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#those songs are roughly 6 years apart? i think?
srijellyfishtempura · 9 months
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The Tumblr lesbians don't talk about bubbline enough like seriously. 7 years of ship bait (season 2 to season 10!!!) With multiple episodes dedicated specifically to exploring their relationship without saying anything specific, but CONSTANT allusions to previous events where both were involved with each other's lives for HUNDREDS OF YEARS and then FINALLY in the series finale they kiss
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jamesunderwater · 1 year
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okay so i made this new blog just to have somewhere to put all these thoughts which i guess means i have to actually write them...
so here i am in my grown up apartment (grown up simply because i am a grown up living in it), listening to a playlist i named 'the last time i felt something i was 14' which includes all the songs i can remember giving me feelings in early high school. the one playing right now as i write this is self-conclusion by the spill canvas and it is about being convinced to live for one more night. for context.
but i'm having this whole moment because......because i'm trans and i dunno, in some way i'm using being trans as the newest reason why i'll never be loved, but the reality that i'm seeing tonight is that i just always think i'm not going to be loved and it doesn't have to do with being trans (though obviously my internalized transphobia does play a part) it's mostly just that, even after all the therapy, the decade of being an adult and learning lessons and being loved and losing love, i am still living out the message i internalized as a kid, that i wasn't important enough to be paid attention to or chosen or for my needs to be met. i am either too much and my needs are too much, or i am just not worth it. and at the end of the day i guess that's what i'm still believing. even if not all of me believes it.
so i was having an emotional crisis about this and my inner teenager was really rearing their head and asking for a lot of attention, so i decided to make this playlist and try to find one of my old roleplaying accounts from when i was a teenager. but, when i googled it, instead i found a tumblr i'd forgotten about from when i was roughly 23-24. which was a really rough time for me (ok really everything up until 26 was a rough time but) where i had quit work because my mental health was so poor that i couldn't keep a job and staying a live was a daily struggle. i was also trapped in an abusive comphet marriage, had stuffed my transness so down my own throat i had forgotten about it, and was like actively christian. it was a ROUGH TIME okay.
BUT. i start looking through this old tumblr of mine anyway, right? and the thing is.......there i was. me, just talking about learning to live slowly, and how i want to live as "the real me" (oh you lil egg you), and reblogging cute cat posts, and posting encouraging things for myself and others. and what's wild is, those posts SPOKE to me tonight, like, these things that me 6 years ago was posting are now giving me new breath tonight and i just, i felt like i was sending myself love from 2016, and i was sending it back to me, and i don't know why that feels so profound right now but it does. i just love that regardless of gender, there i was, and i'm looking back at that me and seeing all these similarities while also feeling so much LOVE for that me. and something about that feels like it is part of the slow healing of this self-loathing i have, or this belief that i am unlovable.
i even found this letter to a future me that i wrote as a response to an ask, and at the very end of it, after saying all this stuff about my hopes and shit, but then summarizing with, it's cool if none of that stuff has happened, i said, "just remember: you are enough, just as you are."
even me, then, had love to give to myself. and here i am, like 6 years later, finding it. and giving it back. i dunno, isn't there something insanely beautiful in that? and i don't know why, but there is something so sweet and so beautiful about the little ways that i am still the same person i was then. i don't know why i thought just 6 years would change me all that much, but i mean, i have changed A LOT, like my beliefs are totally different, my political stances, i'm out in every way you possibly can be, and living daily as a queer trans person. and yet, like, i'm still this dorky, loving, cat-obsessed person who uses humor to disguise pain but also is pretty constantly looking at the bright side. and! i did the things i hoped i would do! i am living every day as myself (well, more and more each day), and i'm in graduate school now.
i guess i'm just feeling really heart-warmed about all of this. and i wanted a new space to write about it, and this is too long to put in a journal without a hand cramp, and idk, sometimes you just need to make a new tumblr i guess.
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elyaqim · 1 year
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Deaths, 2021–2022
My original intent was to promptly write about the large number of deaths that had occurred among people I knew, some of them in my family, from March 2021 to February 2022, a year as roughly determined from springtime to wintertime, as many cultures do. Due to subsequent tragedies combined with my avoidance of writing such an emotionally unpleasant article, I procrastinated for about a year, but am now finding the will to finally do it. It should be noted that I am not aware that any of these deaths were caused by a coronavirus.
Marc Matthew Atkins (d. 18 Aug. 2016): In 2021, I learned that one of my closest friends in my late teens and early twenties had died five years earlier without my even knowing it. Marc and I met in the group Gay & Lesbian Youth of New York and became close friends and confidants, getting together socially, laughing on the telephone together and opening up to one another about our family lives. We reconnected in our thirties and spent some time together but eventually drifted apart again, only remaining in contact online without actually communicating anymore. I was devastated to learn of his passing, especially as I wished I could have been with him during his last days, and I find myself thinking of him quite frequently. (Notably, he was the son of popular singer Gwen Edwards of the Co‐Eds.)
Darlene Lorraine De Betta (d. 3 Mar. 2021): Darlene was a friendly coworker of mine in the 2000s, always good for some chat at the cloakroom where she worked. She and I occasionally socialized outside of work too, including at dinner parties at the home of a fellow coworker who treated the staff like family.
Edward S. Berens (d. 13 Mar. 2021): I met Ed in the community group Gay Men of the Bronx in the 1990s, and it turned out that we not only both lived in the Bronx, but that he also had a home in Monticello, the village where my parents lived at the time. Ed was very funny and entertaining and invited me to both of his homes at various times. He also once bought a great outfit he knew I would want to wear in a local talent show and then would not accept reimbursement therefor.
Alix Dobkin (d. 19 May 2021): I only met Alix Dobkin once, during the intermission of one of her concerts at Queens College, and so was able to inquire about a phrase in one of her songs. I have since outgrown the identitarian, separatist ideology that she advanced in some of her songs, but her music was very important to me and to my friends in our politically charged adolescence.
Carl Edmund Woollen (d. 12 July 2021): Carl, the quirky twin brother of an earlier friend of mine in the neighborhood, moved into my building and began attending N. Y. Bear Den, a group wherein his participation would grow considerably, brainstorming with us and having some of us over to his apartment for Scrabble and cribbage.
Aunt Shirley (d. 6 Aug. 2021): Shirley was a beloved grand‐aunt by marriage, the wife of the only sibling of my maternal grandmother’s to be born in the United States. They lived in Maryland so I did not see them often.
Christopher John Williams (d. 13 Aug. 2021): I met Christopher in 2014 at a Thanksgiving gathering in my neighborhood for those of us who could not attend a family gathering. I liked his sassy sense of humor and his flirtatious personality. We took a shine to one another but I do not recall ever seeing him again, our interactions thereafter happening solely on Facebook.
Justin Evan K. (d. 5 Jan. 2022): Although he was my first cousin, once removed, Justin is the only person on this list I had not met. Due to a longstanding rift in the family, I fell out of contact with my father’s sister’s daughters until I learned of Justin’s death in his thirties from a congenital problem I was not aware he had.
Carl Rosenblum (d. 13 Feb. 2022): Carl was a personable and perceptive older man I met in the gay men’s discussion group at Queens Pride House who would also usually go out to eat with other participants thereafter. It was always pleasant to speak with him, both inside and outside the meetings.
George Hains (d. 18 Feb. 2022): George was the affable and corpulent organizer of numerous events at Rockbar, a West Village venue I frequented a number of years back.
One of the principal lessons I had to relearn in this period was not to rely on social‐media platforms so heavily anymore, but to see friends in person (or at least spend time with them on the telephone) before it is too late to do so. Unfortunately, spring 2022 brought more deaths with it.
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egcarlos · 1 year
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“Dreaming with your eyes wide open”
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“Dreaming with your eyes wide open”
My first Christmas with Rio is passing itself off as quiet. Yamini is at work all week. My parents are stuck in the snow in Seattle. So I decided to just take it easy for the weekend and enjoy time with someone I’m only starting to just figure out. It’s been such a joy to see him grow these past few months; he started off roughly around 6 lbs, helpless and monkey-like to now, he’s starting to try different table foods, flip himself over front to back on the floor and adding on to his vocabulary of babbles. I’ll admit that I was scared becoming a father, I’m sure everyone is afraid of becoming a parent, but honestly, it felt as if I was about to lose myself; I was about to lose time for myself to play tennis, hang out with friends and go on trips. There was this sense of, well, I don’t want to say regret, but maybe a kind of bitterness to having a kid, because, to put it simply, I was selfish. And now, spending days with him, see him develop, grow, babble, smile, hold my hand, smelling his head, feeding him different foods, having him touch different things, I just can’t get enough of it. I really can’t. It’s so amazing that it’s making me tear as I write this. I love being a father and I love him so much. The way I feel about life right now, it feels like I’m dreaming with my eyes wide open, from that song “Come Alive” In the Greatest Showman. There is nothing in this world that can make me happier, and I owe God, life, the universe, whatever you decide to call this sense of order in disorder, or how the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts or this sense of peace in a seemingly mad world. I look at my life and I know that I’ve been given so much that there will always be this sense of obligation that this life is not my own. I am living in Los Angeles, I have a beautiful wife who loves me for who I am, I have a family who have supported me through all the crazy things that I decide to do with my life. I know, deep down, that this life is not mine. I came to Los Angeles July of 2021 and went back into training at USC to become not only an HIV specialist, but more grounded and trained in underserved medicine. The past year and a half have been amazing and the experience I gained is priceless. I came here because I still remember my experience in South Sudan, my very first job out of residency and with Doctors Without Borders. I still think about my work, my time there, my colleagues and the people I was fortunate to help every single day. I came to Los Angeles and was given this opportunity to learn so that I can do something more, reach my potential so that I can give back to the very best way that I can. I know that I have a family and a son now. It’ll be the hardest thing leaving Yamini, and now Rio when it is time, but once again, I know that this life is not mine. I’ve been given so much. And there are those, by just a matter of luck and happen stance that are struggling to survive. I am here in the US, living my life, hoping the best for my son and my family, and yet, there are those, not only as far as the other side of the ocean, but also as close as a few streets from my apartment struggling to survive. What should I do with that knowledge? Should I take the blue pill and live a life of ignorance? Should I forget about what I have seen? I have no idea where these thoughts, these reflections will take me. I think about this every day. This will continue to influence my choices and decisions for the rest of my life. For now, I’ll spend my time loving Rio as best as I can. I’ll take him everywhere that I can take him and have him taste whatever I can put in his mouth. I’ll simply enjoy being the best father that I can. I know though, some time this upcoming year, the time is right again to get back out there; to pursue, what I believe God has put me in this world to pursue, to give back to the very best that I can to this life that I know that I can never deserve. Also, because, I decided to take the red pill a long time ago. I’ll continue to live my life as if I’m dreaming with my eyes wide open.
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jikookiekosmos · 3 years
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When I Dream of You || jjk
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➥Pairing: best friend!jungkook/reader, husband!jungkook/reader
➥Summary: Jungkook always imagined being with you was like a dream come true, and after years of pining he can finally say it’s all he could have ever hoped for and more. But what happens now when Jungkook’s dreams about you no longer have a happy ending?
➥Genre: established relationship, (somewhat?) heavy angst, smut, fluff, hurt/comfort
➥Rating: 18+
➥Words: ~6.2k (little much for a drabble i know, sorry)
➥Content warnings: story mostly told from jungkook’s POV, jungkook has a nightmare, feelings of insecurity and anxiety, mentions of harassment (not much), yoongi to the rescue (seriously he’s the voice of reason i love him), making out, grinding, slight hair pulling, riding on top, reader is in control (and jk is happy about it), unprotected sex (safe sex is great sex), cumming inside, cute times in the shower, jungkook is actually the sweetest, reader and jk are so in love with each other it hurts, also jk saying ‘only for you’ is a thing i started and can’t stop now oops
A/N: hello! This is part of my Only for You (OFY) Drabble series, but it can be read as a stand-alone! Their relationship will make a lot more sense though if you’ve read OFY beforehand. This fic takes place roughly around a year after the events of OFY. (I also mentioned this in the post for OFY but for those who haven’t read it, the Kun in the story isn’t referring to any other irl person specifically, it was just a name I chose to make the initial story easier to write.)
As always, thank you to @dntaewithluv​ for being so supportive of me and motivating me to keep writing when there are times I feel like I shouldn’t. And for also being my beta-reader and just generally an amazing person, one of the best friends I could ever ask for.
I’ve written a few other drabbles and will list them below, along with a general timeline:
Use My Best Colors For Your Portrait - ~6 months after OFY
Stay With Me - a few months after this dream drabble
I know this is the most angsty thing I’ve written so far (update: Stay With Me now holds this title), but I got attached to these characters and wanted to tell more of their story so here we are. I basically wrote this all in one sitting because I’ve had this idea in my head for a little while and I was excited to get it out. I hope that if you read this, you enjoy it~
➥OFY Spotify Playlist (songs I listened to for inspo)
➥Series Masterlist
➥All Works Masterlist
taglist: @inlovewiththemoonn​​
⊱──────── ✬ ✬ ✬ ────────⊰
Jungkook was dreaming again.
It was a dream he’d had many times now, and it always started the same way. He watched as you appeared in the doorway of the chapel, ready to make your trek down the aisle.
You looked dazzling in your dress, and through the thin veil that covered your face, Jungkook could see the brilliant smile you wore, which caused him to break out into one of his own. Each step that brought you closer to him made his heart race faster, and it didn’t take long for you to finally be in front of him.
Well…somewhat in front of him.
He could only watch as at the last second, you turned slightly and were now standing in front of Kun, the man you were originally meant to marry. Jungkook’s stomach twisted with fear as he observed Kun lift your veil over your head and take your hands in his as you both stared into each other’s eyes. You, looking at Kun with all the love in the world, because that’s just how you were. And Kun, looking back at you, with a sinister expression that made Jungkook feel dizzy.
He opened his mouth to object, to speak, to do something but no sound would come out. Everyone around him that had gathered to see you get married were either oblivious to Jungkook’s obvious distress, or they just didn’t care.
They weren’t here for him, after all. They were here for you, in the same way that he was here for you, too.
When his legs could finally move without crumpling underneath him, he walked over to stand next to you and Kun as he tried to reach out to you. He couldn’t touch you, though, because it was like there was an invisible wall in between the two of you now. A wall he could still see through but couldn’t reach past. He moved back at the realization, only to be met with something similar hitting his back.
Jungkook whirled around and was met with the same thing, now surrounding him on all sides, trapping him inside some sort of box. A box where he could still see what was happening but couldn’t stop it despite what he did. He felt suffocated.
He was shouting from inside his new prison, banging on the walls, trying to make any sort of sound that would reach you. And he knew you couldn’t hear him; you didn’t spare even one glance his way. But he still had to try. The longer he let this go on, the greater the chance of losing you grew to be.
And the possibility of that, of losing you in any capacity, was something he couldn’t bear to even think about.
Jungkook could hear everything coming from your mouth. The cheerfulness in your voice was usually something he loved to hear under any given circumstance. But in this case, it was threatening to tear him apart. He listened dismally as the two of you started reciting your vows to each other.
And his heart started to break when he heard the words from the letter he’d tried to give you all those years ago. Tears were forming in his vision as he listened to Kun rattle off the words he’d written for you. Words he never got to claim as his own until much later, when it was almost too late.
He could feel his heart shatter at the sight of the breathtaking smile on your face as you two finished your vows, moving now to kiss each other and seal the deal.
He tried once more to call out to you, but any sound he could’ve possibly made would’ve been immediately drowned out by the cheering from everyone around you.
His legs gave out as he knelt down to the floor, helplessly staring at you as you linked your arm with Kun’s to walk back down the aisle as a newly married couple. It took the last bit of his strength to look up as you passed, and you didn’t notice him.
But Kun did.
Kun paused in front of Jungkook, still separated by that invisible wall, and he grinned. It was the kind of grin you’d expect from someone who’s sole purpose in life was to sabotage others’ happiness. Which, ironically enough, is exactly what Kun was now known for.
All Jungkook could do was look on while you left the chapel, followed by the many guests who had gathered for the ceremony. Only when everyone was gone was he able to move about freely, but he opted to remain seated on the floor there instead as the chapel slowly started to fill with darkness once the doors closed.
Jungkook awoke with a start, bolting upright and inhaling a sharp intake of air. He was covered in sweat that dampened his hair and made it stick to his forehead. His breathing was shallow, and it took him a few seconds to remember where he was.
He was at home, in his bed. It was nighttime and sleeping next to him was a figure who’d remained undisturbed by his sudden movement.
He cautiously looked over at your sleeping form. You were turned on your side, facing away from him, breathing peacefully. His eyes softened at the sight and he could feel his heartbeat start to slow down into a pace much less frantic.
He pushed his hair out of his face as he took a deep breath. He knew he should probably wake you, especially since you always told him to do so whenever he had nightmares. Lately, he hadn’t been having any bad dreams, so it had been a while since he last had to rouse you from your slumber.
He reached an arm out, only for it to gently fall by his side. He hated waking you unless it was really important, because he knew you sometimes had trouble sleeping, and this included falling back asleep if something made you wake up during the middle of the night. You’d been especially exhausted lately, what with the new exciting event that had suddenly happened in both of your lives.
Well, exciting wasn’t really the right word. Terrifying fit way better.
After managing to avoid Kun for over an entire year, he somehow turned up at your new place of employment one day, surprising you and frightening you all at the same time. He told the staff at the front desk that he was an ‘old friend, here to congratulate you on your new position.’ And they believed it, so they let him come up to your office unsupervised.
Let’s just say when Jungkook heard about that little ordeal, he was not pleased at all.
Ever since then, Kun had been borderline harassing you, even sometimes going as far as to try and talk to Jungkook during his shifts at the bar. That lasted for all of maybe 2 encounters before Kun found himself banned and unable to return.
You both thought he was out of your life for good after the break-up, but he was proving to be much more of a plague than you or Jungkook initially imagined. So yes, these recent events had maybe been causing Jungkook to have intrusive thoughts once again that translated themselves into the one recurring nightmare he used to have shortly after the two of you got together.
The nightmare of him losing you. You obviously didn’t end up marrying Kun, but you came a lot closer to it than Jungkook liked. And that wasn’t because he’d been pining after you for years; he could’ve dealt with that, if it ended with you being happy. It was more so the reason that your relationship with Kun hadn’t seemed genuine on his end, and Jungkook wanted better for you than that.
Sometimes he wondered if he was the right one to give you what you deserved.
He shook his head to keep more thoughts from seeping in, but he knew sitting here alone in the dark wouldn’t help with that for long. He glanced at the time on his phone. It was 2:08 A.M., so not too late, but most people were usually sleeping at that time.
Nonetheless, Jungkook pulled back the covers and swung his feet over the side of the bed to stand up. He moved as gently as possibly to not risk waking you, but on his way to the bathroom he had to pass by your side of the bed.
Your sleeping face was free of worry, and your lips were slightly parted as you were breathing softly. The sight made Jungkook’s heart thump. He couldn’t help himself when he leaned down to plant a gentle kiss on your forehead.
If you woke up, he’d just tell you he had to use the restroom and try to coax you back to sleep. You looked too cute for him not to kiss you, though, so he deduced it was worth the risk.
He padded off to the bathroom then, only wearing a pair of gym shorts. Every step he took was calculated so he didn’t make much noise, and when he finally made it to the bathroom, he closed the door as quietly as possible, listening to the faint click before he leaned against the sink.
He sighed and fished his phone out of his pocket, scrolling through his contacts until he found the name he was looking for. After dialing the number, he put the phone to his ear, and within 2 rings someone picked up.
“Kook? You ok?”
Jungkook smiled. “Yeah, Yoongs, I’m ok. Just needed to talk to someone, that’s all.”
He heard shuffling from the end of the line and he felt a small pang of guilt at the fact that he may have woken his friend up. But then again, it was Yoongi, and he wasn’t a stranger to being up at this hour.
Yoongi hummed. “Y/N not awake then, huh?”
Jungkook shook his head, despite Yoongi not being able to see him. Yoongi took his silence as confirmation.
“Hm, well you do know I love talking to you, but I am wondering why this time of night?”
Jungkook sighed. Better to get it over with than beat around the bush. “I had a nightmare.”
“Oh no,” he could hear the somberness of Yoongi’s tone. “Is it the same one, or…”
“Same one,” Jungkook answered without hesitation.
“Kook, we’ve been over this-”
“I know,” he groaned, running a hand down his face. “I know. Trust me, I don’t want to keep having this happen either.”
“Can you think of anything that may have triggered it?”
Jungkook tongued his cheek then. The more he thought about it, the only thing he could see as being a potential trigger for these dreams to come flooding back would be Kun’s unwanted reappearance.
While he was still thinking, Yoongi continued.
“Do you think it has anything to do with that asshole showing up again?”
Jungkook smirked. He knew how much disdain Yoongi had for Kun, and for good reason.
“Yeah, it’s exactly that, I’m almost positive.”
It sounded like Yoongi was moving again and Jungkook could just picture him now, sitting up and shaking his head in disappointment, not at Jungkook, but at the situation.
“Jungkook, I’m gonna level with you.”
Jungkook gulped.
“I honestly have no idea why you’re letting someone like that affect you. He’s not worth your time, he’s not worth Y/N’s time, not worth anyone’s time if you ask me. Letting him continue to have this kind of effect on you isn’t healthy.”
Jungkook sighed again, his breath coming out somewhat shaky. “I know, it’s just…it’s hard. It’s really hard, Yoongs. I can’t help but think of how close I came to losing her and fuck it hurts every time I think about it.”
“First of all, you wouldn’t have lost her, and you know that-”
“Yeah but seeing him is a reminder that I came close.”
“Jungkook,” Yoongi’s tone was stern now, and Jungkook immediately stopped talking.
Yoongi took a deep breath. “Like I was saying, you wouldn’t have lost her. You mean too much to her and she means too much to you for either of you to have let that happen. Give her a little more credit, yeah?”
At the mention of you, Jungkook’s lips curved upwards into a smile. He knows you’d never allow anything to take you away from him, outside of maybe some things beyond both of your control. But you certainly would never let someone come in between the friendship you both shared.
A friendship that had developed over several years and had now blossomed into a beautiful, loving partnership.
There it was again: you. Anytime Jungkook thought about you, it always made him happy. He was so in love with you and had been for so many years, so it was sometimes still surreal to him that you two were together now. Your smiling face was all he needed to get him through some days.
But right now the vision of you playing out in his head was the sight of you the night he found you in your house kneeling on the floor after Kun broke your marriage off. You looked so utterly broken, and Jungkook made a promise to himself then and there that he’d do anything in his power to make it so you never felt that way again.
“Kook? You still with me there?”
Yoongi’s voice roused Jungkook out of his thoughts. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“Good. You know I worry about you, kid.”
Jungkook smiled. “I know.”
“This is the first time you’ve had this dream in a while, right?”
Jungkook leaned against the sink again, looking at the tiled floor underneath his feet. “Yeah, it’s been months.”
“Then I want you to do something for me, ok?”
Confused, but intrigued, Jungkook shook his head. “Yeah, sure.”
“I want you to take a look at your left hand.”
Jungkook did as he was told, splaying his fingers out in front of him.
“Now tell me what you see?”
Jungkook’s breath caught in his throat as he looked at his gold wedding band as it glistened faintly in the light of the room.
“My wedding ring,” he answered softly.
“Exactly. Your wedding ring. It belongs to you. And it means you’re the one who’s married to her. Not him, not anyone else, but you.”
Jungkook could see exactly where Yoongi was going with this, and the thought made him almost tear up. Yoongi knew exactly what to say and when to say it whenever Jungkook needed reassurance about something, and this was one of those times.
“Jungkook, I’m gonna tell you this, and it’s something I want you to remember. Y/N loves you. She loves you so much. My God, sometimes it’s hard to look at you two because you’re always so lovey dovey like-”
Jungkook laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I get it.”
