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asumofwords · 10 months

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The Sublet - Roommate!AU

Warnings: She/her pronouns, slow burn, angst. Tags will be added as the fic goes along.

Pairings: Modern!Aemond x Reader

Summary: Living with Helaena Targaryen was one of the best decisions you had ever made. Meeting at university, the two of you became thick as thieves and quickly best friends, moving into a flat together. But what will happen when Helaena has to leave, and her quiet, brooding, brother moves in?

Notes: Well hello there my babies, hehe here is the little mini series I have begun for a modern!Aemond roommate AU. I'm super excited to explore this side of things as I have mostly been putting my focus into SFA. Please let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! Hehe, slowish burn too <3 Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Christmas Beetle

The key scratched against the metal of the lock, your hand turning it as you opened the door to your flat, the smell of cooking curling around you as you stepped inside. From the kitchen you could hear your roommate Helaena humming to the music that played out of your speaker.

“Hel!” You called out, dropping your keys into the dish by the door, toeing your shoes off as you moved inside the apartment.

“In here!” Helaena sang back.

You moved your way down the hall, dropping your bag on the dining room table as you moved towards the kitchen.

Helaena stood barefooted in a singlet and pair of matching underwear. Her long silver hair piled atop her head, held together by a large butterfly clip.

“Whatcha cooking, good looking?” You asked, walking up behind Helaena who reached out to turn down the speaker that was currently playing Lana Del Reys ‘West Coast’.

Helaena turned her head, small silver butterfly earrings dangling from her ears, “Bolognese!”

The room smelt of cooking onion and tomato, and you breathed in deeply as she reached forward to put in some cut up carrots and celery inside of the ceramic large pot.

“Yum. God I love you.” You sighed, leaning back against the counter as you watched her stir in the ingredients, “What did I do to deserve you?”

“Absolutely nothing.” She grinned, reaching forward for the salt, sprinkling it atop, “Who else would feed you if I didn’t?”

“Hey! I can cook.” You frowned.

Helaena laughed loudly, “Mi Goreng doesn’t count.”

“I’ll have you know I can cook more than that.” You crossed your arms around your chest as you kicked a foot out to hit her shin softly.

Helaena jumped back, “Don’t be mean to the chef or you won’t get anything.”

You bowed, arm out in a dramatic flair, “Apologies, Your Grace.”

“Cut it out.” She pouted, “How was work?”

Hopping up on the counter, you groaned, “Don’t get me started. Larys was on my ass the whole day. Remind me why I work there again?”

“Because you need the money, and I got you the job.”

“It wasn’t just you that got me the job.” You grunted, “I have a great resume.”

“Of course you do.”

Tossing your head back against the cabinets you looks at the cream ceiling, “Ugh, how do you deal with Larys at all? He’s such a fucking creep. I swear he is always looking at me with those beady little eyes. You know the only time he has ever been nice to me was when he complimented my new shoes.” You scrunched your nose up at the thought.

Your boss Larys Strong was a man who made your skin crawl. Lanky, with a crooked build, the brunette man always had a way of getting under your skin, and you could always feel his eyes on you when you worked in the office. He hovered around other workers, asking personal questions and prying into everyone else’s personal lives, and yet you knew next to nothing about the man. A complete energy vampire.

“I’m sure he’s not that bad. Mum hasn’t said anything about him and she works with him.” Helaena pointed out, bringing the spoon to her lips to try to sauce. She hummed loudly as she dipped it again, hand beneath it as she offered you a try.

You leant forward blowing on the spoon softly as steamed poured off of it, “Yeah, but your mum isn’t the most observant person, Hel.” You sucked the sauce into your mouth, eyes closing as you moaned loudly, “Oh my god. This is heaven. If you weren’t my best friend I would marry you.”

Helaena blushed and took the spoon back from you, swatting your thigh on the bench, “That ship has sailed.”

You laughed loudly at the memory, “How was I supposed to know you were hitting on me? You said I looked like a Christmas beetle.”

“Christmas beetles are beautiful.” Helaena said indignantly, “They have many different colours and shades, and in the sun they glow.”

“Don’t you go soft on me, Hely.” You teased, kicking your legs against the cabinet with a thunk, “Besides, you can’t butter me up with this home cooked meal no matter how good it is. I can’t believe you’re leaving me here alone.” You whined, throwing your head back, “And on break too!”

“Life is a cruel mistress.” She mocked you, “You won’t even notice I’m gone." A pale hand waved itself at you in the air in dismissal, "It’s only for the month, maybe even less than that. You know I have to go see Daeron, he’s been studying at Old Town all by himself, the poor thing.”

“Yeah well, not all of us can get into the prestigious Old Town University.” You huffed, “And I will notice you’re gone, who will cook me dinner?”

“I thought you said you could cook.”

“Hel, you wound me.” You grabbed the front of your shirt above your heart dramatically.

Helaena snorted, “Suck it up. Besides, my brother is going to sublet the room for the month so you won’t be alone.”

“Hel,” You whispered, head tilted in uncertainty, “Please don’t tell me Aegon is moving in. I love you, you know this, but your brother is a sex pest. Last time he came over he called me a Gazelle.”

“A Gazelle?”

“Said I have long legs.” You grimaced.

“Ugh. Gross. He is such a manwhore.” You hummed in agreement as Helaena scrunched her face up, mouth open in disgust, “But no, Aemond is going to sublet the room.”

“Hel, that isn’t any better. Aemond?” You began, leaning forward as you looked at her uneasily, “'Can’t pry a word out of the man', Aemond? 'Messy break up with his crazy ex', Aemond? Hel are you punishing me?”

“Be nice.” She slapped your arm, adding fresh basil into the pot that simmered gently, “Aemond is sweet once you get to know him. He’s just shy.”

“The last time I spoke to him, I asked him how his day was and he just hummed at me. He hummed.”

Helaena laughed.

“It’s not funny, Hel! Who the hell just hums like that?”

A small laugh floated through her nose, “Look, Aemond was the only one I could get to sublet the room in such short notice. Especially someone I trust. Plus, he needs to get away from Harrenhal and move back to Kings Landing. Alys has really done a number on him, and I think if he gets some time away from her he will see it’s better that way.”

“Can't you ask your mum to cover the rent? You’re not exactly scraping by.”

The Targaryens were richer than most, descended from ancient royalty, even owning an island called Dragonstone, a short boat ride away from shore, where a large fortress sat atop. Helaena would sometimes go for the summer to see her cousins, and had even taken you one year.

“I don’t want anything to do with the family money. When I moved out, I made a promise to myself that I would make it on my own.”

You sighed, smiling at your best friend. She really was one of a kind, willing to go above and beyond for her friends and not freeloading from her generational wealth like her brothers did, “You’re a good person, Hel. But you’re putting my head on the chopping block.”

“Mm.”

“Not you too.” You whined.

“Better get used to it," She grinned, enjoying your distress, "Aemond will be moving into my room at the end of the week. So I expect you to behave yourself while I’m away and be nice to him.”

You gasped in mock offence, “I’m always nice!”

Helaena gave you a pointed look.

“Okay, well fine. I’ll be on my best behaviour for you.” You hopped off the counter, and put a hand on your chest and one in the air, “Scouts honour.”

“You weren’t a scout.”

“Never too late.” You grinned.

Helaena scrunched her nose at you, “You’re so annoying. Go shower, you stink.”

“I do not!” You said indignantly, turning your head to your shoulder to smell yourself.

“Well, there’s too many chefs in the kitchen and I want to have an everything shower tonight.”

You opened your mouth in mock surprise as you looked at her, a soft gasp leaving your lips. You crossed your arms over your chest as you looked at your best friend, “And who are you shaving for?” You wiggled your eyebrows at her.

Helaena blushed, “No one.”

“No.” You said in disbelief.

“Y/n-“

“Please tell me you’re not.”

Silence.

“Are you seeing Sara again?”

Helaena looked so sheepish as she went back to stirring the dinner, you moved to stand behind her, resting your head on her shin from behind as you watched her cook, “Hel, what are you hiding from me?”

“Go away, you big gnat.”

“I thought I was a Christmas beetle?”

“I’ve changed my mind. Plus you’re one to talk, I saw Cregan’s car out the front the other day as I left for work.” Helaena snipped, flustered and cheeks completely red. Her neck speckled with a blush that rose up from her chest.

“Glass houses. Besides, you can’t say the Starks aren’t scrummy.” You pinched her side and moved away from the kitchen, “I’m going to shower, and I’ll make sure to leave you some hot water so when Sara comes over tonight you’ll be all squeaky clean.” You teased.

“Shut it!”

The next morning you rose early to make yourself a cup of tea, you bumping into Sara on her way out of the house. The brunette was moving quickly out the door, hair knotted at the back of her head and lips blushed.

“Morning Sara.” You greeted her as she walked past you on the lounge, clearly not expecting to see you. You lifted your mug of tea up towards her in greeting and watched as her cheeks blushed a deeper red than the top she was wearing.

“Morning.” She responded, “Sorry, I’ve got an early class to get to.”

“Its Saturday.”

“Uh-” The Stark stuttered.

“And it’s break.”

“Oh, shut up." She smirked, "Tell my brother I said 'hi.'” Smile pulling downwards on her lips playfully.

You laughed softly in the quiet of the room, and bid her a goodbye.

Sara and Helaena had been on and off for longer than you had known Helaena, and was actually how you met Cregan. Sara had set it up after a night of drinking together, and Helaena had only encouraged you to ‘let your freak fly’.

Cregan was amazing. Tall, kind, smart and with a handsomeness that only Northerners had, with these dark brown eyes that you could get lost in.

But in saying that, you weren’t compatible in anything other than sex or casual friendship. You had been sleeping together for a few months when he wanted more, and you weren’t ready for that. And so you had ended the little tryst that you had, and parted on good terms. Amicable terms.

