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#they get to have her!!! she's moving somewhere that's more convenient for literally everyone other than me! (this is not hard to do)
rowenabean · 10 months
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#the wedding was lovely and i am so sad#managed to get most of the sad out of the way Friday and Sunday so i could be glad for them on the actual wedding day#but still. i'm going to miss her.#we always talked about living together and we never did and now we probably never will#i've got a model of married folk living together in community but i don't think they do and it has to be something you choose#her family are lovely and i was really glad to meet her friends and cousins that she talks about so often but they don't really get it#they get to have her!!! she's moving somewhere that's more convenient for literally everyone other than me! (this is not hard to do)#really good to get home and hug my dad and my little sister and have people who are my people around#was actually really good at the reception that there were a few other folk from my current town - i wasn't the only person who was#mixed joy and tears#i said something about us giving her over in my speech and they said yes that's exactly how we're feeling#but it wasn't till her husband responded to that in his speech that i started crying#everyone has been so kind to me but it has been SO good to get home#hoping i can get a bit more sleep as well. emotions are bigger when tired even though they're real still#(her cousins invited me to come stay any time and tbh i can see that living in Auckland could be actually really nice if you live where they#do. but i couldn't live where they do and do the work i want to do it is quite far away from the places in Auckland i could imagine working)#rowena adventures#btw no photos of me currently but probably some later??? not that we took many the groom had been sick the previous week and was#still pretty wiped so they got like two photos with the bridal party and ten with just them and that was it
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Rejected soulmate au but I made it worse instead of better
Danny, instead of just leaving, instead snaps and commits a series of murders as Phantom, rampaging across the city. His first victims were his parents who he mauled to death, then Vlad, then his so called "friends". Once he came out of the green rage induced fog he realized what he had done and sobbed somewhere in the woods around Amity.
He knew that the GIW would arrive soon, and well, he's already in this deep and he can't just let a government agency that hell bent on genocide and conquering/expirementing on the entities of an entire dimension do as they please so he takes his hanger out on them as he's always wanted.
Hes so glad Jazz is away for collage. She's safe from them. Safe from him.
Its a wonder Clockwork didn't try to talk to him. He probably knew it wouldn't do any good, and Danny is technically of the living and Clockwork isn't allowed to harm the living or control them, only influence them into taking different paths. Hence why he did the time freeze/rewind fiasco when Danny attacked him at the clock tower when he was 14. He wasn't allowed to actually fight him and honestly at that point Clockwork didn't need to. But now Danny had that time medallion in his chest courtesy of his alternate evil future self and Clockwork couldn't do anything.
Danny was 16 and far too powerful for the master of time to take on.
Danny demolishes the GIW like he was playing Doomed on the easiest setting. It was laughable how quickly they went down and Danny found himself enjoying it.
He always had to tamp down that feeling. That vicious glee he got whenever he took vengeance on someone who wronged him. It had always been a thought in the back of his mind that he may have been inherently evil at heart and that he would turn to the dark side eventually.
He wouldn't be like the fusion of himself and Vlad though. That was just a mildless monster destroying everything in its path. What was even the point of that? For all the darkness in his heart, he couldn't see that as anything other that sheer stupidity. He assumed it was Vlads half. The only thing the creep was ever good at was dragging everyone around him down.
Danny packs up and activates the Fenton houses Baba Yaga Protocal, causing his childhood home to grow legs and literally walk away. He eventually managed to find all of Vlads secret labs and treasure stashes, raiding all of them and stripping them of everything they had to offer.
Then he went to find his soulmates dimension in the comfort and convenience of a newer and crazier version of howls moving castle. He had no plans on harming them per say, but he wanted to know why. Why reject a soulmate you hadn't even met before? A person who either platonically or romantically is your perfect match and can understand you better than anyone.
Danny himself suffered immensely throughout his childhood. His parents mental and emotion manipulation and neglect had left Danny longing for thier praise and attention but also left him feeling hollow and confused. Being the children of Evil mad scientists made it difficult to be friends with anyone. Even if the kids weren't weirded out by them, the parents of those kids would tell them that they weren't allowed to play with him or Jazz in fear for thier safety.
Rumors about the Fenton parents experimenting on thier children eventually reached thier ears. That was when he realized that other parents didn't give them twice daily injections of ectoplasm into thier bloodstream.
Im lazy but heres more:
1. Danny as a kid 9-12 realized that Sam and Tucker were crappy friends. Sam often tried to chase away any other girls that tried to talk to Danny for any reason (she was getting better) and often was controlling or patronizing to him while using her parents wealth to get what she wanted. Whether she realized it or not, she was actually a lot like them.
Tucker, Danny decided, secretly hated him and had straight up admitted before that he only became friends with Danny to steal the cool tech from his parents lab, which Danny had allowed and risked getting hurt by his parents to make his friend happy. Tucker was always jealous of Danny, stating that Tuckers own life was plain and boring while Dannys was like the protagonist of an anime. Tucker was quiet about it, but Danny saw how much the other boy enjoyed seeing him fail.
He tried to hang out with his big sister more, cause she could understand and she loved him, right? He was standing outside her door again with his favorite ball (it had the constellation Pegasus on it!) and raised his hand to knock on her door when he heard her groan loudly.
He knew he wasn't supposed to eavesdrop but he put his ear to the door anyway. Curiosity had always been his greatest weakness. On the other side she was talking on the phone. To who he had no idea cause Jazz didn't have friends, but she was complaining about mom and dad and...him. she told her phone friend that she loved him, but only out of obligation. She was his sister and she had to care about him, even if she didn't want to.
Danny didn't understand. She had just said she loved him so why did his heart hurt so much?
He went back to playing with Sam and Tucker. They were what he had, even if he didn't like them, he could lie to himself and tell himself that he did. Just like with mommy and daddy.
If he keeps telling himself that he loves them than he will. If he keeps telling himself that they love him then they will.
Dannys always been good at lying to himself.
Still, the soulmark on his arm remained. It was a vague promise of a light at the end of the tunnel. A dream that someone would show him what real love was like and they would sweep him off his feet and take him far far away from this place.
So why...
2. Phantom doesn't make a name for himself in this new dimension right away. Yeah he had all this treasure he stole from Vlad but treasure isn't money and he had no idea if money from his dimension would even be valid what with all the protections the us had on thier bills to make it difficult for people to make fakes.
Selling gold bars and the like was easier said than done, especially if you actually wanted a fair price for it, and he'd rather have a hoard stashed away for his later plans to more easily take shape.
3. Phantom was an excellent thief, even without his powers, but hes in too early to be arrogant and this world was filled with super-powered villians and heros alike, all trying to make a name for themselves.
He refused to be anyones stepping stool to something greater. Not anymore.
Danny was as cunning as he was skilled. He disguised himself in seedy bars, talking up whatever heist he had made recently, saying whatever thief had pulled that off must have been the greatest, sometimes he ever went dressed as a swooning girl for the extra oomph.
It usually worked and some meat head would take credit for his crimes. Word would sometimes conveniently make its way to the cops and if Danny was really lucky the poor sucker would actually go down for his crimes.
All to muddy the waters. Its harder to connect all these crimes to him when half of them have convictions and the other half have nothing linking them together <3
4. Danny needed minions but he didn't want to tell them anything. He wasn't in the position to start recruiting younger supervillians into his army yet. That was much later in the plan.
No, he needed a mercenary. One who didn't ask questions.
Mr. Deathstroke came with great recommendations and had a great track record for getting whatever contract he had completed and he had a vendetta of some sort against the Teen Titans and Young Justice.
Yeah, he was a bit fruitloopy but he seemed perfect for the job he had in mind.
Danny would keep Deathstroke at a distance of course. He was a mercenary, a hired gun, not his friend. Some one else could easily hire him to get information about Phantom or worse, hire him to attack or capture Phantom.
No the only thing tall, dark and scary was getting from him was the money owed to him in the contract. Money he now had plenty of.
5. Danny never really considered that he would have to compete with other thieves.
He had made sure to steer clear of places like Gotham and Metropolis because of the heros there who always stopped thieves and revealed their identities. Danny didn't need that, no thank you.
But as he was doing one of his heists, the third one this month and the one he planned on sticking the blame onto another poor sap-freaking Catwoman ran into the room with a sphinx carved of some precious stone and Batman not far behind.
Batman locked eyes with him for only a moment, cowl meeting domino for a split second, and Phantom knew he had been found out. This wasn't Gotham. He had no idea how they had gotten here or when but Danny wasn't naive enough to think the worlds greatest detective wouldn't be on his tail after he saw Phantoms arms drapped in the "priceless artifacts" from the India section.
They very much had a price. His buyer had paid a hefty chunk in advance.
Catwoman, who Danny had silently sworn vengeance against, kicked Batman away from her mid brawl and launching him in the direction Phanton was escaping.
Crud. It was time to fight and he was so not happy about it. Danny did manage to get away with the use of his electric powers. Turns out leaving the lower half of your face exposed is a bad idea, especially if your opponent knows Thunder Punch.
He used an EMP pulse as he ran to fry any cameras and Batmans equipment before heading down the hallway and through a few walls. He turned invisible once he was far enough away and flew off into the night with his prize.
This buyer better not backstabbing him. He's in no mood to play nice tonight.
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hozukitofu · 7 days
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not a ship post but how funny would it be for people to mix shino and kiba's names up? at some point people give up and call them by 'shiba' just because it's guaranteed to send both kids running (we are talking genin-age).
tsume at some point: shi - ki - argh whatever SHIBA!
shino and kiba tuning into a very old summoning technique - call your kids the wrong name jutsu: THAT'S NOT MY NAME!!
bonus fun facts
tsume and hana had genuinely mixed up shino, kiba and akamaru. shino by virtue of his association with kiba had been called akamaru more times than his name. he's used to it
kakashi has a ninken named shiba that runs loose and he doesn't genuinely want to summon kibashino but somehow they've been trained to react to the name so kakashi is walking the street calling for shiba (the dog) and two teenagers (shiba - shino and kiba - unholy duo) turn up like 'you called?'
people who haven't met shino or kiba before think shiba is their name
shino and kiba have called each other shiba completely on instincts and now they just sigh and move on
it was funny when they were 12 but now naruto can't tease kiba anymore because kiba hypes up shino like you wouldn't believe. every team needs a cool guy and kiba nominates shino for this title (he literally told everyone but shino and hinata)
actually convenient to summon all three of them (akamaru is now part of the shiba bundle). imagine you're out in a field then suddenly there's a dog, a dog ninja and a bug ninja summoned from thin air. i'd retire
easier to shift blame. kiba played this card well into adulthood. he's perfected 'did you mean to call for shino or kiba?' and when people try to deliberate this he would disappear
shino's kids at the academy call him 'shiba sensei' and it stuck. they think shino's legal name is shiba aburame
kakashi somehow worked out a deal with akamaru and occasionally takes the massive dog out for a walk with all his 8 dogs (sometimes even without kiba knowing). when asked, he makes sure to introduce akamaru as shiba 2.0 and akamaru would nod and shake (why does he have two dogs name shiba? why not?)
it's listed in bingo books under aliases and as someone who have to endure bureaucracy weekly, making changes is akin to hell so people leave 'shiba' where it is. the trouble is that both shibas get in a rotten mood if they hear 'are you shiba?' from an enemy because that should really never leave village gossip
kiba very seriously said one day that if they get married it would be mr shiba aburame or shiba inuzuka x2 (think mr and mrs taylor lautner) and shino gave him fleas
mirai doesn't know who is who but she does know shiba. shino will let her have that one up until the age of 3
a lot of people just assumed they got married somewhere along the way? anbu delivering messages for kiba sometimes would find shino who's dead on his feet and would receive the message like it's for him. ANBU: are you mr inuzuka? shino who is too tired to correct the joke at this point: yes i am. people call kiba mr aburame in the same vein except kiba takes it with more fanfare
tsume wasn't that happy they eloped without her knowledge but shibi also genuinely doesn't know what's going on and he's not going to ask shino, so they roll with it and have family dinners between the two clans every fortnight and the shiba trio don't register this as anything unusual
im southeast asian and my aunt was a teacher so the spouse of a teacher is also a teacher by association. what this means is that kids also call kiba sensei. inuzuka sensei. shiba sensei. kiba who had never taught in his life after a child incorrectly identified him as married to his best friend and also his first name: yes sensei is here. how can i help you my child
when they do get married they were threatened by the clan elders to actually say kiba (shiba) aburame (he is a second son and the aburames love akamaru) and shino likewise dutifully put (shiba) on his actual legal marriage certificate
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gierosajie · 11 months
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TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR GENSHIN MADOKA AU PLEASE
also your art is really good. i love it. it is *chefs kiss* amazing
THANK YOU! :D
Okay so- we all know how the au ends, so I wanna ramble a bit on how it started
Venti and his mom moved into town because Reasons (Istaroth may or may not be on the run from something and is trying to just live her life in peace) where Venti meets NB (name still pending) and the rest of his rebellion friends in canon
It honestly just plays out as much as you'd expect. Everything's fine until it isn't
So I still haven't worked out this part yet, but it involves a collapsing building and everyone being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I mentioned before somewhere that Venti came home all dusty and covered in blood that day and yeah this is why
And then the demon cat himself shows up offering a solution at the low low price of Venti's soul. Venti, being an impulsive 14 year old at the time who just found 2 of his friends dead and is riddled in guilt, takes it up
His wish had something to do about wanting to change even just a little thing so bam! He gets to have minor time travel powers and goes back to trip up NB and pull Amos away with him, so crisis averted!
They still end up on the news tho and Raggy, being the responsible oldest, personally gets everyone home safe
There's a scene where Istaroth looks at Venti, then to Gunnhildr and Raggy, pulls Venti inside and slams the door in ther faces
Also, here's just a bunch of random stuff
All the og 7 were already magical girls by the time they met. They all had their separate territories and never interacted until a few of them ended up coming across each other hunting a witch. Venti was the one to suggest they all keep in contact and one of them managed to get the last few into the group
Makoto taught Venti how to make paper stars and throughout the au, Venti is filling up a bottle with them that has the Seven's colors, though it never gets finished
Ei isn't a magical girl and never ends up as one, she's just a teenage girl with a naginata fighting horrors beyond comprehension
They think Venti's magic involves splitting because of how some of his attacks have him appear at several places at once. It's actually just the timeline getting messed around with a bit
Also, almost everyone thinks being around Venti makes them luckier when in reality Venti's just using magic to make things more convenient for his friends sometimes
Venti's witch form can completely regenerate from his familiars since they're also a part of him and could immediately manifest in another area as soon as he gets defeated, bringing the grief seed along with him. The fight would've been quicker with Venti's magic allowing everyone to destroy the witch at the same time but.
Missing persons cases went up significantly during the week the rest of the Seven were fighting Venti
Rukkha was gonna be a big sister
Venti, Vennessa, NB, and Dvalin all go to the same school and sometimes have lunch at the roof. Their school has no rooftop floor, they're literally just on the roof of one of the buildings
Istaroth regularly swings a bat at Kyubey whenever the thing shows up near their house while Venti isn't looking
Zhongli is very much intimidated by Venti's mom, but he won't ever admit that
Venti knew about the witches but never told anyone until just before he became one
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quinloki · 2 months
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Hahaha jokes on you for saying people are qualified to speak to you bc now I’m even more encouraged to send you my thoughts
Jk. But I appreciate your acceptance of them. I’m currently trying to bully my IRL bestie to hurry tf up on getting thru one piece bc right now my options are limited like she’s in enies lobby now and I’m like pls… at least get to post time skip… I can scream about Law and Marco then
Omg ok so it’s peak squirrel brain hours for me rn so lemme try to tell you about this brainrot I’ve been having.
