shinysugar

[shinysugar]

I Remember

WARNINGS: Canon typical violence, Unrequited Love

PAIRING: Anakin x Reader (Unrequited), Platonic Luke X Reader

SUMMARY: In the wake of Vader’s death, Luke has questions about his father only one person can answer.

WORD COUNT: 905

It had been nearly two days since the Empire fell and the celebrations showed no signs of stopping, however, you had more than enough of the revelry. You chalked it up to age, after all, your twenties were far gone - lost to war and suffering - and drinks and dancing didn’t go down the same way. At least, that was what you told the others when you had stepped away for some quiet. You took up residence in a nice nook of branches up high in the trees with a perfect view of a nearby moon while your companion sat across from you, his legs hanging off the side and swinging slightly.

“Ask,” You said, breaking the silence, “Your thoughts betray you, so ask while I’m feeling nice.”

“What was he like?” Luke Skywalker asked, looking over at you, “My father? Before he became… that.”

You sighed heavily. It wasn’t an unexpected question, in fact, you had been wondering when he would seek you. You hadn’t exactly been quiet about your former occupation as a Jedi. As part of the rebellion, many had looked to you for guidance due to your experiences as a general during the Clone Wars, despite the way it had all ended. Still, it had been a long time since anyone dared ask you about the days of the Republic and even longer since you had spoken about it, though those days were never far from your mind.

“Anakin Skywalker was the best of us,” You told him, eyes fixed on your boots that were still caked in mud, “And the worst of us.”

~**~

When Anakin Skywalker came to live at the Jedi Temple for the first time, there wasn’t a single Youngling that didn’t look at him with disdain. Yourself included. It wasn’t fair that this boy, barely older than you, was able to just become a Padawan without working for it. You were incredibly jealous and had no issue knocking the Chosen One down many many pegs when he was sent to spar with the Younglings, but Anakin always got back up, no matter what dirty trick you threw at him.

And slowly but surely, you couldn’t help but admire him for that. Your sparring became evenly matched and once you were given your own Master years later, your matches were filled with easy banter.

You were fourteen when you realized the way you felt for Anakin Skywalker was different from how you felt about anyone else.

It had filled you with shame, the idea that your thoughts were far from appropriate or worthy of a Jedi and had worried that you’d be thrown from the Order if anyone found out. This all led to confusing Master Windu several times in the halls when you would dash away from him when he greeted you; you were sure he could read your mind, but to him, you were just one of the oddest padawans he had ever met. And yet, no matter how much space you tried to put between you and Anakin, every time you saw him, your heart would flutter.

When war broke out, you eventually found yourself on assignment together and even sweaty and covered in battlefield grime you swore you had never seen someone so beautiful. You could still feel the sting of his fingertips where he wiped blood off your cheek, with your eyes closed you could still see that grin and eyes glittering with adrenaline. It was nothing compared to the sting in your chest when you lay in your bunks and he had asked you if you thought it was wrong to love someone. You had hoped that he was speaking about you, but he had said that he had met her on Tatooine.

You had never been.

Still, your love for each other remained strong, even if it was different. He and his padawan had traveled halfway across the galaxy to be there when you were finally knighted, even though that meant they had to head back out right after. And no matter what kind of trouble he got himself wrapped up in, you and the 733rd Battalion were always there to rescue him.

And if you were honest, you never saw the end coming. When it came to Anakin, you wore rose-tinted glasses, defending him fiercely because you couldn’t find it in yourself to let go. You had seen all the signs and ignored them, denying them with every breath because you couldn’t bear to admit that he was becoming something you couldn’t recognize.

Even when you locked sabers when he and his troops stormed the Temple, you could not let go. Even with his face twisted and his aim to kill you, you refused to see what was right in front of you. You had barely escaped with your life that day, but you carried wounds that could never really heal - a synthetic kidney from where one of his troopers managed a lucky shot being the worst of it.

And even now, as you looked at his son, a boy who let your stories wash over him with a small smile, you could not let go. You had moved on long ago, found someone else to spend the end of your days with and you loved them deeply. But Anakin Skywalker would always be your first love, and though you had failed him, perhaps you could do right by his children.