For a while, the two of you hadn’t spoken, letting Cregan have space from you to process what had happened, but eventually you had received a text to meet up for a coffee one day, and decided you were better off being friends.

Who fucked.

Occasionally.

Helaena exited her room shortly after, her silver hair messy and wearing an oversized t-shirt that hung to her mid thighs, a large centipede with a hat on the front.

“Good morning sleepy head.” You sang to her, watching as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Why are you up so early?” She grumbled, clearly not having gotten much sleep.

“There’s an antique market down in the square and I thought we could go and get some trinkets.” You smiled, watching as her eyes came alight.

“Trinketville.” She spoke in a high pitched voice.

“Yup!”

Shuffling her feet towards you, she leant over the back of the couch, “When does it start?”

“Started around 7.” You grabbed your phone to look at the screen, “It’s only 8:40, so if you quickly get dressed I can drive us down and get us a park.”

“Yay!” Helaena chirped, spinning back into her room suddenly alive.

As she walked away you called out to her, “Saw Sara sneak out.”

“Huh?” Helaena yelled back.

“I saw Sara this morning!”

Helaena stuck her head out from the door, hiding her naked body behind its frame, cheeks tinged pink, “Please don’t tell me you said anything.” She winced.

“I just said good morning.” You said coyly, watching as Helaena sighed in exacerbation before going back into her room.

“You know,” You called out, standing to put your mug in the dishwasher, “You don’t have to hide her in your room. I don’t hide Cregan.”

Helaena stepped out wearing a pair of pale denim overalls, and a soft yellow shirt underneath, socks and doc martins in hand, “Yeah well, you haven’t dated Cregan.”

“I mean we kind of did.” You shrugged, leaning against the side of the couch as she sat at the small dining table to put her shoes and socks on.

“Fucking him on the couch doesn’t count as dating.”

It was your time to blush, “Close enough.”

Helaena snorted, lacing up her boots, “Aren’t you going to get dressed?” She eyed you up and down, one brow raised.

You looked down at yourself. You were in an old busted t-shirt which had far too many holes to make it physically sound, and beneath you wore some old track pants and slides.

“Whats wrong with what I’m wearing?” You asked, offence in your tone.

“What’s right with it?” Helaena grimaced, “Go get actually dressed you slob. What if there’s someone cute at the markets?”

“I will have no time for cuties as I will be too lost in the joys of finding the ultimate trinkets for my collection.” You sniffed, raising your chin in defiance.

“Borderline hoarding at this point.”

You gasped, “Hey! Says you Miss Insects.”

“Go get dressed,” Helaena insisted leaving no room for argument, “Then we will head out. Do you think they’ll have coffee?”

You laughed, “Yeah, there should be a truck.”

When you were dressed and ready, you drove yourself and Helaena down to the markets, already full of people and bursting with life.

Many people brought their dogs with them and to your delight, an old man people called Maester Orwyle was seen walking his white Persian cat inside of a pram. The cat sat with her paws crossed in front of her as she watched everyone walking past, the occasional hiss given to the dogs that passed her or children who got too close.

Helaena giggled loudly as you both passed it, moving to look at another antique jewellery stand, Helaena’s eyes immediately spotting a small, gold, dragonfly pin. Its wings had emeralds on its tips and a larger one as its head.

She held the pin in her hand, uncertain if she should get it or not, the old man behind the table trying to sell it to her.

“It’s real gold, 14 karats. Real emeralds too. A pretty broach for a pretty girl.”

Helaena smiled politely though you knew she wished to move away.

“Come on Hel, when will you ever find something like that again?” You encouraged her. Her lip was caught between her teeth as she thought.

Looking up at the greying man behind the table, you asked for the price, “How much?”

“$70.” The man replied.

Helaena moved to put the pin back down, “It’s too expensive.” She said quietly.

“Nonsense.” You whispered back. “I’ll give you forty for it.” You looked at the man.

“Forty is too low. I’ll do sixty.”

“Fifty.” You counted.

“Y/n.” Helaena hissed.

The old man hummed as he look at the two of you before he nodded, “Fifty then.”

You looked at Helaena triumphantly and watched as she sheepishly gave the man the money, clutching the pin in her hand as the two of you walked away.

“I hate when you do that. It's so embarrassing. You’re like my grandpa.”

“Did you just compare me to Otto?” You grimaced, remembering your interactions with the stiff older man. He was rather cold, and barely spoke a word to you unless to correct you, but he would brighten up when speaking to Helaena considerably.

“You leave him alone, he’s old.”

You hummed in response.

“You’ll get along with Aemond just fine if you keep that up.” Helaena teased and you stuck your tongue out at her, moving to look at some old books.

You picked up an old heavy leather book, which looked to have been buried in dust. You opened the cover gently and looked at the front page. Your eyes widened.

“Helaena!” You hissed, grabbing her to your side as you looked down at the book in your hand, “This is a First Edition.” You quietly whispered.

“Looks like the worst edition.” She giggled and you elbowed her in the side.

“Seriously Hel, these are so hard to come across! It’s ‘The Lovers of Queen Nymeria’ too, this is like old old.” You explained, excitement racing through your veins, “These are seriously hard to get a hold of!”

“God, you and Aemond are the same. I swear my dad had that in his library.”

You snorted, “Yeah, well, not all of us come from royalty, Hel. I come from a long line of peasants, which I-“

“Oh, cut it out.” She griped.

You let yourself laugh, holding the book in your hands in wonder, “They’re probably asking for hundreds for this. God, I can’t believe I’m even able to touch it right now!”

Helaena looked up at the young man who had the stall, “Excuse me, could you please tell us the price of this book?”

“Hel, it’ll be way out of my price range.” You sighed quietly.

The man turned and came over, looking at the book in your hands, “I’ll give it to you for $20.” He said with disinterest, looking at the worn cover.

“$20?!” You said in disbelief, shock crawling through you.

“We’ll take it!” Helaena responded quickly, handing he man $20 from her small silver purse.

“Hel, I’m paying for it.”

“Nope!” She popped the ‘p’ as you moved away, holding the book in your hands in shock. “This is my gift to you, plus you saved me the money for the pin, aaaand you can take it as me buttering you up because mumboughtmeanearlierflight.” The last part of her sentance was speedily blurted as she turned to look at you, offering you a remorseful smile.

“You bitch.” You narrowed your eyes at her, “You’re lucky I love you.”

You walked side by side, looking at the rest of the stalls, finding some fun little things before the two of you decided to go home, exhausted from walking around in the hot sun for hours.

When you arrived back at the apartment, Helaena slumped onto the couch the two of you had found on the street years back. It was a light brown velvet, with dark wood detailing. An absolute classic.

The silver haired girl sighed, tugging her bag onto her lap as she begun to line up her buys of the day on the table.

You joined her, placing your book on the table followed by a small, vintage, golden mirror and a large candle holder for your room. Helaena had bought her pin, a small blue skirt with little green beetles on it, as well as a large framed Luna Moth.

You let your head drop to her shoulder, “I’m going to miss you.” You whined, tapping your head onto the bone of her shoulder.

“You big baby, I’ll be back in no time.”

“But you’re leaving me on breaaaak. What about all the hotties we were going to pick up at the bars?”

Helaena laughed loudly as she rested her head against the top of yours, “Plenty of time to do that when I get back.”

You grunted, “Don’t act like you didn’t tell me you are leaving earlier. You said end of the week.” You pulled away and looked at her with your eyes narrowed, “When are you leaving now?”

“Tomorrow.” Helaena sighed.

“Tomorrow?! What!”

Helaena began to fiddle with her hands in her lap, her pale fingers picking at the skin at her nails. You watched as Helaena became quiet, shut in, and a sudden wave of anxiety moved through you.

“Hel, what’s wrong? Has Sara done something?” You questioned, head dipping to try and catch her eyes.

“Dads sick.”

Your brows furrowed as you looked at her, “Has he gotten worse?” You asked softly.

Helaena’s dad had been sick for a long time, when you had met her she was worried, but knew there was nothing that she could do. Her visits to her family home back then were frequent, but as time went on, her visits became less, and she had assured you that his team of carers and her mother could handle it.

“It’s not good.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” She gave you a sad smile, “It was going to happen one day or another. Mum wants us to go back to see them at the Keep, so I’m going to Daeron’s to get him and we will go together.”

“But what about Aemond? Will he be going with you?”

Helaena let out a quiet breath, “Dad doesn’t have the best relationship with Aem and Egg. Pretty sure my sister will be at the Keep with my nephews, and well,” She paused, and you knew why, “You know Aem doesn’t have a good relationship with them.”

You remembered the day Helaena had told you about Aemond’s fight with Lucerys when they were kids and the accident. You had felt terrible hearing the news, but now understood why tensions in the family were so strained. Not to mention that Helaena’s sister Rhaenyra, from his first marriage, was largely favoured over his other three children.

But from all accounts that Helaena had told you, Rhaenyra was a lovely woman, and incredibly kind to her.

You grabbed Helaena’s hand and held it, “Let me know if you need me to come, yeah? Or need anything of me. I mean anything. You need me, I’ll be there.”

Helaena gave you a gentle smile as she nodded, “Thanks, but I’ll be okay. Maybe you could come to the Keep and stay a week or something once I'm settled.”

“Will that hunky Criston be there?” You waggled your eyebrows at her.

Helaena's face morphed into disgust, “Ewww. I don’t see what you see in him.”

“What? He’s hot, plus him being your mums bodyguard makes it so much hotter.”

“He’s not her bodyguard.” Helaena argued.

“Sure, then he just follows her around like a lost puppy and is paid to look pretty. Anyhow, when is Aemond coming since you go tomorrow?” You rested your head back against her shoulder, fiddling with her hand in her lap as you wiggled her fingers with yours.

“He said he’d be driving his old chevy Vhagar in, so who knows how long that will take. If it doesn’t break down on the way.” Helaena snickered.

