"𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑲 𝑻𝑶 𝒀𝑶𝑼 " — you can never get used to the mornings when he leaves.
˚୨୧ genre — fluff, domestic au
˚୨୧ word count — 1,052
˚୨୧ note — here lies my comeback drabble!! it's a little angsty? i don't know, i listen to carly rae jepsen's album otw to work every day + with the thought of RE4R leon in mind... i just had to write this.. enjoy! as always, requests are open as well :]
Even in your most delicate and peaceful dreams, the sound of sheets rustling wakes you. Blindly swatting your hand across the king sized bed, your heart nearly falters at the feeling of emptiness. Leon’s side of the bed still radiates his familiar warmth and relief washes over you when the sound of his deep chuckle echoes from across the room.
“Ugh, is it already time?” You grumble, rising slowly whilst attempting to rub the sleep off your eyes.
Shifting your position so you rest against the headboard, a pang in your legs causes you to moan slightly with discomfort. Although aching terribly from the number your husband had done on you just mere hours ago, you let out a small giggle at the reminder as you rest your head back.
The sight before you isn’t an uncommon one. With his bare broad back turned to you, you peacefully watch him get dressed with the same adoration you’ve kept with you for many many years. Behind you the sun rises shyly, seeping liquid gold between your bedroom curtains. A gold streak lines itself down Leon’s well built back, putting a spotlight on some of the scars he’d collected from past missions. When it comes to him, you can’t help but have worry root itself deep in your stomach sometimes.
Feeling your quiet gaze along with the power of intuition as a husband, the blonde agent turns to you with a smirk before pulling on his shirt. Heavenly blue and deep, his eyes meet yours.
“You’re staring, Sweetheart…”
“Mhm, I’m just enjoying the view.” You quip sleepily.
As you watch your god of a husband make his way back towards the bed, a small smile is unable to keep itself off your lips. The warmth of the golden sun covers him in full and you finally see his handsome face, one you’ve fallen in love with over and over and over again. Leon sits on the edge of the bed beside you and he leans over to tuck your hair behind your ear. A small, yet endearing gesture that immediately makes you melt at his touch.
Cupping the frame of your face with his large hand, his calloused thumb glides itself across the soft valley of your cheeks and down to brush your plush lips.
“Gonna miss this face.” He admits, dropping his hand and turning his head to return to the task of getting ready.
Already missing his face, your arms instantly drape themselves over his wide shoulders with your chin hooking itself near his neck. While your husband fixes on his watch to his wrist, you take the opportunity to pepper kisses along his jaw. The agent lets out a soft grunt as you dutifully continue your ministrations, letting the last kiss go with a pop. “Just don’t miss me too much, Mr. Kennedy.”
“Oh, Mrs. Kennedy,” Leon coos, craning his head to tickle his nose against yours. “We both know I couldn’t do such a thing.”
With the way his azure eyes delve into yours, you can’t help but chase after those irresistible lips of his. The overfamiliar situation makes you bite your trembling lip. Once again do you rise during the early mornings of the day to watch your husband leave your embrace. There are times when you fear he won’t ever return and there are times when you can barely move another inch in the large bed that is always filled by two. This time, you feel as though everything consumes you all at once.
“What if I miss you more?” You whisper, the sound of uncertainty filling the silent bedroom.
“Not possible,” Leon shakes his head with a small smile. “Come here.”
In an instant flurry, his large hands grab at your waist and he places you right on his lap. The sudden action causes you to wince as you start to feel the soreness in your legs creep up once more. To this, he smirks and you’re too late to hide your reaction. “Sore, huh?”
“Shut up.” You squirm, failing at an attempt to escape from his hold. Despite the fact that the two of you have been married and are still desperately in love for many moons, the man continues to keep his ability to fluster you without fail. “This is your fault.”
“But you love me.” The hands that hold you give you a small squeeze.
You nod solemnly, wrapping your arms around his neck. “That I certainly do.”
Leon’s phone vibrates on the bedside table, breaking the trance the two of you share. The sound serves as a reminder that causes your heart to deflate and you make a small effort to cover the frown. When you turn back to look at him, his eyebrows are furrowed and you can already read what’s on his mind.
You’re thinking the same thing, too. Something told you he’d be gone a little longer this time. Spain was way too far for your comfort and peace of mind.
“Looks like that’s my cue...” He exhales in defeat.
Following him to the door, you quickly grab his new jacket from the closet. It was expensive, a brown jacket with fine leather and fur to accompany it. You had given it to him as a gift, a little something to celebrate him. “Don’t forget your jacket. And don’t lose it.” You warn your husband playfully, enough to lighten the mood.
He accepts the jacket from you and puts it on obediently. As you open the front door, the autumn breeze bites at your skin and you silently hope that Leon will be fine. across the street, a sleek black car and suited men are posted outside your house patiently waiting for a certain agent.
“Of course, I love you.” Leon says, leaning in to seal his declaration with a short, passionate kiss to your lips.
“Be safe and you better come home to me quickly.”
“You know I always do.” He pulls you in to plant one last kiss to your temple before stepping out of the house. “I’ll come home soon.”
“Okay. I love you, too.”
With your last parting words, you watch gingerly from the lonely door, your husband leaving you once more. It is when the car leaves your sight do your tears begin to fall.
Requested by anon: Could you do a eyesight is black and white until you meet with soulmate with Leon Kennedy. They meet in the Umbrella lab since she was an intern and didn’t known what they did. They only reason she was alive this long was because Annette found her early on.
A/N: I might come up with some of my own or open requests again soon, but this will be the last scenario request in a while because I’m not too motivated or inspired to write these lately.
You ran as fast as you could, terrified out of your mind as you discovered the chaos that reigned on the building. Lights flickered and failed, surrounding everything in darkness as your coworkers and superiors, who had turned into zombies, lurked prepared to attack you at any moment.
What had you gotten yourself into? You just wanted to work at Umbrella because it was a well-known place that you thought would give you plenty of great experience, but your internship had not gone like you expected.
You ran aimlessly, still unfamiliar with most of the lab. You were so new that you were barely familiar with some of the rooms and you had only known Anette and William Birkin. And even them you didn’t completely trust, there was something strange about them. Which culminated in him becoming a zombie monster that had already tried to kill you.
You stopped before a door and swung it open, screaming at the sight of a figure standing there.
“What are you doing here?!” Fortunately, it wasn’t a zombie, but Anette. “Get out of here! We’re in a crisis!”
“What is happening?!” You shouted in anger and frustration. “Why… How…?”
“Never mind that” Anette carelessly walked closer to you and handed you a gun. “Find the closest exit and run”
You had a feeling like she knew more than she was letting on. Like she was to blame and Umbrella wasn’t as great as you thought they were.
“I… I can’t…” You observed the gun in your shaky hands. It felt heavy and cold.
“You’re gonna have to” She pushed you out of the room and shut the door closed once you were outside.
You felt yourself shaking from head to toe, now also wielding a gun that you didn’t know how to use and didn’t want to either. Forcing your legs to move, as they felt like they were made of jelly, you kept on walking. You gulped, watching the eerie shine of the emergency lights illuminating the long empty corridors. In your head they were reddish, even if everything was in black and white for you ever since you were little.
You felt lost, out of breath and confused. It was only when a distant grunting noise startled you that you remembered the gravity of the situation and continued running.
Figures, noises and shadows frightened you on your way to the exit. You hesitated but ultimately decided against firing your gun when a wave of nausea hit you just at the thought of it. However, you knew you would be forced to use it at some point, and after what felt like hours of running and blindly navigating through endless corridors, it seemed like the time had come.
“No!” You yelped as a figure began moving closer to you. And closer, and closer, until it was right in front of you and you lifted your gun in spite of yourself. “No…”
“Wow!” To your surprise, the figure was speaking to you. “Don’t shoot!”
Summery: Y/N is unsure what to do when her childhood crush turns into the hottest man she had ever seen and also him confessing his own love to her and also… him being the hottest man she had ever seen… what is she supposed to do?
Genre: romcom, childhood crush, a teeny tiny bit of angst, Slow burn, Smut (again, minors don’t interact or in fact read)
Warnings: Element play (hot and cold), Dirty talk, Eating out, no protection, slight masturbating
Words: 5,7 k
A.N.: I haven’t actually watched the new movie, I’ve just seen clips so if something is really inaccurate… sorri. ATLA is actually my favorite show of all time, I watch it annually and I already watched it this year haha. As someone who had a crush on Aang when I was a kid because I have always been into the good guys… seeing his adult self… I… I wrote the filthiest smut I ever have (also my second one ever) so do with that as you will. This is also a little love letter to ATLA and I hope they figure something out about the movie haha also if you want me to write something specific about team avatar, requests are always open! Bye bye!
Masterlist
!Please do not share, copy or steal my work! @memmuliamia
Aang was running away from Y/N, running as fast as the wind actually since he was an air bender and by the way, the avatar. He was looking back at her, laughing at the top of his lungs with his eyes closed and that big mouth of his.
“Katara said we are supposed to be back before sunset! Aang come on!”
Aang stopped and sucked in massive amounts of his surrounding air just to scream as loud as humanly possible: “THE FIRST TO GET THERE WINS!” And with that he was immediately passing her basically flying in the other direction. When he passed Y/N it was like time had slowed down and he just smiled widely at her.
Him gone by miles already she suddenly woke up from her trance. “That is not fair!”
After what felt like an eternity, she had finally reached the tent with Aang sitting outside holding out a bowl of soup up to her. “Here!” He exclaimed happily and she just sat down beside him. The sun had already set and the two sat there in silence just eating until… she smacked his head and he yelped.
“You cheated! You know I can’t run as fast as you, as a matter of fact, NO ONE CAN!” She said smacking him again and he just pouted. “M sorry… I- I- I didn’t want to make Katara wait.” Y/N just rolled her eyes, Katara this, Katara that. She was Y/N’s best friend, beautiful, smart, and oh! A powerful waterbender besides all… beside her, Y/N sometimes felt… really weak, also because she knew Aang, the guy Y/N had a crush on liked Katara so… she was just slightly jealous… slightly.
As soon as her eyes looked sadder and her head kinda dropped, Aang was worried. “Y/N? Are you alright? Listen, I am sorry about earlier… how about we fly out on Appa later huh? You always love that!” He exclaimed happily to cheer her up. She just shook her head suddenly not in the mood anymore.
Y/N put the bowl aside and got up but before she walked away he held her wrist looking up at her. “I am sorry if I hurt you Y/N… Please don’t hate me or anything.” Oh… but how could she hate him, the moment she first saw him she was already lost. She forced a smile onto her face and shook her head. “Aang it’s fine… you should ask Katara for a round with Appa… she put so much effort into cooking for us… she’ll like that…” Her wrist slid out of his grip and she walked away with a low head and maybe a small tear in the corner of her eye.
Aang felt horrible, he was about to run after her when Sokka stepped out of the tent throwing an arm around Aang. “What’s up my blue arrowed friend, did you finally tell her?” Sokka asked acting all nonchalant when he was burning with curiosity. Aang just stood there watching after Y/N and so did Sokka.
Aang sighed. “No… I couldn’t I was too scared… I don’t think your advise worked.” Sokka looked down at Aang. “What? She wasn’t impressed by your air sprinty thing?” Aang shook his head. “Not even a bit… I think she was actually annoyed… I might have also said that I did it for Katara to not let her wait… instead of that I did it trying to impress Y/N…” Another smack but this time from Sokka. “You have a lot to learn my naive little friend.”
12 years later… present day
“Y/N come on! The firework is about to start soon! I don’t want to miss it!” Aang called out. It was Firelord Zuko’s 12th year anniversary as firelord and all his best friends were with him. The entire fire nation threw a big festival for him and the amazing fireworks were about to start. Y/N stumbled down the stairs holding up her long dress before she slipped and landed in Aang’s arms.
His cheeks immediately start to go pinkish and his eyes widened as his strong arms were holding her securely. It really didn’t help Y/N that her childhood crush had become extremely tall and extremely hot over the years at all. Aang had a pretty face, big eyes, an incredible physique and he was the most powerful bender in the world.
That her hands had landed on his muscular chest did not help either. They felt so tight and firm that she almost squeezed but she held herself back. They looked at each others eyes and suddenly the fireworks exploded behind them but neither of them were paying any attention to it anymore.
“Y/N I love you…” Aang blurred out and both of them immediately froze… he said what? She pulled herself away from him, very confused. “What?” Aang cursed at himself in his head, he was gonna tell her tonight but not like this, not just randomly when they were alone missing the grand fireworks.
He was gonna say it under the beautiful lights of the thousand small fires in the air with laughter and joy around them but right now they were far away from the fairground with no one around, it almost felt cold.
“Um… I said… I love you…” way to go big powerful avatar, bridge of the spirit world and master of all four elements… he thought while Y/N actually started laughing. She started laughing so much that she was holding her stomach from the pain. Aang just nervously laughed with her…
“I know I should have told you soone-” “That was a good one Aang! I can’t stop laughing, my tummy hurts!” Aang just looked confused while Y/N calmed down wiping away some tears that had formed at her eye.
“Okay, now come on.” Y/N said smiling passing Aang but he gripped her wrist and she looked up into his… kind of serious face?
“Aang?” “Is that what you think? That I am joking?” He said with a very serious voice which actually threw her off a bit. She chuckled nervously, “well… yeah? You like Katara no?” Y/N was sure that Aang has had a crush on her best friend since they were kids actually. Over the years she had just become more and more amazing… only problem was she was with Jet now which probably hurt Aang a lot… maybe Y/N was a placeholder or something?
“Katara? You think I like Katara? Why would you think that?” He asked confused, his serious voice gone replaced by utter confusion. He was still holding her wrist in a weird way, the air was kinda awkward around them. “Don’t you?” Y/N asked now confused as well.
“Of course not! She has a boyfriend! And besides, I never liked Katara that way, she is more like… like a sister to me. Y/N…” Aang sighed. “I always just loved you, I always have… since we were kids… it’s always been just you. I love the way you smile and how excited you get when we are all together because I know how much you love your friends. I love how you are interested in my past and my people. I admire you for always giving your best even though you think you aren’t good enough because you can’t bend an element.” Aang said softly stepping closer with all the fireworks exploding behind him.
“Just to add to that, you are good enough. You are the strongest person I know and I believe you weren’t born as a bender because if you were we wouldn’t need an Avatar on the side.” Y/N laughed softly through tears now, he looked so sincere and full of love…
“I love you Y/N, everything about you. All that is you. I want you to be mine… I want you to be my forever baby.” Y/N laughed loudly at that and he blushed. “Shush… I am trying to be… confident here…” he said smiling softly. She held his hands suddenly and looked more serious than before.
“Aang… from the moment I saw you… I wanted to be yours.” Aang thought he saw Roku for a second because he thought he died hearing her say that. “Wha… what?”
“You know my childhood wasn’t easy but… when I met you, I suddenly had a friend, I suddenly had a family. You were always so cheerful and happy that you gave me hope. No matter how hard something was, you could always do it, no matter how scared you were! No matter how difficult you thought it was gonna be, to help others you always did what was necessary. I mean heck you defeated Ozai when you were like 12!”
Aang was very thankful that it was night and that the fireworks were behind him because his face was steaming red and his tears were running down his cheeks. Y/N cupped his cheek and she smiled softly, crying as well.
“I shouldn’t say this but… I am so thankful you ran away that day because if you hadn’t… I would never have met you, I would never have found my soulmate and… the love of my life. Aang if you want me… I… I love you too.”
Aang just pulled her into the tightest hug he had ever given someone, he thought being in love was beautiful because you were happy being with your special someone but right in this moment he realized it was so much more than that…
After what felt like forever, the fireworks had already ceased and they looked at each other in the night.
“And you are incredibly handsome of course.” Y/N said laughing to ease the tension and Aang laughed as well wiping away his tears. “I think… admitting my feelings to you was actually harder than saving the world…” “Probably because the powerful Avatar had to do it without any help.” She said teasingly.
“Actually… I asked Zuko if he could have the fireworks extended to this specific time and I also asked Sokka beforehand to help me decide what to say… Katara also picked me a better outfit because the other one was apparently bad and Toph picked some perfume for me…”
“Wow. I am surprised you didn’t go into the spirit world and asked around how to woo a woman or told Appa that we were gonna have a romantic flight date.” Y/N said jokingly. “Actually…” Aang started but stopped himself.
