#am I offering up this idea on a silver platter for others? kinda

[buff-muffin]

When it comes to the ASL brothers one “what if” situation I can’t stop thinking about the idea of. What if Sabo named dropped his brothers to Dragon at the grey terminal fires. Like in that scene where he clung to Dragon’s arm and spoke of his hatred to his own blue blood, what if he added in a plea of like “please save Ace and Luffy. They’re my brothers”

Cause like, I don’t know much about Dragon, I’m just wrapping up Zoh and heading to WCI. But he runs a fucking army so he’s not stupid. The name Luffy. Mentioned on an island in the east. As well as Garps home island (and maybe his too idk?) are enough connections to think. Hey, there’s a good chance that’s my fucking son.

But as I said, I really don’t know him well enough to tell if upon hearing this news would he be a “grrr I have a job to do. he will be fine. business bla bla bla >:[“ or maybe a “my sons a fucking child I need to make sure he’s ok >:0” I do think a small parallel scene to loguetown arc of like Luffy meets dragon would be hella cool (maybe he got lost from the bandits in the fire and Dragon beat up a pirate trying to hurt him) and they just stare for a moment before dragon points the way silently and Luffy runs off cause how tf do you pull the I’m your father card when your son is literally being traumatised right this very second.

But even if that DIDNT happen. When they eventually pluck a dying Sabo out of the water like a fucken grape. Dragon would know Sabo has more family there then just his parents, he had brothers. Would that result in Sabo being dropped back with them? Or maybe he gets his memories back earlier when Ace first makes a name for himself??? Would Dragon do his fucken research or at least encourage Sabo to early on in revolution school to find out what was left behind???

I SWEAR I NEED TO HURRY THE FUCK UP ON ONE PIECE SO I CAN START MAKING UP FICS AND AUS CAUSE I NEED TO MAKE THIS A THING BUT I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT DRAGON TO KNOW WHAT IS AND ISNT A STRETCH OF HIS CHARACTER. RAAAAAAAA

#no major spoilers please I am but a humble screaming at 1am girl #am I offering up this idea on a silver platter for others? kinda #I just kinda wanna know what people would think dragon would do #but without like spoiling the actual show #monkey d. dragon #asl brothers #revolutionary sabo #monkey d. luffy #uhhhh #au idea #fic idea? #I refuse to believe dragon wouldn’t not care about Luffy #but he was also raised by Garp #so tough love is also an option #rambles #one piece

[imthepunchlord]

Just a random question, but do you like adrien and marinette being the main duo, or do you think two other people would've been better?

Yes and no.

It's kinda complicated.

So, with my long break from Miraculous, clearing out my salt mines, and doing a gradual rewatch of the show with fresh eyes and enjoying the nostalgia of what used to be, I can say I am reminded on why, we as a fandom, enjoyed them as leads and as a pair.

There was some yin-yang potential in their dynamic, specifically playing off Lady Wifi introducing the Head vs Heart idea.

Marinette's an Empathetic Head. She's observant and perceptive, the planner and quick thinker, typically, she responds logically to what's presented to her. But she does feel deeply for others, and that empathy and kindness drives her to step up and help others.

Adrien in turn is a Reasonable Heart, at least, meant to be. He works off his feelings, goes with his gut, his wants; but he's also meant to be the emotional reason, knowing what to say to ground those that are getting caught up in themselves, offer support and direction, one they didn't consider or see before.

It nicely places off that theme that there's a little bit of the other in the counterparts, which is why the two halves have those dots, a little bit of yang resides in yin and vice versa.

And between the fluff and the snark and the support/loyalty they do offer each other, that potential for them as partners and users for the Cat and Ladybug is there.

Unfortunately, the writers' bias and stubbornness ruined that dynamic. What's meant to be a partnership of equals never becomes equals. Adrien never steps up as a leader and shares the weight of responsibility, and Marinette never feels like she can ease back and trust others to handle things, making her feel like she has to solve everything and be THE solution.

There's also the factor that they decided to prioritize the romance over the friendship, which did not really help Adrien as a hero as he focused more on his romantic pursuits than being a hero, flirting at the wrong time, not taking anything seriously... it was a bad look. And then Adrien and Marinette as civilians, despite being stated to be friends, I kinda question if they truly are. Adrien never actively goes to hang out with Marinette on his own, most of the time, there's a social expectation for them to hang out as civilians, or a favor is involved.

One of the aspects that has a romance work is having a good friendship to be that foundation. But the writers don't value friendship, not between actual friends and not between the love interests.

And the third issue is their means of growth.

Thomas, unfortunately, echoed the idea that girls grow through suffering. So Marinette's growth is just having the narrative against and giving her a hard time and she just can't win no matter what she does. Damned if she do, and damned if she don't. And I got to see that she developed anxiety and has an Atlas Complex and is very stress and just...

And with Adrien, he's just stagnant. He doesn't get involved in his own plot. He doesn't step up to the responsibility of being a hero, nor does he seek to share the weight of leadership. He's handed things on a silver platter, is allowed to be upset and petty and recklessly use his power.

And all of these factors just throws a big wrench into the potential of their partnership and them as leads and as the Cat and Ladybug heroes.

Better writers can make them work. And I bet there are a lot of good fanfics out there that have made them work.

I can see that potential and promise there. It's just really poor execution that ruined it.

I also will say, personally, I do think narrative wise things would flow better if they had a kwami swap at the start. Though, this is largely working the direction canon did go and I can see how a kwami swap could've combated that.

Plagg is set up to be the ideal foil to Marinette and have her grow, as she's too much of a giver, overthinks, piles too much on her plate, and struggles to put herself first. Extra bonus that they could've been a hilarious duo to see.

Tikki's big appeal with Adrien is that she would've gotten him involved in his own plot. Would've pushed for him to figure out who he is, what he wants to do, to be more involved if not be the leader, and to think more before he acts. And there could've been some good fluff as Tikki fills the void his mom left, as she can be very affectionate and supportive.

There's also the factor that Adrien needs someone to straight up tell him when he did something wrong or uncool. Anything that's a vague hint that Plagg occasionally gives just goes over Adrien's head or is ignored.

And there is that big appeal of shifting up the dynamics. Canon's issue is that Marinette and Tikki are initiators, while Adrien and Plagg are reactors. Mixing up these dynamics would've done wonders for their characters and interactions.

So, yeah over all, they can and could've worked as leads and holders of the Ladybug and Cat. The writing just really screwed them over. Though, I will say, doing different leads for Ladybug and Cat isn't an impossibility either.

#ask Punchie #ml salt

[mxbeezkneez]

Graveyard Companions

Chapter 2: i'm coming back from the dead, and i'll take you home with me

Link to ao3: x

Warnings: Blood, Minor Injury, Cursing

Fandoms: The Addams Family

Relationships: Gomez Addams/Morticia Addams, Gomez Addams/Morticia Addams/Reader, Gomez Addams/Reader, Morticia Addams/Reader

Tags: Vampire, Vampire Turning, Human/Vampire Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Married Couple, Blood, Polyamory, Eventual Romance, Eventual Relationship, Pre Relationship, Cursing

Summery: “I’m a vampire… a goddamn vampire,” you whisper.You wake up in the living room of a gothic house, and are told you were found unconscious in a graveyard. They claim you are a vampire. As crazy as it is, you can't help but start to trust the couple who found you.

Chapter notes: hi i'm back! i started thinking about the addams family, and well my interest in vampires didn't rlly diminish much... this chapter's pretty long, so i hope you enjoy! i apologize if my french or spanish is bad, i don't speak french, and i only speak a bit of spanish! i actually have like a whole plot n stuff planned, so i'm pretty hyped for this fic! hope u like it! :) (the title is from it's not a fashion statement, it's a fucking death wish by my chemical romance)

You wake up to a loud bang, bolting straight up out of bed. “What the hell?”

You rub your eyes before slipping out of bed. The night before feels very far away, almost unreal, but being in this room confirms your memories. You’re staying in the Addams’ house and are… a vampire. You take a slow breath before grabbing new clothing. You find a pair of black pants to match a dark sweater. While near the dresser, you look out of the room’s window. It’s dark outside, the sky a navy blue sprinkled with stars. The graveyard behind the house is illuminated by the moon shining over it.

You leave your room, deciding to try and find the living room once again. You wander through the halls before finding it. Inside you find Wednesday, the small girl, playing with a younger blond boy. She’s talking to him while holding a headless doll in her arms. You walk farther into the room, stepping on a squeaky board, alerting the children of your presence.

They both turn their heads to stare at you. You nervously chuckle.

Wednesday points at you, “That’s (y/n),” she tells the boy, “I heard father say they’re a vampire.”

“Wow really?” the boy exclaims, “Is it true? Do you drink blood?”

“Um,” you stammer, “Well, I am a vampire, but I haven’t been one very long so- no I haven’t drank any blood. Uh… what’s your name again?”

“I’m Pugsley,” he reaches over and offers his hand.

You shake it, “Well, nice to meet you Pugsley. What are you guys up to?”

“We’re playing the French Revolution,” Wednesday answers flatly.

You chuckle, “Huh. I mean I guess it was an exciting time. Who’s your doll there?” you point to the headless doll in her hands. To be honest, the beheaded doll was very unnerving, but the children themselves seemed nice enough, so you push your nerves to the side.

“Marie Antoinette” she says matter of factly.

“Oh,” you pause, “Explains the lack of head I guess.”

You stand there awkwardly for a moment, unsure of how to exit the conversation. “Do either of you know where your parents are?” you ask.

“I saw them in the dining room earlier. Uncle Fester was there, but I think he went upstairs to play with his dynomite caps,” Pugsley replies. Uncle Fester? Dynomite caps? There’s too much to unpack there, so instead you decide to find Gomez and Morticia.

“Okay, thanks.”

You head out the door, realizing you have no idea where the dining room is. You go to turn back, but the children are playing animatedly and you don’t want to interrupt, so instead you look for it yourself.

You find the dining room, and sure enough, Gomez and Mortica are seated next to each other at a long table. You walk over and take a seat near them.

“(Y/n)! How’d you sleep?” Gomez greets you.

“Like the dead,” you say flatly. A second later what you’ve said hits you and you blink slowly, “I mean, I slept well, thanks.”

“You did seem rather tired last night,” Morticia remarks, “I’m glad you got some rest.”

“Wait, did I sleep through an entire day?” you ask.

“Yes, though we did tell Lurch not to disturb you,” she answers, “We thought you needed the sleep. How are you feeling?”

“I feel…” you take a moment to survey yourself, “I feel okay. I think if anything I feel a little hungry.”

“We can get that squared away! Mama makes the best yak stew.” Gomez springs from his chair and over to a rope hanging from the ceiling. Remembering last night, you brace for a loud noise. Sure enough, once he pulls it, the house shakes as the ringing travels through the house.

“You rang,” Lurch grumbles.

“Yes Lurch, a bowl of yak stew for our guest!” Lurch groans and exits.

“Thank you,” you tell them, “You’ve both been very hospitable, I’m thankful you were the ones that found me.” You feel sincerity in that statement, you were not only grateful for their help, but another part of you has some feeling when you’re near them. You’re not sure what the feeling is, though you can confidently say you didn’t mind the couple, or hell, the weird household in general. Even if it is kooky, you can’t say you’re not charmed by their life.

Lurch comes back with a silver platter that he sets on the table. On it is a bowl of stew that he places in front of you.

“Thanks,” you say, before grabbing the spoon and looking back at the meal. Lurch takes his leave. You’re unsure about eating yak, but you are also hungry and the stew looks fairly appetizing. You take a scoop and put it in your mouth, surprised not only by the flavor of the soup, but also the feeling of chewing. It’s like you can feel your canines rip through the meat faster than before. In the time where you’ve been thinking, it’s completely slipped your mind that you probably have fangs now. That you’ve changed.

“This is- this is actually really good,” you remark.

“I told you, Mama is a culinary genius! Nothing beats her yak stew!” Gomez gleams.

You smile at Gomez. Something about him just makes you want to smile in a soft admission of admiration.

You turn your attention back to the stew, eating it quickly until there is nothing left.

“I’m glad you enjoyed Mama’s cooking,” Morticia smiles, “I’ll have to tell her you enjoyed it. It’s not very often she gets to feed guests.”

“It is very odd, usually most people never come back after eating her food… I can’t imagine why…” Gomez says with a puzzled expression on his face. You chuckle. You notice that you find yourself enjoying the Addams’ company immensely. A part of you feels sad that you will eventually have to leave.

“Ah, c'est la vie (that’s life) ,” Morticia remarks.

“Tish!” Gomez’s head swivels quickly to face her, “That’s French!” he exclaims, grabbing her arm. He begins to kiss it, from her hand to her shoulder, though is interrupted by Morticia, “Darling. We have company. Later,” she says with a sly grin. Gomez raises his head to meet her eyes, a dazed look on his face. “Later.” he remarks, before finding himself back in his seat, “So, Hester, any plans for the night?” he asks casually.

“Um…” you stutter, flustered by the show of passion from the man sitting across from you, “I- I don’t really know… I mean, I’m a vampire now so- does that mean I have to act like one too? I’ve never been in a situation like this, I don’t really know what to do,” you admit, staring at your hands. You look up towards Morticia, “Didn’t you mention you’ve known vampires before? Could you maybe help me?”

“Of course, darling.” Morticia says, “Why don’t we talk in the living room? If you’re alright with it, the children would enjoy listening, they are curious creatures.”

“Yeah, that’s alright. They asked me a question or two when I ran into them earlier. I don’t blame them for being curious,”

“Pugsley’s been very interested in nonhuman creatures lately, ever since that run in with that werewolf he’s been wanting to know more. Wednesday’s been teaching him some things, she’s always had a firm grasp on certain folklore!” Gomez said proudly.

The three of you walked to the living room and sat down, them on the couch, and you in a chair facing them. The children were still in the room, sitting on the floor. You fidget with your hands nervously. “So, do I have superpowers or anything now?” you half-heartedly joke.

“Vampires have very fast healing capabilities,” Wednesday states, “They are very difficult to kill, they must be stabbed with a stake to the heart or decapitated.”

“Very good Wednesday,” Morticia smiles.

“Huh,” you respond, “Alright, that’s not too bad.”

“There are certain weaknesses that should be mentioned, such as sunlight, garlic, crucifixes and running water.” Morticia adds.

“Wait I can’t eat garlic anymore?” you ask, “That kinda sucks, huh.”

“Well technically you can eat anything if you try hard enough,” Gomez says offhandedly.

Morticia cocks an eyebrow at him and sighs, “It’s not so much deadly, it’s more like a food allergy.”

“So I can still eat things with garlic in it?” you double check.

“As long as you aren’t a coward!” Gomez says enthusiastically.

You let out a laugh at Gomez. Wednesday is rolling her eyes, though Morticia just keeps looking at him lovingly. For a moment you forget about the obvious question hanging in the air.

“So…” you start, “I have to drink blood now?” you ask nervously.

“Yes, all vampires must ingest blood to keep themselves alive,” Morticia says, “You’ve got to be hungry by now I imagine,”

“Yeah… but I just ate.” you reply.

“You can still eat food, it just will never fill you. In order not to starve you have to drink blood.” she explains.

You look down at your shaking hands. Everything before now had felt unreal, but this? The seriousness in her voice is making everything too real for you. How could you possibly do that to someone?

“I- I don’t know if I can do that…” you voice shakes, “I mean- how… how could I?”

“Children,” Morticia addresses them, “Why don’t you go play with Uncle Fester while we talk with Hester.”

“Awwww, do we have to?” Pugsley complains.

“A vampire’s eating habits are quite personal Pugsley. I’m afraid so.”

“Alright,” he sighs and follows Wednesday out of the room.

“If you need help procuring someone, you just have to ask. Gomez and I would of course be willing to provide.”

“Provide…?”

“Bodies of course.” Gomez affirms.

“Human bodies,” you repeat, your mind reeling. You had noticed the family was quite odd, even creepy at times, but what they were offering? It sounded too close to murder. You suddenly become very aware of where you are: in a strange house with strangers. Your hands become clammy.

“Is everything alright darling?” you hear Morticia ask. Your throat swells up. You try to force words out, but nothing will leave you lips, leaving you in what is now panic. Finally something spills out, “You can’t kill people for me! You- you can’t!” you sputter out.

“Kill people?” Gomez repeats, “Why we’d bring them alive of course.”

You let out a breath, “Okay, alive. I mean- I just still don’t think I can…”

“Well I suppose there is another option,” Gomez adds.

“What? What is it?” you ask, hopeful.

“Animal blood! It doesn’t work as well, but it’ll do in a pinch.” he explains.

You perk up, “I can do that. That works.” you feel relief.

“Should we make some arrangements? The children could fetch some for tonight.” Morticia asks.

“You have been so kind, really. I would appreciate it, at least for tonight. Tomorrow I’ll work on leaving, I’ve been here long enough.”

“It’s been our pleasure,” Gomez responds, lighting a cigar, “It’s been so long since we’ve had guests.

“Well you certainly are great hosts,” you smile. Despite your situation, you’ve found yourself fairly comfortable here.

“Thank you,” Morticia says, “Now, we ought to ring for Lurch to get some blood. I’m sure the children would love to accompany him.” As she reaches for the bell, you ready yourself for the loud ring. Lurch walks in, “You rang?”

“Yes Lurch, could you gather the children and find some animal blood for our guest here?”

“Yes, Mrs. Addams,” he drawls. He leaves the room in search of the children. A quiet silence falls over the room. Deciding to strike up conversation, you pipe up a question, “So, when did you two meet?”

“Oh, on the best day of my life,” Gomez grins proudly,

“We met at a funeral,” Mortica explains, “It was a lovely day. Grey clouds filled the sky, thunder rolling in the distance.”

“Oh cara mia, I remember it like it was yesterday, our eyes meeting over the coffin,” Gomez starts, “I swear the whole funeral party had to be half as enchanted with you as I had been.” You notice the two of them becoming more enveloped in their memories of each other. You can’t help but smile at how truly in love they are, even if that love meant that you would sit there awkwardly wondering if they were going to just make out in front of you.

“Oh mon cher, you are as charming as you were back then.”

Gomez’s eyes dart up, “Tish! That’s French!” He grabs her arm and starts kissing it.

“Gomez darling,” she warns, “Later.”

He looks up dazed, “Oh yes, our guest. Where were we?” he asks.

“I think you’ve answered my question,” you smile awkwardly.

“Do you have anyone special back home?” Morticia asks politely.

“Well…” you begin to explain“There is this one guy, my roomate, I guess… but I don’t think he likes me like that.” you explain.

“Tiene que estar loco si no le gusta, eres muy guapo. (He must be crazy if he doesn’t like you, you are very handsome.) ” Gomez comments under his breath. You feel your face heat up. He must not know you speak Spanish, judging by how offhandedly he said it. You look over to Morticia who nods ever so slightly, making you even more flustered.

“Uh… gracias, pero… sabes que hablo Español, sí? (Uh… thank you, but… you know I can speak Spanish, yes?) ” you ask. Gomez’s hand, which was placed on Morticia’s knee, now grips it somewhat tightly. Morticia looks over to him in curiosity. His face seems flushed.

“¿Comprendes lo que yo digo? (You understand what I’m saying?) ” he asks tentatively.

“Sí, aprendí a hablar en Español en la escuela. (Yes, I learned to speak in Spanish in school.) ”

“Oh,” a breath leaves his mouth. His eyes keep darting back and forth like he doesn’t know what to do. You can tell his weight has registered onto the balls of his chair like he is about to leap off his seat, but something is keeping him grounded. You look back at Morticia, who seems about as intrigued as you. A heavy silence fell over the room as everyone sat on edge.

Breaking the awkward scene, Lurch walks in with heavy footsteps holding a platter, “Your blood.”

He sets the platter down on the table, removing the lid. On the platter is a wine glass with a dark red liquid in it. As soon as you see the glass you can smell it, the blood. Rather than smelling rancid, the metallic scent smelled like everything you could ever want. You quickly grab the glass with both hands and hold it up to your lips, gulping down the liquid. The taste of it floods your mouth, though some of it dribbles down to your chin as you frantically consume it. You drink the last drop and set down the glass, looking up.

