360iris
Apr 30, 2021
Wanna Be Down (George Weasley x Reader x Fred Weasley)
Warnings: Pure smut! She/her pronouns for the reader! No funny business between the boys I promise! There’s bound to be some typo that I missed, sorry‘bout that!
Word count: 1,628
Summary: There’s a birthday, a bunny costume and The Twins... What could go wrong?
A/N: This was originally meant to drop on their birthday, April 1st... I’m 28 days late for that but hey, better late than never! It’s been collecting dust for the entire time and I wanted to set it free. I hope someone enjoys it!
“You want me to- to wear a bunny outfit and have the two of you…” You faltered nervously, the words seemed foreign on your tongue.
“-fuck you in it.” Fred finished for you with a wide grin, as if this was the most in the ordinary activity to plan.
The twins wanted to sleep with you? This was the first you’d heard of it, that’s for sure. And though the thought sent waves of excitement through your body, the prospect was daunting.
You’d been friends since diapers, a meager six hours separating your births. And whether the bond that formed later was predetermined by fate, or by pure chance, it was wholly indestructible.
Through the years, the three of you operated perfectly insync. Remaining quite persistently glued at the hip; completing every task deemed worthy enough as an odd unit.
There was an unspoken rule that each of you would make sure that the others felt equally included in activities.
So why should taking your virginity be any different?
“We’ll be twenty in a few hours, Y/N. Don’t you want to kick off the new decade with a bang?” George asked, his face genuine and voice laced with just the right amount of sweetness. He always did know how to persuade you into going along with Fred’s crazy schemes.
“Quite literally in this instance.” Fred added cheekily and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes.
“Both of you have had sex before though. Plenty of times in fact! You told me about it afterwards! In vivid detail at that! Why are you so worried about me now?” Your brows were furrowed, lips turned downwards in a pout.
Sitting criss-cross on your bed, you tugged one of the many pillows on your bed into your lap. Squeezing it tighter when you met their gazes again.
Fred had his hands tucked into his jean pockets, happy as ever. He acted as if it was only a matter of time before he’d get the answer he wanted.
George on the other hand, at least looked like he was having a conversation with you; and not like he was just waiting for you to realize you’d never actually said no to them before. His eyes were soft, assessing your demeanor before approaching your spot at the foot of the bed.
“You know you’re our favorite girl. Don’t you, Y/N?” He questioned and you suddenly felt smaller looking directly up at him. Ginger waves caressing his cheeks and pooling at his shoulders.
“I mean- I suppose.” You replied dumbly.
“Who do we always come back home to?” He asked again, his left hand lifting up from his side to comb through your hair. The pads of his fingers brushing against your cheek as they went.
“Me.” Your answer was hushed, though it was only the three of you in the flat. They’d closed the shop downstairs hours ago.
“And who trails after me as much as she can during the day, practically jumping into my lap the first opportunity she gets?” His voice was getting lower and his gaze remained fixed to you, you tried your best not to squirm.
“M- Me.”
“Lastly, whose the babygirl that slips into my bed at three in the morning because she stays up too late and gets scared?” He was teasing you now, you knew it, but still gave him a reply.
“Me, George.” Both of his hands were cupping your face now, fingertips laced in your hair, you couldn’t look away even if you wanted to.
“So when I ask my favorite girl to put on the outfit I picked out for her, so I can make her feel good on her birthday, what do you think I want to hear back?” A single brow arched as he waited for your answer, ignoring Fred’s quiet “I helped choose it too, y’know.”
Wrapping your fingers around his wrists, you thought about all the times he and Fred had slept with other girls. How deep down you’d wished they’d looked at you the same way.
He allowed you to remove one of his hands, a dark smirk splitting across his face when you’d slowly brought it between your legs. Only coming to a stop when he was cupping your heat.
“I think- I think I’ve been holding out for you.” It was no higher than a whisper, but it’d been the truth nonetheless. He smiled wider at this confession, leaning in and pressing a light kiss on your forehead.
“All the more reason not to disappoint.” He responded, you faintly registered rustling from behind him.
“Y/N, dear?” Fred called.
“Hm?”
“Time to put the outfit on.”
It’d been relatively easy to slip into the get-up. The bodysuit, wrist cuffs and neck piece fitting like a glove.
“When did you get my measurements?” You asked, looking down at yourself.
“Since when have we not had your measurements?” Fred laughed, pulling you onto the bed with him until your back was flush against his chest. Your head comfortably leaning back on his left shoulder.
George following after you, settled for sitting up in front of you, his knees digging into the pink duvet.
“The ears are a nice touch.” He remarked with a pleased smirk. “Don’t you agree, Fred?”
“Absolutely. All white suits her.” He replied matter-a-factly, hands already roaming your torso. Ghosting over your exposed thighs, he hooked a finger under the bikini line of the bodysuit and let it snap back into place. Your hips jutted outwards at the impact.
“Want to hear you ask for it, Y/N.” George was palming your calves, making you feel small again.
“What do you want me to say?” Your brows furrowed curiously at the request, breath hitching when he utilized his grip to pull you further down Fred’s chest. Your ankles eventually hooking against George’s shoulders.
“Want him to play with your little cunt, don’t you baby?” Fred asked from above you, heat rushing to your face at his words.
“Y- Yeah.”
“Then ask, darling.” He grinned at your eyes widening as you met his gaze upside down.
Turning your attention back to George, you absentmindedly bit at the end your thumb nervously. Sure you’d used curse words like anyone else in the world, but the thought of actually asking the twins to fuck you was on a level you’d never thought you’d reach.
“Georgie?” You tried carefully.
“What is it, baby?” He replied softly, a smile playing on his lips, patiently waiting.
“Want- Want you to make me feel good.”
“How?” He prompted, delighting in your fidgeting. Fred however wasn’t feeling as patient, sending a soft smack to your inner thigh.
“Don’t have all day, bunny.” He chided, slowly massaging the site.
“Want your cock, Georgie.” You finally relented, wanting nothing more than to hide your face in your hands, but you feared being spanked again by Fred.
George rewarded you with a kiss, palming your clit through the material. He swallowed up every whimper that escaped your lips, only answering by expertly thumbing the area faster.
“Let’s see how wet you are, bun.” Fred whispered, pulling the bodysuit aside to reveal your heat. Running a finger through your folds, he promptly brought it to your mouth. Smirking widely when you began meekly sucking at the digit.
“I’m gonna get you ready, okay sweetheart?” George asked, mouthing at your neck. He didn’t move until you garbled something close to “okay” through Fred’s fingers sadistically pressing down your throat.
Armed with plenty of lube, the first finger sliding into you felt like nothing. By the third, he resorted to distracting you by rubbing your bud to ease the initial stretch. Although nothing could have prepared you for how uncomfortable taking his tip was.
It was a slow process, full of the boys tenderly guiding you to breathe deeply and relax your muscles. With the abundance of their attention focused on outweighing the discomfort with pleasure, eventually the mild pain began to blur around the edges.
The level of satisfaction that rolled over you when you’d finally reached the hilt was like no other.
“Good girl.” Fred purred into your hair as George wiped away a stray tear from the corner of your eye. “Took it like a champ, didn’t she, Georgie boy?”
“Sure did, Fred. Squeezing me so nicely too.” He replied smiling proudly.
“Full- So full.” You whimpered blearily, not sure which boy you were grasping for. Each accepted one of your wandering hands, giving them an encouraging squeeze.
“You’re doing so well, babygirl. How about you let me make you feel good now, hm?” George’s voice was gruff as he patiently waited for you to nod back in response.
Soon the discomfort had melted away, leaving only the easy slide of George’s length and the gratification of being engulfed between the loves of your life.
You promptly got lost in the jumble of mouths, hands and pleasure.
“Gonna come for us, love?” George asked, holding your hips done to focus his thrusts.
“Can I- Can I, please? Please let me come!” You whined desperately, unable to distinguish whose hands belonged to who.
“Go ahead, bunny.” George answered and it was all you needed to hear. Your visioned blurred as your toes curled, the only thing you could register was that he was fucking you through it. Fred’s fingers circling your clit didn’t let up until you were pathetically trying to pull at his wrist.
A weak mewl fell from your lips as George pulled out of you spent. Simpering under his praises, you closed your eyes.
The sudden smack against your face was sobering, leaving you blurrily blinking up at Fred’s eager grin.
“I hope you didn’t think you were off the clock, bun.”
livingforthewhump
Jan 11, 2022
part one, part two, part three, part four, part five
—
Civilian woke up swaddled in their own bed. Their head pounded. Slowly, they turned to look at Villain, wincing as it sent shards of pain through them. Villain was staring down at them, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
“How long have you been there?” Civilian scoffed, frowning at the croak in their voice.
Villain dropped to one knee, now just inches from Civilian’s face. Civilian flinched away from the movement, then met Villain’s stony glare.
“Why the hell would you try to hide this from me?” Villain seethed.
Civilian glowered. “It’s none of your business.”
They barked a laugh. “Oh, I’m sure. And whose business is it? Hero’s?”
“Don’t.” Civilian squeezed their eyes shut as their heart panged in fear.
“Don’t what.”
“Don’t talk about them. Please.” They felt tears rising to their eyes unbidden, a sob building in their throat. Suddenly all their defenses were crumbling around them. They were just so tired of having to defend themselves. “I don’t want to have to hear about them right now.”
Villain groaned through their teeth, slumping to sit down on the floor with their head in their hands. “Why are so many people out to get you, Civilian?”
“Beats me.” For some reason, they found that hilariously funny, and started laughing weakly.
Villain blew air out of their nose, looking up with suspiciously red-rimmed eyes and the tiniest of smiles on their face. “Stop it, you moron, you’re going to reopen your wounds.”
Civilian’s smile faded, and so did Villain’s. There was a beat of silence before the city's menace sighed.
“Gosh, the things they must have said to you,” they breathed, brows settling low over their eyes again. Civilian imagined they had tiny weights attached to them, and Villain had to try extra hard to keep them raised.
“What are you going to do now?” Civilian asked.
Villain glanced at them. “What do you mean?”
Desolation washed over them suddenly like a weighted blanket. “Hero knows you’re alive. I-I’m sorry, I–” They choked on a sob. Oh, gosh, were they crying? Villain shouldn’t have to deal with them like this. They pushed themselves upright, hiding their face in their hands. The tears just wouldn’t stop.
Suddenly they felt warm hands on their shoulders. Arms wrapping around them. Villain’s voice in their hair, dark and careful and so very different from Hero’s. “I’m here, Civilian. It’s okay. Whatever it is, I’m going to take care of it, okay?”
They sniffed and pushed back just enough to stare into Villain’s face. “No, but, but Hero knows. I wasn’t supposed to help you, and you saved me and now Hero’s going to go after you and it’s my fault.”
Villain gaped at them, lips parted slightly. “Civilian, sweetheart, what on earth do you mean? Hero would be after me anyway. I’m a villain, yes?”
They raised their eyebrows, seemingly waiting for Civilian to respond, so they nodded slowly.
“This isn’t your fault at all. None of it. Is that what Hero told you?”
Civilian ducked their head as their face flushed, but Villain caught their chin and tilted their face back up.
“Is it?”
“Mhm,” Civilian managed. With Villain’s collected eyes fixed on them, they couldn’t help but feel an absolute mess, face wet and blotchy and nose certainly tomato-red from crying. Not to mention the way they couldn't string two words together when Villain was the one who was in danger.
“Hm.” Villain released them, seeming thoughtful. Civilian thought they saw that dark fury sparking just behind their eyes again, but they couldn’t be sure before Villain turned away. “Well, love,” they said, voice still calm and slightly lilting, “Hero is a lying bastard.”
Civilian laughed at the unexpectedness of it. Then immediately they felt a wash of fear. “Don’t say that. They’ll–”
“They’ll what?” Villain said, eyebrows raised. “They don’t get to threaten you anymore, Civilian. I’m not going to let them. And, as their personal self-proclaimed nemesis, I can call them whatever insults I want.”
Civilian frowned, almost like they didn’t believe them.
Villain cupped their face in their hands. “Listen to me, Civilian. No matter what they did to you, they are not getting you back. You are under my protection now, okay?”
Civilian pursed their lips, but finally nodded. “Oka–”
They were interrupted by a knock at the door.
“Stay here,” Villain said, snapping back to their hypervigilant state. Civilian felt anxiety descend on them as soon as Villain left the room.
Villain had a knIife tucked into their palm before they got to the door. They wished briefly that Civilian had a peephole to look through. After all, in all the time Villain had spent with Civilian, they’d never had a friend drop by.
They waited another moment before reaching towards the door handle, but they had apparently waited too long. A loud bang shook the door from its hinges, and it fell down over Villain, who just narrowly managed to spring back out of the way. They dropped into a fighting position, pure fury running through their veins as they bit out, “you.”
“My, my,” Hero smiled, teeth glinting dangerously as they stepped inside, “what do we have here? I thought you would be dead by now, stray.”
“You stay away from them,” Villain snarled, holding firm despite Hero’s casual approach.
They chuckled. “Quite the game of cat and mouse, isn’t this? A little alley cat thinking they can keep me from my prey.” Despite their smile, Villain could see the anger in their eyes that they would no doubt be taking out on Civilian.
“Tell me, Villain, what game of cat and mouse has two cats?”
“This is your last chance to leave,” Villain warned, voice pitched low and mUurderous.
Hero ignored them completely in favor of answering their own question. “The kind where the mouse doesn’t know they’re the prey.”
“I’m not letting you touch Civilian.” Villain attacked, knives swinging expertly at Hero, who blocked with equal expertise.
Hero didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, poor thing, is that what you think I want? Tell me, why did my dear Sidekick take you in when they could have easily left you for dead?”
Villain, unfortunately, did miss a beat at that. “...Sidekick?”
Hero managed to snatch the blade out of their hand, turning it on Villain as they frantically snatched a new one out of its hilt. “Yes. Sidekick. This is their house, you know.”
Civilian was…no. No, that didn’t make any sense.
It made perfect sense.
Memories rushed to Villain’s mind, of Civilian’s fight-bloodied knuckles, their unwillingness to discuss work. Superhero calling them Hero’s plaything. Why they would know Hero at all. A sinking feeling came over them.
“Tell me, Villain,” Hero pressed. “Why would they take you, their enemy, in? Hm?”
“Because they’re too nice for their own good,” Villain spat back at Hero.
Hero chuckled. “They’re certainly not that. No. I told them to, stray.”
Villain was quickly losing ground, by this point nearly backed against the wall with the knives from their belt littering the floor of Civilian’s—Sidekick’s—living room. Hero pressed an arm to their chest, trapping them against the wall.
“Sidekick, or Civilian, if you prefer,” Hero snarled, breath hot and triumphant over Villain’s face, “is loyal to me.”
—
Hero/Villain taglist (and others who wanted to be tagged in continuations—y’all maxed out my mentions so the rest is in a reblog): @shadowylemon @utopian819 @whumpkitty @journey-the-panda @freefallingup13 @prettyboysinpain @1becky1 @temporary-whump-sideblog @chartreusephoenix @thelazywitchphotographer @onestopheroxvillain @smolxhero @mylifeisonthebookshelf @broadwaybabe18 @grizzlie70 @sunflower1000 @digitalart-dwa @tobeornottobeateacher @wolfeyedwitch @canigetanamenforbritney @ladygwennn @onlywhump @suspicious-whumping-egg @classicplesiosaur @lemongrass404 @defective-angel-13 @alainayumira @spiccykels @jadeocean46910 @icarusinstatic @will-ruadh @pumpkin-spice-whump @michelleswhumpyreblogs @cyberneticfire @tinyreadinglifelight @savagelysarcasticsilence @void-fireworks @dead-whisper @strawberryglitterball @writing-with-olive @rose-pinkie @trans-writes @good-intentioned-kidnapping @break-so-beautifully @watercolorfreckles @bliss757 @nomadghost @cake-lovin-ace @viitalvoiid @hurting-fictional-people @melancholy-in-the-morning @lailan-rosie @deflated-bouncingball
littlewinter1917
Aug 17, 2021
ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴅᴀʏꜱ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ
𝔸 𝔻𝕒𝕪 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℤ𝕠𝕠
My blog is 18+ only. Minors DNI. 🔞 Don’t repost my work anywhere.
Series Masterlist
Words: 8.7k
Pairing: Steve Roger x Fem!Reader
Summary: You and Steve make the most out of the last days of summer and decide to visit the local zoo. But as fun and romantic as the activity is, you also have to face the fact that dating a well-known Super Soldier isn't always easy.
Warnings: It's pretty much just pure fluff, with the tiniest sparks of angst. Pet names (mostly Sweetheart & Angel) and some teasing. Maybe an undetected swearword or two.
If there are any warnings, that you think are missing, please don‘t hesitate to reach out and tell me, so I can add them accordingly.
A/N: This is my first time writing and sharing a story, so if you're reading this, I hope you enjoy!
“Sweetheart, are you ready yet?”
Steve calls out from the bedroom, hoping you’ll hear him while you’re getting ready a few doors down in the bathroom.
“Yes! I’m almost done!” you shout back, straightening your t-shirt and taking one last look in the mirror.
The excitement you feel is clearly written on your face, and you can’t help but let out a small squeal at the thought of all the animals you’ll be going to see and pet.
You are so caught up in your little daydream, that you don’t notice Steve’s approaching footsteps or the soft opening of the bathroom door.
With your mind still occupied, you turn around to leave the bathroom, only to be met with the sudden and unsuspected sight of Steve leaning casually against the door frame, smiling down at you lovingly.
“Good God, Steve!” you exclaim startled, clutching your hand to your chest, trying to calm down your now rapid heartbeat. Steve’s adoring gaze quickly turns into a more apologetic one, once he realizes that he accidentally scared you.
“Sorry Angel, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” he concedes, while gently pulling you closer and placing a soft kiss on your lips. “Hm,‘s not your fault.” you whisper against them whilst playing with the soft strands of hair at the back of his neck. Steve just hums at that, before tightening his arms around you and gently kissing your shoulder.
“So, you’re ready to go?” he murmurs against your skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
You only manage to nod in approval, not wanting to disturb the little moment of tenderness that engulfs the two of you. But once Steve starts to draw soft patterns on your back, you can’t help but let out a small sigh of content, snuggling closer to his chest and basking in the feeling of his gentle embrace.
The moment is short-lived though, as Steve decides to break the otherwise comfortable silence. “We should get going soon,” he mumbles, voice low, as he gently untangles himself from you.
Even though you try not to, you let out a soft whine, voicing your displeasure at the loss of his touch, making Steve coo.
“You can get all the cuddles you want Sweetheart, when we’re back from our little trip.” A small huff escapes your lips before you demonstratively hold out your pinky finger to him.
The sight of your stubborn determination makes Steve laugh, and the warmth of its sound fills both the room and your heart, making you smile.
“I pinky promise that you can get all the cuddles you want, Sweetheart.” Steve adoringly whispers, intertwining your little fingers, before pulling you into him again, gently kissing your forehead.
Your hands instinctively grab and hold on to him, trying to get him closer, and your honest display of affection and longing for him makes his heart flutter.
“Oh, Sweetheart,” he coos, “I thought you were excited about going to the zoo, hm?”
Oh god, the zoo!
You almost forgot about that completely, and by your wide-eyed reaction, Steve can clearly tell.
“So, you want to keep the penguins waiting, or… ?” he teases, and you playfully slap his side before reluctantly letting go and trying to move past him.
“You know, if you’d rather stay in today and have the zoo-date another time, we can always reschedule.” He says, his eyes searching yours, trying to communicate the same reassurance that his voice transports.
“No.” you chirp. The excitement from earlier is already back in your eyes, and you shake your head to emphasize your stand. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to keep the penguins waiting.” you add.
“Alright, then let’s get our things and get going. There is only so little time, and so many animals to see.”
“And plants!” you add enthusiastically, being almost equally excited about the small botanical garden that’s incorporated in the more tropical segment of the zoo.
“And the plants.” Steve agrees, while following you down the hallway, smiling.
🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋
While you were getting ready earlier, Steve had packed everything you two could possibly need into a big, sturdy backpack.
“I think we have everything.” Steve mumbles, more to himself than to you, while briefly going through its content again. “We have some sunscreen, sunglasses, water bottles and those sandwiches you helped me make, some snacks and fruits, money for the tickets, keys …”
He trails off, looking over the room once more, trying to think of anything he might have forgotten.
When he spots his baseball cap near the entrance, he speaks up again.
“Sweetheart, do you want to take a hat with you? The weather is supposed to get even hotter, and I don’t want you to get a heatstroke or something.”
“I think I’ll be fine, Stevie.” your voice is a little bit mumbled, since you’re currently kneeling on the ground, preoccupied with trying to tie up your sneakers.
“Alright! Well, I’ll be wearing mine, at least at the beginning …”
Steve doesn’t finish his sentence; he doesn’t need to – you already know what he is trying to say.
