A Steven Grant Pygmalion AU where he spends months talking to a statue in the British Museum. Taking his breaks near her, telling her about his day, asking for advice. Then one day he heads up to her gallery, lunch in hand - only to find her plinth empty and a woman sitting on his usual bench who looks oddly, impossibly familiar…
Pairings: Steven Grant x F!Reader, Marc Spector x F!Reader, Jake Lockley x F!Reader
SeriesTags:Dead dove do not eat, physical violence, sexual assault, trauma, blood, hurt/comfort, medical treatment, PTSD, recovery
Chapter Tags: Nonconsensual drug use, kidnapping
Word Count:>1k
Author’s Note: Hi all. If you’ve been following me or my writing, it probably won’t surprise you to hear that hurt/comfort fics are one of my mainstays, or that I find writing about trauma and recovery both compelling and therapeutic.
This story takes all of that to the extreme.
I started this as an outlet for the pain and rage and, quite frankly, terror that the current political climate has me in. The thought of Roe v Wade being overturned, of having my bodily autonomy, reproductive rights, and privacy torn away so easily and callously - it’s got me spun. I know I’m not the only one.
This fic is a way for me to channel those feelings of helplessness and despair, my need for comfort and my seething, bitter instinct to lash out when threatened. I don’t expect anyone to read it. It’s dark and triggery and I have no agenda other than to bleed out some of this building darkness. Please please mind the tags and don’t feel any pressure to read if it will make you even vaguely uncomfortable. I have plenty of much lighter fic.
If you do read this, I hope you find what you’re looking for, be it comfort or catharsis. If you need support, please reach out to your local crisis center. I’ll include some links at the bottom but I’m really only familiar with US-based resources. As someone who’s had her own experiences with trauma and PTSD, I can tell you things do get better. It takes courage and work and support but you are never alone.
I’m not going to do my usual tag list with this one but feel free to message me if you’d like to be tagged in the next installments. And again, no pressure to read. Please mind the tags and reach out for help if you need it.
Thank you to @acrossthesestars for beta’ing this and reminding me that dark fic is a valid part of fandom. Couldn’t have done this without you, my crow.
Summary:Maybe Steven’s one-sided friendship isn’t so one-sided after all… AKA a Moon Knight Pygmalion AU
Author’s Note: You can thank @letterfromvienna for encouraging me to turn this silly little idea from a throwaway idea to a two part bit of self-indulgent, romantic fluff, and for contributing some wonderful ideas and bits of dialogue. Thank you also to @acrossthesestars for endless support in the form of proofreading, hand holding, and mood board making. I love you so much, my crow.
Steven can’t remember the first time he decided to take his break in the classical statuary gallery rather than the usual staff canteen. He’d tried eating there first, hoping to befriend some of his new coworkers. Months into working at the British Museum though, most of them remain politely disinterested in getting to know him.
He’d tried, really he had. Memorizing the names of their kids, remembering birthdays, letting them vent about their days. He’d even tried to organize after hours meet ups but after one too nights sitting at a bar surrounded by empty stools, silent phone in hand, he’d given up. He’s too talkative, too excitable, too… much.
It’s easier this way, retreating to the overlooked room tucked behind the Parthenon sculptures. That area is always swarmed with guests eager to see the Elgin Marbles. Steven avoids it. The idea of all those stolen artifacts in one place makes his neck itch. Granted, the museum is filled with those sorts of objects but somehow the sculptures and friezes in that room (at least, the ones not missing their heads) seem to glare down at him accusingly.
He much prefers your gallery. Sunlight streams in from banks of antique windows, painting the marble-clad room in shifting shades as the light changes. Blush pink and champagne gold in the morning, cool green in the afternoon when it filters in through vining ivy. His favorite time to visit is in the velvety blue nighttime when the lights are dimmed and moonlight glints off milk-white stone. It’s magical then, easier to imagine that the statues are just on the verge of leaping out of the shadows, bending closer to hear his late-night chatter.
Each one is familiar. The hunter, endlessly pursuing a stag he’ll never reach. The musician strumming her lyre. The bull-headed minotaur pondering his strange existence (“You and me both, mate.”) Steven’s walked the floor enough times to know them all from every angle. Knows every raised stone eyebrow and deceptively animated hand gesture. Time and again though, he finds himself drawn to the far left corner.
To you.
“Hullo!” He greets you with a half-wave and a shy smile, a brown paper bag clutched in his hand as always. “What’ve I missed?”
So I have yet to indulge in moon knight fanfic,,, but I could not pick a better first …and emma !!!!! The way you just keep slaying it? No matter what you write it’s spectacular as always
you’ve captured his voice 100% spot on and I can’t believe you’re making us wait like this for the next part wtf
Tags: Demisexual reader, Slow burn, Pining, Alcohol use, Whiskey using his whip which needs a warning of its own, Some unwanted flirting (not from Whiskey), Smut of various descriptions, Hints of Dom!Whiskey, Choking kink if you squint, Come eating, Some rougher sex towards the end there, A bit of angst
Summary: You’re a bartender with a love life that’s completely DOA. Maybe this charming new regular will turn things around?
Author’s Note: Thank you to my intrepid beta @acrossthesestars for wading through the mess I made of this WIP while writing most of it on my phone Also, if you’re reading this, shoutout to the anon who sent an ask to my spicy blog about demisexuality. I see you.
You’ve never been so grateful to live above the bar as you are now.The convenience of a short commute pales in comparison to the speed with which you and Whiskey stumble up the stairs to your front door, laughing and stealing kisses as you go.
