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#I’m gonna be getting out of work as it’s partially visible in my area so that’s neat
creative-robot · 29 days
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The fact that there’s an eclipse happening tomorrow makes me think about how damn cosmically lucky we are that our moon just so happened to be the exact right size and distance from us to have an eclipse happen, much less a full lunar eclipse
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noctumbra · 4 years
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❝scars❞
summary ─ “jamie,” you whispered, and bucky─ he sobbed quietly at first. His chin was trembling slightly, eyes were now red and his nose was tingling. “oh, jamie,” you murmured as you ran your hair on his face gently, so gently.
pairing ─ roommate!bucky barnes x reader
warnings ─ smut, +18, angst, mentions of nightmares and scars, mirror sex, body worship, sarge kink, oral sex, bucky fucks like an animal, also my fav position like holy shit skdfjskjfs
a/n ─ this... IS LONG and shouldn’t have had angst in it but well *shrugs* hope you like it!! seven days late, but better late than never right? please leave a comment if you like it! thank you <333
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KINKTOBER DAY ELEVEN: roommate!bucky + body worship + mirror sex + daddy sarge kink
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When you came home after a very tiring school day, you found Bucky lounging on the couch and flipping through the channels.
He looked sick, pale; his mid-length hair sticking to his face, t-shirt was sweat soaked, his sweatpants had stains on them and his face. God, his face looked haunted. The purple-ish dark circles under his eyes were deeper and more prominent now; they had a haunted, wounded look in them. His lips looked bitten harshly; they were very red and swollen, and bleeding just a little. His cheekbones were more visible than a week ago. It looked like he lost a lot of weight in the span of two days.
Feeling your heart broke, you hung your coat and toed your boots off. You were making noise intentionally; scaring him was the last thing you could ask for him right now. So, you moved onto the small kitchen you shared, dropping your bag on the tiny table, you made a move towards the coffee machine that was chirping happily.
“Hey,” you called out softly only to get a grunt in return. It was not his day, you realized. You sighed. It never stopped you before and you weren’t about to start shying away. “You want some coffee?” You asked, “Or I could make you your tea? Lavender?” Bucky didn’t say anything. Sighing again, you put your cup on the counter, making your way to Bucky.
“Bucky?” His eyes flicked to yours for a second, but he averted them quickly. He knew that you could tell that he was not okay, knew that that was why you were acting like he was something fragile.
He hated it.
He hated being so fragile, weak, and broken. He wanted everything to be okay, but things he saw and did… They didn’t let him be. They were haunting him every day of his miserable life, and you were witnessing it.
“Hey,” he heard you call out to him again, so soft and loving. Bucky felt like he could cry like a baby, so he just pushed the tears back and clenched his jaw. “Jamie,” you whispered, and Bucky─ He sobbed quietly at first. His chin was trembling slightly, eyes were now red and his nose was tingling. “Oh, Jamie,” you murmured as you ran your hair on his face gently, so gently.
Bucky didn’t deserve your gentleness, or your kindness, really. Not after what he done overseas. Not after what he saw.
“Sssh,” you hushed him as you cradled his jaw in your warm palm. His stubble was tickling your hand a little, but you didn’t mind. He needed all the affection you could ever give to him. “C’mon,” you murmured, “Let’s get you out of these clothes and maybe give you a shower, shall we?”
“I’m not a baby or a cripple,” he whisper-snarled.
“I know,” you agreed. “You’re not a baby or a cripple. You’re Jamie; you can do whatever you want on your own if that’s what you wish.” You stroked his cheekbone. It felt too sharp under your finger. “You’re also my friend,” you whispered, “No, you’re more than a friend; you’re my only family, Jamie. Families take care of each other when it’s needed.” Bucky sniffed. “Let me take care of you?”
He couldn’t say no. It’d be a dishonor to say no, especially when you were being so patient and kind with him. You were also right; you were a family.
“Okay,” he whispered and let you help him off the couch. Both of you walked towards the bathroom with quiet steps. Bucky was slightly shaking in your arms; the effect of his nightmare was still present in his mind. When you reached the bathroom, you helped him sit on the toilet after you closed the lid.
“I’m gonna bring you some clothes, okay?” You asked him while you turned the water on. Bucky nodded slowly. “I’ll be right back,” you whispered and squeezed his hand. You quickly made your way to his room; opening his closet, you pulled out his softest sweatpants and t-shirt, also grabbed one of his clean boxer briefs.
Bucky looked up as he heard you come back. You were holding clean clothes and his towels in your hands. You placed them onto the washing machine and turned to him. He knew this part. He needed to get out of his clothes. He didn’t want to, but he had to.
“Jamie…” You whispered.
“I know,” he murmured. He closed his eyes and sighed. It wasn’t that you hadn’t seen him without a shirt before, you had. This shower thing wasn’t your first rodeo. Sighing again, Bucky gripped the hem of t-shirt and pulled it over his head. His scarred arm was hurting badly; he had dug his nails very deep while trapped in the nightmare, there were some bad nail marks on his forearm. Bucky discarded the t-shirt somewhere in the bathroom and stood up to shed his sweatpants. Now he was realizing that his clothes were really filth; his habit of ignoring to face with himself after a nightmare made him also ignore the filth that the nightmare usually brought with itself. “Yuck,” he whispered to himself, but you heard it. Chuckling softly, you moved towards the tub to check the water. It was the right amount of lukewarm; leaning towards hot more than cold, Bucky hated cold things.
“Water is ready,” you announced, stepping aside so that Bucky could get in the tub. He did, partially hiding his arm and his private areas ─ not that you hadn’t seen it before. Bucky groaned softly as he lowered himself into the water. All the tension in his muscles was slowly going away with the warm hug of hot water and he thanked you softly. “Anytime, Jamie,” you answered him cheekily. “Now, wet your hair a little so that I can wash it for you.”
The bath went on without a hitch; Bucky had let you wash his hair, even let you use the conditioner, and he helped you while you were washing his body.
You remembered your first times with him.
You were desperate for a cheap-priced room because the girls which you shared your dorm room with were bitches and hated you with their guts. When you saw his ad on the newspaper, you almost screamed because the offer was exactly what you were looking for: two room and one living room, separate bathrooms, tiny but practical kitchen. All the bills and grocery shopping were to be paid fifty-fifty. The place was close to your campus, too. You were only a little hesitant about the other room being belong to a man, but you had handled with it by installing new locks both on your room’s and the bathroom’s door after you signed the contract.
The man said that he had been away, overseas. He did four tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, had been dumped on the unforgiving cold of Siberia. At the very least, his last tour had almost caused him to lose an arm, though he had very heavy scarring on his left arm and less heavier one on his left thigh. His chest was filled with small scars, too.
He wasn’t a bad guy, though. He was actually a sweetheart made of cold stares and war-built huge muscles. He looked intimidating, you had decided on after a month you had spent with him. He was also a funny and smart guy, a gentleman really.
You’ve been sharing this small apartment with him for three years now.
“Mmm,” You heard him hum happily as you combed his hair. You could see his reflection on the mirror. You moved onto your room because his bed was filthy and you didn’t want to leave him alone even for a minute. You had a body length mirror in front of your bed, and you were sitting on the bed while he was on the floor, between your legs.
“Your hair is always so soft even though you’re shit at taking care of it,” you grumbled silently. Bucky chuckled, shoulders trembling slightly.
“It’s the genes, honey,” he said, feeling a lot more like himself. You smiled.  You ran the comb in his soft and long hair while humming to yourself contently. The genes he was talking about were strong and pretty, you realized. He had this beautiful shade of blue eyes, very kissable lips and a handsome face. You were actually very surprised when you learned that he had been single ever since he had joined the army which happened when he was eighteen and he was thirty-three now.
“You’re beautiful, you know,” you said, watching his reaction through the mirror. Bucky scoffed. “You are, Jamie,” you insisted. “Your hair and eyes and lips… You have a very handsome face that most of the girls I know would fall in love with. Those freckles,” you ran the tip of your fingers on the bridge of his nose and his cheekbones. “They’re absolutely adorable. So is the dimple on your chin. I know you hide it with your beard, but you shouldn’t. It gives you a different kind of look.” You put the comb aside as you locked eyes with him on the mirror. His eyes were wide and surprised; he didn’t expect getting these kinds of compliments from you it seemed.
“You’re very self-conscious when it comes to your body,” you started gently as you peeled the towel off his shoulders. His fingers went lax and he let you put the towel aside. “You have a beautifully toned body, Jamie. These muscles were earned with hard-work, not with steroids. You gained them when you were saving innocent people and killing the ones that maybe deserved to be killed.” You ran your fingers on his biceps, feeling them shudder slightly under your touch. One of your hands moved to his chest while the other stayed on his left arm.
“These scars? They’re telling me that you’ve made sacrifices for the people you have save or tried saving,” you murmured and kissed his cheek. “They tell me that you almost died while saving those people.” Your hand on his left arm tightened just a little, making him understand that you were talking about what happened on his last tour. “All the scars on your body tell me a story, Jamie. They make you a badass and a hero in my eyes. A brave man who risked his live just to save the others.” You heard him took a sharp breath before the soft sob escaped his lips.
Kissing his cheek again, you moved the hand on his chest south. “You think you don’t deserve good things such as love and kindness. Honey,” you whispered. “You’re one of those people who deserve them the most.” You grabbed his chin and turned his face to yours. His eyes were red but dark, pupils dilated. This was both touching and arousing for him, you knew it. “You deserve to feel good.” Your thumb stroked his cheekbone gently. “You deserve to feel loved.” He leaned in just a little. “Jamie…” You whispered just before he kissed you.
The kiss felt like a huge, much needed breathe that you both refused to take for a long time.
Moaning into the kiss brokenly, both of you panted. Lips sliding on each other’s hungrily, Bucky turned his body to you between your legs, rising on to his knees. He cradled your face with his hands. Tilting his head to his side, his tongue licked a small line on your lips, gently asking for permission. With a whimper, you gave it to him. His tongue dove into your mouth, making you moan this time.
“Y/N…” he whimpered when you pulled away for oxygen. “I─ I really want this.” You nodded and kissed him on the lips chastely. “I want this a lot. You. I want you.”
“Me too,” you agreed. “God, Bucky, three years─” Bucky just whimpered brokenly and leaned in for another kiss. This time taking you in his arms, he lifted you and laid you down your bed. His body was on top yours, covering yours in a way that got your head all fuzzy with sweet feelings. You wrapped your arms around his neck as you pulled him down even more.
His right hand was on your jaw, cradling your face in his large palm gently. His other one was roaming all over your body. Stroking every single naked body part it could find, you shuddered under his body. His lips were so soft, so kissable, you moaned at the feeling of them against yours. They were stroking yours so nicely, you felt amazing. Loved.
“Jamie!” You mewled when he sucked on your bottom lip. His stubble covered face was now moving to your neck; you bared it to him by throwing your head back. You fisted his hair. Your fingers were gripping the soft locks harshly, Bucky gasped. His teeth clamped on your widely beating pulse and nibbled softly. “Fuck,” you breathed as his bite turned into a suck. He was marking you, and you were fucking loving it.
“Smell so nice,” he murmured against your skin. “Y/N, honey girl,” Bucky moaned when your hips thrusted up unintentionally. He pressed his own down, stopping you from moving. “It’s been a very,” Bucky chuckled, “very long time since I had sex. I don’t wanna come in, like, two seconds.” You giggled and watched his face for a short while, an idea was forming in your head slowly. You pushed at his shoulders a bit. Bucky frowned.
“Mirror,” you murmured, “Sit in front of the mirror for me?” Still frowning, Bucky did as you said. He got off the bed and sat in front of the mirror. You followed him a second later and helped him get out of the sweatpants. Also taking his boxer briefs off, you slid your hand over his bare chest. You felt his muscles shudder under your fingers and you smirked. “Let me help you to let some steam off, okay?”
Breathlessly, Bucky nodded. You laid on your stomach after you positioned him in a way where he could see what you were going to do to him through the mirror clearly.
“Oh, fuck,” he whimpered when he realized what you were up to. You winked at him and kissed one of the scars on his chest.
“Relax,” you murmured. You smirked again when you heard him chant curse words under his breath. You lowered your head and took a hold of his half-hard cock. Moaning softly at the feeling of him in your hand, you licked your lips before you placed a kiss on the top. His precum smeared all over your lips with one kiss, you hummed.  Bucky panted; his lips were parted and his eyes were glazed. You loved this look on him.
Winking at him again, you closed your lips around his cock head and sucked softly.
“Holy fu─” Bucky choked over his own moan and his hips bucked up to your face just a little. “Ha─! Shit, sorry, fuck, ‘m sorry.” Panting wildly, you stroked his thighs without stopping yourself from sucking his cock. You bobbed your head up and down a little; taking just a little bit more of him with each slide. His taste had your taste buds singing; the right amount of bitterness and something that was unique to him. You loved it. You pulled back and licked the throbbing, thick vein from bottom to top. Bucky whined loudly from the back of his throat, eyes pleading. You looked at him and keeping the eye-contact you closed your lips on his head again and sucked for real.
“Ah!” Bucky cried out loudly, head thrown back onto the bed. “God, fuck, yes…” He murmured softly. “I missed─ Ah!” You hummed around him; vibrations making him feel so good that Bucky knew that he was going to come very soon. He moaned, thrashed a little as you sucked him like a lollipop and whimpered. He forgot how a blowjob made him feel so freaking good. He forgot how it felt to have someone else touching him like this, giving him the pleasure and psychical contact that he had been missing like crazy for the past years.
“Y/N…” He whimpered your name softly. “’m gonna come,” he warned, “Fuck, ‘m so close, honey. Please.” You hollowed your cheeks and sucked even harder; your fingers found his tight balls and started to roll them, squeeze them gently. Bucky shouted and whimpered, hips twitching. “Fuck, fuck, fuuuuck─” He couldn’t even warn you about coming; his orgasm hit him like a freight train and Bucky felt his whole body trembling violently, toes curling, before blacking out for a couple seconds.
You hummed throughout the whole thing softly. Having stopped playing with his balls, you just suckled at him. His cock was throbbing in your mouth while he was whining and moaning under his breath. You pulled off and started to jack him without an aim, just to bring him down. His eyes blinked open a couple seconds later. His skin was covered with a thin sheen of sweat, eyes so dark, you couldn’t even see the blue in them anymore. His cheeks were pink and he looked debauched in the best way possible.
“Hi,” he breathed, smiling tiredly, but wide. You smiled back at him.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” You asked. You knew it had been a long time for him, he just told you and you assumed since he wasn’t hooking up with anyone etc. You were worried just a little because it was his first orgasm in a very long time.
“’m… I feel amazin’,” he grinned. You chuckled, your worry melting away. Bucky grabbed your hand that was still on his cock and tugged you up from it. You went to him. Bucky wrapped his arms around your waist and hoisted you up on his lap, lips finding yours immediately. You breathed out a soft moan as his lips collided into yours. Kissing him felt incredible, having his warm body against yours… You were in heaven and you were going to enjoy it until the very end.
“I wanna be in you,” he whispered against your lips. Moaning, surprised, you nodded. “Can we, honey? Please?”
“Mmm, of course, Sarge,” you hummed, feeling him stiffen. You pulled back just a little, heart beating wildly because of the possibility that you might have fucked everything up by calling him Sarge. Then, he blinked and his face contorted into a dark version of before.
“Hmm,” he hummed at you back, approvingly. “Is that how things gonna be? You gonna call me Sarge to rile me up?” You chuckled; both relieved and surprised.
“Yeah, do you not want me to?”
“Oh, no. You are to keep calling me Sarge and nothing else,” he said, voice commanding. Giggling softly, you nodded.
“Yes, Sarge.” Bucky smirked at you and stroked your cheek. “Before we get into it for real, kiss me again?” His face softened a bit and he immediately complied. The next couple minutes were lost to kissing; heated and soft and chaste, all kinds, and undressing. By the time you stopped kissing, both of you were as naked as the day you were born. You felt your face heating up, you buried your face into the crook of his neck. Bucky trailed his fingers down your spine, making you shiver. Bucky held you tightly against his chest and he laid you in front of the mirror.
“I don’t think I can do slow,” he murmured. “Honey, you understand what I’m saying? I can’t do slow.” You nodded as you cradled his jaw, nails drawing shapes on his bare back.
“Yes, do it. Don’t be slow, Sarge, c’mon,” you urged him. Bucky’s face darkened like it did a short while ago. He leaned in kissed your lips chastely, and then he moved to your jaw. Peppering kisses to your breasts, Bucky took one into his mouth and sucked on it. You moaned sharply, hand slipping in his silky soft hair. One of his hands was kneading your breast while the other moved to your wet pussy. You cried out when his fingers brushed your swollen clit.
Bucky pulled back to moan. “Fuck, darlin’,” he groaned, “You’re fuckin’ drippin’. ‘s it all for me?” You nodded as you bit your lip to stay quiet. “No,” Bucky growled. “Lemme hear you.” His fingers flicked your clit harshly and you cried out with the sudden pain mixed with pleasure. “There ya go…” He murmured and his fingers ran up and down your pussy, getting his fingers wet. He was murmuring to himself, but you weren’t listening to him. His fingers were so close to where you were aching, but he wasn’t touching you.
“Please,” you whined.
“Please, what?”
“Sarge! Please!” He hummed and pulled his fingers back. You heard him fumble and then you felt his cock moving against your pussy. He groaned softly. “Please!” You begged again. Bucky just growled and he slid inside of you.
“Fuck─” He gasped and panted, hands slapping the ground next to your head, he towered over your pleasure-wrung body. “Tight,” he snarled between his clenched teeth. “Tight as fuck, holy shit, baby girl.” You hummed and whimpered, nails scratching his back and leaving red marks on his skin. “Yes,” Bucky said, “Touch me, mark me, baby, do it!”
You cried out as he pulled back and slammed back in harshly. You dug your nails into his meaty back, dragging them down, you held onto him tight. His hips were driving into you at a harsh, punishing pace, but both of you were loving it. His cock was hitting every spot that had you click every time you played with yourself. You cried out with each hit of his hips against yours. The slick sound of your meeting were filling the room, driving you both even crazier. Your head lolled to your side and you caught a glimpse of his sweat-slicked body moving on top of yours like an oiled machine and you gasped, back arching, you came on the spot.
“Wha─” Bucky gasped, too, with the sudden vice-like tightness around his cock. He lifted his head where he had buried into the crook of your neck and looked at you, surprised. You moaned as your legs shook. “Honey─” Your back fell back on the ground and you tried to catch your breath.
“The mirror,” you gasped, your clit was still throbbing wildly. Bucky groaned and closed his eyes for a second and then opened them again, eyes turning towards the mirror. A devilish smirk appeared on his face when he understood what just happened. He sat up on his haunches and he turned you onto your belly with one move.
“Fuck─” you moaned, “Bucky─” He slapped your ass once, the stinging pain reminding you what you did wrong. “Sarge. ‘m sorry, Sarge.” Bucky hummed and he manhandled your body towards the mirror. He pulled you up against his chest and placed his right arm on your stomach while his scarred one wrapped your shoulders. He sat back against the bed, taking the same position that you sucked him on.
“Look at the mirror, honey,” he murmured into your ear. You whimpered and did as he said. You gasped at the sight. You could see where your body ended and his had begun. You could see the throbbing thick vein of his cock disappearing into your abused-looking pussy. One of your nipples was pink from Bucky’s suckling and beard. Your neck was red because Bucky was hiding his face there before you came around his cock. You looked fucked thoroughly while you haven’t actually gotten around to it.
“Sarge,” you moaned. Bucky kissed the sensitive skin just beneath your ear and sucked on your earlobe.
“I know, darlin’,” he murmured. “Hold on tight.” You did, grabbing his arms around your body, you held tight, and he started to move.
His hips were thrusting upwards like a mad man; his balls were hitting against the slicked skin and creating an obscene sound, the muscles on his thighs were jumping with each thrust. Your pussy was making the slickest sounds, though. Your breath hitched as you moaned, and your head fell against his shoulder.
“Eyes on the mirror,” he ordered, and your eyes snapped open. You found his eyes on the mirror and looked into them. They had a wild look in them; something dark and desperate was lurking around. You moaned pitifully. Bucky grunted. The pace he was going at it became faster, and you knew that both of you were so close.
“Sarge─ Bucky!” You whined as his left hand sneaked towards your pussy and started to roll your clit between his fingers. Your eyes rolled back even though you tried to hold them on the mirror like you’ve been ordered to.
“Come,” he sneered, “Come for me, darlin’, c’mon.” His cock was driving and stroking deep, deep inside of you and you knew it wasn’t a hardship to do what he said. You screamed, shouted and cried out as you tightened around him and came for a second time. Bucky grunted behind you when your pussy squeezed him. His balls were hitting you more harshly; his cock was harder than before.
“Sarge!” You moaned, “Come for me, Sarge, please! Come in me, please, please!” You chanted as you dug your nails into his arm. Bucky gasped, a loud and raspy moan left his mouth and he came. His thighs twitching under you, you felt his cock throb. His thick come washing your walls, Bucky panted hotly behind you.
Both of you panted for a while, trying to get your breathings in control. You melted in Bucky’s strong embrace long before. He was lax behind you, and you were happy.
“We are doing this again,” he murmured, “and again, and again… After you let me take you out on a date, maybe?” You chuckled and looked at him over your shoulder. He looked sheepish and a little unsure. You knew it must be a bit hard for him to do so when you considered his past. You kissed his cheek.
“Of course,” you agreed easily. “Though, you don’t have to take me on a date to do this again and again… I won’t mind is what I’m sayin’,” you grumbled. It was Bucky’s turn to chuckle. He started to place kisses all over your shoulder, neck and cheek.
“Okay,” he said, voice quiet. You hummed happily as you buried yourself into his warm body even more. Then, you realized something.
“Sarge, huh?” You joked. Bucky groaned.
“Shut it,” he grumbled. “It’s─ bleh, whatever.”
“Yeah, okay,” you said, but the taste of having him blush because of your joking was too delicious. “But seriously, though. Sarge.”
Bucky growled and he laid you on the ground, over your belly as he covered your body with his large one. “I said shut it.” You looked at him with sparkling eyes.
“Why don’t you make me, Jamie boy?”
The twinkles in his eyes were nothing but promising.
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capt-spooki3 · 3 years
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Hey hi hello, how are you doing, i miss you and am .5 seconds away from spamming all your work with likes and reblogs 💕☺️
So I've been thinking (uh oh).... Being close with Tommy and tubbo and telling them ur terrified to meet techno cause mans is so scary to you, and they tell him you're scared cause they're little shits. A d cut to like a few days later where you have to talk to him for smthn and he's making fun of youand teasing you relentlessly cause he knows you were visibly nervous to meet him, but he's being really nice besides the teasing. Thoughts? Interpretations?
You don't even have to respond, just know that I love you and your stuff and hope you have the best day because you deserve nothing less◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗
( ˘ ³˘)♥
am i positive if you're asking me for a fic? No, not entirely.
Am i going to write you one anyway because you're so sweet? Yes absolutely and now presenting:
My Unexpected Tutor
Platonic college au!Technoblade and Y/n
(plus besties with the rest of the sbi ofc 😌)
(Hope this is okay, i just took my own interpretation of it and changed it just a little👌)
Warnings: cursing, teasing, nervousness(idk)
3.3k works
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With the final bell ringing and college classes ending for the day, you snatched up your bag and book you’ve read off and on that week before heading over to the courtyard that was near the on-campus dorms. Stopping by a vending machine first to grab a drink then seating yourself on a bench and getting comfortable while you wait for your company to arrive.
