#and the whole mexico crowd so damn happy

[rosegasly]

ALSO PLEASE STARS ALIGN LET CHECO HAVE A PODIUM IN MEXICO

#when i say i loce redbull i mean i love the whole team exceot marko who can like fkn roll over and die for all i care #ik checos been working hard for these last few races #spending a lot of time at d factory #// in the sims #and it would make me and like everyone who was in austin (coz wow were the checo chants loud #and the whole mexico crowd so damn happy #ik the seasons been ups and downs but i am PRAYING 🙏 for a perez podium next week #also any danny fans i hear u i m too but pls dont be nasty on my posts i dont wanna c dat shit #checo perez #sergio perez #red bull racing #formula 1 #f1 #also not to be a hoe but a chestapped podium? :''))) not too much to ask for right??? PLS GOD #max verstappen

[navegandoaciegas]

Sunshine Girl

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: fluff, soft!Bucky, mentions of injury (no graphic descriptions), 3.6k words

Summary: You are the sun and he’s simply basking in your light. And he’s so selfish, he thinks as he holds the velvet box with the diamond ring inside of it, he’s so damn selfish he wants to keep the light all to himself for the rest of his life.

Two years ago you were supposed to enjoy a solo road trip after years of Avenging, but Bucky invited himself along. Now you’re forced back to New York, and your boyfriend is ready to surprise you once again.

A/N: Bucky’s POV. Sequel to I love my baby to death, but I suppose you could read it on its own. As always forgive any mistakes, English is my third language.

Had to repost this cause it didn’t show up in the tags, hopefully this time it will

“I swear Buck, if I see one more damn corn plant I’m losing it. I am this close” you say pinching your thumb and pointer finger real close “to a mental breakdown. I’m never eating corn again, mark my words. No corn flakes, no corn on the cobble, no nothing. I’m done.”

“We’re in Iowa, in the middle of the corn belt, I don’t know what you were expecting.” he replies, slightly amused by your little outburst and sour mood.

“Well, clearly not ending up on the set of Children of the corn.” you groan, getting back to sulking in the passenger’s seat, seething at the fields that are only a scapegoat to the real problem.

You’d been merrily skiing in Montana when his skis got somehow tangled with yours and he tumbled down on you, dragging you down the slope. Hadn’t you injured yourself, rolling in the snow like it only ever happens in cartoons would have been pretty comical.

“What?” you screech, almost jumping off the stretcher and grimacing in pain when your left foot hits the metal poles at the side. “No. It’s just pain, I’m sure it will go away, right? I mean I was an Avenger, I’ve suffered worse than a fall.”

“I’m sorry, miss, but knee surgery will be necessary, the MRI here shows you’ve torn your ACL and from the looks of it, your left knee was already damaged badly, numerous times at that, probably a result of your time on the field.”

“I can’t, I can’t just get surgery, we’re miles away from home and I-”

You’re almost sobbing and Bucky feels like shit because he’s the reason for all this and all he can do now is pat your back reassuringly.

“Given the extent of the damage, I’m afraid there’s no other option.”

“How long is the recovery time?” he asks, voice unsure.

“Well, it’s my knowledge she’s not an enhanced individual, so like any average human it will take anywhere from 6 to 9 months to recover fully. In the meantime, no more hikes or sports.”

Bucky inhales a sharp breath. Six to nine months. No more hikes. Surely you’ll have to go back to New York.

God, you are so going to break up with him.

Turns out you didn’t dump him in Montana, you didn’t abandon him in one of those auto stops along Interstate 90 in South Dakota, and you don’t seem to want to break up with him amidst the green fields of Iowa, but still, he knows he will drive through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It almost seems like a cruel twist of fate, driving the same route you did as friends two years ago, along Interstate 80 headed East instead of West, only this time he’s not hoping to be more than the annoying old man who invited himself on your trip; he’s your boyfriend now, but maybe not for long.

“You know, you really are dramatic.” you say in a teasing tone, “I’m not going to break up with you, stop thinking about that, it was an accident, ‘s not like you beat me.”

“I know, I’m just sorry because you’re in pain and it’s my fault and now we have to get back home but I know you wanted to stay more and I did too and if I didn’t-” he’s rambling, and your place your hand on his thigh and squeeze reassuringly, offering him one of those sweet smiles he dies for.

“Buck, it’s okay” you interrupt his word vomit “like I said a million times before, it was an accident, it’s going to be fine I promise. I’m sorry if I made you think otherwise with my mood, I swear I’m just pissed at all this damn corn. We’re never going to a maze again, by the way.” That gets a laugh out of him, and he loves you even more because you’re always there to lift his spirits. “I’m dreading these next months, the surgery, physiotherapy and all, but I know you’re there for me, yes?”

He nods, teary eyed, and you continue, “And I can’t lie, it’s been a while, I’m kind of excited to see everyone again, I mean except for Sam of course,” you say, as if he didn’t “live rent free in your head”, like Sam himself put it, “Jesus that man, how many of our trips has he invited himself on? I’ve lost count. ‘Member when we found him waiting for us in Phoenix? Fuckin’ weirdo.”

You both chuckle at the memory of Sam in your motel room, waiting on your bed with crossed arms like a disappointed parent, pissed off because you hadn’t called in a week and he was worried sick that something may have happened to you, a deadly sniper, and him, the Winter fuckin’ Soldier. Truth is, Bucky was so excited about your new relationship that he rarely let you leave the bed when you were in your room, and when you did you were in no condition to Facetime anyone, with your smudged mascara and swollen lips.

“I’ve heard Clint will come visit us with Laura and the kids. Nathaniel must be so big now.” you add, your eyes glazed over as you think of the little boy who was named after your Natasha.

“God, Morgan is probably all grown up.” he muses, a tinge of sadness in his voice. You squeeze his thigh again. “And the spider kid too, he’s a grown man now.”

“That he is.” you chuckle, “But to me he’ll always be the boy in the red spanx who knocked us on our asses in Berlin.”

He smiles and shakes his head at the memory, and you both fall in a comfortable silence. Now that he’s not consumed by fear anymore, Bucky kind of agrees with you that all this green is, in fact, nauseating.

“You know what, no more popcorn either.”

“Deal.”

-

A year and something ago

Arizona

“Can you believe there’s a city in New Mexico called Truth or Consequences? We should totally go and visit just for the hell of it, sounds like the type of place Steve Rogers should have been born into.” you state with all the seriousness in the world, and he snorts because after all this time you still haven’t found it in yourself to stop mocking Steve’s righteousness.

You’re walking ahead of him and he’s so distracted by your tiny denim shorts that he, the master of stealth, almost trips over a boulder. You’re always pretty but tonight, illuminated by the orange sky of Arizona, you look like a dream. And you’re so happy, snapping photos at everything you see, that even if Bucky hates the desert and the heat makes him uncomfortable, he won’t tell you, because the look on your face makes it all worth it.

“Baby, look at this big boy here, he’s like 20 feet tall. Oh my god, he’s so cute and beefy, just like you.” you gush at one of the giant cactuses of Saguaro National Park.

He raises his eyebrows skeptically.

All he sees are green spiky motherfuckers that he’s accidentally hurt himself with more times that he’d like to admit in all those damn ‘hikes’ you like so much, but to you cactuses are the most beautiful sight in the word. He genuinely does not see the appeal, but he understands now how you feel when he talks about all his ‘nerd shit’, as you call it.

“I’m cuter.” he says frowning.

“Of course you are.”

For some reason you don’t sound convincing at all.

-

It’s only spring but here in Tucson the temperature is 85 degrees today and he’s sweating buckets underneath the long sleeved t-shirt he’s wearing to conceal his vibranium arm. He’s long past the time when he was forced to hide from authorities or the general public’s judgement, but still he doesn’t want to be recognized and attract attention. He doesn’t do well with crowds, and he doesn’t understand how you can be so calm and collected when people stare at you and ask for photographs while you’re minding your own business.

As soon as you get back to the motel you’re staying at he takes off his soaked shirt, not caring that the air conditioning is probably going to end his old ass.

“What the hell happened to you?” you ask, scowling as you analyze the skin around his prosthetic.

He shrugs. “It happens sometimes.”

“Why?”

“No idea.”

“Don’t you fuckin’ lie to me James.”

You only call him that when he’s in big trouble. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose: why do you have to be so damn stubborn all the damn time? “It’s nothing sweetheart, just sometimes the skin becomes flared when it’s too hot.”

“Nothing?” you shrill, throwing your hands around animatedly, “Nothing? Bucky your whole shoulder is super red and irritated, don’t act like it’s normal. We’ve been in the sun for hours, for days really, why didn’t you tell me anything? I would have driven us back here immediately. Does it hurt?”

“That’s why I didn’t tell you, I didn’t want to ruin your fun, you liked it so much there. And no, it only itches a little.”

Your eyes soften and you move to cup his face in your hands, looking at him with so much love that he feels himself melt away into a puddle, “Baby you don’t need to do that, you know I care more about you than anything else.”

“Even more than the cactuses?”

“Well, now you’re asking too much of me.”

He snorts and playfully hits your arm, then he falls back on the bed and drags you down with him. You stay cuddled like that for a while before you pull back to look into his eyes.

“I appreciate you doing this for me Buck, but you don’t ever need to sacrifice your own comfort for me, okay?”

“I know, I’m sorry. But you looked so happy.”

“Don’t be, and I’m always happy with you, I promise.”

“I’m always happy too.”

“We’re such saps. Gross. Anyways, guess where we’re going next?” you ask him cheerfully, scratching his scalp the way that makes him purr like a cat.

“The plan was New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana, right?” he frowns. You’d made plans together ages ago and you were so excited about visiting Texas of all places for God knows what reason. He’s predicted already that he won’t stand the suffocating, humid heat of that whole area. At least Arizona was dry as hell.

You on the other hand, everyday he’s become more aware of how much of a lizard you are, seeking the sun and walking around in the scorching heat not even breaking a sweat.

“Guess again baby boy, we’re going straight to Oregon. I mean, it's not Alaska but it’s not as hot as the desert here, right?

“Wait, what? Why?”

“Because I don’t want you to overheat?” you state like it’s obvious, rolling your eyes, “We’ll do New Mexico and the rest next fall, and now Oregon and Washington because it’s a little cooler there. So what do you say?” You ask with a hopeful look in your eyes.

“Princess I appreciate you doing this for me, but I promise I’ll be fine. You don’t have to change plans for me, this is your road trip.”

“No you won’t Buck, you’re not doing good and I don’t ever want to see you suffer, you understand? By the time we get to Texas it will be summer and you won’t stand it, it’s better if we visit when it’s colder.”

He smiles softly. He knows he’d do the same for you. “Then Oregon it is.”

You get up from the bed and head to the bathroom to shower, “Oh, and baby?” you call out,  peeking your head from behind the door, “This is your road trip too, never forget that.”

-

Oregon

“Why does Thor get to have places named after him and we don’t? We were Avengers too.”

“But are we norse gods?”

“I mean, not yet, but I definitely deserve some nature’s wonder, or at least a star, to be named after me.”

“I’ll call WMO and get them to name a hurricane after you, princess. It seems more fitting.”

“Asshole.”

You’d been camping somewhere in Oregon’s wilderness when he came up with the idea of visiting all of the State’s so called seven wonders, starting from Thor’s Well on the Coast and ending in Mount Hood near Portland. You took a thousand photos of each attraction and sent a video of the water seemingly draining inside the famous well to the God himself, who enthusiastically expressed his appreciation.

Bucky’s cherished every minute of it, from the hot springs of Crater Lake to the chillier temperatures at night that force you to snuggle closer to him to warm up.

You’re in Portland now, and you’re thoroughly enjoying it, but what’s new about that? You’re always so full of life, so genuinely excited about everything the world has to offer that he’d be worried if you weren’t having the time of your life as you usually are.

He likes the city too, which is saying a lot.

“Blueberries are the superior berry and that’s the hill I’m willing to die on.”

You’ve been eating your way through Portland for weeks, and you’ve been discussing pies for a solid thirty minutes now. It’s raining outside and you’re cooped up in a small pie shop, eating more than an average human can and receiving weird looks from the waitress as you tell her to ‘keep ‘em coming’.

“I’m sorry but you’re wrong princess,” he states with a stuffed mouth just for the sake of aggravating you to no end, “blackberries are just so much better.”

It works as you grimace in disgust, both at his statement and his manners.

He’s found out you are weirdly opinionated when it comes to pies: pecan pies are an abomination, pumpkin doesn’t belong in dessert, lemon pie and key lime pie are only acceptable if someone’s grandma is kindly offering them to you, rhubarb pie without strawberries is a threat to mankind and cherry and blueberry pies are the absolute best. Apple pie is too bland to even take the time to discuss it, although the taste is likeable enough.

He on the other hand likes anything pie and anything sweet. And anything that gets a rise out of you.

“Please Buck, this isn’t even a blackberry pie, it’s some sort of inbred experiment that turned out kinda right.”

He shushes you, barely holding back a laugh when he sees the waiter side eyeing you as you disrespect one of Oregon’s most famous dishes, “First of all, it’s called marionberry and it’s a type of blackberry. And second, keep it down unless you want us to be kicked out, you’re offending a whole state.”

“Sorry.” you shrug, “But blueberry tartness level is where I draw the line, anything more than that is unacceptable.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re still a child and haven’t developed adult taste buds yet baby.” He does love his senior citizen card a bit too much.

This earns him a kick under the table and a scowl. “Stop it, grandpa.” you groan.

He grins and digs in your slice of marionberry pie. You resume to people watching.

God, he loves Oregon. And he loves you.

He really is a sap.

-

Wyoming

Washington was nice enough. You’ve taken him bar crawling most nights, and all of them have ended with him giving you a piggyback ride, per your request, back to the hotel room you were staying at.

It takes 13 hours to drive from Seattle to Yellowstone and you’ve driven all the way. You refused to disclose the destination of the trip and he’s fallen asleep the last 3 hours in the car. He’d mentioned he wanted to see the geysers somewhere in Pennsylvania two years ago and you remembered and took him.

Bucky couldn’t be happier.

He’s still describing the constellations above you when you fall asleep, and he’s so absorbed by the sky that he doesn’t notice until your head falls on his shoulder and he hears your soft snores.

He picks you up bridal style and takes you back to the fancy tent he bought on a whim in Ohio after you both slept in the SUV and woke up with major back and neck pain. He smiles as he removes your makeup with a wipe and does your skincare just the way you taught him, and admires your relaxed state.

He grazes your pretty face with his vibranium fingers, something so unimaginable to him before he met you, as he never thought his arm could bring anything other than pain.

Back when he was a semi stable 100 year old man thrust in another fight yet again, he hadn’t realized the extent of his feelings for you, believing he was only attracted to your beauty and youth. He hadn’t seen the way your smile lights up a whole room, nor the way you listen, truly listen, to anyone who may have anything to tell you, without ever judging them. He hadn’t witness your kindness and patience, let alone experienced them on his own skin. He hadn’t been lucky enough to watch you feed bird seed to the ducks of every pond of the country, or try to rescue a cat from a rooftop and almost falling off to save it.

Then Sam told him you were leaving and he felt like the word was collapsing on him. He’d found the sunlight and he never wanted to be without it.

Now he’s seen it all, all the little things that make you who you are, including your flaws, and he loves you not regardless of them, nor in spite of them, but because even your worst imperfections make you… you.

Bucky doesn’t know if meeting you was a way for the universe to fix all the wrongs that have been done to him, a sort of payback for all the shit he’s been put through, but in case it is, then he’s got no objections. And maybe he doesn’t deserve someone as good as you, but he’s a selfish man, and now that his sunshine girl is with him he never wants to plunge back into the the darkness ever again.

He tucks you both under the sleeping bag and snuggles next to you.

“Buck?” you mumble in a haze, tugging at his t-shirt, “Love you.”

It’s almost imperceptible, but his supersoldier hearing allows him to pick it up. He kisses the crown of your hair as he caresses your back.

“I love you too sweetheart.”

He wants to spend the rest of his time on Earth proving you how much.

-

New York

6 months later

The doctor wasn’t lying when she warned you that recovery would take 6 to 9 months.

You said the aftermath of the operation hurt like a bitch and that physiotherapy hurt even more. Today’s your last session and Bucky is glad about it for many reasons, like how you’re not in pain anymore for starters, and maybe because of how annoyingly fun, smart and hot your therapist is. Not like he’d ever admit it to you.

“Jesus,” you groan, “he turned me inside out like a sock, I can’t feel my legs anymore.”

“Sounds fun.” he deadpans.

“Someone’s jealous of the doctor?” you ask with a mischievous smirk.

“‘M not. He’s not all that.” he mumbles, blushing like a school boy.

You snort and drawl a ‘sure’. He sends you his best death glare.

“Whatever. I hope you don’t mind if we take a stop before going home.” he announces, helping you into the car. His palms feel clammy and he’s sweating despite the chilly winds of New York’s fall.

“Sure, where are we going?”

“Actually, that’s kind of a surprise, you’ll see.”

You beam at his words; he knows you love surprises and he hopes you’re going to like this one.

----

You look radiant as you lie on the blanket he’s spread on the grass, surrounded by colorful foliage. You’re sipping some of your favorite wine and nibbling on crackers as you admire a flock of birds migrating south in the sky.

You are the sun and he’s simply basking in your light. And he’s so selfish, he thinks as he holds the velvet box with the diamond ring inside of it, he’s so damn selfish we wants to keep the light all to himself for the rest of his life.

He’s prepared a long, passionate speech to tell you how much he loves you, of all the ways you’ve changed his life for the better and of all the reasons why he’d be a good husband.

But when you look at him with those bright eyes and beaming smile, he can barely remember his own name. He drops on one knee and holds the box out with shaky hands.

“Marry me, please.”

----

Thank you for reading! If you liked it, please reblog and comment, don’t be shy, feedback is always appreciated 🥺🤲

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky x you #bucky fanfic #james barnes x reader #james barnes x you #james barnes x y/n

[bestillmyslashyheart]

It’s @michaels-blackhat‘s birthday and she asked for Patrick in the Unexpected Tidings AU so that’s what she got. (If you haven’t read UT, just know that Michael grew up outside of Roswell but he and Alex still met and fell in love. This takes place after Michael comes to Roswell for the first time)

Maria, Liz, and Kyle were talking around him but frankly Alex didn’t care. The sun was warm without being too hot, the food was good, and Michael was beaming. 

