn's smile didn't dim in the slightest.

"She was right about the vicious part. You are a ferocious beast, Eowyn," Adrian exclaimed, laughing like crazy while trying to catch his breath.

"She's definitely your kid, mush."

Before the adults knew what was happening, Y/N and Adrian found themselves tangled underneath Eowyn, with the little girl clinging onto each of them as though they were her jungle gym. The little girls hands tightened on their arms and chests as she buried her face into their stomachs and laughed loudly at their muffled grunts and groans.

"Rawrrrrr! Rrrrrrr!" the little girl shouted, shaking both her fists in the air excitedly. The sound of her childish voice resonated around the house. It echoed through the air and filled the atmosphere with a sense of warmth, laughter and joy. It felt so pure, so pure like nothing else Adrian had experienced.

Naturally, Adrian was completely captivated by Eowyn and her antics, loving every second of it. Every time she laughed, Adrian couldn't help but join in, feeling his cheeks heating up from the sheer happiness that flowed out of her.

"Ah, gotcha," he cheered when he managed to catch her in mid air as she was about to lunge at him again. He then proceeded to tickle her stomach relentlessly, making her laugh even more than she already was. His actions made the little girl giggle hysterically, squirming helplessly on his lap and struggling to escape his grasp, her little face beet red from laughing so hard.

As he finished tickling her, she began playing dead, her breathing heavy and her body still convulsing with laughter. Once her chest finally slowed to a steady pace once again, she opened her watery eyes, fixed her glasses and looked up at him with an expression of utter adoration. He stared down at the little girl as he gently tucked away some stray hairs behind her ear.

Looking at her, Adrian could see the parts of him she'd inherited. Her eyes and, therefore, poor eyesight. Her nose. Her excitable nature. He saw it everywhere. But, he couldn't deny the undeniable resemblance between Y/N and the little girl. Her hair was Y/N's. Lips. Cheekbones. Eyebrows.

"Daddyyy, you're crying."

Her little fingers touched her father's wet cheeks, but he tenderly pulled them away and wiped them away with the sleeve of his shirt. "I'm happy, my little monster," he assured her, cupping her delicate face in his palms and kissing her forehead. "That's all."

His statement seemed to satisfy her as she snuggled deeper into his chest, wrapping both arms around him and letting out a sigh that sounded half exhausted, half contented.

"Tired yourself out, huh?" Y/N asked as she brushed her hand through Eowyn's hair soothingly, knowing that the little girl was too tired to continue fighting anymore.

"No...I need cuddles."

Needy. Just like her father. But Adrian didn't mind. Not one bit. In fact, he could have happily stayed like this forever. For the rest of his life.

Father and daughter were glued at the hip for the rest of the day. When she'd decided that she'd had enough cuddles, Y/N could finally give her daughter the gifts she'd bought her - a bunch of school stuff that were dinosaur themed and a load of plushies that she knew would end up living on the end of Eowyn's bed as soon as they got upstairs.

Over time, Adrian ended up sitting on the floor, leaning back against the couch with Y/N's knees on either side of his head, and playing with the plastic figurines Eowyn had given him. She'd 'forced' him to come up with a bunch of different weird noises and voices for each figure. Y/N sat there and massaged Adrian's head as he made all these stupid sounds, giggling quietly in amusement when he did so, enjoying the sweet feeling of being able to relax after such a stressful couple of months.

For the first time, she had hope that they could be a regular, happy family. Admittedly, it wasn't as orthodox as most other families, but they would work at making Eowyn's upbringing as normal as possible.

"Bed time, Miss Wynnie," Y/N's mother said as she walked past the living room.

"Can Daddy stay over tonight? Please?" Eowyn asked. The pleading look on her little face told Y/N everything she needed to know. Of course, it wasn't a surprise.

"Up to him, baby."

Before Adrian had agreed - because it was a no brainer to him - Eowyn brought out the puppy dog eyes and Adrian knew why Y/N always used to give into him back in the day. They were so big and so sparkingly green - it was impossible not to succumb to the child's pout even if he wanted to. And he didn't want to. There was no resisting that adorable look of hers.

"I'd love to stay."

With a bright grin, Eowyn practically skipped towards the stairs, grabbing Adrian's arm and dragging him along with her. Y/N giggled before trailing after them, watching fondly as Eowyn threw herself onto the bed as quickly as she could and pulled the blanket up to her neck.

"I think you've forgotten to brush your teeth, stinker."

"Carry me to the bathroom?"

Adrian chuckled softly before picking up the little girl, carrying her towards the bathroom and depositing her on the counter top. He grabbed the toothbrush, squished some toothpaste on and initially went to hand it over. But then she opened her mouth and gestured for him to do it for her instead. He smiled and did as he was told, helping the girl brush her teeth.

Sneaky. Just like her mother.

"Eowyn Grace, you know you're capable of brushing your own teeth," Y/N pointed out as she placed a cup of water near the sink for the little girl.

"Well, dad wanted to do it for me," the little girl stated, grinning widely. Adrian just shook his head in response, chuckling slightly, before placing a kiss on his daughter's head.

