#i have... up to chapter 13 written out already c: so no worries about if i can keep up with this or not for now | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thegingerwriter · 4 years

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The Vegas of Hollywood- JaTP: Reggie x She/Her Reader- Part 1

NOT MY GIF. CREDIT TO CREATOR. IT IS A PRETTY BEAUTIFUL GIF.

(I usually don’t ever put gifs on my fics so we’ll see how this goes)

Requests: a) Reggie always hugging reader and just being a soft little fluff ball in public, like at the orpheum. The guys teasing him but he just agrees and continues being Reg

b) Can you please do something with Reggie from Julie and the phantoms?

c) Julie and the Phantoms x reader where they have a nickname for her that they use more than Y/n. I thought Vegas was cute. Like she’s energetic and lights up a room and stuff. Maybe she pretends to hate it but she absolutely adores it?

Pair: Reggie x reader

Words: 1.5k. It’s more of a prologue!

Warnings: None fam. PG 13.

Perspective: 3rd person for this chapter

Pronouns: She/Her

Note: I wanted to start a new series ever since finishing Julie and the Phantoms and then I got requests and got some proper inspiration. Lemme know if you’d like to be tagged!

“It’s now or never!” All the boys sang the last line of the song as they played their final chords. Out of breath and sweaty, they all looked out into the empty venue, imagining exactly what playing in front of a full, packed and excited audience would be like that night.

“Dude, that was so good!” Luke yelled, high-fiving Bobby next to him.

Alex got up from his drums and walked over to Reggie, who clapped him on the back excitedly.

“Okay Alex, man, you were on fire!” Reggie exclaimed, causing Alex to go shy and look at his feet slightly.

“Oh, no- I was just warming up. You guys were the ones on fire.”

“Could you just own your awesomeness for once?” Reggie rolled his eyes, holding a finger up to Alex. “If Y/n was here for that song, you know she would agree.”

The four boys on the stage all turned their heads at once when they heard a single person excitedly clapping from the bar at the back of the room, their cheers and whoops echoing around the space, causing the boys to smile- one of them in particular beaming far more than the others.

“Y/n!” They all yelled excitedly, gently putting down their instruments before bouncing off the stage.

“I’m so sorry that I’m late, I had an issue with the van, and I know that I missed the sound check, but hopefully there’s enough time after we get dinner for one more practice with me-” The young girl was cut off as she was half squeezed to death by a crushing hug from the boy in the leather jacket.

“Jesus, Reg- don’t kill the poor girl.” Alex laughed. “And don’t worry about it Y/n. We weren’t playing without our lead pianist and singer on purpose- but the guys were getting restless and we needed to let off some steam-”

“It’s all good, Alex. And by the way, I thought you were pretty awesome.” Y/n smiled and winked at him before squealing as Reggie squeezed her again.

“Reg, if you kill my best friend- I’ll kill you.” Alex said, laughing as he said it, failing to make it seem like he didn’t actually mean it.

“I mean, what a way to die,” She laughed as the boy hugging her took this as an invitation to lift her up. “No wait, REGGIE THAT WASN’T LITERAL!”

“Surely you’d still love me, even if we were dead?” Reggie laughed as he eventually put her down. He shrugged his signature jacket off his shoulders, automatically handing it to Y/n. She had once shyly asked for it- and now he just seemed to give her any clothes he had on him that he wasn’t immediately in need of. It soon just became unsurprising to their bandmates when Y/n would just rock up in one of Reggie’s shirts, the boys not really wanting to ask about it anyway.

Y/n laughed at Reggie’s previous question. “Hmm. I’d have to think about that one.”

Among all of the loving interaction that seemed to happen more often then the other band members could count- Y/n, Reggie and Alex noticed Luke and Bobby chatting up a girl next to the bar, the other boys’ demeanor practically screaming that they were already flirting.

“Oh, here we go.” Y/n laughed, leaning into Alex as the tall boy slung an arm over her shoulders while the three of them walked towards the bar.

“...you guys were really good.” Y/n heard the girl say as they stopped next to the two other boys.

“Tell your friends!” Reggie chimed in excitedly, interrupting the conversation.

“No seriously. I was really feeling it.” The girl insisted, causing all of them to break out in smiles- even Y/n, despite not being present to sing for the soundcheck.

Bobby laughed awkwardly, giving the girl his best smile before snapping his head towards us. “Weren’t you guys getting hot dogs?” He turned back with his sweet smile again. “I’m a vegetarian.Could never hurt an animal.”

“Too good for us now, are you Bobby?” Y/n teased, causing the boys to chuckle as Bobby shot her a glare.

“Though he is right, I am starving and I need energy before the show.” Reggie said, Luke and Alex nodding while Y/n roller her eyes. The four of them, minus Bobby, began to walk towards the back entrance of the venue.

“Oh wait-“ Luke turned towards the girl again. “He had a hamburger for lunch!” He exclaimed, before running after his other band mates.

They all laughed as they walked out into the back alley that the Orpheum led out to, eager for food.

As they walked together towards where they knew they would find food, Y/n unexpectedly jumped on Reggie’s back, causing him to have to desperately throw his hands out behind him in order to hold her properly and not let her hit the ground.

“Jeez babe give me some WARNING!” Reggie laughed, spinning her around, resulting in her laugh being projected throughout the alleyway.

“Yea, calm down, Vegas.” Luke said, jumping out of the way as Y/n threw her foot out to kick him. Reggie lightly swatted at her leg in response.

“Hey, no violence up there young lady.” He said, pretending she was in trouble.

“But he called me Vegas.” Y/n pouted, shooting a glare at Luke.

Alex adjusted his hat, laughing at the girl's defense. “It’s a very fitting nickname, and an even cooler stage name. You can’t tell me it’s a lie to say that the fans also love it.”

“I still don’t get it.” Y/n grumbled.

“You’re loud and stay up till ungodly hours of the night. Sounds just like Vegas to me.” Luke laughed and he would have been hit by her swinging leg if Reggie hadn’t grabbed both her ankles to prevent her from doing so.

Reggie adjusted his girlfriend on his back. “I like to call you Vegas because you’re great at keeping secrets, you light up all hours of the day and night, and people are just dying to get to see you.” He said, putting her down as they reached Sam and Ella’s Street Dogs.

Y/n’s face went hot at the compliment, causing Reggie to smile and pull her into his side, leaning down slightly to kiss her forehead.

“You know what? You can call me Vegas, just for that.” Y/n said sweetly, pulling on his jacket to bring him down to kiss him on the cheek.

They were interrupted as Luke pretended to be annoyed. “Gosh, would you look at these two!”

Alex shook his head disapprovingly, but he couldn’t hold the smile back. “Can not take them anywhere.”

Luke and Reggie volunteered to get the hot dogs while Alex and Y/n went to snatch a spare couch under a veranda many people in the street went to eat their food on a Friday night.

Alex plopped down onto the couch, leaving enough room for Y/n to sit down next to him before pushing her back against the side of the couch and throwing her legs over Alex’s lap. He routinely threw his hands up to give her room for her legs before letting his hands fall back onto her thighs.

“Hey.” Y/n said, as she suddenly noticed her best friend looking nervous, tapping her legs like his drums to the beat of a song she had written for them to play tonight. “You know you were great in there just then? And I know you are going to be great tonight.”

“I can’t wait to hear you sing in there tonight, V.” Was all Alex could respond, giving her a small, precious smile she was more than grateful to see.

“A hot dog for you, m’lady!” Reggie suddenly appeared in front of them, handing a hot dog to Y/n while Luke, who appeared a second later, gave one to Alex.

The other two boys let themselves fall onto the couch, Luke letting out a dreamy sigh while looking at the neon sign above them displaying the venue name they’d been trying to get into for far longer than they could count. It took everything the had- and even then it was a serious struggle.

“Gosh, this is awesome you guys. We’re playing the Orpheum! This is gonna be one of the greatest nights of our lives!” Luke shared excitedly.

Y/n raised her hot dog, the boys following suit as they all smiled. One could really tell they were all happy to be in this together, finally on their way up in the world.

“Eat up boys. Tonight definitely changes everything.” Y/n said before they all took a bite.

A couple seconds of chewing later, Alex partly screwed his face up. “That’s a new flavor.”

Reggie laughed with food in his mouth, Y/n giving him a shove with her foot for his lack of manners before he swallowed properly and tried again.

“Chill man. Street dogs haven’t killed us yet.”

Chapter 2 is here.

#reggie x reader #jatp fanfic #julie and the phantoms x reader #julie and the phantoms fanfic

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wannabe-fic-writer · 4 years

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Natasha Romanoff x Reader : Escape

Summary: The Red Room haunts you, from the moment you stepped foot inside to long after you’ve left. Truth is, you don’t think there is any escaping it.

Warnings: 18+ Violence, Depression, Mentions of Death, Smut

Chapter 13

******

The tool in your hand hums just barely as it melts the metals together, effectively sealing the band to the watch face. You slide it over to cool beside the others.

Across from you, Tony assembles the suits, synthesizing it with the nanotech. Schematics of Scott’s Ant-Man suit hover above the table alongside one of Rocket and Nebula’s space suits.

Just a few hours ago everyone gathered to speak with Tony and came up with an actual plan. It included gathering a team, as it usually does.

The beginnings of the team were easy to pull together. One simple call from Natasha had Rocket and Nebula flying back to earth in a couple hours, followed by Rhodey who had to finish up some business. She couldn’t reach Carol through normal communications, instead using the advanced pager they found from Fury years ago, she’d yet to show up.

From there, they got the run down of the plan and their current assignments. Rocket and Bruce were tasked with going to get Thor. Rhodey had also informed you and Natasha of Clint’s future whereabouts.

The man was headed to Tokyo, hunting down a prominent member of the Yakuza.

You’d been ready to go with Natasha but she told you she had to bring him in alone. Despite your worry, you trust her, and let her go get her best friend.

Steve, Scott, and Rhodey were somewhere around here, no doubt hashing out more details of the plan. And Nebula was all over, occasionally stopping by to offer help to you and Tony. You were impressed with her knowledge of the tech and listened intently to the tips she gave.

Right now though, she isn’t around.

Led Zeppelin blares from the speakers above, setting the lab in a familiar work environment. If it weren’t Tony you’d have complained about it, with him you don’t mind.

While the two of you chat on and off, you actively avoid speaking about the Time Heist. Focusing instead on your separate projects or your families.

Tony rolls his eyes as he mentions Morgan still wanting to play superheroes and Pepper wanting your red velvet cupcake recipe.

As normal as the conversation is, it makes you wonder about the outcome of this whole thing.

You’d yet to have children with the woman you love and while she makes up your family, there’s still the want of children, which could possibly not happen. Nothing is set in stone but the fear is there.

Tony suddenly pushes himself away from the suits,“ I’m gonna need some more coffee, these four can be linked to the watches. You want some more coffee?”

Shaking your head, you watch Tony leave out, before focusing back on the work. By the time you’re finished, six of the eleven suits are ready. You make sure the nanotech is secured in the watches.

Needing Tony to finish the last five before you can finish the watches, you leave out the lab.

Walking through the compound, you notice the added presences. Thor who doesn’t look so well and Clint. He looks different from the pictures you’d seen. Apart from the new haircut, the exhaustion and pain is clearly written on his face.

The God of Thunder, noticing your appearance, exclaims your name. His heavy set form staggers over to you, crumbs sit in his beard along with droplets of beer.

“Hey pal.” You reciprocate his one armed hug, making sure his mess doesn’t transfer to your body.

“Ah, it-it’s so good to see you old friend. Join me in the kitchen for a drink.” He slurs.

“Yeah, I’ll be right there buddy. Drink a water in the mean time.” You instruct.

His mumble of something Vodka related doesn’t miss you but you don’t react, instead shaking your head, and focusing on the shorter brunette man that approaches.

Clint stops in front of you, eyes scanning your form, before settling on your eyes as he speaks,“ you must be Y/N.”

“That I am. Pleasure to meet you Clint, Tasha speaks highly of you.” He shakes the hand you’ve offered.

“Nat’s told me a bit about you as well.” There’s a brief pause,“ I’m glad she’s found someone. Thank you for making her happy.”

You smile softly, warmed at the obvious love he has for Natasha. He’s hurting but still has enough care in himself to be happy for Natasha.

“Speaking of, you know where she disappeared to?” Eyes search the vicinity for her red hair.

“No, she didn’t say and I didn’t see her.”

With a nod, you excuse yourself and head off to find her. You check the most obvious spots: her office, the training room, and your shared room. Not finding her there, you check her room.

Quiet sniffles hit your ears on entry. Instantly going into “wife” mode, you look to comfort her.

She’s leaning over the bathroom sink, face buried in her hands, as her shoulders shake with her cries.

“Tasha, love what’s wrong?” You ask, stopping at the bathroom doorway, noticing her freeze up.

No reply comes for a moment, only for her to move toward you and wrap her arms around you. You instantly return the embrace, holding her close in hopes of making her feel better.

Whatever she mumbles into your shoulder, you don’t hear it.

“Gonna need you to speak up baby.” You whisper quietly.

“Don’t hate me.” She speaks up, though it’s still muffled.

“We need to go through a hell of a lot of shit before I could even consider disliking you. Hating you sounds impossible.” You reassure her.“ Why would I?”

She pulls away from you, walking around you, and back into the bedroom. E/C eyes follow her movements, taking in the nervous wring of her fingers, and her nibbling on her bottom lip.

“I should’ve told you sooner. I forgot myself.”

“I’d love to know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m pregnant.” She sighs, eyes trained on the floor.

Her words circle the room, getting louder, before entering your ears, and then settling in your brain.

She’s pregnant.

There’s a baby inside of her.

Your wife is having a baby.

Your baby.

By the time you’re ready to reply, tears are rolling down her face, dropping off her cheeks to the floor.

Stepping closer to her, you gently grasp her hands in yours,“ you’re pregnant?”

Confusion flickers in her eyes when she sees the pure euphoria written in yours. She frowns,“ yes.”

“We’re gonna be parents?”

Despite her confirming it multiple times you’re still in shock.

“We are.”

A shriek leaves her lips as you pull her into another hug. Spinning her around excitedly, before setting her down, and peppering kisses all over her face and neck.

Tears threaten to fall from your eyes.

“Wait, when did you find out? When did you even have the procedure? Are they healthy?”

She chuckles, still a little confused,“ I went to see the doctor before we got back. I got the procedure about two months ago. And yes, they are very healthy. She said that at nine weeks they already have little hands and little feet and they’re developing toes and fingers.”

The more she spoke about the baby the harder it was to hold back the tears. By the time she’s done, they’re cascading down your cheeks.

“You’re happy about this?” She asks after you’re brief silence.

“God, of course I am.” You pull her into a kiss, certain that your love and excitement pours through it,“ I love you so much, you are my world Tasha. How could I be anything but happy about you being pregnant with our child.”

You kiss again, initiated by her. She mumbles that she loves you over and over after each kiss.

Before she can even allow another apology to leave, you’re kneeling in front of her. As slowly and gently as ever, you raise the bottom of her shirt.

How could you not have noticed? You’ve seen her body more times than you can count, yet you missed the slight bump growing at her abdomen. And now that you know all the signs are obvious.

The random disappearance? She went to see Tony and the doctor for the procedure. Only eating peanut butter sandwiches and ice cream? Cravings. Sleeping longer and still being so tired along with all the mood swings? The pregnancy.

“I can’t wait to meet you little one.” Natasha had seen how soft and loving you could be with her. This was completely new.“ I’m going to do everything that I can to make sure I’m the mom that you deserve. I’ve known about you all of five minutes and I’m so ready to give you the world.”

You feel Natasha’s fingers comb through your hair as you press a kiss on the growing bump.

She genuinely believed you’d be angry at her for keeping it from you. She knew the procedure worked months ago but couldn’t bring herself to tell you. Why? She was simply scared.

Despite having talked about children with you, her anxiousness of the news ate at her until she’d decided to keep quiet at the time.

On the flight home she’d mentioned it to Clint and her best friend wasted no time in telling her she needed to confirm it and tell you.

Looking at you now, the way happy tears fill your eyes and the way you’re smiling like she’s given you the world, she wishes she’d told you sooner.

‘Miss Y/L/N, Mister Stark has requested your help in the lab’

You nearly groan at F.R.I.D.A.Y’s announcement in the room.

Slowly rising to your feet, you cup Natasha’s face in your hands, and place a kiss on her soft lips.

With a promise to continue talking later, you both leave out. Natasha goes to find Clint and you head to the lab with Tony.

Together you both finish up the suits and the watches, then go to help Bruce and Rocket finish the traveling platform. You pass by Thor who’s opening yet another can of beer and spilling it all over the floor and himself.

You hate that his depression led him to drinking but that’s something to be addressed when the fate of the Universe isn’t at precedents.

While Tony finishes up with Rocket, you take a time suit to Scott. He’s supposed to be testing it. The suit uses the Pym Particles to shrink the user to atomic size in order to travel through the Quantum Realm, using the watch as a gps to navigate when and where to go.

Scott steps away to put it on and you chat with Bruce about what’s about to happen.

“Are we sure we trust this imbecile to do this properly?” Nebula asks bluntly.

You laugh and shrug,“ he’s the only one that’s done this before so,” your sentence trails off.

When Scott comes back, Rhodey comes in,“ time travel suit? Not bad.” He nods approvingly.

“Hey, hey, hey!” All eyes fall to Scott whose looking at Bruce bewildered,“ easy, easy!

“I'm being very careful.” Bruce replies.

Shaking his head, Scott argues,“ no, you're being very Hulky.”

Offendedly, Bruce exclaims,“ I'm being careful.”

“These are Pym Particles, alright?” Scott waves the red vial around,“ and ever since Hank Pym got snapped out of existence, this is it. This is what we have. We're not making any more.”

You all frown at the obviously frazzled man. Rhodey tells him to calm down.

“Sorry.” He takes a deep breath.“ We've got enough for one round trip each. That's it. No do-overs. Plus two test runs.”

In the blink of an eye he shrinks down and then resizes,“ one test run.”

He nods, then admitting that he isn’t ready to do this. Only for all your eyes to snap over to Clint who volunteers.

Figuring it’s better than Scott, and seeing as no one else offers, you all wait for Clint to change into the time suit.

Once he’s done Bruce explains some things to him. And Rhodey butts in, offering a plan.

“If we can do this, you know, go back in time, why don't we just find baby Thanos, you know, and-” He demonstrates choking him out.

You shrug at the suggestion. It’s not the worst idea but it wouldn’t work.

“First off that’s horrible,” Bruce starts.

Rhodey argues that it’s Thanos.

“Nice thought, but that’s not how it works. Killing Thanos in the past won’t reverse what he did to our present.”

Bruce nods along with what you say, pointing a finger at you to make his agreement clear.

“Look, we go back, we get the stones before Thanos gets them. Thanos doesn't have the stones. Problem solved.” Scott explains as if that makes perfect sense.

“Bingo.” Clint agrees.

Nebula looks at him,“ that's not how it works.”

He frowns,“ well, that's what I heard.”

When Bruce asks by who, Scott and Rhodey list off a number of movies about time travel.

It amazes you that these guys manage to chip away at your faith in this so easily with their lack of knowledge. Not even lack of, just misconception.