He’ll be wearing the cap not as a prevention for a possible heatstroke, but for the simple sake of at least some sense of anonymity, trying to lessen the chances of him being recognized.
It’s not like Steve hates the attention he often gets from the public. There are times when he is more than happy to stop for a quick photo or a handshake, but when he is out and about with you by his side, he does desire a certain sense of privacy, and so do you.
When you two first started dating, that was the hardest thing to get used to, and truth be told, you still struggle with it.
Obviously, you’d been aware of Steve’s public persona as Captain America, and the responsibility that the title entailed, long before you even started dating, but the visibility and public scrutiny that came with his occupation, was rather new to you.
Especially once the word got out, that the two of you were dating. Suddenly parts of the public interest that were initially focused on him also shifted on to you.
You used to joke, that if you’d get a dollar every time Steve and you get approached by people in public, you’d easily be able to compete with Tony’s net worth. And while you were obliviously exaggerating and making fun of the situation, Steve could also tell that it was taking somewhat of a toll on you.
To be fair, it wasn’t like you hated those encounters across the board. There were, and still are, a lot of times where Steve’s interactions with the public are nice to watch and take part of.
The number of times, for example, that random children would approach him, starstruck and starry-eyed, are as countless as they are endearing, which is to say, very - and, subsequently, many.
It always makes your heart gleam with a mixture of pride and joy when you get to witness those interactions.
You’re not quite sure if it is because Steve is naturally good with kids, or kids are naturally good with Steve, but each encounter is filled with a warmth and a gentleness, that makes your heart both melt and pop.
And so, you tend to stand there with your heart in a puddle, while Steve talks and engages with the children in such a carefree yet gentle way.
But there are also some encounters, that don’t spark as much joy.
Or none at all, if you’re being honest.
Those are usually the ones whose timing couldn’t be worse. Like getting approached while the two of you are having small romantic dates out in the park or in cozy coffee shops. Even your cute little trips to museums and art galleries once in a while aren’t spared from the casual interference of others.
There’s almost always someone, somewhere, shouting in both a mixture of disbelief and joy:“Is this Captain America?”
And then the heads start to turn, and the murmur starts, and your previous little date idea gets turned into a live meet-and-greet Captain America event.
And it sucks.
It’s not like you want to keep Steve all to yourself; it’s just that you don’t want to share him every single time you two go out in public together. Especially when it’s supposed to be a fun and romantic activity just between the two of you.
And so, because of that, Steve often tries to keep his recognizability somewhat more subtle and limited by wearing his baseball cap and some sunglasses, but there’s only so much that that supposed ‘transformation’ can do.
Tony once kindly offered that the department responsible for the Avengers suits and apparel could probably help, and come up with a more cohesive incognito look, but that didn’t work out too well either. Not for a lack of trying on their part, though.
You two had taken them up on that offer once, and they managed to turn Steve into someone so completely unrecognizable, that you almost walked past him when you’d come to pick him up.
Apart from his clothing, plaid trousers and a simple button-down shirt that emitted more the vibe of a hip history professor, the thing that threw you off the most was the 16 inches-long wig he was wearing. It made him look like Thor’s long-lost twin brother, and you could hardly take his appearance seriously.
When you finally managed to stop laughing, you pulled him into the living quarters of the compound, where the laughing continued, once everybody realized who they were looking at.
The Date to the planetarium that followed went great; not a single person recognized and approached the two of you. The only downside was that the date with Steve didn’t really feel like a date with Steve.
Apart from the reason that Steve’s long-haired wig made you feel like you were out and about with a beefier version of Jesus, rather than your treasured Super Soldier, the wig was also highly unpractical in a more tangible sense. Every time you turned to him and leaned in for a kiss, your hands and jewelry would easily get tangled up in his long strands of synthetic hair.
Neither of you were used to the hairy mess the Avenger’s apparel department provided you with – and it showed.
It did make for a fun date tough.
Steve was highly amused about the amount of double takes you had to do when you were looking for him.
You, on the other hand, had the time off your life once the two of you exited the planetarium, only to be greeted with a pleasant afternoon breeze, that took Steve – and his hair – by surprise. It looked like an unsuspected hair commercial in the making, and you almost tripped down the stairs laughing while trying to take a photo of Steve’s glorious mane in the wind.
All in all, it was a good time, but at the end of it, you both decided that it was neither worth the trouble nor a sustainable solution to your problem. And so, Steve traded his wig for his beloved baseball cap again, even if it heightened the possibility of him being recognized.
You knew that Steve was trying his best to give you some sense of normality in your experience of dating a super-famous Super Soldier, and you appreciated his efforts, even when they didn’t always work out.
Once you and Steve step outside of the Avenger’s Tower, you’re hit with both: The sudden brightness of the sun, and the common busyness and noise of New York City’s bustling streets.
One single ray of sunshine manages to find its way between the tall skyscrapers in front of you, making you squint. Instinctively you raise one hand in an attempt to shield your eyes from its blazing gaze.
Steve, who is already wearing his sunglasses, quickly gets out your pair for you and you gratefully take them. His attentiveness is something you’ll never get tired of; even when he sometimes has the tendency to dote over you, it’s rather endearing.
You make your way down the street. Hand in hand, because the craze of the city can otherwise easily separate the two of you.
Even without the frantic mass of people, that hastily bustles about the avenues, in a city that big, you will always seek out the shelter of your beloved Super Soldier, who still knows this place in a way you probably never will.
So, in an attempt to not get lost, or trampled, or abducted, your hand reaches out for his, and his hand does the same.
🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋
Steve navigates himself and you through the city like he’s done it a million times before, and it never fails to amaze you how good his sense of direction is. It’s something you’re obviously lacking, and Steve can’t help but teasingly bring it up every now and then.
This time around though, he doesn’t. Instead, he keeps talking about the little, newly opened Italian restaurant that you two just passed by.
“It looked really cozy and busy – that’s always a good sign, right? Maybe we can check it out this weekend.” Steve offers, while gently swinging your joined hands back and forth.
You hum in agreement, more focused on not getting jostled by the oncoming businessmen and -women.
Gripping his hand tighter, you curl up more into Steve’s side, seeking out the protection and safety of his tall statue.
Once Steve realizes what’s going on, he immediately pulls you close to him, wrapping his arm protectively around your smaller frame and making sure you’re okay.
“I can always give you a piggyback ride.” he offers, and you shake your head, laughing.
As inviting as that proposal sounds, the fear of the potential attention it might garner makes you decline his offer. You’d rather be subjected to the ongoing pushing and shoving of some careless pedestrians, than the unwanted attention and possibility of recognition.
“We’re nearly there, Sweetheart.” Steve gently encourages you, while keeping you as close to him as possible, leading you down the busy streets of New York.
You must have picked a good time to visit the zoo, because the line in front of the ticket booth is almost non-existent.
It doesn’t take long for it to be your turn, and Steve immediately takes charge, getting the tickets. The woman at the counter also hands him some pamphlets with certain attractions, and a small map, which he gratefully takes.
You softly tug on his arm, trying to get his attention, before pointing at the small bags with dry food, that are arranged on a shelf behind the vendor.
“Can we buy some of that food for the animals in the petting zoo?” you ask, eyes bright.
Steve instantly agrees, and the small squeal of joy that escapes your lips is like music to his ears. “There you go, Sweetheart.” he says, as he hands you your ticket and the small paper cone, filled with little pellets of dry food.
“Thanks, Stevie!” The way you beam up at him has his heart doing flips.
God, you’re adorable.
“So, where do you want to go first?” he asks, while looking down at the open map in his hands.
“The petting zoo!” you chime while clapping your hands in delight. You have to suppress the urge to just grab Steve's hand and drag him to the enclosure, so instead you softly bounce on the spot.
Looking up from his map, Steve’s eyes soften once he sees how you’re barely able to contain your excitement. It radiates off of you in a way that’s contagious.
Well, contagious to him anyway.
“Alright.” he approves, and that’s all the agreement you need, before sprinting into action, grabbing Steve’s hand, and tugging him along.
You only come to a brief halt at the doors of the enclosure, while you read the small signs that introduce some of the animals inside of it.
The petting zoo contains mostly goats, bunnies, guinea pigs and some piglets, but there are also two donkeys and one of them is called …
“Steve!” you joyfully exclaim.
“The donkey is named after you!”
The man in question furrows his brow, and you point him to the part on the metal sign, where the donkeys get introduced.
“See, Steve and Sally. Aww, he even looks a little bit like you!” you coo, looking at the small picture they provide next to the profile.
“I don’t quite see it.” Steve says dryly, and you huff.
“He even has similar interests to yours. It says here that he likes sunshine, early morning runs, pets behind his ears and bananas!
Biting your lip to keep yourself from laughing, you innocently look up at Steve, who regards you with a fake scowl.
“You’re being awfully bratty today, Angel.” he chides, yet his words don’t have any bite to them.
“Me? Never!” your fake indignation is riddled with the giggles you’re desperately trying to hold in. That mission fails completely though, once you read the Interesting Fact they provide next to each introduced animal.
“Oh my god, Steve!” you croak out between laughter. “He even tried to eat an American flag once. God, I love him already!”
Before Steve has the chance to reply, you’re dragging him into the enclosure. “Come on, let’s meet my newfound hero!”
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The donkey is just as cute as in the picture, and even friendlier than you imagined. After you introduced yourself and Steve - you couldn’t help yourself from saying “Steve, meet Steve,” while pointing between the tall Super Soldier and the rather small pony-sized creature – you slowly started petting the animal.
The happy brays he lets out make you laugh softly, and your smile only widens once your eyes find Steve’s.
“Don’t you dare say he sounds like me too!” Steve exclaims, and that comment only fuels your giggles.
“I wouldn’t dream of it!” you say, while stroking the fur behind the donkey’s ears. “But you have to admit, he’s adorable!” you coo, before quickly adding: “Not as cute as you, of course, but it’s a close second.”
“Well, that’s certainly comforting to hear.” Steve retorts. “So, you’re not gonna leave me for one of those gray-haired fellas?”
“I already have my gray-haired fella at home, old man,” you counter, before whispering a small “almost.”
Steve still picks it up, and his reaction is instant. His strong hands reach out to you, playfully poking your sides.
“You take that back! You take that back right now!” he urges, laughing, as you try to squirm away from his grasp, the sweet sound of your giggles filling the air. Your antics only come to a halt once you’re breathlessly begging for mercy, and Steve pulls you in for a hug.
“You still have a lot of energy for a 103-year-old.” you whisper.
“Oh Sweetheart, you know, I can be relentless.” he counters, and you hum in agreement.
“You don’t actually look like a donkey.” you try to clarify. “It’s just that the donkey somehow looks like you.”
Before Steve can rekindle his attacks, you’re already apologizing again. “I’m joking! I’m joking!” you exclaim, as soon as you feel the tiniest brush of his fingertips poking your sides.
Hugging him closer once more, you whisper: “I’m sorry. I’m being mean. You’re still the prettiest man on the planet, and you always will be.”
Brushing your hands softly through his hair and gently cupping his cheek, you notice the small red tint that adorns them.
“Aww you’re blushing!” you quietly tease. “I guess I don’t call you pretty enough. I need to tell you that more, I think.” you observe.
His blush only deepens, and you coo again.
He really is the prettiest man alive. And the sweetest, and kindest, and bravest.
As you softly tell him all about your thoughts, his grip around you tightens, and he burrows his face in your neck.
“I love you so much.” you mumble against his shoulder, and even though you can’t see him right now, you know that he’s smiling.
“I love you too.” he whispers back, voice low, before gently kissing your forehead.
His lips lingers there for a moment before he speaks up again.
“I think we need to stop; there’s an older lady, who’s already giving us the stink-eye.”
“Oh, let her stare. If they look at you funny, you just look right back at them funny, that normally does the trick for me.”
“I’m not going to glare down a grandma!” Steve whispers exasperated.
“Well, you might not, but I certainly will, if she's making you uncomfortable.” you announce, and Steve just shakes his head, laughing.
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After moving on from the donkeys, you spend some time with the goats. Even Steve has to admit that they are rather endearing.
“Maybe we should bring Bucky with us next time. You know how he still gushes about the goats he had in Wakanda. I’m sure he’d enjoy some time here.” you suggest, while feeding a small brown doeling.
She softly munches the food right out of the palm of your hand, and the feeling of her rough tongue on your skin makes you giggle.
“If we would bring Buck, that’s going to be your liability, because I’m pretty sure he would never leave the goat enclosure again.” Steve observes.
“Can’t really blame him. I might have my donkey at home, but those goats certainly have character.” you tease.
Instead of answering, Steve decides to just throw some pellets your way.
“Hey!” you whine playfully, before making a counter strike. When you don’t hit your target, Steve just grins at you cheekily.
It’s that boyish smile you love so much, and it fills your heart with a joy that’s carefree and content. It feels just like the soft sunrays that are currently caressing your skin: Warm, light, and golden.
Your thoughts are only interrupted once another pellet flies your way, barely missing your face.
“Hey!” you exclaim once more, laughing, yet Steve’s eyes turn instantly apologetic when he realizes he almost struck your pretty face. You quickly reassure him that it’s alright, before walking over to the rabbits and guinea pigs, patiently sitting down next to them.
Rather than just grabbing one, you wait for one of the timid rodents to approach you instead. A small – and presumably younger – bunny seems curious enough, as he hops your way, and you manage to coax him with some food and a very gentle voice. His fluffy fur is in an off-white color with gray specks and his floppy ears twitch every now and then.
“Hey little friend.” you whisper once his wiggly nose brushes your open palm. It takes some more coaxing before he starts eating out of it, and you beam at that development.
Steve watches the interaction with a soft, adoring gaze.
God, Wanda was right. He really is head over heels for you.
But then again, how could he not be.
There’s a gentleness and kindness in the way you approach the world, and the fact that you’ve chosen him out of all people to trust the most, fills his heart with an endless amount of pride and happiness, that’s hard to put into words.
You’ve come into his life like a whirlwind, turning everything upside down and taking over his heart by storm.
Without your knowing, you made all of his previous priorities flip, until you were the only and most important thing on his mind. You still are, of course, and Steve is sure that this is something that will never change.
You’re the one.
The one who’s voice and laughter he’ll never grow tired of hearing.
The one who he comes home to after a rough mission, taking up the biggest space in his bed and in his heart – and he wouldn’t want to have it any other way.
You’re the most precious thing on the planet, and he’d burn it all down if he had to, just to keep you safe.
“Steve!” you softly call out to him, and his focus shifts back on you.
The small bunny is now sitting contently in your lap, while you’re sporting the proudest look.
“His fur is so soft!” you quietly mouth to him, and he smiles before making his way to you, gently kneeling down by your side. “Here! Feel!” you chirp, as you carefully guide his hands towards the small bunny.
“Do you think we could get some of those?” you carefully ask.
“Of course.” Steve agrees without really thinking - he doesn’t need to. If you want it, you’ll get it; no questions asked. He’ll even fight Tony on it if he has to, or anyone else for that matter.
“Really?” you beam.
“I pinky promise, Sweetheart.” he whispers before kissing the top of your head and standing back up. You follow suit, after carefully moving the bunny from your lap.
“Let’s just visit the piglets, and then we can move on to the bigger animals!” you proclaim, while reaching for Steve’s hand again, gently tugging him towards the small, baby pink piggies.
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Once you’ve finished cooing over the small piglets while simultaneously feeding and petting them, you and Steve make your way back towards the regular path of the zoo.
Steve had just gotten out his map again, trying to visualize the vicinity, when you spot the panda enclosure.
Nice!
“Steve, do we have to consider the map? Can’t we just walk around and go wherever our curiosity takes us?” you ask.
“You mean, wherever your curiosity takes you.” Steve teases and you let out a small huff while folding your arms over your chest, defensively.
“Not true.” you whine, before adding: “I can’t help it if I’m younger and pick up more things, you know.”
“Uh-huh” Steve hums. “And patience is a virtue that …”
“I’ve never met once in my life.” you finish the sentence for him.
“That is not the quote I was going for, but it certainly rings true too.” Steve agrees, before folding his map up again. “Alright, so where’s your curiosity leading you to, this time.” he concedes with a warm smile and your eyes light up at that.
“Easy, this way!” you say, before grabbing his hand, dragging him along once more.
“Steve, look!” you exclaim, while excitedly pointing at the wild cat enclosure. There’s a tiger that’s currently taking a bath, and it completely seizes your attention.
At the risk of sounding like a total lovesick fool, Steve has to admit that he’s way more encaptured by your endearing reactions to everything, than the actual attractions and animals themselves.
You two already visited the panda and bear enclosure, looked at some monkeys, zebras, hippos, and foxes, and now you’re leading him towards the area with the wildcats.
Lynx, lions, pumas, cheetahs, and some tigers are what’s initially advertised; still, he’s barely able to focus on that.
With your hands closely intertwined, and your soft voice that calls out to him, his attention has a hard time staying away from you.
You’re especially excited by the cheetahs, and you enthusiastically tell him all the facts you know about them.
How they’re incredibly fast and powerful, yet often also anxious and shy. You tell him how some of the cheetahs living in captivity often need emotional support dogs, to help them cope with their high levels of stress.
They’re the true scaredy cat-cats.
After your ramblings about the wildcats, you start gushing over their emotional support dogs. “They must be so proud!” you tell him. “Imagine being a dog, who ends up working with those cheetahs. How badass it that? Like a mouse who’s a therapist for a housecat, or a sparrow that takes care of an alligator…”
Steve smiles at your excitement, while listening attentively to everything you’re saying.
How did he ever get this lucky?
But as your speech slowly comes to an end, another sound appears. It’s faint, but Steve’s Super Soldier hearing still picks it up. He’s heard it enough times to be able to identify it – It’s the sound of your tummy rumbling.
“Sweetheart, are you hungry?” he questions, and you look up at him like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Dammit, I had hoped you didn’t catch that.” you mumble embarrassed, and Steve laughs.
“How about we look for a more quiet space, where we can eat some of our sandwiches and snacks.” he proposes, and you agree.
This time, Steve takes your hand, leading the way.
After some searching, the two of you managed to find a little bench, shaded by a rather sturdy oak. The tree doesn’t just shield you from the blazing sun, but also from the curious gaze of others.
It’s a romantic little space, as you look out onto a small park area, not too far off from the peacock enclosure. You’d stopped there briefly, fascinated by their colorful display of shimmering feathers, before moving on.
And now, you're sitting here, next to Steve, eating your little sandwich and sharing some small snacks. It's calm and peacefully quiet, apart from some faint bird-chirping and the remote sound of children’s laughter, carried over to you by a soft summer breeze.
“This was such a lovely idea, Steve.” you comment quietly once you’ve finished your sandwich.
The man in question smiles at that. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Angel.”
You hum in agreement, before popping some fresh berries into your mouth.
The satisfied sigh you let out is making Steve laugh. “Are those berries that good?” he questions playfully.
“No, but the view right now is to die for.” you say, while locking eyes with him.
“Hm, I guess you’re right. This little park area certainly has some flair.” Steve agrees, and if it wasn’t for the blueberries in your hand, you’d face-palm right now.
“I’m not taking about the park, Steve.” you clarify, while giving him a pointed look, and he blushes.
“Oh, I see … “ he mumbles, red-tinted embarrassment tainting his cheeks and migrating up to his ears. Who knew a Super Soldier could get that flustered – and look so endearing while doing it.
You weren’t lying though – even with Steve just sitting there, wearing a light gray t-shirt and some washed-out jeans, he looks like a god; Completely out of this world.
And it’s not just his sturdy arms and muscles.
It’s in the way his kind eyes light up, framed by those rich eyelashes.
It’s in the way he looks at you; looks at the world with such benevolence, such compassion, even after everything he’s been through.
Maybe it’s also in the way that those small rays of sunlight, currently shining through the tree crown, illuminate his skin, giving him a golden glow.
But whatever the reason may be, he certainly looks good. Especially, when he’s blushing like that, you think, smiling.
Once you two finished your small lunch, you’re eager to get back to the animals.
The giraffes and elephants are next, followed by the penguins and some wombats.
You and Steve have also established a small game by now.
One of you steps up to the informational sign of the enclosure first and reads it, before letting the other person guess what the Interesting Fact about the animal is.
It’s currently Steve’s turn at guessing, as you two are standing in front of the flamingo area.
“Okay!” you chime, as you turn away from the metal sign, focusing back on Steve. Your eyes are sparkling with excitement, letting Steve know that this fact is going to be good.
“So, flamingos are known for their pink color and dorky looks, but there is something else that makes this animal quite badass. What could that possibly be?” you challenge Steve gleefully.
He ponders your question for a moment, looking over at the pink birds. “Hm, maybe they can stand on one leg for over 24 hours.” he contemplates.
