#my happiness depends on how strong that little piece of metal that is holding both her shirt and choker (?) is

[cutie-lumi]

Late night illusion Tsumugi~

#I still haven't recovered from this #both physically and mentally #OGUHGOUHGH I NEED HER I NEED HERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR #my happiness depends on how strong that little piece of metal that is holding both her shirt and choker (?) is #would you drink the water from that pond #YES OR NO ANSWER QUICKLY #tsumugi aoba #femstars #genderbend #ensemble stars #art #my art

[the-merry-otter]

How To Make Medieval Fabric Buttons

You will need:

• fabric (I’m using a medium weight wool)

• a sewing needle

• cotton or silk thread (it MUST be strong)

• a thimble

• dressmakers pins

Using this style of button as a fastening technique was very prevalent in 14th century Europe, on both men’s and women’s clothing. It was used for anything from sleeves and openings on the front of garments, to the iconic liripipe hoods (which is what these are gonna be for!).

They were usually made out of leftover fabric from the same material that was used for the garment they were intended for. As well as using every scrap of material possible, they also save you from having to buy metal buttons, which… aren’t cheap (both now and then).

The trade off is of course having to make them, which can be a painful process (literally - try not to get stabbed by the hedgehog ball at step 4!!). I thoroughly recommend a thimble to push the needle through as you form the ball - this is hard enough without having to pull it through.

Making buttons in my experience is 10% knowledge, 60% spite, and 30% hatred. It is a contest of wills between you (who wants a button) and the fabric (who doesn’t want to be a button). I wish you luck soldier.

To start with, cut a circle out of your fabric. How big will depend on what fabric you use - if it’s linen, you’d cut a larger circle than you would for wool. Mine is about 30mm.

Using a long long thread, bind on and then sew running stitches around the outside, about 5mm from the edge (may vary with fabric).

Pull this thread tight like a pouch, and turn the raw edges inwards in one direction. Try and tuck them inside the “bag” section. It will likely be more of a squashed oval at this point than a sphere.

Now, get your dressmakers pins and go absolutely ham. Continue to squish it “inward” (towards where the opening was) as you pin. The button should now resemble a very unfriendly little creature now (good luck with not getting stabbed, it can be a bit of a prick).

Next, basically use your needle to try and get it to stay in that shape. I usually do a bunch of stitches around the edge of the “back” end, and then spend some time criss-crossing the back. Try and put your needle in close to where it came out, so that you don’t get long pieces of visible thread.

Once you are confident that it will hold A Shape ™ (but also isn’t so stabbed that you can’t refine it further!), remove the pins. Your button will most likely resemble a little tiny messy wool brain at this point, but that’s ok!

The next step is to use your needle and thread to continue tucking the ball inwards to the centre of where the opening was. Above illustrates how I’ll flip the open part of a fold inward, by coming up through the fold and then levering it downwards so it gets tucked away. You can also just use the thread to pull errant folds inwards. Use the hand holding the button to squash it into form, and then sew it into place.

Once the button is actually a ball shape, crisscross the back of it a bit so that everything is firmly held in place. It should now (all things going well!!) actually be a sphere.

Once you’re happy with the shape and firmness, take your thread to stem out of the centre back. Bind off, and then slide the needle off the thread, leaving the long end. This can then be used to sew the button onto the garment.

The back will still be somewhat messy, but the front should be smooth, and the whole shape roughly spherical. When the button is sewn on using the remainder of the thread, you won’t be able to see the back!

I wrap the remainder of the thread around the finished button so it won’t get tangled, and then pop it in a jar with the rest while it waits to be sewn onto the garment.

Good luck with your crafting! Feel free to ask any questions in the notes, or straight into my inbox :)

#sewing #tutorial #medieval #medieval reenactment #medieval clothing #medieval costume #historical fashion #historical costuming #medievalcore #14th century #buttons #crafting #diy #i’ll be on my merry way now #I have…… sO many of these to do #truly pain torture and misery hours over here

[asktensei]

Previously on Tensei’s Birthday Bash:

“Love,” I tug your sleeve, “Is the option of going out still open?”

“Tensei, it’s almost midnight - we can’t go out now,” you retorted.

“I have a sudden urge to go to the beach,” I say, looking out of the window, “The sky looks amazing, doesn’t it?”

“I have to go to work tomorrow, honey,” you say, cupping my cheeks.

“Please, love… for me?”

.

.

.

You turned to face Tensei. You felt his grip on you tighten as you pressed your hands against his soft cheeks. You smiled, seeing him close his eyes and savour the small act.

How could you say no to him? Every single thing he does makes your heart leap. Even by just melting into your touch, all of your rationality is thrown out of the window - just to make this male’s wishes come true.

“You better make me breakfast tomorrow,” you whisper, trying to not break the tension you both built in this small haven.

“Come on, Y/N - it’s my birthday tomorrow! I’ll cook the day after.”

“I don’t care if it’s your birthday, you’re making me breakfast tomorrow,” you got off the bed and went to get your bag.

Once you got your bag, you turned to face Tensei.

God, this man is a literal baby.

“Fine, I’ll make breakfast tomorrow.”

.

.

.

You helped Tensei into his wheelchair and then proceeded to walk beside him, heading to the beach. You enjoyed the soft light hitting your skin, closing your eyes as you gripped the back of Tensei’s seat. A small hum left your lips as you took in the crisp, cold air of the night.

“I told you this was a good idea,” he said, a smug look painted on his face.

You looked at the dark-haired male, annoyed.

“I have work tomorrow, Tensei - I’m scared I might oversleep,” you say, sighing, “...but I do miss the beach.”

“It’s been a long time since we went to our little oasis, hasn’t it?” he said, happiness laced in his voice, “We made a lot of memories there, you and I.”

You smiled, reminiscing all the moments you’ve shared with the former Pro-Hero.

“Do you remember when you tried to burn that ice cream I was eating with your quirk?” you said, laughing, “I remember how disgusted you were when the cream actually entered your engines.”

He tried wiping the cream off of the metal piece but resorted to asking you since he couldn’t clean it properly.

“You remember when a crab pinched your cheeks?” He said, holding back his laughter, “You cried so hard.”

“You can only joke about that when you actually feel the strength of a crab with its claws,” you retort, annoyed by his actions.

“Hey, hey - Wasn’t I the one calming you down?”

He was. He ran to a shop nearby and got an ice pack to cool down your cheek. He sat beside you, rubbing your back as you cried due to the immense pain. He kissed you on your forehead in hopes of calming you down.

“You were - you always have been by my side, Tensei,” You say, ruffling his hair.

“Don’t plan on changing that anytime soon,” he replied, pulling on your sleeve.

You faced the male beside you and instantly you were in awe. The blue tone of the sky had perfectly painted itself onto him, the cool tones brightening his cerulean eyes. His hair softly swished against the strong winds, framing his face so well. You stared at his lips against the soft blue hue of the night. Even against the cold colours, the redness of his lips still managed to shine, making it look so soft.

“You okay?” He asked, worried.

Thank God he didn’t know how much you loved him under this soft light.

“I’m good, Tensei,” you say, turning to the road ahead of you.

.

.

.

You closed your eyes as you stepped into the sea, enjoying the feeling of the warm water brushing against your feet. The heat from the body of water warmed your whole body like a small blanket. You enjoyed the feeling of the soft sand against the soles of your feet, rubbing your skin like a massage. The fresh breeze hit your skin, waking your senses.

It felt as if you came home from a long day at work.

It was so relaxing, so calming.

You missed this - a lot.

You turned to face Tensei enjoying the sea as much as you did. His eyes were closed, taking in the salty yet fresh smell of the breeze.

The blue hues of the night painted his skin so well it was not fair. No one could deny how amazing he looked under the night’s palette - he carried it with such poise.

It was times like this where you were reminded how precious Tensei is. After all, he was the very person who taught you how to love.

His lips lifted into a smile as he opened them and saw you staring at him.

“I am just that good looking, huh?”

Scratch that - he was an annoying ass.

You stared at his legs your heart dropped.

This was the first time he’d ever come to the beach with his crutches.

You knew how much he loved the beach - he loved it even more than you.

He went on and on about his memories with Tenya, his friends and his personal ones that took place on the sand you stood on.

You knew how much he loved the beauty of this little oasis, but he could no longer enjoy it.

He was the one who brought you to this very beach, but could no longer feel the freedom it gave.

If he can’t stand by himself properly, he’ll stand beside me.

“Tensei,” you started, “Do you want to enter the waters with me?”

“I can’t, Y/N…” he trailed off, looking at his crutches.

“I only need to carry you to the sea. You know water buoyancy exists, right?” you remind him.

“But -”

“I’m coming there,” you say, getting out of the water and heading towards him.

You stood behind him, and slowly took his left arm off its crutch and placed it on your shoulder. You gripped his side, pulling him closer to you.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes, Iida Tensei,” you say, laughing, “I’ve thought this through - it’ll work. Besides, you still have to get that right arm to work properly - you can do that, right?”

I like being the teaser once in a while, Iida Tensei.

“Stupid,” he chuckles as he turns to face the sea, “Let’s do this.”

“Ok! So there are roughly around 3 steps we need to do to reach the waterline. Once we reach there, you’re going to let go of your crutch and press your weight against me. I’ll carry you on my back and bring you into the water. From then on out, you just need to keep at least one limb on me. Clear?”

“Why don’t you just let me use my crutches until the waterline?” he asked.

Oh.

“I didn’t think of it,” you say, smiling in embarrassment.

“Dumb,” he teased.

“Hey! I could easily drop you here, you know?” You say, chuckling.

“You wouldn’t,” he said as he kissed your cheek.

Damn you.

“Okay, okay - let’s move,” you said, focusing on the mission at hand.

One.

“Damn, this is hard - why are you so weak, Y/N L/N?” Tensei said.

“Be careful, sir - your safety depends on me.”

Two.

“Why are you so heavy?” You ask, panting.

“I haven’t exercised in a long time and I eat a lot, I basically move using a wheelchair - you need more reasons?”

“Understood, sir.”

Three.

“Ok, we’re here,” he said, smiling.

“Yeah, yeah - smile. I have to literally carry you now,” you say, irritated.

“Hey! You suggested this, not me.”

“I did, didn’t I?” you say, sighing.

“How about I sit down on the sand first? After that, you can push me from the back?”

“Sir, have you heard of gravity?” you retort, “But sitting down for a while sounds nice.”

You gripped his sides tightly as you heard him drop the other crutch to the floor.

Time for payback, sir.

You immediately dropped him, making him fall on his behind.

“I did say your safety depended on me,” you replied, smiling.

“Oh?”

Oh, shit.

Using his crutch, he hit your calves lightly but just enough to make you lose your stability and fall face-first onto the sand.

“I’m still smart, you know?” He replied, smug laced in his voice.

“I’m sorry - weren’t you the one who forgot the existence of gravity?” You retort, rubbing off the sand.

“Holy shit, Y/N,” he began laughing at your sand-filled face, “Why don’t have my phone with me? I need to take a picture of you!”

This idiot.

“You got a lot of guts to do that to me now, don’t you?” you say, forming a plan in your head.

“Well, you wouldn’t kill me, so I don’t see you doing anything that bad to me.”

I guess it’s time to prove you wrong.

You hit the back of his head with your shoe, earning a groan from him. You then began to tickle his sides, causing him to laugh uncontrollably. You heard his pleas to stop, but you didn’t care - he asked for it.

“I guess,” giggle, “I need,” giggle, “Oh, never mind.”

He pushed his back onto you, making you fall back onto the sand.

“You like sand, don’t you, Tensei?” you say, kicking his thigh.

He pressed his hands on the sand beside the two of you and slowly got up. Then, he turned himself to face your body laid on the dry sand.

“Knockout!” he shouted, making you laugh.

“You’re really dumb.”

“Tenya is the smart one, not me,” he said, moving closer to you.

He laid back against you, pressing his head against your chest. You grabbed his hands, once again playing with his fingers. His right hand found its place against your left cheek, the pad of his thumb rubbing your cheek in circular motions.

“You are still extremely heavy,” you say, cutting the silence between the two of you.

“You do this to me all the time!”

“On the bed! Not at the beach,” you retort.

He chuckled, enjoying your irritated expression.

“I love this,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

“I do too,” you say, ruffling his hair, “Next time, you be on the sand though.”

Laughter erupted from the male leaning against you.

You looked at his joy-filled expression. You can’t help but wish that this man before you remains as happy as he looked right now - preferably against the blue hues the sky had to offer. You want him to stay in your arms as you relish the moments you are in his. You want him to enjoy the riches of life he has provided to multiple residents of Musutafu. You want him to live his life by your side as you shield him from the harsh words of others.

“Thanks for this, Y/N,” he said, moving upwards to kiss your cheek.

“Happy birthday, Tensei. I love you.”

“Thanks, Y/N. I love you, too.”

You both, covered in sand with slightly wet clothes, shared a kiss under the pale moonlight of the night as a blue hue dusted your skin - maybe with a dash of scarlet on his, too.

“Now that that’s done…” Tensei whispered.

You were pushed by Tensei into the sea. The body of water’s salty liquid entered your body through your nose and your mouth, filling your senses with nothing but disgust.

Yep - still the same, annoying guy.

#tensei iida x reader #iida tensei #ask tensei #tensei iida #happy birthday tensei iida! #bnha x reader #ingenium #bnha #mha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bnha tensei

[karla-the-elemental-dreamer]

KH-OC Week - Catch Up: Day 5 - (5 AUG 2021)

@khoc-week

The prompt I am doing for this one is 'Memory'. I thought this was just going to be a little diary entry simulation, but I ended up getting carried away and made a little fictional piece out of it. This does not necessarily follow my IRL existence and my dream avenues, this piece is more a completely imaginative fiction (incorporates only some aspects of stories from dreams); and what it would be like if I had a more concrete position, like living there for significant periods of time.

----------------------------------------------------------

Diary Entry Written: 8 AUG 2021 (8:08 PM)

Words: 1,652

As I sit here in isolation, thinking about how lonely it is here in the house, I remember all the times I spent with Riku and his friends, who are in turn my friends, and this makes me happy. All of a sudden I don’t feel so alone anymore, and as the memories replay, it’s like the people in them are actually with me; we are experiencing these moments all over again.

At the start, it was hard as I tried to introduce myself to a new world of people and vice-versa. I would tell Riku about myself, and it seemed like he was listening, but a few hours went by, and it’s like he forgot what I had told him… Sort of like he didn’t care, but then I knew Riku wasn’t naturally like this. At the time, I was new, and with Riku having redeemed himself from the darkness, I guess his insecurities were… Protecting him in a way; he did not want to be deceived again. It’s always hard at the start when I know exactly the person I want to show to others, but that they may not perceive me the way I perceive me. I knew exactly how Riku felt, which why I thought to myself, “Just be kind”, because in truth, it’s sometimes actions that speak louder than words.

So I took it upon myself to look out for Riku’s friends when he himself couldn’t be there, or if he was there but he was caught up in another matter. I recall the first thing I did for one of those ‘guardians of light’, so they are called. Xehanort had gotten the best of Sora, shattering him into a million pieces (emotionally), as he was made to watch Xemnas almost incapacitate Kairi. I yelled to Kairi, “Why aren’t you using your keyblade? You have one!”. Of course at the time, Kairi didn’t know who I was, and so she was hesitant to follow my advice. But just as Xemnas was about to make her take her last breath, it seems like Kairi knew what I was on about, and fear was turned into common sense. I continued to yell from the bottom of the plateau; “you get into these situations because people think you can’t fight for yourself!”.

As Riku was busy trying to keep himself from being dominated by Ansem, he looked over at Kairi’s direction with a sort of slant in his face. He himself didn’t know that I was standing below, he could only be confused by the voice he was hearing, but then I think that in Riku’s heart, he agreed that Kairi needed to become stronger and stand up for herself more… Because others won’t always be around. As Kairi swiped the keyblade, Xemnas was launched back, with a shocked look on his face like he didn’t even think the girl could do it. Both Sora and Riku looked at each other, and then to Kairi, with a look of amazement as they saw that she pried herself from Xemnas.

I skip to after that battle, where I heard Kairi say to them, “I probably wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for that girl”. Sora had answered, “No Kairi, it was all you. See, you do have in you, and for that, I’m proud of you”. Kairi stopped him, “But that voice, it helped me a lot”. Riku was curious and so he peered through a wall of the graveyard ruins, and he could see me walking away as I felt I had done my job. A few of these moments, and down the track, Riku began to trust me and see that I meant no harm. Rather than pushing me away and only what I thought was him pretending to care, he took more of an interested and asked me what I wanted when he noticed that I wanted or needed something.

Six months later, and Riku is the father figure I never would have dreamed of back then. And back then I thought I could never show that I was weak, or he would become uncomfortable with such thoughts and push me away. But then he later would accept me for who I am, and he said that is was okay for me to be weak. As my dream guide, he told me that it’s impossible for a person to be strong all the time, and when the cracks show, that it’s no problem to rely on others to build us up. Though Riku did admit that he himself wasn’t perfect, and that some of the messages he shared with me were inspired by Sora’s way of thinking. Riku would tell me stories of the time he and Sora spent together, and he said that he loved Sora very much… But then Riku also admitted that he had a place for me as well, as he did for all his friends.

Down the track, Riku encouraged me to meet his other friends. In Twilight Town, he introduced me to Roxas, Lea and Xion. At first, Roxas didn’t seem too convinced that I was trustworthy, but after a few rods from Riku, Roxas was able to see. I remember telling Roxas that I was aware of all his trauma from the events of KH-Days and KH2, and I said to Roxas that if there was a way for me to bring him back in time so that he never had to go through such a thing, I would. In-fact that’s when I said to any guardian of light who had been through some sort of deep darkness. That if I had the power to change things, I would.

And this is in-fact how I became closer to Terra. Because of all that Terra had been through with Xehanort, he initially thought I was trying to lead him on. However, I understood exactly why Terra wasn’t convinced, and from Riku encouraging me and standing in the same room as I spoke, I told Terra that I understood exactly why. I stated that I witnessed everything that Xehanort did thanks to the accounts of KH-BBS, and I said that I would never wish that on anybody. I said to Terra that I wanted to see him enjoy his life, and that I would be a good friend who would do anything to help him get back the joy that he missed out on for 11 years.

So when I could go on a mission with Riku, I would. But the mission would be so dangerous that Riku wouldn’t let me go no matter how strong I claimed to be, Terra was always the first person he took me to, and in turn Terra would always be the first one to offer to look after me on Riku’s behalf. And then even in a streak of no missions, I lived with Riku on the islands, but I would occasionally go for sleepovers at the Land of Departure.

Aqua and Ventus would sometimes spend time with us, but everybody understood that Terra was my special connection to that place. So as Aqua would have bonding time Ventus, Terra would have it with me. I remember once, I brought a couple of canvas over as I wanted to see if Terra could paint. He didn’t have that steady-a-hand, and unfortunately he ended up making a bit of a mess, but we could make out that the painting was of him, Aqua and Ventus.

I ended up painting a picture of me, with the Land of Departure in the background, holding my Spirit of Brigid keyblade. Why did I decide to draw this keyblade? Firstly, I thought it fit the royal aesthetic of the place. But secondly, I had this memory while painting. The first time I picked up that keyblade, I didn’t realised it was serving as a music box as I heard the school song playing from within the metal! I remember I had to actually slap the keyblade, and that’s when the music stopped and I could use it as a keyblade and not a darn radio. In-fact these days, when the Spirit of Brigid plays the school song, Riku laughs, and he sometimes even slaps the keyblade for me.

So after I spent the night and/or day with Terra, Riku would come to collect me, and Terra would tell him what a great time we had, and if Terra actually had fun. And then Riku would take me home, back to the islands. That same evening, we would walk along the beach, and Riku would ask me for my perspective on the stay. And sometimes, depending on what I told Riku, he would turn my experience into lessons and give me further advice or insights into life.

I would ask how Riku’s missions went, but sometimes he wouldn’t say much. I knew he still kept some things to himself, but at the same time, I understood. It’s not because he couldn’t trust me. Instead, it was more because he likely wouldn’t wish his experiences on me, or something really bad happened to him that he just had to keep it inside. However, for as long as I was under Riku’s roof, even on our bad days, we would always end the night and start the new day together. We slept in his bed, and he’d have his arm over me, ready to comfort me if I had any nightmares.

So yes I may be trapped in my own house, outside the KH world at the moment. But when I think about the day that Riku took me in; Lea and Roxas taking me out for ice-cream whenever I visited Twilight town; Terra babysitting me, and having the delicious dinners that Aqua made, it’s like there with me at this very moment, and I know I’ll be back to see them soon.

-------------------------------------------------------

Hope you enjoyed reading that piece! Now to race to get Day 6 and 7 out in a reasonable time-frame so it isn't too late outside the week. Day will contain a special drawing that I trying to finish. Day 7 may be another written piece.

#khocweek2021 #kingdom hearts #kh #oc #dreamer #karla #riku #kh riku #dream guide #sora #kh sora #kairi #kh kairi #xehanort #xemnas #terra #kh terra #aqua #kh aqua #ventus #kh ventus #roxas #kh roxas #lea #kh lea #xion #kh xion #friends #memories #connections

[ziracona]

-----The Kid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ?)

I don’t remember much. There are jumbled sounds and fragmented images, but I’m not sure if they’re my memories from tonight, or before.

Where am I?

Where am I…

I…

Somewhere…different. Not the workshop I’ve been in. The room is a different color. I’m seeing hazy ceiling through the darkness and a fan up above when I open my eyes. I don’t remember where I’d be, or why it’s different. My head hurts, my arms hurt, my chest is on fire. I’m still dying. Shit. Why did they move me?

There’s someone there, above me—a fuzzy outline. A girl, I think. It’s dark. She sees me looking up at her and pauses. Shit—there’s something in her hand. I remember now; I remember contracting with her. I remember her promising to help me. So why is she bent over my chest with what looks like a long, thin knife? Why is the pain I’m in worse than it’s ever been?

I’m looking at her in search of answers, adrenaline not quite kicked in yet, but about to, when she looks down at me and says, “Don’t move.”

I feel it almost before I hear it. There’s a flash of energy by her hand and the command seal slams into me and I can’t move. I choke on a pained cry as the curse travels through me and freezes me in place. I can feel the mana locked onto my core, like I’ve been frozen solid, turned to stone. It’s agonizing. I can’t even move my head; I can’t shut my eyes; I can’t look away. I can barely breathe.

She’s gonna kill me. I thought this would happen. I thought there must be somethin’ even worse than what they’d already done. Why else send her? Why else get me to agree to anything at all? I had to be betrayed. They’ve been recreating how I died for months now, and that was the only element they couldn’t get. How could I have been this stupid again. I knew the risk. I still don’t know what they’re going to do to me, but I knew the conditions they might be looking for, and still; still. I just looked at a face I couldn’t see, and thought ‘I am who I am,’ and I didn’t shoot. Again.

Again…

I’m scared. I’m terrified. I haven’t been terrified in a long time. I don’t know what’s happening to me. I see Pat, stooping to say, “You did this to yourself,” to me, to make those the last words I hear before I die. I feel it. I feel my heart stopping. I see faint New Mexico moonlight. I smell so much blood. I don’t see my mother waiting for me. I never got to see any of them again. I never got to see anyone again. He was right; I did it to myself, and the Throne took me. I didn’t get an afterlife.

I’m so afraid whatever is happening to me is going to somehow be worse. I don’t know why, but it’s like I’m there again. They say you see your life flash before your eyes. I didn’t. I saw things I never got to make it to crumble away, and there was just…nothing waiting. Nothing at all. It was like watching your soul disintegrate to nothing. Ending. Thread cut. I’d always been promised there was something; I thought there would be. I know now there is for almost everyone. Just not for me.

I don’t want to know what could be worse than that.

I can feel my heart pumping once every six seconds, my core fading, the pathetic trickle of mana I’m getting from the girl that’s keeping me alive. I can feel the blood pumping up from my heart and over my chest with every feeble beat. I can’t look. I can’t move. I can’t speak. All I can do is stare at the girl and wait.

She stares back, and I see horror and shock flood her features in the dim light.

Why?

“No! No—I-I’m sorry,” she stammers, starting to cry, “I’m so sorry—I didn’t mean to—I-I don’t know how to use the spells—I didn’t think they’d just happen. I didn’t mean to do that!”

I can’t process that.

She stops whatever she was doing to my chest, and reaches out her left hand shakily and cups my face. I can’t move.

“I-I’m sorry,” she pleads. Her hand is shaking. She’s still crying. She’s scared too, I realize, watching her, confused. My hair’s matted to my head with sweat, and she tries to brush some of it back. It takes me a second to realize that she’s trying to comfort me. I don’t know how to feel, genuinely. I don’t at all. This is…foreign.

But. There’s a faint memory there. Bein seventeen, starved and dehydrated. Dropping near dead on a doorway of a friend’s mom. I hoped she’d help me. I didn’t know. She did. First time since I was fourteen I’d felt like that at all. I don’t think it’s ever happened to me as a spirit.

This girl is young. Maybe about that old herself—can’t possibly be older than eighteen. She’s a kid.

I must have been crying too. Not sure which emotion was strong enough for that—I don’t think it was fear. I think it was shame, having made the same mistake. I think it was feeling betrayed by myself even. I don’t know. But I must’ve, because the girl wipes tears off me with a trembling thumb.

“I-I’m sorry,” she chokes out. She’s struggling to stop crying too, but not quite made it. I’m realizing slowly she was crying because she felt bad. It’s such an oddly endearing thing to picture a mage of any kind crying over. I wish being in agonizing pain didn’t make that so hard to think about. “I really didn’t. I promise. I’m not trying to hurt you—I—I’m not a very good mage,” she explains, tripping over herself with a voice still strained and breaking every few words, “I haven’t had much training—I can’t heal you, l-like I should. I don’t know how.” She starts to cry again in earnest. Starts sobbing on my chest. I want to smile now, I’m so overcome with relief and somethin else, but I still can’t move at all. “I tried! I tried to look it up—I tried to heal you! I can’t! So I—h-have to get the bullet out.” She has to take a second to keep talking at all. I’m getting soaked with tears now. This poor kid is going to dehydrate herself if she goes on like this. “Or you’ll die. But I can’t use magic, so I have to dig it out,” she sobs, face a ridiculous, miserable mess of snot and tears and nothing but earnest agony of her own, “I’m sorry—I know it hurts. I only wanted you to hold still so I wouldn’t mess up and hurt you with the pliers—I didn’t mean to use a seal on you.”

I wish I could nod, or something, but I can’t. The command seal is still digging into every cell in my vessel, and I might as well be a block of wood. I’m not afraid anymore. I’m…relieved. Shit. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m relieved enough to cry, and my body would like to, but I know she’s going to take that the wrong way if I do, so I fight it back.

Command seals are the worst. I’ve always hated the things. Usually people use ‘em on me because we’re not getting’ along too well, and they either want me to kill someone I don’t want to shoot, or they want me to put my gun to my chest and kill myself. You can resist them a little—I know, because I’ve tried. A lot of times. Depends on the power of the spell, and the spirit, and it depends on your motivation too. Some are easier than others. No one can resist one for long, though. Learned that the hard way too. Got too many memories of someone else making my body move and do something that haunts me.

I try to resist a spell again, now, but not for myself. I think this might be the first time it hasn’t been because I wanted to resist the spell. I can tell now I don’t really need to, probably. But I feel bad for this gal. Digging in with every bit of magic resistance I ever had, I meet her eyes and manage the faintest hint of a smile for just a second, before letting the paralysis take me again.

She stares at me, shocked, then relieved, and starts to cry again, and it’s funny to me. Guess we both want to cry over relief. That’s a couple things in common now.

“Thanks,” she manages, trying to smile back. She strokes back sweat-logged hair from my forehead again in one last little gesture of goodwill, then picks up her pliers, and returns to her task.

Honestly, it’s hard not to let some of the fear back. Dying how I did leaves a guy with a little bit of paranoia in his head. It could be an act. But I know there’d be no point in that, and I don’t honestly believe it was. I just hate being paralyzed. Even stuck with someone I could almost begin to feel something a little like trust towards. God, I never learn. I know nothin about this girl at all. Trust is a lot to put in a mage. I guess I do never learn, but it makes me happy, like that’s a victory. I guess in a way it is. I s’pose it’s okay to be proud of that. Don’t have a lot to my name; might as well keep my disposition.

Got no idea how long being stuck like this’ll last, but it has to wear off in a little while. I believe her about what she’s doing, but that doesn’t make it hurt less to have a piece of metal digging around in my chest. I should try and sleep. It’ll conserve what energy I got left, and I won’t have to be awake for this.

