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#this was supposed to be a gif but i added too many colors and now its just a pic adkjfkjg
ophelian-darling · 5 months
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𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬.
𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 : Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto and Kento Nanami - gn reader.
𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 : Their Obsession was too much to handle, and you find yourself growing impatient with their acts of dandling, till you had enough. 
TW : Implied Kidnapping, Physical and Verbal/psychological abuse, Blood & Injury.
enjoy ♡
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𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮 𝐆𝐨𝐣𝐨 :
Days passed like a vision through the glass, slow to come and quick to go, without even a faint image of them or a smallest fragment of memory, as if you were looking into someone else's life, not your own. The horizon blended now into Satoru's eyes- you were no longer able to see the real extension of a natural blue, instead looking through his irises, faux felt and fake friendly, non-stop and ad nauseam. a smile would paint itself across his features and a kind touch would cosset your hands, attempting to mimic a color of romance.
"Whatcha Thinkin' of, Babe?" He asked, a honeyed voice softening his words, already knowing what was in your head; wanting a sweet lie out of your tongue. You hated his voice- no, everything about him, from his stares, the contorts and shapes of his face and the many shades of his affection; one minute, sugar and honey drip off his tongue, in Hopes of aiming at the moon and winning your trust, the other all of his sweetness is poisoned and laced with venom, intentions of wounding your ego into submission. At times, to him, you were Valentine, Babe, Love and Dreamboat; just as you were the useless, pathetic, whiney and liar, depending on his mood.
The horror of him was his eyes, they were softly in a cruel way, no effort of smiling or laughter could coffin the rage and Mania you were too aware of. You were always on alert, counting your sins and thinking of ways to redeem yourself, mentioning Kissing back, twisting your lips with pink lies, thanking him for his gifts and wearing a gleeful expression on your face. 
"Aww Satoru! you spoil me, I don't know what would've happened to me if you weren't around!..." 
You felt maggots crawl under your skin, rushing forth to your brain while you struggled to keep your smile. The more the hours fly, the more your cover of ardor cracks. a thin string of bitterness lining from beneath your nail right into your heart, stitching more into a scornful crimson slowly. 
Just how dare he- take you against your will, fondle and caress you as if you were a mere housecat and call himself a saint for bothering to look after you, while you don't remember asking or consenting for any of his attention? During so many times, including the moment as of now, you'd imagine him bleeding, cascades of red contradicting his snow complexion, pieces of glass needling his eyes that you hated with all Satan's grudge to heaven. You are sure no single speck of a tear would warm your eyelid if he dies, it was what he deserved.
"You okay, Love? something is off with you" Concern painted his face, while his blues remained ever unsettling. 
Your mouth clinged into a straight tight line, no longer able to remember the supposed smile. a harsh retort died on the tip of your tongue, leaving the room to even a harsher, short-lived silence to stretch. 
His thumb traced on your cheek, before he stood up "I'm gonna make you a cup of coffee to lift you up a li'l, stay here while I'm in there" 
Of course you're staying here, where else would you go?! Moving an inch without seeing his face was less likely than seeing a green sky.
The string of your heart sewn itself thicker. As memories of him puppeteering you flashed unwelcomed, the scornful thread darned into a ferocious rag, veiling any sense of your heart, caging it with a hating aviary. You carried yourself up, heading to the kitchen absentmindedly, guided by the heavy feeling in your chest. He didn't tire himself to look around- not like you could do anything, wrapped around his digits to control. 
An unknown tune he hummed caroled the small kitchen, his hands moving around to prepare the mugs and the coffee, too immersed in his own realm of thought to discern your motives. 
If you ever got the chance to recount this exact moment, you would say that it happened so fast that your mind didn't settle on one image: did you shatter the mug on the top of his head or the back of his neck? You don't remember, yet the anamnesis of your muscles retained the surge of Adrenaline, a slow motion second of your hand grabbing the porcelain cup and breaking it on his skull. you do recall he said something- things. a series of slurs that were too filthy, every curse and insult in the scripture. 
The crimson rag was torn off from your heart, a delicious feeling of revenge drugging you in a lucid Catharsis. your fingers twitched, your body braced itself for whatever beating it was about to receive. Oddly enough, he continued groaning and grunting, holding his head in both his bloodied hands. 
Dark red seeped through his white locks, oozing down his neck, sullying his shirt and tinting his fingers and hands. For the first time, his strange blues held an emotion different from insanity, a glassy layer over them, just a tad bit up from his usually static stare. his eyelids wept with red as he stared at you for a moment, saying nothing, before heading -as it seems- to the bathroom, a trail of red spots on the floor marking your deed.
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𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐮 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐨 :
In your dreams, the sunrises and sunsets were sin crimson, dark as Abel's blood. You'd see Suguru and yourself, sitting on a shore, its sea so transparent, hued with the cinnabar rays casting from a cloudless sky. You often look forth into the puce red horizon and not to him, rarely ever locking eyes with his. One time, as you remember from a shattered vestige in your awakening, you rotate your head to the side to see him staring at you; a half erased smile contouring his lips, Black eyes mirroring the skyline that stretched to no end in sight. Twice or thrice, he'd say something, a trail of meaningless letters sliding down his composed voice. You don't retain on his words exactly, but your name was amongst them; during a glib talk of his, your name rolls down his tongue with his usual calmness, scripting your dreams as such almost always ever since you were tied to him.
"Something in your mind, Dear?" The calmness- you can hear the smile in his inquiry without looking at him, drumming through your skull in an image of him in your dreams. You looked up from your lap, noticing that he was stitching something up, the needle struggling to remain still in his fingers. Of course, he was anything short of a tailor as much as he was short of a lover, wanting to be something he can't be but insisting anyway like the stubborn cockroach he is. 
You rolled your tongue across your teeth, only to let out a muffled 'nothing' as a response. you were really trying hard to not hurl at him, he was getting on your nerves for just his existence.
He chuckled, digging the needle into a red fabric "Something is in your mind indeed. I don't know what it is and why you look so upset, but I promise I'll make you feel better" 
You'll only make me feel better by choking on a dagger, Suguru.  you wanted to say, yet being completely aware that it'll have consequences- ones you were needless for. The numbness on your face is constantly pricking its presence across your flesh, swells and mounds that remind you of his black eyes losing their serenity, metamorphosing into a brutal night dark. His hands slapped and punched as equally as they billed and cooed, and your skin has grown hateful of both.
He does not appear as a human at all. in a vast space of thinking, you would theorize that he was not much but a parasite that sucked life out of everything beautiful, including love. his version of amour was twisted, burying care under Control and killing fondness to revive fervor. Cords you couldn't see snaked around your heart and soul, burning as they got tighter, paralyzing you with apathy that was leisurely altered to a pale hue of resentment, until it fully discolored to a dim rage.
It creeped its way to your fingers. you could hear Satan's whisper, planting the vilest of ideas in your mind; at least you had the luxury of hiding your thoughts and making them behind an expression you can't feel now- you're becoming him, a hollow shell of one face and multiple voices, already sensing the stitches of a mask, a dull one that a death face left more lineaments to remember. you were blessed with emotions unlike him, there's no way you'll melt into Suguru. 
"Darling I have a surprise for you, look!" He announced cheerfully, bringing the piece of fabric he's been working on to your attention. 
He raised the Obi belt in his hands, proud of his handmade sewing. you scanned it carefully: the silk is red candy colored with few golden flowers orienting it, not much skill or talent radiating off of this mimicry of a cloth.
"I intended to offer you this as a birthday gift, but I preferred giving it to you now. maybe it'll cheer you up a little, you've been really quiet lately…" the damn calm smile decorated his face again, this time a drop of what sounded like concern is mixed with it.
You took the thing from his hand, acting like you're inspecting it but in fact holding a cackle. how in hell's seven circles he expected you to wear this?! If Suguru thought with that little sense he always prides himself of, he'd see that he wasted such a gorgeous material on such a failure of an accessory. 
"Do you like it? I hope so…" there's an octave in his voice translated as 'please tell me it's the best gift you ever received', too bad it's ugly to give him the pleasure of hearing a compliment. 
"I've been working on it for weeks. I had to choose between red or pink, deciding to pick the former because I thought it would look better on you… I'm nothing of a tailor, but I did my best" he rubbed his palms together, as if an imaginary balm coating them. he laughed a little "I gave myself a lot of needle pricks, but it was worth it-" 
"It's awful" 
You didn't have to look up to see his face.
"What?" He muttered, completely not seeing this coming. 
"It's terrible, I hate it" a joyful spark twinkled throughout your body as you said so. the smile that you tried so hard to repress curved itself on your lips. you felt you could add more fuel to the fire.
"The color is dull and this silk looks cheap, but that's not why it's ugly. I bet a child can sew an Obi belt better than you do. this thing should go back where it belongs, the trash." 
The silk wasn't cheap at all. you silently praised whoever produced it as the fabric resisted between your fingers. for a second, you considered just throwing the belt at his face, but you already teared it up a little, imagining that you were tearing Suguru apart between your fingers, the very same Suguru who was standing in front of you, ghostly pale and owl eyed, uttering not a word.
Red ribbons rippled through the small space between your hands and feet, forming a pile on the floor and resting in place. your heart clenched in excitement, a reaction that replaced the usual fear of him beating you senseless in such situations. you awaited for his hand to fly, for his voice to raise, but none came. 
His gaze froze. He apparently couldn't contain how his present ended up being nothing more than some piece of garbage that had to be disposed of. Suguru opened his mouth then closed it before turning his heels around and exiting the room. bringing back your eyes to the remains of the belt, it now jumped to you that there was something written on the back of it. 
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𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢 :
It is agreed upon as a human truth, that Shackles do not necessarily form as chains- For it merely requires a key to be freed from. but in most absent minds, the understanding of captivity and freedom were abridged in crime and punishment or torture (always coming first as physical in most thoughts), yet there is a sort of abstract bindings; way more restraining than tangible ones and with no limit of their ability to fetter the prisoner regardless of how strong is their will to break free, or how far their access to the key goes. mind games have proven themselves to be more effective throughout history, even in the simplest circumstances. What is more, playing on the strings of sentiment: romanticization of bonds -no matter how abusive they were- such as parenthood, friendship or more formally formed ties; marriage. 
There is this magical thing about marriage : it is a golden cage, a caressing shackle perceived as a warm nest in a vision of a romance, colored as red and pink, planted as roses. a cuff that priests call matrimony, poets call union and goldsmiths call rings- you name it; it's still a menacle, whether spouses consented to it or not. 
Kento was the typical man with the ordinary ambitions of immersing in a job (best if it paid generously), owning what is enough and settling down. To him, marriage was the ultimate expression of love, more than a mere ring, a wedding or flowery vows.
"I do have for you a love so dear that I drink from what your lips touch, I breathe when your lungs exhale, I slumber on where your skin embraces the mattress; one of both life and death."
- Your adoring one.
Engraved in red, the words slided over your heart's veil, forgotten in a memory of a cold rib. Satan lured Adam with an apple, so how would sugary words find any trouble deceiving? 
"You're making me worried, Sweetheart…" sotto voce in the nature of a Dove's coo; disgustingly fondling. 
Of course, a silver tongue cuts sharp in the same way it pours coquetry. life with Kento was seeing a moon and its dark side. under the beam of light, his lips mulls everything on you; kisses on your lips, cheeks and forehead blossomed, full rainbow ray of flowers were gifted to you, mostly red, attached to them little cards and billets-doux that enveloped letters of dalliance, arranged together and too sweet to the point it sickens you. The irony of his dimness was that he's more tolerable when he gnashes his teeth; wounds at your skin and soul, scolds and punishes in a parental manner. even for days, you'd hear the beast howling in your ear, ringing through the corridors of your head and it hurts to think.
Your eyes reflected in his figure, kneeling in front of you, not meaning they were drinking in the sight of him.
His thumbs brushed across your palms "Can I see your smile again? you look beautiful when you smile, you already are no matter how your face appears" nothing stirred up in you, emptiness of a blind man's face swam through the void.
"Please… sweetheart.." your composure nearly broke; a laugh dwindled within your throat. Does he think that you were a sole toy?! there to be played with, clothed and stripped to the colors of his whims, put on a pedestal at dawn and degraded at dusk?! it gnaws now on the branches of your chest, melts in your heart and fills your brain with a spiteful flow. 
"I've got something nice, just for you, I'm sure it'll make you happy" with that, he left quickly and returned just as, something in the outlines of a large flower bouquet behind his back. no surprise, he had a proclivity for flowers; for how red are roses, for how fragrant was jasmine and for how innocent were lilies. 
"I love you Sweetheart, never forget that!" as expected, roses. a pink posy of them.
You took the bouquet from his hands, glaring at the flowers in a burning grudge. for a flash of a glint, Medusa's serpents coiled between your digits, circling wrists, their skin flaying with yours. a bottle of somber tears shattered, impuring your core with loathing never imagined to be stored in your soul. With the swiftness of a sword out of its sheath, your hand flew high, landing the thorny plants across his face, over and over again, no drop of fear in you. Kento succeeded in grabbing your hand- not the one attacking him, squeezing your wrist to make you yield, but to no avail. your blood rushed hot through your veins, carving your mind with screams of violence and to hurt him more, that is when your fists balled and your ankles rose up sharply.
"Stop!" 
You would never. your hands had their own mind, they scratched and punched and grabbed to your heart's content, avenging you after so long of a macabre suffering. your shackles started to unravel, each movement of yours freeing the hollowness outside you. short minutes stretched forth like long hours until you were done- or like you were over with him for now.
a blur on your vision subdued, the faint image clearing line by line. Kento was on the floor, leaning on a chair and balancing his weight on a knee, right hand shielding over his face. you couldn't see the damage well through his fingers till he got up, still holding his face in his hand, silently giving you his back and leaving you to your own devices. as he left, you noticed red across the sides of his hands and arms; few cuts and swells distorting the fabric of his pale skin. 
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lushlovers · 1 year
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The P-word, J Burrow
summary; he doesn't know what to say or how to react to things like this.
warnings; fluff fr, mentions of pregnancy and pregnancy tests, pet names (baby, honey, ) joe actually kinda sucks with words but same lmaoooo, swearing, kissing
word count; 903
note; yes angst but also fluff. i'm working on more frat!lsu!joey, but this was something random I wanted to post since it's been a little while. i hate the ending no one talk about it. winter writer's block ain't no joke fr.
this is kind of my thank you for two hundred followers even though we are just on the cusp of three, but thank you so much, I appreciate the support of my works more than you will ever know. i love every one of my followers so so sooo much yall are the best:)
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Pregnant, pregnant, pregnant. Maybe the more you think of those eight letters will fade away and completely off the little plastic at-home test you decided to finally take. God the word just keeps ringing in your head like the most annoying of alarms. How the hell are you supposed to tell him? His career's just started he'll never be along for the roller coaster ride, especially not when it consists of a baby running around as well.
However, luck chooses to be your opponent this evening since Joe's already home and sitting on the couch in the living room, completely oblivious to the fact that your world has just turned completely upside down. It took a while for you to work up the nerve to call him up, but when you did everything suddenly felt so heavy.
The weight refused to leave your shoulders as he sat on the truck at the foot of your bed. Rehearing in the mirror, preparing for every scenario, but especially for the one that you hope and pray will never occur. Everything that you've been through together, nothing will go wrong, he's too good of a person.
After several minutes, worry becomes evident in your voice as he asks you through the door if everything's alright, "'M fine, just nervous, I guess." That seemed to do the opposite of what you intended, that is, maybe your lying and saying you're fine would shut him up for a bit, but your being nervous led to many other questions from the other side of the door.
Adding on to that p-word, every what if clouds your mind as well. What if telling him this is your biggest regret? What if he just packs his shit and leaves? What if-, "Baby, are you sure?" Fucks sake he's still going with his questions, in any less stressful situation this would've been appreciated, but not when you can barely seem to focus on the most topic at hand.
Now or never, seemed to be the only thing that got you to push open the door and finally face the man you love so dearly. He almost instantly jumps up, concern written all over his face even more so when he glances in the direction of your hands. "Do you wanna tell me what's going on?" No, not entirely, you think but you won't let that escape your mouth, matter of fact, nothing leaves your mouth for many seconds. Maybe never was a good idea.
It took a bit for you to unscramble your words and finally speak up, "I'm gonna tell you something, but you have to try not to freak out." Your mouth felt dry the way your anxiety made your throat close up made it feel like your lungs had shrunk five times the size they were before, "Okay, care to share? I'm like shitting my pants right now," Joe spoke, chuckling but not because it was funny, he laughs because he's terrified of what words may escape your lips.
You do everything you can to avoid his eyes because the all too familiar feeling of tears surfaces on your waterline and his brows furrow at that. "Honey, you know you can tell me anything, yeah?" His question is lost to you as he cups your face thumbing away the tears before they got a chance to slip down your cheeks. The feeling of his eyes searching yours for any answer to all the questions that he's thinking about is a scary feeling.
"I'm pregnant," it comes out as a whisper, but the way the color completely drains from his face, you know he understood every syllable of those two words. For a split second, he stares at you with a look you don't think you've ever received from him before, "That's... wow." A strangled breath of half relief and half worry escapes you at his response.
Your soul leaves your body as he racks his brain for something to say to express just how he's feeling, but he's almost certain there is no possible way to verbally explain it. Now tears are welling up in his pretty blue eyes, "That's insane, I dunno what to say, are you sure?" His voice is trembling just as much as his hands as you place the test into his palm, he gets choked up as he reads over the same word that had your stomach in knots before with nothing but admiration and surprise.
"Holy fucking shit," he gapes, pulling you into him so tight it nearly knocks the wind right out of you. You laugh now as it settles into your mind that Joe would never do anything to hurt you or your baby in any way possible and to think he would ever leave in a situation like this one was silly, but thinking irrationally tends to happen quite a lot.
"I'm gonna be a dad, I need to call-" you cut him off before he's able to go on his rant, "How about we pause, and we can tell whoever we want in the most extravagant, Joseph Burrow way possible?" He snorts at that, pulling his face away from his place against your shoulder, muffling some form of agreement against your lips, then your jaw, neck, and clavicle, and lowering himself to his knees.
For a moment he looks up at you, "Sorry if I scared you with my response, I don't usually know what to say in times like this and my brain went into shock mode."
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duke-of-poosay · 1 month
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That's totally okay! I just had a thought
Larissa weems is married to a teacher and for whatever reason Larissa has to cover the lesson and r walks In half way and it's just like "look at my wife she's so cool" and then the kids find out they are married and are like 😯😲 and obviously wednesday is like I've know this forever looses are you blind??
Yk just fluffy
There's My Girl
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My own creative liberty 🧚‍♀️: why would reader be anything but a band director at la escuela? You know how this goes.
Everyone say thank you to anon for the request.
You whined as the annoying chirp of your wife's alarm clock beeped at the ripe hour of 5am. "Larissa turn that off" You groaned as your shoved you wife "Fuck are you doing using that shit anyway, use your phone like a normal person" You turned over in the bed, wrapping your pillow around your head as if to muffle the sound.
"You're so dramatic" Larissa laughed as she reached to the bedside table to turn the alarm off, "Besides the alarm is for you, remember? You have a doctor's appointment" Your eyes went wide as you glanced over at her "You do remember right?" She asked looking at you "Y/n Weems did you forget??" She sat up a little "Did you even get a sub??" She asked as you groggily got up and rubbed your eyes.
"If you ask me, getting a sub is your job principle weems" You say as you started your search for something acceptable to wear.
"Y/n! What am I supposed to do now? A class of how many kids with-" You cut her off "Sixty" "SIXTY" She exclaimed "Mhm, but that's just orchestra, choir and music theory are small" You hummed with a nod as you pulled a pair of slacks on, "Ok well sixty students with no teacher, what is going to happen?" She asked as a small grin lit up your face, a brilliant plan forming in your head.
You turned to face her, now only in a pair of slacks that fit your butt way too good to be owned by a band director and a bra. You began to saunter over to your loving wife, resting an arm on her shoulder the other slowly moving up her chest ghosting her collarbone, her now sitting up right, legs swung over the edge of the bed. "I was hoping maybe my loving, beautiful, kind, magnificent, adoring wife would watch them for me, just 1st through 3rd period" You suggested as Larissa's brows furrowed.
"Why on earth should I? You failed to follow through and-" You cut her off again "Because when I get back you can give me a firm punishment" You added with a small tilt of your head giving her your best puppy dog eyes.
You knew you'd won when you spotted a light pink color brush over Larissa's cheeks and soon you were on the way to your appointment.
Larissa now sat at your podium, taking attendance as a crowd of 60 children with instruments from violins to french horns began tuning. By no means were they bad, she had to give your credit for that. But with 60 of them it was growing frustrating and it was only 5 minutes into the class.
She was very thankful this was supposed to be the last class she'd be subbing for, the last two were tolerable, your music theory class had a whopping 12 people, and choir even though it was 9 in the morning were perfect angels. But this group of 60 mediocre band kids were going to be the end of her.
Once she finally got the crowd to silence themselves she stumbled her way through the names, suddenly remembering why she became a principle instead of this. "Alright um... Mrs. L/n let me know that you have concert music to work on, they said you could work in groups or you could do it.... what does this even say" She mumbled trying to read your god awful handwriting "Oh all together" She finished "What do you want to do?" She asked earning silence that was utterly deafening.
Awesome.
"Well I'd like to hear you all play, Mrs. L/n tells me you've been working very hard" Larissa tried when a few kids shot there head up "Girl you're talking to them one on one" One student asked "Bold" They finished "One time they came up behind me while we were supposed to be rehearsing and on god I felt like holes were burning in the back of my head" Someone else pitched in "That's kind of poetic" One joked earning a chorus of laugher as Larissa slowly lost them again as they began to chat.
She glanced down at her phone, sitting on her podium to spot a text from you "Do you want a drink?" Larissa scoffed and texted back "What are you doing stopping to get drinks, get your ass back here!" "Oooh a curse word, they really got your panties in a twist"
"I'm just saying, if Mrs. L/n is still working here when I graduate? Best believe I'm volunteering!" A student, spoke just a bit louder over the crowd earning a few laughs from her friends. Larissa's face reddened just a bit, covered by her makeup thankfully. "Alright lets not talk about our teachers like that" Larissa shot the girl a glare, obviously not in a jealous way the girl was a whole 15 years old. More of a "I'll call your mother right now" way.
"Is Mrs. L/n seeing anyone though" Another kid chimed in, "Mrs means they're married idiot" Their friend shoved them.
"Yes they are married" Larissa huffed a small laugh at the groups sudden focus on your love life, "Ooooh have you met them yet??" A student asked as a smile grew on Larissa's face, "I have, she happened to be a very intelligent and kind person, I am very happy that Mrs. L/n has found that someone" She bragged a bit, unknowingly to these kids though.
"Oh sounds like Mrs. Weems is jealooous" A student teased as Larissa laughed a bit "Nuh uh, she's married too she's got the Mrs thing also" Another student popped in "I have nothing to be jealous about, my partner is equally, if not more, amazing than me" Larissa said as she glanced down at her phone spotting another text from you, "Almost there, I got you one of those little juices with the characters on it cuz you didn't tell me what to get" She laughed a little at the text "What character?" "Ya mama" after a few seconds you followed up the text "Daniel Tiger" "Thank you baby"
She sat her phone back down tuning back in to the students, now bickering over how they either missed marching season or were thankful it was over because the orchestra students did nothing.
Larissa sat simply listening, figuring if they really wanted to play they would by now.
That's when she heard a knock at the door as you walked in, no else seemed to notice until a warm smiled grew on Larissa's face, "There's my girl" She said, assuming no one listened until Sixty 14-18 year olds were staring at the two with jaws on the floor. "OH MY GOD YOU'RE MRS. L/N'S WIFE??" One shouted out making Larissa's eyes widen as you broke down laughing at the mess you walked into, "Nuh uh, I don't date nerds" You saw as you approached the podium, "Who said you could sit in my chair, get out of here loser" You said as you waved your hands in a shooing motion.
Larissa laughed a little as she stood and waved as she went to take her leave before your turned around and quickly grabbed you wrist.
She looked over her shoulder furrowing her brows as she looked at you and you held up the juice bottle for her. She scoffed and snatched it before quickly leaving.
The rest of the class you couldn't get a single note out of any of their instruments, them too focused on you and Larissa. Honestly it felt good for your kids to know, them begging to learn about your life while you begged for them to even lift their instruments
They are part of you just like Larissa is.
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vera-deville · 6 months
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Vera's Hauntober 2023
Day 10 - Forest (Satoru Gojo)
10/09/2023
Pairing: Satoru Gojo x Reader
Word Count: 1,249
Warnings: None that I can think of (unless you hate the outdoors-)!
Gender: AFAB (but I'm fairly sure that it can be read as GN as well)
Taglist: @animusicnerd, @leonistic, @pyroxeene, @savanaclaw1996, @thequeenoffishburrito, @ellssbellss, @reshi-galaxy, @hanafubukki, @hitoshislover, @purplecandything, @it-happened-one-fic
Notes: Reader is not a sorcerer and really likes being in the outdoors!
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Against the ledge of the window, his fingers thrum a pattern that you predict is not unlike his current state of mind. It was a habit of his, a common one. His mind was always running, always had somewhere to be, and to lessen that stress on his mind, he would subconsciously tap his fingers rhythmically against whatever surface he could find.
You catch the way he brings up his mug to his lips, barely grazing them as he drank his morning coffee. Five teaspoons of sugar (six if he particularly requires it) were always added to his daily morning caffeine, and no matter how many times you'd scold him about the excessive sugar he practically inhales, he'd just go about his day, laughing, not a cavity in sight.
His chest rose like a mountain, you'd noticed. He'd take a sip of his coffee, and then, only then would his chest go back down in a bountiful sigh.
He truly was the most beautiful person you'd ever laid eyes upon.
Grabbing your own beverage, you snuggle against his side, the two of you sipping your worries away (even if just for a few minutes). There were days when everything felt like it would all come crashing down, and Satoru would have a hollow and hopeless glaze in his eyes. He would never allow anyone to see a vulnerable state of him, but there were certain exceptions with you.
He would let his fists clench tight, allow you to hold onto him if only for his sake, and would drown in the the endless love you'd shower upon him daily. Every now and then, he would wonder if this was truly a life, a situation he wanted to find himself in. But then one look at your eyes, and he immediately sends those thoughts away to oblivion, where they belong.