I literally have no idea where it came from but modern au, you’re a patron at thatch’s bar, you go there often and are friendly with thatch bc he’s a nice guy. Friends with Luffy. You go to said bar, having a great time with your friends, whitebeard crew shows up bc it’s thatch’s place obvi, but some other crew busts in trying to pick a fight. Somehow you get yoinked as a hostage bc the other crew wants to fight somewhere else (a trap duh) and it’s not a situation where they can get you out safe so they’re like yes we’ll fight you at this location but Marco is like I wanna come too, prolly cause he feels responsible maybe you were by the whitebeard crew bc you were luffy’s friend or you were flirting with Marco and that’s why you got snatched
And the baddies they’re like fine fine but it’s seastone cuffs. They got beef with him or something so they were down, plus having one of their fighters tapped out seemed smart
So you go off with them and both of you are just subconsciously trying to protect the other Marco even has you come sit on his lap bc the sketchy van you’re put in has stuff all over the floor and you’re wearing shorts/skirt and it’s conveniently freezing in the van so like, y’all can warm eachother up
And the baddies are like oh wait is it the Phoenix’s gf is that why he wanted to come and they’re taunting like oh the things we could do to your little gf and Marco is like just remember the cuffs won’t be on forever
Anyways they drive y’all around until the meeting time maybe taunting or roughing poor Marco up a little and finally they all meet up at this trap location except obvi the whitebeard pirates are gonna kick ass and come to the rescue and they take you back with them to heal any injuries/make sure you ok
BUT
Oh no one of the baddies gets away and starts posting all over the dark web about the phoenix’s weakness and everyone is like oh you’re in danger guess you gotta stay with us for awhile
And Marco was so nice so you just have a huge crush but he somewhat avoids you bc he feels responsible so you’re like oh he does not like me back oh ok
And idk they’re loosely mafia ish so some shenanigans ensue of people coming after you but Marco is always there to protect you and the tension is off the charts
….
That’s kinda as far as my brain got bc I keep starting over lmao
Ugh I wish I was better at making that a cute little story I’m so good at coming up with things in my head but typing them out is so hard T_T
But I hope you enjoyed my brainrot I’m about to head to bed and will most likely be thinking of it more <3
An Author friend of mine - far more successful and suited to the job than I am - said something once that really sticks with me.
The ideas are the easy part, writing is the hard part.
Some people will come to her with ideas, and want some sort of 50/50 deal for doing "half" the work, and honestly, no matter how well fleshed out the idea is, it's barely going to be 5% of the process at best.
I don't share that to put your idea down, not even a little, but I do mention it to highlight that you're not wrong. Turning ideas into stories is the hard part, and honestly I always love seeing that truth understood too. (Real fun is when you apply that to other things and realize that certain types who have "great ideas" are rarely the ones who make them reality, but they really want to continually tell you how great their ideas are changing the world >.> )
<.<
Moving on from my little rant, I have to say I LOVE THIS - KAZIEAI OMFG I AM FOAMING AT THE FUCKING MOUTH YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS IS ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITIESTS SITUATIONS EVER!
I love everything about this!
AND THE ENSUING ANGST
UNNNGH.
So - I have to admit I have a Mafia AU Marco story I'm slowly working on. It's pretty complex so far, intended as a slowburn anyway, and I really want to incorporate this idea into it. I just love the vibes.
AND - lol - one of the points I wanted to sort out for it was specifically having the reader end up in the Main House for the Whitebeard Mafia family. This idea is PERFECT, a few adjustments for the reader type and the AU itself, and the vibes are there. It's a Devil Fruit AU too, so >.>
the reader as a hostage gets Marco as a "hostage", they're supposed to let her go at that point, but someone gets the brilliant idea that the girl keeps the bird inline, and Pops' prize bird keeps the other boys inline, so they're keeping both.
The idea of the doomed kidnappers thinking the two are together works, it'll be the 2nd or 3rd time they've met and yeah, there's been flirting, but nothing committal. So her staying at the Main House for protection still leave Marco with a sour taste - he does like her, but this situation isn't fair. He's too laid back and experienced to blatantly avoid her, but he makes sure there's always someone else around, excusing himself before his brothers can "leave the two of them alone" or anything.
In this particular story the reader is an adopted kid of Big Mom's, trying to get away from the mafia life to some degree, and more than that to avoid being married off for whatever reason by Big Mom in the first place. (this is grumbled about in the first chapter, so it's not some big reveal). That certainly adds another layer to things, especially if Lin-Lin sees it as an in to tie the two families together.
Ah, sweet Kazieai <3 I would love to utilize this wonderful idea you've blessed my morning with. Just because the idea part is easier than the writing part doesn't mean it isn't worth due credit ❤️Especially when it's just the scenario I was trying to come up with.
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firstofmay23 · 1 year
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Day 2 part 1: Changi-Heathrow-Keflavík
Landed in Changi airport at midnight. I was worried that I might need to book an overnight room which might bankrupt me. But turned out everyone is just sleeping on seats and sofas so might as well do the same. And some of the table were equipped with power plug and since it was midnight finding a decent spot was very easy.
I also realized that in my flight I was the only one carrying mountain backpack in the plane, oops.
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But of course, I wasn’t able to sleep properly so I decided to find something to eat
I also bought the fish skin chips to eat later on. Heaven.
And that is only hour 4 of my 12 hours layover. Luckily Changi was pretty convenient so I managed to sneak some more rest, do some work, and get myself coffee. Took a while to board the next plane but I finally did
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The flight from Singapore to London was done what…interesting. I sat next to these lovely old Australian couples, didn’t catch their name but I’m pretty sure the wife is called Edna. And in front of me there is this Singaporean family with a very loud kids, and this is where the drama started.
I couldn’t tell you the details because I was half asleep during the whole thing. So the kids in front of my seat was shouting and yelling and to be honest it was pretty annoying but I had zero energy to deal with it and decided to put on my earbuds and get some rest. She was also pushed her seat a little too way back, so when I got my food I was unable to pull out the tray. The wife and husband probably had enough of it and told off the parents that their kid was misbehaving. The flight attendant was there of course, because he was giving out lunch on our row. He tried to talk to the couple and ask about what was happening and managed to calm them down. Very good for him, I would never had the patience to be honest. But after that things got more relaxed, except the occasional crying baby on the front. But then again, earbuds and Rammstein did their thing. As well as my second glass of wine
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The rest of the flight was just me eating, drinking wine, watching sandman, wondering when we will land, and an occasional check outside the window to see where in the world am I (literally)
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Somewhere in Middle East
Finally it was a couple hours before landing. I’ve been wanting to go to the loo but I don’t feel like moving across two people so usually on a short flight I just wait until we land. But this is a 13 hours flight and I just have to. So when I told the couple that I need to go, their reaction was “so finally you’re going to the loo! We thought you’d never go!” Which was funny to me because they’re probably looking at the amount of drinks I had and was wondering if I was ever going to go. Curious to know what the convo was like.
So finally landed in Heathrow, and sparing no time to rest I went as fast as I could (which was not fast at all) because it’s almost boarding time to Reykjavik, while taking a few pics of the airport for my ‘mom I made it back to London’ moment. And me being me, of course I took a wrong turn and had to walk all the way to the OTHER end of the terminal because I misread the sign. When I finally got to my gate, it’s boarding time already
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I don’t know if because it’s my first time flying with it or because it’s a night flight, but Icelandair is a very cute airline. Like small but elegant in a non flashy way. I can’t think of a better way to explain it. I think it’s partly because how the cabin was lit, it was this nice white light with slightly bluish tinge to it. I wish I took some pictures of the interior.
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The turbulence was worse than the previous flight. Maybe because we’re going up north, or because the plane was smaller. But when we were about to land, my God it was beautiful. It was dark on one side and sun was setting on the other. But when we finally landed, it was midnight and dark.
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ptergwen · 3 years
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If you do smut can you do like stark!reader x peter parker (spiderman) are dating 3-4 month and y/n and peter had their very fluff first time then next morning y/n has hickies all over her neck and her thights stomach... and tony/ her dad sees it and is confronting them with it😂 i love your stories 🤤
just saying hi
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w/c: 2.5k
warnings: veryyyy suggestive, swearing, some pretty embarrassing moments
a/n: thank you babe! i didn’t write the actual smut but y’all can guess what happened 😭 also this is super long i couldn’t help myself
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it was everything. it was everything you ever wanted your first time to be and more.
you’d brought up to peter during a make out session one night that you were ready to go farther than you two already have. there was one base you didn’t hit yet. the fourth, the final. you were thinking about it for a while before that, and peter would be lying if he said he didn’t.
your love has always been physical, whether it’s you kissing peter’s cuts after a mission or him tracing hearts on you with his fingers. there’s also the more sexual side of things. that part, you both enjoy just as much, maybe even a little more because you know exactly how to make each other feel good after all the trial and error.
what better way to combine the two than, well, making love?
last night was your sign from the universe, your go ahead to do it. you had the compound to yourselves because your dad had taken all the “big kids” out for the night. you’re both well into college, but he refuses to see you as adults. that meant no peter and no you. you two were a little offended until you realized you could make use of your alone time.
you started off searching for a movie. that turned into you wrestling peter for the remote because you didn’t feel like watching back to the furure yet again. wrestling turned into you on top of him, which turned into you kissing him, which turned into peter throwing the remote somewhere and carrying you up to your room with his lips still on yours.
neither of you had to say it. you were on the same page, same wavelength, two brains in one as peter layed you down and trailed his kisses lower and lower.
peter was so gentle with you, except for when you told him not to be. those were the times he didn’t hold back. he was attentive and sweet and showed you quite a few times how much he loves you. you showed him just the same. yeah, it was really everything.
“morning, baby. you awake yet?” peter hums against the shell of your ear, arms wound comfortably around you. “kinda,” you mumble back with a goofy smile. he presses his lips to your ear and nuzzles his face in the side of your neck. “kinda... how’d you sleep?” you can hear the grin in his voice. his nose nudges your bare skin where a fresh hickey lies and makes you scrunch your own up.
“good, really good. always love sleeping with you.” you’re both aware of the alternate meaning that has now. “funny,” peter lets out a breathy laugh against you and brushes his thumb over your stomach where your shirt got ridden up. you sigh, enjoying his soft touch and reaching behind you to play with his curls. they’re a lot messier than usual from you tugging on them all last night.
peter removes his face from your neck and carefully turns you onto your other side. you’re facing him now, eyes trained on his concerned expression. “hey, just wanna check. how are you feeling? still sore?” a tiny smile stretches your face. he really does care about you and how you feel after everything. you know for a fact most other guys wouldn’t.
“i mean, yeah. you were... it was a lot, but i’ll be fine in a few days i think.” the mention of peter being a lot makes color rush to his face. you laugh quietly at that, cupping one of his cheeks that’s turning pink. “oh. i, um, i didn’t know that. sorry.” he smiles shyly as you smooth your thumb over his warm skin. “don’t be. it wasn’t as bad after i... adjusted a little,” you reassure him, making him lean into your palm.
“i really am sorry, y/n/n. can i make it up to you?” peter checks with you, eyes going up from yours to down your body. he hooks a finger in the waistband of your pajama shorts. “make you feel better?” the way he finishes his question with a bite of his lip is definitely tempting. so is your stomach yelling at you to put some food in it. you’ll have to wait.
“later. right now, you can make me breakfast,” you beam at him and take his hand. peter pushes his palm against yours, letting you lace your fingers together as he puffs some air out of his cheeks. “yeah, that’s gonna go well.” “i’m supervising. it will.” you capture his lips in a kiss, one he instantly reciprocates, free hand resting on your hip. just as it’s heating up, you break it.
“i’m hungry for actual food,” you giggle and roll out of his embrace. “ok, ok, ok. let’s go see what we have,” peter gives in with a chuckle, grabbing the same hand he was just holding and following you down to the kitchen.
he ends up popping some frozen waffles into the toaster, you sitting up on the counter with your phone out while he struggles through the different settings. “should i put it on bake? no, that doesn’t sound right,” he talks to himself with eyes squinted in concentration. “your dad made this thing so... detailed.” it’s an old stark industries toaster, one with options you probably don’t even need.
“yeah because he loves his toast, so maybe don’t break it. he’ll kill you or something,” you half playfully half seriously suggest. peter is one clumsy guy. he tsks at you and crouches down to read the words on the dial. there’s conveniently a setting for waffles, so he hits that one. he’s not sure how he hadn’t noticed it before.
since he’s down there, he takes one of your ankles in both hands and starts to kiss up your leg. it tickles when he gets to your knee, drawing a giggle out of you, but your phone still blocks his face. you’re doing it on purpose. “baby,” peter tries to get your attention in a soft voice. he presses a couple more kisses to your knee. you have to hold your breath so you don’t laugh again.
“baby girllll,” peter drags out, lips moving up your thigh. he nudges your phone with his nose much like a puppy would. “aye, i’m talkin’ to you here,” he says in a fake new york accent. you finally put it down next to you. “i’m listening.” you’re giving him a satisfied smile as he goes back to kissing you.
“just saying hi,” he looks up at you and moves your shorts aside while he kisses further and further to where you want. you scoot closer to him on the counter.
that’s when he stops. not only stops, gasps in horror. “what?” you ask quickly, his eyes fixed on your inner thighs. “i kind of, uh, marked you up. like, a lot.” he runs a finger gently over the bruised skin. you’re suddenly very aware of it now. it doesn’t exactly hurt, just feels bumpy and weird. you peer down at yourself to see the damage, eyes going wide.
“shit... they’re on my neck, too,” you remember, murmuring to him. you’ll have to cover these up before everyone gets home. worry flashes across peter’s face. “oh my god, i didn’t even realize. it- it was dark and you told me-“ “pete, it’s okay. it’s pretty hot,” you stop his rambling, reaching down and putting a hand on his shoulder. he frowns up at you.
“really? are you sure i didn’t go too far? because you can tell me.” you’ve always appreciated how much peter genuienly values your thoughts on things, in the bedroom and in other parts of your relationship. it does lead to a lot of second guessing, though. you squeeze his shoulder and let out a breath. “i’m sure, okay? it’s really not that serious. i’ll just change so no one can see.”
peter winds an arm around one of your legs, body relaxing ever so slightly under your touch. “okay.” he gives your thigh one final kiss, then rests his chin on it. “what about your neck?” “uh...” you hadn’t considered that yet. “makeup? a scarf?” you’ve seen enough tv to know neither of those work, but they’re your only options.
“yup. mr. stark is really gonna kill me now,” peter says under his breath, tensing up all over again. you furrow your eyebrows at him. “what? we’re literally grown adults, we can do whatever we want-“
tony claps loudly as he steps into the kitchen, announcing his return home. peter jumps up from between your legs faster than fast. he moves so he’s next to you, and you hop down from the counter.
