♡Summary- In the solitude of the early morn, the reader was pleasantly surprised to be in company with Eddie Munson.
Your eyes flickered to the sky above. The inky pool powdered in an infinity of stars, a thousand wishes just waiting to soar. Then there was the moon, a milky crescent with an echo of its full sphere, the night was clear so a view of its dark side was visible. You could never help but be bewitched each time you met the sky, its vastness creating a deep feeling inside you. For all that, as soon as you look down the coil is snapped and reality settles in, reality being the gas station standing before you.
The town of Hawkins, a once sleepy town turned to a sleepless one. With each murder the place gained infamous traction, however despite what may be the logical choice, The residents didn't flee. They stayed stubborn as mules and life went on. Life goes on. This was the thought that rippled in your mind as you took an icy breath and entered the small shop.
Baker gas station was your choice of haven. When the bitter winter reared its ugly head, Baker’s was the best remedy. With a slip inside you were greeted by the fluorescent lights and glossy packaging, a great contrast to the untamed night just outside. As per usual, the cashier buried themselves inside the staff room, leaving you to all the hidden treasures of the 24-hour store. You scanned the shelves for some treats, brushing your night-chilled hair out of the way. Revealing your frost honeyed face, clearly bitten by winter.
Whilst peering across the assortment of chips, your eyes spotted something else, something that wasn't a snack nor a pastry. Another pair of eyes.
Wait eyes!?
“Ahh!” You yelled, springing backward. You assumed the room to be empty, After all, not many visited the station at this hour. Whilst catching your breath, you could hear a familiar cackle ring through the room. A laugh that bellowed from the gut, and had a twinge of mischief. From behind the shelf, the pair of chestnut eyes came waltzing through, now paired with a tall figure. Sporting a jean jacket and an array of rings, it was none other than Eddie Munson, Hawkin's resident rockstar. You placed a hand on your chest. “You scared me” You murmured, eyeing him.
“Sorry Sweetheart, it was the perfect opportunity!” He smiled at you, his eyes flickered up and down, studying your figure. “What are you doing here so early anyway?” He picked at the snacks.
“Just...” you peered downwards, avoiding his shadowy gaze. “You know...” The delinquent found you adorable, he flashed a smile before tossing a small bag of candy.
“Well, my friend” he announced. “You, have the greatest pleasure of joining me on a midnight snack run” You raised a brow, he appeared amused. “I call it Eddies Adventure” He displayed his hands in the air, gesturing to a great vision, He then peered at his watch “At 4:30am”. You let out a laugh, a flowery noise. Eddie gingerly rubbed his hands. “Soooo what are we gonna choose” He eyed the shelves. Your eyes widened, you thought it ended here, someone like him wouldn't hang around with you, would he? You shook your head before joining him.
The rest of the early morning was spent joking around and picking snacks. The two of you grinning at each other with flushed faces. “Oh god Y/N...” he laughed airily, wiping tears from his eye, “You are a riot! Why don’t you talk more often?”
“Because it's scary!” You laughed; Eddie raised a brow at you, also smiling.
“Really?”
“Mhm, super scary” you replied. Not registering Eddies movements.
“What like this?” he then made devil horns on his head and stuck his tongue out, earning yet another laugh from you. For such different people you made a great pair, you then gazed up at him, eyes glittering like the stars outside.
“Your weird” you smiled, tilting your head to him. Eddie felt his heart melt in his chest. For the first time the wild rocker hadn't a response in mind, he could only look at you. The gaze lasted as if frozen for just a moment. Breaking it, you peered at the clock, an hour had already passed, never had you stayed this long. There was no reason to.
“Gotta go home?” You turned to Eddie, he cocked his head, hands in pockets, maybe disappointed. You gently nodded. Then, you felt the moment ripple. As the sky was now faded to light violet, the cashier emerged from their grove, and a single car pulled into the gas pump. Reality was swiftly consuming what felt like a dream, ripping you away from Eddie and Y/N, pushing you to classmates who just happen to meet, nothing more.
“I'll walk you”
The thoughts that flooded you were scared away, in one hit. You looked at him. Eddie Munson, casted in veil of dawn and smiling at you. Offering to walk you home.
Prompt: Lena being an adorable nerd, writing down a list of what makes Kara happy? Or like some guide book to caring for a kryptonian
Dating Kara Danvers: A Rulebook
Lena Luthor's rules and tips on how to deal with the tender-hearted kryptonian Kara Danvers.
1. When sad, roll into a burrito blanket and surround it with snacks and plates full of potstickers. Place the burrito blanket in front of a laptop and open My Neighbour Totoro.
2. Option two: allow her hands to rest on your chest. If she starts squeezing and unsqueezing, that means it’s working.
3. Option three: sit on her lap and have her head rest against your chest. Talk about your day as you play with her hair and let her hands wander around your back. If her hands lands on your ass, it’s working.
4. Sometimes, Kara starts floating when she’s sleeping. Place some weight on top of her (leg and arm over her body) to prevent floating situations.
5. Kissing her neck and brushing fingers up inner thighs is the easiest and quickest way to rile her up. Another tip: attack when sleepy/just woken up.
6. Place alarm at 6:20am instead of 6:30am. Ten minutes of just cuddling with her and rubbing your face against her neck will benefit and get you both through the day.
7. Her favourite fruit is peach (of course. should have known.)
8. I’m the Little spoon. I can be the Big spoon, I just need to learn to ask for it.
9. Do not give into the Puppy Eyes and Pout. Or at least maintain a 50% plus success rate of not giving in. Giving in all the time has caused too much trouble for its own good (or at least, Alex says so.)
10. Push a plate of food her way whenever there’s no food present in front of her at parties. It makes her heart happy. Reward: a cheek kiss.
11. Ask Jess to send flowers to her office. Include two doughnut boxes. Reward: a happy and eager kryptonian waits for your return at home after work.
12. Do not try to trick her into eating food that contains vegetables. If the tricking becomes unsuccessful, it will result in a three hour pout and not being allowed to cuddle for seven hours max.
13. AWWWWW!! golly. lena luthor, you’re so CUTE!!! you left this on the coffee table, babe. so cute so cute, I LOVE YOU!!!!! heh
14. Kara Danvers is not permitted to touch this rulebook.
15. Maximum strong alien alcohol tolerance: six shots and three glasses.
16. If limit is reached, be prepared for one extremely handsy kryptonian asking for kisses and hugs. (additional tip: don’t let her lick your neck (too much)).
17. Don’t stop and get confused when she starts staring at your face when laughing too hard. It’s because of the dimples and unfiltered laughter. Makes her unbelievably happy.
18. Use “darling” or “love” often. Bonus: whenever Kara is distracted or not listening, if one is used it’ll earn Kara’s undivided attention almost instantly.
19, When angry and in a heated conversation, allow time for both of us to cool down.
20. Allow self to be readable and vulnerable. Don’t bottle things to self. Keeping troubles and thoughts to self will cause distancing and worry. It’s Kara—there’s no need to hide away from Kara.
Inspired by the events of Foul (following straight after) and the Boxer Din AU created and written by the wonderful, amazing, brilliantly talented @djarinsbeskar!
WC: 1,641
Tags: 18+, mentions of smut, its a smutty AU ya'll know the drill, sickeningly sweet fluff
I have been driven to write this to deal with all my Paz thots- it will become very clear that I make up for the fact that I can't write hot smut by writing the softest shit.
Excuse the lack of editing, also, its quite the mess x
After Din had stormed off with his “not-girlfriend” at Avika, Paz was more than ready to go home right then and there, thoroughly unwanting to deal with the feral frenzy that Din had stirred up in and out the ring. But there was no doubt that there would be more calls for blood. And even if that weren’t the case- even if Din wasn’t on the lists tonight- Paz had to stay.
It was his job after all. And one he enjoyed more often than not.
But when he thought about you, Paz’s priorities became trivial- like dust in the wind.
He hadn’t been dating you for long but he already knew that he was in deep. To Paz, you were the one that hung the stars in the sky; you, a hardworking baker with a smile that made his heart ache and hips that made his cock twitch. It was love, the realest he’d ever found, and every day he swore his gratitude to whatever force had sent him to you.
It was almost a taunt to watch Din leave Avika with his “not-girlfriend” tucked into his side- he’d been disqualified from any more fights that night but he couldn’t look any less content about it- when Paz had to stay behind with nothing but the thoughts of you waiting for him back at his place to keep him company.
To pass a bit of time between the words that were being exchanged between Boba and Din’s opponent’s trainer, Paz checked his phone- his mood instantly brightened when he saw a notification from you.
From: Sugar Cookie💖
Hey babe, I just got home.
Did you feed Kitty yet? He’s begging me for food rn but I know he’s probs got a full belly and is just being a little gobble guts lol.
sent 4:13am
I gave him a tinyyy bit of kibble to hold him over in case you didn’t. Kitty knows I can’t resist him.
Sorry for messaging you at work btw. I know you’re busy xx
Love you xx
sent 4:19am
Paz checked the current time. 5:30am. Shit. He must’ve missed the buzz of the notification amidst the chaos. Usually, your shifts at the bakery ended closer to midnight but he knew you to be a hard worker, proud of the bakery you ran by yourself, and always likely to get caught up in a task until it was done to a high standard. It was just another thing for Paz to love about you.
His thumbs hovered over the reply box; you had probably already gone to bed, exhausted from your own long day of work. He couldn’t bring himself to disturb you but he pushed past that doubt a second later, typing out a response, softened when he reread your messages about his kitten.
“Vizsla!” Boba’s voice pulled him back into reality. “Are you listening at all? This does concern you.”
Paz managed an easy half-lie, fingers tapping away as he switched contacts and began typing another message, “I’m sending Din a text- trying to figure out what started all this.”
…
When Paz finally did get home it was pushing 8am. Expecting to find you curled up in his bed, comfortably asleep, he was shocked to see you as soon as he opened the door to his apartment. You were propped up against a wall of cushions on his couch with a book resting in your lap and his kitten snoozing on your chest. Head thrown back and peacefully still, he could tell you were fast asleep.
Just the sight of you, the shape of your body outlined by the drape of the blanket that was thrown over you, your features illuminated by the warm light of the lamp, the splay of your hair over the pillows- just looking at you relieved him of so much of the stress he had carried home. His eyes traced over your form, picking out the dip and curve of your hips, and he was struck again with the amount of love he had for you. He still couldn’t believe how quickly he had developed such deep feelings for you but that fact made them no less sincere. The softness and simple intimacy (whether that be primarily sexual or emotional) that your company alone promised never ceased to amaze him.
Trying to be as quiet as he could manage, Paz shut the door behind him, put his backpack down by the door, and crossed the room to kneel down at your side. He considered leaving you there for the rest of the night- if he did he could go take a nap and then come back and wake you up by eating you out before making you breakfast- but ultimately he wanted to, needed to sleep next to you… and he couldn’t manage that on the couch.
He got the best sleep when you stayed the night, your chest made a far better pillow and your arms though relatively small provided him with so much warmth that he would be more than content to sleep without any covers (which happened sometimes when you hoarded the blankets).
Paz let out a silent sigh and reached out to stroke the hair away from your face. You stirred in response and he leaned in to press a kiss to your nose, “Hey, baby, it’s just me.”
You let out a soft moan, eyes scrunching up before blinking open, looking up at him blearily, “Paz~”
His heart could have burst at the sound of your gentle voice laden with sleep. Carefully so as not to disturb your place, Paz eased the book from your fingers. The exhaustion was palpable on your face, the weight of many hours of work pulling at the edges of your eyes. “I thought you’d be in bed by now.”
