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asphodel-storm · 3 years

Text

So. If Cobra Kai were DC.

First off, the man who is the source of most problems, John Kreese:

Kreese’s mentor was an agent of the League of Shadows/Assassins planted within the military. Kreese was invited to take his place after his death. He trained with Ra’s al Ghul after the war and then left to found Cobra Kai as a covert recruitment operation for the League (not every Cobra alum became an assassin, only the ones Kreese saw that potential in). Johnny was on the path to recruitment and it was the loss against Daniel and resulting fallout that changed that. Kreese has been on League business every time he’s been ‘dead’.

Mr. Miyagi:

Mr. Miyagi was a Green Lantern. The ring chose him a while after he received his medal of honor and he was protecting the universe secretly during the Karate Kid movies. When Daniel overcomes his fear in TKK 3, Miyagi retires and the ring chooses Daniel.

Daniel LaRusso:

Daniel was a Green Lantern for years (a secret from everyone except Amanda and Miyagi), but the lantern’s power never replaced karate for him because karate is part of the balance that allows him to use the ring in the first place. The ring started to reject him during the period where his resentment of Johnny was overpowering his will (season 1-ish). It chose him again when he got a handle on that, but by then he had already turned his attention to teaching and empowering young people. He gave it up and it chose his daughter after she overcame her own fear at the end of season 3.

Samantha LaRusso

Samantha LaRusso was chosen by a Green Lantern ring after overcoming her fear and facing Tory at the end of season 3. She enters season 4 as a newly minted super hero.

Tory Nichols

Tory witnesses Sam as a Green Lantern early on. She has a lot of anger inside of her and seeing her rival - the girl who in her opinion was handed everything in life - chosen by cosmic power pushes her over the edge. Kreese encourages and feeds this anger, of course, though he does it with the intention of making Tory a better assassin. When a Red Lantern power ring chooses her that’s honestly a bonus.

Johnny Lawrence

Johnny was nearly recruited to the League of Assassins as a teenager - he would have been shipped off to official league training after highschool if he hadn’t lost to Daniel (and, likely, if Kreese hadn’t impulsively burned that bridge before remembering the larger plan). Instead, he was approached by the representative of an anonymous east coast billionaire after high school and paid to use his connection to the ‘late’ John Kreese - and pre-assassin training - to infiltrate and sabotage some activities the League of Shadows had going in the Valley. He never learned the full extent of what the League was or his or Kreese’s connections to it during this time (like, he probably could have if he’d tried, but he’s Johnny). He was inconsistent at best in his vigilantism after that, putting on a mask and patrolling more when he needed an outlet than based on the needs of the community. He was briefly the ‘Batman of the Valley’ when Batman first franchised out into Batman Inc. He’d given that up for years by the time he met Miguel, but dusts off his cape when he learns of new League operations in the Valley in season 4 (likely being run by Terry Silver).

His ‘cape’ is actually a red leather bodysuit. He definitely calls himself something like DeathFist or DeathFang or whatever in the long tradition of people in red bodysuits being called stuff like that (DeadShot, DeathStroke, etc.).

Miguel Diaz

Miguel will hit the streets patrolling with his mentor, but the transition to vigilantism also hits him at a time when he’s realized he probably shouldn’t have Johnny on such a pedestal so he’ll also use the opportunity to strike out alone or with friends. The transition also comes at a time when Miguel has noticed certain changes about himself he can’t explain - like how he destroyed Demetri’s tv with lasers that shot out of his eyes when he got a bit too competitive about Mario Cart.

Yeah, the bad man Carmen moved them to escape was not connected to organized crime. He wasn’t Terry Silver. He was General freaking Zod. Why does General Zod live in Ecuador? He’s building up forces there. Anyways, Miguel is half Kryptonian and just awakening to his powers since his body has been healing from the school fight. The injury was a kind of catalyst and as he heals he’s also becoming invulnerable. So much for his rivalry with Robby, right? Nope, that’s still on.

Robby Keene

Kreese thinks a mistake he made with Johnny was not bringing him into the fold sooner and getting him excited about the prospect of the League of Shadows. He knows very well that Robby will march out of Cobra Kai forever if he mentions anything about assassins before he’s ‘ready’, but he does start letting him know about the secret society of warriors and introduce him to some alumni who are with the league now. Maybe show off some missions where they actually intervened for good. Essentially, he makes him feel like he could be part of something - something that feels like family - which is bigger than himself (which is already an established part of his schtick).

As part of this pre-assassin buttering up, Kreese procures something special for Robby - gloves laced with kryptonite. He told him it would only level the playing field between him and Miguel, but it is enough to weaken Miguel enough to be killed. The plan is for Robby to go in thinking ‘Miguel is pretty much indestructible even with these gloves’ so he goes all out and kills him and then while he’s dealing with the trauma of having killed him Kreese can pull him fully into the League. While the plan won’t work, the path to it will see Robby getting a lot more weapons/assassin-specific training than Johnny did.

He will eventually take over Johnny’s suit and code name.

Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz

Kreese’s plan for Robby is a more elaborate and thought out version of his original plan for Hawk. Hawk was never really a top priority for Kreese, but he spiraled so nicely that it seemed he could be plucked off into assassin-dom early. He saw Tory and Robby as better prospects than Hawk for long term use in the valley in part because he expected to have Hawk shipped off to train under Lady Shiva by now. He just had to rip the murder bandaid, and the plan was to push him until he killed Demetri.

Because Hawk was on the fast track, and because he was so good at convincing himself he didn’t care what he’d done to Demetri’s arm, Kreese actually already let him in on the true nature of Cobra Kai. He didn’t know for long before leaving and its not like he had any strategically vital info, but he knows enough to make him a loose end. Kreese sends the Cobras (minus Robby, but possibly including a Tory who isn’t quite used to her new power yet) after him. Hawk is murdered. And isn’t that a waste?

Kreese set it up, but when the likes of Tory and Robby almost leave over it he pins it on Kyler ‘going overboard’ and says it’s fine, they can save him. Hawk gets thrown in a Lazarus Pit and rises confused and angry. Under the grips of Pit Madness he temporarily forgets a lot (like leaving Cobra Kai and reconciling with Demetri and Miguel, but also things like his parents. Kid is a very angry blank slate.) and since most people think he’s dead its pretty easy to send him to the League. He’ll turn up again a few months later, when the League sends a squad to secure their interests in the valley. He breaks off when he can’t quite kill Demetri in a fight, but he doesn’t remember why and roams around the valley causing trouble or helping out as he sees fit until Demetri can get through to him (Demetri’s eternal struggle).

He doesn’t call himself Red Hood, but you get the gist. Hawk is already a code name.

Demetri [Insert Surname]

Got Eli back only to lose him for good. He thought. Until Not-Red Hood shows up and causes problems. But the slippery assassin keeps getting away before he can really talk to him! Miguel is steadily developing Super Powers and wants to help, but things are also heating up over in the Main Conflict and Demetri is left chasing Hawk alone a lot of the time.

Maybe it’s that determination that causes his latent metagene to activate.

Demetri only ever thought super speed was the second best superpower, but he rethinks that after he has it. In hindsight, his smart ass does fit the speedster profile and Eli definitely can’t get away now!

His lightning when he runs is blue.

And yep, that’s all for now. I’ll never write a fic for this ‘verse it’s just fun to think about. More so about how after the San Fernando branch of the League of Shadows is destroyed the kids can all make up and form a cool super team. Also, if I were to write fic, it would be Demeli. As I'm sure anyone I've interacted with in this fandom knows.

#cobra kai #hawk cobra kai #demetri cobra kai #eli hawk moskowitz #daniel larusso #Johnny Lawrence #john kreese #sam larusso #tory nichols #robby keene #mr miyagi #the karate kid #binary boyfriends #demeli #dc comics

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katytheinspiredworkaholic · 3 years

Text

Correspondence, Chapter 01

Pairing: HotchReid

Summary: An AU where Reid never joined the FBI, but got roped into consulting for the LA field office while working and teaching at Caltech. Hotch gets his email referred from a fellow agent, and they start to work on cases together -- until they start talking on a regular basis. Regular becomes frequent, frequent becomes constant. They know nothing about each other, but they don't really mind.

Rating: Mature/Explicit (eventually)

Chapter CW/notes: some profanity, a side character who is a dick about Reid, set in season 06, self beta’d

Word Count: 2437

Masterpost Link

Ao3 Link

Chapter 01

March 2010

Dr. Spencer Reid

(Current Tenure: California Institute of Technology): Fred Kavli Professor of Theoretical Physics and Mathematics; Director, Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics, Department Head of Mathematics, Physics, and Astronomy at Caltech.

- (Degrees, in order) Ph.D. Mathematics, Caltech, 1995; Ph.D. Chemistry, Caltech, 1997; M.A. Nuclear Science, MIT, 1999; Ph.D. Engineering, MIT, 2000; M.A. Sociology, Columbia University, 2001; M.A. Philosophy, Georgetown, 2001; Ph.D. Psychology, Georgetown, 2002; M.A. Applied Analytics, Columbia University, 2003; M.A. Socio Economic Statistics, MIT, 2004; M.A. Geology, Caltech, 2006; Ph.D. Geography, Caltech, 2006; M.A. Economics, Caltech, 2008; M.A. Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Caltech, 2009

- (Teaching positions, in order) Professor of Mathematics, Caltech, 1995-1997, Professor of Mathematics and Statistical Analysis, MIT, 1998-2005, Visiting Associate, Georgetown, 1999-2002; Professor of Chemical Engineering, MIT, 2002-05; Kavli Professor, Mathematics, Caltech, 2005-; Professor of Theoretical Physics and Mathematics, 2006-; Deputy Chair, 2005-; Director, 2008-.

“Jesus.”

The dossier is just an information sheet; no photo ID, no news articles beyond text component pieces, but it is a thick stack of correspondence and case consultations that S.S.A Aaron Hotchner holds in his hands.

“Five Ph.D.’s and eight separate M.A.’s in fourteen years? What was he doing before that?”

“Who knows? You don’t earn a Ph.D. overnight, even if his accommodation sheet makes ‘em look like they pop up like mushrooms,” Mark Anderson says, audibly tired through the phone speaker on his desk. He was one of the Unit Chief's from the teams at the FBI L.A. field office, who’s phone number was given to him by an old friend, Sam Cooper -- another BAU team leader. Hotch had hit dead end after dead end on this case, and sitting at his desk in Quantico, Virginia, he looks down at the recommended consultant’s extensive list of degrees and teaching positions with a building headache behind his dark eyes. He wasn’t a fan of Anderson, or his briskness, but at this point he’d take anything he could get. “I’m pretty sure that man has never lived outside an academic field. He’s a handful, runs my agents up the damn wall, but he knows his stuff.”

“I hope so. I’ve been on the phone the past three days trying to find someone with a background in Obscure Cognitive Linguistics,” Hotch reads from a separate file, filled with violent images and depraved acts described in morbid detail. “Our unsub sites a very particular thesis about a Study of Language from a Cognitive and Developmental Law, and I keep getting sent to experts in adjacent fields. I don’t see anything in this Dr. Reid’s background about language.”

“Oh, trust me, Hotch -- you’ll get more than you bargained for. This is your guy. He’s basically an expert on everything, and if he doesn’t know anything about languages I’ll eat my tie. He never shuts up.”

Frowning at the speaker phone, Hotch keeps his comments to himself. He’s sure that Anderson probably doesn’t appreciate having an old professor puttering around the field office, but that didn’t mean he had to insult the man. Especially when he was there as a consultant.

“Okay, fine. Thank you. I’ll give him a call now-”

“Oh, you don’t want to do that. Just send him an email. Trust me.” Anderson all but groans like a petulant child. Graining on Hotch’s nerves excruciatingly.

“I’m sure he’s busy enough with his students, he doesn’t need to be fielding emails from the FBI,” Hotch hedged, still frowning.

“Not too busy to write you a dissertation in reply, I’m sure, but you’ll at least get the answers you need. You could be on the phone with him a half hour before you get to what you called about. Hopefully it won’t take you too long to sift through.”

Alright, now he is done listening to the other agent.

“Right. Thanks, Mark.”

“Anyti-” Hotch hangs up on him before the man could make any other remarks. His patience is non-existent after the past week and this extremely brutal case that only seems to compound exponentially in it’s viciousness with each passing day. If Anderson felt like being an asshole to some old man with nothing better to do than rack up Ph.D.’s, he could do it on his own time. Hotch needed help, and this man seemed to be the only person around who might be able to finally do so.

Dr. Reid’s office number is in front of him, as well as about three different lab location phone numbers, and one email address connected to the school faculty. He considers for a moment just ignoring Anderson’s advice and calling the old professor, but he has a meeting with his Department Chief, Strauss, in twenty minutes and the team would be arriving from canvasing the dumpsites soon.

So with a suffering sigh, Hotch pulls up a new email (for what feels like the millionth time for this case) and composes a standard correspondence introduction. Who he is, credentials, case numbers and specifics as far as clearance rates for civilians go, and then finally the questions he needs answered. There is something about this particular thesis that has to be very tongue in cheek to the unsub, saying something that isn’t really there, and this could just be another dead end -- but if it led to them saving a victim from becoming another dead body, he is willing to give it one last try.

Thank you for your time, S.S.A. Aaron Hotchner Unit Chief, Behavioral Analysis Unit, FBI Quantico, VA.

Then he hits send, and leaves the response up to the universe.

The team came up with nothing fruitful. Strauss proceeded to ream Hotch six ways from Sunday for wasting valuable bureau resources and coming up with zero results. His day was spinning down the drain in a hellish cyclone when he sits down behind his desk in his office an hour after leaving it. Case files still piled to one side, grotesque photos stacked within them, and Aaron Hotchner wants nothing more than for them to disappear. For the case to be solved and to be able to go home to his son and his quiet house. But there was no break in sight, no new information, nothing.

Except a new email in his inbox.

Agent Hotchner,

I know that thesis paper well. I can help you.

All air seems to have been sucked from the room as Hotch reads the words a couple of times, not quite comprehending after the morning he has had that someone wasn’t giving him more bad news. That this Dr. Reid said he could help him.

A single click of the email opens up the correspondence reply, and the agent is met with a giant wall of text. Scrolling down for pages, and a quick skim of the material shows such a complex, comprehensive amount of information that there is no way it’s just copy and pasted from any one source. Or even several. It’s a long email spanning a vast number of pages, covering every topic he had asked about (and then some).

The thesis paper, the tongue-in-cheek citation from the unsub, how this killer is acting like he’s being clever when it’s really ‘very obvious what he’s doing, as long as you know the paper’ and detailed links and quotations and references to locations and side tangents on items mentioned that could be evidence to look for or weapons of choice, and so much else Hotch’s head feels like it’s spinning. Like reading the cliffnotes of a complex spy novel, with all the spoilers in one place.

It takes him half an hour to read through everything Dr. Reid sent, meaning the professor had to have been typing a million words a minute from the moment Hotch had emailed him to get everything replied so quickly, and Hotch was baffled to realize that an old man with a handful of Ph.D.’s and no FBI training just solved his case.

Not a figment of speech.

Dr. Reid just solved the case, without even holding the file in his hands.

Hotch is dialing a phone number on his speed dial without even looking away from the screen.

“Garcia? Call the team into the briefing room, and phone SWAT to mobilize. We’re going down to the riverfront in thirty minutes.”

“--Wait, what are you talking about? Did you figure out the unsub’s code?”

Not me, Aaron thought to himself, standing up and printing Dr. Reid’s email after forwarding it to the entire team and their tech analyst, Penelope Garcia. He didn’t have time to explain it that many times, and the amount of information in that single email would be enough to send any of them tumbling heels over head. But it solved every aspect of their case. Hook, line, and sinker.

And the clock was ticking.

“Now, Garcia.”

He rushes from the room with the stack of files in his hands and his laptop open to Dr. Reid’s email. Not even thinking to thank the man for his help as he heads across the bullpen with profound determination.

They have work to do.

They catch the unsub that very day.

Quick, efficient, completely by surprise. They saved Amanda Sutton and another girl they hadn’t even known was missing. No one died. None of his team was hurt. The unsub hadn’t confessed, but Rossi and Morgan had played him like a fiddle in interrogation and now all of his team members were walking to the elevators leaving for a long weekend where they wouldn’t have to worry about serial killers or another dead soul on their conscience. Today was a win. As close to a win as they ever can get, in their line of work.

And it isn’t until he’s back at his desk, the hours ticking into the night, that he opens up his email and there in his inbox is the very reply that started everything. Dr. Spencer Reid. CalTech Department Head. Professor of everything under the sun. Expert on anything, even the obscure.

The reason Hotch will get to spend the weekend with his son, without the overbearing aftershocks of a case gone so horribly bad plaguing him.

His hands are moving before he can stop them. Opening up the email, typing out a response to Dr. Reid thanking him for his help. Relaying what happened, detail by detail much in the same fashion he had completed the paperwork piled on his desk. Letting him know that his information really did end up helping them. All of it. Even the side tangents.

I don’t know how I can ever thank you for the extensive consideration you gave this case, or how to explain how it solved it so seamlessly, but your time and effort does not go unnoticed by me.

Okay, so maybe he fluffs it up a bit more than the dreadful bullet-point list descriptions required by the Deputy Chief and the Director and SWAT Team justification reports. Just so it doesn’t look so inadequate in comparison to the man’s thesis-paper-length email he sent to aide Hotch and his team. The passion he has for his work leaps off the page, but it was a lot -- and if the old man put that much dedication into a basic FBI correspondence email, then he was probably used to it being a thankless effort.

Hotch sends the reply, and continues with his work. He always takes a bulk of the paperwork, so his team can go home and rest and recharge. He needs them at their best for each case, and if that means he spends a couple hours longer after when they finish a case, it is worth every minute. But this time, once he finishes, he gets to take the coveted time off as well.

It’s as he’s finishing up, everything stacked neatly and ready to be dropped at records, in the mailroom, Strauss’s office, the director’s, and he’s about to log off his laptop that he sees a surprise -- Dr. Reid replied to him, again.

It’s much more brief this time.

Agent Hotchner,

I’m so glad I was able to help you.

You are one of the only agents to reach out and tell me how the case went after my consultation, and I’m very grateful to know that my information actually helped your team catch the killer. I know I tend to spout facts at random, but I do have methods to my madness and it’s such a nice change to correspond with someone who understands that.

My services are always at your disposal. Anytime. Whatever I can do to help.

Sincerely, Dr. Spencer Reid

Hotch types out a brief reply. Thanking him for his offer, for lending him his expertise, and letting him know in not so many words --

I’ll have to take you up on that.

He’d be a fool not to. Someone with that much knowledge and the ability to connect it all in the way Dr. Reid had in the span of an hour? He could be a real asset to the BAU, as a permanent consultant, even through email correspondence.

He sends the reply just as he stands to leave. Turning off his office light, and his chest feels lighter for the interaction. For giving the professor that sense of assurance that what he had to say did in fact do some real good. Hotch even finds himself smiling softly, sadly, that he has also found a little bit of solace in helping another lonely old man across the country find a sense of purpose that night. Who was working late, as well, despite it being the end of the week. Speaking to not much waiting for him back at home, in whatever shape ‘home’ takes for the man. But Hotch can relate to that, too. Jack is at Jessica’s until the morning, and there is nothing at his apartment to greet him but silence and bare walls and memories he’d rather not dote on. Maybe this Dr. Spencer Reid is in a similar boat, finding comfort in his work when he can. He certainly seems to, with the amount of time he’s poured into his doctorates and degrees. In the number of departments he runs and monitors.

Hotch can’t help but feel a connection, a companionship between empty offices. Thousands of miles apart, but maybe -- possibly -- at least similar in that aspect.

Not so alone, even if only for a brief moment.

(tbc...)

Tagged list: @spencehotchner @ssa-sarahsunshine @gothamapologist @reidology @marsjareau @dragon-snaps-fandom @emmyraebird @just-an-emo-rat @aaron-hotchner187 @dk18077 @more-heid-pls

#omg i forgot to do tags #Jesus so ive been so excited for this and here it finally is and i fuck it up .2 seconds in go me #this is a S L O W B U R N fic and we are starting all the way at the beginning and im so excited im kind of shaking #updates every saturday evening #message me if you want in on the tag list #also on ao3 #HotchReid #Heid #katyswriting

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blue-bird-kny · 4 years

Note

Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke with an s/o who at first comes off as innocent and sweet but turns out she's a huge flirt and enjoys getting them flustered? Thank you so much!!

Thank you for your request, it was really fun to write! Enjoy~Amanda (This gif is the cutest thing I’ve seen today)

Warning: None

(1.5k words)

Tanjiro:

When Tanjiro first met you, he thought you were the sweetest person he’d ever had the chance to meet. You were so humble and kind, always putting others before yourself, much like Tanjiro! In reality, you were all those things and more; but you also fed off the thrill and excitement that came with teasing your sweet boyfriend.

You were very meticulous with when and how you teased him, upping the level of flirtiness whenever you felt the moment was just right. This was usually when all your friends were gathered, Tanjiro just made it so easy. There was never any malice behind your witty remarks and suggestive smiles, it was just for fun, but you’d never deny how much you loved his reactions each time.

Tonight had been like any other, Zenitsu and Inosuke were insistanly bickering about someing stupid, Nezuko was peacfully tucked away in her room sleeping, and Tanjiro was quietly sitting next to you. “Since nobody’s looking…” you scooched closer to the boy next to you, he turned his head and offered a friendly smile. “Tanjiro-kun!” you knew that he just loved when you called him that, it made him feel weak in the knees. “Y-yes?” he stuttered, color already rushing to his cheeks.

You seductively placed a hand on his thigh, using it as leverage to come impossibly close to his warm face. His eyes averted from yours, “Y/N! We’re in public!” “I know, but it's just hard to resist those delicious lips of yours when they're so close. Besides,” you licked your lips in anticipation “ it's not like anyone's watching” your lips ghosted against his jawline, Tanjiro was so enraptured with your ministrations he’d almost entirely blocked out the noise of the other two unsuspecting persons in the room. “Unless you want them too”. That's it, he was under your spell; his hands gripped his pants and his breathing became unsteady, “Y/n please”.

You pulled away, satisfied with the mess of a man you left behind, “just teasing” your sly smile only emphasized how much you enjoyed your little game. “Tanjiro?”

Congrats, you’ve officially broken your boyfriend.

Zenitsu

This poor boy had no idea what he was getting into when he entered a relationship with you. You were always so quiet and calm, so it took him by complete surprise the first time you became excessively flirty with him.

However you never wanted to make him uncomfortable so you always saved the teasing for when you two were safe behind closed doors. Zenitsu was so easy to rile up, it was adorable. His entire face down to his neck would glow a bright red and his entire vocabulary would automatically be thrown out the window.

Of course, you knew when to scale it back and what boundaries were never to be crossed. You respected your partner too much to ever do anything you thought he wouldn’t enjoy or would upset him.

You could feel the shift in the air as summer bleed into fall, the leaves already beginning to create piles on the ground outside. You decided to leave the window open just enough to allow the breeze to waft in and out of the dark room.

Zenitsu’s tuft of blonde hair peaked out from underneath his sheets, the rise and fall of his form slightly ruffling the sheets. “He looks so soft when he sleeps” It was almost day-break and you almost felt bad about having to wake him to start the day. Emphasis on the almost. Morning wake-up sessions were the perfect time to exercise your flirting abilities to their fullest.