“Shit,” you curse under your breath. You wipe off your chin with the back of your sleeve. “Sorry, I- I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s quite alright,” Morticia affirms, “You’ve just been turned, I’m surprised you’ve gone this long without blood… well I guess there was last night.” You wince at the mention of that encounter. Trying to change the subject, you ask, “What happens if I can’t get blood?”

“Well, either you go to any length to get it out of pure hunger, or if you don’t, you die,” Morticia explains, “So it’s best you feed regularly.”

“So is that why I…” you try to think of a way to phrase it, “Why I don’t feel much restraint when I see blood?”

“Yes, though you’ll get more constraint as it goes on.”

“Oh, okay. By the way, I’m not keeping you up, am I? It has to be pretty late. I mean, I guess I’m already a night owl, so this isn’t too unusual for me, but you two probably should sleep, right?” you ask.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to get some sleep. Perhaps tomorrow if you plan on leaving, we can help you get back?” she asks.

“Yeah, that’d be great. And of course, go get some sleep. I’ll just hang out for a bit.” you say, putting on a small smile.

“Alright, good night then,” Mortica says.

“Goodnight Hester.” Gomez says.

“Goodnight.”

You stay in the living room much longer after they leave, lost in your thoughts. The weight of your new life- or death has started to sink in. Your mind drifts to drinking the blood earlier. The feeling of it had been great, though immediately after your chest felt heavy. You don’t suppose it has anything to do with your newfound changes. No, instead you recognize the feeling as the weight of your guilt.

You can’t help but wonder what kind of creature feeds off the life force of others. You try to reason with yourself by saying it’s like eating animals, yet you can’t accept the notion. This had felt different. Looking back to having Morticia’s blood makes your face flush, but you can’t also help but notice the difference from tonight. While the animal blood was good, and mostly filling, Morticia’s blood, human blood, brought a type of euphoria.

You didn’t need Morticia to spell it out for you. Using animal blood works as a substitute, but you know deep down you are now meant to feed on humans. The realization hits you as you think that. You are no longer human. On this thought your heart aches. What does this make you. Confused? Scared? Yes, those both applied. You feel lost.

You feel anxious thinking about going home tomorrow. Going home means it’s real. It means you have to face your roommate who you’re in love with and somehow not let him know you’re a vampire. You let out a huff. God, how are you supposed to do this? You take a small amount of solace knowing you have the Addam’s help. You’re glad they’ll help you get back home, you don’t think you could do it alone. You know even if you never speak to them again, their impact will be left on you forever.

You get up off the couch, deciding to go to sleep. You trudge to your room and plop onto the bed with a sigh. Eventually you drift off to sleep.

#hester.txt #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #writeblr #the addams family #addams family #morticia addams #gomez addams #lurch #thing #wednesday addams #pugsley addams #gomez addams/morticia addams #gomez addams/morticia addams/reader #x reader #x reader fic #vampire #vampire fanfiction #vampire fic

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About the First Season of--

Salutations random people on the internet who most likely won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

When I first saw the sneak peek of--

...I...didn't...think it would be anything all that special. I love animation, and I love superheroes, so it would go without saying that I would love an animated series about superheroes. But the animation looked a little too stiff for my liking, and aside from featuring J.K. Simmons, there wasn't anything grabbing me when it comes to this show.

Then I heard some s**t goes down at the end of episode one. So, letting my curiosity get the better of me, I binged the entire series in a day to see what the fuss was about. And, um...Yeah. Holy s**t.

This is a series that will very much make you uncomfortable in all the right ways. However, it is a gigantic gorefest at times, so if you get queasy after a single drop of blood, DON'T WATCH THIS SHOW! Trust me, you will not be prepared for what this series has to offer.

At the same time, I highly recommend you watch this series before reading this review. I'm going to spoil major plot points and characters so I can appropriately discuss what I think about the season, so trust me when I say you should click away if you haven't watched it yet. It's one of those series that are better to go in as blind as possible. You can call it a cheap way to appeal to shock value, but I call it one of the best reasons why--

...Is a contender for best-animated series of the decade--That bit with the title card isn't going away anytime soon, is it?

WHAT I LIKE

The Guardians of the Globe vs. The Mauler Twins: This is the best possible way for the series to begin. The first fight scene is bright, colorful, and kinda fun. Thus setting the ultimate expectation subversion in making audiences think that will be the series staple. However, just because it has the energy of a harmless superhero fight, there is a sense of intensity as the Guardians give their all in saving others. Like that moment with Darkwing (Not the duck) as he rescues that woman without hesitation, despite knowing he might die because of it. Or Green Ghost, who just barely rescues all those civilians from that falling debris. It shows that you don't need intense scenes of violence to make a fight scene thrilling to watch.

Diversity Wins: I don't know how diverse the comics are compared to the show, but I'm impressed with how inclusive this series is. So many members of the main cast are people of color, with the main lead being half-Korean. And it's not just different races that the series shines a light on, as we also get the rare, but very much welcomed, animated male gay character. Who's thankfully isn't cliched in ten ways to Sunday...for the most part. It really does seem like writers are starting to grow up and that it's better to be as inclusive as possible instead of pretending certain people don't exist for the sake of "convenience." It might not solve oppression in general, but it certainly makes certain people feel better, even if it is briefly.

Mark Grayson: Mark is a pretty solid super-protagonist if you ask me. Sure, at first, he comes across as whiney...and even more so in later episodes, but he's really an endearing character at times. Mark nails the role of the relatable everyman that's also inspirational with his determination since he never gives up until beaten to the inch of his life. Seriously, while he might not entirely be--

...I guess that bit with the title card really isn't going away.

Anyways, while he might not entirely be invulnerable in the literal sense, he is very much so in the figurative sense. Mark, in so many ways, refuses to call quits once he finally gets the hang of being a superhero, which is what makes him so inspirational. Plus, it's funny seeing how much of a rookie he can be to the gig at times. Mark is far from a perfect lead but is still charming to a fault, and it's nice seeing him grow more heroic each episode. I hope to see him develop more in future seasons, as he has the potential to be ranked higher up as one of my favorite superheroes (it's hard to compete with Spider-Man and Batman, but he'll make me consider it).

Debbie Grayson: This is almost what I expect a mother and wife of superheroes would be. 

Your son is constantly crash landing in your yard? Tell him to knock it off because he's past his curfew. 

Your husband disappeared into another dimension to fight off invaders? Shrug it off and expect that he'll be late for dinner.

It's a ton of fun to watch, and I adore how supportive she is of Mark, despite how much danger he could be in as a superhero. But, what really endears me with Debbie is her complicated feelings with Omni-Man. There's not a doubt in my mind that she loved him with her whole heart, but she also isn't an idiot. She is quick to pick up how unheroic her husband can be at times, often scolding him for it when necessary. And when she finally starts investigating if he really did kill the Guardians, I love that she instantly comes up with every single plausible excuse she can, despite knowing the truth. Because she believes that she knows who Omni-Man is and refuses any possibility that he might be a supervillain. So when she finds out that there really is no other explanation and hearing him call her a pet (big ouch when that happened), you wanna know what she does? She cries. Not because the man she loved is gone forever, but because the idea of him is. And it's that level of emotional devastation that comes from those complicated emotions that make me think Debbie Grayson is the most complex and endearing character on the show. And I. Will. Stand by that.

Seeing the Guardians of the Globe on their down time: Wow, what a cute collection of scenes that are charming as much as they are heartwarming! A set of scenes that show how human these characters are with their close relationships with friends and family! I sure hope it's not followed up with a brutal emotional gut-punch of a scene that will be even more devastating after thinking back on these! Especially with that bit with Martian Man and the little girl, cause OOO-WEE, would THAT tear me up inside!

Omni Man destroying the Guardians of the Globe:...I'd follow through on my joke here, but holy s**t.

That's really the best way I can describe all of this. It is a brutal, I repeat, BRUTAL scene that will stick with you hours after watching it. Not only that, but it's one of the few instances when I was damn near speechless because I couldn't think of anything else to say other than, "Holy s**t." The only time another superhero property did that was Avengers: Infinity War, except with that, the only difference is that the characters come back. Here, except for The Immortal, the Guardians stay dead! There's no magic amulet or alternate versions from another dimension. No, they die and never come back. Thus setting up how serious the show can be. Because if these superheroes can stay dead, then so can others.

Plus, what makes it more impactful is how throughout the entire fight, there was a glimpse of hope that the Guardians can beat Omni-Man. I heard he got nerfed for the sake of drama, and I approve of that decision. Because if he was really--

...If he was really unbeatable, then the fight doesn't have weight to it. There wouldn't be a point in rooting for these characters to win when we already know they're going to lose. But, by showing there's a chance that they could win, it becomes all the more intense watching the fight and even more tragic seeing them lose. It is a masterpiece of a battle that proves once and for all: Batman is right. You need contingency plans.

Omni Man: J. Jonah Jameson has become the one thing he hates the most: A masked MENACE...Ok, I know Omni-Man doesn't wear a mask, so the joke doesn't work as well as it could. But it was served to me on a silver platter, damn it! I had to take it!

In all seriousness, though, Omni-Man might give Homelander a run for his money on best evil Superman. Because while Homelander might be terrifying in his own right with his style of evil, Omni-Man takes it a step up a notch with the mystery behind WHY he killed the Guardians of the Globe. We know right away that there's something off with him, but up until that point, we see multiple instances of Omni-Man doing the right thing rather than the wrong. Sure, he might come off as cold when interacting with people, but so does Batman and other great superheroes in comics. That doesn't mean he's evil. So when he does do something so incredibly heinous, we're left with this mystery as to why. Because there has to be a reason for it all, right? Like, maybe mind control or his family was threatened. Something and anything that means he was forced into killing the noblest of people. So when it turns out that his actions were intentional, it is already pretty devastating. But when we find out why he does these things, it paints how truly evil Omni-Man is, given how little respect he has for human life.

Plus, as terrifying as Homelander is, Omni-Man is ten times more of an engaging villain. With Homelander, what you see is what you get: A narcissist with a god complex. For Omni-Man, it's more or less the same thing, but it's something fed to him because of the conditioning from his planet. There is a tiny, molecule-sized part of him that genuinely cares about others. It doesn't change what he does, nor does it mean he deserves forgiveness (far from it), but it hints that maybe he's not evil because of his own ego. It's because of how he's trained to be. And judging by his pained expressions from Mark's words and the single tear he sheds when leaving everything behind, there's a chance that he might be willing to fight back that mentality.

Or he will stay evil, and that he'll return to do worse things in the future. I don't know. I haven't read the comics. But I feel like I don't need to read anything to tell you all that Omni-Man is up there as one of the most intriguing comic book villains of all time, and I can't wait to see what happens with him next.

This show is f**king Violent: I mean, I refer you back to that scene where Omni-Man destroys the Guardians of the Globe. But, unlike other shows that use violence to force that mature rating, I feel as though In--

...Title card. You were cute the first time, but now your novelty has quickly worn thin.

Anyways, I feel as though this show...uses gore more appropriately. More often than not, death and carnage get treated as a literal joke in adult cartoons because people are sick bastards, I guess. But with...the current series I'm talking about, it all has an impact. No one dies or gets mangled for the sake of shock value or for a laugh. Instead, every instance of this type of violence is to either make a point, set the tone, or prove just how dangerous a specific character is. It makes...the series more mature than most adult cartoons you'll find because it actually brings a worthy discussion for its violence rather than milking it to give the illusion of maturity. And I gotta respect the writers for doing that.

Cecil: This man is basically Nick Fury if he was overpowered but in a good way. There is just something about a man who knows superheroes are needed in the world but also trusts a "hero" like Omni-Man as far as he can throw him. Not only does Cecil have contingency plans for his contingency plans, but the guy also knows to send the right heroes out for the exact missions that require them. Plus, a man is an instant badass when he's stone-faced about a demon saying he'll go somewhere worse than hell and is calm when being face-to-face with an angry Omni-Man.

I don't make the rules. I just abide by them.

The title card gets bloodier with each episode: This is just a really cool gimmick. It proves how intense this show can really be and how the stakes get higher and higher with each installment. Also, I like to think the amount of blood that splashes over the title card reflects how brutal the episode will be, especially with episode eight, 'cause holy hell.

The plot structure: The way the story works is very similar to how a comic book series handles its overarching narrative. Even though the writers begin a new arc that continues for a handful of issues, the overall main plot still develops in the background of the current adventure the hero goes through. That's basically how--

>Intense inhale<

>Calm exhale<

That's basically how THIS SHOW operates. Each episode can be seen as its own story that's given a ton of room to develop with its forty-five-minute runtime (which blew my f**king mind when I started binging it). Despite that, there's still a great sense of continuity. Everything involving Omni-Man and the mystery behind his murder of the Guardians gets fleshed out throughout the season, even when it takes the background of Mark's escapades. It really does feel like sitting down and taking the time to read an entire volume of comics, which I like to believe is the intention. After all, what's the point of making a series about superheroes if you don't make it feel like a comic book at least once?

Dark Blood: I desire a series based on this character alone. I know it's probably just Hellboy, but I want it. 

The idea of a demon solving murder crimes to work off his debt in Hell is too much of a remarkable concept to strictly be a c-plot in one series. Give Dark Blood a spin-off, damn it!

The Realistic Portrayal of a Superhero world: Unlike certain superhero properties--*cough* DC *cough*--it's--

>Huff<

>Puff<

>HUFF<

>PUFF<

>HUFF<

It's. This. F**KING. SHOW! That really does an excellent job at portraying how much it would suck to live in a world of superheroes. Sure, you got the cool battles and awe-inspiring heroes with incredible powers, but do you know what else you get? Hundreds upon thousands of people dying from the very threats those heroes fight against. Not to mention all the realistic physics that come from people like Mark trying to save others. Just look at how mangled that old woman looked when he attempted to help her. It, uh...It sure did not look great. Don't get me wrong, I love superheroes and the worlds they live in. But when watching a show like...this one, it really makes me appreciate how I don't live in those worlds with them.

It’s Still Funny: This is something I appreciate the most. When most superhero shows go for the realistic approach, they go with the doom and gloom route, making everything so melodramatic about how serious the world is. But here's the thing: Superheroes are f**king stupid.

Don't tell me they're not because they are. Superheroes have cornball hero names, bright costumes, and logos on their foreheads, chests, belts, and what-have-you. Taking a superhero too seriously is the worst mistake you could make, which is why I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Say what you want about Marvel having "too many jokes," but at least they know it's for the best to laugh at themselves and embrace the weirdness. It's something similar with...you know what. Because while the series tells a serious and realistic story about superheroes, it's still a story about superheroes. So it tells some jokes and some pretty funny ones at that. Because while it's essential to include some drama in a story such as the one in...you know what, it's just as important to never forget to have some fun.

“Earth is not yours to conquer.”: Such a great line that gains an even greater meaning once we fully know who Omni-Man is. The main creditor for how effective it is goes to J.K. Simmons for making the line sound explicit yet implicit at the same time.

Allen the Alien: ...It is an absolute crime that this character only has about six minutes of screentime. Allen is such a bro, partially because of Seth Rogan's performance, that I would honestly be upset if he doesn't show up more often in later seasons. Seriously, bring him back for more.

The Mauler Twins: Thankfully, these characters get as much attention as they deserve. The banter between the Mauler Twins is always entertaining, often being the comedic highlights at times. On top of being funny, they also work as efficient villains who can come across as threatening at times.

But what I love most of all about these two is the explanation behind the cloning process. The reasoning of why neither character remembers which one is the cone is a brilliant idea that I'm surprised no one else did in the past (to my knowledge). It also provides some excellent fruit for thought in wondering if it really is better to live your life not knowing if you're a clone or not. The whole thing is great to watch, and it makes me really glad for their inclusion...too bad they had to be forced into a story that makes a character look like a reckless superhero and an inconsiderate jackass to his friend. Seriously, what was up with that?

“That Actually Hurt”: This just might be my favorite episode of the first season. Machine Head is both equally hilarious and devious, Titan might just be my favorite character due to how intriguing his allegiances and motivations are, that final fight was the perfect amount of brutal, and we get the biggest hint of the man Omni-Man really is. Having him simply watching Mark instead of flying in to help him actually shocked me the first time seeing it. It's not until we learn what a Viltrumite really is that it becomes clear as to why. He doesn't care about saving his son but instead seeing Mark reach the same potential Omni-Man did during that smash fest the planet went through to reach perfection. And something tells me he felt more disappointment than sadness after seeing his son get nearly killed by Tony the Tiger (I know he has an actual name...but this is funnier to me). It's such a solid moment with great implications that just so happens to exist in an even greater episode.

Eve deciding to just help people for the heck of it: I actually love this idea more for the potential it has rather than what actually happens so far. Because the main reason why heroes don't fly around and solve every little minute problem people have is that they need to learn how to act without help. If you suddenly make food appear out of thin air or stopping forest fires, you're doing good, but there's also potential harm that comes from it. I think back to that episode of The Powerpuff Girls, where the townspeople are so idiotic and complacent with having their heroes solve every problem that they really can't think or act for themselves. A similar thing can happen with Eve if she's not careful. Even worse, if she keeps trying to end famine for farmers, because she might get into a Supergirl situation with people building a cult around her. And, you know, that's not going to be fun.

But again, that's just the potential that this presents. We--Or the people who haven't read the comics--don't know if Eve will actually face this issue. Regardless, we still get some solid moments that proves just how much Eve is a true hero in this series as she has no other motive to help people other than she just wants to. And I actually think that's pretty cool.

The Immortal’s rematch: I gotta hand it to the guy. Not a second after being brought back to life, and The Immortal's already flying off to get revenge on the bastard who killed his closest friends in the world. Or, globe, I guess.

I respect that, to be honest.

(As a bonus, The Immortal causing Omni-Man's eyes to become bloodshot adds to how evil he'll be in the last episode)

Mark trying to snap his dad out of mind-control: Oh, I felt that.

I'm pretty sure we all felt that.

Ow...Big ow.

The Train Scene: ...This is the most horrific thing I have seen in entertainment. Seriously, while Omni-Man annihilating the Guardians left me speechless, this is another level. Because him using Mark's body to kill a train full of people ramming into them, leaving Mark all the more helpless to stop it, makes a scene that is so...so hard for me to describe how effectively f**ked up it is. It's one of those moments where just by seeing it, you know why it's awful in all the right ways. And I will never forget the look of shock and horror on my face when it reflected onto my laptop's screen after the scene briefly cut to black soon after the carnage. Because if that doesn't explain how unmerciful this moment is, I don't know what will.

Saving Mark after the fight: I really love this because as it flashes between still images of people carrying Mark away after his brutal fight with Omni-Man, it really feels like you're reading a comic from panel to panel. It’s pretty neat. I won’t lie.

WHAT I DISLIKE

The Animation isn’t that great: Now, in terms of action, the animation is fantastic. You feel the impact of each attack, there are some creative uses of powers, and the gore is better implemented because it's all animated. As for everything else...yeah, it kinda sucks. Movements are a little stiff at times, the CGI backgrounds could use a bit more polish, and don't get me started on the CGI crowds of people. I understand the shortcuts that need to be taken to make everything else more effective, but man, this series needed a little more time in the oven before being shown to everyone. It's never too bad, but it can be pretty distracting at times.

Amber: F**k Amber. Just f**k her. Everything people tell you that is wrong with her is one-hundred percent on point. She is easily one of the worst love interests, and to me, it has everything to do with the fact that she knows Mark is--

...That she knows Mark is--

...

...

...ThatsheknowsMarkisInvinci--

--BECAUSE IT INVALIDATES ANY POINT SHE HAS, GOSH DANGIT! I don't give a single S**T if she's upset that he's late all the time! If Amber was always unaware of it, then I would understand. But having her know means that she thinks her issues are more important than Mark, oh, I don't know, SAVING THE PLANET! I mean, the girl helps feed the homeless! You would think she would understand.

