#pls don't ask me to prove right now though

[justabrunettewhowrites-stuff]

HIII CAN YOU PLS DO ANOTHER CLARISSE X FEM READER FIC? Clarisse brainrot rn. Okay so imagine like she sees ur bf cheating and she tells u but u knew but stayed w him bc u thought nobody else would want u and u loved him BUT SHE WANTSBU WJSJSSJ AND LIKE ITS SO CUTE IDK I HOPE THIS IS CLEAR I LOVE UR FICS SM!! TY IF U DO THIS REQUESTTT 😭

'Promises'

Clarisse La Rue x Fem!Reader

A/N:Hi lovely!Tysm for requesting!!Yes I can try!I haven't written anything similar to this yet but I'll do my best! <3

Clarisse sees your boyfriend cheat on you - and she tells you,but you knew - and somehow it ends up with you two kissing.

As you sat beneath a tree,enjoying the peace and quiet of the rather reserved area you were in - which was relatively empty at that moment,for Clarisse it was a whole another story,as she observed from a distance.She saw your boyfriend this morning,his actions betraying the trust you had bestowed upon him.Silently, she approached, her presence unnoticed but her fury visible.

Clarisse cleared her throat, and you turned to face her.

"Hey.I saw something." she said, her tone unusually calm. "Your boyfriend...well,soon to be ex,he's cheatin' on you."

She was trying her hardest to not cuss the hell out of the guy right now.

Your heart sank, but you managed a weak smile, feigning ignorance. "What? No, that can't be true."

Clarisse grumbled, her eyes sharp. "I saw it,you know? and I sure as hell ain't blind.You deserved to know."

Tears welled up in your eyes, and you just couldn't hold back the pain any longer. "I knew," you confessed,looking down. "I just couldn't bring myself to face it. I love him, and I don't think anyone else would want me."

Clarisse was genuinely surprised by this as she spoke "How can you love him when he treats you like you don't even exist?Why settle for someone who doesn't appreciate you?" she said, her gaze unwavering.

You sighed, tears streaming down your cheeks. "I just... I don't know if I can let go. I love him too much."

Clarisse, though still pissed off - couldn't fathom why you'd subject yourself to this and take so much pain. "What if someone does want you?" she questioned.

Your response was a broken whisper, "No one would want me. I'm not worth it - and I guess he just proved it by cheating that I wasn't enough to satisfy him so..."

Frustration crossed Clarisse's face as she stepped closer, her hand reaching out to gently cup your cheek. "What if I want you?" she asked, her voice low.

You looked up, disbelief in your eyes as you struggled to process what she just said. "But...I'm just...I don't know..I'm just me.I'm not special."

Clarisse's patience wore thin. "Enough with the self-pity. You're worth more than you think."

But as you continued to express your uncertainty,Clarisse,unable to tolerate it any longer,pressed her lips against yours. The kiss was unexpected, yet surprisingly comforting.It held a mixture of understanding and a promise of something more.

Breaking the kiss, Clarisse looked into your eyes,wiping your tears away with her thumb "Don't sell yourself short,pretty girl.You deserve more than an asshole who cheats on you.You're worth more than you think, and I'll be damned if I'm letting you settle for less,because get this through your pretty little head - never and I mean never will I do that.Besides,I'll never cheat on you.." she spoke as she continued to gently cup your cheek as her fingers caressed it gently,and you knew she was was sincere.This wasn't just any random thing she just said like that - as many of her random ramblings were - it was a promise,and everyone knows Clarisse La Rue always keeps her promises.

#pjo tv show #fem y/n #percy jackon and the olympians #clarisse la rue #clarisse la rue x reader #clarisse pjo #clarisse x reader #percy series #pjo clarisse #pjo #percy jackson #clarisse x you #x y/n #x you #fem x fem #x reader #female y/n #fem reader #pjo fandom #clarisse la rue x you #clarisse la rue x y/n #x yn #camp half blood #chb #fanfic #my fanfiction #lesbian #gxg #wlw #percy jackson and the olympians

[mymyapplesigh]

Hihi!

Could you write a Walker Scobell x Reader fic where the reader gave him a handmade gift (crochet, origami or smth) at a fan event and she hid a piece of paper inside of it with her instagram handle? (I'm sorry if this is a weird request😭; I don't even understand the stuff my brain comes up with💀)

Anyways, thank youu! I hope you have a great day! :D

OOOO A WALKER ASK I LOVE IT !!! 🙈🙈

PLS SEND MORE REQUESTS GUYS PLS😇

Walker Scobell x Reader

Youve been a fan of Walker for a few years now. When you saw the Adam Project something was pulling you towards him. Following him on Instagram you gave it a rest. Its when he got his role of Percy Jackson on Disneys new spin off is when he really blew up. You saw all the behind the scenes and interviews he was in. The show itself was amazing, other than the slight jealousy you would feel here and there but thats normal for any teen.

He quickly became a HUGE celebrity crush for you. You knew that everyone felt like that for a celebrity crush but Walker felt like a school crush. You felt like you knew him. And like any cleberity crush, you told your best friend, your mom, your dad, your sister, your brother, your cat/dog, your school friends your not as close to, yiur favorite teacher, your least favorite teacher, and the old lady next door that loved hearing you talk.

“No you dont understand, hes different. I feel like I ACTUALLY know him.” you ranted to your best friend at your guys lab station in science.

“Y/n, hes just a celebrity. Half of the teenage girl population feels the same way you do right now.” She responded sort of knocking some sense into your brain. It didnt quite reach the part of your brain responsible for common sense as you still felt the same way.

“You know, hes having that fan meet thing close by in down town. If you really want to meet him just go to that, my daughter will be there too.” Your science teacher said coming behind you scaring the shit out of you.

Then it hit you, he was coming here. Your crush coming here. Walker THE Scobell. Pulling out your phone you looked it up to see if it was true. Seeing Walkers story it proved it. He was even staying at the hotel near your apartment. Near isnt the right word, ONE BUILDING OVER.

Coming home from school that day went awfully quick. The subject from earlier being the only thing occupying your mind.

How would you even make him notice you? You fit it with everyone else. There would be no way. Your eyes wandering around your room in thought just as your cat was playing with your crochet yarn. Now you have an idea.

After a little bit of social media you realized he really looked up to Ryan Renolds and had this thing for Deadpool. You were definitely going to make him a deadpool stuffed animal.

When your hands were cramped enough and it finally looked like deadpool you knew you were done. Then another thought hit you. Even if he took it, that would be it. Hed notice you for about 5.6 seconds and then itd just be stored randomly in his house.

A notification came from your phone, Walkers notification that he posted. Youd give him your Instagram. Even though it was unlikely hed ever take it the hope inside of you was stronger than any doubt you had.

The day to finally see him came quicker than you imagined. You spent hours putting on your best formal wear and even more to do your hair (and makeup if your a girl 😋).

When you finally saw him you realized he saw you first. His eyes being drawn to your face as he walked over to you. You shouldve taken your meds before you came. He walked over and smiled at you. Not any smile youve seen, a genuine one. Not the kind youd give when you see a stranger pass by you, but the one that you give when you actually see someone you love.

“Please tell me this is for me.” He sort of yelled as he tried to make his voice louder than his screaming fans.

“Yes, yes of course.” you giggled as your shaky hands gave it to his. You noticed how his hands gently went over yours. Then the screams of fans changed. They went from begging for his attention to being on them to sounds of awes and your personal favorite; “are you guys dating” “is that your girlfriend”

When he walked away though your eyes and heart didnt miss the way his head turned back around to see you, that smile was back on his face.

When you got home you were euphoric. Walker THE Scobell noticed you and you were freaking out STILL.

Your phone buzzed again. A more agressive vibration so it wasnt a imessage.

‘Walker Scobell followed you!’

Your heart dropped into your ass.

Opening up Instagram you shook even more. About to message your friend on Instagram you noticed his note.

‘I fell inlove at a fan meet.’

And before you could even text your friend another notification went off.

Walker Scobell

Hi, is this the fan that gave me the deadpool?

yes! it is 🩷

I just wanted to say that I think your really cool and I was wondering if you wanna be friends?

Seen 32 mins ago

You didnt know what to do. Respond or never text him again. Throw up or pass out even.

You decided to reapond to him.

Its funny how that whole story was only 2 years ago. You were now with your lovely boyfriend Walker. You were at his house watching the new season of Percy Jackson starring you in it. Life is amazing when you take chances.

“Man I hate watching my acting, why did I make that face.” Your boyfriend started complaining watching himself on the tv.

“Oh shush you look good and you know it.” Your assured him lifting up the curls on his head to give him a genuine kiss on his forehead.

He looked up from you from where his head was laying on your chest and gave you those eyes. Those sea blue eyes that filled with warmth tenderness. You knew he was always more than a celebrity crush. He was your soulmate.

Pls send me your requests !!

#walker scobell x reader #walker scobell #walker scobell pjo #pjo cast #pjo series #percy jackson fanfiction #percy pjo

[catscidr]

hi.. hello... may I request a dottore fic w/chronically ill reader? chronically ill as in, can't get enough sleep due to pain, doesn't clean themselves/shower, or doesn't eat a lot due to the pain and loss of appetite.

this part is a bit self indulgent but maybe reader can't walk properly due to it and needs assistance by dottore (or his segments) to hold her hand and let her cling onto them as they walk?

absolutely understandable if not! hope you have a good day :) 🕊

yes!! absolutely!! (included this other ask too bc i felt they were similar enough) im sorry i disappeared for a bit, life happened and this and that and i didn't have time to write and when i did i just.... couldn't write LOLヽ(；▽；) i don't have a chronic illness so i did my best with what i had (google and my own experiences with body pains n stuff(?) ) so pls lmk if there's like. any wording i should change and whatnot. big smoochies to u nonnie i hope this makes you feel at least a little better ♡♡ ⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝ cw: a whole lotta fluff, established relationship, dottore is probably a little ooc bc he's very soft, him and The Clones are doting on reader HARD. reader is shorter than the men includes: fem reader, dottore and his segments (Omega is the oldest, Delta is webttore, Iota is the youngest), Columbina is mentioned, fatui npcs are also mentioned wc: 2,3k

The doctor was infamous for being cruel, aloof and barbaric. From his experiments to his way of treating his coworkers, practically everyone that worked in the Fatui wanted nothing to do with him, since even if they happened to not get on his bad side, even being associated with him meant other members of the organization would look at them funny. The only people the Harbinger spoke to daily, apart from you, were his many segments. 

The same couldn’t be said for you though. When you could, you’d spend time with Viktor or Ekaterina whenever they were in Snezhnaya, hang out with Damselette when she was free or simply just make small talk with anyone willing to stop by for a chat. Unfortunately, you haven’t been able to enjoy other people’s presence since your body’s been feeling quite sluggish as of late, exhaustion seeping into your limbs much quicker than it should. Your predicament made it so that you were confined to the four walls of your room most days, human interaction being limited to Dottore and his clones. 

Not that you particularly minded, since they were an entertaining bunch. Dottore took care of you most of the time, but since his job was quite demanding, he couldn’t be there for you all the time. Which is where his segments came in. 

“The soup isn’t that hot, and I already blew on it! Just eat already,” Delta grumbles loudly, his patience wearing thin as it made way for aggressive worry to take place. You stick your tongue out at him, a tired and petty act of rebellion despite your situation. 

“I dare you to take a sip. For sure it’ll be able to melt your mechanic tongue right off,” you huff in annoyance, both from the minimal hours of sleep you’d been getting and your own patience coming to an end. The man makes a tsk sound, torn between wanting to prove you wrong by humoring your suggestion or wanting to just grab an ice cube and tossing it in the bowl in malicious compliance. He doesn’t have time to decide though, because two people come into your room right as he opened his mouth to reply. 

“Prime told me to check in on you,” Omega says as he breaches the doorframe. “You’re taking too long.” he adds, crossing his arms. The older segment stares down at his maskless coworker, lips curling down in a frown. Delta scowls, readjusting himself on your bed- he was sitting to your right, his legs thrown over the side of the bed. He glances over his shoulder at the interruption, scowl now much more genuine as he glares daggers at the older segment. 

“I would have been back a long time ago if someone,” he doesn’t hide the way his eyes glance over at your sulking form, “had cooperated with me.” Still holding up the spoon he had tried to feed you previously, he lowers it into the bowl while gesturing for Omega to come closer. The latter walks over to the bed calmly while Iota saunters over to your left side, chatting up a storm about how he’s missed you and asking when you’ll be joining them back in the lab again. 

“Maybe if you knew how to speak to women,” the oldest taunts, lips curling into a small grin, the only feature visible on his masked face. You giggle as Delta bites back an insult, purposely ignoring his superior to instead try to make you get something in your system one more time. 

“Where’s Dottore?” you ask the Omega segment, turning your face away from Delta. The latter glares at you, handing over the bowl of soup to the other man. Iota suggests feeding you but is quickly dismissed by the other two, much to his dismay. 

“Busy. Although he said he would come by to test something, if I recall correctly... didn’t mention what it was, though,” the masked segment says, blowing on a spoonful of soup to cool it off. You nod, eating the spoonful when Omega presents it to you, earning a look of disbelief from Delta. “How are you feeling today?” the oldest asks, tuning out Delta’s many choice words aimed at him. You do the same, focused on eating and taking your time swallowing the food so as to not upset your already sensitive stomach. 

“Could be better,” you respond with a sigh. “I feel pain... everywhere. And I’m tired but I can’t sleep,” you add between spoonfuls. Omega nods, letting you rant as he silently listens to you while subtly observing the way your chest heaves up and down, as if your lungs were working overtime to accommodate to an elevated heart rate. 

He hums, dipping the spoon in the bowl to feed you again. You shake your head at him and put a hand up in front of your mouth, your brows creasing your forehead. The clone doesn’t push further and instead hands Iota the unfinished bowl of food, quietly asking for him to put it away. The young boy nods eagerly, happy to be of use as he scurries away. Delta follows after him to make sure he doesn’t break anything, but glances behind his shoulder to take one last look at you, worry obvious on his usually irked face. 

“How long has it been since Prime has last given your previous dose of aspirin?” he asks, leaning closer to you to push your hair out of your face. Expression scrunched up in discomfort from the sudden food intake, you make a noise of discontentment, a vague answer to his question. He frowns but doesn’t voice his displeasure aloud, instead comforting you through your nausea. Noticing pearls of sweat beading up on your hairline, Omega pulls your bed sheets away slightly, making you more comfortable. 

“Can you try swallowing for me?” he asks gently, tilting his head forward and to the side to look at your throat. It takes you a hot second but after some struggle you do as he instructed and swallow, your throat bobbing up as you do, and the segment hums in satisfaction. “Good,” he murmurs quietly, placing one hand on your shoulder to help you straighten your back. 

“Let me help you up. Hold onto my hand for me?” Omega asks, helping you slip out of bed, putting a strong arm under yours to help you stand up. You wordlessly interlock your fingers into his own and wobble slightly, knees weak and devoid of strength, but he holds you up, bending his own knees slightly to accommodate your height. The wave of nausea comes and goes, making your legs unsteady as the clone helps you walk towards the bathroom connected to your bedroom. 

Delta comes back without Iota in tow and immediately notices your discomfort. His legs work faster than his mind and he’s to your left in the blink of an eye, supporting your weight as well to help you and Omega out. The three of you reach the sink counter and as the oldest helps you sit up on it, Delta squints at his fellow clone. 

“Can one of you get my bucket,” you manage to croak out between deep breaths, head slumped forward to rest against Omega’s shoulder. While he rubs soothing circles on your back Delta quickly grabs the bucket you kept in your room, footsteps as silent as he could as to not disturb you. You murmur a quiet thank you to him, sitting up to the best of your ability as you shoot him a grateful smile. 

“Are you feeling well enough to bathe or are you still lightheaded?” Omega asks, one of his gloved hands coming up to your forehead. He feels some heat seep through the leather fabric but waits for your answer nonetheless, crimson eyes covered by his mask staring into you. You nod, leaning into the coolness of his hand. 

“Mmhyeah, jus’ help me out a bit,” you mumble sleepily, exhaustion taking over your nausea. Delta doesn't need to be told twice as he turns on the tap to fill up the bath, keeping a hand beneath it to make the sound of water splashing in the tub quieter to avoid bothering you. 

✧✧✧   

With a towel resting over your head and newfound energy flowing through your limbs, you saunter into your partner’s main lab to find him. Omega had left shortly after you finished bathing, begrudgingly telling you that he had to go back to work- but Delta stayed with you long enough to keep you company while you let your eyes rest. He gave you some painkillers- nothing like what Dottore gave you to keep the pain at bay, but it worked as a temporary solution- and you felt energized enough to leave your bedroom to get ahold of Dottore. 

Delta walked behind you, not wanting to go back to the laboratory just yet but the last thing he wanted was to leave you alone, his mind working up a multitude of scenarios in which you’d get hurt. Although he was all bark and no bite, he still cared about you immensely- more than he’d ever admit. He watches your hair drip water onto the pristine white tiles as you walk and steps on the water with his boots, smudging the liquid to wipe it away. 

“Dottore!” you exclaim happily, eyes lighting up when you finally catch sight of the familiar mop of blue hair paired with his matching tired eyes and scarred skin adorning his face. The Harbinger looks up from his work, eyes displaying a mix of surprise and something akin to irritation- a result from catching him off guard. 

“Darling,” he says softly, quietly enough that you barely catch the loving nickname slipping past his chapped lips. “Did you eat?” he asks, brushing the dirt off his hands on his slacks. You engulf his torso in a warm hug, immediately comforted by the familiar faint scent of his cologne and whatever cleaning supply he used in his lab. He returns the hug gently and Delta looks away immediately, flustered at the sight of his boss being publicly affectionate. 

You respond with a muffled mhm, refusing to pull away. “Didn’t eat much but it was something. Omega ‘n Delta helped me bathe. Took something for the pain. Now I’m here,” you summarize, face still smushed against him. He hums in approval, but concern still creases his brows as he uses one of his hands to rub up your back and the other to dry off your hair completely using the towel on your head. Delta murmurs an excuse before leaving the premises, not able to withstand the pda. 

“You shouldn’t be out of bed,” he says sternly but softly. “I’m working on something that’ll help you in the long run, it’ll do you good to allow your body to recuperate as much as it can. Have you been sleeping alright?” 

You slump against him. Of course he’d notice how tired you were even if he couldn’t see your face. 

“...No,” you mumble. He doesn’t respond, but you feel his head moving as he looks around his workspace, seemingly looking for something. He lets out a quiet aha when he does and he brings his arms down to your shoulders to push you away. 

“I have something you can take to help you sleep. You shouldn’t feel nauseous nor dizzy when you take it as well,” Dottore says, immediately talking about the possible complications before you can even open your mouth to refuse his offer. “I tested it out myself,” he adds, lips curling into a small smile when he sees your face change from a pout to bewilderment. 

“You? The great Dottore, ex-scholar of the Akademiya, willingly taking medication to make him sleep? You never get rest, and you expect me to believe you when you talk about sleeping medication?” you say with an amused scoff. Dottore raises a brow at your teasing but doesn’t comment on it, instead he chooses to brush his pointer finger’s knuckle beneath your eyes. 

“You should believe me because I never get rest, my love,” he says fondly. “And because your dark circles are so prominent, I could probably see them from the other side of the laboratory.” he adds. You huff but lean into his touch, eyes drooping from the burst of energy catching up on your body. You hear him chuckle under his breath as he shifts his body to grab the medication in question and a syringe with a sterilized needle, preparing the equipment to administer it to you. 

“If you get an adequate amount of rest, I’ll take two days off work to take care of you properly. How does that sound?” he asks lightly, flicking the syringe to let out any air bubbles out. You look away with furrowed brows and roll your eyes, but still give him your arm. 

“Now you’re just trying to bait me,” you say, looking at him from the corner of your eyes. He shrugs, not arguing with your accusation because you were technically right. When he’s done with the syringe you feel his arms wrap around you, the warmth of his body making you sigh pleasantly. 

You can’t tell what it is that makes your body grow so incredibly tired so suddenly; if it was the medication, the strain on your body or if it was because you just felt that comfortable in Dottore’s arms, but you didn’t really care. As you felt Dottore move you to one of his couches, you reach out to grab onto his sleeve to keep him nearby. 

He complies, crouching to be at your level as you crack your eyes open to look at him. You murmur a quiet love you and shut your eyes contentedly, smiling softly once you feel his lips make contact with your forehead as you hear him clearly say I love you too back. 

#୧ ‧₊˚orderup! #dottore x reader #dottore x you #genshin x reader #genshin x you #dottore x fem!reader #dottore x afab reader #il dottore x you #il dottore x reader #uuauaoaoaoghghhh i love soft dottore #IM WRITING THE ASKS IN MY INBOX I SWEAR

[merakiui]

MERA, You and your step!milf notes are killing me in the best wayyyyyy. Pls if you ever have time or inclination to expand on any Step!Milf thoughts I would love to read more. If your tired of seeing my step! parent asks, please ignore this.

:D I am never tired of seeing your stepcest asks, dearest anon!!! <3 please forgive me for having fish on the brain. Alas, I can't get over the new Octavinelle manga panels......... they're wedged in my cranium forever. orz

Thinking about stepson Floyd who spends a few days at home. At first you and his father assumed he was just visiting, but then days turn into weeks and weeks into months. Floyd just doesn't want to leave. Every good thing he could ever want is here. He loves his step-mama to pieces, and even though you and Papa Leech love and dote on Floyd and will always welcome him into his childhood home,,,, he's starting to overstay his welcome. ^^;;; Floyd has his own place, his own bills to pay, his own life to live. You try to suggest in the kindest, most roundabout way that, as much as you love him, he needs to leave. T_T

But Floyd doesn't want to. Why should he when he has you right here? Why should he when he gets to poke around your dirty laundry? Or when he gets to be so close to you, using the same shampoo you do, peeping in at the outline of your silhouette against the shower curtain!!!! Why should he when he gets to have you all to himself when his pops is out of the house?

So, even though you didn't want it to come to this, you and your husband make the decision to kick him out. As much as you care for him, he can't move back in. He's too big to stay in the nest. Floyd acts like he understands. He was being a nuisance; he gets it. He knows how much his old man can nag when people become too pesky. The last thing you see of Floyd is his smile as the door's shut gently in front of him. He took it well. Far more nicely than either of you were expecting.

Or maybe that was just the calm before the storm because weeks later you wake up in your stepson's home, and he's leaning over you from where you're shackled to the bed. "Figured you ought to spend some time with me," Floyd tells you, but his smile is too sharp, his eyes too bright. "You're in my home now, and I'm not gonna kick my mama to the curb."

You try to reason with him. Surely he understands... His brother wasn't like this, so what happened? Floyd scowls at you. Don't compare him to Jade. He's loved you more than Jade ever could, and he'll prove it when his hands start to wander. Family doesn't get closer than this, does it? :)

#twisted chit chat #tw: stepcest

[cas-kingdom]

PLS. GERALT TEACHING AKELA TO ICE SKATE 😩

Find the OC version of this fic here.

The air had been cold all morning, but somehow it was more so as you looked out across the frozen lake. Giggles carried towards you by the wind, soft laughter and teasing remarks from Ciri as she taught Yennefer to ice skate. One part of you longed to go and join them, but the other—

"Y/N."

You glanced over your shoulder. Geralt leant against the axe he'd been cutting wood with. His head tilted, one hand at his hip, he offered a knowing smile. "You can join them, you know."

He had already told you as such, so he knew you knew. Nonetheless, stubbornness ran through your veins like blood, and when your mind was set on something, it was set in stone. Though, Geralt had always considered himself adept at breaking that stone. He had an axe now, after all.

You sniffed and brushed your hair behind your ears, a useless act considering the winter breeze. You turned back to the lake and watched as Yennefer yelled out and slipped, grabbing onto Ciri with a flurry of giggles.

You were long over your aversion to the princess's relationship with Geralt, but this...feeling you had towards Ciri and Yennefer was unfamiliar and unanticipated. The two were obviously close. Ciri seemed to have that effect on people.

"No," you said eventually, "it's alright. Ciri has my skates, anyway."

Geralt shrugged. He dropped the axe and walked towards the lake. "We don't need skates. Come." He stopped by the bank and reached a hand behind him expectantly. When you didn't grasp it, he turned to see you stood in the same spot, unblinking. Geralt dropped his arm and sighed. "Y/N, you love to skate. Come here."

You didn't vocally decide not to listen, but Geralt was well versed in the behaviour of the girl he'd raised. When you crossed your arms over your chest, not defiantly, more unwillingly, he dropped his arm and let a small smile slip onto his face.

"You remember when I first taught you to skate?" he asked, stepping one foot on the lake. He tested it, his boot slipping easily across the smooth surface. "You were four."

You couldn't help but breathe a short laugh. "You mean I taught you."

The Witcher stepped onto the lake, using his arms for balance. He skidded a bit, then turned to face you. "I slipped over once," he reminded you.

"And used four-year-old me to keep you up."

Geralt hummed morosely. Admittedly, that had not been his finest moment. Still. He reached his arm out again and opened his hand. "If you are so good, come and prove it."

There was no hint of competitiveness in his voice, just a discreet encouragement, and you took it with a long sigh and a reluctant smile, trudging over to him and taking his hand. He helped you onto the lake, allowing you to grip his sleeve as you found your footing, and noted fondly that said grip did not slacken even as you both slid slowly along the outskirts of the lake.

Ciri and Yennefer were still far out in the middle, slipping and tripping and laughing until their hearts' content. Somehow, Geralt doubted you wanted to be close to them right now, and not because of your refusal to leave the safety of the lake's edge. He wouldn't discuss it with you until he felt you needed it. He had an idea of what was bothering you, but as long as it wasn't dispiriting you as much as it had when your disapproval had surrounded him, he was sure it would fix itself.