“Zeni~” you gently called, running your fingers through the small patch of hair that you could reach. He stirred, ignoring your call “Be that way then” You nuzzled your entire body between his legs with little effort, your head and hands resting on his chest. Slowly, Zenitsu sleepy eyes began to open, revealing his brilliant golden orbs. “Good Morning sleepy head”

Zenitsu stared into your playful eyes, not having completely registered the position the two of you were currently in. You began to absentmindedly trace invisible patterns into the clothes that hid his chest, your face lazily balanced on your other hand. As if someone had connected the wires in his brain, Zenitsu jumped in realization, scarlet engulfing his entire face. “Y-y/n what are you d-doing?!” he firmly held his hands to his side, refusing to touch your body (even though he kind of wanted to).

“Well you weren’t waking up, so I figured I need to try something else to get your attention.” you answered as if you knew nothing of the effect you were having on him. You definitely had his attention now, “But now I’m too comfortable to get up just yet, you don’t if I lay here a little longer?” your voice was like honey, your eyes begging in the sweetest way possible. Of course Zenitsu didn’t want you to get off of him, who wouldn’t want to wake up to their girlfriend being pressed flush against their body? “Of course not” he spoke, slowly growing accustomed to the weight of your body against his.

“That's good” you nuzzled your face into the crook of his neck, inhaling his natural scent that drove you crazy. Tentatively, Zenitsu wrapped his hands around your torso, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles into the skin your clothes failed to cover. Needless to say, the two of you fell back asleep, enjoying the warmth of one another.

Inosuke:

From the moment you and Inosuke started dating you knew it would be difficult to catch a rise out of the confident, self-spoken individual.

The first few times you tried to get some sort of reaction out of the boy with your flirty antics, it ended up back firing. Either Inosuke would magically find a way to turn the situation on its head, making the focus fall on you causing you to be embarrassed or he just wouldn't understand what you were talking about.

Unbeckonest to Inosuke, you were beginning to feel impatient and frustrated with him. Why couldn’t he just take a hint and take a compliment? Didn’t he like you enough to become flustered when your hand would accidentally graze his thigh or chest? Honestly, you were almost at a loss of how to get a rise out of this guy.

That was until it became so painfully obvious on exactly what would cause Inosuke’s heart to hammer and his face to flush. You weren’t sure how it hadn’t occurred to you before.The next day while you and the other were taking a short break from an intense training regime, you decided then would be the perfect time to execute your plan. You walked over to your boyfriend, who was aggressively hammering his sword against a tree because ‘breaks are for weaklings’, a jug of water grasped between your palms.

“Inosuke! I brought you some water, it is seriously hot out today” you placed the jug in his skeptical hands, using it as some sort of offering to gain his attention. “I would have been fine without it women!” he voiced, however he drank the entire barrel in a few large gulps. “Oh I know, some one as strong and skilled as you are wouldn’t need anything from the rest of us” you shimmed your way next to the boy whose ears perked in interest like a puppy.

“You know earlier when you were training with Tanjiro I just knew you would win. You were much tougher and smarter than he was during your fight together, he was probably afraid” he listened to your words of praise in complete bliss. You took this opportunity to remove his furry mask without any complaints, shifting to his lap.

“Anyone can tell that you’ve been working so hard these last few weeks, much harder than the others. Just look at you! You're so musly and powerful, any demon will cower at just the mention of your name” your hand trailed down his chest and his arms, admiring every crook and crevasse that came in your way.

Inosuke’s ears began to ring slightly as blood rushed across his chest and ears, his skin tingled in the places your delicate finger grazed. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, but he didn’t want it to stop. “Those weaklings have nothing on me” he remarked, voice subdued as he relished in the new found delight that was the feel of your nails aimlessly traveling his exposed skin.

“He’s had enough” you tauntingly thought to yourself, lifting your fingers away from his skin. He immediately frowned at the loss of contact, itching to feel you on him again. “Lets not keep the others waiting” you smiled mischievously as you walked away, completely aware of the state you’d left the poor boy in.

Behind you, Inosuke sat extremely confused as to what just happened, but very desperate to have you on him again, soon. He was out of it for the rest of the day, stuck in the day dream that was you. You were hoping to have a bigger reaction from Inosuke, but you weren’t picky, there were other ways and times to get what you wanted out of him.

Main Masterlist

I’m sorry for the delay! I went on an impromptu vacation for the weekend and didn’t have a piece completed! I hope you all enjoyed it, thank you~Amanda

#kny #kny x reader #demon slayer #demon slayer x reader #inosuke x reader #tanjiro x reader #zenitsu x reader #inosuke hashibira #kamado tanjirō #zenitsu agatsuma #kny writing

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lethal-k · 4 years

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Mi Corazón (JHS)

Hey all! Amanda here! I think I’m in love with this couple. I usually try not to define my character’s race, ethnicity, or nationality, but I really wanted to base this imagine loosely on my family’s old block parties. Plus, the lack of Hispanic representation within American literature is crazy, but it’s getting better as each day goes by! I just wanted to contribute to that! If you’re interested in me making imagines based on other cultures or anything, feel free to request it, just know that it may not be as rooted as this one, simply because this is my own heritage and I will have to do a lot of research on other cultures before diving in. Anyway, I also wanted an excuse to write an imagine where one of the members has to dance to Latin music because Latin music is so romantic. Hobi just seemed to fit the theme I was going for. Anyway, if you like this imagine please heart it, reblog it, and follow me! I love y’all, stay safe, and borahae <3

Genre: established relationship! au, fluff

Pairing: Hoseok x reader

Word Count: 4.3K

Warnings: swearing, google-translated Spanish, pining and simping, mentions of cartels and gangs, small mentions of immigration, literally one of the most endearing couples I have ever written.

Summary: Y/n takes Hobi to meet her family at one of their famous Miami block parties.

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“What if they don’t accept me..” Hobi mutters while you guys search for a parking spot on the street.

You glance at him, “What do you mean? What is there to not like about you?” You flash him a smile before returning your attention to the street, “This is ridiculous, I’m literally their child, I should get VIP parking for God’s sake.” you mutter while shaking your head.

Hoseok chuckles at you, “There’s one,” He points out a spot and you quickly start parking in between the two cars. He sort of deflates in his passenger seat while looking at the street lined with cars and the house that bustled with life. “What if they don’t accept me because I’m Korean? What if they think I’m not good enough for you because I can’t speak Spanish or dance well like you? What if they think my career is too much and that I won’t be able to take care of you?” He expresses his worries out loud.

You put the car in park before turning to face him in the seat. Leaning towards him, you grab his chin in your hand and squish his cheeks together. “Don’t worry, mi amor. My family moved into the U.S. from Mexico so they know what it feels like to not fully know a language while surrounded by English-speakers. They won’t judge you.”

“Bu-” he tried to cut in.

“Shh,” you shush him and put your finger on his lips, “I taught you different latin dance styles last week and you caught on super quickly. You’re making an effort to learn my language and they already know I can damn well take care of my own self but if they mention anything negative about your career then I will step in and tell them off. Okay? Stop worrying, they will love you.” He sighed and nodded, looking a little nervous. “Good, now let us go.” You give him a quick peck before getting out of the car.

Your parents had moved into the U.S. from the dangerous city of Culiacán, Sinaloa in Mexico in 1992. Six years before you were born. They had moved due to the dangers of the infamous Sinaloa cartel. They decided, instead, to settle down in Miami, Florida. Where they had you, your little brother, and your baby brother and sister. The youngest two are twins. You are their oldest child, now at age 22. Your little brother, Pedro, is now 19 and the twins, Miguel and Rosalína, are both 15. All of you grew up in the house that you and your boyfriend of 11 months are walking up to now.

Two years ago, you had moved to Seoul, Korea in hopes of reaching your dream to become a fashion designer. You chose South Korea because, well c’mon, Korean fashion is to die for. It also was not as cliche as New York, California, or Paris. A year and some months into living in Seoul, you met Hobi. Of course you knew who he was, but you treated him as any individual, which he took a liking to. Fast forward another month or two and you two started dating and now you are here, walking on your childhood street, up to your childhood home, about to meet your family and childhood friends. Yeah, you could say today was pretty special.

You two were walking up when all of a sudden a young woman who seemed to be the same age popped up in front of you both. “Y/n!!” She squealed.

Your smile grew wide and you pulled the girl into a bone-crushing hug, “Ay, Carlita! Cómo has estado?”

“Bien, bien.” She smiled back before glancing at your boyfriend, “Who is this?”

You looked next to you and saw Hobi standing there, hands behind his back, and a shy smile on his face. You held out your hand towards him and he quickly took it, “Carlita, this is my boyfriend, Hoseok. Hobi, this is my childhood best friend, Carlita.”

She smiled warmly before holding out her hand which he shook, “Hello there! It’s nice to finally meet the mysterious boyfriend.”

Hobi chuckled and nodded at her, “It’s nice to meet you too.” His accent came out a bit and you smiled at his shy behavior.

“Would you happen to know where everyone else is?” You asked, sort of wanting to get introductions done and over with so you can party with your boyfriend and family.

She shrugged, “I know that Pedro is playing video games with the boys in his room, I have no idea where everyone else is at.”

You sighed and shook your head while smirking, “That boy and his video games.”

Carlita giggled at you before walking off, “Well welcome back home and it was nice to meet you, Hoseok! Maybe we can catch up more later but right now I have to stop Tío Edgardo from skateboarding. Old man claims that he is trying to regain his youth.” she rolls her eyes.

You laughed at her and nodded.

“She seems nice.” Hobi commented in Korean.

You smiled at him before grabbing his hand, “C’mon, let's go meet my little brother.”

The two of you walked throughout your home before coming to a door in the hallway. You open it without knocking and low and behold, there is Pedro and a couple of friends playing Mario Kart. From the looks of it, your brother is losing terribly.

“Pedroo.” You sing out his name in hopes of getting his attention.

“What is it?” He asks, not looking up from the screen. You scoff at his reaction.

“What? No, ‘hello sister’, ‘how are you sister’, ‘who is that man with you sister’” You tease.

He shrugs, “Dude. Mario Kart. Priorities.”

Your jaw drops and Hobi starts laughing hysterically. “This is what I get after saving your ass from mom and dad for years. The complete and utter disrespect.” You say, mocking offense with your hand on your heart.

He smirks at your comment but his eyes remain glued to the screen, “Yeah yeah whatever. I’ll talk to you later outside, close the door on your way out.”

You shake your head, “I’ll hold you to that!” You yell as you close the door.

Hobi looks at you with a raised eyebrow and the same smirk that Pedro wore, “Have you two always been like that?”

You nodded and giggled, “Yeah, pretty much.” He shook his head at you and wrapped his arms around your waist, walking behind you back into the main area of the house.

The two of you passed a couple of neighbors, all of them who greeted both of you with open arms and hands full of alcohol. You lead him through the kitchen, not glancing at your surroundings. You are about to walk to the backyard before you hear a familiar voice.

“Ah, mi hija, si sales por esa puerta sin saludar, no dudaré en conseguir mi chancleta.” (Ah, my daughter, if you walk out that door without saying hello, I won’t hesitate to get my flip flop.) You freeze at the sound of your mother’s voice and turn around to find her staring at you with a pointed look. You smile sheepishly and shrug your shoulders before waving at her.

“Hi, mama.” The look she was giving you faded off her face and transformed into a smile. You walked over to her and gave her a hug. She pulled you in, wrapping her arms around you tighter. You sighed in content, realizing how much you missed her and your home. The picture of her in the kitchen, glaring at you, and threatening you with her flip flop put you on a nostalgia trip. Although you wouldn’t trade your life right now for the world - a beautiful penthouse apartment with your boyfriend in the middle of South Korea’s capital - you did find yourself missing the smell of huevos con carne and chorizo that drifted throughout your home. You found yourself missing the melodic voice of Romeo Santos on Sunday mornings that indicated it was time to wake up and start cleaning. You found yourself missing the company of your siblings and the embrace of your parents. But as said before, you are currently living a wonderful life in Seoul, with your career progressing fast and the man of your dreams right beside you.

“I’ve missed you, you barely call anymore.” She scolds you while simultaneously pulling you into her even more.

You nuzzle your face into her shoulder, “I’ve missed you too, mama. I promise to try calling more often.”

You pulled away to smile at her, only to find her checking out your boyfriend from head to toe. “Ay, hija. ¿Quién es ese buen pedazo de culo que trajiste?” (Who is that fine piece of ass you brought with you?)

Your eyes widened and you lightly smacked her arm, “Mama!”

She giggled and looked at you, “What?” she complained.

You sighed and shook your head. You glanced over to Hobi to find him smiling warmly at you and your mom, despite not knowing what you two are saying.

“Mama, this is Hoseok. My boyfriend.” You said, putting emphasis on the word boyfriend.

He awkwardly smiled at her and waved, “Hello ma’am.”

She smiled warmly at him while walking over, pulling him into a hug. You laughed at Hobi’s shocked face and little ‘oof’ at the strength of her pull.

“Call me mama, ma’am makes me feel old.” Hobi smiled at her acceptance and hugged her back, looking to you for reassurance. You give him a quick thumbs up before she let him go and turned to you. “While the two of you are here, mind helping me carry out these dishes to the table outside?”

You scoffed, “I’ve been here for a matter of 10 minutes and you are already putting me to work like I’m 12 again.”

She smiled and shook her head, “It’s cause you always act like you’re 12, hija, now get let's make use of your boyfriend and his muscles and carry these enchiladas to the table.”

You laughed at her antics before translating to Hobi what his task was and putting the tray of food in his hands. You grabbed a plate of tortas and she grabbed the empanadas before you started heading out.

“Thank you, hija, Hobi. I will see you both later, I have to go yell at Pedro for hiding away in his room.” She walks off, shaking your head and you smile at her retreating figure.

“Your whole family seems nice so far.” He said, taking you into his arms and holding you. You giggled and pulled back slightly.

“They’ll be your family soon too, hopefully.” You whispered, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

He smiled and nodded, “And I cannot wait for the day that they do.”

You blushed at his confession before your eye catches two heads of hair that were identical by the pool. You smiled at Hobi and took his hand in yours, leading him towards the edge of the pool.

“Rosa! Miguel!” You exclaim and stand behind them. Rosalína looks up at you from behind her glasses and smiles.

“Hey sis!” You hug her from behind and she holds your arm. You pull away and look at Miguel expectantly, only to find that his eyes are somewhere else. You follow his gaze to a very familiar girl and smirk.

Rosa smacks him on the back of the head and he flinches, glaring at her. She nods her head towards you and Hobi and he looks at you two before smiling sheepishly. “Oh hey, Y/n..” You kept smirking at him and his face flushed red under your gaze.

“Still being a simp, I see.” You tease. He looks away, face turning 10 shades redder.

“Shut up.” He trailed off.

Hobi tapped your waist, pulling your attention to him. He tilted his head in confusion. “What joke am I missing?” He asked.

Rosa snorted. She turned her head towards Hobi, catching his attention. “You see that girl over there, with the blonde hair?” She said and pointed. He nodded slowly, following the direction and looking at the girl. “Her name is Lucy. Miguel here has been pining after her for like- 5 years. Since we were 10! Can you believe that? I say he should just grow some balls and tell her that he likes her.”

You laughed at her choice of words while Hobi smirked. Miguel shoved her side in embarrassment.

“I’m not pining,” he glared at her before glancing at you, “Nor am I simping.” He trailed off while looking at Lucy before glancing at Hobi, “She is just super pretty and totally out of my league.”

You smirked and looked at him, “Nah man, you’re totally simping.”

“Literally, shut up, Y/n.” He said, crossing his arms and pouting.

Hoseok smirked and laughed, “No, you should totally do it, kid. You only live once and the worst is that she’ll say no. But if she says yes…” He trailed off, leaving the rest to Miguel’s imagination.

Rosa high-fived Hobi, “Thank you! I’ve only been saying that for years! I’m Rosalína by the way, but you can call me Rosa. This idiot over here is Miguel.” She introduced herself.

Hoseok smiled at her, “I’m Hobi, Y/n’s boyfriend.”

“You’re in that one band, right? BTS?” she asked, tilting her head.

He nodded, “Yep, that’s me.”

“Nice,” She nodded, “I like your song Dope.”

He smiled, “Thank you.”

You watched the interaction with a big smile on your face. It seemed that your boyfriend was becoming more comfortable. And that couldn’t make you any happier.

You shook your head at your thoughts before looking towards your sister, “Hey Rosa, where is dad, anyway? I want to introduce him to Hobi.”

She rolled her eyes, “Where do you think?” She snorted and nodded her head towards the make-shift dance floor. A few people moved out of the way to reveal your father, Modelo in hand, dancing merengue to Suavemente.

Your eyes widened and you let out a laugh of embarrassment, “Oh. My. God.”

She shook her head before looking towards Hobi who wore amusement on his face. “That would be our father. He’s been like that for the past hour, I think that’s his 6th beer.”

You giggled at the ridiculous man that you called your father before grabbing Hobi’s wrist. “C’mon, let me introduce you to the ol’ man.”

Hobi’s face lost all color and looked uneasy. Rosa laughed as you two walked off, waving bye. You could tell your boyfriend was nervous, after all this was your dad. Your father. Keeper of your heart. The man who raised you. If he didn’t approve of Hobi then it would be devastating to the both of you.

“Wait-” he stopped you from going on, “What if he doesn’t like me? What if I’m not good enough for his daughter? Hold on, does my shirt look okay? What about my hair?” He panicked.

You decided to shut him up with a kiss straight on the lips. He froze for a second before relaxing into it and wrapping his arms around your waist. You giggled at him, “He will love you, Hobi. You look perfect.”

He nodded, still a little dazed from the kiss. You left him on the side of the dance floor and dodged dancing neighbors until you met your father in the middle.

“Suavemente! BESAME!” He shouted as you tapped his shoulder. You giggled as he turned around and looked at you in pure glee. “Mi princesa! How are you, mi corázon? Dance with me!” He exclaimed and grabbed your hands, pulling you into the dance with him.

You laughed and threw your head back. “I’m good, papa! I want to introduce you to someone!”

He nodded at you and grinned wolfishly, “Then lead the way, Princess.” He followed you off the dance floor and to Hobi.

“Papa, this is my boyfriend, Hoseok.” Hobi visibly gulped.

“Hello, sir.” He said, putting on a charming smile and holding out his hand.

Your father’s eyes narrowed, looking Hobi up and down, a poker face on. “Boyfriend, huh?”

Hoseok faltered for a second, “Yes, sir…” He said, using his other hand to scratch the back of his neck out of nerves.

Your dad suddenly smiled and took his hand, pulling him into a hug, “Well welcome to the family then! It’s nice to meet you!”

Hobi visibly relaxed into the hug, smiling at you with a big grin. All you could do is smile back, happy that he made a good impression on your dad.

Your father pulled back and squinted at Hobi, “You hurt my daughter and I’ll kill you.” He said, gruffly.

Hobi’s eyes widened, “N-never, sir.” He stuttered.

Your dad broke out into another smile again, “Good!” He clapped him on the back, “Here, let’s go have some drinks!” He led you two to the bar before leaving to go dance some more.

It was later that night, after more less-stressful introductions, multiple plates of food, and a few drinks that you and Hobi were sitting together at a table, watching the party and enjoying each other’s company. You were staring at your parents, who were in the middle of the dance floor. Corazón sin cara was playing as your parents swayed to the music, your father’s arms wrapped around your mother’s waist and her head leaning against his chest. You smiled softly at them with a look of fondness in your eyes.

“They seem to really love each other.” Hobi said, looking from you to your parents.

“They always have,” You said softly, laying your head on your arms and looking at them, “They’ve been through a lot together, a lot of trials and tribulations. When I was a little girl, I thought they were the purest definition and example of true love. They’ve always had each other, and I used to yearn for that as a teenager.” You explain.

Hobi smiles and puts his arm around you, “Well, my love, now you can think of us when you think of love. I want to give you everything, the world, and I want to have your back just like your dad has your mom’s.” He says, pushing your hair behind your ear.

You turn to him and smile, pulling him into a slow and passionate kiss.

“I love you so much.” You mumble against his lips.

He smiles against you, “I love you too, jagi.”

It’s when Obsesíon by Aventura comes on the speaker that you pull away with a gasp and wide eyes.

“What is it?” Hobi frowns, confused by your sudden behavior.

You giggle, “This is my song!” You get up and find Carlita before pulling her to the dance floor. Hobi smiles at you, and how your eyes shined with excitement. He watches you from afar, noting how natural you look among the people you grew up around. Although he may not know anyone and sticks out like a sore thumb, you are the complete opposite, blending in as if you had never moved away to begin with. He thinks that you have never looked so beautiful, than you do right now, at ease and having fun with your friends and family. He remembers how excited you were for him to meet all of them, going as far as to teach him some Spanish and give him some Latin dance lessons. You were so excited for this trip, and now that you both are here, Hobi doesn’t ever want to leave. Because you look so happy here, and all he wants is your happiness.

“You love her.” Hobi looked to his right to find your father, sitting down next to him with two beers in his hand. He said it more as a statement than a question.

Hobi glanced back at you, “Yes, sir. I do, very much.” He sighed out, watching the way your eyes lit up and your smile grew as you sang along with the song. He watched how you moved with ease to the melody with your best friend and he could only admire you and think of how lucky he is, to call you his.

“I could tell, you’re looking at her as if she’s your world right now.” Your dad smiled gently at Hoseok.

Hobi blushed a little and looked down before looking back up at him. “She is my world, sir. She’s helped me through a lot, and she supports my career and always is there if I need her. I only hope that I’m the same for her.”

Your dad gently laid his hand on Hobi’s shoulder, smiling at him. “You are. The look that’s on her face right now,” He nodded at you on the dance floor, laughing with Carlita, “I haven’t seen that look in a very long time. She was going through a lot when she left, and now I can see that she’s happy again. You make her happy, Hoseok. That’s all I could ever ask of you.”

Hoseok smiled at him, “Thank you, sir. That means a lot.” He looked back at you, smiling at you when you looked at him and winked. He blew a kiss to you before leaning back in the chair. “I’m not going to lie, I was nervous when she said that I would be meeting you all.”

Your dad chuckles at that, “Yeah, I could understand that,” he sighs, “I have always been the first man in her heart. I’m used to protecting her, to providing for her, to loving her. But now I’m not the sole man in her heart anymore, you are there too.” He says. Hobi looks at your father to find him staring back at him intensely. He looked him dead in the eye, “I believe you are a good man, Hoseok, and I fully give you my approval and welcome you into our family.”

Hobi’s face breaks into a wide grin, “I’ll cherish her for the rest of my lifetime, sir.”

The song changed to something more upbeat, and you were suddenly calling out to him, beckoning him over to dance.

“I have no doubt that you will, now go get your girl.” Your father clapped his back as Hobi stood up and made his way over to you.

You took his hand in yours and started moving along to Como la Flor.

“Baby, remember how I taught you cumbia? Well this is an iconic cumbia song!” You smiled. Hoseok squeezed your hand and started moving along with you, getting the movement and rhythm pretty quickly. He laughed at your tipsy state. But that didn’t matter, what mattered is that you were having fun, and that you were happy. And despite the alcohol effects, you still managed to dance like a professional. You giggled when Hobi spun you, and it was the most beautiful sound on this earth to him. The two of you were in your own world, dancing together and laughing with each other. You were so caught up in each other that you almost didn’t notice how the song changed into a slow one. But when you did, Hobi pulled you closer and you nuzzled into his chest as you danced bachata with him. He took extra lessons in this dance style, without you knowing, just because he knew it’s your favorite.