You eased yourself up on the cushions, one hand bracing the kitten against your chest. “I wanted to stay up for you. I didn’t mean to doze off.” Fuck. Paz was slipping his arms under you faster than you could process and when he stood you were tucked against his chest, kitten, blanket and all. You didn’t even seem bothered by the shift, curling your fingers into the neckline of his shirt. The simple touch drove him wild- the burn of your warm skin against his throat like a blowtorch- and the fact that you seemed oblivious to that only made him ache for you more.
When he had gotten you halfway to the bedroom you spoke again in that voice that threatened sleep, “I would've been able to stay up for you if I didn’t have to spend three hours on a last minute order for a wedding cake.”
Paz opened the door with his hip. “You don’t have to say yes to every job you know.”
“I know- but the couple was so sweet, I couldn’t say no. Plus they paid me double and half on top because of the short notice.”
He laid you out on the bed and replaced the throw blanket with his thick quilt, kitten moving to curl up beside your head on the pillow. The comfortable setting was luring you quickly to sleep again but you were still determined to see him next to you before you shut your eyes again fully. When he didn’t immediately join you, you frowned.
Paz eased the crease in your brow with a kiss there, “Don’t pout, sweetheart. I just gotta take a shower.” He could have skipped one for now, knowing you wouldn’t protest his sweaty skin, but he wanted to be rid of the flecks of blood that had stuck to him, everything that had stuck to him from that ring, before he touched you. You started to protest but Paz silenced you with a searing kiss to your lips, “I won’t be long, I promise.”
If he had thought you would be back asleep by the time he finished he was fooling himself. You scooched backwards on the mattress and petted the space you made in front, “come here.”
Paz went willingly, instantly. He eased back the covers and shuffled in next to you, clad only in a pair of boxers, hands instantly finding your skin to greedily palm the warmth that radiated from you. You cozied up to him just as naturally, arms wrapping around his neck so that he could tuck his face against the crook of your neck. With the covers pulled over the both of you, Paz felt surrounded by your presence and it calmed any remaining stress he had.
Although he had reprimanded Din for taking a violent approach to defending a woman’s honor, Paz couldn’t deny the fact that he’d be just as likely to take a similar action if anyone spoke about you like that- just thinking about those vile, entitled words directed at you made his jaw clench subconsciously. And yet just as soon as that anger stirred up in him, it dissipated again, soothed by the thump of your heart against his chest and the delicate fan of air you puffed over his damp skin.
He was reminded of the first time he told you he loved you; not long ago, in the middle of a good hard fuck when he had you by the hip, lost in the emotion of your eyes to the point where his confession had come out as a babble that became a mantra that he punctuated with each thrust of his hips. You had been on the verge of tears then, overstimulated and shaking, when you returned the words to him from your own lips: I love you too.
“I love you.” Paz whispered.
You snuggled against him tighter, a sleepy sigh escaping you when his hands ran up and down your sides. “I love you too.”
Prompt: After John dies, Dean and Sam take it upon themselves to look after you, but...
Dean: 18
Sam: 14
Y/N: 7
Word Count: 2,030
It's just been a month since your dad, John Winchester died, and all you have left family wise are your older brothers Sam and Dean. You didn't know what death really meant since you are so young, but your brothers knew, and they knew too well. Since you were seven your dad didn't really let you in on what he and your brothers did, all you know is that you and sometimes Sam get left at a motel for a while and they come back bloody and bruised. So when John died, Sam and Dean don't really talk as much as they used to, but for you, they really do try.
What you did know is how to practically annoy the hell out of them...well...sometimes. You are mostly a good kid according to Sam, who decided to take on the 'motherly' role, and Dean the 'fatherly' role. When Dean turned 18, he decided on his own to drop out of high school, but you and Sam are still in school, and Sam plans to keep it that way.
Okay now onto the story
Its 7:36pm, Sam went to the library for homework, so tonight is just you and Dean. You and Dean are in the kitchen and hes making dinner while you sit on the kitchen table. "Alright Y/N, we don't got much tonight, so I'm making mac and cheese...the good kind, not the kind Sam makes," Dean says with a tiny smirk.
"But De, I don't want macky cheese, I want chicken!" You say with a small but excited voice. Dean turns back to you, frowns and says "Y/N, we dont have chicken, this is all we got until Sam goes to the store."
"Wait what!?!?! But De I want chicken now!!" you say filled with whine and a little bit of sass. 'geez I really don't want to deal with this right now,' Dean thinks to himself "Y/N please, just reason with me tonight, I'll make Sam go to the store tomorrow," He says sounding defeated. Oh but hell no, in your tiny seven year old brain, you knew what you had to do
Step 1: Be quiet and wait like a good sister
Step 2: Once De is done and sets food in front of you
Step 3: PUSH IT OFF ON THE FLOOR
Step 4: Wait hold on-
Step 5: Why does De look like hes about to ye-
"Fucking hell, really Y/N!? You cant be fucking serious, what the hell was that for?" Dean yells at you. "De I said I wanted-" But he cut you off and said "I JUST TOLD YOU THIS IS ALL WE GOT" He says louder than his first statement. Now your'e shaken, but you know it takes more to make you cry.
"I don't care! I don't want macky cheese De!"
"Y/N, just get out"
...This is the calmest hes been all week
"Wha-"
"JUST GET THE HELL OUT" Dean practically screams.
Okay now that there is starting to make you cry
You quickly get off of the kitchen chair and you bolt to the stairs where all the bedrooms are. But of course you have to turn around and yell
"I WISH DAD WAS HERE, HE WOULD GET REAL MAD IF YOU YELLED AT ME!" and then you run up the stairs and slam your door shut, locking it in the process. _______________________________________
'Great that's just fuckin' perfect,' Dean thinks to himself. 'What the hell am I supposed to tell Sammy? Oh yeah, I screamed at Y/N because she wouldn't comply, and now foods all over the floor and I think I'm having a meltdown!'
'Sometimes I wish I never came here!' you think to yourself, pretty much sobbing while laying down on your bed. 'wouldn't be surprised if he didn't want me here too-."
You fall asleep shortly after the thought and Dean couldn't be any more relieved when he hears the door open and to see Sam with his backpack in one arm and a couple books in the other hand.
"Hey whats-...what happened?" Sam says slowly putting his backpack on the floor. Sam staring at Dean and all the food that's on the floor around him "oh, haha, this? oh, its nothing Sam, just a minor fuckin' mishap!" Dean says laughing through each word with eyes that look like hes about to sob any minute.
"....Dean?" Sam asks. Its been a while since there was major conflict... well since the whole situation with Dad anyways. "Was it Y/N?"
"What? No of course not, this is just a normal Friday fuckin night....yeah just, don't worry 'bout it" Dean says with his voice dying down a little bit.
"Should I go talk to her?" Sam asks. such a small voice but its filled with a lot of concern.
"No, she's asleep...maybe later?" Dean says back to him. 'He seems tired' Sam thinks to himself. 'Well I did leave her here with him...' _______________________________________
You wake up pretty early... well early for you anyways, its 9:30am and you got woken up to puffy red eyes and really messed up hair. You go ahead and leave your bedroom and when you enter the kitchen you get greeted by Sam, who is making breakfast.
"Morning sunshine," Sam says with a slight happy tone, but still pretty monotone. 'he's trying, that's a good thing' you think to yourself.
"Morning..." you say back, rubbing your eyes and climbing up onto the chair near the kitchen table. "So...wheres De?" you ask in a sleepy tone. "He's more or less still asleep" Sam replies. Sure enough right when Sam says that, Dean walks in all sleepy-like too. 'so similar' Sam thinks. "Morning to you too sunshine" Sam says with a pretty wide grin afterwards. "Bite me, princess" Dean shoots back, also with a small smirk.
You look at Dean, Dean looks at you, and a couple seconds later you two look away, but the stare you two gave felt like it was forever.
"Hi" you managed to squeak out. Without meaning to, you were quiet and a little bit nervous.
"Hey" Dean replies, but not looking at you, instead looking at the table, then to his hands, and then to Sam.
"Hey Sammy, do you think dad had any hunts that he wrote down in his journal for us to do?" Dean asks. Looking around Dean finds your dads journal on the couch in the living room. He picks it up and skims through the pages.
"I...don't know? Dad never talked to me personally about hunts, just you" Sam says as a matter-of-factly. Sam sets your breakfast down in front of you, and a plate for Dean on the other side of the table. "Why?" Sam asks.
"Because I want to hunt? We haven't in a while and you know dad will tear us a new one if he sees us on our asses doing nothing," Dean proclaims, in a slight aggressive manner, though it was almost accidental.
"But he's...not here," you say out loud without meaning to. You look up to see Sam and Dean both looking at you, and right then you look back down. While looking down you hear footsteps, and right when you look back up, you see Dean staring right at you. 'The eye contact is unbearable' you think to yourself
"Just because hes dead, doesn't mean we can just fuck around and do nothing," Dean says with so much venom you begin to shake a little.
"Dean. Back. Up." Sam says, looking at Dean with an angry look and his teeth practically glued together. Sam takes Deans shoulder and yanks him back, and he makes Dean bend down so he can whisper something into his ear.
"I know you and Y/N have this personal issue going on right now, but I'll be damned if I ever hear you talk to her like that again, hear me?" Sam whispers, he lets go of Dean shoulder and looks at Dean. Dean looks back at him, looks at you, looks at Sam again, and nods, running his hand through his hair.
"Good," Sam says quietly. Sam walks towards you and bends down, "When you're finished with your breakfast, head on up to your room, you're not in trouble, but I'll talk with you later, okay?" Sam tells you,
"Okay" You say, looking at Sam. You finished your breakfast rather quickly. During that time, Dean went into his own room, and Sam went out into the backyard to do whatever he does, you're not really sure. You put your dirty plates into the sink and you fast walk to your room, and you quietly shut your door. _______________________________________
Waiting.....sucks. You have no clue how long you waited for Sam but it felt like forever. In reality it was probably like thirty minutes, but thirty minutes to a seven year old is all day.
You begin to space out when you hear a small knock on your door. You jump a bit because you didn't really expect it since you didn't know when Sam would come by.
You get up off your bed and you begin to walk to your door when the door was already opening. you stop and look up
"...Dean?" You ask. 'uh-oh' you think to yourself. You walk back a little bit and he sits down on your bedroom floor and holds his arms out for you to come sit in his lap. He hasn't said a word yet you heard exactly what he is wanting to ask.
You look at him. He looks at you. Both have no clue what to say to each other.
You slowly walk towards him, and you climb into his lap, both getting comfortable in the process
It had to have been like five minutes before Dean starts talking. "I'm sorry" he says to you. Smiling, you start talking too. "Me too" you say and you look up to see Dean beginning to tear up.
Okay now its time to panic
Dean crying is something that you never see so...you begin to tear up too.
"De? Are you okay?"
"I wish Dad was here, He would get real mad at me if he saw the way I was acting" Dean says. "Wouldn't be surprised if he beat my ass, just because I'm eighteen, doesn't mean shit to him" he says with a small laugh after the comment.
"Well I think you're doing a good job" You say to him quietly, but loud enough for him to hear. "Just because you're eighteen, doesn't mean you aren't bad at being a brother, neither is Sam" You add.
Dean, trying not to just sob in front of you, breaths in and breaths out a couple of times.