“Yeah! And that’s- HA! That’s when Wilbur just… oh!-” The nearing sound of Tommy’s voice cut off along with the softer laughing from Tubbo. You were very obviously engrossed in your book, but now you just feigned reading as you listen closely to the sound of slow footsteps nearing behind your bench. The two of them were horrible about being sneaky since you could easily hear hushed laughs as they desperately tried keeping each other quiet.
Right as you heard them stop moving, you couldn’t help but smile to yourself before turning around suddenly and lunging at them over the back of the bench with a half effort grab at Tommy’s extended hand, and yelling. Tommy screamed back, stumbling back a  few paces and Tubbo just stumbled before backing up to the bench and busted out laughing.
“Ey what the hell!” He scoffed despite not being able to hold back his growing smile, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I’ll remember that bitch, I’m gonna get you back.” he walked over to you and sat on the other side of the bench, giving you a hard glare when you laughed a little bit though it was mostly from Tubbo’s hysterical laughter. He took a deep breath and calmed himself so he could jump over the back of the bench and sit between you and Tommy.
The two boys were your underclassmen, being freshmen while you were a sophomore. The three of you met in your coding class. You were there mostly to get your English degree and major in said area, but you figured while you had the opportunity you would take classes on things you didn’t know much about. There, you met Wilbur, a senior and Tommy’s oldest brother, and he helped you quite a bit with understanding bits of coding that were a bit too confusing for you at first and were quickly becoming friends with him. That was until Tommy entered the picture. First, you just saw him as Wilbur’s chaotic younger brother who just happened to be in the coding class as well but after some insisting that you get to know him from Wilbur, you hung out one weekend in the library. One weekend turned to two then almost every weekend once he introduced you to Tubbo as well and you all had become a true trio.
You got to know Tommy’s family pretty well. His single father, Phil, who was just like a second parent to you now, and Wilbur who acted just like the older brother you never had. You knew them well despite having known them all for less than a year. The only hang-up is when it came to Tommy’s other brother. You knew he had an actual name, but only knew him by his nickname since that’s what everyone referred to him by. That would be Technoblade. The two of you had a couple of literature classes together and the fact that he was only one grade above you, you’d figure that you could befriend him with ease. Now, it’s not like he was big and scary, he was more tall and lanky but he was smart and he had some vibe around him that just petrified you. You couldn’t ever build up the courage to be around him which made it quite an issue since you were best friends with his brother, though this wasn’t an issue you had ever brought up to any of them.
“So how did classes go for you guys today?” You asked as you pulled one of your legs up onto the bench and closed your book which you held close to your chest.
“Fucking shitty! I got a fuck ton of extra work, like I know it’s college and the weekend but let me live.”
“We got one essay to write, it’s two pages long.” Tubbo reiterated with a smile while Tommy grumbled and leaned his head back so he was looking up at the sky. “What about you Y/n?”
“It wasn’t bad, I don’t have any extra work other than a bit of coding to do. Oh speaking of, Tommy?” You reached your foot over and kicked his leg to get his attention, only continuing when he was looking at you. “Is Will gonna be free at all? ‘Cause I need some help with this stuff.”
Tommy perked up a bit, sitting up to get his phone out. “Oh you're right, I actually need help with it too.” He mumbled while texting and staring at the screen as he waited for a reply. “Uhh okay so he says… I’m visiting some friends so I won’t have time… blah blah uh but ask Techno, I heard he’s pretty good at coding. Nice! That’s perfect, you can just come over to my house and-”
“Ah, you know what- I actually think I’m okay.” You quickly interrupted him, pulling your laptop out of your bag to aimlessly scroll through the assignment you were given. “It can’t even be that hard I’m sure… I can figure it out.” You said with as much confidence as you could muster despite knowing full well you’ll be completely lost as soon as you try to start on the work.
“Come on, we both know that’s a lie, you're so shit at this stuff.” He said light-heartedly and watched you ‘work’. “Seriously, just come over. I’m sure Techno is good at this stuff, if anything we can pay him to do the work.”
“It’s fine- really. I think I’ll just wait for Monday, I can ask Wilbur for help then.” You closed your laptop, keeping your gaze on it for a moment before looking over at Tubbo and Tommy who were giving you both a puzzled look. “What?”
“You don’t…” Tubbo started to speak but Tommy pushed him back with an arm on the chest so he could lean over to look at you closer.
“You don’t have a crush on Techno, do you?” He said and squinted at them as if disgusted by the thought.
“What!? No!” You sat up taller and looked at him, baffled that he resorted to that.
“Well, then what the hell is the problem! Just come over and he can teach us!” 
“I just… he’s kinda…” You grew flustered and found a loss for good words as you realized you were going to admit this. “He’s scary.”
Tommy busted out laughing and wheezed hard, doubling over as he coughed and laughed some more, stumbling over words as he tried to talk but was laughing too hard. Even tubbo who was trying to hold back, joined Tommy which only made them bounce off each other in their hysterics.
“Wha- I’m serious! Do you two not think he’s intimidating!?” You looked at both of them desperately as you could feel the heat that had risen to your cheeks.
“He’s literally-” Tubbo’s laughter interrupted him. “He’s a nerd! How the hell is he scary?” He settled down a bit and nudged Tommy to get him to calm down too, luckily he got his fit of laughter out.
“Oh my god, no I’ve got to go home now.” He grabbed his backpack that had been discarded behind the bench and looked at you once more before laughing more. “Scared of Techno- oh my god. That's good, that’s a good one. Bye bitches!” He saluted both of you before running off.
“Tommy I swear to god if you tell anyone I will deck your shit!!” You stood up, holding your laptop in hand, to yell at him but just stood there defeated once he turned a corner around a building. Tubbo got up beside you, laughing as he put his hands in his hoodie pocket.
“I wish I could give him the benefit of the doubt… but he’s gonna tell Techno. And Wilbur. And Phil for sure.” 
“Yeah... I’m sure he will. I’m going to my dorm, I’ve got to call my mom.”
“Aww-” You put your hand over his mouth, but took it away as soon as he shut up so he wouldn’t lick your palm.
“Shut- I don’t wanna hear shit from you too. Anyway, get home soon and don’t get kidnapped.” You turned away to put your laptop and book into your backpack and zipped it up before pulling it over one shoulder. You looked back at Tubbo and put your fist up to him.
“I’ll kick them in the balls, don’t worry.” He laughed a little and bumped his fist to yours and walked backward a few paces, waving at you. “Tell your mom I said hi!”
You waved back at him and stood to wait and watch him walk off along the stone path until he was fully out of sight to make your way to your dorm, which was right in the courtyard area.
-
Monday came around and with the school day partially over, you made your way to your coding class. You of course didn't end up doing the assigned homework even though you gave it a good try and just decided to rely on Wilbur's help.
You walked into class and took in a deep breath, it was always cool and smelt of coffee since the teacher brewed a cup before your class every day. Making your way over to your usual computer you looked over to see Tommy sitting in your spot beside Wilbur and chatting to him. You guessed he heard you coming or saw Wilbur look your way because he looked back and grinned wide which never meant good.
"Ey look at who it is! Wonderful seeing you again, how was your weekend?"
"Fine." You said, looking down at him and kicking his foot. "I don't like how you're acting, what the hell did you do?"
He just feigned innocence and looked offended that you could assume such a thing. "Me? Me!?" He leaned forward, hand gracefully on his chest. "I cannot believe you right now, I'm hurt Y/n! Truly hurt."
You scoffed with an eye roll and sat on the other side of Wilbur since the seat was free. As soon as you set your bag down and went to turn toward the two, Wilbur was already facing you and leaning on the desk area for the keyboard in a way that looked like he needed to say something in secret.
"You good?"
He just waved you down and you leaned forward to listen. "You're not… actually afraid of Technoblade are you?"
"Tommy you little shit!" You jumped up, nearly hitting Wilbur but he moved back in time. Tommy laughed and fled to the other side of the room where he normally sat so you just grumbled and took your seat.
"Well?"
"Is no one else? He's intimidating, I feel like he'd call me out on all my insecurities if I inconvenienced him. And THEN he would hold me at knifepoint till I left him alone."
Wilbur snorted and hung his head as he softly laughed, you reached over and hit his arm before leaning closer to whisper. “I’m serious Wilbur! He scares me!”
He looked back up at you with the most amused look. “Come on, you can’t be friends with this family without knowing techno. Honestly. Talk to him today. You two have the same literature class at the end of the day right?” He asked as he sat up and leaned back into his chair to turn his computer on and log into the coding website.
“I mean yeah but- what does that have to do with anything.” You asked, but Wilbur didn’t reply as he just stared at his screen so you leaned forward to get into his peripheral vision. “Will, what does that have to do with anything? I’m not talking to him, I hope you know that.”
-
You were wrong. Nearing the end of your literature class, you sat there listening to the teacher while completely lost on the assignment. Usually, it wouldn’t be too much of an issue because you would just give it the best attempt you could and see where you messed up at the end to better understand the work. It wasn’t the best tactic but you liked it better than having to ask for help. But now, this was a big and grade-determining assignment, not one you could afford to flunk.
The class was given five minutes to start on or look over the work at the end of the class. You leaned back in your chair, staring at your paper at a loss, and listened to the sound of people moving around the class near you. You didn’t try to look up since you assumed it was friends going to sit together and gossip. That was until you noticed someone took the seat beside you and shuffled a bit closer. Pulling the paper away from your face to look, you froze instantly upon locking eyes with Technoblade who was smiling lightly. You had never seen him this close, the most notable thing was his dyed light pink hair that had grown out brown roots and you could even see in his smile how his top and bottom canine teeth were a bit longer than normal and looked like he had small fangs and tusks.
He pushed his glasses up before crossing his arms and leaning forward on his desk. “Hey so I know you’re terrified of me, but it looks like you’re having a bit of an issue.” You opened your mouth to speak but were just met with a loss for words and just averted your eyes, continually glancing back at him for a moment as you were unsure what to do. He snorted lightly, bringing his hand up to stifle his laugh, and cleared his throat. “Yeah sorry for bein’ so big and scary but I can help ya. Come one, show me what you are confused with Y/n.”
“You- you know my name?” You looked right at him finally to which he raised an eyebrow at you quizzically.
“Well yeah. Did you really expect me not to? You’re besties with both of my brothers and my dad loves having you over. I was just waiting for you to say hi to me.” He leaned back, fidgeting with a ring with his hands. “Didn’t think you’d actually be scared of me, thank Tommy for snitching. He talked about it all weekend.”
You groaned, leaning forward to run your hands over your face and sigh, swearing that you’d smack him once school was out.
“Oh shi-” You looked at Techno and he was checking the time on his phone. “Hey, class is about to end. You’re not gonna be busy are you?”
“Uh… not, no I’m not.”
“Great.” He got up, moving the desk back to its original place and trotting over to grab his bag, and looking back to you. “Get your stuff and meet me at the south entrance, we can work on it back at my house.” And without giving you a chance to try to object, he called to the teacher saying that he was going to leave a minute early to get his stuff together since he rented a locker a bit away from the classroom and the teacher waved him off.
Reluctantly, you went back to your dorm which was close to where you had class. You dropped off unneeded books and grabbed a granola bar from a box you kept in your room then headed toward the entrance Techno told you to meet him at. And of course, walking up the sidewalk to the doors you saw him there sitting on a bench with his bag beside him. He saw you and jumped up, waving you over to him as he started walking immediately. While you were still behind him, you sent a picture to Tommy, Tubbo, and Wilbur of him walking in front of you and adding the caption ‘i did it :P’. 
The two of you chatted while you walked through the neighborhood and despite light teasing on how scary he was, he was easy to talk to and you had a lot in common with him. It was a shame you hadn’t taken the initiative to talk to him before. In no time, you were walking through the door after him into the familiar home where Phil greeted you with a surprised but happy look and offered snacks which Techno graciously took before heading to his room.
To your surprise, Technoblade is the best tutor you have ever had. He is attentive and incredibly patient when trying to figure out where you are having struggles and he’s smart. Like he knows every single bit of what is supposed to be brand new information from the class. Not even two hours into him helping you, you understood the assignment completely and you both spent the next three hours sitting on his bed and working together. You joked with him and he held the same energy while keeping the focus on working and even swapped laptops with him to check it over for each other.
You broke your gaze from the endless lines of text on your laptop screen to look at the window and seeing the orange sky around trees and over top of houses that indicated the setting sun. “Oh my gosh!” You scrambled off the bed, carefully stuffing papers back into your bag. “I didn’t even realize what time it was- Technoblade thank you a million for helping me. I appreciate it so much, but I need to get back to my dorm! I promised my roommate I’d help her cook dinner tonight.” You grabbed your laptop off of the bed and put it into your bag, closing it all up quickly.
Slinging it over your shoulder and adjusting it, you turned to make your way out of the room but you were stopped by a tug and looked back to see Techno holding onto your bag and looking displeased. “Not yet.”
“Wha- I need to go though-”
“It’s a tradition in this house to hug anyone before they leave, you should know that from my dad.” He let go and opened his arms up to you.
You turned to him and tilted your head a little. “You’re joking…”
He just smiled smugly and waited. You glanced at the doorway but gave in and closed the bit of distance, hugging him to which he returned snugly and spoke softly to you. “You’re a good person. I’m glad to have gotten to know you and I hope you’ll come back. I promise I’m not all that bad.” With that, he slowly let go and patted your arm before gently shoving you toward the doorway and plopping down on his bed. “Have a good night!”
“Uh.. yeah, you too!” You said back, still surprised by the exchange. His words swam through your mind as you went to leave the house, hugging Phil on your way out and wishing him a good night as well. Finally checking your phone on the walk home, you found a supportive and proud text from Wilbur, a dirty joke from Tommy, and something in between from Tubbo.
You laughed to yourself, amused by the differences in the messages. It was times like these that you most found appreciation for the three. Mentally you had to correct yourself though. The whole family was good. This you can say for sure now.
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dragonshoard · 2 years
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Can you tell us more about the fighter!powder au it sounds very interesting?
I’ve actually said some things in the comments section of my story, so I’m gonna copy that, paste, and add on to it. I’ll add more about the timeline later, cuz this is already a bit longer than I thought it would be... sorry about that xD
Jinx/Powder: Enhancements
She's been on a consistent "diet" of a few variants of shimmer for about 5 years by “the monster that was once a girl’, so there are a few visible side effects without the active use of shimmer including: enhanced strength, speed and healing. Actually being shot up with shimmer increases her strength, stamina, and durability by 2-3 times. 
Strength: Best comparison I could make is that she’s about half as strong as Deckard was in Act 1 post!shimmer. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Deckard could easily lift up to 400-500 pounds with both hands.
Speed: Very fast. Think about the chemtanks Vi and Jayce fought. We’ve also seen a small bit of her speed in the season finale. 
Healing: Her healing is variable. On average, she heals about 3-4 times faster than the normal person. Torn muscles do heal faster (about 6-7 times a normal individual). Typically, she gets extra doses of shimmer to heal wounds that aren’t better by the time she needs to have a “procedure”.
There are... issues with her enhancements.  Her muscles are not built for the insane drug induced strength and speed shimmer users have (due to how she doesn’t get the transformative aspects of the shimmer injections). Just taking into account her natural abilities, she doesn’t have very good stamina and is better at fighting shorter battles (weaving in and out or ambush). She ends up shredding her muscles by overusing her strength and speed. I mean, she could still technically move, but she is either in extreme pain or completely numb and limp in the affected area.
When she’s shot up with shimmer, she can barely feel any pain and therefore has an insane amount of stamina. Unfortunately for her, she can’t feel when she’s overdone it either and is left in extreme pain after it wears off. Hence the amount of work they put into enhancing her muscles. Singed was mostly working on her legs prior to her escape, so they are more durable than the rest of her.
Honestly, her pain receptors are seriously messed up. Due to her enhancements, she has a lower pain threshold, but she misjudges her limits due to her time in the pits (and therefore has a higher pain tolerance). So even without the shimmer injections, she can’t really tell when she’s seriously hurt herself until after the fact. It takes a long time for her to learn how to react accurately to pain cues, so she constantly overdoes it and ends up either partially or entirely immobile. 
She’ll eventually learn how to limit herself, preventing further injury and fixing some of the stamina issue. Eventually. There will be many slip ups :/  
TLDR; strength ↑ ↑ , speed ↑ ↑ ↑ , and stamina ↓ ↓, would absolutely crush an unenhanced individual or someone without a hextech weapon in terms of pure strength and speed. I speak nothing about strategy. She has none, and when she does it’s just dramatic.
Jinx/Power: Appearance
For the most part, she looks like Jinx post act 3 with more scarring. The major scarring is mostly around her neck, her wrists, and her ankles (neck - injection sites, electrocution, and friction; wrists - friction; legs - injection sites and friction). She doesn’t have her tattoos yet, but she will get those a ways into the future. 
She wears restraints on her neck, wrists, and ankles. The restraints around her neck and legs are actually pretty big because they function as injectors for vials of shimmer. though the ones in her legs are pretty new at the point of the fic “the monster that was once a girl”. The arm and leg restraints look a bit like bracers and Jinx has gone through a few upgrades over the years. 
Her current set of restraints is meant to be her last, as it has no key and has to be broken off (Silco likes his symbolism, he absolutely expected and wanted her to join him and had multiple plans for how it would go - unfortunately for him she escaped before he could go through with any one of them)
She does have other scarring around her body, but compared to the ones mentioned beforehand, they’re pretty minor (not saying much honestly). 
Background/Fighting Pits
In this world, Jinx is actually a source of profit for Silco. She is a walking advertisement for multiple variants of shimmer. Not only this, but the rings function as one of the biggest betting rings within the undercity.
Not only are the Pits for watching and betting on fights, it’s also where a lot of people go to get referrals and meet people who cater to specific industries/products (cyber-prosthetics, shimmer, tech related products, etc)
It’s a business hub, essentially. 
It’s also a giant human trafficking ring (I kind of mentioned this in the fic). Parents sell their children to buyers or the admins that run the pits and those children are forced to fight. Street children are also stolen if they don’t have anyone protecting/caring for them. 
This creates another system where Silco essentially provides that protection if they work in the factories.
So the world goes round. 
The Firelights are a gang made up of mostly street children and families. I won’t say it was originally formed to avoid the above, but it certainly prevents kid snatching. 
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mckkachins · 3 years
Text
gif cut-out tutorial
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ok ok so @subtledean requested a tutorial on how to do stuff like this post with the gif cutouts and the text effects. hopefully this helps aria ;w; i’m not the best at explaining things but i included some screencaps for clarity. i’ve tried to compress all the sample gifs and screenshots down to under 3mb to avoid tunglr compression on mobile so if they look a little different from the actual gifset, that’s probably why!
what you’ll need:
photoshop, i’m using PS 2021 but any version of photoshop will work out
a basic knowledge of gif-making (i’m assuming you already know how to make a gif and color it).
step 0: storyboard
this isn’t strictly necessary but i HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it. you don’t have to do any photoshopping this first step, but it’s really important to check out your footage and the shots you have gathered to see what works, especially if you’re trying to combine three or more gifs onto the same canvas. like literally take a piece of paper and draw out where you want the character’s faces to be, where you want the cutouts to be in relation to their faces, and think about whether or not there’s enough empty space to the right or left of characters heads for a cutout to be placed. is there too much movement that would be distracting or messy in an already busy gif?
things like that really help, and it also makes you double check on your footage quality and feasibility. if you end up making a gif where you want one character’s face to be on the left side of the gif but it turns out there’s not enough empty space on the right side of their face to place a cutout and you then have to hunt for new footage or start all over, it’s kind of a trainwreck and you just waste another hour of your time as you deepen your procrastination hellhole. that’s not a real story—
step 1: make the base gif
i’m assuming you know how to color it already. and aria i KNOW you know how to color already so :) size it accordingly to your desired dimensions.
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as you can see, i left enough space on the right side of abaddon for the knight cutout to be placed.
save this as a .psd file. you don’t actually have to sharpen and do everything that comes at the end of making a gif right away, but make sure your layers are clearly labeled. do NOT convert to video timeline/smart object just yet.
step 2: make the cutout gif
this is critical: make absolutely certain your cutout gif has the same number of frames as your base gif. otherwise it could get really messy! abaddon has 20 frames, so the cutout will also have 20 frames. again, do not convert the cutout gif to a video timeline/smart object. just keep it as a frame animation. here’s my cutout gif. it’s just a simple b&w gif but i added a touch of purple for color consistency sake whatnot.
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now for this particular gif i’ve actually cropped abaddon to be roughly exactly where i would want her face to be in relation to the first gif, but that is unnecessary. helpful, but unnecessary. you do NOT need the cutout gif to be cropped exactly perfect in order to make this work.
step 3: combining the two gifs
there are many different ways to combine two gifs onto the same canvas. some people like to do it via video timeline. i prefer to do it by frames and convert everything to a video timeline only at the end (it’s just a personal preference). here’s a tutorial if you prefer working with timelines, but i’m gonna go over how to do it by frames.
first group everything in your base gif into one folder. then group everything in your cutout gif into one folder as well. you can name them however you want to keep track of things.
then, select all of the frames in your cutout gif. in this case, all 20 of b&w abaddon get selected. make sure its not just frames 4-20 or whatever, but all the frames you made. you can click frame one and then shift-click your last frame to double check.
click the timeline tab group options bar and then go to options > copy frames
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now go to your base gif canvas. select ALL the frames of your base gif as well (it’s critical that all of them are selected).
now do options > paste frames.
a popup should appear and you’re going to select the “paste over selection” option. do not link layers.
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your cutout gif should now be completely or partially obscuring your base gif. however, now you should see two groups on your sidebar of layers. one for the base, one group for the cutout. if you labelled them with names you can tell which one is which.
step 4: creating the cutout
in order to create the cutout, we use my favorite thing in the whole world of photoshop. layer masks.
to make a layer mask, you simply select a layer or group you want to mask and then click this little icon on the row of icons at the bottom of your layers panel.
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white on a layer mask means whatever group or layer is getting masked is completely visible. black on a layer mask means that the group or layer is invisible. if there is 50% gray on a layer mask, then its 50% visible. so on and so forth.
i love these so much i abuse them on the daily. i’ve made a few gifs where i’ve masked every frame one by one because i wanted to get some cool effects. admitting that kind of embarrasses me but oh well.
anyway this is simple though. just find a picture or an outline of a knight. i used these boyes:
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obviously i cropped out the knight of the bunch, got rid of the watermark, and then i placed it on the canvas where i wanted it to go.
select the interior of the knight with the magic wand tool. should be pretty simple since it’s all black.
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now click over to your layer mask. make sure you have selected the mask and not the group. you can tell you have selected the mask when a little white rectangle pops up on it.
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when you know you have the mask selected, click command+i or control+i to invert. if for some reason you do not have this keyboard shortcut, just take a brush tool and color over the area in complete black. as long as the magic wand tool is still selecting just the interior of the knight, it should be fine.