Of course, there were also days like this. Slow mornings where neither of you had to rush to work. The sun rose with you, and it seemed like the whole world was empty except for the two of you. Even the birds that strained their voices just for a beautiful melody were calm today.
Satoru's arm is warm around you, like a blanket taken fresh from the dryer (you blame his tendency to overheat). You gazed out at the frozen world that lay beyond the window, feeling him press his lips on your temple. Again, and again, and again.
Yeah, you could get used to this treatment.
"Have you finished packing?"
He exhales at your question, bringing up his mug to his lips once more in an attempt to evade your question. You're fairly sure that he doesn't even have any coffee left in his mug, but you were far too lazy to point it out.
"I have..." he trails off, avoiding your gaze. You laugh, almost instinctually as you ponder how the supposedly "strongest" sorcerer of them all was afraid of the little weekend getaway you had planned. Satoru could very well lie to you. He could also very well get away with it. But he chose not to, instead acting like a pouting child, and as much as you wished to deny it, it was adorable.
You suppose that you could assist him in his packing. Gently taking his mug from him, you set it down (and yours) in the sink and stride over to the bedroom. Sure enough, there was a suitcase, but not much was packed, much less organized.
Of course he had packed light colored shirts (more like they were strewn about), and for that, you had to applaud him. At least he had the sense not to pack dark clothing and attract every damn mosquito in existence. Or would they not bite him because of his infinity? Mulling over it, you continued to pack just enough for a two-day trip to one of your most favorite places on Earth.
Eventually, Satoru's things were packed (and so were yours), and all that was left to do was take a shower and be headed on your merry ways.
Blinking slowly out the window, he flicked his eyes from one thing to another, his mind still racing. You see him from the corner of your eye, watching, waiting for him to explode.
"How much longer?" Satoru whined, causing you to roll your eyes.
And there it was.
Satoru had many virtues (some more than others), but patience was not one of them. You'd scold him about it whenever the opportunity arose, but nothing you could say would alter that vice of his.
"Just a little bit longer babe." You smile at the pout forming on his face. His eyes were just fragments of the skies. You'd told him that time and time again. And in that moment, they seemed to glimmer just like the sky too.
True to your words, your vehicle pulled up against the entrance of the camping destination and after checking in, you drive on until you reach your camp site. Though Satoru was not keen on the idea of camping originally, it seemed that had completely vanished from his mind as he was now fidgeting in his seat.
"What do you think?" You ask, peering up at him from under your lashes. He seems to be taking everything in, and unfortunately doesn't look too impressed.
"I almost feel bad for myself that I was dragged here against my will, only to see trees and gravel." He responded, cheekily.
"Almost?"
"Almost, because at least I have you here with me."
Oh. Oh. So that's what he meant. Smooth bastard-
The rest of the day was spent pitching up the tent, getting the campfire going, and a few other necessities. Satoru found the little packets of chemicals that changed the color of the campfire into blues and greens and reds and purples particularly appealing. The flames danced around the pit, and not unlike a child, he couldn't help but reach his hand out into them.
If it were anyone else, you would have screamed and tried to drag them away from the fire. But this was Satoru. Your Satoru. And the way the flames licked at his hand while the embers performing theatrical dances of their own around him had you nothing but mesmerized.
It was like watching a scene from an age old fairy tale.
For once, he was quiet. No obnoxious comments, no thespian body movement, no sly but watchful gaze. It was just him. Him and you and the stars in the sky and the trees that surrounded you. And for a fleeting moment, you felt honored too.
That night, Satoru Gojo slept the best he had in a long time. He had the stars above to watch over his slumber. He had the wind sing sultry lullabies to his ear. He had the Earth under his body, enveloping him and you in her loving embrace. But best of all, he had his lover, you, by his side.
You who had his heart in the palm of his hands. You who could bring him to his knees with one glance. You...who he would burn the world down for if you had asked. But of course, you wouldn't. You were kind, like that. You forgave. You welcomed life and its obstacles, whatever they may be with open arms, and sent them off with a kind goodbye.
In that sense, you were much different than him.
And he wouldn't have it any other way.
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Author's Note: I was really excited to write this fic, because one, it would be my first time posting something I wrote about Satoru, and two, IT'S GOJO SATORU-
But then I started overanalyzing everything, and realized that I had no idea what to write. So, I talked to my friend, and I calmed myself down enough to just start writing, and I have to admit, I really do like the way this turned out.
I had originally planned to write this as a crack/comedy fic, but then when I started writing, I very quickly realized that this was going to be more along the lines of romantic and sentimental. That's why around halfway through writing, I had Je Te Laisserai Des Mots on repeat-
Anywho, let me know if you liked this writing style (I tried 2nd person again)! Also, I really need this to be fluffy (if you know, you know).
See you in the next fic!
Masterlist Hauntober 2023 Masterlist
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sebastianstansqueen · 2 years
Text
Dada One Shot
A/N: Here's something I wrote in a note book a while ago and then added on to on here, and as always Feedback is always appreciated if you want to be Tagged, either send an ask or comment on this or click on Taglist open.
Wordcount: 2,102
Warnings: Angst, Fluff, and violence
Masterlist //  Taglist open
Tags: @cherryblossomskye - @babylooneytoonz - @wonderlandfandomkingdom - @miraclesoflove - @amelia-song-pond- @leyannrae - @avengerlex - @pineprincess - @nik2write - @dorothea-hwldr - @rosie-posie08 - @scxrletrecsmarvel -
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Bucky sat at his desk brooding like he’d done most nights, bourbon in his hand and he slowly shipped on it in thought. “Bucky.” Steve called to get his friend's attention, Bucky’s eyes snapped to the man’s.
Bucky sighed, letting out an irritated. “What? “Come on you’ve gotta get some sleep, you have people looking everywhere for her, I will wake you up if we find anything.” Steve tried reasoning. Bucky glared at him. “I get some sleep, also how the hell do you expect me to even think about sleeping when she’s out there possibly hurt or worse.”
“Everyone but you, I, and all of you’re guys thinks she is dead, I promise nothing is going to happen. I'll wake you up if anything comes up.” Steve told the man his irritation was growing fast. Bucky downed the drink leaving the room with a slam of the door. 
Five Years Ago
You and Bucky were inseparable, this man showed you his love with all of his heart, he gifted you flowers every day, always was ready in the morning with a coffee that you liked, he always told you that he’d protect and love you, whenever asking about his job when you first started dating he always told you that he was just a CEO, it explain the house, and the money so you left it at that. People always asked when he was going to propose and always thought the two of you were forever that all changed one night. 
You sat up in bed thirsty out of your mind but something very noticeable was the missing six-foot tall man that usually was always next to you as you slept, you headed down stairs filling up a glass of water when the cup was halfway filled however you heard a loud piercing scream from a man it scared you making you jump and drop the glass, you stepped around the shards, heading towards the basement door where the scream came from. 
The basement was somewhere you didn’t go because there was never a need to in the past you were shocked when the door led to stairs to another door, you made your way down the steps and opened the second door just enough to not be noticed but to be able to see, and what you saw behind the door made you want to scram and puke it making you sick to your stomach, the man you love was practically covered in blood, because he currently tortured a man in the baicement of the one place you were supposed to be safe in. 
Bucky rolled his eyes at the man before him. “Be quiet, I've got a girl sleeping up stairs, and I don’t think you wanna see what will happen if you wake her up.” He hissed in the man's ear, but it still slightly echoed in the empty room. 
You accidentally let the door close too hard for your liking making your presence noticed on accidentYou didn’t care now you ran up the stairs opening and slamming the second door you ran to the kitchen. “Y/n!” Bucky called out and he followed your steps. “Y/n I can explain.” Looking for the keys to your car, Bucky had many and kept all the keys in this dwar. The one that kept yours apart from the other ones was that there was a little boondoggle with different colors of blue, you’d run out to your blue toyota, you pulled out of the gurage and drove past the lush front yard you loved, and up to the gate you typed in the pin and in your rearview along with the side view mirrors you saw Bucky looking frantic as he ran towards your car but it was already too late the gate opened, and you pulled out leaving the place you’d grown to addor in away. 
Present
Bucky woke up feeling refreshed but still was disappointed that he hadn’t been woken up to be told that you were back he was afraid of being alone you were and still are his sun and his life you were his brightness in the dark, along with his warmth to his cold and he missed you he needed you, he’d be willing to go legitimate put all the mob shit behind him just to be with you again. He walked into the kitchen to get his breakfast but there you were in the spot you’d always would sit on a stool at the island, his breath was gone, the first time he’d seen you in person in five years, he could cry. “Y/n.” It was a soft whisper as he said your name. You turned around and looked into his deep blue eyes.
The one question that had been circling your mind all morning was the first thing out of your mouth. “Are you gonna kill me?” It came out without fear for some reason even though you were terrified. 
Bucky looked at you with furrowed brows. “No Y/n I wouldn't ever dream of hurting you.”
You sighed with relief and then irritation grew, you put your hands on your hips. “Then what the hell am I doing here, Bucky it’s been five years, you’ve-” You cut your self off. “Did you have your men watching me?” Now you were angry. 
“No, Y/n, if I did you would have been back here five years ago to talk this out.” Bucky told you. “Look I-I can't function without you, five years of just looking for you and a little actual business.”
You shook your head and then went back to what you were saying. “You’ve gotta move on, Bucky I have a family.” Bucky’s heart fell at that moment.“What?”
“I have two kids and a fiancé and you should be your literally Six years older than me you should have moved on.” You were lying, yes you did have kids and a fiancé that you loved, but not as much as you ever loved Bucky, you’d never move on truly. 
“Y/n I can’t move on, it's not that easy for me, you out you I feel incomplete.” He told you with sadness written on his fetchurs. 
You were debating if you should tell him or not for the moment you decided not. “What the hell were you doing in the basement that night.” Bucky sighed and thought for a second. “Just tell me the truth please.”
“I’m a mafia boss, my father inherited it from my grandfather on my mothers side after they got married and once I turned twentie my dad had me take over, that night I was dealing with a person who used to be one of my men, after he betrayed me.” He explained.
You blinked a few times at him. “Thats not a fucking reason to tourtchure and murder a person.” 
Bucky shook his head. “You wont get it.” Bucky huffed. “What’s your kid's name?”
“I have a son and a daughter.” Was all that you told him. “I’ve gotta get home, and it’s gonna be a long flight.” 
Bucky was trying to get you to stay longer. “How old are they?”
  “Two and one.” Lying again about one of those. 
Bucky frowned. “Oh.” 
“I’ve gotta go.” You sighed.
Bucky’s men had taken you back to the airport like you asked, you’d had to be a little thankful for Bucky at the moment getting you on a first class flight clear to Idaho where you lived, little did you know Bucky was gonna be on the same flight to Idaho just keeping himself hidden from you.
You landed and headed to your house, Bucky following your drive, you walked into the house. “God Y/n I was so worried.” Caleb, your fiancé said as he pulled you in for a hug and a kiss. “It was, him, want it?” You nodded. “What happened?”
“He just explained a few things to me along with me explaining  a few things and he told me he’s been looking for me for the five years.” You told him. 
“Did you tell him about Jimmy?” Caleb asked. 
You shook your head. “I lied and told him that my kids are two and one.” 
Caleb sighed. “Jimmy isn’t legally mine yet so I’m not gonna tell you how to raise him, but you should tell the guy he deserves to know he has a kid.” 
You nodded. “I know but I-I couldn't. I don't think I can tell you what he told me but I don’t want him to know about Jimmy because of something.” 
Then the five year old boy along with his two year-old sister came running up. “Mama!” Jimmy cheered, you hugged both of them.
“Hey babies.” You cooed at both of them, then came a knock, your brows furrowed. “You guys expecting someone?” You asked them, Caleb shrugged. You turned to answer the door as you opened it, your joy of seeing your kids fell. “Bucky?” 
He looked at the two kids, one of them wasn’t a one year old, his lips pierced, the little boy’s eyes and hair were almost identical to Bucky's. The kid was a complete mix between you and Bucky, this hurt him he obviously had a child that he didn’t know about. “What the hell?” Bucky asked with irritation. 
Jimmy turned to Caleb. “Dada is mama okay?” He asked the man. 
Caleb turned to both kids. “Jimmy, Isabel, how about we go to the living room and watch something disney preferably and loud.” The three of them headed to the living room. 
Bucky was irritated even more that Jimmy his son called another man dada. “Come on.” You said heading outside onto the wrap around porch both of you stood looking at one another. 
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me in New York?” Bucky asked with fury in his eyes. 
You sighed. “Because it’s been five years and he doesn't know who you are and also because after you told me your father had you take over your business, and I don’t want that for Jimmy.”
Bucky huffed. “Do you honestly think I’d do that? I'd do what you wanted if we had a family I’d do what you want they’d be your kids too, I wouldn’t have forced anything, do you honestly think I’d do that to you or them.” 
You shrugged. “I don’t know what you would have done.” You rolled your eyes. “Caleb told me I should have told you, but I didn’t because that's what I thought would have been best for him, you can meet him I guess if that's what you want.” Bucky nodded. “Yeah that's exactly what I want.”
“Okay.” You led him back inside your home, you led him into the entry hallway. “Stay here while I get him.” You walked into the living room where both of your kids and fiancé watched Hercules. “Jimmy, there's someone who wants to meet you.” He got up from the couch.” He wanted you to pick him up, you held him caring, him to the hallway. “Jimmy this is an old friend of mine, Bucky, Bucky this is Jimmy.” 
“Hi.” Jimmy waived.
Bucky smiled. “Hello.”
Your son turned to you and whispered, Jimmy was a really smart kid he knew you weren’t telling you the whole story, he was the only one you had for three years, then you met Caleb and had Isabel. “Mama, who is the man actually?” He asked. 
You sighed. “He’s your father.” 
Jimmy looked at you and then Bucky, he accepted this but felt a little bitter towards his apparent father. “Okay.” He shrugged, wanting to be put down.
Bucky’s brows furrowed as he watched the kid walk out of the hallway. “Does he like me?” 
“Jimmy has always been a very smart kid, and earlier on he comprehended that his dad wasn't around and that it would be only I and him, and then I started dating Caleb and he got used to him being his father and I don’t know if Jimmy is wanting to accept another father now.” You explained this to Bucky. 
“I want to be a part of his life.” Bucky told you. 
You sighed. “I’m not moving back to New York, and I’m sure as hell not gonna let my kid go on a plane alone, I’ve let you meet him and you decide what to do.” 
“I’m gonna buy a house down here and be here as much as possible.” Bucky honestly wanted to be here for you and his son.
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dejwrites · 2 years
Text
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✧˖*°࿐ quarantine — an engagement ring makes you think about where levi & you stand. ( part 1. part 2. part 3. part 4. her/she pronouns, modern timeline, covid 19 mention, mentions of cheating, profaity, angst, slow burn, reader implied to black, italics means its a flashback, last part inspired by when the party's over by billie eilish )
✧˖*°࿐ tags — @thicksimpx @redsharksimp @wisenerdcreator @ravensleepyeyes @maydayaisha @thatonerandomchick1 @sunkissedebony97 @warmchick @po3ticb3auty
© 2022 dejwrites, please don’t repost & plagiarize work.
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YOU COULDN’T STOP STARING AT THE RING. Each time you open the velvet box containing the supposed secret, it sparkled under the light in the living room. You wanted to imagine that this was just a lucid dream. That if you pinch yourself, you’ll wake up and walk into the kitchen to see Levi escaping away in his office to take a Zoom call. But even when you gave yourself a slight pinch on your arm, you didn’t wake up from this dream. It was reality. Your heart thumped against your chest each time you stared at the ring. Your brain was running with so many thoughts and questions. And your body was in complete shock as you sat in the living room. 
Perhaps your friends knew, they had to know. Levi would have told them. He would ask for advice about it. You grabbed your phone and instantly added your group of friends on FaceTime. Hearing the familiar sound of everyone joining the call made your heart beat a little faster. Maybe you were nervous about the awkward pause that will happen when you bring up the wedding ring. You would have to sit here and think about how you and Levi’s relationship took the sharpest turn. You would have to realize that you most likely had to let him go because a ring wouldn’t fix what is already broken. 
“Hey (Y/N), I heard about Levi possibly having Covid. I got a little care package for him shipped there,” Erwin said.
“Me too!” Hange added.
You were silent for a second before showing them the ring, “Did you guys know? I found this in the nightstand drawer in his room when I was searching for a pair of pajamas for him.” 
“He was going to propose?? And I didn’t know.” Hange exclaimed as their eyes seemed to double in size as they saw the diamond ring.
“You’re not the best at keeping secrets Hange,” Erwin said.
“Oh, so you knew?” Hange and You questioned in unison. 
Erwin rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “Of course. Thought he would have done it sooner. As in a day or two after he showed me the ring,” He sighed. “I guess the company just demanded him immediately.” 
“But that doesn’t excuse his behavior, Erwin,” Hange said. “He was about to cheat on (Y/N).” 
“I’m not excusing his behavior, it’s just you know how he gets when it comes to working. He puts his all into it as if his life depended on it. You guys saw how he was that first month when he became CEO. He hardly hung out with any of us,” Erwin explained.
“Still don’t excuse his behavior. His communication skills freakin’ suck,” Hange said. “But what are you going to do about it (Y/N)? I think you two should talk.” 
“I know, but he isn’t feeling too well right now. Think I’ll wait until he’s feeling slightly better. He was burning up before I found the ring,” You explained.
You saw someone else join the FaceTime call, Mike's face soon appeared on the screen. “You know you have Petra thinking you’re going to punch her in the face.” He said. 
“Good.” You uttered under your breath. You tossed the velvet box containing the ring on the coffee table in front of you while you were laying on the charcoal-grey-colored couch.
“So, what’s the plan (Y/N),” Mike asked. 
You could hear him shuffling around his kitchen. “What plan?” You asked.
“What happens after this? ‘Cause to me, you’re doing more than you need to do considering that you’re still with him in that apartment while he has Covid.” Mike mentioned. “You’ve always been the nicest one out of the bunch,” He adds. 
That was true.
“I just think it’s best if I leave, but first I need to talk to him. Just to put closure to this.” You added. 
“Just do what’s best for you and Levi does what’s best for him.” Erwin sighed. “I got to go though, someone’s at my door.” 
“You’re having company during a nationwide quarantine?” Mike scrunched his face up in disgust causing you to snicker. 
“It’s not that, I’m neighbors with this woman. She owns this bakery and with her business shut down at the moment, she’s been leaving care packages of her baked goods to people on this floor. But we have just been texting each other a lot lately, it’s nothing.” Erwin explained. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion at the collective look he was gaining.
“What?” He questioned.
“Getting involved with your neighbor is messy!” You pointed out.
“I would not recommend it,” Mike adds, sipping out his beer bottle. 
“We’re just being friendly with each other, it’s nothing!” Erwin pointed out.
“Levi and I started off being friendly, you know where that got us?” You asked.
You could hear Erwin’s sigh at the comments he was receiving, “Goodbye, you three!” He exclaimed before hanging up. His face disappears on the screen leaving just you, Hange, and Mike.
“He’s definitely going to hook up with his neighbor.” Hange sighed. 
“Of course, he is,” Mike adds.
“You think so, I don’t recall Erwin being a one-night casual sex type of guy,” You said.
“That’s the thing, he’s not. A woman gives him  pussy and he’s whipped, just like that,” Mike snapped his fingers. “But I’m going to go ahead and hang up now.” He ended the call. 
“Yeah, me too. I think one of the children is on the balcony again. Keep us updated on the talk,” Hange said referring to her cats before hanging up. 
That left you alone with your thoughts and memories with Levi once again. You placed your phone down on the table and once again your eyes went back to the velvet box. You were sure that if the box had eyes, it would be staring right back at you. A sigh escaped by your lips before you closed your eyes, if you concentrated well enough you could muster up what you were going to tell Levi. You felt like you should keep it short and simple just like the way the first break up before you were quarantined with him. 
“I think we should break up Levi.” You bluntly admitted as your finger pushed around the vegetables on your plate. You lost your appetite as soon as he opened his mouth to mention his company. 
You were tired of dinners being centered around work. The nights laying in bed where you felt cold and alone even though your boyfriend was sleeping right next to you. You felt like it was driving you insane every second you glanced at Levi. 
“What?” Levi questioned. He leaned forward in his seat, his hand reaching across the dining room table to caress your hand.
You quickly snatched it away, “I’m being serious Levi. I can’t do this anymore, I can’t do us anymore.” You said with assertion. “You’re never home. You forget date nights. You’re just not here.” You threw your hands up in frustration.
“Y/N, you know I have work. We’ve had this talk all the time.” Levi argued. 
“No, we don’t. You send flowers and think all is forgiven. I wasn’t asking for you to step down from running a company, just please be present in our relationship. So what’s the point of us being together?” You asked. 
Levi’s mouth opened to argue, but he soon closed them. His words are stuck in his throat before he’s using the red wine to swallow them whole. 
“That’s what I thought.” You pushed yourself from the table before Levi’s grabbed your wrist preventing you to walk away. 
When you opened your eyes, you heard some shuffling around in the kitchen. When you sat up, you saw Levi searching for the teabags. A blanket wrapped around his frame as he was attempting to be as quiet as possible. “They’re in the cabinet closer to the fridge,” You mentioned as you pushed yourself up off the couch also being sure to pick up the engagement ring box. 
You could hear him mutter thanks through the medical mask he was wearing. “We need to talk,” You said. “If you want to wait until you get better, I understand. But, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to continue to be here.” 
“No, let’s do it now,” Levi said. 
His voice croaked in his throat as he would walk towards the end of the dining room table. His body slumped down in the chair as he let his fingertips tap at the wooden table. You would walk over to the table and sit down at the other end. “I’m sorry, I know you’ve heard me say it countless times. But I meant it.” Levi apologized. 
“I know, but that doesn’t change anything between us.” You expressed.
“I know (Y/N). I realized that you deserve better. If we continue to fix something that’s broken, it’s eventually going to cut both of us.” Levi responded. 
Your lips formed a straight line before letting out a sigh. “So let’s not let that happen,” You said. You sat up straight in your seat, “Let’s go our separate ways.” 
Silence overcame the both of you. If you listened closely, you probably could hear the clock in the living room tick with each passing second. You looked Levi in his eyes, swallowing the uncomfortable lump in your throat. 
“This is me letting go.” You said.
You found yourself pushing the engagement ring towards Levi. When you let the engagement ring go, you felt yourself let go of the relationship you and Levi once had. You were letting go of the bittersweet memories that you tried desperately to not let slip through your grasp. You pushed yourself up from the table walking towards the room you were staying in to collect your belongings. You dragged your suitcase towards the exit and before you were about to walk out of Levi’s house for good, you turned around to look at him. Just for you to meet his gaze. You could tell he was about to cry, that’s how well you knew the man. 
“Goodbye Levi.”  
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houseofthxrnes · 2 years
Text
Hey Brother.
(Poly!Lost Boys x BigSister!Female!Reader.)
For the lovely anon, really hope you enjoy ❤️💛 and all rights go to the owner 🙂.
I dedicate this to the older sisters of the world, you go girl! ❤️
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"Who's the guy?"
Michael looked up toward the source of the voice, only to see a woman leaning against the wall. You had (h/c) colored hair and your eyes were a stunning (e/c). Michael gulped at your intense gaze, as you turned to one of your brothers for an answer. David smirked.
"Michael, this is (Y/n). Our sister." He introduced, as he took his stride toward his wheelchair. "Older sister." You added, for it was an important detail. You were older than them, way older.
You were there when Max turned them, immediately taking to the older sibling role and rearing them through everything. They began to see you as family and you were happy to be that for them.
Max and you had your fair share of disagreements when it came to them too. It was you who had kept Star's hesitation to turn a secret from him for so long. Back then, you believed she just needed time, like you did. She reminded you of yourself more than once. Just a scared girl, trying to not drown in the wild sea of this new life.
But…you got over it.
You accepted it.
You supposed it was because Star couldn't fathom the killing part. You couldn't really blame her for that. You walked over to Michael, placing your hand out. "Lovely to meet you Michael, hope these guys aren't giving you too much trouble." You teased, sending a wink to the new boy. Michael chuckled when Marko let out an offended "Hey!"
"We're lovely company, (Y/n), I'll have you know." Paul said, his hand raised in a grand gesture. "Whatever you saw, Paulie. Whatever you say." You chuckled. You strode to an old chair situated near David, where you leaned into his ear. "He's the one Max spoke of?" You whispered, sparing a glance to Michael before returning to your brother. David nodded, "The one and only." He said.
While you tried your best to not pick favorites, David and you had a special bond. He was young, confused and frightened when Max brought him to you. David didn't trust you in the beginning, seeing you as another monster in this new reality he had been trapped. In comparison to him then and now, you wondered if they were the same person. You cherished what you had with these boys, each of them more extraordinary than the next. David cast his eyes to Marko, who was too busy contemplating one of his many pigeons. You knew what he was about to say, you only beat him to it.
“Marko, be a dear and go get some food, will you? Our guest must be hungry.” You said. Marko nodded and before Michael could reject the offer, he was already out of the cave.
The conversation carried into the uneventful, you taking a seat near Dwayne. He and you confided in each other more than once, and by the way he scooted closer to you, he needed to say something. With Laddie laid on your lap, you leaned in closer for Dwayne. “What is it?’’You asked in a hushed tone. The brunette contemplated Michael for a moment. “I don't like him.’’ Dwayne offered, making you quirk a brow. Very rarely, in all the years you have known this brother of yours, had he been so blunt about his feelings.
You remembered the countless nights you spent trying to get him to just say something to you. The thought that he probably waited to say this to you, made you feel nice. It felt good to be trusted. You shrugged your shoulders gently, “He seems harmless enough.’’ you said. Dwayne leaned back, his backside hitting the wall. “I've got a bad feeling, that's all.’’ he said, before returning to that brooding silence he so preferred. Your eyes jumped from person to person, your mind trying to process what Dwayne had just said. A tight, odd feeling settled in your gut.
What was not to like about Michael?
He was good looking and eager to please your little group in any way David saw fit.
When Max informed you and David about him, you felt overjoyed to have another member of the family. When he said he wanted to turn his entire family, well that was a whole different ordeal. It was hard enough to convince one person as it was, but an entire family? He had to be joking. You supposed that gave Dwayne’s words some credibility. “Feeding time, come and get it boys!’’ Marko yelled, descending into the cave with cartons of chinese food. You acknowledge a very nervous looking Star, when Marko turns to you, grinning.