“Those are all movies. Fiction.” You roll your eyes.

Bruce shakes his head, then explaining,“ if you travel to the past, that past becomes your future. And your former present becomes the past. Which can't now be changed by your new future.”

“Right.” You say as Nebula says,“ exactly.”

Clint mumbles about it all being bullshit and you just sigh and walk away.

Everyone is gathered around the platform, preparing for the test run. You nod to Steve and Tony, going to stand beside Natasha as the rest of the team comes out.

Clint steps up to the middle of the platform and Bruce stands in front of the control panel.

Finally being ready, Bruce gives Clint a count down. The man shrinks away, you all wait a minute, before he comes back.

He drops to one knee and Natasha rushes over.

They speak quietly for a second and then Clint stands.“ It worked.” He speaks louder, tossing a baseball glove to Tony.

Steve nods,“ alright everybody, we’ll reconvene later to talk about the stones.”

******

Taglist: @thelastavenger-3000 @aaron-despair @messuhp @izalesbean @bvb-bk @username23345 @sighsam @confusinggemini612 @natasha-danvers @rileigh519 @higherfurther-romanova @dynnealberto

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha romanoff #natalia romanova #black widow x reader #black widow #marvel x reader #marvel #mcu x reader #mcu #reader insert #Escape

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myblueeyedbuggers · 3 years

Text

My Boys

Chapter 11

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14

Pairings: Steve Rogers X Reader (Best Friend) Bucky Barnes X Reader

Word Count: 1531

Warnings: Language, Bullying Themes

Summary: After being abandoned by her parents in Brooklyn in 1929, y/n makes a living for herself by working for the Црни лабуд gang until she meets two boys in a back alley and her life slowing begins to change.

Eyup my Loves! so it’s been a while since I last added to the story, I tried my best to keep my writing similar to my previous chapters, let me know what you all think! any advice or constructive criticism is welcome :) I’ll shush now, enjoy!

(This is what I Imagine Annetta to look like :) )

So, in case you were all wondering, the day didn’t get any better. I mean I kinda knew that kids my age could be massive A holes to each other, but I didn’t really expect to see it literally the flipping second I ‘walked’ through the doors. And by walked I mean dragged by the duo known as my own personal demons, or Steve and Bucky to the rest of the population. A crowd of kids were all gathered around a row of lockers, loads of the shitheads were cheering and encouraging whatever the hell was goin’ on, and as I was about to find out it wasn’t a surprise performance by Frank Sinatra. Safe to say that was a bigger disappointment that diet coke. Anyway, what was I saying ? oh yeah, stood at the front of the crowd were a bunch of lasses that couldn’t of been older than 16, in their hands was a bunch of eggs and flour. At the bottom of their feet, on the floor, was a kid around the same age as me, her glasses were snapped in half and the bottom of to shirt was ripped, but what disgusted me the most was the fact she was begging for help as these girls smashed egg after egg into her face. You know how bulls lose their shit when they see somethin’ red? Yeah imagine that but 10x worse, the lads didn’t have time to stop me as I tore through the crowd ready to beat the ever-loving shit outta these pricks.

“‘OI! WHAT THE ACTUAL SHIT ARE YOU DOIN’” the crowd fell silent as the girls turned to me with what one can only assume was supposed to be a ‘threatening’ glare, if I’m being completely honest it looked like they’d all simultaneously crapped em self’s. One of the girls stepped forwards, she was only a tad taller than me, her hair was a bright red, her green eyes were narrowed at me like she couldn’t believe someone was actually talking back to her. I think this is the part where I yell surprise right ? no? okay then. “Not that I care, but who the hell do you think you are? You got any idea who I am?” she sneered at me, oh my god! I’ve found someone with a bigger ego than Bucky. How in the hell is that possible. “well from first glance I’da said Santa Clause’s ex-wife but I reckon he’d have a better taste in girls now I’ve seen you up close”. And que the outraged gasps from her minions in 3,2,1…. I could hear a few people laughin’ and if I weren’t mistaken a very loud “Oh Jesus wept” from barney boy. Oooh yeah that’s when I know I’m doing my job right.

“YOU BITCH!” she screamed at me, her grubby little hands started swinging towards me in such an exaggerated way it was almost funny, I mean come on anyone coulda seen that comin’ from a mile off. And like the genius I am, I literally just side stepped her as she lunged forward, an’ from the look on her face she weren’t expecting that, it was like the world slowed down as she surged forward unable to stop herself. Well that was till she landed head -first in the bin. I’d be a big fat liar if I said I wasn’t on the floor dying from laughter. Her legs were flailing above her head as she struggled to pull herself outta there, her cronies tried to help by grabbing her legs but that ended with one of em sporting one heck of a shiner on her right eye. A small sniffle pulled my attention away from the rather hilarious sight, glancing behind me I saw the young lass still on the ground, holdin’ her glasses which were in half with tears rolling down her cheeks. “hey, it’s okay now, they’ve gone. Here take my hand, lets get ya cleaned up eh? Reckon they’re be a bathroom round here somewhere”. The lass didn’t say anything to me, only looking at me with apprehension before taking my outstretched hand and leading us to the bathroom, the sound of the crowd growing quieter as we moved further away from it. “Thanks for saving me from Monica, she’s been bullying me since we were 11, nobody’s ever stood up for me before.” Her voice was so quiet, it shook from the effort it took her to hold back her tears, and I admired her strength, not a lotta girls woulda gone this long and not tell a teacher. “Don’t worry about it mate, I’m sorry it took so long for someone to defend ya, my names y/n by the way, don’t think we’ve met” her brown eyes met mine, as a small smile spread across her face, I couldn’t really tell what colour her hair was but I’m guessing it’s a shade a brown, other than that she looked like a completely normal person. “My names Annetta, you’re right we ain’t met yet but I’m glad we did”.

-Later that day

It took us ‘bout 30 minutes to get all the egg off Annetta, best we could do was wash it off and cover up the stains with the cardigan I leant her, but what really put the icing on the cake was the teacher in period 1 yellin’ at us for being so late. The temptation to yeet my shoe at someone had never been as strong as it was in that moment, fortunately for the overgrown turnip of a teacher I had to settle for a mean ass side eye. And man was it a mean one.

Apart from that the day had gone by with no more incidents, well unless you count me chasing Bucky round the canteen with a carton of milk for stealin’ half my lunch, much to Annetta’s entertainment and Steve’s embarrassment. I mean the butthole deserved it, nobody and I mean NOBODY messes with my lunch. Even blue-eyed boys with a smile that could charm the devil….what am I sayin’?!

ANYWAYS it’s now what? 4th period I think, which meant English with Annetta, and maybe my favourite boys in the world. Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. Bet ya thought I were gonna say Steve and Bucky right? Well they’re currently sat behind me debating who’d win in a fight, Popeye, or Bugs Bunny. I’m surrounded by idiots. Thankfully, the teacher walked into the classroom and saved me, Mrs Davis seemed like a nice woman, she had a friendly smile and roundish face, her hair tied back into a neat bun as she took a seat. Now I’ll save you the boring bits, she started the lesson with a pop quiz which was just plain rude, about halfway through it the door burst open and there stood my best friend in the entire world. Monica. I have to say I loved her new style, the schools P.E kit really brought out the judgement in her eyes, did you detect my sarcasm yet?.

You wanna know what made her entrance even more dramatic ? the lovely aroma of gone off milk and rotted banana skins that followed her around the room, I could help the smirk on my face as everyone around me started gagging at the smell. If you ask me I reckon it’s an improvement, I mean she certainly captures the attention of everyone in the room. Monica’s face started to match her hair, quickly racing over to Mrs Davis to give her the tardy slip before taking her seat which just had to be across from me, whoopee for me. Eventually Mrs Davis got the attention back to her, carrying on with her lesson, which moved onto matching up the famous English literature quotes with the character and book. To be fair this was actually a load of fun for me, even if Steve butchered a line from Romeo and Juliet, I don’t remember Shakespeare saying, ‘ A rose by any other name would smell as bad’. The way I banged my head on the table made Annetta think I broke my neck. Fun times people.

Of course, my reaction didn’t escape Mrs Davis’s attention, just my luck eh?. “Miss y/n, seeing as you seem to know everything, answer me this. Elizabeth Bennet is a main character in a well-known book, she’s known for the quote ‘I am a no bird and no net ensnares me. I am a free human being with an independent will’. The question is who is the author of this book is it A) Charles Dickens B) Jane Austen or C) Arthur Conan Doyle ?”. Is she being for real right now?. “Miss? With no disrespect the question itself is wrong, that wasn’t said by Elizabeth Bennet from pride and Prejudice, but said by Jane Eyre, and it was written by Charlotte Brontë”. A small smile spread across her face, which was confusing as all heck and a tad creepy to be honest, “very well-done Miss y/n, that’s the first time a student has gotten that question correct.”……

What in the name of ever-loving fluff just happened?….

So our girl is back and kicking butt! hopefully it’s not as bad as I think it is, and again I want to thank you all again for being so patient with me, good news is I’ve got the rest of the book written already! I’ll be posting them at least once a week.

Lots of love,

Rose xxx

#winter soldier x reader #winter soldier #captain america x reader #captain america #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #mcu #fanfic #reader #reader insert #sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader

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horansqueenandpaynesqueen · 4 years

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Next-Door Neighbours : Chapter Fourteen

A Liam Fanfic, A Niall Fanfic, MA Rating

New neighbours, new drama. Sometimes what you need is the last thing you’re looking for.

CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 || CHAPTER 4 || CHAPTER 5 || CHAPTER 6 || CHAPTER 7 || CHAPTER 8 || CHAPTER 9 || CHAPTER 10 || CHAPTER 11 || CHAPTER 12 || CHAPTER 13

+NOTES+

1- This fic is written by Julie ( @paynesqueen ) & Livia ( @horansqueen ) 2- Julie will write the odd chapters and Livia the even chapters 3- This fic will have romance, drama and smut.

Chapter Fourteen by Livia (horansqueen)

Olivia never thought Louis was a romantic guy but somehow, he was showing parts of himself that she didn't know. Ever since he had said out loud the three little words to her, he seemed to feel even more at ease around her and she couldn't lie and pretend she didn't like it. In fact, it was refreshing to see him under a different light and she enjoyed it.

"Why are you staring at me?" Louis asked, the left corner of his lips moving up in an amused smile before he glanced at her.

"Because you're hot, that's why."

He chuckled and rolled his eyes but a small smile still appeared on his lips. He wouldn't admit it but he liked it. He liked the way she looked at him and surprised himself to hope it was because of growing feelings. She didn't have to love him the way he loved her, at least not yet. He would be content with anything that was more than friendship and lust.

"Alright," he replied, putting his phone back in his pocket. "Let's stop being lazy and actually do something today."

Her eyebrows raised and she brought her shoulders up before pulling on the sleeves of her sweatshirt to hide her hands. She had planned a lazy weekend and she never thought Louis could propose anything else than fuck, sleep, eat and watch netflix.

"Let's go for a swim." he just added, throwing his hands up in the air as she held her breath.

"I mean I... didn't bring a swim suit."

His face changed into confusion before he started laughing as she remained motionless.

"You're coming to spend the weekend to a lodge with me and you don't bring a swinsuit?" he asked, laughing again and making her raise her nose up in a grimace. "Are you serious?"

"Don't laugh at me."

She got up from the comfortable couch and his eyes dropped to her legs before moving back to her eyes before his lips curled even more. She tilted her chin up and slowly, he brought his hands on her cheeks to cup her face, bending down until their lips were almost touching. She felt her heart skip a beat and once again held her breath.

"You can swim naked yea?" he asked in a whisper, a smirk drawing itself slowly on his lips. "Nothing I haven't seen already."

She laughed and took a step back, moving away from his embrace and licking her lips. There was something in the way Louis wanted her that made her want to say yes to everything he proposed, but she still managed to shake her head with a chuckle.

"No way," she replied with a louder laugh, making him send her a sad look with puppy eyes. "But I guess I could swim in my bra and panties."

His lips curled back up as a victory smile appeared on his face, making her laugh even more. "Perfect. Follow me."

She frowned but quickly put her flip flops on and followed him outside. She let him grab her hand as his warm fingers firmly held hers. He lead the way on the small trails and stopped in front of a small lake. The place was desert and she looked around to see if anyone was near but when her eyes met Louis' again, he sent her a smile.

"Don't worry, no one's gonna see you half-naked." he chuckled. "I mean, except me."

Olivia rolled her eyes but couldn't stop a smile to appear on her lips. She liked the attention he gave her and she secretly hoped he would never stop. She took her hoodie off and shook her head a bit before pulling on her hair but when she looked back at her best friend, he was taking off his shirt and she held her breath. So yea, Louis was gorgeous, and she let her eyes wander a bit on his chest before she heard him chuckle.

"Got a problem, love?"

Her smile got bigger and she shook her head before taking a few steps closer. "No, this is perfect."

She stood in front of him and he glanced down before she quickly put both her hands to hide her breasts. He looked back up and smirked, pulling down his pants and leaving them on the ground, and after they stared at each other for a few more seconds, he raised his eyebrows and turned around, quickly throwing himself in the water.

She hesitated as she watched him move his head underwater and when he emerged, he made a swift head movement to move his wet hair on the side of his head. Why did it look like a stupid romantic movie scene? He turned her way as she walked slowly inside the water and her heart skipped a beat at his sight. Was that how it felt to have feelings for someone? Was that how it felt to love someone? She hadn't loved many people in her life, and perhaps, the way her heart seemed to beat in an unsteady way may only be lust... right?

"Come here, love."

She smiled and moved closer, feeling his arms slip slowly around her waist. He looked down at her and his lips curled into a fond smile. She held her breath, hoping her heart would stop beating so hard but when Louis bent down more, she started nibbling on her bottom lip.

She liked it. She liked how he smelled, she liked the way he was looking at her, she liked the warmth of his arms around her, and somehow, it suddenly scared her. She didn't want to go on a date with Niall because she was scared of the feelings she could develop for him and there she was, with her best friend, doing cheesy and romantic activities that could also lead to feelings.

Quickly, she moved around and pushed water his way, wetting him even more. It made her laugh loudly and he chuckled before to do the same. They started a war and after a few minutes, she rushed out of the water and he followed her.

"So, no more kisses?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as a small smile appeared on his lips.

She smiled back but just licked her lips and shook her head. When it was sex, she could definitely handle it, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that maybe the feelings she had for Louis were not just sexual or friendly : maybe there was more to their relationship, and she was not so sure on how to handle it. They had shared kisses that were more emotional than lustful in the past days and it was starting to feel like something more. It was getting serious.

"I'll think about it." she just replied, her smile growing slightly.

He stared at her for a few seconds and passed his hand in his wet hair to push it back, making her heart twist again in her chest. Okay, this clearly was not just friendship.

She couldn't stop thinking about how easy it was with Louis and how happy she felt despite the fact that the whole 'love' thing was making her nervous. They were both laying down in the hammock on the porch of the house as the rain was pouring down. The air was cool and even if they were protected from the rain by the roof, they could both feel some drops hitting their skin from time to time.

It was silent and weirdly, neither of them were even checking their phones. They were just enjoying the silence as they cuddled. As long as he didn't kiss her, it would be okay, or so she thought, but it was mostly something she was trying to make herself believe. He was laying on his back with one of his hands under his head and his elbow up while she was laying on her side, her hand resting on his chest. There was something soothing about the whole picture and she felt her eyes flutter. She focused on his other hand, rubbing very gently and slowly her back, and when he let out a small sigh, she looked up at him. He moved his head down to look into her eyes and she swallowed hard. He was so close and he could definitely kiss her, but he didn't, and the fact that he respected her wish made him even hotter in her eyes.

"Want a beer?"

She nodded, knowing that even if she said no, he'd still get up to get one for himself. Anyway, it was better for her that he moved away, just so she could see clearly for at least a few minutes.

He left and she sat as the hammock rocked her gently and she finally grabbed her phone, clicking on Niall's name and biting her bottom lip. He hadn't messaged her but at the same time, he knew where she was and he had asked her to message him. He probably just didn't want to bother her, right?

Without really thinking about it, she started typing quickly something and hit 'send' before she could hesitate or change her mind.

'I'm thinking of you'

And she was. She was having a nice time with Louis, but she couldn't help Niall from popping up in her mind from time to time. It didn't mean she was not happy to spend time with her best friend because she was, but thinking about Niall was something she couldn't seem to stop.

'Thinking of you too, petal.'

She held her breath as her eyes roamed on the words he had written. Why did it make her heart beat so fast? After all, it was just a short text message from a guy she had known for a few weeks. It shouldn't make her feel like that.

"What is making you smile so big?"

Olivia jumped slightly, looking up at Louis, and suddenly, she felt extremely guilty. She didn't want to tell him the truth but at the same time, there was no way she was going to lie to him. She didn't have to wait too long : Louis' face changed and the sadness she could read in his eyes made her tear up.

"Niall, okay." he just let out.

It was not even a question, and Olivia reached for his hand pulling on it to bring him back to the hammock. He shook his head a bit but didn't move away and she finally got up, placing herself in front of him.

"Let's put our phones in the bedroom, yea?" she proposed in a very soft voice, raising her eyebrows. "We need some 'you and me' time, what do you say?"

The right corner of his lips raised up in a sad smile and he nodded before following her inside. They put their phones in the room and for some reason, he closed the door when he got out, hoping it would take her mind off of the other man competing for her heart. It was unfair that Niall seemed to disturb their alone time even if he was so far away, but when Louis walked back in the kitchen, he just leaned against the wall and watched her as she was holding herself on the counter, shuffling cards and sending him a small smile.

"Poker?"

This time, he smiled sincerely and pushed himself off the wall before walking towards her slowly, his hands in his pockets. She looked up and licked her lips when he stood right in front of her and after a few seconds, he placed his hands on each side of her, holding himself on the counter too and bent down, his smile turning into a smirk.

"You think you can bluff me?"

Her eyes roamed on his face and her heart skipped a beat. She just wanted him to kiss her but she remained motionless.

"I can try."

"Strip Poker?" he proposed after about a minute of silence.

"No." she giggled, raising her nose up. "But we can drink shots when we lose."

He chuckled and smirked more. "I guess that's the second best idea I heard tonight."

"It comes in second place after the idea I had to leave the phones in the room?" she asked, raising her eyebrows and chuckling when he grimaced.

"Okay, third best idea I heard. Strip poker was still better."

"I didn't say we wouldn't fuck."

He bent down even more and her eyes fluttered when his lips brushed against her. He smelled good and she anticipated the kiss but instead, he just whispered.

"Okay."

They took a bottle of vodka and put it on the table along with shot glasses and finally sat in front of each other. After the fourth game, they had both drank a bit more than intended and when she heard his voice, she gripped her cards harder.

"We should be together, I deeply believe that." she could hear emotions in his voice and he swallowed hard. "But I'm not gonna force you. I'm never gonna force you to pick me. It's just... so easy when we're together, Liv. Don't you think?"

She started thinking that maybe, she should have agreed to the strip poker idea instead but she knew they'd have to address the feelings they both had at some point, and she was also aware that it was probably not easy for him to wait.

"It is, Lou." she admitted. "I know you feel so powerless right now. I know it's hard to believe but that's how I feel too."