#anakin x reader #anakin skywalker #unrequited love #pining #luke skywalker #platonic luke skywaker x reader #star wars #star wars x reader #anakin skywalker x reader #anakin skywalker x gender neutral reader #anakin x you #anakin skywalker x you #jedi reader

[shinysugar]

Breaking Horizons

Part 2

PAIRING: Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x OC (Saturn)

SUMMARY: Sarah “Saturn” Hastings is one of the first female pilots to be able to attend the legendary Top Gun. Alongside her RIO, Bookworm, her one, and only goal is that trophy at the end, but Maverick is looking for a trophy of his own - and his may end with a ring instead of a plaque.

WORD COUNT: 2021

WARNINGS: Sexism, Cannon typical violence

The O-Club was bustling as usual. Civilians dressed up in the hopes of snatching their own officer for the night, and the officers themselves dressed to the nines in formal attire to go fishing themselves. Saturn herself was dressed down for the occasion, she wouldn’t have even been there if Bookworm hadn’t been egging her on all day. You see, Saturn was Bookworm’s secret weapon when it came to finding a hookup. She’d sit at the bar, dressed down like the other girls, and have a few drinks. Then, when the moment was right, she’d seamlessly introduce Bookworm to whatever group of ladies she had infiltrated. It was a well-practiced routine that worked most of the time, except for that time in one of Japan’s red light districts, but Saturn’s Japanese wasn’t great at the time! She didn’t expect that the woman she had set him up with was a hooker!

But regardless, Saturn had let her hair down for the night. She’d even put a little yellow flower in her auburn hair for the occasion, letting her whole outfit scream “Tourist”. Still, despite how annoying it all was, Saturn still did it without much of a complaint. Not many RIOs wanted to fly behind a woman and if it hadn’t been for Bookworm, Saturn would have been delegated to a desk job like so many of her fellow women. Getting Bookworm laid was the least she could do for her friend, and the cookie baskets he got for her afterward were always a plus.

But unbeknownst to Saturn, someone else was on the prowl that night as well. And the pretty little thing from Top Gun was certainly on the top of his list.

“This is what I call a target-rich environment,” Pete “Maverick” Mitchell said to his RIO, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, over the loud music of the O-Club.

“You live your life between your legs, Mav,” Goose chastised, slapping his friend’s back before leading him through the bar.

“Goose, even you could get laid in a place like this!”

“I’m telling you, I’d be happy to find a girl who’d talk dirty to me.”

Beers in hand and settled at the bar, Maverick and Goose watched men and women come and go around them. Just off to the side, they could see the guy who dropped his notebook all over the floor in class. He had a drink in hand that he was sipping, looking off to where they couldn’t quite see. And just in front of them, Goose spotted their most well-known classmate.

“Mav, you wanna know who the best is?” Goose asked, pointing to where he was standing, aviators on and a blonde broad on his arm, “That’s him, Iceman. That’s the way he flies, ice-cold, no mistakes. Just wears you down. You get bored, frustrated, and do something stupid, and he’s got you - hey, hey, Slider!” Goose caught the attention of Ice’s RIO who was just walking through, “Thought you wanted to be a pilot, man, what happened?”

“Goose, you’re such a dickhead,” Slider laughed, “Who’s butt did you have to kiss to get in here?”

“Well, the list is long, but distinguished,” Goose joked back.

“Yeah, well, so is my johnson!”

“So you’re flying with Iceman, huh?” Goose asked.

“It’s Mr. Iceman to you-”

“Hey, Mother Goose! How’s it going?” Ice interrupted, greeting his old friend and pointedly not Maverick.

“Good Tom!” He turned to the man beside him, “This is Pete Mitchell, Tom Kazansky.”

“Congratulations on Top Gun,” Ice said drily, not even letting Maverick get a word in before breezing to why he was really there, “Sorry to hear about Cougar. He and I were like brothers in flight school, he was a good man.”

“Still is a good man,” Maverick pointed out, but the tension was already thickening.

“Yeah, that’s what I meant.”

“Thought so.”

“Say, you need any help?”

“With what?” Maverick asked after a pause, not entirely excited about whatever Ice’s next topic of conversation would be.

“You figured it out yet?” Ice clarified, “Who’s the best pilot.”

