Jamie Lane

Original Multiverse Character James Lane: 36 yo Verse: Welcome to New York FC: Sebastian Stan Jamie Lane: 34 yo Verse: Gulf Tales FC: Phoebe Tonkin

[morethanmybattlescar]

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He knew James had tried for him, and that just made his family’s behavior all the more intolerable. There was no effort there to give even an inch on attitudes he’d been resisting for most of his life. If nothing else, it reaffirmed his decision to move here and live the life he had, the way he wanted it. He felt good with James, loved and accepted for who he was.

“Don’t ruin the surprise by peeking,” he instructed as she wandered toward her bed, in what passed for a stern voice for him. Which was to say, not stern at all. He was always going to be a pushover. “That’s merry. Sounds fun,” he chuckled softly. Grant couldn’t claim to be the best baker, but he could manage simple recipes. It just wasn’t something he had cause to do often.

James loved what they were building together, this quietly happy home for the three of them. Coming home to love and comfort was nothing short of amazing to him, and he tried to make sure that Grant felt the same way. He knew that nothing would be allowed to touch that except themselves, and they’d support one another every step of the way.  His lips twitched in amusement at the so far from stern instruction. “You’re cute,” he teased, leaning over to kiss him again just because he could. He loved how soft his partner was, how deep that sweetness genuinely ran. “It’s different and we can make a small batch.” He started fetching ingredients for their planned baking attempts. 

Originally posted by c-evans

[morethanmybattlescar]

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Grant knew the week had taken a physical and emotional toll on both of them. He’d probably do things differently moving forward, at least when it came to his family. At the very least, they’d have a shorter trip and a clearer exit strategy next time they visited. He could tolerate his mother’s guilt trips over the phone more easily than her attitude in person. It was one thing for her to critique his life choices, but he didn’t have a lot of tolerance for her disapproval of James, especially when it stemmed from bigotry over actual reason.

Having a few days to just take care of each other and soothe all those rough edges sounded like heaven. As if she knew she was being talked about, Alpine trotted over and pressed against their legs, begging for pets that Grant was happy to give her. He’d always loved dogs, and it had been easy to love her. He was just glad it was mutual, since he didn’t know what he would have done if James’s furry person hadn’t liked him. “What else?” He gave him a soft smile as he straightened, moving to start pulling out a mixing bowl and some cookie sheets.

Originally posted by recsbylotte

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Despite himself, James had tried to approach the time with Grant’s family with a slight attempt at optimism. It had been quickly punctured, rethought, and rapidly changed, but he had tried because he loved Grant. They knew now, though, exactly what they would be up against and where their tolerance would run out. It gave them a better idea of how to handle future visits.

He loved watching the way Grant and Alpine were together, his face going soft and fond at the sight of the sweet affection. Leaning down, he scratched gently behind her ears with a soft instruction for her to go lay in her bed while they cooked. “How about some gingerbread for us?”

[morethanmybattlescar]

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Grant had never been sorry for leaving a relationship that was slowly killing him or moving to a city where he didn’t feel haunted. It had put him exactly where he needed to be to find James again. He didn’t always know what to make of that and mostly resolved not to think about it too hard. The important thing was that they were together now, and he’d do everything he could to stay with him. James was the love of his life, always had been.

Even if he’d wanted to go out, he probably wouldn’t have argued about it. Crowds were iffy, and the city was going to be packed with last minute shoppers today. That wasn’t something he wanted to put on James, to unnecessarily stress him out on a holiday they’d both decided they wanted to be relaxing and quiet. He’d had plenty of Christmas in the city experiences with him in New York. He smiled at that happy hum, kissing him again softly just because he could. “What do you want to bake? I think we should try that dog treat recipe. Spoil our girl a little on Christmas.”