He scoffed without looking at her and she put her cards on the table before getting up and walking to him. It took a while but he finally looked up at her and she made a quick head movement, inciting him to get up too. He did and quickly, she brought her hands to his shirt, gripping it gently and tilting her chin up. He stared at her, feeling something stir in his stomach, and he wondered if it was because of the love he felt for her, or simply because of the alcohol running in his veins.

"You have all the power." he breathed so low it took her a few seconds to understand his words. "You have everything."

He was not normally the kind of guy to open up but when it came to her, he wanted to share everything he thought and felt. He had failed many relationships by keeping secrets and holding his tongue about the important things. He certainly was not going to do it again, especially not with Olivia. He was not going to risk it. If this relationship didn't work, it wouldn't be because of something he didn't do.

"I'm sorry I'm making this so hard on you." she simply replied just as low.

She got on her tiptoes and brought her mouth against his. He answered her kiss for a few seconds before pulling away and sending her an amused smile.

"Wanna play a game?" he just proposed randomly, making her frown.

"What kind of game?"

"Hide and seek." he let out, making her frown and chuckle. "Outside. In the dark."

Her frown turned into a smile and she just bit her bottom lip, suddenly excited by the idea. "Alright. I'm in."

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deery-fiction · 3 years

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Something’s Changed (Pt. 3)

Author’s note: Alright! Part 3 is finally here! I’m really sorry for the delay everyone, certain scenes just really didn’t want to be written lmao. But!!! This one is the longest chapter yet! The other two chapters were about 2 thousand something words each, maybe a bit more, but this one is about a full 6 thousand! That’s 13 pages in my google doc versus the usual 4 or so, so I’m hoping it was worth the wait! A special thanks, yet again, to my good pal @7spaceace7 not only for being a general inspiration for this fic, but also for beta reading this chapter for me!

Chapters: [1], [2], 3 (you’re here)

A few hours had passed and Jackie was finally pulled from his task by the ringing of his alarm. He leaned back and stretched in his chair with a grateful groan as his joints popped and his back cracked. He should probably work on his posture, because he always got so stiff after working on his assignments for a while, but he felt good about the progress he made at least. Now, it was time to grab a snack to go and make his way to the cafe.

After swiping a banana from the kitchen counter and putting on his coat and shoes, Jackie was out the door. He paused for a moment before turning around with a slight curse, snatching up his phone and phone charger before officially being on his way to the cafe. He could charge the device once he was there, he just needed to remember to bring it in the first place. The comic artist checked his volume as he went on his way, letting out a confused hum. The volume for his alarm was set where it always was, which he would expect since he didn’t remember fiddling with it, but he could have sworn it sounded louder than it should have been. Maybe he was just imagining it, or it just seemed louder against the otherwise silent room? That was probably it, right? It would make sense, usually he’d play music as he worked to help him focus, but he hadn’t this time so the room was quieter then it usually was. That was all it was.

Jackie kept a brisk pace as he took the familiar path to the cafe, wanting to make good time but also not particularly worried about being late. He always made sure to factor in how long it would take him to walk there and potential foot traffic when he set his alarms, so he wouldn’t need to rush. Which he was glad for, because as he neared Top of the Mornin’ cafe, he noticed a fairly large group of people forming a loose half circle at the corner. Jackie allowed himself a few seconds to be confused, before a shifting in the crowd allowed him a peak at what they were all looking at.

All at once, he realized exactly what had gathered the crowd at the corner. It was a street magician that would occasionally take the corner from across the shop, amazing the crowds with admittedly impressive acts of ‘magic’. Jackie wasn’t sure what, exactly, the man did when he wasn’t performing on the street corner, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the man worked in special effects. Some of the things he did, the comic artist wasn’t entirely sure how he pulled off. Then again, Jackie wasn’t exactly a magician himself, so a lot of the act was something he didn’t understand. Besides, it would ruin the magic of the moment if he figured out the cat mask wearing magician was doing it.

He wasn’t there everyday. Sometimes, entire weeks would pass before the magician appeared again, but it was always memorable when he did. However, considering the man would start his street side shows who knows how long before Jackie’s shifts at the cafe, the comic artist had yet to be able to catch the beginning of the show. As such, the brunet still wasn’t certain what the other man’s name was, but he did know the other was fairly attractive, even with the cat mask that obscured the upper half of his face. The magician certainly dressed to impress at least; every time Jackie managed to catch his shows, the magician was always dressed like he was attending a grand formal event as opposed to performing on the streets.

The crowd was thick enough that Jackie couldn’t quite make out more than the man’s masked face, he certainly couldn’t see what trick was enchanting the crowd this time. Even still, the brunet allowed himself to linger for a few moments at the edge of the gathering of people, smiling to himself at the awe that the others were exhibiting. Still, he only had so much time to spare, and so Jackie backed away from the spectacle and made to cross the street. What the comic artist-turned-barista failed to notice was the magician turning to watch his retreating back through the crowd, a curious expression on the magician’s face that was obscured by the mask.

As Jackie approached the store front, he could make out the figures of Angus at the counter and Silver cleaning tables through the glass. With a wide grin spreading across his face, Jackie paused on the other side and gave a jauntily teasing wave to the two. Angus rolled his eyes with a smile, returning the wave as Silver stuck his tongue out. It must be a fairly slow day if Silver is out front to help clean the tables, the more stockily built man usually in the back baking the pastries they sell in the display case. They were both pretty cool dudes in Jackie’s opinion, which was good since they typically shared the same shifts. He would even meet up with Silver outside the cafe to work out together, or even just hang out at one of their apartments. The two of them clicked very well together, and it was always a fun time. Angus was nice to be around, but in a different way. The Aussie was cool, calm, and collected where Jackie and Silver were loud and boisterous. It was honestly a breath of fresh air to hang out and appreciate a quiet moment with the other man. It grounded their antics and he kept them from forgetting that they were at work. Overall, he really enjoyed working with these two.

The brunette pulled a few funny faces, laughing as Silver returned them. Eventually though, he needed to actually enter the store, so he straightened up and finally pushed the door open. Jackie stepped in quickly, wincing as the bells attached to the door chimed obnoxiously as he entered. He cringed away as the door shut with another ringing clang, turning back to Angus and Silver with a grimace.

“Have the bells always been that obnoxiously loud, or did we get new bells for the door? Because I swear they’re louder than they were yesterday.” Jackie complained, heading towards the counter so he could sign in for his shift. He raised an eyebrow at the confused yet amused looks the other two were sending him, as if he was the weird one.

“Well Jackie, they’re the same bells as always, so they aren’t any louder or softer then they always are.” Angus mused back at his coworker, flicking Jackie on the ear as he walked past. “Maybe get your ears checked?”

“Nah, Ang, I think our pal here just has a hangover or some sort of headache. I know loud noises are never agreeable to a hurtin head.” Silver hypothesized, giving the table next to him another cursory wipe to make sure it was all good to go. He meandered over to join them at the counter as Jackie signed in.

“Oh hardy har har, I’m pretty certain that my ears are fine. Plus, I can assure you that it is not a hangover, you both know I don’t drink during a work week.” Jackie defended, before a mischievous light appeared in his eyes, slowly raising his head to look at the both of them with a bright grin. “OR maybe you two are getting old, huh? Is your hearing going, oldies? Just a pair of old men, can’t even hear the bells!”

“Why am I the dweeb? You like superheroes too!” Jackie whined without any real heat, eventually managing to carefully slip out of Silver’s hold without causing a mess that all of them would have to clean up. Though Angus stepping in and motioning for Silver to cut it out might have helped, since Silver really had a crazy grip when he wanted to.

“Because I’m cooler than you, obviously” Silver puffs out, the mischievous grin on his face softening the arrogance of his words to something more silly then serious. “I mean, have you looked at me? I just ooze cool!”

“Uh huh, you keep telling yourself that Silver, you’re lucky you found Roxanne, man” Jackie poked back, feeling the old ache at the thought of Silver dating the blonde woman. He shoved it to the side, keeping a smile on his face. He had already moved on from that, and Roxanne is a lovely lady. There was no need to dwell on it now.

“Oh, You’re gonna get it now, Nerd boy!” Silver teased, hopping over the counter to pull Jackie into a noogie. Jackie half heartedly tried to escape the hold as Silver messed up his hair, not wanting to struggle too hard and knock anything over by accident. Silver doesn’t let up on the noogie, teasing Jackie back. “Could an old man do this, ya dweeb?”

“Yeah, you’re right, I’m damn lucky Rox chose to stick with me” Silver said with a dopey look in his eyes. The man was absolutely infatuated with that girl, and Jackie was just glad that his friend seemed to be so happy. Though, the stockier man got really sappy and gooey about it sometimes. It was cute, but it could get a bit much, especially since it didn’t seem like Roxanne spoke about Silver as often as Silver spoke about her.

“Careful now Silver, your sap is showing.” Jackie returned, lightly kicking the other man before grabbing the apron with his name on it from the hook and slipping the loop around his neck, neatly tying it in the back. It was just one of the perks of having worked at the small cafe for so long. “I assume it’s a slow day if you have time to be out here, gushing about your Lady Friend Roxanne. Is Seán here? Or is he still busy with that thing from last night?”

“Ah… about that… I was hoping you’d let me head out early again? It’s the last time! I promise! I swear on my mother’s grave that it’ll be the last time I ask to leave early!” Silver admitted sheepishly, giving what he probably thought was a charming grin but more so came across as nervous.

“Aw, leave the bloke alone, Jacksie, He’s in love!” Angus broke in, still looking amused. Jackie just waved it off with a grin. He knew that, it was just fun poking at Silver about it, since the other tended to blush when people pointed it out. Angus continued on with a shake of the head, wiping down the counter from Silver’s jump over it. “As for Seán, he’s still out, so it looks like you're locking up again.”

“Ah, I see. Will the two of you be helping me today, or am I cleaning up solo again?” Jackie asked, half still joking, half genuinely asking. Last time, Angus had to rush back home because the man’s dog sitter had called in a panic about the dog getting sick, the poor teen having they not known what to do. So it wasn’t a surprise that the animal loving aussie had rushed off to check on his pooch. Silver had asked to leave early so he could prepare dinner for his girlfriend since it was apparently date night. “Also, why am I the one entrusted with the keys to lock up with, again?”

“Really? Again? But you just got yesterday off early. What’s up, is everything alright?” Jackie questioned with concern, Angus shooting Silver a similarly worried look as the stockier ravenet rubbed at the back of his neck. Silver seemed almost embarrassed and wasn’t looking either of them in the eye. That wasn’t good, He really hadn’t meant to embarrass the other. Jackie was just surprised that Silver had just asked for yet another early day, and right after getting off early yesterday too. Silver usually waited until his days off to have date nights, so he could make the most of the entire day, as the other liked to say. So It had already been out of character for Silver to ask yesterday, but to ask two days in a row? Had something happened between him and Roxanne? “You know if you ever need anything, we’re here to help you man. It’s what friends are for”

“Yeah, I know man! It’s nothing big. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not huge. I just… date night was a bit of a disaster last night is all. I want to make it up to her, and I would rather do that sooner rather than later.” Silver reassured, though it wasn’t all that reassuring.

“Never!” Silver denied childishly, giggling a little. Angus gave an offended gasp, but before he could retaliate, the door chimed. A customer came walking in, signifying that playtime was over and it was time to get back to work. Silver straightened up from his playful slouch to wave at Jackie and Angus, disappearing into the back to make sure the back was clean. He needed to make sure everything was ready to go, even though they didn’t need anymore baked goods for the front for now.

“Alright, fine. Yeah, you can go early, but I know that Angus is going to become my favorite at this rate” Jackie relented, but he still eyed Silver. Sometimes something just didn’t seem right, but he also wasn’t going to force Silver to talk if he really doesn’t want to talk about it. “You’re totally staying tomorrow, no ifs ands or buts. No more ditching me to hang out with your pretty girly friend.”

“You lie! I’ll always be your favorite! Uh, no offense Angus.” Silver asserted. On cue, Angus started making mock offended noises, resting a hand on his heart and going on about how Silver had no faith in the Aussie's awesomeness. The stocky pastry baker stuck out his tongue like the mature adult he is in retaliation.

“Because Seán is afraid that I’ll try to sneak an animal in overnight because my place barely lets me keep my dog as is, and he knows Silver would be in too much of a rush to get back to Roxanne to remember to lock up properly.” Angus offered with a cheeky grin, because he was exactly right. The Aussie had a habit of picking up injured animals and nursing them back to health, and it would be exactly within his character to bring an injured animal into the cafe overnight because his landlord won’t allow anymore animals. They also all knew that Silver was a bit scatterbrained when he was in a rush and had forgotten to lock up in the past for that exact reason, which is why he got out of lock up duties. Which left Jackie as the only person on this shift that could be trusted to lock up and not get the cafe investigated for health violations. There were two other people on shift tonight, one helping Silver in the back and one out front to clean the tables, but both were newbies and thus not usually trusted with something as important as locking the cafe up when everyone left. “Also, I should be able to stay and clean up, as long as Daisy doesn’t freak out the sitter again.”

“Uh huh, you keep telling yourself that Sil, now apologize to Angus for hurting his feelings.” Jackie teased, laughing at the antics of the other two, leaning against the counter. Angus looks expectantly at Silver, waggling his eyebrows as he waits as if to say ‘you wanna apologize, you know you wanna’.

There were many factors that contributed to Jackie’s migraine, but it had been okay first. It had been predictably rather slow given it was still just before the lunch rush. Maybe a bit busier due to the crowd outside watching the magician the brunette had spotted earlier, but it was nothing unbearable. That was, until the lunch rush actually hit, and then suddenly people were filtering in for a quick cup of good coffee and a delicious snack from the display. Not that Jackie could blame them, he’d prefer the cafe’s coffee over the horrible office quality stuff these people had probably been drinking until now, but the frequent ringing of the bells on the door had been grating on his nerves for awhile now. Between those bells, the constant low level of talking, and the sounds of the machines working behind him, Jackie could feel his head throb in time to his heartbeat.

That turned out to be too optimistic.

The door chimed yet again and Jackie turned to face the customer with a strained smile, but a smile nonetheless. He was almost proud at how he had prevented himself from cringing at the way the sound of the bells made his already aching head pound harder, but he had little time to mentally rejoice. Why? Because the moment he turned to face the young woman, and it was a pretty young woman, he got a lungful of some awfully strong perfume. Jackie felt his eyes start to water at the intense artificial scent of flowers, doing his damnedest not to visibly choke on the chemical scent-taste that almost felt like it was coating his throat. Holy fucking shit, how much perfume was this lady wearing? Still, Jackie had a job to do and he really hoped that the way his eyes had teared up wasn’t noticeable.

Luckily, the dirty blonde didn’t seem to have noticed his little freak out over her overuse of perfume. If anything, she seemed more preoccupied with looking up and down what she could see of him from the other side of the counter than he was with choking on her perfume. Jackie straightened up, doing his best to keep his smile up, both to not let on how awful he was feeling and to not show how he wasn’t really in the mood to be checked out by some lady at work. While he was on the topic though, she wasn’t bad looking, too strong perfume aside. She was on the shorter side, in a pair of black jeans paired with a nice white blouse and shiny black pumps. The dirty blond was… modest in her assets and slim in the way that spoke more of a naturally fast metabolism than in spoke of a regular workout routine. Her make-up was subtle, professional, and in neutral tones, just enough to soften the edges of her face and accentuate certain features like her eyes and lips. Overall, she was a very pretty woman, but ultimately she didn’t seem like his type. Jackie was sure she was perfectly nice, and he did value personality above all, it just didn’t change the fact that he was more attracted to men and athletically fit women. He just hoped she would make her order and leave when she got it because he didn’t know how long he could last against the assault on his nose.

Unfortunately, she seemed a lot more interested in him then she was in getting her coffee and going. Looks like he was going to be the one taking her order, as she didn’t seem like she was going to go Angus’ line. So, with his plastered on smile, he waited for her approach. He didn’t have to wait long as the business woman made her way to his line.

“Welcome to Top of the Mornin’ cafe, how may I help you today, ma’am?” Jackie intoned politely when she reached the front of the line, subtly leaning back away from the overpowering scent of her perfume.

Jackie moved to his side of the counter, sending the customer a politely warm smile as he came up. The brunette was simply grateful that the bell, though still a piercing sound, no longer made his ears ring now that there was a little distance between him and it. He could already tell though, that he would be leaving with a headache if he stayed this sensitive to the sound. For now, he’ll just grin and bear it, maybe there won’t be too many people coming in today and it won’t be too much of an issue?

“Coming right up, ma’am, what name would you like me to put on the cup?” Jackie asked, only a little amused at the slightly cheesy pick up lines.

“Cassidy, and what’s your name, handsome?” She answered, giving him a coy smile. Jackie could feel his head pounding harshly and he had to resist the urge to rub at his temples. It wouldn’t be good to snap at a customer just because he had a migraine. Just because he knew Seán well enough to know he wouldn’t be fired over one bad encounter with a customer, didn’t mean it gave him a free pass to be rude. The brunet subtly took in a few calming breaths, ignoring the way the perfume burned his nose.

“The name’s Jackie, Miss Cassidy. Would that coffee be for here or to go? And is there anything else you would like?” Jackie stated, pointedly not gritting his teeth against the throbbing behind his eyes as he gave a noticeable glance down to where his name was visibly embroidered on his apron.

“Oh, I’ll just take a large dark roast coffee with a bit of creamer, but I certainly wouldn’t mind a bit of sugar from you~” She purred as she leaned against the counter and bat her lashes up at him. “Though, with you around, I won’t need to add any extra sugar.”

Jackie set about making her coffee with deft, practiced motions. Luckily, her order was a simple one and after pouring a freshly brewed cup of dark roast and adding the desired amount of creamer, he set it and the blueberry muffin from the display on the counter. He accepted the money she handed him for her order and set about getting her change so that she could leave. The brunet set it on the counter for her to take, but Cassidy seemed to ignore it for a moment, taking the coffee in hand.

“Mmm, To go, unfortunately. I would love to stay here and just chat with you, Jackie.” She pouted, leaning against the counter as Jackie put the order into the register to give her the total for her coffee. “As for if there is anything else I would like? Hmmm, maybe a blueberry muffin? And I’d love to have your number, too~”

“Alright, I’ll have your coffee in just a second, Miss Cassidy.” The barista replied, pointedly not bothering to entertain that last comment with a response as he added the muffin to her total. He didn’t want to make a spectacle in the cafe by outright turning her down, or it might just encourage her to try harder. He didn’t think his poor head could handle being her perfume any longer then he needed too, so he wanted to avoid anything that might make her stay longer. So what if that’s a bad business decision, his head was aching. Sue him.

“This coffee isn’t that hot… mind holding this for a little bit?” She winked, but Jackie just gave her a strained smile. He squeezed the edge of the metal countertop subtly but tightly to reign in his headache induced irritability before finally responding to her after a beat of silence.

“I assure you that it is a freshly brewed cup of joe, as promised. If it got any hotter it would probably be unsafe go serve, Miss Cassidy.” Jackie sidestepped her attempt at flirting with him, hoping she’d catch a hint. Luckily, she seemed to finally give in, taking her change from where he had left it on the counter and leaving, wishing him a good day with coffee and muffin in hand. Though, through the cafe windows, he could see her checking the cup for a phone number that he didn’t leave on the cup. He didn’t know why she did that, considering she had been at the counter the entire time and had watched him make her coffee. It’s not like he could have sneakily written it on her cup without her noticing, even if he had wanted to.