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now once again, black means a layer will NOT be showing, white means a layer will be showing. so right now after i disable the visibility of the top layer we used as a reference for the silhouette, it looks like:
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do not fear the clownery. layer masks are great because they are always non-destructive. meaning that even if you somehow mess up and your canvas is showing something completely gross, you can always go back and edit your layer mask and your original gif would be unharmed as long as you did not touch any layers in the group, only the mask. simply invert the mask (again, make sure your mask is selected and then command+i or image > adjustments > invert) to get:
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for a layer mask that looks like:
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you could have also just made a black layer mask to begin with and then inverted the knight outline to be white. many different ways to do the same thing.
another tip: if you select your outline and then click layer mask upon a group or layer with no mask at the current moment, it will automatically make a layer mask with your selection as white and the unselected pixels as black. this is normally how i do my cutouts, because it’s a time-saver even if it like. saves a few seconds max. but i typed out the above for explanation and clarity, so hopefully i didn’t just make anyone more confused.
anyway.
now say you don’t like where the cutout abaddon is positioned. layer masks can also be linked or unlinked, depending on the little link icon you see between the group and the layer mask in the image above. if the icon is visible, the layer mask and the group are linked. if you cannot see the link icon, they are unlinked.
linked layer masks will move in conjunction with the group if any type of transform is done upon them. if the group moves, the layer mask also moves. but if a layer mask is unlinked, you can move the mask and the group independently of one another. for instance, i can change where the cutout is located on the overall canvas of the gif by simply moving ONLY the layer mask (and thereby changing where the blacks and whites of the layer mask occlude the cutout gif contents). but i can also transform the cutout gif layers without changing where the overall outline is located relative to the canvas itself. basically, i can transform the interior contents of the cutout independently. so here (make sure all of your frames are selected):
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group unlinked. i’m also making sure that now i am selecting the GROUP (ie. the frames of the layers you are actually going to move) and not the layer mask. you can tell because the little white rectangle around the layer mask can no longer be seen.
now i can transform/adjust the contents of the cutout solely “within” the cutout, and i don’t have to worry about changing where the cutout is located in relation to the overall gif. when transforming, make sure all the frames of your gif are selected. like select the whole group and not just an individual layer, basically.
i’ve seen a lot of how to combine and cut out gifs tutorials on this website, and here is a really good one that i know sully also used <3 big shoutout to all the photoshop queens being inspired by each other!! however i haven’t seen anything that mentioned the linked vs. unlinked layer masks, which i really feel like deserves a shoutout. you don’t have to crop your gifs out perfectly every time, you can always adjust them later. for demonstration, i’ve positioned abaddon in a few different positions with an unlinked layer mask.
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step 5: creating the outline
so in order to emphasize the shape of the cutout (the knight), i simply delete the white space surrounding the picture of the knight in the original silhouette that i used. magic wand tool + delete. you can also make a new layer, then paint bucket tool it. many ways to do the same thing.
now with only the knight on a transparent background, i double click the layer to pull up the effects. select outer glow. i used these settings:
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when you are doing this, make sure you are on frame one of the frame animation and the “propagate frame one setting” is selected, otherwise you might end up only applying the effect to one out of your many frames, which blows.
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then i go change the fill setting to 0%, BUT i leave opacity at 100%. fill is basically like opacity, but it doesn’t affect layer effects (whereas opacity does). so you basically get only the outline but not the black. you can also set the blending mode of the layer to screen and get the same effect, etc, etc. feel free to adjust however you see fit, in addition to the outer glow settings.
i move this layer over a couple pixels to give it the little offset effect, but you don’t have to.
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step 6: adding the text
okay the two fonts i used are avenir and perla. i think a LOT of gifmakers use them because they’re really pretty.
i make TWO different text layers, one with avenir in a smaller size and one with perla in a bigger size. this is because for the perla one, i’m going to be changing the blending mode whereas i don’t want to be changing the blending mode for the smaller text. i position the text where i want it to be and make sure the perla font is in the color i like:
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then i change the blending mode of the fancy text (perla) to difference. ONLY that layer, and again make sure to check “propagate frame 1″ and make changes on the first frame to apply the change to all of your frames.
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but i still don’t think it produces enough of a difference. so i right click on the text layer for knights of hell, and then go to: select pixels.
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then i click the curves adjustment layer. this will automatically make a curves layer with a layer mask that occludes everything BUT the area you selected. beautiful. i drag the curves around until i get enough of a difference that i like. normally i make the lights lighter and the darks darker. yeehaw.
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again there are sooooo many different ways to achieve the same effect on photoshop. this is just want comes easiest to me, and it’s totally okay if you find a different way that works better for you at producing the contrast you want or the colors you want.
step 7: export and cry
NOW you can convert everything to a video timeline, put your video frame layers to smart objects, and then apply your finishing sharpening filters. export, cry, and hope tumblr compression doesn’t screw you over.
hopefully this was helpful! pls like... idk support my edits if you found this helpful or reblog this post. feel free to dm me about how u do some of the text effects as well bc i’m always trying to learn new things and i am by no means an expert on like. any of this.
aria please go write your fucking thesis before i delete this entire tutorial challenge. :D
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gutsygay · 3 years
Text
Stuffing Story: “Daniel Gets His Fill”
Hieee 👋presenting my first kink fiction story, just a couple college guys getting stuffed.
Features stuffing, overeating, tummy rumbles, burps, and tummy rubs.
SOOOO um hope y’all like it 👉👈🥺
“And that about wraps it up for today! Don’t forget chapter four homework due Monday.” the professor said, dismissing the class.
Daniel grinned, hopped from his seat and headed toward the lecture hall door. He was an active type, and hated to sit still for long periods. As he waited for the crowd of his classmates to shuffle through the door ahead of him, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the nearby glass bookcase. He was average height, with tan skin, broad shoulders and large thighs. He was muscular and lean, save for a bit of a belly protruding from the very bottom of his abdomen, which he could never quite seem to work off, or even to tuck away completely when he wanted to hide his pudge.
Daniel didn’t care though. His main passions were eating, and working it off with strenuous exercise. His energy seemed boundless, but none more than his appetite was bottomless. At the time he wanted nothing more than a full rack of ribs and some buffalo wings. But at the same time he already had energy to expend as well. He wavered about how he’d spend the afternoon when his friend Nick called to him from across the hall, settling his silent debate.
“Yo Danny! We hitting the gym or what?” Nick said with a toothy grin.
“Sure, bro.” Daniel replied. “Leg day today, right?”
“Think so.”
“Sweet. I’ll meet you downstairs in five.” Daniel said, and headed to his car.
He grabbed his athletic clothes. He smiled to himself in anticipation of the coming activity. Soon they’d squat, lunge, press and strain their legs until they were nearly too sore to walk. He turned his thigh to the mirror he’d mounted on the inside of his locker door. His quads were already looking huge - they were getting that chiseled teardrop shape as well. As he lifted his shirt for a better view, he felt a sudden rumbling from down below. It had been nearly four hours since lunch - which was never enough for Daniel in the first place - and he was filled with nearly child-like excitement for what was to come. He thought of his favorite part of lifting - gorging himself afterward. Such a strenuous, calorie-intensive session as leg day meant he could pack it in with no shame.
He arrived at the basement gym, which was open to all resident students, but was surprisingly empty at the time. Nick was already at the squat rack - he had already set them up with a soul-crushing 315 pound squat rack.
“Alright then.” Daniel said, pumped. “Let’s hit it.”
And so they did. They grunted their way through 5 sets of squats, followed by lunges and leg presses. Then Daniel did some calf raises in the squat rack, his belly jiggling every time he descended. Some of it slipped out from under his shirt occasionally, and glistened with sweat. Daniel just rolled his eyes and tucked it back in.
When they finished, Nick lifted his shirt to wipe his sweat, exposing his ab muscles. Nick looked at Daniel’s partially exposed abdominal region and smirked. “You can never seem to lose that chubby little gut, can you?” he said, poking Daniel’s flab, which was still beaded with sweat. “Nah, don’t have the willpower I guess. But I don’t care. Let’s go eat.” Daniel said.
“Sure, maybe just a salad, Danny? If you - “
Nick was cut off by a deep audible growl from Daniel’s belly. Daniel squeezed it with both hands and looked up at Nick.
“Uh, okay bro, how does Wendy’s sound?” Nick said, silenced by Daniel’s rumblings.
“I’m not feeling it. Let’s hit that new buffet instead.” Daniel said, already headed for the door. Nick followed, knowing his friend was now less of a freshman undergrad and more of a beast in search of prey.
They showered down, got back into school clothes and jumped into Daniel’s car. Daniel usually offered Nick a ride back to his apartment whenever he needed it after their afternoon lifting sessions. They headed a few blocks away from the main campus building, towards a new all-you-can-eat buffet. Daniel’s hungry stomach continued to growl louder, but he simply turned up the car stereo to drown it out.
After what seemed like an eternity, Daniel and Nick pulled into the buffet. They walked in and the greeter happily showed them a booth, but the restaurant owner behind her pursed his lips upon seeing Daniel and Nick, visibly ravenous. They had already twice visited the fairly-new establishment. This kid’s gonna drive me out of business, he thought to himself. That orifice must eat his weight in food once a week.
They claimed their booth seats, and beelined to the buffet area. Daniel grabbed a plate and loaded it with buffalo wings (honey barbecue AND blue cheese), meat loaf, a bacon cheeseburger, quesadillas and a pepperoni calzone. The plate must’ve weighed nearly a pound, and Daniel was practically drooling on the way back to the table.
“Jeez, got enough there, bro?” Nick asked as they sat down, but Daniel was already stuffing his face.
“Nnnf, mm!” Daniel forced a reply.
“Never, huh?” Nick asked. 
He watched as Daniel tore into the bacon cheeseburger, engulfing nearly a third of it in one bite. In well under a minute he’d downed the whole thing. Daniel grinned wordlessly at Nick while chewing the last bite, and quickly swallowed before promptly moving on to the meat loaf, followed by the chicken wings.
Jeez, does he ever slow down to breathe? Nick thought to himself. And I feel like he’s just getting started. Nick ate a few bites of his ham slices, and mac and cheese on the side. When he looked back up, Daniel’s buffalo wings had been reduced to six picked-clean bones piled up on the plate, being drenched with grease dripping from Daniel’s calzone. Nick watched as Daniel’s eyes rolled back slightly and closed with pleasure every time he swallowed. He’s enjoying it. It’s like sex on a plate to him! he thought.
Daniel finished the 3 quesadilla slices, and pressed a napkin to his mouth. And then he burped. He tried to quiet it, but his hand and the napkin did little to muffle the rumbling gas that burbled up and out of him. It lasted nearly 5 seconds in all, and Nick could even feel the vibration through the table.
“You good, dude?” Nick asked.
“Uh, ‘scuse me, heh heh.” Daniel wiped his mouth and rolled his eyes, trying and failing to play off his prior eruption.
“Damn dude, you really put that shit away.” Nick gestured to the now empty plate before him.
“What can I say? I’m hungry as fuck.”
“You mean you were hungry as fuck.”
“I dunno man, that belch freed up some room.” Daniel said, patting his stomach. His belly had always been a little large, or at least proportionally big compared to the rest of his body, but now it was visibly distended. More? How could he possibly still be hungry? Nick wondered, and watched as he purposefully strolled back to the buffet line. He had just packed away more than 3000 calories as if it were nothing. Nick couldn’t help but feel intimidated, yet drawn to Daniel’s ability to consume like some kind of alpha male. 
By the end of it, Daniel had downed a second plate. And a third. And a shish-kabob. And not one, but two bowls of ice cream for dessert.
Daniel polished off the second bowl, and released another burp, not even trying to muzzle it this time. Nick sat in awe. He himself had managed two plates and a scoop of ice cream, but his dishes were nowhere near as heavily packed as Daniel’s.
“Oof, I think I’m about ready to put a cork in it, bro.” Daniel said, fiddling with his pants belt.
He stood up, revealing his overstuffed abdomen. In the past hour it had taken them to eat, it had grown from a miniscule, doughy bump to a basketball-sized food baby. They headed out to the parking lot, and Daniel lifted his shirt to give his belly a little massage. Nick couldn’t tear his eyes away.
“So that’s where you put it all.” Nick said, blank-faced, and finding himself weirdly intrigued by this bodily transformation.
Daniel turned to face Nick. He burped again, managing to muffle it into a low hiss this time, and replied, “I’m not a bottomless pit after all, haha. It’s gotta go somewhere, y’know.” He looked down at Nick, grinning, and gently patted the underside of his bloat to make it jiggle.
“Uh, yeah, heh heh.” Nick replied, watching his friend’s flab bounce.
“Hey, you want to come over and hang for a while? That anime you like came out on Netflix.” Daniel offered.
“Yeah, sure! I’d love to let it hang out with you. Er, hang out with you.” Nick said. An unexplainable chill ran through him.
They hopped back in Daniel’s car and headed off to his apartment. Nick kept glancing over toward Daniel, still in disbelief at the size of his stomach. In the intermittent illumination from passing streetlamps, he saw it bulging and spilling out in between the seat belt straps. He also saw the physique of the rest of Daniel’s body - his arms and chest were defined, and his quads were still bulging from the prior workout. His left arm was fully extended, lazily gripping the top of the steering wheel, his other resting sandwiched between his thigh and his belly flab.
When they arrived at Daniel’s apartment, they went to his couch, turned on the TV, and waited for the streaming service to connect.
“Whoof!” Daniel exhaled, as he collapsed onto the couch. He reclined in the corner with the armrest and the back cushion, and extended one hand behind his head, the other poking his abdomen again. “Heh heh, maybe I overdid it.”
“Nahhh,” Nick said absentmindedly, staring at Daniel’s gut.
“Uh, don’t you think so?” Daniel grinned, raising an eyebrow.
Nick realized what he’d responded with, and simply blushed. 
“Yo, I’m about to burst, jeez.” Daniel lifted his shirt further and fumbled with his belt. “I gotta undo this, I’m dying. You’re cool with that, right?” Daniel said, popping his belt buckle open.
Nick paused, still staring, and said, “D-Do what you gotta do, man.”
Daniel’s exposed belly shone in the soft light of the television. He gripped the button of his jeans, pulled with a grunt, “Unnnh!” and popped open the waist of his pants, sinking backward into the cushions as he did so, as if overcome with relief. He pulled down his zipper, and the lower part of his abdomen spilled out, and rested upon his thighs ever so slightly. Then he lifted his belly to grab the waistband of his underwear, and tuck it downward, so that his gut now hung out completely, unrestricted. His stomach gurgled audibly. Daniel put a hand on his chest and belched loudly. Good lord, he has no shame about this at all, he’s just sprawled out, digesting and not giving a fuck. Nick thought. He’d never experienced anything quite like this before.
“Damn, ‘scuse me, heh heh. Sorry about that.” Daniel said, his abdomen continuing to rumble periodically.
“Don’t be.” Nick said quickly, unsure of why he had received such a feeling of satisfaction from someone else’s burp.
Just then, the streaming service loaded, and Daniel leaned forward to pick up the TV remote, and let out a slight groan, the sides of his belly folding into rolls as he did so. Daniel gripped the remote with both hands and said, “This dumb thing doesn’t work right, I need to get it fixed. The show won’t play unless you hold the On-Demand and Play buttons at the same time, for the first few minutes.”
Daniel reclined again and held the two buttons, extending both hands toward the TV, further exposing his belly in his lap. The theme song of the aging anime started on the screen. The catchy, angelic tune emanated from the TV, but wasn’t enough to muffle further rumbling from Daniel’s stomach.
Daniel looked down at it between his arms. “Ugh, it’s sitting in me like a rock. I really gotta burp again.”
Nick was fixated on Daniel, not paying a moment of attention to the anime on the TV. “H-heh, bet you could use a belly rub right now.”
“Ugh, you know it, bro.” Daniel replied.
Nick paused for a long while, staring at Daniel’s plump gut, resting in his lap. “You know… I guess, maybe, if you wanted to, I could rub your belly for you.”
Daniel looked over at Nick, and let out a soft chuckle.
Nick stuttered, nervous he’d made things weird. “I-I mean, uh, since your hands are full, and like-”
“Sure, bro. Come on over.” Daniel said smiling.
“Uh, seriously? I mean, okay.” Nick said warily.
“Yeah man, what else are bros for? Also I’m dying over here, I’ve never been this bloated.” Daniel reassured him, as Nick slid toward his end of the couch. “If I could get a quick massage down there that would be great.” Daniel reclined, and turned his body toward Nick slightly.
Nick rubbed his hands together to warm them, and gazed upon Daniel’s rumbling, distended tummy. In the low light from the television, he could see that it had bulged from under his ribcage, giving the top an almost triangular shape, but became sublimely rounded closer to his navel, and at the underbelly, which spilled between the zipper of his jeans and onto his thighs. There was almost no hair on his tummy, save for a light sprinkling of peach fuzz surrounding his navel, and trailing downward towards his manhood. His belly button, which Nick had earlier seen to protrude slightly outward, had all but disappeared into the newly chubbier, squishy mass of belly.
Nick hesitated to take in the sight up close. “Y-you ready?” he looked up at Daniel.
“Go ahead, bro.” Daniel replied with a smile.
Gingerly, Nick placed a hand - starting with the fingertips - atop Daniel’s belly, and he could feel the warmth and softness of his exposed skin. He placed his other hand on it as well - the fingers wrapped around the side of his belly, while the thumb lightly gripped in Daniel’s sunken navel. He slowly pressed into the soft skin until it reached a point and became firmer, the bloat caused by all the food. Nick blushed and remembered that he was giving a massage, not just feeling his friend for pleasure.
Nick began to press more firmly and move his hands in a slow, rhythmic motion surrounding Daniel’s navel. 
“Like this?”
“Almost.” Daniel replied, his eyes closing in bliss.
Nick continued, pressing firmer still, and re-orienting himself on the couch to press and knead from different angles. Nick could still feel Daniel’s stomach rumbling about, working away at the mass of food. Periodically Daniel would let out a small burp, and Nick could feel the vibrations starting deep within his friend’s body, and burbling up and out. Nick wondered what kind of relief he was bringing his friend, if Daniel’s tummy was faring any better due to the massages and release of gas.
“Move your right hand down a little.” Daniel instructed. Nick slid his hand down below the navel, closer to Daniel’s left leg.
“Unh, down more. And press.” Daniel said, sounding almost desperate.
Nick obeyed, his hand now brushing against the front of Daniel’s jeans, and the waist of his underwear. He pressed harder in this lower area, under the stomach, and felt something shift, as if he’d freed up some mass deep within Daniel’s swollen gut.
“Right there, that’s it -” Daniel started, before he was cut off by a sudden, intense rumble, followed by the loudest burp Nick had ever heard. Nick’s head was positioned right near the top of Daniel’s abdominal area, and he could hear the massive expulsion of gas, and feel the tummy deflating. The burp lasted nearly a full ten seconds, and Nick looked up at Daniel, chuckling.
“Man, you feel any better after that?” he asked.
Daniel hesitated to catch his breath, “Yes, oh my God, I needed that.” he said, groaning. Daniel set down the remote, as the show was playing properly now.
At this point Nick was in acceptance that he was aroused by all this, and continued softly massaging Daniel’s gut, which was finally settled, more or less. Nick prodded experimentally around Daniel’s belly button, curious if he could help his friend release additional pressure. Daniel rewarded his friend’s work with several more burps, each bringing him blissful relief as the pressure in his gut gradually decreased. Finally, Daniel’s stomach was settled, and Nick felt the mass beginning to move downward into the lower intestines.
“Thank you, bro. That felt amazing.” Daniel said, grinning as he looked down at Nick, whose hands were still feeling his belly.
“My pleasure!” Nick replied with a toothy grin. He realized that seeing his friend stuffed, and helping him through tummy trouble, made him feel a delight he’d never experienced before. He stayed still, save for his hands, waiting for Daniel to say he’d done enough. But it seemed to Nick that his friend was just letting him stay there, his hands on his tummy, for as long as he wanted.
Eventually Nick fell asleep, his head on Daniel’s lap, and he listened to the last remaining soft gurgles from deep within his friend’s tummy as he drifted off. Daniel soon found himself nodding off as well, in an irresistible food coma, his hand resting on Nick’s back. He fell asleep, happily dreaming of tomorrow’s breakfast.
And that’s that, hope y’all enjoyed 😅
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mellointheory · 3 years
Text
inhaling smoke, i just awoke pt. 2
Red is curled up on his couch, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a rapidly cooling styrofoam cup of instant noodles clasped between his hands. He ate about half of it before he got distracted by the tv, and the rest served better as a heat source, honestly. It was criminal how cold his apartment was; he was wearing his earmuffs inside, for God’s sake.
There’s a knock on the door and he looks up, setting the cup of cold, soggy noodles on the coffee table. He gets up, still swathed in his blanket, and shuffles across the floor to open the front door. Antfrost is standing there, wearing the same thick green coat from earlier that day, with a long shape that looks suspiciously like a firearm strapped to his back underneath it.
“Are you ready?” He asks.
“I’m always ready.” Red pulls his blanket off and balls it up, chucking it back over at the couch. He picks up his baseball bat, giving it a quick once over to check the coat of red and white paint, then slots it into the straps on his back. His bag is sitting next to the door, the velvet pockets lining the inside carefully packed with the pots that he’d chosen. The sedatives Antfrost had requested, swirl pale yellow in their black cushioning. He’s brought some additional ones just in case; shimmering harsh pinks and purples and blues in the shadows of his bag. Antfrost peers inside his bag and nods in approval.
“How far away is it?” Red asks, stepping outside and closing the door behind him. Antfrost leans against the door while Red locks it, his face peering out of the depths of his green hood. His eyes do glow a little, soft blue light that Red would probably have to get very, very close to have reach him. He adds that to the bucket list.
“It’s close enough to walk; we should have time. And I don’t want to get there until after the doors close.” Antfrost turns and starts walking. His tail is tucked away again, safe from the cold that bites at Red’s hands and face when he follows.
“Can I call you Ant?” He asks. “Antfrost is kinda long, you know.”
Ant shrugs. “I guess I don’t mind.”
“Fantastic. Okay, and what’s your plan then?” Red shoves his hands into his pockets as they reach the street. It’s snowing again. Flakes land in his hair and on his shoulders and melt when they touch his skin.
“They close the doors after everyone’s finished betting.” Red can tell from the bitterness and focus in Ant’s voice that this wasn’t a spontaneous thing; he’s been planning this for a long time. “It’s a warehouse that they took over and repurposed. There’s still catwalks on the ceiling and ways to get in from above. I can drop the gas you made and knock them all out and steal the chimeras.”
“That seems like a solid plan.” Red agrees. “What were you planning before you got me to make this for you, though?”
Ant taps his waist. “I was gonna try to get them with the tranq darts I have, but this will be a lot more effective.”
Red shudders at the thought. “You know tranq darts aren’t immediate, right? They take time to work into your bloodstream.”
Ant is silent. Red quickens his pace to catch up--he has longer legs than him, but the cat hybrid moves with more speed and lightness than he does--and looks the man in the eyes. Ant is only about half a head shorter than him, but the hybrid has his shoulders hunched and is looking down so Red has to lean over a bit.
“You knew that, didn’t you?” He repeats.
Antfrost squints up one eye gingerly. “Maybe….?”
“Jesus, you’re lucky you found me.” Red straightens up and continues walking.
“Well, I’m not sure about that yet,” Antfrost mumbles. Red chuckles.
He can tell when they’re getting close to the chimera fights, because he can hear the cheering. Antfrost pushes his hood back as they approach, his head craned up to scan the side of the warehouse. His ears twitch, little flakes of snow falling on the soft fur and standing out against the dark brown in the harsh lights of the warehouse.
