#adding this to my 'i guess i'll fix it myself' pile

[jamiesfootball]

What are your thoughts on Ted? Is it good he went home?

These are two separate answers but I'm gonna try to combine them into one thought bubble (bear with me).

My short answer regarding Ted's ending is that you can't create a fully fleshed out character for 2-3 seasons and then in the final hour decide he was Mary Poppins all along. The Mary Poppins is meant to be strange, not-quite of normal ilk. She's the static character who leads the change in others, the one who inspires. You don't usually see the inner thoughts and workings of a static character.

From the very first time the audience meets Ted, we understand that this is not a static character because he is literally one of our starting POVs. We see his uncertainty about flying across the globe to go teach a sport he doesn't understand. We see him turning to Beard for reassurance. We see him stick his hand out where it isn't wanted while he tries to find common ground with people in a new country. We see the beginnings of a panic attack at the press conference.

That is is episode one. He is not a static character. He is not a strange and unusual person impossible to understand. He is inspiring, yes, but that is because of his humanity- his kindness.

He is not a Mary Poppins.

Ted is at his most interesting when he is a complicated, struggling, but ultimately kind man who tries his best to show genuine empathy and compassion towards others. The fact that this same trait doubles as a flaw is equally intriguing.

Ted can reassure Sam that Jamie won't be coming back, or Ted can reach out to Jamie when he's struggling and ask him to come back. Both are acts of kindness. He can not do both.

Ted can show Rebecca empathy and understanding for her trying to sabotage Richmond, but it ties his hands on being honest to Jamie about why he was sent away in the first place.

In trying to balance kindness, Ted struggles to be direct. He struggles to come right out and tell people how he's feeling about situations. Despite encouraging other people to talk about their feelings, he dances around his own and avoids awkward confrontations. I think that is the flaw that Ted most needed to explore. At the same time, I hesitate to say he could have learned too much given how he was struggling to process his own trauma with his dad and how it effected his relationships with those around him. (Put a pin here, I'll be back for it in a later.)

Pivoting back to Ted's purpose in the narrative, unfortunately as the show ran through season three, it became too near-sighted on The Message and in turn lost sight of making sure the characters had fulfilling interactions with each other. This especially becomes apparent when it comes to Ted, whose motto in season one is 'be curious not judgemental.' I maintain that season three was a low point for Ted emotionally, and if I were to assign a reason in-universe as to why Ted seemed so off from his usual self, it would be that in his depression, he no longer had the energy to realize he wasn't being curious. One indication of this would be how many times Ted casts assumptions on people in season three, compared to his hey-do-you-think conversational openers from earlier seasons. Some examples would include:

-never trying to figure out what makes Zava tick (this is a big one to me. I think season one Ted would have been all over trying to crack Zava like a nut)

-assuming he already knows why Jamie is upset about Zava joining the team and brushing it off

-assuming that Dr Jacob would propose + assuming that Michelle would say yes instead of trying to ferret out whether

-his assumptions about Henry being bullied (the knee-jerk reaction as a parent to protect your kid is understandable, the lack of delving into the situation and why it happened are more what I mean here)

-his whole conversation with Jamie about his dad. Other people in more succinct words have pointed out how it feels like he fully projected what he needed to hear onto Jamie's situation, and I think that's fairly accurate. This was not a 'talk to me and tell me what's going on so I can better understand how i need to help you' conversation. This was a 'oh that's whats going on? how about you do this? that work? alright then' talk.

So the finale struts back around and Ted has made a decision. He's going home. And it's meant to feel like closure. They play the Cat Stevens song and it's supposed to feel like Ted has finally made a step in the right direction (which is certainly one take on those lyrics but I digress). He's going back home. He's going to be with his son. He's letting go of the damage his father leaving did to him. He's giving up on something and he's finally okay with that. He left Richmond better than he found it and that's what matters.

Everyone else can cry but he's not crying. He's finally with Henry again.

So here's my two cents. And this is definitely just my opinion but-

THAT'S FUCKING STUPID.

Because the only way that Henry OR Richmond exists is in a false dichotomy wherein the two cannot possibly coincide, despite the fact that there are MANY KIDS' SHOWS ABOUT CHILDREN MOVING TO NEW LOCATIONS EVEN NEW COUNTRIES because that is a NORMAL THING THAT HAPPENS IN THE NORMAL WORLD ALL THE TIME.

Like holy shit that is. That is just the plot of a Disney channel show. 'My dad the football coach moved to england to coach the other football.' That is just the plot of a Disney channel original movie with a $300 budget that magically gets a sequel. Is that what I'm supposed to say 'oh no, that could never happen' over? Because I"m already watching a TV show. You can put a show in another show- I'm fine with that.

Remember that pin above? Time to pull it out. Because you know what would have been a more narratively satisfying conclusion?

If Ted had actually asked Henry and Michelle if they'd liked to move to London to be closer to him. If he had actually expressed his fucking need to have both his Kansas family and his Richmond family close to him. Maybe they would have said no, maybe they would have said yes, but you know what? It would have at least opened the door to the discussion about what Ted might need as a person moving forward, whichever way the chips fell. At least he would have done the one thing we didn't see him do all show:

Ask for something for himself. Because he wants it. Not for the good of his family, or the team, or anyone else. Just for Ted.

I am not saying his son isn't the most important thing in his life. I am saying as a goddamn adult person, you can NOT mold your life around your kids. You can't. Full stop. It is not healthy. You put your kid's needs above your own, but as a parent your needs have to come second. You have to take care of your own emotional health so that you have the bandwidth to give them support. You have to set the example of what healthy boundaries and taking care of yourself looks like.

Could Ted make new social connections back in Kansas? Well that's the thing isn't it- season one Ted could have. Easily. Season three Ted? The one who's checked out and looks tired all the time and isn't even following his own motto anymore and didn't even cry like he'd miss his friends when he was leaving? I'm not sure about that Ted. I'm worried about that Ted. I'm worried he's going to put himself in a situation where for the next 9 years of his life his only priority is going to be keeping Henry happy by giving Henry the attention he never got from his own father. And after that? Henry's an adult. Henry has to go live his own life.

And Henry's going to be able to tell, by the way, if his dad is struggling. Whatever Ted's emotional health is like, Henry is going to pick up on it. This isn't a one way road. Kids notice.

Ted untangled himself enough to admit that what he wants is to be close to Henry. I commend that. But then he decided that there was only one way to do that, and he didn't look any further than that. The narrative didn't look any further than that. For a show that itself raises the topic of mental health, it feels tone-deaf to pretend that Ted moving away from his entire support group is a happy ending. He doesn't even have Beard!

So to summarize: what do I think about Ted? I think he's a fascinating character. I think he has a genuine kindness to him that is rare. I think he is flawed, and a little bent up on the inside, and he's got a lot of issues to work through. And I think the show did him a disservice by painting him going back to Kansas as a sign that everything was going to be okay.

#that's my very long take! #sorry! #and yes i am a 'how dare the found family break up at the end' type of person #but I can usually give props to canon if they at least made the reasons satisfying #lotr for example gets a pass on this #here tho? not satisfied #love ted; not satisfied with where we left him #would've preferred to run him through the washer a few times and see what happens #ted lasso #ted lasso meta #complaining about the finale #adding this to my 'i guess i'll fix it myself' pile #i am so sorry anon i just looked back at your ask and it was just two innocuous questions #and i busted out the capslock #mea culpa

[clumsiestgiantess]

Chapter 20 of The Other-world Universe; lightheartedness, angst, love, we’ve got it all. Also a very large gun. We have that, too.

All chapters listed here

(this chapter has an SFW and NSFW version. To follow the SFW version, skip down at the bolded cut. Ignore it if you want the full version.)

[Testing the Waters]

Shortly after gathering up the building bricks from where I stashed them earlier, I realized that Ivan's idea wasn't a complete solution like I’d thought.  I'd have to make a fairly large box to fit the already large gun inside of, and I didn’t want to have to lug around a box that size all the time, or the oversized gun for that matter.  

However, as I thought through other ways to store my weapon rather than creating it myself, I was reminded of one of my old experiments.  The time I'd tried to size myself to the other-world, I'd made a bracelet that would shrink me down whenever I wore it.  It failed, obviously.  My best guess as to why was that I couldn’t manipulate myself, only the actual objects I created.  

But what if I can make something similar to the bracelet to fix this problem?  How cool would it be if I wore something that just spawned the gun right into my hands the second I needed it?  That way, the scientists or whoever else that fought me couldn’t separate me from a weapon no matter what.  It would always respawn in my hands.  Unless, of course, they found the object I was wearing.  