Jackie took a deep breath, releasing his grip on the counter as he slowly exhaled, gradually letting the tension bleed from his frame. He raised a hand to scrub at his face, continuing to take deep breaths. The brunette could still smell her potent perfume in the air, but at least she was gone. It could have gone worse, she could have been much ruder about it, but he just hadn’t been in the mood. Jackie glanced down at the counter, wanting to take a few more seconds to try and soothe his headache when he saw it. Right there, where his hand had been grasping the metal just moments before, was a dent in the same shape as the heel of his palm. That couldn’t be right… But sure enough, it was there and not even running his fingers along it to feel the indent could disprove its existence. Jackie swallowed, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed before dragging a napkin dispenser over the dent. Hopefully no one moved it and discovered the accidental damage… It wasn’t massive, but it was still noticeable and Seán still didn’t let him or Silver live down the fact that they had broken the old, nicer counter top, resulting in the metal replacement in the first place. Jackie didn’t want to give the other man more ammo.

However, that wasn’t Jackie’s primary concern right now. Jackie knew he was strong. He had been maintaining a good workout routine for years now. A life as the kid who got into fights to protect others, plus years in self defence and boxing, mixed with a regular workout routine meant Jackie was no noodle armed weakling. However, he’d never been strong enough to dent a good quality, metal countertop before. It was disturbing, there was no possible way he had gained that much strength overnight, right? Sure he had been irritated and his head hurt, but he didn’t think he had enough adrenaline to dent metal like that. Hell, he didn’t even think he had been squeezing that hard! Between this and the way the bite wound from last night had just healed up like it had never been there, Jackie was seriously starting to freak out.

“Oh, no I’m fine!” Jackie quickly protested, before wincing. Angus wasn’t going to believe that, if he really was that visibly unwell and freaked out, so Jackie was quick to amend his statement. Which was lucky, because he could see the other winding up to refute the obvious lie. “Well, my head does still hurt, so I would really appreciate whatever you got, but it’s not that bad, I promise! That lady’s perfume was just super strong is all, my headache wasn’t exactly eased by it.”

“You okay, Jackie? You’re looking a little pale and out of it… Is your headache getting worse? I should have some Tylenol or Aspirin in my bag if you really need it.” Angus offered, brows furrowed as he looked for any other signs of Jackie being potentially unwell. He didn’t like seeing his friend’s hurt, and though it had gotten him labeled as the mom friend, he wanted to help however he could.

“Really? I was standing right next to you and I didn’t really notice it? I mean, I guess it was pretty strong if I could smell it from over the counter, but it wasn’t that bad…” Angus queried, backing up to check his bag in the back for the over the counter pain relief. It was only a brief absence, and Angus was soon back to hand over two tablets of low dose Tylenol and a bottle of water to the pained barista. Just in time to see Jackie’s disbelieving look.

“Not that bad? Is there something up with your nose, Angus? I swear, I was practically choking on roses when she was here.” Jackie exclaimed, accepting the pills and the bottle of the water with a gracious nod to the Aussie. “Thanks, man. But seriously, her perfume was so strong I could taste it. If the people around you can taste your perfume, then it’s way too strong.”

Unfortunately, he didn’t get to freak out for long before he felt a hand fall onto his shoulder. Jackie startled, jerking his head up to meet the concerned greenish blue gaze of Agnus. His vision swam for just a second, headache harshly disagreeing with the sudden, jerky motion, but it cleared shortly after and he could see the other’s worry clearly. Oh god, did Angus see the dent? He didn’t know how to explain that, since there was no way he could say he dropped something there. Everyone would have heard the crash if he did.

“I still think you’re exaggerating, dude. Are you sure you don’t just have a sensitive nose because of the headache? I know headaches can make people sensitive to light, so it wouldn’t surprise if they also made you sensitive to strong smells.” Angus offered, brow raised as Jackie mulled it over.

Fortunately for Jackie, the hours passed and the rest of his shift went by with little further incident. There weren’t any more overly perfumed business women trying to flirt with him, and the volume remained fairly low and calm. Best of all, none of his coworkers questioned the new location of the napkin dispenser, and thus no one discovered the new hand sized dent on his end of the counter. Unfortunately, the Tylenol didn’t last as long as it normally did and halfway through what was left of Jackie’s shift, his migraine came back with a vengeance. Still, he powered through, he still had to work whether he had a headache or not. Besides, he’d suffered from broken bones growing up, and this wasn’t quite as bad as what he remembered a broken bone to be like.

“I guess… yeah, maybe. I’ve noticed that the coffee and the coffee grounds all smell stronger to me too, but I thought it was because I was using the stronger stuff…” Jackie conceded, wrinkling up his nose. Though, he privately notes, a migraine induced smell sensitivity doesn’t explain why he can suddenly dent metal with a slightly irritated squeeze of the hand.

“See? There you go! Ya got your answer. Now you just need to push through til the end of your shift, then you can take a nice hot shower and a good long rest when you get home.” Angus announced cheerfully, patting Jackie lightly on the back before returning to his end of the counter to help another customer.

“Are you sure, Jackie? I know you’re not feeling well and I’d hate to leave you alone to clean up again.” Angus double checked, frowning at the other. The Aussie still had a bit of time before his sitter had to leave and he had to go home, so he had no issue staying longer. Especially since Jackie had already stayed after alone the other night, it didn’t seem fair to leave him alone with the shop twice in a row.

“Yeah, I’m sure, Angs! It’s all mostly cleaned up anyways, I just want to do another glance over to make sure everything’s in its place. Maybe take a second to enjoy the quiet, see if it helps my headache calm down.” Jackie waved off, giving the other a smile. It was slightly pinched, but it was a genuine smile nonetheless. “Really, it’s nothing that requires the both of us. I’ll probably be out right behind you, even! So go home, say hi to Daisy for me!”

“Alright, if you’re sure, Jacks. Goodnight! Make good use of that day off tomorrow” Angus reluctantly relented as he collected his stuff. However, he did pause at the door to sternly add another friendly warning. “You better use that day off to sleep in and get some actual rest, Jackie! I bet that headache of yours is so bad because you’ve been overworking and stressing yourself out, trying to do both your comics and the cafe. I bet you’d feel better if you actually gave yourself a break for once.”

Soon enough, though it felt like an eternity after his migraine flared back up, it was time to clean up and close up. Unsurprisingly, as promised at the beginning of the shift, Silver was rushing out the door after swiftly cleaning up his work space in the back. The stocky man bid them a harried farewell before he was dashing away, the clanging of the doorbell making Jackie cringe at the loud noise. He debated double checking the back to make sure it was cleaned up properly, considering the rush Silver had been in. Ultimately, Jackie decided against it, Denise could handle it. At the very least, Angus was still there. Between the two of them, it was fairly quick work of cleaning the counter, floor, and tables. They had just finished stacking the chairs when Jackie finally motioned for Angus to go ahead and go, Denise (the lady who worked in the back with Silver) having already left just a few minutes prior.

“Yeah yeah, have a goodnight Angus!” Jackie playfully dismissed with more energy then he felt that he had. He sent the Aussie barista off with a grin before slumping against the counter with a groan once the other was out of sight. God, he felt like Shite. He was back on the barista side of the counter, having just finished checking through the cash register. So he reached over to the wall switch to flip off the light and shuffled back so he could lean forward and rest his elbows on the counter, laying his head between his hands. Jackie just let the quiet linger, letting himself soak in the silence without anything to further aggravate him. He hadn’t been lying about wanting to see if that would help. The brunet had some fairly noisy neighbors that he shared a wall with back at the apartment, so if he wanted any genuine quiet, he’d have to find what he could of it here. Admittedly, Jackie could feel something inside of himself stir and settle peacefully now that he was alone in the light of the moon, though his headache still throbbed dulling in his skull.

“Look, Sir, I’m sorry but Top of the Mornin’ Cafe is closed for the night. If you would like anything that we have to offer, you’re going to have to wait til the morning as everything has already been packed up” Jackie mumbled with a groan, not even bothering to look up at the would be customer turned intruder. Was that a dumb thing to do? Exceedingly so, but Jackie wasn’t in the mood, and he was pretty sure he could handle a fight if he had to. His self defense teacher from when he was a kid would kick his ass if they ever found out he just blatantly didn’t look at an active intruder, but Jackie couldn’t find the energy to care at the moment. Whoever it is doesn’t say anything, their soft footfalls and even breathing as they walk over the only clue they were still there. That, and the fact the bell hadn’t rung with their exit.

Jackie just rests there for several, long moments before the silence is shattered by the bell attached to the door ringing. As peaceful as the quiet was, it only made the piercing toll of the bell even louder, and Jackie couldn’t help the soft whine of distress that left him. The lights were off, who the hell enters a cafe this late when the lights are off?

“Aww, does the puppy have a headache? Poor puppy~ Maybe I can make that pesky headache go away for you, puppy!” A soft, masculine voice cooed. Well, that was condescending as shit, even though it was said rather sweetly. Who the hell just calls people puppies? The same assholes that enter a cafe after hours when the lights are out, apparently.

Before him, the magician he had seen earlier in the day stands. The other man was a fair bit shorter than him, though it wasn’t hard to be shorter then Jackie, who was fairly tall. Even still, the other seemed to be on the shorter side of average. That didn’t detract from the air of power that seemed to surround the cat mask wearing individual. He was certainly dressed to perform too, now that he could get a clearer look at the other’s outfit. Though, as he had noted earlier on in the day, it looked more like he was ready to perform on a stage, then on a street corner for the entertainment of the passing masses.

Now that there wasn’t a crowd blocking Jackie’s view, he could see the magician was wearing a long sleeved button up white shirt, with a royal blue vest over top. Coupled with that, the other was wearing what looked like a pair of double button split hem pants, since from what Jackie could tell there were three silver buttons going down either side of the man’s hips. To top off the ensemble, a deep midnight blue cape was draped over his shoulders, the inner side of the cape sparkling in the moonlight like stars. Of course, there was also the man’s signature porcelain white mask with green and blue accents, grassy green eyes practically glowing through the mask’s sockets. His hair was vivid green, bright and vibrant, and so fluffy and soft looking that Jackie caught himself wanting to run his fingers through it. No, Jackie mentally scolded himself, it was a bad time to be thinking like that, considering the man was trespassing and literally just running his hands all over Jackie’s head without warning a few moments ago.

The magician leaned against the counter flirtatiously with an amused tilt to his lips as Jackie mentally processed everything, seeming to be waiting for Jackie to catch up. The barista steadfastly ignored how the other’s mildly flirtatious actions were much more welcome to him than Cassidy’s earlier attempts.

The Brunet momentarily startled as the footsteps paused just in front of him and suddenly a hand was running through Jackie’s hair. Unthinkingly, Jackie let his head tilt back to follow the soothing touch as if on instinct. He felt the fingers of both of the other man's (he assumes it’s a man, they sounded masculine when they spoke earlier) hands follow the sides of his head and curve gently behind his ears until the other’s palms rested on his temples. There’s something about the other that’s keeping him from panicking, some hidden instinct telling him that it’s okay to trust the other. There’s a soft warmth at his temples and a faint glow that he can make out through his closed eyelids and then his headache is easing away. Jackie finally opened his eyes as the man drew away and he blinked back to his senses, quickly stepping back away from the counter as he realized that he had just let all of that happen without protest.

“Hello Handsome, it’s a pleasure to meet you~ My name is Marvin, and I think there’s something we need to discuss.”

#Werecreature AU #jse jackieboy man #jackieboy man #Jackieboy #JSE Angus #Silver Shepard #JSE Marvin #marvin the magnificent #marvin the magician #JSE Jackie #Jackspeticeye Egos #JSE Egos #Something's Changed #After much delay!!!#It is finally here #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticeye

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heartfeltheart · 4 years

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Alchemy: Magic Vs. Science

Chapters: 13/25 Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist/Harry Potter Rating: T Relationships: Edward/Winry, Lan Fan/Ling, and May/Alphonse. Primary Characters: Edward Elric, Severus Snape Additional Tags: Crossover, Teacher!Edward, BrOtp Edward/Severus. Sassy beyond measure. Series: Part 1 of 9. Summary: Magic and Science, are they the same or are they completely different? It just takes one person to point out all up and downs. Along with breaking the stereotypes that come up with being a wizard, alchemist and most of all being human. Thank you, @amynchan! D/C: I do not own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist. Discord: La Red(Mesh Mash of… stuff.): https://discord.gg/KYjmVAb Alchemy Series: https://discord.gg/DejEYNJ

“English and Edward’s accented voice.” “Amestrian or another foreign language.” “Written notes.” ‘Thoughts.’ First Name: Informal Last Name: Formal (Or used to annoy others)

Ling looked over his balcony, Lan Fan dutifully by his side. He sighed hopefully, looking down to all of the nobles and courtiers of his country. It was a tight fit, despite being the largest courtyard that his largest palace had to offer, but he wanted to make damned sure that everyone heard his announcement. There could be no excuses. This was a delicate matter, thanks to his great-great-great-great-great.... Well, an emperor long past, anyway. This had to be perfect. He nervously grabbed Lan Fan's hand.

"People of Xing."

Every head popped up, even the servants, noticing that the Emperor had addressed everyone, not just the nobles. 'Good. A good start,' Ling thought hopefully. He caught his breath and started again.

"People of Xing. All of my children. I step forward today with an announcement, with a new decree, and with a confession, all in one." Ling ignored the mumbling of his audience and demanded silence as his fear ebbed away, hand still tightly grasping Lan Fan's. He continued, knowing that he was finally righting a wrong.

"Many centuries ago, my ancestors discovered magic in this empire. At first, they extorted it, but once the villagers learned of it, they grew afraid, and outlawed it, made it taboo, with a sentence of death. This you know well, for every law and history book will tell you. What it WON'T tell you is the rest of that story. It WON'T tell you how, through all of these years, though it is death to all, it is secretly taught to the Emperor and his next of kin. How there is an entire vault full of magical artifacts that I, as your leader, am EXPECTED to use daily for my own protection. But I am not that type of emperor. I am not a liar. I am not a hypocrite. I respect and love my people. I try every day to be fair and firm. So, let it be written, as of today, magic is not taboo! You shall NOT punish those that have it, or I shall have YOU punished! For there is no excuse! You have heard it here, from the mouth of your Emperor!"

"It is my wish to teach the ones with magic in a controlled environment, so that they may learn to harness their powers, to use them for the good of their family and country. I myself will be there when my duties allow, as it is customary that the Emperor learn to control the artifacts in his possession. These people are not to be harmed. They will be frightened, believe this to be some sort of trap. I want you to soothe them. Bring them peace. This is my will. Send out the criers."

-.-

"Magic?"

"What is the Emperor thinking?"

"Mama, what's magic?"

"Please let this be true..."

"The Emperor is looking for every individual that has any magical ability..." A crier announced. Several people from the town began to crowd around him to listen to what was being said. It is rather rare when a crier would come around and for them to announce such a thing, what a wonder. What was being said caused worry to stir up within them? For centuries, there had been a stigma about magic in Xing. More especially so in the rural parts of the country compared to the more populated areas, where time seemed to stay still and nothing seems to progress any forward until something or someone were to come and destroy that sense of normality. Perhaps this time around, this could be a good thing. A good time for the change for once, for it has been too long for this to remain in the dark, in complete fear.

The town matriarch was seen conversing heavily with the next town over's noble, pointing at the crier worriedly, gathering her children to her. When he responded to her, she visibly relaxed, though still seemed a bit disbelieving. As they spoke, she cried, hugging him in relief, then bent down to her children to hold them. Together, they listened intently to the crier.

"If you possess such capability then you are to..."

A good change, indeed.

-.-

Edward leaned against his desk, scanning through the exams of the students of his upcoming class. Out of all the students that took the class, they are the only ones that showed a good balance of knowledge and common sense.

Knowledge and common sense, two factors he looks for in a student. There are several other factors that are needed, but those two are the main ones when considering kids that grew up with a magical sense. What really makes these kids have Edward's nod of approval is their way of answering the important question, 'All is one, one is all'. Knowledge and Common sense is one thing, but to have an understanding of the world around them is whole other issue.

"Is that him?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"We met him during the summer, that's him."

"...I saw Professor Snape once pull him by his braid to avoid falling over the moving staircases..."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Edward's head snapped up toward the main entrance of his classroom. The door was partially left open, just enough to allow him to hear them and to have someone peak in to see him. Pushing away from the desk and placing the exams on it, he headed over towards the main entrance. The students kept on rambling on about him and about the class.

Edward peaked his head through the partially open and stared down at his chattering students. They seemed to be so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice his presence. The Alchemy teacher reached over and tapped on a shoulder on one of the students, a Hufflepuff by the looks of it. The Hufflepuff turned around to stare up at Edward with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape. The other students realized the Hufflepuff's sudden change of behavior and turned around to see the reason for it. The two Gryffindors, one Ravenclaw, and one Slytherin saw the golden-haired Alchemy Teacher who was staring at them with a blank expression.

"All of you are zirdeen minutes late for class." Edward stated before he disappears back into his classroom. The five students glanced around at each other and quickly filed into the classroom with panicked expressions. Second first impressions, not so good.

When the students entered the classroom, they could see that Edward pointing at the desks in the front of the classroom. Said desks had their exams they had taken to even be in that class to begin with. Each student sat in their respective desk which had their exam on them.

"My name is Edward Elric; you are to refer to me as Mr. Elric. Is zat understood?" Edward stated he scratched his chin as he heard that familiar echo of 'yes sir'. "Before ve actually start I have to say this... At any moment, I vill kick you out if you cross a cerdain line. Varnings are giffen, depends on hov much you bized me off zat moment."

Edward voice started to grow harsher and became heavily accent as if to prove his point. The point he wanted to make, it was said loud and clear to the give students. "Is zat undersdood?"

"Yes, sir."

Good." Edward said with a chuckle. His voice went from dark, ominous, and heavily accented to a light-hearted, humorous, and much easier to understand. "Let us talk about the reason all of you took this exam. Vat is your reason to learn Alchemy, lie and you are kicked out."

One by one, like the first class the day previously, each student gave their response to why they took the exam. Edward chuckled when he hears the two fiery-haired Gryffindor's reasons for wanting to learn Alchemy. Perfecting their pranks, good one. As long as they are not played against him or done in his class, then it is fair game on their part. The class of five wanted to comprehend alchemy, to understand it to the smallest tiniest detail. Once that was over with, Edward motioned for them to look through their exams. "I want to go over all of your responses for the second to the last question. All is one, one is all."

-.-

'Another day of introductions.' Edward inwardly thought as he repeated his introduction speech to his new class. He inwardly groaned at the fact that it was only Wednesday and he needed to repeat this for two more times. This class doesn't necessarily have the smarts but they do have common sense. At least it isn't so dull...for now.