He could imagine Yoongi smiling on the other end. “Good. I think as long as you remember that, you’ll be ok. It’d probably still help to talk to her, though. You know how upset she’d be if she knew you were suffering in silence about your dreams again.”
Jungkook shakily inhaled, his grip on the sink behind him tightening. “I know. I’ll talk to her, probably in the morning since she’s still asleep-”
Jungkook cut himself off when he heard the soft sound of you calling his name. “Yoongs, I gotta go, thank you for answering and for everything else.”
Yoongi chuckled. “Anytime. Night, Kook.”
Jungkook hung up the phone and peered from behind the bathroom door. He saw you sitting up in the bed now, rubbing your eyes before you stretched. He was so fond of you, the sight made his heart swell.
He also noticed how the t-shirt you were wearing had ridden up some during your stretch and he could see the exposed skin of your thighs now now. He even thought that something as simple as you wearing a t-shirt was breathtaking. And when it was one of his t-shirts, like it was now – on some days it was enough to drive him crazy.
Now wasn’t the time for that though. He watched lovingly as you focused your eyes on him and smiled. He wasted no time getting back in the bed with you, seated with one leg crossed under him, his hand coming down to rest on top of your own.
“Hey,” you greeted him with a lazy kiss. Jungkook melted into the kiss when you deepened it, because after everything he just went through, any touch from you now was igniting all his feelings for you.
All of them, which is why he pulled back to rest his forehead against yours.
“Hey,” he said with a smile, nuzzling his nose against yours before pulling away to look at you. He could tell you were still sleepy, but you wouldn’t attempt to go back to sleep without talking first. Especially since he knew you could tell something might be off.
Your brows furrowed. “Koo? What’s wrong?”
Jungkook took a deep breath, intertwining his fingers with yours. “I had another nightmare.”
The immediate look of concern on your face made his heart lurch, and not in a pleasant way. “Baby, what happened?”
He brought up your hand to place a kiss on your knuckles, right above your ring.
“I had that nightmare. You know the one…”
You frowned. “Jungkook-”
“But it’s ok, really. I talked to Yoongi and I feel a little better.” He was looking anywhere but your face now, so you placed a hand under his chin, tilting it up so he’d look at you.
“You know you can always wake me up and talk to me.” You brushed your thumb across one of his cheekbones and he sighed into the touch.
“I know. You’ve been having trouble sleeping lately so I-”
“You also know that if I have trouble sleeping, usually cuddling with you helps. So please don’t use that as an excuse.”
Jungkook felt guilty again because he knew you were right. Before he came along, sleeping wasn’t always easy for you, but in the comfort of his arms, you found slumber much faster these days.
You took Jungkook’s face in both of your hands, your own chest twisting with pain at the sight of him. His big, doe-like eyes were shining with so much emotion, and all you wanted to do was take away all his worries.
“Do you know why you had that dream again?”
Jungkook nodded, absentmindedly brushing his thumb along your thigh. “Everything that’s happened with Kun lately, it- I don’t know, it just bothers me. It bothers me way more than it should. And I guess it just made me think again about- well, you know.”
Jungkook’s head hung then, and you leaned down so you could look into his eyes once more. He brought his head up to keep you from having to lean uncomfortably like that for too long.
“Koo,” you brushed a piece of his long, dark curly locks out of his face. “I love you. I’m in love with you. I know that things happened in the past that we can’t erase or change, but what we can do is focus on our future. Our future that we’re building together.”
He started to smile at your words, his heart lurching again now, but in a good way this time. Every time you told him you were in love with him, he felt like he could conquer the world.
“So please don’t worry about what almost happened or what could’ve been, because what matters is we’re here now. We’re here together. And I don’t plan on going anywhere,” you placed a quick peck on his lips, “Unless you want me to, that is.”
Jungkook quickly wrapped his arms around you and pulled you so you were straddling his lap, making you giggle as you tried to steady yourself. His hands rested comfortably against your waist and you placed yours on his shoulders. He looked up at you now with so much love and adoration.
“Never. I’m not planning on ever letting you go,” he accentuated his words with his grip around you by wrapping his arms more tightly around your waist to pull you closer to his chest. “Not until the day you decide you don’t want to do this anymore.”
“Well I don’t see that ever happening, so I guess we have nothing to worry about then, do we?” You booped his nose and he grinned, placing a hand on the back of your head to bring your lips down to meet his once more. The kiss was soft, yet passionate.
And it quickly turned into something more.
You deepened the kiss and Jungkook groaned into it, kissing you back now with a fervor that had you unconsciously moving your hips against him. He broke the kiss to lean his head back against the headboard, eyes shut and mouth parted.
“Fuck,” Jungkook panted. “I’m so fucking in love with you, Y/N. And right now,” he opened his eyes to stare at you again, tongue darting out to wet his lips.
His hand snaked underneath your t-shirt to brush at the skin he found there, pulling your head back down for another kiss.
“I want to show you how much I love you,” he whispered against your lips. “Will you let me?”
The sound of his voice shot straight to your core, and you were nodding before he could even finish his question. He chuckled against your lips before he started trailing them down your neck.
“Need to hear you say it, baby,” he spoke as his lips ghosted over your throat, his hold on you tightening.
“Please,” you breathed out, pulling at his dark tresses and making him grunt. “Please, Koo. I want you to make love to me.”
That was all he needed. Jungkook started placing kisses along your neck and down to your collarbone that was exposed from the collar of his shirt, his fists clenching around the material at the bottom of it.
“I love you,” he kept saying in between kisses. “Gonna take care of you.”
He started tugging your shirt up and you met him halfway, ridding yourself of the garment fast enough that it made him chuckle at your eagerness. He started peppering kisses all over your chest, kneading at your breasts, rolling your nipples in between your fingers and making your hips move faster.
You could feel him growing harder underneath you through the thin fabric of the shorts he was still wearing, so you sped up your movements, making him moan.
“These need to come off, don’t you think, baby?” You tugged at his shorts. Another moan came from Jungkook as he nodded, helping you move up so he could shimmy out of his shorts. He still didn’t think he could ever get used to that pet name coming from you, and he thought it was the sexiest thing ever when it fell from your lips.
Of course, Jungkook thought nearly everything you did was sexy. That was just the effect you had on him. Everything intimate was intense in the best way possible, and if this was what being in love felt like, he never wanted to stop being in love with you.
He loved you. He needed you. He wanted to be with you for the rest of his life. And he’d never felt this way about anyone else for.
He felt all of these things for you. Only for you.
Jungkook was pulled out of his thoughts of how much he loved you by the feeling of you grinding down onto him again, this time the only barrier of clothing between the two of you being your own panties.
Yeah, Jungkook wasn’t having that.
He made quick work of removing your soaked panties, laughing again at your enthusiastic impatience. He loved seeing that you wanted him as much as he wanted you.
“Be careful, angel,” He cooed at you as you tried to steady yourself on his lap once more. He rubbed his hands up and down your thighs while you huffed, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.
“Just wanna feel you already,” you said breathily, and the sound of your voice mixed with the words that fell from your mouth made him twitch. He knew he probably wouldn’t last long inside of you, and with the way you were already worked up, he figured you might not either.
But tonight wasn’t one of those nights where he planned on going for hours anyway (even though you both definitely could at times and boy did he love it when that happened). No, tonight was about him proving to you how much he loved you, telling you through his words and soft caresses and the way he took care of you.
And you did the same for him. Jungkook had never had anyone care about him before the way that you do. He knew you’d do anything to ensure his happiness, the same as he would for you.
And that’s also why he thought you were destined to be together. And he hoped he would never fuck that up, that anything would ever fuck that up.
Jungkook heard you whine from your place in his lap, still grinding against him to find some much-needed friction. You felt so good on top of him that he let himself enjoy it for a few moments, soft moans escaping his lips as he watched you through half-lidded eyes. You leaned down to give him another kiss, and in the same movement, he picked you up by your thighs under your ass and placed you back down where his tip was at your entrance.
He grunted against your lips as he felt you sink down onto him, waiting for you to accommodate to the stretch as you’d done many times before. You always told him you could handle it and sometimes you wanted him to be a little rougher with you from the get-go. Jungkook wasn’t at that level where he was comfortable with that yet.
But one day, he thought, especially with how good you feel around him, he just might be.
When he was finally completely inside of you, he waited just enjoying the feel of your warmth around his length. He brushed some hair out of your face, noticing how your eyes were glinting in the faint light of the room.
God, he could never get enough of staring into your eyes. He’d happily get lost in them over and over again.
Now, though, they were starting to close as you picked yourself only to drop down again a moment later. The action caused Jungkook to let out a throaty moan, eyes fluttering closed at the motion.
Hm. That was new.
Usually, Jungkook would guide you with his hands on your hips, and it wasn’t that he didn’t let you have control, it was more that you never really wanted to take control. So, seeing you decide to do it now was exciting and something he’d gladly let happen if that’s what you wanted.
To be sure though, he placed his hands on your waist. You placed yours on top of his and shook your head.
“Let me take the lead,” you said as you pushed his chest to where he was lying down more. “You can keep your hands here, but I want to do the work.”
Jungkook frowned, only because he knew you still had to be tired. “Angel, are you sure? I can help- fuck.”
You cut him off as you clenched around him before you started moving again, his hands constricting around your waist. You placed your hands firmly on your chest to help you get more leverage as you continued moving.
As you sped up, Jungkook leaned his head back into the pillow he was lying on, eyes screwed shut and the prettiest sounds falling from his lips. You watched as the muscles in his neck strained with the movement, and that alone made you want to mark him up.
But now wasn’t the time for that.
Jungkook managed to open his eyes and look at you riding him, the sight making him twitch inside of you. He thought you looked so beautiful like this, and you taking the lead was so hot to him, he knew he’d definitely not last long if you kept this up-
“Do you know,” you broke off to moan as his cock hit a spot inside of you that made your breath hitch, “do you know why I wanted to take control tonight?”
Jungkook swallowed and shook his head, rubbing his hands along your waist.
You smiled at him lovingly, taking one of his hands and bringing it to your lips before linking your fingers. The action made his heart soar.
“It’s because you always take such good care of me. I want to take care of you in that same way,” you squeezed his hand, letting your words wash over him.
“But you do take care of me,” he started to say, only to be interrupted by the feeling of your walls clenching around him again.
“I know. But tonight, I want to show you I know how to take care of you in this way, too. I want to show you how much I love you.” You leaned down, hitting a new angle that had both of you moaning as you brushed your lips against his. “Will you let me?”
Jungkook felt himself getting closer as you repeated his words from earlier. He nodded vigorously, kissing you with so much passion that you thought you might topple over. You sat up straight again and started moving faster, now pulling out as much as possible before dropping back down.
Jungkook’s high was approaching fast because of the combination of you taking control, the way you were riding him, and your words. He was feeling so many things at once and he tried to will himself to not let go.
He didn’t want to let go yet, not until you were there with him.
To help you along, he reached down in between both of you and started rubbing your clit, relishing in the feel of you around him as you stuttered in your movements. He smirked, knowing that even when you were in control, he still had an effect on you the same way you did him.
“Come on, angel, I’m right there, I want you to cum with me.” Jungkook’s voice was husky now, the pleasure threatening to overtake him any second. He bit his lip as he stared at you, watching as your head lolled forward on your neck and you started shaking from the overwhelming sensations coursing through your body.
“I’m almost there, Koo, I love you so much,” your sounds were increasing in pitch and becoming more frequent, so he knew you were close. All that was left now was for you to reach your high together.
He took your hand that was still intertwined with his and placed a kiss on the inside of your wrist. “I love you, too,” he said softly.
His response was enough to finally provoke your orgasm, it being so powerful that you fell forward on top of him. As you did, you were clenching so tight around him that his release wasn’t far behind. He grunted as he placed his head in the crook of your neck, filling you up, the familiar sensation of warmth making you shiver in his hold.
Both of you were trying to catch your breath, you now completely laying on his chest and his arms snaked around you. He placed a kiss on top of your head and you both just laid there for a few moments.
Jungkook was the one to break the silence. “Well, that was certainly something.”
You giggled. “Yeah, I enjoyed that, Don’t know why I haven’t done that before.” You felt his chest rumble with laughter underneath you.
“Me neither, but you can absolutely do it more often. I know I won’t be opposed.”
“Deal,” you said as you leaned up to place a kiss on his nose. “But only under one condition.”
“Oh?” Jungkook raised an eyebrow, intrigued at your proposition.
“You,” you said as you traced patterns on his chest, “need to stop being so cautious with me.”
A tiny frown etched itself onto his features. “Angel-”
“I mean it, Jungkook. I’m not some fragile thing that’s going to break anytime you stick your dick in me.” He couldn’t help the laugh that erupted from him, immediately apologizing afterwards because he knew you were being serious.
“I know you’re not, I just- I never want to hurt you.”
“And I’d let you know if you did. So promise me you’ll at least try to treat me a little less like I’m gonna break under your touch?”
He ran his fingers through your hair as you laid your head on his chest again. “I promise to try. I don’t just do it for you, though.”
You brought your head back up to look at him, quirking your own eyebrow. “Oh? What do you mean?”
He chuckled darkly, his stare alone making you throb. “I also do it so I can maintain some self-control.”
You laughed. “What’s so bad about losing control?”
He smirked. “Nothing, I guess. We’ll have to see though, won’t we?”
The suggestion made you tingle with desire, but you were unfortunately too tired to go again, so you figured it’d be best to leave it alone for the night. Jungkook finally pulled out of you, making you let out a small whine at the loss. Before you could say anything, he picked you up and carried you with him to the shower, as he did most nights when you two shared these intimate moments.
In the shower, he helped you clean off, and as he was washing your hair, you stared up at him, seeing his dark locks falling into his face with the weight of the water that drenched them. His lips were parted and his tongue was slightly sticking out as he concentrated on making sure he lathered every inch of your hair with shampoo. He looked so adorable like this that you couldn’t help but giggle.
You ran your hands along his chest now to help him wash off the soap, and your ring caught the light, glimmering faintly. Jungkook picked up your hand and turned it this way and that to watch the ring shine from different angles, before he linked your fingers together.
“I told you I’d get you a better one, didn’t I?” You rolled your eyes in amusement at the cocky smirk that tugged at his lips.
“You didn’t just tell me, you promised me.” You continued washing all the suds off of him as he wrapped his arms around you to bring you closer.
“And did I follow through on my promise?”
You pretended to think about it for a second, making Jungkook tickle you under the shower’s waterfall. “Ok! Ok! Yes, you did,” you said as you laughed. “You always follow through on your promises.”
“I try,” was his soft response. He nudged your cheek with his nose, which is something he did when he wanted a kiss, a habit you were very quick to pick up on in the early stages of your relationship. You wrapped your arms around his neck and stood up on your tiptoes, placing a gentle kiss on his lips that had him letting out a small sound of contentment.
“I love you. And I’m in love with you. Nothing, nor anyone, will change that.” You reassured him as you pushed his hair out of his face. Any doubts he still had you wanted to erase them all.
You wanted him to know that you loved him with everything you had.
He smiled, brushing his nose against yours. “I know. And I love you more than anything. All the love I have to give is for you.” He placed another soft kiss on your lips before he pulled back to quietly add, “Only for you.”
Those three words meant so much to you, and every time you heard him say them it made you fall for him even more, if that was possible. The two of you continued to hold each other and exchange lazy kisses until the water turned too cold to bear. After drying off, you both snuggled back into bed, with you falling asleep almost instantly, feeling safe in Jungkook’s arms.
He kissed the back of your neck and wrapped his arms around you securely, resting his forehead against your shoulder as you both laid on your sides. Your soft breathing let him know you were already asleep and he smiled, elated that he could provide you the comfort you needed to help you fall into peaceful slumber once more.
When Jungkook inevitably followed behind you, he was met with nothing but pleasant dreams, and all of them were about you.
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ramp-it-up · 3 years
Text
Fine
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Pairing: Rafel Casal x Reader
Word count: 2Kish.
Warnings: SMUT, 18+, MINORS DNI, CURATE YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE! Dark Dom!Rafa, Daveed dancing, drinking, cursing, angst, possessiveness, ex sex, face slapping, bathroom sex, fingering, oral (f receiving) clit slapping, orgasm denial, bdsm, binding, lashing, gagging oral (m receiving).
Summary: You didn’t need Rafa anymore. You were just fine without him.
A/N: This is a little dark. I think I’ve used this pic of Rafa before, but it’s perfect for this fic. And btw, I’m on my Rafael Santiago Casal Bullshit. Watch out.
-----------
It had been 84 days and you were perfectly fine.
Out with your girls, you were wearing your freakum dress, getting plenty of attention and drinks.
You were fine.
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So fine, that you were debating on which fine man to go home with. You surveyed the room for your pick. They’d all bought you a drink. You were polite, drank with them and told them you’d get back with them. You were trying to decide.
The chocolate one with the light eyes and the razor sharp fade?
The light skin with the gap teeth and hella swag?
The beefy blonde with the buzz cut?
You downed your fifth drink and moved towards those pretty gap teeth and swag.
Someone tall stepped in front of your 5” 6” frame in heels. You zigged and they zagged, blocking you from your goal.
You sighed and looked up at them, ready to politely ask that they move or cuss them out. It just depended on how their face made you feel.
You looked up to see Daveed and you squealed.
“DIGGS! HOLY FUCK IS THAT YOUUUU????”
He smiled and laughed at you.
“The one and only. What’s crackin’ girl?” He leaned back and surveyed your form in the dress.
“Damn! You’re still fine as hell!” He was shaking his head.
You threw yourself at him, your short body almost knocking his big lanky ass over with your over zealous buzzness. He laughed and hugged you more, leading you away from the bar.
“Where’s my girl?” You looked around for Daveed’s other half.
“She’s across country at a gig. I miss my Lady.” Daveed’s pout was adorable.
“Awwww, po baby. I’m gonna have to tell her to give you some electronic lovin.’” You started to pull out your phone.
“Oh, don’t bother. She already knows what’s up. Come dance with me.”
Daveed had turned into Mr. Smiley, and as usual, you couldn’t resist him. But you loved to tease.
“Boy, you know you can’t dance.”
“Fuck you mean????” Daveed started doing a very ugly robot.
“Fine! Let’s dance, ugh!”
You groaned and grabbed his hand to pull him out on the floor before he could embarrass himself, and you, any further.
Y’all had a ball, laughing and trying to talk to each other over the loud music, Daveed white girl dancing and you trying to teach him some moves.
After about four songs, the music turned slow and you two stood there awkwardly.
“Well, I guess I’ll go….”
You looked around to see if High Yella was still around.
Daveed’s eyes were above your head and the hair on the back of your neck stood up.
“May I have this dance?”
FUCK fuck fuck fuck fuck.
You turned around, and came face to face with Rafael Casal. Damn he was so fine.
You cocked your hip and crossed your arms, and glared up at him, mad because you felt like this was a trap.
Rafa stared at your pushed up breasts in the dress and your nipples pebbled as he licked his lips wolfishly.
You avoided the memories of Rafael’s excellent nipple play looked back at Daveed for rescue to see that Rafa’s wingman had suddenly disappeared.
You turned your head back to Rafa, the swivel in your neck obvious.
“I should have known that you would be lurking around here somewhere.”
You rolled your eyes, super annoyed and full of attitude.
And that’s why Rafa’s dick was on hard. He needed to give you some act right.
He’d watched you promise your body to every dude in the place with that fucking dress and lead them on. He needed to remind you whose it was.
Fuck that he’d given you the ‘It’s not you, it’s me,’ months ago.
You belonged to him.
“I don’t lurk, Sweet Pea, I flow. And yeah, you know Diggs is the Yin to my Yang, and vice versa.”
Rafa was speaking low enough that you had to lean in, and you caught his scent. Fuck if you weren’t thrown back 83 days to the last time you’d let him take you apart and literally screw you back together.
That dick was an artistic masterpiece, just like everything about Rafael Casal.
But you were fine.
“You have some nerve, calling me Sweet Pea. Fuck you, Santiago.”
You were heated, and maybe it’s because you wanted some act right. You cursed your pussy’s muscle memory and the five drinks you had that were making you weak for him. Because other than that, you’d be fine.
“Maybe later.” He smirked at you, so damn cocky.
“So, are you gonna stand in the middle of the dance floor and cuss me out, or are you gonna move to the music with me?”
Rafa held out his arms and you looked around, pretending that you didn’t want to be encircled by them again. But you couldn’t be rude, right?
You stepped to him and he put his hands around your waist and crossed them behind you, pulling you flush to him. You stared at his lips as you felt him look down at you.
You didn’t dare look into his eyes, but this view was making you remember what that mouth do.
Shit.
Rafa cleared his throat.
“So, how have you been?”
You looked over his shoulder to the speakers on the stage.
“These past three months have been fine, just fine, Rafael. My life is so zen now. I’m happy.”
“Not quite three months, Sweet Pea. 83 days and 14 hours. And I’ve missed you like crazy.”
You looked up into his eyes when he said that. Oh, hell.
“Oh. Did you now?” You were hot.
“Maybe you should have thought of that before you broke up with me the morning after you fucked me goodbye, you self centered narcissist asshole.”
You tried to leave his embrace, but Rafa slid his hands around to hold you fast, thumbs digging into your hip bones, hurting you. At the same time, his grip caused you to feel his desire pressed against your stomach.
You gasped and slapped his face. Hard.
You two stared at each other on the dance floor for a full ten seconds which seemed like forever.
The next thing you knew, you were being pushed up against the stall in the bathroom, the act of Rafa pulling you in there a total blur.
It always started like this, rough, fast, and hot.
Rafa’s hands were under the hem of your dress, dragging it up so that he could grab your panties and pull them down.
“You seem to have forgotten lesson number one. Whose pussy is this, Sweet Pea?”
You refused to answer and closed your eyes, memories of him seducing you just by teaching your fucking Poetry 201 course years ago flooding your brain.
He shook his head and knelt on the filthy floor as he removed and pocketed your thong.
“You prolonging your submission just prolongs the punishment, Sweet Pea. Is that what you need tonight?”
He licked a stripe up your leg and slung it on his shoulder, rutting into your pussy with his mouth.
Your protest at him stealing your clothing died on your lips and was replaced by a moan as Rafael’s skillful tongue started to swirl around your clit, while his fingers came up to roughly finger fuck your cunt.
“Damn, Rafa.”
You moaned and pulled his hair as his other hand came up to try and still your squirming on his face.
“Shut up and stay still, damnit.”
He spoke to you through your pussy, and your eyes rolled back in your head as the vibrations drove you crazy.
You tugged harder on his hair, which made him graze your clit with his teeth. Then, he laved it with his tongue and leaned back to look at it adoringly and then up at you.
You stared down at him, and watched his face glisten with your arousal. Then you caught his look. He sighed at your insolence.
“Fine. You know the drill. This is going to be payback.”
Before you could move, Rafa reached up and lovingly swirled three fingers around and around your clit, then slapped it three times.
You screamed, thankful that the club music was back to a loud cacophony.
He looked at you again, smiling that fucking smile.
“You wanna cum all over my face, Sweet Pea? Want me to make you unravel right here?”
You refused to answer him, but you both knew what was up. Rafa just chuckled at you, and leaned back in to devastate you with his mouth.
He flattened his tongue and took wide, languid strokes against your clitoris, keeping eye contact with you.
You were on fire, all nerves alive and reacting to what he was doing. He inserted two fingers inside you and curled them so precisely to that spot that always made you wonder if he was present at the engineering of your pussy.
You quivered, eyes squeezed shut and tears eaking out, so close to doing what he’d asked you about and bracing for it. Your muscles were taught, your feet were on tiptoe, even further than your 5 inch heels required, and you were holding your breath.
As soon as you felt you were about to gush into his mouth, suddenly, his warm tongue was replaced with cool air, and his fingers withdrew from your cunt.
“Arrghhhh! Cash! Fucking hell????”
He stood up, licking his fingers as he turned away from you, washed his hands and face, and used the water on them for his hair.