You let go of his sleeve eventually, eyes fixed on the ice as you slid along it. Geralt turned so he was gliding backwards, hands at the ready in case his apparently oh-so-professional child needed some support. You were determined, though, your lack of skates doing nothing to thwart you, and Geralt felt himself relaxing and enjoying the—

"Oh, fuck." The moment he took a single wrong step, everything went to shit. Balance long forgotten, Geralt went into panic mode, arms pinwheeling, feet fighting for traction. You panicked too at first, instinctively attempting to launch forward to catch him lest he fall straight forward, but when you figured out he was in no imminent danger, you straightened with a snort.

"Geralt, you—Geralt—Geralt, you're making it worse!" Your words arrived between barrels of laughter as Geralt continued in the reclamation of his balance. He looked like a newborn deer, its long legs unused to the ground beneath it. You had tears in your eyes and when a burst of hysterics echoed across the lake, you realised Ciri and Yennefer had noticed the spectacle too.

Your laughter died when Geralt did indeed fall forward, though from the look on his face you were sure it was purposeful. Before you could utter a single squeal of anticipation, he lunged towards you, grabbing your shoulders and pushing you down beneath him as he fell. His hands went behind your head to shield the impact but the wind was knocked from you all the same, even more so when the Witcher's tickling hands found your sides.

"Hey!" You could feel the laughter-induced tears on your cheeks freezing, the harsh wind almost as cold as the ice beneath you. Geralt made quick work of boxing you between his arms, poking and prodding and scribbling his fingers across every spot he knew you possessed.

"You may be better than me at ice skating," he ground out breathlessly, "but here is something I will always best you at."

"Stop ihit, you bihig lump!" You pushed at his face and Geralt grunted with his newly blocked vision. Seconds later, a heavy force ploughed into his back and he was knocked off course.

"Attack!" Ciri yelled. She grabbed piles of snow from the bank and shoved as much as her hands would allow down his jacket.

Geralt howled. "Fucking fuck, Cirilla!"

Yennefer leaned down and extended an arm towards you, still on your back and struggling for breath. You hesitated but took it. You stood up slowly, slipping once or twice, but made it safely into Yennefer’s arms. Yennefer held you close, a grin on her face as she watched the princess and the Witcher wrestle, and you found yourself leaning into her. Yennefer leant her chin on your head, and you relaxed. As always, there was never a need to worry.

Your family was too tight-knit to ever leave anyone out.

Witcher Masterpost

#the witcher #witcher #Geralt #Geralt of Rivia #Geralt x reader #Geralt of rivia x reader #Ciri #princess cirilla #yennefer #yennefer of vengerberg #yennefer x reader #Ciri x reader #Geralt x yennefer #Geralt x Ciri #reader #reader fic #daughter reader #daughter!reader #mine #ticklish reader #ticklish!reader

[tartigglez]

HELLO!! the bubble emoji anon here. on pc.. so no emojis for me today [heart breaking emoji]. what do i do without emojis??? die?? yes.

ANYWAYS. saw u in need of fluff. me too.

diluc and reader who r absolutely pining for each other but aren't together. the little things. omg. the long hugs. the quick glances. the denial to coworkers/friends.. "no we are nOT together!!" (pls date me diluc) brushing of the fingers in public. trying to squeeze out every last minute together. SECRET EYE CONTACT AT THE SAME TIME!!! BLUSHING!!!! aaAAAAAHAHAHAHAH

per standard, i went off prompt, forgive me.

"if you need me"

diluc x gn!reader

genre: fluff (ish)

word count: 1.4k

tags: kaeya jumpscare, also venti kajhdjfak, farts (don't ask), diluc probably has problems with his emotions (if i write him, when does he not?), lil kisses cuz why not

tw/cw: alcohol, reader refuses to address their emotions (oops), also reader cries at one point (immediately comforted)

a/n: when will i ever stick to a prompt...

when you discovered that angels share was hiring, you were the first to jump upon the opportunity. after all, who wouldn’t want to work somewhere with decent pay, such a social environment, and under such a handsome boss…

1 day

“you’re the new employee, right?”

“uhm, yeah! that’s me!”

“right… your résumé is… impressive”

“thank you, master diluc”

“just diluc is fine”

“o-okay”

“most of your shifts will be shared with charles, but i will be working alongside you too. remember to wipe down the bar often, check the stock after each shift et cetera, i’m sure charles will keep you right”

“yep, okay!”

as he turned to go out of the bar and back to the winery, he snapped his head back towards you while you were putting your apron on. 

“oh and, if a little green man with a lyre comes in here, kick him out by eleven, lest mondstadt experiences some sort of unfortunate wind”

“unfortunate… wind?”

“no it's- not like that”

diluc seemed to turn a little red, having accidentally suggested that lord barbatos had some sort of issue with his bowels.

“haha, no worries. i’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“yes, good luck. if you have any questions, ask charles”

3 days

“y/n, are you settling in well?”

“ah, hi! i've started getting used to the customers, that’s for sure.”

“have you run into any problems with them?”

“no, no, not at all. it can just be rather busy in here sometimes. between the knights and the guild, people really drink like crazy”

“hm, i suppose that’s one thing the knights are good at. if you need me, i’ll be in the back”

2 weeks

this is your fifth shift with diluc. he can be quite tense at times, but once you manage to initiate a good conversation with him about something he’s interested in, he can be quite chatty. you had encountered this the last time you had a shift together, when he began talking about some specialty wine that the winery was producing, it was actually quite pleasant, watching the man talking about this interest of his, although he did get a little embarrassed when he realised he had gone off on a rant. 

the events of todays shift however, included…

diluc accidentally making eye contact with you, at least four times (it was not an accident, he was very intentionally looking at you)

the pair of you touching hands multiple times whilst trying to serve customers

and also, for some reason, diluc getting somewhat annoyed at a random knight captain who happened to waltz into the tavern and begin trying to sweet talk you. 

4 weeks

by this point you’ve already learned that diluc and kaeya -as you now called him- were brothers, but had some sort of tension between them, which you also figured would be best not to meddle in. they were always at each others throats, but when they were apart, were both quite pleasant to be around. you had even hung out with kaeya once, sharing a meal at good hunter. 

this would prove to be a mistake though, because he did nothing the entire time except continually asking if you were “canoodling” his brother. of course you denied it, feeling rather flustered. why on earth would someone date their boss? even though things did seem a little flirty between the two of you, it was a definite that nothing could happen, right? of course diluc made you only seem more suspicious, as he saw you and kaeya at lunch, immediately approached you both, and sat way too close to you, almost as if he was jealous or something! what an awkward meal. 

2 months 

personal issues were not something you had to deal with often, but when you did, you tended to shut them down, ignore them, and continue with life. you weren’t one to dwell. however, on the particular day in question, you were pretty upset, and this only seemed to get worse the more people asked you how your day was going whilst ordering a drink. you also knew that diluc would be coming in for his shift later, and you really didn't feel like dealing with his stoicism today. of course he’s nice to be around, just… a little awkward? he doesn’t make you uncomfortable or anything, he’s just not very chatty, and wouldn’t be great about distracting you from your feelings.

you could eventually hear some noise in the back, and realised this was diluc, probably sorting stock, or taking inventory, something along those lines. you, however, were still serving customers, taking drink orders, the usual. 

of course, the later it got, the drunker customers became, your mood began to slowly get worse. you were exhausted, and honestly just wanted to go home and cry. it's been a rough day. you also happened to notice that the fridge below the counter was running low on bottles, so you’d best go stock it. 

as you entered the back room, you saw diluc at the desk, filing paperwork. he’d been there for hours, and still hadn’t gone out front to say hello to you. 

“y/n”

“diluc”

gosh, the silence could be cut with a knife. 

“y’know, it's common practice to greet your employees when you feel like gracing them with your presence”

“i know, i'm sorry, it's just that i got caught up with something and i- are you okay?”

“huh- what? yeah, yeah, i’m fine”

so it seems that the tears in your eyes were still noticeable after all…

he slowly got up from his seat, coming to stand beside you at the shelf.

“i’ll ask again… are you okay?”

this time, you were choked up. you feared that if you spoke, the lump in your throat might dissipate, and you may just begin spilling tears. so, you opted for shaking your head, thinking this would work better, but it didn’t, you still began crying anyway.

“hey, hey, it’s okay. whatever it is, it's okay, i’m here”

he pulled you towards him, allowing you to sob into his chest. what on earth…?

“you should’ve told me, y/n”

“i know but, i thought maybe i’d get distracted and i-”

“it’s okay. i assure you. do you want to go home?”

you just nodded against his chest, breathing in his scent, because you knew you’d have to let him go.

“alright, you can go out the back”

he somewhat awkwardly let go of you, before sending you on your way. how strange. how is he so nice one minute, then as cold as to send you home the next? 

“see you tomorrow, y/n”

“s-see you…”

2 months, 1 day

a ringing of your doorbell woke you up, as opposed to your alarm, which was worrying in itself. you quickly checked the clock in your room. shit! 1pm? late for work... how on earth could you have slept this much? and what did this mysterious person at the door want?

you slothed your way out of bed, hair awry, pyjamas…wrinkled, going to the front door to see what this person could possibly want at this time on a tuesday. approaching the door, you saw a tall figure, clad in a red jacket, with something in hand… it couldn’t be… is it…

“diluc?”

“diluc? hi- yes- diluc- me!”

he sighed at himself, meanwhile you were wondering what he was doing with such a massive bouquet of flowers.

“hi”

“hi”

“i um… wanted to… bring you flowers… because…”

“because…?”

“uhm… would you like to go to dinner tonight? I mean- we can- just- not... if you don't want to... i mean-”

“i’d love to.”

“oh, um… okay! great. here you go…”

he handed you the flowers gently, looking beyond anxious at this point, a blush to compete with the colour of his hair dashed across his cheeks. 

“they’re beautiful, diluc”

“you’re- uhm… never mind”

“hah, see you tonight?”

“see you tonight”

he smiled into the words he spoke, before turning around to depart from your doorstep. this however, was interrupted when you grabbed his wrist, turned him around and pecked him on the cheek. he was about to explode. literally. however, his spontaneous combustion was interrupted by someone yelling across the street…

“i knew it!”

of course, you and diluc responded in sync…

“SHUT UP KAEYA!”

hehe

#cael is talking to 🫧 anon :0 #dilucatdeeznuts #diluc fluff #diluc #diluc ragnvindr #genshin #genshin x reader #diluc x reader #diluc imagines #genshin impact

[ruhorih4ra]

Hiii!! I love love Looovveee your recent obey me post. Its so?? How do I say this, unique in a way. I lovee the way you wrote it and the concept you used! Could u pls make a part 2? I am wayy too invested

Even if you don't make one, thank u for making such a great story😊😊😊

Hii! I'm so sorry for the late reply! I wanted to answer you with the part 2 hahaha. Thank you for your words (they are very much appreciated ♡), I'm glad you like it (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ) 💕

I already wrote the entire thing, sadly I'm really slow when it comes to edit it.

Part 1. ಠ⁠‿⁠ಠ

Last time I forgot to clarify something, I decided that the new exchange student will be "Sc" since one time in some Fanfic the exchange student had my name (She stole the brothers and also my name, the audacity JAJAJA). If your name is Sc I'm deeply sorry, I know that identity theft Is not a joke

Get out of my way 🌈

You woke up drowsy and tired but your finger was perfect. “Looks like I'm fucking amazing.” even though your mouth was dry and you could feel a growing headache, the satisfaction of healing such a horrible wound was all you needed to regain your good humor. At least that's what you’d like to say, but it wasn't entirely true, you lacked something essential: revenge.

“Oooh, mini Little D! Yoo-hoo!” you looked at every corner of your room but there was no hint of said demon. “Did I imagine it?” no, that would mean not only that you are delusional, but your well-deserved achievement would disappear too.

You headed to the dining room, wary of your surroundings, trying to spot a black shadow. You were so distracted by the mission at hand that you missed how the room suddenly went quiet, how everyone tensed.

“Good morning, Mc.” Lucifer was the first to speak, in response, you simply nodded. It seemed to everyone that you were mad and distant, but in reality you were too absorbed in your own thoughts. “There must be a way to prove what happened yesterday.” you started to chewing the food on your plate, not even caring for what it was.

“M-Mc! Today we're planning to do a movie night again.” Being in your own world, the brothers’ chatter became background noise and thus you missed the fact that Levi's voice sounded nervous and somehow guilty. In the two years you had been in the Devildom, never before you had seen or heard about those mini Little D.'s

“We should see that movie you wanted to see.” Satan said, feigning indifference, trying hard to hide the fact that he was dying to know what had happened yesterday. Were you okay? Are you mad at him? He can feel the wrath inside you. You haven’t read with him in a while and now you don’t even meet his eyes, he was not angry but anxious.

What if you’ve gone crazy? Oh god, this is the last thing you need. No, no, it's obvious that it happened. There must be information in somewhere, you can always ask Solomon too. “Lucifer promised that he will come too!” Sc added.

“Mc? You'll come, right? I'll lend you my pillow, this special time.” Until that moment you hadn't notice they were talking, what is worse, they had been talking to you. Why would you want Belphie's pillow? “Uhh... No, I don't need your pillow Belphie, thanks?” “But you will come to the movie night?” Another movie night? They must have really enjoyed last night if they want to repeat it, however, you have other concerns. “Hmm, no thank you Levi-”

Suddenly, it had been for a brief moment, but you had seen a black shadow moving behind Levi. With your mouth still open and narrowing your eyes, you kept looking for the shadow. “-ahhh...” you noticed the gazes of each person at the table and quickly regain your composure. “aahh-than, Leviathan. Hahaha…haha… ha.” You smiled, a curious contrast to Levi, whose face visibly dropped.

The dining room grew tremendously silent, you knew it was your fault but you'll apologize later. For now, you wanted to talk with Solomon as fast as you could and so you started eating faster.

Moments later, Mammon began talking, he blushed and a frown appeared too (his useless attempt to hide his embarrassment). Sc just laughed and rolled her eyes, not without shooting quick glances at you. Everything was normal, but then you saw a black shadow behind Mammon. You tried to move so you could have a better look, but Mammon moved too. You moved again and so did Mammon. You frowned and moved once more, but the Avatar of Greed stood in your way again. “Mc, are ya even listening?!” “Fuck, Mammon! Could you please move?!” you pushed him aside but the Little D. was gone.

Everyone seemed surprised, you’d never use that tone with Mammon before, the white-haired demon saddened almost immediately, averted your eyes and muttered a weak “sorry”. You cleared your throat, suddenly very aware that everyone was looking at you. “Mc, are you okay?” Lucifer asked you.

“No! A Little D. Wants to eat my soul!” But you can’t tell him that. The worry on his features was growing, why cannot you tell him? It's actually what you should do, right? “Mc?”

“I...” The moment you spoke, a perfect copy of Lucifer appeared behind the demon, it was Lucifer but completely black, his clothes, his eyes, his teeth, everything. Of course, it was a Little D. But not so little.

“I can't lie, I'm surprised by the new exchange student’s grades.” The copy of Lucifer imitated him, his voice was identical. You knew what he was going to say next, after all, you had this same conversation with Lucifer some weeks ago.

“Yes! She's pretty clever. She even helped me with some council work.” you thought it wouldn't be a big deal but Lucifer proved you wrong. “That's supposed to be your responsibility, Mc.” “Maybe she should be the council officer, right?” You said, trying to downplay the matter in hopes of avoiding the lecture. “She’d do a better job.” ouch.

“Hey! Don’t be mean!” you elbowed him in a friendly way, it was a feeble attempt to hiding your hurt while asking for an apology. “I should ask for her help instead of yours, looking how you enjoy slacking off.” You rolled your eyes. “Sure.” “Don’t come to my office tonight, then.” You stopped, his face was emotionless, as if he were talking about the weather.

Since when Lucifer treat you like this?

No, you don't need a pompous peacock. You could do this alone. You saw the brothers, they looked worried, but where have they been these last few weeks? The growing frustration inside you led you to believe that maybe you needed some time to cool off.

The copy of Lucifer smirked, satisfied. Did he think you fell into his trap? That only made you angrier, you'll erase that smile.

“Mc?” Lucifer asked again, frowning. The look in your eyes was cold, he tried to reach you but you looked at his hand in disgust. Were you repulsed by his touch? That cannot be true, right? But you backed away. He saw wrath in your eyes, were you mad at him? Understandable, he knew that his attitude had been inexcusable but- “I'm fine.” you whispered but you weren't hungry anymore. You got up and handed your half full plate to Beelzebub. Excusing yourself, you headed to RAD.

“They didn't even notice that I made their favorite food.” Mammon looked so miserable that his brothers decided not to tease at all. “They called me by my full name.” Levi mumbled, surely overthinking that small detail. Lucifer’s gaze was on his hands, he didn’t know what to do with them.

You, on the other hand, were practically running towards RAD, only a thought in your mind. You were definitely going to kick that Little D. ass.

Part 3. ಠ⁠‿⁠ಠ

Thanks for reading! (⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠)⁠━⁠☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ

#obey me #obey me fanfic #obey me mc #obey me fandom #obey me gn!reader #obey me lucifer #obey me satan #obey me angst #obey me mammon #obey me beelzebub #obey me leviathan #obey me belphegor #obey me little d #obey me solomon

[tadpolebrains]

Hii can I ask for an headcanon for BG3? There are spoilers for Act 3 so if you haven't finished it don't read!

I was thinking of Tav finally freeing Lae'Zel from Orin and becoming an absolute emotional wreck because they feel guilty for leaving her there that long because of other quests. You can also do it for other characters getting kidnapped and freed (especially Karlach pls). If it's too complicated for an HC I understand! Also I love your blog, I'm browsing through it right now <3

You betcha my dude >:3

Cut just for the people who haven’t gotten to act three. Spoilers ahead! ^^

I do know that only certain party members can be taken by Orin in game… but we’re gonna ignore that shhhhhh. I will start with the ones who can be taken can be taken canonically though (Orin ended up taking Yenna for me, so I don’t know much about how the companions actually react to being kidnapped ddhdh- I shall try my best though)

Post-Orin Kidnapping

Lae’zel. She tries to be indifferent about it. You made the difficult choice to prioritize certain quests first, and she does nod and say she respects that. It was a logical choice. She’ll scoff slightly when you try to apologize at first, acting like it doesn’t matter, but she was a little shaken by the whole thing, even if she won’t admit it, and your apologies do help, as much as she deflects them. A bit of suffering makes her stronger, right? When you tell her about the quests you completed first, she’ll make little comments about how she ‘would have done it this way to be more efficient’ or other such things that not so subtly state how she would have been beneficial to have around during those times. One of those comments eventually makes you snap, and you just start crying and apologizing relentlessly and she just… freezes. Because yes, she was trying to make a point, but she didn’t mean to draw that kind of reaction out of you. Didn’t mean for tears. And though her instinct is to scold or mock a sign of weakness, she pushes it down, frowning slightly. You get a slightly awkward hand on your shoulder. “Chk… pull yourself together. I have seen you worry less over worse. I am strong, still. I will fight you to prove it if you must see it for yourself.” That gets a laugh out of you. Give it a bit of time, and it’ll be alright.

Gale is more preoccupied with making sure you’re alright. When you start trying to apologize, he lets you get it out, but assures you it isn’t entirely necessary. He’s fine, he assures you. His self-esteem isn’t great, though, so he takes that delay in you getting to him a little too close to heart, even if he logically knows he shouldn’t. Immediately, his focus is on other things. Asking how you all fared without his cooking, what you’ve managed to do in his absence, etc. He keeps himself occupied constantly, or, well, tries to. Keeping his mind on other things can distract him from thinking about it all. Being useful, because, well… if he’s useful, surely that means he was worth saving. He feels the need to prove it was worth “going out of your way” to get him back. It’s only when he crashes either from exhaustion or from you confronting him about it that he finally admits it might have been harder on him than he’d let on. Some words of reassurance and a good, long hug can help to clear the air. And if that hug turns into him pretty much falling asleep in your arms from exhaustion… well, he needs the rest.

Halsin doesn’t seem all that bothered, at least, in comparison to the others. When you apologize, he thanks you, and accepts it. If you think you require his forgiveness, he will not deny it to you, even if ye finds it unnecessary. He’s gone through being captured before, and yeah, it sucks, but he had faith you’d show. Dealing with the Shadow-Curse was harder on him than this; at least he doesn’t have years upon years of trauma related to Orin. His behavior shifts into making sure you know that he is his real self periodically throughout your encounters. He’ll tell you little things that he doesn’t tell most people, ‘just in case’ you need to interrogate him later, even with Orin out of the way. For your own reassurance, and also for his, so he knows you’ll he able to spot an imposter faster if there ever is another one. If the scene plays out where “he” (Orin) hurts Scratch, he feels guilt, even if it wasn’t his fault. He stays away from Scratch for a while, not wanting to make the poor dog uncomfortable, and makes sure to check in with anyone who’d witnessed it to ask if he needs to keep his distance from them for a bit as well.

((I know Minthara is also able to be kidnapped in-game, but sadly in my initial playthrough I wasn’t aware she could be recruited alongside Halsin and killed her in act 1. I am recruiting her for my second playthrough, but for now I don’t know enough about her rip.))

And onto the ones that can’t be nabbed in-game:

Karlach, without hesitation, hugs you the moment she is freed and won’t let go for a while. If you’ll let her, she’ll even carry you back to camp just to keep you close. She hated every single second of that, and will demand cuddling in consolation. She doesn’t blame you, though, and makes sure you’re aware of that when you try to apologize for how long it took. For the days following the rescue, she is pretty clingy with you, more-so than usual. She’s reluctant to be left behind in camp if you ask her to stay put, even if she will relent if that’s really what you think is best. She does not let herself be alone, though. If you’re not there, she finds someone else to be with. She’ll even chill with Withers if that’s who’s around at the time. She just needs someone there while her nerves slowly die down over the next couple days.

Astarion… doesn’t do great. Because when Orin takes him at first, he immediately assumes it’s Cazador’s doing, and is petrified. There had already been the first kidnapping attempt, and now this?! When you finally show up, he barely even speaks to you. Apologizing for getting caught up with other things gets you a mask of a smile and a ‘it’s fine, darling.’ He’s definitely dissociating a bit, and you can tell. Even if he’s acting off, though, he will not leave your side. Jumps slightly if he sees movement out of the corner of his eye. Generally is on edge. Even if you talk with him, try to console him, he won’t truly relax after it all until Cazador is taken down. When you two are alone, though, he will accept your consoling words and, though he acts begrudging, a hug. Being patient enough may get him to admit that he ‘wasn’t sure you’d actually show up, but he’s glad you did.’ The words are said with a chuckle, played off as less serious than they are, but you know they’re true.

Shadowheart isn’t as phased. Even as a Selunite, she’s still got an odd relationship with pain and such from her Shar worship, and genuinely doesn’t feel too much worse for wear. It happened, and she doesn’t really want to dwell on it. Your apologizing might make her feel a little awkward, just because she isn’t entirely sure what to say, but she just thanks you for your concern. She finds it sweet that you feel the need to check up on her and apologize like that, but really, she’s alright. But, y’know. If you really have to dote on her a bit and pay her some extra attention, then who is she to complain?

Wyll, similar to Gale, also immediately makes sure you’re alright. He doesn’t try to hide that the experience has shaken him a bit, but assures you that it will only be a matter of time before he’s back at his best. He doesn’t want to be dishonest with you, and answers honestly if you ask how he’s doing. He insists you don’t need to apologize whenever you try to, but if you wear him down enough he’ll accept it for your sake. In the days after, you may catch him spacing out a bit, or wearing a smile that looks a little too forced, but it’s mostly for his own sake. If he can convince himself he’s alright, then he has to be, right? He’d spend a bit more time by himself, not wanting to sour anyone else’s mood. He appreciates it if you spend some time just sitting there with him, silent company, even after he assures you it isn’t necessary. He doesn’t want to waste your time, but won’t protest too much. He wants the company. Doing some dancing with him can serve as a good distraction, and pick up the mood a bit.

#wow this got long #lae’zel #gale #halsin #karlach #astarion #shadowheart #im hoping this fufills the request lmao i think i ended up rambling for half of it #bg3 hcs #bg3 headcanons #baldur’s gate 3 #askbox #bg3 spoilers #bg3 act 3 spoilers #orin the red #orin #wyll #tadthoughts

[writer-in-theory]

🚪☁️🤮 steddie for the build a blurb meme pls!!

ooh this is a fun set of prompts thank you!!

build-a-blurb prompts || send me a request

prompts: 🚪- showing up at the other's door begging for comfort, ☁️- enemies to lovers, 🤮- fake dating

--

There was no good explanation for how Steve Harrington standing outside Eddie Munson's trailer at 3 in the morning.

One second he was standing in Tina's bathroom being told that his entire year-long relationship was bullshit, and the next he was standing in the middle of the town's trailer park with absolutely no memory of the walk over there. Normally Munson would have been at the party, but after a few cursory glimpses around the house he found the dealer was oddly missing.

It was cold. Steve's arms were littered with goosebumps under his jacket and his legs hadn't stopped shivering, proving how long he'd been standing there. Just knock.

The door swung open before he could, nearly rapping Steve's knuckles as he lifted them to knock. Eddie Munson stood there—hair disheveled and brown eyes looking tired, though slowly awakening as he realized who was standing there.

"Were you gonna stand on my front step all night, Harrington?" Eddie asked, already beginning to feign coolness by leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms. "Tryin' to see how the other half live?"

"I..." Steve started, opening and closing his mouth in an attempt to find the right words. "I need to buy."

"I'm not selling tonight, big boy."

"I need it," Steve punctuated. Idly, he wondered what his dad would think of him begging on Munson's doorstep like this. It's a good thing his parents are in Chicago again. "I just, please."

Eddie must have seen something in his face, because suddenly he was swiping a hand over his own face and moving back from the doorway. "What d'you want then, Harrington?"

Steve had no idea. He didn't do this shit. Sometimes he'd smoke with Tommy, but he never bought it. This was so far out of his element he couldn't help but stand awkwardly in the Munson trailer, arms wrapping around his middle like that might spare him from thinking about what he was doing. This was the only thing he could think of, though, that might ease the sharp sting in his chest. It felt like something had been ripped out of him, all the wire-like nerves frayed and shocking inside of the empty chest cavity.