“Is that your final answer?” you question, and the playful glimmer in your eyes lets him already know that he’s wrong.
Still, he stays with his entry and nods.
“Well, that is incorrect!” you announce. “Or at least, that’s not the fact they have written down.” you clarify.
“Okay, I’ll give you three options instead, and only one of them is the correct one.” you offer.
“So, once more, what makes the flamingo so badass? Is it a) they all have pink belts in karate; b) they can drink boiling water; or is it c) they can hold their breath for half an hour when diving for food.” you question, expectantly looking at Steve, who’s scratching his head, laughing.
“Well, it’s either b or c, but they both sound so unbelievable, I might as well go with answer a.” He jokes.
“Sir, I need an answer from you now, the time is running up.” you playfully chide and it’s making him laugh even more.
“Alright, show host, you can log in answer b for me.”
“B? Are you sure?” Steve just nods, and it makes your smile grow wider.
“Well, contestant, you won’t believe me when I say this, but your answer is …. ding, ding, ding – correct!” you exclaim excited, while wrapping your arms around his neck
“Wait, really?” Steve looks at you, dumbfounded. “Uh-huh. Flamingos can apparently drink boiling water.” you reiterate, before pulling him closer.
“Congratulations, soldier, you’ve won the main price!” you whisper against his lips before softly kissing him, and the sweet action makes Steve smile into the kiss, as his heart melts in the blazing sun.
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Moving from enclosure to enclosure, your little game continues. There are wolves, deer, beavers, and burrowing owls, and each stop at the gates is filled with your playful antics and shared laughter.
You only come to a short pause, once you notice a small ice cream parlor in the distance, and it doesn’t take much convincing to get Steve to go there with you.
Actually, it doesn’t take any convincing at all.
The shop is small and features only a select number of ice cream flavors. You order 3 scoops each, before happily making your way over to the American bison enclosure.
The area is less crowded and actually quite peaceful. The scenery of the meadow with the occasional grazing bull emitting a sense of tranquility.
While sharing your ice cream, you two watch these seemingly serene creatures, who are just standing there, munching on grass, and lazily gazing at the landscape around them.
There’s a timelessness to them, you think. The way they just stand there, unbothered, like they’ve seen it all.
And maybe they have.
Steve gently pulls you out of your thoughts, when he offers you his last bit of cherry ice cream, holding out his cone to you. You gratefully take him up on his offer, while simultaneously holding your cone out for him.
Sharing is caring after all.
Once your ice cream is done, you and Steve continue sitting there, just talking until Steve suddenly leans closer.
He gently brushes some lingering ice-cream stains from the corner of your mouth with his thumb before licking it off. He keeps his eyes locked on you, and the action leaves your cheeks feeling heated, and your heartrate in a frenzy.
“Two can play this game, Angel.” Steve whispers, giving you a knowing smile.
You let out a small whine, before burrowing your face in his chest, trying to hide your embarrassment.
Steve just coos at your flustered state.
“Steve, stop. You’re giving me heart palpitations,” you mumble into his chest.
“No can do, Sweetheart. It’s only fair that you get a taste of your own medicine.”
You bite back your reply to that; otherwise, you two might end up doing something entirely different.
Unaware of the questionable thoughts in your head; Steve changes the topic, reminding you of the activities you still have planned.
“Do you want to go to the meerkat and prairie dog enclosure, now? Their feeding should start soon.”
You’re still curled up into his chest, basking in the feeling of his strong embrace, and the gentle smell of his cologne. “Can we just stay here a little longer.” you request, voice mumbled, and soft.
Steve lets out a small laugh, that makes his chest rumble and vibrate. “Of course, if that’s what you prefer. You just sounded so excited earlier when you heard about the public feeding.” Steve tries to clarify, making sure that’s what you really want.
Steve’s right. When he told you about the attraction earlier, you could barely contain your excitement at the idea of watching the small animals nibble on some food. But in that very moment, you didn’t really think things through.
It was only sometime later, when your excitement had cooled down a bit, that you realized that this endeavor might not be the best idea.
There’s obviously going to be a crowd watching the spectacle, and those are something to avoid when you’re with your beloved Super Soldier. The chances of getting recognized there, are just a bit too high, yet you’re hesitant to tell those thoughts to Steve.
You don’t want him to feel bad, and you know that he’ll try to convince you that it’s no big deal. You already feel selfish for feeling so protective of your relationship, and the fear that he might think you’re overreacting lingers in your mind, even though he has never given you a reason to do so.
“Sweetheart, what’s going on? You’re being awfully quiet right now.” Steve pries. He can tell something is wrong; he just knows you too damn well.
“Nothing!” you chirp, but the sound is off. It’s too high and anxious.
“Angel.” his tone is stern.
Steve doesn’t often use his Captain America voice with you, but when he does, it works every time.
Just like now.
Playing with the fabric of his gray t-shirt and looking anywhere but his eyes, you quietly mumble: “There’s going to be lots of people, Steve. Lots of people to recognize you…”
“Oh, Sweetheart,” he knows what you’re getting at, and it makes his heart twist in guilt.
“You know, we can still …”
“No, Steve,” you interrupt him. “We can’t, and I don’t want to. This day has been nothing, but a dream come true. We haven’t been approached once, and I’d like to keep it that way. If I have to sacrifice a meerkat feeding for that, I’ll happily do it.” You state, and Steve sighs.
“I’m sorry, Angel.” he whispers, voice low and tainted with regret. “Maybe you could go there by yourself, while I stay somewhere in the background?” he offers, but you just shake your head.
“Steve, it’s okay. I’d rather see all the other animals with you, then one meerkat feeding without you.”
He smiles at that, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“I’m still sorry about this.” he mutters, guilt clear in his voice. You sigh. That’s exactly what you were trying to avoid.
“Steve,” you whisper, gently cupping his cheek, making him look at you. “This isn’t your fault. Stop feeling sorry about something that you have no control over, whatsoever. If anything, I’m sorry for being so sensitive about this.” you state.
“No, you have every right to be!” Steve defends, and the conviction in his eyes makes some of your worry ease away.
“Well, if I’m not allowed to feel guilty about that, neither are you.” you assert matter-of-factly, and this time the smile that adorns Steve’s face reaches his bright blue eyes.
“Alright, deal.” he affirms, before taking your hand, sweeping you up from your seat. “Let’s continue. There’s still a lot to explore.”
You’re about to walk into the reptile house when you spot one more open enclosure.
“Oh my God Steve, look!” you call out, while pointing at one of the llamas. “Aww, he looks just like Kuzco!” you observe, and it makes Steve frown in confusion.
“Sweetheart, that’s a rude thing to say about someone.” he softly chides, and you give him a puzzled look.
“What? Are you telling me you don’t know who Kuzco is?” you ask, dumbfounded, and Steve just shakes his head.
“Is he a work friend of yours? I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned someone with that name?" he questions, brows still furrowed in confusion.
“Steve!” you laugh, “have you not seen The Emperor’s New Groove?”
“No, I don’t think I have.” he confesses, and you look at him in disbelief.
“Oh my God! I thought Tony introduced you to the best works of this century’s cinema.”
“Yes, but I don’t remember a movie named like that.”
“This is outrageous. I can’t believe you’ve never seen this masterpiece! We’ll have to change that once we’re home!” you proclaim playfully, before taking his hand and walking towards the reptile house.
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Stepping into the building, you’re immediately greeted by a sudden temperature drop.
The rooms are a lot darker and cooler then the outside premise, and you can’t help but shiver as goosebumps form on your skin.
Instinctively, you pull Steve closer, grabbing his hand tighter.
The animals that follow vary from adorable to absolutely frightening. The small turtles and geckos make you coo, but the bigger lizards and snakes already sport a more intimidating look.
There are boas, pythons, and mambas, and you have to remind yourself that you’re protected by both the Plexiglas as well as your trusted Super Soldier.
🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋
Once you’ve finished exploring every room, you make your way to the small botanical garden. Its atmosphere stands in stark contrast to that of the dark reptile house.
There are colorful flowers and bright green plants and palm trees.
There’s light coming through the ceiling, illuminating the stone path before you, and the temperature is warmer and a little bit more humid.
After walking through the vicinity, hand in hand, the two of you spot a small, secluded bench. It’s placed next to a little pond, and a small bush of plumerias.
Sitting down, you sigh in content as you breathe in the sweet smell of the little white and yellow flowers. Steve gets out some left-over fruits, and you share a second, small meal. You can hear the soft splatter of water in the background, and it’s as relaxing as can be.
Looking at the man in front of you adoringly, your expression falters when you see the small furrow etched between his brows. He’s thinking about something, and it’s not a pleasant thought.
“What’s wrong?” you whisper, having learned the small signs of worry that sometimes cloud the face of your beautiful man.
Steve just sighs, before pulling you closer. So close, you might as well just sit in his lap.
“Was just thinking.” he mumbles, voice low, and still preoccupied with whatever’s going through his mind right now. “About?” you inquire, and the silence that follows makes you sigh in return.
“Steve, we talked about this. Don’t shut me out.” you whisper, knowing that your beloved soldier still has a tendency to keep his worries hidden from your view, trying not to burden you with it.
“I was thinking about the meerkat-thing.” he says, and you groan.
“No, hear me out, Sweetheart,” he continues. “You deserve the world, you truly do, and it pains me to know that everywhere we go, you have to sacrifice something, just because you’re with me. The meerkat-thing is just one of the many examples that reiterate that.”
“Okay,” you assess slowly, “what are you trying to say?” you carefully ask.
“I don’t know.” he whispers.
“I just keep thinking that you have to sacrifice so much, just in order to be with me. I wish I could give you more than that. I wish I could take you out on dates without us having to worry about being recognized, approached and disturbed.”
He looks at you with such turmoil and pain in his eyes, it makes your heart clench and curl up into a ball and cry.
“Oh, Stevie.” you murmur, before gently cupping his face and straddling his lap.
“Steve honey, listen. This whole getting-approached-by-strangers-thing sucks; I’m not gonna lie about that, but do you know what would suck a million times more? Not having you in my life! I could live without going out on anymore dates for the rest of my days, but do you know what I cannot live without? You!” you declare passionately, while looking into Steve’s eyes, which are somewhat glossy.
“Sweetheart.” he mumbles, voice thick with emotions, and you just pull him closer, nuzzling your face into the side of his neck.
“I love you, Steve. I love you even when we’re surrounded by what feels like hundreds of people, who all want a piece of you, and take over our dates.”
You feel a light wetness at the nape of your neck, and you gently brush your hand through Steve’s hair. Blinking away your own tears, you make a soft shushing sound, trying to calm him down.
“I love you. Don’t ever doubt me on that!” you whisper softly, and you feel Steve nod against your skin before whispering a small, timid “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I love you, and as long as you love me back, that’s all I need. That’s enough for me.” you try to clarify, before gently adding: “I know you feel a close kinship and obligation towards people, and you’re too polite to call them out when they approach us at the worst possible timing, but you’re allowed to tell some people off. The shield might be public property, Steve, but you aren’t. You’re allowed to have boundaries too.”
Your kind words fill Steve with a warm, fuzzy feeling, and it spreads on his face in the form of a soft smile. The love he feels for you keeps blooming and expanding, like the fragrant flowers growing all around you.
He’s not sure if he’ll ever be able to put it into words just how much you mean to him exactly, but he knows that he’ll try his damn best to show you every single day.
He hopes that that’s enough, hopes that it’s good enough for you. Losing you would be worse than dying, he’s sure of that. But all he manages to mumble out is a soft: “I love you so much.”
His words and voice are filled with such honesty, such devotion and conviction, you fear your heart might pound straight out of your chest, and into his lap.
“I know,” you whisper. “I love you just as much!”
He hums in content, and the silence that follows is the most comfortable silence you’ve ever experienced.
The two of you stay there, curled up in each other’s embrace, basking in one of the best feelings ever. Loving and feeling loved.
🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋
You’re not sure how much time has passed, when Steve speaks up again, but the sun is slowly starting to set, and it fills the garden with a golden glow.
“You’re ready to go home, Sweetheart?” he questions softly, voice full of affection.
No. You just want to stay in his loving embrace forever, but instead of articulating that, you let out a small whine, while shaking your head demonstratively.
The laugh that rumbles out of Steve’s chest is warm and hearty, and he softly smiles down at you.
“Come on.” he coaxes.
There’s something he’s sure he can beckon you with.
“I think they have a small souvenir shop near the exit with lots of stuffed animals.” he offers, and it makes you look up at him, wide-eyed and excited.
Gotcha. Steve thinks, a satisfied smile on his lips. The promise of stuffed animals works every time.
You slowly untangle yourself from him, before standing up and taking his hand.
“What are you waiting for, old man.” You playfully provoke him while he’s adjusting his backpack.
“Careful Sweetheart, or I might accidentally lose you in the middle of New York.” he says, yet you know it’s an empty threat. He would never even dream of doing something like that, not in a million years.
“Don’t underestimate the grasp I have on you.” you joke, referring to the way you’d normally cling to his arm and hand, but Steve thinks about how true those words are in a broader sense.
How you have the strongest possible grasp on his heart, in the gentlest way.
Unaware of his adoring thoughts, you drag him to the exit of the botanical garden, and he watches you with the warmest smile.
Once you step out of the garden your eyes instantly find, and fixate on the small souvenir shop, walking straight towards it.
The place is spacious and there are a couple of kids running around, shoving stuffed animals in their parents faces. The selection of stuffies is broad, but you already know what you want.
Steve thinks you’ll be going over to the cheetahs, yet he finds himself surprised, when he watches you walk towards… the donkeys?
He observes you carefully picking up a medium-sized stuffie and clutching it tightly to your chest, a satisfied smile on your lips.
“Stevie! Look!” you exclaim, as you turn your attention to him, holding the stuffie up proudly.
Little did you know, he was already looking at you the whole time.
Eyes soft and smile warm.
“Sweetheart, are you sure? Don’t you want something more… exciting?” he questions, as he points to the array of wild cats and panda bears.
“Nope!” you chirp, the look of content on your face clear as day.
He always wants to see you like this - happy, content, satisfied.
“Wait, Stevie! You should get one too!” you exclaim when you see him slowly make his way toward the checkout.
“The donkey will remind me of you when you’re gone on missions, but you need a stuffie that reminds you of me, too!”
“Sweetheart, you’re in the back of my mind 24/7. I don’t need a …”
“Not the point.” you interrupt him.
“You occupy my mind almost all the time as well, but it’s nice to have something tangible to remind you and to keep close sometimes.”
“Alright.” Steve concedes, before looking at the countless shelves of stuffed animals.
Which one should he even pick?
He thinks back to your interactions earlier, thinks about how soft you looked, with that small bunny comfortably sitting in your lap.
He thinks about how excited you were, when you told him everything you knew about cheetahs, eyes sparkling bright.
He thinks about how softly you’d kissed him at the flamingo enclosure, and how serene you looked while you were watching the American bisons - a dreamy look on your face, and ice cream in hand.
God, is picking your own stuffie always that hard?
His eyes continue to wander along the shelves when he spots it.
There’s a medium-sized cheetah stuffie wearing sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt with little plumerias printed on it.
That’s you.
Cool, adorable, and with a questionable fashion sense.
Thinking back at how you were holding him close in the botanical garden, the sight of the small flowers instantly fills him with the memories of your comforting words and touch.
That’s the one.
Steve makes his way over to the stuffed animal, and it’s even softer than he’d imagined.
“Oh! It’s adorable!” you coo when you see his choice, and Steve smiles.
That’s the one.
He thinks, as he watches you.
The one, who has complete reign over his heart.
You made yourself quite at home in there, filled it with your sweet laughter and your little smiles, the softness of your touch and the kindness in your eyes.
He keeps all these memories of you safely tugged away, underneath his rib cage, in that little treasure chest he calls his heart.
You’re both, his most prized possession, and the strong protector that watches over it all.
The guardian angel of his heart.
“Steve!” you call out to him, from the checkout.
“They say they have a 10 % senior discount for people over 60! Come over here, and figure this out, please!”
It makes him laugh, and there’s only one thought in his mind:
God, how he adores you.
---------------------------------------------
Ahhh, that's it! Thanks you so much for reading!
libraryofloveletters
Jan 10, 2021
Sober Feelings, Drunk Words
In which, Luke returned home lost and alone, he turned to the bottle for help and you for recovery.
Luke Alvez x Reader
Warnings: Fem!reader, self destructive tendencies, consumption and mixing ofdrugs (sleeping pills) and alcohol, being drunk, the use of alcohol as a coping method, help to induce throwing up and vomit, 2 cuss words lmao, a bit of arguing and sadness (that's itI think ? lmk ifI missed anything)
Category: Angst to the max
Word Count: 4.9k
Author’s Note: this hurt my heart to write, I was feeling very angsty for some reason idk :/didn’t use thewhole songeither but major thank you to ishi for all her help with this! <3@iconicc
MajorDisclaimer: this ispurely fiction, ifsomeone does mixalcohol and pills, call 911. Don't do what y/n did.
Song: Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High ?
----
The mirror's image, it tells me it's home time
But I'm not finished, 'cause you're not by my side
And as I arrived I thought I saw you leavin', carryin' your shoes
Decided that once again I was just dreamin' of bumpin' into you
Home didn’t feel like home anymore.
Luke had been gone for quite a while, he sat in his empty apartment with nothing around except for the tv on the floor. He laid on the floor, his clothes scattered across the room with no intention of being put away anytime soon.
Things didn't feel normal anymore.
There was no will to do anything or even attempt to do so. Luke sat there feeling empty and hopeless. The urge to drink hit him, it wasn't something he indulged in very often but found himself doing a lot more since he returned home.
The journey to the bar felt a lot slower than usual, he took in the sight, smell and sounds around him. A couple on a walk with their dog, a family’s laughter coming from their opened kitchen window, the smell of freshly baked cookies which he could only assume was coming from the bakery he was passing by.
Stepping into the bar, the atmosphere changed. The dull lighting, the smell of cigarettes and booze and the drunk men sitting at the counter aimlessly hitting on the bartender.
“Hey you” the woman behind the counter smiled at him,“your usual?” Luke just nodded, feeling a bit shameful that he had visited so frequently that he now had a usual. She slid a glass over to him,“let me know if you need anything else hun” he mumbled a thanks before picking up the glass.
Okay just one drink and thenI'm going home
He thought to himself before downing the contents of the glass. The woman behind the bar, whose name tag he’s now reading for the first time despite being there so often, came back over to him.
“One more or you’re heading out ?” she asked him
“Just bring the bottle over Sherry” he mumbled, she nodded before going to get the bottle
Luke’s head hung low, he poured glass after glass until the bottle was empty. He wasn’t sure what time it was but he couldn't bring himself to get up and leave the bar.“Sherry?” he called out to her, before lifting his head to find an empty bar with Sherry at the other end.
“We’re closing in 10 minutes sweetheart, do you need something ?”
“Could I get one more ?”
“I can’t serve you anymore sugar, bar’s closed. I can get you something to eat if you’d like?” she offered him, he shook his head.
“I’m gonna head out” he fumbled through his pockets, pulling out some crinkled bills and tossing them on the counter.
“I could call a cab if you want ?”
“I’m okay, thank you” he smiled at her before pushing himself up off the bar stool. He stumbled but caught himself on the edge of the bar, he headed out and took a deep breath of air. It was cold but not freezing, he wasn’t that cold considering how much alcohol he had just drank. He stumbled down the street, his hand against the wall to steady himself.
Now it's three in the mornin' and I'm tryin' to change your mind
Left you multiple missed calls and to my message, you reply
"Why'd you only call me when you're high?"
"Hi, why'd you only call me when you're high?"
A woman walked past him, she seemed oddly familiar. Maybe it was her perfume, or perhapsthe way she walked, but she reminded him of someone he held close so many years ago.
With his back up against the wall, he fished his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts. The light from his screen was quite literally blinding him because of how bright it was.
Her number was still there.
After so many years, it was still there.
Here's the thing about her, she loved Luke and Luke loved her but they never told each other that. They lost contact after he deployed but little did she know, but he thought about her all the time. When he finally got to lay down, when it was his birthday, whenever the holidays rolled around,
his mind wandered back to her.
When Luke returned home, he got a new phone, a different number but he somehow got to keep everything on his phone. Her number happened to be in there.
Now he wasn’t even sure if she had the same number or if she’d even pick up. All these things crossed his mind before hitting the green button.
Ring
Ring
Rin-
“Hello ?” her voice filled his ear.
“Y/n” he whispered
“Who’s this ?” she asked
“Don’t tell me you forgot about me after you just walked past meprincesa”
Then and only then, did she realize who was on the other end of the call.
“Luke ?”
“Hi”
“Are you okay ? Where are you ?”
“Uh..” Luke looked around, before answering her“Main and Park, but you know that. You just walked past me”
“What ? I’m at home”
“No no I just saw you, y/n”
“Luke, stay where you are. I’m coming to get you.”