You were quivering with rage and desire. As you fixed your mouth to cuss him out, he spoke, calmly.
“You better not fucking move until I’m done.”
Rafa’s ice blue/green eyes in the mirror, and the tone, made you stand stock still, your dress still around your waist. Your pussy throbbed with excitement.
He finished the swoop, then turned back around to you, straightened your panties and pulled your dress down.
Then, he grabbed your face, pushing you against the stall again. His voice was menacing and cold.
“That’s just the beginning of your punishment for slapping me out there.”
You were dripping on the floor now. You wanted to hear what was next, despite yourself. No one could destroy and put you back together as eloquently as Rafael could.
Fuck, how you’d missed it. You were so wound up.
“If you want me to finish it, you know what to do. If you’re done…”
His eyes took in your face. So fucking beautiful.
“Well, goodbye Sweet Pea.”
He leaned in, and gave you a kiss, releasing your face and his hold on you. You moaned a little and put your arms around his neck, reveling in the tenderness while wanting the pain.
You whimpered as he pulled away, backed toward the door and walked out.
You went to the sink and put a cold paper towel on your neck, fixing your makeup and hair and getting your mind right.
You looked in the mirror. You were fine. You didn’t need what Rafael Casal had to offer.
You made a decision, straightened up and walked out of the bathroom.
----
An hour and a half later, you were in Rafael’s bedroom, naked on your knees, hands tied around your back, the lashes on your ass throbbing, gagging around his cock and praying that he’d let you breathe before you passed out.
You didn’t need Rafa.
But you wanted him.
And that was more than fine.
———
I hope it was fine for you! 😜
Tagging:
@sillyteecup @ohsoverykeri  @theselilwonders @theatrenerd86 @sebastianabucknettastan @imatyoursurrvicesurr @riiyy @ivycomet @lonelydance @jbrizzywrites @biafbunny @summerofsnowflakes @anh1020 @honeysucklechocolatedrippin @delaber @wreakhavoconmacroissantdiggs @janthonybitch @einfachniemand @elocinnicole @mysearchforgratification
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askandsmile · 3 years
Text
i got all y'all's messages and i do think i have more to say, but at the same time i'm just like 🥴️🥴️🥴️
this season isn't great, but this episode was terrible. evan is a terrible writer. he's also a fucked up troll. he likes that he's the b*rchie king, he likes b*rchie, he projects onto them. and truly, the less we try to explain anything about this, the better.
i think i need to wait and watch what comes next (from better writer's hands tbh) until i say anything else regarding canon.
but long post ahead, cause i've been wanting to address something that it's not even coherent, but it's just making me insane lol.
we have 6 episodes ahead of us. 6 weeks. if you guys freak out with every single thing that happens, no one is going to enjoy anything anymore.
i don't have spoilers. all the spoilers i had, from when i was in the clubhouse with evan, i gave to you. the way i read the interviews, i told you. i don't have anything else to add. i never had inside info or anything like that, all my speculations were based on rumors going around *and* the bts we got.
all that i could speculate i already did.
"oh, but what if--"
well. when s4 ended, i said, "if they're gonna make veronica look like archie's second choice, i'm not going to watch s5 live". i carried on watching because they didn't, they made it quite clear that veronica is archie's first choice seven years later.
i'm saying it again, "if they're gonna make varchie go through some b*rchie drama/bullshit again, i'm not going to watch s6 live."
if i do watch it, it'll be the same by the end of it if they get a s7. you have to go episode by episode with this show until the entire journey makes sense.
that's all i can do! that's all i can control. that's all you guys can control: the time and dedication you're willing to give to this show.
(i write a fic that's never-ending and even with roughly 4 readers left, i am pushing through because i want to finish it. this is the time and dedication i'm willing to give to this show, writing this fic to those who still enjoy it and to myself, and to varchie.)
so my suggestion now is, let's watch the episodes. it's 6 weeks. are you going to be anxious for 4-5 out of 6 weeks because of something that maybe, possibly, perhaps will happen? are you going to try to make me and other people anxious because you are? i'm choosing, at this point, to trust my ship and the story they've been telling about them.
i know it's harder for bugheads at the moment (reminder that i, myself, am not one although i did love them back in s1 and do support their relationship in the core four context) because they've been dealing with another love interest, on top of cole and lili's breakup, on top of not getting a lot of content, or bts, etc, etc.
but as a varchie shipper...guys, i've been there!
i have seen reggie tell veronica they could be endgame. i have seen archie dance a duet with josie saying he'd fight for her. i have seen archie writing a song to someone else. i have seen veronica getting married to another guy, and then possibly sleep with him after sort of maybe getting back together with archie. trust me, no one in this fandom knows better what you guys are going through right now.
so yes, maybe jabitha will date, or maybe they won't. maybe bh will get back together this season, maybe they won't. it doesn't mean the end of bughead, not at all. look at all the shit other ships have been through (even b*rchies, really). you guys are fine.
is the show good right now? no, it's not. i thought it wasn't so bad until 5x08 (even with the b*rchie thing) but then it just went downhill, and 5x13 was the worst episode ever. no wonder it had 0.7 ratings. but like, does that mean it will stay so bad? i don't know. i haven't watched 5x14, 5x15, 5x16, etc. i don't know what's coming. it might be great! it might suck.
and you guys don't get it, half the varchie fandom left in s3 because there was no sight of varchie anywhere, and then we were pleasantly surprised with the best build up ever in s3C. but you know what? sometimes i wish varchie hadn't gotten back together then! so we would see more of that buildup, some actual reaction from archie seeing veronica choose reggie instead of him, etc. it would've opened a sea of possibilities for a good story.
and whether you like it or not, this is giving more space for other characters to be around. they're not developing them. they're not writing them well. but you can't deny that we have seen more of toni, reggie, fangs, even kevin and cheryl, than ever since...ever.
and it's okay if you just watch for your ship. but the show, and the writers, are not worried about you shdhshd. i think there has been a misconception about that. the ships exist within the show, and this season feels so weird because the core four is apart and bh is apart, but the show is ultimately about the characters and their good/bad decisions.
so, thinking about the characters, ask yourself: is archie in conditions to be with veronica right now? is betty in conditions to be with jughead right now? jug and archie are in their way to healing, it looks like, but betty still isn't. is veronica in conditions to be committed again atm? i don't know. will this change in a couple of episodes? maybe!
and it's same for other characters. choni are going through the exact same thing bh is, they just don't have the impending doom that is b*rchie hovering above, but i guess no one doubts choni.
but imagine if they get back to choni and just give them a few throw away lines and boom, it's all magically fixed. wouldn't they feel betrayed? don't you enjoy the aspect that bh is taking time for this reunion after they were completely shattered? i know i would've written varchie differently if i could.
anyway. it's useless to think "oh, zalben said this, evan said that, ras said this" when we can't control what they say, or how they think. we can only interpret it (90% of the time i've been right about them but whatever) and we can only watch the show in front of us and absorb something from that.
(which is hard when the episode sucks, but it's what we can do).
all this freaking out is making me stop enjoying the show, and the fandom. it's not giving anyone any joy. you guys have to calm down and i'm not being dismissive of how much a tv show can bring anxiety, but the only thing you can do is trust the process.
bughead has been a solid thing for 4 seasons. it's their first major problem. varchie has been not that solid but very, very present for 4 seasons. b*rchie has been whatever it has been for 4 seasons. jabitha is a new ship, but it's around now... but hasn't even really happened yet. like, all these characters have their stories to tell among them, and if we don't enjoy the road they take, we can only try to detach ourselves.
okay, i guess, that's it. i'm not sure if i make any sense, but i'm so exhausted of people not trusting what's being shown to them and only thinking about zalben, bdaily takes, evan, ras, yadayada, who the rvd writers liked on twitter, like... c'mon.
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phykios · 3 years
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honesty and promise me, co-written with @darkmagyk [read on ao3]
“I’m in love,” Piper tells her when she shows up for another fitting. “Have you seen the new Beyonce video?”
“I heard the song.” Annabeth says, “isn’t that enough?”
“God, your whole play-acting thing is too far if you’re pretending to not like Beyonce.”
“I never said that.” Annabeth holds up her hands, “I like the song. But I did not see the video.”
“Well, when you see it, you’ll be in love too, but I will fight you.”
Piper could be scrappy in a fight. But Annabeth had been a champion fencer in high school.
“Kidding!” Piper says at her look. “There’s plenty of them to go around.” She didn’t even start to drape fabric over Annabeth, pushing her onto a muslin covered couch, and then pulling the video on the TV. She didn’t have one of those voice control devices. Because she was friends with Leo, and he was pretty firm on them being evil. “But I do call dibs on the main guy. The CALVES. The thighs. He’s unreal.”
“That good?” Piper went all ways, though as of late she gravitated towards women more often than not, so this was some high praise indeed. 
“Unreal, I am telling you. Like, the hand of God came down and sculpted him personally out of marble.”
Already in her recent watch history, the thumbnail of the video greets them, the song title splashed across the TV screen, weaving between  a very, very familiar set of legs. 
Like, intimately familiar. 
In something of detached horror, she watches the camera pan up, lovingly lingering on every inch of bare skin, following the muscles of his calves (which were unreal) to his knees then his thighs (which Annabeth had spent almost too much time between now), up his torso and his chest (which she knew made for an excellent pillow) to Percy’s face, set in a firm, hard stare. 
And that fucking blue lipstick again. 
She can’t even focus on Beyonce herself, too distracted by the way her hand traces the length of Percy’s outstretched thigh held in perfect arabesque as she gracefully drapes herself over him, crooning softly into his ear.
Annabeth should do that next time. That’s her spot, after all. 
Tearing her eyes away from the screen even as Piper watches, enraptured, she slips out her phone, sending a quick, furious text. 
annabeth: BEYONCE???????
A minute, then he responds. 
percy: oh lol i didn’t realize that came out today 😁
percy: what’d you think?
annabeth: i think im going to kill you later
“Just look at him,” Piper says, pausing on Percy’s form, his arms outstretched, fingers placed delicately around a bar. “I mean--look at him!”
“Yeah,” she chuckles, maybe a little uneasy. “He’s alright I guess.”
Incredulous, Piper swivels her head. “Alright? Alright? Do you need your eyes checked?”
She just shrugs. 
Why is she being so weird about this? It’s just Piper. She’s trained to find symmetry and beauty in bodies. They’ve happily shared crushes and fixations plenty of times before, so why is Annabeth being so weird about Percy? It’s not like they’re… you know… dating or anything. Just hooking up a bit. 
Piper squints at her, then shrugs herself. “Fine. I don’t have time to get an answer out of you anyway. Come on.”
“Speaking of time,” Annabeth says, following Piper back into the kitchen studio, “I have to head out by 6:30.”
“Oh yeah?” Piper’s head is buried in her belt box, searching for the perfect accent. “What for?”
“I’ve got a show to catch.”
“Kind of early,” she says, pulling out something thin and silver. “Don’t you usually meet Thalia at the ass crack of midnight?”
“Well I kind of want to eat first.”
“Okay.” She cinches the belt around her waist, tight. “Then you’re going to have to help me with this skirt.”
***
Hands aching from hours of macrame, Annabeth walks up to the box office window at the Koch Theater at 7:46, having a handful of second thoughts. 
Old, uppity white couples keep shooting her some particularly intense passive aggressive glares, some of them even venturing into actually aggressive territory, which usually wouldn’t even register on her very short list of things to care about, except that she is feeling woefully out of place. The lady in front of her has ten pounds of diamonds hanging off of each old, wrinkly ear, and the best Annabeth could do was fish out her least-ripped pair of jeans, pairing it with one of her nicer black shirts, the sleeves long enough to cover most of her tattoos. The macrame kept her longer than she had meant, so she didn’t have time to change before dinner, but fuck it, right?
She did also take out most of her face jewelry on the way. But she left the nose stud, obviously. And the tongue piercing. And the industrial, because Percy really likes those, so she doesn’t feel that bad about it. And he hadn’t even told her about this until after she had already given herself the half-undercut, so it’s not like she could do anything about that either.
“Can I help you?” At least this box office worker isn’t giving her the stink-eye. 
“I’m here to pick up a ticket? Should be under ‘Jackson.’” He’d offered to leave it under her name, but this was safer. She doesn’t think her mom is a big ballet person, but she isn’t about to risk it, either.
She slides the ticket towards Annabeth beneath the glass plane. “Enjoy the show,” she says, with a quirk of her mouth that is surprisingly sincere for someone in customer service. 
She’s pretty sure she’d enjoy the show more if she weren’t panicking thinking about getting dirt on their fancy carpets. Her boots are clean, of course, and she doesn’t really care, but she doesn’t want to, like, embarrass Percy or whatever. She’d asked him if she should dress up, but he’d assured her otherwise. “No one’s going to care, I promise,” he’d told her the night before, her lounging in his bed while he did some pushups. “And if anyone says something, let me know and we can kick their ass after the show together.”
“Great. Guess I don’t have to break out the Chanel, then.”
He’d paused, frowned, then huffed a laugh, shaking his head. Like the idea of Annabeth wearing Chanel was hilarious. Like what she’s wearing tonight really is the best that she can do.
Self-consciousness isn’t really a feeling that Annabeth has anymore. She’s spent so many years chafing against expectations, shucking them off when she inevitably failed to meet them, desperate for a place, a crowd where she could just be. In her scene, she doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone, and when Percy is out with her, he doesn’t need any convincing. He likes her. He likes her a lot, she thinks. He likes her enough to let himself be dragged out to every shitty dive bar and shittier rock show in New York City, laughing and cheering and holding her close the whole time. He likes her enough to cart her to his apartment at 4 AM, inevitably waking Nico up from his undead slumber, and leave her with nothing but a glass of water and a kiss on the forehead. And she likes him, too--a lot. Annabeth likes Percy enough to ditch her band t-shirts for a night and track mud on the carpet of the Koch Theater and willingly sit through a performance of fucking Swan goddamn Lake of all things, and it’s only a little scary how much she is willing to do for him after only a few months of fucking him. Because this really isn’t her scene, not anymore. 
The weight of everyone’s stares bears down on her, threatening to crush her beneath them, a feeling she was so sure she’d left behind. 
At least Percy had been thoughtful enough to get her a ticket out of the way in the back of one of the balcony sections. It’s a bit of a hike, but the audience members aren’t dressed quite as nicely as the ones downstairs, and she feels like she can breathe a little easier.
She pulls out her phone, checking her text messages on instinct. There’s a selfie from Percy in his stage makeup (and she’s not going to lie… he looks fucking pretty), with his standard accompanying three blue heart emojis. She can’t help it, her heart skips a beat and she can’t help but smile, even as she rolls her eyes. She’s just about to send him something appropriately sarcastic when another text notification slides in. It’s from her father. 
Hi Annabeth… I was talking to a friend in Boston who said he's looking for a new 
prospective in his architecture firm. Passed your information along. 
Love you, dear
She swipes it away. Deletes the whole text conversation, for good measure. 
Forget about him. This night is about Percy.
A few minutes later, so engrossed in Percy’s program bio (it’s about all she can focus on right now), she doesn’t even notice everyone around her leaning forward in breathless anticipation, until the warm, honey-like sound of the oboe draws her head up. 
Roughly two minutes in, she’s really wishing she had attempted the synopsis. The extent of her knowledge of Swan Lake is a few half-remembered orchestra rehearsals in her teens and reading the Wikipedia article on that Natalie Portman movie a few months ago, and she definitely doesn’t recall there being anything about any Men-in-Tights looking motherfuckers prancing around. They’re sort of bobbing, back and forth, elegantly stepping from one side of the stage to another. Even from back here, she can see the delicate, precise placement of their hands, fingers curved just so, moving through space as though they aren’t bound by the laws of physics.
The fingers, she remembers. She could never get the hang of the fingers. Her old ballet teacher had given up on them after a week, and that had been the beginning of the end for that particular extracurricular. 
Now her fingers tap on her jeans, impatient, far faster than the easy going music on stage. She’s just about to give in to the millennial instinct and pull out her phone, maybe play a round of sudoku, when the dancers motion as one to the back corner, and Percy comes stepping out. His hair is perfectly slicked back, gelled down, any hint of curl beaten into submission, and his smile is small, but white, gleaming against the tanned brown of his skin. She can’t help but smile back, like he could somehow see her. Finally, she thinks, relaxing a little more into her seat. Something to watch.
On his off days, her off days, any day when she would spent the night at his (always at his, never at hers) and wake up wrapped in his comforter and the smell of seawater, she would take the blanket with her and steal into his living room, curl up on his couch with her feet tucked under her legs, and watch him dance. She’s seen him drill these sequences over, and over, and over again, counting furious sequences of sixes and eights beneath his breath in duet with the thuds of his feet on his floor. Most times he would notice her and shoot her a grin, granting her permission to observe the artist at work. Sometimes, though, he would be so caught up in his body, the shifting of his feet and the music in his head, that it was like he couldn’t see her at all. Seemingly alone, he would dance, uninhibited, and she would be struck by a feeling that she usually reserves for specific monuments. Watching Percy dance in his apartment, in his brown tights and black tank top, lost in his own world, is like looking at pictures of the Gateway Arch, or the Hoover Dam, or the Parthenon.
She searches for that feeling now, leaning forward in her seat, eyes hungrily raving his form, but she just doesn’t see it. It’s… honestly, it’s a little boring. She won’t lie. He had warned her it would be something of a slow start, but this isn’t exactly an ADHD friendly medium, and she is losing her patience, just a bit. He’s so reserved, like he’s holding something close to his chest, impersonal as he takes the hands of the female dancers and lets them twirl around him. 
Personally, Annabeth thinks that he looks kind of lost. Maybe he’s just nervous--it’s a big role and he’s a young guy. But he had seemed fine when he’d kissed her goodbye just after lunch. 
The court jester is killing it though. Feeling just the slightest bit guilty, she lets her eyes drift over to him, deciding to watch him for a while instead.
On some level, she does appreciate the skill on display here. Percy can raise his back leg in a perfect ninety degree angle that would make her architecture professors sweat. The girls drift back and forth across the stage on the tips of their toes, weightless and ethereal. It’s mesmerizing, and she lets herself be mesmerized.
Time must slip away from her, because she blinks and all of a sudden the stage has gone from sunny yellow to cool blue, the crowds of dancers having vanished. He is alone on stage. Percy kneels in a deep lunge that makes her thighs ache just looking at him (and for… other reasons), his arms and his attention pointed to the wings, with a… Annabeth squints. When the hell did he get a crossbow?
But everything is swept to the sides when the White Swan tiptoes her way on stage, impossibly graceful, and all of a sudden, Annabeth gets it. 
It feels a little cliche to say, but the way that woman moves on the floor really does remind her of those old, vintage jewelry boxes, suspended in animation, moved by some otherworldly force. It’s amazing. It’s a little terrifying. Sublime is the word that comes to mind as Annabeth watches her. Her arms move with fluidity, perfect curves, her fingers trailing behind her like wings. 
And Percy is just as mesmerized as Annabeth is. As the audience is. 
A few things hit her, in rapid succession. First, that Percy is, actually, a really good actor. His reticence before--he’d been playing a character. He’d been playing aloof and reserved and unmoored, because Percy--Siegfried--whatever--has been waiting his whole life for something to fulfill him, until this singular moment, the moment he laid eyes on this beautiful creature. Second, that she doesn’t need words to understand what’s going on. It’s all there, in every look and gesture and step, as the two characters circle each other, slowly but irrevocably falling in love. And third, that she recognizes the look on his face. It’s the look that Percy gives her when she has been talking for too long and he can’t get a word in edgewise, or when she screams along to the god awful underground bands, three beers in and missing every single fuck she’d ever had, or when she wakes up after him to Percy’s arms around her waist, her hair in his mouth and her head resting against his collarbone. She recognizes it, because that’s the look that Siegfried has for Odette. Because that’s the look that Percy has for Annabeth. Because he loves her.
And fourth, that that doesn’t make her as happy as she wishes it would. 
There’s a cold pit in her stomach for the rest of the show, a turning screw that twists in deeper, minute by minute, with every turn of the dancers. She wastes the next hour trying to puzzle this out, not even pretending to watch the drama unfolding on stage, because it makes no goddamn sense. (Her situation, not the ballet--she managed to skim the synopsis during intermission, her foot tapping incessantly against the blessedly empty seat in front of her.) Things are great between them. It’s been a heady, intoxicating four months, full of bubbles and butterflies, sweet, soft mornings, and some really, really phenomenal sex. This should make her happy. This should put her over the fucking moon, and she cannot, for the life of her, figure out why it doesn’t.
The prima ballerina comes back out as the Black Swan, just as poised and precise as her counterpart, but she’s a great actress as well, because there is something undeniably different about her. Her arms move like rubber, like joints are just an afterthought, wrapping themselves around Percy’s neck and shoulders. She misdirects his attention, drawing his eyes to her wrists, her clavicle, the curve of a leg or the point of her toe. Seducing him. Tricking him. 
Like Annabeth. 
Because try as she might to run from it, Annabeth isn’t who she says she is. She wants so desperately to be this fuck-the-rules, fight-the-power, punk rock princess that she took every part of her that didn’t fit that image and tried to rip it out of her, bloody and struggling. Her trust fund, her two (two!) Harvard degrees, her enriched childhood and her bright and shining future; she took it all out back and shot it, and prayed that would be the end of it. She’s a phony, just like that goddamn Black Swan. Percy is in love with a phony. 
Her sweet, wonderful, devastatingly kind and handsome Percy--she tricked him and made him fall in love with a mishmash of archetypes and aesthetics, distracting him with nose piercings and ripped t-shirts and ugly, deafening noise. 
She’s not surprised that she’s crying when the curtain falls. She’d never known that Siegfried and Odette both died at the end. 
When the cast reunites for curtain call, Percy is given a standing ovation, and Annabeth enthusiastically joins in, wiping the tears from her eyes, smearing her makeup. 
She doesn’t wait for him at the stage door, but sits on the steps of the theater, plucking at her sleeves, aching for a drink and wishing she had had the presence of mind to wear something a little nicer. Percy finds her there almost an hour after the show ended. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
In the dark of night, illuminated only by streetlamps, she can’t read his face--but she can read exhaustion, in every part of his body. “I was waiting for you by the stage door.”
Something in her stomach goes cold. “I… wasn’t sure if I was allowed,” she offers, weakly. 
He smiles, a light in the dark. “Of course you’re allowed,” he says, offering her a hand. “Shall we?”
She knows what will happen next. She’ll take his hand, and they’ll walk to the subway together, fingers intertwined. They’ll get on the 1 train headed north, and Percy will let her rest her head against him, tilting his head back against the window, eyes closed, almost asleep. The doorman will nod at them as they walk up to Nico’s apartment, barely batting an eye at his sweats and her ripped jeans, the two of them sticking out like a sore thumb in a sea of impeccably dressed rich New Yorkers. Nico will wave at them distractedly from his office, gulping down his sixth coffee of the night, and they’ll tiptoe into his room, falling asleep in each other’s arms with little more than a good night kiss. 
Which, of course, is exactly what does end up happening.
Almost. 
Annabeth crawls on top of him in his bed, kissing him soft and senseless. She doesn’t know where he’s getting this energy from, but she is not complaining as he slips up inside of her, the two of them rocking each other gently to orgasm, their foreheads pressed together. Shuddering as he comes, he captures her mouth in another kiss, pouring every ounce of love he has in him into her.
A waste, honestly. 
But as far as goodbye sex, it’s pretty damn great. 
She needs to end this, before either of them get hurt. It’s the least of what he deserves, after all. To put yourself out there, to offer yourself up like that, that might be the bravest thing Annabeth’s ever heard of, and surely, Annabeth can find the courage to do what needs to be done.
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ἀλήθεια (Chapter 6, Vοσταλγία AU)
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ἀλήθεια Masterlist
Pairing: Freydis/Reader, Ivar/Reader (past)
Word Count: 3.6k
Warnings: The usual, plus mentions/descriptions of war/battle. My endless swooning over Freydis.