“hello, daughter of mine. spider of man,” your dad greets you two, you pulling down your shorts with a plastered on smile. “or would it be man of spider?” he plucks an apple from the bowl on the table as he ponders his question. steve and wanda file into the room next. “second one,” peter replies, grinning a little too much to be normal. tony takes note of that.
wanda comes over to the fridge for a snack, which is close to where you and peter are. “how was last night?” you ask her to take the attention off you two. wanda settles on a yogurt and turns to you. “it was good. we shared a few hotel rooms, had our own party.” she glances over at peter, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. “seems like you two had a fun night of your own.”
peter’s mouth drops open. “how did you-“ he forgot she could read his mind and now knows everything that happened. you slap a hand over your forehead. “you couldn’t think about anything else? for, like, a minute?” you whisper yell at him. he uses his eyes to plead with you. “i’m sorry! i was looking at the hickeys-“ he realizes what he’s saying. “crap.”
shooting you a wink, wanda shuts the fridge and goes to join the rest of the team in the living room. lucky for you and peter, steve started lecturing tony about washing his fruit before he eats it. he didn’t hear any of that. there’s still the problem of your visible hickeys that you have zero seconds to hide.
“how the fuck am i supposed to cover these? they’re right in the center, peter!” you panic, your heart starting to race as peter fumbles for a dish towel. that’s the best he could come up with? “no!” you toss it back at him. he throws it on the counter with a pained look. tony and steve make their way over to you.
“oh, hush. a couple of deadly pesticides won’t shake me, stevey boy,” tony insists and takes another big bite of his apple. steve huffs in disapproval and crosses his arms. “you’re a big baby, tony. if you’re not gonna do the right thing, at least buy organic-“ with the world’s longest sigh, tony chucks his apple into the open garbage can.
“there. no more apple discourse.” steve shakes his head at your dad’s behavior. “that was a waste. you could’ve finished it.” “not with your nagging into my literal ear.” steve raises his hands in surrender before making his way out of the kitchen. tony side steps past him and over to you. “enough of that now. let’s have a welcome home hug from my girl.”
you share a look with peter, a look of pure fear that’s in both of your eyes. he’ll definitely notice the hickeys if he gets that close to you. he holds out his arms expectantly while peter scratches the back of his own neck. “sure, dad. welcome home.” an awkward smile on your lips, you bury your face in your dad’s chest and wrap your arms around him in one motion. this way, he didn’t have time to see you from too close up.
peter exhales in relief at the narrowly avoided disaster. that’s until tony makes a request. “missed me that much, kiddo, huh? come out of there.” “but, i’m so comfortable. i wanna stay like this,” you insist, a niceness to your voice tony immediately sees through. he drops his arms from around you, eyeing peter suspiciously, who averts his gaze to the floor.
“nuh uh, you did something. both of you,” your dad states, taking a step to stand between you and peter. peter gulps down a breath before speaking. “mr. stark, it was-“ tony holds up a hand. “don’t worry, kid. i’ll figure it out.”
he gives peter a proper stare, searching him for clues of some sort. it’s a good thing he isn’t wanda because the details of your night would have been exposed. he couldn’t find anything, so now it’s your turn. he’s a little disappointed you’re the one hiding something.
“oh, y/n. not you,” tony sighs as he gives you a looking over. he starts with your face, your eyes following down as his do. it’s when he gets just past your chin that he sees them. the little hickeys littering your skin, some already deep shades of purple. he rips off his glasses in disbelief.
“absolutely not.” he closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with the same hand his glasses are in. “i’m not seeing this. i’m not seeing this if i don’t look.” you scoff at his reaction. “dad, you know we’re together. you can’t expect us to not...” “don’t say it,” tony begs, getting the urge to hurl his half eaten apple. he turns and faces peter.
“parker, you really did all of that?” peter only blinks, nervously meeting the eyes of his mentor. “to my daughter?” tony adds on to scare him even more. “i- i-“ a burst of frustration comes out of peter. “you left two teenagers alone the whole night. what’d you think was gonna happen?” he’s shocked at his own words, his face showing it. tony raises his eyebrows. both your hands cover your mouth.
not wanting to deal with peter, tony addresses you instead. “i don’t care how you do it, cover those up. don’t let me see them ever again. understood?” you nod a good amount of times and reach for peter’s hand. he’s about to give it, then tony glares down at what’s happening. peter pulls back immediatelty. “understood. we’ll, um, do better next time,” you agree, tony winching at the idea of a next time.
“you, parker... treat a lady with a little more respect, eh?” tony clicks his tongue at him. he’s referring to all the hickeys. peter’s lips form a line, a sarcastic one that says oh well. “i tried, mr. stark, but y/n wanted me to-“ “christ, that’s enough.” tony furiously shakes his head and starts to walk away from you two. “never again!”
you’re thanking god when he sets off for the living room, you hiding your face in peter’s chest, his face in your hair. “that was terrible. that was the worst thing ever,” you say into him. “i’m sorry, baby. we gotta be more careful.”
it’s not over yet because then, the toaster dings. you’d completely forgotten about the waffles. you and peter both separate with your millionth shared look of terror. tony comes rushing back into the room, very familiar with that noise.
“first you destroy my daughter, now my toaster? pete... you’re in for it, kid.”
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studiojeon · 3 years
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troubled outsiders | intro - jjk
| summary | -  how you two end up pining for each other.
warnings: none :) 
content: idol!jungkook x student!oc, friends to lovers (because it’s THE superior trope okurrrt), jungkook is quiet and shy but a social butterfly when needed (and when it comes to oc but you’re not supposed to know that yet), oc is both a badass and a socially akward queen, she has TWO friends and only because one is dating the other (like... same), the Lee Charyeong is her bestie, oc works at bighit and feels like everyone either fears her or hates her, author nim is a crackhead and has no plot planned for this series whatsoever (doesn’t know if she’ll keep this up, we’ll see).
words: 1.93 k
His presence was overwhelming, to say the least. Even if he were surrounded by six hundred other equally handsome men, somehow, to you (and the majority of the female population, at that point) he was as captivating and magnetic as they come. Jeon Jungkook didn't pay no mind to no one, but sure as hell everyone became hyper aware of his existence and essence in time. And that didn’t exclude you.
Yet, as nonchalant and indifferent as the man could be perceived, in reality he was more considerate and friendly than the aura he exuded. You knew this because working in the same company had to teach a thing or two about the people who literally carried said company and the whole industry at some point, still you barely knew four or three people, including your assistant and Jungkook, whom you had met once.
The opportunity of working at the company had come to you out of the blue, quite literally, you were attempting to send one of your assignments in when an email appeared in your notifications during your sailor moon study break. 
HYBE Entertainment
We’re glad to inform you that you’re being recruited for the position of Logistics Manager in one of our sub companies, BIGHIT Entertainment. We’ve thoroughly looked through the CV you’ve submitted and are very interested in your capabilities and what you can contribute to our organization. One of our other managers will gladly meet you on a day you can both agree on. Make sure to answer this email to get more details about your interview.
“Nani!? THE FUCK?” sure as hell that your eyes and cognitive functions were deceiving you (ADHD) you went over the text a little over three times in a row before the message settled in your mind. This was sus. 
Before even considering a reply you made a quick call. “Fucking Lee Chaeryeong” you spat on your end of the line. “You did this, didn’t you?”.
Her silence was more than enough to have you cursing her under your breath. “I don’t know what exactly you’re talking about but it most likely was me. Does it have to do with a sex toy in particular?”
“No” you denied almost monotonously, guessing the pile of boxes in the corner of your room with her names on them was what she referred to. “Does anything come to mind if i mention BIGHIT FUCKING ENTERTAINMENT?”
It was her. All those conversations during the summer about how badly you wanted to work in the entertainment business as marketing staff of some sort had their effect on your friend, who, despite all your excuses and denials, knew you better than you and your mom combined did, and because of this, was sure as hell you were not making a move towards that goal whatsoever. So, being the boss bitch she was, she took matters into her own hands, was what she explained.
You concluded that was the reason you had reached a point in your life where you had more experience than most recently graduated kids in your field, because Chaeryeong had you moving every summer break. You had been the manager of a coffee franchise and convenience store during you junior and senior years, and also figured a way to improve the marketing management strategy of a fucking restaurant while at it. Not to toot your own horn, but you were kind of cool.
Or not. “I hope this job satisfies your workaholic ass for once, I’m running out of ideas”. Chaeryeong spat before hanging up.
Sure as hell it would. 
On friday afternoon, you made your way to the HYBE INSIGHT building and introduced yourself to your recruiters who promised to give you a call at some point. “It went fine” you told Chaeryeong once you were in your car. And it was the truth, however you weren’t so sure if they would actually hire you at some point since well, you were a girl in a male dominated industry and, in your opinion, there were always better people than you. “Wanna go grab coffee?”
“I want to. But, I have practice today. I’m actually on my way there. Please avoid driving through Hongdae today, this shit’s packed.” You sighed and thanked her for the heads up. You missed your friend, badly. You hadn’t seen each other in three weeks, and you didn’t even live so far away from each other (you did, but it had been worse before). You two had very agitated lives to say the least. Chaeryeong was a kpop group member, and well, you were jumping from job to job and getting your phD in Business Management at the same time. It was hard to find moments to spare together during some periods of the year, but you guess the anticipation made your encounters better.
“Talk about anticipation” you slammed your forehead against your desk, taking a breather after such an anxiety packed situation. Short story: you got the job (for some fucking reason). And you had gone through a whole week of expectancy and anguish. Not getting that job would have broken your heart, and ego at the same time. 
You guessed the law of attraction tactics Chaeryeong had taught you had sorted their effect and were what led you to your current position in life.
“Miss _____, your presentation’s ready” your work assistant gave you a comforting pat in the back as she took a seat somewhere next to you. You were nervous, shitless. It was your fifth week at the job, and being the proactive woman you were, you had collected lots of data in order to come up with a resources management plan.
It was a Thursday afternoon, and more than a hundred people sat in front of you, waiting for your speech. Including him, who you’d once bumped into accidentally during one of your data recollections runs inside the building. 
You hated having the need to impress others yet, hence your anxious behaviour. But this was a decisive moment in regards to your validation in your new job and how you’d continue to be perceived during your work stance (no reason to panic at all)… you needed to get it together.
“I think I just pissed off a bunch of old men right now,” you told your assistant right after you got off stage. “I need a bathroom break”. Linh gave you a reassuring smile, one she always had plastered on her face.
“Take as long as you need to. I’ll give you a call once the rest are done”.
The commute to the bathroom was unnecessarily complicated in your opinion. You had spent a little over a month rushing through the hallways of the building and you swore every single day your spatial orientation got a bit more fucked up. There was no way there wasn’t a single bathroom on the floor you were in, that would just be atrocious. “It’s not completed yet” someone said beside you as you stared at the half empty map the company had projected on a wall next to the elevators. “Where do you need to go?” 
Kim Taehyung of all people in the world was talking to your ugly and unworthy ass. Your breath caught in your throat and after staring for at least five seconds your body finally reacted to your orders. “Oh, um… the bathroom. I’ve been looking for it for a good ten minutes” you explained with a nervous laugh.
“Trust me, I get it. I still get lost over here” he smiled gently. “It’s in the hallway in the middle of the next hallway” 
You laughed at his very ambiguous explanation. “Thank you” you bowed your head and made your way to said destination.
It was in the hallway to your left, not your right, and it took you a while to figure out that new piece of information. Once you were staring at yourself in the mirror, you realized that you looked considerably tired and exhausted from all the social interaction you had undergone throughout the day. You were used to the side stares and whispering you’d get whenever you entered a room at that point, but some days you just wished you could get a break from them. After all, it wasn’t your fault you didn’t look Korean at all, and that you also didn’t fit the stereotype of a foreigner.
You got that from your mom, both the non Korean features and social fatigue. But that wasn’t even the problem most of the time, it was your friendly and smart nature which she had also passed onto you. Some would consider it a blessing, but to you it was a burden, like a clear glass that shielded you from introducing yourself into other people’s realities. You had few friends and people to trust, but in your everyday life you had to deal with the pressure of standing out too much and that came with a lot of negative energy from others. You sigh as you spray your favorite fragrance on yourself. You could be feeling like shit, but no one will ever catch you slipping.
But that excluded him apparently. You hadn’t noticed that on the other side of the hallway was the men’s bathroom and the realization hit you as you were calmly getting some tea from the vending machine. “Good afternoon” the man greeted you as he made his way out the hallway, but stopped in his tracks right after he noticed you. “_____! Hi” he smiled at you and you wanted to die, suddenly forgetting what you were ordering in the first place.
“H-hi Jungkook” You smiled back, poorly attempting to put your wallet back into your backpack. 
“Need help there?” he noticed your agitated state and held your bag for you. He smelled just as heavenly as you had expected, somewhat between big dick energy and flowers. Oh, and he also remained as kind and polite as you remembered him.
Seeming as if he wasn’t planning on continuing his path to wherever he was heading to in the first place, he stood quietly by your side, waiting for you to be done with your deal. “How have you been?” you break the ice for him.
Quickly, you grab your tea and start walking back to the auditorium together, unaware of your surroundings or the suspicions that could arise. “Busy, but very good. How have you been? I saw your presentation earlier… I wish I understood half of what you said but you still sounded amazing”.
And you would never admit it out loud, but you were positive you were blushing (and falling in love too - platonically, of course). “Oh god, you think so? I basically told them they’ve been doing things wrong all along so maybe you’re the only one who’s appreciative of my work” you handed him the second can of iced tea you bought without him noticing. You swear his eyes lit up like stars in the night sky. “Payback for the other day” you smile at him.
The first time you two had crossed paths you didn’t look nearly as glamorous as you did now. In fact, you looked incredibly disturbed and in pain, carrying a huge pile of paperwork in your hands. But as soon as sweet Jungkook noticed your state, he offered you a hand and somehow ended up helping through your multiple data collecting trips that afternoon. It was a nice day.
“Anytime” he took the can in his hands with a shy look on his face. “Unless I’m practicing, you know…” you look down at his feet, with huge black boots engulfing them, and you smile due to their contrast with his personality. “Here, i’ll give you my number so you can call me whenever you need to put all those papers back. Hopefully I’ll be around” he added as he pulled his phone from his back pocket.
Way to get a girl’s number, my god.
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PART 5
“Girls,” why don’t you finish your homework and set the table while dad and I talk for a minute?”
“Can daddy stay for dinner?” CeCe reached for his hand and looked up at you, a sweet but pleading smile on her face.
“Can’t actually, honey,” Luke informed. “I’ve got somewhere to be, so--this has to be quick, unfortunately.”
“Great,” you nodded, bitterness laced through your words. “Girls, just give us one second, okay?"
You made eye contact with Maeve, communicated a look that said please bring your sister inside. She did, she pulled her by the shoulder and offered to let her fold the napkins--her favorite part.
You shut the door one they were back in the house, turned to Luke and crossed your arms. “Why are you here?”
“To visit.”
“Okay, well, where have you been for the last six months? My dad died--you didn’t think to visit when they lost their grandfather?”
“I’ve been busy,” he whined, letting his hands slap against his legs as if you were nagging him unnecessarily. “Better late than never.”
“Not how that works, but okay.”
“Y/N--can I just come in, hang out with them for a bit?”
“You can’t just come in and out of their lives, Luke, whenever it’s convenient. You either show up with some consistency or you don’t show up at all.”
“So you’d rather them not have a relationship with their father than have one that’s maybe not up to your standards?”
You were back in your marriage, suddenly, back to the fights and the frustration that became a dance you knew all too well. “They’re kids, Luke! Their parents got divorced and then their grandpa died and we moved and now you’re just here on my doorstep. Where’s your girlfriend, anyway?”