Luke didn't object, he was rather excited to see her. Luke could feel the sleepiness start to set in, he braced himself against the cold brick wall in hopes that it would wake him up.
After what felt like an eternity, the sound of a horn startled him. His eyes snapped up to see a woman getting out her car, he blinked a few times to see y/n making her way over to him. She stood a few feet from him, she wore a pair of sweatpants and a paint covered t-shirt. She hadn’t changed one bit, she was still as beautiful as she was the day he left.
“Hi Luke”
“Hi y/n”
He stepped towards her, she mirrored his actions. Luke’s arms stretched out towards her before she finally closed the gap between them.
God, it felt so good to have her back in his arms.
“Luke, no offence but you literally reek of liquor” she stepped away from him.
“Oh” he pouted
“Let's get you home” her arm looped around his waist helping him walk to her car. Luke stumbled his way into her car, managing to make himself comfortable for the time being.
“What’s your address ?” she looked over at him
“Dunno” he replied
“Can I borrow your phone ?”
“Mhm hm”
She reached over to get his phone, he grabbed her hand and started to fidget with her fingers and the rings on them. She ended up picking up his phone with her other hand and scrolled through to find his address. The drive to his place was short, Luke still fidgeting with the rings on her hand.
“Alright, in we go” she got out and helped him out of the car. Luke fumbled with his keys before she took them and unlocked the door.
The apartment was.. sad.
There was a bed and the tv on the floor but other than that, it was empty.“Home sweet home” Luke stumbled his way to his bed, y/n shut the door before making her way over to Luke who was laying face down on his bed. Rolling him onto his back, he sat up.
“I’m hungry and my feet hurt” he mumbled right as he fell back against his pillows.
“Take off your shoes andI'll find something for you to eat”
You left Luke on his bed as you headed to find something in his empty kitchen. There was a loaf of bread on the counter and some stuff in the fridge that you could put a sandwich together for him. Just the smell of him alone told you he had a lot to drink and you knew he’d be sick if he doesn't eat.
Luke’s footsteps filled your ears until you felt his arms around your waist, hugging you from behind.“Heyyy” he hummed with his chin on your shoulder.“Hey,” you put the sandwich together for him, his hands rubbed your hips.“Come eat” you turned and handed him the plate, he sat on the floor in front of the tv and you made your way over with a glass of water for him.
Luke laughed along at the joke Spongebob made in the show, you smiled at him. He finished and left the plate and glass on the floor.
Men, I tell you.
Luke made his way back to his bed,“stay with me?” he looked at you from the bed, scooting over and making space for you.
You never could say no to him.
Luke rested his head on your stomach and pulled your hand to his hair, you chuckled. Your fingers ran through his hair, tugging slightly as you went, a satisfied hum left his mouth.
“I didn't forget about you” he mumbled, he was half asleep so you didn’t pay much attention to his babbling.“I always remembered you. You got me home princesa” you listened to him talk.
The steadiness in his breathing told you that he was asleep, you shifted his head onto his pillow making him groan. Your weight lifted off the bed and Luke’s eyes opened slightly before a small“stay” left his mouth.“I’m just going to the bathroom” you pushed his hair from his forehead before walking to the plate and glass Luke left. You picked them up before putting the glass in the sink, the plate was in your hand when you opened the trash can.
There was at least a case worth of empty beer cans and a bottle or two of scotch in the trash. Your eyes shifted over to Luke who was peacefully sleeping in his bed.
Maybe he just had friends over.
You brushed off the thought of Luke having an actual issue but the feeling of guilt hit you.
What if somethingwas actuallywrong ? He was drunk on a Tuesday night and he didn't even realize it wasn’t you that walked past him.
You made your way back to bed, you sat beside Luke who rolled over to you. His hair had grown out a bit, his curls were starting to show again and he looked so peaceful and so innocent right now, just like how he did when you had first met him. You could never even begin to imagine what he went through when he was away.
Your fingers ran through his hair as he slept, your glaze focused out the window thinking about Luke and everything that had happened to bring you back to him.
Somewhere darker, talkin' the same shite
I need a partner, well, are you out tonight?
It's harder and harder to get you to listen
More I get through the gears
Incapable of makin' alright decisions, and havin' bad ideas
Something rested on his chest, his head was pounding. Luke barelymoved enough to see the head of hair on his chest. His hands found theperson’s shoulders, hecouldn'trememberif he hadbought someone home from the bar last night.
“Hey, wake up” Luke shook the person gently, not wanting to scare her.“mhm no” she groaned, clinging to his side. Her voice seemed so familiar to him, he shook her again.
“c’mon, don't you have somewhere to be?”
“ugh okay,I'm up” the woman groaned, finally sitting up.
Luke took a moment to look at the woman sitting in front of him, she looked over her shoulder and smiled at him.
It was y/n
“Y/n ?” Luke had a confused expression on his face.“Morning sleepyhead” you replied, laying back beside him.
“Wha- how did you get here?”
“You called me last night, I picked you up and drove you home. You were drunk, do you not remember ?” youglanced at him
The memories of his half asleep confessions of never forgetting you flooded your mind. You chose not to mention anything simply because if he didn't remember calling you, he surely wouldn’t remember saying that.
Luke shook his head before getting up.“God, I have a horrible headache” he rubbed the back of his neck.“I got it” you got up and walked to the kitchen.“Which cupboard has the Tylenol ?” you reached for a cupboard door and went to open it. By the time Luke had looked to see which cupboard was opened, you took a step back.
The cupboard was filled to the brim with liquor, you turned and looked at Luke.“What’s going on Luke ?” he pushed the door closed,“nothing’s happening” you didn’t believe him. You knew Luke better than that, he barely drank but you couldn't blame him or jump to conclusions. You didn't know if he was going through something.
“You should go” he mumbled, avoiding eye contact.
“Luke..”
“Y/n, please.. just go”
You looked at him, his back was turned towards you. Opening your mouth to say something, you changed your mind last minute and made your way to the door. You looked at your friend one last time,
“I'm here if you need me Luke” was the last thing you said to him before leaving.
Now it's three in the mornin' and I'm tryin' to change your mind
Left you multiple missed calls and to my message you reply
"Why'd you only call me when you're high?"
"Hi, why'd you only call me when you're high?"
8 missed calls and 7 missed text messages fromLuke.
From Luke: hi
From Luke: mis yo
From Luke: y/n
From Luke: r u mad
From Luke: no be mad
From Luke: hell0
From Luke: y yu not ansrweing
The spelling gotprogressively worse as they came in and he didn’t leave any voicemails, you decided to call him back. The line rang out, you got his voicemail,“Luke, it’s y/n. it’s 8:58 andI'm leaving work now, I got your texts and calls. I’m coming over to check on you. Text me so I know you're okay and I won’t come, okay ? bye”
Your fingers tapped against the wheel as you drove to Luke’s place, every possible situation running through your mind. The last few weeks had been good, he called the day after he kicked you out to apologize, you invited him over to your place and made dinner. The two of you talked and he told you about his time in Iraq. You knew he hadn’t told you everything and you knew he wouldn't, but pushing him to talk wasn't going to do any good.
Luke quit drinking, well at least for the last week and a half. He didn’t want to go cold turkey, and you didn't blame him, you sat with him, stayed up and talked with him, went for walks with him in the middle of the night just to distract him.
You knocked on the front door when you arrived, no answer.“Luke ? it’s me!” you knocked again, no answer. The mailbox sat on the wall beside the door, you stuck your hand in and felt around, you pulled out a key and unlocked the door.
“Hun? Are you home?” you called out, shutting the door and making your way further into the house.Luke’s head rested on the armrest of his couch, his hair all of the place.“Luke ?” you called once more before making your way over to him. He was asleep, two empty bottles of vodka on the floor in front of him. You sighed, your hand rested on his cheek.
Things had been going so well, what happened ?
“Wake up” you shook his shoulder, Luke stirred and rolled the other way, his back now facing you.“Luke get up” you shook him again, he groaned and ignored your pleas to wake up. You were starting to lose your patience, you shook him once more, he would not wake up. Deciding to leave him be, you picked up the bottles and threw them in the trash before making your way to the bathroom.
An empty pill bottle sat on the counter, the label read temazepam in bold letters.
Sleeping pills.
The bottle fell from your hand as fast as you had picked it up. You needed to wake Luke up now. You couldn’t believe he took them and drank, you knew he knew better than that, why did he do that?
“Luke,” you pulled on his arm to try and get him to sit up.“Get up honey, you can’t sleep right now” you tapped his cheek hard enough to wake up but not hurt him.“Luke c’mon, please get up” you tugged on his shirt and sat him up. His back now against the backrest, he’s still asleep.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, what the hell are you going to do ? if you called 911, they would most definitely put him in a rehab program and he would never forgive you for letting that happen.
The light from the window shined through, hitting the sink faucet, the glare catching your eye. You tumbled through the cupboard to find the biggest bowl you could and filled it to the brim with cold water. You rushed back over to Luke, not caring if it spilt all over the floor.
This better work.
You poured the water onLuke’s chest, hoping the coldness would startle him awake. You now realized that wasn’t the smartest plan as it could have ended in his body freaking out over the sudden coldness and causing an entirely different outcome but you couldn’t bother right now. Luke’s eyes were open, his eyes still heavy with sleep. You tapped his cheek a few times to coax him out of his sleepiness.
“Luke, honey, come on” you called out to him while helping him stand up. He started to come to,“y/n what are you doing here?” he mumbled.“You called me Luke, I found you asleep and you drank after you took your pills” you told him, dragging him to the bathroom with you. Letting him down in front of the toilet, you sat beside him, his head leaning back on your chest.
“Come on, you need to throw up” you rubbed his back, he groaned “no” he mumbled,“don’t wanna” his eyes began to shut again. You pinched his arm in an attempt to keep him awake. You knew there was no way to get him to throw up on his own, you leaned him forward towards the toilet and did the only thing you could think of. You stuck 2 fingers in his mouth, reaching as far back as you could until you heard him gag. Luke ended up emptying the contents of his stomach all over your hand, floor and toilet.
Luke leaned against the tub, you washed your hand off. Grabbing the towel from behind the door, you soaked it in cold water before pressing it to his head.
“Why ?” you asked
“Hm?”Luke looked at you
“You mixed your stuff, I know you know better. Why ?” you asked again
“I just wanted it to stop” he leans his head against your chest.
“For what to stop ?”
“The voices”
“Which ones ?”
“The ones taunting me, I couldn't save everyone and they won’t let it go” he rubbed the side of his head.
You didn't say anything and helped him up. Luke wobbly made his way to bed, you helped him change his clothes before getting a glass of water for him to drink. You sat beside him on the bed while he sipped on the water.“You know you can talk to me ? Right ? About anything. I know I won’t always get it butI'm here if you need to get it off your chest”
Luke didn’t say anything to you, his eyes focusing on something other than you. Resting your hand on his chin to pull his focus on you, he pushed your hand away roughly.“What’s wrong with you?” you asked, Luke had an unreadable expression on his face.
“Luke what’s-” Luke’s yelling cut you off.
“You think I didn't try to talk to you? God y/n, I tried so hard, so fucking hard. Every time I find the courage, I lose it because of you.” Luke’s expression had changed completely, you were able to see the sadness all over his face.
“I couldn’t talk to you y/n, I couldn't bring myself to talk to you about this. I didn’t- I never wanted you to see me this way.. andI'm sorry that you had too”
Your heart broke, your best friend sat in front of you with his heart on his sleeve and his feelings out in the open, you reached up and your hand cupped his face.“Luke, I understand okay? I would never focus you to tell me if you weren't comfortable” you told him and he nodded. He got up off the bed and went to his closet, you watched as he reached up and grabbed a box.
Luke returned to the bed and placed the box between the two of you. Glancing at the box and then at Luke, you waited for an explanation.“These are from all the times I wanted to talk to you but I couldn’t” he lifted the lid off the box, there were at least 50 envelopes in the box addressed to you.
“I thought about you every day I was there y/n, I never forgot about you but I couldn't do that to you.” Luke whispered, his eyes focused on you.
“Do what to me ?” you asked, your eyes on the box.
“I didn’t send these because I knew you’d wait for me and I wouldn't let you put your life on hold for me”
You reached for his hand,“I'd always wait for you Luke, always.”
Luke pulled away his hand,“no. no, stop.” Your brows furrowed,“stop ?” you questioned him,“don’t wait for me. Y/n, this is the reason I didn't send them, I don't want you to wait for me.”
“Luke, what the hell are you talking about ? it was my choice” you rebutted, earning you an annoyed look and a groan.
“Just leave” Luke looked away, avoiding your eyes, not wanting to see the heartbreak he’s caused.
“Seriously ?” you scoffed,“you know what? This isn’t even worth it. You clearly can’t make up your mind Luke.” you stormed out, slamming the door on your way out.
And I can't see you here, wonderin' where am I
It sort of feels like I'm runnin' out of time
I haven't found all I was hopin' to find
The window was left open overnight, a cold breeze blew through his bedroom. Luke groaned and rolled over to the other side of the bed, his armstretched over the left side of the bed, the side of the bed where you’re supposed to be.
His phone screen lit up, the light catching his eye. It was 5:27 in the morning, most of his night had been spent tossing and turning, rethinking the events of last night.
The phone buzzed a few times, Luke picked it up to see messages from you.
To Luke: I don’t know whyI'm even texting, I suppose for some sort of self closure but you need to know this and if I call you, you’re just going to interrupt me.
To Luke: Ididn’t wait for you.
To Luke:I wanted to, butIdidn't.I found someone else, his name wasJames and he was so sweet andloving andeverythingIcould have ever wanted in a partner.
To Luke: Do you know what theproblem was Luke ?
To Luke: He wasn’t you.
To Luke: AfterJames,I promised myselftheI would wait for you becauseyou’re the only one for me
To Luke: But it’s clear youdon't want the samethings as me, so that’s fine. I understand.
To Luke: GoodbyeLuke.
Luke’s heart felt as if it dropped to his stomach after reading that.
I was the only one for her ? God, what didI do to her last night.
He did theonly thing he could think of, he got up and headed over to your place. See the thing was,Luke had no idea where you lived. Hedidn't know if you moved or if you were stillwhere you were before he deployed but hethought, at least hewould be trying.
When he arrived at the door, he knocked once but there was no answer, so he knocked again, and again, no answer. Luke began banging on the door,“y/n, please. it’s me! Open the door”
An older woman opened the door, she looked as if she had just woken up.“Oh ma'am,I'm so sorry. I must have the wrong door” Luke said to her, she smiled sweetly at him.“That's alright dear, can I help you ?” she asked, he nodded.“Do you know the girl that lived here before you ? y/n?”
“oh yes, she's very sweet. She stops in and checks on me”
“Do you know where she lives now by any chance ?”
“Uh, I don’t want to just give her address out to strangers dear” the older woman smiled at him.
“Oh.. I understand. thank you anyways” Luke turned and headed back down the stairs.
“Wait!” she called out to him,“Maple street, that’s all I can tell you” she said, Luke smiled at her,“Thank you”
Luke ran down the stairs, and ran as fast he could to maple street.
Fuck, why didn't I drive ?
Lukewalked down Maplestreet, his eyes looking over every driveway to findyour car. There it was, 46 Maple street and youstood at your front door, yourback toLuke.
The rainbegan to pour out of nowhere, like a full on thunderstorm. You stepped back inside and Luke made his way across the street to your driveway.
When you stepped back outside with your bag, Luke stood on your driveway.
“What are you doing here ?” you asked him, he looked like a crazy person just standing on your driveway in the pouring rain.
“You waited for me ?” he asked, his hand ran over his face to wipe the water off but it made no difference. You made your way down the steps, you stood across from Luke now.
“I did” you answered him, you too, were now soaked from the rain.
“I’m sorry” he told you
“For what ?” you asked, you knew why he apologized but you needed to hear him say it.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you last night. I shouldn't have acted the way I did.” he stepped closer to you.
You watchedLuke’s movements, his hands rested on your hips, his face inches away from yours. You’re absolutely sure that anyone who looked outside must think the two of you are out of your minds to be standing in the pouring rain, just having a conversation. You didn't say anything to Luke, you had already said what you needed too.
“Y/n?” Luke looked down at you, you looked up at him,“Luke ?”
“I love you.” his hand cupped your face, making you look at him.
“Luke I..” you sighed, as much as you wanted to tell him you loved him, and you did, you weren't sure if you could, well you weren't sure if you should.
“It's okay, you don't have to sa-”
“Luke I love you”
Luke’s expression changed, there was now a smile on his face.“God I love you so much” Luke picked you up and spun you around, making you laugh as you clung onto him.
“Luke put me down!”
Luke set you back on your two feet, this time, your hand came up to his face and he looked at you.
“I need you to promise me something Luke”
“Anything”
“Promise me you’ll try and quit, I know it’s hard but I promiseI'll be by your side”
Luke nodded,“I promise, only if you promise to stick with me”
You stuck your pinky out, Luke chuckled and wrapped his pinky around you.
“always Luke, always.”
----
taglist: @aaronhotchnerr @mac99martin @aaron-hotchner187 @tclaerh @luke-alvez @iconicc @lieberhers @pumpkin-reads @katexrichardson @thelukealvez @sluttytears @scandinavian-punk @haleymalaffey @rosesonmyheart @shotarosleftpinky @mrs-dr-reid
shadow-assassin-blix
May 11, 2021
How do you like me now
William ‘Ironhead’ Miller x reader
Another song fic. Warnings: dumb ex, shitty parents.
So, I’ve had this one on my mind for a long while, and I may actually write more about this one, like a mini series maybe. I also just like the thought of Will having a kid and the shenanigans.
Everything: @mikeisthricedeceased
Triple Frontier Boys: @artsymaddie @mcrmarvelloki
Yeah, I was always the crazy one broke into the stadium
And I wrote your number on the 50-yard line
Will wouldn’t have admitted openly but when he was younger, he was a lot like Santi in that he slept around a lot. Broke many hearts when he was a teenager. To put it simply? He was an ass.
Time in the army changed that, especially when he met the men who would become his brothers. Between Pope, Catfish, and Redfly he was nowhere near the same person he was when he left high school. Benny liked to tease him a lot, whenever they came home to visit their parents.
In fact, that was what he was currently doing. He, and Benny, were driving home with Santi and Frankie in the back. His parents needed furniture moved out; they were downsizing to a smaller home. So, the four of them were going to be their muscles for it.
Benny was exaggerating many parts of several stories, that caused Will to roll his eyes constantly before correcting him.
He pulled into the driveway of his parent’s home, quietly wondering whose car was parked in front of their house. He shrugged it off not thinking too hard on it. The four of them walked up to the door and knocked.
Their mother, Winnie Miller, opened the door with a smile, “My boys! You’re early!”
She greeted Santi and Frankie as they all came inside with hugs and cheek kisses.
“Figured we may as well get here as soon as possible to start moving stuff out,” Will explained as his mother fretted over him and Benny, stating ‘we were too skinny.’
“Well, I do have some company but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Come into the kitchen, we just made some cookies,” Winnie said as she led them forward.
Benny bounded forward excitedly rushing past their mother to the kitchen. As they caught up to him, Will noticed he had stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the person sitting at the island.
“Benny, what the hell are y-…” Will started to ask but stopped as he took her in as well.
He muttered her name as he watched her straightened up.
You were always the perfect one and a valedictorian
So under your number I wrote "Call for a good time"
“You mean She-Devil?” Benny grumbled glaring at her.
She waved awkwardly, and said, “Benny. Hey, Will.”
“What are you doing here, Venus?” Will asked her, using her old nickname from high school.
“Just uh… talking…” She answered biting her lip, looking uncomfortable at the attention she was receiving.
“Hm. Talking? Planning on running someone else over?” Benny asked mockingly.
“It was an accident,” She mumbled shaking her head.
“Is that another exaggeration?” Santi asked as he and Frankie moved to stand to the side.
“Nope. She jumped the curb and broke Will’s leg in 3 places!” Benny exclaimed, waving his arms.
Will winced slightly at that and scratched the back of his neck.
“Can you not?” Venus threw back crossing her arms.
“Benny. Chill. Just… go outside with the guys, please,” Will commanded him gently not wanting a fight to start.
Just then a small voice could be heard behind him, “Mommy?”
Venus tensed, taking a deep breath, before passing by him to walk into the living room. On the couch was a little girl, who had been taking a nap.
Will gazed at the girl noting she was about 3 years old, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Blue eyes that looked eerily similar to his own.
“Benny. Seriously, go outside. Calm down,” Will called over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving Venus and her daughter.
He heard Benny huff and storm outside.
“I’ll go… talk to him,” Came Santi’s voice as he followed Benny.
Frankie looked at the two people in the living room, and then at Will. He could very easily connect the dots that was going on within Will’s brain.