A/N: So yeah, another one of these. It’s on the shorter side, and it doesn’t have much Freydis/Reader; but it is the last setup for the epilogue, so I needed to get plot stuff out of the way before we get to the good part lol. Hope you like it!
She loses count of all the months that go by, of all the flavors and scents she discovers, of all the stories you share and hear, of the vibrant and new colors she sees, of the people she meets and names she now remembers.
And she learns to speak your language of strange consonants and odd verbs, and you learn to speak hers of silent glances and smiles that feel secret. You learn to say the name of the man that you left without pain, and she learns to say the name of the man that you loved without resentment.
Oddly enough, these months teach Freydis to be almost thankful for Ivar.
Doesn’t mean she doesn’t still feel the ridiculous envy for a phantom, and that each time you and her argue about something regarding the past, she feels his mocking glare on her, as if reminding her it wasn’t him the reason she lost; doesn’t mean she doesn’t see him in every man in power she meets, especially those that linger too close to you, those that lose themselves in the curve of your smile.
She doesn’t blame them, but she hates them all the same.
But the ones she hates the most are the softer ones, the ones that are so unlike him that they make you laugh freely and don’t make you think twice about the easy affection you give away, the ones that are so unlike her that they don’t make you think of secrets and can offer you the world in a way only a man can.
But once again, Freydis is thankful for Ivar. For many things, because he taught her many things, because he brought you to her, because he freed her once. Most of all, she is thankful for what he taught the both of you about men in power.
Because when a prince in some cold land -colder than Kattegat, though she isn’t sure if distance is clouding her memories- presses a reverent kiss to your knuckles and looks at you with hunger in dark eyes, you smile with the same thing written in your own gaze; she is able to understand that your hunger isn’t for him, nor for all the worlds he offers you.
Because when she meets the last remaining man of your blood and he greets Freydis roughly in her own tongue -unaware she speaks Greek, but it is better that way, it is better they don’t know she knows many things- with a smile warmer than yours but eyes just as calculating; she can smile back and accept the warmth for a truth instead of searching for a lie.
Almost a year goes by and she finds herself enthralled in the way you make Sparta your own, the same way you did Kattegat: by letting the world around you change you just enough that you can force it to bend to your will.
And now there’s more definition in your shoulders, the lines of your back stronger, more defined; from a year training with bows and arrows alongside Lysander and Galla.
And now your anger is more subdued, the chaos kept at bay with cruel and well-placed words, but the fire is the same that makes her think of spring storms; from a year a woman free of everything except your ambition.
Freydis has changed too, she knows this. She finds herself standing taller on ground not her own; she finds herself just as aware as she always was of how they look at her, only now able and willing to use it against them; she finds herself finding certainty not in the Gods but in herself; she finds herself accepting that pain was never a gift from the Gods, and it may have marked her, body and soul, but she made herself.
And now here she sits by your side, trying not to let her thoughts linger on how you both said goodbye to Galla knowing she would return to him, to the man she supposedly loves, but here he is greeting you with a Spartan woman by his arm, a wife that isn’t the strong-willed and secretive woman Freydis came to care for in those months travelling together.
Your cousin eyes you with a teasing smile, “You are itching to return home, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know where my home is,” You correct, a tilt of your head, “But I do want what is mine to be returned to me, yes.”
“Some still say lands in Scandinavia are yours. To think you left Greece promised to a Thebesian and now you have returned, the wife to a Varangian King.”
You shrug one shoulder.
“Twists of Fate.”
“I’m still expecting him to storm our coasts to get you back.”
“You put a lot of value on my hand, Lysander.”
“Humility doesn’t suit you,” The man shrugs broad shoulders, and in the way he offers a side glance Freydis sees so much of you. “Regardless, if they do, we will be ready.”
“Of course you will be. I would hope you would ready for another battle, though.” You state, tone growing serious.
“We will retake Eleusis when the time comes.” Lysander reassures you, but you shake your head, and in your gaze all Freydis can see is…hunger.
“I am not speaking of Eleusis,” You promise, and when you smile your cousin returns the same mad kind of smile. She remembers Ivar and Hvitserk talking and boasting over the table during a feast after a victory, she remembers the mad smiles they shared with one another, and she understands seeing you and Lysander now, that there truly is a special kind of song to be heard only by those who share blood. You raise your chin, and offer, “Thebes is weakened, Lysander. And you know better than I do that to retake Eleusis we need to strike through land.”
Realization dawns on the man, who leans back and studies you in silence for a few breaths. You never lose the confident stance, though, staring him down as he considers your words.
Finally, he says, “We take over Thebes, settle your army there, and we can attack Eleusis from the North with the brunt of Attic forces, while Spartans choke their coasts.”
“And in controlling Thebes we control most of the silk trade in the Empire,” You finish, proud as you straighten in your seat, “Those priests are sure to miss their Byzantine Silk, are they not?”
Freydis is aware, in some part of her mind, that she is probably staring at you like a lovesick fool. Wide and lost smile, the faint warmth she feels on the top of her cheeks, eyes giving away every secret, if there ever was one.
You have eyes for the man across from you, gaze defiant in a way she knows well, in a way that her heart knows well too, for each skipped beat that gaze is responsible for.
Lysander tilts his head to the side, much like you do, and presses, “And who would rule? You?”
“Who else?” You retort, shrugging one shoulder, “You were never the conquering type, the Gods know you are Anax because you have no choice.”
He ignores the jab you throw his way, instead insisting,
“But you are Anassa of Attica, and I don’t think Boetians would take kindly to an Athenian woman ruling over them.”
Your mouth curves downwards, a nonchalant gesture that speaks of anything but that.
“They will, because we will be saving them. Attic or not, I am still Greek. Tis better than the alternative.”
“The Empire is not the enemy you thi-…”
“I’m not talking of the Empire. I’m talking of the Kievan Rus.”
“Oleg.” You start, and she lifts her gaze with a frown.
“What of him?”
“Do you trust him?”
Freydis scoffs, “No. And neither do you.”
Pressing your lips together, you look away for a moment, considering your next words. Freydis watches in silence, though her hands still follow the familiar motions of picking apart the flowers, stems, and leaves from the dried batch of yarrow.
“I think I do,” You start, voice quiet. “I think…I think that if nothing else, he is…direct. Reliable, in his own way.”
“He is unpredictable.”
You reach forward to correct a mistake she made, picking off a dried flower she left alongside the leaves, and say, “So was Ivar.”
“Not the same, and you know that.” She argues, leaning forward. For all the times she argued that you should have manipulated Ivar into doing your bidding, she never expected you to find the one man that outshines your husband in volatility, in chaos; and try doing so to him instead.
“He is smart, and he has ambitions that…align themselves with mine,” You insist, and Freydis accepts your words with a sigh. She doesn’t like where this is going one bit, but she will concede that this prince is a piece in the board that you shouldn’t rule out as a useful. “Do you think…?”
The words hang in the air between you, and her gaze meets yours, her answer unspoken.
“We will see,” She promises, and the smile that slowly curves at her lips is mirrored in yours. “Lust loosens a man’s tongue much more than wine, after all.”
The moment the words leave your lips silence reigns in between the people in the room, but Freydis doesn’t fail to notice how Galla is undisturbed by the mention, continuing her craving of a wooden block to make a building to add to the detailed stereographic map Lysander keeps of Eleusis. She isn’t sure if it is an act, if it is part of her pretense that she knows everything, or if she truly does.
Lysander’s broad arms are crossed over his chest, and he frowns as he looks at you.
“What are you talking about?”
Your smile is a secret in itself, but it speaks of something she knows well. Arrogance.
“A Prince from Novgorod will send an army to Thebes soon, they will be razing through Macedonia when spring comes.”
“How exactly do you know that?”
“I am a witch, I know things?” You tease with a smile, before sharing a look with Freydis and explaining, “There’s a man, a powerful man, interested in Constantinople, much in the way I am interested in Greece. He has agreed to send weak enough forces that we can overtake them and conquer Thebes, as long as we weaken the Empire for him.”
“Impressive woman as you might be, you cannot give the Rus Constantinople.”
You don’t miss a beat, answering, “But I can weaken it by taking Thebes, Athens, and Eleusis from them; and I can give the Rus standing ground on Athens when the time comes for them to invade.”
A sigh, and Lysander tries, voice strangely calming, “How are you certain you are not setting up the invasion of your own land?”
“I have other…safeguards.”
“Marriage?”
You shake your head with a scoff, “Nothing as fickle as that, no.”
“What, then?”
“Fear, awe. There are many things you can call it,” You state. When you speak next, there is a purposely false tone of innocence in your voice, and you shrug your shoulders, “You ought to remember, Lysander, that I am married to a Viking. And a famous one at that.”
“You divorced him.”
“But that is not a tale people will tell. Not there, for they fear his wrath too much to imply his wife has left him; and not here, for they fear the indecency of a woman capable and willing of ruling alone. As far as anyone knows, Ivar the Boneless has his eye set on the Mediterranean, and it is just a matter of time before his army gets here.”
“You cannot-…” Lysander starts, only to be interrupted.
“We courtesans are good at sharing secrets, you know?” Galla pips from her seat, dark eyes still focused on her project. “I can make sure my people spread the right secrets.”
Lysander’s eyes go slowly from the former courtesan to you, and he takes a deep breath.
“How much time will that buy you?”
“Enough,” You promise, unfaltering. “One like me never outlives a lie.”
____
The war takes a toll even on you. She sees it in the tired eyes as you offer a smile across a war table before returning your attention to the movements of the troops your commanders speak of, feels it in the loose hold of your hand in hers as you promise your goodnight wordlessly and slip away in the quiet of the night, hears it in the quiet prayers that leave your lips as you cut off a piece of your hair and let it flow with the wind that carries the ashes of those who perish in the battles.
But war, war like this, it is invigorating as much as it is debilitating. Freydis feels it, feels it in every victory that makes her smile a little wilder, feels it in every successful trick that makes Galla’s dark eyes shine with pride, feels it in every piece of land you claim for yourself that makes you a little more goddess than woman.
And before winter is upon you, the mark of battle is slowly fading from Eleusis, and you stand before a throne made of stone that they all pretend not to see the Norse runes etched on, and with your head held high, you claim the title you were born to hold.
Anassa of free Greece.
____
It is the sight in the night you offer a feast to honor the first families that are joined in marriage under your rule that Freydis notices something off about you.
Granted, a celebration in your home is almost nothing like the celebrations she participated in while in Kattegat; the games are very different and so is the music, the food is fascinatingly strange and the people less so, but still as fascinating; but she is unable to stop herself from comparing it to a feast in Kattegat, to the nights of music and loud people all around you, to the breathed laughs you’d let out and all the different smiles you would offer in the course of one night.
And while the world around you is familiar once again, and the people are warmer and kinder, and the music is more refined and the food sweeter; you…you remain distant. And your breathed laughs are mere chuckles for the benefit of others, and the smiles you offer do not stray from two varieties she sadly knows well: the false smiles and the wistful ones.
So, she approaches you. Quietly, you both know by now there aren’t words that need to be exchanged, she takes a seat next to you.
As who awakens from a dream, you turn your gaze to Freydis and offer a smile. A warmer one, a truer one, and that fills her hollow chest with something indescribable.
But instead of saying anything, or accepting the impossible calm in the midst of the chaos of the celebrations as you sit side by side, you stand up and extend a hand.
“Walk with me?”
Freydis doesn’t hesitate to take your hand, and when you don’t let go as you start walking through the balconies of the temple, she dares to intertwine her fingers with yours.
“You seem…different tonight.”
“It is strange, sitting there alone,” You tell her, an explanation, an answer to the question she didn’t need voice. “I never knew how to handle power alone. I had Narses, I had Ivar. I was never alone with power, with the decisions, with the…weight.”
“You don’t have to lose yourself because of it.”
“I don’t plan to, I just…if any of them were here, I could…ask them, I could…”
“What would you ask?”
“If hunger like this is to be expected,” You reply instantly, holding her hand just a tad tighter. You stop walking turning to look out at the sea from the stone balcony, and Freydis cannot help but feel you see much further beyond the horizon when you do. “I am not content with Eleusis, I want…more.”
Freydis smiles, proud and maybe a little mad.
“No one ever expected you to be.”
“What do you mean?”
“What is it you truly want, Freydis?” Galla asks, too convoluted of a question for this early in the morning. Though, Freydis has learned in these passing months that to what her is a morning to Galla is the middle of an afternoon.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
The other woman shrugs, full lips almost in a pout, “Everyone has ambitions. I wonder about yours.”
“If you expect me to name kingdoms, you will be disappointed.”
“I don’t.”
She adverts her gaze, pressing her lips together as she tries to come up with an answer, with a truth that doesn’t have the claw marks of her instinct that begs her to lie.
“Control,” She offers, before scrunching her face at her own words. It sounds wrong. So, she tries explaining, “I want to…for too long my life has been dictated by the choices of others.”
“Yet you follow a foreign woman to a world so far from yours, you accept her as your leader even if you aren’t of her people.”
“I need only have myself to have something to control. I’ve...learned that.”
“Will you tell me you truly do not hunger for more?” Galla insists, before being interrupted by the door opening with what seems to be a kick.
“I will kill Lysander. Mark my words, I will kill that man one day.” You complain loudly as you enter the room, shrugging off the himation with a frustrated grunt that just makes the task much more complicated for you, resulting in a little angry dance as you fight the piece of clothing that Galla snickers at.
Freydis watches you with a small smile on her lips, unable to keep herself from it. Quietly, she answers,
“We all want more.”
She searches your gaze for a few moments, before finding her words.
“If they were here, what would they say?”
“Narses would tell me to hold my ground, to wait for them to attack but ward them off by showing my strength,” You say, eyes unable to leave the blue of the sea as you continue, “Ivar would tell me to raze it all, to attack before they have time to realize I am a threat.”
“Would you do what any of them would tell you to?” She questions, even though she knows the answer.
She sees it in the curve of your mouth, feels it in the chuckle you let out as your head drops to her shoulder, hears it in the breath that leaves you.
“No, I wouldn’t,” You voice finally, quietly. “I would…I will lure them into attacking. They won’t think me a threat, no sane man would think a witch that stumbled her way into being a conqueror can protect a kingdom. When they step too close, we will attack, we will…reclaim.”
It isn’t what that fool you tricked into loving you would have done, for you aren’t standing tall like a man would and daring the world to come and stop you, because the world won’t hesitate to strike down a woman that dares do such a thing.
It isn’t what the man that offered you a heart and a kingdom yet lost you when he couldn’t give you freedom would have done, for you aren’t biting anger and bloodthirst at the helm of an army wanting to bring the world to its knees, because the anger that burns away at you is not one you will let turn you to ashes as well.
It is what you would do, with all the lessons those men and many others have left you with, but, more importantly, what all the lessons the women you have met and loved have left you with.
With your mother’s faith, with Sieghild’s resolve, with Valdís resilience, with Galla’s cunning.
Freydis doesn’t know what lessons, if any, she might have left you with. Yet as time goes by, and you both return to this same place, to this same home that isn’t the stone walls of the temple but something more, something more permanent than that; she realizes she never need leave you with any lesson, much like she refuses to acknowledge any lesson you may leave her with.
Because that would imply that one day you won’t be side by side. If Freydis accepts she leaves you with her loyalty, or her perseverance, then that means she leaves you, and she never would. If you leave her with your pride, or your strength, then there is a world possible where you are lost to her, and that simply cannot be.
I never knew how to handle power alone, you told her. But you never were. Alone, that is.
Her fingers intertwined with yours, her presence at your side, her shoulder for you to lean your head on as you both look ahead at the place where the sky meets the sea; and Freydis hopes you know that, just as she prays quietly, to whatever Gods may here, that neither of you ever know what it is like to be alone again.
____ ____ ____
Thank you for reading! Hope you liked it!
I’ll post the epilogue in a week or so, maybe earlier :)
Taglist: @youbloodymadgenius​ @heavenly1927​ @toe-vind-ek-jou​ @xbellaxcarolinax​ @angelofthorr​ @samsationalwilson​ @peachyboneless​ @1950schick​ @punkrocknpearls @ietss​​ @itsmysticalmystery​​ @revolution-starter​​ @the-a-word-2214​​ @fae-sedai​​ @crazybunnyladysworld​​   @funmadnessandbadassvikings @stupiddarkkside​​ @aprilivar​​ @msrawog​
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emy-loves-you · 4 years
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Wrong Numbers and Useless Gays Chapter 6
Who the F*ck’s Rebecca? OR How the 3 Gays got Together
Virgil learns about Roman’s childhood, specifically his sister and how he ended up dating Patton and Logan.
Warning: Misgendering of a character (but no one knows that the character is trans)
Yes, Roman and Remus are brothers. Explanations are listed at the bottom
Chapter 5 | Masterlist | Chapter 7
V- (2:07 PM) Let it Go was the best song in Frozen and you cannot convince me otherwise
R- (2:07 PM) I respect your opinion, but hear me out: Love is an Open Door
V- (2:08 PM) No
R- (2:08 PM) What about Fixer Upper?
V- (2:09 PM) Still no.
P- (2:09 PM) I really liked Olaf’s song about Summer!
L- (2:10 PM) I personally enjoyed the reprise of First Time in Forever.
R- (2:10 PM) You like almost any song with a reprise
L- (2:10 PM)I will not argue that, as successfully executed reprises are “lit.”
R- (2:11 PM) Ah, and who among us could forget the absolute BOP that is… that weird ice-cutting song.
P- (2:11 PM) I don’t know, Roman. I think that song is, pretty COOL
R- (2:11 PM) Oh, lookout
V- (2:12 PM) What? He’s just saying it’s a CHILLED out groove.
R- (2:12 PM) Ugh
L- (2:12 PM) We might need you two to leave this chat if you don’t stop.
Virgil laughed, throwing his phone on the bed and stripping out of his clothes. He just finished jogging home from Janus’ (he didn’t own a car right now, preferring to walk or have Janus pick him up). It was a lazy afternoon in late September, and all Virgil wanted to do was get out of these sweaty clothes and maybe take a nap. He heard his phone go off multiple times as he got dressed, probably Patton and Logan arguing about the purpose of puns. He flopped down onto his bed and grabbed his phone, checking the new messages.
P- (2:14 PM) Lo, the Princes are calling.
L- (2:14 PM) Tell Roman not to answer, Patton. We’ve been over this.
P- (2:14 PM) They’re asking about us, Lo.
L- (2:14 PM) Tell Roman to hang up. They’re not worth it.
P- (2:15 PM) They’re yelling now, L. They brought up Rebecca. What do I do?
L- (2:15 PM) Just walk into another room, Patton. Ignore them. Do you want me to call you?
P- (2:15 PM) No, I’m good. Just keep texting me. I need a distraction.
Now, Virgil had no idea about what the fuck was going on. But he knew how to distract someone. He’d just have to trust them to tell him later.
V- (2:16 PM) Did you know that octopi have 3 hearts?
L- (2:16 PM) What
P- (2:16 PM) That just means they have more love to give!
V- (2:17 PM) The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds
P- (2:17 PM) Such a good bird!
V- (2:17 PM) Babies do not regularly produce tears until they are 1-3 months old
L- (2:18 PM) Ah, I think I understand now
V- (2:18 PM) A ‘jiffy’ is an actual unit of time. It stands for 1/1000th of a second
L- (2:18 PM) Falsehood. A jiffy is 1/100th of a second
V- (2:19 PM) Sorry, my hand must’ve slipped.
L- (2:19 PM) You would be unable to walk on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus or Neptune because they have no solid surface.
L- (2:20 PM) An asteroid about the size of a car enters Earth’s atmosphere roughly once a year. However, it burns up before it can reach us.
L- (2:20 PM) The highest mountain known to man is on an asteroid called Vesta. It is approximately three times the height of Mount Everest.
P- (2:21 PM) I think they hung up. Thanks for keeping me company, Kiddos!
L- (2:21 PM) It was not an issue, Patton.
V- (2:21 PM) Yeah, no problem Pat. Now can someone explain what just happened?
L- (2:23 PM) As you can probably tell, I am not home at the moment. Apparently, Roman’s parents decided to call him and an argument broke out. The rest is not my place to say.
Virgil bit his lip, refusing to look at his phone screen. Did Virgil have the right to ask about that. It was obviously a very sensitive topic, and Virgil had only known Roman for about 3 months now. Virgil felt like he knew a lot about his 3 crushes (their quirks, their favorite sweets, their goals in life), but he knew very little about their lives before Virgil had met them. Which was fine; they knew very little about Virgil’s life, too. But he desperately wanted to help Roman; to make him feel happy and safe and loved. Virgil sighed, setting his phone on his nightstand. If Princey wants to tell me what’s going on, I’ll listen. If not, I’ll just have to deal with it.
Virgil woke up from his nap to the sound of his phone going off. He blindly felt around for it, his face still firmly planted in his pillow. He finally found it, turning it on before he lifted his head to read the text. It was a private message from Princey.
R- (3:02 PM) You’re probably wondering what happened today.
V- (3:02 PM) I am, but you don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable. I’ll respect your privacy.
R- (3:02 PM) As much as I appreciate that, you still deserve to know.
R- (3:03 PM) Do you mind if I call you? This doesn’t feel like a conversation to have over text.
Virgil thought about it for a moment. He originally never wanted to call Roman, simply because he might recognize Virgil’s voice as Anxiety’s. However, not only was Virgil 99% confident that Roman had never even heard of The Dark Sides, Virgil’s head was still foggy after his nap. Before he knew it, he was already calling Princey’s phone.
“Virgil?” Roman didn’t sound as… grand as Virgil expected. His voice was subdued and slightly hoarse, probably from the screaming match with his parents.
“Heya, Princey.” Virgil cringed at how gravelly his voice sounded. He’ll need to get some water after this conversation is over.
“You sound so tired. Oh my stars, did I wake you up? I’m so sorry. I’ll let you get back to sleep-”
“Princey, it’s okay. Just finished my nap. Might not talk much, but ‘m all ears.”
“Alright. Where do I even begin?”
“Take your time. ‘m not pressurin’ you or anythin’.”
“(sigh) You’re right. I guess I should start at the beginning. I grew up in a very... conservative household. My parents expected me and my sister, Rebecca, to be perfect. ReeRee was my partner in crime. We did everything together up until highschool. My parents expected me to get a football scholarship and date the hottest girl in school. I did those things, not because I wanted to, but because they wanted me to. ReeRee was a different story. When my parents signed her up for cheerleading, she tried to join the football team instead. When they told her she should wear her hair in a ponytail, she cut it off to match mine. I didn’t understand, and it made me angry. It was like looking in a funhouse mirror; she was starting to look more and more like me, and yet each change made my parents angrier. Why was looking and acting like me a problem? I thought they liked this version of me! One night in the summer before junior year I was really frustrated and I took it out on her. I told her to stop acting like me. I knew she didn’t deserve my anger, so I went to Patton’s place to cool down. By the time I came home, my parents refused to acknowledge that I even had a sister. I pushed her away, and now I’ll never get her back.
After that, things changed. I was so angry, and everything I saw reminded me of her. I quit the football team, because every time I went down to the field I expected to see her. I dyed my hair, because every time I looked in the mirror I saw her staring back. I stopped caring about what my parents thought, ‘cause it was their opinions that dragged me into this mess!
I had already been friends with Patton since Freshman year, but me and Logan had been at each other’s throats . We were always bickering about something, and sometimes I used our arguments to vent out my anger at whatever was wrong at the time. I didn’t even realize how much I had cared about Patton and Logan until I learned about the LGBTQ+ community. My parents were super strict, and Patton and Logan didn’t exactly flaunt their relationship. I had no idea that liking guys was even an option . Once I learned about it, my parents quickly tried to shut it down. Everyday, they’d start their day telling me that ‘homosexuality is a sin’ and ‘God made you to be the gender you were born with!’ If they had told me that before ReeRee left, I might’ve believed them. But by this point, I didn’t care about a single thing they told me.