"You're seven, when did you become so smart?" Dean asks hugging you rather tightly
You giggle at his comment and say, "I'm your sister, I had to have learned something from you."
"Good answer" Dean says.
Without knowing, Sam is leaning on the door frame, with his arms crossed looking at you and Dean with the biggest smile ever. "Hey," Sam says and makes both you and Dean jump slightly, Sam giggles and that and continues,
"The garage called, they want you to come in and help fix a 67' Mustang," Sam says.
"Oh whaaat," you whine. you begin to get off of Dean so he can go to his job when he quickly snatches you back up, gets up off of the ground and throws you over his shoulders.
"How do you feel about coming with me? Who knows maybe-"
"Will Seth be there?" You ask excitedly. (For some backstory, John's long time friend Seth works where Dean works, and ever since you met Seth, you've practically 'fallen in love' with him)
"More than likely, he likes old cars like we do," Dean replies. "Yes! okay come on, lets go, come on, come on, come on" You say, trying to hurry up Dean,
"Okay, okay, lets go" Dean laughs while replying. You two leave the room, and Sam closes your door. Again, with a big smile on his face, Sam starts thinking to himself, 'Yeah, everything will be okay'
This series is TICKLE related. Outfits that are linked here are purely for picturing the clothes, you don’t have to look like the model.
Series Summary: You’re the little sister of the one and only Captain America. You’re also the youngest girl on the team, so that automatically makes you the avengers’ little princess. And they spoil you as such. They have become your amazing family and you don’t know where you’d be without them. This series will show random adventures and fluffy events in the daily life of the reader and her family, along with an unexpected turn later on as you read.
warnings: drama?
Word Count: 2,960
Previous Next,
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3 weeks have flown by and Sunday tomorrow morning Bucky, Steve, and Wanda were leaving for their mission. You’d always be worried when the team would go on missions for long periods of time; it made you very nervous. You knew they were all perfectly capable of defending themselves and fighting bad guys without getting hurt too bad, but it still worried you and there was always a chance that one of them would not come home. Still, you tried to push those thoughts to the back of your mind and not worry about it until it actually happens if it does.
5:30am. You were woken early the next morning by Steve gently shaking your shoulder. You stirred awake and opened your eyes to see him looking down at you with a light smile. “Hey, we’re about to leave, you wanna come outside to see us off?’ You nodded with a sigh, getting up from the bed and clingily holding onto Steve’s arm the whole way down to the backyard, where the Quinjet was. As you and Steve walked out of the building, you shivered lightly. The morning breeze was kind of cold, and since you were still heavy with sleep, the transition from your warm bed to out in the open breeze made you wake up a bit more. Bucky and Wanda were waiting next to the jet and so were some of the other team members.
Bucky saw you coming closer and extended his arms to you. You quickly walked over to him and gave him a big hug. He lifted you up, still holding you tightly and kissing your cheek. “It’s gonna be okay. We’ll be back in 5 days.” He soothed, rubbing your back. You nodded with a frown and he put you back down. After that, you ran to Wanda, her smiling widely and hugging her. “I'm going to miss you, but don’t worry about me. You know I can handle myself.” You smiled lightly at that, nodding once again.
Lastly you went back to your brother, him lifting you up as well and you wrapped your arms around his neck. “We’ll be back, y/n, I promise. Just stay strong and have some fun while we’re gone. Okay?” You agreed and he put you down but crouched down a bit to whisper something close to you. “And I know it’s hard, but try to spend a little more time with Ruby Anne, okay? Invite her when you’re doing something and if it’s not too much to ask, maybe try to get her to spend a little time with Tony?” He asked. You nodded with a tight smile and he kissed your forehead. “That would be great. Thank you. I’ll see you in a week okay?”
“Okay.” You sighed, watching them enter the Quinjet and lift off into the sky. The other few members of the team went back inside right after they had gotten inside the jet, but you stayed until you couldn’t see it anymore. You hugged yourself, rubbing your hands on your arms to melt the goosebumps away. Peter had woken up right after they left. He planned to see them off today but he woke up a bit too late. But he went down and saw you outside staring at the sky.
He walked out and stood behind you; you still oblivious to his presence. “You gonna stand out here for 5 days until they come back?” He teased, chuckling when you quickly turned around to face him. You instantly smile and dull your eyes, trying to show you're not amused with his comment. You walk into his embrace when he opens his arms towards you. He leads you to one of the benches outside and you both sit down, Peter still holding you to him. Luckily, he had brought his blanket down with him, because after months and months of early morning patrols, he knew it could get chilly in the mornings. He wrapped you up in his blanket and you both stared out into the yard. It was still dark, so you couldn’t see much, but still. Sitting outside in the early morning, it being dark and foggy, felt weird. Unreal. Like the whole world was asleep and you were the only one awake. You and Peter stayed on the bench for about 10 minutes before you got sleepy and he did you the favor of carrying you to your bed. He knew how hard the first days could be when they would leave for a mission, so he laid there with you until you fell back asleep.
-----
Over the next three days, you have continuously tried to get Ruby Anne to spend some time with Tony. After many failed attempts at that, you knew it was going to be near impossible to get them together in the next 2 days. So instead, you moved on to trying to get her to spend time with you. Peter had recommended the three of you to do something fun today, and suggested you ride the go-kart. You were ecstatic at the idea, and thought maybe this would be something that would interest Ruby. You made your way to her room.
You knocked on her door before opening it, finding her sitting up against the headboard on her bed. You smiled and greeted her before asking the question. “Hey, do you wanna ride in the go-kart? It’s really fun!”
“No thanks.” She mumbled, rolling her eyes. You were just about fed up with that phrase, having heard it maybe more than 30 times in the past 3 days, so now, you were desperate. You quickly sighed.
“Please?” You pleaded, catching her attention. “Peter and I… are kinda lonely so if you could ride with us, that'd be great. It’s a big kart. 4-seater.” You said, fiddling with your thumbs a bit.
She looks at you for a moment before rolling her eyes and sighing dramatically. “Fine, whatever.” She gets up and walks past you, walking out into the hallway on her way to the backyard. You roll your eyes slightly and put on a fake smile and turn around, walking behind her. “Great!” You chirp.
-----
Peter was already starting the kart outside, waiting for you. You and Ruby walked outside and she jumped in the backseat while you got in the front. Peter turned to give her a small smile, which surprisingly, the end of her lip quirked up a millimeter. Peter turned to look at you with a smirk. “Ready?” You giggle and nod, squealing as he speeds off.
Peter starts to laugh and you put your hands in the air and howl. You laugh as your hair gets caught on your face and Peter makes many sharps turns and goes faster. “WHOOOO!” You and Peter howl in unison. You turn around briefly to see if Ruby is having fun. She’s pressed against the back of the seat, her hair flying everywhere and her nose is scrunched up, and her lips are pursed. You turn back around and just enjoy the ride as Peter circles around the compound and the small extension buildings around it. You and Peter are in a laughing fit when he gets close to the starting point.
He slows to a stop and you and Peter jump out to switch seats. You notice Ruby quickly jump out and start to walk away. You furrow your eyebrows and Peter is in the back, watching as she leaves. “Where are you going?’ You ask, confused. She doesn’t turn around, making her way to the door.
“Inside. I went out like you wanted, now I can go back to minding my own business like I like to do.” She shrugged, reaching for the handle.
“But… I thought- “
“You thought what?” She turns to look at you, her hand holding the door open. “That we’re friends now?” She asks incredulously with a brow raised. You stand there in silence and in shock of how sassy her behavior could be. She scoffs and leaves, the door closing slowly behind her.
“I was gonna say I thought she wanted to have a turn to drive the kart.” You say exhaustedly, groaning in mild frustration. You lean against the kart and sigh. Peter walks over to you with an apologetic smile and pats your back.
“It’s ok y/n/n, give her time.” He says. You’ve heard that phrase 20 too many times. You scoff and raise your hands in the air.
“We have given her time! Peter its been months and we’ve gotten no closer to fixing things! Tony is so upset and I’ve never seen him like that. Even when he gets his feelings hurt, he never lets himself look vulnerable. But now, he might as well wear a shirt that says ‘I'm miserable’.” You sigh.
Peter bites his lip, knowing that it’s true. “Okay, but you're being too hard on yourself. This isn’t your responsibility to carry all by yourself.”
You groan. “But I feel like it is. Tony’s own daughter isn’t showing him any love so I feel like I have to fill in that gap. And I was, before he knew he even had kids, but now I feel guilty because I feel like I'm taking him away from her. She needs him.” You pause and take a deep breath, closing your eyes to think. “But… you're right. I can’t let this bring my mood down, I'm focusing too much on this. Ughhh I need to distract myself.” You groaned, rubbing your face with your hands.
Peter smirked, moving closer to you. “Well… I do know one thing that gets your cheered up when you're upset.” He sang. You looked at him for a second before realizing what he meant. You groan, a smile already creeping up to your face. “Peter noo.” You whine. He smiles evilly before shaping his hands in a claw. “Peter Yes!” He laughs, snatching you off the ground and laying you down on the grass.
You scream and fall into hysterics as Peter snakes his hands up your shirt to scribble all around your belly and sides, occasionally surprising you and tasing your upper ribs. You're a giggly mess in under a couple of seconds, squirming around in the grass and squealing as Peter bends down to blow raspberries on your neck. He chuckles, his head between your shoulder and your head, laughing at your hysterical reaction. You push at his shoulders but of course, it doesn’t move him an inch.
“Okahahahay! Ihihihim cheered uhuhuhup!” You beg, cackling when his fingers begin to dig into your hipbones.
“Nope! Not until I'm satisfied!” He teased, rapidly squeezing your thighs. You shriek and dissolve into silent laughter, only letting out small hiccups and squeaks. Peter laughs and goes to your neck, digging his fingers into your collarbone, causing you to melt onto the grass and make your laughter bubble up. He stays there for a few minutes, teasing you about your squeaky laughter while you roll side to side, trying to shake him off. “Maybe I should get your feet,” He thought to himself out loud, smirking when you protested loudly.
“NOOHohohoho!” You turned on your belly quickly and wiggled out of his trap, running away. Peter quickly stood up and went after you. “Where do you think you're goin’?” He chuckled, gaining on you. You giggled nervously as the anticipation was killing you. Your frustrations were long forgotten as you ran, a big smile gracing your features. It wasn’t long before Peter caught you, lifting you up bridal style. You wrap an arm around his neck to keep you stable. He looked down at you with soft eyes and a light smile. “You feel better yet?” He asks.
You nod with a smile, still panting. “Yeah.”
Peter grins, as his plan had worked, and puts you down as you pant and let out giggles. You both go inside and make something to eat. You decide on tacos so you are cooking the meat and Peter is cutting the tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and cooking the tortillas. Clint and Pietro walk in the kitchen, claiming they smelled tacos and you both offered to make them some.
After you all had eaten, you were down in the second living room watching some tv. You were missing your brother right now. Especially Bucky. He would always sit with you here and watch tv with you no matter what was on. He was always so picky in choosing what to watch for movie night, but when he sat down with you, he’d never complain. You smile and pull out your phone, staring at the black screen. You wanted to call them so bad, but you didn’t want to disturb or distract them if they were somewhere important. You put your phone back in your pocket and decided to go upstairs to practice ballet.
-----
You got out of the shower and put on some comfy clothes. You hung out a bit with Tony in his lab, you were sure you were annoying him by now but you didn’t really care. You were just so bored. “Am I annoying you?” You smirked. Tony didn’t look up from his work when he answered.