“No, I think I can figure that one out on my own.”

“I heard that about you,” Ice was in his face now, “You like to work alone.”

“Mav, you must’ve soloed under a lucky star, huh?” Slider cut in, despite his friendship with Goose, the well-wishes clearly did not extend to his pilot, “I mean, first the MiG, and then you guys slide into Cougar’s spot.”

“We didn’t slide into Cougar’s spot. It was ours, okay?” Goose defended.

“Yeah, well, some pilots wait their whole career just to see a MiG up close,” Slider took a drink, “Guess you guys are lucky and famous?”

“No, you mean notorious,” Ice deadpanned, “I’ll see you later.”

“You can count on it,” Maverick replied, watching the other men go.

“They were abused children,” Goose tried to cheer up his friend.”

Maverick simply smiled and nodded, “We’re gonna have a good time.”

And as their beer bottles clinked together, the two men spun around to get a better look at the club floor, eyes hungry and wandering. Women were cheering and drinking, eyeing up the two men just as much as they watched them. It was as if the entire bar was filled exclusively with young singles, the perfect hunting ground for Maverick. He knew he was attractive and he knew he was good, but lately, things were getting just a bit too easy for him judging by the way just one charming smile and wink sent a small trio of women into giggles and whispers.

“Okay, I guess it's my turn, isn’t it?” Goose said, setting down his drink, “All right, the bet is $20.”

“$20, right,” Maverick echoed, already searching for his target.

“You have to have carnal knowledge, of a lady this time,” Goose clarified, the last incident with a very convincing crossdresser still fresh in their minds, “on the premises.”

“On the premises,” Mav replied, but he was only half listening.

He had found her.

He recognized Saturn from across the bar, though he had to admit it took him a moment. She looked so different out of uniform, dressed in a pair of slacks and a nicely fit white blouse. She had been breathtaking in those ugly khakis, but here, with a smile on her face and a drink in her hand, she was positively angelic. Or at least, that’s what he told himself he would tell their future kids.

Sarah “Saturn” Hastings was the perfect challenge. He had heard enough scuttlebutt about the female pilot who tossed engagement rings into the ocean like they were pool rings. Flew like a beast and every single squadron boasted they knew what she was like between the sheets until her RIO swore he had never heard of those pilots in his life. She was like the holy grail of aviators, and by God, Maverick wanted to take a drink out of her.

“You’ve got to be kidding, Mav,” Goose said, looking between him and the girl sipping her cocktail at the bar, “No way you’ll get anywhere with her! Easiest $20 I’ll ever make!”

“A dime a dozen, Goose,” Maverick said, “Besides, someone's got to take a shot,” He looked at Goose hard, placing a hand on his shoulder, “She’s lost that loving feeling.”

“She’s lost- No, she hasn’t!”

~**~

When the music came to an abrupt stop, Saturn thought that someone must have fucked up and gotten everyone kicked out. It wouldn’t be the first time something like that had happened. Juicer and Pony Boy once got into a brawl that broke the bartender’s leg and got everyone banned for life, and Saturn was tired of being kicked out because of her squad’s stupidity.

“Excuse me, miss,” Saturn turned around, at the tap on her arm, a frustratingly familiar voice from earlier in the day cutting through her hen-hunt.

The handsome man who thought he was better than everyone else.

She never learned his name, but she knew that he knew exactly who she was. That glint in his eye when he grabbed her arm, she had seen it a thousand times before, but she was curious. What exactly did he have in store for her?

“Hey, Saturn,” She looked up to see Goose, recognizing him from earlier, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of this.”

And for a moment, she really thought he was going to take his pilot by the arm and take him away. He was called Mother Goose for a reason after all, but breaking into song, truly, was something she never expected in her wildest dreams.

“You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips~!” The handsome stranger sang into the karaoke microphone.

Saturn’s mouth opened slightly of its own accord, her cheeks turning a fierce shade of pink. Julie, the girl Saturn had been chatting to, drunkenly slapped Saturn’s thigh laughing jovially at the turn of events.

“There’s no tenderness like before in your fingertips~” Goose took over, snapping his fingers in a way that seemed to get the entire bar transfixed.