Then it was onto the story time. Eowyn listened intently as her father read her a story, who was occasionally glancing to Y/N who would give him encouraging smiles or thumbs ups whenever he looked over at her.

"The end," he announced with a satisfied sigh as he closed the book and placed it aside. Eowyn's big eyes drooped as she yawned loudly. "Sleepy?"

She nodded her head, her eyes slowly drifting shut as she let the exhaustion settle in. After checking the little girl was fully asleep, Adrian turned back to Y/N with a soft smile on his face. "Come here, mush," she whispered before pushing off the doorframe she'd been leaning on and wrapping her arms around his torso as soon as he reached her. Adrian wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, hugging her close and planting a deep kiss on her temple.

"Thank you for coming," she mumbled quietly, tightening her grip on him. "It really means a lot to me. And to her." She glanced over at the sleeping little girl, her heart swelling at the sight of her peacefully resting in her onesie and clutching a pterodactyl plush to her chest.

"I'll always make time for my girls from now on."

Y/N melted at the sound of those words and stood up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. As usual, Adrian pulled her impossibly closer while wrapping his arms even tighter around her waist, lifting her off the ground and carrying her out of the view of their daughter. "Which bedroom is yours?" he asked teasingly, his lips hovering dangerously near her cheek as he spoke.

"Left."

With a chuckle, he walked in that direction and opened the door with ease, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. Y/N was pushed against the wall and kissed hungrily. She returned the kiss passionately, tangling her fingers through Adrian's thick hair and pulling slightly at the strands, smiling contently as he deepened the kiss with her.

"Want to make another kid?"

It was a lovely sentiment, but "Oh, I was advised to, uh, tie my tubes."

Shit. There was that idea out the window.

"Was it your choice?" Adrian questioned, his fingers running along her jawline before dropping to her collarbone.

A soft nod was her only response as she wrapped her leg around him, tugging him closer to her and pressing her lips firmly against his. "Yeah," she whispered against his lips, causing Adrian's breath to hitch in his throat, his hands gripping her hips tightly. "Only wanted you as my baby daddy, and back then I thought I'd ruined my chances."

Tenderly, Adrian nuzzled his nose gently against her, pressing kisses across her jawline and down her throat before moving on to her pulse point. A gasp slipped through her lips as he sucked on her skin, causing goosebumps to erupt all over her body and her stomach to flutter excitedly, a blush spreading all over her cheeks and down her neck.

"You're so damn beautiful," he murmured against her lips, his hands wandering up her sides as they pressed further into her chest, eliciting a moan from her lips. Adrian couldn't help the grin spreading across his face when he saw how flushed she was, how affected by him, and he pressed another kiss against her lips.

"You're so fucking gorgeous and sexy and..." he trailed off when he felt her legs wrap around his hips, her arms going around his neck. "I can't get enough of you."

The way he whispered those last few words sent a shiver down her spine. Her hands moved to the bottom hem of his shirt, fiddling with the edge to get it off. The moment the garment dropped to the ground, she dragged her lips away from Adrian's and gazed up at him, her pupils dilated as she stared deeply into his emerald pools.

"Bed?" she breathed, running her finger down his chest softly, causing an intake of breath from the man beneath her touch.

"Bed."

They wasted no more time in getting undressed, both of them stripping off every piece of clothing between them until they stood before each other naked and completely unable to keep themselves from kissing. Needy kisses devoured their lips hungrily as wrapped himself around Y/N from behind, grinding his pelvis against her butt feverishly.

"Fuck, you gotta tell me if you get uncomfortable at any point," he mumbled as he slid one hand under Y/N's panties, gently caressing her swollen clit in small circular motions. She moaned softly, letting her head fall back as she arched her back off the bed, allowing him better access to what he was doing to her.

"I trust you, Adrian. I'm good," she breathed out in response, her eyes falling shut with pleasure as she felt him slip two fingers into her, slowly beginning a rhythm that matched perfectly with the way her body moved.

His other hand was splayed across her neck, rubbing his thumb against the skin below her ear as he watched her reaction, admiring how she seemed to be in complete bliss. It was something he would never be able to get enough of; seeing Y/N looking utterly satisfied due to his actions. He could feel himself growing harder and harder as he watched her; his fingers pumping faster and deeper within her and sending her into an ecstasy she hadn't experienced in years.

"Look at me, sweetheart. Look at me." His voice was low, husky and commanding and Y/N complied, opening her eyes slowly and meeting his heated gaze, her eyes blown wide open and filled with lust, with desire and with need. She bit her lower lip to stop herself from moaning out loud - her mother and daughter still could hear, after all.

He smirked, his eyes trailing down her body. The sight alone was enough to send a rush of blood flowing through his veins, his cock throbbing painfully in its place. Her eyes were glued to his face and a small whimper managed to escape her and that diminished his final bit of patience.

"Suck on my thumb," he demanded and she obeyed instantly. Although, she did seductively drag her tongue up his digit before she took it into her mouth, sucking and swirling her tongue around it playfully.

