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littleseasiren · 1 year

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Alpine

Summary: Your long-time crush Bucky has a secret, a tiny white kitten. She's the cause of some interesting situations between you and the handsome super soldier. When Bucky's secret gets out, will it bring you closer together or break you apart?

Pairing: Bucky x reader

Warnings: Mainly fluff, mention of animal cruelty, threats of revenge on the abuser, Tony being an idiot until the reader makes him see sense.

Words: ~ 5800

A/N: Grammarly is my beta reader, so any mistakes are my own. Comments and reblogs will be appreciated. Please let me know if you want to be added or removed from my tag list. Thanks for reading!

"Bucky!" Your voice echoes in the empty hallway.

The super soldier looks like he is going to ignore your call but halts after a few seconds. He turns around, eyes wide open in innocence.

"I didn't do anything..." he mumbles softly. "I gotta go."

He turns around once again and starts walking to his room, his steps rushed.

"Wait!" You run in front of him. When he doesn't stop, you walk backwards, keeping him in your sight. "Where were you? We were supposed to have lunch together?"

"Crap," he sighs. "I'm so sorry doll. I got held up and forgot."

"It's ok. I saved you a plate. Why don't you come with me then you can eat it?"

"I, uh... can't."

"Why? What's wrong?"

His eyes don't meet yours. "I just don't feel well. I gotta go."

He sidesteps you when a strange sound comes from his zipped-up hoodie.

"Bucky, what was that?" You run after him, his strange behaviour making you suspicious.

"It's nothing." When he sees you don't believe him he rubs his forehead in apprehension. "Uh, it was my stomach."

"Bucky, for a spy, you suck at lying to me."

When another sound is made, you realize it kind of sounds like a meow. When your eyes widen in shock, he firmly pulls you into his room and locks the door.

"Please, don't tell anyone." His eyes beg you, the blue seeming to hypnotize you until he carefully zips down his hoodie and pulls out an ivory-white ball of fluff, and holds it in his hands. The ball of fluff meows and turns to look at you. You gasp when bright blue eyes meet yours, the kitten seeming tiny in Bucky's large hands.

"I know we're not allowed to have pets. Trust me, I didn't plan on getting one. She just happened."

"She? It's a girl? Are you sure?" You move closer to him, reaching out slowly and rubbing the little cat's head and ears, making her purr softly.

"Yeah, I had to take her to a vet. He confirmed it." Bucky shifts his hold and that's when you see it. A small pink cast is on the kitten's back leg, along with a bandage on her small tummy. You can't stop gasping. Something bad had to happen to the little girl.

"What happened to her?" You ask Bucky as you both move to sit on his couch. From his hoodie, he pulls out a small bag and puts it on the table next to him.

"Humans happened to her. I was on my jog when I saw this car speed into an alley. He threw a box into the dumpster and just sped off. At first, I just thought he was a prick that needed to throw away some trash. But then I heard a faint noise. The closer I got to the dumpster the more I could hear. The box he had thrown away? It had her in it, all bleeding and crying for help. I couldn't just leave her there. So I took her to the vet to be patched up. Thought maybe they would be able to look after her, but since it's the holidays, they are full. So I had to bring her home."

You can't help but tear up at the thought of what the little kitten had gone through. "People like that should never be able to have pets, ever. They should cut something off too, just to remind him what he's done."

Bucky chuckles next to you but his eyes are dark with anger. "If I get my hands on him, he'll be lucky to make it out with his life. People that abuse animals belong in the ninth circle of hell."

"That's for sure." When she cries out loudly, you both startle. "She must be hungry. Did the vet say what to feed her?"

"Yeah, he said I have to give her this formula for now." He picks up the bag and shows it to you. "He says she's almost 4 weeks old, but since she's a bit malnourished, I need to feed her a little bit every 3 hours. I need to gradually begin to increase the time between feedings before I start introducing wet foods too."

When she cries again you both chuckle at how cute she is. "Guess it's feeding time," he smirks at you as he stands up and walks to his small kitchenette. "Do you want to hold her?"

You almost squeal in delight, your smile lighting up the room. "Yes, please!"

Bucky decides to call the kitten Alpine, due to her snowy colour. You completely agree with him, the name fitting her like a glove.

The two of you work together to feed Alpine before you offer to go out and buy toys and kitty litter for her, secretly hiding it beneath bags of clothes.

When you come back, the two of you set up her supplies and settle in for a long evening of watching movies and feeding the cutest cat in the world.

You wake up to warmth beneath you and a small pressure on your lower back.

You moan softly, feeling safe and peaceful when a gentle touch runs down your side. Your eyes blink open in surprise and find blue eyes smiling up at you.

"Bucky, I-" you move to get off the big supersoldier but he stops you by grasping your shoulders gently.

"Easy doll, Alpine's going to fly off you if you get up. She's laying on your back."

"Oh," your eyes widen at the situation you find yourself in. You're laying on your stomach, your head on Bucky's shoulder as he lays beneath you. Your stomach to his chest, legs intertwined with a sleeping kitten on the small of your back.

You've never been this close to Bucky before, seeing for the first time the sprinkle of tiny freckles on his face, his full lips and perfect white teeth open in a smile. Why is he smiling?

Your cheeks burn in humiliation as you realise you've been staring at him and he's noticed.

Before you can apologise, he's talking, voice a little hoarse. "I'll lift Alpine then you can climb off. Just give me a second. I'll try not to wake her..."

"Ok," you whisper, eyes unable to meet him. When his arms creep up your sides, you have to hold in a moan that threatens to burst out of you at his touch. The man you had a crush on for months was touching you, but not in the way you wanted him to.

You pretty much hold your breath when his biceps sandwich you on both sides as he gently scoops up the sleeping kitten in his hands then holds them high in the air as you wiggle out from above him.

When he whimpers you look up at him but his eyes are the epitome of innocence so you must have imagined it. There was no way he liked you too, you weren't so lucky.

His muscles ripple beneath his shirt as he slowly stands up and walks to the new cat bed you had bought earlier, softly laying Alpine down as she continues sleeping.

When Bucky straightens and your eyes meet, you can't help but smile at how gentle he is. A lot of people think he's a miscreant, a bad man born from years of fighting, but he is the sweetest, kindest man that you have ever met. And Bucky holding a small kitten in his hands, so gently like she was made of glass? It just made you love him more.

The heavy look between the two of you is broken when someone knocks on his door.

"Bucky? It's me," Steve's voice calls out from the door. You freeze, not knowing what to do. You quickly duck down next to the sleeping Alpine, hidden from view by the couch.

You hear Bucky walk to the door and crack it open slightly.

"Hey, what's up?" Bucky asks casually, making you smile at his words. He's definitely picked up some slang since he joined the Avengers.

"Hi, Buck. Is Y/N here with you?"

"Uh, no she's not here. Why would she be?"

"Well Buck, unless you started wearing her perfume then I'm guessing she's here." You can hear the smirk in Steve's voice.

You take a deep breath and rise from your position behind the couch. "Hi Steve," you say with a small wave.

"She was...uh...helping me with something," Bucky says to Steve, arms crossed in discomfort.

"I bet she was." Steve's grinning like an idiot, his eyes twinkling with laughter.

"Tony needs your help on a project," Steve says to you as he looks around the room once again. "Are we going on our run?" He asks a brooding Bucky.

When it seems like Bucky is going to object, he quickly continues, "We'll be quick Buck. Thirty minutes tops."

Bucky sighs but relents. "Fine. Give me ten minutes then I'll meet you downstairs."

Steve winks at you as he exits, gleaming.

Finally, you and Bucky are alone again, neither of you knowing what to say.

The silence is broken by a small cry, Alpine letting the two of you know it is feeding time.

"You go doll. I'll quickly feed her then meet Steve and come back as soon as possible. Hopefully, she'll sleep while we're away." He smiles at you, his blue eyes twinkling with some emotion that you can't place.

"Ok, I'll try and be quick too, but with Tony, you never know. See you soon," you add as you exit the room.

A little more than half an hour later, you're back in Bucky's room, calling out softly but no one answers. Thinking he's not back yet, you enter his bedroom in search of Alpine.

She's on his large bed, napping peacefully when the bathroom door opens and Bucky walks out in what appears to be the tiniest towel that he owns.

"Oh, hey doll. Didn't know you were back yet. I just forgot to grab my clothes."

"Uh-huh." You nod automatically, eyes focused on the beautiful man in front of you. His sculpted chest is the first thing you see, his muscles so much bigger up close. In the corner of your eye, you notice his scarred shoulder where it meets his metal arm, but you gaze away quickly, knowing it makes him uncomfortable when people stare at it.

Your eyes focus on a bead of water in the centre of his chest, slowly rolling down his sternum and between his well-defined abs, the ridges causing the drop to roll slower and slower until it reaches the edge of the towel he's holding in a clenched fist.

When he clears his throat, you snap out of the trance his amazing body seduced you into. Cheeks on fire, you glance up at him, seeing a confused smile on his face.

"You alright doll?" His voice is rough, husky even.

You bring an unsteady hand to your beating heart, hoping he won't hear how hard it's pounding. Eyes wide, you stare at him. How long had you been ogling him? Before your treacherous eyes could dip down again, you take a small step back.

"Me? Oh, fine." Your hands clench together as you do your best to concentrate on your words. "The, uh, cat... Yeah, I need to feed..." Crap, your eyes move down on their own, this time noticing just how large his right arm is, the muscles bulging as he holds onto his small towel.

"You need to feed... the cat?" He's smirking now, his blue eyes shining in the morning sun.

Focus! "Uh huh," you mumble before turning around and starting to walk out of the room. It takes you a second to realise you forgot one crucial element to your plan as you spin around again and pick up Alpine before shutting the bedroom door behind you.

You catch your breath as you lean against the door, Alpine reaching up with her small paws and rubbing her head against your chest in comfort. "Oh, Alpine. My mind went completely haywire in there."

The second you said the words, anxiety fills you once again as you pray that Bucky didn't hear you speaking to Alpine. Having a super soldier as a friend was sometimes very tricky...

When the bedroom door opens, you're busy playing with Alpine, making her run after a feather tied to a string. You feel his eyes on you but you do your best to avoid looking at him. He watches the two of you for a moment before his voice fills the room, his body moving towards the door.

"Um, I'll go get us some food. You must be hungry?"

"Thanks, Bucky. That will be nice." You look up at him and give him a quick smile before moving your attention back to Alpine.

"Ok, I'll be right back, you two." He says as he opens the door then stops instantly, seeing Steve standing outside.

"Uh, hey Stevie. I'm gonna go get some food, you want to join?" He mumbles quickly, trying to distract Steve from what he had said earlier.

"You two?" Steve's eyes are wide open, a look of astonishment on his face. "Please tell me you don't have two women in there?" Before Bucky can say anything he continues. "You've always been kinky, but two at the same time? Maybe you should see-"

"Steve!" Bucky shouts, breaking Steve's tirade. You watch the exchange, too stunned to do anything. Steve is instantly silent until a loud meow comes from in front of you.

Bucky sighs as Steve pushes through the door and drops down next to you. "Why is there a cat in here?" He whispers to you.

"Bucky rescued her. The ass that had her decided he didn't want a cat anymore and threw her out like trash. Bucky saved her and brought her here." You inform him as he sits cross-legged on the floor.

"I know we're not supposed to have pets, but I couldn't just leave her. And the shelters are all full." Bucky joins the two of you on the floor and smiles as Alpine rubs her head on his knee before moving to Steve slowly.

The kitten looks up at him before slowly moving closer as Steve extends his hand, giving her a chance to sniff him before she rubs her side on his stretched fingers.

"Hi sweetheart," Steve says as Alpine climbs into his lap slowly, the cast on her leg making her slow. "She was injured then?"

"Yeah, I took her to the vet before I bought her here. I swear if I ever see that-" Bucky clenches his jaw so hard, you're afraid he'll break something. You reach out and hold his hand, showing him you understand. "I'll throw him out like the trash he truly is. Except he won't be alive when I do." He huffs out.

"You've always had a soft spot for animals, glad that hasn't changed Buck." He scratches Alpine's head before he starts giggling. "So, technically, I was right. You do have two women in your room. One's just a feline."

"Yeah, we all know what you were thinking Steve. So much for Captain America being a gentleman."

"Haha, I am a gentleman. I just never said I was innocent. And neither is he. I know him, he's still kinky. There was this one time one of his dates asked him to-"

"Steve!" Bucky whisper-shouts. Steve just winks at you in reply. Just what did she ask Bucky, you ponder.

Bucky blushes when his eyes meet yours for a second.

"Why don't you leave me with the cat and you two go grab some food? The others are becoming suspicious of your absence." Steve says as he strokes Alpine softly.

You and Bucky glance at each other and nod in agreement.

"Her name is Alpine," Bucky says on the way out. "She's been fed, so just keep her company. Thanks, Steve."

"And please don't tell anyone about her, she's our little secret," you add on the way out.

Bucky's making his way to the kitchen when you pull him to the side. If your hand stayed on his arm a few seconds too long, you chose to ignore it.

"Um, maybe I should go in first, then you follow in a few minutes? Or do you go in first? If they see us entering together..." your voice trails off, the implication of your words clear to him as his eyes widen and his breath catches.

"Uh, yeah sure. You don't want to give them the wrong impression." His jaw clenches for a second, eyes turned down before he continues. "Maybe I'll check if Sam is still in his room first." He turns around and starts walking in the opposite direction, his sudden departure astounding you. Just what was his issue now?

He and Sam enter the kitchen a few minutes later, his gaze fixed on the plate of food he fills.

"So Bucky, haven't seen you around today," Natasha says in a sultry voice. You know she's with Steve, but you can't help your hackles rising at her tone. Were you jealous?

He glances at the two of you swiftly before focusing on his food again. "Yeah, I've been busy."

"Very interesting... Y/N's also been busy today."

"Well Nat," your voice is full of irritation, "we are Avengers. So we should all be pretty busy, don't you think?"

The beautiful redhead just looks at you before bursting out laughing. After a few seconds, you can't help but join her.

Sam and Bucky just look at the two of you in confusion.

"That was good honey," Nat says between giggles as you continue eating.

By the time lunch is done, Bruce and Tony had made an appearance too.

You were just grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge when Bucky approached you, the others having left earlier.

"Doll, I gotta ask," Bucky says as he bites his lower lip, "Before when you said I make your brain go haywire... did you mean that in a good way or in a bad way? I know I can be a lot to handle sometimes..."

You suck in a deep breath, your heart racing. So he did hear you earlier. You start to deny it when you see the look in his eyes. Did he really think you could ever think anything bad of him?

"Oh, um. I had hoped you wouldn't hear that." He's standing close so you have to tilt your head up to look him in the eyes. "But I meant it in a good way." When he doesn't seem to believe you, you continue. "Bucky, you were standing in front of me with just a tiny towel on, of course, I meant it in a good way. You know you're attractive..."

Blue eyes light up as he smirks at you. "So you think I'm attractive huh? So when can I see you in just a tiny towel? To even the odds?"

"Keep dreaming big guy," you reply as you gently punch him on the shoulder.

The two of you giggle together before Bucky looks at you with adoration in his eyes.

"Maybe I will..."

When you don't answer he clears his throat softly.

"Um... hypothetically, if I stopped being a wuss," he swallows hard, "and I asked you out on a date, what would your answer be?"

Some part of you wants to tease him and make him suffer, but you don't. "Hypothetically, if you asked, I would say yes. Definitely yes."

"Yeah?" His smile is huge, making the corners of his eyes crinkle.

Sam appears in front of the two of you, trying to reach for the fridge.

"Sam, not now!" Bucky groans at the man, lightly pushing him away.

"But I want a cupcake!" Brown eyes cry out.

"You just had lunch! You'll get indigestion! Now buzz off!" Bucky forces him to turn around and pushes him forward, making Sam huff in frustration.

When Bucky looks at you expectantly, you simply nod in answer. "Yeah, Bucky. But you still have to ask me," you tease him.

"You little minx! Fine." He takes a deep breath, "Will you go on a date with me? Tonight if you're free?"

"Of course Bucky." Your smile drops, making Bucky anxious. "But who's going to look after Alpine? Can we ask Steve?"

"Yeah, he and Natasha can look after Alpine."

You stare at Bucky, trying to understand him. "Nat and Steve?" You inquire.

Bucky snorts in reply. "There's no way that punk hasn't already told his lady about Alpine. The fact that he's dating a spy hasn't helped him be able to keep secrets. Not from Natasha."

"Are you sure of that? I think we should give Steve the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure he can keep Alpine secret for a while..."

"You wanna bet doll? $100 says she already knows."

"Sure, but let's make it interesting. Let's see," you tap your index finger on your chin, "if I win, you have to... take me shopping."

Bucky groans in defeat. You know he hates going shopping. "And if I win? What do I get?"

You eye him up and down, "What do you want?"

The corner of his lip lifts in a half smile. "You really shouldn't be asking me that."

"Keep it PG, Bucky!" You say as you tap his shoulder.

"Fine," Bucky lifts his hands in defeat. "If I win, you have to kiss me."

"Deal!" You're way too fast in your answer, making Bucky laugh. "Come on, let's see who wins!" You hook your hand into his elbow as the two of you make your way to his room.

Steve's guilty look is the first thing you see when you enter the room. Natasha is lying on her stomach next to him, running her finger on the floor, laughing as Alpine chases after it.

"Steve! How could you?" You cry out in mocking anger. "I defended you, yet you caved so easily?"

"Sorry! I tried but she saw right through me!"

"See doll? I've known him forever, he's a weakling!"

"Hey!"

"Well, it's true isn't it Steve? You lasted like, what, two minutes?"

"Five," Natasha giggles next to him. "Good thing I like that he can't keep secrets from me."

Bucky's eyes are beaming with the promise of your kiss. "So, when do I get my reward?"

You grab his shirt and pull him down to you, clasping your hands around his neck. You lean in closer, your breath mixing with his, before you lean to the side and kiss him on his cheek.

You're giggling as you pull back, a look of astonishment on his face. "Hey, that's cheating!"

"Sorry Bucky, you never specified where the kiss had to be." You giggle as you join Nat on the floor. Your gaze fixed on Alpine stumbling around.

Bucky is smiling as he joins the small group on the floor. Alpine's movements become slower and slower before she admits defeat and climbs into Bucky's lap. A tiny white ball of fluff on Bucky's thick thighs.

"Guess it's time for a nap," Steve says as he helps Natasha up from the floor.

You know you're in trouble when Natasha's green eyes meet yours. "I think it's time we had a chat."

Bucky picks Alpine up slowly, making sure not to wake her as you, Natasha and Steve depart.

"So, what's going on with you and Bucky?" Natasha asks as soon as you are far enough away to prevent Bucky from hearing. Steve had left to get lunch.

"He asked me out on a date," your stare ahead, a big smile on your face.

"Finally! You two have been pining for each other for months! And the kiss on the cheek?"

"That was a bet. He believed Steve had already told you and I thought he would keep Alpine secret a little longer. So he won and I owed him a kiss."

"Uh-huh. Anything else happened with him? I picked up some tension between the two of you at lunch."

"Um, I might have fallen asleep with him last night. When I woke up I was lying on top of him with Alpine sleeping on my back. We had to wiggle to get up without waking her." You bite your lower lip, "Then this morning I was looking for Alpine when I kinda walked in on him getting out of the shower in a tiny towel. I swear Nat, seeing those muscles up close almost made me pass out!"

"Seems like Alpine is the perfect matchmaker! She's getting the two of you into great situations!"

Natasha is bubbling with laughter as the two of you make your way to the training room. You are eager to work off some nerves before your date.

"Ok Alpine, what about if I take her to a fancy restaurant for dinner?" You hear Bucky's voice softly through the door, a small meow being the only answer.

"Yeah, you're right. It's a bit normal for a first date right? I don't want her to think I'm boring." It's quiet for a second then you hear his voice again.

"A movie?" Another meow, softer this time.

"Nope, she won't be able to sit still unless it's a very interesting movie. So what then?"

"I know, I'll -"

You knock on his door, not wanting to hear what he has planned and spoil all his fun.

You hear him say something on his way to the door, and Alpine seems to agree enthusiastically if her loud purr is an answer.

When Bucky lets you in and closes the door, you see Alpine sitting on his shoulder, nails holding onto Bucky's shirt for stability.

"Hey, doll. Watch this!" He's beaming as he takes a seat on the couch and removes Alpine from his shoulder. He puts her on the couch and wiggles his left hand. She drops down into a crouch then runs up his metal arm, her back leg struggling along, nails fitting into the grooves of his metal arm perfectly until she's back on his shoulder again, a loud purr coming from her tiny body. "Pretty soon she's going to be able to do all kinds of things. There's no stopping this lady!"

When Alpine's gaze falls on you, she meows and rubs her head against Bucky's neck then stares at you again.

Getting the picture, you move closer to the two of them and bend down to rub her adorable head. Her tail is curled around Bucky's neck as she leans forward into your touch, purring loudly in happiness.

Bucky pulls you softly forward, making you sit on his knee, his arm around the back of your waist holding you close. His smile is enchanting, a similar grin forming on your face. When he leans down closer, your breath catches. This is what you've been waiting for, a kiss from Bucky Barnes will certainly kill you with pleasure. You've barely begun to feel his lips on yours when his bedroom door shoots open, Steve's imposing figure standing in the doorway.

"We got a problem, Buck." He hastily says as he closes the door and moves closer to the three of you. You climb off Bucky's lap and sit down next to him, watching as Steve approaches.

"Wanda and Vision just came back from their mission. Wanda has a concussion so her powers are a bit wonky. Natasha and I were busy whispering about how to help you keep Alpine a secret. Wanda heard our thoughts and got so excited that you have a cat that she repeated it out loud and... Tony heard. He's on his way here now and he doesn't look very happy."

You gasp in surprise and turn to see Bucky running his hands over his face, knowing what is to come.

"Maybe we can hide her?" You begin to say but are interrupted by the knocking on the door.

"He won't believe it," Steve sighs in defeat.

"You two just stay out of it, ok? I can take whatever he throws at me. He hates me already anyways." Bucky stands and walks to the door. Alpine held onto his shirt, cuddled up into his neck.

Tony looks Bucky over, eyes hardening in anger. "Barnes, I give you food and shelter, pay you for going on missions, I take care of you even though I can't stand to see you some days. And all I asked for were a few rules to be followed. One of those rules was no pets. Am I correct in my assumption that that is a cat on your shoulder?"

Wanda, Natasha and Sam creep into the hallway, watching the scene unfold.

"Yes, Tony. I'm sorry. I found her and the shelters are full for Christmas. I didn't have anywhere for her to go."

"Well, either the cat goes now or you both go. Your choice." Tony doesn't even blink when he gives his ultimatum.

Bucky's brows drop in concern, eyes wide open. "You can't be serious Tony. Give me some time-"

"I don't care Barnes. The cat goes right now."

"Tony you can't!" You shout from the doorway, Steve behind you.

"I can do whatever I want. This is my Tower in case you've forgotten that. I'm willing to overlook your involvement in this but don't make me regret it. Any of you." He says as he faces the others.

"It's ok doll," Bucky says softly as his fingers rub your hand for a second. When he faces Tony again his jaw is clenched with anger. "I'm not going to abandon her too. Alpine and I will be out in 10 minutes."

Bucky walks into the bedroom, his meaning taking a few seconds to sink in before everyone pushes into the room, talking a huffing Tony with them.

"Bucky no," Steve calls out as Bucky grabs a bag in his room, starting to fill it with a change of clothes.

You face Tony, your anger making you shake with adrenaline. "I thought you were better than this Tony. Bucky found Alpine being thrown away like trash, her leg broken, ravenous with hunger. She's barely a month old. Now you're going to punish him for doing the right thing? For following his heart and taking care of a helpless animal? You are an asshole if you punish him for that. You're just letting your anger towards Bucky cloud your judgement. If Bucky and Alpine have to go then so will I."

"Doll don't-" Bucky starts but you interrupt him.

"No Bucky, I don't want to work for someone who hates innocent animals and would prefer to keep them on the streets. I refuse to work for anyone like that. I'm just disappointed that the mighty Tony Stark is like that." You glare at Tony, brown eyes meeting yours for just a second.

"Don't leave without me Bucky. I'll be back in five minutes." You start to walk out of the room but Tony stops you.

He stares down at you for a moment before he sighs in defeat. "Her leg's really broken?"

"Yes, it's really broken. Bucky saw a man stop in the alley and throw the box in the trash, luckily he heard her cries and rescued her. He took her to the vet and the vet fixed her up. She's a tiny kitten, Tony. If it was you who found her, would you have just left her there?"

He doesn't answer you as he turns to Bucky's bedroom. "Let me see her."

Bucky gently wraps his large hands around her tiny body, being careful of her cast before he softly puts her in Tony's outstretched hands. He watches Tony like a hawk, analysing his every move to make sure he doesn't hurt his baby kitten.

Tony brings her closer to his chest, his right hand stroking her head softly as sky-blue eyes gaze at him in appreciation. "I don't hate animals. I just can't have everyone running around with their pets. This is a dangerous place, and we can't have dozens of animals staying here. If I allow one person to have a pet, the others would want them too."

"Maybe Alpine can be the Team's cat? She already has a bond with Bucky but animals have so much love, they give it to anyone who loves them in return." You grasp Bucky's hand and give it a squeeze. "Besides, a cat has a mischievous side too, the more people who engage with her, the more fun she'd have. It'll help her stay out of trouble."

"You'd be willing to share her?" Tony asks Bucky hesitantly.

"Of course, I hate having her cooped up in my bedroom, the more she can explore, the better. Besides, this cutie needs all the love she can get. Together we can show her that not all humans are bad."

"Fine, Barnes and Alpine can stay." Tony relents, making the others cheer in response. "But I'm cuddling with her in the living room first!" Tony calls out as he walks out of the room, mumbling to Alpine that he will buy her the best of everything, including a big climbing set as soon as her leg gets better. The rest of the team follows Tony, each adding to the list of what has to be bought for the best kitten in the world.

"So Bucky, you get to stay, after all."

"Thanks to you, doll. What you said was amazing, I've never seen someone rip into Tony so easily." Unsure blue eyes meet yours. "Would you have left with me? If he hadn't changed his mind?"

"Yeah Bucky. I would have. What I said was the truth. I'd go anywhere with you."

"You're so sure I'm worth it? That I'm good?"

"Bucky, you saved a helpless kitten. You did it because you cared, not because you wanted praise or attention. Hell, you tried to keep it a secret! Anyone who cares so much about animals that they are willing to walk out on what they know just to keep them safe can't be bad. It's impossible. You're the best Bucky. And now that Alpine has a whole family to look after her, I think it's the perfect time to go on that date you owe me."

"Of course, doll. Anything you want."

"Anything?" You smirk at him, wickedness in your eyes.