Saturn tucked her lips in, trying not to smile at the unbelievable cliche she was experiencing, but that just seemed to egg the men on.

“You’re trying hard not to show it~”

“BABY” The pilots around her chorused, much to Saturn’s horror and embarrassment.

“BUT BABY! BELIEVE ME I KNOW IT! YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING! WHOA THAT LOVING FEELING! YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING NOW ITS GONE, GONE, GONE! WHOA WHOA WHOA! Ba-doom, ba-doom, ba-doom boom boom ba-doom!”

“Alright, Flyboy,” Saturn said, at the very least to get them all to stop, “Sit down.”

The handsome pilot sat down beside her, laughing as the others continued to sing. But his eyes stayed fixed on Saturn. Saturn turned on her stool to face him, taking a sip of her Long Island Iced Tea and taking in the man she had been serenaded by.

“I’ve never been sung to like that before, Flyboy,” She told him.

“I’m full of surprises,” He replied easily, tipping his bear towards her with a charming smile.

“Sarah Hastings,” She introduced herself, shaking his hand, “Callsign, Saturn, but I have a feeling you knew that already.”

“I’m Maverick,” He said, “And I’ve heard a thing or two, but I prefer to find things out for myself.”

“You mean get shot down?”

“Well I made it this far, didn’t I?”

“I suppose you did, Maverick,” Saturn smiled back, leaning against the bar, “And if this is as far as your hands go?”

“Then maybe I’ll just have to sing to you again.”

“What, you got more than one routine?” Saturn teased, but she really was curious.

“I’ll have to come up with another one, but uh,” He flashed her a grin, “I think you’re worth the extra effort.”

“I’ve had more than my fair share of flirty aviators try to get in my pants, Maverick,” Saturn said, grabbing her coat, “I’m a pilot, through and through, just like any other man in this room. Even if I want to, the risk for me is much higher than the risk for you. I deserve more than that.”

Maverick handed Saturn her drink, “I know,” He said, “I’ll earn it.”

Now that got her attention, it was easy to just lay it out and wait for the man to walk away. No one was interested in someone who was high maintenance, even just for a good lay. But there was just something about Maverick. She couldn’t put her finger on it; what made him different from the others. He looked like them, talked like them, acted like them, and yet - there was just something. Maybe it was the soft buzz of alcohol, the cheesy pick up, or maybe it was the fact that Saturn was lonely, but for Mav, maybe the rules could be bent a little. Just enough to see where things went.

“Then work for it, Flyboy,” She told him, leaving him at the bar with a grin on his face and an even bigger one cutting across hers.

#top gun fanfiction #top gun #top gun x oc #pete maverick mitchell #nick goose bradshaw #tom iceman kazansky #ron slider kerner #maverick x oc #top gun series #callsign Saturn #breaking horizons series #top gun fluff #maverick fluff

[shinysugar]

Breaking Horizons

Part 1

PAIRING: Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x OC (Saturn)

SUMMARY: Sarah “Saturn” Hastings is one of the first female pilots to be able to attend the legendary Top Gun. Alongside her RIO, Bookworm, her one, and only goal is that trophy at the end, but Maverick is looking for a trophy of his own - and his may end with a ring instead of a plaque.

WORD COUNT: 1688

WARNINGS: Sexism, Cannon typical violence

Sarah Hastings was well aware of her position in the Navy. She was a woman in a heavily male-dominated workforce, and despite the rapid influx of military women over the years, female naval aviator numbers were quite shaky. Spending so much time around young men who thought with the wrong head had led to Hastings being the subject of far too many proposals by sailors who sought to keep her in a kitchen stateside and “away from any danger, princess.” But her RIO at the time, Charles “Bookworm” Oliver, took her under his wing and dubbed Hastings her callsign, “Saturn”, saying she had enough rings to rival the planet.

Saturn had grown since then, no longer a fresh-faced pilot who got teary-eyed when a jealous girlfriend spilled a drink on her uniform when she tried to enjoy a night out with her squad. Now reaching the ending stretch of her twenties, Saturn was hitting her stride - flying high and never looking down. So when Saturn and Bookworm got their orders to return stateside and attend Top Gun, she had never been so elated. Finally, everything she had worked for, worked to prove was going somewhere. Sure, she had flown a few missions, even some as team leader, but this program was exclusive. Only the best Aviators were invited to the academy and she was one of the first women to even be considered for the opportunity, let alone actually be invited to participate.