"Whatever's strongest," Steve said.

Eddie raised one eyebrow, considering him for a moment before sighing and asking, "What's happening here?"

"Nothing. I want...drugs. Yeah, drugs."

"Drugs, yeah, okay, Harrington," Eddie breathed in shock, shaking his head. "What sent straight-laced, golden boy Steve Harrington to drugs?"

"None of your business, Munson," Steve instinctively snapped. They may be in the same graduating class now, but that didn't mean they got along. Steve can't remember the last time they ever spoke kindly to one another, if they even had. It was the simple fact that Steve was a jock and Eddie was decidedly not that had split them apart before they'd ever had a chance to see if they fit.

Steve had to wonder if that even held up anymore, considering how little he seemed to actually know about the world. He was so different from who he'd been even just a year ago, maybe Munson wasn't all so bad.

So he sighed, ran his fingers through his hair like it might reset the situation, then said, "Nancy broke up with me."

Eddie just looked at him, a little smile he was fighting back against on his face. "You're....Let me get this straight. Steve Harrington is turning to hard drugs to get over a little breakup?"

"It wasn't little," Steve snapped immediately, crossing his arms over his chest and looking off to the side so he didn't have to face Eddie. "Is that a yes or no, man?"

"...Sure. Sure, man." Eddie left to grab some box, walked him through the whole process. "You mind staying here while you use? I don't wanna get blamed when you do something stupid."

That was how he ended up sitting on Eddie Munson's couch, Eddie offering him some pill while he took his own. The effects set in fairly quickly, numbing his senses and, most importantly, dulling the sharp stabbing ache in his chest. It wasn't the best feeling in the world—it left Steve with the lingering feeling that he wouldn't be able to defend himself if another demogorgon decided to make its brutal appearance—but it was preferrable to the raw ache of the breakup.

"...she told me it was all bullshit. I should've seen it coming, she's been in loved with Byers all year."

"Jonathan Byers? That's harsh, man," Eddie hissed, "What're you gonna do?"

It was easier talking like this. The music Eddie was playing hurt Steve's throbbing head a little, but he could appreciate the beat of it. He mostly liked hearing Eddie's voice and the way it reverberated around his head. The guy could a little harsh with his jokes, but they'd talked more than Steve had talked to too many others all year.

"No idea," Steve confessed, turning his head on the couch to face Eddie. "I'll be the laughingstock of the school tomorrow, when she shows up with Byers and I show up alone. There'll be no saving it."

"I mean..." Eddie trailed off, raising his eyebrows pointedly like Steve was supposed to catch on. "If your only problem is that you can't be the single one tomorrow, we could fix that."

"Yeah? How'd you propose we do that, Munson?"

"I'll be your boyfriend for as long as you need me, no problem," Eddie offered, "if you keep the basketball team off my ass for the rest of the year."

It was crazy. Steve knew it was a bad idea, and yet all he could think to do was nod his head. It would solve his problem, and honestly he still had enough pull with the team as captain to make it work. And hey, if Eddie wasn't so bad tonight then he couldn't be the worst fake boyfriend, right? And it would at least keep the rumor mill off his back, and would save him the dignity of walking into the school with clear evidence that he hadn't been enough for Nancy.

"You know what, deal. Be my boyfriend, Eddie Munson."

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steddie blurb #steddie ficlet #steddie headcanon #fake dating #enemies to lovers #ask jay #prompt #jay writes in theory

[zingaplanet]

Can you explain the carraville ship to me please (like context and the steps of the relation and so on? If it isn't too much)?

I see your posts and I grow curious.

R U KIDDING?? IT'D BE MY PLEASURE!! I feel a huge responsibility to represent the carraville fandom lol, so my dear carraville mutuals pls do help fill the blanks n lol hope you don't regret this ask cause as you know, I have a slight tendency to go on a maniacal j-stor length rant hahaha

So basic's basic first, who are they? They're football pundits! They work for sky sports (the major broadcaster of premier league football in the UK), and their work encompass commentating on matches, giving their analysis on tactics, players etc, we'll go into details later. But there's an incredible background story to how they came to work together and here's where the fun begins!

Righto so, if you know my blog, I'm always most fascinated with enemies or rivals who came together in the end despite their differences (or actually BECAUSE of their differences like fedal!). I just thought that this is one of the most uniquely special and incredibly powerful bonds that represents how amazing human relationships can be, it is often our opposites who understand us the most!

Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville encapsulates this relationship perfectly but also perhaps most comically. They are an example of how ironically funny life can be as they are technically THE SAME PERSON but from opposite sides (hey WE LOVE MIRROR OPPOSITES!)

How, you ask? So football pundits don't just get plucked out of journalism school, they are mostly former players, and very specific ones: Those that have strong characters (that ppl actually found interesting to watch on telly), and those that have brilliant tactical minds. So both of them are incredibly witty and funny, and they're great readers of the game!

And this actually comes from their playing days. So both Neville and Carragher were defenders. Carragher especially played centre back (Neville played right back) and were leaders of their team for a long time, which meant they had to organise everyone while reading the game at the same time. But here's the catch:

They played for 2 different clubs who have the oldest, fiercest longstanding rivalry in the premier league (UK football) and perhaps even in the world: Carragher played for Liverpool FC and Neville played for Manchester United. In here they call this the Northwest Derby, as they are both clubs from cities of Northern England who are historically most successful both achiement-wise and size-wise.

So... they used to LOATHE each other, and this isn't just the passive-agressive détente Messi and Ronaldo used to have during el clasico matches, oh no, English football in the early 2000s was quite violent, and both Neville and Carragher were amongst the staunchest characters in their teams. There are reasons for this, which comically prove that they are actually the same person!

Aside from playing in the same position as each other (though on opposite sides of the field), they also have similar backgrounds/relations to their clubs. They are ONE-CLUB MEN. Now this is very rare in football and have gone quite extinct nowadays, but basically, they are LOCAL boys who were born in their cities (i.e., Liverpool and Manchester), grew up supporting their clubs, and their club identity became their identity so much so that they only ever played in that club for their whole professional career (i.e., they were never transferred nor loaned). They also came from working-class backgrounds in Northern England (Liverpool and Manchester are basically only separated by the M62 highway).

Being local lads means they were the most LOYAL of the bunch, and are also rare breed leaders since they've been with Manchester United and Liverpool FC from their youth academies. They've never left the city and usually have quite an important leadership roles within the team.

But Carragher and Neville were never star players (nothing of the Virgil Van Dijk defenders type you found nowadays). They didn't have amazing skills etc yet they have the most caps (number of appearances) in their club games, and they were still playing matches even close to their 40s. Make no mistake they were actually really good players, both with significant england caps (even during the golden generation of Rooney, Ferdinand, Becks, Lampard, etc!) This is because even tho managers can buy star players, they could never buy loyalty nor replaced the way these two know their club and led their peers. They were sort of the emotional backbone of the clubs so to say.

This also means that their roles have always been as supporting characters and with them it's quite literally. So Carragher (or Carra as we call him) is best mates with non other than Liverpool former captain and forever supertstar, Steven Gerrard. Meanwhile Neville grew up and is still best mate with the global superstar, spice-girl married David Beckham. Carraville were often vice-caps for a long time, taking a sidelined but important role.

Even more mirror symbolisms (it's all a bit poetic really): both LFC and Manchester United have red as their club colours! (Everton and Man City are the blue side of their cities). Neville was part of the Man United team that won EVERYTHING in english football (including the unrepeated treble), but they never really dominated Europe (as Carragher likes to point out). Carragher was part of an underestimated LFC team who didn't win much of local cups but did one insane miracle and beat Paolo Maldini's superstar AC Milan team after being 3-0 down IN THE SECOND HALF in the 2005 Champions League final in Turkey. That night was called one of the greatest comebacks in football, dubbed "the miracle of Istanbul!"

NOW on to the crazy bits:

After they retired, both of them were invited to do this programme on SkySports called Monday Night Football. It's actually one of the most prestigious and highly difficult punditry programmes to do in football, since it's hours of LIVE analysis, dissecting the game one by one using statistics, and reacting live to the teams' tactics as they watched the match.

Safe to say the sky producers must have had the biggest balls on the planet when they decided to put those two together in one studio. The first few shows were quite patchy, but LO BEHOLD the strangest things happened: Gradually the animosity of rivalry turned into something more of a friendly banter (AKA what the english calls a very passive aggressive curmudgeon way of saying they're becoming awfully fond of each other but are too 😤 stupidly 😤 manly 😤 to admit it 😤). Once they realised they're not on opposite teams anymore, their walls came down and people called them two peas in a pod as they started noticing how similar they are to each other!

But this old rivalry makes for a hilariously fun relationship! They hold no barrels and take every. single. opportunity. to slander and make fun of each other. This includes turning each other into memes and petty saving all of each other's past football analysis lest the opportunity arrives when the moment proves them absolutely wrong to make fun of each other on social media.

Fact is: Even though they'd rather be shot dead than get caught saying it in public, they've actually become best mates lol. They still argue endlessly over football, and as the English call it, the season's never officially begun before a Neville-Carragher high-pitched argument on live TV. They even left their former teammates speechless, as they were known to be one of the most aggressive loyalists to their clubs. Neville used to not even be able to walk through Liverpool without getting mangled lol once he had to have a police escort just to get to the stadium, yet nowadays they get greeted by everyone in their respective cities 🥲

So in a nutshell: They are basically the definition of school scoundrels who used to beat the shit out of each other every week being put together in detention (by skysports) and ended up becoming besties lol. I have to say they are probably the most hilarious relationship development you could ever witness lol:

Ok so if you've made it this far (I AM IMPRESSED) and by some crazy reason decided that you still want some more, here are some starter packs for you:

This ad they did for fifa perfectly encapsulates the disgruntled fond and hilarious nature of their relationship!

Here is a compilation of them turning into 5 year olds in front of each other, and debating until only dogs can hear them!

Here is Carragher hilariously tackling Neville on a charity football match after they retired cause they ARE that petty lol

P.s. carraville mutuals lmk if i missed anything!

#yes the cat is out of the bag i am maniacally obsessive over enemies to lovers lol #they are just such a fluffy feel good corner of sporting relationships tho! #also they work in media that means NEW CONTENT every week #tell me honestly did we convert you or scared you away by our obsessions? #carraville mutuals fill me in! #some sports cross-over! #i love when my mutuals overlap #football rpf #sports rpf #tennis #premier league #liverpool fc #manchester united #jamie carragher #gary neville #football pundits #enemies to lovers #fedal

[havenwithleeknow]

An art gallery could never be as unique as you

Pairing: hwang hyunjin x y/n

Warnings: none

Tags: slight angst, fluff ending

Song: An art gallery could never be as unique as you by MRLD

"Noona hide, I saw him!" your best friend jeongin told you and you quickly hide through the clothes in the department store you're in because you both saw the person you've been avoiding for a week now, HWANG HYUNJIN.

You and Hyunjn is stuck in this situationship where you don't know if you guys are friends, more than friends or you're just being delusional and assuming things.

You're peeking at hyunjin if he left so you could go back checking all the clothes with jeongin.

"why are you avoiding him anyways?" he asked while taking the bags in my hands. "I want to end things with him because he just keeps confusing me" I answered. "What happened? It seems like he genuinely like you though" he gave me a confused look "I asked him the last time we went out what are we, he said HE DOESN'T KNOW. I asked him if he likes me but he stayed silent, so I said we need to end whatever we have because I can't settle with that kind of set up" my heart hurts just by recalling about what happened that day.

"That sucks noona, but what if he really likes you? He's just shy to admit it? Or maybe he's waiting for the right time?" There he goes again with his what ifs. "I don't know, Jeongin. If he likes me or not, then he better tell me so I'm not confused. I keep thinking about it every night, are we friends? But he kissed me! Friends don't kiss!" I sighed and he shook his head

"Noona, I got tickets for us for the art gallery next week!" He showed me two tickets but I feel lazy to go so I refused "Noona please go with me! I'll cry if you won't go" he made that sad face which he knows has effects on me. "Fine!" He went giddy until we reached my apartment and bid me goodbye.

I checked my phone and saw that Hyunjin left messages

'Let's talk pls'

'You need to hear this'

'I miss you'

'Answer my calls please'

'I wanna see you'

I ignored his texts and went to bed. I'm sorry Hyunjin, I like you so much but I don't think I can settle in an unlabeled situationship with you anymore.

.

I am already preparing for Jeongin and I's agenda for today ㅡ the art gallery.

"Noona, you look dull. Go change and put on more make up!" He pushed me back to my apartment to change.

I wanna smack the shit out of this kid, I swear to God.

After I did everything Jeongin said, I came out of my apartment and he's looking at me while smiling ear to ear.

We're here already and it's a little crowded but not so much, just enough for you to wander.

At the end of the hall, there are paintings that caught my attention. The girl on the paintings seems familiar.

Is that me?!

Jeongin saw me and he pushed me towards it, "Go, noona! That's you! Go and see it for yourself, this is why I forced you to come here. You need to see this!" he said while jumping a little out of excitement.

I walked towards it and there's a note at the side

Dear: Y/N

If you ever attend today, I just want to let you know that these pieces are solely dedicated for you. I treasured everything that we had. I hope you don't misunderstand, I like you a lot. I just can't confess because i'm waiting for this right time where I can show you my artworks. Can I be your boyfriend?

Love, Hwang Hyunjin.

While reading the letter, I did not realize that I am tearing up already. "It looks like you liked it, don't you?" a familiar voice behind me said and I turn around and it's Hyunjin. He's holding another painting and gave it to me. "Giving you actual flowers would be cliché so I painted you one" he said. "H-hyun... this is... pretty" I said still sniffing and tearing up. I was so overwhelmed. "I like you, y/n. I hope you give me a chance to prove it to you" he said not minding the crowd around us who have their own worlds. "Yes, yes Hyunjin" I cried more and hugged him. "I'm sorry for not talking to you, I was just really confused." I apologized and I can feel him smiled "It's alright, I understand" we broke the hug and he caressed my cheeks while looking at my eyes. His lips met mine, our lips collided and moved in sync. I put my hands over his shoulders and his hands on my waist, we ignored the world and the people around us.

After we broke the kiss, our foreheads sticks to each other while smiling and said this

"An art gallery could never be unique as you, my pretty"

#hwang hyunjin #hyunjin fluff #hyunjin imagines #hyunjin angst #hyunjin reactions #hwang hyunjin fic #stray kids #stray kids fanfic #stray kids fluff #stray kids imagines #stray kids reactions #hyunjin x reader #hyunjin fics

[depravity-n-savagery]

I'm so so sorry to bother you but... do you do requests? If not is alright pls I'm so sorry

But if you do... could maybe do a reverse fic? Your last one about billy taking care of sick reader melted my heart and I just wanted to see how it would play if the bad boy got sick and us took care of him

Again, sorry to bother you, hope you have a good day

Luckily, I have a soft spot for nursing people back to health ♡

Taking Care Of Billy While He's Sick Headcanons ♡

18+ MINORS DNI ♡ I just can't help myself 🤣 like, the tiniest bit smutty. 95% comfort and care ♡

♡ - Like the stubborn boy that he is, he doesn't listen to your scolding advice and winds up getting sick. He'll try to hide it from you at first. He's used to having to deal with these things alone. Plus, he's not used to being so openly vulnerable. But you pop up at his place while Neil is gone to check on him, and it's clear how sick he is the second you look at him.

♡ - You have him pack a bag and tell him (not asking, telling) that he's staying at your house until he feels better. You're aware of what goes on with Neil, and you know he won't get the proper care if he's left to deal with his father. He gives you shit, but he's actually happy to be away from there for a few days.

♡ - For the first day, it's a lot of back and forth. He keeps trying to prove that he's not that sick and he can still do things on his own. He tries to force himself to wash the dishes, even though he's obviously too tired to stand up for that long. Tries to force himself to go through his usual daily workout routine, but can only get through six push-ups before he collapses onto your carpet. Pissed at himself and sniffling. You lead him back into your bed every time, comforting him and begging him to let you take care of him. By then he's worn himself out so much, he has no choice but to give in and accept it.

♡ - The second phase was kind of amusing to you. When his macho chest-puffing and usual confidence is stripped away, he allows himself to be cared for. He enjoys it more than he thought he would. Having you fawn over him, feed him and cater to him. It scares him as much as it comforts him, because he's used to having these things ripped away from him. So he clings to you.

"Come back to bed, baby. It's too cold. I need you."

"I don't need anymore medicine right now. I just need you to come here. Watch this movie with me."

"Sit down, babe. You're gonna tire yourself out doing all that. I need you to be the healthy one here."

I need you.

You didn't bring it up, but you noticed how much he'd say it every time you did something for him. You tried to reassure him that you weren't going anywhere.

♡ - Feeling like he has to repay you in some way ; he tries to take care of you in one of the few ways he knows he never disappoints you. Physically. He doesn't want to get you sick, so he knows he can't kiss you. But he'll try to massage you when you lay with him. Working his hand up between your thighs until he's.... rudely interrupted by a harsh fit of coughing. You snap back into nurse-mode, grabbing the cough syrup while he feels completely useless. You notice it. Poor Billy looks like he wants to throw himself out the window, so you let him try again. Being the little spoon while he fucks you slowly and passionately, careful not to get too worked up. When he feels your third orgasm, he allows himself to finally sleep with a prideful grin on his face.

♡ - As he starts to feel better, he gets a little awkward. This time with you was a pleasant bubble and he's not quite ready for it to pop. You two were always close, but this brought you closer than you've ever been before. He almost shuts you out. Kind of preparing himself for the loss before it can happen. Luckily, you're used to his moods and you sit down with him.

"Hey.. I just want you to know, this doesn't have to end just because you're feeling better."

He huffs, not looking you in the eyes. "The hell are you on about."

You continue, unphased by his attitude. "I love you, Billy. I'm still gonna love you whenever you walk out that door."

"...Do you mean it?"

The question tugs at your heartstrings, setting you in motion before you could think. You kiss him. Soft and sweet, only realizing your mistake when you pull away. "Shit!"

His famous smirk is back to it's former glory, pulling you back for more. "Fuck it. My girl, my germs. We'll get over it."

♡ A/N: Haha, I think I might've had more fun writing this one than the original one 😅🤣💞 Hope you like it too!

Masterlist, Ao3 ☆

#stranger things #billy hargrove #billy hargove x reader #billy hargrove fluff #billy hargrove headcanon

[ohthatstragic]

Going Down - p.m

a/n: this is cringe and long as fuckkkkk so beware, i just wrote this cos i was feeling ANGSTY AF. yes it's another pining fic ok, leave me alone. i don't need your judgy eyes :( 😭💞

like i said this is cringe so beware, it's not my best work, allow it fam 🤚

also pls don’t repost or translate any of my work.. i don’t give you permission to do that.

pairings: maverick x reader, platonic!bob x female!reader, platonic!hangmanx female!reader, platonic!phoenix x female!reader

warnings: alcohol, swearing, plane crash, panic attack, age gap if you want it - i left the ages up for you to decide 😏 i love a bit of dilf mav though

wc: 6,633........... yes i know

summary: Your jet is going down, you can't control it, Maverick gets flashbacks to that tragic moment with Goose and he can't handle it. He doesn't leave your side in the infirmary, and he even brings you gifts. You're determined to find out what this all means.

the songs i listened to whilst writing this: black out days - phantogram, i wish i loved you in the 90s - tate mcray, summertime sadness - lana del rey

"Talk to me, Bob." Phoenix said through the comms. You were flying in front of Bob and Phoenix, keeping your hard gaze set on the barren, golden environment in front of you. Sand surrounded you all, with no sign of a soft landing if things went wrong. You swallowed thickly, feeling the beads of sweat drip down your temples.

"We are twelve seconds behind target, we gotta move! We gotta move!" Bob replied swiftly with worry evident in his hoarse voice. Phoenix muttered under her breath as the three of you continued on flying forwards.

"Copy, try to stay with me." You said, trying to feign a hint of confidence to keep morale up. You couldn't let Bob and Phoenix down this time, and you had to prove to Maverick that you had the balls to do this mission. You had to.

"Huh?" Bob suddenly said, catching your attention. You looked to your mirror to glance at Phoenix's plane and furrowed your brows in confusion. "Who's that?" He continued. At the sound of his question, you instantly froze, throwing glances over your shoulders to see if you could catch a glimpse of the bogey in question.

"Where are they, Bob?" You asked.

"Blue team, you've been spotted." Maverick suddenly said through the radio. The sound and familiarity of his voice calmed me a little and you felt your body relax slightly, but not as much as you wanted to, knowing how volatile the older pilot can be.

"Well, hello, Maverick." You sighed through the radio, a slight smirk slipping onto your masked lips.

"You don't sound very happy to hear me, Y/C/S." He said back, hiding a smirk. It was always obvious when Mav was smirking, there was a certain twang of cockiness in his voice that stood out like a sore thumb. You scoffed at his reply.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Phoenix asked with a hint of venom in her voice. You inhaled slowly, sensing the situation becoming tense. This should be interesting.

"I'm a bandit on course to intercept." Maverick replied simply. "Blue team what're you gonna do?" He asked quickly. Your mind began to race with solutions, but none of them seemed to fit the current perspective.

"He's twenty miles left, ten o'clock, seven hundred knots closure." Bob announced from the back seat of Phoenix's jet. You narrowed your Y/E/C eyes, keeping them trained on the course ahead.

With a brief cough you cleared your throat. "Your call, Phoenix, what do you want to do?" You asked, glancing to the right. You hoped she would say continue. It seemed like the logical thing to do right now.

Like the female pilot read your mind, she said, "Continue. We're close." With a quick nod, you averted your gaze back to the dusty path in front of you. "Stay on target."

"He's way around to the north." Bob said, his hands scraping against the cockpit window in a feeble attempt to try to get a better view of your instructor. Maverick was gaining on you both, and fast. In your mind you were thankful that he was on your side, and not the enemies. None of you would stand a chance against him.

You exhaled curtly, feeling your heart begin to race as you all neared the intense climb. The amount dread that was currently filling your body couldn't have been healthy. You feared this part the most. "Roger. Ready for pop-up." You said to Phoenix.

"Be ready on that laser, Bob." Phoenix warned her RIO. The sound of the wind being sliced by your jet's wings began to rattle in your ears. 

"Copy, I'm on it." Bob replied, shuffling in his seat, his fingers swiftly finding the knob to adjust the laser.

"Blue team, bandit is still closing." Maverick warned you with a sharp inhale.

"Popping now!" You proclaimed, shaky hands gripping the centre stick and pulling back with all of the strength in your body. Your chest set on fire as the weight of gravity began to sink down onto your trembling body, feeling like your head was about to snap off. As the three of you reached the target height, you inverted the jet with a twist of the stick and pulled back again, diving fast to replicate the steep decline down the mountain side, toward the practice target.

Phoenix let out a quick breath of air and grunted, regaining control of her lungs. "Talk to me Bob, where's Maverick?" You asked hurriedly, throwing your head around and directing your eyes around the surrounding area, trying to pinpoint exactly where Maverick was.

"He's five miles out, he's coming fast!" Bob responded as he desperately tried to breathe. The pair of your planes evened out and you headed towards the dummy target - an old container with perfect circles carved out around it, reminding you of the world famous crop circles.

"Target's in sight!" Phoenix stated.

"Where's my laser Bob?!" You shouted, throwing a look over your right shoulder.

"Deadeye! Deadeye! It's no good!" Bob replied, his brows upturning in a show of defeat. His hoarse voice held a tone of frustration as he breathed heavily, his throat burning. "Sorry, I can't get a lock!" Bob said again. You shut your eyes in defeat. Looks like you're dropping blind.

With a sharp inhale, you narrowed your eyes on the white container sat in front of you. "We're out of time, I'm dropping blind!" As you lined up the crosshair as close as you could on the target, your thumb pressed the red button upon the stick; a soft click emitting from it. Two missiles deployed from the bottom of your F-18 and they hit slightly to the right of the centre circle. "Shit, missed!" You growled in frustration. Immediately, your fisted hands went to grab a hold of the stick again and pulled it back, setting the jet to fly upwards. Your body sunk into the leather seat and it felt like your chest was on fire again from how hard you were fighting to breathe. Gravity pushed down on your lungs like a huge boulder. You could feel the whoosh of blood leaving your brain and travelling to your legs; your heart beat going ten to the dozen. A suffocated grunt emerged from your mouth as alarms suddenly started to sound from the inside. A jarring crunch rattled through the body of the jet as a bright red light flashed, showing 'Engine Failure'. "Shit!" You gasped, eyes going wide in panic. They darted across the front panel of the jet, the red glare of the glowing buttons reflecting on your visor. "Engine failure, engine failure," You repeated as your twitching fingers flew to flick a few select switches in an attempt to regain control. "Attempting to restart engines."

Your stomach hit your throat as the plane began to fall downwards, stuck in an uncontrollable spin. One hand gripped the stick in front and pulled back in an attempt to pull up, however, it didn't help. With the insane momentum and speed at which you were falling, it made your head begin to spin; your vision soon becoming victim to it as well. "Come on, baby, come on!" You screamed, petrified, the cold air beginning to scrape against your throat as you desperately fought to breathe.

"Y/C/S, eject, eject!" You heard Maverick shout in your ear through comms. Your mind went foggy as you stared at the oncoming twirling earth below you. "You're in a tailspin at a low altitude, it's unrecoverable! Eject!" He shouted again. Your breathing was ragged and wretched as you threw your hands on the handle beneath your pilot seat and tugged at it.

"It's not working, Mav!" You screamed through the radio. Your instantly eyes darted to the altitude needle, which was spinning round and round as you descended to the ground. The numbers were falling impossibly fast now, nearing three and a half thousand feet now. You were losing air, and fast.

"Keep trying! Pull it as hard as you can, you've got this!" Maverick desperately shouted, watching helplessly from afar. His mind began to scramble as waves of anxiety and panic flooded his body. Goose. "C'mon, Y/C/S!" He screamed and tried to blink away the flashbacks that began to trickle into his head, tears pricking his eyes. He couldn't lose someone else this way. And especially not you.