Y/N chuckled and just wrapped her hands around Aang’s neck. “Don’t you want to ask me?” Aang nervously put his hands on her back not sure if he was allowed to. “Um… ask you what? OH!” Y/N nodded expectantly. “Is it okay that I am touching your back? You know I am just a bit worried because I don’t want to make you uncomfortable but when we hug you seem to be okay with it and you mean me asking you to be my girlfriend actually…” he said realizing mid mumbling.
“Why would I ask, you are already head over heels with me?” He said a bit confident, thanking Sokka for that because all of a sudden Y/N was blushing like crazy. It worked! Sokka, you are a genius! He thought.
“Y/N?”
“Yes…?"
“Do you want to be mine? Please…”
“Yes!”
She exclaimed hugging him tightly while he lifted her and spun her around. They were both laughing happily burring their faces in each others necks until he let her down and actually… kissed her. Her eyes closed immediately and her body just sunk more into his as her lips moved slowly against his.
… A few moments somewhere not too far away from the romantic kiss
“Are they kissing yet or not?” Toph asked leaning against the stonewall she had put there. Like every group of great friends, Toph, Katara, Zuko and Sokka were cowering behind the stone looking at the couple further ahead, just to make sure it works out of course… and not because they were all completely nosy.
“No not yet… I actually think they are crying… I don’t think this is gonna work. What did you tell him!” Katara whispered angrily at Sokka. Sokka rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Nothing, just that girls like confident guys and if he is cocky she is probably gonna like it. I didn’t tell him to cry though, did you tell him some weird nonsense about him needing to be sentimental and honest about his feelings?” Sokka whispered back to Katara.
“You are gonna ruin it for them!” Katara exclaimed. “No you are gonna ruin it!” Sokka said annoyed. “Shut up! Look, they are hugging!” Zuko said and all eyes and feet were on Aang and Y/N. “Oh man, they took so long the firework is already over, Aang what the hell is it with you.” Zuko mumbled. When Y/N and Aand actually kissed Katara let out a yelp and Sokka immediately covered her mouth. “What? What! Are they kissing now??” Toph asked excitedly and Katara just mumbled mhm behind Sokka’s hand, too shocked to push him off.
Zuko then lifted his hands and with one swift motion the streetlamps around the two were lit and small fireworks exploded around them. Zuko held out his hand for a high five and Sokka gave it. “Oh yes, we are soooo romantic.”
“You wanted him to wear warrior armor from the water tribe!” Katara said unimpressed and Toph added: “And Zuko thought burnt wood perfume would make Aang smell more desirable.” And with that Zuko and Sokka were very quiet very fast.
A few months later…
“Maybe I am just not sexy enough? Maybe it’s a marriage thing… I am not sure if I am ready for marriage yet…” Y/N mumbled into her arms as she rested them on the table. Toph sat opposite of her, bored, playing with a piece of metal, bending it into different shapes. Katara was looking through the undergarments she thought would look best on Y/N.
“Don’t worry, you are not doing anything wrong. It’s just not in his little airhead you know, he is just so happy that you guys hold hands and peck and stuff, guys like Aang are simple beings.” Toph said smiling trying to cheer Y/N up. “Yeah, maybe he doesn’t even think about these kind of things.” Katara agreed.
“Does Jet think about these kind of things?” Y/N asked smirking and Toph laughed. Katara just went bright red and threw some of the garments at Y/N. “Here! Those!” Katara exclaimed embarrassed and sat down on a chair with a straight back and her bottom lip extended.
“Thanks. Oh come on! Give us something… have you guys…?” Y/N asked and Toph leaned in closer as well. Katara just got bright red and looked away. “Well… yes.” Immediately Katara was bombarded by questions and requests for advise.
“Hey, do you use your blood bending when you guys do it?” Toph asked and well… to say the least… there was a bit of a fight between them.
At the same time in Sokka’s house
“And that’s the moment you rip her clothes off.” Sokka explained with parchment and some ink. Aang just looked unsure and Zuko sipped his tea with his face being all one color now.
“Why would I rip her clothes though? They are very pretty and kind of hard to make… it would probably take a couple of days to get them repaired.” Aang argued looking at the little drawings Sokka has made.
“Trust me. Chicks love that stuff.” Sokka said confidently.
“I don’t know Sokka…” Aang said unsure and then pointed at a particular part of a drawing. “And what is that?”
Sokka got excited. “I have no way of telling but I thought some element play could turn her on you know? Like some ice or fire like warming up her body but only some parts… actually, Zuko? Do the girls like that?”
Zuko spit out his tea before he was about to punch Sokka in the face but Aang looked so curious with his big grey eyes that Zuko just mumbled: “they do…”
Eeeeven later
Y/N’s heart was beating so incredibly fast that her chest almost exploded while she was making dinner. Toph and Katara had already left and left her with a lot of advise, headache and fantasies…
Y/N imagined Aang undressing… his big strong biceps just flexing as he pulled his pants down… him being completely bare in front of her, slowly kissing down her needing body moaning his name… and him just going lower with his big eyes looking up at her… kissing her thighs and closer to where she needed him… Y/N… he moaned… Y/N… Y/N…
“Y/N!” Aang exclaimed pulling the pot of stew away from the fire. Y/N snapped out of her head and saw Aang putting out the fire in the kitchen. “Are you alright? You were kind of zoned out, did you hurt yourself?” He asked worried checking on her.
She was glowing red from head to toe… “when… when did you come home…?” He tilted his head confused. “Huh? I just walked in and it smelled burnt so… I came in here, did you not hear me?” Y/N just shook her head embarrassed because her lusty thoughts had almost burnt down their house.
“What were you thinking about? You looked kind of out of it.” Aang said jokingly, softly sitting her down as he continued to cook.
“Um… Katara.” Y/N blurred out. “Katara? She alright?” Aang asked a bit worried because Y/N had been so deep in her thoughts.
“Oh yeah she is fine… it’s just… um… she said some things about Jet you know… girls stuff haha…” Y/N said nervously.
“Girls stuff? Was it something bad? I hope you don’t talk too bad about me when I am gone.” Aang said chuckling.
Dinner was very tense with Aang going through the stuff Sokka... and Zuko had told him and with Y/N just basically being turned on by Aang eating with a spoon. The way his tongue would lick some of the stew off the wood or the way his arms flexed every time he did something just because he worked out so much…
“I want your juice.” Aang said.
“WHAT?!” Y/N screamed and Aang looked surprised… “Um… your grape juice? Can I have a sip… I already finished mine.” He said scratching his head chuckling and Y/N just nodded hating her brain for going that way.
While Aang was washing the dishes, Y/N was in the bathroom undressing to her more revealing undergarments. Usually she would just wear something close to a linen dress but today it was more like a linen bikini… she looked into the mirror and took a few big breathes before going out, back into the kitchen.
“You know what’s funny? I never really heat up my tea with fire bending even though Iroh showed it to me once. Sometimes I kind of forget I can even fire be-”
Y/N stood in the kitchen door with her bikini like sleepwear looking at him. He had dropped the wooden bowl he was currently cleaning into the sink, his mouth had dropped to the floor and his eyes were everywhere. But then he quickly turned around chuckling. “Oh sorry… I didn’t mean to stare… Are you um… ready for bed then? I will just change as well, give me a minute.” He said avoiding her eyes when he passed her and this time she gripped his wrist, very tightly.
“Do you not want to do it? Is that it?” Y/N asked a bit angrily and frustrated. Aang looked down into her eyes, very surprised.
“I always kiss you and touch you and like… give you hints but you never… act on them! I am trying to dress sexy… and kiss you lovingly. I even once pressed my ass against you while you were cooking and you just apologized and laughed! So what the actual hell is your problem!”
Aang’s eyes almost fell out of his sockets… his brain was working so hard you could see the smoke coming out of his ears. “You… you do that stuff on purpose? To… for what?”
“To have sex with you!”
…
…
…
Silence…
“You… want do… have sex with me?” Aang asked slowly with his wrist still in her hand.
She groaned almost exhausted. “NO! WHAT INCREDIBLY WEIRD GIRLFRIEND WOULD WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH HER BOYFRIEND! OF COURSE I DO YOU IDIOT! THE QUESTION IS WHY DO YOU NOT!” She yelled at him letting him go.
“I do! I mean…”
“You mean you have never thought about it? Because the thought is too ridiculous right?”
“Y/N please let me explain…” Aang said raising his arms in defense trying to be the calm monk he was.
“Oh yeah you want to explain? Explain this to me, when we lay in bed and I start to kiss your neck all of a sudden you always excuse yourself and leave? Or when we go to the beach you never look at me! Or when I sat on you-”
“BECAUSE I AM SCARED I CAN’T CONTROL MYSELF!” He yelled and immediately apologized.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to scream at you…” he sighed, “it’s just… I often think about… us… that way. About us kissing and about us… you know… and I always feel so ashamed because I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t be thinking about making you sweat, about making you moan, about making you scream… I feel so ashamed of even imagining you like that because you don’t deserve to be objectified like that. You deserve to be treated like my love… like… someone I want to protect and cherish and not someone I want to…” he sighed again, “when we go to the beach I don’t look much at you because... I… sometimes my… clothes just… get… tight.” He said his face burning up, not able to look at her.
“I get so embarrassed because that is not… how I should react seeing my beautiful girlfriend… It’s not always really! I don’t get hard just because I see some of your skin! It’s just sometimes… not even worth mentioning…” more sighing, “when we lay in bed and you kiss me… I… do… get… hard… and I don’t want you to think I am some pervert or something so I always just… go into the bathroom…”
“What do you do in the bathroom?” She asked and his head snapped to her.
“What?” She walked up to him and ran her finger over his arm. “I asked… what do you do in the bathroom after I kiss you in bed?”
Aang gulped looking down at her finger which was tracing his shoulder, his brain kind of stopped working, he was running on stock brain energy. “Well… I um… I…”
“Aang, have you ever thought about the fact that I sometimes want you to think of me like that? That I want you to get hard? That I want you to make me sweat and moan and scream? That I am not some porcelain doll? That I wear this intentionally to turn you on?”
Aang looked at her wide eyed. “You do?” Sokka’s voice in his brain echoed: told you.
Y/N nodded slowly taking Aang’s shirt off revealing his abs and chest, his tense biceps and his low v line. “I do. I want you to show me what the great avatar can do to a woman like me.” Y/N said not really sure where that confidence was coming from. Probably from him looking at her like she was some sex goddess.
“Y/N… I need you to be very honest with me here right now… do you actually want me to… do this?”
Y/N smiled and nodded, "yes.”
With one swift motion, faster than lightning, Y/N was pressed against the table in the kitchen with Aang’s wet lips against her. He lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist so he could grind his still clothed middle against hers. Her body tried to keep up, wrapping her arms around his neck kissing him back with her tongue, grinding against him as well. Her eyebrows furrowed while she moaned into his mouth, sometimes Aang lost control in a fight… maybe is was like this with sex as well?
“Do you like this?” Aang asked kissing her neck while holding her waist and his other arm holding himself up against the table. Y/N just nodded with closed eyes, her breathing was incredibly fast now holding on to him. “Yes yes… please keep going.”
He lifted his head from her neck and looked down at her, he was breathing equally fast looking into her eyes. “Can I see you? Can I…” but he didn’t need to finish. “Yes… whatever you want… I am yours.” He smiled and pecked her lips before he ripped her top piece open, revealing her boobs.
She instinctively hid herself but he shook his head. “Don’t… please…”
She let her arms fall and he laid her down against the table. He kissed her neck hovering over her, kissing down her collarbone and further looking up at her face to see if she liked it. He then squeezed her tits and massaged them with his big hands. Y/N moaned gripping the edges of the table, throwing her head back.
He kissed her boobs softly until he reached her left nipple and licked it, she just moaned even louder with her legs squirming under his touch. “Aang…” she moaned and he continued sucking her nipple and biting it softly. Then he moved to the other one doing the same thing, one of his hands was stimulating the other boob while his other hands ran up her leg.
Aang blew softly against her wet nipples and she moaned again, she was a complete mess under him. “Don’t do that… they are sensitive.” She said her voice completely different now with all that pleasure.
“Sorry. Airbender.” He said smugly like that was explaining anything.
Then all of a sudden he lifted her bridal style and she looked up surprised at him. “What are you doing?” She asked breathy.
“What? You expect me to have you scream my name on that hard wooden table. One hard thing is enough.” He carried her into their bedroom and laid her softly down onto the bed.
Aang went down on his knees and kissed her down her stomach and belly button and… “further?” He asked her softly and she just nodded looking down at him. He slowly pulled her bottom piece off, revealing her glistening pussy to him, he swallowed heavily and his cock, if even possible, got ten times harder.
He leaned down and kissed her lips softly and her entire body jerked up. “Wow so responsive…” he mumbled as he kissed her clit and started sucking on it. Y/N kept moaning his name while trying not to grind her hips too much against him. She was gripping the sheets like her life depended on it, suddenly she felt like her pussy got very hot, almost burning.
She looked down but there were just Aang’s beautiful eyes, she looked a bit confused but then he pulled away from her, just enough so she could see his red glowing tongue. “Are you heating up your tongue?!”
Aang nodded proudly. “Mhm, doesn’t it feel amazing?” And he was right, it did. He kept eating her out with his hot tongue while two cold fingers suddenly entered her. Y/N moaned smiling, understanding now exactly what he was doing. He kept sucking and licking her wet pussy while his long fingers moved in and out of her.
In the middle of it he would suddenly change the temperatures, his fingers going burning hot inside of her and his tongue feeling like an ice cube.
“Oh Aang, I think I am close… You… I am… I… please don’t stop!” She moaned and he moved faster as her back arched against the sheets, he intertwined the fingers of his free hand with hers while she came moaning and whining. “Yes… yes… Aang ah yes… feels so good…”
He helped her ride out her orgasm… just like Sokka had told him to.
When she was slowly calming down from her high he kissed her up the same way he had kissed down her. He smiled down at her as he was hovering above her, she smiled back and pulled him down for a kiss, tasting herself on his lips and tongue. Her head was so dizzy but in the best way possible.
“You taste good.” Aang said with a smirk and Y/N slapped his arms softly. He chuckled and kissed her neck biting her earlobe, “and you smell good too.” His still clothed hips started rubbing against her, “and you feel good… your body… it’s so warm and soft… you are so… hot… so incredibly hot… I…”
Even though Y/N just came, she felt herself getting wet again, Aang had never spoken like this before and it was the biggest turn on.
“I want to do so many things to you…” he whined while grinding himself on her wet pussy.
“What? What do you want to do to me?” Y/N asked desperately looking into his eyes.
“I want to bend you over, I want to make you beg and cry. I want to grip your hair and put my hands around your neck…” He suddenly widened his eyes.
“Oh I am so sorry that was really harsh wasn’t it? I mean I only want to do these things if YOU want me to do them to you, you know… anyways you should rest… I’ll get a towel and clean you up…”
“Aang?”
“Y… yes?”
“Don’t you want to finish as well?” She asked running her hand down his abs, his breath hitched and his abs tightened.
“It’s fine… I can… do it myself…”
“Yeah? Then go ahead."
His eyes widened. “Sorry?”
“Show me, I want to see how you do it.”
He looked at her not knowing if she meant it but she did… and he wanted to. He wanted to show her himself. Aang stood up and loosened his pants revealing himself. Y/N looked down at him and almost drooled because… what the fuck.
Aang lifted his hand and cupped his dick with it, he started moving it up and down softly moaning. This right in front of her was the hottest thing Y/N had ever seen her entire life. This Adonis of a man just touching himself in front of her and he was all hers.
She spread her legs a bit. “Aang… wouldn’t you rather put it here?”
“Yes please…” he breathed out and walked up to her to kiss her deeply and guide himself insider her. Once his tip was wrapped by her warm walls both of them moaned. They held each other and touched each other everywhere, kissing and biting. Licking and grinding. The room filled with moans as he filled her more and more.
Aang’s back and arm muscles flexed which almost made her cum on its own. He moved deeper into her while he kissed her full of love.
“You feel so good Y/N,” he whimpered helplessly. He had never felt this kind of pleasure before and he was almost crying, that’s how good it felt. “You are so warm, so wet, I want to keep going and going…” he mumbled as he thrust into her completely drunk on her.
“Aang faster…” she moaned holding onto his back, scratching it so hard that it would probably leave some marks the next day. He pounded more and more into her until he finally came, spilling all his cum into her. Aang rode out his orgasm while rubbing her clit to make her cum again as well.