Miramar was everything Saturn had thought it would be. Sunny skies, warm salty air, and palm trees going up and down every street. She was Kentucky born and raised, and the only other time she had hit the California coast was a short layover on her way to Oahu. She had hated her stint in Hawaii. The men were shameless when they waited for her to take off her clothes and tan under the sun, but she had tried for so long to be “one of the boys” that she never gave them the satisfaction. She had never been so jealous that she wasn’t a man like her squad, who could walk around shirtless and cool off in the ocean and not become the poster for a Naval pornographic magazine. But North Island was a blessing. It was impossibly cooler than Oahu and still maintained a generous sunny disposition.

And of course, California was full of familiar faces.

Saturn and Bookworm found themselves sitting behind two very familiar faces, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky and Ron “Slider” Kerner. Ice, despite his bravado, was Saturn’s first friend in the Academy all those years ago and in true Iceman form, the older man was leaning just off to the side so Saturn had a better view of the briefing room screen between his and Slider’s shoulders.

Generally, the odd couple found themselves sitting far in the back and up against the wall, a familiar spot for them. Bookworm wasn’t one to enjoy the spotlight and Saturn always seemed to be a magnet for overconfident Navy personnel. Being in the back helped, with her hair meticulously pinned back below her cap and aviators on, she almost looked like one of the guys, albeit a small, fair-faced one. But the second they had stepped into the room, Ice had swept them away to sit behind him and as Saturn knew very well, just giving in was easier than making a mountain out of a molehill when it came to Iceman Kazansky.

Bookworm, true to form, had his pen out, scratching away what their instructor, Jester, was relaying to them in his presentation. The lone note-taker in a room full of cocky flyboys was exactly what had gotten him his callsign in the first place and Saturn did not want his habits getting them stared at, not that she had much of a leg to stand on in that argument.

“During Korea, the Navy kill ratio was 12-to-1,” Jester informed the group as a fireball on screen crashed into a mountain, “We shot down 12 of their jets for every one of ours,” He said looking at Saturn who tried not to sink in her seat at his gaze, “During Vietnam, that ratio fell to 3-to-1. Our pilots become dependent upon missiles. They had lost some of their dogfighting skills. Now Top Gun was created to teach A.C.M. Air Combat Maneuvering, Dogfighting.”

“This gives me a hard-on,” Saturn heard one of her classmates whisper to his partner and she scowled.

Wolfman and Hollywood sat behind her and she knew it had to be one of them. She didn’t know them very well, just a moment in passing through Ice and Slider, but she wasn’t their biggest fan. Wolfman had pressed her hard during those two weeks on the same carrier. Talking about how he could “show her a good time” and if she wasn’t into it on board, then maybe she’d prefer to make it official next time they had shore leave. Towards the end of it all, he said he was just playing around, but that expensive silver watch he tried to woo her with looked real enough.

“By the end of Vietnam, that ratio was back up to 12-to-1,” Jester powered through, glowering at the commentator, “Blinds, please. Now I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our commanding officer at Top Gun. The very first man to win the Top Gun trophy. You will not find a finer fighter pilot anywhere in the world, Commander Mike Metcalf. Callsign, Viper.”

Saturn nearly hid her head in her hands as Bookworm scrambled to sit up at the mention of Viper. His hands dropped his notebook and the sound of a flurry of falling paper startled the mostly quiet room.

“Sorry!” Bookworm whispered, eyes wide at catching literally everyone’s attention, “Sorry!”

“Gentlemen,” Viper merely said, eyes narrowing at the scrambling RIO before turning to Saturn and nodding, “Lady,” And if Bookworm’s clumsiness had gotten some attention before, at the mention of Saturn being a woman, every single head turned back to stare at the unlikely duo. If they had wanted to remain under the radar for a while, the jig was certainly up, and so she took off her aviators and hooked them on her shirt with a scowl.