“Sis, think fast!’’
He said, throwing one of the cartons toward you. In your daze, you barely caught the thing in your hands. You shot Marko a glare, which only made him laugh even harder. "You ok there, sis?" Paul said, through a mouthful.
"Just peachy and don't talk with your mouth full."
The boys laughed out loud at that.
The night continued with David playing his mind tricks on Michael, which you had to admit, you found his reactions funny more then once. You held an intense gaze on Michael as he drank the blood, hiding a smile behind your hand. Now, your boot clad feet walked the trains tracks, your bike left securely behind you. "What's going on?" Michael asked, earning a course of laughter. David looked to the sky, as he addressed you.
"You hear that, (Y/n)? Michael wants to know what's going on." He said. You breathed a laugh, your arms held out to balance yourself. "I heard. Marko, what's going on?"
"I don't know. What's going on, Paul?"
Paul spoke through giggles, "Wait a minute who wants to know?" He asked, even though it was more than obvious. Dwayne piped up with a quick. "Michael wants to know!" As the six of you stopped near an opening in the tracks. The wood creaked under your combined weight. The underside looked endless, and you felt a smile rise at your face as you felt Michael's heart beat rise.
You stepped forward, colliding with Marko. "Im going first!" He said. "Not anymore, shorty!" You declared. Now, you and Marko were the typical brother and sister pair, always trying to one up each other in any way. He was annoying in the way that only little brothers could be, and you wouldn't change him for the world.
Marko bumped his shoulder at you. "I was here first!"
"Well I was born first!"
Marko opened his mouth to retort, only to be silenced by your stare. It was a sort of authority you exsuded, regardless of your mood. They knew when to listen. The other boys laughed at your shenanigans, and you could tell that Michael was growing more and more comfortable. You turned to face him, "Now that that's out of the way. See you on the flip side, Michael! Wooooooo!" You said, jumping into the opening in the tracks. Marko joined you soon after.
"Goodnight, Michael. Bombs away!"
Paul stepped forward, snapping his fingers. "Bottom's up, man." He said, taking the plundge. Dwayne sent a pair of finger guns before he too jumped. David chuckled, taking his own step on the rails. "Come with us, Michael…"
Now, with your hands grasping the metal tightly, you let out a scream of excitement. With Paul next you, you began to egg Michael on. "Michael! Come on! It's way more fun than it looks!" You said. This had to be your favorite part about being a vampire. No matter how long you lived, stuff like this never seemed to get old. You remembered when Marko did it the first time. He was younger than, and you felt like a proud mom when he succeeded.
Michael took the plunge, making you grin wildly. "Welcome to the club, Michael!" You congratulated, looking at David. He gave you a swift nod, before you felt your hands release and you went diving into the abyss below, tailed by three of your brothers.
As you watched Michael descend, you and David shared a satisfied grin.
"Good job, little brother. Good job, indeed."
The following days passed in a blur.
You hadn't heard anything from Michael ever since he drank the blood. That made you the tiniest bit antsy.
You knew the people of this town, even if they didn't know you.
You just so happened to know that young Sammy had snagged quite the…passionate friend group. The Frog Brothers had to be the most dedicated pair of vampire hunters you had ever seen. You had had only one conversation with them, and that was enough for you to warn your brothers about them.
Children were not to be underestimated.
You paced around the cave, your hands going through your hair more than once. It was an indescribable feeling, the one ever so pervasive in your gut. You avoided the sun spots, dancing toward the shadows.
A prevalent frown had settled on your face as well. Michael has seemed to reject you, and Star was more jumpy and nervous than before. She had disappeared last night , not even bothering to tell you where she was going.
You returned to your portion of the cave, where your brothers were sleeping atop the ceiling. Even watching them do so, sleep evaded you. The worry that gnawed at your gut didn't let you rest. You settled into a rather comfortable rock, staring up at your brothers. They looked so peaceful. You wished they could have this peace forever. The life you all led appeared to have so little of it these past days. Leaning against the wall, you began to listen to the sounds of the cave, having always found such a comfort in the..spaciousness of it all.
The slightest dripping of water, the tiny sounds of pebbles falling to the floor, you listened to it all.
‘’I feel a draft, i think there's something up here!’’
Now that was not a voice you'd thought you’d hear in here.
Your eyes reopened, mind trying to comprehend if it was just a little trick it was playing.
Your body was shielded by the shadows, as more voices began to echo, along with the sound of dirt shoveling. ‘’Check it out, Sam. Come on!’’ the voice said. The gravely nature of it told you everything you needed to know.
You watched as the Frog Brothers and a boy you came to recognize as Sam, emerged from the entrance. Their hands brandished freshly carved stakes, the smell of the wood eliciting a quiet hiss from you. Once had you felt the pierce of those things, and once was more than enough. Your (e\c) observed from your spot in the shadows, mind racing.
Had your heart still been able to beat, it would be jumping out of your chest at this moment. You prayed that these kids weren’t here for what you thought they were.
"I thought they were supposed to be in coffins."
"That's what this entire cave is, one giant coffin." Edgar said, taking a step toward a small ladder Marko was known for using. "They are at their most vulnerable now." Allan said as he handed his brother a stake. "We only have to get the leader, right?" Sam asked.
David.
Your entire body was screaming at you to do something, yet you remained frozen. Never in all your years of roaming this earth, had you felt so afraid. On one hand, you didn't want to hurt these kids, and on the other, they were planning on hurting your family.
Your boys.
The only people with it in this world.
"We don't know who the leader is, so I guess we'll have to kill all of them." Edgar proposed, all too eager to do so. You would have called him a foolish child, as you always had. Edgar was now face to face with Marko. As he raised his stake, you snapped back in control of your body. "Goodnight, blood sucker!"
"NO!"
Pain was such a funny thing.
Some seek it to just feel something, while others did their best to avoid it.
Feeling pain…it was what made one human, wasn't it?
Now, with the stake lodged deep in your side, the pain felt familiar to you.
You screamed as the stake pierced you, sending Edgar and the others tumbling backwards. The boys roared awake, clearly startled by the commotion. "What the hell!?" Marko yelled, his eyes a bright yellow.
The boys jumped down from the ceiling, their faces morphed into their vampiric facades. David gave chase, as Sam and the Frog Brothers booked it out of the deeper cave area. You sighed in relief, just when Marko came to your side.
"Oh shit, sis! What the hell did they do to you?" He asked, voice bordering on frantic. His beautiful eyes began to grow glossy, as the others soon realised what was happening. You chuckled, poking at the stake that impaled you. "Would you look at that, I've been impaled."
"You're joking at a time like this?" Dwayne said, disapprovingly. "Oh lighten up, Dwayne-huh, you always were the more mature of us all." You said, your voice descending into a cough. Your skin began to feel clammy, as a sickening warmth began to spread. Paul was in tears, as he grasped the stake, only to be stopped by you. "No! It'll only make me…bleed out…" you said.
Paul didn't know whether to scream or cry, just by the way your voice began to grow slower. You were the only woman in the world he ever loved. You were his big sister. And now you were…now you were…
"David!" Paul yelled, thinking that their leader could actually do something. As you laid with your boys at your side, your mind began to feel foggy. David appeared back at the cave, clutching his burning hand. His ocean blue eyes fell on your form, his face downcast. "What-what happened-what happened!?" He demanded, throwing himself to his knees to be near you.
"One of those kids got her…do something!"Paul said, his voice desperate. Dwayne stood quiet at the sidelines, while Marko's fists were clenched as he held back his tears. You smiled, beckoning the boy closer. Marko jumped to the chance, taking your hand.
You rubbed his cheek, as he held your wrist with both hands. "Its ok to cry you know…remember what I told you." You said. Marko took a sharp inhale, as his cheeks became wet with those same unshed tears.
He didn't have to be strong all the time. Your words began to play in his head. Marko sat next to you. "David…are you alright…?" You whispered, running a hand through his hair. Usually, he would have slapped your hand away and reprimanded you for ruining his do, but now he didn't dare say a word.
How could you even ask such a question?
"Ill get Max…he can-" David started to say, only to be stopped by you. "No!" You exclaimed, hissing in pain as they all crowded around you. "He will use this against you…and you'll be even more indebted to him…" you said, knowing the "love" your sire claimed to posses for all of you was nothing short of conditional. "He's sneaky like that…besides, I think I've…had my time on this earth…"
"Don't say that…"
"Dwayne…I've been around for so long…I'll admit I've grown tired…" you said gently. David took your hand, placing it on his cheek. He used to do that whenever he would feel nervous, especially when Max put him under control of three other vampires. You were always there for him…
"You've all grown since we met…" you said, looking at Marko. "You've gotten wiser…"then to Dwayne, "... handsomer…" you chuckled, eliciting the same reaction from Paul. "I don't think you need me anymore…" you finalized, your brilliant (e/c) eyes landing on David.
"I think I'll always need you…" he whispered, leaning into your touch. The boys had never seen David this. His eyes were glossy and the way he clenched your hand, it was enough of an indication. All their hearts would be breaking right now, had they even beat.
Your eyelids began to feel heavy, your body began to grow cold.
It was time.
Death was such a tragedy to the youth, yet for someone as old as you, it was a right of passage. A passage into the great unknown.
And boy, was your passage over due.
You read somewhere that there was no greater proof of love than death. So now, in the arms of the boys you loved, their sobs cradling your weak body, you have never felt so loved.
David ran a hand over your face, placing a loose strand out of your face.
It's alright….you can go…
"I'll see you idiots around…?" You said with the last of your strength, earning some small chuckles from your boys.
You blinked, desperate to commit their beautiful faces to memory. Looking at them, you smiled weakly.
It was ok to go.
They could look after themselves just fine.
Even so, as your life slipped through your fingers, you knew that no matter how old they got…
…they would forever be your little brothers.
@empress-writes @fangirl199812 @iloveslasher @jiejie-eonni-onee-sama @fandoms-are-my-friends-1321 @aurelie34-43 @struggling-bee @tea-is-at-8-pm @pat-hockstetters-fridge @jokersqueenofchaos
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bus-stop-to-kpop · 1 year
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Kingdom Reaction #3 - Valentines Date
Requested?: No
Word Count: between 210 - 270 each
A/N: Valentines Day is almost over but I still want to post this. Hope you like it :)
Happy Valentines Day (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ) ~Admin J
Dann: Dinner Date
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Dann invites you over for Dinner, promising to cook all your favorite foods. You can tell he's trying hard by how the table is already set up when you arrive. A new white tablecloth, scented candles and rose petals spread around it.
A promising scent is filling the air as you follow him to the kitchen. It's kind of funny seeing him rush around the kitchen making sure everything is going well, it's hard not to lose track of things in this kind of rush.
"Dann you already added salt to that one." You stop him from pouring salt into one of the pots. "Oh." He scratches his neck kind of embarrassed about his mistake. Honestly he's not a great cook but he wanted to try his best for you. "Let me help." You give him an assuring smile before taking the wooden spoon out of his hand and starting to stir the sauce.
Even though Dann wants to protest in the beginning you tell him it's way more fun to cook together than just watching him, so he gives in eventually and the two of you start preparing dinner side by side.
"Put this on. We don't want your clothes to get dirty. You look really pretty by the way." He helps you put on an apron over your outfit adding in a compliment he forgot to give you earlier because he was too focused on cooking.
In the end the two of you got to enjoy the delicious food you made together, the candles on the table slowly burning down as the evening moves on.
Arthur: Cinema Date
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Arthur would be very sneaky about it, at first telling you he's busy with work there's no way he could schedule a Valentines Date. But that's just Arthur being the little tease he is, because he knows fully well he's gonna show up at your door later to pick you up for a surprise date.
You're shocked to see him standing there with a cheeky smile holding out a bouquet of flowers to you. At first you consider giving him the cold shoulder for making you sad about not seeing him on Valentines Day but the flowers are so pretty you give in.
"I thought you didn't have time for me?" You pouted as you took the flowers from his hand to put them in a vase. "You know I always have time for you." Arthur pulls you into a hug lightly swaying you from side to side.
"Look what else I got!" He pulls out two movie tickets from his pocket with a bright smile. You excitedly jumped, the last few weeks you had been telling him about how you wanted to go to the cinema again, since it's been quite a while.
Honestly you couldn't care less about what kind of movie you were watching. You were just happy you had Arthur right next to you, sharing popcorn and occasionally sneaking glances at each other, smiling like fools when your eyes met.
The original disappointment of thinking you had to spent Valentines Day alone completely forgotten.
Mujin: Painting Date
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Mujin would want to do something artsy, at the end of the date he wants to have something he can look at and remember how much fun he had. So he takes you out to paint.
You're supposed to paint something that reminds you of him, just as he will paint what reminds him of you, but somehow you have no idea how to start. There are so many things that come to mind when you think of Mujin.
"Don't look!", Mujin screeches hiding his painting from your sight line. You laugh at his behavior, he's cute and now you're really curious about his painting.
You start your drawing by adding colors that remind you of Mujin and then using all your creativity to make shapes out of them. As you're starting to get really focused you're suddenly distracting by something wet on your arm.
Mujin is giggling at your surprised expression as you admire the little heart he drew with blue paint. "Oh you're gonna get that back." Dipping your pen into the red paint in front of you you draw a matching heart on his arm, he doesn't complain about it, he thinks it's cute you're matching now.
When you finally show your paintings to each other, your mesmerized by Mujin's painting. It's so pretty. Mujin thinks the same way about yours, as he looks at it with admiration. He'll definitely put this close to his bed so he can see it every morning.
Louis: Arcade Date
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He wants to have a lot of fun with you, so he takes you to an arcade. No matter what kind of game it is he'll definitely try it out with you.
"I can't believe I lost again." Louis whines as he puts down the little plastic gun. You laugh patting his back to cheer him up. Your score significantly higher than his. "There's something wrong with the gun." He complains only making you laugh harder as you lead him away to a different kind of game.
The next game you play is a dancing game and suddenly Louis forgot all about his frustration of losing to you before as he mercilessly beats you at dancing. Even breaking the high score of the machine.
You play all kinds of other games before deciding it's finally time to go home. But you're not making it far as you stop just around the corner at a little claw machine. The little puppy plushies inside are too cute to ignore.
"They look like you." You point out to Louis who doesn't really see the resemblance but he can tell how much you want one of them and the way you excitedly hug him when he makes it after many tries is enough for him to forget about all the money he just spend.
Ivan: Café Date
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You're going to your favorite café, which is holding an event for couples. Not only do you get a discount but you can also take Valentines Day themed pictures at the small photo booth they put up, plus they added some special foods and drinks for the event.
"Do you want to have the strawberry?" Ivan offers you the strawberry from his chocolate tart. You lean forward so he can feed it to you. Ivan's cheeks are glowing red a little embarrassed from the pda, but everyone else around you was busy with their own partners so what was the big deal?
Your eyes light up as you take the first sip of your drink "Oh my god! It's so good! You have to try this." You hold out the drink to him so he takes a little sip from the straw pointing towards him.
Ivan's heart skips a beat and he's unsure if it's because of the indirect kiss or because the drink really is as good as you told him.
The effect even small actions like this have on him flusters him, but it's also exciting and he hopes you have many more of these moments together, as he happily watches you dig into your own tart after offering him a bite as well.
Hwon: Animal Café Date
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He takes you to an animal café. Deciding on the bunny one for this day. As soon as you walk through the door, both of you are gushing about the cuteness of the small animals hopping around. "They're so cute." You squeal shaking Hwon's arm excitedly.
The two of you decide to get some food to feed the animals, before getting something for yourself. It's adorable seeing how the tiny animals swarm around Hwon who seems like a giant next to them.
Hwon bends down to feed the bunnies and you can't help but sneak a picture of the interaction, before joining him. You're having such a great time playing with the bunnies you almost forget about your drinks that you put on one of the tables to make sure the bunnies wouldn't reach it.
That's until Hwon stands up to take a sip. "Do you want to drink too?" He asks. You nod, but gesture to the tiny bunny that had climbed on your lap to signal to him you couldn't stand up. Instead he brings you the drink, even holding it for you as you sip on it.
Before leaving you decide to buy some matching pink bunny ears from the café shop and the picture of Hwon surrounded by bunnies becomes your new lock screen.
Jahan: Home Date
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The two of you decide to stay in for Valentines day being the most comfortable being alone with each other. Ordering all your favorite foods you have a great dinner.
Afterwards starting a round of Wii bowling. "How do you keep on getting Strikes? What's your secret?" You pout pointing at the Strike banner once again coming up on Jahan's turn. You're pretty sure you cant even close in on his score anymore, no matter how hard you try.
He laughs at your outrage before handing over the controller for your turn and sitting down to watch you play, "You have to turn your hand while throwing." He explains but there's still three pins standing after your try. They're standing in a literally impossible position.
After a few more rounds you decide it's enough competition and you settle down under a blanket on the sofa before pulling out Animal Crossing. You visit each others islands and show each other around explaining certain design choices and also the other presents.
There's some light music playing in the background as you cuddle closer into Jahan's side, you put down your switch a while ago now you're just watching him play. It's not much or anything special for a Valentines Date but it's a beautiful time for you because you get to spend it with Jahan.
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hellfirehaley · 2 years
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Strange Love: An Eddie Fic Chapter One
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AN: so this is my first fanfic in like seven years, I made the decision very early on that this story will be a slow burn and I’m really hoping you guys like this. This chapter was NOT beta tested (since I don’t have one). Please let me know what you think in the comments or message me. Thanks to all who supported me through the writing process.
WORD COUNT: 4311
Songs mentioned: Smokin In The Boys Room by Motley Crue
Chapter two: https://hellfirehaley.tumblr.com/post/691146960664690688/strange-love-chapter-two
August 18, 1985
BRRING BRRING BRRING
The alarm goes off and you groan, smacking the top of the unwelcome reality check. It was the first day of senior year and you were ready to get it over with. High school was already hell on so many levels: between having to live up to your brother Leonardo’s perfection of prom king, full ride scholarship to Northwestern thanks to good grades and multiple extra curriculars, played basketball and baseball and was popular among everyone. Leo left last month for Evanstown, Illinois to go live in a house with his buddies so it was just you, your mom and Norm; a 3 year old mutt you had rescued from the shelter last year. You heard Norm whine beside you, signaling it was time to get up. You get  up, stretching in the process, heading to your door to let Norm out. You needed to get ready and your mom would take care of the dog for you.
Once in the bathroom, you turned on the radio and let whatever was on the radio play on while you sang along. You had decided to tease your curls slightly and sprayed it into place with Farrah Fawcett’s signature hairspray (Steve would KILL you had you used Aquanet). Your nails were already a metallic purple color that you decided to match with your purple denim skirt, a Blondie t-shirt and your brand new black and white Converse before adding your accessories (rings, necklaces and a few jelly bracelets).
You decided you were ready so you grab your backpack and head down to the kitchen, seeing your mother already up having coffee with some eggs and toast. Things were rocky with your mom a few years back but it feels like things have been patched over. It was rough seeing your mom hurting so much because of something your father did but you were hurting from it too so call it a trauma bond; call it family; call it whatever you want, you were just glad you still had one parent who gave a shit about you. It was simply because she loved you and wanted the best for you but you had to admit the overbearing tendencies along with her ridiculously high expectations were a lot. She was a hardworking woman with a career as a nurse so she was gone most nights, making mornings and after school the only real time you saw each other. 
“Morning sweetheart. Are you excited for your first day back?” she asked, sipping her coffee while you made your own. 
“I’m excited to see my friends but otherwise I feel pretty normal about it. Is there some kind of magic that I’m missing out on that was supposed to turn me into a peppy American girl?” you ask, gathering supplies for your lunch. You heard your mom laugh at your response.
“No. I just remember my senior year well and I want you to have some memories to look back on with Robin and Ali. I mean we did everything under the sun. I remember going to all the games with Susan and Karen, bonfires, prom, getting my college acceptance letter to University of Indiana, meeting your father…” she trailed off at that thought. You could almost see her slipping back into the darkness that once consumed the petite woman swirling around her thoughts.
“Yeah mom, that’s exactly what I need right now: a high school boyfriend. You forget who you’re talking to here.” you said, tossing a slice of bread in the toaster.
“I’m talking to my beautiful, brilliant, witty, wonderful daughter. You can do anything sweetie if you put your mind to it.” she said encouragingly as the toaster pinged out your breakfast. You grab your slices, joining her at the table, smearing butter along your toasted bread.
“I know Mom. I know how important this year is, especially after last year. I won’t let you down.” you vowed remembering the months long depression thanks to the simultaneous breakups of both your parents marriage and your own 3 year relationship with your boyfriend. You checked the time, finished your toast and grabbed your lunch bag, going to your mother’s side. “I’ll see you when I get home okay mom? I love you.” you say hugging her. She hugged back sending her love to you as you walked out the door, backpack in tow. 
 The drive to school was mostly quiet except for the sounds of the radio filling the void. You were super excited about seeing your girlfriends Ali and Robin. You and Ali had been friends since you moved to Hawkins in third grade. She immediately befriended you and the rest was history. You guys stuck together through a lot: puberty, first loves, first heartbreak, your high school careers and recently the changes in your family dynamic. She was the sister you never got. A few months ago you guys had become good friends with Robin Buckley and Steve Harrington.
Steve and Ali were “strictly friends” but to anyone who didn’t know them would say they are together. They bantered like husband and wife, pushed each other out of their comfort zones and even coparenting the kids you used to babysit for: Dustin Henderson, Mike Wheeler and Lucas Sinclair. You mainly spent time with Dustin since you lived four houses down, his mom would often have you look after him when she needed  a night to herself. You didn’t mind at all since Dustin was a sweet kid and you had a lot of common interests like nerdy movies, comic books, reading fantasy novels and one summer you even guested on their D&D campaign.
When you got to the school, it was already buzzing with excitement as everyone was finding their group or recruiting/ harassing freshmen. You couldn’t help but wonder what would happen this year. Would it be easier than last year? Last year you went through hell, barely passing your junior year but you knew they only passed out of pity like some charity case. But you were determined to get the hell out of Hawkins, away from the judgmental eyes. You pulled around to the back of the school and parked by the football field, enjoying your last few moments of peace. You put on your walkman headset and pressed play, the sounds of Heart of Glass played as you got out of the car, coffee in hand and backpack slung over your shoulders.
You found Ali, Steve and Robin sitting under a tree with Steve sitting behind Ali while he talks to Robin about something. Ali, in all her pink hair glory, was nibbling on grapes while the rest of her face was hidden by the book.
“Ali it’s the first day. It’s a little too early to have your nose buried in a book,” you say announcing yourself once you’re in earshot. 
“Says the girl who always has her nose buried in the same book; I’ll take it as a compliment.” Ali retorted, not even looking up from her copy of Christine by Stephen King.
“Touche. So how are we on this fine morning?” you ask, sitting in front of Robin, taking a sip of your coffee from the Thermos.
“Doing better than Danny Baker. He tried to ask out Jenny Daniels after 15 minutes ago and got rejected.” Robin said, exaggerating. You laughed along with everyone else, imagining the poor junior boy asking out a senior cheerleader.
“And this is why I hate popularity.” you say remembering last year.
“Yeah take it from me; it's nothing more than an overrated beauty contest.” Steve said, running his hand through his brown hair. 
“Plus we have each other. Nothing can touch us this year.” Ali said, matter of factly, putting her hand in for an “All For One; One For All” style handshake. You, Steve and Robin put your hands in, pushing them down and lifting them above your heads.
“So what’s the plan for this weekend ladies? Movie night? Arcade night? Wanna go see the new Living Dead movie?” Steve inquired, stealing one of Ali’s grapes and popping it in his mouth.
“Definitely not that but a movie night does sound nice.” Ali said, folding her page and putting it down.
“I’m so in for a movie night. Who wants to host?” Robin said just as they all look at you simultaneously. 
“Well then,” you said laughing, “I guess I’ll host, Saturday night after work sounds good to everyone?” you inquire as everyone agrees.The bell rang and Steve waved bidding you ladies goodbye as he walked to his car. The three of you continued towards the building, exchanging class schedules. You had English, Chemistry and Calculus together and the classes went on like clockwork. Introductions from each other, having to introduce yourself like you haven’t known each other your entire academic careers, listening to syllabi, some “light homework” to see where you’re at/get to know you. Before you knew it, it was lunch time. You stopped at your locker to drop off your backpack, needing only your home lunch and your walkman since you knew Robin and Ali were going to be chatting about something the entire period. You walked into the cafeteria and it was like nothing had changed; every clique sat with their proper herd. You found Ali and Robin sitting at your usual table with some band geeks and “inbetweeners”. But this time you saw three familiar young faces sitting with the girls. The curly haired boy was  wearing a Thinking Cap hat, a Weird Al shirt, khakis and some Reebok sneakers. The longer haired boy was wearing a striped shirt, jeans and Converse and the afro haired boy was wearing a blue shirt, jeans and Nike sneakers.
“Ah I see we picked up some stragglers along the way to lunch did we ladies?” you say smiling as you walk up to the table and all three boys smile seeing you.
“Y/N!! Holy shit! We haven't seen you in like a month. How are you? Dustin exclaimed, excited to see you.
“I’m good Dusty. Just been working and helping mom around the house. How are you? Everything going okay on your first day boys?” you say, sitting down in front of them. From the tone of your voice, your motherly instincts come out. You had this protective tenacity about the boys, especially after everything they went through these last few years. 
“Nothing major. Just calling us nerds, fresh meat. No locker shoving yet.” Mike said, smirking at the end before he bit into his burger. 
“You let us know if it gets too bad. Also, Mike, what happened to your style?” Ali asked, taking note of his outfit for the first time that day.
“Don’t; just don’t. Mom went to the mall last minute and came home with this, guilting me into wearing it” Mike warned. You almost laughed at him but were cut off by a new voice joining the conversation.