"Anything," he replies as he drops his head down, hands wrapping around your waist. Your arms circle his neck as you stand on your toes to meet him, kissing him like you've wanted to for months. And he's all too happy to reciprocate.

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@cjand10

@buggy14

@tripleoyaa

@mandijo17

@fluffysucker

@moviegurl2002

@Krm22332

@shelbygeek

#bucky x y/n #bucky barns x reader #bucky x reader #bucky x female reader #bucky x you #james bucky buchanan barnes #bucky fanfic #bucky fluff #bucky imagine #steve rogers #the avengers #sam wilson #natasha romanoff #wanda maximoff #avengers tower #tony stark #animal lover #stop animal cruelty

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lucidlivi · 9 months

Text

Chosen For Pleasure (XIII)

Series Masterlist/Warnings

Tag List: @ladysparkles78 @suckitands33 @little-x-wolf @stoneyggirl2 @creative-writing92 @jc-winchester @mrsjenniferwinchester @lessons-of-red @jamerlynn @deans-spinster-witch @kazsrm67 @deans-baby-momma @willow-sages @ritz-hell-hotel @perpetualabsurdity @mhessellund @itzabbyxx @chriszgirl92 @abbybarnesstuff @larrem88 @commonsenseishard @impalaspixie @notsogoofyjelly @hzllxhoundxx @taylortots-world @k-slla @heavenlyackles @spnfamily-j2 @buckybarnes-1917 @foxyjwls007 @spnbaby-67 @readingsins @lauraashley93 @antisocialcorrupt @anixiiee @jackles010378 @alternativeprincess @rosecentury @lelilw1 (ya'll already know the drill, if you'd like added please let me know!)

a little filthier than my previous chapters, you're welcome! but also this chapter is mostly just sex so enjoy smut lovers!

"then kiss me."

I was shocked at his request.

"I want you to kiss me." Jensen said putting a hand on my cheek.

I noticed his breathing become heavier as I glanced up at him through my eyelashes.

"let me know if you want me to stop." I whispered.

Jensen nodded his head, exhaling a deep breath. I could tell he was nervous, but wanted me to continue.

I stood up on my tippy toes, touching our noses. Jensen fluttered his eyes closed as I let my lips gently brush his. I parted my lips gently connecting his with mine. Jensen was still momentarily but started to timidly move his lips in sync with my own. He was more than willing to let me lead the kiss. I caressed his cheek as our lips moved against each other.

I felt a warmth spread from my lips, throughout my entire body. It was just as simple as our lips touching, but it was enough to set my soul on fire. It was the kind of kiss that inspires stars to climb into the sky and light up the world.

I could tell Jensen was still a little apprehensive. I grabbed his hand, putting it under my chin. Jensen grabbed my chin pushing his lip farther in to mine. I pulled back a little, letting Jensen lead the kiss now.

He was surprisingly great at it for someone who hasn't kissed anyone in years. I could feel myself getting lightheaded from the lack of oxygen but I was finding that breath is of little consequence compared to this feeling. Jensen was the first to pull away, allowing us both to take a much needed deep breath.

I was about to say something, but Jensen crashed his lips back on my own. Every ounce of timidness was now gone, his lips dominating mine. I parted my lips allowing Jensen to slip his tongue in. It took him a minute to get a good rhythm but I didn't mind. Our tongues wrestled for dominance as we poured every single feeling we had in to our kiss.

Jensen pulled away again taking a deep breath.

"do you want to stop?" I asked, wanting to make sure he was comfortable.

He was quiet a moment, just staring deep in my eyes.

"J?"

"I want you kiss me again, kiss me until I'm sick of it." Jensen whispered.

"as you wish."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing his lips down to meet mine once again. Jensen lifted me up, laying me on the hood of the car, not once pulling his lips away from mine. His hands found their way under my dress slowly lifting it up. I hardly felt the chill of the night air, Jensen's kisses making my entire body feel as if it was engulfed in flames.

I moaned in to the kiss as Jensen slid his hand up my leg, stopping just short of my aching core. He moved his lips from mine, sucking in a sharp breath.

"I want to give you everything, all of me." Jensen whispered.

I gasped as he ripped my panties to the side, plunging two fingers inside where I needed him the most. I had no way of stopping the heavy pants that rolled off my lips as Jensen delicately worked his fingers in and out. Jensen slid my dress up some more, so my entire bottom half was at his disposal.

I had an empty feeling as Jensen removed his fingers, hastily undoing his belt so he could free his erection from his tight dress pants. I moaned as I saw his length spring free. In no time at all, Jensen buried himself deep inside of me. He roughly grabbed my chin smashing his lips on my own as he thrusted needfully in to me.

It was as if our lips were molded to perfectly fit each others. It brought a whole new sense of intimacy to our pleasure. Jensen moved his hand down, lightly resting it on my throat as he thrusted harder and faster. I threw my head back with a moan, hitting the hard metal of the hood.

"fuck (y/n), I fucking love you so much." Jensen moaned slamming himself in to me at this point.

I leaned up grabbing his neck pulling his lips back on my own. It was as if everything was falling into place with each brush of our lips. I felt as if I was suddenly a dam ready to burst. Jensen put a little pressure on my throat as he kissed me deeper.

"J, I'm gonna." I moaned.

"I know baby me too."

I let out a moan loud enough to shake the trees as the dam burst, sending shockwaves of pleasure to every single nerve in my body. I could hear my name spilling from Jensen's perfect lips as his entire body shook with his orgasm. Jensen thrusted a few more times before pulling out and collapsing his body on top of my own.

He raised his head, staring at my figure. I was still struggling to catch my breath. He reached a hand up caressing my cheek gently, wiping his thumb over my no doubt swollen lips.

"I love you too Jensen."

Jensen stood up after a moment, tucking himself back in his dress pants, letting my dress fall back down to my ankles. I sat up slowly as my muscles screamed at me with ache. Jensen must've noticed my struggle, for I was held in his arms in no time. He walked over to the wooden cabin steps, taking a seat and placing me in his lap.

I took a moment to admire the view. It was breathtaking.

"it's so beautiful up here." I whispered, as Jensen wrapped his arms around me tighter.

"it was one of my moms favorite places to come, she said she always did her best thinking up here."

"what ever happened to her?" I asked turning my head so I could look at him.

I could see his jaw clench as I knew my words brought up an unpleasant memory. I went to take them back, but Jensen spoke before I could.

"she overdosed, sat dead in her room for at least a week before anyone found her."

I found myself choking back tears at his words.

"thank you for telling me that, I know how hard this is for you." I said placing a kiss to his cheek.

He was quiet as we stared at the view. I could feel a night breeze blowing through my hair as we relaxed against each other. It was another minute before Jensen spoke up again.

"when they found her body, with it, they found a letter she wrote me, she was asking for my forgiveness, but I've never been able to give it to her. I was so mad at her, I was just mad all the time. I pushed people away because I was constantly angry at the world, but then I met you, and I realized I didn't want to be angry anymore." Jensen said, his eyes gazing in to my own.

Jensen leaned down, slowly connecting his lips with mine. It was a short passionate kiss, but he said more in that kiss, than he could ever say with words.

****************************************************

I woke up to Jensen's frantic voice filling my ears.

"what do you mean you didn't find her Cole?"

I was chilled to the bone as I listened to his words.

"I don't see how she keeps escaping us, how is she always one step ahead?" Jensen growled, tugging at his hair in frustration.

I felt bad for Jensen. I could see how stressed this was making him, and for now I was more concerned with him being okay than myself.

"and you're positive the perimeter is clear and safe? I can't risk her safety Cole, I won't."

He breathed a noticeable sigh of relief, I'm assuming because Cole calmed whatever anxiety he was having about returning.

"I'll be back soon, but I want extra security with us at all times, until Riley is caught, I'm not letting her get anywhere close to my girl again."

I pulled the comforter tighter against my body as I heard Jensen's footsteps coming back towards the room.

"I didn't realize you were up." He spoke looking at me as if I was going to spontaneously combust any minute.

"I uh heard you talking." I spoke before biting my lip.

Jensen sat on the bed, wrapping his arms around my body, pulling me on to his lap.

"I mean it (y/n), she got past me once, it won't happen again. I won't let anything happen to you." Jensen said leaning his head against my own.

I nodded my head believing the words that fell from his lips. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead.

"you missed." I spoke leaning my head back.

Jensen smirked as he brought his lips down, slowly connecting them with mine. I turned around so I was now straddling him, making it easier to move my lips against his. Jensen slid his hands up under my sleep shirt, running them up and down my bare back. I ground my hips on his, feeling his erection grow with each movement. Jensen pulled away from the kiss, gripping my hips to still my movement.

"as much as I want to take you right here on this bed, we really should be heading out, everyone is waiting for us." Jensen groaned as I ran my fingers through his hair.

"they can wait a little longer can't they?" I whispered, removing my shirt.

Jensen groaned, bringing his lips down to run across my bare chest.

I knew I had him hooked now.

I moaned tugging his hair as he took my nipple in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it. He released my hips, allowing me to continue to grind on him. I could feel him fully erect now.

"you're gonna get me in trouble." Jensen growled flipping us over so he was hovering above me.

"don't you know life's no fun without a bit of trouble." I smirked, my fingers dancing over his chest, down his stomach towards his crotch.

I licked my lips as I inserted my hand in his sweatpants, stroking him through his boxers.

"you have no idea the things you do to me." Jensen growled.

I quickly removed my hand and grabbed Jensen's shoulders, pushing him over so I could climb on top of him. He groaned as I kissed over his chest, trailing my tongue down his toned ab muscles.

"I see exactly what I do to you." I purred.

I grabbed the waist band of his sweatpants and boxers, pulling them down his legs. I licked my lips as his full length sprung free from its confines. I gazed in his eyes as I parted my lips, gently taking him in to my mouth. Immediately Jensen threw his head back with a groan. I sunk down on him lower, taking more of him in to my mouth.

"fuck don't stop." Jensen moaned entangling a hand in my hair.

I bobbed my head up and down at a steady pace, taking as much of Jensen in my mouth as I could. He bucked his hips up sending his length deeper down my throat. He pulled my hair gently as he thrusted in to my mouth.

"baby stop, I can't make it much longer." Jensen moaned as he pulled me off of him by my hair.

I immediately sunk back down as soon as he released my hair. I wanted to taste him.

A string of curse words left his lips as my mouth worked over him, adding my hand now to increase his pleasure. It wasn't long until I felt hot liquid filling my mouth, running down my throat. I pulled off of him, wiping a bit of his arousal that had managed to leak out. I stared at Jensen as I brought my finger to my lips, licking it seductively, tasting more of his sweetness.

"get up here." Jensen growled, grabbing my hair and pulling me up so I was once again straddling.

Jensen grabbed my jaw bringing my lips down to his in a heated kiss.

"move your panties to the side."

I panted following his order. Jensen grabbed my hips, sinking me down on his once again fully erect member. I instantly bounced up and down on his hips throwing my head back in pleasure.

"I didn't think you could get any hotter." Jensen moaned, as he watched me ride him.

I brought my head back down, my lips instantly going for his neck. I sucked on his skin roughly, no doubt leaving a mark. I could feel Jensen tug my hair as he brought my lips to meet his own. I moaned in to his mouth as he bounced his hips in sync with mine.

"fuck J, so good." I cried out, feeling the knot in my stomach start to unravel.

"that's it baby girl, come undone for me." Jensen moaned, his hands going to my ass, squeezing it roughly.

I slammed my body down on his a few more times before I was spilling my arousal all over him. I moaned, biting his shoulder gently as I rode out my high on him.

I slowed down my thrusts, but Jensen wasn't finished yet. He flipped us over before slamming himself in to me. I felt as if my entire body was on overload. I was tingling from my orgasm as Jensen was thrusting at a hurried pace.

"J, too much pleasure." I all but screamed.

"almost there baby." He groaned.

I noticed his thrusts become sloppy and his pace slow down. A few more snaps of his hips had Jensen coming undone for the second time. He slowed his thrust, extending his orgasm for as long as he could. He pulled out before collapsing beside me.

I laughed as his ringtone echoed through the room.

"someone's in trouble now." I smirked biting my lips.

Jensen got up quickly answering his cell.

"yeah sorry Cole, we're on our way now, somebody got us a little distracted." Jensen spoke as he gave me a look.

I went to the bathroom to freshen up before we drove back to Jensen's. I came out shortly after, not immediately seeing Jensen. I glanced out the window seeing him standing on the deck looking at the view. I walked out the door, wrapping my arms around him from behind. I left kisses on his bare back as he stared at the view.

"I just wanted to say, I forgive you mom." Jensen said to the open wilderness.

I walked to the front of him wrapping him in my arms. He instantly wrapped his arms around me, and we stood there in each others embrace. I looked up at him with concern to see he was already staring down at me.

"I'm not angry anymore." Jensen whispered placing a sweet kiss to my lips.

I looked out at the view one last time before we left. I felt that this beautiful cabin sitting atop this rocky cliff was a metaphor for our relationship. It's said that the best views always come after the hardest climbs.

and this was one beautiful view.

however we weren't quite done climbing yet......

Author Note:

I apologize that it took me so long to update! I hope I made it up to you with this beautifully smutty chapter! I am not finished yet! Return for part fourteen, coming soon!

If you feel so inclined, please leave a heart, comment, reblog, or a follow! It is motivation for us authors to want to continue!

I adore you all!

xoxo

Liv

Part (XIV)

#jensen ackles #jensen ackles x reader #jensen ackles imagine #jensen ackles x female!reader #jensen ackles x you #jensen x reader #dean winchester #dean winchester imagine #dean winchester x reader #jensen ackles fanfiction #jensen ackles preference #jensen ackles smut #supernatural #supernatural smut

275 notes · View notes

tizniz · 2 months

Text

Tease Tidbit Tuesday 💫

Tagged by my lovelies: @disasterbuckdiaz, @diazsdimples, @jesuisici33, @hippolotamus - all of who released wonderful things you should check out 🩵

Monday was a rough day for me that involved a bad dream where someone important to me was cruel to me (I forgive you, love), being jolted awake again by the fire alarm, and then a lot of water was leaking from my window into my apartment. So no writing was done. But that's okay because Hippo chose from the list of stuff I have prepared and decided we're gonna have more Cupid!Buck today.

“You need to stop influencing Chim.” Maddie pauses, fork halfway to her mouth, and just stares. But Buck doesn’t back down. He keeps his gaze firm as he stares back, jaw set. He had thought about it a lot over the last few days. What to do. He didn’t want to make Maddie give up her happiness, nor force Chim to pop his bubble, but Buck couldn’t stand by on the sidelines and watch this happen. It wasn’t fair to either of them. Slowly, Maddie lowers her fork back down to her plate. “What in the world are you talking about?” “I know you’re influencing Chim, Mads.” Buck rushes out. “And you have to stop, okay? I know you like him, and it seems like it could be fun, but that isn’t—we shouldn’t—it’s not fair! Not to you or to him. So you need to stop, okay? Stop or…or I’ll make you stop.” His sister raises an eyebrow, lips twitching, “What, you’re going to sleep with Howie?” Buck wrinkles his nose in disgust before quickly schooling his features. “No. Well, I mean—” “Oh my god,” Maddie laughs, loud and bright, “do NOT sleep with him, Evan.” “I wasn’t gonna.” He mutters, shifting in his seat. “But Maddie…” “I’m not influencing him.” She tells him simply, taking a bite of her food.

NP tagging: @spotsandsocks, @fortheloveofbuddie, @bucksbackwardcap, @actualalligator, @actuallyitsellie, @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove, @theotherbuckley, @daffi-990, @cal-daisies-and-briars, @exhuastedpigeon, @theplaceyoustillrememberdreaming, @monsterrae1, @epicbuddieficrecs, @elvensorceress, @eddiebabygirldiaz, @shitouttabuck, @spagheddiediaz, @wildlife4life, @evanbegins, @devirnis, @buckaroosheart, @perfectlysunny02, @nmcggg, @smilingbuckley, @watchyourbuck, @loserdiaz, @liabegins, @l0v3t0hat3y0u and anyone else who wants to join!

Let me know if you want to be added or removed.

#evan buckley #maddie buckley #cupid!buck #911 fic #911 fanfic #buddie fic #buddie fanfic #usercam

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starrywooyo · 3 months

Text

treasure: Six

synopsis: when y/n gets whooshed into an alternate universe, an adventure: one with pirates and monsters and much, much more

pairing: ot8! pirate ateez x fem! reader

genre: pirate au!!

!!warnings(per chapter)!! - [bellow cut!] no warnings i can think of- plz lmk if there is

notes: omg- guess who's backkkkk with an update!! I'm so sorry it's taken this long to get this chapter out.. i also split this chapter into 2 since i felt its a bit much to read with it being so long.. or do you guys not mind really long parts/chapters?? maybe i also done it to keep you guys in suspense too 😏😏

word count: 4.3k

taglist: (if you want removed or added to the list please lmk)

@toxic-babexe , @sunnyhokyu , @cambriel , @lelaleleb

if if missed anyone again just let me know! i also don't know where my tag list is so please let me know if you wanted added and are not on here

series masterlist | main masterlist

previous chapter | next chapter

previously:

hongjoong stands, placing his hands in the table, slightly leaning forward.

“I have some news I want to share” he says

your breath gets stuck in your throat. He doesn't know, does he??

“i have progress of our voyage for the Cromer.” he adds

everyone now gives him their full attention.

“thanks to sedna here, we have our heading. it'll be a long, dangerous journey but I know we as a team, a crew. can manage it!! we will get the cromer before they do”

You don't know how long, it’s most likely been days that have passed. All you can see from the horizon is the ocean and then more ocean.. Water as far as the eye can see.

Crew are starting to feel as though this mission is lost, that you were all lost on the sea, some starting to get bored out of their minds.

You sigh

“What’s wrong?” a voice asks

You close your book over

“Are we ever going to reach wherever it is we’re trying to get to yeosang?” you ask

He bookmarks his own book and lets out a small laugh.

“I’d tell you to be patient but I feel we’re all getting a bit restless these days, we’ll get there all in good time y/n.. Now let's continue reading shall we?” he replies and then proceeds to open his book to continue reading.

Deciding to do the same you reopen your own book and continue reading.

…

You toss and turn in your bed, unable to get some sleep. You still can't help the thoughts that pass through your mind. Tossing off the covers you pull your boots on and make your way through the ship.

It's mostly quiet as you walk down the corridor, the only thing to be heard being the waves crashing outside the ship and the slight creak of the wooden floorboards, the rest of the crew getting some kip while they can.

Walking up the stairs you slightly shiver from the nip from the cold air, rubbing your arms you take no notice of your surroundings and make your way to your spot you like to rest on at the front of the bow.

Leaning on the wood, you look out into the dark, there's not much visibility bar the light coming from the little lantern hanging down but when you look up, you’re in awe. The stars are out and shining bright. They look so… pretty. You wish you had a camera so you could capture this moment

Still gazing at the stars above you don't catch the sound of someone walking up behind you

“D’you like stargazing?”

You flinch turning to the voice

He laughs slightly “sorry didn't mean to scare ya” he says leaning beside you

You finally take in your surroundings you notice hongjoong is at the wheel and that's pretty much everyone who’s still awake

You turn back to him, he’s just looking at you intently

He gestures to the stars with his head and asks again.

“D’you like stargazing. y/n?” he asks.

“I do.. Do you like the stars, Yunho?” you ask him.

He smiles

“I do, being a lookout i get to see ‘em pretty much every night, i know a lot of the constellations too but what ‘re you doing awake at this time.. Can’t sleep??” he asks

You shake your head

He looks away for a second, then walks away a little bit and hold out his hand for you to take.

“Follow me”

You take ahold of his hand and he and he begins to lead you up the stairs past hongjoong at the helm to where the mizzen mast stands.

“Ladies first” he gestures to the rope ladder

And you climb up till you get to the barrel-like section at the top and yunho climbs in after you.

“It’s easier to see the stars from up here” he says and blows the candle out from the little lantern that's hung up in the mast so that he or wooyoung can have a little light when they need it. And then he sits beside you on the ground and tucks his legs up to his chest just like you.

Looking up you can see all the pretty twinkling lights and you’re in awe of them all.

A light tap on your shoulder brings you back to the man sitting beside you, and you listen and watch intently as he points out various stars and constellations and explains some of them to you

…

You shiver slightly rubbing your arms as a chill wind blows through you in the mast.

“Hmm cold?” yunho asks, tilting his head to the side a little.

You nod “ a little bit.. Yeah”

He shuffles about a bit in the space and opens the basket sitting in the corner, and pulls out a worn out greyish blue blanket

“ ‘ere “ he wraps the blanket around you and you pull it tighter around yourself

“it does get pretty chilly up here so there's a blanket in every basket for the three masts just in case you need that information” he laughs a bit and he sits back into his spot beside you on the ground and he wraps one of his arms around you pulling you closer to his side

“See that one ‘ere.. thats pleiades its-” he stops seeing you are now fast asleep he breathes out a laugh and then pulls you closer to his chest and then proceeds to fall asleep not long after you

…

You’re drawn out of your slumber from people talking in hushed tones, one of which you know to be yunho but the other you can't tell, still being in a haze.. The other person leaves.

“Yunho..” you voice out.

He hums

“What's the prettiest star youve seen?” you ask randomly still in your sleepy haze while wrapping your arms around his waist snuggling into him

“Hmm well… it's not actually a star but the aurora’s the most beautiful thing i've seen in my life time”

You smile and shut your eyes again resting your head on his chest

“I'd like to see that too” you say as you slowly drift off

Yunho rubs your back as you do

“I'll take you to see it.. Don't worry”

…

Your eyes flicker open and you stretch bones clicking in the process. Scanning your surroundings you see you’re still up in the mast with yunho still wrapped up in his arms as you shuffle around he stirs in his sleep, hands coming up to rub the sleep from his eyes.

“Hmm good morning” he says, his voice still laced with sleep.

You reply to him and the both of you begin to make your way to the kitchen to get something to eat before everyone else.

You grab a bread roll as does yunho as well as an apple that yunho reluctantly lets you cut up yourself with your history of knives.

“Thank you.. By the way” you say as you begin to nibble on your food “for last night.. I had a good sleep thanks to you, yunho” you smile.

“Don’t worry about it, m’glad you could get some rest”

You both sit and continue to eat your food in the peaceful silence quite content.. Until it wasn't- more of the crew came piling in to grab their own breakfast before getting to work and it's then that yunho leaves you to go do his own chores around the ship again. And you go and join yeosang again.

…

“So where is it exactly we’re going yeo??” you ask him

“Well we’re going here to this docking town to restock supplies then we’ll head east or ‘tis where captain says we need to go” he explains pointing places out to you on the map “not to worry though, we’re almost there i'd assume we’d be arriving to the dock at any minute”

And he was right, you were in fact pulling up to the dock but not 20 minutes later.

Most of the crew started flowing out the ship, stretching. Their feet finally on firm solid ground. Standing on the dock you watch in silence as members of the crew converse with the workers on the dock, seonghwa wagering with the man how many pieces of gold would grant the amount of time the ship could stay docked

In the distance you see hongjoong talking with sedna about what.. You don't know but it looks to be a serious conversation. The conversation stops and he seems to make his way back over to you all and he speaks.

“I want everyone to stock up on supplies they may need and rations for the ship as for seonghwa, mingi, jongho, yunho, wooyoung and san you all come with me.. y/n you stay with yeosang” he says then he claps his hands together.

“Okay. everyone get to work” he says and he and his little team head off.

…

And so you walk through the streets of the town with yeosang carrying some of the things he buys to help him carry them back. You’re bored out of your mind, it’s been a good few hours since hongjoong and the crew left to god knows where. And you wont lie, you’re curious so… you pester yeosang about it. To which he replies something about a mini mission for the actual mission..just boring stuff

“Hey y/n.. I'm gonna nip into this last shop real quick. Can you wait out here for a second?” yeosang asks you, you nod watching him through the window of the store after he enters.

Bored you end up zoning out looking in the opposite direction, lost in your own thoughts.

Something catches your attention, as you stare your features contort in confusion

What.. is.. that..!?

You must've been staring for a long time as you’re brought out from your trance from yeosang calling you

“y/n… you good?” he asks, looking worried.

You hum

“Hmm.. yeah.. I thought I saw..” you look back, the thing is no longer there “nothing.. nevermind ..”

And then the both of you head back to the ship.

…

The others didn't get back to the ship until a long while after you, some covered in cuts and other bruises.. Just what was the ‘mission’

San ushers those with cuts to his study to clean the wounds up the rest follow hongjoong to his cabin and you’re left in the dark.. Not included. So you just help the other crew carry the stock onto the ship

…

With the ship now stocked and ready for the vast journey on the water you can finally start the main voyage.

The main 8 currently gathered in the captains cabin, map sprawled out on the table as hongjoong points to the locations on the map and explains in detail the route to be taken for this quest.

They all end up piling out of the foom after a few hours

You sit in your cabin seemingly lost in deep thought

“A penny for yer thoughts y/n.. What's got yer mind so busy” there's a knock from the doorframe.

Being drawn from your thoughts your head snaps to the doorway.

Hongjoong leans on the frame, sleeves of his white button shirt rolled up and his jacket discarded, being held in his hands.

You frown.. Thinking about it some more

“It’s nothing” you brush it off

He sighs

“May i?” he asks, gesturing to your room, you nod and he enters placing his jacket on your bed and taking a seat next to you.

“It cant be nothin if its got you frowning like that.. Did somethin happen??” he asks slight worry on his face

“No.. nothing happened per say.. I just.. I don't know.. I saw something but i don't know if my brain was playing tricks on me”

“Whatd ye see? Maybe I can help if I know what it was?” he pries some more..

You turn to face him

“I thought i.. When you and the others went on that little mission.. When i was shopping with yeosang.. i .. i thought i saw you.. Only it wasn't you?? I don't know.. you had different clothes on and.. All black and a black hat too” you laugh “i’m going crazy right?” you ask him

Only a sinking feeling comes to your chest as you see his face, its pale as if the colours been drained out

“y/n.” he begins “if you see that person again or someone similar. I need you to tell me or one of the others.. Can you do that for me?” he asks

You nod.

He shakes his head “no. i need you to say you’ll do it. Promise me you will”

You tilt your head in confusion

“I will” you say

“Good” he starts to grab his jacket and stands to leave the room

“But hongjoong,who or what was that?” you ask

“You don’t need to know that right now” and with that he leaves the room.

…

The ship comes to a stop with a sudden jerk, an island in the close distance.

Hongjoong stands giving commands as the crew rushes about the ship preparing to leave the ship and get to the piece of land on the longboats.

Chucking equipment onto the small boats crew piling in and getting lowered to the ocean.

Most of you make it to land, some crew having to stay back and watch the ship.

This is it. The main island.. Whatever it is you're searching for. It's here.. Somewhere.

