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petertingle-yipyip · 2 years

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MAD AT GOD - MATT MURDOCK

season 2b - what a time

tags: @ironprincessstranger @americaarse @dusstory @johnmurphys-sass @astrobees @mayasaurus--rex // one // three // masterlist

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Reader

Word Count: 4,608

Summary: Peace didn’t last long as an odd case lures Matt back in. Following right behind him as always, Y/N ends up drawn in as well. But who are they really up against?

The next morning, Matt was up before you as usual. You were still rubbing the sleep out of your eyes as you left the bedroom, only to find him throwing the med kit across the room.

“Goddammit.” He mumbled. “Goddammit!”

“It was one time.” You reasoned as you stepped closer and put your hands on his shoulders, feeling the tension in his muscles relax slightly. “Neither of us were gonna let those kids get hurt.”

“Y/N, we weren’t supposed to do it again.” He sighed, straightening up and trying to push past you. “We’re not them anymore!”

“Hey.” You stepped in front of him and put hands on his chest to stop him, which earned you a slight glare of annoyance. “Don’t do that, alright? I don’t regret what we did last night. Neither should you.”

“We stopped for a reason.”

“But we can’t stop being who we are. What we did as Exodus and Daredevil got Fisk. What I did as Y/N almost had Frank off the hook and what you’ve been doing as Matt is helping people like Aaron James.”

“You’ve been waiting for an excuse, haven’t you?” He scoffed and raised his brows expectantly.

“First of all, I don’t need an excuse. If I want to put my mask on again, I can. And I don’t need your permission.” You answered firmly. “Second, you were the one that dragged me into that alley fight. You didn’t hesitate. Not once.”

He scoffed slightly.

“Matt, those kids needed help! No one else was around. If we hadn’t stepped in, they would’ve been shot dead in that alley over a stupid TV. We saved them, alright? It was a good thing we did.”

“We weren’t supposed to do this.” He sighed and leaned his forehead down to rest on yours.

“I know…” Your eyes closed as you answered gently, taking in some of his warm stress and anger. “But it was just this one time. Just once.”

“Just once.”

“As long as the suits stay locked away, we didn’t break any promises, okay?”

“Okay.” He smiled softly. “Thank you.”

“For what? Not letting you make a big deal over a couple punches?” You joked and wrapped your arms over his shoulders.

“For being there.” He clarified with a chuckle as he rested his hands on your arms, turning his head to leave a soft kiss against the crook of your elbow. “Last night and right now.. I don’t know what I'd do without you.”

“Probably something stupid.” You grinned and he laughed. “It's your usual go to.”

“Hilarious.” He smiled as his phone announced Foggy was calling.

You two met Foggy down at Josie’s and for a few minutes, it almost felt like old times. You three chatted about life and were catching up when Foggy made a comment on Matt’s knuckles. You had left your own to heal naturally, but made sure to keep them out of sight since Foggy didn’t know your own secret.

“That why you called? To see if I’d done anything stupid?” Matt commented as he stood and put his jacket on to leave.

“Sit down.” You sighed and tugged his hand, to which he pulled away roughly.

“It’s not stupid. I know you’re trying.” Foggy tried, though Matt didn’t care.

“Earth shook, Foggy. Cops weren’t coming.”

As Matt tried to walk past, you grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back. He sighed loudly but you grabbed his arm tighter and pushed a heat of anger the hand you had on his sleeve until he made a noise of discomfort. You cleared your throat as you glared at him and he huffed before settling next to you.

“He didn’t do anything.” You explained, lying through your teeth. “Last night, before all of that, I took him to Fogwell’s. I kept instigating him and we took it too far.” You showed Foggy the back of your own hands.

Your friend sighed as he looked at your knuckles. He turned back to your face and you could see the uncertainty in his eyes but you put on your most convincing face.

“Whatever you’re doing, I’m not gonna judge.” He said finally.

“Excuse me?” You said with wide eyes when you realized it didn’t work and Matt chuckled beside you as he threw an arm over your shoulder.

Usually you were a great liar, even when you told shitty ones.

“But I think I can help you guys through it. I came to offer you two something. These are some case files for stuff that I’m too busy to handle right now.” Foggy explained as he pulled a small stack of folders from his bag.

“Mr. Big Time doesn’t have for the little guy anymore?” You teased gently.

“C’mon, I don’t need your charity.” Matt groaned and you elbowed him slightly.

“This isn’t that! I’m outsourcing to two of the best lawyers I know.”

“Fog, I don’t do lawyer stuff anymore.” You said simply as you flipped through the files.

“You were one of the smartest people in our class but you expect me to believe that you just gave it up to work for a security company?” He teased. “Not even the FBI. But a security company. I don’t buy it, Y/N/N.”

“Yeah, well you don’t have to.. You outsourcing the kind of stuff he’s doing anyway?” You nodded to Matt.

“Yeah, it ranges from petty bullshit to life-changing kind of important. There’s malpractice, worker’s comp. Y’know, good people that need justice.”

“It’ll keep you busy.” You tilted your head back to look at Matt. “And you’d still be a hero. Just a different kind.”

He scoffed lightly and you could see he wanted to comment on your use of that word, but he said nothing since Foggy was there.

“I know it’s not a solution, not long term anyway.” Foggy continued as Matt came and sat back in his seat. You leaned your chin on his shoulder and snaked your arm around his. “But it’s the best I got right now.”

“And if it doesn’t work?” Matt asked genuinely.

“Then at least we tried… And maybe we can get Y/N back in the game.”

You and Matt laughed and it really felt like old times then.

You three stayed a while longer, talking and drinking and laughing. It wasn’t until Foggy got called back for work that you all separated.

“What’s bothering you?” Matt asked as you two walked the streets back to your apartment, his arm over your shoulders and the other guiding his cane across the sidewalk while your arms hugged the files to your chest.

“Huh?” Your head snapped up from the sidewalk and he chuckled softly.

“What’s wrong?” He repeated with a gentle smile. “You’ve been quiet since we left Josie’s.”

“I’m a pretty good liar, right?” Your brows furrowed and it made him laugh again. “I’m serious!”

“You are. You’re a good liar, yeah.” He laughed and you smacked his chest. “You don’t really have a tell so I can’t tell the difference most of the time.”

“Then why didn’t Foggy believe me?”

“You probably just used your abilities more subconsciously than you realized so now it’s a little different.”

You frowned slightly with a small huff.

“Don’t give me that face.” He sighed and using the hand that was over your shoulders, he gave your face a gentle squeeze. “It’s not a big deal, sweetheart. He’s not gonna figure anything out.”

“It’s not that. If he figures it out, he figures it out. I’m not worried about that. I just… Nevermind.”

“No. Don’t do that… Talk to me, c’mon.”

“You wouldn’t get it, Matt, alright? Can we drop it?”

“Hey.” He sighed and pulled you to stop. “I’m listening, okay? Why is it so important that you can lie?”

He spoke so softly, so genuinely, that you found it hard to tell him no.

“I’ve been lying my whole life, right? To everyone. It’s how I survived.” You explained carefully and Matt nodded along. “But a lot of girls I knew didn’t because they couldn’t lie.”

“You think something’s gonna happen?”

“I wouldn’t exactly be surprised… We have terrible luck.”

“Yeah, we do.” He chuckled slightly before replacing his arm, pulling you to walk with him. “Anything that comes for you comes for me too, okay? You’re not alone anymore. Even if you can’t lie your way out of it, which you know you can, I’m not leaving you to deal with anything by yourself.”

“I won’t let my problems take you down.”

“You’re gonna have to kill me to stop me.”

“You forget that I’ve almost done it before.”

“I knew you weren’t gonna.” He said proudly.

“The whole time you were just calling my bluff?” Your jaw dropped.

“Even when you swore you were cold and ruthless, I knew you had a heart.” He teased and you smacked his chest, which got him to laugh. “Yeah, love you too, Y/N.”

You got the call from Foggy just as you two were hitting your apartment building. He told you he’d buy you lunch for a week if you and Matt went to talk to someone who he swore ‘could use the two best lawyers he knew’. Reluctantly, you agreed so you led Matt to the precinct so you could meet with her.

“Please stop talking.” You announced as you and Matt entered the small room. “Jessica Jones, we’re your attorneys. Detective, please leave us to confer with our client.”

The detective huffed slightly before pushing past and out of the room, leaving you and Matt with Jessica.

There was an annoyance radiating off her that she wasn’t trying to hide. But there was also impatience, maybe a bit of fear. Whatever happened, she had no idea why and who did it and maybe that uncertainty was what scared her.

“You two public defenders?” She asked as you two took your seats across from her.

“Hardly.” You snorted. “We were recommended by a friend that works with-“

“Let me guess. Jeri Hogarth.” She rolled her eyes.

“Right.” Matt nodded.

“I didn’t know she did diversity hires.”

“We’re independent, actually. We don’t work for her firm.”

“Well I’m not paying you.”

“Can’t imagine you could.” You commented, earning a grind of her teeth and a glare that made you smirk. “Considering Alias Investigations has stuck its head in the sand after your riveting appearance in headlines across New York.”

“What the hell did you just say?”

“Oh, I think you heard me, Ms. Jones..”

“What my partner means.” Matt said firmly so you let out a loud sigh and leaned back in your chair. “Is you don’t have to.”

“Why? Hogarth will foot the bill?”

“Yeah. And I’m Catholic. I have a soft spot for hopeless causes.” He joked which made you chuckle softly.

“Explains her.” She nodded to you.

“I’m not the prime suspect in a murder case, am I?” You answered with a tight smile.

“Ms. Jones, may I ask how long you’ve been a PI?” Matt tried to change the subject.

“No.”

“Are you always this rude to people trying to help you?” Your brows raised.

“I think I’m gonna find my own lawyer. Thanks.”

“Okay.” Matt nodded and closed his folder. “But in reality, you don’t need one. The NYPD doesn’t have anything to hold you on, despite the mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”

“So I can walk?”

“Your home office is still an active crime scene and you’ll need to be available for follow-up questioning.”

“So don’t leave town. Yeah, I know the drill.” She cut in and it was your turn to grind your teeth.

“She cuts me off again, I'm punching her in the mouth.” You mumbled under your breath, earning yourself a discreet kick under the table from Matt.

“We read your file. We know who you are, what you can do.” Matt told her, leaning in to speak quieter. “Legally, yknow, if there’s something not ordinary about this case, it would stay between us.”

“What part of ‘I know the drill’ did you not understand?”

“I know you’re pissed off, Jessica.” You said finally.

“Nothing happened.”

“I know you’re a little bit scared because you don’t know why whatever happened in your apartment happened. You’re annoyed that we’re here. And there’s something that you’re very interested in but refuse to say. But I'm telling you, in more ways than one, we are the best allies you could have for whatever angle you’ve got.”

“Nothing. Happened.”

“Then I guess you’re free to go.” You shrugged before she stormed out of the room, practically leaving a trail of angry smoke behind.

“That could’ve gone better.” You mumbled as you and Matt were leaving. “Foggy’s gonna owe me more than a week's worth of lunch for that.”

“She knows something.” Matt explained after a minute of silence, clearly listening to something.

“Who cares?” You shrugged. “She doesn’t want to talk. Let her be the cops’ problem.”

“Whatever this is, I don’t think the cops can handle it.”

“Matt, don’t. You go down that road again and it’s gonna go bad somewhere along the way.”

“I just think-“

“We agreed we were done. We slipped up the other night, but those kids needed us. We dealt with that and you had an entire moment of crisis about it. Jessica Jones is a grown woman who can clearly defend herself and doesn’t need or even want us around. Let it go.”

“Then why'd you read her like that? If you didn’t want to get involved with anything outside the case, why read her?”

“It was practically plastered on her forehead.” You reasoned, though you were a bit curious as to what really happened. “Matty, if she wanted our help, I’d say we look into it a little bit more. But she doesn’t. So let’s not”

“If you didn’t pick a fight with her as soon as we walked in, maybe-“

“Nuh-uh!” You cut in. “She was closed off and irritated before we even walked in. Don’t blame me because she’s a grouch.”

“You didn’t help it by instigating.”

“Does it really matter? We both have work tomorrow anyways so let’s just give it a rest. At least for tonight. Please.”

The next day, you and Matt were getting ready for work.

“Did you want me to bring lunch by today?” You asked as you were tying his tie. “I’m only supposed to be running a couple short training groups today, so I’m pretty sure Billy won’t care if I leave early.”

“Uh, maybe. Depends how long this client meeting takes.” He answered, though there was something underlying in his voice.

You hummed slightly and tightened the knot a bit harder than you needed to, earning a small groan from him.

“This isn’t about Jessica Jones again, is it?”

“Y/N..” He tried.

“Nope. I’m not doing this.” You shook your head and put your hands up in surrender as you headed to the bedroom for your shoes. “I don’t want to be involved in whatever Jessica is dealing with.”

“There’s something else going on. If I can find out what it is…”

“Now who wants an excuse for that suit, hmm?” You said as you passed him. “I’ll see you after work then.”

You tried to get through your day as normal as possible. You met with Billy first to get the day’s schedule as usual, but as he explained what the groups were and what the exercises were going to be, your focus drifted elsewhere. You were worried Matt’s newest obsession with whatever Jessica Jones was involved in was going to suck him and you back into the life you left behind.

The life you both locked in a case and weren’t supposed to touch again.

But still, there was that part of you that was itching for something to fight for. Something bigger than training Anvil’s new hires. Something that put your training to good use. And that part kept screaming that whatever was happening now was connected to that lingering darkness that hit you like a truck only a handful of weeks prior.

Work went by in a blur. When you were giving Billy the rundown of how everything went, you were seventy percent sure you were making it up. You couldn’t remember how anything went. Your mind was definitely elsewhere.

“You sure you’re alright?” Billy insisted gently. “Wanna grab a drink? Might take your mind off it.”

“Sorry, I’m- Yeah, everything’s fine. Just a weird day, I guess… Rain check on that drink though. I should just get home, see if Matt’s back yet.”

“Y’know, when are you gonna let me meet this Matt you keep talking about?”

“No, I don’t think he’d like you very much.”

“What?” He laughed slightly. “Don’t think I’m charming enough?”

“Too charming, actually.” You smiled with a small shrug. “He might think you’ve been trying to make a move on me this whole time.”

“I see.. That obvious, huh?”

“Yeah, my blind boyfriend could put it together.” You laughed. “See you tomorrow.”

When you got home, you found the doorknob was slightly oily, like someone with a wet or clammy hand opened it. Your fingers slipped into your bag and pulled your switchblade. As you crept through the doorway, you turned the notch and opened the blade.

“Put that little thing away.” A familiar voice called from the living room. “You wouldn’t stab an amputee, would you?”

“I used to beat the shit out of a blind guy for kicks. I’m not really the one with any moral high ground.” You sighed and dropped your stuff on the table. “You’re missing a hand.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

“What do you want, Stick?”

“Matty’s gotten himself in deep shit. They need our help.”