Will stepped forward and glanced between her and the child.
“Something you want to tell me?” Will questioned her softly.
She sighed, picking her daughter up, who immediately clung to her neck.
“Her name is Charlotte,” She said quietly.
“…. After my grandmother?” Will murmured lowly.
She nodded once, not making eye contact.
Will nodded, rubbing his hand over his face, exasperated.
He walked back into the kitchen, giving his mother a pointed look.
“Give her a chance to explain,” Winnie pleaded.
He sighed heavily, before turning back around. However, she wasn’t there. He could hear doors closing and the sound of an engine starting up.
“Seems you got some splainin’ to do, brother,” Frankie stated as he snagged a cookie.
Will turned to his mother, and inquired, “How long have you known?”
“A couple of months. She… she was going through some things and came home to deal with some shit with her parents. I saw her at the grocery store with Lottie and knew immediately. Course, she tried to deny it at first, but Lottie looks exactly like you. Can’t fool me,” Winnie explained as Benny and Santi came back in.
“What are we talking about?” Benny was confused as to what he just walked into.
“Nothing,” Will said shortly, turning and walking out of the house.
He knew where she was heading. Same place she always did when she was stressed.
I only wanted to get your attention
But you overlooked me somehow
It was a 15-minute drive to the nearby park, and another 10 minutes following an old hiking path that led to a beautiful pond.
That was where she was, with her… their… daughter who was happily chasing after butterflies.
“Figured you’d be here,” He announced his arrival as he stood near her.
“You always did know me best,” She replied, not looking at him.
Will sat next to her on the worn bench that had been there since they were in high school. He fondly watched their daughter as she began to make flower crowns.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He softly asked her.
“Because it was a one-night stand, after far too many shots. Figured you didn’t want to see me ever again. When I found out I was pregnant… I wanted to tell you but…” She started but her voice faltered at the end.
“But you thought I would reject you?” He supplied as he stared at her, noting her teary eyes.
She nodded in response, “Yeah. Plus, there was… a lot of drama with my parents and I didn’t want to involve you.”
“My mother mentioned that. What happened?” Will wanted answers.
“You remember how I told you about my last ex, when we… were last together?” She began, waiting for his nod. “Imagine their reaction when they found out I was pregnant.”
He rolled his eyes up to the high heavens, “Let me guess? They threw a conniption?”
“…Sorta…” She said softly. “They disowned me.”
Will raised an eyebrow at that, “They what? Seriously?’
“Yep. No inheritance for me. We don’t even really talk anymore. They keep trying to say they’ll forgive me and give it back if I marry someone that they approve. Too bad I am not 16 anymore, desperate for their attention,” She said bitterly.
He snorted at that, “So, my mom discovered your secret. What’s been happening there?”
“She keeps insisting that I come over to eat. Says I’m too skinny. I think she also just likes being a grandma,” She replied with a shake of her head. “I have my own place, I just… go over there to keep her company. Don’t… don’t exactly have any friends here. At least not anymore.”
“Mh. She says that about everyone,” Will smiled. “You still have me.”
She looked over at him surprised, but appreciative. She gently scooted closer to him, giving him a side hug. He returned it, kissing the top of her head.
“Mommy? Who this?” Came Lottie’s voice.
They parted, and looked toward her, and her handful of flowers.
“Lottie. This is Will…your daddy,” She introduced her pulling her in close.
She looked at Will with wide eyes, before making grabby hands toward him. Will chuckled as he picked her up, letting her stand on his legs.
“Hi sweetheart,” He said sweetly to her.
She smiled shyly, looking down at her feet for a moment.
“May I hug you?” Her voice softly asked.
Will nodded with a smile, holding his arms out accepting the hug that she gave him. Her grip tightened after a moment and she collapsed against him. He held her in his arms, glancing over at Venus who was watching them fondly.
Besides you had too many boyfriends to mention
And I played my guitar too loud
An hour later, he was returning home alone. Venus took Charlotte home to finish her nap; they had made plans to have dinner together tonight.
He stepped inside the house with a heavy sigh, tossing his keys onto the side table near the door. He made his way back into the kitchen, where the guys and his parents were gathered drinking lemonade and eating cookies.
He snatched a glass from the cabinet and poured out some lemonade. He took a drink from it as his parents excused themselves to the living room.
“What the hell is going on Will?” Benny asked crossing his arms.
“Better question, who was the babe that apparently ran you over?” Santi chimed in looking at the two of them.
Will walked over to the table, taking a seat, waiting for the guys to join him.
“Venus… was the head cheerleader who I dated for several months. I broke up with her…. a week after we finally slept together… Needless to say…. She didn’t take it well,” Will began to explain.
“‘Didn’t take it well.’ Sure. That’s putting it lightly,” Benny rolled his eyes.
“She really ran you over?” Santi asked incredulously.
Will nodded once, wincing at the memory.
“So, yeah. She did that. Then we never really spoke to one another…until about 4 years ago,” Will continued.
“You saw her 4 years ago? Why? What the hell prompted you to talk to the She-Devil?” Benny questioned angrily.
“Hey, enough with the ‘She devil’ stuff alright? It…. Was some time after Jessica called off our engagement. Was at a bar… so was she… we talked,” Will explained vaguely.
“You mean the two of you got shit faced and slept together?” Santi laughed.
Will shrugged somewhat, avoiding eye contact with Benny.
“She had been engaged herself… and… the guy was killed in a hit and run incident… 3 days before their wedding. Apparently, her parents didn’t approve of him because he was an artist, not something fancy like a lawyer. Her parents had no sympathy for her,” Will cleared his throat briefly. “So, yeah. We drank. We slept together….”
“…made a kid…” Frankie coughed quietly.
Benny’s face became one of pure disbelief before he stood up, shaking his head, and leaving the room.
“The little tyke we saw earlier?” Santi clarified.
Will and Frankie both nodded, with Frankie adding with a tease, “Looked just like Will too. Frown and all.”
Will rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face as he thought about how much Charlotte looked like him.
When I took off to Tennessee
I heard that you made fun of me
Approximately 2 hours later, Will had cleaned up and stood in front of Venus’ apartment. He knocked firmly and heard a small set of feet run to the door. He heard the doorknob jiggle a few times before it finally turned, and the door swung open.
He looked down, spotting his mini me, shyly looking around the door.
“Hi,” She quietly said, opening the door a little wider for him.
“Hey sweetie,” Will greeted her with a smile, stepping inside. “Where’s your mom at?”
“In here!” Came Venus’ voice from further in the apartment.
Charlotte grabbed his pants leg, tugging on it slightly. Will squatted down near her, closing and locking the door as he did.
“Mommy’s trying to impress you, but she’s not the best cook,” Charlotte whispered to him.
Will snorted softly, nodding his head, “She wasn’t a good cook when we were younger either. Let me go see if I can save dinner yeah?”
Charlotte giggled at that, and the two of them made their way toward the kitchen.
Will came up beside Venus and asked, “So, what are you making?”
“It… it was supposed to be chicken alfredo but… apparently the kitchen still hates me when I try to cook because nothing turned out right,” She answered biting her lip, looking dejected as she tried turned off the stove.
Will looked at it and noted that she had burned a great deal of it, and not much could be rescued.
“So… Pizza?” Will suggested looking back at her.
She shrugged, grabbing the takeout menus and setting them out. Will watched as she walked down the hallway, mumbling she was going to clean up a bit. Will ordered the food, and then cleaned the pans, tossing out the inedible food. When the pans were clean, he told Charlotte to go clean up as well, while he checked on Venus.
He walked toward her bedroom, noting the light coming from it. He took a step knocking lightly on the door looking around for her. She wasn’t in the bedroom, so he moved over to the ensuite bathroom.
“Venus? You okay?” He quietly asked her.
He didn’t hear a response, so he gently pushed open the door. She was standing at the sink, glaring down at it. He leaned against the counter, his hand gently resting on top of hers.
She glanced at it, her gaze slowly moving up to meet his.
“Sorry for ruining dinner. Guess I should stick to baking, never have a problem there,” She said to him with a small shrug.
“Sweetie… I knew the second we decided to have dinner, that it would probably be takeout. I don’t mind. Maybe, I need to teach you how to cook…or at least see where you keep going wrong,” Will lightly teased her.
She weakly chuckled, “I might take you up on that. Does… does that mean you may stick around?”
“Probably… We’ll talk more later,” Will promised. “Now, let’s go watch a movie while we wait for pizza.”
She nodded, and without letting go of her hand, he walked with her back to the living room. Charlotte was on the floor in front of the movie case, trying to pick out a movie.
She eventually chose Big Hero Six, the three of them settling onto the couch to watch it. Will got up about 30 mins in to grab and pay for the pizza. Once everyone had a slice, and drinks, they resumed. Charlotte fell asleep after a slice and a half, toward the end of the movie.
Will easily picked her up, following Venus to her room. He tucked her into bed, Venus placing a large polka dot elephant in with her.
When they stepped back out, Venus whispered, “That elephant is her favorite, she will not sleep through the night if it’s not with her.”
“Good to know,” Will whispered back, looking down at her fondly.
Venus could feel her face warm at the look Will was giving her, and felt her breath hitch slightly, as Will leaned down. He paused, waiting to see if she objected to him making a move. When he saw none, he continued, pressing his lips lightly to hers.
Venus froze for a moment, before responding, kissing back more firmly. Will’s hand came to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing against it softly. His other arm, wrapped around her waist, pulling her in close. Her hands clenched at the fabric of his shirt, wrinkling it.
They kissed for what felt like hours but was really only minutes. When they parted, they were breathless.
“Think we should have that talk,” Venus murmured her head resting against his chest.
She felt him nod and the two of them walked back into the living room, sitting on the couch.
For a moment it was quiet, as both of them worked up the courage to speak.
“I want the both of you in my life,” Will started eventually.
“You do?” Venus was surprised.
“Yeah… Not going to lie… seeing you 4 years ago… made me realize just how much I regretted what I did in high school…” Will admitted.
“….Why did you break up with me? Because… you said it was for a bet, but… Andrew didn’t recall such a bet when we dated,” Venus said with a raised eyebrow.
“Can’t believe you dated him. Andrew was such a dick…” Will shook his head. “I broke up with you… because… I was terrified. It was our senior year… I had no plans for college, but you did… Felt like I was going to… hold you back or disappoint you.”
Venus stare at him with wide eyes before smacking him on the arm.
When she heard the satisfying ‘ow’ in response, she spoke, “You were never a disappointment… nor did I think you would hold me back. When I heard you left for the army, I was extremely proud of you. Worried as hell, but proud.”
Never imagined I'd make it this far
Then you married into the money girl
“You were worried for me?” Will asked curiously.
“Yeah. I was. Just because we weren’t together didn’t mean I stopped caring about you. I always wanted to ask your mom about you, but I figured she hated me for the whole… broken leg thing,” she said with a wince.
He laughed at that, “No. She told me I had it coming. Was surprised you didn’t try to hit me twice.”
Venus giggled a little at that.
“Can I ask you something? Why the hell are you still here, in this town with your shit parents?” Will asked her seriously.
“Rent agreement is 6 months. I have another month to get through. Don’t know what I’ll do after that,” Venus said simply.
Will thought for a few minutes, before proposing, “There’s… there’s several houses for rent in Castle Rock… in my neighborhood. You… you and Charlotte could come live near me?”
“Think you could handle us being that close to you? You know Lottie will want to come see you a lot. She… She gets attached quickly. Please don’t break her heart,” Venus requested firmly.
“I understand. I have no plans of hurting either of you, but you and I both know you need to get out of this town. It’s not good for you nor her to be around your parents,” Will said concerned, his hand brushing against her cheek.
“I know… You’re right. I only came back because apparently my grandparents left me everything, and my parents… were not happy. Tough shit,” Venus scoffed. “They keep dragging in lawyers to try and dispute the will. It’s been such a pain in the ass.”
“What exactly is there to dispute? Didn’t your grandparents change their will when we graduated high school?” Will questioned.
She nodded, “Though… most people assumed it was them trying to spoil me. In reality, my parents didn’t approve of me going into architecture. So, they put limits on my accounts, thinking that if they made it difficult for me to pay for things that I would suddenly change my major and do something I had no interest in.”
Will rolled his eyes, thinking back to when they had dated, how her parents never approved him. He wasn’t on the football team, with straight A’s or a plan for college. He played lacrosse, made decent grades and the only thing he look forward to was riding his Harley.
“I guess… the next thing we should talk about is us,” Venus said after a moment.
“Yeah… when… when we last saw each other we were both going through some intense shit. However, I don’t regret it. Or the result of it. Maybe we could… try dating again, not... start over necessarily but…” Will said with a sigh.
“Fresh page sort of thing?” Venus supplied biting her lip for a moment.
“Yeah. That sounds good. Um. So, I going to be here for a few days helping my parent’s move…” Will began.
“Yeah. Your mother has roped me into helping pack up the glassware and such. So… we will be seeing each other a lot… How pissed is Benny?” She asked with a small wince.
“He’ll get over it. But I figured you could meet my best friends and we could go out on more relaxed dates for a time?” Will offered reaching over to take her hand in his.
She smiled and nodded enthusiastically at the suggestion.
Ain't it a cruel and funny world?
He took your dreams, and he tore them apart
The next day rolled around, and as he woke up at 5am exactly like the others, he figured he and Benny needed to talk. He motioned for Benny to step outside with him, and with a frown, he does so.
“Look… I know you don’t like her for the shit she did when we were in high school. However, we were both just as bad. I forgave her for that shit years ago and so did she. I’m going to need you to try and tolerate her. Especially when her daughter is also your niece. Please, do not start a fight,” Will begged him.
Benny stared at him for a few minutes, before finally looking away, mumbling something under his breath.
He sighed heavily, turning to look back at Will who stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Sure. I’ll…try…I make no promises,” Benny grumbled after a moment.
“I’ll take it. She should be here in a bit, to help mom pack up,” He warned Benny.
“Why does this matter so much to you? I get wanting to be civil for the kid’s sake, but you always said that you didn’t care about her after y’all broke up,” Benny was trying to understand what was going through his brother’s head.
“… I lied. I… I never her told her this but her parents made sure to let me know that I was just going to hold her back and be a disappointment to her. Well. She knows the latter half… she doesn’t know it came from her parents. I let them get into my head and I broke her heart to make it easier,” Will explained as he tucked his hands into pants pockets.
“Shit… You let those freaks into your head? Explains why you were so miserable for so long,” Benny replied, scoffing.
Will did a half shrug as they walked back inside to see Frankie serving breakfast, waffles and bacon. The four of them ate making plans on which rooms they should work on first. After creating a plan of attack, it was almost 7am and there was a quiet knock at the door.
Benny was the one who went and answered it. Will closed his eyes, tensing, expecting raised voices and fists landing.
Benny answered the door, finding Venus standing there with Charlotte in her arms. Venus straightened up as she realized who stood there.
“Morning,” Benny greeted first.
“Mornin’. Lottie. This is Benny, he’s your uncle. He’s a bit silly,” Venus introduced Charlotte to him, softly.
Charlotte looked at him, shyly waving at him.
“Hi,” She said with a small wave.
“Hey. C’mon in. Frankie made waffles if you’re hungry?” Benny offered waving them in.
“Oooh. Waffles? Waffles are your favorite, isn’t that right sweetie?” Venus cooed to her.
Lottie nodded with a small yawn.
Benny escorted them back into the kitchen where Frankie was cleaning up the mess he made after serving breakfast, and Santi & Will were sitting at the table still. Lottie upon seeing Will, wiggled down in her Venus’ arms, wanting to be set down. Venus placed her on the ground, straightening out her clothes for a moment before letting Lottie run over to Will.
When she stood near him, he immediately picked her up and placed her in his lap, and she curled up into his arms.
Frankie quietly called for Venus’ attention, asking her, “Would she like a full waffle or half?”
“Half. She never finishes a full. Thank you,” Venus said appreciating him as he took a waffle and cut it in half.
He cut a slice of bacon in half as well, before coming over to Will with the food and syrup. Venus quietly grabbed from the fridge a small container of fresh mixed fruit, grabbing a small plastic bowl to scoop some into it. She served the fruit alongside the waffles that Lottie was currently devouring.
“Slow down sweetie, the food isnt going anywhere. You are going to make yourself sick eating that fast,” Venus lightly warned her.
Charlotte slowed down after that, mumbling a quiet sorry.
She finished eating about 20 minutes later, and thanked Frankie for the food, stating, “It was really good.”
Frankie smiled brightly and told her, “You are very welcome, honey.”
By then Will’s parents had woken up and were dressed for the day. They made their own plates and were eating as Benny told them the plan.
Will noticed Venus hadn’t made herself anything and was simply leaning against one of the counters in the kitchen, waiting.
Will stood up, placing Charlotte in his seat with a quick kiss on the head.
Will stood next to her, and said lowly, “There’s plenty of food for you to eat as well.”
Venus sighed softly, “I know. Not really hungry. Never am when my parents call.”
“What did they say this time?” Will asked looking at her with slight concern.
“The usual. I’m a disappointment. We didn’t raise you to be like this. If you just did what we asked, things would be easier for the both of you. We want to know our granddaughter and you are depriving us. Blah Blah Blah,” Venus said in a monotoned voice.
“Tch. They had plenty of opportunities to get to know her. Don’t let them ruin your day, simply because they want to be manipulative and guilt trip you,” Will stated matter-of-factly.
Venus nodded, understanding him, but it was still difficult to do. She had heard the same lines long before she left high school. In fact, she started hearing them when she dated Will because he wasn’t on their approved list of suitors. Honestly, that fact alone made her like Will even more, because it meant she didn’t have to put on a façade.
They didn’t get to say much more as his parents finished up, and his mother wandered over to her to start wrapping and packing up the fragile items. It was quiet work as the guys moved out furniture onto a truck, some furniture was going to their new place in Denver, but many others were being donated to other families in town who needed them.
Charlotte helped by dispensing tape for a while before growing bored and running to go supervise the guys. Venus shook her head, chuckling.
“It seems things are going pretty well with you and Will…” Winnie’s teased her. “I notice he didn’t come home until late last night.”
Venus cleared her throat, as she felt her face warm up. After their talk, they had spent a great deal of time… getting reacquainted with one another.
“I have no idea what you are talking about Winnie,” She replied her voice cracking halfway through.
“I haven’t seen him happy in a long time. Or that relaxed. He is usually always tense when he comes home, no matter who is with him or what is going on. I assume he knows what’s going on?” Winnie asked her as they taped up some boxes.
“Yeah. He knows. Told me that uhh… there are some houses up for rent around his neighborhood. I might… see into that,” She informed Winnie, her movements slowing down as she thought about it.
“What’s that big ol’ brain of yours thinking now? I can see you getting lost in your thoughts. Or should I say your insecurities,” Winnie was always able to see right through her.
“Just… worried he’s going to change his mind… about us… about Charlotte. I don’t want to live closer to him just to have my heart broken again,” Venus confessed quietly.
“I understand. You cannot tell him I ever told you this but… when you were teenagers your father said a lot of things to him. Made him feel like this relationship was only going to end in misery. He left because he thought it was best despite the fact that he was miserable without you,” Winnie’s voice dropped as well.
Venus stared at her surprised. Everything made so much more sense now. She never understood why the breakup and even though Will had told her last night that he felt like he would be disappointment, she still didn’t understand where that came from. Now she did. Her father planted seeds of doubt and the both of them suffered because of it.
He never comes home, and you're always alone
And your kids hear you cry down the hall
A few hours had passed, and they had moved furniture out of at least 3 rooms and moved them to their new homes. Will chuckled as he watched Charlotte, or Charlie as Benny has taken to calling her, played with Benny in the front yard.
Benny and Frankie had stripped off their over shirts, Benny in a tank and Frankie in a simple white tee. Will and Santi had taken their shirts off completely, all four of them trying to cool off as they rested.
Venus stepped outside at that point with an armful of water bottles. She passed one out to everyone, checking on Charlotte.
“Sweetie, why don’t you come sit in the shade for a bit,” She said bringing her over to the porch.
Charlotte got onto the porch swing, drinking from her small water bottle, with a sigh. Venus quietly looked her over, noting she looked like she had a bit of sunburn on her shoulders.
Venus looked over at the guys who were sprawled out all over the yard.
“Ya know… there’s this thing called air conditioning inside the house. If ya’ll want to crawl back inside. Drink your water… there’s also cold beer,” She tempted the four of them.
At the mention of cold beer, Benny and Santi popped up immediately, making their way inside. Frankie got up as well, but not as quickly. He chugged down his water, muttering a thanks to Venus as he joined the guys inside. Charlotte after a moment, followed them in as well, wanting to cool off.
Will, who was sitting on the steps, simply patted the spot next to him. Venus joined him with a smile, leaning against him lightly.