Making camp on the beach tents get set up in all different sizes as well as some crates as makeshift tables, a fire being planned to get set up in the middle of camp.

“Yunho, wooyoung go scout the surroundings and make sure its safe” hongjoong orders. And the two do as told with woo whining a tad.

“And y/n, mingi, jongho come with me.. Lets split up and get some firewood for that fire later”

And the four of you make your way up the sandy dunes to the entrance of the woods. And slowly you all creep in.

You walk a good few minutes in far enough in that there's branches and leaves

“Just take as much as you can carry, we won't be camped on the beach long, take just enough to keep the fire going overnight and to cook a dinner” hongjoong says and begins to pick up the sticks on the ground and the other three of you follow suit.

With arms now filled with branches and dry leaves for kindling you make your way back to camp on the beach and dump the wood on the ground where the fire will be set up. And seonghwa comes along and gets started on the fire and you watch him intently; he starts by taking stones from the beach to which you help and places them in a circle for the boundary of the fire, then taking the twigs and branches you all collected and places them neatly in the stone circle, lastly he takes the dried leaves and skaters them throughout the logs.

He pulls from his pocket a rock of flint and holds it securely on one of the big stones surrounding the unlit fire close to some of the kindling and he whips out a small steel dagger. He pauses-

And briefly looks up to you.

“You good?” he asks

You let out a hum

“It's just, you’ve been watching me for a while.. Is it really that interesting?” he asks

You nod

“Hmm! I always used to watch my da- i mean i just think its cool to watch” you tell him

He kind of looks at you with your first choice of words but he decides to not comment on it. And just nods along.

“Y’wanna try then?” he taps the sand beside him

You slightly laugh

“I don't know if i can do it but i'll certainly give it a shot” and you get on your knees beside him.

Seonghwa briefly shows you how to hold the flint and the angle to strike the dagger against it, once you're sure you’ve got the hang of it, you take the items from him and strike the blade against the rock.. Nothing happens the first few times but then all of a sudden a few sparks fly off and land on the leaves slightly letting some smoke travel in the air. Seonghwa gets closer to the leaves and gently blows on them and at last the fire is going!! It works its way through the other twigs and leaves until finally a big blazing fire lights up the camp.

“Why don't you go see what the others are doing and if they need any help while I get started on dinner” seonghwa tells you. And with a nod of your head you're off through the camp.

Walking around the camp you find jongho sitting cleaning out his gun, all the pieces laid out..

You sit in front of him and he looks up from cleaning and gives you an awkward smile

“y/n… hi” he says

“Hi Jongho”

The awkward smile still there he doesn't pay you any mind and goes back to cleaning

Damn this is awkward..

“So.. jongho..” you begin-

“Look y/n. With all due respect just leave me alone” he sort of snaps as he puts the cleaned gun back together “im not interested” he gets up and walks away.

Oh…

Disappointed you sit and look out to the waves.. The sun is starting to set, it hangs low in the sky

Someone takes the place of jongho..

“y/n?” they speak

“Captain.” you reply.

Hongjoong sits across from you.

“I.. um.. I have somethin’ for you.. Will you come with me a minute..?” he asks, his eyes darting everywhere bar into your own.. His cheeks slightly flushed

You let out a small yeah and get up to follow him, he leads you towards his tent and holds open the fabric for you to enter. Which you do.

Hongjoong enters after you and you take a look around the large tent.

There's a make-shift table to the right with a chair and to the left his bed, some clothes folded on top with his hat neatly placed against them and a rucksack laying on the floor at the foot of the bed and some oil lanterns hang in random spots

“y/n.. Come in. don’t just stand there..” he says now standing at the table so you walk closer to the table.

He clears his throat and places a medium-ish flat box on the table in front of you.

“I.. haha um.. It might be weird but.. I got you this.. I know you were lookin at one a while back..” as he rambles on you peel the lid of the box off and your eyes go wide

“A-and you don't have to like it. I know it's not the same one you saw.. And its probably weird that i bought you it-” he continues

“I love it” you whisper out

“That's okay.. Wait- you do?” he asks

You nod and take it out of the box. Inside was a pretty black lace up corset with little white and red flowers embroidered on going up the left side with green vines and on the right side in the same red as the flowers which looks to be an ‘A’ in a red circle.

Hongjoong watches as you look at the corset with pure happiness in your eyes and a smile goes onto his own face

You look to him

“This is probably one of the nicest gifts anyone has given me..thank you. Hongjoong.”

“Of course, I'm just glad you like it.. Now. let's go get something to eat shall we?” and you both go out to join everyone else around the fire to eat.

…

The next day you all wake up bright and early ready to make your journey into the dense forest. Getting ready, you pack your little bag first and change into your clothes: trousers and a nice white flowy shirt.. The corset catches your eye in the corner so you decide to put it on. undoing the laces you slip it over your torso and go to pull the laces shut.. Only you realise something. You can't do it by yourself.

You make your way to the entrance of your tent and slightly poke your head out..

You see hongjoong giving out orders and overseeing them as most people are packing up their things and tents, majority of the crew are busy though someone catches you sticking your head out, with a cheeky grin on his face he saunters over towards your tent, you quickly pull your head back in and hold the opening shut

“y/n~~ are you ready?? We’re about to head off” he says..

“i - nearly, i'm just getting ready but i-” you weigh up all the options in your mind. Cursing at yourself you pop your head back out again and look at the blonde who's still smiling, his arms crossed over his chest.

You bite your lip slightly “wooyoung” you sigh out “can you come in here and help me?” you ask

He frowns slightly and tilts his head

“Help? Hmm sure, but with what?” he asks

You pop back in the tent

Wooyoung follows in after you, brushing a hand through his blonde hair and when he finally looks at you he sucks in a breath.

“Y-you need help lacing that up..” he asks a faint yet prominent blush creeps its way onto his cheeks

You nod slowly.. “if .. you wouldn't mind” you add.

He quickly shakes his head.

“I don't mind” he says and he walks over to you.

You turn around for him and he takes hold of the laces with shaky hands

“Let me know if it's too tight.. Okay..? i don't wanna hurt you” he says and begins to fix the strings before pulling on them. You feel yourself being sucked in oh god you don’t know how those women in towns do this, He pulls them tight a few times before he's asking you if it's okay you tell him it's fine before he’s pulling some more more and then he ties the bow in the back. His hands rest on your waist for a moment.

“There” he whispers out.

“Thank you”

He smiles though you can't see it.

Turning around you grab your bag to head out. It's wooyoung's turn to look over you, he bites his lower lip looking away slightly before looking back to you.

“You look good.. It suits you, pretty” he says and you both leave the tent. He helps you pack the rest of your things and roll your tent up and attach it to your bag.

Walking over to the rest of the group by the forest entrance, the fact you're wearing his corset doesn't go unnoticed by hongjoong. A blush of his own coating his cheeks as well. He clears his throat and continues his ‘speech’ and not long after you're all off into the forest..

…

hongjoong leads the line from the front, map and compass in his hands. You don't know how long you walked for.. All you know is this island is bigger than it seems to be and all you've been seeing is trees, trees and even more trees. And you’re losing daylight again.. Wherever it is that map leads.. We’re not getting there as quickly as hongjoong hoped we would.

You come to a small clearing in the woods.. Still covered with trees but space enough to make a small camp for your team of 15..

Hongjoong stops turning to face everyone.

“We’ll camp here for now” he sighs out shaking his head frustrated. He seems to have a silent conversation with seonghwa before he's speaking again “Mingi.. Jongho you both take night watch.” he says to the two men before he begins to walk off seonghwa close behind him.. Yeosang too before he adds

“We don’t know what or who lurks in this forest..”

…

The camp set up everyone seems to get settled seemingly staying in their own tents exception of jongho and mingi who pace around a makeshift border of what you call ‘camp’

Sitting watching the flames of the fire at the side of the camp.. It's quiet.. Peaceful.

“y/n..” yunho stands in front of you with a smile on his face. He outstretches his hand for you to take.

“Come with me.” he says and you look at him suspiciously.

He sighs out.. “Just come on.. Or we’ll miss it” he grabs your hand and begins to pull you away. Away from camp.. Down the path. You walk hand in hand with yunho for around 10 to 20 minutes. Until you come to another opening. This time a cliff opening. He lets go of your hand and goes and sits on the edge of the cliff sighing dejectedly

“Missed it.. It was right there my star.. I'm sorry” he says to you.

You sit next to him

“What was it?” You ask

“The lights..” he sighs

You smile

“Thank you for coming to get me because you saw them.. Don’t worry though Yun.. the stars are still very pretty to watch” you tell him. He nods still upset that he failed to get you on time.. You sit in silence for a few moments and then he turns to you.

“I'll be back quickly star.. I'll go get a blanket and my telescope and we can watch them better” he says to you and you agree and he gets up and walks back in the direction you both came from.

You sit yourself in the quiet and peaceful for a bit looking up at the stars.. Occasionally looking at the darkness of the ocean below from your viewpoint.

You hear the crunching of the ground in the distance

“Sorry I kept you y/n.. I’m back” he says and sits beside you again.

#starrywooyo #starrywooyo fics #starrywooyo treasure series #starrywooyo treasure #treasure #ateez x reader #ateez au #ateez pirate au #hongjoong x reader #seonghwa x reader #yunho x reader #yeosang x reader #san x reader #mingi x reader #wooyoung oneshot #jongho x reader #ateez series

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bella-rose29 · 5 months

Text

'tis the damn season

requested by anon: can I request a Lockwood x fem reader based on tis the damn season by Taylor swift?

for anyone that's confused, when I'm talking about temperature in degrees, I mean degrees Celsius because I'm English

also lockwood goes by Anthony because it's written from the perspective of both him and the reader, who knew him as Anthony (the others still call him Lockwood)

Word count: 10.4k (Jesus Christ why can't I write this much for my assignments)

Warnings: NO HAPPY ENDING, I REPEAT, THERE IS NO HAPPY ENDING, THEY DO NOT END UP TOGETHER, I CRIED WRITING THIS, like two swear words, mentions of Lockwood's family being dead, Lockwood was sort of an ass in the past, it has been proof read once and only once

Tag list: @anathemaloren, @augustisintheair, @avdiobliss, @briar-rose23, @dangelnleif, @el-de-phi, @ell0ra-br3kk3r, @informedimagining, @karensirkobabes, @mischivana, @mitskiswift99, @mrsklockwood, @mrsyixingunicorn10, @no-morning-glories, @novelizt, @ran23sblog, @superpositvecloudshipper, @t2sh0, @taygrls, @tournesol77, @whenselenefallsinlove, @wordsarelife

As always, let me know here if you would like to be added to or removed from my Lockwood and Co tag list <3

Anthony Lockwood had actually slept last night, and for once he didn't look like he'd just come back from the dead.

His eye bags were still visible of course, but less prominent, and Holly remarked on it when he walked into the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. Lucy was glued to the morning paper, practically at one with it. Surprisingly George was too, cramming himself into the tiny amount of space that Lucy had left for him to read the article.

"What's new then?" Lockwood asked, and Holly shook her head with a smile. Without even looking away from the paper, Lucy answered, excitement lacing her tone.

"Y/n L/n's in London! She was seen coming out of the airport yesterday afternoon and is apparently staying in a hotel not too far from here! George and I were gonna go see if we could spot her after breakfast." Lockwood had frozen at the name, shaking himself out of it barely a moment later and ignoring the questioning look that Holly had given him. George and Lucy were too busy examining the paper to notice anything.

He busied himself with his tea, asking if anybody wanted a mug (they all already had their own), then popped a couple of slices of bread in the toaster and giving it a thump when it didn't start working right away. In the time it took for his toast to be made, Lucy and George left, the wind outside making the front door slam behind them as they chattered excitedly about the famous actress who was so close to them.

Holly didn't move, instead looking up at Lockwood every now and then while she wrote a list for the shopping they needed to do later, and eventually he broke. "What? Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" Holly asked, attempting to be innocent.

"Like that! You're doing it again! You're looking at me like I'm hiding something from you, and it's making me anxious!"

"Is there something you want to share?" She raised an eyebrow, and Lockwood felt himself shrink slightly under her stare. "Why'd you freeze up when Lucy said her name?" He froze again, for longer this time, and he had to turn away so that Holly couldn't see the vulnerability he was sure was on his face. He did it under the guise of washing out his mug, tea long since finished, and the pair of them were silent for a while.

"We... we grew up together," he sighed, pausing his movements. "She used to live on this street, right at the other end, and our parents were friends. Then... then we got older, and we dated, and they were the best years of my life." He smiled to himself, still not facing Holly but knowing that she was paying him her full attention from the way that he couldn't hear her pen scratching. "And then two years ago she left for America, to go and be what she'd always dreamed of being, and she became this great actress and I was still... here. We broke up, of course. She'd never be able to do long distance. Actually," he frowned "neither would I. We both need to be physically close to the person we're going out with, so it wouldn't have worked. We didn't exactly end things in the best way either. It's been easier to just try and forget, to be honest."

"But... if you were together two years ago, then how come George and Lucy haven't said anything? How come none of us knew?"

"We kept it a secret. She'd already been acting for a good few years and people were starting to recognise her in the street, so we figured it would be best if we kept to ourselves. Neither of us minded; it was nice to have something that was just for the two of us, you know?" He had turned around while he was talking, and Holly nodded her agreement. "I didn't think she'd be coming back to London, to be honest." His voice was quieter now, almost fearful of what would happen if they bumped into each other while she was here.

The letterbox clattered in the hallway, post falling through and landing on the floorboards, and Holly left to pick them up, casting a glance over her shoulder as she went. Lockwood didn't notice any of it, too caught up in his memories to do so, and when Holly came back with yet another stack of envelopes with 'IMPORTANT' stamped on the front in big red letters he sighed, already doing the mental calculations of how much money they would need to make in the next few weeks to not fall behind in paying for their debts.

~~~

Y/n L/n was not staying in a hotel, but instead was at her parents' house on Portland Row and hanging up Christmas decorations around the rooms (her parents had managed to hold off decorating until she came home), singing along to the music that poured out of the old speakers her father had somehow convinced her mother to keep.

She had hired somebody to pretend to be her while she stayed in London, preferring the privacy of her family home to the constant reporters and journalists and fans that always swarmed around her. Not-Y/n was being paid handsomely for her trouble, and so far she was doing an excellent job. There weren't going to be too many sightings, and for the most part Not-Y/n would stay in the hotel (in the finest room they had), since Real-Y/n was easily recognisable and anyone with a keen eye would be able to tell the difference immediately.

She'd thought she'd seen Anthony the night before as she pulled up and parked her car beside the park that they used to play in together when they were kids, but it was fleeting and the figure had disappeared around the corner before she could take a closer look. Not that she knew what she would have said if it was him, given how things had been left.

She'd initially wanted to keep up with his life when first in Los Angeles, but since there was no Problem there news about ghosts was scarce, and the time difference was troubling enough that she didn't want to call on the number he'd given her in case he was busy, or, even better, actually asleep. It had been too easy to make excuses for not contacting him, and she figured that if she'd really wanted to know what he had been up to and who he was friends with she would work out the time in England and ask him.

She never did, of course. Life got too busy for her to remember the love that she'd left behind, and the only time she thought about him was when she had a moment to breathe; a gap in her schedule, a break during filming, or worst of all when she was lying awake at night, unable to sleep because she was so used to having him with her. Her mind would replay every moment, every touch of his hand on her body, every laugh that they had shared, every kiss, and it was torture.

It was torture because in the end he hadn't fought for her like she'd thought he would.

Her mother passed up baubles to hang near the top of the tree (why they had such a tall one Y/n had no idea; it barely fit in the living room) while her father awkwardly untangled the lights that were going to wrap around the bannister, stopping every now and then to dance (badly) to the music. Her mother laughed at him, then grew annoyed when he didn't listen to her and refused to hand over the lights for her to sort out, then laughed again when he finally got them free and held them up with a "tadaa!"

An hour or so later the house was covered in tinsel, lights and other decorations, and Y/n pulled on her boots and thick coat in the hallway. "I'm just going for a walk, let me know if you need anything!" Her parents shouted back, providing goodbyes and a few items to pick up from the corner store, and then Y/n was off down the street, her feet splashing through puddles from yesterday's rain.

~~~

The bell tinkled as Y/n pushed open the door to Arif's, warmth immediately greeting her as she moved further in and let the door swing shut behind her. Arif looked up from his place at the counter, smiling widely when he saw who it was and coming around to wrap her in a tight hug. "There's my favourite customer! How have you been! Tell me everything!"

~~~

Forty minutes later Y/n was on her way again, arms laden with shopping bags that contained the things her parents had asked for and many, many gifts from Arif that he'd meant to drop off for her family. The cold air greeted her, the wind picking up and making her hair tangle, but Y/n found she didn't mind too much. Seeing Arif was worth the sting on her cheeks. She was so caught up in the joy of seeing him again that when she walked past a young man on the pavement, she nearly tripped over when she recognised him as Anthony Lockwood. He moved to steady her out of instinct, too much of a gentleman to let her fall and her groceries spill, and her heart almost stopped at the feel of his warmth so close to her body and his hands on her upper arms.

"Are you alright?"

God, just hearing his voice made her miss him all over again, but her stay in London was only temporary and she could never torture him by making him wait for her. He sounded almost pained, like he was aching, and it only made her feel worse that it was probably her that put that ache in him.

"Uh, yeah, I'm alright. Thank you," she tried smiling, the action hesitant as her eyes searched his for any sign of, well, anything. He smiled back, faint and far away, but his hands stayed on her arms and hers remained on her shopping bags, so close to him that all she needed to do was reach her finger out slightly and she would brush against his coat.

His coat.

He had a new one; nicer, more expensive looking, and covered in fewer plasma stains than his old one had been, but the style was the same and so typically Anthony that Y/n felt her heart crack at the memory of them all over again.

Sometimes, when they'd snuck out to a cafe in the outskirts of London (which took them a while, but it was worth every minute), Y/n would shiver from the cold air of the evening and Anthony would scold her with a playful 'tut tut', offering up his coat and saying that he was getting too warm anyway (a lie, she knew that he was cold too). Other times they would be in her living room, watching old films from before the Problem on her television, and Anthony would drape his coat over them as a sort of blanket. He always asked why they couldn't just use one of the actual blankets that Y/n and her family had strewn around the living room, and Y/n would always give a vague reply. He knew the real answer of course, since he knew her better than she knew herself, but he only ever smiled at the knowledge that she just wanted to be surrounded by his presence.

Now that coat was gone, although if Anthony hadn't changed then he'd most likely kept it somewhere for safekeeping, unable to part with it entirely. It still felt as though he'd replaced his old life with a new one, filled with great exploits and adventures, and no room for Y/n.

"Are you sure you're alright? It looked like you nearly face planted just now, and you're shaking a little bit." His smile had gone entirely now, replaced with a concerned frown, and Y/n realised with a start that she was shaking, and she had no idea why. Maybe it was the cold (which had become worse in the last hour), or maybe it was the shock of seeing Anthony so suddenly, but her body was reacting to something and her mind was having to play catch-up.

"Just need to get home and get warm, I think. Dad's put the fire on. I hope." Now it was her turn to frown, brows drawing together at the memory of all the previous times her father had attempted to light the fire, often smoking out the living room in the process. Her mother always told him how it should be done, but he was insistent every time that his way was the right way, and every time he was wrong. "It's a lot colder out here now, and I don't think that my scarf is quite up to the job anymore. It's not far now, really." She was starting to ramble, unsure what to say when he was looking at her like he was, his expression smoothed over and neutral but his eyes conveying all the words he wanted to say.

He'd always been that way, and no matter how hard he tried to hide how he really felt from her, Y/n was able to see through it immediately. This time was different though, not because she'd stopped being able to read him, no. No, she could read every emotion in his eyes, the problem was that she had no guide to help her interpret what any of it meant. He seemed to be happy, but sad, and angry but also not, surprised, scared, adoring: the list went on and on, and she had to look away.

"Well... let me walk you home," he said, and now she could see his emotions clearly and only a couple at a time; timid and hesitant, two words one would not normally use to describe Anthony Lockwood. She dimly registered herself nodding, not protesting too much when he dipped to snatch a couple of her bags from her and started walking in the direction of her house. He stopped suddenly, and Y/n almost crashed into the back of him, sliding a little on the small patches of ice that had started to form. "Are you... are you staying at your parents' house? I know you said that your dad put the fire on, so I just assumed, but I don't want to-"

"Yes, I am, so stop chattering. I'm freezing my tits off out here," she joked (although the cold was definitely settling into her bones and her limbs falling off was absolutely a possibility), and he gave a small smile in response, starting to walk again.

The atmosphere was strange; on the one hand it was nice seeing him again, walking alongside him the way that they used to and just being near him. But on the other hand it was awful, everything that had happened the last time they had seen each other replaying in her mind. Neither of them had acknowledged it, the previous holiday that they had spent together lingering in the air like a bad perfume and suffocating her. It was more like they were actively avoiding the subject, opting to pretend that it had never happened.

They had been so happy, too, and then she'd had to tell him that she was leaving and everything was ruined.

"Anthony? I need to tell you something," she had said, her voice soft in the quiet of Anthony's library as the two of them sat curled up in the large armchair in front of the fire. It was a rare occasion where the other members of the agency were out on a job, and Anthony was home, so he had called Y/n over for an hour or so. He had hummed in response, not opening his eyes as her fingers stroked through his hair, and as such he missed the worry on Y/n's face.

"What is it, Angel?" He'd insisted on the nickname for her when they'd first met, and she didn't have the strength to say no to him when it sounded so sweet in his mouth. All she had done was hold up a bus so that he could catch it, but he was determined that she had saved his life like his 'own personal guardian angel' (his exact words). Then when they saw each other again, barely a week later, he'd lit up with joy, running over and calling out "Angel!" as though it were her name (although in fairness she hadn't ever told him her actual name).

At that point, warmed by the fire and Anthony's body, she hadn't wanted to ruin the moment by telling him her news, but he had pushed himself up from where he had been resting his head in the crook of her neck and looked at her with concern in every inch of his body that she blurted it out.

"I'm leaving England." Those three words hung there in the air between them, and Anthony took only a few seconds to register the words before he was starting to pull up his guards and walls and block her out.

"You- You're what?"

"I'm leaving England. Moving to America for work. I got offered a job that could change my life and I can't say no. The money is insane, Anthony, and god knows that we need it what with the state of things right now. And I know that you would never let me but you could have a bit of it- no, don't be like that," she scolded as he went to protest, his pride making him refuse any help. "You're drowning in debt so the least you could do is let me pay for your weekly shop or something." She trailed off, hoping her tone hadn't sounded too defensive, and when she tried searching his eyes for any sign of emotion she found that, for the first time, she couldn't see anything. They were dull, not even a brief flicker of sadness, or pain, or anger, hell - even happiness she could have worked with. Instead he had shut her out, and that hurt more than anything else that he could have done.

"Congratulations. You deserve the job," he smiled, but it wasn't one of the ones that he saved for his friends and loved ones. He was smiling as though he was performing, teeth shining as his cheeks pulled wide, and Y/n felt tears on her cheek. She had pushed him away after that, moving to stand up and collect her things. "Where are you going?"

"Home," she had sniffled, trying to desperately hide how she was feeling from him. She never normally did, not with Anthony, but if he was going to close himself off then she would do the same. "I think... I think we should break up. We both need to be near each other and that won't... that won't be possible." It had been whispered, the words filled with fear and sadness, and when Anthony only nodded in agreement, fake smile no longer on his face, Y/n had taken a deep breath and left.

Now, two years afterwards, they were side by side, making the short walk back to her parents' house in silence. Y/n couldn't help but steal glances at him from where he walked on her right (making sure that she wasn't walking next to the roadside), but at the slightest movement of his head her gaze whipped back to the path in front.

"How long are you back for?" His question startled her slightly, and she nearly slipped on a hidden patch of ice that had yet to be gritted over.

"I'm leaving just after the new year. Mum's ecstatic that I'm home for a few weeks. To be fair so is Dad, he just doesn't show it as much. I can still tell though." Anthony nodded, faint smile on his lips as he remembered her parents. They had always made him feel welcome, and he had loved them as though they were his real family. Then Y/n had left, and he had never gone back to their house. He saw them on the street sometimes, or he would pass them in Arif's, but it was always fast, no time to stop for a chat. "Are you... are you doing anything for Christmas or New Year's?"

"Oh. Not really. We'll probably be working a lot, since Visitors start popping up earlier in the day this time of year, and there's more of them too. Christmas Day I think George was going to cook, but he might still be on strike."

"On strike?"

"He says we don't respect his cooking enough, which is ridiculous because he's the only one that can cook, and his food is delicious. Anyway, he's gone on a cooking strike until he's satisfied that we love him enough." Y/n laughed, although it was more of a snort and a few huffs of air, and Anthony could only stare at her in wonder. He'd forgotten how much he missed her, but having her next to him, in the flesh, was making him wonder how he had ever survived the past two years without her.

They had arrived at her front gate, the metal covered in raindrops and snow that had tried to fall and melted, and Y/n pushed it open. The two of them went up the stairs and stopped at the top while Y/n adjusted the bags to open the door, and Anthony reached out to grab the few presents that threatened to fall as she jostled them. The front door swung open, letting out a wonderful burst of heat that made Anthony wish things were different so that he could walk in like nothing had changed, and Y/n stepped in, wiping her boots on the mat and toeing them off in the hallway.

"Where should I...?" Anthony lifted the bags he held, and Y/n beckoned him in as she shut the door behind him.

"Just dump them there. You can... you don't have to stay, by the way. If you don't want to, that is. I just shut the door to stop it getting cold." She was flushed, although Anthony couldn't tell if that was from the cold air outside or the awkward atmosphere inside. He was about to answer (he hadn't decided what to say yet) when Y/n's mother appeared from the living room, coming to investigate who had come over.

"Anthony? What are you doing here? It's been a while!" She pulled him in for a hug, and he found himself returning it just as tightly, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to not feel too at home.

"I was just helping Y/n carry bags," he said when they pulled back, and her mother nodded in understanding.

"Well can you stay for a cup of tea? Or do you need to get on?" She looked so hopeful, and he felt bad when he glanced over at Y/n and answered.

"I should get back, really. I left the others at home on their own, so I should check that they haven't killed each other," he joked, cracking a smile. He could practically feel the disappointment radiating off of Y/n's mother, and he went to make up for it. "But you know, if you're ever free then let me know. I'm sure we can arrange something."

"Oh, sure! Well don't let us keep you any longer. It was lovely seeing you again, Anthony." She gave him another hug, then waved as he opened the door and stepped out into the cold, and he was just wrapping his coat more tightly around him and closing the door behind him when he heard her say "Well he certainly got more handsome," and Y/n groaned in response.