Thanks so much for reading along with me, if you wish to be added to the tag list please let me know :) Likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated ! Enjoy <3

Taglist:

@mrstargayen09 @iamavailablesstuff @malfoytargaryen @hogwarts1207 @diannnnsss

Bold is who I cannot tag

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tailoredshirt · 7 months

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WIP WEDNESDAY

Tagged by @heartstringsduet @thisbuildinghasfeelings @alrightbuckaroo and @orchidscript! This is from a fic I started ages ago that takes place at the "ranch" or wherever it is that Andrea and Gabriel live.

Carlos is halfway down the stairs when he hears a familiar voice.

“And then she said she had sent the flowers to herself to make him jealous! Even though she knew she was allergic!”

“What?” Andrea says with a gasp. “Why would anyone—oh, Carlitos!”

TK turns in his barstool at the kitchen island and smiles at him. “Hey, you.”

“Hey.” It’s ridiculous that Carlos can feel the pounding of his heart at the sight of him, but in his defense he’s barely seen TK all week. Actually, he has no defense. Even on a normal day, seeing TK walk through the door of their home makes every atom in his body sigh in relief. “How was traffic?”

“Oh, you know,” TK says with a smile. He's wearing a plaid button-down shirt that brings out the green in his eyes. His hand alights on Carlos’s lower back as Carlos presses a kiss to the side of his head.

“They’re never going to finish that construction,” Andrea says, shaking her head.

TK scratches Carlos’s back lightly, as if saying hi, and Carlos misses him instantly when he pulls away.

"Could you grab me another bowl, mijo?" Andrea says, and TK starts to stand up but Carlos touches him on the shoulder as he moves behind him to reach the cabinet. "Gracias."

"De nada," he says, kissing her on the cheek.

"Is this enough or should I keep going?" TK asks her, indicating the cutting board of chopped vegetables in front of him.

"I think that's plenty," she tells him.

TK stands up to hand her the cutting board and knife, and Carlos snags a piece of celery from it before she sees him. TK bites his lip to hide a grin, and Carlos waggles his eyebrows at him.

Tagging @reyesstrand @safeashousespdf @lonestardust @bonheur-cafe @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @ladytessa74 @strandnreyes @rmd-writes @carlos-in-glasses @lightningboltreader @guardian-angle22 @wandering-night19 @chicgeekgirl89 @detective-giggles @never-blooms @thebumblecee @welcometololaland @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad @paperstorm @marchingatmidnight @lemonlyman-dotcom and anyone else who wants to do it!

#911 lone star #tarlos #wip wednesday

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tinkerty-tonk-i-said · 10 months

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ok so as AO3 is down I feel the need to once again rec the MoonReader+ app. sorry to my irl friends who have heard this speech before

[Edit: not available for ios, sorry!]

Yes it looks like a standard eReader but it’s basically a fanpersons’s BFF. I basically download any fic I even like the look of into it and here’s what it does:

Saves the AO3 tags so you can SEARCH TAGS and allows you to edit them/create new tags

Searches the actual text. Trying to remember a fic and all you can remember is that someone make a joke about celery in it? Search ‘celery’ and BOOM there is the fic (unless you read a lot of celery fic, idk your life)

Automatically puts the fic summary as the file summary so you can browse fics with ease, and automatically saves the author name

You can create different favourite categories - I have one per fandom

You can mark fics as part of a series and actually have it display the series name and number when browsing so you know which order to read in

Downloads any covers/art the fic has and ALLOWS YOU TO ADD/EDIT YOUR OWN

Has a ton of options for text size/reading formats (I have a dark grey background which really helps with my eye condition, as white on black can make my eyes blur)

Keeps all links functional so you can hop back and review/kudos fic at the end

It has an automated TTS reading function

I once emailed the creator about something that was bugging me, HE EMAILED BACK AND FIXED IT IN THE NEXT UPDATE

LOOK AT HOW PRETTY MY SAVED FIC LOOKS WITH THEIR CAREFULLY CURATED COVERS (2 different view styles below):

#ao3 #ao3 down #fic reading #fanfic #archive of our own #organization for transformative works #ereader #moonreader

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darsynia · 1 year

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Just Right | Ch 4

(Steve Rogers x F!Reader, post-Ultron Multichapter)

Summary:

You’ve been in love with Steve Rogers for at least a year, but he treats you the same way he treats every other member of the team– with respect, but nothing more. It takes an inter-dimensional mistake and a whole second, more assertive, actually interested Steve for you to realize that you don’t want just any version of Steve Rogers– you want the one you’ve been pining for all this time.

Length: 3,456

FIC MASTERLIST | LAST CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER

Want to be tagged on this or any other Steve fic? Please ask! @ronearoundblindly @munstysmind @tiny-anne @themaradaniels @starryeyes2000 @chickensarentcheap

Excerpt:

“He’s me, ‘Dine. He’d never dream of revealing something like that. I was thinking about it-- I think the only reason he went on the mission is because it happened for them already. It’s hard to resist the comparisons.” He lifts his eyebrows to see if you want him to take your tray, and you nod.

“How is that going?” you ask carefully.

Steve immediately looks at the ceiling, then over at the window, before finally glancing your way, letting out a little sigh. “Can someone be better at being you than you are?”

You let some of how you feel about him show, since you’re practically bursting with it anyway. “No, but you can know yourself well enough to recognize that you and he are working on different things, and they don’t overlap.”

He’d been priming to stand up, but your words physically send Steve back in his chair. The look is back, the one you wish you could bottle up and overdose with, on nights when you talk with your married friends.

“I-- That really helps. Thank you.”

Chapter Four

You don’t change clothes for lunch; it’s only when you walk into the cafeteria area that you realize this could be very loosely construed as a date-- but by then it’s too late, because Steve’s seen you and he waves you over to the smaller table by the wall.

“I waited, hope you don’t mind. Natasha told me it’s very rude to set things up so that the woman is eating when the man isn’t.”

Does that make this a date? your traitorous brain pushes you to ask as the two of you make your way over to get food. You could probably phrase it in a way that gives you cover if his reaction is negative-- but you just can’t do it. Instead, you ask him about the stuff that didn’t make it into Natasha’s rather clinical report.

He talks about the secrecy the government had asked them to employ, how they’d worn sunglasses and ball caps to get to the site, their gear stowed away in backpacks.

“Tony took one look at the group of us and went back into the Quinjet. He came out wearing a leather jacket, reflective sunglasses, and a motorcycle helmet. Said we all looked like a ‘tourist group’ of undercover FBI agents!”

You laugh. “Glad he put it to good use, even if it wasn’t the one I’d intended.”

He looks down and smiles at his sandwich, shaking his head a little bit. “I should have known you were the one who put that in there.”

“Hey, stashing an extra helmet is a no brainer, pun intended! Not everyone is a super soldier, but all of you sure love your motorcycles.”

“You’ll be happy to know we avoided self-destructive behavior as much as possible, this trip. The NRC guys were very careful, only let Stark go into certain areas.”

“Well,” you say, pointing at him with a celery stick. “Based on Howard’s notes you would have been fine, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”

“Howard Stark?” Steve asks, voice going quiet.

“Yeah. I mean, he was heavily involved in the serum development, and man, was he a note-taker!” Something about the look on Steve’s face hits you. “Did… did no one ever tell you about that? There are notebooks’ worth of--”

“No,” he says, posture straightening. “No one said anything.”

Now you feel guilty and indignant on his behalf, all at once. “They’re all scanned in, I bet you have access? I’m not sure anyone thought to tell you, sadly enough. Either that or they just assumed you knew.” You fumble around for your phone, but he stretches out a hand into your line of sight in that way he has, gentler than using his voice. It’s a leadership thing, the knowledge that a command to stop means something different when you’re both a friend and a team leader. You’ve always loved that about him.

“I’ll check it out. Thank you.”

You nod, offer the olive branch of a redirect back to the original conversation. “So, was Stark able to find the source of the radiation?”

“Yeah, flew it right to the disposal site. Probably saved days worth of decontamination work. Problem was, the HYDRA base-- well, you saw the report.”

“Booby traps, Tony Stark’s favorite.”

He wheeze-coughs through the sip he’d been taking. “Yeah, and his work defusing them was the lynchpin of the whole operation. He’ll be insufferable for days.”

“How will we be able to tell the difference?” It’s a joke, but after the two of you share a chuckle, Steve’s expression turns serious.

“Yeah, about that…”

“Oh, I walked right into that one.”

“Humor me? It’s been a strange experience, having a doppelganger. You seem like one of the only people who can instantly see the difference, so when you didn’t--” He breaks off and doesn’t continue.

You shrug. “It’s honestly just instinct? Or maybe I’m hypersensitive to hair length. Got to make sure that helmet fits you without slippage!”

Steve finishes off the last bite of his sandwich and regards you thoughtfully. It’s familiar (still thrilling, though), and you shove away the thoughts that everything you’ve been saying and doing here could have just as easily been done as a function of your job. You suddenly wish you could change the subject, but you know Steve. He’s wrestling with something. You suspect you’re one of the only people who see the differences between him and Gold Steve enough to help.

“He won’t say anything about what he may have gone through-- and I wouldn’t ask,” Steve says quickly. “It does feel like he’s more… maybe ‘comfortable’ is the word? It’s hard not to worry that it’s from some kind of shared trauma.”

“A shared trauma you’d avoid, if only you knew it was coming?” you guess gently.

Steve’s look of relief carries with it an undercurrent of gratitude that could very easily be tuned to the romantic. After spending hours of your life syncing yourself to his resonance, your body can’t help but respond, quickening your breathing and heating your blood.

“How is that going?” you ask carefully.

Steve immediately looks at the ceiling, then over at the window, before finally glancing your way, letting out a little sigh. “Can someone be better at being you than you are?”

“I-- That really helps. Thank you.”

“Anytime,” you say, and mean it.