You looked past his shoulder--his car was parked on the gravel, apparently he remembered the entry code for the gate. The blonde woman who dangled from his arm on Facebook and the motorcycle he rode were nowhere to be found.
“She’s at home. And she would love to meet the girls, you know.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so?”
“You can’t just show up with no notice and take them to meet some random woman you’re sleeping with.”
“Well, do we have to get lawyers involved in this, then? I’m pretty sure I deserve some level of custody over my own children.”
“Now you want custody? I mean--you literally didn’t reply to my calls about settling that in court when we actually got divorced so forgive me for thinking that meant you didn’t care.”
“I want to be able to see my kids, Y/N.”
“Okay--well maybe you can call me in the morning and we can schedule something instead of you showing up at my house.” You turned around to grab the doorknob, but before your hand landed on it, the door pulled open and Harry was stood on the other side with intrigue in his eyes.
“Harry--” you were about to tell him to go inside and stay out of it, but he stuck his hand out in Luke’s direction and smiled.
“Luke--nice to put a face to the name.”
Luke shook his hand but narrowed his eyes. “Do I know you?”
“No, you don’t. My name’s Harry.”
“You look familiar--” Luke mumbled this to no one in particular, but his eyes caught yours when you offered him a small smile.
“He’s a client of Jeff’s--he’s a musician.”
Luke made a face at that. “Okay--why are you here?”
“I live here,” Harry said. “With your children and ex-wife.”
“Harry,” you said his name again in warning. He didn’t even look at you, kept his eyes trained on Luke’s as if this was some sort of show down.
Luke nodded slowly, brought his eyes to you. “So our children can’t meet my girlfriend but they can live with a stranger.”
“He’s not a stranger, Luke. He’s known Jeff and the Azoffs for years--he knew my dad.”
“You didn’t think to ask me if that was okay?”
“You never returned my texts about my dead father or asking if you wanted to see them, so, it didn’t really cross my mind.”
Harry took a step in front of you. “Why are you here, man? I think that’s a better question.”
“I could do without the attitude, dude, okay? I can come to see my children if I want.”
“Just curious, since we’re about to eat dinner and I know Maeve’s not done with her homework.”
You rolled your eyes at that--an obvious flex that Harry was more in the know about your kids than he was. Your heart beat was rising, eyes flickering between the two of them.
“I didn’t know I needed your permission to see my own kids.”
“You don’t need mine, but maybe actually co-parenting with Y/N would be a good place to start.”
“Oh so she’s got you playing by all her rules, too?”
“Luke--”
“If you want to call her rules stability, for your children, then sure.”
“So you think you can move in here and just take over as father or something, is that what’s happening? Is there something going on--”
“No--I’m not their father, but I know that Y/N is an incredible mother--”
“Harry, please.”
“So you’re sleeping with this guy and he moves in and that’s fine but they can’t meet my girlfriend.”
“No one said we’re sleeping together, Luke,” you made a face at that, crossed your arms over your chest again and watched him with narrowed eyes.
“Are you?” He looked between the two of you, waiting for an answer like he suddenly had a right to know that information.
Harry shrugged his shoulders. “S’none of your business.”
He rolled his eyes. “Well, good luck with her, maybe one day she’ll divorce you and then tell you that you can’t see your own kids--didn't know I married such a control freak.”
Harry swung before you could even process the insult, his fist collided with Luke’s face and you let out a gasp. “Harry--are you fucking insane?!”
You rushed over to Luke, now clutching his face on the ground as he swore to himself. “Fucking fuck, that’s a perfectly clear answer, dude--good to know you’re sleeping with her.”
The door had already pulled open again, both Maeve and CeCe looked out into the evening air with wide eyes, uncertainty on their faces when Harry turned around to see them. “Go inside,” he said.
“Why?” Maeve shot this back with a prickly attitude. “What’s happening? Why is dad on the ground?”
“Just go inside,” Harry said it again, his words more stern.
“You’re not my dad, Harry, you can’t tell me what to do!”
Now was not the time for Maeve’s theatrics.
Luke shot back to his feet and lunged towards Harry, words interspersed between grunts when his own fist grazed the side of Harry’s jaw. “Don’t tell my kids what to do!”
Maeve pulled CeCe inside and shut the door quickly, some kind of instinct taking over her when you yanked at the back of Luke’s shirt. “Luke, get the fuck off of him!”
Harry shoved him back, he lost his footing and fell to the ground again but was quick to get up and brush the dirt off of his hands. You stood in front of Harry, who now rubbed at his jaw and looked more dejected than before, green eyes more somber when you shook your head.
“Both of you need to grow the fuck up--you just tried to beat each other up in front of the girls.”
Harry dropped your gaze and moved his jaw in circles, Luke glared with resentment, but they were both quiet.
“Go, Luke--you can’t show up and pull this shit, okay? We’re not doing it like this.”
“So now I don’t get to see my kids because your fucking boyfriend punched me in the face?”
“I didn’t say that!” You shouted, your volume making both of them flinch. “I never said you can’t see them but you certainly can’t just show up and expect me to take that well. We’re not talking about it now, so please, do everyone a favor and get the fuck out.”
He thought about it for a second, reached up to touch his cheek--already swollen and bruised--before he let out a sigh and looked at Harry. “Fuck you, man.”
“Fuck you too,” Harry said quickly.
“Go inside,” you said to Harry, a hand on his chest. “And ice that.”
Luke scoffed at your attempt to aid him, but when you turned to see him, he shrunk under your gaze.
“Get out!”
He turned and mumbled, “my lawyer will be in touch.”
“Mine looks forward to that call,” you said sweetly. He climbed into his car and pulled the door shut, Harry stood behind you, feet glued to the front step until Luke’s car pulled out onto the road.
When he was gone, you turned around. He hadn’t budged, he waited for you to say something, but you pulled your phone out and dialed Jeff’s number before you even addressed him.
He picked up on the second ring. “Hi--can you please come get the girls and take them out for dinner or something? Luke just showed up at my house and Harry punched him in the face and then Maeve and CeCe saw Luke try to punch Harry. So--I’m going to need some help. Immediately."
You could hear him grab his keys, he was in his car before he hung up and when you ended the call, the door had been pulled open again.
Maeve stepped out but closed it behind her. “I turned the stove off and CeCe’s watching TV. But I’m not going to lie, she’s suspicious.”
You let out a sigh that turned into a laugh, brought a hand up to your face. You didn’t know if you were mad or sad or amused or terrified. A mix of emotions when she looked up to Harry.
“Did you punch my dad in the face?”
He looked to you, eyes wide as if he needed your help to get out of this one.
You shrugged, not going to save your ass.
“I lost my temper and that was not okay,” he said.
“But then my dad punched you.”
More hesitance, but he nodded. “Right.”
They both looked to you. Quiet for a moment--was Maeve’s childhood shattered here in front of the house, broken atop the gravel that crunched under Luke’s tires when he drove away?
Hopefully not. Hopefully this wasn’t the moment she’d recount in adulthood, a therapist’s office somewhere on the East Coast, my mom let a pop star move in and then he punched my dad in the face.
“Uncle Jeff is coming and is going to take you and your sister out for dinner.” You didn’t know what else to tell her.
“Okay,” she accepted this, something told you she knew that this was serious and this was not something to ask a thousand questions about. “Can I say something?”
“Sure.”
“I think dad’s probably jealous because it’s obvious you guys like like each other.”
You watched her for a second, unable to piece together a rebuttal. So instead of replying, you told her to get her shoes on, tugged Harry inside and sat him at the island.
A bag of frozen peas was pressed to his jaw when Jeff showed up. Maeve and CeCe were in the living room with the TV on, both of them sat on the couch under a thick layer of tension.
“What the fuck happened?” Jeff asked quietly, car still running outside.
“You’ll have to ask your friend,” you said, scooping the uneaten dinner you’d made into Tupperware. “But maybe you can ask him later so I can yell at him first.”
Jeff smiled in your direction, approving of your reply. He looked to Harry, “don’t be an asshole.” He walked over to the living room without a word from Harry and greeted the girls.
“Be good,” you told them. They were quiet, waved goodbye and faded into the driveway once Jeff shut the door.
Silence, except for the crunching from the frozen peas when Harry shifted the bag against his jaw and tried not to wince in pain. He looked at you, guilt creased in his forehead.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
He sighed, dropped your gaze. “I’m sorry I punched your ex-husband in the face.”
“How about the fact that you came out there and got involved in the first place?”
This got him riled up. “Well I didn’t know what to do, Y/N! Maeve said you were talking to him and I wasn’t about to leave you alone with him.”
“I was married to him for 10 years. I know how to be alone with the guy.”
“I shouldn’t have punched him,” he admitted quickly.
“You shouldn’t have.”
He stood from the stool and set the peas down. “But I hated what he said about you--acting like you’re the bad guy here. You’re not.”
“I know I’m not, I didn’t need you to defend me!”
A step closer to you. “I wanted to.”
“Why?”
He shrugged his shoulders, looked away for a second like he couldn’t say it. What was he supposed to say? I like you? I have feelings for you? Did he? You were just as confused as he looked.
“Because I feel like we’re a family, in a weird way, the four of us.”
Just as it always had, the word anchored itself beneath your ribs, made it hard to breathe when you tried to define it in your head.
A family? People related by blood. People who live together. People who love each other. You didn’t have the time or the patience to define it right now with him still looking at you like your silence hurt his feelings.
Maybe it got under your skin and maybe it warmed your heart at the same time. It was at least enough reassurance that you weren’t crazy, and you weren’t imagining all of this. Maybe he did have feelings for you in some way, maybe he did belong here somehow.
“I can’t believe all of that happened,” you said this seriously, but when you looked up at him again you couldn’t help but laugh. How idiotic--your ex husband and your ex-boyband house guest duked it out on the front lawn. Tristan was right, your life had suddenly become a trashy romance novel and that realization brought humor to an otherwise horrendous evening.
“What?” His lips tugged into a smirk.
“Am I going to get blacklisted for causing an injury to your perfect face? Is Jeff going to murder me when he brings the girls home?”
He rolled his eyes at your joke but smiled. “I’m the idiot that thought it was a good idea to punch the ex-husband of my--”
Your breath hitched in your throat, you let out a sigh when he shrugged and offered a verbal pivot. “It was stupid--you didn’t cause it.”
There was still an awkward amount of space between you. He’d stood up like he wanted to move closer to you instinctually, comfort you or touch you. But now you twisted a ring on your finger and didn’t know what to say.
“I’ll apologize to the girls, tell them it was wrong of me and talk to them about it.”
You nodded, was that appropriate? Should you be the one to discuss this with them? Where did you even start in regard to addressing Maeve’s comment at the front door?
“I think maybe I should talk to them.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Maybe I should clear it up with Maeve too, you know, just what she said about us.”
“Right--what are you going to say?”
“I don’t know,” you admitted.
He took a step closer to you. “You could tell her that she’s right.”
You looked up at him, eyes on his for a second like the world had been paused. You’d been speechless before. Maybe not often, and maybe not for reasons like this, but when you didn’t say anything, he took a step back.
“Sorry--you’re right. Best to not involve them.”
Your voice came out in a squeak, insecure and lacking the confidence you’d tried so hard to build. “You think?”
“Yeah, I mean, that’s what you were going to say, right?”
Was it?
“Yeah.”
He scratched at the back of his neck, slid the peas forward on the counter. “Thanks for these. I should probably shower.”
“Okay.”
A hesitance in him, you could see it. He took a step towards the stairs but kept his hand on the counter, a quick glance over his shoulder. “Are we alright?”
“Yeah, yes.”
“You sure?”
You nodded, offering him a small smile. “Certain. Goodnight, Harry.”
**
Jeff wasn’t mad at you about Harry’s face. If anything, he was mad at Luke for being an asshole and mad at Harry for being stupid enough to get involved. You didn’t dare tell him about the things he’d said in the kitchen when you were home alone.
Harry’s ego was bruised almost as bad as his jaw, which seemed to turn a darker shade of blue-ish yellow the next day.
Maeve was sat at the dining room table, eyes fluttered in annoyance when CeCe climbed into her seat and then looked at you. “Sorry,” she said. “I had to go pee.”
“That’s okay,” you nodded, letting out a sigh when you looked between them. “So, I called a family meeting because I wanted to talk about what happened the other day when dad was here.”
“When is he visiting again?” CeCe smiled, distracted by the mention of her absent parent.
“Not for a while,” Maeve answered with an eye roll. “He punched Harry.”
“They punched each other,” CeCe corrected with an attitude.
“Exactly, which is the problem, because as you both know we don’t use our hands to communicate in this house. We use words.”
“Well why didn’t Harry use words to tell dad that he likes you?”
“That’s not what was happening, Maeve.”
Was it wrong to lie to her? She rolled her eyes like she didn’t believe you, like your words were just a cover up for whatever was really happening--you bit your lip when you realized that they were.
“Then why did they fight?”
“Because,” you said, exerting your mom-power. “They disagreed about something. Just like you two disagree sometimes.”
“We’re eleven and six,” Maeve made a face at you. “It’s age-appropriate for CeCe to pull my hair.”
You stared at her blankly--she was too smart for her own good. “But it’s wrong, any type of violence is wrong.”
“So is daddy coming to visit again or no?” CeCe was probably having trouble keeping up, she looked confused but invested when you smiled at her.
“Maybe--him and I still need to talk about that.”
“He never comes to see us!” Maeve complained, frustration in her voice when the front door opened. Harry--hair pushed back with a headband, curls escaped on the side and a dewy layer of sweat on his forehead--apparently he’d gone for a run.
The bruise on his jaw was visible. “Hi,” he looked around, solemn. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“You said dad was going to visit us still when we moved here but he hasn’t!”
You turned back to Maeve, parenting duties outweighed your desire to take in the sight of Harry post-workout.
“I can’t control your father,” you reminded her. “We’ve talked about this--he loves you, but he…” you felt awkward saying it in front of Harry, a watered down version of the truth. “He’s not good at managing his time. He forgets things and he gets distracted. But he loves you.”
“Then why doesn’t he come visit?” Maeve asked, arms crossed over chest. She wore a purple shirt, one that you’d gotten at the Gap and that she used to say she hated, probably just because you said it looked nice on her.
Her voice was softer now, less angry and more confused, a tinge of sadness when Harry walked to the kitchen for a glass of water. Another thing he probably hadn’t planned on: witnessing uncomfortable family meetings where you tried to explain to your children why their father doesn’t keep in touch.
It was a fair question, you couldn’t blame her for asking and wondering. Why didn’t he reach out more? Why didn’t he make an effort to see them?
You couldn’t admit your own confusion to them. “He’s just busy, honey. He loves you both a lot, I know that. But I can talk to him and see if we can schedule a time for him to come see you.”
Harry paused at that--far away in the kitchen, glass to his lips when he stopped sipping and looked in your direction. When he noticed he’d been caught, he cleared his throat and headed out to the patio.
CeCe looked up at you with big eyes. “Can daddy come for my ballet recital?”
“Maybe,” you nodded. “I can ask him.”
That seemed to be good enough for them. Maeve was eager to head out to a friend’s house when her ride showed up and CeCe was more than happy to play in the backyard by herself.
Harry was stood on the patio still when CeCe ran to the swing set, glass of water still in his hand as if he hadn’t a clue what was going on. His eyebrows raised when you stood in the doorway.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” he turned to see you, hand on his hip. “Sorry--I didn’t mean to burst in there.”