“I love this song so much.” you mumbled, slurring your words a bit.

“What is it?” He asks, whispering in your ear.

“Imitadora by Romeo Santos aka king of bachata.” You mumbled back.

He smiled at your cuteness, leaning down to peck your forehead. You two kept moving to the music, and he spun you around. “What is it about?” he asked when he pulled you back in.

“It’s about how his lover changed and turned cold, no longer giving him the same love that she once did.” You stated, smiling up at him.

He frowned, “Well that’s..romantically depressing.” He said.

You snorted, “Romantically depressing?”

“Yeah,” He smirked down at you, “it’s a romantic song, but it’s also super depressing.”

You shook your head at his ridiculousness and pulled him into a kiss.

“At least the melody is pretty.” You said after pulling back.

He pulled you closer to him, “Indeed it is, jagi. Indeed it is.”

As cliche as it sounds, the world faded around you two, as you both got lost in the dance and each other. You two held each other as if the world was ending. Your souls intertwined and the two of you vibed together. The moment itself was as intimate as it could be, and it would forever remain one of your favorite memories of you two.

Later that night, after the party had ended and everyone had either gone home or gone to sleep, the two of you laid in your bed. Surrounded by darkness, you stared at each other, whispering about how well today went and how much fun you had.

“I think they like me.” He whispers to you, intertwining your fingers with his.

“Oh they definitely do,” you giggled.

“What do you mean?” he raised his eyebrow.

“My mom thinks you’re a ‘fine piece of ass’ as she calls it.” You snort.

Hobi let out a surprise laugh, his cheeks turning the slightest bit of pink. You moved closer to him, cuddling up against his chest.

“I would have to agree with her though.” You whisper.

“Oh yeah?” He smiles down at you.

“Mhmm,” you mumble, falling deeper into your sleep, “You looked so sexy tonight, dancing to Latin music.”

He smirked down at you, kissing the top of your head and closing his eyes.

“Yeah?,” he mumbled back, falling deeper into his own sleep, “I might have to do it more often, then.”

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padfootagain · 4 years

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A Very Rose Mistake (II)

Part 2: How You Reached Loch Lomond

Here we go for a second part for my series for Harry Styles! The fake-dating is upon us, and it's gonna be a wild ride! For now though, it remains calm and rather sweet.

I've chosen the spot for Cassie's wedding (as the title of the chapter proves), if you want an idea for the lodge where the family is staying, here is one of the places I used as an inspiration.

For now, we're getting things ready and planting some foreshadowing, but the trouble will really start in the next chapter, so enjoy some calm before the storm hahaha! I hope you like this chapter! No warning of any kind to be applied here (except mentions of ashtma... can that be triggering for someone?).

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Word Count: 3676

Holmes Chapel, 2002

That was the scariest thing you had ever seen.

Even Gemma's costume as a zombie at Halloween wasn't as scary.

You had been running around the street for a while, playing with your friends. You and Harry were playing with Melanie, Amanda and Daniel. It had turned from a hide and seek through the street to playing tag.

You had been running like crazy, and maybe even a little too much. You yourself were out of breath, your lungs begging for air and your legs growing sore as they tired out. But you were also laughing to the point where tears were starting to gather at the corner of yours eyes, so you didn't want to stop.

But then Harry slowed down, and slowed down some more, until he was stopping altogether. And as you turned to him to encourage him to keep on running to avoid Daniel catching you, your eyes grew round. His breathing was more than uneven: it was shallow and raw and hoarse, with a high whistling sound that escaped his lungs with each intake of breath. He bent over, hands on his knees in an effort to calm down.

It wasn't the first time that you saw him having asthma to that level, but it was still so scary to you.

Sometimes, the attack stopped with a few seconds of deep breaths, so you came to stand by his side, and soothingly rubbed his back.

"Hey, deep breaths! It's gonna be fine."

But this time, even with a little time, it didn't get better. And the more time passed, the more Harry was growing scared, making his breathing become even shallower. You realized quickly that this attack wasn't simply going to go away.

But after being friends with Harry for three years, you knew exactly what needed to be done.

Daniel, Amanda and Melanie, however, didn't have your experience dealing with Harry's asthma, and they seemed properly terrified as they caught up with the two of you.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Why can't he breathe?"

"What should we do?"

"We should get his mum!"

Before you could stop them and reassure them that you could handle it, the three of them were sprinting down the road towards Harry's house. But you didn't have time to worry about them, your best friend needed you now.

"Do you have your inhaler?" you asked him with a voice that was much calmer than what you really were.

He shook his head no, so you reached for your own. You always had one on you. One day, Harry didn't have pockets big enough on his trousers, and he had asked you to keep his. He had forgotten to take it back, and you had been carrying it ever since. When it expired, you asked Anne if you could keep one for him just in case. It was agreed that it would stay at your house for when he came over – which was whenever you weren't in his house – but it wasn't as hard for you to reach the upper shelf in your kitchen as your parents thought it would be.

And it was coming handy now, for sure.

You reached for the inhaler in the pocket of your jacket, shook it, opened it and forced Harry to stand straighter again.

"Come on! On three, you take a deep breath. You can do it! One!"

You approached the inhaler from his lips.

"Two!"

You forced the tip of the inhaler in his mouth and pressed on the top just as you were counting.

"Three!"

Harry took a deep inhale just as the gas in the inhaler flowed in his mouth, guiding it directly into his lungs. He staggered backwards a little as he started coughing.

"You need to take another, Harry. It's a big one. You need two. Come on!"

As soon as he wasn't coughing quite as much, you did the same thing all over again, and with two full puffs of medicine, Harry's breathing slowly evened out. The high whistling-like noise stopped, his breaths slowly grew less hoarse.

You helped him sit down as he was starting to be merely out of breath again.

And slowly, just as Harry calmed down, your own heart slowed down as well, relief washing over you. There was really nothing scarier than seeing Harry unable to breathe, after all, it wasn't your fault if your heart had sped up so much.

Just as you were putting the inhaler back in your pocket, you heard people running towards you. When you turned around, your three friends were hurrying towards you along with both your and Harry's mother.

"Harry! Are you okay?"

But your best friend nodded, a weak smile on his lips. Anne let herself fall by his side.

"What happened? Do you need your inhaler? Can you breathe okay?" she asked in a rushed voice, her own breath uneven after running up the street, taking his face in her hands to force him to look up at her.

"I gave him two doses already," you answered, making both adults frown.

"How…? He left his inhaler at home!"

"I have the one you left for him at my place. He always forgets his. It's safer if I always have one on me."

"How did you get it from the shelf?" your mother blurted out, but Anne didn't seem to really mind, she was back on focusing on Harry, who's breathing had evened out more.

"Are you mad at me?" you asked your mother with a shaky voice.

Harry's attention was pulled away from his mum's eyes by your tone, and he turned to look at your mother.

"She saved me. Don't punish her, please."

"Harry, how many times have I told you that you need to keep your inhaler with you at all times?" Anne admonished, and he sheepishly looked at the dark pavement. "Do you have any idea how scared I was?"

"'M sorry."

"Can you breathe alright now?"

"Yeah, it's gone. I'm fine."

She pulled him into a hug, heaving a relieved sigh as she ran her fingers through his curls. Your own mother bent down to be levelled with you.

"I'm not mad, because you did the right thing today. But next time, when we take a decision, stick to it. You should have come to fetch me or Anne. Okay?"

"But I knew how to do it. I knew how to help him!"

"Yes, and you did fine. But what if you had made a mistake? Did you think of that?"

"It's not because I'm eight that I'm stupid!"

"No, it's because you're eight that you're not old enough to have this kind of responsibility with other people's lives. Now, I wasn't mad at you, so don't make me mad now."

You nodded, choosing to bite your tongue this time.

Harry was soon back on his feet, despite his breathing still needing to be deeper than usual, but he would be fine. He shot you a bright smile.

"Thank you, Y/N. You were really looking out for me."

You giggled at his remark, shaking your head before nudging his arm with your elbow.

"Silly! I'll always take care of you."

Glasgow, 2020

"Let me help you with that, love."

You let Harry reach for your suitcase on the conveyor belt, placing it on the ground next to his with a little huff leaving his lips.

"Let's get a car. We shouldn't be more than 40 minutes away from the lodge," you proposed after thanking him, as you started dragging your suitcase through the large airport of Glasgow, and Harry agreed with a nod.

You waited for him to get the car, enjoying the chilly air of Scotland while you kept an eye on your luggage.

It felt good to be back in Britain. Cassie and Amy had decided to get married in Amy's homeland, and as you saw the pictures on the websites of the venue they had booked for the ceremony, you understood why. Loch Lomond seemed absolutely stunning, and you felt giddy as you waited for Harry to come back with a car. You couldn't wait to see your family again. You hadn't been back home since Christmas of the previous year, the plane tickets being desperately expensive. Besides, you were way too busy at work, about to start writing your thesis to get your PhD, and giving classes at the university. Actually, you were hoping to get some work on your manuscript done while you were here. You could picture yourself already with a warm blanket over your shoulders, a cup of tea in your hand, writing while admiring beautiful landscapes.

Harry pointed at a black SUV as he finally reappeared by your side.

"It's all settled. Let's go."

You put your luggage in the car, and Harry was designated as the driver while you were in charge of the maps. After all, after studying how maps had evolved throughout history for one of your classes back when you were still studying for your degree, it seemed only logical that you were best fitted for the job. Besides, Harry couldn't wait to get the chance to tease you about it if you got the two of you lost.

The ride was rather quiet until you left the airport and started to drive on the main road leading to Loch Lomond. It was only a 40 minutes-drive North-West of Glasgow, and you hoped that over the coming week you would have a little time to go for some sightseeing in the town as well.

You reckoned that the hardest part would be to locate the lodges, that didn't seem to be in a town of any kind, but rather right upon the shores of the loch. But for now, you were driving on a large road, in the right direction, and would be doing so for some time. So, you allowed yourself to relax and watch by the window the fields and trees passing by in a blurred rush. The yellow and green fields disappeared one after the other under the blue sky, bushes and trees painting darker hues here and there over the peaceful landscape.

"So… let's run everything one last time, shall we?" Harry suggested.

You nodded, leaving your eyes rested on the landscape instead of looking at the man by your side.

"We've been together for four months. So far, all good," you said, letting him go on in your stead.

"We decided to take our friendship to the next level after we confessed that we actually liked each other on an evening where we had both had too much to drink."

"That detail is ridiculous though, I don't think people will buy that."

"Why not?"

"I wouldn't get that drunk!"

"You've got properly drunk many times before, honey," Harry teased you, and you rolled your eyes at the pet name.

"We're not there yet, no need for that kind of names."

"I'm practicing!"

"You call me 'love' or 'darling' all the time already. You don't need to call me any differently."

"I call everyone that. I wouldn't call you like that all the time if we were together. I would call you 'babe', 'honey', 'my love', 'my darling', 'dove', 'lovie'…"

"Yes, okay, I get it."

Harry chuckled at your annoyed expression.

"Well, you'd better get used to it, because my mission is to shower you with love for a week."

"Pretend, Harry," you corrected him. "Pretend to be showering me with love. And you don't even have to do that, actually. You just have to act normal, and say that you're my boyfriend."

"If we were together, I wouldn't act the same when I'm around you," he replied after a short silence, his voice quieter.

"Whatever."

"They're gonna figure out we're lying!"

"Of course, they won't! Anyway, back to our little backstory. Which is ridiculous, by the way."

"Why is it ridiculous?" Harry protested with a deep frown and a pout. "It's completely plausible, on the contrary."

"If I had feelings for you, I wouldn't confess everything while drunk. I wouldn't let you kiss me while we were both drunk either. That's just not me at all!"

"Oh, yeah? And how would you do it, then?"

"I don't know…"

"Well, as you don't have a better story to sell, let's stick with the drunk theory."

You heaved a sigh, but had to agree.

"Then, we talked about it seriously, and we found out that we both felt like this."

"If your parents ask, we didn't spend the night together when we got drunk."

"Why not? We said we kissed."

"Your father will cut off my balls if he thinks that I've slept with you while we were both inebriated. Besides, I thought you knew me better than this, I would never sleep with someone who's not able to be certain they really want to do it. And if we did sleep together, I would want to make sure that you remember it the next morning."

You wanted to argue, but couldn't. Harry was right. Your parents would get mad at him for that, and you needed the three of them to get along as well as usual. You also didn't doubt any of his arguments.

Which reminded you of a tiny, wee detail that you hadn't yet presented to Harry…

"By the way, uhm… I… I might have not… told my parents… that you were the one coming with me…"

"What?! Y/N!"

"I know!"

"You were supposed to be the one telling them! You were supposed to get them to wrap their minds around the idea before we actually got there!"

"I know… but I… I couldn't…"

"We're fucked," Harry groaned, facepalming.

"No, we're not! It's gonna be fine. It will all be fine! We're going to have a great time, my cousin will get married and it will all go as planned."

"Why did I let you drag me into this?"

"For my grandma's cherries. It was easier to lur you here than for the wicked witch to fool Hansel and Gretel."

"Knowing that they both get devoured at the end of that story, perhaps that wasn't the best analogy you could come up with."

"The White Witch and the Turkish delights?"

"Edmund betrays his family!"

"But he doesn't get eaten!"

Harry couldn't refrain a laugh as he shook his head at you.

"You really have a special talent to get me into trouble, huh?" he laughed.

"You're the one who's always had a bad influence on me!"

"Who are you kidding?"

It was your time to laugh, resting your head against the seat while your smile lingered on your lips.

Despite all that you had to worry for, you felt happy. Happy to be in Scotland, and happy for your cousin, and happy to see your family, and happy to enjoy it all with your best friend.

Your next words passed your lips before you could think them through, but they were earnest, so you didn't regret them.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad you're here with me."

A tender smile formed on his lips, and he reached for your hand resting on your knee, giving your fingers a warm squeeze.

"I'm happy to be with you too, lambkin."

"Y/N!"

"CASSIE!"

You got almost tackled by your cousin the second your feet touch the ground as you climbed out of the car. Harry could only quietly chuckle at the scene, a fond smile on his lips.

"I've missed you so much!" she pouted. "Why did you have to go all the way to California?"

"I know. I've missed you too."

"I'm so glad you could come this week though, it wouldn't have been the same without you."

"I'm so happy to be here. It's gonna be amazing. And you're soon going to be married!"

"Dear God, don't remind me," she pulled away with a grin on her face. "Actually, please do remind me, cause I love the idea."

You both laughed, before she would turn to Harry, giving him one of her bear hugs too.

"Harry! You sneaky little thing! I knew you had a crush on Y/N, always had one! It was more than time that you made a move!"

Harry and you exchanged a quick glance, while he blushed and let out a nervous giggle.

"Well, you know me. I'm a slow one."

"Just took you… how long? Twenty years?"

"Give or take a few months, yeah, I guess," he ran his hand through his hair and let his fingers slip down to grab on the back of his neck.

"Well, look at you two!" she cooed, " you look so cute together! But you must be exhausted after your flight. Come on, I'll show your room!"

The lodge was set on the shores of the loch, and it was breathtaking. All around the quiet water, hills were covered with trees and forests. The blue sky matched the colour of the water it was reflected upon, a few clouds drifting leisurely far above. The leaves of the trees all around had just started to change their colours, green, yellow and timid orange shades mingling in an autumnal patchwork. There were a few tiny boats sailing across the loch, some people fishing during the clear afternoon, and if the air was chilly, the bright sun was enough to make it pleasant to stay outside.

From your room, you had a beautiful view directly on the loch. If you opened your window, you would only have to take but a few steps to dip your toes in the cold water.

It was magical.

"Cassie… this place is perfect for your wedding," you told her with a bright grin as you enjoyed the view of your bedroom. "You and Amy are going to have such a beautiful ceremony!"

"I know," your cousin nodded, with emotion making her voice a little shaky. "I'm so lucky to have found her. She and her family are arriving later this evening, I came ahead to get all my guests settled. We're so excited!"

You gave her another hug, before she would dry the tears that had gathered at the corner of her eyes.

"Alright, enough of that! I'm going to let you settle down, and then you can join us in the reception room. Your parents just arrived, Y/N, actually. They're getting ready too. Have you told them that you two are together now?"

Harry and you exchanged a glance.

"Not… really," Harry answered with a grimace.

"Oh… that… well, good luck with that." Cassie forced a smile as she spun around and walked out of the room, leaving the two of you alone.

"Yeah, I reckon we're going to need some luck indeed, or a miracle, at this point," Harry mumbled under his breath, sitting on the foot of the bed.

"Don't be like that," you nudged him as you let yourself fall by his side.

He heaved a sigh, taking a better look around the room, which was rather spacious. A large queen size bed was set at the centre, with a TV right in front of the large windows revealing the gorgeous sight over the loch. A door on the right side of the room led to the bathroom, the rest of the wall covered with a closet. On the left, there was a little table, a sofa and a couple of chairs. All the room was painted in deep blue and cream shades, that complimented perfectly the wall covered in driftwood around the windows.

Harry stood up to explore the closet, finding with ease some extra blankets. He grabbed a pillow and put it on the sofa with the blanket, making you frown.

"What are you doing?"

He raised an eyebrow, answering as if his actions were obvious.

"Well… I assumed that I would be taking the sofa. You want to leave me the bed?"

You hesitated for a couple of seconds, but then shook your head at him.

"Harry, we've been friends for over twenty years. I think we can share a bed."

"You sure?" he asked, visibly surprised.

"Wouldn't be the first time," you chuckled. "Try not to kick me out of it this time though, would you?"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"We were fourteen when that happened…"

"Still…"

"I mean… we haven't done that in a very long time," he went on, his tone wary and full of hesitation. "We were… we were much younger, then. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"I won't. It's alright. You sleeping on the couch would be ridiculous. Besides, the last time we did that, we were twenty, we were fully grown already," you laughed at the memory, remembering how you had both felt sore the next morning after sleeping in your tiny bed in Oxford. You hadn't minded your painful limbs though, Harry coming to visit you while you were busy studying at university was all that mattered.

He grinned as he remembered the night as well, and he tried to hide the blush that blossomed over his cheeks.

"Yeah… my back remembers it!"

"Would you feel uncomfortable if we shared the bed?"

"I don't think so. I mean… it's a pretty large bed. There's room for both of us."

"Come on then, bring back your pillow. As long as we both wear pyjamas, I don't feel like it would be awkward."

"I did not plan on sleeping naked with you in the room, even if I stayed on the sofa," he replied, rolling his eyes at you.

"And I'm grateful for that," you laughed at him.

After unpacking some of your belongings, you were ready to step out of the bedroom.

Harry took a deep breath, reaching for the doorknob.

"Are you ready?" he asked you in a tender tone.

You gave him a warm smile.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's face my parents."

With a nod, Harry opened the door, and you walked across the building to find your family, about to announce who your mysterious boyfriend was.

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

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blissfulparker · 4 years

Text

12 days of Christmas Day.6

Summary→ when tom plans on proposing to you Christmas day and comes back 12 days before, what happens when untold feelings come back up

Warnings→none

A/n→this is kinda late and I’m sorry! I won’t be active next week because of finals, maybe every now and then but I’m gonna spend the majority of my time studying but once December 23 hits I will be back on track and be ready to write so much for you guys🥰💞✨💓

Six days until Christmas. Six days until tom's plan was a reality, six days until your life changed. Six—

“Babe? I do the frosting that’s in the fridge correct?” Tom snapped you out of you thoughts as you spent the early morning of the six day preparing for a Christmas party with your friends. He holds up a bag of blue frosting you put in the fridge to save, the homemade ones that aren’t too sweet and that everyone likes.

Hot coco in front of you, Christmas tree lit up in the living room, few presents under there but most of the ones you and tom got are in your room under your own little tree, Tessa lays by your side looking up as her daddy asked you a question, everything was beautiful.

“Yes, green for the trees, blue of the snowflakes, and just let me do the reindeer!” You snap out of your thoughts and answer him and he nods giving a small ‘perfect’ as he does what he needs to do.

You are wrapping presents as Tom is making the cookies. He was at least attempting to make cookies since he couldn’t exactly wrap. Tom never learned how to properly wrap up presents, he never learned how to fold each side and sometimes he asked why he couldn’t just put it in a bag. You loved every part, picking the paper, wrapping the gift, making everything as pretty as you could.

“How many people tonight?” He asked over the music that played gently from the kitchen, a soft melody of Christmas songs you compiled into a Spotify list.

“Uhh, 10? I think?” You call out and he nods.

Tom comes out of the kitchen and wipes his hands on the apron as he wraps his arms around you. He kisses your cheek as he watches your fingers take the take to finish up the gift.

Kisses during the winter we’re always a bit softer. You never knew why. The feeling of his cold chapped lips against your skin, it felt like a snowflake caressing your cheek. His skin was always a bit colder against your lips too, his freckles go into hiding and his cheeks become a soft rose red. Sometimes, if you kissed just under his jaw, his whole face would rose red.

“You feeling okay?” He mumbled against your cheek noticing you a little off. You allow him to keep kissing until his lips get tired, which with Tom they never do.

“I’m feeling fine, just a little tired.” You lie, you don’t mean to buy you can’t let tom you know and you can’t get over the way Harrison is acting. You can’t get over that it’s the end of the year and your whole entire life is changing.

“You feel a little warm are you sure there is nothing I can help with?” He offers know sometimes you can get slightly stressed this time of year because everyone encourages you to be the holiday spirit they need. Even if you don’t feel much like the holiday spirit yourself.

“I’m okay I swear.” You rub his forearm and he gives a soft sympathetic look.

“Can we open one present now please?” You beg changing the subject and also wanting that ring on your finger now. You want to see the cut, the Diamond he chose, the sparkle it produces in the light and how it will paint a perfect picture on your finger.

You hate that you know the surprise but you want to see the ring, have him put it on and kiss your hand carefully telling you how you’re now his wife. Talking about a wedding all Christmas Day and holding hands by the fire.

“Whatever happened to your tradition of only one on Christmas Eve? And then everything else in Christmas morning?” He asked with a furrowed brow look and you roll your eyes at your own silly little tradition. One small gift on Christmas Eve to only anticipate the morning.

“We can do that when we have kids but Christmas Eve this year it's my turn to get drunk.” You look at him and he makes a face. Every single year at his parents house, he has a little bit too much. he’s only having fun with the boys and has one too many beers before singing out any Christmas song that played on the radio. He then cuddles up and falls asleep on your lap with gentle snores leaving his lips as you have to be the one to wake him up and go home.

“I didn’t know we were taking turns.” He laughs and you nod.

“Yup, and now it’s my turn to be at your mums and get drunk and cry over Christmas movies.” You tease him and kiss his forearm that’s still around you.

“I don’t cry over Christmas movies!” He defends and you laugh. Last year, you had put on the Grinch, Tom sat through the first half with tears in his eyes. He wiped tears and hid into your shoulder not wanting to hear it from his brother.

“Tom, you cried over the Grinch last year. Sam has a video of it.” You laugh and he makes is signature Holland pout face.

“Anyways!” He wants to move on from his embarrassment. “What present do you want to open so badly?” He asked and you lean your head back against his chest.

“The little box, please?” You beg reaching for his hands to hold and he shakes his head.

“No, that’s a good one. Pick something else.” He plays a little smirk against his lips, the anxiety filling him up as he is excited you’re excited. You huff knowing that you’re not gonna get to see the ring sooner although He can’t wait to slip the ring on your finger.