When you’re finished with your work for the day, something in you just cannot stand to be indoors any longer. That doesn’t mean you’re going to go for a run or anything, but a walk among green things is a necessity. You head straight for the woods when you get outside, aiming for a particular clearing that’s a favorite, the one with a tree that angles just so, perfect for leaning against and thinking.

It had been a gamble to move into the Avengers Compound, because it cut you off in some ways from your friends in the city. Not everyone who works there lives on-site, it’s not required-- and you didn’t do it just because it’s where Steve lives. After all, he’s been looking for months for a place in Brooklyn, so he could move out at any point. He refuses to let anyone help (and you suspect that Stark actually has a place rented or bought for him and is just looking for the right way to trick Steve into living there), but you’re sure it’s only a matter of time.

The lunch today has you all twisted up in knots, even hours later. On one hand, you’re elated that he’d invited you to lunch at all, that you got his full attention for such an extended period of time-- especially in such a relaxed, no-pressure setting. On another, it was… more of the same, from him.

You let out a long, frustrated sigh. Meeting Gold Steve has made you dissatisfied with the status quo, there’s no other way to put it. Without his attentive interest, you’d have seen your lunch with your universe’s Steve Rogers as one of the most exciting events of your tenure here.

“That’s a weary sound,” a voice says. Speak of the devil…

“Haven’t they sent you back yet?” you quip, mostly kidding. You’re vulnerable and combative right now, and if you can chase Gold Steve away, you really ought to.

He walks over into your line of sight and shoulders up against a tree, one hand in his pocket. “Tony’s been in the lab since last night, or so FRIDAY says. A couple more hours and Natasha’s planning to break in to give him a care package of food and fresh coffee.”

“That’s… actually pretty encouraging.” Your back has started to hurt, but if you stand up to leave, you know he’ll offer to accompany you, and your universe’s Steve has seemed a little… protective of you, when Gold Steve is around.

That thought actually pisses you off, because the word your mind is dancing around is ‘jealousy,’ and in order for there to be jealousy, there need to be feelings. You’re pretty sure that’s not what’s going on.

“If you don’t mind my saying so, you look like you need to talk something out.”

“You’re probably simultaneously the best and the worst person to do that with right now,” you groan.

“It’s ‘other me’ related?”

You close your eyes and scrunch up your face in regret. “Pretend I didn’t say anything?”

“And squander your chance to figure him out?” Gold Steve actually makes a ‘tsk’ noise.

“You don’t really mean that,” you say with your eyes still closed. “Even if you did, there’s no figuring. There’s just me reading into things.” You suspect he’s trying to learn more about his counterpart, so you decide to chase him away with this and then maybe dig a hole to fling yourself into until he goes back home. “He’s had lunch with any number of other people, and it’s just the way you look at me that made me mix the two of you up when he was jog--”

You straighten up. If Stark’s really on the verge of a breakthrough, this might be your last chance to ask Gold Steve the thing that’s been nagging at you for weeks.

If you’re burning bridges, then you might as well light them up.

“What is with that, anyway? You know that’s how I knew, right? The way you look at me.” Most of your rational brain is in revolt, but you’re tired. If this avatar of the person you love can’t explain to you how to trigger the same reaction in your version, then you’re going to demand that he tell you what makes him different. He’s upended your neatly compartmentalized life, it’s the least he can do. And once he has, he’ll probably stop seeking you out, and you can start the process of returning to normal.

He looks guilty.

“I wasn’t going to--” Gold Steve presses his lips together. “I’m not trying to change anything,” he says, and it sounds more like he’s trying to persuade himself than you. “After I found out Bucky was alive, learned some of what he’d gone through, someone was there for me, and I fell really hard.”

His wry smile is sad, and you feel a tiny prickle of alarm. It doesn’t feel like this is going to be a happy story.

He continues, “At the time, I didn’t feel like I knew enough about this decade, this century. I needed time. And the nature of the job, you know, the world always needs saving, so I wasn’t worried. I figured I had time. And then we lost-- she was gone.”

Gold Steve stops and takes a breath. He’s not looking at you, and you don’t blame him. It seems like if he did, he might just lose the tenuous grip he has on his emotions. You can barely breathe just listening to him.

“I really regret that. I never took that chance-- and, I’d love to think we’d have made it work, that she’d have fallen for me just as hard-- but now I’ll never know. I’ll never know what it would’ve been like to wake up next to each other. To help her through the tough times, to maybe be the last loving thought on her mind, before the end.” He looks directly at you, and you can see it, the bone-deep regret, the determination to do whatever he can to prevent that kind of heartache. “Those days afterwards, they taught me you have to speak up, let people know what they mean to you. I can’t let the fear of letting someone down leave them to die alone. I told myself I had to use that horrible day to be better, to--” he lets out a tiny chuckle, like he’s reliving a bittersweet memory. “To wear my heart on my sleeve.”

“That’s beautiful,” you whisper. “I’m sorry you lost her.”

“Me too.”

Gold Steve wasn’t at dinner, but you didn’t blame him at all. You’d sat there trying to socialize with his words hanging around your heart until the burden was too heavy, and you’d excused yourself after barely eating anything. Now it’s two in the morning and you’re ravenous, and you only have yourself to blame.

You make yourself some cereal, a comfort food from your childhood, but you can’t bring yourself to eat it in the large, dark cafeteria, nor do you want to put the overhead lights on. Instead, you steal away with it to the rec room, even though it’s probably not allowed in there. If FRIDAY wants to tell on you, so be it.

It isn’t until you’re happily settling into the comfiest chair that you see you’re not alone.

“Jeez, Tony, are you okay?”

“Finally! Pay up,” he says triumphantly from his place on the couch. You swear for a solid twenty seconds; for months you’d avoided using his given name after he’d teased you for using Natasha’s first, telling him smugly that you’d rather pay him $50 than give him the satisfaction.

“I’ll pay you in the morning, but I think it’s cheating to stay up for forty some hours just for a lousy fifty bucks. I guess eccentric billionaire is as eccentric billionaire does,” you sniff. Inwardly, you’re mad that you’d forgotten Tony likes the rec room couch better than the guest beds.

“Fifty bucks and the solution to sending the Rog-elgänger back,” Tony says, adding quickly, “I think. I came in here to get a few winks and see if I still feel like a genius when I wake up.”

“And?”

“Fatal flaw,” he grins. “I don’t know what it’s like not to feel like a genius.”

“Well, run it by me, I’ll give you my honest, non-genius opinion.”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to count yourself out of this equation, Brigandine. You’re a big part of how I figured it out,” Tony shocks you by saying. “Keep eating, don't let it get soggy. Okay.” He slaps a hand down on his right thigh. “Say this is our universe, and this--” Tony slaps his other hand down on his left thigh; “--is IMPOS-Steve’s universe. He’s said there’s no Avengers Compound over there, but he still walked out into the room when he showed up, right? Like there was a door in the wall?”

You’re still giggling from a minute back. “Only you would use your lap to symbolize the multiverse! But yes, it was like he’d just walked through a door.”

Tony ignores your gibe, caught up in his explanation. “That means it’s not a one-to-one transfer-- whatever chose that place in space-time, it’s not based on where he was when he left. Which is useful only up to a point, because to send him back, I have to do the same thing. With me so far?”

You nod, your mouth full.

“Not long after the attack on New York I got to thinking about how the Chitauri were able to connect from so far a distance. I mean, yeah, wormhole, but I figured there had to be more to it than that. I thought, what if there was something that was like DNA, but it was readable without having to look into a person’s cells. A molecular imprint, like your own personal resonant frequency.”

You’re completely fascinated. “The same way a big building or a bridge has a specific frequency, only unique?”

“Not at all, and yes,” Tony says. “It doesn’t really matter what it is exactly, just that it exists. The problem is figuring out how to detect it, so I went looking for Vision. The two of us did some testing--” He pauses for an extended, satisfying-looking yawn, scratches his forehead, and tries to remember where he was.

“Some testing?” you prompt.

“A lot of testing, but yes. I had set this aside way back when because there was no way to really test the theory--”

“I’m sorry, what theory? Connection over long distances?”

“Well, yes, but connection across universes, too. I mean, the worst possible nightmare, right? With the mind stone and access to every dimension, Loki might have had the largest army ever. An infinite army.”

There’s something about the expression on Tony’s face, like maybe he’d actually set this concept aside because it was the only way he could sleep. He shakes himself a little bit, sees you’re sitting there, and apparently, that’s enough to remind him of where he is in his explanation.

“Right. Faux-gers,” Tony says, grinning. Your stomach clenches in a not wholly uncomfortable way at the idea that your boss associates you with Steve enough to put him back on track like that.

“I think what you’re really lying awake doing is coming up with those,” you tease.

“You know it. Anyway, you’d think there’s no way to test it, right? You’d have to have two versions of the exact same person. Yes, exactly!” Tony says at your spark of realization. He absurdly makes two little ‘people’ out of the first and second fingers of each hand, and stands them up on his thighs, harking back to his ‘lap dimensions.’ “Vision was able to confirm it. Both Steves have the same resonance.” He sighs and lets his hands drop. “Another breakthrough I can’t win a Nobel for.”

You still feel like you’re right on the edge of understanding, and from the yawn Tony just fought through, he’s running out of coherent consciousness. “That’s great, but how does that send him back, exactly?”

“Because all I have to do is tune the thing I haven’t quite invented yet to the resonance of one of the other Avengers. That way I can feel confident I’m sending Pure Imitation Vanilla back safely, instead of in the middle of the concrete foundation for the Bezos Tower or something. And now I want cookies.”

You are taken by a yawn of your own, and Tony leans over and rescues your mostly-empty bowl before it falls off of your lap. Something he said when you first started talking is important, but you can’t remember what it is--

“I might send Nat to trick him into telling us how much farther along he is than we are,” Tony says, lifting up your spoon, making a terrible face, and setting the bowl down on the coffee table. “He tried to play it off, but there were times on that mission that he was definitely steering us away from some nasty shit.”