"Such a slut..." He stopped. "Do you still like being called that? Is that okay?"

There was a slight pause as she thought about it, but she nodded.

"What about whore?"

That one was a little too far these day. Yeah, it had a different implication now. She shook her head.

"Got it."

Consent checked, they got back to the sexy times. "Be good and continue sucking, baby. Gonna need something to muffle you as I put it in," Adrian growled, sliding his hand under Y/N's thigh and lifting it so he had more room to slide his cock inside her wetness. He thrusted slowly at first, watching her facial expressions carefully to make sure she wasn't having second thoughts or anything.

But upon noticing how eager she seemed, he picked up the pace, thrusting harder and faster with each pass. A string of curses fell from his mouth and soon he was burying his face into the crook of her neck. His eyes screwed shut as he gritted his teeth together and grabbed at her breast roughly, pinching it between his long fingers as he fucked her with every inch of his cock.

"I've missed this pussy so much," he groaned between ragged breaths and deep throated huffs of air. His voice sounded gravelly as he pulled out of her quickly, making her yelp in surprise as he slammed back in.

They both panted harshly as he pounded, feeling the waves of pleasure roll through her body and pool in his cock. She let out a staggered breath at the feeling, her hands finding his head and holding onto his hair tightly as he pumped his hips into hers, feeling her clench around his cock repeatedly.

"So good, baby," he muttered against her ear.. "Just feel how good I am inside you, baby, just feel it and take it."

He pushed her so she was fully lying face down, propped a pillow under her stomach and crawled above her, placing kisses all over her shoulders and back before continuing to pound inside of her. Y/N was grasping at the pillow under herhead as he continued to fuck her like his life depended on it. His lips moved to her neck and shoulder, leaving tiny little marks there until he instructed, "Stick your tongue out for me."

Y/N obliged without a moment's hesitation, extending her tongue out so he could spit into her mouth. He chuckled lowly before giving her a big wet smooch. "You're mine, aren't you, angel?"

She nodded.

"Mine forever and always?"

Another nod.

"Say it for me."

"Always yours, Adrian," she uttered, her voice strained, a tear slipping down her cheek as she felt Adrian tighten his grip around her waist, driving into her harder than before. She cried out weakly as he continued to pump in and out, his head thrown back and breathing heavily in a mix of exhaustion and arousal as his hands tangled themselves into her hair tightly, desperately in order to stay connected to her.

"That's right, angel," he whispered, his lips crashing into hers in a heated kiss as he felt her orgasm ripple throughout her entire body.

A shudder ran through her body as she tightened around him, squeezing him hard before she came. He could feel it, his own orgasm rushing through his veins, making every nerve ending in his body buzz pleasantly as he spilled into her warm wetness. He collapsed onto her with heavy gasps, his fingers curling into the mattress beneath her and his forehead resting against hers as he fought to regain control of his breathing once again.

Then, a smug smile crept across his lips when he noticed the dazed expression on Y/N's face. "Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked teasingly and leaned forward, his nose nuzzling her cheek softly. He felt her giggle before he heard that familiar sound coming from her throat.

"For the first time in years, yes. Yes I did." He grinned widely. "Now get off, you're squishing my boobs."

Adrian rolled his eyes, chuckling quietly to himself as he removed himself from her, crawling off her back to lie next to her. They turned around to lie on their sides facing each other; their faces only inches apart, his head propped up by the palm of his hand while she laid on her side facing him. He ran his fingers down her arm lightly, enjoying the softness and smooth texture of her skin.

However, she didn't say anything, instead staring up at him in a dreamy sort of way, as if she had no idea what else to do or where to look. Her lips were parted slightly, just barely moving with each breathe she took and her beautiful eyes were clouded with emotion. She glanced around the bedroom before turning back to Adrian.

"I love seeing all this." She gestured to his naked body. "But, our daughter tends to lie about having a nightmare so she can sleep in the same bed as me for a night or two, so we better get some clothes on before we traumatise her."

"No problem," he said with a laugh, grabbing his discarded shirt to throw at her. She caught it before rolling off the bed with a playful glare. She slipped on the shirt, gave him a wink as she moved to find a pair of shorts and left for the bathroom.

This was the life, huh? It might not have been exactly what he had thought he'd end up. A year ago, if you'd asked Adrian where he'd be, he would've said 'Probably out killing bad guys and being sick as fuck'. But here he was, a father, happy as hell, and reunited with the love of his life.

As he scrambled to throw his pj's on, he couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he thought about everything that had happened. He'd come home to a completely new world full of life and happiness.

When Y/N returned, he let out a quiet wolf whistle at the sight that greeted his eyes. "Forgot what it feels like to see you in my clothes," he stated as she entered, throwing her arms around his neck and planting a quick kiss on his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist, grinning from ear to ear.

"Let's get some sleep while we still can."

"Yes ma'am."

A couple of hours later, the pair were awoken by the sound of a cute little voice asking, "Mommy? Mom? Mom...wake up!" Eowyn shook her mother awake gently, looking up at her with huge pleading eyes and a pouting bottom lip.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yup."