“Well that explains a lot. And here I was coming over to invite you boys to the most badass club in Hawkins but your mom bought you that outfit from The Gap?” You looked up and saw a boy you were familiar with. Eddie Munson. He was a senior last year and really pissed everyone off because he was loud and proud of who he was and what he believed. He ran against the status quo and didn’t wanna conform to high school norms. He had long curly hair that almost seemed to have a life of itself with its unpredictability, wore a customized leather jacket with a denim jacket over it, covered in patches of bands he liked. He always wore the same rings and metal jewelry to complete his outfit. Today he was wearing an Iron Maiden t shirt, jeans, white high top Reeboks and his jacket. He was known as the school “freak” who everyone bought their ganja from. He’s a third year senior and from what you had seen, he always looked out for the misfits. He was almost like a Hawkins Peter Pan, looking out for the lost boys and girls; giving them a found family and friend group. Getting lost in his brown doe eyes, you zoned out a good portion of the conversation but based on what you saw, you noticed the boys seemed to trust the metalhead and as much as every nerve was yelling out at you to Mother Hen them, they were young men now and completely capable of making their own decisions. 
“So what do you say boys; wanna join Hellfire?” the man inquired, standing behind the boys with an arm around each of them. He looked at you and smiled, winking. You smiled back, taking a chip from your bag. “That is if you ladies are okay with me stealing away your company.” he said looking between the three of you, taking extra time on you. You look at the boys and they are practically begging you to say yes.
“Well I suppose we could make due. Besides, you won’t find a finer artificer, ranger or Paladin to join your party my good sir.” you respond smiling as the three boys lit up. Eddie smiled as well, standing up and notioning to his table 
“Welcome to Hellfire. Come meet the rest of the party.” He said enthusiastically. The two boys grabbed their stuff saying their silent Thank Yous as they made their way to their new table. 
“Well at least the kids are fitting in.” Robin noted, seeing the boys be introduced around the Hellfire table with huge smiles on their faces.
“Yeah I’m happy for them. They need some friends outside of themselves and I think it’ll be great for them to branch out.” you add, taking a bite of your sandwich.
“Wait til Steve hears who they befriended though. We will get a classic Harrington melt down.” Ali said laughing at the thought. You and Robin joined in imagining the stern look on his face and his signature pose: hands on his hips in disappointment.
“Now THAT I will have to see. Please make sure we are there for it.” Robin begged. The conversation turned to plans for the rest of the day. You all had work tonight (Ali and Robin at Family Video and you at the local music store your uncle owned) so you wouldn’t be able to hang out properly until Saturday but promised to talk tonight after work. The bell rang and you all headed to Chem.
Your last class creeps up on you before you know it. You get to class and find your seat in the middle of the back row. You loved English but hated sharing how you felt about a certain piece of literature, especially when half the class didn’t care about it. The class started filling up and Mrs. O’Donnell started her welcoming speech which felt like a lecture thanks to her long, droning, drawn out tone of voice. A few minutes into her syllabus overlay, the door opened and revealed the same long haired boy from lunch. Everyone looked up at him and then back to the front.
“Mr. Munson, so glad you could finally decide to join us.There’s one seat left next to Ms L/N. She will be your peer editor this year so please take your seat in an orderly fashion.” Mrs O’Donnell scolded pointedly, rolling her eyes as the boy saluted her walking to the seat on your right. He settled in as Mrs O’Donnell continued her lecture. You try everything to pay attention but you find yourself doodling on your notebook humming to whatever song comes to mind. Before you knew it, the boy to your right started to tap along to your humming. You looked over at him, thumping his pencil along the beat with your humming, his hair getting in his face as he drummed.
“Sittin in a classroom thinkin its a drag listening to the teacher rap just ain’t my bag. by the two bells ring, you know it’s my cue…”
“I’m gonna meet the boys on floor number two. Smokin in the boys room; smokin in the room. Now teacher don’t ya fill me up with your rule…”
“Cause everyone knows that smoking ain’t allowed in school.” you sang in a loud whisper together. You looked up from your finished doodle (a black inked rose). You looked up to see the long haired boy looking at you with interest. 
“Motley Crue huh? Didn’t see that one coming.” he said with a smirk. He was very intrigued by the girl who knew things about Dungeons and Dragons and metal but was also pretty and nice to him. Was this a prank? Is someone fucking with him?
“Oh I’m full of surprises. I’m Y/N” you say, offering out your hand. 
He takes it and brings it to his lips, pressing the lightest kiss to your hand. “Eddie. Pleased to meet you. So how do you know the freshmen?”
“I’ve been babysitting Dustin ever since I moved to Hawkins and I grew to love the little nerds. I meant what I said earlier at lunch by the way,” you said kindly as he smiled.
“I know. If there’s one thing I’ve gathered about you so far is that you’re honest. Not a lot of people are.” he said trailing off in thought. It was almost like he was in a memory for a moment. You got the feeling that Eddie hadn’t had much experience with genuine human beings and the thought of that alone made you wanna know more about him. 
“Well I will always be honest with you. For example: I really dig how you don’t give a fuck about what everyone thinks about you. You run to the beat of your own drum,” you admit, laughing a little at the end imagining him dancing to a heavy beat.
“Always have. ‘S nice to have someone appreciate it,” he said, pulling a hand through his hair. You smiled at the nervous reaction. It was a cute sight to see such a confident man turn into a school boy even for a moment just because you complimented him.
“You’re a contradiction ya know?” Eddie said, breaking your thought process. You look at him, now finding yourself interested in his opinion of you. “Oh? Pray tell.”
“You’re a semi-popular girl wearing a Blondie shirt and screaming Cyndi Lauper but here you are humming Motley Crue. I gotta say I’m intrigued by a woman of your stature.” he admitted.
You chuckle a bit at his comment, pushing a fallen piece of hair out of your eyes and behind your ear. “Yeah some people call it an identity crisis but I simply just like what I like and people can fuck off if they don’t get it.” You said simply, shrugging your shoulders for effect right as the bell rang. Everyone else was ready to go and rushed out of the classroom while you gathered your things into your backpack.
“So Smokin In The Boys Room is your actual favorite Crue song?” Eddie asked, grabbing his notebook.
“No not by a long shot; fit the mood though don’t ya think? My favorite is actually Wild Side because it’s the song that got them started and as much as it is a metal song, if you listen close enough, you can almost hear a punk song,” you admit, slinging your bag over your shoulders.
Eddie pondered this for a moment, genuinely impressed by how passionately you spoke about music and why it made you feel a certain way. It almost made him wanna find that tape and see what he was missing. “Hmmm that’s an interesting approach L/N. Never thought about it that way.”
“Let me know your thoughts next time I see ya,” you say walking out of the room.
“That I can do,” he replied, walking side by side with you. “However, you have to listen to one of my favorites for me; it’s only fair.” he said, his brown eyes almost sparkling at the thought. 
“Okay Eddie, name it. I’m not scared of a little metal like most of the girls in this school.” you say walking towards your locker, Eddie at your side still.
“Well let’s keep it in theme shall we? School Daze by W.A.S.P. One of the greatest bands to ever rock a stage.” He said proudly. You smiled at him. Of course he was gonna start you off on one of his favorites.
“Okay you’re on. Give it what a week to gather proper thoughts and continue this conversation?” you offering smiling still as you got to your locker.
“Sounds good to me. Until next week m’lady.” He said, tipping two fingers like he was tipping his hat to you as he walked away. You couldn’t help but smile widely about the interesting boy that was a social pariah, considered a freak but really was a cool guy trying to get through senior year. Just like everyone else. You had to admit he was really cute with how sweet he was to you but you were sure he was like that with all the girls. I mean you guys just met today.
You didn’t even notice Ali and Robin coming to your locker until one of them said “Earth to Y/N” Hellllooooo. Are you in there?’ You shook your head, clearing your mind.
“Sorry. I got in my head for a while there.” you said, blushing a little.
“We noticed. Would the reason why start with Eddie and end with Munson.” Ali probed, having seen the last part of your interaction. It took everything in you not to blush more.
“No. Besides, we were just talking about music. Nothing too serious.” you say nonchalantly.
“Yeah but Eddie Munson doesn’t talk to just anyone. Sure he talks to his friends and his ‘clients’” Robin said, air quoting clients.
“Didn’t you say something similar last summer when you guys became friends with Steve Harrington?” you countered, pointing out the unorthodox friendship between them and the older boy, “Plus it’s not a big deal. He seems like a nice guy and he’s my peer editor for the rest of the year so it’s better we have a friendly demeanor as opposed to just not saying anything.”
“I’m just saying it’s cute is all. I can see the potential.” Ali said, hugging her books into her chest, shrugging her shoulders.
“Yeah Y/N, it’ll be good for you to put yourself out there again. Especially after–” Robin started to say before you cut her off.
“AH! AH! We do not speak his name. We swore never to speak his wretched name ever again after that night.” You say in a rush.
“Okay, okay. Calm down dude. When SLIMEBALL did The Thing. But girl, you deserve the world and as your best friends, it’s our job to ensure you get just that.” Ali finished.
“Speaking of, when are you finally gonna admit your feelings for Harrington?” you joke, poking Ali in the ribs.
“Oh fuck off. You already know I’m too shy and he will never see me like that.” Ali whined, leaning her head back in frustration.
‘Woman you have six kids together. He calls you Mom; you call him Dad. You’re basically married and skipped all the steps in between,” you exclaim laughing at the end.
“She’s got a point,” Robin pointed out.
“But you see the sea of women lined up for even a chance to date Steve Harrington. I don’t wanna become one of those girls.” Ali said.
“You won’t be because you know why? You’ve got us and we’re gonna make damn sure you have a kickass boyfriend by year's end.” Robin vowed
“I second this motion,” you agree.
“You guys are assholes,” Ali groaned as you exited the school.
“We know but you love us,” Robin said, scrunching her face up.
“Yeah yeah yeah. We gotta get to work otherwise Steve will blow a gasket working a double.” Ali said, sighing. You all nodded and said goodbyes, promising to talk tomorrow first thing before heading separate ways.
The drive home was unmemorable with the radio playing whatever mundane Top 40 song was popular. Your mind is occupied with the events of the day; mainly Eddie Munson, the boy in the Iron Maiden shirt, leather jacket and ripped jeans. The boy who seemed to see you and was interested in you for reasons other than your past. You got home and immediately were greeted by your dog Norm. He was the most loyal, protective and loving dog so you guys had named him after you and your mom’s favorite resident drunk on Cheers!
“Norm!” you exclaim like they did on the show, seeing as that’s how you had greeted him since he was a puppy. You pet him while he excitedly wagged his entire body along with his tail. Norm really was the light of your life.
“Let me get changed and we will go on our run okay boy?” you inquire, scratching behind his ears, earning a bark of approval. You bound up the stairs and change into some spandex shorts, a baggy t shirt and your running shoes. You walk over to your cassettes and grab your Ramones tape Road To Ruin, get it loaded in your walkman and head back down downstairs to get Norm’s leash. 
“Ready boy? Let’s go!” you say after you leashed him up, opening the door to let Norm out first with you on his tail locking the door behind you. Running usually cleared your head and kept you centered, at ease but today you kept thinking about that curly haired boy in sixth period.
Taglist: @realeddiemunsonstandup @sharkbaitouhaha @eddies-blunt @awkwardlioness @bobbiewritesstuff
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lilover131 · 1 year
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Clear Card Chapter 71 Analysis
I’m back! Happy March everyone! I apologize for the delay in posting this analysis! I’ve had some personal stuff going on that has kept me quite distracted, but I finally buckled down and got this done! I sincerely appreciate the patience of anyone who was waiting!
 This chapter definitely has a much warmer vibe (although bittersweet) than last month’s, so here is my gif of the month for this chapter.
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Without further ado, let’s talk about it!
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The color page this month is relatively simple and shows Sakura standing while surrounded by the many different outfits related to the Two Alices play or “Alice in Clockland” depending I guess on which timeline it is. It’s nice to see all of them in full color now (which certainly helps with fanart. Haha), however something about this image definitely gives me the vibe that there is more to come in regards to this. I don’t think they’re done with the original timeline just yet.
 The chapter begins with a typical Sakura morning as she runs around frantically getting dressed due to oversleeping. A friend very quickly pointed out that the house actually has an entirely new section added to it that wasn’t there before, and this is very likely Akiho’s room.
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I find it really comical that Suppi mentions how Sakura absentmindedly turned off both her alarms and went back to sleep. If you saw it happen Suppi, then WHY DIDN’T YOU WAKE HER UUUPPPPP? Lol. I am somewhat surprised though to see Suppi there (though I guess I shouldn’t since they were seen to be there for the end of the play), because the original reason he and Nakuru showed up was because things were happening in Japan. I wonder what the reason is for their arrival in this particular timeline? Is it just a visit, perhaps to see the play or meet Sakura’s twin? In that case, I wonder if Eriol and Kaho are there as well, since they couldn’t travel before due to the risk of Kaito bringing the plane down.
 Can I pause for a moment too to talk about how cute Sakura’s new uniform is? I love the all black look (even the ends of the sleeves are black now instead of white), and the addition of the leggings is just so freaking adorable!
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Sakura comes down to see Akiho cooking breakfast, and it warms my heart to see her actually cooking. That was something she wanted to learn before to cook for Kaito (they’re croqueetteeesss toooooo), so to see her doing it independently makes me think of what could’ve been had she continued to learn in the other timeline. I think over time, she would’ve turned out to be a great cook, so this new timeline pretty much proves that. The narration from Sakura explains next that Akiho had bad health since she was little and that she spent a lot of time living with their great grandfather for treatment before recently moving back in with them. I’m not entirely sure why it was necessary for her to move for treatment, but I doubt CLAMP will go into any detail about that because that would probably introduce more plot holes or headaches for them to try and cover up. Hahahaha. I suppose it really isn’t important anyways, but I actually am really happy for Masaki, their great grandfather. He was devastated losing Nadeshiko, so I bet having Akiho around probably made him really really happy. Maybe this also means that Fujitaka and him had a better relationship to start, but I’m not entirely sure what the implications of that is.
 Speaking of Fujitaka, in the next page, he arrives downstairs and greets the both of them. He eats alone with the girls since Touya had an early morning shift and one after class too (jeez this boy never stops working), but Fujitaka is eager to try what Akiho cooked. He tries it and immediately loves it, and the way Akiho just lights up after being praised for her cooking is just so precious.
 It’s explained how Akiho transferred to her school that year and was in the same class (just like in the original timeline), and despite having been separated most of their lives, Sakura is looking forward to making a bunch of happy memories with her to make up for the time lost. This reminds me a bit of how Syaoran was turned into a toddler after Sakura wished they would have met sooner. But Syaoran reminded her that they had a whole future to build happy memories together. 
 The two of them start walking to school, and as it starts to snow, Sakura becomes and overly protective older sister and starts wrapping her scarf around Akiho (who already has a scarf) to keep her nice and warm. Hahaha. Akiho asks if Sakura will be cold now without her scarf, but she insists that she’ll be okay and that she doesn’t want Akiho to get a fever. Honestly, I love seeing protective Sakura. Normally, it’s everyone else around her protecting her, but seeing her on the other side is just so freaking cute.
 Tomoyo naturally appears shortly after and commends Sakura for being such a good big sister, and Akiho mentions how she’s been feeling better than usual and not feeling any pain (oh lord, she’s been feeling pain? Poor thing…). Sakura and Tomoyo both say they will look out for her if anything changes, but Sakura adds on that Akiho is very precious to her. Tomoyo comments that maybe a sister complex runs in the family, and that one honestly made me laugh pretty good.
 When Sakura arrives to school, Syaoran is there waiting for her and the two talk about how cold it got overnight. After being asked if she was under the weather at all, Sakura answers that she is doing just fine as well as the cards. She mentions talking to the Mirror card the night before, and this seems to confirm that the Sakura cards are back with her, though in this timeline, I’m not sure that Syaoran would have ever taken them away. This does call into question though whether the Clear cards still exist or not. Somehow I have a feeling they do but are floating in some place cut off from time (maybe in the book where Kaito likely is?).
 Syaoran asks her why she wanted to talk to the Mirror card, and she tells him that she has been pondering on the thought of telling Akiho about everything that happened while they were apart, including her magical adventures. Syaoran thinks this would be shocking for her (though doesn’t seem to imply in any way that this is a bad idea), but Sakura thinks that even if she was shocked by it, that Akiho would likely believe her (I mean, it wouldn’t take much to convince her since you could literally show her). Syaoran seems somewhat saddened by the thought that she can’t use magic, but Sakura focuses on how Akiho is a kind and very strong person (girl, you have no idea). She’s asked if she trusts her, and Sakura answers that she does, to which Syaoran comments would make sense since she’s her twin. But Sakura states that even if she wasn’t her sister, she would trust her, and that time together isn’t always needed to help know how one feels.
 Syaoran smiles at her in understanding, and Sakura blushes (naturally) before mentioning that she would also want to tell her about him, such as the day they met and how he always came to her rescue. She finishes by saying she wants to tell her about the “most important person in her life”, and lord I can’t help but swoon a bit at this. And just when I thought my heart was already bursting at this cuteness, they knock it up another notch by holding hands and touching their foreheads together, and OMG I CAN’T DEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL.
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It's so nice seeing them be able to touch again, but I just absolutely adore the way these two show their love to each other. It’s just so pure and warm and *clutches heart again*
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 Sakura talks about how she hopes too that Akiho can tell her all about her most important person, and it’s at this point that the pain comes back. Lol. Kaito’s absence really does hit hard with these words, but there isn’t much time to ponder on it before Sakura is suddenly thrust into the dream world and sees…the cloaked figure.
 Admittedly, I was not at all expecting this whatsoever, especially in the middle of such a sweet scene, but omg the hyyyyyype. I feel hyped because it feels like it’s one step closer to things ramping up again. But I gotta say…when the hood came down, my jaw pretty much dropped. Hahaha. It’s LILLIE!!! She’s younger in appearance it seems, and she claims that she is there to meet Sakura in a dream. I am so so so curious to see what all of this is about and what it all means. Why is Lillie younger? Is this a dream from Lillie’s past (dreams after all bend the rules of time)? Or has she been reborn in a new life and is now the same age as Sakura and Akiho? I really want to know the implications of this timeline on Lillie’s existence, but obviously I’m just dying to hear what it is she has to say. My hope is she has a way to save Kaito, but I suppose we’ll just have to wait to find out.
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There are definitely lots of questions to be answered, and I hope CLAMP starts doing so in the next month. Until next time everyone!
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cherryblossomsenpai · 2 years
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Haiku
Hello! This is a request for my dear Emma-chan! Happy Birthday to you! I'd like to apologize if I went off script and mixed up the poetry part, I'm not fully confident in my poetry skills (they might be lowkey cringe, forgive me). >.<
Quick Note: the poetry is indented.
Tanjiro x Poet!Fem!Reader
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My dear remembrance Of a season that's passing. Goodbye, autumn leaves.
"It's very short!" Rengoku commented before returning the piece of paper to you, "I've never read poetry so short before."
"It's a haiku, sir," you explained, "It's supposed to be three lines where the first has five syllables, the second has seven, and the third has five again."
Your Master blinked a couple times, staring far into the distance before finally saying, "I see..."
The wind passed by, blowing about a few golden and auburn leaves. One landed atop Kyojuro's head, and as he examined it, he bellowed, "Now I understand why you wrote that! It's going to be winter soon!"
"Yes!" you beamed, clasping your hands together.
"Well, enough of poetry for now, dear pupil," he began, rising to his feet, "Your training shall resume!"
"Yes, sir!"
To say you were exhausted after training was a huge understatement. Your muscles burned and ached. Your head pulsed and your lungs felt like they were being squished to oblivion! But you trudged on, making your way over to the bathing area to treat yourself to a nice, steamy bath.
Finding your Master and the Water Hashira, Giyuu, conversing together. Talking about how your training has been coming along, while Giyuu stares off into the distance.
"So how has your Tsugoku been?" Kyojuro asked, "The redheaded character with the scar!"
"I have a Tsugoku?" Giyuu muttered.
There was silence for a moment. Kyojuro stared at Giyuu. Giyuu stared at Kyojuro.
They were both unsure of how to continue the conversation.
"Hello, Master! Hello, sir!" bowing politely to your seniors, they lowered their heads in reply.
"Giyuu!" Kyojuro was quick to change the subject, "My student has introduced me to a form of poetry. Are you familiar with haikus?"
"Yes," Giyuu answered. You waited for him to continue, but he left it at that. A slight nudge to get the ball rolling seemed appropriate. So you offered to show him a few poems you'd written.
"Perhaps I could come up with one of my own!" Kyojuro began, humming as he furrowed his brows in thought, folding his arms over his chest.
"You are next to me..." he began, "The Water Hashira, himself...This is my haiku."
Neither of you had the heart to tell him he had added one syllable too many. Clapping for him, you and your Master turned your heads to Giyuu expectantly.
Giyuu pondered for a moment. And then he spoke:
"The sea is rising. Falling are the sands of time. I am not afraid."
"I never knew you were quite the poet, Giyuu!" Kyojuro proclaimed.
Poetry was always a safe topic to return to whenever conversations went stale. Giyuu was surprisingly well-versed and poetic. He had an almost romantic sense about him when it came to these things. Although Kyojuro had good intentions, his poetry skills were just a bit...rusty. So you found yourself turning to Giyuu whenever you had completed a piece, or needed help on a line.
Needing a word that had exactly two syllables that followed the flow of the possible poem you had stuck in your head, you headed over to the dark-haired man, suddenly catching notice of another person standing by him. It warmed your heart to see that Giyuu had seemingly made a new friend, judging by how the redhead was smiling.
A smile that suddenly made your heart flutter the closer you walked to them.
The stranger turned to you with soft, wine-colored eyes, wearing a green and black checkered haori.
"Hello," he greeted, smiling warmly at you.
Your heart thumped violently.
"Hello," you murmured, knees threatening to buckle.
"Have you brought another, Y/n?" Giyuu asked, "Or did you need a word?"
You'd forgotten whatever it was you were going to ask Giyuu about, your mind going completely blank.
"A word?" Tanjiro raised a brow.
“It would seem you’ve finally met my Tsugoku, young Kamado!” Kyojuro announced, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.
“Rengoku! Sir! Nice to see you again!” Tanjiro declared, bowing politely to him.
“Are you finally going to train your Tsugoku, Giyuu?” Kyojuro asked.
“I’m your Tsugoku?” Tanjiro inquired, pointing to himself. Giyuu only shrugged.
You stifled a snort.
“Perhaps I shall intervene,” Kyojuro muttered to himself, “Come, Y/n! Come, young Kamado! If you’re up for the challenge, I’d like to test your skills!”
“Yes, sir!” you agreed in unison.
You were amazed by Kamado’s determination. While most others dropped within the first few minutes, he had pulled through, rising whenever he stumbled with newfound strength.
And even though your Master had pinned you two to spar with each other, the redhead was so careful. You prayed that the heat that spread across your face could be excused by the rigorous training.
Taking a break under the generosity of a tree, sharing a drink as well as a nice lunch, you made more proper introductions of yourselves.
“You’re a great Slayer, Y/n!” he praised.
“You are, as well!” you returned the compliment, “You’ve gotta be a really strong person just to survive Kyojuro’s training, and you handled it so well!”
A light pink dusted Tanjiro’s cheeks. A crooked smile formed on his face as he fanned himself off with a hand.
To say you were inspired by this chance encounter seemed a bit…underwhelming. Scribbling with fiery motivation, you were eager to share this piece with Giyuu.
Beautiful sunset The sun and the ocean meet A perfect balance
“This one is my favorite so far,” you beamed as Giyuu finished reading. He hummed in response as he nodded.
"Did you find some kind of painting or book about the ocean that gave you inspiration for this one?" he asked.
A heat rose to your face as you stammered, "Um...no...I didn't." He raised a brow, but he didn't press on any further.
Your Master wasn't so clueless. He understood the lingering glances you spared the redhead, understood the reason behind your flushed face, understood the cause behind the tremor in your voice whenever you and Tanjiro conversed.
Sometimes he'd catch you by surprise just as you finished a new poem, the notebook or piece of paper you had been writing on being tossed into the air in your shock. He'd catch it, of course, it'd be terrible if your hard work flew away or met its fate in a small pool of water.
Each poem sweeter than the last. Heartfelt confessions and lovesick affections. He had no experience in matters of love, he was far too busy a man for such things. But that didn't mean others had to have the same views as he did.
"Perhaps you should share these with young Kamado," he began, returning the latest poem to you, "They are addressed to him, after all."
"That'd be way too embarrassing!" you squealed, "Besides, what if he doesn't feel the same way?"
Kyojuro struggled to contain the truth inside himself. Honesty is the best policy, but admitting someone else's feelings is wrong! Bouncing his leg up and down, he declared, "You'll just have to take that leap of faith! I believe in you, my student!"
With that, he stood and hurried off. You were confused by his sudden dismissal, and the realization dawned on you.
How did he know these were all inspired by Tanjiro?
"Hello, Y/n," Tanjiro greeted, scaring you out of your skin. Your heart really shouldn't be able to handle such accelerations in one day! Slamming your journal closed, you returned the greeting.
You tried to keep your conversation as normal as possible. Discussing training routines. Laughing about the latest shenanigans Inosuke and Zenitsu had put him through. The awkwardness disintegrated by the time you had to leave for another round of training. Saying your goodbye's, you failed to notice the journal you had left on the bench.
Before Tanjiro could call out to you that you had forgotten it, you had already disappeared. No matter, he could just return it to you the next time he saw you.
A rarely known fact about Tanjiro is that...well...he's quite nosy. He's read Yushiro's journal before (and never again will he read it, he swore to himself), and that nagging curiosity made his fingers quiver with excitement.
Of course, he had his own things to take care of, so the only time he had to read through it was when he visited Nezuko at the end of the day. The soft flickers of the candle gave him just the right amount of lighting to read through the pages.
When Nezuko opened her eyes and gently pressed up against her brother, he was happy to tell her about his day, as well as read her a few of your poems.
Nezuko was quick to giggle mischievously, pointing from the poems to Tanjiro, knowing that the author meant for it to be a direct reference to him.
"Do you think Y/n would be upset if I wrote one of my own on one of the empty pages?" he asked her. She shook her head.
His crow arrived at dawn to notify him that he had a new mission. But Tanjiro knew he had to return your journal first. With his box slung onto his shoulders, he made his way over to you and bashfully returned your book to you, apologizing as he confessed that he might have read through it and written a few of his own.
You were too stunned to speak. And as his crow tugged on his sleeve and screeched in his ear to hurry and depart for his mission, Tanjiro waved and bid you safety as well as a good day.
With shaky hands, you practically tore through your journal in search of Tanjiro's poem. Heart threatening to burst as his was written directly under one of your own.