“Sorry. They?” You went to pull a beer from the fridge. “Beer?”

“Just come with me. And bring those little buzzers of yours.”

You sighed as you popped the cap off your drink.

“We told our friends we wouldn’t do that anymore.” You said honestly.

“Well if you don’t, all of New York is gonna pay. You think that ‘quake’ was an accident?”

“Are people gonna die if we sit this out?” You asked carefully.

You should say no. You knew it. You knew you should tell Stick to get out, to call someone else. You were supposed to live a normal life.

But Exodus was normal for you.

“Listen close, girl. People are already dying because of this.” He answered flatly. “You can either get off your ass and try to stop it. Or you sit there and let it happen.”

“I hate you.” You groaned and slammed your bottle down. “You’re bringing me because I won’t hesitate to pull a trigger, huh?”

“These people won’t stop. You know that.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Hand.”

“What?” Your body went cold with the memory of Elektra dying at your feet.

“I’ll tell you more on the way.”

You pushed past him and went to the door that hid your suits, trying to clear the red tint that was clouding your vision. All logic went out the window when Stick told

you who you would be up against and all you could think was revenge. Wiping them out completely, though it wouldn’t bring Elektra back. But it might make you feel better, like there wasn’t something unfinished.

You slid Matt’s case aside - deciding you weren’t going to make the decision of his suit for him - and opened your own, seeing your suit staring back at you for the first time in months since you washed the blood out of it. The first thing you grabbed were your Bites, setting them in your lap before you pulled your top.

Then your mask slipped from the fabric and landed in your lap as you were tucking a gun to your waistband.

You thought about leaving it. You wouldn’t need it anyway. You didn’t need to hide this time.

But it had very helpful features…

You shoved it in your pocket and threw your top on before slipping a knife under the cuff. You grabbed your Bites and kicked the case back into the closet. You slammed the lock shut and turned to face the old man.

“Can you promise me one thing?” You asked.

“We don’t have time for this.”

“Just- Stick, c’mon. Please.”

He groaned but turned to you expectantly.

“If it gets to a situation where it’s me or Matt. I need you to make sure he gets through it.”

“Kid, you know it’s gonna kill him if something happens to you.”

“I know you care about him in whatever way.” You continued and gestured for Stick to lead the way. “I just need to know you’ll look out for him first, no matter what happens to me or anyone else.”

He sighed heavily as you two left your apartment.

“I’ll do what I can to make sure Matty gets through this.”

“Thank you.”

“But don’t try to get yourself killed. He doesn’t need both of the women he’s loved dying in front of him.”

You had no idea where you were going or what the hell Matt got himself into. But the second you had a minute to get him alone, you were going to tear into him. For running towards something you told him to leave alone. For doing it without you. For not trying to call or get a hold of you.

Despite that, every step you took behind Stick felt like something digging into your chest. There was something you were walking into, something other than another fight against the Hand. It was easy to tell, especially since you could feel a growing tension among a small group - maybe four people.

And there was something important Stick wasn’t telling you.

Stick told you to go in first and diffuse the situation while he kept a lookout. He said you’d need everyone to win this fight and you were the ‘most qualified’ to get everyone on the same page, meaning he wanted you to use your powers and calm everyone down. You let out a deep breath before going in.

You snuck in through the back door of the restaurant after fitting your Bites to your wrists. You hung your mask off your neck and folded your hands behind your back as you made your way into the main room.

“You wanna take your hand off my shoulder?” Matt said tightly.

“Take off the mask.”

You surveyed the group quickly.

Jessica Jones. A scrawny white boy, radiating a false sense of bravado and confidence. A taller, broad shouldered man who you vaguely recognized from a story in Harlem. And Matt.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Jessica groaned when she made eye contact with you.

“Thanks for the invite.” You smiled, earning quick head turns from the other two men. “Get your hand off him.”

“Or what?” His brows raised. Getting a better look at him, you knew why he stood out for you.

Unbreakable skin.

“Or you’re not going to like what I do next.”

“Try me.”

“I can be very resourceful.” You said carefully as the other man stood, still chewing a mouthful of food though he put his hands out as if he was going to say something to you.

“Sit down.” You said firmly and pointed to his seat. He sat almost instantly with wide eyes.

“Counselors. A word?” She asked with a short eye roll.

You moved around the table and Jessica followed, though you made a point to step between Matt and the other man to shove his hand off and offer a warning glare.

“How did you find us?” Matt asked as you two stepped to the side with Jessica.

You thought about the old man you left outside but decided against mentioning him.

“You’re not exactly hard for me to find.” You said instead. “What did you get yourself into?”

“It’s the Hand.” He sighed heavily and reached for your arm, pausing when he felt the protective material. “What? You just came ready to fight?”

“Considering you were supposed to be home already, I had a feeling you got yourself into something stupid.”

“Y/N, we can’t do this again.”

“They don’t stand a chance without us.” You said honestly. “We’ve gone against them before. I think our friends would understand.”

“So it is you two.” Jessica said simply, a proud smirk on her face. “I know who you guys are.”

“What?” Your brows furrowed.

“Exodus.” She used a finger to tug your mask slightly, earning an annoyed smack of her hand. “And the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.”

“Whatever you’re insinuating about us-“

“I’m not an idiot, alright? I can put two and two together. Besides, you leaping around the city like a Russian gymnast didn’t exactly help.”

“You did what?” You turned towards Matt. “You’re gonna tell me you didn’t know she was tailing you?”

“You don’t have any proof.” Matt said instead.

“I did.”

“What?” Your brows raised.

“He smashed it.”

“Ты, должно быть, шутишь.” You sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose. (You’ve gotta be kidding me.)

“Listen, I’m not threatening either of you. But they saw him fight, how he’s covering his face. They’re two seconds away from putting it together.”

“You really think they’re that perceptive?” You looked to the two men, one stuffing his face and the other just watching with gross interest.

“At least one of ‘em.” She nodded. “I want zero to do with this ancient organization, alright? I just want to crack my case… Judging by the way you’re dressed-“ She gestured to your mask. “-and the way you sprang into action, I’d say you two want the same thing.”

Jessica stepped back to the group while you waited with Matt for a second, feeling his hesitation grow.

“I’m with you, whatever you wanna do.” You offered, reaching for his hand. He wrapped his fingers around yours but you felt him graze the gauntlets on your wrists. “But I know they need us.”

“You want to do this, don’t you?” He asked gently.

“I’m not gonna lie to you. I still hate the Hand, with everything I have in me. I want to put a bullet in each and every one of them. I want revenge, Matt. But it’s more than that.”

“What happened? Did they come after you?”

“No, I just… I felt something, someone a couple months ago. You remember when I got kinda weird and quiet? And then earlier today, something just didn’t feel right… I can’t ignore the feeling they’re connected.”

He sighed but nodded, pulling the scarf off. You shook your hand free from his and gently placed it on his cheek and he closed his eyes as he leaned into your touch. His hands slid under the fabric of your open top and rested against your lower back while he leaned down and kissed your cheek. Gently, he pressed against you and brought you two back over to the group.

“My name is Matthew.” He said simply as he handed Jessica back her scarf.

You glanced around the group, taking in the expectant stares. You sighed to yourself as your brain habitually was shoving ‘Exodus’ to the forefront. Out of instinct, you knew you didn’t owe these people the truth. You could make up any name you wanted. You could be anyone you wanted to be. But realistically, you knew you didn’t need to be anyone other than yourself. Your fight wasn’t for anyone other than yourself.

“Y/N.” You said finally.

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auideas · 10 months

Note

Pool love

Well this is certainly the season for it -- pool love, coming right up!

(P.S. We're going to start including our favorite prompt within lists at the bottom, so make sure you read until the end!)

Chronically shy Characters A and B had been playing games with all the neighborhood kids since they were toddlers, but weirdly enough, they'd never actually spoken directly. The only time they'd uttered a word to one another was during games of Marco Polo in which they recognized the other's voice, loved it and its flirtatious tone, but never acted on it -- after all, they had never seen one another and matched the voice in the crowd, so how could they know they felt the same way about one another? Later in life, they wind up on a blind date and start speaking to one another, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia...had they met before?

"We had one chance to win the gold medal for either one of our countries; we were supposed to be Olympic champions, but you threw it all away just because of our petty rivalry!? You stupid, selfish --" Character A is cut off as Character B slams them against the locker, pressing their forearm at Character A's throat, then crowding their space until they could see the droplets of chlorine mix with the tears coating Character A's lashes. Character B drank in the sight. "Choose your next words wisely, bargain bin protagonist," they shakily breathed out. "I'm not above putting you in your place." AU

"I took a job as a lifeguard for the local pool this summer and there's this incredibly cute person who always brings the kids they're babysitting. I guess they don't like swimming very much, but they always bring a new book every single time; I don't know if they're a speed reader or if they're just showing off, but trying to keep up with their current picks is impossible. I've been trying to visibly read the same book as them for WEEKS now while on my breaks, but they never even look in my direction..." AU

Pool cleaners Character A and B had been in the business for a while so they'd seen some shady things, but nothing they'd ever cleaned had come close to their newest client. The black water seemed endless, the smell was putrid, and they could see some sort of steam coming from the surface even though the ambient and water temperature were the same. Their eyes grew wider and wider as they emptied the water and found some...strange objects...at the bottom.

"I've never been able to open my eyes under water -- it just seems scary, unsanitary, and unnecessary. What could I possibly want to see in that urine-filled cesspool? My friend, Character B, found this hilarious and made it their mission to help me crush my phobia over summer break. Soon they realized that I didn't want to because I was worried about other people being in the pool when I was opening my eyes, so they break into the pool after hours, dragging me along to practice. After an hour of psyching myself up, we both dipped our heads under. It took a few seconds, but when I opened my eyes, I found Character B pressing their lips against mine. The water around me suddenly felt extra cold as my face flushed deep red. Oh no...it must be pink eye, I have a fever oh no it's too soon how could I let this happen oh geez I'm so screwed--" AU

After one thing leads to another, some swimsuit mishaps in the locker room force Character A to borrow the spare swimsuit of Character B and needless to say...they look ridiculously adorable in it.

Dungeon master Character A decides that the best thing they could do for the final session of their five year nautical campaign would be to rent out a local pool and host their four players for their most immersive session yet. This was supposed to be some summer fun, but the final battle becomes intense. Characters B and C, party rivals, have a falling out and hold a one on one battle to resolve their differences. As things take a turn, play fighting in the water turns malicious and real. Rhinslow, the barbarian, struggles to breathe as Kaisili, the elf, chokes them beneath the chlorinated ripples in the pool. Character D, their dwarf party member, screams in disbelief and shock when they see Rhinslow -- Character B, their crush -- stop moving. Kaisili -- Character C -- reasoned that their turn would not be over until the Dungeon Master, Character A, said it was over. They'd rolled a natural 20 on their initiative, after all; they deserved this win.

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pttucker · 7 months

Text

They scammed the scammer!!!

Well, okay, yeah, maybe calling it a scam is a bit much since it was all very disjointed and it doesn't seem like Sooyoung or Joonghyuk were actually working together and it was still very possible somebody was going to die if the right things weren't said or the right actions weren't taken, at exactly the right times, but it worked out in the end!

Just...ahhhhhhhhh!

Also... awwwwwww.

I really didn't think Sooyoung was actually dead at any point (because it's Sooyoung) and I've been hoping that Dokja was going to be able to get through to Joonghyuk (if Joonghyuk hadn't already decided not to kill him) but I didn't at all expect that this was actually a plot to get through to Dokja.

Dokja basically having to be tricked into actually defending himself (both verbally and physically) and yet still being unable (and unwilling) to tell his side or apologize because he doesn't feel he deserves to be forgiven 😭 and instead relying on both Sooyoung and his and Joonghyuk's shared stories to speak for him. In fact, Sooyoung literally saying to his face that he sucks at telling his story.

And the fact that she says that both of them are bad at listening... I have the feeling what they're bad a listening to isn't necessarily other people's criticism and hate but instead the exact opposite. 😭

"How did it go?" "He went crazy and attacked me." Han Sooyoung smirked and lightly pinched Kim Dokja's cheek as if she was proud of him. "By the way, what's the matter with his chest?" "He's paying for making me eat dirt." "…Dirt??" "There is something like that."

😂😂😂

Oh man though, Dokja just losing it not for himself, but for Sooyoung. For his happy ending he's been working so hard for where everyone gets to see the epilogue without becoming a monster along the way. His ending that's been completely reduced to ashes right before his eyes and he can't even process that everything he went through and everything he did means nothing. 😭

And then him just losing all willpower as he lets the devastation wash over him. As he lets the guilt wash over him. As he acknowledges, as always, that he can't ever possibly kill Joonghyuk. Just letting Joonghyuk attack him even after Dokja had him defeated. 😭 Which is exactly what I feared would happen!!! Especially after the Fourth Wall thinned and that stupid Fruit started messing with his head!

Ugh! The Fruit of Good and Evil!!! Oh man, I hope that this helps tie up the loose ends and he doesn't continue to be affected by it (and his own general emotions that were already there) and just hate himself even more than he already did, thinking he's just a callous constellation who watched everyone's suffering for his own entertainment and possibly even contributed to it via his comments.

It was a book Dokja! A BOOK! It's completely different from being inside of the world and refusing to help, something which you have only ever done once, and that was out of pure necessity because you knew you weren't strong enough to help. And you immediately sent in someone else to help in your place as fast as you could.

And now I guess Joonghyuk is going to see exactly what that feels like. Uh...I assume Sangah dragged him into the wall??? Which sounds both hilarious and terrifying. I'm not certain Dokja can handle a mind Joonghyuk. Doesn't seem nearly as nice as having a mind Sangah. Though maybe Joonghyuk being able to see things from Dokja's eyes for once might do them a world of good, in addition to this "conversation" they just had that leveled the area.

Also...Joonghyuk, my guy...DON'T TRY TO BREAK DOKJA'S FOURTH WALL!!! Oh man, so he was actually trying to destroy that when he "cut him down" and while that's better than attacking Dokja himself...it's really not better. HE NEEDS THAT WALL JOONGHYUK!!!

The Fourth Wall thickening and thickening and thickening all through the fight too. I assumed it was to protect Dokja's mental state as he's going through all this (and probably that was part of it) but now I'm kind of wondering if it knew Joonghyuk was going to try to destroy it. Hmmm.

But at least Joonghyuk said he's a former Regressor, so I'm taking that to mean he's made his peace with everything and he's chosen to stay in this life with Dokja for certain? Even if he's a little too aggressive about wanting to break through the Fourth Wall and devour all of Dokja's (and TWSA's) secrets. 😬

Oh, and now Sooyoung has Predictive Plagiarism? So that means all three of our main duo has some form of "prophetic powers" not to mention Sangah who's read all of TWSA too by now and also Anna Croft who's starting to be able to read Dokja's moves (very not happy about that, I hope it's just because the Fourth Wall isn't working properly here) and also Secretive Plotter and possibly Metatron via Secretive Plotter.