Y/N groggily patted Adrian on the hip so he'd move because she knew for a fact that Eowyn would position herself in the exact same way he was currently sleeping - head tucked under Y/N's chin and almost entirely sleeping on top of her. He sat up straight with a grunt, rubbing his eyes and yawning loudly as he stared at his daughter, whose bottom lip was now sticking out even further than before.

It was impossible to say no.

"Come here, lovely," Y/N cooed softly, holding her arms out to Eowyn as she crawled onto her chest and snuggled into her arms. "Baby, can you put your head on my other shoulder please? Daddy needs a pillow too."

Eowyn nodded and lifted her head up, leaning onto Y/N's other shoulder and letting out a sleepy whine. Y/N rubbed the child's back as she felt Adrian's head fall back down to its previous spot, his arm wrapping around the two of them protectively.

"Say goodnight to your father, mush."

"Night daddy. Love you," the little girl mumbled, closing her eyes and falling asleep in seconds.

"Love you too, princess."

Waller may have won the battle, but to him, Adrian won so much more than the war. He'd finally found happiness after going through so many ups and downs. And that victory meant far more to him than he cared to admit. As he watched his daughter's breathing ease into sleep, he closed his eyes and knew that it would all be worth it in the end.

For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness or health, as long as his girls were by his side, nothing could ever keep them apart.

#Youtube

[artsy-hobbitses]

So I watched Creed 3 last night. It was awesome but it makes me wonder if sunstreaker given the chance to actually go pro as fighter instead mob enforcer. Would he have done it and how would life be different for him ?

Please god don’t get me started on the Creed movies, I watched Creed 2 on a whim because it popped up while I was couch surfing while drawing one night (TV shows and cable movies are my white noise when I work) with NO knowledge of the franchise out of “Apollo Creed dies, Rocky avenges him, also Ivan Drago is legit terrifying”, and I swear I was changed lol.

As a rule of thumb I DON’T watch sports movies, I don’t watch sports in general, but holy shit I will make every exception possible for Creed 2 because it’s a MASTERCLASS in character writing. (Ask me how OK I am about Old Man Ivan realizing what actually matters to him and Victor’s desperation to make his father proud because he loves Ivan so much he’s willing to DIE in the ring if that’s what it takes to make Ivan happy, and Ivan doing for his son what Rocky could not do in time for Apollo Creed which ended up being a lifetime regret, because I am an ENTIRE SPECTRUM of NOT OK)

Creed 3 is a live action Hajime No Ippo and is genuinely one of the best things I’ve seen on the big screen (watching it in a theater with a bunch of excited bros treating the whole last match like it’s a real boxing round was AN EXPERIENCE), shout-out to all my mutuals CATCH THIS SHIT NOW and watch Creed II first so you can get your heart shattered in a million pieces.

NOW THAT I’M DONE GUSHING I’d say not TOO much would have changed! He’d still be a cocky, grinning showoff very full of himself, but much less of a blood knight willing to do WHATEVER it takes to win (he’d be more like Blurr in this regard). Also, less of a body count of course (Yes, he does have one. No, Sideswipe is not privy to the actual figure. Sides has been told that these are people who ‘deserved it’ and he’s not sure he wants to know anything further than that).

He ABSOLUTELY would have taken the opportunity, he wasn’t born with the desire to wreck shit after all! With the right coach who could help him direct his anger and outrage to a safer, more productive outlet, he would have been an absolute star, but he was taken under Thunderhoof’s wing for better or worse and he is who he is today.

Had he taken that route, his story would have been closer to Blurr’s, and he would have had a much better/closer relationship with Sideswipe (as it would have eliminated the need to keep secrets from Sideswipe, and Sideswipe’s deep concern for the slow degradation of his compassion/humanity).

#inbox #ONI YELLS ABOUT MICHAEL B. JORDAN LIVE ACTION BOXING ANIME

[courtney-deserved-better]

if you don't mind could you please give me some insight into how you outline/plan your writing, it's one thing I really struggle with. Hope asking isn't to much trouble.

no trouble at all anon! i love giving uneccessarily long responses about my writing process. speaking of which you asked at the exact right time because i have spent all day trying to outline that roti rewrite ive been babbling about. answer under the cut because again. i am incapable of being concise.

since what drives the plot is characters, i like to start by making a list of characters in my story that have arcs. this does not have to be all of them. in fact it will make your story a lot more complicated for every character that shows up to have an arc. some characters, even important supporting characters, can be fairly stagnant and that's okay as long as your main characters have an arc (in longform writing which i'm assuming you're doing because you're asking for outline advice)

so! since what drives the plot is characters, i like to list all the characters with arcs and write a few sentences describing their arcs throughout the story. for example:

ezekiel - starts out thinking girls are inferior until a girl saves his life and he begins questioning his beliefs. he befriends more open-minded people and finally realizes he was raised badly and rebels against his parents. 