“It’s fine, I think they get it. I mean, I don’t know, as much as they can, I guess.”
He nodded, stared at the ground when he spoke. “You know, I was thinking on my run--if this is too much I can talk to Jeff about staying at his. I don’t want to make--”
“No,” you shook your head, probably too quickly. Surprised by your own reply, you crossed your arms. “I mean, it’s fine. I just think maybe we should take a minute to figure out--”
“Right,” he nodded, cutting your sentence down to a half-formed thought. “Understood.”
He looked away at that, glanced down to his running shoes before he kicked at the patio slate beneath them.
You bit at the inside of your cheek, cursed yourself for how stupid you’d been. This is why you shouldn’t have let your guard down in the first place. First Luke, then your dad, now this type of stress all under one roof was possibly too much for everyone involved. The last 12 months had already snowballed into a mess of emotions and you should have known better.
As the adult in the equation, you were sure that this was all your fault.
And yet you wished it wasn’t--something in you wanted to walk over to him, wrap your arms around his middle and feel comforted by his touch. He brought his eyes to you and was about to speak when the alarm beeped. The front door opened, Tristan appeared through the glass doors and waved when CeCe ran over to see who the visitor was. Conversation effectively over.
“Hi,” he greeted with a smile, completely unaware that he’d just walked in at the worst time. “Glad I caught you both here. Sorry to barge in but I wanted to confirm details about the launch party so we can get it squared away.”
Harry stood awkwardly still, weight shifting on his feet when Tristan pulled out his phone to decline a call but kept talking. “I talked to Helen and Kira, the restaurant’s booked and the headcount is confirmed so we’re pretty much good to go.”
Right, the body wash debut and the celebratory dinner that Tristan had insisted on having. It was more than just the body wash debut: a celebration of how much Luna Skincare had grown, the launch of a whole new product line, a pick me up to try to make you feel less stressed, as Tristan had said.
Harry was confused, Tristan looked between the two of you. “Oh--did you...not tell him?”
“Tell me what?”
“About the dinner, the party we’re having,” Tristan shrugged and watched you, confused as to why you hadn’t looped Harry in.
It wasn’t purposeful. You’d spent countless showers contemplating if and how to invite him. Was he your date? Was he just a friend who was coming? Would he sit beside you or beside Jeff or was it better to leave him out of it altogether to avoid the questions and overthinking that had already saturated your brain before the event?
Harry shook his head. “I don’t know about it.”
Great, now you looked like an asshole. You laughed awkwardly to try and brush it off. “Well, we were still planning, I was going to invite you, of course. It’s for the body wash debut.”
He nodded, having gathered that much already.
You cleared your throat, the invitation a clear backtrack. “You should come, it’s just a dinner at La Cava. The team that worked on it, Jeff is coming, Zoey, some of our friends.”
He hesitated, glanced over to Tristan like he didn’t know how to reply but then looked back to you. “I thought we just said we--”
“It’s fine,” now you cut him off, a wave of your hand when you turned back to Tristan. “It’s gonna be great--do we have to finalize a menu?”
“I’ll have it on your desk by Tuesday morning.”
“Great, do you want to stay for dinner?”
He looked between the two of you, somehow aware of the tension that hovered above your backyard. “Can’t,” he said slowly. “I have a date, actually.”
“Oh, okay. Who’s the guy?”
“Someone I met online,” he shrugged. “Check my location and if I’m not home by midnight, please call the police.”
You laughed, “will do.”
He kissed you on the cheek and then waved to CeCe when she screamed BYE TRISTY!!!
Harry said something about taking a shower and seeing a friend that night, he dipped out the backdoor before dinner and you had no clue what time he got home. But that was for the best, right? You needed to take a step back to get your feet back on the ground.
You didn’t need to concern yourself with where he was or what he was doing--and the tiny voice of anxiety in the back of your brain reminded you that you definitely didn’t need to know who he was with.
Doing so had only made your emotions more jumbled. You’d been stupid enough to think there was something here, think that all of this meant something. And maybe it did, in moments. Harry had been the one to say that Maeve was right, but where did that sentence end? Maeve was right and: I have to go on tour, I’m too young to be a step father, I’m not looking for a serious relationship, I’m too busy for all of this.
The sentence likely ended with a fiery crash into flames and embarrassment.
Whatever was going on between the two of you--between the four of you, even--was a momentary blip on the radar of life. An extra set of hands when you needed them, someone to help things settle back into place after your life had been shaken up like the contents of a snow globe.
But somehow, eventually, things had to settle. You were only upset that it had been rattled again, by fists and bruises and angry words, before you were finally able to see that it was time for things to calm down.
He knew this too. He pulled back over the next week, spent less time downstairs and when you found yourself in the kitchen with him one night after the girls were asleep, a general sense of unease seemed to blanket the room.
Your phone dinged on the counter in front of him when he forked into a bowl of leftovers.
“Oh, you--uh--it’s a message from Luke.”
You were bent over at the dishwasher, the final plate tucked inside when you stood up, a wrinkle in your forehead at his words.
“Luke?”
He slid it over, took another bite and pretended to be disinterested.
Luke (9:24pm): Been thinking about it. Once every two months would be great. Don’t want to get lawyers involved--call me next week and we can talk about when to schedule something. Sorry about punching your friend.
You let out a breath you hadn’t meant to hold, licked at your lips when your eyes welled with tears. You looked up at Harry--who’d apparently been watching you. “Sorry, I’m fine, I just--”
“What did he say?”
“He said he’s fine to only see the girls every two months and we can talk about scheduling. And he apologized for punching you.”
Harry let out a sigh at that, his shoulders slumped like they’d been tense. “I mean--I think I did more damage to him, but, s’fine.” He brought his eyes up to meet yours and smiled a bit. “But that’s good--if he wants to see them there should be some type of predictability to it.”
“Right,” you agreed, a beat of silence. “I should probably feel bad for the girls that their father only wants to see them six times a year but I’m honestly just relieved at this point.”
He held back a quiet laugh. “I don’t blame you. Don’t need any more fist fights.”
You looked up at him, bit back a smirk and tugged at the necklace around your neck. “Definitely not.” Another beat of silence when he looked down at the countertop, his lips were parted like he wanted to speak, but then he sighed again.
The sadness on his face tugged at your heart, you spit out words if only to fill the air between you.
“I’m also sorry that he punched you. You shouldn’t have punched him first, obviously, but, he’s an idiot. The father of my children, but an idiot nonetheless.”
“I shouldn’t have gotten involved. I overstepped, so, I’m the one that owes you an apology.”
You nodded. He wasn’t wrong. He did owe you an apology despite the fact that he’d already said it that night. But you didn’t want it to feel as awkward and uncomfortable as it had been for the last few days.
Maybe the girls didn’t sense it, Harry was still teaching Maeve guitar and he still chased CeCe around the backyard, tossing her over his shoulder when he finally caught up. But instead of sneaking into your room at night he shut his bedroom door quietly and you pretended you didn’t watch to see when he finally turned the light out.
“By the way, my house is coming along. They said I can move in sometime in the next two weeks probably.” He nodded like this was a business meeting, neat and tidy information that he presented on top of the island like there wasn’t any weight to his words.
“Oh, okay.”
“Yeah--so, I’ll keep you updated, I guess.”
In a year of uncertainty and with a thousand twists and turns, something about Harry made you feel like your path was straight, like no unexpected bumps or roadblocks could throw you off course. Somehow, he’d simultaneously been the one to make things fall into place and stir up emotions inside of you that you forgot existed.
But the mere thought of that brought on so much judgment and self-doubt. You'd been desperate and pathetic and searching for anything that would keep you upright, then Harry showed up with a suitcase and a heart of gold.
It wasn’t his fault that you fell for him. There was no one to blame but you.
He saw the look on your face, one of swirling thoughts and anxiety. He cleared his throat. “Do you want a glass of wine?”
You looked up at him sheepishly, like you’d been caught in your own internal monologue of a shame spiral. “Do you want a glass of wine?”
He laughed, reached for glasses above the stove and poured.
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AN: this one was a bit shorter--but don't worry, everything happens for a reason.
tag list: @sunflowerryvol6 @trulymadlykiki @kaybee87 @thurhomish @tpwkhoney @70s-harry @la-cey @sing-me-a-song-harry @morethanamelodyy @theresnooneheretosave @ihearthemcallingforyou @sunfloweratheart @g0bl1nqueen @millennial-teenybopper @rainbowparadiseharry @justsaying20 @andwhenshesays @harryinsweatersandbandanas @harrys-cherriesss @harrys-cherrry @cronias13 @burberryharold @15christyxoxo @stepping-into-the-light @mvaldez7821 @barnestann @styles217 @fineelineee @ursamajor603 @tayrenea @hayyyayy @mellamolayla @lovelylemonadaddict @harrystyle-ish @harryspirate @apples2019 @rainbowbutterflyboy @goldeng1rl8 @elisassblog @staceystoleyourheart @themonsterheloved @greatestview @splendidsunsetsx @awomanindeniall @bequietdee @greeneyesandtea @sonofabitchstyles @sunsetcurve-h @dangerousdelusiondreamland @hsfics @abundanceofsoph @golden-asoab @giveyourheartabreak-xx @poguestyleskye
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loliwrites · 2 years
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I really wonder if Addi ever felt insecure during her pregnancy. Because you know pregnancy stage is something else you got bigger and bigger all those stretch marks makes you uncomfortable... So maybe she stood in front of her closet cried like I LOOK AWFUL YOU WILL CHEAT ON ME!
Oh god our media is so toxic. Celebrities paying thousands of dollars to have surrogates so they don't lose the figure they paid to have. Or celebrities having babies because it's like... trendy or something. Can you think of anything more toxic? And can you imagine the toxicity of being in that industry but not being totally recognizable by the public, but your partner is? And that partner is like... walking sex on a stick. And suddenly you don't physically look like the type of person the public thinks he should be with because you're literally GROWING A HUMAN. So on top of all the weird feelings and thoughts you have anyways because you've never had so many different hormones coursing through your bloodstream, you have all the weird thoughts and feelings being projected on to you by people you don't even know. And you have to field ALL of them.
I obviously have many feelings about this. I bet everything started out alright with Addi. In the early stages, you could hardly tell she was toting a human around. But the closer she got to the due date, the little human was growing rapidly, and all of a sudden everyone could tell she was toting a human from all angles. Everyone even said, "oh, looks like you're having a little boy,"
Addi wanted to punch those people in the throat.
To the public, she could be strong. She could act like nothing was getting to her, everything was status quo. But in the privacy of their home and their little life together, the insecurity train had pulled up to the station, tooted its horn, and wasn't leaving.
Somewhere around the four month mark, her sex drive became basically nonexistent. And the more into this she went, it just didn't make any sort of logistical sense to have sex even if she had been in the mood. So on top of looking at a body that didn't even look like hers anymore -- with marks and dimples and curves that she'd inherited from this -- she didn't even feel capable of pleasing her big dude in a way that she knew he needed. At first he tried every now and again for some light touching or heavy kissing, but after being denied so many times, he stopped asking and trying entirely. Sure they still shared a peck or a hug, or Alex would cradle her belly, but she was struggling to remember the last time they'd been actually intimate with each other. And not even on the sex front, just the sort of intimacy that came with making out or cuddling. If she couldn't remember, what did that mean for Alex?
The guy doesn't complain. He doesn't say passive aggressive things or hold any grudge or ill will towards her for it. Yes, his average number of masturbation time in a week has gone up exponentially, but he doesn't say or do anything that makes her think he's upset or now dissatisfied with their life. Maybe she's in a convenience store one day picking up a few items, and a magazine cover catches her eye in the checkout aisle. In big ass letters it says something like "Alexander Skarsgård moving on from baby mama?" And there's a picture of him next to it with him smiling and staring fondly at some woman who looks spectacular.
And Addi, the masochist she is, buys the damn thing. She stews the whole way home, but not because she's angry at him. She's stewing because she knows there's a valid reason why he would move on and she's upset that she brought him to that point. Only, he's most definitely not at that point. The photo was a result of a fan from Sweden who had been in LA by chance and saw him. And the look was at the extreme pleasure he got hearing his native tongue in a place where he never hears it unless it's coming from his mouth or one of his brother's mouths. And in the rational part of Addi's brain she knows he's not looking for a way out. But the rational part of her brain hasn't been the one in charge lately.
"You don't love me anymore!" She cried and held the magazine out to him as her proof. He was midway through a salad and a beer with some re-run of an old sitcom on the TV. He glanced up at the cover of the magazine, then shifted his focus to Addi. Her shoulders sagged and she lowered the magazine; her gaze following it. "I'm okay if you want to sleep with someone else. If you want to fuck someone else. I get it. I haven't been receptive to you for months and I don't... well let's face it, this body isn't really sexy anymore--"
"Hold it, slugger," Alex stood from the stool at the counter. "Hold it right there,"
She glanced up at him again, this time sheepishly.
"I don't want to sleep with anyone else. I don't want to fuck anyone else. That's the last thing I want. I love you, kid,"
"But I'm so awful to you! Remember that time like five months ago you tried to kiss me and I pushed you away because you'd just eaten that sandwich and the smell made me want to vomit?" Actual tears fell from her eyes because now she was re-living that moment.
"To be fair, it was pastrami and that was inconsiderate of me,"
"And you masturbate all the time!"
He kept his mouth shut on that way. That was true. He was masturbating a lot.
"And I get it because I'm a whale! I'm Monstro. I'm a whale of a whale!"
"Hey, hey, hey," he took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't reciprocate it but it was only because she was shielding herself by pressing her face in his chest to hide the fact that she was crying. "The only reason I'm masturbating is because you don't want sex, and that's perfectly fine, but you know we don't have sex if you're not feeling it, right."
Addi nodded and sniffled into his t-shirt.
"Between me and you, kid, if there was even an ounce of you that wanted it, I'd have you on your hands and knees so quick." He lowered his head and brushed his lips to the top of her head. "Your body, just like this, is so fucking sexy. You have no idea what it does to me,"
"But I'm--"
"You're not a whale of a whale, sweetheart. You're growing our little human and making sure they're safe and healthy. And more times than not, this..." he took a step back and cradled her stomach gently, "is the body I'm thinking of when I'm masturbating."
Addi cried a little harder and stood up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck, "that's the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me."
Alex smiled to himself and turned his head in to kiss her cheek. He hugged her carefully and rubbed his hands up and down her back as soothingly as possible. "I'm not going anywhere, kid. You got me."
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Fall of the House of Hargreeves
So I mentioned a while back in my Superhero Gothic meta that there were a number of parallels between the season one finale of The Umbrella Academy and the Edgar Allen Poe short story The Fall of the House of Usher and that I could probably write a whole meta on that if anyone was interested. Shout out and love to the anon who requested that I do that! 
It’s been a minute since I’ve done one of these long form metas, but I am very excited to get back to writing about two of my favorite things: gothic literature and chaotic superheroes. 
Part I: The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher (which I’ll call House of Usher for convenience for the rest of this meta) is a short story by Edgar Allen Poe first published in 1939. It is considered a classic gothic short story, and deals with themes of family, madness, inheritance, and isolation. 
Since it’s in the public domain, I’ll go ahead and link a pdf to the story here. If you aren’t interested in reading, though, or just want a refresher, the story follows an unnamed narrator going to visit his ill friend, a man named Roderick Usher in his isolated (and very spooky) family estate. Upon arrival, he discovers that Roderick’s sister, Madeline Usher, is also ill, and has a tendency to fall into dreamlike trances.