But fine. Maybe Amber's just upset that Mark's lying to her. Sure. That's understandable...BUT WHAT THE F**K IS UP WITH HER BLOWING UP IN HIS FACE FOR NOT HELPING ANYBODY AT THE COLLEGE WHEN SHE KNOWS HE'S HELPING EVERYBODY!? Even if it's her giving Mark one last chance to tell her the truth (which is a mile of a stretch, and you know it), did she really expect him to reveal his secret with tons of people watching? That is a crazy expectation that no one should live up to!

Amber is quite possibly the worst thing about this show. She was fine at first, and her chemistry with Mark was on point, but MAN, did she get worse later on.

And if I see one mother f**ker calling me a racist because I don't like this character who just so happens to be black...I'm going to be upset, not gonna lie. Because that is a cheap shot to dismiss any criticism, especially since her race has NOTHING to do with why people hate her...Or, at least, most people.

Edit (5/27/2021): Disregard the above. The long and short is that I don’t like Amber. She just doesn’t sit right with me for the reasons that her anger towards Mark just never felt entertaining to me in comparision to everything else. But saying her thoughts and arguements are invalid is not cool, and I’m sorry to both any readers who are black or especially female who would be upset by this.

Rex-splode: I understand the point behind Rex. He's a character who we're supposed to hate, so it becomes so much more satisfying seeing others s**t on him. But those characters are hard to get right if you’re not careful. Make them too irritating, then any suffering they go through will seem too little. Make them not annoying enough, and their punishments can be too harsh. Rex fits into the "too irritating" category. It's satisfying to see Monster Girl wreck his s**t after he started commenting how ineffective she might be, but with what he pulled with Dupli-Kate, I feel as though he might deserve worse. Although I will admit Rex gets slightly better in later episodes, showing at least a smidgen of character development. But I don't think it's enough to make his a**holeness worth it. Still, I hope he at least becomes above decent in the next few seasons, which is way more than what I can say for Amber.

(Seriously, writers, if she just disappears without an ounce of an explanation in the season premiere, I won't question it. You have my word.)

Edit: I no longer agree with what I crossed out, but I won’t delete it either. I want people to know the mistake I made so I can prove that I changed in the future.

Robot cloning himself to be with Monster Girl: ...Nope! 

Nope!

Changed my mind.

I am NOT touching that.

I will touch a lot of things, but I will not touch--That came out wrong.

Please forget you read anything.

Thank you, and goodnight.

Let’s move on

Transitioning to the title card: Here it is! The nitpickiest of all nitpicks! But, seeing how it happens in every episode, meaning that the writers have no choice but to commit to it, means it's one of those things that viewers are forced to get used to. And boy, is the transition to the title card hard to get used to! Oh, you thought it was annoying how it kept happening in this review? Well...fair enough. But trust me when I say it's much more aggravating in the show.

The funny thing is, I had no problem the first time it happened. It was a cute way to introduce the character as well as the title of the series. But having that be the basis for transitioning to the title card every time was a gimmick that got old real quick. Especially since every time that a character says the word--

--it always feels forced. What's even more annoying is that sometimes it interrupts characters as they're saying invin--

LIKE! F**KING! THAT! Because interrupting someone before they say something is one thing, but doing so as they're saying it shows a sense of bad timing. Not even that, because this is something that I feel like could have been the easiest to change in the series by having someone go, "Hey, maybe we should edit out this single second."

It's laziness that doesn't happen often, but it still grinds my gears a bit. Plus, is there really no other smoother transition the writers could come up with? Did they really believe this is the best way to do it?

Think, writers! THINK!

It's fine to have a gimmick, but this is one that really shouldn't have any follow-through on.

-------------

That's about all the issues I have with the show. It's far from perfect, but still, an A- is pretty impressive work. The stuff that this series does right not only outnumbers the mistakes but also heavily outweighs them. Besides, no show in the history of creativity has ever been perfect in its first season. There are always dents that need to get buffed out and improve upon for the subsequent seasons to come. Only then can a series truly be Invincible from all criticism.

...

...Oh, sure. 

SURE!

NOW it lets me say it!

GOSH, DANGIT, I HATE THAT TITLE CARD!

#invincible #mark grayson #omni-man #debbie grayson #amber bennett #what I thought about

[flying-nightwing]

The Incredible Coincidence of One High School Reunion

As promised, the awaited enemies to lovers x fake dating i’ve promised today! (ft. my love for super long titles) 

Thank you to everyone supporting me!

PS: if your name is Monica I am truly sorry, please forgive me.

Masterlist

Pairing: Dick Grayson x reader

Word count: 4916

Warnings: none beside extreme cheesiness

Out of everyone you thought would show up to the Gotham Academy 10 years alumni reunion, Dick Grayson was definitely not one of them. He was the golden boy, the Wayne kid that probably had a long list of better things to do than entertain than his old cohort of high school graduates. Alas, there he was in all of his glory, and it pissed you off.

You and Dick had, to say the least, a difficult relation. You had been friends, for a little while after he started at the academy. You had a lot of classes together and more often than not ended up working together. You helped him get acclimated to the new school and environment, introduced him to all your friends and invited him to your extracurricular activities. But then, ever so slowly, everything became a competition. Who got the best grades, who got involved in most committees, and even who the teachers liked most. Naturally, he bested you in everything and made a point to shove it back in your face. He became your nemesis, and this adversity dealt one hell of a blow to your social standing. People liked Dick better, of course they did, so they stopped hanging out with you.

Good riddance, you told yourself. They outed themselves as fake friends anyway, so the loss hadn’t been catastrophic. Still, for a teenage girl, it had hurt. You had been doomed as the loner, all because you had befriended the wrong person in the first place. The saddest part was that you genuinely missed your friendship with Dick, but you just couldn’t go back to him. It would have made you look pathetic and desperate, and you were not about to stoop so low. Sure you had a few other acquaintances you ate lunch with and did teamwork, but it wasn’t the same.

He was mingling with the people, talking and laughing in his probably expensive suit. You rolled your eyes at the sight and downed your glass of champagne, then made your way back to the refreshment table. On the way you bumped into an old colleague from the recycling committee and entertained small talk, then you made it there without another obstacle. You stopped in front of the already filled glasses of wine and hesitated. The red wine smelled horrible, the white seemed watered down, but the rosé looked like a good choice. You reached for the last glass when your hand collided with another. you looked up to apologize, but as you caught a glimpse of the other person, your eyebrows furrowed in annoyance and retracted your hand like it touched fire. 

“Grayson” You said through clipped lips.

“(Y/L/N)”

“Still trying to steal my only joy left, I see” You scoffed, nodding at the still unclaimed rosé glass.

“And you’re still baselessly accusing everyone but yourself for undermining you” He rolled his eyes. “Nothing has changed”

“What do you want?” You sighed, crossing your arms against your chest and glaring up at him. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“Well, I was just trying to get a drink” He lifted his hands up in surrender, but in a sarcastic way that just irritated you, and he knew it all to well. “You were the one who got all pissy about it”

“Yeah whatever, I guess I should have bowed and offered you the glass on a silver platter” You huffed. “So his Highness wouldn’t have been inconvenienced”

“Are you kidding me?” His eyebrows raised. “Why are you like this? I’ve never--”

He stopped talking, his eyes fixated on something behind you for a second. Then, he made himself surprisingly small and glanced away. You frowned in confusion for a second, before you looked over your shoulder and blanched, understanding the reaction all too well. You shared a look of panic, simultaneously putting away the animosity between each other to brace yourself for the horror that was to come.

And that horror was named Monica.

She confidently walked toward you, graceful in her high heels and frustratingly stunning in her knee length dark blue dress. She was your ex supposed best friend, and the first one to ditch you for Dick when the rivalry began. She then proceeded to make a point of showing off her pinning for him, trying desperately to make her and him a “thing”. It never worked, but she kept going, so much it became borderline stalking. The whole school knew, it fueled everyone’s gossip.

Without missing a beat, she extended in arm in between you and Dick to grab the last glass of rosé, leaning not so subtly more in his space than she needed to. She sipped the alcohol almost seductively, gazing at Dick with practiced innocence. It was becoming uncomfortable real quick.

“Hi Richard” She gave him her best smile, then shot you a smug glance as if saying watch this. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been good” He replied without much interest, refusing to meet her eyes. “How about you?”

“Amazing! I’ve been working on totally rebranding my father’s hotel company” She chatted excitedly. You sighed inwardly and grabbed a glass of white wine, taking a long sip. “If you want to, I can show you the new rooms design. We could test the mattresses…”

You choked on your wine while Dick’s eyes considerably widened. Monica was waiting for an answer.

“I uh-- Actually I can’t…” He sputtered, trying to come up with an excuse to reject her. Oh, that would be interesting alright. He knew how persuasive she could be, so he had to find something solid. He looked around in a panic, then his eyes settled on you. “... Because (Y/N) and I are together”

His words didn’t quite register in your head as he threw an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to his side with a wide forced smile. His fingers giving a small pleading tug to your dress snapped you out of your stupor, and you plastered a matching grin on your lips. You hated the idea of bailing Dick out of an embarrassing situation, but the opportunity of taunting Monica was just too good to pass, so you decided to play along.

“What?” Monica blinked in confusion, then frowned. “I didn’t know that”

“That’s because we’ve been keeping it very private” He replied smoothly. “I wanted to keep her away from the paps, they’re such vultures sometimes”

“Oh” She simply said, before smiling sweetly. It was too sweet. You didn’t like it one bit. “So how did it happen?”

“Well, we bumped into each other again last year, totally by accident” You took over Dick’s hesitation. “And uh, we cleared things up and it kinda just… Happened”

You made a point of giving him heart eyes as you finally returned his awkward embrace. His muscles untensed a bit when he saw you wouldn’t sabotage him. Something shifted in Monica’s eyes, they became just a bit more somber without her losing the smile. It made her look just a bit insane.

“I see” Her tone turned hostile. “I guess you won’t mind if I share the good news, won’t you?” 

“... Yeah, we don’t mind” He scratched the back of his neck while your stomach dropped. You hadn’t thought about this. The smugness returned as she turned around, flipping her hair in the process. You watched her walk away before sending a thundering glare at Dick, who had his lips pressed in a thin line.

“Really?” 

“What was I supposed to do?” He quietly bit back.

“You owe me a solid one for this” You said through your teeth. “You better start thinking of something good, golden boy”

“As far as I’m concerned, you have as much interest as me to keep this charade up” He scoffed, grabbing a glass of red wine. “So don’t act like you’re doing this out of selflessness”

“Yeah whatever” 

“Ooooohhhh mi gosh guuuuys”

You both flinched at the very high pitched voice coming to your right. You saw a girl in a violet dress almost running toward you with a wide grin on her face. You didn’t remember her name, but you knew she was a nice girl despite her tendency to get in everyone’s business. 

“Why didn’t you say you were together?” She squealed as her boyfriend trailed along, an apologetic expression on his face. “This is so amaaaazing!”

“Ah, yes” You replied awkwardly. “We just wanted to keep it private, you know?”

“Yeah I understand totally” She nodded quickly, the point of your words soaring right over her head. “I’ve always known you guys were going to end up together. You’re so meant for each other”

You wanted to cringe. That surely wasn’t the discourse anyone was holding while you were still in high school, and she surely only said that because she thought you were actually together. What do they know, anyway. 

“Uh, thanks” Dick smiled politely to hide his discomfort. “I guess it took some time, but we finally figured it out, haha”

“Oh, I forgot” She gasped, turning to her boyfriend. “Mike, this is Dick and (Y/N). They were like, THE rivals back in the days. We basically only talked about them for like, an entire school year. It’s so sad (Y/N) pushed everyone away though”

You looked away as she kept babbling to her boyfriend. You knew she didn’t mean it in a harsh or mocking way, but it still stung. You wanted to tell her it hadn’t been by choice, that people deserted you and forced you into a corner, but you found yourself unable to do so. Beside, you couldn’t just let them know how much it affected you or they would prey on it all the same than in actual high school. You were so busy tuning her out that you missed the concerned glance sent in your direction. 

“Hey, it was nice to see you again” Dick shook hands with the couple, snapping you out of your head. You forced a smile and did the same. “I think we’ll go around a bit, but uh, see ya?”

“S-sure”

You gladly took this exit and walked away from the refreshment table with Dick. You could feel his questioning stare shifting on you every few seconds, but you refused to look in his direction. He didn’t have the right to be concerned, and you didn’t owe him any explanations. You lifted your head upright and followed him over to the next group of person. Naturally, by this point, everyone had gotten the word from Monica. People were either friendlier than ever with you, or gave you attitude about it, none of which you enjoyed. You mostly nodded and smiled, barely paying attention to the words that were being exchanged. It was more often than not anecdotes that concerned Dick, or happened after you broke things off with most of your friends.

“It so strange to see you together” Some guy you didn’t quite remember began with a cruel smirk. “I didn’t see you as the type to hang out with losers”

You bit your cheek so hard it almost bled. You were certain that this would be the last nail to your coffin, that you’d receive the humiliation of your life. However, your fake boyfriend had another idea. 

“Still I hung out with you” The comeback came so fast it almost gave you a whiplash. Silence settled over the group, their baffled stares directed to a very self satisfied Dick Grayson. “Hey, remember when you hung upside down from the climbing ropes in gym class and threw up all over yourself from up there?”

Your hand involuntarily flew to your mouth to hide the drop of your jaw. 

A wave of uncomfortable laughs made its way around the circle, as nobody had enough guts to confront Dick about it. And you had a feeling he knew that; he knew they would still try to suck up to him even ten years later and fully abused this privilege.

For you.

Without waiting any longer, you were gently dragged away from the group. You were still processing what had just happened and didn’t realize you were talked to. You shook your head slightly to get out of your daze and frowned.

“Uh?”

“I asked you if you were okay” He repeated softly.

“Y-yeah” You stuttered. “I guess I’m the one who owe you one now”

“Don’t mention it” He tried a small smile. “Those people need some reality checks sometimes”

“I don’t know why I even came to this stupid reunion” You mumbled, glancing back at where the group had stood earlier. Most of the people had gone away by now, only remaining the guy Dick had all but obliterated and some girl seemingly comforting him. “It was a bad idea”

He didn’t speak right away, he instead did a visual sweep of the room, then at the back door of the gymnasium and at the crown again. “Hey, have you ever gotten on the roof of the academy?”

“... No” Your eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Come on” He hooked his arm through yours and pulled you with him to the back door. You ended up in a staircase you didn’t know existed and began climbing up. You didn’t know how, but Dick easily bypassed the lock without the key, opening the door to the roof. You stepped out a took a deep breath, glad you could escape the crowd of people you didn’t like downstairs. The sky was clouded and it smelled like rain was coming.

“So” You began as you turned to face him. “How did you out of all people found out about this secret passage? This isn’t very much golden-y of you”

“Oh, if only you knew” He chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I found the staircase by accident in senior year one time I was trying to hide away from Monica and her gang of demons”

You snorted.

“I don’t know how you did it” He hummed, looking up at the sky.

“Did what?”

“Kept yourself together while I was being, well, a total dick” He precised.

“Ah” You gave him a sad smile. “The first social rule you learn when you’re born rich, is that you rarely ever make real friends. You mostly only keep people around temporarily for your own gain, then they’re gone. It was hard, but I had expected it”

“Still, you handled it way better than I did” His eyes trailed down the roof and stopped on you. “I wasn’t prepared for everything that came with hanging with rich kids”

“It’s an art, isn’t it?” You teased. “Fake friends are hard to manage, especially the kind that comes here. If you’re not careful they’ll eat you alive”

“Yeah, I understood that pretty quickly” He sighed. You nodded slowly, warming up your arms with your hand. The night air was cold, and the wind didn’t make it better. 

“If it could make you feel better” You paused, regretting your words as soon as they came but unable to stop them. “I think you’ve been my only true friend in high school, for the time it lasted”

You weren’t looking to astound him, but you surely did. His whole posture changed, and his expression shifted into something you couldn’t put your finger on. You had the time to reconsider your words and ask yourself if you should leave before he gave you any reaction.

“Sorry” You mumbled. “I shouldn’t have said that”

“N-no, wait” He scurried his thoughts. “You really meant that?”

You nodded.

“I truly screwed up didn’t I?” He muttered, flinching. 

“No, I did” You sighed. “I should have just swallowed my pride and stopped caring so much about trying to be better than you” 

“But I kept pushing you” His head hung low. “I was trying so hard to get attention and validation that lost the one person that might have made high school not so terrible”

“Didn’t you get enough validation from Monica?” You raised an eyebrow playfully. “She seemed so keen on praising your every move”

“Ha” He shook his head, a small smile dancing on the corner of his lips. “I think she was praising the name Wayne more than anything”

“High school was terrible” You said as you glanced up at a bird flying higher over your head. When you looked back down, Dick had his arm outstretched and was handing you his suit jacket. You mumbled a thanks and put it on, welcoming its warmth.

“Cheers to that” 

“Oh yeah” You chuckled. “Cheers to people screwing up good things and explaining a decade later”

“(Y/N), I officially apologize for being an asshole” He declared, and you held back a grin. “Will you forgive me?”

“I officially forgive you, Dick Grayson” You replied. “Will you forgive me for being a stuck up bitch?”

“I officially forgive you, (Y/N)” He repeated with a mock solemn expression.

You held eye contact for a second before you burst with laughter. All of this anger and resentment you had carried for years was suddenly just gone. You had no idea it would be that easy to put it all behind you and find back your friend you had missed so much. You had forgotten how easy it was to laugh and kid around with him. 

“Come here” He opened his arms for a hug. As you were about to walk into his embrace, raindrops began falling. You paused for a second, just enough for the sky to open up and pour water over you.

You yelped and ran for cover back inside. Dick slammed the door behind you and put back the lock on again, then with a mischievous glint in his eyes, grabbed your wrist and pulled you with him down the stairs.

“Slow down!” You squealed, trying not to fall over in your heals. “Where are we going?”

“Take a wild guess”

He pushed open the door of the first floor, giving out on the hallways you knew too well. Most senior classrooms were around here, and on the walls, the graduating classes hung in big, golden frames. 

“The senior hall? Really?” You raised an eyebrow, but he wasn’t fazed. 

“Come on, let’s find our year” He ignored your comment as he walked further down the corridor, checking the dates on every frame. You followed him until he finally stopped on the right one. “Aw, look at our baby faces!”

You squinted your eyes at the pictures to find him. “I’m sorry to tell you, you practically look the same” 

He gasped in offense. “I believe I lost my baby cheeks since. I mean, look at my jaw”

You looked in between the picture and him a couple of times, pretending not to see it. Obviously, his face had gotten insanely handsome since you had last seen him, and that was just his face. You didn’t broach the topic of the broad shoulders and seemingly toned body. The rain had gotten through his white shirt a bit, and you prefered not to let your gaze linger there for too long,

“Mhhh” You shrugged teasingly. “I guess your hair has improved a bit”

“This is what you latched on? My hair?” He scoffed playfully before he snapped his head in your direction. “Wait, a bit?”

You laughed. “Alright alright, Grayson. I might be a bitch but I’m not a liar, you do score considerably higher overall on the looks now”

“Thank you” He smiled proudly. “You’re not too bad yourself” 

“Oh, you don’t need to flatter me” You smirked as you stepped around him to go further down the hallway. “I’m fully secure in my glow up from then to now”

“Alright, no need to get cocky” He snorted, but it wasn't mean like it used to be. It felt like the friendship you were meant to have. 

You stopped in front of the glass case displaying various achievement by seniors, the valedictorians of each years and the famous golden book, which contained the signature of every graduate of Gotham Academy since 1957. It laid open, showing the pages of the last class to leave. You felt nostalgic as you read the comments and signatures, suddenly wishing you were one of the kids who got to give and receive nice comments and share inside jokes only a select group of people would understand. Instead, you knew your name was forever scribbled in a corner ten pages back, perhaps overlapped by some bigger, flashier signature from the more popular crowd. 

“Forever the... Salt water chugging gang?” Dick read from an entry, furrowing his brows together. “I wonder what events lead to that name”

“Yikes” You grimaced. “Were we that stupid?”