So...yeah...looks like we're maybe about to enter into a big battle of the prophets going forward.

Also, don't think I didn't notice that 1863rd's face was blurred just like Dokja's is blurred. But not blurred to Dokja. Hmmm.

#orv novel chapters 369-371 #orv #orv spoilers #orv liveblog #omniscient reader's viewpoint #yjh #kdj #hsy #ysa #the fourth wall

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licuadora-nasir · 2 years

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Memories of an Ice Dragon: The first regret.

From the distance, I saw Valkyon dressing in vermilion scales, shifting into his dragon form ready to come and meet me in the sky. How could he, how dare he turn his back to his own blood and defy his brother like this!

He should have listened, as a dragon, he should have stayed with his kin where he belongs. Instead, he chose to return to those bastards with the tail between his legs like a puppy! This only proves my point; the influence of that rotten guard has turned Valkyon into a waste of a man that will never be able to honour his lineage.

He even DARED to refuse my last offering to give Eldarya what it deserves! True freedom can only be achieved through the destruction of this tainted world and its miserable inhabitants!

They have chased innocents to death, unfairly punished faery races for being true to their nature, turned a blind eye to unforgivable crimes that benefited their interests, and every.single.day, spread a web of lies and manipulations to keep the people of Eldarya submissive and ignorant to the reality we face.

And Valkyon, after ALL that the Guard of Eel has done, after all of their lies, their barbarism against the dragons and the aengels, the unfairness toward the powerless ones, chose to remain with them. HE CHOSE to fight his OWN BROTHER!

Now I remember why I didn’t take him with me when I faked my own death to leave that disgusting warren. He is too guileless, too dewy-eyed to face the cruel truth about this world. We stand over our race’s legendary blood, and the least we can do, the least I CAN DO is set them free.

Their sacrifice has only been useful for the faeries to kill themselves, to chase power and dominance through pain, suffering and agony. It was not enough forcing us to exist in hiding and fear, they have also doomed many other people to a runaway life through their contemptible methods and their desperate search for control.

This is not just about me. I am just the head of the revolution of the ones who walked into the light and opened their eyes.

That day, all of it would come to an end. We were going to drag Eldarya to his imminent destruction. All of us were willing to die if that meant that the rest of this world would chase the same fate. Valkyon was aiming straight at me, and he even had the pathetic winged human on his back in a coarse attempt of fighting me. Truly hilarious.

Heading straight to the city’s shield, my steady flight was wrecked by the insufferable rays of the sun that was shining upon us like a silent beholder of our fight. Inevitably, he decisively rammed into me just before I reached the shield.

I clashed, lashed and thrashed trying to break free, but he held onto me with his massive body, refusing to let me go as if the future of Eldarya depended on it. As I struggled, I saw from the corner of my eye that stupid wretch focusing on my neck.

I viciously roared, letting blue flames escape my snout and nostrils burning Valkyon’s wing, who finally got out of my way. The audacity! Letting that piteous creature ride him to try and aim at my weak spot! Even THAT was too low for him. Just when I thought he couldn’t be more of a disappointment, he manages to surprise me again. Was that what he learned during my absence? Cheap and filthy tricks?

After he drifted away, he started circling me, both of us spitting fire trying to keep each other in line. Honestly, I was surprised; I was not aware that my foolish brother could manage to unwind his dragon form.

Even so, he could not stand a chance with me. After all this time denying his primal self, no matter how hard he tried, he could not still match my skills. With all my strength, I charged against him, and even though he tried to counterattack, I dodged his lunge and ploughed into the shield.

Unfortunately, it didn’t break as easily as I thought, shoving me back while I was spewing flames to knock it down. I headed straight to the crystal room trying to slip away from my brother, but he rushed after me, and casting flames, he tore one of my wings.

I howled in pain and rage as I was failing, trying to retaliate in vain. I had to fight back, I COULDN’T afford to lose like this, LOSING BECAUSE OF HIM!

Out of desperation, I grabbed onto my brother and I managed to destabilize him, dragging us both as we pierced the delicate roof of the crystal room. Within a second, we both crashed into the damaged crystal. As fast as I could, I got to my feet with blurry eyes and a spinning head.

I felt my blood boiling under my skin. Could not he see what I was trying to do?!? Did not he understand the scope of my project?! I was doing this FOR US! FOR HIM! I WAS THE ONE WHO HAD TO FIX THE MISTAKE THAT THE INSIGNIFICANT ELDARYANS COMMITTED!

I didn’t hear anything anymore. I didn’t see anything apart from my brother’s figure, now human-like. My vision was clear: I had to finish this, and nothing else would matter after I destroyed this damn stack of blue crystals.

With the last growl, I got close to my twin, sinking my silver claws in the flesh of his chest. I pushed forward, feeling his ribs and limbs slang against my weight. His face twisted in pain and furrowing a brow, he glanced over the aengel one last time before looking back at me.

He didn’t seem angry or scared, it was like… He expected it. A heavy feeling sank into my chest. Unable to do anything else, I removed my claws from his chest and he collapsed to the ground, almost noiselessly, his wings like a shroud.

I quickly returned to my human form, and my little brother’s eyes were still locked into mine. We stared at each other, without saying anything for some ageless seconds before Erika rushed to him and plunged him into unconsciousness.

I was incapable of taking my eyes off him. I have witnessed more deaths in my life than I can remember, many of them executed by me, but nothing could compare to what I did that day. For once, I had regrets. For once, I questioned if what I had just done, was worth the trouble. I decided to stop thinking at all. It would not matter anyway, since the end was near.

The floor was trembling and the screams of the people out there were the symphony of such an awaiting moment. I closed my eyes and I waited, waited for the moment that would finish all.

Hello! It's been a long time! This little thing you just have read is the first part of "Memories of an ice dragon", a small tribute to Ashkore and not this... Spoilt thing called "Lance" in a new era. I've had this idea in my drafts for a long time, but I needed to polish and it has taken me a while since life turned a bit... complicated, recently. Anyways, I plan to do small passages of Ashkore's life during his duel after TO's events which you can also read in AO3. So, if you have something to propose, let me know in my ask box! If you have liked it, consider stopping by my masterlist.

tagged: @rbraeden

#my writing #eldarya writing #eldarya fanfic #eldarya fic #eldarya lance #eldarya ashkore #ashkore #lance #lance TO #memories of an ice dragon #beemoov #lance eldarya #lance fanfic #lance fanfiction

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emletish-fish · 2 years

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Cobra Kai season 5 thoughts

so I binged the whole thing and this was stupid karate soap opera at it’s best. Thoughts below.

What a fun season and what a wild ride. I have minor quibbles about some story lines but on the whole I was completely entertained and never bored. Honest confession - Season 4 bored me in places, but this was enthralling. Everything scene held my attention.

My main complaint is the usual some storylines feel really rushed, but it’s more in a “10 episodes isn’t quite long enough to tell the story they want to tell” type way. I can’t think of anything I would have cut to make more time (aside from karate fetus but I’ll probs do a seperate post about my feelings regarding that plotline).

But like... even the Kreese stuff landed well. (So glad they aren’t redeeming him and are still letting him be a villain. Humanising him while at the same time reminding us that he’s wrong. But his scenes were compelling and I am keen to see what his spiteful ass does now that he’s out).

Stuff I loved:

Chozen!!! Chozen my beloved. What a great dude. I could watch eight hours of just him teaching kids how to protect eggs. Every scene was a joy. Love his and Johnny’s almost immediate ride-or-die/let’s choose violence thing they have going on. (which is so hilarious because they both at different points counselled Daniel against violence, but as soon as it was the two of them they were like ‘yeah, let’s go hit stuff’.) His final fight with Terry was thrilling and spine tingling. This is the high-stakes dramatic karate fight I want in my karate soap opera.

(This was one of the better side-effects of moving the main driver of the plot to the adults because it allowed higher stakes in the scenes. Eg I’m not afraid to kill/die is epic dialogue.)

Daniel finally getting to face his demon and win. People who love hurt comfort were winning with this season. How everyone rallied around him, and how his trauma was validated and just his unhinged descent and then everyone elevating him and pulling him back, and he was finally able to incorporate the Quicksilver method but by using it his way - for defense. Truly bastardising Terry’s much vaulted ‘legacy’ and making it his own. using the man’s own poison against him without letting it tough his heart. *chef’s kiss* love it.

Terry was ab absolutely magnificent bastard of a villain - and he was having the time of his life, taunting and plotting and smirking and scheming and coming up with outlandish plans. Always compelling to watch.

Johnny (mixed bag this season mostly due to karate fetus storyline), but overall I loved this trajectory for him and he had some really great moments and some lovely growth. Love that his focus was on improving himself, trying to build a family, make amends to Robby and was able to show care for his students (like Devon and Hawk). loved that he showed apprecation for Demetri’s nerd diversity. (gainfully employed demetri my beloved). It’s nice to see Johnny’s big heart come to the front again and that he was finally allowed to grow. (Season 6 must really be the last season because they’ve stopped dragging some of this stuff out and are instead speed-running some of their main plot points). Love that his final plot point was that he was better when he was fighting FOR the people he loved, rather than just AGAINST the people he saw as the enemy.

Tory and Sam finally working together. Sam saving Tory. OMG.

Robby Miguel and Hawk and Demetri all in the same dojo.

The kids being smarter and having a better plan than the adults.

I’m not a fan of the kid romances so I was so glad they were all put on the back burner.

I actually think I might do a separate post about everything that was great in the kids storylines. So much great stuff.

I didn’t even mind mike barnes. he added a bit of unpredictable chaos to the finale. (also love that he engaged in art theivery from terry silver as a form of compensation - which is a plot point of mine from ‘Good Boy’, so it was nice to see it in the show. everyone should steal from Terry. it’s good for the soul.)

my only two quibbles are the karate fetus storyline - which was actually completely unnecessary given what they would use the plot for. Robby is right there and he deserves to have his Dad make this kind of effort for him (and it would have made more sense/been more emotionally satisfying and tied in better with earlier seasons). I think Johnny’s story would be even better if he was working to improve himself for his son rather than an unborn fetus. related quibble, due to time constraints, we didn’t really get any resolution to much of Robby’s trauma, and instead he was running around making amends and trying to elevate others and putting them ahead of himself (which is on brand for him, ngl). I might write another of what I would do differently to fix this issues.

but aside from those two quibbles - this season was fun and it was such a huge step up from season 4. It was unhinged and heartfelt and incredibly enjoyable to watch.

#Cobra kai season 5 spoilers #cobra kai meta

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w0lfskitten · 11 months

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I had a dream last night that was comedy gold.

The dream started with me and some friends (I don’t actually know who these people where I just knew they where my friends in this world) going for a walk through a forest and I got cut off from them and got lost, I kept walking through the forest to find them but stumbled across A FULL ON WAR on a beach under a massive cliff surrounded by mountains instead.

The thing about this war was that both sides where based directly next to eachother, not like across from eachother with a no mans land inbetween like there normally would be, no, these motherfuckers decided to set up their bases DIRECTLY NEXT TO EACHOTHER. SIDE BY SIDE. LITERALLY TOUCHING. also they weren’t even good at fighting each other. it’s as if they were using blanks. they were hilariously bad at their job and I later found out hilariously stupid as well.

anyway. I found myself walking into the base closest to where I entered the beach and asking to use their equipment to try and find my friends which they just let me do, they didn’t ask any questions at all, and so I was taken to the highest point they had which they used for surveying the battlefield, so I looked around the battlefield to see if I could see my friends on it, obvisouly I couldn’t see them and it was also now getting dark and so just like that both sides stopped fighting, lit some bonfires on the beach, ordered KFC and just.. chilled around the fires with each other while eating KFC like nothing happened. They went from fighting to being best mates at the drop of a hat, they went from being AT WAR, to being a massive group of friends all camping together.

I used this time to make my way across to the other side of the battlefield to a path that went up a huge mountain and made my way up. When I was close to the peak it was morning and at the top, in a little carved out part of the rocks was a pillow with eyes and a mouth that were drawn on with a black marker lying on a plank of wood and next to it there was a small door leading into the rocks.

I climbed over the pillow to get to the door and accidentally knocked the pillow off but didn’t give it much thought so when I got to the door and knocked on it BUGS FUCKING BUNNY OPENS IT and the first thing he does is points to where the fucking pillow was, looks me dead in the eyes and whole heartedly asks “What did you do to my accountant?” and then dragged me through the door before I woke up from sheer terror.

#dream #story #This is probably the funniest dream ive ever had #i will never be able to live up to this level of comedy #funny

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ess-presso · 1 year

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actually fuck tumblr fr cant believe they deleted my ask smh.

fear not im back :)

fic rec for u! it was only a kiss! by remuslives23 (wolfstar, they drink some firewhiskey and accidentally kiss. v cute)

miss taylor: the last great american dynasty, state of grace, & wonderland <3

i'll reanswer ur qs from last time:

ive got no allergies! that i know of at least. im safe for now. i truly fear the day i find out im suddenly allergic to a food i love (can that even happen?? i hope not)

i totally believe in fate, i think everything kinda happens for a reason and everyone meets people for a reason. if its meant to be itll be, and if its not meant to be then its just not meant to be. some things (most things) are out of our control so whats the point in trying to control what happens to us and who we meet. i say we go with the flow (i say this as the most anxious person on the planet who cant handle change or unfamiliarity)

i accidentally messed up a good friendship a few years ago, basically i wasnt there for someone when they needed me (to be fair we were both going thru it so i didnt even realize) but theyre happier now and so am i so all is well.

i wake up bright and early (its almost noon) i gracefully get out of bed (i drag myself out of bed) i make myself a hearty nutritious meal (i make coffee and some toast if its a good day) i get ready for class (i change into sweatpants and brush my teeth) i head to campus (my class is online. i stay in bed for the rest of the day)

fav superhero forever spiderman & daredevil. and thor cause hes a dumbass and funny but PETER PARKER & MATT MURDOCK MY LOVES!!!

id switch lives with someone crazy wealthy like elon musk or jeff bezos so i can drain their bank accounts and donate to people in need and solve world hunger <3 or maybe timothee chalamet cause id love to know what goes on in his mind hes so funny sometimes.

i wish i had written just lovers by zar bc that fic will forever be my favourite thing ever. its just so damn good and to be the author of it would be truly an honour.

i wish i had written maybe the iliad & odyssey cause 1. theyre freaking epic & 2. homer mightve not been a real person so if i was homer i would be an mysterious enigma.

ive never been in love actually, despite being a hopeless romantic. ive liked people but it never got further than that so ig im just waiting for the right person to come along !

im so loud as a drunk. i WILL sing along to anything playing and i WILL dance horribly. im also giggly cause everything becomes hilarious to me. i do sometimes get confrontational too but thats only if i drink white rum, for some reason.

our worst fight can hardly be considered a fight cause its so dumb but she had called me to ask if id be there for her bday party, i said i might not be able to cause i had 4 papers due the weekend of her party and then she got really upset cause she wanted me there and then i got upset cause i wanted to be there really bad but i was overwhelmed with school and exams and we kinda just sobbed at each other for like 10 mins before we hung up. she called me back a few mins later and we both apologized for being stupid and then i told her id get my papers done so i could go which solved our problem. luckily i did get my papers done in time and i made it🎉 i think i wrote almost 10,000 words in the span of 2 days it was torture truly.

prob last time i saw liv which was in january :( damn her for going to a diff city for uni fr. but we walked in circles around this lake for a few hours and chatted shit about the bitchy people we went to high school with & it was lovely.

jegulily i think yes! james has two hands. i havent read any of them yet but if i find a good fic i plan on it. plus i think their dynamic has good potential & i love each of the individual characters so very much so.