I go with that, once the command spell wears off enough to let me shut my eyes. It’s not until I’m about out that I remember I’ve seen her before. Remember one day a while back, when a kid saw me for a second through an open door, and looked horrified, and I thought it was novel to be looked at with pity again after so long.

Guess it was something a little more than novel.

I think I smile. Can’t believe something good came my way. Usually all I’m a magnet for is misfortune and trouble, and I gotta make whatever luck I want to get.

But I’m passin out from the pain in my chest again, and I’m not sure she’s gonna get that bullet out in time for my core to keep from disolvin, but there’s not nothin looking back at me this time.

It feels good. Like I thought it would. I’m not scared. I think it would be okay if I die like this.

There’s not nothin.

#fate grand order #fate go #fate go AU #fate #fate series #fate AU #writing #fanfic #fan fiction #billy the kid #fate go billy #fate billy #fate billy the kid #ritsuka fujimaru #gudako

[songofsoma]

Aere Perrenius

fandom: the wayhaven chronicles pairing: ava du mortain / cecilia beck rating: mature [ brief nsfw content ] word count: 1,716

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4

read it on ao3

He had recognized her right away. It was hard not to since there weren’t many women who matched the beauty presented in the wedding portrait sent by House Beck.

She was supposed to be dead. Soldiers had found her horse with its throat cut on the forest floor, a halo of scattered belongings surrounding the body—a spare dress and slippers, a tattered journal that was barely legible from being soaked through with mud, and a small coin purse that had been emptied.

Dried blood had been found on a few trees as well as in the grass. Thankfully the rain had yet to wash away the evidence.

What they didn’t find was her body.

It was assumed she had been stolen away, judging by the multiple sets of footprints, most likely to be used like a whore and left for dead. Bastardly men haunted these woods so it would have been a reasonable conclusion.

He had almost believed it himself until he had seen her.

He had been riding through the woods, tired of being cooped up indoors, when a melodic laugh broke through the trees. There she stood, wrapped in the arms of a knight, with a smile so bright it could replace the sun. And he, the golden-haired knight, looked at her as if she truly were the sun in the sky.

Jealous rage threatened to tear him to pieces as he watched them from afar.

That man had taken what was rightfully his.

He would pay. 

They both would.

They both would wish that Lady Cecilia Beck had truly died that day. He would make sure of that.

***

She cringed at the sharp crash of metal as swords collided.

Cecilia was a safe distance away from the practice ring, sitting on a blanket one of Ava’s men had scrambled to get her. 

She had thought it was sweet. 

Ava had glared at him suspiciously causing him to swallow hard.

Her knight was in the center of the ring, sweat making every inch of her exposed skin glisten. Much to Cecilia’s horror, she had opted out of the protection of her armor with the excuse that it was far too hot. There was no concrete evidence to prove it, but she figured it was to show off to her lover.

Most of the time, Cecilia wouldn’t have complained. Watching Ava’s muscles flex as she moved was a welcomed sight when she wasn’t in danger. Ava would be disappointed to find out that her attention had been on the agony she felt when the edge of the blade grew too near or when she lost her footing for a brief second. Each time she recovered with astonishing grace, but that did nothing to ease her rising anxieties.

The gods above must have taken pity on her nerves for it was not long after until the man she was sparring with was flat on his back, the tip of Ava’s sword hovering just above his throat. 

“I concede!” He groaned.

It was almost drowned out by Ava’s hoot of victory followed by that of the other spectators.

“Think twice before you challenge me again, Victor,” she chided him boastfully. “I cannot tip the scales in your favor any further without blinding myself or tying my hands behind my back!” Ava roared with laughter, the other men joining in.

Cecilia watched them curiously. It was odd to see her like this, so loud and prideful, it was unlike their time alone. She enjoyed it, nonetheless, it was nice to see her happy.

Ava finally caught her eye whilst sheathing her sword. If it were even possible, her smile brightened further as she began to stride over to where she sat.

“Was my Lady pleased with my performance?” She asked, offering a hand to help Cecilia to her feet.

“I would have preferred if you had been adequately protected.” With one hand, she smoothed down the front of her skirt, chasing away any lingering dirt, the other was still ensnared by Ava’s.

The knight brought it to her lips, gently kissing her knuckles. It was a silent apology for causing her distress. “I assure you, if I would have believed it to have been a challenge, I would have been properly suited.”

She was unable to stay cross with Ava for very long, they both were acutely aware of this fact. Ava’s honeyed words and charming smile were enough to ease the tensions seizing her mind.

Cecilia huffed in defeat and Ava knew she had been victorious once more.

“Would you like to try?” She asked suddenly.

“Try what?” Dark brows furrowed in confusion.

Letting go of her hand, Ava gripped the pommel of her sword for emphasis. “Wielding a sword. Only if you are interested of course.”

“Oh.” Cecilia blinked. She hadn’t ever thought of such a thing. “I cannot find a valid reason as to why I should not.”

Emerald eyes sparkled with delight as she ushered the lady in the direction of the wooden dummies set up for practice.

A few of the other knights had been lingering, watching their superior with heated interest. Ava hardly seemed to notice, but Cecilia could feel their gazes. It didn’t seem malicious. Just simple curiosity.

The sound of metal sliced through the air as Ava withdrew her blade, twirling it in her grasp before handing it to Cecilia. “Now be mindful for it is heavier than it looks.”

She nodded. But still, when Ava dropped her hand away from the blade, the handle fell from Cecilia’s grasp and clattered on to the dirt.

The knight chuckled as the lady scrambled to retrieve it.

Just simply holding the weapon made Cecilia understand why Ava’s arms were wrapped in cords of muscle. Years of wielding such a beast would require her strength. It rendered the skill even more impressive.

She had a better grip on the blade the second time. The thick leather of the handle was smooth in her grasp as she admired the engravings on the blade. It looked like words were carved into the metal, but she couldn’t make them out.

“Omnia mors aquant,” warm breath tickled her ear as she leaned in, Ava’s chest pressing against her back. Strong hands slid down her arms until they covered her own, holding the blade steady in front of them. “Fate will find a way.”

Cecilia’s breath hitched in her throat at the touch. If she wasn’t wielding a large, dangerous weapon she might have lost herself in Ava in the middle of the training yard.

“Ominous,” she mumbled.

A low chuckle vibrated the air around them. “It is a line my father has repeated to me since I was a child. Your fate will find you, my girl. Fate will find a way.” Her voice deepened as she impersonated Lord du Mortain. “I suppose it just…stuck.”

She turned her head, stealing a brief glance at her knight.

“No matter, let us begin.”

***

Cecilia groaned as she fell back into bed, reveling in the embrace of the soft furs and feathered mattress. Droplets of water still clung to her skin not covered by the dressing gown she wore. Her eyes were heavy, and her arms were sore from that afternoon. Ava made fighting look so easy. She shouldn’t have been surprised. There were a lot of activities her knight made effortless.

As tired as she was, she couldn’t help the smile rise to her lips as she felt the bed dip as Ava crawled towards her. Gentle kisses were peppered over her neck and her face as the knight tried her damnedest to capture Cecilia’s full attention.

She cracked open one eye, unable to help herself, and was met with the sight of her lover’s gleeful smile. The ends of a flaxen braid tickled her cheek as Ava hovered above her before her head dipped to press a tender kiss to her lady’s lips.

“Tired?” Ava murmured.

Cecilia hummed a reply with a nod.

“Too tired for me?” The suggestive tone made her brows raise in question.

“Depends on what you had in mind,” she teased, fingertips dancing along the neckline of the aged shirt she wore.

“Nothing too taxing, I assure you.” The smile on her face made Cecilia melt.

Eager fingers pushed open the poorly tied robe. No matter how many times Ava witnessed her beauty, the curves of Cecilia’s body would never fail to leave her speechless. Where Ava was hard muscles and sharp lines, her lover was soft skin and rounded edges.

“You are beautiful.” She kissed the plushness of her cheek, trailing down her neck.

“Beautiful.” Her lips kissed the point of her shoulder and traveled across her collarbone.

“Beautiful.” Ava’s head bent to kiss between her breasts.

She watched her pursuit through hooded eyes, a smile unmoving from her face. What had she done to deserve such a woman?

“Ava,” she whispered, drawing the lustful gaze to her own. “I love you.”

Her movements stuttered for a brief moment before she surged forward, capturing her in a kiss that left them both breathless.

“You are my everything, little bird.” Large hands cupped either side of her face as she covered her in a look of adoration. “For I love you so much, I cannot stand it.”

Cecilia moved to situate herself on her knight’s lap, her arms winding around her neck, ready to lose herself in their embrace. Ava held her just as tightly. She seemed determined to not let go.

Their quiet was interrupted by a thought proposed aloud.

“Marry me.”

The lady pulled back, eyes widening. “What?”

Ava’s eyes glanced away from sudden nerves. “Marry me so I shall be able to call you mine for the rest of our lives.”

Her lips parted in surprise quickly turned into a smile. 

“Look at me,” she finally said.

Reluctantly, Ava complied.

Cecilia held her face with such tenderness, she was sure they both would melt. “There is nothing more I want than to be yours for eternity.”

“So?” Hope blossomed in her gaze.

“Of course I will marry you.”

The smile on Ava’s face surely would put the brightness of the sun to shame as she pulled her close, showering her with kisses and declarations of love through Cecilia’s giggles.

#title translation: more lasting than bronze #my fair lady #knight!ava #ava du mortain #ava du mortain x detective #ava du mortain x female detective #ava du mortain x mc #oc: cecilia beck #twc #the wayhaven chronicles #wayhaven #my writing #twc a #agent a #knight ava #wayhaven ava #twc ava #du mortain #a du mortain #twc fic #wayhaven fic #twc writing #wayhaven writing

[zuffer-weird-girl]

Not again...

The car didn't even had stopped, and Chisaki already had burst the door and started to run the faster he could manage towards the place Mimic had trackened.

"Overhaul they say they are in a building!" Chrono shouted as he loaded his gun in the middle of his running while Mimic tried to mantain his balance on Rappa's shoulders while he followed his boss.

Chisaki didn't shouted back a response, legs hurting already from how much force and speed he was putting on himself to reach that cursed place.

~

"Kai!" He lifted his gaze from his papers only to smirk at seing you pouting on the door frame "Is been like hours you're there!"

"How pleasing it is to know that you've been tracking time to tell me this dearest." He sighed sarcastically before deciding to put a end on his work for today.

The way you smiled bringed the warmth he missed and didn't even knew he needed after all of his years of... coldness and loneliness.

"Well, I don't want you passing out on your desk like the other ti-"

"I thought we weren't going to talk anymore about this." He growled in embarrassment, making you laugh immediately.

The worst is that he wasn't embarrassed by sleeping on his desk accidentally, but actually flustered at remembering the way you had appeared and left a kiss on his forehead, making him let out a 'I love you' without even thinking.

After you stopped laughing he only scoffed, eyes growing worried while his gloved hand went to your cheek to stroke lovingly and carefully.

"Any better?" Your face immediately fell, the one bright with laughter turned into a sad and hopeless smile.

"Y'know..." You sighed, bringing your own hand to his to hold right against your cheek for a bit longer "I am already used to it."

He glared and grabbed your wrist with his free hand, squezing a bit.

"But I am certainly not." He growled, while you still remained with that lost of hope expression while you sighed.

"Is just... life Kai. We don't choose those things."

He brought you to his chest as he crushed you on a hug, holding your scalp and waist on his firm grip as he glared daggers at the ground.

He was working to find a cure. He couldn't just take this. Why such a beautiful and pure soul like yourself have to had this curse?

The experiments were still being done. He couldn't use you to test, if something went wrong he wouldn't forgive himself.

He was first going to tell Pops about it, the moment the real bullets come out... you would be cured.

~

His lungs hurted from the way he breathed in and out desperately.

His commurates, woth certain difficulty, followed him. The group stopping by a building as he finally got his breath back.

Yet he didn't spared a second before taking his glove out and placing it on the building... onpy to see that his quirl wasn't working.

"A fucking barrier. They plannned this Overhaul." Chrono cursed under his breath.

Chisaki punched with all his force the wall... surprisingly making it crack.

"DAMMIT!" He shouted at the tops of his lungs, making the three man widen their eyes at seing the anger and force on only that scream that even scared the birds from the florest away.

~

"Dont you know the meaning of the word 'wait' woman?!" He shouted right behind you, growling in defeat at again failing on grabbing on your hand and forearm.

You giggled at his irritated and annoyed expression as you continued running.

"Maybe if you didn't depend it on your quirk so much you would be able to- SHIT!" you accidentally tripped on your own foot and prepared for the impact... only to feel a pair of those strong arms you absolutely loved around you, preventing your fall.

"You see, this is called karma, brat." He pinched your cheek rather painfully, making you whine in protest. "What if you got hurt huh? You could have gotten a bruised knee or arm, allowing some filth germs and bacterias to enter."

"Dramaaaaatic!" You singed in mockeness before yelping a bit at the discret pinch on your butt before he lifted you guys up.

He only arched a dissaproving eyebrow at you when you smiled back a him... The sun even seemed to make you shine even brighter.

"You know that I always will come back to you, even if hell itself tries to tear me away." You chirped with a smile, making his frown go deeper.

He absolutely despised the double sense on that sentence...

~

In less than minutes Rikiya appeared and aling with Rappa, both had breaked the wall, Chisaki jumped through the rest of the broken concrete before looking around with wide and hateful eyes.

"(Y/N)!" he shouted, coughing a bit at sieng how dirty this place was, but his mysophobia was weak compared to his wish of getting you back "(Y/N)!" He shouted again.

"Nothing in here!" He heard Chrono and Mimic's yells from behind him as he scowled even more, hives appearing in huge amount on his skin.

"LOOK FOR HER!" He commanded as he runned through that rather giant place, apparently it was once one of those basements of farms things or similiar, due to the big constructure and the akount of open and broken rooms.

He went to shout your name again before he froze.. seing the villain who had announced your kidnapping... in front of a stabbed and bruised... you.

"Where's that yakusa of yours now huh? No where right?" He say it sadistically while he wiped his knife on his clothing.

Chisaki almost throwed himself on that bastard, but he mrely gave him a punch so hard on his jaw from behind that even heard the cracking and sended the man towards the wall.

No no NO NO GOD PLEASE NO-!

"Don't... worry..." you said between choked breaths, eyes teared but yet so relieved at seing gim in your front, wide and watery golden eyes staring at you as he tried to heal you back with his quirk... but didn't work it.

It never did...

"Angel please hang on I-" he said desperately but choked back a sob as he felt your hand cupping his cheek lovingly.

"Stop this... we will see each.. o-other soon... remember..?" He clenched his jaw tightly under his plague mask, holding your hand that was becoming colder and colder each second that passes.

Not again... not again!

~

25... twenty five times he saw that happening again and again.

He hated your quirk more than heroes themselfes... Evertime some accident happened, even the minors ones... you would die. No matter the quirk or someone that tried to stop it... you would always die.

25 times he saw the love of his life dying in front of his eyes... and returning it back for a few days as the form as a child... with no memories until you recuperated them.

Sometimes it took weeks for you to regain your memories... and when you did, it took at least three days for you to come back to your original form.

"Chisaki!" Your childish voice ranged and he forced himself to smile a bit, seing you unharmed was a at least the good part...

He crouched down with a sigh, accepting the small sakura flower you had handed it to him.

Normally he would keep himself far away from a child... he didn't felt comfortable neither happy being near them... Eri was a pure example of that.

Yet, he couldn't bring himself to despise the little girl that was his lover, blushed cheeks and a pure smile on her lips as she giggled in embarrassment and glee at seing that he had accepted her gift... even despite knowing his... not liking of touching.

Though how on earth he could be repulsed by you? He only found out what it meant to be happy and... loved because you teached him, because you showed him...

He also noticed that comparing from the first times you were in this form, right now you were way more comfortable with him... just like him.

But god, how difficult it was for to pretend to not be disgusted or consumed by hate at you having such a cruel quirk. Allowing you to die many times and returning it back...

You turned around to pick more flowers before you stopped... completely frozen in your place.

"Something wrong brat?" He sighed in false annoyance, before his breath caught on his throat when he saw the look you gave to him right after.

Hopeless... sad and hopeless look.

"It happened again, didn't it?" Your child like voice manifested in pure sadness as he felt his eyes burning.

Those bullets. He needed them. His angel needed them badly.

"Yes..." he sighed in defeat, letting the flower of sakura fall from his gloved hand before he felt your tiny arms circle around his neck "It was my fault angel..." he lifted you up and clinged your small form to him "Im so-"

"You weren't responsible for that building falling Kai. Stop blamming yourself." You frowned more seing the hives slowly appearing on the side of his neck.

"I swear on my grave. I am making a cure for you, just you wait. You will be free from your sickness my angel. I promise."

You giggled bitterly, clearly not believing his words.

He was. You weren't going to suffer anymore... he promised.

~

He felt the hives appearing in a hige amount of quantity as he brought your cold body to his, letting his tears drip down form his face to your chest as he rested your head on his shoulder and squezzed your body to his... not caring about the blood coaxing his clothes.

"Not again..!" He sobbed, holding your body with one strong arm while the other was subsconciously touching the ground as he holded your legs on his forearm.

His chest hurted, his skin was burning hot and he somehow catched the voices of his commurates and the fucker who had just done this.

"Overhaul!" Chrono shouted, noticing the small bits of concrete starting to float around his childhood friend k eeling on the ground with his dead lover.

"NOT AGAIN!" he let out a bloody, long and loud shout that everyone on that room swore every person on Japan had hearded it... the building started to crack and broke in many pieces forming sharp spikes going into all directions while plataforms formed. Chisaki's quirk was absolutely out of control, yet some spikes of metal had pierced the villain's chest, blood spreading through the room as Chisaki's shout only continued.

"EVeRYOnE OuT oF ThE FuCkInG BUilDinG NoW We RE GonNa FuCkIng DIe!" Mimic sgouted as Rappa and Rikiya quickly made their way out as Chrono tried to get closer to you and Chisaki.

"CHISAKI-!" He cursed out loud when more spikes and ataforms formed, not having any more choices than getting out of the crashing building before he got injured.

The mans got out of the that place intacted... Overhaul's hatred and painful shout only coming to an end when the building was completly destroyed.

"Is Overjerk still alive after that?!" Rappa shouted before getting punched by a very angry Mimic.

Chrono widened his eyes and took of his mask in respect and sorrow at seing the scene he saw his friend going through many times as Mimic only muttered a lainful curse in sympathy.

Chisaki, blood dripping down from the right side of his face, walking slowly out of the scrubs with heart broken eyes but hateful gaze as he stared at the ground... on his arms he carried a little sleeping girl, that seemed to have 4 years at maximun by her appearance, enveloped by his oconic green jacket.

Only Pops, Mimic and Chrono knew about your quirk... so when Rikiya and Rappa saw the badass and cruel boss of them holding a child ok his arms was slightly shocking.

"Boss what is-" Chisaki passed thorugh them without a word, walking numbly towards the car, Chrono noticing how he tighten his grip on the little one as his eyes darkened a bit.

"What the hell is Overhaul doing with a brat?" Rappa mumbled more in disbelief than shock.

"Is his chick's quirk. Can't exactly die." Mimic muttered.

"The more (Y/n) dies, the longer it takes for her to recover her memories of Overhaul and goes back to her original form..." Chrono completed, following Chisaki but giving him his privacy and distance.

He knew that the moment the first bullet came out, Chisaki at this point was going to force that thing into your system... after all, you were indeed one of the few persons he cared for more than anything.

His plan was for to retribuit Pops and free you from your curse after all.

#overhaul x reader #overhaul scenario #fanfic overhaul #overhaul #chisaki kai imagine scenario #kai chisaki x reader #chisaki kai x reader #kai chisaki #chisaki kai #bnha chisaki #bnha imagine #bnha x reader #bnha characters #bnha villains #bnha #my writing #zuffer writing

[langdxn]

Meeting Punk!Duncan at a club and having him eat you out in the back of his car because he couldn’t wait to get you home and he’s that good you end up squirting all over him.

Can I just run away with punk!Duncan now? Thank you for the request anon, this made my semi-punk heart very happy! ❤️❤️❤️

The stage was set.

Fugazi reunited for a one-off hometown show at the Fillmore Silver Spring. You finally finished studding the 10-pound leather jacket of your dreams. And you bumped into an intriguing man in the smoking area.

The way his smoke swirled around his head like an ironic halo made your knees weak. The streams danced between his brunette spikes like a spectral obstacle course. The way he inhaled like his life depended on this toke, leaning against the venue wall like he was part of the furniture. The way he grinned as he watched you watching him savour his cigarette.

Wait. He was watching you watching him.

“You okay there, baby girl?” He drawled, shrugging his eyebrows as you snapped back into the real world with a shake of your head. “Need a drag?”

Hell, he even spun his cigarette around in his fingers to proffer it towards you in such a slick manner, he’d put Danny Zuko to shame.

“Sure, thanks dude,” you muttered, purposefully swiping his palm with your soft fingertips as you plucked the cigarette from his hand. Inhaling deeply, more deeply than usual at least, your tongue darted out to find the lingering taste of his lips that rubbed off onto yours.

He tasted like vanilla. Punks don’t taste like vanilla. Punks never taste like vanilla.

“Duncan Shepherd,” he declared as he took back his smoke.

“The Duncan Shepherd?”

He nodded, nervously twirling his lip piercing. “Unfortunately, yeah.”

“Your family’s high up in politics and you’re out here standing in spilled beer and cigs with me?”

He straightened up, towering over you with a menacing grin spread across his cheeks. Snaking an arm around your waist, he cinched you in until his plump lips hovered over yours.  

“No place I’d rather be, doll.”

You blushed like a teenager, gazing at his Doc Martens in an attempt to break his Medusa-like stare.

“Does that one work often?”

“Zero percent success rate,” he sighed, leaning back against the wall ever so slightly defeated. “But then again the name is usually a dealbreaker so you’re already bucking the trend.”

“Glad to hear it,” you chuckled.

“So you know all about me already, but I don’t know a damn thing about this beautiful stranger whose lips taste like vanilla.”

Your eyes darted to the cigarette, then back up to his baby blues, a devious grin sneaking across his lips.

“What do you wanna know then, Mr Shepherd?”

“Nothing too sordid. Just your name, where you live and exactly how long it’ll take me to get you out of that bondage belt.”

He leaned in again, this time chasing your lips with intent as you stuttered a response, his hot breaths fanning your hair from your face.

“Y/N, the other side of DC and the buckle’s at the back.”

“I love a straightforward girl,” he cooed, pressing his lips against yours fervently, taking your breath away.

His kiss was so commanding, so deep, the rest of the world around you disappeared into a murmur of indistinguishable voices. Your heartbeat thundered in your ears as you clasped a hand behind his neck and pulled him closer, triggering a broad smile against your lips. His hands rested respectfully on your hips, drinking in every curve and exploring your existence.

“My place?” He hummed against your lips between thrashes of his tongue against yours. “We can make it back for Fugazi, I’m only a couple blocks away.”

“Fucking deal,” you panted, taking his hand as he led you out to the parking lot.

Before you knew it, you were bundling into the passenger seat of a vintage Camaro SS, slipping out of your heavy jacket while Duncan frantically fumbled with his keys in the dark, a metallic cacophony that suggested your driver was a little too impatient. He shot you a nervous smile as he cursed under his breath, trying every key in the ignition to no avail.

“Fucking piece of retro shit,” he fumed before chucking the entire collection of keys in the air and planting his hand on your thighs. “Fuck this. Get in the back seat for me, babe.”

“Damn, Mr Shepherd, someone’s needy,” you giggled, hooking a leg over the stick shift as Duncan skilfully unbuckled your belt while you manoeuvred in the least attractive way possible. Duncan followed suit while shedding his black jacket and parting your knees to crouch between them.

“If you could see yourself through my eyes, you’d see why I can’t wait to get you home.”

Hitching your skirt around your waist, Duncan moaned greedily as he came face-to-face with your panties and the only obstacle between him and your throbbing cunt were your fishnets.

“May I?” His eyes roved up to yours as he carefully pinched a clump of your tights in both hands until you nodded breathlessly and a curt rip echoed around the car, followed by a victorious moan as Duncan deftly slipped your panties to one side.

“Fuck,” he panted as he greeted your already glistening folds, eyes wide and glassy with lust. He dipped a curious finger into the arousal pooling at your entrance and slicked it on his tongue. “Your pussy tastes like vanilla too!”

“Shepherd, put that silver tongue to work,” you purred, cupping his head in your hands and throwing yours back against the leather headrest.

Duncan’s impatience prevailed as he sank his head between your thighs, latching his lips onto your clit and sucking ever so gently. The tip of his tongue traced lazy circles around your sensitive spot, his stubble burning at your entrance. Your hips bucked into his jaw, back arching as he shifted to slick your entrance.

Humming hungrily against your folds, vibrations sending chills up your spine, Duncan lapped at your cunt filling the car with obscene wet sounds in between your desperate moans.

“You’re so wet for me baby doll,” he murmured, fingers wandering to part your folds and offer his tongue entrance to your heat. “This pussy is all mine, right baby?”

“Yea—yes daddy,” you stuttered between shallow pants as his breaths ghosted over your cunt, spread wide open before him.

Duncan turned his attentions to dipping his tongue between your folds. Stroking your walls in languid motions, he groaned with every thrust as a hand pressured your abdomen to hold down your keening hips.

“Stay still for daddy,” he purred as he trailed a finger between your folds, slipping inside with ease and curling against your walls while his tongue swirled over your swollen clit. Edging you closer to your climax, he added one more finger with a gentle gasp as his digits buried inside you. Sliding yet another finger deep into your heat, Duncan growled as he stroked eager motions that sent shakes down your thighs. Your breaths laboured, blissful and overwhelmed, you balled your hand nestled in his hair and mewled desperately.

“Duncan, I’m gonna—“

“That’s a good girl, cum for me,” he beckoned breathlessly, tongue racing through your folds as your walls constricted tightly.

Your eyes rolled into the back of your head while an overwhelming spasm spread through your legs, a strong wave of pleasure racing to your cunt as you lost control and sprayed all over Duncan’s face. He didn’t flinch, his eyes simply widened and watched you quiver through your orgasm, back arching and hips jittering uncontrollably while the front of his painstakingly styled hair slowly dipped forward after being soaked. Duncan chuckled under his breath, wiping his forehead as clear droplets brimmed on his brows, trails of your arousal streaming down his cheeks as he grinned greedily.

“Fucking hell babe, you didn’t tell me you could…”

“I—I… I didn’t know,” you panted through sharp, shallow breaths, chest heaving frantically as Duncan grabbed his jacket to dry himself down. You fumbled through your pocket for a post-head smoke, discovering your phone that alerted you to the time you’d spent fooling around in the back of Duncan’s car.

“Dunc, Fugazi’s about to start,” you tapped his shoulders and attempted to close your knees together, only for his large hands to firmly hold your thighs apart and dive right between them again.

“Fuck Fugazi, babe, I need to make you squirt all over me again.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------

read part two here

#duncan shepherd #duncan shepherd smut #punk!duncan #duncan shepherd x reader #duncan shepherd x reader smut

[turning-dreams-into-chaos]

Banished (Part 13)

*Not my Gif*

Summary: When the 100 was sent to the ground, Y/N Y/L/N was one of them. Having been in lock up for almost 8 years, how will she react to surviving on Earth? Especially when she gets banished…

Post Date: 8-30-19

Paring: Bellamy Blake x Reader

Word Count: 4K

A/N: So there are a lot of flashbacks in this of Y/N’s time in lock up so please for the love of god PAY ATTENTION TO THE WARNINGS!!!! I wanted to get as much info into the past out before the end of season 1 as I can so enjoy the awful cut scenes 😂

~Banished Master List~

~Master List~

Open Requests for The 100

Based off episode 1x13 of the 100 “We are Grounders Part 2”

WARNINGS: ATTEMPED RAPE, ABUSE, (IF THOSE ARE A TRIGGER SKIP THE FIRST ITALICS!!!)

The rancid smell of alcohol filled your lungs as he pressed you against the wall, his sweaty large hands squeezing your cheeks together as he yelled at you.