Over the course of the visit, Roderick confesses to the narrator that not only does he believe the house is alive, but that it is connected to the fate of the family which, at this point, only includes Roderick and Madeline. He later comes and tells the narrator that Madeline has died, and enlists his help in order to bury her in the family tomb beneath the house. They do so, but for the next couple of days Roderick is suspiciously...on edge. 
Then, one dark and stormy night, Roderick shows up in the narrator’s room incredibly worked up, and throws open the window, and starts low-key (read: high-key) having a breakdown. The narrator is unsure as to why until he hears ripping and tearing sounds coming from somewhere in the house. These ripping and tearing sounds are revealed to be Madeline whom Roderick and the narrator buried alive whose appearance scares Roderick to death, right before she collapses, also dead from the strain of tearing through the foundations of the house.
The narrator decides this would probably be a good time to leave and is very much right about that because as soon as he leaves, the house (which was already in pretty bad shape) splits in two and collapses into the lake surrounding it. The end.
Part II: Umbrella Academy as Gothic
So, there are probably a couple similarities between House of Usher and The Umbrella Academy season one that stand out right off the bat, but I’d like to start by taking a step back to talk about thematic parallels between the two works. If you’d like to read a very long winded explanation of why I consider The Umbrella Academy to be a modern gothic tale, I have a really long meta about it. 
If not, here’s a quick overview:
Gothic does not have a clearly defined set of requirements as a genre, but its purpose is to explore the contradictions and the failing edifices of convention in a way that is dramatic and often fantastic. 
Gothic fiction plays with reality, but usually in a way that is representative of the characters and story. 
It often situates itself during times of great change, as there is something haunting about the irreversible passage of time, particularly for those that struggle to acknowledge it and hide behind conventions that have grown increasingly irrelevant. 
Poe is considered one of the classic authors of gothic fiction (though the genre significantly predates him), and is decidedly one of the best well-known examples of it. 
The Umbrella Academy is a family drama about former child superheroes dealing with their trauma while trying to prevent an apocalypse that their every move seems to set further in motion. It explores the messy and complicated relationships between siblings who have been abused and pit against each other for years. And yeah, it’s fun with great music and talking gorillas and dance sequences, but the premise is kind of hard for me to read as anything other than gothic.
Part III: Parallels
Like House of Usher, the first season of Umbrella Academy takes place in a massive, largely empty mansion where siblings gather with disastrous consequences. Both works explore a family that is past their prime and disconnected from the present. They also both explore the psychological toll of isolation, the consequences of tyrannical family rules, and why it is a really bad idea to lock your unstable sister in a basement and just leave her there. 
Let’s start with some thematics parallels. Everyone in House of Usher is extremely isolated, and the absence of anything resembling the modern world amongst the house full of relics is part of the horror. All of the siblings in Umbrella Academy are defined by their isolation as well, physically (Luther, Five, and Ben), socially (Vanya, Diego, Klaus, and Allison), and emotionally (legit all of them). It is this isolation that drives the conflict of the story, feeding into every characters’ choices. 
In both House of Usher and Umbrella Academy, the main characters are trapped in this isolated state as a direct result of their familial legacy. In House of Usher, the titular house is a character itself, a manifestations of the obligations Madeline and Roderick hold as members of an aristocratic family that is so far divorced from wealth and status that it keeps them from ever fully moving on and rejoining the real world. In Umbrella Academy, the characters are similarly trapped by their familial legacy, this time in the form of the specter of their abusive father, and the roles he created for them. Like the Usher siblings, the Hargreeves have no way of maintaining the roles their family left out for them – they were never given the tools to function in the real world and it cripples them – but are trapped in them regardless. 
Part IV: The Woman* in White 
*As of the time I am writing this, nothing has been said regarding Vanya’s gender identity being written to match Elliot Page’s. I am using she/her pronouns for Vanya, as that is what has been used for the character thus far. 
Aside from thematic parallels, however, the most direct connection between the short story and series, and in fact the reason I was inspired to write this meta in the first place is the way both of the stories end: with a sister trapped beneath the house clawing her way out to face her brother(s and sister) and creating a disruption of the family legacy so great that the entire estate crumbles.
Madeline Usher is described at this point as wearing a white dress, strained with the injuries she sustained from physically breaking herself out of the basement tomb her brother buried her alive in. Vanya, of course, becomes at this moment the White Violin, and though she has not yet had the epic violin-music-so-powerful-it-changes-the-color-of-her-clothes scene, the principal still stands.
As characters, there are also a couple of noteworthy parallels between Vanya and Madeline. The narrator at one point describes “the illness of the lady Madeline had lone been beyond the help of her doctors. She seemed to care about nothing” (Poe, 27). The reader never knows what illness precisely is the cause of Madeline’s apparent madness, but we see the effects. It dulls her emotional responses to situations and leaves her withdrawn and powerless. Similarly, we learn over the course of the first season of The Umbrella Academy that the medication Reginald Hargreeves prescribed Vanya for her anxiety is actually a power suppressor for her abilities that has much the same effect – because they are strengthened by extreme emotion, the drugs numb Vanya’s emotional responses and deprive her of the ability to access her powers.
Additionally, the final scene of the story story shows Madeline escaping her tomb during a great storm and going to face her brother who put her there, the storm itself being a metaphor for her anguish that tears the house apart. Vanya’s connection to the destruction of the house is a bit more literal, but it is similarly a manifestation of her anguish and trauma. She sees flashbacks of her siblings being distant and rude to her in their childhoods and the anger she feels rips the foundation apart. 
It is not entirely clear in the short story why Roderick buries Madeline alive – there are a lot of theories: he genuinely believed she was dead, he wanted her out of the picture, he himself was succumbing to the madness of the house, etc – but the guilt he feels for doing so manifests as him hearing her scraping her way out for several days preceding her escape. The justification for Vanya’s imprisonment is more clear in text, but the series of flashbacks make it clear that it is not just the imprisonment that has driven her over the edge. It it guilt for her sister, anger at her abusive upbringing that is much more easily directed at her siblings than her father, the newfound emotions experienced by being off her medication for the first time since childhood, Leonard’s manipulations, etc. 
In both cases, amidst a spiral of emotions and experiences folding in on themselves, Vanya and Madeline experience a single, cold moment of clarity that drives them to escape, and it is that moment of clarity that breaks the shadow of the family legacy. They observe the situation as it stands and realize that it is completely unacceptable, and it is the realization that leads everything to crumble. Because gothic literature is focused on the complexities of maintaining that which is out of date, the realization that things must change can break the spell.
Part V: Conclusions 
As per usual, I have no great theories on why this is or what it means. One of the reasons I love gothic literature is that it is rife with meaning that can be more easily felt than deciphered. I welcome any and all interpretations, theories, (politely worded) disagreements, and comments. 
Thanks for taking the time to read; I have a lot of fun doing these. Enjoy spooky season, y’all. 💛
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prodtrouver · 3 years
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「 Notice me? noticed. - xiv. run away」
Previous | Masterlist | next
Taglist: @shiningstar-byulxx @jays-real-girlfriend @moaberryjjunie @jiheonie @jiminismybabymochi @nyfwyeonjun @beemarkie @faiirybread @t-toodumbtocare @rjsmochii @shesin-therain @helo-xx @loveyedami
Sorry if this took months, literally. So many things was going on. Lowercase letters are intended!
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᯽ 12:04 pm
Saturday picnics has become a normal thing for Yeonjun and I, ever since we became roommates. Not only that, but Jeno and Jaemin tagged along today because they want to.
"Jaemin is actually a good cook," Yeonjun takes a bite of the sandwich Jaemin made. The other chuckled while Jeno gives me my smoothie he bought.
Families filled the park- playing and running around. Some of them are also having picnics with tents and things. It was a pretty wonderful day.
Jaemin laid on the blanket, his eyes shut as he enjoyed the breeze. It always feels good to be out, doing what you enjoy, and having fun. Although, it made me think what the others are doing.
As much as we wanted to invite the others, it might cause a ruckus, especially since they're all so... Ehh- rowdy.
"when will you tell Renjun?" Asked Jeno while he ate a cookie. I noticed that Jaemin and Yeonjun drfited their gazes towards me. I heaved a sigh and shrugged.
"I don't know- all I know is that I bumped into him at the convenience store days ago! He might be living near us." I took a sip of my smoothie before Jaemin grabbed his phone.
It was all relaxing and calm for a few minutes until Jaemin jolted up. It made everyone flinch at his sudden action.
"I- y/n, you need to hide." He grabbed of my hand, he was panicking. I noticed that he was looking around, so Yeonjun and Jeno did the same.
"Huh? Why-,"
"woah! Y/n!" My body stiffened when I heard a familiar voice. I turned around to see Jisung who looked too surprised. What's even more surprising is that Huening is behind him.
"I- you- since when!?" I shouted in confusion- that is until Jaemin gave me his phone. His Twitter is open...
Wait- oh no! I grabbed my phone and started scrolling until Taehyun commented.
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Immediately, everyone started to panic when Taehyun left the comment. They were all wary and their gazes kept going everywhere.
I was only getting up until I saw Taehyun and Soobin running towards us and behind them is Renjun.
That's my cue to run away, so I did! I ran farther from them and his behind a tree. I couldn't hear what they're saying but it looks like I gotta stay here for a while.
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᯽ 12:20 pm
The three boys ran up to the others- Jaemin, Jeno, and Yeonjun looked confusingly concerned. Jisung and Huening were struggling to not speak about the matter.
"you- you guys are here!" Soobin was surprised to see them all. Because of his instincts, he looked around for y/n but he doesn't see her anywhere. Even Renjun did the same.
"y/n isn't with you?" Asked exhausted Taehyun when he saw the extra drink and utensils on the blanket.
Unbeknownst to them, Jeno pulled out his phone and quickly messaged y/n.
Yeonjun nervously laughed, "well- she had an emergency, you see?" He lied, knowing that y/n is hiding somewhere nearby. He peeked at Jeno and Jaemin who were whispering at each other.
"aw, she won't be coming back?" Renjun asked but before Yeonjun could answer, Jeno's hand covered Yeonjun's face.
"but her sister is coming! You should meet her sister! They're both really pretty and nice," laughed Jeno.
Yeonjun places a hand on Jeno's hand as he gave the younger a questioning look. "Stick with it, she can't hide forever," Jeno whispered.
Jisung and Huening's gaze stayed on y/n from a far.
"oh? Her sister? I didn't know she has a sister to begin with." Renjun sat on the grass while Soobin sat beside him. Taehyun moved closer to Jisung and Huening who were still staring at y/n.
"yeah- yeah! Oh, look, there she is!" Nervous and trembling, Jaemin pointed at the girl who was walking towards them.
Pretending to be her own sister who doesn't exist, she was shaking. She made her voice higher than normal to avoid suspicion, however, she doesn't know how long this act will last.
"h-hi, hello..." Her voice got softer. While Jeno and Jaemin were trying to contain their laughter, Jisung, Huening, Taehyun, and Yeonjun were wondering if her voice is okay.
"you look like that one girl I bumped into the convenience store!" Renjun pointed at her and her eyes widened.
"o-oh? Ah!!!! I remember!" She acted a long but she was silenced when she noticed Soobin's stares.
"i-is there something on my face?" She asked, but Soobin only leaned closer. His face inches from hers and y/n felt like she was about to be crushed.
"you sound like y/n..." The others froze, so frozen that they could be mistaken as statues. "Is it because you're siblings?"
"maybe! Maybe!" Yeonjun pushes Soobin off her. He then laughs before Taehyun decides to call her. Her phone rang and when she checked, she looked at Taehyun with a puzzled expression.
That was until he mouthed her to act and leave before the three of them leave. She rejects his call, but pretends that she answered it.
"hello?" Everyone got quiet around her... "Oh? Y/n! Mom wants to see me?.... Oh, okay- I'll be there." She sighs and gets up.
"I'm sorry if I can't stay longer- my mom got into an accident, sorry. I hope to hang out with you guys again soon, bye!" And she ran away, again.
This time, she was headed to her car. She waited until she gets a message from Yeonjun or Taehyun that they've left.
It looked like they were just hanging out, probably catching up at the park.
When y/n was told to return after the three left, she was laughed at by the five boys who stayed.
"damn, now they're going to ask you about your non-existent sister."
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capcarolsdanver · 3 years
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A Christmas Carol
Summary: You’re left with the disappointing fact that you will likely be spending yet another Christmas without your girlfriend, Carol Danvers. Your friends offer you support, but all you really need right now is your girlfriend to return from space to be with you for your favourite holiday. Can you count on a Christmas miracle? Pairing: Carol Danvers x Reader A/N: Well... it’s not quite Christmas still, but I severely underestimated how busy I would be over the holidays, so please enjoy this late Christmas fic! Feedback is always appreciated so please let me know what you think! Please do not repost any of my writing anywhere else without my permission.
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The annual Avengers Christmas get together is in full swing, and your eyes sweep out across the room to all of your closest friends around you. Of course, everyone’s having a great time, and the open space of the large party hall at Avenger HQ is full of laughter and joyous chatter amongst the guests.
Thor, who still doesn’t exactly understand Christmas, just seems happy to get to spend time with his favourite people. He brought along a generous supply of Asgardian alcohol for those who have what would be classified as a very high tolerance to alcohol, so as expected everyone is in a very joyous mood.
You yourself had found a spot on one of the couches surrounding a small table and had barely moved the whole night, feeling more in the mood to spectate in the festivities rather than participate this year.
Not to say that you’re sitting on your own in some miserable slump, because you are genuinely trying to enjoy everybody’s company, but you can’t deny the Carol-sized void that is particularly evident anywhere you go. Especially during the holidays.
As if to emphasise it, Steve, who’s sitting opposite you from across the small table, catches your eye.
“So, Y/N. When’s your lady coming home?”
He asks you kindly, with a warm smile, as Steve always does. Despite this, you can’t help it when your own smile falters and everyone sitting in your immediate proximity grows quiet, regarding you with sympathy.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” Steve rushes to say when he seems to realise his mistake.
“No, don’t be,” you’re quick to reassure. “I knew what I was getting into when I started dating Carol. I can’t exactly expect space crime to conveniently stop in time for the holidays, can I?”
You choose not to bring up that this will be the third Christmas in a row that you have to spend without Carol, but you still feel the pity practically radiating from every person in the group.
“Okay, who else thinks it’s time for shots?” Sam yells loud enough to be heard over the music by everyone, and the group seems to loudly agree. You remind yourself to thank Sam later for successfully shifting everyone’s attention from you.
Everyone scrambles to each grab a shot. You remain seated on the couch, and moments later Nat takes her own spot on the couch next to you and presses a shot glass into your hands just in time for everybody to simultaneously start counting down from 3.
Somewhere between shouting and cheering, everyone downs their shots, and you all seem to collectively wince. You and Nat both grimace at the burn of the alcohol and it manages to get a chuckle from you.
Nat drops her shot glass on the table before she turns to face you again.
“So. Real talk,” she raises an eyebrow as if warning you not to try to back away from the conversation. “When did you last speak to Carol?”
“A couple weeks ago,” you admit, sighing. “She left on some mission about a month ago. But you know how it is when she’s working up there. It’s so hard for either of us to contact the other.”
Nat smiles sadly. “I’m sorry.” She pats your knee and you shrug at her, though you feel like you’re able to let your guard down a bit now that everyone else in preoccupied.