“Okay, What about the one that’s rectangle and looks like clothes.” You say and he gives you a look.

“That was fast.” He laughs at how quickly you figured out which ones are clothes. You play with his fingers and shrug.

“Everyone knows boxes are clothes tom! Everyone!” You laugh with him as you now get up to press your full body against him. “I’ll let you open one of yours.” You wrap your arms around his waist trying to tease him enough to make him crack. But Tom was extremely hard to crack, he was an actor after all.

“Let’s just wait until Christmas Eve.” He rubs your back and you nod. “Then our kids can do the same.” He smiles at how you said you wanted kids earlier.

“Could you imagine a Christmas with a baby Holland? God you’re gonna spoil that kid I already know it.” You tease tom and he nods.

“They’re gonna be my little angel what do you expect?” He laughs and you listen to his heart.

“Nothing more than what you are willing to give.” You press a kiss on that special place under his jaw. His face goes soft rose red and you faintly taste frosting, maybe it was just the aroma of it as it attached to his skin. Whatever it was made him taste like a soft winter evening.

“I’ve gotta...finish up those cookies don’t I?” He tried not to get distracted by your kiss, knowing if he starts now he will never stop. Knowing that once his lips attach to yours he will be connected to them all night.

You find yourself sitting back in your chair, picking up a new present for Christmas Eve. One you got for Sam and his girlfriend for their new house they were so excited to share.

“Will Amanda be coming tonight?” He called out from the kitchen and you stop your movements as to why he suddenly cares. You weren’t the jealous type, no, it’s just you knew Amanda was very persuasive. Everything she said rolled off the tip of her tongue in such a seducing way. You knew she could easily put stuff in Toms head about you and Harrison. She’d lie a lot for the most part, maybe exaggerated the truth but she would love nothing more than to see you and Tom crumble apart.

“Not quite sure, I’ll text Haz to double check.” You reach for your phone but Tom already jogged over to his and picked it up.

“No need, I’m already on it.” He messages Haz in a heartbeat not really wanting the two of you to talk until he figures things out. He wanted to know the deeper meaning to why everything was so awkward, why he couldn’t figure any of this out.

You didn’t say anything except kept wrapping. Knowing your ideal traditional Christmas dinner would be happening where you all sat down, had a well cooked dinner, shared beers, watched movies, and last year you even put the fireplace to use.

Although this year it wasn’t going to be all smiles and apple cider, this year it was going to be a little different with Amanda and haz in the mix, a little different with knowing tom was going to propose, it was all going to be changed a bit.

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etherealwaifgoddess · 4 years

Text

Run To You - Chpt.5

Summary: Bucky & Steve’s date has some unintended consequences forcing Bucky to make some hard decisions. Master list is HERE :)

Content Warnings: Attempted child abduction. Emphasis on ATTEMPTED. Becca will be fine ya’ll.

Word Count: 5.5k

Author’s Note: Hello lovelies! Remember last chapter where I was like “oh hey enjoy this unusually large chapter”? Well, I went to write a normally sized chapter and my hand slipped. Whoops! Enjoy another giant beast chapter lovelies! And don’t hate me for the angst!! I promise this fic has a happy ending, it’s just a long road to get there. XOXO - Ash

Chapter Five

Bucky wakes to bright light streaming in his bedroom window and Becca sitting on top of him. “Wake up sleepy head!” she chirps, shoving his shoulder as hard as she can.

“Whoa, calm it down little miss.” Bucky grumbles.

“I’m gonna be late!”

Bucky looks over at the alarm clock and realizes she’s right. “Shit.”

“Bad word!!”

“Becca!” Bucky snaps and instantly regrets it. “Quieter, bug. Please. Come on, let’s get moving.”

Bucky hurries Becca through her morning routine, grabbing her tiny backpack and breakfast on their way out the door. Bucky knows he’s a mess, hair sloppily thrown up in a bun, sweatpants and a hoodie because he just can’t take the time to find real clothes. He doesn’t even bother to throw on his prosthetic. Becca nibbles at her string cheese and mini muffins as they hustle down the busy city sidewalks to her school, just finishing as they round the last corner. He gives her a quick hug and kiss before she runs into the building screeching hello to the teacher at the door. The teacher gives Bucky an odd look that he chalks up to him looking like a hot mess and he gives her a small wave and terse smile in return.

It’s early yet and Bucky doesn’t have to worry about work for a few more hours so he decides to splurge and stop for coffee and a breakfast sandwich on his walk home. One treat won’t hurt and he’s still holding on to the warm feeling in his chest from last night’s date with Steve. Waiting in line a few other people give Bucky strange looks and he wonders how rough of shape he’s in. He prays there isn’t a giant rip on his clothes or something but after a discrete check he doesn’t think that’s the case. Just a weird morning then.

The hoodie actually comes in handy once Bucky realizes he can’t carry both a sandwich and his coffee when he’s down an arm. Tucking the sandwich in his hoodie pouch, he sips the pumpkin spice latte slowly enjoying the sweet fall flavors on his way home. His phone starts chirping at him but with no free hand Bucky is forced to ignore it until he gets back to the apartment. It was going off earlier too and he figures who ever needs him so damn bad can just wait five more minutes.

Bucky stretches out on the sofa to enjoy his breakfast, throwing on a random movie from his queue, when he finally looks at his phone. He wonders if the world is ending and he missed it somehow. Eight missed calls from Steve, two voicemails, and four texts. Two calls from Natasha, one voicemail, and two texts. Three texts from Clint.

Natasha wants to know if he’s seen the news, if he’s okay, and what she can do to help.

Clint also asks if he’s okay and tells him he’s an ass for not sharing the deets.

Steve asks him repeatedly to call him, frantically apologizing in between.

Still confused and becoming increasingly worried, Bucky brings up the news on his phone and finds his own face on the front page. The picture is from the night before, he and Steve walking back to his place with Becca on Steve’s shoulders. They look so happy that it tugs at Bucky’s heartstrings before the realization of what this means sinks in. He shoots a quick text to Natasha assuring her that he’s fine and he’ll catch up with her tonight. Clint gets two emojis in response: a thumbs up and the middle finger. Steve, he actually calls back. The blonde had sounded so worried in his voicemails.

“Bucky, thank god.” Steve blurts out in lieu of hello.

“Well good morning to you too.” Bucky jokes.

“Are you okay? Is Becca okay?”

“Yeah, Steve, we’re good. I just dropped Becca off a preschool. I don’t know what you’re worried about, it was a normal morning outside of a few funny looks. But honestly that was probably me going out looking like a hobo because I overslept.”

“Buck…” Steve falters, “It won’t be long ‘til they figure out who you are. We can keep the press at bay here in the tower but you’re going to have some serious issues as soon as a reporter gets your name. You and Becca could come stay here for a bit or I can have a security team allocated to you both until the news dies down.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down a minute. We don’t need security and I’m not dragging Becca to Manhattan just because some dudes with cameras may or may not come pester us. We’ll be okay.”

“I’m just worried about you guys. You didn’t sign on for the shit storm that’s blowing up right now. I’m so sorry, Buck.”

“Actually, I did.” Bucky points out, “I’m not stupid, Steve. I knew what I was signing on for the minute we started talking. It’s gonna be okay, nothing lasts forever and Becca is a resilient kid.”

Steve is quiet for a long moment, trying to compose himself to say what he knows he needs to say. “If you need to take some time apart until this all dies down…” he chokes up and lets the sentence lie.

“No.” Bucky’s voice is firm. “I’m not running on you again. We’re gonna deal with this together.”

“Okay,” Steve sighs heavily in relief, “I’m going to be tied up today doing interviews. Apparently there’s no hiding the fact that I’m bisexual now. It’s funny that I’ve never tried to hide it but the news is claiming I’ve been ‘publicly outed’ by the tabloids. I’m not going to say a whole lot about you, about us. I don’t want to speak for you or anything. But if you’re okay with it, I would like to confirm that I’m in a relationship and that I care about you very much.”

“Aww, you big sap. Yeah, of course that’s fine.”

“Can I call you later when I have time?”

“I’m working tonight but I’ll have a chance for a quick break around 10pm.”

“I’ll talk to you then. If you need anything, I mean it Buck, anything, just call me. I’ll pick up on national TV if I have to.”

Bucky rolls his eyes and hopes Steve can feel his exasperation through the phone lines. “Get going, ya punk. You have a country full of conservatives to horrify with your secret homosexual agenda.”

Steve laughs, the first bit of happiness he’s had since waking up to the news. “Will do.” he says quickly and hangs up before his overly dramatic heart can blurt out something terribly stupid like I love you. He pushes down the tender, fledgling emotion, knowing it’s too fast but feeling the gentle flutters nonetheless.

Natasha arrives at Bucky’s apartment a full hour early that night so he can get her caught up while making dinner for her and Becca, while Becca watches an episode of Wonder Pets in the living room. Natasha apparently watched a few interview clips of Steve’s and teases Bucky over how completely smitten they both are. It’s nice and normal, the teasing and banter over a new relationship with his best friend. It makes him think Steve really was just being overly concerned with his fears.

It’s a blessedly slow night at the ER and no one seems to recognize Bucky as he hops from one patient to the next, getting people stabilized and ready to be seen by one of the doctors on shift. When Steve calls at ten he sounds better than he had that morning. He’s exhausted from the media circus but pleased that he was able to get the story out in his own words. He asked for privacy for all their sakes but knows it won’t last long. Bucky continues to assure him that they’ll handle things as they come and to not worry. Steve can’t help but feel like it’s the calm before the storm.

The calm only lasts until 2am. Dr. Strange pulls Bucky out of a patient room, pushing Darcy in to take his place and dragging him down the hall to the staff break room. “What the hell?” Bucky demands once the door is shut.

Strange’s face is grim, “There are currently fifteen reporters in the lobby all asking if you’re working and if anyone has a statement they’d like to make.”

Bucky’s stomach drops, “Fuck.”

“Yes, fuck indeed. I’ve already made some calls and the police are on their way to clear house. We don’t expect that to last however. HR is willing to give you the rest of this week off, paid, while we sort out protocol for this sort of thing. Amanda will call you tomorrow to talk details once the board meets and decides what we can do to protect both you and our patients. We obviously can’t have reporters milling around every time you work.”

Bucky doesn’t even know what to say.

“If you want to go gather your things, Paul in security will escort you out the back away from the reporters.”

“Okay,” Bucky agrees, because really what else can he do?

Darcy catches up with him as he’s packing up his locker, “They’re sending you home?” she cries, pulling him into a hug.

Bucky nods numbly, “Rest of the week, yeah. They have to, there’s too much going on right now. It’s paid at least.”

“Well that’s something.” Darcy concedes. “How are you getting home? It’s a madhouse out there.”

“Paul’s gonna have me go out the back. I’ll be okay.”

“Call me if you need me.” she insists, giving him another tight hug.

Bucky promises he will and then follows the kindly old security guard through the maze of hospital halls and outside.

The air is bitter cold and Bucky’s thankful for his heavy jacket as he hurries down the mostly empty streets home. Natasha is tapping away on her laptop when he arrives. She does cyber security work and swears she gets most of her work done after midnight anyway. It works out well when he needs help on his overnight shift rotations.

“What happened?” she demands and slams the lid of her laptop down.

Bucky shucks off his jacket and joins Natasha on the sofa. “Reporters showed up at the hospital, like a lot of them. Strange was on tonight, thank god, he’s a tough son of a bitch and he wasn’t putting up with crap from anyone. They snuck me out the back while the cops got rid of the reporters.”

“But what about tomorrow? Is this gonna affect your job?”

Bucky shrugs, trying to ignore the low level fear humming in his veins over that exact concern. “I honestly don’t know. HR is gonna call me tomorrow once they figure out ‘protocol’ for this. Somehow Strange got them to give me the rest of the week off with pay. I don’t even know what I’m going to do with myself for the next six days.”

Natasha raises an eyebrow, surprised and happy for him. “I vote catching up on your Netflix queue and being a lazy ass. You never take a break, Bucky. And you of all people deserve one. Maybe go spend some more time with that gorgeous boyfriend of yours. Some kid-free time, if you know what I mean.” She wiggles her eyebrows until Bucky throws a pillow at her. She ducks easily, laughing. “I’m just saying! It’s been a long time since he-who-shall-not-be-named.”

Bucky bristles at the mention of his ex. He should have seen Brock for the piece of shit he was, but he’d missed it at first, too wrapped up in the bliss of a new relationship. In the end, Brock’s true colors had come out and Bucky had ended things before it could become even more toxic than they already become. He sighs, pushing the ugly memories away. “It hasn’t been that long. And you’re forgetting Micah from the hospital cafe.”

“It’s been four years since him. And Micah doesn’t count. That was a year ago and it didn’t go past a lunch date where he, and I quote, kissed you like a St. Bernard.”

Bucky shudders at the memory. “Okay, so it’s been a while. Maybe I will go see Steve one day while Becca’s at school.”

“That’s more like it!” Natasha cheers quietly, cautious to not disturb Becca. “So, do you want company or should I scoot and let you get some rest?”

“I love you for offering but I just wanna crash. If I can get a few hours now I’ll be able to get back on daytime hours easier.”

“Love you too.” Natasha leans over to hug him before packing up her stuff and heading out.

It was a crazy day but as Bucky climbs into bed, he’s still resolved that it’s going to be okay again soon.

Bucky is groggy when his alarm goes off at 7am but it’s better than he would have been if he hadn’t gotten any sleep. Becca is thrilled that he’s home and even more so when he tells her that he’ll be home the rest of the week. They make plans over breakfast for things they can do after she gets out of school since they have all the time in the world now. Bucky compromises with one quick park trip, which he cringes thinking about but he’ll just have to pack her inhaler and make sure she takes breaks, two trips to the library, and one night they’ll grab dinner at the neighborhood diner for their kids eat free night.

The week flies by and Bucky gets the all clear on Thursday to return the following Sunday once the hospital is able to put additional security in place. He’s thankful they’re not just letting him go to avoid all the hassle but several nurses and doctors apparently made their opinions loud and clear that he was worth the additional security measures. Bucky is eternally grateful for his coworkers and makes plans to take in a tray of thank you brownies on his first shift back.

A second round of good news comes in a few hours later; Steve is back early from his latest mission. They make plans for the following day, unwilling to wait any longer to see one another again. Steve will be, in theory, just hanging around the tower wrapping up some post-mission paperwork from earlier in the week so he’ll be able to take most of the day to show Bucky around the tower and spend time with him. He also offered to take them all to The Met after Becca gets out of school and Bucky said he’ll consider it. It’s a little extravagant, but something about picking her up together and going on an outing tugs at his heartstrings. It’s so perfectly domestic, like a real family would do. Bucky tries to ignore the longing he feels for something he’s never let himself consider before.

There’s a lone reporter lingering outside his apartment when Bucky heads out to pick up Becca from school. There were a lot the first two days but their numbers dropped off drastically when they realized he really wasn’t all that interesting. “Hey man.” Bucky gives the reporter a little wave. He has to give the guy credit for determination. “Still not going to do anything interesting, sorry.”

The reporter huffs a laugh, “Ya never know!”

Bucky laughs in return and heads off, trying to ignore the fact that the man is following him a few steps back. He gives the guy a few more days before he gives up too. Bucky is a single parent with a full time job, he doesn’t have the time to do anything interesting.

Rounding the corner to Becca’s school he spies the little girl talking to a man in a long beige wool coat. The man is tall and thin with greying hair and wire framed glasses. His appearance screams of wealth in a way that would make him fit right in as a parent of someone at the school, but something is off and Bucky steps up his pace. Becca hasn’t spotted him yet but he hears the man ask “Your daddy is friends with Captain America isn’t he?”

Becca, all proud smiles, informs him, “He’s my brother, not my daddy. And Captain America is his boyfriend.”

“Isn’t that nice. Hey, I have something you can give your brother for me, okay? Can you be a big helper? It’s right over here.” Becca looks unsure so the man smiles brightly and takes her hand, leading her down the sidewalk away from the school. A black van pulls up at the end of the block, a door swinging open and the man hurries her along.

Bucky screams Becca’s name and breaks out into a full run. Icy fear consumes him, driving him to move faster than he ever has before. Please God no, please, don’t let them take my baby girl.

The reporter realizes what’s going on and sprints right along with Bucky. They collide with the man and Becca at the same time. The reporter tackles the man, pinning him to the ground, leaving Bucky to grab Becca and roll to the ground shielding her in his arms. A teacher runs over with her phone out yelling “The police are on their way!” to them.

The man writhes underneath the reporter, trying to free himself while looking panickedly at the van. The van door slides shut and then the vehicle flies off with screeching tires. Once it’s out of sight the man lays his head back on the pavement in defeat.

“Just stay put buddy.” the reporter grumbles.

Now that Becca is safe Bucky is filled with a depth of rage he didn’t even realize he was capable of. Somebody tried to snatch his baby girl right in broad daylight. Bucky checks her over one more time before passing her off to the teacher who’s still holding on the line for 911.

Bucky stalks over to where the reporter still has the man pinned. His movements are predatory, his voice low, practically a grow, when he demands, “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

The reporter just stares at the man, also waiting for an answer.

“I am one of many.”

Bucky shakes his head. God, he just wants to punch this guy in his smug face. “Fine. Who do you work for?”

“Cut off one head and two more take its place.”

“I’m getting real sick of riddles and I still got at least two minutes before the cops show. Last time, asshole. Who the fuck do you work for and why do you want my kid?”

“The child, or you, it matters not. Either will get us the captain. We are everywhere. We will come again, and we will succeed. Hail Hydra.” The man crunches down on something and within seconds he’s foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolling lifeless back in his head.

Bucky looks to Becca, thankful the teacher is shielding her away from what took place. Ice cold fear runs in his veins. He knew there could potentially be a risk dating Steve, but it was an abstract sort of knowledge. Up until minutes ago he’d thought the only real concern was pesky reporters. Most of which, he has to admit, are actually good people just trying to make a living. A real threat, a fucking terrorist threat, is something he’d never really put much thought into. That name too: Hydra. Everyone knows of the Nazi group who Captain America has been trying to destroy since the 40s. A threat from them is very, very real.

The cops arrive and start dispersing the crowd that’s formed. It seems like forever until they’ve taken statements from everyone and the body is removed. Becca holds up as well as a four year old can trying to answer the police man’s questions, and Bucky fills in gaps as he can. They take his statement too and let him know they can provide a security detail if he wants. The officer looks sheepish but also recommends he call Steve because Shield and the Avengers can likely provide better security than the NYPD can. Bucky thanks the officer and agrees to call Steve as soon as possible.

Becca is shaking so hard by the time they head home that Bucky scoops the little girl up to carry her the whole way. Two uniformed officers follow them back and do a full sweep of the apartment just to err on the side of caution. Buck appreciates the security but as he stands in his too quiet apartment he realizes he can’t do this every day. He adopted Becca to give her a better life and now he’s put her in more danger than she ever would have been in being raised by their parents. All because some small part of him still held on to the hope that there was someone out there that he could love and would love him back wholeheartedly and forever. That despite his upbringing, he could have a perfect family of his own one day. Bucky feels painfully childish that his pathetic longing for a partner had almost cost him his sister.

Ever the responsible parent, Bucky stifles the emotions whirling in his chest and puts on a good front for Becca’s sake. She falls asleep halfway through Frozen II and Bucky doesn’t even bother trying to wake her. He knows there’s no fighting the adrenaline crash she’s feeling. His own crash will be equally brutal when it comes, but for now it’s still nowhere in sight. Bucky is too keyed up, restless and desperately trying to find a solution that keeps all of them safe and happy. He drags a cup of coffee and a blanket out onto the fire escape where he sits to watch the sun drop lower and lower among the roof tops. He’s almost finished his drink when a knock sounds on the door.

The security detail is supposed to be vetting anyone going near his apartment so the odds are good it’s someone he knows, but it doesn’t stop him from slipping a kitchen knife into his hand on the way to the door. Peering through the peephole Bucky sees red hair, black leather, and a very pissed off Natasha. “Let me in.” she says, it sounds like a warning.

Bucky opens the door and stands out of the way. It’s not worth arguing with Natasha when she gets like this.

“You turned off your phone.” She comments without emotion.

Bucky nods. “I don’t want to deal with it right now.”

Natasha follows him as he heads to the kitchen to return the knife, seemingly pleased by his caution. “By it, you mean Steve.”

“Amongst other things.”

“You know I’m here for you. Whatever you need, just name it.”

“That’s just it, I don’t know. I keep coming to the same answer and I hate it, Nat. I just… I can’t do this to Becs.” Bucky’s voice cracks on the little girl’s name and Natasha wraps her best friend into a tight hug.

“You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”

“I don’t even know how to do what I want to do. I’m sure it’s not nearly as easy as movies make it out to be.”

“Let me help. You and Becca mean the world to me. Whatever it is we’ll figure it out together.”

Bucky sighs heavily, still leaning on Natasha. “We need to disappear.”

Natasha goes still, “Are you sure?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know. I can’t think of any other way to keep her safe. Even if I break up with Steve, Hydra can still use us as leverage. Feelings don’t just disappear... But people can.”

“Okay. Give me four hours.” Natasha pulls back and starts texting rapidly on a small cell phone Bucky has never seen before.

“What the fuck, Nat.”

“Working in cyber security has some perks.” She shrugs.

“I don’t think it’s normally supposed to have those kinds of perks.”

“Well, it depends on who you’re keeping secure.” Nastaha’s smile is cheshire.

“Damn. Okay, then. What do you need me to do?”

“Stay put. I’d say try to get some sleep but I know you won’t. Pack a duffel bag for each of you. No more than that, I mean it. Think in terms of what you absolutely can’t leave behind, this is not packing for vacation. You can buy basic stupid shit when you get where you’re going. Two outfits and whatever else you can’t leave that fits in two duffels. Got it?”

“Okay, got it.”

“Oh, and your phone. You won’t be needing that anymore.”

Bucky holds the phone out but doesn’t let go. “I have all of Becs’ baby pictures on there.”

Natasha gives him an understanding smile. “I’ll move them all to an online cloud storage site. You won’t lose a single one.”

Bucky releases the phone. “Thanks, Nat.”

Natasha hugs him tightly again. “Four hours. Be ready.”

And with that Bucky is left alone in his living room in shock. He supposes he shouldn’t be all that surprised. Natasha has always been a badass. He used to joke she was really a Russian spy and their friendship was just a cover for her real identity. Bucky now wonders now how close to the truth he might have been.

Four hours later, down to the minute, Natasha is striding through his door once again, a large envelope tucked under her arm. There’s no warm welcome or pleasantries, Natasha has her game face on and Bucky is still too rattled to try for levity. Spreading the papers out on the coffee table Natasha organizes everything quickly. “Birth certificates, immigration paperwork, social security cards, school records, medical records, a resume with work history and references, and a quick life history fact sheet for both of you.” She places a wallet from her pocket onto the table as well, flipping it open quickly to show him it’s fully filled with cards, cash, and an ID card.

Bucky scans over the documents, unable to believe she had pulled this off so quickly and how real everything looked. “Sebastian Stan?” he asks, nose wrinkling.

Natasha nods, “Yep, you’re Romanian. You moved here with your daughter Elena when she was two months old. Your wife died in childbirth and so you brought her here to start over.”

He spies the address on the drivers license. “Rochester? Is that where we’re actually going?”