“Your parents wouldn’t have killed themselves you weren’t such a little bitch!” He screamed in your face for about the millionth time now. He’d been screaming at you for the past hour, head always moving between his friends sat one on his bed and one on yours as they each nursed their 4th bottle each since they stumbled into the room already drunk. They each laughed as your ‘legal guardian’ smacked your face, whipping your head to the side as he pushed back, leaving you pinned to the wall in fear. Two years of this shit and you know not to leave the spot after ‘Sir’, which he demanded you call him, starts his punishment which was far from over. Sir looked between the two smug souls sitting in the room before looking back to you, a drunken smirk plastered on his face as he took a wobbly step towards you.

“What do you think guys? Should we have a little fun today?” He asked as they exchanged amused looks, tipping their beers towards you both before standing up. You froze as Sir’s hand wrapped around your upper arm, his tight grip leaving finger-tipped bruises along your skin. Wincing as you were thrown onto the nearest bed, his eyes tracing up and down your body as your eyes widened when you realize what he was doing to do. Before you could protest or try to fight back, his hand was clamped around your throat, cutting off your air supply as you tried to pry him off you. He smirked as he leaned over, taking a sip of his beer as you started to see dark.

The moment he released you to gasped for a breath, coughing as the air filled you fast until you could breath normally, albeit a little shaken. His hand grasped the bottom of your shirt, pulling it straight off your head and leaving you in your ripped up jeans and a small black bra you barely needed. You heard a few snickers coming from behind Sir as he trailed a finger across your tiny body, stopping just inches from the bottom of your bra. You were scared, you were petrified! You stared up at him, meeting his darkened eyes before feeling the defeat come over you. His hand started moving again as you shut your eyes, praying for one of them to come to their senses and help you, praying for someone to knock on the door and save you, but no one did. That was when you found yourself doing something you’d never thought you’d do. You prayed for death. Here you were, 10 years old and a mans hands were traveling up along your body and you prayed to die. It seemed like a nightmare you couldn’t wake up from. A third hand touched your stomach as you shot your eyes open, a moment of clarity coming to you as the first thing you saw as Sir’s empty beer bottle.

You grabbed the glass bottle, adjusting the grip for a split second before ramming it against his head. He stumbled off you, pushing his buddy away from you as you scrabbled to get up. You grabbed your shirt, throwing it over your head as you made way to the door. Only for a pair of hands to pull you back.

“Let go of me! Let go!” You screamed as you thrashed around in his grip, hoping more than anything someone would hear. He wasn’t deterred by your struggles as he threw you into the bed again. Glass flew into the air as you sat on the mattress and you grabbed a large piece, getting into a fighting position you’d been taught for the last 4 years.

‘Keep your feet apart and fists up’ Kane’s voice said in your head as you complied. Sir stood up straight, wiping away the blood on his head from the bottle as he lunged at you. You dodged out of the way fast, going under his arm as you kicked his knee out. He fell to the floor fast with a groan as you turned wide eyed to his buddy. The one that didn’t touch you, had cowered up against the wall, watching the scene in front of him. His friend that laid a hand on you reached out to smack the glass shard out of your hand, only for you to move it and stab it into his head.

“Please just stop! Please!” You yelled as blood ran down his head like your tears ran down your face. He stumbled back, as Sir managed to push himself up, coming at you like a bullet as you scrambled to grab another piece of glass, turning around just in time to run the shard across his neck, deep. He took a few steps back, hands flying to his neck to try and keep the blood in before falling against the wall. The last two guards looked at you, one still holding his wounded head as the other rolled up his sleeve, ready to fight a 10 year old, he snickered as you took your stance to not go down with out a fight. He moved first.

He threw his hand to hit your face to which on instinct you dodged letting him stagger away from the force of his punch. He turned around as you landed a few punches on his stomach, causing him to double over and allowing you to land a blow to his face. You kept punching him as he hit the ground, head bouncing against the concrete before your body was ripped off him.

Footsteps flooding into the room as you tried to free yourself. Metal was on your wrists, keeping them locked behind you as you realized there was more than the three men in the room. You felt like you could finally breathe as you stared down into the face of Sir, who laid dead on the floor next to his buddy who bled out from the cut to the head and a smile came to your face. But it fell as you met the bruised and bloody face of the third man as he stared up to you and a guard stepped in between you both.

“Take her to lockup.”

Kids rushed by you as you entered the camp with Octavia on your arm, clutching to you as if your life depended on it. It seemed like chaos as you let go of Octavias arm and looked around the camp. A pair of arms landed around you and for a half of a second you were worried until Octavia smiled. You turned around and let out a sigh of relief.

“Jasper!” You whispered as you threw your arms around the boy. He reciprocated as you both embraced and you pulled away, looking around camp some more. “Where’s Monty?” You asked as you noticed his right hand man wasn’t there. His face dropped as you realized and quickly felt bad. No one said anything as you cupped his cheek with your hand, getting him to look at you as you smiled.

You moved towards the drop ship, hearing screams as you entered and saw Clarke pressing a heated blade to Ravens side.

“Let’s talk about the reapers.” Bellamy says as he turned to look at you, his eyes softening before thumbing through Lincoln’s journal again. Clarke and Finn give you a smile, happy that you didn’t leave them before focusing on Bellamy again. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?” You shook your head, taking a step closer to all of them.

“Not this enemy.” You say as Finn agrees.

“She’s right, we’ve seen them. Trust us, it’s not an option.” He says before they talk about Ravens condition. You looked down at her before stretching your hand out for Lincoln’s journal. Bellamy hesitates but places it in your hand and allowing you to look through it as he watched.

“Clarke.” You said as you looked at the blonde. “We have to go. You heard Lincoln.” Bellamy scoffed as you dropped the book onto a table.

“Can’t run away fast enough huh? Real Brave.” You bite the inside of your cheek as you speak, trying not to raise your voice.

“That’s the thing Blake. When I fight I know I can win. These guys? They’re strong, but you’re gonna lead them to their deaths.” He seemed to understand you as he crossed his arms and looked down at you. Finn noticed the tension between the two of you as he stepped in to save you.

“Dying in a fight you can’t win isn’t brave Bellamy. It’s stupid.” He argued as you pointed a finger at him, looking Bellamy dead in the eyes for him to understand you’re siding with Finn. You let them hash it out as you left the drop ship, finding the one person you promised you get out of there. Luckily, she found you first.

“Hey, lets get you cleaned up.” Octavia said as she led you to the water tent. You took a seat as she wetted a rag, carefully dragging it over your face to get the dirt off before running it over the bruise that dominated your left side. She mumbled an apology as you grabbed her hand, causing her to stop washing your face.

“Octavia, we need to go. Before the scouts arrive.” You told her as she nodded, not fully understanding.

“We will, I’m sure my brother and Clarke will figure it out and we’ll be out of here fast.” She assured you. You put the rag back into the tub as you stood up to meet her height.

“Bellamy wants to fight, O. I promised Lincoln I would get you out.” She let out a little gasp at the mention of his name and you squeezed her hand, leading her outside to where Clarke and Bellamy were calling for everyone’s attention.

You hadn’t spoken for a few months, choosing to ignore any guards coming in with food as your cell mate, Victoria, stared at you. Tori was older than you, almost 18 by the time you were put in. She was always trying to get you to talk but you denied her the pleasure. You liked her, you really did, even though you didn’t talk didn’t mean she wouldn’t talk to you, tell you stories or anything really just to make the quiet room seem less frightening. You started to warm up to her, offering her more smiles and she even got you to answer her questions with head nods. But then she turned 18.

“Prisoner 153 and 194, face the wall.” A guard said as he pulled the door open. Your mind raced as you looked between her and the guard. She gave you a little smile as she looked at the wall, urging you to do the same.

“It’s okay Mouse.” She said using the nickname she came up with since you were so quiet. You kind of liked it, her giving you a name only she used. “I’ll be okay.” The guard came up behind her, putting the cuffs on her wrists as she was led away, right out of your shared cell. You hadn’t moved from the spot, choosing to stare at her for the last time before the metal door closed. You rested your head on the wall before you started pounding on the metal door.

“Kane! Marcus Kane! I want to speak to Marcus Kane!” You yelled and waited for someone to answer. When no one did you yelled again, pounding a little harder. Again. And again. Until soon your voice hurt from yelling or even talking after this long. Your hand throbbed from the pounding as you let yourself fall into your bed knowing no one was coming for you.

You walked out of camp next to Octavia with everyone, a look of hope crossing their faces as you looked around. Octavias hand landed on your shoulder as you see Bellamy speeding up to you.

“You wanna talk to him.” She asks as you pause but shrug, telling her to go on. Bellamy slows down as he meets your eye and you both walk next to each other.

“You really think fighting was the best plan?” You asked him as he looked down at you then nodded. You didn’t say anything as he swallows, trying to find the right words.

“You said it yourself, these guys are strong. They can make it.” You took a look around you, seeing the laughing and smiling kids joking around and talking about surfing as a pit formed in your stomach.

“Bellamy, I barely made it. There’s no way you would’ve won if you stayed.” He didn’t say anything as he clenched his jaw. You looked out into the woods, the quietness of it disturbing you before movement appeared in your sight line. “Shit.” You muttered before running into the front of the line, grabbing Octavia to stop her. She furrowed her brows but listened to you as everyone stopped. You stared straight ahead, trying to find anyone as whispers came from the group. A whizzing happened right by your head before the kid next to you fell dead.

“Get back to camp!” You yelled alongside Bellamy who kept shouting for everyone to go. You pulled out an arrow, readying your bow as you looked for anyone or anything to shoot. Bellamy saw you not move and rushed to get you.

“Come on Y/N! We have to go! I’m not leaving you again!” He yelled as you obliged, following him back to camp.

“I want to speak to Marcus Kane.” You mumbled as the guard came in to bring you food. He ignored your request, leaving almost as swiftly as when he entered and you groaned. 3 years in here, everyday calling for Kane and no one will tell you where he was. It made you sick. You looked down at the food, noticing they cut your rations down as you turned to the door. “Hey! Where’s the rest of my food huh?” You yelled as a snicker came from outside. You clenched your firsts together, banging even harder until the door swung open.

“Prisoner 194, face the wall.” He said as you shook your head, standing your ground.

“I want to speak to Kane.” You demanded as he stared at you. He took a step closer and you repeated yourself. “I want to speak to Marcus Kane.”

He pulled out his weapon, holding it out to his side as your face fell.

“Please. I just to talk to him.” You pleaded as he cocked his head.

“Sorry Sweetheart, Kane doesn’t want to talk to you. Now face the wall.” He said as you stood completely still. He didn’t want to talk to you? They told him you had been asking for him for 3 years and he said no? Your thoughts your cut short by the Guard as he struck you with the weapon, causing you to convulse in pain and pass out.

You listened to Bellamy and Clarke argue what to do as you stayed back, watching the trees for anything.

“You said it yourself, I’m a grounder.” Octavia said from behind you as you watched her take off out of camp. Bellamy watched her leave before turning to you.

“Y/N...”

“It’s fine.” You cut him off, placing your hand on his arm. “I’ll watch out for her.” You took off after her, not noticing the way Bellamy watched you leave the camp for the second time without saying goodbye. His stomach churned at the thought of losing either of you or Octavia, but he knew he couldn’t focus on that right now.

You dashed through the woods keeping up with Octavia before you fired a few arrows at some grounders and watched as they fell. Octavia ran ahead with her sword, stabbing someone in the head as they moved to uncover Bellamy. You were by his side quick, checking his neck as he looked from Octavia to you. His sister helped him up before she let out a small scream, clutching her leg where an arrow was planted. Your eyes widened as you turned around, shooting an arrow right into the eye of someone aiming at you.

“Octavia you’re hit, Bellamy help me get her behind the wall!” You ordered as he listened, throwing her arm over your shoulder and his as you dragged her to safety.

Grounders surrounded you as you looked down at Octavia and Bellamy, seeing the fear in their eyes as you picked up your quiver. “7 arrows.” You told yourself as you stood, looking at the grounders try to overtake the camp. Bellamy grabbed your hand as you looked down, seeing it bloody from Octavias leg.

“Where are you going?” He asked, voice shaking as a boom sounded above you both. You looked up into the night sky, lighting up in flames as realization struck you.

“The ark is coming down.” You whispered as you watched it, turning your attention to the siblings next to you. “I’m gonna fight for our lives.” You said as you started to make your way to the gate.

“Y/N!” Bellamy yelled as he left his sister to stop you again lacing his fingers with yours. “Come back safe. Okay?” He begged as you met his dark brown eyes, something hidden behind them that proved to you he meant it. You nodded, leaning up to kiss his cheek, “May we meet again.” You whispered in his ear before taking off, letting your hand slowly drift out of his.

You stood in your cell, staring up at the ceiling as the sound of guards changing outside caught your attention. You moved towards the door, knocking lightly as one of the guards asked what you wanted. “Does he want to talk yet?” You whispered as he sighed, letting you know the answer just in that as you pushed yourself away. He never visited, no one ever did. You only had yourself and the guards, reliving the same day over and over again. You wake up, practiced your fighting against your bed, ate the cut rations they gave you, read a little, asked about Kane, then sat in silence. You didn’t even feel like a human anymore. You pressed the back of your head against the wall you leaned on before turning around, staring at the same cracks you had for the last 5 years. It made you sick. You traced over the crack, feeling the way the wall felt under your nails before you slammed your fist into it. You pulled away, seeing the red on your knuckles before you continued. Again and again and again until your knuckles bled and the guards rushed into your room. But you didn’t stop. Not until the same guard as last time struck you with his shock baton.

“Don’t let her do that anymore.” He ordered as he looked at your passed out body then to the blood on the wall and shook his head.

“Where are you going?” The other guard asked him when he began to leave the room.

“I’m going to go speak to Marcus Kane.”

You already used almost all of your arrows, leaving you with one by the time the reaper screams drew your attention, causing you to duck behind a tree. “Shit!” You yelled as a grounder came out from behind another tree. He was to close to use your bow so you grabbed your dagger, nailing him in the heart as he fell. Another grounder came around the corner, slashing down your right arm and causing you to drop your knife. He moves to hit you again as you duck, picking up the knife as you finish him quick. You press up against the tree as more movement occurs and you ready yourself, jumping out only to see Octavia being carried by Lincoln.

You don’t say anything as you smile, happy to see him alive and getting Octavia out of there. He nods his head in your direction, as he sticks out one of his hands.

“Leidon, Lincoln.” You whisper hoping this wasn’t your final goodbye. He returns the saying before running away with Octavia. You head towards the drop ship, taking out as many grounders as you can before you see Clarke in front and other delinquents still fighting.

“Get to the ship!” You yelled at the closest kid to you, taking their position against the grounder and moving on when that one was dead. “Go! Now!” You kept telling any kids you saw before Someone yelled your name.

“Y/N!” You heard as you spun around seeing Bellamy staring right at you from the other side of the camp. The sound of the drop ship doors closing caught your attention as you realized you were both stuck out here. You were about to take a step towards him before a sharp pain in your stomach stopped you. You looked down as a spear pierced right through you from a grounder. You felt like you couldn’t breathe as Bellamy screamed your name and you fell to your knees. You closed your eyes, trying to mask the pain as the grounder fell, some delinquent you never met standing over you. The sounds of the fight was drowned out as everyone around you started screaming to run. Bellamy tried to come closer to you, but you shook your head, trying everything you could not to pass out right now.

“Go! It’s okay.” You mouthed to him as he started to cry before Finn grabbed his jacket, pulling him away from the ship. It took only a second before your legs started working and you managed to push yourself up. The spear stuck out of you, making every step dangerously close to being your last as you held onto the wall for support. You knew it was only a matter of time before the ship blew and you knew if you had any chance of staying alive you needed to not be in the vicinity. You hobbled past the gate a few feet before your legs gave out and you fell to the ground with a scream. But the sound was overtaken by the drop ship, lighting up and barbecuing grounders. The heat of the flames burned on your face as you closed your eyes, letting the warmth wash over you before darkness.

“Prisoner 194, face the wall.” The guard said as you tossed your book to the side, throwing your legs over the side of your bed.

“What’s going on?” You asked as a pair of handcuffs came out and your throat dried up. “No. I still have a day.” You stood up, taking a few steps away from the two guards as you looked between. “I still have a day! It’s not my time!” You yelled as one of them, turned you around and pushed you up against the wall. You tried to fight back before the feeling of metal hit your skin and you stopped fighting, letting your head rest on the wall as the guard smirked.

“You’re not being executed. You’re being sent to Earth.” He said as you turned to look at him.

Earth?

Part 14?

What did you think? Let me know how I’m doing! 😊

All Taglists Open

(Strikeout means I couldn’t tag! Let me know you want to be added or if any are wrong!)

Permanent: @literal-fand0m-trash @just4muggles @saturn-aka-six @nathaliabakes @whyamihere-bro @colored-confetti @wiseeggspickleslime @sadn0va @btsiguess-kpop @galacticstxrdust @independentgirl

Banished: @jodiereedus22 @kawennote09 @iamaunicorn4704 @im-a-stranger-thing @elsie2018 @kaelyn-lobrutto24 @strangerliaa @frederikkeborup @a-sweet-little-fangirl @divadinag @peter-parker-tony-stank-trash @travelnottogoanywherebuttogo @poisoned-girl @cxddlyash @captainam-erika-trash @waitingtobeimpressed @annoylinglyaries @purple-alien-monkey @peqchynero @buckysjuicyplums @somethingdawn @nerdbookish @spxcekru @yessii-i @amongthewildthingss @angelenemies @itsanallygator @your-typical-giggle @jelly-bean8383-blog @im-a-writer-sometimes @thelastdragon6 @hippieballls @savannah0111 @mckeeee-1

Bellamy: @jodiereedus22 @nyxxxwtp @danielabetancourth

#bellamy blake fanfiction #bellamy x reader #bellamy blake fic #bellamy blake the 100 #bellamy the 100 #bellamy blake x reader #bellamy imagine #bellamy blake imagine #the 100 bellamy #the delinquents x reader #the delinquents #the 100 fic #the 100 x reader #the 100 imagine #the 100 series #the 100 #bellamy blake #jasper Jordan #clarke griffin #octavia blake #lincoln

[thepilotanon]

Prelude xxi

...to the forever promise {masterlist}

Heyyy everyone! I’m so sorry this has taken such a long time. I have been very busy with life, so I apologize for the delay of this chapter. But, good news, we only have one more until it’s over!! Thank you everyone who has been patient with me, and I can’t wait to see what you all think of this - it’s a very, very long chapter, so please let me know what you thought! As well, despite the last film having been released, I’m still going to write stuff for Kylo.

warning: none!

“Constructing lightsabers have been an ancient custom for whoever is gifted with the Force, and thus should be taken into consideration that this marks the next step of your place among the First Order - among my ranks, which is a great honor for you.”

Never had the Supreme Leader spoken those kinds of words to Kylo Ren, even as he stood beside the stairs leading up to the throne, where the humanoid sat and watched fondly to the woman down bellow. She wasn’t focused on Snoke, however, and more on the many nuts and bolts, metal material and wires scattered around on the black-polished floor. With little twists of her fingers and eyes hazed over in concentration, the numerous materials floated around either of the Kyber rocks resting on each of her palms. Nova was completely ignoring Snoke’s speech, and Kylo kept his eyes locked on her form just sitting there, minding her own business as she worked.

When Nova revealed her findings of being attracted to two Kyber crystals, Kylo felt a large swell of pride in his chest as his lover held them out to him, excited and eager to try and construct the hilt - or hilts - depending on what she could create with everything that was given to her. Seeing her wrapped in the assorted blankets and sheets, topped with his thick cape around her shoulders, Kylo praised her with tender kisses and proud words of how wonderful she did on her own - albeit him still being scared beyond belief during the time of their separation. There was a lot worth celebrating, and both Kylo and Nova enjoyed their time before lifting off.

But...as soon as she returned to the Supremacy, cleaned of their events and getting rid of any evidence of their coupling, Nova wasn’t excited in showing her findings to the Supreme Leader. Despite his eerie grin and curling his fingers under her chin to force eye contact, to congratulate her, Nova immediately became that closed-off, emotionless being that she fronts to Snoke ever since that first day. For Kylo, he was glad that Nova was able to hide the littlest twist of her hips and staggered steps that they both noticed during their rest. 

No matter how gentle his massaged her pelvic area and asked if she was in any sort of discomfort or pain at all, she remained completely passive and happy with her current condition, not at all worried. He had her walk around the shuttle, just to be sure she wasn’t obviously limping or showing signs in similar ways for some other women who were more active, and saw that it wasn’t connected. Thankfully, seeing her only shifting in her spot when she wanted to see a piece amongst the pile, the Supreme Leader didn’t seem to notice any discomfort or change in the woman. By the sight of her being her usual, curious self with all the new materials given to her, she appeared to be just her usual (although rather tempered) self around everyone else. Kylo was thankful of how powerful Nova’s Force wall was, too.

As of now, Kylo can only wait until they returned to their chambers. However, he was much more entranced by the how lovely she looked in the spacious lighting with the stars twinking from the window behind her, her eyes focused on the tiny pieces coming together with just a twitch of her fingers, a turn of her wrists. Whenever a piece didn’t click together like she wanted, her lips formed a small pout as she attempted to redirect it a different way. She was so focused and being so careful with the materials provided to her, it was obvious how both Kylo and Snoke were surprised by her intense display of concentration and determination to build.

Lifting the two little rocks from her palms, Nova used the Force to slip the colorless minerals into the tiniest crack left from the puzzle pieces of nuts, plates and bolts. The last of the flat, metal plates slid and lock into place before dropping to each of her hands with a sort of childish triumph. Nova grinned, unlacing her legs and dropping her feet flat on the polished floor while looking at the two hilts with curious, amused eyes.

Seeing her observe her own creations, Snoke leaned back in his throne with a sort of relief. “A lightsaber made from the Kyber rock the Force-user has found on their own, this symbolizes a rite of passage to becoming even more stronger than anyone else,” he mentioned while Nova got to her feet. Seeing her test the weight of the hilts in each hand and finding that comfortable grip to hold it properly - just the same way Kylo demonstrated with his own lightsaber for her, the Supreme Leader stared with a smirk.

“And being drawn to two Kyber crystals, purely rare, but not unwelcome when it comes from you, young one,” Snoke added casually, his tone laced with his own amusement that didn’t go unnoticed by the two apprentices.

“Nova,” Snoke beckoned both apprentices’ attention to him as he focused on the young woman, “present yourself as an official apprentice to the Supreme Leader, and claim your rightful place by my side in the First Order.”

She only returned a simple blink. No emotion, no praise or beaming smiles directed towards Snoke, like she would with Kylo. Glancing back to the lightsaber hilts in her hands, Nova focused her energy to ignite the blades. Since it seems that she didn’t construct a casual switch on the outside of the plate, Kylo could see that she took notes from the encyclopedia book he let her see; should anyone get ahold on her ‘saber, they would at least have to have abilities with the Force to use it. Kylo felt proud behind the concealment of his helmet with the little tricks and notes she made while studying.

A flicker of just a pinch of her power, the blades ignited with its first spark with a rather joyous attitude - as if the Kyber crystals inside were just itching to come out. Dazzling silver sparked through the portholes of the hilt, perfectly coordinated in a straight line while Nova’s grip tightened from the surprising noise erupting from her new ‘sabers. A soft noise slipped from her, signaling her own amusement to the beautiful silver and white blending perfectly together in unison.

Kylo was also impressed by the brilliant glow, but one, lone creature didn’t seem to pleased by the contrast to the dark tiles and dark universe outside of the large glass windows.

“How plain,” Snoke drawled with a frown. “Silver-white is just so empty in general, I don’t doubt it comes from how you lack anything in your head. Your crystals must respond from your thoughts in general. This is disappointing; I was hoping for something more rare from you, but I suppose it will make due until we can have another one made.”

“I like them!” the woman protested with strong confidence, giving the Supreme Leader a shrug. “I don’t want another one.”

Snoke tilt his head, eyeing Nova with a stern glare while she gave each lightsaber a testing twirl of her wrists, one at a time. “When you encounter an enemy, you would want them to feel intimidated, realizing that the person who has appeared to battle them is someone to be reckoned with; red is most commonly associated with those who hold great power and bring fear.”

“When you encounter an enemy,” Nova replied easily, “the way you fight and have an advantage of skill and experience are much more impactful, over simple things, like appearances or what color your weapons are.”

When Snoke didn’t respond, Nova only then offered him a smile while she deactivated her lightsabers, bringing them to her chest as a sure promise that she is indeed keeping them. “Not to question from your own experiences, Snoke, but I think these lightsabers, from the Kyber crystals that I was called to, will suffice until I say so.” 

Kylo watched with all stillness within him, between the two, unsure of what to do or what was going to happen, if he needed to shield Nova. Slowly, Snoke’s whole body seemed to relax, considering her words carefully with a thoughtful stare. Long fingers drum along his armrest, the Supreme Leader leaned back against the thick cushioning of his throne, pale eyes darting away from the young woman to look out to the vast scenery of stars and distant planets. Kylo watched with a drawn line to his lips as the half-humanoid reached to lightly scratch at one of the many tendons stretching along his irregular neck. Seeming to be now bored with the presence and voices beside his own, Snoke closed his eyes and waved his hand with a bored pace.

“So be it, if that is what seems befitting for you, young Nova.”

xxx.

As such, as same as it was when Nova held Kylo’s lightsaber so long ago, Nova was just as strong and powerful wielding her own - if not more with a weapon fashioned to fit her perfectly.

Whether it was with one or two lightsabers, as the Supreme Leader would command that she would use however many, Nova seemed to have it down to the last detail of aiming to destroy every training droid provided as well as knock any opponent unconscious. Even with Snoke giving her direct orders to slay her living sparring partners, she simply would ignore him and claim her win by pinning them with her abilities. Kylo never reprimanded Nova over that, even in the safety of their quarters. Kylo knew her morals compared to his own among the First Order, especially if she can teach her sparring partner how to learn from their mistakes. Even when Snoke had Kylo and Nova spar against each other, it would normally come out to a draw, or go too long for the Supreme Leader’s liking to seek out a winner. They promised each other not to hold back, when fighting against each other, so long as they promise to help tend to each other’s bruises and burns with affection.

Whenever they would return, Kylo would take her hands in both of his and bring them to his mouth. Pressing kisses to each of her palms, each finger, he would look deep in her eyes and whisper, “You did well today.” Nova’s only response would just be a glittering smile before slipping her hands around the back of his head and neck, then pulling him down for a kiss that spoke the same sentiment, and more.

There were times when it wasn’t as such. Training had gone too long and too hard for either of them, and it takes to walking through the threshold to finally break down and expose their worst selves that they hide from everyone else. A mission Kylo was sent to deal in the Supreme Leader’s place had gone wrong, and it was the said instructor who placed all the blame to his first apprentice for his lack of planning. Nova was emotionally strained by Snoke’s constant pressure of her origins and bleeding bad memories of her old life during meditations, in the meantime of waiting for Kylo to return. Both of them worn down to the point that they just lie on the cold ground of either one’s quarters, and Kylo found himself reaching to check if her pulse was calming down at all, despite his body hating the motion. They both suffered together, yes, but there were still many times that they had separate training sessions with the Supreme Leader, and it was always a reopened wound. To them, no matter how bad it would be, bruises and bleeding and crying, they had comfort with one another...

Sometimes - just sometimes - Kylo Ren will have days where he just can’t take seeing another face or be around others who don’t understand how he needed some sort of comfort.

As soon as Kylo was dismissed, he marched into his quarters. Inside, without even needing to check, he knew Nova was waiting for him - having been training the Knights and doing her own sort of schedule that day, while Kylo was at Snoke’s beck and call since he awoke that cycle. Their morning departure was quick, but Nova made sure to assure him through their wall that she will wait for him to come home.

As promised, Nova was waiting on her toes, hopping a little bit, as she was ready to practically pounce onto Kylo’s arms as soon as he walked in. Taking the first steps towards his towering form, ready to welcome him back, Nova stopped when she sensed the immediate negative emotions building up underneath all those layers of armor and his heavy mask.

Frowning, Nova approached him and kept her gaze locked up to his hidden face beneath the dark shield. Raising her hands, she waited patiently to be granted permission. Once Kylo tilt his helmet more towards her way, she hooked her thumbs under each side, causing it to hiss to properly unlock, carefully lifting it off his head. Thick, dark locks spilled and tired, sad eyes stared back to her sparkling ones; his jaw tense and teeth grinding, his breathing was at a proper pace, yet held a sort of stiffness of holding back on the inside. Brows narrowed, Kylo was as tight and taut as a freshly woven basket and glued together with the strongest of material. He was sweaty from training and punishment, tired, yet completely alert to everything, despite being hidden from the rest of the galaxy. He can’t hide anything from her, and he didn’t want to.