~~~

The next few days were quiet, filled with cosy days in the living room and Christmas movies, so when the phone rang in the front hall it made everybody jump. Y/n's father got up to answer it (Y/n and her mother had insisted that they were too comfortable to ever possibly move), and when he came back a few seconds later he turned to Y/n.

"It's for you," he said, sticking his thumb over his shoulder in reference to the phone, and Y/n reluctantly peeled off her blanket to pad out into the hall.

"Hello?"

"Angel, hi." Her breath caught in her throat at the name, but Anthony was already moving on, clearly not realising that he'd said it. "I was wondering if you were free for a walk now? I think... I think it would be a good idea to talk, but I don't want to pressure you if you don't want to."

"I don't know... it's like minus two degrees out isn't it?"

"The churros van is out in the park?" She pretended to consider, but the churros was so good that she was already dreaming about it.

"Fine. Let me get my things."

"Perfect. I'll be outside in five." He clicked off, ending the call, and Y/n headed back into the living room.

"What did he want?" her mother asked (Y/n had heard her father tell her who it was on the line).

"To go for a walk and catch up." Not entirely the truth, but not a lie either. She was sure that they would do some catching up too, and not just reminisce about the past.

"Alright. Make sure you wrap up warm though, yeah? Weather forecast says it might snow."

"Yeah, I will. I'll see you later." She waved as she left the room, pulling on her boots and various winter clothes, and just as she fixed her gloves on her hands a knock sounded on the door. She swung it open to reveal Anthony, although he wasn't dressed nearly as warmly as she was.

"You look like a snowman," he said, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Yeah, and you'll be a snowman soon. You must be freezing!" Anthony shrugged, seemingly not caring too much about the cold. Y/n wasn't having it though, so she moved backwards to pick up a thick scarf that belonged to her father and wrapped it around Anthony's neck. She felt his breath hitch at the action, and her own face heated up in response.

"Thanks. I would have been fine though."

"Shut up and let me stop you turning to ice."

~~~

The park was emptier than they had thought it would be, but then again there wasn't much there to amuse people other than the sad set of children's play equipment and the occasional food truck. Given the park's proximity to Portland Row, it had always been a great spot for Anthony and Y/n to play when they were kids, stumbling home afterwards to their respective ends of the street. The churros van had appeared from October through to the end of January every year, and it was a tradition for the two of them to get a cone every time they visited. Now they strolled through the park with their churros in hand, warming them with every bite and dropping sugar everywhere, and for the first time since seeing him the other day, Y/n felt somewhat comfortable in Anthony's presence.

"I'm sorry."

He had broken the silence between them, and all at once the memories came back and the peace was over.

"What for?" She knew what he ought to be sorry for, but she wanted to know what he thought he needed to apologise for.

"For not doing anything. When you left. I should have said something different and I was an ass. So I'm sorry."

Y/n could have left it at that, but he truly had been an ass and she felt she deserved more of an apology.

"You shut me out, Anthony. Completely. And that hurt, you know? Because we promised that no matter what happened we would never do that to each other."

"I know, and I'm sorry for that too." He stared down at his churros as it grew cold, and he placed the piece that he was holding back in the cone. "It just felt like I was loosing the one piece of my childhood that I thought I wouldn't ever lose, and I couldn't handle that. I thought I was doing better, but then you said you were leaving and it was like I was loosing my family all over again, and I couldn't-" he broke off, his voice too thick with emotion to continue, and he looked up and away from his churros to stare at the sky instead, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"I know that you've lost a lot of people that you love, Anthony, but you didn't have to lose me too." There was a pause where he looked guilty, mouth pursing and eyes watering, then:

"And now? Are you still lost?"

"I don't really know. I know we can't ever be what we were again, but I also know that everything apparently leads to you. I see things all the time that make me think of you and London, and sometimes somebody will say something that makes me automatically look for you, because you'd find it funny or ridiculous. And it's hard, being English in America, because everything is so entirely different, but it's a life that I would never give up. You understand that, don't you? Having a job that you willingly let consume you because you love it so much. So maybe I am lost in some ways, but that doesn't mean we can't try and find something beautiful again."

Anthony nodded, clearing his throat, and Y/n swallowed thickly to push down the fear that he would tell her he didn't want to see her again.

"Alright. I fucked up, and I paid for it. But I want you back in my life, if you'll let me have you. And I'll try to stay in contact when you go back. You know I don't have a proper sleeping schedule anyway, so call whenever."

"Of course I want to be in your life again, Anthony. Why else do you think I got so torn up about leaving you? I didn't want to, but I also couldn't pass up the opportunity."

"I know, I know." He paused for a moment. "I know." They walked on in silence for a little while as they continued eating their churros, until Anthony heard a stifled giggle from his right. "What? Why are you laughing?"

"What? No reason!" Y/n was smiling more widely now, unconfined joy filling her expression as her eyes darted over Anthony's face.

"Why do I feel like you're lying to me? What is it? Do I have something on my face?" Y/n tried holding back her laugh, resulting in a snort instead as she pressed her hand to her mouth. "I do, don't I. Have I got sugar on my face?"

"Just a tiny bit," she replied, giggling. Anthony reached up to wipe it away, but he had sugar on his fingers and his attempts only resulted in putting more on his face than he was taking off. Y/n was practically doubled over laughing now, and a few people around the park were starting to look over in curiosity, smiling when they saw the two of them. Anthony took his chance while she was distracted and pressed his hand to her cheek, slowly dragging his sugar-coated fingers down. Y/n stopped laughing, her mouth hanging open as she stared at him with incredulity. "How dare you. Really, how could you?" Anthony took his hand back, smiling proudly at his work, but he was too distracted by the happy feeling that was growing in his chest to notice the wicked glint that had come into Y/n's eyes, so the slap of sugar that hit his face shocked him.

"What?! You're a devil!"

"I thought I was an angel?" she asked, mock innocence all over her face. Anthony could only chuckle and shake his head, using his sleeve to wipe off what sugar he could from his cheeks.

"Why don't we call it even?"

"Fine, but only because it's the season for spreading love." Her smile was still wide, and Anthony had forgotten how much he missed it.

Y/n had missed his smile too, his real one, and when they started walking again they were closer together, arms brushing every now and then.

~~~

Two days later, Y/n was sat in her bed at home, winding down for the evening with a book when she heard a small tap against her window. She frowned slightly at the curtains, then went back to her book. She had barely read the next sentence when a second tap sounded, followed by a third a few seconds later. The noise was irritating, so she stood up and peeked out the window, pulling the curtain to the side to see into the dark garden. A shadowy figure was at the bottom, crouched down and rummaging in the undergrowth for something, and when they stood up straight Y/n sighed, putting her bookmark in place and her book on the bedside table. She cracked open the window a little right before the figure could throw another stone, and shivered at the cold air that snaked in.

"Anthony, what on earth are you doing?"

"Oh, hi! Can I come up?" Y/n frowned again, eyeing the trellis and drainpipe that he had used when they were younger to climb up the side of her house.

"Aren't you too heavy now?"

"I haven't put on that much weight! It'll be fine!"

"You know that you could just use the front door, don't you?"

"Your dad is still in the front room, and I didn't want to get stuck in conversation."

"Ugh, fine. But be quiet! And if you fall off I'm claiming ignorance!" She heard his quiet laughter from the base of the house, and then his small grunts as he hauled his body up the trellis and the pipe. Y/n stepped back, pulling the window further open and trying to warm herself up at the blast of cold air, and then Anthony was grasping the windowsill and asking for help as he clambered in. It took a minute to get him in; he was much lankier than he had been, his legs all over the place, and his height meant that he hit his head a few times, but eventually the two of them manoeuvred him so that he was safely inside. "What are you even doing here?!" she asked, closing the window and pulling the curtains closed again.

Anthony looked sheepish for a moment, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. "I couldn't sleep, which is normal, but Lucy is dragging us all ice skating tomorrow and I could do with the rest, so I was wondering if... if I could sleep here? Like we used to? You can say no! And I can leave!" His eyes were wide as he tried to reduce the pressure of his ask, but when he saw the faint smile on Y/n's face he calmed down, knowing that she'd made up her mind.

"Of course you can stay, Anthony. I'm not entirely sure that you'll still fit in my bed though," she looked at the bed, concern lacing her tone. "I think I saw some of your old pyjamas too when I was unpacking, but I have no idea if they'll fit."

"I'm sure it will be fine. You really don't have to do this, you know."

"I know," she shrugged, moving to her drawers and searching for the clothes. "But you always sleep better next to me, and ice skating is draining."

"I'm sure if you wanted to..." he trailed off just as Y/n pulled out the pyjamas in triumph, and she turned to look at him curiously.

"If I wanted to what?"

"Come skating with us. I'm sure the others wouldn't mind. It's at the place we normally went to as kids, and I'm pretty sure we're the only people booked so you wouldn't need to worry too much about being swarmed. Well, apart from George and Lucy, because they're huge fans, but they're sweet really. And if you do get surrounded then we'll fend them off for you. Of course," he continued at her silence, "if you're busy then I don't want to make you feel pressured. I just thought that I would offer."

"I mean, I'd have to check with my parents, but I'd love to, Anthony. I can't promise I'll be any good though, it's been a while since I last went skating."

"There's no skating in LA?"

"There is, it just... it wasn't the same without you."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Anthony took the pyjamas from her, his heart skipping a beat when their fingers brushed against each other in the exchange.

"You can use my bathroom, if you like. You know where it is."

He changed quickly, folding up his day clothes and placing them in a pile at the bottom of Y/n's bed, then tentatively got in next to her. She was right, the bed was a tight fit for the two of them, and his feet were poking out the end of the duvet, but he wouldn't change a thing about it. He finally felt at home again, lying here next to her, and when she reached over him to turn out the light she didn't move all the way back, instead opting to lay her head on his chest and wrap an arm around his waist. He tangled their legs together, brought his own arms around her body, and fell asleep minutes later, the rise and fall of their chests in sync.

~~~

Y/n was woken by her mother the next morning who was bringing in tea, and she made a startled noise at the sight of Anthony in Y/n's bed. He was still asleep, so Y/n hastened to quiet her mother, quickly explaining the situation (and firmly stating that absolutely nothing had happened last night at her mother's raised eyebrows).

"I'll let you two be, then."

"Oh, Mum? Anthony and his friends are going skating later and he asked if I wanted to join them, so I was wondering if you guys would be alright with that?"

"Of course, darling. Just let us know the details at breakfast, yeah?"

"Yeah. Thank you!"

Her mother smiled, closing the door softly behind her, and Y/n turned her attention to Anthony. He looked peaceful, no nightmares or bad memories haunting him while he slept. Really he should have been the angel, he appeared so, well, angelic. They had slept in a lot when they were younger, Y/n waking up earlier than Anthony but opting to doze next to him instead of risking waking him up since he was always dead on his feet. The habit had picked up not long after the death of his parents, when Anthony couldn't sleep at night because he was dreaming of them. Y/n had offered up a spot in her bed, to see if it would help stop the nightmares, and then whenever Anthony wanted a proper night of sleep he'd climb up her wall and come in through the window, slipping under the covers and nestling up to her. Not much had changed, she supposed. He hadn't let go of her while they slept, and she remembered waking up at some point in the night for a wee and fighting to remove his grip from her waist. She had only been gone a few minutes, but when she dived back under the covers (it was cold outside of her bed) Anthony, somehow still asleep, made a grab for her again, pulling her back flat against his chest and sighing into her hair.

She was trying not to doze now, shuffling so that she was sat up with Anthony's head in her lap while she awkwardly held her mug of tea and hoped that none of it spilled over the sides. Once she was settled, she sighed contentedly, closing her eyes and basking in the familiarity of the situation. Y/n wished, not for the first time, that she had been born with some form of Talent, so that she could stay with Anthony forever and not have to leave London.

But life had chosen differently for her, and she had had to figure out what to do instead of being an agent. Acting had been a natural choice, since she was always fascinated by the movies from her childhood and had performed in every school play that was put on. Her parents supported her, of course, since anything was preferable to sending their child out into the night with only a sword and some training as protection from something that could bring back nothing but an apology and a funeral, but behind closed doors they worried that she wouldn't make it, that she needed a back up plan. So they had made sure that she continued her schooling, and took turns driving her to auditions. When Y/n had landed her first proper role in a theatre at the age of fourteen they had gone out to celebrate, having lunch in the restaurant of Y/n's choice, and the show had been a success. Scouts had been in the audience, and one had passed on her information to Y/n, telling her to call her.

Two years and three other successful plays later Y/n had an agent, and a job offer for a blockbuster film in the States, and when she'd heard how much the pay check was she'd accepted. Some people had called her shallow for it, but being an actor who wasn't entirely well-known was difficult, and her parents' house was expensive, she knew. Y/n told herself that she was doing it for them, and for Anthony (who she was determined would get some of the money, no matter how stubborn he was about it), and a few months later she was spending her first day on set.

She had another job lined up for the new year, but had managed to get the time off to come home for the holidays. There was nothing else she could do but carry on, no matter what her fantasies were. Reality was more important now, and reality was leaving him again for her work. He had his own life anyway; she would only be a distraction.

He stirred slightly in her lap, grunting softly and rubbing his eyes. She was glad for the movement, since her legs were starting to lose feeling, and her breath caught in her throat at his sleepy smile when he turned his head to look up at her.

"Morning," he whispered, voice croaky.

"Morning," she replied, matching his volume and smiling back. She put her tea down (which she'd finished at some point, although she wasn't sure when) and moved closer to the wall to allow Anthony some room to sit up next to her. He dropped his head onto her shoulder, sighing happily. "You sleep alright?" Y/n asked, her smile present in her voice.

"Yeah, brilliantly. Haven't slept that well in ages." He pulled back to look her in the eyes. "Thank you, Angel."

"Sure. Anytime, Ant." Y/n paused for a moment, thinking. "Anytime I'm here," she rectified, wincing at the flash of pain in Anthony's eyes.

"Do you have to go back?"

"Yes. I have a job, I can't just..." she waved her hands vaguely, trailing off.

"It's okay. I just wish things were different." He wasn't looking at her, instead picking at a loose thread on his pyjamas.

"Me too."

They were quiet after that, neither knowing where to take the conversation.

"Mum says I can go skating with you guys," Y/n piped up after a while, hope barely concealed in her voice that he would still want her to come with them.

"Oh, really? Perfect! Actually, what time is it?"

"There's a clock right behind you, I don't know why you're looking at me." Anthony blushed, twisting to face the clock that was sat in plain view on the bedside table. The numbers blared 7:43 in bright red, and Anthony sighed in relief.

"I thought it would be later. That's good. I should get back soon though, or the others will skin me alive."

"Well, go when you need to. Mum knows you're here, 'cause she brought me tea, so you could probably stay for breakfast if you wanted. She's been trying to figure out how to catch up with you anyway, and you're the only person that will willingly talk to Dad about sport, so I doubt that either of them will mind. There's no pressure either way."

"Are you sure? I really don't want to intrude-"

"You're using the front door anyway, it's just whether you're stopping for food on the way out." Her expression said that she wouldn't allow any arguments from him, and Anthony nodded, stretching out his long limbs.

"If you're sure it won't be a problem then I'll have something to eat with you lot, but I really don't want to-"

"Oh shut up, Anthony, we all love you here so stop fretting!" He did as she asked, his mouth snapping shut. She should have known what would happen next, since she knew him so well, but it still came as a surprise when he spoke.

"All?"

"Piss off."

"You said 'all', unless my hearing has gone."

"Your hearing has gone."

"Angel."

"Anthony." She frowned, but not in irritation. "Wait, why did I never have a nickname for you?" Anthony shrugged, flopping back against her headboard.

"You went through a number of them, I think. 'Love', 'darling', that sort of thing. You did call me a nuisance a lot though," he said, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"Probably because you were being a nuisance."

"How rude! I should tell somebody that I'm being bullied. This is bullying!"

"I'm not bullying you, Anthony. You are such a drama queen sometimes!"

"Ooo, drama queen, that's another one you called me!" Y/n laughed, chucking a pillow at his face and laughing harder when he failed to catch it.

~~~

Anthony did end up staying for breakfast, and he did catch up with Y/n's mother and spend at least half an hour talking to her father about sport, and he only escaped being stuck with her parents for another few days because Y/n had dragged him out, telling them that they would be late for skating. They weren't going to be late, because they still had a good hour or so before they needed to even leave for the rink, but Y/n had felt her heart break further at the sight of Anthony conversing easily with her family once more as though nothing had happened.

Her mother had laughed as Anthony and Y/n left, telling Anthony that he could just use the front door next time, and Y/n had waved goodbye, almost whacking the agent next to her in the face.

"Oh, shit, did I hit you?! Oh, you're fine, okay. No, stop it, you are fine, Anthony, so stop clutching your nose like I broke it."

~~~

Lucy and George could barely contain their shock and excitement at the additional member of their group, and while Holly was outwardly very calm, Anthony knew that she was just as excited by Y/n's appearance from the slight widening of her eyes.

"Oh. My. God. George, am I hallucinating right now?"

"If you are, then I am too."

"Hi," Y/n said, giving the trio of agents a small wave. "You must be Lucy and George? And Holly?"

"Yeah," Lucy replied, her voice more of a squeak than an actual word, and George simply nodded slowly. Holly stepped forward, offering out a gloved hand.

"Holly, yes. It's lovely to meet you," she said with a bright smile, and Y/n took her hand.

"Lovely to meet you too!"

"Shall we get our skates on then? Or are you two going to keep looking like idiots?" At Anthony's words, Lucy seemed to snap out of whatever daze she was in, and her stare turned deadly focused.

"The only one who's gonna look like an idiot is you, Lockwood. I'm actually amazing at ice skating, so good luck out there with your lanky limbs." She turned and marched off, finding a spot to sit down and tug her borrowed skates on.

"Lucy can skate?" George asked, clearly confused. "Lucy? Lucy, can... skate? But she's so clumsy!"

~~~

It turned out that Lucy could in fact skate, better than most of them, but she was disappointed to find out that Anthony could too, and therefore would not be looking like an idiot.

"I probably should have told you that I used to come here every Christmas as a kid. I got quite good in the end," he yelled across the rink. He'd been right about them being the only people there, and Y/n found that it was wonderful to pretend that her life was calm again.

While Y/n had gone with him pretty much every time, she had never truly mastered ice skating as Anthony had, and as such she looked a lot like a baby gazelle learning how to walk for the first time. Holly was similar, and the two of them were arm in arm as they went around the outside, holding on to each other and the barrier at the edge for stability. George was somewhat capable, surprisingly smooth on the ice but for the odd stumble here and there.

Anthony could have been mistaken for a professional skater, but everybody accepted that he was brilliant within the first thirty seconds.

They spent a good hour and a half on the ice, by the end of which Holly and Y/n had managed to stop wobbling enough to let go of the barrier and go carefully around. There was a cafe connected to the rink, and the five of them gathered inside to warm up with cups of tea and a slice of cake, and while Lucy, George, and Holly went to sit at a table (they had passed on their orders), Anthony and Y/n waited at the counter.

"That was really fun. Thank you, for inviting me," she said, turning to face him.

"Of course. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Angel." He was smiling at her, small and happy, and she couldn't help but return it, her cheeks protesting as they stretched against the numb feeling in her face from the cold.

"Christmas Eve tomorrow."

"Hmm," Anthony hummed, thanking the barista for the cakes she placed on their tray. "Are you going to do anything?"

"Probably not. I think we were going to watch a movie, but we might play board games instead. My Grandma's coming over, actually, so it'll be board games."

"How is she? I haven't seen her for a while," he asked, his face lighting up at the memories of her.

"She's alright, yeah. Moved house, made some new friends, that sort of thing. I think Christmas will be good for her; get her out the house and with family."

"Family is a good thing to be surrounded by," Anthony started, but he didn't sound sad. Instead he was looking over Y/n's shoulder at the three members of his agency, a fond smile on his face as he watched them, and she found herself choking up slightly at the knowledge that he'd found a new family for himself. "We're fully booked unfortunately, what with the sun setting at four in the afternoon, so I doubt that we'll have much time to play board games. We'll be sleeping to catch up on all the nights we're going to miss instead."

"Has George stopped striking?"

"Yeah," Anthony chuckled. "Turns out when anyone that isn't him tries to cook he has a borderline heart attack, so he gave up the strike for his own health and peace of mind. I think he's cooking lamb this year. It might not be on Christmas Day though, if we're busy. We'll have to find some other time."

"At least you have jobs though, that's good isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. And while our Christmas will be busy this year, hopefully we can generate enough business by next Christmas to turn down a couple and take the day off. Thank you!" He said the last part to the barista, pots of tea now sat on a second tray, and he and Y/n carefully picked up one tray each to carry over to their table. George snatched up his slice of cake right away, Lucy following right afterwards, and Y/n handed out the last plates to Holly and Anthony, taking her own and putting it in front of her. They quickly engaged in animated conversation again, pouring out tea when it had brewed for long enough and passing mugs around the table, and Y/n was content to sit back for a little while and let them discuss whatever was in their heads.

When the time came for them to leave, the light fading from the sky, the five of them thanked the cafe workers and stepped out into the cold again, pulling their coats tight around them and sticking their hands in their armpits to try and keep them warm. Y/n and Anthony trailed behind, walking close together and talking quietly.

"I'm assuming you'll be busy over the New Year period too?" she asked, hunching her shoulders against the wind that attempted to find a way through her thick scarf.

"Yeah. We already have bookings for the next couple of weeks. When do you go back again?"

"A few days after New Year's. I probably won't see you again properly."

"Oh." They didn't say anything for a moment or two, both thinking too much about the implications.

"You'll stay in touch though, yeah?"

"Of course I will, Angel. If you're not too busy making friends with people that will write books about you or something," he joked, but she could hear the question in his voice, and snorted.

"They aren't friends. Not really. They care more about the fame that being seen with me will bring them. They don't care about me." It was true, and even the people that she would consider friends didn't know her the way that Anthony did. He was the only one who knew exactly how she was feeling at any given time, the only one who could tell which smiles were faked, which laughs were real, what she really meant when she said one thing but secretly wanted to say another.

"Well that sucks."

"Yep." She kicked at a pile of leaves on the pavement, the action throwing her balance off slightly and making her lean closer to Anthony. He moved a hand out slightly, ready to steady her if she needed it.

"I'll call you, I promise."

Although she couldn't tell when, Y/n knew that they had made a silent agreement at some point since that morning. She wouldn't ask him to wait for her to come back, and give him false hope that they could ever be together again, if he didn't ask her to stay with him and give up her life.

While he had asked if she had to leave when they woke up, Anthony had known the answer the whole time. It hurt, of course it hurt, and he hadn't felt quite so empty at her leaving since his childhood, but she was living her dream and he couldn't take that from her. It wasn't right of him to do that when he'd spent their entire lives telling her that she could do anything if she wanted to. It didn't matter that he would have given up everything to be with her, or even just to have her back with him for a few months of the year. None of that mattered, because they were both the sort of person that needed closeness, and they lived on opposite sides of the earth. What he really needed to do was move on, to find someone new, but it still ached to think about doing so.

Before either of them knew it, they were back on Portland Row, parting ways at Y/n's gate (since it was her end of the street they had walked on to) with long hugs and promises of calls, and waves of 'see you later' not 'goodbye', because goodbye was too final.

Anthony was last to hug her, telling the others to carry on without him. He held on tight for much longer than the other three had, and Y/n didn't mind one bit, grasping the back of his coat just as tightly, her nails digging in to the fabric. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she tried to fight off the tears, and she could feel Anthony tensing to stop his own sobs. She tried to commit him to memory, since she only had photos to remember him by (including some new ones from the last few hours), and with every second that ticked past she could feel him slipping further away despite the fact they were closer than they ever had been for the last two years.

Eventually they pulled away from each other, still not quite letting go, and she studied his face. Unlike the last time they had parted at Christmas, he was an open book in large print, every emotion he was experiencing written clearly across his face, and Y/n smiled up at him with watery eyes as she brushed away the stray tear that had slipped down his cheek.

"Thank you, Angel." She didn't ask him what he was thanking her for; she knew that he was thinking the same thing that she was. It had been lovely, being his for again for the last few days, but they needed to end, and she needed to leave.

She didn't really know what to say in response, so instead she pushed up on her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek, lingering longer than she should have done but enjoying the feel of him this close again too much. When she pulled back his eyes fluttered open, and she heard a soft sigh escape him, the sound filled with longing.

"I'll let you know when I land and get settled back in, okay?" She fully removed herself from his arms now, moving backwards through her gate.

"Okay. We might be out."

"I'll leave a message for you." Anthony nodded, hunched over slightly as though he were still holding her. He stood up properly all of a sudden, shoving his hands into his coat pockets and smiling sadly at her, starting to move down the street.

"Merry Christmas, Angel," he called out.