Alex couldn’t look away.

“Wow,” Liz said, long and slow. Something in her voice managed to snag his attention and Alex dragged his eyes away from Michael long enough to glance over at her. She was looking at him, a pleased smirk on her face. Kyle and Maria weren’t sitting next to her.

“What?” He looked back over at Michael.

“This is what love looks like, huh?” There was a teasing edge to her voice.

Alex glanced over at her, longer this time. “What do you mean?”

Her laugh filled the air. “You can’t look away from your boyfriend! He’s been here for four days and he’s not leaving for another three but you look at him like you can’t believe he’s real or like he’s going to disappear if you take your eyes off of him for a second.” She pauses. “It’s cute.”

Alex glared. “I am not cute.” He didn’t bother arguing her other points. He was looking at Michael like he couldn’t believe he was real mostly because Alex still couldn’t believe this was really happening. Michael was here, in Roswell, with his brother and sister. 

There had been a moment, not too long ago, when Alex had been afraid he’d lost this. The way he’d left DC, the way he’d handled this posting, had been...not great. But they’d gotten through it. And Michael was here. Alex looked back over at his boyfriend and his lips turned upwards in a helpless smile. The sun was catching his curls and making them glow. It had nothing on his smile though.

Michael was standing a little ways away from the house, Max and Isobel crowded around him, as he demonstrated his powers. Well, they’d done the show and tell the first day Michael was here. Now he was mostly just showing off under the guise of ‘training’.

Liz made a sound. Alex turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “You’re not staying, are you? In Roswell, I mean.”

Alex furrowed his brow. “As soon as my enlistment is done, I’m going home.” He’d never said anything else. “You know that.”

“I know,” she agreed. “I guess I was holding off a little bit of hope that maybe you’d decide to stick around after.” She smiled. “But Roswell isn’t home anymore, is it?” Alex shook his head. “Unless Michael wanted to move here?”

“Michael’s moving?” Maria asked as she and Kyle rejoined them. She had two margaritas in her hand and deftly passed one over to Liz. Kyle handed Alex a bottle of water. Maria looked over at Alex then out at Michael. “You’re staying in Roswell?”

Alex laughed and shook his head. “No. Michael’s job is in DC and he loves it way too much to ever leave.” Laughter rung out loud and clear and Alex was captivated once again. “I have a feeling we’ll be back to visit a lot though.”

“Good,” Maria huffed. “No disappearing on us again.”

“Yeah, I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Kyle laughed. He nodded out at the trio. “You’re going to need a forklift to separate those three.”

Alex wanted to object but he couldn’t. Since they’d arrived, Michael had been spending a lot of time with Max and Isobel. Alex didn’t, couldn’t, begrudge him their time together but if Michael hadn’t been sleeping at his house, he wasn’t sure they’d have had any time alone together. 

He was pretty sure that was the only reason Michael was staying with him and not crashing in Max’s spare room.

A crisp ringing split the air and Alex quickly dug out his phone. When he saw who it was he answered it without hesitation.

“Hey,” he greeted warmly. “What’s up?”

“Hey yourself,” he heard in response. “How’s life in the land of aliens?”

Alex looked out at his said aliens as Isobel visibly huffed and shoved Michael’s shoulder. Max stood next to them, laughing. “It’s good,” he replied. “It’s really good.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

Alex frowned absently. “You haven’t heard it?”

There was a noncommittal grunt. “Been a couple of days since I talked to Michael. I know things were a little rocky after your relocation and I was trying to give you guys space in case you needed to work anything out.”

Alex tilted his head back to look at the passing clouds. “We’re good,” he promised. “Michael’s fitting in like he belongs. I hate that he’s leaving in three days but I’ll be home in six more months. We’ve made it through worse.”

“Yes you have,” came the instant agreement. “But don’t let it go six months without seeing him again, yeah? I can’t handle the stress.”

Alex laughed. “Oh you can’t handle it?”

“Who the hell do you think gets the middle of the night phone call when he’s paranoid and freaking out?” Alex might be worried if he couldn’t hear the teasing lilt. “He was really upset that you didn’t want him in Roswell.” That came out much more serious.

“I know. But I had a reason.”

“A good reason?”

“...a reason.”

“Manes,” came a heavy sigh.

“I know. It’s fine now, though. We’re good.”

“Uhuh.”

Alex sighed and looked over. “Michael!” All three aliens turned at his shout. “Your boyfriend’s worried I don’t treasure you enough!” A booming laugh came out of the phone, loud enough that Kyle looked at the phone in surprise. 

Michael grinned and bounded over. He pressed a quick kiss to Alex’s lips before plucking his phone from his fingertips and pressing it to his own ear. “Patrick, Patrick, Patrick, you know exactly how well Alex treasures me.” He stepped inside as he continued to talk.

Alex’s eyes followed him through the glass doors. “Michael’s boyfriend?” Isobel asked, dropping gracefully into a free chair. 

Alex hummed. “Best friend,” he corrected, turning back to the group. “But sometimes I think it’s only because Patrick is tragically heterosexual.” 

“That doesn’t bother you?” Kyle asked.

“Not even a little bit,” Alex replied honestly. “He’s a damn good friend.” And he was. Despite Patrick being in the Air Force, Alex had actually met the man through Michael. Patrick had been another member of the bachelor party Michael had been in Vegas with when Alex crossed paths with them there. He was fairly certain neither of them spoke to the groom anymore but they’d formed a fast friendship that weekend that had lasted ever since. Alex was almost as big a fan of the guy as Michael was. In fact, though they’d never been posted to the same base, they’d been deployed at the same time during Alex’s last deployment and Patrick’s company had been one of the only things keeping him sane. Plus, he’d been the one to save Alex’s life by sacrificing his leg. And he’d called Michael to tell him when the Air Force refused to. 

Patrick was good people. He’d fight anyone who implied otherwise.

“Good,” Max said firmly. “Michael deserves it.” Alex smiled over at (his future brother-in-law? Friend? Friend’s boyfriend?) him. 

“He does,” he agreed.”

---

“You know I don’t want to hear about your sex life, Guerin,” Patrick whined in his ear as Michael escaped into the house.

“You asked!” Michael laughed.

“I distinctly did not!” Patrick grumbled. Michael flopped onto the couch gracelessly. Outside, Alex was looking in at him and Michael met his gaze, smiling warmly. “How’s New Mexico?” Patrick asked.

“It’s great,” Michael replied honestly. “Alex has been worked up over this thing with his dad lately but it’s all over now so he’s finally letting himself relax a bit and he’s good.” He smiled. “We’re good.”

“Good,” Patrick replied. “Now how’s New Mexico?”

Michael laughed. “Hot. It’s November, it shouldn’t be hot.”

“Man, I’m in Florida,” Patrick reminded him. “It’s hot and humid.”

“Yeah that sounds terrible,” Michael told him without sympathy. “Shouldn’t have requested Patrick just for the irony.”

Patrick sighed. “It was a good opportunity,” he insisted.

“You couldn’t resist,” Michael corrected.

“I couldn’t resist,” Patrick agreed. “And now I’m suffering for it.”

Michael hummed. “Hey, guess what?”

“What?”

“Alex found my brother and sister.”

There was a pause on the other end followed by a shuffling of fabric like Patrick had just sat straight up. “What?”

“Yup,” Michael smiled, looking out at Max and Isobel. “We got separated at a group home when we were kids but Alex found them.” He laughed. “Turns out he grew up with them actually. They’ve been here in Roswell the whole time.”

“Holy shit, Michael,” Patrick breathed. “That’s amazing.” He paused. “That’s amazing, right?”

“Yes,” Michael said emphatically. “It’s absolutely amazing. They’re amazing. Turns out they’ve been looking for me, too. As soon as I saw them, it just clicked.”

“I’m so happy for you, man,” Patrick told him. “Does Alex get along with them?”

“Yeah. I mean, they were never friends exactly but they seem to have always gotten along. And now my brother’s dating one of his best friends.” He paused. “He’s my brother.” He sounded like an idiot, he knew, but he couldn’t help it. For the first time in 20 years, he could talk about them. They were standing right outside, not trapped in his childhood memories. 

Patrick laughed. “Guess you have to get used to the desert, huh?”

Michael groaned. “I’d rather they come up to DC but I don’t think that’s going to happen too often,” he agreed. 

“You going to be okay to leave them?”

“Yeah,” Michael replied. Honestly, it would be a rough adjustment, he knew. Now that his connection to them was bright and shiny and intact, stretching it across the country would be a challenge but he didn’t have a choice. As much as their life was here, his was there. Well, it would be as soon as Alex came home. “I can’t wait for Alex to come home,” he confessed suddenly. “I miss him.”

“Isn’t he right there?” Patrick asked.

Michael looked out the window. Someone had clearly just told a joke as everyone was laughing. Alex’s head was thrown back and the sun was making his skin glow. “Yeah, he is.”

“Stop ogling your boyfriend.”

“I can’t help it!” Michael defended himself. “He’s so beautiful.”

“Yes, yes, he’s very pretty and love makes him even prettier,” Patrick grumbled goodnaturedly. They’d had this discussion before. “How do you miss him when he’s right there?”

“I’ve been spending a lot of time with Max and Isobel,” Michael admitted. “My brother and sister,” he clarified.

“Thank you, I managed to make that connection all on my own,” Patrick teased. Michael had the strange urge to stick his tongue out at the phone but he restrained himself. “So, what, you flew all the way there and now you’re ignoring him?”

“No!” Michael denied. “I’ve just been, I don’t know, busy with them. Getting to know them, you know? I haven’t been completely ignoring Alex.”

“Right,” Patrick agreed easily. “But you’ve been spending so much time apart that you miss him even though he’s right there.”

“Yeah.”

“Michael,”

“Don’t take that tone with me.”

“Don’t act like an idiot and I won’t have to!” 

“I’m not!”

“Michael,” Patrick sighed. “I’ve known you for a long time. I’ve had a front row seat to the Alex and Mikey show for almost as long as you two have been together.”

“Your point?”

“My point is that the last six months have been rough,” Patrick didn’t sugarcoat it. “This might be the closest I’ve ever seen you two to calling it quits.”

“Hey, woah, we were not going to call it quits!” 

“I didn’t say you were,” Patrick soothed. “I just said it’s the closest I’ve ever seen you guys get to that point. Maybe spend a little time with your boyfriend? Your brother and sister aren’t going anywhere, you know. You don’t have to spend every second with them.”

“It’s not every second,” Michael denied. But he could admit, it was a lot of seconds. Most of his waking moments, really. As soon as he walked through the door four days ago, Max and Isobel had hugged him then called out of work for the week he’d be here. Alex had taken off as well but he’d given the three of them their space to connect and get to know each other. “Okay you might have a point.”

“Of course I do.”

“Don’t be smug,” Michael rolled his eyes.

“It’s not smug if it’s deserved.”

“I think there’s a flaw in your logic.”

“Oh? Where?” He could hear Patrick’s smirk.

“I don’t want you to be smug.”

Patrick hummed. “I don’t think that’s a flaw in my logic.” Alex opened the back door and stepped inside. Michael looked at him and smiled. He looked good. Besides the sun kissed glow he wore carelessly, there was an ease to him that Michael hadn’t seen in a while. Alex hadn’t been this relaxed since they took that road trip down the Pacific Coast before his last deployment. “Alex is there, isn’t he?” 

Michael startled. “How’d you know that?”

“Because you stopped answering,” Patrick laughed. “You get distracted when he’s around.”

Michael sighed dreamily. “He’s just so pretty.”

Alex rolled his eyes. Michael grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the couch with him. “Ok fine,” Patrick said in his ear. “I can tell when I’m intruding.”

“Can you really, though?” Michael asked. “Because I remember-”

“Goodbye.” Patrick hung up.

“He hung up on me,” Michael stared at the phone. Alex laughed and took it from him.

“You’ll get over it.”

Michael leaned over and kissed him. Alex was clearly surprised but immediately returned it, the phone slipping from his fingers as he dug his hands into Michael’s hair. Michael curled his fingers around Alex’s hips and leaned back onto the couch, pulling Alex with him. They exchanged long, slow, lazy kisses until the back door opened and let the outside world in.

“Really? On my couch?” Max huffed as he walked past them into the kitchen. A few days ago Michael might have been worried, might have taken Max honestly at his gruff tone, but now Michael knew enough to see the upturn of his lips, the amusement behind the gruffness. 

“Really,” he replied, not letting Alex get up. He kissed him again. “Hi,” he said quietly.

“Hi,” Alex replied. He smiled. “What the hell did you and Patrick talk about?”

“I think I’ve been ignoring you,” Michael said instead of answering.

“That’s okay,” Alex assured him. It wasn’t a denial. “You just met Max and Isobel, I get it.” He ran a hand down Michael’s arm and squeezed his hand. “I don’t need to monopolize all of your time.”

Michael sat up. His movement pushed Alex away slightly and Michael pulled him back in. “No. Not okay. They’re great,”

“Hell yeah we are,” Max passed them again on his way back outside. Michael and Alex laughed.

“But they’re not you,” Michael continued when the door shut behind Max. “I came out here because I missed you and I feel like I’m still missing you. We need a day to ourselves.”

“We’ve got time, Michael. You only have a few days here, I don’t want to cut in on your time with them.”

“Fuck ‘em,” Michael grinned. “I met them four days ago. It’s been a great four days, and yeah I want to spend more time with them before I leave, but I came here for you. I want to spend time with you and I want you to show me where you grew up and I want to get to know Liz and Maria.” He leaned forward until his forehead pressed against Alex’s. “You got any plans for tomorrow?”

Alex closed his eyes and pretended to think about it. “I’m sure I could pencil you in.”

“Oh could you? Could you pencil me in?” Michael laughed.

Alex hummed. “Somewhere between watching Netflix and taking a long shower.”

“Room for two in that shower?”

“I think we could make it work.”

Michael kissed him. “But after that shower?” Alex raised an eyebrow in question. “Max has this hat…”

Alex pulled back to look at him in surprise. “You want a hat like Max?”

Michael’s eyes flicked over to where Max’s hung on a hook by the door. “Maybe not exactly like Max’s but I think I’d look good in a cowboy hat.” Alex didn’t say anything. “No?”

Alex brushed a curl out of his face. “Black, I think,” he mused. “You could make it work.”

“Hell yeah I could.”

#malex fic #my fic #rnm #patrick scott #HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTI

[amyf20]

Hall of Memories

first off i would just like to thank @theincaprincess​ for helping me out with the idea, second i know this is long, i kinda just kept writing haha so i hope you enjoy this and if you would like to request anything just drop me an ask! 

Requested by: anon

Would you mind writing a oneshot where fiance!Bucky sees you being proud of an ex or like having fun with them and he gets insecure about being a burden to you? 

Word Count: 1,515

Warnings: none 

Tag List: @theincaprincess​

You sat on the sofa staring at the small bit of paper you were holding in front of you, you had been invited to your school reunion, old school memories flashed through your mind, some good some bad.

Bucky walked through the door to see you deep in thought, he dropped his bag on the floor making you jump.

“What you got there”��Bucky pointed to the piece of paper you were holding.

“it's an invitation to hell” you laughed before continuing “it's an invitation to my school reunion.” 

“Are you going to go?” Bucky sat beside you as you thought about it.

“I don't think I want to go” 

“Why not? Its a chance to see if people have a better life than you or not” Bucky laughed as you rolled your eyes.

“Well news flash, they probably do” you sighed.

You had never told Bucky about your school life, it wasn't something you ever wanted to talk about, you may have been the popular girl but it led you to a lot of bad decisions and you knew for sure that some of the people you promised yourself you would never talk to again would be there.

“Bucky i can't go” you sighed again as you pulled on your jumper.

“I think you should, maybe you will see some old friends there” 

“I don't speak to my “old friends” for a reason Buck, they aren't people i would want to hang around with anymore”

“When is the school reunion anyway?” Bucky picked up the invite as he stood up.

“Tonight at 7” you buried your face into a pillow as you groaned.

“You are going!” Bucky tapped you on the shoulder as he walked out of the room.

“Okay, i’ll go but on one condition” you spoke loudly.

“What?” Bucky peeked around the door.

“You come with me”

-----

You pulled up to your old school, you sat in the car for a few minutes as you watched people walk past, some faces looked familiar to you some didn't.

“Wow these people must be rich” Bucky pointed to a girl holding a kid.

“Yep, her whole family is loaded” you sighed as you looked over at her.

“You know her?” Bucky questioned.

“She used to be one of my closest friends in high school” 

You and Bucky headed inside as you joined the crowd of people you once shared these halls with, you held Bucky’s hand the whole time, you walked down the hall towards the assembly hall, you stopped once you seen your old head teacher Mrs Miller walking towards you, “hello Y/N, it's so nice to see you after so many years, how have you been?” she asked as she looked over at Bucky with a smile.

“Life has been…..interesting” you laughed as you looked at Bucky who was standing next to you smiling. 

You said your goodbyes and continued walking down the hall, memories coming back to you as you pass the lockers, you walked up to your old locker and tried the code, to your surprise it was still the same after all these years, you turned to see Bucky standing with a shocked look on his face.

“Did you just break into someone's locker” his laugh rang out through the hall.

“I was curious, I didn't think the code would be the same” you were about to slam the door shut but something caught your eye, you looked down and saw your name carved into the door along with your ex’s name.

“Who’s Luke?” Bucky questioned as he looked over your shoulder.

“Nobody important” you said slamming the locker shut.

You walked through the wooden doors to be greeted by people you haven't seen for years, you and Bucky stood next to a cabinet that had photos in it from your school years, once stood out to you, it was a photo from your prom, it had everyone in your year in it, Bucky pointed to the guy next to you in the picture and looked over at the tall guy in the corner, “is that Luke?” he asked, you sigh before turning to look over at him, you looked at Bucky and then back at Luke “yeah...that's the guy who fucked up my life” you groaned out.

You walked Bucky around the room pointing out each person and telling him a story or a memory you shared with that person, you were mid sentence when you felt a tap on your shoulder, you turn around to see your ex Luke with a smile on his face as he looked at you “Hey!”, you turned your head around to look at Bucky who had a grip on your waist, “Bucky this is Luke, Luke this is Bucky ...my fiance” you smiled.

“Fiance huh? Well it's nice to meet you” 

“So what’s new with you Luke?” you asked.