So one day, I’m arguing with Logan about who knows what, and suddenly we’re inches apart, and I remember pa saying ‘ a boy should never kiss another boy.’ And just think, ‘Fuck it.’ And now me and Pocket Protector are suddenly making out behind the school building. Microsoft Nerd asks why the hell I decided to make out with him of all people, and I break down right there. He agreed to keep it a secret, but he refused to do anything more than a simple make-out session until he had Padre’s consent to do so. Which I understood, consent is important, cheating is bad.
Now we’re having these ‘sessions’ at least once a week for almost 4 months. Patton eventually walked in on us and he was understandably upset. I explained what had happened and that I’ve had a crush on both of them for a while. And they’re like ‘cool, we’re polyam.’ And now I’m starting senior year dating two men, which mom and pa were not okay with. I told ‘em to fuck off and we moved away as soon as we graduated. They still call occasionally, asking when I’m gonna get my life together and get over losing ReeRee. I haven’t blocked ‘em yet in case they find her or change their minds.”
Roman finally took a deep breath. “Sorry about the rant. Didn’t realise how badly I needed to get that off my chest.”
Virgil snorted. “Don’t worry ‘bout it. Told ya I’d be a good ear. And Princey?”
“Yeah?”
“You don’t gotta do anything to impress someone else. You bein’ you is good enough. And if Rebecca could see you, I’m sure she’d be proud as hell. And don’t be ‘fraid to hit me up if you need someone other than your SOs to rant to; I’ll always be here for ya, Princey.”
“... Thank you, Virgil. I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear that until you said it.” He sighed, and Virgil could hear the sound of running water. “I’m gonna go drink some water. My throat burns like a bitch right now.”
“Same. Catch you later?”
He could hear Roman chuckle to himself. “I guess you shall. Farewell, Storm Cloud. And pleasant dreams!”
Virgil blushed. The way Roman said his nickname… it made Virgil’s gay heart nearly explode. He quickly hung up and buried his face back into his pillow. I’ll get water later. AFTER my heart stops racing.
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Now, for those of you wondering about why Virgil doesn't realize that Roman and Remus are brothers, I'm gonna put a quick explanation here, 'cause I don't know how to casually fit this into the story. 1.) Remus has never told Virgil his deadname or his last name. He's probably told Janus (since their pretty close) but Virgil doesn't know. 2.) Remus has never told Virgil that his brother's name is Roman. Additionally, when Virgil is talking about the 3 gays, he only calls them "Pat, Lo and Princey." 3.) Roman's parents didn't tell him that Remus transitioned, so he doesn't know that Rebecca now goes by Remus. Also, none of the characters have actually sent pictures of their faces, so none of them have any idea what the other looks like. 4.) It is a total coincidence that both twins moved to the same town. Remus believes that Roman still lives in their hometown, and Remus could be dead for all that Roman knows. There is no logical reason for them to think "maybe Virgil's friends with my long-lost sibling" 5.) Virgil would NEVER out his friends like that. He tells Janus and Remus everything, but he would NEVER betray Roman's trust like that. Same thing for telling Roman about Remus. Roman might know that Remus is trans, but he doesn't know about Remus' background. ONE LAST THING: Roman and Virgil will eventually see each other face-to-face but WON'T recognize each other's voices. This is because during the phone call Virgil is still groggy from waking up and Roman is still hoarse from screaming.
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Taglist: @bisexualdisaster106 @self-taught-mess @itawalrus @arodynamic-enby @sanderssides-angst
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CSI: Rogers and Barnes- The Serious Cereal Serial Killer Ch 13: Cap’N Crunch
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Co-Written with @icanfeelastormbrewing​
Episode Summary: The investigation begins to slot together...with some suprising results.
Episode Warnings: Bad Language words. SMUT (NSFW) NO UNDER 18s!!!!
Episode Pairings:  Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark
Song for Episode:  The Imitation Game by Alexandre Desplat
A/N: This is a LONG chapter guys, but  the case  is cracked... ooooohhhhhhh!
As always we live for re-blogs and comments  
CSI Rogers and Barnes Master List // Main Masterlist I'd look at one of my stonecutters hammering away at the rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet, at the hundred and first blow it would split in two, and I knew it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before. - Jacob  Riis
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By the time they had arrived at Pierce’s, the press were already circling like vultures. Steve called Fury on the way to fill him in on what they had found in Stan’s notes and to his surprise the Commander wasn’t as shocked as Steve had expected. Mind you, he had stated to Steve that he suspected a cover up had happened so maybe this was simply cementing his initial suspicions. The Captain drove carefully through the crowd which was being parted by a number of Thor’s officers, before the large blonde himself gave them both a nod, lifting the tape to allow him to steer his car into the inner boundary. They parked up, climbed out and headed up the drive way which led to the double garage at the side of the large house.
Tony, Sam and Bruce were already in the garage along with Bucky and Commander Fury.
“Sir.” Steve nodded to the man, watching in the corner of his eye as Katie approached the car, stopping by the driver’s side to get a look.
“I take it that’s what killed him.” She said, nodding to the body. Steve walked up behind her, stooped down and his eyes flickered to the single bullet hole straight between Pierce’s eyes.
“Yup.” Tony said. “No other marks or bruises. The blood splatter indicates that he was shot where he is now, so we’re not looking for a second crime scene, same as the others in that respect.” “Yeah, and here’s your cereal…” Bruce said, holding up a clear bag “I’m no expert but these look like Apple Puffs to me.” “Well that fits.” Bucky said “AP, Alexander Pierce.”
“Time of death?” Steve asked and Tony looked at him.
“Judging from the body you’re probably looking at between 5 and 6 hours ago.” “We’ll know more when we get him on the slab.” Sam said, and Steve nodded.
“5 or 6 hours ago means he was killed in daylight.” Fury said, and Steve took a deep breath.
“I’ll get Thor to have his team conduct a door-to-door.” he said, and Fury nodded as the Captain turned to Bucky “I take it there were no signs of breaking and entering?”
“No.” Bucky said. “Natasha and Clint are in the house supervising the detailed forensics sweep but so far nothing. No forced door, picked locks, smashed windows.”
“Which confirms, as with all the others that Pierce knew his attacker.” Steve nodded.
“This is all pointing one way.” Katie said, “Rumlow. He fits the Profile to a tee…”
“But if what you found in those files is right, Pierce has been shielding Rumlow, hell, hey all have one way or another. If it’s him, why is he targeting them? Fury asked
“And why is he suddenly breaking with his MO?” Steve asked, “None of our other bodies have been killed at home or in broad daylight.”
“Maybe he’s just getting sloppy.” Bucky shrugged
“No.” Katie shook her head “That was an execution. Nothing about this is sloppy. If you want my opinion, he’s reached the end, everyone on that list of people involved in the conspiracy is now dead. This was done on purpose so we would find him like this, he’s taunting us…look what I did before you figured it out…”
“But that doesn’t answer my question.” Fury said “Why would Rumlow target the people who protected him?”
"Maybe he's just a fuckin’ psycho." Bucky shrugged “I mean, hey, Sam…”  Sam looked up at his shout “You said the last body, Schmidt, had been beaten in a blind rage right, symptomatic with someone losing their temper?”
“Yeah…” Sam nodded before he bent back over into the car, continuing his examinations and Bucky looked at her
“Point proven, he’s a loop.” “No. He’s not. He's too meticulous.” Katie shook her head and looked at Bucky “Each killing escalated in violence right? I think he was doing that to frighten Pierce. Leading him to think he was going to meet the most violent end of all.” she bit her lip. “What is it?” Steve asked.
“Rumlow can't have known for long...that Pierce was his father I mean.”
“His what?” Bucky spluttered as he looked at Katie then to Steve as Sam let out a huff of surprise too.
“Oh, yeah, there’s a lot we need to fill you in on…” Steve looked at the sergeant apologetically. “But not here…” Bucky nodded and Katie continued.
“If he had known, he would have been using him long before the rape case to progress his career because that's what he was like, a narcissist. Everything was about him. When Sarah Klein turned him down, he took her anyway...and then tried to do the same with me.”
“So he finds out about his parentage...he tells Pierce to make the rape case go away or he blows the fact that he got an underage girl pregnant.” Steve looked at her and she looked at him.
“That’s my guess, yeah.”
“So Pierce plays ball otherwise his career and reputation are dead in the water.” Fury mused “Which leaves Rumlow free to continue at the 99…” “And then he assaulted me.”  Katie swallowed “Which is where my dad comes into it. The assault charge against me is dropped as well, and we can assume Pierce was to thank for that too, only this time they hadn’t factored in Dad’s amazing ability to kick up a shit storm…so Pierce has no alternative but to force Rumlow to resign.”  she paused again and Steve spotted the look on her face, the look she wore when things were finally slotting into place.
“That’s what this is about…” she continued and looked up at Steve, then to Fury then to Bucky “In Rumlow’s eyes they all failed him…” she looked back at Steve “Rumlow had no family, no wife, nothing but the job so take that away from him and he becomes a no-one, which is the worst thing in the world that can happen to a narcissist.”
“But why wait 5 years?” Bucky looked at her.
“He didn’t.” she said, shaking her head “He killed the person he blamed at the time- My dad. Then 18 months or so later he gets busted for the robbery and handed 3 years. Only Pierce doesn’t bail him out this time so he spends his sentence getting angrier and angrier, because everyone else is to blame but himself. He gets out, and starts hunting the rest of them down. One by one. Anyone and everyone that he feels is at fault.”
There was a moment’s pause.
“Well…” Fury looked at Katie, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards lightly “Looks like you just cracked it Stark…”
And damned it, Steve couldn’t help the proud smile that spread across his face. His girl was clever, and he fucking loved her brain as well as her beauty.
“No wonder you wanted to bring her back from DC. Well, apart from the obvious more selfish reasons…” Bucky muttered to Steve, who looked at him, raising his eyebrow.
“I told you Buck…” he said, watching Katie who was talking to Fury now “She’s the best in the business.”
“…we still need to find him.” her voice said as Steve tuned back into what she was now discussing with the Commander. “And I need to prove it too. Back it all up with facts so it isn’t merely supposition…and I still want to know for sure what the fuck the cereal is all about.”
“So do I.” Fury said, as he looked at his watch “Ok, I’m gonna head back to Plaza, speak to Rhodes and Wuntcsh. We need to handle this press release carefully.” “I think we need to put Rumlow’s face out there.” Katie said “Let’s name him, have everyone in the country looking for him.”
Fury nodded “I agree, time we went public. Keep me up to speed.”
“Sir.” Steve nodded and watched the man make his way down towards his car. He turned back to his troops just as Natasha and Clint emerged from the house “Anything?”
They both shook their heads “Nothing out of the ordinary.” “Alright, in that case can you organise and supervise the house to house, Nat, get Thor onto it. Someone has to have seen something. Meanwhile, we’ll head back to the station.” he looked at Katie, Clint then Bucky “We’ll start digging into this theory, see if we can make it tie up. We could use your hawk eyes on this one Clint.”
“Happy to oblige Cap.” he saluted, before he turned to Nat “You keep my car, I’ll grab a lift off Super Serge…” he said, patting Bucky’s shoulder.
“Lucky me.” Bucky rolled his eyes, playfully.
***** They had been back at the station for roughly 2 hours, digging through everything they could think of whilst sprawled in the Incident Room. Clint had ordered pizza in for them, and as such there were discarded boxes along with cans of soda littered around the place, adding to the general chaos of the room.
Katie had written the key points of her theory on the whiteboard, and they were busy tacking documents to the board which seemed to back the different points up. The idea being, as Katie said, they could make connections, trace one link to another easier if the visuals were right there in front of them
It struck Steve just how like Howard Katie was. She worked in a very similar way, his mantra always being that if you eliminated the impossible, no matter what remains, however improbable, it had to be the truth. His daughter seemed to do the same. She was eliminating things that didn’t matter, that couldn’t possibly be true, things that were unimportant as she was following this one thread through the entire case. She’d said right from the off Rumlow was involved, even though they’d had no hard evidence to back that up. Well, now they did, and they were uncovering more and more as they worked.
Steve looked up as he saw Katie reaching for her phone. “Yeah, you get something?” he watched as she paused, her hand running through her hair before she grinned “Tony’ you're a fucking genius..."
She put the phone down and she stood up, moving to the board and pulling the DNA results off from where they'd been tacked up
"These are duplications..." she says "Tony's been digging and talking to a few of his friends in the private sector...apparently these were run originally by a Dr Armin Zola, who was struck off not long after for malpractice. The originals were mailed out to a Mr Brock Rumlow a few weeks before the rape took place...and guess what? Zola turned up dead a week or so later...choked on a steak."
"How the fuck did Tony find that out?" Bucky looked at her.
"Ok, when I say talking to a few friends...I actually mean hacking, but that's not important. I was right, Rumlow didn’t know until that point and ever since he's been using it. Pierce keeps him out of jail but when he's done for robbery he can't…” she tapped at a photo on the board, “because the CCTV footage, everything...it's too much. It would attract attention.”
Steve looked at her, then Bucky before Clint spoke up.
“Yeah, and I've been digging into Rumlow's financials. The guy was destitute. After leaving the police he struggled to find work- was doing the odd bit of security but nothing big, and he couldn't take his pension yet. This was the prosecutions main angle during the robbery case- that he needed the money.”
“The cereal…” Katie mumbled. “Fuck, when I said about the caviar and silver spoons normally being used about making a point, people being rich.”
“He is making the same point, but the other way around.” Steve looked at her and she nodded.
“No posh or fancy silver spoons for me, just mundane cereal. He’s bitter. Bitter he never had the fucking lifestyle that being Pierces kid would have brought him.”
“So he kills Zola…” Bucky looked up “And makes it look like an accident?” Katie bit her lip and something else flashed in her eyes and her mouth dropped open.
“What is it?” Steve looked at her.
“I don’t think he did…”
“The MO…” Bucky started, but she shook her head.
“It’s different. None of the others actually died from choking. They were hit with a hammer, or in Pierce’s case shot.”
“So someone else did Zola…” Bucky looked at her and Steve let out a sigh, the dots connecting in his own mind.
“Pierce.” he said looking at Katie. “Rumlow approaches him with the evidence and he kills Zola to keep his dirty little secret quiet...”
“And then when my dad uncovers all this…he killed him, and mom too.” She shook her head, looking down before she reached for her chair sinking into it “It was Pierce…he killed my parents…I can’t believe it.”
The room fell silent as the 3 men all exchanged a look and Steve turned back to his girl, whose eyes had filled with tears. And at that point, he decided enough was enough.
"Alright, I'm calling it." he said "It's midnight, it's been a long day.” he took a deep breath “Rumlow must have been staying somewhere since he got out of jail. Tomorrow we need to find out where” he turned then to Clint, “We’ll reconvene here at 8 am sharp. Barton, first thing I want you and Nat to follow any lead, no matter how small we got from the house to house. And before you go, get onto Thor...I want all eyes out for Rumlow on the night shift. If they see him, arrest on sight.”
****
Steve, Katie and Bucky all climbed out of Steve’s car in the underground parking lot attached to the apartment block. Steve headed to the trunk and pulled out Katie’s bag, which Bucky noticed was larger than normal meaning she was intending on staying for longer than the night, but he refrained from making any snarky comment. She’d hardly spoken a word all the way home and he couldn’t blame her. Instead he simply observed as Steve reached for her hand which she took and the two of them walked slightly ahead of him to the door that led to the elevators.
They emerged onto the landing and Steve unlocked the door, swinging it open to let Katie in first. Once she was in she took off her jacket, hung it on the coat stand by the door and turned to them both.
“I don’t want to be rude but I’m exhausted. I’m gonna take a shower and get in bed.” Bucky gave her a smile “Don’t blame you Doll Face.”
She managed a roll of her eyes with a smile at the nickname and she moved to take her bag from Steve but he shook his head.
“It’s ok, I’ve got it.” he said and she smiled at him before she turned back to Bucky.
“Night Buck.” “Yeah, see you in the morning.” he said.
Steve followed her down to his room where he deposited her bag on the chair in the corner and she turned to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. The rain was beating against the bedroom window and he glanced outside, his chin resting on the top of her head as he gave a sigh. Looked like this shit weather was in for the night, which was fairly apt really all things considered. Eventually she stepped back and looked up at him and he leaned down pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
“Go get sorted.” he said, “I won’t be far behind you. Do you want a drink or anything?” “No, I’m good thanks Stevie.”
He smiled again and then left her to her own devices. When he walked back into the kitchen Bucky was sat at the breakfast bar and slid him an open beer as he dropped onto the stool besides him.
“She ok?” Bucky asked.
“Not really.” Steve sighed
“And what about you?” Bucky looked at him. “You were close to Howard. That’s bound to have been a head fuck.” “You’re not wrong.” Steve sighed “We gotta catch this bastard Bucky. Pierce will never face justice for what he did but Rumlow can.” “And he will.” Bucky said, taking a mouthful of his beer “We’ll find him.”
The two friends sat talking until their beer was finished and at that both decided to call it a night. Steve’s room was dark when he entered, the only light coming from outside street lighting which flooded through the crack in the curtains. He went to pull them shut tightly but Katie stopped him.
“Don’t, I like the light.” He chuckled as he turned to face her “Now we both know you’re not afraid of the dark, Star.” “I know…” she said as he pulled off his Henley, discarding it over her pile of clothes on the chair “I just like it, that’s all.” Once he was down to his boxers he crawled over her, dropping a kiss to her lips “I’ll be 5. Just gonna shower.” “Ok.” she yawned, settling herself down further under the covers.
Steve took the hottest shower he could stand, willing the warmth to wash away the events of the day. His shoulders ached from them being so damned tense and he rolled them slightly, cracking his neck from side to side as the water beat down on him. Once he was done he headed back to his room, towelled off, pulled a clean pair of boxers on and settled down besides Katie. He pulled her to him, her back pressed to his chest as he dropped a soft kiss to her bare shoulder just to the side of the strap of her cami top. They lay silent for a while, the only sound was the rain falling outside, but he could tell she wasn’t asleep from her breathing.
“Remember that trip we took to Camp Lehigh.” Katie broke the silence and Steve took a deep breath.
“How could I forget?” he smiled. And he meant it, that weekend was ingrained in his brain forever. He’d split up with Peggy a few weeks before hand and Katie had split up with Grant a couple of months before that as well. The pair of them had been miserable, basically slumping around her apartment or his, wallowing in their joint grief and pity before Katie had decided they needed to go and do something, something fun. Camp Lehigh had been somewhere that her parents had taken her and Tony every year as kids, an activities camp of sorts, with little cabins and all kinds of sports and activities to do, so on a whim she’d booked them in for the weekend and they’d headed off. It had been great. They’d gone hiking, done the assault courses, paintballing, kayaking, drunk round the campfire with the other people there. In fact, that was where her star necklace had come from, the gift shop. It was a cheap, sterling silver pendant but he’d wanted to say thank you as the weekend had been a balm to his soul. Upon leaving they’d vowed that was it, their lives started over and they moved forward. Which was what they had done, and every spare bit of time they had they’d filled with something fun.
“You made me take the top bunk.” She said, “You were afraid if you took it you’d come falling through and land on me in the middle of the night.”
“Well on the second night we both ended up in the bottom one anyway.” he said, his arm pulling her closer “It was raining, like it is now, and then it thundered and you shit yourself.” “I did not…” she said indignantly, causing him to snort. “Ok, maybe a little…”
They fell silent again, and she shuffled in his arms, turning to face him. “You know, that night when we just lay there and we were talking for hours until you fell asleep…I could feel your heart beating in your chest and I remember asking myself how Peggy could have ever let you go.” Steve looked down at her, brushing her hair back slightly off her face as she continued. “In fact, I think that’s the moment I realised I loved you. I mean, I’d had those feelings for you for a long time but that was the time I finally understood why whenever I was with you I got that safe, happy feeling.” Steve pressed a kiss to her lips, his forehead resting against hers. “We wasted a lot of time Doll.”
“I know.” she sighed. “So stupid when you look back on it isn’t it?” “Well, there’s no point thinking about it now.” he said softly, his hand gently sliding up and down her back “You’re stuck with me forever.” “Promise?”
“Cross my heart Star.” he said, his lips catching hers again in a soft kiss before he grinned. “Even if you are afraid of thunder.” “Piss off…” She chuckled, shoving him gently.
“You know, I always found it odd…how you could be so scared of thunder but quite like a Storm…” he quipped and she let out a groan.
“Again, Steve?”
“Sorry, sorry…” he chuckled, “I know, it’s just…well it was only a week ago tonight that I thought I’d lost you again when you left with him.” “Keep on mentioning him and I just might do it again.” “Uh-uh…” he said, grinning as he rolled her onto her back. “Like I said, you’re stuck with me forever. You’re never leaving.” “Never?” “No.” “What you gonna do? Handcuff me to the bed?” Steve let out a soft groan as she tilted her hips upwards, pushing into his groin “Don’t tempt me Star…” She bit her lip as she looked up at him. “You wanna go all bad cop Captain?”
“Yeah, well, you bring out the absolute worst in me…”
“You love it.” she teased.
“No, I love you. The rest of the shit just comes along.” he mumbled, his lips catching hers again. This kiss this time fevered as her tongue slid into his mouth, tangling with his own. She gave a soft moan which almost died in her throat as she pulled back and looked up at him, her hands tangling in his hair. It took a while for the fog to clear from his lust addled brain, but eventually Steve pulled back, searching her eyes in the dim light of the room.
“Sweetheart, you need sleep…” he said, clearing his throat as his nose brushed up against hers. “After everything that’s happened today, I-“
“I need to forget…” she whispered, cutting him off, her hand cupping his face. “Please, make me forget Stevie…” She whispered into his mouth.
And that was it. Suddenly he was pulling her top over her head, his mouth nipping and sucking at her chest as she writhed and keened underneath him. His hand worked into the waistband of the shorts she was wearing and she gasped as his fingers gently started to tease her, before he upped the pace slightly, and with a flick of his wrist pushed two inside her, curling against that soft spot that he knew would leave her boneless and pliant underneath him.
“I love you…I love you so fucking much…”He said, making her groan again as he continued to work her with his hand. Eventually she couldn’t take it anymore and she wriggled underneath him.
“You want something?” he teased and she raised her head, glowering at him.
“Steve if you don’t fuck me right now I swear to God…” “You’ll do what?” he raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll call Storm…”
“Doll, don’t threaten me…” his voice grew low. She was such a mouthy little shit at times and she knew what buttons to press and when to press them, fucking brat.
“Or what?” she propped herself up on her elbows. Oh he knew exactly what. In a flash he had reached out, and grabbed at her hips, flipping her over so that her front was pressed into the bed covers. She let out a little shriek, followed by a dirty giggle which made his already evident arousal even harder as he crawled over her, nipping at her neck. In seconds he had her moaning again, and grinning to himself he pulled back slightly and she let out a cry of frustration.
“Steve…” she said, her voice pleading. He completely ignored her as he hovered over her, his mouth tracing a line down her spine as she continued to whimper. His lips formed a smirk against her skin and as he reached the dip of her lower back he wriggled out of his boxers and grasped her hips, pulling her ass off the bed. He easily discarded her shorts before he positioned himself behind her, the tip of his aching, rock hard cock simply teasing at her entrance.
“This what you want?” he practically purred and she groaned.
“Yes, Jesus Christ…” In one swift move he was buried to the hilt and she let out a load moan, her face muffled slightly by the pillow.
“Ah, ah Star” he said, as his hand reached out and gripped her shoulder, he pulled her back so she was propped up on her elbows “I wanna hear you…”
Katie bit her lip as he started moving, hard, fast, deep. He could tell that every thrust was rocking her very core and she was putty in his hands within minutes. As his hips snapped back and forth, loud grunts and groans filled the room, mingling with the sound of skin slapping on skin as he continued his ferocious pace, his hand still on her shoulder pulling her back onto him with every pound forward he made. Steve bent over her to nip at Katie’s neck, a little harder than usual, and he spoke into her ear with a growl. "You feel so good. So fucking good.”