Setting the helmet aside, the woman then undid the hard clasp of his cloak, allowing it to fall to the ground before taking his hands to remove his gloves. When she finished with that, Nova then leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him and buried her face into his clothed chest. Inhaling the scent of metal, sweat and warmed leather, she pushed through the Force to expand her wall, allowing Kylo to feel it grow thicker and stronger over them both, like a blanket. Closing her eyes, Nova nuzzled into him and listened to his heartbeat. 

“Please,” she whispered, voice soft and sweet and vibrating into his bones like a sweet relief, “can you show me?”

Closing his eyes, Kylo willingly showed her what started the weight on his shoulders, when Snoke criticized his planning for a future mission and going over maps and locations. Tangling his naked hands through her fingers and holding on, Kylo showed her his intended plan to take the Knights and a small squadron of Stormtroopers through a specific route, only to be slammed by Snoke with the Force to the floor, being called a thousand and one names of stupidity and how it was a direct walk to their deaths by hidden dugouts...that was never mentioned on the map to begin with. An instant failure and mockery towards the First Order. Afterwards, Snoke pushed and pushed him through vigorous training beyond the point of straining his muscles and nerves to set on fire, nearing to the point of collapsing from exhaustion. Every word hanging over his head like fireworks, sparking another layer-after-layer of hatred for himself, echoing constantly.

Nova could feel every bit of pain and internal displeasure of himself; over everything he hasn’t even done, but it was all set in stone by the Supreme Leader instead, taking over Kylo’s conscience.

She didn’t like that one bit.

Everything was becoming too much for him. He felt worthless outside of his quarters, and he was sick of it. Leaning back and reaching with his hand, he tilt her chin up, his thumb tracing her bottom lip. “Will you tell me about your day?” His voice was quiet, yet their close proximity had Nova feel it under her skin. “From the very beginning, everything.”

Nova leaned into his clammy palm, cuddling into it. “Yes.” She tugged on his thick-padded top and gave him a soft smile. “In the bath?”

Hot, scented water and his lover’s hands massaging his scalp, Kylo wanted nothing more than to freeze time and remain melted in the tub. The shampoo smelled herbal with a hint of fruitiness, making his eyelids feel heavy and the sound of Nova speaking to him helped him feel at ease. Her hands touched the spots where Snoke hit him on the head and pushed headaches, her fingers caress the back of his neck and shoulders to remove the suds, and he pressed himself further to her touch. She practically erased every discomfort with a simple touch.

“I learned about the planet called Endor, while I was waiting for you,” she said with a rather proud voice, and Kylo knew she was. She always felt a swell of joy and achievement in learning something new, and Kylo always praised her when she discovered something new. For her to try and go further into her own knowledge about the galaxy is still a lot for her to take in, but Kylo adored her dedication and joy of discovery. “The main planet itself is uninhabitable, but, from what I read, the moons are known to contain life! They have forests on the moons. There’s one called Sistermoon, and Endor’s Forest Moon, which I don’t...understand why they don’t call that Endor you can live on that.”

“They also call Endor’s Forest Moon Endor, as well,” he responded with an amused hum. “Either one, majority of people will know which one you’re talking about, my love.”

“Oh!” Discovering this new-new information, Nova smiled and helped Kylo rinse his hair. “Well then, I also learned about the creatures that live on Endor, called Ewoks. They’re the majority of the planet’s civil population. They’re apparently short, yet fierce and rarely fear anything to survive.”

Kylo hummed, turning in the tub and carefully taking hold of her with gentle hands. Bringing her closer to him within the steaming water, he brought her to sit on his lap and held her face within his large hands. She smiled bigger, holding his wrists when she booped her nose against his for a moment.

“I would like to see Endor,” she told him honestly. “Someday, maybe, and maybe meet an Ewok and see how they live naturally. It would be interesting to learn how they survived for so long with much bigger predators.”

“They’re not as bright, but they are smart enough to survive.” Seeing how her eyes brightened, the corner of his lips twitched upward as he leaned back against the tub, letting her tangle their fingers and press their palms together. “Fuzzy little demons, really hold no mercy towards anyone or anything they’re not familiar with; they will certainly try to see if you’re something edible, or to be feared.”

“You’ve seen them?”

Kylo swallowed and looked down to the water between them, unsure of how to go on with the conversation taking a direction he didn’t want to go. Feeling his lover’s hands squeeze his lightly, Kylo wasn’t expecting her to tuck herself under his chin and press little kisses to his throat before nuzzling against him.

“Maybe we can see them together, when we’re not busy someday, and we’re next to the planet.” Her voice was gentle, refusing to push him to look back to his memories of him as a child, his parents bringing him to to meet a particular fuzzball named Wicket and his family - all while Snoke’s taunts echoed in the back of his mind of how weak-minded he was.

Nova’s lips pressed to his pulse, and Kylo stroked his wet fingertips against the short strands at the nape of her neck, where the rest of her hair was tied up to avoid getting wet. “Someday?”

Closing his eyes, he thought about the idea of his Nova trying to communicate with an Ewok, more than likely wanting to hold their spears. The idea of it made him cough a small laugh. “Yes, we can do that,” he agreed. “Someday.”

“I’ve worked with many spears and more primitive-type weapons,” she went on, “but I would find it more honorable to meet one of them, and then be given permission to hold it. They seem to be very proud of their creations, like they can do anything together. What do you think?”

Nodding, Kylo let her run one of her hands up and down his naked chest, freshly washed and finally calmed down with just a simple bath and letting her speak to him. Leaning down, he caught her lips with his own and kissed her slowly. Taking the time to move, to taste each other with the thanks of the humidity from the steam and the scented oils of the bathwater, they both parted with a soft sighs. Nova appeared in a happy daze from long kisses, eyes closed and a sleepy smile on her face while he wrapped his arms around her naked form. A quick, soft kiss to her shoulder, Kylo rest his head on the same spot and exhaled long and deep.

“I think you’re right.”

xxx.

Waking up before the holoclock were to go off, Kylo reached over with one arm to switch the alarm off before it could make any noise within the next minute, then rolled over. Dragging the same arm over with sluggish effort, he wrapped the limb around the blanketed body curled underneath, burying his nose into Nova’s hair and sighing heavily. Feeling her body shift underneath the blanket, Kylo did his best to keep her within his embrace once she turned around to face him. Hearing her sniff and nuzzle her way into a warm pocket underneath his chin, he slowly stroked her back with his thumb. They both really enjoyed the warmth they create together in the otherwise chilly bedchamber. 

She spoke in a very quiet voice, still lined with sleepiness, with an excited wiggle. “Is it time to get up?”

“In a little while,” he responded, sinking further into the bed and bringing her along. “We’re not needed until mid-cycle.”

Feeling her hips rock and a warm palm press against his naked chest, Kylo rolled to his back and allowed Nova to crawl up to straddle him. He made sure the blanket didn’t fall off her body, so she remained warm, his hands keeping her steady and sliding his thumbs under her night shirt to caress her skin affectionately.

Sitting with a straight back, Nova gave him a gentle smile. “I’m excited,” she told him matter-of-factly, her little hands coming to rest on his forearms while he took a deep breath, a very small smile on his face. “I’m very excited.”

“I know,” Kylo responded much more softly, his hands rising up to trace the curves of her side and the faint scars around her ribs. “I’m excited, too. But, you need to remember, it’s still too early to be up and roaming around for a mission.”

This made her wrinkle her nose a bit, but smile bigger. “I know.” Relaxing a bit, the woman leaned forward and propped her chin on the back of her hand, her eyes shimmering from the lights of distant stars while gazing at him sweetly. “Do you think they will care about how we’re dressed? I don’t think it matters much, does it? But, there are also so many other kinds…so much in the galaxy. It’s all different and overwhelming.”

Kylo leisurely stroked her spine, yawning before answering her. “Would you prefer not to go?” he asked, a hint of teasing that she instantly caught. He didn’t bother to hide his smallest smirk when he raised her head to look at him. “Based on the fact that you’re unsure of how you’re dressed.”

Grasping his head to keep him still, Nova bit down in the skin that connected between his neck and shoulder. She could feel the vibrations of his chuckle and his big, warm hands sliding down to grab her bottom and suddenly rolling them over so he was on top. Nova threw her head back against a pillow to try and hide her laughter. With her pressed against the mattress, she felt giddy when Kylo pushed his nose and mouth against her pulse on her neck, tickling her with nuzzles and kisses and soft bites. Wrapping her arms around him, Nova made herself small in his hold and soaked in his warmth. Hands tangled in his hair, she sighed and relaxed in his hold while he did all the work to have her submit to him.

“I want to go,” she told him, voice soft. “I want to go right now, and see it all.”

Kissing under her jaw, Kylo hummed against her softly, resting all his weight on her in a sort of comfort that kept her stable from her excitement. “You will, I promise. You just need to be patient and wait for the rest of the crew to come up and ready to go. Remember, this is a usual search-and-retrieve mission.”

“Do not tell me you’re not excited, too,” she mumbled, leaning her head against his and closing her eyes. One of his big hands detangled hers out of his hair and laced their fingers against the pillow, and he turned his head to press his nose to her cheek, kissing the spot a few times. “You want to go as much as I do, Kylo.”

“Yes, but I know how to maintain patience.”

Nova hummed softly, squeezing her hold on his hand while the other slipped to his naked back. There was a thick layer of bacta glued to his back, stretching from the curve of his shoulder and down the side of his spine; gentle fingertips touched the bruised skin beside the material, stroking his lower ribs.

“Does it hurt?” she asked.

Kylo took a deep breath. “It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure -?” Caught off by him pulling her into a kiss, Nova made a soft noise of disappointment when he pulled back and sat up from the bed. Watching him leave the bed and approaching his closet to pull out his usual armor from their orderly place, Nova wrapped herself with the dark blanket and sat up. 

Seeing him put on his undershirt on first, Nova blew air into her cheeks when he covered his back and bacta patches from her view. She knew how he obtained the wound from Snoke, and how it was uncomfortable for him to relax on his back for a good long while - even trying to bend forward or back was a hassle. The new weaponry given to the Praetorian Guards, gifted by Snoke and his personal craftsmen experimenting with plasma blades, were new to everyone. Letting Nova have firsthand to inspect and decide how they would play out, Snoke then pushed Kylo into the fighting pit for a test run before she could even suggest anything to reduce any physical harm…

Kylo came out victorious, winning with his life and a new wound to heal into a faded scar.

“Nova.”

Getting up from the bed, Nova stood with the blanket wrapped around her shoulders as he approached. Allowing him to hold her face with both hands, Nova looked up to meet his gaze with a small smile on her lips. Resting his forehead to hers, he showed her how he was relaxed on the inside, that the wound was no longer bothering him in the slightest, thanks to the bacta patch she generously placed on him.

“It’s nothing,” he whispered, his voice holding so much more emotion than his face could expose. She looked further through the Force, just to make sure, and this action caused him to chuckle under his breath.

“It’s nothing,” she agreed, earning her a kiss. “But you will tell me, if it is?”

“Of course.” A pinch of a smirk on his lips, Kylo flicked a stand of her hair out of her forehead. “Besides, I could never hide anything from you, even if I tried, and you know that. You’re too powerful for me to hide anything.”

“I’m not powerful.” she rebuked with a flushed expression, her eyes watering for a moment and pushing herself to hide her face into his pectorals. Letting him hold her close and press his mouth to her hair, Nova closed her eyes and hugged him back tightly. “But, you can’t hide anything.”

“No, I can’t. Not from you,” he murmured to her and she felt herself warm under her skin. She was blushing, and he knew it. Kylo was finding this entirely amusing, teasing her, and she bit him through the thin material of his undershirt, right on his chest. He chuckled and gently took hold of her face in one of his big hands and lifted her gaze up to him, forcing eye contact until she smiled from the silly situation.

He kissed between her brows before letting her go. “Go on and get ready. I’ll see you in a while.”

Nova didn’t take long to get ready, dressing herself along with a cowl and coat (as per instruction from both Kylo and the Supreme Leader), she did her braid perfectly and took off out of the secluded quarter hall to catch BB-9E and another droid rolling by, instantly getting her attention as she turned her body completely around and kept up the pace in a single line with the two rolling robots. She greeted the usual officers who strode past her in the early morning of the cycle, until nearly tripping over the specific droid Phasma worked alongside with.

BB-9E blipped and whirred, turning its head around, allowing the other droid to continue on while Nova gave it a bright smile. “Hi, Niney,” she greeted, crouching down in the middle of the hallway to its level. “How are you doing today?”

The droid made a low hum before doing a few circles around her crouched form before properly responding. None of the officers passing by gave her a second glance, so used to her speaking to that particular BB unit. “Yes, I have a mission today; I’m going to be going with Kylo, the Knights and Phasma with a few of her ‘troopers I’ve helped train, as an extra support.” BB-9E made a few beeps and Nova nodded. “It’s to the planet of Coruscant, yes. Snoke wants us to go to a palace. I’ve never been to a palace before…”

Seeing her think more to herself for the moment, BB-9E beeped for her attention and beckoned for her to follow. It led her towards the mess hall to get something to eat before having to leave, refusing to let her leave until she grabbed a hunk of baked bread and ate half of it before being allowed - continuing to munch on the bread as she followed the droid.

“You’re not coming with?” she asked next, holding a casual conversation with a droid while a couple officers gave her a second glance with how she treated such a random astromech tool like it was an actual living being. BB-9E, despite its usual strict-to-work attitude, responded to her anyway. “That’s too bad. Maybe you can come with us someday, Niney. It would be fun to have you come along.”

BB-9E made a retort-sounding whirr that made her grin. “No, you’re fun to me. You always let me play with you and the other droids.” Another single beep. “You would be told to remain in the ship? What if we needed navigation on a planet?” A beep and a low hum. “Depends on the planet… I guess, I really don’t know much about droids. Will you explain it more to me, when I come back?”

The astromech droid made a response before rolling off to begin its duties within the hangar of the Supremacy, leaving Nova to look around the area to the mechanics starting up with their first check-ins and tune-ups ready to be worked on. Some stormtroopers where already up and about, minus the few Nova recognizes from their signatures from her lessons, Captain Phasma having them stand in a lineup all properly.

Seeing Phasma, Nova was quick to hurry over and press her hands on the Captain’s forearm, grinning excitedly. “Good morning, Phasma!” she said loud enough to let the whole hangar know she had arrived. Then, looking to the ‘troopers, Nova offered them a polite smile to them. “Good morning to you all, too. How are you all doing today?”

Knowing they weren’t going to verbally respond, Nova smiled at them again before looking to the shuttle they were to take. Seeing that it was Kylo’s command shuttle, she felt a sort of excitement of getting to get out of the Supremacy and onto a more civilized planet with people she has grown used to being around. Looking over the shuttle itself, she began wandering around the hangar, seeing the droids and mechanics finish the last pieces of the check-ins before the pilot is to take off, allowing Phasma to continue on with her routine before Kylo and the Knights to arrive.

Knowing what today is suppose to hold for her, Nova couldn’t contain the big grin to hide in the collar of her coat; getting to see a new planet that she’s only heard about from stories, and looking to people’s memories of it, and now getting to make something special for herself to keep. Perhaps, maybe, she could share her own story with trustworthy people someday, but she knew better that right now it wasn’t the right time to let too many people know regardless. 

Still, remembering that this is the very same shuttle that picked her up from Bavva III, a part of her couldn’t really believe how much her own life had changed.

Reaching out to poke the sheen material of the shuttle, Nova snickered to herself when a familiar leather glove grasped her shoulder. Leaning her head back with a bright smile, she caught Kylo’s visors looking at her with a rather questionable tilt of his head.

“What are you doing?” he asked her, and she could imagine him raising his brows at her behavior.

Looking to the side to see the Knights of Ren waiting for Captain Phasma to load her squad first, Nova turned around to face him. “Do they always clean and polish your shuttle before every job you go on? I don’t see a single scratch on it, and I know this spacecraft has been on many planets that are not clean.” As if to make a point, she reached over behind her and pressed the pad of her finger on the outer wall and slid her finger a bit, causing a small squeak to erupt and her amusement to spark. “See! It’s super clean and polished. Do you request that your shuttle has to be polished after every use? Is it your favorite?”

“The shuttle is convenient to carry more supplies and people, if necessary. It doesn’t quite make it a favorite of mine,” he explained simply, only because she asked him. “You should get onboard, so we can go on ahead and leave.”

Nova’s eyes narrowed playfully as she let Kylo gently guide by her shoulder towards the loading ramp. “You still didn’t answer my question, if they have to clean and shine your shuttle every time you use it.”

Within his helmet, Kylo smirked and rolled his eyes. He urged her once more to go and join the Knights and Phasma. Snickering, she followed his silent instruction, allowing him to escort her the couple feet over. “I’ll have to let you know, when the time is more appropriate for this conversation, Nova,” he told her. With a little, gentle nudge to her lower back, he waited until she mounted the ramp at the sight of Phasma’s chrome plating. “And, now is not the proper time.”

“Yeah, I know,” she hummed with a roll of her eyes, jumping onto the ledge of the threshold. “But you promise you’ll answer later.”

Kylo knew he didn’t really have a choice in the matter, allowing the shuttle door to close in time for Nova to take her seat right next to Phasma, chatting away, and make his own quick pace to the cockpit to take-off from the hangar and in the direction of the illuminated planet.

xxx.

The Imperial Palace itself was someplace that held a lot of history, and Nova knew this once she caught sight of the building adorning withering tapestries of the Empire emblem. Fading red and black made the weathered building look more poorly kept more than it actually was, but she supposed it was to make it as a statement to the rest of the galaxy; she had seen this tactic used before back on Bavva III of those who ever attempted to go against the planet’s system way of living - although more gruesome, she didn’t doubt that there could have been many who would have wanted to use particular deceased heads on stakes. She didn’t see the charm on what it was forced to be made into, but could still feel what it was originally built for.

Halting as an empty corridor, filled with empty shelves and slots that would have once held precious material of scrolls, chips and discs, Nova sensed different arrays of emotions and memories. A curious mind looking up in wonder to a mentor as they show a new lesson from an ancient text. The same one trying to climb the shelves, but then use their limited abilities to tip the text over for them to catch, being too young and shy to ask for help. The same little one who tried to hide during the chaos of an invasion by someone they trusted -

“Nova,” Kylo’s voice called out to her, making her turn her attention to see him taking off his helmet with Phasma standing not too far, armed and ready as always. The Knights were left outside of the palace to stand guard with the rest of the ‘troopers. As far as Kylo told her, no one ever entered inside the palace anymore, fearing of the history becoming a possible curse to whoever went too far to disturb the ghosts that were resting inside. Still, it never hurt to take extra precautions on the outside, as well as getting distance.

Looking down to her, Kylo extended an open palm towards her. “May I please have it?” he asked her, and she smiled warmly at him as she dug into her pouches hidden underneath the cowl she wore.

Pulling out transparent hard drives with scratched out Aurebesh on the tags, Nova dutifully placed the three pieces into Kylo’s gloved hand. He then turned and held that hand out beside him. “Captain, if you will take these for the time being,” he instructed as the chrome plated woman stepped forward to take them.

Nova blinked and pouted at him in confusion. “You don’t trust me to hold the maps?”

“No.” Kylo removed his gloves and tucked them away before taking her hands in his own, lifting them to press a quick kiss to her knuckles to ensure his claim. “I just...don’t want him to be a part of it in any way. Not between us.”

Phasma made an amused tilt of her helmet as she hid the items away completely, Nova could sense the need to really push Kylo’s buttons, but was holding back. Kylo gave her a hard look and she simply shrugged. “I didn’t say anything, Commander.”

“Ahh, it’s a Commander that is roaming around here now? Though I sense another,” an elderly, raspy voice slipped into the chamber, making the three turn to see a human-hybrid man waddling out from wherever he was hiding. 

Well, not much of hiding from Nova, when she pointed out to Kylo hours before that there was a man inside this particular room.

With his discolored tan and green face giving them all a toothless grin, the man reached with his elongated finger to point at Nova. Kylo instinctively moved his arm to somewhat shield her from the stranger. “There you are! Not only the Commander is one of ‘em, but so are you, young one!” he pointed out excitedly. “Oh wonder, how exciting. Never seen this many Force-sensitives in here before - and this place once held a whole lot of ‘em!”

“So, you’re Force-sensitive as well?” Kylo questioned with furrowed brows, pushing his abilities out to see for himself. Frowning deeper, Kylo returned to holding Nova’s hand. “You have it...barely to the point of only sensing others up close, but nothing else.”

“I like your droid! Better than them stormtroopers that used to come in and always rummagin’ through my collection o’stuff!” the man said pointedly while staring at Phasma, reaching with the same finger to poke her breast-plate, which Phasma smacked out of the way harshly. “Oh! Not a droid! It’s a person inside - how do you stay so still?”

Phasma looked to Kylo. “Are you seriously considering thinking that this man is the one you’re looking for, Commander?” Phasma asked bluntly. “There is no one else inside the Palace. We can easily go to the lower district of the planet and find someone else with more dignity...and more hygiene, than this homeless rodent.”

Kylo immediately went back to being his usual firm, direct self that made Nova hide her grin. “We’re looking for someone named Korol, and we’ve been told that he roams and resides in the old Jedi Temple. Are you him, or not.”

“I am Korol that roams and resides in the Palace, yes! It’s my palace now,” the man, Korol, chuckled gleefully. “Although, I always welcome guests who acknowledge me! I presume I am either in trouble with the Empire, looking at this not-droid-stormtrooper?”

“We are not the Empire,” Kylo corrected him firmly. “We seek you, because we have been told that you are able to proceed with marrying those who can not do so legally, or who do not have the required permission to do so.”

“Aye, that would be me!” Korol bounced. “But I saw you wanderin’ ‘round the Palace and take some ol’ garbage. You took bits of a map, I heard and saw! And, since you are a Commander with a stormtrooper, you must be here for official business!”

“We’ve finished with our mission,” Nova said before Kylo squeezed her hand to silent her. This made Korol grin even bigger; Kylo wasn’t too sure what the man was mixed with, since it seems that his skin and bones stretched longer than usual for a human.

“So, a marriage, is it? That’s a big commitment,” Korol drawled and began to wander around the empty archive, seeming to contemplate the request. “Haven’t done a wedding in a while - what belief do you two have? Is it the same, or not?”

Nova and Kylo seemed confused by the question, looking at each other for a brief moment before Korol popped beside them, staring at the taller man with a cheshire grin. “You, I see, have been raised to witness many. Certainly you’ve seen some weddings in your youth and asked questions when you could. The more usual, traditional kind of vows and rings, witness and a celebration with family, isn’t that right?”

Kylo didn’t have the chance to respond before the humanoid turned to Nova, more gentle and patient. “You, on the other hand, my dear beauty,” he said softly, “have never seen any sort of matrimony, only heard of your customs through others. Your rings are worn around your necks, wrists and ankles, instead of on the fingers.”

The Commander was about to snap at the creature, but Nova simply shrugged and gave Korol an honest, genuine answer. “No, I’ve never seen a wedding or a union of people, but I certainly do know that what I feel for Kylo is more beyond of what I was ever taught in my life. My very heart doesn’t belong to anyone else, but him. Surely, that’s enough for you to accept our request to marry us.

“I don’t need a ring, or any promise to a Master during a ceremony of promising ourselves to each other, if we were to be sold off, because I know as well as you do that we already stand by what we want, and our future is nonexistent without the other,” Nova went on with a smile. “You can see that, can’t you?”

Korol made an odd laugh as he jumped and clapped. “You’re a special one, yes! You can see more than what anyone else can, yes you can. I certainly can’t lie to you! You see what I see of you two!”

“So, is there going to be a wedding, or not,” Phasma blurted rather impatiently. “Because, if I may be honest with all of you, I can think of many other things I could be doing right now, instead of listening to this weird man. Commander, you know I’m really doing this because she asked me to, but this little creeper is -”

“Of course there will be a wedding,” Korol announced gleefully. “This is going to be the most genuine, the most best wedding I’ve ever officiated on this planet. Never mind the beliefs, you two have all you need, just do as I say for the most simple wedding ceremony I’ve learned.”

Korol went to what used to be a main desk of the archive hall, beckoning them over to follow. He was brief to make Kylo and Nova stand accordingly, encouraging them to hold hands - which Kylo had no problem with as he held Nova’s hands firmly within his own, his head twisting around to make sure he kept his eyes on the odd humanoid. With Phasma, after being slapped on the hand, it seemed Korol learned his lesson from touching the Captain’s armor; easily requesting her to stand to the side as a simple witness. Korol took a few hobbling steps back to look at the scene in front of him, then scurrying around the main desk and climbing on. For the humanoid-hybrid, he seemed a lot more delighted by the situation than the two who were intended to marry (although, both Kylo and Nova mentally agree that it just happens to be the whole set-up of being within an abandoned palace with a hermit officiating their wedding). From what Nova could sense, Phasma was just here to be a witness in favor of both of them…

“Because it seems there is a level of secrecy for this wonderful moment, I won’t ask for your names. Your presence here is enough to satisfy the union,” Korol explained with a smile. Then, looking to Nova, he rest his mixed-colored palm on top of her braids, patting politely. “My dear, would you like to state your vows first?”

Nova looked between him and Kylo for a moment, her husband-to-be’s eyes patient as ever while he held her hands. Korol took notice of her hestitance and pressed his fingers together, like a wise elder educating his pupil. “A vow, dear, is like giving a promise of what you intent to provide within your marriage. Most will often say ‘until death do you part’, but I much rather leave it open for you to decide what will suffice. Not everyone agrees with the death section of the traditional vows. If that will work for you, sir?”

Kylo didn’t spare another glance at Korol. “She can do whatever she pleases,” he explained, his thumbs caressing her knuckles to make her smile with a bit more confidence.

Feeling her cheeks warm and her chest thumping with her heart hammering against her ribcage, she felt the words slip from her lips with such ease and yet with an overwhelming effect.

“Before meeting you, I never thought I could live another day with where I once was. I was trapped in a place with no way out, and I was willing to accept my fate as nothing more than someone else’s benefit,” she began, her hands holding his a little bit tighter. “I never thought my life was worth anything, until you came to me and said my name. No one had ever done such a thing for me, like all the things you’ve done from the smallest gestures; you let me read, to learn what I can do, and allowed me to have a voice for the first time in my life, and there is so much more that you’ve done that I can’t even begin to list.

“I can’t thank you enough for everyone you have done for me, since that day you came to that damn planet. I don’t think there’s enough time left of my life to do so,” she snorted with her own amusement. “Instead, I want to give you everything I have and all that I am to you; you taught me that I can be more than just nothing, and that I am allowed to feel things that I was always told I couldn’t. I will give you my heart, my body and everything else I can to you and, hopefully, that will just be enough to repay a piece of all you’ve done for me.”

Looking up to him, trying to keep all her tears at bay, because she couldn’t see how crying was acceptable for her pouring her heart out in a time of happiness to let them slip. “I love you,” she told him. “I loved you the first day, before I even knew what love was; I loved you when I first said it to you, and every time after, and I love you today and now. And, I vow to you, even after either one of us is long gone from this vast galaxy of existing, that I will love you forever for as long as the Force thrives and even once if it disappears. I will do everything I can to be the best wife you could ever ask for, and promise to make every moment we spend together worthwhile. I vow to the wondrous galaxy that I will forever be yours and yours alone.”

Taking a deep breath, refusing to break eye contact with him and trying so hard not to cry, Nova felt his response grow tenfold and melt into her Force signature with the same sentiment and emotions that she was projecting to him. Korol hummed in approval and she sensed Phasma was doing her very best to resist her own emotions overtaking her usual stoic posture, making Nova feel a swell of pride in making the one she considered a friend to feel emotional over something that truly came from her heart. 

“And now, young man,” Korol spoke, turning his nose to Kylo, who remained staring at Nova, “it’s your turn to say your vows, if you wish.”

What was next was not what anyone expected.

Releasing her hands for just a moment, Kylo moved his cloak away from the backside of his legs as he slowly got to his knees. Still, despite the major difference with his long legs folding in half, he was still fairly tall - a thought that amused Nova so much and he returned it through their bond with a teasing tickle. Settling into a comfortable position, similar yet different to how he would when addressed to Snoke, he took one of her hands. There was a sense of being another level above the Supreme Leader that sparked inside Phasma and Nova together, and he looked up to his beloved as if she was the holiest being known to exist.

“I am a man of many sins, and of a family with a history that no one will forget,” he said with so much confidence. “Meeting you was the first time I was being seen differently than I ever experienced in my life. I will continue to have blood stain my hands and destroy things without abandon, but now for a whole new different purpose.