Can you hear the song Of devotion in these lines? Listen carefully.
I hear it calling Gently like the summer rain. How may I answer?
You never took Tanjiro as the one to tease. And, to be fair, his response wasn't meant to come across that way. He can just be a bit too straightforward. An accidental romantic.
However, when you received a letter from your Kasugai Crow a few days later to find it was a torn-out page from your journal, it took you a few minutes of encouragement from your Master to gather the strength to read it.
Included with the page was a small note that read:
I’m very sorry! Nezuko really liked this one and brought it with her! May this reach you safely,
Tanjiro Kamado
Eyes nearly falling out of their sockets as you held your breath to read whatever haiku he had added to yours.
Gentle affection Brews itself between us two. It threatens to spill.
Allow it to spill. Allow it to cascade down. Let this ocean form.
79 notes · View notes
iheartsapphics · 2 years
Text
Mi Anhelo Por Ti
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julieta madrigal x fem!reader
tw: topics and scenes of physical abuse
the sounds of wet mud and breaking twigs beneath your feet seemed to be muted by your increased heartbeat. the stinging pain that arose in your ankles only increased, but that didn’t stop you from running how you have been for almost a day. it looked like you just came from war. dirt covered your body along with dried blood and bruises.
“i have to keep going,” you thought to yourself.
you were unfamiliar with your surroundings and extremely tired. the heavy bag you carried only added to the exhaustion. this is the moment you’ve been waiting for. the second you stepped out of that house had felt like a weight was lifted off of your chest. your now ex-husband would miss you, but you sure as hell wouldn’t miss him.
you saw a large structure in the distance between the trees with lights. where there’s lights, there’s people, where there’s people, there’s-
“a town?”
you began to slow down in an attempt to catch your breath. the sun had been almost fully submerged by the darkness and you knew you couldn’t stay the night in the forest again. thankfully, the structure you saw wasn’t too far of a walk.
as you exited the forest, you were welcomed by many bright lights and colorful buildings. the people seemed to be busy with their own thing, some selling food and clothes. the aroma of arepas and various other foods filled your nose. you were so caught up in running you didn’t realize you were hungry.
then you realized all of it. the pain in your ankles, the blood running down from your lip down your neck, the screaming headache and urge to pass out. and that’s exactly what happened. you’d been running for so long nonstop without any source of energy- of course you’d pass out.
———————————————————————
“ay, isa! go check if the arepas are done warming up.”
you’d woken up to a sort of warmth and someone touching you. your eyes could hardly open, but when they did the first thing you saw was a beautiful woman above you. she seemed surprised that you’d woken up but continued what she was doing.
you winced as the warm, damp cloth gently rubbed against your wounds. your bruises ached and you felt sick. the other seemed worried from the wincing and put down the cloth.
“are you okay, hon?”
“where am i?”
noticing you were laid on a bed, you sat up carefully and looked around. the room was painted with little animals and the alphabet, along with what seemed to be different types of fabric laying around. a couple candles were lit on a nightstand by the door to give some light.
“i suppose you deserve an explanation. this town is Encanto. i’m julieta madrigal, and you’re in the madrigal house.”
a confused expression formed on your face.
“are.. you not from here?”
“lo siento, no. i arrived from a couple towns over. i’m y/n y/l/n.”
the older woman appeared to be surprised. she took a guess what was town you were talking about and had no idea why you would leave. she realized it wasn’t exactly her place to know, and then someone else walked into the room.
an obvious younger girl who looked to be in her twenties. she carried a plate with multiple arepas and handed it to julieta.
“thank you isa.”
“no problem, mama.”
the girl examined you with an intrigued expression on her face. she was dressed with a flower dress and her hair was beautifully done. she left the room to let her mother continue what she was doing with a sigh.
“who was that?”
“that’s my daughter, isabela. she’s actually the one who found you lying on the road.”
you suddenly remembered what had happened. you ran away from..him, and ended up here in Encanto. it was such a tiring journey due to all the running and adrenaline from escaping.
your stomach made several noises as you held it in embarrassment. julieta formed a smile and let out a slight chuckle, putting an arepa up to your lips.
“here, eat it.”
you took a bite and a burst of flavor entered you mouth. you quickly finished the arepa as you watched your several wounds heal. what was this? magic? it was something you didn’t know about due to being closed off for so long. you didn’t question it since the relief of feeling better washed over you.
you suddenly took the woman’s hand in yours which caused her eyes to widen a bit, a soft pink blush covered her cheeks.
“gracias. i really appreciate your kindness.”
“ah, it’s nothing. i do this on the daily.”
a deep voice called julieta’s name. it sounded angered and stern, causing her to jump. with her hand still attached to yours she squeezed it gently. it was a habit of hers when nervous.
“i’m sorry- i’ve got a few things to take care of tonight. mama said earlier you’re able to stay the night and we’ll continue with what to do in the morning.”
she got up, brushing off her dress. you took this as an opportunity to examine her better. she had glowing tan-skin and her figure was fairly average. you could tell she was shorter than most and the way she walked was elegant. she made her way to the door and spoke before closing it.
“welcome to encanto.”
the door closed and you were left on the bed with the few arepas still on the plate. you quickly finished them as you let out a sigh laying back down. you were very tired and relieved to finally feel a bed beneath you. you closed your eyes and began to fall asleep.
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farfromstrange · 2 years
Text
Foreigner's God: Chapter 4
Main Masterlist
Pairing: Matt Murdock x OFC
Chapter Summary: It's time for the legendary Stark Party to turn some heads - and Tony does, just not in the way he's supposed to. Once again Eliza has to fix his mess, though this time it seems there is no space for rehabilitation.
Warnings: shit-ton of angst, trauma, panic attack, alcohol consumption, this almost made me cry writing it and it's not going to get any better from here on
Word Count: 19k
Read Chapter four: "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" here on AO3!
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Got back safe. See you tonight! Can't wait.
received 4:23.
This is Matt, by the way. 
received 4:23.
Thank you :) See you tonight x
sent 4:24, read 4:24.
“What’s got you so excited?” Pepper asked from behind the chair Eliza sat on. 
She stopped giggling at her phone screen and looked up at the woman, her neck bent at an uncomfortable angle. “Nothing,” she claimed. “Just a funny video Pete sent me, is all.”
She clicked her tongue. “Uh-huh.”
“What? It’s true.”
“I know.” She still carried the same knowing grin. “I was just teasing. Relax.” Her hands caressed her shoulders with slightly more pressure, feeling the knots underneath the skin and the hot fabric of her bathrobe.
Eliza slumped back in the chair. “I’m sorry,” she was quick to say. “I’m just a bit on edge. This whole party makes me all shaky and stuff. I’m not as okay with it as I look on the outside. You know I don’t hate them, but I hate the fact that Ross and his judgy politician friends are gonna be here.”
Pepper hummed. She dug her fingers into her tense shoulders with delicious pressure. It hurt, but other than that Eliza felt oddly relieved when she began to massage the stress from her muscles. “You don’t have to worry,” she said. Her face appeared in the mirror and she stared into her eyes with a smile. “It’s all gonna work out. We’re just going to have some drinks and then Tony will make his speech and then after that, we can enjoy the party.” Her fingers ran through the mess of hair on her head. 
She leaned back, though the sentiment only lasted for so long. Pepper pulled out the hairbrush to untangle the curls. She was never a gentle hair stylist. 
“Now, why don’t you tell me how you want me to do your hair, huh? Are we feeling more feminine today or do you want me to tie everything up in, like, a straight ponytail or a bun?”
Eliza grunted. “I don’t know how I’m feeling,” she admitted. “But I guess you can keep them open. If you take those annoying bitches in the front and braid them so you can tie them together at the back, it’d be great,” she told her. 
The woman had the strands already parted before she was done talking. “Like that?” she asked, demonstrating. 
“Yeah, that’s perfect.”
“Alright. Are we gonna use a normal clip or the butterfly one?”
“You even have to ask?”
“My bad.” Pepper reached for the dressing table. The lavender-colored clip was indeed shaped like a cute little butterfly. Specks of gold decorated the wings. It fit perfectly with the outfit Tony picked out for her. “Butterfly it is,” she said. “What’s the Russian word again?”
“Babochka.” Eliza smiled. “Butterfly.”
“Babochka. I have to keep that in mind for the next language lesson that you’ll give me. I don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. I want to know what the people around me are saying.”
“You mean you wanna spy on them?” She raised her eyebrows. 
She shushed her. “You’re never too old to learn new skills,” she said. “Now, let’s see what I can do for you tonight.” 
The night came soon and subtle. Eliza had to give it to Tony, the golden pantsuit did wonders to make her feel confident. The fabric fit perfectly where it was supposed to and fell loosely down her thighs. He even added in a low-cut top that hugged her curves. The designer must’ve added a few inches - the top itself didn’t look like it was made to be worn that way. With the jacket though, she had never looked better, and she’d worn many high-class outfits before this one. 
She got Happy’s issue with the employees sorted first thing after she came back to the compound. By the time darkness rolled around, the chaos had settled down. The ‘A’ on the front shone brightly from the outside of the compound. The sustainable energy that supplied the building put all the work into keeping the Avengers’ trademark burning. What had once meant the world, now meant nothing at all.
Tony asked for a red carpet leading up to the front door and fairy lights instead of the big spotlights he used to demand at every event. Properly planning an event wasn’t one of his strong suits. He tossed in the idea, demanded everything, and then sat back as he expected the work to be done for him. 
“Eliza,” she didn’t even hear Happy approach behind her.
She stood by the big window, looking out at the decorated driveway. Employees added the last finishing touches. Somewhere in the distance, reporters pulled up in their vans, ready to crowd behind the barrier to catch the upcoming guests off guard. With everything finally calmed around her, she almost forgot the seriousness of the situation.
“Hey,” she said.
”Have you seen Tony?” he asked.
Eliza grew suspicious at the nervous undertone in his voice. “Have you checked his office?”
“Yeah.”
”Dressing room?”
“Yeah, checked there too.”
“Pepper?”
“Would I be here if I hadn’t done any of those things you just asked?” The crease between his eyebrows was deeper than usual. Happy always worried too much, but the depths of the crease were seemingly endless this time around, and that never represented a good thing.
“I don’t know where he is,” she told him. Her voice wavered. “The party’s starting in half an hour, he’s gotta be somewhere.”
“I checked everywhere!” Happy cried. “I can’t find him. Pepper can’t find him. He’s supposed to give a speech a-and open the floor, but he’s not where I asked him to be.”
“I haven’t seen him since this morning. Are you sure you checked everywhere ?”
“As long as he’s not hiding in the fridge, yeah, I’m sure.”
“Jesus!”
“Yeah, he did that once. I had to pull him out of there, drunk off his ass with a Martini in his hand, but he still managed to deliver. Anyway, we need to find him. Soon.”
“Wait, he was in the fridge?” she asked. “How did he get there?”
“Does it matter?!” he said. “This can’t be happening.” He was sweating. She saw the stains on the soft blue shirts as he threw his arms up over his head. “I thought tonight‘s gonna go flawless. We did everything according to plan. That idiot-“
“Hey,” - Eliza gently placed a hand on his arm - “I’m gonna go check. You greet the guests, alright? I’ll look for Tony and make sure the room is entertained until he’s back. We can do this. This ain’t the first time. There’s more on the line now, yeah, but that’s not on you. I have to fix this.”
She didn’t have to fix anything. She swore she wouldn’t make it her responsibility anymore, but when did she ever get what she wanted? 
“You’d do that?” Happy asked.
“You’ve been stressed all day. The least I can do is take some responsibility.”
She dedicated her life to taking responsibility. Once, she associated the noun with what she was forced to do in the past, but on this day, Sokovia and Lagos stood high in the sky, and she had to take responsibility for the tragedies the Avengers caused in the name of ‘good’. After New York, the team had never flown higher. They never learned how to fly, but you don’t need to know how to use your wings when you’re levitating. No one prepared them for the fall they would take - big publicity meant more space for delusions of grandeur. The Avengers flew straight into the sun, some more than others, but in the end, they all carried the fault one way or another. It wasn’t just on one person, in particular, the Sokovia Accords, and what happened after was everyone’s doing. The consequences of their actions. Icarus. 
Eliza suffocated under mountains of pressure as the clock came closer to reaching eight pm. She searched every last inch of the compound. The rough edges of her heels dug into the skin on her soles and the back of her calves. She leaned against the wall to take a breath – walking in these shoes was a whole workout – when she heard it. Somehow, she ended up in the basement, between boxes and old memories. 
“Who’s there?” she asked. She didn’t get an answer. Turning the corner, there he sat, on an old armchair between moving boxes and furniture.
“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me! Tony.”
He looked up from the half-empty bottle of Scotch in his hand. “Shit,” he said. “I’ve been caught.”
She stepped further into the dimly lit hallway. “What are you doing here? Everyone’s been looking for you. The party’s starting.”
“Already?” He checked his watch. “It’s eight. No one’s on time at a party, especially not me. You know that.”
“This isn’t a joke!” Eliza said.
Tony laughed. He emptied the glass, then stood. He tried to, mostly. He was shaking.
“You’re right, it’s not,” he said. “You’re the only one who’s allowed to laugh about crappy situations. Got it.”
“Are you seriously drunk right now?” she only stared at him blankly. The loss of words reached its breaking point. She was at a loss for everything - words, sounds, feelings, everything. She was just numb at this point. Numb and furious.
“You know what, I am. I’m sick and tired of pretending everything’s fine. Look around! This place is a dump. You know this?” He kicked over a box that stood to his right. The metal inside clanged loudly as it came rolling to the floor. 
Eliza looked at her feet. She could recognize the circular object anywhere. Painted red, white, and blue with a white star in the middle – it was a national treasure. The sign of someone standing for the nation, not against it. 
Tony scoffed bitterly. “Captain America,” he stated. “Turns out that piece of vibranium my father made for him doesn’t make him a better person after all.” 
“Why is it in a moving box?” she asked. 
“To think he got the ball rolling in the first place because he just wouldn’t listen…”
“Why is Steve’s shield in a moving box?” 
“You know, he was my friend too. We got along great before the whole Lagos debacle. I left him alone with you guys for one second and there he goes! He only did the mission because he was still holding a grudge. I mean, he was right to take Rumlow out, but at what cost? The kid barely knew what she was doing. No one taught her how to control her powers. You guys raised hell with that one. I don’t know if Steve failed to train you or if you just weren’t ready. Wanda surely wasn’t.”
“Would you stop?” Eliza growled. “This is my friend you’re talking about!”
“You always say ‘they’re my friends’ whenever I criticize any of them as if that makes what happened any better. People died, Eliza,” he said. His eyes drilled sharply into hers through his glasses. “I agreed on the Accords because I wanted to do a good thing. I made a compromise. I thought it would do us some good to finally have some control. People died and it was our fault! The Accords were supposed to help prevent something like this from happening again. And then-” he pinched his brows. “And then we somehow landed in Berlin and we did exactly what I didn’t want us to do - fight each other. We destroyed a perfectly good airport in the process. Tell me, do you think I was wrong to agree to the Accords? If you care so much about your friends, why didn’t you go with them?”
“You know it’s not that easy, Tony. I made the conscious decision to believe in the purpose behind the Accords. That doesn’t mean I hate Steve and everyone else now. We disagreed on one thing. A big thing, I give you that, but it was still just a disagreement, not the end of the world.”
“Well, you make it sound like you made the wrong decision and now you’re stuck with me. Maybe it’s the killer in you, or it’s the part of you that’s so obsessed with wanting to be someone else - I don’t care! I feel like you don’t want to be here and it’s driving me fucking crazy.”
She threw her arms up. “Maybe I made the wrong choice!” Her voice echoed. “Maybe I should’ve gone with Steve,” she said. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter now anyway because I’m here, no one else is. So you can go cry about how I have some valid regrets about how things went down and maybe, just maybe, have a slightly different opinion than yours, or you can pull your shit together and we can try again.”
“Why?” he shot back. “My words mean nothing. You tell me I don’t listen, but have you ever heard Rogers listen to anything I have to say? I don’t think so. And look where that got us! Look where it got them !” 
“Jesus fucking Christ, Tony!” she called his name louder this time. “I know you’re drunk, but the shit you’re saying hurts.”
Fresh tears pricked her eyes. The black eyeshadow used as eyeliner already started to disappear around the edges. All of Pepper’s work was about to be washed down the drain. 
Tony pointed his finger at her. “You hurt me first,” he said with his whole chest. His voice broke, it cracked like a fragile vase, and the anger stuffed into the four words bubbled hot like the water from a geyser. 
“ I hurt you ?” she asked. “First it was Steve, now it’s me, seriously?” 
“You all hurt me! Every single one of you and you didn’t even care to ask how I’m feeling about any of this stupid shit.”
“Is that why Steve’s shield is in that box?” Eliza pointed to the ground where the contents of the carton lay splayed out.
“He doesn’t deserve it. Doesn't need it now anyway,” he said. “So I’m having it shipped out.” 
He reached for the shield, but she put her foot down. He didn’t stand a chance against her strength. She used all of it. Her eyes darkened. “No.”
“No?”
“You’re not gonna ship it out,” she said. Her voice itself was a warning. “This is who Steve is – or was. Either way, it’s not leaving the compound. Not if I can help it.” 
Tony pulled at the shield again. “That’s not your choice to make, you realize that, right? You’re not in control here.”
“Steve was my family! You’re not taking what little I have left. I don’t care if it stays in the basement, but you’re not taking Steve’s shield.” 
“ I’m your family, too!” She launched back. He seemed to realize soon enough that the tone of his voice was picked poorly. He stared at Eliza and she stared back, dead tears in her eyes. He sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said. 
Eliza breathed heavily. “Fuck you!” she said. Her throat tightened. 
“Fuck me?” Tony scoffed. He pointed to the other moving boxes around him. “Alright, fine. If you want to hoard their stuff, go ahead!” God, he was so bitter. “I think Romanoff also left some stuff here. Knock yourself out! Less trash I have to take out.”
She exhaled shakily. The air burned in her lungs. She hugged Steve’s shield tight to her chest. The scratches from their fight were still fresh on it. “What happened to you?” she asked quietly. 
“Honestly? You guys did. And now I’m here and have to stare at all the shit they’ve left me like I’m a masochist who likes to torture himself. This stupid party was a mistake.”
“You can’t just pull out now.” 
He was one walking mess, worse than her, and he didn’t give a single fuck.
Her heart filled with rage and pain, so much pain. So much blue, so much red. She could see her colors floating around, but there was no fix for the way she felt. No power in the world could take away the disappointment she felt. She had to suffer through it. This was her curse, her personal hell, an endless fire pit with no rope to the other side. 
Tony snapped his fingers. “I can,” he said. “I fucking can! Do you know why? It’s my party. I could stop this all if I wanted to. Send Ross back to whatever hellhole he crawled out of. I don’t care. I just want to be alone.”
She snapped. “That’s not your choice to make!” With the high audacity of her voice, the shield flew out. The vibranium grazed his neck and landed in the wall behind him, set in stone. She panted. “You can’t just say that shit and believe the world spins to your beat! It doesn’t work that way,” she said. “It’s not just your life that’s on the line here. You have money, you have houses; I have nothing. Rhodey has nothing. Peter is a child who looks up to you. We have absolutely nothing but each other and you want to ruin that for us? You want us to crumble the way you are right now? Is that really what you want us to remember you by? You want us to be mad and spiteful until you die one day, or one of us dies?”
“Don’t!” he shot back. “ Don’t pull the kid into this.”
“You pulled him into this, not me. You’re lucky no one knows who he is. What you need to do is prove to everyone and him that you’re the man everyone takes you for. You’re a role model, Tony,” she said, teeth bared. “You’re supposed to be the man that children look up to. Peter looks up to you. You pulled him into war and now he looks up to you because you made him something. You’re his idol. Just this once, act like it.”
“That’s not gonna happen.”
“I don’t care what you want, Tony! I passed that point a couple of minutes ago when you blamed me for your suffering when you know damn well you’re not alone in this lake of misery. I just need you to have some common sense and get that stick out of your ass because damn you! I tried to make this work. I tried to make amends and fix this. I couldn’t. You couldn’t. No one could. This fucked up situation is why we’re here today in the first place. You agreed to this. There was a time when you were still happy to be doing this. I don’t give a fuck if you mean it or not, just try to be normal for one fucking night. That’s not too much to ask, is it? If not for me, do it for Pepper and Happy. They love you, for whatever fucking reason. This is important to them. If you don’t come out, they’re gonna be so fucking disappointed. I can’t have you let them down like that.”
“Why do you care?” he asked.
“I don’t. I care about my friends though, and they care about you. I’m not gonna stand by and watch you hurt them. Before that happens, I’ll tie you to a fucking stick and put you where everyone can see how miserable you truly are. Maybe then you will finally grow a brain cell or two.”
“You,” - he wiggled his finger - “are bad. Insufferable. I can’t believe this is working.”
“Don’t.” He looked at her and all he saw was emptiness, a face too consumed by disappointment to show anything else. “Drop the bottle,” she told him. “Straighten your tie, get that speech into your thick skull and then join the party like you’re supposed to. I’m not gonna ask again. Also-“ she tore the shield from the wall. Pieces of broken cement rained down. “Don’t you dare touch this,” she said, the warning sounding more like a threat. “You get rid of this and we’re done, understood?” 
Tony sighed. He lessened the distance between them. “For your information, Eliza, I was never going to get rid of it,” he said. “I was just going to store it in one of the empty safe houses until I found a use for it.”
“Oh, really ?”
“Yeah, but nice of you to assume that I’ve never really cared about any of you. It truly lifts my spirits.” 
And then he left, without uttering another word to her. He might have been drunk and bonkers, too, but he had a point. Not even Tony in his worst moments of anger would’ve thrown away all their memories at once.
The speakers played a soft nineties tune in the background, voices slowly filling the ballroom to the brink. People swarmed from all sides into the beehive and got offered drinks and conversation. The clicking of high heels mixed with the high echo of dress shoes.
Eliza slipped from the darkness into the crowd. The current dragged her down. She inserted the earpiece to inform Happy about Tony’s whereabouts. He wasn’t pleased, but he showed her his gratitude. She straightened her jacket. 
The guests didn’t pay attention to her. They found the interior of the compound more interesting than the party itself. After some time, she lost count of familiar faces. She met most of them at least once, but there was still a handful that she didn’t recognize.
The barkeeper smiled at her. “Drink?” he asked.
She switched eyes between him and the crowd. “Me?”
“Yeah, you. You seem pretty lost. You wanna drink?”
He dug through the crashed ice before him.
“Yeah,” she said. “Drink sounds great.”
“What’s your poison, darling?”
Eliza almost hissed at how sharply and easily he flirted. He was only a few years older than her, brunette, dressed in shades of brown and a pair of suspenders. His hair was fluffy, not slicked back. Rings covered his slender fingers. Hipster was the first word that came to mind, the second was ‘attractive’, at least conventionally so. Not quite her type but nice to look at.
She walked over to the bar. “Tequila, neat. Without the salt or the lemon. Just straight-up tequila, please.”
“That bad, huh?” he cocked an eyebrow.
“You have no idea.”
“Alright, tequila coming right up!”
He poured the clear liquid from the bottle into one of the crystal glasses she’d helped move upstairs earlier. His fingers handled the liquor skillfully. He played with the bottle, tossed it around, circled it around his head before he turned it, and allowed the hard liquor to run into the glass. 
Eliza chuckled, yet she couldn’t fight the urge to roll her eyes at his desperate attempts to make her smile. The chuckle was dry. She didn’t feel like smiling. She would’ve laughed if he’d dropped the bottle, but other than that, she didn’t feel like anything other than getting drunk.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Eliza,” she said.
“Eliza. That’s a nice name. You’re one of Stark’s, right?”
The familiar burn of alcohol ran down her esophagus. “Unfortunately,” she said.
“I’m Benji,” he introduced himself. “The bartender.”
“Nice to meet you, Benji, The Bartender.”
“You too, Eliza. Can I make you anything else? Snack, maybe?”
“I’m good with drinks, for now, thanks.”
“Well, if you want to drown your sorrows, you know where to find me.” He slapped the counter. A couple stood at the other side of the bar, waving for him to take their order. 
Eliza stared into the glass. The blurry picture of exhausted eyes stared back at her. She dreaded the evening more so than ever. 
“Eliza.” The voice speaking her name in such a sweet, unique manner made her smile. She left the empty glass on the bar, quick to turn around and greet the man.
“T’Challa!” she said. It came more out of surprise than anything. “I mean,” - she dropped her voice - “ King T’Challa.”
He clicked his tongue. “Nonsense! Come over here.” The strong arms wrapped around her. “It is nice to finally see a familiar face.”
“It’s nice to see you. Been a while since we last met.”
“Yes, the circumstances of our encounter were a lot less… pleasant, I believe. But I’m glad we’re over that now.” He pulled away from the hug. He always smiled without care, his most valuable quality. “Tony Stark has invited me and my family to the party,” he stated. She followed his opened arms to the bar again. “I’m afraid my sister and mother couldn’t make it, but I am here today for all of us.”
“He really wants this to look as convincing as possible,” she said.
“I know this is more for Mister Stark’s sake than for ours, but I didn’t want to miss the chance of seeing you again. We parted on a slightly bad note the last time.”
Eliza scoffed, her head nodding out of instinct. “How is he?”��
T’Challa smiled. He didn’t need to hear the name to know. “He is good. Ever since we woke him up, he’s been talking about you and Captain Rogers. I’m not sure he enjoys it very much, but the children like him,” he said. 
Her voice dropped. “That’s something,” she said. “Say hi to him for me when you get back, will ya?”
“Of course. I think it is going to make him happy to know you are doing alright.”
“I’m alive,” she corrected him. “Far from alright but I’m here, I’m breathing. You can tell him I’ve got it all under control and that he doesn’t have to worry.”
“I will. He tells me he is sorry for what he did.”
“I know, he told me too.”
“And he’s also sorry you had to choose sides.”
“We all are sorry for so many things. Doesn’t change what happened. We have to make the best out of it now.”
“I believe you are right,” T’Challa said. “You are wise, for your age. That makes you a valuable partner. If this night goes well, perhaps you would appreciate a trip to Wakanda, eh?”
Eliza raised her eyebrows. “Really?” she questioned. “You wanna invite me to your home?”
“I’d love to have you in my home. We take family and friendship very seriously in Wakanda.”
“That’s nice.”