After that he fell into her arms and cuddled against her still inside of her. They just laid there for some time breathing and thinking. He was hugging her like she was his favorite pillow and she ran her finger in circles along his back.
“I don’t have a single word to describe what just happened…” Y/N said and Aang laughed softly kissing her chest lovingly. “Me neither… maybe heaven. I think I just went to heaven.”
He looked up at her and kissed her lips softly. “I wish I could let you feel my soul because the way I feel about you really can’t be put into words… I love you Y/N… I love you so much it scares me.”
Y/N kissed him as well and ran her hand over his head smiling. “Me too… And do you understand how scary it is when the AVATAR has that much power over you?”
Both of them chuckled. “I would do anything you want from me before you even think about it yourself, I am utterly devoted to you Y/N.”
They both continued cuddling softly touching each other.
“Hey, did you know that your eyes and tattoos glow when you cum?”
SUMMARY: You were born a non-bender, but Aang tries to make you feel included.
WARNING(S): fluff, angst
WORD COUNT: 5,197
PAIRING: Adult!Aang x reader
A/N: Hope you like it! Comments and feedback are always welcome.
MASTERLIST
The first time Aang got you out of the house to teach you, he was all smiles.
Bright and hopeful, excited to share something that mattered to him. You don’t think you’d ever seen him look that happy, especially by the fourth attempt.
Airbending.
The others thought you might pick something up eventually. Water, earth, maybe even fire, but nothing ever came of it. And deep down, you knew nothing ever would.
You weren’t a bender.
You weren’t going to wake up one day and move the ground beneath your feet, or shift water with your hands, or throw fire. It wasn’t something you could learn. It wasn’t something anyone could promise you. You weren't born to be able to bend.
But Aang didn’t let it go.
And you didn’t have the heart to take that from him, no matter how much it pained you.
So you let him pull you out of the tower you’d been calling home for years now and take you to the Southern Air Temple.
You’d been there before, back when it was you, Katara, and Sokka, following him around while he showed you around. You’d seen far greater things, but the temple in ruins always settled heavily in your heart. It felt different now. More overgrown. Quieter.
Still beautiful though.
And you knew how much it meant to him.
You ran your hand along one of the columns as you walked, the stone cool under your fingers. You wondered if he ever thought about what this place used to be. If being here made it harder or easier.
“Okay,” Aang says, clapping his hands together as he turns to you. “Airbending. My area of expertise.”
His grin widens. And just like that, he looks like himself again.
You cross your arms loosely, raising a brow at him. “Confident?”
He moves past you, then circles back, positioning himself a few feet away. His posture shifts without him thinking about it. He looks lighter on his feet, shoulders relaxed, arms loose at his sides.
“I have to be,” Aang says easily. “I’ve only been doing this my whole life.” He steps back a little, giving you space. “Besides, you've made it through three trials. You haven't given up.”
“Three failures,” you correct.
“Three attempts,” he says, like it matters.
You sigh, finding your sandals more interesting, the dirt beneath them crunching with every press-down you make. You're pulled out of the hole you begin making up in your mind when Aang claps loudly again. The crack had made you flinch.
“Okay! Airbending isn’t about forcing anything,” he starts. “That’s why it’s hard to explain. You don’t grab it like the earth beneath your feet, or push it like fire. You… move with it.”
You nod, even if you don’t fully get it.
He gestures for you to stand straighter. “Feet apart. Don't stand too stiffly. You don’t want to lock yourself in place.”
You adjust, trying to copy him.
“Good,” he says. “Now, don’t think about making something happen. Just focus on what’s already there.”
“The air,” you say.
“Yeah.” He gives a small nod. “It’s everywhere. You don’t need to have a source like water or earth. You just… connect to it.”
You take a breath, slower this time.
Behind him, the wind moves through the open temple, brushing past the columns, slipping through broken archways. You can feel it on your skin, faint but constant.
“Okay,” he says. “Follow me.”
He steps into motion, slow and controlled. His arms move in a wide circle, like he’s tracing something invisible.
You mirror him. At least, you try to. Your movements feel heavier. Less natural. Like you’re thinking about every step instead of letting it happen.
“Loosen up,” he says gently. “You’re resisting it.”
“I’m not trying to,” you mutter.
“I know...”
You exhale, forcing yourself to relax your shoulders. Your arms follow his again, slower this time, less rigid. You shift, trying to follow what he’s doing again.
“Better?”
“Yeah. That’s good,” he says. “Now just…move your arms. Slow at first.”
You copy him, lifting your hands and pushing them forward in the same motion he just showed you.
Nothing happens.
You try again.
Still nothing.
Aang doesn’t say anything right away. He just watches on, further heightening the fact that you were aware he was observing your every move.
“Try not to think about it too much,” he says after a second.
You let out a small breath. “That’s kind of hard not to, especially when I’m trying to make something happen.”
“I know,” he says. “But if you focus on making it happen, it won’t.”
You glance at him. “That doesn’t sound very helpful.”
He laughs. “It’s true, though. Don’t think on it too much.”
You shake your head a little, but you try again anyway. This time slower.
Less stiff, more loose.
Going with the flow.
For a second, it almost feels right.
Almost.
“Now shift your weight,” he adds. “Don’t stay rooted. Airbenders don’t stand still if they can help it.”
You step lightly to the side, copying the way he moves. He’s already adjusted, already onto the next move before you've barely finished the previous action.
You’re a step behind. Always a step behind. Never able to keep up with the rest of them.
“Okay,” he says. “Now guide it.”
Your arms move through the air, and for a second, you almost think you feel something pulse within your palms.
But it’s gone before you can figure out what it might be.
Probably nothing to be honest.
You drop your hands with a huff. “Yeah. Still nothing.”
Aang steps closer, not an ounce of discouragement on his face. “That’s okay. It takes time. With more practice, you're bound to get something out of it. It gets easier. Trust me.”
“For you maybe,” you say. “You’ve been doing this since you were a kid.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn something from it.”
You give him a look. “Aang, I can’t move a leaf, I couldn't shift the water from the stream, I couldn't move the stupid pebble that Toph had me attempt to move. Zuko even tried having me light the fire for the camp we set up. We almost froze. I can't move anything!”
“Not yet,” he corrects. Oh, how you wonder where he gets his patience and his calm from? Something you were surely running out of.
You sigh, but there’s no real frustration behind it. Yet, anyway.
He hesitates for a second, then moves behind you. “Can I?” he asks.
You nod. His hands hover near yours before settling lightly over them. Gentle, warm to the touch.
“Let me guide you,” he says.
You feel him push your arms through the same motions as before. Slower this time. More steady.
“Breathe,” he adds quietly. The warmth of his words tickles your ear.
You try to match his pace, his breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.
The air moves around you, brushing past your arms, your face. You can feel the wind, how it responds to him. The subtle breeze he lets swim in and out through your hair.
“Feel that?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
You almost laugh at the sensation, but you keep going. Letting your hands move with his instead of trying to lead on your own.
For a second, the motions feel easier. Like you’re not working as hard to exert them, act them out.
There's barely anything happening. Most of which is done by Aang. But the air in front of your hands stirs.
You pause.
“Did you—”
“I saw it,” Aang says quickly, a little quieter now. “Keep going.”
Your focus breaks.
And just like that, it’s gone. You let your arms fall.
“Of course.” You huff in defeat.
Aang doesn’t move away right away. “You felt it, though, right?” he asks.
“Barely.”
“It’s still something.”
You turn your head slightly, glancing back at him. “It only worked because you were helping. I’m not even sure that was me just now.”
“Maybe,” he says. “Or maybe you just needed to stop trying so hard.”
You don’t answer that.
After a second, his hands drop away from yours. You miss the warmth of them in an instant. The lack of his touch makes you want to pull him close again.
“Do you want to try again?” he asks. Chin dipping to try and get your eyes to meet his own. They don't. He looks down at the ground before waiting for your response.
You look at your hands, then back at him.
“Maybe later, if that’s okay.”
"It's okay. We can take a break."
-
The hill you found and settled on feels nice and cool underneath your touch as the sun dips.
Long shadows stretch across the mountains, swallowing the land around them, making it quieter. Emptier. At peace.
You and Aang sit side by side, and you disturb a patch of grass by pulling grass stems from the ground. You'd guess your anxiety was to blame for impulsively messing with perfectly good grass. Aang had lain back, eyes darting up at the sky. His thoughts wandering, you'd guess as much, seeing as his fingers stopped tapping against his stomach.
For a while, neither of you speaks.
The wind moves gently through the open air, brushing past softly, reminding you of the reason for being there in the first place. You figured Aang could've been reminded of home. Of everything he lost, but who were you to speak for him?
Aang exhales slowly.
“It’s weird,” he says.
You glance at him. “What is?”
He doesn’t look at you. Just out.
“The sky. The temple, all the antiques we keep finding. Everything.”
His fingers curl slightly against the grass as he sits up.
“I used to think the temples would always feel full,” he admits. “Like, no matter what happened… I could come back, and it’d still feel like home. Still… alive.” There’s a pause. “But it only reminds me of how everyone I've ever known...is gone.”
That lands heavier than anything he’s said all day.
You don’t interrupt. You just listen.
“They’re gone,” he continues, voice quieter now. “The monks. My friends. Gyatso. The stories they all used to tell, the way we used to celebrate, the food we would eat… even the stupid games we played.” A soft, broken laugh slips out of him. “I’m the only one left who remembers any of it.”
Your chest tightens.
“I don’t even know if I remember it right anymore.” He finally looks down at his hands. "I keep thinking that if I die, my culture dies with me. What if I forget something important?” he whispers. “What if it all just… disappears with me? No one but me can carry on my past. My whole life rests in my hands.”
There it is. His fear. It hits you harder than you expected. Because for once, this isn’t about being the Avatar.
This is just a boy, a man now, sitting in the ruins of his home, terrified of being the last voice of his people.
You don’t think. You don’t weigh your next words. You just… say it.
“Then I’ll carry it with you.”
Aang freezes.
You don’t stop.
“I’ll learn it,” you add quickly, heart racing now. “All of it. The stories, the traditions... Whatever you remember, I’ll remember too. I won’t let it disappear.”
He’s staring at you now.
Completely still. Like he’s not sure he heard you right.
“And if you’re worried about it ending…” You hesitate, then push through it anyway, the words tumbling out before you can stop them.
“I’ll give you a legacy.”
The silence falls heavily on you both. You look out into the valley, feeling the wind settle.
And the second it leaves your mouth, you second-guess your words.
Oh.
Oh no.
Your breath catches. “I-I didn’t mean—”
Aang’s expression changes.
“You’d… What?” he asks softly.
You shake your head quickly, heat rushing to your face. “I didn’t mean it like that, I just mean, I mean I did, but not—” you let out a nervous breath, stumbling over yourself. “I just meant I’d help. However you needed, I—”
“You’d give me children?” he interrupts.
That stops you. Your mouth opens agape, then shuts.
His voice is so quiet you almost miss it. You look at him properly now. Really take in the man before you. Give him children? You'd be stupid not to want a family with him.
Something in your chest settles warmly.
“Yeah,” you say, softer this time. “If you wanted me to. The only thing I could really give back.” You release a nervous laugh.
Aang’s eyes search yours, like he’s trying to find any sign of hesitation. Doubt. Anything that screamed that you were just trying to make up for what you lacked in, but you weren't
There isn’t any. Because you meant it. Even if you didn’t take into account how much you did until just now.
“You don’t have to do that,” he says, but there’s no strength behind it. No real push. No malice. Just a hint of genuineness.
“I know,” you reply. A beat. “I want to, though.”
That hits him harder than anything else.
You see it in the way his breath stutters slightly, the way his shoulders drop just a fraction, like something inside him is loosening up for the first time all day.
“You’d really…” he starts, then stops, swallowing. “…you’d learn everything?”
You nod. “Everything you’re willing to teach me.”
For a moment, he doesn’t say anything. Then his hand reaches for yours. Slowly, hesitant. Like he’s still asking permission to touch you, when he has every right to. When you don’t pull away, his fingers tighten slightly around yours.
“That means a lot to me, Y/n,” he admits, voice barely above a whisper. "I never even considered the idea of having children right now.
You smile, just a little. “I figured. It looked like your heart stopped for a second there.”
A soft huff of breath leaves him. almost a laugh, but not quite.
The wind returns, gentle once more, curling around the two of you as if it felt the heaviness settle between you. Like it had listened in.
Aang glances down at your joined hands, then back up at you.
For once, he doesn’t try to turn it into a joke right away. He just looks at you.
Like he’s still catching up to what you said and what it means. Not just the words, but the fact that you meant them. That you said them so easily, like it wasn’t something huge you placed in his lap.
It was.
You can tell by the way he keeps holding your hand, squeezing every now and then, like letting go would break up the moment too fast.
“I don’t know what to say,” he admits after a while.
You let out a small breath through your nose. “You don’t have to say anything.”
“I feel like I should.”
“You don’t have to.”
His mouth twitches a little at that, but it fades just as quickly.
“I just…” He looks away for a second, out at the valley below, at the fading light and shadows. “I’ve spent so much time thinking about what I lost that I never really thought about what could still happen. What I could still have.”
Your thumb brushes lightly over his knuckles before you can think better of it. Aang notices. His shoulders loosen again, but not enough.
“You make it sound simple,” he says.
“It’s not simple.”
This turns his attention back on you.
“It’s just not impossible either,” you say quietly. “There’s a difference.”
He studies your face for a second, and you can almost see the thoughts moving behind his eyes. Aang was never very good at hiding what he felt, but this is different. He's less open. More careful. Like he’s afraid of letting this conversation go in the wrong direction. Of making you angry.
“You'd really give me children?” he asks again.
Not because he didn’t hear you the first time. Because he needs to.
You nod once. “Yeah.”
“And learn all of it?”
“Yes.”
“The stories, the customs, the food, the prayers, the weird games—”
You smile a little. “You’re really trying to sell it now.”
That earns a breath of a laugh. Then he goes quiet again.
“Even if you can’t bend?”
There it is. You had a feeling it would come back to that.
You look down at your lap for a second before answering.
“Especially then.”
Aang frowns. You take a breath.
“I can’t give back from the lack of bending,” you say. “I know that. I know I’ll never be part of your culture in the same way you were born into it.” You pause, picking at a blade of grass near your knee. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t love it because it matters to you. It doesn’t mean I can’t help keep it alive. This could be one of the only things I can give back.”
His face changes at that. Softens. Something about those words gets through to him in a way the other words of the gang couldn't. Maybe it's because he knows you’re not saying it to make him feel better.
You’re saying it because you’ve already decided.
“I don’t want you to think this is all you’re good for,” he says after a moment.
You look at him, caught a little off guard.
“What?”
He turns toward you more fully now, his hand tightening around yours.
“The only thing you could really give back?” he repeats softly, using your own words. “Don’t say it like that.”
Heat crawls up your neck in half embarrassment, and half of something else.
“I just meant—”
“I know what you meant.” His voice stays gentle, but there’s something firmer in it now. “But you make it sound like you have to make up for something.”
You open your mouth, then close it. Because there isn’t a clean lie waiting to spill past your lips. Aang notices that too.
“You don’t owe me a legacy,” he says. “And you don’t owe me children just because you can’t bend.”
Your throat tightens a little.
“I know,” you say, but it comes out softer than you intended.
He watches you for another second, then shifts closer, close enough that your heads are leaning against each other.
“You don’t have to try and even the score for what you think you're lacking in,” he says. “Not for me.”
His words land hard. Too hard.
Because some part of you had thought exactly that, even if you didn’t want to say it out loud. That if you could never stand beside the others in the way they did, through bending, through power, through something useful, then maybe you could still give him something that mattered.
Something lasting.
You stare down at your lap for a second, blinking against the sting behind your eyes.
“I didn’t mean for it to sound like that,” you say quietly. “I’m not trying to make up with children for my lack of bending with you.”
“I know.” He says it immediately. Reassurance following his understanding. “I know you’re not.”
It helps. His words. A little.
You breathe out slowly.
“I just hate that I can’t help out sometimes,” you admit. "Heck, even Sokka is out there being a hero... But what can I do?"
Aang goes still. Because he finally understands what’s underneath all of the hurt you've bottled up inside of yourself.
The discouragement after every attempt. The way you'd look away from everyone's eyes after every attempt. The way you'd say it’s fine, when it clearly wasn't.
He shifts again, this time dipping his head enough that he can see your face better.
“What can you do?” he repeats quietly. And it's just him, sitting with the question instead of brushing it off.