"Goose, I'm losing control, I'm losing control, I can't control it!" Maverick said quickly, his hands gripping onto the centre stick for dear life. "It won't recover, shit!" The environment surrounding the two was spinning, disorientating the two young pilots. From the momentum of the spin, Maverick was shoved against the wall of the cockpit, his hands pressed up against the window like a child at a candy shop.

"Mav, we're out of control! This shit- this is not good!" Goose grunted, the force of the fall crushing his lungs. Maverick's mind was spinning just like his jet.

"I can't reach the ejection handle, Goose, you gotta do it," Maverick shouted from in front. "Eject, eject, eject!" Goose did so, and then the unimaginable happened...

"Altitude two thousand!" You breathed out, your throat was immensely tired from breathing so heavily. Maverick's breathing was ragged and fast as his eyes never left your falling jet, silently praying and hoping that a miracle would happen. With one last laborious sigh, you tugged at the handle again and it clicked, the cockpit flying open and shooting my body into the sky. A loud crack engulfed my head as I was shot upwards, a ragged gasped ripped from your throat at the sudden shock. Your head had flown backwards and smacked against the top of the canopy. Before a blanket of black nothingness swamped my vision, the parachute deployed, slowly lowering your limp and possibly lifeless body to the ground.

Maverick screaming your name was the last thing you heard.

****

Bright and blinding white lights pricked your eyes as you opened them gradually, blinking heavily to adjust to the dazzling LEDs. Your vision was blurry and disoriented as your red eyes rolled around the grey room, landing on a fuzzy, dark-haired figure. They were dressed in an olive green flying suit, black boots to match. Their head was lolling forwards as they leaned against the back of the battleship-grey wall. Squinting quickly, you soon recognised it to be none other than your instructor, Maverick. A soft gasp escaped your chapped lips and your once-pale cheeks turned pink at the sight of him. Looking downwards, you saw you were still in your own olive green flying suit, laying on a hospital bed, a drip connected to to the top of your hand. You swallowed back a gag, feeling queasy at the thought of a needle. You never did have a strong stomach for things like blood and guts - nobody would ever catch you watching a horror film.

You sighed. Looking to the left, you spotted your flying helmet, a long splinter running from the right side of it to the crown; a splatter of blood staining the once-white helmet. What the...? Your breathing suddenly hitched as you wracked your brain in a poor attempt to think back to what happened. Before you could brace yourself, it suddenly all came flooding back. Climbing in your jet, practicing with the squad, pulling up, the engines stalling and failing to restart, the ejection handle not working... You had been so close to death. As another shaky inhale swept cold air down your sore throat, you glanced back to Maverick who was stirring. As he raised his head, you noticed his eyes were red and puffy. You frowned. Mav's eyes met yours and he rushed to stand up, swiftly moving beside your bedside. "H-hey," He stumbled, a bright grin spreading across his features. "How are you, uh, feeling?" Maverick asked, his voice shaky.

You returned his kind smile, staring into his ocean-blue eyes. You'd never seen him like this before. "I'm okay, are you?" You questioned, glancing at his dishevelled attire. Maverick didn't answer, he only bit his bottom lip, fighting back a sob. "Mav?" You asked again - softly this time. You reached out a hand to touch his forearm as he sunk back down into the chair he was previously passed out on. 

"I'm so sorry, Y/N," He breathed out. His voice was trembling and it was breaking your heart to see someone who you loved and adored like this. "I'm so sorry." He said again.

"Mav, it's okay, I'm okay. It wasn't your fault." You soothingly mumbled, gently rubbing your thumb against his forearm. You wanted to let your hand fall onto his, but you didn't want to cross a line. "Hey, look at me," You smiled, reaching your shaky fingers out to push his chin upwards. Tears brimmed his crinkled, blue eyes and you gasped softly. "I'm alright, Mav. I promise." He nodded, inhaling sharply. Maverick quickly swiped at his eyes, trying to silence his tears.

"I know," He sighed, his chest rising and falling gently. You gave him an encouraging smile. "I-I just thought... Goose.. it was too... similar..." He stumbled over his words again, pursing his lips and as he looked away from you. "I thought we lost you." His voice broke at the end of his sentence as his teary eyes met yours again.

"Mav.." You sighed sharply. "You should know you can't get rid of me, especially not now." You joked, making Maverick chuckle. He blew out a short breath of air through his gritted teeth. "You're stuck with me." You said again with an amused smile.

"Yeah," He hummed, looking at you. His eyes suddenly lit up and he reached down slowly beside the makeshift chair he was perched upon, his hands returning with a small, stuffed teddy bear which held a blue heart, and knitted on it was 'Get well soon!'. His other hand held a bag of your favourite chocolates: Y/F/C. "The squad got these for you, as a... get well soon gift," Maverick said, smiling gently. His eyes wouldn't leave yours and your cheeks flushed at the gesture. He handed you the teddy bear and chocolates, in which you graciously accepted them with a joyful grin, placing the chocolates on the side table to the right of you, but keeping the teddy with you.

"Thank you. The teddy bear is my favourite, I think." You giggled, patting it's head.

"Um," He cleared his throat, leaning back down to where he retrieved the gifts. Maverick leaned back up, holding a small, yet beautiful bouquet of white calla lilies. You audibly gasped at the sight, a big grin spreading across your tired-looking face. "These are for you, too." Mav said, almost bashfully.

"Oh my gosh!" You exclaimed softly. "These are my favourite!" Maverick handed them to you, his fingers brushing against yours slightly. Your eyes fluttered at the touch. "Who are they from?" You asked, pressing them gently to your nose with a happy smile to inhale the mellow scent. Maverick's eyes softened as he watched you, a content smile slipping onto his lips.

"Uh, they're, err, from me." He coughed, as if trying to hide his embarrassment. You suppressed a laugh in an attempt not to embarrass the captain. You thought he'd been through enough emotional trauma for today.

"That's very sweet of you, Mav, you didn't have to do that. Thank you." You grinned, fidgety fingers playing with the pale white bow that held the stems together. Your glossy eyes watched the captain shuffle in his seat. You couldn't fight the warm feeling growing across your chest as you stared at him. The grin on your lips was there to stay.

"I think it's the least I could do." Maverick said softly, his gaze locked with yours still. You let out a small, content hum. As you were about to ask him a question, a knock rattled on the door. A quick sigh left your lips as Maverick quickly stood up, your eyes still glued to the back of him. He walked over to the door to open it, revealing Phoenix and Bob. "Hey Phoenix, Bob." Maverick said, smiling kindly. He stepped aside to let them in. "I'll relieve you guys of my presence." He meekly joked and sent you another soft smile with a wave, walking off.

"Hey, guys." You said, grinning. Phoenix and Bob wandered over toward you with worried eyes and kind smiles.

"You seem pretty chipper for someone who almost died." Phoenix laughed, leaning down to give you a gentle hug, careful not to squeeze too tight in case you were still tender. Bob switched places with Phoenix, his eyes seeming to settle as he noticed you were okay. 

"Hey, Bob." You giggled, giving him a soft hug. He blushed as he pulled away, running a hand through his bouncy blonde curls. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked, eyes twitching slightly as he remembered the sheer panic washing over his body during the incident.

"I'm okay, thanks Bob. Still in one piece, I suppose." You hummed with a smile, glancing between the pair. She held up a bag and wiggled her brows, placing it on the bed, to the side of your thigh. You frowned at her. She frowned at me back.

"What's wrong?" Phoenix asked.

"Err, didn't you already get me get well soon gifts?" You cocked a brow, looking a little confused at her gesture. She shared a confused look with Bob.

"No... why?" Bob said slowly, his eyes finding the teddy bear, chocolates and flowers that Maverick had dropped off. His brows shot up as he nudged Phoenix with his elbow and nodded at the gifts sat upon your side table. "Who are those from?" He asked, looking back to you with a suspicious smile. Your mouth fell open, putting things together.

"You.. guys..?" You frowned. Phoenix's face broke out into a grin.

"No, this is from all of us." She replied, pulling out a bottle of your favourite alcohol, a card and a pair of socks with 'Accident Prone' written all over them. You laughed out loud as you looked at the socks, your mind instantly thinking of Hangman. Son of a bitch.

"Thank you so much, guys. I really appreciate your thoughtful gifts. It's really sweet of you." You smiled cheerfully as Phoenix put the gifts back into the bag and placed it onto the floor beside your bed. The two of them smiled at you, but you could tell they were itching to know who dropped off the presents beside you. You sighed. "Maverick."

"Maverick?" Phoenix repeated, seemingly in shock. You tried to hide the blush creeping up your neck toward your cheeks. "Are you blushing, Y/N?" She squinted at you with a cheeky smile. You frowned and pulled up your flying suit, trying to hide underneath the material, despite it not being long enough so you sort of just looked a bit silly.

"No! I just think it was sweet - you know, that he got me those things." You sighed, sinking into the hard and uncomfortable bed beneath you. "He didn't have to." You said, looking at your two friends.

"But he did." Phoenix smirked, and shared an indecipherable look with Bob. You frowned at them. "The flowers are a nice touch, aren't those your favourite?" She asked, narrowing her eyes as her smirk intensified. You reached your hand up to scratch the back of your neck nervously, glancing away.

"Err, yeah," You smiled, letting your hand fall back down to your lap. You let your fingers play with a loose thread hanging from your olive-green flying suit. "But it's not like it's hard to guess, you know-" You quickly tried to reason with them, but they weren't having it.

"Wait, so that's where Mav went yesterday?" Bob asked Phoenix and turned to her. You caught wind of the last word he said. Your brows furrowed once again. The amount of times you had frowned in the past few minutes made you wonder whether your brows were gonna get stuck together.

"Wait, wait, yesterday? How long was I out?" You sat up and stared at the two pilots who turned their attention back to you.

"Like a day and a half." Bob answered, swallowing nervously. You groaned, falling back into the bed with a soft thud. "We all came to visit you as much as we could, but Maverick has been here the most. He didn't leave your side after what happened, apart from when we had to train. But as soon as that was over, he was immediately back here." He explained. Phoenix only stared at you with a small, reassuring smile. You narrowed your tired eyes at her and she grinned.

"Sounds like Mav's got a soft spot for a certain pilot." Phoenix sing-songed, laughing and your brows shot up at her words.

"I thought he was dating or seeing Penny? You know.. from The Hard Deck?" You asked out of curiosity. But in reality, you were trying to work out whether his intentions were innocent, or if they meant a little more. Bob shook his head at you and your heart started to beat a little faster.

"No, they're just very good friends." Phoenix said, folding her arms. "Why, ya interested?" She snickered at you and in reply you rolled your eyes at her.

"No!" You answered quickly - almost too quickly which caught Phoenix's attention. "No, I just.. I was just curious." You tried to add, but it was too late. She already knew. You sighed at the realisation. "Can you.. just keep this between us, guys?" You mumbled, fiddling with the thin, white blanket draped over your clothed thighs.

"Of course, Y/C/S." Bob nodded, smiling kindly at you.

"You got it, Y/N." Phoenix smiled too. "Well, we're gonna leave you be now. I'm so glad you're okay. It looked nasty. We were all worried about you." She said and leaned down to hug you, pressing a soft kiss to your bandaged forehead. Bob followed her and gave you a gentle hug, worried that he'd hurt you.

"See you later, Y/C/S. Get well soon." Bob said as he walked out with Phoenix, giving a cheerful wave to you as he closed the door. You let out a long, heavy sigh as you leaned back into your uncomfortable bed, closing your eyes. You let yourself fall into a much needed, deep, deep sleep.

****

It had been several days since the incident, and you were discharged from the infirmary. You had been back up in the air since it happened - Maverick made you go back up. If you didn't, you didn't think you would have ever. Speaking of Maverick, the two of you hadn't spoken about what happened in the infirmary a few days ago now. You were frustrated, you wanted to know why he lied to you, why didn't he just tell you that he got those gifts for you? Why did he have to say it was from the squad?

You were currently sunbathing on a beach chair outside The Hard Deck, with the sun beaming down on your sun-lotioned skin. With a soft grunt, you leant up, and pulled down your sunglasses with a single finger, watching the squad play defensive and offensive football with each other. Loud laughter and shouts echoed from them all as they bumped and knocked into one another. You groaned and stood up, sulky because of the fact that you weren't allowed to play due to your recent injury. "You alright, Y/N/N?" You heard Penny call from behind you. You threw her a smile.

"Yeah, I'm just getting antsy," You replied with a frustrated sigh. "Gonna go for a swim." You said, slipping off your flip flops.

Penny smiled at you. The bar owner had a soft spot for you, and she always made sure you were okay. Even the slightest change in your aura made her suspicious. "Have fun out there!" She exclaimed, turning back to her book, but still keeping an eye on you. Underneath the baggy, lilac beach dress you were currently wearing, you wore a white bikini. Just as your fingers were about to undo the knot, a sinking feeling of insecurity froze your body in place, refusing to remove your beach cover up.

"Hey, Pen?" You called over to Penny, turning around to look at the brunette. "Mind if I grab a shot? I'll leave some notes behind the bar." She let out a soft laugh and nodded, gesturing to go ahead with her hand.

"Of course, and don't worry about the money, it's on the house." Penny smiled. You thanked her and rushed inside behind the bar, pouring yourself a large shot of the strongest alcohol there was. You knocked it back, exhaling sharply as the alcohol burned down your throat.

"Woo!" You quietly said, grinning to yourself like a mental asylum patient from Batman. "That's better, gosh." Before heading back out, you quickly adjusted your bikini top to make sure your breasts were definitely held in place, and you wouldn't suffer a dreaded nip-slip. Making your way to the exit, you walked through the double white wooden doors, the warm, salty sea air hitting your face like a soft wave. You began to walk down the beach, passing Penny, giving her a small smile. She let out a wolf whistle as she watched you walk by, letting out a short giggle. Your cheeks reddened at the noise and you removed the beach dress from your body, throwing it on the beach chair. With a quick sigh, you composed yourself and made your way to the sea, keeping your eyes trained on the horizon ahead. "Okay, you got this." You mumbled to yourself, placing my black aviators on your nose. You prayed to the heavens above that you didn't trip and fall over - because God knows if anything was to happen, it'd be that.

As you passed the squad playing football, a few wolf whistles suddenly arose from your right. You looked over to see Hangman and Coyote, the blonde pilot winking as his eyes ran up and down your figure. "There she is!" He shouted with a cheeky grin. You threw him the middle finger, and shook your head, walking a little faster. "Watch yourself, Klutz!" He warned jokingly and it made you grin, your eyes looking to the left of them, spotting Rooster and Maverick. Surprisingly - or not - they were staring too. You swallowed, the familiar and unwelcome feeling of insecurity returning to you. The warm sea finally greeted your toes as you treaded into it, your fingers rushing to adjust your bikini bottoms as you still felt eyes on you.

As you kept walking further into the blue abyss, you reached a deeper area and felt comfortable enough to relax, jumping up from the sea bed and letting yourself float atop the sea. The sweet relief that washed over you made you moan, it felt like a weight had been lifted from you.

"Boy, am I glad I came over." Hangman's smug voice suddenly disturbed you from your short-lived zen paradise and you groaned out loud in irritation at the pilot. As you sat up, you looked at him, eyes studying his grinning face. His blonde hair was sweaty and dishevelled, his bare chest gleaming in the sunlight from the mix of sun cream and sweat upon it. You sat up, fingers pushing back your black aviators as you felt them sliding down the bridge of your nose.

"What do you want, Bagman?" You groaned again, folding your arms against your chest as you noticed his eyes drop to your dripping wet bikini top. "If you've come to perv on me, bud, you've chosen the wrong person." You warned him and jumped in the opposite direction of Hangman to escape, although his hand caught your waist and pulled you back to him. "Jake." You sighed, dragging out his name to express your annoyance.

"I love the way you say my name, babe," He joked, placing a hand over his heart and feigning a swoon. "No, I just wanted to see how ya were feeling. I ain't seen ya for a while." Hangman said, his hand letting go of your waist as you remained where he placed you. You frowned, absolutely gobsmacked at his answer.

"Wait, what? You, aka fuckin' Hangman, care about how I feel? Somebody else other than yourself?!" You laughed out loud, splashing him playfully. He laughed with you and rolled his eyes at you, waiting for you to continue. "Well, if you really wanna know, I'm fine." You said with an unbothered shrug. Suddenly, alarm bells rang in your head. "Err, did you talk to Phoenix or Bob recently?" You narrowed your eyes at him. Hangman only smirked at you and you felt your heart drop as your anxiety sky-rocketed. "Oh, fuck my life." You groaned even louder than before, letting your head loll back in the seawater.

"To be honest, I overheard them, they didn't say anythin' to me," Hangman said with a shrug. "Your secret is safe with me, my fair lady." He smirked, bowing dramatically. You rolled your eyes at his pathetic attempt to make you laugh.

"I wish it wasn't, god damn it." You said, looking over to the squad who were still playing football. You caught Maverick's eyes and looked away quickly, averting your sheepish gaze to Jake who was currently undressing you with his mind, his blue eyes on your breasts. "Stop it, dickhead." You squinted your eyes at him and he just smirked, the corner of his mouth perking up as he looked into your eyes instead. There was a moment of silence as Jake glanced to the beach at the boys and Phoenix, the bright sun glinting off the golden metal rims of his aviators.

"Wanna make him jealous?" Hangman suddenly asked, nodding to the group on the beach with the same smirk.

"Not particularly." You replied, frowning.

"Ain't he been ignoring you or somethin', sweetheart?" He asked with a soft voice, pouting his lips at you. You fought back the urge to punch Hangman in his perfect face.

"No," You said, squinting at him. "We.. just haven't crossed paths." You mumbled and glanced to the beach again. Sighing, you were clearly frustrated. Why didn't Maverick just talk to you? Why was it so damn difficult for him? Hangman patiently waited for your reply. "Okay, fine, he's been ignoring me since he gave me those gifts. So what?" You shrugged and tried to ignore the sad, plummeting feeling growing in your chest. It did hurt how Mav acted like nothing happened when you returned to training, you couldn't deny that. It sort of made you rethink the whole thing.

"So..." Hangman dragged out, glancing down as he scratched at his forearm for a quick moment. "Maybe you should try somethin' different." He suggested with a shrug. You looked at the blonde with a confused expression. He rolled his eyes. "Just trust me." He said, before taking you into his arms. You had no time to protest against his advances; a loud gasp escaped you as his hands found the bottom of your thighs, lifting you up to his chest.

"Hangman!" You squealed as he spun you around, a hand flying to his neck to steady yourself. Hangman laughed, continuing to spin you around. "Put me down!" You giggled softly, looking down at him. He was grinning as he gazed up at you, the blue water twirled around his lower half, salty droplets splashing against his shiny, toned torso. Suddenly, the spinning got too much and your breathing hitched - your mind was brought back to the day you lost control of your jet. "Jake," You breathed out his real name, hoping he'd listen this time, fingernails digging into his shoulders. "Stop!" You nervously laughed, trying to push yourself away from him. "Jake, please!" You cried out loud this time, tears starting to prick your eyes. You felt dizzy, nauseous, and you desperately needed to get to land, and fast. He stopped instantly, and his face softened as he watched you closely.

"Hey, it's alright," Hangman said, unsure of what was happening. As he gently let go of you, you fell, splashing in the water as your vision began to spin uncontrollably, just like the accident. "Hey, Y/N, slow down there!" He called out as you desperately tried to swim back to shore, your chest beginning to burn from the tired breaths you tried to inhale. Jake's arms suddenly scooped me up and I broke down, sobbing. "It's alright, Y/C/S. You're okay." He said softly, running out of the sea with you, placing his hands upon your shoulders in a poor attempt to comfort you. "Mav! Phoenix!" You heard Hangman yell from beside you, feeling the grains of sand graze against your backside. Maverick's head instantly perked up at the sound of his name, and he sprinted over to Hangman and you, kneeling down beside your hyperventilating body. Phoenix was here just as quick, kneeling down on the opposite side of you.

"Hey, Y/C/S," Maverick said quietly, removing his aviators as you desperately tried to catch your breath. You looked at him, Y/C/E eyes locking with his own baby blue ones. Tears began to fall down your cheeks. His eyes softened as he looked at you. It felt like a knife had been thrown into his heart as he watched you. He desperately wanted to take you into his arms, whisper sweet-nothings to you and tell you that you'd be alright. But he couldn't do that, you weren't his. And he didn't think you could ever be. "You're alright, sweetheart, deep breaths." Maverick said gently, making you heart race at the sound of the pet name - it didn't really help to calm you down. "Just focus on me, my voice and the smell of the sea," He smiled weakly at you, his large hands coming to cup your cheeks. Your hands clenched into fists as you wrapped them behind your thighs.

Your breaths were trembling and unsteady as you squeezed your eyes shut, trying to single-handedly focus on what Maverick had said. "That's it." He said again, his soft eyes watching your chest slow down. Soon enough, you managed to steady your breathing and your racing heart.

"Jesus," You sighed quietly and let your gaze fall to the ground, avoiding the captain's gaze. "I don't know what happened." You mumbled, gathering up some courage to look at Maverick who only looked concerned. Hangman and Phoenix had given you two some space as you spotted them stood together, observing you with worried looks spread across their faces. You looked back to Maverick. "When Hangman was spinning me, it just made me think of.." You squeezed your eyes shut at the thought and Maverick's eyes fell to the ground, his hand still sat upon your head, slowly sliding to the side of your neck.

"I know," He said quietly, the pad of his thumb caressing your jaw. "Come on, let's get you home, Y/N." Maverick sighed, holding out a hand for you to take. You reluctantly accepted it, a pang of pain shooting through your chest at the lack of emotion he was showing towards you. What did you do?

Maverick lead you back to the beach chair, his hands picking up all of your belongings swiftly. "Did you have anything else?" He asked quietly, not bothering to look at you. You felt another wave of tears about to fall, but you bit your lip to hold them back. You didn't want to cry in front of him again, not today. Not ever.

"No." You answered dryly, walking past Maverick to slip on your flip-flops. His brows knitted together for a split second as your shoulder brushed past his in a hostile manner. What did he do for you to do that? "I got a lift here with Phoenix, so I'll grab an Uber back home." You said, shrugging. His brows furrowed as if you had just proposed to assassinate the president.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm giving you a ride home, Y/N." Maverick stated, his tone stern. "C'mon." He said, placing a hand on the small of your back to lead you to his bike. You hated the way that his hand set your body on fire, the way it sent a pleasurable shiver running down your spine. Your eyes began to well up with tears again. "You alright?" He glanced at you, noticing how your pace had slowed down. The two of you were a few feet from his Kawasaki.

"What is your problem?" You seethed, moving away from him, clutching your white beach dress close to your body. He looked shocked at your sudden outburst, his eyes widening in shock. "You-you acted so... different with me in the infirmary. You even bought me chocolates, flowers! Even a teddy bear, Mav!" You exclaimed, hot tears spilling down your face at this point. You stared at Maverick, with quivering lips, who looked hurt. A blanket of silence fell on the two of you. Maverick's eyes darted to the ground as a short sigh slipped from his lips, the guilt finally appearing on his face. His brows fell as he looked back to you. "Phoenix told me that they weren't from the squad," You said quietly, sniffling. "Why did you buy me flowers, Mav? How did you know they were my favourite?" He dropped his eyes again, looking down at the ground, sucking in his bottom lip. Just as Maverick was about to answer you, another wave of upset washed over you. "Then you just ignore me afterwards? Like nothing happened? Like we didn't feel something in that room, Maverick." You cried and he walked towards you, his hand slowly coming to cup your cheek in a tender way.

"I never meant to hurt you, Y/C/S." Maverick said quietly, his eyes meeting yours. You glanced away from a moment, the feeling too strong for you to handle. "I felt something with you in that room, and it scared me," He mumbled, brushing the pad of his thumb against your tear-stained cheek. "I haven't felt that way for a long time. I thought I lost you that day, and I couldn't go through something like that again, Y/N. I can't. It-it's too much, I can just about handle looking at Rooster every day without being reminded of his dad." Maverick sighed, his shoulders falling. "Every day it's like I torture myself. I think back to that exact moment, thinkin' about how he would've lived if I just did this, or I just did that. The guilt.. it never leaves me, Y/N." He said quietly, tears welling in his eyes now. Of course, Goose. Rooster's dad.

"Mav, come here." You whispered and wrapped your arms around his neck, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "It's alright. It wasn't your fault," You mumbled into his ear and his arms snaked around your waist, holding you tightly as if you would disappear into thin air. "It wasn't your fault." You whispered with a hushed sigh and placed a gentle hand on his cheek, wiping away a stray tear that fell from his eye. He smiled weakly at you, and you could hear your heart break at the sight of him so broken like this. "It's okay, honey." You sniffled, trying not to cry anymore. Your eyes never left each others, and you couldn't suppress the butterflies tingling in your stomach, the pleasant feeling flourishing across your chest. Without thinking, you whispered. "I think I love you, Pete."

Maverick chuckled gently as his heart skipped a beat, a soft blow of air shooting from his nose. "I think I love you as well, Y/N." He said quietly, leaning down to press a sweet and soft kiss to your lips. You leaned into his touch, your body setting on fire as he kissed you, your fingers playing with the short, rough hairs at the back of his neck. Maverick's calloused hands settled on your bare-skinned waist, his fingers gently squeezing your soft flesh. "You've no idea how long I've waited to do that." He laughed quietly and you joined him, nodding.

"Me too."

my masterlist

how to request something

if u read all this i love you and i'm proud of you. you are now part of the cringe club, welcome x

#maverick x reader #top gun maverick imagine #top gun one shot #hangman x reader #pete mitchell x reader #pete mitchell x y/n #top gun maverick #top gun imagine #pete mitchell x you #top gun #phoenix x reader #bob x reader #dilf pete mitchell #daddy dilf mav #top gun fic #tgm #pete maverick mitchell #pete mitchell #pete mitchell imagine #pete mitchell fanfiction #maverick #nick goose bradshaw #nick bradshaw #fluffy angsty cringefest #maverick x you #maverick x y/n #maverick angst #maverick fluff #captain pete maverick mitchell

[toomuchracket]

The detail of Ross holding his hand open for reader to squeeze as she walked past… I’m obsessed. I have 2 things to say.