Benji came around again. He asked T’Challa for his choice of drink, to which he answered, “I’d like one of those beers you Americans like to drink so much.”
He handed him a bottle and fixed up another glass of tequila for Eliza. He left her behind with a wink that could’ve meant many things, but the most obvious choice was also the least preferred. The pair stood at the bar, indulged in their drinks and the faint sound of conversation. Their topics weren’t limited to Berlin or Wakanda, which was nice because finally, for a few minutes, her mind revolved around something other than the danger waiting in the darkness for them, without the weight of the past on her shoulders.
She laughed at something he said. “Sounds like your sister and I might just get along,” she said.
“I think you might be right,” said T’Challa.
“Perhaps I’ll take you up on your offer after all. When this is all over, I’m gonna need a vacation.”
With this, she didn’t mean the party. He wasn’t aware of what her life had come to. He would’ve understood if she had told him, he was wired that way, but this wasn’t Wakanda’s fight. This was hers, maybe even Daredevil’s if she squinted and ignored his overprotective personality. She had so much to worry about, so much that was still open, left to do. Hydra wasn’t a casual topic of conversation to throw into the ring while having drinks at a party. 
“That would be lovely,” his voice sounded through her strain of thought. “We can cook a nice dinner and then I’ll take you on a trip around the city.”
She smiled. “That sounds lovely.”
He clinked his glass to hers. “I’m glad we agree.”
Eliza let her eyes trail across the room. She sensed them before they even walked through the door.
Foggy didn’t lie when he said they’d look fucking dashing. The man himself chose his best grey suit for the evening. He paired the outfit with a pink tie and pink dress shoes, which, to be honest, made her stare a little too long. He knew how to dress to impress.
Karen chose something blue. The dress fell down her long legs like a second skin. She braided half of her hair to the side, revealing her pale neck and the golden earrings she wore. The woman was beautiful, yet her hands fiddled awkwardly in front of her torso as if she was more than uncomfortable.
Their partner though – Eliza choked on the tequila. “Shit!” she cursed under her breath.
If she hadn’t been convinced of Matthew Murdock’s endless ability to get every person in a ten-mile radius into bed if he just so much as smirked at them before, she sure as hell was now. The man walked in and instantly sucked all the air out of the room. He knew what he was doing, she could see it in his face. His suit was black, the deepest shade in existence. The edges shone like acrylic in the slightly yellow lighting. He replaced his tie with the perfectly tied fabric of a bow around his neck. The white button-down strained against his chest – he chose the tightest size simply because he could.
The women in the room ogled him. Their husbands hardly paid attention to them, almost balls deep into the younger halves of younger guests. The female population was left reading the room and damn it! Once Matt walked in, Eliza could’ve sworn she heard at least a dozen panties drop. Her fists clenched around nothing. The reflex came out of nowhere, tensing her muscles in every inch of her body. Her jaw locked tight.
The music moved into the background. The crowd of people parted in the middle and the spotlight fell on the man on the other end of the ballroom. She saw him stand there in all his glory, the world around him just supporting actors in his movie. He smirked as if he could see her as if he could hear the beating of her heart loud and clear. The light danced in colorful hues around his body, reflecting off the red glasses, his face captured perfectly in the radiance of his aura. 
She let her arms hang loose, staring at him. She eyed every inch of his body closely. She took in the way he moved, the way his suit crinkled as he walked. Time was a construct. Every second ran by in slow-motion. The room was dead-silent, frozen in place. The light opened a path towards her. It didn’t make sense. In some way, he saw her. Not with sight but in a metaphorical sense, which ran even deeper than whatever feelings she associated with the man before. He managed to scratch part of her she never even knew existed.
T’Challa chuckled next to her. His voice dug through the cotton that silenced all sounds. “Are these friends of yours?” he asked.
Eliza blinked. The crowd exploded. Matt disappeared. He wasn’t fully gone, just casually making his way through the abundance of people, hand tightly wrapped around Foggy’s bicep in fear of getting lost or trampled over, the other cradling his cane like a lifeline. 
She licked her dry lips. The entire area of her mouth transformed into the Sahara desert. “Kinda,” she said.
T’Challa cocked his head. Her voice came merely as huffs of air, vocal cords straining against nothing. She was in no way tied down, though she felt suffocated. The chokehold this man had on her was immaculate, just like the sound of her two heartbeats. She felt the control just slipping from her fingers the closer he got. 
It wasn’t even out of the question that Matt Murdock was in full control of her right brain – she wasn’t thinking anymore at this point. There was no nice way of saying this. She was physically infatuated with this man. Of course, she’d been attracted to many people in the past, but this went beyond saying ‘I’m attracted to you’. Her body was obsessed with him. The second he walked in, her heart dropped and every ounce of her body reacted in a disgustingly hot way.
Eliza nudged her left brain to jump in, and be rational, but her right brain was too focused on the man now before her to even consider acting compliant with reality. She straightened her shoulders, putting the mask back over her features.
“Eliza!” Foggy said. He waved, only a few feet away. “Hey, found you.”
“You found me,” she agreed.
“Bring it in!”
“Oh-“ he wrapped his arms around her. “Okay. This is nice.” She patted his back.
“It’s so nice to see you again.” He was way too cheery. His arms loosened and he stepped back again.
Karen smiled warmly. Something changed on her face. The reservation from before had vanished. Her blue eyes matched her dress. This time, when she looked at her, there was a soft glint in them. She was letting her guard down to prove to Eliza she could trust her, that she was willing to try again. 
Eliza smiled back. “You came.”
“Turns out Foggy was right,” Karen said. “This party doesn’t seem so bad. It’s, uh, nice to see you again, Eliza.”
Foggy didn’t even give them a chance to indulge in conversation. “This place is amazing, holy shit!” he gushed. “I’ve never been somewhere with this many doors, man. Or rooms. Or lights. Or cameras. Or people. Ever. I still can’t believe it. Wow. To think Captain America was in the same room once is so fucking cool.”
“Well, I’m glad you like it,” she said. 
“He hasn’t stopped talking since we got into the cab,” Matt chose to chime in. He smirked, eyes crinkling behind the glasses as if he knew exactly how she was feeling around him. “Nice seeing you again, Eliza.”
Eliza tried to casually lean against the bar. “Hi,” – she moved her hand from the counter to the back of her head, then back to the Mahagoni; honestly, she didn’t know what to do or how, she couldn’t even breathe – “Matt- Matthew,” she said. “How are you?”
He titled his head. “I’m fine,” he made it sound more like a question. “How’re you?”
“Good, good. Yeah. I’ve never been better.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Better now that you’re here. All of you, I mean. Not just you, that would be weird.”
“Okay,” Matt chuckled.
Change the subject. “You guys look great!”
“Thanks,” Foggy said, beaming like a child. “I was waiting to get this bad boy out of the closet. You look smoking too though. Can’t believe you’re not the center of attention already.”
Eliza snorted. “Well, thank you.”
Karen rubbed her knuckles. Her eyes fell on the man next to Eliza. “Uh, who’s this?” she asked.
“Shit!” she cursed again. “I forgot. This is-”
T’Challa only chuckled. “It’s alright,” he said. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is T’Challa, I’m a friend of Eliza’s.”
Karen took his hand with a smile. There was the ghost of a blush resting on her cheeks. It could’ve just been the heat though.
“Karen Page,” she said. 
Foggy gaped at the man. “T’Challa as in-“ he closed his mouth again. “Oh, my god!”
“Please, none of this.” T’Challa motioned for him to rise from his bow. “We don’t do that where I’m from.”
“But you’re a king .”
“I might be a king on most days, but today I’m just a normal man visiting his friend. Besides, title doesn’t matter to me. In Wakanda, we’re all equals.”
“I knew you seemed familiar,” Karen said. “I’m sorry, your highness.”
“You people watch too much British television. Call me T’Challa, I insist.“
“Foggy Nelson,” the man introduced himself and went in to shake his hand wildly. “I’m Eliza’s lawyer. It’s so nice to meet you, your high- I mean, T’Challa.”
Matt nodded in his general direction. “Matt Murdock,” he said. 
T’Challa nodded back. “Nice making your acquaintance, Mister Murdock.” Turning back to Eliza, he said, “I am going to give you and your friends some space to talk.”
“You don’t have to,” she said.
“I need to check in on my sister now anyway. I will find you later, yes?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
“Okay, have a nice evening.” He curtsied, leaving at least two of them speechless.
Foggy waited until he was gone to gasp loudly. “You know the king of Wakanda?” he asked.
“We fought on the same side,” Eliza stated. “They don’t have the same traditions in Wakanda as we do here. He’s, uh, pretty great.”
“Yeah, and he’s a king! This just keeps getting better and better.”
“He’s humble,” Karen said. 
“Yeah, that’s just him. He likes everyone.”
Foggy gasped again. His hand grasped Matt’s jacket in absolute disbelief. “Is that Elon Musk?” he choked out. Any more of this and he was surely going to have a heart attack.
Eliza turned in the direction he was pointing. “Oh, yeah,” she said. The Tesla CEO stood in the corner with a couple she’d met once at an industrial fair Pepper took her to.
Foggy was hyperventilating at this point. “How can you act so casual?” he screeched. “That’s fucking Elon Musk, Eliza!”
“I know. I’ve helped him and Tony with the rendering of his newest model.”
“You did what? Oh, my god! I think I’m in heaven. This can’t be real. Matt, tell me, am I still breathing?”
His friend patted his hand awkwardly. “You’re fine,” Matt said. “It’s just nerves, Foggy. It’ll pass.”
Karen took the opportunity to slide in and ask, “So you’re an engineer?” 
Eliza found herself under her scrutinizing gaze again, or perhaps she was just too worked up and interpreted a little too much. Sweat pooled inside her palms. “Uh, not really,” she said. “I work for Stark Industries, is all. I helped modify the algorithm for Elon, but that was before the Accords, so I don’t do that kinda stuff anymore.”
“Karen,” Matt’s low, warning tone came out again. “Eliza is Miss Pott’s second in command. She helps with the sales of Stark Tech. Her work is just as important as ours.”
She bit down on her lip. Here we go .
Karen frowned. “That’s not what I meant,” she insisted. “I was just curious. Besides, I think Eliza can speak for herself.” 
The tension between the two grew by the second. Eliza didn’t know if she was truly the reason for their argument or if she was simply the catalyst for an already existing issue that they just hadn’t resolved yet.
Eliza chose to act on the line Karen tossed her. “She’s right,” she said. “I can speak for myself. Matt’s right though. That’s kinda what I do.”
“It’s a cool job,” she said.
“Thanks.”
“Is there anything else you plan on doing, like going to college?”
Matt hissed. “Karen!”
“Matt,” Eliza retorted. He tilted his head in surprise at her harsh tone. “Don’t be a dick,” she said. “She’s just trying to make conversation. You act like a jealous hag and it’s honestly not sexy at all. Jesus!”
Karen pulled the loose blonde curl in her face behind her ear. “Thank you,” she smiled.
She caught a glimpse of Foggy saying, “That was not cool dude,” to Matt, but the music tuned out anything else.
The blonde kept her attention on Eliza. Curiosity sparked in the deep blue of her eyes. She’d never seen such a radiant shade before. Her eyes were framed by soft black eyelashes, which made the irises pop even more. She was drawn in by the way all of Karen’s emotions acted like wild ocean waves that came and went. Her eyes were the endless sea and she was simply swimming in it, picking up on every conflict possible.
“I’m sorry,” she said eventually. Her lip contorted and she laughed shyly, hands in front of her face. “We got off on the wrong foot. I never meant to back you into a corner. It’s just, I haven’t been friends with these two for long so I tend to get a bit overprotective sometimes.”
“It’s okay, I understand,” Eliza said.
“Yeah, I figured you would. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you… how’re you holding up?”
“I’m fine, really. Thanks for asking though.”
“Yeah, no- no problem. You seem good friends with the people here.“
“What can I say, people like me.“
“They’d be stupid not to,” Matt’s voice silenced them at once. Eliza’s mouth opened and closed like a fish on dry land.
Not even the slightest bit surprised at his words, Foggy raised his eyebrows. Wow, the words hung loose on his lips. “Hey,” he said then. “I’m gonna get us all some drinks. Karen, can you help me?”
“What? But we were just-“ she said.
“I can’t carry them on my own, Karen.” Foggy made sure to put enough pressure on her name.
She slowly realized. “Oh.”
“Will you help me or do you want me to break everything? Let’s be real, that is so gonna happen.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” She wasn’t happy, nor was she satisfied. Her head hung low, the glint gone from her eyes as she looked at Eliza once again, reservation replacing whatever positive feelings she harbored about her.
Eliza crossed her arms instinctively. Karen’s gaze burned under her skin. She didn’t trust her, not even remotely. She cared about Matt, wanting the best for him. The man seemed more than a colleague to her, so it was understandable that she was suspicious of the new girl. The two barely knew each other. She was at least ten years younger than him. She couldn’t even blame Karen; she wasn’t sure how she would have reacted in her position, but she knew she wouldn’t have been happy either.
The pair disappeared into the crowd. “Where are they going?” Matt asked.
“The other bar,” Eliza told him.
“There’s two?”
“Don’t even ask.”
“Oh, can you tell I’m not used to this kind of establishment?”
“ What ?” she dragged out the word.
He began to laugh. His eyes were crinkled, his teeth white and bright. “That’s fair,” he said.
Eliza smiled back at him. She searched for his arm, pulling gently. “Uh, would you like something to drink?” she asked.
He offered his hand instead. “Yeah, good idea. Lead the way?” 
She reached down. Their hands fit together like gloves. The callouses of his fingers were rough, and so were hers. The constant fighting eventually took a toll. Cracked knuckles, broken fingers; the skin was dry from all the scrubbing and disinfecting wounds. 
Some nights, Tony used to ask her into his lab. She helped him bring his newest visions to life – she’d never considered herself an engineer, though ever since she joined the Avengers, she grew a lot of new talents. Working with her hands was just one of them. 
Feeling Matt’s fingers gently around hers, yet the skin so rough it brought friction, eased her anxiety. She wasn’t the only one with unusually worn-down hands. She savored the feeling of his hot skin on her always cold one. Truth to be told, they both could’ve used some hand moisturizer.
Eliza placed his hands on the bar. Matt patted along the Mahagoni wood, tracing the patterns on the clean counter, mapping out his exact surroundings down to the smallest detail.
His lip twitched. “This place is fancy,” he said.
“And expensive,” she added.
“It feels expensive.” He swirled his fingers around the wood again. “Tony Stark really doesn’t have to worry about money, does he?”
“No, that’s the least of his concerns, and it shows.”
“You said it, not me.”
Benji walked over from the other side of the bar, towel casually draped over his shoulder. “Eliza,” he sang. “Another drink?”
He stopped in his cheery walk. His eyes got stuck on the man beside her. The slow fall of his features came like dominos. First, he appeared conflicted, trying to make a connection. Then, the realization hit.
“Oh, I should’ve known this was gonna happen,” he muttered under his breath.
“I beg your pardon?” Eliza said.
Matt leaned into her. “He thinks we’re a couple,” he said.
“Boyfriend, right?” Benji proved the suspicion to be true. “What d’you drink?”
“Not her boyfriend. And Macallan, neat.”
She spun around. “First of all, he’s right. We’re not a couple,” she said. “Second of all, Macallan? What’s wrong with you? Does your tongue still work?”
“My tongue’s fine,” he chuckled.
“Then why the fuck would you drink Macallan, on purpose, and neat? This just keeps getting worse and worse. I think we might need to sign the divorce papers for our non-existent marriage tonight. It’s just not gonna work out between you and me. Oh, and I’m taking the kids with me.”
“You can have them, not sure they were mine anyway.”
“ Hey !“
“I’m still ordering Macallan.”
She gagged. “You’re disgusting.”
“Macallan,” he told Benji. “Make it extra neat.”
“If anyone asks, I don’t know you.”
“Put ice in.”
Benji switched his eyes from one side to the other. “Are you sure you’re not a couple?” he asked.
The pair exchanged a look, then turned to him, both frowning like it was the last thing they’d ever do. “We’re not,” it came out of their mouths simultaneously. “I mean, we’re not-“ They stared at each other.
“Stop mimicking me,” Eliza said.
“I’m not mimicking you,” he said.
Benji sighed, “No offense, I barely know you but I sure as hell know that you two are idiots.”
“None taken,” – she lifted her finger, not because of his words but because of the glass he placed in front of Matt’s smug face – “I take offense in that !”
“I don’t care. It’s tasty. I like it.”
Benji was about to pour her another tequila. She licked her lips. “Vodka,” she challenged. “Straight.”
He pursed his lips, saying ‘alright’. The glass clinked against the wood before her. He wished them fun, distanced, and dissatisfied. Eliza wondered if they behaved that suspiciously – she liked Benji, he was a cool guy, but in the end, he wasn’t her type either way – yet she still felt a bit offended that everyone assumed the two were in a relationship. She and Matt barely knew each other, they just had a shit ton of chemistry. That was normal in the first stage of friendship – right?
Matt’s features fell. “Vodka,” he repeated her order. She could’ve sworn by the way his head tilted, that he was no longer joking.
“Yeah,” she nervously swirled the clear liquid around. “Too much for you?” she asked.
His head remained cocked to the side. “You drink alcohol?”
“I mean, yeah. I’m twenty-three, not a minor. Almost everyone drinks these days.”
Her mind was too busy to focus on the obvious reason for his sudden mood change.
Matt remembered what he read in her file vividly. He was aware of all her priors, which he had every right to as her lawyer. When he took her case, he planned for it to be just a way to make up for what he got her into, but Eliza’s story ran deeper than what was available to the public.
The very contents of the file caused him to eye the drink in her hands more closely. He smelled it on her. This wasn’t her first drink and judging by the way her heart beat fast with anxiety, this certainly wasn’t going to be her last one. Stress drinker, he noted. Or in less pretty words, alcoholic. She had the tendency, she had the means. He just couldn’t quite figure out why, after everything she’s been through, she’d still try so hard to sabotage herself.
Matt sipped his Macallan, trapped in the line of thought. He decided to lighten the mood again. This wasn’t any of his business; by attempting to control her, he’d just make it worse. He had to restrain himself from claiming her and tying her down so that nothing could happen to her because damn it, he wanted to so badly.
“Straight vodka,” he said then. “What are you, a psychopath?”
Eliza scoffed. “Not exactly,” she said. “My throat’s just numb.”
He chuckled into his glass. “Not yet, sweetheart.”
“Matthew Murdock, I swear to god-“
“Oh, bad girl,” he said. “Using the lord’s name in vain. That’s a sin, you know.”
“What are you gonna do, punish me?” She scoffed. “Please, I do that myself every day.”
“That just shows me you’ve never been properly punished before.”
She straight-up choked on the sharp taste. The vodka burned down her throat like acid, landing in the wrong pipe as she tried to swallow but the liquor came down the wrong way. She coughed, feeling the fire expand inside her chest. Matt instantly patted her back to divert the coughing fit. She waved around wildly, trying to ease the ache with wind, but her lungs protested. Eventually, the pain subsided.
She looked at Matt through teary eyes. He grinned, smug asshole. “You alright?” he asked.
“Fuck you,” she said.
“Yeah, you’re alright.”
“Why do you always do that?”
He frowned. “Do what?”
“This.” She was grasping for straws.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yeah,” – she huffed a frustrated groan – “I don’t either.”
He nudged her. “Want anything?”
She glared at the glass, warning, “Don’t even think about it.”
Matt pressed the cold drink against her lips. She flinched back. He laughed, wholeheartedly.
“Come on, try it,” he said.
“No!”
“Please?”
“Absolutely not. Get that thing away from me.”
He reached for her jaw. The pressure burned sweetly as he pulled her forward, fingers holding her face tightly so she couldn’t move. “Open,” he ordered.
“Matt,” she warned again.
The world around them seemed so loud, so clear. She was afraid someone might see her. This was quite the compromising position, though she didn’t dare move. A strange shiver went down her spine right where she could’ve needed it less.
He smirked, glasses sliding down ever so slightly. She caught sight of his brows, and the tips of his eyelashes. She stared hard, urging for more, but he had her chin tilted up in no time. Matt placed the glass against her lips. She let him. He guided one of her hands to the Macallan.
“Drink,” he said. The demand hung heavy in the air. She squeezed her thighs together, crossing them. “I’m gonna show you how good it actually tastes, you just have to trust me.”
That low voice, she thought. Wherever it came from, she cursed him for even knowing what he could do with it. She opened her mouth hesitantly, letting the liquor rest on her tongue. She refused to swallow at first, though his grip tightened and she couldn’t stand it any longer. She swallowed the bitter taste.
“And?” he asked.
Eliza licked her lips. His hand was still on her. “It was-“ she shivered at the squeaky sound, “I still hate it.”
Matt chuckled. He loosened his grip slowly. “I figured. I just wanted to see your reaction.”
“You- you- UGH !” She downed the vodka in one big gulp. Mixed with the Macallan, she wanted to puke right then and there.
“What?” he smiled innocently. “Everything alright?”
“You’re a menace, Matt.”
“Eliza, am I making you nervous?”
“You know exactly what you’re doing,” she muttered. “And you know it’s working, so let’s not talk about it.”
Eliza realized it was plain and simple. She wanted to kiss Matthew Murdock. The light shone a beautiful light on his plump lips. All she wanted was to trail her tongue over it, bite it, claim it until he forgot his name and she forgot hers.
She didn’t kiss him. She refused to give in to temptation. This was what he wanted. Kissing him would’ve made her only another notch in his bedpost. He flirted like it was the only thing keeping him alive; he had a revolving door, somehow she just knew that. And she didn’t want to be put in this position with all the other women he did or did not sleep with. Although it was very tempting and required a lot of self-control not to give in. Matt knew how to rile her up, that was for sure.
He penetrated the comfortable silence between them. “You still wanna get divorced?” he asked.
Eliza choked on her drink. The bubbly laughter came naturally at this point. He joined in, gently patting her back to help her breathe again.
She wiped the access vodka off her lips, saying, “I have to consult my lawyer first.”
“Oh, really? Is he any good?”
“Yeah, he’s a really good lawyer. You should meet him sometime.”
“If that’s so, maybe you should give me his number. You know, for research purposes.”
Eliza laughed again. “You’re fucking hilarious,” she said, laughter turning into giggles. “Oh, god! I think I haven’t laughed that much in years .”
“You have a nice laugh,” he murmured. 
She left the question hanging in the air. Insecurity was her partner in crime. It was the only feeling that never left her, always sticking around. She never cared much about it until now. Matt broke through the walls she built up and made her do the things her insecurities used to prevent her from doing.
“And you’re quite the charmer.” She fluttered her lashes at him. “Lucky for you, I like it.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah.”
He could tell by the smirk in her voice that she was going into full offense. 
“I’m a flirt, sure, but I’m not the kind of person you take me for,” he said. “The innocent blind man I pretend to be, that’s just not me. Not really. It’s… there are things you don’t know about me, Eliza. And I’m afraid-“ he cleared the lump from his throat, nervously swallowing the Macallan as if it was going to make this any easier. It didn’t.
“What?” she asked, her voice soft. She placed a hand on his arm, the muscles tense underneath her touch. “What is it, Matt?”
“I’m afraid that’s something that won’t make this work.”
The words swirled around her head. “What?”
“I don’t know what this is, you and me, but I know that I don’t deserve you.”
“Matt, where is this coming from?”
He emptied the glass in one gulp. “I should go find Foggy and Karen.”
Like the snap of two fingers, the switch was flicked. The light around him turned dark. His features contorted, hand tight around his cane. The skin around his knuckles turned white. His feet turned away. Just like that, he distanced himself. He flew into space, bringing more than two worlds between them. Physically, they were mere inches apart, but he drilled a mental gap between whatever it was they shared before. The hole was steep, deep – she couldn’t cross to the other side without falling to her imminent death. Going after him would ruin her, she realized. She hadn’t seen it before, but she did now. She saw Matt Murdock in an entirely different light. He wasn’t the man she took him to be.
He drove them wide apart, the water to her lungs, clouding her senses. Without reasoning, without a word of explanation.
“Matt,” she said his name again. “Matt!”
He sighed. “I’m sorry for wasting your time,” he shrugged her off. 
“You can’t just do this and expect me to be okay with it. What happened in the last few seconds? Did I do something, or miss something? I-“
“It’s not you, it’s me.”
The classic. She scoffed. All the bullshit he could’ve given her and he went with the least believable.
“Can we talk about it?” she asked.
“What’s there to talk about?”
“Uh, your mood swings, for example? You can’t just push me away when we’re trying to get to know each other. That might work with the women you fuck, but not with me.”
Eliza wasn’t usually one to be persistent. She kept her distance, refusing to let anyone get close. She didn’t have to force people to stay in her life because they weren’t there in the first place. Matt had drawn her in, without warning, and he was willing to throw it all away in the matter of what? Seconds? She never thought much of herself, but she refused to let him ruin this. She liked what they had, a little light at the end of this endless tunnel. If he had issues, she wanted to know. She deserved that much.
“You have to trust me,” he was so close again, his alcohol-stained breath hot on her cheeks. “You’re… You’re too good for this world, Eliza. I thought I could ignore the fact that I’m not the man you deserve and need, but spending time with you has shown me that you’re better than anyone on this godforsaken earth and I can’t- I can’t drag you down with me. I just can’t.”
She stared at him with wide eyes. “What kind of bullshit excuse is this? If you don’t like me, just say so!”
“I do, I like you, which is exactly what I was afraid of.”
“Oh, so you just wanted me to be your toy then?”
“What? No!”
“Then why are you pushing me away, Matt?”
His lip twitched, hand on her arm, fingers digging into the soft flesh there. “God,” he grunted. “Why do you have to be so fucking stubborn?”
“Why do you have to be so fucking mysterious?”
“I-“ he sighed. She saw wild emotions flash across his face.
Matt was done for. His attempts to pull himself out of this failed miserably. He was pathetic, playing the hero, acting like he knew what was good for her. He knew who she was; he didn’t want Matt Murdock to ruin her, he just wanted her to get the life she deserved.
Daredevil could help her out and then disappear, and become history. Matt figured he had to distance himself before he put himself in a position where the truth would tear her entire world apart. She thought too highly of him. The thought of causing her any kind of pain hurt him more than any knife ever could.
But he was done for, hook line, and sinker. There wasn’t much he could do but bare it. 