I'll have to make it something small and hidden — somewhere the scientists will never think to check.  I gathered a pile of glassy, opaque bricks and got to work.  Soon, I had a three by three inch square of translucent emerald bricks that glistened in the sunlight.  Perfect.  Then came the truly hard part: creating it exactly the way I needed it.  I sat within the strange energy’s reach, the shimmering creation casting a greenish reflection onto my hand.  With my sketch and plans spread out beside me, I began.

This square stone will be able to attach and unattach itself from the back of the wearer’s neck, where they will keep it without feeling anything there at all.  This would make it both inconspicuous to me — by making it so I can wear it without being disturbed — and to the scientists — by having it hidden just beneath the neck of my shirt.  I glanced at my notes for some guidance and added the rest.  

When the wearer reaches behind their back for a weapon, the stone will dispense a large gun that looks exactly how I picture it from the notes here.  It will appear directly in your hands, and return to nothing once you reach to put it back.  This gun will have all of the following attributes:  The top will have a reload slider that can be pulled back to four different modes. The shortest mode will shoot explosive bullets, the second shortest will do the same but with multiple rounds, the second longest will generate a shield you can shatter as a smoke bomb with smoke that only the user can see through, and the longest will shoot an indestructible barrier only the user can cross through.  It will be made of the same breathable light material as the bullets and shield.

Is there anything I'm forgetting?  I scanned my notes again.  The barrel of the gun will have a long strip of lights divided into four sections.  A different one will light up for each mode the gun is put into.  This way I could tell for certain what I was shooting before pulling the trigger.

That seemed to be all my notes had to offer on gun design.  Thinking back to my failed attempt at gaining a different height, I tried, again, to make it work.  When the user wears this stone, they’ll also be able to swap sizes from natural other-world size to a natural size in this world and vice versa by concentrating on the change, like the concentration it takes to swap worlds.  Everything you have on yourself will also grow or shrink to accommodate your size.  I added a few extra orders to determine the gun’s color and dimensions before stepping out of the strange force’s reach, ending the stone’s creation.  I decided to keep the user vague, just in case I ever wanted to make another one for someone else, though I couldn’t imagine why.

Excitement-filled adrenaline caused my hands to shake as I held the plastic square up to the light.  Please let this work the way I want it to, I begged, crossing over into the other-world.  I appeared in the empty field I’d slept in before, my pillows and blanket still strewn on the ground.  The square had shifted in my grasp when I arrived, morphing from pieces of plastic to a strip of gleaming glassy rock that shone like a piece of cut peridot.  The way that the stone reflected the sunlight around it held me spellbound for a moment.  Then, I lifted it behind my head and placed it at the base of my neck, where it snapped into place like a magnet to a fridge.  Once the stone was in place, I twisted my head in various ways, testing how it felt.  Just as I’d said when I made it, I couldn’t feel it at all.  Yet, as undetectable as it was, I could still feel it embedded in my spine when I rubbed the back of my neck.  

Now it was time for the real test.  My chest tightened as I thought of becoming a smaller height.  I couldn’t help but smirk as I pictured Erica’s reaction to seeing me her own size, likely wandering confusedly around the Cavern Town in search of either her or Ivan.  Maybe she wouldn’t even recognize me until I came up to her.  Oh to watch her eyes light up in delighted shock once she saw me standing at her own world’s scale in front of her.

However, when I opened my eyes, my bedding was still proportionally sized to myself, and I could still see for miles around.  I sighed in defeat, heart sinking in my chest.  Well, it was worth a shot.  I hope the gun parts work at least.  Reaching behind my back, I grabbed at the empty space behind me.  Holding my breath, I waited hopefully for something to happen.  Less than a second later, my fingertips brushed solid material, and I yanked the object forward.  

The gun slipped into view; its slick green-tinged chrome shone in the sunlight.  It had appeared perfectly in my hand — finger poised on the trigger.  I whistled in marvel at its design.  Seeing it on paper was nice for planning, but the real thing was so much more impressive.  It was heavy, but still rather lightweight for a metal object that size.  Glancing over my shoulder at the town, I took a short walk in the opposite direction.  I didn’t want to scare everyone by firing a weapon I was only 90 percent sure would work correctly.

Once the Cavern Town was out of sight, I pulled the reload back to the first level, then pushed it into position, swiftly setting the gun to single-shot mode.  Nervously, I took aim at a nearby tree and pulled the trigger.  A burst of light flew from the barrel with a slight kick, racing through the air and grazing the side of the trunk.  As the tree fell to the ground, the light hit the earth somewhere beyond it.  Clumps of dirt were flung everywhere as the bullet exploded.  Oh, that’s.. not right.

I stepped carefully over to inspect the damage.  A small crater of dirt and grass was left behind.  “Well, that worked surprisingly well,” I murmured at the sight of the upturned earth.  “It’s not quite as harmless as I meant it to be.. I don’t really think I specified how volatile I wanted these to be when I made them.”   

Continuing my inspection, I clicked the reload bar up a notch and tried again.  Five bullets spiraled out of the barrel at once.  They landed in a star-shaped pattern, creating a spiky, more severe-looking version of the first crater.  That probably could rip someone wide open if I shot them directly.  Hmm, I’ll.. just move on from those two.

With the slider raised to section three, I took aim and fired directly in front of me.  I’d hoped to grab the shield out of the air, but the gun released it way too fast for my reflexes to respond.  The shield exploded out of the barrel at the same speed as a bullet, skidding across the ground like a sled before bursting into smoke, as per my design.

I stood watching in shock as clouds billowed over the ground.  Between the dislodged chunks of dirt, the cratered landscape, and the creeping tufts of heavy smoke, the terrain in front of me looked an awful lot like a battlefield.  An eerie observation.  I would have to fix the issue with my shield, which meant I would probably have to remake everything else, too.  But for the time being, I continued the tests.  

The final reload tick was for creating a barrier that only I could manipulate.  After finding a target — a particularly tall tree I’d spotted — I took aim and fired.  Light shot out of the barrel so similarly to the bullets that for a moment I thought I’d made a mistake.  However, instead of exploding upon hitting its target, the light instead fanned out around it in a slowly-expanding arc.  In a few seconds, a shining translucent casing grew in a dome over the tree and the shrubs beneath it.  I marveled at it as I slowly stepped closer.  Reaching out to touch it, I became spellbound as my hand slid right through — the barrier drawing an eerily cold line across my skin that was caught between the threshold.  I pulled back and rubbed the spot for a moment to warm it, then slid my whole head inside.  Breathability, check.  Visibility, check.  Durability I’ll check in a moment.  Accessibility… wait.  Wait!  I made it inaccessible to the hazmat giants, but I forgot that the other-worldians need a way in and out as well!

Brief frightening scenarios flashed through my brain — the entire town, maybe even Erica, stuck behind an impenetrable wall that only I was allowed through.  Shit.  I didn’t even make a way to take it down in case I mess up.  I was back in my own world instantly.  Almost everything needed tweaking, so I went ahead and scrapped it, trying again with a few new things in mind.

I want this gun to be exactly like the one I previously made, but with a few changes.  First, an explosive bullet should only be able to destroy skin, not muscle or bone.  Multiple bullets.. should be able to damage any living matter it hits.  As much as I didn’t want to kill anyone, I had a strong nagging fear that I would certainly have to put up a fight once I took this thing out in front of the ‘giants’.  The shield won’t leave the gun unless I grab it…  Oh!  And the barrier should only let me- I mean only let the user remove it, and allow other-worldians to cross beneath it, but ONLY other-worldians.  That way, the people from the portals couldn’t use them to their advantage somehow, like crossing directly through one at the same time as an other-worldian.

I figured the people of the Cavern Town could make tunnels through the rocks — like the ones I’d previously destroyed — which could go under or around the barrier to get in and out.  If the scientists tried something like that, the barrier would grow to fill any hole they made.  Anything that wasn’t previously dug before the barrier went up would automatically be sealed to keep intruders out, so I made a mental note to get the other-worldian refugees to create some exits before I put up any barriers.

Again, I took my weapon to the other-world to test.  Again, I tried to change my height to no avail.  However, the bullets seemed to be working fine, besides the kick in the gun, but that was a given when working with explosives.  The muti-shot mode made an even bigger crater than before due to my new instructions.  After a bit of contemplation, I shrugged.  “I need to show a bit of muscle, anyway.  They won’t take me seriously otherwise!  Plus, I don’t really feel like going back and remaking this thing from scratch just to change one little thing.”  It occurred to me that my weapon might be a bit too overpowered, but I reasoned that I’d only shoot someone in lethal mode if it was absolutely necessary, like if someone was about to kill me first.