“More, I think” He grinned. “Let’s find out”

Before you could ask what he meant, he got to work to disable the student proof lock and opened the glass. He did it so easily, so flawlessly, you had trouble thinking of how he learned to do all that.

“How do you know so much about picking locks?” You asked as he carefully flipped back the pages to your year. First the door to the roof, now that?

“Stick around and maybe I’ll tell you” He winked, then returned his eyes on the book. They widened. “Oh what the hell”

“What?” You peeked from around him.

“Monica really… Really left me her-her” He choked with laughter, tears brimming his eyes. “Her my--myspace handle-”

You joined him in a quiet laughter, then it grew louder as his became hysteric. He barely finished his sentence, he couldn’t even say it, and you understood why. It was positively hilarious. She really did leave her myspace handle for Dick, under his name with a little heart and her signature.

Dick sighed, his hand on his chest as he tried to catch his breath back. He then wiped his tears and shook his head. “That was good”

“One for the books, for sure” You agreed. “If she could see that, the embarrassment” 

“Come on, let’s add something for old time’s sake” He said as he pulled out a pen from his pockets. Before you could stop him, he leaned forward and began writing in a tiny free space. He then backed up, letting you read his little addition.

‘Let’s pretend I wrote that when we were seniors. To our lost and found friendship, sincerely, your favourite asshole’

Your smile widened at the message, a warm feeling sneaking up in your chest. You snatched the pen from his hand and scribbled another message in another blank space, the blue ink contrasting with the black of the markers on the page. 

‘Because it took us a decade to find out we have more in common than different after all. To you with love, your stuck up bitch’

It was your turn to step back, satisfied, and let him read your message. He chuckled as you handed him back the pen, and quietly flipped back the pages to the last class.

“Thanks” You spoke up.

“For what?”

“For giving me the chance to write something nice that I meant in there” You explained, pushing back a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “Despite what I might say, it’s nice to leave a mark somewhere”

“In that case, you’re very welcome” He smiled warmly. You felt your heart skip a beat when you noticed how close from you he had gotten. From close on, you could see the different pigments in the blue of his eyes, or just how sharp his facial features actually were. It was definitive, Dick Grayson was a really handsome man.

You kind of understood now why Monica was so obsessed with him.

Suddenly, Dick perked up, his eyes set on the corner of the corridor. Quicker than you could register, he shut the glass display close and spun you against him, backing himself up into the wall. You were confused and flustered with your hands flat on his chest, but you realized soon enough the purpose of his actions. Seconds after, your old math teacher rounded up the corner. She paused at the sight of you, a frown on her face, until she recognized Dick. Her whole expression then changed.

“Mr. Grayson” She smiled politely, ignoring the position you were in. So, he had staged it up to seem like you were doing something else than vandalizing the golden book. “I believe the party is in the gymnasium”

“Sorry Ms Hess” He apologized sheepishly. “We wanted to take a little trip down memory lane”

She gave you a knowing look, but didn’t argue much. She only kept going her way like she didn't even see you. You were baffled for a second at exactly what extent people went to suck up to the Wayne name, then you remembered the position you were in. The heat crept back up in your neck, and it only became worse when Dick seemed to have no intention to move. You were too aware of his arms circling your waist and his casual leaning on the wall.

“Nice save” You breathed, your eyes going back to his. Bad idea. He had this innocent look that actually was anything but, and it made you nervous. He was the one against the wall, but it still felt like you were the one trapped. “I still have no idea how you managed that too”

“Let’s add it to the list of mysteries, shall we?”

You could have sworn his voice got deeper there. He slowly tilted his head to the side, his gaze flickering under hooded eyelids in between your eyes and your lips. He was nearly irresistible like that, practically inviting you to steal a taste, so you decided just not to resist. Tentatively, you leaned closer and slowly pressed your lips to his. They were soft and warm as they began gently moving against yours, making you feel all weird inside. On one hand, this was the man you disliked with worked passion no earlier than two hours before. But on the other hand, it felt so right.

You felt like a teenager all over again, but living the right experiences this time around. 

He pulled away, ending the kiss but still staying close. You blinked hazily, trying to chase the daze away. You could feel his hot breath on your lips, and while you were sure your thoughts should be spinning a hundred miles per hour, your head was surprisingly clear and calm. All nervousness was gone and dissipated in thin air. 

“I…” You trailed off, trying to find your tongue. “I don’t know what to say”

“Hmmm, how about...” He hummed as if he was thinking it through. “Wow Grayson, you’re so amazing and I can’t believe we did not make out sooner”

You rolled your eyes at the high pitched voice he used, then lightly slapped him on the chest. “Way to ruin the moment”

“That’s the good thing about moments though” He said, sliding a hand up your back and on your neck. “We can make more of ‘em”

He pulled you in for another kiss, which did not last as long, but definitely felt as good as the first. Perhaps that girl in the violet dress was onto something after all. 

“Smooth, Grayson” A small smile stretched on your lips when you separated. “Very smooth”

“Smooth’s my middle name”

“Uh huh” You chuckled, your eyebrows raised. “Sure”

He shook his head, a playful grin on his lips. His hand trailed from your neck down your arm and his fingers laced with yours. You glanced down at your joint hands, then up to his face. His smile was still there, but it was somewhat more toned down, more fond than its previous playful.

“Are we doing this?” He asked in a whisper. “Or should we stop before I start thinking about it too much?”

You took a deep breath at his question, not expecting it just yet. Dick was someone passionate and emotional, so it shouldn’t surprise you he was already thinking of a potential romantic relation. Everything was moving so fast, but you didn’t want to lie to yourself and say you didn’t feel anything there. Something definitely happened in between the moment he awkwardly threw his arm around you to dodge Monica and the moment he spun you against his chest. And well, one thing you clearly learned tonight was that spontaneous and not thought through decisions could pay off in a way you couldn’t even imagine. 

“I’m willing to try if you are” You finally spoke up. “I guess we’ve got nothing to lose in giving this a shot”

Relief swept across his eyes and his famous million dollars smile returned. He gave your fingers a little squeeze, seeming as happy as a child on christmas morning. 

“This is gonna be great” He muttered excitedly. “I won’t let you down again, I swear”

“You better not” You teased.

“Ohhhhhh mi goooosh!”

Both of your attention snapped at the shrilling voice interrupting you. There was the same girl from earlier, with a crowd around her that obviously contained a very pissed off Monica. You and Dick shared yet another look of incomprehension and slight panic at what she would say this time. And well, it was well justified because nothing could prepare you for her next words. 

“They’re getting engaaaaaaaaged!”

Ah hell, what did you both get into?

#dick grayson #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson imagine #dick grayson reader #dc #dcu #DC Universe #dc imagine #dcu imagine #dc universe imagine #fake dating #enemies to lovers #imagine #cute

[heeyjuuuude]

so i’m finally posting some of my writing!! any feedback is welcome — it’s been years since i’ve posted anything, and my writing style has changed quite a bit. (this is so much longer and more intense than i had planned good lord.)

a couple things real quick! in this, there are some thinly-veiled references to nsfw happenings and some decidedly less thinly-veiled internalized homophobia, some of which comes from bitty’s experience with religion, and general homophobia. there’s also a passing mention of past canon-typical underage alcohol consumption. please read with caution, and if you have any concerns or think i missed a tag, please please please contact me!! going by ao3 standards, this is rated mature.

edit: this is now posted on ao3! you’re not allowed to judge me for my old fics lmao

(we’ll take it slow and) grow as we go

The thing is, Eric does want this. In the weeks between three stolen kisses in an empty bedroom and Jack joining him in Madison, he spent nights alone except for the ghost of Jack’s lips on his, and in his mind those lips press under the corner of his jaw and then over the swell of his Adam’s apple and then into the dip of his collarbone, and maybe they go lower and lower and lower.

In the privacy of his room, late enough at night that Mama and Coach have long ago knocked their goodnights on his closed bedroom door, this is safe to imagine, and it’s not quite anything new to him. He’s known without any doubt he prefers boys since he was fifteen and fumbling with the computer mouse on days when the house was empty but for a small teenager with red cheeks and wide eyes. He spent many nights with videos of men dressed in nothing burned into the backs of his eyelids, bottom lip tucked between his teeth and one hand tucked under the elastic lining the top of his boxers. And for exactly the same number of nights of that, there was a half hour spent in tears or near it, wondering if there was something wrong with him and wondering if Father Wilson was right in his homily last week and wondering how long he needs to pretend to think of girls with long wavy hair instead of boys with callused hands.

So no, it isn’t new and hasn’t been for years, but it feels like it is. There are similarities between then and now — Coach is down at the school, busy running his football players into the ground under the blazing summer sun, and Mama is on a front porch miles away, busy sipping sweet tea with her church friends under the brim of a baseball cap, and Eric’s cheeks are burning bright. The differences, though, are more important. He has his body curled into Jack’s, his lips pressed to Jack’s, his fingers tangled around Jack’s. They’re trading sweet, lazy kisses, laying on their sides with Eric’s dark teal duvet pulled around their shoulders so that the warmth of their bodies is trapped around them. He finds he doesn’t much mind the heat, and he supposes the fan whirring and clicking above their heads helps, but there’s just something blooming in the air between them — not that there’s much air there — and he isn’t sure whether it’s love or lust but he is sure that some part of him is aching for it in a way he isn’t used to.

He tells himself that it’s okay to want this, as Jack’s lips part against his. He tells himself that the heat simmering low in his stomach is okay when Jack slots one leg through both of his, and when his boyfriend’s leg presses higher, he tells himself that rocking his hips against the pressure is okay. There have been times when he forgot, and years of living in a conservative, Southern, and Christian house catch up to him. The first time Jack kissed him — and the second time that had followed immediately, and the third — had left him with a whirling mind and tight chest and a lip gnawed into red and pain by his own teeth, like that would sting the gentle pressure of Jack’s lips back into reality. The kissing he isn’t a stranger to, not really, but somehow, irrationally, there is a world of difference between being maybe a step past tipsy, clumsily making out with his Winter Screw date as rough, strong fingers curled around the back of his neck, and being in his childhood home, room, bed with his boyfriend and pressing open-mouthed kisses to eager, soft lips as his hips grind, lazy and slow, to seek the sweet pleasure being offered to him.

Eric tells himself it’s okay, but when Jack’s fingers lower from his shoulders to his waist to below the band of his boxers, he forgets.

There’s a moment where he doesn’t quite realize what’s happening, and then their lips separate and a Is this okay is offered to him on a breath and a silver platter. In the same moment that he recognizes the hard line nudging at his thigh, Eric is pushing at Jack’s chest, suddenly needing space that he doesn’t have. He’s mumbling words like hang on and wait, even as Jack manages an awkward roll-scoot combination that has him nearly hanging off the edge of the bed. And then they’re staring at each other, equally wide-eyed and flushed, and Eric clamps his mouth shut. He’s sure that opening it would be condemning, sure that words would tip over the edge of his tongue and tumble, rough and unplanned, into the fragile silence that separates them. He’s also sure that he doesn’t really want that to happen.

“Bits,” Jack finally says, simply, after a full minute has disappeared. His voice is gentle but unsure, cautious and caring. It’s what Eric is waiting for, apparently, because he slumps forward like a puppet with its strings abruptly snipped, and in between one moment and the next he finds himself with his forehead tucked into the corner of Jack’s neck and shoulder. He feels Jack begin to reach for him, automatically, and then he pauses; Eric nods, and one hand wraps around the back of his neck, a thumb stroking slowly, and the other arm winds around his waist to pull him forward a little. “Bitty, it’s okay. I mean — is something wrong?”

When a slightly helpless laugh flies from his mouth, Eric just shakes his head, and chases the noise with words. “No, honey. Just ... old mindsets die hard, y’know?” It takes one, two, three heartbeats, but he feels the second Jack understands, because the thumb rubbing at his hairline where it lies on the base of his skill pauses, and the rest of his fingers twitch like they want to tighten and only get that they shouldn’t a moment too late. Eric heaves a heavy sigh. “I just — it’s so frustrating,” he admits to Jack’s shirt. “I mean, I tell others that it’s okay to be queer all the time. All the time! But with me it’s just sort of ... different. I still, um. I still can’t handle ....” He trails off and pulls away a little, keeping his head tilted down and his eyes trained on Jack’s shirt. There’s a piece of fuzz clinging to it; he pulls it off and wriggles his fingers over the edge of the bed until it falls to the ground. “The idea of me being intimate with a guy is kinda ... off.”

A beat. And then — “Are you asexual?” 

“Oh, I — no, I don’t think so.” He’s considered it, briefly, in the past, especially after Shitty’s talk about how someone can be asexual and still enjoy sex, but he’s positive he still feels that sort of attraction. Lord help him, he’s beyond sure.

“It’s okay if you are, Bits. We don’t ever have to —”

“Jack, you sweet boy. I really appreciate that, I do, but I’m not. I do want to — to be intimate with you. I just ... I don’t know, there’s no explaining it. But I think it’s just the mindset I grew up in and it’s harder to shake than I thought.” Eric pauses for a second, considering his own words, and then looks up to see if Jack’s expression will somehow help him.

It’s a mistake. The look on Jack’s face is — it’s not really pitying, but it’s ... sorrowful, he realizes. Sorrowful is the word. It makes Eric’s heart constrict a little, and then he finds himself smiling a little, almost against his will. Before Jack can say whatever is on the tip of his tongue, Eric leans in to brush a quick, chaste kiss against his lips, and then pulls back to tilt his head in until their foreheads and then noses connect. He waits a moment before saying anything, still mindful of how Jack had seemed to be wanting to speak up, but after the clock on the other side of the room has carefully counted out seven seconds of quiet, he exhales, and the noise is definitely either a hum or a sigh.

“I hate that I can’t — can’t practice what I preach,” Eric confesses finally, the words reaching out to bridge the little distance there is left between them, like they can make up for the fact that they’re no longer as entwined as they had been just a minute or so ago. “I feel so hypocritical, being so out and proud at Samwell and so ... so afraid to actually be proud of myse — no, that’s not right.” He whines, frustrated, and his eyes, already closed, tighten. He can feel the way it makes his forehead wrinkled against Jack’s. “I am proud of myself. But sometimes it’s like my brain doesn’t really know that. My heart does, and my — my body, but my brain’s just sorta like ‘No, that’s okay!’ And I guess it’s just because I’ve ... well, I’ve been told that it isn’t okay my entire life. Did you know my mama’s first conversation with me about the queer community involved her showing me an article about a man who decided to never date or anythin’ because he was gay and wanted to be able to dedicate his life to God? And, I mean, it’s his decision, I guess, but then she said all this stuff about how that was exactly what gay people should do. Which was just so hard to hear, because at the time I was maybe thirteen an’ startin’ to realize I wasn’t straight an’ that kinda stuck with me all these years an’ — and —” Another high pitched whine marks the end of the sentence, and he begins thunking his head lightly against Jack’s shoulder — at some point he shifted — until a hand curls into his hair, holding him firmly and effectively immobilizing him.

“Whatever you feel is valid,” Jack starts, slow but steady, “but that doesn’t make it right. You aren’t broken for wanting this. And I know you know this, so don’t look at me like that, but you need to hear it again sometimes.”

It isn’t until he hears those words that he is struck with how much he needed them, and then Eric is struck with such an overwhelming wave of fondness — because Jack knew, just like he always did, exactly what Eric had needed — that all he can do is squirm closer and promise himself that he’ll finally give in and make that nutritionist-approved version of the pie Jack’s been asking for.

After a stretched out silence, Jack’s arms find their way around his waist again and Eric is pulled close, and he feels more than hears when there’s an inhalation that seems to be leaning into a sentence. He waits patiently when none follows immediately, and soon after —

“What do you need from me, bud?” Jack asks, the words quietly pleading and cracking but so, so grounding. Eric sort of sinks into them, huffing a warm, maybe-slightly-wet laugh into the soft fabric of Jack’s shirt, and takes the time to consider the question.

“I — at some point we should ... well, I think there’s a little more to talk about,” he admits, and Jack nods his agreement with an encouraging hum. The next sentence is loosed before he really thinks about it, but in its release and freedom he finds it true. “But, um, for now, I think I’m done. Can we just stay here until Mama and Coach get home?”

“Of course, Bits, yeah. Whatever you need.” Without another word, they begin to move around again, shifting until they’re molded together, secure and warm and perfect. Eventually they find themselves in a mimicry of their position from the beginning, curled up on their sides and facing each other with their legs and fingers tangled, but Eric keeps his face in the safety of Jack’s chest, and Jack cranes his neck to whisper kisses into the hair on the crown of his head.

“Thank you,” Eric offers, in between grazing two kisses on the exposed skin of Jack’s collar. He can sense the head tilt that receives this, so he clarifies, “Thank you for being so ...” only to come to the conclusion that he doesn’t know the words that will summarize the feeling in his chest. Luckily, it seems like he doesn’t need to.”

“Yeah, Bits. Anytime. Anything.”

And with that, Eric lets his eyes close and gently separates his fingers from Jack’s only to clutch at his shirt instead, and he reaches up with his face to find his boyfriend waiting for him. He smiles as their lips meet.

#annie writes #eric bittle #jack zimmermann #zimbits #zimbits fic #check please! #missing scene #check please missing scene #madison visit #this is CONSIDERABLY longer than i had wanted it to be. ugh #i just really love writing bitty though #plus this fic was Very Personal to me? #as a southern and catholic and queer person #also this is my 100th post!! which is super exciting!! #how many ways can i say ‘it was quiet’? let’s find out shall we #excessive use of hyphens #excessive use of commas #also bitty’s story abt his mom and the article? based entirely off my own experience :) #so is the way i wrote his accent lmao like i definitely drop off some Gs from -ing verbs and the D in and when i’m having Feelings #i literally don’t know how to end fics #i know i said this was too long but it’s also too short #like i was aiming for under 1k and it’s hovering around 2k ... #but also i have a lot more to say about this and i’m not sure i got across what i was trying to #i just can’t do the words anymore #god i’ve been working on this for like a week and i still!! don’t really love it!! #oop i just edited and it is now over 2k #✌️✌️✌️

[icarialex]

Discord Threads

Who: Zoey Katz and Kassandra West @kassmeifyoucan​

When: February 12th

Where: Little Icaria, Beach, then Zoey’s doorstep

What: Zoey takes Kassandra out on a date. Before Robin beats Kassandra up and she shows up to Zoey’s a bloody mess.

Zoey

Once they were seated, Zoey decided to reply to some things Kass said as they were walking. “Amaze you? By shapeshifting? It’s not really something I worked hard to obtain. I was just born with it. Comes with the mom being Demeter thing,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. Zoey was happy to talk about her mother. While the two weren’t close, she had a better relationship than many others on the isle. The blonde understood that being a Goddess and a parent didn’t really blend well. Still, she appreciated that her mother seemed to try and check in on her when she could. Quickly getting tired of the idea of sitting across from Kassandra, the blonde moved to sit on her side of the booth and just quickly maneuvered the table settings to accommodate what she wanted. She’d never understood why it was customary for people to sit that way. Dates were supposed to be an intimate affair. Sitting across made conversation easy, but seriously limited touching. She’d rather just turn her body slightly while talking. “Oh,” she asked playfully as she reached for her glass of water that was just placed at their table. “Is that because only you want to see me naked or are you protecting my honor,” she asked over the rim of the glass before taking a sip to hide her smirk slightly. 

.

Now that they were next to each other again, Zoey reached for Kass’ hand and started absentmindedly playing with her fingers. “Me? No, not really,” she said with a shrug. “I stopped by my parents’ house this week for dinner. Even though we literally live less than eight minutes away from each other, they still think me having my own apartment puts me in a whole new world or something.” The illustrator affectionately rolled her eyes as she talked about her dad and step mother. They were such a silly duo, and anyone that met them could see where Zoey got her quirky and affectionate nature from. “I don’t know if I’d call having a woman wrapped in a bedsheet boring, but hey, if that’s your boring I’d hate to see you having a wild time.” She made sure to keep a smile on her face as she made light of the situation. Although it made something stir in her abdomen, she could deal with it more easily now that the two of them weren’t being so odd anymore. 