“Well i’m in an NFL Team now, we actually just won the Super Bowl” 

“Damn that must feel great, i know that was always your dream, i’m glad you get to live it” you smiled.

“Hey is it okay if I steal your girl away from you for a few minutes, I promise I'll bring her back safely” Luke leaned over to ask Bucky, he shook his head as you felt his grip loosen, Bucky kissed your cheek as he whispered in your ear “don't forget me will ya” letting out a laugh as he walked past you.

“So have you seen anyone you remember here?” Luke asked.

“A few, but not anyone I would want to reconnect with, what about you?” you looked at him as he took a sip of his drink.

“I seen Lauren, she has a kid now, i also think her boyfriend is only with her for her money” he let out a slight laugh.

“I heard Katie got married and moved to Mexico” you giggled.

Lauren and Katie were your best friends in high school, you would do everything together, when you left everything changed, Lauren got a job as a waitress and is now dating a famous singer and Katie went to university and is now married to a billionaire.

“Yeah, her and her husband actually came to our game a few months back, she is expecting her first child in a few weeks” 

“Damn, everyone out here having kids and getting married” you laughed, but before you could continue Luke grabbed you by the hand and dragged you into the corner.

“The real reason i wanted you alone was because I wanted to apologise for what I did all those years ago” he looked at you as you looked down at your feet.

“Yeah it was a dick move” you sigh. 

You notice Luke looking over at Bucky who was currently watching your every move, it wasn't because he didn't trust you, but he knew nobody here, you felt guilty for leaving him on his own for so long.

“Why do you keep looking over at my fiance?” you started to question why he wanted you alone, you turned around to look at Bucky who was looking at his drink.

You turned back to look at Luke who had downed the rest of his drink, he grabbed your arm and leaned in closer, the smell of alcohol hitting you as he tries to kiss you, before he could you pulled away and pushed him into the wall, you look back expecting to see Bucky but he was gone, you noticed him walking out of the dark brown doors as you rushed over to him.

“Buck, wait up!” you shout down the hall.

Bucky stopped and turned around as he watched you get closer, his feelings had got to him and seeing your ex try to kiss you was the last straw for him.

“Hey where are you going?” you asked.

“I needed some air… I also just noticed your ex try to kiss you” 

“Bucky, i didn't…” 

“I know” he cut you off as he grabbed your hand leading you towards a little wall outside.

“I’m sorry if ive ever been a burden” Bucky sighed as he sat on the wall.

“What? Bucky you are never a burden, what caused this?” 

“I seen you laughing and having a good time with Luke, you looked so carefree, sometimes i feel as if i hold you back” Bucky sighed.

“Bucky, trust me you are not a burden” 

“I'm going to be honest, when i see you around other guys i can't help but feel this way, I love you and I just want you to be happy” Bucky looked at you as you shifted closer to him.

“I am happy, i’m the happiest ive ever been, bucky you are all I need and want, i’m marrying you for a reason” you giggled.

Bucky grabbed your hand and looked at your ring, a smile appeared on his face as you kissed his cheek.

“I love you, I promise to make you happy and love you for the rest of our lives” 

“I love you too Bucky”

#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #marvel #Sebastian Stan #request #anon request

[set-phasers-to-whump]

maybe this could be your home

X=done

Prompt: slammed into a wall

Whumpee: Michael Guerin

Fandom: Roswell New Mexico

For: anon

i am so sorry that a) this took a little longer than i thought and b) its not super whump focused or whump heavy. i just kinda went where it took me, sorry! hope you like it though!!! (this is set...sometime in s2? idk when exactly though)

Michael sits across from Alex in a booth at the Crashdown, bouncing his leg. “You don’t have to, like, forgive him or anything.” He pauses for a moment, eats a few fries, tries to find his words. “You don’t owe him anything.”

“I know,” Alex says, looking at the table. “I know, and I’m not forgiving him. I just...I think he could be helpful in this whole mess? And, I don’t know, I mean, I know I don’t owe him anything, but I feel like...I have to try, I guess? Or, I don’t have to, but…”

Michael nods. He doesn’t understand Alex’s exact situation, not really. He certainly will never forgive Jesse Manes for the things he’s done. Doesn’t think Alex should either, or even bother talking to him, for that matter. But it isn’t his choice. 

“I get it.” He doesn’t, of course, but it’s not like he hasn’t been working on repairing some familial relationships lately, too.

Alex smiles, slightly, gratefully, and moves to stand. Michael stops him, reaching across the table and placing a hand onto Alex’s arm. “Be careful, okay?” he says, tries to frame it casually. “You know what he’s capable of.”

Alex nods and steps away. “Thanks,” he says, offering up another smile, slipping a ten dollar bill onto the table for his food. “We’re meeting on Wednesday, I’ll tell you how it goes.”

And then he leaves, and Michael sits in the booth and broods for a bit before reluctantly clearing out as the first wave of the dinner crowd arrives. 

He gets back to his trailer shortly before six, and spends the remainder of the evening tinkering in his lab, finally emerging close to midnight. He takes a moment before he goes inside, leaning against the metal wall of the trailer, gazing up into the cloudless night sky. Home is out there somewhere, he thinks to himself, shoving down a faint voice in the back of his head that insists, home can be here too. 

He closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. He’s just about to open them and head inside when he hears footsteps approaching. How had he missed that? He spins to face his almost-certainly-unwelcome guest and finds himself face-to-face with none other than Jesse Manes. 

Before he can say or do anything, Manes is shoving him backwards, pinning him to the exterior wall of his trailer with a loud clang that reverberates inside his head. 

Michael shoves the other man off of himself easily, but Manes redoubles in his efforts, striding forward and absolutely slamming Michael into the wall with such force that Michael thinks he can feel the metal bending around his body. 

Manes’ face is inches from his now, and-oh, he’s saying something, Michael realizes, and he shakes his head slightly to try to stop the ringing in his ears. His head spins, but he manages to focus.

“-is none of your damn business!” Manes is saying, his eyes alight with rage. Michael is momentarily taken back to that night in the shed, which was nothing like this but also exactly like this, with Jesse Manes dangerously close to him, making him feel all kinds of wrong and terrible, and even though Michael could easily use his powers to escape the hold Manes has on him, he can’t-he doesn’t even think to, honestly. Fear keeps him rooted to the spot, staring into those cold and angry eyes with all the defiance he can muster (which isn’t that much, at the moment). 

And then, Manes releases him, with a snap of, “stay out of my affairs, Guerin, or you won’t like what happens next.” 

Michael doesn’t have the time to process that before he sways and nearly falls to the ground, a wave of dizziness rolling over him. He blinks slowly, and then he is alone, and he sinks to his knees, feeling his back protest, only just now noticing the tang of blood in his mouth. He wonders vaguely just how hard his head had collided with the trailer wall, and tries to focus on what Manes had said to him. But his head is well and truly aching and he just feels bad, so he closes his eyes and does the only thing he can think of-calls out to Isobel and Max and hopes that they hear him.

---

He isn’t sure how much time passes before he spies the approaching headlights of Max’s car-he doesn’t think it’s been that long, but everything feels fuzzy, and it’s possible he’s been sitting out here for hours. He brings up a hand to shield his eyes as the car slows to a stop in front of him.

Isobel is first to his side, asking, “what happened?” in a voice far more laced with concern than he’s ever heard her direct at him before. He explains, in few words, his encounter with Jesse Manes.

Max looks angry, ready to stomp off and give the man a piece of his mind (and maybe his fists). Michael, however, tells him to stop. 

“Don’t go trying to be a hero, Max,” he says, his head aching with every word. “It’s fine.”

Max rounds on him. “Fine-it’s not fine, he can’t just-”

“Max,” Isobel says, shooting him a look. “He told you to drop it.”

Max sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Okay,” he says finally, his tone indicating he thinks it’s anything but. “At least let me heal you, then.”

Both Michael and Isobel snap sharp no’s at him. “You think I’m gonna let Mr. Recently-Back-From-The-Dead waste his healing powers-which he shouldn’t even be using-on a little headache?” Michael asks, shaking his head. Admittedly, it does hurt, and so does his back, and there is still the taste of blood in his mouth, but he’s fine, more or less. 

“A little acetone and I’ll be just fine,” he says, trying to sound somewhat reassuring. 

Max sighs again and relents, striding into Michael’s trailer to locate some acetone. Isobel shifts herself so she’s sitting directly in front of him, and gently takes his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.

“You’re sure you’re fine?”

“Yeah,” Michael says, not elaborating. His head is really pounding now, but it’s not like this is an emergency. If it still hurts in the morning, maybe he’ll drop by Valenti’s place and have him check him out. He shudders mentally, hoping it won’t come to that. 

Isobel looks like she wants to say something else, but before she can, Max returns, the door slamming behind him in a way that makes Michael wince. “Sorry,” he says, handing over a bottle. 

Michael takes a long pull of the acetone, and passes the bottle to Isobel without thinking. She grins and takes a sip, settling down beside him, then gestures for Max to sit down with them. 

He does, with only minor grumbling about how it’s nearly two in the morning and they really should try to get some sleep. They pass the bottle around, and though they don’t talk, the silence feels just as comfortable.

Michael feels the last dregs of the fear he’d felt when Manes pinned him down evaporate as he sits with his siblings, leaning against the wall which had earlier been the cause of his pain (though it was relatively innocent, being as it was inanimate). 

Michael finds himself relaxing for once, feels the headache slipping away, the taste of blood in his mouth washed out with acetone. 

---

At some point, he must have drifted off, because he wakes up with the sun beating down on him, sweaty and alone. He groans, stretches, and forces himself to his feet, noting with some satisfaction that his body feels back to normal, no pain at all remaining. He stumbles inside to change into some less-gross clothes, and nearly runs smack into Isobel, who is rooting around in his cabinets, making disapproving noises.

“Morning, Michael,” she says to him. “Why don’t you have, like, anything that even resembles breakfast food?”

Michael blinks at her, looks to his left where Max is leaning against the wall. He hadn’t thought they would stay. Hadn’t thought they’d quite built their relationship back up enough for that. But here they are, in his trailer, apparently searching for breakfast. 

“We can go out?” he suggests, still somewhat stunned that they’re still here.

“Sounds good,” Max agrees, and Isobel nods. 

“Yeah,” Michael says, “okay.” He grabs his keys from the counter and heads out the door, not even looking behind him to ensure that they’re following-he knows they are. “I’ll drive.”

“I call the passenger seat!” Isobel announces, and Michael hears Max yelp in surprise before the door bangs shut. Both of his siblings race past him and have a brief shoving match which ends with Isobel in the passenger seat, a triumphant smirk on her face. Max looks significantly less happy, squashed into the middle seat, his long legs scrunched up to fit.

Michael smiles to himself as he slides behind the wheel, Isobel and Max already arguing about where they should go. This is nice, he thinks, and for once he doesn’t immediately tell the voice in his head to shut up when it insists, this is home.

hope this was okay!!!! i just love writing the siblings so much, and also i wasnt sure about any ships that you might have wanted so i kept the focus on them! anyway if you were wondering jesse was talking to michael about interfering with his and alex’s relationship (i know it was hard to tell with michaels pov but yeah). thanks for reading!!!!!!

#bad things happen bingo #slammed into a wall #roswell new mexico #michael guerin #beat up #my writing #i say things #again i know this wasnt super whumpy but im sorry thats just where the story took me #also ive never written michaels pov before so this might not be totally in character for which i also apologize #anyway yeah hope this was ok despite all that!!!!! #also agh im bad at titles and i do apologize

[praphit]

SM3: Nice Jerks are the Worst

I don't know about y'all, but I had big plans for 2020. Now, maybe those big plans will still happen, Idk. But, this was supposed to be our year! - that's what people say, right?? This was the year that you were going to go on that vacation. You were going to drop that dead beat spouse, leave that spouse with the kids, and run off to Mexico, right??!. You were going to start that business. Gain that weight. Come out of the closet. Finally tat that left butt cheek. You were going to stop doing hardcore drugs. Maybe this was going to be your year to start doing hardcore drugs. I'm not here to judge, only to ramble. 

But, 2020 quickly turned to shit. Now, we're all looking for someone to blame. Someone has to pay for our horrible haircuts or hairiness, our newfound hatred for our families, and for plenty of much more serious stuff.

I, personally, like to turn to movies for lessons about life. And I think I have the perfect movie to help us figure out who to blame - you guessed it "Spider-Man 3"

This first attempt at a motion picture SM was doing so well. We loved Spidey (though some didn't care for Tobey Maguire, playing him). 

Spidey and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) are adorable. Then, this thing showed up and everything turned to shit (not unlike Covid-19).

Let's look into what went wrong, and who is to blame.

First, let me say that I really liked the action in this movie. There are three villains in this movie: Venom (played by Topher Grace), that thing you see above. 

Green Goblin (played by James Franco), who is... a green goblin. 

And Sandman (played by Tommy Church), who has a body  that is now kinda made of sand - which seems silly if you pick it a part... though so does a man with the powers of a spider.

There was lots of action, and it was all shot well. There is one action scene where there is NO ONE around... I mean NO ONE. It's frickin NY. Peter Parker (not dressed as Spider-Man) and Green Goblin are causing all kinds of damage and making a lot of noise, and not ONE new yorker has anything to say about it? Unless you're a healthcare worker, I bet new yorkers are still cursing at each other from their homes. This was glaring, but Imma let it slide, cuz the action was good.

That's about all of the good I have to report:)

Quick plot recap:

1) MJ and Petey are on the rocks 2) James Franco is an asshole, trying to destroy Peter for killing his father (which he didn't) 3) Venom is trying to kill Spidey (what else is new??) 4) Venom, at one point, infects Peter Parker, to become "Black Spidey" - this, of course, is also when the people of the city started to hate him.

5) Oh, and Peter, mm! He's the worst. I've got something for him later.

There are two major reasons why people talk shit about this movie.

1st - Casting/Characters

Nobody is likeable in this movie

From the very first scene, MJ is singing to us, annnnd it's sooooo boring. I don't think it was supposed to be. Someone in the audience should have been booing. We can’t just allow entertainers to get comfortable, thinking that they can do whatever the hell that they want! - that’s how you end up with stuff like this 

 It was like, if Snow White were to perform a number for a large crowd.

Just Snow White - I ain't talking about no cute animals around or the suspense of menacing dwarves that might turn on Snow White at any moment. Not even a prince who might be gay (that’s the word on the streets). Just a long movie filled with songs from Snow White; that's what we're talking about. First, MJ bores me, then she's pathetically whining throughout the whole movie.

Sandman is cool (despite his love for striped shirts), but we don't really get to know him. 

Side note: He gets his powers by accidentally getting trapped in a science experiment. The scientists, btw, ( And Lord knows what they were up to) knew that something could have been trapped in there, assumed it was a bird, and kept on going. See, this is why certain people don't trust y'all.

James Franco is James Franco (an asshole). Not worth a pic.

Venom doesn't really have a personality (and his host... well, he ain't no Tom Hardy)

PLUS, Peter Parker is a dick (again, we'll get to that later).

The most likeable person in this film is JJ Jameson, and we're not really supposed to like him.

A person with that look shouldn’t be your most likeable character.

Look at this stage - 

Who is likeable up here? Fauci, maybe? But, betting by the amount of times that he puts his hands to his face, 

- there are things he's not allowing himself to say, so though perhaps likeable, if we can fully trust him. And as far as Trump...  Even Trump supporters can't HONESTLY say that they LIKE the man (I mean, if he weren't the prez, would you honestly want him around? - your family?). They certainly can't say that they trust him - though I guess the amount of people looking into ingesting cleaning products after Trump mentioned something along those lines, would beg to differ.

This is the group we're looking to for direction?!

And this is also a problem in the movie. I have to be able to like SOMEBODY! 

I need to be able to trust someone to stop the cheesy-written shit storm that is this movie.

"Cheesy Shit Storm" - how bout that for a visual? :)

2nd - dance numbers!

I actually didn't mind the first one, when Peter is dancing through the streets.

Ha! Wow, he is going for it. Come get it while it’ s hot, ladies!

It's odd, but it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be funny, and it kinda is. You ever dance a lil bit while you're out at a store? I know I do; especially now that we're wearing pandemic masks - no one knows who I am. NBD to dance a bit in public, but if you keep going passed a certain point, it just becomes annoying.

That's why the second dance number is bad. Plus, it doesn't make any sense.

At this point MJ and Peter have broken up. She's singing in a bar, and Peter interrupts her song with a dance number (while using his new girlfriend to poke at MJ). Now, While MJ’s songs of boredom deserve interruption, she didn’t deserve that.

Venom is like a drug. Venom brings out the worst in a person. You're telling me that Peter Parker, with all of the rage built up from Uncle Ben and villains and his life not being all that great; the best or I should say "the worst" that he can do is Jazz hands? With all of his superpowers, he should be out there slaughtering everyone in sight. I mean, he did slap the shit out of MJ though (by "accident"). That's when he snapped out of the evil dance number. I don't know what kind of message that sends. 

"MJ, it wasn't until I slapped the holy hell out of you that I realized the error of my ways, so... thank you? I'm just going to go on about my day now."

I see this misguided scene as a metaphor. Peter Parker is dancing around his issues:

His relationship with MJ has been bad. He's on that stuff (Venom). And honestly, MJ knows that he's Spider-Man. Why couldn't he have just explained to her what was happening? 

"Sorry, baby. I got possessed by an alien again, you know how it is."

And he was dealing with the fact that the person who killed his uncle is on the loose. Another side note: MJ, even though they had just broken up, still cares for Peter while he's dealing with the news about Uncle Ben's killer. That's a damned good friend right there! - especially the way Peter had been acting towards her.

We've got to deal with stuff, people! We can't just get bad haircuts, wear weird clothes, and do drugs! Eventually, that will lead us to slapping the shit out of someone that we love. There are a lot of realities that we're prob not facing at the moment (and some we prob have no intentions of ever facing). A lot of things that we could have done to prevent certain things from escalating, but... we were busy doing our typical dance.

Peter was warned about Venom and did nothing about it. He told himself, "I got this", and clearly he didn't. Honestly, the whole city was screwing up by not helping Spider-Man at all. At the end, when the big fight is happening, and MJ is near death, everybody is just watching all of this go down. Where were the cops?! The S.W.A.T?! Other superheroes? New Yorkers themselves! - they're bold! But, to be fair, Venom came from outer space, so... it was a bit unprecedented; people were prob scared. I'll cut them and Spidey some slack.