"Merry Christmas, Ant."

~~~

A few days after New Year's, the members of Lockwood and Co were piling in to 35 Portland Row at one in the morning, another job completed.

All three were exhausted (Holly was most likely snug in bed in her flat), and Anthony nearly missed the voicemail on the phone. George had been leaning on the table that the phone sat on, however, attempting to pull his boots off, and had seen the light flashing to let them know they had a message.

Anthony forgot all about his weariness, shaking it off as though it were a coat, and pressed play on the voicemail.

"Uh- hi! Sorry, let me just- okay, hi! Sorry, I got caught in the telephone wire. Um, I'm not really sure what to say really. Happy New Year, I guess? I landed about an hour ago, and getting back home was an absolute nightmare. Anyway, you have my number and everything if you want to call. Hope you guys are okay, and I'll call you again soon. Oh, and Anthony? Will you tell the others that they can call me too? Just in case- I don't know. I miss you already, you nuisance." He smiled at the nickname, then her voice came again but more distant, answering somebody else in the room. "Hmm? Oh, okay." She spoke louder again, putting the phone back to her ear. "I need to go now, bye!"

The three of them stood silent in the hallway, all staring at the phone as it went through the usual spiel of which buttons to press.

Neither George nor Lucy said anything when Anthony pressed the number to keep the voicemail.

They also didn't say anything a month later when he came down for breakfast, his face filled with a smile that they could all tell was faked as he told them he was going out. When asked where he was going, he simply replied "On a date" and left, leaving his three coworkers in the kitchen to wonder what the hell had happened to their friend.

Then, a month after that when the headlines were filled with the news that the actress Y/n L/n was reportedly in a relationship with her costar, nobody said anything when Anthony shrugged the news off, instead heading to the phone to congratulate her. He had a partner of his own now, so it made sense that she had somebody too, no matter how much it ached to read about them in the papers.

He had been hers again for one glorious week, and she had been his Angel, but she had needed to leave, and he had needed to stay. That didn't stop either of them from thinking about the other, or noticing small things every day that served as a reminder of them, but that was in the past, and they couldn't stay stuck in it forever.

#lockwood and co #anthony lockwood #lockwood & co #anthony lockwood x reader #lockwood x reader #anthony lockwood x you

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agentwhiskeysdarlin · 10 months

Text

Cycles

Pairing: Jack ‘Whiskey’ Daniels x F!Reader

Rating: NSFW 18+ (minors dni)

Warnings: Mentions of injury (slightly graphic), angst, smutty good times, oral (female receiving), p in v sex, unprotected sex, fluff, hurt/comfort

Word Count: 2.6k

Author’s Notes: Guess who remembered how to write?! That’s right, ME!! I got a random spark for this one day at work and it had it written within an hour. I have missed writing so much and I really hope there is more to come! Thank you to (charlotte) as always and all of you for your support especially those who haven’t given up on me. Thank you, also to everyone who has included me in a list of Pedro character writers. I truly feel honored to have myself next to some incredibly talented folks. I hope you all enjoy! Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the tag list which I’m just pulling from the last smutty Jack fic.

Ao3 link

It was always the same with the two of you. He would roll into town, knock on your door, jump your bones, make you fall further in love and then he was gone. It always left you slightly heart broken but you knew he would always come back. He would come around, sooner or later, and it would be the same cycle once again. You didn’t mind it, you even craved it, but things were changing and they were changing quickly.

Jack Daniels came into your life like a storm. Calm at first and then he swept you up in his wake. You couldn’t lie, even to yourself, you were in love with the man and it was an unfortunate matter. You knew in the depths of your soul it’d never work but you still held on to hope. You promised yourself the last time you’d woken up alone, you would tell him how you felt, the next time he came around. That was six months ago.

He’d never been gone this long and it worried you endlessly. You checked your phone every five seconds, and you wished you had someone else to call for answers. You knew his job was dangerous, it was already something the two of you had discussed, and now your mind was jumping to the worst case scenario over and over again. You started waking up in the middle of the night with nightmares, unable to go back to sleep, afraid of seeing the image of him dead before your eyes all over again.

Night had fallen and you found yourself on your couch with some wine, the bottle sitting before you on the coffee table. You’d put on a movie to distract yourself, hoping to find a bit of relaxation, when a knock sounded at your door. You froze looking at the front door, wine glass paused in midair. You gulped, feeling a tremble erupt through your body. Your mind went in two widely different directions. It could finally be Jack or it could finally be someone coming after you, because of Jack. But they wouldn’t knock right? You glanced at the side table, where you knew a gun hid in the drawer and slowly got up. You walked slowly to the door jumping when another knock sounded. You reached for the handle and opened it slowly.

“Hiya darlin’,” Jack’s voice was weak, and he looked like he was going to fall over any second.

“Jack?! Come on,” you spoke softly helping him in the house.

“I’m alright. I’ve been patched up. I’m just a little weak is all. You should see the other guy,” he gave you his famous smirk, like he always did.

Your eyes flitted over him, searching for his injuries, but besides the few small bandages and bruises on his face you couldn’t see any of them.

“Jack you had me worried sick.”

“I figured I did. I got Ginger to patch me up as quick as she could so I could get to you.”

You felt butterflies erupt in your stomach, and your eyes softened.

“You could have called…” your voice was almost a whisper.

“I would’ve if I could’ve darlin’ I swear it. I was undercover and I couldn’t contact anyone other than my team.”

You let out a breathe you hadn’t realized you had been holding. Still standing in the entryway, you looked up at Jack, who was watching you so closely. He reached down, tipping your chin up, and kissed you gently. You melted into him, letting out a sigh of contentment. You pulled away after a few moments.

“None of that tonight cowboy. You’re going to rest. You clearly need it.”

“Now darlin’ come on I’m fine.”

“Nope. You’re going to let me take care of you.”

His fingers tucked a piece of hair behind your ear and let out a sigh. “You ain’t going to give in, are you?”

“Nope now go.”

You stepped back and he made his way to your master bedroom with you following behind him.

“Did you get a chance to shower?” You asked, as you pulled clothes he’d left behind from one of your drawers.

“No but I ain’t taking one. Unless you join me.”

You gave him a pointed glare, but with the way those brown puppy dogs eyes looked at you, you couldn’t help but let him win this one.

“Fine.”

He smiled softly in victory and you couldn’t stop the chuckle, nor the shake of your head. You both stepped into the bathroom, and you helped him with his clothes trying to be as gentle as possible with him. The moment his clothes were gone and your eyes traced over him, you felt your stomach twist. You gulped, trying not to let the tears clouding your vision fall. He was hurt worse than he’d let on. You could tell by the brutal gash that had been stitched on his side. There were others hidden under bigger bandages.

“Jack,” his name came out in a whisper, as your eyes looked him over.

“Hey look at me,” his hand came to your cheek tilting your face to look at him. “I’m alright. I promise. I’ve had way worse than this. It looks worse than it is. Please don’t.”

His voice softened to a gentle whisper, as he brushed tears from your cheeks. You held his stare for a moment more, before stepping back to remove your clothes, his eyes watching your every move. You stepped into the shower together, after you had let the water run for a moment. Jack let out a soft groan, the moment his body stood under the water.

“Did you bring extra bandages?” Worry laced your voice at the sudden realization.

“The good thing about us being high tech is, these bandages can get wet and it doesn’t do anything. They dry.”

Jack’s job never stopped amazing you. You just simply nodded your head, before you got to work helping him wash. You worked your fingers through his brown hair, massaging at his scalp. His eyes stayed on you, watching every breathe you took. You took a wash cloth, placing soap in it and taking a breathe.

“I can do it. I know you are worried about hurting me.”

“No it’s okay. I want to,” you looked up at him with a small smile.

You washed his skin gently, feeling his eyes still on you. It was getting harder for you not to just let him take you. Your hands trembled slightly, and suddenly Jack’s hands were taking yours.

“Your turn,” his voice was low as he turned you.

He washed your hair with equal gentleness. He was the same washing your body, causing you to shiver as the washcloth ran between your legs. Soon the water was being turned off and the two of you were stepping out. You dried each other and he slipped on the white shirt and pj pants he had, and you slipped on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

“This is pure torture I swear,” he grumbled as you made your way to the bed.

“It is for me too, but you are too injured for that.”

“The only way I’m too injured for that is if I’m six feet under darlin’.”

“That’s not funny Jack.”

“I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

When you turned to him with a slight glare, he was smirking like a cat.

“How long are you going to be able to stay?”

“If you’ll have me, awhile. I have to take leave since I got hurt.”

“Of course I’ll have you Jack. Good, I can take care of you then.”

“You going to let me take care of you?”

“When you aren’t moving like a robot, yes.”

His face fell but a quirk pulled at his lips. You smiled in triumph and let out a laugh. The two of you settled in and he pulled you to him, being careful. You reached up and kissed him.

“Sleep.” You spoke the word softly, thinking how you finally would yourself, tonight. “I’m glad you’re here and you’re okay cowboy.”

“I always told you I would come back darlin’.”

He kissed the top of your head and pulled you slightly closer, before you fell asleep to the sound of his breathing and his heartbeat in your ear.

Several days passed and the cycle Jack and yourself were usually stuck in, had finally been broken. You were getting a taste of what life would be like everyday with him. It was domestic bliss, and you couldn’t think of a time in your life where you had been happier. The urge to tell him the inner workings of your heart and mind were getting stronger as the days passed.

Jack was getting stronger by the day. He did things around the house for you that you couldn’t quite accomplish yourself, and it helped build his strength. You stayed on him to be careful as the days went, and soon a week passed. It had been the longest he had ever stayed and every single day you were afraid to wake up and find him gone.

The two of you had just finished a dinner you had fixed together, and now you stood at your kitchen sink washing and drying the few dishes together. You swear the small smile on your face would be permanent until Jack took it with him. The only sound was the abandoned tv, low in volume and the two of you. When you finally finished Jack pulled you to him, spinning you to face him in the process. You let out a giggle a wide smile breaking over your face.

“Alright I’m well enough. No more robot movements. I’m taking you to bed darlin’. I’ve got a lot of time to make up for,” Jack spoke firmly but a smirk still stayed on his face.

“Alright fine, fine cowboy. Take me to bed Jack.”

You voice rough at the last five words, and you looked up at him with hooded eyes. His head tilted and his lips crashed against yours. You melted into him, snaking your arms around his neck and threading your fingers into his hair, pulling slightly. He let out a moan against your lips and pulled you closer to him. His hands reached down and tapped gently at your ass and you jumped, wrapping your legs around his waist. He let out another groan and you pulled away panting.

“I’m fine,” he breathed out and his lips were back on yours in seconds.

He carried you, never coming up for air, until he had you on your mattress and was hovering over you. His hands started to wander quickly, and the next thing you knew your clothes were gone and so were his. You knew this time would be rushed after so long, but you also knew he wouldn’t leave until he was able to also take his time with you. You were a tangle of hands and lips, moans falling from your lips as Jack started to travel down your body. He paused at each breast, giving them attention before continuing on. He finally settled between your legs, and didn’t waste any time before he buried his head there. Your head flew back and your hand went to his hair.

“Oh fuck! Jack! Yes!” You screamed out letting him take everything from you.

He let out a moan against you, which made your hips buck and your back arch and then you were pulling at him.

“Stop please,” you breathed out. “I need to cum around you.”

You panted the words as Jack’s lips made their messy trail back up to your lips, kissing you deeply again.

“I swear you’re going to be the death of me darlin’,” he smirked before he entered you.

Both of you let out moans and your body shuddered at the feeling you had missed so much. Jack fit you like a puzzle. He moved in and out of you quickly, but gently, and you wrapped yourself around him. There wasn’t a part of you that wasn’t touching him. Your emotions were slowly heightening and you had to push your feelings away quickly, to keep from crying right then and there.

“Jack I’m…” it was all the warning you could muster before you fell apart under him.

He was right behind you, burying his head in your neck and kissing under your ear. He let your name fall in a whisper, that made you shudder again. You didn’t want this moment to end and apparently he didn’t either, because the two of you stayed like that for several moments. Finally he pulled his head away and locked eyes with yours. He searched your face for a long moment, before kissing you once again and then pulling out of you. You both let out a hiss and he slowly got up. You watched as he went into the bathroom, coming out with a wash cloth that he used between your legs to clean you up, before settling back in bed with you. He pulled you to him and you turned on your stomach and looking up at him. Your fingers rested against his chest, caressing him gently. He watched you intensely, and almost made you chicken out of what you were about to say.

“I need to get this off my chest or I’m going to end up chickening out and regretting never saying it. I understand if it’s not how you want things to be, and just because I say this doesn’t mean we have to fall out of this cycle we have with each other…”

“One we have broken,” Jack’s voice was soft and his fingers brushed a piece of hair behind your ear, before settling on your arm and rubbing gently.

“Yeah I guess we have huh?” You let out a light chuckle and then took a breath. “I think I’ve fallen in love with you Jack.”

It was a lot less words than what you had thought and practiced in your head, but it was simply the truth and the bottom line. You didn’t look at him and the silence seemed to stretch too long. Your stomach began to do gymnastics, until Jack’s fingers fell to your chin tilting your head, your eyes meeting his.

“I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. The only reason I let this cycle of ours go on, was because I was scared. I work a dangerous job, live a dangerous life. I’ve already lost someone to it and I didn’t want to lose you. That’s the last thing I ever want to do.”

“Jack I don’t care about any of that. I would know what I was signing up for it we…”

Your voice feel away as you felt anxiety build inside of you. Jack studied you for a moment then he let out a breath.

“Dammit. I’ve never wanted anything more than I’ve wanted you…us,” he spoke as his hand slid into your hair behind your ear.

“Me either Jack,” your voice was a whisper and it was full of emotion.

“Then let’s permanently break the cycle then, yeah?” Jack’s face broke out into a smile.

“I would love nothing more Jack.”

You didn’t stop the tears, you didn’t stop the smile and you didn’t stop Jack as he pulled you to him, kissing you deeply again. You had tasted life with Jack and now you would be living it with him, by his side. You had no idea what was going to happen with the two of you and it made it all that more exciting.

Tagged: @jimmythegirl @arcadianempress @discogrrl @immundusspiritu @someplace-darker @thisis-theway @ohpedromypedro @scribbledghost @fioccodineveautunnale @princess-and-pedro @phoenixhalliwell @littlevodka @all-hallows-evie @mack4676 @perropascal @audreyshepbvrn @mswarriorbabe80 @kaqua @novemberrain221 @weasleywinchester

#pedro pascal #agent whiskey #jack whiskey daniels #agent whiskey x reader #agent whiskey fic #jack whiskey daniels x reader #jack whiskey daniels fic #agent whiskey x female reader #agent whiskey x f!reader #agent whiskey smut #jack whiskey daniels x female reader #jack whiskey daniels x f!reader #jack whiskey daniels smut

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imogenkol · 17 days

Text

— 15 LINES OR LESS

I was tagged by @voidika @corvosattano and @kyber-infinitygems thank you!!! 💕💕💕

tag list (ask to be added or removed!): @adelaidedrubman @florbelles @marivenah @simonxriley @inafieldofdaisies @socially-awkward-skeleton @aceghosts @carlosoliveiraa @risingsh0t @unholymilf @thedeadthree @cassietrn @jackiesarch @gwynbleidd @shellibisshe @loriane-elmuerto @katsigian @captastra @simplegenius042 @theelderhazelnut @g0dspeeed

RULES: share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture their character/personality/vibe. Bonus points for just using dialogue without other details about the scene, but you’re free to include those as well.

“Well, I’ve fucked myself,”

“You really want a werewolf fugitive in your home for longer than necessary? I take it back, you are an idiot,”

“Ivan gave me the authority to remove individuals who display violence on these grounds unprovoked. Which means I get to tell you to promptly fuck off.”

“Others will test me no matter what. They already have, actually. I think I make my point pretty damn clear, so I sure as shit ain’t gonna go and fill out a questionnaire with my personal information like I’m at a werewolf DMV.”

“Like I’d ever let you eat something out of a can.”

“You come anywhere near her again, I won’t have as much restraint as I did today.”

“If he thinks that just because you’re the only one I won’t immediately clock that I’ll actually listen to what you have to say, he’s got another thing coming.”

“You are not my alpha… You never were and you never will be. I don't have an alpha.”

“I was afraid to die because I didn’t want you to remember me as an almost. I didn’t want you to look back and think ‘she almost loved me’, because I do love you. I love you more than I thought I could ever love anyone. And the thought of me dying without you knowing that was too much for me to take.”

She halted by the bar for a second, pointing at Toby and slurring “You owe me…” her brows suddenly furrowed. “Shit, I didn’t do this for any money, did I?”

Jayde cleared her throat. “Listen, Nick,” she started and downed her entire glass of whiskey like it was water. // “It’s Patrick,” he corrected with a scowl. // She shrugged. “Eh, I knew it ended in an ‘ick’.”

Jayde scooped the kitten up and he flopped around in her grip like a ragdoll, trying to gnaw on her fingers. She held him up and tilted him this way and that, her brow furrowed in deep thought. Then she plopped the kitten back down on the bed and looked at Nadya with resolution. “Greg.”

Bonus Nadya Lines!

“I can imagine you’re here because of something bad… But it’s not my job to judge you. It’s my job to help you. And I want to help you, but it’s kind of hard to do that if you won’t at least talk to me.”

“Can’t we just… I don’t know, act like we aren’t doing anything wrong? I mean, that’s how you get away with shoplifting.” Jayde stared questioningly at her. Nadya’s face flushed once again. “N-not that I shoplift, I was just watching a petty crime documentary one night –”

“Did I ever tell you the way you set up a campsite is sexy?”

#oc insp: Jayde Thatcher #oc insp: Nadya Bishop #ship insp: woven and thatched #I know 12 is a lot more exposition than anything but I couldn’t NOT include the ‘Greg.’

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srgntjamesbuckybarnes · 5 months

Text

Truth or Dare (6)

Summary: What started off as an innocent game of truth or dare between two noble born sisters, Y/N and Margaret “Peggy” Carter, quickly turns south when Y/N meets Steve Rogers and James “Bucky” Barnes. 10 years later Peggy is getting married reuniting the bunch, tensions rise as the sisters engage in truth or dare one more time before Peggy is married.

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Not Beta'd. Sorry for the long wait. If you want to be added to the tag list, please leave a comment saying so below. Let me know if I missed anyone.

Series Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Chapter 6

Clip clop. Clip clop. Clip clop.

Each thud of the horse’s hooves hitting the dirt below reverberated in the open meadow. The sound was a stark contrast to the duke’s usual return. Typically, when returning, Bucky didn’t care about drawing attention to himself. No one paid him any attention anyway. This time was different.

Beyond the cloud of dirt, Bucky could make out the shadow of a man leaning against one of the horse stalls. Gently pulling the reins, his sleek black horse slowed into a trot. The cloud of dirt faded behind them. Drawing closer, Bucky could make out the honey locks and strong jaw beyond the rich fabrics clinging to the man. Steve. Bucky wasn’t sure if he recognized the man because he wore the face of his old best friend or because of the status that came with the clothes he now wore, the clothes Bucky once wore.

When he arrived at the stalls, neither man said a word as Bucky dismounted the horse. Bucky made quick work unfastening the saddle while stealing a glance at the new prince over the horse’s back. He could feel Steve’s eyes on him, putting Bucky on edge. He didn’t know why Steve had been waiting for him, watching him.

Sensing the silent judgment radiating off Steve in waves, Bucky’s control burst. Stomping around the front of the horse, he snarled, “If you have something to say, just say it.” His words were hard, but his hands were gentle as he removed the horse’s bridle. The horse blinked back at Bucky, unfazed by his loud outburst.

Steve kept mute, wondering if Bucky would confess something if he remained silent long enough. In return, all he got was a lot more stomping and grunts as he closed the wooden door, sealing the horse behind it.

Lifting a hand to block the sunlight from his eyes, Steve asked. “Where’d you go?”

Bucky shrugged, wiping the dirt from his leather-clad palms. “You came all this way just to ask me that?”

Steve frowned, folding his arms across his chest. ”Just answer the question, Buck.”

“What are you doin’ here?” Bucky countered.

“Can a guy just check in on his pal?”

While Bucky’s mouth remained frozen, his eyes scanned Steve from head to toe, searching for a tell. Growing impatient, Steve pushed himself off the wall, taking a step forward. “Where’d you go?” He asked again.

Bucky ran a gloved hand along the stubble on his chin. “Out for a ride.” It wasn’t a lie, but Bucky knew that didn’t answer Steve’s question. Bucky stalked away from the horse stall and headed straight for the castle.

Bucky got three feet before a hand on his shoulder stopped him. “Bucky, stop.” The brunette spun around, knocking Steve’s hand off his shoulder in the process. “I know.” Bucky stilled, his eyes cold enough to make Steve freeze. Ignoring his chilling gaze, Steve sighed. “Tony sent word that you’ve been lurking outside of his house. It’s bad enough he lost Pepper in the war. You have to stop this obsession with him and Gail.”

The duke straightened his shoulders, clenching his fists. His mind pressing rewind on the moment Tony took a flail to the arm of his last statue. The moment Gail looked at him like he was the bogeyman. They deserved each other.

“I know you, Buck. You’re going down the wrong path all on your own this time. Whatever you’re plotting has to stop. Now.”

I do. I do. I do.

The two words ghosted on Peggy’s lips in a silent prayer. Cast back at her through her wine glass, her scarlet-stained lips wrenched into a grimace. Had the youngest Carter been marrying a gentleman without status or of equal status she would have been fine. Instead, she was marrying the forthcoming king. As a countess, Peggy was already under the spotlight, but her engagement added more pressure. Like sand descending to the base of an hourglass, every wedding planning event taunted her, a countdown until she would lose her privacy and be expected to produce an heir. She needed a proper send-off to her youth, to up the stakes of truth or dare.

Steve would never approve of such a risky game, not when the fate of their kingdom relied on him. Peggy didn’t want to sneak around Steve, but her need for an adventure was too great. If she couldn't find the excitement she craved, settling for living through others would suffice. The countess’s grimace turned into a mischievous grin. Clink. She tapped her wine glass against the glass bottle. Cheers.

A sea of green and pink swarmed Y/N’s vision as she entered the queen’s garden. The orchids were in full bloom this time of year, but the queen’s statue in the center remained the main focus. The carefully etched marble eyes followed Y/N throughout the garden. It didn’t matter that Y/N wasn’t alone. As soon as she caught a glimpse of the queen's icy stare, she realized she was under scrutiny. The silent judging eyes and pressed lips were an expression Y/N had become familiar with. It was a mask Amanda Carter wore around her daughter. It was the same expression Peggy or Steve had adopted at the mention of Bucky. Like everyone else, Y/N was sure the late queen would side with the majority on an introduction to her son; it was a bad idea. Despite the warnings attached to the former prince's name, Y/N wasn’t worthy of an official introduction to her son.

Walking through the queen’s garden with another man hadn’t been on her to-do list, but the prince insisted. T’Challa’s presence the past few days had been welcoming. His kindness had been a slap in the face. It was genuine, not a front in the public eye like her parents often reverted to. Given time, she could envision herself falling in love with the prince. If only Bucky would stop invading her thoughts.

“She’s beautiful.”

The comment caught Y/N off guard. Her eyes sliced toward the prince standing beside her. She scanned him from head to toe. His eyes remained trained on the statue, his face contorted in admiration. The back of his right hand rested in his left, clasped behind his back. T’Challa was a tall man, but between his rigid posture and monochrome black outfit, he grew a few inches with one glance.

“A marvelous queen,” he continued.

“Was,” Y/N corrected.

T’Challa’s lips curved into a tender smile. “In my culture, death is not the end. It’s more of a stepping off point.”

“That’s a nice way to look at it,” Y/N hummed. Making eye contact with the statue once more she wondered if that was true. Did Bucky have anyone in his corner, looking out for him?

Making eye contact with the guard pursuing them, T’Challa extended his elbow. Accepting the silent gesture, Y/N latched onto the prince’s arm. His gait turned brisk, creating a massive distance between the guard and them.

“I am not foolish enough to think you love me,” T’Challa began. Y/N's eyebrows skyrocketed. Before she could open her mouth to protest, the prince continued, “Nor do I love you.”

“Excuse me?” Y/N asked, but part of her was relieved. Sure, her mother would be disappointed she wouldn't marry a prince like Peggy, but it wasn’t what Y/N truly wanted, who she wanted.

T’Challa chuckled. “The king’s son, you fancy him.”

Her attempt at ripping her hand from the prince’s arm failed. Wakanda’s prince held his other hand firmly over hers, maintaining the appearance of a couple. He could hear the faint sound of metal rattling behind the pair. With enough distance between them and the guard, T’Challa reassured her. “Don’t fret. Your secret is safe with me.”

Y/N's shoulders dropped, her eyes trained on the cobblestone beneath her feet. “How did you know?’

“The way the two of you evade one another in public. It’s the same way my friend Nakia and I perform in public.”

A gasp tumbled beyond the woman's lips. The lighthearted way he spoke, as if there were no consequences for their actions, had her head spinning.

“Why are you telling me this?” Y/N whispered.

T’Challa glanced at the woman beside him. “I like you, Y/N. A marriage between us would be profitable to both kingdoms. Between you and your sister, the alliance between our kingdoms would be powerful. An alliance by blood. Since we are in identical situations, I figured we could have our own partnership.”

Y/N's heart thrummed beneath her bodice. She tentatively opened her mouth to speak, her shaky voice betraying her, “What do you propose?”

T’Challa smirked at her choice of words. “We wed. We honor the marriage when it comes to politics and the eyes of the public.”

“And the rest of the time?”

“We are free to see whoever or do whatever we want.”

Mulling over the idea, she frowned as the castle came into view along with other lively bodies. So many things could go wrong, but her focus remained wholly on what could go right. This might be her only opportunity to have something with Bucky. If her parents married her off to anyone else, she was confident they wouldn’t offer her the same arrangement.

After gnawing at her bottom lip, Y/N asked, “Is that a formal proposal?”

Y/N stood motionless at her bedroom window. The imaginary rock on her finger weighed her down more than she had anticipated. As a child, the idea of wearing a ring from the love of her life excited her, but now, when she imagined a ring on her finger, she saw nothing but a shackle. One her status would trap her in. Forever stuck in a loveless marriage. It would be the performance of a lifetime, for a lifetime.

An image of the dark-haired duke flashed through her mind. Would Bucky accept the terms of this new relationship? He didn’t seem to mind Natasha’s career choice, although her performance was exceptional. He had snuck backstage to fuck her. Was that what Y/N had condemned herself to? A life of sneaking around?

A knock at the door had Y/N stepping away from the window. She had only taken a few steps when the door swung open.

“Y/N!” Peggy shouted, racing toward her. The costly fabric of Peggy’s skirt bunched between her fingers.

Bracing herself for the impact, Y/N was able to keep the two of them upright when her younger sister collided with her. Y/N gasped for air crushed between Peggy’s arms.

When Peggy finally pulled away, her hands trailed from Y/N’s biceps to her hands. Pulling both Y/N hands toward her chest, Peggy squealed, “Congratulations! Mother just told me the good news. Steve and I are so thrilled! T’Challa is a great choice.”

Y/N froze. She knew? “What?” Y/N asked exasperated.

Peggy tipped her head, staring at her sister through her eyelashes. “T’Challa asked Father for your hand. Father accepted.”

Y/N gulped. “And Steve knows?”

Peggy rolled her eyes, “Of course! Mother has become the town crier, alerting everyone that not one but two of her daughters will be queens one day.”

Y/N’s stomach churned. It was idiotic of her to think she would have a chance to break the news to Bucky when she couldn’t talk to the man in public. If her mother hadn’t told him, she was sure Steve would.

“The kings are going to sit down soon and discuss the terms of the alliance. Steve and T’Challa will modify it when they are kings.” Noticing the faraway look on Y/N’s face, Peggy squeezed her hands. “None of that matters. I’m just glad you’re going to be taken care of.”

Y/N wanted to ask Peggy if she and Steve had the same arrangement, but she couldn’t without giving her and T’Challa away.

Wide-eyed, Y/N replied, “T’Challa hasn’t even asked me yet. I haven’t said yes.” Y/N knew it was a pointless argument. Her father had accepted the proposal on her behalf. She would be engaged to T’Challa by the end of the week.

Peggy led Y/N to the bed decorated in rich fabrics. When her sister sat beside her, Peggy sighed, crossing her legs. “I know it’s a lot of pressure, but it will be worth it. Trust me. You need a distraction, and I know just the thing.”

Y/N stared blankly back at the younger Carter.

Peggy inched forward. “Truth or dare?”

Y/N huffed a laugh. If there was one thing that could keep Y/N distracted, it was a dare from Peggy. Without missing a beat, she replied, “Dare.”

Peggy licked her lips before a devilish grin overshadowed her angelic features. “I dare you to visit the pleasure house.”

Dumbfounded, Y/N hissed, “The whore house?! Margaret Carter, have you lost your mind?”

The brunette shrugged and then collapsed the rest of her weight on the mattress. She gazed at the ceiling, kicking her dangling feet like a schoolgirl disclosing a secret at a sleepover. Then she rolled onto her side, propping her head into her hand.

The older Carter resembled a fire-breathing dragon. Peggy swore she could see the steam seeping from her sister’s ears.

“Not as yourself, of course.” Peggy rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing. “Look,” she narrowed her eyes. “I overheard the help discussing that the prince will be there.”

“T’Challa?”

Peggy squeezed her lips in a thin line. “Steve.”

Squeezing the bridge of her nose, Y/N moaned. “You want me to spy on your fiance?”

“Some of the guard’s garments are in the washroom. I’m sure something will fit you.”

Y/N scowled. “You’ve gone mad. Why don’t you spy on Steve yourself?”

Peggy pushed herself into a sitting position, twiddling her thumbs. “He’ll recognize me. We’ve spent too much time together. He’ll never expect you, let alone recognize you.” A coy smile graced her lips, “Unless you surrender.”

Next Chapter

Taglist: @supraveng @kandis-mom @xycnsstuff @mcu21lover19 @saltedcoffeescotch @unaxv @raven1234321

#bucky x female reader #bucky x y/n #bucky x you #bucky fanfic #bucky fic #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes #james bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #royal au

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rose-sophia-isabella-rogers · 3 months

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A Steel That Went Through Hottest Fire: Chapter XIX - Brick by Brick

Chapter Summary: Kirigan has a plan that can help you end the war with Fjerda and Shu-Han. He just has to convince Nikolai it's a good idea. You struggle with the feeling of power you get from your amplifier. You try to push Aleksander away but he's not having it. Also, you mend a relationship with one of your friends.

Pairing: Aleksander Kirigan/Reader, Alina Starkov/Mal Oretsev, Zoya Nazyalensky/Nikolai Lantsov, Fedyor Kaminsky/Ivan

Characters: Aleksander Kirigan, Reader, Nikolai Lantsov, Genya Safin, Alina Starkov, Mal Oretsev, Ivan, Fedyor Kaminsky, Zoya Nazyalensky, Tamar Kir-Bataar, Ehri Kir-Taban, Tolya Yul-Bataar