That confirms your similar hunch. “How far ahead do you think he is?”

“Very,” is the surprising answer. “Which brings me back to your role in all of this. Brigandine, I’m sorry to say, but I think you’re dead.”

You blink at Tony. “Dead? I figured I just wasn’t born in his--”

“Ah, but that wouldn’t work.” He pops his finger figurines back up on his lap, and you groan. “They have to match, remember?”

“Couldn’t the matching resonance thing have been Sam?” you protest. A film of unreality is forming across your skin, dusting up goosebumps and an accompanying chill.

“I don’t think so. You said he seemed pleased to see you, surprised to see the complex. What if something happened? Something bad?” Tony leans over. “Something preventable? If the resonance is tethered to a person instead of a timeframe, how do you ensure you arrive before the bad thing happened?”

“You choose someone who shouldn’t be alive,” you breathe, shaken. “But he’s been here for weeks! If something’s coming, wouldn’t he have said something by now?”

“Not if it’s a ways off. Not if he can’t go back. This is Steve Rogers, ‘Dine. His morals have morals. If we can’t send him back, he doesn’t need to say anything and change other things by accident. He just has to steer us away from the dragons at the edge of the map.”

Next chapter

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x f!reader #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fic #captain america x f!reader #captain america x reader #captain america #steve rogers #mcu #mcu fanfiction #marvel #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers x you #captain america x you #romance #pining

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meemoop · 3 months

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People I want to get to know better!

Ah! The sweet @rey-sterling has tagged me! I’m blushing and twiddling my thumbs 🫣🫶

Last Song: El Paso by Marty Robbins

Fav Color: Pink 💕

Last Film/Show: The Fellowship of the Ring (extended edition)

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: Savory (so much so that I believe I have clogged my arteries).

Relationship Status: Single

Last thing I googled: “can dogs have celery” (they can)

Current Obsession: Antique furniture 🙏

Last Book: Tokyo Express by Seichō Matsumoto (short, thrilling, and very entertaining.)

Looking forward to: Finishing Wuthering Heights. I’m halfway done and I don’t think it’s my cup of tea… Excellent imagery and storytelling technique, but I don’t care for the plot; I’m indifferent about what happens. I’m also writing a little fic and I can’t wait to complete it.

And hey, I want to know all of you! Thank you again, @rey-sterling (I hope you get to go to med school!!! I believe in you!!!) Please feel free to participate in the comments or separately (Pretend I tagged all of you. I’m actually really interested in what y’all have been reading haha.)

#You’re so sweet 💕💕#tag game #get to know me

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agent-troi · 2 months

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Writing Patterns

Thanks for the double tag @randomfoggytiger and @tofuttim 🫶🫶

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

Moments (this is a series of individual ficlets so I'm gonna go with the first sentence of the most recently posted installment)

“It’s really not that complicated, Scully.” She sighed and leaned her head back against his couch, using the movement primarily as an excuse to not have to look directly at him. “But Mulder, what you’re proposing… there’s no telling what effect it will have on our friendship.”

2. Driftwood Lullaby

The wind howled as the rain rattled against the windows, raising an incredible racket and making sleep impossible.

3. Secret Ingredient

“Careful.” Pike’s arm looped around Janeway’s shoulders to steady her knife-holding hand. His breath tickled the top of her head as he spoke. “You want to chop the celery, not your fingers.”

4. Revenant

Scully was absolutely, devastatingly certain she couldn’t experience a worse waking nightmare than finding Mulder dead. Then he came back to life.

5. Sweet Kisses

It was him, right? It had to be. Agent Scully is already in love. Who else could Padgett have been talking about?

7. A Most Owlish Conundrum

“Hey, Scully?” “Hmm?” “How many owls would you need to see in a day before you would think something is wrong?”

8. Beyond Antares

I pull up to the bar right as it’s closing, watching all of the drunken customers stagger out. There’s always a risk to your upholstery— not to mention your sense of smell— when you let someone who’s had too much to drink into your cab, but the entertainment they provide is usually worth it.

9. I Had A Feeling

“Can you sense anything, Counselor?” O’Brien asked her. Troi took a deep breath as she turned her senses inward before expanding her mind outward through the psionic null space that surrounded them, searching for the small yet bright thought-sparks that constituted her crewmates.

10. Eight Nights (another ficlet series so I'm going with the last and most recently posted one for this)

Mulder couldn’t explain it. When he saw the light in the sky, something inside him just said here, this is the place.

Tagging (sorry in advance for any double tags hehe😅) @keldabe-kriff @katy-kt-katie @suitablyaggrieved @mollybecameanengineer @virtie333 @skelavender @doctorbeverlycrusher @welsharcher @catharsisxf @living-in-unreality

#tag game #writing patterns #fic writing #x files #star trek tng #star trek voyager

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luna-redamancy · 2 years

Note

Could I get a Kili with the prompt of smiling in between kisses? I rlly love your writing and I was so excited when your event opened!

Hi Nonnie! Thank you for participating! I'm so glad you enjoy my writing and I hope you enjoy this little fic:

“What’re you doing?” Your voice was laced with amusement as Kili looped his arms around your waist while you stirred your pot of soup. The aroma of celery, onions, and carrots met your nostrils but so did the sudden onslaught of him. Cinnamon, fresh pine needles, and a slight lingering smell of sweat from being outside for so many hours with his brother and uncle.

“Loving on you,” He responded simply, a cheeky smile on his face as he nuzzled his face in your neck, peppering kisses in his wake.

“Goof,” You murmured your tone scolding but you were not at all upset with this sudden burst of affection from him, quite the opposite actually. You leaned into his embrace, tilting your head to the side so he could make his way from your neck to your cheeks, body feeling warm everywhere he kissed as if he sprinkled dosages of sunshine onto your skin.

Putting the lid back on your soup, you turned to face him, arms looping around his neck as his hands found their place on your lower back.

“I missed you,” Kili’s voice was soft as he pulled you ever closer to him, eyes twinkling with affection and adoration as you leaned forward to nuzzle your nose against his. “Me too,” You replied, giving him one last look before connecting your lips.

He grinned into the kiss, a smile that imprinted itself in your memory before he responded with equal intensity. Pushing every ounce of love he could muster into the softness of your lips.

Pulling away but not far enough to truly separate, you grinned, still feeling the tingling sensation in your gut despite all the years you two have shared side by side.

“Kiss me again, please?” Kili dragged your attention back to his, pupils dilated, his tongue flickering out to wet his bottom lip, and in the process slightly dragging against yours.

You responded to his question with a simple answer, another kiss that left you both with smiles.

Tags-

Tags in Bold mean that Tumblr will not let me tag you, please check your blog visibility setting! If you don’t have your blog visible, Tumblr doesn’t allow people to tag you.

Forever Tag

@lady-of-lies @all-things-fandomstuck @fizzyxcustard @izzydaelleth @aquaangel18 @raindancer2004 @love-colorfulglittercollection @ladylouoflothlorien @ten-tenya-iida @legolaslovely @bthtallmadge2 @abesottedlass @wilhelmyna @tigereyesf @aspookybunny @keijibum @moony-artnstuff @sirkekselord @guardianofrivendell @fluffymadamina @izbelross @fandomhoe101 @acahope311 @kitkatd7 @mooseetx @themerriweathermage @elvish-sky @bitter-sweet-farmgirl @laurfilijames @frequentlychangingfandoms @cameronsails @linasofia @starryeyedrogue @shethereadinghobbit @beenovel @onlystarshere @fckmini @spidergirla5 @i-did-not-mean-to @lathalea @myselfandfantasy @strange-old-worlds @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore @broken-ghost @mbruben-stein

Kili Tag @greennightspider @ashleygrrrl @skylarkvip @narnvaeron @queenofmankind @sadndnboii-reads @gothamchic16 @kinnietingzs

#kili x reader #kili the hobbit #reader-insert #the hobbit fanfiction #the hobbit imagines #fluff #the hobbit x reader #jrr tolkien #fanfic #xreader #the hobbit #fanfiction #kili x you #kili fanfic #kili durin #the hobbit reader insert #hobbit #the hobbit fluff

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dumb-homo-tool · 3 months

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also if its multiple put it in tags !!!

#some of these apply to me #some of them dont #you'll never know!#unless you do #hyperspecific poll #polls

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snowandwolves · 4 months

Note

yooyoyo it's the lengthy ask anon (i nearly typed "ass anon" and that should give you a clue as to how crazy this week has been jfc) back again with some qs because the lighthouse au will forever be in my heart 💕

is there anything you learned about Ava through writing this fic, particularly being in her pov?

uh do you think they ever revisited that conversation about public acts?

is there any particular places you see them visiting together? places Ava visits by herself?

what made you pick "Somebody to Love" as the heartbreak of the century?

did they ever play with the ouija board or the um other things they found in the everything shed?

how did you come up with the idea of Suzanne restoring the truck?

do you think Bea ever gets good enough at cooking that she has dishes she confidently makes for Ava?

which martial arts does Bea have proficiency in?

do you have an idea as to what distracted Bea to leave the rations storage door open?

also after that, when Ava went into town and showed Mary, Cam, and Lilith that "proof of life" pic, just how much shit did they give Bea?

as always, pick and choose or ignore, i totally don't mind - i hope your week has been good and if not, that the weekend gives you some respite! (or at the minimum some yummy veggies? lol'd hard at your tags about broccoli bc i couldn't help but think about Ava making that comment about her asshole in chapter two lololol)

hard relate on the crazy week because that has been me this past week and this is genuinely the first day i feel like i have room to breathe lmao i hope you’ve been having a gentler, slower time this week though! 🥺 right, ok, on to the questions 😂

1. just like,,, how complex of a character she is. in the show, you know she loves life, you know that she’s a glutton for experiences, you know that she wants to live more than anyone else. but when you really get down to how much she’s had to survive to get to that point—all the pain and suffering and grief—you can’t help but love her more. especially, when i had to ask myself how she must’ve felt. that… was an experience lmao

2. yes. ava had to shop for underwear at some point…?