“I vow to you, my love, that you will see the galaxy in all its glory and terror that you have yet to see for yourself,” Kylo declared. “I will take whatever blade and bullet that will be aimed at you upon myself, and make whoever dares to bring harm to you suffer. The galaxy is not worthy of you yet, and I will make it my mission to morph it into a perfect utopia of peace and order, all for you.”

With the one hand he was holding, he opened her palm and brought it to rest against his bare cheek and closed his eyes. “I will fight all the armies and kill anyone who tries to take you away from me, even our own Master, if it came to that. My loyalty may be with the Order, but my heart only belongs to you. You are the stars that light up the black mass in my chest, the reason I keep fighting and training to make a better future for you.”

Turning to nuzzle her wrist, Kylo’s lips twitched. “I vow to protect you, treat you as my equal and bring you the happiness that you deserve from the day you first drew breath, for all that I am capable. I will fight for you, sacrifice my life in order for you to live and see the peaceful future that I will build for you. I vow to be the best husband, and be forever yours, for my heart and life belong to you and no one else.”

Korol looked between them and then to Phasma. He seem to have waited for some kind of response from the witness and had gotten what he wanted, because pat his palms on top of both Kylo and Nova’s heads and tilt his head back. A blissful smile on his aged face, Korol hummed once more before speaking.

“By the power invested within me, I hereby proclaim with my life that you two are husband and wife,” he announced, the echo of the archive hall echoing his voice at a perfect volume. “By your witness as proof, and within these ancient walls, you may now kiss your beloved, and let your hearts become one.” 

Kylo was quick to get back on his feet and take hold of Nova’s face by gently cupping them with both of his large hands, kneeling down to kiss her when Nova jumped on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Phasma knew that both of them sensed her grin and happy tears staining the inside of her helmet, but she would let this one slide for being allowed to attend the wedding.

xxx.

“Did you see anyone inside the Palace, Madam Nova?” Lumiya asked curiously, whispering as quietly as possible. “Or see any ghosts?”

“No? Do people live inside anymore?” Nova asked back with a confused frown, making Lumiya flustered under her mask and look away from her, facing the ground.

“Well, knowing what history that place holds, I remember hearing how this place still echoes the dying screams and orders of the Emperor. I grew up not too far from here, so, you know, stories get around.” Standing up straight, she did her best not to emanate her past when Kylo Ren was nearby, leading the group away and back to the shuttle.

“Well, I hope this doesn’t disappoint you, but I didn’t sense any other lifeforms inside, besides Phasma, Kylo and myself. There was a lot of dust and broken things inside,” Nova told her with a shrug.

“It doesn’t. It feels more relieving, actually, knowing that no one dares to enter such a place. And the mission was a success, so the Supreme Leader will be more than pleased that you got what we came for.”

Watching for the group of First Order personnel leave down the gateway of the old palace, Korol smiled to himself as he returned indoors to the archive hall. Hobbling over to a singular pillar that held an archway above, Korol felt around the old, worn-out panelboard until he found a functioning switch to bring up a half-formed hologram.

Reaching to the hologram, he ejected the small drive from the slot provided and took hold of the blue colored block and placed it in his pocket, patting the newly added lump.

“Another nice piece for my good ol’ collection, mm?” Korol chuckled to himself as he turned back to see the sunset, the same direction the secret newlyweds and their entourage faded off to. “Could really sense the bonding of their love for one another - don’t find that from the First Order nowadays, no sir. Those two must be the best match, if I’ve ever seen one…”

Laughing freely, Korol scurried over to a hidden corridor - a vent that has been pried open with a tool some odd years back - and stuck his irregularly shaped head inside. The vent was illuminated from dated lights, making the pile of collected hard drives and security footage seem to sparkle like little diamonds.

Taking the chip in his pocket, Korol was careful to set it gently among the rest of the collection, adding another piece of light reflecting off of it. He smiled proudly before pulling back out of the vent and sat on the ground with a pleased sigh.

“Yes, it’s good to put more happy memories in the walls,” he told himself with a toothless grin. “Good ol’ collection is gonna overpower all the sad memories with all the good, thanks to those two newlyweds.”

Fun fact: Korol is a canon name in the SW universe, who is rumored to be an ancestor of Han Solo. Can anyone guess what they went to go retrieve from the Temple/Palace? c:

taglist: @ayatimascd @ymariejp @yippee-ki-yay-motherfucker460 @formerly-anonhamster @rosalynbair @redhairedfeistynerd @imyourdreamwife @kyloxfem @goth-pigeon @kylorentv

Remember, if you would like to be tagged for future chapters, please don’t hesitate to message me! I’d be more than happy to add you. Thank you for reading and I hope to hear from you!

#pilotanonwrites #kylo ren x reader #kylo x reader #preludekylofic #reader insert #oc/reader insert

[ragnarachael]

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda.

Pairing: Deadpool x Daughter!Reader, Peter Parker x Reader

Word Count: 1,945

Summary: Wade didn’t want to ruin his kid's night with her ‘boyfriend,’ but he didn’t have much of a choice, she had a right to know.

A Note: i really don’t think this is all that different from the original piece i wrote back in june 2018. you can’t fix what ain’t broke? (rereading and editing this, i just realized how close to home this hits right now)

Warnings: a bunch of angst that you probably haven’t seen me write before, major canon character death, cursing, crying, all the sad stuff with a bit of jokes at the end. (i don’t know if it’s considered a fourth wall break, but there’s a reference to your local writer behind the screen)

masterlist

Wade had been sitting in the apartment for a few hours now. He was soaking wet in his shirt and sweats, holding onto Vanessa’s limp, cold body like his life depended on it. He was still covered in the blood of the douchebag that pulled the trigger.

He was still sobbing on and off with the door still broken open and the rain pouring through the open window.

If Vanessa were still alive, she would be huffing at Wade for doing such a thing and then he’d make a joke and then they’d make their way to the bed and celebrate their anniversary as planned.

Of all the days he fucking finished his duties early and had idiots follow him back home, it had to be today.

Y/N had made plans with her friend (more like boyfriend, Wade and Vanessa knew something was up) Peter just so they could celebrate.. accordingly.

How the hell was Wade supposed to walk over to the Parker’s apartment complex in Queens and tell his little girl her mother was dead?

How the hell was he supposed to act like a normal human being when he was covered in two different peoples blood right now?

And more importantly, how was he going to pull himself together and get up from the rug where he sat with Vanessa in his soaking wet arms?

Wade took a deep breath, pressing a kiss to Vanessa’s pale forehead before gently laying her body back where it landed what seemed like hours ago now. He slowly stood up, looking at the clock above their bed, seeing it only being almost nine o'clock at night.

Wade just shook his head and moved to his closet, throwing on a hoodie and a pair of jeans to not only to warm up and hide all of the blood seeping through the cloth fabric, but also so he can get his kid. Poor girl deserves to know what the fuck happened.

Queens was only an hour walk from their complex. The Parker’s was then 20 minutes from that point on. That put Wade in front of the complex doors at exactly 10:30 pm. He pulled his hood off as he walked into the warm lobby, ignoring the gasps from the people in the room as he made his way to the elevator.

He either had a lot of blood on his face, or he still looks like the world’s worst burn victim.

He’ll take either for 200, Alex.

He pressed the seventh floor button once he stepped foot into the elevator. Thankfully, he was completely alone in the metal box and started to try and think of how the fuck he was going to do this.

What do you say to the second best thing that’s happened in your life that the first best thing that’s happened in your life is fucking dead?

The elevator opened up too soon to his liking. It wasn’t slow enough for him to get his shit together and man up enough to march down the hall to get to the Parker’s apartment. Either way, his brain was on autopilot as he walked down the long hall, having dropped her off here earlier in the day before he went to do his shit.

He made the first left he saw prior to earlier in the day, stopping at the second door on the left.

He had hoped Peter wouldn’t answer the door. Y/N didn’t need her happiness to be ruined in this moment. If May answered again, that’d be a blessing within itself.

Wade took a deep, deep breath, trying to get his thoughts together before he removed his right hand from his hoodie pockets and knocked on the door firmly.

He placed his hand back in the pocket and waited. It seemed like an eternity before he saw May’s face contorting from sweet and kind to worried, already seeing Y/N’s father here soon.

“Hey, May. Uh, can I speak with Y/N?” Wade got out before May could ask anything. She was taken aback, his his lighthearted, joke filled tone from the day gone, riddled with sadness.

“Of course, Wade. Come in?” May said gently, opening the door a little wider for him to enter as she turned around to go get Y/N.

Wade slowly entered, closing the door gently behind him. He looked around the apartment, smiling very faintly. It looked cozy and like a home. Compared to the apartment that awaited for both Wade and Y/N, depending on her reaction.

He could hear laughter. It was a combination of Y/N’s laughter mixed with Peter’s. His heart flew up into his throat practically at that.

Wade’s mind slowly started going into panic mode.

He shouldn’t have come, he would just ruin her night with her ‘he’s not my boyfriend, but if he would be his nickname would be honey bun because yes, dad, he’s that sweet.’

Wade heard May and Y/N conversing as she came from the hall from the far left of the door, Y/N freezing when she saw her father.

“Dad? What’s going on? I thought you’d be with Mom tonight..?” She questioned softly, her head tilted as May sent Wade a sad smile, probably knowing something was wrong, before she went back to navigate her way to the kitchen, probably to occupy Peter so he didn’t come out.

Y/N’s tone sent a dagger through his heart. He couldn’t break the news to her like this. 

She was just a kid. His kid. 

He didn’t want her to turn out like him at any point in her life. He didn’t want her to be without a mother. He didn’t want any of this to be a reality but here we are-

“Dad?” Y/N questioned again, carefully reaching a hand out to place on his arm as he just stared at her, the gears shifting around in his head.

Y/N carefully placed her other hand on his other arm to hold Wade steady as he swayed back and forth.

“She’s gone.” Easy. Simple. Filled with all the pain in the world.

Y/N just rose a brow in concern and started to rub at the damp fabric clinging to her father’s arms.

“She who? Mom? Did she go to the store after your rounds and hasn’t come back yet? She probably stopped at that one shop you both love-” Y/N was cut off with Wade’s harsh sigh before his hands went to rub at his eyes, ignoring the horrendous texture as his tears blurred his vision.

His heart couldn’t take the pain it was going through. Well, technically, it could, but that’s not the point.

Y/N was about to list off another thing that her mother could have gone before Wade finally spoke up.

“Sweetheart, no.” 

It was quick and firm, which was the complete opposite of their father-daughter relationship.

Y/N was taken back and moved her hands from her father’s arms, slowly crossing her arms over her chest.

Wade took a moment to notice she was wearing some dumb shirt you could buy from a tourist place. It had a white base with a bright yellow taxi and the ugly letters “I survived my trip to New York!” on it smack dab in the middle.

She doesn’t own that, does she?

His father instincts wanted to kick in and question who’s shirt it was, but he held it back.

“The drug lords I went after during rounds today.. they followed me back. I thought I had enough time to catch the bullet. I.. I thought I hit the fucker,” Wade spat, his voice faltering and cracking at the end of his sentence. Y/N’s face went from confusion to sadness, finally understanding what’s going on.

“It hit your mother,” Wade finished. Rip it off like a bandaid.

“You’re joking, right? This is a sick joke to scare me to leave the house, isn’t it?” Y/N said slowly, her eyes starting to sting from the sudden tears filling her eyes.

Wade saw how her eyes glossed over.

He wanted to rip his heart out of his chest.

“I-I..” Wade sighed and looked down at his boots he pulled on. “I kinda wish it was, but it’s not.”

Wade heard Y/N’s breath hitch before he let out a grunt the second she connected with his chest, her arms wrapped around his middle tightly.

His arms wrapped tightly around his daughter’s frame, finally lifting his head up to rest his chin on her head, his own eyes starting to gloss over.

The silence between them was filled with Y/N’s pained sobs in his chest.

Wade really wanted to crack, but he had to be strong for his girl.

Eventually, Wade had moved his head from the top of his daughters and moved one hand that was around her to wipe his eyes which was when she looked up at him with bloodshot eyes, seeming somewhat recovered.

“W-What are we going to do?” She questioned suddenly, Wade now feeling how tight she was clinging to his hoodie.

He sniffled in response at first. What were they going to do?

“I don’t know, sweetheart. I don’t know,” He concluded finally, shocked his own voice was even steady in the first place.

The both of them started to sway slightly as Wade could hear footsteps coming from the kitchen now.

“I just wanted to tell you, you had a right to know. I plan on heading back and figuring out what to do with her body-”

“She’s still in the apartment?!” Y/N whisper yelled, also hearing the footsteps as she ripped herself from her father's chest.

“What was I supposed to do?! Chuck her out the window with me when I chased down and killed the guy that shot her?” Wade hissed back before the footsteps stopped close to them.

“H-Hey, Mr. Wilson,” Peter said awkwardly, smiling shyly as he held two steaming mugs. Wade rose a brow as he looked at the boy, eyeing the mugs.

“Hey, Peter.” Wade forced a smile at the teen before reluctantly letting Y/N go and let out a soft sigh.

Y/N was quick to pull herself from her father’s arms and walk over to her boyfriend, sniffling as she gave him a small smile before taking a mug of hot chocolate.

“Thanks, Pete. I’ll be back in the kitchen in a sec, okay?” She said quickly, Peter giving her a reassuring smile and encouraging nod before he moved in to quickly kiss her cheek, awkwardly making his way back to the kitchen where his Aunt May resided.

Y/N turned back around to be met with Wade’s look that definitely looked smug.

“So you two are honey buns-”

“Oh my God, shut up,” Y/N insisted harshly as she sipped her mug before placing it on a close by coffee table, Wade letting out a hoarse chuckle.

“Two honey buns in one package? That’s a steal!”

Y/N let out a harsh sigh as a small smile grew on her face before moving back to wrap her arms around him and rest her head on his chest.

“You’re lucky I can’t think of a good come back,” Y/N mumbled Wade letting out a scoff.

“It’s just lazy writing on her end,” he reasoned, gently patting his daughter’s back before she moved her head slightly.

“Who’s lazy writing?”

Wade just huffed and shook his head fondly, moving a hand to cup Y/N’s cheek before dropping another small kiss to the middle of her forehead.

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.”

#deadpool x daughter!reader #peter parker x reader #deadpool x reader #marvel imagine #marvel fanfiction #wade wilson x daughter!reader #wade wilson x reader #rachael writes

[avengerscompound]

Finding Home - Chapter 1

Finding Home: A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers x OFC (Daisy Adams)

Word Count:  2538

Warnings:  Angst, mentions of torture, violence, major character death, mentions of sexual abuse/rape, pregnancy, smut (vaginal sex, oral sex, pregnancy sex, Bisexual MMF threesome)

Synopsis:  Daisy Adams has abilities. She can read minds. Force her thoughts onto others. As a child, she is taken by Hydra and raised as a weapon. Daisy finds another and speaks to him in his dreams. He has been taken too. He wants to return to the man he loves. Can she get them back together? Will she even want to once she realizes that she’s falling in love?

Chapter 1

I sat staring at the man, frozen in time.  Waiting to be brought out just to be forced to kill again.  This was how I spent most of my time.  Looking at him, listening to his thoughts.  Even frozen he dreamed.  He always dreamed about Steve.

I remember when I first saw him here.  I was five, and while I don’t remember a lot of that time in my life, I do remember that.

I was raised in Hydra.  I don’t really know anything about where I came from before, or why I have the abilities I do.  All I know is I’m different, and I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t.  That’s why I’m here. Telepathic is the word they use.  I can read minds, and project my thoughts into others.  I can also fiddle around in peoples heads a little.  Not much.  I can leave suggestions, and depending on how strong the person is, they may or may not act on them.  I can help people find memories they’ve lost.  Plus I’ve found, that I can help protect peoples memories from being taken from them altogether.   Keep them hidden and protected.

I have never known parents, but sometimes the people at Hydra were maybe what you’d call nurturing.  I was playing hide and seek with some of the low-level grunts.  A security guard or two, one of the lab techs.  As I ran down a hall looking for somewhere to hide I heard him.  

No, that’s not the right word.  He was frozen.  He wasn’t speaking.  Felt him?  His thoughts intruded on mine.  Visions of a world I had never known. Vintage cars, and girls with bright red lips.  And Steve.  Steve who looked smaller than most of the other people in his thoughts.  Who kept wanting to fight everybody.  Steve who this man loved. Completely unconditionally.  It was not something I’d ever felt from anyone before.  

I sat in the room, pressed up against this metal tube housing him with my eyes closed and just listened in.  Let his love for his friend just wash over me.

Pierce found me. The chances of that happening were pretty low.  I did know who he was at that age.  At least I think I did, but he was not someone I personally had a lot to do with.  He’d asked me what I was doing there.  I told him I was listening to Bucky.  

Bucky.  That’s his name.  It’s not what we call him.  We call him ‘The Winter Soldier’. Or nothing.  But Steve.  Steve calls him Bucky.  In his memories when he hears the name he feels serenely happy.  It washes over me, and I long to feel that kind of happiness too.  

Pierce was angry at first.  Angry that his weapon was experiencing human emotions.  He tried to hide it from me.  He should have known better really.  No one can hide anything from me.  I can read every single thought that passes through their head.  From the passing thoughts of needing coffee to the deep down depraved ones, they would never act on.  

He then realized he could use me.  I remember being terrified.  

Pierce had let Bucky out of his chamber.  The soldier had stepped forward dazed and confused.  I had reached up and touched his metal hand.  It was still cold from the cryogenic chamber.  When I touched him, the plates had shifted against each other and he looked down at me.  A smile just briefly passed over his face, and then they had started to say the words.

Сильное желание Проржавевший Семнадцать Рассвет Печь Девять Доброкачественная Возвращение домой Один Грузовой автомобиль

His face changed.  He uttered the words 'готов подчиняться’ - Ready to comply.  He was no longer Bucky. He was the Winter Soldier.  Pierce had me go over his mind, tell him if I could still see those memories.  Of course, I could.  They hadn’t gone, they were just buried, but I was a child.  I didn’t know I had to lie about that.  

They then tortured him and told me to wipe that part of him away as they did.  I cried the whole time, but I defied them.  I wasn’t taking that away from him.  I learned how to lie that day.  After I had made them believe he was completely blank, they made me give him the orders.  They made a five-year-old girl order a full grown man to go out and murder some people.

Ever since that day, they thought they were using my abilities to keep him in line. Keep his mind blank and ready for programming.  I still laugh when I think about it.  What they had been doing with Bucky had worked just fine.  He complied fully with them.  Now, I was undoing all the work. I was sealing off sections of his memory from them, putting in unlock codes.  Allowing for the potential that one day, he could escape this and maybe, just maybe, he could be happy again.

Over the years I sat and listened to him.  I started to be able to talk to him within his dreams.  I tried not to disrupt them, but occasionally they’d go dark, and I felt an overwhelming need to step in and comfort him. Let him know I was there, protecting him. One day things might be okay again.  I’d figure it out.  

Every time they let him out of the ice he seemed to recognize me a little more.  It got to the point that he’d see me he’d smile and reach for me.  I’d have to plant the suggestion not to as soon as I realized he was conscious.  That doing that was dangerous for both of us.  

A year or so ago, I heard the news that Captain America had come out of the ice.  I had no idea what that meant to begin with.  I scoured the minds of the Hydra agents.  Captain America was an enemy.  They thought he was dead.  He used to be alive back when Bucky was born.  Slowly piece by piece I realized this was Steve.  Bucky’s Steve.  Bucky could be happy again.  

Pierce came up behind me.  

“We need the Soldier.”  He said.

“I know.”

“Is he blank?” He had started to get suspicious again.  It came on from time to time.  It was unavoidable.  I planted the suggestion to believe me.

“Some small memories have started coming back.  I’ve just been clearing them.  I guess he’s resilient.”  

“Why do you spend so much time in here if he’s blank?”

I pushed again.  - BELIEVE ME -   “What else am I going to do?”

Pierce looked dazed for a moment.  Other Hydra agents came into the room and began making the preparations for releasing the Winter Soldier.  Pierce gave me the orders.  He was going after someone in SHIELD.  A higher-up named Fury.  This was big.

I stepped up to the Cryo-chamber.  The door slid down and Bucky stepped out.  

- DON’T REACT – I pressed.  I took his hands in mine.  He looked at me, his eyes soft.

- It won’t be much longer, Bucky.  Steve is back. - I told him.

- He is?  How? -

- No time. But he is.  You can have him back.  -

The words began.  He started to panic and I used my mind to soothe him as he lost himself.  

“готов подчиняться.”

 I gave him his instructions. Work with the team.  Take out Fury.  Don’t come back until he’s dead.  At the same time, I countered the instructions in his head.  Don’t kill him.  Come close, but hold back at the last second.  Don’t let them doubt you failed intentionally, but make sure he will live through your attack.  

I was worried this might break him.  Too much conflicting information. I had to risk it though.  

I basically sat around waiting for him to return all day.  Praying that I hadn’t fucked this up.  Agents would come to speak to me, but at the last second, they’d change their mind and veer away from me.  I was projecting to leave me alone pretty strongly.  

Eventually, I went to bed and slept badly.  I was woken in the early morning to come wipe him.

I couldn’t touch him when they did their wipe.  I longed to.  Longed to soothe him, but it was too dangerous.  So I sat near, making sure he stayed Bucky.   When they were done I lead him to the chamber, squeezed his hands and opened his mind, letting Bucky come back.  He looked at me sadly as the door to the chamber closed and he was put back into stasis.  The other agents left the room.  I pushed them out.  The last one even switched off the light.  His mind was so weak he forgot I was even in there.  I slid to the ground and sat with my head pressed up against the chamber.

Bucky was having a nightmare.  He’d seen Steve today.  He only just realized it was him and was dreaming about standing on a roof and killing him.  I stepped in.  

“Bucky. It’s okay.  You’re safe.”

He turned to me, and his image shimmered.  Changing from the Winter Soldier to a young man.  Still a soldier, but this time clean-cut, in a World War 2 military uniform.  Our surroundings changed too, we were at some kind of fair.  I think.  There were people everywhere, and rides.  I hadn’t ever seen anything like it in real life before.  Just in his dreams, and the thoughts of others.  

“I could have killed him,”  Bucky said approaching me.

I took his hands in mine.  In my head, I couldn’t feel them, but in his, it would feel real, and it would comfort him.  “Did you?”

He shook his head.  “No.  Can you do something for next time?  Make sure I don’t.”

I felt sad.  Helpless.  “Of course.  Sorry I didn’t think of it this time.  I didn’t really think you’d see each other.”

“Will I get out of here?”  The look on his face was pure pain.  I pushed for happiness on him, but he resisted.  Like the pain was something he needed.

“I’m doing everything I can, Bucky.”  I looked around our surroundings. “Where are we?”

“Coney Island.  It’s not quite right though.”  He answered glancing around.

“Well, it’s a dream.  Why did you bring us here?”  

“I don’t know.  I guess it reminds me of better times. Being with friends.  Kissing girls.”  His hands slid up my arms.  “Have you never been here?  Maybe I can take you.”

I laughed.  “I’ve never been outside this building that I can remember.”

“Can I kiss you?”  He asked.

I looked at the ground.  “Bucky, this is a dream.”

He tilted my face up to his.  “It feels real to me.  More real than when I’m awake.”

“Wouldn’t you rather kiss him.”  I turned and pointed.  An image of Steve appeared.  Scrawny, small, angry at the world, Steve.  “I can push the idea for you and leave you to it.  It will feel real.”

“Not like that I don’t.”

“You’ve had those dreams before.  You don’t need to be embarrassed.”

He let me go and turned.  I’d pissed him off.  “I’m not embarrassed. I wish you hadn’t seen it but I’m not ashamed that I loved him.  He’s not here though, and I don’t want you making him … do those things.  I don’t need a pimp.”

He was lying.  He was extremely ashamed of his feelings.  He grew up in a world where that mattered.  Two men could not be together like that.  He knew I knew, and he was trying to be strong.  I grabbed him, turning him to face me again.  “I’m sorry.  You can kiss me if you want.  It won’t be the same for me though.  I’m not dreaming.  I’m just sitting here.  It would be like I was talking to someone about kissing them.”

His thumb stroked along my jaw.  “At least you’d have agreed to it.”

His lips met mine.  It was weird like I was watching myself kiss him. The world changed again, and we were in a small bedroom.  It looked so weirdly foreign to me.  Rustic and everything was so old.  I was used to smooth lines, white walls, and high tech.  This was not that.  

I watched as he pushed me onto the bed, his hands sliding up under my shirt.  I started to feel weird like I was intruding on him again.  I considered leaving, but if I left and he wanted to actually talk to me after, it would not work for him properly, and he’d know.  

“Bucky?” I whispered.  “What’s happening right now, is you, not me.”

He sat up looking mortified.  “Sorry!  You don’t want this?”

“It’s not that.  It’s more like… you’re in control, and I’m just watching.  It’s hard to explain.  I’m happy to leave you to it.  If you want.  I just feel weird watching.”

“I hate this, Doll.”  He growled.  “How is this a life?  Next time they let me out, put me out of my misery.”

My heart hurt for him.  So badly.  “You’re why I made it to adulthood, Bucky.  You know how much I love you.   I can’t do that.”  I sighed.  The sigh happened both in the dream and out of it.  “When did you start calling me doll, do you think?  When did I go from a kid to an adult to you?”

He shrugged.  His form shifted again, he now looked like neither the old Bucky or the Winter Soldier.  He was somewhere in between.  He had the long hair and the metal arm, but he was him.  Not what they’d made him.  “I don’t know.  Thanks for reminding me that there is an extra level of how weird I should feel about this though.”

I laughed.  “Sorry.  Don’t feel weird about your feelings though. You’re not exactly living a normal life.”

“I’m not living a life at all.”

I held his hand and we sat quietly for a while.  “Buck, when I get you out of here.  I won’t be with you.  Something will happen.  It will make you remember, while you’re the soldier.  It won’t be clean though.  You’ll have to – I don’t know – relearn who you are? Unlock your memories?  It won’t be easy.”

“It has to be better than this though.”

“I hope so.”  I smiled, giving his leg a squeeze.  “Know that I love you though.  You’ve been my family.  The way you feel about Steve, it’s the only real love I’ve ever felt.”

He hugged me. It was tight, and I was pulled right up close to his body. I wish I could have felt it.  I would have liked to have heard his heart beating.  Felt the warmth from his body.  

Others entered the room.

“Shit, Bucky.  They’re back.  Gotta go.”  I broke the connection.  

“What are you doing in here, Adams?”  Brian, one of the lab techs, asked.

“I wasn’t in here.  I just followed you in.”  I said, pressing the idea onto everyone in the room.  

“Oh right, sorry.” He said.  “We need to get him out again.  They’re sending him after Captain America.”

// NEXT

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #stucky #steve rogers x bucky barnes #steve rogers x reader x bucky barnes #captain america fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #reader insert #steve rogers x oc #bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes x steve rogers x oc #stucky x oc #smut #angst #finding home

[intothestarkerverse]

Time of Our Lives (Part Three)

Based on a prompt from @geekymarvel  

Peter is tasked with an important mission that requires him to go back in time.   Finding himself at a gala for Stark industries in the 1990’s, he comes face to face with a young and incorrigible Tony Stark who considers Peter’s attempts to deny his advances a challenge.  Now, dogged by a horny young CEO who won’t take no for an answer, Peter’s task has become much more difficult….

(STORY CONTAINS ENDGAME SPOILERS)

Read on AO3

“Get on your radio. I want S.H.I.E.L.D. I want the F.B.I. I want the N.S.A. I want everyone with a god damn badge and an acronym for a name here in ten minutes.” When there was no immediate response from Happy, Tony turned to take in the other man’s embarrassed expression, barely losing a step of his meaningful stride. “Tell me you have your radio.”

“I left it in the security office.”

“Of course you did.” Tony skidded to a stop in front of the elevator, reaching for his security badge for executive override and realizing with an angry growl that he didn’t have it. The kid did. “Fine, go back to the security office and call in the cavalry then.”

“I can’t let you go down there alone, Sir, it could be dangerous.”