You haven’t even fitted the key in the lock before Jack wraps himself around you, his breath a warm, seductive rumble against your neck. “Gonna make you feel so good, sweet bird. You’ll be singing for me all night,” he promises.
The hair at the nape of your neck prickles and a shiver of anticipation thrums through you. His broad palm splays over your belly, drifting lower as he croons, low and rasping. “Fuck, baby, I’ve wanted you for so long.”
“You’ll be waiting longer if you keep distracting me from getting this damn key in the lock.” Your fingers are clumsy, distracted. All you want is to get inside and take this gorgeous man to your bed. With a nip to your earlobe that makes you gasp and fumble, he palms the key smoothly and opens the door with a showy flick of the wrist.
I can’t even process this my brain is not coping with how hot that was
But that bit near the end? for a hot second I thought he wasn’t coming back and I was losing my whole mind and if you were gonna end it on a sad note… Emma, respectfully, I was coming for you where you live
Thank god they worked it all out the sigh of relief was REAL
And okay real talk my soft little Demi heart is so full right now. Thank you.
Chapter Tags: Allusions to childhood trauma including abuse, mention of stalking, some angst, smut
Author’s Note: You guys this chapter nearly killed me, but we made it! This is not the end of the series but I will be pausing to work on other projects. This series simply would not exist without @keeper0fthestars and @acrossthesestars I am so happy and grateful to both of you. I love you and the rest of the “pack” so big.
Will considers you carefully. There’s a steadiness to him, his mellow presence a reassuring counterpoint to the frantic pulse beating in your ears.
“Here. They wanted me to give this to you.” His gruff voice is surprisingly gentle as he hands you a neatly folded letter. He looks like he’s about to say more, but he shakes his head and moment passes.
Will pats your shoulder once as he moves past you, an almost brotherly gesture that’s as unexpected as it is comforting. He steps carefully onto the nearby dock and sets about checking the knots where he’s moored the boat in place. You suspect the knots are perfectly fine already and that he’s just giving you a moment. Over his shoulder, you can see a parked pickup, likely a rental, pointed towards a large sign that reads Aeropuerto: 20 Kilómetros.
That month apart was painful. the loss of one other?? palpable. My heart broke for them.
Second of all I’m so insanely proud of you for creating this incredible universe and I can’t wait for these three to pick up where they left off they deserve nothing but happy
Santi’s footsteps are heavy as he steps onto the deck. He cranes his stiff neck, rubbing it absently as he stares up at the glittering stars above. They look different at sea. Brighter. Pearly streaks of cloud whorl over velvety blues and purples, shot through with diamond stars clustered too close to sort into tidy constellations.
They’re beautiful. Perfect. And impossibly far away.
Oh man. This dynamic is everything!!! they’re willing to let her go if that’s what she chooses,,,,, do you know what that is?? thats the good stuff babey -
that’s LOVE and above all, respect. These chapters from the boys’ pov are really becoming so important and yes I still want to know how they worded the letter.
Author’s Note: Heads up, this chapter veers into some of Dandelion’s personal issues, including being triggered into a fight or flight response. Also, this chapter definitely veers towards Angstville. I’m sorry! *ducks*
Thank you as always to @acrossthesestars, my beta reader, my friend, my crow.
“Hey, man. Sorry to ask you to cut your vacation short.”
Ironhead, or Will, as he’d asked you to call him as soon as you’d been introduced, waves off Santi’s thanks. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, I don’t know how much more time I could have spent with just Benny for company.”
Frankie, leaning affectionately on Santi’s shoulder, grins at this. “How’s the pup doing, anyway?”
……And to add insult to injury, she found all that out from Will?? Ooof Yeah that hurts
Things are messy and imperfect and we’re getting down to the real feelings now and I just wanna S C R E A M because I cannot wait to see what happens next
Tags:Fluff, Friends to lovers, Demisexual reader, Passing mention of unwanted sexual advances (not from Steven)
Summary:Maybe Steven’s one-sided friendship isn’t so one-sided after all… AKA a Moon Knight Pygmalion AU
Author’s Note: The response to Part One has completely blown me away. You can thank @letterfromvienna for encouraging me to turn this silly little idea from a throwaway idea to a two part bit of self-indulgent, romantic fluff, and for contributing some wonderful ideas and bits of dialogue. Thank you also to @acrossthesestars for endless support in the form of proofreading, hand holding, and mood board making. I love you so much, my crow.
Your heart thunders in your ears as Steven steps into view and oh, the sensation of having a pulse again is nearly as dizzying as being close enough to touch him.
“Hello, Steven.” The words weigh on your tongue like honeycomb, sweet and strange. This isn’t your mother tongue but it feels right to greet him in the language you’ve gathered over the centuries.The one he makes sound so dear.
“Uh, hiya,” Steven manages weakly. His eyes dart between you and the empty plinth beside the bench, uncertainty in every line of his body. Jackal-headed soft toys litter the marble floor between you. They’d gone tumbling from the box he’d dropped upon seeing you but he doesn’t stoop to gather them.
Accurate depiction of me squeeing into my pillow this morning:
ITS JUST SO PERFECT????? Emma!!! How do you do this!
oh my god. It’s SO unique!! And yet it fits into Stevens life like it was meant to be! A whole ass fairytale like they were meant to be and I’d like to personally thank Apollo for being an ass - for giving her the chance to meet the man of her dreams.