You don’t answer right away because you’ve already answered it a hundred times in your head. Nothing, was always your response. He frowns as though the crease in your forehead gave you away.
“You think being a hero is just about bending?” he asks.
You give a small shrug. “It helps.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
You glance at him, a little caught. He doesn’t look away.
“You think Sokka is a hero, but he can't bend?” Aang presses.
You hesitate. “Yes, but—”
“But what?”
You sigh, frustrated now. “But he still does things, Aang. He fights. He plans. He actually contributes when something goes wrong.” You shake your head a little. “When things get bad, I’m just… there.”
The words come out flatter than you meant them to. Like you’ve said them before. To yourself. Too many times.
Aang’s expression tightens.
“You’re not ‘just there,’” he says.
You don’t argue. You don’t agree either. You just look away again.
“Do you remember the canyon?” he asks suddenly.
You frown slightly. “What about it?”
“You were the one who figured out how to settle the feud between the Gan Jin and the Zhang tribes,” he says. “You made them work together to get us out of being eaten by those canyon crawlers.”
“Wasn't that you—”
“And the village near the volcano?” he continues. “You were the one who convinced the villagers that they needed to evacuate.”
You shake your head. “That’s not—”
“And when Appa got hurt,” he adds, quieter now, “you stayed with him the whole night. You looked over him, you lost sleep over it too.”
You go still because you do remember that memory.
You remember thinking it didn’t count. That it wasn’t enough.
“That’s not fighting, though,” you say, softer now.
“No,” Aang agrees. “It’s not.”
He leans in just slightly, not crowding you, just enough that you can’t ignore him.
“But it’s helping.”
You swallow.
“It’s paying attention,” he continues. “It’s seeing things the rest of us miss because we’re too busy trying to win something.”
His voice softens. “And it matters.”
You look at him again because he’s not trying to make you feel better.
He’s not reaching just to say something nice. He means it.
“But when something actually happens—” you start.
“You’re there,” he says, cutting in gently this time. “You don’t run. You don’t hide. You stay.”
Your chest tightens.
“That’s not nothing.”
The wind shifts around you again. You look down at your interlocked hands.
“It doesn’t feel like enough sometimes,” you admit.
Aang nods. “I know.”
That catches you off guard.
“I get that, trust me,” he adds. “I’ve felt that too.”
You blink at him. “You?”
“Yeah.” A small, almost self-conscious smile tugs at his mouth. “Being the Avatar doesn’t automatically make you feel invincible.”
You let out a quiet breath. That… comforts you more than you expected it to.
Aang studies your face for another second, then reaches out again. This time, slower, more deliberate, as he nudges your right cheek with his left hand, before pressing a gentle kiss on it. You don’t pull away.
“I'm sorry if we made you feel that way. You don’t have to be like the rest of us to matter,” he says.
You let that sit. It doesn’t fix everything. But it settles the war that was waged inside you anyway.
“You really believe that?” you ask.
He nods.
“I wouldn’t be sitting here with you if I didn’t.”
That makes you look at him again. A small, uneven smile pulls at your lips.
“You’re really bad at letting people wallow in their self-pity,” you mutter.
He smiles back, softer now. “Yeah,” he says. “I’ve been told that.”
You huff out a quiet laugh, shaking your head.
"Why do you keep talking like bending is the only part worth carrying on?”
That shuts you up again.
He’s not angry. If anything, he sounds a little sad. A little frustrated that you still can’t see what he’s trying to tell you.
“My people weren’t just airbenders,” he says. “They were monks, teachers, healers. They made toys for kids and baked fruit pies and played games and told stories they’d told a hundred times before.” A small smile pulls at his mouth. “They were annoying sometimes. And stubborn. And really nosy.”
A laugh slips out of you before you can stop it. Aang smiles a little wider when he hears it.
“My culture didn’t live in bending alone,” he says. “It lived in how we treated people. What we believed. How we lived.”
He looks down at your joined hands. “And you’ve been trying to understand that part of me since the day we met.”
Your heart settles.
“So no,” he says softly. “You wouldn’t be giving me the only thing you could offer.”
You swallow.
“Aang…”
“You’d just be giving me more of you.”
His words are so simple they almost hurt. You don’t know what to do with them. So for a second, you do nothing. Then your hand tightens around his. His eyes flick down to it, then back to your face.
You shake your head a little, a laugh leaving you, thin and shaky. “You always know how to make me feel stupid in the nicest way possible.”
That finally gets a real laugh out of him.
“You’re not stupid.”
“Mm.”
“You’re not.” He presses firmly, gently.
You look over at him. “I heard you the first time.”
“Good.”
The breeze picks up around the two of you, cooler now that the sun has dropped. It lifts a few strands of your hair and brushes the fabric on his sleeves.
Aang leans back on one hand, still facing you.
“I think I’d like that,” he says after a while.
You blink. “What part?”
He smiles, small and careful. A beat. “All of it.”
Something in you eases. Not all the way, but enough to let you breathe easier.
“Even if I can't bend?”
He tilts his head, brows furrowing in feigned shock. “You can't bend!”
You let out an offended noise and shove at his shoulder.
He laughs, catching your wrist before you can do it again.
“I’m kidding,” he says.
“You’re not.”
“Okay, maybe a little.”
You roll your eyes, but you’re smiling a lot brighter now, and he is too, and the heaviness from a minute ago doesn’t feel quite so sharp in your chest.
He keeps hold of your wrist for a second longer than he needs to. Long enough for the mood to shift again. Just slightly.
His smile fades first, not into sadness, but something more aware. Serious. You felt it too. The tension.
The way he raised his hand and his thumb brushed once, almost absentmindedly, over the side of your face.
“Aang,” you say softly.
His eyes avert from your lips, falling on your softening gaze.
You lost your train of thought, the words you wanted to say falling off the tip of your tongue. Maybe it was nothing. His name just felt easier than everything else sitting between you.
His eyes search your face anyway.
“Yeah?”
You shake your head, but not because you want to take it back.
“Nothing.”
His mouth curves faintly. “You sure?”
“No.”
He studies you for another moment, then glances out at the valley again.
“You want to stay here tonight,” he says. “If you want, of course.”
You lift a brow. “You mean avoid going back and getting interrogated by Katara?”
“That too.”
You smile. “Tempting.”
“Very. It’s quiet here.”
You look around. The grass. The temple in the far distance, worn down but still standing strong, like Aang.
“It is.”
Aang nods, then looks back at you. Letting the quiet air take over as he took in his favorite view. You. Who went back to pulling at the patch of grass you disrupted, he can't help but let his smile grow.
“I love you.”
There it is again. His plain honesty. It always got the best of you. You feel your face heat up, but there’s no point in pretending you didn't hear him.
“I love you too,” you say, expression timid, but still facing the ground.
His heart beats faster. This was it for him. You were it. All he'd ever want, so long as the universe allowed you and him to last. To be.
His shoulders drop. His mouth softens. He looks younger for a second, and older too. Like the boy and the man he’s still becoming are both sitting right here beside you. Making your head spin and your heart full.
The wind curls between you again. Gentle. Familiar.
And this time, when the silence returns, it doesn’t feel empty.
It feels full.
Aang glances at your joined hands once more, then back at you, his expression almost shy despite everything you’ve just said.
"So you really want children with me?"
"Yes, Aang." Your grin grows as you stifle a laugh.
“Do you want to start...on our legacy?” he asks.
You smile.
“Right now?” you ask.
Aang freezes. “Right now?”
You shrug, biting back another laugh. “You’re the one who asked.”
His brain immediately starts short-circuiting.
“Okay, wait, hold on—” he lets go of your hand just to gesture wildly, before stopping again. “I didn’t mean like right now, right now, I meant like, someday right now. Future right now. Not, this exact moment on a hill—”
You’re fully laughing now.
“Aang—”
“No, because there’s—there’s steps!” he insists, pointing at the ground like the steps might appear if he believes hard enough. “There are definitely steps. We skipped all of them.”
“You asked!”
“I didn’t think you’d say yes that fast!”
You tilt your head. “You wanted me to say no?”
“No!” he says immediately. “No, definitely not that either, just, maybe a warning? A little preparation time?”
You grin. “You’re panicking.”
“I am not panicking,” he says, voice an octave higher than usual. “I am calmly evaluating a very big, important, life thing—”
He stops. Looks at you. You’re still smiling at him like this is the best thing that’s ever happened.
“You’re serious, though,” he says, quieter now.
You nod. “Yeah.”
That does it. He exhales, shoulders dropping, all that frantic energy softening just a little.
“Okay.”
A beat.
“Okay,” he repeats, like he’s trying to convince himself he’s got this.
Then.
“Not right now, though,” he adds quickly.
You laugh. “Not right now.”
“Good,” he says, relieved. “Because I think I’d pass out.”
“You’d pass out?”
“Immediately.”
You bump his shoulder. “Avatar, master of all four elements… defeated by the talk of children.”
He points at you. “You’re the one who started it!”
“You asked!”
“And I regret nothing,” he says quickly, then pauses.
You laugh again, leaning your head against him. He relaxes this time, letting your head rest against his shoulder, still a little flustered but smiling anyway.
“We can start with the easy stuff,” he mutters.
“Like what?”
“Like… teaching you those games I used to play here,” he says. “Much safer.”
"Fire Lord Zuko, you must be mistaken," his chamberlain laughs nervously. "You can't honestly be considering marrying a commoner?"
"I'm not considering it, Chamberlain," Zuko tells him, looking over the scrolls laid out on his desk. "She's already said yes."
"She works at a tea shop, Fire Lord Zuko," the chamberlain repeats himself.
"She owns the tea shop, Chamberlain, and I don't see any problem with that."
"There are several-"
"My uncle owned a tea shop, at one point of his life. And he found great pride in it," Zuko announces, placing his work down. "It was his dream."
Hi chamberlain bows his head, keeping his eyes down and wisely choosing to stay silent.
"Is there anything else to add, Chamberlain?"
"No, Fire Lord Zuko."
"Then see yourself out."
On his way out, you step through the door. From the look on the chamberlain's face, you can instantly tell you've made another mistake.
"It would be wise to knock before entering a room," the chamberlain tells you.
"Chamberlain," Zuko calls sternly from his seat.
The man rigidly bows to you with a sneer. "Princess." Then, he leaves you alone with Zuko.
The Fire Lord is in his evening robe, sitting on the floor behind a flat wooden surface that held a heavy stack of scolls.
"Are you busy?" You ask timidly, taking a few steps into the workspace.
"I'm just reading recent reports," Zuko tells you, holding a hand out for you to come closer. "The price of rice has gone up."
"How fascinating," you answer dryly, lowering to ground beside him and curling into his side. "Are you going to keep reading for awhile?"
"I'm almost done," Zuko murmurs, pressing his lips to the top of your head as his eyes skim over the parchment. "Why don't you head to bed without me?"
You shrug, fidgeting with your fingers in your lap. "It's a little weird, honestly."
That makes Zuko turn his body to look at you. He takes your hand and brings your knuckles to his lips.
"What do you mean it's weird? What's wrong?"
Smiling tiredly, you carress the scarred half of his face.
"The room is larger than any room I've ever been in, and the bed can fit five grown adults," you tell him like it's obvious. "It feels empty lying there by myself. Can I stay here until you're done?"
"Of co-"
Before Zuko can finish his sentence, you're lying on your side, crawling halfway into his lap until your arms are wrapped around his waist.
"What are you doing, my love?" He chuckles, gently patting your head.
"Getting comfortable while I wait. Just carry me out when you're done."
Although you look uncomfortable, you doze in and out of drowsiness as the fire around you crackles and the parchment shifts. Zuko decides to cut his reading short when he feels your breathing even out against his legs.
He carefully takes you in his arms, feeling elated when you relax against his chest and your head leans into the curve of his neck.
A few servants catch the Fire Lord carrying the tea shop owner to his room that same evening, and by the next morning, a rumor has already spread throughout the palace.
summary: Years ago you were kidnapped by the Dai Li for speaking up about the Hundred Year War, when Ba Sing Se is finally saved from the control of the Fire Nation. What should have been a celebration turned into a nightmare, as retaliation the Dai Li had murdered a part of the earth kingdoms citizens who were being held in different prisons across Ba Sing Se. Your father and sister were also victims of the massacre. Trying to rebuild your life you leave your city and wander from place to place while trying to find meaning to your life. Years later you hear whispers about a new city: Republic City, a city where everyone is welcome and founded by the new fire lord and avatar Aang.
Warnings: war, murder, talk of torture, crying, no spoilers for the movie
author note: my love for zuko is backkk, i cant wait to let yall read this. ngl im kinda insecure cuz i have not really written and posted anything in years. but i hope ive grown as a writer and yall love it. meanwhile you can read some of my old zuko fics if you want to.
more zuko stuff
If you want to be tagged let me know. xo see you next week with the full version.
Just finished the first chapter of ‘Holding Back’ my new Namor/OC fic. It’s a long one. About 10,000 words long. I’ve got some editing to do and then I’ll publish it. So excited!!!
Here’s the premise:
Maritza Stark had a strange encounter during a family summer vacation in her mother’s hometown when she was seven. The encounter became forgotten after her mother’s untimely death and her entire world spiraled out of control. As an adult she dismissed the encounter as the overactive imagination of a child. Something she thought was true until years later when her father lands himself in a major conflict with the king of an underwater kingdom. Maritza starts to think that maybe it wasn’t part of her imagination, after all.
Imagine being a wolven skin changer and always protective of Legolas (Part 2)
A/N - Well I ended up not changing anything because the lovely missbeccalaura read through it for me while I made cupcakes! I’m so glad so many of you liked the first part :)! I hope you like this one too!
Imagine
Words: 1,547
Pairing: Legolas x Reader
Part one can be read here!
He missed her. He never admitted it but he missed that little wolf saving his ass. He’d only spent half a day with her (and most of that was carrying bodies around) but he missed her.
Elves often knew when they had found their mate. His father knew it was his mother within seconds of meeting her.
For a while, Legolas assumed it to be Tauriel but when Y/N bounded back into his life there was no mistake.
The over-protective skin changer was his soul-mate and the ache in his heart grew as each day passed.
However, it had been over sixty years since he last saw her and he didn’t know how long skin changers lived.
She could be dead for all he knew (although he hoped not).
“Legolas,” Aragorn shouted for the fifteenth time trying to catch his friend’s attention.
“Don’t worry about him laddie. He’s too busy dreaming about his imaginary wolf girlfriend,” Gimli remarked, altering his axe on the back of the horse they borrowed from Èomer.
“Well, it will get him killed,” Gandalf the White snapped.
The three horses stood mere miles from Edoras, where Théoden resided.
“Edoras and the golden hall of Meduseld. There dwells Théoden, King of Rhoan, whose mind is overthrown. Saruman’s hold over King Théoden is now very strong,” Gandalf whispered to his companions.
“What does that mean?” Gimli asked.
“It means we have to behave,” Aragorn shouted from the other side of Gandalf.
“Especially you Legolas,” Gandalf spoke to him. Legolas nodded, confusion overtaking his features.
“CRAZY STUPID THING CALLED LOVE” HENRY HART X SUNSHINE FEM!READER PART 1
SUMMARY : Kid Danger saves you from a robbery and can’t help but flirt with you, a stranger. But…maybe you do know him? (Both are 18 and in senior year of high school. I think only once mention of y/n)
A/N : I actually am proud of this. I think I really captured Henry and Kid Danger his alter ego really well while making it entertaining. Part 2 will be soon.
MASTERLIST
You probably shouldn’t be walking by yourself, alone in the dark. Swellview wasn’t exactly the safest place in the world with all the crime happening in town. You didn’t have a choice though. Getting a job to help your mother pay for the bills was something you just had to do. You were a waitress at a small diner in town and only made eight dollars an hour. The tips were barley dimes but it was putting food on the table.
Working was actually really good for you. It made you get out the house and get a breath of fresh air. The only thing you didn’t appreciate were the gross and quite frankly bold men that were willing to hit on an eighteen year old.
Juggling school and work wasn’t hard for you either. You were incredibly smart and because of you taking all the required classes in your freshman year, your senior year was flying by in a freeze.
The night was a cold one. You were so exhausted that you had left your jacket back at your job. The goosebumps ran down your arm and the hair stood still. The full moon was bright, beaming on your skin. You would’ve appreciated its beauty if it wasn’t so damn cold.
While you were walking, you saw a man walking towards you. You couldn’t really make out his face with the hood and it being dark. He wore all black clothing too. All you could tell was that he was a tall man.