“You are the top one percent of all naval aviators-” Saturn punched Bookworm in the arm when their commanding officer turned away, and while he gave his pilot a look, he said nothing and rubbed his arm, “-The elite. The best of the best. We’ll make you better,” Saturn folded her arms closer into her chest when Viper’s eyes swept over her and Bookworm, “You’ll fly at least two combat missions a day, attend classes in between and evaluations of your performance. Now, on each combat sequence, you’re gonna meet a different challenge. Every encounter is gonna be much more difficult. We’re gonna teach you to fly the F-14 right to the edge of the envelope, faster than you’ve ever flown before and more dangerous.”

“Now, we don’t make policy here, gentlemen,” Viper continued after a pause, keeping an eye on Saturn who had leaned back in her uncomfortable seat as if nothing in the world mattered, “Elected officials, civilians do that. We are the instruments of that policy. And although we’re not at war, we must always act as though we are at war. The tip of the spear… best be sharp.”

“I’m just wondering who the best is,” A slightly too loud whisper came floating back from the front row and Saturn rolled her eyes, letting out a small scoff that she tried to cover with a cough when Viper looked her way.

Viper had made his way back over to where Saturn and Bookworm had made themselves comfortable, which in turn, made the team very uncomfortable. But he wasn’t looking at them, instead, Saturn noticed that her superior was focused on the large row of plaques just to the left of her shoulder.

“And in case some of you wonder who the best is, they’re up here on this plaque on the wall. The best driver and his RIO from each class has his name on it. And they have the option to come back here to be Top Gun instructors,” Saturn watched Viper round on the terrible whisperer from the front row, “you think your name’s gonna be on that plaque?”

“Yes, Sir,” Came a confident answer from a dark-haired man that Saturn could barely see.

“That’s pretty arrogant, considering the company you’re in,” Viper told him.

“Yes, Sir,” Came his reply and Saturn could only shake her head, leaning forward to see if she could catch a better look at the flyboy over Ice’s fat head.

“I like that in a pilot,” Viper simply said, much to Saturn’s annoyance, “Just remember, when it’s over out there, we’re all on the same team. Gentlemen, this school is about combat. As some of you know,” Saturn felt his eyes on her once more, “ there are no points for second place. Dismissed.”

Saturn sat up, stretching her arms as everyone began getting up and finally being able to chat with old friends. She leaned forward and placed her elbows on Slider and Ice’s shoulders to get between them, “That loudmouth the one who replaced Coug?” Saturn asked, looking at the handsome man who was walking over.

“You bet,” Slider told her, knocking her arm off his shoulder as they approached, “Fucking ass.”

“The plaque for the alternates is down in the ladies’ room,” Ice said as the pilot/Rio duo passed.

Whatever Saturn had been expecting them to say, she certainly wasn’t expecting the taller man to break out into peals of loud and dramatic sarcastic laughter. His face reddening with the force of it all.

“Oh, Jesus, oh, you kill me!” He cried out, making Saturn and Ice break out into smiles of their own, tension winding down, “You really do!” Saturn stood up to make her way out as he stopped at the plaque, “No, no, no, no. There’s two O’s in Goose, boys!”

#top gun fanfiction #top gun #pete maverick mitchell #nick goose bradshaw #tom iceman kazansky #ron slider kerner #top gun x oc #callsign Saturn #maverick #maverick x oc #top gun fluff #top gun angst #top gun series #breaking horizons series

[shinysugar]

The Way I Loved You

PAIRING: Loki x Reader

SUMMARY: Some things are not meant to be

WORD COUNT: 390

WARNINGS: Canon typical violence, Angst

A thousand years, that’s how long you had loved him. You had loved him as children when every scrape and every fall turned to snot-nosed tears and trembling lips. You had loved him when his brother, Thor, had accidentally broken your favorite training sword and the dark-haired prince had crafted you a new one to replace it. You had loved him when he had made all the moonflowers bloom on the night of your birthday, filling the garden with light. You had loved him when he came back from battle covered in blood and cried in your arms because he had never really killed someone before. You loved him in spite of every curse spat at you when he was angry, even the ones that pierced your heart more than you would let on. And it was because you loved him, that you accepted his apologies every time, no matter how fiercely he had hurt you the day before.

You loved him, with all his faults and all his glory, you loved him.

And when you love something, you have to let it go. Especially if it was never yours to begin with.