“There’s a ladder over there.” Ant points up, bounding lightly over to the rungs. As he runs his tail untucks from wherever it was hidden away, furling out behind him. It swishes in Red’s face when he mounts the ladder after the hybrid, almost brushing his skin. He wrinkles his nose, eyes crossing when he tries to focus on it.
The snow on top of the warehouse is undisturbed except for Ant’s footprints in it. Red follows the hybrid across the roof to the mouth of a heating vent that arcs from the concrete. The metal tube channels sound and warm air up from the warehouse inside; one of them welcome and the other not. He can hear cheering, and snarling. Ant’s ears flatten back against his skull at the sound and his tail begins whipping around like an angry snake. There’s a quiet growl that Red half thinks is coming from the hybrid’s throat.
“What now?” Red asks, partially to distract Ant from whatever rage is welling up inside his little catboy heart.
“Inside.” Ant ducks over and clambers inside the mouth of the vent. Red glances down inside before he follows. It’s a short drop that Ant somehow managed to make silently, then the thing levels out. He adjusts the bag slung over his back and eases himself down inside as slowly as possible. Nevertheless there’s a quiet clang as his boots hit the metal, and Antfrost hisses a quick shush at him. Red drops to his hands and knees and starts crawling down the vent after the hybrid.
“There’ve been far nicer reasons for me to get on my knees for someone,” he whispers. His voice echoes a little against the metal walls. It’s dark in the vent, and he can only barely see the movement of Ant’s tail in front of him. It’s a pity, just a couple more degrees of visibility and he’d see something much more pleasant to look at.
“This is a little bit more important than sucking dick,” Antfrost’s voice wafts back at him.
“Agree to disagree.” Red says. The noise of the cheering below them is now too loud for him to hear what Ant says in reply.
Antfrost’s back drops down from Red’s view and he sees the vent has opened up. When he looks out he finds a catwalk spanning the ceiling of the warehouse, with Antfrost already crouched on top of it. Below them is a throng of the cheering, shouting audience surrounding a ring in the center of the floor made out of concrete barriers. Two chimeras are fighting in the ring, a blur of blood and fur and scales. Red has a strong stomach for gore, but that doesn’t mean he finds it at all pleasant to see what the things are doing to each other.
He lands on the catwalk next to Antfrost. The hybrid jumps, then shakes himself.
“Give me the sedative,” Ant whispers, holding out his hand. His eyes are focused on the ring below.
Red reaches into his bag and pulls out one of the glass bottles; luminous pale yellow liquid swirling behind the glass. He reaches to put it in Ant’s palm, then pauses.
“What’s your tolerance level?” He asks.
“What?”
“Chemical tolerance. You’re a hybrid--it’s definitely been documented for you.” Hybrids are treated like second class citizens; shuffled around to keep more survivable areas of the city habitable for normal humans. Most hybrids have their chemical tolerance marked down somewhere so the government knows what areas they can dump them in without having them immediately die. Red has unusually high tolerance for a human, which is part of why he chose this line of work.
“I don’t know, seven?” Ant whispers back.
“It’s on a scale of one to a hundred, idiot.” Red reaches into his bag and fumbles around for a mask. There’s a screech from the creatures below.
“Red, they’re dying.” Ant says, trying to snatch the bottle out of Red’s hand. Red relents and shoves it into the hybrid’s palm. He pulls out the other two bottles he’s prepared, waiting as Ant arches back his arm to throw.
It’s a work of art, his aim. The first bottle lands directly in the thick of the audience and shatters, the liquid inside turning to gas the second air touches it. It balloons outward, clogging the air with thick yellow mist. Antfrost grabs the second bottle and hurls it so it breaks directly in front of the double doors that serve as the exit. The people down below are panicking; it’s like stepping on an anthill.
Red is good at his craft. A few seconds, and they’re already collapsing. Antfrost throws the last bottle; ensuring the entire warehouse floor is coated with heavy yellow fog. There are hybrids and cyborgs, here and there, who are only momentarily confused by the attack from above, whose systems are too resilient to the gas and are now gathering their bearings. One of them looks up and sees them.
Antfrost tackles Red to the catwalk. It shakes when they hit the metal and he’s momentarily stunned, to stunned to even protest. He still hasn’t gained his breath back when one of the cyborgs on the floor opens fire, bullets punching into the railing and barely missing them. Ant leaps off Red, whipping a crossbow out from under his coat. He aims down below, pulling the trigger. Red is still on his back trying to reinflate his lungs, and he can’t see if Ant managed to hit any of his targets.
A bullet strikes uncomfortably close to his head and he rolls upright, charging across the catwalk with one hand shoved into his bag. He fumbles for a bottle, then stumbles as something severs one of the wires from which the catwalk is hung. There’s the screech of metal and they plummet.
The good news: most of the onlookers collapsed near the edges of the room, not in the center where they fall, and the only casualties are two of the four hostiles still on their feet. The bad news: there are still two people trying to kill them.
Red Red struggles to his feet, yanking his baseball bat out from the straps on his back. Antfrost glances over at him, just for a moment, then leaps backwards as the cyborg swings a fist at him.
Red doesn’t have time to spare concern for Ant, because there’s a hybrid with claws and fangs and a nasty grin on her face charging at him. She has three arrows bristling from her shoulder, and she’s unsteady on her feet. He sidesteps, grips his bat firmly in both hands, and slams it into her shin. She collapses, lashing out at him with a clawed hand. He hops backwards on one foot to avoid her, stomps the tip of the bat to the ground to stabilize himself. She lurches forward, dragging herself with her good side, and sinks her claws into his calf. Red’s first reaction is, he must admit, a dumb one. He tears himself away and is rewarded with claws ripping through the muscle of his leg. Fucking Christ it hurts.
He falls just out of the reach of the hybrid. She has too much tranquilizer in her bloodstream to get up again and she’s already going under. Red tries to reach for his black bag only to realize he dropped it when the catwalk fell.
Catwalk.
Cat.
Antfrost.
He snaps his head up to see Ant dangling from the grip of the cyborg. The hybrid snarls, his hands wound around the arm at his throat. His claws are fully extended and scrabbling against the black metal.
Red screams the first thing he can think of as loud as possible.
“HEY, CUM SLUT.”
The cyborg whips his head towards Red, glowing yellow eyes narrowing. His grip loosens in his momentary distraction, and Ant thrashes forward, sinking his teeth into the man’s shoulder, where metal meets flesh. Red wonders what he has to do to get the catboy to bite him like that.
The cyborg hisses a swear and slams Antfrost to the concrete. Red panics and grabs the fallen baseball bat on the ground next to him. He hurls it towards the fallen hybrid.
A brown-furred hand snaps up and snatches the bat out of the air. Ant rolls backwards, dodging a punch from the cyborg, and leaps to his feet. He bends his knees, grips the bat, and swings.
Red painted that bat months ago in red-and-white stripes out of paint he mixed himself. It was combined with a little chemical mixture that turned acidic when it moved at a fast enough velocity. Red had never been able to swing it fast enough to get those decorative stripes to transform into something that could burn through whatever it hit in milliseconds
.Antfrost, on the other hand, can.
The bat sheers straight through both of the cyborgs legs, eating through the metal like it was butter. The cyborg hits the ground, his legs severed at the knee.
Ant gives an incredulous look at the bat in his hand, then lowers it and bounds over to Red.
“Are you okay? What happened?”
“Claws.” Red says brightly, trying to ignore the warmth seeping from his leg and the burn of the gashes through his muscle. He likes pain sometimes, in certain circumstances, but these are not the type of circumstances he tends to enjoy.
“Do you have a painkiller in your bag?” Antfrost drops to his knees next to Red.
He screws up his face. “Something like that.”
Ant turns and leaps over a few inert bodies, grabbing Red’s bag from the wreckage of the fallen catwalk and bring it over. He puts it down and latches his hands under Red’s arms, pulling him into a sitting position.
Red unzips the bag and pulls out a small vial that shimmers a tantalizing blue.
“You know, they say never get high off your own supply,” he says wryly as he uncaps it, “but this is an exception.”
It tastes like melon milk and fizzes a little as it goes down. Damn, he really is a good producer. The lady who ran the pharmacy he worked at couldn’t make one of these taste good for the life of her.
The pain in his leg fades and he relaxes. Antfrost has climbed into the ring and is picking up the two sedated chimeras, carrying them carefully to the empty cages next to the ring and laying them down inside. He takes the cages outside through a small door labeled Exit, and through a rising haze of uncanny calmness, Red wonders if he’s just leaving. He would be concerned about it, but even with his high tolerance the drink he took is getting to him. He doesn’t feel high or buzzed, just calm.
Ant runs back inside, empty handed this time, and comes over to Red. He bends down to look him in the eyes.
“Are you—were your eyes always that…shiny?” Ant asks.
“Yeah, it’s from exposure.” Red replies. He stares back into Antfrost’s eyes: large blue wells, with his pupils widened in the low light.
“All the chimeras are loaded into a truck out back. Can I carry you?”
“You can pick me up any day, Ant.” Red tells him.
The hybrid slides his arms under Res’s back and legs and heaves him up, walking carefully to the door. His arms are warm and his fur is soft where it brushes against Red’s skin.
Antfrost helps him climb into the passenger’s seat, then runs around the front of the truck to sit behind the wheel. He starts it with the keys still in the ignition and spins the wheel, pulling out from behind the warehouse.
Their section of the city is already near the outskirts, and the drive probably doesn’t take long. Probably. Red’s thoughts wander as Ant drives, thinking about animals and chimeras and acid paint. He snaps back to reality when they’ve officially left the city. It’s easy to tell, because outside is a wasteland of hills and trash.
Ant pulls over on the side of the road and stops the truck.
“Can you walk?”
Red glances down at his leg thoughtfully. The effect of his mixture is wearing off, and it stings slightly, but he nods anyway.
They unload the cages one at a time, driving a little way in between each one. The chimeras run as soon as Ant opens the cages, smart enough to head for the hills.
The last one they unload is the larger of the two that were in the ring when they broke in. It’s still sedated, so Ant leaves the door wide open and then sits on the ramp of the truck to wait for it to wake up.
Red climbs up beside him, shivering a little at the cold night air. “What about the other one?”
Antfrost casts a glance back into the truck. “It’s not doing so good. Too hurt to let out.”
Red looks at the cage with the aforementioned creature. It’s some kind of cat creature with horns and spikes on its back, its shoulder torn open in the fight. It sleeps fitfully.
“Are you sure they’ll survive out here?” He asks.
Ant rests his chin in his hands, hunching his shoulders. “I mean, I did.”
“You lived out here?”
Ant nods. “I’m not actually from Hypixel City. I lived out here until some people came promising opportunities and riches. It was bullshit. I was barely any different from them.” He nods at the still sleeping chimeras in their cages.
“They made you fight?”Ant nods. “For a while. Then Bad came and got me out.”
Red stares at Ant’s ears and the velvet-soft fur on them, the pads on the palms of his hands, the twitch of his nose. He sneezes, rubbing at his whiskers with one hand. Red wonders about the kind of madman who looks at the catboy sitting next to him and forces him to fight in a pit for entertainment.
“I’m cold.” Antfrost says suddenly. Red deliberates for a second, then scoots over and wraps a hand around the hybrid’s shoulders.
“What about you?” Ant asks, staring at the open cage on the ground and the sleeping chimera inside.
“What about my past? Well, nowhere near as bad as you.” Red laughs at the thought of comparing their childhoods. “I have unusually high tolerance for a human, so i started working for a pharmacist. Maybe I accidentally mixed something wrong and blew up the area.”
Ant gives him a sideways look. “Maybe?”
“Maybe.”
The hybrid chuckles, letting his head rest on Red’s shoulder. “Thanks for doing this, Red.”
“For you? Anything.” The words are bold, but he’s not in the mood to hold back his thoughts at the moment.
Ant doesn’t reply, but there’s an unmistakable rumble in his chest that Red immediately identifies as a purr. They sit there for a long time, under the moon in a wasteland, waiting for a creature to wake up and leave its cage.
They talk, about colors and toxins and friendships and names. They sit there until the chimera wakes up slowly, stretching its limbs, and scrambles out of its cage as fast as possible.
And in a toxic wasteland under a yellow moon, sitting on a stolen truck, Red kisses the love of his life for the first time.
Three years later and he wakes up to the chill of a winter morning.
Antfrost is lying next to him, curled around him to soak up as much heat as possible. Red moves to get up, but his boyfriend mumbles something in protest and somehow wiggles even closer to him. Red relents and lies back down, wrapping his arms around the hybrid.
And, finally, his hands aren’t cold.
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i remember thinking i had you
Summary: Based on the request sent in by @peter-maximoffsbitch “Hey! I saw your requests were opened and I wanted to ask if you could write a Peter x reader on a lazy Sunday morning? Ya know just some sweet domestic bliss ♡ Thank you!”. I started off doing the domestic bliss/lazy Sunday thing, then I ended up getting carried away because I couldn’t help myself. So this has that sweet domestic bliss side, but it also has a touch of angst and then back to happy bliss. 
Warnings: Spoilers for WandaVision
Pairing: Evan Peters!Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver x Reader
Word count: roughly 4,537
A/N: Was I totally listening to August by Taylor Swift while writing this first half? Yes. Yes I was. Also, your powers in this are supposed to be like Rouges, but it was sort of hard for me to describe them without saying her name as an example lol. Also this is my first time writing for Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver, so sorry if it is a little rough in some places. I hope this is what you’re looking for and a little more! Let me know what you think, feedback is always welcome!
Peter woke up laying almost exactly how he’d fallen asleep. His head resting on you, arms tucking behind your back. Only this time, instead of singing a soft melody in his ear as you brushed your fingers through his hair, you sat reading a book. Peter rolled over so he could look up at you,
“Morning.” He said through a yawn.
“Morning.” You smiled down at him, peaking past your book, only briefly. Putting your free hand back into his hair, causing him to melt into your hand and let out a content hum.
“I love it when you do that.”
“Oh, trust me, I know.” You let out a small giggle. He reacted the same way every time you went to touch his hair. A simple sigh of relaxation, a content hum, and a visible relaxation in his body.
“Whatcha reading?” He asked, eyes closed so he could fully appreciate your presence.
“A Tale of Two Cities. It’s for the literature class I’m taking.”
“Is it any good?”
“I think so. It’s pretty interesting, especially considering it’s partially based on real events.”
“Will you read it out loud?” He requests, you nod and pick-up where you left off. He lays patiently while you somewhat stumble your way through the book. It’s written with some older slang terms, making some of it hard for you to read quickly through, but Peter didn’t care. He cared about listening to the fluctuation in your voice telling him how you were reacting to a certain event, cared about your breath going in and out, cared about your steady heartbeat under his head. These were the only moments he could be completely still when awake. When you grounded him, allowing him to take things slow and appreciate every single moment of life. The sun was shining in on your skin, lighting you up in a way that seemed almost angelic. It was pure bliss.
 The warm memory of that delicate August morning helped you wake with a smile on your face. The first time you’d genuinely smiled in weeks. It has been too long since you felt the warmth Peter brought to you, too long since you woke to his snoring vibrating through your chest, too long since you got to run your hands through his hair and hear his sigh of content. It’s been about three weeks since he disappeared. No one knows where he is still and how to get in contact with him. The last time you saw him you were sitting out in the front lawn of the school with his head in your lap as he listens to his music through his headphones while you worked on homework. You’d taken a break to stare at a nearby bumble bee landing on a flower. It was calming.
“I’ll be right back” Peter said, getting up with a confused look on his face.
“Where are you going?” You started to ask but was cut off by him zooming away. You shrugged and went back to looking at the bee, he wouldn’t be gone long. You were wrong though; he was gone long. He never came back.
 You wiped away the tears forming on the brim of your eyes. You thought you had all the time in the world with Peter. You never thought he would leave you, especially not like this.
“Y/N”
You jumped, scared out of your mind. Sitting up and looking around like a madwoman. It was his voice.
“Peter?” You called out to him. “Jean? Is this some sick prank? Because I can tell you it’s not funny.”
“Y/N help me.” Peter called out to you.
“How? Where are you?” You asked quietly, realizing the voice was definitely not Jean, she could get into your head, but not like this.
“Come to me. I need your help.” Peter’s voice started to fade.
“No… Come back, tell me how to find you!” You start panicking. But just as quickly as the voice came, it was gone. You frustratingly fell back onto your pillow, almost trying to slam yourself into unconsciousness. At least there you would be with Peter. But what was that voice? You ran through the obvious thoughts, ‘I’m going crazy. It couldn’t have been him. Simply me imagining things because I was dreaming about him.’ But something about those excuses didn’t sit right with you. ‘Maybe Peter was reaching out? Maybe he found a way to contact me, like cerebro? Maybe that’s the key!’ You quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the long hallway where the device is kept. Your powers were confusing, in the way that you had no idea what the limit was. You were able to “absorb” other abilities. You wouldn’t take them from them, but you were able to use them if you touched the person and concentrated. At this point you were able to do a lot of the basics that could help you get to Peter. You had Jean’s telepathy, Kurt’s teleportation, Peter’s super speed, and your own strength and skill from training, you could get to him and save him. In your rush, you hadn’t even realized you bumped into Beast.
“Hey kid, what’s the hurry?” He asked you, startled.
“I have to find Peter.” You said, a wild look had over-come you, in your right-out-of-bed look.
He began to question you further, but you just began running. With Peter’s speed, you got there in a matter of seconds. Students weren’t really allowed in this area unless with Charles, but you could care less right now. You were getting Peter back. You broke into the room and quickly put on the helmet, homing in on his voice in your memory. You searched and searched when finally, it became clear again. He was calling out to you again.
“Come on Pete you gotta give me something to work with.” You searched his distant and fuzzy mind for anything that could give you a location. You saw that he was currently talking to a woman named Agnes. You couldn’t hear what she was saying but based on the worry pressing in on you from his mind, you figured it wasn’t too good. “Pete, I need you to look around the room for me. I have to be able to clearly visualize where I’m going.” Through Peter’s eyes you saw the room as he quickly looked away from the woman. It wasn’t much, but it might just be enough. You took cerebro off and clearly visualized Peter, that woman, and the room they were in.
 You landed with a cloud of blue hanging in the air. Right in front of you was Peter and the woman you assumed was holding Peter hostage in some way.
“Peter!” You ran to hug him, but he just stumbled backwards.
“Woah there toots. You don’t waste any time, do you?”
“Who are you?” The woman Agnes asked, grabbing your arm.
“My name is Y/N and I’m here to take my boyfriend home, even if it means I have to kill you.”
She began cackling, “Kill me? Honey I’m hundreds of years old. You couldn’t kill me in your dizziest daydreams.” She still held your arm, you began concentrating, seeping her power into your body. Allowing you to feel how powerful she was. But at least now the fight would be even.
“So, what are we gonna do with you? I can’t have you running around telling people who he is. No, I need him to play his part well.”
“What did you do to him? What do you mean play his part?”
“Well, you see honey, I need your little boy toy here to be my eyes and ears.”
“He’s under your control? So, he doesn’t remember me?” Your heart cracked a little at the thought. You didn’t even need her to confirm this, you could see into his mind and see the haze over his memories from home.
“Mhmmm, how about this. I could use you both if we go about this the right way. So, Pietro dear,” Peter’s eyes flickered away from you to her. “Stick to the plan, introduce yourself on the show tonight. And you little lady are going to be the new neighbor in town, introducing yourself tomorrow, so you can keep a watch from a distance, and if Pietro here were to fail, you could swoop in and take over.”
“What am I supposed to be watching for?” You asked.
“I need some information out of his sister Wanda, and you two are going to help me get it, or you’re never going home.”
 The next day you woke up in an unfamiliar bed. Looking around, you saw Halloween decorations everywhere, and in your closet a single costume. You were going to dress up as a cowgirl. You rolled your eyes, “how original” you muttered to yourself. While Agnes thought she had put you under the same spell as Peter, she was very wrong. You were able to block her out but played the part of brain-washed zombie well enough she let you and Peter go. You didn’t dare say anything other than a good night to Peter as he went to this Wanda’s house and you went a house over from Agnes’s. You got ready and went down to the first floor of your new home to find a snoring Peter laying sprawled out on your couch. ‘This is it’ You thought, my chance to take him and never look back. But what would stop Agnes from following you? She found Peter once. You knew if you planned on making it out of here, you had to make it through today like she planned. Then you might be able to bargain yours and Peter’s freedom or even just make a break for it. You walked around to the front of the couch and sat cross-legged in front of Peter. You missed him so much, but it seems he’s been unable to even think about you other than the subconscious plea he called to you with. You ran your hand through his hair and saw a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth. He released a soft sigh and you saw his visibly tense shoulders relax.
“You found me” He muttered.
“Peter?” You gasped; does he remember?
“Who else would it be? Jesus?” He laughed at his own joke and you let out a sob that you’d been holding in for way too long. His eyes shot open and before you knew it, he was up and pulling you into his lap on the couch, holding you close. He began drawing shapes on your back, trying to calm you. “Shhh… it’s okay. I’m here now, and I’m not leaving your side until we get out of this hell on earth.” Your shoulders shook with the force of your crying. After a couple minutes, you were able to calm yourself and wipe your eyes dry. “Better?” He asks, pushing your hair back from your face. You nod your head, “Good, because we have a big day ahead of us. Playing along with Agnes’s little game, then getting the hell out of dodge.”
 You and Peter headed over to Wanda’s house together. On the way, he caught you up on the things he was supposed to do, pretending to be Wanda’s brother and convincing her to tell him how she created this fake little world. You were holding his hand up to the point of Wanda’s front door. Peter dropped your hand and you felt he warmth slowly seeping out of you again as he turned around and said “showtime” to you.
He rang the doorbell, and it was answered by a small child, probably the age of 10. “Uncle P!”
Peter ran into the house, throwing the boy and the other one nearby over his shoulders. He ran them round and round in circles as they playfully screamed and laughed their heads off.
“Someone better be bleeding or dying.” A woman came down the stairs dressed in a red costume. She stopped when she saw you awkwardly standing in the doorway. You could feel her trying to get inside your head, so you gave her slight access. Enough to see you were new in town and Peter was helping you meet new people after he bumped into you on the street.
“And who is this?” Wanda referenced you, as if she didn’t know.
“Oh, this lovely lady here is Y/N. I met her on my way to your house this morning and she’s new, so I thought why not introduce her to some neighbors.” Peter said as he put the boys down and zoomed next to you, putting a hand on your back to slightly push you forward to greet Wanda.
You felt a blush rise to your cheeks at the ‘lovely lady’ comment, ‘good, she’ll believe our story of being strangers’ you thought in the back of your mind, somewhere you weren’t letting her gain access to. You held you hand out to her and she took it with slight hesitation, but when you showed her you meant no harm, she relaxed slightly. In that brief moment though, you were able to gain even the slightest access to her powers, and you took the oppourtunity.
“Wanda” She told you.
“It’s nice to meet you Wanda. I just live two houses down actually, so we were bound to bump into each other at some point.” You let out a small innocent giggle, “But Pietro here was just bursting with energy at the chance of bringing me to meet you.” Wanda gave a smile to Peter and quickly noticed his hand still resting on your back. You could see in her mind that she was picking up the idea that Peter thought you were cute and wanted to impress you.