“Hey, baby let me take you out in a date.”
You cringed at the grown man cat calling you. You didn’t think you’d ever get used to it. It didn’t matter though. You had to power through. You still had a ten minute walk to go.
“No thank you.” You tried to sound cheerful and polite as you made your way past him but he wasn’t going for it.
“I said let me take you.” He grabbed your forearm, keeping you in place. You hissed at the grip and he only made it tighter. He was starting to freak you out.
“Let me go, please.”
The man didn’t say anything. He looked down to your purse, eyeing it intensely before deciding to make the decision to grab it.
Honestly, it may have been stupid to fight him on the purse. Most people would say it isn’t worth your life. Well, to you, it was. That was all you had and you had to get it to your mother.
“Hey! Give it back!” You grabbed your purse but he still had all his strength on the purse.
“Let go, bitch!”
He smacked you across the face, making you fall down. You hit the concrete hard. It was as through the blood was going to your head because you felt dizzy.
Right when he was about to get away, you started to hear choking. It made you focus your eyes on him and that’s when you saw him. Kid Danger.
Kid Danger was choking the man. You never saw him so angry before. The way he was showed on the news made him seem like the funny but cool sidekick. Nothing like this.
He threw in a couple good punches at the man. While choking him. Your eyes were wide at seeing the sight. Blood was coming out the man’s mouth and nose.
After he finished, he held the man in place. The man was too out of it to fight back. “Careful. Don’t fall.” Then Kid Danger forcefully shoved him to the ground. “Aw. You forgot to be careful.”
Amazed was an understatement.
He stepped over the man’s body. Then grabbed the purse that was sitting on the ground. He walked a little ways over to you. You were waiting for him to help you up but he didn’t help you, he picked you up himself.
You were shocked at how strong he was, considering you knew Kid Danger was about your age. He held you, bridal style, looking you in the eyes. “Are you okay?”
He was a superhero. Of course he would show concern but the way he showed you concern felt like he had known you forever. “Yeah, I’m okay.” You say, still star struck at what just happened.
Kid Danger gently placed you on your feet but didn’t let go of you. His hand went to the right side of your cheek, seeing the bruise that was starting to form.
You saw the look of concern quickly turn back to anger. Again, the way he was acting was as if he knew you personally.
“I’m cool. It’s just a scratch.”
Kid Danger nodded but it looked like he wasn’t convinced. He pulled away from you slightly and handed you your purse. When he did, you instantly felt cold again. You started to hug yourself to find warmth.
“You cold?”
The voice. You didn’t know how it was familiar but it was. “A little.”
Kid Danger walked back over to the man. Then forced his jacket off of him. “Hey man that’s mine…” The man said drowsy but Kid Danger wasn’t hearing it. He immediately kicked the man in the stomach, causing him to yell in pain.
You held in your giggle but couldn’t hide your smile when he did that. He wrapped the jacket around you before helping you put your arms in.
“Um, thank you. I could’ve handled it though.” You jokingly said.
Kid Danger chuckled. He lifted your head up to examine the bruise. “Oh, yeah. I can tell.” He said before pulling away. “I shouldn’t have to be the one to tell you not to lose your life over a purse.”
Again, the way he scolded you made you think as though he knew you to at least some degree. “Yeah, I know. But I really need it.”
“Must be something important in that purse.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re not the type to lose your life over something so small.”
“She is.” The robber perched up to say. Kid Danger doesn’t even bother to look at him. He takes out his laser pointer and zaps him repeatedly, putting him to sleep.
“Right…” You got back on topic. Then what he said caught your attention. “Not the type?” You asked. “You don’t know me.”
You could see the realization hit his eyes and he let out an awkward laugh. “Yeah, totally. Never seen you before in my entire life.” He said then quickly reiterated what he said. “I mean, you just don’t seem like it.”
You nodded, a little skeptical but brushed it off. “Well, it has all the money I made from my job.”
“You work?” Kid Danger asked in surprise.
“Yeah.” He seemed appalled at the idea of working and you placed your hands on your hips. “You know you’re a superhero right?”
Kid Danger put up his arms, flexing his biceps playfully. “I’m gooood though, right?”
His playfulness, the way he was sassy, and the tone all reminded you of one person; Henry Hart.
Henry Hart had been in your class since Kindergarten. The two of you weren’t friends, but really good classmates and the two of you had a good relationship with each other.
But you also had a secret, you had a crush on him.
You always admired him from afar. He was funny and handsome. A guy you thought had it all but every girl in the entire school swooned over him so you never stood a chance.
Kid Danger caught you laughing and smiling which made him smile back at you. “What?”
“You just remind me of someone.”
“Insanely good looking and awesome?”
You rolled your eyes playfully at him. “Yeah, kinda.” You fixed the strap of your purse before extending your hand for him to shake. “I’m, (Y/N).”
Kid Danger took your hand but didn’t shake it. Instead he brought it to his lips and kissed your knuckles, giving you a little wink. “Nice to meet you.”
You had heard Kid Danger being flirtatious but you weren’t expecting him to be flirty with you. You felt the blood rush to your cheeks and you pulled your hand away from him. “Oh. Cool. Um. I should be heading home.”
You started to walk away from him but Kid Danger was right on your side, walking with you. “Cool. Lead the way.”
“You don’t have to do that.” You shook your head.
“Um, yeah I do.” He pointed to the bruise on your cheek. “I gotta save you from yourself.”
You rolled your eyes at him. “Haha. So funny.” Before he could say something, you ended up tripping on a high crack in the concrete but Kid Danger was fast. He caught you.
“Yeah, definitely gotta save you from yourself.”
You looked at him like, curiously. “How can you do that again?”
Kid Danger helped you back up and the two of you started walking again. “Hyper mobility. I got fast reflexes.”
You nodded at the explanation before sighing. “I couldn’t imagine being a hero and saving lives.”
“It’s cool. Stressful but I like helping people.”
“What made you do it anyway?”
“Well, I was looking for a job and Captain Man asked me helicopters or kangaroos, and I said helicopter.”
You gave him an unconvincing look. “You’re serious?”
The look of unbelievable made him laugh. “I know it sounds crazy but basically yeah. Being a superhero has its advantages too.”
You nodded knowingly. “I bet.”
The way you said it made him look at you. “What’s that mean?”
“Oh come on, I bet you have all the girls in town drooling over you.”
The statement made Kid Danger agree. “A lot of girls do drool over me.” Then he had realized what you said. “You saying you’re not one of them?”
“You’re not my type.” You said all with a smile.
He gave you a look like you had offended him. He placed a hand over his heart. “I’m not your type?!”
It made you laugh. “Believe it or not, Kid Danger but you’re not everyone’s type.”
“Hmm.” The two of you walked while he was in deep thought until he eventually gasped like he was a school girl. Then he jokingly hit your shoulder. “You have a crush on someone.”
Your face started to become red. Kid Danger calling you out on your crush had to be the most embarrassing thing that could happen to you. Even though you were pretty much over it. “Um…”
“You totally do. Who is it?”
“You wouldn’t even know.”
“Which is exactly why you should tell me. Where’s the harm in it?”
He was right. He wouldn’t know who it was and it’s not like he was going to go blab to the guy. You bit your lip, fighting the embarrassment that was running through you. “Just some guy at my school.”
Kid Danger seemed even more excited to know who it was. “Who is…?”
He wasn’t going to give it up. That was obvious so you gave in and told him. “Henry Hart.”
He froze. Stopped dead in his tracks. The sudden movement made you stop to. You couldn’t read any other expression besides shock. It was starting to make your heart sink. “Do you know him?”
After the question, Kid Danger quickly coughed like he was choking and shook his head. “What? No. Henry Hart? Such a dumb name.”
He started to walk again and grabbed your hand to make you start back walking. “What do you like about him?”
“Why? Do you want to date him?” You questioned sarcastically.
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
You shook your head then sighed. “I don’t know. He’s funny and nice. It’s kinda hard to explain. We’ve known each other since Kindergarten. I mean the crush isn’t really a big deal. It’s starting to go away honestly.”
Kid Danger scoffed like he was offended. “Go away? What did I-i mean-what did he do to start making it go away?”
“I mean, you can’t keep liking the same guy you’ve liked since third grade. Especially the guy that doesn’t really see you.”
“He sees you.”
“How would you know?”
As the two of you walked along the street, a flower vendor was there. Kid Danger stopped in his tracks and pulled out a money clip out his pocket. Then handed the guy some money. He placed the clip back before taking a rose from the stand. He handed you the rose. “Look at you. What guy wouldn’t see you.”
‘Kid Danger? Giving me a rose? Is this really happening?’ You tried to hide your smile but couldn’t. He noticed and smiled back.
The two of you went back to walking. “If that’s the case then why hasn’t he came up to me.”
“Well…maybe it’s because he doesn’t think he has a chance.”
You scoffed. “Yeah, right. He has every girl at school wrapped around his finger.”
Kid Danger laughed at your comment, wiping his mouth. “I don’t think he has every girl wrapped.”
“He absolutely does.”
“Regardless…maybe it’s because you’re different. I mean, all those other girls are the same but…you’re you. And maybe he doesn’t want to mess that up.”
You listened intently on his advice trying to buy it. It could be true but you honestly didn’t think so. Henry Hart didn’t have feelings for you and that was okay. You were practically over it. “Yeah. Maybe.”
The two of you finally reached to your house. He walked you up your porch steps. “Thanks for walking me home. You didn’t have to do that.” You said while taking the jacket off and handing it to him.
Remembering it was the robber’s coat, he just threw it over his shoulder, hitting the trash can on the curb loudly. It made you shake your head. “Why do you work? Shouldn’t you be focused on school?”
“I need to help pay the bills. My mom can’t do it alone.” You saw the look of pity in his face and you sighed. “It’s fine. I don’t mind. The only bad thing about it is all the grown ass men hitting on me.”
Kid Danger’s jaw clenched. His knuckles were tight and he looked pissed. “What days you work?”
“Just Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.”
“What time?”
“3 to 12. Why?”
Kid Danger grabbed a red marker out his pocket. Then grabbed your arm. He wrote out what appeared to be a phone number on it. “Call me and I’ll walk you.”
You gave him a look as he wrote. “Um. My arm?”
When he was finished, he placed the marker back in his pocket. “Um. It washes off?” He playfully said while copying the tone of your voice.
You looked at the number and then looked back up at him. “Do you give out your number to every girl you save?”
With that question, Kid Danger just winked at you. “Only the pretty ones.”
‘Why did he have to be so flirty with me?’ You didn’t know how many times your face went red tonight with him but it had to of been the one hundredth. “Well. I better get going.”
You tried to rush in your home but he grabbed your arm to stop you. “Make sure you talk to that guy.”
“I already told you. I’m over him. Just an old crush.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah.”
Kid Danger nodded. He took his hand from your arm. “You want to go on a date then?”
The question caught you so off guard that you almost started to choke on your own spit. “Like a coffee date or like-“
“Like the kind I give you flowers, take you to dinner, you tell me everything about yourself and then I get to kiss you at the end.”
You felt your heart beating out of your chest. You both liked how straightforward he was and hated it. There was no way Kid Danger was asking you out.
You started to laugh out nervousness. “What? Well…I mean how is that gonna work? With the whole anonymous superhero thing?”
“You let me take you out on three dates and I’ll take my mask off.”
What you weren’t understanding is why he was so eager to take you? Why did he like you so much? “I don’t know. I mean, I’m sure you got a whole line of women at your feet so I won’t be a bother. I let you go out with them.”
You turned the doorknob to your house, trying to escape the conversation but Kid Danger would not let you. He shut the door and backed up until your back hit the door. It made you drop the rose out of your hand. “I don’t want them. I want you.”
Kid Danger picked the rose up and handed it to you. “You in or not?”
With his assertiveness, you really didn’t even think you had a choice to back out. “Um…when?”
“Tomorrow. 8. Wear red. You look good in it.”
Before you could say anything, he was already walking about from you. Then you thought of something. You weren’t wearing any red. “How does he know I look good in red?”
“YOU’RE STUCK WITH ME” HENRY HART X GIRLFRIEND READER
SUMMARY: Your boyfriend Henry has everyone swooning over him and you hate it (Movie Henry)
WARNINGS : none I think?
MASTERLIST
The argument was stupid. At least to Henry. You were jealous, it was obvious. Since high school, Henry had no problem getting women. Well, now it wasn’t high school anymore. You were both in your twenties and this was the real world now.
But even in the real world, Henry had all the women on him.
It annoyed you. The constant flirting women did with him. Even openly with you present. Granted, Henry always shut the flirting down. He never entertained it.
It didn’t make you any less pissed off.
The argument got heated. Henry was mad you would even think about the possibly of him cheating on you. Then you shut down completely and walked out the house.
Henry has not seen you for approximately seventeen hours.
“Hey, you know who it is. Leave a message at the beep. Or don’t. I don’t really care.”
Beep.
“I swear to god, if you don’t answer me, I’m going to lose my mind. Where the fuck are you?” *sighs* “Look, you want to be pissed at me? Fine. You take the bed and I’ll take the couch but ignoring me for seventeen hours and turning your location off is crossing the line and you know it. Come home. Now.”
You rolled your eyes at the voicemail and deleted it. Were you being a little childish? Yes, but you didn’t care. You were mad. Henry got to be the hero in Dystopia. Signing autographs and having all the women swoon over him.
Who were you? Just his girlfriend.
You were outside of the bar, debating if you should get yourself a drink. You knew it was only a moment of time until Henry figured out some way to track you so you were soaking it in as long as you could.
A man was standing outside of the bar. He was a little bit older than you. He reeked of booze and despair. You tried to not make eye contact so he wouldn’t speak to you but it was too late.
“What? Mad at boyfriend?”
You were trying to be polite. The men at Dystopia weren’t exactly the best so you just gave a polite smile. “Something like that.”
“If you were with me baby, you wouldn’t have worry about that.”
Before you could respond, you heard a voice creeping up behind you. A familiar one. “Good thing you don’t have to worry about that.”
Henry was too quick to find you. Quicker than you anticipated which irritated you.
“How did you find me?!”
“Why were you hiding from me in the first place?”
The guy looked between the two before directing his attention back to Henry. “It seems like she don’t wanna be bothered.”
Henry gave the guy a look, eyeing him up and down. He even looked stunned he would make a remark like that. “It seems like I don’t care.”
You sighed a little, knowing Henry’s attitude. “Henry-“
“Don’t do that. Blackout is still out here and you want to take a stroll in town because what? You think I’m with other women?”
The guy still decided to chirp in again. “The lady doesn’t want you. So leave.”
Henry started to rub his temples in irritation. “Dude if you don’t back the fuck up, I’m gonna punch you in the face.” You grabbed Henry’s arm and forced him to walk away from the man. “No, seriously, who is this guy?”
His attention was focused on the guy so you forced Henry to look at you. “I needed space.”
“You needed seventeen hours of space?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“You can’t just do that.”
“Last time I checked, I’m not you. I didn’t sign up some shitty contract with you and now, you dictate how things go in the relationship.”
“Who’s dictating? If the roles were reversed, my head would be on a stick.”
“Your head is going to be on a stick if you don’t leave me alone.”
Before Henry could reply, the guy walked back up to them. “Leave her alone, asshole. She doesn’t want you.
Henry, very clearly irritated and frustrated, gives in to his impulsive urges. He punches him straight in the jaw, knocking the guy out. You just shake your head, knowing your boyfriend and saw it coming when the guy wouldn’t leave the two of you alone.
“I seriously don’t know how you became a superhero.” You told him honestly.
Henry ignores the statement and changes the subject, feeling the bruise starting to form on his knuckles. “We need to have a real conversation about this. Not you dismissing me like you always do.”
You gave him a look. “Like I always do? You’re the one that’s been dismissing me and my feelings!”
Henry sighed. He scratches the back of neck, pulling at the back of head slightly. “I’m not trying to, babe but I don’t understand what more you want me to do. You honestly believe I would cheat on you?”
“I don’t know.”
Henry looked at you like he couldn’t believe what you just said. “You don’t know?”
“Yeah, I don’t.”
Before Henry could say anything, he saw exactly what he was dreading. News reporters and a whole bunch of fans, specifically women. “Ah shit.”
One of the news reporters came rushing to him. “Henry! Is it true you punched this defenseless man?”
“Now is not the time.” Henry told him. He tried to focus his attention back on you but one of his fans that were women grabbed on the material of his jacket.
“Ooh. I like this. Is this real leather?”