-.-

Edward leaned against his desk, arms crossed over his chest as he listened to a Ravenclaw give out his own explanation what Alchemy is. It was already Thursday and the weekend needed to arrive faster. Thursday class...filled with smart-asses. They reminded him far too much of himself in so many ways that it is annoying him to no end. Especially how the kid kept going on and on how Alchemy is all about magic, not about 'muggle science'.

If only Edward could toss the kid out his window or abandon him in a deserted island for a month. Perhaps that will teach him a thing or two. Or three...four.... five.... infinity.

-.-

"When I vrote this test, I allowed zome leevay for more people to pass... Typically this is something I would not normally do..." Edward drawled out to his last class of the week. He ignored the looks of disbelief the students were giving him. "Considering vith your magical background and different mindzet towards..."

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "If Teacher could see me now...she would be kicking my ass..."

-.-

"The first class vas okay, they kept an open mind about Alchemy. Zecond class we mostly talked apout the riddle. The zird class...ugh...vere do I start vith them. The fourth class...smart azess. Today's class, itiots. Zis is vat happens when I play nice..."

Severus was sitting on an armchair while he listened to Edward rant on about his first-week teaching. It was clear that the Golden Blonde had multiple up and downs about teaching, and this is only the beginning for him. A very long beginning.

"There are a few that show promise but I also see some zat have no business in learning Alchemy. Den..."

Severus took out a bottle of firewhiskey from his person and two glasses. "Firewhiskey?"

"Firewhi...vat is that?" Edward stopped mid-rant and gave Severus a questioning look. He saw the Potions Professor hand extended out with a glass filled with what he presumed to be Firewhiskey. "Is that alcohol?"

"Yes."

"Is it strong?"

"Yes."

"...Vill you stop me from doing anything stupid?"

"Maybe."

"Fine. Pass it over here."

-.-

It was a known fact that Roy Mustang was useless in the water.

It was also a known fact that Alexander Armstrong sparkled and bragged about any and everything that he possibly could. Really. Roy considered it a sickness, but with his mouth currently covered by both hands, gloves, firmly placed in his pockets, he really couldn't complain.

"What a wondrous day to be sailing!"

"The wondrous day my..." Roy's eyes went wide when he felt the ship he was currently on shake excessively. 'I hate water...'

Roy glanced over to see Alexander parading around the ship without his coat and shirt. The man was sparkling again. Sparkling! Roy groaned, but naturally, Alex failed to notice. He, instead, was showing off his muscles to the rest of the passengers of the ship.

'If only I had my uniform to make the man stop reacting in such a manner,' Roy silently wished. As it were, the Amestrian Scooby Gang were incognito while heading over to Great Britain. To be more precise, Magical Great Britain. The only issue was that they had to take a ship for the primary part of the trip, while in the guise of a group of college or university friends on a trip. All of this to get in contact with the British Ministry of Magic, all because of the former Fullmetal Alchemist. Führer Grumman had ordered for them to get in contact with the British Ministry of Magic.

"There has to be a form of communication between both parties," he'd ordered. "Or at least, clean up after your charge!"

Typical. It always has to be an Elric causing such ruckus. This should be easy, but no... They have to deal with people that wave around sticks and play truth in a level that should not exist in any way in their eyes.

Roy's eyes went wide and covered his mouth with both hands once more when a particularly large wave hit the boat, rocking it excessively, all while Alex sparkled right in front of him. 'All my suffering to clean up after an Elric. AGAIN. I am going to make him pay...'

-.-

"Finally...I found the library." Edward moaned at the sunlight as he walked into the library with memorized eyes. It was one heck of a view, that was for sure, but as much he wanted to read every single book in here; there was something much more important he needed to do.

"Mr. Elric?"

Edward turned his head towards the direction where he heard his name. He saw an older woman that looked like an underfed vulture. By what Severus had told him that this is Madam Irma Pince, the school's librarian. Someone that is highly possessive and protective of the school's books. "Madam Pince?"

"Professor Snape had informed me that you would be coming here..." Irma stated with clear annoyance in her voice.

Edward mentally will have to ask Severus when he did such a thing, it has been a couple of weeks since he arrived at Hogwarts. "Is dat so... I just found dis place, been very busy."

"Of course..." Irma stated, she pulled out a rolled up parchment from her robes and passed it over to Edward. "This is a list of all the books that are related to Alchemy."

Edward took the parchment, unrolled it, and scanned through them. He recognized the vast majority of the titles on the list from his visit in Diagon Alley. Right next to each title is a note of whether or not the book was checked out or still in the library. To his annoyance, the vast majority of the books that were checked out are the books that he does not approve of. "Great... More work."

Tag List Below:

Permanent Tag List: @runestarchild @princesskitomi @fanfictionpromptsblog @souleateralicestein @vixen-uchiha @okami-knight @legendaryneckjudgestudent @weird-homosapien @justafanwarrior @vivilakitty @ravennightingaleandavatempus @if-you-give-a-chat-a-cookie @moonwatcher04 @darkshadowguardian @two-faced-biatch @kris-pines04 @mewwitch @edwardhatori @kuroko26 @tall-and-angry @bloody-no-kissu @crazylittlemunchkin @tbehartoo @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @melicmusicmagic

#Alchemy Series #Magic vs Science #Au #FMA #HP #HP/FMA #Chapter 13 #crossover #fanfic

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mamapeach7 · 4 years

Text

Daeul

Preview / Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 / Chapter 15 / Chapter 16 / bonus

Chapter 17

She herself didn’t know what to identify as when it came to Hyuk.

Their vacation in Tahiti had ended a month prior with the New Year following, having spent time with each other, friends of course Minji. Daeul was to turn three years-old in two and a half weeks which meant that his grandparents were thinking of him once more.

Standing at the doorfront with his son in his arms and Hanji by his side, he smiled at the woman next to him before turning his gaze to his parents once more.

“This is Oh Hanji…”.

She clenched tightly onto the sleeve of his arm as she smiled tightly at the elder couple in front of her.

They smiled vaguely to her -- a kind of warm yet soft smile that let you know that because they had already accepted her. Whether it was because they were aging by the day or because they knew that their son and grandchild needed someone else in their lives, regardless of whether she was grateful.

Hyuk seemed to have noticed as well since he quickly glanced down to her and smiled before placing a hand on top of hers.

They were certainly more domestic than their son -- insisting on making dinner themselves and ensuring that everyone had food on their plate at all times. Daeul sat between them -- Hanji to his right as always and his dad on his left.

“So Hanji…”, Hyuk’s older mother began, making the said female tense up a little.

“May I ask what you’ve studied?”

Hanji cleared her throat and wiped her hands with the napkin on her right before speaking softly.

“Well, I-I actually took history -- c-classical civilizations and monarchies.”

“Oh, that’s great! History was my favourite in junior high.”, Hyuk’s father piped in with a wide smile on his face, making Hanji feel a little more relaxed.

“Really! I uh, I actually taught ancient history for a year after I graduated.”

“A-Any plans for later on?”

She averted her eyes from the pair and focused on the silverware in front of her, thinking about her recent application to the museum in Manchester which Minji had told her about. She certainly did send them her best essays written in university and her teaching experience.

The one thing she hadn’t told Hyuk was that she had been accepted to begin work in England effective in three weeks.

“W-Well I...I’ve actually been granted a curating position in...in England.”

Hearing the scraping of Hyuk’s butter knife on his plate mid-way slicing up a piece of broccoli for Daeul, she immediately knew he came to a halt.

Hanji turned her head slightly to find his eyes on her before he quickly ripped them away and continued to feed his son.

“England! S-So then just mainly English history or..?”

“Well perhaps for the most part b-but of course I-I’ll get the chance to feature other areas…”

“You know, I had a friend in my second year…”

The voices around her had drifted off as she averted her attention to Hyuk who continued to eat in silence, occasionally turning to Daeul and feeding him some of his own food.

He finally managed to meet her gaze, fixating his eyes on her as they held a kind of sorrow that would linger in her mind for days to come.

“...That was mom -- she said she can’t wait to see you again for Daeul’s birthday.”

Hyuk sat in his bed, which he now shared with Hanji since they had decided that she was no longer considered as an employee under his roof, placing his phone down on the nightstand.

“Aw, that makes me feel so giddy.”, Hanji gleed as she gently sat next to him.

And as it became a habit, they shared a long stare of admiration in silence -- sharing the peace and quiet of the now sleeping house.

“A-Are you going to Manchester?”

Sighing heavily and avoiding his gaze, she instead grabbed hold of his fingers and resided in front of her on the soft gray sheets.

“It’s um...It’s actually been something that I’ve been planning e-even before we met.”, she whispered.

Now sitting up straight to properly face her, Hyuk crossed his legs as he leaned in closer. “H-How long will you be gone?”

“A while.”, was all she could say with a jutted lip which turned into a sorrowful smile.

He was silent momentarily, still playing with her fingers noticing her mauve-painted nails. She could sense that there was a slight worry in him -- perhaps even fear. There was something in him which whispered that like Daeul’s birthmom, Oh Hanji could leave him too.

That she could leave and promise to come back but would actually never.

“I-I’m leaving the week after Daeul’s birthday.”, she whispered before bringing both her hands to cup his cheeks and raising his head to face hers.

“Say something, Hyuk.”

It took him seconds to finally face her, bringing his head up mere centimeters in front of her. She didn’t miss the quick glances back and forth her eyes and lips, letting her know what he may have wanted.

“Y-You’ll come back, won’t you?”, he asked with his brows curled.

Do you even have to ask?

“Well, I have one very good reason to.”, Hanji spoke softly before pulling him close into a firm kiss, running her hands down his neck and over his plum blossom tattoo which was dedicated to his mother.

Hyuk rested his hands on her waist before slowly laying her down and hovering overtop of her, deepening their kiss as the dim yellow light in their room surrounded them warmly.

She knew she would miss a whole year and perhaps even more of Daeul’s life, so she hugged him tightly like she always did whenever she held him in her arms.

His small body would be bigger a year from now so she savoured every last second as she inhaled the familiar scent of baby powder and vanilla.

“Don’t grow up -- stay small forever.”, she joked as she swayed with him side by side as they continued to hug.

The boy could only manage to embrace her without a single thought or idea of what was going on and gave her a short peck when they pulled apart.

Thankfully the airport wasn’t too crowded -- Minji had come along to of course bid her sister farewell and to help unload the baggage. She was saved as second on the ‘to-hug’ list which Hanji kept quick as to keep herself from bursting into tears.

“To all those math kids who made fun of us social science students.”, Minji encouraged, making her younger sister laugh in glee.

And then there was Kwon Hyuk, whom she had hugged plenty the night prior and refrained from doing so again so as to not make her departure even more miserable.

“I hate goodbyes.”, he said as he held her hand, swinging it with his.

“It’s not -- it’s not goodbye.”, she reassured.

“Oh! H-Here’s my address in Manchester.”, Hanji pulled out a small piece of paper from the pocket of her jacket. “So if we can’t call every day for some reason, you can at least write to me or you know...send me something.”

She joked lightly with a smile, making him chuckle.

He stared longingly at her one last time before gently grabbing her by the back of her head and pulling her into a kiss, making her eyes water as she had promised herself she wouldn’t hug him right before she leaves.

“If you ever feel lonely -- look for the moon.”, he whispered into her ear.

“And especially when it’s full, you’ll know I’m with you.”

Her flight had landed her around seven o’clock in the evening. She stepped out into the crisp February air, her luggage resting on each of her sides as she waved a hand in the air for a cab to drive her to her accommodation.

As one pulled over and she began to place her bags in the truck, she caught a glimpse of the night sky -- the stars dancing in pitch black with a large moon hovering them all.

Just then she heard the ringtone of her phone go off and when she checked that it was from Hyuk, she furrowed her eyes as to how he was able to text her so quickly considering it was long-distance.

However, when she read that the only thing he had sent her was a simple icon of a crescent moon, all the fears and worries she had been holding slowly faded.

END

#dean #deantrbl #deanfluenza #kwon hyuk #story

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jade4813 · 5 years

Text

A Lie, Told Often Enough, Chapter 19

Author Notes: Inspired by @fallinginloveinaflash‘s AU prompt. All credit for the idea goes entirely to her. One of the songs in this chapter is based off a song called “I Know Him By Heart” because it is incredibly difficult to write song lyrics.

Title: A Lie, Told Often Enough

Rating: NC-17

Synopsis: Iris just landed her dream job at a PR firm and her first assignment is reforming the bad boy image of celebrity artist Barry Allen. He��s overly cocky and well-known for being a playboy, but Iris has never met a challenge she couldn’t handle.

Chapters: 19/20

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Iris froze, staring at Barry with wide eyes. She could barely believe that he was standing there. She hiccupped and lifted a hand to her mouth to stifle her cries, squeezing her eyes shut. But it was no use. When she opened them again, he was still standing there. It wasn’t a trick of her imagination.

“Iris,” Barry breathed, reaching for her.

She shook her head, almost falling backwards off the stool in her haste to get away from him. “D-don’t!” she commanded, though her ragged breathing took some of the force from the word. She turned, tilting her face away so he couldn’t see her tears.

“I just – I – I’m sorry. Iris…sweetheart, please –”

She spun around, throwing her hands up in a halting gesture. “No! I-I don’t w-want your pi-pity!” she cried, shoving past him and heading toward the door.

“It’s not…please, Iris. Please talk to me.” Something in his words or his tone stopped her in her tracks. She kept her body averted and closed her eyes, struggling to get her breathing under control. She considered running. Barry might ask her to stay, but he wouldn’t physically stop her. She could flee right now – race to her car and disappear. Barry didn’t know where she lived. He wouldn’t know where to find her.

But she couldn’t escape him forever. He followed her everywhere as it was. Haunting her. And she knew that, in the profession she had chosen, there was a reasonable chance their paths would cross again one day. If she had no choice but to face his pity sooner or later, she might as well get it over with now.

Keeping her back to him, she sighed, clenching her hands into fists so tight that her nails dug into her palms. She had almost gotten her breathing under control, but she needed another moment. “C-Could I have some wa-water?”

“You – you won’t leave?” he asked softly, moving past her when she shook her head.

“I wo-won’t leave,” she promised.

Barry raced to the kitchenette and grabbed a bottle of water out of the small refrigerator. Even though she’d promised not to leave, he was afraid he’d return to the recording booth to find her gone. But when he returned, he found her sitting on the edge of the stool, her gaze averted.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he handed her the bottle. His heart broke into pieces all over again when he saw the trembling in her hands as she lifted it to her mouth and took a sip. “Thank you,” she murmured.

Barry wished she would look at him, but she refused to raise her gaze. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he stifled a sigh of frustration and regret. Things used to be so comfortable between them. When had they become so complicated?

Oh. Right. When he broken off their relationship, thinking the only person he was hurting was himself. “Iris?” he began in a soft voice.

“I – um – I didn’t expect to see you here,” she blurted, cutting him off. Her voice was a bit steadier than it had been moments before, her breathing more regular.

He didn’t doubt it, given that she couldn’t even stand to look at him now. “I’m working on my next album,” he replied inanely.

“Already?”

Though she wasn’t looking at him, he shrugged. He wanted to tell her that he was using music to process his own heartache, but he couldn’t find the words. How was it that the only words he couldn’t find were the ones that mattered most?

Rushing to fill the silence, Iris continued, “Anyway, I thought you were Cisco. I saw the – um – the Twizzlers.”

“I got hungry, so I raided Cisco’s stash,” he admitted. Unable to bear it any longer, he said, “Iris, we should talk about –”

“Look,” she blurted. “I know what you’re going to say.”

Barry sighed and muttered, “That makes one of us. I’ve never quite known what to say to you.”

She pressed on. “And it’s okay, you know. You don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to apologize. It was my mistake. My confusion. You don’t have to worry that you – I mean, you never – you never lied to me. If I misunderstood, it was my own doing.”

Barry laughed, a harsh bark that cut through the air between them. “Oh, Iris. I lied to you all the time. In this entire mess, it seems like you may have been the only person I lied to. Every time I told you it was all an act, it was a l-”

She shook her head, and he could tell he wasn’t getting through to her. “Don’t lie! You don’t need try to make me feel better!” she snapped, finally meeting his eyes with a glare.

“It isn’t a lie!” he protested. He was desperate to make her understand, but he didn’t know how. “I told everyone the truth about how I felt about you. Everyone but you.” He stared into her face, but what he saw there made him curse and look away. Running a hand over the back of his neck, he mumbled, “I practiced this so many times…you’d think I’d be better at it by now. That I’d know what to say.”

Iris sniffled, wiping the back of her hand against her cheek. “It doesn’t matter,” she began, but he cut her off.

Moving slowly, he brushed one tear off her cheek with his thumb. “Yes, it does. I –” He started to tell her he loved her, but she drew back and he knew she wouldn’t believe the words if he said them now. He wished he knew how to get through to her.

Dropping his hand, Barry backed away several steps until his back was against the wall. Then he sank down on the ground, resting his arms on his knees. “You know,” he began, almost conversationally, “I’ve been wondering for weeks why it’s so hard to find the words to say how I feel.”

Iris sighed, her posture stiff, and crossed her arms over her chest. “I know why. We’re so used to pretending with each other, we don’t know what’s true anymore.”

He had come to the same conclusion, but he didn’t know how to get past it. Tilting his head to the side, he watched her silently for a moment, wondering how he could make her believe he loved her. She didn’t seem inclined to do so at the moment – or any time soon, for that matter. “Hey, do you want to hear a song?” he asked finally in an apparent change of subject.

Her eyes were guarded, her expression slightly confused, but she gave a slow nod of her head as he reached for his guitar. Strumming a few chords, he was struck by a sudden fit of nerves. What if she hated it? Bowing his head, he started to play.

“I know she’s out there waiting, just beyond my reach. Though I’ve never felt her hand in mine or tasted her name upon my lips.” He dared a glance up at her while he continued to sing. Her gaze was soft as she watched him, and he watched her lower her hands to her lap. But it wasn’t long before he had to look back at his guitar – his fingers were clumsy from nerves and lack of practice. He had only played this song once in the last several years - on the night they’d met, when some capricious impulse had inspired him to play it during his encore. It was like even then, his heart had known that he had met the woman he was born to love. “No, we’ve never met, I haven’t found her yet, but I know her by heart.”

When the song finally came to an end, he kept his head bowed, nervous about her reaction. Finally, she asked softly, “Is that the song you’re working on now? It’s nice.”

He looked up with a sheepish smile. “No, that’s actually the first song I ever wrote. It’s a little rough, so it’s never made it onto an album. I’ve only played it at a show once, so you can probably find it if you dig around a bit online.”

“Oh. It’s nice. You should release it.”

He shrugged. “It’s about you.” At her dubious expression, he explained, “Every song I’ve written is about you. I was writing about you before we even met. I didn’t know it, but every time I wrote a song about the love I hoped to find one day, I was singing about you.”

“Barry, you don’t have to –”

“Iris, it’s the truth. The one thing I said to you that was true is this: I love you.” Before she could protest further, he strummed a different chord. This time he held her gaze as he started to sing, “I told you I loved her and pretended it was a lie. Hiding my heart so you didn’t see the truth. I held you in my arms and pretended that you were mine. Dreading the day we would say goodbye.

“I wielded silence as self-defense, pushing you away when I wanted to hold you close. And you took the shattered pieces of me with you when you walked away.” The song trailed off, but Barry refused to look away, watching as a tear trailed down her cheek.