Originally posted by stxvercgersslut

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It definitely would have been a day where they would have had to take Alpine out with them if they went out. The last week and a half had left his nerves far more on the shot end and he’d done more than enough spoiling of Grant and Alpine as the pile under their tree witnessed. Locked away in their cozy home together with the whole rest of the world on the outside where they could focus on each other was absolutely perfect to him. Even his call to his sister would wait until much, much later.  He would take every soft kiss that Grant wanted to give him. A soft laugh escaped him and he nodded in agreement. “That sounds like a perfect idea,” he agreed, “She deserves it.” The love that had sprung up so easily between Grant and Alpine never failed to make him happy but never had surprised him. They were both the sweetest things in his life. 

Originally posted by 1038276637

[morethanmybattlescar]

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It had been a very long time since Grant had an ally against them. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to have someone defend him, to tell him he’d made the right choices. (He knew he had. He’d done what he had to do to save himself. But that it didn’t mean it wasn’t nice to hear it from someone he trusted.) James was every bit of warmth and happiness in his life now, and that helped more than anything. As long as he loved him, as exactly as he was and not some imagined version that had never existed, then he didn’t care if anyone else did.

His hand curved over his jaw as he tipped that beloved face up to his, and Grant knew he looked just as dopey in love as he always did when he looked at him. “That sounds like a perfect plan,” he murmured, his arm tightening gently around him. He would never complain about not having to share him. Their cozy days at home meant everything to him. “I get to see you every day now. It feels selfish to want more, but I do.” He smiled, stealing a soft kiss while he was close. He still missed him on weeks like this when work took up more time for both of them than they wanted. But there was always this at the end of it, days when it was just them and nothing but Alpine demanding their attention.

Originally posted by majolivane

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James would always be in Grant’s corner when it came to the choices he had made for himself in his life. He’d done what he needed to do and he was grateful every day that he had made them. It had given them the chance for exactly what they were building now and would continue to build together. He loved him, exactly the way he was, trauma and all. 

He would never get over seeing so much love on that perfect face for him. Every day he was grateful that this man loved him the way he did. “I’m glad you agree,” he murmured happily. He could stay exactly where he was forever. “I always want more with you,” he admitted, “So I understand.” He smiled softly into that kiss, a happy hum escaping him. Weeks like this were never fun, but they didn’t take over their lives so he could handle it. It helped that they always had this, the time together to just enjoy one another and love on Alpine. 

Originally posted by marvelshitposting

[morethanmybattlescar]

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always leads to you | james & grant

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It had taken days for Grant to get his trip home to Boston to see his family out of his system. He loved his parents, but it had long been established that it was safer to love them from a distance. They hadn’t approved of his life choices since his divorce, and he’d known they weren’t going to approve of James either. Bringing the man he loved home for Christmas dinner didn’t allow his mother to pretend he wasn’t bisexual or that he was on the verge of getting back together with his ex-wife, both delusions he’d never managed to break her of. They were polite to James, but it was a chilly politeness, and he hated the way it sunk into him and made him colder too. It wasn’t a part of himself that he liked.

It had been a very long weekend, and he was beyond grateful that James’s job called them back to D.C. sooner rather than later. It had been a busy week for him too as everyone tried to get in last minute things before everything shut down for the holidays. By Christmas Eve day, he was more than ready for it to be the two of them. Spending the holiday with just James was the nicest gift he could think of. He wrapped an arm around his waist when they finished cleaning up breakfast, pressing a soft kiss against his jaw. “What do you want to do today, baby? We can brave the outside and shop. Stay in and bake or watch movies. Anything you want.” There were plenty of Christmasy things going on in the city, and Grant was open to anything, knowing they’d get to stay in for all the cuddles tomorrow. 

Originally posted by evansensations

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It was very hard to get James’s rage to rise these days, especially in the face of so much happiness. However, Grant’s parents had a way of getting that icy rage to take over nearly every word that came out of his mouth. Chilly civility was something he could do in equal measure and he met them tit for tat. He did everything he could to give Grant every bit of warmth and love he had in him to get them through that visit, but nothing made him relax more than the emergency call from work.  The whole week stayed busy as he wrapped up his work, hating a little that he worked for the government because it wasn’t something he could just put off. When they woke up, he was relaxed with the happy idea of having days together, just them. Wrapping his arms around him, he sank into him happily and tipped his face up to him. “No shopping,” he protested with a shake of his head, “I don’t want to share you, not with a single other soul.” His arms tightened gently around him. “I vote baking, movies, and one present apiece.” 