10 things i hate about you!!!!!! other favs include: mamma mia, enchanted, 13 going on 30, and princess diaries. tbh i dont watch a lot of romcoms so idek if these technically count as romcoms but whatever i love them so.

IT!!!!!!!!!!!! i was fucking obsessed with that movie in 2017 i made it my entire personality.

qs for u!

piercings vs tattoos?

fav superhero?

fav fic of all time?

what would your animagus form be?

what's your literary archetype? (fun lil quiz, i got ruler )

what are you like while drunk?

is it better to speak or to die?

preferred method of annotating books? (ie. do u add random commentary or do u add insightful analysis)

when listening to music, are u more of a lyrics person or a sound person?

thats all for now! praying tumblr doesnt fuck this one up too🙏

-bee :)

beeeeeeee :))))))

girl u gonna have to forgive me for this but I woke up and Tumblr was like 'u didn't save this draft would u like to restore it' and I was like 'YES MOTHERFUCKER' and it was ur other ask but I will answer these Taylor songs here !!!! and I got a free extra fic rec , so I'll give u 2 in the other ask .

(feeling sorry for ur poor old fingers u soldier)

tay tay -

the last great American dynasty - MARY MACDONALD - that song speaks of love and loss to me and damn it if it isn't Mary macdonald at the end of her life all alone and everything. I mean can u not just see her 'pacing the rocks staring out at the midnight sea'?

state of grace - JEGULUS - that entire song is basically regulus thinking about their love and how it was so unexpected 'I never saw you coming and I'll never be the same' (also James tearing reg's armour down ????)

wonderland - JILY / DRARRY - now hear me out , I think that the chorus bit where it's all 'didn't they tell us' and everything is a split convo between lily and James where she's all sad and depressed and mad and James is just there for her trying to convince her that it'll all be okay and they're fine. now , dreary , because I think 'didn't you flash your green eyes at me / didn't you calm my fears with a Cheshire Cat smile' is such a Draco thing to say about harry. like he would be so so worried and harry would just have this complete confidence that everything would be a-ok.

#ess waters a plant #bee <33 #ess's marauders x ts crossover

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robbedgraves · 2 years

Text

Rain. That’s what he felt. Wet cold pellets wetting his face and soaking his clothes. Cheeks. They throbbed…why were they throbbing? Without opening his eyes his hand travelled up to feel the knotted flesh. Ground. It was hard beneath his body. Why was he on the ground? Honestly, he couldn’t say. At one point or another, he probably had a reason. Did it really matter? No, he decided, no it really didn’t matter. Despite the rain, he could smell the city. It smelt musty and old. It was worn down and broken. Dull, lifeless, inanimate. It was like an old coloured movie. Slowly he rose from the filthy ground. He was wearing a brown overcoat and a worn pair of blue jeans…funny because he didn’t remember putting those clothes on then again he didn’t remember why he decided to lay down on the filthy ground either.

There was really no point in sitting, of course, there was really no point in standing but the ground was quite uncomfortable. Without a sound, the young man sat up. The sky above him rumbled and for the first time, he noticed that he was both soaked and cold. Slowly he dragged his feet down the narrow alley. He felt like a zombie…maybe he was. That might explain why everything seemed so dull. Then again he wasn’t craving brains. Well, that thought threw the zombie theory out the window. As he turned a random corner the rain began to lighten up; in the distance light splashing could be heard. As it came closer he turned his head only to have a gun shoved in his face, as if it was supposed to be threatening. The majority of his head was covered but judging from the steadiness of his hand he’d done this before.

In all honesty, he didn’t know what to make of this man. “ Empty your pockets.” Was he really so stupid as to try and rob someone who clearly didn’t have a penny to his name? “ Do it now! ” apparently so. Anyone else might have been scared but you can’t be scared to death when you’re already dead. In fact, he found himself taking a step forward. “ Do it, come on. Don’t make a threat if you aren’t gonna carry it out. ” The blandness in his voice surprised even him. The other man’s eyes flickered slightly- maybe it was the scars or maybe he realized that there was something seriously wrong with the man in front of him- then they hardened once more. . “ Don’t fuck with me! Empty ‘em now!.” Another step was accompanied by the deep hope that the guys would have the balls to pull the trigger. For a second the wannabe robber’s eyes wavered then a beacon of light flew from the sky.

The man didn’t even have time to cock his gun before he went down. The loud crunch of bone could be heard as his saviour’s fist connected with the assailant’s jaw. Why had this man saved him…and why the fuck was he dressed as a bat. This man, no not a man. It was clear by the determination in his movements that he was fighting for something beyond man. No, this symbol. Didn’t he understand how pathetic the fight was? Didn’t he realize that this dull dead city was beyond saving? Couldn’t he see that saving one lone man was completely pointless in a population of seven billion? Apparently not because he didn’t stop until the man was tied up securely and hung up on a pole as if that would serve as a warning. For a second the bat turned to him and their eyes met. Untold depth lay within. He knew you could tell by the hardness in the pupils. And then he blinked and He was gone.

It was crazy. Where had he come from? Who was he? And why had he left without saying goodbye or leaving his number? That was an awful way to end their first date.

It was pathetic really. Whatever He was fighting for. It was a lost cause. Yet he beat on the wannabe assailant as if he was really making a difference. He really thought that there was meaning in his actions. It was pathetically hilarious, a big joke. And for the first time, he felt something bubble up a wonderful euphoria.

He looked up at the moonlit sky. A crack of thunder, a bolt of lightning. Some people say there’s a man on the moon, all he saw was a bat. There’s a bat on the moon. A giggle bubbled up, there was a bunny on the fucking moon. He laughed out loud. His scarred cheeks spread to their absolute limit. A bat. Laughter passed his lips, what a joke, a bunny. And like that, he was whooping and howling until tears came to his eyes because there was a god damn bat carved into the moon. His stomach cramped with pain but he continued to laugh, unable to stop. The screams of laughter and pain ricocheted off the walls. He felt something slip away, like a wisp of air, never saying goodbye. Gone…gone…gone…the bat hid behind a cloud…

The World was a Joke and he was the Joker.

#🗡┇ᴛʜᴇ ᴊᴏᴋᴇʀ▸ (drabble.)

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azaleavi · 3 years

Text

Pretty boy

Summary: You don't like James Barnes. Of course not when he has a different girl with him every time. And no, you are not jealous... right?

Word count: 3.8k i went OUT with this one

Warnings: language, a man being a creep, then getting beaten up, kissing, very slight alcohol consumption

Author's note: This gave me the idea. It turned out to be pretty long. Sorry. I hope you like it! This is 40s!Bucky btw.

Feedback is always appreciated and don’t forget to reblog and like if you enjoyed it and want to see more. Thank you!

Masterlist

Part 2

James Barnes was a menace. An annoying little shit, who thought he could do anything and have anyone just because he was handsome. Not like you found him attractive or anything, but all the girls of New York seemed to drop their panties at the sight of him. One pet name and they were ready to kiss the ground he walked on. You couldn’t understand. How did these girls not see what kind of person he was? Multiple times you saw girls leave his apartment in the morning looking all sad. At first you felt bad for them, but after a while as they kept coming back you just couldn’t bring yourself to pity them.

Being a close friend of Steve meant you got to see a lot of James too. They were kind of a package deal, to which - by the way - you did not sign up for. Steve was the sweetest person you’ve ever met, maybe too righteous sometimes and he definitely did not know how to walk away from a fight, but he was a good man inside and out. James on the other hand was not like him. He wasn’t a bad man per se, but he was just too much of a player for you. He knew he was handsome and he used it to get girls all the time. Or dames as he called them. You hated that word by every fiber of your being. It reduced a woman to a simple object in your opinion and it basically said that she was only a pretty thing and nothing else. You did not want to be a pretty thing, you wanted more out of your life. Marrying some stuck up man and bearing his children was not something you dreamed of, no matter how many times people told you that it was what you had to do. No. You wanted a life that didn’t revolve around men. A life that you could choose for yourself. But it wasn’t that easy. Everyone expected you to do what they did. It didn’t even occur to them that you wanted something else.

Your mom had been telling you that you should marry James as he was such a nice young man. You just rolled your eyes every time she brought it up. She didn’t understand. How could she when she was so in love with your father after they met a few times that they got married just after a couple of months of knowing each other. Their love was something so extraordinary that you knew it wouldn’t happen to you. Especially not with James. He wasn't thinking about marriage and even if he did he wouldn't want you as a wife. Not like you wanted to marry him or anyone else for that matter, but that didn't mean that it didn't sting a little that he went after every girl he saw, but never thought of you the same way. He never even tried and it beat down your confidence a little. When you first met James you found him intriguing, your young self even had a crush on him for a while. But it didn't take long for you to get to know the real him and the disappointment made you force that crush down. You only laughed at yourself now, finding it hilarious that you once wanted to kiss him and love him. Of course, you didn't feel that way about him anymore. That would be stupid of you. Of course..

Having a night out with Steve was a wonderful idea. That is until James showed up, making you narrow your eyes at your friend. You clearly remembered him telling you that James had other plans and it would be just the two of you, but of course he had to mess up your plans.

You went to a bigger pub in the city, having been there before and liking it. James dragged Steve away as soon as you entered, talking about some girl he wanted to introduce him to, so you just went to the bar to ask for some alcohol. God knows you needed it if James was around.

All of the sudden two hands grabbed your waist and turned you around. Before you could realize what was happening a pair of lips were on yours, kissing with so much passion you almost moaned into it. Noses bumping against each other your hand gripped his hair. Your mind cleared as you realized that a stranger was kissing you without your permission and you pushed him away by his chest, hand already raised to slap him. Your whole body froze as you came face to face with a familiar man. James.

"What the fuck is your problem?" you hissed, your palm almost connecting with his cheek, but being stopped by his hand on your wrist. He pulled you close again by his hold on your arm.

"There is a girl I need to get rid of. Just play along" he mumbled, his breath hitting your lips as he leaned in for another kiss. You almost got lost in him again, but you were more aware and not caught by surprise this time so you managed to pull your head away from him.

"I will do no such thing" you narrowed your eyes at him. "Let go of me" you were getting angrier by the second. Who did he think he was?

"What if I don't want to?" Okay that's it. You ripped yourself from his arms.

“Listen here, pretty boy” you pointed your finger at him in your anger, not registering the smug expression that worked its way onto his face. “You can’t just do whatever you want because you are a-“

“You think I’m pretty?” he interrupted your angry rambling and grabbed your finger to pull you closer by it. In your surprise you stumbled forward, your hands finding place on his chest, your nose a few inches from his.

“James” you called out his name in warning. If he didn’t let go of you right now you wouldn’t be responsible for what you did to him.

“Come on, doll. I told you to call me Bucky multiple times” he smirked down at you.

“And I told you that we are not friends therefore I don’t have to call you your stupid nickname” you yanked your hand out of his grip, stepping back. “And stop calling me doll. I’m not one of your girls”

“Ouch doll, that hurts my feelings” he rubbed his chest where his heart was.

“Oh, I didn’t know you knew what those were” you frowned at him, not amused by his teasing. He opened his mouth in mocking shock.

"Don't be so mean to me. A lady like you should always be polite." he teased, knowing well that you hated being called a lady and being told what you should and should not do.

"Good thing I'm not a lady then" you grimaced at him, cocking your head to the side.

"Well, with the way you've been talking to me, I guess you aren't" he stepped back into your personal space. "And if you are not a lady then you should have no problem playing along with me."

"I'm might not be a lady, but I'm definitely not one of your dames either" you pushed him by his shoulders to finally have enough space between you.

"Are you jealous, doll?" a smug smile played on his lips.

"Oh very." your sarcasm was clear as day. "It would be an honor to lie in your bed then leave in the morning, only to never hear from you again." you turned back to the bar, your drink already in front of you. Lifting the glass you nodded at the bartender who gave you a small smile. You drowned it in one shot, the alcohol giving your throat a familiar burn as it went down. "Is there anything else you need?" you turned back to him. He didn't say anything as he kept staring at you. "No? Then you can leave me alone" you shooed him away by your hands, already done with his shenanigans.

"Don't drink too much because of me" he called after you as he walked backwards, that stupid smile not leaving his lips. Rolling your eyes you turned back to the bar, leaning on it with your elbows, a sigh leaving your lips.

How could he just kiss you like that? You thought he at least had some respect for you, bit it seemed like he didn't. He was James Barnes for god's sake. Of course he didn't. You didn't know what you were thinking. He wasn't different from any man. A part of you believed that he might have been but he just proved it that he wasn't. Your mother would loose her mind if she knew what her 'nice young man' did to you just now.

You shook your head to get the thoughts out of it and signaled for the bartender to give you another shot. You drowned that one too as someone sat down next to you. You were ready to tell him to fuck off, thinking it was James again, but as you turned your head it was a man your age. You lifted your eyebrows, not being in the mood to deal with another self-centered man.

"What is a pretty dame like you doing here alone?" he tried to flirt, but he already lost you at the word he called you.

"I'm not here alone. And it's none of your business" you showed him a mocking smile and stood up ready to leave, your night already ruined. A hand locking around your wrist made you stop.

"Come on. I just want to make you have a good time" he smirked, but it left his lips as soon as you ripped your arm out of his hold.

"I don't care about your good time" you rubbed your wrist, his grip leaving the skin red.

"Okay. I tried being nice, but you clearly don't care for it. Maybe you like men when they are being a little more forceful? You like 'em rough?" he pulled you to his body by your waist, your hands flying to his chest trying to push him away. Why is this happening to you now?

"Let go of me" you squirmed in his hold, disgusted by him. Unfortunately he was stronger than you and didn't loosen his arms around you no matter how hard you hit his chest.

"You like this don't ya?" his breath hit your cheek as you tried to get as far away as you could.

"No, I don't. Stop" you were getting desperate, looking around for anyone to help you. There were a lot of people around, but none of them seemed to care. Tears gathered in your eyes.

Suddenly the man was pulled backwards by his collar, a fist meeting his cheek a second later, making you gasp. He fell down on the ground, but your savior didn't let him get away that easily as he hit him a few more times. You quickly stepped closer and that's when you saw his face. It was James. Your shock quickly dissipated as he lifted his arm again to hit the other man. You hands grabbed his forearm and you tried to pull him away, making him look at you.