Word Count: 4491

A/N: Inspired by prompts: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389090100557/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389090100616/ moy – my (masculine object) tsar – ruler, king

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed):

@budugu

@intothesoul

@mizelophsun11

@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy

@zeeader

@marrymonrich

@wonderland2425

@chelseyyouraverageluigi

@thehufflepuffavenger1

@drinix

Nikolai has truly missed Alina. And Mal. But trying to decide anything with them, Kirigan, Ehri and Zoya in the room is almost impossible. He's not sure what's worse. Starkov and Nazyalensky bickering with the princess or the Sun Summoner and her husband arguing with the Darkling. Well, not exactly that. The peace advisor is mostly amused by the scoffing he gets from the couple.

After another one of such delightful conferences, the King decides he needs a drink. So, he's not protesting when Kirigan invites him for one. They go to his chambers and there sit with Fedyor and Ivan in silence for some time.

'Anyone else is having a headache?' Kaminsky suddenly asks. Lantsov grunts in answer.

'I honestly adore Alina,' he sighs and runs a hand through his face. 'But we won't decide on anything with her attitude.'

'It's understandable she doesn't trust me,' Aleksander says, not at all bothered. 'She won't agree on my ideas, expecting betrayal.'

'But you have good ideas,' Nikolai admits reluctantly. 'Zoya is even agreeing on them. Albeit, she's not happy about it.'

'I can't remember the last time I saw her happy,' Ivan huffs. Silence falls between the men once again.

'We're not ready,' Lantsov says a few minutes later, his voice quiet. 'When the battle with Fjerda comes… they will slaughter us all. Because we can't trust each other and come to an agreement about anything.'

'Then perhaps instead of focusing on something you can't fix at the moment, try focusing on something else?' Kirigan suggests.

'My window?' the King asks. 'I still want to know how it was broken.'

'Let's just say it involved some children,' Fedyor says with an innocent smile. Nikolai decides to let it go. For now.

'I was talking about our problem with Shu-Han,' the Darkling explains. Lantsov's eyes darken.

'I told you I can't demand anything from them,' he says. 'Yes, they attacked us. But we're still at war. Ehri and I are not married yet.'

'Which is precisely why they attacked so quickly and twice,' Ivan says. 'The moment you two get married, to attack us would be attacking the Shu-Han's people's favourite princess.'

'So what? Should we get married earlier?' the King scoffs. 'Not gonna happen. We have to wait for her family, who strategically delays their arrival. No doubt they're planning another attack.'

He looks at the Shadow Summoner, expecting an idea. It startles him how quickly it has become a habit for him. And the look on his peace advisor's face unnerves him.

'We could still use Ehri's popularity among her people,' Aleksander finally says slowly. 'If Fjerda were to kill her-'

'We're not going to get Fjerda to kill her,' Nikolai protests harshly. 'Nor anyone else.'

'She doesn't have to really die,' Kirigan says. 'After all, what was their original plan? That guard put in her place was to kill you, then kill herself with a Fjerdan weapon. People would get angry, take over Ravka and the princess would live happily on some farm or something. We can still do that. Just without the part where you die.'

'Thanks, I appreciate it,' Lantsov replies with sarcasm. 'So what, you want someone to kill Ehri's double with a Fjerdan weapon?'

'No, we just need people to believe Ehri was killed in an attack made by Fjerdans,' the Darkling reveals his plan. The King stares at him. And blinks. Then again.

'You want Fjerdans to attack us?' he blurts out.

'I would never want that,' Aleksander says with venom in his voice, standing up to pour himself another glass of kvas. 'But it's only a matter of time before they do. And I'm not talking about a battle. I'm talking about a sneak attack, infiltrating the Grand Palace.'

'Firstly, why would they do that if they're planning to fight with us, which we already know they want to do?' Nikolai says, standing up as well. 'Secondly, how would they even plan to get in? The Grant Palace is secure. Same as the Little Palace.'

'Nothing is ever impenetrable,' Kirigan chuckles. 'And of course, they will try something. They don't want Shu-Han to get the antidote first, do they? Nor [Y/N].'

Lantsov thinks. He sighs and sits down again.

'Let's say it happens,' he says. 'We win, Ehri "dies", Shu-Han gets angry. What then?'

'They join forces with us against Fjerda in retaliation,' Ivan answers. That part the King likes. He knows people would get angry enough to demand from Ehri's sister to get revenge.

'That still leaves me without a wife,' he says. 'And I need one. According to everyone but me, at least. Should I make an alliance with another country?'

'You've met the candidates, I presume?' Fedyor asks. 'Is anyone… acceptable?'

Nikolai winces. It's all the answer they need.

'Think about every woman you know,' the Darkling says. 'And I mean every woman. From each country. From your own country. Otkazat'sya. Grisha. Which one would be the best queen?'

Lantsov's eyes snap to his peace advisor. They stare at each other.

'That's what this is about,' the King guesses. 'You want a Grisha on a throne of Ravka. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not going to marry you. You're not my type. And you can't give me an heir.'

'You're not my type either,' Aleksander chuckles, amused. 'I want to marry [Y/N] one day. Besides, I told you. I don't want the throne anymore.'

'Then who?' Nikolai asks, exasperated. His three companions raise their eyebrows at him.

'Who would be the best queen from all the women you know?' Kirigan repeats.

'Zoya,' Lantsov answers after a beat. 'But she won't agree. She doesn't want to rule Ravka.'

'But she wants to be by your side,' Ivan counters. The King looks at him, baffled.

'What?' he asks and laughs. 'No, no, no. She doesn't think of me like that. We're… friends. Partners. But nothing else.'

'But you wish there was,' Fedyor says quietly. Nikolai thinks about it for a moment. He quickly shakes his head.

'No, it won't work,' he says and stands up. 'Well, thank you for a lovely time, gentlemen. Unfortunately, it's time to be the King of Ravka again.'

He quickly leaves before anyone can say something. Silence fills the room for a minute. Then, the Darkling looks at his Heartrenders.

'Was it like that with me and [Y/N]?' he asks. Kaminsky winces and opens his mouth to answer delicately, but Ivan beats him to it by saying:

'Yes.'

'Hm,' Aleksander hums and sighs. 'Well, that must have been annoying. Sorry for that.'

'What now?' Fedyor asks. Kirigan walks to the window. He looks out of it, crossing his arms.

'The only thing we can,' he answers. 'We wait.'

For some dumb reason you can't understand, Nikolai has decided to throw a party. Yeah, there are many reasons to celebrate. His engagement (though not a happy reason for you), Aleksander's return and making peace with him, Alina's return (also not a happy reason for you)… but you still don't understand why you had to throw a party. And now, you're suffering because of all the small talks. You're pretty sure you won't be able to stop smiling. Ever.

You have enough when you catch two young Grisha staring at your lover and giggling. They're basically ogling him. Appraising him like a piece of meat.

Over my dead body.

You walk to them. You're smiling but your eyes are cold.

'Are you two seriously checking out Kirigan?' you ask. They look at you and snort.

'Oh, come on, he's cute,' one of them says. They giggle again. Your eye twitches.

'I know he's cute,' you say and lower your voice threateningly as you glare at them. 'But he's also mine.'

'Oh, please,' the other one scoffs. 'You brought him back. You created the antidote. You've served your purpose. If you think he'll still wants you after he's done using you, you're delusional.'

There was a time where you'd agree. They'd probably be saying your own thoughts out loud. But not anymore. Now you're sure about the Darkling's feelings for you.

'Let's see about that,' you say, smiling coldly at them. You turn around and march to Aleksander. You tap his shoulder and he turns. Instantly, his eyes light up and he grins.

'[Y/N]-' he starts but you don't let him finish. You grab him at the back of his neck and pull to you. You kiss him passionately in front of everyone. And you don't care at all.

'My, my,' Kirigan chuckles when you pull away. 'What was that about?'

'Staking my claim over you,' you explain, glancing over your shoulder. You see the two Grisha red with fury and embarrassment.

'Ah, I see,' the Darkling says and puts an arm around your waist. 'Can I do the same with you?'

He pulls you closer to himself and presses a kiss to your neck, closing his eyes. You smile. You're about to answer, but then you hear a loud bang and screams. You sigh.

'I hate it when you're right,' you say. Aleksander lets you go (but very slowly).

'It was obvious they're going to attack,' he says. 'And that this party is a perfect moment for it.'

'I still don't like it,' you huff. Kirigan chuckles and looks around. People are already panicking. The guards and Grisha try to calm them down. Nikolai tries to take back the control. Zoya, Alina and some others rush out. Princess Ehri is being escorted out by her guards.

'Can you go with the princess?' the Darkling murmurs to your ear.

'You don't want me anywhere near the fight again,' you sigh.

'I don't trust Ehri's guards, so I would feel better if you were with them,' Aleksander says. You raise your eyebrows at him.

'And since when do you care about her safety?' you ask, suspicious. 'What are you really after?'

'In short?' Kirigan asks and you nod. 'I want Zoya and the King to be happy, have a Grisha on a throne and I need you to be the bait to achieve it.'

'Cool,' you say after a moment, shrugging. 'But if you want me to be the bait that means you want them to attack me.'

'I perfectly trust your abilities to take down some Fjerdans,' the Darkling says, kissing the top of your head. 'And if they hurt you, they'll end up like attackers from Shu-Han in Lazlayon.'

You beam at him and hurry after the princess. You hear him chuckle as you do.

The guards and the princess are obviously not happy when you join them. They quickly change their mind when you are indeed attacked by a bunch of Fjerdans.

You're scared of the exhilarating feeling you feel when you use your powers on them. You feel powerful. Unstoppable. You totally understand now why Aleksander wanted more.

You concentrate on calcium in the bones of one of Fjerdans. You disperse it, causing all of the bones to break. The scream of agony he lets out works on you as a splash of cold water. You go pale and take a step back, your hands shaking. When did you become so cruel?

Ehri's scream wakes you up. You snap your head and extend your hands. A brick from the wall flies from it and hits the Fjerdan attacking the princess in the chest. He bends over, gasping for breath. He's then killed by one of Ehri's guards. But then they fall over as well. They must have been hurt as well.

You look around. It's over. The two others Fjerdan were killed as well. The Princess' guards sacrificed themselves for her.

You lean on the wall and slump down it. Your heart is beating fast. Your breath is uneven. Your eyes are wide. You keep hearing his scream.

Maybe a minute passes, when Nikolai, Tolya, Aleksander and Mal show up. Kirigan rushes to your side at once. Lantsov does the same with Ehri.

'Are you alright?' they ask at the same time. You shake your head. The Darkling frowns, because he doesn't see any injuries.

'I'm… fine,' the princess answers, her voice shaking. The King stares at her. Or more specifically, at the red spot on her chest. But she seems fine.

'It's not mine,' she says, seeing his gaze.

'But we can pretend it is,' Nikolai murmurs. All but Kirigan stare at him, confused. He hides a smirk.

'Excuse me?' Ehri asks.

'Princess, I know you want to marry me as much as I want you, which means not at all,' Lantsov says slowly. 'You just want to live happily on some farm or Saints know where. If we pretend you died here… you could have it.'

'Why would I want it?' she asks, confused. 'Why would you want it? Won't our marriage bring peace between our nations you so desperately seek?'

'If your people believe you had died killed Fjerdans… they will want to go to war with them,' the Darkling explains. 'They will join our forces and together we will crush them. Nothing unites more than a common enemy.'

'And then they will turn on you,' Ehri points out.

'They won't, because I still haven't held them accountable for all the attacks inside Ravka,' Nikolai says. 'After the war is won… I'll have a chat with your sister. I know how to stop Shu-Han from coming on us. So… what do you say? Do you want to live the life you've always wanted?'

The princess hesitates only a minute. When the rest of her guards arrive, she's lying on the ground, her eyes open and empty. Tolya is discreetly slowing down her pulse so the guards believe she's dead. They rage and mourn. And you watch it all with haunted eyes.

You do the same things you did with Aleksander three years ago. Genya makes one of the dead guards to look like Ehri and her body is taken back to Shu-Han. Ivan and Tolya go as well, to express their sympathy, apologise for not protecting the princess, represent Ravka at her funeral and discreetly convince people that the right move would be to join them and attack Fjerdans for murdering their princess.

You know everyone is anxious to see if this plan works. But you don't care. After Ehri is taken away from the corridor, you rush to your room and lock it. You don't let in even Kirigan which deeply worries him. He has no idea what's happened nor how to reach you.

When you finally come out of your room, you come across Zoya and Nikolai. You're surprised to find them taking a stroll outside at midnight. Curious and hopeful, you follow them discreetly.

'… On another note, when will you stop being angry with me?' you hear Lantsov when you're close enough to hear their conversation.

'When you will find yourself another wife,' Zoya spats. The King sighs. Nazyalensky huffs and turns to face him, causing them both to stop.

'I didn't like her either, but you needed her,' she says. 'You may have Shu-Han's support or not. But you definitely won't have an heir without her.'

'Unless I do with someone else,' Nikolai points out.

'With who?' the Grisha asks, raising her voice a little. 'You dismissed all other candidates!'

'Because the one I want as my queen and would be perfect for that role is not one of them,' Lantsov answers softly. Nazyalensky frowns. You can almost hear her trying to figure out who he means by that.

'Zoya…' the King says, taking her hands in his. 'We're an amazing duet. I know I wouldn't have been able to do most of the things I managed to do without your help.'

'Obviously,' the Grisha snorts. You roll your eyes but smile.

'I can't imagine doing it with anyone else,' Nikolai goes on. 'It took me some time… and Kirigan to point it out… but I dismissed all the candidates for one single reason. They weren't you.'

Zoya stiffens, understanding where he's going with it. He gulps, more nervous now.

'I used to think you're like a storm,' he says and chuckles. 'But I got it wrong. You are a storm. The most beautiful I've ever seen. As Sturmhond I both feared and admired storms. Dangerous and beautiful. Strong, getting what they want no matter what. Destructible and astonishingly beautiful. All of that applies to you as well.'

Nazyalensky looks away. You can swear you see her eyes shining when she blinks.

'You care about Ravka with all your heart,' Lantsov continues. 'You treat fairly both otkazat'sya and Grisha. You… you could be the most just queen this country has seen in all history. And… you'd make one man incredibly happy. If you even let me ask the question you know I want to ask.'

'I don't want the crown,' Zoya says quietly after a moment. The King smiles.

'Which is why you're the one who should have it,' he says and exhales shakily. 'I won't ask it now. Please, just think about it. And when I'll be able to ask you this without being decapitated, let me know.'

Nazyalensky lets out a huff. Nikolai kisses her hands, looking her in the eyes. Then, he lets go of her and walks away, leaving her alone, pondering.

You stare at her for a moment, debating whether you should go and talk to her. In the end you shake your head, deciding to give her time and space, and turn around. Which almost makes you bump into Aleksander.

'Shh,' he silences you and puts a finger on your lips, as you're about to yelp, startled. He takes your hand and quietly leads you away. He takes you to his chambers. You don't protest. You know it's time for you two to talk. Once inside, he lets you go and you face each other awkwardly.

'I was worried about you,' he says quietly after a minute and looks at you pleadingly. 'Tell me what's wrong, [Y/N]. I want to help you but I don't know what you need.'

'I know,' you whisper. 'I'm sorry. I just… needed to figure out what I feel and… it took me longer than I thought. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you away.'

You feel tears in your eyes. Kirigan gently wipes them away. He takes your hand and leads you to his bedroom. You both sit down on his bed.

'Tell me everything,' he says softly. You inhale shakily.

'When Fjerdans attacked us… I controlled calcium on the bones of one of them… and broke them,' you start. 'All of them. Every single one at the same time. And I enjoyed having that kind of power. But then he screamed. And I realised what I've done. What I can do with my amplified powers. And it scared me.'

'As long as you're the one in control, you won't do anything more than you want to,' the Darkling says. You look at him with despair.

'But what if I want more one day?' you ask. 'What if… I'll start enjoying hurting people? I'll want more and more power?'

'Like me?' Aleksander asks quietly, not looking at you. You gulp. You didn't want this conversation to go that way. Silence falls between you two.

'I know better than anyone what you're going through,' he finally says. 'Well, maybe Alina does. But she rejected me, my experience. My fault, I know. But you have me. I promise to help you. Guide you. And stop you if necessary.'

'But if I desire more one day, maybe you could convince me to take over Ravka, like you've wanted,' you point out. He gently caresses your cheek.

'Past tense,' he says. 'I just want you to be happy now. And if you go after power… you won't be. It will never be able to fill the holes in your heart created by cruelty.'

He cups your face and makes you look at him. The softness in his eyes almost makes you cry.

'I know I may not seem as the best person to help you with your fear,' he says. 'But I'm a different man than I was when you met me. It has made me better, loving you. Which is why I know I can help you.'

You smile sadly and throw your hands around his neck after a beat. He puts his around your waist and holds you tightly.

'I love you,' you murmur in his shoulder. 'So much.'

'And I love you, milaya,' he says. 'You're my heart… my soul… my everything.'

'Can I… stay here tonight?' you ask shyly.

'You can stay here every night,' he answers and pulls away. But you quickly kiss him, not wanting to be apart. He chuckles softly and indulges you, not minding this at all.

It's probably not a surprise that you take your bath together. Nor that he helps you change into your pyjamas and you help him to get into his. And that when you get under the covers you instantly cuddle to him.

If it were up to you, you'd spend the next day by Aleksander's side. But he has lots of things to do. Including meeting with Nikolai.

'Tell me,' Lantsov says after they discuss the matter for which they met. 'When we first talked, you said you don't want your old position, that Zoya is doing a great job. But if everything goes according to your plan and she agrees to become my queen… she won't be able to be one. Leaving the position open for you. Was that your plan from the beginning?'

'No,' Kirigan answers. 'I truly believed she would to a spending job if she kept this position. But then… I got to observe you two together. I was amused. It reminded me of me and [Y/N]. That's when it hit me. That you're in love with each other. And then my mind went spiralling. How Zoya would be a perfect queen, how great it would be to have a Grisha on a throne of Ravka… and yes, the thought of me being the general of the Second Army crossed my mind.'

'Well, if it works, we win the war and Zoya will agree to become my wife… the position is yours,' the King says after a beat.

'I appreciate the trust,' the Darkling says.

'Well,' Nikolai sighs, 'I still don't trust you completely. But for now, you're holding to your end of the bargain. And whenever I see you and [Y/N] together my heart melts. Somehow… I'm starting to see you as a true ally. Who knows, maybe one day we could be even friends.'

'I'm looking forward to that… moy tsar,' Aleksander says with a smile. Only when Kirigan leaves some time later does Lantsov realises that it's the first time he addressed him like that. And for some reason he thinks that he meant it honestly.

In the meantime, while the boys have their meeting, you have your own. While you're reading a book, Zoya suddenly barges into your room. You stare at her, surprised.

'Do you sometimes hear Elizaveta's voice?' she asks, stunning you even more.

'Sometimes,' you answer, wincing. 'It gives me a great pleasure to shut her up. I take it you're hearing Juris' voice?'

'Yes,' Zoya sighs and joins you on your sofa. 'Usually, he has some good advice. Some teasing and annoying, but it's alright. But he won't shut up since last night.'

'Why is that?' you ask, deciding not to reveal you witnessed the King's proclamation.

'Nikolai proposed to make me his queen,' she answers after a moment of silence. 'Juris thinks it's an excellent idea. He also suggests I could overthrow him later. While I'm not sure about the former, I'm definitely not going to do the latter.'

'Good to know,' you say and exhale slowly. 'If you want my opinion, you'd be a great queen. Terrifying, but just. Exactly what the people need right now. Plus… it has the perks of being married to the man you love.'

She gives you a harsh look. You answer with a knowing one. She groans and runs a hand through her hair.

'I want to deny it, but I know better than that,' she says and suddenly becomes sad. 'I accepted that I can't have him. And now I suddenly could and… I'm scared.'

'Usually, to reach great things one has to overcome fear,' you say and take her hands in yours. 'I used to believe I can't have Kirigan. Now look at me. I'm with him and I'm happy. You can be, too.'

She sighs and presses her forehead to yours. She thinks for a moment, gnawing at her lip.

'After we deal with Fjerda,' she decides. 'Now it's too soon anyway, his previous fiancée has just "died". It would be too suspicious. Then… I'll decide.'

You smile and squeeze her hands. Suddenly, she looks at you.

'I still feel betrayed by what you did,' she says. 'But I also miss you. Can we be friends again?'

'Nothing would make me happier,' you answer, grinning. Zoya sighs.

'Good, because while I like Alina more than I did when she first arrived, she gets on my nerves,' she says. 'And I can't talk about it with anyone else, because everyone adores her. Besides you.'

'Ah, I knew you had ulterior motives,' you say teasingly.

'Obviously,' she says, rolling her eyes. You look at each other and burst out laughing. Just at that moment Tamar walks in. She raises her eyebrows.

'Am I interrupting something?' she asks.

'Nothing important,' Nazyalensky answers. 'What is it?'

'Nikolai wants to see you,' the Heartrender answers.

'I'll be right there,' Zoya promises. Kir-Bataar nods, sends you a glare and leaves.

'What was that about?' your friend asks. 'I mean, she never really liked you, but it's even worse after you had brought Kirigan back.'

'Oh, that,' you say and chuckle. 'She's angry with me and with herself, because while we were traveling to the Fold she asked me why I really was there. I said I wanted to bring Aleksander back right under your noses. And she didn't believe me, thinking I'm being sarcastic. And I wasn't. I was telling the truth, knowing very well she won't believe me.'

Nazyalensky stares at you, stunned. Then she bursts out laughing again.

'Oh, Tamar must be so furious about it,' she cackles and sighs. 'Brilliant on your side, I must say.'

'Thank you,' you say, beaming. She stands up and squeezes your hand.

'I'll come by later,' she promises. 'Something tells me I'm going to need you after this meeting.'

'I'm always happy to be of service,' you say. Zoya smiles weakly and leaves. You stare at her retreating figure and smile.

Yes. She's going to be an amazing queen.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts! Reblog, like and comment if you could. Every comment makes my day!

This can also be found on Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52696933/chapters/135558463

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littleseasiren · 7 months

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Corn Maze

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Only fluff

Words: Approximately 600 words

A/N: Flufftober Day 6 Prompt: Corn Maze Thanks @flufftober for this challenge. Please let me know if you want to be added or removed from my tag list. Thanks for reading!

The dare was simple enough: run through the corn maze and the person with the quickest time gets free drinks for the entire evening. For someone with your "supernatural abilities", this was the perfect dare. Even though you were physically normal, you could get out faster than anyone you knew, especially if you had some help from your "new friends".

When it was your turn to run the maze, you instantly felt a nudge on your shoulder. It was almost too easy sometimes: a nudge on your right shoulder or on the left, each showing you which direction to take. If you had to continue straight, it almost felt like a gust of wind at your back, herding you onward. With them guiding you, showing you the way, you could get out of the maze in no time.

Right, left, left - you felt the moves in your body, giddiness running through you at how fun it was to "cheat" for once in your life. You were always the good girl; this time, the good girl would finish first.

The wind in your hair was broken by a whisper, "Almost there." This was the first time you'd ever heard anything before. It was always just a sensation. They must be having fun too: being active participants after all these years.

"Close, very close," the voice whispered in your ear. A nudge on your right shoulder - "Your destiny, be ready."

The feeling on your shoulder stopped the instant you ran into someone a lot bigger than you. "Whoa there, easy lady," the man uttered as his strong arms kept you from falling. He released you the moment you were steady on your feet, taking a step back to give you some space. "You alright there?"

"I'm good, thanks. Sorry for running into you," you couldn't help the blush from appearing on your face. Not only was this man gorgeous, but he was seemingly kind too.

"No problem, firefly. Are you in a rush to get out of the maze?" He tucks his hands into his pockets, watching you from the corner of his eye.

"Ah, kind of. My friends..." you trail off as you meet his beautiful blue eyes. A touch on your chest, over your heart, reminds you what the voices said. Your destiny...

Time seems to freeze for a second as you see a vision of the man walking beside you, both of you clutching the hands of a baby girl. She has a strange, makeshift sleeve on her left arm, the print reminding you of a prosthetic someone with an amputation would wear. The three of you are laughing, loving each other's company.

When you see his face again a second later, you can't keep the smile from your face. This man was your destiny, one way or another. "No, I'm not in a hurry. Honestly, I think I'm a bit lost. Do you think you can help me get out of this maze?"

The smirk on his handsome face makes you worry that he doesn't believe you, but his voice makes you sigh in relief. "Sure thing, firefly. I'll make a deal with you. I'll help you get out of the maze if you'll allow me to buy you a drink once we do. The name is Bucky, by the way."

"You've got a deal, Bucky." You give him your name and start walking through the maze with him, talking about everything and nothing.

When the two of you emerge from the maze, you give your best friend a wink as you walk past her, making sure to send the ghosts of the corn maze a heartfelt thank you for leading you to Bucky.

Tag List:

@morganmofresh @dottirose @cjand10 @buggy14 @crazyunsexycool @tripleoyaa @mandijo17 @fluffysucker @moviegurl2002 @unkasworld @midnightskyewolf

#flufftober2023 #flufftober #day 6 #marvel mcu #bucky barns x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky x reader #james bucky buchanan barnes #bucky fanfic #bucky fluff #bucky x you #corn maze #supernatural abilities

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onetimetwotimesthreetimess · 4 months

Text

“If you end up drawing something magnificent, in contrast to the apple I would be drawing,” Magnus grumbles.

Alec chuckles before kissing Magnus on his cheek. “This isn’t a competition.”

“Speak for yourself,” Magnus shoots back.

He snorts, “Then we both know who is winning.”

“Excuse you, have you forgotten that I’m a designer and draw professionally.”

“You design clothes. This is different.”

“Snob,” Magnus mumbles.

He paints a beautiful picture of Makkaser, and it had Magnus’s small house situated at the end.

“I’m done.”

Magnus hides his sheet from his view and squeals, “No. I need another ten minutes.”

“Is this a talking Apple?” Alec grins.

“Fuck off.”

He throws his head back and lies comfortably. They’re both sitting on the floor, takeout next to them with a glass of wine in both their hands.

It’s heartbreakingly domestic.

There are things about people that you only learn after living with them for a long time. Alec still finds out new things about his kids every day.

He wonders how many things about each other they’d never get to know.

Magnus finishes his painting and squeals in joy, “I’m done.”

“Show.”

“First you.”

Alec huffs before turning his sheet. A beautiful smile appears on Magnus’s face.

“It’s gorgeous. And I hate you and your impeccable artistry.”

|| Alec Lightwood is happy. He has a supportive family, kids he adores more than anything in the world, and a job that allows him to support his kids' expensive lifestyles. He is happy and content.

However, Alec's kids are ready to move out when he meets Magnus again, twenty years since they broke up.

Alec and Magnus had a whirlwind romance in Paris two decades back. They fell in love instantly—and hard. But life pushed them away, and they went their separate ways.

A chance encounter brings the two back into each other's lives.

Will they fight the odds together this time and get the life their past selves promised each other?

A story about love, loss, and everything that follows. ||

Final Chapter of But This Love Is Ours

tag list: @elettralightwood @khaleesiofalicante @noah-herondale-lightwood @carelessflower @anarchistbitch @dustandducks @pocketoffeels @literallytypogod @thepaintedladycollection @thelightofthebane @ignisaurumprobat9 @magnus-the-maqnificent @raziyekroos @dandeliononthemoon @delightfullyterrible @alec-not-alright-wood @kita-no @learningshelfcontrol @lifeofpatterns (let me know if anyone wants to be added or removed)

#are yall shocked to by the timely updates cause I am??#but this love is ours #malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #BTLIO #max lightwood bane #rafael lightwood bane #arianna lightwood bane

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blainesebastian · 2 years

Text

coffee cart girl (pt5)

words: 3,418 ship: austin x female reader summary: you’re the coffee runner on the set of Elvis. Coffee deliveries run pretty easy, until Austin accidently spills coffee on you. notes: thank you so much for all the support! previous parts are under this tag, this part was inspired by this gifset warnings: none tag list: under the cut! sorry if your username does not link up on the post if you requested to be put on the tag list (it’s getting hefty! :)), unsure how I could fix that. please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed.

Despite everything changing, things stay the same—which is actually pretty comforting. You keep showing up on set, day-in-day-out, serve coffee, come back home and then wake up to do it all over again. You have to admit that you feel slightly lighter working your coffee deliveries and know it has everything to do with this relationship you’re building with Austin. Keeping things under wrap for right now feels like the best idea, just between the two of you, which is exactly what you both need right now. With Austin constantly working on Elvis, you have no interest in being in any sort of spotlight—at least not yet. Your script work is getting better but you’re still figuring out the steps that you’ll need to move forward, to get yourself out there—be noticed.

The last thing you want is for someone to assume you haven’t gotten somewhere by talent alone but because of who you know, or in this case, who you’re seeing.

Austin has always seemed like a very private guy anyways, he’s not very active on social media—he likes to keep his personal life exactly that, personal. It leaves you with this intimate bubble forms over you both, time to get to know one another and develop on shared feelings. It may not look like normal dating, and it might seem like sneaking around sometimes, but that doesn’t bother you.

In the end—what you have with Austin is no one’s business.

Except, you do want to tell Jillian.

Getting on set Thursday, you make a direct route to one of the makeup trailers that she works in. Climbing inside and closing the door, you make sure you’re alone with her before spilling the beans. You tell her everything, from start to finish, all the details you feel like are necessary to get you both on the same page.

It doesn’t take much—Jillian already thought that Austin liked you, so the conclusion jumping is a short distance once she has all the information.

Jillian’s face somehow looks like an emoji, a permanent heightened emotion that is hearteyes and shocked all at the same time. Her jaw may also be taking up a residence on the floor, she hasn’t closed her mouth since you began talking.

“I fucking knew it.” She laughs, “I’m so good at sensing chemistry—like, I should probably quit my job here and become a relationship guru,” You roll your eyes even though you’re smiling, “Or a tarot card reader.”

“You can’t tell anyone Jillian, I mean it.” You say after a moment, taking a step closer to your friend. “Austin and I don’t want our business out there.”

“Austin and I,” She repeats with a dreamy laugh, “Our,” She shakes her head, curls tied up in clip today, which is probably a good thing seeing as how she seems to be vibrating at a high frequency. “Does that feel weird to say—like, you’re dating a celebrity.”

You let out a slow breath, your stomach fluttering in a slightly nervous way that it does sometimes. It’d be obtuse not to acknowledge the elephant in the room that Austin is, in fact, a celebrity, that he is different than someone you met at a coffee shop or a bar. You two are very unique in that sense and are on distinct paths for your futures. But at the same time you find it important to remind yourself that Austin is human, he’s a regular guy that has normal emotions, needs and desires. You’re on the same page, you’re working together on this.