katie - is in love with sadie but is super secretive about it because she’s scared of ruining her friendship. after sadie decides to ask out a boy, katie realizes she has to take a risk and tell sadie her true feelings. her feelings end up being reciprocated and she ends up in a happy relationship with her best friend

then i like to pretty much brainstorm onto the page about what my plot is. any major events, any tiny details, just put it all onto paper. this can help generate more ideas than the ones already floating around in your head and it’s good to have all your random bits of story written down rather than subjected to the whims of your mind and yes, as i was writing this i remembered i had a character idea for a wip last night and thought it was too good to forget and now ive forgotten it. agony. anyways.

once you have all that out, see what you can shape into a chronology. maybe your story is:

the campers at playa de losers in season one discover a portal to another planet and must close it before aliens take over earth

start asking yourself/writing down questions about your plot

what happens leading up to the portal being discovered? how is it discovered? when do the aliens launch their first attack? how do the eliminated campers fight back? etc.

once you start asking yourself questions on how to get from point a to point b (in a very broad sense) you can begin to answer them. and that helps contribute to your plot. for example:

question: how is the portal discovered?

answer: justin was getting a late night snack and saw a mysterious light coming from the bathroom and saw a glowing blue portal in the toilet

that's a whole new scene for your story right there!

and not all of your brainstorm is going to make it into a chronologically ordered outline! if one of your notes is:

eva and noah do an intricate handshake involving three pineapples

but you don’t know where that goes in the story, stick it at the end of your timeline in a section i like to call “miscellaneous notes”. its where you stick ideas you have that you don’t know where they’ll go

and then you see how your list of character arcs can overlap with your chronological outline. if ezekiel needs to be saved by a girl to rethink his beliefs, and one of your plot points is

beth gives her life to hold off the aliens

then one of your major plot points can be

beth sacrifices her life to save ezekiel from the aliens which makes him doubt his sexism

you can start to see how your character arcs interact with the overall story and sometimes that means going

“hey i don’t know why the alien leader turns evil but i know he needs to turn evil for the sake of the plot. oh wait. i know that sadie going to ask out a guy is what gets katie to confess her feelings. what if the guy is the alien leader. so when sadie decides to date katie instead, the alien leader takes that rejection to heart and decides to destroy the world.”

one important lesson ive learned, that slippery slopes has definitely helped teach me, is that you don’t need an outline to contain every little detail to write your story. i used to not even start writing something unless i had every single scene planned out and summarized. but then when i started writing slippery slopes stuff i didn’t plan for just happened organically in the writing.

noah’s backstory wasn’t really planned, in the process i just kind of went, “this guy needs some more motivation” and thus jael and the quiz shows were born. ill never get over the fact that courtney and alejandro rose from the fic itself to inform me that they were best friends with similarly complicated relationships regarding family, friends, and ambition and i just went “okay yeah” and proceeded to create my favorite character dynamic ive ever written.

that time travel au ive been working on since july and have 17 chapters written for? i didn’t even know who was in the final three until last week! in fact, i have very few specifics planned for that fic besides a few major plot points and the structure of season one, and though it’s been difficult it’s been super fun to write because i’m going on such a journey with it. 

that’s a lot to say that while making an outline for fics is super useful, don’t get so caught up on it to the point where you're not writing the fic at all because you think you have to plan out every little thing. as long as you have a sense of the general plot points and roughly know how you’re going to get there, then go ahead and write that fic!

#hope this was helpful! #and not too much because it definitely is a lot #ask #anon

[junkshop-disco]

Rereading A Matter of Time makes me a little sad;) not because of barris but because he ends up being a housewife(my hc is he becomes a clockmaker after leaving Downton). In the film, Mary runs the abbey on her own and Edith is returning to the magazine. They are no longer emotionally and financially dependent on their husbands. This contrast seems really cruel to me;)

I was very pleased about Edith too. Having watched her struggle to find her place and her sense of self for so long, it's nice to think she's going back to the magazine and writing and something that's hers and hers alone. I adore her and Bertie but Edith having a career of her own was v important to me.

If it helps at all, you are fully welcome to my version of what happens to A Matter of Time Thomas after the end of the fic. Mr Perkins is looking to retire and wants to hand over the clock shop to Thomas, having developed a grudging respect for him and his skills. Thomas is hesitant to take it on at first because it would be such a big change and his past attempt at a business venture was so disastrous, but Baxter and Richard help him realise he has all the skills he needs to make a go of it. So he explains it all to Mary and quits and then sets about making a new life for himself and clearing out the workshop, and when the sign with his name on goes up above the door, for the first time, he feels like he actually has a place of his own in the world. He spends his days repairing clocks and teaching Oliver and being the mentor he always wished he had. And in his spare time, he starts making watches from scratch. He makes one for Baxter as a wedding gift and one for Richard for Christmas one year.