"So do you…" she moaned to him as he kept up his relentless pace, and she felt the release creeping up through her belly. “Shit…Captain…” Captain…fuck he loved that! He gave another nip to her neck before he pulled back, looking down at the place they were joined, were he was pumping in and out of her as he continued his salacious assault on her spot. He felt her legs go rigid and she tightened around him, her head tipping back.
“Come for me doll…” he groaned and a loud cry ripped from her throat as her hands fisted around the sheets and her entire body shook. Unable to control herself she collapsed and in a flash Steve curled his arm around her waist, he’d never let her fall. A few short thrusts and he was done, the entire world around him tilted on its axis as he spilled himself inside of her with a low growl, before he collapsed forward, letting her down as gently as he could, finally face planting onto the bed, sweating and spent besides her. Neither of them moved for a moment, the only sounds that could now be heard was deep breathing from both of them as they came down from their high, fighting for composure. Eventually Steve felt Katie move and he turned his head lazily to the right to see she was led on her stomach, her head turned towards him, and at the sight of her looking utterly wrecked thanks to him, he couldn’t help the smug grin spreading across his face.
“I kinda like Bad Cop.” She mumbled and he laughed, reaching out to brush her hair behind her ear before he pulled her face towards his for a soft, gentle kiss.
********
Steve's eyelids were heavy the following morning and he struggled to open his eyes before rubbing them and giving a yawn. His bladder was full but his mind wandered to the events the previous day, exhausting as they had been, which had led to a no less exhausting, albeit for better reasons, night. He smiled as he turned around to reach for Katie only to find the left side of his bed empty. He ran a hand over the vacated space and sighed at the cold touch.
After the customary visit to the bathroom and putting on a t-shirt, Steve went out of his bedroom and headed for the kitchen, following the clattering sounds of breakfast getting ready as if he was following the Pied Piper. When he reached the kitchen door the smell of something just baked mixed with the delicious scent of freshly brewed coffee hit his nostrils.
But something even more delicious caught his sight. Just as he had predicted Katie was already up, making breakfast. She was wearing one of his Henley shirts over her lacy panties and nothing more. He was sure. He had spotted Katie's bra discarded over the back of the chair with the rest of her clothes from the previous night before heading out. Steve felt something stir inside his boxer briefs at the sight of his shirt covering the curve of his girl's ass and how it hung over the upper part of her thighs. Fortunately, he had decided as a last minute decision to put on a pair of pyjama pants.
He couldn't deny the sight of Katie, in his clothes, making breakfast in his kitchen like she just belonged, made his chest burst with happiness. To the point that he let out a contented sigh from where he was leaning on the kitchen's door frame.
It was then that Bucky, who was sitting at the breakfast bar eating his plums, noticed his presence and turned around. He saw his friend, and observed the way he was staring at Katie and mouthed Pervert at him.  Steve just smiled and said "Morning." At that Katie turned to greet him back and Steve instantly saw the stains on her cheeks. She had been crying. He gave her a concerned look before turning to look at Bucky who didn't need any words to understand what he was expected to do.
"Erm, I'm gonna get ready." he said as he just sat up before nodding at Steve as he left the kitchen giving them some space.
Steve then crossed the floor of the room towards her and Katie simply leaned into him, wrapping her arms round his wide back. Her face pressed into his T-shirt, inhaling his scent. He didn't say anything. He just rubbed his girl's back as he thought he could get used to her being there in his arms every morning, before stepping back and wiping her face with his finger pads.
"Sweetheart, how much sleep did you get?" he asked her softly.
"Few hours." she shrugged. "I just couldn't stop thinking about mum and dad... and how Tony needs to know we're pretty sure Pierce did it and..."
Steve sensed her beginning to spiral and decided to take the matter in his hands.
"Shhhhh...Star, just breathe... let me help you with this ok? We'll go to the station, check on the status of the search for Rumlow and then we'll go speak to Tony." he cooed, hugging her against his chest again.
Katie nodded and Steve, satisfied with how things were turning out, tried again with another distraction.
"What were you cooking?" he asked nodding towards the stove.
"I did cinnamon buns, your Ma's recipe...and was just whipping up some eggs and bacon." she answered as she resumed her position in front of the bowls and pans that were scattered over the kitchen counter.
Steve realised then she had to have been up for hours if she had managed cinnamon buns as whenever she made those, she usually got them ready the night before to bake in the morning.  He shook his head in a disapproving gesture before approaching her again, hugging her from behind this time, and kissing her head.
"Ok Doll, let's get those ready and we can eat." he suggested.
"I'm not that hungry..." Katie began to explain.
"That wasn't a request. You're already sleep deprived. I don't want you fainting because you haven't eaten." Steve stated, nearly ordered, going into concerned Captain mode.
She saw Katie smile, instead of getting all pissy at his commanding tone of voice, and bite her lip.
"What?" he asked.
"You'll make a great husband one day..." she said with a simile that reached her eyes.
And just like that Steve was brought back to his ma's banter about the ring and the proposal for the second time in less than 24 hours.  And not only that. Fucking hell! It hadn't even been a week since they had got back together. What day was today anyway? Friday? Just the previous Friday he was moping around and getting dragged to the Compound in a stormy, you could say, turn of events. But then again, as everyone liked to point out lately, they went back to 10 years before any of this. Everything they've done...it really was like they had dated but without the physical side. How the fuck did he not see what was right in front of his damned eyes for all that time? Coz you're a stupid, punk. His little inner voice answered for him, a voice which was annoyingly similar to Bucky's. But back to the husband thing....
"Well, as long as it's your husband Doll..." Steve said as he felt his cheeks flush.
Katie stopped what she was doing to look at him and simply smiled again, that damned smile that got him weak, before giving him a gentle kiss.
He then grabbed a tea towel from the breakfast bar and threw it over his shoulder to start helping Katie.  He was loving the domesticity. How she directed him around as if they were a pair of newly- weds getting breakfast ready on a lazy Sunday morning. Again those marriage thoughts but he didn't mind as he helped her with the food before shoving more coffee on. And then their domestic bliss was broken by a piercing sound.
"Can I come back in now? I'm starving!" Bucky shouted from somewhere in the living room.
"Jerk." Steve yelled back.
"Smells good, doll face" Bucky said when he appeared in the kitchen a few seconds later.
"That fucking name!" Katie said, throwing a spoon at him.
"You know? I still remember the first time I called you that and you got mad." Bucky grinned catching said spoon expertly in his right hand.
"I hated you back then." Katie retorted as she whipped the eggs.
"You didn't doll face. You loved me. And HIM." Bucky said gesturing to Steve.  "Even though you pretended otherwise." he shrugged before biting another plum.
Steve then saw Katie stop what she was doing and slowly turn to look at his friend with narrowed eyes. There she is, he thought, his face cracking into a grin at the dirty look she was shooting his best friend.
"Piss off Barnes."
Bucky laughed before looking at Steve. "Steve tell her how you were mad at me coz you thought I was hitting on her."
"No...that's...I never said that..." Steve tried to protest as he looked from Bucky to Katie.
"Oh you absolutely did." Bucky said nodding exaggeratedly.
"Seriously Steve...you can't lie for shit." Katie said after watching him for a couple of seconds, a smile playing on her face.
"Remember when they all gave you the slip and I bought you lunch?" Bucky asked Katie. ��Well apparently I did that because I wanted to bone you…” At that Katie let out a huge laugh and Steve sighed, shaking his head.
"Ok, maybe I was a little paranoid..."
"Yes, paranoically in love...." Bucky quipped.
"Do you wanna eat this breakfast or wear it, jerk?" Steve said with feigned indignation. Well, maybe not so feigned. Although it was true, he didn't like being exposed like that. Not that Katie didn't know how he had felt about her, though.
Katie chuckled and shook her head as she started to plate up breakfast.
Bucky then shot Steve a wink, to which the captain mouthed Thank you. He really appreciated his friend's efforts to keep her distracted from her thoughts again. Even though Bucky could be like an annoying little brother at times, Steve felt the dynamic the three of them had set was remarkably good. True Katie and Bucky had hit it off from the beginning, despite their constant bickering, but the addition of Bucky to the equation that was his and Katie's budding relationship was flawless. Mind you, he could be a teasing jerk sometimes, and there was no way he didn't hear them the previous night the way they were going at it but he hadn't passed any comment. Not yet, at least.
They headed for the station without further ado that morning. There was so much to do, so many phone calls to make, so many reports and evidence to go through once more, now the case had taken a much needed, though unexpected, turn. They had no time to waste and they were also eager to know if the search on Rumlow had thrown any light.
So Steve pulled the car into the station's parking lot after a quick stop to grab their usual morning coffee treat, seeing as it was his turn to buy and Bucky wasn't willing to let it go. No matter how busy they were, no matter what the circumstances were. Steve wondered what was with Bucky and just eating plums for breakfast first thing in the morning and not having his dose of caffeine until much later through the day. Unless he was hungover that is, which was happening a lot quite recently.
When the three of them entered the station's main office they were met with a face they weren't expecting. Sure, they didn't expect to find Wanda but her replacement had arrived fast and might have caused a stir in the organization of another precinct.
"Gina! Oh my god..." Katie squealed, approaching the woman with her arms open.
"What are you doing here? Not that I don't want you here but are you Wanda's replacement?" Steve asked, trying to understand.
"Kinda... I'm gonna be doing 2 days here, 3 at the 99 until Fury finds someone." Gina explained as she stepped back from Katie’s embrace.
"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in." Steve frowned.
"Well, there's a lot of things he doesn't tell people." Gina shrugged, as if she hung out with Fury on a daily basis.
Steve went quiet and looked at Katie, who was unsuccessfully trying not to laugh. His own mouth was quirking as well when he turned around to look at Bucky who had an expression of utter whatthefuckness, if that was even a word, all over his face. But Gina didn't seem to be bothered in the slightest, as she continued sharpening the pencils Wanda had left in the pencil pot at the reception desk before asking. "What did you do to Maximoff."
"I didn't do anything to her, she quit." Steve informed, yet a bit offended.
"Ah, maybe that's why she resigned... Anyway Captain, your post is on your desk and I sent pretty eyes out for a Danish." Gina said, turning into assistant mode.
"Who's pretty eyes?" Bucky asked.
He had met the woman twice, once when he had been at the 99 with Katie to fetch Rumlow's case files and the other a week or so ago on the night out. He remembered clearly on their trip to the 99 Station, she had been teaching Holt how to trash talk. Frankly, the woman was something else.
"Clint..." Katie said, smiling as she sat down on her chair and switched her computer on.
"Is he married?" Gina asked nonchalantly.
The three of them then paused and looked at one another. They didn't know what to say because, truth be told, they hadn’t got a clue.
"I dunno actually, ask Romanoff..." Katie was the first to speak.
"She's kinda scary..." Gina trailed.
"No more than Diaz." Katie quipped, winking an eye at her.
"Yeah, ok, fair point. Anyway I'd love to chat all day but I got stuff to do so stop distracting me." Gina shrugged and started to sort some post on Romanoff's and Barton's desks.
Steve frowned and opened his mouth to say something to the woman but he was utterly lost for words. If whatthefuckness really wasn’t a term then someone needed to add it to the dictionary because that was the only thing that came to his mind right then. So he closed his mouth again and looked at Katie, who again was trying not to laugh.
He was so lost for words to express what he had just experienced that he didn't think too much of it when he dropped a kiss to Katie's cheek who looked up at him surprised.
"Oh... Ok... Finally." Gina said casually before heading back to her desk.
Steve then went bright red at the realization of what he had just done. That was not what he was supposed to be doing in the office he thought as he headed for his office door in a rush, cursing internally, without glancing in Bucky's direction. He didn't need to look at him to know he would be grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Thank God, Clint and Nat were nowhere to be seen.
Speaking of the devils, just as Steve was closing the door of his office he saw Clint walk in with Natasha with a brown paper bag, presumably from the deli round the corner. He could hear the banter the two detectives were having with Gina as he took off his jacket hung it over his chair's back.
He ignored the muffled sounds that came from the main office and decided to have a look at his post. He picked up a few letters and went through them. It seemed to be just the normal internal memos and stuff. There was also a note from Fury to say Gina would be starting. No shit Sherlock, he thought.
He then noticed one manila envelope that was a bit larger than normal. He frowned as he opened it to discover it was a box of special K cereal. He instantly dropped it and stood up giving a very loud “Fuck!”
Steve could hear the sound of chairs being dragged and concerned words he could not fully understand in the main office before his office door was slammed open and everyone headed inside, Katie leading them. But they all stopped on their tracks as they spotted the cereal box on his desk.
"Shit, he hasn’t finished...” Katie looked at it, as she glanced at Steve “Special K... SK...Fuck Steve, he's going for Sarah Klein." Katie stuttered, but still managed to get her thoughts expressed.
Steve blinked at the cereal box just as Katie's words sank in and instantly went into Cap mode.
"Buck, get onto Interpol. We need to inform the German Authorities, warn them. Barton and Romanoff I want everyone looking for Rumlow right now. Get Thor to step up patrols. He has to have been staying somewhere, so find him." he called it, nearly barked.
"I'll grab an evidence bag, get that to Tony." Katie offered.
"Doll, you don't have to do that, I can send someone from patrol..." Steve trailed, his voice softening.
"Did he just say doll?" Clint asked Nat, quirking up his eyebrow.
"Loud and present." she answered.  
"I can do that, Steve." Katie said, ignoring Bucky's smirk as he had overheard Clint and Nat too.
"I’ll go with you, I said I would..." Steve insisted, but she cut him off.
"No, it's fine. I want to talk to him about what we found yesterday and think its best I do that alone. And besides, you're needed here."
"Ok, get to it. I'll call Fury, keep him updated." he said after a moment’s hesitation, nodding.
And that was the cue for everybody to retreat to the main office and start working on their Captain's orders. There was no time to waste. Steve grabbed his phone and was about to dial Fury's extension number when he noticed Bucky hadn't left his office and was smiling at him.
"What?" he asked, placing the phone on his desk again.
"So, before you kissed her cheek, and now you called her Doll in front of everyone." Bucky said, slumping on one of the chairs in front of Steve's desk.
Steve groaned and blushed again before asking “Did I? Fuck... It came out naturally, I didn't mean to..."
"Don't worry, Pal." Bucky said, waving whatever embarrassing thoughts Steve might be getting with a movement of his hand.
"I should control it though, Fury..." Steve said, ignoring his comment.
"Steve, Fury is on your side. Otherwise Katie would be cleaning toilets at Police Plaza instead of being here." Bucky tried to calm him.
But he remarked the last word and Steve got what he was trying to say. It was Saturday. Officially Katie should be off the case, but here she was working on it despite Fury’s orders. Mind you, Fury had been there yesterday when she had basically cracked it and had also, albeit maybe not expressly, given Steve the permission to keep her involved on an unofficial basis…but he would be damned if he abiding by the official orders and benching her now. And he was willing to bet no one in the station would go and tell Fury. With Wanda out of the picture, they were a perfectly assembled team again, watching each other's six.
Steve smiled at him and Bucky stood up and turned to go just as Katie came back with an evidence bag and gloves. He watched as she methodically put the box in the evidence bag and looked at him, nodding.
"Ok, I'll call you in a bit." she said.
"Ok..." Steve nodded and smiled at her. Then he checked around and decided this time it was safe, no eavesdroppers or unwanted witnesses, before saying "Love you. Try not to worry."
"I will and love you too..." she said back before heading off, nodding to Thor who was passing her.
"You're in a rush little Stark?" he asked.
"Gotta get this down to the lab. Talk to you in a bit..." she nodded.
"This is taller and stronger, is he married?" Bucky heard Gina asking Nat.
For the following hour and half everyone was doing what they had been told to as if doing it was second nature to them. The bullring was like a busy marketplace, full of people talking. Thor was helping Nat organize a sting whilst Clint was on the phone talking to some contacts, all of whom seemed to be some sort of former spies if you asked Bucky based on the odd bits of conversation he could get from his desk, trying to trace Rumlow and emailing his photo left, right and centre. Bucky was focused on getting onto Interpol, Rumlow's photo was already at all major airports, but they have to alert the Munich Police force to take Sarah Klein into protective custody.
Gina was assisting them all in whatever phone number or data they might need while screening calls according to importance or relevance to the priority case and taking messages for all of them and Bucky had to give the woman credit, she was doing it well.
At some point Bucky saw Gina stand up from her desk and beeline to Nat's desk where Thor was perched revising some notes on the police operative for the sting.
"Can I get you something to drink?" she said looking at the tall blonde as she pointed in the direction of the kitchen with her right thumb. "Maybe tea?" she insisted, seeing Thor was looking at her wondering who the woman was.
"I don't drink tea." he stated plainly.
"What do you drink?" Gina asked again, now curious about the man.
"Not tea." he stated again as if it was obvious.
Bucky chuckled as he saw Gina look at Thor as if he was some kind of mixture between an alien from another planet and a God, and just as she shrugged and moved to head for the kitchen she nodded at the photos of cereal brands that Natasha was shoving back into a file.
"By the way, what's with the cereal?" she asked.
Natasha then started to explain but soon Thor cut her off and started rambling about how every victim had a different make of cereal shoved down their throats once they were dead. There had been Puffed Rice, Jump Start, Juicy Skulls and finally Apple Puffs.
"God, that's so unimaginative. It should be a cereal that represents the person..." Gina spoke her mind.
"It did." Bucky explained. "It was their initials."
"No. I mean like their personalities..." she said before elaborating on her idea. "So, I would be something sophisticated, like a Granola."
Bucky, Thor and Natasha looked at her, finding it hard to believe what she had just said and Clint snorted as he lifted his eyes from the screen of his computer. At that point Steve walked out about to ask for an update when Gina continued her charade.
"And Captain Hottie Rogers here would be Cap'n Crunch" she said with a flourish of her hand and a wide grin, proud of her own joke.
"What are you talking about?" Steve asked her. "What is she talking about?" he asked again, looking at Natasha this time.
"She's just critiquing the Cereal Serial Killer's choice of breakfast snack." the detective said, smiling slightly.
Steve took a deep breath, reminding himself she wouldn't be here for long, before speaking. "Ok, can we focus, please? Thor, report on your troops."
"The gates of hell are filled with..."
Steve stopped listening to Thor, who seemed to have been infected by Gina's nonsense rambling, as from the corner of his eye he saw Clint whisper something to Nat, who snorted. Steve then glared at her. He had too much on his plate right now as it was and they were starting to give him a headache with their shenanigans and high-school whispers.
"Care to share with the rest of the team?" he asked Clint, sternly.
"Sorry, Cap. It…it was a bad joke." Clint apologized.
"Well, it was clearly amusing so let's hear it." Steve insisted.
Clint looked at Bucky, who nodded discreetly at him. Steve had used his Captain voice, he was pissed off. You'd better answer him, pal.
"I just reminded Nat of a joke we used to make... how Katie would be your Special K, that's all, was just a..." Clint explained. “We code named our matchmaking plan Operation Cap’n Crunch and Special K…you know, it…”
"Ha, that's amusing." Thor's laugh echoed throughout the main office, earning an appreciative look from Gina. "Cap'n Crunch and Special K..." he added, shaking his head.
But instead of laughing at the lame joke a cold feeling washed over Steve as the lightbulb suddenly lit up in his head. "Shit."
"Sorry..." Thor trailed, starting an apology.
But Steve wasn't listening to him, his eyes darted at Bucky instead whose mouth had dropped open.
"It's not Sarah Klein..." Bucky mumbled, looking at his friend.
Steve pulled out his phone and pressed the call button. Bucky saw his hand tremble as he brought the device to his ear and yelled "Buck, call Tony. Check if Katie is there. Hurry!"
Clint and Nat shared an understanding and concerned glance just before Gina asked "What's going on?"
Natasha looked at her and swallowed before answering. "Special K...it's Katie Stark... not Sarah Klein."
"Steve..." Bucky's voice which was slightly shaky attracted all the attention just as Steve looked at him. "Tony says Katie hasn't been to the lab..."
"Fuck!" Steve hollered. "Son of a bitch!" he swore again, kicking a chair before turning and starting barking orders, going on full Captain mode like they had never seen him before.
"Natasha, get the CCTV up from the parking lot." he ordered before pointing at Clint "If she left in her car, get on to traffic, pull up any cameras on the way to the lab, see if they track her plate."
Next he pointed at Thor, then Bucky "You, you with me now, we'll take a patrol car and run the route to the lab..."
There was a flurry of movement in the office as everyone jumped to it. Steve, Bucky and Thor literally ran from the office as soon as Steve had grabbed his jacket. He was trying to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, but his breakfast wasn't willing to cooperate.
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romansrace · 3 years
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WHAT IF: The Season 13 queens competed in Season 3′s challenges
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As I raised in my previous post, in retrospect I feel that one of the weakest aspects of season 13 was not simply that the queens were less talented than in the previous year; but more so that the challenges of season 13 - that leaned heavily towards dance and performance - did not suit this cast, and especially not the members of the cast favoured by production, who leaned more towards fashion and acting at the top of their skillset.
So this series is going to put the queens of season 13 through their paces in some other past seasons of the show, with a few modifications to bring up the style of those seasons towards the modern format.
All make sense? Then let’s hit it, below the cut:
Season 3 kicked off with the Gone with the Window design challenge, calling for the queens to make gowns from curtains. All queens entered together with no split premiere. Immediately this nixes the bad blood in the group from the Porkchop twist and will see the queens building more natural rivalries based on location, taste and reputation. As it’s a design challenge with unconventional materials, I see Utica, Gottmik and Denali doing best in this challenge. Kahmora will do well but her timing will drag her down, while Rose is likely to have questionable taste level. Symone and Lala Ri will struggle, but, like season 9, this will be a challenge with winner and highs, but no other placements or elimination. Mik and Utica lipsync for the win to “The Right Stuff” and I see Utica winning.
E1 DESIGN WIN Utica TOP2 Mik HIGH Denali NO ELIMINATION
The second episode is the Queens in Space acting challenge, which the queens will complete in teams. For ease of prediction, I’ve assumed the teams will take roughly their season 13 splits - logically, Tina, Gottmik and Kandy will have bonded, as well as Symone, Lala and Olivia, making a 6. In the other team, Kahmora and Denali go back a long way, and Rose and Denali would have hit it off. I don’t see Elliott or Utica making a splash with the winners’ circle, while Tamisha will be avoiding Lala and Joey Jay Kandy, so the ex-Porckchops will be the 7 this time. I see Kandy and Symone stealing the show as the two-headed alien and leading their team to the win. Meanwhile in the other team, we know Denali and Kahmora struggled in the first acting challenge, as did Elliott. For drama’s sake, a B2 of friends Denali and Kahmora is guaranteed, and we know how that goes from season 13 - Kahmora sashays away following the performance of “Bad Romance”.
E2 Acting (Space) WIN Kandy + Symone HIGH winners team from s13 LOW Elliott B2 Denali + Kahmora OUT Kahmora
Episode 3 is the Fitness Video challenge, where the queens have to do a fitness routine with comedy elements. Knowing Ru’s sense of humour, there’s no doubt in my mind that Kandy Muse wins this challenge. Highs will go to Rose and Denali for energetic routines. I see Tamisha and Gottmik struggling most in this challenge and lipsyncing in the B2, and I see production keeping Gottmik. The lipsync song this time is “Don’t Leave Me This Way” and the drama of Kandy winning and her best friend being in the B2 would be irresistible.
E3 Fitness WIN Kandy HIGH Denali + Rose B2 Mik + Tamisha OUT Tamisha
Episode 4 is the News Show acting-improv challenge. I think Olivia Lux has the right kind of bright, bubbly character to excel at and win this challenge, while Rose and Symone would also be funny. From past performance, Elliott, Utica and Lala Ri would struggle with this challenge, and Joey Jay would have been flagging for several episodes now. I see a Lala and Joey B2 with Lala eviscerating Joey to “Meet Me in the Ladies Room”.