“No, of course not. You and your daughter have recently moved to Cape Elizabeth, Maine. That’s where you’re headed. You’ll be happy to know their local urgent care center is looking for a new triage nurse. The pay is pretty good and it’ll be enough to cover rent for the cute little apartment that you just put a down payment on.” Natasha pulls something from her pocket, it’s flesh colored and rolled up tightly. She hands it over with a simple, “Here, you’ll need this too. Don’t want that guy drawing too much attention to you.”

Bucky stares at the silicone sleeve, realizing it’s a perfect fit for his prosthetic. The details are down to an art, from light arm hairs and tiny freckles. It’s soft enough too that as long as you don’t grasp it very hard, it’ll feel shockingly similar to his right arm. “Damn. You don’t miss a thing, do you?”

“Of course not. Who do you think you’re dealing with?” Natasha glares at him affectionately.

Bucky chuckles, of course she’s the best at this. She’s been the best at everything since the day they met. “What happens to Bucky and Becca Barnes then?” he’s afraid to ask but he needs to know.

“They got on a flight to Moscow two hours ago. There’s a few nice security officers and cab drivers who will all verify they were sighted leaving the airport about eight hours from now.”

“That works for the rest of the world, but what happens if Steve goes looking? He has an awful lot of friends in high places.”

“Steve isn’t going to go looking right now. And even if he did, the alibi will hold up. Trust me.”

A tiny piece of Bucky’s heart shatters that Steve would just let him go so easily.

Natasha recognizes the look on his face and quickly adds, “He called you non stop after the news broke. Sent you dozens of texts too. You very nearly had the full force of SHIELD and the Avengers on your doorstep if it wasn’t for Tony Stark.”

“What happened?”

“Tony convinced Steve that if you weren’t calling or responding that he was as good as dumped. The rumor mill always hinted their relationship was strained but Tony really is good at kicking Steve when he’s down and Tony played his cards right on this one. Steve has been holed up in his apartment all night, he’s not doing too great.”

It kills Bucky to know he’s putting Steve through this pain, but he’s firm in his decision. He’d be more disappointed in himself but he’s too tired. Things got tough and he’s doing exactly what he’s been doing since he was a kid to protect himself: he’s running. “How do you even know all this?” Bucky asks, realizing Natasha shouldn’t have this level of detail on the goings on at the tower.

“I hacked into the security feed at Avengers Tower. Jarivs was a handful but not more than I could handle. Tony Stark is brilliant but he’s also arrogant, and that’s his downfall.”

“You are, without a doubt, the scariest person I’ve ever met. I’m gonna miss you.” Bucky can’t hold back the tears at the thought of leaving Natasha behind.

“What do you mean, miss me? You went to college with Natalie Rushman, you’re even Instagram friends. You haven’t seen me in a few years but we still keep in touch regularly.” Natasha brings out yet another little black phone he’s never seen and shows him Natalie’s Instagram account.

“How many of those little phones do you have tucked up your sleeve?” he teases.

“The world will never know.” she quips in return. “I do need to go though.” she adds in a more serious tone.

Bucky nods, he knew this was coming. He can’t get words past the lump in his throat.

“You have a train to catch in about forty minutes. That one will take you as far as Boston and there’s more tickets from there. Try and get some rest, you’ll be getting into town in Maine around eight in the morning.”

“I’ve gone longer without sleep pulling doubles at the hospital, this won’t be nearly as bad.”

Natasha gives him a half hearted smile, “You’re all set then.”

Bucky pulls her in for one last hug. “I’ll message Natalie when we arrive.”

“Mmm, yes. Sebastian would definitely snap a pic of his new hometown when he arrives. I’ve heard it’s very Insta-worthy.” Tears shine in Natasha’s eyes but they don’t fall. She swallows thickly. “Be safe.”

“You too.” Bucky manages to croak out through the overwhelming tide of emotions. He holds her for one last heartbeat before she slips out the door like a ghost.

Bucky goes through all the documents Natasha left behind and finds a thin red iPhone in the stack. There’s a post-it note stuck on top warning “do not activate until after you are on the second train”. So much for keeping himself occupied while he waits. In the end he spends most of the time pacing around the apartment and double checking his bags. He checks the time again, making sure he’s down to the final few minutes when he finally goes to get a sleeping Becca from her bed. She barely stirs as he carefully slides her into her warm purple jacket and slips socks and shoes on her feet. He slings her over his shoulder and collects the two duffels with his free hand. It’s a little jarring to see tan skin where he’s used to seeing shiny steel but he appreciates that Natasha thought of everything.

He worries momentarily about the security detail outside his apartment but quickly realizes they’re distracted helping an elderly woman catch her escaped pomeranian who’s barking up a storm. It’s a good diversion, one clearly planned out. Bucky holds on tightly to Becca and all but runs down the hall to the stairwell. He doesn’t slow down until he’s two blocks away and he realizes he really did escape without being sighted. Slowing his pace to a normal New York hustle, he heads towards the train station and to their new lives.

#stucky #stucky fanfic #steve rogers x bucky barnes #non winter soldier bucky barnes #captain america steve rogers #shrunkyclunks #parent!bucky #nurse!bucky #becca barnes #kid!becca barnes

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razieltwelve · 3 years

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Sheep Dragon Developer Notes #1 – Writing a Collection

Unlike the books in the main part of The Unconventional Heroes Series, The Sheep Dragon and The Hungry Dragon Cookie Company are collections of short stories. Writing a collection of short stories can be a very different process to writing a single full-length story. In this post, I’d like to talk about some of the things I considered while putting together The Sheep Dragon. I’ll start off with some general comments before getting into the specifics. Naturally, the latter will involve some degree of spoilers, so it’ll be hidden behind a ‘read more’ line.

Simply put, a collection of short stories generally works best when it’s not simply a group of totally unconnected stories thrown together, so you can pad out your word count. Readers have expectations, and failing to meet these expectations can result in disappointment for both the reader and the writer.

Imagine you’re a reader. You buy a book, and the first few short stories are all high fantasy. You’re feeling pretty happy… and then the rest of the book turns out to be hard science fiction. Yeah. You’re probably not going to be the happiest person in the world. If you bought the book thinking the whole thing would be high fantasy, having it suddenly become something else would be very disappointing. Likewise, imagine buying a collection of short stories where the first few stories are all happy-go-lucky light-hearted tales… and then the last few are just unrelenting tales of utter brutality and horror. Again, you’re probably not going to be very happy about it.

Many of the best collections of short stories are thus designed around themes, genres, or overarching stories. This gives the reader what they want while allowing the individual stories to each support each other. A good example of this would be humour. Getting someone to laugh can be hard, but if you’ve already gotten someone in a good mood, it’s a lot easier. Putting funny stories together can often amplify how amusing readers find them. In a similar manner, anthologies of horror short stories can work very well because reading chilling tale after chilling tale can really add another level of creepiness to each story.

However, there’s more to putting together a collection of short stories than simply ensuring they all fit together in some way (e.g., genre, themes, etc.). You also have to consider how the stories are arranged. That is, which story goes first, which story goes second, and so on. This can be more important than you think.

The first story in a collection often sets the tone of the entire collection. If you lead off with a very dour, serious story, then all of the stories are going to be judged against that standard. That story will also set the reader’s expectations. They will expect more stories in a similar vein. In contrast, leading off with a light-hearted, humorous story has the opposite effect. They are going to expect the subsequent stories to be similarly light-hearted and humorous.

Now, this doesn’t mean that all the stories in a collection have to have the same tone. In fact, you can have very serious stories in a collection of otherwise humorous tales. It’s all about placing them correctly. Let’s say you have fourteen stories in a collection. If four of them are more serious and the other ten are more humorous, then you can either try to lump all the serious stories together or spread them apart. Which approach you take depends on the sort of mood you want to establish.

Spreading the serious stories out prevents the mood from ever getting too serious. In contrast, putting them all together will establish a more serious mood overall. If you do this, you need to consider where to have the block of serious stories. At the beginning? In the middle? At the end? Most of the time, the general impression a reader has of a collection will be informed by the beginning and the end of the collection. Ending on a serious note will leave that impression with the reader. Putting the block of serious stories in the middle will allow the reader to be left with a more light-hearted impression since the collection will start and end with more humorous stories.

Neither approach is inherently superior to the other. It all depends on what impression you’re trying to give the reader.

Now, here’s where I’ll start talking in specifics. Turn back if you want to avoid possible spoilers for The Sheep Dragon.

The Sheep Dragon is a collection of short stories set in The Unconventional Heroes Series universe. As such, it makes sense for the themes, genres, and overarching story to all match the source material. This means that the general tone was always going to be fairly light-hearted and humorous with an emphasis on fantasy and telling more of the story related to the characters.

It was for this reason that I wanted to lead off with a story like The Convention. Not only does it provide more detail about Timmy and Katie but it is also a light-hearted story that focuses more on the humorous aspects of being a necromancer. I wanted to set that tone right away and reassure readers that this collection would not be departing too dramatically from the tone and feel of the main series.

That said, the second story Fairy Tale has a somewhat darker undertone. Admittedly, there is still a good deal of humour in it, but the subject matter is definitely more serious. This still works, however, because of the characters involved. Avraniel’s past has been hinted at multiple times throughout the series, and it’s been implied that it wasn’t pleasant. Therefore having a bit of unpleasantness in her recollections makes sense. However, that is also contrasted by the humour involved. She turns out, as usual, to be a better person than she thinks who ends up accidentally being a hero. Her current circumstances also lighten the overall tone of the piece since her present is a lot happier than her past.

Perhaps the archetypical story of the collection, though, is The Sheep Dragon. One of the most consistent themes in the series is the idea of family and friendship. Our heroes didn’t exactly go looking for friends and family, but they might have inadvertently found both during their adventures. Spot, the young dragon, embodies this more than anyone. Dragons are repeatedly described as harbingers of destruction who care little for the damage they wreak or the lives they ruin. They are less people than forces of nature.

Spot is a person, and he is a people person too. He wants to have friends, and he’s not particularly worried about whether those friends are humans, sheep, three-headed dogs, or ninja rats. What matters to Spot is that they are good people. This is something that the series as a whole buys into. Timmy and Katie are necromancers, sure, but they are good people too. And just because someone is a rat doesn’t mean they can’t also be a good friend and a loyal comrade. Family and friends aren’t always the people you’d imagine they would be, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make your life a far better place.

Many of the stories in the collection follow similar themes. Are heroes are all people who have, in some ways, been lost and have either found themselves or are in the process of doing so. Look at Gerald. For a man whose magic is monstrously powerful (you could make a decent argument that it might be the most powerful and versatile magic in the series), he has basically zero confidence and struggles to handle himself not only in combat but also in social situations. The Worrier tries to explain why that is, as well as showing why he doesn’t just abandon the others at the first sign of trouble. Gerald is a man who has been looking for his place for a long, long time. Now that he’s found it, he might well have found his courage too. The same could be said of the ninja rats in It Takes A Village.

You’ll notice that the more serious stories tend to be toward the middle. That’s where The Prodigy is, and it might well be the most serious story of the bunch. Old Man’s past has been hinted at before, albeit more obliquely than Avraniel’s. What has been mentioned in the past has not been pleasant. After all, what could make a man abandon his homeland and even his name? Well, The Prodigy adds some more detail without giving everything away. It’s a bittersweet story in many ways because it shows the tragedy that set him down the road that would make him a legend while also showing the happiness and friendships he had before, somehow, it all went wrong. Given how powerfully he must have been at the time, the reader is left wondering what could possibly have happened.

The later parts of the collection are more light-hearted, but there are still undertones of more serious issues. A Young Dragon’s Hoard is a fine example of this. Much of the story is humorous. After all, helping a dragon make a rock garden is likely to end in a combination of amusement and barely averted disaster. But helping Spot learn and grow must also come with discussions of topics that have the potential to be sad. In particular, his lifespan. Yet, despite knowing he will likely outlive almost all his friends, Spot remains undaunted. He accepts the possibility of pain but argues it will be worth it because of how much he cares for his friends. This might be bittersweet, but it also fits in perfectly with the general themes of the collection. Friendship and family matter, and even if things aren’t always perfect, they’re still worth fighting for. The world, for all the ugliness it can contain, is still a beautiful place for those who’re willing to stop, make friends, and enjoy the sights – a lesson that Amanda can relate to in The Coven Conundrum.

Overall, what I wanted to do with The Sheep Dragon is not only write something that helped add detail and backstories to the characters but also write something that made the reader smile. The sadder moments (e.g., Spot’s realisation about his lifespan) are also a part of that because they contrast with the more light-hearted moments. The idea is that even if life isn’t always perfect, it is, for the most part, still a happy thing, and one worth fighting for. And what matters isn’t necessarily the journey but the people who’re taking it with you. The collection itself was meant to convey that message, from the solitary tales that often have a sadder tone to the happier, brighter tales of the present where the gang are together.

As Spot might say:

Every day can be a wonderful day if you’ve got your friends with you. And if you haven’t got friends? Well, today might just be the day you find some!

If you’re interested in my thoughts on writing and other topics, you can find those here.

I also write original fiction, which you can find on Amazon here or on Audible here.

#writing #writing advice #the sheep dragon #the unconventional heroes series #short stories

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thenafics · 4 years

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Evil Author Day -- 2020

I saw this going around and I both wanted to feel included and have several WIPs that are probably not going to see the light of day for a long time. Most of these have titles already because I am incapable of writing a fic without having a title first~~~

1. Trouble in the Henhouse- AKA Red Hood joins the Suicide Squad

Amanda Waller thinks she might have made a mistake with the newest member to her team. She’s let the fox into the hen house, except her hens are insane criminals and her fox is a bat who also happens to be an insane criminal. The metaphor starts to deteriorate quickly, but the point remains, this choice might have been the worst one she’s made in a good long while. He is an accident waiting to happen and one of the most deadly assets she has ever managed to get her hands on. He doesn’t kill for money, like Deadshot, or hunger, like Croc, or even some deranged showmanship, like Harley does or Joker’s Daughter did. He kills when he thinks it’s right, because he thinks the target deserves it and that is the most terrifying thing to find in a highly trained killer she’s putting onto a team with a lot of the same type of people he has a habit of offing. Whoops.

2. Ghosts of our Better Natures

Tim can tell the instant that Scarecrow’s formula really starts to kick in. He sees the way Jason’s body language shifts, his muscles pulling his limbs in tighter, in spite of the restraints holding him down. Judging from the smirk just visible on Scarecrow’s sack-cloth face, he notices too. “Is my new formula finally kicking in?” His high, grating voice overlays over the sounds of Jason’s harsh breathing. “Looks like the big, bad drug lord has a bit of a tolerance. I doubt I’ll even need to use half as much on your little friend over there.” Scarecrow gestures broadly at Tim where he’s tied up against the wall and then claps his hands with fake glee. “I know what we’ll do! We’ll use all of the extra I’m saving on him for you!” Jason wrenches at his restraints, eyes wild behind his domino mask, but he remains uncharacteristically silent. He looks over at Tim and another wave of panic seems to crash over him. His struggles increase in strength to the point where Tim can hear the groaning of the rusty bolts holding Jason down.

3. Rafters for Roustabouts- JayRoy based on a piece of fanart I saw and can no longer find

Roy remembers when Jason was just a skinny little twig of a thing trailing after Nightwing with his spindly limbs and closed off smiles. The first time they’d met, Jason had looked up at him and blushed so hard that Roy was a little worried he might pass out from all the blood rushing to his head. Jason was in the Tower pretty infrequently, but any time he was there, Roy could be sure to find him either abandoning Dick for Donna (who he had immediately latched onto, like a baby bird imprinting on what it thinks is its mother) or acting as Roy’s shadow. Roy could often tell when Jason was visiting well before Dick told him because of the glimpses of inky black hair he would catch out of the corner of his eye. Eventually Roy got tired of waiting for Jason to stop being so shy. “Hey, Jason, I know you’ve got that whole stealth thing going for you, but it’s much easier to make friends if you just talk to people.” There was a muted thump and a little yelp as Jason fell down from the rafter he’d been perched on. Roy made his way over to him and crouched down to look more closely at Jason. The younger boy was blushing furiously and had his hands pressed firmly over his eyes, almost as if he thought if he couldn’t see Roy, Roy might not see him. Roy let out a little huff of laughter. “You’re just a little shy, aren’t you Jaybird?” Jason just burrowed further into his hands and seemed ready to just wait until Roy left so that he could tend to his bruised pride and tailbone.

4. Chapter 2 of Release of Liability- My very self indulgent Dresden Files fusion au that nobody asked for or wanted. *Knowledge of the Dresden Files universe up to like, book one/two is v. helpful*

Wayne manor is steeped in the type of magic that can make a place a living thing. This is the home of one of the most powerful wizards in America and has been the home of an incredibly powerful magical family for centuries. There’s history in these walls beyond what the outside world will ever know. All of the wall fixtures are old fashioned gas lamps retrofitted with lightbulbs. It’s a darker paint job and some cobwebs away from being the house from the Addam’s family.

Bruce Wayne himself leads me further into the house and to what I assume must be his office. An older man appears almost the exact moment we sit down and offers tea in a clipped British accent. He disappears as silently as he appeared and rematerializes just moments later carrying a tray laden with tea and those fancy little sandwiches they always show on the BBC. Wayne thanks him and dismisses him with a soft “Thank you,” before the man is gone again.

“So, Mr.Dresden, I hear you’re good at finding lost things.”

“I tend to be. Though I have to wonder what use a practitioner of your caliber could have for my services. With all of Gotham at your disposal.”

“The situation requires a somewhat delicate approach.” I can’t help but snort in response. Delicate and I go together like oil and water. I am not who anyone should call for delicate, subtle, or any synonyms of that ilk. Wayne gives a wry smile and little laugh of his own.

“I misspoke. Not delicate, detached. I am well known to Gotham. You are not. I’ve heard wildcard is somewhat your area of expertise.”

“I’m not going to take offense at that because it’s true. What’s missing?”

Bruce Wayne fixes me with a paralyzing gaze and speaks two words that let me know this is going to be one of those cases that sticks with me.

“My son.”

Bruce Wayne is famous for several things in the magical community. His childhood trauma of witnessing his parents’ murder would make a YA author weep and left him the sole heir to one of America’s most notable magical lineages. That alone made him a Name, capital letter intended, in the world of the mystical. He also worked hard to actually become one of the most influential wizards in America and run Gotham with an iron fist. The most notable thing about Bruce Wayne however, is not either of those. It is his incredible and almost suspicious number of extremely powerful adopted children. A disturbing number of which share his jet black hair and blue eyes. I hope it’s just a weird narcissistic rich person thing.

He is well known to be very protective of his bevy of apprentices. To the point where he’d actually knocked out another wizard with a vicious right hook for making an untoward comment about his eldest son. It was a glorious day and I am thankful to have been within enough distance of the scene to see it go down. I am also thankful to have been far enough away that his fury didn’t turn to me. If something has happened to one of his beloved children, I have no doubts that Mr. Wayne will do whatever is necessary to save them. After the death of his second apprentice he’d practically torn apart the world at its seams in his grief.

5. Windows for Bricks-

“I’m here to pick up Damian. I guess I’m one of his emergency contacts and the lady on the phone said to sign in here before I could take him home.” Jason says to the nurse by the front of the sterile smelling room.

“Oh, are you,” she looks down at her computer screen “Jason Head?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” Jason shifts uncomfortably.

“And you are his … “

“Brother. Same mom.”

“I see. We get Damian in here a lot so I see the resemblance. You have the same eyes”

6. Dialogue Snippet- Dick and Steph on the topic of ass envy

“He’s just jealous of my ass.”

“Yeah, no.”

“What do you mean no?” Dick sounds affronted.

“Have you seen his ass?,” Steph gestures expansively in the shape of an ass. A woman at the next table over glares. “Jay has no reason to be jealous Dick.”

“What.”

“And those thighs… unf.” The lady the next table over glares harder at the noise Steph makes.

“Ohmygod,” Dick buries his head in his hands. “Please stop.”

“What? I'm just saying, he's got no reason to be jealous when the dude is bammin slammin bootylicious”

“I'm pretending I don't know you. Can Tim take you back already?”

“Fine. But take a peek next time you and your ass feel so high and mighty”

7. Innocence for Sinners- JayDick prawn. I wrote this at the request of a friend. Very much not what I usually write, kind of nervous about posting it

*warning for Mature rating*

When he thinks about it, of course it makes sense to Dick that Jason is a virgin. He died before he’d even turned eighteen and spent a few years after that being either brain dead or criminally insane. It was really only in the past three or so years that Jason could be counted among the semi-rational members of the population and he had been so busy during that time span that there was no earthly way he had done anything. Still, Dick couldn’t help but be a little surprised when Jason pushes away from their kiss, while Dick’s hand rubs gentle circles over his crotch, and gasps out “No one’s ever touched me like that before.”

Dick pauses and pulls back fully, his weight between Jason’s spread legs still pinning the younger man to the bed.

“What do you mean Jason?,” he asks, seeking verbal confirmation for his suspicions. Jason blushes prettily and turns his head to one side, as if to escape the weight of Dick’s eyes. Dick reaches out and turns Jason’s face back towards him. His eyes trace the delicate flush that brings out the freckles across the bridge of Jason’s nose and blown out pupils in sea green eyes.

“Jason, are you a virgin?Am I going to be your first?” Jason blushes even further at the questions and nods mutely. Dick feels a rush of possessiveness pass through him at the idea of brash, rebellious, Jason being his. It only makes sense, after all, Jason had spent years wearing Dick’s colors and a month or so trying on the Nightwing suit for size. Of course Jason should be his in some other way. Dick leans back forward and kisses up Jason’s neck, ending up right by his ear.

“I’m going to ruin you for anybody else, little wing.” Jason shudders and lets out a soft moan as Dick scrapes his teeth against his neck in punctuation.

“Please,” Jason breathes out. Dick growls quietly and surges up to kiss Jason. He weaves his fingers through the curls of Jason’s hair and pulls slightly. Immediately, Jason gasps into Dick’s mouth and arches his back up off the bed. Dick chuckles and pulls harder. He is rewarded with a moan and a shudder from Jason.

“You like that Jaybird? When I pull your hair?” Dick laughs against Jason’s mouth when Jason nods with downcast eyes. “Let’s find out what else you like.”

Dick leaves one hand in Jason’s hair and worms the other up under Jason’s shirt, brushing over the hard lines of muscle and scar tissue. He thumbs over one of Jason’s nipples gently and feels a slight shudder run through Jason’s body. Taking that as a positive sign, he rolls it between his index finger and thumb. Jason gasps and tosses his head back, breaking the kiss.

“Dick,” he gasps out, “That feels so, ah, good.” Dick smirks and rolls the nipple again “Aaaaaaah.” Dick pulls his other hand from Jason’s hair and starts using it to push Jason’s shirt up while he brings his mouth down to Jason’s stomach, kissing over the places where his hands had traced over.

“Wait, Dick!,” Jason calls out, panting for breath. Dick looks up at Jason’s flushed face. “I… I have a lot of scars there. Some of them might not be ones that you want to see…” Jason trails off towards the end of his sentence and avoids eye contact with Dick until Dick uses his free hand to gently pull Jason to face him. Dick can see in this flustered and blushing Jason the same boy who had been so shyly admiring of him all those years ago. This shy virginal Jason is far more little red riding hood than the big bad wolf that the Red Hood pretends to be.