You know who I won't cut any slack - Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker!

Peter Parker is a jerk. I'm thinking that Tobey's Peter Parker has always been a jerk; a nice jerk, but a jerk. Have you ever met a nice jerk? They do all of the things that a regualr jerk does, but they'll rationalize their behavior, and look puzzled when you react to their awfulness. I didn't notice this in the 1st movie, cuz I was just happy to get Spider-Man. I didn't notice in the 2nd movie, cuz those kids were just too darn cute. But, his niceness was so annoying in this movie. And he treated MJ horribly : He never listens to her, he’s always late, he only talks about himself, he’s too damned nice, he never knows when they’re in a fight, he kisses other women right in front of her and then is like “What did I do?”

I kept wanting her to punch Peter out; he would have deserved it.

The foundation of the character of the 1st Spider-Man was a problem from the start! If the foundation is shaky, then - whew! I'm glad that we finally fixed it:)

Plus, he never said he was sorry. He did one of those "Well, I'm not perfect." things. She ain't asking for perfection, just quit being a jerk!

A better movie would have been if MJ had been infected by Venom. For starters, she would have given a better performance, in the beginning. Something more like this - 

She would have banged Peter's friends. She would have destroyed her critics. And most importantly, she wouldn't have taken any shit from Peter. That could have been the main plot. Instead of a convultued blend of three villains around the nice jerkiness of Peter, it would have been Spider-Man vs MJ - beatening each other up all throughout the city; though I guess that would be considered domestic violence. But, why dance around real issues out there! 

It could have been a family-friendly movie about drug abuse (Venom) and domestic violence... and possibly some make-up sex in the middle of the city. But, after that, one of them, if not both, are going to jail! We gotta deal with the problems, people!

Grade: an entertaining D+ 

I did enjoy it. It wasn't as bad as I remember it, and I'd prob watch it again. But, I can't deny that on a technical level, it's crap.

"Who’s to blame?" isn't really the question. It's more "Who deserves what percentage of the blame?" There's a lot of blame to go around here... even to us who enabled Peter's jerkiness in the first two movies.

I like the direction that we're going in now. 

A better Spidey A better MJ Better villains

And even a better Aunt May 

- looking all good with Tony Stark.

- imagine Tony aggressively flirting with the older one

#spider-man 3 #john praphit #praphitproductions.com #spiderman #Tobey Maguire #aunt may #tom holland #praphit #movie reviews #Marvel Comics #COVID-19 #trump #dr fauci #venom #green goblin #action movies #new york #superheroes #Mary Jane #snow white

[e-luxion]

Why I think Johnny Suh’s Rising is...

Scorpio.

I don’t know why I had the need to make a whole damn post about it but I am cos I feel strongly about it, and I welcome people to come argue with me about this. ok that sounded semi-threatening, it wasn’t I promise. Please do interact and share your opinions, I love to hear them!! This is a completely useless post but here you go. Also, I didn’t go in too much depth in some placement and kind of kept things a bit superficial and did not talk about every single placement that he would have. 

First of all,

the way he just looks makes me nervous. That’s all. 

Let’s look at the basics of having a Scorpio Ascendant:

The most prominent thing about Scorpio risings are their eyes. 

They are usually piercing, intense and it stands out. Another thing that is common with Scorpio Risings is having “bedroom eyes” and/or “tired looking eyes”* 

Sharp looking profile. I am not going to talk too much about actual physical appearance of risings cos I think it is more complicated than that, like there is a lot that goes into it. But i can make a post about it if requested ;)

Even if the person is outgoing, they are very observant and really good at “reading the room”, and just picking up emotions 

Scorpio Risings are the mfs who just stare at people, they make intense eye contact for like no reason (whether is conscious or unconscious it depends on the person but in Johnny’s case, he 100% does it on purpose, does no one else remember that time he said he makes direct eye contact with people on purpose to make them nervous/uncomfortable??? (that's peak Scorpio AC culture right there) 

Very strong-willed individuals who can overcome a lot of hardship

Values privacy a lot and absolute kings of keeping secrets 

Scorpio Risings also have a magic way of making everyone open up their secrets to them. You probably won’t even realise, they just have that vibe that makes you open up

s a r c a s t i c

it does not matter who you are, what you are, what you’re into. Everyone is attracted to Scorpio Risings and you want to f**k them. I don’t make the rules, we just have that power. You can hate them or love them but you cannot help but be attracted to them. 

also fun fact for y’all, most celebrities have fixed sign risings (Taurus, Scorpio, Leo and Aquarius)

*reminds me of this one thing I saw on twitter once about how he hated when people asked him if he was tired when he wasn’t because he has a natural “sleepy” look or something along those lines

Now onto the fun part, looking at how his chart would look like if he had a Scorpio AC and why it somehow makes sense:

Leo Midheaven: For those of you who might get Leo vibes from Johnny, this might be why. The Midheaven is your “public persona”, the person your co-workers see and strangers see in public/work settings, and well Johnny’s job is being an idol so that is why he might act more like his Midheaven at first glance, and with his Mars also being in Leo, I believe it only heightens this. So Leo Midheaven is a midheaven that you’ll often find amongst performers/entertainers/singers/actors because people with this placement tend to be insanely charismatic, charming, creative and natural leaders. They also come across super confident, in their place of work they are loud and full of pride, you’ll just notice them no matter what. Naturally, they have a talent to inspire others, and sort of have a regal quality to them. The only thing bigger than their ego is their heart (very kind people), but it is their ego that helps them get far ahead in life, they’re also very ambtious and because they are so ambitious, they only aim for the best of the best (i.e. being famous). Great at storytelling, presenting, acting and possess an insanely creative mind, at the end of the day they just want to be seen. Seriously, Leo MCs seem to be those people that were just born to shine, they stand out wherever they go. 

Sagittarius on the 2nd house cusp: Lucky with finances and doesn’t worry much about money or their belongs (not @ Johnny throwing his fucking iPhone like it costs $5), even if you grew up poor (which he obviously didn't, he is a middle-class suburb lil bitch and it shows) you don’t worry too much about money. For some people, it seems like you spend your money a bit recklessly and just buy shit, and like to spend your money on experiences and travelling. Fun fact, I also have this placement I can confirm all of these are FACTS and I- mmm i dont want to talk about my spending habits cos yikes :) 

Pisces on the 5th house cusp: Two words: hopeless romantics. To the point where it’s slightly unrealistic, but that’s a different story. They really want the whole fairytale, the glass slipper and the spotting someone in a crowd and falling madly in love kind of thing. But also they express their love in a selfless, unconditional way, these are the kinds of people who love blindly and accept all your flaws. Can be very sentimental.

Cancer on the 9th house cusp: With this placement others have an affinity for you as an authority figure who has a strong nurturing or protective feel, very supporting and encouraging. It can be an indicator for moving away from the place where you grew up and finding comfort in foreign places. People with this placement also find it easier to adapt to different cultures. 

Virgo on the 11th house cusp: The helpful friend, looks out for everyone, they will always be there for you and great at giving advice. The type that remembers the little things, truly the parent friend cos they look out for you and the kind of person you usually love spending time with and make plans with. Actually only has a few *close* friends.

Sun in the 3rd: People with this placement are usually known for their intelligence and way with words. Sun in the 3rd house people hate to be bored and are always willing to try new things and experience new things (they also adapt very well to any situation), they’re also pretty light-hearted with a great sense of humor and can be mischievous. It also really balances the fixedness of his Aquarius sun. With the 3rd house of communication falling in the Sun, it gives the person a lot of confidence in their speech and pride in their communication skills. It is also said that people with this placement travel/move around a lot. Friendship, and again communication, is very important to them, they make friends easily and have a way of relating to others, also very open-minded. 

Moon in the 7th: This is definitely a people-oriented kind of placement, their emotional security is achieved through others, they have a strong need to be around people. (some astrologers also say that these people are the kind to always be in a relationship of some kind, it doesn’t necessarily mean an official “relationship” but A relationship, be it platonic, romantic/committed or literally just casual dating but they need to be with someone because they hate to be alone = feel unstable without someone) These are also the kind of people who fulfill their emotional needs per se through others, so by making others happy. 

Mercury in the 3rd: This is honestly such a perfect placement for Mercury, since it falls in its natural ruling house so the planet feels comfortable with this, especially being in an air sign (Aquarius). One of things that Johnny is known for is his “communication” skills, hence why he has a whole YT series: JCC or Johnny’s Communication Centre so this placement is the one that makes the most sense. Mercury in the 3rd house just boosts everything that Mercury represents, it might make someone have a short attention span or get bored easily but they pick up on things very easily, they are very good at multi-tasking and have a very active mind. They are usually the type that know a bit of everything, always have fun facts for you and can have a conversation in literally any topic with anyone, somehow know everyone and are friends with everyone, natural charmers. They LOVE to talk and talk a lot, they excel at any form of communication or writing, this reminds me of two things: (1) The translator at the Mexico concert said that Johnny asks a lot of questions, is very curious and excited to learn (spanish) and also talks A LOT. (2) I heard somewhere that Johnny was in a debating club in school. To sum up Mercury in the 3rd, are great at talking, communication comes easy to them and are huge social butterflies, a good sense of humour, very curious like a child and also like books. boom, jOhnny. 

Also to expand on this communication talk: He’d also have Capricorn in the 3rd house, which usually makes someone careful, these are the kind of people that think before they talk and unless they know what they are talking about, they shut tf up. Their voice can sound quite intimidating and authoritarian, but there is something comforting about it. Also tends to make someone very sarcastic, their humor is a bit dry, very dead-pan, the type to make jokes with a serious face and expect you to get it? Also tOO mANy dad jokes. 

Venus in the 2nd: Another Mr. Romantic placement that just fits Johnny way more than I want to admit. People with this placement are big old-timey romantic, they don’t fall in love easily but when they do they do fall hard and are completely head over heels, even if they don’t “fall in love easily” they secretly just want to be in love. They live for the pleasure, the romance and the beauty of it all. The type to send you a 100 roses with a card saying “to my one and only, from your one and only”, or buy you a huge teddy bear that smells like him, do the whole wine & dine you, picnic at a park and then take photos of you. It really isn’t about the huge romantic gestures, rather the small and cute ones, it’s about making memories and creating mementos, but also about the cheesy yet classy romance. They can also be super touchy, very physical. Another thing about them is that they really like to buy people stuff, and shower people with material things, it’s (one of) their love languages I guess. I can’t remember right but I am pretty sure I heard somewhere Johnny always buys members shit, like he just buys them stuff all the time. 

Mars in the 9th: I said I wasn’t going to talk too much about appearance here, but more energy/vibe instead but I can tell you this much, legend goes that people with Mars in the 9th either have a thing for thighs or have t h i c c thighs* or both so.... Very experimental people, lighthearted yet passionate, really turned on by languages and laughter/smiling. This is the kind of person that will debate anything to do with beliefs, and if you question their beliefs they’ll be like “:) :) :) ok cool ur opinion is valid, everyone has their own opinion :) :) :) except urs sucks :)” you know they secretly love intellectual fights, cos they’re opinionated as hell and have strong opinions, they’re super straight-forward and open-minded (regardless of the fact that they have very strong opinions) and are always willing to learn. Not the best at sugar coating things, kind of blunt whilst still remaining kind and humorous. But since his Mars is in Retrograde, the more aggressive sides of his mars will be very internalized. But their desire in life is to spread joy and laughter, they are very good at making others laugh and being playful.  Fun fact: people with this placement tend to move is a very bouncy kind of way, very clumsy. Another fun fact: I heard once that people with this placement may or may not have a teacher kink, and a sex abroad/while traveling kink, also having sex outside. 

*skip to 5:26

Jupiter in the 1st: First of all, I have seen a few Nctzen-astrologers type Johnny as a Sagittarius rising and this would be my explanation for that. Having Jupiter in the 1st will give you similar features and energy as a Sagittarius rising, people with this placement tend to have a larger than life presence, your presence is felt before you even walk into a room. Planets in the 1st house kind of go in pair with your rising (because well, it falls on that house duh) so it has a huge influence on how you carry yourself, how you present yourself at first sight, the kind of vibe that you give off and with Jupiter falling on your first house you just exude this optimism, enthusiasm and honestly? Just happiness and positivity. Also people with this placement tend to have big smiles and a large bone structure, Jupiter is the planet of expansion so it makes “bigger” everything that it touches so in the first house it will make your physical features “bigger”: big smiles, soft cheeks, thicc body, etc. This placement also makes people have a certain child-like quality, a permanent youthfulness because of the way they carry themselves (positive vibes y’all), they are also very driven and persistent people, with this fire inside that makes them succeed in anything they set their mind to, maybe it is because of this blind optimism that they eventually succeed. I don’t even have to go on about how this fits with Johnny because I think it speaks for itself. 

Saturn in the 4th: out of the many things Saturn represents, your fears is one of them, in the fourth house there could be a fear of losing family, also fear of being unloved (even if you are a very loved person, it is always in the back of your mind), also a fear of not being safe, and not belonging. Belonging might be quite important to him and above all, with this placement: family is taken seriously. People with this aspect value family a lot, and feel responsible for their family. And I think anyone that stans NCT can agree that Johnny definitely seems to take family quite seriously. 

Pluto in the 1st: LMAO ok so Pluto in the 1st, is one of the most intimidating placement a person can have. Even if you are the biggest cinnamon bun in the planet, people will be intimidated by you and lowkey scared of you at first glance. You will just naturally give off major alpha intense vibes, no matter what you do. This truly contradicts his (possible/hypothetical) Jupiter in the 1st, I can see it creating this extreme duality (that is very Johnny ngl) of being this intimidating ass man but also being a ray of sunshine that literally oozes positivity. With Pluto in the 1st, you also tend to rub people... a special way. When you have this placement in your natal chart, people either hate you or love you, there is no in-between whatsoever, but regardless of that everyone wants to f*ck you and if they say they don’t, they are lying to themselves. People with this placement tend to be insanely magnetic and people tend to be attracted to them, if they are in a room, you’ll notice them for sure cos their aura is just so intense. QWLL SHAPED LIPS 

I’d like to add this here to back up my theory: How Yuta said Johnny was the scariest hyung, and they all fucking agreed and Ten SHOOK his hand like “finally someone said it, that bitch is terrifying” and then there was that time (I couldn’t find it sorry) where Doyoung said that they were all watching a horror movie and everyone kept chatting and Johnny was like all of you shut up and Doyoung said that in that moment Johnny was scarier/more intimidating than the horror movie. Also, I have this theory that idols show probably would show their rising signs more in airports, cos you know they are just walking, minding their business with their “external self” faces on so I can see how their AC would show more in those situations. And like have you seen Johnny walking around in airports? That tall bitch is intimidating as hell, he has that stare and bitch face down to a T and then I remember he has the personality of a teddy bear and I am like ???????? how 

Note: for him to have these placements he’d have to be born at around 0:30 am. 

so HMU if you want me to do other members and I’ll do some research about it and do a post like that. I am not sure about some of the other members but I do feel strongly about Lucas, maybe Ten, maybe Taeyong (not too sure about him yet)

from your local hoe, Lulu xoxoxoxo

#nct astrology #nct risings #nct birth charts #nct johnny #nct #nct 127 #johnny #johnny suh #johnny seo #seo youngho #suh youngho #ascendant guesses

[omgjasminesimone]

Tequila Sunrise Part I

Logan x MC

Author’s Note: I miss Ride or Die. And the ending was so sad! So I wrote this, a Logan x MC reunion. This is Part 1. Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future parts!

Next Part: Part II

Tag List:  @choicesarehard @ifyouseekheart @brightpinkpeppercorn @powdesiree0816 @regina-and-happiness

Summary: 10 years have passed since Logan and Ellie last saw each other. Logan assumed Ellie would have forgotten about him by now, but considering how her eyes widen from across the crowded bar in Mexico when she spots him, seems like she hasn’t.

Word Count: 1572

Puerta Vallarta, Mexico

“Hola, una cerveza, por favor.” Logan shouts at the bartender over the pounding music. The bartender nods, cracking open the bottle and sliding it across the bar to Logan.

“Gracias.” Logan says, leaving 20 pesos on the bar and taking a seat on a bar stool when one finally becomes available.  

Logan sips on his beer and tries to enjoy himself, but he regrets agreeing to come out with his friend tonight. Now that he’s pushing thirty, he really feels like bars with blaring reggaeton aren’t exactly his scene.  

“Logan!” His friend Paul appears, approaching him from the dance floor with two blonde early 20 somethings in tow. Although Paul is in his mid-30s, this bar is exactly his kind of scene. Paul is also an ex-pat. Like Logan, he’s hiding out in Mexico. Logan doesn’t know the details, but he knows Paul’s crime had something to do with a Ponzi scheme.

Paul smiles, “Meet Claudia and her friend Tracy.” Paul is clearly interested in Claudia, the prettier of the two, and is attempting to push Tracy off on Logan so he can get Claudia alone.

Logan takes another sip of his beer and gives Tracy a quick look over. She’s attractive, but she’s trying too hard. She’s wearing too much make-up, and her low cut tight black dress leaves nothing to the imagination.

Paul gives Logan a pleading look, and Logan resists his urge to roll his eyes. He smiles charmingly at Tracy. “Hi. I’m Logan.”

…

..

.

After several more drinks, Tracy manages to lure him out to the dance floor. She grinds against him aggressively, not at all shy about what she’s getting at. He goes with it, it’s not like he’s opposed to a meaningless hook up. It’s all he’s allowed himself, ever since Ellie.

He shakes his head, trying not to think about her. He can’t believe she still has a hold on him, ten years later. Tracy had been facing away from him, grinding her butt against his crotch, but she turns around now, speaking loudly into his ear.

“I’m going to the bathroom.” She places a quick kiss to his lips. “Don’t go anywhere.” She says.

He smirks charmingly. “I’ll be here.”

She smiles, kissing him a little more roughly this time before heading off.

Logan tugs on his sweat soaked white shirt. It’s hot in here, and their previous activities did nothing to cool him off. He heads back to the bartender, squeezing through dancing couples on the bar’s dance floor, and orders another beer.

Several people get up from the bar stools near him, heading out of the increasingly busy and crowded bar. With the middle stools clear, Logan spots a woman at the other end of the bar, quickly downing a Tequila Sunrise. “Una mas, por favor.” She orders, her Spanish accent a little off but still understandable. Even though it’s loud in here, he’d recognize that voice anywhere. It’s almost like she senses him, because she looks up and her eyes meet his. Those caramel colored eyes, he sees them often in his dreams. Her eyes widen in surprise. He briefly wonders if he’s hallucinating. He looks down at his beer and then back at her, fully expecting her to have disappeared. But she’s still there.