E4 News Show WIN Olivia HIGH Symone + Rose B2 Joey + Lala OUT Joey
Snatch Game goes pretty much as it did in OG S13, with Mik winning and Utica knocking out Elliott in the B2, while Denali and Rose place High.
E5 Snatch Game WIN Mik HIGH Denali + Rose B2 Utica OUT Elliott
Episode 6 is the cake-and-clothes design challenge. Once again I see Utica winning this challenge with something incredibly creative, while Olivia, Mik and Denali place High. Symone and Lala will fall apart this challenge and be the bottom 2. The lipsync - “Knock on Wood” would be legendary, but I don’t see the show saving Lala over Symone and so she sashays away in 9th place.
E6 Cake design WIN Utica HIGH Olivia, Mik + Denali LOW Tina B2 Symone + Lala OUT Lala
Episode 7 is the Standup challenge. I think Rose wins this one to save Kandy having three wins by midseason. Kandy and Mik will place High. The bottom two will be Utica and Olivia who both originally fell apart in this challenge. Symone will do badly too but having just saved her they will want to avoid her placing B2 again straight away. This lipsync is “MacArthur Park” and I see Ru calling this the double shantay of the season.
E7 Standup WIN Rose HIGH Kandy + Gottmik B2 Olivia + Utica DOUBLE SHANTAY
Episode 8 is the Patriotic Message episode. I see Symone acing this challenge and grabbing her second win, especially after two episodes of placing in the B3. In season 3 this episode had four highs and four lows which I will maintain here, with Olivia, Kandy and Denali placing High and Rose, Gottmik, Tina and Utica being the bottom 4. I see Utica and Tina doing the worst. This time, Tina eliminates Utica in the B2 as it is now her third B2 and Tina’s first.
E8 Patriotism WIN Symone HIGH Denali, Olivia + Kandy LOW Rose + Gottmik B2 Tina + Utica OUT Utica
Episode 9 is the Singing Performance challenge. Rose is a shoe-in to win this while singers Tina, Kandy and Olivia will place High. I see Symone placing Low and Denali and Gottmik - who I don’t think are singers, correct me if I’m wrong - falling into the B2. Symone could also B2 if Denali can sing. In either case, Gottmik is eliminated here in her second LSFYL.
E9 Singing performance WIN Rose HIGH Kandy, Olivia + Tina LOW Symone B2 Denali + Gottmik OUT Gottmik
Episode 10 is the season’s first Ball, the Hair Ball. As this is a modern Drag Race season now, only the last look will be constructed by the queens in the werkroom. I see Denali doing well here and placing High, along with Olivia and Symone who will showcase their natural hair and cultural pride. Symone might also throw in some Ru references with her looks. I see Olivia Lux gaining her second win here. The bottom 3 will be Rose - who I think might have questionable taste level at this stage of the competition, Kandy and Tina. Kandy and Tina lipsync to “Even Angels” and Tina is now eliminated.
E10 Hair Ball WIN Olivia HIGH Denali + Symone LOW Rose B2 Kandy + Tina OUT Tina
Episode 11 is the makeover. In season 3, the queens made over straight jock guys into drag sisters. I see Symone winning this challenge, as she did in the original season 13. Kandy Muse and Denali are High - Denali I see being able to bond with her jock. She also may place High by default because she won’t do as badly as Olivia and Rose who are a clear B2. We know how this lipsync goes, and Olivia eliminates Rose in 5th place.
E11 Makeover WIN Symone HIGH Kandy + Denali B2 Olivia + Rose OUT Rose
Episode 12 is the Money Ball, this season’s top 4 episode. Denali and Olivia are the best designers remaining, and I see Denali finally getting this win in the final episode with more interesting silhouettes than the other girls. Ru announces a three-way lipsync between the other queens, but then announces them all Safe proceeding to the Final. (Despite Symone probably doing atrociously in the design challenge!)
E12 Money Ball WIN Denali All others lipsync and all 4 pronounced SAFE
Finally we have the finale episode with these track records:
E13 Rumix/Finale Track records Olivia 2 WIN, 2 B2 Kandy 2 WIN, 1 B2 Denali 1 WIN, 2 B2 Symone 3 WIN, 1 B2
Assuming a lipsync for the crown format, I see Symone beating either Kandy or Olivia in round 1, and Denali beating the other. Then, in the top 2 lipsync, a song will be chosen in which Symone can beat Denali - probably a power ballad the likes of Shackles, which originally knocked her out in season 13. Symone with the most wins and least B2s also has the best track record.
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However, this season shows the queens’ strengths much better. Symone is much less dominant, with only three wins and two Highs, tempered by a B2 and two Lows. Denali has two B2s but also a record 7 Highs. Olivia makes it into top 4 with a much better track record of four Highs accompanying her two wins. And Kandy has two wins along with four Highs and only one B2 placement. Utica also netted two wins before being eliminated, while Gottmik was able to win a lipsync and demonstrate versatility. I think that this season might have been a better storyline, too! ~Roman
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peachdoxie · 4 years
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Aliens? Please explain
If you’re reading this, beware of MAJOR SPOILERS for the entirety of the Stormlight Archive so far, and brace yourselves for a massive infodump. Also I tried to put this under a read more but for whatever reason tumblr put it inside the ask itself.
Yes, there are many aliens or descendants of aliens in the Stormlight Archive. First, though, a bit of an astronomy lesson...
Stormlight takes place in a dwarf galaxy, with a series of planets orbiting different stars. This is known as the “cosmere,”  Some of these planets are known as Shardworlds, meaning they have been Invested with magic energy (called Investiture), which manifests differently from Shardworld to Shardworld.
The cosmere is comprised of three Realms: the Physical Realm, the Cognitive Realm, and the Spiritual Realm. The Physical Realm is much like ours, though it has magic in it. The Cognitive Realm is the Realm of thoughts and minds, where ideas - how something thinks of itself - exist in pseudo-corporal forms (the exact metaphysics is unknown). The Spiritual Realm is the Realm of souls and how they Connect to each other. Note: everything has a soul, even non-living things. All three Realms exist universally in the Invested parts of the cosmere.
The Cognitive Realm is the most important of the three Realms in this discussion. While the Cognitive Realm roughly maps to the Physical Realm, distances aren’t quite the same, meaning that some things that are physically far apart are closer together in the Cognitive Realm. Some things have more cognitive presence than others (think humans vs a rock) and this corresponds to the size of their manifestation in the Cognitive Realm. Since there is very little cognitive presence in outer space, due to it being a vacuum, planets end up very close to each other in the Cognitive Realm.
It is possible for a person to transition between the three Realms at certain spots, called Perpendicularities, provided that that person is aware of how the cosmere works and/or is Invested enough to transition between Realms on their own. From here, they can “physically” navigate through the Cognitive Realm, using the shortened distances between planets as a way to “worldhop.” People who worldhop are called worldhoppers. Worldhoppers are the cosmere equivalent of extraterrestrial life.
Every book in the four main cosmere worlds - Stormlight, Mistborn, Elantris, and Warbreaker - have featured at least one worldhopper, though you have to be rather cosmere-aware to spot him sometimes (I’ll give you a hint: he often takes the form of a beggar or storyteller, and thinks himself very witty...). In Stormlight, which takes place on the planet Roshar - also the name of its only continent - there have been at least 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...plus another 10.............a lot. Big things are happening on Roshar, cosmere-wise, and a lot of people are making their way there, mostly for unknown reasons.
But this is in present-day Roshar, and not actually that big of a spoiler. This information is all part of the behind-the-scenes story of the cosmere that we get glimpses of through the various books and short stories. So what’s up with the big plot twist that most of the characters from Stormlight are descended from worldhoppers, aka aliens?
Well, for that we need to turn to some theology: specifically, Vorin theology, the main church in eastern Roshar that many of our beloved Alethis follow (or outright reject, in one case). Vorinism’s basic cosmology is as follows:
Humans once lived in the Tranquiline Halls, a world of peace.
The Voidbringers came from Damnation and drove them out to Roshar.
The ten Heralds fight the Voidbringers during each of the Desolations, a time of cataclysmic destruction that wipes out nearly all of humanity. They are accompanied by the Knights Radiant: normal people given the ability to Surgebind, or the ability to manipulate Roshar’s Investiture.
In Ahariatiam, the Last Desolation, the Heralds finally forced the Voidbringers back into the Transquiline Halls, where to this day the Heralds continue the fight against them.
Humans, when they die, return to the Tranquiline Halls. If they excelled in their Callings - what they are best at and devote themselves to developing - they will join the Heralds in their fight against the Voidbringers. Normal people just sleep, waiting the day when the battle is over.
The exact nature of the Tranquiline Halls is never explained, nor how the humans were expelled by the Voidbringers, but since it’s where human souls return after they die, it’s not a physical place so much as a metaphysical place. It’s like Heaven on earth. It’s not a physical place you go to so much as a non-physical place where your soul goes. This is how the Tranquiline Halls and Damnation (basically Hell) are treated in the Stormlight Archive by the practitioners of Vorinism.
Quite frankly, the average Rosharan doesn’t seem that concerned about the nature of the Tranquiline Halls. That’s a matter for the ardentia, the monks of Vorinism. Instead, Vorins are more concerned about Voidbringers. Though supposedly they’ve been trapped in the Tranquiline Halls with the Heralds, there are many folktales and superstitions about the Voidbringers still existing on Roshar. Knowledge about what, precisely, Voidbringers were is hard to come by. It’s been 4500 years since the Last Desolation, 2000 years since the Knights Radiant abandoned their oaths and betrayed mankind (an event known as the Recreance), and 500 years since a group of ardents known as the Hierocracy attempted to take over all of Roshar, purging as much information as they could of the Knights Radiant and the Recreance. This included much of the information about the nature of the Voidbringers. What _is _known is that they were extremely powerful and very dangerous, bent on destroying humankind after chasing them out of the Tranquiline Halls.
In the first book of Stormlight, Jasnah Kholin, the foremost scholar in all of Roshar (and avowed renouncer of Vorinism), discovered the origins of the Voidbringers: the parshmen. See, humans are not the only sentient humanoid species on Roshar. There are the parshmen, people with hardened carapace instead of skin, who are slaves to most of the kingdoms of Roshar because of their obedience, endurance, and low intellectual ability. Jasnah theorized that, at some point since Ahariatiam, humans figured out how to enslave Voidbringers into parshmen. This is quite the startling realization, because Jasnah, among others, believes that the Voidbringers are coming back. The Last Desolation may not have been so final after all....
In book two, the Voidbringers return. Enough parshmen who weren’t enslaved and retained enough intellectual ability to function (known as the Parshendi) summoned the Everstorm, a cataclysmic hurricane from their god Odium that returns to parshmen their ability to think, thus freeing them from enslavement. And it turns some parshmen into Voidbringers, and each pass of the storm returns more and more of them. The disgraced Knights Radiant have also begun to return, supported by their god, Honor, in order to fight the Voidbringers and protect mankind.
All of this changes in book three, Oathbringer, in chapter 111, “Eila Stele,” towards the end of Part Four, over a million words into the series. The Eila Stele is the oldest known written document on Roshar, carved into a stone and believed to be from before the Desolations began, rumored to be written by the Heralds themselves. However, until Oathbringer, it was written in a dead language called the Dawnchant, for which translations have been lost. Through a specific use of Investiture, though, Jasnah and her scholars are able to translate the Dawnchant and provide a translation of the Eila Stele, which reads:
They came from another world, using powers that we have been forbidden to touch. Dangerous powers, of spren and Surges. They destroyed their lands and have come to us begging.
We took them in, as commanded by the gods. What else could we do? They were a people forlorn, without a home. Our pity destroyed us. For their betrayal extended even to our gods: to spren, stone, and wind.
Beware the otherworlders. The traitors. Those with tongues of sweetness, but with minds that lust for blood. Do not take them in. Do not give them succor. Well were they named Voidbringers, for they brought the void. The empty pit that sucks in emotion. A new god. Their god.
These Voidbringers know no songs. They cannot hear Roshar, and where they go, they bring silence. They look soft, with no shell, but they are hard. They have but one heart, and it cannot ever live.
The original Voidbringers were not parshmen. They were humans who invaded Roshar after destroying their home planet, likely escaping through the Cognitive Realm and emerging into the Physical Realm on Roshar, the nearest planet.
The first and last paragraphs are where we find the proof of this. “They came from another world” is fairly clear, as is “They destroyed their lands.” The last paragraph is where we learn that the Voidbringers were humans, not parshmen, who actually call themselves the “singers”. The references to the Voidbringers bringing silence is due to the fact that singers are attuned to the Rhythms of Roshar, a cosmere-wide series of vibrations throughout the Spiritual Realm, though singers are the only ones able to feel/hear them. Humans cannot, and are therefore “silent.” They also are “soft, with no shell,” referring to the fact that they have skin instead of carapace.
The tl;dr of everything else is that after humans fled to Roshar, they were given land by the singers, who took pity on them. However, humans then tried to conquer other parts of Roshar that belonged to the singers. The singers’ gods (spren, aka parts of Honor) betrayed them for the humans, and so the singers turned to Odium - who had followed/chased/been brought by humans to Roshar from their original home - for help in order to fight back against the humans. In response, the Heralds worked with Honor to trap Odium’s soldiers in Damnation, ushering in the cycle of Desolations. The term “Voidbringer” is associated with Odium, and so basically anyone who’s allied with Odium, and thus became associated with the singers, as they were the soldiers of Odium. Eventually, the humans won. Or so they thought. Now, Odium and his soldiers returned, and humans once more are fighting to defend themselves from the Voidbringers.
This is where our beloved characters find themselves: fighting another war against Odium and the Voidbringers and facing another Desolation. Except this time, the rightfulness of the war is brought into question. Are the humans right to be fighting against the people who were just trying to defend themselves from humans in the first place? Previously, the humans had Honor on their side to ensure them of the morality of their battle, but Honor was killed by Odium shortly after the Recreance, when the Knights Radiant gave up their oaths upon learning the truth about the Voidbringers. Humans have no God to guide them anymore.
We haven’t yet seen the fallout from the translation of the Elia Stele. Pretty much immediately after the translation was published, an Everstorm approached, with only hours to prepare for a massive battle in which Odium made his first major overture of war. The book ended shortly thereafter. We will have to see what happens in book four, which comes out in November.
So yes. The biggest plot twist of the Stormlight Archive thus far is that it is actually a story about dealing with the effects of an alien invasion in which the aliens won but then forgot they were aliens. In book four, there our heroes will have to grapple with the dubious morality of their way and the themes of the book will include discussions about postcolonial theory and decolonization. In this essay I will
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blouisparadise · 4 years
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Here is a list of amazing bottom Louis fics that were posted or completed during the month of January. Between the second month of the Bottom Louis Fic Fest and all the other fics that authors posted throughout the month, it’s clear that this was a great way to start off the year of bottom Louis fics!  Happy reading!
1) You Can Be The Boss Daddy | Explicit | 1641 words
This is just Louis being used and humiliated by his strong Daddy
2) Don't Pretend That I Don't Entice You | Explicit | 2086 words
“Speaking of which, he couldn't wait to get home to see him. They both worked long days and most of the time their days off didn't line up. But they made up for things like that when they could, spending hours cuddling in bed and talking about the randomest of things or ya know, having mind-blowing sex that left them sated and panting, heated limbs tangled together and breaths and scents mingling. Harry enjoyed those moments quite a bit, if he was going to be at all honest.”
3) The Sound Of Music | Explicit | 2602 words
Harry quietly makes his way down the stairs and into the large foyer, the marble floors are cold against his bare feet and he regrets not taking his slippers.
The tinkling of piano keys flirts its way to his ears and he turns his head in the direction of their living room. His mouth quirks sideways with a smile and he makes his way towards the music.
4) Letters From Boston | Explicit | 3316 words
Louis’s standing in the kitchen when he opens the first letter.
5) Starlight In Your Eyes Of Blue | Mature | 4434 words
Harry is in New York while Louis is back home at London waiting for Harry’s return. Unfortunately, Harry may be unable to come back home in time for Christmas and most importantly—Louis’ birthday. Louis can’t wait any longer to be in a bed that’s no longer empty but in the end it changes.
6) I Couldn’t Get Away From You | Mature | 5185 words
Suddenly in the heat of the moment, Harry’s eyes turned darker as he pushed Louis’ back more and more towards the wall. “Fine.” He plants his lips on Louis’ and begins to roughly kiss him, soon enough turning it into a make-out session.
“Fuck you, Styles,” Louis moans and grips onto Harry’s shoulders, hands trailing up to the taller’s hair and gripping that as well.
“We’ll see about that.”
7) My Kingdom for Your Graces | Explicit | 5257 words
Louis gets a last minute day off and Harry decides to surprise him with a visit. They proceed to do what lovers do.
8) I Think I'm In Love | Mature | 6019 words
Louis' a young man looking for love. Harry's a sugar daddy looking for a new sub. They meet through a dating app and decide to try out a relationship.
9) Daddy's Little Kitty | Mature | 7224 words
Harry Styles is a gentle master. But what happens when Louis pushes him to his limits?
10) There's More Than One Place To Call Home | Explicit | 8416 words
Harry never asked for much from his neighbors - he didn't care about barking animals during the day or loud talking during the night.
The only thing he needed was silence when he was writing. And that was the only thing his new neighbor wouldn't give him.
Deciding to confront the loud guy who lived next door, Harry found himself ringing his doorbell one night. And that decision just may be the best thing that's ever happened to Harry.
11) Cooking With Styles | Explicit | 9119 words
Anyone can cook— or so they say.
12) Watching The World Fall | Explicit | 11777 words
This segment has been going on long enough that Louis knows what’s coming before James starts in on it, trying to sell him on something he knows that Louis wouldn’t normally be buying. But there’s four cameras surrounding him, and an audience watching him expectantly, so if Louis wants to continue convincing people that he’s doing just fine, he’s going to have to go along with it.
“We have a whole host of single men backstage waiting to meet you, Louis,” James tells him. “We want to help you find love tonight, on Late Late Live Tinder. Is this okay? Do you want to play?”
It actually kind of makes sense that his first date after the break-up is going to be just as public as said break-up. Something like coming full circle.
“Alright, James,” Louis agrees, hopping down off his stool.
“Okay, come down to the stage,” James says. Louis can’t even tell whether the excitement in his voice is genuine or not. “Right now, come on down!”
13) We'll Be the Fine Line | Not Rated | 13443 words
Louis listens to Fine Line, and, drunk, he leaves a voicemail for Harry after months of not speaking. This reminds Harry of a time before everything fell apart, slowly, painfully, a time when the two of them were still in love. And he desperately wants to go back.
14) (You're Gonna See Me In A) New Light | Mature | 13631 words
A fake relationship au where everyone knows it's real but Louis.
15) Don't Know If I Could Ever Go Without | Explicit | 14140 words
“We’ve come up with a solid solution. You’re not going to like it.”
“What is it?” Louis narrows his eyes suspiciously, glancing at a visibly enthusiastic Liam.
“What if you pretended to be an Alpha?” Zayn suggests.
16) Something Wicked This Way Comes | Explicit | 16526 words
A regency murder mystery au where Louis is married to an earl and Harry is a detective. Hatchets are buried but not everyone is as they seem.
17) Keep It Sweet In Your Memory | Explicit | 17039 words
'How'd it go?' Harry pushes them into Niall's room and shuts the door behind him, so Georgia doesn't overhear.
'It was good. We just caught up, mostly... I may have done something a little stupid, though.'
And Niall's eyebrows are in his hairline at that.
'I mean. Okay, so I invited Louis out on Saturday.'
'Saturday? Your--'
'Yes, my bachelor party...' and then Harry has to explain himself, 'I just felt guilty. I think. He was like. Telling me he wanted to hook up.'
'He WHAT!?'
'No. I mean, not with me. Like. He wants to go out and meet people.'
'He'll hate that. He's too much of a romantic.'
'Yeah, well. Whatever his name was messed him up a little, it would seem.'
18) UN(RE)SOLVED | Explicit | 20873 words
The ghoul boys are back, but this time around there are some unresolved feelings involved. Harry is a skeptic, Louis is not. Watch them go on their ongoing investigation into the question: are ghosts real?
Or, BuzzFeed Unsolved AU.
19) The Way The Storms Blow | Explicit | 21649 words
Louis doesn’t have a habit of thinking about Harry’s dick.
That would be weird, seeing as they’re best mates, and they share a flat, and they’ve spent holidays at each other’s family homes. Their friendship hasn’t ever risen to a point where Louis should want to see his mate’s dick, and he’s happy to keep it that way.
Except, all that Louis can think about is exactly that. The size of it. The shape. The amount of people it’s been in.
Maybe it’s the tequila talking, or the fact that Louis’ just recently walked in to an eyeful of Harry taking turns on some slags that he’s never seen before, but. Louis’ mind can’t stop obsessing over the idea.
20) Hold Onto This Heaven (Of Yours) | Explicit | 25213 words
an ode to being too young, too sad, and too in love.
(aka: a college au, harry is a frat boy, and louis wants to know all of his secrets.)
21) Weightless | Explicit | 25330 words
He hopes that Harry still thinks of him. God knows Louis thinks of him every day.
Or: Harry is the best dragon racer the world has ever seen and Louis is an almost-vet who feels like he is carrying the weight of the world.
22) Creep | Explicit | 26092 words
Harry is a wallflower, louis is a sophomore brat with a heart of gold no one seems to notice, harry, a senior, is a musician in disguise. louis finds him in the music room, Harry performing his self written song Creep on a talent show. he steals Louis' heart and begins to stalk Harry on social media, finding out the boy is gorgeous inside and out, tattoos popping against his milky skin, unashamed of his amazing body.
a story of a boy with dark thoughts finding his way through the dark with his light guiding him.
23) Blue Lotus | Explicit | 29815 words
Note: This fic is Louis/OMC.
After the Second Rebellion and the dismantling of President Cowell’s regime, Louis struggles to make sense of life.
A post-Hunger Games AU.
24) You Contain In Your Eyes The Sunset And The Dawn | Mature | 38152 
Harry Styles was to spend six months at AT&T Inc. of all telecommunications companies in the world, also known as the largest one in its field. This was the biggest deal of his life; it will both improve his expertise in the domain and maybe secure the job of his dreams. There was only one problem standing in the way, and it came in the form of a stunning, irresistible and intimidating cat hybrid of the name Louis Tomlinson. In other words, his boss.words
25) We Can Go On Forever (When Everything’s Gone Forever) | Mature | 39421
Harry spent most of his adult life focused on either his studies or his books - 5 of which he has already had published before he was 30. Immediately after completing his dissertation, he was offered a lectureship at Cambridge University where he’s been for 2 years now.
This wasn’t the first time in his life that he had felt the incessant itch to know more about a subject by any means. However, this was the first time the subject had been an Omega.
26) Canyon Moon | Explicit | 40895 words
For as long as Louis has remembered, he has been promised to be mated to Harry, his best friend and the future pack alpha. But Louis’s heart belonged to the forest and to the hunt more than he could ever imagine it belonging to Harry.
Then Harry’s father dies in a violent accident, and Louis’s future alpha disappears on the wind.
An A/B/O Lion King AU
27) Strangers In Love | Explicit | 42207 words
Louis wakes up to find himself in a marriage with the last man he thought he'd ever end up with.
28) If You're Out There (I'll Find You Somehow) | Explicit | 55916 words
Harry looks so intensely into Louis’ eyes it’s as though he’s reaching in and touching his very soul. “I never thought… I never… I’ve been searching for so long, Louis, but I never gave up. I couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop trying,” Harry says, bottom lip trembling as he strokes the backs of Louis’ knuckles. “I just knew that if you were out there, I’d find you somehow.”
OR the story of how one man’s love changed the world.