But that doesn’t mean that sometimes this whole thing doesn’t blow your mind because it does. It’s as if you’re worried you might wake up from a dream or something, harsh reality ready to grab you by the throat.

“Jillian,” You repeat, holding her gaze so you know she’s actually listening.

Jillian sighs, head tossed back towards the ceiling, “I hear you, promise. I won’t say a word to anyone.” And you do believe her otherwise you wouldn’t have said anything in the first place. Jillian might be a little eccentric but she’s trustworthy. “Are you going to go out on dates…or?”

You pause a moment, considering that…you actually hadn’t thought about it. So much of your interactions kinda stem on being on set together, you spend time between shoots, when you bring coffee or Austin lets you know when he’s taking food breaks but…

Eventually Elvis will come to an end and then what? There’s award shows and interviews and a very public eye. You’re pretty sure that even now if you two were to go out, someone would notice and put it out into the world—a fan, a pap, a gossip tabloid, too many different outcomes. One of the great things about set is that you can have privacy here.

“We’re figuring it out.” And it sounds like such a lame excuse right now but to be honest you don’t want to admit that it hasn’t crossed your mind.

Jillian just smiles before nodding, the door to the trailer opening up before any more questions can be asked. You’re secretly kind of thanking whoever’s listening for that—if your friend thinks you need to be a bit more planned about your future with Austin, she doesn’t comment.

Right now you think a day-to-day approach is best…but maybe a little bit more of a strategy wouldn’t hurt either.

The day is as busy as it always is, filled with running around on last minute rotations and add-ons mixed with your regular orders. Sal actually seems like she’s in a decent mood for once, which is always a nice surprise. You take your afternoon lull at the typical picnic bench, getting some serious editing done on your script as you slowly sip on a coffee. Second readthrough is done, now all that’s left is reading it outloud to catch any last mistakes before…letting a second pair of eyes actually look at it.

Speaking of—

You frown, picking up the clipboard nearby that had your morning and afternoon orders on it. Just as you thought, you don’t see Austin’s name anywhere. Time had been runnin’ so smoothly, you barely noticed that he hadn’t placed any coffee orders. Normally, you might not think that was odd but…after ending up on the same page, it’s usually a nice stolen few moments to see one another through a busy day.

You chew on your lower lip—it’s probably just a hectic day for him but there’s also a small pit in your stomach that is slowly beginning to feel like a black hole for whatever reason. You put the script in your bag and decide to stretch your legs, dropping your things off where you usually keep them and take a long stroll around set.

In a not surprising turn of events, you end up outside Austin’s trailer. Glancing around for a moment, you take a sip of coffee and make your way up the steps—at the very least you can pretend you have a last-minute caffeine fix for him, should anyone ask. You knock on the door and wait, taking a step back to make room for the door to open.

It takes a few moments but when it finally does, you pause, unsure of what to say.

Despite still getting to know him, it’s very plain to see that he’s upset. He must be in-between scenes because he’s in his own clothes, jeans, a black shirt, his hair scrubbed free of gel from what looks like his hands going through it. His face is slightly pink, eyes red-rimmed and wet and it somehow makes the color seem even more blue. He works his jaw a moment, swallowing, seemingly trying to get ahold of himself.

You’re kinda dumbfounded because…you’ve obviously never seen him like this before.

Blinking, you realize that you should say something. “Hi,” You pause, taking a breath, “Do you—you want me to leave you alone?”

“No,” He says quickly, clearing his throat. His voice is twinged with emotion, slightly deeper than usual as he opens the door so you can walk over the threshold, “You can come in.”

You hesitate for a moment before wandering inside, the door closing behind you. Austin moves to lean against the kitchenette counter and you stand in front of him, putting your cup of coffee down near the sink. You give him a few moments to collect himself, watching as he runs a hand over his forehead, swallowing, the muscles in his jaw flexing again. Your gaze flutters over the rings he has on today, both gold, one on his middle finger while the other rests on his pinky.

Did something happen? You’re trying not to bombard him with questions…so you do the only thing you think you can in that moment, remembering how his hand had smoothed its way down your back during that migraine. One hand moves to settle along his arm, squeezing, while the other gently rests along his neck. Your fingers graze the bottom of his jawline, his pulse quick and skin warm where you’re touching. You feel, rather than see him, take a short breath in.

Whatever’s got him worked up, it’s at least good to know that he’s letting himself feel it rather than keep it buried underneath his ribcage. Some people are so concerned about strong emotions, never allowing themselves to give into them, feeling like they have to keep them hidden or tucked away. Austin’s not only allowing himself to feel, but he’s also letting you see him like this.

Neither of you say anything for a while, just stand there together, soaking one another in. You rub along his arm, sometimes your other hand moving to cup his cheek, stroking along his cheekbone. He sniffles, running one of his own hands underneath his eyes before letting out a slow breath,

“Sometimes it’s uh, it’s hard for me to take a step back from what I’m doin’.”

You nod and honestly, a lot of details aren’t necessary. You're sure the emotional toll is sometimes brutal, how hard it must be to separate his feelings out between what's reality and what's the film. You know that Austin gives absolutely everything to his work—it's obvious in the way he carries himself, how he speaks about his roles, in interviews you've seen and even in conversations you've shared with him.

He doesn’t need to explain himself.

It’s a bit crushing to see him like this—you wish you knew what to say. “Can I do anything?”

Austin shakes his head, giving you a small smile. Removing the hand that you have along his cheek, he presses a kiss to the inside of your wrist, “You’re doin’ it.”

You smile back, your stomach doing that ridiculous fluttering thing it sometimes does because of him. “I was wonderin’ why your coffee orders were missing from my clipboard.”

“Just been kinda nauseous all day,” Austin admits, running a hand through his hair, “Stomach’s in a knot.”

You’ve heard rumors that way before filming started Baz had organized for studio producers, crew, and the like to heckle Austin while he played some of his first Elvis songs. This wasn’t done without a purpose—much of Elvis’s first performances as an artist were similar. Regardless, you can’t imagine what it’d be like to experience something like that, especially if you’re already nervous about embodying such a role.

You wonder if today was something similar in the studio…or maybe it’s just a bad day. Not all of them can be perfect, even if Austin shows up ready to work as hard as he possibly can.

Taking a small breath in, you step back from him—you don’t have much time left on your own break before you’ll have to start taking late-night coffee orders. You’re sure he wants to spend a bit more on his own before he’s called to hair and makeup or wardrobe.

“I’ll see you later?” You offer, leaving it open just in case he wants to take the rest of the day to himself. You wouldn’t blame him, sometimes time alone is the best way to bounce back.

But Austin reaches for your wrist as you move to leave, squeezing gently, “I’ll find you.”

Giving him one last smile, you grab your cup of coffee and head out of his trailer.

Shooting stretches until two AM, which is not at all surprising. You end up leaving set around midnight, making a convenience run to grab a few things before making your way back to your favorite picnic bench outside the food tent. It’s a skeleton crew and luckily no one seems to bother to ask you why you’re still hanging out, walking past you with either a goodnight or no words at all.

Looking up as you hear footsteps approach, you smile when you see Austin, sliding off the table you’re sitting on to meet him halfway. He’s in his own set of clothes again but his hair is still styled to look like Elvis—the most important part, he looks a lot better than when you saw him this afternoon. Shoulders not as heavy looking, his eyes brighter,

“Hi,” Austin smiles down at you, “Fancy meetin’ you here.”

“I know,” You laugh lightly, “What a coincidence.” Throwing your bag over your shoulder, you walk with him towards his trailer. You don’t pass many people, which is comforting, before you finally make it to the destination. Austin heads up the steps first, opening the door for you to walk in.

Switching on the lights, the door closes behind you and you pause as you see that way back in the trailer…is in fact a bed. So it is true that some stars have legit places to sleep on set if they wish for late nights, naps between scenes. Though you’re not sure how that’d go—you always feel like such a zombie waking up from a nap. Can’t imagine that’s a good thing going from scene to scene.

So much for that being refreshing.

“Is that comfortable?” You ask, motioning to the bed as you put your bag down on the coffee table.

Austin looks up and in the direction of what you’re referring to, “Kinda, it has its moments when you’re really tired.”

“You gonna sleep there tonight?”

He purses his lips in thought, toeing his boots off near the couch. “Probably.”

And that…is totally not something to be thinking about right now. You shake your head as if to get rid of the imagery before clearing your throat, “I got you somethin’.”

He raises his eyebrows as you pass over the bag from the convenience store,

“Just my go-to’s when I’m feeling poorly.”

You smile, chewing on your lower lip as he pulls out a few essentials: a plastic container of Oreo’s, Ginger Ale, and mint tea.

“They didn’t have peanut butter.” Then quickly to clarify, “For the Oreo’s, I mean.”

Austin laughs softly, nodding, running his hand over the pack before smiling up at you. He reaches out to tug you close, placing a kiss on the bridge of your nose. “Thank you.”

You feel warmed from the inside out, blooming in your chest and sprouting outward. It’s not much and you’re not sure if his stomach is still upset but…you just wanted to be able to offer something to help. Sometimes a well-placed gesture is all you need.

Opening the pack of Oreo’s, he sets the bag on the coffee table to take a cookie out. Biting into it, he says, “I’ve never had Oreo’s with peanut butter before.”

You raise your eyebrows in mock outrage, “This is just unacceptable—don’t tell me you’re a cookies and milk kinda guy.”

He smiles a little guiltily—it’s cute. “You gonna take the cookies back if I say yes?”

You crinkle your nose, grabbing an Oreo for yourself. “Just please tell me you’re not a dunker.”

Austin shakes his head and well, good, at least you can work with that. Snagging a seat on the couch, you take your shoes off, crossing your legs up on the cushions. As you both eat through another sleeve of cookies, your mind wanders to this morning when you were talking with Jillian about…everything. The future, or at least what might happen when the filming of Elvis ends. You glance up at Austin, on the couch with you, one long leg folded up under himself, the other resting on the ground. His fingers hold one cookie while the other runs them along his lower lip, as if he’s in thought.

He touches his face a lot, you realize, especially when he seems to be considering something. After the emotive day he’s had, you’re not sure it’s the right time to really talk through what’s on your mind. There will be time for that.

Austin looks over at you as he takes an Oreo apart, which makes you scrunch your face a bit because you know he’s going straight for the icing. “How’s your script comin’?”

You take a soft breath into your chest, debating the words behind your teeth for a long few moments before, “Maybe end of the week you can look at it? If you’re not too busy.” No pressure, you can have Jillian read it over if he can’t.

“I’m not too busy for you.” Austin replies and he says it in such a way that has you believing it. Though, it’s a double-edged sword, you’re not quite sure how you’re going to handle him reading your script and…what if he thinks it’s absolutely awful? It’s just one opinion, sure, but you have to admit that it means a bit to you.

You shake out the nerves best you can and nod, determined, he’ll get that script by the end of the week.

Then you’ll go from there.

You stay on the couch for a while eating Oreos, easy conversation passing between the two of you. It kind of amazes you how simple it is that you can just…talk about anything. There’s topics that range from the serious (where do you see yourself in five years, who’s your biggest influence, book you could read over and over again) to the dramatic (zombie apocalypse—how fucked are you, favorite bird that you think has the biggest personality, drunk food go-to).

Another hour of time passes and it was already late to begin with, another yawn slipping past your lips,

“I think you should crash here,” Austin says, “That’s like your fifth one.”

You blink at the offer because no…while you know it’s late and he’s not wrong about you yawning a lot, the day catching up with you, you couldn’t possibly sleep here, right? On a few counts.

No…people would notice, wouldn’t they? While you like to think you blend into the background pretty easily, tomorrow would be the day for people to notice you coming out of Austin’s trailer, or in the same clothes you wore today. Way too risky, right?

And yet, for whatever reason that’s not what comes out of your mouth, “I think I got an extra pair of jeans in my car but—”

“I can grab you somethin’ from wardrobe.”

You raise your eyebrows, a scoff sneaking out. Oh really? “This couch is—”

“Let me worry about the couch, you’re takin’ the bed.”

Now you do laugh, “What you got an answer for everythin’?”

He grins, “Maybe.”

This is such a bad idea—the couch was comfortable enough to nap on when you had a migraine but getting a full night’s rest? Not even to mention, “Your legs are far too long for this thing.”

Now he’s amused, his eyes dancing warmly as he leans into your personal space. Your stomach flutters, gaze flickering down to his lips when he speaks, “You checkin’ me out Y/N?”

“You’re incorrigible.” You shake your head, gently poking at his chest.

Austin hums, “I’ve been told that’s my best quality.”

You don’t kiss him even though you really want to, a smile tugging the corners of your mouth—you realize within those few moments how much you like him, how your feelings for him are becoming more and more defined the longer you two figure this thing out together. At the same time, it’s a dangerous thing—you’re really falling for him.

You just hope it’s not too fast.

Once again, thanks so much for reading! I think I worked out that this series will be 10 parts total :)

Tag list: @pearlparty, @theinvisiblecapricorn, @kittenlittle24, @andrewgarfields-girlfriend, @mirandastuckinthe80s, @nonsensical-nonce, @softlispoken, @dudinhahoff, @peterparke-r, @lottiee03, @little-diable, @therealwriter17, @bob-the-tomato, @bcofl0ve, @domaniquessidehoe, @matsbarzals, @rosequartzluvr, @callthedarknessdown, @laperceval, @ghostinthebackofyourhead, @starry-night-20, @ahoyyharrington, @obsessedunicorn24, @lulu-recs, @queenotaku23, @embobemm, @milaa24, @medleyj, @myownparadise96, @butlersluvbot, @girlokwhatever, @pinkle-monade0103, @vintagebitc, @xcallmetaniax, @adoreyouusugar, @karamelcoveredolicity, @thisisntmeok, @kvcssghbjbcd, @mamaspresley, @jazmin2211

#austin butler #austin butler x reader #austin butler imagine #austin butler drabble #elvis 2022 #mccall writes things #ccg #ccg series

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fizzyxcustard · 1 year

Text

Anything Is Possible.

Fandom: Robin Hood (BBC TV series)

Pairing: Guy of Gisborne x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Angst, brief smut

Summary: From the imagine, “Imagine you and Guy are in love but you are to be married to someone else. It feels like everything is keeping you apart."

Comments: If you would like to be added to or removed from my tag list, please let me know. Requested by anon. This has the potential to make it into a long fic, so if you're interested in further parts then let me know.

“I love you,” Guy told you as you lay on your side, propped on your arm, looking down at him. “I’ll make a way for us to be together, I promise.” He reached forward and cupped your cheek with his hand. “I will make you my wife one day.”

You looked down at the mattress of the bed and pulled away from him. Tears came forth and a ball of tight breath caught in your chest, causing pain. “It won’t happen, Guy. We both know that.”

“Your father doesn’t hold that much sway over you!” Guy snapped.

“No, but my husband-to-be does. He’s already threatened my father that he’d hurt mother if I try to run or if he pulls out of the deal. I can’t risk my mother.”

You got up from the bed and began to re-dress. As you did, your hand ghosted your stomach and you thought of the children that would never have Guy as their father. Even if Guy sired any of your children, they would never carry the Gisborne name and know the truth of their lineage.

It was dark outside and you knew that if you stayed any longer, then your father would ask questions. He was already suspicious of your relationship with Guy and had made his distain towards the very idea of it extremely clear. Your marriage would go ahead, whether you liked it or not. You would marry Sir Edmund, a wealthy and powerful man who had held sway over your father for many years and was also an advisor to the Sheriff.

Guy stood behind you, silent and still. Everything he wanted was standing here, in the form of you. A wife, the mother of his children, a lover, a friend. If only he could take your hand, be legally bound to you in the eyes of the law of Nottingham, then he could give you the world. He placed his hands on your shoulders and leaned in, kissing the side of your head. “You’re all I want,” he whispered, his baritone voice cracking in the pain that was so raw in his chest. “Why will God not grant us this one wish?”

“The world, and everything in it, is cruel,” you wept. Then you turned slowly to face the man you loved so dearly.

Guy dipped his head towards you, being taller, and pressed his brow to yours. His hand curled around your cheek. “I will make this right. I will make this right,” he growled between gritted teeth.

“You can’t make it right, my love,” you said. “Nothing will ever be right. And I must go.”

“Tomorrow?” Guy asked, hope in his tone and in his silver blue eyes.

Realisation slammed into your gut and you closed your eyes for a second, then focused on Guy. “We need to stop this. We can’t be together, and by us keep meeting, it won’t make things any easier; it’ll make them worse.”

Guy stepped up to you. “Don’t you think things are already bad enough?” he hissed. “Spending what time I can with you gives me something to live for. When we’re apart, I’m a ghost. Fight with me.”

“I can’t…”

He grabbed your hands and pulled them to his lips. “Of anyone I know who can stand firm to their wants and dreams, it’s you. Stand with me, and if anyone takes us down, they take us down together.”

“But my mother…”

“I’ll make sure she’s safe. We do this together.”

Your dam broke open completely and you rushed towards him, sealing the deal with a hard kiss. The two of you sank into each other and within a minute, Guy was over you and inside you again. Both of you clung to each other and rode your passion to high waves, until you both hit that crescendo. You shook beneath Guy and cried out, unable to hold back your vocalisation of such pleasure. The flickers of electricity still racked through you and down your legs as Guy came, spilling into you, and then fell down on the bed beside you.

You looked across at Guy and took his hand, holding it tight. “We do this together,” you said.

***

Guy escorted you back to your home, but remained at the end of the row, a hood over his head. The two of you kissed beneath the stars. “I will see this made right and Edmund gone. No one will make you their bride but me,” he told you.

“Is that an official proposal?” you asked, giggling.

“And what is your official answer?” Guy replied with a smirk.

“Always. I’m yours, Gisborne. I thought you already knew that.”

The two of you kissed again, and then reluctantly parted.

Guy remained in the shadow, hooded and cloaked, watching as you disappeared into the warmth of your home. Thoughts began to swirl around his head, plots and schemes. It would be any way to make sure that he could take you as his. The love he felt for you was relentless in its pursuit to be bound to you in all ways. Anything was possible to make it happen. Nothing would be too much. You were worth the risk. You were worth the fight and worth the blood of a hundred men.

***

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#Guy of Gisborne #Robin Hood #Guy of Gisborne x You #Guy of Gisborne x Fem!Reader #Guy of Gisborne x Reader

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bella-rose29 · 8 months

Text

Golden Boy

Nikolai Lantsov x f!reader

They meet at the University of Ketterdam and sparks fly, but he becomes Sturmhond and she stays behind.

Word count: 5.3k (there's a part two as well send help)

Warnings: swearing, angst, i cried when i wrote this and if it was on paper it would be covered in my tears

Tag list: @bubybubsters, @hauntedenthusiasttragedy, @karensirkobabes, @kentucky-criedfricken, @notoakay, @naushtheaspiringauthor, @el-de-phi, @simbaaas-stuff

Please let me know here if you want to be added or removed from my general Nikolai tag list my lovelies <3

(not my image although i think that's probably obvious)

Y/n was early for her class, which confused her. Normally she was running late, turning up a minimum of five minutes after whatever the event was had started, no matter what, so to be early for once was making her worried. She checked her timetable again, looking at the room number on her paper and the room number on the door, then at the time and date on the paper and the time and date on the huge clock in front of her, all the details matching, and decided she didn't like being early. She also didn't like being late, to be clear; there wasn't much that was more embarrassing than walking in to a room full of people mid-lesson, and having everyone stare at you as you walked to the only available seat that was as far away from the door as humanly possible (which totally wasn't an experience the girl had had before).

Sitting down on one of the chairs outside the classroom, she sighed, hoping the professor would turn up soon. Footsteps started echoing through the corridor immediately after she had the thought, and she was starting to get worried at how lucky she was today.

Maybe I'll go place a bet on something later, she thought. Looking up, however, she saw not the professor but another student, clothes neat and not crumpled at all (the ones she had on were the only clean items she could find on the floor of her room that morning), blond hair perfectly styled (her hair looked like a bird had recently finished nesting in it), and bag slung effortlessly over one shoulder (hers was dumped on the floor, the strap unable to bear more than the weight of a single book most days).

She immediately didn't like him.

When he smiled at her, teeth blindingly white, her dislike grew at this obviously rich posh kid who had never had to ask for a thing in his life, and tried not to physically move away from him when he sat in the seat next to her.

"Are you in 'Languages of the World' too?" he asked.

"No, I just thought I'd sit outside the classroom and wait for the professor of a class I don't attend." His smile faltered slightly, and she felt a little bad. She knew it was harsh, but she had no time for rich kids, and he was obviously one of them. Having grown up on the streets of Ketterdam, working three jobs to pay for her family to stay in a single hotel room, she knew how to suss a person out within five seconds. It wasn't bias, she'd learned how to read body language and facial expressions when she was 9, and it was extremely handy for knowing who to approach and who to avoid in the streets.

"That was sarcasm," she said, even though her voice had been dripping with it just now and there was no way that he had missed it.

"Right..." he trailed off, and thankfully at that moment some other students turned up, giving her an excuse to not talk to him. The professor turned up just as the bell sounded, and Y/n leapt up, desperate to be as far away from Golden Boy as physically possible.

Once inside the classroom, the professor announced a seating plan, and Y/n internally groaned.

Please let me be sat next to someone who has some sort of a grasp on languages, she thought.

In her first week at University while on the hunt for friends, she'd discovered that of all the people in this class, barely anyone spoke something of all the languages taught. Learning other languages had been another skill she'd picked up as a child, since a lot of tourists came to Kerch (although having grown up here, she had no idea why, it was a complete shit hole in her opinion). It had allowed her to get a third job as a translator for some offices, and it paid so well that after only six months working there she was able to drop one of her other jobs.

Finding her name on the sheet of paper the professor had pinned to the board, she went and sat in her seat, taking her books out of her bag. Just as she placed her bag on the floor, she felt someone sit down on her left, and mentally prepared herself for the greeting.

Nothing prepared her for the fact that Golden Boy was her table partner, however, and she choked on her spit. He frowned, concern flashing across his features. "Are you alright? Saints, here, have some water." She took the bottle that he presented, taking a large swig before handing the bottle back to him. Embarrassing that he'd seen that happen, but she had noticed his use of the word 'Saints'. So he was Ravkan. She wasn't sure how she'd missed the slight accent before, but now she knew where he was from, it was obvious.

"I'm alright now, sorry."

"Let me know if you need any more, yeah?" Ghezen's Hand, he even spoke like he'd been raised on caviar and silver platters, despite speaking Kerch.

"I'll be fine, thank you."

Not long after, the register was called, and the professor went round the tables individually. When he got to their table, checking they were there, Y/n almost choked on air again.

"Y/n L/n?"

"Here, sir."

"Nikolai Lantsov?"

What? The professor had made some kind of mistake, surely. There was no way that-

"Here, sir."

What?!

Why the fuck was the second heir to the Ravkan throne in her 'Languages of the World' class? And why was he sat next to her? Although, actually he didn't have much choice in sitting next to her, because of the seating plan, but she chose to ignore that piece of information for the time being. The whole class was tittering, whispers rising as they recognised the name.

"Settle down, students, settle down. Let's get started, shall we?" The professor called, moving to stand behind his desk.

"What. The. Fuck?" she muttered under her breath, although apparently not quietly enough.

"I didn't think he'd do it like that, to be fair. I was hoping I could be a little more incognito, but yes, 'what the fuck' perfectly sums this up I'd say," he whispered, leaning in slightly so that he didn't have to speak so loudly. Y/n refused to turn to look at him, keeping her gaze fixed on the professor at the front of the room and starting to make notes on what he was saying.

The rest of the class passed without too much stress, and luckily Y/n barely had to speak to the prince. No wonder he'd sounded so posh, though. And he probably had been raised on caviar and silver platters. By the time the lesson was over, two hours after it had begun, Y/n couldn't wait to leave. She'd enjoyed learning, but having to sit next to literal royalty wasn't doing wonders for her self-esteem, and her ass hurt from having to sit still on the chair for so long. Packing up her things, she turned to leave, but apparently His Royal Highness Prince Nikolai Lantsov had other ideas.

"I know I haven't made the best impression on you - don't look at me like that, I know I haven't - but did you want to do the homework together? My Fjerdan isn't brilliant, but you seem to be amazing at it, so I was just wondering if you would help?" He looked nervous, hands fidgeting at his sides, pulling at the bottom of his coat. She sighed deeply.

"Fine. Just... try not to be posh or anything. I can't stand it."

"How do I do that?"

"I don't know, do I? If I think you're getting too posh, I'll glare at you and start to leave, alright? Then you know what not to do." She walked off, hoping he'd follow. Sure enough, he did, footsteps echoing as they had earlier. Looking down at his feet she realised that it was because he had fancy shoes on, the kind that she could buy for the price of her house, and scoffed out loud.

"What now? Have I done something posh?"

"No, sorry. It's just that even your shoes are posh."

"Wait," he said, stopping abruptly. She stopped too, half turning back to face him, and frowning when he stuck his hand out. "Hello, I'm Nikolai, but just Nik is fine," he said with a smile, and Y/n's frown turned to an expression of incredulity.

"What are you doing?"

"Well, we got off on the wrong foot, and you don't like me too much, so I figured I should introduce myself the way I should have done before class."

"For the record, this," she waved her hands in his general direction, "is too posh. But fine. I'm Y/n, and don't shorten it, because we're not friends." She took his hand, annoyed when she felt a butterfly take flight in her stomach at how their hands seemed to fit together.

"Yet."

"What?" She pulled her hand back. Enough physical contact for today.

"We're not friends yet. I'm very persistent when I want to be. And I would like to be friends with you."

Y/n snorted. "What for? I've insulted you to your face multiple times the entire time we've known each other, despite the fact that's completely inappropriate."

"That's exactly why I want to be friends with you, because you're not pretending to like me. I could already see everyone else in that class eyeing me up, seeing how they could try and get close to me in a stupid attempt to be able to say that they're friends with royalty. You just ignored me, and to be honest? It felt great."

"Um... you do realise how weird you sound, right?"

"Yeah, I... as soon as I said that I realised. But I mean it, Y/n," he replied, following after her as she started walking again. "It's nice to have to try and make a friend. Wait, that was posh, wasn't it?" At her slow nod he winced, and she felt a pang of sympathy. She supposed that having no idea who your real friends were was something they had in common, and decided she could try being a little nicer to him.

"Look, I'm sorry for being rude and stuff, I just really don't like rich people. I grew up on the streets while I worked 20 hours a day to keep my family in a shitty hotel room and fed and warm and all the rest of it, and when rich people heard about my situation they'd just say 'stop being poor, that'll solve your problems'." He was staring at her, unreadable expression on his face, and it was making her slightly uncomfortable. She'd never not been able to read someone before. "But... I know what it's like to be alone, and honestly Ketterdam is one of the last places you wanna be alone, so if having a real friend is gonna help, then I guess I can let you tag along to my study sessions. This does not mean that we are friends, to be clear. You've still gotta work for that. But I'm giving you extra opportunities, alright?" He nodded, so fast she was worried his head would go flying off, and the smile on his face was so wide and genuine she couldn't help but let a small smile onto her own face.

"You have every right to not like me, especially with a life like that. I'm sorry that that happened, too. But I promise I'll try and convince you to be my friend, and then be the absolute best friend you could ever have asked for."

She rolled her eyes at his words, pushing open the door to the University library. "You are very full of yourself, you know that?"

"I have been told that, yes. Most often by Dominik, actually. But then he's always calling me names, so I feel the need to defend myself by making myself feel important and unstoppable."

Snorting at him she asked "Who's Dominik?", and finding a table in the back of the library and sitting down, she pulled out the homework.

"My best friend, lives in Ravka. He's in the army now, down in the front lines. We grew up together."

"Is he posh like you?"

"Nope. His family lives on a farm. They're better off than they were when we were growing up; I've managed to siphon funds from a noble I don't like to his family so that they don't have to worry too much. The harvest can be rough where they are, so I didn't want them to starve. They always managed to put food on the table when I came over, so this is my way of saying thank you, I guess."

Y/n couldn't help but stare in shock at the prince (who was blissfully unaware as he unpacked his own bag). "Wait. Your best friend is a commoner?"

"Yeah. You'd probably get on, actually. Bond over teasing the shit out of me or something."

"And you're helping his family?"

He paused in his movements, looking at her properly. Seeing the confusion on her face, his own expression softened. "You think it's impossible for a rich person to help someone."

It wasn't a question, but she still nodded. Having grown up expecting the least from everybody, she was used to people with money doing nothing, leaving the poor on the streets. Never, in her life, had she met a rich person that had actively done something useful to help someone else, so to hear Nikolai Lantsov, prince of the Ravkan throne, talk about how he was helping a poor family made her want to hug him.

"You know, usually when people say 'impossible' they actually mean 'improbable'," he said, and she smiled a little.

"That's stupid."

He shrugged. "It's true though. Think about it. You thought it was impossible for a rich person to help someone, but I've just proved to you that it's only improbable, because out of all the ones you've come across, I'm the only rich person you've met that has."

She couldn't deny his logic. "Still stupid. Come on, I heard your Fjerdan earlier, this is gonna take all week."

They spent hours in the library, occasionally getting up and walking around the table to stretch their legs or collect a book, and by the time they were kicked out by the librarian due to closing, Y/n had found herself having fun. He was funny, and actually quite nice, and yes, his Fjerdan was horrific, but he was a fast learner, and by the time they left for the night he had improved significantly.

"How long until I'm fluent, then?"

"Not sure. How long are you here for?"

"Three years, apparently. I might die of boredom before then, there doesn't appear to be much else to do, and my parents want me to do a politics course next year."

"You might die of boredom? What are you, a puppy in need of constant entertainment?"

"Ironically my nickname in court is 'Sobachka', so sort of." Y/n reached her door, pausing outside.

"This is me. This is also not an invitation to be outside my door every opportunity you get, alright?" He nodded. "Good. Night, Nik." She opened her door, stepping inside and closing it again before he had a chance to reply.