Originally the fic was called The Escapement Mechanism and the entire idea germinated from the question 'what if Thomas fixed himself while fixing a clock that reminded him of his past?' The escapement mechanism is the bit that turns the energy that powers the clock into the movement of the hands, so if your escapement mechanism is broken, your clock is essentially frozen in time; it was always a fic about what the mechanism for escaping your past is and how you move forward after a period of stasis. There was actually an epilogue planned for the fic that delved a bit further into the idea of what escape might mean for Thomas. As is, essentially the fic ends at the point the mechanism is freed not at the resolution of Thomas's story, the same way that fixing Mrs Ellis's clock takes a while to make her happy and fixing the clock in Perkins's shop won't pay off until George is older, Thomas's true contentment will take a while to arrive (and is intrinsically linked to the rippling effects of his work on all the clocks he encounters). I ended up scrapping the epilogue because I couldn't make it work without adding another 10k+, but I did write a tiny bit of it:

The general gist is that on his last night at Downton, Thomas is cleaning out his room and finds a scrap of the letter to himself that he burnt buried between the floorboards. He takes it with him as a reminder of how far he's come. And a year or more later, when he's making the final, finishing touches to the watch for Richard, it's snowing and he's let Oliver go early and he's alone in the shop, turning the watch over in his hands.

On a whim, he folds the paper fragment up and tucks it into the back of the watch. Hidden, like a secret.

One day he might take it out and show it to Richard, tell him how it got there, how this is all that survived his purging of the past. 

Or he might not.

For now, it’s enough to know Richard will have a piece of Thomas and the things that made him who he is on him all the time. 

He’s not sure yet if he’ll tell Richard he made the watch himself. It feels like a confession, laying bare all the nights he sat and worked on it, fingers stiff and red with cold, all the swearing and sighing, frustration and failure, trial and error more error than trial. He's not sure he's ready to engrave the feeling on himself, the one that accompanies the knowledge that he creates now, doesn't just repair what others have broken.

But he knows what he’ll write in the note that he’ll leave in the box under the Christmas tree in his flat above the shop:

R—

Time for time.

Time given. 

Time taken.

For all the time, for all time.

Yours,

T x

#downton abbey #downton abbey a new era spoilers #downton abbey a new era #a matter of time #this turned into a bit of a ramble #but anyway #clockmaker Thomas is available #and living very happily #except for the part where his proximity to Richard's mother #means he has to suffer through a lot of fruit cake #and also Richard's amusement #about the fruit cake #It's not funny Richard #do you have any idea what happens if you get crumbs in a lantern clock? #I've no idea but I'm sure you're about to spend the next two hours telling me. #anyway

[rush-wing]

ahem hem, soooo any OCs you have been ✨hyperfixating✨ on lately? or in general??

where do i start

It’s all d&d characters, all the way down btw. I’m a forever DM so I tend to make characters whenever the whim strikes but these guys never get played much, I just rotate them in my head sadly, waiting for the day…

I might throw you some art for visualisation but I’m still.. eh.. learning so enjoy little extremely stylised doodles

Everyone here you can find me reblogging things for over on @hearthkeep too!

First!

Is Jaisarie AKA Jaise – she was primed to be in a Saltmarsh campaign but that’s not going ahead now so she’s just sitting on the pier in my head, kicking her feet above the water idly. She’s my undead pirate : ) Jaise started unlife because I got my mitts on the Wildemount campaign guide and thought an Echo Knight’s echoes could make a fun reflavouring as something ghosty. Originally she was a Hollow One, but I’ve since altered her to the Reborn "race", but it’s all dead things at any rate~ She doesn’t know how she died, and isn’t sure she wants to know! Last thing she truly remembers is being dragged out of the ocean as bloated corpse, but the open gash on her neck and her abdomen seems to point to the idea that she was murdered by someone good at their job. Well, aside from glimpses of memories of an old crew she’s fond of, but she couldn’t pick them from a crowd if they stood right in front of her at the moment. I have some ideas for what she was involved in, but the great thing about this is I am pretty happy for any and all of that to go out the window for whatever a good game requires.

Second! Is a constant returner:

My boy Keats. He was my first PC I have made, so yess it’s trueee… he’s a bit special for me. I’ve played him the most out of anyone (which I can count on the one hand), and every time he’s just such a hoot to play. God I love him. And he’s “just” a half-elf battle master Fighter! (I will throw hands on anyone saying he’s boring for that though--) He’s an acrobat-turned-gladiator and a complete dumbass so he is big on stupid stunts, and most of the time, bounces right back up when he eats the pavement face-first. Honestly I think I just wish I had his confidence and bravado.

Third:

This is the gentlemen who I’ve been playing Thousand Year Old Vampire as - Madieren. He started out as a half-elven scholar from an isolated monastery dedicated to the study of magic, but he decided he liked blood magic and went off on a tangent. So you can call him a “vampire” of some description, but I refer to him officially as an immortal blood mage. I’ve had a lot of fun with him over the past few months, watching him evolve, go through the shit (his only student got murdered, has been kicked out of his home at least three times, oh, and had his arm accidentally cut off, just to name a few things), and eat his own hubris whole. He actually started life known as Alezaren, but due to certain shenanigans he’s shed his original name. Madieren ended his run making up with his rival who’s been chasing him down across the continent (who also ended up immortal due to the influence of one of the other player’s characters) and like there was only so much those two could stab each other before the tension went elsewhere.