29) “If I Cut Out a Heart...” | Explicit | 66225 words
Stripper au! louis is a stripper who’s known for his huge ass. he works at a club owned by harry and everyone wants to fuck him. eventually louis has sex with each of the boys, separately and perhaps eventually all together in a big gang bang. lots of focus on louis’s big bum (even twerking, jiggling, etc.)
30) You Smell Like | Explicit | 185369 words
The one where Louis is the Alpha’s mate and everyone is aware of it except for Louis and Harry. Go figure!
Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.
You can find other monthly roundup fic rec lists here.
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beccarooni · 4 years
Text
Heimdall, Protector of Asgard
(A.N: I FINALLY DID ANOTHER FIC IT’S ONLY BEEN LIKE 6 MONTHS)
Heimdall often considered himself a man of many duties. Protector of Asgard, Gatekeeper of the Bifrost - and occasionally, although it had less of a grand title, Stopper of Thor Doing Reckless Things. 
It was the latter duty that took up a lot of his time. Even more so recently: what with all the chaos the realms had managed to fall into.
It was a curious thing, recklessness. Often in youth it had inspired both the young princes to do foolish, but ultimately harmless things. Some of Heimdall's fondest memories were those of the schemes Thor and Loki had attempted as children - sneaking biscuits from the kitchens, scrolls from the library, and occasionally trying to sneak past Heimdall himself for a glimpse at the Bifrost. 
He'd often turned a blind eye to that last one. Let the Prince's think that they had somehow passed under the nose of the Gatekeeper, and watched them carefully as they looked at the stars. 
But recklessness, Heimdall had discovered, came from more than just an innocent desire for mischief and tricks. It came from sorrow - from a world falling into disarray as image after image of a golden family was shattered. It came from rage. It came from helplessness. 
Heimdall was rarely one to be reckless. He preferred to stay where he was in times of uncertainty, so much so that Frigga had once compared him to a mountain. Unmovable by others, but if a great enough shift appeared, capable of stirring the earth itself if it chose. 
And through some naivety on his part, he had hoped Thor would follow in his footsteps. The prince seemed to be taking more responsibility for himself, had even joined a team of midgardians - two, if one was to count the companions of Lady Jane (which Heimdall supposed he did - he had a certain respect for those who turned their gaze towards the stars for answers). 
Thor had returned home with his brother in chains, and Heimdall had hoped, prayed that this meant an end to things. A sentence passed, a debt settled, and life could almost return to normal. 
But it seemed that was not to be.
Heimdall looked up at the stars, heaving a soft sigh. 
"Hello, Thor." 
A stirring from the corner of the chamber, and the young prince staggered out, a frown crossing his face. 
"You're not even going to pretend that you couldn't see me?" Thor rested his hand against the doorframe, leaning heavily against the golden archway. 
"Not at this time, no. Although I must admit, I hadn't expected to see you here," 
Heimdall turned from his position, golden eyes landing on the prince - a small feeling of worry nagging at his gut as he took in his appearance. 
Decidedly not dressed for the royal court. Not even dressed for Asgard, by the looks of it. The Prince's usual mane of golden hair was tied back clumsily, an old cape and hood thrown over one shoulder. Standing there, holding the wall as if letting go would mean a sure tumble to the ground, Heimdall considered his judgement of the situation to be sound. It was strange. A strange situation. 
"Are you not due at Loki's trial?" He continued, watching as Thor made a move to pace about the room, but apparently thought better of it - remaining in the doorway. 
Unsure, afraid to enter perhaps. Or afraid to leave. 
Thor smiled bitterly, a laugh that was tinged with something close to tears echoing off the walls. 
"I wasn't permitted to attend, actually. Father considered me too close for my judgement to be sound, so…" Thor shrugged listlessly
"Here I am."
"Here you are. I take it you stopped at a tavern before arriving here to...talk, I assume?"
The question seemed to set Thor back a little bit - almost physically, with the prince taking a small step backwards. 
“Do you really think so little of me?” Thor frowned, his voice suddenly sharpening with crystal-like clarity. 
“That I would waltz in here in a drunken stupor to waste the time of, arguably, the most important man in Asgard?”
Heimdall chuckled, shaking his head. 
The most important man in Asgard - well, that was certainly something. 
Thor had always been liberal with his words - compliments, insults, flirts and challenges. Many people often assumed because of this that Thor didn’t possess a filter - that his thoughts journey to the open air was unchallenged, unbroken. But, that wasn’t necessarily true. The filter wasn’t broken - it was just refined. The prince was tuned to a different song, where some thoughts would be allowed to be aired, and others were not. 
Feelings of pain and heartbreak were not befitting of a Prince of Asgard - a face that was shown to the universe was not supposed to crumble or break. At least, that was what was taught. 
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Thor. And, to answer your question, no - I don’t think that,” 
He paused, fingers tapping a slow rhythm on the side of his sword as he tried to align the words in his mind. 
“I think that you came here, seeking the solace and comfort of a friend. Because you are in pain.”
“Pain?” Thor echoed, suddenly looking a lot smaller when placed before the brightness of the Bifrost. 
In a plain tunic, with a travel-pack slung across his shoulders, he seemed...younger, somehow. It was a curious thing - battle usually had the effect of aging soldiers, turning bright eyes dark and haunted. And yet, the battles they all had fought - friend against friend, brother against brother - it seemed to plunge them all further back into the shadows than they had been. Things were complicated, it seemed. Or perhaps they always had been, and now the cogs of the grand machine were simply illuminated for the first time. 
Heimdall had had to force himself from a cage of ice. He’d had to stand there and watch as Loki had torn apart the streets of Midgard - because that was his job. Watcher, guardsman, the Gatekeeper of Asgard. It was not his job to intervene. He just had to watch the skies, the stars, and try to figure out what it all meant. 
If it even meant anything. 
“Why…” Thor paused, blue eyes trying their hardest to maintain their focus.
“Why would I be in pain? ”
Heimdall sighed softly, turning his gaze towards the stars - and motioning with his hand for Thor to join him. 
What is thought and what is said are often two different paths one person can take. 
What Heimdall wanted to say was: 'Thor, how long have we known each other? Years for us, centuries for others. I can see everything across the nine realms, and I see you now. I see you, when your hands fidget behind your back at every royal meeting, while the rest of you stands still. I see you try to mask fear and sadness beneath gold and bravery - to force yourself into the mould of what Odin wants you to be. Beneath it, beneath all of it, I see you. I always have.' 
What Heimdall said was:
"Tell me."
For a few moments, Thor continued to hesitate. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, casting looks back towards the rainbow bridge - like someone wanting to ask for something, but unsure if they would be rejected for it. 
Finally, Thor made a move forward. He stepped fully into the chamber, footsteps echoing off of the circular walls as he clumsily put one foot in front of the other, until he was at Heimdall's side. 
A little too harshly, Thor sank down onto the golden stairs, clasping his hands together and looking off somewhere into the distance. 
Slowly, Heimdall lowered himself to join him. Setting his helmet down on the ground beside them, Heimdall waited.
“My talents, as many as they are, do not include mind reading, your Majesty. If you wish to bare your soul I will not turn you away - but I cannot do much for you if you don’t speak to me.”
“You could’ve fooled me.”
Thor sighed, his face lifting slightly into a bitter smile.
“When I was younger, I used to believe you could see everything. The universe, the people - I even thought you could see into my mind. I used to lie awake at night, trying to think the silliest thoughts I could - just to try and make you laugh,” Thor shook his head, chuckling quietly.
“I thought it would make the nights more bearable for you. I didn’t like the thought of you being alone out here.”
“I remember.” Heimdall nodded.
"I just…" Thor shook his head, bringing his hands to his face. 
"I should've been there. From the start, I should have known something, or done something - but I didn't, and now the world pays the price for it. Our family is paying the price for my cowardice, and I couldn't even attend his trial."
Thor broke off after that, roughly wiping at the sides of his eyes with an angry sniff. 
“Ah, yes. Returning victorious from battle, where the enemy outnumbered you by the thousands. Defeating the armada, saving a world, and sparing the life of the one you were fighting - bringing him home to face justice,"
Heimdall nodded sagely.
"Truly, all the signs of a coward.”
Thor cast a look at him from the side of his eyes. “You’re not funny.”
“I am incredibly funny.”
Thor shook his head, but his deeply set frown began to break into a somewhat watery smile- still a ghost of what it could be, but it was there. 
Slowly, the chuckles turned back to tears.
Thor sniffed, knuckles turning white as his fists clenched around the fabric of his tunic
"I just can't help but think that this is all my fault."
"And that is why you came here, then? To run from this?" 
"No. Well, yes. Maybe, I don't-"
Thor groaned, tilting his head back towards the stars. 
"If I can't be here for him now, then there is no use me being here at all. If I'm what caused this, then I might as well remove myself from the equation entirely."
"Thor," Heimdall lifted a hand, gently setting it onto the Prince's shoulder. 
"That is foolish." 
"It's logical. If...if there is a bug in a code, then you ought to remove it so the programme runs effectively." 
"What?"
"It's something Stark said - I don't know. Midgard has an insect problem, I think?"
"Truly a strange place," Heimdall frowned, shifting in his seat to fully face the young prince. 
"But running will not solve this problem, Thor. It is wholly an unpleasant matter - with no one party being to blame. But we cannot abandon those who need us most." 
Thor sighed, shaking his head. 
"I am only going to make matters worse. I'm a tool for destruction and I always have been."
"Who told you this?" 
"The universe. I think the Norns want to kill me." 
"Well, that's…a theory." 
Heimdall shuffled a tad closer, placing both hands onto Thor's shoulders, turning him to face him. 
"I wish I could take this pain from you. But this is a matter that involves us all. I cannot promise that your future here will be easy,"
He loosened his grip, lifting one hand to rest against the Prince's neck. 
"But I can promise you that you will not face it alone." 
It seemed to take a few moments for Heimdall's words to even register, before Thor's face crumpled. With a small, broken sound, Thor leant forward until his face was firmly planted against Heimdall's shoulder. 
It was quiet, out in the Bifrost. It always had been - he himself wanted it that way. The quiet made it easier to concentrate. To shut out the rest of the world, and focus on what he needed to. 
Heimdall held Thor close, and watched the stars pass above them. 
Thor was still so young. They all were, really, compared to the grand scheme of things. Heimdall could see the outreaches of the universe and still, still, he felt blind to most of it. Things were more complex than the sun's and systems of the galaxies they lived in - events could not be predicted. Or outrun, at least, not forever. 
The world kept moving and the stars kept shining, no matter what would happen, and there was some sanctuary to be found in that. The immovability of the heavens. To find a mountain in a storm, a rock to hold onto - it was rare. But not impossible. 
If Thor needed a sanctuary for the night, then so be it. 
Some things could be predicted. Thor's back would hurt in the morning from falling asleep on the steps of the Bifrost, and his head would hurt from taking Fandral's advice to drown his sorrows in wine.
The trial would end, and things would continue. 
And no one would go through it alone. 
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kpop---scenarios · 4 years
Text
His Secret
Tumblr media
Pairing: Lucas Wong x reader 
Warning: Smut. 
Word Count: 2.9k. 
This was requested by the beautiful @skittlez-area512​. 
Moodboard done by the lovely @lovely-kpopp-blog​
When you had first started dating Lucas Wong, you had expected to be a secret from the world. He was protective of you and didn’t want his fans attacking you, whether it was physically, mentally or emotionally. He knew no matter what he said or did they wouldn’t leave you alone until the two of you broke up and neither of you wanted that. So you were discreet with your relationship. However, you would have thought he would tell his group members about you. But he didn’t. 2 months into your relationship you asked him why he always snuck over to your apartment and you never were allowed to go to him. He told you it was because of his managers and the fact that fans were always staking out the dorms. You accepted it, at first. Until you decided to walk by one night out of curiosity and saw no one out there. 4 months into your relationship you asked why you had never met anyone of his friends. He had told you that he was planning on figuring out something with them to have you meet everyone. You heard nothing else about it. At 6 months, you had never met any of his bandmates. This is the one that confused you the most. He was always telling you how happy he was with you, how good you were for him and how he couldn’t wait to spend his life with you, yet he had been keeping you a secret. You were sure it was because he was embarrassed of you. There couldn’t be any other reason for him to have never introduced you to anyone. You understood the fans and whatnot, but the people he’s closest too? He should be able to trust them to keep your relationship on the down low. Unfortunately for you, he was away in the states for a few more weeks, and you weren’t one to cause a fight over text, especially when he’s gone promoting. He doesn’t need that while he’s gone. So it left you stewing and your mind running through various possibilities of why he was keeping you from everyone. And the one you always came back too was he was embarrassed of you. Your looks, your body, personality? None of those were bad in the slightest, so you just couldn’t understand. The more you thought about it in those few week, the angrier you got. If he didn’t want to have you be a good majority in his life then you wouldn’t be in it at all. You weren’t just some secret that he could keep and think you’d be okay with that. You couldn’t wait to tell him what an asshole he was being. ** The moment Lucas landed, he was so excited to be able to see you. He had asked to be able to go and see his friends once he was unpacked and management had approved him to go. However, it wasn’t to really see his friends, it was to see you. When you received the text that he was on his way and couldn’t wait to see you, you scoffed. Yeah, so sure he was excited to see his secret girlfriend that he was embarrassed of. You paced around your living room until you heard the knock at your door. You stomped your way over to the door, ripping it open to a happy and smiling Lucas. Your face was not happy nor smiling, but angry and raging. “What’s wrong baby?” Lucas chuckled, trying to pull you in for a hug and a kiss. It took all you had to deny him his request. “You are what’s wong” you snap. “I just got home! What could I have possibly done?” he huffed, walking inside while shaking his head. “You’re ashamed of me!” you snap, slamming the door. “I’m what?” he asks, spinning around to face you, looking confused. “You’re ashamed about something with me. It’s the only explanation for why you haven’t introduced me to any of your friends or members in your group. Its actually really hurtful” you say, crossing your arms. “Or, now just hear me out, I haven’t introduced you because I like the little bubble we’re in. I like not having anyone know our business and we can just be with out worries or anything. Its nice” he explains to you. “I get that but it would be nice to get to know your friends. Regardless if you like the bubble we’re in or not, it still hurts a bit.” You sigh. “I need to think, so I’ll talk to you when I’m ready.” You finish. “So you want me to leave?” he asks. You nod your head. “Okay then. But know, I’m really not ashamed of you.” He tells you before walking out your door. ** A few days later a friends messages you, letting you know she’s taking you to a party whether you like it or not. The more you thought about it, the more you realized it might actually be a good idea, a good distraction from your thoughts about Lucas. As you get ready, you mind is flooded with thoughts about him and how you wanted to work things out and whether or not you were just being dramatic about the whole thing. Your friend took your mind off of things as the two of you drove to the party, listening to music and getting hyped up. The two of you pull up to a familiar building, NCT and WayV’s dorm. “Whose party is this exactly?” you question. “My friend, Yuta.” She blushes. “Like NCT Yuta?” you ask. She nods her head excitedly. You’d known this girl for a few years and she had never once mentioned knowing anyone from NCT. However, you were also dating someone from WayV so you couldn’t really comment on that. You were annoyed now. You didn’t want to go anymore, knowing Lucas was going to be there. You knew you should talk to him but you weren’t sure if you were ready yet. You were knew you were being dramatic and this really wasn’t a huge deal with Lucas and you should talk to him, which you decided to do tonight, granted you were able too. Walking into the dorm, you immediately scan the room for Lucas, and you find him right away. You see him talking to some girl who was dressed rather slutty. She had her hand on his bicep as he smiled along with her, laughing at whatever she was saying. Your eyes were practically burning into his scalp and right before you turned away, he turned his head to look at you. His smile faded the moment he saw your angry face, again. You didn’t want to cry in front of a bunch of people you didn’t know so you made your way through the mounds of people, searching for a bathroom. When you found one, you were unable to close the door due to a foot in your way. Lucas. “Y/N, that’s not what you think" Lucas whispers. “I don’t think it was anything" you snap. “I just need to go to the bathroom.” “Then why does it look like you’re going to cry?” he asks. “I'm not sure. But excuse me.” You say. “She’s just a friend.” He sighs. “Ah, just a friend whose met all your members and all your friends. Interesting. Now excuse me" you snap, again. Lucas sighs again before moving his foot, allowing you to slam the door shut. You spent roughly 20 minutes in the bathroom. You didn’t use it, you just spent your time pacing around, thinking about what you had seen and what he told you. Just a friend? Friend of whose? His? Why could he introduce friends to everyone and not you? It didn’t make sense. Maybe you were a side chick and she was actually his girlfriend and he didn’t want anyone to know. You decided you weren’t going to let him ruin your mood. You were going to drink, and dance and have fun all while ignoring Lucas, so he can spend his time with his friend girl, or whatever she was. Swinging the door open, you make your way through the hallway and living room, only stopping in the kitchen. You do a few shots before making yourself a drink and finding your friend. She was already on the dance floor, which you had no problem with. You decided to dance your troubled thoughts away. Getting lost in dance and music was one of your favorite pass times, especially when you were feeling rather low. You smiled at your friend as you swayed your hips, moving them seductively to the beat of the song. You open your eyes for a second, scanning the room. You land on Lucas again, almost immediately. He stands there with his arms crossed and his eyes glued to you. His mouth is parted a bit and you can see the lust forming in his eyes. You turn away from him, continuing your dance for a little longer. Once you’re out of a drink, you head back to the kitchen to poor yourself another one, but this time you’re not alone. “Hello” a man says with a gorgeous smile. “Hi" you say back, giving him a quick smile before focusing on your drink. “I’ve never seen you before. What’s your name?” he asks. “Y/N" you say, turning to face him once your drink is poured. “I’m Taeyong" he tells you, extending his hand. As if you didn’t know who he was. Pretty much everyone knew who Lee Taeyong was. You would have to be living under a rock not too. “Nice to meet you" you say, your face feeling a little flush. Taeyong walks with you out to the rest of the party. You stand against a wall, and he leans beside you. “What’s a beautiful girl like you doing here alone?” he asks, intrigued. “I’m with a friend" you smile, pointing to your friend who was currently in a hardcore make out session with Yuta. Friends my ass. “She seems a little busy. I can keep you company, if you’d like" he says. “That would be nice" you say before taking a big sip of your drink to ease your extremely dry throat. “Would you like to dance" he asks, with a smirk. “I think I’ll sit this one out, but you feel free to go a head" you tell him. Smiling, Taeyong leans into you, whispering in your ear. “You know you’ll enjoy yourself more dancing with me.” He says, with a wink. Before he can fully pull away from you, you feel yourself being pulled away by someone with a tight grasp on your wrist. You can only see the back of his head, but you immediately know that it’s Lucas pulling you away. He pulls you into a room before slamming the door shut. “What the fuck was that?” he snaps, his eyes furious. “What was what?” you ask, genuinely feeling confused. “Do you really not realize that Taeyong was flirting with you?” he asks. “He was just being nice.” You sigh. “Yeah, nice my ass. He wanted you.” He says, walking closer to you. “But he can’t have you, you know why?” he asks, cocking his head to the side. “Why?” you breathe, backing away from him until you’re pinned against the wall. “Because you are mine.” He purrs. “all mine. No one else’s” “What about..” you begin. “What about nothing. You are mine. I don’t fucking want anyone else.” He tells you, staring you in the eyes. “Got it?” “Y-yes, I got it" you huff. “Good" he smiles, before leaning in to press his lips to yours. The kiss starts out slow, his lips moving against yours. You press your body into his, allowing him to wrap his arm around your back, pulling you in closer to him. You gasp, allowing him to slide his tounge into your mouth. Your heart begins to beat faster as his tounge tangles with your, your hands roaming his hair. Your hands leave his hair, and place them against his chest, gently pushing him away. The two of you stand there, staring at each other, your chests heaving. “Are you done?” he asks, licking his lips. “Fuck no" you smile, walking towards him, jumping up and wrapping your legs around him. Your mouth finds his, as he tightly holds onto you, walking towards the bed. He smiles as he throws you onto his bed, staring at you with a pair of dark eyes. “Fuck you look so good right now." he groans, admiring you, even still dressed. “Oh? I bet I can look even better” you smirk, sitting up in his bed. First you discard your shirt, throwing it on the floor. Next you lay back, shimmying out of your skirt. Lucas's breath hitches as he stares at your almost completely naked body. “You’re right. You do look even better. Fuck" he whines. “I’m not done yet" you smile. You stand up on the bed before reaching behind you, you unclasp your bra, letting it slide down from your arms. Lucas walks towards you as you go to take your panties off, stopping you before you could start. “Allow me" he smirks, gripping on side and ripping them in half and doing the same thing to the next side. Lucas throws your now ruined panties somewhere in his room. “I liked those" you pouted. Lucas smiles as he bends down, gripping your ankles before pulling your feet from under you, making you fall on the bed, in a fit full of giggles. Lucas climbs on top of you, with a large smile on his face before dipping his head down, cupping your breast and taking a nipple in his mouth. He harshly sucks before letting go with a pop. You two are startled by someone banging on the door. “What the fuck are you doing in there" you hear someone slur. “Lucas get the fuck out here" the man chuckles. “We’re going to have to make this quick” he chuckles, standing up and pulling off his shirt. No matter how many times you see his abs, they still get you so hot. You had no idea how you landed someone like him, but fuck were you lucky. Lucas slides down his pants, along with his boxers, allowing his cock to spring free. You lick your lips at the sight of his cock. No matter how many times you see his cock too, you feel like you’re going to explode if he doesn’t get inside of you, now. The protruding veins, the thickness and length have your mouth watering every time. “You ready for me baby?” he asks, walking towards you, his cock red and throbbing. “Yes" you purr. Climbing on the bed, Lucas positions himself between your legs as you spread them wide for him. “Mhm, I love your pussy" he sighs, lining himself up with your entrance. “And I love your cock" you cry as he pushes himself inside of you, stretching out your walls as he fills you up. “Oh my god" you scream, not having to worry about being quiet, considering how loud the music was. “Fuck you’re so tight" he groans, pulling himself out of you before thrusting himself back into you, jolting your body. “Fuck baby" he moans, as he continues to fuck you hard. His hand leave your hip, and he places it in between your lips, gently rubbing your clit. “Oh fuck. I’ve missed you” you cry out, the tingling of your impending orgasm running through your body. “I’ve missed you too" Lucas grunts, picking up the pace of his thrusts. “So fucking much" Lucas moves his fingers at a quicker pace, bringing your orgasm closer and closer. You clench yourself around him as it hits you, hard. Your body trembles as he continues to gently rub your clit as your ride through your orgasm. “Fuck. Do that clenching thing again" he grunts, slowing his pace but his thrusts becoming more forceful. “Don’t stop" he grunts, taking his hand from your clit, and placing it on your breast, squeezing as he focuses on getting off. “Oh shit" he cries, shaking slightly as he squirts his hot cum inside of you, spreading it everywhere. “Oh god" you whisper, closing your eyes, trying to catch your breath. “Exactly" he smiles, pulling himself out of you. “I should get cleaned up” you sigh, getting up to get to go to the bathroom. “I don’t think so" Lucas says, grabbing your arm. “What?” you ask, raising your eyebrow. “You’re going to keep my cum inside of you.” He smiles. “I don’t have panties anymore to keep it" you say, glaring at him. “Good" he smiles, putting his shirt on. “Let it drip down your leg baby" You’re shocked as he smiles at you. You slip your skirt on, along with your shirt before looking in the mirror to make sure you don’t look like you just got fucked. The two of you sneak out of his room, heading back into the party that’s in full swing. , “Where the fuck were you?” Yuta chuckles, patting him on the back. “I was with my girlfriend.” Lucas says looking at you. Everyone turns their head to look at him. Lucas reaches back to grab your wrist, pulling you into him and wrapping his arm around you. “Everyone, this is Y/N, my girlfriend.” He says with a giant smile. You’re shocked that he decided to tell everyone at once, but you were happy he finally did. You weren’t such a secret now.
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