“Tonight? You seem to give me the lead on most things,” she retorted. Fortunately, she didn’t need to look at the menu really to know what was best on it. She was a big fan of Little Icaria and had been more times than she could count. It was also her dad’s favorite place to take her since it opened. When their waiter returned, she smiled at him as she asked, “Can we get a bottle of the Pinot noir please? Also, I’m going to have the sea bass, and this beautiful woman is going to have the lamb. Lamb medium please, and the sids that they come with is great.” With that put in, she was happy to see him take away their menus. Since she was paying, she didn’t need Kass looking at prices and then getting all unnecessarily self conscious. “I’d order appetizers, but seriously, the plates are such a nice size here that we will not finish our main dishes if I did.”

Kassandra

Kassandra tried not to feel some sort of jealousy at the way Zoey could so easily talk about her Godly parent. Family, really. Not once had Kass ever even mentioned her father to Zoey. Not out of hiding, just out of not really seeing the point. Okay... Maybe a little bit out of hiding. Part of her wanted to say something about her father, give some more common ground to bond over but before she could even say anything, Zoey was doing the unthinkable. The brunette blinked slowly in shock as her friend decided that sitting across from her just wouldn't do. Now she was sitting next to her, their legs touching. As if on instinct, or maybe because she didn't know what to do with it, she moved her right arm so it was laying along the back of the seat. "Hi there." Gods. Who the fuck said that after something as innocent as just sitting closer to someone. Grabbing for her water, she began to drink from it greedily. That is until Zoey asked her if she wanted to see her naked. Kassandra's eyes went wide, almost slamming the cup down as she choked, water going down the wrong pipe for a moment. "The uh... The choice of who sees you naked is uh... Up to you." She  managed to squeak out, clearing her throat with a well-timed cough.

It didn't take long for Zoey to do that thing where she got bored and needed to do something with her hands, Kassandra being brought out of her panic to only fly straight into another wall. The blonde had now acquired her hand and was playing with her fingers causing Kass to bite her lower lip. Instead of thinking about how much her heart was pounding or how ridiculous she was being for getting nervous over absolutely nothing, she tried to focus on Zoey talking so freely about her parents. Once again she wanted to say something about her mother or even Kratos but it was just hard to get the words out. None of them seemed right enough. Or happy enough. Once again, Kass wasn't prepared for the mental whiplash as Zoey talked so nonchalantly about the woman that she'd seen in her room a while back. Clearing her throat once more, she shrugged. "She wasn't boring. That was just... Not memorable." Eyes closed in a wince, ducking her head for a moment. "That sounds awful. I just mean... She wasn't meant to be anything more than a.... Nevermind. I'm just digging myself a deeper hole."

Letting out a deep breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding, Kassandra watched with a slightly shocked expression as Zoey ordered for them both. Sure, she'd offered the idea up to her on a silver platter but Zoey didn't even really look at the damned menu. She must take people out to dinner often. Which, of course meant that this wasn't a special occurrence. This was just something that made Zoey... Zoey. "I'm excited to eat the food. I trust your judgement." For a moment she stayed silent, mind wandering off to other things until she tuned back into the woman sitting next to her. "My uh... My dad likes to joke about how he blessed me with my gifts." She inhaled sharply, pushing past the uncomfortable feeling swirling in her gut. "Honestly, the strength is a pretty nice thing to have as a girl. Especially growing up where I did. My mom never really knew how to deal with the fact that I was super strong. She wanted me to hide it so I did. Wasn't allowed to play sports because she didn't want me hurting the other girls. I snuck them though... Until I broke Spencer's leg and then that kind of stopped." Kassandra looked down at the table, focusing on the napkins and the silverware. "Sorry if I'm not good with talking about my parents. Mom isn't uh... Anyway. And my dad is kind of busy. Ya know... Being a God and all. You might have heard of him? Kratos." Somehow, telling Zoey who her father was didn't feel nearly as scary as it did when she had to tell her boss. "He's kinda cool. Kind of a dick too. Guess that's where I get it from."

Zoey

When Kassandra started nearly coughing, blue eyes went wide as she tried to rub her back. Honestly, she should probably feel bad, but she didn’t. Getting a reaction out of the woman who so often tried to play it cool was fun. She also had no other way of learning if any of the confusing feelings she was feeling were returned. Well, unless Kassandra decided to just broach the subject which she doubted. From what she’d learned of the woman so far, that didn’t seem likely. “Mmm — that it is, and me asking you if you would want to be the one who saw me or just want to defend my honor wouldn’t take away that choice,” she agreed with a nod once she was sure her friend was done choking. “But you mentioned how you might feel which has me curious about what’s going through that pretty head of yours.” Complimenting Kass was becoming easier and easier for Zoey. Words of affirmation were always easy for her in regards to anyone she cared about. 

.

People sleeping around for fun was not an unknown concept to Zoey, and she didn’t judge it. Just because it wasn’t something for her didn’t mean that she thought it was wrong. The blonde just knew herself well. Sex wasn’t something she held in a high regard, and she needed to feel something for someone in order to even contemplate going there. Although, her thoughts towards the act were wavering due to the thoughts plaguing her mind lately were changing, and it had everything to do with the person sitting next to her. “You’re not digging yourself into anything with me,” she said gently as she absentmindedly drew patterns on Kass’ palm. “I don’t judge sleeping around. If that’s something you can do, then awesome. If it makes you happy, then who am I to judge? I just know myself to know I can’t because I am not someone who gets sexual unless I have a connection with someone. Doesn’t make my way of seeing things better than yours or worse. We’re just different.” Zoey hoped that explaining the way she thought about it would stop Kass from thinking it was in any way horrible or shady.

The waiter brought out their bottle of wine quickly and poured them each a glass before disappearing again. “My dad brings me here whenever he wants to go out to dinner. It’s why I’ve tried just about everything,” she said with a light laugh. “His philosophy is that he has to try everything once, so that makes tackling menus a game of sorts until we’ve covered it all. I’ve never ordered for someone though, so hopefully I did okay. We can also just pick at each other’s food since the portions are so big to get a bit of everything if you want.” Zoey didn’t really know the protocol for these things, but she was just going off instinct. Even if Kass didn’t tell her if she didn’t like something, she could rely on her observation skills to figure it out and adjust. “You have enhanced strength,” she asked curiously as she learned more about the woman besides her. “I will officially never feel bad about sitting on your lap or jumping on you.” The illustrator taking leaping jumps to greet people she really cared for wasn’t new. At least she knew with Kass that she wouldn’t have to worry about toppling them both to the floor. “I can’t imagine what it was like growing up in a world where you had to be careful with powers since I grew up here. I’m glad you eventually found your way here though so you can just be yourself. That has to be less stressful.” While her shifting had gotten her trapped in the zoo a few times, that was a very mild consequence in comparison to what could happen outside of Icaria. “School covered a ton of theGods, so yes, I’m familiar with your dad,” she answered with a smile. However, it quickly turned into a frown at Kass’ following words. “You’re not that. You’re sweet, a little awkward, and really silly when you want to show that side of yourself. I really like you, and who you are,” she said with a shrug.

Kassandra

Green eyes found blue as Zoey responded to her with such earnest and honest words. And then her brain melted as she realized that the blonde said that she really liked her. Her mouth went dry and all sensible thought left the damned window as she just held her gaze for a moment that probably stretched on far longer than most would deem acceptable among just friends. "I uh... Thanks, Zoey. It means a lot. I just don't really feel comfortable around people. Not anymore. But with you, I don't know... It's different. You're different." Kassandra's eyes went wide, squeezing Zoey's hand for a moment. "I don't mean that in a bad way! I just meant, like, you make me feel like I can be the me that... That I haven't been able to be in a very, very long time. I actually, uh--I kind of forgot she existed for a while." She wasn't even remotely about to go into how that girl had basically been dead in the water for a decade, not really wanting to ruin this date not date that they were on. Date. Her mind drifted back to the earlier bit of the conversation that had kind of gotten broken away from when Zoey asked about how she felt with her being naked due to her shifting. Everything went blank for a moment, not even realizing she'd started speaking until it was too late.

"I'm pretty sure that if I ever saw you naked, I'd short circuit. Have you seen you?" Her brain slowly caught up with her words, thankful that Zoey couldn't see the hand that was resting on the back of the booth as it was now gripping the material tightly. "I definitely now see what you mean by awkward." She wanted to facepalm but one hand was gripping the booth and the other was currently being held by Zoey, trying to not melt with how she was drawing random shapes and patterns against her skin. "I'm glad I found my way here too. The place is growing on me. And, well...." Kassandra trailed off, her other hand that had been trying to maintain a grip on her sanity moved of its own free-will and found itself placed lightly on Zoey's upper back, gentle circles being rubbed. "You kind of were the reason for all of that. So thank you." She smiled gently, far too gently for her liking, and quickly moved her hand back to its previous positioning. Part of her wanted to down the wine that was on the table and the other part of her wanted to actually give her full and undivided attention to Zoey without anything fogging her mind. The wine remained untouched.

Zoey

Kass’ words had an effect on Zoey, and she was trying very hard to keep it under wraps. Acting on those feelings without even fully understanding what they meant wasn’t smart. Plus, if she did and messed up such a feeling of comfort for her friend, she’d feel terrible. Still, her blue eyes couldn’t help themselves as her eyes looked down towards Kassandra’s lips for a millisecond longer than could be passed as innocent before snapping back up. Words still couldn’t leave her lips which only made the air grow thicker because those green eyes weren’t helping. Never someone to get lost in the physical, Zoey felt herself being drawn further into a space she didn’t understand. Luckily, the waiter chose that moment to bring their food down, and she was thankful. She had no idea how that would have gone, and she needed a moment to catch her breath. After thanking him, she turned towards Kass again. “I’m happy I do that for you, but don’t think this is one sided. You make me very happy. My favorite days lately are the ones where I run into you, or when you find some excuse to come by my shop. You’re different to me, and I guess our different goes together.” Zoey couldn’t even explain it. Could she draw it? Probably, but words? Those weren’t always her best friends.

“Why would you short circuit,” she asked quietly as she spread the napkin out on her lap. She needed to understand if it was just because she was beautiful, or because it was her. That was a large distinction. “I know I’m attractive, but you there are attractive women everywhere, and you’re too smooth typically to short circuit. So, why?” Where her courage was coming from, she didn’t know. It wasn’t like she’d even touched her own glass of wine. She was too busy focusing on the company besides her to even think about it. 

Regrettably, she released the hand she was toying with and moved to work on her fish. There were many bones that needed to be taken out after all if Kass was going to try some. “I find your awkward endearing, if that helps,” she said with a giggle while working on the task at hand. “You don’t have to thank me. You’ve made this place feel even more like home which I didn’t think was possible, so we’re both happy. Now,” she started as she took a piece of fish with her fork before turning towards Kass. “You have to try this. I can’t believe you’ve been in Greece and haven’t tried our seafood. It’s criminal, Kass.”

Kassandra

Did Zoey just... No. No definitely not. She'd clearly seen things. Licking her lips, she was thankful for the waiter showing up at the perfectly imperfect time to bring them their ordered food. As she stared down at her plate, she felt her cheeks heat up, bringing her hands back to her sides in order to grab at the silverware. Part of her began to panic as she looked at the food that was waiting to be eaten, knowing that Zoey would cackle when she told her why she looked so awkward. Luckily for her, the blonde decided to speak up about--Wait. Oh no. Not luckily. Oh Gods. Her cheeks were blushing a deeper shade of crimson once more, fingers tightening on the silverware so much so that she felt them wince beneath her grip. Placing them down as gently as possible on the table, Kass let her hands go to rest in her lap. Like always whenever she got nervous or antsy, she began to play with her fingers, staring down at her lap in thought. She didn't know why this always happened when she was around Zoey. Granted, if she really allowed herself to truly go there, she'd figure it out quick enough. But something in her wasn't ready to admit it, definitely not out loud and certainly not in her own head. Not yet, anyway. So she smiled warmly at Zoey, the facial expression turning into a cocky smirk as she wrapped her hand around Zoey's and leaned over to take the offered fish meat off of the fork. Logically she knew she could have just reached for the fork and taken it into her own hand but this was much more tempting. Pulling away and chewing the food, she looked at Zoey thoughtfully as she swallowed. "I'm sorry that I'm a horrible human being. I will be sure to turn myself into the police under the crime of not ever having seafood in my life." She held up two fingers in a mock 'scout's honor' knowing full well that wasn't the hand signal.

Leaning back so she wasn't invading Zoey's space as much, she took a hold of her glass of wine and almost downed the entire thing. Hopefully Zoey wouldn't notice the absolutely insane move but given the fact that she could feel the heat of her gaze, it was safe to say she'd seen it all. And to make matters worse, just because she couldn't quite put a finger on how she felt towards the blonde didn't mean that her brain wouldn't fuck her over at every little turn. Which is why she started talking. Again. "I realized I never answered your question from earlier. But to answer it now... You're you, Zoey." Her words came out in a smaller voice than she would have expected it to. "There could be a thousand attractive women around and... And none of them would be you." After a moment where everything felt too real and she realized that everything had just stopped in their little pocket of the restaurant did she offer up an awkward chuckle. "Anybody else who didn't think the same is lying." There. Make it seem like some obvious thing that everyone else thought of. Yeah, that's super believable. She could slap herself. For fucks sake. Instead of doing that she chose to focus back on the food that awaited her, picking up at her utensils once more. Her brow furrowed, nose crinkling cutely as she stared down at the dish. "In other news, I regret to inform you but I grew up for the first half of my life being a vegetarian. So uh--I don't exactly know how to eat this." She quickly held up a fork. "I eat meat now! I just, ya know--its always been like. Oh look a burger. Oh look, chicken nuggies. Things that make sense and don't require previous knowledge other than open mouth and chew."

Zoey

If Zoey’s eyes didn’t become a darker blue due to the woman’s actions, she’d be surprised because she felt everything within her become thicker. Perhaps that wasn’t a word many would use in the situation, but it was the only one that made sense. An overwhelming feeling of desire became like a fog that covered the rest of her senses and mind which made it very hard to focus on anything else. Her eyes wanted to drift again, and once again she wasn’t successful at stopping their trajectory, but she did move them up once again quicker. “You’re a tease,” slipped past her lips before she even realized, but she didn’t regret the words when her ears picked up what she had said. How could the woman not see the effect she was having on the illustrator? The deeper breathing, glances, and comments were going to give her away sooner or later. Not to mention the date that she’d somehow manage to slyly get. “I’m glad you’re experiencing it with me then,” she replied honestly once the lust induced fog cleared a bit. “Although, turning yourself in won’t be necessary. I’ll take responsibility for you and correct this atrocity at once.” Playful was always an easier territory for the two of them. It seemed to lead to less trouble. 

Zoey noticed how quickly Kass seemed to drink her wine, but didn’t comment because she went through her own glass a little quickly. She then poured them another. With all the food around them, she knew she wouldn’t feel it too terribly. Thankfully she’d put down the wine bottle before the other woman spoke again because if she hadn’t, she was positive that it would have been dropped. Her food was forgotten for the moment as she shifted her body, so she was almost completely facing Kassandra. “Many people don’t see what you do, and I’m happy they don’t. If they did, what you tried to do would be successful. I’d actually believe your attempt to shrug it off as something less important than it is.” The blonde knew that if she said more, that she would genuinely get emotional or spill her own feelings that she didn’t make sense of herself yet. Zoey almost panicked at the mention of not eating meat until Kass clarified. Then, an endearing smile appeared on her face. “Cut the meat similar to a steak. The big piece that’s like hanging away from the bone is the best. Promise, there isn’t a wrong way to eat it. I won’t even judge if you picked up the bone and ate it like a wing,” she promised with a smile.

Kassandra

"Babe, you haven't experienced the kind of tease I can be." Kassandra muttered under her breath before nodding decisively and looking at the dish. "Alright I'll try. But if I eat it weird... Blame my mother." With a little awkwardness she began to cut the lamb in a slightly horrific manner and grumbled softly to herself. "Damn thing..." Finally after too many painstakingly long seconds, she got a decent size bite and chewed on it thoughtfully. "Well, I have to say that you've really outdone yourself on this whole ordering thing. This is actually really good." For a while she just ate her food in silence, sneaking glances at the other woman. She wasn't too terribly hungry after the day of nerves, trying to get up the gumption to actually talk to Zoey. Of course she'd offered up some of her food for Zoey to take, happy to return the sentiment. Now she was sipping at her water, refusing to go any further down wine lane. She'd just finished pushing the plate away, one hand on her stomach and the other having returned to the back of the booth. She was about to start talking about the rest of their evening when she noticed that Zoey had some wine on her upper lip.

For what wouldn't be the last time that night, Kassandra's body reacted of its own accord. Without even thinking, she turned her body more towards Zoey, her full attention to those lips that she desperately found herself wanting to kiss more and more. The hand that had been resting on her stomach moved toward's the other woman's face. "Hey you uh... You've got..." Kass trailed off, biting her own bottom lip in concentration as she brought the pad of her thumb up to trace along the curve of Zoey's lip, effectively getting the wine. Her breath hitched as she realized what she'd just done, hand frozen just a few inches away from Zoey's face. Someone cleared their throat, snapping her out of her trance. It was the waiter, asking if they wanted anything to go. "O-oh. Uh, yeah that'd be great. Just a second, I can pay for dinner." And just like that, whatever moment had been happening or almost happened was broken as Kass moved away to reach into her back pocket to grab for her wallet, effectively putting space between her and the woman that was causing all reasonable thought to leave her body.

Zoey

At Kass’ words, Zoey felt her body heat up and fill with anticipation all at the same time. “What if I wanted to experience it,” she said in a bit of a challenge. The artist had no idea what was happening, but she wasn’t overthinking it. All she knew was that she wouldn’t regret it since it seemed she wasn’t navigating the confusing waters alone. If she was, Kass would have let her down easily by now. At least, Zoey thought so. As the dinner kept on, she offered up more bits of her fish to the woman beside her. They were comfortable around each other, and it was different. Yes, she and Theo had always been comfortable, but he was more of her best friend. The atmosphere she was in during dinner was one with an undercurrent of wanting which she wasn’t used to and was growing to like. It was exciting, and she liked not feeling bashful as she took in the woman beside her, “I’m glad you like it.” 

When Kass touched her lip, Zoey felt her breathing stop for a moment. Actually, she was positive every part of her froze. Without even thinking, her lips puckered slightly to kiss the finger. Noticing that the hand stopped in midair, the illustrator reached for it and was about to tug it towards her to pull Kass forward when they were interrupted. She didn’t know whether to groan or be thankful that they didn’t share a kiss in the middle of Little Icaria, but she took the moment to regather herself for what felt like the millionth time. A smirk did appear on her face when she heard the waiter say the bill had been taken care of. He thanked her by calling her Ms. Katz as he handed her the receipt to sign. “I handed my card to the hostess when we got here,” she said without looking up as she calculated the tip to answer the silent question. “I asked you out, so I pay. That’s how it goes before you argue, and unless you have a creative way to shut me up, I’m quite stubborn.” Flirting was so easy with Kass which was weird. Zoey was sweet, funny, and caring, but smooth was not an adjective she’d use. Yet, there she was.

When their to go boxes were returned to them, Zoey took the brown bag and stood up from the booth. “Are you ready, darling,” she asked as she offered her hand to the woman she was struggling to continue thinking of as a friend.

Kassandra

'What if I wanted to experience it'. Her mind was a wreck. Zoey just kept saying and doing things that were slowly killing her. And what's worse is that she didn't know how to take it. On one hand, Zoey could just be a really easy-going flirt. And on the other? Zoey could actually be feeling whatever tension there was that had filled up this whole damned restaurant. Either way, Kassandra was trying desperately to find some sort of balance. It was barely possible, since just looking at Zoey made her want to throw all rational thought out the mother-fucking window and just kiss her until she was breathless and whimpering her name. Swallowing thickly, Kassandra tuned back into the present, brought back to her senses by Zoey standing up from the booth and offering her hand. Had... Had she just called her darling? The brunette blinked and took the offered hand as she scooted out of the booth. She was sure she'd missed something else that was important from the conversation but honestly, after what she'd said earlier? Everything else was a blissful blur.