The new barrier passed all the tests I could think of, including one that I’d forgotten.  I uprooted a tree to throw at its side, just to test its durability.  With the tree held tightly in one hand, I wound up and threw it against the barrier as hard as I could.  The tree hit it head-on and ricocheted off its side, promptly exploding as it flew through the air.  I held my arms up to shield my face; bits of debris rained on the field.  Some of the pieces fell back onto the barrier, where they were torn apart a second time.  Oh wow.  I forgot I made the material itself explosive.

Hesitantly, I took a branch and gently touched the barrier.  Nothing happened.  Placing my hand roughly over its side, I felt a slight jolt, but nothing harmful.  Good.  The explosion depends on the force.  I didn’t want someone accidentally touching or hitting the barrier and meeting an awful fate.

Just for extra measures, I threw a rock at it too, but from a further distance.  The rock didn’t explode as violently as the tree had, probably because it was a lot sturdier, but it still showered down in several chunks.  With all the shooting modes tested, I could tinker with the shield part.  It came out at the very tip of the gun and stayed there until I plucked it off.  

While I practiced with my new weapon, I recognized the sound of a Cavern Town truck heading towards me.  Knowing it would be a while before the truck actually reached me, I continued trying to properly use the shield function, blocking invisible attacks in my mind.  However, as the truck arrived, it honked loudly at me.  Yelping in surprise, I lost my grip on the shield and dropped it, spreading billowing smoke everywhere.  I gagged on the hovering clouds that billowed swiftly past my head as I’d bent down to grab it, concealing everything in a greenish-grey haze.  It was strange; the fog only cleared in the exact place that I was looking at.  I suppose that’s how I created it, though.

Someone started slow-clapping to my left.  She laughed at my clumsiness before choking on the drifting smoke herself.  “Erica, stop laughing!” I chided with a smile as I waved away the smoke around my face.  “I worked hard on this!”  I cautiously stepped towards the place where I heard her laughter, continuing to wave away smoke.  It didn’t really look or smell like smoke though; it was more like fog that was incredibly thick.  

Once I found the truck's outline in the mist, I got an idea.  Smiling wryly, I froze and went completely silent, leaving the rolling mist to cover me again.  Erica paced cautiously to the front of the truck, keeping one hand on it to orient herself.  “Alexis?” she called confusedly into the suddenly silent field, “Where did you go?”  She looked right past me into the billowing fog as if I were invisible.  I quickly checked to make sure I actually wasn’t.  Sometimes I’d forget I could do that.

Slowly sliding my hand to the ground beside Erica, I inched myself closer.  “Hello?  Alexis, are you hiding because I laughed at you?” she chuckled.  “How was I ever afraid of you?  I’m gonna find you eventually,” Erica announced smugly.  She stepped fearlessly out into the fog which rendered vision almost useless, yet it didn’t affect my eyes from seeing her in the slightest.  Erica had almost walked right into my grinning face.  I chuckled giddily, watching Erica’s form tense rigidly at the close sound of its rumble.  "Not if I find you first."  Erica barely had time to react before I reached out and snatched her up from the ground.

I grinned haughtily as she yelped in shock.  Her heartbeat skittered against my thumb, pressed lightly into her chest while I held her in a loose fist.  Erica struggled slightly as I shifted to my full height.  The fog rolled off of us as I ascended, settling around my waist once I stood.  The utter shock on Erica's face was priceless.  She wasn't at all frightened for more than a split second, which surprised me.  Now that we could properly see each other, Erica made a big show of rolling her eyes and pouting crossly.  However angered she appeared to be, I could see a faint smile playing at her lips.

"You're insane," Erica grumbled, feigning annoyance.  I laughed, "I couldn’t resist!  It’s your karma for mocking me!"  Stepping away from the smokey cloud slowly dissipating into the air, I sat down with one of my knees tucked up, placing Erica on top of it.  She sat with her arms propping herself up, legs dangling over the side of my mine.  "I wasn't scared.  I knew you wouldn't hurt me," an air of authority swept through her voice as she tilted her chin up haughtily.  "Is that so?"  "Yep.  Because all I have to do is flirt with you and you'll immediately abandon all your scariness," she said knowingly, wagging a minuscule finger at me.  "You're probably the least intimidating person I've ever met."

Caught slightly off guard, I let out an embarrassed chuckle in response.  I flopped over onto the grass below, leaving Erica sitting above me.  I had to wait for my blush to cool down before I could speak again.  "So, what brings you all the way out here?" I asked, once I regained my voice.  "Just to make fun of me, or…?"  

Erica shook her head, “No, I haven’t seen you for the past, like, forever, so I thought I’d go find out what you were up to.  You said you’d be back days ago, you know.  I was starting to worry!”  “Sorry,” I mumbled, “I’m testing weapons.”  “I can see that,” Erica replied, gesturing at the gun lying in the now fog-free field.  “Actually, it’s slightly concerning that you can conjure up a giant blaster gun at will.  What were you trying to do before you exploded it?”  “It’s supposed to do that,” I grumbled.  “Supposed to what?  Explode?”

With an exasperated sigh, I sat up and squinted at her.  “It’s supposed to be a shield that explodes into a smoke bomb when it hits the ground.  I was practicing how quickly I could use it, but you startled me!”  She giggled, giving me an innocent look.  “I was just saying hi!  I want to know what you’ve been doing without me.”  She leaned closer, reaching towards me until I offered her my hand, which she hastily pulled to herself.  Erica leaned against my palm and lay the side of her head, and a tiny hand, gently against it.

“Let me show you,” I offered, scooping Erica off my knee and placing her on the ground beside me.  It took a few extra moments for her to untangle herself from my fingers.  I swear she looked a bit peeved when I let her go.  Retrieving my gun from the empty field, I pulled the reload back to the third hitch and pushed it forwards again.  Now that Erica was watching, I felt the need to show off my moves and weapon.  Twirling the gun on my fingers, I whirled around dramatically, firing the shield and whisking it around to fend off invisible attackers, ducking and weaving like I was in a real fight.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t actually see Erica’s reaction to my epic display.  She was both too small and too far away for me to make out anything but her figure standing amidst the chaos I’d wreaked on the field testing my new weapon.  After a few minutes of fooling around, I returned to the truck where Erica sat watching me.  “So,” she stated in an unimpressed tone, “When do I get a weapon?”  I stopped just short of the truck; my brain suddenly drew a blank.  

“I-  What?  You don’t get a weapon.  I told you I won’t make you fight.”  “You aren’t making me do anything,” Erica responded, “I want a weapon.  I want to fight alongside you, to help keep you safe.”  I shook my head, kneeling in the grass in front of her.  “No, I’m not letting you risk your life just so you can get revenge on some crazy race of futuristic people.  End of conversation.”  “But I know how to fight-”  “You know how to fight giants thirty times your size?” I countered, interrupting her.  Before Erica could argue, I stood and headed back towards town.  “Besides, I’m not even fighting them.  I’m fending them off while you guys stay safely behind a barrier.  I'm not a killer; I'm just trying to ward them off so they’ll leave everyone alone, and everything will go back to the way it was before.”

As I walked back toward the valley, I could hear Erica faintly yelling at me.  “Don’t you walk away from me!  Alexis, get back here!  This conversation isn’t over!” but I pretended I hadn’t heard her.  She’ll be uninterested in a weapon once mine becomes an everyday thing.  I’m stopping her from getting herself killed.  I’m doing the right thing.

Back at the Cavern Town, things were fairly uneventful.  I’m sure its interior was absolutely bustling with activity, but out where I sat, the rocky landscape was quiet and barren.  Sitting back on my perch on the opposite side of the crevasse, I had a picturesque view.  Puffed clouds with flattened undersides slid across the vivid blue sky.  Their shadows crawled over the earth beneath them, dappling the landscape in patches of darkened shadow amidst the warmer hues of light.  Leaves in all colors of Autumn rustled and scattered with the wind, and I shivered at the sound.  A perfect view indeed.  Except, of course, for the vehicle speeding through the center of it, with Erica undoubtedly on her way to chew me out.  It didn’t matter much to me, though; butterflies flitted through my chest at the thought of her beside me, regardless of the mood.

Once Erica finally made her way to my seat, I braced myself for some angry remark, but silence remained.  We sat together for a while instead, watching the view.  She'd returned to the same spot on my knee, though I was sitting cross-legged now, and there were plenty of other places for her to sit on the rocks around me.  

“You’re right that we shouldn’t go around starting shit with giants," Erica began, "But I would be lying if I said I don't want to hurt them for what they've done.  Still, I know from experience it's better not to go picking fights you can't win."  I wanted to ask what she meant by her last statement, but she continued speaking before I could bring it up.  "It's just… stupid.  It's stupid, I'm sorry.  You're just trying to protect me from myself."  Erica shifted off of my knee and started to head back the way she came.  However, I put a hand out in front of her, blocking her path before she could get any further.