“So, your mom doesn’t want the four of you to strain yourselves. She wants you to take it easy tomorrow. I was thinking… maybe… we could go check out those rent houses if you were up for it,” Venus proposed, her chin resting against his bicep as she stared at him.
“Yeah. Yeah, we can do that. Charlotte can come with or she can stay here and be doted on by her grandparents,” Will said with a small chuckle.
“Oh, I’m sure she’ll want to stay here since Grandma Winnie plans to make more cookies tomorrow,” Venus said a smile on her face.
They spoke a little while longer, making plans for tomorrow, when a car pulled up to the house. A very nice and expensive car.
Venus stared at it with narrow eyes as she watched Andrew McIntosh step out.
“What are you doing here Andrew?” She asked him not bothering to stand up.
“Well. Your dear ole mother said you were refusing to answer her calls and wanted to know if you were okay. So, she asked me to come check on you,” Andrew answered looing at the house with disinterest.
“Well. I’m fine as you can see. Now leave. I don’t want to see or speak to you ever again,” Venus growled her body tensing with anger.
Will quietly placed his hand on her shoulder, before standing up.
He squared up in front of Andrew and said, “You’ve done your task, now get off my property.”
Andrew scoffed at him, “Can’t believe you. You were so desperate to get away from her. Kept claiming she was so damn clingy and needy.”
“No. That was you. I vaguely remember knocking you on your ass for it too. Seriously, get off my property before I remind you of all the times I kicked your ass when we were younger,” Will promised him.
Andrew shook his head, but even Venus could see that he was nervous, as he backed away. Andrew walked away and got back into his car, driving away.
Venus stood up as Will turned around, he took a deep breath to calm himself down.
“You really need to block your parents,” Will said after a moment.
“I know. She called once and then sent that shithead to come “check on me.” Most likely he’s going to go back to my mother and tell her I’m here and then I’ll get yet another phone call today. Such fun for me,” Venus said with a roll of her eyes.
Venus stared at him for a moment, before slowly wrapping her arms around his neck. His arms went to her waist, instinctively.
“Thank you for defending my honor. I appreciate it. I regret ever dating him,” She muttered to him.
She stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. He kissed her back, deepening the kiss. They kissed for a good minute before parting. The two of them smiled at each other before heading inside, holding hands.
As the guys drank and cooled off, Venus took the opportunity to bring Charlotte to the spare bedroom and apply some soothing lotion to her shoulders before putting her down for a nap. Once she was asleep, which didn’t take long, Venus stepped back out into the living room, and took a seat next to Will as they all talked.
About 30 minutes had passed when her phone began to ring. She glanced at the screen noticing the name was Horrid Woman aka her mother. Will noticed it and motioned for her to answer it. She does so, staring at him curiously. When it connected, he hit the speaker button.
“Young lady. You have so much explaining to do. Why in the world are you with that… that… hoodlum? You are going to send me to an early grave I swear. Enough is enough. It is time for you to come home and stop this nonsense. We’ve allowed you to have your rebellious phase, but it is now time for you to grow up and act like an adult. I swear I don’t know where I went wrong with you,” Her mother’s shrill voice ranted.
“‘That hoodlum?’ Seriously mom? Can you sound more like an 80s sitcom? I am not coming home. I am not going through a phase. Stop calling. Stop sending people to check on me. I don’t want anything to do with you, or dad,” Venus spoke calmly but her rage was stirring.
“Why I never… He is no good for you. All he will do is disappoint you and break your heart again. He’s done it once before,” Her mother continued.
“Yeah. about that… tell me mother… how much shit were you and dad spewing to him when we were together? Hmm? The way I see it, I was happy, and you couldn’t control me anymore. So, you two did what you do best: destroyed everything. Got me back under your thumb for a time. Sadly, for you, I am not a teenager desperate for your love and attention. I’m blocking this number, do not call me ever again,” Venus ended the call, blocking it immediately.
Venus tossed her phone onto the coffee table, standing up and walking down the hallway needing to be alone for a minute.
Benny was the first to react, “How are her parents still that much of a nightmare?”
Will shrugged, standing up as well, searching for her. He eventually found her in the laundry room, small sniffles filling the room. He gently pulled her into his arms, holding her as she cried quietly. He often found her in a similar state when they were younger, hidden away somewhere to cry in private after an argument with her parents. He knew from past experiences, to just be there for her and let her cry.
Alarm clock starts ringin' who could that be singin'
It's me baby, with your wake up call
The rest of the evening went smoother, the guys crashed in the bedroom they had been in last night. Will and Venus crashed on the couch, curled around each other. They fell asleep together, enjoying one another’s company.
Venus woke up, with her back to Will’s chest. She opened her eyes, feeling something nudging her. She looked down to see Lottie trying to join them. She checked the time, noting it was still early morning. She repositioned herself to lie on her back and pulled Lottie onto her chest, tossing the blanket over her.
“Bad dream sweetie?” Venus quietly asked her.
Charlotte nodded once, burying her face into her chest. Will, who woke up slightly, wrapped his arms around the both of them. The 3 of them fell back to sleep for a few more hours.
Winnie woke up a bit early, getting dressed, and making her way downstairs. She stopped short when she spotted the scene that was before her on the couch. She pulled out her phone to take a photo of it. Some time in the night they had shifted to where Will was on his back, Venus tucked under one arm, and Charlotte sprawled out on his chest.
Winnie made her way into the kitchen, finding the boys in the kitchen making breakfast.
“Good morning my boys. Ready to be my packing helpers today?” Winnie asked them, making herself a cup of coffee.
“Yes ma’am,” Santi answered, handing her a plate of food.
“One second, let me go and get my grandbaby. She’s an inch away from rolling off them and onto to the floor,” Winnie said setting her cup down next to the plate.
Winnie made her way over to them, gently waking Charlotte up as she picked her up off of Will’s chest. Charlotte grumbled a moment before rubbing at her eyes, slowly waking up.
“Good morning my sweet. Let’s go get dressed and have breakfast, hmm” Winnie cooed to her taking her to the spare bedroom.
Will woke up when he heard his mother, opening his eyes eventually. He looked down at Venus, gently waking her up too. Venus stretched gently, slowly sitting up. The two of them quietly got up and got ready for the day, parting briefly to go to separate rooms.
Will stepped out, watching with some surprise as Venus and Benny talked at the island, and were actually being civil with one another. Charlotte was with his mom, eating quietly, and his dad was talking to Santi and Frankie over coffee. He took in the moment, sighing softly.
How do like me now? Yeah
How do you like me now?
Eventually, later on that morning, Venus and Will were in his neighborhood meeting with the realtor that had been working with his parents. The realtor was an older woman named Susan, who gave off mom vibes.
Susan had about 4 houses for Venus to look at. The first two were no’s due to the amount of work that they needed to be done for both of them. The third one was small and not in the best location. The fourth one was alright, not too terrible and was down two streets from his.
“This one has 3 beds, 2 baths. Open floor space for the kitchen and living room. And of course, a nice backyard for any little ones,” Susan said as she showed them the house.
Then one appeared to be the winner; an hour later she had signed all of the necessary documents and was given the key to her new home. By the time everything was said and done, it was late in the afternoon. Will had a small idea, and instead of driving out of the neighborhood, drove her to his place.
He parked the car, and led her inside telling her, “Figured you and I could have dinner together. Catch up. Have… have some alone time.”
She smiled brightly at that, nodding her head.
Now that I'm on my way
Do you still think I'm crazy
They spent the evening together, enjoying one another’s presence. That night they slept together, exploring each other’s bodies. Since they were alone, they could be as loud as they wanted to. They fell asleep in each other’s arm, content.
When they woke up, Venus felt oddly on edge. It took her a few minutes to fully realize why she felt strange.
“As much as I like this… can we head back to your parent’s? I’m not used to being away from Charlotte for so long,” Venus requested once she thought about it.
Will nodded, understanding, “I get it. Let’s get dressed and we can head back to the house.”
They do just that, and when they pull up to the house, and make their way up to the door, Will threw his arm around her shoulders, kissing her cheek.
They stepped inside, and immediately were ambushed by a small child who rapidly spoke about her day.
“Honey, you gotta slow down a bit there,” Venus laughed picking her up.
“Uncle Benny let me watch movies until midnight and we ate popcorn and candy. Uncle Santi and Frankie went to bed early, but they helped me build a blanket fort in the living room,” She repeated going slightly slower.
“Oh? Uncle Benny gave you sugar after 10pm? Oh no. That means my little gremlin will appear soon, doesn’t it?” Venus said somewhat joking but also with a hint of dread.
Charlotte had a tendency to have a sugar rush and crash, but she gets extremely grumpy when she is about to crash.
“Well. You are about to experience a potential temper tantrum,” She warned Will as Lottie wanted to go back to Benny, running.
“I’m sure I can handle it, doll. Dealt with these 3 children for the past 10 years. Trust me, nothing she does will compare to them,” Will said softly.
An hour into moving more furniture out, the dreaded crash began to take hold. Charlotte was refusing to do anything that she was asked. She would either ignore the person talking to her or she would stomp away. Venus sighed heavily as she walked after her, after Venus told her to go sit somewhere safe while the guys were lifting heavy furniture.
She finds her on the staircases, arms crossed, frowning, and staring at the floor.
“Lottie. C’mon. Let’s go sit somewhere,” Venus held out her hand for her to take.
Charlotte just shakes her head, pushing her hand away.
“Charlotte,” Venus said more firmly.
“NO!” Came her voice loudly.
Will, who was helping clear out a nearby room, heard the shout. Will walked toward the sound, spotting Venus standing there with her eyes closed as she tried to calm herself down. Venus knew it was because Charlotte was tired, but her refusing to listen to her was frustrating.
“Lottie. Can you come here sweetie?” Will asked squatting down.
Charlotte slowly walked over to him, frown still in place.
“What’s the matter? Hm? Are you tired?” Will questioned, his voice soft.
Lottie, after a moment, nodded.
“Then why don’t we go take a nap hm?” Will proposed, moving to pick her up.
“But I don’t wanna nap!” She said as she squirmed in his grip.
“Then how about we just lay down for a moment?” Will countered as they stepped into her room.
He laid her down, and even joined her on the tiny bed.
“Sweetie. You can’t be yelling at your mom, okay? She was just wanting to keep you safe. We are moving a lot of really heavy stuff. If we didn’t see you or if we lost our grip on something and you were nearby, it would really hurt you, okay?” His voice stayed soft as he spoke to her.
She nodded her head, “I’m sorry daddy.”
Will still wasn’t used to hearing her call him that. Hell, he doubted he ever will. Hearing her call him ‘dad/daddy’ made his heart swell with so much emotion.
“It’s not me you need to say that to,” He tells her.
Lottie yawned loudly, her eyes drifting she shut as she mumbled an ‘okay.’
He waited a few minutes, to make sure she was asleep, before standing up. He tucked her polka dot elephant in with her, before closing the door behind as he stepped out.
He made his way back to Venus who stared at him with wide eyes.
“Magic. You are magic. I’ve… I’ve never been able to get her to go down for a nap that easily when she’s upset,” Venus stated in disbelief.
“Told you. Dealt with grumpier children. And all 3 of them are my brothers,” Will said with a shrug.
A chorus of “hey’s” came from the other room, causing them to laugh.
Standing here today?
I couldn't make you love me
That had been about 5 months ago. In that time, Venus and Charlotte had moved into the new house and Will practically lived there. They had gone on several dates, some with Charlotte and some without. On those dates, Grandma Winnie was more than happy to spoil her “favorite grandchild.”
When Will wasn’t with them, he was still doing his lectures and meets at the VA offices. Or working with Benny during his tournaments. It felt strange to say it, but Will found himself enjoying life more. It didn’t feel like a monotonous routine; it wasn’t boring anymore.
Will was currently on his way back from a tournament that Benny came in second place. Benny was bummed out and had planned to meet up with Santiago to go drinking. Will was tired, having been up since 3 am and wanting nothing more than to just collapse into a bed. He had planned on going to his home but found himself turning onto Venus’ street.
He pulled up to the house, parking with a heavy sigh. He got out of his car, walking up to the door and knocking twice. A minute passed and the door swung opened revealing Venus who was in just a silk nightgown.
“Hey, I heard about the tournament. How’s Benny doing?” She asked as she let him inside.
“Upset but that’s nothing new. He’ll be fine by morning. Is Lottie asleep?” Will questioned noting how quiet the house was despite it being 8pm.
“Grandma Winnie decided she wanted to steal her for the night. Something about a Disney movie marathon? So… It’s just us,” She explained softly, biting her lip.
“Oh… is that so?” Will smirked as he slid his hands around her waist.
He swiftly picked her up and carried her to her room, wanting to take advantage of this time. Her giggles sounded down the hallway before turning into moans as they landed on her bed.
Despite the fact that they’ve been dating almost 5 months, they haven’t been able to do anything too salacious without something interrupting them.
Tonight, apparently would be no different. Will had just tossed off his shirt and was working her nightgown off when a phone rang. Will collapsed with a groan, Venus growling loudly in annoyance.
Venus reached over to grab her phone and answered it with a sigh, “Hello?”
“Hey honey, I am so sorry to interrupt but I wanted you to know that Charlotte is running a fever. I gave her some children’s Tylenol, but she keeps asking for you and Will. He wouldn’t happen to be there with you, would he?” Came Winnie’s worried voice.
“Shit. Yeah. He’s with me. We’ll be over in a little bit,” Venus replied sitting up with Will.
“No need. I am on my way already. She was very adamant that only your chicken noodle soup would help,” Winnie said with a weak laugh.
“Okay. We’ll be here,” Venus said as she hung up. “Lottie has a fever. Your mom is bringing her back.”
“Was she feeling bad when she left?” Will asked as he threw his shirt back on.
“She had said she felt like her nose was stuffed but I figured it was just allergies. She didn’t say anything else was wrong,” Venus answered, concern lacing her features.
“Well, we will make her some soup and go from there. C’mon,” Will nodded, kissing her cheek trying to assure her.
The two of them got up, and made their way into the kitchen, fixing themselves up as they moved. It didn’t take long for a knock to sound on the door. Will, leaving Venus to heat up soup, answered it.
“Hey ma,” He greeted before turning his attention to Lottie in her arms. “Hey lil bug. What’s wrong my sweet girl?”
He gently took her from his mother’s arms and held her close as she sniffled.
“Don’t feel good,” Charlotte whispered, her voice sounding scratchy.
“Ohno. Well. Momma’s making soup and then you are going to bed,” Will told her as he walked into the kitchen.
His mother came in and told Venus when she gave Charlotte medicine and symptoms and such. Once she was done with that, she made her way back home.
Charlotte quietly ate her soup when it was done, coughing once or twice. She finished about 20 minutes later before turning to Venus, holding her arms out to her. Venus, with a soft smile, picked her up and carried her to Lottie’s room, tucking her in softly.
Will was waiting for Venus in her room when she stepped inside.
“You know she’s going to be in here in like 20 minutes, right?” Will joked as the both of them crawled under the covers.
“I know. Habit to just tuck her into her own bed. Plus, she might not, she was practically asleep when I laid her down,” Venus said as she laid down on her side, curling up to Will who was on his back.
Will hummed quietly in response as the two of them laid there in comfortable silence.
15 minutes later, Venus was asleep, and Will was almost there too when he felt a small tug on his side of the blanket. He looked down to see Charlotte quietly staring up at him. He leaned down slightly, picking her up and letting her crawl under the covers. She collapsed onto his chest, one arm firmly holding her polka dot elephant.
She was out in seconds, and as Will wrapped his other arm around her, he looked at the both of them. His beautiful daughter and the woman he was falling back in love with.
He never imagined this. He never thought he would have this: a family to call his own. He loved it far more than he would ever admit.
But I always dreamed about living in your radio
How do you like me now?
It has been a year since Venus re-entered his life with Charlotte. Since then, Will had moved into her house and sold his old place.
The three of them were currently getting ready to go out to dinner with the guys. It didn’t take very long for them to get dressed and on the road.
They arrived at the restaurant, joining the guys with smiles. Frankie had Isabella with him, who was giggling happily when she saw Charlotte. The two of them became fast friends and had play dates often.
Charlotte sat in Will’s lap and gently played with Isabella who was in a highchair. Venus and Will ordered their drinks before looking over the menu.
The guys chatted happily with them, ordering their meals as they talked.
Lottie gently tugged at Venus’s hand, quietly telling her she needed to go potty. Venus took Lottie to the bathroom, swiftly.
“So… when you going to propose to her?” Frankie asked casually as he took a sip of his beer.
“Soon. I got the ring earlier today,” Will said with a small smile.
“Real question is which one of us is going to be the best man?” Benny asked with a smirk.
“She’s gotta say yes, first, dumbass. Then I’ll decide which of you asses will be my best man,” Will laughed.
Charlotte popped up next to him a second later.
“Daddy. Mommy looks mad,” Charlotte tells him, looking over at her.
Will’s head whipped over to look at Venus who had been stopped by Andrew McIntosh, his hand gripping her arm tightly. Will sat Charlotte on Benny’s lap, muttering for her to stay there.
Will strolled over to them, his fists clenching.
“Andrew. Get your hands off of her,” Will commanded him, his rage brewing.
Venus held a hand up to him, gently telling him to stop.
Venus looked at Andrew and said, “Stop bothering me. Stop reporting to my mother. Leave me alone.”
Venus ripped his hand off of her arm. When Andrew tried to reach for her again, Venus threw a punch out at him, a sickening crack sounding as she broke his nose. Andrew groaned as he held his nose, blood oozing from it. Andrew glared at her, moving to go after her, but Will stepped in between them.
“You put your hands on her again and a broken nose will be the least of your concerns,” Will warned him.
Andrew huffed, walking away with a glare.
Will turned to her and checked her over really quickly.
“You okay?” He asked her, his eyes examining her arm.
“Yeah. I’m good. Been wanting to do that since we were 7,” Venus said with a laugh as they walked back over to the table.
Will shook his head, smirking.
Dinner went without any further incident and they made their way back home. Charlotte wanted to watch a movie, so Will put on Beauty and the Beast for her.
As she watched it, Will and Venus stood in the kitchen quietly talking.
“What did he say to you?” Will asked her.
“Same old bullshit. I’ve learned to not care about it anymore. I have you and Lottie. That’s all I want and need,” Venus answered with an eyeroll.
Will looked at her for a moment before reaching into his pocket, pulling out the small velvet box he had hidden in there.
He gently opened it, presenting the ring inside.
“I was planning on doing this more romantically but… I don’t want to wait any longer. I want to call the both of you mine. That is… if you’re up for that,” He began, hesitating.
Venus stared at him in surprise, not expecting this.
She gently pulled the ring out of its box, looking at it for a moment, before slipping it onto her left hand.
“Yeah. I’m up for that. Shall we go tell our daughter?” Venus asked smiling brightly.
“In a moment,” Will muttered pulling her in close, kissing her softly.
If someone had told him a few years ago that he would be proposing to the girl he was in love with from high school, he would’ve thought they were insane. However, he wouldn’t have traded this for the world. He had his daughter and the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
Tell me, baby
I will preach on
hollandsrecs
Dec 16, 2020
completed series masterlist (1)
links last checked 16/12/2020 | more masterlists here
2 hearts, 22 calibers by heyhihellowhatsup0
summary: despite discovering the new owner of the club you work at may have his own secrets hidden, the temptation to get closer to him outweighs your trepidation...