“Yeah, it sucks,” you let out, feeling Carol’s absence hit you all over again. Your eyes fill with tears that threaten to spill over.
Unexpectedly, and uncharacteristically, Nat pulls you into a hug. You give yourself little time to think about her rare show of affection before you gratefully wrap your arms around her and rest your chin on her shoulder.
“Did she tell you how long the mission might last?”
You shake her head. “No, she just said she might not be able to contact me until she was done.”
“Okay, I think you need another drink,” Nat says, releasing you from her arms. “I’ll be back.”
You quickly wipe at your eyes at the chance of any rogue tears that managed to fall and smile at her before she stands up and heads towards the bar.
————————
On the morning of Christmas Eve, you wake up with a start to some kind of commotion going from somewhere outside the room. You quickly survey your surroundings, remembering that you had decided the previous night to just stay at Avengers HQ after the party, like almost everyone else had. You’re in your old room that you used to live in before you and Carol had moved out together.
The commotion that had woken you up appears to still be going on if the shouting from somewhere outside your closed door is any indiction, so you begrudgingly get up to go investigate.
You follow the loud intrusion of sound into the kitchen, where you aren’t all that surprised to find Bucky and Sam shouting and gesturing wildly at one another.
“Dude, don’t lie. You literally stole my pop tart straight from my plate!” Bucky looks livid. Opposite him, Sam throws his arms out away from his body, matching Bucky’s outrage.
“You have no proof, you moron.”
“Why do I need proof when there was no one else around? It couldn’t have been anyone else.”
You continue watching their exchange, entirely unsurprised that they are blowing up over something as small as a pop tart. You’re half considering just heating another pop tart to shut them up when Nat leans on the wall next to you, taking a sip from her steaming mug of coffee while her eyes also land on the boys.
“Bet you’re glad you don’t wake up to this kind of thing everyday in that fancy apartment of yours, huh?”
“You can say that again,” you laugh. Though, of course, you probably do prefer waking up to these regular early morning antics from the boys than to the empty silence of your apartment whenever Carol isn’t there with you.
“You’re still coming with us to look at Christmas lights tonight, right?”
To be honest, you’d completely forgotten about Steve’s plan for you all to go on some Christmas light trail that night, and although Christmas is generally your favourite holiday, you find yourself not really in the mood to celebrate it this year.
But then again, anything to take your mind off of Carol’s absence sounds appealing to you right now.
“You bet.”
————————
You trail the group, looking around you at all the incredible Christmas displays people have decorated their homes with. There was absolutely no denying how beautiful the entire street is, but as much as you try you just can’t seem to get out of your own head.
Steve’s leading the group and you can hear them all excitedly chatting, pointing out particularly well decorated houses, but you’re content to linger towards the back of the group and take everything in on your own. You know you’re lacking the Christmas spirit needed to participate with them right now, anyway.
A solid hand is suddenly falling around your shoulders, successfully shaking you from whatever broody train of thought you were on as you almost jump out of your skin. Your head snaps to the person you were now attached to, seeing Thor’s wide smile. He tugs you closer to him in an almost brotherly fashion.
“Lovely night, isn’t it?”
“I suppose it is,” you manage, after your heart beat finally slows back down to a normal rate again.
“Ah, you’re yet to hear from Carol, I presume?” Thor asks. You’ve gotta give him credit. As much as he’s completely enthralled by the Christmas lights surrounding you, Thor can still pick up on your solemn mood with remarkable ease.
“You presume correctly.”
You see Thor hesitate for only a moment before he speaks. “Might I offer a few words, Y/N?”
“Sure,” you say, sighing. What could you lose from hearing what he has to say? Plus, the Asgardian usually provided you with some pretty solid advice.
“Please give Carol a little patience. I know firsthand how difficult it can be to communicate with you all while I’m not here.” You soften at Thor’s words, not even aware of how tense your body was. “You all are my family. And it hurts when I’m unable to talk to any of you whenever I’d like,” he explains. “So, please just remember that Carol is likely just as anxious to speak with you as well.”
“Right,” you say more to yourself. Thor’s words somehow do make you feel some kind of comfort in the fact that Carol wasn’t choosing to go so long without talking to you. Not that you thought she was, but the reassurance helps.
Thor squeezes your shoulder in comfort and loosens his grip from around your shoulders, but before he can leave your side again you grab his arm.
“Thank you, Thor,” you say sincerely, and he gives you an understanding smile before leaving you to your own thoughts again.
At some point a little later, Steve seems to notice from his spot at the front of the pack that you’re still lagging behind, because he drops his pace to fall into step with you.
“Are you having a good night, Y/N?”
“Yeah, it’s nice,” you smile. As distracted as you’ve been, it’s hard to miss how much fun the others in your group are having. “Thanks for organising this, Steve.”
He returns your smile and nods. “Well, for most of us, we’re all we’ve got. I figured it was time to start making some traditions of our own.”
“Well I like that sound of that,” you say. You really do appreciate everything Steve does for every single one of you, and he was right. You are family. Personally, if it weren’t for the Avengers, you would have no one else. You know the same applies for many of you, the man you were currently talking to included.
“Hey, listen,” Steve says in a considerably more careful tone. “I wanted to apologise again for bringing up Carol last night.”
“You have nothing to apologise for,” you reassure him, shaking your head.
“I know, but-” He shrugs. “I just feel bad about bringing her up when we were supposed to be getting into the Christmas spirit last night. I mean, what is this, your second Christmas without Carol?”
“My third, actually,” you mutter, clearing your throat and dropping your eyes to the pavement in front of you.
“Shit, here I go again,” he curses, watching you. “I’m sorry.”
“Steve, stop apologising,” you say firmly. “Seriously, you’ve done nothing wrong.”
You take a scan of your surroundings. The street sign catches your eye and you realise you’re only a few blocks away from your apartment, which sounds like an awfully appealing place to be right now. You were exhausted from your previous late night, plus, what little Christmas spirit you did have has been all but spent this far into the Christmas light trail.
“Oh, you know what? We’re pretty close to my apartment. I think I might call it a night.”
Steve’s eyes widen and his features settle into a look of guilt. “You aren’t going to come back to HQ with the rest of us?”
“Nah, I think I just want to head home. I’m pretty tired.”
“Oh man, I totally ruined your night, didn’t I?” Steve shakes his head at himself, his look of guilt deepening even further. “I can’t believe I brought Carol up again.”
You interrupt Steve’s inevitable continued apologies before he can even start.
“Steve, no. My brain was never going to turn off tonight, anyway. It wouldn’t matter if none of you mentioned Carol the entire day, I still would have thought of her.”
Steve looks fairly unconvinced, still clearly internally scolding himself. Though you notice his features soften and eventually he nods.
“Do you need someone to walk with you?”
“I’ll be fine. It’s really not far at all.”
“Alright,” he hesitantly agrees. “But we’ll see you in the morning to exchange gifts and everything, right?”
“Right,” you laugh. “Hey, do me a favour and let everyone else know I left early. Nat would never let me leave a group activity early if I told her I wanted to.”
“No problem,” Steve laughs.
You give his forearm a quick squeeze in thanks, waving to him before you make your way towards your apartment.
————————
You’ve barely even made it a block before your phone starts ringing. You fish it out from your pocket, assuming that it’s Nat, calling to berate you for leaving the group early. Without even checking the caller ID, you answer.
“I don’t want to hear it, I’m not coming back,” you say, not leaving opportunity for the person on the other line to get a word in first.
“Coming back to where?”
The voice on the other line is not Nat. In fact, it’s the last voice you were expecting to hear tonight.
“Carol?!” You practically squeal into the phone, stopping dead in your tracks.
“Hey, baby,” she says and you instantly melt, having gone weeks without hearing her voice.
“Oh my god. Hi,” you greet back, feeling like you could burst into tears at any given minute.
“You okay there?” You can practically hear her smirk and the image of it in your mind makes you smile.
“Yeah, I just can’t believe I’m hearing your voice right now.”
“Well you better believe it, babe, because it’s definitely happening.”
Your brain finally recovers from the shock enough to ask a vital question. “Wait, does this mean your mission is over?”
“Mmhm,” she confirms. “Finished a couple days ago, actually, but this is the first chance I’ve had to be able to call you.”
You can’t help the sudden hopefulness that you feel. If the mission ended a couple of days ago and she was already on her way back to Earth, then it was entirely possible that she could be back within the next day.
You let out a deep breath, your emotions almost getting the best of you. With your mind racing a million miles a minute, you subconsciously start taking some more steps forward. The snow beneath your feet crunches slightly with every step you take.
“Where are you?” She asks curiously, and you assume she’s heard the sounds of your footsteps.
“Uh, I’m on my way to the apartment.”
“Wait, you’re walking to the apartment? Alone?!”
“Hey, I can handle myself,” you chuckle. “I am an Avenger, remember? Besides, I’m only a couple of blocks away.”
“Oh yeah?” Her voices lilts slightly. “Why are you even walking the streets at night, anyway?”
“How do you know it’s nighttime? Doesn’t everywhere look like night in space?” You can’t help but tease and Carol laughs.
“Well, is it nighttime?”
“…Yes,” you admit. “But that’s nothing more than a lucky guess.”
“Uh huh,” Carol replies, and you can hear her smirk through the phone again. The things you would do to see that smirk in person at this moment…
“Anyway,” you interrupt your own train of thought. “I was with everyone up until a few minutes ago. We were out looking at lights.”
“Lights? What kind of lights are so special that you’ve gotta go out in a group to go look at them?”
You’re left dumbstruck for a moment. She surely hasn’t forgotten what time of year it is, has she? You’d only reminded her about a month ago, and she knows how much you love the holiday. You assumed she would have remembered.
“We were looking at Christmas lights,” you clarify.
“Oh. Well now it makes sense,” you laughs. “Isn’t it a little too soon to be looking at Christmas lights, though?”
You’re hit with the fact that she’s actually forgotten what time of year it is. You try to shake off the sudden disappointment, though you’re a little too aware that if she has forgotten the date then she likely hasn’t begun her journey back to Earth just yet either. Which means another Carol-less Christmas for you once more.
“It’s Christmas Eve,” you eventually mutter into the phone.
“It is?” She sounds vaguely surprised at your clarification. “Huh. I guess it’s pretty easy to lose track of time up here.”
“Yeah, I bet.”
“So you’re heading back to the apartment?” She continues on as if you hadn’t just revealed to her that your favourite holiday is mere hours away. You can’t exactly be mad at her, though. As she said, it’s easy to lose track of time while she’s doing important work up in space. “Why not HQ with everyone else?”
“I just felt like being home, I guess,” you explain. “I wasn’t in the Christmas spirit and we were pretty close to the apartment, so I decided to head home early.”
You hear Carol hum in acknowledgement as you use your keycard to get into your apartment building. You start up the flight of stairs leading to your apartment.
“So, when do you think you’ll be back?” You can’t help but ask. Realistically, you have known for weeks that Carol likely wouldn’t make it back in time for Christmas. Though, with Christmas Day only a few hours away, and your short-lived hopes of her returning any day now, the disappointment of her not being here is fresh once again.
“Soon,” Carol says vaguely and you frown.
“Soon? That could mean anything,” you complain. “Don’t you have at least some idea of when you’ll be back?” You can’t help the slight bite to your tone, the frustration of everything seemingly growing by the minute.
You fumble with your keys, your current conversation leaving you preoccupied enough to struggle with the basic task of locating the correct key on your keychain to grant you entrance into your apartment.
“I don’t know, babe,” you hear Carol say and you finally unlock the door, pushing it open and walking into your apartment, slamming the door shut behind you. “Why don’t you tell me?”
Her voice sounds suddenly different, louder, and you twist around on the spot until you’re facing your living room.
You gasp when you see her. Carol is standing beside your Christmas tree. Her eyes are on you and she still has her phone pressed to her ear. The only thing that rivals the bright lights of the tree is her wide grin, bright enough to light up the room all on its own.
Your wide eyes refuse to blink as you look back at her. You’re suddenly all out of words.
You watch as Carol takes one step closer, and then another, until she’s closing the distance between the two of you. The closer she gets to you, the softer her smile grows.
“You’re here,” you whisper into your phone. Carol lowers her own phone, coming to a stop directly in front of you.
“I’m here,” she returns, her own voice barely above a whisper too.
“Hi,” you say dumbly and Carol smiles adoringly at you. She gently takes your phone from your hand and drops it down onto your couch along with her own.
“Hi.”
Before you know what you’re doing, you abruptly tackle her in a tight hug. If she weren’t Captain Marvel you might have been worried about her balance, but she remains steady, wrapping you up in her strong arms.
Without even realising it, tears are spilling out of your eyes and running down your cheeks, and you let out a deep breath you weren’t even aware you were holding, pressing your face into Carol’s neck and breathing in her scent. You feel the lightest you’ve felt in months.
Carol hears your sniffling and takes a step back to look at you. She keeps ahold of your sides.
“You okay?”
“Are you kidding?” You choke out a laugh amidst your tears. “I’m more than okay, Carol. What are you even doing here?”
You still can’t believe your eyes. You can’t believe that the love of your life is standing right in front of you when only moments ago you still believed that she was in outer space.
“What, you really thought I’d let you spend another Christmas without me? It’s your favourite holiday, you know?” She lets go of her hold on your left side to tuck an errant strand of hair behind your ear. “You know how much it killed me having to miss the last two Christmases with you.”
You shake your head in disbelief, completely in awe of the woman in front of you.
“I love you so much, Carol.”
“I love you too.” She barely has time to get the words out before your mouth is pressed against hers in a kiss that’s long overdue. You only pull back for a moment when your smile literally grows too big to continue kissing Carol. You both break into laughter, giddy at the joy of finally being together again.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” You say the words that repeat over and over in your mind. Carol’s intense gaze regards you and she smiles at you sweetly.
“Merry Christmas, Y/N.”
“Merry Christmas, Carol,” you reply before your lips are meeting hers again.
————————
The next morning, you wake up to the sound of Christmas carols playing from the living room and the smell of fresh coffee drifting in through your open bedroom door. You can hear Carol softly singing along to the music, and you smile sleepily.
Nat was right. You’ve never been more glad to wake up to the sounds of your apartment than you are right now.
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bookwyrminspiration · 3 years
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Idk if you addressed this already but: Fitz is an asshole.
I'm rereading the books and he is horrible to Sophie! He blamed her when Alden's mind broke, got really upset that Sophie wouldn't tell him that Oralie was her mom and broke up with her because of it... I might forgetting some things (I'm rereading really slow and am only at the beginning of Exile...) but that's most of what I remember
And he also chose to ignore when Sophie was calling for help when she was kidnapped so...
Also they're kind of weird? Sophie and Dex could've stayed at that cafe (where there a lot of people and they definitely wouldn't be attracted again) until she got her strength back to contact literally anyone or maybe wait until morning to look for that lantern?
I really liked the series when I first read it but now I'm noticing some weird stuff here...
i've definitely talked about Fitz before, but it's been a while so I don't remember what i've said either, nonsie! Also: apologies for the delay, got a little sidetracked with a few others things before getting to this ask
I will preface this by saying I have a more positive opinion of him, which will affect what I say. I do entirely respect your position and interpretation of his character despite having a different opinion of him. For me, it's less that Fitz is an asshole and more that he's a person and doesn't know what he's doing. He's not intentionally hurting the people around him and refusing to change--in Legacy he told Sophie that he was working on his anger and the way he reacted to things.
that's not to say that the way he treated Sophie was okay, blaming her for Alden's mind break and trying to get information from her she'd clearly stated she didn't want to share and had asked him to leave alone.