Confusedly, she turned back to me.  "Erica," her name slid off my tongue with nothing but gentle worry on it.  At the sound of her name on my lips, her stony expression broke just slightly.  "What is this really about?  You’ve been.. clingier than usual."  She stilled, vision staring blankly into nowhere before giving her head a small shake and moving to edge her way past my blockade.  "I'm fine.  I told you it's stupid."  "If it's 'stupid' then why are you so upset?"  "I'M NOT UPSET!" hostility sprung into her voice so suddenly that even she seemed taken aback by it.  Her face had been turned from me, but after veering around suddenly to snap at me, I could see her eyes glazing over with tears.  

"I just-” she sighed, anger fading from her voice.  “You disappeared into your world a few days ago, longer than you said you would.  And that's fine!  It is where you live," she added hastily, "But when you came back.. I don't know.. I thought- I thought you were cutting me out of the picture.  You came back with your fancy weapon and your plans to go out and fight.. without me."

Erica groaned, "See?  I told you it was stupid.  My brain saw you walking away and drew a line to the day you almost left.  When I had to chase you down, remember?"  Her voice faltered, and her words began rushing out over each other, desperate to escape after being pent up for so long.  "I just have this irrational fear that one day you'll wake up like the old you.  And you'll remember that you don't care about this world!  And you'll leave me again!”

Tears began to roll down her cheeks, and my eyes widened at how suddenly her demeanor had changed.  "I'm just so scared that you'll leave me alone.  Because you did; you have.  You left me alone for four years without a second glance!  Those four years were hell on earth.  I never wanted you to leave!  I only told you I did so you could see how frustrated I was!  Then you tried to do the same thing to me again when you destroyed the town!  At least that time you had the decency to say goodbye!”  She began sobbing; it was too much for me to process.  "If.. If you hadn't said that.. I-  We wouldn't have-"  she choked, tripping over nothing as she tried to back away.

The moment she fell, my hands rushed to her sides.  I tenderly slid a hand beneath her, cautiously lifting her to my chest where she clung tightly to me, burying her face in the fabric of my shirt.  "I.. I didn't know," I whispered.  Old memories replayed rapidly in my head — things I’d forgotten about over the years.  There had been so many easy, little moments between us long before I’d even pictured loving her.  How had I forgotten that?

Erica's cries slowly ceased and she pushed away from me slightly.  I looked down to see her head tilted all the way back, red-rimmed eyes gazing directly up at me intently.  "I left both times because I thought it would be better for you,” I confessed, “That first time, when I left after you yelled at me.. I regretted having ever met you — forcing you to witness and go through all the horrible things I’d done.  After that day, I never quite forgave myself.  Especially once I came back and you needed me again.  It felt like.. like I was forcing you to stay with me.  You didn't have any other options.  You told me yourself once that you felt trapped with me."  My throat began to tighten and my eyes watered.  "Both times you never got to choose.  I'm always just.. there, wherever you are.  So I leave.  I left because I-"  

There was a slight pause as I swallowed the lump building in my throat, "Because I didn't know."  "Didn't know?" Erica echoed.  I nodded slightly, "I didn't know you loved me.  I didn't- couldn't believe that you cared for me.  Why would you?  I hurt you.  I hurt you and so many other people.  Why?  Why would you love me?  I don't understand."  My voice cracked as my throat finally swelled closed.  The last few words dwindled into silence.

Erica slid upwards in my grasp, and I shifted her away slightly, thinking I'd hurt her in my grip that had tightened as I'd relayed my tragedy.  Tentatively, she reached out and grasped the bridge of my nose, pulling herself closer until her forehead rested on mine.  "You saved my life, Alexis.  In more ways than one.  You.. you're one of the few people who's shown me actual, genuine kindness, you know that?  I’ve never been happier than this last week, when all we did was spend time together."  

"But I-"  "I don't give a fuck about what you did four years ago."  I inhaled sharply.  My eyes fluttered shut as tears pricked at their edges.  "That was four years ago, Alexis.  People change!  Sure, you did some really shitty and stupid things, but you apologized, you made it up to me, and you’re trying to be better.  That's more than I can say about the rest of the people in my life.  You’ve done more than I could ever ask of you.  I love you.  You know I love you, and I know you love me.  So please.. don't leave me behind.”

I took a shuddering breath and held her back slightly; it was easier to see her that way.  We were both sobbing messes thanks to the trauma we'd accidently inflicted on eachother.  I still don't quite understand why Erica loves me so much.  I doubted I’d been told the whole story as to why.  The fact that I, the same person who'd accidently tortured her, was one of the same few to show her kindness, is upsetting.  However, if she didn’t want to tell me, I wouldn’t mind it.  I was sure she'd humor me with it eventually.  Until then, knowing that she cares for me is enough.

"I could never leave you now," I told Erica softly, stroking a stray lock of hair from her face.  "There's not a thing in the world that would make me want to leave you again."  Erica smiled through her subsiding tears.  "Which world?" she joked, "Mine or yours?"  I cracked a faint smile, again bringing her to my chest for another lopsided hug.  "Either, both, any.  I love you, Erica.  I thought that was the reason I had to let you go.  Thank you for showing me that it's the reason I need to stay."  

Slowly, Erica made her way up to my shoulder.  "You're welcome," she whispered into my ear once she arrived.  Again, we watched the view — Erica leaning lovingly against the side of my neck.  In the silence that followed, I noticed that we did that a lot — sitting silently side by side as we absentmindedly gazed at the world around us.  I guess it was something that we would always have in common.  The scenery was still beautiful no matter what size we were.  From up here, we both had the same view of it.

Eventually, we knew we'd have to head back down the valley.  Erica would return to her house in the secret little town, and I'd head back to my field.  I couldn't help feeling slightly melancholy about my living situation.  It was comical in a killing-your-back-slowly kind of way.  However, as I waved goodnight to the guards outside and reached for Erica to let her off, she dodged my grasp.  I turned my head to the side, trying to see where she’d gone.  "You better be picking me back up before you head off to bed," she said warningly.  "What?  Why?  Where do you think we're going?" I asked, confused.  "To bed," Erica stated.  "Together?"  "I thought you said you loved me."  My eyes widened in shock.  We're sleeping together!  Wait, why am I so excited?  We slept together a few days ago.  Despite my reasoning, I could feel my heartbeat quicken at the thought.  

"I don't really have much of a bed," I joked, "If you remember, I live in a field because it's the only place I fit."  I'm not quite sure whether I was being spiteful or sarcastic about it.  I guess some of Erica's naturally ticked off behavior had rubbed off on me.  Erica laughed, "I think I can make it work."  I shrugged and headed for my 'bed'.  At least I had the pillows and blanket I'd taken from my world; they made things slightly more bearable.

Once I returned to my place in the field, I reached for Erica again.  This time she happily let me hold her as I lay down, draping her over my chest once I settled in.  She sat cross legged on top of me, eyes searching me over in thought.  Excitement danced through them — eager and enticing — yet every time she reached to make an advance, she was cut off by the sheer scale of me.  Erica wasn't quite sure how to go about doing this, and neither was I.  

(Stop here for sfw version and scroll down to the next break)

I mean, what exactly can we do?  Whatever I try to do might be too much, and whatever she does-  My thoughts were interrupted by featherlight touch.  Erica had sidled up to my face, sitting draped in front of it in a half-laying position.  Gently. she took my chin in her hands.  I could feel her breath on my lips right before she plastered them to her own.  My hand slowly lifted as she began to kiss me, pulling her closer.  Soon, I had her pinned in my palms while I barraged her with my love.

Erica could barely breathe between my lips and had to tap out on occasion lest she run out of breath.  For a moment she would sit on my chest, panting while she caught her breath, before jumping right back in again.  She gave so much to reciprocate the love I gave to her.  I asked if I was becoming too much while she was taking a breather, but she only shook her head.  "Naw, if anything, you should be worried about not loving me hard enough."  

We continued as the sky darkened and night settled on the other-world.  I could just barely feel her lips pressing into the bottom of mine, or her miniscule tongue brush the tip of my own.  The difference in our scale made things slightly more challenging, but we slowly worked out a method that satisfied both of us.

I couldn't see much in the almost total darkness out in the field, so it became a bit harder for me to find her, but Erica would pull me gently to herself if need be.  As I gave her a particularly open-mouthed kiss, she slowly guided my lips lower until they brushed exposed stomach.  Erica had used the time during her recuperation moments to cast off the upper layers of her clothing, and until then, I hadn’t even noticed.  I flinched away in momentary shock, but Erica reached up to guide me back.  