Originally posted by alexisrose

Originally posted by alexisrose

[morethanmybattlescar]

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Seeing someone as fierce as Jamie look at him with that much softness couldn’t help but go straight to his heart. Grant had always been the softer one of the pair, the one more likely to leave sappy love notes and doodles or tear up at commercials. That side of him had been long dormant, but it wouldn’t last if she kept looking at him like that. He didn’t want her to stop.

He tipped his head into that soft kiss, giving her a curious little smile when they parted because he had no idea what she was thanking him for. He wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her gently back into his space. More often than not, they were going to have other people around, so as long as they didn’t, he was taking full advantage. With his free hand, he opened the pizza box so they’d be encouraged to eat before getting completely distracted again.

Jamie had always loved his soft heart, such a contrast to her. He made her better, made her want to be more, and it seemed that hadn’t changed. The curious smile only served to soften her further and she let out a soft, happy laugh when she was lifted back. All she ever wanted to be was close, so she had no reason to protest.

Cudding into his lap, she tipped her head to brush a soft kiss to his neck before turning her attention to the pizza. Grabbing a slice, she immediately started eating to avoid letting herself get too distracted by him. This was everything to her, cuddled close, soft touches, and having a meal. They needed this as much as they needed all the rest of their relationship. “I forgot how good cold pizza can be late,” she chuckled.

[morethanmybattlescar]

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Grant didn’t know how he was going to function in his daily life when he didn’t want to be even one room away from her. It was still too new to feel completely real when she wasn’t in his arms and under his lips, like a vivid but fanciful dream that he might wake up from at any moment. The dream was sitting in his bed when he returned, and the sight of her just about knocked him silly.

He settled back on the bed with her, food and drinks in easy reach, and leaned to press a soft kiss to her shoulder. “Beautiful,” he murmured. She always had been, but age had only been kinder to her. Her face had already started showing up in his drawings, and it would only get more frequent the more time he spent with her. She’d always been one of his favorite muses.

Being away from him had already been one of her least favorite things of the last few weeks. Being away from him now was going to feel something like torture, she was sure. She still woke up thinking it was all a dream some days, and her phone would ding to prove her wrong. The sight of him walking in to the bed they’d thoroughly rumpled helped remind her it was real. 

She tipped her head to look at him, the soft kiss to her shoulder making her eyes go soft on him. Leaning, she kissed him softly because there was no reason she couldn’t. “Thank you,” she said softly. He came close to making her believe it so easily with the way he looked at her, even now. He had always been one of her favorite people in the world to look at. 

[morethanmybattlescar]

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He was patient with the process, knowing they both had things they needed to heal from before they could trust in this again. It was enough just to have her here and to have the possibility of love again. It was hopeful, and he hadn’t been hopeful about that since his ex-wife left. Longer, probably, because he hadn’t really been holding out hope they’d fix things either.

“I guess I’ll have to be quick then.” He smiled at the gentle teasing, kissing her softly again before he untangled himself. He didn’t bother with clothes this time as he went to get the pizza box, abandoned on the counter, and a couple bottles of water. They had beer around there somewhere, but he wasn’t going to take the time to hunt them down, and water sounded better at the moment anyway. Anything that kept him from her right now wasn’t worth his attention.

Patience had never been something that Jamie had particularly excelled at when she wanted something when she was younger. Hope was something she thought she’d lost the ability for until recently. Rhodey had started that healing, slowly, and Grant had been adding to it. Nothing would be perfect, but it could be perfect for them, and that was all she cared about.  “You better,” she murmured softly, tipping her head for that kiss happily. When he left, she buried her face into his pillow and let out the happiest, silliest squeal of a sound she’d made in a very long time. Taking a breath, she sat back up and finger combed through her hair before taking the time to braid it loosely so she could eat without worrying about it. She stretched lightly, enjoying the soft aches she knew she’d really feel tomorrow, but they were the best kind. 