"Stop it, James. He is already on the ground" you pleaded. A relieved sigh left your lips as he stepped away, his arm going around your waist to lead you away from the crowd that formed around you.

"Are you okay?" he stopped you in front of the building, the cold night air picking at your skin.

"Yes, I'm fine." you rubbed your arms, stopping your movements as he grabbed your arm that had the red bruise on it.

"Did he do that to you?" he almost growled, head turning to look inside the place.

"Yes, but it's fine. It doesn't hurt that much" you put your hand on his arm, trying to calm him down. Why did he care anyway?

The door opened and Steve walked out, a worried look on his face. you immediately pulled your hand away from James, stepping back.

"I heard what happened. Are you okay?" his eyes traveled over your whole body, trying to see if you were hurt.

"I'm fine, Steve." you forced a smile in his direction. In truth you weren't completely fine, but the boys didn't need to know that.

"I'll walk her home" James spoke up from next to you, making you look at him in surprise.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking home myself, thank you" you replied to him.

"I know that, but both of us would be more relaxed if someone was with you. And Steve was talking to a pretty woman before I left" he sent a knowing smile to the man. You looked at him, only to see him looking down at his feet, a blush on his cheek confirming James' words.

"Steve! What are you doing out here then?" you almost shouted at him. "Go back inside right now. I'll be fine." you waved him off.

"I'll go check on you tomorrow, okay?" he was already inching backwards toward the door.

"Yes, okay, just go" you laughed, happy for him. He walked back inside, leaving the two of you alone. "So you don't have to walk me home, just stay outside for a little while so Steve doesn't get suspicious." you forced another smile on your face.

"I will not let you walk around alone this late at night." he grabbed your arm that wasn't bruised and started pulling you towards your home.

"I've done it multiple times before" you argued, but walked alongside with him, your heart beating rapidly in your chest.

For the duration of the walk neither of you spoke a word, but it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. The silence between you was nice, letting you look around as he still held your arm, neither of you wanting to let go. He made you feel safe as you walked along the dim streets, a small smile playing on your lips.

"Thanks for walking me home" you reached your house, stopping in front of the door as you turned to him.

"Isn't there something else you should thank me for too?" he smirked, stepping closer.

"Well I was about to say it, but now I'm not going to" you put your hands behind you, leaning on the door.

"It's not only with words that you can thank me" he leaned closer, his face a few inches from yours for the second time that night. There it is.

"You know, I was thinking that you are not so bad while we were walking home, but you just reminded me why I don't like you" you smiled at him.

"And why is that?" he tilted his head to the side.

"You just can't keep it in your pants." you shook your head.

"Actually I wanted to apologize about earlier." he got serious, stepping backwards to put some distance between you.

"Earlier?" you asked back, confused as to what he was referring to.

"The kiss" he mumbled, looking down, almost as if he was nervous. But James Barnes does not get nervous.

"Oh." it was all you could say, surprise taking over your brain.

"So I'm sorry" he kept looking down.

"Uhm... it's okay, I guess?" you didn't know what to say to that, thoughts running through your mind a thousand miles an hour.

"I'm just gonna go now." he pointed behind him awkwardly. As he turned away you couldn't help yourself and you called after him, the alcohol in your system giving you courage.

"You are really not that bad, James." he turned back, surprise written all over his face, but he quickly covered it up by a smirk.

"Is that a compliment I hear?" you rolled your eyes at him. There was the James you knew.

"And it might be the last if you keep this up" you let out a smile. "But seriously, we could be friends if you didn't do what you do." you shrugged nonchalantly.

"What am I doing?" he asked, confused.

"You know, every time I see you, you have a different girl on your arm" you couldn't look into his eyes, a little embarrassed.

"You avoid me because of that?" his eyes widened.

"Yes. What did you think the reason was?" you furrowed your eyebrows.

"I don't know. I just thought you do it because you don't like me, not because you are jealous" he let out a laugh.

"I am not jealous, James. Get that out of your head." you looked away as a blush crept up your cheeks.

"Oh god you are blushing" he continued to laugh, the redness of your cheek only deepening. "I can't believe you like me" he mused.

"Okay, that is enough out of you. I'm going inside" you turned and reached for the handle as he grabbed you to turn you back around, your back hitting the wood of the door, his left arm on the door next to your face, his right circled around your waist. You let out a gasp at how close his face was.

"You didn't deny it" he whispered, his warm breath hitting your lips. Your mouth opened, realizing your mistake.

"I-" you wanted to defend yourself, but nothing came to mind. His right hand touched your face, palm flat against your cheek. You couldn't help but lean into his touch, closing your eyes for a second. Your eyes snapped open when you realized what you were doing and pushed his hand away. "I'm not one of your dames, James" you looked into his eyes. You couldn't let him treat you like any other girl. You refused to be another one night stand for him. A stable relationship you could work with, but being someone he called when he was bored was not something you wanted or could handle.

"No, you are not." he agreed.

"Then don't treat me like them" you pushed yourself more into the door. You were afraid. Not of him, he would never hurt you. Not physically at least. But you were afraid of what would happen. Will he leave you saying that he won't give up that lifestyle for you? Or will he stay with you?

"Never" he shook his head.

"I don't want to be one of many" you continued, trying to get him to understand.

"You know why I was always with a different girl?" he pulled away slightly.

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to forget about you. I thought you didn't like me because you were always so distant. So I just wanted to find someone else, but none of them compared to you." he brushed his thumb along your lower lip. Your eyes met his as he lifted your head by your chin. "None of them were you" his nose bumped against yours. "I like you. I did from the first time we met" he finally confessed, your heart skipping a beat at his words.

"James" his name left your lips in a sigh. "Kiss me" he didn't need more as his lips latched onto yours, the butterflies in your stomach going crazy. His tongue swiped across your lip asking for entrance and as you opened your mouth, his body pushed you against the door, trapping you. It was a trap you never wanted to escape. His hands held your head, his thumbs stroking your cheeks as you arms were around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer. Your heart beat rapidly as his hands traveled down your body, stopping at your waist.

A few moments later he had to pull away as both of you needed air, but de didn't go far, only enough for you to catch your breath. His forehead leaning against yours, noses touching, the two of you giggled into each others mouths.

"Wow" he mumbled as he left short pecks on your lips, unable to keep himself away from you. It was your first real kiss and he was already addicted.

"Stop it" you giggled and let him press one long peck on you before pushing him away. "I don't want you to get bored of that" you teased.

"I could never" he pressed another kiss on your mouth, making you laugh.

"Okay, I understand" you could barely talk as he still had his mouth on yours. He pulled you closer and rested his head on your shoulder.

"You are amazing" he murmured into the fabric of your clothes.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, James" you were glad he couldn't see your face as it was coated in a red blush.

"I'm just saying the truth" he pressed his lips to your cheek.

"I probably should get inside, before we wake up my parents." you sucked in your lips try to hide your smile.

"Maybe" he agreed, but made no move to let you go.

"You have to let me go for that to happen" you pulled away as much as you could.

"Then you shouldn't go" he teased, still holding you.

"I'll see you tomorrow, or today I should say" you reassured him and he let go at that. You straightened your clothes as he watched you. Looking up at him the softness in his eyes almost made you say 'fuck it' and spend the rest of the night with him, but you held yourself back. He turned and walked down the stairs, but suddenly ran buck up to you to press one more long kiss on your soft lips. You couldn't help, but let a smile break out on your lips as he pulled away to look into your eyes once more.

He was already out on the street when you remembered something.

"Hey, pretty boy!" you called after him once more, making him turn around with a big smile on his face from the nickname. "Good night" you bit your lip, trying to hide your own smile, but failing miserably.

"Good night to you too, doll" he playfully bowed down a little, making you let out a laugh.

If someone saw you that night, under the moonlight, they would have seen two people completely in love with one another, laughing, being happy that they finally found their missing piece that was in front of them the whole time. Eyes shining like the stars above them as they watched each other, only the moon being witness of their intimate moment.

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bbysamu · 3 years

Note

HC where their s/o is the type of person who literally calls everyone babe, sweetie, honey, etc. I just think it would be hilarious to see their reactions. Can you do this for Bokuto, Oikawa, and whoever?

Haikyuu boys when you call everyone “babe, honey, sweetie...”

featuring:: BOKUTO Kotaro, OIKAWA Toru, SUGAWARA Koshi, SUNA Rintaro

genre:: slice of life / fluff

warnings:: none!

a/n:: thanks so much for this adorable request. I hope you like it!

❥ BOKUTO Kotaro

“Konoha, it’s so good to see you again, sweetie!” Bokuto watches the hint of blush appearing across Konoha’s face. His friend lets out a light cough and glances nervously at Bokuto. “it’s good to see you too, Y/N.” You smile and continue probing him, “so how’ve you been, honey? it’s been way to long since we’ve had a proper chat.” About an hour later, you and Bokuto walk back out to your car and he pouts the whole entire way. “what’s wrong sweetie?” “oh so I'm also sweetie?” He grumbles under his breath. You put your hands over his, stopping him from turning on the engine. “babe, what’s going on?” He looks at you before averting his eyes and mumbling a “it’s not fair.” “Ko, you gotta speak up, I can’t hear you.” “I said, it’s not fair, y/n! Why is Konoha also sweetie? How can both of us be your sweetie at the same time!” You burst out laughing, “babe, you know you’re my only sweetie.” He whines, “yeah I know that, but...but...” He looks off to the side, before shyly turning back to you, “do you think maybe, you don’t call others sweetie and only call me sweetie?” You’ve always hated people telling you what to do, but when Bokuto’s looking at you, shy eyes silently pleading, how can you say possibly say no?

❥ OIKAWA Toru

If Oikawa hears you call Makki “babe” one more time, he just might explode. He watches as you and his friend burst into another round of laughter. “Makki, babe! You’re so stupid!” Oikawa doesn’t miss it. Makki was definitely smiling a little too much at being called “babe” by you. He walks over, “alright, princess, time to go home.” The two of you said your goodbyes and start the walk back home. “babe, hold on, I need to stop by 7/11 to grab some snacks.” Oikawa scoffs, “oh yeah? why don’t you tell Makki to get you some?” “what?” “he’s your babe isn’t he?” “Oikawa Toru, what in the world are you talking about?” He takes in a deep breath before carefully enunciating each word, “You called Makki “babe” so he’s your babe now isn’t he?” Oikawa stares down at you, but you hear the little tremor in his voice. You take his calloused hand in yours, rubbing little circles on his palm. “don’t tell me you’re jealous Toru.” “I'm not jealous.” The words leave his lips, but his chocolatey brown eyes betray him. “don’t be jealous Toru, I’ll try to be more mindful of calling others pet names next time. You know I love you and you only.” “yeah, okay, do whatever you want.” You smile as you feel his body visibly relax and his grip tighten around your hand. “now can we go get snacks?”

❥ SUGAWARA Koshi

"babe!" Sugawara instinctively turns around only to realize you weren't calling out to him, but to Daichi. The captain looks at his friend confused, "me?" Suga quickly explains, "oh, she just has a habit of calling other's pet names, don't mind her." Though he's smiling as he's explaining, Daichi can't help but shudder at his friend's darkened expression. "oh um...I think I hear Kageyama and Hinata fighting again. I'm gonna go stop them!" You finally catch up to your boyfriend, "hey where'd Daichi run off to?" Suga takes your hand in his, "my love, can you please stop calling my friends "babe"? it's weird and it makes me jealous." "but you know that's just the way I am." "yeah and you know I love every single thing about you, but this just makes me uncomfortable and I think it makes them uncomfortable too..." He trails off, glancing at down at you nervously. "okay, I'll stop." He looks at you in surprise. Suga was prepared for an argument. "thank you princess. How about we brainstorm other pet names you can call them? I was thinking jellybean for Daichi?" You giggle, "sounds like a good plan."

❥ SUNA Rintaro

Suna usually don't mind you calling others "babe, honey, sweetie". He doesn't mind it at all, EXCEPT when it comes to Atsumu. There's just something about the way Atsumu's eyes flicker to your lips when "babe" slips out your mouth that’s got Suna seriously annoyed. Especially right now, it's so blatantly obvious Atsumu is trying to get you to call him "babe" again, so blatantly obvious to everyone except you. "Y/n" Atsumu whines. "yes, Atsumu?" "that's not my name." "um...Tsumu?" "wrong again." "um..." Atsumu's eyes glisten as he sees the way your lips form, "babe" about to slip out. Suna covers your mouth with his hands. "Suna! what are you doing?" He doesn't respond. Instead, he grabs your hand and drags you out the gym. "babe, seriously what's going on?" "you can't talk to him anymore." "talk to who?" "Atsumu." "what? why?" He stops in his tracks, causing you to bump into his back. His eyes soften as he watches you rub your nose. "sorry, beautiful....I just think he likes you a little too much, especially when you call him babe." You widen your eyes in surprise, completely oblivious to this news. "he is?! honey, you should've just told me then I'd never call him babe." "really? I don't like telling you what to do though." You snake your hands around his, playing with his fingers lightly, "yeah, really. The last thing I want is to make you uncomfortable. I can talk to him less too." Suna smiles, "nah, it's fine. I probably overreacted. After all, I'm your babe, not him." You stand on your tiptoes and pull him down closer to you, "that's right."

▸ Taglist: due to organizational issues, my previous taglist will be disregarded - sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll be coming out with a new one very soon. Thanks for understanding!

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talesofstyles · 3 years

Text

Reconcile

happy christmas eve, you lot! i’ve got a little present for you. enjoy this 10,5k of nearly divorced harry trying to win his wife and bitter nine year old daughter back. oh and i threw in a little baby goat in the mix too since it’s set in the peak district and i just couldn’t resist 🥳

“Penny for your thoughts.”

He turned to look at her, who was giggling as she leaned closer to him. She was most definitely not a giggler sober, but he found out that a copious amount of alcohol could turn her into one. He felt slightly guilty knowing that she was going to be hungover as hell in the morning, but she was having a great time.

And so was he.

“I was just thinking about how great you are, how lucky I am to be sitting next to you right now and that you need to drink more water because otherwise, you’d be miserable tomorrow,” he says with a smile as he twisted the cap and handed her the bottle of water.

That goofy smile of hers turned into a gooey smile of affection. “That’s so sweet,” she murmured, taking a gulp of water and handed the bottle back to him so he could take some too. She then tilted her head, giving him a doe-eyed look and asked, “what else do you like about me?”

“Let’s see,” he put a finger to his chin and tapped. “Well, I love how kind and inclusive you are, how you always care about people and that you always see the good in everyone.”

Her smile grew sappier.

“Oh,” he gave her a sly grin. “I also love that thing you do with your tongue on the underside of my cock.”

She burst out laughing. But then she leaned even closer to him and whispered huskily in his ear, “I’ll do that very thing when we get back to the hotel.”

His eyes widened and he wanted nothing more than just to drag her back to their hotel suite and take up on her offer. But he’d promised her that he’d show her around Vegas since she’d never been before, and he wanted to keep that promise.