They both head for the other, meeting in the middle.

“Logan, is it really you?” She reaches out, placing a hand on his cheek tentatively.

He pulls her into a hug. “Ellie.” He breathes into her ear, tightening his hold.

…

..

.

He can barely hear himself think inside, so he leads her out to the parking lot. He looks her over again. She’s more beautiful than he remembers. With age, she’s filled out in all the right places. Her dark hair is out of the braid he’s used to, cascading down her back in waves. He really can’t believe she’s here. Could this really be a coincidence? Did she track him down somehow? “What are you doing here Ellie?”

She’s brought her Tequila Sunrise out with her. She takes another sip, and he notices she’s a little unsteady on her feet. “I’m supposed to be on my honeymoon.” She admits.

He doesn’t know why that hurts so bad. This is what he wanted. For her to move on. Find someone better. Have everything she always wanted that he could never give to her.

“Oh, congratulations.” He tries to smile, but it comes off as more of a grimace.

“I said supposed to be.” She repeats. “Well, the honeymoon wasn’t going to be here. Do I seem like a Puerta Vallarta honeymoon girl to you?”

“No. You’re more of a European honeymoon girl.” He responds. Back when he briefly let himself think he was done running, that they could have a real future together, he had dreamed about marrying her. Whisking her off to Italy on their honeymoon, where she would drag him to the Colosseum and point out the architectural features she had learned about in AP Art History.  

She smiles. “Exactly. The honeymoon would have been in Paris. But turns out my fiancé was cheating on me with our coworker. So wedding cancelled and girls trip to Mexico to drink myself silly and forget that I was ever supposed to be Mrs. Ellie Gibson. Riya’s idea, we’re still friends.”

“Your coworker?” He repeats.

She finishes her drink, downing the rest quickly. “Yeah, we work together. The whole office was invited to the wedding. I’m sure all the office water cooler talk revolves around this clusterfuck of a situation. God, how am I supposed to show my face there ever again?”

Her eyes well up with tears. He automatically reaches up to wipe her tears away. “Ellie…” He tries to comfort.

“Logan, don’t. It’s fine. I’m fine. I’m dealing. Trent was an asshole anyway. And he was terrible in bed. Looking back, I don’t think I ever even really loved him. I usually thought about you when we were having sex. You don’t do that when you actually love your fiance, right?”

Logan doesn’t know how to respond to that, but Ellie doesn’t seem to want him to say anything anyway.

“I’m going to get another drink. Do you want anything?” She asks. He shakes his head no, and she starts to head back inside. She wobbles, obviously fairly tipsy by this point of the night. He grips her arm to steady her.

“We have a lot to catch up on. Let’s get out of here. I live nearby.” He says. He’s worried about how much she’s drinking, wants to get her away from the bar.

She looks thoughtfully into her empty glass before staring deeply into his blue eyes, looking like she’s weighing her options. “My friends might worry. But then again, they probably expect me to have some kind of drunken Mexican rebound to get over Trent.”

“Ellie, I’m not trying to sleep with you. I want to talk to you.” He explains.

She pouts. “You’re not trying to sleep with me?” She steps into his personal space, trailing a finger down his shirt. “That’s disappointing.”

He gulps, his heart beating faster at her proximity.  “How much have you had to drink tonight?” He asks, hating that his voice comes out sounding shaky, not confident like he wants.

“If I’m not getting any then I might as well go back in and drink more.” She reasons.

“Ellie.” He warns, eyes narrowing as she makes to go back inside. He grips her wrist, keeping her outside with him.

Her free hand reaches up to his face, thumb tracing his lip. “You’ve got something here.” She says, wiping Tracy’s obnoxious glittery pink lip gloss off his bottom lip. Her thumb leaves his lip to trace lightly over his stubble. “This is new. I like it.”  

His eyes dart down to her thumb and then back up to her eyes, not sure what response she’s looking for. “Come back home with me. Please.” He adds at the end, when she looks like she’s going to refuse.  

“Are you driving us back? Haven’t you been drinking?” She asks.

He lets out a relieved breath, good she’s going to cooperate. “No, I live really close by. Right down the beach. We can walk.” He informs her.

“Easy for you to say. You’re not wearing heels.”

He crouches, “Hop on then.” She happily hops onto his back, and his arms hook under her legs as he stands. She wraps her arms around his neck, resting her cheek on his back and making herself comfortable. He almost stumbles when she starts placing soft kisses the back of his neck.

He quickens his pace back to his small beach hut, needing to put more space in between them. She’s drunk and he’s not going to take advantage of her, but damn is it tempting.

…

..

.

#ride or die #logan x mc #logan rod #choices #choices fanfiction

[sunstriderling]

OR, EVEN BETTER. SPIDERBYTE AND R76 DOUBLE DATE.

“Take that off,” Jack murmurs, his finger flicking over the skull mask underneath Gabriel’s hood. “You’re scaring people. What if someone recognises you?”

Gabriel grunts.“Scaring people?” he says, his tone flexing like he’s only warming up to speak, or like he doesn’t care at all, although Jack knows - feels, like they reside in the same skin - that he does care. “They haven’t even tasted fear yet.”

“Just drop it. It’s dark, Gabe, no one will see you under that hood. They will, however, notice a white mask. You’ll draw attention. They’ll call the FBI on you.”

“Then I’ll kill the FBI.”

“You’re being impossible. Do you want me to go home now, Gabriel?” Jack asks, frustration blooming in his words.

Gabriel shifts his weight from foot to foot. Then, growling, he grasps the mask with his hand and tugs it off. Jack lets his eyes take in the marred face beneath, a small, crooked smile flashing over his lips as he nods.

“Thank you, Reyes.”

“What else do you want? I shouldn’t have agreed to come at all. I’m not the man you once knew, Jack.”

“No, you’re not. But we’ve been enemies long enough to spend one day together for the allies we once were. For the men we once were, and for the men we could have been, if things had turned out differently.”

Gabriel opens his mouth as if to shoot him down, to tell him that his nostalgy has no place in the new world, but then he shuts it and lets out another throaty growl instead.

“Fine. I’ll walk behind you.”

“We’ll sit at the corner table so that you can face away from the crowd.”

“Thanks.”

Gabriel’s gratitude sounds ingenuine, but Jack doesn’t care. He motions him to follow and pushes open the diner’s door, leaving behind the rainy night’s scenery and the parking lot hugging the badly lit road they’d driven on all the way from the mountains to here. Immediately, Gabriel departs from his side, and like a dark spirit he crosses the diner to the very last table by the back wall with its large windows looking out towards the roadside. Jack gives him a hopeless gaze and shakes his head before moving forwards behind the last customer ahead of him and places the order for two coffees. He carries them to the back table, a pain stirring in the bone of his left thigh as he walks, and he’s happy to drop down in the seat opposing Gabriel to get the weight off that soreness. He slips the coffee to Gabriel, who grabs it and pulls it closer without a word.

“Look, I know this is uncomfortable. For both of us, Reyes, not just you. But we used to want this so bad, I can’t let either of us die before we gave it a try,” Jack says.

The coffee is black and too hot to drink.

“You’re late,” Gabriel says bitterly, “I’m already dead.”

“Then call me a necrophiliac, but as long as you still draw breath and have enough of air in your lungs to speak, I’m not going to play along. What she did to you is horrible, but you can’t let that define you.”

“There’s nothing else to define me, Morrison. I’m a dead man walking. You don’t know the pain she cursed me with. The pain I have to live with every day.”

“Live,” Jack repeats, “The pain you live with.”

“What’s your damn goal?” Gabriel asks.

Jack shrugs.“I just wanted to hear your voice,” he says.

Gabriel looks down, and once more, he doesn’t speak. Jack’s about to, when another body suddenly drops next to him. He makes a little sound - one of disturbed peace - and he’s about to shoo the invader away, but then he notices the recognition on Gabriel’s features, and right after, the same expression spreads on his own. It’s Sombra, the infamous hacker from Mexico.

“What are you doing here? Get out,” Gabriel snarls at her, and she giggles under her breath, motioning a taller woman to sit down beside Gabriel.

“Don’t be so angry, grandpa,” she says in a light-hearted tone as the other woman settles down.

Jack’s eyes widen at her sight, the sight of her sickly pale skin, the dark hair that veils her face on both sides, leaving her somehow empty eyes visible. He throws a betrayed, shocked look at Gabriel, already painfully aware that the only weapon he’s carrying is a small pistol - with half of Talon’s most deadly there with him, what chance does he stand?

“I trusted you,” he hisses to Gabriel, but to his surprise, the man reaches a hand out and presses his fingertips against his arm.

“Not so fast, Morrison,” he says before turning to the two women. “What are you doing here? Answer me, or you’ll answer to my shotgun instead.”

“Ooh, spooky,” Sombra sighs, “Look, we’re just here for our coffees. Total coincidence.”

“No, it isn’t,” both Gabriel and the woman Jack recognised as Amélie Lacroix, or whatever the hell remains of her, speak at once.

Sombra giggles again.“Amélie, baby. Go grab me a snack, won’t you? And some coffee.”

“Do we pay for this?”

“Don’t be rude, now,” Sombra tells her, licking her lower lip and then biting it teasingly, “We wouldn’t want to cause a scene.”

“What is this?” Jack hisses at Gabriel, who gives him the sincerest look he’s had the whole evening so far - and then he shrugs, lifting his hand from Jack’s arm and picking up his coffee instead.

Jack watches him sip it despite the heat.

“A double date, I guess,” Gabriel finally says then. “I can shoot them if you’d like, but like Sombra said, I don’t think we want to cause a scene.”

Jack shakes his head. He leans back in his chair and stares out of the window, bitter disappointment and something much heavier lingering in his chest.

“Don’t worry,” Gabriel speaks, still addressing him although his eyes are now piercingly aimed at the woman’s beside him, “They won’t be staying long.”

#reaper76 #r76 #spiderbyte #fic #mine

[moonstarphoenix]

Skate Canada Pt. 4

So I missed the men’s free yesterday because hey, it’s Saturday afternoon, but I’m a completionist and I wanted to see Jason’s and Alexander’s long programs so here’s my thoughts on the competition even though I know most of you already know the results. Enjoy!

Jason Brown is in the unimaginable position of second to last in the standings and he skates first. Let’s see if he does better tonight. It’s weird seeing him without Kori but I’m interested to see how the new coaching situation will work for him. An oldie medley. I miss his more fun programs. Hamilton was supposed to be it last year but he chose the wrong song, it was badly cut and not well choreographed. I think that was supposed to be a triple. There he is. God he has better extensions than most of the women. He’s solid today mostly on his jumps. I like the program for him though. The most frustrating thing about Jason is he could be a top man in the world if he had quads. He’s got the skills, the choreography, the presentation. Just not quite the jumps yet. A nice program overall. He’s happy with the scores and so is Brian Orser.

Kevin Aymoz, the Frenchman is next. I liked him in the short, so I’m intrigued. Oh, to much spped out of the axel. I love when they switch up the music between the long and the sort. It showcases different versions of yourself. He seems pretty on tonight though it looked like he winced there at the end of one jump. Ooooh, interesting move though. He could use a little more passion but a fabulous performance. I really liked it! Side note, I love seeing former elite skaters become coaches. Brian Orser, John Zimmerman. They’ve been there, they know what its like. And how cute is it seeing John Zimmerman coaching with his wife Sylvia?! And hearing the French accent speak English? Wow, did he get downgraded a lot? I’m surprised he’s in second but it must be close to Jason.

Roman Sadovsky is next from Canada, skating to Schlinder’s List. So we re going to dark now. And I just realized how fitting this program is given what happened yesterday in Pittsburgh.

A sanctuary of worship! What is wrong with people? All because some racist, white supremacist hates other people and a different religion? I don’t understand. I’ll never understand. My heart breaks for the Jewish community worldwide. I want to help in anyway I can so if anybody wants to talk, my inbox is always open.

Back to skating. Very haunting music and a very beautiful program to go with it. Roman missed a few jumps but that is one of those programs where I said if done right, the soft music can be as impactful as an upbeat one and it was indeed. Wow, he’s third behind Kevin and Jason.

Nam Nguyen continues his season with La La Land. I liked this program last week and he’s doing much better jumpwise tonight. The men are bringing it tonight. Good for him! An excellent program overall. He’s happy with it. The crowd loved it. Him and Keegan are looking to replace Patrick Chan as the top Canadian man very easily. And he’s rightfully in first. He was cleaner and had a better short.

How fun is it to hear what they say in the kiss and cry? The NBC Gold Pass was the best thing I ever got, especially when you get to see it with absolutely no commentary!

Kazuki Tomono is next and oh my God! Riverdance! That explains the brillant green. Jason’s Riverdance will always be the ultimate for me, so let’s see how this compares. Oh, he is not doing well on his jumps. Two falls on the first two. He skates with a lot of speed which is perfect for this program and he actually just did some Irish step dancing! I like this program! He’s using music from the whole show it seems (and yes, I’ve seen it. Twice. Don’t judge me.) Clean, this will be a killer, crowdpleasing program. I like it. It’s different than Jason’s but just as good. Nice hat, dude. Kid’s got personality. I like it. Ouch, but fair score.

Brendan Kerry will close this first group, skating to Grease is a leather jacket and fingerless gloves. Dude, I might love you. What Grease song is this? Oh, there is one a know. Hey look, some personality. I like the footwork sequence. It’s intricate and complicated. I like him but dude, smile a little. He has potential though. Haha, his coach is encouraging him to remember the camera. Aw, he’ll finish second from the bottom. I like him though. Another to keep an eye on.

Alexander Majorov is wearing quite an interesting shirt and tie. Interesing music but I’m kind of bored. He’s skating very slow and not doing well on his jumps. I will always see Ricky and Lucy every time I hear Cuban PPete. Eh, okay.

I was told Alexander Samarin is actually skating to The Greatest Showman and he even has the coat! I’m excited. He needs to smile though, have some fun. The into in the warmup was stone cold. He’s like no personality on the ice. A program like this needs someone like Jason or Kazuki. I’m disappointed. It’s not well choreographed and the wrong skater is skating to it. There’s...nothing there. The audience should be eating out of the palm of his hand and they’re just sitting there. Oh well, hopefully, there’s another Greatest Showman program out there somewhere.

Daniel Samohin is next. He’s skating to Once Upon a Time in Mexico. I like this music. The guitar solo at the beginning is awesome leading into the more latin flavored music. He’s not doing well on his jumps. Okay, I lied. That was nice. Okay, that’s another one that could be better and should have the audience entranced. He’s not happy with that performance. Lots of missed jumps.

I just realized that Jason will do no worse than 6th. That’s not bad for someone who is second to last.

Now for the top three. Junhwan Cha is kating to the Leonardo Dicaprio version on Romeo and Juliet. Yay for originality! I’m surprised it’s not used more. Lovely purple by the way. Oh bad fall. Very dramatic intro. Oh, I love it. He’s using the dance music from the party scene. I like this program. Using the spoken words during the song, the instrumental of Kissing You. It’s a nice change from the countless classic ballet Romeo and Juliet. Very nice. I enjoyed that performance.

Shoma Uno is not here to play. Damn. That’s a focused face. Moonlight Sonata. That’s popular this season. He’s intense in this performance. Wow. Not clean, but an excellent performance. Sometimes, you don’t need a story to entrance the audience. In first, rightfully so.

Keegan Messing is our final competitor tonight. I liked his short and he is very popular in Canada. Let’s see how he does in the long in a full suit nonetheless. He’s got a lot of speed. It’s less cheesy than I though a Charlie Chapin program would be. Aw, I like Keegan. He’s a great skater. This isn’t on par with Shoma’s but still great, despite the fall. I wonder where if he holds onto to first. And he does not.

Shoma will get the gold.

Jason moves up to six.

And that’s it for Skate Canada. Next weekend, I’m going to my brothers (blah!) but I’ll try to cover Finland I think it is, mostly because I hate going there and skating will distract me. Until next time, my loves!

#figure skating #jason brown #kevin aymoz #roman sadovsky #nam nguyen #kazuki tomono #brendan kerry #alexander majorov #alexander samarin #daniel samohin #junhwan cha #shoma uno #keegan messing

[sixbillionstars]

Before Game of Thrones and the newest Star Wars films, flights to Iceland only left from Denver, Washington DC, Baltimore, or New York. When I learned that the voyage embarks from Port of Hamburg, I figured I’d be flying into Berlin. And after years of watching closely for new United States destinations between the two main Icelandic airlines, this made my heart sing knowing full well St. Louis had recently become a Wow Air destination with cheap flights to many European cities, and of course... stopovers in Iceland on the way.

I won’t go much into how long I had anticipated this experience, however I will say it was a painful wait. First it was celebrities one by one slowly making their way as it grew appealing to more and more travelers suddenly during my freshman year of college and onward. Then it was friends who happened to have stopovers, who could afford it before me, or who were nearer to new departure cities before me... In those ways it was thrilling to feel inches and inches closer all these years. I even had a whole trip planned once to visit Iceland by myself to celebrate the New Year and hang out a week before and after. For a plethora of important reasons I had to cancel that trip, which to this day I still stand behind. So sadly, the most suitable and affordable window of time I had to work with to be in Iceland this time around was twenty hours, since it was a stopover, but a solid twenty hours we spent. An old friend used to joke all the time, “what if you go and absolutely hate it?” which was a possibility I have weighed heavily, even after countless hours over the years reading entire wikipedia pages of tiny, unpronounceable coastal villages with their black sands and fjords, delving into Vimeo videos of Icelandic scenery, and my favorite, the man in a lopapeysa sweater teaching you how to knit. I knew damn well I’d have to come back after such a short time even if it did turn out not so ideal. But after a seven year wait, I am happy to announce that it truly was everything I could have hoped for and even so much more. Maybe because I already knew where to look, or at least where I wanted to look, or maybe it really was calling me all this time.

I was taught a German expression today "Knapp daneben ist auch vorbei” which means, “coming close is the same as missing it.” It’s been circling my mind like an echo of congratulations from the void for just finally being able to do the damn thing.