“The heart is hard to translate, Matt,” she said. “It has a language of its own. Help me understand, please .”
“I-“ he groaned quietly. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” The sentence, though made out of only six words, carried so much vulnerability in the way he executed it.
“You don’t have to,” Eliza told him.
Boldly, her hand mapped out the fabric of his suit all the way to the bow around his neck. She let her fingers run along the skin underneath, the stubble on his cheek. He flinched at the softness of her touch.
“What are you doing?” he rasped.
“I don’t know yet.”
“Please.”
The word meant so much more than its definition. He said it because please, just, please. The only coherent thought on his mind. The pathetic whine of the word ‘please’. What happened to him? What got him this way? He wasn’t thinking straight. He wasn’t thinking at all.
“Why is your heart beating so fast?” she whispered into his ear, hand now on his neck, just ghosting over his pulse point.
Matt let out a heavy breath through his already parted lips. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me,” he said.
“I think I might have an idea.”
Eliza pulled his face closer, her lips searching desperately for their way home. She wanted to park them where they belonged – the most anticipated place in the entire universe, it seemed. A desired little house in the middle of a whirlwind. He was the gift that just kept on giving.
Matt tasted her. The tiny distance between them clouded his senses. He was scared of what it would be like if she became a part of him and if it would suffocate him, the feeling of her so overwhelming he felt every single one of his senses absolutely overstimulated.
As fast as she’d pulled him in, her warmth disappeared. His face fell forward into nothingness, lingering just above the crook of her neck. He listened; her heart momentarily stopped, then jumped a heavy beat. Adrenaline cursed through her veins, fueled by fear and anger. He inhaled the scent radiating off her skin. What had smelled like desire disappeared into solely the taste of her perfume.
He opened his mouth to ask why she pulled away, pathetically searching for words in his fogged-up brain.
“Is this thing on?” Reality came back to him in Tony Stark’s infamous voice over the big speakers in the room. There was a hint of bitterness in there, trying hard not to slur his words as he spoke.
“Good evening lovely guests. You all know me, but for those who don’t, I’m Tony Stark. I own this fucking place. If you have any complaints, keep them to yourselves. Ungrateful bastards.” 
Murmurs went through the crowd. Eliza pinched her nose. 
“Unlike popular beliefs, I’m happy that you’re here today,” Tony said. “Makes telling you the truth so much easier. You know, I did write a speech. Or Pepper did. Anyway, I’m not gonna say any of it. A bunch of bullshit on paper doesn’t even cut close to what I want to say. Besides, I don’t believe in scripts. You’re here because of the Accords, right, to make my public reputation better? Well, if you really thought that’s what’s gonna happen, I’m so sorry to disappoint you. I’m talking to you, Ross. Over there, hi!”  He waved towards the right corner of the room where the man in question stood crammed between people, champagne in hand. He stiffened entirely as his name left Tony’s mouth, all the attention suddenly on his presence rather than the stage. 
“Oh, god!” Eliza swallowed. 
“I just gotta tell ya, I don’t regret a thing I did. Not a single thing. In fact, I would do it all again if I could. People are dead, you know. We’re murderers. Some of us have body counts higher than a college kid on crack. They thrived off it once. I called them out, you know. I wanted to change the world and if that meant giving up some of our control, I was willing to do whatever to keep us together as a team. We did good, but we did a shit-ton of bad. Heroes aren’t supposed to cause chaos and death. Apparently, Steve Rogers didn’t share the same thought. The people I made into something turned their backs on me just because I introduced a solution to a bigger problem. Unbelievable, right? You give and you give and you give and no one gives you a single piece of fucking gratitude back. Honestly, Ross, it would’ve been kinder if you’d just killed us all. I don’t care. I made the Avengers, they blew it and now I have to suffer the consequences. It’s just not fair.”
The knife drilled deeper into her chest.
“Everyone keeps telling me what to do,” he carried on. “You have to do this, say that, act this way. I realize now that I don’t have to do anything. I’m done. So fucking over it, you can’t believe it. Rogers screwed up, that’s not my fault. He wouldn’t listen. Now I have a kid giving me orders. What did you think would happen? You know, I’m not the orphanage for lost children, let alone those who want to tell me how to do my job.”
The thread snapped. Their connection was swept away into oblivion, drowned by the deep dark sea. Eliza took Matt’s glass, emptied it, and smashed it back down on the counter so hard, that shards went flying everywhere. She ignored the mess she made, knowing all eyes were on her, knowing she was the center of attention, the lost orphan telling Tony how to do his job. 
Tony laughed. “I was foolish to think the Avengers were actually going anywhere. It was my mistake to agree on it. I should’ve known. God, I should’ve seen this coming. And to think you’re here now, the stupid ass idiots that you are, and expect me to be a good person? I’m pretty sure you claimed me the villain just a couple months ago. You want the publicity, crave it, want me to embarrass myself. Yeah, I see through you. Ellison over there from the Bulletin,” he said. “Fucking Fox News. You want to paint me the villain, the rich bastard with an ego higher than the Empire State? Fine, so be it! I’m not gonna let anyone tell me what to do anymore. I’m done. Throw me in jail for all I care. This whole place won’t run without me anyway.”
Rhodey appeared on the stage. He grabbed Tony by the shoulders. Eliza was there, on the side. Her eyes glowed red. She reacted without thinking. The flames wrapped around his chest. The words stopped flowing. He stopped fighting. Rhodey apologized profusely to the crowd, carrying the man away. Happy came, too, and he tried to get Tony out of the room.
Eliza met his eyes. “Are you happy now?” she asked.
“Drop it,” Rhodey told her. “You can kick his ass later. Right now, there are people out there that need some explaining and a big fat apology.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Her chest felt constricted.
“Go out there, make a speech.”
“Rhodey, I can’t !”
“Yes, you can.”
It wasn’t a question, not an offer – he needed her to do this. She had no other choice. She was the only Avenger left that people would listen to. The spotlight loved her, they loved dramatic stories and they loved pain. These were people, many people, and they were waiting, watching, curious and judgmental. They made up their minds already. The same people who scrutinized her talked about her behind her back. Her hands were shaking, sweaty. Her heart beat up to her throat. The balloon in her chest deflated. 
“You have to,” a voice said in her head. “There’s no other way.” 
The spotlight burned in her eyes. She squeezed through it, the crowd seemingly millions of people on top of each other. They stared at her, waiting, anticipating. They were expecting her to talk. Secretary Ross in the corner had his eyes trained strictly on her, confused yet curious about how they were going to fix this. He’d always seen her as a child, not old enough to take responsibility or be a hero. Eliza hated the spotlight, hated being the center of attention. 
She took the microphone with shaky hands. “Wow,” her voice reached over the speaker. “That was a lot. And offensive. Honestly, if there was an award for the biggest idiot, Tony would win in a landslide.” 
The crowd laughed hesitantly. 
“Needless to say this wasn’t planned. It was rude and he had no right to speak to you that way,” she said. “I’d like to apologize on behalf of all of us. I can’t tell you he didn’t mean it, he probably did. He’s drunk and he does stupid shit when he’s drunk, that’s just Tony. Still doesn’t give him the right to treat his guests like that, especially not after everything that happened. I have no clue what he was supposed to say, so I’m just gonna freestyle. Be warned, I don’t usually give speeches – I struggle to find words. I’m the lost orphan, after all.”
They didn’t know if they could laugh, but she saw their lips twitch, a little less tension filling the room. 
“It’s okay, you can laugh,” she urged. The crowd did. “It’s funny. Tony said I give him orders. Considering what he just did, I kinda wish I actually could. He’s mad, I don’t know why. We invited you here today to show that we’re still strong, right? That we’re sorry for what happened. We wanted the press to know all that. I’m not sure if you’d believe me if I tell you that now, so I’m just gonna walk you through a hypothetical real quick.” 
Eliza absentmindedly placed the mic stand aside. The cord fell at her feet, she balled it into her fist, preventing the possibility of an embarrassing fall.  
“Imagine you’re a kid,” she began. “You’re being tossed into this big world, alone. Your parents are gone. The life you thought you knew disappears right before your eyes. You’re staring into the face of someone you don’t know, and it’s a mirror, right? You’re staring at yourself, the person you’re supposed to know, but as you see yourself you realize, you don’t even remember how you got there in the first place.
“One second you’re somewhere else, someone else, and the next you’re being taken away by strangers. You’re told that you are this person now, with this history and that name. You’re a teenager at this point. You’ve never been to school, never been in love, you’ve never seen the world. But one day, you’re just supposed to be. Those people train you, and give you something to do. They raise you. You finally get to see New York City. Great, isn’t it? Empire State Of Mind.”
She earned a couple more laughs.
“In the next move though, the city you used to know is being attacked,” she said. The crowd gasped at the horrible memory of the year 2012 that instantly came to mind. “You’re a kid, right? You don’t know what to do, you just have to function. They trained you for this, this is your purpose. You’re supposed to be a hero. All while you’re just there, running along with it because you still don’t know who you are. Think about it. Who you are and who you’re supposed to be aren’t the same person. And you’re so scared because the sky is opening up and people are dying – you know you have to do something, but you don’t know how. Until you meet this group of six people. They’re supposed to work together the same way you’re just supposed to exist, and they’re not happy about it, so for once in your life, you feel less alone. They have your back, they integrate you. With them, you have the strength and the will to save the world. It’s not just you who’s scared anymore, those six are too and that fear is what makes you stronger. You realize at that moment that you’re that person. You’re right where you want to be. You’re supposed to be a hero, you accept that because you know damn well it’s true.”
Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. She met the eyes of T’Challa. He smiled softly at her. Next to her, the picture opened up. 
“You’re me,” Eliza said. “Those six people are the Avengers and I’m part of that. Or I used to be, anyway. They were my family. SHIELD brought me up, but the Avengers raised me.”
She saw Natasha, the redhead with stars in her eyes. Steve, the man that was tossed into the world the same way she had. Bruce, Thor, Sam, Wanda, Rhodey…
“We made mistakes, I admit that. We wanted to do good but ended up hurting people instead. We did so much damage, too much to count. It was only a matter of time before something like the Accords would happen. This hasn’t been easy on any of us. In the end, we’re all only human. We have feelings. Everyone has their opinion and different reasons for their opinion. You don’t really know what someone’s thinking without talking to them first. There’s an explanation for everything. I learned that. It’s true. We don’t know what drove the others to their decision. We may never know. That’s why I think it’s bad to villainize. They messed up badly, I agree, and I believe feeling the law isn’t the right thing to do. Still, we can’t understand something unless we have all the facts. I don’t agree with what Captain Rogers did, but he was my family. I lost many friends that day. I know the Accords were necessary, I signed them. I still believe they exist for a reason. We needed control because we became reckless over time. It’s better than countless deaths in the name of doing something good,” she said. “I know better than anyone that recovery takes time. Tony needs time. You don’t forget the loss of family that easily and it’s even harder to stomach it when you’re being blamed for everything.” 
Fury was on the other side of the room, Maria next to him. Peter on the right, and Bucky too. Vision was floating somewhere in the air. They all wore black as if they were at a funeral. And so Eliza realized, they were. She was the very person about to lay the Avengers to rest, for good. There was no other choice. The truth hit her so hard, that her stomach twisted painfully. 
“The Avengers are gone, but our legacy will live on.” 
It wasn’t fair. Tony didn’t deserve it. She tasted her heart on her tongue, blood dripping from her teeth. The light was bright, too bright. The air was too thin, her clothes too tight. 
“I’m sorry,” she broke off. The technician took the microphone from her as she fled the stage. 
Rhodey was there, waiting for her. His hands reached for her shoulders, a burning trail. “You did good,” he said, or she thought he said it. She saw his lips move but the sound never reached her ears.
There was water everywhere. She was drowning, lungs filled with liquid instead of air. The voices around sounded like the echo of drums. Boom, boom, boom – the sound settled deep into her brain. 
Eliza flinched away at his touch. It burned, it burned so badly. “Don’t touch me,” she choked out. 
“Kid, where you going?”
She didn’t know. She simply bolted for the door in hopes to catch some oxygen. The people shouted for her. She didn’t slow her steps until she was inside the bathroom.
She barely felt the water on her hands. It ran in cold droplets through the tap. The person staring back in the mirror was a stranger. Wild eyes, sweaty forehead, cheeks as pale as death. She slapped the water against her skin, but the fire only burned more. 
The golden suit jacket weighed at least a hundred pounds. The silk scratched at her skin like rough asphalt. She shrugged it off, in desperate need of any kind of freedom. The walls of the room seemed to crumble in. With every second, they inched in closer. With each heartbeat, the oxygen escaped her lungs in a hurry, leaving nothing behind but dry emptiness that burned deep crescents into her chest. The tissue of her lungs swayed over the scolding flames of a life in shambles. It singed away the flesh, setting whatever air was left on fire in a desperate chemical reaction.
She slid down the wall. The water was up to her head by then. She could barely see through the fog that cornered her vision. Her hands clawed at the skin around her throat, the black tank top, and the tiles that felt like nothing behind her. She couldn’t feel anything solid – the world felt like a void; the more she clawed, the further she fell. The ceiling lowered down on top of her. The box closed in. She curled up, head between her thighs, scared of the world, scared of her mind. The darkness had it out for her, hungry to feed off her corpse, to kill her slowly and intimately by suffocating her, drowning her in the ocean of her very own fallen dreams.
Someone knocked on the door. She heard herself croak out, “No.” Not now. Her voice got caught in a breathless sob. She choked on it.
The door opened anyway. Someone said something and she was sure she recognized the voice, but her mind was barely present and she didn’t dare open her eyes. The world was too close now, squeezing her tighter and tighter and tighter. She needed to get out, needed to escape. By grabbing her limbs, curling in on herself, she hoped to push the world away and preserve herself like cryofreeze. The darkness in her mind was calmer than whatever was happening around her. If she were to die, she wouldn’t want to stare into the void as it sucked the life out of her for good. At least that’s what it felt like – the world trying to drain whatever she thought she had left to give. She was defenseless. 
Her helplessness attracted the creatures of the night, the soul-eaters, the monsters who set out to ruin her. They all had her face. Every demon carried her distinctive features. They ate away at her, grinning, as she was forced to watch. She squeezed her eyes tighter, but even then the walls crashed down on her. The water swallowed her entirely. 
The dark, dangerous ocean had her trapped. The sirens called out on the sturdy sandbanks for her to reach their beautiful hands. She couldn’t see them but she could hear them, loud and clear through the rustling of the waves. She was underwater, floating, but the hands were closer than ever. The sirens threw a lifeline; she reached for it.
She reached for the hand, or the hand reached for her, she wasn’t so sure anymore. The sudden physical contact sent her spiraling. The hands clawed at her not just once; they were everywhere, her mouth open, the water filling her lungs, flooding the desert.  
“Don’t touch me!” she said. Her own voice sounded distant. 
The hands were gone again, quickly, faster than they’d touched her. She tried to breathe, the hold was gone, but she couldn’t focus. She wanted to, wanted to swim to the top, but the water kept pushing her down. She opened her eyes. While the light was shrill, it was better than the endless Dead Sea behind her eyelids. The walls kept caving in, though, through the fog, she could make out the silhouette of a creature before her. It wasn’t one of her demons, no. 
The voice, the face, the beautiful siren – her lifeline sat before her, trying hard to comply with her wish not to touch her. He wanted to claw at her, shake her out of it, but he couldn’t. His eyes were a red swirl into the depths of hell. Her breath hitched if that was even possible, and she inched further back into the tiles.
“Hey,” he said. The red spiral disappeared. “It’s me, it’s me.” He reassured her once, twice, even a third time. 
She saw his eyes through the blur. They seemed so much more human now. Soft, guiding, a safe haven. If she swam fast enough, she could make it to shore and he’d hold her, breathing life back into her. She just had to make it out of the water, out of the restraints dragging her further to the bottom of the sea. 
“Sweetheart, I need you to focus. Focus on your breathing.”
Her head screamed, no! Her mouth opened, squealing it. ‘I can’t.’ She was screaming for help, internally, words betraying her in the real world. 
“Yes, you can. C’mon! Look at me. Right here.” His finger moved. She followed the faint movement until she settled on his face. Tears bubbled out of her eyes like a loose tap. 
“That’s it,” he said. “I’m right here. Focus on me. Tell me– hey, keep your eyes on me!” He instantly reached for her head when it threatened to slack. The darkness lulled her in. “You can do this. Just focus on me. Just like that, there you go. I’m gonna keep my hand there just in case. It’s just me, I promise. I won’t hurt you.”
She believed his sweet voice. She had no other choice.
“Tell me, five things - five things you can see.”
She remembered that. Something familiar. She swallowed, pointing out his face. “You,” she choked out. Her voice sounded so foreign, so far away. 
“Me,” he said, he was smiling. “Good. What else? Four more things. I’ll count with you.” 
She darted her head around. “Sink,” was that even a word?
“Okay, the sink. That’s two.”
“You-“
“You already said that, sweetheart. Focus. What do you see? I need three more things. Wanna help you, alright? Three things.”
She saw the hint of red next to her head. “Glasses,” she said.
“Alright, my glasses.”
“D-door.”
“Hmm, the door.”
“And lights. So many lights.”
Eliza broke into a sob. It was the first thing close to breathing since she stormed into the bathroom. She lowered her head. His hand tilted her cheek back up.
“We’re not done yet,” he said.
She knew him, she recognized him, the name laid on her tongue, and yet she couldn’t call out for him. She merely clasped her hand around his forearm, afraid he might leave.
“Four things you can feel. What can you feel, tell me.”
Her fingers traced over his wrist. “Your pulse,” she said. Her hand trembled. “Y-your breath. The floor,” – she felt it, she knew it was there – “My heart.” And how it was beating so fast, so loud.
“What can you hear?”
“Your voice. Music, I- I think.”
“There’s music,” he assured her, thumb stroking over her skin. “One more, sweetheart.”
She inhaled sharply. “Myself.” The walls slowly backed off. Scared for life, they retreated to where they came from.
As the fog slowly cleared, she anticipated what he was going to say next. “Two things you can smell,” she was right. “You’re doing good, sweetheart,” he said. He never missed a beat with his praise.
Eliza actively smelled the air. She smelled it, she felt it. Her lungs throbbed with the harsh attack. Air filled the empty space. The oxygen burned sweetly. 
“Alcohol,” she smelled. “Flowers.”
“And what can you taste?”
Too aware of the tears that flooded down her cheeks freely, she licked her lips. “Salt.”
Relief washed over her. The ocean dried out. Her lungs filled with oxygen. The black dots vanished from her vision. She was still light-headed but the world finally stopped spinning. Matt knelt before her, brown eyes fixated on the wall next to her head. The worry kept his brows furrowed.
She saw him, truly saw him as if it was the first time and everything just came back at once. The dominos began to roll. More tears pricked her eyes. Her mouth opened in incoherent sounds – hiccups, sobs, pleas. She clutched so tightly onto him, that the suit crinkled between her fingers. She became a part of him, and wanted him to swallow her whole so she would never have to leave again. She needed him closer, melting into her like candle wax.
He whispered soft things into her ear. “I got you,” he said. “I got you. I’m here. It’s okay.”
Funny how he was the only person there for her when she needed it the most.
“Let me get you a glass of water.”
Eliza protested when he let go of her. She wrapped her arms around his thigh. “Don’t leave me,” she pathetically cried.
Matt was quick to assure her. With the glass in hand, he settled back down before her. “Hey, it’s okay,” he wiped her tears. “I’m not leaving you. I’m still here. See?” He took her hand while the other guided the drink to her lips.
She was suddenly so incredibly thirsty. In a matter of seconds, she had emptied the water. He went back to the sink to fill her another one, which she drank just as fast.
“Good girl.”
Without another word, he began to gently clean her face of the smeared makeup. She didn’t question how he did it, she simply enjoyed his hands working her skin gently. It grounded her, knowing she wasn’t alone, knowing he wasn’t pressuring her to talk or do anything else. It was just them in the silence of the bathroom. When he thought he got the worst of it, Matt tossed the paper towels into the trash.
Her muscles slacked. Eliza felt her entire body collapse in itself. She rolled to the side, to the floor. He followed her movement worriedly, hand under her face, cradling her. He shielded her from the hard tiles, her personal lifeguard.
“I’m so tired,” she said. A lonely tear slipped past her lips. “I’m tired of being tired.”
Matt smiled. He lifted her head a little, allowing himself to sit back against the wall. Her cheek landed on the soft fabric of his slacks. He kept stroking her face, her hair, everything he could reach until her heartbeat slowed down. His fingers worked wonders to ease the tension; he had a magic touch that brought her the comfort she needed so desperately.
“He ruined everything. I only ever needed my family and he just… his pride-“ she cried into his pants.
“I know,” he said. “You don’t deserve that. The way he spoke about you… he had no right to say that. He’s so very wrong about so many things, Eliza. I doubt he knows about the damage he’s doing. He considers it self-preservation without even thinking about how this might make you feel.”
“I’m used to this, Matt. Or I should be. This isn’t the first time. I’ve been disappointed before. Every time things get hard, he does something like this. I thought- I thought I was better at this. I thought it couldn’t hurt me anymore but I still care so fucking much. I still want him to see me. He keeps hurting me over and over again and I let it happen. I make the same mistake every damn time. How can I be so fucking stupid?” 
“You’re not stupid. You just need someone to take care of you. You’re afraid he’ll leave you for good if you don’t try to keep him around-”
“Everyone else did.”
“Eliza-“
“You wanted to leave me too. Everybody does. I should be used to it. I should know better. There’s a reason this happens time and time again, but I won’t learn. I’m so foolish, God!” Despite her words, she dug her nails further into his thigh. He held on tighter, too.
“I was wrong,” Matt said. “I shouldn’t have said that. I was just scared. After what happened, I-“
“I need you,” the statement was barely audible.
His hand stilled. “Need me?”
“I don’t know why or how but I need you, Matt. Everything hurts. My heart burns. I can’t-“
“What do you need me to do?”
“Just hold me, please. Help me not to break apart. I don’t know. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t fight, I can’t breathe, I… I need you to hold me and tell me everything’s gonna be fine because I’m so tired.” She broke off into a breathy sob. “I’m so fucking tired, Matt. I don’t want to be alone. I can’t.”
“It’s okay. Just keep breathing. I got you.”
She nodded against his thigh, tears staining his slacks darker. “Thank you,” the words came between shakes.
He shifted to get out of his suit jacket. Eliza shivered as it went around her bare shoulders. It smelled like him. “Put this on,” he nudged gently. “Lift your arms for me.”
Her limbs were heavy. She strained. The cotton almost swallowed her whole.
“There you go. Better?”
She nodded.
“Good. Take what you need. I’m here.”
She hugged his jacket tighter. They became one.
The silence slowly became deafening. It was comfortable at first, but the more she listened to his heart, the more her thoughts began to spiral. 
“Would you’ve kissed me?” she asked.
Matt tilted his head. “What?”
“Would you’ve kissed me? If I’d initiated it, I mean. Or would you’ve left, like you were planning to?”
He paused. His breath hitched. The legs underneath her shifted slightly. Eliza lifted her head. She slowly got back up, every muscle aching, but she wanted to look at him. She wanted to look into his eyes as she anticipated the answer.
He shuddered at the loss of her warmth. The smell of her mixed with his now further away. “Yeah,” he said.
“Yeah, what? You would’ve kissed me or you would’ve left?”
“You’re not gonna like my answer.”
“So, the latter.” The first crack ran through her heart.
“No, both.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means that if I’d kissed you, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself. You don’t deserve to be treated like a toy that’s just being passed around.”
“You wouldn’t be the first person to do that,” she said.
“That’s the thing. I would never do that to you, Eliza. Never. You're not an object and you’re not a toy. From what I can tell, you’re capable of taking care of yourself. I’m gonna leave the fragility thing for you to judge. I mean, I can’t see you.” 
Eliza’s mouth opened in surprise. “Did you just make a joke?”
He laughed, eyes crinkling. “Yeah, that was a bad one. Sorry.”
“No, it wasn’t,” she chuckled. “It’s just that people don’t usually joke about my problems other than myself.”
“We both have issues,” he stated. “Would be weird if we didn’t laugh about it. Why else would God have made us this way?”
“Ah, here comes the catholic. Good one.”
“Joking about trauma makes the magnitude of pain easier to bare.”
She placed her forehead on his shoulder. His scent filled her nose, filled her mind to the top. He tilted his head to the side, cheek running over her hair. His nose was buried so deep, that he felt and smelled every last bit of her.
“Thank you,” she said, muffled through the fabric of his dress shirt.
He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. She barely felt it, only the ghost of his breath and slight wetness reminded her of this small gesture. Her heart skipped a beat. She was incapable of controlling it, her body just reacted. Her nose lifted to muzzle into his cheek. He exhaled, shaking, eyelids fluttered close.
“What if I were to kiss you right now?” she asked, barely breathing the words. She felt desperate, empty, and alone – he was the only one that could fill her needs one by one. He was the comfort she sought.
He chuckled breathlessly against her. “You won’t,” he said.
“I might.”
“You won’t. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because you’re sad and confused. You crave touch more than anything right now. Your brain is probably foggy. You’re not lucid enough to make conscious decisions and doing anything other than hug you would be me taking advantage of you and I wouldn’t be able to live myself.”
Instead, she pressed her lips against the stubble around his jaw. “I like you,” she whispered into him then.
He placed one hand against her throat, foreheads touching once again. He kept it there, holding her flush against him. His hand didn’t apply pressure, he just stroked along her pulse point, grounding them both.
“I like you too,” he whispered back.
She sighed. “I should go home. Happy’s probably looking for me and I really can’t talk to Tony right now.”
“Let me take you.”
“No, I’m fine on my own.”
“You shouldn’t be.”
“I want to. Please. I just need to get out of here, clear my head.”
She distanced herself. Matt followed her face with his unseeing eyes, making sure she wasn’t lying as she spoke. Once he was positive she was telling the truth, simply uttering her wishes, he nodded, still hesitantly.
“Can you hand me my glasses?” he asked.
Eliza reached for them, slipping them back on his face. “I like your eyes,” she said. “But I understand why you wear them.”
“People stare,” he said.
“I know. You have nothing to be ashamed of though.”
“Thanks. I, uh, appreciate it.”
She stood up on wobbly legs, grabbing her heels from the corner she tossed them in. Her suit jacket came close behind. She slapped the dirt off. 