“Why don’t you join us for trick-or-treating tonight? You could meet more people around town, and by the looks of it you’re already dressed for the occasion.” She waved at your cowgirl get-up.
“Yeah, I was hoping I wouldn’t be the only one dressing up all day. Love that costume by the way, so cute on you!” You complemented her.
“What are you supposed to be mom?” One of the boys asked,
“Old red riding hood?” The other one seemed to finish the thought.
Peter snickered, “I’m actually a Sakovian fortune teller.” She said forming an invisible crystal ball with her hands.
“That’s so cool!” One of the boys said at the same time that Peter seemed to say “Lame”, the boy quickly fixing his previous statement, and copying the “lame”.
“It’s worse than the costumes mom made for us the year we got typhus.” Then the strangest thing happened. It was a flashback, that all of you could see, playing in your head. Peter did mention that we were on some sort of TV show Wanda created, so maybe it was supposed to be a character flash back?
“That’s not exactly how I remember it.”
“You probably suppressed a lot of the trauma”
Just then the boys grabbed your hands and pulled you away from Peter and Wanda.
“Wanna see our new game?” They asked, even though their determined pulling you away was more like “Come see our new game, now.” But, of all the people you’ve met so far, these two boys had the purest minds. They weren’t clouded by anything or anyone, they weren’t being controlled, so you knew their question wasn’t scripted or forced, just them being kids.
They pulled you to sit down on the ground with them on either side as they showed you how to play with them. You kept an eye on Peter’s mind, and you saw that he was smiling at you and the boys. Wanda’s mind was slightly louder than the clouded Peter, and she was now looking between you and Peter curiously. You looked a little bit deeper into her mind and realized she was suspicious of Peter. He didn’t look like her actual brother, or even act like him. But she was starting to put that aside, since he had given her no real reason to not trust him yet. She was now fascinated though, with his reaction to you. She could tell he acted different when he turned his attention to you.
You quickly left Wanda’s mind, sensing that she was starting to feel someone in her head. Peter zoomed over to you, sitting on the coffee table, resting his legs on either side of your torso. He wrapped his arms around you and helped you play the game by putting his hands over yours.
“Hey! No cheating Uncle P!” The boy who introduced himself as Billy said.
“It’s not cheating, just teaching!” He put his hands up in self-defense. But quickly replaced them over yours to help you get ahead of the boys again.
Just then, you heard someone else come down the stairs. You heard his conversation with Wanda, and gathered he was her husband and the twins’ father. Wanda told him about you being new in town, and you saw in her mind her leaning closer to his ear and saying, “I think Pietro has a crush on her.” And pulling back from him with a smirk on her face. The man named Vision gave a soft “ahh” and nodded in understanding. As soon as Peter had rushed behind you, he was gone.
“Sweet costume bro-ham-in-law. Let me guess, traffic light? Half-shucked corn? A booger!”
“Yes…” Vision said, clearly over Peter, but you couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
Peter pumped his fist in the air and came back behind you and continued to help you play the game, but that was after he handed all three of you sodas and showed them how to shotgun it. “One, two, three, go!” Peter exclaimed as you all tried to down it as fast as you could. You actually finished first and turned around to smash the can into Peter’s head. You were able to do it fairly easy, and you heard the thought run through Wanda’s mind, ‘Wow, she’s pretty strong… I wonder… No. I would see it in her head’. You turned back around making sure to go at a normal speed. The last thing you needed was for her to find out you were a mutant and hiding something from her.
Later on in the day, you, Wanda, Peter, Tommy and Billy began walking through the streets, on the hunt for candy. Peter was running around with the boys, leaving you and Wanda alone to talk. It was then that you felt the presence of Agnes in your mind. You made sure to keep the conversation light, to not make Wanda suspicious, but to maybe hint towards the information you needed.
“So, what made you come to Westview?” Wanda asked.
“I started thinking about moving about a month ago, this was close to the city, but not too close, and it had some good property up for sale. So, I took a leap of faith and ended up here.” You smiled at her, “What about you? How long have you been here?”
“Oh, not long, just came here to start a family and live sort of mundane suburban lives you always hear are so great and perfect.” She laughed lightly to herself.
“How’d you meet Vision?” You could feel Agnes approving of your questions in your head, encouraging you to go on.
“Oh, ummm… We were friends before we got together, so I’ve known him for a while.” Agnes was getting frustrated at how vague Wanda’s answers were. “Pietro seems to have his eye on you.” Wanda pointed out Peter standing behind the kids as they were grabbing candy from a couple, watching you and Wanda closely.
“Quite literally” You chuckled.
“I’ve never seen him act the way he does with you. You… slow him down. Not in a bad way of course, but you can tell from the way he’s been acting around you, it’s like he’s scared to let you go. Like you’ll disappear. Are you sure you just met this morning?”
“Yeah, but he did talk a million miles an hour before he brought me over to your house, so I feel like I got his whole life story” You laughed, feeling Wanda’s suspiciousness suppressing for the time being.
 You took over walking with the boys for a bit while Peter tried taking a shot at getting some information out of Wanda.
“You’re very confusing.” Billy said to you.
“Why’s that?” You asked, looking down to the boy staring at you confused.
“You have a bunch of different voices in your head.”
You raised your eyebrows in surprise, “You can read minds like your mom?”. Great one more person you had to block your thoughts from.
Billy nodded his head in hesitation, “I think, I’m not sure. It didn’t start until just now. It’s like all of the sudden I can hear everything and it’s a lot. It kind of hurts.”
“Here, let me show you a trick” You got down to his eye level and said, “close your eyes, take a deep breath in, then out. Focus on the sound of one voice, my voice. I know you said I have a couple but pick the loudest one and stick with it. Follow it like a string. Open your eyes.” Billy did as you said, “Better?” He nodded and smiled.
“How did you know how to do that?”
“Well between you and me, I have a few tricks up my sleeve too.” You put a shushing finger over your mouth and then cut your thoughts off from him.
“I can’t hear you anymore.”
“I know, because I’m not letting you. If you want to focus on someone else you can, if it helps. Or the voice you focus on is your own. Tune the others out and just think about your own thoughts. It can be hard when you have loud thoughts around you, like your Uncle P. His thoughts are the loudest in the area. But after some practice, you’ll be a pro just like your mom.”
Billy smiled up at you as he realized just how loud Peters thoughts actually were.
 The trick-or-treating was going by pretty quick especially with Peter eventually taking over permanently and zooming around the town with the boys. You were walking with Wanda again.
“I heard you helped Billy.” Wanda said to you, “How did you know how to control the mind reading?”
“Oh, just a trick I picked up from a friend of mine.”
Wanda narrowed her eyes at you a little, “You’re lying. You’re blocking me out and hiding something. I can feel it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Really. I have a friend who can read minds and she told me how she controls it and how she focuses.”
“Then why are you shutting me out?”
“Because I don’t like people being in my head. I’ve got too much going on as it is.”
“Who are you?” Wanda stopped you and held you still with her magic.
“My name is Y/N and I’m new in town. I can promise you, I mean you and your family no harm.”
“Then show me your mind. Completely.”
You sighed and let Wanda in your mind. She saw everything, from when you got here, to your life back with the XMen, your life with Peter. The only thing she didn’t get access to were your memories of Agnes. You assumed Agnes herself put a lock and key on them in case this exact thing happened.
“So, you’re here for Pietro or Peter as you call him. I knew there was something off about you two.”
“Please, we will leave with no fuss. Just let me take him home.” You pleaded with her.
“Fine, but I doubt your teleporting power will work to get you out of here. It’s not strong enough.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be able to get out. I also possess some of your magic. The exact type of magic that will let me and Peter through safely.”
“Leave.” Wanda gave you a threatening stare, not too happy with the idea of your magic matching hers. You used Peter’s superspeed to get to him as quick as you could.
“Hey Pietro, can I interest you in a late-night stroll through the park?” You asked him, trying to stay casual.
“Why of course m’lady.” Peter stuck his elbow out for you to grab. “Why don’t you two demons catch up with your mom.”
“Ahhh, really?” Tommy whined.
“Hey, stay cool. When a pretty lady wants to take you somewhere, you follow suit.” He winked at them.
“Dad?” Billy randomly burst out in a confused tone, “Dad!” He started to panic.
“What’s wrong Billy, what do you see?” You asked him.
“I can’t tell, he’s too far away.” By now Wanda had made her way over to her freaking out child.
“Focus. Follow the string. Follow his voice.” You told him
“He’s hurt. There are a bunch of soldiers around him.”
Wanda tensed up and her eyes started glowing red.
“Relax sis, it’s not like your dead husband could die twice.” Peter said, trying to diffuse the situation, only it did the exact opposite. Wanda whipped around and shot a red blast his way.
“I said leave!” She yelled at you. You nodded your head and zoomed over to where Peter landed. He was unconscious, but you pulled him in your arms and using the combined magic of Wanda and Agnes, and your teleportation, you thought of home and pulled the two of you out of there. You were worried at first that Agnes might try to stop you since you weren’t successful in your mission to get information out of Wanda, but she didn’t stop you. You assumed it was because Wanda knew you two were not who you said you were, so you wouldn’t be helpful anyways.
 You woke up lying in your own bed at home again. For the first time, in a long time, Peter was lying next to you. He was awake already and was watching you carefully.
“How are you feeling?” He asked as he push your hair off your forehead.
“Better now that we’re home. How did I get in bed?” You specifically remember teleporting you and Peter to Charles’ office so you could tell him what happened.
“When we got back you collapsed from the effort. Charles said your mind was awake, but tired and you used too much magic and power for what you’re used to. I was so scared you killed yourself.”
You shook your head, trying to remember anything after you left Westview, but you just couldn’t, “How long have I been out?”
“About two days. I’ve been so restless, just waiting for you to open your eyes. Poor Jean, I kept finding her to read your mind and make sure you hadn’t died. You were scary still.”
“Well, I’m awake now, and you’re home with me. That’s all that matters.” You pulled his head onto your chest and started to play with his hair. He hummed in content and relaxed into your body.
“I know I just slept for two days, but do you mind if we just stay in today?” You asked him.
“We can do whatever you want.” You could feel a smile forming on his face, against your skin.
“What I want to do first though, is pee.” You rushed to the bathroom, letting Peter’s face flop into the bed as you shut the door behind you. You heard him laughing. It was so good to hear his laugh again. To feel his warmth linger on your skin, and knowing when you returned he would still be there. That’s all you’ve wanted for the past three weeks.
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Ryan, Sophie & Mary go to the beach.
“She gives you butterflies” - A Wildmoore fanfic
“Oh my GAWD, why is it so freakin hot!” Sophie whined. Sophie was lying on Mary and Ryan’s couch with her head on one end and her legs perched up on Ryan’s lap. Ryan had her head thrown back with her hand over her face and Mary was lying on her stomach on the floor and she had a cold rag draped over her neck. 
“Well you could take you butt back to your own place, having one less body here would probably make it less hot.” Ryan shot Sophie a glance. And Sophie hit Ryan with a pillow. Ryan was too hot to retaliate. 
“My place is just as hot and it has no trees or areas of shade! It’s not my fault the power went out all over town. And hey, you’re Batwoman, why don’t you go find what happened and fix it or something?” Mary rolled her eyes but didn’t look at Sophie and Ryan. She now understood that this was Ryan and Sophie’s way of flirting with each other. At first when they bickered like this and were mean to each other, she thought they really hated one another- and they probably did. But somewhere along the line they started to hate each other less and hang out more. But that didn’t stop the tension. Mary wanted to ask one of them what was going on but she also wasn’t so sure they themselves even understood it. So for now she was comfortable just letting them be annoyingly flirty and oblivious.
“I’ve got it!!” Mary exclaimed and sat up quickly. Glee on her face. Sophie and Ryan both turned their heads expectantly at Mary, waiting for whatever their genius doctor friend had to say. 
“Swimming! We should totally go swimming!” Mary waited for Sophie and Ryan to leap with delight at her brilliant idea. That didn’t exactly happen. Ryan and Sophie silently communicated with each other through their eyes- something they started doing a lot lately. Mary patiently waited, watching the cute faces they were making at each other. 
“Ok fine.” Ryan said. Mary had not heard any exchange but based on Ryan’s tone, Sophie thought the swimming was a great idea and Ryan did not. But Sophie had convinced Ryan to go along with it. Mary wouldn’t admit this out loud to anyone but she liked watching the dynamic between Ryan and Sophie. She would be jealous of their connection if she didn’t suspect the two had feelings for each other. While she sometimes felt like a 3rd wheel, she knew that what those two had was developing into something deeper than friendship. She sometimes wanted to get Alice in the same room and have her start psychoanalyzing the pair. 
“Oh come on Ryan, this is gonna be fun. Beside it’s hot as hell, don’t you wanna get wet?” As soon as the words left Sophie’s mouth, Sophie felt her cheeks get warm. She prayed Ryan would let it go. 
“You know what Soph, I do want to get wet, but there are other ways that I can make that happen.” Ryan smirked at Sophie and gave her a suggestive look. Then she replaced that look with her wide signature smile, the one she knew Sophie couldn’t resist. Sophie cracked a smile.
“Somebody needs to get fucked.” Sophie said. 
“I’m not the only one.” Ryan shot back. Sophie’s eye brows raised. 
“OKAY! Sophie, let’s stop by your place on the way there and you can grab your suit. They said power would be back on in a few hours so hopefully when we come back all our food isn’t rotten. Grab some snacks and water that you have. Ryan go grab your shit that you need from your room and I’ll get what I need.” Mary enjoyed Ryan and Sophie’s dynamic but she didn’t need to hear them making sex comments towards each other. She also didn’t need them to bone each other right in her presence. Maybe going to the beach with these two hormonal teenagers was not one of her more genius ideas after all. 
Scene 2: The Beach++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Come on you slow asses!” Sophie called from the water. She apparently was a mermaid in her past life and she loved the water. Mary and Ryan were in a spot in the sand that was partially covered by shade. 
“We’ll be down in a second!’ Mary shouted back at Sophie, then watched her dive under the water and then resurface, dive under, and resurface. The sun sparkled on the water around Sophie, and Mary lifted her eyes to look at the sky. It was a gorgeous day. Beside her, Ryan was putting on sunblock, pretending not to be interested in watching Sophie. Mary decided maybe now was a good time to just put the idea in Ryan’s head. Or at least show Ryan support. Ryan was a very proud person and her relationship with Sophie and the crows had been, rocky. To put it lightly. Even though Sophie was no longer with the crows, Mary knew how hard it was for Ryan to finally let Sophie in. 
“You know, it’s alright if you like her.” Mary started off slowly, she didn’t want to piss Ryan off and make the whole day uncomfortable. Ryan visibly stiffened and then relaxed. 
“Who?” Ryan went for acting like she didn’t know what or who Mary was referring to. Mary rolled her eyes. 
‘Ryan, you are not that good of an actor first of all. Sophie found out you were Batwoman in point 5 seconds. So let’s leave the acting to Viola Davis, shall we?” Ryan didn’t say anything. Mary tried again. 
“Sophie. Ryan, I’m talking about Sophie. It’s ok if you like her. You know like, like her like her.” Ryan was quiet for a second. 
“I can’t like a crow Mary. Me and Soph are friends now and that’s it. Do I think she’s pretty, of course, I have eyes. But that would never work.” Ryan clapped the top onto the sunblock and stared out at Sophie. Ryan felt butterflies in her stomach and she absentmindedly put her hand over her belly. She didn’t realize Mary was watching. 
“She gives you butterflies.” Mary stated matter-of-factly, she had followed Ryan’s gaze that was still trained on Sophie. They were quiet for a few moments and then Ryan looked at Mary.
“She gives me the whole damn zoo.” Ryan finally said. Mary laughed and shoulder bumped Ryan. “Tell her.” Mary said softly. Ryan gave Mary a, bitch are you serious, look.
“I’m not telling Sophie shit. It’s just a crush, besides I just ended things with Imani, it would be weird to just jump into another relationship. And she already was suspicious of me and Sophie.” Ryan sounded like she was trying to convince herself. “Besides, a crow? Ew.” 
“Kay, Sophie is not with the crows anymore, stop using that as an excuse. Second, Luke told me you hated having to keep your Bdub identity from Imani. Just think you wouldn’t have to hide that from Sophie because she already knows.” 
“I already know what?” Sophie had walked up on the pair as they were deep in conversation and had lost Sophie among the sea of beach goers; they had not realized she’d gotten out of the water until she was in their face. Ryan changed the subject quickly. 
“Um you already know that I can win in a foot race to the water.” Ryan knew that was a weak cover but she hoped Sophie would let it slide. She played on Sophie’s competitive side. 
“Girl, now I know you’s a damn lie.” Sophie said. Ryan chuckled and she stood up. 
“Ready set go!” Ryan counted off fast and took off running trying to get the advantage of starting off early. Sophie’s longer legs had no issue keeping up with Ryan. They got to the edge of the water and Sophie grabbed Ryan from behind and lifted her. Sophie spun them around and they both went crashing into the water. They wrestled and tussled for a bit. Touching each others mid sections playfully and letting fingers and hands roam and linger longer than what was appropriate for people who were just friends. Mary watched on from her spot in the sand with vivid fascination. 
“You know I won, right?” Sophie said slightly out of breath from the running and then the rough housing. They were now wading a little over waist deep in the water. Sophie was half a foot taller than Ryan so the water wasn’t covering her as much. She shivered. Ryan instinctively reached out and put her hands on Sophie. She knew it would not warm her up but she wanted an excuse to touch her again. She started on Sophie’s arms and then put her hands on Sophie’s waist and slowly pulled her closer. It was weird being this close to Sophie, it felt intimate. But natural. Comfortable. Right. Sophie looked down into Ryan’s eyes with a bit of a question mark circling her orbs but she let Ryan continue. Ryan had these deep chocolate brown puppy dog eyes that Sophie could never get enough of and right now they were melting fires into Sophie’s own. She contemplated saying something, but she didn’t know what and she didn’t want to interrupt whatever was happening between them. She thought that if she spoke that maybe this spell would be broken. Suddenly, Ryan pulled herself up slowly and kissed Sophie on her neck. It was one of the sexist kisses that Sophie had ever experienced. She buried her head into Ryan and felt Ryan’s soft wet lips kiss and suck and then give a little bat bite. Then it was over and Ryan pulled back. Sophie’s looked at Ryan, not sure of what was going to happen next. She let Ryan take the lead because she seemed determined. 
“I’ve wanted to do that for so long.” Ryan simply said. And then she laughed and put her head against Sophie’s chest. Almost embarrassed now by her own bravado. Sophie wrapped her arms around Ryan and they stood there like that, holding each other. Not fully understanding the magnitude of the situation, but also not wanting to make a big deal or extravagant gestures and speeches. Suddenly they both got drenched with a huge wave. They looked around to see who the culprit was and their eyes landed on Mary who was smirking. They both splashed her back and they all screamed and shouted playfully, trying to see who could splash the other with the most water.
“I told you guys the beach would be littyyy,” Mary said cheerfully. 
‘Yeah yeah.” Sophie and Ryan both said in unison. 
“Oh also, I better not catch you two having sex on the couch.” Mary splashed Ryan and Sophie and then quickly dived under the water. Ryan and Sophie’s mouths hung open, and they slowly looked at one another, then back at Mary who was getting further away. Sophie thought she heard Ryan mutter, “can’t make any promises” as they raced to catch up with their friend. 
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ddarker-dreams · 4 years
Text
Kinktober Day 5: Cramped Spaces. Mista x F Reader 🎀
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[Scarlet Ribbons description]
This takes place in Guido Mista’s route, which branches off from the main Scarlet Ribbons story.
Description: Mista never has good timing, but this has to be the worst you’ve ever seen. Not SFW. Tags: Slight exhibitionism, dirty talk, blow jobs, boob jobs, throatfucking, and partially clothed sex. Word count: 1.5k.
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You’ve never seen such a disaster of a night. 
The expectation of plans going exactly as they are meant to is one you’ve never held, especially when you’re paired up with Mista. Improvisation seems to be his middle name. That’s all well and good. What’s not good is the fact you’ve lost sight of your target, and are currently knee-deep in enemy territory. 
Mista is running just ahead, gun at the ready, and you’re following suit. You’re both concerned with the same thing, do you risk fighting here? This building isn’t an ideal place for Mista’s Stand. A cramped nightclub filled to the brim with tourists and locals alike, music blasting at full volume and strobe lights blinding. It’s too risky that bystanders would get caught in the middle.
Even if you could find a more open area to fight, that might not be in your best interest. The rumor of another gang selling narcotics at this establishment is what got you two assigned to this job. Getting in a fight with them now could lead to a full blown turf war, the last thing Passione needs at the moment. This was purely meant to be reconnaissance, not a confrontation. Now it feels like you’ve swatted at a wasp nest. 
Utilizing all your stamina to continue weaving in and out of the crowd behind Mista, he suddenly makes a sharp turn into a storage closet. Maybe he’s hoping to gather our bearings, you think. It’s a good idea for the two of you to be on the same page. You follow in behind him, closing the door and wrapping ribbons around the handle for good measure. There, now no one should be able to open it. 
“So, what are we supposed to do?” you speak up while shuffling around, trying to get used to this constrictive space. It doesn’t help that it’s so dark you can barely see a thing in here. “I’m pretty sure Mariano spotted one of us. God, what a mess... now they know we’re onto them. Should I call Bucciarati?” 
No response. 
Well, that’s odd. Mista’s nothing if not talkative. Frowning, you squint, eyes still adjusting to the dim light from a single lightbulb overhead. Mista’s chest is heaving for air. Was the run that winding? You were only sprinting for less than a minute, you’ve seen him exercising for longer periods of time than that. Concern floods into your being at his unnerving silence. Leaning closer to him, you inspect for any possible injuries, hearing how he inhales sharply as you brush against him in the process.
You’re not seeing any visible wounds. “Mista? Are you alright?” 
“A-ah, I’m fine [First], just... catching my breath, that’s all...” He trails off, gulping at the end of his sentence. Why does he sound so apprehensive? You feel something hard against the inside of your thigh, mind temporarily going blank. Wait. Hold on just a moment. Everything is starting to add up. Glancing down, you take notice of how your chest is pressing right against his. It doesn’t help that this outfit is particularly revealing, in hopes of blending in with the night crowd. Your cleavage is visible even in the sparse lighting. 
“For fucks sake, Mista,” you whisper yell to him, flicking his forehead. “Now is not the time for this!” 
“I know that! It’s just, god, you look so hot tonight and I just want to,” he takes a deep breath and cuts himself off. You can tell he’s trying his best to calm down, but now you feel flustered as well. “And we haven’t... well, y’know, in a while because we’re both so busy--” 
“You can’t be serious.” You deadpan. Here you two are, on the brink of a possible firefight, and Mista’s incapable of not being horny for just a few minutes. Not that you don’t understand where’s he coming from. With all the work on your plates it’s been far too long since you’ve been intimate together, warmth gathering between your legs at the thought. I guess we’re both a mess. How romantic.
It’s difficult to know what you’re doing without a clear source of light, but you start pulling his pants down, much to his surprise. “Babe, wait, what?” 
“Be quiet, would you,” you curse yourself for stuttering, cheeks flushing as you sink down to your knees. The last thing you need is for his head to be in the gutter when your lives are on the line. “I’ll just-- take care of this, so you can use your brain to full compacity again.” 