3. GRANDPOP OLIVER! i was genuinely so sad i couldn’t find a way to get him into the story, but in my head, he’s alive and kicking and prone to bursting into tears in the presence of his pseudo-granddaughter. ugh, i wanted to write that reunion 😭

4. this is gonna sound nerdy, but with ava’s age and her mom’s, i figured it was the song that would make the most sense considering what music was like at the time. I Will by The Beatles was also a contender though.

5. ouija board is a horrible idea in a huge ass compound where there’s no other person for miles and miles 😂 as for the uh other things, i’d say they’d have a conversation about it but bea would prolly be like “who knows whose bodily fluids that leather has soaked up”

6. genuinely have no idea 💀 i was like “oh they prolly need a car but also no one to do maintenance here so,,, maybe suzanne knows how” and just went with it 😂

7. yes!!! ava would teach her how and they have fun with it while they google recipes and the cultural background of each dish together. i’m thinking bea would make her waffles from scratch and ava cries into it because she used to have it with her mom 🥹

8. aikido is one. i remember doing research for that for sixth to the ninth hour lmao as for the others, imma say she’s prolly a jack of all trades type (though this is more because i don’t know which to pick. she seems like she could do it all)

9. actually i did think about this 😂 bea definitely didn’t mean to. it’s just the door gave up being a door and it didn’t close properly. she didn’t think to check because she didn’t expect the door to… not door 💀

10. a hell of a lot. so much so that bea put her phone on do not disturb as soon as ava got back with the groceries 😂

ok but what are your thoughts on celery 😭 jk, thank you again for this anon!!! 💙

#ask

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duckymcdoorknob · 2 years

Text

After five long days! My promised super fluffy HXH fic!!!

PS: Kurapika and Leorio could be seen as dating, but they also could not be! It’s up to you! 💓

Slip of the Tongue

Ships: NONE DO NOT TAG AS SHIP OR I’LL EAT YOU.

Warnings: Brief mentions of a nightmare, H*soka mention, injury mentions, super fluff aside from that.

Prompt: He never means to say it, it just happens. He could never seem to catch himself before it happened, until the one day he truly wanted to say it.

The five times Gon accidentally calls Leorio “dad” and the one time he meant to.

Tags: General taglist! @littlebbyleesfw, @0s0me0n30, and @justanunknown.

Plus my wife @tohrusoftie bc ily and this is cute and I think you’ll like it, and my papa @lonely-occultist bc HxH

Mito Freecs once told her nephew’s friends that they were always welcome at her home. She never imagined the frequency of times that they would take her up on that offer, not that she minded. Most times she’d forget that the boys that came to her home didn’t really have the best, if any, family at all. But, she could never complain about having extra guests over to polish off her Thanksgiving leftovers.

To show their gratitude, all four boys decided that they wanted to help out Mito with the preparations this year. Killua helped her set the table, Kurapika was in charge of cooking the turkey, and Leorio and Gon were in charge of sides.

Gon and Leorio had a… fun time with their dishes. The younger boy insisted that he could handle all of the cooking on his own, but after two dropped potatoes and spilled milk, it was evident that he could not.

“Okay, so let’s take things slow.” Leorio stated, hands behind his back, tying a bow on the apron given to him. “What would you like to make first?”

“Let’s make stuffing first!” The green-haired boy chirped, rushing to grab a stool to stand on.

“Okie doke. Let’s look at all of the ingredients we need, and the processes involved.” Leorio replied, grabbing Mito’s cookbook off of the shelf. “We need… some bread cubes, carrot, onion, celery, chicken stock aaaaaand some butter.”

“Can I help cut things?” Gon inquired, adjusting the little chef hat adorning his sparkly eyes.

“Yes, but be very careful.” The older male replied, grabbing a knife from the block.

The boy watched his friend intently, taking in exactly how small Leorio had sliced the onion. He deduced that Leorio wanted him to cut the carrots and celery at the same size.

“I’m gonna go check on Kurapika. He said he was going to help your grandma out in the garden. Please be very careful; your aunt is just in the other room if you need help.”

“Okay! Thanks!” With that, Gon got to work carefully slicing away at the carrots in front of him. He was content, happily humming a tune as he carefully cut through the vegetables. His ears tuned in to Mito and Killua chatting on the couch, and he noticed Leorio, Grandma and Kurapika entering the room to chat with them.

When he finished cutting the carrots, and put them in the bowl, Gon discovered that he didn’t know how to prepare the celery.

So, he called for Leorio. At least… he thought he did.

“Uhhh. I need some help! I don’t know how to cut the celery. Hey dad can you help me?”

He furrowed his brows when he saw five heads turning towards him. Was there something on his face? Was it something he said? What did-

“Hang on, buddy, I’m on the way.” Leorio announced, standing up to make his way into the kitchen.

“Yeah, dad. Go help your kid.” Killua dared to tease.

“Waaaaah! Did I really call you dad?” Gon cried from the kitchen.

Surely it was just a fluke?

“It’s okay! It happens to the best of us.” Though he tried to hide it, no one could miss the wobbly smile that decorated Leorio’s features as he rushed out of the room.

———

Sometimes, Gon forgot that he was still just a kid. Sure, he had the stamina and power of a deity, and an inhumanely high pain tolerance, but he was still just barely a teenager. Kurapika deduced that he felt older because he was forced to grow up faster than other twelve year olds. Regardless of what others thought his age was, Gon was still a child.

And children had a high tendency to become ungodly sleepy at any given moment. Unfortunately for Gon, he was having one of those moments while he was hanging out in Leorio and Kurapika’s hotel room.

“Are you sure you’re awake, Gon?” Leorio asked with a cheeky smile.

“Most definitely!” The boy replied, eyes opening suddenly.

“Really? What was Killua just talking about then?” The oldest male inquired, seeing right through the boy’s defenses.

“Uhhh… Greed Island, yeah!”

The ex-assassin couldn’t help but chuckle, “Well yeah, but not exactly. I told them that we were saving our Jenny for the Yorknew Auction.”

“Yeah! I was totally paying attention.” The green-haired boy replied with a smile.

As time passed, Gon was meeting his maker. He did not want to go to sleep at all. The young hunter was relishing the tender moment between him and his friends, knowing that if he went to sleep now, they may never have a moment like this again.

“Gon? You still with us?” Kurapika inquired, causing two more pairs of eyes to fall upon the boy.

With his head laying on his arms, which rested atop the coffee table, the green-haired Hunter shot his friends a thumbs up. The three laughed, for Gon’s sagging eyelids brought his lie out to pasture. When the attention turned back to Kurapika’s nen stories, the boy watched his friend’s lips move with sleepy eyes.

“He’s barely conscious, Leorio. Should we let him go on like this?” The blonde asked suddenly, for he couldn’t help but worry for the little guy’s neck, and how much pain he would be in if he continued to lay there.

“You’ve got a point.” The med student replied, biting the inside of his cheek.

“If he’s awake enough to walk is the question.” Killua butted into the conversation.

“The two of you weigh like a hundred pounds.” Leorio stated matter-of-factly, “I can just carry him to bed.

The brown-haired male knelt down behind a barely awake Gon, placing a warm hand on the boy’s back. “Hey, buddy. Ready for bed?”

The green-haired boy didn’t reply. Instead, he lifted his head, rubbed his eyes, turned to face a smiling Leorio, and latched onto the older male, with arms around his neck.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” The med student said with a chuckle. “I’ll be right back.” He announced to the other two males in the room.

The gentle rumbling in Leorio’s chest, from his talking, only lulled the boy to sleep more. The older male opened the door, and quietly stepped next door to Gon and Killua’s hotel room.

“Okay, I’m gonna put you down n-“

“Noooo. Stay with me.” The sleepy boy demanded in a voice that was just above a whisper.

The med student smiled fondly, settling down onto Gon’s bed. He held the boy close, humming a gentle song.

The young hunter mumbled a quick message to the man holding him securely. “Thanks for staying with me.” A yawn followed. Then, “Goodnight, dad. I love you.” Gon didn’t even realize that he had said it, for he promptly fell into a deep sleep after the word was uttered.

The warmth that blossomed in Leorio’s chest was no stranger to him. He had felt it once before on Thanksgiving day. As he held the sweet boy close to him, he pondered heavily upon the accidental nickname given to him… again.

“I love you too, little guy. You’ll always be safe with me.” The med student kissed the crown of Gon’s head carefully, fearing he would somehow wake the snoozing boy in his arms.

———

On the off days that Gon and Killua had the ability to just go out and be kids, they seized the opportunity instantly. There wasn’t a specific thing that they liked to do, so to say, they just enjoyed each others’ company and the leisure time. On one specific day, the two boys had a mission: teach Gon to skateboard.

In their defense, Killua was holding his hands the entire time. They just… didn’t see the stairwell. In an attempt to keep the boy from falling down the stairs, Killua yanked his friend’s hands upward, causing Gon to land on his feet.

Unfortunately, he landed on the side of his right foot, promptly twisting his ankle in the process. The white-haired boy cocked an eyebrow at his friend, an unspoken check-in. When Gon didn’t reply, Killua pursed his lips and began to guide his friend toward the abandoned board.

After one step on his right foot, the green-haired hunter yelped and fell on his butt. “Agh! Killua wait! Something’s wrong!”

Killua’s eyes widened, and he wasted no time placing his friend on his back. He grabbed the culprit from the base of the stairwell, and carefully rode home. If Gon lived to tell the tale, the two of them would be in a serious pickle afterward.

The two boys made it back to Leorio’s apartment (safely, thankfully), and burst through the front door. “Hey! Leorio, Kurapika!” Killua called in a panic, “Gon’s hurt!”