“Wanna know what I like about you?” She turned to him, still with a gooey smile on her face.

“Do I ever,” he smirked.

“I like that you’re hands down the kindest human I’ve ever met,” she began. “You’re genuine, and grounded. Funny too. I truly hit the jackpot with you. I’m the luckiest girl on earth.”

“Oh,” she added as an afterthought. “And you’re really good with your tongue.”

He wanted to laugh, because she always made him laugh. But he was still stuck on the fact that she thought she was lucky to be with him. He felt exactly the same way about her, like this was always meant to be.

“I wasn’t looking for this,” he admitted honestly. “I know it’s only been six weeks, but I really can’t imagine never having met you.”

“Me too,” her eyes were bright, shining with excitement. “It’s weird, right? Because I swear I’ve never felt such a deep connection with someone this quick.”

“Do you believe in soulmates?” He murmured. “That there’s a perfect person for everyone out there?”

She tilted her head. “Do you think that’s us?”

There was no hesitation in his answer. “I do think that might be us.”

“I think so too,” she said with a tender smile.

This was real.

He was overwhelmed with the understanding that she was his, and he never wanted to let her go.

So he suggested what any sane, semi-drunk man would at that moment. “We’re in Vegas. We should get married.”

***

Harry

Pulling into the drive of what used to be our holiday cottage, but is now where my wife and children live full-time without me, feels strange to me. There’s that moment of what feels like a homecoming—that sense of belonging somewhere where I feel safe, and I know my happiness is inside.

But now, for the first time in ten years, there’s a sense of detachment that I know I’ve got to put in place. It is why I need to take a moment or two in the car before I walk inside to sort myself out and put on a shield. A shield which lets me walk inside, and be okay with the fact that I don’t live there anymore even just for the holidays.

This charming little cottage, which can’t exactly be called little since it is quite spacious and has three bedrooms, has always been more of a second home rather than a holiday home for us. We used to come here often, sometimes even only for the weekends. I’ve always loved this place. Now, looking back, I realised that many of the happiest times during our marriage were spent in this home.

It was where we spent the first few weeks soaking in newlywed bliss after that whirlwind of a trip to Las Vegas when we decided out of nowhere to tie the knot. Then there were the sleepless nights with a wailing newborn, because even though both of our babies were born in London, we always whisked them off here to Bakewell shortly after so we were close enough that both sets of their grandparents could dote on them during the first few weeks of their lives.

After I exit the car, I walk up to the front door and ring the doorbell. I don’t feel comfortable walking in as I respect that this is YN’s sanctuary now. The wait isn’t long, because in just a few seconds, the door is opened and there’s my wife, looking like a breath of fresh air.

It had been eight long months since the last time I saw her. Last time was the night when she asked me to leave our marital home, and I fled to LA first thing the next morning. I talked daily with the kids on the phone, but I didn’t really recall ever getting the chance to talk to her aside from the quick polite greetings before she handed her phone to the kids.

“Hey,” she says, her expression a bit guarded. I’ve missed her so much that it takes everything in me to keep myself from pulling her into my arms and kiss the fuck out of her. “Come in.”

“You alright?” I ask her as I follow her into the house. This may sound like I’m just making a small talk, but I’m not. I’m genuinely curious and I want to know how she’s doing.

But she doesn’t even respond to my question. All I get is a head-tilt motioning towards the kitchen. “They’re in the kitchen.”

My gaze immediately lands on the accent table that holds a lot of photos and a key bowl. I silently let out a sigh of relief seeing YN hasn’t removed all of the family photos with me in it. It’s a good sign, but I don’t have much hope behind that. Maybe that’s just her trying to keep everything as normal as possible at home for the kids.

My wife and I never had a big fight when we separated. It had been somewhat rational, but still emotional, discussion. She wasn’t angry, she was just done. And I didn’t fight for her. Instead, yours truly here walked away the next morning and didn’t look back.

I’ve done a lot of dumb things in my life. But nothing ever compares to that. That was pretty fucking stupid on my part, and I know I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.

I’ve accepted that maybe this is my punishment for being a shit husband to a wonderful woman who doesn’t deserve to be treated like a second best. She did the right thing by kicking me to the curb, and I’d never resent her for it. If I could turn back time and change everything, I would in a heartbeat. I’d try harder to be a better husband, a better father, put my family first. But I can’t. Now all I can do is just try not to be a dickhead and make things harder for her than it already is. It’s too late for me to try to be a better husband, but it isn’t for me to try to be the best father that my children deserve.

I follow my wife through the living room and into the kitchen, and I’d be dead not to check out her arse in those leggings. It’s something I quickly avert my eyes from, though, as I realise both of my children are sitting at the kitchen island, eating scones with their tea.

George, my six-year-old, is the first to turn his head and hop off from the island stool to jump into my arms. “Daddeeeeee!”

“My Booger Butt,” I greet my little lad with a smile as I squat down to be on his level before scooping him up into my arms. Booger Butt is one of the countless nicknames I have for him, and one that never fails to make him double over in laughter whenever he hears it. He’s also Mr Tadpole Climbing a Beanpole sometimes, and he used to be Sir Screams-a-Lot when he was a baby. He thinks they’re hilarious, and he’d always respond by calling me Baddy Daddy.

“I‘ve missed you so much, Baddy Daddy,” he says sweetly as he nuzzles his head into the crook of my neck and I swear if I don’t pull myself together right this second, I’m going to cry.

“I’ve missed you more, mate,” I say as I ruffle his hair and kiss his cheek. “I love you.”

My daughter doesn’t seem fazed by the father and son reunion behind her and continues munching on her scone without even giving me a glance. With my left arm full of my son, I walk up to her and ruffle her hair just like I did with her little brother. “Hey Silly Putty Pudding Pie,” I greet her with one of her nicknames, hoping to get her to laugh. But she ignores me, taking a sip of her brew instead.

I don’t want to give up, so I lean to the side and bend to put my face close to hers. I try again, “hello to you too, poppet.”

“Whatever,” she mumbles around a mouthful of scone.

“Minnie,” YN growls, her tone filled with warning.

This is why I respect YN so much. I hurt her badly, broke her heart, and it would’ve been so easy for her to use Minnie as a pawn and turn my child against me. But every time, even on the phone, whenever she is present, she never let Minnie be disrespectful to me in any way.

My gaze moves to my wife—yes I’m still going to refer to her as my wife since she still is, albeit only on paper—and she gives me an apologetic look. I give a slight shake of my head, telling her silently to let it go.

She takes the last bite of her scone and puts the dish in the sink, before walking to the staircase without giving me a second glance. I can see YN trying to hold her tongue from further rebuking our daughter, and I give her a small smile, my silent way of telling her ‘it’s okay.’

“Sorry about that,” she mutters, referring to Minnie’s attitude. She grabs a mug from the cupboard, then holds it up in silent invitation. I nod, and she turns to the pot. “I can’t keep up with her mood shifts anymore.”

“It’s alright,” I tell her, willing to take my share of the blame. “I’m sure the shift has everything to do with me.”

“Not true,” she replies as she pours the coffee into our mugs, adding a splash of milk to hers but keeping mine just like that because she knows I take my coffee black. “She’s been like that with me as well and I’m not sure why. She’s only nine but she acts as if she’s thirteen already.”

I can’t help but laugh and turn to my little lad. “Can you be six forever?”

“No,” he says immediately without even taking a second to think.

“Just no?”

“No,” he gives me a toothy grin. “I want a lego city set but mummy said it’s for eight-year-olds. So I cannot wait to be eight.”

I set him on the counter and give him a conspiratorial smirk before I whisper to him. It’s a little too loud to be considered a whisper, but I want my wife to hear it. “Tell you what, we’ll get one of those sets tomorrow on our day out.”

His eyes light up instantly and my wife rolls her eyes jokingly, “I hear that.” Jokingly, because I know for sure she doesn’t mind me spoiling our children. She does it too.

“Where are you taking them tomorrow?”

“To your mum’s pudding shop for breakfast, then probably fishing, and the toys shop now apparently,” I tell her our itinerary. I have the kids for the whole day tomorrow since it’s Saturday. It’s bittersweet because I’ve missed my children and I can’t wait to spend time with them, but I’m also sad because what I wouldn’t give to turn tomorrow into a family day out instead. I know she would most likely decline, but I can’t help offer her, “would you like to come with us?”

She gives me a subtle shake of her head. “No thanks. Enjoy it, it’s your time with them.”

***

I’m renting a room above The Old Nags Head during my stay here. I plan to stay for a week before I have to go back to London, and even though the thought of having to leave my children again is killing me, I’m trying to cheer myself up by reminding myself that it’ll be Christmas soon enough and I’ll get to visit again.

But then I’ll have to leave again.

And visit again, but knowing in just a week or two, I would have to say goodbye to them again.

Fuck, this is killing me. I’m a family man through and through, and not being with them physically hurts. I shouldn’t be in this room sulking alone. I should be there in that home with my wife and children, probably helping Minnie and George with their homework or making dinner for all of us.

I was prepared to sulk some more, but then I heard a knock on the door. I was not expecting company so I’ve got no idea who it is, and I’m quite surprised when I see Jamie, YN’s brother as I open the door.

We were quite close, but now that I broke his little sister’s heart, I can’t tell if this is a pleasant visit or if he’s just here to knock me square on my arse.

“Got time for tea downstairs?” He asks

Honestly, I haven’t got any appetite. But I could use a few pints so I nod and lock the door behind me, following him downstairs to the pub.

The Old Nags Head is the oldest and most famous pub in Bakewell. The pub itself is a former smithy dating back to the 16th century, and certainly looks the part; thick stone walls, low ceilings, welcoming log fires and dark timber beams. The pub remains at the centre of the community, as it has been for hundreds of years. It offers the best classic pub grubs, and even has its own ale called the Nags 1577.

It’s the perfect place to drown my sorrows.

Except, the current owner of that very pub happens to be none other than my wife’s granddad whom everyone here calls Pop. Out of all members of her family, she is the closest to Pop, so I know for sure that I’m the last person he wants to see.

We sit at the bar table facing the window, which is good because Pop is behind the main bar, and this way I don’t have to actually talk to him.

“Ya want owt?” Jamie asks as he does a quick perusal of the menu. I’m not even sure why he bothers, because even I know what he’s going to order. It’s Pop’s signature steak and ale pie. Ten years of being his brother in law, not once I ever saw him order something else.

“Just a pint,” I tell him.

It doesn’t take long after Jamie orders his food and our drinks before two pints are placed before us, and we each take a savouring sip.

And then Jamie point-blank asks me, “so what did you do?”

I really can’t tell anything from his expression, because he keeps his face blank. But I give him a bark of mirthless laughter. “It’s what I didn’t do, mate. She didn’t say anything?”

“Not a word,” he shakes his head, “what didn’t you do?”

“I stopped paying attention to my wife. Got caught up in my career. The travelling for tours she understood, but it was when I was home and hanging out more with my bandmates than with my family that she couldn’t forgive. And what little time I had left, I gave to Minnie and George. I think I just stupidly assumed she would always be there for me, no matter what.”

“Was there any infidelity?” He asks.

“God, no,” I shake my head hard. “You know I’d never do that to your sister. I love her, and she’s more than enough for me.”

Obviously, I’m not going to tell him this, but ironically, our sex life didn’t diminish. We were combustible in bed, and my mistake was in thinking that was enough for her.

I look at the pudding shop right across the street as I take another sip, and I nearly choke on my beer when I see a familiar face walking out of the shop.

“What in the ever-loving fuck?” I growl.

That’s my wife, walking out of her mum’s pudding shop. She is not alone. There’s a guy with his hand pressed to her lower back while her head is tipped back, laughing at something he’s saying. I suddenly feel sick to my stomach when the bastard’s palm drops from my wife’s back to take her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. She smiles, all doe-eyed, as they walk to God knows where.

“What?” Jamie looks at me confused for a second, but then he follows my gaze and he finally sees what’s causing me distress. “Oh, that.”

“You knew about that?”

He nods. “She’s been seeing him for about three weeks now.”

“Fuck,” I mutter and pinch the bridge of my nose.

“She didn’t tell you?” Jamie asks and I shake my head.

“Three weeks you said?”

Jamie nods again. “He makes her happy.”

“I’m her husband,” I can’t help but say bitterly. “I should be the one making her happy.”

“Look, I’m sorry mate,” he offers, I know he’s trying his best to keep his tone neutral. “Maybe you need to get back in the dating game too. It’ll distract you.”

“I don’t want to fucking date anyone else,” I growl.

“I know it’s hard to get back in the saddle,” he adds sympathetically.

“I don’t want to get out of my current saddle,” I grumble. “I want to keep my current saddle with my wife in it.”

Jamie blinks in surprise, hell I’m even surprised at what I’ve just said out loud because I’ve never admitted this since we split. When YN asked me to leave, I assumed right away that my marriage was over. I didn’t want it to, but I thought there was nothing I could do.

But now, seeing her laughing at another man’s joke and his hand holding hers, I just know that I can’t let her go without a fight.

“Have you told her this?” He asks curiously.

I shake my head again. “We haven’t got the chance to have a civil conversation these days.”

“Then I suggest you stop being such a bloody whinge bucket and have a civil conversation with your wife.”

My shoulders immediately sag in defeat. “I know. I need to sit down with her and tell her how I feel.”

“Which is?” He presses.

“That I want her back,” I mutter.

“You’ve got to have a better plan than that,” he points out. “I mean… I’m not a marriage therapist, but I’m pretty sure that you’ve got to be prepared to fix the shit first.”

I can’t help but tilt my head towards the pudding shop where my wife had just walked out the door. “She’s moved on. You said it yourself that he makes her happy. Tell me how to compete with that.”

“Make her happier,” he says simply. I can only let out a heavy sigh, but I know that's solid advice. “Listen, if you really want to save your marriage, you need to make it work. Romance her again. Lots of flowers, nice romantic dinners out. Compliments, chocolates. All that sort of thing.”

“You think that’ll work?”

“I don’t know,” he answers truthfully. “But I do know that you’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t do anything about it.”

***

My emotions are a mixed bag this morning. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to spend the whole day with my kids, but the fact that I have just learnt last night that my wife is currently seeing another man doesn’t sit right with me.

I know Jamie was right. If I want to save my marriage, I need to get my head out of my arse and do something to win my wife back. Sure, I don’t even know where to start since she doesn’t give me the time of day. But I do know that starting today, I’m a man on a mission. It’s Operation Conquer YN: day 1.

It’s currently 8:40am, which means I’m twenty minutes early. I hope the kids won’t be ready yet, so I’ll get a chance to talk for a little bit to my wife.

When I ring the doorbell, I can hear George pounding down the stairs, yelling, “I got it!”

The door flies open and he jumps into my arms right away. My little lad truly misses me, and it really does warm my heart. Now, I love my children equally, but before I got here yesterday, I thought Minnie would be the one to jump all over me since she’s a daddy’s girl through and through, while George has always been a mummy’s boy since the day he was born.