As they began the walk towards the Inn, Kassandra kept quiet for as long as she could manage, just giving small squeezes to Zoey's hand to let her know that she was still mentally present enough to acknowledge her. It wasn't that she couldn't talk. She just was afraid of what she might fucking say if she did decide to open her mouth. Everything inside of her was screaming at her to do two very different things. Part of her wanted to invite Zoey to her room and have her way with her for the rest of the evening. The part of her that was definitely winning wanted to just do something as equally dumb--like hold her hand and just talk to her until the wee hours of the morning. Like some kind of fucking sap. No. Whatever was happening, or trying to happen, she couldn't let it continue. Right? She didn't do getting hurt. And whatever was happening would definitely lead to heartbreak. Be it her own or Zoey's. And she honestly didn't know if she could handle hurting the other girl. The problem with that is that's what she always did. She ruined people.

Once they got to the Inn, Kassandra took the leftovers out of Zoey's hands. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." She teased before doing another unthinkable, leaning down and kissing Zoey on the cheek. As she turned around, her eyes widened. Why the fuck are you doing this to yourself, Kassandra. She's probably just flirty with everyone and this doesn't mean anything. Do not even remotely think about fa--nope. No. She wasn't going to even think that word. No way. As she made her way into her room, she put the food into her mini-fridge and checked on her puppy. He was fast asleep and she didn't have the heart to wake him. It had only been about an hour and a half since she'd left so he'd be fine. Her eyes fell on a hard-case, wondering if this was really a good idea. Without thinking too long about it, Kassandra grabbed her car keys off the dresser and then grabbed the case, quickly exiting her room. Going out the back entrance, she loaded her car with the item and closed the trunk before getting inside and driving out to the front to where Zoey was waiting. "Shall we?"

Zoey

“Oh yes, because I’m just going to bolt on you,” she teased. Anything else that she was thinking of replying with fell dead on her lips due to the kiss on her cheek. Kass so far didn’t initiate affection, which didn’t bother Zoey, but then she did something to take her completely off guard. It left her only being able to follow the woman with her eyes as she went to her room, which only gave her something equally as problematic to focus on. The blonde wasn’t the type of girl to focus on someone’s butt, yet, there she was staring. Fortunately, Kassandra didn’t turn around. That would have caused her to blush profusely. 

The more time she spent around Kass, the more positive she was of her feelings. Emotionally she knew she was drawn, but the physical aspect was new. Then again, it had been a long time since she’d had a crush on anyone. After her break up, she didn’t really allow herself to go there. Not because she didn’t want to or was hurt, but because she wanted to learn more about herself before trying anything with anyone else. Then, whatever was happening decided to slap her in the face. Fortunately, she was taken out of her inner musings when a car pulled up and Kass got her attention. “And you told me not to go anywhere. You have a get away car and everything,” she teased as she opened the passenger door and slipped in.

“You do know we could have walked,” she teased lightly. Zoey herself didn’t even have a car. The island was so small she never needed one. Her father taught her how to drive since it was apparently a right of passage, but other than practicing every so often, she never used the skill. Since they were heading to the beach, the blonde reached for the bottom of her shirt and lifted it up over her head. She shook her hair out of the braid she had it in and relaxed against the seat. “I have a blanket in my bag. I actually am totally one of those girls that has just about everything in her purse.” It was why she carried what looked more like a satchel or knapsack than a traditional purse.

Kassandra

"I know we could have walked but the idea of you walking back to your place after being in the ocean doesn't really sit right with me. Hence, car." She didn't add the fact that it was much easier to lug around a certain item via a car than on her shoulders. Kass put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot, one hand on the gearshift and the other on the steering wheel. She found herself restricting her movement, not allowing herself to reach over and grab the other woman's hand. This was getting far too close into dating territory, or at least a variation of that and well, Kassandra didn't do that anymore.It didn't take long to make it to the beach, after all, they were on a relatively small island. When Kassandra originally thought of Icaria, she had imagined it being much larger. This? This wasn't at all to the scale she'd whipped up in her head. But in all honesty? It was better.

As they pulled up into a parking spot, Kassandra turned off the car and got out to quickly jog over to Zoey's car door, opening it. "It's the least I can do for the girl that wined and dined me. Also... I'm going to get something out of my trunk and you're not gonna look okay? I promise you it'll be worth your while. Just... Stay here..." Kassandra positioned Zoey so she was staring out towards the ocean before going over to the trunk and opening up the case, pulling out the instrument and strapping it to her back. Walking back over to Zoey, Kass gently placed her hands over the blonde's eyes as her torso pressed up against the blonde's back. "So.. While you go out in the ocean and get incredibly wet, I'm going to stay on the sand. Where its dry and isn't an abyss of death." She didn't dare let her mind focus on how exactly she'd started out that sentence.

Removing her hands, she walked around to stand in front of Zoey, curling her finger in a 'come hither' motion. "And don't worry about me getting bored. I've got something to keep me company in the meantime. Besides, I'll start a fire so you'll be nice and warm when you're ready to come out." Kassandra took this time to sling her guitar into view. Green eyes found blue for a moment, a faint blush spreading over her cheeks. "Before you even remotely say something about me being adorable--hush. I learned how to play when I was younger by the principle at my school. Between that and choir, it was pretty much all my mom would let me do." Instead of waiting for Zoey to start towards her, Kassandra reached forward and grabbed onto the blonde's hand. Interlacing their fingers together, she began to walk backwards for a couple steps, pulling Zoey towards her for a moment until she turned to face the ocean.

Zoey

Zoey shook her head playfully as she got out of the car. “If that impresses you, then I need to have a serious talk with the other people who have taken you out on dates,” she said in mock seriousness. What she’d done wasn’t even that big of a deal. Honestly, she was a bit annoyed with her impulsiveness. If she’d thought things through, it could have been better. Although, the two of them always seemed to have fun together, so it didn’t bother her too much. As Kass went to the trunk, Zoey leaned against the hood of the car by holding her wait up against her palms as she gazed at the ocean. She followed orders even though she was very tempted not to. 

When she was guided towards Kass and then felt the woman press into her back, she felt her body temperature skyrocket. Instead of letting herself feel frazzled, she instead reached back slightly just to squeeze the woman’s hips slightly and pull even the slightest bit closer. “Abyss of death is a little dramatic,” she teased lightly. “Also, you think very highly of my self control if you think I will be able to resist making you wet too.” If innuendo was the game they were going to play, then she’d have to keep up. It was exciting and frustrating. While she had no idea if she’d make a fool of herself, for some reason she didn’t worry about that much. She knew any teasing that came from Kass would be playful, or apparently aimed at making her flustered.

When the woman finally moved to stand in front of her and beckoned her over, Zoey just smirked and moved to remove her shorts first. When she was left in just her bikini, she finally obliged and moved towards the woman. Although, blue eyes shined as she caught sight of the guitar. That was not at all what she expected. “Adorable wasn’t the word I was going to go with. Hot is more what came to mind,” she said with a shrug. When Kass turned to look at the water, Zoey moved beside her and bumped her hip lightly. “Do you want me to go in the water so you can warm up? That’s the only reason I’d go instead of staying with you right now. I would be perfectly content just laying beside you on the blanket and being with you.” She had the blanket in the bag and their dessert. It would be perfectly relaxing for Zoey, but she understood nerves, so she’d go in the water if needed.

Kassandra

The fact that Zoey was basically naked save for a bikini was enough for Kassandra to keep her gaze completely forward. She really didn't need to look like a complete and utter perv by checking out her friend. "Zo, you said you were gonna go to the beach and if that involves night swimming then don't let me take you away from that. Besides, you can lay down near me once you're ready to get cozy by a fire." Not to mention that would give just some time alone to her thoughts where she could mentally scream at whatever the hell was going on with this evening. Her train of thought led her back to when Zoey had mentioned how she'd have to have a serious talk about others who had taken her on dates. Did she tell her? Or did she just avoid the subject. It would probably be best to avoid it all together.

"I've uh... Never actually been taken out on a date." If Kassandra could look into a camera like she was on the Office, she would. Her mouth and brain were not in communication it seemed. "I've been on dates!" She quickly clarified, sighing deeply. "I was just the one that took her out on the dates." Her. Singular. Fuck. Stop giving away so much of your shitty, painful past tonight, West. "Oh look! A fire pit. That's nice, just means I get to light it and we'll be good to go!" Kass was thankful for the distraction as they neared the shore. Letting go of Zoey's hand, Kassandra looked around for a moment before spotting what she'd need. Setting her guitar down near the fire-pit, she walked a bit away to a rather large piece of driftwood. With ease, she lifted it up and brought it over to the fire-pit, setting it down with a loud thunk.

Kneeling down in the sand, she pulled out a lighter and began the process of lighting the kindling. Within a few moments the fire began to roar in front of her and she dusted off the sand from her hands. "Alright, I'll be here whenever you're ready to come out of the water. If you need me, call me. I hate the water but if you need me, I'll brave it for you." Kassandra said with a smirk. That was easy. Playful banter was so much easier than admitting that there was truthfully something going on. But Gods, was she finding herself more and more wanting to do something about what she felt every time she saw the blonde. But for now? For now she'd just sit by the fire, play her guitar, and throw her lust out the window. Cause that's all it was. Lust. Mmmmmmmmmhmmmmmm.

Zoey

“Kass,” she said teasingly in response before continuing. “That was before I ran into you, and I’d much rather be with you than burning off steam because I wasn’t seeing you.” She almost scolded herself for letting that out, but saying how she felt for those awkward weeks was a relief. She felt like a weight was lifted. “Also, you better know getting cozy next to a fire includes cuddling you when you aren’t playing. Just laying that expedition down now.” Still, she wouldn’t fight her on going into the water. It looked like a really nice night, and that didn’t mean she had to be gone long. 

“You hadn’t been taken out on a date,” she corrected lightly. Zoey didn’t know how much more clear she had to be about what her intentions were that evening, but she’d repeat it if necessary. “Whoever she was, obviously was an idiot if she didn’t want to treat you to something special every once in a while. I mean, I’d never taken anyone out on a date before until tonight, but I wanted to because you deserve to be taken care of sometimes too.” Zoey was thankful that she’d said that while Kass was busy setting up the fire because she didn’t know if she’d gotten it all out otherwise. Suddenly, she thought that getting a swim in was a good idea to get her emotions in check. “I could just shift into a water animal, but thanks for your courage,” she teased. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”

As the blonde walked towards the water, she stretched lightly. The temperature was perfect since Khione was no longer angry about her son being taken, and she quickly lost herself in the waves. Her mind was running in circles. Zoey was never the person to initiate things or even have thoughts that could lead to innuendo. She’d never felt the urge to go there. Still, with Kass, she felt like she was practically on fire. There was tension in her lower abdomen, and her mouth, Gods, it just seemed to work on it’s own accord. Before she realized it, she’d swam a good mile away from the shore. Not wanting to be gone too long, she turned around and headed back. 

As she walked back towards where Kass was, she couldn’t help but smile as she wrung her hair out over her shoulder. The other woman just looked so beautiful in the glow of the fire out by the water. She’d left her bag with Kass so she could set the blanket up to make herself comfortable. Zoey sat in front of the brunette. The fire was a nice way to dry off. “Are you sure you don’t want to go in? Your bra and underwear is essentially a bikini. Or we could skinny dip instead in a little while. There would be less people out and about,” she said with a shrug. She’d done it late at night and loved it. Although, her getting caught was much less likely when she could just shift into bird or something that made an easy escape. Plus, seeing Kassandra naked was not something she could handle. She’d surely explode from frustration and would not be able to resist touching.

Kassandra

Words escaped her as Zoey spoke to her before taking off into the night to go swim. For several moment she just stared at the flames that licked the air, not sure how to process anything. Had she meant like... A date date? Or like a friend date. She'd been on friend dates before, some of her former friends from academy calling them 'frates'. Biting her lower lip, she looked up from the fire to the water where Zoey was going out rather far. The woman relaxed some at the distance that was between them, worried that Zoey would suddenly develop the ability to read minds. So instead of thinking of that, she picked up her guitar after laying out Zoey's towel for her when she'd get back from her swim. Fingers began to pick gently at strings, chords falling into a rhythm as she leaned back against the drift wood. "I've watched my wild youth disappear in front of my eyes...Moments of magic and wonder, it seems so hard to find...Is it ever coming back again? Is it ever coming back again? Take me back to the feeling when everything was left to find..." Her voice carried out gently into the night, singing to herself. Luckily no one else seemed to be on the beach as she continued. "Cause it comes and goes in waves, it always does... It always does..."

Eventually that song faded out so she began to play another, followed by another and another. After a while, Zoey began to walk back and Kassandra chose to stop her singing. Gentle strumming remained as she took in the sight of the very, very attractive blonde in front of her. Her mouth went dry, trying to form words until she realized that Zoey had said something about skinny dipping. "As uh... Amazing as it sounds getting buck-ass naked and freezing my tits off, I'm good. I'm not really a fan of the ocean. I think going in at night would make it ten thousand times worse. But I'm glad you had fun. Now c'mon and get warm. I laid out the towel for ya." Kass patted the space next to her, giving a warm smile. When Zoey sat down, Kass took her jacket that she had on and wrapped it around the other woman's shoulders. "Before you even think about asking me if I need it, I'm fine. I run hot. And yes, you heard that right." Her grin was cheeky, trying to push past the feelings that bubbled up in her gut every time she flirted with her. For a while she just strummed on her guitar, not really doing any true tune. "We were sixteen," She started, not sure if Zoey would remember the conversation that they'd kind of had before she had gone in the ocean. "When I took her out on our first real date. We went to this abandoned park and I made a picnic for us. I couldn't take us out anywhere because we weren't out yet. Or at least... I wasn't. I paid for everything with my summer job money and it was great. That was the night we..." Kassandra trailed off, clearing her throat.

"After that though... I never went out on another date. Or at least anything that I qualified as a date. I tried in my senior year. This girl that I had kind of a thing for. Took her out to dinner and a movie. And then found out she... Nevermind. Just a bad experience all around. So I haven't really been on one in uh... A decade?" Her head ducked down, biting her lip as chords began to be played once more, a familiar tune drifting into existence. "Until tonight, that is. Do you treat all your friends to dates?" It was mostly a teasing tone but there was a hidden layer of worry that she'd been imagining the charge between them. What she'd do with that information, she didn't know. Either way, she didn't really wait for an answer as she started to sing along to the tune she'd been playing. "Somebody said you got a new friend... Does she love you better than I can?" Green eyes found blue, holding her gaze for a moment as she continued to sing softly. "Big black sky over my town... I know where you're at, I bet she's around... Yeah, I know it's stupid, I just gotta see it for myself..." Her eyes drifted away as she sang the next lyrics unable to look at her anymore out of fear that she'd go breathless. The fire was easy to look at as the shadows danced along her face. "I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ohhh... I'm right over here, why can't you see me? Ohhh... I'm giving it my all but I'm not the girl you're taking home, ooh..." Kassandra chose this moment to chance a glance up at Zoey, breath hitching slightly as she sang out the last lyric. "I keep dancing on my own..."

Zoey

Without having to think about it, Zoey moved to sit beside Kassandra and stretched her legs in front of her while leaning back on against her palms. She listened as the other woman talked more about her past and tried to imagine what it was like. Her upbringing was so different. The artist knew how lucky she was to grow up in the home she did. Even though her father had zero idea about what he was doing at first, there was never a question about how much he loved or accepted her. “I’ve never had to do the whole coming out thing,” she said with a shrug. “My only relationship was with a guy. Well, Theo,” she said with a roll of her eyes but an affectionate smile was on her lips. “But my father knows that I don’t really care about gender when it comes to attraction or relationships. I go by what I feel. He doesn’t care who I bring home as long as I’m happy. Although, Theo perplexed him. Not because he wasn’t great. We’re actually still best friends. We just — there was no spark there. We love each other but not the way a couple should.” Explaining her and her ex’s relationship was always complicated. So many people had an idea of exs and how they should act, and well, Zoey and Theo could not fall further outside of that idea. “We broke up about a year ago.”

The question was an out if she wanted one, and the blonde knew that. If she wanted to, she could say she treated her friends the same way and be done with all the confusing, all encompassing feelings. Yet, she couldn’t lie. She’d hate herself if she did. Someone needed to take a leap of faith for Kass it seemed, and she’d hate it if she didn’t. “I don’t take people I consider just friends on dates, no,” she started explaining. “I mean, I may go out with friends to dinner, but I won’t call it a date unless I’m interested in something other than friendship.” There, she’d done it. There was absolutely zero grey area left about what she’d said. Kass couldn’t act obtuse about it anymore even if she wanted to. The idea was both thrilling and terrifying. 

The lyrics hit her in a way that made her sad. She’d felt them all too much when she’d seen the other women in Kass’ room. Jealousy. It wasn’t a feeling she was used to, but she was starting to say that a lot when it came to the woman singing beside her. When she finished singing, she took in a breath and let it out slowly. “You really have a beautiful voice,” were the first words out of her mouth. “You’re — you’re kind of a goober.” The blonde couldn’t help but chuckle as she said the words because honestly she was in a bit of disbelief. “For someone who doesn’t do this often, you don’t even realize how good you are at charming someone without even trying.”

Kassandra

Her heart pounded in her ears as she felt herself going into an almost out of body experience as Zoey's words floated around like a damned ping-pong ball in her head. She was interested in something other than friendship? The thought made her chest swell and a blush tinge her cheeks. Was this happiness that she was experiencing? It is. Or at least it was. Because as swiftly as the feelings of euphoria had entered her, they just as quickly were replaced with fear. She didn't let people get close for this very reason. What they had, whatever this was... She'd fuck it up. Just like she always did. First with her mom, then Aurora. Everyone else after that had barely been let in until all Kassandra had done was hollow herself out. No longer did she believe in romance or love. No longer had she thought she was worthy of being something to someone. First loves come and go, she knew that. She learned that lesson well. But when your own mother doesn't even want you.. When your own father doesn't even care until he can make use for you... It was all too much. When had her chest gotten this tight? Was Zoey calling her charming? She couldn't tell, everything around her was fuzzy.

Kassandra's breathing came in soft gasps, eyes wide as the guitar was placed down to the side of her. She blinked in surprise at what was happening, never having experienced this sensation before. Why was her chest so tight? She couldn't... She couldn't breathe. Looking up at Zoey in confusion, she opened her mouth to try to say something but all she did was gasp in air. Oh Gods, that made it worse. Beginning to hyperventilate, Kassandra stood up far too quickly than she should have, not even bothering to dust off her pants from all the sand. Her head swam as she stood tall, not knowing where to go. She was on a beach for Zeus' sake. This wasn't really an ideal place for whatever the hell this was. Her right hand flexed open and closed several times, trembling. "I... I can't... I can't breathe." The brunette managed to choke out, eyes wide and terrified. What the fuck was happening to her?

Zoey

The silence was unnerving, but what happened afterwards was even more. At first she let Kass walk away figuring she needed space after being made to feel uncomfortable, but then the more she looked, the more Zoey saw that she didn’t look okay. Without thinking, she jogged towards her, and it didn’t take long for the blonde to realize that Kassandra was having a panic attack. There wasn’t a lot of time to think about how her vulnerability and feelings had caused it. All she could think about was helping. So, she stood in front of Kass, grabbed her hand, and placed it on her chest. “Breathe with me,” she said as blue eyes locked with green. “Feel my chest go up and down and try to mimic it.”