~~~

He took every opportunity to be outside her door.

It was infuriating at first, how persistent he was, but after a week of him trailing her heels she figured she should just get used to it.

They spent most evenings in either her or his room (his was significantly more neat and tidy than hers), studying, doing homework, or trying to get Nikolai better at speaking Fjerdan (it really was atrocious, which she couldn't understand since he'd pretty much mastered all the other languages). The rest of the time was spent in lessons, or for Y/n working shifts whenever she had some spare time. Nikolai had offered to help out financially, but Y/n, despite her constant pleadings that rich people would give away more of their money to the people that needed it, refused to take his. It felt too much like she was using him, and given how excited he'd been to have a real friend, she just felt bad thinking about it.

One night they were in her room, Nikolai sprawled on her bed and Y/n picking various things up off the floor and other surfaces in an attempt to tidy. He had an arm flung over his forehead, and a leg dangled off the side of the bed, making him look like one of those ladies in a painting that had fainted onto a fancy sofa.

"You could help me, you know."

"You wouldn't let me. As soon as I touched something you'd tell me not to break it, or that I'm putting it in the wrong place." She groaned at his words, knowing frustratingly that he was right. It was annoying how quickly he'd worked out how to understand her, but then he was a fast learner. That thought made her pause.

"If you're such a fast learner, how come you're shit at speaking Fjerdan?"

"What do you mean?" He removed his arm from his head, opening an eye to squint up at her. "I'm not that bad."

"Uh, yeah you are. I had to teach you the word for 'goodbye' yesterday because you'd forgotten it. Seriously, who is that bad at Fjerdan? I know it's not an easy language to learn, but you've mastered the others." He blushed a light pink, pushing himself up on his elbows.

"I uh, I haven't been entirely honest with you, and when I tell you I need you to not hate me" he started, looking like he was bracing himself for a physical attack.

"What." Her eyes narrowed.

"I'm actually fluent in Fjerdan, I just pretended I couldn't understand it so that we had a legitimate reason to spend time together," he replied, in perfect, unaccented Fjerdan. She froze where she stood, eyes wide, then chucked the decorative pillow she was holding at his head. "Ow!" he cried as it made contact, falling backwards against the covers.

"Well you deserve it, you bastard! You've been lying to me for a week because you were desperate for a friend?! I would have been your friend anyway, you dipshit!"

"You... you would?"

"Yes!" she shouted, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. Her breath came rapidly, chest heaving from shouting.

"Oh..." he paused, looking bashful. "I just... normally I'm good at making friends, I just figured you wouldn't want to spend time with a rich kid unless you had a reason to. And I really wanted to be friends with you, Y/n."

"Well how did you become friends with Dominik? Pretend you were shit at Zemeni?"

"It was a lot more complicated than that, and no I did not. You know that my Zemeni is flawless," he held a hand to his chest in mock hurt, a pout forming on his face.

"Oh, forgive me for not remembering that when you lied to my face about your Fjerdan!"

"You aren't too mad at me, are you?" he questioned, pushing himself up into a sitting position, worry filling his expression.

"No, I'm not. I just... am frustrated that you didn't tell me sooner."

"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you!"

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"No, I will," he said, leaping up from the bed to stand in front of her and hold her arms. "I will. Are you free tomorrow evening? Actually, don't answer that, I know you are. I'll pick you up at six bells, alright?"

"Pick me up? Nik, what do you mean?"

"I'll feed you, all you have to do is look pretty and bring your appetite, which shouldn't be too difficult for you given how gorgeous you are anyway, because I'm paying and that's that."

Y/n felt her face warm at his words, and the pesky butterflies that had slowly been waking up the last week fluttered in her stomach.

"I don't have anything nice to wear though, so you'll just have to deal with what I've got and not take me anywhere fancy. Seriously, a street vendor would be fine. And don't spend too much, becau-"

"Saints, please stop talking! I will take you where I want to take you and if you don't have anything to wear then tell me, because I refuse to be seen in public with somebody who's naked, alright?" She hit him (gently), and he jumped back, laughing. "I mean it! Imagine how ruinous that could be for my reputation!" She hit him again, smiling along with him as he picked up a pillow to defend himself. Y/n lifted a pillow of her own, and before long they were having an all-out pillow fight on the floor of her bedroom.

~~~

Y/n was panicking.

It wouldn't be long until six bells, and where she was always late, Nikolai was extremely punctual, and she knew for a fact that he would be knocking on her door as soon as the first bell sounded, and here she was, stood in the middle of her room, surrounded by clothes yet not wearing any of them. She was yet to pick an outfit, and although she'd said to Nikolai yesterday that he'd have to deal with whatever she picked out, and she'd never been one for caring what other people thought of her clothes, but for some reason, nothing seemed good enough.

"Ugh, this is ridiculous!"

It was ridiculous, how much time she had spent on finding the perfect outfit. But for some reason she wanted to look nice for their date- wait, what? Since when had she been thinking of this as a date?!

A knock sounded at her door, three sharp raps, and she knew immediately that it was Nikolai.

"Shit!" she whispered, the word leaving her mouth like a hiss. "Uh, one minute!" She heard muffled laughter (the bastard), and hopped around the room, picking up random items and pulling them on as quickly as she could. Running over to the door, she yanked it open, revealing her Golden Boy, hands in his pockets, looking effortlessly handsome in his simple white shirt and black slacks.

"Are you sure you want to wear that? I know I said I wouldn't judge you, but this outfit is really quite something." He was trying to hide his smirk incredibly unsuccessfully, and she slapped him on the arm, sending him a glare.

"Look, I'm struggling, okay? You haven't told me anything about where we're going, and I have no idea what I should wear!"

"Just... okay." He walked around the small room, rummaging through the various piles of clothes, discarding most and throwing them to the side. "Aha! Here, put these on." He shoved the articles he'd gathered into her hands, then pushed her behind the screen she'd put up in the corner of the room. Changing quickly, and definitely not almost falling over multiple times, she emerged five minutes later, dressed in the blouse and long skirt he'd picked out for her.

"Alright, fine. Can we go now?"

"Hmm?" He turned around, then froze, staring at her.

"What? You were the one that chose this outfit, if there's a problem it's your fault!"

"No! No, it's not that, you just... you look... good," he finished quietly, blushing.

"Oh," she replied, her own blush heating up her cheeks. "Well, um... let me just put my shoes on, and then we can go." He nodded, and watched as she laced up her boots. Opening the door for her when she was done, Nikolai offered his other arm up to Y/n, and she took it gladly (partly to be closer to him and partly to stop herself falling over from how nervous she was). "Actually, where are we going?"

"A tiny restaurant I found on my first day here; the food is incredible."

The walk was short, and it startled Y/n to realise that Nikolai's guards had come with them, trailing behind at a distance. When she'd asked him about it, he just said that they'd always been there, just out of sight. She wondered how many of their conversations they'd overheard, or if they'd picked up on how much she liked her Golden Boy now. She didn't have much time to ponder, however, as Nikolai pulled her around a corner into a hidden courtyard that, in her entire life living in Ketterdam, she had never noticed before.

"What? Don't you like it? We can go somewhere else, if you want? I just thought tha-"

"You're rambling, Nik. And I do like it, I'm just annoyed that you found this place before I did and you didn't even grow up here!"

"Oh! Well that's alright then. Come on!" He seemed to ignore everything she'd said past 'like it', dragging her along by the arm to a table out the front of the restaurant. They were greeted a few moments later, presented with menus and the specials, then left to decide what they wanted. Y/n made her mind up quickly (a habit she'd picked up from not liking being rushed), then took the time to look around.

The courtyard was small, boxed in by tiny apartments on all sides, some with little balconies overlooking the square. The walls were lined with plants, flowers blooming despite it being late in the year, and small lights littered the spaces in between the leaves. It was gorgeous, and she wondered how often Nikolai had come here. Speaking of Nikolai, she turned back to study him. He seemed to be taking extra time to decide what he wanted, brow furrowed as he browsed the menu, biting a nail as he did so. A strand of his hair had come away from his perfectly styled locks (seriously, who had time for that?), and before she knew what she was doing, Y/n was reaching over and smoothing it back.

Nikolai had looked up as she moved, and was now sat staring at her, eyes wide, as her hand brushed his forehead.

"What," he cleared his throat, "What are you doing?" His voice was shaky, and filled with nerves, and Y/n thought he was adorable like this.

"You had a hair out of place, and it was annoying me," she shrugged, leaning back in her seat. "Have you chosen yet?" He nodded, still looking at her, a dazed expression on his face.

"Yeah, I have," he replied, voice quiet, and Y/n got the distinct feeling that he wasn't talking about the food.

~~~

The rest of the evening passed in a blur, filled with laughter and talking, and never a dull moment. There were silences, yes, but they were comfortable, and the longer the night went on, the more Y/n found herself thinking of it as a date.

He might not be thinking it's a date, though. I don't want to get my hopes up.

When they came to leave, Nikolai paid just like he said he would (much to Y/n's annoyance, because she could have paid for her own meal), and they left the courtyard arm in arm.

They were almost back to the University when Nikolai spoke.

"I had a nice time tonight, Y/n." She'd been looking up at the stars, barely visible through the clouds and making her neck sore, but now she turned her head to face him.

"Me too." They were quiet again for a bit, but then Nikolai started huffing, apparently wanting to say something but not finding the words or the courage. "Spit it out, Lantsov."

"Was this a date?"

His words shocked her, and her mind went blank for a moment. At her lack of answer he grew worried, concern that he'd messed things up crossing his features, and she quickly went to rectify it.

"I'd like it to be. You know, if you would. Obviously if you don't then no, but if you do then that's-"

"I'd like it to be a date, Y/n/n."

"Oh. Good. Okay then." Y/n was quiet for a minute. "Good." She winced at herself, cringing at how awkward she was making it, but luckily they pulled to a stop outside her door, giving her an escape. He was smiling at her, a soft smile reserved for her, not one of the blinding ones he used to win people over, and her heart fluttered.

"Night then. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Nik." She went to open her door, pausing for a moment as she made a decision. Reaching up, she planted her lips on his cheek, then hurried inside and slammed the door, leaving him standing in the hallway.

~~~

Three weeks later, Y/n was sat at a table in one of the coffee shops littered around the campus, usually filled with students dead on their feet needing the caffeine to get through a class without falling asleep. She had her notes out in front of her, working her way through an essay she had to write, when a book slammed on the table, making her jump. She looked up, immediately finding the perpetrator.

"What the fuck, Nik? Why would you- oh shit. No. Not that face. That's your 'I have an idea that you won't approve of' face, and we both know what happened last time."

He'd fallen off a wall trying to climb it, saying he could sneak into the principal's office from there. He'd ended up concussed.

"That is not a face I have, and anyway, you've only known me for like, a month, Y/n/n, how do you know what my faces are already?"

"I'm good at reading people," she shrugged. "Go on, spit it out."

"Hear me out," he said, excitement creeping into his voice. He lifted the book in front of him.

"Privateering for dummies? Nik, seriously, what are you gonna do?" He frowned, turning the book to read the title.

"Shit, I picked up the wrong one. I know the basics already, just wanted to learn some history really. Must have left in such a hurry I didn't get the right book."

"What do you mean, you know the basics? You're going round attacking enemy ships in your spare time? Wait, is that why you bailed on me the other day?"

"I didn't bail on you, I forgot, and was busy with something else, so can we please move on from that. And no, I'm not a privateer yet, I just..." he sighed, finally sitting down. "I can't stay here, Y/n/n. I'm bored as fuck and while you are amazing, and learning languages with you is great, I need to be doing more. You know what I'm like, always fidgeting. I think this will be good for me."

"One, you need to actually tell me what you were doing to bail on me, and then we can move on. Two, I know I'm amazing, but thank you for the extra validation. Three, why privateering? Why not become a mechanic or something? And four - don't look at me like that! You can't come in here, dump that information on me and then expect me to just smile and go along with it! Four, what about your obligations? Won't people notice that the second prince of Ravka has disappeared, and then not long later a privateer that looks remarkably like Nikolai Lantsov turns up?"

"All valid points. If you must know, I completely forgot we had plans, and I feel really bad about it, but at the same time I was reading this incredible book that I couldn't put down, and then there was a really hot sex scene, and I-""

"Okay! I don't need the details, thank you!"

"Fine, fine," he said, dodging the straw she threw at him. "Privateering because when I was travelling over here, and this is going to sound really cheesy, but I just felt... at home. I felt more like me than I had for a long time, and when you've spent your life cooped up in a palace, although not cooped up, 'cause it's a big space, but you know what I mean," he paused, frowning as he tried to remember his train of thought. "It felt so free out there, nothing but water as far as the eye can see, and I don't know, maybe I could do more for Ravka out there than I ever could as the spare. As for your fourth point, I'll get tailored, change what I look like, keep a low profile for a little while so the timings don't quite match up."

Y/n was silent for a while, contemplating everything he'd said. "When would you leave?"

"We would leave next week, I've already made arrangements for a couple of things, but pretty much everything else will have to be done on the night, because I can't get everything past my guards. What? What's that face for?"

"'We'?" she asked quietly. "What do you mean 'we'?"

"Aren't... you're not coming with me?" He looked confused, and gods bless him he wore his heart on his sleeve, because his expression was so genuine and so lost that she immediately felt bad for what she was about to say.

"No, Nik," she started gently. "I can't go with you, not when I've worked my ass off my whole life to get here. I need this degree to get a proper job, so that I can support my family, and being with you won't help that." She saw hurt flash across his face, which quickly morphed into a neutral expression, attempted boredom covering up any real feelings.

"Being with me?"

"You know, going and being a privateer with you. Obviously I don't mean literally being with you, or we wouldn't be together, but abandoning all of this? I'm sorry, Nik, but I can't do it, not even for you." He nodded, still no sign of any emotion on his face, and even when she tried hard to read him, Y/n got nothing. She felt horrible, knowing that she was the one that had made her sweet Golden Boy look numb inside, but she couldn't take back her words. She'd worked too hard for this life, and no matter what she felt for the man sitting opposite her, she couldn't just give it up. He stood, taking Privateering for Dummies with him, and left the coffee shop without looking back.

~~~

The next few days were excruciating, having to spend all of her classes with him trying to make conversation while he tried to ignore her, or when he had no choice but to speak to her, answering in short sentences. The professor had noticed, and one lesson asked if Y/n wanted to move, but she'd said no, not wanting to give up just yet. She'd be damned if Nikolai left while they were still on bad terms.

After one particularly painful lesson where he'd spent the entire time pretending he couldn't hear her because his ears were blocked from the bath he took that morning (a blatant lie, she was sure), Y/n approached his dorm door, knocking firmly. It swung open not long after, revealing Nikolai, hair mussed and bags under his eyes. Upon realising who was stood at his door, he went to close it, but Y/n snuck in under his arm, moving to stand in the middle of the room. It was a mess, clothes everywhere, bed unmade, books and papers scattered on every surface. Normally he was the picture of tidiness, and seeing his room so chaotic made her heart hurt. "Nik," she began.

"Just go, please." His voice was tired, assumedly from his lack of sleep, and she started walking towards the door. He opened it back up for her, but Y/n threw her arms around him instead, bringing him into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Nik. I'm so so sorry. Why didn't you tell me you were like this?"

"I didn't want you to worry, darling." He was sniffling against her neck as he wrapped his own arms around her. The pet name made her heart skip a beat, and she didn't understand why he wouldn't tell his girlfriend that he'd been in such a state.

"I'll always worry about you, Nik, you're my best friend," she replied. "And also my partner, which makes the worry doubled."

"Please, just go. I'm leaving tonight anyway, and I'd rather I didn't get caught and drag you down with me." He pulled away from her, wiping his eyes and going to pack more things away. Now that she understood that tonight was the night, she realised that his room was a mess because he was leaving.

"I don't want you to go on bad terms, Nik. What if something happens to you before we see each other again and we don't get a chance to work things out?" Desperation had crept into her voice now, but Y/n didn't care. Not when tomorrow she would be alone again. "Please, just talk to me, we'll figure this out."

He shook his head, shoving more things into the bag on his bed. He pulled on a thick jumper, ears popping out as it came over his head and hair somehow more tousled than it had been before. "There isn't anything to figure out. I want to go, and you want to stay. I was just doing damage control so that when I left it hurt less."

"This is hurting more, Nik, can't you see that? I've spent the last however many days thinking that you hate me because you won't even talk to me, let alone look at me! You might think that what you did was better, but it's not, not in the slightest. Because now I'm scared that you'll just keep pushing me away, instead of helping fix this, and I don't want you to push me away!" He flinched as her voice rose, but she couldn't bring herself to care, not when she now had tears streaming down her cheeks and a lump in her throat at the idea that maybe he was just like all the other rich people, and she was just a charity case to him. She'd been stupid to trust him, to think that he was different, and when he didn't say anything, she huffed, suspicions confirmed. "Fine. Fine. But don't come running back to me the next time you're in Ketterdam because you want someone to be your friend, because I won't be there." She pulled her necklace out, chucking it on the bed. "Keep it, so that you can remember how badly you fucked this up every day you're out on the True Sea."

She was being bitter again, just like when they'd first met, but now she had good reason. She wanted him to have a reminder of her, and her necklace would be perfect. Nikolai was still silent, stood by his bed and staring blankly at the object she'd thrown his way, and when she closed the door behind her, the silver of it was glinting cruelly in the light of his lamp.

Part 2

#grishaverse #netflix shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lanstov x reader #nikolai x reader #nikolai lanstov x y/n #nikolai x y/n

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