“It’s not like I’m complainin’ or anything, trust me. Fuck, okay, I’ll be honest, this is really hot. I’ve jerked off to the thought of this at least once... maybe twice, actually.” 
You manage to get his pants down as he rambles on. He bites his lower lip when you take his length out, which has hardened considerably. Running your fingers up and down his cock, you feel the most prominent veins throbbing from your movements. Stroking him further, the muscles in his legs go taut, and an idea comes to mind. The easy access of your revealing top allows for you to pull your boobs out. Mista’s mind goes blank when you settle his dick in between your cleavage. 
“Ahh, fuck, yes,” he groans, bucking into your movements frantically. “I’ve always wanted... to fuck those pretty tits of yours, nn...”  
You hum in acknowledgement, pressing your lips around the head of his cock. His precum tastes salty, but you don’t mind, tongue coming out to lap all of him up. Mista throws his head back at the sensation, numerous curses leaving his lips. It feels nice knowing you have this effect on him. While you pleasure his length with your chest, your mouth focuses on sucking and kissing the tip of his dick. 
Mista’s hands curl into your hair, pulling your face as close to him as he can. “Make good use of that cute little mouth of yours. Take all of me in.” 
Obliging to his command, you open your mouth further, taking in all of his pulsing cock. Mista doesn’t give you any time to adjust. He starts thrusting into your mouth, the sudden sensation causing you to gag. You press your hands on his thighs to keep your balance, feeling how his balls hit your chin with every desperate thrust. He’s too occupied fucking your mouth to think about anything, the loud wet noises he’s making, or the moans that continue falling from his lips. 
“Y-you like that, don’t you?” he gasps, slamming his dick into your mouth like a man possessed. “Little... slut... dressing like that... you wanted me to do this to you. Wanted me to use you like the little whore you are.” 
You whine against him, the vibration almost sending him over the edge.  “Nngh... I’m gonna come right in your mouth, take all of it...!” 
Just a few moments later, Mista lets out a low growl, halting his feverish movements. He releases hot loads of cum down your throat, pressing himself so tightly against you that it’s difficult to breathe. Your heart is pounding while he remains still, salty cum coating your tongue. He’s gasping for air when he finally pulls his softening dick from your mouth. Grimacing, you manage to swallow as he asked. Some globs of his cum dribbles down your face from your mouth. That’s going to be a pain to clean up... 
Neither of you say a word. Mista puts himself away, then offers you a hand to help get up. 
“What a gentleman.” You comment with a roll of your eyes, using the back of your hand to wipe at your mouth. At least your lungs are able to get the air they so desperately need now. A part of you almost forgot the situation you were in entirely, too preoccupied with your horny boyfriend. Not that you’re much better, seeing as your panties are completely soaked. He’s gonna pay for that later. Now you have to walk around the rest of the night in these... 
“I second that,” Mista hums. He’s beaming at you, smoothing over your messy hair. “I’ll eat you out later, don’t even worry about it babe. Or we can just fuck, whatever you like.” 
“How about we find a way out of this mess first?” 
He blinks, realization hitting him. “Oh yeah, I kinda forgot about that.”
“Mista, you’re unbelievable...” 
352 notes · View notes
panharmonium · 4 years
Text
beyond the white mountains
Since I’m on an Ealdor kick right now (not that I’m ever not, I mean, but working on that edit the other day and thinking about Merlin running away with Freya just started me feeling things with renewed intensity), here is some talk about my favorite location, for my own satisfaction.
(My deep and abiding interest in Merlin’s home is a pretty niche passion and probably not something that is particularly interesting to others, which means I haven’t ever really typed up any serious musings about it before, but at this point, I think anybody who hangs around my blog knows that my brain is at least 50% unfettered love for Merlin’s pre-Camelot life, so I’m just gonna go ahead and indulge myself here.)
Something that has always been a pet peeve of mine is the fact the map we’re all familiar with as supplemental material is wrong.
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I know it comes from the BBC.  It is STILL WRONG.
I’m sure most everyone is already aware of this fact, just by virtue of looking at some of the other locations and thinking, “uhhh that really doesn’t make sense” (for instance, in the show, the Isle of the Blessed is canonically stated to be in Odin’s kingdom, whereas on this map it’s in Camelot) - but my particular area of interest, due to past writing escapades, is Ealdor and Cenred’s kingdom, so just to set the record straight on those locations specifically - this is what our supplemental map tries to tell us:
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And this just isn’t right.  Canonically, Ealdor is NOT to the east of Camelot.  Cenred’s kingdom is NOT on Camelot’s eastern border.  And the White Mountains are NOT all the way over there!!!
Here are the Real Facts™, courtesy of the show:
1. Ealdor is NORTH of Camelot.
“So where are you headed?” (Tristan, asking where Merlin and Arthur are going, as they’re on their way to Ealdor.) “North, over the border.”
“We're heading north to a safe haven.  To Ealdor.”
2. The White Mountains lie BETWEEN Ealdor and Camelot, not way out in West Nowheresville.
“I know a place.  Ealdor.  It's beyond the White Mountains.”
“Ealdor lies at the far side of that valley....Agravaine couldn’t have tracked us through the mountains.” 
You can even see the mountain range in the show.  Ealdor is visibly situated in the valleys created by the foothills of The White Mountains.  Merlin has to hike THROUGH the White Mountains to get from Ealdor to Camelot:
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And then this is the view on the way from Camelot to Ealdor:
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And this is literally what Merlin sees every time he looks out his back door.  (This shot is from Hunith’s POV, when she’s standing on the village green watching the fab four head back to Camelot.)  
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The map can say what it wants, but the White Mountains are NOT all the way over in the western reaches of Camelot, and Ealdor is not out to the east.  The mountains are NORTH of Camelot, forming a border between Uther and Cenred’s kingdoms, and Merlin’s home is nestled in their foothills.  When Merlin is out haymaking every June in the meadow pictured above, he’s doing it in the shadow of those very mountains. 
[This fits, too, with Hunith’s comment to Uther that “winters are harsh in Ealdor.”  The climate in various mountainous regions can differ tremendously, obviously, but if Ealdor is on the windward side of the range, it would receive a lot more precipitation (more snow!) than Camelot on the leeward side.  And then there’s mountain/gap winds to consider, altitude, etc - all things that could contribute to Ealdor experiencing slightly different winters than Camelot.]
It matters, too, when we think about the scene Merlin has with Freya in 2.09, when they’re talking about their respective homes - when Freya tells him her home was "surrounded by the tallest mountains” - when she talks about the winter storms, and the wind, and the summer wildflowers; when she says it was like heaven - that resonates with Merlin.  Freya doesn’t necessarily realize it, because Merlin has been more reticent than her about describing his home, but a lot of what she’s describing is familiar to him.  It speaks to him.  It paints a picture of something he misses, in a complicated way; it’s something he sees as beautiful.  “It sounds perfect,” he says to her.  And he means it.
There are a number of reasons why Merlin decides to run off with Freya in 2.09, and this is hardly the most important one.  But it does matter, and I personally think taking Merlin’s tangled, frequently-suppressed homesickness into account when we try to understand who he is and why he does the things that he does is relevant, always, even if that particular side of him usually goes undiscussed.
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We know some other things about the geography surrounding Ealdor, too, though those features aren’t so egregiously mislabeled on the map.  
We know that there is a forest somewhere along the border that extends into Cenred’s kingdom (it’s labeled on the map, it’s just not big enough):
“We're going to Cenred's Kingdom, aren't we?” “What makes you say that?” “Er, because we're in the Forest of Ascetir and we're not stopping?”
(honestly, lol @ Arthur asking Merlin “what makes you say that”.....Merlin’s like “uhhhh i was born here???  i know where tf we are”)
We also know that there’s a “Ridge of Ascetir,” per Uther (I assume it’s associated with the White Mountains, but we can’t know that for sure):
“Ealdor lies beyond the Ridge of Ascetir.  For an army of Camelot to enter it would be an act of war.” 
^ The above two elements bring up a point that I haven’t actually ever seen discussed anywhere else, and I assume it’s just because I wasn’t involved in fandom back when the show was actually airing - but, for clarity’s sake: there is NO canon indication of what Cenred’s kingdom is actually called.  I’ve seen the term “Essetir” used in some places on AO3, but that’s not something that actually comes from the canon, and I assume it’s just a fanon misspelling that emerged out of people mishearing the word “Ascetir” (or “Aesctir,” as 1.10′s subtitles put it) when characters were talking about the forest or the ridge.  The only places that canonically bear that name are the Forest of Ascetir and the Ridge of Ascetir, both of which are partially located in Camelot - there is no indication that Merlin’s home country is actually called Ascetir, and in fact the kingdom is only ever referred to as “Cenred’s kingdom” (or Lot’s kingdom, after Cenred is dead).
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In terms of the rest of the area’s geographical features: we already know about the mountains (discussed above), and some sort of cave system (”I thought you said you grew up in these tunnels”) which exits (in one place, at least) out onto the side of a mountain, beyond which are plains (in Arthur’s words, when he suggests moving further into Lot’s kingdom) and then in the other direction there’s the Forest of Ascetir.  We know that there is a river associated with Ealdor (Morgana says “they’ve crossed the river” re: the bandits in 1.10), and we also know that Ealdor itself is bounded on one side by a steep stone ridge (the same one that Agravaine’s men line up on to surround the place):
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And this ridge actually fits very well with what we see of the village itself.  Ealdor has to be located in an area where stone is easily accessible, otherwise its buildings would not look the way they do.  (BBC Merlin is, of course, a fantasy show, not taking place in a particular historical period, but just drawing from real history, most peasant homes in medieval England were not of stone construction, unless the village itself was located in an area where stone was plentiful and easy to access.  Moving stone for construction purposes was incredibly labor-intensive and, generally, prohibitively expensive.  But Ealdor is obviously located in an area where stone is readily available, and you can see indications of that in the image above.
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Ultimately, is any of the above information relevant to anyone who isn’t me?  
No, not really.  And are there a lot of ways in which this show is often super inconsistent when it comes to geography?  Yes, absolutely.  (The Lake of Avalon, for instance, is ALL OVER THE PLACE.)  But, surprisingly, geographical info on Ealdor/Cenred’s kingdom is actually pretty consistent throughout the canon, and the map is the odd man out - so since canon tops supplementary material for me, and since the map is so clearly wrong about other things, this is how I conceive of Ealdor whenever I think/write about it.
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urlocalnctstan · 3 years
Text
𝚃𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜
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Genre : Angst, Fluff, Slow-burnish, Idol AU
Pairing : Jaehyun x Reader ft.Mark (other members too)
Warning(s) : strong language, age-gap, mature contents, weird writing style lmao, uh what else? idk but yeah
Disclaimer :The story is completely fictitious, idol-fan relationships are not common so some of you crazy ones out here, pls don’t get too delusional, your oppas will be your oppas only virtually, not in real life.
Playlist : Youtube Link / Written
Word Count : 5.4k
Summary : ‘Time and tide waits for none’- a quote that is universally accepted and believed. You both had had your experience of meeting the right one at the wrong time, the concept of love long forgotten after the sudden downfall of your relationship together. But will time eventually heal everything for you both?
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The car came to a halt, your mind subconsciously drifting back to the humiliation you faced tonight back at the office.
“ARE YOU FUCKING DUMB, Y/N?” your boss was a fuming mess, his whole office scattered with the documents you had brought just a few moments ago. At the sight of the shredded papers, you felt you heart clench. You worked so hard for this project, disregarding God knows how many nights of your sleep. The feeling of abomination was slowly creeping up from the pit of your stomach towards the man who stood taut, seething in rage.
“HOW MANY TIMES DID I TELL YOU TO JUST DO WHAT THEY ASKED YOU TO?” He yelled, his fist furiously banging on his wooden desk, beneath his hand rested some pieces of the torn documents.
“Sir, even you know how risky it is to design as they asked to. If a blunder happens it is our company that is to be held accountable, not theirs.” you knew it was pointless to reason with the stubborn headed prick, but you had to try out your luck.
“Get out. Out, out, out. Get your fucking face out of my face.” He swished his index finger repeatedly, letting out a frustrated shriek just as I was about to exit his office. His wrath was nothing new in the office, as all the other employees shot me a rather pitying look when they saw me exiting the team leader’s office with hands full of ripped papers. Wow, my 2 weeks worth of sleep. Just wow. You didn’t bother to reciprocate their sympathetic glances, storming out of the corridor as you furiously started clicking the floor to your cabin. The jabbing of your finger on the glowing button that read ‘13’ was the only sound that resonated in the fairly empty area, earning annoyed looks from the two individuals who stood right behind you.
“Ah, fuck.” You banged your head against the steering, recalling the even as you clutched the handles harshly. “Why,” another bang. “do I,” bang. “live like” bang. “this,” bang. You could feel your face was burning without even touching it, streams of tears flowing down. Just as you were about to give yourself another bang, the sudden honk of a car made you pause amidst your ritual. Indeed all motherfuckers love to test my patience. You decide to ignore the rider, mainly because you were also partially at fault for resting in your car in the middle of the park. You twisted the metal keys as the ignition went off, signaling your car was ready to flee. Yet again, you were distracted by soft knocks. You prayed to God to help you not lose your shit, at this point you were questioning if He ever hears your woes at all. The soft knocks stop immediately when you started to pull down the window, the person straightening only crouch again.
“Y/n?” his called out unsurely, as if he were afraid of mistaking you for someone else. You knew that voice, and that is not good news. Shit.
“Mark?” you were surprised to say the least, not expecting to run into an old friend. “Oh my god! How have you been?” You shoot out of your driver’s seat, instantly being engulfed into a bone crushing hug by the male.
“I have been good. Oh god, I can’t believe this! I can’t believe I ran into you after so long!” Mark still held you tight your embrace, the sudden reunion making him feel giddy with excitement.
“Yes indeed,” you were the first to pull out from the hug. You took a moment to study him; black mask covering half of his face as he smiled widely, eyes crinkled and the signature cheekbones still the same as they were in the past. God, it’s really been so long. “What are you up to these days?”
“Er,” Mark scratched his head as he laughed nervously, unsure if he was allowed to give you spoilers about his new album. “I have been working on my solo album actually.” 
“Are you for real?” You found yourself hugging Mark again at the joy of his successful career. “I’m so so proud of you mate!”
“Thank you, thank you,” Mark swayed you lightly, his voice muffled due to the mask he wore. Mark was the one to pull out now, still keeping your caged as he placed his hands on your shoulders. “In no way I am gonna let you leave without a trace again,” he almost groaned.
“Promise, I won’t anymore,” you signaled to the stack of files that rested on the backseat of your car. “They won’t leave me alone.”
“I’ll just ask your boss to assign you with more tasks then,” he giggled mischievously, earning a light smack from you at the mention of such an absurd idea.
“I’ll track your way to hell to kill you again if you do something like that,” you hissed at Mark, who was still giggling at your frustrated reaction. The atmosphere became quiet as Mark looked up in the vacant sky, deep in thoughts while you waited for him to continue. Your phone buzzed against your leather coat.
[From Bullhead] : Don’t think I am overlooking your mess. This is the first and final warning from me.
You shivered, half from the cold and half from the text you just received.
“26th, sharp at 8 PM, my place.” He snapped his fingers, hooting at the realization of having a free day in his busy scheduled life.
“Okay, done.” You should have refused, you thought. But for some reason, you found yourself agreeing to his offer, you felt both sad and guilty for disappearing out of your friend’s life without a trace. However, you couldn’t ignore the greedy feeling you felt, the want to see him again. “I think I should be done around...7:30? So I think I’ll be able to make it.” You unlocked and handed him your phone.
“You have to make it,” his eyes focused on the screen of your device, swiftly typing what you assumed was him number. “Just incase, text me if I happen to forget - no I know that look, Y/n, you must text if that happens..” He rolled his eyes, knowing that how much you would be overthinking about possibly tiring him because of his busy lifestyle. Mark dialed his number from your phone before handing it back to you. You visibly snickered at the name he saved his contact with : ‘My Boo MarkLee <3’ 
“Stop pretending as if you never renamed my existence as Markie Boo,” he groans, remembering how this has been his another one of the hundred pet names he had. Your conversation was cut mid way as his phone loudly vibrated in his phone, swiftly pulling it out as the guy whined in annoyance.
“Yo, I gotta go now I guess, something came up at the company.” He looked sad, pouty. “See you around, yeah?” You were pulled into another hug by the male, he surely loved to hug as usual.
“Yes, yes. Now go. Don’t be late.” You patted his back, pulling out of the hug and shooing him away towards his car.
“See ya, Mom.” He beamed as he sped off with his car. 
“Dumbass.” You muttered, softly laughing at the name he would always call you by, despite being years younger than him. You rounded around your car, getting inside. The start was bad but the end was good nonetheless. The keys of your car jiggled as you closed the door. Again, you twisted the keys, your mood slightly better than before for which you were grateful. Your car’s ignition blared, as you positioned towards the exit of the park, subtly muttering ‘long ass ride.’
The digits ‘7:37’ glowed on the the small digital clock beside your desktop. You felt stiff, stretching your neck as your bones made those cracking noes. You stare at your toes, zoning out was your passion and you excelled at it. You snapped straight, letting out a deep sigh as you started to scheme the projects before you were to hand them over to your bullhead boss. Soon enough, you were done, muttering almost too loudly for everyone that you wished your boss would be napping off instead of being awake.
Good for you, your prayers were answered for the first time in a while. You quietly placed the files that contained all the details that needed to be checked again by your boss, quietly making your way out of his cabin as soon as possible. On you way, you informed his secretary you were leaving, her face wore distraught and annoyance but softens as she saw you approaching. Sometimes you felt sympathetic towards her, often asking the heavens to bless her with utmost patience and perseverance to deal with the bullhead.
The marble floor clicked with every step you took, the sounds eerily audible in the serene lobby. It was very rare for the lobby to be filled with people in evening, the employees would practically sprint off their seats as soon as the clock hits 7. You made your way out of the building, making a mental note to buy a gift for Mark on your way back to home. What would he like? Take outs? Homemade? Wine? You drove across the street before halting your car in front of the department store that was situated just a few blocks away from your office. The header of the store glowed, the alleys seemingly half-crowded with people of different occupations you assumed. You let out a hiss as you felt a chill run down your spine, it was almost the end of Autumn which meant Winter was just round the corner. You decided to rely on your instincts, deciding to gift your friend a fancy bottle of wine despite having zero knowledge about it.
You were never quite the fan of wine. According to you, the seemingly alcoholic drink was too expensive, plus the etiquettes that came along for its consumption would always just make your turn your head away every time you laid your eyes across one. You schemed through the white shelves filled with different tastes and colors of wine, each hailing from various corners of the world. “How do I even spell it?” You crouched down a bit to a bottle that had caught your attention, the exquisite name was starting to make your head hurt. It’s probably a white wine you thought, the transparent color of the liquid was what made you convince. But something rather nostalgic caught your sight, before you could even realize, you found your fingertips caressing the cold glass bottle of the red liquid that you held now.
“If were to be a drink, then what would I be?” You lazily laid sprawled across the couch in the living, while you boyfriend who sat on the marble floor across fumbles with the knotted bunch of cables. Jaehyun had his gaze focus of the wire maze in his hands, eyebrows furrowed and lips pouted in immense concentration.
“Peach milk,” he smiled, unbeknownst to you he was actually implying a double meaning for his answer.
“And why that?” You felt his choice a bit amusing, not really expecting that as an answer.
“Because I love your ass and boobs,” he winked, only to be hit by a pillow that was resting beneath your curled legs. Jaehyun felt himself giggling by your reaction, it was cute to see you being annoyed. “Babe, c’mon. I can’t lie about it.” 
“Never mind, just forget it.” You started to get a bit pissed, hurt as well because your sensitive ass thought he would probably say something sweet that would make you heart flutter. 
“Peach milk is my favorite, that’s the main reason why,” Jaehyun shifted his focus back to the cables, the last two knots were too adamant to let go of each other. You felt yourself smiling, too wide, he definitely knew you well. Cheeky bastard.
“What about me?” he asked, eyes still focused as he working on untying the last knot.
“Hmmm...” you shifted your position on the couch, now sitting up as you stared your boyfriend’s figure for a short while.
“Red wine.” sophisticated, classy, unique, warm. If you were to describe the aura around him, these would be the first choices.
However, your answer seemed to have caught Jaehyun’s attention, pausing in his tracks as he got curious as to why the specific choice. He had a huge grin on his face, he adored how you remembered the specific detail of red wine being his favourite, for he mentioned it in your first date which was 2 years back. But he knew there was more to it. He knew you too well. “But why red wine?”
You kept your gaze fixated on Jaehyun as he gets up from the ground, putting the cables in a secure manner to avoid another tie war. He hugged the pillow tight which you had previously thrown on him, before propping down beside you on the couch with a tired sigh, looking at you intently. It was as if you both were having a staring contest. So you rested your head on your right hand, both staring each other with soft smiles before you continued.
“You are much more to what everyone thinks you are,” you notice how Jaehyun cocks an eyebrow, still staring and trying to process what you just said.
“Just like wine, the more I know you, the more I know just how amazing you are. Both sweet and sour, but the balanced ratio of it is what makes you more admirable.” You admired how he was always able to balance things out, prior to what everyone believes about him, he had both good and bad sides to him. And that’s what made him more human, him acknowledging his flaws. That’s what made you fall for him.
Hearing you, Jaehyun thought he might dislocate his jaw anytime soon for smiling so hard. His heart started to do all sort of flips, ears starting to pink. It was at times like this when you don’t need words to express how you were feeling, silent but the communication was still present. Jaehyun slides his hand into yours, you glanced at both of your intertwined fingers before looking at him, his eyes full of hearts for you. You giggled, feeling shy at his intense stare but returning him the same way.
“I love you,” he whispered, his starry eyes which were only looking at you.
“Excuse me miss,” You jolt at the sudden change of voice coming from behind you. You whip around, a girl probably in her late teens stood nervously, her hands fidgets with the belts of her backpack. 
“Miss, you were kinda in the way so..” you felt flustered for absent-mindedly drifting into your dreamland while shopping for your friend, chiding yourself mentally in the process.
“Ah, I am so sorry,” you moved swiftly to the side to allow the teen some space to carry out her shopping. “Please, carry on.” You smiled softly. Though at the back of your mind you wanted to point out how she shouldn’t be consuming alcohol, but disregarded the urge nonetheless. Sometimes children should get to enjoy their minimal amount of fun in their youth too. You were still clutching the red wine bottle in your hand, eyeing it one last time before placing it back in the racks. You cleared your throat, as if to let the voices speaking inside your head know that you are not a stupid 20 year old anymore. You shake your head, glancing around to inspect if others were judging your state before proceeding to the counter for the random wine you picked which might have cost you half of your monthly salary. It’s okay to spend once in a while.
Mark was literally running around his apartment. Running. His head shot up as he remembered something. “Shit, fuck, are the bathroom lights okay?” he murmured to himself, sprinting off to the bathroom that was located in his vast living room first, followed by the ones in his bedroom and guestroom. Mark was still a newbie to the norms of living alone, him being a newborn living-alone man for sparsely 2 months. And he would barely be home due to his schedules. There were even times he would just forget his own bedroom.