“See, I thought I was the boss here. My name and not yours on the building, the paychecks…Happy Industries sounds like a brothel or a pizza parlor with an animatronic rat, you know? Is this a whore house or a pizza arcade, Happy? No. Then just do what I say or hit the unemployment line in the morning, I honestly don’t care which you choose.” He turned his back to thesecurity guard and began mashing the down arrow on the elevator again and again and again as if that would make it arrive faster. When it still hadn’t arrived after several seconds, he begrudgingly pushed his way through the door to the emergency stairwell somewhat placated that Happy was not behind him and had done as instructed and gone back to get the authorities. Tony honestly wasn’t worried about the kid hurting him. If Peter Parker wanted him dead, he would have killed him when they were alone in the Men’s Room. Nah, this kid was out for something other than blood...it was just a real damn shame it wasn’t sex.

By the time he reached the incinerator in the basement Tony was a little breathless. The door providing access to the inside of the incinerator for removal of ash and debris was open and there was the sound of movement echoing from within the large metal room. “All right, Kid, you’ve got at best fifteen minutes before this building is swarming with federal agents. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll run…” Tony’s words died on his lips as he stepped into the open doorway and several things became apparent at once.

That was not the kid in the incinerator.

It was, in fact, three individuals dressed in black who were collecting a myriad of items from the incinerator that Tony hadn’t recalled ordering destroyed. Two of them did not even look up from their work, but the third individual swung his considerably impressive firearm in Tony’s direction and let off several rounds of gunfire before Tony’s words had even stopped echoing in the room.

—

There were very few times in Peter Parker’s life when his proclivity for mathematics and the physical sciences was a hindrance. This was one of those few times. As he slowly climbed down the never-ending shaft of the incinerator on finger tips and toes, his brain was busy calculating the height of the shaft, how much time it would take him to fall down it, how much damage he would sustain from the fall, and any number of worse doomsday scenarios.

Truth was, he knew he had nothing to worry about. He had pretty good stamina and his muscles weren’t even beginning to sting yet. In the grand scheme of things, this should be a piece of cake…but Peter had a little bit of trouble with very confined spaces ever since Vulture dropped a building on him. It wasn’t a full-fledged phobia. He certainly tried to avoid very tight places if he could help it, though, and this incinerator shaft was about as tight as they came. If he was any larger, he probably wouldn’t have been able to fit inside it. As it was, there was little more than a couple of inches to either side of his shoulders and his knees and ass were scraping the other sides as he crawled down. It was also exceptionally dark and quiet. All he could hear was the steady rhythm of his own heartbeat and the sound of his somewhat frenzied breathing against the mask of his ironspider suit. He really missed Karen. Being without the AI didn’t make the suit useless, it was still every bit as intuitive as it had ever been…but Karen was a point of comfort that he could have used as he convinced himself that the tiny incinerator shaft was no big deal at all.

Spidey sense came first, as it was always want to do. The familiar tingling at the base of his skull that flared quickly enough to a full fledged stabbing pain. Peter had learned over the years to take his Spidey sense with a grain of salt. Sometimes it had a habit of alerting him to dangers that were rather mundane and not at all life threatening. His reaction to the warning was more dependent upon the circumstances. In a fight, he was much more likely to duck, expecting an oncoming projectile, than he was in the middle of Calculus. Sometimes, for the sake of secret identities, it was important to let the spitball Flash had lobbed at his head hit him between the eyes. Didn’t mean he had to like it, though.

This time, Peter paid attention to his biological warning system, slowing down and taking the last few yards of decent much more carefully than the first hundred or so. He didn’t jump out of the shaft as he might have done without the warning, instead angling himself to cling to the roof of the incinerator as he poured his body out of the hole and was finally able to take stock of the situation.

Three men.

All in black. They were loading a reinforced metal crate with objects from the incinerator. One of which, he saw with dismay, was the one he had been sent to recover. This complicated matters much more than he cared to admit. Were these people supposed to steal this stuff? Could he afford to stop them completely and take the machine, or should he just try to get the machine away from them and try to avoid affecting the time stream even more than he already had? Why hadn’t Tony or the stones known about this in the first place? What was he going to do?

It was Tony’s voice that pulled him out of the worried maelstrom of his own thoughts.

Oh no.

Oh God.

Peter saw the one with the gun turn towards the doorway and his head exploded with a thousand warnings.

He absolutely could not let Tony Stark die.

The world seemed to slow down, seconds taking minutes as they passed. Spider-Man aimed for the barrel of the gun, firing a quick burst of webbing and using all of his strength to pull the gun up so that as it fired, the rounds skittered above Tony’s head and out into the basement where he hoped they would do no harm.

He left the ceiling in a graceful leap, hands colliding with the shooter’s shoulders as he pushed him to the ground and delivered a forceful right hook to the man’s masked face. Peter was used to pulling his punches. He was far too strong to hit an average person with the full brunt of his power. Not if he didn’t want to knock someone’s head off, anyway. This time, perhaps, he didn’t hold back quite enough. The guy wasn’t dead. He’d never forgive himself if he killed an actual person, but he was adequately stunned…maybe even concussed.

One down.

Two to go.

—

Tony Stark’s life did not flash before his eyes. He was more than a little grateful for that, because truthfully he had done very little worth reliving at that juncture. His only thought, in fact, as he watched the sparks fly from the end of the gun as the bullets fired, was that he was going to die without ever taking that sweet piece of thieving ass to bed. And that was a shame.

Then the bullets were whizzing overhead and he was enraptured, watching that sweet piece of thieving ass saving his damn life. If he had thought the kid was attractive before, he was gone for the boy now. Watching him fight was the best possible kind of foreplay and Tony could even forgive his little stunt in the bathroom in favor of what he was seeing now.

Peter Parker was an artist. There was a grace and a fluidity to his movements that reminded Tony of a dancer or a gymnast as he sprang and flipped and flew around the incinerator. He was flexible. Oh, was he flexible. Watching the way his body could twist and bend had Tony lost in all kinds of lascivious thoughts, imagining all of the new, exciting sexual adventures he could have with a beautiful boy who could move like that.

He was also a smart ass. Every punch and kick, every time he fired that fluid from his wrists and jerked one of the men across the room, it was always accompanied by some sarcastic remark or witty banter that had Tony smiling despite himself. Dammit. He had been determined to be angry at the kid, angry enough to deny him sex and see him carted off to a S.H.I.E.L.D. prison, but he could already feel that resolve crumbling. Beautiful boys with bodies as skilled at movement as his and a tongue as sharp were so hard to come by. No, so very, very hard to find and so very, very easy to cum by.

As Peter sent one of the men flying into the other and both crumpled into piles of shredded and discarded paperwork, he came to light directly in front of Tony. “Mr. Stark, could you…I don’t know, maybe not stand there in the open like a sitting duck? I really can’t be responsible for you dying again and I can’t stop these guys and protect you too…”

Again? “Protect me?” Tony was offended to the depths of his soul. “I do not need to be protected, Peter.”

The eyes of the suit widened somewhat, obviously surprised to hear Tony use his real name. Then, with a sigh, the mask over his head melted away and he addressed Tony face to face. “You do actually. You really do. And you can’t die, so…I’m really, really sorry about this…”

Before Tony knew what was happening, the kid had fired two quick shots of webbing, binding first his ankles and then his arms to his sides. With a somewhat gentle kick, he tipped the man over and sent him rolling away from the entrance.

—

Peter really shouldn’t have been surprised that Tony had known who he was. Tony always knew who he was, it seemed. In the future, in the past. He was just never going to be able to maintain a secret identity with Tony Stark. The man was destined to always know Peter’s deepest and darkest secrets…except for the one he’d kept closely guarded for far too long. That secret he had never intended to allow to see the light of day, but one devilishly sexy younger version of his mentor was teasing him with so many possibilities that he feared his secret desires were not secret anymore. If he only had more time…He thought he saw something, a dark look in Tony’s eyes a moment before the man fell and rolled out of the doorway. Clearly, Peter was now not the only one who’d be having fantasies about tying Tony up with webbing and doing dirty, dirty things. He felt his cheeks blush a moment before his Spidey Sense flared again and he dived before a spray of gunfire erupted behind him.

“Okay, guys, seriously…enough is enough.” Peter bounced up again, annoyed to see that the third man was not as incapacitated as he had previously thought. “I’m not letting you leave with that stuff, and in case you missed what the man said before you so rudely tried to kill him…the cops are on the way.”

“Yes, they are.”

The voice had come from behind Peter, not in front of him, and slowly the boy turned to face a new arrival. This man was not dressed in black but in an expensive tuxedo. He’d been one of the guests, then. Probably the one who’d let these guys into the incinerator in the first place. It was not the man that had Peter frozen in fear, though, but what the man was holding.

Tony was still bound, and probably would be for another hour without Peter’s solvent to dissolve the webbing. Unfortunately, this meant he was not putting up much of a fight to the man who now had a gun pressed against his head. “You’re going to let us out of here, all of us, with the contraband…or Tony Stark is going to leave here in a body bag.”

Peter held up his hands, palms splayed, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “Hey, man, you don’t want to hurt him, do you? I mean, you’ve gone to this much trouble to steal his stuff…if he’s dead, how’s he goin’ to invent something new for you to steal?”

“How indeed.” The man’s gaze moved to the disguised men who were once again scrambling to fill the crate as quickly as they could. “Oh, just leave the rest. We don’t have time. We’ll have to be content with what we’ve got. Pack up the crate, we’re leaving.”

Peter watched as the men lifted the heavy crate and began carrying it out. He dropped his hands to his side as the man’s attention was on the crate for a split second, barely the blink of an eye, firing off a quick tracker that embedded in the seaming of the crate.

When the crate and the men were out of the incinerator, Peter was preparing to launch an offensive and keep that guy from putting a bullet in Tony’s brain. He needn’t have worried, though. Just as Peter was rushing forward for the attack, he felt a heavy object collide with him and send him to the ground with an indelicate grunt. Then, he heard the sound of the door slamming shut and felt his stomach sink.

Oh no.

He pushed himself up, locking gazes with Tony who had been summarily thrown into the room at him. “Oh shit.” Peter’s gaze moved from the man to the room around them as he heard machinery whirring to life. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

The incinerator was coming on.

They were going to burn the two of them alive.

Peter reached for Tony, the solvent that dissolved the webbing loosening the bonds on the other man's arms and legs.

“This whole keeping me safe thing…you’re really terrible at it, kid.”

“We don’t have time for your sarcasm.” Peter was searching the room, desperate for some way out. The chute was too small for the both of them…probably too small for Tony. His shoulders were much broader than Peter’s, an attribute that Peter had always found attractive. The chimney was likely too tall, too thin, and with too few purchases for webbing. Not to mention the fact that fire and hot air from the incinerator were going to go up that chimney faster than he could climb with a passenger. He couldn’t stop the flame, not without literally ripping the incinerator apart. That left him with only one option…

His mental calculations were interrupted by the feeling of an arm around his waist pulling him in close and then kissing him again. God, even the fire of the incinerator wasn’t going to be able compete with this heat. Peter whimpered but tried to push himself away. “If I’m going to die, I’m going to go out on my terms.” Tony’s voice rasped against his lips and Peter couldn’t help but laugh.

“Rain check. On the kissing, not the dying.” He succeeded in pushing himself away and flipped upward, watching dubiously as the fire began to spew from several pipes along the bottom of the room. Tony was backing towards the middle of the room, as far from the fire as he could get, as Peter anchored webbing a little into the shaft from which he’d entered and backed up to a far corner of the room, turning around to brace his arms, back, and legs against the ceiling.

Tony followed his gaze to the door. “You realize that’s sealed shut. It would take a hell of a lot of pressure to open it from the inside.”

“2 tons, give or take, depending on where I hit it. Already did the math. Should be easy.” Something in Tony’s eyes made Peter smirk. Had he just licked his lips like he was looking at a piece of chocolate cake…while he was looking at Peter? Oh this was bad, this was very, very bad…but all the more reason to live.

He used every ounce of strength he could muster, pushing off of the ceiling and hurtling towards the door. A moment before his feet struck it, he watched in abject horror as it swung open of it’s own accord and he had to try to slow himself down before he barreled right into young Happy Hogan. Blindly shooting a stream of webbing, it struck something overhead and he pulled himself sharply to the right, swinging in an arc and hitting the nearby broiler hard enough to leave what Peter would later swear was a vaguely human imprint. Groaning, he collapsed onto his back on the floor and watched from his new vantage point as Tony emerged from the incinerator looking none the worse for wear.

“Good job, Happy. You deserve a promotion. Personal security sound good to you? You can keep me safe, get a pay raise, show the kid how you save someone’s life the right way.” Tony crossed the basement, standing over Peter with his arms crossed over his chest. “The cops here yet, Happy?”

“Coming down any minute, Sir.”

Peter was up in a moment, ignoring the aches from his collision with the building’s heating system. “I’m begging you, Mr. Stark, please don’t tell S.H.I.E.L.D or the police what happened. They can’t know I’m here, no one else can know I’m here…or what they took or anything else. Please…Please, Mr. Stark…”

“I do love to see you beg, Beautiful, but why should I? You stole from me. You almost got me barbecued…and you’ve already done irreparable harm to the time stream, anyway.”

Peter stopped in mid sentence, his whole body completely rigid at Tony’s reprimand. Only his eyes moved as they widened considerably at the implications of the statement. “Wuh…How…What…I’m not…”

Tony stared back, his mouth twisted into a frown, brows raised. “Yeah, you did and you are. So, if you want me to keep you out of prison…you have a very small window of time in which to tell me why a future version of myself chose to send you back in time, what you needed in that incinerator, and why. Spill it, and don’t waste time on that adorable stutter.”

#starker

[absolutelyxosmittenxo]

Imagine: How miscellaneous RWBY characters express how much they love you.

RUBY ROSE: Little Red Riding Hood is flushed in the cheeks, incapable of containing her excitement to the extent you encourage herself to breathe before passing out. "You're just so cool, amazing, really cute, and I just really, really, really love you a whole lot! I can't believe you're dating me and oh my goodness I can't breathe-"

WEISS SCHNEE: Conveyed as the anime archetype 'tsundere', it simply depends on the circumstances. In your company, the heiress holds your gaze tenderly, delicately folding her hands together and speaking honestly. "I love you so much. Thank you for taking the time to know me, and letting me discover who I truly want to be."

BLAKE BELLADONNA: Distance has been asserted considering the past experiences shared with Adam Taurus - the Belladonna's daughter is mortified of what threat infatuation could pose. Yet you've seeped through those cracks; within, a timid, open minded and merciful girl desiring nothing but unity for everyone. She is smiling softly, ears exposed freely as they flick every which way. "I've been afraid for so long - but when you came into my life, I decided I didn't want to run away anymore. Now, I can fully admit I love you, and know you love me for me."

YANG XIAO LONG: "You actually stayed here with me," the bombshell blonde utters, implying abandonment was an emotional obstruction she faced more than desired. Her mechanical arm quivers under the pressure of her anxiety; but as she concludes you are there, you won't leave, she takes a moment to breathe. "I want to be there for you, like you always have been for me. You mean the world to me."

PENNY POLENDINA: Whether Professor Polendina invested in hardwiring the concept of romance or love into the robot's system, she was adapting to the idea. Little by little, she was learning more and more. Sometimes, Penny jumps to the opportunity to wrap her arms around your neck, squeezing the very life out of you. "I love you! I love you! You're the bestest friend I could have ever asked for."

JAUNE ARC: "I know most underestimate me - well, I'm sure pretty much all of Beacon did," Jaune laughs dryly, evidently wandering to the bitter moments of being seen as underwhelming, even by his own family. "But I know there's people who believe in me. Even then, I was so dumb, and ignored them, and once I realized they cared, they were gone. I won't make the same mistake twice. I love you so much, I can't bear to lose you like Pyrrha."

NORA VALKYRIE: Born a rambler, once her lightning strikes, there's no way out of it. "You're always just so adorable, strong, wonderful - mhm, Ren, more pancakes, please! - When you said you wanted to be together-together, I just couldn't pass the chance up!" Through a mouthful of ooey gooey, syrup soaked pancakes, she says, "I love yoooooooooooou!" 

PYRRHA NIKOS: Destiny was debatable; was it predetermined, or was it belonging to you as you paved your own pathway along life? It was a definitive question the invincible girl pondered frequently. But the very fact you try your best to bring joy into her life, in spite of potential doubts of your worth? She is absolutely smitten. With a light stroke of your hair, and caressing your cheek, Pyrrha smiles warmly, "You are everything to me."

LIE REN: Ren relies on subtlety to depict his emotions. One could say his motto is "Actions speak louder than words." Indeed they do, considering whenever push comes to shove, his affection manifests itself in simple ways. Particularly holding your hand. You could be clinging to your very life line, hope fading as the world seems to be plummeting into oblivion. However, once the huntsman intertwines his fingers with yours, you realize everything will be okay on the end.

SUN WUKONG: His velvety smooth, cream yellow tail is embracing the branch haphazardly, as he awaits your presence. As soon as you stroll on around, the monkey faunus seizes the opportunity to execute his plan. Dropping down, Sun swoops in, kissing you square on the mouth as you emit a surprised squeak. "Love you, babe!"

NEPTUNE VASILIAS: It was gentle leaning, inspecting your features, admiring how lovely you were. He was a love sick fool - you had the flirty boy enraptured, head over heels, considering himself every term to describe how much he was falling deeper in love with you. Neptune adores you. "Gosh, you're cute," he smooches you on the cheek, How'd I get so lucky?"

COCO ADEL: Her expressions of love are never discreet; Fox, Velvet and Yatsuhashi are subjected to her attempts of showing it often. Before you awaken, the gunslinger equips an appealing color of her lipstick, and inscribes a few words upon the mirror. In the morning, as the time signifies you must rise to the occasion, you venture into the restroom, only to see what Coco had left behind. "I love you" written in lipstick, her signature emblem implying it was her.

VELVET SCARLATINA: Each picture was worth a thousand words - upon every photograph snapped, Velvet could sense the devotion, sweetness, heartfelt moments and even beyond emanating from the scenes captured. Thus, she compiles them to the best of her ability. The shy bunny is internally bouncing off the walls as she hands you the album she created, confessing with rosy cheeks, "Every moment we share reminds me of why I love you so much - so, I thought, why not show you all the moments we have had together?"

OZPIN: Millenniums were spent contemplating pensively, having people lose faith in him, watching everyone else perish as he was forced to wander the Earth. The academy's headmaster has suffered severely. The thought of having you cease to exist while his soul remains is ingrained his mind. But Ozpin concludes worrying for the future isn't going to be helpful. For now, he must cherish what he had. As he sees you sleeping soundly, and leans over, pecking your temple, he truly can say, "I love you to the moon and back."

GLYNDA GOODWITCH: Left to mend the broken pieces of a once content Vale, Glynda has suffered the hardships of immense, overwhelming grief. Ozpin was off to reincarnate wherever his soul wound up, students fled across the kingdom, majority barely seeing the light of day since the fall. But you didn't leave. As you raise Glynda up, explain how grateful you are for her efforts, how Ozpin and all the students are proud of her, she is reminded of why she fell in love with you. "Thank you for staying beside me in this time of hardships - you mean everything to me." 

QROW BRANWEN: Alcohol flooding into his brain, the uncle of Ruby and Yang is spouting lyrical nonsense. You sigh in response to your beloved's irrational babbling, having his head rest in your lap. He is the equivalent of a toddler following a few or several alcoholic beverages. "I love you~" Qrow would confess constantly, trying to smother you sloppily in kisses, breath radiating the worst of odors before passing out. After waking up the next day with a hangover, the Branwen groans from the migraine, apologizing for his goofiness. "I don't know how you do it, but thanks for putting up with me."

WINTER SCHNEE: Family was a touchy subject to graze on in terms of a persuasive yet spiteful father neglecting his children unless they were needed to serve a purpose. All the soldier considered to be family, for the most part, was her younger sister, and butler, Klein. However, it's a rare sight to see as she disentangles her luscious white hair from its bun, and she is witnessed smiling so sweetly as she peppers you in brisk kisses. "It isn't often someone comes into my life and makes it more worthwhile - but you have helped me cherish it even more." 

JAMES IRONWOOD: His body was composed not of flesh and blood; metal prosthetics filled the spaces of appendages deprived of him. Yet James was as handsome, wholesome, and endearing as he always has been. With the man's chest exposed, ebony bangs slightly out of place as you both had just woken up, you rest on the edge of your bed. He's breathing gingerly, as you stroke your thumb under the surface of his palm. Raising your hand to his lips, he kisses it, expressing, "I love you so dearly." 

OSCAR PINE: He wouldn't be the kid he was prior to merging souls with a seemingly immortal man. No longer a farmer hand reduced to playing the role of feeding livestock and raking hay. Now, he was thrusted into the life of a new incarnation of the one meant to defeat an unstoppable force. Through it all, though, Oscar was falling in love. He plucked the loveliest flower he could find, stroking the back of his head nervously as it offered it to you. "I know there's so much going on right now, with there perhaps being a war, people trying to kill us constantly - it's just crazy. But you give me a chance to breathe. And, as silly as it might sound, I really love you for it."

CINDER FALL: Perhaps the wicked woman's upbringing was similar to Cinderella, yet she couldn't seek the happy fairytale ending her inspiration was fortunate enough to have. Or, at least, from what we have seen. To you, Cinder is an enigma, much to be explored as she is in pursuit for power. But you turn the tables as she stops the world to get off with you. Having you close your eyes, Miss Fall indulges you in her, lips touching yours endlessly, and you are on the verge of fainting from being so breathless. "Do not think - succumb to these urges to embrace me, and I shall never let you go. Maybe you and I can find that happy ending we desire, as we rise to the top, and all else fall." 

ROMAN TORCHWICK: Smoke drawls from the cigar tucked in between his lips, the con artist grinning as you curled yourself around his waist. Being pummeled by fifteen year old girls weren't exactly confidence boosting, but at the end of the day, to have you be so loyal and endearing has his heart skip a beat. Roman parts the cylinder momentarily, "Dear, have I ever mentioned how much I adore you?" 

MERCURY BLACK: One, two, three - the liplocks multiplied as the mechanical marvel covers your body in kisses. He doesn't hesitate to express his dedication, although preserves it for private settings, sprinkling playful banter here and there. The assassin's son swipes away any residue residing on your mouth, smirking, "Babe, you're my one and only - don't let anyone tell you otherwise." 

EMERALD SUSTRAI: In your arms, the master of thieves believes she is finally at home, a safe haven where she can not worry about going hungry or being reduced to filth. She isn't manipulated to conduct misdeeds as she is by Cinder; you have compassion for her, saving the time to make her happier and make her feel loved. Really, Emmy never anticipated to receive such affection. But as the thief dissolves into your embrace, she whispers, "God, I love you." 

NEOPOLITAN: As far as we are concerned, the killer queen waving around a lethal parasol cannot emit sound from her vocal chords. But verbal obstacles won't stand in the way of this tiny antagonist. Neo props herself up on her tip toes, fluttering her eyelashes innocently. No hidden intent, yet you have your worries. Of course, your expectations are evaded, as she stands on top of your feet, kisses your lips, and signs the typical romantic phrase for you. 

SALEM: Externally, Salem appears monstrous, depravity consuming her as revenge drives her motives. Beneath the surface, however, the eternal being exposes gentleness, in which she nurtures you, raises you up, refusing to let you crumble. "I have lived as long as you can imagine. It's scarce, for someone to catch my interest as you have. Ozpin's dominion shall fall apart, so long as all is executed as it should. As I seize control, you will forever remain by my side. That much I can promise you, my love."

ILIA AMITOLA: "I always wanted Blake to look at me the way she did with Adam," the memory causes the chameleon's heart to throb undeniably, "I was hopelessly in love with her." Alternating accordingly to her emotions, Ilia's speckles changes to a pink resembling cherry blossoms.  "But now that I've met you, I can forgive myself for my past mistakes. I don't need to blend in - you love me as I am. And I love you just the same."

#rwby imagines #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #jaune arc #nora valkyrie #pyrrha nikos #lie ren #sun wukong #neptune vasilias #coco adel #velvet scarlatina #ozpin #qrow branwen #oscar pine #cinder fall #roman torchwick #mercury black #emerald sustrai #neopolitan #salem #ilia amitola #penny polendina #glynda goodwitch #winter schnee #james ironwood

[their-destinys-writer]

Caged - Chapter 13

Rated: Teen

Chapter: 13/?

Word Count: 9,445

Ao3 / FFnet / Wattpad

A/N: Happy 3 years of Miraculous Ladybug! And happy 2 years of Caged! I know this one took a while, but it was for a very good reason: ART, by the super awesome @corgi-likes-chat (Ao3), of one of the most awaited scenes of the fic. If you don’t follow corgi yet, do it now. Support her craft, commission her (for beautiful pieces like this one) and/or buy her a ko-fi.

Important: DO NOT REPOST. The art has been posted with permission.

Caged Chapter 13 - Change in Perspective

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

And yet, there they were, lips pressed together, and neither moving away. Marinette would argue that she didn’t dare to make sudden movements, and that that was why she didn’t pull away. But even she knew that was a lie. The truth of the matter was that she didn’t want to pull away. She didn’t want to stop what she was doing.

She didn’t want to stop a kiss with Chat Noir.

So instead, she squeezed the gloved hand she was holding, and moved her lips in a slow rhythm. A rhythm Chat Noir immediately followed. It was soft and tender, with an emotion Marinette couldn’t make out at the moment. But it felt important. Too important to simply dismiss.

Until, after what felt like days, their lips broke apart.

As her daze started to clear up, the reality of what happened started to sink in. What she did. Her previously lidded eyes now grew wide, focused on Chat Noir’s equally surprised ones.

It only took one second for both of them to jerk away from each other in shock. Their hands released from one another and took hold of the railing instead, all the while they stared away towards the lights of Paris.

“Did…did we just—”

“Yeap,” Marinette interrupted, not wanting to hear the end of that sentence.

“Sh-should…should we…”

“Nope,” Marinette intervened again, but Chat Noir had already trailed away before she spoke.

They stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do next. She chanced a glance towards him, just in time to see him do the same. The moment their gazes connected, their cheeks turned red and their eyes averted once more.

Should they talk about it? I’m not sure if I’m ready for that.

Should they kiss again? Definitely. Marinette gulped at how quickly that response came into her mind.

Should they ignore it and pretend it never happened?

…

I can’t, she thought to herself, the memory of the kiss already seared into her brain.

“Ahem.” Marinette jumped at the reminder that said boy was still standing next to her. “Maybe I-I should just, um…you know…go?”

Her gaze finally snapped towards him, just in time to see him starting to climb the railing.

“No!” she blurted out, grabbing his wrist.

Chat Noir looked back at her, eyes the size of saucers. Yet Marinette didn’t let go. She wanted to at least say something. Anything. But couldn’t find the right words.

“I-I…” she tried. “I mean…you, me…we…this…”

Oh, this is a disaster, she thought miserably. She took a deep breath, and Chat Noir turned to her fully. He opened and closed his mouth several times, unsure.

“We don’t have to talk about it now,” he said at last, eyes softening. When Marinette’s hold loosened, he slipped his hand into hers. “Honestly, I’m not ready to talk about it.”

“Right,” Marinette breathed. “It’s…complicated.”

“Yeah,” he whispered.

It then occurred to her that what was probably going through his mind was the same thing that was going through hers. Not only had they both said to like different people, but they had just done exactly what they had been denying for weeks to the press.

There were in so much trouble.

“We have to talk about it, though,” Marinette whispered. “And soon.”

“I know,” Chat Noir agreed. “But I need to figure out some things first.”

“Me too.”

They sighed in unison. They stood quiet for a minute, processing the situation. Oh, did Marinette want to try to figure out what this was. But it was too sudden, and there was too much at stake.

“I should go,” Chat Noir repeated, yet didn’t make much of an effort to move. Instead, he tucked a stray hair behind Marinette’s ear.

“Y-yeah.” She could feel the strong temptation to lean into those soft lips again. But she had to fight it. She had to be, at least, a little responsible.

She cleared her throat. “Good night, Chat Noir.”

The boy smiled. “Good night, Marinette.”

He brought her hand to his lips and gave it a soft kiss that made Marinette shiver. Looking hesitant, he backed into the railing. Instead of giving his usual two-fingered salute, he gave her a sheepish wave. Marinette returned it with a lopsided grin and watched as Chat Noir tried to climb the railing while keeping eye contact with her. Causing him to slip.

“Chat!” Marinette extended a hand.

“I’m okay!” Chat Noir assured, holding tightly to the metal, letting out a nervous giggle. “G-good night, beautiful.”

Marinette’s heart skipped a beat and her cheeks took on a rosy color once again. That was the third time he called her that. Yet it had never affected her like it was doing now, where her stomach wanted to fly away from her being in a swarm of ladybugs. A feeling that sent electricity through every one of her nerves, giving her goosebumps.