Upon hearing their name, and the young boy’s tone, the two males raced into the foyer. Their hearts dropped when they saw Gon on Killua’s back, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

“Killua, give me Gon. Kurapika, sit down with Killua and find out what happened.” Leorio was uncharacteristically calm. The blonde deduced it was to keep the young ones calm.

The white-haired boy obliged, carefully transferring his friend from one piggyback ride to another. As he sat down with Kurapika to share their tale of woe, the brown-haired male disappeared down the hallway. Leorio settled the injured boy down on his own bed, kneeling down to his level. “Where does it hurt, buddy?”

A sheepish Gon carefully kicked his right foot up with a sniffle. The med student carefully took off the boy’s shoe and took his foot in between two fingers. Gently pulling the sock down a little revealed a mess of blue and purple on his ankle. Yep, definitely just a twist.

“Oh dear…” Leorio mumbled, taking his time to examine. “Gon… it looks like…”

More tears rushed to the poor boy’s eyes as he awaited his diagnosis.

“It looks like…” the med student couldn’t help the smile that broke out over his features, “you’re gonna be just fine.”

Gon sighed in relief, thankfully it wasn’t as bad as his mind had convinced him it was. He wiped his eyes with a chuckle. “Phew. That makes me feel better, thanks dad.”

Both males looked up and stared at each other for a moment with wide eyes. They both sat blinking for at least a second, registering Gon’s usage of the nickname, again. The boy’s ears subsequently sported a gorgeous scarlet hue. “Aaagh! How do I always manage to do that?!”

The med student couldn’t help the chuckles that erupted from his chest, “C’mere kiddo.” He pulled his patient into a tight embrace. “Not to worry, son. No matter what, Doctor Leorio will always fix you right up without fail!”

The two stayed in their embrace for a while, for both males enjoyed the contact greatly. Leorio wondered if this is what Ging missed out on: the sweet and tender, no to mention accidentally embarrassing, moments. The brown-haired male soon felt the familiar warm feeling in his chest once again. When it dawned on him that he got these moments with Gon before his actual father did, it made him feel… happy in a way.

———

Christmastime on Whale Island has to be Gon’s favorite place in the world. All of the townspeople get together and rig up lights on every single tree. Moreover, Aunt Mito lets him help in the kitchen. This year, his friends were over for Christmas. That meant that the boy had to make at least three dozen more cookies.

The morning before Christmas Eve came quickly. Gon awoke quite early, prepared to help his Aunt with the cookies. He out of bed, got dressed, and raced to the kitchen. Like he does every time he cooks, he placed his chef hat on his head, and had Mito tie his apron.

“Okay, Gon. I have to help your grandmother wrap the extra gifts. Do you think you can handle baking on your own this year?” Mito asked as she rested a hand on her nephew’s shoulder.

“Uh huh! I’ve watched you enough times to know what to do!” The young hunter chirped in reply, dragging the recipe book toward him.

“I’ll leave you to it.” The woman chimed as she exited the kitchen, “Oh, good morning boys!” She greeted as she saw the others on her way out.

“Morning, Mito!” Killua replied with a smile. He approached his best friend, glancing over his shoulder at the recipe book, “Cookies?”

“Cookies!” The green-haired boy replied excitedly, “Wanna help?”

With heavy persuasion from Gon, each of the three males in the kitchen were somehow involved in the cookie baking process. Killua made fridge and pantry runs for ingredients, Kurapika was in charge of the butter and sugar mixture, and Leorio oversaw the entire disasterprocess.

“Man, Kurapika, you’re a natural at this.” Leorio noted after stealing a glance at the focused blonde’s handiwork.

“Oh, really? It’s not much talent, more so following instructions.” The Kurta replied with a tinge of sheepishness.

“Oh and you’re so good at that.” The med student dared to tease, swiping some loose flour off the counter and tapping the boy’s nose with it.

Kurapika tried to look offended, his mouth agape and glare sharp as a tack, but Gon’s sudden giggling made it hard to stay stoic for long.

“Killua look, Kurapika has flour on his nose.” The young hunter said through his laughter.

“Wow…” Killua replied, “Are you gonna stand for this, Kurapika?”

The blonde looked between his two younger friends, and a cross-armed, brow quirked, Leorio. He pondered upon his answer for a moment. “Nope!”

The left side of the kitchen was filled with Kurapika’s occasional yelps, and the older boys’ war cries and laughter. On the right side, Gon couldn’t help but smile to himself.

“Ging would’ve loved you guys.” The young hunter said as he dumped the required powders into a large bowl.

“You say that like we’ll never find him.” Killua replied, looking up at his best friend’s face. “We will.”

Gon sighed, looking at Killua, then at the portrait hanging in the hallway. “We will.”

When all of the dry ingredients were mixed and ready, the green-haired boy knew it was time for the egg mixture. So, without averting his gaze from the photograph, he asked if it was ready.

“Hey I’m all finished here, did Kurapika finish his part, dad?”

The laughter and war cries came to an abrupt halt, all eyes focused on the young boy.

“Dude!” Killua hissed, “That’s Leorio!”

“A-“ Gon’s mouth hung agape as he frantically looked between the painting and a flour-covered Leorio. “I was- the painting- I… waaaaah! I do this so often now, it’s not even funny!“

“Heh, yeah. Leorio might as well be your dad now, you know, with the amount of times you’ve called him it.” the white-haired boy teased in response.

Upon hearing this comment, Leorio looked at Kurapika with a gentle flush on his face. The blonde knew exactly what was in his friend’s mind, and smiled back at him. To add even more fuel to the fire in his mind, the warm feeling in Leorio’s chest came back. It seemed that the universe was trying to tell him something…

“Hey, Kurapika… I’ve got a crazy idea.”

———

As a hunter, a person is exposed to dangers both big and small. From the smallest frog, to the largest foxbear, even to other hunters. For Gon, he had his fair share of experiences from all three of those things. On a particularly stormy night, the young hunter found himself plagued with nightmares.

Dream after dream, monster after monster, the poor boy could just not escape his own mind. Though he awoke a few times in the night, he was able to go back to sleep.

Until one specific dream pulled him away from the desired peaceful slumber. Gon thought that he had seen the last of this person. He thought that he had left them behind at Heaven’s Arena, and that his life would finally be safe and happy.

Unfortunately Hisoka followed him everywhere, including in his bad dreams…

Leorio looked up from his crossword puzzle with a sudden start, catching the attention of the blonde seated next to him. “Something wrong, Leorio?”

“I thought that I heard something. Maybe I’m just hypersensitive from work today.” The med student replied, closing his eyes gently. He kept his ears on alert, listening intently to the silence in his apartment.

A sudden cry grabbed both males’ attention.

“NO! GET AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Without a need for words, the two were on their feet and bounding down the hallway.

When they reached Gon and Killua’s bedroom, they were met with the white-haired boy kneeling at his best friend’s bedside. He looked distraught, as if he was scared to wake the boy.

“It’s okay, Killua.” Kurapika whispered, “Come here.” He held out a hand.

While wiping his eyes, Killua trudged over to the blonde’s side and held his hand. “I couldn’t wake him up. Well… I didn’t have it in me. I think he’ll be more scared if we try to touch him.”

“Hey, Kurapika, can you get Killua something to drink for me? I’ll stay here with Gon.” After confirmation from his friend, Leorio stepped quickly, but cautiously, over to the bedside. He knelt down and waited, for Killua was right, touching him and waking him would only make Gon more scared.

Fortunately, the brown-haired male didn’t have to wait much longer. Gon shot up from his bed with an anguished shriek. As he panted and readjusted to reality, the young hunter focused on the hand that gently warmed his back.

Gon looked to his left to see Leorio kneeling next to his bed, sporting a sympathetic look that couldn’t even be described with words. “H-He’s not here… is he?”

“Who, buddy?” The med student moved in a little closer, hoping to hear the boy’s quiet words.

“Hisoka… he’s- he’s not gonna get us… right?”

“No, Gon. Everyone is safe, and Hisoka is no where near here.” The hand that Leorio had on the boy’s back began to gently rub up and down, “It’s okay.”

Out of nowhere, all of the fears that Gon had experienced in his dream came out in the form of heavy sobs. Leorio was quick to wrap the boy in a hug, holding him close. “I-I was so scared! H-Hisoka he… D-Don’t ever let him get us! You ha-have to promise me! Dad please!”

“I promise you. Everyone is safe here, little guy. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. Kurapika and Killua are in the kitchen, and you and I are right here. There’s no one else at home besides the four of us.” The brown-haired male soothed, gently rocking the boy back and forth.

“Please don’t go. I’m… im scared to go back to sleep.” The boy whispered through his hysterics, not wanting to see the frightening face that he had just previously been exposed to.

“How about…” the med student began, causing Gon’s bleary eyes to meet his, “We all have a sleepover. We can set up our pillows and blankets in the living room, and we can put on that one movie about the singing skeletons that you and Killua love so much.”

“We can watch Coco?” The boy asked with a sniffle, bringing a hand up to wipe his eyes. The sweet look on his face absolutely warmed Leorio to the core… the funny feeling in his chest lingering for reasons unknown.

“Yes Gon, we can watch anything you’d like.”

———

Gon stood anxiously in the foyer of Leorio’s apartment, peering out of the window as often as possible. He couldn’t stay in his and Killua’s bedroom any longer, for he was too nervous. The deluge of pouring rain made it hard to see, but he still had to try. Any time that he wasn’t met with the desired sight, his heart began to race as tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

Leorio was late.

He was never late.

In this weather, the young hunter could only assume that the worst had happened.

“He’s okay, Gon. The rain is heavy, so he’s probably backed up at the hospital.” Kurapika’s soft voice entered his ears, as he felt two hands holding his shoulders. Gon deduced that his friend had come from the master bedroom, where he had priorly been reading. “I promise you, Leorio will come home.”