“What else, what else,” he glanced over the whole area eyes drifting here and there before he realized something. Dumbass forgot to check if there were even enough food for two. Mark quickly scurried to the kitchen counter, the utensils were more than enough before checking his fridge. Beers? Check. Soju? Check. Kimchi? Check. Slices of chicken breast? Check. But the 33 year old still felt something was missing. Mark shifted his focus on the wooden shelf that was just above the kitchen sink, the transparent glass door of it making a creak sound as he opened it. For an apartment who’s owner was barely home, the shelf was definitely well packed and organized. It contained all sorts of ramen, tteokbokki and any other fast food you could name. “What else, what else, what else, what else,” he kept chanting, as if by some magic his chants of short memory would be heard and he would know what else was he missing out. He hunched over the lower shelf to inspect if all the sauces his housekeeper stores for him were present there. Absorbed in his thoughts, Mark did not notice the sudden sound of his bell going off, before the sounds just got repeated and even more louder. 
“What the fuck?” his eyebrows creased in annoyance, cussing out all the profanities he had in his vocabulary at the visitor’s insolent mannerism. Mark was beyond pissed, the person behind the other side of the door not only disrupted his memory battle but also had the audacity to ring the bell like a 3 year old in the middle of the night. Instead of just answering from the intercom, he directly opened the entrance door. “Look, it’s like 11 in the night - Hyung?” Mark halted his rant session as he realized it was Jaehyun standing in front of his house. Covered in black shirt, black mask, black pants - black everything, it would take a while for others who did not know him personally to recognize the member of the top boy group in the industry.
“Were you shitting or something,” Jaehyun smiled before casually giving his best friend a hug. Mark pulls out some of the spare slippers he had stored, while Jaehyun sits on the wooden step as he unties the knots of his black adidas. As Jaehyun get ups, he looks over to the other male standing in front of him, then down at the slippers and then again to the male.
“What?” Mark laughed, his hands shifting to the sides of his waist.
“Mark, please don’t go shopping by yourself next time,” Jaehyun silently judged Mark for offering him the fluffly colourful pink body and yellow polka dots slippers, similar to the ones he was wearing but the combination in opposite. 
“I got them from the BOGO offer going on in the supermarket just down the lane,” Mark wiggled his toes under the furry layer of clothing, slightly humming at the texture. “Bro this shit comfortable and cute, you can’t deny that.”
Jaehyun gives him another look, amused at how his bandmate’s old habits were still the same. “I help you out with your fashion choices next time. Don’t worry.” He patted Mark’s should, a sympathetic grin on his face as he anticipated the other male’s dramatic reaction. 
“Oh please,” Mark scoffed. “More like you need my and Johnny hyung’s assistance for your monotonous wardrobe!”
Jaehyun laughed at his friend’s rebuttal before lazily propping himself on the bean sack in the living room with a low hum. Oddly enough, Mark’s apartment felt more homely than his own apartment which was just above a few floors.
“But what brings you here?” Mark walks over to his fridge, judging by his friend’s sudden visit, he knew drinks had become a necessary part of the night. “And what about Hayoung?”
“What about her?” Jaehyun raised his eyebrow at Mark, skillfully catching the beer Mark had tossed to him after asking about Hayoung, Jaehyun’s, well complicated girl something.
“I though you guys might just....I don’t know, be official or something.” Mark stole a glance towards his friend, nervously opening his can. The momentary pin drop silence was an indicator, he indeed blurted something he should not have. The fizzy hiss of the beer can being opened barely broke the ice.
“I don’t do things like official,” Jaehyun scoffed, producing a low sigh after sipping the beer. Mark decided not to further press his friend, despite having an old unresolved grudge against Jaehyun somewhere deep within him. It had been years since all of that had happened, but he still felt hostility creep up inside every time he remembers that night, that week, that month. After all, it was you that Jaehyun had completely broken, torn and ripped apart.
Unbeknownst to the rummaging thoughts inside the mind of his bandmate, it took a while for the older to realize how oddly clean and organized the apartment looked. Jaehyun turned to Mark, eyebrows raised with mischievousness coating his words. “You having someone for the night tomorrow?”
Mark almost made a disgusted face but instead opted to scrunch. “Bro, I don’t have Tinder, neither do I wanna be a carrier of STDs.” Mark placed his empty can on the small glass table, simultaneously letting out a tired huff. Jaehyun almost took an offense to the statement, the attack was definitely but indirectly made towards him. But he decided to shrug it off, Mark was not lying after all. Jaehyun did not even know half of the girls’ names he had slept with, someday or another mixing up names which ends in him getting kicked out or being cursed out. That was what had happened that night as well. 
“Okay, I forgot. Hayoung, yes. Speak.” Jaehyun shot an incredulous look to the younger, as if he was able to read his mind or something. Mark only furrowed his eyebrows at the reaction.
“I-I....got kicked out,” Jaehyun’s voice was barely above a whisper, but the sharp eared male was able to catch his friend’s low murmur. Mark stifled his giggle, only to receive a glare from his friend. Jaehyun ran his fingers through his newly dyed lilac hair. Fucking embarrassing.
“But what made her do that?”
Jaehyun felt chills run down his spine as the scenario replayed in his head. He shivered despite the heater being on, an amused Mark glancing while chugging down the small remaining amount of beer. Mark was being a gentleman trying to conceal his laughter as Jaehyun rambled how he managed to fuck up yet another good hook-up buddy. At this point, Mark was not even surprised. Victim to his obvious facial expressions, Mark hated lying, and equally hated being lied to as well. Jaehyun side glanced his friend, a loud annoyed snort escaping from him. “Having fun, aren’t you?”
“Well, I mean it’s fun — sorry,” Mark clears his throat. He should be the type of friend who gives advices instead of laughing. Mark wiggled in his seat, distorting the empty can before having a perfect shot in the trashcan just a few feet away from him. Smooth one.
“I think I might retire, or just quit after the current contract ends,” Jaehyun felt tight, the words came out from him in a way too suffocating form. Mark visibly tenses, his laidback posture now crouching forward to his friend. Mark was too pre-occupied in his escalating solo career, the support he had been getting even before the official stage was way too much for him to fathom, but he was grateful for it nonetheless. A stinging guilt crept up inside him, chiding himself of being such an inconsiderate friend. “It’s high-time I start to live on my own accord.”
Mark decided to rather not pressurize the half-drunk dude with his numerous questions as to why or what has made him to take such a step. Jaehyun struggled to keep his eyes open, exhaustion was taking over his body ever faster now that he had booze in his system. Jaehyun would have rather opted to just spend the night on the couch (he preferred Mark’s limited edition long L shaped sofa over any king sized bed) but the guy decided to not get welcomed by his mate as ‘good morning.’ Mark put a hand on Jaehyun’s knee, an attempt to stop the non-stop stomping which was a very well-known drunk habit of him. Piling the blankets he just brought, the younger warned again, eyes like red lazer lights before trudging towards his bedroom. 
Feet wobbly, Jaehyun struggles to drag his build to switch off the remaining lights in the living room, glancing throughout the long empty space. He gulped down harshly, the familiar empty feeling creeping back to him which he had been avoiding for so long — for years. Jaehyun took a deep sigh, the heavy feeling feeling weighing down his chest as he took light steps towards the big glass window which granted him the view of the whole city. His eyes flickered at the luminous sight. He felt big but small, full, content but numb and empty. 
“Hyung, you’re still awake?” a sleepy voice spoke from behind, breaking out Jaehyun from his trance. 
“Huh?” It took a moment for him to process an answer. “Uh yeah. just like that. You go sleep.”
Mark shrugged, walking towards his bed as Jaehyun plopped down harshly on the duvet, wincing slightly as he felt a sprain in his lower back. With the alcohol slowly losing its effect on him with each passing second, Jaehyun started to feel more sober, more drawn back into the reality. He hated it. This feeling he was feeling.
Mark was having a rather difficult time to fall asleep. He even put on a random sleeping eye mask he uses for travelling, but alas that did not help either. He was too giddy, too excited for tomorrow. Pulling up the blankets over his head, Mark was assured he was safe from everyone, even maybe from God as a huge grin breaks out on his face. As much as he hates to admit it, Mark loved how things turned out to be the way they were.
“Oh god, this is so awkward. Oh god can I please please just die already?” Mark halted on his steps at the voice, glistening in sweats after the recent stage. He thought it would be an adventure to opt for the public washroom in disguise since the green rooms’ ones were all occupied by the rest of the members; and boy, Mark was really giving his all hold his pee.  
“OH GOD!” the sudden yelp caused the male to shriek quietly, muttering an inaudile ‘jesus’. Despite the odds, Mark decided not to test his luck, holding in the bubbling feeling just before explosion as much as he could. Muttering quiet curses, the male struggled to hold his posture as he stealthily tried to get to the other side of the stairs. Too busy in his on the way to urination voyage, Mark realized it was too late, he bumped. Bumped into someone. A girl. Hell yeah fucked. Panic crept at the back of his throat as he anticipated what was coming forth. Him being surrounded by numerous fan as he desperately tries to hold his pee. What a fucking sight.
“Look, I know you might be a staff or something,” Mark whipped his head at your voice. “But please just oh god,” you rambled, leaving the man standing with his legs crossed tightly in utter confusion. “I had no idea — Mark Lee?”
The colors from his faced drained, Mark turned casper for a split second. 
“PLEASE!” he was quick to react, half-whispering as he desperately caught your hands. “Please don’t just, uh.., shout or something.”
You immediately raised your hands in defense. “I uh have no reason to do so?” You stated, observing how he was literally squirming, it did not take you long to understand that the canadian needed to go the washroom as soon as possible. ”Oh!” You quickly moved. “Sorry for blocking your way!” Before he could even say thank you, you disappeared without any trace. Mark made a quick mental note to thank you, well that only if he ever happens to cross paths with you again. And deep down, he wised he would. On the other hand, you let out another distressed growl, promising to all of the heavens that never will you be ever accompanying your cousin sister, or let alone come to any concerts from now on. The stunt your drunken cousin had pulled just a while ago was humiliating enough, but of course, she had to spice it up by vomiting on the hallways just in front of the green room. You silently prayed and hope with all your might that maybe they will be generous enough not to sue you or ask for compensation for the mess, looking around cautiously for any employees before you sprinted off for the exit door, and yes, dragging the passed out stunt lady.
Mark felt as if he had a halo above his head, the water balloon inside him finally set free. But he had to race when he saw his phone buzzing with notifications, all of them belonging to his manager or the group chat of the members chanting same syllables ‘Where are you’ ‘show starts in 2′ ‘get yo ass here’. It did not take the rapper too while before he reached the green room, the makeup artists and stylists immediately wrapping themselves around him with brushes and hair sprays. He was smiling, genuinely smiling as he replayed the encounter he just had. Johnny raised an eyebrow with an amused grin on his face. 
“What’s with the smile, bro?” Johnny pulls up some random exercises to relieve the tension in his muscles.
Instead of dodging his question, Mark replied, still smiling, but wider. “The pee voyage was a nice one.”
Johnny judged the younger for a second before chuckling and heading towards the stage. The loud noises from the fans echoed throughout the whole arena, full of green lightsticks gleeming like blossoming spring garden. No wonder I called them grass, Mark thought. But today, he was looking for a rather specific individual, his eye scanning almost all the faces in the crowd. He hoped to see you again, smiling gleefully as he performed, but thought that it was too greedy of him to want this much in a span of a day. And so he performed, for the first time without any pressure of doing good, enjoying every moment of the stage he was on and yet again, wished that maybe, maybe your paths will collide with his again.
.
.
.
part 2
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chainofclovers · 3 years
Text
It’s been awhile since my brain insisted on a Life In a Bulleted List post! (Please forgive any odd emotional leaps bullet to bullet.)
During the middle part of this week, my wife is going to travel for a work thing for the first time since February 2020. We’re both fully vaccinated, in a spot with low COVID numbers, and she’s going to a spot with low COVID numbers, and honestly, it feels weird to be the amount of worried I am, which is not very worried! Obviously COVID is still a massive problem worldwide, and of course we live in a country whose greed and foreign policies actively make things worse for other places, and of course it’s still very important to take every precaution here (we’re still wearing masks in stores/public places, for instance). But I’ve spent the last fifteen months with pretty painful anxiety, worry, and anger as my near-constant companions, and it is wild to think about my wife going off to a different area and to feel...pretty much OK with that. 
This will, however, be my first (and second and third) night spent without her since, yes, February 2020. And honestly, while it might be kind of a novelty this week to, like, eat something I like that my wife doesn’t, or to stay up writing until a not-very-sensible hour...all this time together has been great. Didn’t get tired of her once. (At least not anything a solo walk around the neighborhood or a solo trip to pick up groceries couldn’t fix.) We are very lucky. Understatement.
I am becoming a person who doesn’t kill every plant. And our yard is closer to “done” which is very exciting. And I’m finally getting to the point with container gardening where our food is semi-regularly seasoned with things I’ve grown. I’ve got a lot to learn but for awhile I was worried I would never be even partially successful.
Last week we found two young opossums dead in the backyard, quite far apart from each other. We couldn’t figure out what happened, but it’s possible they got into some poison elsewhere and ventured into our yard? I said some words over them (it’s not like we knew them but I suppose everything deserves to hear “you are loved and will be remembered” even if the people promising to remember you are just two random women) and we buried them and it was really sad. I love opossums, and I wish I knew what happened so I could try to prevent it in the future.
My writing brain continues to be entirely focused on fiction (well, fiction and my professional genre). I’m almost certain I’m currently setting a record for Longest Time Without Poetry since my childhood, maybe. It’s weird. But fiction! I’m having so much fun and feel so connected to everything I’m writing and thinking about, both in terms of orignal stuff and fic. I love the feeling of being out in the world doing mundane little things but in a good mood because of fiction. :) :) :) 
I haven’t watched all of this past Friday’s Fire Drill Friday yet, but I think Jane Fonda’s hair is getting more Grace Hanson-shaped as the G&F season 7 filming gets closer to resuming. I feel very convinced this is true, whether intentional or subconscious, and I hope it means they’re gonna let Grace’s hair go grey this season. I know there’s at least one interview in which she said that’s what she wanted to happen, plus the Grace wig visible in S7 BTS pics (since they started filming after she’d already changed her real hair) seems to have grey roots?!
Speaking of FDF, the guest was Demi Lovato and it is pretty wild how many people on the Instagram event announcement, people who claim to be a Jane Fonda fan or a fan of the environment or social justice or whatever could absolutely Not Handle It to see someone respectfully yet nonchalantly use the correct pronouns for a non-binary person? The sanctity of grammar argument is EMBARRASSING. The phrase “attention addict” is EMBARRASSING. Especially since judging someone for seeming like an attention addict seems like a slippery slope on Judgment Mountain to judging someone for their actual addictions, past or present. And since we as a society love to punish people for their addictions and weaknesses instead of celebrating the way that self-discovery and honesty and self-actualization give people the tools to be stronger and cope with their “weaknesses” more effectively. And I’m sorry, Gail, but if you aren’t thinking maybe it’s a little weird that an 83-year-old can use they/them pronouns in a sentence while you’re on her page performatively misgendering someone, then you aren’t embarrassed enough but I will feel embarrassed on your behalf. 
On a much, much, much happier note, baking with weed for older relatives is a love language. <3
And finally, on a very related note, I leave you with One Weird Trick your doctor won’t tell you for how to make sure you don’t forget which brownies are the special ones:
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(Image ID: a white saucer containing two brownies. One is plain on top and the other is covered with a variety of rainbow sprinkles and colorful sugar.)
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one-boring-person · 4 years
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Hey! I have another poly Lost Boys idea it’s kinda angsty but a good ending. I was listening to the slowed song “Dusk Till Dawn”, and thought what if the mate of the Lost Boys was taken by hunters for like a year and they weren’t able to find her. Then on a stormy night she shows up at the cave after having escaped the hunters. And the boys just break down from joy and relief. I understand if you don’t want to do this one though! Thank you for doing my other request!💜
No problem! I'll happily do this request, I find it really interesting💛💛💛(I'm sorry if the ending sucks, I'm not that great at emotion😅)
Agreed.
The Lost Boys x reader
Warnings: mention of death, blood imagery, implied injury
Masterlist
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Winds howls through the echoing halls of the cave, whistling amongst the stalactites as it rushes past, creating a haunting ambience that seems to hang over the darkened areas like a black miasma, dampening the already depressive mood. Rain pelts the rocks outside, the waves crashing and roaring at the seaward entrances, adding an almost deliberate rhythm to the catawauling shriek of the wind, a deep chill diffusing into the air as the night wears on, the frequent growls of thunder and crashes of lightning helping to create some natural orchestra of noise. A damp odour perpetrates the usually stale air, giving it a fresher feel and smell, though this new scent will most likely cling to the inhabitants for days to come, the moisture easily soaking into leather coats and dark denim jeans, rendering the garments' warming-abilities useless. None of them notice this, however, as they slouch in their communal area, all of them oddly silent for once, each deep in their own thoughts, though they all share a similar objective, one they'd rather not talk about out loud anymore.
In his wheelchair, David idly flicks through a book, unable to concentrate on it as his mind recalls more depressive memories, the heart-wrenching pain in his body reinstating itself after a year of oppressing it, the vampire nearly biting through his lip to prevent himself from crying in front of the others, blue eyes narrowed slightly. Across from him, Dwayne leans against the wall, polishing an older part of his motorcycle, working the cloth rhythmically round as he grates off the grease and rust that has built up over time, dark eyes scrutinizing the bright silver under the blackish marks with an acuteness borne of experience and practice, trying his hardest to stay distracted. Over in the corner, Marko tends to his pigeons, fussing over them with a deep affection, feeding them and petting them as much as he can without smothering them, cooing silently to them as he does so, doe eyes not quite sharing the enthusiasm he is putting on, their depths flooded with partially concealed grief. A little way away from him is Paul, who is listening quietly to his walkman, staying mostly still for once in his life, hands crossed placidly over his chest as he lies back on the sofa, blue eyes staring aimlessly up at the ceiling, jaw set in a tense manner, a reaction he's always had to a hard topic.
The silence is broken by a particularly loud crash of thunder, the deafening sound snapping the four of them from their trances as they look up, each pair of eyes meeting with each other's as they do so. None of them say a word choosing instead to remain quiet, waiting for the others to acknowledge the subject eating at their conciousnesses. Eventually, it's Paul who manages to say something.
"I can't believe it's been a year." He murmurs out loud, drawing a hand down his face in habitual remorse, nails scratching lightly at his skin as he does so.
"Me neither." Marko agrees from across the room, setting the pigeons free again as he moves to sit on the edge of the fountain, his posture slouched and downcast.
"I can't believe she's gone." David mumbles quietly, feeling a little uneasy admitting his feelings to the room, but feeling it necessary in any case. His tone is hollow and empty for once, the snide undertones gone from it, leaving him sounding oddly vulnerable.
"I don't think any of us can." Dwayne points out, placing down the part in his hands and coming over to sit beside Marko, flicking his long, dark hair from his face. Paul pushes off his headphones and joins them, all four vampires watching each other in dull grief, listening to the sounds of the storm around them in silence for a few seconds.
Greif-stricken, they remain like this until Paul catches something on the wind, his head snapping towards it with a confused look in his eyes.
"What is it, Paul?" Marko questions, having noticed his friend's sudden discomfort, looking in the direction that Paul is gazing in.
"I could've sworn I just heard something...like a moan or something." The blonde informs them, listening out for it again until David goes to scold him.
"Paul, I'm not really sure now is the time to be playing tricks on us."
"I'm not! I swear I heard it!" Paul insists, straining his ears for the sound again, only just catching it as it carries past him on the wind, "There! Did you hear it?!"
Marko and David shake their heads, eyeing Paul oddly as they do so, slightly sceptical of his antics.
"I heard it." Dwayne speaks up suddenly, eyes wide.
"You did?" Marko exclaims in disbelief, prompting them all to listen closely again.
Under the howling of the wind and the ferocious tapping of the rain, once the thunder and lightning have faded for the moment, two sounds are audible: a pained moan, and trembling footsteps.
Instantly, the boys are out of their seats and racing to the entrance, ready to scare off this new intruder, unwilling to be crafty about it tonight, faces morphing as they go, eyes flashing yellow. David is first out of the cave, but he stops stock-still as his eyes fall on something a little way away, not quite believing what he's seeing, the others running into him with protests and cries of annoyance, only for these to peter out as they also find the object of their leader's attention.
There, lying face-down on the last step, clothes torn and wet, hair sticking to their head, is a body, the shoulders barely rising and falling as they breathe.
Unsure of what to do, the boys stand there, staring at the vaguely familiar figure until Dwayne decides to go over to them, going cautiously, expecting it to be a trap of sorts. When nothing happens, he kneels by the body and rolls it over, a sharp gasp escaping him as he sees the features, in disbelief over what he is seeing.
"You guys are not gonna believe this." The vampire says out loud, carefully moving to pick the body up as the others surge forwards, their shock voices loudly as they see who it is.
"Is that..?" Marko starts, allowing David to finish the sentence off for him.
"It is." He swiftly ushers Dwayne inside, allowing the brunette to lay his burden down on the sofa before the four of them crowd around her, eyeing the form of their presumed-dead mate.
Visibly discouloured, (Y/n) appears much thinner than before, her bone structure showing through her frail skin horribly frequently, her beautiful features gaunt and sallow, bedraggled hair matted and unkempt as it sticks to her now-prominent cheekbones, leaving her pallid lips uncovered and parted, a single trickle of crimson steaming down her icy cheek. Her clothes are ripped and torn in many places, showing areas of wounded and scarred skin, blood forming a thick crust around her side, cracking as she moves slightly, drawing a thin whine of pain from her. Slowly, her somehow clear eyes open up, having been woken from her sleep by the sharp jolt of agony, flicking back and forth as she tries to figure out where she is.
"P-paul? M-m-marko? D-Dwayne?" She manages out, her head turning slightly to look up at the platinum blonde, eyes locking, "D-david?"
"We're all here, kitten, don't worry. You're safe now." David is barely able to contain himself as he looks over the form of their mate, relief, happiness and joy flooding him, momentarily dampening the concern.
"G-good..." She forces out, coughing slightly, her body shivering in cold as she reaches up, grabbing for one of them like she used to, asking silently for one of them to hold her, despite their freezing body temperatures. Wordlessly, Paul slips in behind her, pulling her body into his with a smile, teeth digging into his bottom lip at the feeling of her against him again after so long.
Upon seeing this, the others exchange glances, all of them thinking the same thing.
"She's back...(Y/n)'s alive..." Marko muses, unable to keep himself still as tears start to track down his pale skin, eventually throwing himself forwards with a gasp of happiness, burying his head into (Y/n)'s chest, hands feeling at her body to make sure she's real.
Dwayne does nothing to hide the fact that he is beaming from ear to ear, cheeks wet from crying as he looks over the form of his mate, the brunette vampire turning his gaze up to pick with David's, resulting in an overload of emotions for the latter. Tears spill out over his cheeks, a wretched sob leaving him as he collapses to his knees, blue eyes fixing on (Y/n) as he reaches out one hand to grasp her's, taking off a glove so that he can feel her skin under his, a giddy shudder of relief erupting from him as he does so, unable to contain himself.
Ignoring the blood and rainwater, Dwayne lifts a hand to caress (Y/n)'s face, murmuring to himself quietly in disbelief, mixtures of English and his native tongue slipping into the exclamations, fingers brushing over the raised bone in her face.
"No one will ever take her again." The dark-haired vampire promises to the others, looking fiercely at them with conviction.
"Agreed." Marko responds, looking to the others.