“Is that the song you’re working on now?” Her voice was barely audible.

“Like I said, every song is about you.” Iris slid off the chair and moved silently towards him. When she knelt on the ground in front of him, he reached for her slowly, afraid of saying the wrong thing and pushing her away. “Iris…I’m sorry. When I broke things off that night…I never meant to hurt you. Honestly, I didn’t think – well, I didn’t think you would care. I thought the only heart I was breaking was my own.”

She started to lift a shoulder in a shrug and then paused, her gaze skittering away from his. After a second, though, she met his eyes bravely, though he could feel her tremble softly beneath his hands. “I cared. Why would you think I wouldn’t care?”

He grimaced. Part of him wanted to dodge the question, but he’d spent so much time hiding his feelings from her. He couldn’t do it anymore. “Being with me…the press, all the attention…I made your life so terrible, just by being in it. I thought you’d be happier if I let you go back to the life you had before.”

Iris stared at him with wide eyes, and then she did the last thing he expected. She laughed. “Oh, Barry. You’re kind of an idiot, has anyone ever told you that?”

“Um, well –” he stammered, confused.

Lifting her hands to cover his, she said earnestly, “I can never go back to the life I had before I knew you. And not because the cameras and the fame-by-proxy follow me wherever I go. Well, not entirely. I just tried, and I was absolutely miserable. All I could think about, every day, was how much I missed you. I don’t care about the paparazzi. I don’t care about the cameras. And I don’t care about the online fans. I want you, Barry Allen. I love you. I want to be with you. To hell with the rest of it.”

His hands shook as he moved them to her waist, pulling her forward. He knew he should move slowly, but his entire body ached to hold her. He trembled as he pulled her into his arms, and though he longed to kiss her, he wanted to this right for once. “I was an idiot. I never should have let you go, and I’ve missed you every second of every day since. Missing you has been like missing a part of myself. But…can I have another shot? A chance to get this right? Just you and me. No contracts, no publicists, no cameras. No lies. Can I take you out on a date?” When she hoped her mouth to answer, he rushed to say, “I know this is a lot to take in for one evening. You don’t have to answer tonight. You can think about it, and –”

Her smile lit up the room. “Don’t be silly, Barry. Of course I’ll go on a date with you. What did you have in mind?”

Barry couldn’t suppress his grin. He knew exactly where he wanted to take her for their first official date. “I was thinking of coffee.”

Iris was nervous the following evening as she walked through the front doors of the coffee shop where she had once worked. When Barry had suggested the place, she’d almost pointed out the strange coincidence. But then he’d said, “Five o’clock. Tomorrow night. Well, I guess that would be tonight. If you think about it today and change your mind, I’ll understand. But I –”

She’d interrupted him. “I won’t change my mind. Tonight. Five o’clock. I’ll be there.”

At the memory, she glanced at the watch on her wrist. 4:59. She was right on time. But glancing around at the tables, her heart sank. She didn’t see Barry. Just then, her phone beeped and she pulled it out. It was Barry.

“Hey, can you grab us a couple cups of coffee? I’ll see you in a minute.”

Though she understood how busy he was, she had to admit to a little disappointment that he was running late. Pushing it aside, she moved to stand in line, perusing the display case of baked goods as she waited.

She’d almost talked herself into one of the lemon bars when the younger girl in front of her – body tilted to the side under the weight of textbooks crammed into her backpack – moved aside. Iris stepped up to the register to place her order. “Good evening! Can I have –”

“Hey, sorry. I was just about to go on break. Let me get someone to help you.” A little surprised, Iris could only nod as the blonde barista turned and called to a coworker behind her. “Hey, can you help with this?”

“Sure thing.” The coworker responded, turning to take charge of the register. Her heart skipped at the sight of his familiar smile. “How can I help you, miss?”

“I – you – Barry? Wh-what are you –? What if someone recognizes you?” It wasn’t the most pressing question, but it was the first that came to mind.

“Hey, tonight I’m just a regular guy getting the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen a cup of coffee. And you know what? I think I know exactly what to get you. Do you trust me?”

Still confused about what was going on, she just nodded as he grabbed two cups and scribbled something on the sides. “Uh…sure.” He started to whistle as he wrestled with the coffee machine, steaming milk as he brewed some espresso. “Um, so, do you work here often?” Iris asked, still trying to make sense of what was going on.

“Not often,” he admitted. “But this coffee shop has a special place in my heart.” He paused as he frowned at the shots of espresso, which were only half-full. “You’re not going to ask me why?” he asked as he poured them out and tried again. One of his co-workers muttered something helpful, reaching around him and adjusting the settings on the machine to work properly.

“Oh, sure. But I didn’t want to distract you. You don’t seem like you have a lot of practice at this.”

“Well, it is my first day,” he admitted, pulling a shaker of something out of a pocket on his apron and adding it to the cups. Then he added the espresso, steamed milk, and some whipped cream. He topped it off with a bit more from the shaker and then handed one cup over. “Here,” he said with a smile. “Try this.”

Iris threw the cup a dubious look, noting the smiley face he’d drawn on the side. Something about this interaction seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. With a small frown of confusion, she took a sip, her eyes widening at the extra jolt of cayenne pepper. “Wait…how did you know –?”

“I told you this coffee shop has a special place in my heart,” he admitted, pulling off his apron and stepping around the counter. “I came in here once before a show and it was here that I met the most beautiful woman in the world. I was exhausted, and she made me a cup of coffee…while telling me that she wasn’t really a fan of my work.” Though he was smiling, the way he shifted his weight back and forth betrayed his nervousness.

She frowned, pieces falling into place. “Wait…you said once…in an interview. You said you fell in love in a coffee shop.”

“No. I said I’d met someone I might be falling in love with in a coffee shop. Not exactly the same thing.” The corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. “It’s like I said last night. Everything I said about you was true…except when I told you I wasn’t in love with you.” Bowing his head, he drew her into his arms and brushed a kiss across her lips. “I love you, Iris. I love you so much.”

“I love you,” she breathed, throwing her arms around his neck. Pulling him down to press her forehead against his, she whispered with a giggle, “You are such a dork.”

Her lips met his, drawing him into a long kiss, as the woman who had been behind her in line murmured, “Wow. If that’s the kind of service you offer, I’m definitely coming here more often.”

#a lie told often enough #fanfiction #my fanfiction #barry allen #iris west #westallen #rock star au

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thegreatdivorce · 5 years

Text

There and back again...

This post is about a lot of things, but it’s mainly about my love for Faramir and Eowyn… and about how the book is always better than the movie. But we have to go back a lil before we can start.

I read Lord of the Rings for the first time when I was 14 years old. It took me a long time to get through it. I think a whole year, maybe more. I had trouble for a few reasons: one, it’s a big story for a young reader, and two, my motivation was probably in the wrong place. I grew up on a healthy diet of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, my dad read the Chronicles of Narnia series to me as a kid and I read The Hobbit (on my dad’s special collectors edition) not long after that, but I never made it to Lord of the Rings until the films came out. And I only really read the books then because I loved the films so much. Let me repeat that with more emphasis, I loved. these films. so. much. I could recite lines from the movies, yes, but I could also recite lines from the commentary the cast created for each extended edition. I can still recall the jokes, pranks, and memories the cast hold dear almost as if I had lived through them myself as the 10th member of the fellowship. I still call David Wenham ‘Daisy Wenham,’ and if the word ‘wig’ appears in conversation my brain immediately goes to, “your hair changes dramatically from short to long… do you wear wigs?” If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you are not a true fan of the film series. It meant so much to me when I was younger that I think I started the books as a way to stay in that world a lil longer. And I guess constantly comparing the books to a beloved film series is not the best way to read because I didn’t enjoy them as much as I thought I would. To be clear, I didn’t dislike the books, Return of the Kings marks one of the few books to make me cry (Theoden’s death got to me), but the books didn’t impact me in the same way the films did.

Fast forward some 13 years later and something, I’m not exactly sure what, convinced me to read the books again. I have a long book list, one that I am sorely behind on, so choosing a 1000+ page saga (one that I’ve already read before) while other books are waiting to be cracked open for the first time was probably not the most productive decision I’ve made, but I regret nothing. I still own the same copy of LOTR I owned when I first read the series and man, there’s something about the smell of a book that can bring you right back to where you were when you first opened it because that’s exactly what happened when I started re-reading it. There is something nice about feeling like you’re 14 again… feeling like your whole life is ahead of you, but the only thing you have to worry about is reading this one book.

Although the smell of the book felt the same, other things felt different. Aragorn does not struggle at all with the idea of his kingship like Viggo does in the film, Sam feels a bit more of a simpleton in the books, and Frodo seems older and wiser than the 19-year-old Elijah Wood feels in the movies. All of these things are small differences and as I was reading book one and book two, I found I still liked the movies for what they are and tried to be (although that scene where Frodo tells Sam to leave just before Shelob’s lair, that he doesn’t need him anymore, will never make sense to me), but for the most part I liked both film and book fairly evenly. But entering into book three, I realized how certain characters got the short end of the movie stick. Particularly Eowyn and Faramir. I’ll be frank, I don’t know how you would have written more of them into the story without bogging down the pacing of the rest of the movie, but that’s kind of my point, Eowyn’s story is so good she needs her own dang movie so everyone can discuss how amazing and complex she is. And Faramir too, but we’ll get to him in a moment.

Eowyn in the movie is played wonderfully by Miranda Otto. Seriously, the casting of this series is pretty near perfect. Her part is relatively small, but they touch on all the main points of her character. She’s a fierce warrior, but she feels stuck in a cage staying at home having to care for her people and the man she considers a father all by herself, she falls for Aragorn, he doesn’t return her love, she wants to ride to war, she does so secretly, she kills the Witch-King, she receives the honor and valor she has always wanted, she marries Faramir, bada bing, bada boom, done. It’s a nice lil package, but it’s the highlight reel because there is so much more to Eowyn than that...

So to know Eowyn, we have to know the people of Rohan. Faramir does a nice job summing them up when he refers to them while talking to Sam and Frodo in The Window on the West, “If the Rohirrim are grown in some ways more like to us (the people of Gondor), enhanced in arts and gentleness, we too have become more like to them. For as the Rohirrim do, we now love war and valor as things good in themselves, both as a sport and an end. We esteem a warrior, nonetheless, above other crafts.” Faramir continues to talk of war “as is the need of their day,” a necessary evil, but you can tell... he’s really not into it. This is shown in a few different ways throughout the books (his relationship in contrast with his brother/father as one example), but the place it really hits home happens earlier in the same chapter when he states this zinger, “War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” (Side note, Faramir is the best and I know everybody loves fawning over King Viggo Aragorn, but y'all are sleeping on the best man in the whole series! Faramir is where it is at. He’s far more complex than Aragorn and I will fangirl over him more later on, but we’re still on Eowyn, so I’ll continue.) So the people of Rohan are a proud, fierce, war-loving crowd. They actually sing songs as they are killing people in battle. Think “whistle while you work,” but fiercer and more insane. But Faramir is not dissing them; he is not implying they are war-hungry, or war-mongers, simply the Rohirrim believe proving themselves in battle is a right they deserve.

Enter Eowyn. In contrast to Faramir, who seems to have a sober understanding of war and battle, Eowyn finds her worth in it. We can see this most obviously in her attraction to Aragorn. In the movie, their attraction seems to develop in a natural, innocent way. I vaguely remember Miranda Otto mentioning in some interview for the DVD special features that part of the reason why it’s so tragic that Aragorn turns Eowyn down is that he knows they would make a good match. Essentially if Aragorn hadn’t met Arwen first, Aragorn and Eowyn could be together. Honestly, with how the movie presented their relationship, yah, I get it. Except that’s not how it is in the books. Aragorn, in The Houses of Healing, looks to Eomer and says, “I say to you that she loves you more truly than me; for you she loves and knows; but in me she loves only a shadow and a thought: a hope of glory and great deeds, and lands far from the fields of Rohan.” Eowyn desires the great deeds of war, not like Faramir does: as a means to protect a people, but as a way to prove herself. Faramir seems to find an honor in all crafts and positions, but Eowyn, although protective of them, talks lowly of her own people, consistently stating she is not a “dry-nurse” or a “serving-woman” but higher above them as a member of the House of Eorl. Eowyn speaks of a hierarchy within Rohan, consistently placing herself above the other women who are care-takers or mothers. What makes this even more tragic is that it’s not entirely her fault that she has come to this thinking. Gandalf, again in The House of Healing, explains to Eomer, “Think you that Wormtongue had poison only for Theoden’s ears? ‘What is the house of Eorl but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek, and their brats roll on the floor among dogs?’ Have you not heard these words before? My lord, if your sister’s love for you, and her will still bent her duty, had not restrained her lips, you might have heard even such things as these escape them. But who knows what she spoke in the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all her life seemed shrinking, and the walls of her bower closing in on her, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in?” It’s tragic. And what’s worse is Eomer’s shock in thinking about his sister in this light. He never really knew her. No one did. Eowyn has always been fighting alone. Which is what makes her conclusion so satisfying...

Eowyn rides into the Battle of Pelennor and kills the Witch-king (with the help of Merry). As I mentioned before, this is covered very well in the film, there is the great “I am no man” line which is taken from the book and although Eowyn is injured it seems she finally got her chance to defend herself in battle, like the other able-bodied men, so we’re meant to rejoice at her triumph, which I did when I saw the film. Except, again, that’s not the point in the book. Obviously, it’s great that the Witch-king is dead, but that event is the rising action leading into Eowyn’s healing, not her resolution… because Eowyn still wants to die in battle. She survived the Witch-king, she is being forced to heal her wounds in the House of Healing, but all she wants to do is die. Die as King Theoden has just done in battle (crushed by the body of his own horse) because this is the only way she can achieve the honor she feels she deserves. Because, again, Aragorn won’t give her that honor. And Faramir challenges this notion directly to Eowyn when they meet each other in the House of Healing, “You desired to have the love of the Lord Aragorn. Because he was high and puissant, and you wanted to have renown and glory and to be lifted far above the mean things of that crawled on the earth. But when he gave you only understanding and pity, then you desired to have nothing, unless a brave death in battle.” And it is only here, with Faramir, the first person to really see Eowyn and challenge her openly, does she acknowledge the truth, and her darkness (her desire for death) passes. It’s so beautiful. Eowyn exclaims, “Behold, the shadow has departed! I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.” And if you find a sadness or a disappointment in Eowyn’s proclamation of a life of peace than you are not paying attention to what Tolkien is putting down.

This is important because I’ve heard this complaint before… Tolkien is not saying that it is wrong for Eowyn to participate in battle, to be a shieldmaiden, because she is a woman, (there are multiple instances in the book where Eowyn is described as a worthy warrior alongside her male companions. Hamma, may he rests in peace, nominates Eowyn as the person to manage the. whole. kingdom in place of the king when Theoden and Eomer leave for Helms Deep. So there’s that.) Tolkien is saying it is wrong to glorify battle, death, and destruction. full stop. No matter who you are. It is a point that is continually being made time and time again throughout the whole series by almost every character. And it should be no surprise coming from a man who fought in the first world war and then lived through the second. “I will not take joy only in the songs of slaying,” is really what Tolkien is trying to drive home here. Eowyn is still a warrior. Right after she accepts Faramir’s proposal and Aragorn is crowned king, Eowyn is like, “Faramir, I love you. I’m gonna marry you. But I have some important business to take care of back in Rohan with my brother, so I’m gonna leave… I’ll be back in like a month probably. Bye.” Yes, girl! That is the moment we should be applauding. Not the moment where Eowyn kills the Witch-king, but the moment where Eowyn realizes herself as a warrior but also a healer and there being a time and honor in both of those crafts if they have a proper foundation. It’s the moment when Eowyn finally sees and knows herself. And you know what Faramir says in response to Eowyn’s leaving? Nothing. He lets her go to do her thing because he is the best and I love him.

On to Faramir!

Ok. So. I’ll be brief here. Or I’ll try to be. One, because I think I’ve already shown a fair amount of Faramir’s great qualities, but also because I think his character in the film shows a stronger resemblance to the book than Eowyn’s. If we can all ignore that scene where Faramir drags Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath (because that never happens *eye roll*), and focus on the dialogue dealing with his dad, we’re getting pretty faithful Faramir content as pretty much all of the Faramir - Denethor dialogue is taken directly from the book, and it’s all golden. And when I say golden, I mean deadly. The, “‘Since you were robbed of Boromir, I will do what I can in his stead. If I should return, think better of me, Father.’ - ‘That will depend on the manner of your return.’” exchange between Faramir and Denethor is brutal. To say that Faramir has daddy issues is an understatement. But that brings us up to an important point. Faramir is just as broken as Eowyn is and their meeting is not so much so Faramir can save Eowyn but for them to find healing in each other.

Faramir’s dad is insane. Literally. By the end of the book, Denethor loses his mind and tries to kill both him and his son by burning them alive. Faramir is not fully aware his dad is trying to kill him because by the time Denethor is building a funeral pyre, Faramir is slipping in and out of consciousness due to his battle wounds (to clarify, Denethor thinks his son is already dead, which is why he wants to share the funeral pyre with him. It doesn’t make it better, but it’s the facts). So the last thing Faramir hears, in full conscience, is that his dad wishes that he had died in his brother’s place and the only way he can prove his worth is sustaining victory in battle. Which he knows he cannot do. So Faramir goes to battle, is injured, and ultimately wants to die. Sound familiar? But he doesn’t. Aragorn calls him back to health in the House of Healing and he meets Eowyn.

Faramir likes Eowyn from the moment they meet but can see she is struggling and doesn’t know the exact cause of her pain. So he talks to the best wingman in Middle Earth, Merry, and puts all the details together that Eowyn is still pretty hung up on Aragorn, and for all the wrong reasons. Faramir decides to gently pursue Eowyn which, if you think about it, is quite the courageous thing to do considering Faramir’s past. Faramir’s whole life consists of being left behind, the man that is not chosen. As we established above, his own father chose and loved his brother, Boromir, over him. Boromir was chosen to join the Fellowship of the Ring, not Faramir. It’s even in his job description to be picked over. Faramir is a Steward of Gondor, he’s to hold court until the proper king appears and then literally step out of the way. Here is another area where potentially someone is going to choose someone else in place of him. Faramir questions Eowyn about her love for Aragorn asking, “[I’m assuming] you cannot choose between us. Eowyn, do you not love me, or will you not?” Ugh, tragic. She admits, “I wished to be loved by another, but I desire no man’s pity.” Faramir clarifies, “I do not offer you my pity. For you are a lady high and valiant and you yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten; and you are a lady beautiful, I deem, beyond even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell. And I love you. Once I pitied your sorrow. But now, were you sorrowless, without fear, or any lack, were you the blissful Queen of Gondor, still I would love you. Eowyn, do you not love me?”

It’s actually nerve-wracking when you leave out Eowyn’s response to this question; to know Faramir is asking someone he loves dearly for love in return, something he was rarely afforded in his life, especially in the beautiful way in which he asked it. He sees Eowyn for who she truly is, someone even she doesn’t fully recognize yet, and who she can be: a valiant queen. And not just any queen, Faramir says the Queen of Gondor, Aragorn’s wife. Faramir basically admits, “I know there’s a chance you could still be with Aragorn, but even if you did, I would still love you regardless.” It’s so courageous and beautiful, and in a lot of ways, the ultimate test to see if Faramir has really healed over the wounds his father has left. The wounds of being left unchosen. But Eowyn does choose, she chooses to be with him, and they ultimately provide healing and understanding to each other.