12 days of christmas by keepingupwiththeparkers
24 hour, long lasting by madmadmilk
summary: a clumsy you, a tube of long lasting lipstick, a small case of stumbling, a stain, and a boy you never imagined to meet.
chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
against the agenda by cosmetologynerd
summary: he was tom holland; love was not on the agenda.
all of the lights by spiderboytherescue
always, yours by angelicholland
summary: you always knew you loved your best friend but you figured that he would never feel the same way, so you set those useless feelings aside. how will you cope when you find a box of letters that tells you otherwise? is it too late to let go of the butterflies trapped deep within you? would he even feel the same way anymore?
apartment 509 by sweetlysilent
summary: tom brings girls home almost daily, something that bothers you to the end of the world; whereas on the other hand you rarely go out, spending majority of your time focused on your studies, something that drives tom insane, the tension between the two of you becoming thicker, even more when he finds out you have a study date.
attachment by hazinhoodies
summary:maybe you held on a little too tight. you were only trying to salvage the most important relationship of your life.
beneath the waves by cosmetologynerd
summary:“please, i wish to be free.”
black beauty by blissfulparker
summary:tom, the king of hell, has no time for love or any woman in his life. he spends his days finding new punishments for the people who deserve it. you, spend your days in heaven making everyone happy. never wanting a soul to feel down. what happens when heaven decides to send you down to join tom in hell? why would they send their best angel to the devil himself?
born king by spiderboytotherescue
breaking curfew by wazzupmrstark
summary: when you got the job to be a counsellor at the summer camp you’d grown up attending all your life, you expected to see some familiar faces. but you certainly hadn’t counted on having to work alongside the boy who had made it his life’s mission to make your life a living hell every summer. in fact, you thought you’d never have to see tom holland again. but he’s is in the cabin right across from yours with campers of his own- smirk, jawline, and all. if you didn’t know any better you might’ve thought that he applied for the position just to spite you, but who were you kidding? what kind of asshole would do something like that?
clear by peeterparkr
summary:y/n is in town for summer, she wants the sea to wash away the pains of the past, however when a certain surfer comes into her life, the remaining salt might not decant, but maybe some sweet surprises might come to shore
complications by loserparker
summary: being roommates with tom was easy, fun. that is until feelings started getting involved. throw in the fact that both of you suck at communication and things are bound to get complicated.
contrapposto by madmadmilk
summary: you desperately needed a figure model for your upcoming art final and you find a friend willing to pose for you.
chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
dare you to move by starksparker
summary: friends with benefits is supposed to be just that. friends with the benefits of fooling around and not having anything more than platonic feelings. easy, fun, thrilling, no one gets hurt…right?
determined by blesshimnorris
summary: you are enjoying university life with your fellow housemates, except for tom, who seems to avoid or tease you every chance he gets. but with your birthday slowly approaching he finally tries to make amends.
chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
dine and dash by blissfulparker
summary:tom comes into your diner every tuesday and thursday, it is no secret that he only goes for you. when will he ever be brave enough to say something, when will you ever be brave enough to let him in?
eighteen by angelicholland
summary: y/n is tom’s math tutor and needed a date for sunday dinner. tom has tattoos all over and just looks like the type of guy who would piss off her parents. will their fake relationship turn into something so much more?
eloped by worldoftom
summary: you and tom have been in a secret relationship for a long time, but what would you do if tom proposed unexpectedly during your vacation in casablanca, morocco?
every step of the way by sunshinehollandd
summary: you and tom are best friends, and you have been for as long as you can remember. after one night, everything changes. but, tom is by your side every step of the way.
ex on the beach by heyhihellowhatsup0
summary: eight months after your ugly breakup with tom, you find yourself stuck together for two whole weeks at a private beach house. just you, tom, some mutual friends, what could possibly go wrong?
for king or country by avengers-sweethearts
summary: from the time you were a child you always lived in the castle. your mother and father were both servants and even after they died you stayed on as one yourself. prince yom was always someone you admired from afar. he was the nicest out of all the holland royalty and incredibly handsome. along the way of your daily duties the prince begins to pay you more attention when you save him from an awkward situation. things get more complicated when his jealous betrothed princess zendaya comes to court and stirs up trouble for the forbidden romance. will prince tom follow his heart or stay true to his country? most importantly of all, will you even make it out alive?
forbidden rose by avengers-sweethearts
summary: if there was one person who knew how to throw a party, it was tom holland. in 1922 partying wasn’t uncommon, but a tom holland party was like none ever seen before. the young billionaire thrived off of rumors and speculation. despite the parties being held weekly, no one had ever seen the mystery man. tom intended to keep it that way until one night an enchanting woman caught his eye. but what happens when her cruel fiancé is tangled up with demons from his past. will their love be enough to overcome the trouble that lies ahead?
forever by starksparker
summary: what happens when a fuckboy with some anger issues and a bad streak is forced to work alongside someone who’s his opposite? and what happens if they can be ripped from him in seconds?
ground rules by madmadmilk
summary: you just love holding someone, and being held. It’s not a hard thing to ask for, but it sure can be hard for someone to understand.
chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
happiness is a butterfly by blissfulparker
summary: you and tom spend your whole lives looking for your soulmates. how could you not see that you two were right under each other’s noses both coming from a mob family?
heart eyes by madmadmilk
summary: tom holland is a friend that you only see once or twice a year, but when the stars align and you finally start to get close to him again you realize that… you’ve never really known each other at all. he has an emoji tailing after every contact on his phone… but none for you. hm. a soft and bumbling story about how you get to know him, and how he gets to know you.
chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
heartbreak weather by t-holland2080
summary: after getting out of a rough relationship, you meet tom, who pulls you out of your heartbreak weather.
heavenly yours by tomsrebeleyebrow
summary: angels live in a perfect world. in a complete ivory tower. but loving someone else is forbidden. a true sin.
hostility by starsholland
summary: everything was going well in your life, living in LA, trying to make it big as a journalist, but all of that is foiled when tom holland walks into your life bringing drama and negativity. how much will you be able to take before you finally lose it?
chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20
hotlanta by hollandorks
summary: afun night in atlanta forces the reader into a fake relationship with celebrity tom holland in order to save both of their careers.
chapters:1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
how to unlove someone by whatevsholland
i only feel you by stuckonspidey
summary: a world in which soulmates feel their other half, physically and emotionally. y/n has given up on finding her soulmate, given up on trying to decipher the sensations he feels and the lifestyle he leads–prompting her to give up on him. her other half, she’d come to find, is the leader of the holland crime family, and in no means the easiest person to love.
kiss currency by madmadmilk
summary: swapping underwear with your best friend’s best friend, while maintaining your cool composure. he’s cute, he’s funny, and you’d be down to kiss him at least once. :)
chapters: 0 | 1 | 2 | 3
lacuna by thollandss
summary: being friends with benefits with a celebrity isn’t easy. nobody said it was.
limits of desire by peeterparkr
summary:you met tom a night he was trying to sleep with you, it didn’t work and you became best of friends. wedding bells might be ringing for when you both realize how you really feel.
london boy by tonguetiedholland
summary: you’re a famous singer and actor whose break up with ex boyfriend, shawn mendes, has just hit the media. when it all feels a bit too much you do the only reasonable thing you can think of, escape to london and lay low for a little while. who knew that tom holland, the boy you’d only met once but had you in the palm of his hand when you did and vice verse, would also be in london at the same exact time?
lucky number by tomhollanders2013
summary: what happens when one of the world’s most famous celebrities accidentally dials your number instead of his new assistant’s... is it a happy accident or a recipe for disaster?
chapters:1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
miss yer kiss by angelicholland
summary: a one-night stand turned something more, you and tom meet again against the odds. an aspiring tattoo artist and a famous actor with “i miss you” on the tip of your tongues meet again and again as you slowly realize what love looks like.
model for me by thollandss
summary: in which you are a photographer for GQ, and during a private session with tom holland, you find yourself getting to know him very well.
money can’t buy you love by hilllsnholland
summary:y/n has worked her whole life to get into the prestige university of her dreams. nothing can stop her, right? maybe tom holland, son of billionaires and the poster child of privilege, who has made it his mission to woo the ‘scholarship baby’.
more than i know by lauras-collection
summary: you need a date for your sister’s wedding and the stranger in the coffee shop seems to be the perfect choice. until you see pictures of yourself and him all over the internet because apparently he’s an international movie star and now the whole world thinks you’re dating. and you have to give the people what they want, right? even if it’s fake.
naughty or nice by avengers-sweethearts
summary: the holidays are the worst time to be alone, especially in a brand new city with a brand new job. when an unexpected meeting with famous actor tom holland ends in the exchanging of phone numbers you find yourself in the dangerous position of falling in love with hollywood’s hottest and most eligible bachelor. unable to help yourself, you being to fall for the handsome actor and will do almost anything to earn his affection. trying to balance work, love, and the holiday proves to be more of a challenge than you had initially thought. the million-dollar question is what side of tom’s christmas list will you end up on: naughty or nice?
of broken promises and heartbreak by softspiderling
summary: it’s been six years since you and tom broke up, six years since you’ve last seen each other. a lot has happened, tom got insanely famous, making countless billion dollar movies, attending one red-carpet event after the other. but now he was attending one event, he wasn’t sure he was ready for. your wedding. and he wasn’t attending as your groom.
chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
paint the grass green by lauras-collection
summary: a complicated relationship ends when tom breaks up with you after a fight. but it’s about to get more complicated. because how are you going to tell him that you’re pregnant if he won’t let you talk to him? so you don’t. years later you run into harrison, and there’s no denying that it’s tom’s son who’s tightly holding onto your hand. harrison gives you an ultimatum: either you tell tom, or he will.
peppermint by hollandandi
perfidy by peeterparkr
summary: tom and you have been sworn enemies since you were young. however you happened to be best friends with the twins. when one of your friends challenged you to break tom’s heart, you immediately accepted to get back at him for all the times he’s hurt you. old feelings might come back, while both of you try to go past your pride and your lies.
philanthropy by museinmind
summary:things seemed to be going too well in your life when you became your sorority’s president. so of course something has to go sideways somehow, and you end up having to take a chemistry class if you want to graduate next year. so what better person to tutor you than tom, the frat ultra hot boy who hides the fact he has textbooks nearly memorized?
pinky promises by sunshinehollandd
summary: being a single dad to a four-year-old isn’t easy, but tom figures out a way to make it work with the help of his best friend.
season of reunions by unbelievableholland
summary: you were adopted by 2 mysterious agents. you knew you were adopted and you never thought about your original family. being content with the life your parents gave you, why would you? that was, until your parents are killed and you’re left to fend for yourself and with a lot of questions unanswered.
seeing the thing by angelicholland
summary: you’re stage-managing your school’s spring show, almost, maine when you’re taken out of your element by a cocky boy with a dazzling smile and a way to your heart that makes you hate him before you can see the thing.
sincerely, by whatevsholland
summary: you and tom were childhood best friends. but when he started dating the girl who got everything you ever wanted, it began a falling out between you and tom. now he’s back home in london, just in time for your sister to host her engagement party.
single all the way by heyhihellowhatsup0
summary: when tom finds out he has to go home for christmas, he decides to formulate plan so he doesn’t have to run into his ex alone. you.
soulmate by spiderboytotherescue
summary: sometimes finding your soulmate doesn’t always happen where you expect it too. and sometimes, you’re just not ready to fall head over heels in love just yet.
sweetener by keepingupwiththeparkers
summary: okay, so maybe lecture hall proximity and roast calibre weren’t the only reasons for your frequent visits to this particular coffee shop. maybe there was a certain brown eyed brunette who worked there, and maybe he always gave you two stamps on your loyalty card instead of one, and maybe you liked watching his back muscles shift under his stupidly tight t-shirt while he pumped sweet vanilla syrup into your cup. maybe.
take me out by angelicholland
summary: you killed people, people who deserved it, but you killed people and that was your reality. killing is a job for one person. add another and it gets messy. things don’t happen by chance, not in your line of work. you held people’s lives in your hands and made the active decision to end them. what happens when you team up with a gorgeous man with a charming british accent to take out a prolific user of a sex trafficking website? but it was not by chance that you fell in love with him, it was the worst decision you could’ve ever made.
the fame game by duskholland
summary: there’s just something about tom holland that makes your blood boil. he walks around like he owns the world, always with an unhelpful quip or irritating smirk on hand. you can’t stand him, and your feud has burned hard and bright for three years. everything changes following an explosive evening at the oscars, when a questionable encounter with the paparazzi lands you in some hot water with PR. the only way to save your shattered public image is to agree to the unthinkable: tom will be your boyfriend, and you will be his girlfriend - and this might just be your hardest performance to date.
the jar series by libertybarnes
summary: tom holland, notorious mob boss, meets a single mother and her bubbly child and has to learn to live life with something to lose.
the king by sadchappuccino
summary: y/n is an angel who fell from heaven, tom is the king of hell. will they put that aside and fall in love?
chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
the missing piece by avengers-sweethearts
summary: when you graduated with an elementary education degree you were lost. you thought you wanted to be a teacher but you weren’t entirely sure if it would make you happy. as you’re in between jobs, you’re lucky enough to stumble upon the opportunity to be a nanny for the very rich and very handsome single father, tom holland. tom is busy running a company and he doesn’t want his daughter ella to be alone or sent to a daycare. things get crazy when you move in with the little family. between some secrets about alla and the undeniable attraction between you and tom you’re not sure what your role is to this family. do you keep it professional or do you risk it all and take the chance of falling for tom? only time will tell if you’re the missing piece.
the situationship by fairytelling
summary: a cup of tea can solve just about any problem. except, it can’t solve your confusing, headache-inducing ‘situationship’ with your university flatmate, tom holland.
to new beginnings by petersshirts
summary: it’s time to settle down and when your best friend asks you to have a child with him, how could you say no?
two lies and a truth by lauras-collection
summary: you wanted a fresh start. and uni seemed like the perfect opportunity. until you bump into tom. he says he’s sorry for everything he’s done to you. but can you trust him?
untitled by marvelbws
summary:suits, smirks, and a major sex appeal.
vlogs by spideyyeet
summary: being in the vlog squad was dope af but having david dobrik run into tom holland and getting him to surprise you was a whole other thing. now let’s see what’s it like to have tom meet the vlog squad and be with the girl that’s making him rethink some decisions.
we’re only kidding ourselves by wazzupmrstark
summary: you work as a production assistant for the spider-man: far from home crew, or rather as tom holland’s handler. the two of you don’t get along very well to say the least, but you won’t quit and he can’t fire you so you’re stuck with each other.
wicked games by captainmarvels
summary: in which tom holland, overwhelmed by his personal demons, seeks comfort in the only ways he knows how; spending money and rough fucking. the hotheaded ceo with major daddy issues can’t seem to get it quite right when it comes to you, but is there hope for his heart?
with love, tom by thollandss
summary: when an envelope addressed to tom makes its way into your mailbox, you realize he has enlisted in the army. your walls begin to crumble down at the idea of him leaving you like this. alone for eight weeks. he makes a promise to you, a promise that every week he is gone, he will send you an update letter... but soon enough, you start to not receive them.
yellow roses by grussell63
summary: tom’s mother has him participate in a bachelor-like dating competition, because she is tired of him sleeping around. furthermore she decides to bring in his best friend to spy on the contestants. is tom going to find the one amongst the 12 candidates or is he just going to play his little games?
chapters: 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | EPILOGUE
general-kenobi357
May 30, 2021
Someday Soon-Chapter 5
Pairing:JJ Maybank x Fem!OC
Summary:John B creates a plan to get the Pogues back together to find the gold. At Midsummers Iz takes a leap of faith that she might regret.
Note: Can anyone tell me why I struggle to much to write a two sentence summary that makes sense, meanwhile I can plan out and write a book in a week. The math is not lining up. Also on an unrelated note, I wrote in that Iz is wearing JJ's Mom's dress they found, since I figured that we haven't seen JJ's Mom so she could be the same size as whoever you imagine Iz to be :)
Word Count: 4k
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All morning I had been pacing around my room, I hadn’t slept all night. John B was MIA, JJ had been arrested and I had no idea how to help either of them.
Suddenly a sharp knock on my window dragged me out of my thoughts, as I practically jumped out of my own skin. Realizing it was JJ and John B, I made my way over to the window.
“Jesus, you two. You scared me half to death.” I told the pair as I opened my window.
“Sorry, Sweetheart.” JJ apologized with a smile on his face, as I got closer to him I noticed the fresh bruises on his face that he hadn’t had yesterday. I didn’t have to ask where they were from as my stomach turned just thinking about Luke Maybank. “We’re getting outta here, you coming?”
“Uh yeah.” I replied, grabbing my bag before climbing out my window. No one else was home but I knew that the cops who were staking out John B’s house were probably also watching the front of mine.
“John, Iz, hurry up. Come on, come on, come on.” JJ rushed us as we all wadded through the water to reach the HMS Pogue.
Once we had all climbed in, John B turned the key, starting the engine and we were off. I sat catching my breath as we watched the Château fade into the distance.
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“First, I almost get strangled to death by Kooks, and now I'm on the hook for 30 grand.” JJ explained bringing John B up to speed on everything he had missed. “We should just dip.”
“Okay, where do you wanna go?” I asked half on board, other than my Mom and Emmy I wouldn’t be leaving behind much.
“Yucatan.” He answered confidently.
“Yucatan? Seriously?” I asked, slightly less on board now that I realized how serious he was.
“No, I'm dead serious right now. Surf all day, and then we can just live off lobsters we catch with our bare hands.” JJ reasoned.
“You just wanna leave 'cause you got your ass beat?” John B spoke up.
“You didn't see the photos.” JJ shuddered.
“Think about it. They're willing to kill for the gold, then it's gotta be out there.” John B said, still holding out hope.
“Have you lost your mind?” I asked, I couldn’t believe he still thought we could find it.
“One hundred years, man. One hundred years, people have been tryin' to find this Royal Merchant, and no one succeeded. And you think you are gonna be the one that actually finds it? When will you get it in your thick skull? If you keep goin' down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad!” JJ demanded, his voice getting louder as he moved closer to John B.
“I can't give up, you guys!” John B explained, his face full of guilt at the mention of his father.
“What happened to your dad wasn’t your fault.” I spoke softly, resting a hand on John B’s shoulder. We all knew about the argument John B had had with his father before he disappeared, hell I had heard it from my house.
“It doesn't matter whose fault it is! Do you not understand that? I can't give up on the hunt, you guys. I don't care who's out there, who's gonna try to kill us. Do you understand that?” John B told him. “Look, I've got a plan. You comin' or what?” he asked looking between us. “Four hundred million, JJ. How much do you owe in restitution?”
JJ looked back at me before following John B back to the Pogue where he began explaining his plan.
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‘This is an awful plan’ was all I could think as I rang the doorbell at Kie’s house. John B had explained to me that I would go to Midsummers with Kie and make sure JJ got in fine, so that he could deliver a note to Sarah Cameron. I had asked why I couldn’t just deliver it if I was already there to which John B explained I would have to distract Kie so that she wouldn’t find out Sarah was involved. I was about to ring the doorbell again when Kie’s mother opened the door.
“Oh, Isabella.” She said, the smile dropping slightly from her face. “How are you?”
“I’m good thank you. Um Kie invited me to join her at Midsummers tonight, so I’m here to get ready.” I explained holding up the old dress we had found in JJ’s attic, I assumed it had been his mother’s.
“Oh really?” She asked, pasting a clearly fake smile on her face. “She didn’t warn me.”
“Well, she asked me weeks ago, maybe she forgot to tell you?”
“Of course, come in. Kiara’s in her room.” She said opening the door wider.
I walked through the huge house and towards Kie’s room, I wasn’t over here much but it always reminded me of the house my parents used to have which was just down the street from here.
“That’s not a party face.” I teased as I walked into Kie’s bedroom where she was sitting at the end of her bed. She looked up with a scowl before realizing it was me.
“What are you doing here?” She asked, pulling me into a hug. “Here to break me out?”
“Unfortunately I’m here to break in.” I responded.
“Kiara, you didn’t tell me that you had invited Isabella to join us.” Kie’s mom said as she walked into the room. “Here, we ordered a couple extra hair pieces, I’m assuming you just brought the dress.”
“Oh, yeah. I didn’t know those were a requirement.” I answered with an awkward laugh.
“Well, we're leaving in 30 minutes.” She said leaving the room again.
“Hair pieces?” I asked, I couldn’t help but smile as I turned to Kie who was laughing at my question.
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As much as I didn’t want to be there, I was amazed at everything I saw as we entered the club. I couldn’t believe that the Kook’s were spending their nights dancing without a single worry meanwhile my house still had no power or hot water going to it.
“Oh there’s Pope.” I pointed out to Kie as we made our way outside.
“Excuse me, sir. Do we have to shuck these ourselves?” Kie asked in a terrible English accent. “'Cause it might mess up my costume.”
“We wouldn't want that now, would we?” Pope responded, playing along once he realized it was us. “That accent was bad.”
“It was.” She agreed as we all laughed.
“You ever seen this many Kooks in one place?” I asked, looking around the crowded club.
“Yeah. Last year.” Pope informed us. “We're in the lion's den.” He stated, he was still pretty shook up from his last visit to Figure Eight. “Hey, have you two heard from JJ?”
“Uh yeah, he should be joining us shortly.” I told them cryptically. “I’m gonna do a lap.” I said before I left to give the two some space.
I made my way over to the bar hoping that they would be willing to serve a minor.
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The bartender that the Kook’s had hired didn’t seem to care who she served and had poured me a rum and cola without a second thought. I had already downed one and was now taking a second drink with me as I walked closer to the dance floor to watch all the Kook’s. As I finished my drink I noticed someone walk up beside me.
“You know somethin’ tells me you aren’t 21.” I heard JJ accuse as I set down my now empty glass.
“What?” I laughed while he took my hand and led me to the middle of the dance floor. “They would never serve a minor, that might tarnish the clubs perfect reputation.”
“You look beautiful, Sweetheart.” JJ complimented as he spun me around before pulling me back to him.
“Yeah you clean up alright.” I teased him. “What is this a clip on bow tie?”
“Yeah John B made me wear it.” He explained looking down at his feet.