Sigyn was beautiful. Where Loki was cold, she was warm; all soft curves and sweet laughter that brought smiles to everyone blessed enough to hear it. You were there at the arrangement, nodding encouragement to Loki from your place in the crowd. How awkward he was when he took her hand for the first time- and though it caused something ugly and fierce to burn through your chest at the sight, there was nothing to say. Sigyn was a powerful mage and Loki was Asgardian royalty, there would not be a better match made for centuries to come, the Elders had said.

And you could not hate her.

Sigyn was kind to you, friendly in a way that you knew you were not. She was besotted by Loki, adored him and everything he was. And when you stood and watched their wedding, you were glad he would have someone so devoted to him. Because in the end it didn’t matter how much you loved him, it didn’t matter how many times you were there to pick him up when he fell down, it wasn’t your destiny to be anything more than just another face in the crowd.

#loki (marvel) #loki god of mischief #loki odinson #loki x gender neutral reader #loki x you #loki x reader #loki angst #loki fic #loki blurb #marvel imagine #marvel angst

[shinysugar]

Pumpkin Patch

PAIRING: Bucky Barnes x Reader

SUMMARY: Bucky gets a taste of normality

WORD COUNT: 660

WARNINGS: None, just fluff

“I look ridiculous.”

“Festive.”

“People are staring.”

“At how cute we are.”

“Doll...”

You look over at Bucky and can’t help but smile at how awkward he looks. Standing in the middle of a pumpkin patch with his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans and grimacing at the cheesy red and orange sweater you had shoved on him for the occasion. It had a giant pumpkin stitched to the front with an array of multi-colored leaves all around; something he would have never thought he’d be caught dead in. You knew it was a bit excessive, but Bucky had missed out on the cheesy parts of life, and in the past few months that you’ve been together, you had made it your mission to give him all the experiences he missed out on.

And truth be told, you hadn’t been the “matching couple” kind of person before Bucky. Your previous relationships had their own spark for sure, but being unnecessarily cute wasn’t in your repertoire. At least, until the Blip. Watching the people you loved being turned to dust had changed your entire life. Those five years had taught you to treasure every moment you had with the people you loved, and Bucky fit right into that category.

“You look handsome, Buck,” You remind him, reaching out to hold his hand, “I promise.”

He sighs but doesn’t argue, simply letting you pull him down another row of pumpkins. He doesn’t know much about the “art of pumpkin picking”, his dates back in the 40s never covered that particular topic, but he does know you. He knows that you don’t know anything about pumpkins either, despite the fact that you’ve been prattling on about every one you’ve passed and deemed “not worthy” for the front porch. But he doesn’t care that you’re spewing literal nonsense about the lopsided one he’s picked up, he just loves to hear your voice. He loves how passionate you can get about something so trivial.  

He just loves you.

“What about those over there?” He asks, pointing off to the side.

There's a collection of massive ones all set up together. Ones so big you swear you couldn’t get your arms all the way around, let alone actually pick up. They’d certainly make a statement, sitting outside your brownstone house, though you’d never be able to open up the front doors all the way. And while you wouldn’t mind, your three other housemates were another story.

“Well, I mean they’re nice,” You tell him, “But not very practical. I’d never be able to convince the others to keep it.”

“But do you want it?” He questions, hand at the small of your back as he leads you over to them, “Don’t pretend you weren’t looking on the way in.”

As much as you want to deny it, you were looking at them. You didn’t need the giant pumpkins and you certainly did not go there with the intention of getting one, but you’d never actually had the option before. It was almost a childlike desire to do something completely outrageous and the closer you got to them, the more badly you wanted to buy one.

“You know they’re gonna throw it out,” You remind him of your roommates, “Its gonna block one of the doors.”

“Well then we’ll just have to get the biggest one, they’ll never be able to pick it up.”

And he was right.

A week later your roommates would band together to try and toss it after walking into the front door that wouldn’t open all the way one too many times. And just like Bucky said, even the tree of them together couldn’t budge the pumpkin he could lift himself.

And every time he passed your house and saw that orange monstrosity on your porch, Bucky couldn’t help but smile. It was just a little reminder of what it felt like to do something normal for someone he loved.

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