Ross’s girlfriend in a girl group. They release a song and the lyrics are very much about Ross (talks about his height. How big he is. How GOOD he is in bed). And Matty delights in quoting the lyrics to Ross on stage. I like the idea of Ross posting a pic of him and his gf to ig w a caption related to the song.

My other thing to say is pls can you write a whole blurb ab subtle PDA between u and Ross, similar to the hand open thing bc oh my god that ruined me.

this has so much potential to be another ross universe... much to think about and Ponder hmmmmmm. also initial thingy can be found here! and yes i'll answer both things here

first part: obsessed with this, and obsessed with the thought that you rocked up to a writing session the day after the best sex of your life and went "i have an idea". also obsessed with you having to tell ross about the fact that you've written a song about him (not for the first time, to be fair) and how sexy he is, because if he's not cool with it then it'll go unreleased - he blushes like crazy when he reads the lyrics, but he secretly loves it, and even from a rough demo he's like "no this is a hit you have to release this song babe". i'm not going to attempt to write it, but i'm imagining the lyrics being chock-full of sex references (charli's like "this makes my banana split lyric look TAME" when she hears them), with a lot of them being really quite intricate metaphors and some others just like on the vibe of "yeah i'm getting bent over daily" - george and matty are simultaneously scandalised, jealous of how good these lyrics are ("we've been writing sex shit like this for twenty years and you outdo us with it on your first attempt smh"), and deeply deeply in love with the song and the way it's constructed/performed. as you said, matty (who is a known stan of your band btw) relishes the opportunity to pester ross with the lyrics onstage; when he introduces/credits the band, he starts singing one of the lyrics from it before he says ross's name, and ross just smirks and raises his eyebrows while the crowd go nuts (like i said, ross secretly loves it). and the fans (and your friends) go even more nuts when ross posts a pic of you and him all sexy and ready for date night on insta with the lyrics referenced or paraphrased in the caption - the best thing about it, though, is that he posts it the morning after date night, from bed, where the two of you are curled up sweaty and exhausted after a looooooong moment of ross proving your lyrics right lmao

second part: i think the subtle pda thing started because you and ross didn't make your relationship public until you had been together for a while, for whatever reason, but the nature of your job meant you guys would run into each other at events and you needed a little way to show affection while still maintaining your privacy. little squeezes of thighs under tables, three little tiny taps on the other's hand to say "i love you" when passing drinks to each other, trapping the other's leg between yours under the table to keep them close... a lot of stuff like that. and there were less subtle moments as you got drunker - ross resting his head on your shoulder to snuggle you under the guise of being tipsy and tired, asking about new developments in each other's careers (that you already know about lol) in order to give yourselves excuses to give long "congratulatory" hugs, cheek kisses hello and goodbye that accidentally seem to land on the corners of lips. obviously now you're openly a thing, you don't need to do all that, but the quick little touches are great for red carpets and moments where you have to be a bit more professional as members of your respective groups. but you can't go without touching ross, and he's the same with you - you just love each other too much to let it go unaddressed at any point lol <3

#mads muses #mads answers asks #ross asks #fluff asks #girlband gf

[callsign-bunnie]

part 3 to slasher ghost (and i guess alejandro too now) pls?

Part 3 is coming, but I'm gonna use your ask since you mentioned Alejandro to do a bit of a prequel from Rodolfo's perspective. Buckle up. This is a prequel for this and this.

--

Rodolfo had never told anyone how he and Alejandro had gotten together. Quite frankly, he never would. If he could scrub it from his memory forever, he would.

Admittedly, before... the night, Rodolfo hated Alejandro Vargas. Rodolfo was kind of quiet, reserved. Alejandro was loud and obnoxious and some rich kid asshole who thought the sun rose and set on him.

They'd met once in Freshman year at a rally and Alejandro had been obnoxious ever since. He'd been borderline obsessed with Rodolfo and Rodolfo had remembered just wanting him to leave him alone.

Rodolfo rolled his eyes when Anna, his friend, offered him her cigarette. He took it, anyway, though, and took a drag from it. She lit her own. "So, don't be mad."

"Great." Rodolfo sighed. He couldn't wait to find out why she didn't want him to be mad. It was the second quarter of sophomore year and she'd already gotten him in so much trouble.

Anna smiled, cheekily. "We're going out to the woods. And... we invited Alejandro Vargas."

Rodolfo wanted to strangle her. "You're fucking kidding me!"

"Please don't be mad, Rudy!" She pouted and took his hands. "He's gonna pay for the alcohol. Just... he only said he'd go if you were there."

Rodolfo shook his head. "Sucks for you guys, then. I'm not going out to the middle of the fucking woods to get drunk with Alejandro Vargas!" He pulled his hands away.

Anna shook her head. "Of course not." She muttered and then turned away from him, irritated. "Could you not be so stuck up and selfish for five minutes??"

Rodolfo winced. "What??"

"God, you're so fucking stiff." She turned around to face him. "You're sixteen. Grow the fuck up."

Rodolfo flinched back and started to feel bad. "I'm sorry. You're right." He mumbled. They clearly needed something and he... he could pretend to be nice to Alejandro for a few hours so they could get drunk and have fun. "I'll come."

"Perfect!" She beamed, immediately, and then kissed his cheek before running off to tell her girlfriend, Miriam. "Tonight is back on!"

"Hell yeah!" Miriam grinned.

Rodolfo winced but nodded a little. He really didn't want to do this but... he could push it down for his friends.

-

Rodolfo cringed, ending up getting stuck in the backseat with Alejandro and Todd, Miriam's brother. Todd was also kind of weird to Rodolfo, so he was super uncomfortable.

To Alejandro's credit, he never touched Rodolfo. Just... flirted with him a lot. Though, he seemed to have picked up on how uncomfortable Rodolfo was right now, and had mostly just asked him about his classes.

Todd, however, kept touching Rodolfo's side and that made him so deeply uncomfortable. Miriam tried to claim Todd would never do anything, but he didn't believe that. Todd loved to touch Rodolfo without permission and would laugh and shrug him off when he made it explicitly clear he didn't want him touching him.

So, Rodolfo had given up. He just dealt with the uncomfortable touches because he was worried what would happen if he told him no too many times.

"Oh, hey," Alejandro spoke up, catching Rodolfo's attention. "I found something I think you might like. You mentioned, once, that you like cards. It's not... like a playing card but, hey, I don't need it." He lifted his hips, pulling out his wallet and then getting out what looked like a gold rectangle.

Further inspection proved it was a credit card shaped slab of metal that was designed to look like a tarot card. "The Sun" in fact. "El Sol." Alejandro grinned. "Thought it fit you."

Rodolfo flushed and touched over it, feeling the holes in the metal. It was gorgeous... He usually didn't like when Alejandro gave him gifts (though he'd kept them all, admittedly) but... he'd take this one. "Thank you..." He put it in his own wallet and relaxed.

Alejandro seemed pleasantly surprised and then grinned. "I also found an El Sol necklace, if you want that, too."

Rodolfo cringed. "Maybe." He hoped accepting this one without fuss wouldn't immediately through Alejandro off the deep end in his pursuits.

Alejandro then seemed to go quiet, looking around. Rodolfo noticed he looked anxious. "What's wrong?" He asked, without thinking, though he had to pause when he felt Todd's fingers drift over his thigh again, tensing.

Alejandro seemed almost startled by the question. "Oh, I... I really don't like the woods."

Rodolfo frowned. "Why did you come, then?"

"Anna said you'd be there. I almost didn't but I wanted to see you." Alejandro smiled at him, soft.

Rodolfo flushed. Okay, admittedly, the fact Alejandro seemed to like him so much did flatter him. "Oh..." He looked away.

Anna finally stopped driving and Miriam turned back to them, grinning. "It's an old camping spot no one uses, anymore." She explained before getting out.

Rodolfo relaxed as Todd followed his sister out. Alejandro followed Anna out and Rodolfo was left to climb out alone. Miriam and Todd dragged a cooler over to the campspot. It was dark, already, and Rodolfo found himself cringing against the car.

Alejandro frowned. "You don't like the woods, either?"

"No," Rodolfo shook his head, admitting. "Freaks me out... I have this thing where I struggle to look out of windows and doors at night and I... I can look around at night but this is the absolute worst."

Alejandro smiled, sympathetically. "I won't let anything happen to you." He promised.

Rodolfo flushed and Alejandro sounded so sure that he couldn't help but believe him. Even if he thought Alejandro was an asshole, he was kind of sweet. "Okay... thank you..."

Alejandro led him over to the rest of his friends. Todd was struggling to light a fire and Alejandro chuckled, taking over. He did it expertly and then sat down on a log. Todd sat on a different log and seemed to almost look expectantly at Rodolfo, touching the seat beside him.

Rodolfo didn't even hesitate to sit by Alejandro. Alejandro looked like he was on cloud nine, immediately shifting so he was slightly turned to Rodolfo. He reached behind him into the cooler and got out a weird looking beer.

Rodolfo went to shake his head, since he didn't like beer, but Alejandro shook his head. "It's an apple flavored one. It's sweet, I promise. I got it because you mentioned you didn't like regular beer."

Rodolfo flushed dark. Alejandro had remembered that? He sighed and accepted the beer. "Okay..." He used his sleeve to pop the lid off before trying it. Okay, he had to admit it tasted pretty good.

Alejandro grinned, but got out a bottle in a brown paper bag, popping the lid off and taking a long drink before passing the bottle to Todd, who was glaring at them.

Rodolfo avoided his eyes and looked at Anna and Miriam, instead. They were practically in each other's laps and Miriam was murmuring something in Anna's ear.

Anna was cheating on Miriam, Rodolfo had found out the week before. He knew he should tell Miriam, and he wanted to, but... he worried Anna might go ballistic on him.

"Lets play a game." Anna grinned. "Truth or dare."

"No thanks," Rodolfo immediately said, before shrinking back at her glare. "I always get dared to do something dumb."

"That's the fun of the game." Anna snorted. "You promised, Rodolfo."

Rodolfo slumped, since he did promise he'd go and participate and do stuff. "Alright, alright." He mumbled.

"I'll go first, truth or dare, Miriam." Anna grinned.

Miriam chuckled, her curls bouncing around her head as she shook her head. "Truth, love."

Anna pouted. She leaned back and considered. "What's your favorite part of my body?"

Miriam laughed, softly. "Your mouth." She didn't offer any explanation, but Anna blushed bright red all the same. "Todd, truth or dare."

"Dare." Todd shrugged.

"Fuck. I'm not creative with those." Miriam groaned. "Down a fourth of the vodka Alejandro brought."

"Fuck, Miriam, are you trying to kill him?" Anna laughed.

"Well, it would be nice to be an only child again." Miriam shrugged.

Todd snorted but, since he had the bottle still, leaned his head back and did as told. Rodolfo couldn't help but make a face and looked away. His friends were... crazy.

Todd wiped his mouth when he was done and chuckled, seeming to notice Rodolfo's face. "Alejandro, truth or dare."

"Truth." Alejandro chuckled. "I think I'm gonna play it safe with you guys, for now."

"You're not fun." Miriam teased.

Todd snorted. "Did your dad actually kill your mom?"

Alejandro went silent and Rodolfo frowned. Miriam glared at Todd. "Todd! What the fuck, man?! That is not okay to ask!"

"I want to know!" Todd glared back at her before looking at Alejandro.

Rodolfo cringed. Alejandro felt so tense beside him. "Are you okay?" He asked, carefully.

Alejandro looked at him and seemed to soften. "Yeah, I'm okay..." He smiled. "I don't know. I don't think he did. I'd like to believe he didn't. He's my dad."

Miriam nodded. "We get that." She smiled, throwing Todd another glare.

Rodolfo still felt lost. He didn't know that Alejandro's dad had supposedly killed his mom. Alejandro seemed to see the curiosity on his face, so he smiled, though it was weak. "My mom was murdered when I was a baby and my dad was suspected to have killed her, but the charges were dropped. He says he didn't do it."

Rodolfo winced, feeling awful for Alejandro. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. He's a decent dad, even if he's a potential murderer." Alejandro shrugged and pat his hand. "Alright, Anna, truth or dare?"

Anna considered. "Dare."

"Call your dad and pretend you just found out you're pregnant and then hang up." Alejandro shrugged. Rodolfo blinked. Anna's dad didn't even know she was gay. He was a devout christian. This might kill him.

But, Anna was laughing all the same. "You're fun." She got out her phone and called her dad. She pinched the corner of her eye, starting waterworks. "Daddy??? I have horrible news, I don't know what to do..." She was quiet for a moment, clearly listening to the other side. "I'm... I'm... I'm pregnant!" She sobbed.

Miriam rolled her eyes and looked away. This was a sore subject for them.

The man on the other end of the line started to scream at her so loud Rodolfo could even hear it. Alejandro leaned down. "I think I may have just signed her death certificate." Alejandro whispered in Spanish.

Rodolfo flushed and shook his head. "You're evil." He mumbled. As told, Anna hung up and grinned.

"He's going to skin you." Miriam shook her head. "Alive."

"Nah," Anna shook her head, leaning back a little. "Alright, Rudy, your turn. Truth or dare?"

Rodolfo cringed. "Truth, obviously."

Anna pouted before sighing. "What's your biggest sexual fantasy?"

Rodolfo glared at her. "Dare." Absolutely no way was he fucking answering that!

Anna laughed before shrugging. "Okay. Give Alejandro a lap dance."

Alejandro tensed beside him and Rodolfo looked at him, seeing even he looked unsure. Miriam was cringing rather hard beside Anna, but Todd looked amused.

"Fuck you." Rodolfo shook his head. He was sick of being humiliated by her. "I'm going to go to the fucking car. You four can enjoy yourselves."

"Rudy, rudy wait." Miriam tried, standing. Rodolfo ignored her and walked to the car, opening the door to the backseat and getting in, before slamming it.

A moment later, he heard a knock on the window and he looked out it. Alejandro was standing there, clearly awkward. Rodolfo sighed and opened the door, getting out.

"Hey, I'm sorry." Alejandro mumbled.

Rodolfo shrugged. "Wasn't your fault..." He looked away. "She's just a bitch."

"Why are you still friends with her?" Alejandro frowned. "She treats you like shit, no offense."

Rodolfo shrugged. "She's my only friend."

Alejandro looked like he wasn't sure he accepted that. "I see." He nodded a little.

Rodolfo sighed. "I guess I'll come back..."

Alejandro nodded a little and smiled. "Good." He started to walk with him, back. He looked awkward and shoved his hands in his pockets. Rodolfo felt awkward, so he just stayed quiet.

Rodolfo frowned when he noticed he couldn't see the fire in the distance. Alejandro seemed to have notice as well. "Weird. It was still lit when I came..."

Rodolfo started to get a bad feeling. He approached more carefully. No one was at the campsite anymore but... Rodolfo could smell blood. Which was odd, because usually he couldn't pick that up.

Alejandro raised an eyebrow. "Where did they go??"

"Assholes are probably trying to scare us." Rodolfo mumbled and slumped. Man, he hated them, sometimes.

Alejandro shook his head. "Great." He sighed. Rodolfo went to the cooler to close it so they could drag it back to the car, not wanting to play this game.

Alejandro suddenly screamed behind him and he whipped around. Alejandro was being dragged across the dirt by his ankle. Someone in a black skull mask was dragging him, an axe in his left hand.

"Alejandro!" Rodolfo screamed, frozen with fear. The person suddenly stopped and raised the axe. Rodolfo didn't even hesitate, he just turned and ran.

The smell of blood got stronger as he ran and he was suddenly tripping on something, his ankle feeling like it snapped and going sprawling. His ankle was burning and he rolled onto his back, sitting up.

Oh, god, oh god... He touched his ankle, panicking. He needed to get up, he needed to keep running. He put his hands on the ground to get up, but his left hand landed in a puddle of something sticky.

Dread filled his stomach and he looked to his right. He screamed with horror, seeing Miriam's dead body, her head completely severed from the rest of it. He'd tripped on her leg.

Rodolfo didn't even hesitate to get up. Walking on his ankle felt like hell, but, he needed to get away. He started to limp in the direction he hoped the car was in, trying not to cry out with pain.

He screamed when someone suddenly grabbed him, but was turned around. Anna was there, covered in blood. "Rodolfo! Are you okay??"

Rodolfo relaxed, immediately. "Anna!" He hugged her. "I thought you were dead!"

"Fuck, Rudy, we need to get the fuck out of here. God, Todd went after you and Alejandro and... a moment later, he was dragging himself back to the camp. His feet were just gone and... some fucker in a black skull mask killed him!"

Rodolfo covered his mouth, starting to tremble. This was awful, this was horrible. "He killed Alejandro, too! And Miriam..."

Anna broke down sobbing. "We need to get out of here!" She screamed. She went to drag Rodolfo away but then she went stiff. Her back arched and she gasped, eyes wide.

Rodolfo watched in horror as she fell. An axe was sticking out of her back. He backed up and gasped. Behind her, a few feet away, was the person in the skull mask. He stared into Rodolfo's eyes, his own the only part of him that could be seen.

Rodolfo backed up, but he stepped on his injured ankle wrong and fell, immediately. He teared up. Anna reached to him and he screamed, covering his face. This was a nightmare. He'd wake up and it would all be over.

The person came up to Anna and yanked the axe out of her back. He used his foot to roll her onto her back. She coughed up blood and sobbed. "Please don't kill me... please..."

The person didn't even respond. He just brought the axe down into her face, hacking it in half. Rodolfo watched the entire scene in complete horror.

Then, the person looked at him. He stepped over her body and neared him. Rodolfo immediately started to drag himself backwards, shaking his head. "Please, please- I..." He broke down sobbing when they made it over him.

The axe raised and he covered his face, shaking so hard he couldn't breathe. Rodolfo took a deep breath and then waited for the impact. He regretted giving into Anna so much. He knew he shouldn't have come. Now they were all going to die.

Rodolfo continued to wait for the impact, but it never came. He uncovered his face and the person was just gone. Rodolfo jerked up, immediately, looking around.

They were completely gone. "Rodolfo!" He heard his name called, recognizing the voice immediately. Relief flooded his veins.

"Alejandro!" He called before seeing Alejandro just slightly in the distance. He was limping and holding his side, blood on his hand. He approached quickly.

"Rodolfo! Oh thank god you're alright!" Alejandro came over, dropping to his knees beside him. "Are you hurt??"

Rodolfo shook his head, immediately. "How did you get away??"

"He hacked my side and then... you screamed and he got distracted or something..." Alejandro panted a little. "Can you walk?? We need to get to the car, now!"

Rodolfo shook his head. "My ankle..." He cried out when Alejandro touched it. Alejandro stood and then he was picking Rodolfo up, with fair ease.

Rodolfo found himself flushing dark, despite the situation. Even with his injury, Alejandro had no problem just lifting him. He wrapped his arms around Alejandro's shoulders and trembled. "We're going to die."

"We're not going to die." Alejandro shook his head. They were very fast to the car and Alejandro set him down once there. Rodolfo didn't hesitate to get in and Alejandro got out the keys.

"How did you get the keys??" Rodolfo frowned.

Alejandro cringed. "I... I saw them on Miriam's body and I... I thought it might be good for us to get out of here... Well, admittedly, I didn't know you were alive, so me."

Rodolfo relaxed, accepting that. "I need to go to the hospital..."

"We both do." Alejandro nodded, going around and quickly getting in. He locked the doors and then sped off. Rodolfo let out a heavy breath when they were away and then covered his face again.

"My friends... they're all dead..." He mumbled and sobbed.

"We're alive, that's all that matters, right now." Alejandro touched his arm, half glancing at him.

Rodolfo trembled but nodded. He curled up tightly and took deep breaths. They were alive. They'd survived.

-

Rodolfo laid with Alejandro, closing his eyes. Alejandro pet his hair, gently. "I... I feel horrible, leaving Soap to go on that field trip, alone."

"He'll be okay." Alejandro shrugged and then kissed his hair. "He's a big boy. You both are."

"Yeah, yeah," Rodolfo rolled his eyes but lifted up a bit, wincing at the soreness that caused. He glanced at Alejandro's side and touched the giant scar there.

Alejandro closed his eyes and relaxed a little. "Sometimes.. when I close my eyes, I see that maniac above me. About to split my skull open."

Rodolfo saw all of it, all of the time. He'd never told anyone about it. He never would. The police thought there was just three victims. As it was, three more on a boat from a different killer had been found, so the police were pretty pre-occupied right after.

Rodolfo laid back down, laying his head on Alejandro's chest, listening to his heartbeat. "We survived..."

Alejandro nodded. "Together."

Rodolfo smiled, softly. "Always together."

#Alejandro Vargas #Rodolfo Parra #Alejandro x Rodolfo #Aledolfo #Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II #Call Of Duty #bunnie's slasherverse

[blacksapphhicmaddonna]

I WOULDN’T DREAM OF IT.

Chapter 2 - Roll The Dice

Black!Carol Danvers x Maria Rambeau

Ft. Monica Rambeau

CW: slight mentions of- homophobic slurs(not written out), deciding not to report harassment in the military, one mention of a security/police officer, being drunk/partying, minor cuts/scrapes/bruises, parenting, loss of a parent, childhood trauma, regaining lost memories. also, a big part of this chapter is set in a flashback. nothing too crazy for any of this, but I just want everyone to know that these things are mentioned!

A/N: hey y'all! so, I wrote this like a book. it's long per usual, and this one's a bit angsty but nothing too serious. also sooooo sorry this is so late lmao, life comes at you hard and fast sometimes but we getting it together every day! I'll try to be quicker w/ updates🫡. much love, muahhh. thank you for reading! x ps. this isn't proof read bc I stayed up til 6:30 in the morning to finish writing it LMFAOO.💀 I'll come back at some point and proof read it, but sorry for any typos/grammar/syntax oddities as always.

Word Count: 19,078 (jump scare🫣)

Link to AO3!

title header & mood art by me⋆˙⟡♡ pls don't use/post elsewhere without asking! (lmk if y'all like it though! i'm thinking about doing stuff like this for all/most of my fics maybe)

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@mybonafidefeelings @maysflourish @nanajen8

also go read @mybonafidefeelings's new danbeau/carolxmaria series RIGHT NEOWWWW if you haven't already🥰

and while you're at it, go check out all the fics everyone in the taglist have written! they never disappoint!

here we gooooo, I hope you enjoy part two.💗

Once Monica finished her breakfast, she helped Carol clean up while she told her stories about her friends at school, all the inventions she'd come up with, and any other story her mind mustered up. She wanted to fill in as many blanks as possible for her other mother. Carol listened intently, taking in every moment of her daughter. She wanted to remember everything, even the things that might not seem important to other parents in different circumstances. She wanted to be able to reference these stories, prove that she remembered, that she cared enough to listen. Partly because her own parents never showed an interest, instead always finding the time to show their genuine dislike for her for whatever many reasons they had, or just disregarding her altogether. But also because Monica had always been so welcoming, so ready to receive her back like nothing had happened - or maybe like everything did happen and she still chose to hold on tight to her mother, choosing not to let the time separate them. So Carol held on tight too, wanting to prove she was reliable to the girl. She appreciated how open Monica was to her returning, but she also knew she had been gone for a long time. Longer than she should have been, she often thought. She knew that Monica was young, and might eventually change her mindset on the matter. She had every right to. It would make sense to feel some kind of way, and that scared Carol to her core. So she wanted to at least try and show up in the best way she could. Be present, be a mother - not just someone who literally drops in every now and then. She wanted to give the girl something she could hold onto, something she could trust.

Carol was always so in awe of both of the Rambeaus. Even though Maria always said that she and Monica were so much alike, she loved how much she was just like her mother too. Stubborn, but sure of herself. Interested in everything, always ready to learn and push forward - but soft, in her own way. Gentle, patient and kind. They both would go out of their way, even if it didn’t always seem like they were. She looked like her, too. Her brown eyes, her hair, the way she walked. She was just like Maria in the best ways (not that there was a bad way to be like Maria Rambeau), and also very much just herself. Just Monica, and she was the most amazing child the world had ever managed to produce. Carol was sure of it. 

When they had finished in the kitchen, Carol decided to take a shower too. The hot water should be filled up again, and she was starting to feel the leftover sweat from last night mixing with the approaching heat from the day. Monica sat on the couch and turned on some cartoons, feeling fulfilled from breakfast which made Carol feel proud of herself for a lot of reasons. Cooking was something she always struggled with because she never had anybody to teach her. Maria thinks she might just naturally be a clutz in the kitchen too, but regardless, she worked with her for years as they grew up trying to teach her how to cook, giving her the gentle instruction and patience she never had. Usually to no avail, but it was a fond memory for both of them. Carol smiled, thinking that if her success in making pancakes this morning was any indication of the kind of day she would have with her daughter, she was sure it would be a good one. She wandered back upstairs, running her hands along the walls that still had blue and purple marker stains on them in some spots. As she walked through the hallway towards her shared room, she passed Monica’s room and couldn't help but smile. The girl’s room was what anybody would expect if they’d met her. A little messy, super colorful. She had her personality everywhere. A model of the solar system she had made when she was a little younger for a school project hung from the ceiling over her bed. A stuffed animal Carol had won for her at a carnival when she was a toddler, Maria had one to match that she secretly kept hidden in the drawer next to her bed still. She had drawings on blue construction paper all over her walls, mostly of her inventions (she called them her blueprints). The one picture that was on regular white paper had the word “Family” written on it. A crayon picture of Maria and Carol, with Monica in the middle. Carol’s heart skipped a beat seeing it. She was so lucky, she thought again. She passed the door and made her way to the end of the hall with a happy stride. The day had just begun and she was already doing better than she expected. 