[morethanmybattlescar]

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Grant had always been a romantic, a little too sweet and idealistic for his own good. He’d grown out of some of it because it was the only way to survive in an adult world, but in his heart, he still believed in things like true love and happy ever after. He’d given up on ever finding them again for himself, knowing that Jamie was the closest he’d ever come, but having her here made him feel like anything was possible.

It was impossible not to want her, not to get lost in the feeling of her in his arms. He was happy to drift on soft touches and kisses for a while, until the hunger became too much to ignore. “Wanna try this dinner thing again? I think pizza in bed sounds perfect.” He smiled, trailing soft kisses along her jaw. Maybe if they gave up on the idea of leaving it for long, they could wrangle enough self-control to actually eat.

Jamie hadn’t really believed in happily ever after since her and Grant had fallen slowly and painfully apart. It really hadn’t even been the vaguest hope in her heart. Being with Grant again, being held and in his world again? She could see that changing with enough time. 

She couldn’t help the soft smile at the question, pleased with herself for managing to distract him twice. “I won’t even come with you. It hasn’t worked so well when I have,” she teased with a soft, happy laugh. Her fingers slid through his hair lightly, soft and affectionate. “Pizza in bed is a great idea.

[morethanmybattlescar]

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Even with the total lack of caution he was feeling right now, he knew it was too early to call it love. But the possibility was more than either of them had had in a long time. He knew he was already in the middle of falling for her, maybe not as hard and fast as the first time, but close enough. This time, he hoped that taking their time meant it would last.

His hand slid gently through her hair, his kisses going softer and sweeter. “I have faith in us, Jamie,” he said softly. The warmth and happiness in him wasn’t something he felt he needed to temper, even if he thought he could at this point. Against all logic, he had Jamie in his arms again. He just wanted to enjoy it.

She knew that nothing about their relationship could go like it did the first time they tried this. They were two entirely different people and Grant had a large primary responsibility that he had to consider before anything else. She didn’t know if she could even trust it if it came fast, not after everything else. Falling for Grant had always been easy, her heart always wild, but it had learned some caution. 

She melted under that sweetness, her breath catching at the soft words. Her arms slid to wrap around his neck and she pressed closer, letting herself drift on those soft, sweet kisses. “Me too,” she whispered. The fact that he was here, that she was wrapped in his arms again, that he wanted her again, was more than she had ever thought possible. 

[morethanmybattlescar]

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For his sanity, Grant had forced himself to forget so many things. He’d forgotten how addicting it was to watch her come alive with happiness like this, so bright he couldn’t help but be pulled along in it. She was always gorgeous, but when she was looking at him with all that happiness and heat (and maybe not love, not yet, but the possibility of it), she was irresistible. 

His hands tightened on her as she arched for him, and he had to wrangle his self-control not to chase more of those reactions. He failed. One might say his heart wasn’t really into restraint at the moment. His chuckle was low and playful, and he stole another soft, lingering kiss while she was close. “I would love to try,” he murmured against her lips.

Jamie couldn’t think of the last time she had felt so vibrantly alive, where the darkness of her mind wasn’t lurking at the corners of everything. She knew how much love was possible in her when it came to Grant. He always had a way of getting every bit of her wrapped around him and wrapped in the way he loved her. She knew they weren’t there yet, but the promise of it was enough. 

She really didn’t want him to use his considerable self-control, not tonight. She’d happily give him anything and everything of her that he wanted. That chuckle sent a shiver down her spine and she slid her hands up into his hair. “I have faith.” 

[morethanmybattlescar]

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“Oh, really? I’m looking forward to that.” He hummed softly, enjoying those possibilities. A Jamie who couldn’t keep her hands or her mouth or anything else she wanted off him wasn’t something he would complain about. He barely managed not to groan at the scrape of teeth.

Her hands on him were a welcome reminder that this was really happening, and not just wildly pleasant dream he was having. His own traced out soft curves, the shape of her somehow new and familiar at once. “I don’t want you to,” he murmured. Resisting each other had no place in tonight’s plans.

She hummed in delight at the idea, “I am too.” The fact that she really didn’t have to rein herself in when it was just them was almost overwhelming after being without him for so long. She wanted to pull every soft groan and needy sound out of him that she could manage. She had forgotten how addicting they could be. 