And that’s all left unsaid in the films. None of it is really in there which is such a bummer because it’s so good. And this whole story has been waiting for me to re-discover it on my shelf for the past 13 years and I’ve finally made my way back. Can’t believe I almost missed it.

Anyhow, thank you for coming to my TED Talk on why Faramir and Eowyn are the best and why reading books is cool.

I probably could write more, but I’ve taken a brief break in reading the dang book to write this essay and I still have a few more chapters to go to finish the whole thing.

Good day.

#lord of the rings #faramir #eowyn #rohan #gondor #JRR Tolkien #aragorn #reading is cool #return of the king

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rebelsofshield · 4 years

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Panels Far, Far Away: A Week in Star Wars Comics 11/13-11/27/19

It’s certainly unfair for Lucasfilm to pick my first semester of grad school to start supplying us with more Star Wars content than at any other point in recorded history. Jerk move on their part. Anyways, as a result, here are three (!) weeks worth of Star Wars comics review in which: Marvel’s ongoing ends its seventy five issue run, Doctor Aphra gets her groove back, and Chewbacca knocks some heads. Hopefully I can be quicker about this in the future!

11/13/19

Star Wars #74 written by Greg Pak and art by Phil Noto

In its seventh chapter, “Rebels and Rogues” hurtles towards conclusion. The result may just be the strongest installment of an arc that has been chockfull of great ideas, but often struggled on just how to tell its sometimes overly scattered story. With the different teams now in open communication with one another and each fighting for their lives in desperate situations, writer Greg Pak’s take on the galaxy far, far away has never felt more a live and energetic.

We hop between narratives with surprising ease and elegance and the flow of the story is easy to follow, high energy, and positively fun. Han, Leia, and Dar Champion are flying for their lives in a defenseless ship against an Imperial star destroyer, Luke and Warba are in route to the planet’s rebels but with an Imperial patrol of Stormtroopers riding velociraptors right on their tale, and Threepio and Chewbacca are right in the center of a growing conflict between the rock people of K43 and Darth Vader himself.

Threepio’s arc here still remains the most fascinating stuff in “Rebels and Rogues.” For the first time in a long time, old goldenrod feels like he has an emotional story all his own and it culminates in a moment of self-sacrifice that capitalizes off all the themes of sentience and personhood that this surprisingly delightful subplot has been playing with since day one.

The promised Chewbacca/Darth Vader showdown on the cover doesn’t occur until the comics final pages but it sets up what should be a killer finale. Noto draws a suitably visceral encounter and no other panel in this creative team’s legacy will likely spark as much joy as Chewie spiking a boulder off of the Sith Lord’s ebony helmet.

Score: A-

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order: Dark Temple #4 written by Matthew Rosenberg and art by Paolo Villanelli

At the time of this writing, I’ve actually finished playing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The first single player Star Wars game in over a decade provides a very fun and rewarding experience that is populated with some truly outstanding characters. The game also shows that its tie-in comic, Dark Temple is surprisingly more consequential than one might have originally thought. Sure, Cere and Eno Cordova were known characters in the game from the start, but Dark Temple sees the two encountering numerous elements from Fallen Order for the first time.

Even outside the comic’s surprising consequence to the game it draws from, Dark Temple continues to be a very entertaining prequel era narrative. Even four issues in, writer Matthew Rosenberg is still providing us with new information and twists that upend our understanding of what exactly is going on. Cere and Cordova may have gotten involved in something bigger than they originally anticipated and there is more on the line than freedom for Fylar. Rosenberg has weaved a complex web and just what exactly lies within the titular temple is just as much a mystery now as when it started.

It also helps that this comic is arguably the best looking Star Wars comic on the stands now. Paolo Villanelli has always excelled at drawing dynamic and well choreographed action sequences and he truly shines here as the violent conflict between Flyar and the DAA corporation explodes into full blown war. Villanelli is great at creating a sense of motion and scale and these moments of larger conflict are filled to the brim with well designed characters and explosive energy. Colorist Arif Prianto makes the comic feel like it comes ablaze too with multicolored embers peppering each panel.

Between the surprisingly complex story and the killer art, Dark Temple has quickly evolved into one of the stronger tie-in comics that Star Wars has released in recent memory and a significant improvement on both creator’s previous works in the franchise. Its final issue may not stick the landing, but this is a comic that is well worth considering picking up.

Score: B+

Star Wars Target Vader #5 written by Robbie Thompson and art by Cris Bolson, Robert Di Salvo, and Marco Failla

So turns out the Hidden Hand isn’t the rebellion? I’m very lost at this point. The mysterious crime organization that has been at the center of Target Vader from its start has always been its biggest head scratcher. A last panel reveal at the end of the comic’s first issue heavily hinted that the Hidden Hand was actually just an organization used by the Alliance to work in the criminal underworld. Over the past few issues, we have been given to doubt this reading, until now, where this theory is thrown out the door. Turns out the Hidden Hand may have older and more mysterious origins, but now we are just as lost as ever.

It speaks to the overall aimlessness of Target Vader. Despite the violent thrills of last issue, this miniseries has still been a mostly confused and overly long affair. Beilert Valance is still a mostly dull protagonist and his quest to neutralize Vader feels even more muddled than ever before. Writer Robbie Thompson does some work to try to remedy this situation by giving us an issue that is split between retelling Valance’s past and maiming by the Imperial military and the present where he is now caught between the grip of the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. It creates an interesting scenario for our central anti-hero, but ultimately fails to reveal much enlightening about Valance as a person. We may know why he is a grumpy, angry loaner by this point, but it doesn’t make his relatively one-note behavior any more interesting.

It also doesn’t really help that we have three guest artists on board instead of Stefano Landini. Marco Failla’s pencils may do a good enough job of approximating Landini’s style, but as a whole the result is a bit jarring as the comic never establishes a clear visual consistency. Combined with the fact that we already lost Marc Laming after issue one, this just adds to the weirdly confused reading experience that Target Vader has maintained to this point.

We have seen this comic work. Last issue’s installment was a brutally realized explosion of violent chaos, but we only have one issue now to really bring it all together, and I’m worried that Target Vader may not be up to the task of making this long, strange voyage worth it.

Score: C+

11/20/19

Star Wars #75 written by Greg Pak and art by Phil Noto

All roads lead to K43. In its eighth and final chapter, “Rebels and Rogues” sees all our team members converge on the rocky moon for one climactic stand against Darth Vader and the Empire. In this extra sized finale, Greg Pak and Phil Noto try their best to pull the disparate threads of this arc together while also delivering a satisfying finale. The result proves fun, very strange, and ultimately forgettable. It ends with a summation of this run as a whole: filled with smart art and ideas, but lacking in standout storytelling beats to leave a lasting impression.

Some of the disappointment comes from the fact that much of this issue comes down to our various cast members beating up on Darth Vader. We open with the final blows of Chewbacca and Vader’s brawl which Noto clearly enjoyed bringing to life, but much of the rest of the issue resorts to the extended ensemble blasting away at him in various set pieces. It plays out like a miniature version of 2016’s Vader Down, but lacking in the edge and thrills of that original crossover.

There’s also some strange choices made with the rock people of K43 that don’t entirely gel with what came before. Part of what made these characters so refreshing throughout this story arc has been how Pak used their existence to challenge our characters’ concepts of sentience and to allow C-3PO to bond with another group of non organic life that is similarly overlooked. This fun play continues, but the conflict of it all is handwaved away in a manner that feels unusually flippant. Given the amount of effort put into finding a way around murdering this race, Pak introduces a last minute plot detail that makes it all feel unnecessary and that’s before the giant planet sized stone giant appears.

Yes, this comic gets very weird and it’s certainly fun, but it feels more than a little scattered and chaotic in a comic that already feels all over the place.

With that, we bid goodbye to this short but enjoyable era of Marvel’s Star Wars ongoing. While Empire Ascendant will presumably be the final issue of the main series, with it being rebooted for a new post Empire Strikes Back ongoing headed by Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz sometime in January, there is a sense of finality to this creative team’s last chapter aboard. Pak and Noto prove a fun bunch and had a great sense of playfulness and scope to this ongoing during its final days even if the execution wasn’t always immaculate. I’m glad to hear that Pak will be staying around to write the next volume of Darth Vader. He has some big shoes to fill, but if the heights of this comic are any indication, he is capable of the same spectacle and intrigue as past creators.

Score: B

11/27/19

Star Wars Adventures #28 written by John Barber and Michael Moreci and art by Derek Charm and Tony Fleecs

Chewbacca’s adventures with his porg sidekick, Terbus, are pretty much perfect fodder for an all-ages Star Wars comic. Given how strong Adventures’ visual storytelling has been since day one, having two protagonists who speak through grunts, squawks, and body language is right up this teams’ alley. Yes, it’s cutesy and yes it is a bit simple, but there is undeniable charm in the way Derek Charm draws us through the liberation of Kashyyyk. It may not be as visually inventive as last issue, but the way that Chewbacca hops through the forest and takes on First Order baddies is still illustrated with the same energy and personality.

There is a bit of tonal whiplash here though. While it’s hard not to be won over by Porg salutes and Wookiees knocking heads, there are moments where the enslavement of the Wookiee population is presented as an all too real possibility. The lighter, more playful execution of this issue may do a lot to make this subject matter more palatable for younger readers, but one wonders if this should have been the direction that the story went with at all.

Michael Moreci’s droid adventure is more tonally cohesive and certainly also a fun time, but it lacks the standout visuals and heart of the Chewbacca section. Last issue succeeded by pairing the under appreciated droids with another outcast that also was invisible to the First Order, but the events here are less concerned with character and theme and more so with the fun action of their plan. All the same, it’s still a decent read and sure to delight younger readers.

Score: B

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #39 written by Simon Spurrier and art by Caspar Wijngaard

With just one issue left before the end of their tenure, Simon Spurrier and Caspar Wijngaard are pulling out all the stops for the end of Doctor Aphra. After the misstep that was “Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon,” it has been nice to see Spurrier get back in the swing of things with “A Rogue’s End” as each issue improves upon the last. Wijngaard and colorist Lee Loughridge feel more in sync here than ever before and Spurrier twists the knife as Aphra digs herself further and further into a disaster of her own making.

While she was first introduced in Kieron Gillen’s run on the title, Magna Tolvan and her relationship with Aphra have been staples of Spurrier’s run since he first stepped into the title. Here as we hurtle towards the big finish, it seems only fitting that the tortured and complex romance between these two very different souls take center stage. “A Rogue’s End” isn’t afraid to really dig into what it is about these two broken and confused women that drives their attraction to one another and just how deadly and ill advised their love, if it can be called that, is. It’s antagonistic, violent, but ultimately brimming with the sort of affection and tension that makes a good Star Wars romance sing. There is one image in particular here that is beautifully realized by Wijngaard and Loughridge and may rival the two’s first kiss for the iconography of this pairing.

It’s not all two woman coming to terms with one another under extreme circumstances, Aphra is still full speed ahead on her own mission survival. We hurtle towards a series of decisions at the issue’s end that may just cross the line into Aphra’s biggest moral slippage to date. Spurrier seems poised to deliver final judgement on what kind of person our dear rogue archaeologist may be, but knowing her and this series, the final thematic resting point is anyone’s guess. It’s a good thing that Spurrier makes the whole thing so damn fun to read and Wijngaard creates such beautiful imagery.

Score: A-

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trashcanmarvelfan · 5 years

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Best. Job. Ever 9/13

Summary: Reader gets a job on the set of Spider-Man: Far from Home for the 3 weeks they are shooting in New York City as what she thinks is a production assistant, but a twist of fate has her reassigned as Tom Holland’s personal assistant. As she & Tom grow close during filming, will their budding friendship turn to more or will they go their separate ways after filming concludes?

Warnings: Language, but that’s pretty much it? This is basically a PG-13 rom-com. (Legal) alcohol use as well but since it’s legal do I really need to tag it?

Word Count: 1600 for chapter 9.

Author’s Note: As this was written WAY before Spider-Man: Far from Home was released (actually before Avengers: Endgame was as well) I’ve kept plot details and which scene was being shot on what day extremely vague. Also, I’m American but tried to write Tom as British as possible, although I do think he’d try to stay(ish) in character and use as much American slang as he could while he’s still playing Peter.

Chapter-Specific Author’s Note: :|

Requests are always open!

Cross-posted at AO3.

Y/N had just gotten dressed to go meet Tom and Harrison for brunch when her phone chimed with a text alert. A bright grin bloomed on her face when she unlocked it.

Tom: Good morning.

Hi, she typed back.

Tom: I’m heading downstairs. Want me to go ahead and order your coffee when I get to the restaurant?

Sure. I’ll be right down.

She did a quick check in the mirror before grabbing her purse and heading out the door and down to the restaurant, where Tom and Harrison were already seated. Y/N’s coffee was waiting for her, already fixed to her liking.

Y/N glanced at Tom as she sat down, who gave her a shy smile as he sipped his own coffee.

They had a pleasant but mostly quiet brunch. Y/N kept sneaking glance at Tom whenever she thought he & Harrison weren’t looking, remembering the kiss from the night before and blushing into her french toast. Professional, Y/N, she kept reminding herself. Keep it cool in public.

At one point she looked up and noticed Harrison watching her. He glanced back & forth between her & Tom and raised an eyebrow.

Y/N felt herself blush again. Shit, he caught me staring at Tom. She was relieved when Harrison turned to Tom and asked a question about plans they had made for when Tom was back in London.

The rest of brunch passed without incident, and as they stood to leave Y/N gave Harrison a long hug and a quick peck on the cheek. “It was so great getting to meet you.”

“It was great getting to meet you too,” Harrison replied. “Stay in touch, and if you’re ever in London let me know.”

“Sure will. Have a safe flight.” Y/N turned to Tom. “I’ll see you later for our meeting?”

“Yeah, sure,” Tom replied.

“Bye, guys.” Y/N headed back up to her room to get some work done before her meeting with Tom.

She set her reminders for the upcoming week then decided to start reading one of the books she had bought at the Strand the previous day. She became so absorbed in the story that she was startled when her phone rang.

“Mmmlo?” she answered.

“Y/N,” came Laura’s voice. “Have you seen the Celebrity News Report website today?”

“Of course not,” Y/N replied. “You know I don’t read that gossip rag that calls itself a news site.”

“Well you have to at least see today’s front headline. Here, I’m linking it to you.”

Y/N’s phone chimed with a message and she tapped on the link.

HAS SPIDER-MAN FOUND HIS SPIDER-LOVE?

“Oh shit,” Y/N blurted. Above the article was a grainy photo of her & Tom at the nightclub the night before. From the looks of it, it was taken right before their almost-kiss. Luckily, it was dark and of super poor quality like it had been taken with a cell phone from a distance and Y/N’s face was turned away from the camera, so there really was no way to identify who was in the photo. Y/N quickly scanned the article.

Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, who is in New York City filming Spider-Man: Far From Home, was spotted getting awfully cozy with a mystery (Y/H/C) at an undisclosed NYC hotspot last night. Sources say that Holland, 22, has been spotted at several different NYC restaurants over the past few weeks with the same woman. Has he moved on from co-star & rumored flame Zendaya, or is he playing the field? Keep it here at the Celebrity News Report to find out more as the story progresses!

Y/N groaned. “They didn’t even mention that Harrison was there as well. I danced with him too, you know.”

“I know,” Laura replied. “You didn’t post anything on your Instagram from the club though, did you?”

“No, of course not. I only sent you that selfie.” Y/N sighed. “I actually haven’t posted anything on Insta since I’ve been in New York.”

“Besides, it’s not like there’s anything going on between you two anyway.”

Y/N was silent.

“Wait, right?” Laura asked. “Y/N… Nothing *is* going on, right?”

“Umm, well…” Y/N hesitated. “Tom and I kissed last night.”

“WHAT?!?”

Y/N quickly moved the phone away from her ear so she wouldn’t go deaf from Laura’s pterodactyl screech.

“I want deets, girl! SPILL!”

“Ok, well, when we first got to the club Harrison insisted that we all do tequila shots to start.”

Laura clicked her tongue. “Y/N, you know what happens when you drink tequila. Remember the Delta Pi party sophomore year? You almost wound up naked with the captain of the collegiate swim team!”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I chased it with lime juice this time like I’m supposed to, how was I supposed to know it’d still hit me like it did? I’m used to the cheap stuff!”

Laura laughed. “Anyway, go on.”

“So we did a couple of shots, then Tom left to go get me a drink while Harrison went dancing. Oh, then this creepy dude hit on me and Tom pretended to be my boyfriend when he got back. Then Harrison came back and Tom and I hit the dance floor, which is probably when the picture was taken. We…err… we *almost* kissed on the dance floor but someone bumped into us, so I said I was hot and needed to go to the restroom. We had a few more drinks in between dancing and it was late when we got back to the hotel. We all took the elevator up and Harrison got off at his floor and told us good night, and Tom and I had initially parted ways once we got up to our floor, but Tom had my phone and ID and stuff so he walked over to give it to me so I could get into my room and one thing led to another and… he kissed me.” Y/N sighed at the memory.

Laura squealed. “Ooh, girl, you are so lucky!” She paused. “Hey, listen, I’ve got to go, there’s an early call time on set today, but I want to hear more later, k?”

“Ok,” Y/N replied.

“I’ll talk to you later. Bye!”

Y/N hung up and flopped back on her bed. Shit, what am I going to do? She’d have to lay low for the rest of the filming. She couldn’t be seen in public with Tom or else someone might figure out that she was the girl in the picture, suss out her identity and create a media frenzy of speculation. Neither she nor Tom needed to deal with that, Tom being a pretty private person outside of scheduled interviews and what he personally shared on Instagram and Twitter and Y/N beginning a new job in a few weeks. She definitely didn’t want to be the subject of company gossip when she was just starting out.

Her phone dinged with a text.

Tom: Hey, Haz just left for the airport. Can I come by?

Y/N replied, Give me like 15 minutes?

Tom: Sure.

Y/N hauled herself out of bed, took what was probably her fastest shower on record, and dressed in flannel lounge pants and an oversized sweatshirt.

Not long after she had dressed, there was a knock on her door. “Y/N? It’s me,” came Tom’s voice.

She opened the door. Tom stepped in, holding 2 coffees.

He held up had holding one of the coffees. “I was downstairs and thought you might like this.”

“Thanks so much,” Y/N said, taking it.

Tom rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Before we get to next week’s schedule can we talk about something?”

Shit, shit, he saw the article, Y/N thought. Of course he did, his agent probably stays on top of any kind of news about Tom.

“I suppose you’ve seen the gossip sites this afternoon...”

Y/N nodded. “I hadn’t, but Laura called me a while ago about that picture floating around the internet of us dancing at the club last night.”

“Well… umm,,, also speaking of last night -- I mean, after we got back from the club, that is…” Tom looked uncomfortable.

Shit, he regrets kissing me, Y/N thought. Give him an out. She waved him off. “Oh, the kiss? That was no big deal. Don’t worry about it.”