And lastly:

This is Eon! He’s had a nostalgia resurgence after watching something last night and like I want to do something with him now but what??? I have an Eon-sized itch and I cannot scratch it!!!! Anyway, Eon is my sad wizard tiefling. Well, “wizard” in quotation marks because he’s technically an Eldritch Knight. Eon’s a blacksmith by trade, but dabbles in magic because there’s a quiet passion there for it that was nurtured by an eccentric mentor he hasn’t seen in a long time. So, yes, he has the tragic backstory, to the point I somewhat recently realised I gave an 8-year-old PTSD to get him so. Um. Sorry, Eon. He’s got a very stand-offish, stoic exterior, but he really is such a soft creature at heart. Eon’s my nerd. The oxymoronic buff wizard. I have a set of dice someone in my group made from scratch specifically for him so one day I need to play him so I get to actually roll them for him.

#asks #my ocs #my d&d characters #one day i'll play them.... #don't @ me that these are all pretty much subclasses of fighter #i like hitting things ok #fun fact: madieren was originally originally going to be me making a blood cleric #but i slapped my hand from the impulse because i have 8 PCs that don't get played I don't need more

[amazing-spiderling]

top 5 asks: fics you've read recently, songs you've played on repeat lately, things you bought yourself on a whim, snacks , things that made you happy in the past few weeks, hopes for the new DD series, fic tropes

SO MANY ASKS AhhHHhh I'll do my best!

Top 5 Fics You've Read Recently:

I have to be honest, I do reread a lot of fic!

The Blinker System - MissMoochy (WIP) : Robot Matt! Robot Matt! Robot MAAAATTTTT!!!

Show Me Your Scars - pogopop : I've read this one a few times. It's got that delightful payoff from the emotional hurt that eventually shifts into acceptance and healing

You're On The List of Things I'll Never Leave Behind - yourbestkeptsecret: Ughhhh, yeah the blip would suck for those left behind but I don't hear a lot of people talking about the pain that comes from adjusting when people's loved ones return to a world they don't recognize. Top shelf feels

A Murder of Crows (A Seduction of Foes) - inkforhumanhands: okay maybe I'm biased bc this was a gift FOR MEEEE but it's also an absolutely baller fic and it has all of my favorite things including Murderdock and Foggy in college and CHRISTMAS and it's just GOOD ok

Bad Moon Rising - 94bottlesofsnapple : A werewolf story that jumps right into things and those things are very, very good. Love Matt's characteristic freak-out and Foggy's no-nonsense way of handling things. Probably going to read this again for spooky season.

Top Five Songs You've Played on Repeat Lately

(I don't know that I do endless loops of songs too often, but songs that have cropped up a lot in the last few weeks include)

Cameo Lover - Kimbra, Dream of You - Jazz Emu, Underneath it All - No Doubt, Skullcrusher Mountain - John Coltrane, Black Sheep - Metric

Top Five Things You Bought Yourself ON a Whim

I'm just gonna speak recently because I cannot remember a whole life's worth of impulse purchases. IDK if it's a pure whim, but a dress I wanted that had been sold out showed up on a used site so I snatched it up. One of my favorite musicians released an LP and I was half asleep in bed scrolling on my phone when I saw the announcement but I jumped out of bed to purchase it lol. Some spice packet to make Thai coconut curry soup. Some used copies of various Rock Band games for the X-Box 360. I've missed being able to go to karaoke and this gives me that little bit of fun back. A "Hero Lawyer" figure? Doll? Idk. 12 fancy offbrand marvel man.

Top Five Snacks

I eat a lot of nuts and seeds. Pumpkin seeds/Sunflower seeds and the like. Sometimes I make them into hummus but usually it's just a handful. I like those Snap Pea crisps in the light salt. I'm a little bit addicted to the garlic Bombay mix I pick up at the local Indian supermarket. Greek yogurt with granola or grapenuts cereal. My favorite movie snack is those terrible nachos. XD

Top Five Things that Made You Happy In The Past Few Weeks

Taking my dogs out to the park now that the weather is cool enough to do so. Being giddy with fandom friends over She-Hulk and Werewolf By Night. Getting to use my Halloween sprinkles to make festive baked goods and take them to a small outdoor tea party. Eating half a baguette with nice butter at a cafe. Beating Rock Band 3 on my own and watching all the avatars I made of my blorbos achieve rock and roll stardom in the FMVs.

Top Five Fic Tropes

Hurt/Comfort, Long distance start (penpals, voice or text only etc), Monsters (vampires, werewolves whatever), Mutual Pining, Character Insecurity

Top Five Hopes For the New DD Season

Kirsten McDuffie! Let's bring in more characters from the comics! Some more wtf villains like (but not limited to) Stilt-Man. I mean, Jessica Jones gave us a version of the Whizzer, I feel like there's room for exploration. More of Matt and Foggy's actual friendship so that if/when things get rough for them, it hurts more. >:) A reference to the events of NWH so we have a little understanding of just what Matt remembers from his involvement so we can throw the fanfic authors a bone. SAMMMMMMYYYY!!!!!