She stepped into the room and paused, her smile growing inward in an almost shy way. She was greeted with the scent and feel of Maria. She inhaled deeply, feeling a level of comfort roll through her body and pang in her chest. Mmm. Carol whispered to herself, almost embarrassed. But she couldn’t help it. She was everywhere. As much as they had kept Carol present in their lives, making sure she was alive and never erased from her fingerprint on the home, it had still been years since Carol had been gone so it made perfect, almost comforting sense to her that they had made it their own. They had to make it comfortable, they had to fill in the empty space. Just like Monica’s room, Maria’s was a perfect snapshot of her personality. It was well kept, everything had a place to be. If it ever did get messy, Carol was sure it didn’t last long. She looked over the room, noting the books next to the bed where Maria slept, all of them half read with bookmarks Monica had made her in them. She looked at the tray of jewelry sitting on the dresser, full of small dainty necklaces and a few pairs of stud earrings with different shapes, and a few pairs of hoops Maria would only wear if she was going out. She looked at the closet, one side open from this morning. All the clothes are organized by color, with a few boxes sitting on the top shelf. Even the bed they had slept in, it was already made perfectly to military standards with the edges tucked in perfectly - except for the top where Maria had extra pillows, all with light purple pillow cases contrasting the perfect white ones underneath.

She looked at the picture frames sitting on Maria’s perfectly organized desk as she walked over to it. On the left side was a picture of her and Monica at a park that had to be fairly recent, a picture of Maria standing outside the SWORD office smiling huge next to an older man in uniform, and a picture of Maria with her brother which must’ve been years old because Maria looked like she was in middle school maybe, making Carol reminisce about the girl she used to know. On the right side of the desk sat two pictures that didn’t face in all the way like the other two, as if they were put there intentionally but also intentionally not looked at as much. One, in a light purple frame, was Maria’s mother. Carol had never met the woman but had seen her face many times growing up in Maria’s father’s house. It was the same then, almost like the woman must have put the pictures of herself up and they didn’t have the heart to take them down, but they tried their best not to look. Next to that sat a framed picture of Carol and Maria smiling at the local bar they used to go to, their uniforms half undone and Carol’s hair out of regs with her aviators pushed back and a red bandana around her head. She remembers the bar more now, Pancho’s. She had been there with Fury and it jogged a lot of things for her, but she so badly wants to remember that day specifically. She runs her fingers close to it, but doesn’t dare to touch. She tries to remember the song they would sing together, all the lyrics. She can’t but she remembers how it felt to jump around for hours and then walk home, too drunk most times, bumping into each other and letting touches and looks linger a little too long, and then having to get up early the next day. She remembers that they would take turns walking each other to their barracks, sometimes daring to sleep in each other's rooms when they thought they might not get caught, always leaving one of them to sneak out in the morning. Carol laughs, thinking about how Maria was right last night, and how she was always better at leaving quietly than Carol.

When her eyes refocus on the photo, she can’t help but wonder how many times Maria had flipped the frame over, hiding the memory from herself. She wonders, just for a moment, if she would’ve been able to live through the grief she put her through. She would never know just how bad it was for Maria, she would never be able to see from her eyes what the woman went through or how she pulled herself out of bed every day and raised a child by herself, kept working, started SWORD. She wondered if Maria ever went back to that bar, or if she ever listened to the song again. She would never know how the woman truly felt in those years or what she did to keep herself busy, and she didn’t think she’d ever feel right asking. She wanted to think about the past few months, after everything. She wanted to think about how it must be even worse, in a way, knowing that Carol was out there saving other people while Monica grew up and Maria trudged on with no choice. She wanted to think about it but couldn’t, knowing what would happen if she let her mind attach to the thoughts and feelings. She gazed at the photo again and turned away, deciding that maybe she didn’t need to remember everything right now. 

She walked over to the box they had pulled out last night for her and started going through some clothes, looking for something to change into. She realized that while she was in space, her suit did all the work for her - she never had to worry about pulling an outfit together. It did the heating, drying, cooling, protecting her from any number of threats - all while containing her powers in a comfortable way for her. So as she sorted through her belongings, she was now also coming to the realization that it also had built in underwear. She only had two pairs of regular underwear to her name and she was wearing one of them. She frantically sifted through the big box to no avail. She questioned why she would only have two pairs of underwear, rather than all of her undergarments or none of them at all. She guessed that the Air Force had something to do with it, remembering that they had packed everything up for Maria to come pick up instead of letting her do it. She cursed them under her breath, mad that once again Maria had something taken from her, deciding that she had no option but to wear the pair of boxer briefs she had found and figure it out later. She grabbed the boxers, an old band tee shirt and a pair of jeans and headed for the bathroom. 

When she walks in the bathroom, she can hear Monica’s cartoons from the living room. 

“I’m gonna bathe myself, Lt. Trouble! Come get me if you need anything, okay?”

 She yells down. She waited to hear Monica’s response and when she didn’t she paused completely, silencing herself and the air around her, cartoons still playing. She could feel her heartbeat pick up its pace.

“Mon? Did you hear me?” 

She shouts again, a bit louder, trying not to let on to her anxiety.

“Okay Mom!”

 Monica yells back, mind focused on her shows. Carol exhaled deeply, relief flowing through her body. She chuckled at mom, gratitude buzzing through her whole body. She was still a mom to Monica and that meant more to her than she could ever explain. She added “go to therapy” on her mental to do list and started stripping.

Once all the layers were off, she chucked her socks in the pile she had made and stepped into the deep tub, pulling a purple shower cap over her hair and bending down to turn on the shower. She pulled the stop up before balancing out the water and heard the water make its way up the long pipe to the shower head slowly as she pulled the curtain closed around her. She immediately screeched, feeling freezing water run over her body. She had forgotten that Maria took cold showers in the morning to wake her up. She scrambled, trying to avoid as much of the frigid water as possible while she flipped up the hot water handle with her toes, jumping up and down, somehow not slipping. As the water began to warm and steam up, she found herself laughing. Out loud. She couldn’t stop. Captain Marvel was giggling like a child (Once again proving Maria right). She slid down and sat on her butt, pulling her knees into her chest and let the water run over her back. She eased into the warm feeling, still feeling laughter bubble up inside of her. She closed her eyes and remembered the last time she felt the shock of cold water all over her.

It was late, or maybe early. Carol felt herself getting tired, but she wanted to keep dancing. She wanted to keep singing. She wanted to keep seeing Maria, feeling her brush up against her while they danced and twirled in sloppy, drunken harmony, singing poorly to whatever song was playing. She didn’t want to go to work tomorrow just to test planes she would never get to fly outside of base. She didn’t want to sleep in her own bed, unless Maria was in it. She just wanted to keep living in this moment for as long as she could. She looked over at her equally drunk copart, dancing freely with her eyes closed. Maria rarely let loose like this, but when she did it was beautiful. She commanded the room, everyone tuning into her wavelength, feeling her all around them. She made everything beautiful, and when she was carefree, it was like no one on earth had a care in the world either. 

Maria opened her eyes to see Carol looking at her and she smiled that toothy grin she had, making the heat from Carol’s chest rise to her face. She smiled back, pushing herself closer to the woman through the people dancing around them. The dark liquor they had both been drinking was coursing through them and burning off with every move, sending sparks through both of their bodies while they watched each other bop to the music. Carol made her way over and laughed, making some comment about how only they could make old white men’s music sound this good. Maria giggled in agreeance, grabbing Carol’s hand and twirling her around. She was tired too, but she was happy to have a break. They had both been working their asses off and both felt the same frustration with the position they were seemingly stuck in. They were making their way up in rank, one then the other, every time. But two facts always remained. They were both Black Women. So the Air Force didn’t give them much reign, despite the fact that they were statistically and literally the two best pilots the Air Force had ever seen and a lot of people knew it. Despite all their talent and gusto, they did their diligence day in and day out. So, when they got the chance to be free from the monotony, they took it, hand in hand, happily. 

As Carol spun back into the woman’s arms with a heaving laugh, they both smiled at each other widely. Maria couldn’t look away, she felt stuck as her eyes moved down from her friend’s eyes to her lips. Carol surprised her by grabbing her other arm and spinning her just how she had done, and pulling her in with a dramatic dip. Everyone around them cheered, drunk too. They laughed with their bellies, feeling the song in their chests. Carol pulled Maria up slow, just as the exciting song ended. The next song started and it was slower, and most people around them coupled up, only some seeming annoyed as they made their way off the dance floor and back to the bar and stools. The two women looked around them, then at each other. They both shrugged with a small laugh, and Carol pulled Maria in to dance. She made some joke about being proper while she found her hands at Maria’s lower back, making the woman laugh as she made herself comfortable around Carol’s neck and shoulders. They laid their chins on eachother and swayed, letting the joke of it all dissipate into the air. It was moments like this that they relished in, secretly. Every now and then, they’d allow themselves a second to breathe each other in. Usually when they were drunk and their inhibitions were low. For both of them, it felt like everything melted away. Just like when they were younger and neither had been asked to the school dance, so they took each other. They shared one slow dance that night, making the excuse that it was tradition and neither should miss out on their first slow dance. They had wanted to dance together at prom, but they had both regrettably had dates for once. Maria had been asked by a boy from her science class, he played on the basketball team and told her she was pretty AND smart (wow, how romantic, Carol thought when she heard the story).

Carol hadn’t been asked but when she found out Maria said yes after being pressured by her father and not hearing Carol make a strong argument against it, Carol forced some kid from one of her classes to come with her. All four had danced that night, split into the ‘correct’ gendered pairs. Carol couldn’t keep her eyes off her bestfriend, and the feeling was mutual. During the final slow dance, they were all on the floor swaying in and out of rhythm with the song playing. Carol and Maria locked eyes and didn’t unlock them until the song was over. They had danced again during their first military ball, quietly in the back behind a pillar where no one could see them. It was unspoken but well understood. They didn’t talk about it after, they just went about their business. They always did. And they would again after tonight, carrying on like time didn’t stop when they touched like this. As the music played, Carol’s hand rubbed Maria’s back absent mindedly, while Maria rubbed small circles against Carol’s neck as they swayed, both in and out of daydreaming, both drunk and leaning a little too heavily on eachother. They both fought the urge to look up at each other, so they let their heavy heads rest on each other as they danced, feet in perfect timing with eachothers. This is what friends do, right? They were so comfortable with each other, it wasn’t weird to slow dance. Right? They almost stopped moving entirely, leaving just a small rocking between them as the music played through them, syncing their breaths. You feel so good, they both thought at the same time, almost forgetting that their freedom in this moment was due to the cognac surging through them.

When time started again and the song stopped, an upbeat one replacing it, they both lingered for a moment longer trying to hold onto the comfort they felt, and trying to collect their drunk selves. Over the sound of the music, the bartender announced last call and they looked at each other with a mischievous smirk. 

“Last one to the bar pays for the shots!” They said in unison, falling gracefully back into their routine. They ran over, both making it there at the same time, so as always they paid for each other’s shots and continued jamming to the music and letting the ambiance of the bar carry them through the rest of the night. Everyone knew everyone, so they felt safe, which was nice. As they finished their last two shots each, they both felt the drunkenness take its strong hold on them and they decided this would be their last song. They grabbed the karaoke mics that no one else wanted and belted at the top of their lungs, horribly but everyone loved it. They jumped up and down, bursting at the seams with laughter and lyrics, dancing with whoever danced with them. Once the song ended, they grabbed each other’s hands and ran for the coat rack, bounding forward despite their lack of balance. 

Pulling on their jackets, they stepped outside into the cooler air and took it in. Carol checked her watch and was astonished to see the time, despite the fact they everyone knew last call at Pancho’s meant it was 2am and the bar would be closing at 2:30. She looked over at Maria who was staring up at the sky.

“What’re you look-”

“Shh! Make a wish! Right now before you miss it!” 

Maria rushed Carol, keeping her eyes closed and her hands clasped together like she was praying, maybe even begging. Carol smiled, knowing the shooting star that must’ve passed was already gone, but she chose to believe the energy would linger for Maria and her. She closed her eyes and spent no time trying to figure out what to wish for. She knew exactly what she wanted, what she needed. They both did. Carol kept her eyes closed after she was done, letting her body relax and fully feeling the disorientation of her drunkenness. She felt woozy, almost nauseous. Maria stared at her while her eyes were shut, allowing her body to relax at the sight. She felt her body move for her, without permission. She grabbed Carol’s hand, shocking the woman’s eyes open and started running without any explanation. 

“What are you doing Rambeau? Where are we going?” 

Carol asked, confused, dizzy and feeling a familiar spike of excitement rise in her. Maria was even more daring and much less prudent when she was intoxicated. She was taking her on an adventure and she was ready to go. She would follow the woman anywhere, drunk or not.

“You’ll see. Don’t you trust me, Danvers?” 

Maria called behind her, laughing and out of breath the whole time but never stopping. Carol didn’t need to answer, they both knew the answer. They kept up laughing, thankful for all the PT they’d been forced to do by the United States military. They ran down quiet streets for a few minutes, until they made it to a dirt path with a bunch of trees, leading them off the main road. Maria looked back at Carol with an excited and sly smile. Carol pulled her hand back and made her face her. 

“You’re not trying to serial killer me, right? Where are you taking me?” 

She laughed, but meant the question.

“C’monnn.” Maria tugged, wanting to live in the moment while she could. 

“Don’t you trust me?” 

She asked again, looking in Carol’s eyes with a glint, but soft. Penetrating, Carol thought to herself. She knew she couldn’t say no, she never could. So, she smiled and signaled for Maria to keep taking her wherever she was.

“Lead the way.”

This made Maria smile excitedly, adding an extra skip in her step. They weren’t running this time but they were walking fast, Maria jumping around Carol who felt like she was in a movie or a trance, eyes never leaving Maria’s dancing body as they made their way down the dark path, leaving her feet to trust whatever path Maria made for her. Maria saw a clearing in the trees ahead of them and she started running again, creating too much space for Carol’s comfort. She snapped out of her trance and ran after the faster woman, feeling anxiety and frustration rise in her for a moment. 

“What the hell, Rambeau? It’s dark out here! You can’t just run o-” Carol started while she wiped the sweat and dust off her face. When she opened her eyes, she saw Maria standing at the edge of a lake surrounded by thick brown sand and trees. Maria waved her over and the frustration fled Carol’s body faster than it arrived. She jogged up to Maria who was already undressing, making Carol choke when she saw glimpses of Maria’s dark skin that she didn’t usually see. I mean, sure, they’d seen eachother in bathing suits and naked before, when they were kids, but it had been a while. A long while. Carol had to force her mouth shut before Maria could see it hanging open.

“Cmon, hurry up! We gotta jump in before my better judgement takes over!” 

Maria rushed as she pulled off her socks and yanked her pants the rest of the way down, pulling them over her ankles. Carol was still frozen watching her.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared Danvers? Cmon! It’ll help with the drunkenness and it’ll be a story to tell our kids!” 

Maria exclaimed, pulling her shirt over her head. All the was left was her bra and perfect light purple underwear. Carol snapped out of it and laughed.

“HA! What the hell are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re about to-”

“Skinny dip? Yes the hell I am. And so are you. Hurry up!”

Maria finished her sentence as she grabbed her hand, pulling her over and pulling the bandana off her head and tossing it with her own clothes she had made a pile of. She started pulling at Carols shirt sleeves until Carol brushed her away, laughing but really just unable to let Maria help undress her. She was suddenly feeling very shy but as always, Maria was going to get what she wanted from Carol because that’s what Carol wanted. Maria looked at her with that So, are you gonna do it or not? look that Carol was usually giving her and waited for Carol’s face to break into a smile she couldn’t help.

“I can’t believe I’m about to do this with you. Don’t cry to me when you regret it tomorrow and have to blow your hair out in the morning!” 

Carol said as she pulled her shirt over her head and exposed her own body, one that Maria wasn’t sure how to fully take in either as she fought back a smile at Carol’s comment. She thought about the last time she’d seen Carol completely naked, or at least as naked as she almost was standing there. They used to get dressed in front of each other all the time and they’d been in matching bathing suits a bunch of times growing up but it had been a while, since they weren’t rooming together in the barracks. She forced her stare away while Carol undid her pants and slid out of them, leaving only her boy shorts, a bra and socks. She kicked her socks off to match as Maria finished pulling the rest of her underwear off, and by the time they both turned around, they were stark naked in the middle of nowhere, right in front of each other.

The silence sat for a moment before they both laughed, the tension easing away like it always did. Maria grabbed Carol’s hand and ran for the water, looking back only to ask You ready? as her feet made their way into the moist sand, inching towards the cold water. Carol shot back As I’ll ever be before making her way in too. They both plunged forward, swimming out a bit but not too far. They both shot under the water and looked at eachother, grabbing hands again before popping back up. The water rolled off of them as they broke through the surface, blinking it from their eyes and feeling their hair. They laughed loudly, finding their bearings in the freezing water.

“Holy shit!” Carol swore, bobbing a bit as she figured out how to float again. Still laughing.

“More like Holy FUUUCK!” Maria shouted out with a laugh in her voice, lifting it into the trees around them. She couldn’t stop laughing, and she couldn’t stop shivering. Carol looked at her as she held her free hand that she was using to balance herself with as she floated out to Maria who happily took it in hopes it would help stabilize her as well.

“You’re a god damn maverick, Rambeau!” Carol laughed as she spun Maria around, swimming in circles trying to keep her blood pumping to warm them both up. Maria swam gracefully, still holding onto Carol’s hand. She was laughing but she was also quieter now. Carol questioned if it was the cold or if it was whatever made her jump into a freezing lake anyway. She pulled her back in and held her hand tight as she pulled her onto her back, pressing her front to her back and taking deep breaths trying to stay warm while still enjoying the fluidity of movement the water provided. They both felt like they were flying, finally.

“What’s going on in your head?” Carol asked as she swam in different directions for a little bit, back and forth as Maria clung to her back, clearly the drunker of the two now. The shock of the water had helped to sober them both up but Carol always had a higher tolerance to alcohol as it was. She was still drunk but not as drunk as her bestfriend, whos head was resting on top of Carol’s wet curls. She knew the humidity and however she planned to get sleep that night wouldn’t help with her process in the morning.

“I just want to fly. I just wanna feel free, you know?” Maria started, not exactly slurring her words but they weren’t as uniform with her natural cadence as they usually were. Carol nodded slightly with a Mhm to assure Maria that she was listening.

“I just… I just wish we could do whatever we wanted to do. I’m so tired of living by the same rules every day. I wish I could just fly into space and stay there, sometimes, you know?” Carol smiled at the thought of Maria being able to fly how she was meant to. High up, above the clouds. Away from everyone and everything that constantly tried to tie her feet to the ground. She did know, she felt the same way about herself.

“You’d leave me here on earth to deal with these bastards?” Carol asked, joking but also not. Maria half laughed, half hiccuped at the thought.

“Wherever I am, you are too. That’s how it’s always going to be, Danver’s. I fly, you fly. You fly, I fly. That’s never gonna change.” Maria said, meaning it. She was always more emotionally open when she was drunk and Carol almost felt bad listening to her, knowing she wouldn’t normally open up like this - especially naked, freezing, clinging to her best friends back with all her might and drunk in a lake they had no business being in. But she couldn’t help but revel in what the woman was saying. She felt the same.

“I know. I know. Come on, lets go home.” Maria wanted to put up a fight but she was shivering and suddenly very sleepy, so she let Carol swim them to shore. When they got out the water, the warm air offered some support in their drunken attempts to pull on their clothing over wet and suddenly sand covered bodies. They weren’t sure if they were putting on the right things but they knew it was covering their important parts and that’s what matters. 

“Can we stay at look at the stars for a little bit?” Maria asked, even though she was the one in charge, whether she knew it or not. Carol knew it. She nodded, knowing it wasn’t a good idea but one she couldn’t deny the soft woman in front of her. She spread their jackets out on the beach for them to lay down and they both did just that, scotting their bodies close to each other instinctively. They peered up at the stars above them, seeing them clearly in the huge circle the trees made. It was perfect, they both thought. Some moments went by before Carol asked a question.

“What did you wish for earlier?”

“Shh. I can’t tell or it won't come true. It was something I’ve always wanted, so it has to come true.” She explained, sleep and bourbon clouding her voice.

“Mine too.” Carol whispered, her own eyes growing heavy. They held hands and both thought that the other woman must’ve wished for them to finally be able to do their jobs the right way, to be able to fly for real. Little did they both know they were wishing for the same thing. Each other.

They laid there, staring at the stars until they weren’t. Sleep came easy for them that night, as odd as it was. It got odder when they woke up, facing each other with only a nose length between their faces, feeling the warm sting of the sun in their eyes. They looked at eachother and started laughing until they heard the familiar sound of security keys dangling and a radio in the nearing distance. They knew it had to be the wannabe cops that patrolled the area and they knew it was their time to get the hell out of there. They ran back down the same path and back onto the main road until they made it to Pancho’s. They slowed to a casual pace after that, trying not to draw attention to themselves even though they had sand all over and their hair was nowhere near what it looked like the previous night. They walked, quietly, but happily together back to the barracks and passed out in Maria’s room. She wanted the comfort of her own space to ease through her impending hangover, but she needed the comfort of Carol’s arms too. Carol put up no fight, trying not to be too obvious that she wanted to be there too. Though she’d never tell, Maria positioned herself perfectly to be held and went right to sleep.

Carol stayed up until she fell asleep like she always did, making sure she was on her side in case she threw up or needed water. She watched as Maria slept, looking like she was floating again. She was so beautiful and Carol was so tired. She laid down and held the woman, her arms perfectly fitting into the space that was left, like it was made for her. They slept most of the day away and when Carol woke up, she set medicine next to Maria’s bed and snuck out, quieter than normal. She thought about what Maria had said when she was in the water as she walked back to her room to take care of her own hangover and messed up fro’. She promised herself that day that no matter where she flew, she would make sure Maria would be there too. Behind that promise, she knew that she would follow Maria to the end of the earth, even the end of the universe without a second thought. She tried to shake some self respect back into her own dreams, smiling despite herself and went to sleep. She dreamed of Maria, because Maria was her dream.

Carol’s day dreaming was interrupted by a cold surge through the shower head again, and the sound of the downstairs sink running before being cut off. Her super hearing alerted her to the sound of Monica filling a cup and going to sit back down. She buzzed under the cold water before it eased back into the warmth she had set for herself. She felt more fond of the cold now. She stood back up and washed her body, letting the water run over her face. The soap smelled like both Monica and Maria and she felt comfort knowing she would smell like them now, too. She finished up and got out, drying herself with her powers instead of making more laundry for herself with the towels she had been looking at the night before. She grabbed her clothes and located her underwear and bra from the pile. 

When she grabbed the pair of boxers, she looked at the inside hem and saw “DANVERS” written in smudged black sharpie on the white tag. She laughed with an edge of old frustration, remembering how she had to do that because people kept stealing her underwear in the laundry room as a prank because her and Maria had ranked up before a few of the other men in their unit. Maria’s clothes never got stolen, but they didn’t refrain from trying to get to her in other ways. None of which she ever humored, but Carol knew it got to her a few times. Some of the guys had called them ‘lesbos’ a few times, and eventually it evolved into the d slur. Both pilots always had different comebacks that consistently left the immature weasels with little to say back. Carol knew both of those words well having heard them most of her life, and she had taught herself not to internalize it.

Maria, on the other hand, let the first one roll off her for the most part - but the second one sometimes picked at scabs she had long covered up. Scabs she wasn’t ready to look at yet. They both decided not to report the harassment because it would probably end up worse if they did, and eventually it died down. They both continued to rise in ranks slowly but surely, and finally Mar-Vell came and they felt some reprieve from the monotony they were used to. Carol shivered at the thought of what came after that, though. 

She slid the rest of her clothes on and walked back into the bedroom. She put her dirty clothes in the laundry basket next to the closet for her to do later, and walked back over to the box of her things. She’d seen a bunch of stuff Monica had shown her the first time she came home, but she wanted to know what was in the other boxes Maria had kept. She went through the bottom of the box that had her clothes in it not finding anything she hadn’t already seen, and then pulled open the other one they had left out. She presumed this is one Maria hadn’t shown Monica as it had light dust on it when she opened it.

She sifted through, halfway hoping to find another pair of underwear, but instead she found a bunch of papers and trinkets. Some necklaces and a silver chain bracelet, wristbands from carnivals and bars they had been to together, a pair of dice from a board game they had stolen from a store one time when they were younger and had kept as they grew up. She ran her hands over everything, trying to take in as much of her former self as she could like she always did when she had the chance. She fumbled at the bottom of the box and pulled out a bunch of papers, some folded, some grocery lists with toiletries and snacks crossed off here and there, some half done crossword puzzles that Carol was never good at, and a few opened envelopes. She sat the rest down and looked over each envelope with care. 

Some had cards in them, birthday and christmas cards, one from valentines day. All of them had silly characters or jokes on the front. They had made a good habit of buying each other cheesy cards for every holiday they could think of, Carol strained to remember as she read through them. She rubbed her finger over Maria’s perfect signature, wondering if she kept the ones Carol had gotten her, too. She filed through the papers curiously, flipping through piece after piece of paper that held a small snapshot of moments in her life. Mundane, ordinary moments. She cherished them, and she was grateful to both Maria for keeping them and herself for never being organized and keeping all this stuff that most people would’ve eventually thrown away or allowed themselves to misplace over time. Her eyes fixed on a thicker envelope. She grabbed it, reading the red script labeled across the front.

To: Danvers

From: Rambeau ♡ 

Carol smiled at the little heart Maria had drawn next to her last name. She opened the letter, finding another heart on the back of the envelope where it was once sealed. Carol reads over the letter, feeling emotion and memory rise up in her chest, spreading through her whole body. The letter is dated, of course because Maria is ever punctual. It was from when they had been stationed at two separate bases for the first few months. It was agony for both of them, being in two separate states. Carol had sent Maria a letter when she first arrived, thinking she would be the first one to write. She was shocked, however, to find a letter waiting for her when she arrived at the post office on base. She had opened it the second she got back to her barracks room. It was an envelope inside an envelope, the outer one having had their full names and ranks and official military postage, the second one having the cute little hearts Maria drew perfectly when she wrote. Again, she was softer than most people expected her to be.