“I want all of you Jason. All of you.” Dick says softly. He gently pulls the shirt all the way off of Jason, manipulating the younger man’s arms so that he can remove it. Once the shirt is off, he kisses up Jason’s chest to the top of the Y-shaped scar that stretches from collarbone to collarbone and bisects his body from mid-chest to belly button. Dick mouths gently across the raised tissue and grinds his hips down against Jason’s. Jason can only gasp wordlessly in response as Dick uses his right hand to trace down and past the long tail of the scar to the top of Jason’s jeans. He pops the button and undoes the fly with one hand. When he starts to shimmy Jason’s jeans and boxers down, Jason lifts his hips and practically whines. Dick slides down Jason’s body and sits up in order to pull the pants off all the way before settling himself back between his legs.

“Your thighs are gorgeous.” Dick doesn’t even try to hold back a moan at all the exposed skin before him, some spots criss-crossed with thin lines left from slashes and stab wounds or spotted with starbursts from gunshots. He takes a moment to appreciate the way Jason’s waist cuts in and then flares out to almost feminine hips and thick, muscular thighs. Dick slides his hands under the small of Jason’s back and inches them down to the top of Jason’s ass.

“Really? You like them?” Jason asks, blushing.

“Babe, I love them. It should be against the law for you to wear pants. It’s practically a crime to keep all this hidden under your jeans.” Dick kneads at the soft flesh of Jason’s ass.

“Says the one who’s all covered up,” Jason gasps out. There’s Dick’s Jason, blushing and innocent, but still talking back.

“Let’s fix that then,” Dick chuckles and slowly removes his hands, giving one last squeeze on his way. Dick peels off his t-shirt, deliberately twisting his body and putting on a show for Jason who watches with rapt attention. Dick smiles softly at the awestruck look on Jason’s face before making quick work of the clasps on his pants and shimmying out of them completely. Dick bends down and starts to kiss up Jason’s left leg, starting at his calves and working up to his thighs. Once he gets to the sensitive skin on Jason’s inner thighs, he takes his time pressing open mouthed kisses to the skin there. Dick scrapes his teeth against the skin as he pulls away from a kiss about halfway up Jason’s thigh and feels the strong muscles underneath tremble. Smirking, he repeats the action and looks up to watch Jason. The younger vigilante is struggling to hold his composure, but Dick wants to watch him fall apart completely. So he lowers his mouth back down to Jason’s thighs and bites down. At that, Jason arches off the bed hard and lets out the loudest moan Dick has heard from him so far.

8. Runneth Over and all that Jazz- incomplete work for day 7 of Omega Jason Todd Week -Lactation kink au heavily inspired by @whumpbby and @daemoninwhiteround2 and all their stuff. A little R rated

If it weren’t for his chest, Jason would be nearly impossible to recognise as an omega. He’s taller and more muscular than most omegas so with his deep voice, no one would ever guess. If it weren’t for his body’s absolute betrayal. Jason, like pretty much all adult omegas, produces milk. It’s meant to help reinforce pack bonds and keep pups adopted into a pack fed. That’s not the problem, that part of it is manageable with absorbent pads in shirts and semi-regular use of a breast pump. It sucks, but it’s not the problem. The problem is that Jason’s pack bonds are weak, so his body will let down and start producing milk on a hair trigger. He’s peak fertile age and tangentially part of a mostly alpha pack, but not bonded well enough to balance his hormones, so his body has decided to try and tempt his pack into bonds with milk.

It’s a nuisance. He hears Bruce’s voice on the radio and a little dribble of milk escapes. Dick and Tim get into an argument and he can feel his breasts swelling with more milk. Cass gets injured and he ends up having to sneak off to change his shirt when she cuddles up to him for comfort. He saw Damian cry once and that was enough to get him leaking like a fountain and avoiding the bats for a few days. He knows at least one of them can probably smell the milk on him, but they have the good graces not to mention it so long as he doesn’t.

So Jason distances himself from the pack. He figures if he doesn’t see them, his body won’t decide to go into hormone overdrive. Except it just ends up compounding the problem. More time away from the pack means even weaker pack bonds, which ends up kicking his hormones into even higher gear than they would have been. Soon, Jason’s having to empty his milk every day, then twice a day, then eventually he has to break in the middle of patrol to empty his breasts so they aren’t incredibly sore as he’s flipping around rooftops. He switches from plain absorbent undershirts to nursing undershirts in all black so that if he leaks it won’t show. It’s gotten way out of hand but the only way to fix it is to either break his pack bonds entirely, which might make it worse, or go to the pack and suffer through some potentially very embarrassing bonding.

He shudders at the thought of his pack finally drinking from him. The vulnerability it would bring stirs up something like panic in his stomach mixed equally with want. Letting them know that he can be manipulated just because of a biological response would put him at a huge disadvantage. If they knew he could be made to let down and go into a pheromone drenched haze with some carefully chosen vocalizations they could use it to their advantage when Jason inevitably pisses one of them off. Still, something has to be done, his chest hurts so much that when he got hit there on patrol, he almost blacked out.

He decides to go to Tim first. The slightly younger man is the easiest for Jason to get along with, and despite his tendency for general sneakery, he has enough respect for what Jason does that he probably won’t use it against him too much. It’s a risk, but the potential for relief from the pain of his swollen nipples and frequent breast pump use are enough to take it. Tim is practical and doesn’t seem like the type to get physically aggressive. Even if he does, his small stature means that Jason should be able to escape. Hopefully he won’t be weird about it. Fingers crossed.

Jason knocks on the door of Tim’s apartment, about an hour before patrol typically starts. Tim answers the door looking sleep deprived as always with a mug of coffee in one hand. Jason gives him a sheepish smile and a half hearted wave, after which Tim gestures him into the apartment, one eyebrow raised in question. He shuts and locks the door behind him.

“Hi Jason. It’s been awhile. What are you doing here?” Just the sound of Tim’s voice is making his chest swell a little.

“Can’t I just come visit?”

“Of course you can, you know I like your company. You just usually … don’t. So… ”

Tim pins Jason in place with his calculating stare as he waits for a response. The silence is incredibly awkward for Jason because every second that passes he can feel the slight swelling inch closer and closer to potential leakage. He finally breaks when he feels a small dribble of milk start to leak from one nipple.

“I need your help.”

“A case?”

“No… “ Jason trails off, still unsure.

“Are you okay Jason?” Tim sets his coffee down and sits next to Jason on the couch. Their arms brush and Jason fucking gushes. If Tim couldn’t smell the milk on him before, he sure as hell can now if the way he sniffs the air is any indication.

“What’s wrong Jay? Why are you, umm, … “

“Leaking?”

Tim nods, nostrils flaring as a blush steals across his face.

“I’m letting down at the drop of a hat right now. I’m overproducing so much that I have to stop in the middle of patrols to pump. It hurts real bad.” Jason couldn't stop the whine from leaking into his tone if he tried. Tim unconsciously responds with a swell of alpha scent. The pheromones set Jason off again and he gasps as he involuntarily lets even more milk escape.

“Jason,” Tim’s voice is practically a whisper. “How can I help?” Jason takes a moment to steady himself under the force of Tim’s gaze, closing his eyes so he doesn’t have to see his reaction to the answer.

“ I need you to drink enough to solidify our pack bond.”

Tim makes an interested little noise in the back of his throat and places one delicate hand over Jason’s on his lap. He gives a gentle squeeze

“Are you making enough to do it in one go?”

“Were you even paying attention? Yes. I’m producing enough for the whole pack.”

“Why me? If you go off pack hierarchy aren’t you supposed to go to Bruce? Even if you don’t trust Bruce, you could have gone to Dick or Barbara.”

“If you’re not willing, I won’t pressure you.” Jason’s voice is flat as he starts to stand, but he’s stopped by Tim’s suddenly much stronger grip pulling him back to the couch.

“I never said that. I just want to know why you chose me before I potentially upset pack structure.”

“ ‘M more comfortable,” Jason mumbles, avoiding eye contact. “Dick’s too clingy and Babs still thinks I’m crazy most of the time. You’re … nice to me. Helpful.”

“You’re nice to me too Jason. We take care of each other.”

An unfamiliar throaty purr starts up in the back of Jason’s throat as Tim gently presses his shoulders back into the couch. He pushes up Jason’s shirt, making sure to be extra careful right around the chest area. An accidental brush from the back of his hand as he pulls the shirt off causes a whimper to interrupt Jason’s purring. Tim shushes him gently as he sets the shirt to the side in a crumpled ball. Jason glares at him until Tim sighs and folds the shirt semi-neatly. He rearranges himself until he’s draped halfway over Jason’s lap, face centimeters from touching Jason’s chest. Tim stares unashamedly at the plump flesh where he can see the wetness where milk has already escaped.

#thenafics #thenawrites #writing prompt #wip #wips #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #bruce wayne #dick grayson #Stephanie Brown #Damian Wayne #alternate universe #dresden files #harry dresden #roy harper #batfam #evil author day #evil author day 2020

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rainandhotchocolate · 4 years

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Movie Star

A/N Hello! This is another fun idea I’ve had, I want to write more so let me know if u like it! It’s Sirius x reader fake relationship trope cause I’m yet to do that and YES PLEASE anyway enjoyyyy lel

Y/N stared in the mirror. She was wearing her nicest pair of jeans and cropped black flowing top with matching black boots that she had spent three hours shining last night. She’d even done her hair so it curled softly down her shoulders, having practiced it for the last week. She’d done everything she had planned for today, a whole binder sitting in her bag (that she’d also polished), healthy snacks and sunglasses and a small bottle of vodka, just in case, but she couldn’t move from the mirror.

It was her first day on set. Ever. Living in LA had been one of the most challenging and painful thing Y/N had ever done, and she had been very close to driving home and just fucking becoming a full-time taco bell server but she received a call two days previous for a tv series role because the girl originally offered it had been offered to play Meryl Streep’s daughter in some likely million dollar movie.

“Y/N, get the fuck out of the bathroom and leave!” Lily’s voice screamed from the hall, her fists banging loudly against the door.

“I just… I just need a minute!” Y/N called back, flattening out her hair again. You can do this. You’ve read the script. A lot. A lot a lot. You’ve got this. Or maybe you’re going to fall flat on your face.

“I swear to god, Y/N, if you miss your first day I will actually kill you.” Lily was banging with her foot now and Y/N groaned.

“Ok, ok, fine. I’m coming out.” Y/N steeled herself and turned on her heel, marching out of the room. “How do I look?”

Lily gave her a once over, her lips pursed.

“Hot as hell, but just professional enough.”

“Perfect, ok I should go shouldn’t I,” Y/N picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder.

“Please do.”

Y/N pulled Lily into a tight hug and moved quickly out of the room. Lily called ‘Good luck’ loudly as Y/N slammed the door shut, struggling to pull her keys out of her bag with the amount of crap she had put inside it.

The drive was thankfully quick, and she pulled up to the lot in 23 minutes and 30 seconds feeling increasingly nervous and slightly worried that she might puke.

“ID,” the security guard sounded incredibly bored.

“Yes, right of course! It’s my first day so…” Y/N trailed off as she noticed the security guard had turned back to her phone. “Uh, here it is.”

The guard looked at it, checking the database before waving her through, the boom gate opening slowly. Y/N thanked the guard and drove through to the parking lot.

“Ok, lot 34, 34…” Y/N mumbled as she checked her phone, “Where the fuck is this.”

There seemed to be no numbers on any building, people moving left and right and screaming aggressively for her to move out of the way.

“Sorry! Fuck I cannot be late,” Y/N swore under her breath, feeling her heart rate increasing at the thought of being late and the director just firing her on the spot for being a trash actress who can’t even find a bloody set on time. She re-opened the email sent to her with the maps and details about the set, zooming in on 34 and trying to match it up where she’d walked from the parking lot, and smoothly slammed into someone’s back.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry,” Y/N winced, leaning over to pick up her bag and the things that had fallen across the floor.

“It’s totally fine,” a deep voice replied, the person she’d bumped into turning and bending down to help her out. “Here’s your… vodka?”

Y/N stood up and met the person’s eyes, nearly choking on her own spit. In front of her was the stupidly gorgeous, incredibly famous Sirius Black. He looked even better in person, and, frustratingly, had a goofy smile playing on his face as he handed her the bottle of alcohol.

“Oh, uh, I just am not really sure if I might need some kind of bribe and now that I’m saying it it sounds really idiotic, thank you.” Y/N grimaced, wanting to crawl into a hole.

“First day on set, huh?” Sirius laughed, popping the bottle into her bag.

“How did you guess,” Y/N sighed, “I’m very lost, any chance you would know where lot 34 is?”

“I would actually, it’s where I’m going as well.”

“I… oh.” Y/N had forgotten to read the cast list. In all her planning and panicking and memorising every aspect of the script and characters that she could, she’d forgotten to read the fucking cast list.

“You must be Y/N then? Replacing Amanda?” Sirius began leading the way towards set, Y/N struggling to keep up with his long legs and attempting to avoid staring at his perfectly styled dark curls that hung just above his shoulders.

“Yes! I got the call a few days ago.”

“You look familiar, what else have you been in?” Sirius pulled open a door to his right, letting Y/N go in first.

“Oh I actually… um… haven’t – “

“Y/N, Sirius, please get into hair and makeup we needed you on set 10 minutes ago!” A girl with bright blonde hair and a wild expression pointed towards two caravans to the side of the room. Y/N apologised and moved quickly away, having never been more thankful to be interrupted. She pushed the door open to hair and make-up, looking around awkwardly.

“Hey there! Y/N?” A girl with short brown hair and bright pink spiky earrings grinned at her.

“Yep, that’s me.” Y/N followed her into the small room that was covered in boxes of different make up, paints and wigs hanging up against the walls. The entire front of the caravan was covered in mirrors, a chair in front of each one.

Y/N sat down in the chair the girl directed to, staring at herself awkwardly in the mirror.

“I’m Alice, I’ll be your hair and make-up gal for this season, hopefully the next one but here’s hoping it’s picked up,” Alice began to fiddle with Y/N’s hair, pulling it up and around her shoulders whilst she spoke. “So have you read through the whole script? It’s definitely the coolest thing I’ve worked on so far, and lets be real we’ve all dreamed of working with Sirius.”

Alice actually waggled her eyebrows, grinning at Y/N.

“Yeah it sounds like a cool story,” Y/N mumbled, her eyes watching Alice’s hands closely, wondering what she was going to do to her.

“So cool!” Alice pulled her hair up into a bun, pining up the loose strands and standing in front of the mirror to look at her face. “I’ve gotta ask, how did you react when you found out you were getting to kiss Sirius? I think I would have screamed the house down.”

Alice giggled, grabbing out a brush and primer, beginning to smear it across her face. Y/N resisted closing her eyes and smiling absent-mindedly as the feeling of the brush swishing across her face almost made her forget what Alice just said. Once she’d lifted the brush Y/N replied.

“Is Sirius… is Sirius playing Aramis?” Y/N felt her stomach twist, Alice, testing a couple of foundation types on Y/N’s wrist before dabbing it across her face.

“Yes! Didn’t you read the cast list?”

“Apparently I’m not that smart,” Y/N muttered, wanting to kill herself. She could have prepared for this, researched him, previous roles, kissing style, not panicking when he leans in. You fucking idiot.

“Don’t worry, the amount of people who haven’t read the script by the first day on set would surprise you,” Alice’s warm smile seemed to calm her slightly, likely alongside with the soft brush sweeping over her cheeks and eyes.

“Are there…” Y/N paused, unsure if she wanted to admit that she was sort of new to the whole filming thing, or if she would be accidentally humiliating herself.

“Hmm?” Alice gave her a look, holding the brush back, “You ok?”

“Yeah, just nervous.” Y/N gave her a small smile.

“Well either way, you look amazing,” Alice stepped away from the mirror and behind Y/N’s chair so she could see herself in the mirror. Y/N leaned in to look at herself, or herself 2.0. Alice had somehow highlighted angles in Y/N’s face that she didn’t even realise she had, her eyes highlighted by the subtle brown eyeshadow and liner.

“Holy shit, you are good.”

“You’d hope so,” Alice breathed out a laugh, letting out Y/N’s hair. “Now I’m sorry in advance because you’ve done your hair so nicely, but we are starting with the second scene today and you’re about to have your hair absolutely destroyed by some back combing.”

“I’ll forgive you,” Y/N laughed at her genuinely apologetic expression, grimacing when she held up the brush like a knife.

“Here we go.”

Alice gave her a hug when she left the caravan, wishing her luck like they had been friends for the last seventeen years and pointed her towards costumes. Four girls and two guys swarmed around her, holding up multiple tops and pants that looked exactly the same but with slight differences in the colour. Y/N wondered if they’d made them after the previous girl had cancelled, Y/N had given her a thorough stalk and immediately noticed the very big skin tone difference. They handed her a peasant blouse and linen pants, letting Y/N slip them on behind a curtain before circling her again once she’d changed, handing her a pair of lace up brown boots.

Y/N walked towards set, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly with each step. Someone knocked her lightly on the shoulder.

“Love the new look.” Sirius smiled at her, his hair looking somehow better.

“Yes, it’s called the ‘my hair is secretly a bees nest’” Y/N matched Sirius’ quite fast pace, drinking in his loud, dog-like laugh, his head shaking back.

“Alice is honestly an artist,” Sirius grinned at her, leading her towards the director and producer who were huddled together next to the set of large village facades, a gravel path along the front.

“She is, this isn’t my real face,” Y/N felt her heart flutter as she made Sirius laugh again.

“Y/N, Sirius! Glad you’re here, we are running short on time today because apparently we’ve been bloody double booked,” the director hissed at the producer who grimaced apologetically.

“I just want to see how you guys run through the second scene, doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just want to see you on the set and then we will start blocking properly. Sound good? Good.” She didn’t wait for them to answer, pointing them towards the gravel pathway.

“Great,” Sirius smiled fixing his collar and moving towards the set, Y/N followed close behind him. Y/N took a deep breath, sitting down on the path, trying to stop herself from fidgeting and calm herself. You know this, you can do this.

“And, action!”

It was a mixture of exhausting and exhilarating, and a couple of times where Y/N became slightly too mesmerised with Sirius’ impeccable acting skills. Once she’d been dismissed Y/N began to walk awkwardly back towards the caravan where the costuming team had moved her clothing, a large set of letters with her name on it across the front. It was probably the most exciting thing she’d seen all day.

As she reached it, she was pulled sideways by a small girl with a sharp brown bob and perfect cat-eye.

“Hi, Mary, PR, I just need to chat to you and Sirius for a quick sec ok?” Y/N was dragged towards Sirius who had been chatting animatedly to Alice, leaning against one of the set facades. “Sirius, a second?”

“Yep, see you tomorrow, Al,” Sirius winked at her and she waved him off.

“Ok, don’t have a lot of time, need to be at a marketing meeting in 10 minutes. So as you’re aware you two are love interests in the show and we are already getting some great hype given that the books have been getting steadily more popular. We want to lean into the pairing, a couple of staged outings, nothing confirmed just hints, ok? I’ll set up some time to run through the times we are going to get you two to be together, and what to post up on your socials.”

“Wait sorry are you talking about pretending to be together? Like… like a relationship?” Y/N interrupted her, stuttering awkwardly and berating herself internally.

“Yes, I’ll call you tomorrow with more details, just want to keep you in the loop.” Mary shook both their hands in quick succession and sped off towards the exit, heels clicking loudly against the concrete. Sirius and Y/N said nothing to each other for a few awkward moments.

“Well, I guess we will be seeing a lot more of each other,” Sirius broke the tension, his hand tucking into the front of his jeans.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Aha. Shit.

Taglist: @averytruerayofsunshine @siriuslyjanhvi @blushingskywalker @blackpinkdolan @thebabblingbookworm @cherrie511 @imlukesnirvana @avengersassemblee @maraudersandco @sly-vixen-up2nogood @katbernoulli @sirius-lysad @evyiione @minerva26love @aikeia @gollyderek @greatwombatblaze @songforhema @your-typical-giggle @myownviperroom @hermionie-is-my-queen @demiwitch527

#rainandhotchocolate #sirius x reader #sirius x you #sirius black x reader #sirius black x you #sirius imagine #sirius black imagine #sirius black fake relationship #fake relationship #sirius fanfiction

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blue-bird-kny · 4 years

Text

“I’ll Wait For You” Soulmate AU

Thank you for requesting! I enjoyed writing it so I hope you like it as much as I do! Enjoy~Amanda (Requested)

Warning: Angst with fluff ending

“I’ll Wait For You”

(1k+ words)

Every day was always a little different; different missions, different demon, and different people you’d meet. However, there was always one pesky thing you felt every day the moment you opened your eyes: Hope. Hope that your soulmate would finally write back to you. It starts for everyone when they turn ten; Once you turn ten, anything you write on your skin would appear on your soulmate in the same place you drew it so long as they were ten too.

The night you turned ten, you’d been a nervous wreck. You’d heard so many romantic stories of couples who’d spent hours writing to each other until the fateful day they’d met and lived happily ever after. During those final hours before your tenth birthday, you painted dozens of images of what your soulmate could look like. “Oh it’s time, I can hardly breathe!” you thought as you picked up the pen and pressed the tip to your skin. Delicately you ran the pen across your forearm to make a small “Hi”, something short and simple. When your soulmate didn’t write back, you dejectedly thought aloud “That's okay, maybe you're sleeping”.

From that moment on, you waited every day to hear from them. Weeks turned to months as you waited, never giving up. You’d leave a small message or doodle to catch their attention but to no avail. After two years of you desperately trying to get anything for them, your mother sat you down. “Sweetie,” she started softly. “ I know you are trying really hard to find them and I know that you won’t stop no matter what I say. You’ve always been stubborn” she chuckled. Her laughter soon died as her face turned grim. “There is always the possibility that they haven’t turned ten yet, of course, but…” she paused as she placed a gentle hand on top of yours. “there is always the chance they are no longer in this world”. Her words hurt; they pierced your heart as the world you’d built for just you and your soulmate crumpled all at once.

It happened more than you’d like to acknowledge, there were millions of people whose fated partner died before they could meet, and the idea that you could be one terrified you. You never gave up though; if there was someone in this world waiting for you, then you’d do everything you could to reach them.

After your parents lost their lives protecting the world from demons, you joined the corps to follow in their footsteps and finish the battle they couldn’t. For years the situation with your soulmate stayed the same; you’d leave them messages of encouragement and drew doodles of things you saw, but still no sign of life. More than once you’d overheard comrades talk about you, saying how “Hopeless and pathetic” you were or how they felt sorry for you. It was easy to ignore them at the beginning, but their words were becoming harder to ignore the more time passed.

“Am I really as pathetic as they say? Maybe I was born to be alone. Maybe...maybe they really are dead?” your depressing thoughts chased you into a deep slumber, tears already dried on your checks.

The next morning you awoke with swollen eyes. Just as you were leaving to start your day, the pen you’d used day after day to connect with your soulmate caught your eye. “If they want to ignore me, that's fine. But I’d love to see them get through their day like this!” you said aloud as you scribbled across your forehead in thick black marks. You’ve had your fair share of embarrassment because of your soulmate, it’s their turn. Satisfied with your work, you walked out of your room, more determined than ever to start your day.

The majority of your day went by quickly, several poorly concealed chuckles could be heard from everyone as they read what was on your forehead. You couldn't be bothered in the least, hell you’d never felt so confident, walking around knowing your soulmate had to be experiencing the same thing helped rid you of any embarrassment. All day you'd managed to ignore every comment thrown your way, that was until you overheard someone from down the hall.