“Of course not, Princess.” He chirped. You picked up on the sarcasm in his voice and giggled.
“Sorry, I'm just so bored.” You shrugged.
“Yeah, I get it. I don’t mind having you here with me, Trouble, as long as you don’t touch anything, or say anything, or ask me any questions, or anything like that.” He said. You laughed and swiveled around in your chair. He sounded serious like he always does, but there was always a small smirk on his face that would let people know he’s kidding. You didn’t want to mention anything about Ruby Anne right now, because you didn’t wanna ruin the moment or get him in a low mood. So you just kept the conversation positive, and eventually you convinced him to let you help him with a few parts of his suit.
----
The 2 days flew by so fast, and you were grateful. Peter kept you distracted most of the time, and going on about your day made the hours go by faster. The day was finally here! Your brother, Bucky and Wanda were coming home this afternoon and you were ecstatic. Suddenly, the few hours that were left before they would come home felt like days. That was always frustrating. You laid sprawled out on the couch in the small room that led to the outside, waiting for the rumbling sound of the jet. You were there for about 2 hours, playing on your phone, doing handstands, ect. You were about to just take a nap on the couch when you finally felt vibration from outside and you sat up with a gasp. The jet was landing and you squealed, running outside. You stood pretty far away still, since the jet was still stabilizing in the air. You brought your hand to cover your eyes as big, warm gusts of wind came out of the jet before landing on the ground, the wings curling up after.
The door to the Quinjet dropped down and you ran to your brother, jumping in his arms. He caught you and held you tight with a big smile. “I missed you so much.” You mumbled against his shirt. He put you down and you ran to Bucky, giving him a tight hug. He had many bruises and scratches on his face, which made you frown. But he smiled widely and assured you he was okay. You nodded and then went to hug Wanda. She returned your embrace and sighed. “I’m glad you're okay.” You hummed.
----
After the team welcomed them back, you assisted Bucky to the medical wing to get patched up. Bruce was applying alcohol to some cuts on his back, and you insisted to apply hydrogen peroxide instead, using it to attend to the cuts on his face. Bucky had a faint smile throughout the process, thanking the both of you when you were done. He patted his lap after, motioning for you to sit. You giggled, recalling all the times he’s mentioned to you that you’ll never be too old to sit on his lap.
You hopped on and he held you close, asking him about the mission and what he had to do. He explained that he was tasked with distracting the enemies while Steve and Wanda gathered the information they needed. He assured you that he was fine. “Don’t worry about me though. I can take a few hits.” He smirked. You had a faint smile on and leaned your head on his shoulder.
“I know. I just get worried that one day you won’t be able to fight them off.” You sigh. Bucky stayed silent for a few moments, wanting to change the subject to something more positive.
He smiled and looked down at you with an eyebrow raised. “What, you don’t think I can hold my own?” He asked, poking your belly. You instantly started giggling, halfheartedly pushing at his hands and hiding your face in his shirt. “Huh?”
“Yehehehes.” Your giggles began to sound more desperate as he began to creep up to your ribs. You started to squirm around a lot more, not bothering to hold in your laughter. Bucky chuckled, smiling down at you fondly before giving you a break. You sighed in relief and leaned into him.
“I’ll be ok, y/n/n. Don’t worry about me. Or your brother. We’ll be alright.” He hummed, resting his chin on your head. With Bucky slowly rocking you side to side on his lap, you couldn’t stay awake as you fell asleep without the small feeling of worry you had before they came back.
Chapter 4 of the Varigo Coffee Shop AU is upon us!
Agh, I LOVE WRITING THIS SO MUCH!!! I’m so so sorry if all the content is getting annoying - I really want to get as much as I can done before school starts up again (in a week,,,,aha) so just let me know if it’s annoying y’all. Anyway! Thank you for the support!
Word Count - 3588
TW - Strong Language
-----------------------------------------
Varian tied his hair back into a ponytail as he walked downstairs to the kitchen, Ruddiger strutting after him happily. He dragged his feet across the silver carpet in his still-sleepy haze, passing awards and family pictures that were displayed proudly in the main hall of the house. A yawn escaped his mouth despite his attempts to hold it back, and he reached up to rub the tears that built in his eyes away along with the last remnants of sleep. A sleep his body desperately wanted him to return back to, judging by how sluggish he felt. The kitchen door moaned as he pushed it open, taking his time on every movement he took.
He scavenged through the kitchen for something to eat, all the while Ruddiger mewled and meowed to gain some attention and, while he was at it, some food to eat. Varian eventually gave in, lifting the bowl onto the counter and grabbing a sachet of cat food. He emptied the packet, the tabby cat jumping onto the counter and scoffing it down, causing him to chuckle while he took out the bread and butter from the refrigerator. “Toast it is, buddy.” he uttered to himself as he slid the bread into the device.
While the toast was..well, toasting, he climbed onto a counter and opened the cabinet near the stove. An assortment of cups greeted him - all with different colours and various patterns. A certain one met his eye. The corners of his lips quirked up in a smile as the memories came flooding back to him.
“Are you sure you want me to have this? After all I’ve done to you..?” his nervous voice asked. He was sixteen again in Rapunzel’s kitchen after his father had woken up from his coma. The aroma of cinnamon was in the air combined with apple, creating the illusion that it was fall in the small room as Rapunzel set aside the gift and took his hands in her own. Her expression was earnest, honest.
“Varian..I don’t care what you’ve done in the past. We’ve all forgiven you, regardless of what you may think. You’re family.” she stated with a smile that held nothing but love for the boy in front of her. Tears built in his eyes as he looked over at the silver box, wrapped in a teal bow, set on the kitchen table by the blonde only a few moments prior.
Taking a seat on the lilac cushioned chairs, he brought the box closer to him with shaky hands and unwrapped the dainty bow carefully, as though it would fall apart at even the slightest amount of force. Upon lifting the lid, he was met with the sight of some paper - matching the color of the bow. Pulling it out, he gasped as his eyes met the mug that had been placed in the box with care. He took it out and examined it in his hands.
The mug was teal (also like the bow and paper it was packed with) decorated with paintings of test tubes, beakers and a small raccoon on the side. Ruddiger. Unwillingly, his eyes started to water again, tears betraying him and rolling down his cheeks hitting the table cloth below him. “Thank you.” He uttered, his voice barely a whisper as he struggled to hold back his tears. Arms came around from behind him and pulled him into a motherly embrace, a gentle kiss being placed on the back of his head as he let himself cry freely. A swift turn allowed him to hug the blonde, his eyes squeezing shut to rid them of the last few tears that had developed in them before he moved away.
“Me, Eugene and Cass searched for hours, but couldn’t find the right one. Then I thought ‘Hey! Why don’t we paint a mug for him?’ and thus..that was created. It’s okay, right? I tried to put everything I knew you liked on it, but I wasn’t sure, so I had to get Cass to-” Her rambling was cut off as the boy clinged to her with his face buried into the fabric on her shoulder. Reluctantly, she ran her fingers through his raven locks and exchanged the hug.
“I love you, Rapunzel. You’re the best sister in the world.” he whispered as he held onto her, his hands gripping onto her shirt as he let himself be vulnerable around Rapunzel. He’d tormented and hurt her so much..but she still cared for him.
“I love you too, Varian.” She replied, moving out of the hug when he was calmer and ready. “Anyway, Cmon! We need to make you one of my infamous vanilla lattes now that you have your own cup!” She declared, clapping her hands and picking up the cup to start the drink. His eyes followed her as she moved expertly around the kitchen and prepared his drink. A smile steadily grew on his face.
He was forgiven.
He was home.
He seized the cup and hopped down from the counter, closing the ivory door of the cabinet and heading towards the coffee machine. He set the cup under it and started up the machine, leaning against the counter and checking his phone. Wednesday, 8:14am. Good - he woke up in time to get ready for his class at 11. “No messages from Hugo though.” his brain reminded him, disappointment making a heavy weight in his stomach. Maybe he wasn’t up yet? Probably, he reasoned as he took the toast from the toaster and buttered it before grabbing his coffee and sitting at the table.
Ever the greediest cat on earth, Ruddiger settled at Varian’s feet and swatted at them with his paw. “Oh my god, you’ve just had your breakfast! No!” he shook his foot to scare the cat away, but he didn’t let up. The evil little bastard continued swatting at his foot until, eventually, Varian let up. “Okay!” he yelled, accepting his defeat as he opened another package of cat food, emptied it into the burgundy food bowl and threw it away. That seemed to do the trick - the stubborn feline finally moving away from the table and leaving his owner in peace.
“I swear..all you do is eat and sleep all day, every day.” he muttered to himself as he took a prolonged sip of his coffee. It hit the mark - him feeling way more energised as the caffeine kicked in. Taking a bite from his toast, he smiled to himself and looked around the kitchen at the wallpaper that had been wearing away for quite some time, at the window just above the sink that looked out on the garden (that they honestly never used enough now) he used to play in as a kid with his mom, at the small frames across the wall holding precious memories of his childhood from before the incident. It wasn’t much by any means, but it was his home.
He glanced at his phone screen again. 8:30am. “Okay, time for me to get ready.” he proclaimed to no one in particular, moving to his feet and scraping the chair back across the kitchen floor. Cringing at the noise, he cast a glance to Ruddiger, who was sleeping contently on the windowsill. He could be so cute sometimes. Only sometimes though. He picked up his plate and cup, placing them in the sink underneath the cat. He reached his now-free hand out and ran it down the cat’s fur gently before heading back upstairs to his room.
Once he was dressed, opting for a black sweater and navy trousers along with some sneakers, he picked up his bag. Packing in his laptop and chemistry books, he moved downstairs for the final time to head outside. He glanced at the coat rack, pulling on an ink-like coat and a knitted emerald scarf Rapunzel had given him as a Christmas present one year - him silently noting that it matched the color of Hugo’s eyes. (This thought made him feel bubbly - knowing full well Hugo would love it if he saw it. He made a mental note to wear it next time Hugo offered for them to go on a date.) He unlocked the door, scooping up his keys and heading out the door.
The first thing that he noticed was just how cold the temperature was - the chill travelling down his spine. Nonetheless, he shoved his hands into his pockets and began his journey to the campus, eyes focusing on the floor in silence. It wasn’t long, only 20 minutes, but the chill got to him fast and by the time he’d stepped into the labs, he was shivering intensely. Giving a nod to his professor, he took his seat (second to last row, three seats from the aisle) and took out his equipment, ready to start the lesson.
He couldn’t focus - all lesson he subtly scrolled through his phone as he prayed Hugo would send him a text or something to let him know he was okay. He gazed down at the phone screen. Surely he would be awake by now, so why wasn’t Hugo texting him. He huffed and slid back in his chair, desperately trying to keep his focus on the lesson.
The professor kept them late. Again. Varian hurriedly shoved his stuff into his bag and began rushing down to the library. Wind whistled past his ears and his scarf blew frantically around his neck from just how fierce it was. His cheeks went a deep shade of scarlet, dusting his nose and ears. Freckles sat defined over his face as he made his way past the nameless students and over to Nuru and Yong - who, by the looks of it, had started astronomy without him.
“Sorry guys, I was just-” he cut himself off at the sight of Hugo, leaning over Yong and explaining part of the physics work set out in front of him. God, he looked breathtaking. His hair was tied back in its usual small ponytail, with a moss green winter coat around his shoulders and goggles hanging round his neck. He glanced up at Varian and immediately straightened, pushing his glasses up his nose with a broad smile on his face. Fuck. Why did he have to look so good in green?