The letter expressed pretty much exactly what Carol had in hers, which came to no surprise to either of them when they both read what the other had sent. They were always on the same wavelength. They both had so much more they needed to say, but they were so grateful to hold something physical that the other had taken time to write for the other.  Maria asked how Carol was doing, explained what had been going on with her, and complained about the men on base per usual. Just as if they were together in person. 

As Carol read through it, she laughed, probably how she had the first time, at a lot of the letter. Towards the end though, she felt a tight ball of heat sitting in her chest restricting her breathing. She almost couldn’t read through what was left of the letter. Was she embarrassed? 

“Anyways, I hope you’re still kicking ass. I KNOW you are, that always came easy to you. 

I hope we can call soon, hopefully without being interrupted by the other idiots needing to use the phone every single time you do. I can’t believe there's only four on your base and only two that actually work (what happened to ‘The Air Force’s finest?’). You’d think with all the money the military has.. You know. I know it’s hard for both of us to find the time right now but I just really miss you, Carol. I miss shitty karaoke a lot, I can’t do it with these clowns here without you. Friday nights just aren’t the same haha. I miss renting the same movies every weekend and staying up all night eating too much. I even watched Fame the other day without you. I still hate it but it was nice, I just wish you were here to act out all the scenes. And I’ll deny it if you ever tell anybody, but I even miss your shitty cooking (burn this after reading), and not just because it makes it easier for me to be the better cook, but just because it’s you. I never used to hate writing letters but I do now, because it reminds me how far they have to travel to get to you. I hate that we’re not together, we’ve always been together. And as much as I act like I know what I’m doing, sometimes I feel lost without you here. And I know we’ve been pretending everything is the same but it isn’t, at least not for me. I wish we had more time to talk before you left. I wish we had more time in general. Damn the Air Force. Regardless, I just want you to know that I love you. And I’m so proud of you. I always am.

It’ll all be better soon. I believe that, just like you always do. We’ll be up in the air in no time. I’ll meet you up there. I’ll be the one whipping by you. Catch up if you can.

Take good care of yourself, because I’m not there to do it for you. 

You’re the best damn pilot in the Air Force (second only to me, of course), and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise! Call me when you get the chance. And hurry up and write back!

Always, 

Rambeau.

Ps. Things wont always be this way. Don’t forget that. And don’t forget that round of shots you owe me, either, goofball.”

Carol felt the heat of a blush running to her cheeks. She was thankful for her dark complexion hiding it, although no one was there to see her anyways. Why did she feel so giddy, and also… embarrassed? She felt like she was reading someone’s diary, even though the letter was clearly addressed to her and she had already read it. Years ago. She scanned over the text again, regarding Maria’s perfect handwriting. She felt like she was reading a love letter. Maybe it was, but she was too anxious to entertain the thought too much. She wasn’t exactly sure what that would mean, and she wasn’t sure if this year's old letter still even meant anything other than friendship.

Maria had been tight lipped about a lot of stuff, even though she pretended like she wasn’t. Her and Monica always answered Carol’s questions openly, happily for the most part unless it was about the ‘missing period’. They all tried to avoid that subject now, as time had gone by, but they all also knew that it would come up naturally sometimes and it couldn’t be left unanswered all the time. Aside from that, to the untrained eye, it seemed like Maria was willing to give up any bit of information that would help get them all back to how they used to be or at least help figure out what life looked like moving forward. But Carol knew better, she had a very well trained eye for Maria Rambeau, it was second nature for her - with or without the gaps in her memory. There had been a few moments,  just brief enough to almost miss, since Carol came back the first time with Fury and even more recently on some of her visits, when the unshakeable Maria had gotten flustered or nervous, where the heat currently in Carol’s cheeks had been in hers. When her heart threatened to beat so hard it would leap from her chest. Granted, she hid it well but again, Carol could always see through her. She seldom was at a loss for words or made quick, messy cover ups in conversation. Usually the people around them didn’t even notice. Monica didn’t even catch it, or at least didn’t acknowledge it. It happened once or twice when Carol and Maria were alone, too. Carol knew things like that only happened when Maria felt unsure, or when she really didn’t want to talk about something. Anyone who had ever met Maria knew she was as straightforward as they come, so that’s what made Carol pay extra attention when she was avoiding something. 

The thoughts of romance danced around Carol’s brain tauntingly, aching for her to pull them forward and examine them. But knowing how Maria was, and knowing that she only got that way when she was purposefully avoiding something, Carol settled on a quiet feeling of rejection instead - against her better judgment. She let it swell through her, enflaming the previous feelings of embarrassment right along with it. She put the letter away, resigning that she should just be thankful to have a friend who cares for her so much and that she wouldn’t allow herself to think anything else. She did this often, rejected herself before other people could to avoid the stinging feeling of embarrassment or disappointment her parents and the people she grew up with often supplied her with.

Maria never made her feel that way, and maybe that's why she would accept this quiet, self imposed feeling now instead of facing it in person with the other woman. She couldn’t risk ruining something she had just gotten back, anyways. Right? Right, she forced herself to agree in her head. She decided to go find Monica and clear her head of the letter. As she walked out, she glanced at the picture of Maria and the child again and sighed softly, letting a small smile of gratitude cover her face. This could be enough for her, if she would let it be.

Monia was sitting on the couch still, no longer paying any mind to the tv playing in the background. She was eagerly reading through the huge phone book they usually had sitting on the coffee table, bracing it against her bended knees as she flipped through the yellow pages quickly. 

“What’re you looking for, Lt. Trouble?”

“Someone who sells the parts I need for my next invention! What letter do you think that would be under?”

Carol laughs, deciding to humor the girl.

“Hmm, you know I’m not sure. Have you tried under sales? Or maybe…a junkyard?”

“I could try the junkyard! I didn’t try that yet!”

“Maybe I can get you a hook up from Fury, orrrr maybe your mom knows someone at her job? What’re you even looking for?”

“I already asked her last week! She said she would check but I think she was just saying that. Here’s my list.”

Monica handed Carol a surprisingly long list, with a few things checked off that Carol assumed were already laying around the house. She wondered if Maria knew that these things had been checked off, which gave her a good chuckle. She set the list down and turned to Monica.

“Okay, I think I can get you some of these but the bigger things are definitely gonna need some work. Maybe we can roll down to the junkyard this week?”

“YES! And no take-backsies!”

“Wouldn’t dare. How about you come help me handle the laundry and dishes and then we can head outside?”

“Deal. I think you might need help figuring out the detergent set up Ma’ has anyways. She’s very particular.” 

Monica explains, leaping up into action and grabbing Carol’s hand to pull her along.

Monica was right, Maria had a very elaborate and strict laundry system. The two of them likely didn’t get it exactly right but they did their best to pay attention to details neither of them really cared about but knew Maria did, wanting not only to please and respect Maria, but also wanting to avoid what she would have to say about it if they got it wrong or chose to ignore it. Carol tried to use her powered speed and agility to help make the process move quicker, but it only hindered the experience. She noted that the chance to move slowly and be mindful was probably why Maria seemed to enjoy the routine of laundry and such. It probably helped calm her down and help her be present after long days working to protect the whole world, while still having to be a full time mom to a rather rambunctious child, on top of whatever anxiety Carol added throughout her week. She smiled and decided to try and match the attentiveness. Her and Monica spent a while switching between loading and unloading, doing the dishes left over from dinner last night and breakfast - eventually returning to sort and fold the clean clothes and linens. It smelled lovely in the laundry room, reminding both of them of Maria. It comforted them in a way only she could. 

Once they finished with the inside chores, they decided to mix and match to-do lists. Monica needed to catch some frogs just as much as Carol needed to mow the lawn, she insisted. Carol agreed to help her catch some frogs if she would agree to help her patch up some of the paint that Maria had been avoiding doing. They shook on it, running off into the field that would be mowed down later in the day. They went at it excitedly, jumping around in the tall grass and dirt, painting not so gracefully and splattering white paint on each other by “accident”.

By the time they finished the side of the house and Monica had caught, released and named at least eight frogs that she swore were all different despite being nearly identical, they had both created more laundry to do and were both definitely in need of a bath but neither minded in the slightest. Even once they were done, they chased each other around tirelessly until Monica was hiccupping and giggling at the same time. Carol marveled at Monica’s intrinsic wonder and love at the world around her. In her Hero heart, watching it solidified her sense of duty to protect the galaxy, making sure nothing and no one could ever bring harm to the world her daughter so loved. But in her Carol heart, it made her giddy too. Almost envious in a way. She missed the days when she could roll around in a yard and only worry about trying not to crush too many bugs. Now she had to worry about whether someone was going to crush a planet or not. She often longed for a childhood she never really had, and sometimes even the one she did have when she could piece it together. She knew it wasn’t a good one, but she had Maria. She just had Maria. And now Monica does too, and god was she glad about it. 

Carol picked the younger girl up and flew her to the front porch in a flash, something Maria would swear she didn’t approve of as she fought back her own giggles. Monica shouted with pure glee as her feet landed back on the wood she knew well. They zipped in the house and ran to the kitchen, ready for lunch. Monica decided she would handle making it, promising Carol the best turkey and cheese sandwich she would ever have. Or at least better than she could make herself.

“Mayo or mustard Mama?”

Carol beamed a grin across her face, feeling a familiar hot blush swipe across her at the word mama but she tried to play it cool.

“I want whatever you’re having, Trouble!”

Carol responded happily, only after registering the fact that she hated mustard and hoped that Monica did too. She watched as the girl ran through the kitchen, leaving a small mess across different surfaces. She whipped up the two sandwiches like she did it very often, and sat two plates down in front of Carol with a big toothy smile. 

“Wa-La! The Trouble special!” 

She exclaimed, nudging the sandwich to Carol and taking a big bite out of her own, leaving a smudge of mayo on the inner side of her finger. Thank god, Carol laughed to herself. Before she could remind the girl to make sure she cleaned up, Monica was already stacking up her ingredients and propping open the fridge with her foot. This made the woman smile, knowing she had probably heard one too many times from Maria about cleaning up after herself. 

“Take a bite!” Monica mumbled, chewing down another bite herself and gesturing to Carol with her hands. Carol bit into the sandwich and began mimicking the fancy chefs they would watch on tv together.

“Mmm! Magnificent work yet again, Chef Rambeau!”

Monica smiled before straightening her face and standing up straight before taking a bow, nearly dropping her own sandwich. They both laughed and enjoyed their sandwiches, Carol deciding to sneak Monica a coke in thanks for making the best sandwich she’d ever had, saying "this ones on me” and promising to tell Maria she drank them if she asks. Once they both finished and decided that Monica won the burping contest, they decided to tackle the lawn and climb the tree. Monica ran back outside like she had all the energy in the world, and Carol followed behind at a much slower pace as if she didn’t literally have all the energy in the world.

They took turns pushing the mower up and down the huge yard in different directions, trying to make different drawings with the pattern it created. Carol figured Maria wouldn’t mind much. Once they finished, both sweating under the direct heat of the sun, they were both happy to have some reprieve when they made their way over to the trees. Carol laid down in the grass underneath the biggest tree, grateful for the shade it provided.

She breathed deep, taking in the soft wind that was blowing. It wasn’t as humid as she had expected, another thing she was grateful for. Monica plopped herself next to her, pulling up her tee shirt sleeves to match Carol’s rolled up sleeves. She poked at the tan line appearing where the shirt sat for most of the day. Carol pointed to her own, kind of happy to have a tan to her brown skin again. She spent a lot of time in her suit, so it always felt nice to have regular clothes on. She thought about how the sun on earth felt so different than on other planets, who all had different sources of heat and light. She looked over at Monica, who was now laying down too, watching a lady bug crawl through her hands. She was brighter than the sun, Carol thought, before she pushed her sunglasses up her forehead to tangle in her fro’ again.

“So, you’re gonna conquer the big one today, huh?”

“Absolutely. Mom always gets nervous so she told me to wait until you came home again. The whole super power thing and stuff.”

Monica rolled her eyes and continued looking at the lady bug with curiosity.

“Well, she kinda has a point kiddo. Let’s do it.”

Monica jumped to her feet, pausing only to gently place the lady back in the grass and hopped over to the foot of the tree. She walked around it, looking for the perfect place to start. She found her footing and called Carol over to spot her from behind.

“Alright, pay attention and be careful. Let me know if you get stuck, okay?”

“Gotcha gotcha. If I get stuck, will you fly up to me?” 

Monica asked while climbing up the first couple inches, hoisting herself up to find a sturdy hand hold between two branches and bracing her legs against either side. 

“We’ll see.”

Carol watched intently, squinting her eyes against the sun and smiling with her teeth, hands ready to catch Monica. The girl climbed up a few feet and held on tight.

“So, this is how far I got last time with Mom. I just have to streeetchhhhh over to the next branch.”

“You got this, just pretend your arms are made of elastic and reach.”

Monica tried a few times to stretch over with no success, before deciding to just leap as far as she could to connect her hands. Carol’s heart nearly jumped out her chest, not even realizing her own feet had ended up off the ground, floating next to the girl who had successfully made the jump. She smiled at her mom, ignoring the small scratches on her forearms that were starting to bleed just a little bit.

“Jesu- Good job, Trouble! Just maybe tell me next time?”

“We’ll see.”

Monica shot back with that same toothy grin her mother has. She made her way up the rest of the tree and sat on the highest branch she felt comfortable with, kicking her feet with pride. Carol decided to climb the tree next, doing it with ease to meet Monica on the branch. She sat on the one next to it, as to not add too much weight. 

“Why didn’t you just fly or float or something?” 

“That would be cheating! Plus, I wanna be as cool as you are. I wish I had a camera so we could show your mom!”

“I’ll just have to do it again!”

“Sounds like a plan, kiddo.”

Carol laughed, squeezing Monica’s cheek just a bit before letting her climb on her shoulders to fly back down and head to the house to clean up. 

After washing up, they decided to play some video games for a bit until it was time to start setting up for dinner. They had about two hours until Maria got home and they both wanted to at least be started on food when she arrived. Monica pulled out all her favorites and told Carol to pick which one to play first. They took turns picking after the first few rounds of operation, shutes and ladders, and jenga - all of which Monica won.

Carol insisted on playing something she had a fighting chance at, so they grabbed the deck of cards from the coffee table and played Go Fish. Carol won the first round, but Monica won the last three. Finally, admitting full defeat, Carol asked if they had anymore games. Monica grabbed two more from where they kept them, splaying them on the table. Carol’s eyes caught something familiar, pulling it to herself without a thought. She stared at the worn box and tried to remember. Monica watched, offering an explanation just as Carol was finding one of her own.

“Mom says she always used to beat you at this. She wouldn’t play it with me for a while but one day she brought it out after dinner and taught me. She beat me too the first two times, but I beat her after that. You wanna play?”

Carol wasn’t sure if she was biting back a smile, a laugh, or tears. She nodded and let Monica set the board up. Monica read the instructions out loud just in case Carol didn’t remember it, which Carol wasn’t sure if she did. She decided to just play and see what sticks. Monica handed her the light blue piece without asking, and Carol saw that it had her initials written on it. She watched as Monica sorted through the colors, passing over the purple one that had M.R written on it. She felt a tug in her heart as she watched Monica choose the red one that had a small, barely legible M.R on it too. She watched as Monica pulled out cards and then a set of white and black dice. Carol stood up abruptly, leaving Monica no time to question it.

“Hang on, there’s two pieces missing. I’ll go grab them.”

Carol ran upstairs almost embarrassingly fast and b-lined for the box she had looked through earlier. She grabbed the two colorful die she had left there earlier and headed back downstairs, feeling a mixture of excitement and belonging, along with a deeper, quieter sense of yearning. 

Her and Monica played several rounds, Monica winning the first one until Carol remembered all her strategies from all the times she had beat Maria’s ass at the game. Carol agreed to another game, rolling the dice first since she lost the last round. She rolled doubles, and took her turn. While Monica was doing her lucky roll ritual of blowing on the dice and kissing her small hands, Carol felt herself slipping into a memory she had long displaced. She let herself remember slowly, recalling the reason the dice had even been separated from the game board in the first place. 

“You take the board, I’ll take the dice. That way, we both have a piece, neither of us can play, and then no one else gets the chance to whoop your ass. That’s reserved for my talents.”

Carol laughed, but she was being serious. She was desperate to hold onto anything that could be just for them. Something she could carry in her pocket shamelessly, that no one would understand if they saw. They might think she had a gambling addiction or something, no one would suspect she was trying to hold onto any remnants she could of the woman she loved in her everyday life. She watched as Maria chuckled, probably formulating a sarcastic comeback, Carol assumed with a smirk. Maria never just accepted defeat, that's why they had played the game so many times. 

“Sounds good to me, Danvers. I wouldn’t let anybody else win, anyway.” 

Maria quipped back, knowing she never actually let the other woman win but she couldn’t resist making her think about the possibility. She, too, was happy to keep as many tangible reminders of what they had with her. They both had been fighting with themselves for their friendship to be enough, that having that ripped away from them sent them both reeling. She rubbed her finger over the ripped up pricing sticker on the back of the box waiting for Carol to respond.

“Yeah, OKAY. Like hell you let me win. No one loses that many times, THAT bad and is just letting-”

Maria wrapped her arms around the other woman, letting the box and a few pieces fall out on her bed. She held on tight and fought against sniffling. She wouldn’t let herself let it go. Let her go. She felt Carol choke on the words she didn’t get to finish and relax her body into the embrace. It was almost too relaxed. Neither wanted to admit they were fighting back tears that might never stop flowing if they let them start.

Carol didn’t mind being cut off, she was just finding words to string together anyway. There really wasn’t time for small talk but what else were they supposed to do? Leave it up to Maria to figure it out. To do the thing no one else would. To make the move everyone was afraid to - the one Carol was afraid too. Most people thought Carol was the fearless one just based off her usual demeanor and what people saw her do. Little did they know that she had never been more terrified than in this moment. Not knowing when they’d be able to play the game again. Not knowing when they would be able to touch like this again. Not knowing anything other than that they were afraid and loved each other so deeply.

They sat like that for longer than they both figured they should’ve, but neither felt any regret or shame in the moments as they piled up. They both ignored the awkward angle they were in, they both ignored the sounds outside the barracks room, they both ignored the clock as it ticked cruelly forward. They sank into each other, both laying their chins on the other's shoulder, letting the sides of their faces touch. It was close enough to look over and kiss. Neither dared to let the thought get too loud, choosing to let the contact be enough. It always had to be just enough, between them.

They didn’t say much after that, just small hums and sniffles here and there as they rocked slowly trying to find any sort of comfort they could. They laid down after a while, and before Maria could protest through her tears, Carol promised she would get up early enough to make it back to her room before the bus left the base. They laid there, quietly fighting sleep, wrapped as close together as they could be. Maria kept her face down and her forehead on Carol’s chest, Carol kept her arm under Maria’s neck and pulled her as close as she could with the other. Eventually she reached for Maria’s hand, this time it was her turn to do the thing that they both needed someone to do. Maria eventually cried herself to sleep, and Carol stayed up just rocking her softly until the sun came up. 

When she stood up to leave, grabbing her bags and smoothing a hand over her braid, Maria turned over to take her in. She tried to glare at her, but it softened itself against her will into a sad smile. 

“Don’t you dare leave without saying goodbye, Danvers.” 

They both felt a warm tear or two tear itself across their cheeks. Carol tried her best to match the smile Maria was bravely offering her but it came off even weaker. She walked over and kissed the woman on the forehead before turning to leave, afraid that if she stayed even a minute longer she would never leave. Thoughts of going AWOL floated through her head for the billionth time since she had gotten her orders four days ago. She fought them off with as much strength as she could muster and took another step into the door frame.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

She felt the glare of a rising sun sear into her eyes and she stepped through the threshold, choosing not to look back at the woman on the bed she had just left. Maria wondered if she would’ve looked back either, as she let herself curl into herself and let out the sobs she was fighting back before. She silenced them as best as she could and stayed that way until she had to get up, leaving her no choice but to pull herself together into something that resembled the woman she was just a few days before. 

Carol stood outside the door, trying hard not to listen for Maria for a moment before forcing her feet forward. Step after step, more tears fell from her as she grit her teeth to fight back the screams sitting in her chest. She, too, had to be put together in the next few minutes and it seemed the most impossible task. It almost was.

“Ma’? It’s your turn.”

Carol shook her head, only then registering the wetness in her eyes. She picked up the dice and rolled them, trying to refocus on the game infront of her. She shouted when she rolled doubles again, meaning she got to go twice now.

“Looks like I still got it, afterall!”

“Yeah.. sure. Let’s ignore that I beat you all the other times.” 

Monica laughed out, observing the change in her mother.

“I was just letting you win!”

Carol laughed, mostly to herself, as she moved the blue piece across the board.

“That’s what mom always says. I don’t believe her and I definitely don’t believe you!”

Monica shot back playfully. This made them both laugh, knowing it was true. Some things don’t change.

They kept playing a few turns until Monica finally decided to ask the question she had been formulating the whole game so far.

“What were you thinking about?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just now, after you took your first turn. It seemed like you weren’t really here for a little bit.” 

Monica, just like her mother, ever to the point. Carol hesitated before choosing to just answer truthfully.

“Sometimes, when I’m home with you guys or even when I’m out there in space.. If I touch something, or smell something or someone says a certain somethin’... I remember stuff. Sometimes its just a quick second in my mind, sometimes its like flashbacks. I have a lot of rememberin’ to do, so sometimes I get stuck trying to see it clearly.”

Monica stared at the woman in front of her with understanding eyes. She waited a moment before responding.

“That makes sense, you know. I heard on TV that amnesia can make it take a while to get all your memories back.”

Carol shifted in her seat at the word amnesia, because it was so medical. She never actually did get checked out by a doctor on earth, trying to avoid a conversation about why she was super charged 24/7. She didn’t want to draw attention to her family but she had heard the word being tossed around by Fury and Maria a few times. She nodded at Monica, motioning for the girl to take her turn as they talked. Monica continued.

“Ya’know… I like when you remember stuff. Sometimes I get sad thinking you don’t know all the stuff I do. But then I just remember that it's still in there somewhere. There’s a lot of good stuff waiting for you.”

The girl smiled reassuringly, finishing her turn and deciding to pat Carol’s hand softly just like her mom does to her when she’s upset by something.

“You’re pretty smart, you know that?”

“Of course I know that. I’m actually a genius, but that’s all just semantics.”

“You got me there, kiddo.”

Carol said while rolling the dice again and moving her pieces. She might actually win this round.

“If you ever have any questions about stuff, you can just ask me. Mommy doesn’t always tell you or me everything, but I remember. Sometimes I think I know more than both of you combined.” 

Monica smirked, looking over the board calculating precisely how to take Carol out now that she had her where she wanted her. She took her turn calmly, trying not to alert Carol to her master plan. Carol watched mindlessly as the girls piece glided across the board. Maybe she wouldn’t win this round, actually.

“That would be nice, Mon. Thanks. You can ask me stuff too. Also, just spare me and take me out now!”

Carol smirked back, knowing she would have to roll doubles again to beat the red piece.

“It’s no fun if you just give up!”

Carol decided to do Monica’s good luck trick this time, blowing on each die separately and then kissing her hands when she brought them together. She tossed them on the board aimlessly, trying not to focus on the numbers so she didn’t jinx it. They both watched as both die rolled a 3.

“No way!”

“Haha! Maybe your lucky trick does work!” 

Carol laughed as she moved her piece past Monica’s and into the goal. Finally, a win. She stood up and did a goofy dance around the table like Monica had done before her when she was winning. They both started the giggles again, deciding it was probably time to start cleaning up and getting everything ready for dinner.

As they sorted through the cabinets together, Monica standing on the counter despite what her mother would say, Monica began telling Carol stories to see if she could help jog her memory since Carol hadn’t asked any questions yet. She ran through her baby years, her toddler years - especially her ‘troublesome two’s’ as Maria calls them, and everything up until when Carol went missing. They both chose not to talk about why there was such a gap in time. Carol listened quietly, laughing here and there when the story almost always resulted in some hilarious mishap on Carol and Monica’s part. Monica felt successful as she could see her mom piecing things together while they attempted to boil noodles and mix together pasta sauce on the stove. They both tried to keep it from getting messy, not wanting to add any stress to Maria’s plate when she got home. 

Monica told as many stories as she could while Carol took them in happily, filing some away to focus on later when she could fully process them. They were all happy moments, usually funny. It was nice to know that life was good before the accident. Finally, when they started grating the cheese together, Monica decided she would ask some questions now since she had told so many stories. She had a lot she wanted to know too. 

“Here, you do this one and I’ll do this one. Just be careful with the grater, it can get tricky towards the end.” 

Carol motioned to Monica as she walked over to the table with a bowl to put the cheese in when they were done. Carol picked up some cheese and got to work, being mindful herself. Just because cuts healed up quickly for her didn’t mean they didn’t sting when she got them. She knew this well, especially being in a kitchen. Monica started grating too, trying to perfectly time her question. She had been through the boxes upstairs too, always making sure to leave them how she found them so she didn’t tip her mother off. She never understood why she kept them private from her like she didn’t already know about most of the stuff in there. 

“So, why don’t you and mom kiss anymore?”

Carol’s hand skidded to a stop, a choke coming up her throat that ended in a cough she could barely get out. She stood there stunned for a moment, unsure if she had heard the girl correctly. She didn’t notice the small cut on the side of her finger from the edge of the grater yet.

“W-what?”

“Why don’t you and mommy kiss anymore? I don’t know why she keeps all that stuff in the boxes upstairs a secret like I didn’t always see you guys. It was normal when you guys acted normal, now it’s weird seeing you two act different. Did you guys get into a fight or something?”

Carol was still too stunned to speak, standing over the more than half grated cheese that was now no good to use since her finger was bleeding a bit more. Monica looked up at her and noticed the blood, then stared at her with those same curious eyes, only now a touch of concern in them. Carol could feel the stare so she forced herself to shake her head again, clearing her throat in the process.

“I, um, I don’t really know what you’re talking about I don’t think.”

“Right. Here, your blood is ruining the cheese.”