You nodded, officially done with whatever conversation you and Henry were having. “Okay. I’m out of here.”
You were already walking away when Henry was calling your name. “Stop worrying about that loser.” The woman said flirty to him.
The random woman calling you, his girlfriend a loser made his blood boil. He shoved him off of her. Almost to the point where she could’ve fallen on her ass. “Get the hell off of me.”
He doesn’t care for the shocked look on her face. He pushes past the news reporter and keeps walking to get to you. “Baby, stop.” He grabs you and forces you to look at him. “Okay, I’m done. You hear me? I quit.”
You looked at him confused. “Quit what?”
“All this. Fighting crime. Being in the spotlight. If that’s what it takes for you to get over this and trust me again then I will stop. I don’t want to be the hero if it means losing you.”
That’s when it all it you like a brick. Henry was willing to give up everything. Again. Just to be with you. Just like he did when he was Kid Danger.
You were being selfish and you couldn’t keep doing this to him. Not anymore.
Tears were rushing down your face. Henry let out a sigh seeing how upset you were. “I’m sorry.” You told him.
If there was one thing Henry hated, it was to see you cry. He immediately wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a hug. He rubbed your back to soothe you.
Henry’s hugs always felt like a big warm grizzly bear was hugging you. “I just feel like I don’t deserve you…” You said through the tears.
“Baby…”
“We met in high school and sometimes I feel like you settled for me.”
“Me? Settle with you?” Henry asked like he couldn’t believe it. He pulled away from the hug and you looked at him. “I love you. More than anything in the world. So what we met in high school? That doesn’t mean I want to ever explore the idea of other women. I want you and only you.” He takes his hand and interlocks it with yours. “I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have you.”
“Dead?”
Henry laughed a little. You wrapped your arms around his neck and he pulled you closer. “Yeah, probably.” He gave you a peck on the lips. “You done being mad at me?”
You gave him a suggestive smile. “You going to take me home and show me how much you love me?”
Henry immediately caught on. He scooped you up, bridal style which made you let out a squeal. “Yes, ma’am.”
Due to the recent activity with vampires, (Victoria, to be more specific) and your recent discovery of what you best friend and his friends are, you had decided that staying near them was the smartest choice for your safety. Your parents were out of town thankfully, leaving you home alone. And while normally you’d love that, a psychotic vampire kinda kills that.
You had spent all day over here at Jake’s house, hanging out with him and the pack as they were around. You spent a few hours with Leah in the afternoon while Jake was on patrol, and then spent the evening with him before the bonfire. You had been friends with Jacob for years now, although you grew apart when he transitioned and then you were irritated with him for a while for seemingly ditching you for Bella.
Of course, when you discovered his secret, you forgave him, even though you were still inwardly butthurt about him being so obsessed with Bella for months and not seeming to care about you nearly as much. But the past is in the past, you were just happy to have him back.
You had begun to have a big crush on your best friend and were more than glad to be staying over his house. You were a little unsure about how it would work, considering how tiny his room and house were, but you just wanted to be near him, honestly.
After the bonfire, Jake walked you back to his house, talking with you along the way about the discussions from the fire. You’re sure he could tell you were afraid of everything going on with the vampires, and he surprised you when he reached out and gently grabbed your hand, interlocking his fingers with your own.
The small smile on his face and his thumb brushing over the back of your palm comforted you, making all of your worries disperse. Jake wouldn’t let you get hurt, you’re safest with him. You return the smile, no words needing to be spoken as you walk by his side, the new feelings for him dying to burst out of you.
He lets go of your hand when you arrive to the door, where he opens it for you and allows you to step in first. You duck your head a little as you head in, hoping he can’t see you blushing in the dim light. “So I have patrol again soon, you should be asleep before I get back. You’ll be safe here.” He says as he rummages through Billy’s fridge, somehow hungry again.
You chuckle quietly as you watch him stand back up, a disappointed look from his lack of success in finding a snack. He catches you smiling at him and his own smile returns as he looks at you.
“What?” He asks, confused at your amusement.
“Oh nothing.” You tease, accidentally letting a yawn out. You hadn’t realized how tired you had become.
“C’mon,” Jacob says, heading over to his bedroom. You nervously follow behind him. You’ve been in his room before, back it was a while ago, and you’ve never slept in his bed. He opens one of his drawers that just barely fit in the corner of the small room, and hands you one of his shirts to sleep in.
You thank him and walk into the bathroom just outside his room quietly, even though you know Billy isn’t back from the bonfire yet. You change into his shirt and laugh at how huge it is on you. Seeing yourself in the mirror wearing Jacob’s shirt though… You absolutely love it. It smells like him too, and it brings you comfort.
You shake your feelings away as best as you can and return to his room, seeing him throwing another blanket on the bed and him changing the pillow cases. He glances over his shoulder when he hears you, but then his eyes widen and he follows turns to you. “Wow,” he mutters, his eyes wandering over your face and body, loving how his shirt looks on you.
summary: widow!jake sully x female!reader, 10 year age-gap. jake is lowkey sunshine <3 reader is grumpy! arranged marriage/marriage of convenience + wc - 3,843
comments: hi babies, chapter six! dramaaaaa, i love her! also if there are like a million bijillion run on sentences, no there isn’t! okay byeeee hope you all love her just as much as i do! <3
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Jake had asked you to join his family for one more meal before the celebration with the clan. Nerves bubbled in your chest as Ronal fixed you up, braiding a few beads and shells into your hair. “Why are you so nervous? You said you’ve had dinner with them before.”
if you're too shy- send me a character and a scenario and I'll write a little baby blurb for it
Steve Harrington finding out that his girlfriend (the reader) still sleeps with a teddy bear and finding it really cute, please? Thank you!! 🐻💖
SHARE | S.H.
word count: 0.7k
warnings: cheese?
It was very rude, in your opinion that your parents brought a house with two levels, it made sneaking your boyfriend into your room all but impossible, which is why you were usually the one to act all delinquent in your loving, sneaking in right through the door since Steve's parents weren't home for the most part, and they couldn't really care less even if they were. But then again, it was almost impossible, not completely, and Steve wasn't about to let a possible fall to death stop him from cuddling his girl.
It wasn't the pebbles thrown at your window that woke you, or the sound of the added hitting against the window ledge as he climbed it, or even the muttered curses as his freezings hands tried to open it- no, it was the sound of a fool falling right over your bookcase and onto your carpet, taking a whole stack of books down with him that stole you from your dreams. His curses weren't all that whispered right now, the familiar voice helping your heart calm down at least slightly, sleepy hands reaching over to turn on the lamp on your bedside table.
"Steve?" you mumbled in confusion, your other arm still clutching the stuffed animal you'd have hidden were you not half asleep, barely awake as you tried to make out Steve's form.
"Hi, pretty girl," he breathed as if the entire scene wasn't questionable, wasn't something that would need at least a little explanation, but he was already kicking off his shoes, brushing the back of his head where he'd fallen.
"Baby, what are you doing here?" you scooted to the other side of the bed as he was crawling forward, and with his face now in the gentle light provided by the little lamp, barely enough to light up the whole room but enough to make it very clear that he was upset. "Your dad?" you guessed, offering your arm for him as he stood up, flinching at the cold fingers that tangled with yours.
"Just wanted to see you, yeah," he denied but you knew better and he knew you did too, so you left it at that, allowing him a second to throw his jacket on the floor before climbing into bed next to you. "You're so warm," he noted, not wasting a second before wrapping you in his arms, the two of you just barely fitting your single bed, but it was part of the reason he hummed, satisfied with having you as close as physically possible.
"You're freezing," you tutted, a gentle hand moving his hair from his face, smiling softly, carefully as you kissed his icy cheek, then his jaw before letting him nuzzle his head into your neck. The two of you lingered in the silence, in the comfort for a bit before you felt a hand wander between you and you realized quite suddenly that he'd never been in your bed before, under your blanket before.
"Now, who is this?" he was amused and you'd be defensive if you weren't so glad to hear the giddy sound of his voice as he pulled the guilty party out, looking over him with raised brows.
"His name is Eli," you began, smoothing out the little bow tie around the toy's neck, smiling shyly as you realized what you did, the little cooing sound your boyfriend offered you making your cheeks flush with heat. "Eli the elephant and he's been living in this bed since I was a kid," you explained and Steve nodded lightly, looking him up and down before putting the little guy on the pillow next to your head. "I know it's silly, I've just had him so long, I can't sleep without him."
"It's not silly," he defended and cupped your cheek when you didn't look like you believed him, stopping you from looking away. "You're not silly, babe, you're adorable."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," he brushed his nose against yours, then kissed it, your heart doing leaps in your chest. "Could just eat you up, you're so sweet."
"Steve," you groaned, pouting as he breathed a soft laugh, allowing you to pull away and dive right into his chest. "Can we go to sleep now, I'm tired."
I have been happily watching Stranger Things, not having to hyperfixate on any of the characters for three seasons straight, no big fanfic ideas. No broad hcs. Then season four came...
self-explanatory. of course it's the bad guy.
This piece of text has been written in a 24-hour frenzy I have dived in after finishing the final episode and found myself at 3AM of next day with this in the notes of my phone
needless to say i'm a lover of a pretty human story
Fandom: Stranger Things
Pairing: Henry Creel x OC
Rated: M
Warnings: spoilers to season 4, angst (come on, it's Henry), but also sort of fluff, mentions of abuse/torture/injury/death, suggestive content
Eleven accidentally drops into Henry's memories and sees something he keeps tucked away in the furthest corner. A shard of sun hidden in the depth of his memory.
It's life or death. Eleven is panicked and out of breath and Vecna is right in front of her. She's been running all round his little ruin temple, but at this point escape options were down to zero. Vecna reaches out a clawed hand and Eleven panics, lost for what to do. Her body reacts subconsciously with no regard to whether it was effective protection or not: Eleven grabs his wrist desperately in an attempt to push him away and win some escape space. She grabbed him. She probably shouldn't have. It felt like something inside the entire space snapped. Vecna froze. Eleven stared at her palm holding onto his thick red wrist, tattooed numbers 001 faded but still visible. She wanted to let go. She had lost control of her fingers. Eleven lurched backwards in panic, screaming, and her palm suddenly unclasped. She fely herself trip over, falling backwards on inertia. Eleven stretched out her arms trying desperately to grab onto something, to prevent the fall, but she couldn't. The world suddenly disappeared. She was falling into a black abyss, surrounded only by darkness and emptyness. Even Vecna was gone. Eleven was flying down and backwards, screaming for her life.
***
Suddenly the world reappeared around her like she had not just a second ago been flying like Alice through the rabbit hole. There was a flash of light and suddenly Eleven was in a cold-lit white corridor, landing on the tile floor painfully with her bottom. The girl yelped on impact, disoriented. It took her a few moments to get a grasp of her surroundings and stop her head from spinning. Eleven then stood up cautiously. Where was she? The place would have looked like a hospital if the corridors weren't so empty. It looks familiar. It's the lab, isn't it? Is it another one of Vecna's mind tricks? Or is it a memory? But if so, whose? Her own or...?
Eleven could hear rapid clicking of heels nearing from behind a turn. Someone was coming. The girl looked around frantically, searching for a place to hide, realizing once again the space was oddly empty apart from a few locked doors in the other end of the corridor. The steps sounded closer now. Eleven looked in the direction they were coming from right in time to see a young woman come around the corner. Nothing threatening: white lab coat over a formal white shirt and a grey pencil skirt, hair tied in a bun and a folder with some papers in her hands. Eleven looked her over in confusion: the woman appeared surprisingly normal and somewhat remotely familiar. If this was Eleven's memory, she had no idea what this particular episode could be about. The girl stepped away cautiously: the woman's gaze met Eleven' face...
And slid past it without exposing any interest. Eleven, who was ready to run or fight, froze in frustration. Definitely not illusion. A memory.
The woman was a few steps away now, Eleven could see her face clearly: she was about twenty five and seemed very nervous. "I've definitely seen her before," - Eleven thought to herself. Maybe it's her own memory afterall. The woman walked past her and Eleven turned to follow, jumping slightly on her way, trying to peek into the papers in the folder. On top of the pages a small card read: "Katherine Brandt".
They called her Dr Brandt. Eleven remembered her suddenly and vividly. It was that friendly woman from the medical room, who always smiled and gave them treats when no one would notice. For a moment Eleven forgot how to walk. Why was she seeing her now?
The woman had walked some distance away and Eleven had to chase after her to catch up. Running felt strange, perhaps because she couldn't feel any wind. The woman reached the end of the corridor, took a turn right and almost immediately there was gasp and a soft thud.
Eleven saw the papers scatter on the floor. She turned around the corner hastily, expecting to see the woman get attacked by something, ready to...
- I'm so sorry! I didn't expect...
The woman was crouching on the floor, gathering the papers in a hurry. There was a man on his knees next to her, dressed in all white, his blond hair falling into his face - he was helping her pick up the contents of the folder. They had apparently bumped into each other.
- It's nothing, - the voice was definitely familiar.
Eleven looked them over in surprise, unsure what to expect.
The pair stood up, brushing off.
Eleven was finally able to see the man's face and realized with a start - it was One. So it's not her own memories after all. They are his. But why this one?
- I umm... - the woman started nervously. - I was looking for uh.. - she took a glimpse at her files. - Dr Brenner?
- He is working with the children. Why do you need him? - his voice was somewhat more tense than previously.
- I think I'm supposed to confirm my arrival with him or something like that... I uh.. I'm a resident... Intern. Hard to explain.
- Didn't know they took more nurses, - the man mumbled. Eleven looked closely into his face, trying to figure out a hidden meaning of a frankly ordinary scene before her - piercing blue eyes, probably in his early thirties, maybe younger: he looked just as she remembered him and uncannily normal.
- I'm not a nurse!
- Of course. My bad, - he seemed amused, or maybe just irritated. - Follow me.
Eleven felt strange, as if her vision was going blurry and lights were circling around her head. She tried to follow the woman again, ran after her, but as she turned the corner, the room suddenly changed. She realized the memory was switching to a different one and she had no control over its turn.
***
The room is windowless and dimly lit. It seems like a common room for employees. Eleven realizes judging by the interior that she is still in the Hawkins lab. The same woman is sitting at a table now writing something, her attire is changed: the lab coat is hanging on the back of her chair and her skirt is dark blue.
The door opens with a small creak and someone enters: Eleven turns around and makes a step back, seeing One shut the door behind himself. The palm of his hand is bleeding. The woman raises her head briefly to acknowledge the entry of another person, but she too, apparently notices the blood.
- Evening... Oh, are you alright? - she stands up from her seat swiftly.
- It's nothing, - same phrase as before, he brushes her off.
- Please, let me help, - the woman walks up to him, although he tries to wave dismissively. - Oh, it's you, - she says, when she sees his face. Pause. They are looking at each other for a moment, the man recognizing her too. - What happened?
- Just children messing around, - he turns away, reaching out for the first aid kit.
- Let me help you clean it, please.
- It's nothing.
- There's too much blood for a nothing, - she touches his shoulder carefully and he flinches away, startling her.
One stares at his palm for a moment. Then at her. He huffs and hands over the first aid kit. Eleven watches them, tired of attempting to understand what is the meaning of all this.
- I'm Kate, by the way, - she smiles, turning away to focus on the first aid kit.
- Peter, - he responds after a short pause. He reaches out to tug his left sleeve down lower, while she is distracted.
Eleven watches his hands and it's just a second, but she still catches a glimpse of it. He is hiding the tattoo on his wrist.
The woman - Kate - turns back to him and asks to let her look at his palm, she doesn't notice the look of strange curiosity on his face. The world is already starting to go blurry as the previous time and Eleven realizes with a jolt, perhaps too late - she had somehow dropped into the back of One's mind, a series of memories tucked away for some reason. Moving around through the blur she realized something else: the room, the light, the air around her - everything was ever so slowly turning warmer.
Eleven felt her head spinning, she turned to the door, grabbed the handle and pushed.
***
The cafeteria was half-empty, but it seemed to be lunch time. Eleven looked around, searching for a glimpse One's blond hair - he was sitting at a round table alone, seemingly deeply preoccupied with studying the contents of his plate. A strand of hair has fallen in front of his eyes. Eleven walked closer, studying him carefully. Why am I seeing these memories? What is the...?
- Hey, Peter. Haven't seen you today, - he flinches slightly. Eleven jumps on spot too. She hadn't seen her coming. Kate is walking up to his table, tray in hands, and sits herself across from him.