“Varian! Hey, I’ve been waiting for you!” he commented, making his way around the table to put his arm round the other boy’s shoulders. The mere action made Varian’s face flush in embarrassment, Hugo not helping whatsoever as he pulled the younger closer to him. He seemed to be revelling in the way he was making Varian a flustered, stuttering mess. “Well then. I know this may be extremely heartbreaking for you, Nuru, but we must be taking our leave now. I bid thee farewell!” he declared, ushering Varian towards the door as Nuru rolled her eyes and muttered ‘Yeah, you wish.’ under her breath.
“Hold on-what do you mean? Where are we going?” Varian queried, looking up at the taller boy who had just swept him away from his friends with absolutely no explanation. His mood became disheartened as a wicked grin grew on Hugo’s face, him stepping back and raising his eyebrow. “What are you planning, Hugo Atkinson?” he implored.
“Welllll….” Hugo began as he took Varian’s hand in his own and interlaced their fingers, moving to stand in front of him. “I promised you another date! So I came to pick you up and remembered ‘Shit, it’s Wednesday!’ so I drove to the library and waited! Your friends showed up and you hadn’t yet, so I just..sat down with them and decided to offer my extensive knowledge on literally everything to them. And managed to convince Nuru to give you up for a day so I could take you out. Also off topic but..I’m ninety-eight percent sure she hates me, but as if I care!” he rambled, looking down at the confusion on the raven haired boy’s beautiful face. A smile tugged at his lips. “Long story short, I’m taking you on a date. Surprise!”
Varian stood dumbfounded before a breathy laugh left his lips, bringing Hugo down to his level and placing a fleeting kiss on his cheek. “That’s adorable. Go on then, take me away, Casanova.”
He relished in the blush that flooded over Hugo’s cheek and the stuttering that followed as he held Varian’s hand tight and led him along the cobbled streets of Corona. They walked and walked until Hugo gestured to a small ice-skating rink in the town centre. “And our date is ice-skating!” he remarked, squeezing Varian’s hand. “I hope that’s okay. I just thought we needed a little switch up from the coffee shop.”
Varian gasped in excitement and gave a frantic nod. “Hugo, this is perfect! Thank you so much!” he cried as he dragged the blonde along to go and get some skates so they could go onto the ice. The taller boy merely laughed and looked down at the childish excitement on his face. God, he loved this boy so much. It didn’t seem real.
As soon as they got their skates on and headed onto the ice, Varian’s mood soured.
He must’ve slipped a billion times as soon as they got on, finally relenting and heading to grip onto the barrier. His mom took him thousands of times when he was little. Why was he forgetting how to do it now? He let out a groan of frustration and rubbed his face with his hand. Why was this so hard? Now he was embarrassing himself in front of Hugo and Hugo would never want to see him again and-
“Hairstripe?” a voice came from behind him, a hand resting on his waist. “Hey, no. Let me show you, okay?” Hugo gestured and trailed his hand down, linking it with Varian’s and beginning to glide, moving further and further away from the barrier.
It felt like time had frozen, or the universe had fallen away and left only him and Hugo as the travelled in continuous circles round the rink. Hugo squeezed his hand in reassurance whenever he thought he might fall and caught him when he stumbled. It was perfect - just them with no interference from anyone else. It was perfect.
After a while, they exited the rink laughing and high on a cloud of pure euphoria with their hands still interlaced and warm. Varian let out a happy sigh and turned his head to look at Hugo, who’s free hand snaked around his waist. “It’s been fun today. I wanna do this again. All the time.” He muttered, moving his hand to cup Hugo’s cheek and rub it with his thumb absentmindedly, his eyes focusing on the way Hugo’s sparkled in the soft light of the lanterns outside.
“Varian.” Hugo whispered his name in response, letting go of his hand to rest under the boy’s chin. He tilted his head and began to lean in. Varian’s eyes fluttered shut as they were only centimetres- no. Millimetres apart. He could feel Hugo’s breath on his lips. Just a little more-
He was tugged back by a hand grasping his collar to see Eugene in front of him. “Varian what the fuck are you doing?! Why the hell are you out here with him?” he yelled and turned to face his little brother. Varian took a mental note on the fury painted over Eugene’s usually relaxed demeanour. “Y’know what? Tell me in the car. We’re leaving.” He grabbed the boy’s wrist and forcefully tugged him towards the car, despite Varian’s struggling and protests.
Hugo stood dumbfounded and watched as Varian was pulled away from him, tears building in his eyes as he looked at the sidewalk he was left on as the car drove away. He pulled out his phone to make a call.
“What.” Donella’s voice dripped with annoyance.
“I won’t be coming in tonight, sorry.” he declared as he hung up the phone. Quietly, he pulled up the hood of his coat and picked Varian’s emerald scarf off the floor before silently putting it on and beginning his journey home. He knew full well he’d suffer tomorrow for that, but it didn’t matter anymore. He pushed his glasses into his hair and wiped away the tears they were hiding, continuing to walk away from the town centre and to his apartment.
Unlocking the door, he leaned back to shut it before sliding to the floor and letting himself cry unabashedly. Why? Why did it have to be like this? Did life really hate him that much? Now he’d never be allowed to see Varian again-or Varian would find out about everything he’s done and decide he didn’t want someone like that in his life and leave him. Just like everyone else.
He felt like he’d cried for hours when he finally went upstairs and lay on his bed, letting Olivia out of her cage to sit on the bed beside him as he stared numbly at the ceiling. Maybe that's how it was meant to be. Maybe him and Varian weren’t meant to be together. Someone as perfect as Varian deserved better than him...he let out a pained sigh and turned to face Olivia. “Well Liv..it was fun while it lasted, huh?”
As soon as they were in the car, Eugene’s tangent had begun. “What happened to texting, huh? To letting your family know you weren’t gonna be there because you were busy with something else? Jesus Christ, Varian, we’ve all been terrified! I have been waiting outside the library since 5! Now it's 8pm! And what’s worse is you were with a criminal! A goddamn CRIMINAL!” he ranted on and on, Varian turning his head and glaring at Eugene.
“What do you mean ‘criminal’? Weren’t you one before? Never mind that, I was a criminal before too!” he snarled, his head whipping back around to glare out of the car window. He didn’t even recognise where they were driving anymore - the surroundings too dark to see anything.
“That little shit has been committing petty theft in the area - pickpocketing and all that. And so what if we were like that? People like him never change. I would know!”
“But we’ve changed, Eugene!”
“We’re different to him, Varian-”
“How the fuck are we different to him?!”
“Varian-”
“NO! Tell me how the fuck we are different to him!-”
“THAT'S ENOUGH, VARIAN!” Eugene’s voice boomed through the car, stunning Varian into silence as he flinched away from the brunette in shock. His bottom lip trembled and his shoulders shook as he desperately attempted to hold back his tears. “Shit-Varian, I-”
“Pull over. Now.” Varian stated, his voice oozing with hurt and anger as he kept staring at his feet. Eugene obliged sadly and pulled the car over, watching the younger boy get out and start sprinting into the night. He rested his head against the steering wheel, tears building in his eyes. Well, now he’d fucked up. He hadn’t meant to yell so loud at Varian...fuck. He sighed and began the drive home, praying to himself that Varian would get back safe.
Once he knew he was far away from the car, he stopped running. He sat on the floor and pressed his head against his knees. In 7, hold 7, out 7, he told himself and kept repeating multiple times. His chest eventually stopped heaving and his limbs stopped aching. He leaned back and stared at the stars in the sky, deep in thought.
Everything was perfect. He was happy, Hugo was happy..so why did it all have to end so badly? He bit the inside of his cheek as he thought of Hugo. He had to see him again. He couldn’t just leave him. His hands shook as he unlocked his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He took one final deep breath and called Hugo.
“Hello? Varian?” Oh god. His voice sounded so broken. He must’ve been crying this whole time. It was so much different from how it usually sounded. Varian felt his heart shatter a little bit more as he listened to the boy on the other end of the phone. “Varian, whats up?”
“What’s your address? I’m coming over. Now.” He bluntly stated, more of a request than a question. He definitely needed to see the other boy now, desperately.
Confusion laced Hugo’s voice as he replied to Varian, a light creaking sounding in the background as he presumably moved to sit up. “Are you sure, Varian? What’s going on-”
“Just tell me, Hugo!” He yelled, his desperation clear. “Please. I need to see you.” He added the last part, lowering his voice significantly and brushing his tears away at the other boy’s barely audible ‘okay’ in response.
Hugo shut himself up, sending through the address and hanging up on the distraught boy. He lay back on his bed, a frown on his face before heading down the hall to sit in the living room. 20 minutes later, a knock rang through the tiny building and he sprinted to unlock the door, his eyes meeting the tearful boy that he loved so dearly. Silently, he stepped out of the way to let the boy in before closing the door and pulling him into an embrace. The younger gripped onto his shirt and cried, each sob wracking his whole, thin frame. Hugo bit his lip and let out an exasperated sigh.
It really shouldn't be this hard to get a good night's sleep, Dec thought idly to himself, as he rolled over for the twentieth time – yes, he'd been keeping count – trying to find a comfortable position in his and Ali's normally luxurious bed. Dec stilled momentarily as Ali sighed in her sleep beside him, and then breathed a quiet sigh of relief himself when she simply burrowed deeper into the covers and slumbered on. Auditions were underway for BGT 2019, and they had another full day of auditions tomorrow – today, actually, Dec corrected himself wryly. The display on the digital clock next to their bed glowed faintly in the dark, taunting him with the time: 1:30AM. He had gotten a grand total of 2 ½ hours of sleep so far tonight, and the way it looked right now, he probably wasn't going to get much more than that, if any. You see, it wasn't just any old day today: today was NTA day – the awards ceremony being held that evening at the London O2 Arena. He and Ant were up for three awards, as usual, but it was the Best Presenter Award that was causing his mind to race and turning his stomach to lead at 1:30 in the morning. He was terrified.
At heart, Dec knew it was silly – it was just an award, after all, and if they lost this year, it wouldn't be the end of the world....Or would it? He grimaced as he imagined the glee with which the press would hail "The End of Ant and Dec" if they lost tonight. And although he tried really hard to repress the next thought that came to mind, it bubbled up anyway. There would be a fair number of people who would be celebrating if Ant and Dec lost, and he wasn't thinking about the winner of the award. The amount of public hate being directed at him, and especially Ant, these days was horrifying, and try as he might to ignore it, it did sting a bit. He understood why so many people were angry – what Ant had done was indefensible – but it still hurt desperately to see the sheer depth of hostility towards Ant on social media. There was a reason they both tried to stay off of Twitter at the moment – it was too distressing to be on there and see all of the vitriol in their mentions.
And if they won that award tonight....His mind slid back to the NTAs, his heartrate speeding up and his mouth going dry. He didn't know how he was going to get through the day. It felt a bit like 2007 again, except this time it was actually worse; much, much worse, in fact. Yes, he knew the vast majority of their fans still loved them, and the love and goodwill directed towards him and Ant over the past year had been mind-boggling. It still choked him up a bit to think about all of the messages he and Ant had read together last year. But did he and Ant still have the public's trust? He wasn't so sure anymore. What had happened in 2007 was terrible, but the big difference there was that he and Ant had had nothing to do with the scandal. Yes, it involved their shows and they were listed as executive producers on SNT, but they genuinely hadn't had a clue what was going on. This time, though, it was Ant who had messed up. Big time.