“It’s.. It’s ok.  I want it; don’t worry about me.”  I squinted in the dark, trying to read her expression.  “Are you sure?” I asked hesitantly.  Erica nodded, settling firmly in my palms.  More carefully than before, I tested the soft surface.  Erica groaned quietly as my tongue slid across her torso — her whole ribcage between my lips.  I took in the smallness of her little body, sliding gently into my jaws.  Her miniscule fingers gripped tight fistfuls of my palm as I continued to love her.  Erica shivered against my teeth, her back arching slightly as she gave another softer whine.  “That’s.. good, yeah,” she huffed, chest shrinking and expanding between my lips.

Slowly, I found myself becoming less and less hesitant.  Moving up a bit, I felt my tongue slide over tiny rises of soft skin.  Her bra had disappeared as well.  My heart skipped a beat in my chest. Slowly pressing my lips back to her face, I licked at her breasts, gently testing my teeth on them as well.  Erica cried out and the thrill dissolved.  I immediately began to back off, frightened that I’d hurt her or scared her.  Before I could get more than a few inches away, Erica sat up quickly and grabbed my chin.  Bringing my lips up to her chest, Erica stuffed her breasts between them.  “Don’t you dare fucking stop now.”  Her voice was slurred with heavy breaths and intense pleasure.

Unable to speak with her so close, I didn’t bother trying to reply.  I continued on with what I’d been doing before, and soon enough I had her pinned against my lips again, only this time it was her chest pressed between them.  I let my tongue slowly drag across her torso from the bottom up — tasting her in an entirely new sense of the word.  Her stomach was squishy soft against the surface of my tongue, now coated thickly with saliva.  My tastebuds managed to catch on her nipples before sliding up the rest of the way, and Erica gasped another pleased cry.  A smug sense of satisfaction came over me as I heard Erica get louder; her gasps and whines made quite the little symphony.  Wow, I wonder how it feels.

As I sat back to take a breath, I finally had the time to comprehend that Erica’s top half was completely exposed.  Her nudity was doing something to me beyond recognition.  Sure, I’d tried a few things with her before, but none of them were nearly as much as this.  Gently, I lifted her into my hand.  With delicate touch, I passed my fingers over Erica’s bare chest, tracing details that I hadn’t been able to before.  The tiniest breasts lightly pressed against the pads of my fingers, sliding gently beneath my reverent touch.  Erica let out a gasping groan and managed to sit up to look at me.  “You- You feel so good on me,” she breathed.  

As gently as I could, I pressed one of her breasts between two fingers, gently stroking it with the pad of my thumb before trailing down to her stomach.  “And you’re.. so soft,” I replied, voice dropping to a whisper of awe.  She let out a tiny sigh, wriggling slightly in my delicate grasp.  I smiled, raising her up just slightly to see her better in the dark.  After a brief moment where I found myself staring, I remembered my own shirt was still on.  It seemed only fair that I should take it off as well.

I swear I heard Erica giggling as I slid the fabric of my top out from beneath her.  I had to move her to my stomach to slip it off, though.  Letting out a small groan, Erica stretched out across my bare torso.  "Oh fuck yeah," she exclaimed huskily, soaking up the warmth of my skin, "I'm sleeping right here tonight."  "Lucky," I teased, "I'm saving you the horrors of sleeping in the dirt."  I hadn’t even taken off anything more, and already she was down for the count.

Erica chuckled as I lay my head back.  I could feel her shifting around somewhere beyond my vision, getting comfortable for the night.  It was a strange and exhilarating sensation.  The muscles in my chest contracted with each tiny movement Erica made.  I couldn't help but wonder, again, how it felt; her body rose and fell gently with each breath I took.  She made a disgruntled noise after I let out a particularly breathy sigh.

"You alright down there?" I asked jokingly.  "Yeah," she answered distractedly; a short silence followed.  "It's amazing," Erica whispered in awe, "I can hear your heartbeat.  I can hear the air rushing through your lungs…  Something about it just feels right to me.  I like having you be my everything," she said, her voice softening.  "I can worry less about other stuff and just.. be me."  

I smiled blissfully.  "The real you seems a lot cooler than the old you," I agreed, "Though, she is a bit bossy."  Erica snorted, shoving me playfully as she rolled over.  “Plus, the old you would never let me do this.”  Erica shrieked before erupting into giggles as my fingers descended over her, picking her up and smothering her with a large kiss. I continued along down her body, stopping with a delicate kiss to her abdomen. Faintly, I could hear Erica gasping for breath as she squirmed around in my hands. She was finished only after I managed to kiss every last part of her, clothed or otherwise.

(Continue here, Erica and Alexis had some nsfw shenanigans, and now Erica’s laying on top of Alexis’ stomach)

As the night wore on, both of us drifted into a peaceful sleep.  I had to sacrifice my blanket so as not to smother Erica with it, but that's a price I was more than willing to pay.  I had a momentary epiphany — taking in the fact that Erica, an actual human person only three-and-a-half-inches tall, was sleeping sprawled out on a hand's length of my torso.  Sleeping together like this, we were technically a couple now, weren’t we?  Well, we’d been a couple for a while, actually.

Honestly, it was really fucking amazing, but who knew how everyone else might react.  Thankfully no one came all the way out to the field I slept in, especially at night, but still.  Ivan — small, sweet Ivan — was oblivious to it.  As was my family.  Imagine that family introduction, I thought distractedly.  "Hey everyone, this is my tiny girlfriend from another world who I've actually known for years, but none of you knew I could travel across alternate realities to begin with, so I hope this isn't too jarring for you."  

I smiled at my imaginary scenario, and how baffled everyone would be.  I tried to think of anyone else who might not have expected this.  There's John.  I huffed in disgust at the mere thought of him, causing Erica to shift in her sleep.  I glanced down at her, making sure I hadn't accidently jostled her awake.  Sowly, my thoughts shifted back to Erica’s ex.  Ugh.  He’d probably turn over in his rubble-filled grave at the sight of us.  At this, I gave a satisfied smile and placed a hand protectively over Erica.  I would do anything and everything to keep our relationship from deteriorating as badly as hers and John’s had.

I love Erica with all my heart.  It hurts me to even think about losing her like that.  I almost did at the lake.  My sour thoughts were interrupted by another small shift on my chest.  Erica unconsciously snuggled into the warmth of my hand on top of her, and I gently slid my thumb into her arms, watching lovestruck as she snuggled it to her chest.  If I could only take a picture of that moment.  Erica would be embarrassed forever if anyone else saw her like this but me.  Her little cuddly form was the last thing I saw before I drifted to sleep.

#omg they’re so in love #the girlies do be fighting a little bit but they make up <3 #(and make out) #Erica’s right that their conversation isn’t over though #just… postponed #technically this is my addition for day 14 of the writing prompts #so ig I’ll tag this with that as well #g/t #giant/tiny #other-world universe #GtWAC

[nouklea]

Fic Tag Game!

I was tagged by @beri-allen, @writerrose1998, @cosmic-lullaby and @wileyonce. Thanks! <3

20 questions below the cut:

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

16

2. What’s your AO3 word count?

136,228

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Wednesday for now. I used to write for StarWars (see question 12) but no traces remains from that era.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Woe of Wrath

I'm on my Way

Variations on a Main Theme - 1

A Second Chance for a First Impression

Five Minutes Earlier

5. Do you respond to comments?

As much as possible. Usually I respond to every comment, even if it's just to say a quick Thank You. The only fic on which I haven't done that is Woe of Wrath, if fell into limbo and I have a hard time focusing on it right now. And I feel kind of weird to answer comments after several months of silence, but the more I wait the weirder it gets...

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Doomed is a Dead Dove Do Not Eat fic. The entire text is dark, including the ending.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I will go with Double-Date With Dad. Farewell Xavier Thorpe ends on a really good note too (if you are not a fan of Xavier).

8. Do you get hate on fics?

It never happened. Fingers crossed.

9. Do you write smut? What kind?

I try. I find it difficult for two reasons. First, it's tough to avoid clichés. When you read smut, you end up noticing some general patterns, and I do my best to stay away from those. Second, I'm not a fan of some popular kinks, for instance I can't stand the expression "good girl", and therefore I'm not interested in writing it, even if I keep reading authors that use them. Some people probably think my smut fics are boring, too soft, too ordinary. But I don't care (yeah, I do, but shh).

10. Do you write cross-overs?

No. And I have a really hard time reading cross-overs too. And I hate cross-overs in tv shows. Complete respect to authors, however. It's just not my thing.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No. I guess I could translate my own fics in French since it's my native language, but for now I don't see any reason to do so.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, I did. It was a weird kind of toxic partnership. The other person was responsible for writing the general plot (because my ideas weren't good enough), and I had to turn every page he wrote into a three-pages long section, adding descriptions and filling the blanks. And correct the spelling and grammar, and add better vocabulary...