“Muichiro, I must ask as to why you have ‘YOU JERK’ written across your forehead?” Shinobu questions her fellow hashira friend. Your face paled and your breath hitched as you watched the scene unfold in front of you.

Standing there in front of you was your soulmate, alive and well. How does one react when the one person they've been trying to reach for years, is finally standing in front of them? You decided it would be appropriate to run up to him and yell “Why did you ignore me for so long you... y-you jerk!”. Shinobu laughed as she stared between the foreheads of the two standing before her. “I’m going to the butterfly Estate, have fun Muichiro” She teased as she wandered away. Muichiro turned to you, his uninterested eyes finally meeting yours. “Who are you again?” he asked half-heartedly. “Who am….Who am I? Have you not looked in the mirror, I’m your soulmate you idiot?!” you exploded. “Oh it’s you, I’ve been meaning to write back to you but I keep forgetting.” he answered as if it was the simplest thing in the world like he hasn’t caused you so much anguish over the last few years of your life.

Everything was too much; relief, anger, frustration, excitement, it was hard to pick one emotion you felt as you stared into his lifeless eyes. They all fought to crawl up your throat, the words you wanted to say dying as soon as they reached your tongue, instead escaping as desperate sobs. “All this time he was alive and knew I was looking for him but ignored me because he forgot? Did he not think about how much I'd suffer from his carelessness? Does he not care?” your brain searched for a answer to your silent questions, finding nothing.

Muichiro watched as you fought an internal battle, your tears and sobs now freely falling with no sensor. Maybe it was because of the whole soulmate connection or maybe it was because he could see the heartbreak etched clearly on your face, but Muichiro felt awful about what he’d done. He never knew he could feel the pain of a stranger he’d just met.

He walked towards you, his hand fell to your check, catching your attention. “I’m sorry for my stupidity,” he apologized while wiping the tears from your red cheeks. “I really should have tried harder to communicate with you, especially since you tried so hard. It may not matter now but I did love seeing what you’d written or drawn. I looked at them as I watched the clouds.” he spoke sincerely, softly.

Your tears stopped along with time, it felt, as you stared into his light blue eyes. He wrapped your hand in his as he continued, “I know what I'm saying doesn’t make up for the hurt I've caused, but could I invite you to eat tonight? I’d like to start making up for the time I've wasted” he politely asked. After everything you’ve gone through, how could you deny him now? “Your right, this doesn’t make up for it,” you started, voice hoarse from crying. His gaze fell as he took in your words, but you continued anyway. “But it is a nice start. I’d love to join you for dinner.” your response brought new life to his eyes and a small smile graced his lips. “That’s a relief, my name is Muichiro by the way.” he told you before grasping your hand. “I’m (y/n)” your hand clung to his, two halves molding together to make a perfect whole.

Although you two started in a rough patch, it was easy for the two of you to open up to each other; you two learned to love each other more than life.

I love these Au’s so much, they give me lots of material to work with and are so cute! Thank you for reading!~Amanda

Main Masterlist

#kimestu no yaiba #kny #kny x reader #demon slayer x reader #demon slayer #demon slayer muichiro #tokitou muichirou #kimetsu no yaiba muichiro #muichiro tokito x reader #muichiro x reader

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gothpanda · 4 years

Text

A Little Bit of Attitude Ch. 12: Groupie

WORD COUNT: 6.4K

A/N: I have no idea how long I’m making this fic

WARNINGS: Domestic assault

Read On Ao3

Previous/Next

SEPTEMBER 1st, 1983

Four months went fast for everyone, right as the new season fell onto everyone. The mall was almost a ghost town due to kids of all ages back at school. Tommy and Vince walked through the mall, each sipping on a soda from the food court. It was a crazy past four months for Motley Crue with finally reaching complete rockstar status. Sadly, making an album on the other side of the country also meant missing out on certain things.

“So T-Bone, what’s been up with Sammi? She’s been super busy the whole time we’ve been gone?” Vince asked, throwing away his empty cup.

“You haven’t talked to her yourself?” Tommy says to Vince, chewing on the red straw with scrunched eyebrows. Vince only shook his head, giving an exaggerated frown. “I mean she started school a week ago, I think, but all of summer she was just working. Athena would take her out sometimes,” said Tommy.

Vince pressed his lips firmly together, shoving his hands in his jean jacket pockets. Walking to Contempo was filled with dread for Vince, not knowing how Sammi was going to react to seeing him since coming home. It was dead silence coming from Sammi, only making Vince think multiple thoughts run in his head. “I wouldn’t worry about it, Vince. Pretty sure when she sees you, she’ll be happy.” Tommy said, patting Vince on the back. Vince only mustered up a small smile, feeling nerves kick in.

As the duo walked the doorway of the popular store, Vince first noticed Amanda in the front with her back to them. Thankfully with Tommy to his left, he was able to keep his head low and hide next to his tall friend. Tommy quickly noticed Sammi in the very back of the store, hanging up dresses on the sales rack. He grabbed a random red short dress from a rack, picking up the pace on his steps.

“Hello Miss, do you happen to have this in a size 0? I need a dress for a party,” Tommy said, holding up the dress up to him. Sammi slowly turned around, a smile growing as she withheld a laugh. She looked up and down, cracking a chuckle. “No sorry, we don’t have a size 0. That dress isn’t for you anyways,” Sammi said, smiling big at her brother. Sammi wrapped her arms around Tommy’s waist, a bit tighter than usual. Tommy tucked Sammi’s head under his chin, petting her hair. Pulling away, Sammi caught a quick glimpse of Vince behind Tommy.

“Hi, Vince…” Sammi said with a straight face

“Hey, Sam,” Vince said looking at the ground beneath him.

Tommy looked between them, being able to notice the coldness from his sister. “I’m really happy to see you finally, Tommy. It’s been boring without you,” Sammi said

“You mean me and the guys, right?” Tommy said, walking to Vince as he swung an arm around his shorter friend. Sammi gives a repressed smile, “Yeah it was boring without all of you,” Sammi said looking straight in the eye. Vince slightly opened his mouth before closing it fast from the sight of a blonde come behind Sammi.

“Well, what a lovely surprise seeing you two back. Hey Vince,” Amanda said, smirking at the boys. Sammi bit her lip, looking away from everyone around her. Vince stiffened in his stance, clearing his throat glancing at Sammi’s discomfort. “Hey…” Vince mumbled.

“Hi Amanda, we just came to see my sister,” Tommy said holding onto Vince a bit tighter. Amanda nodded slowly, turning to look at Sammi. “Isn’t that nice, but she’s working so maybe you two should go. Wouldn’t want our manager getting mad,” Amanda said with a smile that made Tommy and Vince begin to feel uncomfortable. Sammi stepped in front of Amanda, arms crossed with a slouch. “I was actually gonna go on my lunch break before they came, Amanda,” Sammi said, forcing a smile.

“Alright then. Enjoy your lunch with these two.” Amanda said pursing her lips and walking away from the trio.

“I’m just gonna go get my bag and I’ll be right back.” Sammi said quietly, walking past Tommy and Vince. When she wasn’t within eyeshot of the boys, Tommy faced Vince, holding onto his shoulders.

“What the fuck was that?” Tommy whispered.

Vince kept his lips shut firmly tight, shrugging his shoulder “I was clueless the whole time,”

Tommy wrinkled his eyebrows, “You were being clueless or acting clueless?”

“I seriously have no idea what was going on with those two I swear,” Vince said holding his hands up in mercy. Tommy let his arms fall to his side with a huff. “M’kay, Vince,”

“So Sam, how’ve you been?” Vince asked, grabbing a fry from the shared basket in the middle of the small square table. Sammi pushed around the salad in front of her, keeping her head down but shot a glance up at Vince. Vince could feel his palms become clammy instantly, looking away from the brunette. “I’ve been good. Just working. Being a decent adult,” Sammi says coldly, taking a bit of her food. Tommy sat in between the two, stuffing a cheeseburger in his mouth hoping to have a nice lunch.

Sammi flipped her hair to one side, turning her attention to Tommy. “Anyway, what’s the latest status on your album?” Sammi asks, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. Tommy quickly cleaned his mouth, “It’s gonna be out on the 26th! It sounds sick, Sammi! Nikki did awesome writing the songs. And of course, Vince singing them,” Tommy put a hand on Vince's shoulder, shaking him up a bit.

“That sounds awesome then. Proud you all were able to get it done in New York.” Sammi said sweetly.

“Actually the reason why me and Vince came down here was because we have a music video to shoot,” Tommy said with a proud grin. Sammi’s eyes became wide, looking back at her brother and Vince. “Oookay, and what does that have to do with me?”

“Could you please take Mama and Dad tomorrow to the shoot,” Tommy asked, grinning wide hoping for the best.

Sammi rolled her eyes, “Tommy I’m busy,”

“With what?! You don’t even know what time it’s at!” Tommy said, raising his voice.

“What time is it at?”

“We’re gonna start at 10. It’s gonna be an all-day thing,” Vince said, leaning back in his chair. Sammi looked over at Vince, “I’m still busy,”

Tommy hung his head with a huff, slouching into his seat. “You seriously can’t skip a class or switch at work or what the hell that’s making you busy?”

“Tommy I don’t want to go to your fucking video shoot. You have another sister you can ask,” Sammi said getting up from her seat as she grabbed her trash. Walking back, Sammi swung her jean jacket on and her cross-body purse onto one shoulder. She looked down at Vince and Tommy, both giving big puppy dog eyes.

“I already asked Athena and she said she really couldn’t. Please Sammi?” Tommy asks softly.

Sammi pursed her lips outwards, thinking for a moment. “You do know other people have normal lives right? Like having a 9 to 5. And not doing stupid shit out of a whim,” Sammi said looking at Vince. Tommy nodded. Vince shifting uncomfortably in his seat as he looked away from everyone.

“In that case, you know our dad has an actual job. I’m not taking Mama and Dad to your fucking video shoot,” Sammi said, grabbing her soda from the table and leaving the guys in the middle of the food court.

Tommy huffs, running a hand through his hair. He turns to Vince, “You fucking sure you’re clueless?”

In a small dimly lit bedroom, Sammi sat at her wooden desk with a book in front of her. She mumbled quietly as she read, taking a moment to then write down notes in her notebook next to her. She was in full concentration mode until a knock on her door interrupted her flow. Sammi huffed in annoyance, closing her eyes, “Come in,” she said loud enough.

Britney slowly opened the door, peeking her head behind it. “Hey, Sammi are you hungry?” Sammi turned in her seat, smiling at her friend. She scratched her eyebrow, thinking for a moment. “If you say no I’m going to assume you’re lying,” Britney said with a smile. Sammi gave a chuckle, finally walking over “You’re right I am hungry. Did you make anything?”

Britney nodded gleefully. “Chicken alfredo with mushrooms and spinach! One of your favorites. Come on,” said Britney, grabbing Sammi by the arm, bringing her out of her room for once since the afternoon. Down into the kitchen, Sammi was hit with the aroma of garlic and chicken only to make her more hungry. Sammi was lucky to have a roommate who liked to cook extravagant meals without ever being asked. Britney could be silent as a mouse while all of a sudden she presents a ten-course meal. Sammi sat down on the table, taking a piece of garlic bread from the basket in front of her. Britney placed a full plate down in front of Sammi and another for herself.

“Amanda isn’t gonna eat with us?” Sammi asked, twirling the noodles with her fork.

“She said she had a date tonight. Either way, I doubt she’d want to eat this,” Britney said, taking a bit of her food.

“But speaking of Amanda, she told me you got some visitors at work,” Britney said, glancing up at Sammi. Sammi only looked at her food with a frown on her face. “What was up with that?”

“Tommy wanted me to take our parents to their music video shoot tomorrow. And I boldly said no. Vince was quiet the whole time,” Sammi says looking up at Britney.

Britney gave a sympathetic smile, “Don’t be distant with Tommy, Sammi. You were completely fine talking to him while he was away,”

“I’m not! I have work. My dad has work which Tommy didn’t freaking consider,” Sammi said in a taut voice. “It’s just a little inconvenient and sometimes we all can’t cater to Motley Crue,” Sammi says with a shrug and a pout of sarcasm. Sammi shook her head, returning to the plate of food. Silence came between the two girls as they almost finished their food, Britney thinking on her words. Out of nowhere, the shiny white wall phone began to ring in the living room. Sammi took a look, getting up from her seat as she walked to the front of the condo.

“Hello,” Sammi answered.

“Hello, my lovebug!” Mrs. Bass responded on the other line.

Sammi sat on the arm of the sofa, “Oh hey, Mama. What’s going on?”

“I wanted to call to tell you we’re all going to Tommy’s music video tomorrow!” Mrs. Bass said with enthusiasm.

Sammi's eyes widened as she mentally cursed to herself, “What do you mean we’re going to Tommy’s video shoot? Doesn’t dad have work?” Sammi said, scratching the back of her head.

“He was able to take off for the day. Tommy said we have to be there by 1. We’ll pick you up at 12,” Mrs. Bass said, not seeming to negotiate about whether or not Sammi could get out of this one. Sammi huffed, closing her eyes as she tapped her fingers against the arm of the sofa.

“But Mama I have worked at that time. I can’t switch,” Sammi said with annoyance.

“Samantha, you’ve always been able to work things out at your job. You know you are able to come. It’s good to be present for your brother’s achievements.” Mrs. Bass said, making Sammi roll her eyes in dread.

“Okay Mama, you’re right. I’ll be ready when you guys get here,” Sammi said.

“Wonderful! See you tomorrow, my lovebug,” the line went dead, having Sammi shut the phone back onto the wall. She leaned her head against the wall, lightly tapping her head against it.

“Guess who’s going to see Vince and Nikki against her will!” Sammi yelled sarcastically, sitting back down. “I doubt anything could go wrong. They are gonna have to be professionals for once in their lives,” Britney said, taking the last bite of her food.

“You know what Britney, I hope to god you are right,” said Sammi.

SEPTEMBER 2nd 1983

The video set was right in the middle of Hollywood, something no one from the Bass family thought was the case. Mr. Bass spent 15 minutes trying to find the building and an extra 15 on parking alone. Sammi slumped in the backseat of the station wagon, crossing her arms as she looked at the passing building. When Sammi’s dad began to park the car, her habit kicked up again from her nerves. She began biting the brittle nail of her thumb painted purple, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. Everything felt like slow motion to Sammi. Getting out of the car into the beige concrete parking lot. Walking toward the black windowless building, then suddenly fast motion when Sammi saw Doc and Tommy walk up to them.

“Mama and Dad! So happy you guys can make it!” Tommy said gleefully, hugging his parents as they both eye their sons' outfits. The red, black, and silver was the first thing they were able to see from Tommy’s outfit. Mr. Bass eyed Tommy’s studded leather pants while also noticing the lipstick and eyeliner his son was wearing. Mrs. Bass tried her hardest not to laugh at Tommy, only remaining silent with a smile by the look of happiness on her son's face. Sammi kept her arms crossed with a blank stare.

“I want you to first meet our manager, Doc! He’s the guy that helped Athena and Sammi come to Portland with us last year!” Tommy said, patting Doc on the back.

“Hello, lovely to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Bass. Also lovely to see you again, Sammi,” Doc said with a polite smile and a nod to the Bass clan. Sammi gave a pressed lip smile while her parents were oblivious to the discomfort from Sammi. “Right now we just got on break so Tommy will be able to show you around,”

“Also I have to introduce you two to the guys! Nikki is the brain behind the video!” Tommy said, slightly jumping on the balls of his feet.

“Well, that’s wonderful, Tom. We’re very proud you finally got to your dream,” Mr. Bass said, patting Tommy on his arm showing true love for his son.

“Tommy, how about you take your parents to the set and I have a word with Sammi,” Doc said, looking at Sammi with a smirk most businessmen had. Sammi raised an eyebrow at Doc, “What the hell? Why me?”

“Samantha language,” Mr. Bass said. Sammi glanced at her dad then back at Doc with scrunched eyebrows. Doc nodded to Sammi, “Come with me to find, Nikki.”

Sammi slowly followed Doc through a white hallway aligned with dressing room doors and set techs walking up and down.

“So Sammi, I wanted to talk to you about a job offer,” Doc said, looking at Sammi.

Once again, Sammi raised an eyebrow to Doc, “I already have a job. I’m perfectly fine,”

“Well what about a job that doesn’t involve standing in a store all day long dealing with rude people,” Doc said stopping in front of a white door. Behind it, Sammi was able to hear light moans coming from a girl. In her head she prayed hoping it wasn’t a repeat of May.

“I need an assistant in January when we tour with Ozzy. From what the guys say, you're highly responsible which is great for dealing with them,” said Doc.

“Then the guys must’ve also told you, I’m in college. No offense but I rather deal with rude people than them,” Sammi said flipping her hair. Doc huffed with a nod, “Very well then,” said Doc, knocking on the door once the moans had stopped.

“Hey, Sixx!” Doc said, knocking a bit harder “Tommy’s looking for you, wants to introduce you to his parents,”

Suddenly, the door opened fast to show a short brunette stumble out of balance. She had a tight red dress you would see at a club and overly teased hair. Almost everything she was wearing was red, making her look tacky in Sammi’s opinion. Sammi curled her upper lip at the young woman, “Who the fuck are you?”

The young woman narrowed her eyes at Sammi, pushing past her as she walked down the hall to the set. Doc only chuckled dryly, turning to see Nikki walkover to them. “Well hello, Sammi. Ain’t this a lovely surprise,” Nikki slurred, wiping away anything from his nose with a smirk.

“Get cleaned up to meet Tommy and Sammi’s parents,” Doc said walking away from Nikki. Sammi switched glance between Doc and Nikki, “Was that your new girlfriend for the week?”

Nikki chuckled, “Wouldn’t you like to know, Princess.”

Sammi rolled her eyes, “Whatever. Just look fucking decent for my parents,”

Sammi walked away from Nikki, following the sound of equipment being removed or fixed. Stepping onto the set, Sammi was in another world that almost seemed apocalyptic. The girls in the far corner near a chain-link fence resembled lionesses but still with theatrical makeup. Sammi scanned her eyes around the whole set until her eyes fell onto the only person wearing more white than black. Vince smiled sheepishly at Sammi remaining in his spot next to Mick. For a second, he almost began taking steps until he heard the echo of Tommy’s voice travel.

“We got pyrotechnics in the back of my set! And look,” Tommy says, grabbing a rock next to him. He tried his hardest to lift until lifting it with ease, “Fake rocks!”

Sammi walked over to her family, still feeling the pair of eyes burning on her skin. Mr. and Mrs. Bass smiled at the beauty of seeing their two children together. From the corner of the set, Nikki and Doc walked out together while the young woman stayed in the corner.

“Oh, here he is! Meet the Sixxter!” Tommy announced clapping hands with Nikki. Sammi stood in the middle of the tall men, crossing her arms with a blank stare.

“Nice to meet you, Nikki.” Mr. Bass says shaking Nikki’s hand.

“It’s so wonderful to finally meet you,” Mrs. Bass says, going up to hug Nikki. It was foreign for Nikki to hug someone. Sammi could immediately tell the discomfort on Nikki’s face.

“Hey Nikki maybe we can invite your family to the next L.A gig,” said Doc, tapping Nikki on the chest.

“Great idea, Doc,” Nikki said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“Babe come here,” Tommy said, motioning the young woman to join the group. Sammi turned around, seeing the woman strut forward while also seeing Nikki's discomfort grow. Sammi scrunched her eyebrows at Nikki, right as Tommy wrapped his arm around the woman’s shoulders.

“Mom, Dad, Sammi, this is Roxie! My fiancee!” Tommy said, having his smile grow bigger than it has all day. “Nice to meet everyone,” Roxie said, extending her hand out for someone to grab it. Sammi's eyes widened, looking at her parents' shock as Nikki matched her expression. His eyes went wide, rapidly looking everywhere that wasn’t a Bass family member. Mr. and Mrs. Bass looked could see the concern on both their faces, unable to use their voices for a moment.

“What’s the rush, Tom? Marriage is- is something serious,” Mr. Bass said, stuffing his hands in his blazer pockets.

“Yeah, I know! Look at you guys! You asked mama to marry you the day you met her and she didn’t even know a word of English! That’s what I want too!” Tommy said happily. Before anyone asked any further questions, Nikki quietly stepped back from everyone to disappear back in his dressing room. Sammi clenched her jaw as she saw Nikki walk away, squeezing the inside of her arm to calm her down.

“So, how did you and Tommy meet?” Mrs. Bass asked.

“Well, I was actually hanging out with this other band, but then I saw Tommy and I knew it was totally meant to be” Roxie said, smiling at Mrs. Bass. Sammi rolled her eyes all the way to the back of her head, sucking her teeth. She turned to see Vince and Mick talk in their own little world, beginning to wish she could join.

“Oh, I think I know the word for this! Let me think,” Mrs. Bass says, gently snapping her fingers as she mumbled words in Greek. Sammi quickly went back to the scene in front of her, her lips slowly parting open.

“Groupie! That’s the word! Is that what they call you?” Mrs. Bass says, a smirk growing on her face. Sammi gasped, covering her mouth to repress the loud laugh that wanted to come out. Sammi shifted her gaze between Roxie and Tommy, seeing the scowl the ‘groupie’ had toward her mom. “Is that the right word, Sammi?” Mrs. Bass asks, looking over Roxie to her daughter.

“Yeah, Mama. You’re 100 perfect correct. The word you’re looking for is groupie,” Sammi said looking up and down at Roxie, giggling at the situation. Roxie stormed off the set, leaving Tommy alone.

“Really?” Tommy asked Sammi and his mother with harshness in his voice.

“Dude you are not marrying that girl. Point blank,” Sammi says, turning on her heels aiming to the dressing rooms. Once she was out of sight from everyone, Sammi sped walked all the way to Nikki’s dressing room. She could feel her ear and cheeks get hot as the puzzle pieces were put together. She couldn’t remember a moment she was ever this angry

Sammi busts the door open, the wooden frame hitting the wall then slamming it shut. Nikki lifted his head up, sitting on the floor in front of three lines of coke. Sammi inhaled deeply, violently flipping the tray of white powder. Nikki shot up from the floor, eyes widening with anger to Sammi. “What the fuck, Sammi?!” Nikki shouted.

“Don’t ‘what the fuck’ me! You fucked my brother’s stupid fiancee!” Sammi yelled, shoving Nikki in the chest making him stumble into the black sofa.

“I didn’t do shit!” Nikki yelled as he tried to get up, only to be pushed by Sammi again.

“Doc and I fucking caught you two, you fucking dumbass!” Sammi shouted, “Oh wait, did you snort too much coke to remember the last 20 minutes?” Sammi said in a high pitched voice filled with sarcasm, closing one nostril. Nikki began grinding his teeth, shaking his leg as he looked up at Sammi.

Sammi lowered her torso to Nikki’s face with an icy stare that could give anyone the chills. “Some best fucking friend you are,” Sammi whispered, “And to think I actually thought you were nicer than everyone said,”

“I didn’t think he was that in love with the chick!” Nikki shouted at Sammi’s face.

“Bullshit. You already know how Tommy is with a girl. To fuck his girl right under his nose as Tommy doesn’t give a shit,”

Nikki looked down at his hands, rubbing them nervously. “So are you going to tell Tommy now or what? You already hate the bitch,” Nikki said, a tremble in his voice.

Sammi chuckled, “No, I’m going to wait to see how long you take to break his heart. I’m not telling him shit.” Sammi said standing up straight, looking down at Nikki.