Monica handed her a towel. Carol looked down and finally noticed all the blood. It wasn’t a crazy amount but definitely enough to have ruined the cheese. She wrapped the towel around it and walked to the sink, rinsing it off with cool water while she felt like she was in a daze. She started thinking about the letter Maria had sent her again. She read through the words in her head again, over and over while the water stung her finger. She could hear Monica in the back cleaning up her mess and she felt bad. She felt bad for ruining a part of dinner per usual, but also for reacting this way. And for not actually having an answer. She couldn’t have been sure before this but now she could.

Maybe? Maybe Monica meant cheek kissing or forehead kisses. Maybe her child mind was more innocent than Carol’s confused one. She turned the water off and looked in the junk drawer for some bandaids. She pulled out a pink barbie one and wrapped it tight over her new cut. It would probably be gone in a few hours but she wanted the security of the bandaid in the moment. For some reason, she felt shaken up again. Her face felt hot and her chest felt tight. She turned back to Monica who was finishing up her grating now, adding it into the bowl. As Carol walked back over to grab it to put with the rest of the food, she was searching for something to say in response that actually made sense. Before she could get anything out, Monica chimed in again.

“I’m sorry I asked, I wasn’t sure if it would make you feel funny. But please don’t tell mom I was snooping. I just wanted to see as much of you as I could. But she’ll be upset with me if you tell, I think.”

“Don’t worry about it, Trouble. Secrets safe with me.” 

Carol said, smiling weakly at the girl. Monica did feel bad, but she also kind of knew this would be the reaction Carol would have. It only confirmed one of her theories, that Carol didn’t remember that her and Maria were in a relationship. She was almost tempted to say something else when they both heard the sound of Maria’s car pull in the long drive way. They looked at each other and nodded quickly. Monica started cleaning off the table while Carol started making plates. Finally, something her super speed could help with. She made all three plates and set them on the table right as Maria opened the front door. Monica ran over to her, hugging her tightly as she hung her bag on the rack near the door. She hugged back, running her hand softly over the girls forehead with a smile. 

“Smells good in here. Did Monica cook?” Maria laughed, kicking off her work shoes and slipping on the sandals she wore around the house. 

“Haha, very funny!”

Carol shouted from the kitchen where she was borderline having a panic attack, trying to figure out how to act normal enough to get through the rest of the night with Monica’s question looming over her head.

“Nope, I only helped! Mama Carol did most of the work. I made lunch though. Mom said it was the best sandwich she’d ever had anywhere in all the galaxies!”

Monica exclaimed, only half telling the truth, as she nearly dragged Maria to the kitchen table. 

“I said something like that, yes.”

Carol laughed, her mouth forming into a smile when her eyes met Maria’s.

Maria smiled back before quickly looking around the kitchen, half expecting to see a new scorch mark somewhere. 

“It looks… the same as I left it, in here, minus a few dirty dishes. I’m impressed, Danvers.” 

Maria smirked, walking to the sink to wash her hands before sitting down and letting Monica get in her lap. She was certainly growing, she barely fit between the table and Maria anymore but she always made it work. 

“How was your day?”

Monica asked her mother, once again kicking her feet excitedly, being back in the presence of Maria. It meant a lot to Maria that she still got excited to see her. She hoped it would last through puberty.

“Ya’know, same ol’ same ol’. Protecting the world from aliens, which oddly enough usually is just a bunch of paperwork no one else reads or signs. So, pretty successful I guess.”

Maria laughed, pulling Monica’s cheek in for a small peck.

“I’m more interested in how YA’LL’S day went. The lawn looks… great, by the way.”

Before Carol could chime in, which she wasn’t going to being that she was staring at Maria’s toned arms the entire time she’d been in the room, Monia answered for them both.

“It was AWESOME! We caught so many frogs, I named one after you, and then I finally climbed up the whole tree!”

Maria chuckled, noting the small scrapes on her daughter but not worrying. It wasn’t a normal day if Monica didn’t get at least one scrape or bruise from her exploring.

“Well, I’m flattered. Did you get any help from a certain superhero, by any chance?”

“Nope, she did it all on her own. Much faster than I did, too.”

Carol answered while shooting her hands up like finger guns, shooting a wink to Monica who delighted at the remark.

Maria looked at the pink Barbie bandaid on the woman’s finger and half laughed half frowned.

“Seems like no one made it out without a few cuts today, huh?”

Carol looked down at her hand, almost embarrassed. She laughed.

“She got that from grating cheese, not climbing the tree!”

Monica answered, once again saving Carol from trying to find words. 

“Why am I not surprised? Well anyways, thank you both for doing such a good job with the chores today. Looks like you both really earned that extra tv time tonight.” 

Maria winked at them both before letting Monica scoot off her leg and back into her own chair, ready to eat.

“Thank god, I’m so hungry. I forgot to pack lunch last night so all I had today was a bunch of coffee and some nasty as- mm, some gross altoids my secretary had.”

“Sheesh. I hope it actually tastes like food this time then! Oop, I forgot the forks.” Carol said, about to get up and grab them. Monica beat her to it and ran over to the counter, leaving the two women with a moment or two to take each other in. They both held back a sigh, and just smiled at each other. The eye contact felt too much for both of them, for the same and different reasons. 

Monica returned and they broke their shared gaze, both feeling a mixture of missing it and thankful that it was over. Monica handed everyone a fork she had picked specifically for them and they all ate, swapping stories of their days back and forth. Maria laughed feeling relieved hearing how well the day went, she was hoping she would still have a house to come back between Monica and Carol. As they were all finishing their meals, Maria noticed the stack of games left out on the coffee table. 

“Make sure you put those up, Mon’.” She said softly, taking a sip of some iced tea. 

“I will. Also, guess who won the most games tonight? Guess, guess!”

Carol shook her head with a laugh.

“Hmm, if I was gonna take a wild guess… You?!” 

Maria smiled widely, pointing at her daughter playfully.

“You betcha’! I whooped Mama Carol’s butt like eighty billion times at all the games. Even the one you taught me that she was supposed to be super good at, even with the new fancy dice! She only won that one three times, and the last one was just pure luck cause’ I almost had it!” 

Carol and Monica laughed together, and suddenly Maria’s eyes unfocused. The laughter in the background melted into one sound, and everything else started to go quiet. She thought about the dice. The colors on the dots. Where she had left them sitting, in the box, in her room. She thought about why they were in Carol’s belongings and not her own. Then she thought about everything else that was in the box with them. She only came to when Monica and Carol’s laughing slowed down, reminding her that it would seem weird if she didn’t respond in the next second or two.

“Well, it looks like the mighty do fall sometimes. I used to let her win that game every time we played it.” 

Maria half heartedly laughed with a smirk, almost instantly regretting bringing up the past. Carol looked down at her almost empty plate for a moment before fixing her own face to shoot back something well timed and sarcastic enough to play off the shudder that sentence sent through her spine.

“Hmm, crazy cause when it comes to everyone else in the world, meaning you, I’m still the world champion. Monica just had that lucky dice trick.” 

Before Maria could even laugh, Monica jumped in.

“Hey! It’s not just the lucky dice, I just also happen to be the smartest person in the whole wide stinkin’ world too!”

“You make a good point.”

Carol and Maria said in unison, both with an adoring laugh. All three looked at each other and broke out laughing, feeling thankful for the lack of awkwardness that probably would’ve left in the air if it wasn’t so funny.

After that, everyone finished and avoided the different subjects on everyone’s minds happily. Carol cleaned up the plates, grazing by Maria’s arm while she walked to the sink. Monica pulled Maria over to the couch with her while Carol washed the dishes, quickly putting away all the games they had left out and positioning herself on the couch while Maria flipped through the channels for her. She had sat right in the middle, leaving just enough space for either woman on both sides of her. She really did live up to that nickname sometimes, both mother’s thought. When Carol made her way over, they were just settling on a show to watch. 

“Remember, you get 10 extra minutes.”

“Does that have to count commercials? Can we pause the timer when they come on? Pleeeeeaasssshhhhh.”

Monica pretended to beg to both women who laughed. 

“We’ll see what we can do. Time starts now, though.”

Maria answered her. Monica turned towards the tv and leaned back, wanting to take in every minute she had. She normally would get about an episode and a half in during her nighttime tv, maybe two if her mom dozed off in between. She was sure she was going to get at least two this time, since Maria looked sleepy. She didn’t account for Carol’s super powers making her have a longer stamina, but she figured she wouldn’t snitch. She looked up at her as they watched and she shot her down a wink in return, solidifying their silent agreement. As long as it was still summertime, Carol didn’t have an issue with it. Of course, she wouldn’t go against Maria, though, unless of course she fell asleep. Which she usually did. 

The three sat through an episode, choosing not to count the commercials in their internal timers, and started the second one. A few minutes in, Monica had positioned herself with her head and back on Carol’s lap, with her legs and feet on Maria’s. She watched the show quietly, not noticing herself dozing off. Once the second episode was over, she was fast asleep, nearly drooling on Carol. Both women laughed quietly at the sight. Maria reaches for the remote to turn off the tv while Carol effortlessly lifts Monica up and begins to walk her to her room. As she walks away, Maria fights the idea of Carol lifting her that way and carrying her to bed. She shakes her head and stands up to go to the fridge.

When Carol makes her way back downstairs after carefully tucking the young girl in, she’s greeted with Maria passing her a beer and a bottle opener. 

“Not sure if you still need to use these, but c’mon.”

Carol doesn’t need it but she chooses to use it anyway. She follows Maria without question through the front door and onto the porch. The sun is down now and it’s not quite as warm as it was the night before. 

“God, I’ve been waiting for this all day.” 

Maria says, taking a long swig from the cold bottle. She sits down on the steps and leans back on her elbows, beer still laced between her fingers. She looks like she’s relaxing but Carol wonders if she is. She stands against one of the posts for a moment, opening her beer, before sitting down next to the woman but not too close. She hopes she’s the only one who can feel the tension in the air. It’s different than last time she was home.

“Long day, I take it?”

“Always.” 

Maria sighs with a short laugh, taking another sip. 

“But that’s the job. I’m sure you get it.”

Maria finishes, not sure if what she said sounded shady or not. It wasn’t meant to be. Or maybe it was, but it wasn’t coming from the part of her she was trying to show up as it. It was coming from the part she was burying inside of her.

“I do, but I also don’t. You have a lot to handle all the time. I’m happy I… can help, I guess.”

Carol wasn’t sure if that last part was a question or not. They both almost flinched at the word help. Carol was more than just a friend who liked to help. She was a parent and neither wanted her to take that away from herself just because of how long she had been away. Both decided not to say anything in the moment, though. They both just sipped their beers and looked out in front of them, gazing up and out at the world around them. Somehow, it felt bigger now that they were both on it together.

Maria thought about the box again, trying to keep it from her mind to no avail. She also thought about Carol’s skin grazing against hers in the kitchen earlier. She wondered if their contact would be minimal. Despite the late night and early morning they had shared, they hadn’t really touched or even been this close since. The first night never counted, that was their unspoken rule since the second time Carol had been home.

She was exhausted when she arrived, fighting to stay awake long enough to talk to both Rambeaus’ even though she wanted to so badly. It had been a particularly grueling mission and she had flown directly back to Earth after the conflict was over, not taking a break. So, when Maria offered to watch some TV with her on the couch, she sank quickly into the cushions. Before they knew it, they had woken up to the sun coming through the living room windows, curled into each other. Neither thought it was weird then, so why was it weird now? 

Carol thought about the box too, rereading the words from the letter in her mind again. Thinking about the pictures on Maria’s desk. Then she thought about the dream she had, with everyone sitting on the porch. She was so deep into replaying it that she almost jumped when a frog hopped by, startling both women from their respective day dreams.

“I think that’s the one Monica named after you.”

Carol laughed, remembering the day she had fondly.

“I’m flattered.”

Maria laughed back, the laugh jumping up her throat. It’s like she needed to laugh, after a long day of dealing with domestic and intergalactic bullshit, along with the mark Carol was burning into her brain.

It started to go quiet again until Carol spoke up, feeling the bubbles from the beer in her brain even if it wasn’t going to get her tipsy.

“You know, I dream about sitting on this porch a lot.” “Yeah?”

Maria asks, not looking at Carol.

“Yeah. With you and Mon. There’s always a shit ton of bubbles everywhere and it’s always a really nice day. I have that dream a lot. Except for when I’m actually here.”

Carol explained, partly relieved to share it with Maria. She leaned back, taking a sip before setting the beer down on the step next to her. She waited to see if Maria would answer, unsure if she wanted her to. 

Maria sat with a small smile, unsure if she would be able to keep herself composed through the moment. She dreams about home. 

“You know, when you first came back with your powers, I wondered if you still even needed to sleep.”

“Ha, you know I had the same thought when I realized I wasn’t actually half Kree. On the planet, I slept but I never felt tired. I only started to feel regular human things when I came back here. It was nice to feel sleepy again. It made rest feel satisfying, instead of just kind of necessary.”

Maria looked over at Carol, daring to meet eyes if she looked over too. She wanted to run a hand over the woman's thigh, comfort her for all the things she was sure were running through her mind. She wanted to reach out, pull her into her chest, and hold her there like a child. She wanted to rip all the pain of being conditioned and having to fight to undo it from her, stop it out on the ground and set it on fire for her. With a regular match, not fire from her hands even though sometimes she was convinced she could produce some magic power from her own hands too if she let herself feel enough. She hadn’t realized she had been staring and hadn’t responded until Carol finally turned to look at her. 

“I’m okay, you know. You don’t have to look at me like I’m gonna burst into flames any second. I’m okay, I feel normal being here.”

Carol smiled reassuringly, almost shyly.

“I know, I just hate those bastards.”

Maria sighed, letting her shoulders fall as she looked down at the space between them.

“I feel you. But, you know, someone once told me hate takes up too much room.”

Maria’s heart skipped a beat. Of course Carol would remember one of her wiser parables now, when all she wanted to do was be angry for her. It was usually the other way around, but despite her usual craziness, Carol always had a way of saying the right thing at the right time, even if she didn’t mean to. A superpowered space warrior was right two times a day, it seemed. She let herself laugh, but it came out rougher than she had expected. 

Carol reached over instinctively to grab her hand, squeezing it tight. That’s the second time. Maria thought, wondering if Carol was counting the times they touched too. She felt a dangerous warmth push its way to her chest. She would blame it on the beer like she always did but she couldn’t. Why was she on the verge of tears?

“Hey.” Carol whispered, trying to look at the woman’s face. She tried to smile, squeezing her hand again. This time, Maria squeezed back before pulling it away and picking her empty beer bottle up. 

“I think I’m gonna take a shower, long day, you know. If you wanna borrow some pajamas again, feel free to grab some from my dresser.”

Carol sat still for a moment, wondering if she had gone too far. Normally conversations like this would flow with ease and mutual fluidity. They would hang on each other’s every word until the inevitable came when the sun rose. Maria would wake Monica up to say goodbye, they’d share a cup or two of coffee and by the time the sun was almost at it’s peak, Carol would be long in the distance, no longer even in the atmosphere. So now, having more time than normal, she hoped she hadn’t over stepped. As Maria closed in on the door, only half a step before entering, Carol turned around to look at her.

“Where do you want me to sleep?”

Maria paused, not sure what to say. How did she communicate that she would rather pull her own hair out strand by strand than lay in her bed alone, without Carol Danvers, for another night? How did she explain that she didn’t want to sleep, she was tired in a way only Carol’s skin and fingers and mouth could heal her of? How did she communicate that this was her house too, and she could sleep wherever the fuck she wanted - on the roof if she pleased - as long as Maria could be next to her, without saying any of that?

“Wherever you feel comfortable.” She turned and smiled as best as she could before letting the screen door close behind her, trying to keep a normal pace as she made her way to the bathroom.

Carol sat on the steps for a few more minutes, giving Maria time to get her things for her shower ready and giving herself time to ponder what she should do. Should she sleep on the couch? Should she tell Maria that there’s no where in the universe more comfortable to her than next to her? Should she pretend she didn’t read the letter and see the pictures and hear what Monica said earlier? Should she just sleep on the god damn couch? Having not made up her mind yet, she wandered upstairs and pulled out an old teeshirt from one of the boxes she had been in earlier. She shivered when she looked at the box with the letter in it. She forced herself to focus, shuffling through to find anything appropriate to wear and pulled out some old PT shorts. They were certainly going to be shorter on her now than they were then, given she had put on some much needed muscle in certain areas but they’d have to do.

She felt too embarrassed to go through Maria’s drawer, wear her clothes and then awkwardly make her way to the couch downstairs, only to have to face her in the morning when breakfast time came. She didn’t feel right marking Maria’s belongings, even if they were just a bunch of holiday themed pajamas that she didn’t wear that often anyways. 

Carol decided to change as quickly as she could, and wait to say goodnight to Maria when she came in. She figured she should probably sleep on the couch, suddenly feeling very much like a guest who didn’t want to overstay their welcome. She switched out of her bottoms and underwear, jumping into the shorts she had found. They were snug but not uncomfortable. She took her shirt off quickly and as she began pulling her sports bra over her head, Maria walked in.

Shit.

Shit.

They both thought in unison. Thankfully, Carol’s back was to the door, so she pulled on the t shirt she found quickly while scolding herself for not paying attention enough to hear Maria coming down the hall. 

“S-sorry! I didn’t know you were in here yet. Didn’t see anything.” 

Maria assured, despite the fact that she was still staring at Carol’s once bare back while the woman folded up her clothes in a hurry. To Carol’s surprise, when she turned around, all she saw was Maria’s naked shoulders, moisturized perfectly, with a purple towel wrapped around her. She turned back around almost quicker than Maria could register. It was Carol’s turn to stutter.

“Oh shit, s-sorry! I didn’t see anything either! I didn’t hear you coming!”

Maria accidentally laughed.

“Don’t you have super hearing?”

“Shut up! It only works when you pay attention to it! I thought you were still in the shower. I’m surprised you were so fast, Lt. Trouble told me you use all the hot water.”

Carol quipped back confidently, although she was still turned around and suddenly felt very warm.

“Oh, Trouble indeed. What else did she tell you?”

“A bunch.” 

Carol responded with a smirk in her voice. She sounded like a middle schooler, again reminding Maria how alike her and Monica were. 

“I’m sure. You can turn around now, if you want.”

Carol turned to see Maria smoothing a big white shirt over her belly button, quickly covering up the top of her thighs that were barely covered by the blue boy shorts she was wearing underneath. Carol stared down at the clothes in her hands trying not to seem as anxious as she was. She bent down to pick up the black pair of underwear and a sock she had dropped when she heard Maria chuckle.

“HA! What the hell are you wearing? Are those PT shorts? And does your underwear say Danvers? You still do that?” 

She was practically giggling at this point, a sound that sprung butterflies up in Carol’s stomach. It also taunted her, leaving her no choice but to rebuttal. 

“Listen man! I’m working with what I got! And no, I don’t still write my name in my underwear. I got these from the box of my old clothes.” 

Carol quipped, but found herself almost giggling too. She would’ve found it funny if Maria had on PT shorts from bootcamp too. 

“Whew. That is hilarious, Danvers.”

Maria breathes out, barely recovering from her fit of laughter at Carol’s expense. 

“Oh yeah, I’m flattered!”

She rolled her eyes playfully at Maria. They both sat down on the bed trying to collect themselves, both feeling lighter than before by a small margin.

After a few moments, Maria broke the impending silence before it could secure itself between them.

“Seems like you an Mon’ had a good day. Hopefully she didn’t give you too much trouble for one day.”

“Nah, it wasn’t too bad at all. She did whoop my ass in pretty much every game you guys own though.”

Carol smiled to herself. Maria fought hard to avoid bringing up the board game and the dice again. She quickly found a new topic to latch onto.

“You know, I must say, you also really did a great job not burning the place down with all that cooking you were doing. Are the aliens teaching you how to handle a kitchen or have you been practicing?”

She laughs, almost forced but she was actually impressed.

“Mmm. Id say it was pure dumb luck, but I’m gonna try to replicate it tomorrow.” 

Carol chuckles, not knowing that the mention of tomorrow was sending Maria’s heart into a frenzy. Silence weasled it’s way back between them for a few moments, although Carol didn’t pick up on it as much this time. It wasn’t until Maria broke it again that she realized it was her turn to figure out how to not let it freeze the warm air between them.

“So, there’s a tomorrow?” 

Maria asked timidly, not wanting to latch too tightly onto the idea that Carol might be staying for longer than coffee in the morning.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll be here tomorrow. I wanna try my hand at making waffles this time.”

Carol tries to cut the returned tension she felt. 

“I was thinking about working on my old car in the garage too, if that’s okay with you of course.”

“Yeah, of course. You know you don’t have to ask. This is your house, too. And it’s literally your car.”

Your house, too. Carol reached into the pocket of the pants she had on earlier, pulling out two colorful dice. She rolled them around in her hand for a second. 

“Yeah?”

She said, turning to finally face the woman sitting once again a bit too far away from her. The feeling of being a guest in her own home no longer sat in her chest. She allowed her eyes to make their way up Maria’s frame before meeting her eyes. Carol felt her hand move towards the woman, who was now looking down at one of the die in her non moving hand. Maria was almost terrified to meet her gaze, breath caught in her throat. Carol felt their hands connect, dropping the other die in her hand before closing her fingers around Maria’s. The woman next to her squeezed tight, almost too tight even for the superhero. 

Maria finally met Carol’s eyes with her own, finally releasing her breath, allowing her chest to move. 

“Yeah.” 

She said softly, almost too soft to hear but just enough for Carol. They both looked like they might burst into tears, both of them having to break eye contact but refusing to release each other from their grip. Third time, Maria counted in her blurring mind. She suddenly felt like all she could hear was her own heartbeat and Carol’s breath. They were close again, it was all she needed. She needed to feel Carol’s skin, know she was real. Know she wouldn’t let go.

Carol struggling against her own breath, finally let the desperation sitting inside of her take control. 

“What’re we doing, ‘Ri?”

She asked, in almost a whisper. She heard Maria’s breath get choked in her throat, just like she had earlier in the kitchen with Monica. She was still worried that she might have pushed too far too fast, but she needed something. Anything Maria could give her. An answer, a rejection, anything. She couldn’t sit still in the stifled confusion much longer, she feared she might actually implode. She waited, listening to Maria’s breathing. In and out, in and out. Like she was trying to quietly catch her breath. She heard her heart beat, it matched her own. Like they could beat out of their chests and find the other heart. Like they needed to be pressed together. So, Carol did just that. Finally listening to what her body was telling her. Hoping it wouldn’t be the wrong thing.

Just as Maria tried to whisper I don’t know, she let go of Maria’s hand and pulled her in, chest to chest, nestling her face in Maria’s shoulder. Maria whimpered, almost in shock. It took her almost 10 seconds to return the embrace, finally crushing into Carol the way she needed to. She knelt her face in the warmth of Carol’s neck, creating a tsunami in Carol from the graze of her lips against the side of her neck alone. They made themselves impossibly close, quieting the sounds of the world and honing in on each other’s heart beats. They took in each other’s scent, filling their lungs with the air surrounding each other. They let their hair tickle each other, finding comfort in the familiar feeling of Blackness around them. They rocked into each other to a rhythm that was so natural it almost felt like part of breathing. Finally, Maria let it drop.

A single tear rolled down Carol’s shoulder, sliding down as far as it could carry itself. Maria choked back what was sure to be her own tsunami.

“Mar-”

“I miss you. -- I miss you I m-iss you I miss you.”

She whispered with a drawn out sob. It was so quiet, it felt tragic to them both. 

Carol was silent, letting the woman release whatever she was ready to, feeling her chest heave with the impatience to relieve itself from the pent up emotions. She felt the woman in her arms shake softly, trying to fight back anything she convinced herself was a weakness. She had things to do, a person to be, a child to raise. She couldn’t let the grief get her again. But it was always there, maybe even more now in some ways. She hadn’t let this happen in so long, and the weight of pretending had pushed her to the edge of herself. She was the strongest woman in the world, and it was because she was soft. 

Carol struggled against her own tears, trying not to let them come so that she wouldn’t center her own pain in the moment. They were both too similar for their own good. She listened to Maria’s body pull the words up her throat and out her mouth, betraying her as they saved her from the pit she kept forcing herself into.

“I miss you ss-so much.” She repeated several times over. Like it was the only language she spoke. Eventually, she stopped, letting her fingers relax from gripping into Carol’s skin as tight as she could. She leaned into Carol more, feeling the weight of her body’s exhaustion mix with that of her mind. Carol let her, holding her firm but gentle. She lifted the woman up just as effortlessly as she did Monica, and carried her to her side of the bed, never moving her face from her shoulder. She laid her and herself down, sliding easily over top of her until she was on her side, careful not to put any weight on Maria’s body. She pulled the cover over them, that being the only time her hand left Maria’s body. She cradled the soft woman, giving her all of herself. She rocked her gently, counting her heart beats. 

As Maria’s breath finally got slower and deeper, she knew she would be asleep soon. Maria didn’t want to sleep but she needed it. Carol needed it to. They stuck to each other like glue, once again paying no mind to the heat stuck between them. Carol whispered back, finally.

“I miss you too.”

She felt Maria squeeze her tighter, then release and finally relax her body all the way. 

No more sniffles, no more sounds, just the weightless feeling of being together. It was easy again, for the moment. Carol rubbed her thumb lightly over Maria’s back, comforting them both enough to rest. She let the thoughts she had been fighting release from the walls of her mind, daring to look at them. She thought about the night in the lake, laying in the sand. She thought about the night before she left for a new base, with no idea when they’d be together again. She thought about the first time she came home, the gentle uncertainty between them melting away like it always did - no matter how much still needed to be figured out. She wasn’t sure how much progress had been made, but she knew that this is where she needed to be. As she finally let herself drift off to sleep, knowing that Maria was alright enough now, she knew she wouldn’t dream. She released herself to the peace of belonging, only to be startled one more time.

“Don’t you even think about leaving until you finish that car.” 

Maria commanded, even in her softest state. Carol smiled, feeling even more in place now.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

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