13. What WIP would you like to finish but doubt you ever will?

I hope I will finish every WIP I currently have, even if they tend to pile up (WIP bunnies...). My biggest challenge is to go back to Woe of Wrath. It is my first fic, it is a multi-chapter one, and I started to write it just to let the steam out after a twenty-years-long writing hiatus, so the outline was not super clear, there are many plot holes I try to fix, the sentences and vocabulary are bad... I know where I want to take the story and how it ends, but it's hard not to want to start over.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

For fanfics I'll say Weyler because it's the only thing I've ever written. Now besides that... For those who read Guy Gavriel Kay, I'm forever bound to the Diarmuid/Sharra ship, followed by Paul/Jaelle. Quite fond of the Clary/Jace ship in The Mortal Instruments (The books! Don't talk to me about the movie or the tv show!)

15. What are your writing strengths?

No damn idea. I've been asking myself the same question since I was thirteen.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably not being able to answer question 15. Imposter syndrome.

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

In French it's not a problem, of course. I've done it in Impulsion. I have studied Latin for two years in highschool so I felt comfortable enough to translate a few sentences in Woe of Wrath. For other languages, I would only do so if I can find a beta reader fluent in this specific language to correct the grammar. I cringe everytime I read English fics with badly written French dialogs, it makes me loose the focus on the story (Same for tv shows, by the way. Come on, you have 2 millions $ to produce an episode and you can't find someone to double-check your French sentence?). It's really hard for me not to comment with a correction (AO3 etiquette: do not provide corrections unless the author specifically asked for it). I don't want to inflict that on my readers by butchering their native language.

18. First fandom you wrote for?

Star Wars. It was a long time ago (in a galaxy far far away), when there were only three movies and a few books (Timothy Zahn forever!). And for those who wonder how old I am, I used to write with WordPerfect, DOS version (it was the pre-Windows era). It had a blue background (terrible for the eyes) and some keycodes you had to use to change the font to bold or italics. Since you can't visualize anything in DOS (it's not a wysiwyg), it used colors, so you had to remember what it meant (yellow letters meant italics...). And I used to save those texts on a floppy my mom took to her office to print.

19. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

It's not a popular one, but I really like Monologue for a Hyde. I like the tone. Pretty happy with Fuck Me Once Shame on You, Fuck Me Twice Shame on Me, too.

20. What fic would you want to rewrite one day?

Woe of Wrath without a doubt. With a proper plan, and a lot of plot holes avoided (that damn cellphone...)

I will tag the Death Metal and Glitter Club members whose Tumblr ids I know, aka @anotherbluesunday, @tastethesetears, @darling-gemini, @darlingfuego,

As well as @broken-everlark, @persephoneed, @bithablu, @allergictocolor and @insomniac1994.

#tag game

[crmsnmth]

September Sky Chapter Four, Part 5

CHAD: Well, did it work?

CHRIS: No. It did not.

CHAD: You nervous?

CHRIS: That's the biggest understatement I've ever heard.

CHAD: You already know she likes you, so what's to be nervous about?

CHRIS: You know me. I'll say something, coming off more mean then I am, or I I'll be too weird or awkward.

CHAD: You'll be fine. You've already hung out with her a couple times. And for the love of god, be yourself.

CHRIS: What's that supposed to mean?

CHAD: Don't hide under that fake ass shell you put on for people.

CHRIS: I didn't know I did that.

CHAD: You do. A lot. But I've got to get going. Josh and Wade are waiting for me and Amy.

CHRIS: D and D?

CHAD: You know it.

CHRIS: Right on. One of these times I should virtually join.

CHAD: That'd be pretty rad.

CHRIS: Next time. Tell everyone I said hi.

CHAD: Later

And that killed fifteen minutes of distraction. Fifteen minutes to go.

I stood up and made my way to the bathroom. I had to make sure I looked somewhat ok. I wasn't one to really pay much attention to my looks. Sure, I dyed my hair, and wore eyeliner and eye shadow, and don't wash it off for a few days. My eyes always looked sunk in. I was fashionably night. But it wasn't for attention. It was just how I felt comfortable.

I stared into the mirror, fixing my hair yet again. I had it spiked all over, giving myself a very pointy look. It was better than the rat nest it would be if I just let it go. I brushed my teeth again, but no matter what I felt there was something missing. I couldn't place it, though.

Getting dressed was a fucking nightmare. I swear, I tried on every fucking shirt I owned. My entire closet lay in piles around my room. I ended up choosing a button up black shirt with short sleeves. And a pair of my ever present black pants. If I had added a red skinny tie into the mix, I would've looked almost the same as I did in high school.

I stood in my room, picking up my shirts. Killing time. Or at least trying to.

My pone began ringing, an annoying midi version of The Ramones's 'I Wanna Be Sedated.' I didn't need to look at the caller ID. There was only one person I expected to call. And I knew it was her with only one ring. It's the call I had spent all day waiting for.

"Hello?" I answered as if I didn't know who was on the other side. As if it was some random friend calling to say hello. As if it were a spam call trying to get money out of me. As if it wasn't the person who made nervous and excited.

"Hey, so guess what?" That squeak of a voice came through, as if she had just whispered into my ear. I couldn't help but smile the very instant I heard it.

"What?"

"Go outside. It's a surprise." She hung up right away. I turned off all my stuff, double checking my pockets to make sure I had everything I needed. I stepped out of my room, almost barreling into Tom. I seem to run people over a lot, now that I think about it.

"Hey, dude," he said with the absolute worst timing ever, "what's up?"

"Not much. Just heading out. You?" Every selfish bone in my body was screaming to just leave. But every awkward and polite thought made me stay, wasting precious seconds.

"Nothing at all. Where you off too?" He asked, just being friendly.

#fiction #artists on tumblr #writing #my writing #spilled words #writers on tumblr #poets and writers #writeblr #creative writing #writerscommunity #writerscorner #writer #lierature #cynical #cynic #free verse #free form #Stories #autobiographical fiction #art #literure #howispentmysummervacation #september sky

[madame-brioche]

Title: Angel On The Battlefield part 2

Author: madame-brioche

Prompt: Heffron x nurse reader

Warning: some angst

When you found Babe in his foxhole, he was curled up like a newborn pup in the snow and dirt, wearing the dingy green uniform that the other paratroopers wore, his helmet pulled down low and his nose and mouth tucked into the collar of his jacket. He was asleep, grasping his thin blanket tightly and sniffling sharply every few seconds. His face was the color of the snow, the tip of his nose a frostbitten red. Big ash-colored circles had formed under his eyes, and as you took his hand you realized it was beginning to turn an unnatural sort of color, like they'd been submerged in hot water.

You could see that Babe looked much weaker than he'd been the last time you checked on him.

As you smoothed back sweat-drenched strands of hair, you found his forehead very warm to the touch; and when you tried to get him to wake up, you had to call his name and gently shake him a little bit before his eyes opened. Once he woke up he grabbed at his side especially hard. As you helped him get into a sitting position, his eyes sort of rolled back and his head hung loose like a rag doll.

"Y/N..." He whimpered, falling against the crook of your arm. "Jesus, I've got a deep burning pain in my side..."

"You’re burning up," you said, trying to steady his shoulders. "Doc Roe told me you weren't feeling so good. When was the last time you ate, Private? You should probably get a hot meal."

He shook his head as much as he could, which was only a little. "I ain't hungry. I've been feeling like this for a few days now, but this," he gripped his side again, "something's wrong..." As he stood up, the pain seemed to increase a little bit, and he stared down at you worriedly, bringing his hand away from his side and holding it up to reveal blood staining his palm and fingers. "Oh," he whispered, with a small wince.

"Dear God," you breathed, pulling his jacket away and seeing a rather large pool of blood soaking his shirt. You lifted up the hem to find a gaping wound on his left side, the dried blood caked around the wound telling you it had gone untreated for a bit. The blood that was pouring out now must have been the result of him standing. "Why didn't you say anything? When were you shot? You're bleeding!"

Babe looked down at the gunshot wound as if seeing it for the first time. "I'm bleeding," he repeated numbly.

"Hey, look at me," you snapped, turning his chin so he would gaze back up at you. "When did you get hit?"

He looked around in a dizzy haze, shrugging his shoulders with some difficulty. "I remember...hearing Shifty call for me...and I ran to help him hold the line...somewhere along the way, I guess..." He trailed off, looking like he was about to collapse at any second. "I don't know, I woke up to you shaking me."

Your mouth was agape as you listened, wondering how in the hell he hadn't completely bled out. He must've passed out from a combination of both the pain from the wound and his fever.

He produced a weak smile and then cringed as he tried to move. "It certainly is nice to see you."

You returned his smile with a firm look of determination and brushed some more hair out of his face. "Everything will be alright. But you’re coming with me. We need to get you fixed up."