Dec knew there would always be a small part of him that could never forgive Ant for what he'd done. Not because of the damage to their career or anything shallow like that. No, simply because he had put others' lives in danger with his actions, and that was something so far removed from both of their life values that he still couldn't believe Ant had actually done it. At the same time, he knew that the Ant who was behind the wheel that day was not the Ant he had known for 29 years. The Ant that day had been a broken and lost individual crying out for help. In some ways, Dec reflected, the crash was actually the best thing that ever happened to Ant. It was a desperate cry for help that resulted in Ant finally receiving the professional support he needed. It proved to be the catalyst for an incredible change in Ant as he found his true self again, got well, and turned over a new leaf in life. It was a horrible thing to have to happen in order for Ant to start to properly recover from his addictions and mental health issues, but if that's what it took for him to get his Ant back, then so be it.
Dec sighed and turned over again – 21, he ruefully counted in his head – before deciding to sneak another glance at the clock: 2:00AM. This was ridiculous. Another 4 hours until his alarm went off – it was an early start this morning due to meetings with their management and then the BGT producers – and he still couldn't get his mind to relent in its endless, panicked racing. Eventually he decided he'd had enough of tossing and turning in bed. He silently and oh-so-gently sat up on the mattress, swinging his legs over the side and sliding his feet into his slippers. Glancing at Ali to make sure she was still sound asleep, Dec grabbed his phone off the bedside table and stealthily crept out of their bedroom before peeking his head 'round the door to Isla's room. His heart swelled to see their little girl sleeping peacefully in her cot. He still couldn't quite believe he was finally a dad. Tiptoeing away from her door – the last thing he wanted to do was disturb either of his girls – he made his way into the kitchen, deciding a cup of decaf tea might help to settle his nerves and calm his mind. As he switched on the kettle, he idly checked his phone, surprised to see a notification flashing. There was a text from Ant:
"Stop worrying so much, Deccy, it's just a stupid award. Hardly the end of the world if we don't win. Go to sleep – dealing with a grumpy, sleepy Declan all day isn't on my bucket list! 😂"
Dec chuckled, his eyes lighting up with affection for the man who knew him so well and owned such a large piece of his heart. The text had been sent just after midnight – clearly, Dec wasn't the only one who had been struggling to sleep tonight, but he sincerely hoped Ant was having a better time of it than he was. Deciding it would be best not to reply right now – he didn't want to risk waking Ant – he continued to stare at the screen, trying to force Ant's words of wisdom into his brain in the hope that his racing mind might acquiesce and allow him at least another hour or two of sleep. He took his cup of tea with him to the lounge, where he switched on the telly and settled down on the plush couch, wrapping a warm blanket around himself. Putting a channel on with some mindless program that he hoped might bore him to sleep, he sipped his tea and opened Ant's text again, smiling fondly into his mug. It was uncanny how well they knew each other – some people might describe their relationship as being slightly freakish, but he knew better. Theirs was a relationship founded on trust and unconditional love – they just got each other, and they always had done, really. Ever since they became friends on the set of Byker Grove, there had been a special spark between them, it's just that they weren't necessarily aware of it at the time. They loved spending time with each other as youngsters, and if they couldn't physically be together, then they were always on the phone to each other, talking about anything and everything. And nearly 30 years on, that close interdependency they shared really hadn't changed. It was amazing what they had achieved in their three decades together. If it had all ended last year, they really couldn't have complained.
The clock on the mantelpiece was showing the time to be nearly 3am, and the tea was actually having its desired effect, as Dec began to feel a bit dozy. Deciding he was too shattered to bother moving back to bed, he sleepily switched off the telly and curled up on the couch, snuggling into the blanket and letting the drowsiness take over his mind.
~~~
It was now 7:00am on 22 January, 2019. Dec was tiredly waiting in the foyer for their car to arrive. Joe was picking him up first this morning, since Ant lived a bit closer to the building where their first meeting of the day was being held. As Joe pulled up outside their drive, Dec hugged Ali tightly and gave her a lingering kiss. Ali could tell how nervous Dec was today, even though he was trying very hard to act nonchalant about the whole "NTAs thing," and it was more than obvious that he'd had trouble sleeping last night. She'd woken to an empty bed this morning and had made her way downstairs, thinking perhaps he had fallen asleep on the couch, only to find Dec already up, sitting wearily at the kitchen table nursing a cup of strong black coffee.
Dec slid into his seat in the car, and leaned onto the window ledge, curling up slightly and resting his head on his arm. It would probably be a good half hour's drive in the busy London traffic before they reached Ant's house. He might as well try to catch a quick cat nap during the drive there. The next thing he knew, he became aware of a warm, familiar scent filling his nostrils. Yawning widely, Dec blearily opened his eyes and glanced over to his right. Sure enough, there was Ant, staring at his phone, as he scrolled through his emails. Noting the movement on his left, Ant glanced up and breathed out a quiet, "Morning," to Dec as he smiled fondly at him. "You were out like a light. Didn't want to wake you. We've got about 10 minutes' drive left." To his surprise, Dec silently unlatched his seatbelt and slid over into the middle seat, leaning into Ant as he buckled himself in again. Grinning affectionately, Ant awkwardly pulled his arm out from underneath Dec and placed it around his shoulders, drawing him closer in a little side hug. "Feeling cuddly this morning, eh?" he teased, while Dec pouted grumpily at him before a small smile curved his lips. "Only got about 4 hours' sleep last night," Dec whined, leaning his head onto Ant's shoulder and closing his eyes, muttering, "Bloody NTAs." Ant chuckled lightly, gently resting his head on top of Dec's. Really, Ant thought, Declan was so very predictable, always getting so worked up about things. He couldn't deny the fact that he himself had had trouble sleeping last night – he'd gotten about 5 hours' sleep – but he'd always struggled with insomnia, so that was nothing new for him. "It's all gonna be just fine, Dec," Ant whispered, tilting his head slightly to press a gentle kiss to Dec's tousled hair. They leaned against each other in comfortable silence the rest of the journey, just enjoying the warmth and comfort they found in each other's presence. As they climbed out of the car and their day officially began, both steeled themselves for what was going to a very, very long day.
~~~
Meetings over, Ant and Dec were in the London Palladium, readying themselves to go on stage to open the day's first audition session. Entering to rapturous applause – they both still got a bit choked up when the crowd went wild every time they went on stage – the boys did their usual spiel about how the audition process worked, before beginning the judges' introductions. David Walliams was first, acting as camp as ever, running onto the stage and doing his signature high-kick routine that seemed to have become his trademark move this series. The boys started joking around with David, just like they normally did. It was all going so well until David started pretending to interview them: "Are you a bit nervous because it's the NTAs today, or are you excited?" Ant jutted his jaw out slightly in exasperation. He had really hoped no one was going to mention the NTAs unless it was absolutely necessary – like something to do with the live video links later – but now David had ruined that hope. Quickly taking the reins on answering this question with what he hoped was a nonchalant, "We're a little nervous, a little nervous," Ant turned to Dec and met his gaze for a brief moment, noting the way Dec was shifting his weight from foot to foot, looking thoroughly uncomfortable. Dec clearly wanted nothing to do with this question, although he added his own nervous comment as Ant continued, "You always get nervous in the NTAs." Turning back towards the judge, Ant swiftly moved the conversation along by directing the same question back at David. Behind him, Dec felt his stress level skyrocketing again. Licking his lips nervously, Dec swallowed down the massive ball of anxiety that was clawing its way up his throat. He greatly appreciated Ant taking the lead on this, as just the mention of the NTAs had turned him into a quivering ball of jelly, and the last thing they needed was for someone to video this and have the tabloids pick it up. They'd be sure to run a story about them having a nervous breakdown on stage or something ridiculous like that. Although, come to think of it, maybe that headline wasn't so ridiculous after all....
~~~
It was now mid-afternoon, and auditions were in full swing. Ant and Dec were both a little bit tetchy – not with each other, mind, only with those around them – and their exhaustion was more than obvious. Today had been the longest day ever – or so it seemed – yet it was still 4 hours before the awards ceremony even began at the O2. The boys knew they were going to be on standby for a live video link that evening, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Cameras would be trained on the judges' desk later that day, too, just in case David (or Simon) won the Best TV Judge award. It would be an interesting evening if David managed to beat Simon yet again, that's for sure! Dec let out a tired sigh as he sunk down onto his stool at the side of the stage, absentmindedly reaching into an open crisp packet being proffered to him by Ant, who was sat next to him. They were on a brief break during auditions, so they were taking the opportunity to grab a quick snack and rest their weary bodies while they had the chance. Dec studied Ant's face, taking in every line, every crease, the way his eyebrows quirked when he got another text from Anne-Marie – clearly she'd said something funny, as the corners of his mouth turned up and a small chuckle erupted from his lips. Honestly, Dec could spend all day staring at Ant. He could read his every expression, could almost know what he was thinking without Ant having to say a single word. He knew Ant was the same with him – they almost knew each other too well, at times.
Ant suddenly looked up at Dec, catching him staring at him. Dec gave him a sheepish smile and giggled as Ant cheekily raised an eyebrow at him. "Sorry, was miles away," Dec murmured, while Ant affectionately rolled his eyes at him and shook his head before checking his watch. The day was going so slowly. At least there were only a couple minutes left of their break, and then it was back to work again. But even that wasn't much help, as the auditions were seeming to take forever today, and quite a few of them had been rubbish so far. Ant wearily shook his head again and watched as Dec stood and stretched his arms out above his head, yawning widely. Ant knew Dec was bricking it about the NTAs – they both were, to be honest – but that it was best not to mention it right now. They were both trying to ignore it for as long as possible, although he knew they would probably end up having a little heart-to-heart about it nearer to the time. This meant a lot to them this year – albeit for slightly different reasons – and he sincerely hoped it didn't turn out to be a complete disaster. They both needed something positive after the year they'd had.
~~~
The time was 7:30pm. The NTAs were beginning. Ant glanced over at Dec to see him staring in horror at the analog display on his Apple Watch. Reaching out towards him, Ant lightly grasped Dec's wrist, squeezing gently in an attempt to break him out of his thoughts. The last thing they needed right now was for Dec to have a panic attack. Dec's eyes met his, panic written all over his face, his green-blue eyes holding a strange sort of overwhelming trepidation. Ant could feel Dec's hand shaking as he pulled Dec towards him, wrapping him up in a tender hug. There was an act on stage right now, but if he was honest, they were absolute rubbish, and likely wouldn't make it to the screen – not even on BGMT. It was definitely time to have their little talk, he couldn't bear to watch Dec falling apart in front of him. Quietly wrapping an arm around Dec's shoulders, Ant guided him through the corridors towards their dressing room, despite Dec's weak protests that he was fine, and, really, they should be in the wings doing their job.