But again, I should’ve known. Since YN and I split, Minnie sort of puts herself in her mum’s corner. Every time I actually got the chance to talk to her on the phone when I was still in LA, it was always extremely short before she quickly handed her mum’s phone to her little brother. I try not to take her behaviour to heart, because I guess it’s what nine-year-olds do when they don’t quite understand why their parents aren’t together. They just need someone to blame, and my daughter is way more mature than her age. She’s bloody smart too, which she definitely takes after her mum, and I know that she knows it’s my fault that her mum and I separated.

Now that I think of it, it’s not just my wife that I desperately need to win back. But also my daughter.

“Daddy!” George chirps. He’s got a milk moustache and the sight never fails to get me to chuckle. “You’re early.”

“I know,” I reply with a tender smile. “I just can’t wait to spend the day with you lot.”

“I’m going to get ready!” He announces excitedly as he squirms in my arms wanting to be put down, and he runs up the stairs before I can even reply.

I look around, and my gaze lands on the sofa, a hazel leather sofa that YN picked out. It’s so comfy and I could nap there forever.

Then there’s the coffee table, where YN, Minnie, George and I sat around and played board games. Catan is our family’s favourite, followed closely by Monopoly.

The corner where we always put the Christmas tree, right next to the fireplace. And every year it didn’t matter how hard I tried, I could never get the bloody thing to stay straight.

I miss this little cottage. Sure, the house in South Kensington is our marital house, but this cosy little cottage in the middle of nowhere feels more like home to me. And now I truly get why YN was so adamant to move here permanently after we separated, didn't matter how hard I tried to persuade her to stay in London.

“You’re early,” my wife blinks in surprise, but quickly masks it. “Minnie darling, go and get ready.”

“Do I really have to go?” My nine-year-old whines and I feel a pang. She really doesn’t want to spend time with me.

“Minnie, that’s not nice,” YN reprimands her before I can stop her.

“I’ve missed you, poppet,” I say, wanting to look at her in the eyes but she refuses to meet my gaze. Which hurts, but it’s fine. I know it’ll take some time for her to warm up to me. “I want to spend the day with you and your brother. I promise I’ll try to make it fun for you both.”

“Fine,” she replies, before marching up the stairs to her room. There’s still a hint of sulkiness in her tone, but at least I didn’t get a heavy sigh. I know it’s a small win but honestly, it’s better than none.

“Coffee’s in the pot,” she tells me politely from where she’s sitting at the island. She has her laptop open before her, and I can see her writing an email. I bet she’s working today, even if it’s Saturday, because my wife is such a hard-worker. She works remotely for a consulting firm and I’m beyond proud of her.

I nod and pour the coffee, and I let the silence carry on for a bit before saying, “saw you getting cosy with your new boyfriend last night.”

She instantly looks up from her laptop, giving me a death glare. Her tone is defensive when she says, “that’s none of your business.”

“You could’ve at least told me that you were seeing someone,” I tell her, making elaborate gestures with my coffee mug.

“Why would I do that?” She retorts defensively. “Last time I checked, you didn’t give a shit about me when we were married. Why on earth would I assume you do now?”

Hearing that, it feels like Chuck Norris himself just kicked me in the nuts. I can only mutter, “we’re still married.”

“Not for long,” she replies faintly.

“Don’t say that,” I say, my breath a little jagged. “We can still fix this, darling. I know we can.”

“Are you mad?” She snaps, but then she takes a deep breath, and her tone is a lot calmer when she adds, “Harry, it’s too late.”

“No, it’s not. It’s never too late to get our marriage back on track,” I plead desperately. “Would you at least give me a shot?”

“What do you mean?” She frowns.

“You can continue to see Mr Wife-stealer-”

“He’s not a wife-stealer,” she snaps, cutting me off. “He’s got a name.”

“Well, he’s stealing my wife,” I grumble like a stroppy child.

“You’re being such a child,” she retorts. “His name is Luke, he’s a decent guy, and he makes me happy.”

“I’m not afraid to go head to head with him,” I say defiantly.

“Fuck’s sake, Harry, we’re not on a bloody Love Island,” she says in exasperation. “Two children are involved here, this isn’t a game.”

“I know it isn’t,” I reply with a sigh. “Just please give me another shot, darling. Let me remind you how great we were together.”

“You mean the sex?” She demands, one side of her upper lip curls in a sneer.

I bend my head and murmur, “we were dynamite in the sack, weren’t we?”

I see the flash in her eyes as she remembers, and it makes me want to beat my chest in victory. But the euphoric feeling is short-lived when she says, “a relationship is so much more than just sex. If you don’t understand it then-”

“I do, fuck, I do know that,” I cut her off in a strangled, desperate voice. “At least let me try, darling. Fuck if I’m letting you go without a fight.”

We lapse into silence as she gives me a sceptical look, and I know in this moment that my biggest challenge is to regain her trust, as well as accepting the fact that she has someone else fighting for her attention.

I know this will be tough, because I let her down over and over again. And worse, I let my children down too, because I was never quite able to make my family my highest priority. It was all my fault, I knew it then, still do now. That’s why when she asked me to leave, I couldn’t even argue. I was a shit husband and father, and I deserved that.

Trying to win Minnie is probably going to be the easiest because beneath this ‘tweenage’ attitude going on, I know she is a sweet girl who loves her daddy. I need to devote more attention to her, maybe take her on some daddy-daughter dates. I know it’ll work because I’ve never given her enough on a consistent basis.

YN is going to be the most difficult, because I really broke her heart. I’ve been married to her for ten years, so I can say with confidence that I know for sure she would never fall for things like flowers or gifts. I have to show her that I genuinely want to fix our marriage, and that my interest in her is real. It’ll be like starting all over again.

And on top of that, she’s seeing someone else and she said it herself that he does make her happy. I know she’s not lying about it, as Jamie also told me the same thing last night and I saw with my own eyes how she laughed with him last night. Seeing that killed me, because I don’t have the ability to make her laugh like that anymore, but I couldn’t deny that there was a small part of me that was happy for her.

She may have sneered when I insinuated I’d be glad to remind her of the good times, but I saw it in her eyes. There was still a slight burn, and that might just have to be my angle.

But then I remember our last time together. It was only two days before she asked me to leave and I remember coming home mid-morning after a meeting with my manager and publicist to find her lying in our bed, clad in sexy lingerie. I had my mouth on every inch of her, a good deal of time between her legs, and after she reciprocated by taking me into her mouth.

The kids were in school, and apparently, she took a sick day because I had told her the night before that I only had one meeting in the morning that day. After, she cuddled in close, and we talked for a while. She seemed happy, but then there was a hint of hesitation in her voice when she suggested, “fancy just spending all day in bed until school pick-ups?”

I mean, what man in his right mind would say no to that? The kids were gone for at least another five hours, I had a gorgeous wife naked and wanting more of what we just did…

Yet, I’d said no. “Sorry, doll. I’m meeting the lads at the studio in about an hour.”

I didn’t see it then, but I do now and it’s clear as day. The look on her face had been blank, and there wasn’t even disappointment like she would usually show me. She hadn’t tried to get me to change my mind. There hadn’t been a guilt-laden frown to give me pause.

I realise now what it was.

It was the moment my wife finally gave up on me.

My chest constricts as it finally dawns on me the pain she must have been feeling. I’m not just talking about that day. That had been our life for several years.

No wonder she asked me to leave.

No wonder she’s moving on with Mr Wife-stealer.

No wonder that, at this moment, I realise I’ve got tons of work to do because sex isn’t going to be the answer in winning my wife back.

***

“Will the baby just eat when you give it the bottle?” Minnie asks her uncle Jamie as the four of us gaze at the baby goat in front of us. For the first time since yesterday, I actually see the slight curve up of lips that form a fond smile. Seeing that smile on my daughter’s face, I’m glad we didn’t go fishing and end up going to the barn instead. We were actually already on our way, but Jamie texted me that the mother goat had given birth this morning, and he wanted me to tell Minnie and George. The goats are a new addition to the farm, so they have been so excited to see baby goats. I knew from the look in their eyes that they would have a much better time seeing baby goats rather than fishing.

It turns out that there’s only one baby goat, because the other one sadly didn’t make it. And the dam isn’t producing milk, so the kid needs to be bottle-fed until the mother is producing again. I can’t help but smile fondly at the baby goat too because it’s adorable. It’s a soft little white goat with a pink nose and ears. The dam is a Pygmy but since it has blue eyes, Jamie thinks she must have Nigerian Dwarf genes somewhere in her.

“It’s a female… a doeling,” Jamie tells her. “And she will if she’s hungry. You want to try to feed her? Look, she’s hungry again.”

We watch for a moment as the baby goat walks on wobbly legs, bleating in hunger. Jamie mixes the powdered formula and makes a bottle for her, then he hands the bottle to Minnie.

But Minnie shakes her head. “Maybe next time. I want to see you do it first.”

“Alright then,” Jamie nods, then turns towards my little lad. “How about you, mate? Wanna feed her?”

“No thank you,” says George as he shakes his head, and then he giggles, “she smells funny.”

“Can I do it?” I ask and Jamie nods as he hands me the bottle.

I sit down against the wall with my children sitting on either side of me. And as if the goat can sense that I hold the key to filling her empty belly, the doeling starts to prance in excitement and falls over a few times due to what I assume is clumsiness. I love that she can walk normally but still choose chaos—honestly, she could’ve been my third child. There’s no stopping the surge of fondness that swells within me as I watch her little antics.

“Come here little crumpet,” I coo at the goat.

The little goat scrambles right onto my lap, bleating hungrily. I wrap my arm around her and tip the bottle. She latches on instantly, and Minnie and George are aww-ing and ooh-ing over the way the baby goat’s little tail swishes back and forth so fast in ecstatic happiness as she drinks her milk.

“You’re a hungry little thing, aren’t you?” Minnie murmurs and the little tail swishes faster as she pushes at the bottle to suck the milk down faster. “What’s her name, uncle Jamie?”

“I haven’t named her yet,” Jamie says. “What do you lot think we should call her?”

“Blue,” George suggests instantly, without looking away from the baby goat on my lap.

“Ooh, I like it,” Minnie adds. “Like her eyes.”

“Blue it is, then,” Jamie grins. “Now, even though the dam is still not producing milk, we still need to train her to at least try to nurse, so she’ll do it right away when the dam is finally producing milk. Let’s see if we can get her to try to eat from the dam.”

He plucks the baby from my arms, and a series of yearning bleats come from the kid as he carries her to her mother. He places her near the dam’s udders and gives the baby a gentle push.

Much to our surprise, Blue spins away from Jamie and her mother and runs back to me. Although in all fairness, I am holding the bottle she was just drinking from. Jamie attempts three more times to get the baby to try to nurse from her mother, but she’s having none of it.

Finally, he takes the bottle from me and walks across to the opposite wall. He sits down, holds the bottle out, and calls to the doeling. “Come here, baby. Come eat.”

Blue’s tail gives a few nervous twitches, but she doesn’t move towards Jamie. In fact, she takes a few hesitant steps backwards until she bumps into my legs. I’m amazed as I watch her stare hungrily at the bottle, bleating hungrily, but refusing to go to Jamie.

“Daddy, she thinks you’re her mummy,” says George and both my children burst in laughter.

“What?” I say in astonishment.

“I don’t think that doeling is going to feed from anyone but you,” Jamie adds with a chuckle as he stands up. He walks over and hands me the bottle. Blue jumps directly into my lap.

On autopilot, I offer the goat the nipple but look up to Jamie in panic. “What should we do?”

“Dunno, I’ll just try and do it when she’s hungry again in a few hours,” he shrugs. “But if she still doesn’t wanna eat, I’ll bring her to you.”

Any last vestiges of humour, happiness and downright giddiness over the cuteness of a baby goat fades as I realise I might or might not have just added another task to my list. Heavens help me.

***

“Let’s have a daddy and daughter date tomorrow.”

It’s a solid suggestion, and I really hope she’d say yes. Her little brother has his classmate’s birthday party to go to, so I know it’d be perfect for a little one-on-one time.

We’re on our way back home after spending a whole day together. It was great, and even though I didn’t have happy-go-lucky Minnie, George had a great time, and it was enough for me. And at least she didn’t ask to go home early, so I’d call that a win.

“No, thanks,” she replies. There’s still not a hint of sulkiness in her tone, but it doesn’t sound technically warm either.

I glance over through the rear-view mirror as she stares out the window with her arms folded. Her brother is sleeping next to her, and I figured this might be a good time to talk since she’s trapped in the car with me.

Everyone always says that Minnie is a mini-me, while George is a carbon-copy of his mum. Minnie has my nose, eyebrows, chin, even my smile; which is slightly lopsided and has a dimple on one side. I know I’m biased, but she truly is the most beautiful little girl I’ve ever seen.

Where Minnie shines, though, is her personality, which is a combination of her mum and me. She has her mum’s sunny disposition—aside from the days where she’s got a bag on—and always sees the good in everyone. She’s our little ray of sunshine, tender and caring and always trying to make others feel good.

From me, she gets her stubbornness, which even though I know is a good trait to have when she’s older, it made things so much harder when she was a toddler. She also has my terrible sense of humour, but the thing I’m most proud of is her work ethic. I can’t take full credit for that though, because her mother is a hard worker as well.

Ever since she started distancing herself from me, I know which subjects are safe, and which are not. School always falls in the safe category, because she enjoys it and excels. So I figure now that’s where I should start. “How’s school going?”

“Alright,” she replies, still looking out the window.

Now, this really doesn’t sound at all like my daughter.

“Come on, Min,” I say desperately. “Tell daddy what’s been eating you. I can’t help if I don’t know what it is.”

“It’s nothing, I’m fine,” she says absently.

“Do you want to go and get some ice cream with me tomorrow?” That was our thing at least once every two weeks and she loved it.

“No, thank you.”

“Ice skating?”

“No, thank you.”

“Oh I know,” I say excitedly. “I’ve got a show in London in a couple of weeks, Jingle Ball. Do you want to come with me?”

Minnie has always been my biggest fan, clapping the hardest and yelling the loudest for her daddy. So it really takes me by surprise when she mutters, “shows, shows, shows… that’s all you care about, dad.”

I twist to peer out my window so she doesn’t see the wince that comes unbidden to my face if she looks through the mirror. That was a direct slam against me.

That really does hurt, and I rub at the throb of pain behind my breastbone.

“That’s not true,” I reply faintly.

“Did you care about my last ballet recital?”

Early this year, Minnie had a ballet recital. She was so excited about it because I had just finished my tour in December last year, and I’d already told my management that I would like a couple of months off. There was no reason for me not to attend, so I promised her I’d be there.

Except at the last moment, I realised I had forgot to switch an important meeting I had with the team from the new Manchester Arena. Since I invested in it, we had a meeting every few months because I said right from the beginning that I would take more than just a capital interest. I wanted to be involved in the development, because that was a huge project and I was really proud of it.