“Whatever you say,” he managed as you placed his hand back on the wound, trying to keep pressure on it. He grabbed onto your sleeve, with the other hand, looking very anxious and maybe a little scared. "I can't, Y/N—I cant leave them, they need me, what would happen if—"

"It's okay," you said, holding on to him tighter. "I'm sure they'd rather you get better. At any rate, what good will it do if you stay and fight with an open wound and a fever?”

Nodding and then stumbling a little as you pulled him toward the Jeep, he coughed painfully, causing you and the Jeep driver to exchange a worried look.

As soon as the Jeep arrived at the remaining ruins of the town, you opened the door to a church that had been cleared out for the sick and wounded, guiding him into the cool, incense-thick air. Just as soon as he'd reached the top of the staircase, Babe slumped against the wall again, screaming in pain. But the cry itself took a lot out of him, and you barely caught him in time as he collapsed. The two of you sat down for a moment to rest, his groans of agony making you nervous about the severity of the wound.

"Y/N," he mumbled as you pulled him close to you and hugged him tightly, "I don't have one on me, but I need—"

You caught on to what he was rambling about. "Right," you said, leaning him against the stairway wall and then standing up to head for the back of the church. "You wait here, I'll get you morphine."

"N-no," he called out after me, his voice hoarse. "Not morphine. I n-need a cigarette."

As you worked your way through the crowded hall, you could feel him holding onto one of your hands, like a captain clinging to his sinking ship. One look back at him and you saw his bloodshot eyes start to look glassy with tears. And the way he was staring at you was like he didn’t really recognize who you were.

"You’re too good to me," he mumbled, causing you to pause and gently wrap your arms around him again, careful not to hurt the wound.

"You stop talking like that," You said, trying not to cry. Maybe it was the lack of sleep; maybe it was the awful scenes of carnage and war; and maybe it was thrilling rush at hearing Babe Heffron admit his fondness for you during such a tense time; no matter the reason, the very idea of his death made you sick to your stomach.

"It’ll be okay," You reassured him, looking up at him and wiping some stray tears away from his cheeks. "You can be a brave soldier for me, right? I know you can. And once this is all over," You added with a smile, "you'll be home in South Philly in time for Christmas."

He laughed softly, then shrugged as best he could. "Hopefully—hopefully you'll be there too, Y/N?" He said.

Not really thinking clearly, you could only mumble, "Hopefully. Yeah."

Seeming a little afraid, Babe whispered, "I never meant to get shot, or get sick, Y/N. I thought I was taking care of myself alright—"

"You’ll be fine," You said. "We need to focus on getting you better."

Suddenly you eyed a pile of discarded uniforms and, jogging over to them, you fished around in the pockets until you found a pack of cigarettes. You lit one and brought it back to Babe, who took liberal drags from it. He didn't complain at all when a few hot ashes fell onto his hand, reveling in the calming effect it had on his pain; but his problem with coughing only seemed to be getting worse, and it wasn't easy for him to speak.

Once he blew out a few grey clouds, though, the nicotine appeared to take hold of him pretty quick, easing his nerves enough so that you could pull him up and help him down the stairs. Alas, after a few steps, Babe trembled again and screamed, this one sounding a lot more desperate and gut-wrenching, like a wounded animal caught in a trap. The two of you were just outside the door to what appeared to be a bedroom with a single cot, and you decided the best thing would be to take him in and get him on the bed and quarantined away from the others.

"No!" Babe gasped, as you ushered him to the door. "No, Y/N, we can’t go in there! That’s the priest's cloister, we can't, it’s sacred!"

"Hey," You stopped him, gently pushing him down onto the thin, white spread that covered the cot. You'd forgotten how devout he was. "I’m sure he won’t mind." As his head hit the pillow, you scanned the room for something to warm him with, finally landing on a mosaic-like quilt that was folded up on a bench by a stain-glass window. "There," You said, tucking him in as he shivered. "You need to keep breathing slowly, in and out. Don’t work yourself up."

Even with all his shaking, Babe was able to tug the quilt up around him, nuzzling into it. "I forgot what having a bed felt like," he whispered.

You knelt down on your knees next to the bed and stroked his hair, a small smile playing at your lips. "It's nice, right?"

He groaned in pain once more, and you took the dying cigarette from his shaking fingers and put it out. You removed your cantine from around your neck. "You want some water?"

"Yeah," he said, but he just couldn't keep it down without having another coughing fit. Frightfully rolling around with his hand on his side, he whimpered out, then began to bite his lip so hard he drew blood.

You needed to treat that wound fast, and so, urging Babe to fight a little longer, you bolted into the hall and tried to find one of the other medics who might be able to help. You called out for several, but everyone was busy helping those with blown off limbs and life-threatening damage to the viscera.

Worriedly, you ran back down to Babe. Exhaling a shaky breath you didn’t even know you were holding, you realized that Babe had stopped his agonizing tremors, for the time being. You crouched beside him, holding his sweaty, blood-stained hand to your cheek and leaning into it ever so slightly.

He rolled over and offered you a half-wink. "I heard you out there. Calling for a medic..."

"One will be here soon," You said, shaking your head. Then you added softly, “Are you going to be brave for me, Babe?"

He nodded. "You’re the brave one, Y/N," he mumbled, his grin widening. "A brave angel." His eyes floating to look at the stain-glass, Babe breathed out a sharp, painful sigh. "I’ve dreamt about you taking care of me. But now that I’m living it, I ain’t sure it’s what I want. I was thinking more along the lines of you kissing a paper cut or something..." he teased with a broken laugh. Then his grin faded, worrying you immediately, until his face scrunched up into a look of confusion. “Though I gotta know, Y/N—”

"What, Babe?"

"Why? You crying over me like this — why?”

You nuzzled against his hand again. "That doesn't sound like the happy-go-lucky guy I know," you said. "How can I expect to visit you in South Philly if I left you out in the cold?"

He raised his other hand and gently hit your shoulder. "Come on," he said. "Why, Y/N?"

"Ask me when you get better. You're not thinking clearly."

"I'm askin' you now. Why?"

You just looked away and closed your eyes for a moment, then took his hand into both of yours tightly. "Because I like you, Babe."

"Perhaps," he breathed, "perhaps you might love me, too?"

You smiled again. "Well, perhaps I might."

This time he brought your gaze up to meet his with a hand under your chin. "I knew it," he replied, his lips forming a delicate smile, "you can’t even say it out loud, not even for me..." Then he looked back at the stain-glass, his eyes reflecting the flares outside. "Huh, Y/N might love me, too?” He mumbled in a state of stunned amusement. “Interesting.”

The stain-glass vibrated a bit at the sound of distant war outside. Babe didn't even flinch, however. After he’d said those words he’d closed his eyes and fallen asleep, exhaustion and immense pain taken hold of him. You kissed his hand, keeping it close to your cheek and hearing his heartbeat through his wrist. Resting your head against the side of the bed, you waited for a medic to come in...

You woke up to a hand on your shoulder, softly shaking you awake, expecting it to be the medic. But instead you found Captain Winters, pulling you away gently from the now empty bed.

#band of brothers #hboshow #easy company #request #babe heffron x reader

[non-stop-imagines]

Iron Man and the Intern (Part 1/2)

Pairing: Tony Stark x Fury!Reader

Request: ❤️❤️❤️ Hewwo May I please request intern!reader starting to work with the Avengers and Tony becoming interested in them romantically (If you wanna make this smutty I ain’t stopping you😘😏😉)

Word Count: 2181

Warnings:

A/N: Here is part 1 of 2 of this request that I received from @bamphitrite. She has been so sweet to me me and I'm glad that she asked me to write this. Once I got started with it I couldn't stop hence the reason why there are two parts. I just hope that it was everything you hope for and I just want to thank you for being patient with me! Hope you enjoy!💛💖💛💖

Requests are OPEN, if you want to be added to the tags list for a certain character, just ask. Masterlist

UNIVESAL TAGS LIST: @avc212 @meeeeeeeeeps @beautifulwisdom2001 @iamzion-therealhabesha @cheychey10142 @jetaimeamore @thottio

_____

"Yes, I'm positive I have everything I need, Uncle Nick." You respond to your uncle as you enter the elevator and press the button for the 5th floor. You turn around to the mirror behind you and fix your braids, defining the part by flipping braids to their corresponding sides and fixing the gold braid cuffs latched around a select few.

"Steve should be there to greet you. If anything goes wrong, just tell me and I'll beat any of their narrow-." Nick began to fuss over the phone but you stop him with a chuckle.

"Alright, that's enough. I'm at the floor. Everything will be fine. I'll call you after my first day. Thank you again, by the way." You smile into the phone and step out the elevator then turn right towards what seems to be an opening.