“Here,” she attempted to slip out of Matt’s piece of clothing.
He lifted his hand, halting her movements. “Keep it,” he said. “It’s cold outside.”
“That is so cliché,” she said.
“Just worried about you.”
“I know and I appreciate that, but I can’t take your jacket. You’re gonna freeze.”
“I’m a big boy, cold doesn’t bother me.”
“What are you, Elsa?”
“If that makes me a Disney princess, sure.”
She snorted. “Can’t talk you out of this one, huh?” She played with the fabric of his suit absentmindedly. It was soft, freshly washed, and ironed. His scent was all over the fabric, mixed with whatever natural laundry detergent he used.
Matt shook his head. “No. You’re stuck with it now.”
“Okay then. I promise to bring it back to you tomorrow.”
“No rush. I have several suits in my closet.”
“Here I was, thinking you were gonna say bodies.”
He laughed, going in for a hug. She took his offer gladly. He was calm and comfortable in her presence. She held onto him tighter, hoping to keep him inside for just a little longer. 
“Call a cab,” he said. “Text me when you get home. I need to know you’re alright. If anything happens, call me.”
“I’m gonna be fine,” she assured him. 
“I know, just wanna make sure.”
She smiled. “Go back to the party. Have fun. And if anyone asks, you haven’t seen me.”
“My mouth’s closed.”
“Thank you.”
Eliza touched the door handle. “One more thing,” she said and turned around to face him. “You’re a good person, Matt.”
He leaned back for a moment, surprised at the sudden confession. His cane stood pressed to his chest as if it was the only thing keeping him upright. “How do you know?” he asked.
“I just do.” She opened the door. “Have a good night, Matthew.”
“You too, Eliza,” he smiled. “Take care of yourself.”
“I will.”
She hailed herself a cab home. The driver didn’t say anything. He didn’t comment on the smudged makeup or the suit jacket she buried herself in. Even as she silently cried in the backseat, trying her hardest to keep from sobbing, he didn’t speak. Once or twice he glanced back, worried, but his eyes returned to the road in an instant. 
Her apartment was dead silent. The loneliness engulfed her in a tight hug. In the back of her head, she knew Daredevil was about to come around sometime that night. It was only eleven then. 
Eliza lay down on her sofa. She didn’t even bother to turn the lights on. She hugged Matt’s suit jacket tightly around herself, letting the warmth relax her muscles. She was oh so tired. The night seemed less frightening to him.
Her eyelids fluttered closed, the tiredness taking over. Tony’s words, the speech, the eyes of the people in the crowd, and the pictures of her lost friends haunted her. She felt guilty, dragging Matt into her mess. He’d felt the need to take care of her like he had no other choice but to act. Everyone did. 
He was probably still worried, not quite able to understand what happened. She should’ve never allowed him to take care of her, but deep down she knew damn well that he was the only one who cared to help. She needed someone, anyone; it just turned out to be him at that moment. 
She wasn’t sure how long she slept. In hindsight, it must’ve been half an hour or two until it happened. A cold breeze reached through the window. Eliza opened her eyes. She was sure she’d closed the window before she even left the apartment, and it was still closed when she lay down. The floor tiles creaked. The sound wouldn’t have been audible to the untrained ear, but she heard it, loud and clear. This wasn’t paranoia or a bad dream. She was wide awake and aware that someone was in her apartment. Not only did the sounds give it away but the energy of another soul in the room hammered hard against her own.
She caught a glimpse of an empty wine bottle next to the sofa. Her gun was in the kitchen, it was too much of a stretch. Carefully, she reached for the glass. The tiles creaked louder. A whiff of cologne filled her nose. He came closer.
Eliza rolled off the leather, quick on her feet, pointing the makeshift weapon into the darkness. The silhouette halted. She barely saw him, the moonlight blocked by her own figure. 
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Are you using a wine bottle as a weapon?” he asked in return. The voice sounded familiar, but the adrenaline made it hard to pinpoint.
“The question is, why aren’t you using a wine bottle as a weapon?”
“What are you gonna do, Angel, stab me with it?”
She lowered the weapon. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!”
He chuckled breathlessly. “I’m not,” the words were barely out before his stance shifted and he fell face-first to the floor.
Eliza jumped in the air. “Jesus Christ!” She fumbled for the light switch.
Daredevil lay in her entrance hall. She should’ve put two and two together right then, but Eliza wouldn’t have been Eliza if she saw through the easiest of riddles without making it complicated first. His outfit was different. He wore a dress shirt with matching black slacks. Instead of his mask, he wore something that seemed like a scarf wrapped around the upper part of his head. Blood soaked through the white at the back. Beneath him, even more, blood came pooling out.
She methodically checked if he was alright to move. He protested, the pain of being shoved onto his back far too great to stay unconscious. His lips parted.
“Fuck!” Eliza cried out.
The white shirt was shredded, with deep cuts torn through at least five places. She couldn’t possibly tell in how many places the fabric was cut through. The blood was everywhere. It seeped through the white like a sponge. The dark red traveled all over his torso. In the shredded parts on the shirt, the blood came spurting like straight out of a geyser. The cuts went deep, deep into his skin, further than they should've been, drawing everything his heart had left out of him. 
She placed two fingers against his throat. His pulse was weak. The thudding was faint. His heart seemed to be weak from pumping all the blood while losing it to the many incisions littered all over his flesh. Looking further, a thick trail ran down his face from underneath the mask. Blood colored his cheeks red. Some droplets made their way back into his body by passing his lips. He licked it away weakly.
“What the fuck happened?” she asked.
He frowned at the unusually high sound of her voice. “Got into a fight,” he said.
“This wasn’t a fight! You were straight-up impaled. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I’m gonna be fine. I just…”
“You should be in the hospital right now. I’m calling an ambulance.”
He grabbed her wrist harshly. “No! No hospitals,” he panted. “I need you- I need you to do it.”
Eliza bit her lip. The voice, the outfit – the blood was distracting, sure, but her mind kept reeling about the face behind the mask. The small voice that kept saying ‘it’s not possible’ turned from loud screams into nothing but a quiet, unsure affirmation. She’d always been exceptionally good at lying to herself, but this denial was a new high, even for her. The truth lay right before her eyes, yet she didn’t want to believe it. She tried listening to the small voice instead of the big one throwing names at her. Emphasis on tried. 
She sat back on her heels, heart heavy in her chest. The thoughts incapacitated her, paralyzing her. She forgot to breathe.
“What’s wrong?” he choked out.
She didn’t move.
“Angel?”
“Take your mask off,” she said.
“What?”
“Take your mask off. I need to see your face.”
He shook his head weakly. “No.”
“I need to,“ - she shuddered -“I need to know. I need you to show me I’m wrong.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I may be young, but I’m not stupid. Take it off !”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“You know why.”
“Say it.”
He only sighed. 
Eliza, exasperated, took matters into her own hands. She reached for his head. 
“Don’t,” he struggled.
“No, I refuse to be lied to,” she said and slapped his weak hands away. “This is on you.” She pulled the mask off.
He really believed she was stupid enough to never figure it out. Even worse was that if he hadn’t shown up the way he did, she probably wouldn’t have, and it completely destroyed her. Her eyes watered. The truth hurt more than she anticipated. It drilled into her bones and settled in like a bad disease.
Brown eyes stared upwards. He knew what he’d done, she saw it in the depths of his irises, the doors to his soul. “I’m sorry,” he said.
Eliza squeezed the tears away. She wasn’t going to do this, she wasn’t going to show him how much this hurt her. She thought her world had crumbled once, that it wasn’t possible to ruin her anymore, but she’d been wrong. This hurt, bad. The realization that he really lied to her, all this time, leading two lives and playing with her - it was all too much.
“Save it, Matthew,” she said.
“Eliza-“
“No! Whatever pathetic excuse you have, I don’t want to hear it.”
She opened his shirt.
“What are you doing?”
“Making sure you don’t die,” she said. “And then you’re gonna tell me the truth because I’m done being disappointed by the people I care about.”
“Please." He reached for her hand. “I never meant to lie to you.”
She glared at him. Could he see it? Matt was supposed to be blind. He wasn’t supposed to go out at night and beat up criminals. Her thoughts drove in circles. How could she have been so naïve and not realized it sooner? She should've felt it. She should've known he was one and the same person. Both men turned her world upside-down. She didn't want to believe it, perhaps she tricker herself for the very same reason she used to refuse to see the faults in her family - she didn't want to be disappointed or lose them or even both. She didn't want to be hurt again. Her heart was barely healed from what she went through. She knew another hit could be fatal. She should've known because now that the truth was out, she felt nothing but shame and regret. Death would've been much kinder than the monstrosity that was the realization of the man she cared so deeply about turning out to be someone else entirely. 
“I thought you were different.”
The words cut sharper than the knife that stabbed him.
Matt had been in pain many times before that very moment. He’d been stabbed, shot, and beaten. Eventually, he got used to the pain and numb to the feeling. The magnitude of the situation didn't een come close to what he experienced before. It was the kind of pain that you were not prepared for. You can't prepare for something like that. The pain tore him up from the inside out. All the guilt he appointed himself saw his soul as the last feast he would ever have. He couldn’t see her face, but the pain in her eyes was visible even without sight. Even without his super senses, he could've told that the look on her face was pure agony. She wasn't scolding him or ready to beat him up - honestly, it would've been better than whatever he had to face. He hurt her, badly, and in return, he hurt himself. Her disappointment melting into unwanted rejection caused him the kind of pain that turned into self-hatred in its purest essence. He wanted to reach for her, hug her, cry into her shoulder how sorry he was, but she was distant. Not only emotionally but physically. She made sure to put enough distance between them so she didn't have to look too closely at him, afraid of what she might have done if she had taken the time to analyze him closer. Her heartbeat was calm - too calm - and her breathing burned even hotter on his skin. The lack of a proper reaction was worse than any emotional breakdown he expected her to show. He had planned for her to find out on her own terms, in a setting that was more comfortable and with enough time to explain. He wanted to control the damage he knew even back then he would inevitably cause because he was Matt Murdock, after all. He sabotaged everything in his way.
Eliza reacted the only way she knew how to, not at all. She only touched him where it was necessary to fix his wounds. She refused to look him in the eyes. For a second, she even considered not helping him at all. The evil part of her brain that used to be her standard of thought urged her to stop and let him suffer. It wanted him to bleed out the way her heart was slowly dying inside her chest. She wanted him to feel all the pain and more because the villain in her mind couldn't stand the thought of being hurt anymore than she already was. But this wasn't her anymore. She wasn't cruel. She was raised into a teenager by people who wanted her to be always kind. She tried to be understanding in the worst situations. Though it was hard to remain composure after something as heavy as this revelation came to light. 
Her heart was millions of feet away from when he last touched her. 
It was then Matt realized that whatever he dared to touch would eventually rot under his fingers, no matter how hard he tried to keep his lives separate. Daredevil wasn’t the reason his life went to shit, it was Matt Murdock who set out to ruin everything. He had no one else to blame but himself. Not even Daredevil could protect him from the addiction to hurting himself by screwing up over and over again until he was all alone with no one left to love him.
He desperately reached another hand out to her. Maybe it was all a bad dream. He needed more than just her fingertips to assert her presence. He needed to know she was still there.
She wasn't. 
"Eliza," he said softly.
Her entire body jolted backward. "Don't touch me!" the demand was quiet yet harsh; to his ears, she was screaming. 
He let his fingers fall back beside his mangled body. "Sorry," he said. 
"Sorry won't fix this."
Sorry won't fix this. The words repeated in his mind over and over again. It wasn't the first time he heard something like that being said to him. He leaned his head back, neck bent over the back of the sofa. The material was rough underneath his now bare skin. It scraped and scratched him. He was in pain, simply hurting all over without a second to breathe. Matt knew then that he deserved it. He deserved every last ounce of pain he was in. Even if it had stopped, he would've been willing to do anything to make him bleed again just so he could suffer. He was a masochist of the highest order. He didn't get off on it, not this time. He wanted to feel pain because he hurt someone he deeply cared about. He wanted to rip his skin off and burn the remaining flesh over an open flame until he was screaming. He deserved it. The pain was only proof of the kind of man he really was. 
She called him a good person before, he told her he wasn't, but she insisted there was hope for him after all. He had been foolish to believe her. She had been foolish to have faith in the words herself. But most importantly, she had been blind. She had been too blind to see the truth that was right in front of her eyes and for that alone, she wanted to follow this man to hell. There was nowhere else she would end up than the fiery pit beneath humanity. He surely wasn't going to heaven. 
Sorry won't fix this. Matt wasn't easily scared, but this one scared him plenty. There was a high chance she meant it. And if there was no recovery from the truth this time, what else did he has left but the broken pieces of the life he destroyed for himself?
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emy-222 · 1 year
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Snowy Quidditch | Lily Luna Potter
Lily Luna Potter Masterlist
Summary: You wake up early with your girlfriend before her big quidditch game.
Parings: Lily Luna Potter x Fem!Reader
Warnings: Snow, cold weather, heights?
Notes:
Established relationship
Takes place during readers and Lilys 5th year
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“Tell me you can feel that too!” Lily exclaimed excitedly
“I might if you told me what I am supposed to be feeling.” You said
You were sitting on Lily's bed as she gathered all of her Quidditch stuff in one area. The two of you were whispering so you didn’t wake Lily's roommates.
You weren’t one of Lily's roommates, so you shouldn’t be in her dorm, but she had snuck you in last night after her roommates went to bed.
Now, the two of you were up before first light to walk down to the quidditch pitch.
“The..anticipation in the air.” Lily answered, turning towards you, “It’s always there before a big quidditch match.” She added
You hummed in response, snuggling back under the covers to keep warm.
“Do we have to get up this early?” You complained
“Yes.” Lily said absentmindedly, throwing her clothes into her quidditch bag.
“You ready?” You asked from behind the red heads blanket
“Yep!” Lily said excitedly, pulling you from under the covers.
You cuddled yourself into your girlfriend as the two of you walked down the quidditch pitch. Lily only embraced you wholeheartedly.
“I don’t understand how you can get up so early so willingly.” You grumbled
You felt Lily laugh a little.
“Look, it’s snowing.” Lily poked your side
To your amazement and horror, there were indeed piles of snow on the ground.
You might think that this would cause a reschedule but if there was anything the whole school could agree about was the importance of quidditch.
“Better than playing in the blazing sun.” Lily commented
You grumbled an agreement.
When you got closer to the locker room you noticed another familiar form.
“Lils! Over here!” Rose called eagerly, already in uniform.
Lily grabbed your hand and pulled you over towards her cousin.
Rose offered her bright full greetings, already feeling the upcoming adrenaline of the game.
You wished the pair good luck, placed a kiss on Lily's cheek, and turned to walk away when your girlfriend grabbed your wrist.
You raised your eyebrows questioningly.
“I didn’t get my good luck kiss.” She said
You huffed out a laugh, “How did I forget..” you said teasingly.
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Over time, people began crowding in the stands. Many people were covered in red and gold or the other team's colors. You were sat in the Gryffindor section with Scorpious and Albus.
Scorpious brought red and gold face paint and applied the pigment to your cheeks, as well as Lily's quidditch number.
The crowd roared as both teams walked out to the field and mounted their brooms.
As the Gryffindor team flew into their positions you caught your red heads eye and she winked at you with a grin spread across her face.
The heat on your cheeks canceled out the chill.
Merlin, your throat was sure to be sore after this game.
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🐇 Easter Plastic (Kenya Oshitari)
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Genre: Fluff, Comedy, Romance
Word Count: 1,239 
Pairing: Reader x Kenya 
World: Prince of Tennis
Table of Contents
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You looked at the literal mountain of egg-shaped plastic and sweatdropped. How in the hell were you supposed to fill every single one with candy by tomorrow? Speaking of, where in the world was the candy? You called out to the man who had brought you to Atobe manor, posing him that very question.
“Don’t worry, Y/N-san, the candy is being brought down from the third floor. It’ll be here shortly.”
You sweatdropped again when a line of men dressed in black suits filed into the room, carrying sacks of candy over their shoulders. There were now two mountains. You were feeling overwhelmed and you didn’t see any way that you could complete this many eggs in the time given to you.
Your phone buzzed in your pocket – it was a new message from your best friend, complaining about being bored. You quickly typed a reply and your thumb hovered over the send button. A light went off above your head and you cried out. Why hadn’t you thought of it before? You scrapped the message and quickly dialed his number.
“Naniwa’s speed star speaking~”
“Kenya! I need you!”
“W-What are you saying?!”
“You need to come to Atobe’s mansion now.”
“Why are you there?!”
“Don’t leave me waiting!”
“O-Oi, wait – ”
You ended the call with a bright smile, leaving the room to find Michael. Due to the distance, he sent a helicopter to pick up the speed star instead of a car. He even agreed to kidnap him if he refused, to which you thanked him with a deep bow. While waiting for them to return, you set out to work.
The eggs came in a variety of colors and they were a bit bigger than the size of a large egg. Most of the candy came in individually wrapped packages, making it easy to add them. When you first started, you tried to match the colors, but quickly realized how much longer that would take to do so you decided to just fit as much candy as you could into each egg before adding them to the completed basket.
About an hour later, you heard screaming coming from somewhere in the mansion. You looked up at the door curiously when it swung open. Kenya was thrown into the room, landing on his face a few inches from you. The doors were closed and you heard the distinct click of the lock.
‘T-That seems a bit unnecessary…’ you sweatdropped as you approached the boy.
Kenya’s body twitched from beside you and you poked his shoulder.
“Are you still alive?”
He lifted his head, glaring at you. “You had me kidnapped,”
“Well, yeah,” you shrugged, returning to your work. “You wouldn’t have come on your own.”
“Of course not!” He cried, springing up and pointing an accusing finger at you. “What the heck is this all about?!”
You scowled at him, smacking the back of his knee to make him fall to the ground again. “I told you, I need you. Now stop yelling.”
His cheeks flushed at your words. “N-Need me for what?”
You gestured toward the mountain. “I have to fill all of these with candy by tomorrow. I can’t do it alone.”
His eye twitched in annoyance. “There’s no way in hell I’m helping you!”
“No? I guess even Naniwa’s speed star isn’t fast enough to complete this job.”
“I’ll show you!” He let out a determined yell as he started to fill the eggs at a rapid pace. “No speed, no life!”
You sweatdropped at how easy he was to manipulate, but you would be lying if you said you weren’t impressed. He had easily doubled the amount in just a few minute’s time than you had managed in over an hour. He was crazy, but you felt so thankful for his insanity.
“You’re going too slow!” He exclaimed, not even sparing you a glance. “Speed up!”
“Sorry, I’m not a speed freak.” You muttered under your breath, trying to increase your speed.
“What?”
“Nothing!” You were in awe at the reduced size of the mountains – they were more like ant hills now.
Kenya was breathing heavily, his hands working at light speed to finish up the last bit of eggs. “Done!”
A smile tugged at your lips and you threw your arms around his neck. “Thank you, Kenya!”
Pink dusted his cheeks as he slowly responded, wrapping his arms around your waist. “I-It wasn’t a big deal,”
“To make up for having you kidnapped and manipulating you, how about you stay at my place tonight? We can order pizza!”
“Sure,” He nodded, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. The warmth radiating from his cheeks made him blush more. “Wait.. what do you mean you manipulated me?!”
You giggled as you reached for the doorknob. You shook it several times, but the knob refused to turn.
“It’s still locked, isn’t it?”
“…”
He facepalmed. “Why did they even lock the door?!”
“To keep you from escaping? I don’t know.” You scowled, still trying to twist the handle. “The door was left open when I was here alone.”
“You don’t think… they did it on purpose?”
“Why would they do that?”
Silence.
You frowned, wondering why the room had turned so quiet, but before you could turn around, arms wrapped tight around your waist. His breath fanned against your ear as his chest pressed against your back.
“K-Kenya… what are you doing?”
His hands rubbed your sides softly. “Taking advantage of the situation~”
“What – ”
His hand gripped your chin, forcing you to look at him. Your lips collided.
Your body was frozen – how long had he been waiting to do this? Judging from the intensity of the kiss, it’s probably been a while.
His tongue ran across your bottom lip, but you were still too shocked to respond. His eyes narrowed in frustration and he pinched your side with his nail. You gasped in pain and he took advantage, thrusting his tongue into your mouth. You snapped out of your daze, your hand fisting around the fabric of his shirt.
The both of you were so distracted in the heated kiss that you didn’t hear the doorknob jingling as it was unlocked. Atobe raised a perfect brow at the sight before him, coughing loudly to gain your attention.
You jumped in surprise, biting down on his lip by accident. You were both breathing heavily when you separated, cheeks blazing from the intensity of the situation.
Atobe smirked as he leaned against the doorframe. “Having fun?”
You realized that it had been planned by him and you scowled.
His eyes scanned the room and he nodded in approval. “Ore-sama didn’t expect you to finish so quickly. You’re free to go.”
Feeling embarrassed, you didn’t say anything as you brushed past him, Kenya hot on your heels. The two of you remained silent until Atobe’s house was no longer in view. You glanced at him. His lip was split on the left side, but it didn’t seem to be bleeding, though it was bright red.
“Kenya?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry about your lip…”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry about acting that way…” He rubbed the back of his neck with bright cheeks. “I’m not sure what came over me…”
“Me neither.” You responded, slipping your hand into his and giving it a gentle squeeze. “So, you still wanna get some pizza?”
He grinned, returning the squeeze. “Sounds good!”
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serafinablackwood · 2 years
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to start off i’m so sorry this was totally later than it was supposed to be, BECAUSE I SUCK. I’m brett, 24, est. i am interested in TOO many things to name, but i do love writing and all things supernatural. i, also, like making friends and need to kick myself so i'm less awkward and SHY. i’m still trying to learn about everything around here, but you all have been very welcoming even though i’ve been slow as a snail. thank you for being patient with me! without further ado, this is sera! country girl, witch, hopeless romantic and adventurer extraordinaire. feel free to hit me up about anything, plots / connections, random stuff, general screaming ya know. even if i take a second i will get back to you  ♡ below is some info and what not and a few connection ideas 
pinterest (  work in progress; tw nsfw ), playlist ( not done yet )
sister of santana and part of the blackwood family 
always embraced her magic, the only thing her biological family really gave her. 
her biological parents really are a mystery to her and she’s tried to do some digging without much luck ( even if she loves investigating things it’s not exactly her forte ) 
sera loves adventure and quests, much like all the ones she reads about.
speaking of, she reads.. a lot, more often than not you will find her with a book near by. she’s part of the book club!! and maybe girl’s / wine club? or gardening! ( i wasn’t sure what all kind of clubs were here, but i’ll get on it ) she, also, is big into yoga.
fleetwood mac esque
STRESS BAKES
still deeply in love with her soulmate, rhys who she is currently broken up with ( she is crying AND throwing up )
hopeless hopeless romantic, witches and love am i right? 
she’s so sensitive even though it’s the bane of her existence, literally drives her mad
can be nosy if someone wants to share some hot goss with her, she likes to have the tea 
has spent a lot of her life feeling like some of her friendships were superficial and made a change to try and combat that, making her circle smaller and closer to her heart
will fight to the death for those she loves
she’d always wanted to work at the apothecary, wanted to help people and dive more into her witch-ly studies. got her pharmd degree and now has worked there for about 2 years!! she’s a hard little worker
can be so stubborn, does not like getting told no or that she cannot do something which can sometimes lead her to run herself more raged than she should 
wine drinker  ™
can make both impulsive and spontaneous decisions, like running off for a month with rhys for adventure and finding love
despite all that, she has zero sense of direction
please do not ask her to point you west, she won’t know
JEALOUS
oh, so jealous 
more to be added, i’m sure
BASICS
birth name  ⁠— serafina monroe legal name  ⁠— serafina blackwood gender  ⁠— she/her birthdate  ⁠— august 6th, 1992 hometown  ⁠— wolford, tennessee zodiac sign  ⁠— leo sun, sagittarius moon sexuality  ⁠— heterosexual occupation  ⁠— pharmacist at the twilight apothecary soulmate  — rhys kerr favorite possession(s)  ⁠— a golden necklace rhys gave her years ago that has rhys’s star and her moon, you’ll always find her wearing it.  her purple record player, extensive book collection, her first crystal ball, and even though her kitty isn’t a possession jinx is one of her best friends and she treasures him dearly.  often thinking of him more as a familiar.  eye color  ⁠— hazel hair color  ⁠— blonde height  ⁠— 5′5 build  ⁠— ectomorph complexion  ⁠— type II glasses/contacts?  ⁠— has a pair of reading glasses, but beyond that no. tattoos  ⁠— none, but wants one.  piercings  ⁠— her ears have multiple piercings. like so details  ⁠— she has a couple scars from nicks and scrapes, falling, general outdoorsy type injuries that sometimes left little scars on her knee. has a birthmark in the shape of italy on her left shoulder. often wearing some type of boot or is without shoes entirely.  alignment  ⁠—  neutral good
night or morning person? both
light or heavy sleeper? heavy sleeper
left or right handed? left handed
acting on more logic or emotions? emotions
optimistic or pessimistic? optimistic
tea or coffee? tea
cats or dogs? cats
open or closed minded? open
shower or bath? bath
clean or messy? messy
workaholic or lazy? probably lazier than workaholic, but she is quite determined
lover or fighter? lover
favorite color? green
fishing | camping | sewing | singing | dancing | drawing | painting | baking | cooking | making music | gardening | mixology  | playing sports | beekeeping | knitting | chess | video games | working out | doing yoga | playing an instrument | collecting things | hiking | parkour | kite flying | making bread | origami | wood carving | trivia | board games | jigsaw puzzles | juggling | swimming | creative writing | journaling | scrapbooking | thrifting | doing makeup | working on cars | cosplaying | wikipedia editing | genealogy | book club | table tennis | calligraphy | meteorology | astronomy | larping  | geocaching | photography | reading | litter picking | scrolling through social media | watching movies / shows | witchcraft | pottery | lego building | ghost hunting | graffiti | poker | people watching | birdwatching .
connection ideas, 
her circle of best friends  — 
fellow adventurer  —
coven members she’s close to  —
a mentor  —
childhood friend (s)  —
school rival  —
neighbors  —
a long lost biological sibling???  —
book club buds  —
they just do not mesh  —
friends who grew apart —
coworkers  —
don’t let this limit us, these are just some general ideas!!
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