YN was in charge of our schedule and when she reminded me about the recital, which conflicted directly with my meeting, we ended up getting in the worst row we’ve ever had throughout our marriage.

“You’re going to let our daughter down in a way she won’t forgive,” she stated.

I refused to believe that, brushing off her comment with “I’ll take her out for something special later.” But my wife turned and stalked away from me.

That day, the meeting went great and the construction was almost done a few weeks earlier than intended, so there was an option if we wanted to open sooner. YN sent me a text with a video of Minnie’s performance, and it was beautiful. I was such a proud dad that I showed the video to everyone in that room.

When I got home, my wife and children cuddled on the sofa, watching a film. George was snoozing with his head on his mum’s lap on the far end, so I plopped myself down beside Minnie. I tugged on her hair playfully, and asked if she wanted to go out to a special daddy-daughter dinner to celebrate her recital.

“No, thank you,” she replied quietly, not taking her eyes off the telly.

“Come on, poppet,” I coaxed, trying to tickle her in the ribs a little. She only squirmed closer to her mum, not laughing from the tickle but grimacing like she didn’t want to be touched.

YN stared over Minnie with sorrow in her eyes. She gave a tiny shake of her head, but I wasn’t ready to give up.

“The Ivy?” I tried to tempt her because my kid loves chips, and she’s obsessed with their truffle and parmesan chips.

“No, thank you,” she muttered again, her head resting on her mum’s shoulder and her arm crossed over her middle. YN cuddled her with an arm around her shoulder. It had been clear that they were a unit, and I hadn’t been included.

“Minnie decided she wants to stop ballet lessons, so that was her last recital.”

“Oh,” I’d replied dumbly.

I couldn’t think of another damn thing to say because to do so would be disingenuous. There’s no doubt I killed my daughter’s potential love of ballet by not coming to her recital. I knew that because of YN’s expression of disappointment and Minnie’s dull dismissal.

Later that night, I walked by Minnie’s room and glanced in as the door was slightly open. I had bought her a bouquet of flowers that I gave her before I left for my meeting, and I saw that they’d been stuffed into the bin beside her desk.

I blink out of that memory, feeling the heavy weight of guilt. “Of course I did, my love. If I knew-”

“But not enough to come,” she replies dully. “And what about my debate competition? George’s piano recital? You showed up to none of them.”

I sigh heavily. “Minnie, a lot of parents have demanding jobs where they’re required to work or travel more than others. Sometimes A&E doctors have to work on Christmas and cannot see their children open the presents. Sometimes, a firefighter has to leave their house at night and can’t tuck their kids in bed.”

“I understand that,” she whirls and looks at me through the rear-view mirror. “Except you’re not saving lives or fighting fires, are you? You just get up on a stage and sing.”

“I’m a terrible dad, aren’t I?” I concede. “I know I’ve done things wrong in the past, but I’m trying to make it up to you, poppet. But I can’t do it if you won’t let me.”

She doesn’t say anything and it’s killing me. “You know I love you, right?”

“I know,” she rushes to assure me and I feel a little lighter. My daughter may act like a tween and have some bitter feelings towards me, but she loves me.

“I don’t like seeing you like this,” I continue. “Tell me how to make it up to you and I’ll do it. I want things to be good between us again.”

Her eyes flare with shock, and then they dart away as if she’s considering something. I wait expectantly. Maybe she’s going to finally open up and pour out her feelings for me. I’m ready for it.

I’m ready to listen, and validate, and reassure her that she, along with her mum and brother, are the loves of my life.

Her gaze comes back to me, her expression serious, and I brace.

“Can we get a puppy?”

What?

There’s no stopping the unlocking of my jaw and the dropping of my mouth because this was the last thing I expected her to say.

I’m so caught off guard that I can’t even think to immediately tell her ‘no’, which gives her time to launch into all the reasons why we should have a dog.

“Minnie, puppies are a lot of work. You’ve got to potty train them, teach them manners, and they get up for hours at night.”

“I promise I’ll do all that,” she exclaims.

“Like how you were supposed to take care of Fishy?” I can’t help but remind her. Fishy was her goldfish that we had to throw a funeral for a few years ago because she forgot to feed him. That poor sod died of hunger.

Minnie rolls her eyes. “I was six.”

She’s got a point.

Still, it’s obvious part of her request is manipulation because she threw it at me when I opened myself up to vulnerability. She knows I’m trying, and she’s throwing me a clear bone.

Get her a puppy, and all will be forgiven.

“Tell you what,” I look over my shoulder after I parked the car since we’ve reached home. “I promise to think about it, and I’ll talk to mummy.”

“Really?” She bounces in her seat in excitement.

“We’ll talk about it,” I reiterate in a calm, even voice. But there’s no stopping her excitement. The fact that I’m willing to consider is a huge victory for her because she knows that when I make my mind up about something, I never change it.

I open the door for her, and she is quick to unbuckle herself and throws herself at me.

I’m so surprised at the spontaneous act of affection that I almost don’t hug her back. It’s been so long since she’s shown this to me, and it’s the best feeling in the world.

I squeeze her tight, and I can only hope that my darling girl will always love her daddy the way she does right now.

George doesn’t even stir as I pick him up, and I tuck him in his bed straight away since I don’t want to wake him up. He must be tired, and good thing I’ve fed them both dinner.

Minnie even gives me another hug before she gets ready for bed, and that results in me having a permanent smile on my face even as I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen to see my wife.

“She’s chirpy,” YN comments when she sees me walking into the kitchen. “What did you do?”

“Got her to talk to me,” I smirk.

She looks surprised, and well, I can’t blame her. “Did she?”

“She did,” I nod. “Pointed out all my flaws, and when I asked her how I could make it up to her, she asked for a puppy.”

“What?”

“Exactly my reaction,” I chuckle.

“Boy, if she’s this good at emotional blackmailing at nine, we’d probably be in deep shit in a couple of years,” she jokes and I can’t help but laugh.

I’ve missed this.

“Will you go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?” I blurt out before I can stop myself.

“I can’t.”

“What? Got a hot date already?” I ask teasingly, but her silence tells me what I don’t want to know. “Oh, you’re going out with him.”

“Mr Wife- I mean Luke asked me out first and I already said yes.”

I shouldn’t be laughing because the fact that my wife going on a date with another man is not funny at all, but it’s hard to hide my smirk when she almost calls him by the nickname I’ve given him, Mr Wife-stealer.

“Well, fair enough. He asked you first,” I say nonchalantly. “What does he do?”

“He’s an A&E doctor at the Northern General,” she says, her tone lightens a little.

“Smart then isn’t he,” I mutter.

“Yes. He’s smart, attentive, caring and generous with his time.”

I keep my expression and tone bland, but she landed a direct blow there and it fucking hurts. “All the things I’m not,” I state, voicing the conclusion she was aiming at.

“Well,” she drawls with a tiny bit of sympathy. “I do think you’re smart.”

I give her a side eye-roll before I decide to be downright nosy and ask, “you can’t have been on many dates then?”

“True,” she chirps, a gleam in her eye as she sticks the knife in. “He is busy and his schedules are unpredictable. But when he’s gone, he makes sure I know I’m always on his mind. He sends me flowers for absolutely no reason other than because he wants to, calls me every day and we text all the time.”

Well, sodding fucking bollocking shit wank. I didn’t think YN would fall for that crap. And I realise… I never thought to do that stuff for her. I was the self-absorbed type of person who figured that my wife knew I thought about her all the time when I was away. I mean we were married, so I just assumed she knew.

I’m a shit head.

“What else does he do for you?” I ask and she blinks in surprise.

“Why?” She asks suspiciously.

“I told you I want our marriage to work.”

Her eyes narrow slightly, trying to read my tone and see whether I’m being genuine or it’s just bollocks. Finally, she replies primly, “I’m not giving away his secrets.”

What the fuck does that mean? Have they shagged? I would bet a million pounds they had not though, because I know YN and she wouldn’t enter into that deep of a relationship lightly.

Without even thinking twice, I make a sudden step into her. My arm goes around her waist and I pull her body into me. Not a single inch of space between us. Her mouth opens in a gasp of surprise, and I use the opportunity to kiss her.

I kiss the fuck out of my wife.

Her hands slap against my upper arms, and her fingers dig into my sleeves. Even as she’s pushing me away, her mouth opens, and her tongue touches mine briefly.

When I pull back, I ask, “did he kiss you like this?”

She shakes her head, breathlessly admitting, “we haven’t-”

My jaw drops. “Are you joking?”

“I’m not,” she murmurs.

“How long exactly have you been seeing him?”

“About four weeks.”

“Honey, he’s rooting for the other team,” I tell her and she slaps my arm.

“Sod off, he’s not,” she counters.

“Four weeks with the hottest, most gorgeous, shaggable woman and he hasn’t tried to kiss you? I mean not that I’m not grateful because, fuck, I am. But wow.”

“Of course he did try,” she rolls her eyes. “But I’m not ready for that, and he’s okay with us taking it slow.”

For a second I don’t say anything in response. Instead, I loosen my hold, bringing my hand to her lower back, and cupping her intimately from behind. Moaning, she leans into me. “I’m guessing he hasn’t touched you like this then.”

She doesn’t answer. Instead, she lets her eyelids flutter closed as her teeth bite into her lower lip.

Fuck. I could drag her to the floor right now, and we could go at it.

But then she comes to her senses, blinking rapidly, and I release her immediately when she gives me a tiny shove backwards.

“You’re not playing fair,” she accuses.

Damn right I’m not. I grab her upper arms, pull her back into me for one last kiss before I let her go just as quickly. “I’m playing to win.”

She takes a step back, brushes a wisp of hair from her temple, and puts on a cool expression. “That’s not going to make me take you back.”

I smirk.

She waves a dismissive hand. “Don’t get me wrong. You’re great with your hands and your mouth, but a lot of men know how to please a woman.”

She’s got a bonus point for trying to make me jealous, but I’m not falling for it. Instead, I give her a devilish smile and dip my head towards her.

“That’s true, but no one will ever please you the way I can.”

I’m enjoying our banter, and I expect her to come up with a snappy retort that might make me kiss her again.

Instead, her expression is sad when she says, “I wish I could be happy with that.”

My heart squeezes, and I lift a hand to palm the side of her neck. I wait until she meets my gaze. “We’re more than just sex, darling. I know you need and deserve more. I’m ready to prove that to you.”

I lean in, pressing my lips to her forehead.

She doesn’t respond as I pivot and head through the living room, letting myself out the door.

All in all, I think that went very well.

***

I’m back at my wife’s cottage, waiting for my kids as they get ready upstairs. Minnie has finally agreed to go on a daddy-daughter date and George is going to an overnight sleepover birthday party, and I’ll drop him off at his classmate’s house before I take his sister out to dinner. I’ll make sure to make it up to him by taking him on a special one on one date too next week.

There’s a light rap on the door, and my head swings that way. I have no doubt that it’s Mr Wife-stealer who’s going to take my wife out on a date.

I glance towards the master suite, but the door is closed. YN is probably putting on the finishing touches of her makeup. And the kids are still upstairs.

Nothing left to do but let him in.

Forcing a smile, I open the front door. He blinks in surprise to see me standing there, and I know I’ve got two options here; I could either easily dispel the awkwardness by being cool, welcoming and explaining our schedules happened to overlap.

Or… I could use whatever amount of alone time I have with him to instill some doubt inside his head.

That would be a dirty play, but as I have told my wife, I play to win.

Broadening my smile, I stick my hand out. “You must be Luke. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Harry.”

He seems momentarily frozen, but then basic manners take over. When he shakes my hand, it’s a bit limp, perhaps denoting a lack of confidence. After I release him, I bid him entrance with a sweep of my hand. “YN is in the bedroom. She’s still getting ready.”

Luke frowns over the fact that I know YN is in the bedroom. Probably over me even being here to talk to him. But I don’t dispel any innuendo he might glean from that.

I loop an arm around his shoulders, clamp down, and start guiding him to the kitchen. “Come on in and sit for a bit while she’s finishing up. Want a beer?”

Luke moves to one of the island stools, looking completely frazzled. “Uh… no, thank you.”

I shrug, moving to the fridge and opening it. Grabbing a bottle, I say with a sly grin as I close it. “So glad YN still stocks my favourite beer.”

I am so going to hell.

But that’s the truth. It’s my wife’s favourite beer, too, but I don't tell him that. Instead, I let the implication that I come over and have beers often. Luke’s frown deepens.

“YN tells me you work at the Northern General?” I take a sip of my beer, then lean my forearms on the island directly across from him so we’re eye level.

“Yeah… uh, that’s right.” Poor Luke. He seems incapable of carrying on a polite conversation with the husband of the woman he’s dating.

But I’m going to give him a pass. Setting my beer down, I straighten. “Let me go tell YN you’re here.”

“Um… you don’t have-” he starts to say, but I move past him without a backward glance. Through the living room, down the small hall, and a hard left takes me to the master suite. The door’s closed. I don’t bother knocking because I know YN is dressed.

I find her in the ensuite, her makeup drawer open and she’s huddled over it, touching something inside.

“Your date’s here,” I announce.

She lets out a yip of fright, shoving whatever it was in her hand to the back and slamming the drawer closed.

“Damn it, Harry,” she snaps, her palm pressed against her heart. “You scared the hell out of me. And what are you doing in my room?”

“Just running an errand for you. Wanted to let you know your date is here,” I say casually and I give her a mischievous grin. “Don’t worry, I welcomed him in, offered him a drink, and made small talk.”

She rolls her eyes, rising from her vanity chair and moves past me without another word. I start to follow, but then I hesitate and turn back to the drawer of her vanity. Quietly, I pull it open as far as it will go, spotting a picture of YN and me stuffed in the back.

I recognise it. It’s from a trip we took to Anguilla a few years back, just the two of us, and fuck if we didn’t look happy and deeply in love.

Was that what she was looking at when I walked in?

That could be good or bad, but either way, no way to know the answer. I shut the drawer, then catch up to her as she’s moving through the living room. Luke sees her, sliding off the stool. When she holds out her hands, he takes them and leans in to kiss her on the cheek.

Lame.

I sit on the armrest of the sofa, watching. Luke glances over YN’s shoulder at me as he pulls back, smiling victoriously.

I just smirk back. Because he’d probably lose it if he knew the type of kiss I gave my wife just last night. But I’ll keep that information to myself, though.

YN grabs her handbag off the accent table near the staircase before addressing me. “Make sure Minnie locks up when you leave, and remind George I’ll pick him up at ten tomorrow morning.”

I give her a jaunty salute. “Aye-aye, Captain.”

In return, I get another eye roll.

Luke puts his hand on my wife’s back, shooting me a look that says, ‘she’s mine tonight’, and I want to punch his teeth down the back of his throat. I just smile blandly, because, in just a few minutes of talking to him and watching how they interact, I can tell he’s getting nothing more than a friendly kiss when he brings her home.

YN might want to keep pushing at that relationship, but I am willing to bet that it’s not going to go anywhere. I know this, because I’m sure that my wife is still in love with me.

Read part II here!

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