It is now late into Thursday, our second day in Berlin. Yesterday was spent locating our Airbnb, experiencing jetlag, showering, etc... completely pretty much rebirthing ourselves after twenty hours with none of the checked luggage I truly thought the Keflavik airport would let me access during that amount of time.

I can’t exit this post though without telling a couple of the stories from those hours (and some pictures!) It was by far the most eventful twenty hours of my life...

As soon as we landed, it was time to grab the rental car. I picked out a lovely whatever the car was. At first the reservation said manual shift, which was exciting because I learned to drive on a manual but also I knew the Icelandic roads would be more vulnerable to drivers so I wasn’t sure how revisiting a skill like that there would go. Luckily we ended up with an automatic somehow anyway. Since the Wow air flights are so cheap, they get off by charging passengers for every other thing including meals, so I had not eaten since Missouri by this point (mainly because I wanted to sleep). I felt weak and tired at the rental counter so I asked my friend Alicia to get me something at the cafe nearby. She came back with the first food we were to behold: a caprese panini, but instead of panini bread, it was the body of Christ or something. I apologize to anyone that offends--I mean it in the sense that it was cracker bread meant specifically for religious purposes and not to feed a malnourished traveler. Don’t get me wrong, it tasted good, however the depth of my ketosis and the richness of the pesto was too much. Literally as I stood at the counter facing my first ever Icelandic stranger and transaction, I felt the sudden urge to vomit and ran to the nearest trashcan while Alicia had to sign everything for me in a VERY crowded airport. I don’t think any of us knew how to react honestly, though the woman at the counter was very sweet and brought us bottled waters after seeing my pale sweaty face, despite not totally knowing how to ask if I was okay in English.

Getting to Þingvellir was not an issue, however the drive there involved more of the previous situation sadly. While the girls caught up on sleep, I found our way out of Keflavik onto the highway and quickly back off of it after having tried a couple more bites of the Jesus panini. The first time around I wasn’t entirely sure if it was that was what made me ill or just all of the conditions at once. This time I knew it was that. There was nowhere to even pull over as all of the road space in Iceland is very carefully planned, with roundabouts every few blocks and signs placed not too often or too scarcely. So I stopped in the middle of the road out of sheer desperation -- one of the few very crucial things I had JUST been told you’re not supposed to do with an Icelandic car. I had already begun out the window as I drove simply because my mind was already racing for options. What is the best way here - puking on myself and cleaning that up? No - my luggage I thought I could have today is on its way to Germany. Puking solely into the car? Hell to the no - I don’t care if I bought the insurance, we have the whole route ahead of us and back. Okay well in the time it took to ask myself those questions, all of the above happened anyway. Everywhere. Alicia and Morgan immediately woke up of course and without judgment scrambled into their things for a new shirt and pants for me, helped me clean the car, et cetera, alllllll while locals were angrily and confusedly passing me on this tiny exit I had chosen under the impression it was low-trafficked. Did I mention I chose not to wear underwear on this day of all days? Yes. In my first hour in Iceland I was forced to change BUTT NAKED pretty much on the side of the highway. Needless to say, we threw the Jesus panini away as if it was the one ring to rule them all.

Þingvellir was breathtaking. Every little plant, moss, lichen, dewdrop was so quietly and calmly welcoming. The wall of boxy-looking rocks you may have seen in Games of Thrones was to the left of this photo, with its waterfalls and all. It was confusing finding the dive spot where our snorkel tour was, but once we arrived all of our sorrows were gone. First we met Luis, a cheery Mexican from Cancun, then Manuel the French man who helped us into our dry suits, and then Juan from Madrid was our guide through the crevice of the opening between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.

The moment I entered the water my heartbeat changed for good, not just because of the chilling 2*C temperature, but because it was then I realized I was really, really there. Until that moment, it was all a dream. Simply putting my mask down to see what was below... I still cannot find the words. Our suits were designed to keep us warm, so the crystal clear stream swept us and this rad Australian couple in our group gently along the divide as if it were a lazy river. Silfra is the only spot on Earth where one can touch two plates at once, and I cannot emphasize enough that the land itself gives you that vibe alone, whether you do the tours or not. For as long as I live I don’t think I could forget how it felt to lay completely still on top of the water looking down, like just another little seagull feather or algae, feeling one with the whole damn country.

Finally.

After a pit stop at a petrol station for edible food and something to make the car smell better, we rerouted from planning a drive all the way to Vik (3.5 hrs there and back) to just spending the time comfortably in Reykjavik where we could get back to the airport by 3am, when the rental was due, and for our flight at 6am.

Downtown was as quaint and beautiful as I had imagined, though of course a completely different layout than what I originally pictured. This happened in New Mexico too when I moved there after a year of picturing the places where my friends’ stories from their phone calls were playing out. We found a cute bar to meet locals in called the Smokin’ Puffin, which turned out to have just opened three weeks prior. Made many friends, including Moe the bartender/plant geneticist from Iran, and Joanne, a bubbly expat from the UK.

Hallgrimskirkja and the walk to it however was the crowning jewel of the evening, with apartment windows all open, most of them displaying cute decorations and cats and succulents of all colors and sizes peering out.

I knew it was a rather large church, I suppose I was not prepared for just how large. Walking past the infamous Leifur Eriksson statue to approach the entrance with its tiered architecture and powerfully rhetorical lighting, I lost my breath again. It was a bittersweet goodbye, though I am nearly grateful we did not stay overnight so I couldn’t get too attached to Iceland’s physical presence.

Was honestly just taking a photo of this sweet cat, and realized its owner was behind him drawing. I almost cried.

Moe’s specialty cocktail: coffee martini :)

Me in my very attractive after-puke outfit with this handsome Iranian plant geneticist bartender who was really sweet to me anyway.

<3

#iceland

[sunalsolove]

[Fic] Out of This World [1/1]

Title: Out of This World

Author: @sunalsolove

Summary: Faith and Tara are on the road in New Mexico, where there’s plenty of sun, sand, green chile, and maybe even something unexpected. 

Pairing: Faith/Tara

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Adult language and mild sexual content. 

A/N: Beta’d by @robotgort . Written for @captain-forehead for the @buffyfemslash secret santa exchange 2017 from the prompt: Roadtrip. Happy New Year! 

Under read more for length (~2.1 K) 

****

Faith was not impressed. New Mexico was brown and dusty and there was next to nothing to do. Unless you were a jackrabbit or someone looking to hide, this was not the place to be.

The desert scrub stretched into the distance on either side of I-40, even the dawn creeping over the horizon couldn’t do much to soften the landscape. It was empty and hard…Faith cursed. Maybe she didn’t like it so much because it was too much like the landscape inside her. At least the ocean, palm trees, and crowded sidewalks of Los Angeles were a distraction.

She glanced over at the reason she’d agreed to take this trip in the first place. Tara, blonde hair loose around her shoulders, sat in the passenger seat of the Faith’s vintage 1980s red Firebird. She yawned, and Faith found herself doing the same. It was stupidly early in the morning. They’d stayed at some flea-bitten hotel the night before, which disappointingly had only had a room with two beds and even more disappointingly had a roach in the bathtub. Faith had spent a half hour catching the damn thing and carrying it outside because Tara wouldn’t let her squish it.

The adoring look in Tara’s eyes had made the whole shebang worth it.  

Faith and Tara had been…well, fuck if Faith knew what they were doing. They were sort of friends, but maybe more, or maybe not. Tara had been slow to rejoin the land of the living after Willow had died. Tara had nearly lost her own life to a bullet and losing someone she loved on top of that, it’d made her withdraw. Faith had barely noticed her during that whirlwind year fighting the First in Sunnydale, but afterward, when the dust had slowly settled and everyone had ended up in Los Angeles, Tara had become harder and harder to ignore.

She was the opposite of Faith: soft, shy, warm. Tara really listened and could be quietly supportive with no judgment. At some point, Faith had found herself hanging out more with Tara then with any of the new Slayers, Buffy, or what remained of Angel and his team. Tara was something Faith had never had before, a safe place to land.

One day, wanting to be around had changed to wanting to know what Tara’s lips tasted like or if her skin was as soft as it looked. Faith was almost sure Tara was attracted to her, but she didn’t know how to ask. Tara wasn’t some random person Faith was going to pick up for a one-night stand, and she didn’t have any experience going the long haul with someone, but Tara made her want to try. Faith just didn’t know how to tell her that. Now she wasn’t sure where she stood with Tara, so when Giles had asked them to head to New Mexico to check out a rash of reports talking about mysterious lights in the desert, Faith had jumped at the chance. So far exactly zero had happened, but there was still time.

Faith wasn’t used to her courage failing her, but she’d never wanted something real like this before.

It was terrifying and exhilarating. She tightened her hands on the Firebird’s wheel. This wasn’t something she could screw up.

A billboard caught her eye.

“Hey, you want some breakfast?” Faith asked.

“Does it require me to open my eyes?”

“In, like, thirty minutes. There was an ad for someplace in Albuquerque known for their cinnamon buns.”

That got Tara’s attention. “Really?

Faith smiled. It felt good to get something right.

****

The restaurant was totally western kitsch. ‘The Frontier’ the sign on the front read and the inside was filled with paintings and decorations of the old West. It was pretty awesome, actually, but Faith was playing it cool. Tara, on the other hand, was staring round-eyed at everything and eagerly pointing out her favorites. It was making the whole thing more fun. Tara had that kind of magic, the kind that made the world seem a less tired place to be in, even for a Slayer.

Carrying the tray, Faith followed behind Tara, who chose a table next to an oversized picture of John Wayne.

“This thing’s the size of my head,” Tara said, picking up a fork and poking at the cinnamon bun.

“If that’s your head, this is my arm.” Faith was appalled at the sheer size of the breakfast burrito she’d ordered. It was going to require a knife and fork to eat, and maybe some other people to finish it up. And more green chiles. Those things were yummy. She cut herself a bite.

“Do you think we��re actually going to find anything out there?” Tara asked, her mouth full. There were drops of sticky sugar on her lips, making them glisten. Faith wanted to lean over and lick them off. Instead, she casually leaned back against her chair.

“Hell if I know. Giles must think something’s up, otherwise, he would have sent a couple of the baby Slayers, but he must not have expected the worst since he didn’t send Buffy and Spike.”

Tara giggled. “Like they would have been useful, they’d probably just be out in the desert sucking face all night.”

Faith rolled her eyes and hunched forward a little, pretending she hadn’t just been thinking about doing something similar with Tara. “Yeah. They make me ill.” She stabbed another piece of her burrito.

“Love can be nice,” Tara said.

Faith didn’t look up, just stuffed the bite into her mouth and nodded. She dumped some of her extra chile on the next piece she cut.

Tara, ever perceptive, changed the topic. “Do you really like that stuff?”

“I’m eating it, aren’t I?”

“That’s not an answer.”

Faith tapped the handle of her knife on the table. “It tastes good. You should try it.”

“You still didn’t tell me if you like it.”

Faith finally looked up at Tara, who was smiling slightly. “Fine. Have it your way. I like it. There, happy?”

The smile got a little wider. “Did it hurt to say it?”

Faith made a face. “I think I broke my arm.”

Tara reached over and patted Faith’s shoulder. “There, there. Maybe I should kiss it and make it better?”

Faith’s heart jumped sideways in her chest. The teasing tone, the happy expression, the warmth in Tara’s eyes. Faith’s knee jiggled up and down.

“I’ll ask again later,” Tara said gently. She cut another bite of cinnamon roll and slowly wrapped her lips around it.

Faith’s knee bounced faster.

****

The desert didn’t look quite as ugly as it had that morning as twilight unfurled across the vast sky. They were somewhere south and east of Albuquerque, pretty much in the exact middle of nowhere. The paved road had turned into a gravel road, which had become a dirt road, that’d led to an eventual dead end. There was sagebrush, scrub, and lots of rocks leading off to distant hills and mesas.

Faith had parked the Firebird and pulled a bunch of blankets and pillows out from the backseat and Tara had set up a kind of nest on the hood of the car. There were quilts under them for padding and a few on top, since it was spring and the nights were still chilly.  They were seated on the hood and reclined against the car’s windshield.

“This is sort of silly,” Faith said. “A couple people say they see some fast moving, low flying lights and a witch and a slayer end up staring up at the sky in an open field?”

Beside her, Faith could feel Tara shrug. “It’s been a pretty persistent rumor.”

“It’s probably just a helicopter or drug smugglers or something.”

“Or something.”

In the distance, coyotes howled in an eerie chorus.

Faith shivered.

Tara rolled on her side towards Faith. “Don’t tell me you’re scared?”

“I don’t know about being out in…in…”

“Nature?”

“Yeah.” Faith fidgeted with a loose thread on one of the blankets. A star appeared in the sky as dusk started to become night. “I know how to survive in the city. There I’m all five by five. Here…I don’t know anything about how to stay alive unless it’s something I kill because it tries to kill me first. I guess that wouldn’t be anything new.”

Tara let out a small sigh. “You don’t have to worry. I know a thing or two about being outdoors, and I think we have enough Twinkies and soda to survive for the next three months.”

Faith snorted and kept her eyes on the sky, now a deep purple with more stars making themselves visible.

“What else are you scared of, Faith?” Tara curled a strand of Faith’s dark hair around her finger and gently tugged.

Faith thought about lying. Saying something dumb like spiders or heights, but they were out here, alone, with no one else around for miles. There was no reason to run or hide. “You,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“Me?” Tara sounded completely confused. “You’re scared of me?”

Faith laughed softly. “Not that you’re going to make me into a newt.” She yanked harder on the thread, but it stayed stubbornly attached to the quilt. “I think I’m saying it wrong. I’m not frightened of you. Just…how I feel about you.”

“Oh.”

Faith bit her lip and closed her eyes when Tara didn’t say anything further. Fuck. Faith had thought that maybe Tara had been feeling the same, but it was probably a whole bunch of wishful thinking bullshit and…

Soft.

Tara’s lips were soft and her body warm and luscious. She’d rolled so she was halfway on Faith, smushing her slightly against the Firebird’s windshield. It was a nice smush. Faith wrapped her arms around Tara, holding her close.

When Tara broke the kiss and they were both panting for air, Faith looked up into Tara’s eyes, which were hard to read in the darkness.

“I like you,” Faith said, her voice husky.

“I like you too, it’s why I kissed you.”

“Oh. That makes sense.” Faith laughed. “I…I’m bi…bisexual.”

Tara blew out a breath. “And I’m a lesbian and the sky is blue. Any other really obvious things we should state?”

“I just thought I should say it, because some people—”

“I’m so not some people.”

Faith cupped Tara’s cheek. “You got that fucking right.”

Their mouths met again, hungry for each other. Faith’s hand slid down Tara’s back, found the gap between her blouse and skirt, and brushed over the bare skin there.

Tara gasped and shuddered in Faith’s arms, which made Faith bolder. She inched her fingers under Tara’s top until she found the strap of Tara’s bra. Faith slipped a finger under it and traced back and forth, delighted by how Tara wiggled and moaned.

Faith closed her hand over the bra’s fastenings when a blindingly bright white light flared to life from above.

Tara squeaked and rolled off Faith onto her back.

Hovering above the Firebird was…something. It was more than three times the size of the car, roughly triangular in shape, and had three lights which were spotlighting the car, throwing the surrounding desert into stark relief.

“Hey! Close Encounters!” Faith shouted. “No free shows!”

The…something spun lazily overhead, then darted straight up, soundlessly and incredibly fast, until it had disappeared among the stars.

“Was that…what I think it was?” Tara asked in a tiny voice.

Faith snorted. “It was probably a weather balloon.”

“I’m sure,” Tara said with a giggle. “I suppose we should go tell Giles about our weather balloon sighting? I can tell him I didn’t get any scary, negative feeling from said weather balloon.”  

Faith sat forward and put her head in her hands. “Yeah, sure.” She didn’t know if Tara was going to try and pretend what had been happening before the…something had shown up, hadn’t been happening. It might have been more of a fluke than the lights.

Tara rubbed Faith’s back. “No pouting. We can stop and get one of the green chile cheeseburgers you like so much, and I bet we can find a motel that only has one room with a single bed left to rent.”

“Okay,” Faith said. “That doesn’t sound so bad.” She leaped off the hood of the car and paused. “Are you going to bitch the whole time that I taste like green chiles?” Inside her heart was beating a million times a minute. That didn’t sound like Tara was going to pretend to forget at all.

Tara blushed. “Maybe I don’t mind them so much after all.” She gathered up the blankets and pillows. “And maybe we’re going to need a nice, long trip here to explore all kinds of interesting…phenomenon.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Tara caught Faith’s eye. “Me too.”

Overhead, a shooting star streaked across the heavens.

#buffy femslash secret santa #Tara x Faith #btvs fanfiction

[awayfromthedesk]

Unsollicited Advice for the Class of 2020 in your teens, 20s and 30s.

By Athena Fosler-Brazil, Christine Argueza-Prince and Marielle Argueza

As a first-generation college graduate and a veteran attendee of several graduation and promotion ceremonies (because all my siblings are smarty pants), I want to acknowledge that for the graduating class of 2020, this can be an intensely emotional time. You were promised to participate in a tradition and to celebrate your accomplishments in front of your peers, family, friends, mentors and teachers and a public health crisis took it away. 

There are tens of millions of students in the class of 2020 who will miss out on their graduation ceremonies in the United States. It’s a milestone that some have taken to recognizing online or celebrating out in the streets with neighborhood parades. Where it won’t be happening is out in the sun, in the hot fields and stadiums, or crowded gyms and auditoriums of their respective campuses because of health restrictions. 

But let’s not dwell on that. I speak from experience from when I say, graduating and moving from one phase of life to another, does not come from sitting in an hours-long ceremony filled with—let’s be honest—pretty bad speeches with hit-or-miss jokes and administrators with cringe-worthy mispronunciations of your name. I don’t even remember my keynote speaker’s name, just that her advice was to say “yes” to everything, which is just a setup for needless self-sacrifice IMHO. That speech was the most dreaded of things I really didn’t want to hear as a know-it-all 21-year-old: unsolicited advice. I was rolling my eyes the whole time.

So naturally, I and two graduates of 2020 are giving you unsolicited advice—hopefully better than my class of 2015 keynote speaker’s advice—to immerse you in the full-experience of graduation. Athena Fosler-Brazil is an outgoing senior of  Carmel High School and Christine Argueza-Prince, a recent graduate of University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health (and also my oldest sister). Instead of asking them to write a commencement speech, I asked them to cut to the chase. What nuggets of wisdom would they give to their younger selves, and ultimately to those moving from one phase of life to another.