I will say for me that it feels almost unfair to judge Fitz's values based on frantic, chaotic decisions he did during one of the most emotionally challenging and turbulent times of his life. When Alden's mind broke he was devastated and it was a very low point in his life--same for Biana, although in a different way--so I like to also look at how he behaves when he's composed and rational.
I do entirely agree with you about his demanding of information about Sophie's mom being unfair an uncalled for. I can understand why he did it (i think i've talked about that before but if not I'd be happy to do so!), but just because it makes sense to me why he did it doesn't mean it was appropriate or right. Sophie made it very clear that was information she didn't want to share and he just kept pushing--those scenes were so uncomfortable to read because it was like he had this idea that the one piece of information she was keeping from him would fix everything and he was desperate to have it, idolizing it. it felt like for a moment he was prioritizing their relationship in the view of the public over her very real thoughts and feelings about it privately
also i think it's interesting that we as a fandom have two main "complaints" (unsure what else to call them) when it comes to Fitz: he got angry at sophie over something she couldn't control, and he often pushes/tests her boundaries. The first of which--the anger--had a major moment in the plot (alden's mind break) that he later went on to directly correct. The second--the thing with oralie and wanting information she didn't want to share--has happened but hadn't been resolved/learned from. We have another book(s) coming, so I wonder if he'll learn directly from their break-up and realize he's been testing Sophie's boundaries and address that directly too. he learns from his mistakes, so I would expect that this would be an opportunity for him to step back and figure out where he messed up here (not that he's the only one who's capable of wrongs).
but moving on! i will say ignoring her when she was presumed dead and had an entire funeral does feel more like he was grieving and thought he was imagining her voice over just being rude and ignoring her. everyone straight up thought she'd drowned and things like what happened to Sophie and Dex were unheard of until that point. i don't think it even crossed his mind that they could still be alive somewhere. Him ignoring her was also convenient for the plot because it left Sophie and Dex stranded, so it's possible that part was pushed a little more specifically so the later Neverseen interactions could happen.
also, you're completely right! there are so many different and smarter ways Sophie and Dex could've handled that situation, and it can be infuriating from a reader perspective--especially when you're someone like me who operates almost entirely on facts and logic and reasonble deductions--to see characters charge in almost blindly without taking stock of their situation. I think maybe things played out the way that they did specifically because sophie couldn't reach anyone, even if she'd been at her best. the only times she did manage to contact fitz were in pure desperation--while she was being tortured and while she was fading. otherwise she couldn't reach out--the transmission she sent out when on the bridge with the neverseen didn't actually get to anyone, it was only noted that it was really loud.
so as far as the two of them were concerned, they were completely on their own and no one would ever come for them, meaning they had to get back themselves. and they wanted to do that sooner rather than later. and that's how they ended up wandering paris by themselves--and their plan would've worked had the Neverseen not shown up and the most inconvenient time possible, which wasn't exactly something they could plan for in the same way
you brought up a lot of good points and topics on both fitz's character and the whole kidnapping situation, so thank you for giving me a chance to talk about it! I know i was a little biased going in with a slight fondness for Fitz--I don't idolize any of the characters but I do have neutral/positive thoughts about most of them--so it's really refreshing to hear another perspective. To clarify: i'm not trying to change your mind or tell you you're wrong in any way! you just inspired a few thoughts related to the topic and I wanted to talk about them. Hopefully I didn't sound dismissive or condescending in any way, as that was absolutely not my intention. But thank you for the ask!
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Hi! I’m a big fan of your work!! I am looking for more but unfortunately I feel like I have read all yhe good Harry Potter docs on Ao3. Do you have any recs?
Sorry for the delay, I just know that whenever I make rec list it usually ends up taking a while.
With that, Harry Potter fics are a big genre. Just saying Harry Potter in general really isn’t that specific to me so this is across genres/character focuses/you name it.
Also, as usual, I’ve been on fanfiction longer and have amassed more favorites there. Some of these are cross posted to Ao3. Similarly, a lot are unfinished, this personally doesn’t bother me but if it bothers you take heed.
Also, you’ll see my embarrassing obsession with Tom Riddle. So, heads up for that.
Stepbrother (Tom Riddle/Hermione Granger, period piece, in which the two remind me a lot of Nabokov)
Cat Among the Pigeons (Tom Riddle/Lily Evans, Psycho-Pass Detective AU, in which I am a beta actually so my promoting this goes without saying)
Til Death Do Us Part (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, Voldemort wins AU, which for me does very well with the concept of immortality and what exactly Tom is supposed to do after he wins)
This Tangle of Thorns (Tom Riddle/Hermione Granger, modern AH AU, a full on Nabokov inspired fic which I enjoy because Lolita)
Delusional (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, sort of. Harry wins the war, goes crazy, checks into a mental hospital. Or he’s not crazy and Voldemort is as unkillable as Palpatine.)
Harry Potter and the Natural 20 (OC insert, D&D inspired, shameless crack. I mostly enjoy the beginning of this but it makes me laugh enough to recommend.)
A Hairy Business (AU, Harry is a deer, he is literally a deer, that’s it. It’s funny.)
Animus, Anima (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, Harry travels back in time, gets stuck in Tom Riddle’s brain, and it turns out Harry’s responsible for every terrible thing that ever happened. This one was squicky even for me, very well done, but strap in.)
Addendum, He is Also a Liar (Tom Riddle/Hermione Granger, Tom has an inexplicable ability to travel to the future, but only to this random little girl Hermione Granger)
Framed & Fractured (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, Harry gets stuck in an evil painting back in time. Tom is creepy as usual.)
Trying for Eden (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, Harry travels back in time to lecture Tom into morality. It doesn’t work.)
Magical Mirrors (Luna Lovegood and Severus Snape, Luna and Snape stumble on the Mirror of Erised at the same time and strike up a conversation)
Aphelion (Hermione Granger/Loki, MCU crossover, Hermione and Loki strike up the world’s weirdest toxic friendship when Hermione’s young and attending Hogwarts, this leads terrible places as Loki slides into madness and despair)
Wandering Souls (Luna Lovegood and The Undertaker, Black Butler crossover, Luna meets and strikes up a conversation with the Undertaker)
Of Lies Most Beautiful (Tom Riddle, Hunger Games crossover, Tom wins the Hunger Games becaues that’s what he does bitch)
In Wonderland (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, Harry ends up back in the past and decides to raise Tom Riddle. This goes so poorly that the pair almost get eaten by eldritch gods multiple times.)
Rumpelstiltskin, Guess My Name (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, Female Harry travels back in time and offers to save Merope’s life/get her Tom Riddle Sr. the non rapey way in return for her firstborn son. Merope thought Harry was joking. She wasn’t joking. In the sequel, also linked, Harry kills Morfin.)
The Eyes (Harry Potter, AU, turns out “the power he knows not” is the power humanity knows not, Harry’s ability to see eldritch abominations and cosmic gods and thus bring them far enough into our reality that they eat everything. And I mean everything.)
Mirror Mirror (Harry Potter, MCU crossover, Harry makes a huge mistake and stops Hulk in the middle of a rampage. This gets him abducted by octopus nazis.)
I See the Moon (Harry Potter and Bruce Banner, MCU crossover, Harry got brain damage from the war and wanders around the middle of nowhere. He runs into Bruce. He’s now Bruce’s only friend.)
You Will Be the Death of Me (Harry Potter and Tom Riddle, Despicable Me inspired, through a series of convoluted events Tom as the world’s worst father figure ends up raising Harry the sad adorable orphan.)
In Death, Standby (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter (sort of, the authro claims), Tom raises Harry, the only Tom raises Harry that I’ve seen done well because Tom is the world’s worst father. Harry thinks he’s a deformed snake until the age of three.)
Little Harry’s Mirkwood Adventure (Harry Potter and Dudley Dursley, Hobbit Crossover, one of the most Tolkien style crossovers I’ve actually seen and is very good)
A (Self-Imposed) Trap for a Fool (Ginny Weasley, turns out Harry Potter never existed, as in he’s a collective hallucination made up by the entire wizarding world)
McLaggen and From McLaggen with Love (McLaggen, a detective AU then a James Bond style adventure starring McLaggen, the greatest wizard who ever wizarded)
Tom Riddle’s Diary: on keeping devils in the summer (Tom Riddle, Tom Riddle’s antichrist orphan adventures involving exorcism and burning people alive)
and the fates sing (hold on, son) (Harry Potter, MCU crossover, Harry is the son of Loki and like all children of Loki he is a wretched and cursed thing)
A Faulty Master (Harry Potter and Itachi Uchiha, Naruto crossover, Itachi after the massacre of his family has a run in with a master of death Harry, who is a creepy creepy man)
Eye of Reason (Harry Potter/Jack Frost, Rise of the Guardians crossover, due to the mythos surrounding his life Harry ceases to be a man and becomes akin to a god)
Flowers for a Ghost (Luna Lovegood and Itachi Uchiha, Naruto Crossover, Luna befriends a blind ghost)
Third Time’s the Charm (Harry Potter, MCU crossover, Bruce Banner keeps trying to kill himself and MoD Harry is there to have himself a real good day)
Blind Faith (Bellatrix LeStrange/Tom Riddle, canon compliant, an in depth look at Bellatrix from the escape of Azkaban onward)
Cocktail Time (Rita Skeeter and Gilderoy Lockhart, Rita does an expose and autobiography detailing the descent of Gilderoy Lockhart and how he became what he became)
Fantastic Elves and Where to Find Them (Harry Potter, canon divergent AU, Harry thinks he’s an elf. That’s it.)
The Twine Bracelet (Colin Creevy, a look at Colin’s death) 
Legal Alien (Harry Potter, MCU crossover, Harry visits New York and an alien invasion breaks out. Culminates with the best, dumb, joke.)
The Root of Desire (Tom Riddle/Hermione Granger, Hermione travels back in time and tries to influence Tom. All this does is inspire his sexual awakening.)
Deadheads (Harry Potter/Godric Gryffindor, a romantic comedy of a kind, culminating in the best dumbest joke)
Give and Take (Tom Riddle/Hermione Granger, Hermione tries to outwit Tom, it ends in despair)
The Road to Somewhere (Harry Potter, Spirited Away crossover, Harry as MoD is in the realm of the spirits)
Absolute (Harry Potter, Harry picks up a death note, he kills everyone)
Fortunate Son (Dudley Dursleys, years afterwards Dudley looks back and writes a memoir and expose about the abuse inflicted on his cousin)
Elective Affinities (Severus Snape/Harry Potter, Harry travels back in time to discover his parents are assholes and things are more complicated than he imagined)
Juxtaposed (Bod, Graveyard Book crossover, Bod attends Hogwarts)
The Fire Omens (Tom Riddle and a look at WWII)
Broken Toys (Tom Riddle and his useless broken toys)
The Fine Art of Poisoning (Madame Zabini)
A Marriage of Convenience (Pansy and Theo get married)
Reparabilis (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, Tom becomes a professor, he still destroys Harry Potter)
The Unforgivable Curses (Draco Malfoy, a look at the 4th year unforgivable lecture with Moody and the Slytherins)
Ugly (Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy one sided Dudley/Harry Potter, Dudley’s fat, ugly, and creeps on his cousin)
Three Can Keep a Secret (Harry Potter, on secrets and secret keeping)
Caveat Incimici (Hermione Granger, on Hermione and her terrifying wrath)
Babylon (Harry Potter and Tom Riddle, Harry never gets rid of Tom)
Wonderful Tragic Mysterious (Luna Lovegood and Albus Dumbledore, Luna Lovegood time travels and becomes a young Albus’ neighbor)
In the Clockface, Weighted and Weary (Harry Potter/Ariana Dumbledore, Harry after DH ends up back in time in Dumbledore’s childhood and witnesses the beautiful Dumbledore family dysfunction)
Eternal Return (Harry Potter and Tom Riddle, Harry is reincarnated as Tom Riddle and as a result becomes Voldemort so that a Voldemort exists)
Like Pale Fire (Harry Potter/Godric Gryffindor, the Founders are resurrected and it turns out Harry had travelled to the past and become Salazar Slytherin, turns out the Founders were more complicated than people expected.)
12 Moves Sideways (Harry Potter and Light Yagami, Death Note crossover, Light becomes the Defense Professor, for once Harry does not figure out the mystery.)
A Very Young Girl’s Record of Her Own Impressions (Ariana Dumbledore’s diary)
Night Comes Early (Moody on war)
Little Witches (The Black family women and how it all falls apart)
Paved with Good Intentions (Petunia on finding a baby on her doorstep)
Emerald Serpent for Vanity (Draco and Nagini introspective)
Blue (Tom Riddle/Bellatrix LeStrange, Voldemort wins dystopia, Tom visits Bellatrix’s grave and is very crazy)
Eighteen (Hermione Granger, on Hermione’s betrayal of her parents)
Ouroboros (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, on what they’ve made of each other)
Not so Different (Scout, To Kill a Mockingbird Crossover, Scout reflects on the wizarding world’s raicsm)
Traitor (Hermione Granger, Hermione is captured by the Death Eaters and commits unspeakable acts to free herself)
Smashing Mirrors (Tom Riddle, introspective)
Twelve Dark Moons (Luna Lovegood/Tom Riddle, Luna becomes a captive of the dark lord)
Full Circle (Harry Potter, Harry wins and is miserable)
The Web of a Thousand Spiders (Luna Lovegood on the diary)
The Metronome (The fall of Lucius’ entire generation)
Understand (Hermione Granger and her betrayal of her parents)
Tea with the Headmaster (Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore, the pair have tea)
This Grief Feeling (Hermione Granger and Severus Snape after the end)
After Innocence (The trio after the end)
Of Great Turmoil and Excess Stupidity (Sesshomaru and Hagrid, Inuyasha crossover, Hagrid decides to capture a demon for class)
What’s Left of Hope (Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore, on preserving hope)
In His Keep (Severus Snape and Luna Lovegood, Snape informs Luna her father has died)
Wednesday (Petunia Evans, introspective)
In the Presence of Angels (Moody in WWII)
What He Grows to Be (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, Harry Potter raises Tom Riddle in the past and it goes horribly wrong)
Being Cassandra (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, Harry Potter, Tom, and their strange AU friendship)
The Girl (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, a fem Harry Potter keeps accidentally appearing in Tom’s childhood)
Corruption (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, Tom wins AU and female Harry slowly becomes corrupted)
One Night Stand (Tom Riddle/Lily Evans, a wonderful look on the first war, Tom Riddle, Lily Evans, the Order of the Phoenix, and terrorism)
The Voldemort Principle (Severus Snape, turns out Snape was Voldemort the whole time and Harry is a lying liar who lies)
Harry Potter and the mountain of pure diamond (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, Harry has become an ageless god who travels worlds and decides to raise Tom Riddle. He’s disturbed when he realizes Tom is more of a person than he is)
A Road Less Travelled By (Harry Potter/Lucius Malfoy, Harry’s a veela, just read it, it’s amazing, I know I sound crazy but it is)
Transformation (Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Draco gets eaten by the Forbidden Forest and then Harry gets eaten too)
Rock Bottom (Tom Riddle/Harry Potter, Tom gets trapped being defense professor and has a miserable time)
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