Closing the door behind them, Ant turned to face Dec, holding him at arm's length, lovingly rubbing his right thumb over Dec's shoulder joint in a comforting manner. "Now listen to me, Dec," Ant started, "Even if we lose all of the awards we're nominated for tonight, it doesn't reflect on you or all your hard work. I know I'm not the most popular person in the country right now, so if we lose, it's all down to me. Nowt to do with you or...." Ant was abruptly interrupted in the middle of what he thought was a reassuring speech by Dec, who had fury in his eyes. "Don't you dare say that! If we lose tonight, we lose together. It's Ant and Dec, remember? We win together, we lose together, simple as! You don't deserve any of this, I hate people for hating you, it's just so unfair. Yeah, you messed up, but you don't deserve to suffer for it the rest of your life!" As Dec's voice faltered and one of the tears that had been steadily gathering in his eyes made its way down his face, Ant automatically reached out and wiped it away, despite his shock at the heat of Dec's words. Ant felt his own emotions bubbling to the surface at the fierce protectiveness in Dec's voice as he continued, "You deserve to win, too, Ant. You might not have been on the telly a whole lot last year, but you worked hard. I could not be more proud of all that you've achieved in the past 10 months. We are in this together, and don't you ever forget that." Ant stood in stunned silence for a moment, tears silently running down his cheeks. Dec gazed into Ant's eyes, his own brimming with yet more unshed tears, a look of unspeakable love shining out at Ant, making its way deep into his heart. Wordlessly, Ant embraced Dec, the love and respect he had for the smaller man overwhelming him, forcing him into silence. They stood together like that for a long minute, just holding each other close and giving the other the reassurance he needed to face whatever might come tonight.
Eventually, they drew away from each other, looking into each other's eyes as Ant finally found his voice. In the end, though, all he could choke out around the lump in his throat was, "Thank you," those two words conveying everything else he was too emotional to say. Dec seemed a bit more in control of himself now, no longer panicky – their talk and long hug clearly having helped to ground him – as he simply pulled Ant close again and enveloped him in a loving embrace, whispering a fond, "I'm so proud of you, Ant," into his ear before walking to the en suite to wash away the evidence of his tears. Having made themselves presentable for the camera again – they both were going to need some touch ups on their makeup, that's for sure – the boys walked in silence to their area at the side of the stage. A couple of acts had come and gone in their absence, but neither really cared. They had needed that time together, those intimate moments of frankness with each other, in order to get through the remainder of this so far very draining day. Dec checked his watch again, noting the interminably slow march of time with a tired sigh before feeling a nudge on his shoulder – Ant was staring at him in amusement, shaking his head and rolling his eyes in mock exasperation at Dec's impatience.
~~~
The moment of truth had finally arrived. Dec felt like he was going to either throw up or faint, probably both. He was greatly regretting the ham and cheese sandwich he had decided to munch on earlier to try to calm his nerves – he was always prone to stress eating at times like these, but then, so was Ant. Speaking of Ant, Dec raised his eyes to take in Ant's expression. Yes, he was obviously nervous, but his face wore a sort of resigned stoicism that was so unlike the Ant he knew. It was obvious Ant didn't expect them to win tonight, and Dec could tell that, despite his stern lecture earlier, Ant was already blaming himself for their loss. If he was honest, Dec didn't expect them to win, either. He managed to catch Ant's eyes, seeing his own dread reflected back at him. Dec tried to give Ant a reassuring smile, but all he could muster was a slight quirking up of one side of his mouth. Their shows had taken home the gongs in the categories they were nominated for, but those were their shows, not they themselves. Hilarity had ensued earlier in the evening when David had won Best TV Judge yet again, with Simon throwing a hissy fit that had the boys in hysterics and helped to distract them from their nerves. But now it was time for their category.
They got into position on stage, facing the camera that seemed far too close and intimidating, before turning to stare at the massive London Palladium screen as the O2 Arena appeared and Dermot O'Leary introduced Ant Middleton to present the award. Dec's breath caught in his throat as the nausea threatened to overwhelm him again, his legs feeling wobbly and his palms sweating profusely as his mouth became unbearably dry. He swayed on his feet for a moment as his mind went dizzy, before a calm, familiar hand reached out and steadied him, giving a small squeeze before letting go again. Dec glanced over at Ant as Ant Middleton messed around with Dermot, noting how the pulse in Ant's neck was racing and his chest shallowly rose and fell at a rapidly increasing rate as his nerves intensified. Dec called out a quiet, "Ant," snapping Ant out of his panicked state and bringing him back down to earth. They both turned back to the screen as they heard Holly Willoughby's name being called out, Dec wincing as he and Holly appeared on screen together, doing a link for I'm a Celebrity.... He was surprised to hear Ant chuckling beside him, a proud grin on his face as he watched Dec being his amazing, entertaining self. Ant shared a look with Dec as Holly's VT ended and Bradley Walsh's began, their eyes locking for a few seconds in silent solidarity before they turned back to the screen. Finally, all of the nominees had been read out and it was time to announce the winner.
Dec's heart was in his throat, he felt like he couldn't breathe, dizziness and nausea threatening to overwhelm him. Ant wasn't much better next to him, although he was better at hiding his distress, seeming relatively calm on the outside now that the moment of truth had arrived. They turned away from the screen, facing the camera instead, Dec angled slightly towards Ant – Ant was his lifeline right now, he needed to see him, couldn't bear to look at the camera...."And the National Television Award goes to..." Ant Middleton's voice rang through the Palladium, pausing for a moment that seemed to drag on for an eternity. Through the haze of panic and nerves, Dec felt Ant's hand land on his shoulder, holding him securely as they awaited their fate.
"...ANT AND DEC!"
As the crowd went wild, Dec nearly collapsed in shock, gripping desperately onto his knees, using them as crutches to stay upright as his mind reeled. They had won?!?!? After everything that had happened over the past year, they still had won? The public still loved them, trusted them enough that they voted for them? He vaguely felt Ant's weight on top of him as Ant laid his arms on Dec's shoulders, leaning his forehead against his arm as they stood there numbly, shocked to the core. That brief moment of contact was enough to shake Dec out of his dazed stupor, and the next moment he heard Ant speaking into his microphone in a thoroughly shocked voice, "Oh, wow....Oh, wow."
Oh, right, they had to do a speech now, they were on camera! Dec was in no shape to speak, however, his throat closing in on itself yet again, except this time it was due to a massive lump forming as he felt tears coming to his eyes. Their incredulous gaze met for a moment and they shared a relieved smile before hugging briefly, Dec's hand intimately wrapping around the back of Ant's neck as his heart swelled with love and pride for the man holding him, and gratitude towards the great British public. Sensing Dec was too overwhelmed to say anything, Ant – always the calmer of the two when it came to situations like this – began to speak. He honestly didn't know what to say, the speech he had rehearsed in case they won having been erased from his mind as soon as their names were called out. He stumbled through the first few sentences, his mind racing as he tried to form coherent sentences. Suddenly the Palladium's screen flashed beside them, and he and Dec turned around in surprise to see Simon having pressed his Golden Buzzer for him. But what really caught their attention again was the audience – the whole place was on its feet, including the judges, giving them a standing ovation. It was all so overwhelming.
As Ant faintly became aware of Dec beside him, desperately trying to control his emotions, part of the speech he had so carefully prepared came rushing back to him. He and Dec had had this conversation weeks ago when the voting shortlist was released, and although Ant knew Dec didn't agree with him on this, he was going to go ahead and do it anyway. He was going to dedicate the award to Dec. As soon as Ant started talking about how he didn't feel he could accept the award this year, Dec knew what he was planning. The emotions he had fought so hard to push down so that he wouldn't start sobbing on live telly came flooding back in as Ant turned towards him. "The one reason we've won the award this year is because of this guy." Ant reached out, affectionately pressing his palm to the side of Dec's face before wrapping his hand around the side of Dec's neck, squeezing warmly before continuing, "His hard work, dedication, wit, funniness, and being the best mate there is out there. I love you, man. Well done."
It was all Dec could do to not break down right then and there. Desperately swallowing down the lump in his throat, his eyes met Ant's as Dec replied, "I love you," lunging at Ant and tightly wrapping his arms around him as the love he had for this man nearly burst his heart. Ant closed his eyes, savoring the hug – and feeling deeply grateful that he had been able to give Declan the recognition he so deserved live in front of the nation – holding Dec in a strong embrace. Neither of them wanted that hug to end, but the live link was still running, and Dec still hadn't said a single word. He somehow managed to get through his half of the speech, with an arm wrapped around Ant's shoulders for most of it, just needing that physical contact to keep him from losing his battle against his emotions. They finally signed off with a bit of a cheeky joke aimed at Dermot for his foolish comments regarding them winning the award this year, and yet more thank yous to the public who had voted for them. As the cameras switched off, Dec suddenly realized his legs had turned to jelly. He collapsed onto the stage dramatically – he was still Declan the show-off, after all – and closed his eyes. Ant kneeled beside him, both still unable to comprehend what had just happened. They had just won the award for the 18th time!!! The tears finally broke free as reality sunk in, but Dec was unashamed as he repeatedly wiped tears away while the judges congratulated them. He and Ant were both in a state of shock, this was not what they expected to happen tonight, but they were more than happy to be proven so completely wrong.
The judges eventually went back to their seats, leaving Ant and Dec to make their way back to the wings as preparations began for the next act of the night to come on stage. They gazed at each other for a moment in dazed silence, tears shining in their eyes, before Dec completely broke down, relieved sobs coming thick and fast as he stood rooted to the spot, overcome with emotion. As he felt loving arms surround him in a tight embrace, he haltingly whispered into Ant's ear in a trembling voice, "Thank you, Ant. I love you." As they held each other close, letting out all of the emotions of the day, they knew one thing: This day marked a new beginning in their life. And as long as they were together, no one could ever bring them down. All they needed was each other. And that meant more than words could ever tell.
Warnings - None? Fluff! Like sickening fluff! Theres a few suggestive sentences. This might be awful?
——————————————————————————
“Papa! Papa! Papa!” Two small children with relatively dark curly hair squeal, running up to the tall, dark, handsome man.
“Ros! Fletch! Hey bubbas! Missed you so much! Missed you both so so much”. Reaching down to bring his two children into his arms, he pulls them close to his chest breathing in their achingly familiar scent that he’s missed for months now. Blinking quickly to rid the unshed tears that spring to his eyes. Unable to find a big enough gap in the touring schedule, meant he had been unable to spend more than a few hours with his favourite humans, having to wait it out until the end of tour to finally come home. He knows its early when he finally lets himself into their home and that his two kiddos are going to be more than a little stroppy later in the day, but at this moment he could care less.
Finally tearing himself away from Roseline and Fletcher, who instantly latches onto his hand, he stands back up to full height reaching for his wife, Matilda Hood. Tilly leans into him automatically and presses a long awaited kiss to his plush lips. He ducks his head down, applying more pressure into the kiss and releasing his hold on Fletchers hand to wrap his arm around his gorgeous wife. He feels his boy wrap himself around his leg, refusing to let go of his daddy now that he’s finally home. Laughing breathlessly against each others mouths, Tilly pulls away to grin happily up at him. Falling back down on the heels of her feet, she grasps her hands together.
“Righto kiddos! Brekkie and then Papa is whisking you off for the day!”, rushing towards the kitchen, Ros nearly trips over poor Duke, before he goes skidding over to Fletcher who’s still a bit unsteady on his feet. He’d started walking a few weeks before the end of tour and Tilly had made sure to catch every step he took on film to send to Calum. But seeing his mini me in the flesh take shaky steps is a whole other story. His heart fills with pride and admiration for the little boy who pushes himself back off the floor when he tumbles over.
Bending back down he scoops up his other child, nuzzling his face in his fur while Tilly chases after the kids to start on breakfast.
“Hi boy! Missed you too gramps!” Putting Baby Grandpa back on solid ground, he picks up his abandoned bags carrying them up the stairs to the safety of his and Tilly’s bedroom. Dumping them near the wardrobe, he sees a few of his shirts and jumpers lying around. Smiling knowingly to himself, he quickly changes out of his airplane clothes, throwing on a soft t-shirt and some jeans. Tushing back downstairs to his family, he leans lazily against the doorframe to the kitchen, grinning at the sight before him. Little Fletch sitting happily in his highchair, munching on his bowl of fruit, while Roseline and Tilly are stood together by the stove making what smells like pancakes. Spotting her husband, Tilly turns towards him, “Come on C! Stop lurking in the doorway. Kids wanted your favourite this morning!”.