Without further ado here is your list of unsolicited advice:  

In Your Teens By Athena Fosler-Brazil 

1. Don’t let your peers convince you that caring about things is uncool. 

2. Stop pretending to like the music your crush likes if it genuinely sucks. 3. It’s really worth it to ask questions in class.

4. It’s okay to shed the relationships that are no longer fulfilling in order to make room for new ones. 

5. No high school relationship is worth planning your future around. 

6. You may not be friends forever, but that doesn’t make the friendship less valuable. Not everything meaningful must also be permanent.

7. Find a teacher at school who will help you skip “mandatory” pep rallies. 

8. Good teachers will change your life if you lean into your education.

9. Crying in front of other people doesn’t make you weak. 

10. Remember that your life will never be as easy as it is right now. Enjoy being supported and be grateful for it. 

11. Approach your education as a privilege and not as a chore.

12. You’ll stop worrying about what other people think about you once you realize that people are very rarely thinking about you. I mean this in the best way possible. 

13. Learn how to advocate for yourself. Now. 

14. Sometimes risky decisions lead to good memories and great stories. Sometimes risky decisions lead to trauma. 

15. Learn how to omit excessive “likes” from your sentences before you become an actual adult. 

16. Don’t make everything into a Big Deal. 

17. It is rare that you can successfully teach a shitty friend how to not be a shitty friend. 

18. Remember that you are only at the beginning. 

In Your 20s

By Marielle Argueza

1. Contrary to the informational pamphlet, universities can’t bring you the real world. You have to seek it out and live in it. 

2. You may never become friends with your parents, but you can forgive them.

3. Friend breakups are as difficult as romantic breakups.

4. Take off your makeup before you sleep and wear sunscreen. Every. Single. Day.

5. You are not your job, your major or your relationship. 

6. Wash your sheets frequently. You’ll feel better. 

7. No Karen, you’re not “honoring” your one-sixteenth Cherokee “heritage” with that headdress that you want to wear to Coachella. 

8. Learn to listen by shutting up and learn to respond with a question. 

9. The universe is not conspiring against you, but your priorities might be. 

10. Caring about the environment doesn’t necessarily mean going vegan and buying new shoes made of recycled ocean plastic. A lot of the time it’s revamping your consumption. 

11. Find your shade of red lipstick. 

12. Sometimes you’re different, but other times you’re average. Embrace both. 

13. Failures are almost always constructive criticism. Verbal and psychological abuse is not.

14. Look at your bank statements every single week. 

15. You’re probably using the words “actually” and “literally” incorrectly. 

16. Know how to order and make a cocktail that you like. 

17. If you want to travel cheaply and well, think small. Stay in neighborhoods and make friends in those neighborhoods, instead of generalizing an entire country. London isn’t the entire UK. Parisians are different from the Lyonnais. Cabo isn’t the capital of Mexico, Chad.

18. Assume you are never the smartest person in the room and that’s OK. 

19. Sorries aren’t reserved for the douche bag talking over you. They’re for apologies. For example: “Sorry, I’ll try not to finish this thought while you’re talking over me...d-bag.” 

10. Learn to be proud of yourself. You’ll find more validation in yourself than in others. 

In Your 30s By Christine Argueza-Prince 

1. Thirties are really the new 20s. “You get a re-do! You get a re-do. Everyone gets a re-do!” -Oprah 

2. By now, people you know will have had babies, are married (or divorced), and have a bunch of letters like PhD, MBA, and M.D. after their names. Measure your success with your own stick.

3. If you’re not using a calendar and the Pomodoro Technique, you’re not as productive as you think you are. 

4. Wit and grit will get you pretty damn far.

5. There will never be “a good time to have a baby.” Define your own timeline. 

6. Two words: email etiquette 

7. The time to start thinking about your next promotion is the day you get promoted. Don’t get too comfy. 

8. Have the audacity to put yourself in charge (see no.9)

9. ...you can start by planning and hosting a party. Preferably not the kind that results in two DUIs and a paternity test.

10. Public speaking is a skill to master. Know how to present without PowerPoint slides. Gasp!

11. Find a good tailor and hem your clothes to fit you. Zara didn’t know that you’re 5’2 and curvy.

12. Find someone to mentor. Then you will know if you are truly ready to lead. 

13. If you had a crappy day, it is not okay to unload it at home. If you must, it is wise to ask if people have the mental space for it.

14. Learn how to fight with your significant other without slamming doors and breaking dishes.

15.  If you’re feeling unusually moody, numb, or uninterested in the things that typically make you happy—please ask for help. 

16. It’s easy to become a cynic. This perspective is not your only option. 

17. Ninety percent of your groceries should come from the perimeter of the grocery store. 

18. Instant food is (mostly) gross. Know how to make your childhood faves like mac and cheese and pizza from scratch. 

19. No, chicken breast doesn’t need to be washed before cooking. But you do need to season them, Shiela. Remember this: lemon pepper is poison. 

20. If coffee is life, you should have a moka pot, pour over, or french press in your cupboard. On that note, grind your own coffee beans. 

21. Treat yourself on your own dime. 

22. Treat your health and wellness first. I am talking about that really good moisturizer, a 90-minute massage and a bouquet of flowers just because. 

23. A 13 percent interest rate for a BMW is not a good decision. Your paycheck should pay YOU, not Sammy the sales employee of the month. 

24. You should be on your own Netflix, phone, and car insurance plan by now. 

25. Take care of your mouth. Nothing is worse than your future boss or beau walking away because you have terrible oral hygiene. Colgate is BOGO at Walgreens, so is lip balm. 

26. As it turns out, orange is not the new black. If you must get a tan, go to the beach. 

27. No Ashley, you did not live in Europe on your post-college trip. That was a vacation and Europe is one whole continent. Also, Disney is not the happiest place on Earth. 

28. Know the freedom of traveling or eating in a really fancy restaurant all by yourself. 

29. You can always see how a (wo)man will treat you in seven years with a baby when you invite them over for a home cooked meal. If they’re dancing you around in the kitchen—they’re a keeper!

30. If you are not living that fragrance-free, pasture-raised, organic life, you’re not about that life. No, really. Read labels and know what can prolong your sweet life and what can kill you. 

From everyone at Away from the Desk, congratulations class of 2020. 

#2020 #classof2020 #featured #clutter #_full_size

[starboyjxmin]

Serendipity (Taehyung x Reader) Pt. 1

Synopsis: A language barrier can be easily overcome if you truly love, but what about seas, prejudice, cultural differences, family views, and fame? Maybe this was never meant to be. He never meant to be the one who led you to your downfall.

Warnings: Relationship abuse, Vulgar language

Genre: Social commentary, Romance

Word Count: 4129

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

The only reason why you ever agreed to come to Korea with your friends was because they had promised to go to Bryson Tiller’s next concert in LA with you. It was fine really. Your plane ticket? Paid. Hotel room? Paid. Room service? Paid. Transportation? Paid. Food and water? Paid by your sugar daddy. 

“I still can’t believe you have a sugar daddy.” Your friend, Jake, whispered to you as everyone loaded into the taxi that was taking you all to the hotel.

“Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to pay for college?” You shot back at him in a low voice. Maryann, another friend, looked at you two quickly before the taxi driver told her something in Korean. 

“That doesn’t mean you should prostitute yourself, you know.” 

“I’m a sugar baby, not a prostitute.” He rolled his eyes as he began to load his luggage into the truck.

“It’s not different.”

“Yes it is.” You were incredibly angry at Jake for his ignorance. “I simply go on dates with the man, hear about his day. We don’t have sex. That isn’t what sugar babies do.” Jake scoffed as he began to place your luggage on top his his and in between Maryann’s. 

“Lots of them have sex with their sugar daddy. It’s only a matter of time before you do as well.” Jake could never fully respect what you ever did.

 You were triple majoring, it was a lot of money. You had fucked up in high school and ended in community college but transferred out at the end of the first year because you were constantly on your counselor about taking extra classes to leave early. This determination landed you at Stanford. But it was expensive, you did not receive a full ride even though you clearly deserved it. Working helped but it was difficult with your tight school schedule. So you did what your older friends did; get a sugar daddy. Ray was sweet, and you had told him you weren’t going to have sex with him in exchange of money, just give him company. The 37 year old man happily agreed, giving you an allowance of $4,000 biweekly. All of it went towards school. He had offered to pay off your school from the beginning but you had simply told him the allowance was okay and enough for you to put in money every chance you got for your education and school supplies. 

As a photographer, psychiatrist, and business major, you were always busy. But summer vacations had finally come and you were more than happy to leave the stress of university for a bit. 

“Hey, (Y/N)?” Maryann was directing the driver to the hotel and soon turned to you.

“Hm?” You were focused on your hands, looking pitifully at how fragile they seemed as you turned over the words that Jake had spat at you. 

“We are going to a Kpop fan meeting.” You looked up at her face. A smile illuminated her face. 

“I thought we were here because your sister was getting married here.” 

“That too.” 

“How convenient,” Jake muttered. She smacked his arm, rolling her eyes. 

“Can I know what Kpop band?” Maryann quickly turned to the taxi driver making hand gestures so he could park correctly. As if the man hadn’t lived here all his life, you thought.

“BTS. You like them remember? Namjoon is your bias.” Ohhh of course, she had introduced them to you nearly a year ago. 

“Oh damn, really? That’s so cool, I love them!” Jake began to groan as he kicked his head back.

“I really can’t believe I let you talk me into this, Mary.” She was giving the taxi man money, ignoring her dick of a boyfriend. Everyone soon got out of the car, with the trunk being popped open, you stood outside the stuffy car and looked around. Daegu was beautiful. Ray had told you about how Seoul was just too crowded, the hype around it wasn’t much real. But Maryann swore it was just as wonderful as Daegu. 

“Take in all the fresh air, princess, I bet your ‘daddy’ stuffs his old balls in your throat too much.” You opened an eye to see Jake contently looking at you. 

“What the fuck, why are you always like this?” His behaviour was always the worst, you had no understanding as to why Maryann stayed with him. Sure, he was gorgeous with a beefy body. Lumbar beef cake man, that’s how gorgeous he was but his personality was shit.

“Stop bickering you two, get your luggage so we can go sign into our rooms.” Maryann was scowling mostly you as she pulled an old Nike backpack that held your clothes. 

“You know,” Jake began as you two picked up the luggage. “I don’t understand how you don’t have enough money to buy yourself nice things instead of always thrift shopping.” You ignored him as you walked past the doors of the hotel. But that didn’t seem to stop him. “Doesn’t your pimp pay you good?”

“Enough.” You set your Adidas workout back on the counter of the check in desk. Maryann looked at the two of your from the corner of her eye as she talked to the clerk. “Can you please stop?” 

“Here,” She thrusted the card of your room into your side. “Go.” You didn’t need to be told twice. 

You were laying in the enormous bed, crying silently. 

It wasn’t healthy that Maryann just stayed with Jake. He was fucking horrid. Things like this weren’t something good, much less to be romanticized. 

A soft knock was soon heard on your door. 

“Come in,” You quickly wiped the tears away as the door opened.

“Hey,” Maryann softly spoke as she entered. “You’re going to have to go by yourself.” She sat next to you in bed, looking down as her hands ran through her hair.

“Why’s that?” Maryann remained silent for a few seconds.

“Jake said it would be best if we stayed here.”

“Wait no. You’re the only one who speaks fluent Korean! I won’t understand them! They won’t understand me either!” You quickly got a hold of her hands.

“Jake said no, (Y/N)” Her sharp tone made you drop it immediately. “Here,” She quickly thrusted the ticket into your hand, “I already got you an uber, it should be here in 30 minutes. Korean beauty is more simple than ours. You’ll be fine.” Forget that, I was going to do a sharp ass wing, make my brows as thick as my ass, and my cheekbones as defined as my sexuality.

“Okay...Will you be going to eat?” 

“Something like that. I’ll go so you can get ready.” She quickly left without much anything, leaving you confused.

“Well... I guess?”

The whole thing was mayhem, a complete disaster even if it did not seem so. Everyone was pretty rude to you given you didn’t speak their tongue but you knew it was your fault for being extremely ignorant about not learning it, instead learning ASL. Not that it was wrong to learn ASL but Maryann always said German and Korean was more important to learn for the business field. 

Seeing how the fans flocked and submissively obeyed to the boys on the stage, it was wonderful to see how the band were conductors themselves and with a simple flourish of their batons, hands, the large symphony of fans would either crescendo or decrescendo or simply stop altogether.  

But it wasn’t until they started to call us up onto the stage to meet the boys that things got difficult for you. You were pushed to the end of the line, how embarrassing. You would be the final impression they would take away from this brigade. 

“Hi,” You awkwardly bowed your head as you kneel in front of the long table, and in front of Seokjin. He smiled and instantly reached out for your hands.

“Hi!” It was obvious to him that you were a foreigner due to the different style of makeup you had on and your facial characteristics were western. He mentally thanked himself for talking English classes back in his school days. “How are you?” 

You smiled back instantly, the huge worry that was pitted in your stomach became at ease.

“I’m good, thank you for asking.”“ He kept holding your hands while his other hand started signing the album Maryann handed you before the uber came. 

“Please have them all sign it! Also, remember to bring them gifts. Have the driver take you to stores or anything you brought, give them it if you think it might interest them.” Remembered Maryann’s words, you brought out a family size box of Fruit Loops and Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange album and placed them in front of you.

Jin’s eyes widen.

“I brought you these. You seem like someone who would like Frank Ocean and Fruit Loops.” 

“Wah! Thank you!” He bowed continuously to you, shock taking over him. Jungkook was going to take the cereal once they got home if he spotted it so Jin began to quickly thing of places of where to place before Jungkook could finish the whole box, without the other members having some first.

Oblivious to his thoughts, you quickly told it there was no need to thank you. The girl next to you was now shifting to the next member, cueing you that it was time to say goodbye to Jin.

“Goodbye, thank you for being welcoming. Have a nice day, Jin!” He felt the need to correct you for talking so informal to him but quickly remembered that there was no formalities in your language such as his.

“Bye, you too.” He smiled sweetly at you as you scooted to the following member who was Hoseok. 

“Hi.” Hoseok was taken aback.

“Hi!” His sun smile made you instantly feel much more at ease, the ball of nerves in your stomach became even smaller. 

“I brought you some stuff.” You quickly pushed the signed album over to him as you began to look through the your large handbag. Hoseok cocked his head to the side, wondering why you needed such a large bag. He shook his head, and started to sign his name onto the album next to Jin’s signature. He was admiring his hyung’s penmanship when you suddenly placed something on the table. You placed a bag of Tostitos in front of you. “I figured you would like to be eating and theses are original from mexico and although it says green sauce in Spanish, they’re not spicy but I think you might like them a lot. Also this album is very good.” You handed him the best collection of The Beatles album. 

Hobi smiled, understanding you as he took the bag and looked at them. The chips in the picture did seem appetizing. He figured Yoongi would like to try them as well and quickly placed them next to him. His fingers turned over the album you gave him, studying the art before looking up at you. 

“Thank you!” There was just something about him that made him such a gorgeous person, he also smelled amazing. Jin did too but Hoseok began to slowly have a special place in your heart from the short interaction you had held with him. You mentally thanked Maryann for this all. 

Someone poked you. 

You looked to the side and saw that it was Jimin. The girl next to you had now moved onto the next person, leaving you the spot in from of Jimin.

“Oh! I’m sorry..” You felt incredibly embarrassed, feeling your face turn hot.

Little did you know that someone had been watching you since you had entered the room and following your interacts with the members.

“It’s okay.” Jimin smiled so tenderly to you, you instantly felt like jello. He was beautiful and so sweet. Hoseok handed him Maryann’s album and turned to Jin, chatting. 

“I have something for you too.” He quickly signed on the back of the album, contrary to the other two who had signed the front. He then placed his head on his hand as he watched you amusingly search through the large handbag. 

You made a small triumphant sound before bring out a bottle of Rose water and a jewelry box. 

“Hm?” You looked at him with a smile.

“Rose water is very good for your skin, it will freshen you up and I know you like rings so here.” He grabbed the items and open the box which revealed a black band ring with a single gold line running across the ring. Jimin was speechless. ‘I really hope you like it.” 

“Thank you,” He replied shyly as he blushed.  You quickly looked to the side and saw the girl saying her goodbyes to Namjoon. Your heart quickened.

Namjoon. 

He was right there, a few inches away. You looked at Jimin who was now studying your face. 

“Um, I-I-Oh!” He took one of your hands and started to rub his thumb into your palm. 

“It’s okay, okay?” Jimin had noticed your sudden change in demeanor when you seen Namjoon. You quickly nodded, feeling so pathetic. The girl had now moved away. “Okay?”

“Yes.” He smiled at you so cutely and let go of your hand.

“Hyung.” He handed the album to Namjoon who smiled at you as you scoot over to him. 

“H-hi,” Fuck, you cringed at your stammering.

“Hi princess!” Namjoon started signing the album.

“I um, brought you something.” Your shaky hand reached into your purse as the other hand held it wide open.

“Really? You didn’t have to do that, babe.” The pet names he was giving you didn’t help your poor heart. 

“Here, I hope you like them.” You had taken some Blue Beats headphones and a Bryson Tiller album called TRAPSOUL that a friend of yours had given you, promising it was gold which it was. 

“Wow, thank you so much!” You placed the items next to him. He immediately grabbed your hand and began praising you for the gifts. The fan service BTS gave to their fans was incredible. You couldn’t believe just how genuine they were. 

“It’s n-nothing. I hope you enjoy the album and I apologize for the headphones. They were mine but I think you would look better with them.”

“They’re yours? I am going to love and cherish this even more now. I know I will enjoy the album, thank you so much for this, princess.” You were sure that your cheeks were red now. “I’m afraid our time is up though. Thank you for coming and being our fan. I appreciate and love you.” Namjoon’s famous dimple made an appearance that left you breathless. 

“Thank you. Bye.” You looked down as you scoot down to the next person. 

“Hi!” You quickly looked up to see Taehyung smile at you. Namjoon had already handed him the album. 

“Hello.” Taehyung really enjoyed your response. He was bewitched from the second he saw you. Your uncomfortable face from when you were sitting with everyone else before coming up on the stage made him wish he could sit you next to him. You were clearly uncomfortable and he knew exactly how it felt to be in a different country, surrounded by people speaking an alien language around you.