"No problem, ladybug. I know you'll do me proud. Love you." You can hear the sentiment of his words through the phone, making you smile one last time as you respond.

"Love you, too." You hang up your phone and place it in your purse as you continue down the hall into a lounge area that also contained a small dining table. You look around for some sign of life that was supposed to greet you, jumping and turning around when you hear a firm voice behind you.

"Sorry, if we startled you. You must be Ms. Fury." The blonde man smiles and sticks his hand out and you promptly shake it, then shift your gaze to the redhead that was standing to his left and holding out her hand, which you also shake. You step back and nod, giving them both polite smiles.

"Yes, but you can call me Y/N. You must be Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff. Nice to meet both of you. " You adjust your purse on your shoulder and clasp your hands in front of you.

"Nice to meet you too, Y/N." Agent Romanoff grins at you. This action seems to be to most joy she could muster up at the moment. "I guess we should show you around." She chuckles then leads you to where you assume they came into the room from.

"And we'll debrief you on your duties as we walk. Welcome to the team." Captain Rogers pats you on the should and also gives you a warm grin.

As you walked up and down halls and take a number of elevator rides, Steve and Natasha, as they have ask you to call them, explained what you will do as an intern as well as where certain rooms are and explaining to me members that I will regularly be seeing. At this point you guys were in the elevator headed to the lower level which was where the lab was located for none other that Tony Stark. Growing up, your uncle decided that it would be best for you to not know what was going on at his job, but when he began dealing with Tony he couldn't help but vent about this reckless Avengers recruit. Once the elevator comes to a halt, you follow Steve and Nat out the elevator and down the flight of steps to what you can only assume to be the lab. The entrance had a window and a glass door, allowing you to see Tony pointing at machines that then promptly perform tasks. As you watch him work, Steve types in a code that open the door, letting you and Nat enter first then closely following suit. He coughs subtly to get Tony’s attention.

“Ah, Star Spangled Spandex. Who do we have here?” Tony meets eyes with you and gives you a snide grin. His eyes seem to roam down your body for a moment before making eye contact again.

“This is Y/N. She’s the new intern.” Steve rolls his eyes then places his hand on your shoulder, shaking you a bit.

“Fury has good taste.” Tony now blatantly leans back slightly and looking you up and down again, bring in his bottom lip slightly while smiling. Typically this behavior would have ticked you off, and sure there was a part of you right now that wanted to smack that smug grin right off his face, but the main part of you enjoyed the fact that this genius billionaire fuckboy that your Uncle despises was attracted to you. “I remember when he brought me you, Natalie…” He stands up straight again and tilts his head toward Natasha. You look between the two as you question for a moment whether Nat’s name is Natasha or Natalie.

"Don't worry, he's not always an ass. Sometimes he's asleep.” Steve comments, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

“Tony, Y/N is Fury’s niece.” Nat says with an even more smug grin. Tony looks back at you, shock in his eyes as a large sinister smirk grew on his face.

"Hmm… Well, welcome to the team. I'm sure you'll enjoy every moment." He sticks out his hand which you lightly grab and shake. The firmness of your grasp would typically be unacceptable, but somehow it seemed fitting. You give Tony a small smile, observing his peppered facial hair and kind eyes. Your breath hitches for a moment and your heartbeat speeds up when he flashes a larger smile at you.

“Well, we have a bit more to see so we should get going.” Steve says then turns to leave, Nat following his motions. You begin to follow but stop and turn your head back to Tony.

“It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Stark.” You give him a sweet grin. If you were able to read his mind you would’ve known the shock that he felt when he heard you speak for what he realized to be the first time. The way your voice moved to his ears and how its naturally sultry sound did something to him that he wasn’t used to.

“It was nice to meet you, too. And please, call me Tony.” He responds, crossing his arms by placing one arm over the other across his body instead of through each other.

“Alright, Tony.” You nod and follow behind Nat.

_____

It’s been a week since you started your internship and already the work was piling up. Along with the occasional coffee and lunch runs, your main work has been to look over mission briefings and taking and analyzing data from meetings, so you’ve already gotten accustomed to staying late at the compound. So much so that you have a couple of comfy shirts and pants tucked away in Nat’s dresser. So there you were, cuddled up on the couch in the open living room/kitchen area underneath the fluffy blanket that you secretly kept in Steve’s room, thumbing through pages of data three hours past the time you were supposed to go home for the second time this week. You were so engrossed in your work that you didn't hear someone enter the kitchen and open the fridge, but you did jump when you heard the fridge close. You turn to your left to see Tony smirking at you with a large pizza box on the counter.

"Working late again?" He opens the box and takes out a slice. "Pizza?" He lift his slice towards you.

"Yes and… sure." You close the file that you had and put it on the coffee table, then move a braid that didn't make it in your quick bun behind your ear. You stand, still wrapped in your blanket, and head to the kitchen.

"You know, there is such thing as working too hard. And I think your five steps past that. " Tony says as you grab a plate. He places a slice on it then turns to the microwave to take his piece out, turning back to you to grab your plate and place it in the microwave.

"I know, I know. But it just feels natural, like I'm supposed to do all of this." The microwave beeps and you take out your piece, closing the door with your head. You walk over to the fridge and grab the ranch, pouring some on your plate then putting it back. “With my uncle as the executive head of S.H.I.E.L.D, it feels like everyone expects me to be great and it gets to me. That’s how I’ve been my entire life, trying to hard to live up to the expectations that people set for me, sometimes burning myself out…” You shake your head and dip your pizza in ranch then take a bite.

“Then why are you doing all of this?” Tony motions around you then around the couch. He picks up his pizza and takes a bite, lifting an eyebrow in anticipation for your answer.

“I’m working my way up. I want to make my uncle proud. Trust me, Imma be runnin this place in no time.” You smirk and do an exaggerated head flip, making Tony laugh and soon after you join him.

“Well I guess I better stay in your good graces if your gonna be my boss one day.” Tony leans on the counter and grins at you. As you look into his eyes you realize that they’re the reason you didn’t smack him into last week down in his lab. No matter how he acted, his eyes gave his real emotions away everytime. The way he looked at you was filled with such admiration, such wonder for how someone as wonderful as you could stroll into his life. He may act like an ass but you could tell through the way he looked at you that he would do anything for you.

“Don’t worry, I don't think you’ll ever fall from my good graces.” You copy his position and lean against the counter, letting a small smile grow on your face.

“And why is that?” He asks, taking a step toward you and stooping his head slightly to compensate for the two inches he has on you.

“Because I like you, Tony. You’re a likeable man. It’s hard not to like you.” You shrug and smile at him. He takes another step toward you and your chest raises as an involuntary response to his movements.

“Hmmm… I don’t think your uncle would agree.” Tony wraps his arm around you and pulls you flush against him.

“I don’t think I care.” As you finish your remark, Tony brings his face towards your and you bring your face towards his in response.You raise your hands to his chest as your lips finally connect with his and begin to move in time. It started off with just your lips fighting for dominance but once the time was right Tony slips in his tongue and that fight begins. You wrap your arms around his neck as one of your hands start to run up his black and grey peppered hair. The blanket that was previously hanging on your shoulders was now on the the floor as Tony’s hands roamed slowly up and down your back, every once in a while touching your butt and giving it a small squeeze, making you smile into the kiss. Eventually you both have a need to take a breath and pull away, heaving deeply for a moment then both airily laughing. Tony looks over your face for a moment longer then, lifting his hand to move your rouge braid back behind your ear.

“You should get home. Sleep in your own bed. I heard that such practices are done by all aspiring heads of superhero organizations.” He caresses your cheek then pulls away from you, running his fingers along your sides then fully pulling away to, first, hand you your blanket, then, moving around you, to put the pizza box back into the fridge. The loss of contact saddens your mood slightly but you soon begin to clean too, throwing away the plates that you two used then rolling up your blanket so it wasn’t touching the floor.

“Well I guess I would want to do as the greats did.” You head over to the coffee table and gather up the file that was thrown on top.

“Do you need a ride home? I can get Happy to drive you.” You hug your items tight to your chest as Tony struts to you then runs his fingers along your hip.

“I don’t think Happy would be very happy with me if you called him at midnight. I can get a cab.” You step closer to him, craving the touch of his lips on yours one last time. You partially get your wish, receiving a quick, parting kiss from Tony.

“See you tomorrow.” He backs his upper body away so he can get a better look at your face.

“See you tomorrow.” You respond then leave his grip. You turn and move toward the elevator, pressing the button then turning your head back to him and grinning. The elevator beeps and you walk in, waving at Tony as the door closes.

Part 2

#black reader #marvel imagine #tony stark #tony stark imagine #iron man #robert downey jr #tony stark x reader #iron man imagine #iron man x reader #tony stark x black!reader #avengers imagines #request