After a few moments, she noticed Kass’s breathing come more easily. When she was sure that the woman was no longer having such a hard time, she took a step back to give her some space. Now that the major problem was out of the way, Zoey couldn’t help but remember what had caused it in the first place. It was the most obvious she’d been about her feelings and intentions which had led to the girl she felt them for having a panic attack. That was far from reassuring, and she’d be lying if she said that she knew where to go from there. “Are you okay?” That was much easier to focus on than her feelings. Focusing on someone else was always what she was better at anyway. “Do you want to head back? We can always hang out again another time if you’re not feeling great.” Giving Kass an excuse to leave was the nice thing to do. It was the only thing Zoey knew how to do. There wasn’t exactly a how to book for the situation lying around anywhere.

Kassandra

A hand reached out for her own and soon Kassandra's palm was resting on Zoey's chest. Nothing about this gesture was sexual however it was very intimate. More intimate than Kassandra was truly ready for but somehow, someway... It was helping. Zoey breathed for the both of them for several moments until finally her chest didn't hurt, her hands didn't tremble, and she could breathe on her own again. She wanted to thank her for helping her with whatever had just happened but the blonde was moving away from her, her heart sinking like a stone. The look in Zoey's eyes was one she never wanted to see, Gods, those eyes. "No!" Kass quickly spoke, realizing it came out more like a loud plea than the soft tone she wished she would have used. So she tried again. "No... Please. Don't go." Licking her lips, she took the small steps forward towards Zoey, hoping to close the distance that the blonde had put between them. "I'm sorry that I... That that happened. I've never had that happen. Not since my--I'd uh.. I'd forgotten what that had felt like." Another deep breath as she steeled her nerves, closing her eyes for a moment. "The truth is I'm terrified." I'm not good, Zoey. That's what she wanted to say. She wanted to tell her that she was poison. But she couldn't.

Fingers shook for a moment until they made purchase on Zoey's cheek, the backs of her knuckles softy trailing down the skin there until she tilted the other woman's chin up gently. "I wasn't looking for anyone." Those words were probably the most honest thing she'd ever said to Zoey, her chest tightening once more but swiftly deciding to push the panic aside for just one fucking minute. "And then I met you." There. That was simple enough. Right? "I don't know what is happening between us. But you... You scare me. And that's--Gods, that's not on you. That's all on me." She closed her eyes tightly, sighing. "Fuck, I'm not wording this right at all." Kassandra took the last few steps closer to Zoey, eliminating any major distance between their torsos. "I don't know what to do about any of this. I'm... I'm scared to do anything about this. About you. But Gods, I want to." Her forehead rested against Zoey's, unable to look at the other woman. "You make me feel like I'm on fire. You make me... Feel." The older woman could feel just how close they were, could tell that by the sensation of her breath puffing against Zoey's lips as her hand remained cupping her jaw. "Zoey... I... I really want to..." The brunette tipped her head closer, lips wanting desperately to search for the other woman's. She could almost taste--RING.

Whatever spell that had taken over her was broken as soon as her phone started ringing from her pocket. "I..." She rasped, voice low. Lower than Zoey had ever heard it. "I think I need to... To take this." Kassandra regrettably pulled away, grabbing her phone from her pocket as she held it up to her ear. Immediately she winced as someone talked sternly to her for several moments. Eventually she hung up, clearing her throat as she looked at Zoey helplessly. "Nugget woke up and is terrorizing the neighbors. I have to get back. Zoey..." She tried, still in close proximity to the other woman, not quite sure what to do.

Zoey

The blonde was so entranced with the words coming out of the woman’s mouth, and her proximity, that she couldn’t say anything. All she could do was wait with baited breath for Kass to kiss her which was what she thought was going to happen until the blasted phone rang. When Kassandra pulled back, Zoey tilted her head back towards the sky and closed her eyes. She needed to focus on her own breathing so she didn’t scream in frustration. When the phone call ended, the artist looked at her date again and gave a small smile. “Mmm, considering the owner of the Inn had to leave the island and left her sister in charge, who you’re currently with, I’d say you’re safe from too much trouble,” she added lightly to hopefully stop some of the worrying. It was something she’d meant to bring up anyway since she’d be at where Kassandra was staying more often. That was just a fun way to bring it up. 

Zoey stepped forward so they were close again, looped her index fingers in Kass’s belt loops, and tugged the woman forward slightly. “Let’s head back,” she started before leaning forward on her tippy toes and giving the brunette a kiss on the cheek. She lingered for a few seconds to hopefully quell the need she was feeling before pulling back. “This is always going to be scary. Not because it’s me and you, but it would be with anyone. Vulnerability always is. I’d love to promise I’d never hurt you, but that would just put me on a pedestal that wouldn’t be healthy,” she started as she tried to find the right words to give Kassandra some comfort. “You just have to figure out if I’m worth the risk of getting hurt over, and I don’t want you answering that now. Sleep on it. Take your time to figure this out and fight your demons. If you need help, I’m here.” 

With that, she took Kass’ hand, interlaced their fingers, and walked them back to where their belongings were. When they got back to the fire pit, she threw her shirt on again, and worked to get things packed up. “You didn’t ruin anything before you worry,” she said as she worked on folding the blanket. “So don’t let your mind go there.”

Kassandra

"Wait, I'm sorry what?" She was about to press further at the blonde mentioning that she'd be at the Inn more often, mouth feeling like it was full of cotton as she tried to process that. But then Zoey was getting closer again, the brunette feeling a tug on her jeans as she stutter-stepped closer. Her breathing almost stopped as Zoey leaned up on her tippy-toes to kiss her on the cheek. Green eyes fluttered shut from the contact, staying that way for several moments, even after the other woman had pulled back from her. So instead of opening her eyes, she just kept them closed as Zoey talked to her, trying to quell any and all fears from her mind. Whatever was happening between them clearly wasn't one-sided. Kassandra just had to be willing to do something about it. To put whatever this was into words. Fuck. That was a lot to process. Eventually she did open her eyes as a hand slipped into her own, following Zoey back to the firepit. It didn't take long for them to pack up their things, put out the fire and wait for Zoey to get her clothes back on over her beach attire.

The walk back to the car was silent as they walked, fingers still interlaced. Only when she needed to put the guitar up did she finally let go of the blonde's hand, regret filling her instantly. Once she got into the car, she turned on the ignition and took the car out of park, backing up before taking off down the road. The stereo connected to her phone via bluetooth and began to play a song softly through the speakers just in time for Kassandra to get up the guts to do what she hadn't on the ride over; she reached over and interlaced her fingers with Zoey's once more. 'I want you more than I need you and I need you so bad...Are you coming back? Are you coming back? I'm waiting...' Giving a small squeeze to the hand that was in her own, she kept her gaze focused on the road for the remainder of the time it would take for her to get to Zoey's home. When they pulled up, Kass got out of the car again to move around to Zoey's door, opening it up with a small smile. "I believe this is your stop."

Kassandra helped her out of the car despite not needing to, offering her a hand. Sure, it was because she wanted to instigate physical touch, something that she didn't know she craved. Keeping quiet as she walked the short distance to Zoey's doorstep, Kassandra waited until Zoey had reached the step that led into her home. This gave them more of a level-playing height and it honestly was what Kassandra was waiting for. Fingers tugged lightly on Zoey's, getting the girl to turn around to look at her. "You're worth the risk." She breathed out, licking her lips. It was honest and terrifying and she almost shook from the fear of it all. Leaning forward, she pressed a soft kiss to Zoey's forehead, staying there for a moment too long to be considered just a friend. As she pulled back, she gave another smile and began to walk backwards away from Zoey. "And hey," She started, hands quickly being shoved into her jeans pockets. "The next time you see me on your doorstep... I'll finish what I started." Her cheeks were tinged pink at the implication but she gave a small nod despite this, turning around and heading back to her car until eventually she was out of sight.

#zoey ft. kassandra #kassandra #cinnamon roll meets sinnamon roll

[eternaldipshit]

alright i’m fuckin PISSED

i just made this blog yesterday to maybe possibly post a homestuck fic i’m working on but now i’m going to use it to scream into the utter fucking gaping void of the homestuck fandom bc none of my friends are actively in it right now and god dammit i am UPSET

fact: i got a lotta feelings for the striders. they are my shit. i adore them. ok? so that’s an established fact now ok good cool moving on 

fact: when game over was released, i quit the homestuck fandom. that shit broke me. even if it wasn’t the “alpha” timeline or w/e it still fucking happened and it upset my delicate fucking sensibilities and hearing carne vale STILL triggers some sort of visceral feeling of panic and straight-up fuckin MISERY in me and i wish i was fucking kidding but i just put it on now to test it and ugh ugh gughgsh

fact: i started rereading homestuck this month from the beginning and reigniting my love for it. game over still fucked me up, but i powered through it and 5 years fuckin late i finished a harrowing emotional rollercoaster that i’d started like 7 years ago and was just... DEEPLY fucking unsatisfied with the ending which is why i started writing aforementioned fic in the first place but that is not relevant rn this is a whole different rant ok

fact: i wrote like 20k words for this fic in the span of like 3 days it was sick as fuck

fact: the epilogues are dumb as fuck and i despise them 

and that’s the meat of it really. fuck the epilogues. 

i haven’t finished them yet, but i just. ugh. UGH. words escape me. partially bc im a shit wordsmith but also bc *SPOILERS* i just got to dirk’s funeral scene and just fuckin. gave the fuck up. 

i never liked the original homestuck ending to begin with, but i never expected that the epilogues would be so fucking... bleak. it’s like reading a shitty fanfic except all the fun is sucked out of it bc technically all the shit you’re reading is canon and that makes it all seem drab and unfunny and just kinda depressing 

especially in the i guess ‘doomed’ timeline where dirk kills himself 

idk if it hit me hard bc of the flippant treatment of suicide or if it’s just bc i love dirk so much as a character but it just hurt in so many different fucking ways

it doesn’t help that the epilogues paint dirk as a straight up fucking sociopath

and i can see why that would make sense, really. his expanding godhood powers played into his pre-existing sociopathic tendencies in the worst way possible but

it’s just

not what i want to imagine from a fucking epilogue

call me soft and an idealist but i like my happy endings god dammit and fuck FUCK FUCK the epilogues. i want to try to finish them but it’s just. fucking difficult. 

i think the suicide was the last straw for me and now that i think about it it’s definitely bc of my own suicidal ideation and this is exactly why i avoided that stupid fucking show about the girl killing herself no matter how many times it was recommended to me bc i consume media to distract myself from my problems not have them blared in my face in neon lights 

i also fucking hate how dirk’s character morphed from a manipulative as hell genius who constantly struggled with his own morality to this kind of puppeteer who is flagrantly detached from his peers and seems to hold no real attachment to any of them it’s just

it’s shitty

and i was so excited for it bc i thought it would grant me more insight into dirk’s and dave’s characters, considering the fic i’m writing is strider-centric and it just completely took the wind out of my sails instead bc this is not what i pictured for dirk at all 

i mean i’m not a fucking idiot. i know he’s an asshole and an ‘ends justify the means’ guy and definitely manipulative and controlling but this is also the guy that cut off his own head to save all of his friends and tried his best to comfort dave when he was having a breakdown despite his own supposed lack of empathy

and i want so badly to continue my fic like i never read this but i can’t ignore it bc it’s fucking CANON. and i know my biffle would be like ‘fuck canon’ but i can’t fuck canon ok it’s the reason these characters exist in the first place. i might rewrite the whole ending but i wanted to stay as true to canon characterization as poss and now i just. can’t. 

the real kicker is that i was willing to look past the reveal that he was the narrator the whole time, controlling the lives of all the characters even if it literally gave me goosebumps bc it put that whole ‘jake keeps thinking about dirk while jane kisses him’ thing into a new disturbingly unromantic light but i ignored that too. i switched to the other path for a bit and i knew from the minute it switched to the scene where dirk’s hands are shaking and he calls jane i KNEW he would kill himself but i convinced myself otherwise and surprise surprise got my ass handed to me on a silver platter for it

but i cannot i CANNOT believe he would do that to dave. i flat-out refuse. i flat-out fucking refuse to believe that dirk could be so cruel as to leave them all behind in such a crass fashion and how DARE he do that to dave how fucking dare he doomed timeline or not that dude’s been through enough shit like come the fuck ON and decapitating himself??? that’s not poetic fucking justice that is just straight up cruel af and i know these are all fictional chars and this whole scenario is fictional but it is SO UPSETTING TO ME bc that is the EXACT thing you think about before a suicide attempt you think about what it would do to your loved ones and i absolutely irrefutably fucking REJECT the idea that dirk is so far-gone in his godhood puppet game that it wouldn’t even cross his fucking mind and it is just so much worse to me that dave is the one who found the body and i know dirk isn’t a ‘good’ guy but ugh UGH it’s like they just threw out his whole fucking conversation with dave where it’s obvious that he tries to be a better person even tho he knows he’s an asshole and it’s just.

fucking upsetting. 

i hate hate hate what they’ve done to dirk’s character in this it’s like they took all the struggle and all the growth from the adventure and all the nuances and just boiled it down to make a caricature of the person he used to be, emphasizing the negatives so that the epilogues could have this weird fucking quasi-villain dictating everyone’s lives 

why do these epilogues even exist

no one is going to read this but i am just so full of righteous indignation that i needed to get it off my chest. i was so hyped to be back into homestuck again, so excited to see what more it had to offer and this just. ruined all that joy for me. and now i’m afraid i’m just going to fall right back out of it again. 

what the fuck is the opposite of a redemption arc bc that is exactly what the fuck happened here. 

anyway tl;dr i love returning to a fandom i haven’t touched in 5 years and finding out one of my fav chars just got narratively butchered yeah i’m fine it’s cool 

#rant #epilogue spoilers #this was my first post but i privated it and i'm probably gonna private it again but for now #feel my wrath

[timeoutforthee]

Like it or Not-Chapter 21

Taglist: @itsausernamenotafobsong, @sea-blue-child, @iaminmultiplefandoms, @princeanxious, @uwillbeefoundtonight, @zaidiashipper, @arandompasserby, @levyredfox3, @falsett0, @error-i-dunno-what-went-wrong, @scrapbookofsketches, @podcastsandcoffee, @helloisthisusernametaken, @amuthefunperson, @michealawithana, @yamihatarou, @heck-im-lost, @unlikelynightmareconnoisseur, @idkaurl, @bubblycricket, @fnp-alizay, @neonbluetiefling, @comicsimpson, @a-little-bit-of-ace

Summary: Logan, Patton, Roman, and Virgil are all struggling in their recovery. Their doctors, Thomas Sanders and Emile Picani think they can help each other out.

Aka Group Therapy AU

Trigger Warnings:  Remus, disturbing imagery, reference to suicide

Read it on AO3!

“Today, we start a new chapter,” Mr. Hurley announces at the front of the room.

Roman lifts his head up from where it was resting on his desk. He was definitely not thinking about yesterday, about what it could mean, where it meant he was going, nope, he was not thinking about any of that. Especially not now. Now, it was time to focus on theater.

“Playwriting,” his teacher continues, “is one of the most necessary parts of a theater production.”

Roman perks up even more at that. A form of storytelling? Meaning he could be a part of the theater and not be seen at the same time?

“I know you guys have been brainstorming for a few weeks,” Mr. Hurley says, “Today I want you to get with a partner and discuss your ideas. You will be working with this partner to write a play, which then will be performed in December. To really push your creativity, I’m going to be assigning the partners.”

Mr. Hurley starts calling out some names, and the desks around him start shifting.

“Roman and Remus,” Mr. Hurley says.

Roman must have heard him wrong, from all the chairs squeaking. There was no way his partner was-

But then he heard a laugh from next to him, and he turned to see Remus Duke sitting next to him.

“Oh, isn’t this exciting?” Remus asks.

“So what were you brainstorming?” Roman says, immediately cutting to the point.

“I was thinking we could do an offbeat story. Something that will really leave an impression on the audience.”

“A good impression, right?”

“Sure,” Remus says, in a voice that says he couldn’t care less what kind of impression it was, as long as it was an impression. “So I was thinking we could play with more mature themes.”

“Like what?” Roman is dreading the answer.

“I want to start off with an affair. A man catches his wife cheating with his best friend. So he goes to his other friends searching for support, but they all side with his friend-”

“Why...why would they do that?”

“I don’t know, you could figure that part out,” Remus says, “So he’s alone and unwanted so he pours gasoline over his head-”

“Whoa, whoa, what?”

“Yeah, and then he takes a match-”

“Does he survive?”

“Survive? Of course not, he set himself on fire!”

“Why?” Roman brings his hand to his forehead, “Why would you-what made you-you know what? Forget it. No.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ve been brainstorming for a while. I’ve got plenty of ideas.”

“Do you have any ideas that are less-”

“Demented?”

“...well, you said it, not me.”

“No,” Remus huffs, “People need to be challenged, Roman.”

“Challenging people and telling people’s stories honestly is one thing,” Roman counters, “Telling a story because you think it’ll get a reaction is another.”

“Oh, what’s the difference?” Remus says, “It’s the same story in the end.”

“No, it’s not,” Roman thinks back to all the times he’s read a story that claims to represent him and finds out it’s just mocking him, “Just-trust me.”

“Wow, a very compelling argument,” Remus deadpans, “You can’t write off any idea that isn’t your own, Roman.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to do!”

“Really? Because it sure seems like it to me.”

“Okay, fine, what are some other ideas you have?”

“I want to write a Thanksgiving story-”

“Okay, that sounds nice-”

“About a girl with bulimia who has to suffer through the holiday.”

Suddenly, Roman can’t breathe. He’s hit with flashes of what happened, what he did to himself yesterday. How much Thanksgiving affects him. The idea of having to immerse himself in the holiday for four months while they write this story seems unbearable.

“No.”

Remus scoffs, “I knew you would shoot down every idea I had. You’re not the only creative one in this class.”

“Mr. Hurley would never let us do it,” Roman knows it may be a stretch, but it’s worth a shot.

“I am the one who stepped up and took over the role of the beast. Mr. Hurley will let me do whatever I want. Besides, it’s a small play. We don’t have to worry about pleasing suburban moms.”

“Look, we can do any idea you have, just as long as it’s not that one,” Roman says. He immediately knows he’s made a mistake by the way Remus’s face lights up.

“Any idea?” Remus twirls the ends of his fake mustache.

“Well, we can discuss-”

“I don’t think so,” Remus says, “You said any, and if you want to take it back now, I bet we could see just what Mr. Hurley thinks about the eating disorder idea. But if I had to guess, since I am his new star, he’d probably love it.”

Roman opens his mouth to respond, to figure something out, to get himself out of this somehow. But just as he does, the bell rings. Remus smirks.

“Great. I’ll pick an idea for us and bring it in tomorrow.”

^

“I hate Remus,” Roman says, sitting down at their makeshift table in Mrs. Spencer’s room.

“Hate is a strong word,” Patton says.

“Don’t care. Hate him.”

“I would support you in this but I have no idea who you’re talking about,” Virgil says.

“You might have seen him around,” Roman says, “He wears a fake mustache.”

There’s a pause before Virgil says, “What?”

Roman shrugs, “He’s worn it since freshman year. Trust me, that is the least weird thing about him.”

“He’s worn a fake…?” Virgil shakes his head, “Okay, whatever. What’s the weirdest thing about him then?”

“His obsession with sickness, his obsession with buttholes-”

“Buttholes?” Patton asks.

“His obsession with death, his obsession with everything dark and evil in the world.”

“Sometimes a story needs a little darkness,” Virgil says, shrugging.

“Not like this!” Roman says, frustrated.

“Okay, yeesh, sorry, Princey.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just…,” Roman sighs, “I have all these ideas and people don’t take them seriously because they’re...butterflies and rainbows...meanwhile they’ll take him seriously even though he’s writing everything for the shock factor. Like sorry I think stories should be a fair representation or that they shouldn’t bother at all.”

“I think that’s fair,” Logan says, “Especially dealing with sensitive subjects like death and illness. Surely you can reason with him.”

Roman barks a laugh. “Reason? With Remus? Hysterical. Hilarious. Can’t be done.”

“Sounds like you guys have had a history,” Virgil says.

“You could say that,” Roman says, “If by that you mean we’ve hated each other for years and constantly have to battle it out for the lead.”