- Hi, - he responds, unsure.
- You seem off, - she remarks. Eleven hears a quiet noise, coming not quite from the scene in front, but from inside her head - a crackle of electricity and an echo of a scream. It takes her a moment to realize the sound is from One's thoughts.
- I'm alright. Just a headache, - he spits out a lie and sounds rather hostile. - Are you going to sit here?
- Yes. Why? Do you mind? - she was about to start on her food, then raised her eyes to his face expectantly.
- Not good for your reputation. Others here are rather... displeased by my company so...
- So they are full of shit, - she stated, turning back to her food and picking up a fork. One stared at her for a moment, stunned.
- I guess... - he mumbled, not knowing what to say.
Kate snorted.
It made the corners of his lips rise - only a little bit, but it was still noticeable.
- And do tell me when you get headaches. I have, like, unlimited access to painkillers here, I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to give them out to employees too, - she blurted, not looking up at him. Paused, then added: - Hate to see you so gloomy.
Eleven watched One stare at Kate as the room started to go blurry. For a moment it seemed to her that soft light started emanating from the woman. Eleven closed her eyes and shook her head slightly, frustrated, and when she opened them, the scene changed again.
***
It looks like a hospital room. There is a boy of about fourteen sleeping on the bed, a monitor beeping monotonously next to him.
Kate is rushing about the room, mumbling something incoherently. There is a knock on the door, she doesn't answer and the door still opens after a couple of seconds. She turns abruptly to face the intruder.
- I have to check on four's condition, - One slides in quietly and shuts the door behind himself. He watches her move about with curiosity, identifying some new emotion to her character.
- Here, take this sheet to Dr Brenner, I just made a fresh check up a few minutes ago. Don't bother him now, let him rest.
She doesn't turn to him, handing out the paper. She is visibly distraught.
- Something wrong? - he asks, out of curiosity.
- Nothing, - she states.
A few moments pass. He is about to leave, when she suddenly continues:
- Those marks are from a shocker, - her voice is almost shaky with anger.
- They are, - One responds quietly after some hesitation.
- They can't be using it! He's a child! It's...
- They use it on everyone, it's a method of disciplining, - he mumbled, forcing his voice to sound calm.
She turned to him abruptly.
- It's discipline for wild lions in a circus. I thought they were trained to control their abilities here, not...!
- Dr Brenner believes it an effective method to stop them from using their power for bad or misbehaving in the facility, - he barely brought himself to say it, his voice sounded fake and he seemed angry at himself for pronouncing it. Maybe he just wanted to see how she would react.
- That's not going to stop them from misbehaving! They are just going to hate him and this place and try to sneak... They are supposed to be assisted here! It's wrong! - she was getting worked up and emotional. One watched her as she spoke - just for a second an expression ran over his eyes - barely noticable, but still there, it looked oddly like admiration.
- It's Dr Brenner's methods, - he sighed deeply, letting his own disapproval show if only a little.
- It's cruel! This cannot be allowed, it's just.. wrong! You can't treat children like this! You can't treat anyone like this!
One stared at her for too long. Then dropped his head, looking at the floor.
Brenner can.
And no one tells him he shouldn't be?
- He doesn't take advice on what he should or shouldn't do. It's his project.
- What do you mean? ... Peter!
He was about to turn away, then looked back at her abruptly.
- We shouldn't be talking about this. You are right. But we shouldn't. Not unless you want problems, - he uttered quickly and quietly. Kate looked like she had swallowed a glass of water that was about to become ice.
- Peter... - he shook his head, threw an apologetic look at her and turned on his heels. Kate closed her eyes. The door shut.
The room started to buzz and go blurry. Eleven watched Kate closely. She realized she was right the previous time - when everything started blurring there was a faint glow around her, like rays around clouds on a sunny day. And the room was ever so slowly growing warmer. There were voices behind Eleven. She turned around.
***
It is the same room, but the date had apparently changed. The bed is empty, the lights are slightly more dim. Kate had dragged One into the room by his arm and closed the door behind them. He seems to be limping, slightly shaky on his legs, whilst Kate is walking determinedly, fuming. She released her hold on him by the table, allowing him to support himself on his arms, leaning on the surface. She is going through one of the drawers, searching for something actively and angrily.
- For how long has this been going on? - her whisper comes out in a white-hot hiss.
- It happens sometimes, - he answers evasively. He is breathing heavily, it looks like he is struggling to regain himself.
Eleven suddenly realized it must have been one of the times Brenner "treated" him with shockers. Kate must have walked in on it accidentally.
- How often is sometimes? Is this a regular occurrence? How the hell-? - she turns to him.
- It's nothing, - he mutters, avoiding her gaze.
- Peter, no! He hurt you, this is serious, this is not okay!
He turns away as if trying to ignore her, then, almost whispering, with a sudden uncanny determination to his voice:
- Henry.
- What? - she asks dumbly, startled.
- My name is Henry.
- I'm sorry? - even more confused.
He turns to her with a sigh and rolls up his sleeve, exposing his left wrist - and the tattoo. Kate gasps, then puts her palm over her mouth and sinks into the chair behind her. He watches her reaction in silence. He sits down on the edge of the table before her. Then pronounces more firmly, but quietly.
- My name is Henry Creel. I am One.
She stares at his wrist for so long the tension becomes uncomfortable, she is breathing heavily and when she allows herself to speak tears are laced in her voice, but she still attempts to ask:
- Why- How-?
- He found me as a child, I was twelve, - he stares into her face, suddenly something overcomes him and he blurts out, words that he wouldn't have said to anyone normally. Almost as if he is trying to scare her. - I did things. Gruesome things. I killed my family with it. My mother was going to hand me over to him for "treatment", - he spits out. - And I knew he was no good. I killed my family so they wouldn't do it, my mother, my sister, it wasn't pretty. My father barely survived but they blamed their deaths on him anyways. And I still ended up with Brenner.
- Peter... Henry... - Kate is staring up at him in shock, then looks down again, but he continues determinately.
- He tried to train me like all those kids - didn't manage. Said I was too stubborn, uncontrollable. So he started a whole program, to get obedient versions. I'm just the failed first experiment. Hidden in plain sight so to say. Brenner's bad bloody monster.
He finishes and leans back, watching her angrily, expecting her to react, panic, run out of the door.
Eleven felt the air tense up, but the lights for some reason didn't grow colder or darker like she expected them to.
Kate is staring down at her lap now with tears in her eyes, her gaze focused, she is apparently actively overthinking every word he said. A minute passes, but it feels like thirty.
- I'm so sorry.
He flinches. Then stares in surprise.
- Sorry for what? - he hisses.
- Brenner has no right to be treating you the way he does.
- Well, I've killed my family.
- That is no normal behavior.
- No-o, not normal at all, - he growls, leans in a little closer to her. - Aren't you scared of me now?
She looks up, her eyes meeting his. His gaze is angry, piercing, he is expecting her to turn away. Eleven could hear echoes in her own head like before: a woman yelling, berating someone; "hold yourself together"; "...you're incapable of behaving yourself, boy" and a sound of a slap; "Henry, you're a freak!" then a girl's laughter; then more of the familiar sounds from before - electric cackling and screams.
Kate held his gaze. It visibly took her some effort.
- No... A little bit. But that doesn't change the fact that you were just a boy. You did awful things. But you were twelve. You didn't deserve to be dragged into a cage and studied like a wild animal, you needed help, not a damn collar, - her words grow heated towards the end of her speech. She stops abruptly, then looks away from him, breaking eye contact. - It's no excuse for what he has done or what he is doing.
The sounds and echoes in Eleven's head stopped, as if someone switched off a radio. The room is filled with silence.
One stares at the floor, then at Kate for a brief moment. Then back at the floor.
- You're not supposed to know this by the way. So do your best pretending that you don't. Brenner will get angry, - his voice is emotionless, he seems lost for a proper emotional response to her words.
He is about to stand up when she leaps on her feet and makes a hasty step towards him. She grabs his hand firmly.
- Pet-... Henry, - he freezes on spot, still not looking at her, but now purposefully so. - This doesn't change anything between us, right? I mean... We're still friends, right?
- Friends? - he looks up, startled.
- If you want.
There is a silent pause.
- I think I do, - he responds after a while.
Silence ensues. She is still holding his hand.
- Can I hug you?
He looks at her like he is seeing a perculiar extinct animal. Then nods hesitantly.
Kate leans in closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. He puts his around her waist cautiously. Something tells Eleven he is contemplating on how to break her spine with least effort in case she tries to stab him with a scalpel in his back. She doesn't. They stay still, breathing.
- Aren't you scared of me? - he repeats his question from before.
- You freaked me out. I guess quite a bit, - she responds quietly, her lips close to his ear. "Then you are very incautious" - whispers a voice in Eleven's head. - But I've known you for some time and... You told me all this so...
He breathes out heavily, holds still. His arms are still wrapped around her. They don't seem to be that ready to break her spine now. As the room starts to go blurry it seems to Eleven that she sees a foreign gleam in his eyes. She also notices that the yellow glow that seemed to emanate from Kate was drastically more visible. Eleven turned away, and the room rolled in a blur. She had a feeling for some reason that she wouldn't like where this was going.
***
It's the far medical room, one like those the children were put in when they were sick for a long time - a rare occurrence. Henry is looking around awkwardly, suspiciously. Kate is in front of him, it looks like she had brought him in the room on purpose. They are alone, the door is locked.
- Here we are, - she says.
- Yes, and why are we here? - he says, cautiously, suspiciously.
- You said your room was always checked, right?
He nodded, still looking at her in distrust.
- So?
- So, Brenner never goes in here.
- And?
- And there are no cameras in the medical rooms because they are barely used and supposed to be safe and boring.
- And?
- And there are those cupboards that have locks and I can lock them up and we can hide stuff for you in here so that Brenner doesn't find out... I mean... - she pauses, catching her breath anxiously: she had been speaking very fast, afraid he'd interrupt her. - I brought you some pencils and a sketchbook. I noticed you draw. And I brought some books. You don't have to read them. It's just the ones I thought you'd like. I can buy you something else, you just tell me what you would prefer...
She crouches down, producing a set of small keys and unlocking one of the drawers of a nearby table. Henry is watching her closely.
- Here, see?
He makes a couple fast determined steps towards her. Kate jumps to her feet, watching his face intently, perhaps worried she might have upset him somehow. He stares into the drawer for a long moment: there are new pencils, pastels, a fresh sketchbooks and a couple hard-binded books, a copy of "The Hobbit" at the top. He breathes out, heavily, shakily, with a small smile on his face. Kate smiles awkwardly at him too, then flinches almost unnoticeably, startled as she looks down. He reached out timidly, touching her hand, interlocking their fingers. She squeezes his palm. They look up at each other simultaneously, their gazes meeting.
- Thank you, - it comes out as a whisper, but it seems to echo around the room.
He makes a rushed awkward movement and suddenly he is holding her, snaking his arms around her waist and behind her back reluctantly. She looks startled and surprised in his embrace, frozen for a couple of seconds with her eyes wide open, her hands hanging mid-air in hesitation. She regains herself, wrapping her arms around him carefully.
She is glowing again. Again more vivid. Eleven feels warmer again and the room is going blurry as the two slowly begin to pull apart. The girl turns around reaching for the door behind her, ready to go to the next bit of memory, but it's not there anymore.
***
It is once again that what appeared to be a common room for employees. There is Dr Brenner standing in front of the doorway, several people are sitting about on chairs or couches, all looking at him. Right in front of Eleven, at a table with several other people there are Henry and Kate, sitting next to each other.
Dr Brenner carries on talking, it looks like he has been going on for a while.
- I believe we might need some extra effort with Two and Three today. It looks like they believe they are allowed superficial privileges since they are older, which is not quite what we have discussed with them.
Henry tenses up. It looks like Kate notices.
- Michael, Peter and Jacob will be on assistance in class today...
Brenner is still talking, but the sound becomes slightly muffled.
Eleven sees Henry's shoulder shift slightly, as if he is about to flinch, but restricting himself. Kate notices it too. She moves her hand carefully, slowly, and grabs his palm under the table while no one notices. He squeezes her fingers.
The sound of Brenner's voice becomes more clear again.
- That's it for now. Back to work, ladies and gentlemen.
Everybody is standing up, some picking folders, some turning back to desks, beginning to write something down. Kate is up on her feet before Henry is, but he is following her close by.
She is passing by Dr Brenner, about to exit the room, when she stops. Henry is a couple steps away, next to another employee that was apparently assigned for assistance on the day's lesson too.
- Oh, I almost forgot... - Kate suddenly speaks. - I'm sorry, Dr Brenner, but Peter has kindly agreed to assist me with the check ups today, I would like to keep him on it if that is okay with you, - she has turned away and shows with her entire pose that she is in a hurry, about to leave. Like she doesn't really care about what she is saying, throwing it in as an afterthought. If Brenner could see her face he would have noticed she was holding her breath nervously. He seems to be mulling over what he just heard.
Henry freezes for a moment, caught off guard, but quickly regains himself, adding quietly:
- I have said I would be free to assist in the medical rooms today. I'm sure I'm not irreplaceable on the lessons, - he adds quietly. Now it looks like he had planned it all to escape the lessons that day. Like there was no startled look on his face just seconds ago when he heard her speak.
Brenner turns to Henry and looks him over strictly, quite possibly contemplating if allowing him to work in the medical rooms could lead to Kate's untimely death. He probably decides it wouldn't.
- Why, if you are already needed there, I will get someone else to step into your place on the lesson. But I require to be warned next time when there are duty arrangements that I am unaware of, - he finishes strictly, then turns away dismissively.
Kate nods, exiting the room and Henry follows her, visibly making an effort not to pick up his pace.
- Should I not have? - she asks him cautiously when they turn the corner and are out of earshot.
- Can't know. I'm glad you did, - he replies.
- Isn't he going to be suspicious?
- Of me, not of you. And not more than he has already been. He hates me, remember? - he chuckles darkly. They are walking fast in the direction of the medical office. Kate turns her head swiftly to throw an apologetic glance at him. He continues:
- I'd rather spend the day working with you than with anyone else in this place.
She smiles, broadly. It even seems she blushes.
- Is that true?
He doesn't answer, just huffs.
- Well, that's mutual.
They have reached the door and she is fumbling with the keys, so she doesn't hear when he says:
- You're the only one who'd say that, - shacking his head.
Eleven knows Kate hadn't heard him - she would have turned if she had. Eleven notices something else: Henry is staring at Kate's face intently - she is looking down at the keys in her hands, it takes a minute to realize that a strand of hair that had fallen down and in front of her face is slowly, but steadily, against common sense and gravity, moving up and behind her ear. The woman doesn't notice. Eleven stares. The corridor goes blurry. The door opens and everything is engulfed in a flash of sunlight for a moment and when it goes away, the scene is changed again.
***
It's like Eleven has been transported into the medical room and has to watch the door open from the inside, as Kate stumbles in, leading a rather unstable Henry inside, holding him up by his elbow. She throws a quick glance left and right back into the corridor before shutting the door behind them.
It's evident that Henry's head is spinning. She leads him carefully to the examination table and gestures for him to sit down - he doesn't, he just leans on it with his back to the surface.
- Wait a second, I'll grab some painkillers and I can also... - she mumbles on, hurriedly, almost indistinguishable, rushing around the room. Henry watches her intently. The entire room seems to be buzzing - maybe it's the aftermath of the shockers affecting his perception.
She steps back to the table, bringing a couple bottles with pills and a first aid kit.
- Take these, it will ease the pain, - she drops a couple of round pills on his outstretched palm and gives him a glass of cold water. He follows her instruction silently.
- Show me your burns, we have to check out those, - she doesn't notice the way he is staring at her.
- It's alright, - he replies, his voice is slightly raspy.
- Henry... - she presses on, opening the first aid kit.
- There is no need, - he continues.
- Just hold still for a moment, - she tells him. He looks her over, glimpses into her concerned face, still focused on what she was doing. There is a tenseness in him that wasn't there before. He apparently contemplated on what she asked him to do and decided against it.
Everything happens quickly. An invisible force yanks the first aid kit out of her hands. She gasps lightly. He leanes down to her face quickly, his hand coming up to take a hold of her chin and turn her head towards him. And then he touches his lips to hers - quickly, without hesitation. She freezes. He remains still and firm, his eyes closed.
It feels like time had slowed down.