“Yeah Papa! Pancakes and chocolate!”, Ros says, waving the kid sized spatula atound in the air.
“Mmmm, i hope its your Mama’s recipe Ros. That one is the best!”, he mumbles this as he sways towards his girls, grin ever so present on his face.
“Of course it is. Vegan pancakes are my speciality and you should know that Hood!”.
All 4 of them are laughing, giggling breathlessly and Calum feels this contentment lay in his chest at the sounds. He’s finally back on solid ground, home. Cal scoops Roseline up onto his hip, even though she is getting far too big to do so without a small groan. He tugs Tilly into his other side, mindful of the whisk in her hand. Pressing a long kiss to her temple, he breaths her in. Takes a moment to relish in the fact that he’s home with his favourite people - his family and he’s here to stay for a while. He’s broken out of his train of thought by a gasp.
“Fletcher Fox! Baby boy, no no”, Tilly looses her grip on his t-shirt, arm around outstretch towards Fletcher before Calum is stepping around her, “Hey bud! You know your not supposed to feed Gramps any food baby boy!”.
Cal had already popped Roseline back on her feet, by the time he had made his way over to Fletcher and Duke, who was happily munching on a piece of strawberry. Reluctant to take the fruit off Duke and risk getting nibbled, he opted for picking his mini me out of his highchair instead, settling him on his hip before picking up the nearly empty bowl, “You finished bud?”.
Fletcher nods extravagantly - “Papa no more”.
“Okay okay. That’s fine buddy, but don’t go feeding Duke any more, alright?”.
“Kay”, Fletch tucked his face into his Papa’s neck, grasping his t-shirt in his tiny fists. After that, they all sat down to eat breakfast together, Ros sitting as close to her father as she could, while Fletch refused to be put back down, clinging on to Calum every time he tried. So, he sat on Cals lap, stealing a piece of pancake here and there and dipping his chubby fingers in the melted chocolate. The clock read 8:30am by the time they had all stuffed theirselves full and he knew Tilly needed to head out soon. So with a quick few kisses at the door (more like 10 minutes of snogging away from the kids) he ushered her out of the house for her girls day, promising that he’d got everything under control. After finally getting Fletcher cleaned up and helping both of his kids into clean clothes for the day (after a argument with Ros about her being a big girl and could dress herself) he buckles them into their car seats; sitting himself in the drivers seat he turns towards them, “Right kiddos! You know how me and your Mama have been together for a long time?”.
Ros stretches her arms out wide to either side of her body, “Yeah Papa, so so so long”.
“Well it’s our special day tomorrow and Mummy thinks that i’ve got nothing special planned cause i’ve been away on tour. But i need yours and Fletch’s help to pick some things out for her. You wanna help Papa?”, he reaches out his hands towards his children, both of them clutching a few fingers.
“Flowers?”, grinning at his boy, he nods his head vigorously which causes both of his kids to yelp happily.
“Mama want sunflowers?”, she’s squirming excitedly in her seat, clearly happily about the new development.
“Yeah, sunflowers Ros. I’ve had a bunch already put together for us, so all we’ve got to do is go and collect them in a little while princess. But first, how does the park sound?”.
Screams of joy are heard from the back seat of the car, so with one final check to make sure his babies are secure in their car seats, he settles himself into the drivers seat, turns the ignition on and away they go to their favourite park. Carefully placing Fletcher on his hip, he grabs Roseline’s hand and skilfully locks the car on the first try. Grinning excitedly down at Ros, she squeals with excitement when she registers what her daddy is saying to her, “Come on Princess, race you to the swings”.
And just because he’s the best Papa ever and has little Fletch on his hip, he lags just slightly behind, letting Roseline jump around excitedly when she reaches the swings first.
A few hours later, when both children are absolutely worn out from the excitement of the park and spending time with Daddy, the family of three step into a beautifully decorated shop, breathing in the smell of nature. Smiling at the woman behind the desk, Cal mutters his name, smiling even wider when the woman brings out a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers, with a few others of Tilly’s favourites hidden within. Shifting Fletcher onto his other hip, he grips both his son and daughter with one hand, while the other reaches for the flowers. Handing them over, she reaches towards a free loose flowers, giving one to each of the sleepy children, who smile softly at the woman, both of them muttering a quiet thank you when prompted. Shifting Fletch slightly, he grins at the lady, “Thank you so much, these are beautiful. Say thank you bubbas and goodbye. Lets head home yeah”.
Pulling up outside of your shared home, he scoops up a sleeping Fletch and tugs a sleepy Ros up the drive, all while holding the flowers. Too busy getting his sleepy children in the house, he misses your car already parked in the driveway. Hearing the door open and Cal trudge down the hallway and up the stairs, Tilly stretches up off the sofa and makes her way towards the noise. Seeing the back of Calum disappear into the kids shared bedroom, she notices the bouquet of sunflowers sitting on the table top. Humming her appreciation of the yellow flowers, she picks the bouquet up brining it closer to her face to get a whiff of the stunning flowers. Turning towards the creek in the stairs, she grins up at her husband who furrows his eyebrows at the sight of the flowers in her hands - “You weren’t supposed to see those yet”.
She giggles lightly at him, tripping over her own feet to meet him at the foot of the stairs, “C, you’re ruining your reputation buying me pretty flowers you know”.
He grins right back at her, “I ruined my reputation the first time i laid my eyes on you and then ruined it a second time when we got married and then I definitely ruined it when we create those beautiful children upstairs”.
By the end of his declaration, he had wrapped his hands around his wife, pulling her flush to his chest. Similarly, she had wrapped her arms around his neck, still clutching at the pretty flowers.
“Missed you bubba. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to touch you at all. Love you so much”, she mumbles quietly under her breath.
“I Love you too Dove. Love you ridiculous amounts Mrs Hood. 7 years together tomorrow and I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together”, he’s grinning bashfully at her, brushing his nose gently against hers. She presses up onto her toes, while pressing down on the back of his head gently to press their mouths together. Moulding their lips with one another’s, they kiss for a while. He runs his tongue against her bottom lip, slipping his tongue into her mouth when she gives him permission. Their tongues battle it out for dominance, Calum easily overpowering her while tugging her impossibly closer to his body. Unwillingly pulling away from her beautifully red and swollen lips, he smiles lazily at Tilly, “Come on, let’s go cook some ridiculous fancy dinner and drink a bottle of that ridiculous expensive wine that you seem to like so much and then I’m taking you to bed to get properly reacquainted my love”.
Giggling excitedly at her husband, she tugs him down for another kiss before sauntering away from him towards the kitchen; still hiding her smile in her flowers. Setting the flowers to the side, she grabs another one of their vases out and reaches up towards the cupboard that holds the proper flower food. Before she can grab hold of it, Calum presses flush against her back reaching up himself to grab hold of the item. Pressing a small kiss to the back of her neck, once, twice and a third time before pulling away. While Tilly busies herself sorting and arranging her flowers, Cal opens up the fridge to see what he can sort out for dinner. Turning around to face her, he catches himself grinning at her; so in love with everything she does. “Dove? Pizza good for dinner? I know it’s not the most healthiest but its quick and easy and the kids will love it”.
She places the vase with the pretty sunflowers in on top of the kitchen table before making her way over to Cal, muttering quietly, “Yeah that’s fine bubs”.
“Everything alright?”, as he tugs her back into the safety of his arms.
“Missed you. So much. Just exhausted, can’t wait to get into bed with you later”.
Placing his hand on the side of her neck, he uses his thumb to push gently at the jaw causing her to raise her head to look up at him, seeing a small grin taking over his features, “Love you Dove. Oh! How was your day sweetheart?”.
“It was good, really enjoyed it but couldn’t wait to get home to my husband and kids. Can’t believe you kicked me out the first day your home!”, she’s grinning so he knows she’s only teasing him but he plays along with her, “Only wanted to see the children, didn’t even really miss you”. They fall into a heavy laughter knowing full well that Cal is lying, having told her everyday he’d been away how much he wished he was back with her, at home with their children. His other hand, the one not holding her jaw had fallen to the curve of her back, slowly descending as he presses his lips to hers. Letting him love on her for a few minutes, Tilly reluctantly moves back and away from him, “Go and wake the kids you pest and i’ll get the pizza’s in the oven”. With one last kiss for the time being, he pats her bum twice before making his way upstairs to Roseline Joy and Fletcher Fox. The two out of three things that had completely changed his life for the better. His family. When they had found out just a few weeks after they had gotten married that they were pregnant with Ros, Tilly had been the one that was excited. Excited at the prospect of starting a family with the love of her life. But Calum, Cal had been more nervous and unsure on his feelings. Falling in love wasn’t something he even thought would happen again to him, let alone be married and now apparently be expecting a baby. He had been irrational at the time, ran off to Ashton to express his feelings before coming back home a few hours later with a strikingly familiar bouquet of sunflowers and too many apologies falling from his lips. His eyes were clearly red rimmed. She understood. Tilly always understood and waited while he muttered how scared he was to bring a new life into this world. His world. But they got through those 9 months. Together. There was a few bumps in the road but they always listened to one another and now looking at his biggest baby curled up next to her brother, he felt his heart soar with love and affection for them.
“Mummy”, “Mama”, came the shouts from the kids once they were awake enough to venture downstairs to the kitchen. Excited squeals were heard when Cal had whisper how there was pizza cooking before two sets of footsteps could be heard tumbling through the house. Home. He couldn’t be proud of himself, and Tilly. They had created a life that they had both always desired and found each other along the way. Soulmates.
Once the pizza’s were through cooked, Tilly had made an exception for the night and allowed the family of four to trudge through into the living room, to curl up on the sofa’s with each other and enjoy their food. Cal and Fletch sat on one end of the sofa, curled tightly towards one another as Calum switched between taking bites from his own pizza and feeding Fletcher his. While Ros and Tilly sat on the other end, giggling at the TV show on the telly while munching happily. This was his life now Cal thought as he watching his family. He could go off on tour happily if he could come back to this every single time. It made it easier. Knowing he had a purpose and a drive to go out there and perform and sing his heart out for his family who were waiting back at home for him. It was obviously a struggle. Going weeks, months without seeing his family was hard. But the few times they did fly out to visit him and stay for a few weeks made up for that. He could show them around the cities they were playing in and get to see his two children messing around with his brothers, while his wife gossiped with their girls. This was his family. And he wouldn’t change it for the world. They’d fallen asleep that night, right there on the sofa. Tilly and Cal lying curled into one another, their hands grasped tightly together. While Fletcher Fox had crawled his way to stuff his face into Calum’s neck, all of them giggling quietly when small quiet snores could be heard from the little monster, Calum’s huge hand sprawled safely across his back. And Roseline, Ros had tried to stay awake longer, longing to catch up with her father and hear every fascinating story he had to share, but she had nodded off next to her mother while Cal was in the middle of story about how Uncle Lu and Uncle Mike pranked Uncle Ash so many times. He’d stopped talking once he’d notice the silence in the house, Ros no longer giggling quietly at his story. Looking up towards Tilly, who was someplace between sleep and awake, he stretched over to press a quick kiss to the corner of her mouth before tucking his own face into her neck and drifting off to sleep himself. No longer need to dream as his life was exactly what he wanted it to be