#thanks for the ask #haha all of them

[bluesadansey]

I’m not really in the mood to start watching something new even though I technically have a lot I want to lol, so on a whim because I feel like it I’ve started a TVD rewatch attempt let’s see if I follow through! (I’ve only seen the whole show (like 7.5 seasons I didn’t see all of s8) once but I’ve seen majority of s2-3 eps multiple times and a select handful of s1 4 and 5 eps a couple times each and most s6 eps twice since I did a rewatch of just that season in December (technically I did not finish it but that wasn’t about my follow through I just didn’t have hbomax access for a while and by the time I had it back was focused on other things again) 

so anyway. notes I took rewatching the first couple episodes (my plan rn is to Not lb in the format I sometimes do because I think I’ll exhaust myself/my commitment, instead will try to either write some notes during or takeaways directly after watching the eps when I feel like it and share intermittently) 

Pilot 

-Elena Bonnie and Caroline are all so pretty here such pretty faces and pretty shiny hair all around 

-really enjoy how cynical Elena is even as she’s trying to put on a brave “today I will smile and it will be believeable” face. especially her talking about people’s reactions to hers and Jeremy’s grief and the “the rest of the world has moved on” quote near the end I can (unfortunately) relate to a lot of this so much more than the first time I watched the show :(

-Caroline’s immediate interest in Stefan + “it’s not going to happen” I do lol knowing how this all plays out :) 

-Bonnie’s ‘psychic’ ness so cute but also her predicting happiness… ironic not in a happy way. This being one of the episodes if not the episode where she’s happiest I think… 

-Bonlena moments are very cute in the pilot 

-running up the hill wasted on a boring moment in the pilot is so funny, but I do really like it ending with (in a sense) the first steferine moment 

-so much bad and poorly aged dialogue. obviously. but then glimmers of really good dialogue out of nowhere 

-I do sort of wish Damon’s crow powers had been a consistent thread. I don’t remember it being a thing after early s1? Would have been so funny 

-Vicki was a standout to me rewatching this. Knowing what happens to her is so sad… Matt should have died instead of her and She should have been around for the whole show fr 

-Jenna is an angel 

-the dialogue is worse than I remembered overall but I’m going to say the visuals/effects are better than I remembered? 

-also I actually rewatched the Pll pilot a couple days ago so was struck a bit by the similar structure of some things, they both open with the blonde girl who is killed/missing (only for TVD it’s a random girl we have no attachment to, for Pll it’s obviously Alison who is a Presence. and then it’s much later in the TVD pilot that we see Katherine who is the char with Alison haunting status for chars in s1), the focus on the liars but especially Aria/Elena’s attempts to move on from grief general quotes about moving on from the past, similar structuring to some of the Aria&Mike/Elena&Jeremy scenes. the funeral at the end of the Pll ep v Vicki being taken to the hospital at the end of TVD. There are others 

-it also was very funny to me that they stress the “passion” of SE vs Matt and Elena in the pilot considering that is going to become a tag line for DE

The Night of the Comet 

-Elena and Stefan waking up and both thinking ‘wow it’s so weird how I see color/am not as depressed as usual. and it’s all because I remembered what it’s like to be horny’ is hilarious sorry

-I am mad at that teacher I was mad on Elena’s behalf last episode now I’m mad on Jenna’s! Leave Jenna alone 

-the way Damon put his hand on Elena’s back/shoulders in their first meeting to guide her + general manner towards her like makes me uncomfortable. Which I guess is the intention at this point 

-Jenna looks so good I need her 

-when Elena is telling Jenna about Stefan being on the rebound and her responding that “at least it’s another woman wait until you date a guy with mommy issues or cheating issues or amphetamine issues” find this hilarious because Stefan DOES in fact have mommy issues as we will learn, and the show treats his blood issues as metaphorical addiction issues. cheating issues no but his whole transference deal with Katherine-Elena is maybe not so different you could make the argument? like it’s not that but there’s emotional dishonesty in a way. 

-also I just enjoy Elena and Jenna so much as a duo.

-I really like Bonnie’s outfit passing out Night of the Comet fliers with Elena 

-Bonnie touching Stefan and getting bad vibes if such a mood 

-there’s quite a bit of language iin these two episodes that’s aged badly but Caroline’s “druggies are the biggest attention whores” (paraphrased) line about Vicki particularly egregious 

-Gravity playing in the SE kiss is so funny because I first watched this pre Community so now I have the Paradigms association. lol

-but also Stefan’s “it was epic” line my brain made an association to Leronica “I thought our story was epic” and SE could Never be what Logan x Veronica is smh so I was a little offended 

*Also watched Friday Night Bites but actually watched most of that while working out and didn’t take notes. And I have reflections but, not that there isn’t plenty to be said about this episode but I’ll take a pass rn* 

#s speaks #s rewatches tvd #I feel good about this decision I think it’s time. And I do think I’ll follow through! #I might take breaks but am *feeling* it / committed #(convo with Maze about how we’d both like to rewatch legacies but are also scared to might have triggered it. #I’m not quite ready for that but I think I’m finally ready for this)