He reached out to touch your face but stopped. Namjoon was clearly your bias. He had noticed the second you were with Jiminnie and looked over to see Namjoon, you began to panic. Taehyung smiled at you again but it was almost sad. 

“Um,” He began to think as to what he could say to you. “You are very pretty.” He had a little trouble correctly pronouncing but nevertheless, did his best for you. 

“Thank you, I brought something for you.” You once again ducked and began to rummage through the large purse. Tae took this time to sign the album next to Jin Hyung and Hobi Hyung’s signatures. Had he fallen in love? Yes, he was sure of it. How he saw you interact with his Hyungs made him far more sure of it. 

“No, it’s okay.” You ignored his words as you pulled out-

“Now you know where I sleep.” Your phone rang with The Weeknd singing, 

“I’m sorry.” The items were dropped as your fingers now prodded around for the vibrating phone. A quick pull firm the inside of the purse, brought you your phone that showed Maryann’s number. “Yeah?” You quickly answered as you saw the girl next to you move down.

“(Y/N) come back please, Jake went a little crazy,” You could hear your precious best friend whisper in terror and with such softness, it was a bit difficult to hear her but nevertheless, you understood.

Taehyung quickly shook his head at the guard who was going to ask you to move up. The look on your face told him that it was best to leave you alone. 

“She has to go next down the line.” The guard said but Tae kept shaking his head.

“I’m on my way, I swear if that piece of shit touched you, Maryann.” You voice cracked towards the end of your very heated sentence, causing Namjoon to pay attention to the scene that was unfolding before him.  

“Hey, are you alright?” 

“I have to go, here have my bag.” Taehyung watched you get up and leave the handbag in front of him and then run down the stage, talking into the phone as you now jugged out of the place. 

“Hyung, she left her purse.” Taetae pulled the bag onto his lap as he turned to Namjoon. 

“We’ll look through it to see if she left any form of information that can help us find her.” Tae looked at Namjoon who was now facing Jimin, clearly not worried whatsoever about the girl who had ran from the venue with a face of horror.

“What the fuck happened?” You slammed the door close as you quickly made your way to Maryann who was sitting on the hotel bed with a blank face.

“Nothing, why are you here?” Jake hissed as you as yo got on your knees in front of your shock stricken friend. She didn’t look at you, just kept this very empty look in her eyes as she stare straight past your head. “Weren’t you at that stupid koreaboo exposition?” You stood up, giving Jake an annoyed look.

“Shut the fuck up, for once shut the fuck-” The only thing you heard was a dull ring in your right ear and your vision was spotted with blind white lights. Everything internally became hot. 

Jake had hit you. 

You could faintly hear Maryann scream at Jake as your body thumped against the carpet.

“Hey where are you going?” Jimin’s smile had ceased as soon as he saw Taehyung get up from his seat with the large purse the foreign girl had earlier. 

However, Tae ignored Jimin. 

In his mind, all he could think of was just how angry and terrified her face was when she had received that call.

“If you leave her with any form of evidence that you hit her, a week before my sister’s wedding, I will kill you myself Jake.” Maryann was seated on the floor next to your crumpled body with your head on her lap, and a bag of ice in her hand as she pressed it gently to the affected area. 

Jake walked around the hotel room with his hands crossed over his head, huffs of anger could be heard coming from him.

“I don’t understand why your little friend here is so fucking nosy,” He growled at his girlfriend who continued to apply the cool ice against your hot cheek that had felt as if it were torn apart by lighting itself. “This wouldn’t have happened if she had just kept her nose clean.” You couldn’t believe this man, much less your supposed best friend. This was your fault and it only mattered if you weren’t presentable after this incident for the wedding. 

Fucking incredible.

“Maryann,” You brought your hand to her wrist. “I’m fine.” If you spoke to her right now about reporting Jake or leaving him, as he was in the same room after smacking the utter shit out of you, it would not be safe for either of the two of you. “Can I just- got to my room?”

“Absolutely not, whore.”

“Jake, she won’t say anything.” He stopped walking around.

“We can’t trust her, Maryann.”

“I honestly just want to sleep this off. I haven’t said shit about how you fucking treat Maryann for a year now, what difference will it make now?” A lot, actually.

Jake seemed to have thought of your words, weighing options and the multiple possibilities that could rise if he let you go to your room after this.

“You’re right, no one would believe a sugar prostitute.” He snickered as he crouched over to you, gripped you by the front of the shirt, and literally dragged you off of Maryann, to continue dragging you to the door. “We’ll talk tomorrow.” You quickly scrambled up and left the awful room. 

Why was Maryann still with this guy? It was so clear to anyone at this point just how much of a shit head Jake was. He didn’t treat her right, she cried almost every day and every night, he cheated so much, he never really took her out. What was the point of this?

Your hands shook as you checked your pockets for the room card, only to remember that it was in the handbag you left at the fan meeting. 

“FUCK ME!” Tears began to furiously stream down your face as your sunk down the door, feeling so alone. Your head began to hurt a bit with every sob that shook your core along with the hot tears that cascaded down from your cheeks, to your jaw, and down your neck. Why did you care so much for a friend who didn’t even love herself? She didn’t even care for you when her boyfriend decided to smack you across the face! Her only concern was if you would look ugly for the pictures. “I’m so fucking stupid.” You were sure your wails could be heard but at the moment, nothing really mattered to you. 

“Hello, my friend left this over at my place before leaving. I just called her but her phone seems to be dead.” Taehyung couldn’t believe he was lying right into someone’s face. Someone who he didn’t even know. But by the way their eyes lit up at the sight of his face, they knew him. 

“Oh!” She quickly bowed her head. “Yes, you can leave it here and we will her call her room in a second to inform her that her item is here with us safely.” The lady began to reach for the large purse when Taehyung flashed her his famous boxy smile. 

“No, it’s okay, I would like to give it to her in person so she doesn’t worry that a stranger might have had it, and turned it in.” Idiot, that was exactly what he was doing. He internally winced at his stupid error, hoping the receptionist didn’t catch him. 

“I’m sorry but I can not reveal any customer information unless she gives explicit details to us saying otherwise. I’m sure you understand, sir.” She gave Tae a sickly smile. 

“Okay, well, here it is. I’ll be going now. Have a nice day.” He decided it was best if he didn’t try to intervene further more. It was creepy of him actually to even consider showing up in her hotel room, especially when there was a very obvious language barrier and she was a foreigner. Deeply looked down upon truly! 

As soon as he walked away, purse on the counter, he heard the receptionist tell the other receptionist to call room-

“A-52.” 

“Hmm..” He began to think. 

Creepy, creepy indeed. 

But she looked awful when she stormed out. He wasn’t exactly sure if she even had anyone here, a foreign country to her, to help her.

“Don’t.” He could clearly hear his manager’s voice warn him in his head. “This will cause a huge publicity problem.” But was it better to ignore what he had saw just to keep his image clean? Was that actually fair? 

Without any further thought to it, his legs began to walk towards the elevator. To anyone else that wasn’t in on the situation, he appeared to just be a man deep into thought as he pressed the buttons of the already opening elevator, to his room. But this was certainly not the case. No, not all. 

Part 2 (Not Ready)

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[nivalvixen]

Framed, pt 6

Also on AO3

"Stiles. Were you expecting someone else?" Rafe asked, seeing his expression fall.

"Food delivery," Stiles lied. "What are you doing here? Do you always make house calls to recruits or is this a special - and creepy - visit, just for me?" he snarked.

They weren't at the FBI, so he didn't have to be nice anymore.

Rafe sighed. "I wanted to apologise."

Stiles' eyes narrowed at that. "For what?"

"I haven't exactly been a great role model as an agent, and I know that if I ever want to have a relationship with my son again, I have to get through you first."

"Yeah, through my dead body, McCall. Just because you saved my life, it doesn't mean I'm forgiving you for anything you've done prior to that."

"I know. I'm not expecting you to. Hell, I don't deserve it. But I know that what I did was wrong and I'm trying to make amends. I'm trying to be a better person and move past that."

"Congratulations, I'll get you a medal engraved with: trying not to be a dick!"

Rafe looked frustrated, but he nodded. "Fine. I'm going to therapy and anger management sessions, so I really am trying. I want to be there for Scott, to see him grow up."

"Do or do not, there is no try," Stiles quoted and Rafe frowned. Before he could say anything, Stiles continued, "As for wanting to see Scott grow up, you already missed that boat and train: he's a grown damn man!"

"You don't think I know that? You think I haven't regretted leaving every single day since I left?!" Rafe snapped, his voice loud and almost enough to draw out Stiles' neighbours.

"Oh, yeah, I do think that, actually. You were in a drunken haze for a good four months, at least, since you missed Scott's seventh birthday party. You promised him that you'd come and you didn't; you broke a promise to a kid, and you never keep your promises! Even when you came back to Beacon Hills two years ago and then left again, you still didn't keep your promise to Scott then either. And you know who has to pick up the pieces every single time? Me."

Rafe clenched his jaw at the reminder of the things he'd done wrong over the years. "I'm trying to rectify that. I understand that you're angry and upset, and you have every right to be. I just... I don't know what else I can do."

"How about not being an asshole? You could start with that," Stiles sneered.

"Look, do you want to take a swing at me? Go on, get even with me, one clear shot," Rafe offered, almost desperately.

Stiles stared in disbelief. Some part of him really did want to, his fist already clenched by his side in anticipation, but he forced himself to relax his hand instead. He shook his head firmly. "No, I'm not like you. You said that you'll have to get through me to get to Scott, and you're a hundred fucking percent correct. But if you think I'll let you anywhere near Scott just so he can be hurt by you again, then in that, you are a hundred and ten fucking percent wrong."

With that said, Stiles slammed the door shut in Rafe's face. He locked it, and sat on his bed, his hands shaking and his anger making his whole body tremble.

...

Barely five minutes passed before there was another knock on the door. Stiles let out a growl of annoyance, then opened the door and glared. He was halfway through saying 'go the fuck away' when he realised that it wasn't Agent McJackass, but Derek.

"You have a beard," Stiles said, feeling stupid.

Behind said beard, Derek smiled. "Nice to see you too, Stiles. Were you expecting someone else?" he asked, scenting the tendrils of anger, even though they'd dissipated to shock and happiness already.

"No, Scott's dad's just left. Get your ass inside in case he decides to come back," Stiles said, stepping back and allowing Derek to walk inside.

It was a tight fit and Derek sniffed as the door closed behind him. "I thought I recognised the scent. It was after Mexico, wasn't it?" he asked, sniffing once more.

"Yeah. You couldn't say no to egg rolls," Stiles said, rolling his eyes.

"That's because egg rolls are amazing."

"Everyone knows dim sim are like a thousand times better; do you want to start this argument again?"

"No, I still remember all of your points from last time. It doesn't mean that egg rolls aren't amazing," Derek added, setting his bag on Stiles' bed and looking around curiously. "Already set up, I see," he said, nodding to the walls covered in string and paper.

"Yeah. Keeps me focused; I think I've almost figured your case out," he said, looking to Derek's wall and frowning at it. It felt like he knew the answer, but just needed that last bit of proof that was constantly out of reach. Stiles sighed, scratched his head, then turned his attention back to Derek once more. "Hey, how was your flight?"

"Not bad. I managed to get a flight without too many people, so the smell wasn't as bad as it could have been."

"I need to ask: how did you get on the plane in the first place? Your name and photo's been sent to every airport in the country."

Derek tugged at the beard he'd been growing since returning to Beacon Hills and grinned. "This helped. I stuck close to a family, and a few other people who were on their own. They didn't seem to mind my company," he added with a shrug. "Oh, and Peter left me a stack of fake passports before he left."

Stiles laughed incredulously. "Of course he did. Have you heard from him lately?"

Derek shook his head. "Not for a few weeks. He said he'd be out of range anyway."

"Let me guess: Peter's decided to take up deep-sea diving?" Stiles asked, rolling his eyes.

Derek snorted and shook his head. "Who knows with him?"

Stiles grinned a little and then held his arms out. "It's been five minutes of small talk, reckon I could get a hug now?"

Derek laughed and hugged Stiles close. Stiles still felt a bit shook up from Rafe's unexpected house call, so he clung to Derek a little longer and tighter than he usually would have. They pulled away after a moment, Stiles coughing in embarrassment and stepping back.

"What was McCall here for anyway?" Derek asked.

"Trying to use me to get to Scott," he muttered, sighing.

"Why doesn't he just contact Scott? He's got his phone number, doesn't he?"

"Exactly! He's a coward and he's trying to use me as an excuse so he won't have to talk to Scott himself!"

Derek shook his head. He saw the notebook and workbook sitting on Stiles small laptop desk, the highlighters and pens crowded on the paper. "You've got work to finish?"

"Uh, yeah. I can do it later," Stiles offered.

"I'm not going to be the reason you're kicked out of the FBI. For that or this," he said, indicating to Stiles' notebook and then to the wall behind him. "I need a shower anyway, so I'll leave you to your work," Derek said, smiling.

"All right. The bathroom's tiny and there's no fan, so leave the window open to get rid of the steam. Death by mould isn't exactly what I want on my tombstone," Stiles said.

Derek shook his head and went into the bathroom. Stiles sat down to finish his workbook, resolutely not thinking about Derek naked in his tiny apartment's shower.

"The red towel is a spare; there's just nowhere else to put it," Stiles called, referring to the towel hanging on the back of the bathroom door next to his blue one.

There was a tiny basin with storage, but since Stiles couldn't open the door unless he was sitting on the toilet, he hadn't bothered to keep anything in there. The bathroom door had towels hanging internally, with a shoe organiser on the side facing his kitchenette. Stiles used it to hold his pens, highlighters, string, and box of thumb tacks. He'd also taken to stuffing his clean socks in the compartments to keep them separate from the dirty ones he had in a bag on the floor. Stiles decided Sunday would have to be laundry day.

Sitting at his desk, he started writing the answer to the last article, trying to keep within a single A4 page limit this time. He soon got caught up in the history of the Dreyfus Affair, antisemitism, and the role that both the press and public had over the injustice served.

"Hey, mind if I have a nap? I think the flight affected me more than I realised," Derek said, coming out of the bathroom and rubbing a hand over his face, barely stifling a yawn.

His shirt was a little damp and sticking in places, and had managed to move up above his stomach, revealing a small stretch of skin. Stiles' mouth went dry at the sight and he looked back to his workbook abruptly, hoping that Derek wouldn't comment on the change in his scent.

"Go ahead. There's only the one bed," Stiles said, wincing when he realised that unless one of them became a night owl all of a sudden, they'd probably have to share the bed.

"Thanks, Stiles," Derek said, moving his bag under the bed and collapsing on the mattress.

Stiles forced himself to focus on his work rather than the man sleeping in his bed. If he stood up ten minutes later to find Derek sleeping splayed out across his bed, well, there was no one else in the apartment to see his smile.

...

End of the sixth chapter.

#sterek #NV fanfic #fbi stiles #leave derek hale alone

[melissagoesexpat]

Top 10 things I wished I knew before moving to Singapore:

1.       That Mexican food is edible and pretty decent here. Not amazing Californian good or in Mexico good, but commendable. I also should have stolen more Taco Bell hot sauce. My love for sauciness (in food and in life) has cost me the better part of my rations and now I’m going to settle for Picante or some quasi, crappy version of hot sauce that they call ‘Mexican hot sauce’ over here. Trader Joe’s Jalapeno Hot Sauce, I miss you.

2.       That my best friend, wine, and I are taking a forced break. I knew it would be expensive here but surely for $22 a glass you’d think the glass would be more than two sips. I’ve had to hold myself back on instructing staff what a ‘real pour’ is. Instead, I’ve thought better of it and just licked my glass clean when my husband and servers aren’t looking.

3.       Alas, liquor is not any better my shot-loving friends. I spent $32 on a Singapore Sling here. That’s one drink! Best bring a full flask when you come to visit me friends – you’ll be sharing! #ThankGodForDutyFree

4.       That media is not censored as much as I thought it would be and I still get to stream my beloved Netflix. I had visions of a stranded island situation where I could only watch G-rated movies or listen to Celine Dion for the next two years in Singapore, but it turns out I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I can get my favorite magazine (but they cost like $11 each) and cozy up on the couch to listen to Spotify while watching Netflix and it’s like I’m back in San Francisco except without the wine.

5.       I need a Kindle stat. Books are also ridiculously expensive like $65 on two books expensive not to mention the emotional toll of listening to my husband complain about the price for two hours after – it’s almost not worth it. It was also real helpful to hear from my Mom that if she would have known, she would have given me one of her Kindles. Thanks, Mom for offering one of yours AFTER I already moved. Let it be known, the woman has three.

6.       That there has been barely any real transition from life in San Francisco to Singapore other then me calling friends and family in the morning because that’s their night time. Sadly, I don’t get to call after a boozy night and say “heyyyyyyy” anymore. Some may benefit more than others from this – you know who you are.

7.       That vitamins are so damn expensive. Why do these little pills cost enough that I need to knock off a bank to afford them? As a kinda vegetarian who eats fish, I need my vitamins. When trying to find some they all range from $60 and up. That’s for one bottle – I typically take three kinds at a time. I guess I’m going to be cash poor, but vitamin rich? Feel free to start sending care packages at any time.

8.       That flip flops/thongs/sandals, whatever you want to call them, are easy to find if you have lovely, petite feet. I do not. My Mom used to call my feet clodhoppers which I guess was slang for big feet back in her day (i.e. the Dark Ages). I’m still holding out hope that I find some flip flops that fit out there in the crazy-crowded shopping mall wilds but perhaps this might be a job for Amazon Prime.

9.       That I want to eat all the bread here. The baked goods here are legit and plentiful. My ice cream guy (yes, I have an ice cream guy) told me the whole baked good thing has really exploded here in the past 10 years and that before, only for special occasions. This is a lucky and happy development as it’s part of my duty to stuff my face with as many baked items as I can to make sure to tell my visitors which ones are the best.  I get a free pass because I’m helping – seriously though – it’s super thoughtful of me.  

10.   That Starbucks is crazy popular and crazy expensive. Call me a spoiled American but if I see more than three people in line and the cost of my hot tea which is basically hot water and leaves is above $7, that’s money I’ll be saving to put towards something more sophisticated and fun – you guessed it, probably my old friend wine who I haven’t talked to in a while.

#expat #Singapore #topten