He thinks I’m beautiful.

“Good night, handsome,” she let slip in her daze.

It wasn’t until he started to look more flushed than before, that Marinette registered the words that escaped her mouth. Immediately, she clapped her hands to her lips, surprised at her own words.

“I-I mean…” she tried to retract. “Normal goodbye. Like, f-friendly good night. Not handsome. N-not that you aren’t handsome. You’re gorgeous. B-but I-I didn’t mean to say that, like that—I mean, I meant it friendly like, not like ‘good night, hot stuff,’ you know?”

Kill me, she whined internally. All the while Chat Noir simply stared at her, turning darker by the second. In an attempt to make herself look casual, she tried leaning against the railing. Unfortunately, her hand only grabbed air, making her stumble. Ultimately, she managed to grab the railing and make the most casual pose she could muster. Yet continued smiling like an idiot.

Chat Noir blinked several times, until a nervous giggle escaped him.

“Y-yeah,” he snorted. “Friendly.” He paused, his eyes shifting from her to the ground. With a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, he said: “We’ll talk about this next time I see you. Promise.”

Again, that pesky jolt in her stomach. The thing that reminded Marinette this was not a one-time thing. She knew it in her gut: this was about to get ten times more complicated.

Not trusting herself to speak, she merely nodded. Chat Noir did the same, holding tightly to his position on the railing. It was an unspoken truth that passed between them: if they said another word, they would fall into impulse again. So, instead, they remained quiet, even after Chat turned away and disappeared into the rooftops of Paris.

Marinette continued staring to the direction in which he left. Slowly, she turned to the trapdoor leading to her room, absentmindedly grabbing the blanket on the patio chair as she entered it. She took quiet steps down from the loft, the cloth forgotten halfway to her chaise. Still in her stupor, she softly sat on the cushioned seat.

Finally, she took a large gulp of breath.

“TIKKI!” she screamed.

“What?! What is it?!” Tikki said, as she zipped down from the loft, expression of panicked confusion.

“I-I… I-I… I kissed Chat Noir!” Marinette finally let out, hands at the sides of her face.

----

“Oh, come on,” Plagg said, trying to get a look at Adrien’s face, which was pressed against the floor of his bedroom. “It’s not that bad.”

But all that came out of Adrien were muffled whines. Plagg sighed.

“I can’t understand you,” he deadpanned. “I can’t help you if I can’t understand you.”

Adrien let out an annoyed breath, but turned his head enough to speak clearly.

“Plagg, I kissed her. I. Kissed. HER!” he whined. “This is a disaster!”

----

“Why?” Tikki asked, genuinely confused.

“Why?!” Marinette sputtered, arms flailing. “Why do you think?! We’ve just proven every paparazzi and reporter in Paris that they were right. That there is something between us more than friendship. And what’s worse, I don’t even know how to feel about all this!”

With that last statement, Marinette fell back into the chaise. Tikki gave her charge a concerned look before floating up to her chest and resting there.

“How do you feel about all this?” the kwami asked.

Marinette looked at the little goddess for a moment. Did she really had to answer that question? Yeah, her brain supplied.

“Well,” she sighed, “for starters, you were right. I do have feelings for Chat Noir. I’m not sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way, he grew on me. I used to think he was just flirty and couldn’t take things seriously, even if his life depended on it. Literally. But now,” she let out a wistful breath. “I know now he’s so much kinder than I ever gave him credit for. He’s sweet, brave, funny, cool, and a hell of a dancer,” she added, reminiscing on the night they danced to Jagged Stone’s Rocking Tonight With You.

“He’s been there for me more than anyone in my life, besides my parents,” she continued. “Even when that whole thing with the press blew up, he still remained by my side, whether it was fighting off reporters or akumas. And whether I was civilian or superhero. He’s loyal, and caring, and just…” another breath escaped her lips. “He’s amazing.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Tikki asked.

Marinette pursed her lips. “Well…”

----

“I still have feelings for Ladybug,” Adrien responded, now lying flat on the floor. “I never decided on what I wanted to do, or who I would pursue. And then I went and kissed Marinette. Just like that! I didn’t even ask her if she wanted to kiss. She’s probably not even over me… civilian me… And I went and kissed her! Like some creepy weirdo!”

Adrien slapped his hands over his face, letting out another whine of misery.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he drawled. “I probably just confused her and made her question my feelings for people, since now, in her eyes, I can’t stay loyal to one love.”

“What would make you think she doesn’t have feelings for Chat Noir?” Plagg inquired, folding his tiny legs and placing a paw on his chin.

“Why would she?” Adrien snapped, sitting up and revealing his face again. “Not only am I competing against myself, I haven’t given her much reason to prefer Chat Noir over Adrien. In her eyes, Chat Noir has feelings for Ladybug, while Adrien is a free agent. It would make more sense for her to choose civilian me and not superhero me. Especially when superhero me went and kissed her!”

“Ugh, I get it, you kissed her,” Plagg groaned, dragging his paws over his face. “Let me ask you something, though: what makes you think she can’t have feelings for superhero you? I mean, I can’t always remember what happens when you’re transformed, but I don’t remember her pushing you away or anything. Did she?”

“Well— no,” Adrien said suddenly. “But I don’t think—”

“Did you push yourself to her?”

“Not really,” the boy answered honestly. “Actually, she was pretty—”

But he cut himself short, reminiscing on the event. How he had leaned forward, and, if his memory served him right, she…

Adrien gasped.

----

“It was mutual!” Marinette screeched, pulling on her pigtails and sitting up once again. “He leaned in when I did! He… he wanted to kiss me…”

“See?” Tikki encouraged. “He’s not a lost cause. On the contrary, he likes you whether you wear a mask or not!”

“Uuugh,” Marinette groaned, resting her face on her hands. “That’s just even more confusing. He likes me and…me. If I want to pursue him, I’d have to choose with which side of the mask to do it. And I don’t even know if I want to!”

“Then what do you want?” Tikki asked pointedly.

----

Adrien stared at the little god that gave him his powers.

“I. don’t. KNOW!” he said, flailing his arms. “I don’t even know what I’m feeling for two amazing girls!”

“I’m not asking you what you feel,” Plagg urged, already running out of patience. “I’m asking what you want. What do you want for yourself?”

“I want to be happy!”

“And you think you can be happier with Marinette?”

“Yes!” Adrien responded without thinking.

Plagg smirked. It took several seconds for the boy to realize what he said, but when he did, his body slumped forward. He gaped, eyes big as dinner plates.

“I…I wanna be with Marinette, over Ladybug,” he said, slowly.

“Took you long enough,” the kwami sighed, floating as if he were in an invisible hammock.

----

“How is this possible?!” Marinette screeched.

“It happens,” Tikki assured her. “You must have found something in Chat that made him more worth your time.”

“Bu-but—”

Suddenly, Marinette jumped from her chaise and ran to her desk, where her last remaining picture of Adrien stood in a frame. The girl sat on the swivel chair for several seconds, staring at the picture. She then groaned and smacked her head against the hard surface.

“I am not worthy,” she whined dramatically. “My heart has betrayed you. I should just go live in a cave, with the dozens of cats Chat Noir will bring me, because I fell to his spell, and why are you laughing Tikki?!”

“Sorry,” the small goddess giggled. “You can be very dramatic sometimes.”

“With good reason!” Marinette argued.

“Marinette,” the kwami said soothingly, taking a seat in front of her charge’s face. “You can’t betray someone you were never with in the first place. Your free to follow your heart’s desires, if you wish. You don’t have to keep yourself closed off to prove devotion. And besides, what’s the point of denying yourself happiness for someone you’re not even sure you want to be with anymore?”

Marinette blinked. “You’re way too wise for my liking sometimes.”

Tikki arched one of her non-existent brows. The girl sighed.

----

“I guess you have a point,” Adrien conceded, now sitting crossed legged. “Honestly, I… I really, really, really want to be with her. But…”

“But what?” Plagg drawled, still in the hammock like position.

“It wouldn’t feel right to blow her off as one of my identities, while conquering her with the other.”

The kwami’s forehead crinkled. “I don’t get it.”

“I mean,” Adrien clarified, “I can’t sweep her off her feet as Chat Noir, while barely acknowledging her at school, or reveal a crush as Adrien, while staying away from her as Chat Noir. Either way, I’d feel like I’m taking advantage of her.”

“But you still get the girl,” Plagg reasoned. “I feel like I’m missing something.”

“I fell for her while going through this media mess as Chat Noir. That’s something that I don’t want to erase if we were in a relationship. But it would be inevitable if I go after her as Adrien.”

“Then conquer her as Chat Noir.”

“I can’t date her as a superhero. It wouldn’t be fair to her. We wouldn’t even be able to go out on dates in public. We wouldn’t last a month. And of course, it’s not safe. If anybody gets wind that we are dating, the press will have a field day.”

----

“I just don’t see any way we can make this work, without at least one of us revealing our identities,” Marinette lamented, her chin now resting on her folded arms. “And that’s the biggest problem. We’re not supposed to know who we are. Ugh, this is all my fault. I knew making friends with him in my civilian identity was a bad idea. But did I listen to reason? Nooo, I just had to go and do it anyway. So much for responsible.”

She let out a heavy sigh.

“What was I thinking. How could I think for even one shining moment that this could work? It can never work. Not like this. Even if I were to try as Ladybug, I’m not even sure if he feels the same way, judging by today. He hasn’t even called me My Lady. Not to my face, at least. He’s barely even flirting with superhero me, but was totally flirting with civilian me. But I can’t…” she frowned, “We can’t happen. I can’t love him.”

“Wait, love?” Tikki inquired, leaning forward and eyes wide.

Marinette gave a weak smile. “Yeah. Love.”

“You just found out about your feelings,” the kwami insisted. “You can’t tell me that, all of a sudden, you’re in love with Chat Noir?!”

“That’s the thing!” the girl said, sitting straight. “It’s not sudden. I’ve always known I love him as a friend, I just hadn’t realized I’ve fallen for him romantically. If I’m being honest with myself, Chat has given me more reason to love him than anyone else.” She took the framed picture of Adrien. “I love Adrien…But I think I love Chat even more. And you were right, Tikki. My love for Chat doesn’t mean I didn’t love Adrien. Otherwise I still wouldn’t hold a place in my heart for him. I still have feelings for him, but…”

Marinette’s shoulders slumped. With a hint of hesitance, she placed the picture face down.

“Adrien is great,” she whispered. “But I want Chat Noir now… But I can’t have him.”

There was silence. It was an odd feeling. Even though Marinette hadn’t been with either boy, she suddenly felt very lonely. As if she had broken up a long-term relationship. Being a superhero sure had its downsides.

“Maybe,” Tikki started, “you can tell Chat Noir your identity.”

----

Adrien’s head whipped towards Plagg.

“That I can what?!”

“Ya heard me,” the kwami shrugged.

“But you told me I can’t.”

----

“I know,” Tikki agreed. “Keeping identities secret is usually the safer route, especially when Chat Noir gets affected by akumas so often. But I’ve lived long enough to see where this is going.”

“What do you mean?” Marinette frowned.

----

“Welp,” Plagg started, stroking one of his whiskers, “when other miraculous holders keep secrets from their loved one, it tends to take a toll in the relationship. Most of them end up breaking for that reason.”

“That’s not very encouraging,” Adrien muttered, now laying on his stomach on the couch, his arm hanging off the edge.

----

“While it is true that it’s easier to fight against Hawkmoth when neither of you know who the person under the mask is, it may not be as easy when your relationship becomes strained by emotional complications. Besides,” Tikki smiled, “while I appreciate Master Fu’s caution, and admire him for it, I believe we shouldn’t underestimate you two. You have proven to be one of the best paired Ladybug and Chat Noir we’ve seen in centuries. And I believe in you, Marinette.”

The girl gaped. Was she hearing this right?

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Marinette breathed.

The kwami nodded. “You’re ready.”

----

“You can tell her,” Plagg said, almost dismissively. All after convincing Adrien she was trustworthy and that they were being too cautious anyway. “Trust me, it’s no big deal. I’m sure Ladybug would understand. Or don’t tell her, whatever floats your boat.”

“No, I-I,” the corner of Adrien’s lip twitched. “I want to tell Marinette… Are you sure, though?”

----

“Positive,” Tikki assured. “I wouldn’t suggest it otherwise.”

Marinette’s lips quickly curled into the biggest grin she had had all month. With a happy squeal, she grabbed Tikki and nuzzled her with her cheek.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou, oooooohhhhhthankyousomuchTikki!” she cheered. This was possibly the greatest news she had heard in a long time.

“Wow, you really do love him,” the kwami giggled.

The girl stopped her movements, suddenly pulling her little friend away. Yet, despite her embarrassed grin, a light pink blush dusted her freckled face.

“I-I…I do. I love him.” Her cheeks turned darker, but her smile grew wider. “I love Chat Noir.” She let out a chuckle. “I love Chat Noir!”

----

“I really think I can love Marinette,” Adrien said, letting out a wistful sigh, now looking at the high ceiling. “Honestly, I think we can be great together. Maybe even better than whatever I could’ve had with Ladybug. Especially if I don’t have to hide any secrets.” He snorted. “I’m sure Marinette will be thrilled when she finds out who I am.”

“That’s something I’d love to see,” Plagg cackled, bringing a piece of Camembert to the coffee table.

Adrien couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. “Honestly, I kinda wanna see it myself. Knowing her, she’ll probably flip out. Maybe even call me a few names. Or she’ll be too embarrassed to talk. I can just imagine her.”

“Ha! And I thought I was the mischievous one.”

“I’m not making fun of her,” Adrien scowled at the kwami. “It’s more like…adorable.”

“Agh, blergh,” Plagg feigned a gag, before munching on the piece of cheese. “Dis is wha’ I wa’ af’aid o’.” He swallowed. “You’re gonna be even more annoying now, aren’t you?”

“Plagg!”

----

Tikki giggled as Marinette turned impossibly redder.

“It’s not gonna be like that,” the girl assured, suddenly closing her hand in a fist and giving a determined smile. “Not this time. I don’t have to worry about whether Chat Noir notices me or not. I know he does already. So, I can just go ahead and confess.”

“Just like that?” the kwami said, sounding almost giddy.

“Just like that,” Marinette nodded. “I want to.”

“So when are you going to do it?”

Marinette tapped a finger to her lips in thought. “Tuesday,” she responded. “He always comes on Tuesdays, so I’ll tell him then. I’ll confess and tell him I’m Ladybug.” As she said that, a shiver went down her spine. “Wow, I’m gonna tell Chat Noir my identity. I never thought I’d see the day. I’m actually—”

----

“—Excited,” Adrien breathed, sitting up from the couch. “I finally get to tell someone I’m Chat Noir. Someone who cares for me, whether I wear the suit or not.”

“When are you planning on doing it?” Plagg questioned, popping the last piece of cheese in his mouth.

“Monday,” the boy responded without missing a beat. “At lunch, I’ll invite her to eat, and I’ll tell her everything.”

----

“I’ll confess everything,” Marinette and Adrien said in unison in their respective rooms, unbeknownst to each other.

Saying Marinette was nervous sounded like a serious understatement. If it were not for the fact that she was sitting, her legs would have given away by now. But she had to tell her. There was no way she could keep it a secret. At least, the feelings part. In case anything with the press came up again, which Marinette expected to happen soon.

That’s why she was sitting on a bench with Alya, overlooking the Seine, half-listening to a story about forum discourse in the Ladyblog.

“But yeah, now that I’ve updated the commenting policy in the blog, there should be less incidents like the one with Chloé,” she said. “So now that I’m done sharing my woes and triumphs, tell me the real reason you wanted to hang out.”

“Of course,” Marinette chuckled. “And here I thought I’d be able to say the phrase ‘I need your advice’.”

“You are talking to your resident Marinette expert,” Alya mockingly bragged, a hand on her chest. “I know when my girl seeks the wisdom of yours truly.”

Marinette barked out a laugh, helping her release some of the jitters that had built up since the previous day.

“Alya, I’m in so much trouble,” Marinette lamented. “I need your advice, not only as my friend, but as my public relations agent.”

“Oh no, what happened now?” Alya groaned. “Did you save Ladybug this time? Or do people think you have a crush on her?”

“No!” Marinette let out with a laugh. “It’s… it’s not public.”

“Thank goodness,” Alya let out a breath of relief. “So what happened?”

“U-um… weeell,” Marinette bit her nails. “I-I guess I should start off by saying that, um… you and maman were right.”

“About?”

Marinette cringed. “About…uh…um…”

Alya sighed, resting her chin on her hand. Like she was preparing herself for the next words to take an eternity to come out. The action alone made Marinette jittery once again. She squeezed her eyes shut, and blurted out: “Chat Noir and I kissed last night!”

There was a pause. When it felt like minutes had passed, Marinette dared to open one of her eyes, only to find Alya gaping at her. She opened her other eye and was about to elaborate, when…

“You WHAT?!” the redhead finally screeched.

Marinette couldn’t help but whimper, recoiling into herself.

“I know!” she flailed her arms. “I’m surprised myself!”

“Wait, stop, timeout,” Alya made the gesture of the last word. The girls sat still for a moment, until the redhead brought her feet up on the bench and sat on her knees. “How? Like, when did this happen? I was with you for half of the day yesterday. How did I miss that? And didn’t Chat say he wouldn’t be with you, like, ever?”

“He lied!” Marinette responded giddily. “He said he only said that to shut Annabelle up. And after you left, I went out.”

With almost no filter, Marinette proceeded to tell her best friend everything that happened with Félix and Chat Noir. She also admitted the real reason she started hanging out with Félix, only to be countered with an ‘I knew it!’ from Alya. Finally, she got to the part of what happened on her balcony, letting out wistful sighs and staring into space in a daze.

“I just can’t believe I didn’t see it before,” Marinette grinned. “It took me like half a second to realize the moment I fell for Adrien, and yet it took me weeks to see it with Chat.”

“That’s because you,” Alya poked her friend’s nose, “weren’t hung up on another guy when you fell for Adrien.”

“Yeah,” the girl in pigtails sighed. “But now I know, and I don’t know how I can act like a normal person in front of him. Worse, in front of other people, like reporters!”

“Easy there, M,” Alya comforted. “I’m sure we can figure that out eventually. But you know this means you two can’t appear together for an interview in a while, right?”

“I figured,” Marinette frowned. “Knowing me, there’s no way I can act like nothing’s going on. Not for a while, at least.”

“Exactly,” the young reporter agreed. “I think you guys need to talk this out before going to another interview. Now, as your friend, I need to ask: what do you plan on doing?”

“Um…” Marinette scratched the back of her head. “Well, I—”

“Marinette!” someone called from the stairs leading down to where they were.

The two girls turned to see Lila running their way, waving her hand high in the air.

“Why are you friends with that girl?” Alya whispered through gritted teeth.

“Be nice,” Marinette scolded, then turning to the newcomer. “Hey, Lila! Didn’t expect to see you around.”

“Thought I needed some fresh air,” the girl with the chestnut brown hair sighed. “But I’m so happy to have bumped into you! I was looking for a good store where I can go buy fabrics, but since I don’t have a way to contact you, I was looking through the Internet. But so far, the options it gives me are not that great.”

“Then you’re lucky you found the right person,” Marinette chirped. She was about to get off her seat, but Alya held her down.

“Do we really have to?” she whined.

“People can change, Alya,” the designer stated. “Don’t you think we all deserve a chance to show the best of ourselves?”

While Alya hesitated, she ended up letting go and following the other two.

“Just because I was turned into a villain that looked like a superhero, doesn’t mean the real superhero is not out there,” Lila argued.

“Even if a superhero Volpina were to show up, you really think she could be taken seriously?” Alya retorted. “The people have already seen Volpina as a bad guy twice. It would be hard to clean that image.”

“But not impossible,” Lila pointed out. “Yes, it would be hard, but the real Volpina is somewhere out there. Somewhere exists the fox miraculous, and whoever has it is a true superhero.”

Marinette groaned for the thirteenth time as her old friend debated with her new friend. On the bright side, the argument seemed to be amicable. On the downside, they wouldn’t let go. They had been at it since the fabrics store, all the way to the Trocadéro. She had just opened her mouth to contribute, but a new call interrupted her.

“Yo! Alya! Marinette!”

The girls turned in the direction of the call, to see Nino and Adrien walking their way. Marinette’s heart hitched at the sight of the boy she proclaimed to love before the previous night. She didn’t think to see him so soon after somewhat getting over him. Yet, she felt…light.

“Hey, guys!” Alya said next to her. “Daddy Agreste let his prisoner outta the cage?”

“Apparently Sundays are the old man’s exception, right Adrien?” Nino elbowed his best friend.

“Huh?” Adrien uttered. It wasn’t until that moment that Marinette realized he had been staring at her since they got there, making a shiver go up her spine. “Uh, right, yeah. Sundays are free.”

“Awesome!” Alya cheered. “We were thinking about getting lunch now. Wanna join?”

“Uuuh…”

“Sure,” Nino interrupted the blond. “Where you headed?”

“There’s this nice café near Marinette’s that they say is amazing,” Alya gushed.

“Yeah. I heard their espresso has quite the punch,” Marinette giggled, thinking of the mess she and Chat Noir made the previous day in that very same café.

To her surprise, she heard Adrien snort at the joke, despite the loud noises of crowds around them. Yet he almost immediately covered his mouth and started… Blushing? Had she ever seen him blush? Not that she could remember. Did she have the guts to tease him about it? It wasn’t like she was very conscious about his opinion anymore.

Oh.

That’s how I’ve been talking to him, she realized.

While six weeks ago she would have been horrified at the thought of getting over Adrien, present her couldn’t help but grin. The idea that she could potentially be happy with the boy who was also her partner, the one person she trusted with her own life, literally, sent ladybugs fluttering in her stomach.

Amusingly enough, that made her much more comfortable around Adrien. She felt more herself, and even came up with ideas to lightly torture him. She had just opened her mouth to do just that, when Lila spoke up.

“I still think we should go to Geneviève’s,” she recommended. “They’re new, fresh and have some of the nicest art I’ve seen in a café.”

“Oh, I’ve been there.” Nino snapped his fingers. “They have some of Nathaniel’s art up on their walls. It’s all local, small-time artists.”

“You didn’t tell me they have Nat’s art,” Alya scolded the chestnut-haired girl.

“Didn’t know,” Lila shrugged.

“’Kay, change of plans,” the redhead shouted dramatically and pointed to the opposite direction. “Onwards to Geneviève’s!”

Marinette giggled at her friend’s antics and laughed harder when Nino and Lila told her she was going the wrong way. The group walked for several minutes until they reached a small café with a colorful sign on the entrance. Like a fancy graffiti.

Inside, there were several booths along the walls and various tables in the middle. From the looks of it, the theme was quite appealing to many, with most of the seats taken and waiters with colorful uniforms rushing around the floor. The walls were filled with artwork of all sizes and styles. Next to the booth closest to the window, there was a particularly colorful drawing of Ladybug, which Marinette immediately recognized.

“This is it,” she squealed, siting in the booth. “This is where we’re sitting, right next to Nat’s work.”

Her antics were quickly met with a giggle from Adrien, while the others took the seat across from her. This left the blond sitting next to her. For the next few minutes, the group was engrossed in conversation, mostly about school and their classmates. On her part, Marinette couldn’t help but notice someone was unusually quiet.

“Something on your mind?” she asked.

Adrien raised his gaze, almost startled. “Uh, a lot, honestly.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

He let out a shuddered breath. “I’m still deciding if I should talk about it or not.”

“Is it bad?” she asked with a frown.

“No! No, not at all. Just confusing.”

“Oh, okay.” Marinette went quiet for a moment, until deciding to change the subject. “So, was it just me, or did you actually laugh at my joke earlier?”

“What?”

“The one of the espresso?” she cleared up. She then proceeded to lean closer and smirk. “I never knew you could turn so red.”

“I blushed?!” Adrien practically shrieked, a hand flying to his cheek. Marinette laughed.

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. No one will know how much of a dork you actually are.”

“Thanks, I guess?” he said, with a lopsided grin.

She turned back to the other three, in hopes of joining the conversation, but Adrien spoke again.

“So, how’re you doing?” he asked, scratching the back of his head.

“Pretty good, actually,” Marinette shrugged. “You should’ve seen how these two made peace.”

She then proceeded to animatedly recount the journey from the Seine to the fabrics store with Alya and Lila, how they had turned from reluctant company to sworn frenemies in less than two hours. As the story progressed, the others joined, the two in question adding their sides to it. And somehow, they landed on the Volpina debate once again.

To which Adrien sided with Lila, for once.

“But it’s true!” he insisted. “I saw the hero in a book once. She’s real.”

“Exactly!” Lila landed her fist on the table in triumph. “That’s actually how I knew about her. I saw the book too, and that’s how I became Volpina. My akuma was a version of something I aspired for.”

“Like Nathaniel,” Marinette added. “Evillustrator was actually his version of Super Nat, that got twisted into an akuma by Hawkmoth.”

“I don’t remember wanting to be Lady Wifi,” Alya pouted, as she handed the bill to the waitress, with all their money pooled together.

“I still weep at the thought of my Bubbler outfit,” Nino added.

“Every akuma is different,” Adrien said. “Some turn you into something you yearn to be, others give you powers that can help you in your goal and others are a twisted version of something that you are. It all depends on what you’re feeling in the moment of corruption.”

“And others can turn into real-life people, like Copycat,” Marinette added, starting to slide out of the booth with the others. “If someone could turn into someone else, or a girl version of that someone, like Chatte Noire, it’s not such a stretch to think Lila turned into a real-life hero as her akuma.”

“See!” Lila chirped. “She gets it.”

“Of course she gets it,” Adrien breathed wistfully. When four heads turned to him, he sputtered: “B-Because she’s smart! And totally on our side, right Mari?”

“It’s not about being on anyone’s side,” she cleared up, stepping out of the café and keeping the door open for the rest to file out. “It’s just a theory that I support about the real Volpina. But, that doesn’t mean Alya is in the wrong when it comes to how the real one could possibly be perceived now.”

“And that’s my point!” the redhead screeched. “Even if she is real, we’d still have a hard time trusting her.”

“Yeah but that still doesn’t negate the fact that—”

But Adrien didn’t get to finish his sentence, as he bumped into someone when they reached the corner of the sidewalk.

“Oh, sorr…” He trailed off, as he got a good look at who he accidentally stumbled to. “Félix”

Marinette grew stiff. Last time she saw him, she dropped him to the ground after yelling at him for sort-of pretending to be Chat Noir. He was the guy that turned out not to be who she kissed the previous night.

“Hello, Adrien,” Félix nodded, before turning to her. “Marinette.”

The girl in pigtails partly wanted to crawl into a hole, remembering how, at one point, she genuinely thought he was Chat Noir. For how obvious it was that she clearly made a mistake, that Chat Noir wouldn’t be able to keep his jokes at bay, no matter how careful he had to be with his image.

But the other part was fully conscious about the fact that, although Félix didn’t outright lie, his intentions were exactly what had happened. Lonely or not, it didn’t change the fact that he had hoped she confused him for Chat.

So, in true stubborn fashion, Marinette pouted, crossed her arms, and turned her head away from him.

“I’m not talking to you,” she said.

“I’m sorry about what I did,” he apologized quietly, almost making Marinette turn back to look at him. “I shouldn’t have done that. It was wrong.”

Marinette let out an exasperated breath. She was about to turn around, when Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Hear him out,” he whispered. The girl frowned, yet did as suggested anyway, with a scowl directed at Félix.

“What did you do?” Lila inquired, while Alya took a step closer to Marinette, like a bodyguard.

Félix glanced at the Italian for a second. “What I did was dumb, uncalled for and insensitive. I Should’ve never let you think I was someone else.”

“Wait, whatta you mean—” Nino started, but was cut off by a loud gasp from Lila.

“You didn’t.”

“He did,” Alya confirmed, now taking a step in front of Marinette.

“Wait, who… Oh no,” The bespectacled boy now took a step closer to the girl in question. “I knew you were up to no good.”

Marinette was suddenly very aware of how everyone else banded around her, ready to gang up on Félix. What was more, she noticed the boy take a step back, his thumb nervously stroking the book he was holding. The same book that was infected the previous day.

The thought that he could be akumatized again struck her, and she realized being stubborn, with her friends surrounding her, was probably not the wisest decision in that moment.

“Um, guys, it’s fine,” she said, trying to lower the steam. “I’m fine, really.”

“It didn’t sound fine when you told me the story earlier,” Alya retorted.