Then her palm comes up to lay on his chest. She moves aside whatever she had been meaning to pick up and her other arm finds its way around his neck, her fingers sliding into his hair and then all at once she is in his embrace and he - in hers. And they are holding each other: his lips moving against hers, both breathing heavily, it seemed their heartbeats filled the room with a soft humm.
They pull apart, gasping for air. His arm has snaked around her waist and his fingers are digging into her side hard.
- Henry... - she whimpers, breathless.
- I've been meaning to do this for a while, - he responds.
She chuckles, quietly. Then reaches up and kisses him again, on her own initiative, closing her eyes. Henry is smiling against her lips, pulling her closer, until they are pressed firmly chest to chest and she lets out a soft sigh through the kiss.
The room is buzzing and lighting up with sunshine, Eleven has to turn away, blinded, and when she does she sees a staircase - definitely not a part of the medical room.
***
- Where are we going? - Kate asks.
She is following after Henry down a dimly lit narrow corridor and towards the staircase - they seem to be still in Hawkins, although the space looks quite uncharacteristic.
- Just wait, we're almost there, - he answers shortly.
- I don't think we're supposed to be here.
- It's alright, I've done this before.
- But what if we get in trouble? What if you get in trouble? - she is hurrying after him.
He turns around briefly to give her a short smirk.
- I won't.
He runs up the stairs that seemingly go straight into the ceiling and pushes on a door that is barely noticeably there. It gives a heavy groan, but opens nevertheless. Kate watches at the bottom of the stairs, curious.
- Come on, - he calls to her, climbing up through the door. Bits of blue are visible above him - it's an opening to the roof.
Kate follows up the steps quickly and as soon as she climbs through the opening, he shuts the door behind her. She gives him a worried startled look.
- Don't worry, I can open it from up here too.
Kate looks around, Henry is watching her.
- How is this place not guarded?
- I believe it's not viewed as an escape route - if anyone even finds their way up here and opens the door - it's a seven storey fall to freedom, - he explains simply. He had obviously been thinking it through. That roof had probably brought him a lot of disappointment before it brought any joy. He seems to be glad to have come up there now though.
Kate gives him a long concerned stare. Then walks to the edge. There is a fence, but it isn't very tall - Kate walks up to it, taking in the view. Henry follows her close by.
The sun is setting slowly, colouring the sky in the west in pink and orange. Woods are surrounding the laboratory building and behind them the town of Hawkins emerges with roofs lit up by the setting sun, only to melt back into more woods further west.
- It's a view, - Henry comments.
- That's one way to describe it, - Kate answers. She had been holding her breath.
Henry sits down on the roof and gestures for her to do the same.
- Won't they notice us from the ground? - she asks as she lands next to him.
- No, we're obscured from view on this side. Don't worry.
They sit in silence for some time, taking in the scenery before them.
In a while Kate mutters, almost to herself:
- I sometimes wonder how this place is still standing. With everything going on inside.
At first Henry is silent, as if he hadn't heard her. When he finally speaks there is steel in his voice:
- Weak people containing beings far more powerful than themselves. The miracle of obedience.
Kate visibly senses anger in his voice. She tenses up.
- It's not about weakness or strength, Henry. I don't think it is, not in this way...
- It is, - he interrupts her. - They are weak and they know those like us are stronger. They know they are weaker. They pretend to study this power to try and understand it, but they don't want to understand, not really. Only interpret. They are weak, they are scared and want control and it makes them blind and stupid.
Kate is tense and seems nervous, searching for what to say next.
- I don't think it has to be measured through strength and weakness. Not for all of them, at least.
He is silent. They stay quiet and it makes the pause uneasy. She wants to add something.
- I'm one of them, - she offers, needing to set the conversation right.
Henry turns to stare at her and Kate holds his gaze. He seems to be thoughtful for a moment.
- You're not weak, - he says finally.
- Why do you think that?
- Because you're not afraid.
She looks like she is about to ask what exactly she isn't afraid of, but then last moment decides against it, apparently coming up with a few answers of her own, neither of which she needs to hear from his lips.
They sit submerged each in their own thoughts for a while. Henry reaches out carefully and takes her hand, squeezing it gently. Kate looks at their interlocked fingers and when she doesn't resist, he pulls her in closer, wrapping her in an embrace. She lets out a relieved sigh.
- Come here, - she whispers. Her fingers clutch his collar and she pulls him down to meet her lips.
It turns out a little too hard - Henry leans forward too quick and pushes her down accidentally. Now Kate is laying with her back on the surface of the roof and Henry is leaning over her, supporting his weight on his arms, one bent in elbow, one outstretched. Kate giggles. He snorts.
He leans down closer to her face and touches his forehead to hers, smiling, looking into her eyes, breathing calmly for a few seconds, before connecting their lips again. Kate's fingers let go of his collar to slide into his hair. Henry sighs heavily against her lips. He shifts his weight on one arm, the other going down to her waist. The sunlight becomes blinding - it seems it is coming both from the sunset and the couple.
Eleven flinches away, unable to watch, hiding her face in her hands. She hears hushed voices and a familiar jiggle of keys.
***
It's the medical room again. The door bursts open, Kate lets Henry step in first, then closes the door behind them carefully, making an effort to pretend like she wasn't in a hurry. Henry waits tensely watching her movements impatiently.
As soon as the door clicks shut, Kate is turned around and pushed with her back to the wall right next to it. She probably doesn't realize it happened without Henry even touching her. In seconds he is on her, one hand on the wall next to her head, caging her in, the other wrapped around her waist. The noise she makes is somewhat a surprised squeak. The room seems hot, the air feels dense. Henry is kissing her lips, his hand dropping from her waist and down to her hip, tugging the material of the pencil skirt up, and climbing underneath it. Kate gasps for breath when his lips finally leave hers, fingers of one hand entangled in his hair, the other clutching his shirt. His lips descend to her neck and she gasps in surprise before muttering:
- Wait, wait, Henry, someone can walk in on us.
- They won't, - he growls quietly, not raising his head from the crook of her neck.
- But what if...
- Tssch, quiet... - he mutters looking up into her eyes, pressing a finger to her lips.
There is a soft click.
The key turns itself in the lock.
With another click the lights go off.
Kate gasps softly. Henry growls.
It's dark, but there is again a warm glow coming from their figures - it blurs everything, the whole room seems to start spinning, the sounds become entangled as if someone is playing multiple audiotapes at the same time. Suddenly the world is a caleidoscope of images and sounds - everything sunlit, although barely distinguishable, it was warm and there were laughs and sighs and exclamations and bits of conversation coming from everywhere and nowhere in particular. Words are echoing, they seem quiet and loud at once.
"You're not supposed to come into work sick" - "I was worried it would upset you if I didn't show up"
snort - "I have never heard you say that before..."
"I'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to hold two people"
"Henry, wait, Jesus!" quiet muffled laughter
"when was the last time you tried chocolate?"
"I'm so awkward, I'm sorry" - "you aren't"
"god I'm glad they didn't put cameras here" quiet giggles
And in the midst of it all, there are bits of one hushed conversation, laced through, ringing somehow more prominent than everything else.
- Henry I...
There is a sound of something falling, pushed off a surface.
- Is something wrong?
It seems like music is playing somewhere far away.
- Henry I'm...
There are quiet indistinguishable voices in the background.
- You look sick.
Repressed laughter echoes somewhere, turns into a satisfied sigh.
- Henry, I'm pregnant.
All the other sounds don't quite die down - they blend into and overall background noise, present and indistinguishable.
- You need to leave. Leave this place. You don't understand, if you don't, he will...
- Henry, WE need to leave this place.
- I can't.
- We can run far, they will never find us.
- You need to hide from him.
- We will hide together. I'm not leaving without you!
- I am tracked. He put a chip in my neck, I...
- I have a scalpel.
- Kate...
- I don't want to do this without you.
The conversation mixes with the other sounds. It seems to Eleven she hears muffled swearing and quiet coughs. The lights starts to shimmer, like sun rays on the forest floor on a windy day, obstructed by the trees. Eleven can hear sounds of someone running. Something creaks. Then there is rain. Rain and thunder.
***
The rain is pouring and it's freezing cold - still a different cold than the upside down. Thunder rumbles close by and Henry is soaking wet. The caleidoscope stopped. It's another memory. He is on a porch and he is knocking on the door desperately. He knows who lives here, he is confident.
He had escaped the lab.
Less than a minute goes by and the door sweeps open, revealing a sleepy Kate. Her facial expression changes from mistrust to recognition and then relief, settling somewhere in between joy and overwhelming anxiety.
He is wet to the bone, dripping all over her porch and the door mat. Strands of wet hair are plastered over his face, he is leaning on the door frame, looking down at her.
- Henry!? - she looks him over for a few seconds, a bit lost. He is just staring down into her face, waiting, breathing heavily. It seems there is a silent dialogue between them.
She lets out a gasp, awakening from her shocked paralysis, reaches up to grab him by the collar and drag him into the house. The door swings shut swiftly behind them, but not fast enough for Eleven not to notice that he was smiling - a broad relieved grin.
The rain picks up and it obscures the house from the view - Eleven tries to push closer and open the door. She yanks it open, it takes effort.
***
The room is not what was to be expected looking at the house. The door altered right in her hands.
The room was lit with rays of setting sun. It was obvious that this was a different house - the view was nothing like the surroundings of the previous one: this was apparently sat on a hill and overlooking a valley with a lake below. It didn't seem to be a home too, most probably a hotel. There are takeout boxes on the edge of the table, a couple suitcases on the floor, a radio is muttering news on lowest volume.
Kate lays stretched out on the bed, her head on Henry's shoulder. Eleven realizes that she is seeing him in ordinary clothes for the first time: he is wearing jeans and a white t-shirt and looks suddenly absolutely normal, not even a little bit strange or scary. He is petting her hair gently, her fingers are drawing patterns on his chest.
- The sunset is better from here, - he mumbles sleepily.
She chuckles.
- It is. And the view is prettier.
- You're looking at me, - he whispers.
- And I still mean it.
He shifts his head to stare back at her. She is smiling softly. He reaches out to trace her cheek with his fingers.
- Won't you regret it?
- I won't, - she says firmly. - I will miss some things, of course. But... - Kate shifts upward slightly, her face coming on the same level with his. - If this means you are free and-and happy... And I can be with you-WE can be with you, - he makes a careful movement to pull her closer, hand leaving a soft caress on her stomach before wrapping around her middle. - See you like this... It's well worth the price, - she pauses. - We can pull through. Together.
They are staring at each other solemnly for several moments. Henry's eyes seem to be searching her face. Then his smile broadens, turns into a smirk. He presses her down, forcing her to slide off the pillows and fall back on the bed. Kate yelps in surprise, then starts giggling, when he gives a quick kiss to the tip of her nose. He is hovering above her, placing kisses on her jaw and neck, making her squirm slightly underneath him, huffing and flinching her nose.
She regains herself quickly, one of her hands pushes on his arm, the other - on his chest. She catches him off guard, pushing him back, making him fall on the pillows and landing on top of him. He is unprepared for the sudden push and his head jerks a little bit, hitting on the headboard. Henry lets out a quiet hissing "ouch" and Kate freezes for a moment, worried if she hurt him. Henry chuckles. Both burst out laughing quietly. Henry wraps his arms firmly around her back.
- You little...
The sun lights up the room. Eleven is covering her eyes again when suddenly it blinks. Once. Twice. She lowers her hand, confused, anticipation rising somewhere in her stomach.
***
It's a different setting again. It looks like a house now, a cabin maybe: there is a kitchen and a couch, a TV in the corner. Kate is sitting down, Henry is standing alert in the middle of the room, worry plastered on both of their faces. Something is wrong.
There's a crash outside, loud voices. Kate jumps to her feet too.
- We should go now.
- No. Not straight away. They'll be waiting.
There a loud crash from somewhere behind the door that leads into the room - Eleven intuitively knows it's coming from the front door.
Henry throws up his hand. There are several crashes and a couple of screams. He makes a swift palm movement and the lights go out in the entire house.
Complete silence follows.
- That was pretty... - Kate begins to whisper.
- Pretty horrific? - mutters Henry, listening in carefully.
- I was going to say pretty amazing but whichever you prefer, - she chuckles, then smiles. She's frightened, but the smile is still sincere. It makes him smile back at her.
Eleven sees the glow again, bright and sunny.
Then there is noise, sudden and deafening and everything is happening at once: the door bursts open, men are running in, the window shatters into tiny pieces and there is gunfire.
And somehow, fantastically, louder than all of this, there is a gasp.
Henry is disoriented, if only for a moment and when he turns back to grab Kate and run, she isn't smiling anymore.
The glow falters.
Kate is tripping forward, falling into his arms. There's blood running down her shirt.
The armed men are closing in on them, for a moment Henry looks lost, like he is going unconscious, and when that look is gone from his face it is replaced by rage.
He is screaming, it feels like the sound vibrates through the house at the magnitude of a strong earthquake - the men are thrown backwards, against the walls and on the floor.
It gives him time to throw Kate's arm over his neck and run: out of the backdoor and into the woods.
Eleven follows them, as if hypnotized. She is quite sure she knows how this memory will end. She isn't sure if she wants to see it, but she can't help watching still, heart beating somewhere in her stomach.
They don't manage to go far anyways. Kate's legs give out, Henry is dragging her now and she slips off his shoulder, collapsing on the ground. The wound seems to be just little above the sternum, her shirt and jeans were soaking in blood.
He tries to pick her up again and she herself is trying to stand, but all the effort earns is a painful gasp. She sinks back on the ground and he catches her, dropping on his knees.
They haven't gone far - the lights of the highway can still be seen.
- Kate?
- It hurts. It hurts so much, I can't breathe.
He sees the blood over her clothes and a shiver runs through his body.
- Kate...
- Just give me a moment to rest, just a second, - she is barely whispering, her voice hoarse. He is trembling.
- It's okay. Just catch your breath. It's fine, - he mutters.
She lets out a painful gasp, her breaths are slowing down, coming out like whimpers.
- Henry...
- It's going to be okay, - his voice is shaking.
Her palm comes up to his cheek and he catches it and holds it in place, leaning closer.
- Henry, I...
- You will be okay, - their foreheads connect, far behind there is noise of people coming closer.
- I love you.
He kissed her, desperately, his breath shacking. "Just hold on". When he pulls away, she wasn't whimpering anymore.
Eleven distantly notes that Kate suddenly resembled a broken doll.
The sounds of the world have gone muffled, indistinguishable, everything went into a blur apart from the two of them on the ground.
- No! No, no, no! - Henry was trembling full-bodily now, clutching her to his chest, rocking back and forth. His hand was caressing her hair, his shirt getting soaked in her blood. He was muttering feverently. - You'll be okay. You'll be okay. Please don't go, - he was sobbing, crying, every word coming out with a painful whimper. - Please. Don't leave. Not now. - he was crying, gasping, catching his breath. It was like he wanted to scream, but couldn't. - I love you, - quiet, defeated. - I love you so much.
Eleven suddenly feels like crying too. She wants to scream in fact. She feels like she is suffocating and catching her breath in large gulps, the ground was being pulled from underneath her but she was standing still. She felt like he has thrust his pain all over the forest and now everything and everyone was gasping, trembling and wailing with him.
Eleven stumbled back, overwhelmed. And fell.
***
Eleven gasped awake. Mike was holding her, petting her back worriedly.
- It hurts so much, - she wailed. She hadn't realized she was crying.
- Where? Where does it hurt?
- Nowhere and everywhere and I can't breathe and every breath is too much at the same time. And it's cold and-and...and...
- It's okay, it's okay, I'm here, with you, - Mike is muttering, trying to hug her. - He can't hurt you here.
- No! - Eleven is fighting back his hands, sliding pushing away until suddenly her back hits a corner and she is sitting on the floor hugging her knees, gasping, overwhelmed with emotions that were her own and someone else's at once. - You don't understand, don't understand...
- What happened? Did he do something? - Mike and Will are both next to her, trying to shake back to reality.
- I thought she left... I never... I thought she just left... And she was gone... And they...
- El! What did he do to you?!
She suddenly stared up at the boys, looking at them and through them at once.
- There was so much light. It was warm and sunny and it was coming all over and it was so happy... They were his happy memories... - she was mumbling between sobs.
- What?! - Mike and Will are staring at her in confusion, if only a little less frightened. - What did you see there?
- It was his memory, - she chocked out. - I fell into his memory, I... He... There was so much light and then... And then it was gone, - another round of loud sobs shook her. - They shot her. They shot her and she was gone. They shot her and he lost them both. And he was alone.