Shivering under his hands, she arched in encouragement. A soft sound escaped her at his words and she tipped her head to kiss him. “Can you keep up?” The question was murmured against his lips, full of mischief, need, and love. She knew that one night with him wouldn’t soothe all the ragged edges off her soul, but damned if it wasn’t a good start. 

[morethanmybattlescar]

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Grant wasn’t sure closure was even a possibility when it came to Jamie. It was the same with May. His heart had been changed forever by both of them, and there was no closing the door on that. Walking away from her now, he was sure, would hurt them both just as much as it would at any future point. He couldn’t live with himself if they didn’t even try.

“I know the feeling,” he murmured, hands sliding into her hair, her lips sending a welcome shiver through him. “Never could get enough of you.” If history was any indication, there was no such thing, and this was already so much stronger than he remembered. He couldn’t be blamed if he wanted to keep her close for the rest of their lives.

A soft sound escaped her when his hands slid into her hair, feeling anchored by it and it didn’t discourage her from continuing her trail over his neck with her lips. “I think it’s worse now,” she whispered against his skin, nibbling gently on his collarbone because there was never a time she wanted to keep her mouth off him, really. 

Her hands slid over his skin, trailing over his chest like she needed to rememorize the feeling of him. She hoped that they would have plenty more chances for moments like this, but she fully planned to capitalize on it. “You’ve always been impossible for me to resist,” she admitted as she skimmed her lips up his neck to nibble gently on the corner of his jaw.

[morethanmybattlescar]

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Grant didn’t blame her for running. He’d always found it hard to blame her for anything, and he would have understood if she’d kept running. It was probably the smarter thing, not to get involved with him again, but if that was the case, he was glad they were both being stupid. She was well worth getting his heart broken again.

He hummed softly, lips trailing along her neck. “Because you’re irresistible. Always have been,” he murmured, hands sliding warm up her back like he could press her closer. Keeping them off of her for this long had been a challenge. He had no idea how he was going to do it now that they’d crossed this line.

Grant had always been her best and easiest decision. She couldn’t help but think he’d be smarter to walk away from her, to get closure and goodbye. She didn’t want that. The thought of him walking away hurt, but she’d let him if he wanted to. But she knew that they were both in this, that they were letting their hearts lead even if it wasn’t the smartest thing. 

Her head tipped back to give him more room, his lips on her neck sending soft shivers down her spine that the warmth of his hands immediately soothed away. “Insatiable feels more like the right word at the moment,” she murmured, pressing close and tipping her head to skim her lips over his shoulder and up his neck. 

[beallright]

Phoebe Tonkin X Tiffany & Co. (2022)

[beyondthefold]

SEBASTIAN STAN PHOTOGRAPHED FOR GQ

[morethanmybattlescar]

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Grant had no inclination to go back to what they’d had before. The past was in the past, and they weren’t the same people anymore. What they each needed out of a relationship now was very different. The draw to her was the same as it had always been though, if not stronger, and he loved everything he’d learned about Jamie so far. It seemed impossible they could have changed so much in over ten years and still fit so perfectly, but there was nothing that said otherwise.

He smiled, arms tightening around her as he shifted to a sitting position, pulling her easily onto his lap in the same motion. “I feel like we tried this once already,” he chuckled softly, in no hurry to keep moving. He had Jamie in his arms, the soft warmth of her body pressed along the line of his, and her lips on his. They might make it to the kitchen eventually, but he was willing to keep taking their time.

Part of why Jamie had run that day at the school had been the want that had accompanied the panic of seeing him at all. The more they got to know each other they way they were now, that well of want continued to get deeper and stronger. She hadn’t expected them to still fit, his arms still the safest and happiest place she’d found. 

She shifted to settle happily around him, on his lap with a soft, happy sound. “We did, and we wound up right back here,” she agreed with a quiet laugh. There was no reason to move any time soon. In his arms was exactly where she wanted to be, the warmth of him under her and pressed close enough to keep her head delightfully fuzzy.