“No big deal?” Tom echoed.

“Psh, yeah. We both had been drinking, and ya know, with oxytocin and sciencey brain chemical stuff combined, things happen. We can just forget about it, chalk it up to a drunken mistake.”

“Right.” Tom fiddled with the sleeve on his coffee cup for a second, then pointed his thumb towards the door. “You know, actually, I just remembered I have something to do now, so I’m gonna go. You can just email me my schedule for next week, yeah? I’ll see you later.”

And with that, he turned, and for the first time in almost two weeks, Tom left without at least giving Y/N a hug goodbye.

As the door clicked shut, a pang hit Y/N in the solar plexus. She wanted to run after Tom and tell him that she didn't mean it, that the alcohol had long since worn off so she had kissed him with a totally clear head, and that it had been the best kiss of her life and that she would remember it forever.

Instead she curled up in her bed and cried herself to sleep.

Taglist: @laureharrier @thoughstofaredhead & @greenarrowhead

#tom holland rpf #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland fanfic #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #avengers fanfiction #marvel fanfiction

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jesussavedevenme · 5 years

Text

Never Underestimate Family

This is based off my own headcanon that Kendra and Seth have an older brother that joined the army shortly after finding the magic world. He was 13 years older than Kendra and 15 years older than Seth. So enjoy my headcanon and fluff ( I love fluff!) . This is WAY after dragonwatch Chapter 3 Never underestimate ffamily October was a hard month for Kendra Sorenson. I mean sure Halloween was fun, but it was also the month her brother left. Kendra's brother Jason Sorenson had been 13 when she was born. She was 5 when he was deployed in the army. To say they had been close was an understatement. Kendra remembered days of running to him when he got home. Her mom would say she would go to him more then she would them. He had written at first,but the letters became fewer and fewer, until they just stopped. Kendra wished upon wished that she could talk to him again and know that he was okay. Now at 22 years old Kendra missed him more than ever. There was a special day approaching, something she wanted him to be there for. At the end of this month Kendra would be getting married. Bracken had asked to date her on her 18th birthday. After almost losing her to fatal wounds( if you want a one shot on this let me know.) he had decided that he didn't want to waste any more time. They had dated for 4 years and 2 months ago he had asked her to marry him ( again if you want the details you have to tell me.) As a.result of the magic it took.to heal her wounds, Kendra was now closer to a unicorn than a mortal. She looked 18, her long Brown hair was now mostly blond, ears slightly pointed, and had eyes that changed with her mood. She sat now in one of the many gazebos.around the pond. Where she always went to think. Thinking now at where her brother could be. would he look the same? Would he still devour all food in sight? Her parents had long since come.to the conclusion that he had died, and Kendra sometimes wondered if they where right. She had to face the fact that he most likely wouldn't be here. Letting the only one tear escape her, she stood up and began the trek back to the main house. †††† Seth, despite popular beliefs , was not oblivious to his sister's recent change in demeanor. The switch from happy to upset. He also was not ignorant as to what caused it.(though he did hunt down a certain unicorn amd.grill him). After a while he had enough, he didn't remember Jason seeing as he was only 3 when he left. So Seth devised a plan, a perfect one. A fool proof one. Which was why he was standing in the atic. Since he was 20 he has moved into a room.downstairs, making this a perfect hiding place. Seth was tall and slim and had a light scar right under his left cheek bone. He was muscular, and his shadow charming abilities increased his strength. And with a deep voice to accompany this, he could be pretty intimidating. But if you looked into chocolate colored eyes ,you could see the playful mischievous gleam. His hair still Brown and unruly.Seth stood in the far corner holding a communication coin and talking to the Unicorn. " You just do your part, and I'll do mine ok? "Seth said Are you sure this is going to work seth? He may not come with you. " Oh he will come, if I have to drag him here, just send the fairies. " Have you told you grandfather about this plan. " what do you think? Look just find him first , then I'll talk to grandpa. Look i hear Kenzy, so I am going to go" Seth quickly dropped the connection before Bracken could ask any more questions about his grandfather knowledge. He was 20 he could accomplish this himself. He just hoped the fairies could find Jason in 2 weeks. †††† Jason Sorenson walked around the army base. He was 35 years old and has sandy hair and chocolate eyes. He had left home at 18 and hadn't been back since. It was funny the reason he couldn't go back was the reason for all this mess any way. The reason why he left has a bit of a back story, he had found the magic world at 15, which is a different story entirely, when his mom had his brother. His grandfather had told him that his parents didn't know about the magic world. Jason wanted to explore it. When is parents took him back he found that all he could focus on was finding out more. His grades fell and he was distant with his friends. He could focus on nothing but the future. Suddenly he looked up and found his straight A's where now mostly C's. His friends had moved on, his sister was in kindergarten and he had a little brother. He suddenly didn't know what to do with his life. Pride and fear kept him from going to his parents. How could he explain it anyway? ' hey mom, dad my grades are awful and I don't know what to do with my life anymore. But here's the reasons I found the magic world and have had an obsession with it, so help please?' Definitely not. So he had joined the army and resolved to forget the magic world existed. And now, pride and fear where what was keeping him away from home. How would he face his parents and his sister. Kendra. If there was something he regretted most it was missing out on Kendra's life. They had been so close until he had let other things consume him. He heard a gasp not far away and pulled himself back to the present. He quickly found what had caused the reaction. A group of brightly colored butterflies where flying through the base. He knew these couldn't be normal butterflies. He might not have any assistance but this was not a normal occurrence. His suspicion was confirmed when the butterflies fluttered around him before flying off. Who would send fairies after him? And why? The commotion was settling down so Jason decided to act normal. It was probably nothing.E †††† Bracken walking through the halls of the fairy castle to meet his father for lunch. His father had been ecstatic when he had awoken to find out his son was engaged. Though at first he want to thrilled that it was a handmaiden. Bracken had brought Kendra to the fairy realm to meet him and he had instantly fallen for her. He saw her as his daughter already. They where meeting today to finalize things and just talk. The wedding was in 3 days so the pressure to make sure everything was ready was truly on. Despite this Bracken made sure to talk to Kendra in some way , form, or fashion, every night. Just thinking of his beautiful fiancee brought a smile to his face. Beautiful smile, bright ,sparkling green eyes. Bracken was pulled from his thoughts by the fact that a group of fairies came rushing up to him. Immediately fearing the worst his hand drifted to the hilt of his sword. The leader of the group, an elegant fairy with electric blue hair and a pink dress that slowly faded to white, said " Your Highness, we have found the man you requested. Jason Sorenson is on an army base in Chattanooga Tennessee North America. " Bracken relaxed and said thank you be before reaching out to Seth using the communication coin. He wasn't too worried about telling him now though because he would be eating dinner there, as he usually did. Rushing off to meet his dad Bracken couldn't help but wonder what Seth Sorenson had planned this time. †††† Seth was restless all through dinner. Not that this was new, ADHD does.that, but especially tonight. Bracken had said that he had found some information and would tell him in private.after.dinner. It was for this reason that Seth was shadewalking just outside the house as the unicorn told his sister goodnight. He smiled.a little.They where good together, not that he'd ever admit that. As much as he hated the mushy , gushy stuff, Bracken made Kendra happy and that was good enough for him. Again not that he would ever admit this to anyone. His wondering thoughts where interrupted by the door of the house closing indicating that his.sister had gone inside. Stepping out of the shadows he approached Bracken. "So, what do you got for me?" Seth asked running his hands together. " They found him on an army base in Chattanooga Tennessee. " " Awesome! Now the problem is finding a way to get.there. Without Kendra getting suspicious. " " Who knows about this?" "Vanessa and Warren. They are going to keep her busy so she has less time to think about it. " " What about -" " I wanted it to be a surprise for the others as much as Kendra. " "Alright then." They both fell silent thinking about excuses and ways of transportation . Suddenly Brackens face lot up. "We can use Astrids to get there. As for excuses that's more your area of expertise." He said. Ending with a hint at Seth's mischievous nature and knack for coming up with clever excuses. And I'm fact after.a.minute more of thinking Seth came.up with one. " I've got it! So we use the Astids. You come in and act worried. Find me and we'll kind of speak in private for a.minute. The story will be there that you have gotten word of an assassin and need the help of an shadow charmer to save the day. Being the overprotective person you are when Kendra inevitably tries to come along as backup, you tell her no. Do the gushy stuff you do , telling her you love her and don't want her hurt or whatever. Then Warren and Vanessa step in and take her to do whatever there doing. We go get Jason, bring him back, and surprise Kendra. " Seth says taking a breath. He looks expectantly at the unicorn. For a moment all Bracken does is stare are him, then he drops his head into one of his hands and shakes his head. Seth is confused , going back over the plan he doesn't see where he missed anything. He's about to voice this when Bracken looks up at him with a smile.on his face. " You 're not right" he says jokingly. " Dude , you've known me for 7 years and your just now figuring that out? Are you in or not. " Seth asked. Quiet proud of his plan . He got to both scare and surprise his older sister! " I'm in. " Bracken said. Seth did an evil laugh and said " Welcome to the dark side my friend, we've been expecting you. " Bracken once again stated at Seth for a moment before shaking his head turning his head and walking back into the woods. †††† Bracken walked into the yard three Astids trailing behind him. He stopped for a moment trying to make himself seem extremely worried. He was a really good actor when he wanted to be. His biggest challenge would be not breaking when he sees Kendra worried. he hated it when she worried about stuff. He started to Sprint into the main house trying to seem urgent. He almost ran into Kendra. He decided to go.ahead and start putting this plan, that Seth's twisted little mind had came up with, into action. " Hey Bracken! " said Kendra happily smiling her shining smile. Braden grabs her shoulders and looks her up and down worried as if searching for injuries. He feels a pang of guilt as her bright smile fades into a worried expression. Still, remembering the outcome , he continues. " Are you ok? Your not hurt anything? " he ask trying to sound almost.frantic. " No why? " she said breathing quickening slightly as she looks fearfully at the woods. Bracken immediately enveloped her in a quick hug before pulling back and saying, " No , it's ok ,I'm not running from anything. " " what's going on? " she asked sounding beyond worried. Keeping himself steady in his role he tried to look indecisive before replying, " Where's Seth? " "Bracken why won't you answer my question? What's going on?" Bracken placed a kiss on Kendra's forehead. When he pulled back his resolve almost broke at the sight of Kendra's eyes brimmed with frightened tears. " I'll explain later, love. Right now I need to talk to Seth, is he inside? " Bracken said gently already knowing the answer. She nodded and he quickly rushed into the house, determined that this was the last time he was.helping Seth with any of his plans. †††† Seth watched in shock at how good Bracken was at convincing Kendra he was worried. He began his own role as the unicorn entered the house. Pretending he knew nothing about this, he let a smile fade as he walked toward him worried. " Hey man, what's up? What's this all about. " " Seth! Just the person I was looking for ! Can we talk in private? " Bracken asked continuing the skit. " Yah of course come on. " " Bracken what is this all about?" Grandpa Sorensen asked entering the room.at the commotion. " I'll explain later. " He said in the same time he had used with Kendra. Seth ducked into one of the many guest bedrooms in the house and heard Bracken close the door behind him. " Dude! That was awesome , everyone is genuinely worried! " Seth praised. His smile fades when he found the unicorn glaring at him. " what? " " This is the last time I am doing anything like this. " He said. " Oh, is this about Kens being worried? Don't think about it. She'll drop it once Warren and Vanessa start. " Seth answered rolling his eyes. Bracken didn't look convinced ,but he did drop the subject. After going over the plan and waiting a few more minutes, they left the room both looking grim and concerned. All of the family had gathered in the living room, as Seth had knew they would. They all have them there attention and waited for someone to explain what was going on. They had previously decided that it should be Bracken that explained since he came looking for Seth. " I caught word of an assassin, he is headed this way, I need Seth to help me take him down. The fairies have tracked him to Chattanooga Tennessee. " Bracken said grimly. " The plan is to go and stop him before he can get here. If everything goes well we should be back by tonight. " Seth finished. " Who are they after? " Grandpa Sorensen asked fearing the answer. " Kendra. " Bracken said. " the reason I only want me and Seth is for this a smaller team will be better. Along with the fact that his power as a shadow charmer could come in handy. " After several more questions the group finally dispersed. Seth was standing by one of the Astrids while Bracken said goodbye to Kendra for like the thousandth time,in his opinion anyway. Seth thought the unicorn was laying it on kind of thick , seeing as they weren't actually going to be in danger. Finally Kendra went in side and the Astrids took off. Seth could hardly contain his excitement now. His plan was working perfectly, he was going to see his brother, and surprise his sister. †††† Jason was sitting on his bunk resting when a one of the commanders came in looking for him. The man was named Mark. Mark was about 40 years old, he was short but muscular. His hair was black but streaked with grey. " Sorenson, there's a man here to see you, says he's a family friend. " Mark said in his deep, rough voice. Jason thought for a moment, he didn't know who it was but if he had to guess it would be the one who sent the fairies after him. Jason nodded to the commander and walked out of the room , heading toward the main offices. When he got there he was directed to a room with a closed door. Outside standing not far was a tall slim man, with silvery hair and a muscular build. Thinking this was his visitor he walked to him. When Jason for closer the man gestured to the door indicating that he enter the room. Jason was getting suspicious and was glad he always had a knife in him. Once he entered the silver haired man shut the door behind him. Startled Jason turned toward the door. Missing the fact that he wasn't alone. Jason " Long time no see , Jason. " said a deep voice. Jason turned around quickly reaching for his knife. For the first time he noticed a tall ,slim,muscular man with dark hair. His muscles made him look as if he lifted weights for a living. He was a head taller that Jason and looking up into dark eyes made the man even scarier. Jason quickly composed himself and said, " I'm sorry, you'll have to tell me your name. I'm afraid I don't know you. " the man smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. " I didn't think you'd recognize me. I look quite a bit different than I did when I was 3. " when Jason showed no reaction the man sighed and continued, " the name 's Seth. Sent Sorenson. " Jason's eyes widened at the name. This man was his 3 year old brother. Looking into the chocolate eyes , he could now see the mischievous glint in them. " Seth?! No way! What are you doing here? You look so grown up and ... Intimidating " he said incredulously. Seth laughed. " Yah I have been told that a few times. As for the reason I'm here, I'm here to take you home. Jason frowned, he couldn't go home. But how was he going to break that to his, not so little, little brother. Who had obviously spend some time looking for him. " Look, buddy. I appreciate you coming by, but I am afraid your wasting your time. I'm not coming home. " Jason said gently. He gulped as Seth's expression became darker. " I don't think you understand Jason , you are coming home, whether you come willingly or i have to drag you. " Jason began to protest but Seth continued " and believe me I can do it, being known as one of the protectors and hero's of the magic world is not the easiest job. " " What?! " Jason said shocked. Not only did his brother know about magic but he was the protector and hero of it. A question rose to mind as he asked. " wait one of them, whose the other? " he watched Seth smirk and reply simply, "Kendra." " Both of you know about the magic world? " Jason asked excited . This was amazing! He didn't have to keep it to himself anymore. Seth smiled even wider " Yep, mom and dad do too. " " I can't believe this. This is amazing! But why come and find me now? And who was that man with the silver hair outside? " " Both of those questions go hand in hand. The man out there, his name is Bracken. He is Kendra's fiancee. " Seth paused and chuckled at Jason's shocked expression before continuing" as for why now ,well, She gets married tomorrow and all she wants is for you to be there. " " Kendra is what?! " "Getting married tomorrow. Now are you. Coming willingly or not, we need to get going soon, so we can get home before dinner." Jason nodded still processing the information . He followed Seth out and stopped beside the man that was apparently marrying his sister in a matter of hours. He heard Seth tell them to go on , while he found the head of office. He looked at the man, Seth called Bracken, for the first time. He was shocked at the blue orbs and instantly knew he wasn't human. Realizing he was staring he said " So, your the man marrying my sister. " " Yah, she's amazing, I can't imagine loving anyone in this earth more than her. " Bracken answered. He seemed genuine. They continued to talk as they reached the edge of the base. Jason was in shock by the time Seth found them. Not only was he talking to unicorn, but the Prince of the fairy realm. His siblings where fairykinds and shadow charmers , demon slayers, Dragon tamers, and just all around awesome. He was amazed when he met the Astrids. As they neared home, he realized that they would have accepted him a long time ago. It was time to make things right. †††† As worried as Kendra had been that morning, she had little time to think about it the rest of the day. Warren and Vanessa had kept her extremely busy. They started no going after the boys left by helping arrange the flowers. As boring as that sounds, the fairies made it quite interesting. Changing , color, shape, and size with a command. Then they had left Fablehaven and went to pick up supplies for the brownies to make the desserts. They had lunch then came back to Fablehaven. Bradley's sister Petunia had come and brought all the dresses for the bridesmaids, the suits for the groomsmen , and Kendra's dress. She had just finished trying it on and letting Petunia adjust it when , the boys returned. The first thing she did was get up from the couch and run and hug her fiancee. He squeezed her tightly before pulling back and kissing her forehead. the others gathered to welcome them name as well. She then turned to her brother and hugged him before he could make any smart comments. He hugged her back , then pulled away. Kendra noticed that Seth was standing, kind of awkwardly ,in front of the door. Stepping back she looked curiously at him before asking " How'd it go? Did you get the assassin? " she was confused when Bracken looked away and Seth smirked. " About that sis, the assassin thing was kind of a story to keep you out of suspicion for the day. "Kendra was shocked. It was a what?! A story! Seth most of noticed her confused and somewhat angry look because he continued quickly. " Before you say anything, before anybody jumps all over me, Kendra close your eyes. " " What? Why? " " Just do it. " " Why? " " So I can show you why we had to tell a story like that. " Seth said impatiently. Kendra sighed and did as she was told. She heard someone enter the house and a bunch of her family gasp. Resisting the urge to open her eyes, Kendra moved her head towards the sound. Soon she heard a voice she wasn't to ever hear again. " Kendra, Jason says open your eyes. " her eyes flew open at the name of her brother replaced with the regular Simon says. She stood in shock for a moment taking in his sandy hair and chocolate eyes. His slim strong build . The person she had wanted to see for the longest ti me was standing right in front of me. †††† Jason watched as Kendra 's eyes flew open at the mention of there old game. A flash of worry went through his mind as she stood in shock. But it was quickly vanquished. "Jason!" Kendra yelled running at him. He stumbled slightly as her small body hit him full force. He wrapped his arms around her tightly relishing the feeling of being with his sister again. He felt his shirt become wet with her tears. He tried to pull back to look at her but Kendra held to him tightly.Jason laughed " You're not letting me go are you? " he felt her shake her head and he once again wrapped his arms around her. This time he was hugged by his mom and dad as well. After a few minutes more they all pulled back he watched as Kendra walked over to Seth and hugged him, whispering in his ear. She turned to Bracken and did the same thing. Jason was happier than he had ever been. He realized he should've come home long ago. He should have never underestimate family †††† There we go chapter 3!!! I'm sorry for the wait so here's a loooooong chapter for you. Please review and suggest things for future chapters. I am already working on one that was suggested, but would love more!!!

#kendra sorenson #fablehaven #dragonwatch #seth sorenson #headcanon #family

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