“Plus, you guys kinda look alike-”

“No, we don’t!” Roman interrupts Patton. “Sorry, I’ve gotten that a lot.”

“So, it’s true?” Virgil asks.

Roman groans, finally grabbing his lunch and setting it on his desk. “There is a slight, small possibility that we have a tiny similarity, sort of, kind of.”

“There’s a yearbook over there, Virgil,” Mrs. Spencer speaks up, pointing to the back book shelf.

“That’s not necessary,” Roman says.

Virgil gets up and walks to the back of the room.

“What’s this guy’s last name?”

Roman sighs “Duke.”

“Duke...and Prince…?”

“Oh, shut up,” Roman says, half-heartedly.

“So, I have unfortunate news,” Virgil says, finally finding the page, “This guy looks very much like you.”

“I know!” Roman says, throwing his hands in the air. “We look alike, we talk alike, but when it comes to ideas and creativity, we couldn’t be any farther apart! He is everything I don’t want to be.”

“That’s an interesting insult,” Virgil says, shutting the book and heading back to the table.

“Less insult, more truth,” Roman says, “I just...don’t want to be so careless in my art. I want to make something people enjoy, that they want to come back to, time after time. Something classic. And he just wants...I don’t know.”

“Aw, that’s beautiful, Roman,” Patton says, “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to write happy things.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t make your art any lesser,” Logan says.

“And your ideas aren’t set in stone yet, you could use one of your’s.”

“Yeah, about that,” Roman says, taking a bite of his food. “Remus wanted to write a story about a girl who-and I quote-had to suffer through Thanksgiving.” He sees Patton’s face fall out of his peripheral vision, but he continues anyway, “I told him we could do anything as long as we didn’t do that one, and, of course, he took me seriously.”

“Is there any chance your teacher would stop it?” Logan asks.

“My teacher currently hates me and handed the role of the beast to Remus on a silver platter, I doubt it,” Roman says.

“Teachers don’t hate their students,” Mrs. Spencer speaks up again.

Roman and Virgil look skeptical but keep their mouths shut.

“Maybe you could bring something up to him if Remus’s idea is too bad,” Patton offers.

“I guess,” Roman says, “I mean, it’s not like I have anything to lose.”

#like it or not #sanders sides fic #roman sanders

[imaginetonyandbucky]

Prompts are open omgg! My prompt is: Tony acts like a playboy and a tough guy, but in reality, he is a sucker for everything emotional, romantic and affectionate. He lives for it. You can win his heart this way. Bucky loves it, loves doing all the romantic things for Tony and loves the expression on Tony's face whenever he does.

50 Ways to Woo Your Lover

“What the hell, Stevie,” Bucky whined to hisbest friend. “How the fuck am I supposed to impress a fucking geniusbillionaire?”

Steve, No Help At All, Charter Member, had thefucking gall to laugh at him. “You don’t,” Steve said. He didn’t quite finishthat up with Why would you even want to, but Bucky could see it dancingon the tip of his tongue.

Good thing for Steve they were already sparring,which meant that Bucky had gloves on and Steve was wearing protective headgear.Both things were actually pointless, if Bucky wanted to do damage. Bucky calmlyanalyzed the situation, found a good three dozen openings that Steve gave himin the first five minutes alone, and took exactly none of them. Right up untilthe very end, when he lightly tapped Steve in the nose with his elbow. (Okay,so the Winter Soldier version of lightly gave Steve a bloody nose and a splitlip, but hey, Bucky wasn’t above cheating. Never had been.)

“Look,” Steve said. He wasn’t even mad, he justhad his head tilted back and an ice pack over the bridge of his nose, eventhough everyone had already told him that didn’t help. “You think I know whatto do to win the girl. I’ve talked to like two in my entire life.”

“Tony’s not a girl,” Bucky growled. He was quiteaware of how very male Tony was. He couldn’t help but trace the lines of theman’s body with his eyes, couldn’t help leaning in a little closer to catch awhiff of that masculine scent, sweat and cologne and a tang of metal and fire.

“Probably even less help there, pal,” Stevesaid. “I dunno, you were always a hit with the dames back in the day. Howdifferent can it be?”

Clint snorted, the next time he’d passed Buckyin the hall and tossed a women’s magazine at him. Ways to win the heart ofyour lover, teased from the cover. Bucky didn’t even ask how Clint knew.There was no percentage in that play.

#1 - Write a poem

Tony spent most of his time in his workshop,surrounded by iron and steel, by fire and wire, by electric and circuits. Withrare exceptions, no one else was allowed in, unless Tony was already there --Pepper had an access pass, but these days she rarely used it. Rhodey, becauseTony was never sure when his bestie was going to be in town, and it was justeasier to let Rhodey come in and get his attention than to be sure that areminder would pry him out of his headspace and out for a dinner meeting.

(mobile readers, ware the readmore)

So why was there crumpled paper in hiswastebasket? Tony never used paper. Even when Pepper had things for him to signthese days, they were always on tablets or another device that he could use athumb print and scribble in the air with a light pen.

Tony fished the paper out of the trash; balledup and torn. He spread it out on his workbench, matching the pieces together.Hand-written, even. The letters were black and spiky, written with thatbackward slant that indicated a left-handed writer.

Tony

I am afraid of forgettingI am afraid of myselfI am afraid that I'll hurt someoneI am afraid that someone will be youI am even afraid you'll forget meI am afraid of the coldI am afraid of the darkI am afraid that blood is on my handsI am afraid that it's never mineI am even afraid sometimes it's yoursI want to know loveI want remember who I amI want your touchI want your kissI even want your loveI want to know who I amI want to remember who I wasI want to have a futureI want to have dreamsI even want to be with you

Most of all…..

#5 Pick Wildflowers

Five days running, Tony had opened the door to  the penthouse and found a little bouquet of daisies, tied with a silver  ribbon, laying across the hall.

Daisies didn’t smell like anything.

They were small, white and yellow.

The petals were not quite firmly attached; a  few of them always fell off when he picked up the packet. They weren’t  cultivated, either. Mandelbrot only knew where his unseen admirer was getting  them from. There were aphids crawling on the stems sometimes. The petals were  somewhat gray from being exposed to roadside air.

Every morning Tony brought them back into the  penthouse and found a little cup full of water to put them in.

The sixth day, he left a little note pinned to  the floor where the flowers had been left.

and while never saying a wordwho was anything but dumb;since the silence of himself sang like a bird.Most people have been heardscreaming for internationalmeasures that render hell rational—i thank heaven somebody’s crazyenough to give me a daisy

                                 Eecummings

The seventh day, someone left roses.

#19 Watch an old Movie

Tony would have thought it was Steve whoselected the black-and-white films, but Steve really had almost no interest inmovie night at all. He sat with everyone else, because it was expected andbecause Steve had some pretty firm beliefs about team-building activities, butwhenever it was Steve’s turn to pick the films, he usually selected somethingfrom the Oscars awards list, like he was going through in reverse chronologicalorder. According to Tony’s mental map, he was going to have to skip Steve’s turnin about a month, because he was not going to watch Forrest Gump again. Thatmovie was terrible the first time.

Bucky, on the other hand, kept picking all theold films. City Lights, Notorious, Roman Holiday, Camille.

And the man put off body heat like nobody’sbusiness. There was something about a super-soldier’s metabolism, Tonytheorized, but Bucky was like a portable furnace. Tony didn’t like to admit it,but he was getting older, and it started casually enough, just sitting next tothe man was enough to keep him warm.

Then he was leaning against Bucky, sharingpopcorn. No one sat on Bucky’s right, that was Tony’s spot, long before Tonyeven recognized it. Bucky was so warm, and soft. And one night, while they werewatching Philadelphia Story, Bucky’s arm went around Tony’s shoulderslike it was the most natural thing in the world. He played with the ends ofTony’s hair, fingers dangling loose and warm over Tony’s neck.

#34 Rooftop picnic

“Hey, Tony,” a soft voice grabbed his attentionand Tony looked up from where he was analyzing a three percent improvement inarc-reactor efficiency. “You hungry?”

“Hmmm?” Tony stuck the screwdriver in his mouth.He didn’t actually need a screwdriver, but he had a tendency to fiddle while hewas thinking and the screwdriver often seemed to end up in his hand, or in hismouth, or sometimes drumming it against the countertop. He went through a listof food that he thought he’d eaten in the last few days; an orange forbreakfast was the last thing he could remember and looking at the clock, hewasn’t sure if that was this morning or yesterday morning. He did sort of getinto the zone sometimes.’ “I could eat.”

Bucky gingerly took the screwdriver out ofTony’s mouth and put it down next to his toolbox. “That can’t be hygienic,”Bucky commented.

“Pfffft,” Tony dismissed this concern. Really,Bucky should have seen his working conditions in Afghanistan. On secondthought, and third, and maybe seventh as well, he probably should not. Buckyhad gotten a little wild around the eyes when Steve had off-hand mentionedTony’s captivity at the hands of Ten Rings, and Steve hadn’t even gotten intosome of the more gruesome parts of that memory.

Tony had to admit, he was surprised by that;given what Bucky had gone through with Hydra, he’d almost been expecting a boutor two of trauma-Olympics where a room full of people competed for who’d had itworst and everybody lost.

When Tony went to push the button for the commonkitchen, Bucky reached past him and thumbed the rooftop access.

“What’s up, Bambi?”

Bucky made a soft scoffing noise and rolled hiseyes. “It’s a surprise, genius,” he said.

The landing platform had a small table and twochairs set up; a simple peaked tent had been arranged, dripping with white Christmaslights, over the table.

A whiff of spicy Thai food came from silverplatters arranged on the buffet to the side.

“What is this?”

“Dinner,” Bucky said, offering Tony his arm.“Some genius you are.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “I know dinner. But…dinner, or… you know… dinner?”

“Whatever you want it to be, Tony,” Bucky said,all wide-eyed sincerity and earnest eagerness.

“Are you…” Tony wasn’t sure how to phrase it.“Are you --”

“Courting you?” Bucky suggested. “If… yeah, kinda,I guess. If you… wanted to, I dunno. I…”

Tony’s eyebrow shot up. “Is this a date, Barnes,it’s a yes or no question.”

James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier, themost feared ghost-story assassin in the last century, stared down at the tipsof his boots and scuffed his foot in the gravel that covered the roof of theAvenger’s Tower. “Yes?” He looked for all the world like a high school juniorthat was trying to work up his nerve to ask out the homecoming queen.

It should not have been cute.

It should have been damn near terrifying.

It was fucking adorable.

“A date,” Tony said, again, slow. Rolling theword around in his mouth like he wasn’t sure what it was supposed to tastelike.

“Yes,” Bucky said again. “I’d… would you like tohave dinner with me, Tony?”

Tony rested his fingers on Bucky’s offered arm.“Yes, yes I would.”

#50 Do what comes naturally. Slowly.

Tony snuggled, wrapped around Bucky’s body likea cuddly octopus. “I want to see this list of yours,” he said.

Bucky blushed. He’d finally confessed, let Tonydrag it out of him with torturous kisses and teasing touches, that he’d gottenhis ideas from a glossy magazine. But Bucky had his number now. He kissedTony’s temple and worked his way down with soft nuzzles until he was nipping atTony’s throat. With all the wicked promise he felt in his heart, Bucky ran hishands up Tony’s body. “Shall I read it to you?”

#winteriron #tony x bucky #tony stark #bucky barnes #fluff #romantic dates #sweet #tooth rotting fluff #working off a list #prompts #tisfan #Anonymous

[cosmogyraladventures]

Alious

The stars zip past. He sits comfortably on a mattress, wrapped in a blanket with enough of an opening to see. He; blue. Blue. That is his current name; the color of his skin; his current mood; the color of two cans that reside with ten other beverages inside his refrigeration system. But he wasn’t thinking about what he wanted to drink; wanted to eat; what his true name is and the meaning behind it; his mind was too wrapped in the stars and how he dreamt of exploring them.

His mind galloped around the idea that one day he’d achieve his dreams of being a cosmic explorer. He imagined himself being a captain of a starship, jumping from solar-systems to neighboring galaxies. To wear a regal outfit dawned in medals and symbols. To command a crew of the best people around. To make discoveries and have his name metaphorically engraved in universal history. This is all he wanted since he was a kid, it’s the reason why he's done anything -- ever!

His fantasies disappear as the stars do in an instance, replaced instead by the obnoxious alarm on his clock. It was an odd feature in his alarm clock; at night holographic images would appear, turning a dark room into something like space, playing white noise. It’s intentions was to help invoke better sleep; for someone whose head is in the stars, it does the tragic opposite of keeping him up at night. Itself can be called self-given-insomnia, and it shows too, leaving bags under his eyes.

Though they’re hard to see, considering his kind have black-colored-skin around their eyes.

Grumbling like a bothered child, Blue gets out of his bed to walk himself over to a window with tinted glass. A press of a button next to the window later, and the tinted glass fades into clear glass, letting sunlight flood the room with its radiance in an instance. It wasn’t enough time for him to prepare by squinting and shielding his eyes; he tries so anyways, but it was too late.

He’s wearing his underwear and a shirt. One could call them his pajamas. Thankfully the window only shows his form from the waist up; no one is going to have to see a miserable, partially-naked T’zarian suffering from his self-given insomnia.

Blue stares out into a collection of building made of shining metal and lights that began to flicker out; automatically doing so with the presence of the sun near. It would’ve reminded him of home had there not been many parks filled with fauna near, and if the lights were blue in color, instead of yellow. Blue. His name, his mood, his skin, and the color of the lights back home.

He scratches his hair. His short red hair. Blue takes in a deep breath, then silently lets out a single sentence. “Good morning, Paradyse.”

“Who’re you talking to now?” said another voice, one of feminine creation. Her name was Alious. She didn’t have blue skin, nor red hair, not even black around her eyes. Instead she was a lighter-green color with black hair that was currently in a complete mess. She wore a white shirt, and white underwear. Blue was thankful to turnover and see that she was wearing underwear; his ‘crummy-apartment’ is already in a disarray of disorganization, finding someone’s lost unmentionables would prove difficult.

“Just saying good morning to the city,” hummed the male.

“You just had to be the weirdest guy in Paradyse uh - er --” she snapped her fingers, attempting to remember his name. It’d take him a few seconds of processing what Alious was doing before he’d comment.

Blue’s gaze at the one in his bed lasted longer than it needed to. Within his head the clockworks ticked and processed to eventually have him spit out “Wait -- seriously?”

“What?” She’d rudely interject, almost as if she was offended. But if anyone should be offended, it’s Blue. Which he was, and he’d let her know too.

“What do you mean “What?” You forgot my name!” As he continued to speak, annoyance grew in his tone. “It’s not like it’s hard to forget! It’s literally the most common favorite color in the galaxy - my skin color even!”

“Look, Blue? I’m extremely hungover right now, ‘kay? I can’t remember anything from last night except for the, well.” Alious would bounce her eyebrows at Blue, causing his cheeks to momentarily change into a darker shade of his pigment. “So, hey, my bad alright?”

His disgruntled face slowly turned into his usual relaxed state. With a grunt to start, he’d say “I can forgive you, I guess. I mean, it’s not an entirely big deal, right?”

Though, he was lying through his teeth. It was a completely big deal for him.

…

She’s putting on her clothes now. She wears black shorts that covers nearly half her stomach but doesn’t even slip past the meaty portion of her thighs. There was a change of shirts, since it’d be unhygienic to wear the same shirt from the day prior. In addition to the acts of last night, it’d be really wise to also wash the shirt. It’d be even wiser to possibly burn it.

But she wouldn’t burn it. Alious is a woman to wear expensive clothing on a frequent basis. Fabrics and materials imported from systems clearly across the other-side of the galaxy. A brand of women’s fashion, with the exception of a few male coats. Of course she can afford it to; after all, it’s her clothes that she wears. Alious is the famous ‘Is Alious,’ a clothes designer. Her face is known to the public eye.

Though competitively, Blue’s face is decently known too; however, the reasons are not for how they design clothes, or what product they’re marketing.

After he took his shower, the male gathered his clothes. Now, Blue’s standing before a mirror in a pair of dark-grey pants with a simple pair of shoes to go with them, and wears a different black shirt. He scrubs away at his teeth with his toothbrush, staring into his yellow-hued eyes, thinking to himself how it all came to ‘be like this.’

His thoughts soon turned as his stomach growled for attention. “Hey Allie,” said Blue after spitting out the toothpaste in his mouth. “Do you wan-”

Instantly he was cut off by the female saying “Do NOT call me Allie. Only my friends call me Allie.”

“Er - right. Okay then Alious; do you want something to eat? I’ve got this awesome pie in the fridge if you wan--”

He’s cut off again. “Sorry. Pie? What do you think I am, some sort of fatso that eats sugar! It’s like you know nothing about what beauty is!” Blue could hear an audible scoff from the other room. While he brushed his teeth, she was gathering her things from the bedroom, which was just around the corner.

Blue was compelled to make some comment towards her. A rude one? A sassy one? A sarcastic one? Try all three. “I mean you’re not wrong. I couldn’t tell what beauty is even if I slept right next to it all night.”

Silence did not follow like he expected, which meant that Alious did not get the joke. Which was probably for the best she didn’t get it, otherwise it would’ve been a screaming match between the two. Then again, Blue has ownership of the apartment, he can just simply kick her out if things get too heated.

“That’s why I’m a fashionista and you’re the…?” She dragged it out, hoping that he’d answer.

“Neighborhood blue guy,” he’s sarcastically reply, spitting out another wad of toothpaste, then rinsing it down the sink, as well as cleaning the bristles of his toothbrush.

“That’s such a stupid thing to call yourself. Didn’t you get some kinda medal last week?” All Alious had to do was look up after she put on her thigh-high boots to see a plaque with a blue medal on it. She wasn’t sure what it was for. The writing on the plaque wasn’t smudged, or in a foreign language, she was just too hungover to even attempt to decipher it.

“That was last year, holy --” Blue had to contain himself before he lost too much control. “Yes; I did get a pretty medal. No; it’s not a stupid thing to call myself. I’m still job-searching.”

“You some kinda bum?”

“Would a bum have an apartment?”

“Point,” she said, taking her purse and heading for the front door. She was nearly about to leave without saying goodbye, which Blue wasn’t surprised by when he heard the front door start to open. What he didn’t expect was to hear her say “So like. If you need a job, I would like. I don’t know - need a guy to try on some of the male clothes? I ‘unno, just offering.”

“Pays well?” Blue asked, as he left the bathroom and to the entrance of his home, talking face to face with Alious.

“You’re just gonna be walking on a cat-walk sometimes. Hopefully you’ve got the strut for it; males can be difficult.”

“We’re not that different from women. We’ve just got --”

“Ew. Don’t say that. Especially at work - oh my star - do you know how much they’d flip out if you said that near them?”

He’d laugh, imagining an entire studio spilling over into anarchy over the mention of the word penis. “At least ten flips.”

“You’re an idiot, Blue,” she said as she stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. “But I guess you’re the right kind of idiot.”

“Whatever you say, Alli- er - Alious. Have a good day.” Alious would leave, and Blue would slowly close the door behind him as he went back to his business.

Blue’s left alone with his thoughts. The two were going back and forth with spiteful words yet she showed affection at the end there; why did she kiss him? She didn’t even know his name when they woke up, or why there was a Medal of Valor posted on the wall. All it seemed she cared about was getting out his apartment. But she offered him a job?

He needed to clear his head. Pie. That’s the answer. Glorious pie; he didn’t care of the flavor, it was just the subject and state of being that pie existed in his vicinity that gave him a reason to bolt to the kitchen’s fridge. Nothing else matters right now until Blue can get a slice of that pie as soon as possible.

He swings open the refrigerator door, and is greeted with a silver-platter with black-fabric on it. He pinches the fabric off with his left arm, his mechanical arm, and investigates underneath it. There was no pie.

The black fabric? As it hangs off his hand, he gathers what it is. It was a bra. Her bra. He’d quickly put two and two together. She ate his pie last night before she came to sleep.

#blue #t'zarian #cosmogyral #story