“I’m just teasing you, it’s nice.” I smiled. “I wasn’t sure how long I’d survive without you here.”
“Eh, you woulda been fine. I’m sure the Kook instincts that you’ve suppressed, would kick in eventually.” He told me, I couldn’t stop laughing at everything he said but I figured that was because of the two drinks I had just downed.
“I’m so happy to see you, I could kiss you.” I confessed boldly, after we danced in silence for a minute.
“Why don’t you?” He asked, a smile playing on his lips.
So I did, before I could think about the repercussions or about what would change. I closed the gap between us as our lips met. For that one perfect moment everything seemed alright as I melted into the kiss.
But as I pulled back it all shattered, JJ’s face had a look of shock written over it as his arms dropped from around me.
“I have to go, find Sarah.” He explained turning to go search the rest of the dance floor, while I stood watching him go. Immediately I regretted what I had done, I wondered if I had just lost my best friend as I watched him disappear into the crowd.
After snapping myself out of the trance I was in, I pushed my way through the crowd looking for Kie, hot tears threatening to spill over onto my cheek. I had just kissed JJ, something I had wanted to do for years and yet it felt like the biggest mistake I’d ever made. I found Kie after a minute talking to some Kook I didn’t recognize.
“You’re gonna have to excuse us.” I apologized as I pulled Kie away and towards the edge of the party.
“What’s up.” She asked once we had stopped, the smile dropping from her face once she finally looked at me.
“I kissed JJ.” I answered, my voice quiet.
“What.” Kie blurted out, shocked.
“He showed up and we were dancing and he was complimenting me and I had just been drinking and so then I told him that I was so happy I could kiss him and he said <why don’t you> so then I did and then he ran away.” I rambled.
“Oh honey.” Kie muttered, pulling me into a hug as the tears finally left my eyes, trailing down my cheeks and onto her shoulder. “JJ is dumb, okay and I’m sure he has no idea what he did. You said John B had a plan so he probably just had to do that, right?”
“Yeah.” I answered unsure. “But what if this messes up everything?”
“It won’t. I promise.” Kie reassured me as she wiped away my tears. “Come on let’s go get something to eat.”
Kie led me back through the crowd, her hand never leaving mine as we went back to the table her parents were sitting at.
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Sitting next to Kie, I was eating some kind of fancy food that I had forgotten how to pronounce when we heard shouting from behind us. Turning to see who it was, we saw JJ being escorted out.
“Look... look, man, I can walk myself.” JJ tried to explain. “I got legs. Can you see that, brother? Come on. I really appreciate what you did back there. Let me just walk out by myself.”
“What the Hell?” I heard Kie’s Dad mutter from behind us as JJ was pushed past our table.
“It's okay, everybody! Do not panic.” JJ addressed the crowd. “Leave it to the men and women in uniform. Let's hear it for them. Rose! You look like Lady Liberty.”
“Let go of him! You can't boot him! I invited him here. I'm a member of this club.” Kie told the guard as we both stood up. But the guard continued to lead JJ through the crowd away from where we stood.
“Hey, mandatory power hour at Rixon's, Kie, Iz.” JJ pointed to us. “Pope, you as well, all right?”
Kie looked at me with a smile before grabbing my hand.
“No. Kiara! Hey, Kiara!” Kie’s parents yelled as we ran off to join the boys.
With all of us ditching the party, the Pogues were reunited.
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“Hey, guys. So, like, my dad's already gonna kill me.” Pope told us as we gathered around the fire John B had made. “So what's this mandatory meeting about?”
“Might as well tell him, man, before we're gaffed.” JJ said to John B.
“You ready for this?” John B asked looking at us all. “So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant.”
“Oh, my God. Here we go again with this.” Kie rolled her eyes from her spot beside me.
“No. All right, wait. Hear him out, okay?” I said, hoping John B would get on with his explanation.
“It's been here the whole time.” John B told us. “It's on the island.”
“I'd like to voice my skepticism.” Pope spoke up.
“I'm sure you would, Pope, but can I please present you with my evidence, sir?”
“Proceed.”
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“Okay, so, guys.” Pope began after John B explained everything he had learned. “What's the plan?”
“Good question.” John B answered. “Sarah Cameron's coming tonight. She'll bring an original survey map…”
“Hold on.” Kie stopped him, I could feel her tense up beside me. “Sarah? Wh-why Sarah?”
“Um…” John B started, stumbling over his words.
“This is gonna be good.” I muttered.
“Sarah, um, she... she got me into the archives in Chapel Hill yesterday, and that's where I got the letter.”
“You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?” Kie asked, shocked.
“He was mackin' on her.” JJ told us.
“I wasn't macking. I wasn't macking on her, okay? I was using her for access. I was trying to get into the archives.” John B attempted to explain.
“There was access all right.” JJ muttered.
“Is that a yes?” Kie demanded. “You let a Kook in on our secret? What about Pogue Lyfe?”
“I was just using her for information.”
“Why don't I believe you?”
“I'm trying to make us filthy rich here. Okay, so that we can pay off a boat, or... or, uh... send you to autopsy school to study dead bodies, or move to Hawaii. Look, you guys know me. Do I look like the type of person to fall for Sarah Cameron?”
“Uh... Do you want us to answer that, or…” I asked him.
“Look, you don't know her yet. I do!” Kie explained. “You can't trust her.”
“What did she do to you, exactly?” John B finally asked, we all were curious, she had only told me pieces of the story before.
“She's like a... like a spitting cobra. First, she... she blinds you, and then…” She stopped as Pope poked holes in her analogy. “Listen to me! Whatever we get, she's gonna try to take.”
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The lights of the van turned on as we stopped at the Hawks nest, waking me up again, it felt like days since I had last slept well making it easy to doze off.
“All right.” John B said, turning off the van. “So, uh, I think I'm gonna do this one by myself... tonight.”
“Really?” Kie asked, shocked.
“What?” John B asked as if he had done nothing wrong. “I don't want to spook Sarah with the peanut gallery.”
“I just don't understand why we're involving her at all.”
“Kie, we're not involving her, okay?”
“Promise me nothing's happening between you.”
“Nothing is happening, Kie.”
“That was really believable.” I spoke up sarcastically from the back of the van as John B climbed out.
“A hundred percent believable.” Pope said, backing me up.
“Anyways, um... I'm gonna take care of business.” John B concluded before closing the door.
“We'll just sit here…” Pope started.
“...in the hot-ass car.” JJ added.
“Kiara, holding onto your grudge is like drinking poison and thinking Sarah will die.” Pope informed Kie after a few minutes.
“Exactly.” JJ added backing him up. “You alright back there?” He asked me.
“She’s great JJ. Really doing awesome thanks to you.” Kie responded for me, which brought a smile to my face as I drifted off to sleep again.
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I woke up again when the rest of the Pogues started to scramble out of the van, which is when I heard Sarah Cameron screaming for help. I got up with my friends and we all went running to go see what had happened.
Everything was a blur when we finally found them.
John B was lying on the ground as Sarah cried over him. He was moving but barely as Pope rushed back to get the van and get him to a hospital. After we got John B to the hospital a nurse told us to go home and that he would be fine. After some convincing we all finally left. Pope drove us all to our houses, the ride was silent.
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When I entered my house it was dark and everyone else had probably been asleep for hours, I went straight to the bathroom to get ready for bed. As I walked back into my room from the bathroom, I heard a knock on my window. But from inside my dark room I couldn’t see anything, I figured it was just the wind until another unmistakably human knock shook the window. Grabbing the flashlight which was my only light source I crept closer to the window, worried about who might be knocking.
Once I got to the window though, JJ’s golden hair lit up on the other side of the glass. I pushed open the window before taking a step back so he could climb through.
“What are you…” I started to ask before he interrupted me.
“I um, I wasn’t sure where to go. I’d rather not be at home right now.” He explained, looking anywhere but my face.
“Oh, yeah. You can stay here.” I knew he didn’t want my pity but I couldn’t help the sad expression my face held.
“Listen, Iz. I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have run off after we kissed. I just-I wasn’t sure what to do.” JJ began rambling, this time it was my turn to interrupt him.
“Can we not tonight? We can talk about it later.” I was too exhausted to have a serious conversation. “I just want to go to bed.”
“Oh okay.” He responded, I walked across the room to my bed before I watched him take one of the blankets off the bed and begin laying it out on the floor.
“JJ, what are you doing?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.
“You said you wanted to go to bed. I’m making myself a bed.” He explained confused.
“You’ve been beaten up how many times this week?” I asked. “I’m not making you sleep on the floor when there is more than enough room in my bed.”
Without another word he stood back up and made his way to the other side of the bed. Once he was under the blanket I turned off the lamp before turning so I was facing him. I could barely make out his features, the only light coming from the bright moon outside, but I knew he was there.
“Can you tell me a story?” He asked, I smiled, his question reminded of when I would help put Emmy to bed.
“About what?”
“Hawaii, tell me about what it’s going to be like.”
“What are you moving with me?” I joked.
“Well, if you’ll have me.”
“Of course I will.” I stated before pausing to think about what our life would be like if we could move to Hawaii. “We could buy a big piece of land, with a waterfall and a path that leads right to the beach, and we could build a little house right beside the waterfall.”
“You mean I could build us a house.” He interrupted, trying to be realistic even as I told him a story about our imaginary future.
“Hey I’m the one telling the story.” I complained. “And besides I’ve been getting good at holding tools, I could probably identify upwards of five different tools.”
“Okay, proceed.” He stated, impatiently waiting for me to continue.
“We could spend all day surfing and get a hammock, the best that money can buy.” I continued, adding random details.
“Do you think our friends will visit?” I heard him ask sleepily.
“Yeah, we’ll have a little guest house on the other side of the waterfall for them. John B can bring Sarah, I’m sure they’ll get married as soon as they possibly can.” I said, imagining all our friends grown up.
“Oh definitely, he’s already in love with her.” JJ added.
“And I’m sure that they’ll have a herd of children that follow them around everywhere they go like little ducklings. And Kie and Pope will be together.”
“That is if Pope ever works up the courage to ask her out.”
“That or Kie will just give up waiting and ask him out.” I joked before going back to my story. “I don’t know if they’ll have kids though, I think that they’ll just be the really cool uncle and aunt for awhile.”
“What about us? Are we gonna get married and have kids?” JJ asked after a minute.
“Well that depends if you ever propose.” I pointed out thinking about our future.
“Maybe I’m waiting for you to propose to me. Ever think about that?”
“No I hadn’t.” I paused for a minute before I kept talking. “JJ Maybank will you…”
“Hey, hey, hey. I’m only sixteen, at least take me out on a date first.” He interrupted my question.
“How do you know that I was proposing you didn’t let me finish.” I explained before asking the question again. “JJ Maybank will you, pass me some more of the blanket, you’re really hogging it and I’m getting cold.”
“Oh that was just cruel.” He pouted, as I laughed at my dumb question.
“What you didn’t even want to be proposed to yet.”
“Well I wasn’t going to say yes but I would have liked you to ask.”
“Oh my gosh.” I shook my head at him before I continued to talk about our family. “I think we’d have three kids and they would all look exactly like you. A girl, who is ridiculously smart and kind and helpful. And twins, boys, who are absolute terrors.” I paused looking at JJ whose eyes were beginning to close. “But every night, just as they fall asleep. They look so peaceful and you remember why you love them so much.”
Once I had finished talking I turned so that my back was facing JJ before I finally started to drift off to sleep. As I closed my eyes I felt a warm arm snake around my waist and pull me closer while JJ nuzzled his face into the back of my neck.
“Jade, Jesse and Jacob.” He mumbled, his breath fanning across my neck. It took me a minute to realize he was naming the kids that I had just described.
“Of course you would want all of their names to start with J.” I smiled, on the brink of falling asleep.
“It’s the best letter of the alphabet, Sweetheart.” He responded just before I fell fast asleep.
🔅🔆🔅
sunflowershouto
Jul 7, 2020
strange little visitor - shoto todoroki x reader
𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆: I got the idea for this while snuggling with my kitty! some fluff with my favorite boy <3, hope you enjoy!My requests are currently open!
𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: Shoto has been having the same cat visit his room at night, and your cat seems to disappear every now and then.
𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕: 1.9k
𝐬 𝐭 𝐫 𝐚 𝐧 𝐠 𝐞 𝐥 𝐢 𝐭 𝐭 𝐥 𝐞 𝐯 𝐢 𝐬 𝐢 𝐭 𝐨 𝐫
Shoto let out a long sigh as he drummed his fingers against his bedroom desk, eyes scanning the same paragraph of his textbook for what felt like the millionth time. It wasn’t that he didn’t get it; in fact, the information he was studying was merely review for an upcoming exam. The issue was that he couldn’t get himself to focus.
No matter how many times he read the same sentence over and over and over and over and over again, it didn’t seem to stick.
With a heavy sigh, he leaned back into his chair and let his pencil clatter uselessly against the surface of his desk. It was a pointless exercise to keep rereading the same passage, hoping for a new result; maybe he should move onto something new. Just as he was about to turn the page to move on to a new section, he heard a soft plop against the bed behind him, and a light jingling sound.
“Hm?”
When he turned around to see what had entered, he was met with the sight of a fluffy calico cat kneading one of his pillows, having entered from his open window.
It definitely belonged to someone, there was a collar with a bell around its neck, but it had no tags to indicate its name or who it belonged to.
“Can I help you?” Shoto asked, standing and walking over to his bed, where he bent over to take a closer look at his new visitor.“I don’t think you belong here.”
The only response he got was a soft purr and a twitching ear. Go figure.
It stayed for a few hours, not disturbing him as he studied and sitting quietly on his bed, perfectly content to just lounge around.
He glanced back at it every few moments, as if waiting for it to do something. After all, it wasn’t every day that a random stranger’s cat came waltzing into his bedroom. Weird. . . After finishing with his studies, he cleaned off his desk and then went and sat down next to the cat, staring down at it almost expectantly.
“Well? Why are you here?” he asked, reaching out a hand towards the cat, aiming to scratch behind its ears.
It just purred and rubbed its face against his hand, curling its tail and rolling onto its side.
“I see,” Shoto replied, as if the cat had said something of substance.“Don’t you have a home? Someone has to be missing you.”
The cat only continued to purr. It stayed for another hour, before it went back out the window and happily trotted home.
//
You were just about to lay down to go to sleep when you heard little footsteps pattering on your balcony and went to open the door for your cat. You slid open the glass door and smiled as he hurried in.
“Hi, Koko,” you cooed, kneeling down to scratch behind his ears.“Did you have a fun adventure? I wonder where you go all the time.”
Koko meowed softly, rubbing against your legs before jumping up onto the foot of your bed and curling into a little ball, where he promptly fell asleep.
“Weirdo.” You gave him one last little scratch before crawling under your covers and falling asleep.
//
It was three weeks later, and more often than not, Koko went to visit Todoroki’s room at night. If the window was open, he’d let himself in, and if it wasn’t, he’d scratch at the glass until Shoto opened it for him. The cat had made himself quite at home, and Shoto was getting used to his company.
He had started calling the cat Chabu, a nickname that seemed endearing, if not a little mean spirited. It meant“Chub,” but in fairness, Koko was a heavy cat.
It was an average morning at UA, and Shoto was trying to think of a way to figure out whose cat seemed to be so insistent on visiting him. He was relatively sure that it was probably some old woman who lived nearby, maybe the type to own ten cats and let them out on their own.
You sat in front of Momo, and one seat diagonally in front of him, which meant that for the most part, he could hear the conversations that you and Yaoyorozu shared in the mornings before class started. Sometimes he liked to listen; he found your enthusiasm about certain topics endearing, and found himself interested in the things that you had to say.
“L/N, he’s so cute!” Momo enthused, gushing over a picture you had pulled up on your phone.
Shoto couldn’t see the screen, but he assumed that the photo was of a pet, or maybe a younger sibling or cousin.
“I know!” you agreed, swiping through a few more pictures.“His name is Koko, and he’s such a sweetheart. He’s got quite the sense of adventure.”
In hindsight, he should have connected the dots right there, but he tuned out the end of your conversation as Aizawa began his lecture, and forgot all about the pictures that you had shared with Momo.
Most of that day, Shoto found himself thinking about figuring out where Chabu was coming from; after all, someone had to be wondering where their cat was going every night, although he was a bit hesitant to seek out his owner. After all, what if they decided to start forcing him to stay inside? He’d grown to enjoy his little visitor, though he supposed Chabu’s owner deserved to know where he had been.
On his walk home from the train station, he decided that tonight he would try to follow Chabu home, just to see.
Shoto was almost at his house, when he caught a glimpse of a UA uniform and a familiar face across the street. He stopped walking and called over, a bit confused.“L/N?”
You weren’t expecting to hear your name, especially not in his voice. Your face flushed immediately, and you turned around to wave.“To-Todoroki! Hi! I haven’t seen you around here before!” Why couldn’t you think of cooler things to say?!
“Ah. I live that way,” he replied, gesturing down the street and then to the left.
‘Of course he lives in the nicer part of the neighborhood.’ You shook your head, thinking to yourself for a moment before smiling again.“Wow! I guess we live kind of close then, huh? My house is just down this road. I can’t believe I’ve never seen you around here before.”
Todoroki nodded his agreement, a small smile on his face, one that you couldn’t see from across the street. So he lived close to you. Why did he take so much satisfaction in knowing that?“It was nice seeing you, L/N.”
Waving to each other one last time, you parted ways and headed in opposite directions, your face flushed as you hurried home and into your bedroom, where you flopped down onto your bed and groaned.“I am so bad at talking to him,” you sighed, throwing an arm over your face.
Koko hopped up onto your bed and curled into your side, where he napped happily, blissfully unaware of his own involvement in all of this.
//
“Okay, Chabu. You’re gonna show me where you live,” Shoto informed the cat, who had absolutely no idea what was being said to him.
It was late that night, about the time that Chabu usually liked to return home for his meal, and Todoroki was just waiting for him to head out the window so he could finally put an end to this mystery.
The second that the cat was out the window, Shoto followed, leaving it propped open just enough that he could get back inside when he returned home.“Alright, lead the way,” he declared matter-of-factly, as if Chabu had any idea what was happening.
The cat moved fairly quickly, and Shoto found himself jogging to keep up as he followed closely, taking note of what streets he’d crossed so he could find his way back home. He was expecting a longer journey than what he got; in fact, he’d only been following Chabu for a few moments before the cat headed for one of the houses and climbed up a pillar and onto an apartment balcony.
“An apartment,” he sighed to himself, regaining his breath and staring up at the balcony as Chabu scratched at the glass to be let in. There was a light on inside, and Shoto could make out a silhouette crossing the room from behind the curtain.
“Koko!” a soft voice cooed as someone stepped out, kneeling down to greet the little trickster.
“L/N?!”
“Huh? Wha- Todoroki?! What are you doing here?” You stood up immediately, moving to lean over the balcony and stare out at your classmate in confusion. Your face was bright red, as you started to process the fact that this was real. The guy you liked was currently outside of your house in the middle of the night, and you had no idea how to react. “Did you- Did you follow my cat to my house?”
“No, I didn’t- I mean- Yes. I did, actually. But I didn’t know that he was yours. I thought Chabu’s owner would be some old lady,” he explained, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and waving the other furiously.
Your face fell completely flat as you stared down at the white-and-red haired boy who was standing beneath your balcony.“Todoroki?”
“Yes, L/N?”
“Did you name my cat Chubby?”
“. . .Yes. He’s been visiting me at night for quite some time now.”
“I. . .” You were at a loss for words. Part of you was dying inside because this! was! happening! Todoroki was outside your window, telling you that your idiot cat had been disappearing to visit him at night for almost a month. The other part of you was slightly insulted that he’d had a month to name your cat, and he had chosen ‘Chabu.’
“His name is Koko.”
Todoroki nodded, his face unreadable as he stared up at you.
You hesitated for a moment before you moved over to the small fire escape ladder that led from your balcony to the ground. You moved quickly down it, and then went to stand in front of Todoroki.
“And you followed him all the way here?” You were smiling now, a warm feeling taking over inside as you realized just how utterly adorable that was.
He nodded again, his eyes never leaving yours, his hands open at his sides.
You took a breath before placing your hands in his and standing on your toes to kiss his cheek.“You can call me Y/N.” Your face was burning and your heart was pounding, but he hadn’t pulled away.
“Shoto,” he replied, squeezing your hands lightly in his.
“Shoto,” you echoed, your smile widening.“If. . . You know, if you wanna hang out sometime. . . Since I guess we co-parent my cat now. We should hang out. Or something.”
He returned the smile and your heart skipped a beat. He hesitated, moving a bit awkwardly to kiss the top of your head, as if he wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do.“I’d like that, Y/N.”
“Just promise you’ll stop calling my cat Chabu?” you reminded him, giving him a sheepish smile.
“I promise.”