“Hey, guys, c’mon,” Adrien intervened. “He’s trying to apologize. I think he deserves at least a little benefit of the doubt.”

“Since when are you on his side?” Lila asked suspiciously. “Heck, you were the one who was jea—”

“LET’S not jump into conclusions,” Adrien cut in, before she could finish. “And I think you’re the last one who should call someone out for lying.”

Lila gaped. “Oh, that’s low, Agreste.”

“Stop, please!” Marinette interrupted. She let out a sigh before stepping aside from Alya and turning to look at them all. “Thank you all for coming to my defense, really. But I’m gonna have to kinda side with Adrien on this one. Of course,” she continued hastily when she saw everyone getting ready to protest, “this doesn’t necessarily mean I condone Félix’s actions. On the contrary, I’m still mad about what he did, but… Lila, weren’t you happy that I forgave you for lying to Annabelle?”

The Italian’s gaze lowered to the pavement, as she shuffled her feet.

“If someone is willing to apologize, and they recognize what they did wrong, I think they deserve a second chance.” Marinette looked directly at Félix now. “Do you promise to never do something like that again?”

A calm smile crossed the boy’s lips. “I think I rather make real friends, the right way. Plus, unless I wanna get beat up by Chat Noir, I think I should do as he and Ladybug asked.”

“Beat up by Chat Noir?” Marinette parroted.

“I-I don’t think he would,” Adrien added sheepishly.

“I hope not,” Félix chuckled. “He was pretty miffed about the whole thing.”

“Yeah…” Marinette agreed, rubbing her arm.

“So, you forgive me?”

The girl stood straighter. “Under one condition: Next time you see Chat, you have to apologize to him.”

“You know, he also—”

“I already scolded him about it. But you know he had good reason to be upset.”

“Yeah, he was very explicit about it in the end.”

Marinette frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, he—” but he stopped abruptly, looking at the rest of the group. He cleared his throat. “Now that I think about it, I don’t think it’s my place.”

What did Chat say?! The girl’s curiosity had just increased tenfold. Whatever he said, it sounded like it had been defining enough for Félix to actually feel cautious about her partner. Did it have to do with her? Did he threaten him? That sounded unlike him.

Wait.

What if Félix was lying again? Creating doubt?

But what if not? What if it was something important?

“I’m sure it’s no big deal,” Adrien suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

“It wasn’t,” Félix immediately agreed, giving Marinette the funny feeling he was latching into the first excuse he heard. “Anyway, I’m glad I got to tell you that. I see you’re busy, so I’ll go my way now.”

With another curt not, he turned on his heels and started walking away. Marinette stared after him, her fingers fiddling with each other for a few seconds.

“Wait!” she shouted, running over to Félix, careful not to bump into other people. “Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!”

She skidded, almost tripping, when she reached him. The boy arched an eyebrow, yet continued walking.

“Tell me,” Marinette begged after him. “If you tell me, I’ll be able to tell if you really meant what you said.”

“I really don’t think it’s my place,” Félix insisted.

“If you tell me, I’ll be more forgiving.”

“Are you blackmailing me now?”

“It’s not blackmail if I don’t have information about you,” she reasoned. “Think of it as material to earn your forgiveness.”

“You really want to know, don’t you?”

“Very, very much,” Marinette whined.

Félix sighed. “I don’t think Chat would be very happy if I tell you what he said.”

“Was it bad?”

“Depends on your definition of bad. I don’t think it was, for you.”

“For me?”

Félix stopped, Marinette quickly following. The boy seemed to hesitate for a moment, yet ultimately decided to speak.

“He told me he lied in the show. About what you were worried about, remember?”

“Oh. He told you about that?”

Félix’s head tilted. “You already know?”

“He told me last night,” she confirmed, with a nod. “But I don’t see how that means he would beat you up.”

“Well,” he averted his gaze, hesitant to say the next part, “he admitted to me that he was jealous when I asked him what his problem was.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. That was… bold of Chat Noir to do. Risky. Kinda dumb.

“I think he said it out of impulse, or adrenaline after the battle,” Félix shrugged. “But it did explain why he was so upset about the whole thing.”

“Oh my gosh,” Marinette couldn’t help saying, smacking a hand to her face. “That dork is gonna get himself in serious trouble if he can’t learn to control himself.”

“Hey,” the blond placed a hand on her shoulder. “Look on the bright side: he likes you. Isn’t that what you were worried about?”

The girl’s heart almost escaped through her mouth with that statement. Her breath became uneven, betraying the nervousness she was trying to hide.

“I-I-I’m not—That’s not… I-I don’t know what—”

“Don’t worry.” He smiled. “Your secret’s safe with me. I do mean it when I say I want real friends.”

Marinette let out a shuddered breath. While she was glad Félix was being nice about the whole thing, it worried her that he noticed it so quickly. If he figured it out by the conversation they had yesterday, and Alya had already noticed her feelings weeks before she realized them herself, how long did she have until the media officially caught on?

Or…was it possible someone had already caught on?

She needed to talk to Chat, as soon as possible. If only she could contact him before Tuesday, somehow.

“Everything okay?”

Marinette jumped at Adrien’s sudden arrival.

“Yes!” she yelped. “I think…”

“It is,” Félix nodded.

“That’s good,” Adrien sighed, as the rest of the group joined them.

“Does that mean we have to be nice to him now?” Lila piped up.

“I don’t know if I have the energy to add another questionable member to our group,” Alya said, rubbing her temple.

“Alyaaa…”

“He’s not so bad,” Adrien shrugged. Marinette’s gaze snapped towards him.

“Look,” Nino started, “we’re all going the same way, might as well get to know him better anyway. See if he deserves the second chance.”

“Well then, buckle up, Mr. Chess Champion,” Alya stepped up and poked Félix’s arm, “because you’re about to be interrogated by the most protective best friend and most insane blogger in Paris.”

Félix rolled his eyes and started walking. Yet, that didn’t deter the blogger from following him, making all kinds of questions that were not being answered. Meanwhile, Nino glanced towards Marinette and Adrien, and quickly turned to Lila.

“So, you this way too?” he asked lamely.

“Duh,” Lila uttered, jutting out her jaw.

“How did you find out of Geneviève’s, anyway?” he pushed for conversation, starting to walk in the direction Alya and Félix had.

The question worked, as Lila happily started telling him a story about how she went there with her father. Marinette arched a brow, having a nagging feeling Nino pulled her his way on purpose. Why, though? Well, whatever the case, she and Adrien were now by themselves on the back.

“Unless we wanna fall behind…” she said, gesturing to the sidewalk ahead.

Adrien blinked, seeming lost. “I-I, um, with you?”

Marinette let out an offended gasp.

“Not that it’s bad!” Adrien quickly amended. But the girl huffed and started walking away. The boy quickly matched her pace. “It’s actually nice, I get to talk to you. We don’t talk often, not like this.”

“Like this?” she stopped, puzzled.

“Outside of class, I mean,” he cleared up.

Marinette scrunched her nose and continued walking.

“I just mean that I can get to know you better,” Adrien continued. “I feel we don’t talk much, nor hang out enough.”

“You remember we’re not supposed to be seen together, right?”

“I don’t care what Father says,” he shrugged. “I rather risk getting grounded than not talk to you again.”

She turned to stare at him. “That’s sweet!” she expressed with a grin. “But I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble.”

“Chi-uh, buh, psh, no trouble at all,” Adrien sputtered, scratching the back of his head. “I-I mean, I don’t care about trouble. I laugh in the face of trouble!”

“Pfft,” Marinette snorted, shoulders shaking from the laughter she was attempting to smother. “I’m sure you do.”

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Adrien give her a toothy grin she had never seen. One that fully reached his eyes. She had seen him laugh before, but never simply grin like a dork as he was doing at that moment. Marinette looked ahead at the others.

Nino and Lila had joined Alya in their quest of crowding Félix, and possibly make him uncomfortable, from the looks of it. Yet, despite their silly antics, the new addition to the group didn’t seem bothered. In fact, he almost seemed to be enjoying their company.

Like a person having real friends for the first time in his life.

Marinette sighed contentedly.

“What is it?” Adrien asked next to her.

She hummed, with a slight shake of her head. “I’m happy.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm,” Marinette smiled. “Just yesterday I was scolding Félix. And last week Lila didn’t even wanna talk to me. Yet here they are today. Odd little group we have, don’t we?”

“You have a knack for making the oddest friends,” Adrien commented with a shrug. “You can hit someone on the head with a watering can, and still make friends with them.”

Marinette snorted. “Yeah… Wait, how do you know I hit Chat on the head?”

Adrien visibly stiffened. “Uhh—Wild guess,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck and letting out a nervous giggle.

“Has Chat been talking to you?” The girl narrowed her eyes.

“No!” Adrien responded quickly. “No. Not at all. I was just guessing. It was a watering can, right? I mean, that’s what I remember you saying to Nadja.”

“Yeah,” Marinette smiled. “He took it really well, though. He even praised me for my strength, the dork.”

“You seem very fond of that memory,” the blond commented.

“It’s what brought us together. After that he started talking to me more, and visiting several times a week.” She gave a nostalgic chuckle. “In fact, that event is so memorable, that two weeks ago, Chat gifted me a spray bottle because—”

But she stopped her story abruptly. Why was she telling Adrien all this? Since when had she felt so comfortable with him to tell those kinds of secrets?

“I’m listening” Adrien said.

“Um… You know what? That’s between us.”

“Oh, you have secrets between yourselves,” the blond teased.

“No! Yes…” Marinette involuntarily started blushing, her mind quickly jumping to the previous night. “Hopefully for not much longer,” she muttered.

“Not much longer?” Adrien said, sounding breathless.

“I-It’s a long story,” the designer added, her cheeks turning even darker.

“Did something happen?” he pushed.

“Weeell…” She scratched the back of her head.

“Did he say or do something bad?”

“No, not at all,” Marinette shook her head. “Chat Noir is not that kind of person. He’s actually very sweet. I just need to talk to him, that’s all.”

“May I ask what about?”

Marinette turned to look directly at Adrien, who seemed almost eager to hear her answer.

“Why?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“What?”

“Why do you want to know?”

The boy cleared his throat and placed his hands in his pockets.

“Just trying to make conversation.” He looked ahead for a moment, but then stared at her again from the corner of his eye.

Marinette frowned. “Are you okay?”

“Me? Grate! I mean, great!” he sputtered. “No need to worry about this caaaaaa—sual! Casual dude, just strolling with his friends. Heh, heh.” He scratched the back of his head, for what seemed like the hundredth time already. “I’m fine. Good. Great. Awesome. Pur—Perfect! Perfect.”

“Hey,” she placed a hand on his arm, making him let out an ungodly yelp. “Take it easy. What’s up with you? Why are you so jumpy?”

“Uuuhhh.”

“You can talk to me,” she tried reassuring him, giving one of her trademark smiles. “We’re friends, right?”

Adrien turned his head to look at her fully, his lips parting. Marinette could almost swear she could see a million thoughts run behind his eyes. The stare was so intense, she hadn’t realized they stopped walking.

Well, she may have decided to give up on him romantically, but that didn’t stop her from appreciating his friendship.

“I-I…” he stuttered.

Marinette tilted her head, hoping to assure him she was listening. Adrien visibly gulped. A light warmth softly covered the hand she had placed on his arm: his palm, she figured, as she hadn’t looked. He let out a shuddered breath, yet his gaze became determined.

“Marinette,” he breathed, stepping in front of her. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

“Oh?”

“And I need you to believe me when I say it.”

“Okay?”

He took a deep breath. “Marinette,” he bit his lip, attempting to hold a grin, “Marinette, I’m—”

“Hey, you two!” Alya called from behind him. Adrien slumped and shut his eyes. “You joining us or what?”

“In a minute!” Marinette called, and turned back to the boy before her. “You were saying?”

“Um…” he averted his gaze. “I-I… I don’t wanna say it rushed.”

“Oh, it’s long?” Marinette questioned. Adrien nodded. “Okay. How about tomorrow? Lunchtime, so we don’t have to worry if one of us—me—gets to class late. How’s that?”

Adrien blinked. “You’re the best,” he grinned.

Marinette merely giggled before directing them back to the group.

Adrien could feel his heart trying to break out of his ribcage. He had been so close.

So. Close.

It took an impulsive thought to make him start saying the words he wanted so badly. Now, all courage seemed to have ran off into the wind, jumping like a black cat in an alley after a loud noise. He almost felt dizzy from the rush of adrenaline.

He quietly kept a hand over his chest, trying to calm the nerves that were currently wrecking him. Would he still feel like this the next day? Could he really stand this feeling for almost twenty-four hours?

I’m gonna die, he whined miserably in his head. We could’ve been great. I’ll miss you in the afterlife. Bye, I will lov—Woah, too far.

“Dude, you okay?” Adrien startled when Nino whispered to his ear. The boy in the cap raised his hands in surrender. “Whoa, chill. Didn’t mean to freak you out.”

The blond clutched his shirt, becoming jittery now. Nino noticed, what was stopping everyone else to see it too? What if Marinette asked? What if he wouldn’t be able to hold himself from doing something stupid? Like confessing?

But confess what? That he liked her of that he was Chat Noir? Either one was equally nerve-wrecking. And telling her that he liked her before revealing his identity would probably just confuse her. Or he would doom himself to be with her as Adrien, without ever sharing that special bond they had developed in the last few weeks. Forever trapped in a lie, where she would probably leave him in the end anyway, for running off to save Paris in the middle of dates without explanations. Then he would lose her, and she would never know—

A sharp elbow hit his arm.

“Man, they’re leaving,” Nino scolded, gesturing towards the rest of the group.

One quick scan to his surroundings confirmed that everyone else was about to head their own way, with Lila and Félix heading east, while Marinette and Alya were heading west. And he and Nino had to continue north.

“ByeMarinette!” Adrien blurted out. When he realized his mistake, he sputtered more. “And Alya, and Lila, and Félix. I’ll see ya guys.”

He raised finger guns, hoping he was not coming off as dumb as he felt. Alya and Félix gave him perplexed looks, while Lila and Marinette did their best to hide the laughter trying to bloom out of them. What was more, from the corner of his eye, he could see Nino shake his head.

“Bye, Adrien,” Lila said, as she turned to leave.

“It was nice seeing you again,” Félix bid farewell, with a curt nod, before going in the same direction as the Italian.

“Please make sure he doesn’t walk into a lamppost or something,” Alya sighed, in mock defeat.

“Yes, dudette,” Nino obliged, giving a two-fingered salute.

“Well, see you around, Adrien,” Marinette said with a cute wave and that shinning beam of hers. That smile that he had grown to love so much, that sent ladybugs fluttering from his stomach, through his body. Even as she turned and walked away, the feeling wouldn’t leave, forever etched beneath his skin.

Beside him, Nino snorted out a laugh, but Adrien barely paid mind.

“So, we still got a good hour before your old man starts bugging us, so are you up for some ice cream?”

“Uuh…” Adrien uttered, his eyes still trained on the back of Marinette’s head.

“Dude, I swear you’re gonna love this place,” Nino promised, searching his phone for the address. “I haven’t been there myself, but my dad brought me some last Tuesday, and—”

“I like Marinette,” Adrien confessed.

#Caged ML #ML fanfic #Marichat #their-destinys-writer #Miraculous Ladybug #Ladybug #Chat Noir #Marinette #Adrien #ao3 #ffnet #wattpad #Chapter 13 #Post

[buckitybarnes]

Unbreakable [4]: Bucky x Reader

Summary: Being an asset for Manic, a new threat meant three things: She was always on the run – always with a new identity. She could trust no one. She was a nobody, and yet an important somebody at the same time. But to Bucky Barnes, she was [Y/N].

For the first time ever, she faces her fear of the past.

Warnings/Themes: Torture, violence/mild gore, angst, abuse, Winter Soldier appearance, mention of disorders and mental health, very tiny fluff.

Author’s Note: Has not been checked for fluency or spelling errors. Second to last chapter~

Last Chapter

Buy me a Ko-fi?

-

"I bought you coffee." After passing him the paper cup, you take a seat.

"Oh, [Y/N], you didn't have to."

"But I did,” you say with a grin. “And it's just how you like it."

"Wait, how do you know what I like?" For once, he's the one who sounds nervous. It always unnerved him how closely you watched him. He knows it’s a force of habit, but still.

"Last week I saw you pour in a shit-ton of sugar and one cup of cream."

He smiles, laughing in amusement. "I appreciate it." There’s no trace of aggression in your voice which eases his nerves by a fraction.

You nod, smirking crookedly as you take a sip of your own drink. "And I appreciate you listening to me, even if it's just a job to you."

He sighs. "Give me a little more credit than that. I try to connect to you on a more personal level."

"I guess you've got a point. I mean, this is usually the time when therapists like you tell me that I'm making zero progress and that I owe them hundreds of dollars."

He scoffs, shaking his head after taking a large gulp of coffee. "Progress in mental health is hard to track. You just know when you get there. In some cases, you don’t really feel it at all. So, enough about my financial dependence on Tony Stark, okay? Let's talk about you." That certainly pulls out an amused laugh from you. He joins in, grinning as he sets his cup down.

--

To others, his arrivals were undetectable. He was quieter than silence itself.

To you, that pattern of footsteps was easily recognized. You’ve learned how to pick it out from the background noises. Even with the water dripping from the rusty faucet, the electric chair snapping and hissing, and the loud screams from victims, you were able to hear him and brace yourself.

“Are you Winter, or are you Bucky?” you croak, sitting up on the poor excuse of a bed. You’ve heard the name before -- it came from his own lips when he was taken for a memory-wipe. Ever since then, you kept it and used it whenever you could.

It’s too dark to see much, but from the sliver of light across his face, you can make out a cold, blue glare. It softens a fraction at your voice. His metal fingers reach out from the shadows, grabbing the cell doors and pulling it. You flinch at the screeching, and as he steps inside, you can’t help but shrink back deeper into the cell, your shoulders pressing up against the wall.

His voice, a bit gentler than what you’re used to, rumbles from his chest. “Bucky.”

With that, you haul yourself out of bed, visibly wincing at the pain. Still, you throw him a sheepish smile. “Hiya, Cassanova,” you whisper endearingly.

Bucky doesn’t answer, he silently walks up to you, taking a quick once-over as soon as he’s close enough. “You’re hurt,” he states. Soon after, a familiar scowl graces his lips, and his stare hardens. “Ты в порядке (are you okay)?”

Keeping your voice low, you nod. "I'm beginning to heal a lot slower than normal. I guess it's kind of the malnutrition." Your fingers delicately trace a bruise over your neck, and Bucky can’t help but stare, his eyebrows furrowing in unmasked frustration. “I’m good, though,” you ensure.

A small creak from down the hall can be heard and Bucky immediately turns his back to you. He straightens up, urging you to sit down.

As you take a seat on the cold cement, something catches your eye. The dim-light bounces off of his metal hand as he reaches into his leather jacket, and pulls out something round. Silently, he holds it out behind his back in an offering. It’s a red apple in perfect condition. He certainly didn’t receive it in his own meal, but you don’t want to think about where or how he stole it. Immediately, your mind short-circuits and your mouth salivates.

“What about you?” you murmur.

"Already ate. Not hungry.” His jaw subtly ticks. It’s a nervous habit you’ve picked up on. The Winter Soldier and Bucky were both terrible liars, it just seems that you’re the only one who can pick up on this.

Regardless, you take the apple and munch on it gratefully while he keeps watch. “Thanks, Bucky.”

Even under minimal lighting, you can see a ghost of a smile on his face as he turns slightly in your direction.

You suddenly prod at his back -- a gesture that could have gotten your finger chopped off if he weren’t sane right now. He cocks an eyebrow and risks turning, only to find you holding out an uneaten-half of the apple. The other half is more or less devoured, save for the core. “Eat it all,” he demands softly

“I wanna share,” you protest.

For a split second, his hard exterior drops and he regards you with shock in his eyes. “Why?”

As if talking to the dumbest person in the world, you roll your eyes. "Because you were kind enough to sneak it in for me in the first place,"

--

"There's this question he always asked me -- the soldier, not Bucky."

Daniel hums in curiosity, gesturing for you to go on. “What was it?”

"Vy Gotovy? It's Russian for 'are you ready?' I'm pretty sure he used it to mock me.” You lean back, eyebrows knit together in concentration. You never really analyzed it, but now that you think about it, the question held a lot of meaning.

--

"Vy Gotovy?"

It’s the fifth time they’ve taken Bucky and mashed his brain into a confused mess. And every single time, you were scared you’ll never see that gentle soul again. You can never be sure that he’ll return. HYDRA was just that good. Instead of building hope, you were afraid that you were growing more and more agitated by him switching between polar-opposites.

You circle him on the slab, a deadly glare trained on his every move. He held a knife. You held nothing. The floor was stained in only your blood, not his. "Why the fuck do you care? Just swing at me already."

No one else could have picked up on it, but training so closely with the Soldier allowed you to observe him carefully and pick up on his tactics. He hesitates only for a split second before throwing his dagger to the side, sending it clattering across the floor. He reels back and throws a heavy-weighted punch.

Distracted by his little break in routine, you don't see it coming and groan, clutching your nose. "Fuck you," you growl. For a moment, you can see stars. White-hot flashes of light blind you, and when they go away, an angry soldier is revealed standing before you.

Eyes hardening once more, he shows his displeasure by picking you up by the neck. Your stomach drops when you don’t feel the floor beneath your feet. When he squeezes your throat, you lose feeling in your toes first, then your lower half, all the way up to your head. The edges of your vision blacken as you gasp for oxygen. You can die here, but surely, he won’t give you that merciful death, would he?

The last thing you see before you blackout is piercing-cold eyes.

--

"I never knew when Bucky was Bucky and not the Soldier. I can never predict the change. It just…happens." You release a short sigh, fiddling with one of the stress-balls that Daniel gifted you after your first day.

"That must be scary,” he murmurs.

"Scary is an understatement.” You scoff, setting the stress-reliever down to drag a hand over your exhausted face. “Seeing someone you think of as a friend snap into your enemy? Drove me crazy. Still, it was all I had, so I stayed strong. For him."

“And for yourself?”

You blink in confusion, silence overtaking you for a moment. "I -- I don't know, I never really cared about myself.” You shake your head, at a loss for words. “I'm just --"

"Take your time, [Y/N]," he encourages.

"Call it Stockholm syndrome.” you frown at your own words. “ -- But I tried to separate Bucky from Winter. It was just so hard. I felt bad when I called him Soldat and he was actually in the right state of mind, you know?"

--

Calloused fingers drop a crumpled scrap of paper into your hands. You look up at Bucky in confusion, but he gives you no explanation. Opening it up, you see that it’s been torn from a bigger file. The only couple of words fully written on the strip is [Y/N] [Y/L/N].

“Who’s this?” you ask.

Bucky gives you a blank stare, but he’s clearly heard you.

‘This is you,’ he wants to say, but you both know that there are other ears listening.

Piecing it together, a slow smile appears on your face. And for the first time ever, he reciprocates it with just as much effort. You whisper a “thank you.”

--

Daniel adjusts his position, sitting up in interest. "See, I'm trying to distinguish whether or not you're blaming yourself for all of this. You can't possibly be at fault."

Feeling the sting behind your eyes, you shrug a shoulder. "But wasn't I? He needed a friend and sometimes I just pushed him away. I blamed him for some of the shit that the Soldier pulled on me."

--

“I’m leaving.”

You should be happy, happy that your torturer was dipping, but it wasn’t that easy, was it? Not only was your captor leaving, so was your best friend -- your Bucky.

You stare at him through the bars quietly, a broken expression on your face. He won’t come in. He’s afraid he won’t be able to leave if he does. There’s no time to waste.

Ever since Bucky met that man on the bridge, he’s dead-set on leaving. He’s managed to keep the Winter Soldier facade up long enough for his handlers to leave him untouched.

He calls out your name, his eyes softening. “I can’t take you with me right now. Not while they’re watching. But I’m going to get help. I’ll get you out of here, I promise,” he whispers.

You can’t respond to him, afraid that your voice will give out if you do.

So you only stand and watch as he leaves you.

From that moment on, you gave in to HYDRA. You took only what they gave you. You listened like a good puppet. You played your part.

After all, your sense of hope was gone.

There wasn’t a point in fighting it anymore.

--

"You were both brainwashed. Both tortured. It's no one's fault but Hydra themselves."

You laugh bitterly.

"What's up?" Daniel inquires.

"I just remember…remember meeting him for the first time in years. I managed to slip past HYDRA when they were occupied trying to find him. I made a living for myself. Hid in New York. And then they found me.” You grit your teeth, biting back fresh tears. “The Avengers -- They needed my powers, even if they hated me."

"How was your initial meeting with Bucky Barnes?" Without another word, Daniel hands you a box of tissues, which you roll your eyes at but take nonetheless.

"Pretty shitty if you ask me."

--

Another day, another tiring, dragged-out mission.

As Bucky sets his gear down, he notices the complex being unusually quiet. It was desolated, compared to how much of a mad-house everything normally was. He calls for FRIDAY, asking where the team was, to which she replies with a charming voice.

The Green Penitentiary, Sir.

Bucky raises an eyebrow in confusion. That room was made especially for the Hulk. If they were all downstairs, that must mean he was having an episode. He thanks the AI quickly before making his way down the elevator.

In said room, you groggily wake up from your slumber.

The last thing you remember was Captain America surging into your apartment and trying to ask you politely to come with him. When you put up a fight, he sent in the whole flock.

Back in that ugly cell, your body would’ve kept you sedated for another week, but now that you’ve recovered, your systems were kicking at full-speed to regenerate cells and give you alarming immunity.

You blink, eying the group before you with an unnerving smirk.

From the corner of your eye, you spot a camera in the ceiling.You give it a wicked grin, hoping to startle whoever was watching from behind. “You might be wondering how I got here,” Your sharp, cold gaze cuts through Steve when you glance over at him. “It’s a long story.”

Even with your wrists bound, the Avengers feel nothing but threatened. Tony Stark, who you’ve seen on TV, eyes you warily. “She’s a lunatic.”

“Crazy always works,” you quip, to which he tenses at.

The ding of the elevator draws everyone’s attention, including your own.

Steve hurriedly stands, cursing underneath his breath. “He’s not supposed to be here for another thirty,” he mutters in panic. Before the person can step out of the elevator, the Captain blocks your view with his massive form.

“What’s this?”

Your blood runs cold at the sound of a familiar voice.

Steve swallows thickly. “I can explain in a sec. Why don’t you --”

“Steve,” The other responds, clearly holding back his anger. “Don’t tell me you guys went after her without me.”

Bucky grabs Steve by the shoulder and gently shoves him to the side. When he makes eye contact with you, he freezes. His mouth runs dry, his body trembling visibly.

No one is sure why Bucky is shivering in fear, but if anyone could get him cowering like this, it meant they were horrible news.

“We thought we could use her as an asset.” Steve winces when he realizes what he says.

Bucky snaps out of his daze, the one word throwing him off guard. “Asset?” he spits.

“That’s not what I mean,” Steve defends. “I’ll explain everything later, right now, we’re trying to calm her down.”

“She looks pretty damn calm to me.” Bucky takes another step forward, pausing two feet away from you. He stares you down analytically, but it was nothing compared to the cold stares Winter used to give you.

It was so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Neither of you speaks first for a solid four minutes. His mouth opens several times but closes at a loss for words.

Suddenly, a menacing smirk breaks out across your face. “Soldier,” you purr.

And it’s that sarcastic, dry cadence that brings Bucky crumbling to his knees. Thousands of memories rush through his mind at once, sending him down a suffocating frenzy.

He can’t breathe.

He can’t think.

‘This is all your fault,’ His mind screams. ‘All your fucking fault.’

Just as easily as you crush his mess of a brain, you easily re-wire it with a simple question. “Vy Gotovy, Soldat?”

His blue eyes focus solely on you, this time, he’s able to reign in on his thoughts again. He drags his gaze up from your blood-stained t-shirt, scrutinizing your form. Although a guarded smirk is present on your lips, your eyes beg for rest. You had been running for far too long.

He remains on his knees, still too weak from the shock to stand up. With the steadiest tone he can muster, he asks:

“Are you?”

Everyone focuses their attention on Bucky, panicking at his sudden fall. As they do so, no one else but Bucky catches the way your smile drops and how your breathing begins to pick up.

#Bucky Barnes #james buchanan barnes #james bucky barnes #bucky x reader #reader insert #reader imagine #writing #wolf writes #series #unbreakable #angst #fluff #the winter soldier #the winter solider x reader #white wolf #captain america #the avengers #mcu #marvel