"Agreed." Paul confirms, tightening his grip on the girl in his arms.
David takes a little while longer to respond, feeling that just saying so will do nothing.
"No one will ever take her again and live to tell the tale. I'm not gonna let them get close." He snarls, leaning in to press a soft kiss to (Y/n)'s scalp, "We're not gonna let them get close."
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platonicavengers · 4 years
Text
Pinky Promise
pairing: avengers x teen!reader; platonic!steve x teen!reader; platonic!natasha x teen!reader
word count: 1,772 (hehe told y’all)
warnings: sadness, depression, maybe swearing?? idk i don’t pay enough attention, post-infinity war feels
author’s note: im :) fine :) not :) sad :) at :) all :) also why do i always write angst am i that incapable of letting anyone be happy hahahah help
summary: it’s been a year since thanos snapped his fingers, and you still feel just as upset as you did the day it happened, but steve and nat are there to try their best to help you :)
my masterlist | read it on ao3 | read it on wattpad
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One year; 12 months; 52 weeks; 365 days; 8,760 hours; 525,600 minutes; 31,536,000 seconds.
Since it happened. It, of course, being Thanos snapping his fingers, successfully eliminating 50% of life throughout the entire universe. Since you lost so many of your closest friends, your family.
Some people say that it gets easier with time, that eventually, it stops hurting as much. That after a while, the pain just isn't as bad.
But they would be wrong.
It's been an entire year, and for you, it's only seemed to get worse. The pain just grows each day, the loss of some of your favorite people just taking a larger toll on you as the days go by.
And the team could tell. What's left of the team, at least. Even out of the survivors, not everyone stayed around at the compound, as it would just bring back memories of those they've lost.
Tony had gone to live with Pepper and their daughter, Morgan, in a cabin on the lake. Bruce had gone somewhere, you weren't even sure where he was, and the same with Rhodey. Thor left to go establish New Asgard, and you hadn't seen him since. Carol, although technically not an official member of the team, was up in space most of the time, so you never saw her, either. That left only you, Natasha, and Steve.
Natasha was the first to notice. The way you rarely left your room, and if you did, your eyes were rimmed with a red tint, and your cheeks were puffed up. And if she ever got the chance to speak to you, you would only give her one or two word responses, far from the usual energetic and lengthy ones you used to give.
Steve noticed not long after, partially because Natasha pointed it out to him, and partially on his own. He saw the way you always wore sweatshirts or t- shirts belonging to your fallen friends. He heard you crying at the late hours of the night, when you thought no one else was awake.
So the two of them came together, trying to think of any and every way to help you, to take your mind off of everything, even just for a few minutes. But you did know this. You still stayed locked up in your room, today, especially, not even attempting to drag yourself out of bed, knowing that the only thing you were capable of doing today, was mourning.
••
The minute your alarm clock went off at 7 AM, you could already feel the familiar sensation of a wave of tears approaching. You were used to it by now, and just let it happen on its own.
With the sleeves of one of Wanda’s hoodies folded over your hands, you pressed your wrists to your eyes, trying to stop the stinging feeling of the tears. Your attempt was futile, and a steady stream started flowing down your cheeks, onto the comforter below you.
You sighed in frustration and annoyance when the tears wouldn’t stop. It seems like everyone else has moved on already, you thought to yourself, so why can’t I?
You buried your face in your hands and let out a loud sob. You shook your head, slowly lifting it from your hands as you stared up at the ceiling for a moment. You internally swore at yourself, knowing that what you were about to do was immature, but you were going to do it anyways.
“Hey, u-um,” your voice was quiet, hoarse from going so long without speaking, not to mention nasally from all the crying you’ve been doing lately. You brushed your messy hair out of your face, sniffling loudly, “I-I don’t know if anyone can hear me, but I, uh. I wanted to try an-and say something, just in case any of you guys a-are listening right now.”
You sobbed again, swearing under your breath, “Get it together, Y/N,” you whispered to yourself. You cleared your throat, trying once more to speak, “U-um. I just wanted to say that, um, I miss you all,” your voice broke off, the tears falling faster now, “so much. Uh, I miss you and love you all so much. I would do anything to get a-all of you back here, right now. Whatever it would take, I don’t care. I-I need you all, so badly.”
You cursed at yourself again, much louder than you intended to. Unbeknownst to you, Steve and Natasha heard you. They shared a look, before stopping what they were doing, and standing next to your closed door.
“I’m so, so, so sorry I didn’t do good enough. I tried, as hard as I could. I tried everything I could think of to get everyone back,” your voice had fallen into a low whisper, “b-but nothing worked.”
The pair outside your door felt their hearts break. It hurt them so much to hear you in such pain, and they knew they couldn’t stand to listen any longer. Natasha glanced at Steve, communicating with him through their eyes. Steve sent her a slight nod, knowing what she wanted to do.
The redhead slowly stood up from her squatting position, softly knocking on your door. She spoke quietly, a warm and caring tone laced through her words, “Y/N, sweetie? Could you open the door, please?”
You froze. You hadn’t expected for either of them to try and talk to you. Lately, they had stopped trying to get you to unlock your door, to open up, even just a little, after realizing that you refused to. You stayed silent for a moment, not knowing how, or if you wanted, to respond.
“Please, Y/N. We just want to help you, I promise, honey.”
Natasha’s voice was so calming, with the slight motherly tone coming through her words. You felt your resolve falter for a second, and you contemplated whether to let her in or not. On one hand, you didn’t want them seeing you like this, although you knew they wouldn’t care. But on the other, you so desperately craved comfort, reassurance, especially from those you trusted and cared for so deeply.
“Please,” this time it was Steve that spoke, “we know you’re hurting, and we want to help.”
With his words, you broke. You felt the sobs building up in your chest, and you ran to the door, unlocking and it and yanking it open roughly. You fell into Natasha’s open arms, sobbing. Steve wrapped his arms around you as well, joining the embrace. Your body shook painfully, but the feeling of two of your closest friends holding you so tightly helped soften the blow.
It took you around fifteen minutes to calm down. The whole time, both Steve and Natasha stayed with you on the floor, still holding onto you tightly, occasionally whispering short phrases of comfort into your ears.
When you eventually did settle down, you could feel your body growing tired from your sobs. You slowly lifted your head from Natasha’s shoulder, and she sent you a small smile. She wiped away the tears from under your eyes with the pads of her thumbs, and tucked your hair behind your ears.
Steve shifted so he was in front of you, and he could see your face as he spoke to you, “How ‘bout we have a movie day today, huh? No work, no responsibilities, just hangin’ out and watching movies? Sound good, hmm?”
You weakly nodded, trying your best to send him a smile, but the corners of your lips barely lifted up. He smiled back at you, helping you and Natasha both up from the ground, and the three of you walked together to the living room area.
You sat down on one of the couches, Steve taking the seat next to you. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, slowly rubbing your arm as Natasha stood in the kitchen, gathering snacks for you all.
As Steve picked up the TV remote, going to put the first movie on, a memory of a day similar came to mind.
“Everybody sit your asses down, it’s movie day!” You grinned widely as Tony shouted at the rest of the team. You plopped down on one of the couches, Steve on your right, and Wanda on your left. You loved having movie nights with the team, as they were a rare pleasantry in a life as hectic as yours.
“Yo, Tiny! Heads up!” Sam called out to you, chucking a bag of popcorn towards you. You giggled as you caught it, quickly ripping it open and shoving a handful of the snack into your mouth.
Steve reached a hand into the bag, trying to steal some of the popcorn, but you quickly smacked his hand, causing him to send you a playful glare. Your eyes widened as you saw popcorn floating out of the bag, but you jokingly rolled your eyes as you turned to your left, seeing Wanda using her magic to grab some of your food. You sighed, a small smile on your lips, “I really can’t have anything around here, huh?”
You were cut off by a loud “Shh!” and you glanced over to one of the other couches, offering a sheepish smile to an impatient Natasha.
You were brought back to reality by a loud shout of your name, and you blinked your eyes a few times, seeing both Steve and Natasha in front of you, worry clear on their faces.
They both visibly relaxed when you looked at them, but their concern quickly returned when they saw your eyes well up with tears, and a sob break its way past your lips.
Natasha wrapped her arms around you, bringing you to her chest and slowly rocking you back and forth, “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?”
“I-I miss them s-so much!” You stuttered out between sobs.
Natasha felt herself tear up, her hold on you tightening, “Oh, sweetie, I know, I know. I miss them too.”
A few minutes later, Natasha released from the hug, but kept you tucked into her side, running her fingers through your hair. Steve grabbed ahold of your hands, gently rubbing his thumbs on top of your fingers, “I promise you, Y/N, we’re gonna get them back. We’re gonna get them all back.”
You wiped away a lone tear, whispering, “Pinky promise?” You knew it was immature, but you held up a shaking pinky, desperate for reassurance, no matter how childish it made you seem.
Steve chuckled softly, wrapping his pinky around yours, “Pinky promise.”
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masjestickingdom · 4 years
Text
My Little Secret
Pairing: NCT Jaehyun x reader
Genre: Angst 
Summary: Your older sister Janet and you have been close since the moment you were born, according to your parents. Even after you had your fair share of clashes like all siblings, you loved each other and wouldn’t wish for any better. Just one problem: you were a terrible sister with a terrible little secret. 
Note: I’m back! I hope this makes up for my long absence, but the new school year has been killing me. I would like to think that I will update soon, but it seems like that will be impossible. I will try to update whenever I can. 
_______________________________________________________________________
    “Excitement” wasn’t the first word that popped in your mind when your sister called you. No, it was the last word you could think of. The nervous tone that occupied her voice when she invited you over to her house messed with your mind. Normally, you would have dreaded visiting her, but that tone had you considering to move to another country. You loved her and was lucky to have a thoughtful, understanding sister like her. In fact, you were too lucky to the extent that you felt guilty for not being able to be more to her like she was to you. But more than that, you were guilty of falling in love with her lifetime partner. And you couldn’t fall out.
    Before you knew it, the clock struck five and you were already making your way across your sister’s lawn. Once you rang the doorbell, your fingers anxiously drummed against the skin of your protected legs.
    “Oh, God,” you murmured as you felt your heart thumping louder and louder, mimicking the intensity of the nearing footsteps. “Please let it be good news.”
    The warm evening breeze met your face as the front door swung open by none other than your sister’s husband and the love of your life Jung Jaehyun.
    “Hey,” the beauty greeted with a warm smile, his dimples now visible. “Glad you could make it.”
    You took a whiff of his honey-like scent as you hugged him, a hug that he initiated and broke. “Well the news sounded important.” You took a moment to note the black-haired man’s uneasy eyes before you continued, “Can I trust that it’s good news?”
    Jaehyun simply gestured you inside and said, “I hope it is.”
    The house was as boring as it always was: homey and clean. The only new embellishment was the carpet that Mark and Doyoung, Jaehyun’s friends and now housemates, ordered for the dining room. The walls were still plain but not naked. There was no evidence of food in the kitchen. The living room was spotless. It was suffocating.
    “So where’s the missus?” You asked, scanning the crazily clean house with your busy eyes.
    A light chuckle left Jaehyun’s lips and you immediately regretted accepting the invitation. Yes, you were that in love with Jaehyun. You were hopeless. You fell in love with him the moment your sister introduced him to you as her boyfriend in your junior year of college, and every living moment with him was sickening because you were reminded that you were in love with your sister’s boyfriend-turned-husband. That went on for you for five years. After five years of living in absolute chaos, you were halfway into your twenties, a time of learning and growth. Unfortunately for you, there was no learning anything other than the fact that your heart was set on one person and that you were a horrible person.
    “She’ll be here soon,” the golden man replied.
    Even though there was a considerable distance between you and him, you could smell his strong natural honey scent, and it bothered you greatly.
    “Picking up Little Jae, isn’t she?” You said, turning your back to the man, whose eyes grew slightly troubled, to scan the pictures that laid proudly in an organized fashion underneath the floating living room television.
    Jaehyung, whom you called Little Jae, was the joy of your sister and Jaehyun and was another source of misery for you. He had his father’s brown eyes in the shape of his mother’s double-lidded, doe-like eyes. His hair was curly, which you had no idea who he inherited that feature from, resembling the curviness of fresh lettuce. Without a doubt you swooned over your adorable nephew, but he was just another reminder that your sister and the love of your life were really starting to have a little family of their own. And you were entering your thirties, miserable and broken and rejecting every single one of the happy family’s frequent invites to dinner.
    “Sorry,” you would tell them. “Maybe next time.”
    There was no “next time”. Not even once. The guilt sank in the first time you lied, but you had gotten used to it. Still, you were never relieved of it.
    “Hey, maybe you can stay over for dinner,” Jaehyun spoke as your eyes jumped back and forth from the unchanging, jolly family pictures. “I’m sure that Jaehyung would love having his aunt stay longer.”
    A little needle pricked the side of your heart, provoking you to spill your darkest secret. At once, an unsettling thought seeped into your mind: Jaehyun suspected that you were intentionally staying away from Jaehyung, but you were certain that the reasons were unknown to him. Or at least you hoped.
    “You know I love him, but I can’t stay to eat,” you said, lying through your teeth. “I’m leaving on a business trip tomorrow. My boss wants me to look over a couple of files before we leave.”
    You did have a business trip. It just wasn’t until the following week, so you were technically partially telling the full story. The depressing photos somehow helped the lies formulate in your mind quicker. Each photo followed the story of Jaehyung’s life, from when he was born up until his third birthday party. It was a way for his parents to “look back at the photos and see just how big he’s grown”, according to your sister. Reliving the moment she told you that over the phone made your stomach churn.
    “Have you guys chosen which photo to frame from LJ’s fourth birthday party?” you said, the words flowing out of you like water, shaking off Jaehyun’s suspicion. “I personally liked the one with the clown in the back. Everyone loves clowns.”
    Harmonious melody filled the room, closer to you than you realized and to which you stepped a few steps to the left.
    “You hate clowns,” Jaehyun exclaimed.
    “No, I’ve grown fond of them,” you corrected, not daring to spare a glance at the dazzling beauty. “They’re not at all creepy.”
    Evidently, you were able to hide your feelings even when you were alone with Jaehyun. So what was the problem? You could hide your feelings forever and no one would know. 
    The music of the keypad reached your ears, giving you time to mentally prepare yourself for the worst part about getting together with your sister and Jaehyun.
    “Auntie!” left the voice of a squealing little boy.
    “LJ!” you exclaimed, your voice mirroring that of the little boy.
    No, engulfing your adorable nephew in a soul-crushing hug wasn’t the worst part. It was the sight of your sister and your crush exchanging a short but warm kiss, their arms wrapped around each other’s torso. You wanted to bolt out of the room.
    As you pulled away from Jaehyung, he looked at you with big, sparkling eyes.
    “Is auntie having a sleepover?” he asked.
    A slithering, intense sensation, otherwise known as guilt, settled in your stomach.
    “I’m sorry, little one,” you answered as your hands found their way to his soft, chubby cheeks. “I have work to do.”
    The sparkle in his eyes slowly withered and his lower lip jutted out. “Auntie always has work.”
    You couldn’t lie: that stung. You didn’t think he would care, but he noticed your unimportant absence from his life the past couple of months. Apparently, you weren’t as invisible as you thought you were to him.
    To fill in the silence that overpowered you, your sister pitched, “It’s because Auntie’s very important to the company.”
    A small smile rested on your face. It had been too long since you last stepped into your sister’s house. Before you stood up to greet your sister, you promised Jaehyung that you would stay for longer the next time you visited. With that simple remark, the excitement in his eyes reappeared. As he left to wash his hands, your sister practically jumped on you, squeezing your waist tightly.
    “I’m so glad that you could make it,” she said, crushing the life out of you.
    But you sensed the tension in her voice. “What’s the thing you have to ask me in person?”
    Your sister immediately released her hold of you and offered a nervous smile.
    “Want to get to that now, huh?”
    With a small nod in response from you, your sister motioned you over to the living room area. It wasn’t one second into silence once you were all seated and you could already feel the tension heightening. Leaning back into the couch, you let your eyes wander to Jaehyun’s hands reaching out to your sister’s, to which you quickly averted your eyes to your sister’s, fearing that one slip would give you away.
    “So what’s up?” you asked less cheerily than you wanted.
    You watched your sister glance at her husband before her eyes landed on yours. She was sitting a few feet away from you, but her eyes radiated with such anxiety that you felt obligated to send an encouraging nod.
    “Come on, it can’t be that bad,” you said, the words secretly meant for you more than for the couple.
    Once she cleared her throat, your sister started, “You see, I’m leaving on a business trip for a month. I’m gonna be out for a couple of weeks, so I want you to do me a favor.” After a short pause and briefly examining any change of emotion in you, she continued, “I want you to look after Jaehyung.”
    A questionable expression immediately appeared all over your face as you leaned forward, wondering if you heard the right thing.
    “What?”      
    Jaehyun’s melodious voice filled your ears, drowning the sound of Jaehyung’s loud stomping in the background. “We figured Mark and Doyoung could help take care of Jaehyung, but you know their schedules are unpredictable.”
    A small, nervous smile appeared on your sister’s beautiful face. “What do you say?”
    Forcing yourself to pry your eyes from hers, you hoped to ward off the burdensome guilt that silently crept up on your shoulders. To your luck, your eyes landed on Jaehyung. He was playing happily with his toy truck, driving it back and forth with his mini hands.
    “Jaehyung’s really excited to spend a few weeks with his favorite aunt,” your sister tried to appeal.
    “I’m his only aunt,” you plainly replied, shaking your head. Mustering the courage to direct your gaze at Jaehyun, you asked, “And what will Jaehyun be doing?”
    “It’ll be the first time Janet will be leaving me with our child,” the golden boy explained. “I would feel a lot better and safer if I had someone help me.”
    That hit home. The growing guilt in your heart clouded your thoughts. You couldn’t dare say yes in fear that you would only do it for the wrong reason, to spend time with Jaehyun which was ironically the reason why you avoided meeting the happy family in the first place.
    “So I’ll be babysitting two babies.”
    At that, your sister’s face brightened. “You’re not immediately rejecting it.”
    Meanwhile, at the irresistible call of his name, Jaehyun left his spot next to your sister to fulfill his son’s desire to play airplane.
    You took that chance to relax and calmly tell your sister, “You know I love Jaehyung.”
    “But?”
    “You’re asking me to do something that I can’t do,” you revealed.
    A sudden gloom took over your sister’s face very noticeably. “Why can’t you do it?”
    You tried to reason with her in the most convincing tone you could. “You know that I’ll be swamped with work. I can’t possibly help look after Jaehyung when I have my own agenda to carry out.”
    The room hushed, the sounds of Jaehyung’s laughter far off in the distance.
    “Why do you always reject opportunities to hang out with Jaehyung?”
    And time stood still. You swore you felt your heart stop beating for a second.
    Wracking your brain for excuses, you quickly spat out, “Janet, you know the work I do demands a lot of my time.”
    The look on your sister’s face made you sick to your stomach. You were the worst aunt and sister to exist. Okay, you weren’t the worst aunt and sister in the history of the worst aunts and sisters, but you were horrible in comparison to your upbeat, supportive parents, sister, and relatives. In your family, you were the epitome of inadequacy, and it slapped you in the face, written in big, bold words on your forehead, when you witnessed the look of despair in your sister’s expression. The strings of your heart tugged.
    “Janet,” you called out softly.
    “Did I do something wrong?” she asked quietly, avoiding your gaze.
    Sometimes, you couldn’t believe that she was older than you. She was never a strong-headed older sister. She was more of the gentle and calm type, which complemented her inherent happy- spirited nature, which was why you were known to be the firm one of the both of you. But she always managed to bring out the little, soft, immature child trapped inside of you.
    “Janet, you did nothing wrong,” you exclaimed. “Don’t let this situation have that thought ever sneak into your mind like that again.”
    “Then why don’t you accept our invitations?”
    The lying thread you held on to slightly slipped from your grasp. Slightly. With a heavy heart, you cautiously told her this:
    “I’m single.”
   You simply confessed that you were reminded of your singleness. That, you being single, you were. However, you were more shallow than that, but she didn’t need to know that. Especially not after when the life in your sister’s eyes came back, lit brighter than before.
    “How about we set you up on a date?”  
    Of course, that was the moment your golden boy conveniently decided to return with his son’s hands soundly wrapped inside of his.
    “A date?” the father echoed, occupying the empty seat he left, with Jaehyung seated on his lap.
    “She’s been feeling lonely,” your sister explained vaguely.
    A deep frown rested on your face. “Hey, don’t make me sound desperate.”
    Jaehyung squirmed his way out of his father’s lap and hopped over to yours, melting your heart yet weighing you down.
    “Actually, there’s this fundraising event our company’s hosting,” Jaehyun said, looking at you with the softest, encouraging eyes you had ever seen. “I could introduce you to someone there.”
    Of course, there was no spark. After all, you weren’t his girl. He belonged to the girl who shouted, “Honey, that would be great!”
    You didn’t want to be with anyone. You wanted to be with you-know-who, but the one guy you so badly were in love with was taken. In fact, you loved him so much that if you couldn’t have him, you wanted to leave the world as your single self.
    You zoned out from the side conversation your sister and Jaehyun were having, not really listening to your sister bombard her husband with questions about the eligible co-workers. Jaehyung played with the fabric of your jeans, scratching his nails against them back and forth. You took a deep breath in to calm your mind, but you instead smelled the rubbed scent of honey from Jaehyung’s hair. Before you knew it, your hands were delicately brushing through the soft curls. You listened to Jaehyung happily hum to a familiar tune. It was the song you used to sing to him before you started rejecting the dinner invitations. An overwhelming wave of nostalgia swept over you. The red thread began to become even looser.
    Right then and there, it became clear to you: you loved your sister and Jaehyung, but you had to move on from your forbidden love. It wasn’t fair for them, the sweetest people you knew, to have a liar in their lives. The least you could do to start moving on was to go to that one event.
    “Alright,” you sighed defeatedly. “I’ll go.”
    The tension in the room that was present the moment you arrived vanished.
    “And you’ll take care of Jaehyung?” your sister asked with expectant eyes.
    “I’ll take care of Jaehyung.”
    A sudden squeal escaped from your sister’s innocent mouth as she rushed over to you, attacking you with a hug and leaving Jaehyung with no choice but to return to his father before he could be crushed. You let your sister embrace you, swaying your bodies side to side, and inhaled her citrus perfume. Everything was gonna be fine, you told yourself. Everything was ought to be fine.
    “Do you want to stay over for dinner at least?” your sister asked, pulling away from the warm embrace. “I have ingredients for pasta.”
    Torture found itself on your lips as you said, “I have a business trip to prepare for tomorrow.”
    When the time came, you hugged everyone goodbye--even Jaehyun. It was without a doubt hurting you, but you knew that it was the first step: if you wanted to move on, you had to accept Jaehyun’s presence without calculating possible slips. Before they could see you out, Jaehyung had already caused trouble by spilling tomato sauce all over the kitchen floor. You smiled at the couple insistently and shooed them away, telling them that you would go on ahead, but before you closed the door, you couldn’t help but look back at the small family. They were laughing off Jaehyung’s mistake, wiping the sauce over each other’s face. Jaehyung shrieked when your sister began tickling his tummy while Jaehyun attacked his neck. And you shut the door quietly behind you. 
_______________________________________________________________________ 
Update: My Little Secret (Part 2) is out! Check it out here. 
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