“Sammi I’m fucking sorry,” Nikki said looking up at Sammi with glossy eyes.

“No, you’re not. Out of all the people you choose to fuck over, you picked my brother. Fuck you,” Sammi says, walking out of the room. She leans against the door, feeling her heartbeat out of her chest as she tried to calm her breathing. Sammi snapped out of her trance when she heard a voice down the hall. Pushing herself off the wall, Sammi followed the sound to find Vince and Tommy talking.

“Let’s just go out tomorrow night, Roxie can cool down with some drinks in her and forget everything,” Vince said, leaning against the wall. Tommy twirled a drumstick between his fingers, pacing back and forth. Sammi walked up right next to Vince, scrunching her eyebrows at her brother. Vince’s eyes glued on Sammi, tapping his fingers against his legs anxiously. He bit his lip, hoping for a good chance. Tommy soon saw Sammi in front of her, pointing his drumstick at her.

“You! Why the hell did you gang up on Roxie with Mama?” Tommy asked. Sammi grabbed Tommy’s drumstick, throwing it aimlessly behind him. Vince snickered under his breath while Tommy gasped.

“Because she’s a bitch, Tommy. You seriously couldn’t do any better?” Sammi asks, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall.

“No, she’s not! She’s a lovely girl! You don’t know her like I do,” Tommy shouted, mimicking Sammi. Sammi rolled her eyes, looking at Vince for any help in her problem.

“How about Sammi comes with us tomorrow,” said Vince, smirking at Sammi. Sammi glared at Vince. “Unless you’re avoiding us again?”

“Fine, if you say Roxie is a lovely person prove it!” Sammi said, flipping her hair. Tommy shocking his head, “Great! We’ll pick you up at 9.”

SEPTEMBER 3rd, 1983

8:40 rolled around for Sammi as she finished up ironing her long hair pin-straight in the upstairs hall bathroom. She ran her fingers through her hair, untangling any knots that formed and smoothing any flyaways down. Putting down the flat iron, Sammi inched closer to the mirror to check for any imperfections in her makeup. Her outfit wasn’t out there like Roxie’s might be, but tight white jeans with a red top fit perfectly.

Unplugging the hair tool, Sammi exited the restroom to walk past Amanda’s open bedroom door. Amanda craned her head to catch a glimpse at Sammi, frowning immediately. She jumped out of her bed, making a sharp turn into Sammi’s room.

“And where are you going?” Amanda asks, crossing her arms as she leaned against the door frame. Sammi paid no attention, only carefully debating on a type of shoe to complete her outfit.

Sammi grabbed black leather booties, walking to her bed “I’m gonna go out with Tommy and his new fiancee. Trying to be a nice sister,” Sammi said.

Amanda nodded, “Are Nikki and Vince going to be there?”

“Vince is going but it’s whatever,”

“Be careful,” said Amanda. Sammi stood up, reaching for her jacket that rested on the desk chair. “Remember what I told you, Sam.”

Sammi gave a forced smile, “how could I forget,” She put on her black jacket and grabbed the crossbody bag from the closet door handle.

“And do you like this fiancee of Tommy’s?” Amanda asked.

Sammi blew a raspberry, “No. She’s a fucking groupie, but I’m just going to try like I said,”

Right on cue, the doorbell rang echoed for Sammi. Sammi pushed past Amanda, walking downstairs to the front. Opening the door, Vince and Tommy stood outside with anticipation on their faces Tommy bounced on the balls of his feet while Vince kept his cool demeanor for Sammi. Sammi smiled at them, closing the door behind her.

She looked at the watch on her wrist, “Wow you guys got here on time. Impressive,”

Vince shrugged, “Just want to have peace and fun tonight,”

“Roxie’s waiting in the car. Come on, Sam” Tommy said, walking to where a dark blue four-door Cadillac parked horribly in front of Sammi’s place. Sammi didn't know where exactly this car had come from but knew to hold questions until the end. Vince held out his arm for Sammi like a gentleman, smirk still intact. Sammi only ignored Vince, walking straight to the Cadillac.

“Hey, Roxie,” Sammi said, sliding into the backseat of the car. Roxie turned slightly only giving a small, barely noticeable smile. “Hi.,” Roxie said, crossing her arms in the front seat looking out the window. Sammi only shook her head, turning to see Vince join in the back with her. He kept his distance as much as he could while also keeping his hands to himself. Sammi rested on the side of the door. She began to hope Vince’s words were correct.

Tommy turned the keys to the ignition, “Let’s get the hell out of here!”

Just like a normal Saturday night in West Hollywood, the Sunset Strip was filled with nightlife down the whole strip. People could hear the muffled sounds of bands playing at different venues. The neon lights sign cast different colored glows on the street. The California air breezed through Sammi’s hair as the group walked up the street. Tommy and Roxie walked in front of the others, having his arm resting on Roxie’s neck. Sammi hugged her body as she only looked ahead of her, remaining silent. Vince kept giving side glances to Sammi as they walked closer to The Roxy, keeping his hand stuffed in his pockets.

The line for the club had roughly 10 people waiting, but not for Tommy and Vince. Tommy walked upright to the bouncer, getting access right away. Sammi scrunched her eyebrows together as the group walked up the short flight of stairs to the upstairs bar.

“We get treated like kings down here now, Sammi. Doesn’t it feel cool?” Vince whispered to Sammi.

“Great more things to add to your already big ass egos,” Sammi said coldly, sitting down on the bar top next to Roxie. Vince scuffed at Sammi’s remark, sitting down next to her facing his way to the brunette. Tommy grabbed the attention of the bartender, “Can I get a martini for the lady in black and a Budweiser?” The bartender nodded, looking at Sammi and Vince.

“Um… a whiskey sour and a single shot of whiskey,” Sammi said, taking off her jacket and crossing her legs.

“I’ll have the same as the Queen,” Vince said smiling politely at the bartender.

“You drink whiskey?” Roxie asked Sammi, fluffing her hair.

“Yeah, why?” Sammi asked, leaning back in the seat with crossed arms.

“Ladies don’t drink whiskey. That’s only for the men,” said Roxie, glaring at Sammi with an evil smirk. Sammi narrowed her eyes to Roxie, licking the corner of her lip. Tommy shot a look at Vince with wide eyes, praising the bartender for returning with their drinks.

“Can I get a shot too, my dude?” Tommy asked the bartender, getting exactly what he wished for. Vince grabbed his small shot, raising it up to Sammi. Sammi looked at him for a moment, contemplating any of her actions.

“Cheers,” Sammi mumbled, clanking the glasses together and swinging the alcohol back.

“Me and Roxie are gonna go check out who’s on stage!” Tommy said, taking a hold of Roxie’s hand. Vince gave a nod in response, giving his full attention to Sammi. She looked away from Vince, eyes traveling to any part of the bar that hasn’t to her left. She sipped on her drink then looked at her nails for a moment. The tension was building up with no one thinking on how to end it. No one was having the balls to say a word to one another.

“Are you just gonna continue to ignore me until you stop feeling like it?” Vince asked, bending the thin straw between his fingers.

Sammi looked at Vince with scrunched eyebrows, “I think if I were to ignore you, I wouldn’t have come at all,”

Vince scuffed, “You only came for Tommy. If I asked you to come out tonight, you would’ve said no,”

Sammi scratched her head, “Guess you’re right about that,” she mumbled. Silence came back quickly again, Sammi asking for another drink. Vince chugging the rest of his like a shot, motioning for another one as well.

“You know I always worry about you right” Vince asked, gently tapping his index finger on Sammi’s leg.

She looked at his hand then back up at the blonde. “Shouldn’t it be the other way around? You do everything without thinking, don’t you?”

Vince shrugged, “Still doesn’t mean I’m not going to worry about you. I want you to be happy and live life.”

“I’m perfectly happy with my life, thank you very much,”

“Did Doc get a chance to talk to you?”

Sammi nodded, “I’m not going on tour with you guys no matter how much Tommy begs,”

Vince huffed, “Why not, Sam?”

“Same excuse as always. I have school and work,”

Vince shakes his head, “You’re barely going to be 20. College will always be there for you. And Doc is going to fucking pay you! Hell, I’ll be your sugar daddy and pay for your shit so you can come and quit!”

Sammi cracks into a smile, looking away at Vince as she tried to hold in a laugh. Vince chuckled as well, a smile growing from getting through to Sammi. Sammi looked at Vince, smile still visible.

“Just think about it a little bit more, okay? Sometimes you don’t have to always be responsible, Sammi,” Vince said, squeezing Sammi’s thigh.

“Okay, I’ll think about it,” Sammi said smiling weakly at Vince.

The four stumbled down the strip as 2 in the morning hit around. Bars were beginning to close while only the Denny’s and other diners started filling up with the intoxicated usuals. Sammi looped her arm around Vince’s, feeling the ground swing from side to side with every step. She noticed Tommy walking ahead of Roxie, seeing the groupie pout with her arms crossed. Sammi yawned, only wanting her bed in a short time.

“Your mom’s a cunt,” Roxie spat out with anger, holting from her spot. Sammi stopped in place, taking a moment to see if she heard right.

Tommy turned around frowning at Roxie, “The fuck? Why would you say that?”

“Because that’s what she is. She’s a cunt,” Roxie said again in a monotone voice, turning back at Sammi. “Your mom is a fucking cunt,”

Sammi pushed herself off Vince, stepping up to her “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

Vince pulled Sammi back gently, wrapping an arm around her “Sammi,”

“Quit it, okay? Let’s just get to the car already,” Tommy said, pulling Roxie by the arm with force.

“Why? And why did you even tell them about us? She has nothing to do with us getting married!” Roxie shouted, pushing Tommy.

“Sorry to break it to you sweetheart, but we actually have parents that give a shit about us. You probably don’t know what that's like,” Sammi said, having her mouth soon get covered by Vince. Roxie looked back at Sammi stepping to her face, as Sammi shoved Vince away from her.

“In that case, you must be just like your mom then. A cunt for a mom and a cunt for a sister,” said Roxie with a smirk. Sammi was only able to see red as she squeezed her fists tight beside her.

Tommy yanked Roxie away from Sammi to face him, “Stop calling her that! And don’t ever call my sister that again? You hear me?” Tommy said through his teeth. Tommy began walking away right when Roxie pushed him almost to the ground. Vince held Sammi in his arms, knowing how bad everything could get.

“Fuck you! Fuck your sister! And fuck your mother!” Roxie yelled at Tommy, pointing her long manicured finger at him.

“That’s it, we’re leaving this fucking bitch here. Come on, Sammi!” Tommy said pushing Roxie away from him, trying to reach Sammi.

Roxie pushed Tommy once more making him stumble to the ground. “You are fucking spoiled little mama’s boy! ‘Cause you want to crawl back inside her cunt!” Roxie shouted down at Tommy. Then in a blink of an eye, Sammi and Vince saw Tommy spring up from the sidewalk, punching Roxie’s right in the mouth. Roxie fell to the ground, feeling blood drip from her mouth, looking up at everyone.

“Holy shit!” Sammi shouted, covered her mouth with wide eyes, looking at Roxie then to Tommy. Vince let go of Sammi, rushing to Tommy’s side to shake him up. Tommy stood frozen looking at what he just did. “I told you to stop saying that,” Tommy whispered, fully running away to the direction of the car.

“Tommy!” Vince shouted. He looked down at Roxie, who kept wiping away the blood from her mouth. Sammi stood still, beginning to feel her body tremble. She looked through her purse, pulling out a napkin. With a shaky hand, Sammi passed it to Roxie, only getting watery eyes in return. Vince grabbed Sammi by the hand, tugging her to Tommy. She stumbled away from Roxie, eyes glued onto her even as she disappeared into the distance.

“Where the fuck’s the car?” Vince said stopping under a street light. Sammi looked around, knowing they parked still.

“Oh my fucking god,” Sammi said running her hand through her hair, crouching down with her eyes closed. “He fucking ditched us,”

Vince huffed, kicking a nearby metal trash can. “Goddammit, Tommy. Sammi get up, we’re going to my place,” Vince said reaching out a hand for Sammi. Sammi looked up Vince, taking his hand as Vince tried to single a taxi.

Vince’s apartment was most certainly an upgrade from the Motley House, having everything look well kept for once. Shoes off with a beer in her hand, Sammi sat against the headboard of Vince’s bed with the singer right next to her. They tried multiple times to call Tommy but got no luck.

“Vince, I need to tell you something, and I’m gonna need you to never tell Tommy,” Sammi whispered looking at Vince. He nodded, wrinkling his eyebrows together.

“I caught Nikki fucking Roxie at the video shoot…” Sammi said softly, biting her lip.

Vince’s eyes grew in shock but then regained to normal size as he thought longer about it. “She would’ve tried it with any of us,” Vince mumbled, taking a sip of his beer. “Just didn’t think Nikki would actually fuck with Tom like that,”

Sammi took the last sip of her beer, “Never been more pissed in my life,”

“Just know I would never hurt your siblings or you like that,”

Sammi looked down at the bottle, pressing her lips together as she nodded.

“Hope you’re right about that,” Sammi said. Vince got up from the bed, pulling out a long t-shirt from his drawers.

“It may be late as fuck but you still need to sleep,” Vince said with a smile. Sammi only gave a forceful smile back at Vince, hoping for the best.

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summerspn · 4 years

Text

Felicity

Tv series (1998-2002)

Spoilers...

I’ve gradually been watching Felicity for the past few months & have completed watching the series. I gotta say it’s charming & oddly addictive.

At the beginning of the series Felicity (Keri Russell) is an extremely shy & introverted character. She’s adorable. We see her proudly graduating high school but also feeling some trepidation about it. Naturally.

She sees her high school crush, Ben Covington, (Scott Speedman) at their high school graduation & decides to just go & talk to him. She regretted not getting to know him before. So she fixes that. Her yearbook had some sort of printing issue so they gave it to her on graduation day. So she asks Ben to sign her yearbook.

Surprisingly he sits down & writes a very thoughtful message to her. It’s sweet & inspiring. She decides to follow him to New York & she gets into NYU.

In tv land one can get into school in just a couple months - ya know completely ignoring the hundreds of people waitlisted lol That made me chuckle when watching. No big deal though.

Felicity gets to school & realizes Ben was just a nice guy & wasn’t in love with her of course. So she gets a bit of a reality check.

She makes a few friends & lives in the biggest dorm room on the history of planet Earth!

My room in my old dorm was ‘big’ and it had 3 feet of space between the beds...much bigger than my sister’s dorm lol

Felicity is likeable because she’s sweet, smart, shy & confused & just trying to figure her life out. All she knew is she didn’t want med school as her parents kept trying to shove it down her throat.

Ben is a nice guy who struggles with feeling stupid sometimes (though is actually really smart). He struggled with some of his classes & lacks a clear path for his major.

Occasionally Ben has these lines & that message in the yearbook which made me stop & go ‘you’re a writer’. I kept thinking he was going to become a writer...then in season four he decides to be a doctor. Okay...it was an alright decision & I like his academic plot lines in season 4 so no real complaints there.

We meet Noel Crane (Scott Foley)who is super dreamy. He’s smart, nice, outspoken but sensitive. A straight laced student & Resident Advisor (RA) who becomes Felicity’s friend & has a crush on her.

Throughout the series that’s the love triangle. It was interesting but there was far too much emphasis on it. Often it overshadowed the more interesting storylines on the show, IMO.

Noel pines for Felicity & loses sight of his life then soon graduates without a plan then later develops depression. I thought that was a great storyline. Noel’s family history of depression was compelling & how the character described it was very well done.

Back then tv shows didn’t talk about mental illness but this was handled delicately.

Noel gets help & gets better. He gets his life back on track, pursuing his dream of graphic design. There’s a line where he gets teased for liking computers...ya know as only ‘nerds’ like that stuff 😂

Felicity’s roommate Meghan Rotundi (Amanda Foreman) is a bit of a goth/Wicca practitioner. Every other character wear clothes I assume that are from The Gap so Meghan looks very different in her black mesh clothes & dark makeup. Nice contrast but I feel like Meghan’s development was overlooked for the most part of the series. She’s very blunt, unapologetic, sometimes mean...but she also cares for others even though she’ll deny it.

In her romantic life there’s growth but not academically. It’s only in the end of the last season does she realize she wants to pursue psychiatry. I think there were some missed opportunities there.

Though I will say I like that her uptight parents accept her for her quirks & clothing choices.

Sean Blumberg (Greg Grunberg) ...I have mixed feelings about his character. He’s an ambitious inventor & sort-of businessman. He owns a loft where Ben sublets /shares with him. Sean’s nice, caring & excitable. He’s also several years older. Around 5 or 6yrs difference I think.

His age difference was brought up several times, as if it were supposed to be important. In my last year of school I lived with a woman who was 15 years older than me. So what? Not a big deal. I’m not sure why the show kept pointing it out.

The only issue with his age is that at one point he’s 27 and STILL has no steady job. None! He’s all-in with his inventions that make no money & his family isn’t rich so how does that work now? He has a loft in New York with zero income? One episode talked of him owing money but come on, get rid of the loft, downsize then get a job, even if part time. *sigh*.

At the start of the series I liked Sean but then they turned him into a pathetic leech who gets mad & throws tantrums easily. He became incredibly annoying.

When I was near the end of the series I started to think that Sean would actually make a good salesman. Imagine him trying to sell cars, just the right amount of pushy. Though they put an episode in that made him look like a buffoon when making a sales pitch. So I feel like the writers were confused or trying to sabotage his character because he still ends up leeching off his buddy Noel & they end up business partners. 🤷‍♀️

Sean & Meghan date & eventually marry. I thought they were cute together at first but not as long term. I feel like Meghan would murder him due to being sick of his shit.

Elena Tyler (Tangi Miller) becomes a good friend to Felicity. All the ladies care for each other a great deal. Elena is very intelligent & a hard worker. She had a few romances & nearly got married. But I’ll be honest I found her boring. Not sure why. I think the most interesting part of her character was that she chose not to marry her fiancé Tracy. I thought it was a very smart move. And I found her background with her mom interesting but they didn’t do much with that.

Richard Coad starts out as an annoying member of the dorm. He & Noel become friends then later gets befriended by the group. Richard is a neurotic, blunt talking mess. He’s somehow still kinda adorable though does have some rough spots. I really liked him up through season 3. Season 4 he was in much less and then the writers turned him into a racist moron. Even if he had those thoughts I feel like his character would be more subtle & not as rude due to his overly developed sense of self preservation. Plus he’s not stupid, just blunt & a bit disconnected.

He did apologize but still it felt just so...wrong. Out of character even.

In any case I think the writers should have made him a little more like Rob Benedict, the actor who played him. Rob’s loveable.

Javier Quintata (Ian Gomez) is the owner at the coffee shop Dean & Deluca. He’s the boss but becomes very close with everyone, especially Felicity. I really liked him at first. Eventually his personal favours become outlandish & his stories started to make my eyes roll.

He & his devoted husband break up over non-issues. Why? It added nothing to the plot. Javier also wants to pursue acting at NYU. He’s really not good so it came off as a dumb idea & all scenes in acting class become annoying. I feel like the writers didn’t know what to do with him. I’d have preferred if he pursued a different dream- one that made sense. Like maybe all the years working with coffee & pastries inspires him to want to be a chef? 🤷‍♀️

Felicity. Throughout the series she’s shy, gradually getting more of a backbone. She admits to loving art & wants to pursue it. Her parents constantly pull her down , try to talk her out if it, even bully & manipulate her. She is for the most part uncompromising. I loved that! She held her ground & from a person like her, who always kept the peace at the expense of her own happiness, that’s amazing.

We see her grow though she spends far too much time angst-ing over Ben & Noel. Often she seems tortured with very few moments of being free & having fun.

I loved how in season 4 she befriends fellow artist Owen. I feel like that was huge. I loved how they went to galleries together & talked about their art & life. It was refreshing. I love that Felicity’s honours art class was so important to her & everything around that plot.

I hated however, how she always put others first.

So...I have to mention Felicity’s haircut from Season 2. I didn’t find it that bad...but apparently Keri Russell got death threats from it. Complete insanity!

Though I do think as it was 1999 back then, people were more uptight with personal style. If she had dyed her hair pink instead people would have flipped out too.

I do think there were better hair styles to choose from though. I think if she had a cut her hair to chin length & straightened it it could look pretty & still have a big impact. Something like that.

But honestly it’s just hair. I had a horrible haircut one year in university but it grew out on a few months & was fine. No big deal....but I wasn’t on tv so no one cared I guess 🤷‍♀️

In the ‘series finale’ , Felicity abruptly chooses medicine. Why??? That uncompromising love for painting just gone....And back to medicine? I wanted her to be an artist!

Every artist has a day job to support them. Felicity was acting like she was going to starve because she couldn’t sell her paintings.

I wish they found her a day job she really liked to support herself. I wanted her to be all-in.

Or they could find her a middle ground. That internship at the architectural firm, she could have realized she wanted to be an architect or something. Something other than medicine.

I really like though that she chose herself finally. Then Ben follows her to school. That was perfect. I just wished she didn’t want to be a doctor. I feel like that goes against everything she wanted.

Overall a great series. I love how they approach mental health - Felicity’s too. She was getting therapy regularly. It was nice to see. Very healthy.

I like JJ Abrams’ work but I (like everyone else) question the last several episodes. Nonsensical & out of place.

Personally I think the show should have put less emphasis on the romantic relationships & drama & more on self discovery by all characters. That’s more interesting...then sprinkle in a few moments here and there. A few episodes on love etc each season. We didn’t need the constant longing looks & drama of Will they won’t they.

I know I’m in a minority when it comes to such things but I feel the media - tv & movies especially focus WAY too much on the romance.

Then of course people like me who are borderline Asexual (except when it comes to fictional characters lol), I find it exhausting to always be bombarded with romance from all angles. However, if Felicity (and other shows) just used it occasionally & not every single episode I wouldn’t mind.

It’s just hard to care about a show if it just feels like it’s only about relationships and not much about life. But that’s just me.

The storylines that had me intensely interested in this show were:

- Ben’s relationship with his dad

- Ben gaining self confidence & realizing he’s actually smart

- Noel’s graphic designs & career

- Noel’s mental health

- Meghan’s rebellious nature & wanting to see what happens when she gets over the need to rebel (though we didn’t see much of it).

- Felicity’s parents’ attitude - I wanted them to see that they were wrong & admit it to her (though they don’t) 😞

- Wanting to see Richard find something he was really interested in & good at (which never happened)

- Wanting Felicity to have fun! Random silliness or parties...they rarely partied or did weird outings to things like paintball or bowling. College is for doing a million things. I wish tv land would do more if this

- Wanting Felicity to stop making decisions because of her love interests

- Wanting Felicity to go on a summer trip or internship to Europe on her own (never happened)

- Wanting Felicity to choose art (also didn’t happen) & support herself with either a job she simply likes (dog waking, tutoring, retail etc) or something in the art field (art therapy, illustrator etc)

To me these should have been the priorities & add romance occasionally...

But overall the series was good. The acting was really good from everyone. Even minor characters had pretty good actors. So well done!

The actors are great in other projects too. Keri Russell was in The Americans, even the Rise of Skywalker. Never saw them but I heard great things. Personally I really liked her in Austenland, August Rush, Mission Impossible 3 (small but great role), and I LOVED her in the movie Waitress.

Definitely give the actors a watch in other projects, even if you have mixed feelings about them in Felicity. They’re all good.

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