“H-How do you know?” The boy whispered, tears finally falling.

“He just does.” This time, it was Killua’s turn to help. The white-haired boy appeared in front of Gon, and wiped his best friend’s tears with his thumbs. “I’m sure the old man stopped for milk and eggs, like he always does. You know how much he loves going to the stupid market.”

“Yeah…” the boy sniffled, “I hope he brings us all home a cookie again.” His voice was tiny, but he couldn’t bring himself to talk any louder.

With a sudden accompaniment of falling rain, the front door opened. A very soaked Leorio exhaled loudly, and shut the door with his foot, since his hands were full of shopping bags. He placed the bags on the ground, and began to speak to his friends as he took his shoes off. “Man, it’s really coming down out there. I figured that I should stop and get us some flashlights and cookies in case if we lose elect- Gon? What’s the matter buddy?”

The young hunter’s tears had began falling faster out of nothing but pure relief. He was home… Leorio was finally home safe. His best friend, his favorite kitchen partner, his go-to story reader, his… his… his-

“DAD!” Gon cried out, jumping into the med student’s arms and lamenting all of his anxieties.

“I’ve got you buddy, I’m here. It’s okay… everything is alright.” Leorio hummed, running a hand along the back of the boy’s head. “Please don’t cry, Gon. I’m so sorry that I scared you.” He knelt down, sitting on the backs of his calves, and held the boy as if he would disappear.

Kurapika and Killua watched the scene unfold in front of them, hearts both breaking and warming at the sweet moment. Eventually, the green-haired boy trusted that Leorio wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon, but his nerves were still settling slowly. “Y-you can’t leave, ever again. Do you he-hear me? Never.”

“Never ever?” The older male teased, gently kissing the young hunter’s forehead. “Not even for school?”

“No. Never ever.” Gon replied, burying his face into the med student’s chest. “You can’t go anywhere ever again, we can send Kurapika for milk and eggs, or we can all take turns.”

“Aw man, that’s like my favorite thing to buy at the store though.” Leorio faked displeasure upon hearing the statement.

Gon looked up at him, “Okay maybe for milk and eggs, but I’m coming with you.” The low rumble that escaped Leorio’s chest provided even more comfort to the boy.

“You’ve got yourself a deal.” The brown-haired male replied.

“Good.” The young hunter replied sleepily, a yawn following his demands.

“How about I take you to bed, little guy?” Leorio asked softly, carefully standing to his feet.

“Only if you stay with me. You’re not allowed to leave.”

“And why is that?” The med student asked, mouthing a few words to his friends, then walking down the hall to the master bedroom. He settled into his own bed, ensuring Gon’s comfort,

The boy cuddled up to his chest, “Because I finally have a real dad that loves me, and I don’t want to lose him.” After that statement, the older male was sure that Gon had fallen asleep.

With a single tear trickling down his cheek, Leorio held the sleeping boy tightly. “I love you so much, little guy. You, and our little family. I’m so glad that you all agreed to live here with me.” Leorio had the gentle sound of falling rain, and the all-too familiar feeling of blossoming warmth in his chest, to keep him company as he waited for the boy to fall asleep.

Nothing but silence filled the room as he pressed a gentle kiss to Gon’s forehead. He looked up to see Kurapika and Killua waiting patiently for him. Leorio smiled and pat the bed beneath him, inviting the rest of his family to join him and Gon.

When all four of them were snuggled close in bed, a whispered voice broke the silence in the room.

“I love you too, dad.”

—————♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎—————

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randofanficrecs · 8 months

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Today's random fic is brought to you by the Ready Jet Go!(cartoon) fandom, When It Rains by bluffscove

Chapters: 1/1 Words: 912 Fandom: Ready Jet Go! (Cartoon) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Jet Propulsion (Ready Jet Go), Sydney Skelley, Sean Rafferty, Mindy Melendez, Carrot Propulsion, Celery Propulsion, Sunspot Propulsion, Face 9000 Additional Tags: Rain, takes place during early season 1, a little bit after Jet arrived on Earth, One Shot Language: English Summary: Jet experiences Earth rain for the first time.

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strafethesesinners · 2 years

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WIP holy crap I actually have something day

tagged by many many people over the past few weeks but most recently I think by @direwombat @socially-awkward-skeleton @clicheantagonist @adelaidedrubman @henbased @ishwaris and @multiverse-of-themind

Tagging: @unleashed111 @depyotee @deputyash @harmonyowl @nuclearstorms @belorage @unholymilf @purplehairsecretlair @derelictheretic @josephslittledeputy @a-far-cry-from-my-main @havingsomemorejohnlarks @amistrio @cobb-vanthss @chyrstis and whoever else feels like sharing

Here’s a little scene from my uh still technically not begun reworked fic, a little ways down the line after John’s been kicked out. Other than that not sure exactly where this fits I just wanted to get it out here

John slipped from between two large supply crates towards a stack of barrels, as quickly as he dared. It was risky, but he had to hear what Joseph and Jacob were saying as they moved toward Cooper’s cage.

“…..due respect, Joseph, you don’t know this man,” Jacob’s gruff voice came through faintly but clearly as John’s two brothers walked a few feet from him.

“I do know him, Jacob,” Joseph’s voice was stern, but soft, always calm unless he had a reason to raise it for emphasis. John felt a twist to his stomach at the sound of it. The last time he had heard that voice, Joseph had been handing down his sentence. Not shouting, but in a ringing and final tone that quelled all argument.

“The Voice showed him to me long before he appeared in our church that night, long before he came to our county, even,” Joseph continued.

“Yes, Joseph, I understand that but…”

“You think the Voice was wrong? Or I perhaps misinterpreted it?”

“No of course not, I just don’t see what we have to gain by keeping this man alive, he’s” Jacob paused, clearly searching for the right words, “a menace.”

John knew exactly how Jacob was feeling. Cooper had caused Eden’s Gate no end of trouble since the war had begun. It was a miracle they had caught him at all. It must be difficult for a military man like Jacob to keep such an obvious threat alive. But Joseph must have his reasons, for which John was grateful. He hadn’t protested when Jacob had thrown Cooper in a cage; starved him, beat him. He was on thin enough ice with his eldest brother as it was. But at his core, he did not wish to see Cooper die.

Joseph and Jacob had stopped just in front of the cage holding the deputy. Carefully, John crouch walked between two empty cages close by, keeping the one draped in tarp between him and Joseph’s line of sight. He peaked out; Joseph was turned toward Jacob and Cooper so John felt he should be alright to watch if he kept still and quiet. Staci Pratt stood nearby, cowering, watching. Cooper was lying on the ground, apparently asleep, but sat up as the two men approached the cage. Joseph motioned for Jacob to stay back a step. John swallowed at how slowly and weakly Cooper moved.

“I know you’re in pain,” Joseph murmured, voicing John’s thoughts aloud, almost too softly to hear, “the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away….”

Joseph crouched in front of the cage, bringing himself to Cooper’s eye level. Cooper watched him, his expression completely blank. John chewed at his lips nervously. Joseph was much too close. Jacob also shifted uncomfortably, clearly of the same mind as John. But he did nothing.

“You know I had a wife once?” Joseph began, rolling up his sleeve to expose the tattoo of his long dead spouse. Then he stuck his arm through the bars of the cage.

John bit down hard on his knuckles to avoid shouting a warning; Jacob leapt forward. But it was too late.

Cooper moved with the speed of a striking rattlesnake; he grabbed Joseph’s arm and snapped it against the bars like a stick of celery.

Joseph cried out, lurching backwards, but again, not fast enough. Cooper reached through the bars, wrapping his vice like hands around Joseph’s throat. He jerked Joseph forward, slamming his head against the bars, and began to squeeze.

“Pratt! Get that cage open now!” Jacob barked. He dashed forward and gripped Cooper’s arm, trying to prise his hands loose, all while Joseph spluttered hideously.

“Fuck!” Jacob swore as his efforts came to nothing, he let go and drew his hand gun, pointing it at Cooper’s head.

“Let go,” he growled, “let go or I’ll kill you now and face the consequences.”

Cooper glared up at him, his face twisted into an animalistic half snarl, half grin, but did not loosen his grip. Joseph’s grew redder and redder. Pratt fumbled with the keys but he was taking too long. Jacob steadied his hands and fired.

John’s stomach dropped. All the air stolen from his lungs. He fell against the side of the cage next to him in shock; most likely making too much noise but no one was paying attention. Then he saw Cooper fall back finally, bleeding from his arm, and sank to the ground in relief. Joseph was safe. Cooper wasn’t safe but he wasn’t dead either. Jacob pulled Joseph back away from the cage as the Father groaned in pain.

“Helicopter! Now!” Jacob shouted orders at his men who were just now appearing to investigate the gunshot, “the father is hurt!”

“The father is hurt!” The message passed through the men who scattered, fetching help as if their own lives were at stake. Pratt finally unlocked Cooper’s cage.

“You,” Jacob snapped at him, “see to his wound, and be careful! I’ll deal with you later.”

Jacob lifted Joseph carefully and hurried away. John exhaled slowly once they were out of sight. He was shaking. He realized his knuckles were bleeding where he had bitten them. He used the bars of the cage to pull himself to his feet and walked over to Cooper’s cage, where Pratt was wrapping a gauze around the bullet wound in Cooper’s arm. A film of sweat shone on Cooper’s brow and he was grimacing, but still he said nothing; made no sound.

“Cooper,” John croaked, and the deputy looked up, meeting John’s gaze defiantly. “Why?”

Cooper stared at him for the longest time, then finally, he just shrugged.

#wip Saturday #wip Friday #it’s both ok #oc: Cooper McCoy #John Seed #John Seed/oc #Joseph Seed #Jacob Seed #far cry 5 #far cry 5 oc #fc5 fic #far cry 5 fanfic #fc5 fanfic

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